Oliver Loomes is leaving after working for Diageo for 21 years and will be replaced by Barry OSullivan as MD Ireland. Photo: Frank Mc Grath

Oliver Loomes is stepping down as managing director of Diageo Ireland.

Mr Loomes, who has worked for Diageo for 21 years, will leave the listed group at the end of June to pursue the next chapter in his career, according to a statement from the company.

He has been country director and then managing director for Ireland since 2015.

Barry OSullivan, who was previously managing director for Mars Petcare in Australia and New Zealand, has been appointed to managing director of Diageo Ireland.

Mr OSullivan will report to John Kennedy, president of Diageo Europe and India.

He will join Diageo Ireland later this month, which will allow for a transition period before Mr Loomes departure at the end of the financial year, according to the company.

Mr OSullivan previously held the positions of general manager at Mars Chocolate based in Mexico and general manager for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Mars.

He has an MBA from UCDs Smurfit Business School.

John Kennedy, president, Diageo Europe and India said: On behalf of Diageo, I would like to thank Ollie for the significant contribution he has made to Diageo and for the legacy that he leaves behind, not just in Ireland but in many countries around the world.

I would also like to congratulate Barry on his appointment and welcome him to the Ireland business in his new role, Mr Kennedy added.

Diageo reported net sales of 6.9bn (8bn) in the six months to December 31, down 4.5pc year-on-year.

Operating profit was 2.2bn, a fall of 8.3pc, driven by unfavourable foreign exchange and a decline in organic operating profit, according to interim results from the group.

Organic net sales were up 1pc, despite a significant impact from travel retail and on-trade restrictions. In North America, sales were up 12.3pc, offsetting declines in other regions, except for Africa which, the company said, was broadly flat.

The company, which is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange, said its interim dividend increased 2pc to 27.96 pence per share.
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In 1773, Mozart took the job as court musician for the ruler Salzburg, Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo. It was steady and somewhat prestigious but didn't pay much and didn't offer him a lot of chances to do meaningful work (which to Mozart meant writing operas). On the whole, it was sort of like the classical music version of working a soul-crushing corporate gig. The only thing that was missing was Colloredo stopping by Mozart's quarters holding a mug of coffee and telling him that if he could have those revised violin concertos on his desk by five, that'd be great.

Barbara Krafft/Wikimedia Commons At least no one could say he wasn't sporting enough flair.

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So, like anyone in his situation, Mozart started looking for work elsewhere while still technically being employed by Salzburg. In 1781, his opera "Idomeneo" opened in Munich to great praise, which made it all the more painful when he was summoned by Colloredo, who proceeded to treat the young prodigy like a servant. He also forbade him from performing before the Emperor, which paid more than half his yearly Salzburg salary. Colloredo pretty much did everything to put down Wolfy besides stealing his favorite red stapler and kicking him in the ass. And then he did do that thing. After Mozart demanded to be fired, Colloredo thought it over and finally agreed  by having his steward literally kick THE Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the goddamn ass.

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Mozart went on to settle in Vienna, after which he composed some of his most famous pieces, including The Magic Flute. And chances are that he would never have done that if he'd returned to Salzburg and Colloredo, which his father basically ordered him to do. Mozart's father, Leopold, was a powerful figure in Wolfgang's life, and for the longest time, he had his son under his thumb. But the kick had been a step too far and a boot too high. It was humiliating for Mozart, so despite his father's orders, he stayed away, did his own thing, and eventually grew as a composer that is now known the world over. Also, we feel we should mention that he wrote a canon called "Lick me in the arse" literally one year after getting away from Colloredo. Do with this information what you will.
Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 : With just five more days left for the Assembly polls here, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's body language from that of a sure winner appears to have dimmed and is now aggressively targetting the Congress-led UDF. He is trying his best to harp on the alleged link the Congress has with the BJP-led NDA and that it is out to stop the development of Kerala.

Incidentally, this sudden change has happened in the past one week, after the arrival of Rahul Gandhi and it peaked when his sister and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra went around on her whirlwind trip across the southern and central districts. After getting a tremendous response during her 2-day visit, Priyanka is returning for a few more road shows on Saturday in the state capital.

Vijayan was sitting pretty till a few days back and was riding on the few pre-poll surveys which predicted an easy walkover, but things turned with the arrival of a report of the state intelligence and the central intelligence which predicted that the Congress-led UDF would have an easy victory.

On Thursday, Vijayan met the media in his home turf at Kannur and said that of late there have been lots of lies and canards that have been spread against the Left and he tried to defend it by citing a report of Transparency International, which rated Kerala as the least corrupt state and added that Rajasthan, which is ruled by the Congress is the most corrupt.

"Of late several new campaigners have come and are trying to attack the Left and it includes even personal attacks. These people who have come from outside are just airing the statements of the state leaders. None will forget it's these parties who were responsible for the scams like Bofors and 2G. While the Congress was at the centre of the carnage of the Sikhs in Delhi, Muslims were slayed in Gujarat besides the brutal killing of Graham Staines and his two young sons," said Vijayan.

He also warned that in the coming days more canards are expected to come in the form of forged documents and fake voice messages.

"All these won't be enough to mislead the Keralaites and the new found relation between the Congress and the BJP, with the full support of the various central agencies will all be dismissed by the people here. After the elections, the relevance of the Congress will diminish like never before as the people through the ballot will show them. The people it seems by now have already decided that as can be seen from the mood of the people," added Vijayan.

Incidentally, while the Left was engaged in a huge public relation exercise promoting Vijayan and his government, the Congress was lying low, but it has broken its shackles and has now flooded the public domain in the form of advertisements, audio and video clips slamming the five years of Vijayan rule.

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said that Vijayan is doing his best to project himself and has used the government machinery to come out with a fraudulent voters list which has 4.34 lakh bogus or duplicate voters.

"This was how they managed to win the December local body polls. All people have to be aware of this fraudulent voters list and am requesting all the political parties to be on the watch. I have released this list on the website also for all to see," said Chennithala.

But Vijayan dismissed this with a laugh and said the Kerala High Court and the Chief Electoral Officer are all looking into it .

Two-time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said, "All it requires is a peep into the past and the Left has opposed every developmental projects which includes the Kochi airport, Kochi Metro, Kannur airport, the GAIL pipeline and just see the Vizhinjam Port, which Adani in 2016 said he would complete the port in 1,000 days.

"It's been five years and the Vizhinjam port is hanging fire. Everyone knows who are the ones who create roadblocks in all developmental projects. Reports have now surfaced that even the 2018 floods was man made by the mismanagement of handling our dams. The people are all aware of what has happened during our time and the present government's time," said Chandy.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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Officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Thursday apprehended two men suspected to be one-chance robbers at Ikate, Lekki-Ajah expressway.

The suspects were driving an unnumbered, wine-coloured Toyota Camry, against traffic when they were accosted by the officers.

One-chance is a form of robbery where the perpetrators pose as transporters to lure unsuspecting passengers into their vehicle and then dispossess them of their valuables.

In a statement by Olumide Filade, the agencys spokesperson, while the driver was being questioned by the officers, a lady came raising the alarm that she boarded the vehicle not knowing it was a one-chance vehicle.

and they include her phone, ATM debit card and some other items. The two one-chance robbers and the victim were subsequently taken and handed over to the police division at Maroko by the LASTMA officers for thorough investigation and prosecution by the police. 4/8 pic.twitter.com/PhrDNyEnTb  LASTMA (@followlastma) April 1, 2021

The lady further narrated that all her valuables were forcefully taken away from her and they include her phone, ATM debit card and some other items, Mr Filade said in the statement posted on LASTMAs official Twitter handle.

The @gm_lastma, Olajide Oduyoye, in his comment praised the LASTMA officers who carried out this feat and said that LASTMA does not only manage traffic on Lagos roads but also render humanitarian services on our roads. 5/8 pic.twitter.com/VaY8zourE3  LASTMA (@followlastma) April 1, 2021

The two one-chance robbers and the victim were subsequently taken and handed over to the police division at Maroko by the LASTMA officers for thorough investigation and prosecution by the police.

The statement quoted Olajide Oduyoye, the LASTMA general manager, as praising the officers and noting that the agency does not only manage traffic on Lagos roads but also renders humanitarian services.

Mr Oduyoye, according to the statement, recalled the assistance rendered by some LASTMA officers to a pregnant lady and her child who had an accident on a commercial motorcycle at the Fagba area of the state.
Police had pulled Pusey over for speeding, but he escaped the utter carnage

Four police officers were killed when a truck crashed into the group on April 22

He outraged many after

Australia's 'most hated man', Richard Pusey, has been scolded and placed on mute by a Melbourne magistrate in an online court hearing about theft and assault charges.

Pusey is accused of stealing car keys from another driver during an October 2018 petty parking dispute in Melbourne.

Prosecutors alleged the driver felt threatened and feared he'd be assaulted when Pusey walked up to the man, reached into the vehicle, removed the keys and drove off in his own car.

Acting for Pusey, Vincent Peters told an online mention at the Neighbourhood Justice Centre on Thursday the footage played to the court was not conclusive of prosecutors' assertions.

Australia's 'most hated man', Richard Pusey, was placed on mute by a Melbourne magistrate in an online court hearing on Thursday about theft and assault charges stemming from a 2018 incident

Pusey (pictured above) is accused of stealing car keys from a taxi as the driver sat behind the wheel

The court was told Pusey felt it 'appropriate' to remove the keys as the other man was not in a position to drive.

Pusey said he then drove the keys to a police station, but prosecutors disagreed with this assertion.

Appearing in court via video link, Pusey was placed on mute after repeatedly interrupting.

Magistrate Lance Martin said this was not acceptable as Pusey had legal representation and needed to let his lawyer talk.

As the hearing concluded, Pusey was un-muted and complained prosecutors were withholding documents from him.

'Why does the informant ignore my call for documents to be handed over,' Pusey asked.

Mr Martin said this was not an issue for a judicial officer to involve themselves in, and suggested Pusey speak to his lawyer.

'That's understood, sir, but what about the rest of the nation who can't afford legal protection,' Pusey said.

Mr Martin replied: 'I'm not here to debate those issues'.

Before the magistrate joined the hearing, Pusey quipped he was 'Australia's most hated man'.

Four police officers died in a horror crash involving a truck on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway in April last year

It echoed County Court Judge Trevor Wraight's comment the day before about Pusey being 'probably the most hated man in Australia'.

The 42-year-old on Wednesday faced a pre-sentence hearing for outraging public decency following a crash on the Eastern Freeway last April that killed four police officers.

He filmed the scene, repeatedly described it as 'amazing' and zoomed in on the injuries of the dead and dying officers.

He is due to be sentenced over the incident on April 28.

His unrelated theft and assault charges are due back before the Neighbourhood Justice Centre on May 6.
Maputo  Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday appointed Raul Domingos, the former number two in the main opposition party, Renamo, to the Council of State, an advisory body to the President.

Domingos replaces the Mayor of Beira, and leader of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), Daviz Simango, on the Council. Simango died of a heart ailment on 22 February.

Domingos was once chief of staff of Renamo, and effectively second-in-command of the rebel force. He was the head of the Renamo delegation in the negotiations in Rome which led to the peace agreement between the government and Renamo signed on 4 October 1992.

He became head of the Renamo parliamentary group after the first multi-party elections in 1994. But his relationship with the party's leader, Afonso Dhlakama, broke down in 2000, and in July of that year Dhlakama threw him out of Renamo.

Domingos set up his own organisation, the Party for Peace, Democracy and Development (PDD). In the 2004 presidential elections, Domingos came third, but with only 2.7 per cent of the vote. The PDD won two per cent of the vote, but no seats, in the parliamentary election. That was the high point for the PDD. Since then it has faded into obscurity, although Domingos himself remains a respected figure in opposition politics.

Under the Mozambican constitution, the President must consult the Council of State prior to any declaration of war, or of a state of emergency or state of siege. The Council must also be consulted over the date of general elections, and if the President wishes to dissolve the country's parliament the Assembly of the Republic, to hold a referendum, or to sack any provincial governor or district administrator.

Several members of the Council sit ex oficio - the President of the Republic, former Presidents, the Prime Minister, the speaker of parliament, former speakers, the chairperson of the Constitutional Council, the ombudsman, and the runner-up in the latest presidential election.

The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, chooses seven members of the Council, and Nyusi appoints four. He had appointed Simango, and has the right to choose his replacement.
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The Rivers State Government has launched a new security outfit to help maintain security in the oil-rich state.

The security outfit, called C4i, was launched on Thursday in Port Harcourt by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

Mr Wike, in a series tweets, said the outfit comprises 400 police officers and 200 officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and that they have been trained in relevant skills to ensure they carry out their duty efficiently.

We have made appreciable success in the area of security but we wouldnt rest on our oars.

With C4i, we intend to take it a step further by adopting a proactive policing approach and nipping the effort of criminals in the bud, the governor said at the inauguration ceremony which was attended the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 16, Austin Agbonlahor, who represented the inspector general of police.

C4i vehicles, branded with their local government areas of responsibility, have been deployed to each local government area in the state.

To further boost our security in the riverine areas, in the next few weeks the state government would donate a total of fifteen gunboats to the Navy, Army and Police in Rivers State, the governor said.

Mr Wike thanked the inspector general of police and heads of other security agencies for attending the launch.

He advised security agencies to abstain from politics and focus on their primary responsibility of protecting lives and property of people of the state.

Several states in Nigeria, grappling with varying security challenges, including kidnapping for ransom, communal clashes, frequent clashes between herders and farmers, have also set up their own security outfit.
Investigations editor

Larry Parnass, investigations editor, joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant and CommonWealth Magazine.
(CNN)  The man arrested in the assault on a 65-year-old Asian woman in New York City was out on parole for killing his mother, police told CNN.

Brandon Elliot was arrested early Wednesday. Elliot will be arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on two counts of second-degree assault as a hate crime and one count of first-degree attempted assault as a hate crime, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said in a news conference Wednesday.

Elliot is facing 25 years in prison in addition to "other consequences related to his lifetime parole" if convicted, Vance added.

The NYPD said Elliot is the man in the photos and videos released Tuesday by the department in its request to identify the individual near the scene Monday.

CNN is attempting to contact a lawyer for Elliot and has reached out to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for more information on whether they will pursue the charges.

Police previously said the woman was punched and kicked in midtown Manhattan by an attacker who allegedly made anti-Asian statements toward her. The brazen attack was captured on video and released by authorities.

The incident comes at a time when New York and cities across the US have seen an increase in reports of attacks against Asian people.

Elliot served 17 years in state prison for stabbing his mother to death, the NYPD told CNN. He was released on lifetime parole in November 2019.

The NYPD Hate Crimes unit thanked its detectives and the public for assistance in the investigation in a social media post early Wednesday.

Police said the attack happened in front of 360 West 43rd St., the address of an apartment complex owned by the Brodsky Organization.

The video, which seems to be from the vantage point of a camera inside the apartment complex, appears to show onlookers not reacting to the attack as the woman is kicked repeatedly in broad daylight.

Lobby staffers' actions being investigated

The Brodsky Organization released a statement Wednesday saying in part it has been working with union representation to investigate the response of two lobby staffers who witnessed the attack. The company said the two employees were seen on video "closing doors in response to the perpetrator brandishing a knife." The employees then assisted the victim and flagged down an NYPD officer.

The staffers remain suspended pending the outcome of the investigation and to determine whether "all emergency protocols were sufficiently followed."

The company said it's "committed to strengthening internal training and working with our community to ensure the safety of our residents and neighbors."

"We are extremely distraught by the horrific attack that occurred outside our building, and our hearts go out to the victim," the company said Wednesday. "Our company stands with the AAPI community in condemning racism and violence against Asian-Americans."

Kyle Bragg, the president of the local union SEIU 32BJ, said the union is investigating the incident and the actions of the door staff.

"The information we have at the moment is that the door staff, members of SEIU 32BJ, called for help immediately. The staff in question has been suspended pending further investigation," Bragg said.

NYPD Detective Michael Rodriguez said there were no 911 calls for the incident and patrol officers drove by and came up on the victim after she was assaulted.

Residents of 360 West 43rd Street apartments defended the actions of the door staff in an open letter to the Brodsky Organization.

"We would like to make clear ... that upon review of the FULL video-recorded incident, we do not believe the 360 West doormen staff have failed us as residents, our Midtown Manhattan community, nor our fellow AAPI New Yorkers," the letter read.

The letter says the security footage of the assault was edited to focus on the assailant, but "most certainly mischaracterizes" the door staff.

"It is very apparent to us that the doorman who acted to secure our building by closing the front door, did not have line of sight at the time of the attack and was merely reacting to the aftermath of a physical altercation," the letter read. "Immediately upon comprehending what had transpired, we commend the staff's quick response in rendering aid to the victim, alerting medics, and cooperating with law enforcement."
Illinois lawmakers are proposing fingerprints and higher costs for Illinois Firearm Owners Identification Card in an effort to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldnt have them.

State Sen. Ram Villivalams amended Senate Bill 568 would double the cost of receiving a FOID card to $20 and cut the expiration date in half to five years. In addition, it would also require the cardholder to submit them to the Illinois State Police.

The higher costs for obtaining a card and transferring guns would go to mental health services and another fund that would pay for the increased operations within ISP to enforce the program.

A 2019 shooting in suburban Aurora that left five dead was perpetrated by a man whose FOID card had been revoked.

Villivalam said at a recent news conference that the increasing rate of gun violence requires action.

It ensures that were giving the Illinois State Police the ability to take the guns of folks who shouldnt have them, he said. It makes sure that were getting funding, life-saving funding, mental health funding, to the communities that have been most impacted by gun violence.

Another major change in the legislation would require that any change in ownership of a firearm be conducted through a licensed gun dealer. That includes inheriting firearms from a deceased family member or if two FOID cardholders consent to a loan between them.

The potential glut of transfer requests has Todd Vandermyde, executive director of Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, skeptical that the law could be enforced.

I think that there will be a lot of dealers that just arent going to do it, he said. The real burden is going to fall on the individual to be able to find a place.

And because there are not federal firearms licensees within Chicago to legally transfer a gun, Vandermyde says that would amount to a civil rights violation.

If somebody is a Chicago resident, where do they go transfer a firearm? If a bunch of those shops in Cook County say theyre not going to do it for $10, he said, how far are they going to have to go?

The bill would also add another act in which a cardholder could have their privileges removed. In addition to threats or acts of physical violence to someone or themselves identified by a medical official, school or law enforcement, it includes any act that is intended to cause or create a risk and does cause or create a risk of death or great bodily harm to one or more persons.

Villivalams bill has 24 sponsors including himself, an indication that the measure will be considered.

The FOID card program is facing lawsuits over delays in issuing the cards.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 00:12:14|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Around 2.5 million Ethiopians are out of reach of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) disclosed on Thursday.

"An estimated 2.5 million people in rural areas of Ethiopia's northern Tigray regional state have not had access to essential services over the past four months," the OCHA disclosed.

The UN agency also said insecurity in parts of southern and southeastern Tigray has hindered humanitarian response in the area.

It disclosed that alongside humanitarian partners, it is scaling up humanitarian response despite challenges, with already more than one million people assisted with food baskets.

The UN and partner agencies have also provided emergency shelter and vital relief items to more than 146,000 displaced people.

The OCHA however reported that the overall humanitarian situation in Tigray remains extremely dire.

It said that the UN continues to receive concerning reports of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including looting and vandalization of health centres and schools, as well as several cases of sexual and gender-based violence.

It said the conflict continues to drive massive displacement across the region, with tens of thousands of people arriving in Shire, Axum and Adwa over the past weeks.

Fighting that erupted in early November last year in Ethiopia's Tigray between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to rule the regional state, and the Ethiopian Defense Forces had left thousands of people killed and caused immense losses in the region.

According to the Ethiopian government figures, the conflict has displaced around 2.2 million people, while 4.5 million people are in need of emergency aid. Enditem
(Natural News) Coronavirus cases have dropped to a record low in Texas roughly three weeks after the state lifted its mask mandate and reopened businesses.

(Article by Veronika Kyrylenko republished from TheNewAmerican.com)

Today the 7-day Covid positivity rate dropped to a new recorded low: 4.95%. Hospitalizations dropped to a 6-month low. This week we have 1 million 1st vaccines available, Texas Governor Greg Abbott wrote in a tweet on Sunday. Everyone now qualifies for a shot. They are highly recommended to prevent getting Covid but always voluntary.

On March 2, Abbott joined a growing number of governors across the United States who are easing coronavirus restrictions. Like the rest of the country, Texas has seen the number of cases and deaths plunge. Yet lockdowners tore into Texas, telling it to keep the restrictions that keep people jobless, poor, and dependent. Just like the rest of the country, under the lockdown, Texas economy, the second largest by GDP in the United States and ninth in the world, took a huge hit. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than $42.4 billion in unemployment has been paid out just in Texas. From March 2020 to March 2021, 7.2 million unemployment claims have been filed in the state. The Texas Workforce Commission says thats more than the previous five years of claims combined. Most who filed have since returned to work, but at last count, 322,060 Texans were still making continued claims for jobless benefits. On top of that, Texas is coming off a deadly freeze that led to massive power outages and food shortages.

Amid the economic recession, and considering the accumulated expertise and knowledge on COVID spread and the cost of lives lost to lockdowns, the necessity of returning to business-as-usual was common sense  for many, Governor Abbott included. He said, We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans by opening Texas 100 percent. At the same time, the governor noted that COVID-19 has not disappeared, but it is clear from the recoveries, vaccinations, reduced hospitalizations, and safe practices that Texans are using that state mandates are no longer needed.

Those words would make many Americans jealous for not having such a great governor (yours truly included). Many, however, unleashed a torrent of criticism on Abbott. Absolutely reckless, California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted in response to Abbotts announcement, while Dr. Fauci called it inexplicable.

Texas will experience more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths, state Representative Richard Pena Raymond, a Democrat from the border city of Laredo, told Abbott in a letter.

Similarly, Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Democratic party in Texas, issued a statement pushing back on Abbotts decision: What Abbott calls pro-business is anti-people. Make no mistake: Opening Texas prematurely will only lead to faster COVID spread, more sickness and overcrowding in our hospitals, and unnecessary deaths.

Those speaking up against the decision included health officials who got a taste of real power and do not like being disrespected  that is, they dont want you to proceed with your lives and try to make a living without receiving their blessing first. Dr. John Hellerstedt, the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, told local lawmakers he did not have a personal conversation with Abbott prior to the announcement. In fact, three of the governors four coronavirus medical advisors said they hadnt spoken with him. The fourth, Dr. John Zerwas, had spoken to Abbott and believed the state mandate is in the rearview mirror and that it was time for personal responsibility to take over, according to the Huffington Post.

President Joe Biden himself didnt mince words, calling the idea the public could forgo masks in the midst of the pandemic Neanderthal thinking.

Yet here we are, despite  or thanks to  this type of thinking, and despite the gloomy predictions of the health expert power junkies, with Texas slashing COVID.

Mississippi, which lifted its mask mandate on March 3, observed a 44 percent decrease of cases as compared to the average of two weeks earlier, according to the New York Times.

The case for safe reopening of the economy and dropping the mask mandates is piling up day by day, proving that people can and should be trusted with their own health choices (duh!). Still on Monday President Biden reiterated the lockdown mantra, urging state and local officials to reconsider lifting their coronavirus restrictions and to reinstate mask mandates saying: Please, this is not politics. For once I can agree with Joe. It is not politics to let people make their own choices and work and enjoy fruits of their labor  its a restoring of inalienable rights: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. You know the thing.

Read more at: TheNewAmerican.com and Pandemic.news.
A UN peacekeeper on patrol in the Beni region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (file).

analysis

In recent interviews with detained ADF rebels, some hadn't even heard of ISIS.

On 10 March, the US Department of State designated a rebel group operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a foreign terrorist organisation. Referring to it as the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - Democratic Republic of the Congo (ISIS-DRC)", it placed the group under strict sanctions. It suggested that the rebel group - also known as Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) - has become part of the so-called Islamic State's Central Africa Province and warrants heightened action.

The announcement comes as US military advisers and the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC have shown a renewed interest in supporting Congolese forces conducting operations against the ADF. The rebel group has operated in the DRC since the 1990s, long before ISIS gained international prominence. Apparently US officials believe that its modus operandi and objectives have shifted now that it is part of global jihadist movement of ISIS.

Many analysts, however, disagree.

Objectives and strategies

One argument for seeing ADF as part of ISIS is that its objectives and strategies have changed. According to a report by George Washington University's Program on Extremism and the Bridgeway Foundation, the ADF's current leader Seka Baluku has reoriented the group's raison d'etre from overthrowing the Ugandan government to the "establishment of an Islamic State inside DRC as part of a global caliphate".

In making this case, the report cites an ADF video in which "children can be heard repeating in Arabic the Islamic State's infamous motto: 'Remaining and expanding!'" It explains that ISIS's "primary export" to its affiliates are its creed (aqeeda) and method (manhaj), which includes "territorial control and implementing authority". This is often achieved through capturing territory, holding cities and declaring a state.

It is questionable, however, as to whether the ADF has truly evolved in this way. The group has never previously shown any interest in capturing territory to govern civilian populations, only a small minority of whom are Muslim. It has mostly stayed secluded in the bush. Recent interviews with detained combatants, internal UN intelligence reports or accounts of kidnapped civilians indicate that there are no signs that this has changed. Rather, these sources saythat ADF primarily wants to be left alone. Its main message to local populations is that it will stop conducting mass killings when the army halts operations against it.

This suggests that the rebel group has not adopted the ISIS objective of "remaining and expanding", but simply of remaining. In fact, in the video cited by the report, the children can only be heard chanting the first half of the phrase: "baqiyah" (which is the same as the Swahili bakia).

It is true that, within its camps, the ADF has developed an extensive governance system with schools, prisons and health care structures. All the camps' inhabitants must abide by strict regulations based on Islamic law. But these purely internal governance structures long predate any links with ISIS.

Recruitment and financing

Another reason to suggest that ADF is part of ISIS is that it has started to recruit fighters from across the region and has received funding through foreign ISIS associates. However, both these claims are dubious.

Firstly, ADF has contained fighters from different East African countries for a long time. A UN Group of Experts report in 2012 documents its recruitment networks operating across Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania and notes that the group is "increasingly targeting recruits from East Africa". The ADF's former leader Jamil Mukulu was in Tanzania when he was arrested in 2015.

Secondly, the evidence for alleged financial links with ISIS appears weak. There were allegations in 2018 that the group received funding through an alleged ISIS money handler in Kenya, but recent UN investigations do not mention these financial links. Much of the evidence for them relies on interviews conducted by "Ugandan authorities" and must be treated with caution, especially as numerous reports indicate that ADF combatants and suspected collaborators were tortured during interrogation by the Ugandan intelligence services.

In any case, external financing is not crucial for ADF's survival. According to recent interviews with detained ADF combatants, the group relies primarily on supplies obtained via looting and "business" operations in North Kivu.

Modes of violence

According to the George Washington University report, more evidence of ADF's affiliation with ISIS can be seen in the increase of violence against civilians. It associates a spike in violence in early-2018 with then ISIS-leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's first mention of the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP). It adds that "these numbers were surpassed in 2019 when the ADF was finally recognized publicly by the Islamic State as part of ISCAP."

But correlation is not causation. Moreover, there is a much more plausible explanation for these patterns. Both those spikes in violence came immediately after the Congolese army and the UN mission MONUSCO conducted offensive operations against the ADF. Furthermore, the period preceding the 2018 violence was notable for both a lack of offensive operations and few rebel attacks against civilians. The most consistent ADF motive for violence continues to be reprisals to discourage offensive operations.

Some have also cited the ADF's use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as a sign of its ISIS links. But, in the words of UN reports and officials, these weapons remain "very rudimentary" and are used for "tactical, defensive reasons against the army, not as a terrorist tool". This stands in sharp contrast with the level of sophistication and function of IEDs used by ISIS.

Propaganda links

In recent years, ISIS's central media units have started to claim attacks in the DRC. Meanwhile, the ADF has begun making reference to ISIS in its growing propaganda output.

This appears to be evidence of close communications, yet a 2020 UN report found that 35% of the attacks in the DRC claimed by ISIS do not correspond to actual incidents. Over 50% were inaccurate, misstating locations, dates or casualty figures.

Furthermore, ADF's propaganda remains diverse and at times makes no reference to ISIS at all. Rather than relaying a coherent message about being an ISIS affiliate, the group appears to tailor its output to its various networks. Most of its videos are primarily in Swahili and Luganda, suggesting they are targeting the same East African networks in which ADF has been embedded for decades.

Recent interviews with detained ADF combatants also indicate that knowledge of the group's connections to ISIS is uneven. Some even stated that they were unaware of the existence of ISIS altogether. This suggests that any links with the Islamic State are part of externally oriented rebranding rather than a consistently applied internal transformation.

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The dangers of inaccurate analysis

The US labelling of ADF as ISIS-DRC suggests a much more fundamental transformation of the group than the current evidence allows for. This points to the risks of reading too much into propaganda, thereby inflating the significance of the Islamic State.

The ISIS-DRC narrative also leads to misdiagnosing the drivers of violence. This is deeply worrying if it contributes to an increase in offensive operations against ADF given that the rebel group has typically attacked civilians in response to such assaults. Moreover, the Congolese army itself has been implicated in past mass killings that were attributed to ADF.

Finally, making the struggle against ADF part of the global war on terror forecloses non-violent ways of dealing with the group. The ADF is no doubt a dangerous armed group that needs to be addressed, but the wrong narrative carries with it all the wrong solutions.

Robert Flummerfelt is an investigative journalist and human rights researcher based in DR Congo, where he has worked for more than three years, mostly in Beni. Notably, working with the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The New Humanitarian, Robert worked to expose a sex abuse scandal in the WHO and other agencies in Congo's Ebola response. Generally, he focuses on abuses in the aid sector, the war on terror in Africa, militant conservationism, and abuses of private power.

Judith Verweijen is a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sheffield. She has extensively published on militarisation, civil-military and civil-rebel relations, and violent conflict around natural resources. Her work focuses on eastern DR Congo, where she has conducted extensive field research for over a decade.
Washington: Russia has registered the worlds first coronavirus vaccine for dogs, cats, minks, foxes and other animals, the countrys agriculture safety watchdog said Wednesday.

Called Carnivak-Cov, the vaccine was developed by scientists at the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, also known as Rosselkhoznadzor, Russias Tass News Agency said.

While many scientists say the virus causing COVID-19 initially jumped from bats to humans, perhaps through another intermediary, infections have since been reported worldwide in animals, from zoos to mink farms.

Denmark decided to cull its entire mink population amid coronavirus transmission fears. Credit:EPA

It remains unclear how easily the virus can move between animals and humans. But after repeated outbreaks among minks at farms in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe, millions of the furry animals were killed to cut any further transmission. Scientists have been particularly worried about mutated variants of the coronavirus developing in minks and other animals going on to infect humans.
Tripoli, April 1 : Mohammad Menfi, President of the Libyan Presidency Council, has welcomed the release of more than 100 prisoners who were fighting with the eastern-based army during the war in and around the capital Tripoli.

The prisoners were detained in the city of Zawiya, located some 45 km west of Tripoli, by forces allied with the former UN-backed Government of National Accord, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We welcome the release of the prisoners based on the initiative of the dialogue committee of Zawiya city, which is considered an important step towards national reconciliation that the Presidency Council launched upon receiving office," Xinhua news agency quoted Menfi as saying in a statement on Wednesday.

Menfi confirmed that the Presidency Council seeks to bring the Libyans together and end the state of division in the country.

He also called for "consolidating the values of forgiveness and tolerance and prioritizing the national interest of Libya", A ceremony was held in the city celebrating the release of the prisoners, as they joined their families.

The UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) recently selected a new executive authority for the country.

Menfi was appointed as the President of the Presidency Council along with new Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, whose government was granted confidence by the House of Representatives earlier this month.

The new government's main task is to hold general elections in the country on December 24, 2021, as agreed by the LPDF.

Libya plunged into chaos after the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi's government in 2011, witnessing prolonged conflict between the eastern-based Khalifa Haftar-led Libyan National Army (LNA) and the UN-recognised Government of National Accord in the country's west.

Due to the protracted armed conflict, political and economic crises and the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 1.2 million people, including over 348,000 children, require humanitarian assistance in Libya, according to the Unicef.
After a punishing year, the Spanish tourism sector is desperately in need of good news. But instead, the new law making face masks mandatory in all public spaces regardless of the distance between people has come as an additional blow. Until now, the law only imposed the use of masks if a safe distance of 1.5 meters could not be respected.

The change in the law went largely unnoticed until it was flagged up by EL PAIS, despite its publication in the Official State Bulletin (BOE). The obligation to keep mouths and noses covered in public spaces, including the beach and swimming pool, will undoubtedly put a number of tourists off coming to Spain, according to industry pundits who point out that businesses were not consulted on the measure.

We are going through the kind of hell that threatens to wipe out thousands and thousands of jobs and businesses, says Jose Luis Zoreda, vice-president of Exceltur, the main lobby group for Spanish tourism  a sector which accounted for 12% of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) prior to the health crisis. And now they want to turn the beaches into open-air field hospitals.

Beachgoers wear face masks in Las Canteras beach in Tenerife. Javier Bauluz

According to Zoreda, the sector has already given up any hope of an Easter rebound. The crucial thing now is to look to the summer, which means instilling high levels of confidence so that foreigners or Spaniards want to visit, he says.

Zoreda does not believe that these types of measures, which he considers improvised, are helpful in building that confidence. And its not just the face masks. In Exceltur, they are extremely critical of the ubiquitous images of illegal parties in tourist apartments in cities like Madrid and the new rules that require travelers coming over the French border to have a negative PCR test. We ask that tourism be a state policy, says Zoreda. And we want more consistency between the measures, many of which seem contradictory.

After talking to EL PAIS by phone, Zoreda produces a meme showing the faces of two tourists who have a tan mark on their faces from wearing a face mask. The caption reads: Souvenir of our vacation in Tenerife. It is a joke, but one that aptly reflects the concerns of the sector.

The response in Valencia, Andalusia and Balearic Islands

Exceltur is not the only organization to criticize the Spanish governments new face mask law. In regions highly dependent on tourism, the announcement has also come as a shock.

The Benidorm Hotel Association (Hosbec), considers the initiative excessive. According to Nuria Montes, the secretary general of Hosbec, the security measures that were taken last year of creating plots on beaches, maintaining distances and monitoring compliance with the regulations proved to be effective. If you are with people from the same household in areas of 4x4 meters and maintain social distance, we do not understand why it would be necessary to wear a mask when sunbathing.

But in the Valencia region, the use of face masks was already mandatory in public areas, including beaches and swimming pools, regardless of social distance. This law was passed in February and will remain in force until April 12. Only those in the water are exempt.

The government of the Balearic Islands, a popular tourist destination, announced on Wednesday that masks will not be mandatory at beaches and swimming pools in its territory, claiming that the new national law does not override its own regional legislation. According to health chief Patricia Gomez, there is a sentence in the national law that mentions in conformity with the health authorities. Our legal services feel that our legislation is not superseded by the national one, and our own measures will remain in force.

We are going through the kind of hell that threatens to wipe out thousands and thousands of jobs and businesses Jose Luis Zoreda, vice-president of tourism lobby Exceltur

Last year, when the mandatory use of the mask was introduced to the Balearic Islands, the Balearic Hotel Chains Association reported cancellations and a drop in bookings from the United Kingdom and Germany, the main source countries of tourism to Spain.

In Andalusia, Juan Zapata, president of the Federation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (Fahat), says the new rules are tolerable, explaining that face masks had to be worn last year on beaches in the southern region. According to Zapata, the measure was well-accepted by tourists, given the seriousness of the health crisis.

What really worries us hoteliers is the vaccination rollout and the restrictions on mobility because without mobility there is no tourism, says Zapata, whose data reveals that 80% of the 500,000 hotel beds in the region are closed and just a fraction of the remaining 20% is occupied.

Meanwhile, the president of the Malaga Beach Bar Association, Manuel Villafaina, believes that the restrictions make patrons feel uncomfortable, especially in open-air spaces where social distancing can be respected. It is logical to wear a mask when walking, but if you are in a hammock two meters away from everyone, it is not, says Villafaina, whose association represents 1,100 entrepreneurs with beach bars, known as chiringuitos in Spain, hammocks and nautical areas. It makes some people uncomfortable and they prefer to stay at home.

However, Ivan Periano, president of the Cadiz Chiringuito Association, believes that the beaches will fill up this summer with or without the face mask rule and that a keen awareness of the pandemic must be maintained. It has been a very complicated year for us, he says. With the restrictions on opening times and capacity, many of the beach bars have decided not to open because they could not make ends meet. This year we still dont know what will happen. Decisions are taken every 15 days, depending on how the situation evolves.

English version by Heather Galloway.
Fresh off regaining control of his jail from a court official, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman says he will run for a fifth full term in office.

Gusman confirmed his intention Tuesday in response to a question at a community forum. "You'd better believe it," the sheriff said.

If reelected, Gusman would continue one of the longest current careers in elected office in New Orleans. He has served as sheriff since his first election to the office in 2004, and before that he was a member of the New Orleans City Council for four years.

Gusman managed to knock his sole opponent off the ballot in 2017, and he trounced his last election day challenger, former Sheriff Charles Foti, in 2014.

No other candidates have announced their intentions to run for sheriff this year ahead of the July qualifying period. However, along with a long track record of success at the ballot box, Gusman also brings baggage from his time as sheriff.

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Since 2013, the jail has operated under a court-mandated reform agreement to which Gusman agreed with inmate advocates and the U.S. Justice Department. Federal court monitors say violence, narcotics contraband and inmate suicide attempts remain endemic at the jail, and that the jail "backslid" on its progress last year.

Nevertheless, Gusman persuaded a federal judge to return control of the jail to him from a court-appointed director, whose last day was Nov. 27.

Gusman didn't respond to a request for comment Wednesday about his reelection bid.

At at the community forum Tuesday, he painted an upbeat picture of conditions at the jail in recent months. Among other indicators, the jail has no inmates testing positive for coronavirus, Gusman said.

Gusman also said he continues to support a new jail building dedicated to housing inmates with mental and medical health problems, a proposal that has drawn repeated protests from community groups who oppose any expansion of the jail capacity. Mayor LaToya Cantrell is fighting a legal battle to pause construction of the building.
Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias on Wednesday. Europa Press

Fears of a fourth wave are looming in Spain as the country once again entered a high-risk situation as defined by the coronavirus alert system. Under this traffic light system, an area is at high risk when the 14-day incidence rate exceeds 150, the seven-day incidence rate is more than 75, and the occupancy rate in intensive care units (ICUs) is between 15% and 20%. The system also takes into account the positivity rate, i.e. the percentage of tests that come back positive out of the total; the traceability rate  how many contacts are detected per 100 cases; and the occupancy rate of normal hospital beds.

According to the latest Health Ministry report, released on Tuesday, the first three indicators now exceed the established thresholds. The 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants stands at 152, the seven-day incidence rate is at 79.8 and Covid-19 patients occupy 18.4% of all ICU beds. This places Spain on level three of the four-level alert system, in which the highest level indicates extreme risk.

We are heading towards a situation that leads us to believe that we are already entering a fourth wave Veronica Casado, regional health chief of Castilla y Leon

The alert system was really designed to measure the evolution of the pandemic in smaller areas, such as the regions, but when applied to all of Spain it gives an idea of the rise in cases that has been seen over the past few weeks, in what some regions are already calling the beginning of a fourth wave.

In Castilla y Leon, for example, regional health chief Veronica Casado said on Wednesday: We are heading towards a situation that leads us to believe that we are already entering a fourth wave. Casado made the statement at a press conference following a meeting of the Inter-Territorial Council of the National Health System, which brings together health officials from the central and regional governments.

Health Minister Carolina Darias also appeared at the conference to call on the public to demonstrate responsibility and exemplary behavior in order for the Covid-19 vaccination drive to take effect. Each week that we advance we are gaining time on the virus, she said. We need the vaccines to benefit from this time to prevent this spike from turning into a fourth wave.

Although the incidence rate is rising in most Spanish territories, it is doing so from very different starting points. Seven territories have an incidence rate above the 150-threshold considered an indicator of high risk: Asturias, Catalonia, Madrid, Navarre, the Basque Country and the North African exclave cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Four regions are very close to this limit: Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla y Leon and La Rioja. In another five, the 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants remains below 100: the Balearic Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, the Valencia region, Galicia and Murcia.

Pressure on hospitals, however, has still not increased despite the fact that cases have been on the rise for the past two weeks. In ICUs, the percentage of beds occupied by Covid-19 patients has remained around 18.4% (keeping in mind this figure measures total capacity, including surgery spaces) and in hospital wards the figure continues to be around 6.5%.

English version by Melissa Kitson.






HARRISON (dpa-AFX) - Telecommunications company Airtel Africa Plc (AAF.L) on Thursday announced an agreement with Mastercard Inc. (MA), where in the latter will invest a sum of $100 million in Airtel Mobile Commerce BV or AMC BV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airtel Africa. At present, AMC BV is the holding company for many of Airtel Africa's mobile money operations.



The deal values Airtel Africa's mobile money business at $2.65 billion, on a cash and debt-free basis.



Payment and technology company, Mastercard or one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries will invest the money through a secondary purchase of AMC BV shares from Airtel Africa. The transaction will be completed in two stages. At the end of the first stage, $75 million will be invested once the transfer of mobile money operations and contracts into AMC BV has been done. The remaining $25 million will be invested at second close, following further transfers.



Once the transaction is complete, Mastercard will hold a minority stake in the company while Airtel Africa will keep the majority share. Airtel Africa plans to use the proceeds from the deal to lessen Group debt and make investments in network and sales infrastructure in all operating countries.



The deal will reach first close in the next three to four months and following that, Mastercard will be eligible for certain customary information and minority protection rights.



Airtel Africa said the deal is part of its strategy for asset monetisation and looking for proper investment opportunities. The company plans to monetise its mobile money business with minority investments to a total of 25 percent of the issued share capital of AMC BV. It is also looking to list the mobile money business within the next four years.



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New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday (April 1, 2021) informed that COVID-19 vaccination will now be done on all days of April, including gazetted holidays at all public and private hospitals.

The Centre has also written to all states and UTs and asked them to make necessary arrangements to provide COVID-19 vaccination in these CVCs on all days of the month including gazetted holidays during April 2021.

The decision was taken after detailed deliberations with the states/UTs to optimally utilize all COVID Vaccination Centres across the public and private sectors to ensure a rapid increase in the pace and coverage of COVID vaccination.

The announcement comes on a day when people above 45 years of age have been allowed to take the COVID-19 vaccine jabs.

Meanwhile, more than 6.5 crore vaccine doses have been administered through 10,86,241 sessions, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's provisional report till 7 am on Thursday.

India's COVID-19 caseload, on the other hand, has also been witnessing a huge surge in the past few days. On Thursday, the country's COVID-19 count was increased by 72,330 to 1,22,21,665, the biggest single-day spike since October 2020.

Eight states, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Punjab, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh continue to show a steep rise in the COVID daily new cases. 84.61% of the new cases are reported from these 8 states.

Maharashtra reported the highest daily new cases at 39,544, followed by Chhattisgarh (4,563) and Karnataka (4,225).

Live TV


The Rafale fighter of the Indian Air Force. A file photo

NEW DELHI (PTI): A fourth batch of three Rafale fighter jets landed in India on Wednesday evening after flying non-stop from France, in a further boost to the strike capability of the Indian Air Force.



The jets were provided mid-air refuelling by air force tankers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the IAF said.



"The 4th batch of three IAF #Rafales landed on Indian soil after a direct ferry from #IstresAirBase France," it tweeted.



The IAF also thanked the UAE Air Force for refuelling the Rafale jets, describing it as yet another milestone in the strong relationship between the two air forces.



The IAF did not disclose the base where the Rafale jets landed.



"Another batch of #Rafale take to the skies on non stop flight to India with mid air refuelling by UAE. Indian Air power grows further," the Indian Embassy in France tweeted earlier.



With the arrival of the three jets, the size of the Rafale fleet has increased to 14.



The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.



The formal induction ceremony of the fleet had taken place at Ambala on September 10, 2020.



A second batch of three Rafale jets arrived in India on November 3, while a third batch of another three jets joined the IAF on January 27.



The first Rafale squadron is based in Ambala air force station.



The Indian Air Force is set to raise the second squadron of the Rafale combat jets in mid-April and it will be based at the Hasimara air base in West Bengal, according to military officials.



India is expected to get more Rafale jets from France in the next few months.



The Rafale jets, manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia.



The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.


New York sued for not offering X gender option in public assistance, food stamp registration

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New York is facing a lawsuit filed by people who identify as nonbinary and argue that they face discrimination because the state requires them to indicate that they are either male or female to receive public welfare benefits.

The fact that the Empire State does not provide an X gender option is discriminatory based on gender identity, the claimants argued in the complaint filed Monday against state and local agencies that run public assistance programs.

In 2019, New York began allowing the X gender option on birth certificates, and the same has been promised for drivers licenses. But the plaintiffs assert that the state computer system used by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is outdated because it compels people who say their gender is nonbinary to lie when applying for certain services such as food stamps, Medicaid and other forms of public assistance.

I have been unable to find stable work since the pandemic began and turned to public assistance for help, said Jules Donahue, one of three plaintiffs in the lawsuit. I encountered more barriers to accessing help than others solely because I am nonbinary, and I was forced to choose between forgoing emergency support with medical coverage, cash assistance, and EBT benefits, and the emotional harm of being misgendered at such a vulnerable time. No New Yorker should have to make this choice.

The plaintiffs are represented by the New York Civil Liberties Union and Legal Services of New York City. The plaintiffs argue that the requirement to choose either male or female to apply for welfare assistance conflicts with state and municipal policies that recognize gender X on identification documentation. They also argue that having no "X" gender option violates the state constitution and anti-discrimination laws.

Another plaintiff, who is 40 years old, obtained a birth certificate with an "X" marker in January but could not revise his benefits records.

Jaime has known that they were transgender since they were two years oldwhen they first understood the concept of gender, the lawsuit explains. They have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and receive regular gender-affirming treatment for gender dysphoria at their health care provider, covered by Medicaid. Part of their treatment for gender dysphoria includes living consistently as a nonbinary person and having their gender identity acknowledged and respected in everyday life.

The lawsuit demands that the state add X as a gender identity option in the OTDA system and provide updated guidance and training for social services staff.

Thus far, neither the Cuomo administration nor the OTDA has commented on the lawsuit.

Bobby Hodgson, an attorney with NYCLU, said the state has been aware of the issues outlined in the lawsuit for years.

New York State recognizes its obligation to respect the rights of nonbinary people in some contexts, but refuses to do so when New Yorkers are in need, Hodgson said. A broken system of the states own making cannot justify discrimination. This case may be one of the first of its kind, but neither history nor the law is on OTDAs side.

The term nonbinary is spoken of in public discourse as referring to people who do not identify as either sex or some of both.

In a November court filing, the state of New York said it plans to alter its computing system within the Department of Motor Vehicles to allow for an "X" gender marker to be offered on drivers licenses. The move came after the state was slapped with a federal lawsuit for only offering "male" and "female" gender options on driver's licenses.
Stormont has been accused of failing ethnic minorities after a new report revealed an increase in racist attitudes.

The official figures were released to show progress on the Executive's Racial Equality Strategy for 2015-25.

Comparing baseline figures from 2014 to 2019, it showed that the number of respondents claiming they were prejudiced against people from ethnic minorities had increased significantly from 24% in 2014 to 29% in 2019.

Conversely, fewer people believed there was more racial prejudice - dropping from 52% in 2014 to 30% in 2019

In 2018/19 there were also 1,124 racially-motivated hate incidents and 699 racially-motivated hate crimes reported to the PSNI, an increase on 2013/14 figures of 976 and 688.

In 2019, 45% of young people said they had witnessed racist bullying or harassment in their school, up from 39% in 2014.

Patrick Corrigan from Amnesty International Northern Ireland said the figures should serve as a "wake-up call" that the Executive was failing black and ethnic minority communities.

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"The fact that almost a third of the population describe themselves as racially prejudiced, almost half of young people have witnessed racist bullying in schools, and that these figures are rising not falling, suggests Stormont's racial equality strategy is failing," he said.

Geraldine McGahey, Chief Commissioner at the Equality Commission, welcomed the report but added: "It is a concern that almost one in three people reported that they were prejudiced against people from minority ethnic communities and that this has increased since previous surveys.

"It is important that there is full implementation of the Executive's Racial Equality Strategy and this should include a series of outcome-focused actions.

"We must all work together to eliminate racial discrimination and racial prejudice in Northern Ireland."

Patrick Yu, secretary for the Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equality, said he agreed that Stormont's Racial Equality Strategy was not delivering.

He cited previous concerns that more tickets were issued at Black Lives Matter protests in Northern Ireland compared with other events and that a review of the UK's anti-terror legislation showed the PSNI were stopping a disproportionate amount of minorities.
The BBC's long-serving China correspondent has fled to Taiwan after facing threats of legal action, obstruction and intimidation from Chinese authorities.

John Sudworth said he and his family 'left in a hurry' on March 23 after being under surveillance - and were 'followed by plainclothes police all the way to the airport'.

China's foreign ministry said they 'never threatened' Mr Sudworth, adding that they 'don't know why he left because he didn't say goodbye'.

The BBC said Mr Sudworth is still their China correspondent and said his work 'exposed truth the Chinese authorities did not want the world to know'.

It comes amid rising tensions between the BBC and China over the latter's condemnation of the corporation's reporting on Xinjiang, Covid-19 and Hong Kong.

BBC journalist John Sudworth has fled China for Taiwan after facing threats of legal action, obstruction and intimidation

John Sudworth said he and his family 'left in a hurry' on March 23 after being under surveillance - and were 'followed by plainclothes police all the way to the airport'. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping

Last month, Chinese authorities barred BBC World News from being aired in response to what the Chinese embassy in London called 'relentless fabrication of "lies of the century" in reporting China.'

One flashpoint was a BBC report in February stating that women in Xinjiang's internment camps for Uighurs were subject to rape, sexual abuse and torture.

The Uighur are a mostly Muslim, non-Chinese ethnic group living in supposedly autonomous Xinjiang Province, north-west China.

According to the UK Government, survivor testimonies indicate that more than a million people have been detained without trial, with widespread claims of torture, rape and sterilisations in prison camps, where Uighurs are forced to denounce their cultural heritage, language and religion.

China has repeatedly said the BBC's report was false and it has also forcefully denied other claims of human rights abuses in Xinjiang raised by western governments and rights groups.

China has faced international criticism over the internment camps used to hold Uihur Muslims, which Beijing insists are for vocational training

Mr Sudworth was not one of the BBC journalists credited in the Xinjiang report, though he has been criticised by name by the Chinese foreign ministry as well as Chinese state and Communist Party-backed media for his reporting.

Addressing his departure, Mr Sudworth told the BBC: 'We left in a hurry, followed by plainclothes police all the way to the airport through the check-in.

'The true grim reality for reporters here being made clear all the way to the very end.'

In reply, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular daily news briefing: 'We never threatened him.

'We don't know why he left because he didn't say goodbye.

Chinese state media recently reported that unnamed people and entities in Xinjiang were preparing to sue the BBC over reports related to the region.

The state media reports did not include details of a suit and no corresponding notices were made public on local court sites.

'I think those people are trying to protect their own rights and interests through legal means, but such acts have nothing to do with the Chinese government,' spokeswoman Hua said.

The Uighur are a mostly Muslim, non-Chinese ethnic group living in supposedly autonomous Xinjiang Province, north-west China. Pictured: A gate of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Xinjiang

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) said that Mr Sudworth had left at short notice with his wife Yvonne Murray, a journalist for Irish broadcaster RTE.

It said Mr Sudworth had spent the past two years on visas of one, three and six-month durations - shorter than the usual one year for foreign correspondents.

'Abuse of Sudworth and his colleagues at the BBC form part of a larger pattern of harassment and intimidation that obstructs the work of foreign correspondents in China and exposes their Chinese news assistants to growing pressure,' an FCCC statement said.

'We urge China to live up to its stated commitment to facilitate unhindered reporting in China.

US president Joe Biden, left, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right, condemned Beijing's decision to place several MPs on a sanctions list over their criticism of human rights abuses against China's Uighur Muslim population

'In particular the FCCC calls for an end to dangerous, personal attacks on individual reporters and foreign media outlets.'

China expelled more than a dozen foreign journalists working for US media organisations in 2020.

That year saw a 'rapid decline in media freedom', the FCCC said in a report this month.

Several foreign correspondents have relocated to Taiwan from China.

A foreign ministry spokeswoman in Taiwan said she could not comment on individual cases but said: 'We welcome all reporters from media outlets to come to Taiwan and enjoy freedom of the press and speech.'

Last month, Boris Johnson and Joe Biden condemned China after it sanctioned British MPs for exposing what the Prime Minister called 'gross human rights violations'.

Mr Johnson and the US President spoke on the phone to 'express their concerns' over Beijing's move - which came after Britain and the United States imposed sanctions on China.

The Prime Minister said he 'stands firmly' with the MPs and other UK citizens hit by economic sanctions including travel bans after criticising China's mistreatment of Uighur Muslims.

Iain Duncan Smith, pictured, said that being on the sanction list for standing up for human rights was 'a badge of honour'

In a further exchange of hostilities, the UK and China summoned each other's ambassadors.

Defiant former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said being sanctioned was 'a badge of honour', and fellow Conservative Tom Tugendhat, who was also targeted, accused China of a 'direct assault on British democracy'.

Tory MPs Neil O'Brien, Tim Loughton and Nus Ghani, peers Lord Alton and Baroness Kennedy, barrister Geoffrey Nice QC and Newcastle University academic Jo Smith Finley were also sanctioned.

They are now banned from travelling to China, including Hong Kong and Macau, while any property or assets they own in the country will be frozen. Chinese citizens and institutions are also banned from doing business with them.

Four UK institutions China accuses of 'maliciously spreading lies and disinformation' have been hit with the same sanctions: the China Research Group of Tory MPs, the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, the Uighur Tribunal and legal practice Essex Court Chambers.

The move has been interpreted as retaliation for the UK, US, Canada and the European Union imposing similar sanctions on Chinese officials they deem responsible for human rights abuses.

Beijing has also sanctioned a number of EU officials and European academics.

China expert Charles Parton, who spent more than 20 years as a UK diplomat in Beijing, warned: 'The exchange of economic sanctions sends us into unexplored territory in the UK-China relationship.

'We should prepare for further turbulence.'
Kathmandu, April 1

The Ministry of Health and Population has informed that the countrys Covid-19 tally has reached 277,461 as of Thursday afternoon.

The ministry says 152 new cases were confirmed in the country in the past 24 hours.

In this period, 4,213 swab samples were tested. So far, 2 million and 275,540 people have been tested in the country.

As of today, 1,579 cases are active.

Of the total cases so far, 272,851 people have achieved recovery whereas 3,031 died, according to the ministry. In the past 24 hours, 65 people have been discharged whereas one death has been reported.

Over 50 people are quarantined across the country.
When police were finally able to enter the courtyard of the business complex in Orange, California -- where four people were fatally shot Wednesday -- they found a woman holding a wounded 9-year-old boy.

'It appears that a little boy died in his mother's arms as she was trying to save him during this horrific massacre,' Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said at a news conference Thursday, though he later added the exact nature of their relationship was still under investigation.

The killings marked at least the 20th mass shooting since the attacks at Atlanta-area spas two weeks ago. Although investigations are still underway, police have begun to uncover what happened behind the locked gates of the courtyard, where the doors into the suites are, as well as what led up to the horrific violence.

'The preliminary motive is believed to be related to a business and personal relationship which existed between the suspect and all of the victims,' Orange Police Department spokesperson Lt. Jennifer Amat said in a news conference Thursday.

'This was not a random act of violence,' she said.

Five calls to 911 came in around 5:34 p.m., Amat said, and officers were at the complex about 30 miles south of Los Angeles about two minutes later.

When they arrived, they heard shots being fired inside, but they were not able to enter immediately. From the inside, gates to the building's courtyard were locked 'using a bicycle-type cable lock,' Amat said.

It is unclear if they were meant to keep the victims inside or officers out, police officials said.

What police found when they entered

After engaging with the suspect and firing shots, police used bolt cutters to enter the courtyard and found the suspect, who was injured, and took him into custody. Police had earlier said it was unclear whether his injury was self-inflicted.

In the courtyard, police also found the boy and the adult woman who survived. She was taken to a local hospital, where she is in critical but stable condition, Amat said.

Besides the boy, those killed were two women and a man, Amat said.

One of the women was found upstairs on an outdoor landing. The man was found inside one office building, and the other woman was found in a separate office building, according to Amat.

The suites where some victims were found belonged to a business identified as Unified Homes, Amat said, a real estate business specializing in mobile homes.

Investigators recovered a semi-automatic handgun and a backpack containing pepper spray, handcuffs and ammunition, which authorities believe belonged to the suspect.

The victims

The Orange Police Department on Friday identified the four victims as Matthew Farias, 9; Jenevieve Raygoza, 28; Leticia Solis Guzman, 58; and Luis Tovar, 50.

'Our condolences go out to all of the victims and their loved ones,' the department said in a Facebook post.

The suspect

Police identified the suspect as Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 44, of Fullerton, California. He is at a local hospital in critical but stable condition, Amat said.

Authorities had said he would be arraigned Friday afternoon and would face four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and two counts of attempted murder of a police officer.

But the hearing was delayed until Monday. Public defender Ken Morrison told CNN that Gonzalez is not in a condition to be able to make an intelligent decision on his case and is not conscious at the time.

Gonzalez will also face felony enhancements for firearms and a premeditation charge, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

'Prosecutors are also alleging the special circumstance of multiple murders,' according to the district attorney's office.

Gonzalez, who is believed to have been living in a motel room in Anaheim, arrived at the complex in a rental car and parked it in a lot nearby, Amat said.

A preliminary investigation by law enforcement officials concluded the suspect used a legally purchased firearm, she added.

The investigation

Authorities remained on scene Thursday to complete the investigation.

Spitzer said investigators were there for two reasons: to investigate the mass shooting, as well as the officer-involved shooting aspect of the case, to ensure both objectivity and transparency.

Spitzer emphasized that the suspect is eligible for the death penalty under California law because there were multiple victims.

Prosecutors are also looking into whether the fact that the gates were locked constitutes 'lying in wait,' Spitzer said, a special circumstance that would also make the suspect eligible for the death penalty.

During his tenure, Spitzer said he had reviewed nearly 20 murder cases for whether to pursue the death penalty, but he has never filed one death case.

'Asking a jury to pass down a verdict of death is the most serious consequence we ask, and it's the only consequence where a jury makes the decision as opposed to a judge,' he said.

California has a moratorium in effect for its death penalty, under an executive order signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in March 2019.
Namibia is recovering from a devastating drought as from 2013 and with the good rains received, the industry is focused on herd rebuilding.

The extensive impact of the drought is witnessed by the sharp decline in marketing numbers. Of this the major impact is with formal slaughtering and as a result abattoirs are forced to look at alternative sources of supply.

According to the Meat Board of Namibia, Botswana was identified as such a source due to their similar environmental conditions and a Foot-and-mouth disease free zone to that of Namibia.

In addition, the Botswana government has temporarily lifted its moratorium on live exports and Namibian abattoirs may take advantage of it.

"However, only male animals may be imported from Botswana's free Foot and Mouth Disease Zone subject to strict import requirements of the Namibian Directorate Veterinary Services," the Meat Board stated.

From a preliminary application of a total of 1,904 cattle, 1,389 cattle have already been imported for slaughter at the local abattoirs, the Meat Board said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Yes, Theyre Open is a web series highlighting local bars and restaurants that are open for takeout, delivery, pickup or dining during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Live streams from the featured restaurants are broadcast on the Advance Facebook page every weekday at around 3 p.m.

On Wednesday, the Advance/SILive.com visited Rocket Fizz at 2955 Veterans Road W., which is open for pickup or delivery (through Rossville Delivery service) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call 347-215-2628 or visit rocketfizz.com.

YES, THEY'RE OPEN: Rocket Fizz YES, THEYRE OPEN: Rocket Fizz is open for pickup at 2955 Veterans Road W. The stores hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 347-215-2628 or visit https://rocketfizz.com. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Staten Island restaurant owners: If you would like your establishment featured for free as part of Yes, Theyre Open, email reporter Victoria Priola at vpriola@siadvance.com.

WANT MORE YES, THEYRE OPEN?

Check out the listings below or check out all of our previous coverage here.

Zio Toto, 86 Page Ave.

La Iguana Azul, 8 Giffords Lane

Bayou, 1072 Bay St.

Belli Baci Bakery, 7358 Amboy Road

ONeills Irish Pub, 1614 Forest Ave.

Lorenzos Pizzeria, 1910 Hylan Blvd.

Saladworks, 3010 Veterans Road W.

Lebanese Eatery, 1686 Forest Ave.
TORONTO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Denison Mines Corp. ("Denison" or the "Company") (TSX: DML) (NYSE American: DNN) is pleased to announce that it has successfully secured 2.5 million pounds of uranium concentrates ("Uranium" or "U 3 O 8 "), at a weighted average price of USD$29.61 per pound U 3 O 8 and a total cost of approximately USD$74 million, as part of its previously announced project financing initiative in support of the future advancement and/or construction of the Company's flagship 90% owned Wheeler River Uranium Project ("Wheeler River" or the "Project"). All purchases were made in the uranium spot market, with delivery dates ranging from April 2021 to October 2021. View PDF version.

The purchased Uranium is expected to strengthen the Company's balance sheet and enhance its ability to access future project financing, with the potential collateralization of the Uranium holdings. In addition, the purchased Uranium could provide the Company with increased flexibility to negotiate long-term Uranium supply arrangements with future customers. If a future decision is made to advance Wheeler River into construction, the Company could eventually market its physical Uranium investments to its future customers along with the mine production from Wheeler River.

David Cates, President and CEO of Denison, commented, "We're pleased with the result of our recent uranium procurement process  having secured a significant quantity of material, to meet our target of 2.5 million pounds U 3 O 8 , at an average price of USD$29.61 per pound. This material was secured amidst a tightening market, which has seen the spot price of uranium rise approximately 15% within the month of March, in response to various new sources of demand.

Upon completion of our various commitments, Denison's physical uranium holdings will represent a sizeable asset for the Company, with a current market value of approximately USD$78 million (CAD$98 million), which represents greater than one-third of the expected CAD$290 million (Denison's share, from the 2018 Pre-Feasibility Study) of initial capital costs for Wheeler River. This investment in Uranium enhances the long-term financial stability of the company, as we advance towards a definitive development decision for the Project. More specifically, the Company's Uranium holdings have the potential to de-risk the process of future project financing efforts by representing a meaningful source of collateral. Similarly, we expect that our future customers will value, as part of potential future discussions regarding off-take or long-term contracting arrangements, the fact that our Company will already have an established base of physical Uranium before achieving first production from Wheeler River."

About Denison

Denison is a uranium exploration and development company with interests focused in the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company's flagship project is the 90% owned Wheeler River Uranium Project, which is the largest undeveloped uranium project in the infrastructure rich eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan. Denison's interests in Saskatchewan also include a 22.5% ownership interest in the McClean Lake joint venture ("MLJV"), which includes several uranium deposits and the McClean Lake uranium mill that is contracted to process the ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement, plus a 25.17% interest in the Midwest and Midwest A deposits, and a 66.90% interest in the Tthe Heldeth Tue ("THT," formerly J Zone) and Huskie deposits on the Waterbury Lake property. Each of Midwest, Midwest A, THT and Huskie are located within 20 kilometres of the McClean Lake mill.

Denison is engaged in mine decommissioning and environmental services through its Closed Mines group (formerly Denison Environmental Services), which manages Denison's Elliot Lake reclamation projects and provides post-closure mine care and maintenance services to a variety of industry and government clients.

Denison is also the manager of Uranium Participation Corp., a publicly traded company which invests in uranium oxide and uranium hexafluoride.

Follow Denison on Twitter @DenisonMinesCo

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this news release constitutes 'forward-looking information', within the meaning of the applicable United States and Canadian legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Denison. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'plans', 'expects', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'intends', 'anticipates', or 'believes', or the negatives and/or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will be taken', 'occur', 'be achieved' or 'has the potential to'.

In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to: the commitments to purchase uranium; the strategic objectives of Denison, including the potential advancement of the Wheeler River project through project evaluation and de-risking to construction and production and the Company's expectations regarding negotiating supply contracts with future customers; the potential benefits to Denison of holding physical uranium, including as financial de-risking, collateral and/or appreciation in value; Denison's joint venture interests, and the continuation of its contracts with third parties.

Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Denison to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For example, the commitments to acquire uranium are subject to entering into formal purchase and sale agreements with the sellers of such uranium, and the parties could fail to agree to, and execute, such agreements; if market conditions remain volatile and/or COVID-19 mitigation measures result in more social and economic disruptions, Denison may not be able to pursue its evaluation and environmental assessment activities necessary to advance the Wheeler River project, which could have significant impacts on Denison. In addition, the currently anticipated evaluation and environmental assessment activities may not be maintained after further testing or Denison may decide or otherwise be required to alter or discontinue testing, evaluation and development work, if it is unable to maintain or otherwise secure the necessary approvals or resources (such as testing facilities, capital funding, etc.) and the Company may not be able to, or may choose not to, proceed to a FS, construction or production for Wheeler River. Should a decision be made to advance to a FS, construction or production, the costs to Denison of doing so could materially exceed expectations as set forth in the Wheeler PFS. Should Wheeler River not proceed as currently anticipated, the potential benefits of holding physical uranium described herein, such as use as collateral, may never be realized. Denison believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable and no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be accurate and results may differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information. For a discussion in respect of risks and other factors that could influence forward-looking events, please refer to the factors discussed in Denison's Annual Information Form dated March 29, 2021 under the heading "Risk Factors". These factors are not, and should not be construed as being exhaustive.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speaks only as of the date of this news release. Denison does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in Denison's expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation.

SOURCE Denison Mines Corp.

Related Links

http://denisonmines.com/s/Home.asp


The pandemic is still not over, experts warn

Experts around the world are reminding people that despite hope from Covid-19 vaccinations and a clearer path forward, it is much too soon to let down our guard.

In Hungary, despite the country having one of the highest per capita coronavirus death rates in the world, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that his government will not tighten restrictions and is determined to continue moving to reopen society. There were 302 deaths on Wednesday, the highest there since the start of the pandemic.

The U.S., where some states are in crisis mode, is a study in contrasts. In Michigan, a major hotspot, more than 2,200 Covid-19 patients statewide are hospitalized, a figure that has more than doubled since the beginning of March. And yet officials are relaxing mask rules and other measures to get the virus under control.

Looking at numbers yesterday felt like a gut punch, said a Michigan epidemiologist. Were going to have to go through this surge, and all this hard work again to get the numbers down.
A flag ceremony was held to officially close down the military farms records in Delhi Cantonment Grounds.  By arrangement

New Delhi: After supplying milk to Indian Army for 132 years, Military farms on Wednesday were officially disbanded.

The Flag ceremony of the Military Farms Records Delhi Cantonment was held on Wednesday.

The military farms were set up with sole requirement of supplying hygienic milk to troops in various garrisons across British India. They played an important role before the white revolution or Operation Flood was launched in 1970s to make India self dependent in milk production.

In August 2017, the Defence Ministry had announced a series of reform measures for the Indian Army which included shutting down the military farms.

The military farms in India are spread over more than 20,000 acres of defence land across the country in cities such as Ambala, Kolkata, Srinagar, Agra, Pathankot, Lucknow, Meerut, Allahabad and Guwahati.

First Military farm was raised on 1st February 1889 at Allahabad. After independence Military Farms flourished with 30,000 heads of cattle in 130 Military Farms all over India in varied Agro-climatic conditions. Military Farms were even established in Leh and Kargil in late 1990s, with the role of supply of fresh and hygienic milk to troops at their locations on daily basis. Another major task was management of large tracts of defence land, production and supply of Baled Hay to animal holding units.

For more than a century Military Farms with their dedication and commitment supplied 3.5 crore litres of milk. It is credited with pioneering the technique of Artificial Insemination of cattle and introduction of organised dairying in India.

During 1971 war, military farms supplied milk at the Western and Eastern war fronts as well as during Kargil operations to the Northern Command. In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, they established "Project Freiswal", credited to be the world's largest cattle cross-breeding program. They also teamed up with DRDO in development of Bio-Fuel.
Disease-carrying mosquitoes, crop-ravaging rodents, forest-eating insects and even the domestic cat are all "exotic" intruders whose cost to humanity and the environment is vast and growing, according to a sweeping study published Wednesday.

Researchers in France estimate that invasive species have cost nearly $1.3 trillion dollars to the global economy since 1970, an average of $26.8 billion per year.

And they warn that this is likely an underestimate.

In a study published in the journal Nature, scientists totted up the dizzying array of harmful effects from species carried between habitats, whether plants, insects, reptiles, birds, fish, molluscs, micro-organisms or mammals.

Beyond the "phenomenal magnitude" of these costs, there is also sign of a steady upward trend since 1970, said lead author Christophe Diagne, of the Ecology, Systematics and Evolution laboratory at the University of Paris-Saclay.

Most of the price tag is associated with the damage to ecosystems, crops or fisheries, although pest-control measures were also included in the research, an analysis of hundreds of studies that are part of a new invasive species database.

A preliminary roundup of the top ten invasive pests includes crop-eating rats and the Asian gypsy moth, which is attacking trees throughout the northern hemisphere.

It also included the tiger mosquito, native to Southeast Asia, which has become one of the worst invasive species in the world, carrying diseases like chikungunya, dengue and zika.

Average annual costs triple every decade, researchers said, in part because of an increase in scientific studies on this subject.

But there is also evidence of an "exponential increase in introduced species, due to growing international trade," said Franck Courchamp, director of the same Paris-Saclay laboratory.

"We import lots of species, voluntarily or involuntarily," he said.

Musseling in

It is a problem with a long history, linked to human trade, travel and colonialism.

In Australia, feral European rabbit populations were first reported in the early 1800s and their population exploded, reaching such proportions that they ravaged native species and caused billions of dollars of damage to crops.

In 1950, the government released the disease myxomatosis, which only affects rabbits, killing over 90 percent of the wild bunnies. But some have since built up immunity.

The brown tree snake has eaten nearly all of the native birds and lizards of Guam since it was accidentally introduced in the mid-twentieth century from its South Pacific habitat, as well as causing power outages by infiltrating electrical installations and menacing people in their homes.

Graphic: AFP

In the 1980s and 90s the zebra mussel, which originated in the waterways of the former Soviet Union, invaded North America's Great Lakes, blocking pipes, threatening native species and causing billions in damages.

On land, American forests -- and more recently those in Europe -- have been devastated by the Asian long-horned beetle.

While in Hawaii, the Puerto Rican coqui frog has found a new home with no natural predators -- except local homeowners whose property values have tumbled thanks to its ear-splitting croak, which can reach 100 decibels.

'Incalculable'

Researchers hope that by putting a number on the cost of invasive species they can raise awareness of the enormity of the problem and push it higher on humanity's daunting list of environmental challenges.

But beyond the monetary estimate, the study said the "ecological and health impacts of invasions are at least as significant, yet often incalculable".

The UN's science advisory panel for biodiversity, called IPBES, has said invasive species are among the top five culprits -- all human-driven -- of environmental destruction worldwide, along with changes to land use, resource exploitation, pollution and climate change.

In 2019, IPBES estimated there had been a 70 percent increase in invasive species since 1970, in the 21 countries studied.

And the worst could be to come, said Courchamp, who is taking part in upcoming IPBES research.

"International trade will cause more and more species to be introduced, while climate change will cause more and more of these introduced species to survive and become established," he said.

Early detection, better data and preventative measures could reduce costs considerably, the study said.

Courchamp said the domestic cat also has a lot to answer for -- among the worst, in fact, in the researchers' top ten.

The animal, which has been taken across the world for hundreds of years, is now "invasive in almost all the islands of the world", he said.

Domestic cats have been responsible for "the most killings in the world of birds, reptiles and amphibians, which are not prepared for this type of predator", he added.
Governments must do more to address climate change to ensure the Great Barrier Reef doesnt suffer fatal bleaching, Queenslands peak tourism industry body says.

A report by the Australian Academy of Science found even if the world stays on target for a 1.5 degree rise in temperatures, the Great Barrier Reef will suffer bleaching in up to 90 per cent of its corals.

Queenslands peak tourism body is calling for more to be done to protect the reef, and by extension the tourism jobs it supports. Credit:Eddie Jim

If the temperature rise hits 2 degrees, just 1 per cent of the reef is expected to survive, and while more heat-tolerant corals may eventually colonise the reef, that could only happen if the temperature was stabilised.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council Chief Executive Daniel Gschwind said they had long advocated for governments to do more to reduce the effects of climate change, and this latest report was another warning bell.
A big question among parents and teachers as more schools reopen is when their kids will be vaccinated against COVID-19. Some have wondered whether the vaccine is even necessary for children. There is news on that front. In a press release on March 31, 2021, vaccine maker Pfizer suggested its vaccine is as effective in children ages 12-15 as it is in young adults. However the results of Pfizers vaccine trials in adolescents have not been fully released or reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration, and that will take several weeks.

Dr. James Wood, a pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases, explains what doctors know today about the risk children face of getting and spreading the coronavirus and when vaccines might be available.

Do kids really need to get the COVID-19 vaccine?

The short answer is yes. A lot of studies have shown that COVID-19 isnt as severe in children, particularly younger kids  but that doesnt mean kids arent at risk of getting infected and potentially spreading the virus.

Children under 12 who get COVID-19 do tend to have mild illnesses or no symptoms, while teenagers seem to have responses somewhere between what adults and younger kids have experienced. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that teens were about twice as likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 as children ages 5-11.

Researchers are still trying to understand why were seeing these differences between older and younger kids. Behavior probably plays a part. Teenagers are more likely to engage in social or group activities, and they may or may not be wearing masks. Immune differences and biologic factors may also play a role. Non-SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses are common in children, often resulting in upper respiratory infection. Is their frequent exposure to other coronaviruses helping protect them from severe COVID-19? That is one hypothesis. We know younger kids immune responses in general are different from adults, and likely play a role in protection.

Its important to remember that while most children get only mild symptoms, they still face risks. At least 226 U.S. children with COVID-19 have died, and thousands have been hospitalized.

The key to minimizing the risk is to make sure kids eventually get vaccinated, follow social distancing recommendations and wear masks.

Oregon's COVID-19 case rates by demographic group

See the full dashboard here.

Are kids spreading the virus?

In a setting like a school where mask-wearing and social distancing are enforced, young kids seem to not spread the virus very much when the rules and guidelines are being followed. One CDC review found little difference in community cases in counties with elementary schools open and those with remote learning.

If precautions arent being taken, children infected with the coronavirus very well could spread it to adults. What isnt clear yet is how great that risk is.

To keep schools as safe as possible, continuing schoolwide mask and social distancing policies will be important. With teenagers in particular, mask rules cant hinge on whether the person has been vaccinated or not. Until herd immunity within the whole community is at a good level, social distancing and masking is still going to be the recommendation.

So, when can kids get vaccinated?

Right now, the Pfizer vaccine is the only one in the U.S. authorized for teenagers as young as 16. Before kids under 16 can be vaccinated, clinical trials need to be completed in thousands of young volunteers to assess the vaccines safety and efficacy, and the results must be fully reviewed and then authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.

Pfizer said it expects to submit results from its adolescent trials for review soon. Vaccine manufacturer Moderna also has trials underway with adolescents. If their vaccines are shown to be safe and effective and regulators authorize them, kids 12 and up could be vaccinated before school starts in the fall.

Realistically, young children probably wont be eligible for the vaccine until late fall or winter at the earliest. Moderna announced in mid-March that it had started testing its vaccine in children ages 6 months to 11 years. Pfizer said it is also starting testing in young children, but these trials take time.

Whats different about the vaccines kids will get?

The composition of the COVID-19 vaccines for children is the same as used in adults  the difference is that children may require a different dose.

The first step in vaccine trials is to figure out the right dose. The companies want to find the lowest possible dose that is both safe and produces a target level of antibodies. For example, Moderna uses a 100-microgram dose in adults. It is testing three different doses for children under age 2  25, 50 and 100 micrograms  and two doses for children over age 2, at 50 and 100 micrograms.

Once the company determines the optimal dose, it will launch a placebo-controlled trial to test its effectiveness, in which some children will get a placebo and some will get the vaccine.

Students are now seated farther apart in many schools. The CDC recently changed its recommendation from 6 feet between children in K-12 schools to 3 feet unless the community has a high rate of viral spread. AP Photo/Haven Daily

A rigorous system for pediatric vaccine trials is well established in the U.S. These trials are key to assessing the safety and efficacy of vaccines in children, which can differ from adults.

I am optimistic that a safe and effective vaccine will be available for children. Thus far, there have not been any safety signals from either the adult or adolescent studies that have been worrying to me as a pediatrician, but the studies still need to be done in children.

How can parents create safe playdates for kids?

When I talk to parents, I explain that its a risk-versus-benefit question. Each family has a different tolerance.

From a medical standpoint, the mental health of kids and having them play with other kids is an important part of childhood.

I would say that unvaccinated kids playing indoors without masks on is still not a great idea. The risk is just too high at this point. As weather warms up, I would encourage kids to play outside. Ride bikes, play and socialize  just do it in a safe manner.

We all have pandemic fatigue, including medical professionals. As the weather gets warmer, I think everyone just wants to get back to normal. The worst thing we can do, right as we start to see a light at the end, is fall backward again  because that would just make it that much longer for everyone.
Timothy Hazelwood, Superintendent of Prisons might just have excluded a certain number of persons from his report on how many persons are awaiting trial.

Justice Brian Cottle has expressed concern about the number of persons at Her Majestys Prisons awaiting trials.





During his prison report at the closing ceremony of the Criminal Assizes on Tuesday, Superintendent of Prisons, Timothy Hazelwood, disclosed that there were 63 persons -60 males and three females - behind bars awaiting trials.





But according to Justice Cottle, 63 persons represent a significant proportion of our productive citizenship.





With the governments ability to manage the crisis wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic and the availability of a vaccine to ward of the coronavirus, Justice Cottle is looking forward to some degree of relaxation in the protocols, so that there would be an increase in the hearings at the High Court.





Defence lawyer Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, in delivering remarks, said she was in favour of virtual hearings, but Justice Cottle seemed to have preferred the face to face hearing which continue to work effectively witness the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 protocols.





In relations to the 63 persons awaiting trials at Her Majestys Prisons, Bacchus-Baptiste said it was not a complete picture of the reality as there are several other persons out on bail who are awaiting trials. This, she informed, will carry up significantly the number reported by the prison boss.




New Delhi, April 1 : The government's privatisation policy for PSUs fails to address their potential irrelevance in an increasingly complex and disrupted world, as per a report by Kotak Institutional Equities.

The report said PSU companies have already become irrelevant in most B2C sectors such as aviation, telecommunications or are steadily losing market shares to their private sector competitors in financials.

The market certainly does not have a favourable view of the future prospects of the PSUs given the large erosion in market capitalisation of most PSUs over time, it added.

"We see large existential issues for PSUs given their presence in challenged and challenging industries. The government's privatisation policy may not achieve strategic (value maximisation) and financial (asset monetisation) objectives either," it said.

The government's privatisation policy may be bold versus historical standards but may fall short of the demands of an increasingly complex and disrupted world.

"Many of today's stalwarts such as BPCL, COAL, IOCL, NTPC, ONGC operate in challenged industries (fossil fuels) or challenging industries (financials and telecommunication services). The energy and financials sector PSUs face growing irrelevance and even existential threat even though they dominate these industries currently. These industries face severe disruption from rapid technological changes and/or from new challengers," the report said.

"Many PSUs, irrespective of their size, risk irrelevance given their presence in challenged industries with a bleak future (fossil fuels) and challenging industries seeing rapid transformation (financials). We doubt the companies are sufficiently geared to meet the challenges; continued government ownership may handicap them further," the report said.

"We do not see the government's privatisation programme achieving the desired objectives of value maximisation for majority and minority shareholders and asset monetization for the government. In fact, continued government ownership will make the companies in 'strategic' sectors more vulnerable over time. They operate in challenged and challenging industries and may not be in a position to pivot their business models to meet the challenges of disruption," it added.

"We do not see any merit in sectors such as energy, financials and telecommunications being classified as strategic given India's large energy imports and likely change in its energy mix and declining or low market shares of PSUs in banking and telecommunication sectors," it added.

The government's privatisation policy entails a bare minimum presence of PSUs in certain strategic sectors-atomic energy, defence and space, banking, insurance and financial services, coal, petroleum, power and other minerals and telecommunications and transport. The policy may result in the government retaining control over most of the larger PSUs.

"We do not see coal, petroleum, power as strategic sectors given India's large energy imports currently and likely dominant share of renewables in India's energy mix in the future. Thus, the energy security argument for government ownership may be overstated," the report added.

These sectors account for 34% of the government's holding in PSUs. "We expect an accelerated shift towards renewables to erode the value of these companies over time unless they can transform their business models towards renewable energy. They have shown little inclination to do so and continued government ownership may hamper their transformation efforts," it added.

The report expects ongoing digitalisation of the Indian economy and the financial sector to accelerate market share gains of private banks and insurance companies. The wider physical reach of PSU banks versus their private sector counterparts may be less relevant in a digitalising economy in meeting the financial inclusion goals of the government and the financing needs of borrowers. "In fact, the same strength of PSU banks could become a liability; they will have far lesser flexibility to adapt to digitalization under government ownership," it added.

It said that the challenges of challenged and challenging industries are not being addressed. "We do not see the government's privatisation policy addressing the key issue of irrelevance for several large PSUs companies", KIE added.

The disruption is already underway and the PSU companies have shown limited initiative to respond to the forthcoming large-scale disruption.

It said that continued government ownership may hamper the efforts of the energy companies to pivot away from conventional energy to renewables and the financial companies to adopt digitalization to face the challenges from 'digital' challengers.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Around 1.1million Brits claim to have suffered 'long Covid' since the pandemic began, according to the largest study of its kind.

And 70,000 people say they have battled fatigue and other crippling symptoms for a over a year.

Middle-aged women who worked in healthcare, lived in deprived areas and had pre-existing conditions were most likely to suffer lingering symptoms.

The Office for National Statistics quizzed 362,000 adults who were diagnosed with the virus, or believe they had it, between last April and March 6.

Answers were used to estimate how many of the 66million Britons may be suffering from the condition.

But their figures relied on 'self-reporting', with participants not being asked to offer any proof they were still suffering from crippling after-effects of the disease.

Statisticians added increased awareness of the ailment may have led to more people claiming they were battling against difficult symptoms.

But MPs insisted the figures revealed the 'devastating impact' of Covid and the 'urgent need' to offer more support to sufferers.

Office for National Statistics experts estimated almost 300,000 Britons were suffering some limitation to their daily activity more than 12 weeks after fighting off the virus

The statisticians found 13.7 per cent of participants in their study were still suffering some impacts from Covid 12 weeks after catching the virus

Long Covid was most likely to strike middle-aged women who lived in deprived areas and worked in healthcare, they said based on their results

WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19? Most coronavirus patients will recover within a fortnight, suffering a fever, cough and losing their sense of smell or taste for several days. However, evidence is beginning to show that the tell-tale symptoms of the virus can persist for weeks on end in 'long haulers'  the term for patients plagued by lasting complications. Data from the COVID Symptom Study app, by King's College London and health company Zoe, suggests one in ten people may still have symptoms after three weeks, and some may suffer for months. Long term symptoms include: Chronic tiredness

Breathlessness

Raised heart rate

Delusions

Strokes

Insomnia

Loss of taste/smell

Kidney disease

Mobility issues

Headaches

Muscle pains

Fevers For those with more severe disease, Italian researchers who tracked 143 people who had been hospitalised with the disease found almost 90 per cent still had symptoms including fatigue two months after first falling unwell. The most common complaints were fatigue, a shortness of breath and joint pain - all of which were reported during their battle with the illness. Advertisement

The ONS estimated 1.1million people in private households reported suffering long Covid.

Long Covid was defined as symptoms persisting more than four weeks after the first suspected Covid episode that are not explained by something else.

Around 674,000 Britons had suffered some 'adverse affect' on their daily activities after catching the virus, while 196,000 said it had limited them 'a lot'.

The data also suggested almost 300,000 Britons were still facing limits on their lives due to long Covid 12 weeks after being infected, while 130,000 were still battling against debilitating symptoms after three months.

A separate arm of the study included 20,000 people who had tested positive for the virus, matched to 20,000 others who were not thought to have caught the virus to allow for comparison.

Fatigue was the most common symptom five weeks after catching Covid (5,435 people), followed by a cough (5,272) and a headache (5,082).

Others suffered from muscle pain (3,958) a sore throat (3,323), loss of taste (3,264) and loss of smell (3,119) up to five weeks later.

Some 13.7 per cent (almost 3,000) of the virus-suffering group were still suffering symptoms 12 weeks after they tested positive, results showed.

Long Covid was most likely to last for three months among people who were aged between 35 and 69 years. It was also more likely among females (1.23 per cent) compared to males (0.92 per cent).

Those who tested positive were around eight times more likely to face long Covid than those that hadn't been diagnosed with the virus.

ONS statisticians added self-reporting of symptoms meant their results could contain errors, as some people are more likely to complain of ongoing symptoms compared to others.

They added increased awareness of long Covid may have led to more people reporting symptoms than when the pandemic began.

There is no officially approved definition of long Covid, with the condition instead diagnosed through detecting a multitude of symptoms that persist after someone has fought off the virus.

Layla Moran, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Covid, said: 'These figures reveal the devastating impact of long Covid across the country and the urgent need for the government to step up support for those affected.

'For too long Covid patients have felt like the forgotten victims of this pandemic. The government must end the current postcode lottery of rehabilitation services and ensure all those who need long-term treatment can access it.

'We also need a compensation scheme for key workers with long Covid, who have worked tirelessly on the frontline against the pandemic and are now paying a heavy price.

'The government must recognise long Covid as an occupational disease and provide formal guidance to employers, to ensure that workers suffering symptoms are treated fairly and given proper support.'

But it was less likely to be reported for children aged two to 16 years and the over-70s

It comes after a separate study from Leicester University found seven in 10 patients hospitalised by Covid still suffered debilitating symptoms five months after they were discharged.

The research published last week laid bare the toll of the condition on survivors that were plagued by symptoms including breathlessness, fatigue and muscle pain.

Leicester experts, who quizzed 1,077 long-haulers, also found two in five had reduced their workload or were off sick because of their persistent symptoms.

Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said the work added to knowledge on long Covid which is still surrounded by mystery.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said last week he was 'determined' to improve care for Britons suffering the 'lasting and debilitating' impacts of Covid.

Estimates suggest long Covid strikes up to one in ten infected people, leaving them battling fatigue and brain fog for months.

NHS England has put aside more than 20million to treat the condition and set up a network of 72 sites across the nation to assist patients complaining of symptoms.
What just happened? The global chip shortage has led to problems across multiple industries. With demand for semiconductors expected to continue for the foreseeable future, TSMC has announced plans to invest over $100 billion across the next three years on expanding manufacturing capacity and research and development.

"TSMC is entering a period of higher growth as the multiyear megatrends of 5G and HPC are expected to fuel strong demand for our semiconductor technologies in the next several years," the company wrote in a statement.

"In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic also accelerates digitalization in every aspect. In order to keep up with demand, TSMC expects to invest $100 billion over the next three years to increase capacity to support the manufacturing and R&D of advanced semiconductor technologies. TSMC is working closely with our customers to address their needs in a sustainable manner."

TheEdgeMarkets writes that TSMC already planned to spend between $25 billion - $28 billion this year on developing new chips, a YoY increase of around 45% - 62% compared to the $17.2 billion it spent in 2020. Tom's Hardware notes that it spent about $3.72 billion on R&D, roughly 8.2% of its revenue, last year.

TSMC Chief Executive Officer C.C. Wei told its customers that the company's fabs have been "running at over 100% utilization over the past 12 months," but it's still not been enough to meet demand.

Strangely, we heard last month that TSMC was auctioning off excess wafer capacityat a premium, of course. It's also facing problems in its home country of Taiwan, where a drought has led to further water restrictions that could impact production.

With everything from graphics cards to automobiles to laptops impacted by the chip shortages, the industry is pushing hard to resolve the situation. With GlobalFoundries doubling its expansion to $1.5 billion this year, it looks like we're on the right track. Let's hope things are back to normal sooner rather than later.
Along Highway 1 south of Half Moon Bay, the swath of blooming yellow mustard across the coastal hills turned into a gold mine for Iacopi Farms.

A lot of people were trespassing to see them, so we just opened the gates and charged $10 per person, said Deborah Iacopi. With COVID, a lot of people are going stir-crazy and want to get out and see something pretty.

As April arrives, the temperature tantrum this week across the Bay Area has ignited wildflower blooms early, park rangers and field scouts say.

Seeing the wildflowers is a sign of hope, said Rosemary Passantino at Marin County Parks and Open Space.

The blooms across the region arrived even after strong winds out of the northwest dried surface soils at the tail end of a lackluster rainy season. At Iacopi Farms, while the blooms still stretch across the coastal farmland, they are just past peak, Iacopi said, and the farm may plow the flowers under next week in favor of artichokes.

Across much of the Bay Area, wild mustard and California poppies are doing the best.

Some of the best wildflower pockets are San Bruno Mountain, Mount Diablo State Park and Chimney Rock Headlands at Point Reyes National Seashore. In the Sierra foothills, blooms are just starting to pop in the river corridors and riparian zones, such as north of Grass Valley at South Yuba State Park.

Good flowers are popping up and should only get better as it gets warmer, said Matthew Green, a chief ranger for the California State Parks Sierra District. He recommended the Buttermilk Bend Trail along the South Yuba River.

On the other hand, many renowned destinations for wildflowers have fizzled this spring.

Death Valley National Park, a spectacular showpiece two years ago, received only 0.38 inches of rain at Furnace Creek this winter. Field scout Linda Stremel said she saw perhaps six wildflowers in four days on her visit last week to the park.

Another landmark site, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in the San Joaquin Valley, received only 2 inches of rain this winter, rangers said. The hills are faded brown with no poppies and only a light sprinkling of red filaree.

Though Daffodil Hill near Sutter Creek (Amador County) remains on the radar for many, the owners closed it, likely permanently, two years ago after a crush of visitors and illegally parked vehicles blocked access roads for emergency vehicles.

Wildflowers are always a wild card, dependent on timing, soil moisture, temperature, wind velocity and direct sun. Those factors form a matrix that can ignite or stifle blooms.

Please add a note to stay on trails and do not trample on or pick the flowers, advised Passantino at Marin County Parks and Open Space.

That said, here are the best prospects in the Bay Area.

San Francisco Peninsula and coast

San Bruno Mountain State and County Park just south of the San Francisco County line has provided excellent diversity in a year where explosive blooms are less common, said Carla Schoof at San Mateo County Parks.

At San Bruno Mountain, more than 15 species were identified last week, she said, including California poppy, lupine, blue dicks, fiddleneck, Douglas iris and Indian paintbrush, but also wallflower, yellow rocket, sun cups and footsteps of spring.

Edgewood County Park in Redwood City has also provided a good sprinkling of color, Schoof said. In the past week, rangers identified Hendersons shooting star, California manroot, California poppy, Fremonts death camas, Pacific hounds tongue, warriors plume and tomcat clover.

Marin County

In northwest Marin, the Douglas iris blooms can be a showstopper, and the best bets are around Limantour Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay State Park.

Were currently enjoying the purple pops of Douglas iris, State Park Ranger Nick Turner said.

At Point Reyes, the Chimney Rock Headland can be legendary  90 species of wildflowers can provide a coronation of spring. But winds out of the northwest and warm temperatures faded the bloom. Chimney Rock and the nearby Point Reyes Lighthouse are still enough of a draw that the Park Service is enforcing a visitor quota on weekends past the turnoff at Drakes Beach Road.

At Marin County Parks, the best prospects are at Loma Alta, Baltimore Canyon, Ring Mountain and Mount Burdell, Passantino said. Ring Mountain Preserve, off Paradise Drive in Corte Madera overlooking the Tiburon shore, can be spectacular, she said.

Expanses of goldfields, tidy tips and other early bloomers make for a spring classic, Passantino said. The multicolored flowers provide a foreground for spectacular views of the bay.

East Bay hills

Hikers at Mount Diablo State Park have been sharing their wildflower sightings through the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. Pockets of California poppies are often sighted along North Gate Road and Summit Road. The vicinity of Murchio Gap, accessed from Eagle Peak Trail or Bald Ridge Trail, often has the widest variety. Blooms include poppies, silver lupine, Pacific pea, periwinkle and larkspur.

Across the 75 parks in the East Bay Regional Park District, the best for wildflowers are Black Diamond, Anthony Chabot, Sunol and the Briones-to-Diablo Trail.

Of these, Black Diamond Regional Preserve, south of Highway 4 near Pittsburg, ranks No. 1  the Stewartville Trail can be one of the best shows around in early April. Lupine, paintbrush, Ithuriels spear, blue dicks and owls clover are among the sightings.

Wildflowers are out and seem to be close to normal, even with the dry year, said Dave Mason at park headquarters. April is the best time year to see wildflowers in regional parks.

Santa Clara County

This has been a good spring for yellow mustard and California poppies across the foothills above Santa Clara Valley. At headquarters for Santa Clara County Parks, Tamara Clark suggested Calero, Santa Teresa, Coyote Lake and Grant County parks.

Every April, a wild card is Almaden Quicksilver County Park, south of San Jose. The Mine Hill Trail can be a spectacular show, and early April can be best for monkey flower. Other common early arrivals can include lupine, poppies, buttercup and if youre lucky, shooting stars.

Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer emeritus. Email: tomstienstra2021@gmail.com. Twitter: @StienstraTom
TORONTO, ON & NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 31 2021 / GlobeX Data Ltd. (OTCQB:SWISF)(CSE:SWIS)(FRA:GDT) ("GlobeX" or the "Company"), the leader in Swiss hosted secure communications and secure data management, is pleased to announce that as per its press release of March 19th 2021, stating interest for a private placement, it is pleased to announce the closing of a private placement offering for a total of 4,076,400 Units (as defined below) at a price of CA$0.30 per Unit for total gross proceeds of CA$1,222,920.

Each Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") priced at CA$0.30 per share, and one-half of one share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Full Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase a Common share at a price of $0.50 per share for a two-year term (the "Warrant Term"). The offering has been fully subscribed and is now closed. Corporate finance advisory fees of CA$60,000 were paid in the form of cash.

The proceeds of the financing will be allocated to accelerate the marketing of the Company's Sekur encrypted email and messaging solution to the US market, and for general purposes.

The Company CEO participated in the private placement as well with subscriptions of 1,750,000 units, or almost 42% of the total offering.

The Company plans to use the proceeds of this financing primarily for operational sales and the marketing of its Sekur security solution offering secure email, instant messaging and file sharing, as well as any other marketing related activity for sales in Canada, the USA, Latin America and South Asia.

Alain Ghiai, CEO of GlobeX Data said: "We are very pleased with the demand we have received from our investors for this private placement. This placement effectively puts the Company in a much better position than it was even right after the IPO in July 2019. With more than twice the amount of cash now than in July 2019 and no debt whatsoever, our solutions ready to be deployed in Latin America, the US mass markets, and Canada, we are in an excellent position to move forward as planned. In addition to our valued shareholders who continue to support our vision, I have participated in this placement in the amount of 42% of the total units offered, confirming my unwavering commitment to GlobeX and its success in the years to come. I look forward to an exciting 2021 and would like to thank all our shareholders for their continuing support."

GlobeX's Data privacy solutions are all hosted in Switzerland, protecting users' data from any outside data intrusion requests. In Switzerland, the right to privacy is guaranteed in article 13 of the Swiss Federal Constitution. The Federal Act on Data Protection ("FADP") of 19 June 1992 (in force since 1993) has set up a strict protection of privacy by prohibiting virtually any processing of personal data which is not expressly authorized by the data subjects. The protection is subject to the authority of the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner.

Under Swiss federal law, it is a crime to publish information based on leaked "secret official discussions." In 2010 the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland found that IP addresses are personal information and that under Swiss privacy laws they may not be used to track Internet usage without the knowledge of the individuals involved.

About GlobeX Data Ltd.

GlobeX Data Ltd. is a Cybersecurity and Internet privacy provider of Swiss hosted solutions for secure communications and secure data management. The Company distributes a suite of secure cloud-based storage, disaster recovery, document management, encrypted e-mails, and secure communication tools. GlobeX Data Ltd. sells its products through its approved wholesalers and distributors, and telecommunications companies worldwide. GlobeX Data Ltd. serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide.

On behalf of Management

GLOBEX DATA LTD.

Alain Ghiai

President and Chief Executive Officer

+1(416) 644-8690

corporate@globexdatagroup.com

For more information please contact GlobeX Data at corporate@globexdatagroup.com or visit us at https://globexdatagroup.com.

For more information on Sekur visit us at: https://www.sekur.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "project" and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guaranteeing future performance. GlobeX cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond GlobeX's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the future of the Company's business; the success of marketing and sales efforts of the Company; the projections prepared in house and projections delivered by channel partners; the Company's ability to complete the necessary software updates; increases in sales as a result of investments software development technology; consumer interest in the Products; future sales plans and strategies; reliance on large channel partners and expectations of renewals to ongoing agreements with these partners; anticipated events and trends; the economy and other future conditions; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in GlobeX's prospectus dated May 8, 2019 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available on www.sedar.com. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, GlobeX undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

SOURCE: GlobeX Data Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638550/GlobeX-Data-Ltd-Announces-Closing-of-Non-Brokered-Private-Placement
State controllers make decision on Sputnik V, the ministry remains silent

Promised supply of Russian vaccines for March has not arrived in Slovakia.

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The Health Ministry is remaining silent about the results of the evaluation of the Sputnik V vaccine by the State Institute for Drug Control (SUKL).

Sputnik V tests on guinea pigs and mice successful Read more

The SUKL has objections to vaccination with the Sputnik V vaccine, confirmed a source close to the institute, for the Sme daily.

The Russian vaccine against Covid-19 was not approved by the European Medicines Agency. People interested in receiving this vaccine would have to sign a document claiming they are aware it is not registered in the EU.

A month has passed since the first delivery of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine and Slovakia has received 200,000 doses. The vaccines that have been delivered are being processed by Imuna Pharm, a company in Sarisske Michalany in eastern Slovakia. Another 200,000 vaccines that should have been delivered in March, have not arrived. The Ministry has not explained the missing supply.

1. Apr 2021 at 19:25 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Rundu  The Roads Authority (RA) has vowed to repair all potholes on the Rundu-Divundu road along the Trans-Caprivi Highway in Kavango East region, when the weather permits.

"The rain has caused widespread damage on our roads and the RA is working hard to repair potholes and other damages in the shortest time possible," said the RA corporate communication officer, Constance Mwilima.

Many motorists have endured damage to their vehicles and some have been involved in accidents due to the deep and scattered potholes.

Mwilima said the RA has erected warning signs at critical places to alert motorists.

She urged motorists to exercise caution and reduce their speed according to the weather conditions.

"We would like to appeal to all motorists to be alert at all times, especially at night. Motorists should refrain from travelling at night, if possible, during the rainy season as the potholes are covered by water and will cause serious damage to vehicles if motorists drive into them," she said. The RA further said that as a long-term strategy, this road will be rehabilitated to mitigate future damage during the rainy season.

Ndonga Linena constituency councillor Michael Kampota, whose constituency is along the affected highway, has urged the RA to fill potholes temporarily with gravel.

"These potholes are destructive, they are deep and many motorists have been complaining and raised their concerns," he said.
Credit Suisse told investors the debt in its $7.3 billion finance fund was low risk because it was insured but the bank failed to ensure the policies would pay out, two sources told Reuters.

When Japans Tokio Marine, the company insuring the debt, declined to renew its coverage with Greensill Capital last month, Credit Suisse was forced to liquidate the fund and said this may have a material impact on its results and reputation.

The banks shares have fallen by almost a quarter in the past month as it deals with the fallout from Greensill and the impact of losses at its prime brokerage division caused by the stricken U.S. fund Archegos.

The debt Credit Suisse bought was issued by Greensill and backed by loans the supply chain finance firm made to companies. To manage its risk, Greensill took out credit insurance with a subsidiary of Insurance Australia Group (IAG). Tokio Marine took on the policies in 2019 when it bought the unit.

Supply chain finance is a form of financing in which suppliers can receive early payment of their invoices.

Credit Suisse assured clients in marketing documents that the debt in the supply chain fund was low risk. In one factsheet, it also said: The underlying credit risk of the notes is fully insured by highly rated insurance companies.

The sources told Reuters, however, that the bank did not communicate directly with Tokio Marine to confirm the insurer had no concerns about the validity of the policy or that the debt it bought from Greensill was the type the policies covered.

Instead, the Swiss bank relied on emailed updates about the policies from Marsh & McLennan, the broker that arranged them for Greensill, and did not hold regular discussions with Marsh to check whether the insurer was still intending to honor the contracts, the sources said.

Reuters could not determine what gave Credit Suisse comfort that its clients were covered by Greensills insurance and why the bank may not have engaged in due diligence beyond its limited checks with Marsh.

Two Credit Suisse sources told Reuters in May 2020 and again in January 2021, just two months before Greensill and the fund collapsed, that Credit Suisse had confirmed with Marsh that insurance cover was in place.

Credit Suisse declined to answer questions about what information it had sought about the insurance from Tokio Marine, Marsh, Greensill or others.

Greensill, Marsh and Tokio Marine all declined to answer questions about the coverage.

DUE DILIGENCE

Tokio Marine told Greensill in August 2020 that it was investigating whether some policies had been issued validly as an employee had exceeded his underwriting authority and it would not accept that the policies were binding pending the outcome of its inquiry, according to court filings in Australia.

According to emails between Marsh and Tokio Marine submitted in evidence in the Australian case, the employee, Greg Brereton, breached a number of internal procedures. Brereton did not respond to requests for comment.

The two people familiar with the matter said Credit Suisse was not informed about these concerns at the time.

Tokio Marine, Greensill and Credit Suisse declined to comment.

Three insurance experts interviewed by Reuters said Tokio Marine and Marsh were not under any obligation to tell Credit Suisse because even though the fund was beneficiary of the insurance, it was not a policy holder.

Neither Marsh nor Tokio Marine could have told Credit Suisse whether the debt it had bought from Greensill met the policy conditions because the bank did not provide a list of the specific bonds and ask for checks, three sources said.

The three insurance experts said Credit Suisse had dropped the ball if it did not make its own regular checks with Tokio Marine, given the crucial nature of the insurance to the value of the Greensill bonds it bought for its clients.

Clearly they didnt do their due diligence, said Scott Levy, chief executive of Bedford Row Capital, which arranges bond issues. If Credit Suisse was doing its job properly there is no way that they could not have identified these problems.

INVOICED TRANSACTIONS

The head of Credit Suisses European asset management division and two other employees who worked on the finance funds have temporarily stepped aside, according to an internal bank memo, which did not state the reason for the changes.

Reuters has been unable to reach the managers for comment.

Credit Suisse has warned investors there was considerable uncertainty about how much money they would get back and said in its annual report that some clients had threatened to sue over the collapse of the fund.

Four sources told Reuters that Credit Suisse was considering compensating investors in the fund as there was concern the debacle could lead to wealthy customers turning their back on the bank.

When it ceased its cover in March, Tokio Marine said in a statement that Greensill was only covered for money it lent to companies backed by receivables  invoices they had received for goods and services delivered. Policies seen by Reuters say the debts should be backed by receivables.

However, Credit Suisse had also been buying Greensill bonds that lacked such collateral, according to corporate and legal filings. The bank declined to comment.

Reuters analyzed the assets in Credit Suisses supply chain finance fund in 2019 and found it included some Greensill bonds not backed by receivables.

Reuters told the banks public relations department in July 2019 and in May 2020 this was the case. Credit Suisse declined to comment on the Reuters analysis on both occasions and again when contacted for this story.

Two Credit Suisse sources told Reuters in May 2020 and in January 2021, just two months before Greensill and the fund collapsed, that Credit Suisse had independently confirmed insurance cover was in place.

Credit Suisses fund managers did have occasional communication with Greensills broker Marsh, beyond its regular emails to the bank detailing the names of borrowers and exposure limits in the policy, the two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The bank said in a June 2020 investor update that it had made insurance claims following the collapse of a healthcare provider whose debts the fund had bought via Greensill.

One of the sources said Marsh was involved in conversations with Credit Suisse about the claims. Reuters could not determine which insurer was involved or if the policy paid out.

(Additional reporting by Carolyn Cohn in London; Editing by David Clarke)

Top Photo: Ships held in the Great Bitter Lake by the grounding of the Ever Given leave the canal after the Ever Given container ship was refloated on March 29.
New model captures glycan molecules whose motions shield much of the spike from immune defenses

A new, detailed model of the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveals previously unknown vulnerabilities that could inform development of vaccines. Mateusz Sikora of the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt, Germany, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Computational Biology.

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. A key feature of SARS-CoV-2 is its spike protein, which extends from its surface and enables it to target and infect human cells. Extensive research has resulted in detailed static models of the spike protein, but these models do not capture the flexibility of the spike protein itself nor the movements of protective glycans--chains of sugar molecules--that coat it.

To support vaccine development, Sikora and colleagues aimed to identify novel potential target sites on the surface of the spike protein. To do so, they developed molecular dynamics simulations that capture the complete structure of the spike protein and its motions in a realistic environment.

These simulations show that glycans on the spike protein act as a dynamic shield that helps the virus evade the human immune system. Similar to car windshield wipers, the glycans cover nearly the entire spike surface by flopping back and forth, even though their coverage is minimal at any given instant.

By combining the dynamic spike protein simulations with bioinformatic analysis, the researchers identified spots on the surface of the spike proteins that are least protected by the glycan shields. Some of the detected sites have been identified in previous research, but some are novel. The vulnerability of many of these novel sites was confirmed by other research groups in subsequent lab experiments.

"We are in a phase of the pandemic driven by the emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, with mutations concentrated in particular in the spike protein," Sikora says. "Our approach can support the design of vaccines and therapeutic antibodies, especially when established methods struggle."

The method developed for this study could also be applied to identify potential vulnerabilities of other viral proteins.

###

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Computational Biology: https:/ / journals. plos. org/ ploscompbiol/ article?id= 10. 1371/ journal. pcbi. 1008790

Citation: Sikora M, von Bulow S, Blanc FEC, Gecht M, Covino R, Hummer G (2021) Computational epitope map of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. PLoS Comput Biol 17(4): e1008790. https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1371/ journal. pcbi. 1008790

Funding: This work was supported by the Max Planck Society (https:/ / www. mpg. de ) (GH), the Austrian Science Fund FWF Schrodinger Fellowship J4332-B28 (https:/ / www. fwf. ac. at ) (MS), the Human Frontier Science Program RGP0026/2017 (https:/ / www. hfsp. org ) (GH), the Landes-Offensive zur Entwicklung Wissenschaftlich-Okonomischer Exzellenz LOEWE of the State of Hesse (https:/ / wissenschaft. hessen. de/ wissenschaft/ landesprogramm-loewe ): DynaMem (GH) and CMMS (RC and GH), the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (https:/ / fias. institute ): (RC), and the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre Munich (https:/ / www. lrz. de ): SUPERspike (GH). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Download Free Sample Report

The increasing stringency of regulations pertaining to environmental safety has compelled vendors in the market to introduce organic bath mats made of cotton. For example, La Redoute SAS offers Chanaya Organic Cotton Bathmat. The product is made from organically-farmed cotton and certified by OEKO-TEX. Similarly, Williams-Sonoma Inc. offers Organic Tassel Stripe Bath Mat and Organic Half Moons Bath Mat under its West Elm portfolio. These products are made from 100% organic cotton and are certified by GOTS. Besides, consumers are also exhibiting high demand for organic bath mats as they do not contain any synthetic chemicals that cause adverse effects. Therefore, the rising demand for organic bath mats is expected to fuel the growth of the bath mats market in the US during the forecast period.

Looking for more information on this market? Request for a free sample report

In this report, Technavio highlights the increasing prominence of private-label brands as one of the key emerging trends in the bath mats market in US.

Bath Mats Market in US: Increasing Prominence of Private-Label Brands

Retailers in the US are introducing a wide range of bath mats under their private-label brands to increase profitability. For instance, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., a retail chain in the US, offers a line of bath mats under its private-label brand, Bee & Willow Home. Similarly, Wayfair LLC offers a wide range of private-label bath mats, such as Viviano Plush Chenille Cushioned Rectangle Memory Foam Non-Slip bath mat and Monica Braided Chenille Multiple Non-Slip bath mat. Such private-label brands are now competing with leading global and regional brands in the US. Also, customers in the US are more likely to purchase such bath mats owing to their low cost. This has increased the prominence of private-label brands, which, in turn, is expected to have a positive influence on the growth of the bath mats market in the US over the forecast period.

"Growth of the organized retail sector and introduction of antibacterial and mildew-resistant bath mats will further boost market growth during the forecast period", says a senior analyst at Technavio.

Bath Mats Market in US: Segmentation Analysis

This market report segments the bath mats market in US by application (household and commercial).

The household bath mats segment led the bath mats market in 2019. The dominance of the segment can be attributed to the increase in demand for sink mats, shower mats, and door exit mats from residential users.

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

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Related Reports on Consumer Staples Include:

Global Anti-Fatigue Mat Market  Global anti-fatigue mat market is segmented by end-user (non-residential and residential), distribution channel (offline and online), and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America).

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Global Latex Mattress Market  Global latex mattress market is segmented by distribution channel (offline and online) and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America).

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Some of the key topics covered in the report include:

Market Challenges

Market Drivers

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
To reduce surgical wait times caused by COVID-19, Premier Brian Pallister announced that Manitobas 2021 budget will include $50 million in health-care funding aimed at making a dent in the backlog.

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To reduce surgical wait times caused by COVID-19, Premier Brian Pallister announced that Manitobas 2021 budget will include $50 million in health-care funding aimed at making a dent in the backlog.

"When COVID arrived in Manitoba and across the country and around the world, it had the impact of pausing other medical priorities  in our case, thousands of surgical procedures and diagnostic appointments while we refocused on our fight against the virus," Pallister said at a Wednesday afternoon media conference.

"Last summer, we were able to resume some of those procedures, but with the fall came ... an upswing in the need for our health-care sector to pause in its other priorities areas so we could redeploy staff and space to care for COVID-19 patients."

The premier indicated that the funds are not intended to eliminate the backlog but make a dent in it. A portion of the $50 million will be directly targeted at reducing the backlog of hip, knee and cataract surgeries.

He did not know the current number of backlogged surgeries, but did say that more than 10,000 people were waiting at last count.

It was the second preview for Manitobas budget this week, with Finance Minister Scott Fielding announcing a record withdrawal from the provinces rainy day fund as well as the upcoming fiscal years projected deficit on Tuesday.

Asked why his government was revealing so many uncharacteristic previews ahead of the release of the budget next Wednesday, Pallister said there was so much good news in the budget that some of it might have been buried if not announced separately.

In a statement emailed to members of the media, Doctors Manitoba praised the announcement.

"Doctors Manitoba is very pleased with the provincial governments announcement today, committing funding to address the surgical and diagnostic backlog," the organization wrote. "This is a very good start toward catching up on the thousands of patients who have had to wait for their procedure because of this pandemic. We recommended a special investment to government to address the growing backlog, and we look forward to working together for those Manitobans still waiting for care."

Echoing a call made by Quebec Premier Francois Legault earlier this month on behalf of Canadas premiers as well as his own past appeals, Pallister once again called on the federal government to increase its share of health-care funding.

"Last week, the (federal) finance minister previewed that there would be a one-time payment to the provinces for health-care costs," said Pallister. "We welcome any contribution that moves Ottawa toward being a true, sustainable partner in health care, but a one-time, one-year quick fix is not the answer to a long-term problem thats been growing over the last quarter of a century.

He also called again for the federal government to increase its vaccine shipments to the provinces.

"For the prime minister and I, weve had, I think, a growing relationship of trust," said Pallister. "We dont agree on everything, but two people who always agree, one of them probably isnt thinking. Were both thinking. I think Im right on the need for the federal government to resume a stronger role in supporting health care, and I think the prime minister is wrong for not doing that."

A recent poll released by Probe Research indicates that if a provincial election were held in the near future, the Manitoba NDP would return to power. They currently have a six-point lead over the governing Tories, which includes increased support in Winnipeg according to a recent article by the Winnipeg Free Press.

Addressing the topic, Pallister said he would improve his partys fortunes by continuing the fight against COVID and restoring the provinces economy so that small businesses can once again be successful.

The premier said he didnt mind being blamed for his partys popularity, noting that theres no provincial election going on right now.

In his closing comments, Pallister reminded Manitobans to be safe over the Easter long weekend.

 cslark@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
Mumbai, April 1 : Tata Motors on Thursday reported a sale of 66,609 units of vehicles in March.

The sales were six-fold higher compared to 11,012 units sold in March 2020. Sales were severely hit in March last year as Covid cases surged during the period across the country.

The company sold 36,955 commercial vehicles in the domestic market last month, way higher than 1,601 units sold a year ago, showed a statement.

On a quaterly basis, the Tata Motors sold over 1.91 lakh vehicles during the January-March period, compared to over 1.01 lakh units during Q4 FY20.

Further, Girish Wagh, President, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors said: "Commercial vehicle domestic sale in Q4 FY21 at 98,966 units was 20 per cent higher than the previous quarter, continuing its sequential growth. It was also higher by 59 per cent over Q4 FY20." He added that the company's international business grew by 19 per cent over Q3 FY21 and 25 per cent over Q4 FY20, as the key markets started returning to normalcy.

"We continue to monitor and work on the supply chain to improve availability, especially of electronic components. We are also reviewing our business continuity plans in view of the rising cases of Covid-19 in the country," Wagh said.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/01/2021 -- A new business intelligence report released by HTF MI with title "COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Industry Market Report-Development Trends, Threats, Opportunities and Competitive Landscape in 2020" is designed covering micro level of analysis by manufacturers and key business segments. The COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Market survey analysis offers energetic visions to conclude and study market size, market hopes, and competitive surroundings. The research is derived through primary and secondary statistics sources and it comprises both qualitative and quantitative detailing. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Zhongwei Consulting, Zero consultation, Sai Lixin, CCID Consulting, BearingPoint Management Consulting Co., Ltd, Sansheng Consulting, McKinsey, PWC, Jianbo market research, Ipsos, Accenture, Huichen Zidao, IResearch & Roland Berger Consulting.



What's keeping Zhongwei Consulting, Zero consultation, Sai Lixin, CCID Consulting, BearingPoint Management Consulting Co., Ltd, Sansheng Consulting, McKinsey, PWC, Jianbo market research, Ipsos, Accenture, Huichen Zidao, IResearch & Roland Berger Consulting Ahead in the Market? Benchmark yourself with the strategic moves and findings recently released by HTF MI



Get Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ : https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/2719635-covid-19-outbreak-global-consulting-services-industry-market



Market Overview of COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services

If you are involved in the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services industry or aim to be, then this study will provide you inclusive point of view. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Applications [Small businesses, Medium-Sized enterprise & Large enterprise], Product Types [, Strategy Consulting, Management Consulting, Operations Consulting, Financial Advisory, HR Consulting & IT Consulting] and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.



This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a consistent in depth analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market along with impact of economic slowdown due to COVID.



Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year  2015-2020

Base year  2020

Forecast period**  2021 to 2026 [** unless otherwise stated]



**Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.



Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/2719635-covid-19-outbreak-global-consulting-services-industry-market



The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below:

The Study Explore the Product Types of COVID-19 Outbreak- Consulting Services Market: , Strategy Consulting, Management Consulting, Operations Consulting, Financial Advisory, HR Consulting & IT Consulting



Key Applications/end-users of COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting ServicesMarket: Small businesses, Medium-Sized enterprise & Large enterprise



Top Players in the Market are: Zhongwei Consulting, Zero consultation, Sai Lixin, CCID Consulting, BearingPoint Management Consulting Co., Ltd, Sansheng Consulting, McKinsey, PWC, Jianbo market research, Ipsos, Accenture, Huichen Zidao, IResearch & Roland Berger Consulting



Region Included are: North America (Covered in Chapter 7 and 14), United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe (Covered in Chapter 8 and 14), Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others, Asia-Pacific (Covered in Chapter 9 and 14), China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Others, Middle East and Africa (Covered in Chapter 10 and 14), Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Others, South America (Covered in Chapter 11 and 14), Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile & Others



Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:

 Detailed overview of COVID-19 Outbreak- Consulting Services market

 Changing market dynamics of the industry

 In-depth market segmentation by Type, Application etc

 Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value

 Recent industry trends and developments

 Competitive landscape of COVID-19 Outbreak- Consulting Services market

 Strategies of key players and product offerings

 Potential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growth

 A neutral perspective towards COVID-19 Outbreak- Consulting Services market performance

 Market players information to sustain and enhance their footprint



Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/2719635-covid-19-outbreak-global-consulting-services-industry-market



Major Highlights of TOC:

Chapter One: COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Market Industry Overview

1.1 COVID-19 Outbreak- Consulting Services Industry

1.1.1 Overview

1.1.2 Products of Major Companies

1.2 COVID-19 Outbreak- Consulting Services Market Segment

1.2.1 Industry Chain

1.2.2 Consumer Distribution

1.3 Price & Cost Overview



Chapter Two: COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Market Demand

2.1 Segment Overview

2.1.1 APPLICATION 1

2.1.2 APPLICATION 2

2.1.3 Other

2.2 COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Market Size by Demand

2.3 COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Market Forecast by Demand



Chapter Three: COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Market by Type

3.1 By Type

3.1.1 TYPE 1

3.1.2 TYPE 2

3.2 COVID-19 Outbreak- Consulting Services Market Size by Type

3.3 COVID-19 Outbreak- Consulting Services Market Forecast by Type



Chapter Four: Major Region of COVID-19 Outbreak- Consulting Services Market

4.1 COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Sales

4.2 COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Revenue & market share



Chapter Five: Major Companies List



Chapter Six: Conclusion



Complete Purchase of Latest Version COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Market Study with COVID-19 Impact Analysis @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=2719635



Key questions answered

- What impact does COVID-19 have made on COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services Market Growth & Sizing?

- Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services market?

- What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services market?

- What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Consulting Services market?

- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's first doses of AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine are coming from plants in the United States, not Europe as initially expected, the company told the Asahi Newspaper.

The company had intended to import the undiluted vaccine from Europe until export controls were tightened there at the end of January, AstraZeneca's head of vaccines in Japan, Tomoo Tanaka, said in an interview published on Thursday.

An AstraZeneca spokeswoman confirmed the details when contacted by Reuters.

Supplies of the vaccine will gradually shift to those made domestically by Japanese companies once regulatory approval is granted, expected in May, Tanaka said. He did not give details on the current inventory of doses.

Daiichi Sankyo Co said last month it had begun production of AstraZeneca's vaccine in Japan.

The Japanese government has arranged to buy 120 million doses, enough for 60 million people. About 90 million will be produced domestically by Daiichi Sankyo, JCR Pharmaceuticals Co and other local partners.

The European Union has sought to limit exports of vaccines made within the bloc to preserve local supplies.

While AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine is yet to be approved in the United States, the U.S. government is holding on to some of the doses being produced there so they can be given to Americans quickly upon approval.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said on Wednesday that the implementation of the National People's Congress' decision to improve the HKSAR's electoral system will be a top priority of the HKSAR government in 2021.

Lam made the remark in an award-giving ceremony held for "The selection of the ten major policies of the HKSAR government in year 2020", in which "the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR safeguards social stability" was ranked first.

Lam said that after the promulgation and implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, street violence that has plagued Hong Kong people for many months has almost disappeared, the society has restored calm, and Hong Kong people's rights and freedom have been safeguarded.

Lam said that in 2021, the HKSAR government will fully cooperate with the central authorities in implementing the amended Annexes I and II to the HKSAR Basic Law through local legislation, and in the next 12 months, the elections of the Election Committee, the Legislative Council and the Chief Executive will be held successfully.

"Free COVID-19 vaccination for the public in Hong Kong next year" was ranked second on the list of the 10 policies. Lam said that vaccination remains the best hope for Hong Kong to overcome the epidemic and she urged the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The event was first launched in 1998.
[April 01, 2021] Elmer Bancorp, Inc. Announces Cash Dividend and Annual Meeting Date

ELMER BANCORP, INC. ("Elmer Bancorp" or the "Company") (OTC Pink: ELMA), parent company of The First National Bank of Elmer (the "Bank"), announced that the Board of Directors declared a cash dividend on April 1, 2021 in the amount of $0.17 per common share, payable on May 3, 2021 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on April 16, 2021, an increase from the $0.16 per common share paid in November 2020. Brian W. Jones, President and CEO of the Company stated, "While there are many challenges in the current economic environment, the Board of Directors found it appropriate to provide the shareholders with a return on their investment while remaining cautious about the continuing degree of unpredictabiity in the market."



The Company also announced today that its Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held virtually on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The record date for shareholders to vote at the Annual Meeting is April 9, 2021. Additional information regarding virtual access to the meeting will be distributed prior to the meeting. The First National Bank of Elmer, a nationally chartered bank headquartered in Elmer, New Jersey, has a long history of serving the community since its beginnings in 1903. We are a community bank focused on providing deposit and loan products to retail customers and to small and mid-sized businesses from our six full service branch offices located in Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem Counties, New Jersey, including our main office located at 10 South Main Street in Elmer, New Jersey. Deposits at The First National Bank of Elmer are insured up to the legally maximum amount by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005883/en/

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Mumbai, April 1 : Actors and filmmakers associated with Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films took to social media on Thursday to congratulate superstar Rajinikanth, who will be honoured with the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Rajinikanth's friend and actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan tweeted: "I am extremely pleased to know that the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest award, has been announced to my dear friend superstar Rajinikanth who has proved that just through screen appearance fans can be won. He deserves this honour 100%." Telugu actor Chiranjeevi Konidela wrote: "Elated at the announcement of the prestigious #DadaSahebPhalke Award to my dear friend @rajinikanth Truly deserving. Your contributions to the film industry are immense my friend! Hearty congratulations! May the force be with you!!" Telugu actor Mahesh Babu posted: "Congratulations @rajinikanth sir on being awarded the #DadasahebPhalkeAward!! Your contribution to cinema is unparalleled! Truly an inspiration." Malayalam actor Mohanlal shared: "Well deserved recognition, Congratulations Dear @rajinikanth sir on The Dadasaheb Phalke Award. #DadasahebPhalkeAward." Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran expressed: "Congratulations #Rajini Sir! Well deserved accolade! #DadaSahebPhalke Award!"

Telugu actor Ravi Teja tweeted: "Congratulations on being conferred with the #DadaSahebPhalke award @rajinikanth sir!! A much deserved recognition!"

Actress Nivetha Thomas shared: "My heart is so full! @rajinikanth sir. #DadasahebPhalkeAward." Telugu actor Varun Tej Konidela tweeted: "Congratulations @rajinikanth sir on being awarded the #DadaSahebPhalke Award. Your versatility has helped shape the growth of Indian cinema Globally. An inspiration for all of us." Telugu actor Nithiin posted: "Heartfelt congratulations to @rajinikanth sir on being honoured with the prestigious #DadasahebPhalkeAward! Wishing you many more accolades!"

Tamil actor Sivakarthikeyan wrote: "To the man who inspired millions...To the man who inspired me to come up in life against all odds..To the man who deserves this honour #DadasahebPhalkeAward Love you and salute you for everything you have done Thalaiva #DadasahebPhalkeRajinikanth @rajinikanth." Filmmaker Raghava Lawrence tweeted: "I'm extremely happy to hear that Thalaivar superstar is receiving the prestigious #DadaSahebPhalke award. I don't have the age to praise him. May his greatness live on forever! Guruve saranam @rajinikanth." Tamil film actor Karthik Subbaraj posted: " CongratulationsThalaivaaaa.... #DadasahebPhalkeAward #Thalaivar."
This story originally appeared on Alma.com

Shtisel is back. The third season of the popular TV series about Haredi Jews is coming to Netflix on March 25, after airing on Israeli television earlier this year. But if you just cant wait for more nuanced, thoughtful depictions of Orthodox Judaism on screen and need your next fix, you should hear about the limited series Autonomies, created by the team that brought you Shtisel, Yehonatan Indursky and Ori Elon. Even if youve never seen Shtisel, but you care about interesting stories that center the Jewish experience, you should probably hear about Autonomies, too.

In the dystopian world of Autonomies, a fictional Israel is still reckoning with the aftermath of a civil war, as the country is split between the Hilonim (secular Jews) in Tel Aviv and a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) autonomy under strict religious law in Jerusalem (a Palestinian autonomy is named, though never a focus). But the cracks are showing. Members of the Hevra Kadisha (Jews who handle the responsibilities of the deceased) use coffins to smuggle porn, pork, and other non-kosher contraband into the Haredi autonomy. Rumors abound on the possibility of unification with the rest of Israel. And one girl  born from one world, raised in the other  becomes the symbol of the countrys precariousness when the identity of her birth mother is revealed.

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At the 2019 New York Jewish Film Festival, Indursky said that he was inspired by his own upbringing when co-creating this show. The writer and director grew up Haredi and studied in the Yeshiva Ponevezh in Bnei Brak before leaving that world. You can feel the lived-in quality of his writing in the mumbled brachas (blessings) over food, the way a jazz song can become a niggun (traditional melody), and the natural way details of Jewish tradition are woven into the fabric of the story. You can also feel his sense of perspective, as he navigates the story from the dual perspectives of insider and one beyond.

Haredi life is nuanced, presented with flaws and favor alike. The rebbe of the autonomy (Shuli Rand) is an inspirational figure to many, but in his amber-hued study, he reigns like Don Corleone over his council. There is beauty in ritual, but trouble brews as characters push back against the stringencies enforced by the Shomrim (Haredi police). In the heightened reality of a dystopia, Autonomies raises the stakes of tensions and temptations without declaring an explicit bad guy. The clearest stance the show takes is an opposition to walls that keep some people in and others out.

A great piece of genre storytelling will often reveal truths about the ordinary world. Autonomies is a bit of Job, a bit of Jonah  the main character, Yonah Broide (Assi Cohen), retells the latters story when hes inside his own belly of the beast  and its also a whole lot of the sentiment of Jewish suffering expressed over and over in Tisha BAv kinnot (elegies):     (oy, what has happened to us). Following in the tradition of Fiddler on the Roof and A Serious Man, Autonomies presents Broide wondering: Why does Hashem have to do this to me?

Of course, Broides not the only one suffering. The women of Autonomies, particularly Elka (Tali Sharon) and Batia (Dana Ivgy), reckon with the ways they are seen and ignored, as they struggle over the fate of a daughter who was switched at birth. Lawyers, husbands, police, and a rebbe push them to give up, to fight, or to endure, as they hope to hold onto a daughter thought dead by one and raised by the other. Even the girl, Goni (Nir Di-Nur), becomes seen more as a symbol of political strife than as an individual.

Its been three years since Autonomies release in Israel, and it still hasnt made much of a cultural splash in the U.S., where the show is only available on the streaming service Topic (which does offer a seven-day free trial, perfect for bingeing a three-and-a-half-hour Israeli limited series), and at the occasional film festival. I have not stopped thinking about Autonomies (no, really) since I first saw the show in 2019. Like Shtisel, it grounds its story in a reality of customs, restrictions, expectations, and self-doubt.

Watch it before you watch season 3 of Shtisel. Watch it after. Watch it and discuss it enough for the distributor, Keshet International, to make the show more widely available (is it too much to ask for an Autonomies Blu-Ray release?). Appreciate how great it is that we can have a Jewish work that is also a piece of powerful genre storytelling about division, personal struggle, and identity. And then, when you hear somebody tell you how excited they are to watch the new season of Shtisel, let them know: They need to hear about Autonomies, too.
[April 01, 2021] Enjoy and BT Extend Partnership for Personalised At Home Retail Experience

Exclusive Partnership Supports BT's Drive for Service Leadership Across the U.K. LONDON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Enjoy Technology Inc. ("Enjoy"), a technology-powered platform reinventing "Commerce at Home," announced today that BT Group, the company's exclusive U.K. partner through the BT and EE brands, has extended their partnership through 2025. BT has also made an investment in Enjoy, strengthening the partnership and demonstrating BT's continued commitment to providing the most personal and local service in the industry. Enjoy is a technology company that is reinventing "Commerce at Home" by partnering with the world's premium consumer brands to provide a personalised, high-touch retail experience in the comfort of home. Co-founded by Apple retail strategist, Ron Johnson, Enjoy has pioneered a new retail experience that brings EE's in-store experience and trusted support through Enjoy's full-time, trained Experts directly to a customer's home. Enjoy's partnership with BT Group began in 2018 and today covers nearly 80% of the U.K. population. Enjoy employs more than 600 people in the U.K. with facilities in more than 20 cities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. "Our work with BT Group has been instrumental in bringing Enjoy's 'Commerce at Home' experience through the door and into the homes of more customers across the U.K.," said Ron Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder of Enjoy. "BT continues to be an amazing partner and together we reach nearly 80% of the U.K. population. We are pleased to extend our exclusive partnership as we provide a world-class experience for customers and their new BT and EE products and services." Marc Allera, CEO, BT's Consumer division, said, "The value of our partnership with Enjoy is clearer than ever. Over the past year, we've been able to continue to offer the most personal and local service in the U.K. despite the closure of our stores during lockdown. We're showing our commitment to providing the best multi-channel service in the industry by extending our partnership for a further four years and investing to be a part of this mobile retail technology offer." BT has created the best and widest customer service network in the U.K., with expert teams providing support in local contact centres, on the high street in over more than 600 stores across the U.K., and in customers' homes through its partnership with Enjoy. BT customers can also get expert, easy to access help 24/7 through the My BT App. To learn more about Enjoy visit u>www.enjoy.com and to learn more about BT visit www.bt.com .



About Enjoy:

Enjoy is a technology-powered platform reinventing "Commerce at Home" by providing a personalised, high-touch retail experience in the comfort of home. Enjoy partners with some of the world's premium consumer brands to deliver the products their customers love, when and where they want them. Co-founded by Apple retail strategist, Ron Johnson, Enjoy has pioneered a new retail experience that can do everything a traditional retail experience offers through its Mobile Store. Enjoy has served millions of customers, changing how they have experienced purchasing new products and currently operates in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA Enjoy has raised more than $350 million, and has become the leader in the re-emergence of "Commerce at Home." To learn more about Enjoy, please visit: www.enjoy.com. About BT Group:

BT Group is the UK's leading telecommunications and network provider and a leading provider of global communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities in the UK include the provision of fixed voice, mobile, broadband and TV (including Sport) and a range of products and services over converged fixed and mobile networks to consumer, business and public sector customers. For its global customers, BT provides managed services, security and network and IT infrastructure services to support their operations all over the world. BT consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer, Enterprise, Global and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Openreach, which provides access network services to over 650 communications provider customers who sell phone, broadband and Ethernet services to homes and businesses across the UK. For the year ended 31 March 2020, BT Group's reported revenue was 22,905m with reported profit before taxation of 2,353m. British Telecommunications plc is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.bt.com/about .

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MINNEAPOLIS  He chatted with a store clerk about playing football. He grabbed a banana off a shelf, flipped through a wad of cash, and hugged and exchanged pleasantries with a woman, laughing with his hand on her back.

In surveillance footage played for the first time in a Minneapolis courtroom on Wednesday, the world got to see George Floyd as it never had before: He was just another customer in a corner store that he liked to frequent.

Within half an hour, Floyd would be handcuffed and facedown on the pavement outside Cup Foods, calling out for his mother as a police officer pressed his knee into Floyds neck. Roughly two hours after he walked into the store he was dead.

On the third day of testimony in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with murdering Floyd, a clearer picture emerged of the events preceding Floyds death, with witness after witness agonizing over whether they could have done anything to stop what would soon unfold.

The 19-year-old clerk who served Floyd at the corner store that day wondered whether the death was his fault because he had reported that Floyd used a fake $20 bill. A 61-year-old man who saw the police pinning Floyd to the ground shook his head and held back tears as a video of the brutal arrest played. He collapsed on the witness stand, sobbing. I cant help but feel helpless, said the man, Charles McMillian. I dont have a mama either, but I understand him.

Floyds death in May left a trail of agony for the people who were part of the unfolding tragedy  the weight of what they had witnessed plain to see in the form of tears, long pauses and deep breaths during their testimony.

It all began casually at the corner store. In the surveillance footage, Floyd is seen pacing the aisles, speaking with other customers and workers. He goes from one end to the next, accidentally knocks over a banana and puts it back, and then makes his way to the tobacco section at the front of the store.

At the counter, Floyd can be seen offering the teenage clerk, Christopher Martin, a $20 bill in exchange for a pack of cigarettes. Martin said he quickly realized the bill was counterfeit; the blue pigmentation gave it away, he testified. For a brief moment, Martin thought to let it go and put it on his own tab  the stores policy was that fake money would be deducted from the paycheck of the employee who accepted it, he said. But then he changed his mind.

He told his manager, who sent him after Floyd. But after Floyd refused to come back in, another employee called the police.

The situation quickly escalated when an officer approached Floyd with his gun drawn. Floyd was pulled out of his car, as seen in disturbing body camera footage played in court Wednesday, and police officers struggled to get him to stay in the back of a police car. Chauvin and two other officers eventually pinned him to the pavement.

Martin became emotional in court when shown surveillance video of him standing outside the store, clutching his head as Chauvin knelt on Floyds neck.

Disbelief and guilt, he said of what he thought at that moment. If I would have just not taken the bill, this could have been avoided.

McMillian, the 61-year-old witness, had stopped his minivan when he saw officers detaining Floyd to get a closer look at what was going on. Video footage of the arrest showed McMillian urging Floyd to stop resisting. As a clip played in court of Floyd screaming for his mother as the officers held him down, McMillian dropped his head and sobbed. He took off his glasses, pulled tissues from a box and began to wipe his eyes.

The judge called an abrupt recess.

Rodney Floyd, one of Floyds brothers, was also in the courtroom Wednesday. He dropped his head and shook it as the graphic video played while McMillian was testifying. During the recess, after McMillian broke down, Rodney Floyd sat in the hallway in tears, while prosecutors nearby helped McMillian regain his composure so he could resume his testimony.

Later in the day, toward the end of testimony, footage from Chauvins body camera, seen publicly for the first time Wednesday, showed McMillian and Chauvin talking after an ambulance took Floyd away.

We got to control this guy because hes a sizable guy, and it looks like hes probably on something, Chauvin told McMillian.

Later, McMillian told Chauvin, You have a good night, you go home safe to your family and let other people do the same.

Miles away from the courtroom, the toll of Wednesdays testimony could also be felt. Customers and employees inside Cup Foods put their shopping and working on pause to watch the trial on a television mounted above an ATM.

This is the first time Ive seen this footage  it was seized the morning after, said Mike Abumayyaleh, who owns Cup Foods along with his brothers.

As they served up wings and gyros during the lunchtime rush, clerks kept an eye on the television. Some cried during McMillians testimony.

Its too much, one of the clerks said.

Billy Abumayyaleh, one of the owners, said his son, a clerk, then 14, was seen in the surveillance video that was played in court. He has not had his son back working at the store since Floyds death.

Hes at home watching now, he said. Hes traumatized. We all are.

The proceedings seemed to be a struggle even for the jurors.

Martins testimony in the morning had to be abruptly halted when one of the jurors fell ill. After a 20-minute break, the juror took the stand without the other jurors in the courtroom. She explained to Judge Peter Cahill that she had suffered what the judge called a stress-related reaction.

Im shaky, but better, the juror said, explaining that she had been having trouble sleeping.

The juror, a white woman in her 50s, had been identified during jury selection as a health care nonprofit executive and a single mother of two. When asked during jury selection if the police treated Black people and white people equally, she said no and added of Floyd, He didnt deserve to die.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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Ocean Tomo Transactions, LLC will auction a portfolio of four U.S. patents and three U.S. trademarks for a no-lift-required lateral patient transfer system. The portfolio covers a motorized lateral transfer device (Magic Mover) and a transfer/repositioning sheet (Magic Sheet). The entire portfolio is available through the Ocean Tomo Bid-Ask Market, auction lot 140. This innovative technology enables efficient patient transfer while helping to avoid injury and discomfort to both caregivers and patients. The invention benefits healthcare companies, hospitals, and medical device manufacturers. The Innovation Group Board of Managers reinforces the importance and economic value of this technology, demonstrated in this video, sharing "caregiver injuries due to lifting patients is rampant. We want to help caregivers and institutions transfer patients without lifting, helping mitigate Worker's Compensation claims." View a video demonstration of the technology on the Ocean Tomo Bid-Ask market.

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A Loch Ness Monster hunter believes she has caught the beast on camera after a live webcam stream of the loch captured a mysterious black shape moving across the water.

Kalynn Wangle, 28, from Oregon, recorded the shape moving slowly on the surface of the water whilst watching the livestream of the freshwater Loch in the Scottish Highlands on March 17.

In the video, which was described as 'as good as it gets' by Nessie hunters, a black shape can be seen moving slowly south across the water, before it slips beneath the surface behind a tree.

Now the footage has been entered into the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register as the fifth official sighting this year.

Miss Wangle said: 'A friend of mine that I met through the webcam chat asked me to take a look at it.

'I had never seen anything quite like it on the webcam before and I thought it was interesting enough to make a video.

'When it is really visible, it's much longer than any boat that I have seen on the webcam.

'To me, it really looks like there is a large animal in the water, and it's possibly making a wave as is moves just under the surface.'

Gary Campbell, who keeps the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, said that until people could visit in person, Kalynn's sighting was the best you could get.

'It's as good as it now gets with the webcam reports,' he said.

The subtle black shape in the bottom right of Loch Ness is believed to be the monster by Nessie hunters

A magnified view of the mysterious shape which has been recorded as an official sighting because it cannot be 'easily explained'

'Less than a quarter of reports make it on to the register  the rest we get can all be explained.'

And since there's no easy explanation for Miss Wangle's sighting, it's officially been recorded as the fifth sighting this year, there has since been another sighting of the beast. On March 26 a dark shape was once again spotted by webcam watcher Roslyn Casey from Leeds.

Mr Campbell continued: 'This year looks good for sightings so far and what has been reported is on a par with previous years.

'We just want to welcome people back the loch as soon as possible as there is really no substitute for being on the shore or on the water and having a look.'

Miss Wangle's sighting unfolded over the course of three minutes, though the footage has been sped up to help clarify the movement of the shape across the water.

Kalynn Wangle, 28, from Oregon, U.S, recorded the enigmatic presence moving slowly through the loch whilst watching the livestream of the loch in the Scottish Highlands

Kalynn, who logged on from Oregon in the US, is totally convinced that the monster is real.

'I watched this footage carefully, a few times over,' she said.

'What really got to me was the fact that you don't see the shape again once it goes behind the tree.

'I watched for nine minutes afterward just to be sure. That's when I got excited that this could be Nessie.'

She continued: 'I 100% believe in Nessie. There is still so much about the world we live in that we don't know.

Eoin O'Faodhagain, from Donegal, Ireland, claims he spotted two 'black hump shapes' around 10ft apart in the famed Highlands freshwater loch on March 12. Pictured: The footage

'I personally have had some strange encounters in my life, including one with a Nessie-type creature.

'I can tell you that whatever these creatures really are, they are very intelligent, and they know how to hide.

'They could be watching you just under the surface of the water and you would never even know they were there, which is exciting but also a little bit scary.'

Miss Wangle, who documents potential monster sightings through her YouTube channel, Team Nessie, is now hoping to visit the loch in person and see the creature in the flesh.

She said: 'I hope to one day visit Scotland, and see Nessie with my own eyes, I think that would be really cool!'

The Nessie On The Net webcam can be watched live here.
Commentary: U.S.-Taiwan collusion tactics must stop

Xinhua) 16:45, April 01, 2021

Photo taken on March 3, 2021 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority have devised new tricks in collusion as NASA listed Taiwan as a "country" on its official website.

As an agency of the U.S. federal government, NASA can not be unaware of the three China-U.S. joint communiques and the history of successive U.S. administrations' adherence to the one-China policy since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.

Therefore, the move of listing Taiwan as a "country" is naive and ridiculous, and has tainted the nature of popular science activities.

Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to Palau joined the Palau president's delegation in a visit to Taiwan, strutting around all over the place. This latest stunt by the United States -- putting on an air of overstepping to test China's red lines -- is nothing new.

China firmly opposes official exchanges in any form between the United States and Taiwan -- a stance that is evident to all.

The DPP is nothing but a mere pawn for the United States in its anti-China chorus.

Acknowledging that "the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government of China" and "Taiwan is part of China" constitutes the political foundation of the China-U.S. relations and has been upheld by successive U.S. administrations since the two countries established diplomatic ties. The current U.S. government is well aware of this.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China. This can never be changed by any force or individual.

China is always firm in its resolve to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposes any attempts at provoking "Taiwan independence." It is determined to thwart any interference in its internal affairs by external forces.

Listing Taiwan as a "country" or supporting separatists seeking "Taiwan independence" are acts of futility that are doomed to fail.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Philadelphia, PA

The financial educators at Philadelphia Federal Credit Union ($1.5B, Philadelphia, PA) didnt let the pandemic stop the cooperatives efforts to encourage financial wellness in the City of Brotherly Love. Instead, it added a creative spin.

In 2018, PFCU launched its #StopMoneyShaming campaign to show college students how important it is to talk about finances. The campaign encouraged people to use the hashtag #StopMoneyShaming to share a money confession and help ease the stigma around talking about financial problems.

We wanted to start a widespread conversation in hopes that we can encourage people to face their financial realities, realize they arent alone, and provide them with the information they need to set and accomplish their goals, Erin Ellis, an accredited financial counselor at PFCU, told CreditUnions.com in April that year.

In 2020, after the pandemic put a halt to in-person events, the credit union stepped up its financial awareness outreach with a contest for essays, poems, or artwork about what financial security means to them. Twelve entrants from local non-profit organizations entered the contest, with the top prize of $1,000 going to Lillian Holt for her poem titled The Dreams We Can Afford. The second place winner, Patricia Edwards, received $500 for her essay about the struggles she has faced for food and shelter. Both women also received financial counseling sessions.
Ramallah, April 1 : Less than two months before the May 22 parliamentary elections in the Palestinian territories, 36 party lists have registered to compete.

Thirteen of them have been authorised so far, dpa news agency reported on Friday citing the electoral commission as saying.

A final decision on the lists is to be published on April 6.

The election is the first in 15 years.

The Fatah group of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is split and competing with three lists. The internal disagreements could cost Fatah some votes.

Its rival, the Islamist Hamas movement, has one single list.

Recent polls have shown two thirds of Palestinians are not satisfied with Abbas and want him to step down.

To add further uncertainty to the election, Israel has not said whether it will authorize elections in predominantly Arabic East Jerusalem.

Palestinian politicians have said without voting in East Jerusalem the whole election cannot take place.

Israel has not also not reacted to a request by the European Union to send electoral observers, the 27-member bloc said.

Fatah is the strongest political force in the Palestinian Territories, Hamas the second.

During the last elections in 2006, Hamas won and in the following year violently took control of the Gaza Strip.

Since then, Fatah has only been in control of the West Bank.

The 2021 general elections will also include the presidential polls on July 31, and the elections of the Palestinian National Council, the highest decision-making body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, on August 31.
Deputy Head of the Office of the President Roman Mashovets, at a meeting with head of the NATO Mission in Ukraine Oleksandr Vinnykov, said that Ukraine expects to receive an action plan from NATO in the near future, the implementation of which will allow Ukraine to obtain the status of a full member in the North Atlantic Alliance (MAP), the press service of the President's Office said.

"We very much hope that in the near future we will also receive an action plan for NATO membership," Mashovets said.

He thanked NATO for supporting Ukraine on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration and bringing it closer to the standards of the North Atlantic Alliance.

In turn, the head of the NATO office in Ukraine noted that "in a recent fruitful conversation between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Secretary General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg, the interlocutors agreed on the need to focus on the implementation of reforms that will bring Ukraine closer to NATO."

He also noted the positive developments in the security and defense of Ukraine, primarily the adoption in 2020 of laws on intelligence and defense procurement.

"We would like to separately note the adoption at the first reading of the law on the Security Service of Ukraine and look forward to the adoption of the law at the second reading, which will be a historic step towards NATO," Vinnykov noted.
Posted by Jay on at 06:30 PM CST

THE GUNS OF KELRODO-AI

Author: Jason Fry; Artist: John Van Fleet



Steniplis Sector, Outer Rim Territories, 17 BBY



All things considered, Shea Hublin didnt like the planet Kelrodo-Ai very much.



The volcanic worlds thin soil was broken by outcroppings of black rock pitted with holes, the air left an acrid taste on the tongue, and the light was yellow and harsh.



Then there were the Separatist clankers salvaged and reprogrammed by their new masters. The Empire had taken control of the galaxys central systems in a quick and orderly fashion, but out here in the spirals Western Reaches, troops had been few and authority almost nonexistent. Separatist diehards had fled here to make common cause with pirate kings and slave lords, bringing a wealth of hardware with them. Now, too much of that hardware was

here on Kelrodo-Ai, tucked beneath a planetary shield.



Shea and the rest of his squadron had dug in at a hastily assembled forward air base beneath that shield. Their mission was to bring down the generators that powered itgenerators hidden in the heart of the mountain that loomed across the plains.



The Kelrodoans called the fortress the Citadel of Axes, and claimed it had been their masters stronghold for millennia. Now, it was the key to the sector, protected by innumerable cannon emplacements and fighters. Fifteen of the Imperial 77th Wings pilots had already died on Kelrodo-ai. Shea knew more would do so.



No, Shea Hublin didnt like Kelrodo-Ai at all.



But he wasnt going to say that now. This moment demanded a different message. He turned and nodded at the holocam operator and the pretty reporter from Eriadu News Service.



Ready when you are, Shea said.



The reporter stood beside him, squinting in the sunlight, and turned to face the holocam. Behind them, the squadrons V-wing fighters waited on the scrubby Kelrodoan turf, traces of Republic insignia still visible on their fuselages.



This is Eris Herro of ENS, embedded with the 77th Air Wing at Kelrodo- Ai, she said. And this man needs no introduction Captain Shea Hublin, the hero of Deepspace Cimarosa and

Feather Nebula.



Shea waved that away, embarrassed.



Captain Hublin, the resistance here has been unexpectedly fierce. Can you update

us on your mission objectives?



Shea pulled at the bottom of his tunic as the holocom operator turned and panned

the distant mountain.



Maam, Ill leave assessments of the overall campaign to Moff Tarkin. I wont deny that Kelrodo-Ai is proving a difficult target, but lets remember this: The Western Reaches Operation has restored security and the rule of law to eight sectors so far, with successful liberation operations on 95 worlds. We are the best-equipped and trained military force in galactic history. And we are the Emperors justice. We may face setbacks, but we will prevail.



The Emperors justice? What do you mean by that, Captain?



This has been a lawless region for far too long, Shea said. Ive seen terrible things here: Separatist gulags, slave campsthings that exist because of Republic corruption and Separatist rebellion. Were here to shut them down. Because we believe in the vision of men like Emperor Palpatine and Moff Tarkin in Imperial authority and prosperity.



Some note there are no humans on Kelrodo-Ai, Captain. They say reclaiming this alien world is a waste of valuable Imperial lives and resources.



Maam, those people need to remember that we are one Empire, Shea said. One Empire in which every species has a role to play, to the extent that its capabilities allow.



My goodness, Captainyoure starting to sound like one of those alien rights activists weve interviewed recently!



Shea smiled.



Dont worry, MomIm not going to be bringing any alien girls home for dinner! But no matter what shape we are, Miss Herro, we all love our children. The Kelrodoans may not have sophisticated technology. They may have primitive customs. But they deserve to contribute to the Empire while enjoying its securityand thats what were bringing them.



Inspiring words, Captain Hublin, said the reporter, turning back to the cam. This is Eris Herro, reporting from Kelrodo-Ai.



The ENS crew had departed and Shea found a stool, staring across the plain at the mountain and its hidden fortress. Lieutenants Kaal and Starks, his fellow flight leaders, ambled over as one of Sword Squadrons Kelrodoan grooms shuffled forward, keeping his eyes on the ground.



Thank you, Fara, Shea told the alien, extending his foot. Excellent job

shining these.



The Kelrodoan grunted, black eyes fixed on the ground. KaalScimitar Flights leadereyed Fara with barely concealed distaste, then clapped Shea on the back.



Good show, Hublin! he said. You actually sounded like you believe that One Empire poodoo.



Shea looked around, worried one of the minders from the new Imperial Security Bureau might be nearby. Kaal was too careless about what he said and too certain that he knew what Shea thought.



I do believe that poodoo, he said. Did you know Fara here was a warriorchieftain? Maybe hes never fired a blaster or been aboard a Star Destroyer, but he got to be a chieftain somehow. Doesnt that suggest he has something to contribute?



Weve got enough problems without handing blasters to the likes of him, Kaal grumbled.



Before Shea could reply, Starks jumped in to keep the peace.



After this next hop, Im gonna be the holostar, he said with a grin. You know, I think that Miss Herro likes you, sir. And shes not the only oneany more heroics and youll be up for a commendation from Moff Tarkin himself.



Not likely, Shea said. Were a small part of a very big operation. Moff Tarkin has a lot more to worry about than us.



Oh, I bet hes watching, Starks said. And others too. I could see Imperial Center making you a clone template, sir.



Dont even say that, said Shea, scowling.



Youd refuse? Kaal asked. He looked genuinely surprised. Shea looked around, and was relieved to see that none of the squadrons clone pilots were nearby. Only then did he

answer Kaal. They did something to their brainsmade them more obedient, he said. Its creepy. Or maybe theres just something about the idea of other mes out there that I dont like.



Kaal frowned, but Starks was grinning.



Imagine a whole squadron of Starks! he said. Hey Fara, you making that porridge for lunch?



You dont even know whats in that alien slop, Kaal said.



Whatever it is, its good, Starks said with a shrug.



Eggs, the Kelrodoan said. Fara must harvest more.



efore Starks could say something, klaxons started wailing and the pilots looked up.



Look sharp, gentlemen, Shea said.



Briefing in five minutes. Fara



The Kelrodoan was already bringing Sheas boots, scuffing irritably at a theoretical spot of dust.



I hope Kaal didnt offend you, Fara, Shea said.



Fara did not listen, the Kelrodoan said, fitting a boot onto Sheas foot. You Empire-men are strange warriors.



Hows that?



You kill without looking your enemy in the face, Fara said, looking at the sky. It is a new path to honor.



Shea frowned, but the Kelrodoan had turned away, and the briefing awaited.



Bandits incoming! crowed Starks to his wingmen. Dibs! Rocket! Time to bump!



Find out what happens next and read 17 more Star Wars short stories in Star Wars Insider: The Fiction Collection Volume 1 on sale May 4!



Rebelscum.com is proud to present an exclusive look at one of the stories fromVolume 1. The new book collecting 18 Legends short stories previously available only in the pages of, goes on sale May 4, 2021 wherever books are sold.You can pre-order your copy today! Hardcover only via Amazon or via Forbidden Planet . On sale May 4, 2021!
More than 40% of Republicans in Louisiana said they don't plan on getting vaccinated against COVID-19, revealing a starkly partisan divide when compared to similar apathy among just 13% of Democrats, according to the results of a poll conducted by LSU's Public Policy Research Lab.

The data also found that nearly 1-in-3 adults aren't interested in getting vaccinated, fueling concerns that even with enough vaccine doses to go around, the state could fall short of reaching the uptake necessary to achieve herd immunity and end the pandemic.

Seventy-eight percent of Democrats and 49% of Republicans said they had either already received their vaccine or planned to do so once it became available, according to the poll, which included telephone interviews with 781 adults randomly selected from across the state. The sample was collected between January 4 and March 1 and has a margin of error of 6.4%.

"Given what we've seen over the past year, it's not surprising that vaccines have become politically polarizing," said Mike Henderson, an assistant professor at LSU who spearheaded the poll. He added that similar levels of partisanship were found in questions regarding the state's mask mandate.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, on Tuesday said he didn't understand "how one's political philosophy interferes with the process of deciding to avail oneself" of the vaccination, noting that the vaccine's swift development was partly an achievement of former president Donald Trump, a Republican.

Some members of the state's Republican congressional delegation are joining in to sway the public towards getting the vaccine. Sen. John Kennedy recently filmed an online advertisement promoting vaccinations.

Julia Letlow, a Republican who was elected to represent the 5th Congressional District, made headlines earlier this week for endorsing the vaccine on national television. Her husband, Luke Letlow, initially won the seat, but died of COVID-19 days before being sworn in.

"I'm a huge proponent of the vaccine. It has lifesaving capabilities. And I want to encourage anybody out there who's eligible to go ahead and get that vaccine. It's so important," Letlow said Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation.

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, said Tuesday he was waiting until vaccines were widely available before getting his own jab, but said he had no doubts the vaccine was "very safe and effective." He added that he'll make his own vaccination a public event as an encouragement to others.

"Some people might be under the false impression that it was rushed," Scalise said. "There was no rushing or cutting corners. We probably tested this vaccine, multiple vaccines, on more people than weve seen before. Tens of thousands of Americans signed up to be tested just for the vaccine."

Dr. Joe Kanter, the state health director, predicts that the vaccine will become less political and more normalized as more and more people get inoculated. He attributed some of the partisan divide to differing views on the role of government. Initially, with supply so limited, the state had a big role in the rollout, but as more doses become available, that grip will loosen.

"Aside from the tiny, tiny subset of individuals, who might be labeled antivaxxers, in general, vaccines are not highly political. What is political sometimes is the extent to which governments are advancing it," Kanter said.

The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Bossier City, said he was a fan of the vaccine, but echoed Kanters' theory in a March interview with The Hill, a D.C. trade publication, that hesitancy for some may stem from distrust of the government.

People dont trust the government, and they shouldnt. Its in our nature to be skeptical about those things, said Johnson. Ive been satisfied with the science that weve been shown as members that the vaccine is safe and apparently effective. I think, for me, the benefit outweighs the risk."

Another survey on vaccine hesitancy published Thursday by the Louisiana Public Health Institute, LPHI, found that about 30% of women in their childbearing years  between the age of 18 and 44  don't intend on getting vaccinated, and an even larger percentage are unsure or weary of the jab.

Dr. Beth Nauman, the managing director at LPHI, attributed that hesitancy to persistent  and untrue  claims on social media that the vaccine causes infertility in women. There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including those targeting COVID-19, cause fertility problems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The non-scientific survey from LPHI polled 1,096 individuals and skewed toward younger, more educated participants, likely because it was conducted online and excluded those who many not have easy access to the internet. It was conducted between February 4 and March 1.

Researchers compared those responses to a previous survey from June 2020 and found statistically significant decreases in hesitancy in the public health regions that include New Orleans and Shreveport. Meanwhile, they found increasing hesitancy in the region that includes Houma.

Both the LPHI and LSU survey found that a sizable number of young people are hesitant or uninterested in getting vaccinated. The LSU poll found that 44% of those aged 30 to 49 didnt plan on taking the vaccine, with comparable levels of apathy in the 18 to 29 age range.

Susanne Straif-Bourgeois, associate professor of epidemiology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, said that's not surprising given that young people are at a lower risk of severe illness and have fewer interactions with health care providers. Still, she said it'll be important to reach them if the state hopes to inoculate at least 75% of the population to achieve herd immunity.

West Baton Rouge Parish to hold drive-thru COVID vaccine site in Port Allen West Baton Rouge Parish will be holding a mass COVID-19 vaccination event next week in Port Allen.

More than 1.2 million people in Louisiana  26% of the states total population  have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. More than 720,000 people have been fully immunized. Next week, Louisiana expects to receive around 170,000 doses. On Monday, eligibility was opened to anyone age 16 or older.

Emily Woodruff and Tyler Bridges contributed to this report.
JACKSON COUNTY, MI -- Jackson County is currently facing rapidly rising rates of new COVID-19 cases without an experienced official at the head of its health department.

Rashmi Travis, the former Jackson County health officer, resigned Friday, March 19, county officials confirmed. Travis led the countys health department operations -- a critical job during the coronavirus pandemic -- for about two years.

The circumstances surrounding Travis departure are unclear. County Administrator Mike Overton declined to specify why she resigned, citing a policy against discussing personnel matters. Assistant County Administrator Debra Kubitskey, who will run the department until a replacement can be found, also could not say why Travis left the position. Travis could not be reached for comment.

Kubitskeys professional experience is in government administration, according to her LinkedIn profile. She confirmed she does not have medical or public health experience but qualifies for the interim position per Michigan law, which says an acting health officer can arrange for consultation and advice.

The county is required to have a physician on staff for 16 hours per week at the health department, and there are additional nurses on staff as well, she said. We have a great partnership with (Henry Ford Allegiance Health) as well, so we will maintain operations of the health department and continue the great work that they are doing, until such time as a permanent replacement can be found.

Related: City of Jackson most affected by surging COVID-19 cases throughout Jackson County

County officials do not have an expected hiring timeline, but said they are working with the Henry Ford Health System, which partially funds the position, to establish a job posting and begin the hiring process.

We want to move as quickly as possible, Kubitskey said.

Travis and the countys Board of Commissioners appeared to experience some conflict last fall when the county saw a rise in coronavirus cases and the legality of Gov. Gretchen Whitmers executive orders were in court.

Jackson County wont tell businesses to reopen early, but formally blasts stay-at-home order

Jackson County officials say they wont pay for Gov. Whitmers executive orders

Travis told board members the health department would stay the course to follow public health orders, during an Oct. 6 study session.

As public health (officials), we try to prevent people from getting exposed, she told the board at the time.

The board never performed an official evaluation of her work, Overton said. Still, the personnel change wont affect the countys approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.

No change to our COVID response, Overton said. We continue to move forward.

Health officials push back on reports Jackson has highest COVID rates in nation

Kubitskey takes the helm as Jackson County is seeing a spike in cases. The health department reported 1,161 overall active COVID-19 cases countywide since March 18.

Current trends in Jackson show an increase in cases among school-age residents, as well as those age 30-50, officials said. People between age 20-29 remain the group with the highest rate of positive cases, at 16.7%, while people between age 50-59 makeup 16.3% of positive cases, the data shows

The next group with the highest positivity rate is people between age 0-19, with a 13.8% rate, followed by people age 60-69, who account for a positivity rate at 13.4%.

MORE JACKSON NEWS:

Warm spring weather lures ice cream lovers out to Jacksons Cascades Ice Cream Co.

New ordinance limiting industrial land use being recommended in Rives Township

Michigan Senate opts not to block new state health director, supported by Senate Majority Leader Shirkey
Washington  East and Central Africa-the deadliest war zone in the world over the past few decades-is a prime example of how mass corruption fuels conflict and how the USA and multilateral tools of financial pressure could save lives, according to latest briefing by The Sentry, entitled Using Financial Pressures to Combat Kleptocracy in Africa. In the briefing published today, Megha Swamy, Deputy Director of Illicit Finance Policy for The Sentry, Swamy details how the USA can use financial tools of pressure to revitalise its efforts to combat corruption, conflict, and mass atrocities.

"Illustratively, in South Sudan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR), kleptocratic leaders steal public wealth and use extreme violence to quash democratic aspirations and human rights efforts. Their ill-gotten gains are moved largely in dollars and euros into the formal financial system, enabled by transnational networks," Swamy asserts. "Disrupting these illicit financial flows can affect the cost-benefit calculations of kleptocrats interested in fomenting instability, undermining the rule of law, and capturing state institutions for their personal enrichment. Creating accountability for financial crimes can also weaken entrenched corrupt patronage networks and provide much-needed leverage for renewed diplomatic efforts," he says.

"For these reasons, financial pressure tools like AML measures and network sanctions can be an even more integral component of the United States' efforts to support peace and good governance in East and Central Africa, especially when part of a multilateral strategy. These tools, however, are not effective in a vacuum. They should be paired with renewed and vigorous diplomacy, robust efforts at multilateralism, and broader support to reformers in governments and civil society."

The briefing cites that "US President Joe Biden has publicly committed to leading the fight on corruption and illicit financial flows. This emphasis, coupled with the sweeping new anti-money laundering (AML) reforms in the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (AML Act)-part of the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021-provides fertile ground for the United States to further expand and strategically deploy financial pressures as part of its broader efforts to combat corruption, conflict, and mass atrocities."
In furtherance of its commitment to promoting oral health and hygiene, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Nigeria, through its Oral- B brand is partnering the Federal Ministry of Health to celebrate this year's World Oral Health Day through community outreach in Jiwa Community, at the Federal Capital Territory.

The outreach will offer oral health awareness, free dental checks, and a month's supply of Oral B toothpaste and toothbrushes to members of the Jiwa Community.

Commenting on the initiative, the P&G Senior Director for Africa, Global Government Relations & Public Policy, Dr. Mrs. Temitope Iluyemi, revealed that Procter & Gamble is excited to continue the partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health to promote oral health and hygiene in Nigeria, stating that the Oral B brand has over the years partnered with dentists across the country to elevate the role of oral health of over 10 million Nigerians through its Mobile Dental Clinic Program,

"Oral hygiene should not be overlooked, most especially in terms of its effects on the general health and nutrition of people. Effective oral care reduces infection and promotes health, thus the need to drive awareness. The World Oral Health Day presents an opportunity to amplify this oral health drive which our brand has actively driven through the year."

She further encouraged Nigerians not to underrate the effect of poor oral hygiene as it can negatively affect confidence and social skills.

"Oral health is very essential to human's general health and wellbeing", she explained.

While commending P&G for its efforts in promoting oral health, the Director of Dentistry Division of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Bola Alonge, in her remarks noted that "proper oral health practices are important to ensure good general health. A lot of people have not had dental checks. As a result, we need to leverage this World Oral Health Day to drive oral health sensitization at the grassroots especially in areas with limited access to quality health care.

She added: "This is why we partnered with P&G and Oral-B on this community outreach where dentists will be available to conduct free oral health check for community members who will also a month supply of Oral-B toothpaste and Oral B toothbrush. The outreach will also include oral health training for the community leaders and other members".
April 1, 1946

Trying to avert payless payday

Officials with the Scranton School District were trying to figure out how to raise $125,000 by April 8, 1946, so they could meet payroll.

Tying the hands of the district in raising money was a pending lawsuit filed by the Scranton Taxpayers Association. The lawsuit caused the suspension of tax collection for the city of Scranton, Scranton School District, Lackawanna County and the countys Institution District.

Andrew Best, collector of taxes, was seeking legal advice to see if he could start collecting taxes for 1946 and separate the tax payments for the school district, county and the institution district from the citys taxes.

A Philadelphia law firm, Townsend, Elliott and Munson, suggested to the school district they had the right to seek a loan up to $600,000 using the delinquent taxes owed to the school district from 1941 to 1944 as security. If the district tried for such a loan, any delinquent taxes paid would be placed in a special fund that could not be used to cover then-current expenses.

Another issue for the district to deal with was the possibility teachers might have walked out if they were not paid on April 8. The teachers were scheduled to vote on the work stoppage on April 2.

Miss Sohio wins best-in-show

Miss Sohio, a solid black female Cocker Spaniel, won best-in-show at the inaugural special exhibition of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Cocker Spaniel Club on March 31 at the Koch-Conley Post, No. 121, American Legion.

The prize-winning pooch was owned by Clyde C. Seymour and was shown by Clington J. Calahan.

Zoo plays joke on Army recruiters

An employee of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago played an early April Fools prank on the recruiters at Chicagos Army Recruiting Station.

On March 28, the recruiting station received a postcard from a young man saying he just turned 18 and he would like to enlist. The young man also wrote he couldnt come into the recruiting station, but asked if someone could come to his home, 210 North Inner Drive, between 9 and 10 a.m. on March 31 to get the paperwork going.

On March 31, Sgt. Donald Barnes drove to the address, finding it located within Lincoln Park Zoo. Barnes phoned the zoo director, Marlin Perkins. Perkins answered by saying, April First, you know, somebody has been fooling you about our gorilla. He really is 18 today. Come take a look at him.

Perkins and Barnes walked to see the male gorilla, who was 6-foot-tall and weighed 550 pounds. Barnes said to Perkins, You sent us the card! To which Perkins said, Yep. And if I do say so myself, it was a pretty good joke.

Barnes wrote on the young mans interview card: Rejected: Overweight.
Irish premier Micheal Martin has called for a reset of the relationship between the UK and the EU to resolve issues stemming from the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Taoiseach lamented the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the bloc and the UK following rows over Brexit and the supply of Covid-19 vaccines.

The Northern Ireland Protocol, designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland post-Brexit, has caused unrest among both unionists and loyalists, who have called for it to be scrapped.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Martin said he has told the EU the blocs relationship must be constructive.

Thats our aim and our objective as a Government - to maintain a constructive relationship with Britain Taoiseach Micheal Martin

He said: I think we need to reset the relationship.

Ive made it very clear to our European Union partners that the British-Irish relationship is a unique one, historically rooted.

Were both joint custodians of the (Good Friday) Agreement and nothing can come between us in respect of making sure that we work constructively together.

Thats our aim and our objective as a Government  to maintain a constructive relationship with Britain.

The Taoiseach said he has argued that the only future has to be a constructive UK-EU relationship.

The relationship, already damaged by Brexit, deteriorated further due to the EUs brief suspension of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a row over vaccines.

The UK also suspended elements of the protocol unilaterally, by suspending customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and Northern Ireland, a move dubbed silly by Mr Martin.

The premier said the EU has already done a lot to facilitate the uniqueness of the protocol, but acknowledged there is work to be done to see what we can fine-tune.

He called for the use of special committees to tackle difficulties arising from the protocol, which have been provided for under the Withdrawal Agreement.

He said: Weve got to try to work those committees to see, can we deal with those issues and make life as easy as possible for businesses.

Despite these setbacks, Mr Martin believes the relationship can get back on track.

I think it makes sense for Britain that it really works on its relationship with the EU. The EU is ready to engage, he said.

He told the paper that UK officials have been more constructive in recent weeks.

The move towards a win-win deal on the supply of Covid-19 vaccines across Europe and the UK is a very important sign, he added.
San Francisco, April 1 : Tech giant Microsoft has announced that it has received a contract to outfit the US Army to produce 120,000 augmented reality (AR) headsets based on the company's HoloLens tech.

The US Army, this week, said that it will work with Microsoft on the production phase of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) programme as it moves from rapid prototyping to production and rapid fielding.

"We appreciate the partnership with the US Army, and are thankful for their continued trust in transitioning IVAS from rapid prototyping to rapid fielding," Alex Kipman - Microsoft Technical Fellow said in a blogpost on Wednesday.

"We look forward to building on this successful partnership with the men and women of the US Army Close Combat Force," Kipman added.

The IVAS headset, based on HoloLens and augmented by Microsoft Azure cloud services, delivers a platform that will keep Soldiers safer and make them more effective, according to the company.

The programme delivers enhanced situational awareness, enabling information sharing and decision-making in a variety of scenarios.

According to a TechCrunch report, this contract could be worth as much as $21.88 billion over 10 years.

The contract builds on the two-year $480 million contract that Microsoft won back in 2018 to outfit the US Army with augmented reality tech, the report said.

At the time, the contract detailed that the deal could potentially result in follow-on orders of more than 100,000 headsets, it added.
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Thursday said it has commenced search and rescue operations for a fighter jet which it lost contact with on Wednesday evening in Borno State in the northeast
Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], April 1 (ANI/PRNewswire): United Breweries Limited (UBL) was recognized by the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) for the 'Back to the Bars' initiative at the recently concluded India Nightlife Convention & Awards (INCA) 2021.

As the world reels from the effects of the pandemic, especially the F & B industry, United Breweries Limited was recognized for strategically supporting the re-opening of bars by running the Back to the Bars initiative from early September 2020.

The foundation of the campaign was built via three pillars: 1) Solidarity, 2) Safety, and 3) Building traffic for outlets. Keeping these three as the central thought, UBL supported several bars to re-open for business by uplifting 5000 plus on premise bars post the lockdown. Recognizing this effort, UBL was ranked as one of the top contributors who supported in the revival of the industry and the society at INCA, 2021.

"The F & B industry witnessed unprecedented challenges over the last year. It was heartening to see NRAI, INCA and prominent stakeholders stand in solidarity to support the industry. We thank NRAI for recognizing United Breweries' efforts in re- building the F & B industry after a rather difficult year. The 'Back to the Bars' initiative is United Breweries' way of giving back to the larger F & B community, support its patrons and stand in solidarity with the community. It also represents a celebration of the human spirit, the efforts of the hospitality industry, as well the pride it collectively takes in its work," said Gurpreet Singh, Head Marketing, United Breweries limited, speaking on the occasion.

To ensure the back to the bars process is seamless, UBL was instrumental in distribution of safety kits which consisted of face shields, masks, gloves, sanitizers, bar blades and pop-sockets, as well as disposable serve-ware like menu cards, table mats, tent cards, and draught easels.

In order to guarantee that maximum safety standards are followed, sanitizer stands, table separators and sneeze guards were installed across thousands of outlets across the country as they were preparing to welcome patrons back to their favourite watering holes. Various digital activities were undertaken to drive customer footfalls to the outlets while all along driving the message towards the need for exhibiting social distancing norms and safety measures.

Posters were created reminding patrons of the social distancing norms and these were put up on easel standees across the outlets, including sharing this message in their washrooms, corridors and on table mats, all to help people enjoy themselves while following the rules.

"The NRAI is proud to recognise United Breweries Limited with the - Contribution in the Pandemic- award for their 'Back to the Bars' initiative. The brand has been awarded for their strategic approach in uplifting over 5000 bars across the F & B industry in India. As one of the key players in the AlcoBev industry, they stood in solidarity with their partners and stakeholders which ultimately helped in the revival of the industry and the people associated with it. We thank UBL for their unstinted support towards the F & B community," said Anurag Katriar, President, National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI).

"Last year has been a challenging one for industry players from across sectors. From witnessing a change in lifestyle to adapting to the new normal, we have gone through a time that will be written down in history for our future generations to read. We have changed the tone for this year instead of awards and jury votes, this has moved towards contributions in the pandemic. INCA 2021 celebrates the industry heroes from the hospitality sector who have not only kept the momentum going but have also brought about a considerable change by not giving up. With support from our sponsors, Heineken, NRAI and Pernod, we will celebrate the industry bouncing back from the standstill witnessed across the world," said Aman Anand, Founder & MD, INCA, adding to the occasion.

"Social started doing a lot of activations online, since our outlets were shut, and UBL was right at the centre of it, starting with 'THE Exchange' which we did with submerge that got a lot of traction with amazing live streams with ours IP's. Kingfisher was one brand that stood with outlets at their lowest till their resurrection, we even did a reopening video which created a lot of buzz while our outlets were reopening, so thank you to the UBL team for working closely with us and helping us coming back on our feet," said Mayank Bhatt, Business Head, Social.

"KINGFISHER/UBL gave us a lot of support during the pandemic, I remember before we could open, we got a call from the brand guys of how they can help and that was great proactive step. I really thank UBL for standing by us in various ways like Offers, event support and other safety specs through this time," said Angad Singh - Owner, Tipsy Bull.

"We thank Kingfisher for being the most trusted partner all through these months especially when business was impacted post lockdown. We are delighted by the continuous support that was extended to us in terms of rebates, promotional support, COVID gears and materials that helped us follow social distancing and hygiene norms. We appreciate your responsiveness and professionalism in business. We vouch on your reliability," added Sanju Walia, the owner of Summer House Delhi.

With provision of necessary amenities and utilities - Back to the Bars initiative won hearts and received appreciation from outlet mangers/owners which made it a win-win scenario for the industry and for UBL.

INCA 2021 cherished and celebrated UBL's victory for they have had long term associations with the brand. Along with a history of great partnerships with on-premise outlets, they have brought about a significant change in the trends of the industry. Below is the award given to UBL by NRAI for their tremendous contribution towards the industry at INCA - 2021, Goa.

This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
KONNOR PERRIN, Chariho boys lacrosse, freshman: Perrin established a school record for assists in a game with nine in the Chargers 22-0 win over Ponaganset. Perrin leads the team with 21 assists to go with 14 goals.

LILA RICH, Stonington girls track, senior: Rich won two events at the ECC Division I track meet. Rich was first in the high jump (5-0) and the pole vault (10-0) as the Bears finished third at the meet.

MADIGAN HILTZ, Westerly boys lacrosse, senior: Hiltz scored seven goals and had three assists in pair of victories for the Bulldogs. Hiltz has 17 goals and seven assists for the season.

ADDIE HAUPTMANN, Wheeler softball, junior: Hauptmann was 4 for 9 with a home run and six RBIs in two games. For the season, Hauptmann is hitting .617 with eight homers and 42 RBIs. She has 50 hits.

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Riot police officers fire teargas canisters during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Burma, on Feb. 28, 2021. (Stringer via Reuters)

UK Sanctions Burmese Conglomerate Linked to Military Junta

The British government on Thursday announced sanctions against a Burmese (also known as Myanmar) business conglomerate linked to the military regime.

The Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) is being sanctioned for its involvement in serious human rights violations by making funds available to the military, as well as its association with senior military figures, the UK government said in a statement.

Today I have announced new sanctions targeting Myanmar military business interests. We are also giving new support to help the @UN Independent Investigative Mechanism gather evidence to hold those responsible for human rights abuses to account. https://t.co/qLW632N0Je  Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) April 1, 2021

Under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime, the measure will prohibit funds and other resources being made available to any subsidiaries owned or controlled by MEC.

The MEC Board of Directors is mainly comprised of serving or retired military personnel, the UK government said.

Burma has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew Aung San Suu Kyis elected government on Feb. 1. At least 538 civilians have been killed in protests against the coup, 141 of them on March 27, the bloodiest day of the unrest, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group.

Two months on from the start of the coup, the [Burmese] military has sunk to a new low with the wanton killing of innocent people, including children, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

The UKs latest actions target one of the militarys key funding streams and impose a further cost on them for their violations of human rights.

Raab also announced extra funding to support the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM).

The UK will contribute 500,000 ($691,000) to the mechanism to boost its effort to gather evidence on serious human rights violations in Burma, which may in the future be used in criminal proceedings.

Britain had already imposed asset freezes and travel bans against senior members of the Burmese junta for their roles in serious human rights violations during the coup.

Also on Thursday, British fashion retailer Next said that it has ceased placing new production orders in Burma in view of the human rights situation after the coup.

Were not placing any more orders at the moment, that is a big step, CEO Simon Wolfson told Reuters.

Most of the stock that we were sourcing from Myanmar  we have alternatives in place already for that stock in other countries.

Reuters contributed to this report.
WOODSTOCK, ON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sarissa Resources Inc. (OTC-PINK: SRSR) ("Sarissa" the "Corporation") is pleased to announce today the election of Dino Micacchi and Ben Fuschino to the Company's two Board of Directors positions, during the Special Meeting of Shareholders called by a group of the Corporation's shareholders pursuant to the Corporation's By-laws and the order of the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada entered on November 11, 2020, in Case No. A-20-814135-B.

The By-laws of the Corporation provide that the Board of Directors may remove any or all the officers of the Corporation and may appoint such officers as the business of the Corporation may require and that a person may hold two or more offices.

The Board of Directors of the Corporation unanimously resolved that effective March 29, 2021:

All the previous officers of the Corporation were removed as officers of the Corporation; Ben Fuschino was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, and Secretary of the Corporation; Dino Micacchi was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Corporation.

The Corporation is also pleased to announce the Head Office has been relocated to:

20 - 1033 Pattullo Ave. | Woodstock | Ontario | Canada | N4V 1C8

For more information or contact investor relations:

Peter J. Nicosia

President

Bull In Advantage, LLC

585-703-6565

[email protected]

[email protected]

Safe Harbor Statement: This press release contains forward looking statements of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Forward looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and results, and will not be accurate indications of the times, or by, which such performance will be achieved.

SOURCE Sarissa Resources Inc.
Jakarta, April 1 : The number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia was recorded at 117,000 in February 2021, an 86.59 per cent drop compared to the same month last year, a top official announced here on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the number of foreigners travelling to Indonesia in February 2021 decreased by 14.74 per cent compared to that in January 2021, the official of the Central Agency of Statistics told reporters.

Cumulatively in the January-February 2021 period, the number of foreign tourist arrivals reached 254,230, or decreased by 88.25 per cent, compared to that in the same period in 2020 which amounted to 2.16 million visits.

The number of foreigners entering the archipelagic country by air in February 2021 dropped by 98.74 per cent compared to that in the same month last year.

"Almost all airports in the country underwent decreases in the number of foreign holiday makers, except Sam Ratulangi airport in North Sulawesi province that recorded an increase by 10.67 per cent," Setianto said.

According to him, the lowest decline was recorded at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Banten province with a percentage of 95.50 per cent.

Indonesia closed its borders last year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Exceptions were granted to those who had special permission from Indonesian ministries or institutions.

Authorities are considering to allow tourism to restart in the resort island of Bali from July onwards.
Arriving amid controversy and with a chip on its shoulder, the drama "Roe v. Wade" lands on premium video-on-demand services after premiering at February's Conservative Political Action Conference. Billed as the true story of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case affirming the right to safe and legal abortion, the film was produced, co-written and co-directed by Nick Loeb, who also plays the film's main character: Bernard Nathanson, best known as the co-founder of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (now NARAL Pro-Choice America) and an abortion provider who renounced his practice to become a prominent opponent of the procedure. (The real-life Nathanson narrated the infamous 1984 antiabortion documentary "The Silent Scream.") Loeb, for his part, is less known for his acting than for being Sofia Vergara's ex-husband, who recently lost on appeal his custody lawsuit over frozen embryos he and the actress created while married. Loeb's performance in "Roe" is not what anyone will be talking about after watching this polemic abortion narrative - one that centers on a man (ironically, given its subject matter). Those who have already made up their minds in favor of abortion rights are unlikely to be swayed by the film's arguments against them, but persuasion seems hardly the point. Mostly, the movie plays like catnip to confirmed abortion opponents, and in addition to some brief, shockingly graphic images - it includes performances by Donald Trump-supporting actors Jon Voight, John Schneider and Stacey Dash - along with a bizarrely unshaven Corbin Bernsen as Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, who wrote the majority opinion in "Roe." Viewers on the left may come looking for unintended comedy in cameos by Tomi Lahren (as Blackmun's daughter) and Milo Yiannopoulos (as a doctor who teaches Nathanson a timesaving abortion technique), but these blink-and-you'll-miss-them performances are less deliciously overripe than simply dull. PG-13. Available on demand via Amazon, iTunes, Google Play and cable/satellite. Contains mature thematic elements and some bloody and disturbing images. 112 minutes.

- - -

ALSO STREAMING:

Casey Affleck plays a psychiatrist whose career and family life is threatened by the brother (Sam Claflin) of one his patients, who has taken her life, in "Every Breath You Take." Slant magazine calls it a "stalker thriller without thrills or stakes." R. Available via premium on demand;also available at the CMX Cinemas Village 14. Contains some violence, strong language and brief sensuality. 105 minutes.

- - -

"Mapplethorpe: The Director's Cut" adds about 12 minutes and a new soundtrack to a biopic that came out in theaters two years ago about the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, played by Matt Smith. In The Washington Post's 2019 review, the portrait of the controversial artist was described as "airbrushed into banality." Unrated. Available on Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, GooglePlay, Kanopy, FandangoNow and Vudu. Contains nudity, sexual situations, obscenity and drug use. 114 minutes.

- - -

In the stylized thriller "Nina Wu," the title character is an actress on the verge of her big break (Wu Ke-Xi, who also co-wrote the script based on her own personal experiences) when she begins to experience paranoid fantasies. Despite what the Hollywood Reporter calls the film's "odd turns and time leaps that are neither entirely clear narratively nor satisfactorily explore (Nina's) thinking or feelings," Wu delivers a "ferocious, driven performance," Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com. In Taiwanese and Mandarin with subtitles. 103 minutes.

- - -

Variety calls "Shiva Baby," a film set during a Jewish shiva, or mourning ritual, and centering on a college senior (Rachel Sennott) with a much older boyfriend (Danny Deferrari) a "fast, tightly choreographed farce with confidently sharp Jewish humor." Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com and virtualavalon.org. 77 minutes.

- - -

"The Last Cruise" takes a documentary look at the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship that set sail from Japan in January of last year, at the start of the pandemic, only to become, in essence, a floating hotel/prison with nearly 700 covid-19 cases. The San Francisco Chronicle writes: "It's an experience you would not want to have directly, but it's fascinating to watch." TV-14. Available on HBO Max. 40 minutes.

- - -

"This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection," by the Berlin-based Mosotho filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, stars the late Mary Twala (seen in Beyonce's "Black Is King") as an 80-year-old widow whose son has been killed in a mining accident. The Guardian calls the movie, which won the Special Jury Prize for visionary filmmaking at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, a "severe, uncompromising film; it's more like a series of images strung together, each framed exactingly, like a painting. At the center of it all is Twala, often silent, her expression fixed in determination - no words needed." Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com. In Sesotho with subtitles. 117 minutes.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has sent a message of condolence to the family and residents of Kiambaa Constituency following the death of MP Paul Koinange.

Hon Koinange passed away Wednesday morning at a Nairobi hospital while receiving treatment.

In his message of comfort, the President said Kenya has lost one of its dependable leaders whose undivided focus was the unity, stability and progress of the country.

The Head of State mourned Hon Koinange as a keen and steadfast supporter of the countrys peace agenda through the National Assemblys Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security where he was the Chairperson.

The cruel hand of death has robbed us of a steadfast leader. A leader and gentleman whose undivided focus was the peace, stability and progress of our country.

Through the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security where he was the Chairperson, Hon Koinange advanced legislation and policy interventions that sought to create a peaceful, stable and tranquil nation, the President mourned.

President Kenyatta prayed to God to give strength and fortitude to the family, relatives and residents of Kiambaa Constituency at this difficult time of mourning.
Jaipur, April 1 : The by-polls being held on three seats of Rajasthan on April 17 are being looked upon as semi-finals of Assembly election 2023 as the results are being perceived as a report card for the ruling government, busy showing its 'united' face and the opposition, which appears to be divided.

The bypolls are scheduled in Sahada, Sujangarh and Rajsamand districts of the state on April 17.

While the Congress has been successful in putting out a 'united face' with both the Gehlot camp and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot camp jointly campaigning at election rallies, the BJP seems fragmented with former CM Vasundahra Raje nowhere in the picture, right from campaigning to nomination.

Congress sources confirmed that Pilot has found favour in the Gehlot camp looking at the strong Gujjar majority in three of the two seats where bypolls are scheduled. Also, BJP sources confirmed Raje has been deliberately maintaining a distance from election proceedings despite a strong message given by Rajasthan in-charge Arun Singh, who asked all senior leaders to evaluate how they are contributing to the party.

The united face of party was evident when Pilot's picture was put on the stage at the eleventh hour in Sujangarh on Tuesday. However, none of the MLAs of his camp who lost their portfolios has been accommodated in the Gehlot ministry again, despite promises made to them by the high command in July last year after the political crisis in Rajasthan.

So, even as the Pilot camp keeps up appearances, Raje and her followers are quietly scripting quite another story which is evident on social media posts on a group called Team Vasundhara Raje 2023. Posts on the group have questioned the absence of their leader in posters designed for the bypolls in the three districts.

Those responsible for Raje being absent from posters shall soon go missing from these posters, says one of the posts on the group.

However, BJP leaders confirmed that there is a set protocol when it comes to posters. While the PM and party president's pictures are carried everywhere, these are followed by the CM/state president/ leader of opposition whatsoever is the case. Hence there should be no politics over this.

On the other side, PCC president Govind Singh Dotasara has been tweeting pictures presenting a united face of the party concealing hidden grudges. In fact, during rallies organised in Sujangarh, Sahada and Rajsamand, all leaders including Rajasthan in charge Ajay Maken, former deputy CM Sachin Pilot as well as CM are seen together.

While the fissures of BJP are out in open, it's a million dollar question whether Gehlot will be successful in keeping the face of the divided Congress hidden?
Erling Haaland's agent Mino Raiola has travelled to Madrid accompanied by the Borussia Dortmund striker's father to attend a meeting with representatives of Real Madrid.

The two men also held talks with Barcelona president Joan Laporta in Catalonia on Thursday afternoon before travelling to the Spanish capital.

As reported by Manolo Lama at Cadena Cope, both Raiola and Haaland Sr. arrived at the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport around 14:00 CET.

The meeting between the two parties began two hours later with Haaland's future being the main subject, as both parties are keen to discover each other's intentions ahead of the summer transfer window.
Saudi Aramcos profits fell by nearly 50% in 2020 as the pandemic battered oil markets and an oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia sent oil prices to record lows. Not even the worlds largest oil company could escape the devastation, although it did manage to remain profitable unlike many of its competitors. For Saudi Arabia, a country whose entire economy is virtually monopolized by the state-owned oil company, Aramcos 44.4% drop in profits meant a whopping 30.7% decline in oil revenues for the Saudi government. Despite the sharp downturn, Saudi Aramco has continued to pay steady dividends to its shareholders. A portion of Aramco first went public in December of 2019 in what was the single biggest initial public offering in history. The vast majority of shares are owned by the national government, meaning that the oil company, as opposed to the Saudi State treasury, has taken the pandemic-led economic beating. The company reportedly saw its free cash flow fall from $78.3 billion in 2019 to just $49 billion in 2020. Chief Aramco executive Amin Nasser described 2020 as "one of the most challenging years in recent history."

While crude prices have made a considerable recovery since they hit rock bottom in April of last year, with prices now hovering over $60 per barrel, analysts say the Saudi giant is bracing for possible further waves of COVID that could undermine a tentative global economic recovery, German news media company DW reported last week. Ironically, the drop in oil profit is expected to hinder the petrostates ambitious plans to diversify the Saudi economy so that oil no longer rules Riyadh. It has been widely speculated that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's (MBS) ambitious "Vision 2030" reform program could face serious delays or downscaling thanks to the states decline in oil revenues.

Related: The Future Of U.S. LNG Hangs In The Balance



Despite these hardships, Saudi Aramcos CEO said on Wednesday that the company is on track to meet expected dividend payouts on the heels of the governments announcement that Saudi Arabia will prioritize investments in the coming year. Whats more, the crown prince has said that his plans to diversify the Saudi economy will indeed move forward, albeit not under the "Vision 2030" banner. MBS announced on Tuesday that Saudi Aramco, together with Saudi petrochemical firm SABIC, will still be the biggest financial supporter of a 5 trillion riyal ($1.3 trillion) private sector investment plan to make the domestic economy less dependent on oil.

When the plans for Vision 2030 were unveiled in 2017, Saudi finance minister Mohammed Al Jadaan told CNN, "We will not really care much whether the price is 40, 45, 50, 55 at that time because we have gone significantly out of our way to be independent of the oil price...We are planning to totally [end] that dependency that we have been living for the last 40, 50 years. Hopefully, by 2030, I wouldn't care if the oil price is zero." With nearly ten years to go, its clear that Saudi Arabia still cares very much whether the oil price is zero, and the 2020 downturn could easily compromise that vision for 2030 as well. Despite the volatile outlook, however, MBS, Nasser et al. are still remaining optimistic and cheerful - at least when talking to the media.

Related Video: Saudi Arabia Goes All-In on Hydrogen

We are very excited with the governments announcement yesterday of the Shareek program, Nasser was quoted by CNBC. We support this initiative which is very much aligned with Vision 2030. It promotes GDP growth through new investment and will have a multiplier effect for the Saudi economy.

While MBS has said that the Saudi government had asked the largest firms participating in the program to cut dividends in order to redirect cash flow to these new hefty investments, he has continued to promise that Saudi Aramco shareholders will receive dividends at the levels they expect. When asked how sustainable the companys dividend would prove to be in the wake of the governments private sector investment plans, Nasser said it was a voluntary program that had taken private interests into consideration, CNBC reported.

On the heels of the announcement, shares of Saudi Aramco traded nearly 2% higher on the Saudi stock exchange on Wednesday.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Spiros Boursinos, 45, died after falling into a drug-induced psychosis at Antique Bar in Melbourne's south-east in October 2018

An events entrepeneur known as the 'King of Bush Doofs' told a triple-zero operator he was 'about to get f***ing killed' in a frantic phone call moments before he died on the floor of a bar.

Spiros Boursinos, 45, was battling untreated anxiety when he slipped into a drug-induced psychosis at Antique Bar in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick on October 20, 2018.

Long-time friends of Mr Boursinos - who founded the bush doof event Earthcore - said he was the happiest they had seen him on the same day of his death.

The businessman had just secured sites for two dance festivals and was celebrating with friends who were helping to arrange the events.

Mr Boursinos started his event business when he was just 17, building Earthcore into an festival that attracted thousands of music lovers like himself.

Mr Boursinos (left) called triple zero five times in under 15 minutes while erratically pacing around the bar, telling the operator he was being attacked

The 45-year-old called triple zero five times in under 15 minutes while erratically pacing around the bar, telling the operator he was being attacked.

'I'm about to get f***ing killed,' he said in one of the calls played in the Victorian Coroners Court on Thursday.

'Don't. Leave me alone. Call the police.'

Mr Boursinos repeated the bar's address repeatedly in the calls, but lawyer Lindsay Spence told the inquest emergency crews had been unable to ascertain the location or exact nature of the incident.

It was only when other people called for help that officers were dispatched.

'By that time the incident had already escalated,' Mr Spence said.

CCTV footage played in the inquest showed him pacing and walking behind the bar, where he picked up a bottle and smashed it against a window.

Others in the bar described his state as hyper alert, as if he was having a psychotic episode.

The footage showed Mr Boursinos being restrained by the bar owner Sam Falleti, a bartender and another patron.

Mr Spence said he was physically restrained for just under five minutes and Mr Boursinos was seen struggling under Mr Falleti's full weight until shortly before officers arrived.

Officers handcuffed the unconscious man and placed him in the recovery position while trying to rouse him.

Mr Boursinos had turned Earthcore into an festival that attracted thousands of music lovers

He remained handcuffed for seven minutes until his condition rapidly deteriorated, but died despite CPR efforts.

An autopsy found he had experienced pressure on his neck during the incident, and had cocaine in his system.

Mr Falleti immediately gave a statement to police, describing Mr Boursinos as 'freaking out'.

'I had never seen anyone behaving like that,' he said.

When someone suggested calling police, Mr Falleti said to call for an ambulance instead because it appeared to be a medical issue.

But the court heard nobody associated with the bar had called emergency services or requested an ambulance.

The inquest is continuing.

For confidential support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
RESTON, Va., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bechtel's Dr. Richard Campbell and Dr. Stewart Taylor have been recognized for dedicated service and contributions to the technical standards of the mechanical and civil engineering professions. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) honored Dr. Campbell with the Dedicated Service Award. Dr. Taylor was honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) with the Standards Development Council Service Award.

"Congratulations to Dr. Campbell and Dr. Taylor on these notable awards and their dedication to the engineering profession," said Brian Hartman, manager of Corporate Engineering and Technology. "Their recognition exemplifies the dedication and outstanding performance of Bechtel colleagues in building cleaner, greener, safer, and fairer projects and technologies."

Campbell, a welding specialist, was honored for his dedicated voluntary service to the ASME marked by outstanding performance, demonstrated effective leadership, prolonged and committed service, devotion, enthusiasm and faithfulness.

Since 1993, Campbell has been a volunteer member of numerous ASME standards and certification boards, committees, and subcommittees. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the ASME Board on Conformity Assessment (BCA) and Vice Chair of the ASME B31.3 Process Piping Code Committee. He is active on additional ASME committees, including the B31 Pressure Piping Code Committee, the Bioprocessing Equipment (BPE) Standards Committee, the Committee on Conformity Assessment Requirements, and the ASME Section IX Welding Qualifications Subcommittee on Qualifications. Campbell is also Chair of the ASME Committee on BPE Certification, and past Chair of several BPE subcommittees.

Taylor, Manager of Geotechnical & Hydraulic Engineering Services at Bechtel, was selected to receive the ASCE 2021 Standards Development Council Service Award for acting as the Corresponding Editor for ANSI/ASCE/EWRI 70-19, Estimation of Aquifer Hydraulic Properties by Inverse Numerical Modeling of Aquifer Pumping Tests.

With more than 30 years of experience on large engineering and construction projects for both commercial and government market sectors, Taylor has authored more than 50 professional publications and presentations on geotechnical and hydraulic topics that include articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, conference papers, conference presentations, and research reports. In addition, he currently chairs two ASCE groundwater committees responsible for developing industry standards.

Both Campbell and Taylor are Bechtel Fellows. The Bechtel Fellows are a select group of experts in engineering and technology who have made outstanding contributions to the company and their profession through innovation and application of advanced technologies. They are industry experts in key technologies including rail systems, turbomachinery, mineral processing, process engineering, material science and welding, steel and concrete structures, earthquake engineering, geotechnical engineering, fluid flow and transport, and environmental engineering. The Bechtel Fellows play a key role in contributing to professional societies, code committees, advisory councils, and national and international conferences, as well as providing significant support and expertise to Bechtel customers on most complex technical challenges.

About Bechtel:

Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.

Bechtel serves the Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; Oil, Gas & Chemicals; and Mining & Metals markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. www.bechtel.com

Media contact:

Iva ZagarEmail: izagar@bechtel.com Phone: +1-713-235-2088

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bechtel-experts-honored-for-industry-service-301260944.html

SOURCE Bechtel
The virtual forum this week saw three ASX-listed companies present for 12 minutes, followed by a five-minute Q&A session.

The webinar can also be viewed on the Proactive YouTube channel.

DomaCom Australia Ltd ( ) chief executive officer Arthur Naoumidis outlined the companys products and services during the Proactive Revenue Webinar on Tuesday, March 30.

In the December 2020 quarter, the company progressed its revenue strategies and entered an agreement with leading Islamic finance group Crescent Group to deliver a much-needed housing solution to Australias 700,000-strong Muslim population.

DomaCom and Crescent Group have been working on a model which enables Australian Muslims to purchase a property with leverage using Islamic Finance while maintaining the familiar structure of a traditional home purchase.

The company plans to launch this product in the third quarter of this year.

Product-line expansion

Naoumidis spoke to investors about its two financial product lines  fraction investing and equity release, which allows retirees to sell a fraction of their home to investors to receive the proceeds either as a lump sum or a monthly payment to fund their lifestyle.

Domacoms fraction investing product  which he said involves taking lumpy assets and dividing them into bite size chunks, started of with retail property and has since expanded to include farms, commercial, solar and loans.

With a market cap of around $26 million, he said the company was growing and he hopes the rate of growth continues to accelerate over the next few months.
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OTTC to form strategic partnership with Oak Hill Capital Partnering with Oak Hill has positioned us for accelerated growth and geographic expansion, providing our customers with reliable service and high-speed connectivity, without compromising our core values of community values and quality service, Said Paul Griswold, President of OTTC & UFN.

Ontario & Trumansburg Telephone Companies (OTTC) announced today that it has officially been acquired by an entity of Oak Hill Capital (Oak Hill) to expand its Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) network across Upstate NY, bringing high-speed internet access to underserved markets across the region. With this partnership, OTTC is poised to become a leading FTTH network provider serving residential customers in Upstate NY.

This marks the start of the second partnership between Oak Hill and OTTC. In 2017, Oak Hill acquired Finger Lakes Technologies Group (FLTG), a subsidiary of OTTC, which had successfully built a 3,000-mile fiber network across Upstate NY to serve thousands of enterprise customers attracted to the resilience and high-speeds of FLTGs modern fiber network.

In our previous partnership, we were very impressed by OTTCs family leadership team and their commitment to enhancing fiber communications for local businesses in Upstate NY, stated Scott Baker and Benjy Diesbach, Partners at Oak Hill. With this new partnership, we are excited to offer state-of-the art, fiber-to-the-home connectivity to residential customers throughout the region.

Upstate Fiber Networks (UFN), the competitive division and extension of OTTC, will be providing FTTH services within the Finger Lakes region. UFN is registered as a CLEC, allowing UFN to significantly increase its FTTH footprint.

Partnering with Oak Hill has positioned us for accelerated growth and geographic expansion, providing our customers with reliable service and high-speed connectivity, without compromising our core principles of community values and quality service. Said Paul Griswold, President of OTTC and UFN. We are excited for the opportunity to bring high-speed internet connectivity to customers beyond our current established market. As we continue to navigate remote work and online education, we remain committed to providing our customers with reliable, high-speed connectivity and quality service. UFN will start construction in April 2021, in the Waterloo, Seneca Falls, and Geneva communities.

# # #

About Ontario Trumansburg Telephone Companies

The Ontario & Trumansburg Telephone Companies (OTTC) and their subsidiaries form the largest independently-owned telephone Company in New York State, providing phone and internet services to more than 12,000 residential and business customers. Founded in 1920, OTTC is a five generation, family-led business that keeps innovation at its core with 100 years of experience. To learn more, please contact Ashley Gustafson at 585-313-9794 or email marketing@ottctel.com.

About Oak Hill Capital

Oak Hill Capital is a private equity firm managing funds with approximately $16 billion of initial capital commitments and co-investments since inception. Over the past 35 years, Oak Hill Capital and its predecessors have invested in over 100 private equity transactions across broad segments of the U.S. and global economies. Oak Hill Capital applies an industry-focused, theme-based approach to investing in the following sectors: Media & Communications; Services; Industrials; and Consumer, Retail & Distribution. Oak Hill works actively in partnership with management to implement strategic and operational initiatives to create franchise value. For more information, please visit: http://www.oakhill.com.
Health Ministry clarifies quarantine reduction conditions

PHUKET: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday (Mar 31) clarified conditions behind shortening the length of mandatory quarantine for overseas visitors while confirming which vaccine providers would be deemed acceptable for those entering the Kingdom.

ChineseCoronavirusCOVID-19healthVaccinetourismimmigration

By The Phuket News

Thursday 1 April 2021, 03:41PM

Quarantine conditions have been reduced as of today for overseas visitors. Photo: AFP

The document, issued by the Ministry Deputy Chief Yongyot Thammawoot, stated the following:

Quarantine will be reduced to seven days for tourists who have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days previous to their arrival. They must possess a certificate of vaccination issued by officials where they received the vaccine.

Those in this category would be tested once, 5-6 days after arrival.

People entering Thailand who had not been vaccinated, had received only one vaccine shot from a provider requiring two shots, or whose second shot was less than 14 days previously, would have to spend 10 days under quarantine.

Those in this category would be tested twice, between days 3-5 and days 9-10.

Tourists coming from countries where there are SARS-CoV-2 virus mutations and variants including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Sembia, Kenya, Wanda, Cameroun, Congo, Ghana, and Tanzania must still quarantine for 14 days.

Those in this category would be tested three times - on arrival, between days 6-7 and days 12-13.

Quarantine days would start immediately for those arriving between midnight and 6pm. Day one of quarantine would start the next days for those arriving after 6pm and all new quarantine conditions came into effect today. All arrivals would be traced by a tracking sysetm for 14 days, regardless of what category of quarantine they find themselves in.

Vaccines received by tourists must be recognised under Thai law, certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) or approved by MoPH.

Certified vaccine providers include Sinovac, AstraZeneca, SK Bioscience, Pfizer/BioNtech, Serum Institute of India, and Moderna, all of which require two doses of the vaccine. Vaccines provided by Janssen Pharmaceutical and Johnson & Johnson only require one dose.
Some local insurers may be failing to provide full disclosure around their products resulting in a lot of misconceptions and mistrust around insurance, the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ) has said.

The short-term insurance body said it is concerned over the lack of awareness of the public over the motor insurance products on the market and their benefits.

"Most people lack appreciation of the need and use of insurance as a means of preserving their assets. Motor insurance contributes 40 percent of the short-term insurance's gross premium.

"Unfortunately, the public has inadequate information on types of policies available as well as how to manage their policies to enjoy full benefits of having insurance policies," said ICZ.

"This lack of knowledge is also attributed to the low uptake of the superior insurance covers like the Full Third Party and Comprehensive motor insurance covers.

"For example, there is misconception over the purpose of the Third Party Motor insurance, which wrongly believed to be just for vehicle licensing yet it actually provides compensation in the event of an accident. There is also the Full Third Party Motor Insurance which is barely known to the public."

The ICZ has since embarked on a nationwide campaign aimed at raising awareness on the types of motor insurance polices, the insurance benefits as a risk management tool as well as the claims processing requirements.

ICZ chief executive officer Tendai Karonga, acknowledged that consumers have lost confidence in insurance due to lack of knowledge or bad experiences with the claims processes.

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"Confidence over insurance services continues to be low with the public complaining about non-payment of claims by insurers. Insurers have been blamed for benefiting from premium collections yet abdicating on their promise to pay claims hiding behind insubstantial reasons leaving policyholders frustrated," he said.

"The lack of knowledge and mistrust over insurance has kept the insurance's contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) low at 2,97 percent. This has greatly compromised the insurance's role in the national socio-economic development."

Insurance regulator, the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC) has warned firms that it will terminate dubious policies.

"We will not hesitate to cause product termination, particularly those we view as irrelevant," said IPEC Commissioner Dr Grace Muradzikwa recently.

Meanwhile, the body said it is working with short-term insurers and insurance brokers around the country to ensure that existing policyholders get the deserved service and assist in areas where challenges with service delivery are identified.
A 22-year-old man from the U.S. state of Kansas has been indicted on charges that he unauthorizedly accessed a public water facility's computer system, jeopardizing the residents' safety and health in the local community.

Wyatt A. Travnichek, 22, of Ellsworth County, Kansas, has been charged with one count of tampering with a public water system and one count of reckless damage to a protected computer during unauthorized access, according to the Department of Justice (DoJ).

"By illegally tampering with a public drinking water system, the defendant threatened the safety and health of an entire community," said Lance Ehrig, Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division in Kansas.

"EPA and its law enforcement partners are committed to upholding the laws designed to protect our drinking water systems from harm or threat of harm. Today's indictment sends a clear message that individuals who intentionally violate these laws will be vigorously prosecuted."

On March 27, 2019, Travnichek is said to have broken into a protected computer system belonging to the county's Post-Rock Rural Water District, using it to shut down the cleaning and disinfecting processes at the facility.

The indictment doesn't specify if the attack was successful and how it was detected. If found guilty, Travnichek faces up to 25 years in federal prison and a total fine of $500,000.

The development comes months after unidentified actors staged an intrusion at a water treatment facility in the state of Florida and changed a setting that drastically altered the levels of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the water.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 17:59:45|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Sri Lanka from China on Wednesday as part of a donation by the Chinese government to the island nation.



The vaccines arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Wednesday where it was officially handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by China's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong.

Several Ministers including Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga were present at the occasion.

An official certificate signing ceremony took place between the Chinese Ambassador and Sri Lanka's State Minister of Pharmaceutical Production, Supply and Regulation Channa Jayasumana, after which the vaccines were handed over to President Rajapaksa.

Speaking at the ceremony, Jayasumana thanked the Chinese government and its people for the donation and said this was a very important milestone in the friendship between Sri Lanka and China.

Ambassador Qi, at the ceremony, said the arrival of the vaccines once again demonstrated the brotherhood between Sri Lanka and China and once again implemented the commitment of China in making the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines a global public good.

"It also once again declared that solidarity is the only right way for the international community to defeat the pandemic at an early date and build a global community of health for mankind," the ambassador said.

He further added that Sri Lanka was among the first countries to which China donated the vaccines.

"It is particularly worth mentioning that the Sri Lanka government has decided to include Chinese nationals in its vaccination plan. In this regard, on behalf of China, I would like to extend our highest appreciation for this most friendly gesture," Qi said.

Withstanding the test of the pandemic, the ambassador said, he firmly believed the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership based on sincere, mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship would elevate to a new level.

Later the day, the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) said the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines are safe and effective after the panel's data reviewing.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service




The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has commenced the airlifting of COVID-19 medical relief materials donated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with the support of donor partners like Team Europe, the Germany, United Nations Development Programme and Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ.

NAF said in a statement yesterday that the relief materials, which would be distributed to the 14-member nations of ECOWAS, Nigeria inclusive, were in response to the spread of the second wave of COVID-19.

The statement by the spokesman of the NAF, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the donor partners supported the West African regional bloc to alleviate the impactof the pandemic on their peoples.

Leader of the ECOWAS Delegation and Vice President of ECOWAS Commission, Mrs. Finda Koroma, at the kick-starting of the airlift of the relief materials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, said the need for essential medical supplies became necessary to enable ECOWAS countries to cope with the increasing cases of infection in the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She added that the first ECOWAS support to member-states was in August 2020 and the efforts helped in ameliorating the shortages experienced in some vital materials required to curb the spread of the pandemic.

She thanked the government of Nigeria and the ECOWAS COVID-19 champion, President Muhammadu Buhari, for the logistics support to ECOWAS in the airlift of the relief materials.

Koroma thanked the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, for the approval given for the NAF C-130 aircraft to distribute the items to ECOWAS countries.

In his remarks, Amao, who was represented by the NAF's Director of Operations, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Ayoola Jolasinmi, stated that the NAF considered the airlifting of the items a privilege and a worthy contribution to a noble cause.

While assuring the ECOWAS Commission of NAF's commitment towards the success of the operation, he reiterated NAF's readiness to always fulfill its constitutional role of "military assistance to civil authority" whenever called upon to do so.

The statement said 4,000 kilogrammes of relief materials, which included laboratory diagnostic kits, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), intensive care equipment as well as miscellaneous medical accessories would be airlifted by a seven-man C-130 aircraft crew.
President proposes Moskalkova for post of Russias Human Rights Commissioner

 kremlin.ru

15:04 01/04/2021

MOSCOW, April 1 (RAPSI)  President Vladimir Putin on Thursday proposed Tatiana Moskalkova for the position of Russias High Commissioner for Human Rights, according to the Kremlin website.

According to the Federal Constitutional Law on the Human Rights Commissioner of Russia, the President submitted her candidacy to the State Duma for appointment to the post again, the statement reads.

Moskalkova was appointed as the country's human rights ombudsman for the first time in April 2016.




The dental hygienist greeted her longtime patient enthusiastically. Unexpectedly, the 68-year-old woman burst into tears. I feel so bad, she said, her voice cracking with emotion. Im worried I might be dying. She was always tired, as if all her energy had been sucked out. And she felt a strange dread that something awful was happening to her. And if that werent enough, for the past couple of weeks she had lost much of her hearing in her right ear. She was sure she had a brain tumor  though none of her doctors thought so. After offering sympathy, the dental assistant realized she had something more to offer: We have a dental CT scanner. Should we get a CT of your head? The patient was amazed. Yes  she would very much like a CT scan of her head. It would cost her $150, the technician told her. At that point, it seemed like a bargain. And, just like that, it was done.

And there was a mass. It wasnt on the right side, where she thought her trouble lay. It was on the left. And it wasnt in her ear, but in the sinus behind her cheek. That was confusing. She thanked the tech for the scan. She had an ENT and would send the images to him to see what he thought.

A History of Ear Issues

That right ear had been giving the patient trouble for more than 20 years, she reminded her ear, nose and throat doctor in Prescott, Ariz., when she spoke with him. In her 40s she developed terrible vertigo. She was living in Atlanta then and saw an ENT there who told her she probably had Menieres disease, a disorder induced by increased pressure in the inner ear. The cause is unknown, though in some cases it appears to run in families. And its characterized by intermittent episodes of vertigo usually accompanied by a sensation of fullness in the ear, as well as tinnitus and hearing loss. These symptoms can be present from the start, but often develop over time. Theres no definitive test for the disease, though evidence of the increased pressure is sometimes visible on an M.R.I.

Medications like antihistamines and steroids can mitigate the symptoms, but there is no treatment for the disease itself. The patient was encouraged when her vertigo went away after a few months, and she tried to forget about it, but her body wouldnt let her. Two years later she developed a problem with her balance. It wasnt the sense of motion she had felt with the vertigo. Instead, there were times when the simple action of walking seemed strangely unnatural; times when she found it difficult to walk in a straight line. It could last for weeks, then disappear for months. And she couldnt predict its coming or going. It got so bad that she started using a hiking stick whenever she walked farther than her front yard.
Shrugging off the disruptions of the year gone by, businesses and agencies are looking for a strong revival in 2021. Over the next few weeks, Adgully  as part of our annual TRENDING NOW endeavour  will be presenting the strategies and views of a cross-section of industry leaders as they go about reclaiming lost time and market opportunities and build for a stronger future, armed with the lessons of 2020.

Shyatto Raha, Founder and CEO, MyHealthcare, sheds light on the digital innovations in the healthcare sector and how the pandemic broke the tradition, where physical OPDs were the only channel. He also speaks about how digitisation and penetration of mobile Internet will continue to be the drivers of change for the Indian healthcare industry.

Outlook for 2021

Digital technological innovation, taking advantage of the mobile Internet penetration have been key drivers of consumer behavioural change. Both private and public sectors have seen upward trends through such digital innovations; however, two sectors have been the focus of most attention  Education and Healthcare. There have been game changer effects across both these sectors  healthcare has seen the evolution of telemedicine, while the education sector has witnessed evolution in the use of digital platforms as tools for primary education such as classroom teaching and examinations being held online.

I feel that 2021 will witness upward trends, with hospitals and healthcare organisations focusing on the use of digital platforms in enhancing patient-care delivery, remote care monitoring and managing patient care continuum.

The pandemic broke the tradition of primary care delivery, where physical OPDs were the only channel. Virtual consultations have now become a channel of care delivery for both primary and secondary care for all hospitals. The Government, too, launched its virtual consultation platform  e-Sanjeevani  for expanding the reach of primary healthcare.

The year 2021 will see further growth of telemedicine, going beyond doctor consults to include remote patient monitoring, home healthcare, e-pharmacy, e-diagnostics, tele-ICU services and such.

This year we will see newer options for patients and providers in terms of preventive care and better healthcare access. Patients will take centerstage for a more personalised healthcare experience and with technology, healthcare service providers will be able to deliver customised healthcare at scale at a reasonable cost. This will further enable a transition towards proactive health management in the entire healthcare continuum as opposed to the previous reactive and transactional approach.

Great expectations

Digitisation and penetration of mobile Internet will continue to be the drivers of change for the Indian healthcare industry. Digital health solutions will help enhance access to healthcare services for patients. The significant benefit will be the opportunity of healthcare ecosystems, which will serve all health needs for a customer  be it consult, pharmacy delivery, diagnostics at home, home healthcare and remote patient monitoring.

With 2,975 start-ups and an estimated 4,800 health tech companies, 2021 and the next 3 years will see cutting edge technology in medicine and healthcare delivery in India and globally.

Moreover, online registrations for vaccines, virtual doctor consultations, telemedicine, AI for better diagnosis, etc., are all expected to harness patient metrics, technology and fully integrate into our existing systems.

In my view, the key segments where 2021 will bring in new opportunities are development of tools to facilitate emergency care and improve medical infrastructure through technology-based optimisation.

Key learnings from 2020

For us at MyHealthcare, the year 2020 was a pivotal moment, as we shifted our platform focus to telemedicine and building an ecosystem of care centered around virtual consultations. This helped our patients access healthcare with ease and use our services and reach out to doctors for video consultations, seek pharmacy delivery at home and use our MyHealthcare@Home for homecare monitoring during the pandemic.

We were also quick to adapt to the constantly changing needs of doctors, nurses and patients  which helped increase adoption of the ecosystem.

Another key learning for us was empathy  the healthcare sector unfortunately witnesses emotions and anxiety as the very foundation of a patients mindset when seeking care. While physical meetings with doctors help calm patients and their families, trying to manage this over virtual consultations was quite a challenge. Our patient support team worked like frontline workers in managing patients before their doctor consultation and also with their follow-up care. This required us to ensure that our platform technology and our operating processes had patient empathy at the very centre of it all.

2020 has been a tough year for everyone globally, but it has helped us in understanding patients and their healthcare needs much better. It has also helped us push technological innovations for better diagnosis and treatment.
FLINT, MI  The name change of an organization in Genesee County reflects a market-driven response to creating growth and transformation of Flint and the countys business community.

The Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce announced on Wednesday, March 31 that it will become the Flint & Genesee Group, effective April 1.

The newly branded organization will market its network of services through four divisions dedicated collectively to advancing the regions attractiveness as a great place to live, work, play and invest, according to a Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce news release.

The new name and brand architecture was revealed at the Chambers 2021 annual meeting that was held virtually Wednesday via Zoom.

Our new brand strategy will provide our stakeholders with easier entry points into the organization and connect them more readily with the services, resources and information they need, Tim Herman, Flint & Genesee Chamber CEO, said. Broadly speaking, the Flint & Genesee Group will focus squarely on improving the economic success of Genesee County and its residents.

The chamber plans to improve economic success through the work of its four new divisions: Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance; Flint & Genesee Chamber; Flint & Genesee Education & Talent; and Explore Flint & Genesee.

The roles and responsibilities of the divisions include:

Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance is responsible for business retention and attraction, private investment, and jobs in Genesee County.

Flint & Genesee Chamber adds capacity to small businesses.

Flint & Genesee Education & Talent prepares youth and adults for academic and career success.

Explore Flint & Genesee promotes the region and increases tourism in Genesee County.

We believe that our rebranding will fundamentally improve our audiences understanding of who we are, what we offer and to whom, Herman added.

In addition to unveiling a new name and brand identity at the meeting, the chamber presented its accomplishments from 2020, a year defined and shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual report, themed 2020 Disruption Fueled Innovation, provides details on how the chamber navigated the challenges of the past year and responded to the changing needs of its stakeholders and the broader community. The organization became much more digitally focused to deliver services, information and value during an unprecedented year, affected by shutdowns, social distancing and mask requirements, according to officials with the chamber.

It was a defining year marked by three interconnected issues: a global pandemic and ensuing economic downturn; a racial and cultural awakening about the pain caused by a long history of racial injustice and a highly divisive U.S. presidential election, Herman said. Amid these major disruptions, our team realized what weve built over time  in terms of our culture, leadership, agility, and trust  would play a significant role in our ability to navigate a crisis like no other in modern history.

The chamber learned early on that the global pandemic was significantly impacting Flint and Genesee County small businesses. To respond, a greater portion of the Chambers resources were dedicated to small business support; enlisting staff from across the organization to provide information, referrals, and financial resources; and to being a good listener and advocate for the business community.

Also during the meeting, keynote speaker Bethaney Wilkinson, founder of The Diversity Gap Academy, delivered a 10-minute presentation on how leaders can drive equity and inclusion in their businesses and organizations.

Wilkinson shared that intentional leaders make a huge difference.

You have what it takes to create this kind of culture, Wilkinson said. I encourage you to be bold, to be brave and to take some risks.

The following includes some of the 2020 accomplishments directly related to the organizations business advocacy, economic development, tourism and education efforts, and other programs and services: Supported more than $6.5 million in private investment, creating 307 new jobs, 1,800 participants in 42 professional development workshops, 140 students utilized the Flint Promise Scholarship and 4,608 room nights secured for Genesee County hotels.

To see a full list of the chambers accomplishments visit here.

Read more on MLive:

See how Flint, Burton and Genesee County plan to spend $504K in marijuana sales tax revenue

10 Genesee County hotels using virtual job fair to hire ahead of tourism season

Genesee County small businesses awarded $4M in survival grants

New development at former Lowes would be great for Burton, city leaders and local businesses say
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Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has attributed the fierce political battles recorded in the state to peoples over dependence on politics as means of livelihood.

Mr Umahi said this on Wednesday in Abakaliki during a send-off organised by the state in honour of the Nigerian Ambassador-designate to Zambia, Nwanne Ominyi.

He said most people in the state had no other job than politics, adding that the situation stemmed from peoples deficient background.

He said: I have realised that the background was not right from the time our leaders sojourned from Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu before the state was created in 1996.

This has made the battle of politics in the state fierce. But we are doing everything within our powers to change the narrative.

We can no longer depend on the government and allocation from the Federation Account for survival, he said.

Mr Umahi congratulated Mr Ominyi, who hails from Ebonyi, over his appointment, describing it as President Muhammadu Buharis show of love to the state.

There is nothing we have asked the president that he has not done for us.

I saw the fantastic work being done on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and declared that no one has ever done such for the South-east zone.

I promise to visit you within your first four months in Zambia and trust that you would deliver being a man of proven integrity, Mr Umahi said.

Meanwhile, the governor has sworn in five special assistants and assigned various portfolios to them.

He said, All the former local government chairmen and secretaries of the Peoples Democratic Party that defected to the All Progressive Congress have been appointed senior technical assistants to the Governor.

In a remark, the ambassador-designate thanked the governor for honouring him and pledged to be a good ambassador of the state and country.

I wish to commiserate with the governor over the recent killings in Ishielu Local Government Area by unknown gunmen.

I pray that God brings a lasting solution to these problems across the country, Mr Ominyi said.

Over 15 people were reportedly killed in Ishielu by persons suspected to be herders.

(NAN)
Nsawam  Women Relief Alliance Foundation (WRAF), an NGO, has donated food items, toiletries and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Female section of the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.

The items donated included bags of rice, marcoroni, cooking oil, drinks, 1000 pieces of facemasks, 300 pieces of nose masks, hand sanitizers, pads, liquid soap, parazone.

The others are Veronica buckets, toilet rolls, used clothing, paper towels, sachet and bottled water.

Presenting the items, the Founder of WRAF, Mrs Radiya Muhammed, said the gesture was to help in the upkeep of the female inmates.

She said as women and children empowerment organisations, WRAF was concerned about the power, the vulnerable as well as prison inmates, especially female inmates.

Mrs Muhammed said prisoners were often shunned by the society and treated with disrespect and disdain.

She said prisoners were part of the society and needed to loved and cared for.

"Prisoners are outcasts and can play meaningful roles and be beneficial to the society after serving their sentence, if they were embraced as part of the society," Mrs Muhammed said.She said the items, especially the PPE, would help the prison officials to protect the inmates of the corona virus disease.

The Public Relations Officer of WRAF, Barry Musah explained the donation formed activities to mark the formal launch of WRAF established in 2019 to support the empowerment of women, care for children and the vulnerable in the society.

The Second in Command of the Nsawam Female Prisons, Chief Superintendent of Prisons, Esi Gomado, received the items and commended WRAF for the gesture, saying it would go a long way to support their upkeep and also protect them against the COVID-19 pandemic.

She appealed to other benevolent organisations to come to the aid of the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, particularly the female section.
Dimitris Avramopoulos, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, right, meets Nigerien Minister of Interior Mohamed Bazoum in 2017.

analysis

Niger's new president faces daunting tasks even before taking office. Terror attacks and massive opposition demonstrations are a sign that things are not going to get any easier.

By the time Mohamed Bazoum, is sworn in as president of Niger on Friday, six very eventful weeks will have passed since his election. He had been the right-hand man to his predecessor, President Mahamadou Issoufou.

After the election, the losing candidate, Mahamane Ousmane, had refused to concede the race. Instead, he took his case to the courts, sparking mass supporter protests, which security forces brutally quelled -- killing two people and arresting several hundred.

On top of that, Niger's civilian population was targeted in several vicious terror attacks in the border triangle area with Mali and Burkina Faso. Fifty-eight people were killed on March 15, 137 on March 21 and 13 on March 24.

"That's to remind the president-elect that the situation is serious and will require extra effort to avoid further escalation," Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, a consulting analyst for West Africa at the International Crisis Group, told DW.

Abdoulaye Sounaye, the head of the research unit on religion and terrorism in West Africa at the Leibniz center, also told DW that the attacks might have served as a warning to the incoming president. "Niger really fought hard to make sure France and Europe became militarily involved in solving the problem of Islamic terrorism in the Sahel region," Sounaye said.

In 2012, Touareg separatists and extremists in northern Mali declared an independent republic, casting the region into conflict. Bazoum, who was Niger's foreign minister at the time, quickly declared open season on separatists and terrorists, Sounaye said.

'This new approach'

Whereas terrorists in the past tended to target security forces, today it is often civilian populations in the crosshair. That also has to do with the fact that more and more civilians are arming themselves to fight groups linked to the so-called Islamic State or IS.

"This new approach of going after local communities shows that IS is willing to collectively punish communities in which resistance forms," Ibrahim said.

"That adds an ethnic component to the armed conflict because Islamists and civilian militia members belong to different groups," Ibrahim added. He said militants were behind the biggest attacks: "There are no other armed groups in the region who could carry out attacks on that scale."

Sounaye said regional ethnic conflicts had the potential to further destabilize the conflict. "This [ethnic] factor cannot be allowed to take on more significance," he said. He added that if local forces are mobilized and join the fight, the already complex situation will worsen and become even more difficult to contain.

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Niger's trap

Bazoum is considered the architect of Niger's existing strategy of dependence on the regional G5-Sahel security alliance, as well as international assistance.

As the presidential campaign entered its final phase in January, Issoufou and Bazoum embarked on a visit to Paris -- infuriating Niger's opposition but bolstering Francophone relations. And just days before Niger's February runoff election, French President Emmanuel Macron took part in a meeting of Sahel countries -- and hurried to congratulate the new president after election results were announced.

Niger's war on terror depends heavily on France's Operation Barkhane, an EU mission, US air bases and international security training. Still, Sounaye said that was not enough: "In a way, militarization can actually weaken the state. First, it's too expensive for a country like Niger. And second, outside support, especially from Europe and France, will wind down and eventually stop."

Sounaye said Bazoum must begin thinking about how he can facilitate a dialogue among all parties to the conflict.

"Terrorism, regional conflicts and political opposition cannot be allowed to coalesce the way they did after the election," Sounaye said. Otherwise, he fears that the country could find itself adrift in chaos.

Dialogue with the opposition is the second major challenge facing Bazoum. "He has to open himself to it and show it attention," Sounaye said. Gestures are needed now, he added, and political prisoners must be freed. With so much uncertainty, only one thing seems clear: It will be up to the new president to take the first step.

This article has been translated from German by Jon Shelton
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President Joe Biden is facing criticism for continuing to wear a mask at all times despite being fully vaccinated - as a smiling Queen Elizabeth stepped out without one yesterday for her first public engagement since receiving her vaccine.

Biden has been fully vaccinated for more than two months after receiving his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on January 11. People are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second vaccine shot, according to the CDC.

Biden has continued to wear his mask for various photo opportunities since being fully vaccinated. On many occasions he is joined by Vice President Kamala Harris who is also fully vaccinated.

As recently as yesterday, the 78-year-old President wore a mask as he boarded Air Force One by himself to travel to Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, Britain's Queen Elizabeth stepped out without wearing a mask yesterday for her first public engagement in the UK since last October.

The Queen greeted several members of the military - and none of them were wearing masks.

The 94-year-old monarch received her COVID-19 vaccine at the same time Biden did in January.

President Joe Biden is facing criticism for continuing to wear a face mask despite being fully vaccinated. He is pictured above on Wednesday leaving for Pittsburgh

Britain's Queen Elizabeth stepped out without wearing a mask on Wednesday for her first public engagement in the UK since last December. The 94-year-old monarch received her COVID-19 vaccine at the same time Biden did in January

The current CDC guidance on mask wearing, which was updated just last week, indicates that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear a mask or social distance if they are gathering with other fully vaccinated people.

It is understood that many with close proximity to Biden have already been vaccinated.

The guidance does, however, say that fully vaccinated people should continue to wear masks and stay six feet apart in public until more is known about whether those who are vaccinated can spread COVID-19.

Under an executive order signed by Biden when he first took office, masks are mandatory in federal buildings, which includes the White House. It explains why Biden continues to wear a mask while in the Oval Office and on the grounds.

The White House did not respond to questions from DailyMail.com about why Biden continues to wear a mask in certain situations given the current CDC guidance.

Biden has previously said he wears a mask to be a role model to Americans.

Experts, including Biden's medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci, have previously indicated that mask wearing could continue until late this year.

But given the speed of vaccine distribution in the US, which is currently just under 3 million per day, it is not clear if that will change - especially given the current CDC guidance on vaccinated people not needing to wear masks around others who have also received their shots.

The White House also did not offer a time frame for when the guidance might change given Biden's promise this week that 90 percent of Americans will be eligible for the vaccine by mid-April.

Biden has been fully vaccinated for more than two months after receiving his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on January 11. People are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second vaccine shot, according to the CDC

WHAT DOES THE CDC SAY ABOUT MASKS AFTER VACCINE? This is the current guidance from the CDC about when you have been vaccinated. It was last updated March 23. If you've been fully vaccinated: You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.

You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

If you've been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms. However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don't have symptoms. Advertisement

To date, the US has given one or more vaccine dose to nearly 30 percent of Americans and more than 16 percent of people are fully vaccinated.

Biden's own CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky revealed earlier this week that people who have received the vaccine don't appear to be able to spread COVID-19 to others.

'Vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don't get sick, and that is not just in the clinical trials but it's also in real world data,' Walensky told MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show.

The data she referenced came from a CDC study released on Monday involving just under 4,000 health care workers and first responders.

Among the fully vaccinated people in the study, only three people got COVID-19. It is expected that some people will still test positive for the virus even after being vaccinated. There were 161 COVID-19 cases among those who weren't vaccinated in the study.

Based on those results, the CDC concluded that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 90 percent effective at preventing infection - including asymptomatic cases.

Despite the promising results of the CDC study, it was revealed on Thursday morning that the Biden administration is launching a $500,000 contest to improve face masks.

The contest, called the Mask Innovation Challenge, aims to find solutions to fogged glasses or irritated skin.

Those who enter have until April 21 to submit their ideas.

Elsewhere in Walensky's interview, she said that officials were encouraging Americans to continue wearing masks 'for just a bit longer'.

Biden has continued to wear his mask for photo opportunities in the Oval Office and White House. On many occasions he is joined by Vice President Kamala Harris who is also fully vaccinated. They are pictured above on Tuesday in the Oval Office. Under an executive order signed by Biden when he first took office, masks are mandatory in federal buildings, which includes the White House.

The current CDC guidance does says that fully vaccinated people should continue to wear masks and stay six feet apart in public until more is known about whether those who are vaccinated can spread COVID-19

Many states - including Texas - have dropped mask mandates all together in recent weeks.

Fauci warned last month it was 'risky business' to end mask mandates before the majority of people were vaccinated.

Given the current CDC guidance and the latest study referenced by Dr Walensky, many Americans have started to question why Biden - and the Vice President - continue to wear masks in some settings even though they have been vaccinated.

Fox News' Tucker Carlson dedicated a portion of his show on Wednesday night to the issue, questioning why Americans couldn't live their lives normally once vaccinated.

'Why are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris still wearing their obedience masks everywhere they go? They've been vaccinated. So has everyone around them. Why the masks? Why the restrictions? What's going on here? We know for certain it's not science. According to the CDC, once you're vaccinated, you don't need a mask anymore,' he said.

Carlson went on to reference Dr Walensky's comments about the recent CDC study.

'Well, we hope vaccinated people don't carry the virus. Otherwise, why are we getting all these vaccines? Turns out the 'real-world data' confirms common sense. Once you get the vaccine, you don't need a mask. That's a Biden employee. So, why is everyone still wearing them? Why are people with vaccinations walking alone outside with masks on? Why are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris wearing masks?'
An international team of archaeologists has found evidence of complex symbolic and technological behaviors at Ga-Mohana Hill in the Northern Cape, South Africa dating back to 105,000 years ago  the same age when those behaviors occurred on the coast. The discovery challenges the idea that the origins of our species were linked to coastal environments.

The archaeological record of Africa provides the earliest evidence for the emergence of the complex behaviors that characterize Homo sapiens.

The coastal setting of many Late Pleistocene sites and the abundant shellfish remains recovered from them have led to a dominant narrative in which modern human origins in southern Africa are tied to the coast and marine resources.

However, Late Pleistocene sites with good preservation and robust chronologies are rare in the interior of southern Africa, and the coastal hypothesis therefore remained untested, until now.

Archaeological evidence for early Homo sapiens has been largely discovered at coastal sites in South Africa, supporting the idea that our origins were linked to coastal environments, said Dr. Jayne Wilkins, an archaeologist in the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution at Griffith University.

There have been very few well-preserved, datable archaeological sites in the interior of southern Africa that can tell us about Homo sapiens origins away from the coast.

A rockshelter on Ga-Mohana Hill that stands above an expansive savannah in the Kalahari is one such site.

Ga-Mohana Hill is located in the southern Kalahari Basin, 12 km north-west of Kuruman in South Africa and over 600 km from the nearest modern coastline.

The name Kalahari is derived from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning great thirst. However, ancient proof of abundant water on the landscape is evident from striking tufa formations.

Were showing a record of water in the rocks that not only matches the archaeological record but also provides evidence of a crucial resource for the people living at Ga-Mohana, said Jessica von der Meden, a Ph.D. candidate in the Human Evolution Research Institute and the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Cape Town.

This is a story of water in what we know now as a dry landscape, and of adaptable people who exploited the landscape to not only survive but to thrive, said Dr. Robyn Pickering, director of the Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI) at the University of Cape Town.

Dr. Wilkins and colleagues excavated three areas of Ga-Mohana Hill North Rockshelter, the largest of two main shelters and several small overhangs that occur within the dolomitic Gamohaan Formation.

They unearthed 22 white calcite crystals and fragments of ostrich eggshell, thought be used as water containers, from deposits dated to 105,000 years ago.

Our analysis indicates that the crystals were not introduced into the deposits via natural processes, but were deliberately collected objects likely linked to spiritual beliefs and ritual, Dr. Wilkins said.

The crystals point towards spiritual or cultural use of the shelter 105,000 years ago. This is remarkable considering that site continues to be used to practice ritual activities today, added Dr. Sechaba Maape, an archaeologist at the University of the Witwatersrand.

The chronology of Ga-Mohana North Rockshelter was determined by the team using luminescence dating.

This technique measures natural light signals that accumulate over time in sedimentary quartz and feldspar grains, said Dr. Michael Meyer, a researcher in the Department of Geology at the University of Innsbruck.

You can think about each grain as a miniaturized clock, from which we can read out this natural light or luminescence signal, giving us the age of the archaeological sediment layers.

The researchers were delighted to discover that the assemblage of human-collected crystals and ostrich eggshell fragments at Ga-Mohana Hill were significantly older than that reported in interior environments elsewhere.

At coastal sites, the earliest evidence for these kinds of behavior date to about the same time, 105,000 years ago, Dr. Wilkins said.

This suggests that early humans in the Kalahari were no less innovative than those on the coast.

The research is described in a paper in the journal Nature.

_____

J. Wilkins et al. Innovative Homo sapiens behaviours 105,000 years ago in a wetter Kalahari. Nature, published online March 31, 2021; doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03419-0
- By GF Value





The stock of Textainer Group Holdings (NYSE:TGH, 30-year Financials) is estimated to be significantly overvalued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $28.96 per share and the market cap of $1.5 billion, Textainer Group Holdings stock shows every sign of being significantly overvalued. GF Value for Textainer Group Holdings is shown in the chart below.





Textainer Group Holdings Stock Appears To Be Significantly Overvalued

Because Textainer Group Holdings is significantly overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be much lower than its future business growth, which averaged 6.7% over the past five years.

Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk.

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Story continues

Textainer Group Holdings Stock Appears To Be Significantly Overvalued

It poses less risk to invest in profitable companies, especially those that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. A company with high profit margins is also typically a safer investment than one with low profit margins. Textainer Group Holdings has been profitable 9 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $638.1 million and earnings of $1.41 a share. Its operating margin is 30.20%, which ranks better than 95% of the companies in Business Services industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks the profitability of Textainer Group Holdings at 7 out of 10, which indicates fair profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Textainer Group Holdings over the past years:

Textainer Group Holdings Stock Appears To Be Significantly Overvalued

Growth is probably the most important factor in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long term performance of a company's stock. The faster a company is growing, the more likely it is to be creating value for shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. The 3-year average annual revenue growth rate of Textainer Group Holdings is 6.7%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Business Services industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 9.1%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Business Services industry.

One can also evaluate a company's profitability by comparing its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the return on invested capital exceeds the weighted average cost of capital, the company is likely creating value for its shareholders. During the past 12 months, Textainer Group Holdings's ROIC is 3.73 while its WACC came in at 4.63. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Textainer Group Holdings is shown below:

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To find out the high quality companies that may deliever above average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


The Prime Minister told the Chamber of Deputies they could not rule out further restrictions over the next few weeks and months, if the situation took a turn for the worse.

Xavier Bettel addressed MPs on Thursday afternoon ahead of the latest vote on Luxembourg's Covid laws. Despite the ongoing vaccination campaign, the crisis is far from over, said the prime minister.

Current Covid restrictions have been in place since January, and will now be extended from 3 April to 25 April.

The only amendment will be the reopening of restaurant and cafe terraces, albeit under strict conditions, starting 7 April. With that, the 11th version of the Covid law was passed in the Chamber, thanks to the votes of the three government parties.

LSAP MP Mars Di Bartolomeo, rapporteur of the law, described the reopening of terraces as a "timid" opening, which should re-inspire the fight against Covid.

The opposition MPs reiterated their criticisms of the restrictions.

CSV MP Claude Wiseler said the government introduced the measures in January in order to bring Covid infections down, but the opposite had occurred over the past three months. Wiseler repeated a call for a tier system with a clear exit plan for lockdown.

Wiseler quoted Bettel, saying the PM had described the Irish tier system as "bullshit" during the Chamber commission meeting. He pointed out that Ireland's infections had dropped, compared to the Grand Duchy, and asked which term would favourably describe the Luxembourg strategy in comparison.
ROME, N.Y.  Griffiss International Airport is one of five airports awarded federal relief funding to help recover from economic losses sustained throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The airport was awarded $267,300 to help support rehabilitation projects and enhance safety practices.

Reviving travel and tourism will help many areas recover economically from the pandemic, and this money aims to help airports that have lost substantial revenue over the past year.

As New Yorkers continue battling the COVID-19 crisis, we cannot leave airports behind, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Airports, travel, and tourism will be a critical part of our economic recovery. This federal funding will provide New York States local airports with the resources needed to increase safety standards and improve lighting, taxiways, and aprons so were fully prepared when travel takes off.

The funds were allocated through the Federal Aviation Administration, under the Department of Transportation.

The following airports were also awarded funds:
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The president of the Network of Financial and Tax Reporters (NFTR) - The Gambia Chapter has strongly applauded the African Development Bank through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs for the unflinching support in training 30 journalists on the basic principles of the Public Procurement Authority (GPPA).

Abdoulie Nyockeh made these remarks during a five day media personnel training held at NaNa.

According to Mr. Nyockeh, building the capacity of journalists is geared towards contributing to national development. He therefore returned gratitude to the African Development Bank for providing the funding in empowering media personnel to have requisite knowledge on the roles and mandates of the Gambia Public Procurement Act.

The objective of the training was to building the capacity of the media personnel particularly the members of the NFTR to better report on issues relating to procurement.

Mr. Nyockeh said the media plays a critical role in creating awareness in advocating for tax payment; thus the objective of the NFTR is to enhance the competence of Gambian journalists in business, finance and tax reporting in data journalism.

He also cited that the objective is also to engage government and the private sector to be tax compliant and hold them accountable for their tax obligation.

For Media practitioners to play an effective and efficient role in informing and educating the general public, the NFTR President said there is need for capacity building for media practitioners in all sectors.

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"Therefore, we value support, involvement and training on matters that are relevant to our work. It is the reason we cherish the relationship with the African Development Bank through the Gambia Public Procurement Authority GPPA."

"I have no doubt that this forum will accord journalists the opportunity to have in-depth knowledge on the legal instruments embedded on the GPPA Regulation in order to effectively report on issues affecting our business industry," Mr. Nyockeh stated.

Mr. Nyockeh commended the management and staffs of the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA) for empowering and supporting journalists to understand the Principles of Public Procurement Act and procedure in order to disseminate factual information on the subject matter.

He cited that the importance of the support by the GPPA Management cannot be over emphasised as it enhances the capacity of journalists on how to effectively and efficiently report on the GPPA operations.

One of our expectations at the end of this five days training is that journalists will be equipped with the requisite knowledge on the GPPA Principles Act and other issues related to procurement compliance.

"The essence of forum was to bring the fourth estate, who are very instrumental in sensitising and educating the general public on issues of concern to national development with the view to exposing them on the GPPA Act."
I dont feel like that the way that law is currently is set up ... in situations that are unprecedented, things like a pandemic, are not set up for people that dont have access to power or money. Its not set up for those people that dont have access to it to succeed, Gilbert said.
Joe Biden has unveiled a sweeping $2 trillion infrastructure proposal that he promises will usher the US into the 21st century, create millions of jobs and put the nation on a footing to compete with an ascendant Chinese economy.

Its big, yes. Its bold, yes. And we can get it done, the president said of his initial plan on infrastructure at an event in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

The massive government spending package, which would be paid for by rolling back key components of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, is unlikely to receive any support from Republicans.

The new proposal, which would be even more expensive than Mr Bidens $1.9 trillion Covid relief package from earlier this month, provides government spending in four main categories.

$621bn for traditional transportation infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and public transit.

$650bn for modern infrastructure that will affect Americans at home: broadband internet expansion, revamped water systems and electricity grids, massive investments in public schools facilities.

$400bn for care infrastructure projects such as schools, child care facilities, veterans hospitals and other federal welfare buildings.

and $580bn for research, development and training projects, including providing incentives for companies to keep manufacturing jobs in the nations industrial heartland.

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All of those projects would be geared towards sustainability and mitigating the causes and impact of the climate crisis.

For instance, Mr Bidens infrastructure package would shovel $174bn into programmes to increase the US share of the electric vehicle (EV) market by establishing new tax incentives and sales rebates for consumer EV purchases. Billions would go towards grants and other incentives to spur construction of a national network of half a million EV charging stations by the end of the decade. And billions more would be put towards fulfilling his campaign promise to electrify the federal vehicle fleet.

Capitol Hill insiders agree Mr Bidens infrastructure package is destined to become law in some way, shape or form through the budget reconciliation process that allows Democrats to sidestep Senate GOP obstruction.

Thats the same process Democrats used to hammer through Mr Bidens Covid relief legislation earlier this month on a party-line basis.

Nevertheless, Mr Biden on Wednesday promised to invite Republicans to the negotiations to see if there is any room to manoeuvre on a bipartisan deal.

I don't think you'll find a Republican today in the House or Senate ... who doesn't think we have to improve our infrastructure. Theres no reason why it cant be bipartisan again, Mr Biden said.

The divisions of the moment shouldn't stop us from doing the right thing for the future. We're gonna bring Republicans into the Oval Office, listen to them, what they have to say, and be open to their ideas. Well have good faith negotiations with any Republican who wants to help get this done. But we have to get it done, he said.

Raising tax rates on both corporations and households making at least $400,000 annually  two integral components of the 2017 GOP tax cuts  to pay for the infrastructure package likely makes it a non-starter for the GOP.

Given the amount of tax increases that theyre discussing, theres no way theyre going to be able to get anything done on a bipartisan basis, Jim Manley, a longtime aide to former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, told The Independent.

Democrats in Washington are also bracing for considerable internal strife, with progressives such as Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Jeff Merkley of Oregon being more vocal with their demands for green energy investment and more aggressive tax code changes.

On the other end of the Democratic spectrum, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin III looms as a potential foil for progressives pushing for more spending.

Mr Manchin has insisted that the cost of the infrastructure package be fully offset by tax hikes or trimming fat elsewhere.

Mr Manley indicated he has sensed a certain amount of spending fatigue among members of both parties after an unprecedented year of government spending to buttress the economy and healthcare system amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Congress has passed more than a half dozen bills worth more than $5 trillion in less than a year since Covid gripped the nation.

Nearly 40 per cent of that emergency spending was enacted this month when Mr Biden signed his first major piece of legislation, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

Some day people are gonna look back at this, and  the first bills going to be a walk in the park based on what theyre going to have to face the next go-round, Mr Manley said.

And potentially the next go-round after that, he said, referring to the administrations planned rollout in April of another economic package to expand health insurance coverage, subsidise child care, and make community college tuition-free, among other provisions.
The heavy reinforcement of immigration agents continued Monday in Ciudad Hidalgo, a border town with Guatemala, as part of new measures to restrict non-essential crossings at Mexico's southern border.

Dozens of officials from the National Migration Institute (INM) stationed along the Suchiate River asked for documentation from anyone crossing on a raft, preventing dozens who did not have it from passing.

Early on Monday Guatemalan citizens with either work or business pending in the Mexican side faced dozens of Mexican immigration agents ramping up the usual revisions of papers.

Only those carrying their regional visitor card or work permit were allowed through after receiving a warning to do both entry and exit through the international bridge or risk having their card canceled.

Luis Alberto, a frequent visitor with a transport business on the Mexican side of the river said he usually uses the bridge, but opted today to use a raft because it was faster to get to the other side.

He said immigration agents turned him away and still had to pay the round trip for raft fees.

"You know that if you've got an emergency, you just can't come swimming through the river," he said.

Typically each crossing via raft through the river costs around 2.50 US dollars, and last around two minutes.

Mexico began this weekend with travel restrictions on its southern border, theoretically to avoid contagion by the coronavirus, but no one in the river was talking about the pandemic, but rather about avoiding irregular entries.

In addition, the government announced a new offensive against migrant smuggling focused on detecting groups of families with minors because it is these groups that are arriving in increasing numbers at the southern border of the United States.

The Mexican executive said that documentation controls and sanitary filters would be increased throughout the south and that illegal crossing areas would be monitored with drones and night vision mechanisms.

On Friday hundreds of army troops, National Guard and migration agents paraded through the Chiapas capital ahead of the deployment but on Sunday the military presence by the river was minimal.

According to the INM, these "guides" suggest Central Americans travel with minors to facilitate entry into Mexico and the United States.

The current migration flow has not yet reached 2019 figures but the U.S. administration is concerned about the rapid increase since last October in illegal crossings from Mexico, especially of unaccompanied minors and families.

The last heavy deployment in this area was in January 2020 when hundreds of soldiers blocked large groups trying to enter the country in caravans to reach the US.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Airport Workers Seize 185 Baby Galapagos Tortoises Wrapped in Plastic, Packed in Suitcase

Airport customs officials in Ecuador have intercepted a suitcase packed with 185 baby tortoises, en route from the Galapagos Islands to the mainland. Individually wrapped in plastic, the hatchlings were discovered during a routine baggage inspection on March 28.

Officials at Galapagos Ecological Airport on the island of Baltra estimated that the tortoises were less than 3 months old, reports the BBC. Sadly, 10 of them had died in transit.

Allegedly, Galapagos tortoise hatchlings can fetch around $5,000 per specimen from exotic pet collectors. Airport manager Jorge Rosillo claimed that certain species are really sought after in the Asian market, reports Sky News.

The suitcase, marked souvenirs, was turned in by a transport firm shuttle bound for the city of Guayaquil. Officials believe the smugglers packed the hatchlings tightly in plastic wrap so that no movement would be detected by airport baggage X-ray machines. Yet staffers were suspicious.

Airport officials shared the discovery on Facebook.

As a participant in an effort to combat wildlife trafficking internationallyThe Buckingham Palace DeclarationGalapagos airport authorities consistently train [their] staff and commit to notifying the relevant police authorities on shipments suspected of containing illegal wildlife and its products, they stated.

Ecuadors environment minister Marcelo Mata condemned the smuggling on Twitter as crimes against wildlife and the natural heritage of Ecuadorians.

Smuggling animals from the Galapagos carries a sentence of one to three years in prison. To date, nobody has been arrested in connection to the 185 trafficked tortoises, but members of the transport firm were held for questioning. Police investigation is ongoing.

The 175 surviving hatchlings were placed in the care of Galapagos National Park.

Galapagos tortoises, the longest-lived of all vertebrates, with lifespans of over 100 years on average, are one of many species that are unique to these Pacific Ocean islands.

As an endangered species, the tortoise faces illegal trafficking for the exotic pet trade as one of the biggest threats to its existence.

(Courtesy of Galapagos Ecological Airport)

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Monrovia  The Liberian Senate Wednesday voted 18 out of 24 seated Senators to concur with the House on giving mandate to the Central Bank of Liberia to print a new family of Liberian dollars banknotes but a few Senators of the opposition Collaborating Political Parties are against the procedure.

The Senate took the decision during its extraordinary session presided over by Senate Pro-Tempore Albert Chie on Wednesday. The Senate's decision followed by scrutiny of the House of Representatives resolution by the Senate Joint Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance, Judiciary, Banking, and Currency.

The House of Representatives recently passed the resolution granting permission to the Central Bank of Liberia calling for the printing of a new family of banknotes. Prior to the concurrence, Senators of the Collaborating Political Parties raised many concerns they wanted address before giving their votes for the process.

Senator Abraham Darius of Montserrado County, Nyounblee Karnga Lawrence of Grand Bassa County, Johnathan Boyle Charles Sogbie of River-Gee County, Daniel Naathn of Gbarpolu County voted against giving the mandate because they believe their concerns were not address by the Executive Branch of Government.

Some of the concerns include, measures put in place by the Executive branch of government to guide against duplication, report on the infusion process of the Liberian dollars 4 billion dollars earlier printed by the CDC government and putting in place internal control.

Moments after the Senate plenary decision, Senator Dillon posted on his Facebook page criticizing the procedure used by his colleagues which he said was not done in regard to legal and legislative procedures.

"There is a legal maxim that essentially says, "Anything that is not done right is not done at all." So was the Senate's action today, claiming to "concur with the House of Representatives" regarding the printing of new Liberian banknotes. The action was not done consistent with established legal and legislative procedures."

Dillon stated that the constitutionally required approval of the Legislature for printing of new banknotes and minting of coins cannot be passed by less than two-thirds of the Senate; and never has the Senate ever passed on a Joint Resolution to print money on the strength of less than two-thirds of the Senate and or the House of Representatives.

"Today, the purported "Joint Resolution" did not meet the required threshold of two-thirds signatures; the Resolution was signed by 18 Senators, and 18 Senators cannot constitute two-thirds of the Membership of the Senate that consists of thirty Members. I am therefore consulting Lawyers to advise on the possibility of proceeding to court to place a Stay Order on the unlawful decision."

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In response to Senator Dillon, Senate Pro-Tempore Albert Chie said, there is not constitutional requirement of two third for a resolution for the Senate to give mandate to the Central Bank of Liberia to print money.

The CBL request

The Central Bank of Liberia earlier this year informed lawmakers that it needs L$27.5 billion to stabilize the cash flow in the country as L$22.5 billion is already out of the banking sector.

The money, the CBL said it is indeed to respond to the blanket outlook of the downward trend of the economy and will buy up government debts, a move probably designed to keep borrow costs low.

"The issue of paucity of the Liberian dollars is a grave concern, and whether we need additional banknotes or we need new banknotes, the fact is we need money on the market to be infused into the economy in three years period," said CBL Executive Governor J. Aloysius Tarlue.

The money, Governor Tarlue added, will be printed at a cost of US$21 million equivalent to about L$3.4 billion, while revealing that the recently printed L$4billion is part of L$25.3bn of which L$22.5bn is currently outside the bank.

Governor Tarlue added that the L$10 billion out the money in the banking sector is mutilated because it has lived its lifespan. Tarlue also blamed the coronavirus pandemic for the country's present economic woes, but "stressed that the economic outlook can be redeemed certainly with the printing of the new banknotes."
Announcing the reshuffle shortly after the swearing-in of Vice President Philip Mpango at Chamwino State House in the capital Dodoma, Hassan on Wednesday appointed Mwigulu Nchemba as the Minister of Finance and Planning to replace Mpango, reports Xinhua news agency.

Dodoma, April 1 (IANS) Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has announced the appointment of new Finance Minister and Foreign Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle.

Prior to the new appointment, Nchemba was the Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

The President also appointed Liberata Mulamula as new Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

Mulamula, a seasoned diplomat, replaced Palamagamba Kabudi who becomes the new Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

Mpango was appointed as vice president by President Hassan on Tuesday before Parliament endorsed him.

President Hassan appointed Mpango as Vice President to fill the post that fell vacant after she was sworn in as President following the death of former leader John Magufuli on March 17.

Hassan also appointed Hussein Yahya Katanga, Tanzania's Ambassador to Japan, as new Chief Secretary, replacing Bashiru Ally.

--IANS

ksk/
After the implosion of a little-known investment firm saddled banks around the world with billions of dollars in losses last week, one big question is being asked all over Wall Street: How did they let this happen?

The answer may stem from the way the firm, Archegos Capital Management, with ample assistance from at least half a dozen banks, made bets on stocks without actually owning them.

Archegos used esoteric financial instruments known as swaps, which get their name from the way they exchange one stream of income for another. In this case, Wall Street banks bought certain stocks Archegos wanted to bet on, and Archegos paid the banks a fee. Then, the banks paid Archegos the stocks returns.

These swaps magnified the funds buying power, but they also created a two-pronged problem. Archegos was able to build up much more influence over the share prices of a few companies, including ViacomCBS and Discovery, than it could afford on its own. And because there are few regulations about these types of trades, it was under no disclosure obligations.
Abuja  Nigeria is said to import milk worth over $1.5 billion annually. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono who disclosed this at the National Dairy Policy Stakeholders meeting in Abuja yesterday, said the government is now ready to do everything possible to develop the local dairy sector to enable it meet local demand.

Nigeria's annual demand for milk is 1.6 billion litres, but it can only produce 672 million litres which is just about 40 per cent of local demand, leaving the rest to be imported.

He said despite the fact that Nigeria has over 20 million cows, the nation is far behind when it comes to dairy products.

According to him, "Presently, the Nigerian dairy industry is largely subsistence and consists of local milk production, importation, processing, marketing and consumption. Nigeria's milk production accounts for only 13 per cent of West African production and 0.01 per cent of global dairy output.

"The gap between supply and demand for dairy products is widening as a result of increase in population and urbanisation."

He said it is in view of the need to address the situation that the daft national dairy policy is being developed and charged stakeholders at the event to critically work out ways of ensuring that the dairy sector of the Nigerian economy is made to contribute effectively.

Earlier in his goodwill message, minister of industry, trade and investment, Otumba Niyi Adebayo, said it is unfortunate that a nation like Nigeria with over 20 million cows, only 2.3 million are utilised for large scale dairy production.

He charged the stakeholders especially players and investors to critically consider and vet the draft policy document with a view to making it richer and all encompassing.

He assure that government will consider and harness the inputs, observations and contributions arising from the meeting to be able to take a position that would be in the best interest of the dairy industry and the economy in general.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, who was represented by Dr Anthony Ikechukwu, said the apex bank was ever ready to support genuine efforts meant to develop the nation's agricultural sector.

He said that the bank has been at the forefront of dairy development in the country.
New Delhi, April 1 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday said that it has filed a supplementary charge sheet against two ISIS sympathisers in connection with its probe into ISIS Daesh Bengaluru module case.

An NIA spokesperson here said that the agency has filed a supplementary charge sheet against Ahamed Abdul Cader and Irfan Nasir under several sections of the IPC and the UA (P) Act at NIA Special Court in Bengaluru.

The official said that both the accused persons were part of a terrorist group which identified impressionable Muslim youth and further motivated, radicalised them and also provided funds for their visit to Syria to further the ideology and activities of banned terrorist organization ISIS.

The official said that the agency had registered a case on September 19 last year after the questioning of Dr Abdur Rahman in Islamic State Khorasan province case, who was motivated and sent to Syria to join ISIS in 2013-14 by the terrorist group formed by accused in the instant case.

The official said that painstaking investigative efforts resulted into the busting of an ISIS module wherein, the names of various persons responsible for radicalising and funding the visits of Muslim youth from Bengaluru to ISIS area emerged.

The official said that it was also revealed that Cader, Nasir and some of their associates who are members of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, an international pan-Islamist and fundamentalist organisation, had formed a group namely "Quran Circle" to further their ISIS related activities.

The official said that based on the forensic examination of digital devices seized during the search and meticulous analysis of funds raised and provided by the members of Quran Circle, roles of various accused located abroad and in India, has emerged which is under investigation in the case.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tore into President Joe Biden's administration's handling of the southern border crisis, calling conditions 'barbaric' and 'inhumane' during a town hall Wednesday evening.

'As we've seen there are arrivals and undocumented children  rather unaccompanied children that have come at the border and this had lead to completely inhuman and unacceptable, horrifying conditions of children in CBP [Customs and Border Protection] custody. And it's unacceptable and it's horrifying,' the New York representative told constituents during the virtual event.

She also claimed that families who were separated during Trump's presidency are 'owed reparations Period.'

She did not specify how much the reparations should be, and her office has not yet responded to DailyMail.com request for expansion on her demand.

Ocasio-Cortez bashed Republicans on Twitter Thursday, claiming they are just now starting to care about the issue at the border now that it's under a Democrat administration.

'A lot of people who are just now suddenly horrified at the dehumanizing conditions at our border are the same folks who dehumanize immigrants + helped build these cages in the 1st place,' she wrote in a several-tweet thread.

Republicans, as well many Democrats, have been making trips down to the southern border in the midst of the growing crisis  something of which AOC is also critical.

'For all those who are brand new to this & only care about cages on a partisan basis, catch up: we've been fighting our own party on immigration for a long time,' the progressive congresswoman continued.

'This is the result of Congress endlessly dumping money into CBP/ICE cages vs humane policy,' she tweeted.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Wednesday that the conditions at border facilities under President Joe Biden are 'horrifying,' 'barbaric' and 'unacceptable'

During a virtual town hall Wednesday evening, she said mass unaccompanied minor arrivals have 'lead to completely inhuman and unacceptable, horrifying conditions of children in CBP custody. And it's unacceptable and it's horrifying'

AOC took to Twitter in a lengthy thread where she bashed Republican for just now bringing attention to the border crisis now that it's happening under a Democrat administration

She specifically took aim at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the thread where she also called for the abolition of immigration and border protection agencies

Cruz lashed out at AOC for her thread, claiming abolishing ICE and creating open borders would 'make the border crisis worse'

AOC responded back as the two continue a longtime Twitter feud. She brought up Cruz going to Cancun for vacation when his home state of Texas was experiencing troubles during an unprecedented winter storm

'Maybe Mexico shouldn't let YOU in,' she tweeted

In her thread, Ocasio-Cortez took aim at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, further exacerbating their ongoing Twitter feud.

'@AOC explains the real Dem position: abolish ICE. Full open borders. Which would make the #BidenBorderCrisis even worse,' Cruz wrote in response to the lawmaker's proposals to 'fix' the border crisis.

'She says nothing else works. Really? Last year, we had the lowest illegal immigration IN 45 YEARS. This year, we have the highest in 20 years,' Cruz continued in lauding Trump-era policies.

She responded: 'Ted, this is pretty rich coming from someone who fled their own home (and responsibilities) during an environmental crisis to cross the border and seek refuge in Mexico.'

AOC was referencing a scandal earlier this year when Texas was experiencing a winter storm emergency and Cruz was pictured flying to Cancun with his family for vacation instead of staying in the state to help with the crisis.

'Also you funded cages, expanded cages, and yet you're complaining about cages,' AOC continued. 'You have no policy, just puff.'

'Maybe Mexico shouldn't let YOU in the next time you try to run away from your job to sip umbrella drinks in Cancun,' she tweeted.

'Catch up!' AOC said people just now tuning into the issue should educate themselves on the ongoing issues at the border

She instead suggested getting rid of ICE and other border enforcement agencies

Detention and holding facilities at the southern border are overcrowded  some by more than 1,700% capacity

AOC didn't go as far as to blame Biden for the crisis, claiming the president is working to fix the problem and instead blamed U.S. foreign policy for exacerbating bad situations in Central American countries from where migrants are fleeing.

'I've been in contact with the Biden Administration personally. What is different is they're trying to figure out,' she said. 'How to find the resources to end his problem.'

'I don't want to excuse any of this,' she said of Biden's policies. 'We should be doing better by now.'

The congresswoman's comments came the day after she was slammed for telling supporters during a lengthy Instagram live Tuesday night to stop calling the record number of migrants arriving at the border a 'surge', insisting it is not.

She said using that language places the crisis in a 'militaristic frame'.

'They wanna say, 'But what about the surge?'' Well, first of all, just gut check, stop. Anyone who's using the term 'surge' around you consciously is trying to invoke a militaristic frame,' AOC claimed.

'And that's a problem because this is not a surge, these are children and they are not insurgents and we are not being invaded, which by the way is a white supremacist idea-philosophy, the idea that if another is coming in the population that this is an invasion of who we are,' the congresswoman said.

Critics have labeled the comments 'peak AOC', and ridiculed her for not knowing the difference between the word 'surge' and 'insurgent'.

The critique came after AOC told her Instagram following Tuesday using the word 'surge' to describe the border crisis is incorrect and puts it in a 'militaristic frame'  despite the number of illegal crossings reaching record numbers under Biden

Critics claimed AOC mixed up the meaning of the word 'surge' and 'insurgent'

Overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, Guatemala migrants cross into the U.S. from the Rio Grande

SURGE V. INSURGENT Critics ridiculed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for apparently mixing up the meaning of 'surge' and 'insurgent' when talking about the border crisis. SURGE: A sudden powerful forward movement by a crowd INSURGENT: A rebel or revolutionary WHAT AOC SAID: 'They wanna say, 'But what about the surge?'' Well, first of all, just gut check, stop. Anyone who's using the term 'surge' around you consciously is trying to invoke a militaristic frame.' 'And that's a problem because this is not a surge, these are children and they are not insurgents and we are not being invaded, which by the way is a white supremacist idea-philosophy, the idea that if another is coming in the population that this is an invasion of who we are.' WHAT CRITICS SAID: - 'Not knowing the difference between the meaning of 'surge' and 'insurgent' - and then using it as a talking point about white supremacy - is peak AOC.' - 'It's like no matter what happens she has some half-brained complaint that has nothing to do with what's going. 'Surge' is racist? What the f*** do you even do?' - 'The men and women of the Border Patrol say it's a surge. The men and women at the Border Patrol say it's a crisis. The men and women of the Border Patrol know that these cartels are using these children and family units to drive them across the border and tie up their assets. This is a national security crisis. If she can't understand that or accept that, then she shouldn't be in Congress at all.' Advertisement

In Biden's first few month's in office, the U.S. has seen the highest-ever numbers of illegal border crossers at the U.S.-Mexico border  particularly when it comes to unaccompanied minor migrants.

AOC claims Republicans who are now decrying the situation are the ones who created the problem in the first place.

'Politicians and pundits who are pretending to care about the border now but have continuously voted to expand these cages can sit down,' she demanded.

'You might be new to this, but we're true to this,' AOC added. 'Short-term issue is facilities. Long-term issue is destabilization that's driving migration.'

'For all the new tears GOP have about the border, what are their policy solutions?' she continued in her rant. 'A Muslim ban, racist policy, shutting down the border, & more cages.'

'If you don't want children in cages, then you need to stop upholding CBP, ICE, and the military as the solution to this crisis.'

'Fact is a lot of the politicians crying right now don't work to solve either,' she added.

'They vote to grow ICE + CBP cages and they do everything to avoid addressing the root: US foreign policy and interventionism that destabilizes regions, the climate crisis, and unjust economic policy.'

Biden put Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of the administration's efforts to address the problem, as the White House still refuses to call it a 'crisis.'

Harris, however, has still not visited the southern border or the overflowing facilities as senior officials have walked back on her role, claiming she is more focused on addressing 'root causes' in migrants' home countries.

Ocasio-Cortez seemed to dismiss this in her Twitter rant Thursday.

'A politician's strength isn't based on a trip,' she posted. 'It's based on their policy and voting RECORD.'

'And the fact is a LOT of Ted Cruz types who are now going down to meet refugee children in boats outfitted w/ machine guns are the ones who helped create this problem in the first place,' she insisted, taking aim at the GOP Texas senator.

During a question-and-answer portion of her town hall Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez said: 'The fact that this keeps happening is a political failure of both parties.'

A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled a bill Tuesday that would create a $1 billion emergency fund for border crises, but the proposal requires the Department of Homeland Security to decide on specific metrics that would unlock the money.

The bill, proposed by Homeland Security Committee ranking member John Katko and border district Democrat Henry Cuellar, would prevent DHS from having to reallocate its own funds for food, transportation or clothing during migrant surges.

It's rare that Democrats and Republicans agree on immigration, but there is bipartisan agreement that the situation at the southern border right now has reached a peak.

AOC's critique of the border situation came after she was accused of giving Biden a pass during her Tuesday Instagram video but excoriating former President Donald Trump for his border and immigration policies that also resulted in issues at detention and holding facilities.

During 2019, Ocasio-Cortez visited facilities at the border and said the conditions under Trump were like 'concentration camps.'

Biden's border crisis is many times that of Trump's.

The number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the border is at record levels as well, with children put into small pods at facilities where they sleep on the floor

Facilities were overcrowded, some by nearly 2,000% max capacity, and Customs and Border Protection projections last month showed numbers are expected to reach a record of 26,000 in September, which is more than double the record crossings under the last administration.

Approximately 16,000 minors crossed the southern border in March, a record high.

The influx of children is leading to a bottleneck at custody centers as agencies attempt to make additional accommodations with makeshift facilities along the border.

There were 5,767 children in Customs and Border Protection custody on Sunday, up from 5,495 children on Thursday, according to CBP data. In June 2019, when Donald Trump was president, the highest number of unaccompanied minors in custody was around 2,600, according to CBP data.

Additionally, there are 11,886 children in the custody of Health and Human Services.

Combining the HHS and CBP figures, the Biden administration has more than 17,500 children in custody.

Biden's administration was also facing claims of transparency issues as they refused for weeks to allow journalists into detention facilities to report and capture images on the conditions.

On Tuesday, Biden finally allowed journalists inside its main border detention facility for migrant children.

The tour revealed a severely overcrowded tent structure in Donna, Texas, where more than 4,000 migrants  children and family unites  are crammed into pods.

The youngest are kept in a large, colorful playpen with mats on the floor for sleeping since the facility is flooding by more than 1,700% of its capacity and the dormitories are full.

Border guards say 14%  roughly one in seven  of the migrant children have tested positive for COVID while photos also show detainees being treated for lice, amid fears of an outbreak.
The New York State Sheriffs Institute is seeking support to help send children to summer camp, in addition to its other programming.

Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said in a news release that the institute, which provides centralized training programs and services to county sheriff's offices, will soon begin its annual Honorary Membership drive in Cayuga County.

The flagship program of the institute is the Sheriffs Summer Camp for economically challenged children. The camp, in its 45th year of operation, is located on Keuka Lake and 840 children from across the state attend each summer. The sheriffs institute pays the entire cost of the camp stay and transportation.

In these challenging economic times we cannot forget our children who will not have the opportunity for a summer camp experience or a summer vacation, Schenck said in a statement. By supporting this cause you are supporting the Sheriffs Summer Camp for economically disadvantaged children.

The sheriffs institute also operates a scholarship program that provides one scholarship to each of the states community colleges criminal justice programs.
GJOA HAVEN, NU, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is working together with partners to reduce Northern communities' reliance on diesel for heating and electricity through innovative, locally led solutions, by supporting the use of local renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency.

Today, the Minister of Northern Affairs, the Honourable Daniel Vandal, announced that the Northern Responsible Energy Approach for Community Heat and Electricity program (Northern REACHE) has provided the Hamlet of Gjoa Haven $140,000 over two years (2018-2020) for the installation of a 10 kW solar photovoltaic system on the roof of the local arena.

Solar energy is a renewable alternative to fossil fuels and an efficient and economical way to generate electricity. This project is a part of a series of clean energy initiatives that the Hamlet has been pursuing with World Wildlife Fund Canada and Natural Resources Canada's Indigenous Off-diesel Initiative.

The solar photovoltaic system is installed and generating electricity that the arena uses. Additional unused energy will become available for the local power grid, and Qulliq Energy Corporation will provide a credit to the Hamlet of Gjoa Haven, which will help to offset the overall cost of power consumption. The community will monitor its performance through the installation of smart meter technology.

By supporting an emerging Northern solar power industry, the Government is helping to develop capacity, create local jobs, accelerate the shift to clean energy and keep investments in the North by using local resources to build a regional economy. This will support healthier, more sustainable communities across the North and reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

Through Canada's climate plan, the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, the Government is working with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to a changing climate, and support the transition to a clean growth economy.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is working together, in partnership, to tackle climate change and create economic opportunities with Northerners. By supporting the Hamlet of Gjoa Haven in this project, we reduce Northern communities' reliance on diesel for electricity and heating by increasing the use of local renewable energy sources. This project will bring environmental, social and economic benefits and will allow for stronger, healthier, and more sustainable northern communities. By empowering communities in decision-making and supporting their vision for a green future, we are supporting locally led, innovative solutions by the North, for the North."

The Honourable Daniel Vandal, P.C., M.P.

Minister of Northern Affairs

"Having clean energy has helped the Hamlet by saving us funds by using solar panels on our buildings."

Megan Porter, Mayor of Gjoa Haven

"QEC proudly offers the net metering program to help Nunavut communities offset their energy use. Gjoa Haven's solar system at the local arena is a prime example of how the territory is actively helping to reduce Nunavut's dependency on diesel fuel and cut carbon emissions. The corporation looks forward to further creating new clean energy opportunities in the future."

Rick Hunt, Acting President and CEO of Qulliq Energy Corporation

Quick facts

CIRNAC's climate change programs have invested over $130 million in 615 unique projects, of which $21.5 million has been delivered through Northern REACHE.

in 615 unique projects, of which has been delivered through Northern REACHE. Through Northern REACHE, the Government of Canada has invested $21.5 million to support 118 projects, assisting communities working to reduce their reliance on diesel fuel. These investments are part of Canada ' s nearly $700 million commitment to help rural and remote communities get off diesel, through programs delivered by Natural Resources Canada and Infrastructure Canada.

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

For further information: Antoine Tremblay, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, 819-953-1153; Media Relations, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-934-2302, [email protected]
Hanteo Chart has revealed the Top 10 albums that sold the most in the fourth week of March. K-pop artists such as IU, BLACKPINK Rose, BTS, and more made it to the chart. Keep on reading to know how much these Korean acts earned in the previous week.

Hanteo Chart is the only Korean music chart that totals the album and music sales in real-time, which are gathered from approved stores and websites. The chart's data are used for performance stage votes on music shows such as Show Champion, Inkigayo, Show! Music Core, and so on.

Now that a new month has begun, Hanteo unveiled the rankings for its Weekly Physical Album chart for the fourth week of March. The data are accumulated from March 22 to March 28.

In particular, the Top 10 best-selling albums were revealed through a video uploaded to "WhosfanTV" YouTube channel.

IU, BLACKPINK Rose, and BTS are the Top 3 Best-Selling Albums on Hanteo Chart

IU, who made her much-awaited comeback on March 25, and returned to music shows after four years, impressively took the No. 1 spot on Hanteo's Weekly Physical Album Chart."

Her new album "LILAC" managed to sell a total of 241,479 copies, becoming the No. 1 best-selling album on Hanteo Chart for the fourth week of March.

What makes this achievement more remarkable is that IU's total sales within the fourth week of March were collected in just three days. From March 25 to March 28, IU's "LILAC" sold more than 240,000 copies.

Clinching the No. 2 position is BLACKPINK Rose with her single album "R," which was dropped on March 12. Based on the chart, Rose sold 93,646 album copies from March 22 to March 28.

Rose's single album placed first in the third week of March with a total of 358,742 copies sold. This is the highest Initial Chodong sales amount on Hanteo Chart among the female artists in history.

It is unusual for two female artists to take the first and second spot on Hanteo Chart. Plus, Rose has just debuted as a solo artist yet she's already soaring high on charts not only in South Korea but also overseas.

The third-best-selling album for the fourth week of March on Hanteo Chart is BTS's "BE," which was launched in November 2020. The boy group recently release the album's "Essential Edition," which is different from the previous record.

Based on Hanteo Chart, BTS's BE sold 52,538 copies within the fourth week of March.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: BTS Grabs Two Awards at the 2021 GAFFA-Prisen

WayV and Super Junior Take Fourth and Fifth Spots on Hanteo Chart's Weekly Physical Album Chart

The fourth and fifth positions on Hanteo Chart's Weekly Physical Album Chart are claimed by SM artists.

Super Junior, who returned to the K-pop scene with new music on March 16, scored the No. 4 position on the said chart. The boy band's "The Renaissance" sold a total of 48,783 copies last week.

At No. 5 is WayV, who also made their comeback in March, dropped a new extended play titled "Kick Back." This EP ranked fifth on the said chart with 38,382 total sales.

Below is the Top 10 Best-Selling Album on Hanteo Chart for the 4th Week of March

IU's "LILAC" - 241,479 BLACKPINK Rose's "R" - 93,646 BTS's "BE" - 52,538 Super Junior's "The Renaissance" - 48,783 WayV's "Kick Back" - 38,382 CRAVITY's "Hideout: Be Our Voice - Season 3" - 14,283 NCT Dream's "We Boom" - 8,622 PENTAGON's "Love or Take" - 6,416 NCT 127's "Neo Zone The Final Round" - 6,409 NCT 127's "Neo Zone" - 6,205

For more news updates about other K-Pop news, always keep your tabs open here at Kpopstarz.

Owned by Kpopstarz.

Written by Mhaliya Scott
FTS International, Inc. Introduces Machine Health Automation Technology to Global Manufacturing Leaders

FTS International, Inc. (NYSE American: FTSI) hosted a leading global automobile manufacturer at its National Operations Center ( NOC (News - Alert) ) in Fort Worth, which serves as the hub for FTSI's automation platform, to showcase its data and analytics capabilities.

Last month, FTSI initiated its innovative machine health automation technology and KCF MachineIQ on its first fleet, working for Devon Energy, and is now rolling out this technology across all its fleets.

While the automotive industry is well known for its automation technologies, FTSI has brought a level of machine health analytics to the industrial space that surpasses even those in global companies several orders of magnitude larger.

"Traditional automation programs follow commands based on simple parameters such as cycle times and speed settings," explained Larry Carroll, FTSI's Director of Innovaton, "but these traditional programs are blind to machine health faults and catastrophic failure."







The hydraulic fracturing industry, with its extreme conditions, leaves machinery especially susceptible to breakdowns, which is why FTSI has invested resources over the last three years in the machine learning and analytics necessary to drive more intelligent equipment automation commands. Mr. Carroll continued, "While these fault algorithms and automation commands are helping FTSI today, there's no reason other industries cannot benefit from the technical foundation we've created."

While the automobile manufacturer's name remains confidential, one of this global organization's senior executives commented, "Today's visit was eye opening. FTSI is at the cutting-edge of machine health innovation."

About FTS (News - Alert) International, Inc.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, FTS International is a pure-play hydraulic fracturing service company with operations across multiple basins in the United States.

To learn more, visit www.FTSI.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005807/en/
Finance Minister Conor Murphy has guaranteed funding for a Troubles victims pension scheme regardless of the outcome of ongoing wrangling with Westminster.

Mr Murphy has said the funding, estimated at around 19-20m for the first year of the scheme, will be available, even if the UK Government refuse to contribute.

It comes after the Executive finally approved a budget for 2021/22 on Thursday.

Mr Murphy had accused First Minister Arlene Foster of blocking his proposals, with the DUP saying the Sinn Fein MLA's budget did not have the support of all parties.

This year's budget includes 13 billion of Resource funding and 1.78 billion of Capital funding.

Nearly half of all funding (6.5bn) will got to the health service with 430m in additional Covid-19 funding and another 20m to increase the number of nurses for safe staffing. A further 100 million is being held back for allocation in the coming months pending an assessment of the Department of Health's requirements.

A total of 286m will go towards the Economic Recovery Action plan, with 145m for the high street stimulus voucher scheme.

The budget also includes 12.3m to allow the PSNI to recruit another 100 officers, 20m for the Casement Park stadium project and 162.5m for new social housing.

Nearly 100m will be spent on education and young people, with nearly 45 million to support children and teachers as they return to school and 20 million for the Jobstart programme which will create job opportunities for those aged 16 to 24 at risk of long-term unemployment.

There will be 25m for the delivery of benefits on top of 42.8m to continue welfare mitigations, 9m to support initiatives tackling homelessness and 6 million for the Supporting People programme to support vulnerable people living independently.

The Finance Minister said he had prioritised economic stimulus and support for young people in the budget as Northern Ireland emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Murphy said an agreement with the Treasury to carry over funding from the previous financial year had resulted in an improvement from his initial draft budget.

However, the Finance Minister noted the budget would "seek to protect key public services in a very challenging financial context".

"I hope that this one-year Budget acts as a bridge to a multi-year budget which allows the Executive to properly reprioritise its spending and plan for the longer-term," he said.

The final budget will be subject to Assembly debate and vote following Easter Recess.

SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole welcomed the agreement on the budget, but hit out at "predictable brinkmanship and chaos" from Sinn Fein and the DUP.

"We still have scant detail beyond a skeletal written statement issued to MLAs in the final hours before the Easter weekend," the party's finance spokesperson said.

"This unedifying and unstrategic process  with no evidence of a strategy guiding spending - only serves to highlight the need for a massive overhaul of how we manage our finance."

The long-awaited Troubles pension scheme has been repeatedly delayed with the Executive at loggerheads with the UK Government over who should pay to compensate victims injured through no fault of their own.

In February the Court of Appeal ruled that the Executive Office had a legal responsibility to pay for the pension and gave them four weeks to find a solution.

Executive Office officials have estimated the cost of the scheme at anywhere from 600m to 1.2bn.




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State Rep. Laura Sibilia, I-Windham-Bennington, is vice chair of the House Energy & Technology Committee. State Rep. Tim Briglin, D-Windsor-Orange-2, is chairman of the House Energy & Technology Committee. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of the Brattleboro Reformer.
Shoppers are calling for Aldi to overhaul their supermarket trolley design, claiming the 1.1metre-tall trolleys are dangerous for customers.

Marilee, from South Australia, said the 212-litre trolleys available at the German-owned supermarket come up to her neck and are 'too hard to handle' for smaller or less stable people.

'They are dangerous especially to the elderly and people like me who has had four spinal surgeries,' said the woman who is 155cm tall.

Shoppers are calling for Aldi to overhaul their supermarket trolley design, claiming the 1.1metre-tall trolleys are dangerous for customers

Not only is handling the trolley a problem but the woman also struggles to reach into the bottom of the cart to get her shopping.

'Reaching in to put your stuff on the checkout escalator always hurts,' she complained.

'The only reason they are so big and deep is to trick a shopper that they haven't filled it much.'



Marilee is also scared of other trolley users and says someone could crash into her and cause a serious injury.

'Those trolleys could break our collar bones easily,' she said.

And she isn't the only only one - with one woman claiming the trolleys look like they were 'built for giants' before explaining she is less than 150cm tall.

'It would be good if you had some trollies in size like Coles. You could always put a sign on them saying STRICTLY Little people,' she suggested.

Shoppers have been complaining about the super-sized trolleys since they were introduced to the supermarket in 2016.

One Aldi shopper said she felt like a 'three-year-old pushing mummy's trolley' and one man said his pregnant wife lost control of a cart while their two young sons were sitting inside.

Marilee, from South Australia, said the 212-litre trolleys available at the German-owned supermarket come up to her neck and are 'too hard to handle' for smaller people

Not only is handling the trolley a problem but the woman also struggles to reach into the bottom of the cart to get her shopping

'Aldi your trolleys are so unsafe,' the Perth man said at the time.

'My pregnant wife was pushing a trolley of yours with our shopping and two sons in it and it went down a small ramp to go onto the road in the car park at Joondalup.

'They are so top heavy when loaded up. The potential for something to go wrong is huge'.

Others said the trolleys were 'simply ridiculous' while many asked if the chain would consider 'bringing back' the old trolleys.

People have also complained about the size of the Costco trolleys.

'My sister is barely 150cm tall and you can barely see her pushing the trolley. On the plus side, ramming people out of the way with your trolley, has never been so fun,' one man said.

While others said the giant carts are the regular size in America.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Aldi for comment, but understands they are not considering changing the size of their shopping trolleys.
Seeking a Tier 1 discovery

The largest exploration title and application holder in Colombia, a well-known gold address

De-risking assets steadily via social and environmental work

What does:

Limited ( ) ( ) is a mining company with an experienced management team and assets in Colombia and Nicaragua.

The company employs a project generator model that leverages its team's ability to find and secure early-stage exploration projects, advance them through reconnaissance and target generation stages and then bring in a partner to assist with funding the development of the project, or sell its interest in the project to bring in additional capital.

In its corporate presentation, Royal Road says its aim is to find so-called 'Tier 1' gold and copper mines in areas they are most likely and also most needed.

While there is no official definition of such a deposit, the term has become part of the language of mining since titan BHP PLC ( ) vowed to invest only in "tier one" assets that were 'large, long-life, low cost and expandable'.

To give an idea of a resource figure for such a deposit, refer perhaps to Ecuador-focused SolGold, which said late in 2018 that its Alpala resource was Tier 1 and now estimated to contain 13.1 million tonnes of copper equivalent.

For Royal Road, it is worth highlighting that in the last 15 years, more than 50 million ounces of new gold has been discovered in Colombia, a country where all major mining groups have a presence.

The Southern Block lies contiguous with Royal Road's existing 3,500 sq km of exploration rights in Narino Province, while the Northern Block covers the well-known Middle Cauca Belt, a region hosting over 50 million ounces of recently discovered gold resources.

How it is doing:

In March, Royal Road said it has restarted drilling at its Caribe gold project in northeastern Nicaragua, while also revealing a set of new drill results including 90 metres at 1 gram per tonne (g/t) gold.

Caribe is part of Toronto-based Royal Roads strategic alliance with Hemco Mineros Nicaragua and is located in the highly prospective Golden Triangle region of the country.

Previous interim drilling results from Caribe, released in February, included 63 meters at 1 g/t gold in addition to 100.45 meters at 1 g/t gold.

Also in March, the company announced plans to sell its entire 50% interest in the Luna Roja Project in Nicaragua to Mineros SA.

The Luna Roja Project comprises the Monte Carmelo I and Monte Carmelo II mining concessions. It is currently jointly owned and operated by Royal Roads and Hemco-Nicaragua SA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mineros.

Mineros will pay a purchase price of US$22.5 million in cash on the closing of the proposed transaction, plus a 1.25% net smelter royalty on all future mineral production from the Monte Carmelo I and Monte Carmelo II mining concessions. As well, Royal Roads will invest US$7.5 million over a five-year period in exploration joint ventures carried out by it and Mineros.

What the analyst says:

Proactive Research analyst Ryan Long published an update on Royal Road Minerals on March 31, saying the company has consistently discovered gold and copper mineralisation at its Nicaraguan and Colombian Projects.

Long noted Royal Road has now reached a point in its evolution where it is starting to monetise the more advanced projects while continuing to advance the early-stage projects.

A great example of the success the company is having with this strategy is the Luna Roja Gold Project, which was part of Royal Road's 50:50 strategic alliance with Mineros, he added.

This project was jointly funded and advanced by the partners from early-stage exploration through to initial exploration drilling that resulted in the discovery of a large gold-bearing skarn.

Long wrote that Royal Road is now in the process of selling its 50%-interest in the project to its partner, Mineros, for US$22.5 million and a 1.25% net smelter royalty (NSR) on all future production.

He also said the company has the ability to repeat this success with its other more advanced projects, such as the Caribe Gold Project, where the partners have discovered a large low-grade, gold-bearing alkaline diatreme breccia with the potential for an associated porphyry intrusion at depth. Drilling to test this deeper target is currently underway.

At the Guintar-Niverengo-Margaritas (GNM) Gold Project the partners plan to recommence drilling in May to test deeper, intrusion or porphyry-related, vein or breccia bodies.

Alongside this more advanced exploration work, Royal Road is also advancing earlier-stage exploration projects from its 5,400km2 ground holding in Colombia and Nicaragua.

Inflection points:

More drill results

Potential joint ventures

Improving gold prices

What the boss said:

Commenting on the companys decision to sell its Luna Roja Project stake, Royal Road Minerals CEO Tim Coughlin said in a statement: This is a model transaction, anticipated under the terms of our successful strategic alliance with Mineros and in-keeping with the ambitions of both companies.

Our focus moves now to the exciting Caribe gold discovery, located just 16km to the south of Luna Roja and to other promising gold and copper projects we are advancing together, throughout the highly prospective 'Golden Triangle' and elsewhere in Nicaragua, Coughlin added.

Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com
Irelands plan to ramp up the vaccine rollout in April has been dealt a blow after the Tanaiste said there will be a drop in the expected number of vaccines delivered this month.

Leo Varadkar said that fewer than a million doses of the vaccine will be delivered in April.

Last week, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly told the Dail that 1.1 million doses were scheduled to be delivered over the next four weeks.

I would like to get about a million a month through April, May and June, but it will be less than a million in April, more than a million in May and June, Mr Varadkar said on Thursday.

#COVID19 vaccines are already bringing hope to our communities. In Dublin's Aviva Stadium, staff are working hard to continue the rollout of the vaccine. Watch our video to learn more about this vaccine centre and the people who work there #OurHealthService pic.twitter.com/bq6Gr92jU3  HSE Ireland (@HSELive) March 31, 2021

Mr Varadkar said the Government can never be certain about supplies, adding that things can go wrong.

We do expect to have most adults vaccinated by the end of May and the vast majority of adults offered their first dose no later than the end of June, he added.

Some 112,000 vaccines arrived in Ireland on Wednesday, which means the Government reached its projection of receiving 1.187 million vaccines in the first quarter of the year.

The Government also plans to administer a total of one million doses by April 7.

On Wednesday, Mr Donnelly told the Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting that 860,000 vaccines would be delivered in April.

It will be less than a million in April, more than a million in May and June Tanaiste Leo Varadkar

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said: Can you clarify just exactly what is the situation in relation to the number that will be vaccinations in April?

The Kildare North TD also said the controversy over the Beacon Hospital has undermined social solidarity.

The private hospital in Dublin has been at the centre of controversy after it emerged that it used spare jabs to vaccinate teachers from an exclusive school.

The hospital has launched an independent investigation.

At Leaders' Questions, @CathMurphyTD says the #beaconhospital scandal has undermined social solidarity. These vaccines were taken from people with underlying health conditions in cohort 4. pic.twitter.com/M7zaVwRQjS  Social Democrats (@SocDems) April 1, 2021

I talk to people in their 30s and 40s with advanced cancers. In most cases, they have children, Ms Murphy added.

Many I talked to told me that they literally havent been able to leave the house for the last year because of the risk of Covid.

People with conditions like CF (cystic fibrosis) or serious cardiac conditions, people describing just how afraid they are, often talking to you trying to hold back the tears.

I dont think its fully appreciated just how damaging this scandal has been and how it undermines social solidarity.

None of us like the restrictions, and we all feel that the last year has been a stolen year, but with someone with a life-limiting condition and the precious moments that they spend indeed with their children is beyond calculation in terms of the importance of time.

The vaccine wasnt stolen from you and I, it was stolen from those in cohort four. Thats just the reality of it.

Great response today from local communities to the walk-in PCR pop-up centres.



2,557 people turned up today - nearly 700 in Grangegorman alone.



Thanks to @AmbulanceNAS, our public health teams and everyone else involved . pic.twitter.com/KnYobe0bAu  Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) March 31, 2021

There has to be consequences otherwise we will see this happen again.

Its also clear that theres a huge deficit of information. I certainly talked to people who told me they were told that they might get a vaccination within six weeks  thats early May.

There needs to be clarity here and better communication.

Mr Varadkar said that what happened at the Beacon was wrong.

The Governments rules and the Government regulations, the HSEs rules and regulations, were not followed, he added.

That does undermine peoples confidence in the vaccine rollout and is terribly unfair on people whove been cocooning or people whove been stuck in their homes for the best part of the year.

Mr Varadkar said the decision to overhaul the vaccination rollout plan was made on public health advice from doctors and scientists from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.

That does undermine people's confidence in the vaccine rollout and is terribly unfair on people who've been cocooning Leo Varadkar

After the most vulnerable and people over 70 have been inoculated, the rollout will be based on age groups, and not occupations as previously planned.

Its made for very good reasons, and a very good reason is that people in their 50s and 60s are at much higher risk of getting severely ill or dying from Covid than people in their 20s and 30s, Mr Varadkar said.

As someone in their 30s has 0.2% chance of dying from Covid, somebody in their 50s is 1.3%, six times higher.

For somebody in their 40s is 0.4%, for somebody in their 60s is 3.6%  nine times higher.

There is no group, no profession, other than healthcare workers, that is at higher risk of getting severely ill from Covid or dying from Covid, than the average person in their 60s and thats why it makes sense to prioritise people in their 60s and 50s.

One thing that is very advantageous, I think, about moving towards an age-based system is that it is simple. All you need is proof of date of birth.
Vijayapura : , April 1 (IANS) In a sudden move, the Karnataka police on Thursday shifted the parents of the woman at the centre of the sleaze CD case to Nidagundi from Belagavi district, where they have been provided adequate security measures. Meanwhile, the parents continued to plead through the media that they want their daughter back home.

The police apparently made this move after mediapersons regularly asked for the parents' reaction.

"We are fed up with giving reactions. We have just come here. One of my relatives is not keeping well. We can not give a reaction to whatever happens in Bengaluru. We are also equally clueless like you (Media). Unless my daughter comes back home, I cannot speak with you all," the father of the woman said.

Her brother said the last they spoke with his sister was on March 2. "After this we have not heard anything from her. We want to meet her. We want to live in peace. We are fed up with this torment," he said.

He alleged that his sister was held captive by people controlled by KPCC president D. K. Shivakumar. "Why would we make allegations about him? Until my sister told me I was not aware what position he held. All we knew is that he is a powerful politician. Before she was fully taken into his (Shivakumar) control, she had taken his name without any fear. This proves that he is behind this, We have 11 audio clips, of which two are released, nine are yet to be released but produced before the authorities concerned," he said in response to a question.

Meanwhile reacting to the family's allegations, KPCC president D. K. Shivakuamr quipped that they (family) must be taking his name only to market themselves in the media. "If my name can help them stay afloat, let them be happy. All I can say, I have nothing to do with this case. I do not wish to react anymore," he said.
Antonio Guterres (L), the U.N. Secretary General, speaks as Vietnam's Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh looks on at a U.N. Security Council meeting chaired by Vietnam in January, 2020. Photo by Vietnam News Agency.

Vietnam will serve as United Nations Security Council (UNSC) president starting Thursday, its second time in the seat during the 2020-21 tenure.

"Vietnam's commitment in this term is 'being a partner for sustainable peace'," Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said as Vietnam assumes the rotational month-long presidency.

"As president, Vietnam will focus on finding satisfactory and sustainable solutions to solve conflicts, promote dialogue, resolve disputes by peaceful means, strengthen the role of regional organizations, put the people at the center, and boost humanitarian policies that aim at vulnerable groups," he said.

Vietnam started a two-year UNSC non-permanent membership term on Jan. 3 last year along with five other non-permanent members  Estonia, Niger, Tunisia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

For this term, Vietnam assumed the UNSC's rotating presidency for the first time in January, the second time it has done so.

As scheduled, the nation will chair around 30 meetings and events and represent the UNSC in working with non-member nations, other U.N. organizations and international institutions and the media during April.

One of the most important upcoming events is the UNSC open debate slated for April 19 with the theme "strengthen cooperation between the United Nations (U.N.) and regional organizations in promoting trust and dialogue in conflict prevention and resolution."

Vietnam will also chair a ministerial meeting on overcoming bomb and mine consequences and maintaining sustainable peace. For this meeting on April 8, Vietnam will share experiences and promote international cooperation in the issue.

Another ministerial meeting on April 27 to discuss what needs to be done in protecting civilians during armed conflicts, with focus on guaranteeing access to clean water, power, and hospitals.

"Given Vietnam's increasing potential, position and prestige, we have a strong belief that Vietnam would successfully complete the role of UNSC president."

The UNSC, one of the six principal organs of the U.N., is charged with ensuring international peace and security, accepting new members to the U.N. and approving any changes to its charter.

Vietnam was a non-permanent member for the 2008-2009 term, and acted as the councils president in July 2008 and October 2009.

Last January, Vietnam had for the second time in history become a non-permanent member of the UNSC after securing 192 out of a total of 193 votes, a record high number of votes. A candidate must secure at least two-thirds of all votes for a non-permanent seat in the council.

For the presidency, 15 member and non-member nations of the UNSC typically take turns to assume the post.
NASHVILLE --- National Ag Day was recently celebrated on March 23 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and many other federal agencies, organizations, universities, and other stakeholders recognized farmers and private landowners, their families and workers who produce food, fiber and fuel for the nation and the world. The theme this year was Food Brings Everyone to the Table.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency joins to recognize the farmers and landowners for the role they play in providing habitat for wildlife and helping put healthy organic and nutritional food on the table in terms of harvested wildlife. In previous years, the day was celebrated in Tennessee at Nashvilles War Memorial Plaza but was not held this year due to the pandemic.

Farming and forestry dominate Tennessee's landscape with close to 67,000 farms producing and selling crops, livestock, and forest products. Forty percent, or 10.8 million acres, of the state's and area is in farmland. More than 14 million acres of farm and non-farm forest lands generate about $300 million annually in timber sales, making Tennessee one of the nation's leading producers of hardwood lumber.

Private lands comprise the bulk of habitat for many of Tennessees wildlife species. Some species are found only on private land. TWRA recognizes this importance and has several wildlife habitat biologists who develop plans and make recommendations to help private landowners better manage their land for wildlife and direct them to funding assistance when available.

In an age of heightened public awareness of nutritional content and pesticide residue in the food consumed and where it is grown, raising and eating organic vegetables, fruits and meat are getting a growing amount of attention. Wild game such as venison, rabbits and ducks are widely recognized for a low-fat content. Sport hunting of wildlife can provide nutritional and lean wild grown meat. Many tasty recipes for wild game can be found in books and on the internet. [

There also is a locavore movement that emphasizes getting food grown or raised close to home and hunting wild game certainly can fit that criteria.

---TWRA---
New Delhi:

Terrorists on Thursday hurled grenade on Police Party at a bus stand in Tral area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Three civilians lost their lives in grenade attack by terrorists.

Terrorists had opened fire after lobbing grenade. A total of 10 civilians and 7 CRPF personnel got injured in the attack.

Earlier on Wednesday, one Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Head Constable martyred and one other injured in a terrorist attack on SSB camp at Banihal town in Jammu and Kashmirs Ramban district.

The attack happened on the party of 14 battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal near Ramban. The party was responsible for security of the Banihal Tunnel.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Chiefs of staff of the Russian and U.S. militaries held a telephone call, the U.S. military reported.

Both sides provided few details of the call between Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and General Valery Gerasimov, the head of Russians military general staff.

But the call comes as Ukraine has said that Russia is building up armed forces near its borders in a threat to the countrys security.

"The two military leaders exchanged their views on issues of mutual concern," a U.S. military readout of the call said.

Similar calls between the top military officials in the United States and Russia have taken place occasionally, including one earlier this year, Reuters reported.
Hours after midnight Thursday morning, the Republican-dominated Texas Senate approved a bill that will restrict voting access in the name of preventing fraud.

This bill is about making it easy to vote and hard to cheat, the bills author, state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said in a video to supporters about 2 a.m. We had a long debate. Scores of amendments were offered, and at the end of the day, Texas passed a strong election integrity bill that we can be proud of.

Yet Democrats repeatedly warned throughout the debate of disproportionate effects that Senate Bill 7 would have on minority voters in a state that already has some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country. They also characterized the bill as part of a national GOP effort to clamp down on voting after the party lost the White House and the Senate last year, even in the absence of evidence to substantiate claims of widespread voter fraud.

As I see this bill, its a pure case of suppression. There are some things in here that are really offensive, said Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston. This hurts to the core.

ANALYSIS: At least 72% of AG Ken Paxtons voter fraud prosecutions target people of color

Despite those objections, the bill passed on a party-line vote, with all 18 Republicans in favor and all 13 Democrats opposed.

Just two parts of the bill received bipartisan support  a requirement, plus funding, for counties to use voting machines that produce a paper trail and another for the secretary of state to develop an electronic mail ballot tracking system for counties.

The House has a similar voting bill, House Bill 6, that would raise penalties for election fraud violations and impeding a poll watcher. The House Elections Committee began to hear testimony on the measure early Thursday and continued to question witnesses well into the evening, with legislators and testifiers repeating many of the arguments discussed in the Senate.

Hughes denied that the Senate bill was part of a national push by GOP-led states, bringing attention to a similar bill he authored last session, SB 9, that included some of the same provisions.

Texas has been working on this for some time, years and years, Hughes said. This is not part of some national discussion.

Heres a rundown of the major provisions of the bill:

1. Allows partisan poll watchers to video record voters

The bill would allow partisan poll watchers who reasonably believe they are witnessing election laws being broken to record video or audio at the polls and submit it to the secretary of state for review. The videos would not be allowed to be released publicly.

Poll watchers  volunteers assigned by candidates and political parties  also must be allowed to be near enough to see and hear election officers and cannot be denied free movement.

Democrats raised concerns that the provision would result in voter intimidation  especially of people of color  by poll watchers.

Toni Pippins-Poole, Dallas countys election director, reported in 2018 that poll watchers who insulted voters and interrogated them while they stood in line created a level of harassment that was unlike anything shed seen in her 30-year career.

2. Puts new restrictions on polling place locations in large counties

Under the bill, large counties would have to set polling places and the number of voting machines based on the number of eligible voters in a given state House district.

Isnt it ironic that this formula, just by happenstance, once again, just applies to urban counties that are Democratic? said Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas.

Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, said the provision would cause a very stunning discrepancy in the 14 House districts that would lose polling locations  of those, 12 are in districts represented by House members who are Black, Latino or of Asian descent.

The intent of this is to prevent either party to use partisan advantage to place polling places in a way that favors their party over the other party, Hughes said. The idea is to equalize based on eligible voters, not voter turnout, but eligible voters. We cannot imagine a more objective criteria to use.

3. Bans overnight and drive-thru voting

These expansions were pioneered by Harris County election officials in the 2020 election. SB 7 would limit early voting hours to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and prohibit drive-thru voting by clarifying that polling places cannot be in a tent or other temporary movable structure or in a facility primarily designed for motor vehicles.

Hughes has said the purpose of the ban is to ensure that poll watchers are available.

Alvarado questioned the motivation for these provisions after citing estimates from Harris Countys election office that Black and Latino voters cast more than half of drive-thru and extended-hour votes.

Theres nothing in this bill that has to do with targeting specific groups, Hughes said. The rules apply across the board.

4. Prohibits mass-mailing of absentee ballot applications

Another novel 2020 voting expansion by Harris County election officials targeted in the bill was the attempt to send millions of registered voters applications to vote by mail, an effort to make voters aware of more convenient voting options during the pandemic.

Republicans sued over the plan, saying it might confuse noneligible mail voters, and the Texas Supreme Court sided with the party, forcing the county to toss reams upon reams of the paperwork.

A provision that would have required voters with a disability  one of the few groups allowed to vote by mail in Texas  to provide backup documentation, such as a doctors note or Social Security Administration paperwork, was removed in an amendment Thursday.

5. Requires paperwork for drivers of curbside voters

The bill would require nonrelatives who drive three or more curbside voters to the polls at the same time to fill out a form given to them by the early voting clerk that would be sent to the secretary of state. Texas law allows curbside voting only for voters who physically cannot enter the polling place without help or the likelihood of injuring themselves.

The form for drivers would be made available for the attorney general only if theres an investigation after theres a complaint from a voter, Hughes said.

Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, said the provision really doesnt have a lot to do with securing the polls other than maybe in some instance someone gave someone a ride to the poll if theyll vote the way they ask them.

Hughes said it was added upon the recommendation of Starr County officials in the Rio Grande Valley who had experienced problems with curbside assistants.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
Human food scraps could be used to create high-quality food for farmed fish, leading to a more sustainable global fish economy, according to a team of researchers at The University of Western Australia.

PhD student Katarina Doughty, from UWAs Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences said the global dependence on fish products  both farmed and wild-caught  was rising, with roughly three billion people relying on seafood as a primary source of protein.

The population is expected to exceed 9.6 billion by 2050, and the seafood sector is under great pressure to maximize production, while remaining within sustainable planetary boundaries. Katarina Doughty, PhD student UWAs Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences

The research, funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, found organic food waste destined for landfill could be repurposed and used to raise black soldier fly larvae, which could then be fed to farmed fish to achieve better fish growth and performance.

The insect larvae  which are high in vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids  contain about 40 per cent protein and 30 per cent fat, making it a promising food to use in aquaculture environments.

Aquaculture, a practice which involves cultivating aquatic animal populations such as freshwater and saltwater fish under controlled conditions, is becoming an important source of human food.

Globally, we are harvesting wild fish at their maximum levels, which makes further reliance on wild-caught fish unsustainable, Ms Doughty said.

She said further development would be needed before aquaculture facilities could deliver long-term sustainable food production.

Aquaculture can fill the gap between wild harvesting limits and consumer demand, but only if we develop sustainable feed alternatives that maintain fish growth, performance and health.

Cultivating fish populations in aquaculture facilities often relies on wild-caught fish or agricultural sources, like poultry and soybean, which could be used directly by humans rather than as a feed source for high value fish.

Ms Doughty is researching the use of black soldier fly as a feed source for rainbow trout, a globally important aquaculture species which is grown in 75 countries and almost every continent.

PhD student Isobel Sewell, from UWAs Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, is analyzing how black soldier fly larvae could be used to farm two important Australian aquaculture species, barramundi and marron.

I hope to use the findings of my research to develop new sustainable farming practices specific to both species, with the goal of aiding the development of sustainable aquaculture industries in Western Australia. Isobel Sewell, PhD student, UWAs Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences

The work is supported by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation in collaboration with WAs Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Future Green Solutions Ltd, Ridley Agriproducts Pty Ltd, GEA, and ChemCentre.

Food waste helps secure future fish Play

Video Credit: University of Western Australia
STAY SAFE, STATEN ISLAND: This story is part of a series examining crime trends in communities across our borough.



STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Staten Island was the only borough in New York City to see an increase in hate crimes in 2020, with one precinct on the North Shore reporting as many incidents as any other in the city.

Still, officials here say there is an explanation for at least a large part of that spike.

Overall in 2020, Staten Island saw 18 hate-crime incidents, an increase of eight compared to 2019, according to an analysis of data from the New York City Police Department conducted by the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com.

Of those 18 incidents, 14 were reported within the 120th Precinct, the data shows.

The North Shore command was the one with the highest number of hate crimes reported in New York City along with the 70th Precinct in Brooklyn and the 10th Precinct in Manhattan, each of which also reported 14 incidents, according to the data.

The 120th Precinct incidents included six targeting Black victims, three Jewish, two white, two male members of the LBGTQ+ community, and one Asian victim, the data indicates.

Despite the spike, the borough recorded the least amount of hate crimes in the city.

WHATS BEHIND THE SPIKE?

Law-enforcement officials say a large part of the spike on Staten Island is caused by the alleged actions of one West Brighton man who is accused of scrawling racist graffiti on political posters and a bus stop on the North Shore on four different occasions.

Ralph Tedesco, 64, a resident of the 400 block of Davis Avenue, is currently facing hate-crime charges after he scrawled n---- and " no n---- on the posters of North Shore City Council candidates Kelvin Richards and Ranti Ogunleye, who are both Black, on March 14, Aug. 31 and Sept. 3 of last year, according to the criminal complaint.

On Sept. 3, 2020 Tedesco also allegedly wrote BLACK SLAVES MATTER. THEY WILL NEVER BE EQUAL. KILL THE N----- on a bus stop bench in the vicinity of Forest Avenue and North Burgher Avenue, the criminal complaint indicates.

I think we all agree 18 people doing one individual thing is worse than maybe having two people doing nine bad things. We dont want any, but one person doing 20 bad things I think is a little better than 20 people, said Mark Palladino, chief trial counsel and assistant district attorney in charge of hate crimes. Its showing that Staten Island is getting along and is a melting pot and I think it reflects well in the community in some ways.

Regardless, if you discount the incidents Tedesco has been charged with, the 120th Precinct would have still been the precinct with the second-highest increase in hate crimes in 2020 and Staten Island as a whole still would have been the only borough that saw an increase in cases while the other boroughs saw a decrease, the data shows.

In all the other precincts on Staten Island, hate crimes decreased in 2020, the data indicates.

The 121st Precinct reported two cases  in which a Jewish and a white person were targeted  in 2020 as opposed to the four reported in 2019 and both the 122nd and 123rd precincts reported one hate crime each year, according to the data.

The sole incident in the 122nd Precinct involved a Jewish person and the one in the 123rd Precinct a Black person, the NYPD data shows.

The Bronx saw a decrease of 10 cases; Brooklyn a decrease of 87 cases; Manhattan a decrease of 46 cases and Queens a decrease of 20 cases.

New York City overall saw a decrease of 155 cases, or 37%, in 2020, the data shows.

HOW THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED HATE

District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said he believes the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected the way his office conducts outreach in the community to prevent hate crimes making it difficult to do interactive programming, something that would be done immediately whenever hatred shows its ugly head.

COVID has made it a little more difficult, McMahon said. When an incident would occur here, in the past, we would immediately bring members of the community together.

With hate crimes across the nation up, particularly against Asians, McMahon said that the coronavirus pandemic has definitely altered peoples lives.

We see it across the country: People are frightened, people are confused, unfortunately some people are angry, McMahon said. The impact on mental health and the need for really upping our game in dealing with mental health is something that we see here everyday and I think that a natural outgrowth of that is hate crimes unfortunately, and that is not acceptable.

McMahon continued: COVID certainly exposed somewhat of a raw underbelly of society and that unfortunately manifests itself with acts of hatred.



STAY SAFE, STATEN ISLAND: Related coverage
NEW YORK  A parolee convicted of killing his mother nearly two decades ago was arrested on assault and hate crime charges in an attack on an Asian American woman in New York City, police said Wednesday.

Police said Brandon Elliot, 38, is the man seen on surveillance video kicking and stomping the woman near Times Square on Monday. They said Elliot was living at a hotel that serves as a homeless shelter a few blocks from the scene of the attack. He was taken into custody at the hotel around midnight. Tips from the public led to his apprehension, police said.

Elliot was convicted of stabbing his mother to death in the Bronx in 2002when he was 19. He was released from prison in 2019 and is on lifetime parole. The parole board had previously twice denied his release. His record also included an arrest for robbery in 2000.

For the life of me, I dont understand why we are releasing or pushing people out of prison  not to give them second chances, but to put them into homeless facilities or shelters, or in this case a hotel  and expect good outcomes, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at a news conference Wednesday. We need real opportunities. We need real safety nets.

Elliot, who is Black, faces charges of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, assault and attempted assault in Mondays attack. It wasnt immediately known whether he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. He was expected to be arraigned by video Wednesday.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said prosecutors will seek to have Elliot jailed without bail pending trial. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, Vance said.

A law enforcement official identified the victim as 65-year-old Vilma Kari. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. Karis daughter told The New York Times that she emigrated from the Philippines several decades ago.

Kari, who was repeatedly kicked and stomped, suffered serious injuries including a fractured pelvis, the law enforcement official said. She was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, a hospital spokesperson said. Kari has been speaking to police, Shea said.

Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez said the victim is Filipina American.

The countrys foreign secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr., condemned the attack, writing on Twitter: This is gravely noted and will influence Philippine foreign policy. He didnt elaborate how.

The Philippines and United States are longtime treaty allies, but Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte is a vocal critic of U.S. security policies who has moved to terminate a key agreement that allows largescale military exercises with U.S. forces in the Philippines.

I might as well say it, so no one on the other side can say, We didnt know you took racial brutality against Filipinos at all seriously. We do, Locsin said.

Kari was walking to church in midtown Manhattan when police said Elliot kicked her in the stomach, knocked her to the ground, stomped on her face, shouted anti-Asian slurs and told her, You dont belong here before casually walking away as onlookers watched. Shea called it a completely unprovoked violent attack on an innocent, defenseless woman.

This brave woman belongs here, Vance said. Asian American New Yorkers belong here. Everyone belongs here.

Mondays attack, among the latest in a national spike in anti-Asian hate crimes, drew widespread condemnation and concerns about the failure of bystanders to intervene. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the attack absolutely disgusting and outrageous and said it was absolutely unacceptable that witnesses didnt help the woman.

The attack happened just weeks after a mass shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent, and just a few days after a 65-year-old Asian American woman in the same midtown Manhattan neighborhood was threatened and heckled with anti-Asian slurs. The surge in violence has been linked in part to misplaced blame for the coronavirus pandemic and former President Donald Trumps use of terms like Chinese virus.

This image taken from surveillance video provided by the New York City Police Department shows a person of interest in connection with an assault of an Asian American woman, Monday, March 29, 2021, in New York. The NYPD is asking for the public's assistance in identifying the man. (Courtesy of New York Police Department via AP)AP

Mondays attack happened in the late morning in front of a luxury apartment building in Hells Kitchen, a predominantly white neighborhood west of Times Square. Two workers inside the building who appeared to be security guards were seen on video witnessing the attack but failing to come to the womans aid. One of them was seen closing the building door as the woman was on the ground.

The buildings management company said they were suspended pending an investigation. The workers union said they called for help immediately.

Residents of the building defended the workers Wednesday in a letter to the management company and the media. They contend that a video clip focusing on the suspect and the assault was unfortunately cut to inadvertently exclude the compassionate action taken by the staff, which they said included giving the victim aid and alerting medics.

Detective Michael Rodriguez said there were no 911 calls. He said patrol officers driving by came upon the victim after she was assaulted.

This year in New York City, there have been 33 hate crimes with an Asian victim as of Sunday, police said. There were 11 such attacks by the same time last year. The NYPD last week said it was increasing outreach and patrols in predominantly Asian communities, including the use of undercover officers to prevent and disrupt attacks.

This is crucial to the equation, de Blasio said of the new policing efforts. Its a very few people but we need to find each and every one of them and stop this.

____

Michael R. Sisak of The Associated Press wrote this story. AP writers Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, and Karen Matthews in New York contributed to this report.
Tel Aviv, April 1 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on his right-wing rivals to join forces to form a right-wing government coalition under his leadership.

In his first remarks since the March 23 inconclusive elections, Netanyahu on Wednesday urged Naftali Bennett, leader of the far-right pro-settler Yamina party, and Gideon Sa'ar, leader of the right-wing New Hope party, to help him put together a coalition, reports Xinhua news agency.

"It is time to put our differences behind us," he said in a televised statement.

According to Netanyahu, together with allied parties and Yamina and New Hope, he could form a coalition of 65 members and gain a firm majority in the 120-member Parliament.

"Let's form a stable right-wing government that would last for years," the long-time leader said.

Sa'ar however, has rejected Netanyahu's call.

The New Hope's main campaign promise was to replace Netanyahu.

On Wednesday night, Sa'ar repeated his promise and said he will not join a government with Netanyahu as Prime Minister.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Reuven Rivlin called for "unusual collaboration" in forming a new government to solve the country's lingering political stalemate.

The elections on March 23, Israel's fourth in two years, ended once again with no clear winner.
Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI)

News Summary

Recognizing the sanguineness of industry peers Department of International Trade (DIT) in conjunction with the Great Britain Food Program (GBFP), UK India Business Council (UKIBC), and Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI) hosted the largest virtual contingent of the UK F&B companies to India.
 Close Hunter Biden shrugs off Trumps criticism

The White House announced its border coordinator, who was leading the Biden administrations attempts at halting the surge of migrants, would step down at the end of the month. The announcement on late Friday came just hours after border czar Robert Jacobson outlined the presidents plans to approach US companies to invest in Mexico and Central America to reduce migration.

Joe Biden, meanwhile, announced a $1.5trn budget proposal for 2022, with a 16 per cent increase in domestic spending. The White House outlined the proposal in its discretionary request, which is separate from Bidens latest $2trn spending bill, and the $1.9trn coronavirus aid bill recently passed by the Senate.

The president also ordered a 180-day study of the Supreme Court that includes the possibility of adding more justices. Increasing the number of justices, colloquially known as packing the court, could reverse the current conservative majority into a progressive majority, or, depending on the results of future elections, create a supermajority for one side or the other.

Newly reported emails between Trump administration officials show them bragging about persuading or pressuring the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to alter its releases on Covid-19 transmission and deaths among younger Americans.

As he continues to promote his new memoir detailing his story of grief, addiction and recovery, Hunter Biden used an appearance on Jimmy Kimmels show last night to take a sideways shot at the Trump family, mocking Donald Trump Jr for accusing him of nepotism  an accusation he mocked as wildly comical given the source.

As he writes in his book: Do you think if any of the Trump children ever tried to get a job outside of their fathers business that his name wouldnt figure into the calculation? My response has always been to work harder so that my accomplishments stand on their own.

Floridas Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has begun a lawsuit against the Biden administration to overturn a no-sailing directive that is depriving his states cruise industry of billions of dollars. Mr DeSantis, who has long been a critic of lockdowns and social distancing restrictions, said at a press conference yesterday that we dont believe the federal government has the right to mothball a major industry for over a year based on very little evidence and very little data.

Read more:
DETROIT, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new interactive map on leanbackplayer.com shows which casinos currently closed across the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The map can be viewed here https://www.leanbackplayer.com/covid-19-casino-tracker/

Over the past 12 months casinos have had to close their doors several times due to the pandemic. Currently 51 casinos are still closed, the majority of these are Tribal owned casinos in the New Mexico area.

History of casino closures due to COVID-19

March 14th - 25th: All 973 casinos in the USA are closed due to the pandemic.

April: All casinos remain closed throughout April.

May 7th: 11 casinos reopen in Deadwood, South Dakota.

May 14th: 52 total casinos are reopened, with capacity restrictions and limited gaming options as stay-at-home orders end in Arizona, South Dakota, Montana, and Louisiana.

May 22nd: 153 casinos are open nationwide as more states lift restrictions.

June 4th - 11th: 441 Nevada casinos reopen. There are now more casinos open than closed in the US.

July 1st: 10 Illinois casinos reopen

August 5th: 26 Michigan casinos open with 15% capacity limit

November 19th: Casinos close again in Illinois and Michigan during COVID-19 resurgence, 24 re-close in New Mexico

December 18th: Casinos open for a third time in Michigan

January 15th: Casinos allowed to reopen in Illinois

About the map

The map was designed to be a resource for anyone curious about the state of the industry, or for those whose local casinos still remain closed. As well as a resource for viewing any future closures in the event of a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

The tool is updated in real-time and was created using the google maps API which looks at each casino's GoogleMyBusiness listing to see if it is currently marked as temporarily closed on google maps, either by the owners or user input.

About Leanbackplayer.com

Leanbackplayer.com is a hub for online gaming industry news, tools and research. On the website you can play free slots, read industry news, read casino reviews, or submit your own review of various online casinos.

Source: https://www.leanbackplayer.com/covid-19-casino-tracker/

SOURCE Leanbackplayer.com

Related Links

https://www.leanbackplayer.com


A move by Point Pleasant Beach to acquire a motel, demolish it and use the surrounding property for parking has grown increasingly contentious, with a divided borough council narrowly in favor of condemnation if necessary despite its owners expressed desire to keep the property and redevelop it into a larger, more upscale hotel.

At the center of the controversy is the Amethyst Beach Motel on Arnold Avenue, a two-story, 40-room motor lodge that during the past year has had a dramatic increase in police calls  which the owner blames largely on guests settled in the motel under a coronavirus-related moratorium on evictions.

Located three blocks from the beach, the 1.5-acre site is something the borough wants to acquire from the motel owner, John Fernicola, to use for parking. The property includes a paved lot thats already used for parking, just across Baltimore Avenue from the motel and adjacent to Little Silver Lake.

The six-member borough council could vote on April 20 to adopt an ordinance authorizing the motels acquisition though a negotiated purchase or condemnation under the boroughs power of eminent domain. The measure gained preliminary approval, with a 3-2 vote, during a Zoom meeting on March 16.

The ordinance does not direct borough staffers to condemn the property. Instead, it authorizes the staff to acquire the property by any of three means: a purchase; as a gift  an option no one anticipates; or the eminent domain process, in which the borough and the owner would commission their own appraisals of the propertys value and submit them to a judge, who would then set the amount the borough compensates the owner for his property.

The judges decision could be appealed by either party.

Apart from the eminent domain issue, Fernicola has been sued by several of his tenants, charging he tried to force them out in violation of the eviction moratorium.

In a lawsuit filed June 9 in state Superior Court in Toms River, plaintiffs Joseph Lagarra and Nicole Regan accused Fernicola and the motels manager of waging a campaign to terrorize our family and force us out during the COVID-19 pandemic, by shutting off their utilities and entering their room without consent demanding they pay up and get out.

The suit followed at least two others filed by other Amethyst tenants last summer, making similar allegations.

Lagarras family reached a settlement under which they would remain in an efficiency room while making payments of $300 a week, but would move out within 30 days of the coronavirus state of emergency being lifted, according to court papers. The familys lawyer, Jeff Wild, said in an email that Fernicola has filed an eviction complaint against the family, which Wild vowed to fight vigorously.

Fernicola insisted, We havent gotten a dime, from Lagarras family. He owes over $20,000.

Lagarra, however, said he had kept up the payments, though the motel has refused to provide written receipts. Lagarra said the motels potential condemnation and demolition was not a concern.

We dont even want to be there another summer, he said.

The Borough of Point Pleasant is seeking to acquire, by condemnation if necessary, a 1.5-acre property that includes the Amethyst Beach Motel on Arnold Avenue and a parking lot just south of the motel across Baltimore Avenue.Google

Though Fernicola offered to sell the property to the borough just over a year ago, he has since changed his mind and resisted officials recent attempt to acquire it, appealing to public opinion with a message below the motels no vacancy sign reading, Please dont take our property, a press release and interviews, and a change.org petition which has attracted more than 900 signatures since being launched three weeks ago.

Even so, Fernicola has not ruled out a sale. He said he recently agreed to meet the boroughs appraiser to tour the property on April 27.

If they really want to buy me out, we sit and we have a negotiation, Fernicola said. But he added, Take the gun away from my head.

The gun is the threat of condemnation used as leverage in negotiations to purchase the property.

Tensions over the issue ran so high during the March 16 Zoom meeting that Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra had Fernicolas lawyer, a fellow mayor, disconnected after he persisted in posing questions to borough officials during the public comment period, rather than limiting what he said to comments for the record.

Our borough attorney determined that was improper and illegal, and after multiple requests to stop, we stopped it for them, said Kanitra, who had led the acquisition effort, though he does not vote with the council except to break a tie, and did not vote on the ordinance. Were not going to be bullied by anyone.

John Fernicolas lawyer is Paul Fernicola, who happens to be mayor of Loch Arbor, as well as having the same last name as his client. Both Fernicolas said they are not related, and their name was merely a matter of attorney-client coincidence.

Paul Fernicola said his virtual ejection from the meeting demonstrated a lack of transparency on the boroughs part. And, he added, A good government decision is one that is open and transparent.

John Fernicola said hes not trying to bully anyone. He said he just wants to keep his property and redevelop it into a higher-quality, extended-stay hotel with 69 rooms, consistent with a revitalization of the surrounding mixed-use neighborhood, which he credited Kanitra with leading.

I agree with the mayor wholeheartedly on what hes doing downtown, Fernicola said. I really dont have any issues with the mayor other than that hes trying to condemn my property.

Fernicola had proposed selling the motel and surrounding property to the borough in early 2020, and even gave borough officials renderings depicting what the property would look like with the motel gone and the expanded parking lot freshly lined and landscaped.

But the 69-year-old hotelier, who divides his time between homes in Brielle and Florida, said he only proposed the sale after borough officials balked at his plans for the larger hotel. Fernicola declined to reveal his asking price for the property, but it was said to be millions of dollars, and more than the borough wanted to pay, and no deal was ever struck.

A year then passed, during which Fernicola said he underwent multiple surgeries in Florida for an autoimmune condition, keeping him from managing the motel personally even as troublesome, and sometimes drug-addled, guests were protected from eviction by the moratorium. He acknowledged that police responses to the motel multiplied at least five-fold last year, to more than 200.

Condemnation may help ensure that a municipality gets the land it wants, but it doesnt guarantee the best price, thanks to the judges role in weighing often widely disparate appraisals to determine just what that price should be.

Kanitra suggested that, even though Fernicola has made a public show of resisting the effort to acquire his property, the motel owner could be banking on the eminent domain process to yield a higher price than he would have been able to negotiate in a voluntary transaction.

Mr. Fernicola is being incredibly self-serving and manipulative, and crafting a false narrative to suit his own needs, Kanitra said. The calculation that benefits Mr. Fernicola the most, as he well knows, is that, by going down this path, he may potentially realize even more revenue than he would have in a straight sale to the borough.

Fernicola denied the assertion.

A rendering provided to Point Pleasant Beach by the owner of the Amethyst Beach Motel, John Fernicola, showing how the motel site and surrounding property could be used for public parking. Fernicola had offered to sell the property to the borough in early 2020, but a deal was never struck, and he says he's changed his mind.D.W. Smith Associates via Point Pleasant Beach

Councilman Bob Santanello was one of the two council members, along with Andy Cortes, who voted against the condemnation ordinance. Council President Arlene Testa, Councilwoman Caryn Byrnes and Councilman Douglas Vitale voted in favor. Councilman Tom Migut was absent from the March 16 meeting.

Santanello said he and Cortes, a Republican, made up a conservative faction of the council, which is all-Republican other than himself.

As a registered Libertarian, Santanello said he opposes taking private property for all but the most compelling reasons, creation of parking not being one of them. And he and Fernicola both questioned why Point Pleasant Beach would even want to invite more daytrippers into the borough by creating more public parking.

Santanello said he also disapproved of lawyer Paul Fernicolas being disconnected from this months Zoom council meeting, and he defended John Fernicolas current reluctance to sell his property, regardless of his previous offer.

Youre allowed to change you mind, Santanello said.

Nobody knows Jersey better than N.J.com. Sign up to get breaking news alerts straight to your inbox.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com.
For most of Connecticut, spring and summer months are peak usage periods for the states water utilities.

As a result, customers maintaining a lush, green lawn, slaking the thirst of garden vegetables or washing a car may end up paying higher premiums from Aquarion Water in Bridgeport, Connecticut Water Co. in Clinton and the Regional Water Authority in New Haven.

Two factors are involved in determining what residential customers pay: how much water is used, and the rate that the utilities charge.

Connecticut Water Co. serves 105,000 customers, or about 350,000 people, in 60 towns statewide, including parts of the Shoreline and the Naugatuck Valley. The average Connecticut Water residential customer currently pays $157 per quarter for using 11,342 gallons per quarter through July.

The states Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), however, is currently considering a Connecticut Water Co. rate increase. If approved as proposed, that would increase customers bills by 35 cents a day to about $189 per quarter, according to company spokesman Dan Meaney.

The proposal also includes an inclining block rate structure that would add a second pricing tier for any amount used above 5,000 gallons per month, according to Meaney, for an additional cost of $1.00 per thousand gallons.

Any rate approved by PURA  regulators are expected to issue their ruling in late July  would take effect after that, Meaney said.

The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority serves almost 430,000 people in 15 cities and towns in the New Haven area. The typical family of four uses about 200 gallons of water a day, and will pay about $56 per month, according to Dan Doyle, a spokesman for the quasi-public utility. That is unchanged from last summer.

We often see an increase in water use during the summer months, which affects the amounts billed to our customers, Doyle said. Approximately 40 percent of the water used by the average homeowner during the warm weather months is used outdoors.

Doyle said the RWAs reservoirs were at 89 percent of capacity when measured at the end of February; at that time of year, the reservoirs are typically only at 82 percent of capacity.

Unlike Aquarion and Connecticut Water, the Authoritys rates are determined by a representative policy board, which is made up of individuals from each of the towns the utility serves.

Aquarion, which is a subsidiary of Eversource Energy, serves 625,000 people in 52 cities and towns throughout Connecticut.

Peter Fazekas, a spokesman for Aquarion, said from May to October last year, the median customer bill in the utilitys eastern division  more than three dozen towns in Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven counties  was $58.29 per month.

Much of last summer was spent with the three utilities urging careful usage, as drought-like conditions gripped much of Connecticut. But coming out of winter, Connecticut Waters reservoirs are full, according to Meaney.

We cant handle anymore, he said.

Fazekas said the utilitys reservoirs are divided into three groupings. The largest  the Bridgeport system  is at 99.9 percent of capacity.

The Greenwich system is at 89.1 percent capacity, he said, while the Stamford system is at 84.7 percent of capacity.

On Wednesday, Aquarion introduced its mandatory sprinkler irrigation schedule for nine towns in its service territory.

Last years schedule was implemented in Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, Newtown and Westport, according to Fazekas. This year, East Granby, Granby and Simsbury are being added.

The utilitys customers in those towns can only water their lawns twice a week, with the schedule determined by a homeowners street number.

Residents in all nine towns covered by the sprinkler irrigation schedule with even-numbered addresses can water their lawns on Sundays and Wednesdays from 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m., or 6 p.m. to midnight. Odd-numbered addresses can water on Saturdays and Tuesdays from either 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m., or 6 p.m. to midnight.

Anyone with no home address number can water their lawns on Sundays and Wednesdays from 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. to midnight.

The timetable is designed to ensure that local water supplies remain sufficient for critical needs, including human consumption and fire protection, according to Fazekas.

These conservation efforts have also helped towns in southwestern Connecticut avoid a complete ban on outdoor water use during dry summer months, he said. Through customer adoption of the irrigation schedule, Aquarion expects to save millions of gallons of water this year.

Homes and businesses with automatic sprinkler irrigation systems often use large volumes of water - about 40 percent more than properties without the systems.

The permanent, twice-weekly irrigation schedule, which started in 2017, launched on Thursday.

Aquarion officials have patrols in the communities they serve. If a customer is found to be using an irrigation system on a day that is not permitted, they will receive a written notice from the company.

Aquarion is allowed to disconnect service as a punishment for repeated violations, but Fazekas said that has never happened.

We try to work with the customer to resolve the issue, he said.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
A couple forced their daughter to wear nappies and wet herself to pretend she had behavioural difficulties so they could falsely claim 57,000 in benefits.

Edward Gajdos, 37, and his wife Maria Horvothova, 35, forced their children to act in bizarre ways to illegally claim disability allowance and carer's allowance.

Sheffield Crown Court heard the pair claimed their daughter was incontinent, had to wear nappies and would visit the toilet every hour.

But the two parents were spared a jail sentence after the judge decided being parted from the same children they had exploited would be 'too great'.

Their daughter would deliberately wet herself when told to do so up until the age of 13, prosecutors said.

The couple, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, falsely presented their other children as aggressive and disruptive and claimed one of their children was unable to talk.

Katy Rafter, prosecuting, told the court: 'This offence first came to light when the social worker told South Yorkshire Police the couple were forcing their children to behave in bizarre ways to fraudulently claim benefits.'

Sheffield Crown Court heard the pair claimed their daughter was incontinent to claim benefits

Miss Rafter added that, as a result of the fraudulent claim, the pair received 57,704.22 and prosecution papers outline the debt as 51,897..91 which is being repaid.

Gajdos claimed he met a man who told the family they could gain benefits by pretending their children were poorly or behaving in a certain way.

He said they paid this man 50 to help with paperwork.

Both defendants, who have no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to fraud for the offences, which took place between 2014 and 2017.

John Bottomley, defending Gajdos, said he was 'ashamed' and he had cooperated with the authorities and there had been no further trouble.

Safter Salam, defending Horvothova, said she could not read or write in English and was directed to fill in forms and she too cooperated with authorities.

Lawyers John Bottomley and Safter Salam represented Gajdos and Horvothova in court

He added: 'She and her partner were unable to find meaningful employment at that time and they seemed to have committed the offences on the advice of a friend.'

Mr Salam said the married couple moved to the UK in 2011 and their children joined them in 2012.

Recorder Michael Fanning said this kind of case would normally attract immediate imprisonment as a deterrent.

But he acknowledged the impact of removing the couple's children would be 'too great'.

He sentenced the couple to 20 months of custody suspended for two years with 150 hours of unpaid work.
The South African actress Mary Twala Mhlongo (who died last summer at 80) becomes an avatar of grief in This Is Not a Burial, Its a Resurrection. With a gorgeously wizened face that feels weighted down by all that she has seen, Mhlongo plays a widow, Mantoa, whose miner son has just died. At first she sits at night by the radio, listening to obituaries and seemingly waiting for her own maker. But she surges into indignant action when a (true-to-life) dam project threatens her village with erasure, and desecration.

Lesotho-born director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese shoots his film as a kind of living legend, with a mix of warm-hued tableaus and hillside portraits in defiance. Mosese reaches for a knockout from the very first sequence, a narcotic pan across a hauntingly lit party scene that rests on the films narrator figure, playing a lesiba (a mouth-blown string instrument). Though the film cuts back to this mystery storyteller periodically, Mhlongo (who also appears in Beyonces Black Is King) carries the movie on her shoulders with an authoritative presence.
Police promoting Autism Awareness Month

The Westport Police Department is promoting Autism Awareness Month.

To honor the autistic community and to promote autism awareness police officers in the department have purchased Autism Awareness Commemorative Badges, which they will be wearing on their uniforms during April. The badge is blue and prominently features the puzzle piece logo in the center, which is the universal symbol of autism awareness. A portion of the badges purchase price will be donated directly to Autism Speaks to help fund this nonprofit organizations work. The police department will also be promoting the cause by affixing the puzzle piece logo onto the doors of all of the departments police cars. The logos were donated by Fleet Auto Supply.

Autism Awareness Month is also an opportune time to remind the community about Westports Disability Registry. Its creation was a combined effort of the Westport Disability Commission, Human Services and the Police Department. The confidential registry is used to provide essential information that will assist the police and other emergency workers to address the needs of residents of all abilities. Visit the town website for more information about how to sign up for the registry.

Weston resident photo contest winner

Julie OConnor, of Weston, was the adult winner in the food and drink category in the Darien Art Centers 6th annual Smartphone Photo Contest, Pic Darien. OConnor was one of the 20 winners in the recent contest. First place cash prizes in all categories were awarded to adults and children. The contest garnered almost 400 entries in ten categories, with submissions from all ages.

Police Department participating in U Drive U Text U Pay campaign

The members of the Westport Police Department are participating in the Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Safety Offices U Drive. U Text. U Pay. High Visibility Enforcement Campaign for the month of April.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation along with the Westport Police Department urge drivers to put their phone down when they are behind the wheel. Should drivers need to text prior to reaching their destination, they are asked to please pull over to a safe location first.

Youth Commission seeks adult, student members

The Westport Youth Commission is seeking students currently in the eighth grade through the eleventh grade and adult members to serve on the commission for the 2021-2022 school year. There are limited vacancies available. Rising sophomores, juniors or seniors, or an adult who is interested in discussing youth issues on a monthly basis while making a difference in the community, are invited to join. The appointment process for youth, and adults includes completing an application and submitting at least one letter of recommendation on behalf of the candidate by May 14. Visit www.westportct.gov/youthservices for the application link.

Contact Westport Youth Services Program Director Kevin Godburn at 203-341-1155 or kgodburn@westportct.gov for more information.

Author sharing new books at library

Sivan Hong, who is an author, and an illustrator, is going to share her two new childrens books in a virtual author talk at noon on April 3 followed by a book signing at the Westport Library at 1:30 p.m.

Hongs new books are titled Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween, and George J. and the Miserable Monday.

Visit the librarys website to register for the talk. The books will also be available for sale at the event, or available for purchase in advance through Hongs website.

People are also invited to come to the library, at 20 Jesup Road, to meet Hong, and participate in the book signing, which will be socially distanced. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the books will be donated to the library.
[April 01, 2021] Government of Canada invests to bring high-speed Internet to 756 households in Halton region

Ontarians in rural communities to benefit from increased connectivity OTTAWA, ON, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how much we rely on our connections. Now more than ever, Canadians across the country need access to reliable high-speed Internet as many of us are working, learning, and staying in touch with friends and family from home. Right now, too many Canadians living in rural and remote communities lack access to high-speed Internet. Through the Universal Broadband Fund's (UBF) Rapid Response Stream, the Government of Canada is taking immediate action to get Canadians connected to the high-speed Internet they need. Today, Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Milton, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, announced $441,200 in funding for Bell Canada to bring high-speed Internet to rural Ontario residents. Bell will contribute $1,286,200 toward this project that will connect 756 underserved households to high-speed Internet in the following communities and surrounding rural areas: Ashgrove, Campbellville, Carlisle, Cedar Springs, Freelton, Hornby, Morriston, Waterdown and other areas just outside Milton. The project being announced today was approved within five months of the formal launch of the $1.75-billion Universal Broadband Fund. Projects funded under the UBF, as well as through other public and private investments, will help connect 98% of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026 and achieve the national target of 100% connectivity by 2030. Today's announcement builds on the progress the Government of Canada has already made to improve critical infrastructure in Ontario. Since 2015, the federal government has invested more than $2.85 billion in over 4,060 infrastructure projects in Ontario communities with populations under 100,000 people. These investments mean 481 km of new or upgraded roads that are making our communities saer; more than 938 projects to provide residents with cleaner, more sustainable sources of drinking water; and more than 5,427 additional housing units built in rural communities, helping ensure all Ontarians have a safe place to call home.



Quotes "Today is a really important day for so many of our neighbours here in Halton. Fast and reliable Internet is essential for full participation in modern society. Rural households in our region deserve the same access to high-speed broadband. Work from home, at-home learning and telehealth are all normal, daily needs that rely on connectivity. Many rural residents are also farmers, business people and entrepreneurs who depend on reliable online access to the global economy to put food on the table. That is why I am so proud of our government's Universal Broadband Fund program, which will ensure that 98% of Canadians have access to high-speed connectivity by 2026, and 100% of Canadians by 2030. The project announced today, funded under the Rapid Response Stream, demonstrates that for neighbours here in our region, progress will occur even sooner."

 Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Milton

"Access to high-speed broadband networks will be a driver of not only Canada's recovery from COVID-19 but also future social and economic prosperity, and Bell has committed to further accelerating our industry-leading capital investment plan over the next two years to connect even more communities across the country. We're proud to invest $1,286,200 in partnership with the Government of Canada to provide more than 750 rural Ontario households with access to the fastest fibre home Internet speeds available."

 Bruce Furlong, Senior Vice President, Access Engineering and Deployment, Bell Canada

Quick facts Canada's Connectivity Strategy aims to provide all Canadians with access to Internet speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download / 10 Mbps upload.

Applications to the Universal Broadband Fund were accepted until March 15, 2021 , and are now being evaluated.

, and are now being evaluated. The UBF is part of a suite of federal investments to improve high-speed Internet. The suite includes the Connect to Innovate program, which is expected to connect nearly 400,000 households by 2023, and the recently announced $2-billion broadband initiative from the Canada Infrastructure Bank. Associated links Backgrounder: Universal Broadband Fund and Telesat low Earth orbit satellite capacity agreement

Universal Broadband Fund

Connect to Innovate Program  Project status updates

Canada Infrastructure Bank announcement

High-Speed Access for All: Canada's Connectivity Strategy Stay connected Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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The blunder at a factory in Baltimore that led millions of Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines to be ruined wont delay the shipment to Massachusetts of around 100,000 of the companys doses, according to state officials.

Workers at the factory - run by Emergent BioSolutions, one of Johnson & Johnsons manufacturing partners - accidentally mixed up some of the ingredients in the vaccine several weeks ago, causing up to 15 million doses to be contaminated, according to The New York Times. The plant also produces the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has yet to be granted emergency use authorization in the U.S.

The colossal error is expected to delay future shipments of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the mistake. However, the mixup wont impact any doses from the company currently being distributed nationwide, including next weeks shipments to states. Those shots were produced in the Netherlands, the Times reported.

This news does not impact current appointments or allocations for any sites statewide, and we remain prepared to work collaboratively with the federal government to avoid any disruption in vaccine shipments, Kate Reilly, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center, said in a statement.

Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday that Massachusetts is set to get north of 100,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the federal government next week. At a press conference, the Republican governor said, I cant tell you how important that is.

At this time, the administration has not received any notice of delay in shipment of J&J vaccine to the commonwealth from the federal government, Kate Reilly, a spokesperson for the states COVID-19 Command Center.

The U.S. governments plan is to distribute 5 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson to CVS and Walgreens pharmacies across the country through the federal retail pharmacy partnership in the week ahead.

Johnson & Johnson, the worlds largest health care company, said in a statement it continues to expect to deliver its COVID-19 vaccine at a rate of more than a billion doses by the end of 2021. According to the Times, the federal government expects to have enough shots from the company and the other two approved coronavirus immunization manufacturers, Moderna and Pfizer, to meet Democratic President Joe Bidens goal of producing enough doses to vaccinate all U.S. adults by the end of May.

Still, the blunder at the factory is a significant setback for the national vaccine rollout and Johnson & Johnson. The companys single-dose vaccine was expected to ramp up the rate of fully vaccinated Americans.

Most individuals who are getting immunized currently must get two shots of Moderna or Pfizers vaccines four weeks apart before becoming fully vaccinated.

It basically doubles the amount of capacity thats available and in addition to that the speed with which somebody actually becomes fully vaccinated, Baker said about the shipment of Johnson & Johnson vaccines the Bay State is set to get next week.

According to records obtained by The Associated Press, Emergent BioSolutions has been repeatedly cited by the FDA for problems ranging from poorly trained workers to mold around one of its facilities.

In a statement, Johnson & Johnson painted the discovery of the contaminated vaccine batch as an example of the rigorous quality control applied to each batch of drug substance.

Quality and safety continue to be our top priority, Johnson & Johnson said.

Related Content:
Certain Affinity has appointed veteran Halo developer Dan Ayoub as its VP of Canadian operations and general manager of its Toronto studio.

Ayoub most recently served as general manager of education at Microsoft, and prior to that worked as a studio head at Halo developer 343 Industries. In his new role, Ayoub will be tasked with leading Certain Affinity's growth efforts in Canada.

He joins the company at a time of rapid expansion, with the Texas-based developer recently passing 250 full-time employees across its studios in Austin and Toronto.

Certain Affinity and Ayoub have previously worked together on the studio's various contributions to the Halo franchise, which include developing the multiplayer portion of Halo: The Master Chief Collection and co-developing Halo Infinite. The company has also worked on other notable properties including Call of Duty, Doom, and Left 4 Dead.

"Weve always been impressed with [Ayoub's] zeal for gaming and his extraordinary leadership skills, said Certain Affinity CEO and founder, Max Hoberman. "We have ambitious goals and growth plans for our company, and with Dans acumen for helping teams achieve their goals and making games accessible to everyone, we know we are set up to exceed all of our expectations."
on Thursday said it has completed the transfer of its defence business with effect from April 1 to Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) for an upfront consideration of Rs 227.7 crore.

The transfer has been completed through a slump sale as per Scheme of Arrangement approved by National Company Law Tribunal at Mumbai and Hyderabad, the auto major said in a regulatory filing.

has been in the for several decades, and currently has a wide portfolio of logistics, combat support and armoured vehicles for the defence, paramilitary and state police forces.

In recent years, the company has also focussed on developing armoured carriers and platforms such as wheeled amphibious armoured fighting vehicles, mine protected and light armoured multi-role vehicles.

has partnered the Indian defence establishment in various strategic programmess such as MRSAM, Aakash, Agni, BrahMos, etc.

The company also exports defence vehicles to SAARC, ASEAN, and African nations.

TASL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, is focused on providing integrated solutions for aerospace, defence and homeland security.

"The sale of defence business to TASL is in line with Tata Group's strategy of consolidating the defence businesses under a single entity to bring scale and synergy," the company noted.

Tata Motors on its part will continue to play a significant role in the value chain by supplying chassis and aggregates to TASL for developing specialised defence applications, while continuing to supply pure civilian PVs (Passenger Vehicles) and the CVs (Commercial Vehicles) to defence forces directly, it added.

TASL will invest in enhancing design and development capabilities for expanding the global footprint and providing specialist, high value-added, futuristic solutions to defence customers in and outside India, it said.

The consolidation will yield benefits in the form of operational and financial synergies helping deliver better value for both the entities, the filing said.

Over the next several months, Tata Motors and TASL will work closely to ensure smooth transition of the defence business, it added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Connecticuts highways are alarmingly dangerous. And until the COVID pandemic declines, commuter train travel is not a good option. Anyone driving I-95 or the Merritt Parkway knows that the roads are too narrow and congested for safety. Reckless drivers who speed, wildly change lanes or fail to signal their moves put everyone else at risk. In fact, a Google search reveals a 2018 study concluding that Connecticut has the worst drivers in America.

Last Saturday evening while traveling with my family from Norwalk to New Haven on I-95, we saw the remnants of two major crashes on the southbound side which had blocked all those lanes for substantial periods. In the other direction, we observed at least 10 reckless drivers going at least 25 miles over the limit, most of whom wildly changed lanes and two of whom nearly hit us.
China on Thursday demanded that the U.S. stop interfering in its internal affairs, after Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed a determination made last year by the Trump administration that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous and remains undeserving of special treatment by the United States.

At a daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the U.S. withholding the "special treatment" cannot hinder the "development and prosperity" of Hong Kong.

"The development achievements of Hong Kong today are the result of the hard work of several generations of Hong Kong people and the great advantage of having the motherland at its back, rather than a gift or charity from any foreign country," she alleged.

In a notice sent to Congress, Blinken said China had continued to "dismantle" Hong Kong's autonomy and the former British colony does not warrant U.S. trade and financial perks it had enjoyed since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.

The decision is yet another indication that President Joe Biden's administration has not strayed from the hard line that was taken by President Donald Trump on China.

Separately, Hua hit back at British Trade Minister Liz Truss's call for a tougher stance of its G7 allies against China for the country's "pernicious" trade practices, amid strained ties between China and Britain on issues on human rights, Hong Kong and media.

Asked about the Philippines' latest protest against Chinese vessels' operation near Whitsun Reef, Hua reaffirmed China's sovereignty over the disputed South China Sea islands.

The Philippine government said Wednesday that more than 250 Chinese vessels it believes are operated by militia have been spotted near six Manila-claimed islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea and demanded that China immediately remove them.

China has turned seven disputed reefs into missile-protected island bases, ratcheting up tensions in recent years.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Vouch logo Technology Association of Georgia honors Vouch.io among the Top 40 Companies for Innovation and Contributions to the States Technology Community.

Vouch.io has been named among the Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), a leading association devoted to the advancement and promotion of the states technology industry. Vouch.io will be recognized among an esteemed group of innovative technology companies that have been selected from a list of 100 applications submitted by companies across Georgia. The selected companies focus on the creation, development, and dissemination of disruptive technologies on a global level. These companies will be honored at the The Georgia Technology Summit 2021 to be held virtually during the 28th and 29th of April 2021.

The Top 40 awards recognize and honor the best and brightest Georgia companies who are leading the way in innovation and creating a significant impact in the industry. This recognition is based on the companys degree of innovation, scope, financial impact, the likelihood of success, and promotion of Georgia's innovative efforts nationally and internationally.

Were excited to be named among the Top 40 Innovative Companies of Georgia. As an organization focused on breakthrough digital key products and solutions, were very proud, not only of our technical achievements, but of our capacity to provide a workplace that enables innovators to flourish. Wed like to thank TAG for recognizing the Vouch.io team and their continued passion for innovation, said Anthony Maley, Co-Founder, and Chief Technology Officer, at Vouch.io.

The Georgia Technology Summit 2021 is expected to be attended by over 1,200 executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals, coming together to recognize and celebrate the states technology community. The Summit will also feature internationally recognized keynote speakers who will be sharing insights on many topics such as digital transformation, technology acceleration, advancements in AI and Machine learning, modern app development and much more.

About Vouch.io: Vouch.io provides digital identity and digital key technology to the automotive industry. Their end-to-end products and solutions are unlocking the full potential of these emerging technologies for global automotive manufacturers, enabling them to realize the next-generation of digital car keys and software-defined vehicle security.

For more information about the event, visit http://www.tagsummit.com/, and learn more about Vouch.io at https://vouch.io/
Alleging voter suppression in West Bengal phase-2 polls, CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday has dialled Governor Jagdeep Dhankar seeking his intervention in the issue. Banerjee, who is touring several booths across poll-bound Nandigram, is currently holed up in a school's election booth in Gokul Nagar complaining that people have not been allowed to vote. Several women are seen raising slogans of 'Jai Shree Ram' against her, whom Banerjee has termed 'Outsiders from Bihar, UP'.

Mamata alleges poll rigging

"I am complaining to you as a governor also as local people are not allowed to vote. Please see local people are allowed to vote over BJP," Banerjee said. She has also lodged 63 poll-related complaints since morning, but the EC has allegedly not taken any action, claims the CM. As the CM continues to allege 'poll-rigging', the EC has sought a report from its Nandigram officers on her complaints and Model Code of Conduct violations.

#WATCH: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee speaks to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over the phone at a polling booth in Nandigram. She says, "...They didn't allow the local people to cast their vote. From morning I am campaigning...Now I am appealing to you, please see..." pic.twitter.com/mjsNQx38BB  ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021

Sources report that Mamata Banerjee has filed an FIR against the incident in Nandigram. Meanwhile, her rival and BJP's Nandigram candidate Suvendu Adhikari - whose convoy was allegedly attacked by TMC goons has lashed out at them saying, "TMC goons are pelting stones. This is jungle-raaj. This is the work of Pakistanis, 'Jay Bangla' is a slogan from Bangladesh. There are voters from a particular community at that booth who are doing this."

Taking cognizance of Mamata Banerjee's allegations, Governor Dhankar has assured full 'adherence to rule of law'. He added that the concerned authorities have been briefed about the issue and right action will be taken. Banerjee has threatened to go to court if the EC takes no action on such instances.

Issues flagged @MamataOfficial a while ago on phone have been imparted to the concerned.



There is full assurance of the concerned to adherence to rule of law.



Am confident all will act in right spirit and earnestness so that democracy flourishes.  Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) April 1, 2021

Phase-2 elections

In Phase-2, TMC and BJP are contesting in all the 30 seats, the CPI(M) is in the fray in 15 and its alliance partners Congress on 30 seats and ISF on 2 seats. A total of 199 companies of the Central Armed Police Force will be deployed in Purba Medinipur, 210 companies in Paschim Medinipur, 170 in South 24 Parganas and 72 in Bankura. In Nandigram, where Mamata & Suvendu will battle for power, Section 144 has already been imposed by West Bengal police.

The 30 constituencies in fray are - Tamluk, Panskura Purba, Panskura Paschim, Moyna, Nandakumar, Mahisadal, Haldia, Nandigram, Chandipur, Kharagpur Sadar, Narayangarh, Sabang, Pingla, Debra, Daspur, Ghatal, Chandrakona, Keshpur, Taldangra, Bankura, Barjora, Onda, Bishnupur, Katulpur, Indas, Sonamukhi,Gosaba, Patharpratima, Kakdwip and Sagar. Previously, the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded on Saturday with an estimated voter turnout of 79.79 percent. Bengal's other phases of elections are scheduled on April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26, and April 29 with results to be announced on May 2.
Joseph LE called on the 14,657 State employees in the Region to get back to their working places for effective work for which they earn monthly salaries.

Joseph LE, Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reforms was in Buea on 29 March, 2021 to assess the implementation of the simplification and streamlining of some Administrative procedures engaged in his ministry since 2018. The Minister arrived at the South West Governor's Office mid-morning and moved to the Public Service Regional Delegation where he visited the CIGIPES room and Multimedia Centre before holding a working session with local authorities, Regional Delegates and civil servants. He also travelled to Limbe where he inspected the Multimedia Training Centre at Down Beach.

The Minister explained as he ended his visit to Buea that he was conducting a threefold mission first of all to invite the 14,657 civil servants and State employees posted in the South West Region to go back to their work places for effective presence at duty. Minister LE voiced that the climate of insecurity was bowing out giving way for all State employees to be present at their work places. "Absenteeism and job abandonment must stop for workers to deserve their salaries", Joseph LE told his collaborators in Buea. He said Cameroon cannot be developed without people working. As a second measure, the Minister urged all State servants to be disciplined and follow the rules governing their sectors.

The Public Service Minister came to the South West also to explain the deep-rooted reforms under implementation. Using the various directorates of his ministry to explain the facts, the working session dwelled on discipline and procedures explaining that 30-days absences deserve dismissal. He said all is being done for civil servants not to go to Yaounde, national capital, again to chase their files. "All is now done at the Regional level", he explained. The only two journeys that workers have to make to Yaounde include during employment so that the candidate is seen and can show his or her original documents to take service and when they are under disciplinary charges. He detailed out that all public service users can use their android phone now to get all relevant information about their career through the portal of the civil service and can call 8566 and 1522 for relevant information at MINFOPRA.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Cameroon Conflict Labour By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The Minister announced that the Public Service Higher Council was coming up in the days ahead. Questions were entertained to clarify doubts on various points. Pathetically, was the case of one Takang Hillman Ayuk who passed a public service entrance as first on the list after orals but was refused taking up service because his certificate from Polytechnique Yaounde was not the one required for the job position.
WOONSOCKET, R.I., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) has surpassed 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered through its participation in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program and Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. The company is now administering vaccines in nearly 2,000 stores across 44 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., with the pace of vaccinations expected to rapidly accelerate as more supply becomes available. CVS Pharmacy has the capacity to administer up to 25 million shots per month.

"We've experienced some of our highest customer satisfaction scores ever, which speaks to the seamless digital scheduling experience we've built and the professionalism of our health care teams putting shots in arms," said Karen S. Lynch, President and Chief Executive Officer, CVS Health. "We're working hard to help America fight COVID-19 by breaking down barriers to equitable health care, especially in communities suffering most during the pandemic."

Given the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Hispanic populations, CVS Health has prioritized underserved communities from the start of the pandemic. In addition to partnering with faith-based organizations and community leaders on education campaigns, the company is promoting equitable access to vaccines in tangible ways. This includes opening community-based vaccination sites across the country and prepping mobile pop-up clinics for maximum impact. Targeted pharmacy outreach is working; Black, Hispanic, and Native American individuals represent 34 percent of all in-store appointments, a 12 percent increase over baseline community representation.

As vaccine administration in community and retail settings accelerates, CVS Health has completed its vaccination effort at skilled nursing facilities. Since the long-term care pharmacy partnership was activated in late December, there has been a dramatic drop in COVID-19 cases and deaths. In fact, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data, between December 20 and March 14 there has been a 97 percent decrease in COVID-19 cases and a 94 percent decrease in COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

"We've learned during the pandemic that when we work together, we can overcome the impossible," Lynch continued. "Our health care professionals have played a vital role in the vaccination effort and continue to be the heroes in this story."

COVID-19 vaccines in a retail setting are offered on an appointment-only basis via CVS.com or through the CVS Pharmacy app, and those without online access can contact customer service: (800) 746-7287. COVID-19 testing appointments continue to be available at more than 4,800 CVS Pharmacy locations across the country, with the company having administered more than 15 million tests to date.

Multimedia assets, including b-roll and still photography from long-term care facility and in-store COVID-19 vaccinations, are available here. More information on steps CVS Health has taken to address the pandemic is available at the company's frequently updated COVID-19 resource center.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is a different kind of health care company. We are a diversified health services company with nearly 300,000 employees united around a common purpose of helping people on their path to better health. In an increasingly connected and digital world, we are meeting people wherever they are and changing health care to meet their needs. Built on a foundation of unmatched community presence, our diversified model engages one in three Americans each year. From our innovative new services at HealthHUB locations, to transformative programs that help manage chronic conditions, we are making health care more accessible, more affordable and simply better. Learn more about how we're transforming health at www.cvshealth.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of CVS Health Corporation. By their nature, all forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and/or quantify. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties described in our Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section and under the heading "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward Looking Statements" in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on CVS Health's forward-looking statements. CVS Health's forward-looking statements are and will be based upon management's then-current views and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance and are applicable only as of the dates of such statements. CVS Health does not assume any duty to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, uncertainties or otherwise.

Media contact

T.J. Crawford

212-457-0583

[email protected]

SOURCE CVS Health

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Foreign residents participate in a mock poll at Seoul Station organized by an election office in Seoul in this May 31, 2018 photo, ahead of the nationwide local elections which were held three days later. Korea Times file



By Lee Hyo-jin



Eligible immigrant voters in the upcoming Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections who are not fluent in Korean are being sidelined due to the absence of translated information on the candidates and voting procedures.



Following the revision to the Public Official Election Act in August 2005, foreign nationals who had stayed in the country for over three years after obtaining permanent residency were given the right to vote in local elections. The upcoming Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections set for April 7 will be the fifth time they will be able to exercise their voting rights.



However, the National Election Commission (NEC) and the local governments in Seoul and Busan are not providing information on the candidates and their pledges as well as voting procedures in multiple languages, although they have done so in past local elections. Their main excuse is that these are by-elections, not regular ones.



Some pointed out that this may limit access to information for immigrants, virtually violating their voting rights or at a minimum creating an information gap among voters.



Wang Ji-yeon, head of the Migrant Women's Association in Korea, said, "It is regretful that the authorities decided not to translate election-related handouts or voting papers into foreign languages, probably due to a lack of time or resources."



Out of concern that this may lead to low participation by foreign voters, the association is holding campaigns to encourage immigrants to vote by making videos on the voting process translated into 10 different languages.



Kim Yae-jin, a member of the multicultural family support committee under the Korean Bar Association, said, "The level of Korean language proficiency differs among foreigners with permanent residency. Therefore, related information should be provided in several languages such as English or Chinese to guarantee their right to vote as well as political activity."



The NEC explained that relevant laws such as the Public Official Election Act does not stipulate that information on local elections must be translated into foreign languages.



It belatedly posted an English notice about the voting process on the NEC website, Tuesday, but other language services are unavailable. Also, each candidate's policy promises are provided only in English.



"It is up to the candidates whether they will make translated versions (of their policy promise leaflets)," an NEC official said.



The Seoul Metropolitan Government, for its part, said it was not providing the foreign language service as there was no request from the election authorities.



"The NEC has not requested us to translate the information for the Seoul mayoral by-election. Also, as over half of the eligible immigrant voters in Seoul are ethnic Korean Chinese who generally show high proficiency in Korean, we did not see the necessity for translation services," said an official at the city office's foreign residents department.



According to the NEC, a total of 42,246 foreign nationals are eligible to vote this time. Among them, 38,126 are in Seoul and 2,922 are in Busan, with the remainder in other small cities and counties where by-elections are also being held. Although the commission does not have exact data on the nationality of the foreign voters, many of them will be Chinese, considering that about half of registered foreigners in Seoul are Chinese nationals.



Noting this, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea is wooing immigrant voters in Seoul to gain as many votes as possible amid a situation where its candidate Park Young-sun is falling behind her rival, Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party.



Park recently invited the former head of the Chinese residents' association in Korea to an election campaign event held in Seodaemun District, appealing for support from the Chinese community.




[April 01, 2021] SafeRide unveils support for Vehicle Health Management industry standard at the ATA-TMC spring conference

SafeRide's vInsight platform supports the SAE JA6268 standard and enables state-of-the-art Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) solutions for fleets, OEMs, and suppliers TEL AVIV, Israel, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SafeRide Technologies, a leading provider of AI-based vehicle health management (VHM) solutions unveiled today that its vInsight platform has been extended to support the SAE JA6268 VHM standard. The vInsight VHM platform includes a deep learning development tool for fleets, OEMs, and Tier-1 suppliers that generates VHM monitors for deployment on board the vehicle or in the cloud. The SAE Health-Ready Components and Systems (HRCS) Consortium, a subgroup of SAE, was created to increase the impact of SAE's JA6268 standard. It provides standard templates for common vehicle components and systems that describe their failure modes, the mechanisms to monitor their health, and the data required to enable their health monitoring. SafeRide is collaborating with HRCS members, including General Motors, Volvo Group, Garret in Motion, Nexteer, and others, to implement the best practices and guidance provided in the SAE JA6268 standard to facilitate the integration of IVHM functionality in health-ready components and systems to meet the needs and objectives of the industry in a cost-effective manner. SafeRide together with other HRCS partners demonstrated at the American Trucking Association's Technoloy and Maintenance Council (ATA-TMC) conference on March 31st the benefits of using the JA6268 standard to streamline the delivery of vehicle health data to fleet operators and OEMs.



At the ATA-TMC conference SafeRide presented how JA6268 templates can be imported into and customized by the vInsight Developer tool to enable automated, simplified, and efficient development and delivery of vehicle health indicators to fleets, OEMs, and suppliers. Existing VHM solutions rely on diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and telematics data to detect and predict malfunctions. DTCs can only detect failures after they occur, and they provide limited insights about the problem. This can lead to a complex and expensive repair process, and sometimes a wrong diagnosis. Current telematics solutions are limited by network bandwidth and access to data; therefore, they may fail to address the growing complexity of modern vehicles.

"OEMs and fleets are paying billions of dollars every year in warranty claims and maintenance cost" said Gil Reiter, SafeRide's Vice President of Product Management and Marketing. "The vInsight platform, with JA6268 support, can help OEMs and fleets reduce these costs significantly, while enabling smooth and interoperable deployment into existing fleets and new vehicles." SafeRide's vInsight platform enables customers to develop, train, optimize, test, and deploy deep-learning based algorithms for VHM using a rich library of production grade models and design templates for major vehicle systems such as engine, transmission, emission, braking, battery management, and more. vInsight Developer can generate compressed and optimized models for embedded deployment onboard vehicles, or for remote deployment in the cloud. "SafeRide's vInsight platform brings together AI and domain knowledge" said Steve Holland, SAE HRCS Consortium Chairman and former GM VHM Chief Technologist. "This unique combination enables powerful IVHM solutions that are changing how we manage vehicle health". SafeRide's vInsight solution is currently deployed in pilot projects with several major OEMs and fleets. For more information about vInsight visit www.saferide.io/vinsight, or to request a demo of the vInsight VHM platform email info@saferide.io. About SafeRide Technologies SafeRide Technologies is a leading provider of AI-based vehicle health management, data analytics, and cybersecurity solutions that provide timely vehicle insights to automakers and fleet owners and help them reduce warranty costs, limit recalls, minimize vehicle downtime, lower total cost of ownership, optimize vehicle performance, and prevent reputation loss. For more information, visit www.saferide.io. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1212705/SafeRide_Technologies_Logo.jpg SOURCE SafeRide Technologies

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A huge fish was just caught in San Antonio.

Inland Fisheries San Antonio District celebrated the catch on its Facebook page Wednesday, calling it one of the "largest catfish" it has ever seen in the San Antonio area.

"Congratulations to local angler, Matt S. on his waterbody record Blue Catfish," the post stated. "Matt caught this 39.7-pound catfish in the San Antonio River along the Saspamco Paddling Trail using cut bait."

READ ALSO: Watch: Rattlesnakes fighting in a Texas bluebonnet patch

Check out the post below:

Matt Sontag, 28, caught the fish in June of last year but didn't get the official word that he set the San Antonio-area record until Wednesday, the longtime fisherman told MySA.com. Inland Fisheries said his 39.7-pound fish beat the records set at Calaveras (36.19 pounds in 2014), Braunig (35 pounds in 2010), and Medina (14.32 pounds in 2011) lakes.

Sontag said his fish didn't put up a fight as he reeled it in three minutes. He called the catch "a dream come true."

"Once I saw the fish, I knew it was something special," he said. "I've been chasing a record catfish my whole life."

The local said he tried to weigh it alive to release it back into the water but couldn't find a Texas Parks and Wildlife office in time due to the coronavirus pandemic. He weighed it at a local meat shop, but the fish didn't make it.
Cancel culture may be about to claim two more unlikely victims - Barack and Michelle Obama.

Latino activists in suburban Chicago have come out against renaming a local middle school after the 44th president and his wife this week due to his immigration policies.

The issue came up on Tuesday during a contentious meeting at the Waukegan, Illinois Board of Education, where members said they were opposed to honoring the man some call the deporter-in-chief.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Obamas for comment.

The board is mulling changing the names of two of its middle schools - Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Daniel Webster Middle School, according to WLS-TV.

Activists for undocumented migrants stage a protest in Waukegan, Illinois on Tuesday demanding that the school board refuse to rename Thomas Jefferson Middle School after Barack and Michelle Obama

The activists held signs denouncing Obama as the 'deporter-in-chief'

Obama has been widely criticized for his immigration policies while in office. The former president is seen left with his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, at President Joe Biden's inauguration in Washington, DC on January 20

Jefferson, the nations third president, is being erased from the school because he once owned slaves.

Webster, a former secretary of state and member of Congress, was a supporter of slavery.

Nationwide, local councils have taken down statues and renamed public squares and sites that once bore the names of historical figures with controversial pasts and views about race.

The movement gained steam after the May 2020 police-involved death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man in Minneapolis. His fatal arrest triggered a massive worldwide protest.

The school board in Waukegan plans to make a decision later this month on the renaming of Thomas Jefferson Middle School

As the Waukegan Board of Education met to mull name changes to both schools, Latino community members pleaded not to rename either of the schools after the Obamas.

I will not be part of renaming a school after someone who did not and does not represent the undocumented community, said Edgar Castellanos, a District 60 school board member who came to the United States as an undocumented child.

Another local activist, Julie Contreras, works with an organization that runs shelters for undocumented children near the southern border.

She also spoke out against honoring Obama, accusing him of breaking his promise as president to help undocumented migrants.

From the time Barack Obama became president until 2017 when he left, he today is still the highest ranking president with deportations in our nation, Contreras said.

We feel that Barack Obama did disservice to us. He denied us, and he didn't stop the deportations, the way he promised.

She added: If you're removing the name of Thomas Jefferson - one oppressor - the name of Obama is another oppressor and our families do not want to see that name.

The president of the school board, Brandon Ewing, who is black, said that while he has no objections to renaming the school after Obama, he said he needed to be aware of the concerns.

During a protest held outside of the school on Tuesday, one member of the community said that his father was deported in 2015, when Obama was president.

It was something very sad, Mauricio Sanchez said.

We couldn't even say goodbye to our dad. We just hoped for him to be able to get out.

A decision on renaming the school is expected later this month. Other possible names that have been mentioned include the late member of Congress and civil rights activist John Lewis; Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to go to space; Katherine Johnson, one of the first African American women to work as a NASA scientist; and the late artist Edith Smith.

Immigration remains one of the more contentious issues in American politics. The image above shows scores of undocumented minors who crossed the border and were held at a Customs and Border Protection facility in Donna, Texas on Tuesday
By Kim Bo-eun





Samsung Group's battery-making unit said Wednesday it is joining with global companies to boycott deep-sea mining for minerals used to make battery cells.



Samsung SDI is the first battery maker to take part in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-backed global moratorium in which companies such as BMW, Google and Volvo are participants.



Currently, battery materials such as cobalt, cooper, nickel and manganese are sourced from traditional mines on land. Deep-sea mining has yet to take off but the Pacific Ocean is known to be an abundant source of minerals.



According to the WWF, deep-sea mining for metals and minerals would have a destructive impact on deep-sea ecosystems and biodiversity, which in turn could have a damaging effect on fisheries, livelihoods and food security, and adversely affect ocean carbon and nutrient cycles.



"The intrinsic long-term benefits of a healthy ocean far outweigh any short-term incentives offered by deep seabed mining," the WWF stated in its call for the moratorium.



"Extraction must not go ahead until the environmental, social and economic risks are understood, and all alternatives to deep sea minerals have been explored. Then appropriate regulation will be needed to protect the marine environment and human well-being."



Global firms with licenses for deep-sea exploration are currently conducting research, hoping to take advantage of what they see as a lucrative opportunity. Among them is DeepGreen, the Canadian developer of battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules. The potential value of deep seabed mining has been estimated at $2 billion to $20 billion.



The moratorium on deep seabed mining seeks a ban until it is proven that this can take place in a way that protects the marine environment.



"We plan to continue taking interest and participate so that we can achieve management valuing the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) through seeking responsible mining and supply," a Samsung SDI official said.



Norway is seeking to issue licenses enabling deep-sea mining for companies as early as 2023.


OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Only two years after historic flooding along the Missouri River ravaged parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri, officials are now dealing with what's shaping up to be one of river's driest years.
Jill and Steve Anderson celebrate the signing of the 100th Ziggi's Coffee franchise agreement outside the very first franchise location in Loveland, Colorado. With each new store weve opened, it just keeps getting better, said Jill. They are all doing exceptionally well. We are excited about opening another location, so we can continue to utilize our amazing employees and continue to grow.

Ziggis Coffee (http://www.ZiggisCoffee.com) has just inked its 100th deal with the companys first franchisees. Steve and Jill Anderson signed the first Ziggi's Coffee franchise agreement just four-and-a-half years ago. Now, with four stores up and running, the Andersons have signed the companys milestone agreement as they plan to continue their Colorado expansion.

The Andersons opened the companys first franchise location in 2017, a double-sided drive-thru in Loveland, Colorado. Today, they have two locations in Loveland, one in Johnstown, Colo., and one in Castle Pines, Colo., with two more units in development.

Its an extraordinary accomplishment to reach our 100th franchise agreement after just five years of launching our one-of-a-kind franchise program, said Justin Livingston, Vice President of Franchise Development. We couldnt have planned it better for this agreement to be with Steve and Jill, who have been a part of our franchise family since the very beginning. They have been amazing partners and have seen first-hand how the company has grown.

Founded on the corner of Main Street in Longmont, Colorado by Brandon and Camrin Knudsen in 2004, Ziggis Coffee perfected its system of easy-to-follow processes to simplify operating procedures and allow the concept to be easily replicated as a franchise.

When we signed our first agreement, we worked directly with Brandon to get that first store open and now there is an entire team of people there to help, said Steve. They have streamlined everything so that you just have to follow the checklist and your store opens up. Its almost that easy.

As the company has evolved, so has its franchise program. From a more robust support staff to leveraging technology to enhance its systems and processes through the use of proprietary checklist apps and other helpful tools, Ziggis Coffee has expanded its resources, while expanding its footprint.

With each new store weve opened, it just keeps getting better, said Jill. They are all doing exceptionally well. We are excited about opening another location, so we can continue to utilize our amazing employees and continue to grow.

Its easy to see what Ziggis is doing right. They wouldnt have signed this many agreements if it wasnt a successful model, added Steve. As the first agreement and now the hundredth agreement, Id say its definitely 100 percent worth it and obviously wed do it again, and again, and again!

Ziggis Coffee signed three agreements in its first year of franchising and has forecasted it will do 50 this year. The company has 23 franchise locations and seven corporate locations, across the country, with over 70 units in development.

When we started the Ziggis Coffee brand, we never really dreamed it would change so many lives, said Brandon Knudsen, Co-Founder and President of Ziggis Coffee. With a focus on being the best part of our customers day, we created a brand that has turned into a nationwide family. We are humbled by the growth and the commitment of our franchisees to help spread the companys core values of putting people first, providing exceptional products and making each customers day a little brighter. We look forward to expanding our family even more.

About Ziggis Coffee

Ziggis Coffee, recently ranked among the top half of companies on the 2021 Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise 500, is a leading specialty coffee shop and drive-thru franchise dedicated to serving only the finest roasted coffee, uniquely handcrafted drinks, and amazing locally-made breakfast, lunch and snack options. Founded in 2004, the Colorado-based company is on a mission to elevate the standard of service within the coffee shop industry. From specializing in a variety of great-tasting menu items to providing fast and friendly service, the Ziggis Coffee brand is focused on creating a positive experience that is faster, more authentic and convenient for the demand of consumers seeking higher-quality coffee and food options on the go. In addition to its distinctive menu and superior service, Ziggis Coffee is also committed to making a positive difference in the local communities it serves. With 30 locations nationwide and over 70 additional units in development, Ziggis Coffee is positioned to quickly grow its presence in a variety of communities across the U.S.

To learn more about Ziggis Coffee and its franchising opportunities, visit http://www.ZiggisCoffee.com/franchise or follow Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

###
GreenSpace Brands Central Roast snack mix

Canadian plant-based food group GreenSpace Brands has named Dole Food Co. executive Shawn Warren as its new CEO and president.

Warren replaces Paul Henderson who has been serving as interim CEO since last July and says he is looking forward to addressing the challenges facing the business which saw its revenues decrease by 27.9% in its fiscal year 2020.

He is an experienced food industry executive having previously worked in senior roles in North America and Asia. He has been president of Asia packaged foods at Dole and senior vice president strategy, Asia-Pacific at Mondelez International.

Warren, who takes up the role on Monday (5 April), has also led various businesses for Kraft Canada.

Henderson, speaking on behalf of Toronto-based GreenSpaces board of directors, said: We are thrilled with Shawns decision to join and lead GreenSpace into the future and we have faith in him and his abilities to set a trajectory for our company that delivers the value that our shareholders are looking for.



Henderson will resign his position as executive chairman but will serve as chair of the board of directors.

Warren said: Over my career to date, I have focused on driving profitable growth and creating shareholder value with smart investments in a companys existing brands while quickly eliminating complexity and costs. I am confident that we will realise GreenSpaces strategic objectives, deliver sustained profitable growth and create tremendous value for the business.

I look forward to quickly addressing the challenges facing the business today and I look forward to working closely with the GreenSpace team to set and deliver a path forward that will enhance value for consumers, customers and for all shareholders.

GreenSpace manufactures predominately plant-based food products within the natural and organic segments.

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It owns Love Child Organics, which makes organic food for infants and toddlers, Central Roast, a clean snacking brand focused on nut and seed mixes and plant-based alt-dairy brand Go Veggie.

In January last year GreenSpace Brands said it planned to sell shares via a private placement and restructure its debt following a five-month strategic review process.

Hendersons interim CEO appointment was announced in July following the resignation of Matt von Teichman.

In September the company announced it had restructured its debt, renegotiating the terms of its loan with Primary Capital and entering into a new credit facility with Pivot Financial.

In October, GreenSpace reported annual financial results that showed revenue of CAD49.1m (US$39m), a 27.9% decrease over the prior year.

Last month, accounts for the companys latest financial year included a 39% fall in third-quarter revenues to CAD6.9m. Adjusted EBITDA was CAD2.2m, down from CAD3.7m 12 months earlier.
analysis

The South African private military company credited with saving many lives during a major attack by Islamic State-linked insurgents in the northern Mozambican town of Palma over the last week seems to be on its way out. The Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) was recently accused by Amnesty International of 'indiscriminate shootings' while pursuing insurgents.

Max Dyck, an executive of Dyck Advisory Group (DAG), told Daily Maverick Maputo was not renewing the contract. Another source said the DAG would fly its last sortie on Friday and then would be gone.

However, another security source said negotiations between the DAG and the Mozambique government were "still ongoing."

The DAG's six light helicopter gunships have kept insurgents at bay in many places and also picked up over 200 expatriates and locals and flown them to safety. They often seemed to be the only ones fighting the insurgents.

"There are still skirmishes going on in and around the town though pretty low level compared with the last few days," Dyck told Daily Maverick on Tuesday. "Looks like the FADM [the Mozambican military] is starting to move into town."

Dyck said the company's pilots had rescued a "couple of hundred" people since the insurgents attacked...
By Willie Dwayne Francois III

Holy Week occasions some concentrated time of reflection and action as large segments of the Christian world prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth  a poor Palestinian carpenter victimized by political malfeasance and a politics of self-preservation of the state and its power.

This year, April 4th is not only Easter Sunday and the last day of the Jewish Passover. It also marks the 54th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who never wavered in his intense opposition to segregation as a vile systemic sin and an assault on humanity. This Holy Week, almost 66 years after Brown v. Board of Education, New Jersey carries the distinction as the sixth most racially segregated school system in the United States in terms of the highest segregation of Black students and seventh in segregation of Latinos.

Today, in New Jersey, we need courageous and imaginative leadership at the state level, who will not wash their hands of the responsibility to cure the shameful inequality permeating our deeply segregated public schools.

Holy Weeks storied traditions and narratives include one of the most infamous acts of moral betrayal and political cowardice  one of the worlds most notorious acts of handwashing. Pontius Pilate, who was presiding over the kangaroo trial and state-sponsored death of Jesus, served at the pleasure of Emperor Tiberius as the governor of colonized Judaea. Matthews account of the episodic execution of Jesus depicts Governor Pilate, in a cowardly gesture to the crowd, washing his hands with water, absolving himself, and sentencing Jesus to capital punishment.

This is no time for Governor Murphy to wash his hands of the responsibility to end school segregation a priority thrust upon him when more than 90% of the Black vote delivered him a win in 2017. Each time New Jersey students enter segregated classrooms or log into segregated Zoom sessions, it eviscerates public trust in the Murphy administrations commitment to racial equity and economic justice.

School segregation inscribes the stigma of shame and inferiority on the psyche of the children forced to live under marked powerlessness and disinvestment. There is a clear consensus among social scientists, educational experts and civil rights scholars of the high correlation between racial education segregation, concentrated poverty, poor educational outcomes and many other debilitating social and economic problems.

For years, a group of majority white school districts across New Jersey has waged efforts to terminate their send-receive relationships with majority Black and brown districts. In the past, New Jersey courts have consistently and correctly struck down these secession attempts because they would exacerbate racial segregation and, therefore, violate New Jerseys constitution. This was the case with Englewood Cliffs efforts to separate from Englewood and North Haledons attempt to secede from Manchester Regional High School.

Recently, however, a group of lawyers and consultants led by attorney Vito Gagliardi of the firm Porzio, Bromberg, and Newman has delivered a string of secessionist victories to their clients (majority white school districts), relying on a handwashing Education Commissioner and Governor. Last year, Governor Murphys previous Education Commissioner allowed Maywood to separate from Hackensack, a decision that contradicts the Supreme Courts decision in Englewood Cliffs. There was neither a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge nor anyone to challenge the fallacious claims that the separation would have no racial impact.

The most egregious decision occurred in 2015 when the state-sanctioned the will of Merchantville to sever its relationship with Pennsauken and join majority White Haddon Heights High School. For Merchantville, the Porzio firm embarked on an aggressive and expensive multiyear campaign to strand Pennsauken on the isles of segregation and isolation despite Merchantvilles best efforts in state courts.

Gagliardi promised that the separation would have no racial impact. Today we see his promises proved false. The year Pennsauken was cut loose, the 9th-grade class at Pennsaukens high school declined from 328-272 students, and the number of White ninth graders fell from 40-24. Merchantvilles new destination, Haddon Heights, increased from 104 white students in 2015 to 149 in 2018.

Soon to be on the commissioners desk is Absecons latest petition to withdraw from Pleasantville High School. Like the other secessionist efforts, Absecon possesses a history of lobbying to end this agreement, including a rejection from the state in 1988 because withdrawing the 20 to 30 students they send to Pleasantville would result in more, not less, segregation. They are making the same argument today.

The majority white school district hopes no one cares about Pleasantvilles children, just like the Porzio team believes no one cares about Pennsauken or Hackensacks students. They are counting on the new Acting Education Commissioner to roll over like the last one. They are banking on Gov. Murphy to pull a Pontius Pilate and wash his hands of it all.

If the state affirms Absecons resolve to secede, this administration only reinforces and validates school segregation. What message does it communicate to Pleasantville students I know, like Tanitra and Saul? Or students like Jose and Erin  young people matriculating into adulthood and civic life  will be forgotten by the state. There is no question that students in Absecon deserve a high-quality education. The students in Pleasantville deserve the same.

Absecons petition, if approved, would leave Pleasantville 100% nonwhite and completely isolated. That is not only illegal under our constitution; it is immoral and deeply corrosive to us all. Therefore, this moment requires action from state policymakers like Gov. Murphy, Senator President Stephen Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. This is no time for handwashing when the future of childrens lives and democracy are in question.

This Holy Week, the courageous, self-sacrificing examples of the revolutionary Jesus summons us to get our collective hands dirty to end social arrangements of powerlessness and to end school segregation and secessions. We start by demanding the rejection of Absecons petition and the many nearly identical proposals all across the state.

Willie Dwayne Francois III is the senior pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Pleasantville. He is also an author, an adjunct instructor in African American Studies at the University of Houston and president of the Theological Working Group of the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality.

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Hours after beginning its journey to the United States on Tuesday, a new caravan of Honduran refugees was broken up by Honduran and Guatemalan state forces.

Caravan participants begin to gather at the San Pedro Sula bus terminal on Monday night (Twitter @PiaLaPeriodista)

About 300 Honduran asylum seekers had joined the caravan, organized spontaneously on social media and by word of mouth, when the Honduran police set up roadblocks demanding negative COVID-19 tests and identification papers before ultimately dispersing the caravan.

About 32 of the asylum seekers reached the Guatemalan border, where they were immediately turned back by the security forces.

This is the third migrant caravan formed in Honduras since two major hurricanes devastated much of the country last November. Honduran police dissolved the first one in December, while the second caravan in late January was brutally repressed by Guatemalan troops with beatings, tear gas canisters and the use of other antiriot gear.

The repression has not stopped smaller groups and families from reaching the US border, with the US Border Patrol apprehending nearly 100,000 migrants in February alone. This is the biggest migrant surge in two decades, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.

The Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has detained more than 16,000 unaccompanied refugee children in crowded and inhuman conditions, while it has continued the Trump policy of summarily deporting the vast majority of asylum-seekers, using the pretext of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has only served to scapegoat those fleeing a humanitarian disaster for the health care and social crisis within the United States itself.

In the background of the assault on the latest caravan, US Vice President Kamala Harris, who was recently appointed by Biden to lead the response to the migration crisis, called Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Tuesday to effectively deliver marching orders for the crackdown on the refugees.

The White House readout of the conversation speaks of US efforts to increase humanitarian assistance and explore innovative opportunities to create jobs and to improve the conditions in the region. It concludes with the true purpose of the call: The Vice President also thanked President Giammattei for his efforts to secure Guatemalas southern border.

Giammattei requested a Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Guatemalan migrants and that the US send COVID-19 vaccines, hoping for a deal similar to that reached with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), in exchange for serving as an extension of the US Border Patrol.

Expecting the new caravan, the Giammattei government had declared states of emergency in the departments along the expected migrant route, suspending democratic protections and deploying hundreds of troops.

Last Saturday, Mexican troops carried out a show of force along the border with Guatemala. In recent weeks, the AMLO administration has deployed nearly 9,000 soldiers specifically to round up and detain Central American asylum-seekers. So far this year, 35,000 migrants have been detained in Mexico, most of whom have also been summarily deported.

The military and police in Mexico, which have been trained and used primarily for deadly combat over the last two decades, have killed two migrants in three days. A police official asphyxiated a Salvadoran woman in Quintana Roo on Sunday, and an Army soldier shot and killed a Guatemalan man in Chiapas on Tuesday.

After the second killing, according to the Guatemalan military, a group of about 300 enraged residents from the Guatemalan town of Tacana drove into Mexico to protest. They managed to take six Mexican soldiers hostage and bring them back to Guatemala, where local police and soldiers negotiated their release shortly after.

What the Biden administration is demanding is that the semicolonial regimes in the region establish open-air prisons through police and military repression.

The latest caravan and surge demonstrate just how desperate the conditions are which the migrants are fleeing.

A refugee in the Honduran caravan, Sergio, explained to CNN, We are conscious that [the border] is closed, but they cant stop us. There can be 20 walls and 30 gates, but poverty is stronger than any border. They will not stop the caravans in Guatemala or Mexico. We are going because we need to.

Another migrant, Francisco, added, None of us want to leave. We are going by force, for our families.

Amidst the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricanes Eta and Iota slammed the region in a span of just two weeks last November, causing more than $6 billion in damages. Entire towns need rebuilding and relocation, and vast expanses of crops were lost.

The UN estimates that, as of March 2021, there were 3.1 million people, or a third of the population of Honduras, suffering from severe food insecurity. This is expected to increase to 3.3 million by September.

Over 7,700 people remain in shelters, 53 percent of whom report posttraumatic stress. Hundreds of families remain at makeshift camps along the roads east of San Pedro Sula.

The Biden administration is shamelessly lying when it claims it wants to address the root causes of migration.

On one hand, it is hoarding COVID-19 vaccines, while Honduras has received only 48,000 doses. The country had to seek a $35 million international loan just to buy enough vaccine doses to cover 1.4 million people, less than 15 percent of the population, but there is no estimate for when those doses will arrive.

On the other hand, as of the end of February, the UN Flash Appeal for hurricane emergency aid in Honduras has received only $30.9 million out of the $90 million requested. The US Government gave only $15.2 million.

Meanwhile, Americas 657 billionaires, who could all fit in one large passenger aircraft, have seen their wealth increase by almost 45 percent, or $1.3 trillion, during the pandemic. This is 10 times the yearly GDP of the Northern Triangle, with its 33 million people, and 122 times public social spending (i.e., education, health care, housing, social assistance, environment and culture).

Honduras itself has a handful of billionaire oligarchic families and at least 185 individuals with more than $30 million in net worth.

Honduran Police set up a roadblock against the caravan, March 31, 2021 (credit CONADEH)

The desperate conditions in Central America are the result of over a century of imperialist oppression and plunder overseen by parasitic elites at the behest of the US banks and corporations.

At the same time, the lack of measures to halt the immense worsening of mass suffering in recent months is the result of the same policy being employed by US banks and corporations against American workers. The capitalist classes globally are threatening workers with hunger, homelessness and deprivation to compel them to return to work under unsafe conditions and continue generating profits as the pandemic worsens.

The brutal repression against the refugees prepares and heralds a savage response against the resistance of workers within the United States, Mexico, Guatemala and throughout the Americas.

Workers in every country can advance their common interests only by mobilizing politically and internationally to abolish all capitalist exploitation and the obsolete nation-state system, while reallocating the wealth of the financial elite and the resources of society to solve all social needs.
Edward Lacey of Worcester was sentenced to serve 21 to 24 years in state prison after being found guilty in Worcester Superior Court of kidnapping and raping a woman in Shrewsbury, Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Earlys office announced.

The 41-year-old man was charged with kidnapping, two counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault and battery, strangulation, threat to commit a crime and assault and battery. He was found not guilty of assault with intent to murder, according to authorities.

Lacey appeared in superior court on March 19 for a four-day jury waived trial where he was found guilty of kidnapping and raping a woman at the Worcester City Motel in Shrewsbury. He was arrested on May 12, 2018 and indicted on Sept. 14, 2018.

I want to thank ADA Pashou and the Shrewsbury Police for their hard work on this difficult case and providing justice for the victim, Mr. Early commented in the news release.

Related Content:
Beacon of waterproofing in Baku: The Lighthouse Residence used PENETRON ADMIX for the outdoor pool, foundation slab, retaining walls, elevator pits, basement rooms, and underground parking garage. With views of the Caspian Sea and luxury amenities throughout, the Lighthouse Residence offers a Florida lifestyle experience. The project contractor also wanted a high level of durability for the concrete elements to prevent deterioration from exposure to the chloride ion environment.

Positioned on the shores of the Caspian Sea, the aptly named towers of the Lighthouse Residence in Nardaran (Baku), Azerbeijan welcomed their first residents in March 2021. The Penetron System was used to treat all below-grade and exposed concrete structures to ensure durability and resistance to the saltwater environment.

Nardaran is a district of the Baku municipality on the Abseron Peninsula surrounded by the Caspian Sea. With a population of 8,300, the town is located 25 km (16 miles) northeast of downtown Baku, the countrys capital.

The Lighthouse Residence comprises two eight-floor towers housing 221 luxury apartment units. The project also included construction of a hotel, restaurants, indoor & outdoor pools and a yacht harbor. The new district is surrounded by 20 hectares (50 acres) of lemon and olive trees, blue pines, Texas palm trees and other species.

How to Deal with a Saltwater Environment?

With views of the Caspian Sea and luxury amenities throughout, the Lighthouse Residence offers a Florida lifestyle experience, says Kirman Mammadov, Managing Director of Penetron Azerbaijan. The project contractor also wanted a high level of durability for the concrete elements to prevent deterioration from exposure to the chloride ion environment.

Because the Nardaran district lies directly on the shores of the Caspian Sea, all exposed concrete of the Lighthouse Residence was treated with the Penetron System to ensure waterproof below-grade concrete structures.

Using a Range of Waterproofing Products

All new concrete structures, including the outdoor pool, the foundation slab, retaining walls, elevator pits, basement storage rooms, and the underground parking garage, used PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete. PENETRON ADMIX, a permeability-reducing admixture, is mixed into the concrete during the batching phase. This gives a waterproofing and protection solution for the concrete at the time the concrete is placed. The result is a streamlined construction process that is unaffected by climactic conditions.

PENECRETE MORTAR, a crystalline waterproofing mortar, and PENETRON, a topical crystalline waterproofing slurry, were applied to seal the construction joints and fill the tie holes where the concrete for both towers was treated with PENETRON ADMIX.

Penetron Azerbaijan worked with the Lighthouse project contractor on many previous construction projects, adds Kirman Mammadov. The jobs were a success, proving the Penetron System is a cost-effective solution for all concrete waterproofing and durability-related concerns.

The Penetron Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives and distribution channels.

For more information on Penetron crystalline technology solutions, please visit http://www.penetron.com, email: CRDept@penetron.com or contact our Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the media following the closed-door morning talks between the United States and China upon conclusion of their two-day meetings in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 19, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Blinken: Hong Kong Doesnt Warrant Differential Treatment Under US Law

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 31 certified that Hong Kong doesnt warrant unique treatment under American law, as the citys autonomy has been eroded, reaffirming a determination made by the Trump administration last year.

The United States in May 2020 first refused to make the annual certification required by law as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cracked down on the regions autonomy.

Blinken in a report to Congress said the Chinese regime has continued to dismantle Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy over the past year, in violation of its obligations under Hong Kongs Basic Law and the SinoBritish Joint Declaration.

In particular, the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] governments adoption and the Hong Kong governments implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) have severely undermined the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong, Blinken said in a statement.

As a result, he said, the former British colony doesnt warrant the U.S. trade and financial perks it enjoyed since reverting to Chinese rule in 1997 with a pledge from Beijing that it would enjoy significant autonomy for 50 years.

In conjunction with this years report, I have certified to Congress that Hong Kong does not warrant differential treatment under U.S. law in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1, 1997, Blinken wrote.

The decision signals that President Joe Bidens administration will continue the hard line on Beijing that was adopted by former President Donald Trump.

Then-President Donald Trump (L) and then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in file photographs. (Getty Images)

Blinken, in an accompanying report, cited a passage of Beijings sweeping national security law and highlighted the arrests and detentions of pro-democracy activists, opposition figures, politicians, as well as a drop in the number of directly elected members of Hong Kongs legislature.

The secretary of state is required every year to assess whether Hong Kong remains autonomous from mainland China to warrant special treatment by the United States in trade and commerce matters.

The CCPs draconian national security law that was implemented in 2020 amid widespread pro-democracy demonstrations has paved the way for the pro-Beijing Hong Kong government to intensify its crackdown on opposition figures and local activists.

We will continue to call on the PRC to abide by its international obligations and commitments; to cease its dismantlement of Hong Kongs democratic institutions, autonomy, and rule of law; to release immediately and drop all charges against individuals unjustly detained in Hong Kong; and to respect the human rights of all individuals in Hong Kong, Blinken said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mumbai: Amid the worsening COVID-19 situation, the Western Railway on Thursday (April 1) announced that the services of Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express would be suspended for a month from April 2.

Divisional Railway Manager of Western Railway's Mumbai division made this announcement through his official Twitter handle late this evening.

"Suspension of Train No. 82902/82901 Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Tejas express with effect form 02-04-2021 for the period of one month," the tweet said.

"Night curfews have also been implemented in both the connecting states, which may cause inconvenience to passengers in general," said an official of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), an undertaking of Indian Railways.

The railway authorities had resumed the services of Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Tejas Express regularly four days a week from February 14 this year.

The IRCTC had cancelled all the trips of this train from 24 November last year due to poor occupancy levels owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, after resuming its services in October.

Live TV
London: An international campaign has been launched calling for the release of Hong Kong activist Andy Li, who hasnt been seen since he was arrested trying to flee China for Taiwan in a speedboat at the end of August last year.

The 30-year-old computer technician is one of the so-called Hong Kong 12 arrested and charged under Beijings new national security law imposed on the territory.

Li and others were sentenced to seven months jail by a Chinese court in December for illegally crossing the border.

Hong Kong activist Andy Li, pictured in 2019, is one of the 12 arrested for trying to flee to Taiwan last year.

He faces more serious charges: conspiring with others to lobby foreign countries for sanctions against Hong Kong and the mainland; conspiracy; and possession of ammunition without a licence.
Al Tamimi & Company, the leading law firm in the Middle East and North Africa, builds on its strategic expansion plans in the African continent with the establishment of an office in Port Said.

Port Said is one of the regions leading transhipment hubs where Al Tamimi & Company will provide critical guidance to companies navigating complex cross-border transactions in the maritime, shipping and customs sectors.

Samer Qudah, Managing Partner at Al Tamimi & Company commented: We have ambitious plans for the future and continue to invest in the region. We see many opportunities, especially in the African continent, and expanding our service offering and building on our presence in Egypt with the opening of an office in Port Said is a logical next step for us. We look forward to helping our clients achieve greater growth and stability in this rapidly evolving market.

Omar Omar, Head of Transport & Logistics commented: Opening this office in Port Said is not only testament to the commitment the firm has in the region and our expansion plans in Africa, but it also shows our commitment to the transport and logistics sector and more specifically our shipping clients. We continue to be very active in the region and benefit from the many opportunities the Mena region and Egypt specifically has to offer. We are proud that we can now support our clients with their queries on the ground in one of the regions major shipping hubs.

Ayman Nour, Head of Cairo office also commented: Port Said and Alexandria are the main stations for shipping and customs operations in the region and Egypt respectively. Opening an office there will signify the importance of our legal presence in the customs sector. This is an exciting opportunity for us to expand our legal services to our clients in additional sectors in Egypt and the investment shows a clear commitment to our existing clients and business partners.

The office will be led by Hany Maamoon, Senior Counsel and an experienced lawyer who is actively involved in the customs, insurance and transport sectors. Prior to joining Al Tamimi, Hany worked in the legal department of Port Said Port Authority, then joined a law firm in 2005 where he became a Partner. Hany was also admitted to the High Court of Appeals in Egypt, where he specialises in shipping law.

The opening of the Port Said office follows a range of recent investments in the firms service offering in Egypt, where they most recently welcomed five banking and finance lawyers to its Cairo team and also invested in local resource based in Alexandria. -- Tradearabia News Service
YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. During the 25th plenary session on April 1 the National Council (Parliament) of Slovakia has adopted a resolution on Nagorno Karabakh.

The resolution has been submitted by Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marian Kery, (SMER-SD/Social Democrats). It was approved with 120 votes in favor.

The resolution strongly condemns the killings of civilian population, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, cultural and religious sites and monuments, expresses concern over the military involvement of third countries during the conflict and their destabilizing role, emphasizes that the process of achieving lasting peace and determining the future legal status of Nagorno Karabakh should be implemented under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The resolution also expresses deep concern that the prisoners of war and other detained persons, including civilians, have not been released in accordance with the international humanitarian law, in particular the Third Geneva Convention.

The resolution calls on the government of Slovakia, the European Union and international organizations to ensure the proper investigation of war crimes, including all accusations about the use of cluster munitions, that all prisoners of war and civilians are released immediately, and that international humanitarian organizations enter into Nagorno Karabakh without restrictions.

This is the second resolution adopted by the Slovak National Council over the recent war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh. The first resolution was adopted on October 22, 2020.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) on Tuesday lamented the dearth of health workers in Benue State.

The State Chairman of MHWUN, Nyam Yisa Dennis, spoke during the official commissioning of the permanent site of the Benue State Primary Health Care Board headquarters in Makurdi.

Dennis said that apart from inadequate funding of primary health care board, the issue of shortage of manpower remained worrisome.

He said: "There is acute shortage of health personnel with the mass exodus of health workers' retiring from service on daily basis. Some of the primary health care clinics are being manned by just a professional health worker and in some cases, casual staff. We therefore call on the Benue State government to urgently recruit more health workers at the primary health care level to fill the vacuum created as a result of retirements from service."

On his part, the representative of the Executive Secretary of NPHCDA, Ishola Abdulrazaq, who is also State Coordinator of the agency, urged the state government to, as a matter of urgency, recruit at least 4000 health workers to bridge the gap.

Abdulrazaq added that the state, which is already doing well in the implementation of primary healthcare, needed more funding to enable the board achieve its core mandate of ensuring a universal health coverage amongst the rural populace.

He said the 1600 primary health facilities in the state are mostly manned by hired health workers whenever there is need to carry out functions such as immunisation, stressing the need to recruit for more hands.

Meanwhile, Governor Samuel Ortom, who commissioned the new edifice, promised to attend to the urgent need of the board in order of priority.
A national spike in anti-Asian hate crimes  including a recent mass shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent  is prompting state lawmakers to push a bill they say would expand and clarify hate crime laws in Massachusetts.

Among other steps the bill would combine the states two existing hate crimes laws and add gender and immigration status as protected classes when determining if a hate crime has been committed.

One of the co-sponsors of the bill, state Rep. Tram Nguyen, said during a legislative panel Wednesday that the Atlanta killings brought to the national consciousness the racial bias many Asian Americans experience.

The rise in anti-Asian hate incidents did not come out of nowhere. There has been a long and troubling history of racism and discrimination, said Nguyen, a Democrat and the first Vietnamese American elected to the Massachusetts House.

Nguyen recalled in 2016 when she was a legal services attorney and speaking in Vietnamese to a client, a recent immigrant, outside a Boston courthouse when a man rode by on a bike and told her to get out of his country saying you dont belong here.

Ask any Asian person and Im sure most of us will have stories to tell you about being ridiculed for the way we look, whether its our slanted eyes or our small stature, for our accents for those of us who are newer immigrants, she added. Even for those of us who have been in this country for generations, theres this general assumption that were perpetual foreigners.

She said the pandemic has intensified anti-Asian stigma but added that hate crimes are not limited to those of Asian descent and are meant to terrorize not just individuals but entire communities.

The Senate co-sponsor of the bill, Democratic Sen. Adam Hinds, said the bill is about saying loudly and clearly that violent bigotry is not acceptable.

He said the bill is not about creating new laws but combining and improving hate crimes laws already on the books. He also said the bill does not step on First Amendment rights and would not create new mandatory minimum sentences.

Besides adding gender and immigration status as protected classes, the bill seeks to make sentencing proportional to actions, strengthen penalties for repeat offenders, and clarify that bias has to be contributing factor  but not the only factor  for the hate crimes statute to kick in.

Massachusetts needs to send a clear message that hate crimes will not be tolerated, state Attorney General Maura Healey said.

Healey pointed to an attack Monday on an Asian American woman near New York Citys Times Square during which the 65-year-old was kicked and stomped. Police have since arrested a 38-year-old man in connection with the assault.

Its horrifying. Its so wrong, the Democrat said. Whats also problematic and wrong and disheartening is the fact that people witnessed that and did nothing.

What does that say about where we are as a society? Healey added. What we have seen happening in our communities is unacceptable, cant be tolerated, and is really corrosive to the kind of communities that were trying to aspire to be in this country.

The problem isnt helped when anti-Asian and other kinds of bias become normalized by those in elected office, Healey added.

Supporters of the bill say bias crimes arent just focused on Asian individuals.

Evelyn Dolan said she became a victim of hate-based harassment when she moved into a new home and her neighbor began calling her by a racial slur, taunted her then-15-year-old daughter, and harassed visitors.

He stands on the porch and holds up bananas and jumps around like a monkey. Its been a real terror, said Dolan, who also spoke at the legislative panel. Most of us have experienced some type of racism, harassment in our lives but for me I never thought that the harassment would be in my home, my safe place, my familys safe place.
Reuters

With 39, 544 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, Maharashtra on Thursday continued to report the highest number of daily cases in the country. Read more

Here's more top news of the day:

1) Women Can Now Travel For Free In Punjab Government Buses: How Free Bus Ride Will Help Them

Representational Image

The state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh gave its approval to the scheme that is going to benefit over 1.31 crore women/girls in the state. Read more

2) Meet Odisha's 'Bat Man' Who Is Proving To Be A Saviour For The Winged Mammals

Mental Floss

Summer is here and it is making life miserable for humans, animals and birds. In Baripada, Odisha, temperatures are touching 40 degrees Celsius and that is causing bats in local parks to fall off and eventually die. Read more

3) No Change In Take-Home Salary; PAN-Aadhaar Link: Important Changes That Are Not Happening Today

Representational Image

April 1 was set to mark an array of significant changes that were to directly impact the lives of millions of Indians. The government had earlier issued an order to make changes to the wage code that would have impacted crores of salaried employees. Read more

4) To Preserve Ecosystem, Dal & Other Lakes In J&K Declared Protected Wetlands: What It Means

Representational Image

The other lakes which are to be declared protected wetlands include Purmandal lake, also called Chotta Kashi, located in Samba district, according to a report by news agency PTI. Read more

5) Bandhavgarh Park Fire Finally Put Out After 3 Days: Know Extent Of Damage & Why Its Terrifying

ANI

Known for its Royal Bengal Tigers, Bandhavgarh is an expanse of over 100 square km and one of the most popular national parks in India in the Vindhya Hills, several hundreds of kilometres from Bhopal. Read more
Washington: US President Joe Biden has unveiled a massive $US2 trillion ($2.6 trillion) infrastructure plan he says will allow America to beat China economically and position the country as a global leader in clean energy technology.

Biden has proposed paying for the plan by lifting the US corporate tax rate from 21 to 28 per cent, reversing a cut his predecessor Donald Trump signed into law at the end of 2017.

Biden said the plan would allow the US to beat China and tackle the climate crisis. Credit:AP

Im convinced that, if we act now, in 50 years, people are going to look back and say this was the moment that America won the future, he said during a speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city in Americas post-industrial Rust Belt.

The plan would create millions of new jobs and show that democracies can still deliver for their citizens by helping the US win the global competition with China.
Nandigram (West Bengal) [India], April 1 (ANI): With voting for the second phase of Assembly polls underway, Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate for Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday advised Chief Minister not to indulge in hooliganism.

"She should show some restraint as she is the Chief Minister. She uses filthy language for the Prime Minister. She is 66-year-old aunty," said the CM's-protege-turned-rival.

He also warned Chief Minister that Bengal is part of India and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi is here to stay after May 2 when poll results would be declared.

The reaction came after Mamata reportedly issued a warning to those working against Trinamool by stating that they would beseech for a longer stay of Central forces post-May 2 implying TMC victory and action on those who worked against her.

Adhikari, a former minister in TMC leader claimed that the Chief Minister violated the model code of conduct by addressing the media was a violation of the poll code.

"She addressed press illegally (meaning violated poll codes), even in Hoogly she named Nandigram and after that, on helipad, she addressed the press on Nandigram. Her efforts to influence voters will be in vain," said Adhikari.

Clad in his trademark white kurta-pyjama, Adhikari appealed to voters to come out and vote as "every eye in the world is on Nandigram".

"Modi will also be here. This is part of India," Adhikari added when asked to respond to the warning while making an appeal to voters to endure 80 per cent to 85 per cent polling to be done.

Suvendu, soon after coming out from the polling station after casting his vote, made an appeal to voters to exercise their franchise.

Confident and assured, Adhikari was thronged by media as the villagers of Nandnayakbar, where he cast his vote.

The BJP candidate quoted Union Minister Amit Shah and credited him with accurate poll predictions while claiming his victory on the seat.

"I would tour the stations that may witness some 'gadbadi'. Appeasement politics will be beaten here" he said.

He also reposed his faith in Central Police Forces.

"We expect that no repolling should be done, no violence should be done. Everyone is active, Central forces are here, 14 drones are being used, 76 booths are manned by the quick response team and other forces. I am happy that there would be peace. Everything should be left to the people," he stated.

Voting in a total of 30 Assembly constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur, and Purba Medinipur is taking place in the second phase of the eight-phased assembly elections in West Bengal.
THE Popular Democratic Movement Youth League has condemned the government over the special treatment accorded to the so-called 'struggle kids'.

The PDMYL took issue with the meeting president Hage Geingob held with the new leadership of the Namibia Exile Kids Association (Neka) on Tuesday, during which he reportedly said that government will find ways to ensure "that those who need training can be trained and employed".

"The president's utterances during this meeting are in direct contravention of the recent High Court ruling that Cabinet's resolution to reserve certain jobs for the 'Children of the Liberation Struggle', without them going through the necessary recruitment processes, was unconstitutional," the PDMYL said in statement.

They said government's continued special treatment of the 'struggle kids' was in direct contravention of the Namibian Constitution, which protects all Namibians from unfair, discriminatory processes and grants access to equal opportunities for all.

"There is nothing special about the 'struggle kids'. Millions of Namibians were directly and indirectly affected in numerous ways in the fight to liberate Namibia ... Namibians lost their parents through numerous stages of the fight to liberate this country, and government can therefore not place special emphasis on only those who were exiled and lost their parents during the fight against the South African apartheid administration.

"If the government continues its special treatment of the 'struggle kids', the PDM Youth League will lay a criminal charge against government for contempt of court," the PDMYL said.
1 April Fools Day is an annual custom consisting of pranks and hoaxes. Its origins are subject to debate.

Some believe its etymology derives from April Foals, a reference to the disproportionate number of horses born on or around April 1.

Others think the term originated in the 13th century, from a dish known as an April Fool, consisting of fruit mixed with whipped cream. Towards the end of medieval banquets, these April Fools were thrown in the faces of those judged the most stupid people around the table.

2 Many countries celebrate different versions of the April Fools tradition.

In St Petersburg, Russia, an April Fool is chosen by a secret committee appointed by the president. He or she is then tossed from the Palace Bridge into the River Neva. If they survive, they are pulled out, given a paper crown and a penny whistle, and then tossed in again.

Last year, on April 1, 2020, President Trumps youngest son, Barron, then aged 14, surprised his father by informing him over breakfast that Fox News had just reported a small invasion of Martians (file image)

In St Petersburg (pictured), Russia, an April Fool is chosen by a secret committee appointed by the president

For the past two hundred years, a memorial on Vasilyevsky Island in the Neva delta to all the deceased April Fools has been a place of national pilgrimage.

3 For well over 500 years, members of the Royal Family have celebrated the ancient custom.

In his diary, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer narrates how, on Avril Phules Day 1544, our King doth play a merrie jeste on Queen Kateryn  Catherine Parr, the Kings sixth wife  convincing her that he had growne tyred of her and she would therefore undergo a swift beheading afore noon.

To his credit, His Majesty donned a straight face throughout, ensuring my good ladye was overcome with distress, begging his mercy and pledging to make her conversation more lively in the years ahead.

After ten minutes of muche merriment, His Majesty could contain himself no longer and explayned that it was but a merry jest. So my good ladye collapsed on the floor, giving thanks.

The King was all a-chuckle for the rest of the day.

4 The Royal April Fool tradition continues to this day. But from time to time a royal prank strikes a wrong note.

Last year, for instance, a leading member of the Royal Family invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured) for dinner at Highgrove

Last year, for instance, a leading member of the Royal Family invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for dinner at Highgrove. Before their arrival, the unnamed royal hid a whoopee cushion beneath the Duchesss seat.

I was profoundly upset, Meghan confessed to Oprah Winfrey in a section of their interview that has yet to be broadcast. It was a cruel and thoughtless gesture. Where was the love? Where was the compassion?

Three days ago, the Sussexes announced that their Archewell Foundation would be lending its support to a worldwide ban on whoopee cushions for the good of all, and the continued well-being of our planet.

5 A fast-growing body of scientific evidence suggests that some members of the animal kingdom try to hoax one another on or around April 1.

At Whipsnade Zoo on April Fools Day in 2017, a keeper reported that, in an attempt to scare its fellow birds, a flamingo had dressed up as a kangaroo and had begun hopping about.

In 2019, wildlife rangers in the Sumatran rainforest observed a group of orangutans walking around in jackets and ties, pretending to be a delegation from the World Wildlife Fund. Then, at the stroke of noon, they returned to the trees, emitting high-pitched cackling noises.

In 2020, the owner of a private aquarium in Maidstone, Kent, reported that one of his goldfish had taped a triangular piece of plastic to its back, so as to look like a shark, and was swimming around making a da-da, da-da, dadadadada noise, recognisable as the theme tune of Jaws

In 2020, the owner of a private aquarium in Maidstone, Kent, reported that one of his goldfish had taped a triangular piece of plastic to its back, so as to look like a shark, and was swimming around making a da-da, da-da, dadadadada noise, recognisable as the theme tune of Jaws.

The prank had proved so successful that an angelfish and a guppy had both attempted to leap out of the tank in search of somewhere safe.

6 Last year, on April 1, 2020, President Trumps youngest son, Barron, then aged 14, surprised his father by informing him over breakfast that Fox News had just reported a small invasion of Martians.

The Presidents immediate reaction was to call an emergency meeting of his National Security Council. He also tweeted, Iminent [sic] Martian invasion and dozy Democrats doing nothing to stop them!!! Lets BUILD THAT WALL!!!

At noon, Melania Trump took her husband to one side and revealed it was an April Fool. Barron Trump has not been seen in public since.
DEARBORN (dpa-AFX) - Ford Motor Co. (F) has announced cuts to production at six of its manufacturing plants in North America, as the automotive industry faces shortage in semiconductor chips. The impacted plants are in Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario, Canada. These plants manufacture several vehicles, including F-150 pickups, Ford Explorer SUV and Ford Escape crossover. The company's production changes include overtime shift cancellations, as well as temporary production halts for up to three weeks from April through June. Ford's production at its truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan, will be down for two weeks in April, and truck production at its Kansas City plant will halt for one week. Ford previously said it expected the shortage could negatively impact its earnings by $1 billion to $2.5 billion in 2021. The company said it 'will provide an update on the financial impact of the semiconductor shortage' when it reports its first quarter earnings on April 28. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Katie Price has displayed the results of her 12th breast augmentation after revealing she altered them again at the end of last year.

The former glamour model, 42, took to Instagram on Thursday and told how flew to Belgium for the surgery after getting a botched boob job in Turkey a few years ago.

The media personality looked sensational in the snaps as she donned a figure-hugging grey printed top.

Makeover: Katie Price has displayed the results of her 12th breast augmentation after revealing she altered them again at the end of last year

Styling her brunette locks into loose waves, Katie smiled at the camera and added to her look with a smokey eye.

The star admitted she arrived to the Be Clinic in Brussels with her head 'low' as she was embarrassed to have her breasts corrected.

She explained: 'So loads of people ask me for best place for boobs and surgery and its @beclinic_brussels Dr Frank Plovier.

'I stupidly had them done in Turkey few years ago and they were awful. So I went back to Frank with my head low lol and he corrected them.

Radiant: The former glamour model, 42, took to Instagram on Thursday and told how flew to Belgium for the surgery after getting a botched boob job in Turkey a few years ago

Natural beauty: The television personality first went under the knife in 1998 (Pictured in 1996)

Under the knife: Katie has had numerous cosmetic surgeries over the years (pictured in 2011)

'He is the man for surgery and I promise not only is he a lot more cheaper than UK its also a amazing clinic  a massive Thankyou to Frank and his team xx.'

The television personality - who first went under the knife in 1998 - revealed that when she visited her favourite surgeon at the end of last year, it was the twelfth time she'd had her breasts altered.

Katie first told her fans about the procedure last October, explaining that it was to correct previously 'botched' work done in Turkey.

Katie had Dr Frank Plovier - the Brussels surgeon behind much her cosmetic work - leave her with 1,050cc implants.

Honest: The star admitted she arrived to the Be Clinic in Brussels with her head 'low' as she was embarrassed to have her breasts corrected

She told The Sun: 'I had my boobs done in Turkey and they looked deformed, they were absolutely awful.'

'That's the first time I've gone to a different surgeon. I had to go back to Frank with my head down, ashamed that I'd been to another clinic. His first words were: "What the f*** have they done?"

'I did it when I came out of the Priory - they're just so much better. I didn't get an infection or anything.

Busty: Katie Price has confirmed that she's had her twelfth boob job

New look: Katie first told her fans about the procedure last October, explaining that it was to correct previously 'botched' work done in Turkey

The glamour model insisted she's 'so pleased' with her latest results and asserted that she has full confidence in Frank.

MailOnline has contacted Katie Price's representatives for comment.

Speaking last October, as she sat in the car during the drive to a surprise trip away with beau Carl Woods, Katie said: 'I just thought I'd give you some info, some secret info, what will be coming out on my YouTube soon.

'Last year I had my boobs done abroad and basically one of my boobs looked deformed so yet again I went back to the B Clinic, Dr Plovier.

Always changing: Katie has now had 12 boob jobs in total as well as multiple other cosmetic surgeries (Pictured left in 2011; Pictured right in 2017)

'And don't know why I went anywhere else when he's done an amazing job before on my boobs and he's the one who look after me during my Big Brother stint so he's rectified it [the deformed shape] and my boobs look absolutely amazing now.'

The mother-of-five lavished her surgeon with praise, saying his clinic was 'absolutely amazing' and recommending him to her followers.

Signing off from her video, Katie said: 'I hope you look forward to seeing my drama again - that ends with a happy ending.'

Taking to Instagram, Katie again posted about her boob job, adding that her breasts now look 'the best EVER' and she 'will have a body of my dreams finally'.

So happy: Katie said her breasts now look 'the best EVER' and she 'will have a body of my dreams finally'

She wrote: 'I did this message last night to let you know that after having my boobs done about a couple of years ago they went wrong and looked deformed!

'I went back to @beclinic_brussels who I originally go to for surgery and thank god in the recent months he re did my boobs and they are the best EVER! I will have a body of my dreams finally!'

Katie has previously spoken about how she risked sepsis during her time in the Big Brother house because her breast implant was 'hanging out' of her.

The former glamour model went on to win the 2015 version of Celebrity Big Brother however her success was tainted by her painful breast implant.
Put Me Atop Your To-do List ... or Else

North Korea's launch of a new type of tactical short-range ballistic missile--testing that is banned by UN resolutions--drew criticism from the UN Security Councils sanctions committee, but did not alter Washington's approach to Pyongyang amid a policy review. Asked if President Joe Biden plans to include sitting with President Kim Jong Un in his diplomacy, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: That is not his intention.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday nominated a former state Senate staffer to the vacant Public Utility Commission of Texas.



Will McAdams, who is president of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Texas, would be the lone member of the three-seat PUC, which regulates the state's electric, telecommunications, water and sewer utilities. He must be confirmed by the Senate.

The PUC has been without a commissioner since March 16, when Chairman Arthur D'Andrea was forced out in the wake of a leaked recording on which D'Andrea reportedly promised out-of-state investors he would stop efforts to reverse billions of dollars in charges for wholesale electricity during February's power crisis.

'Stuck in this netherworld': Deadly freeze exposes Texas' renter protections as anemic at best

D'Andrea had been elevated to PUC chair after Commissioner Shelly Botkin and Chairman DeAnn Walker resigned in the wake of the crisis caused by the unprecedented winter storm.

McAdams has worked in state government for more than 10 years, most recently as adviser to Speaker Dennis Bonnen for Business and Regulated Industries, according to the governor's office.

Before joining Bonnens staff, McAdams served in several senior staff positions for the state Senate, including director for the Committee on Business and Commerce and legislative director for Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner.

"Will McAdams will bring a fresh perspective and outstanding leadership to the Public Utility Commission of Texas," Abbott said in a Thursday release. "Wills wealth of experience in public service and state government make him the ideal leader to carry out the PUCs mission to protect customers, foster competition, and promote high quality infrastructure across Texas. Will is committed to charting a new course for the commission and restoring trust with Texans."

McAdams did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Walker and Botkin resigned amid backlash over last month's winter storm and power crisis that left more than 100 Houston-area residents dead when temperatures dipped below freezing and blackouts left millions of Texans without power.

Environment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger said in a Thursday statement that McAdams has his work cut out for him.

The PUC is a shipwreck right now, Metzger said in a release. The previous commissioners disbanded the Oversight & Enforcement Division, refused to ask the Legislature for the funding they need and oversaw the atrophy of Texas' energy efficiency programs. Commissioner McAdams has an opportunity to right the ship and help Texas build a cleaner, more reliable electric grid.

Despite being the commission's lone board member, McAdams can hold meetings and execute orders.



Abbott has not said when he will appoint commissioners to fill the PUC's two remaining vacancies.
(TNS) - The call comes into the police department for a missing person. Sometimes it's regarding an adult who didn't show up for work. It might be a teenager who has run away from home. It might be a child who got separated from their parents while on an outing.Police train for these kinds of missing person cases. But what happens when the missing person has special needs and may be unable to communicate with authorities?That's exactly what happened when Kenneth Parks, of New Bedford, wandered away from his group during a visit to Cushman Park in Fairhaven on March 17.Parks, 73, diagnosed with autism, is non-verbal and only speaks in grunts especially when he gets anxious, according to his caregivers.After missing for nearly 22 hours, Parks was found sitting in someone's car. He was unharmed, but was taken to the hospital by ambulance for an assessment.Skills needed when police face this kind of response"All officers have received classroom training regarding dealing with persons with special needs," said Fairhaven Sgt. Timothy F. Souza. He said the training happens at the department's annual in-service academies or for the newer officers in their initial full time police academy. "Aside from the police academy trainings we have a few officers in our department who are assigned to the SEMLEC Search and Rescue and Mobile Command Units. These officers are specifically trained for these types of responses."SEMLEC ( Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council) is a mutual aid consortium comprised of resources from the police departments of 30 cities and towns. It responds when requested by a chief of police to assist with search and rescue, special events, or major crimes.SEMLEC was activated in the search for Parks along with Fairhaven, Acushnet, and Mattapoisett Police Departments, Fairhaven Fire Department, Fairhaven Harbormaster, New Bedford Police Department Marine Unit, Bristol County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit, SEMLEC Search & Rescue, SEMLEC Mobile Command Center, SEMLEC Dive Team, SEMLEC Bicycle Unit, Mass State Police Special Emergency Response Team, Mass State Police Air Wing, Mass Environmental Police and the Department of Conservation & Recreation.Searching for Kenneth ParksParks, who lives in a residential group home, was on an outing in Cushman Park in Fairhaven when he wandered away from the group. At around 2 p.m. he was reported missing to police."An initial call was made to dispatch and officers responded," Souza said. "The shift supervisor and his team immediately flooded the area."He said officers talked to the last known person who saw Parks and then branched out into the general area stopping people and asking if they had seen Parks.Other police and fire assets were then brought to the scene to expand the search perimeter, he said."In this case initially SEMLEC Search and Rescue was called as well as Fairhaven Fire and Bristol County Sheriff's K-9 Units," Souza noted. "Within a short period of time we had other assets such as the Mass State Police Air Wing division assisting us as well. During the two-day search we had approximately 12 to 15 different agencies involved.""SEMLEC became part of the search for Mr. Parks once the unit was called by the Fairhaven police department," said Somerset Police Chief George McNeil, control chief for SEMLEC Search and Rescue. "The callout for search and rescue is requested by the participating municipality usually when they've exhausted their resources but this can change, particularly if weather conditions are poor or cold. Callout times can also vary depending on the missing person's age, medical condition, or other factors which may require a sooner response."McNeil said a command post was set up inside a command vehicle similar to a large mobile home that has the ability to communicate with all agencies, including the State Police and its Air Wing. A large flat screen TV is used to map grids of areas to be searched, starting with the location where the person was last seen. The grids get expanded as the search widens, he said.Sheriff Thomas Hodgson rolled out his department's K9 unit almost right away in the search. K9 Capt. Paul Douglas received the initial call for assistance from Fairhaven police and was told there was a missing senior citizen with autism and K9 support from the BCSO was being requested, wrote BCSO information officer Jonathan Darling, on the department's social media page.The entire K9 unit responded.When the search involves someone with special needs"If we can, we get information from a family member or caretaker on exactly how that person should be approached," Souza said. "Every person is different. Autistic individuals are not in general volatile, but we need to take a careful approach toward them so as to not frighten them, and doing our best to put them at ease with us.""In Mr. Parks' case we had conversations with his caretaker and the people at the place he resided," McNeil said. "Search and rescue always make sure that the home residence is checked thoroughly, because many times we find the missing person hiding or sleeping. This happens a lot with children.""We asked his personal physician to come to our command post so we could get specifics on his behavior," McNeil said. "When his doctor arrived, we asked her what she thought he may do if he was lost. It was thought that he may look for a place to sit down at some point and we thought that place would be an open car, which is where he was ultimately found.""[BCSO] Officer Chris Vaz was a huge help in the search and rescue effort," Darling wrote. "As the program manager of the BCSO's Project Lifesaver program, he has extensive knowledge of the challenges and behaviors demonstrated by people with autism. He was able to share those with rescue teams."Project Lifesaver is a program through the Bristol County Sheriff's Office that offers a GPS tracking bracelet to be placed on individuals with special needs, to help locate them if wander. Project Lifesaver reports a recovery time average of less than 30 minutes.Finding Kenneth 'Kenny' ParksUpon resuming the search early the next morning a woman alerted search teams that she might have found Parks. She said she found a man sitting in the back seat of her car in the driveway.It was Parks.At first officers got no response from Parks when they addressed him as Mr. Parks and then as Kenneth. However, as Darling recounted, K9 Capt. Paul Douglas address him as Kenny."When he heard 'Kenny' he turned and looked me right in the eye. I knew he was OK and it was the best feeling in the world," Douglas said."It was a huge relief for all of us involved when he was located," McNeil said."You simply can't service your community unless you can serve its most vulnerable members," Hodgson said. "The first lesson for each and every K9 team at the BCSO is tracking and locating missing persons, and they stand by ready to assist in any public safety situation that may arise.""It seemed like everyone in Fairhaven was out with flashlights, coffee, snacks, anything to help out," Darling wrote. He quotes Lt. Kenny Almeida who searched with his K9, Will, "It's hard to put into words just how great the neighbors and the community were. They were flooding us with tips and offers to help. They were donating coffee and food and water. It was truly amazing, and it was non-stop. It felt like all the reasons why I chose a career in law enforcement, that feeling of being a part of a community and keeping it safe.""There was an overwhelming feeling of relief," Souza said. "In our profession we have to unfortunately prepare mentally for the worst, but hope for the best. At the command post when the announcement was made that he was found, searchers were high-fiving and thanking each other for their assistance. This situation ended as we wish all did, a happy ending."April is Autism Acceptance MonthApril has widely been known as "Autism Awareness Month" however, the autism community is calling on all media outlets to shift their language to match the growing need for acceptance within the community in preparation for any news coverage in the weeks ahead, according to the Autism Society of America.The shift in the use of terminology aims to foster acceptance to ignite change through improved support and opportunities in education, employment, accessible housing, affordable health care and comprehensive long-term services, the organization states on its website."While we will always work to spread awareness, words matter as we strive for autistic individuals to live fully in all areas of life," writes Christopher Banks, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America. "As many individuals and families affected by autism know, acceptance is often one of the biggest barriers to finding and developing a strong support system."___(c)2021 The Standard-Times, New Bedford, Mass.Visit The Standard-Times, New Bedford, Mass. at www.southcoasttoday.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
One in every four West Australian quarantine workers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as Premier Mark McGowan continues to explore the legalities of making the jab mandatory for frontline staff.

Figures released by the Department of Health on Thursday showed of the 1752 hotel quarantine workers, including security guards, cleaners and medical staff, 53.8 per cent had received their first dose of the vaccine, and 25.7 per cent had received two jabs  the number required to be fully immunised.

WAs vaccination rate among COVID-19 frontline workers such as cleaners and security guards, remains low more than a month into the roll-out. Credit:Getty Images

Mr McGowan said most, if not all, medical staff responsible for treating COVID-19 patients inside their hotel rooms and police at the venues had been vaccinated  meaning the shortfall was mostly in relation to security and cleaning staff at Perths nine quarantine hotels.

The hotel worker cohort was among 16,078 people in WA in the priority Phase 1A of the vaccine roll-out, which commenced on February 22.
The on Thursday banned leader from campaigning for 48 hours after finding him guilty of violating the model code of conduct by making derogatory remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

In its order, the poll panel reprimanded Raja for violation of the model code of conduct, delisted his name from the list of star campaigners of the and debarred him from campaigning for 48 hours "with immediate effect."



Assembly polls will be held in Tamil Nadu on April 6 in a single phase for which campaigning would end in the evening of April 4.

"The Commission also advises you to be watchful and not to make intemperate, indecent, derogatory, obscene remarks and lower the dignity of women in future during election campaign," the 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.)
HONG KONG  Seven of Hong Kongs veteran pro-democracy leaders were found guilty on Thursday of unauthorized assembly, a verdict seen by their supporters as a severe assault on the freedom of speech and other civil liberties that once were core to the citys identity.

Martin Lee, an 82-year-old barrister known as the father of democracy in Hong Kong; Jimmy Lai, 73, a media tycoon and founder of the staunchly pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper; and Margaret Ng, 73, a respected barrister and columnist, along with four others, were convicted of participating in and organizing an unauthorized march in 2019.

They each face up to five years in prison, and sentences will be handed down on April 16. A severe penalty would be seen by critics of the government as an attempt to muzzle some of the most prominent and internationally recognized figures in Hong Kongs democracy movement. It would also send a strong message about how the courts may rule in several other trials this year on similar charges of illegal assembly.

Before the hearing, some of the defendants rallied outside the court, holding a banner that read, Oppose Political Persecution; Protest Political Suppression. Inside the courtroom, supporters seated in the gallery cheered them on, shouting: Keep up your spirits!
The National Alliance for Caregiving and Adira Foundation have joined forces to address the needs of caregivers as they navigate the many challenges brought to light by the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent study from the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP found that the United States has 9.5 million more family caregivers now than in 2015, encompassing more than one in five. Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 also revealed that caregivers are in overall worse health than five years ago. As caregivers face the COVID-19 pandemic with greater risk in managing government orders to stay at home and isolate, the need for caregiving resources is growing.

Caregivers that live with the person who needs care and those that support someone in a facility both face added challenges with care responsibilities given such widespread stay at home restrictions. One caregiver living in Florida said, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought new concerns about the care my mother is receiving. Since visits to her assisted living facility arent allowed, I havent been able to witness the care received and havent been informed of any of my mothers health changes.

These combined challenges indicate that any strategy to support family caregivers during this time must strengthen efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19while also maintaining the support that families provide in health and long-term care settings, says C. Grace Whiting, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving.

That is why the National Alliance for Caregiving and Adira Foundation have collaborated on a digital education platform, Take Care, for family caregivers, she said. They have enlisted a steering committee of industry experts to guide the project, including: Emily Skehill, Program Manager of Public Education and Awareness, Mental Health America; Madison Mason, Senior Associate of Policy, National Health Council; David Banda, Patient Advocacy and Community Engagement Lead, Clara Health; Jennifer Levin, Founder, Caregiver Collective; Patricia DAntonio, Vice President of Professional Affairs, Gerontological Society of America.

This platform aims to provide support to caregivers by offering meaningful resources to support state, local, and national public health efforts. As respite is not available to most families, this program will also identify and share tips for families on how to practice self-care at home.

The site allows caregiver stakeholders to submit resources that support caregivers needs through a wiki-type collaborative content platform. The website will seek feedback from visitors on the COVID-19 Caregiving Framework, developed by NAC and Adira, that reflects the reality of caregiving during a crisis and beyond and that ensures the content improves and grows in the direction people need.

Founder and CEO of Adira Greg Smiley said Adira is proud to fund such a vital program. A central library of online caregiving resources, designed and tended by those who live these struggles day in, day out, is a dream, he said. How something so foundational doesnt already exist surprises us. We believe common community is what will see us through to better places. Nothing is more common amongst those dealing with complex conditions than caregiving. We couldnt be happier than to give liftoff to such a vital resource.

In this time of particular uncertainty, take time to take care of yourself and the caregivers in your life. Visit http://www.takecare.community for more information and to access important resources.

###

About the National Alliance for Caregiving

Established in 1996, the National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of national organizations focusing on advancing family caregiving through research, innovation, and advocacy. NAC conducts research, does policy analysis, develops national best-practice programs, and works to increase public awareness of family caregiving issues. Recognizing that family caregivers provide significant societal and financial contributions toward maintaining the well-being of those in their care, NAC supports a network of more than 80 state and local caregiving coalitions and serves as Secretariat for the International Alliance of Carer Organizations (IACO). Learn more at http://www.caregiving.org.

About Adira Foundation:

Adira Foundation is a national nonprofit public foundation whose mission is to invest in better lives for people with neurodegenerative diseases. We work by bringing disease communities together, listening and learning from their point-of-view, naming and setting priorities for grants, then co-financing and funding programs. We monitor, evaluate, and learn from the work to improve over time. Our initial focus is the community of five neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimers disease, ALS, Huntingtons disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinsons disease. Learn more at http://www.adirafoundation.org.

For more information, press only:

Charlotte Davidson, National Alliance for Caregiving

781-913-4288

charlotte@caregiving.org

Kelli Yoder, Adira Foundation

(804) 417-0270

kyoder@adirafoundation.org

For more information on the research:

http://www.caregiving.org/caregiving-in-the-us-2020/
The Lee Township Trash Compactor facility will remain in operation until further notice, following strong public objection of its closing.

The transfer station, better known as the dump, was originally slated to close permanently on Wednesday, March 31, after the Lee Township Board voted at its March 8 meeting to switch to curbside trash service. The closure was part of the boards budget discussion, as some members cited a lack of funding and increased costs to operate, in addition to safety concerns at the facility.

The problem is if we continue to run that (facility) were not going to have any funds, said Township Supervisor Kristy Gustafson.

However, many residents felt the decision was too haste and should have been done by vote of the people.

Since the decision, a protest and multiple special meetings of the board have been held, including a most recent meeting Wednesday night. The board met outside the Lee Township Hall and of the about 60 residents that attended, some were in support of the switch to curbside while others were not.

Gustafson said they are waiting on notice from the townships legal counsel  delayed due to a vacation  about how to properly and legally move forward with the dump closure. Gustafson said their legal counsel is looking into how the Township charges residents for trash services and into the budget stabilization fund.

The next scheduled meeting will be the board's regular April meeting, unless word comes sooner on next steps for the future of the dump facility.

During Wednesday nights meeting, the board voted 4-1 to send the townships general ledger and treasurers books to the Michigan State Treasury Department to conduct an in-depth audit. Concerns with the townships budget and finances have arisen from the dump discussion.

We need an audit of our records  theres holes; theres things missing, Gustafson said.

Township Clerk Laura Dawson, who voted no, said the audit was a waste of township money.

The conversation escalated with residents and board members talking over each other. Dawson stood up to, in-part, yell, I am an official whistleblower; its over! which elicited claps and hollers from residents.

In addition, a couple residents called for Gustafson and Trustee Darla Rippee to resign. Resident Jasna Appell explained the request to resign was due to lack of transparency and failure to "represent the collective will of the people, and short circuit their participation," among other concerns.
At least 35 cases of harassment against 72 journalists were logged in Cambodia in 2020, according to a new report by the Cambodian Journalists Alliance (CamboJA). The IFJ and its affiliate CamboJA condemn violence and intimidation of journalists in Cambodia and implore the authorities to respect press freedom.

In its first annual Cambodian Journalism Situation Report 2020, published on March 29, CamboJA detailed the various cases of harassment and threats journalists faced while doing their job, with at least 31 out of 72 journalists arrested after being either attacked or threatened with violence while exercising their press freedoms throughout the year.

The most common types of harassment were imprisonment and violence, with journalists noted as being unfairly targeted for exercising their legal rights and freedom in reporting stories. At least 31 journalists were imprisoned [about 43 per cent of cases] and 22 journalists were either attacked or threatened with violence while on duty.

The executive director of CamboJA, Nop Vy, said: This finding shows that journalists who dare to cover and report on the interests of military and powerful officials are still being persecuted through judiciary system that uses criminal law instead of press law and have been repeatedly beaten and subjected to violence.

Cambodias Criminal Code is a legal tool often used to intimidate and jail journalists and allows for journalists to be arrested without a warrant. CamboJA called on the government to ensure the safety and security of all journalists so that they can exercise their rights to freely report without fear. The 28-page report also provided a broad range of recommendations and key areas of action.

The CamboJA said: Theongoing imprisonment, detention and physical threats against journalists undermines the medias role in a democratic society and strikes fear in those who cover stories or cases involving powerful officials.

The IFJ said: The Cambodian government should cease using the Criminal Code to target journalists. Journalism is not a crime.
[April 01, 2021] Canada Invests in Community-Led Clean Energy Projects in the Northwest Territories

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - Canada's North is experiencing substantial impacts from climate change, and many Indigenous communities have identified clean, reliable energy as key to a resilient future. The Government of Canada is investing in community-led clean energy projects with remote Indigenous communities to support building a low-emissions energy future, moving away from diesel dependency and advancing reconciliation and self-determination. Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories, Michael V. McLeod, on behalf of the Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources, today announced over $640,000 for two projects in the Northwest Territories that will help rural and remote communities combat climate change by reducing their reliance on diesel fuel for heat and power. The first investment of $442,000 is for Paulatuk Community Corporation's Beaufort Hamlet Energy Initiative. Working with the Hamlet of Ulukhaktok, this project will develop a community energy plan to support future energy efficiency initiatives and renewable energy projects. This includes increasing energy literacy and skills development to reduce diesel dependency. The second investment of $200,000 is for Rat River Development Corporation to build a sustainable wood chip supply chain for the Gwich'in Nation. These wood chips will be locally harvested from willow trees for use in biomass systems in and around Fort McPherson, resulting in more Indigenous employment and participation in economic opportunities in the bioenergy and forestry sectors. Both projects were funded through Natural Resources Canada's Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities, a $220-million program to reduce reliance on diesel in rural and remote communities by deploying and demonstrating renewable energy projects, encouraging energy efficiency and building local skills and capacity. The program is part of the government's Investingin Canada Plan, a more than $180-billion infrastructure investment in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes and Canada's rural and northern communities.



As outlined in Canada's strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, ensuring the availability of clean, affordable heat and power options is a priority for the government. The government is investing an additional $300 million to give rural, remote and Indigenous communities currently reliant on diesel the opportunity to be powered by clean, reliable energy by 2030. Quotes

"Indigenous communities and companies are showcasing their innovative solutions to combating climate change, all while creating local jobs and advancing self-determination. We congratulate them on their leadership in their energy transformation." Michael V. McLeod

Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories "Indigenous people and communities are leaders in Canada's clean growth future. By working together with them, we're getting good projects off the ground  and great results." Seamus O'Regan Jr.

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources "Paulatuk has dubbed itself "The South Wind Capital." Winter winds often become so strong and persistent they create snowbanks huge enough to bury houses. Kids can literally walk on the roofs and toboggan down the banks. In 2007 we attended a Wind Energy Conference in Tuktoyaktuk, sponsored by GNWT. Experts from Alaska and elsewhere discussed how wind could displace some fossil fuels in our communities. We have stayed in touch with some of those experts, particularly those working in Alaska developing community wind parks to heat their homes. We are grateful to be part of NRCan's Clean Energy for Remote and Rural Communities program. We just formed our working group and are now embarking on a journey to build new partnerships and to expand people-capacity in our communities. Our goal is to create long-term employment, build local skills, reduce energy costs and reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels. Thank you, Canada, for believing in us and our experts." Ray Ruben

Chair, Paulatuk Energy Working Group "Our former Chief, the late Johnny W. Kyikavichik, had a vision for a bio-mass project and brought that to light by working tirelessly on the project by obtaining funds, setting up workshops and working together with partnerships and bringing his vision into reality. The willows and trees have grown rampantly in the area around Peel River, located within the Gwich'in Settlement Area. Studies have shown that these trees can burn in a boiler system used for biomass furnaces that will not only heat the Charles Koe Building (TGC-DGO Office Building) but other infrastructure in the community. With Johnny's vision for willow heat and employment for community residents, we are moving forward in bio-energy as much as possible to realize the vision of self-sufficiency in alternative energy. I want to thank Natural Resources Canada for its investment and support in this important project and opportunity for the Gwich'in Nation. We look forward to our continued work with Natural Resources Canada and the Clean Energy for Remote and Rural Communities Program." Leslie Blake

President, Rat River Development Corporation Associated links

Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities

Investing in Canada Plan

A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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MDOT lifts seasonal weight restrictions Friday on all state roads in Lower Peninsula

MDOT lifts seasonal weight restrictions Friday on all state roads in Lower Peninsula

Dan Weingarten, MDOT Office of Communications, 906-250-4809 Transportation

April 1, 2021 -- Effective 6 a.m. Friday, April 2, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will lift seasonal weight restrictions on all state roads in the Lower Peninsula.

Weight restrictions will be lifted from the southern Michigan border north to the Mackinac Bridge. Frost restrictions are still in effect for the remainder of the state and will be imposed and enforced on all state trunkline highways north of the Mackinac Bridge.

In the restricted areas, the following will apply:

- On routes designated as "all-season" (designated in green and gold on the MDOT Truck Operators Map), there will be no reduction in legal axle weights.

- On routes designated as "seasonal" (designated in solid or dashed red on the MDOT Truck Operators Map), there will be a posted weight reduction of 25 percent for rigid (concrete) pavements and 35 percent for flexible (asphalt) pavements.

- All extended permits will be valid for oversize loads in the weight-restricted area on the restricted routes. Single-trip permits will not be issued for any overweight loads or loads exceeding 14 feet in width, 11 axles and 150 feet in overall length on the restricted routes.

County road commissions and city public works departments put in place their own seasonal weight restrictions, which usually, but not always, coincide with state highway weight restrictions. Signs are generally posted to indicate which routes have weight restrictions in effect.

For weight restriction information and updates, call 800-787-8960, or you can access this information on MDOT's website at www.Michigan.gov/Truckers, under "Restrictions." All-season routes are designated in green and gold on the MDOT Truck Operators Map, which is available online. You also may sign up to receive e-mail alerts.

Trucking companies located in New Jersey and Canada can obtain information by calling 517-373-6256.
By Karen Updyke, School of Engineering

As we close Womens History Month, the University of Dayton School of Engineering would like to celebrate two special people: Gerica Brown and Kelly Bohrer who have made positive contributions to our University community and to our society. They were recently designated by the UD Women's Center as two of the fifteen 2021 Women of UD honorees.

Brown and Bohrer exemplify the Centers theme, Leading with Character and Resilience, which honors women who have demonstrated tremendous tenacity and courage.

For almost five years, Brown, director of the Multi-Ethnic Engineers Program in the School of Engineering, has been working with the Diversity in Engineering Center in pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion within the University and the School.

Additionally, Brown advises the University chapters of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, works on her dissertation as a Ph.D. candidate in the Educational Leadership doctoral program, and says that she is an auntie, sister, daughter, partner, dog-mom, and friend, all of which are as important to me as my work and school titles.

As a first-generation college student, she is the first in her family to receive an engineering degree and to pursue a Ph.D. Brown says:

My proudest accomplishment has been making my family proud and being another positive role model for the women in my family. I follow in big footsteps and have had an amazing support system along the way. I am proud to be a part of an amazing community of women who support and encourage one another to live authentically and share the unique gifts we each have for the purpose of making a difference in this world. This award means a lot to me because it means a lot to my family. I am humbled by being selected during a year that so many women have had no choice but to be resilient for their families, their culture, workplaces, students, and themselves, and I wish that we could honor each and every one of them.

For almost three years, Bohrer, has been director of Community Relations for the School of Engineering, a new position in the School, and last year stepped into a new role as acting director of The ETHOS Center, as well as continuing in her role as adjunct faculty for the Universitys Sustainability program. Before moving to the School, she was the director of Community Engaged Learning and Scholarship for the Universitys Fitz Center for Leadership in Community and also worked with the Center for Social Concern and the Department of Biology. On July 1, Bohrer will celebrate 20 years with the University of Dayton.

In addition, Bohrer has presented for the Inclusive Excellence Academy, and is currently active on the advisory boards for the Universitys Sustainability program and the Aullwood Audubon Center and has been a committee member for two city of Dayton projects: Roots of Racism, presented last fall, and their upcoming Redlining Exhibit.

Building a network of campus and community collaborations, Bohrer says:

Im most proud of the collaborations with really amazing UD colleagues and Dayton and domestic community partners as we create opportunities for folks to learn more about social justice issues and to mobilize for the common good. In the School of Engineering, weve grown our domestic and Dayton community partnerships and have created new ETHOS immersions. Were also developing and leading the Engineering and Human Rights initiative, which will include a new engineering minor next year. With the city of Dayton, I collaborated and presented on Part I: the Roots of Racism last October, which is a video that appears on the Dayton Daily News Facebook page. I am also super proud to be among the incredible women also being recognized this year as 2021 Women of UD.

Last fall, Bohrer was nominated for the Montgomery County Food Champion Award. And previously, she collaborated on two projects: Facing Dayton: Neighborhood Narratives and REAL Dayton with the Center for Social Concern.

Please enjoy, in their own words, our very own School of Engineering 2021 Women of UD honorees: Gerica Brown and Kelly Bohrer.

Congratulations, Gerica and Kelly!
The number of fully in-person districts reached a new high this week, as Gov. Phil Murphy has begun to push districts to bring students back into classrooms following a year of coronavirus-related school closures.

As of Monday, March 29, 535 districts were hybrid, 85 remote, and 148 were fully in-person, the highest number of in-person districts since the coronavirus shuttered schools last March.

Forty-three districts have different educational formats for different schools. The number of hybrid districts remained relatively flat for the second week in a row, while the number of fully remote dropped by five. Thirty-nine districts changed formats this week.

Scheduled spring breaks this week are not reflected in the school status reporting, officials said. A number of schools have said they will switch to remote after the break in anticipation of out-of-state travel.

Murphy has called for all districts to switch to either hybrid or in-person learning, announcing last week that some schools could relax social distancing measures.

Although just over 18% of districts are fully in-person, those schools educate just 7% of New Jersey students, as all the states largest districts remain remote or hybrid. Newark, the states largest district, will re-open for in-person learning on April 12.

Its not clear if the number of students in each learning format takes into account students electing to learn remotely in districts offering in-person learning. A spokesperson for the Department of Education did not immediately have that information available.

Some schools have remained entirely remote since last March, while other districts have changed formats as virus conditions have changed. Parents have also been given the choice to keep students virtual even if their district reinstitutes in-person learning. That option will be rescinded next year, and reserved only for students and teachers with medical concerns, Murphy said.

Districts have cited concerns about the viruss spread as the main reason for choosing to remain remote; at least one district has said it intends to stay virtual through the end of the year, and a number of large districts say they will remain remote until mid-April.

There have been 205 outbreaks and 947 cases of the coronavirus linked to schools in New Jersey. For cases to qualify as an outbreak, they must be confirmed to have been transmitted in the classroom or during academic activities. All 21 counties have seen an in-school outbreak.

Teachers are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, and some districts, including Edison, have begun partnering with health agencies to distribute vaccines to teachers. No vaccine has been approved for children under 16, although Pfizer has announced their vaccine is highly effective in children aged 12-15. Studies on younger children remain ongoing.

The following seven districts brought students back for in-person learning this week:

Clark Township Public School District: Hybrid to In-Person

Allamuchy Township School District: Hybrid to In-Person

Frelinghuysen Township School District: Hybrid to In-Person

Pohatcong Township School District: Hybrid to In-Person

ARCHBISHOP DAMIANO SCHOOL: Remote to In-Person

Shrewsbury Borough School District: Remote to In-Person

RUGBY SCHOOL, INC., THE: Remote to In-Person

Fifteen previously remote districts moved to hybrid, bringing students back into the classroom at least part-time:

Atlantic Community Charter School: Remote to Hybrid

KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation: Remote to Hybrid

Fairfield Township School District: Remote to Hybrid

DURAND, INC.: Remote to Hybrid

HOLLYDELL SCHOOL: Remote to Hybrid

Clinton-Glen Gardner School District: Remote to Hybrid

Dover Public School District: Remote to Hybrid

Wharton Borough School District: Remote to Hybrid

Ogdensburg Borough School District: Remote to Hybrid

Wallkill Valley Regional High School: Remote to Hybrid

College Achieve Central Charter School: Remote to Hybrid

Elizabeth Public Schools: Remote to Combo

The Queen City Academy Charter School District: Remote to Hybrid

Buena Regional School District: Hybrid to Combo

Roxbury Township School District: Hybrid to Combo

Four districts brought students out of the classroom, switching from in-person to either hybrid, remote, or to a combination of learning formats across schools,

Holmdel Township School District: In-Person to Combo

CHILDRENS CENTER OF MONMOUTH CO.: In-Person to Remote

Northern Hills Academy School District: In-Person to Remote

Berkeley Heights School District: In-Person to Hybrid

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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KIRKLAND  An industrial building at 11011 120th Ave. N.E. in Kirkland sold for nearly $8.3 million, according to King County records.

The seller was LHV Properties LLC, which acquired the property in 2011 for $7 million.





. . .
the queen opted for a timeless piece of jewellery gifted to her during her first trip to Australia in 1954 to mark the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Her Majesty wore the Australian wattle brooch yesterday when she undertook her first public royal engagement in five months, visiting the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial in Runnymede, Surrey.

The historic brooch was gifted to the 94-year-old monarch by the Australian government and people on her first trip to the country during her Coronation tour.

Designed to represent the national flower of Australia; the yellow and white diamond brooch depicts a spray of wattle with mimosa leaves and tea tree blossoms in stunning gemstones.

The Queen opted for a timeless piece of jewellery gifted to her during her first trip to Australia in 1954 to mark the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force

Her Majesty wore the Australian wattle brooch gifted to her by the Australian government and people on her first trip to the country during her Coronation tour in 1954

The piece of jewellery was presented to the Queen at a state banquet in Canberra by Prime Minister Robert Menzies and she was spotted wearing the brooch throughout her tour.

The piece has made numerous appearances during Her Majesty's trips to Australia; most recently in October 2011 for her arrival in Canberra, on the first day of an 11-day tour of the country with the Duke of Edinburgh.

Before her outing yesterday the last time the monarch wore the piece was in 2019, attending the Royal Maundy Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Another notable occasion the Queen opted for the brooch was for the wedding of her son Charles to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in April 2005.

Her Majesty wore the brooch in October 2011 for her arrival in Canberra, on the first day of an 11-day tour of the country with the Duke of Edinburgh

Before her outing yesterday the last time the monarch wore the piece was in 2019, attending the Royal Maundy Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

Thanks to its floral design, Her Majesty often chooses to wear the piece for her annual visit to the Chelsea Flower Show, and also donned it for her annual Christmas Message in 1976.

The Queen, who had her Covid vaccine in January, did not wear a face covering but opted for a bright spring-inspired ensemble for her outing yesterday.

She chose an ivory Angela Kelly dress, green coat and matching hat adorned with faux daffodils and orchids.

When the Queen arrived at Runnymede she was greeted by Claire Horton, director general of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and George Brandis, High Commissioner for Australia.

The ceremony began with a flypast by the Red Arrows, but with white smoke only instead of the familiar red, white and blue. As they do not normally perform at this time of year, their smoke pods are in for maintenance.

Another notable occasion the Queen opted for the brooch was for the wedding of her son Charles to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in April 2005

The Queen, who had her Covid vaccine in January, did not wear a face covering but donned a bright spring-inspired ensemble for her outing yesterday

Prayers were then said for Royal Australian Air Force servicemen and women who have lost their lives in service of their country before Her Majesty's Equerry Major Tom White laid a wreath on her behalf.

As she arrived at the memorial, which she opened in 1953, the Queen remarked on how long it was since she had last been there.

The outing comes as her husband Prince Philip, 99, recovers at home after undergoing heart surgery for a pre-existing heart condition at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London earlier this month.

The engagement fell on the first anniversary of 'Megxit' - when the Queen's grandson Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from royal duties and stopped using their HRH styles, on March 31 last year.

The visit comes amid a tumultuous time for the family, in the wake of the Sussexes' televised sit-down with Oprah Winfrey at the start of last month which left the royal family facing one of its worst crises for generations.
New Delhi, April 1 : Google has announced not to participate in-person in the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2021, after several tech giants like Nokia, Ericsson, Sony and Oracle decided not to attend the flagship event meant for the global smartphone industry.

Google said that following current COVID-19 travel restrictions and protocols, it "has made the decision to not exhibit at Mobile World Congress this year".

"We will continue to collaborate closely with GSMA and support our partners through virtual opportunities. We look forward to this year's activities and seeing you in Barcelona in 2022," the company said in a statement to The Verge on Wednesday.

In February, the GSMA that runs MWC said it would go ahead with the in-person event in June year with proper Covid-19 precautions.

However, with Covid cases rising again globally, more and more tech giants have announced not to take the risk.

MWC Barcelona is an annual trade show organised by GSMA, dedicated primarily to the mobile communications industry.

Its annual attendance was generally around 100,000 people, while mobile phone manufacturers often use the conference to unveil upcoming devices.

GSMA has extended the MWC brand to two other trade shows in Shanghai, China (MWC Shanghai) and Los Angeles, United States (MWC Los Angeles, formerly MWC Americas), but the brand remains most synonymous with the Barcelona event.
(Natural News) Male students at an Australian School have spoken out in anger after they were forced by teachers to stand up in an assembly and collectively apologise to female students for sexism and rapes committed by their gender.

(Article by Steve Watson republished from Infowars.com)

The bizarre action, enforced by Brauer College in Warrnambool, Victoria, has been slammed as endemic of the woke attack on men globally.

After the school was lambasted by parents, it issued a statement claiming that the action was well-intended but acknowledging it was inappropriate.

That wasnt enough for some students and parents, who continue to demand a proper full apology and denouncement of the schools actions.

Appearing on the Today show in Australia, student Craig Daniels emphasised that the assembly should never have happened.

I wasnt in the assembly personally but I know people who were and it made them feel guilty for something they havent done, Daniels said.

Daniels added that the school should have instigated education about the issue of sexual consent by not just slapping [the label] predator on one gender when it goes both ways.

Craigs mother, Nicole Daniels, further urged that the school completely messed it up.

What theyve made the boys do, theyve labelled and categorised them into the same category as a perpetrator and a rapist when these boys have done nothing wrong, Mrs Daniels said.

Rebecca Croft, another mother of a student at the school, noted I was just absolutely horrified about my children having to stand up and apologise for something on behalf of their gender they have no control over.

My 12-year-old has no idea about rape and sexual assault and he was made to apologise and he doesnt understand why, Croft added.

Other parents also noted that the girls at the school were upset by the incident because it made them out to be victims of sexual abuse.

This disgusting incident highlights how minority divisive attitudes amplified by big tech social media echo chambers are having a detrimental real world effect on our society.

If people become too afraid to speak out against wokism and cancel culture, this kind of thing threatens to become the norm, permanently poisoning the minds of young people globally.

Read more at: Infowars.com and CampusInsanity.com.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Aurora-San Diego, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Diego employment law attorneys at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Aurora-San Diego, LLC, alleging the company violated California Labor Code. The lawsuit against Aurora-San Diego, LLC is currently pending in the San Diego County Superior Court, Case No. 37-2021-00007280-CU-OE-CTL. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

The lawsuit filed against Aurora-San Diego, LLC alleges PLAINTIFF and other CALIFORNIA CLASS Members were from time to time unable to take thirty (30) minute off-duty meal breaks and were not fully relieved of duty for their meal periods. California labor laws require an employer to provide an employee required to perform work for more than five (5) hours during a shift with, a thirty (30) minute uninterrupted meal break prior to the end of the employee's fifth (5th) hour of work.

Cal. Lab. Code  2808 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, PLAINTIFFS and other CALIFORNIA CLASS Members were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones in order to complete their job duties. As a result, they allegedly incurred unreimbursed business expenses.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Aurora-San Diego, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
Chennai, April 1 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that the DMK has scant respect for women and the derogatory speech made by DMK leader A. Raja against the late mother of Chief Minister K. Palaniswami is a clear testimony to that.

Last week, Raja had made the comments while comparing the political journeys of DMK chief M.K. Stalin and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister when he said, "One can say Stalin is born in the proper way, nine months after a proper marriage and rituals. Whereas Edappadi (Palaniswami) is born like a premature baby and came all of a sudden." On Thursday, the Election Commission banned Raja from campaigning for the April 6 Tamil Nadu elections for 48 hours, terming his remarks as "obscene" and against the "dignity of motherhood of women".

Lambasting the DMK leader, Shah on Thursday called upon the women of Tamil Nadu to teach Raja and DMK a lesson in the ensuing Assembly elections.

Speaking at Vilupuram district in Tamil Nadu, the Union Home Minister said, "Both Congress and DMK are interested in safeguarding their family members. While Sonia Gandhi is worried about her son Rahul Gandhi, Stalin is looking after his heir apparent Udhayanidhi Stalin." Shah said that while the NDA is focused on the development of Tamil Nadu and the country, the Congress and DMK are indulging in corruption and dynastic politics.

Earlier addressing a rally at Thiirukovilur, Shah said, "I am surprised that DMK leader M.K. Stalin is speaking against corruption. Hope he has not forgotten the 2G scams as well as the massive corruption in Sun TV." He also said that both the Congress and the DMK are partners in crime, adding that these two parties are interested in land grabbing, rowdyism, corruption and dynastic politics.

Shah said that the late founder of AIADMK, M.G. Ramachandran, had worked for the poor and the downtrodden while late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had carried forward his legacy.

The Union Home Minister said that both Chief Minister Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam are carrying forward the legacy of the late MGR and Jayalalithaa with the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also said that the Union government had named the Chennai Central railway station after MGR.

"BJP, AIADMK and PMK will keep MGR's legacy alive and function under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Shah said.

The senior BJP leader also said that a divine intervention had prevented the Congress from coming to power at the Centre and had it come to power, Jallikattu would have been banned in the state. He said that Rahul Gandhi had given approval for banning Jallikattu.

Earlier in the morning, Shah had landed at the Puducherry airport from where he went straight to the Srimath Guru Sithanandha Swamikal Devasthanam in Karuvadikuppam.

He later took out a roadshow and campaigned at Lawspet, Kapalet and Kamaraj Nagar constituencies before leaving for Thirukovilur in Tamil Nadu.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Governor Mark Gordon took action on 25 bills on Thursday, April 1. Among the bills signed into law today were two that the Governor enthusiastically supported  House Bill 58 and Senate File 116.

HB 58 allows the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources the flexibility to use more of their fees to offset recent budget reductions. State Parks saw a 36% increase in visitation last year and expects similar, higher visitation this year. The bill provides the agency with the ability to fund park maintenance and hire seasonal staff, improving the visitor experience.

SF 116 will help the Wyoming Business Council Board of Directors operate more efficiently and increase engagement. Maximizing government efficiency was one of the goals highlighted by the Governor in his State of the State address and this piece of legislation furthers that goal.

The Governor signed the following bills:

Bill No. Enrolled Act # Bill Title

SF0035 SEA0015 State budget department SF0021 SEA0016 Judicial review of agency actions-permissible venues SF0023 SEA0017 Public meetings-executive sessions for security plans SF0119 SEA0018 Investment of state permanent funds SF0079 SEA0020 Medicaid billing for school-based services. SF0072 SEA0021 Financial council and reporting-budget reductions. SF0062 SEA0022 Repealing sunset date for the office of consumer advocate. SF0040 SEA0023 Wyoming Money Transmitters Act-amendments. SF0039 SEA0024 Digital identity. SF0106 SEA0027 Transportation statutory amendments-1. SF0107 SEA0028 Transportation statutory amendments-2. SF0108 SEA0029 Career and technical education terminology. SF0110 SEA0030 Small claims procedures. SF0116 SEA0031 Wyoming business council directors-reduction.

HB0054 HEA0030 Wyoming meat packing initiative. HB0058 HEA0031 State parks account-expenditure authority. HB0014 HEA0034 Rights of way along public ways-amendments. HB0021 HEA0035 Wyoming National Guard-preference for education. HB0076 HEA0037 Uniform statewide payment processing. HB0109 HEA0038 Local health officers-education requirements. HB0148 HEA0039 Fees paid to secretary of state-amendments. HB0064 HEA0040 Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act-extinguishing claims. HB0079 HEA0041 Subdivisions. HB0104 HEA0042 Uniform Trust Code-amendments. HB0217 HEA0044 Community health center and rural health clinic grants.

The full list of bills the Governor has taken action on during the 2021 Legislative Session can be found on the Governors website.
April 1 became by law, adopted in 2011, a National Day honouring the memory of Romanians who were the victims of the massacres at Fantana Alba and other areas, deportations, famine and other forms of repression organized by the totalitarian Soviet regime in Hertza region, northern Bukovina and the whole of Bessarabia.

After signing the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact in 1939, the USSR occupied Bessarabia, northern Bukovina and Hertza region in 1940. Thus, overnight, approximately 3 million Romanians found themselves in a foreign territory where their origins, tradition, culture and religion were not accepted, according to basilica.ro.

Many Romanians from Bukovina were arrested, killed, deported; churches were closed, properties confiscated, so many families began to cross the new border and come to Romania.

In January 1941, the NKVD (Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs) issued rumours that people would be allowed to cross the border.

As a result of this information, on April 1, 1941, on an Easter day, a large group of people from several villages in the Siret Valley headed to the Soviet-Romanian border carrying a white flag and religious insignia (icons, church flags and crosses).

When they reached three kilometres from the border, in a place called Poiana Varnita, over 3,00 people were caught by Soviet soldiers hiding in the forest. Soon, most of them were cut by bullets and thrown into mass graves, some of which were buried alive. Survivors were pursued, tortured and deported.

Today, Fantana Alba (now Stary Vovchynets or Bila Krinicya) is located in the territory of Ukraine.

On April 1, 2011, on the 70th anniversary of the tragic event at Fantana Alba, a memorial cross dedicated to the memory of the massacres victims was blessed at Putna Monastery.

On July 2, 2018, on the occasion of the events dedicated to the feast of Ruler Prince Saint Stephen the Great, Putna Monastery inaugurated a Memorial entitled The Nations Golgotha  Fantana Alba.
Franz Tost says he is "sure" Yuki Tsunoda will go on to become the first world champion from Japan.

"He'll be world champion one day. I'm sure of that," the Alpha Tauri boss told Sport1's AvD Motor und Sport Magazin.

It's been a similar tune coming from Alpha Tauri team owner Red Bull in recent weeks, as the premier outfit admits the possibility that Max Verstappen could theoretically leave in 2022.

"After a less good qualifying, his driving was super," Dr Helmut Marko told Osterreich newspaper when asked about Tsunoda's debut race in F1.

"It's refreshing to see how he overtook. That's the future," the Austrian enthused.

Tost said one of the diminutive 20-year-old's best strengths is his personality.

"He only came to Europe from Japan two years ago. These are completely different cultures," said the Austrian. "To assert himself like that, you have to be very, very strong in the head."

(GMM)
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is pushing the Senate toward lifting the federal prohibition on marijuana with legislation that would represent the biggest overhaul of federal drug policy in decades.

The bill that Schumer is drafting with Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden of Oregon and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker is still being written. Though they avoided the term legalization when announcing their plan, it is expected to remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances and tax and regulate it on the federal level while leaving states able to enforce their own laws regarding the drug.

Their proposal goes beyond decriminalization, which President Joe Biden voiced support for during his campaign, and may be a stretch for some Senate Democrats. But it taps into building public sentiment for legalization and moves by states to change marijuana laws, including Schumers home state.

New York became the 16th state to legalize pot for recreational use. The Assembly and Senate passed a bill that would allow personal cultivation as well as taxing and regulating commercial sales, and Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the legislation Wednesday. Several other states also are moving toward legalization.

In Washington, the House passed a major decriminalization bill in December for the first time but it was kept off the Senate floor by then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Prospects for revamping marijuana laws have vastly improved with Schumer now in charge of the Senates agenda, but getting the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster remains a major challenge. In addition to winning over Biden on legalization, Schumer has yet to line up all 50 senators who caucus with Democrats  some of whom have long been skeptical of legalization  let alone at least 10 Republicans.

The politics of marijuana have been shifting in both parties as voters in both red states and blue have voted to legalize it. Seven Senate Republicans led by Steve Daines, a conservative from Montana, have signed on so far to Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkleys SAFE Banking Act, more modest legislation allowing marijuana businesses to have easier access to the banking system and capital markets. Others back bills giving cannabis businesses access to insurance products and still more back additional medical research.

Schumer, who has been strategizing with advocates of legalization, wants to go much further with the bill he, Booker and Wyden are are working on, and his biggest ally is a marked shift in public opinion.

Gallup found in November a record 68% of adults backing legalization, up 20 points from 2012, when Colorado and Washington became the first two states to fully legalize the drug. And a 2019 Pew poll found 91% say it should be legal at least for medical use. Republican voters are split nearly 50-50 on recreational marijuana, Gallup found, while Democrats, independents and younger voters strongly favor legalization.

Marijuana stocks have been soaring in recent months on the prospect of rapidly expanding markets as more states move to loosen restrictions.

U.S. sales of legal cannabis and its derivatives like CBD are expected to exceed $26 billion this year, up from $22 billion last year, according to Euromonitor International, a market research company.

Representative Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat as well as the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, expressed optimism that change is coming.

The table is set for full legalization, he said in a statement. We have a strong base of support in the House and in the Senate we no longer have the Mitch McConnell roadblock. Its not a forgone conclusion, but its the strongest position weve ever been in.

For Schumer, the issue could help him fend off a potential progressive primary challenge next year, when he will be seeking a fifth term. Its not the only time he has gotten out ahead of Biden  hes also pushed the president to support Senator Elizabeth Warrens proposal for an executive order canceling as much as $50,000 of student debt per person, something Biden so far has resisted.

The bill that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is drafting is expected to remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances and tax and regulate it on the federal level while leaving states able to enforce their own laws regarding the drug. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Getty Images/TNS)TNS

Congress has for years now passed as part of the annual, bipartisan spending bills a bar on enforcing prohibition against medical marijuana use in the dozens of states where such use is legal. The House in the past two years has repeatedly passed marijuana banking legislation before passing the broader decriminalization effort in Decembers lame duck session.

At the same time, successive administrations have largely allowed state-authorized marijuana operations to continue without enforcing federal prohibition. Attorney General Merrick Garland indicated during his confirmation process that he doesnt see enforcing prohibition in states that have legalized marijuana as a good use of resources.

Racial disparities

Garland also criticized marijuana laws as leading to mass incarceration and racial disparities.

Democrats have also highlighted that African Americans are much more likely to be charged with crimes despite similar rates of use.

One of the things we want to do is not simply decriminalize, but make sure that records are expunged so that people dont live their lives as if they committed the most dastardly felony because they smoked marijuana, Schumer said in a recent video promoting the effort.

He added he wants to make sure money that comes in from legalizing the drug goes to smaller companies and communities of color he said have been most harmed by the drug war. We dont want the big tobacco companies and the big liquor companies to swoop in and take over, Schumer said.

The new legislation is expected by the industry to include a broader plan for regulating cannabis than previous efforts, including laying out how the Food and Drug Administration would oversee it in food, beverages and supplements.

Cannabis needs a federal regulatory framework that suits its unique role as both a medical and recreational product, said David Culver, vice president of global government relations at Canopy Growth Corporation, a cannabis company. The proposal put forward by Senators Booker, Wyden and Schumer will accomplish that structure, and importantly, include critical social equity provisions similar to elements passed in the House last year.

Absent federal legislation, the Biden administration could conceivably take some administrative steps on marijuana, like rescheduling it under existing law so it is not listed in the same category as heroin or cocaine or pardoning large numbers of people in prison for marijuana offenses, as a group of lawmakers has already requested.

Theres no sign that such a move is imminent. Asked about the proposed legislation from Schumer, Wyden and Booker or action to change the classification, White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated what Biden said during the campaign.

He believes in decriminalizing the use of marijuana, she said, but his position has not changed.

___

Steven T. Dennis of Bloomberg News wrote this story.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
A council meeting has heard claims that the UDA is transporting drugs through Dublin and is uniting Ireland before anybody.

Independent councillor Padraig McShane was speaking during a meeting of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.

He was responding to a proposal by DUP Alderman George Duddy calling for the council to send a letter to the Justice Minister stating a lack of confidence in PSNI senior management.

Mr Duddy suggested if Mr McShane was so concerned about the transportation of drugs perhaps he should pass it on to the proper authorities for their investigation.

The matter was raised during a discussion on confidence around policing, in the week that saw fresh controversy around the Bobby Storey funeral.

Mr Duddy brought the proposal, to write to the Justice Minister, to highlight the lack of public confidence in the police at present. However, he said it was about increasing the confidence in the public to assist the PSNI.

He said the PPS decision on the Bobby Storey funeral would have a detrimental influence on the public and it further eroded public confidence.

The topic was raised as the minutes of the Leisure and Development Committee were being adopted at the full council.

At that meeting councillors had requested an options report on provision of CCTV in coastal resorts. The move was prompted by two serious assaults on successive weekends in Portrush last month.

Mr Duddy said: I am aware, as are others, the PSNI always requests the publics assistance when dealing with their enquiries. Disappointingly, despite the public providing the police with useful information, there has been a total lack of progress in persons made amenable for numerous incidents. The clearance rate for all sorts of crime is extremely poor.

Mr Duddy gave statistics provided by a recent study for the Department of Justice which said the respondents main perceptions of the causes of crime were drugs (80%), alcohol (56%) and lack of parenting (40%).

Drugs throughout that report always came first as the main cause of crime so we have to ask ourselves why is the police not having a greater success in this area and why is their clearance so low, he said.

I believe, and it has become crystal clear from the public in the areas I represent, there is a very low level of confidence in the PSNI. We have seen their use of what are valuable tools in their tool box being abused to such an extent they will most likely face legal proceedings because they failed to follow their own procedures.

The information that they were receiving freely from the public in the past was not acted upon, especially in regards to drugs. Those involved in this trade are now perceived as untouchable.

This trade has now extended in areas such as the Glens, Ballycastle and Dervock. You have dissident republicans in Limavady using drugs there to infiltrate the area and cause sectarian strife. Here in Coleraine there is a drugs cartel being operated within the community.

Mr Duddy made an amendment to the recommendation, proposing the PCSP (Policing and Community Safety Partnership) review the report on the CCTV and that they investigate what has changed and what is feasible with regards to CCTV financially. Also, that the letter is forwarded to the Justice Minister, highlighting that in the wake of the increase in incidents across the borough that there is a lack of confidence in the PSNI senior management.

He added: This is a worrying development and one which must be brought to the attention of the Justice Minister. This issue must be dealt with as a critical incident if we are to see any confidence in the PSNI where it should be. This is about increasing confidence in the public to assist the PSNI.

Sinn Fein councillor and chair of the PCSP Oliver McMullan said there was real fear of drugs out in the communities and he called for the elected representatives to show leadership and take on the criminals who are dealing in the drugs.

He added: We did hear of dissident republicans but no mention of loyalist paramilitaries and we know they are the ones dealing in this, weve had this in the Glens and we have the police to prove this.

Once again we have dragged the family of Bobby Storey into these arguments - this is a family who are grieving, who have suffered. The PPS have said there is no case to answer so when are we going to stop? We should leave the family of Bobby Storey to grieve in dignity for their loved one.

Mr McShane described Cllr Duddy as going on a sectarian rant about dissident republicans in Limavady.

Not once did he mention the UDA, said Mr McShane. Lets be honest, the UDA have united Ireland long before anyone has. They get their drugs straight from Dublin and they go to service the Glens, Ballycastle, Limavady, Coleraine and Ballymoney.

So lets not split hairs over it, its the UDA and theres records of it that they are bringing their drugs in from Dublin  the last thing they want is a border because they can go up and down as they please.

Mr Duddy said: In regards to the comments about loyalists dealing drugs, thats a line put out by the PSNI. There has not been one conviction, not one gram, not one grain of any substance found in anybodys house. Even though the PSNI name that they have done a search, all they are taking away is computers, childrens computers and all at a time when home-schooling is at the fore  that is a misnomer.

Mr Duddys amendment passed 23 votes for, one against and 13 abstentions.
Burma Myanmar Post-Coup Death Toll Tops 540 Thursday

Thousands of residents take to the street in Sagaing Region's Monywa to protest against the military regime on Thursday. / Kaung Thar

After six more people were killed by the Myanmar military regimes forces on Thursday, the countrys death toll at the hands of the regime topped 540.

Despite widespread condemnation by the people of Myanmar and the international community, the military regime has continued to intensify its deadly crackdowns and raids on anti-regime protesters and civilians.

The regimes forces have not only used live rounds but also, reportedly, hand grenades and heavy explosives in their assaults on anti-regime demonstrations in the country.

As of Wednesday, about 536 people had been killed by the military regimes forces since the Feb. 1 coup, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

On Thursday afternoon, security forces violently attacked an anti-regime march in Myanmars second biggest city, Mandalay.

A member of a rescue society in the city told The Irrawaddy that at least two were killed and several injured in Sein Pan ward in Mahar Aung Myay Township, Mandalay.

He said that security forces also fired into houses and used heavy explosive ammunition during the crackdown on protesters.

Video of the confrontation in Mandalay shows a wounded protester being left behind alone by anti-regime protesters after security forces opened continuous gunfire and set off explosions that are believed to be bombs or hand grenades.

Also, since Monday, villagers have conducted an offensive against the military juntas forces going to Kale town in Sagaing Region. Security forces planned to attack the anti-regime protest in the town but were met by villagers using traditional homemade percussion lock firearms.

From Thursday morning to evening, villagers and the juntas forces clashed at a site 15 miles away from Kale town.

During the clashes, two villagers were killed and three were wounded by the regime forces gunfire, a female villager who assisting the injured people told The Irrawaddy.

She also said that an old man from her village was shot dead by regime forces while the man was at his home.

Currently, many villagers are fleeing their homes in fear of raids by security forces.

Thursday morning, a protester was killed with a fatal shot to the head and one person was wounded by security forces firing on an anti-regime protest in Monywa Township, Sagaing Region.

Throughout the intensified deadly crackdowns, tens of thousands of people across the country have continued to take to the streets daily to show their defiance of the military regime.

Several thousand members of the government staff are taking part the nationwide civil disobedience movement to defy military rule.

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Myanmars Shadow Government Vows a New Constitution and End to Dictatorship

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Orange, Calif.  Four people, including a child, were killed Wednesday evening and a fifth person was injured in a mass shooting at an Orange office complex.

It marks the third mass shooting in the United States in two weeks, coming after incidents at three Atlanta spas that killed eight people, including six Asian women, and at a Boulder, Colorado supermarket that killed 10.

Few details were immediately available about the motive for this shooting or details about the victims.

Lt. Jennifer Amat, a spokeswoman for the Orange Police Department, said officers received a call about 5:30 p.m. of shots fired and responded to a business at 202 W. Lincoln Avenue in Orange. The address is a beige, two-story office complex that contains a number of small businesses.

The officers encountered gunfire when they arrived and opened fire, striking the shooter, who was taken to a hospital in an unknown condition, Amat said. There is no current threat to the public, she added.

The condition of the wounded person wasnt known.

Amat said the city hasnt had a situation like this since the 1997 Caltrans shooting. In that incident, a former state employee opened fire with an assault rifle at a state maintenance yard, killing four people before dying in a shootout with the police.

Orange, Amat said, is usually quiet.

A row of large apartment complexes sit across Lincoln Avenue.

Nathan Zachary, 18, and his father had been cooking fried chicken for dinner when, while scrolling through Instagram, he saw news of the shooting. The two went outside to see what was going on.

I couldnt believe it, Zachary said, describing the neighborhood as a safe, really safe area.

He and his father stood curbside in flannel pajamas, trying to track the movement of the many police officers milling about the scene.

Hard to sleep, Zachary said, unless you know whats going on.

Camilo Akly, 28, couldnt pick up his younger brother, who was hanging out with a buddy in a home facing the crime scene.

So on Wednesday evening, after walking several blocks to reach his sibling, then seeing one by one by one of the police cars pulling up, then hearing the helicopter, then watching firefighters rushing in, he paused to try and make sense of the situation.

You think that nothing could be going on during your evening, and all of a sudden, it changes really fast, he said. So much to be careful of these days.

Other neighbors spilled onto the sidewalk, filming the commotion with their phones and posting the footage on social media, speculating about the shooters motives, and huddling near news cameras to hear the latest update.

Rep. Katie Porter wrote on Twitter: Im deeply saddened by reports of a mass shooting in Orange County, and Im continuing to keep victims and their loved ones in my thoughts as we continue to learn more.

Porters district includes parts of Orange.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with a decline in mass shootings, which dropped to the lowest levels in nearly a decade, a recent series of mass shootings has left many Americans reeling and seeking answers from lawmakers.

Robert Aaron Long, 21, faces murder charges after he allegedly attacked three spas in the Atlanta area on March 16. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent, spurring concerns that Long was motivated by anti-Asian hatred. The womens deaths came amid a spikes of anti-Asian hate crimes and other incidents of harassment, which have been rising in the last year.

In the Boulder shooting, Ahmad Ali Aliwi Alissa, 21, was taken into custody and faces 10 counts of murder. The victims included a 51-year-old police officer, who was one of the first to respond to the scene. The nine other victims ranged in age from 20 to 65.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Adiane Ramos-Estrada expected to walk into DeVos Place, get a COVID-19 vaccine and walk out Thursday afternoon.

Instead, she was applauded by dozens of healthcare workers after being the recipient of the 100,000th dose at the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic, a large-scale COVID-19 vaccine center inside DeVos Place.

The 23-year-old Grand Rapids resident said she was happy to get her first dose of the vaccine as a way to protect herself and others from coronavirus.

I want to do my part in any way that I can. Even if its something small or big, I want to do my part, Ramos-Estrada said.

The downtown Grand Rapids clinic celebrated the milestone with cupcakes, balloons and 100 Grand chocolate bars.

Were excited about what this represents to our community and eager for whats to come, said Spectrum Health Chief Operating Officer Brian Brasser.

On Monday, the clinic at DeVos Place set a daily record administering over 12,000 doses.

On Tuesday, the partners who operate the clinic, Kent County Health Department, Spectrum Health and Mercy Health, announced the change to make all those 16 and older eligible to get the vaccine at DeVos Place.

The clinic operates by appointment only. Patients can now self-schedule online at www.spectrumhealth.org/wmvaccineclinic. To set up an appointment for someone ages 16 or 17 or for people who need special assistance, please call 833-755-0696. A parent or guardian must accompany minors.

A one-stop shop for registration in West Michigan can be found at this web page: https://vaccinatewestmi.com/register/.

The ramped-up effort comes as Michigan is experiencing a COVID-19 surge, averaging over 5,000 new cases a day, the highest rate since mid-December.

Related: Latest COVID-19 wave putting younger people in hospital, Kent County health leader says

Climbing positivity rates and hospitalizations lend a sense of urgency to vaccinating people quickly, Brasser said.

This is a race, and its a race that we believe that as a community, as a society, as a nation, we can win, he said. But its going to take sustained and continued hard work and its not easy.

Ramos-Estrada said she was happy to get the vaccine after spending much of the last year at home, reading and drinking tea. Shes encouraging others to do the same.

If anyone is watching, looking for a sign to get the vaccine, this is your sign. Do it now, she said

The West Michigan Vaccine Clinic opened to anyone age 16 and older this week as more teenagers and young adults are testing positive and being hospitalized due to the virus. Brasser said Spectrum Health is seeing a steeper trajectory of COVID-19 inpatients than during the fall wave.

Brasser encouraged the community to double down on health efforts, like wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings and socially distancing.

The Grand Rapids clinic widened eligibility and is expecting to dole out 50,000 doses this week because of a gradual increase in vaccine manufacturing and allocations from the federal government.

Vaccine allocations are still determined on a weekly basis, but without a limit on supply the West Michigan clinic has the capacity to administer 25,000 doses a day.

Related: Michigans COVID-19 surge is the worst in the nation. Whitmer is focused on vaccines, not restrictions.

Brasser said Michigans position as one of the hot spots in the country prompted the additional doses from the federal government. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Michigan now leads the country with an average of 398.5 cases per 100,000 people.

Michigan has reported 678,295 confirmed and 75,154 probable cases of COVID-19 since March of 2020, according to state data. There have been 16,141 confirmed deaths from the virus and 1,033 probable deaths.

The Kent County Health Department reports 53,219 confirmed cases and 672 deaths.

More on MLive:

15 things the pandemic changed for now -- and maybe forever

School closures could follow spring break if travel leads to COVID-19 surge, officials warn

Do you have a 616, 810, 906 or 989 area code? Changes are coming to how you make calls
WASHINGTON -- With the beginning of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on charges of killing George Floyd, remember that Chauvin is the man on trial, not Floyd. Remember that the only reason police approached Floyd in the first place was that they suspected him of a minor, nonviolent offense. Remember Floyd's desperate pleas that he couldn't breathe, that "they're going to kill me," that he was dying.
Organizers of an outdoor live music venue and event space in Baton Rouge, Beauvoir Park, canceled all of its events for "at least the next month", beginning on April 1.

Beauvoir Park is a mixed commercial use property alongside the Perkins Road overpass, the two-acre site includes an outdoor stage and lawn that can accommodate a few hundred people.

"We wish this was the best April Fool's joke in the world but unfortunately, it's not," according to a statement on the organization's Facebook page. "We want to thank all the musicians, fans, restaurants and vendors for all the love and support over the last year, and can promise that we will rise from this stronger and better than ever."

Local music promoter James Hover has been booking bands there since 2019 but it has grown since the coronavirus pandemic halted indoor live music.

Before the pandemic its owner Leslie R. Bratton Jr., hosted St. Patricks Day parties timed to the annual Wearin' of the Green parade held in the Perkins Road area.

When reached by phone on Thursday afternoon, owner Bratton deferred comment to the organization's attorney, Sarah-Margaret Smith, who did not immediately return a voicemail message seeking comment.

+4 Beauvoir Park: Where the music has returned and the crowd can spread out In normal times, dozens to hundreds to thousands of people gathered in the bars, restaurants, clubs, theaters and arenas where musicians performed.

There are no records on file with the Louisiana Fire Marshal's office for any complaints or visits to the site.
Charities have warned that an NHS prescription may soon cost more than 10 per item as the 'tax on health' increases by 20p today.

The charge  which is rising from 9.15 to 9.35  is forecast to hit 10.15 as soon as 2025, according to the Prescription Charges Coalition.

And some patients are now being forced to choose between food and medicine as they can no longer afford the 'unfair' fee.

Laura Cockram, head of policy at Parkinson's UK and chairman of the Prescription Charges Coalition, described the fees as a 'tax on health', adding that the increase was 'a huge blow' to those with long-term health conditions.

She said: 'The prescription charge is a false economy and makes vital medication unaffordable to many.

'Increasing the charge annually is putting people's health at risk through avoidable emergency hospital admissions.

'Sometimes people will choose between picking up their vital medication that will keep them well or actually eating.'

The charge  which is rising from 9.15 to 9.35  is forecast to hit 10.15 as soon as 2025, according to the Prescription Charges Coalition (file photo)

It comes as separate analysis from the coalition found that the cost of an NHS prescription has risen 15 times faster than a pint of milk.

Medication is now 46.8 times more expensive than in April 1979 when it cost only 20p.

By contrast, a pint of milk costs just 3.1 times more now than it did then  having climbed from 14p to 43p. And the price of a loaf of bread has increased by 3.7 times within the same period  surging from 29p to 1.06.

If recent trends continue, the group says that the cost of medication could reach an 'eye-watering' 11.35 in ten years.

And the cost of an annual prescription pre-payment certificate which lets people get as many prescriptions as they need for a set price  has also increased today by 2.20 to 108.10.

The Prescription Charges Coalition, a group of 51 organisations, is now calling on ministers to conduct an 'urgent' review of who is exempt from the charges.

It wants the Government to abolish fees for people with long-term illnesses amid fears many are not collecting their prescriptions due to the cost.

This could lead to them needing more expensive NHS care at a later date if their condition is not kept under control.

And some patients are now being forced to choose between food and medicine as they can no longer afford the 'unfair' fee (file photo)

Although people living with diseases such as cancer and diabetes are exempt from the fees, those with illnesses such as Parkinson's and cystic fibrosis are not.

The Department of Health has defended the charges, saying that abolishing them would leave the NHS with a funding gap of about 600million a year.

A spokesman said: 'Nearly 90 per cent of prescription items are free on the NHS in England and existing exemptions are in place covering children, pregnant women, and those over 60, on a low-income or with medical conditions like cancer, epilepsy and diabetes.

'Additional support through the NHS Low Income Scheme is also available and patients can also buy pre-payment certificates to cover all the prescription items they need.'

Prescription charges were introduced in 1952 but have since been scrapped in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Gaborone  President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi says he will meet with other SADC leaders to discuss the Islamist insurgency ravaging the Cabo Delgado region of northern Mozambique.

Attacks, including the killing of civilians and clashes with security forces in various parts of the province, have increased in recent weeks. According to news reports, militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group were reportedly behind the conflict in the predominantly Muslim region of Cabo Delgado, which has left more than 2 500 people dead and over 700 000 displaced.

Speaking in a brief interview on Wednesday morning before undertaking a two-nation working visit to Zambia and Zimbabwe, the President said he would meet with his counterparts to discuss a wide range of security and peace issues in the region.

Dr Masisi, who is also chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, said he had a telephone call with the organ's incoming chairperson, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa on Tuesday.

He said during his stop in Zimbabwe, he would hold a troika telephone discussion with President Ramaphosa and the immediate past chairperson of the organ, President Emmerson Mnangagwa with regards to the insurgency and peace in the region.

He said following the discussions, the three leaders might call an extraordinary meeting in Mozambique, at the earliest opportunity, to discuss the matter, which has become increasingly alarming.

President Masisi said he would meet with his Zambian counterpart, President Edgar Lungu and discuss amongst others, the monumental Kazungula bridge, especially border control measures.

He said he would also urge Zambia to support Botswana's candidacy for the SADC Executive Secretary post. Botswana has fielded Permanent Secretary to the President, Mr Elias Magosi for the post, which will become vacant in August.

He said he will also court Zimbabwe to wave in Botswana's favour.

President Masisi said he will also discuss issues relating to education among others.

His delegation includes Ministers Dr Lemogang Kwape of International Affairs and Cooperation and Mr Fidelis Molao of Basic Education as well as other senior government officials. They return today (Wednesday).

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
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 31, 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.

Story continues

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/79135
Uranus is called the weirdest planet' in the Solar System due its sideway rotation and not having a true surface, but a new discovery adds even more mystery to the strange ice giant.

Astronomers detected X-rays coming from Uranus for the first time that is mostly reflections from the sun, but some of the signal is being emitted from the planet itself.

The team suggest the rings surrounding the planet are producing the X-rays, similar to that of Saturn, or could come from auroras as they do on Jupiter.

Determining the sources of the X-rays from Uranus could help astronomers better understand how more exotic objects in space, such as growing black holes and neutron stars, emit X-rays.

Scroll down for video

Astronomers detected X-rays coming from Uranus for the first time that is mostly reflections from the sun, but some of the signal is being emitted from the planet itself

X-ray emissions in our Solar System are a common observation.

The light has been detected from comets, Venus, Earth, Mars, Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter, and several of Jupiter's moons, but only ice giants like Uranus and Neptune have never been seen with the X-ray waveband.

Researchers pulled data from NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory from 2002 and 2017, which highlighted a clear detection of X-rays from the first observation, the team shared in a statement.

And although baffling, scientists say there are only two answers to what could cause Uranus to emit X-rays.

Researchers pulled data from NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory from 2002 and 2017,

The observations have been seen on both Jupiter and Saturn, which is caused by scatter X-ray light from the son that is bouncing off the planets.

However, not all the X-ray emissions observed in the data fit this hypothesis, as some appear to be coming from Uranus itself.

Uranus is surrounded by charged particles such as electrons and protons in its nearby space environment, the team wrote in a press release.

If these energetic particles collide with the rings, they could cause the rings to glow in X-rays.

Another possibility is that at least some of the X-rays come from auroras on Uranus, a phenomenon that has previously been observed on this planet at other wavelengths.

The color auroras are found on Earth, which occur when high-energy particles interact with the atmosphere. X-rays are emitted in our planets auroras that is produced by energetic electrons after they travel down the planet's magnetic field lines to its poles and are slowed down by the atmosphere.

Although baffling, scientists say there are only two answers to what could cause Uranus to emit X-rays - either the sun or from itself

Pictured is the X-ray light observed on Uranus. Determining the sources could help astronomers better understand how more exotic objects in space, such as growing black holes and neutron stars, emit X-rays

Jupiter also has auroras that produce X-rays that are emitted when electrons travel down magnetic field lines and combine with charged atoms and molecules raining down at the planets polar regions.

However, scientists are less certain about what causes auroras on Uranus, but are hopeful the answers lie in Chandra's observations.

Uranus is an especially interesting target for X-ray observations because of the unusual orientations of its spin axis and its magnetic field, researchers explained.

While the rotation and magnetic field axes of the other planets of the solar system are almost perpendicular to the plane of their orbit, the rotation axis of Uranus is nearly parallel to its path around the Sun.

Furthermore, while Uranus is tilted on its side, its magnetic field is tilted by a different amount, and offset from the planet's center. This may cause its auroras to be unusually complex and variable.
OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Stria Lithium Inc. ("Stria" or the "Company") (TSX-V:SRA), today announced that further to its news release issued March 17, 2021, Stria Lithium has amended the loan referenced in the same March 17, 2021 news release.

The original loan was made on May 25, 2020 in the amount of $500,000 (the "Principal") by way of secured promissory note (the "Note") to a non-arm's length lender. No interest is payable on the Principal and repayment is due on May 25, 2021.

The terms of the loan have been amended to affirm the parties' original intention that the loan is an unsecured debt of the Company. The Note was amended to remove any reference to security being granted by the Company to the lender. The Company and the lender intend on converting the debt to shares, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, as disclosed on March 17, 2021.

The loan was a "related party transaction" for purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The transaction is exempt from the valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 in accordance with sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(f) as the Company is not listed on a specified market and the commercial terms of the loan are reasonable and not less advantageous to the Company than if the loan was obtained from a person dealing at arm's length. The Company did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing of the loan, as required by MI 61-101, since the details of the loan were not settled until shortly prior to the closing of the transaction and the Company wished to close on an expedited basis for sound business reasons.

About Stria Lithium

Stria Lithium is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company with an expanding technology focus and is the sole owner of the Pontax spodumene lithium property in Northern Quebec.

Lithium is a critical metal in the universal fight against global warming. It is a core component of Lithium-Ion batteries used for powering electric vehicles and for industrial scale energy storage.

For more information about Stria Lithium, please visit www.strialithium.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Investor Contacts:

Scott Anderson

Investor Relations

(858) 229-7063

sanderson@nextcap-ir.com

Stria Lithium Inc.

Judith Mazvihwa-MacLean

CFO

(613) 581-4040

jmazvihwa@grafoid.com

SOURCE: Stria Lithium Inc.

https://www.accesswire.com/638607/Stria-Lithium-Inc-Announces-Amendment-to-Previously-Announced-Non-Arms-Length-Loan

View source version on accesswire.com:
Earlier this week, USA Today published a report detailing several harrowing accounts from tourists who had contracted COVID-19 during their stays in Mexico, leading to mandated quarantine at their respective resorts. In every case, the tourists expressed shock and regret upon testing positive prior to the conclusion of their vacation. All were ultimately forced to extend their trip for the duration of their quarantine, sans their partners and travel companions, and wait for negative tests before returning to the U.S.  a result of a federal requirement effective January 26, 2021.

One such ill-fated tourist, according to the report, tested positive after having spent their days zip-lining, swimming in caves at an adventure park and relaxing at their resort, El Dorado Casitas Royale by Karisma, and just before meeting up with friends who were also, coincidentally, vacationing in Mexico  as one does during a global pandemic.

That cant be right because I felt fine, no symptoms, he recalled thinking after receiving his results. We had been being, I thought, pretty careful.

Of course, the phrase pretty careful within this particular context is  relative. With 127 million global cases of COVID confirmed over the past year and unrelenting advisement from the CDC to avoid all unnecessary travel, we cant help but wonder  is a vacation to Mexico pretty careful? And after innumerable personal testimonies and a dizzying amount of publicly-available data supporting the increased risk of infection during travel, does anyone still really reserve the right to be shocked after testing positive in Mexico?

We tend to think not.

Now this is not meant to travel shame, something weve spoken out against previously. The fact is, the decision to travel is still  a year later  extremely personal, from both a political and moral standpoint. Restrictions are beginning to loosen, particularly with vaccine distribution ramping up, and weve all been in various stages of lockdown for the better part of the past year. Pandemic fatigue coupled with the desire to travel can be overwhelming  particularly if, like a few of the couples in the USA Today story, youre determined to celebrate your already-postponed honeymoon.

But if youre traveling sans antibodies and in advance of receiving the jab, you have to be prepared for potential ramifications. We are all now well versed in the risks by now, and if you contract the virus, you should probably feel some combination of regret, remorse, dismay, annoyance, guilt, accountability, contrition and carelessness. Shock, however? No ones buying that.

Its also worth noting that there are far worse places to quarantine than a hotel room with a balcony at the El Dorado Casitas Royale, and while the prospect of being detained abroad is certainly a nerve-racking prospect, its a little tone deaf to suggest it amounts to more than a very comfortable inconvenience. One tourist likened his departure from his quarantine at five-star, all-inclusive resort  the Pueblo Bonito Rose in Cabo San Lucas  to a release from prison, saying, It was like [The] Shawshank Redemption. I put my hands in the air, Hallelujah, Im home.

Try a 600-square-foot one-bedroom in Jersey City with a decrepit fire escape in lieu of a balcony in 30-degree weather. Or, you know, actual prison.

The post Quarantined Travelers Shocked to Discover That COVID Is, in Fact, Real appeared first on InsideHook.
A woman wearing a protective face mask walks in front of a graffiti reading "Kiev" during a warm spring day in the Ukrainian capital on April 1, 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic

The WHO on Thursday slammed Europe's "unacceptably slow" vaccine rollout, warning of a worrying surge in cases as France became the latest country to impose new restrictions to combat mounting infections.

As European nations scrambled to contain third waves across the continent, Brazil marked a grim milestone with more than 66,000 deaths in Marchby far the highest since the beginning of the pandemic.

On the vaccine front there was a glimmer of hope as Pfizer/BioNTech said their jab was highly effective against the South African variant, and Israel vowed to inoculate children after promising trial data among youngsters.

Governments are hoping vaccines will be the route to a return to normal more than a year into the pandemic that has now killed more than 2.8 million people and subjected much of humanity to punishing restrictions.

But Europe has struggled with its vaccine drive, and the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday the sluggish pace is prolonging the pandemic.

"Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic... however, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow," said WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge.

"We must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock."

Spread of the coronavirus

Vaccine hesitancy

The EU has blamed supply problems on its sluggish rollout, but several nations are also facing high rates of vaccine hesitancy, even in the face of rising infections.

Italy has fallen dramatically short of its vaccine targets after receiving almost 30 percent fewer doses than expected, data showed Thursday.

Only 10 percent of Europe's total population have received one vaccine dose, and four percent have received two, WHO said.

By comparison, world leader Israel has already given two shots to more than half of its population, while in the US close to 16 percent of the population has received both.

Israel said Thursday it plans to expand its vaccine campaign to children aged 12 to 15 from May, after a study showed its efficacy for the age group.

It is using jabs from Pfizer/BioNTech, which on Thursday released promising new data showing it was highly effective against the South African variant of the virus that has ravaged that country.

A vaccine centre in Lahore, India

No cases of the disease were observed in South Africa during a phase-three trial study among participants who had received a second dose, the companies said.

'Precious weeks of liberty'

But as some nations looked to a post-pandemic reality, others were mired in fresh anti-virus measures.

A surge of infections in France forced President Emmanuel Macron to reimpose nationwide restrictions he rejected in January.

"We gained precious weeks of liberty," he said in a national address late Wednesday, but the current measures "were too limited at a time when the epidemic is accelerating".

The limited lockdown already in place in regions, including Paris, would be extended to the whole country from Saturday night for the next four weeks, he said.

Schools will close for three or four weeks depending on age level, and alcoholic drinks will be prohibited in parks and other outdoor public spaces.

A Palestinian health worker administers a Covid test on April 1, 2021

For some parents, the new rules were unwelcomebut deemed essential.

"It was absolutely necessary to close the schools, even if it will be complicated for parents, and especially young children, to manage this situation," said Laure, a 44-year-old researcher with two young boys in Paris.

'A lot of them die'

In hard-hit Brazil, where President Jair Bolsonaro has been rocked by a political crisis over his handling of the pandemic, death rates last month hit an alarming high.

Officials said a staggering 66,500 people died of Covid-19 in the country in Marchmore than twice as many fatalities as the country's second-deadliest month of the pandemic, July 2020.

At a field hospital in the suburbs of Sao Paulo, one doctor said she is alarmed at how the virus has swept the countryno longer just targeting the elderly and vulnerable.

"It's caught us by surprise. Our patients now tend to be young, with no pre-existing conditions. The disease hits them hard and a lot of them die," said 53-year-old surgeon Marise Gomes.

A family buries a relative who dies of Covid at a cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil on March 31, 2021

She said she has been frustrated to see many of her compatriots ignore face masks and social distancing guidelines and even flood to underground parties.

"I see no difference in people's behaviour. People don't seem to understand the magnitude of this," she said.

Elsewhere, there was evidence of a return to normal as Taiwan and Palau launched a holiday travel bubble to kickstart their battered tourist industries.

Around 100 excited Taiwanese tourists arrived at Taoyuan international airport near Taipei on Thursday, checking in five hours before their afternoon flight to get tested for the coronavirus.

"I am really excited but also feeling a bit sentimental because it's been a long, long time since I last went abroad," tourist Andy Yang told AFP.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Temasek Foundation to begin distribution of free hand sanitiser in Singapore from April 12

Screengrab: YouTube/Temasek Foundation

Temasek Foundation on Tuesday announced the distribution of free sanitiser in Singapore starting April 12. As part of its second #BYOBclean initiative, Temasek Foundation will enable every interested household in Singapore to collect 500ml free, zero alcohol hand sanitiser from automated vending machines.

Residents will need to do their own self-collection at these vending machines, using the QR code in their March/April SP bill or SP account number, a release stated.

Through this distribution, we hope to remind Singapore residents to stay safe by practising good hand hygiene. Working with our various partners, we believe that Singapore will pull through this challenging time and emerge as a more resilient nation together, said Lim Boon Heng, Chairman of Temasek.

We are grateful to our many volunteers and partners for giving resources, time and energy to ensure this #BYOBclean collection runs smoothly across the island, amid a nationwide vaccination campaign happening concurrently. We hope that this hand sanitiser will be helpful for Singapore residents, especially those who need alternatives to alcohol-based sanitisers, to keep ourselves, our loved ones and those around us safe and protected, added Lim Hock Chuan, Chief Executive of Temasek Foundation Ecosperity.

How to get free sanitiser

Residents will be required to bring their own clean reusable bottles, up to 2 bottles each. The automated vending machines will be located at all Community Centres/Clubs (CCs) across Singapore and at Temasek Shophouse at Dhoby Ghaut, from April 12 to 25.

The following step by step instructions will be provided on the interactive screens of the vending machines:

Scan QR code on March/April SP bill, or key in SP household account number

Collect and paste labels for 1 or 2 bottles

Place bottle under dispensing nozzle

If using 2 bottles, remove first bottle when full, and place second bottle under the dispensing nozzle

Remember to cap bottles after they are filled to prevent spillage

Residents can use any suitable recycled bottles that are empty, clean and dry including shampoo bottles, glass bottles, or PET / plastic bottles, provided these are shorter than 23 cm or 9 inches, and not wider than 11 cm or 4.5 inches.

The press release also stated that each machine will have sufficient hand sanitiser concentrate for almost 4,000 bottles of 500ml capacity.

Formulated and manufactured by local supplier Klenco, the #BYOBclean liquid hand sanitiser for this distribution is coloured purple, using a non-toxic colour additive, so that it looks different from plain drinking water. It is non-flammable, non-corrosive and biodegradable.

The release added that it will not dry or irritate skin,and can be a suitable alternative for people who may be allergic to alcohol based hand sanitiser.

Videos on what to bring for collection, and how to use the vending machines are available in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil online.
UAB Health System CEO Will Ferniany has announced he will retire at years end.

Selwyn Vickers, senior vice president and dean of the UAB School of Medicine, will succeed Ferniany as CEO of system and CEO of the new UAB/Ascension St. Vincents Alliance, while continuing in his role of dean of the medical school.

Ferniany has headed the system since 2008, watching it grow from five hospitals to 11, with revenues expanding from $2.3 billion in 2008 to more than $5.8 billion today.

UAB President Ray Watts said Ferniany has enjoyed a long and distinguished career that led to transformational change for UAB Medicine and health care in Birmingham and across Alabama.

We are deeply grateful for all of Dr. Fernianys contributions to the success of the UAB Health System, the School of Medicine and UAB, and will continue the strong collaborative and aligned leadership team approach that has brought us great success over the last decade, he said. Dr. Ferniany will continue to be actively engaged throughout 2021 in positioning the Alliance for continued success.

A graduate of the University of Alabama, Ferniany earned masters and doctoral degrees from UAB before beginning a long career in care management. He served as associate vice chancellor and CEO of the University of Mississippi Medical Center and vice president/chief administrative officer and senior vice president of professional services of the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

He served as CEO of UAB Psychiatric Hospital and executive administrator for the department of psychiatry from 1988 to 1990 and in strategic planning and market development in the UAB Health System from 1990 to 1992 during this first stint at UAB.

While it is bittersweet to announce my retirement, I do so with great pride in all we have accomplished together for those we serve and knowing the future of continued success is in good hands, Ferniany said. UAB will never fail as long as we do what is right for our patients, our community and our state.

During his time, UAB established cooperative agreements with several health care facilities in Alabama, while managing four rural hospitals in Camden, Demopolis, Greenville and Alexander City. A longtime goal of Fernianys, a new upgraded facility for UAB affiliate Medical West Hospital in Bessemer, is preparing to start construction.

He also created an Office of Patient Experience and Engagement, focusing on the patient experience as a strategic priority. In 2020, UAB was named as Consumer Loyalty Best in Class Hospital by NRC Health, placing the hospital in the national top 10 for patient experience and brand loyalty for the second consecutive year.

Other initiatives included creating the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in 2017. UAB Medicine was named Best Workplace for Diversity by Birmingham Magazine in 2018, and held diversity conferences in 2018 and 2019, canceling in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Vickers said the school will institute the Will Ferniany Academic Medicine Leadership Award, given to a health system executive who best demonstrates an ongoing commitment to the institutions academic mission.
Pfizer announced Wednesday that its vaccine is 100 percent effective for kids aged 12 to 15.

As a pediatrician, Dr. Karen Landers says she's excited about the new data on the Pfizer vaccine's response in kids.

Pfizer vaccine effective for kids 12 and older. Pfizer vaccine effective for kids 12 and older.

Landers says it's something that's been discussed a lot among pediatricians.

They say kids could even start getting the vaccine by summer or fall.

Of course, the Pfizer vaccine will have to get the Emergency Use Authorization for the new age group before they can start vaccinating them.

"These viruses like to find a place and if we have a reservoir such as an unvaccinated group of persons or persons unable to be vaccinated because there's not an eligible product then the virus will find that as a reservoir to continue to survive," said Landers, Alabama Department of Public Health.

Landers says she's looking forward to the Emergency Use Authorization being put forth and guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- April kicks off what is typically the three most active months of the year for tornadoes in the United States, and tornado territory extends well beyond the Great Plains, as recent outbreaks have made clear. But where did Tornadoes cause the biggest financial devastation over the past decade? According to a new report from ValuePenguin.com by LendingTree , Tornadoes resulted in $2.5 million in property damage per storm from 2010 through 2020, but FEMA's records show that just two states received nearly 50% of the agency's disaster relief funds during this period, with unlikely Massachusetts leading the way. Here are the key findings from this report:

Tornadoes caused more than $2.5 million in property damage per storm and resulted in nearly 1,000 fatalities . From 2010 to 2020, a total of 5,710 tornadoes spawned across every state but Alaska . Combined, tornadoes destroyed more than $14.1 billion in property and crops across the 48 states that had damages

. From 2010 to 2020, a total of 5,710 tornadoes spawned across every state but . Combined, tornadoes destroyed more than in property and crops across the 48 states that had damages Tornadoes in Alabama , Texas , Mississippi and Illinois dealt out more than $1 billion in damages. These states saw 1,167 storms from 2010 to 2020  one-fifth of the country's total. Notably, while Ohio , Tennessee , Georgia and North Carolina had fewer storms, the economic devastation from each twister was steeper. While an average of 149 tornadoes touched down in these states from 2010 to 2020, they caused an average of nearly $696.4 million in damage.

These states saw 1,167 storms from 2010 to 2020  one-fifth of the country's total. Notably, while , , and had fewer storms, the economic devastation from each twister was steeper. While an average of 149 tornadoes touched down in these states from 2010 to 2020, they caused an average of nearly in damage. There were only 16 disaster declarations that led to federally backed disaster relief from FEMA from 2010-2020, despite there being a total of 5,710 tornadoes in that time period . Since 2010, FEMA has allocated $359,768,106 in public assistance to states that have been hit by strong tornadoes  or $22,485,507 per disaster that required federal assistance.

despite there being a total of 5,710 tornadoes in that time period Since 2010, FEMA has allocated in public assistance to states that have been hit by strong tornadoes  or per disaster that required federal assistance. Surprisingly, the state that most depended on FEMA funds was not in Tornado Alley. A severe outbreak in 2011 resulted in Massachusetts receiving more than $100 million in FEMA money  28% of the total amount that the agency dedicated to after-storm responses from 2010-2020. Oklahoma , which ranked 2nd, received 21% of the public assistance funding in the same period.

According to Andrew Hurst, Insurance Data analyst at ValuePenguin.com, "While FEMA does provide funds after disasters to help Americans recover from the devastation, homeowners should not depend on FEMA funding as their back-up plan. The agency only made 16 declarations for twisters in the past ten years  while there were more than 5,000 recorded tornadoes in the same time period." Andrew adds, "If you are preparing for the upcoming Tornado season, double-check your home insurance coverage - and make sure your insurance will allow you to recover completely after a storm. While most homeowners can be assured that their rates won't rise precipitously after a tornado, if you aren't adequately insured, you may face hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage you may need to pay out of pocket."

To view the full report, visit: https://www.valuepenguin.com/damage-caused-by-tornadoes

ValuePenguin.com collected Tornado data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information, and data on the states that received federal funds after a tornado from OpenFEMA. ValuePenguin analysts also looked at insurer filings over the past decade to understand how tornadoes impacted homeowners insurance premiums in affected states.

The Most Tornado-Prone States in America State Storms Total Damages Deaths Texas 513 $1,680,406,750 35 Kansas 290 $592,861,900 4 Florida 261 $103,238,400 3 Illinois 247 $1,417,129,000 23 Oklahoma 216 $188,914,500 69 Missouri 216 $674,986,150 174 Louisiana 215 $470,875,700 16 Mississippi 211 $1,465,197,100 94 Minnesota 208 $212,086,500 5 Colorado 205 $2,753,000 0 Iowa 204 $407,948,300 4 Nebraska 202 $105,584,000 2 Alabama 196 $1,901,707,700 284 Arkansas 173 $916,164,000 40 Georgia 162 $661,254,000 42 North Carolina 157 $617,775,500 29 Indiana 151 $99,061,500 14 Pennsylvania 146 $42,081,500 0 Kentucky 144 $202,820,000 23 Ohio 139 $780,965,500 12 Wisconsin 139 $171,458,700 2 Tennessee 136 $725,434,000 70 North Dakota 131 $32,666,000 2 South Dakota 120 $28,119,500 1 South Carolina 110 $137,254,500 12 Michigan 86 $111,818,500 1 Virginia 81 $125,735,000 11 Wyoming 73 $954,000 0 New York 70 $57,570,000 6 California 70 $26,084,600 0 New Mexico 69 $5,977,500 0 Montana 52 $33,056,500 2 Maryland 52 $7,732,500 2 Arizona 37 $2,675,000 0 Idaho 25 $37,500 0 West Virginia 24 $5,644,000 1 Connecticut 21 $9,772,000 0 Washington 21 $1,900,000 0 New Jersey 20 $592,000 0 Maine 20 $2,000 0 Oregon 19 $2,784,700 0 Massachusetts 18 $243,463,300 3 Nevada 15 $2,000 0 New Hampshire 13 $5,000 0 Utah 11 $2,335,000 0 Delaware 9 $450,000 0 Vermont 5 $70,000 0 Rhode Island 3 $1,055,000 0 Hawaii 3 $0 0 District of Columbia 1 $0 0 Alaska 0 $0 0

About ValuePenguin.com:. ValuePenguin.com and its parent company, LendingTree, have a common mission: to empower consumers with tools, information, and resources to help them make smarter, more informed financial decisions. For more information, please visit www.valuepenguin.com, like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @ValuePenguin.

Additional Information: https://www.valuepenguin.com/health-insurance

Media Contact:

Divya Sangam (Ms.)

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[email protected]

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As a follow-up to Samsung A7, the South-Korean-based company is believed to release a Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite version this June 2021.

The rumored tablet has been appearing on many social media platforms and online web searches. It has been claimed that the upcoming Samsung gadget is a budget-friendly device with unsurprising features.

Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite Specs, Release Date

According to tipster Evan Blass, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite could have features like a 3GB RAM and 5,100mAh battery,. It is also said to be powered by the Helio P22T SoC.

The Samsung tablet could also feature an 8.4-inch screen and a single camera setup at the back with no flash--making it a proper budget tablet for everyone. Besides that, the Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite could debut in June this alongside the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Lite.

The Verge reported that Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Lite could have features like a 12.4-inch display screen, a 4GB of RAM, powered by the Snapdragon 750G processor, and 5G capabilities. The publication also noted that the Tab S7 Lite could come with color variants such as pink, green, black and silver.

Also Read: Intel Solution to Global Chipset Shortage: Make Chips for Other Tech Giants!

The publication also reported that the two upcoming Samsung tablets follow their counterparts--the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and the Samsung Galaxy A7 from last year--that featured astonishing speakers and display screens. In contrast, both tablets were suited to productivity tasks, which might not be the case for Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Lite and Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite if the prices can be on the budget-friendly side.

RKInfo reported that the Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite has already an FCC certification and approved by the Bluetooth SIG body. However, the FCC certification did not reveal any further specifications for the tablet, but the Bluetooth one did confirm that the device will have a Bluetooth 5.0 feature.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G Spotted on Geekbench

On other related news, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G had surfaced on Geekbench featuring a Snapdragon 865 chipset. As reported by GSMArena, the phone was certified by the NBTC with an SM-G780C / DC, labeled as Galaxy S20 FE, and is marked for 4G-only use. The exact number of the Samsung phone can be found on Geekbench with the motherboard listed as "Kona."

The publication noted that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G has 6GB of RAM, which is the information collected by the benchmark. Still, this Samsung unit is a budget phone from the company, so it skips the 5G functionality. The handheld also uses an external modem, X55 in 5G phone, which can be swapped out for a 4G-only modem.

The publication also shared that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G surfacing on Geekbench may come in handy for the Indian market, as it is yet to launch its first 5G-network. It may be possible that the S20 FE 4G can dominate the market for its affordability and specs.

Related Article: Qualcomm Supply Shortage Puts Samsung, HMD Global in Trouble: Why is the Chip Supply so Critical?
About six years ago, the Rev. Tony Pope began preaching the gospel from his front yard in Mobile. He then started taking his sermons to some of the citys more crime-ridden streets. More recently, he can be spotted outside one the citys Walmart stores, spreading peace through scripture.

Hes also taken his microphone and sound system to downtown Mobile, where lengthy sermons are conducted from Bienville Square or Cathedral Square parks.

The problem, according to some residents who live near downtown, is the sound system is too loud. And a recent request by Pope, 46, to hold his sometimes fiery sermons for four hours every Saturday generated a swell of opposition.

It also placed some city leaders deep in the heart of the Bible Belt in an awkward position: In the middle of the Christian-observed Holy Week, do you shut down the passionate preacher?

And of course theres Popes First Amendment rights to consider.

The answer, from the Mobile City Council on Tuesday, was to support the people who live near downtown Mobile who say their otherwise quiet and serene moments spent at the city parks filled with park benches and mammoth oak trees is disrupted by Popes micd up sermons.

His intent and message is not only needed, but its well-received, said Mobile City Council President Levon Manzie, a fourth-generation minister and pastor of a Baptist church who represents downtown Mobile. Up until this point, I had not heard a complaint (about Popes preaching). But the complaints were about the volume of requests and the fact that the requests involved two parks at the same time.

Excessive

Mobiles noise ordinance prohibits the use of amplification exceeding 85 decibels from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., or which exceeds 50 decibels from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. If an event has a sound system with a loudspeaker, the city recommends people to get a waiver of the noise ordinance. Typically, the council grants waivers from the ordinance for infrequent events at a city park.

We need more people like (Pope), said Mobile City Councilman C.J. Small, a dedicated Baptist and a chaplain for the MLK Adult Mardi Gras Association. But once you go over 85 decibels, you need a noise ordinance (waiver). You can preach and teach, but you cant go over 85 decibels.

Pope, however, requested a waiver for every Saturday during the months of April and May. The waiver requests were from 2-6 p.m.

Manzie said hes heard complaints from people living in neighborhoods near downtown Mobile, such as DeTonti Square Historic District and the Church Street East Historic District, as well as from downtown residents and businesses. The complaints, he said, focused on the length of time that Pope was seeking at both parks.

The groundswell of complaints was so much that Manzie told Pope on Tuesday, I probably have spent more time dealing with this particular issue and your ability to preach than you would have spent preaching over the last two weeks.

He added, Residents have just become irate over the idea that, regardless of what they were articulating, we would allow one entity that much access particularly as we come off the stringent requirements of COVID-19 and as the weather has improved.

Elizabeth Luther, a resident near downtown Mobile, said she was speaking out against Popes request because of what she said was the excessiveness of it.

But she also said that Popes past downtown sermons, many of which are posted on his Facebook page, are simply too loud.

I got feedback form people downtown that the noise level was so high they could not have a conversation, said Luther. It was about the noise, not the message.

First Amendment rights

Regulation of Popes message would place the city in a tricky First Amendment quandary. City officials repeatedly said on Tuesday they were OK with the contents of Popes sermons.

Some of his sermons have been received with enthusiastic reactions. At a recent sermon outside of the Walmart store on Interstate 65 Service Road South, Pope and others gave energetic sermons that were met with honking horns and a small crowd that shouted its approvals.

Other sermons have a somewhat cultural and political tone. During one sermon last month in Bienville Square, Pope  who is Black -- spoke by himself on the subject of division and the need for everyone to come together.

Lets stop looking at how different we look and act and believe, which causes division, Pope said.

Mobile City Councilman Joel Daves said the city is trying to balance the concerns of the residents with First Amendment rights, which includes preaching in public parks.

As a city council, we have a responsibility to provide reasonable access to individuals who want to exercise their First Amendment rights on public property, said Daves. We try to balance that against people being intrusive to our neighborhoods. We dont always get that right. But I think we are, all of us, willing to listen our constituents and try to take steps in order to get it right and minimize the impact and intrusiveness on nearby residents.

Daves said hes had constituents contact him about utilizing loudspeakers in public parks.

Well be careful in grating very broad access under those conditions, Daves said.

Worshipping the Lord

Pope said he will continue with his preaching, but in areas where hes allowed. He has focused on Walmart stores in Mobile, delivering sermons close to the parking lots. He is also taking his loudspeaker to troubled neighborhoods, where drug use and prostitution exist. He said West Prichard Street, close to the Prichard-Mobile city line, is one high-crime area hes focused on, as well as some public housing complexes in the city.

Right now, the Lord is putting my heart on DIP (Dauphin Island Parkway) and Duvall and Holcomb avenues, said Pope. We want to be right there. On Friday nights, oh my Lord. The air is filled with marijuana. There is just so much (illegal activity) going on. Thats the type of place where we are compelled to come and preach.

Pope said he believes church ministers should be considered among first responders who are battling crime on the streets.

Most of the police Ive dealt with, there is love, said Pope. (The preaching) brings a peace to that area. They have a sense of peace on their jobs.

As for his downtown request, Pope said he was surprised his sermons were met with so much opposition. He said his appearances have only been met with people walking up to him and thanking him for what hes doing. He also said similar sermons hes conduct at Public Safety Memorial Park on Airport Boulevard have included participants from members of the Presbyterian Church.

That is rare, said Pope. They are a real traditional, inside church.

Pope plans on an Easter Sunday sermon at the city park where the citys only skateboard park is located.

He said he is disappointed in the citys decision, but also on the lack of what he said were stories of good reports about his preaching. He said what he is trying to do is bring peace to the city and to the hearts of the citizens of Mobile.

I thought it would be a few concerned citizens, he said about the opposition that Manzie said he received. I was really shocked.

Pope added, Every time I go to Bienville Square and Cathedral Park, there is no one down there. Its a cross section where people go to shop and to the stores, but I had no idea I was being watched like that. We were playing peaceful worship music and people were gathering together and worshipping the Lord.

Street preachers

Other cities, over the years, have handled similar issues on loud preaching without violating someones First Amendment rights, but the issues do spark controversy.

In most cases, federal courts back up the local governments if the street sermons are amplified by loudspeakers.

-A federal judge in Michigan dismissed a lawsuit from an anti-abortion street preacher in 2019, who alleged the city of Grand Rapids police department violated his First Amendment rights when they enforced a city noise ordinance against him. The white preacher accused the police of threatening him with arrest based on complaints over the content of his speech. The city said the electronic voice amplifier the preacher used in sharing religious beliefs outside and abortion clinic and other places, was the problem.

-Federal courts in Oregon denied a white street preachers appeals of a disorderly conduct arrest in 2018, despite the preachers position that he was arrested because of the content of his speech. The preacher, a self-described confrontational evangelist was arrested for using an electrified bullhorn to preach outside of a department store in Portland.

-A Springfield, Missouri, a white street preacher was arrested on Good Friday in 2018, for violating that citys noise ordinance after delivering a loud downtown sermon. As he was handcuffed and taken away, the preacher shouted corrupt, coward and bullies at the police, according to media reports. The preacher, who also claimed he was being arrested because of his message, said the loudspeakers were essential to preaching his mission of mercy.

- In Charlotte, a Black street preacher has walked through the city chanting, Jesus Loves You! He has shown up at Black Lives Matter rallies to continue with his chants, which elicited return shouts back at him. But police sided with the man, saying that despite complaints from business owners, he was not amplifying his voice through a loudspeaker and was protected by the First Amendment.
[March 31, 2021] Digital Edge to Expand Platform Footprint in South Korea

Digital Edge (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd. ("Digital Edge" or the "Company"), a leading data center platform, established to transform the digital infrastructure in Asia and backed by Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, today announced plans to expand its regional footprint to South Korea by entering into a definitive agreement to acquire Sejong Telecom's data center assets in an all-cash transaction. At closing, Digital Edge will acquire one data center in Gangnam, Seoul and a Cable Landing Station facility in Centum City, Busan. The addition of these strategic assets, including their associated operations and customers, marks the Company's initial entry into the Korean market and further strengthens its regional platform. This transaction will allow Digital Edge to immediately offer interconnect and data center solutions in the fast-growing Korean market and establish a solid foundation for future expansion in two key metros - Seoul and Busan. Sejong Telecom's data centers are strategically located and bring a wealth of connectivity options from existing customers. Digital Edge plans to invest additional capital to expand the capacity and improve the energy efficiency of both facilities. Between the transaction and subsequent expansions, Digital Edge expects to invest over US$120 million. Over the years, global cloud, content, and network service providers have expressed a strong desire for more flexible and cost-effective interconnect options in the Korean market. As part of the transaction, Sejong Telecom and Digital Edge have also entered into a long-term strategic partnership to bring innovative products and services to the marketplace to meet the expectations of both domestic and international customers. "With our US$1 billion capital commitment to build the Digital Edge Platform in Asia, we are excited to announce the plan to enter into the Korean market, following our initial investments in data centers in Japan. Korea is one of the fastest growing markets in Asia with the most advanced digital infrastructure," said Samuel Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Edge. "This transaction provides a great opportunity for multinational companies, as well as Korean businesses, to leverage Digital Edge's platform to increase their digital footprint in Korea by interconnecting to a rich ecosystem of customersand partners in all key facilities in Seoul and Busan."



"Our partnership with Digital Edge will further accelerate digital transformation opportunities for Korean enterprise customers," said Yoo Ki-yoon, President of Sejong Telecom. "We look forward to combining access to Digital Edge's interconnect-rich data center platform with Sejong Telecom's advanced network connections to offer a wider range of cloud and network enabled solutions." "The acquisition of these strategic assets in South Korea will form a solid core for our maturing regional platform," said Yongsuk Choi, Chief Infrastructure and Data Centre Operations Officer of Digital Edge. "It will position Digital Edge as a credible and reliable data center and interconnection service provider in South Korea, with high-quality assets from Seoul to Busan and a large, diversified ecosystem of Korean and multinational businesses. Additionally, it opens key gateways for the rest of Asia through the submarine cable systems in the Busan area."

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. About Digital Edge Headquartered in Singapore, Digital Edge is a trusted and forward-looking data center platform company, established to transform the digital infrastructure in Asia. Through building and operating state-of-the-art, energy-efficient data centers rich with connectivity options, Digital Edge aims to bring new colocation and interconnect options to the Asian market, making infrastructure deployment in Asia easy, efficient and economical. Digital Edge was founded by a seasoned senior management team with decades of industry experience and an established track record of value creation in the data center, cloud and telecommunications industries in the Asia-Pacific region. Backed by Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, Digital Edge has in excess of US$1 billion in committed capital to establish and drive its data center platform in Asia. About Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners (www.stonepeakpartners.com) is an infrastructure-focused private equity firm headquartered in New York that manages $31.3 billion of capital for its investors (as of February, 2021). Stonepeak invests in long-lived, hard-asset businesses and projects that provide essential services to customers, and seeks to actively partner with high-quality management teams, facilitate operational improvements, and provide capital for growth initiatives. About Sejong Telecom Sejong Telecom Incorporated, established in June 1992 in Seoul, Korea, is a leading provider of technology, communications, information products and services. Sejong Telecom offers voice, data and video services and solutions on its advanced networks and platforms, meeting customer demand for reliable network connectivity, security, and control. As a neutral carrier, Sejong Telecom provides connectivity services, including dedicated lines, IX and data services, while providing wired, wireless, and MVNO mobile services. Sejong Telecom has been expanding into new emerging markets, such as platform, contents, home, security, solutions, and blockchain, for sustainable growth. Sejong Telecom's mission is to connect, co-create, and share the added values to every participant, by inducing convergence synergies with the existing telecom and platform business across various industrial sectors. To learn more about Sejong Telecom, visit https://sejongtelecom.net. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006062/en/

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If Joe Biden told us once, he told us a thousand times: hes a Senate Guy.

Seventy days into his new job, the president has exuded the legislative ambition and vigour of the last true Senate Guy to occupy the White House  Lyndon Johnson.

With commanding Democratic majorities in Congress after the 1964 election, Johnson pursued an historic legislative spending regime.

Aiming to eliminate poverty, put Black Americans on an equal footing with whites, and take care of the nations most vulnerable, Johnsons Great Society agenda delivered Medicare and Medicaid, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a raft of transportation and infrastructure projects, and massive funding increases for public schools.

The Vietnam War  and the loud opposition at home among anti-war liberals within his own party  have overshadowed President Johnsons legacy, perhaps the single most enduring one since Franklin Roosevelt, statutorily speaking.

Read more:

Mr Biden does not have a major war (or, more importantly, a major domestic anti-war movement) to contend with.

And with Republicans gunning for majorities in both chambers in the 2022 midterms, the president is racing against the clock to create his own Great Society.

On Wednesday he introduced a sweeping $2 trillion jobs and infrastructure plan that would touch nearly every aspect of American life. He intends to offset the cost of that investment by raising taxes on households bringing in $400,000 or more annually as well as hiking the corporate tax rate  effectively undoing core elements of Donald Trumps 2017 tax cuts.

The new proposal, which would be even more expensive than Mr Bidens $1.9 trillion Covid relief package from earlier this month, comprises four main categories of government spending.

$621bn for traditional transportation infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and public transit.

$650bn for modern infrastructure that will affect Americans at home: broadband internet expansion, revamped water systems and electricity grids, massive investments in public schools facilities.

$400bn for care infrastructure projects such as schools, child care facilities, veterans hospitals and other federal welfare buildings.

and $580bn for research, development and training projects, including providing incentives for companies to keep manufacturing jobs in the nations industrial heartland.

All of those projects would be geared towards sustainability and mitigating the causes and impact of anthropomorphic climate change.

Mr Bidens infrastructure package would shovel $174bn into programmes to increase the US share of the electric vehicle (EV) market by establishing new tax incentives and sales rebates for consumer EV purchases. Billions would go towards grants and other incentives to spur construction of a national network of half a million EV charging stations by the end of the decade. And billions more would be put towards fulfilling his campaign promise to electrify the federal vehicle fleet.

The plan, as a whole, will not garner bipartisan support despite the administrations lip service to courting Republican moderates,

Given the amount of tax increases that theyre discussing, theres no way theyre going to be able to get anything done on a bipartisan basis, Jim Manley, a longtime aide to former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, told The Independent.

Capitol Hill insiders agree Mr Bidens infrastructure package is destined to become law in some way, shape or form through the budget reconciliation process that allows Democrats to sidestep Senate GOP obstruction.

That doesnt mean itll be easy.

Democrats in Washington are bracing for progressives such as Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Jeff Merkley of Oregon being more vocal with their demands for green energy investment and more aggressive tax code changes.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin III looms as a potential foil for progressives penchant for unbridled spending.

To achieve his Great Society, Mr Biden must broker another deal between those two camps, as he did for his historic Covid relief bill.

Some day people are gonna look back at this, and  the first bills going to be a walk in the park based on what theyre going to have to face the next go-round, Mr Manley said.

And potentially the next go-round after that, he said, referring to the administrations planned rollout in April of another economic package to expand health insurance coverage, subsidise child care, and make community college tuition-free, among other provisions.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set an ambitious legislative schedule that could allow her chamber to take final votes by the July Fourth holiday on Mr Bidens infrastructure package, which she has dubbed a visionary, once-in-a-century investment in the American people.

The infrastructure package could represent the last major push for big-ticket legislation this year before lawmakers must get to work on annual items such as the military budget and government appropriations bills.

Before you know it, congressional primary season will be upon us, as the 2022 midterms take shape.

Mr Biden is urgent about cementing his legislative legacy before then.

The president and his team are moving quickly, Mr Manley said, because theyre smart enough to realise that hes got a narrow window to act.
Kilkenny TD Kathleen Funchion has criticised the governments 'Our Rural Future' policy paper for lacking a timeline for delivery and failing to focus beyond remote working in order to achieve the ambitious change necessary.

She has said that there is an absence of concrete measures to create jobs and deliver investment in infrastructure in rural towns in Kilkenny.

Rural Ireland has been neglected by government after government for decades and it is time that our towns, villages and rural communities are finally listened to instead of being ignored.

The government has now launched the Our Rural Future policy paper, which they have lauded as a plan to save rural Ireland.

However, it is nothing but a rehash of previous announcements and symbolic of the lack of vision the government has for our rural communities. There is an absence of concrete measures to create badly needed jobs in our rural towns and villages, and deliver balanced regional investment in infrastructure.

It is deeply disappointing that the report fails to give timelines. No new funding is contained in this; instead almost all the figures announced in this document are a re-hash of previous announcements.

Communities need more than vague promises, they need to see real action and delivery. I will be pressing the government on this to ensure that concrete timelines for delivery as well as increased funding are put in place.

The policy focuses on remote working but we need to look beyond just remote working opportunities. In order to achieve long term, sustainable change beyond the pandemic, we need to see jobs based in our towns, villages and rural communities as well as remote working options.

People must be at the heart of any plans and making sure that people living in rural communities can have the same opportunities to prosper is a key part of that.

The plan acknowledges the need for the provision of public services, but the recent closure of what may be the only bank branch in many rural areas is a stark contrast to this ambition. It is important that we support access to services, investing in infrastructure and the regeneration of rural towns and villages, to ensure rural towns and villages are vibrant and thriving places to live.

Finally, it is crucial that any plans for rural and regional areas are supported by the people living in these communities- not merely handed down from Dublin. All of these parts must work in partnership to ensure that rural communities can flourish.

Its time to stand up for our towns, villages and rural communities to ensure people get the resources, funding and opportunities they should be entitled to. Sinn Fein will continue to give rural communities a voice and hold the Government to account on this.
Adhering to Connecticut COVID-19 guidelines, Region 12 Superintendent Megan Bennett has announced that Shepaug Valley High, which draws students from Bridgewater, Roxbury and Washington, will be holding an outdoor prom this year.

While the event is still being organized, it will be held May 22.

There will be activities in addition to dancing so that students will not be clustered, Bennett said. There are safety measures we are taking to allow for a safe prom to occur for seniors.

Bennett also mentioned another plus for seniors for the 2021 prom.

Our three towns are sponsoring the prom as a way to celebrate the seniors as well as thank them for their efforts and sacrifices for community health, Bennett said. Therefore, prom will be free for our high school seniors.

On March 19, Connecticuts plan to ease limitations on gatherings began and that gave schools the opportunity to host events like the prom for the Class of 2021, although restrictions will still apply.

Shepaug joins other high schools around the state that will also be holding outdoor proms in an effort to bring some normalcy to their senior experience despite the pandemic. Barlow recently announced it will be holding an outdoor prom and Bethel is hopeful it can hold an outdoor prom as well.

The selectmen from Bridgewater, Roxbury, and Washington were able to personally deliver the news to our seniors that they will be having a prom this year, Bennett said. It was a very exciting moment for the students and our towns.
Srinagar, April 1 : That all the four kidnappers and killers of his son have been killed by the security forces is little consolation for 56-year-old Manzoor Ahmad Wagay, who is still digging up mother earth just to find the last resting place of his son, Shakir Manzoor.

Shakir was a soldier of the Territorial Army, who belonged to the Harmain village of Shopian district. He had been travelling in his car to join duty when four militants kidnapped him on August 2, 2020.

The kidnappers showed one courtesy, they allowed Shakir to speak to his family one last time, before snuffing the life out of him.

Shakir told his family not to disclose 'the phone call' to the army since he was with some of his 'friends' who would not harm him.

The last message of Shakir to his family was obviously tutored.

Image Source: IANS News

In less than 24 hours, Shakir's burnt car and blood stained clothes were found in the nearby Kulgam district. The killers had denied the soldier even a decent burial! They had killed him and thrown his body somewhere it could not be found.

However, his father believes that he is somewhere amid the valley -- 6-feet below.

Wagay has been digging all over the place to find his son's body for the last eight months. He carries a shovel and a spade everywhere.

Sympathetic fellow villagers accompany the father with shovels and spades to help find his son's grave.

"I hope to find his body one day. My niece saw Shakir in her dream. She told me he had communicated to her that his body had been buried near the place his blood stained clothes were found.

"I have tried there as well," the father tells his unending tragedy even after all his tears have dried up.

Police cannot declare Shakir dead unless his body is found.

"For us, legally, he is missing. Although we are personally convinced that he is not alive," said a police officer.

Bodies of militants killed in encounters with the security forces have been denied to the families since the spread of the pandemic.

Other reasons are to prevent funeral processions that are often seen as recruiting exercises for the militants.

Through fiery speeches, militant commanders have been stirring passions at these funerals to lure the local youth.

The killers of Shakir did not return his body to keep the wounds of his father and family festering forever.

Kashmir has become a killing field where the killers follow no rules.

The blood soaked, listless eyes of Shakir's father did not move his son's killers when they were alive. After their death, they can tell no secrets.

-- Syndicated from IANS
A man accused of posing as a rideshare driver to abduct women from Boston bars and restaurants has been charged with sexually assaulting a ninth victim.

Alvin Campbell Jr, 39, the brother of Boston City Council member Andrea Campbell, had previously faced sexual assault charges against eight women between 2017 and 2019.

Prosecutors alleged Campbell, of Cumberland Rhode Island, would drive to popular Boston venues at night and, impersonating an Uber driver, would offer women rides home before attacking them.

The latest charges came after investigators discovered a 46-minute video shot in 2018 which allegedly shows Campbell raping an 'unconscious or semi-conscious or unresponsive' woman, the Boston Globe reports.

Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said Campbell had been charged with three additional counts of rape and two counts of filming an unsuspecting nude person.

Police tracked down the alleged victim because Campbell had taken a photo of her passport.

Alvin Campbell Jr allegedly posed as an Uber driver to target women at Boston bars and restaurants late at night

Since his arrest in January 2020, a total of nine women have come forward to allege they were sexually assaulted by Campbell

Campbell has been in custody since his initial arrest by the Boston Police Department in January 2020.

That alleged attack occurred on the night of December 6, 2019, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.

Cops say Campbell pretended to be a ride-sharing driver and picked up the victim outside The Harp bar in downtown Boston, after the real Uber she had ordered through her phone app had inexplicably left.

The woman, who was intoxicated, got into Campbell's black SUV with the expectation of being taken home. She is said to have passed out in the backseat during the commute.

Prosecutors said after sexually assaulting her inside the vehicle, Campbell drove her to his apartment in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and raped her. He also allegedly videotaped the assaults.

The woman woke up hours later inside the bogus Uber driver's home suffering from pain in her groin and an injury to her chest.

Campbell then drove the victim to a CVS pharmacy and left her there, according to court records.

The woman somehow made her way home, then went to a hospital to undergo a sexual assault evaluation and filed a report with the Boston Police Department.

Campbell, right, is the brother of Boston councilwoman Andrea Campbell, who issued a statement saying she was 'heartbroken, saddened and devastated' by news of his arrest in January 2020

Detectives identified Campbell's SUV from surveillance video, which ultimately led them to his home in Rhode Island.

When police executed a search warrant and went through the contents of Campbell's phone, they allegedly found videos showing the 39-year-old man groping and raping the woman in his car.

'The clips showed her both clothed and naked. Campbell addressed her by name and commented crudely about her body.

He said at one point, 'Raise your eyebrow if you're all right,' and later 'Do you want to go upstairs to your house or come to my house?'' according to documents obtained by Boston Herald.

A DNA test comparing a swab from the victim's rape kit and a sample from Campbell produced a match, the prosecutors said.

A search of the suspect's car and home allegedly yielded a luggage tag bearing the victim's name.

Campbell was indicted last year on charges of sexually assaulting eight women from 2017 to 2019.

Most of the offences involve allegations he posed as a rideshare driver.

Investigators obtained a search warrant to access his cellphone's cloud storage, where they found video related to the most recent charges including one timestamped at 5:42am, the Globe reports.

Campbell was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court Wednesday on the new indictment.

Judge Janet Sanders ordered that Campbell be held until April 27, when a new hearing will determine whether he can be released on bail.

In a statement, Suffolk DA Rollins called on people out enjoying the warmer weather to be vigilant for 'questionable or predatory behavior'.

'Women have every right to partake in and enjoy an evening out, to drink and to have fun without risk or fear of being harassed, violated or harmed,' she said in a statement to the Boston Herald.

'Men need to start speaking to their sons, their brothers and colleagues about the new vision of masculinity and working to end violence against women and girls.'

Campbell's sister, Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell, has previously said she is 'extremely heartbroken and saddened and devastated by these allegations'. She said she is 'thinking about the victim who had the courage to come forward.'
HARTFORD, Conn., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtus AllianzGI Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund (NYSE: AIO), Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income Fund (NYSE: NCV), Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income Fund II (NYSE: NCZ), Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income 2024 Target Term Fund (NYSE: CBH), and Virtus AllianzGI Diversified Income & Convertible Fund (NYSE: ACV) announced the following distribution declarations on their respective common shares:

Fund Distribution Per

Common Share Virtus AllianzGI Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund $0.1250 Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income Fund $0.0425 Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income Fund II $0.0375 Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income 2024 Target Term Fund $0.0460 Virtus AllianzGI Diversified Income & Convertible Fund $0.1670







The distributions will be payable on May 3, 2021 to shareholders of record on April 12, 2021 with an ex-dividend date of April 9, 2021.

The amounts of distributions reported in this notice are estimates only and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the distributions will depend on the fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The fund or your broker will send shareholders a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell shareholders what distributions to report for federal income tax purposes.

About the Funds

Virtus AllianzGI Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund's investment objective is to provide total return through a combination of current income, current gains and long-term capital appreciation. Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income Fund and Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income Fund II each have an investment objective to provide total return through a combination of capital appreciation and high current income with income as a secondary objective. Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income 2024 Target Term Fund's investment objectives are to provide a high level of income and to return at least $9.835 per common share (the original net asset value per common share of beneficial interest before deducting offering costs of $0.02 per share) to holders of common shares on or about September 1, 2024. Virtus AllianzGI Diversified Income & Convertible Fund's investment objective is to provide total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation, while seeking to provide downside protection against capital loss.

Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. became the investment adviser of each fund, other than AIO, effective February 1, 2021 and of AIO effective February 26, 2021. Allianz Global Investors continues to manage each fund in a subadvisory capacity.

For more information on these funds, contact shareholder services at 800-254-5197, by email at [email protected], or through the closed-end fund section on the web at www.virtus.com .

Fund Risks

An investment in a fund is subject to risk, including the risk of possible loss of principal. A fund's shares may be worth less upon their sale than what an investor paid for them. Shares of closed-end funds may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value. For more information about each fund's investment objective and risks, please see the fund's annual report. A copy of the fund's most recent annual report may be obtained free of charge by contacting "Shareholder Services" as set forth at the end of this press release.

About Allianz Global Investors

Allianz Global Investors or Allianz GI is a leading active asset manager with over 750 investment professionals in 25 offices worldwide and manages assets for individuals, families and institutions. The investment team has extensive experience managing closed-end funds and a differentiated, multi-asset approach based on fundamental research designed to dynamically allocate across convertible securities and equities.

About Virtus Investment Partners

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ: VRTS) is a distinctive partnership of boutique investment managers singularly committed to the long-term success of individual and institutional investors. The company provides investment management products and services through its affiliated managers and select subadvisers, each with a distinct investment style, autonomous investment process, and individual brand. For more information, visit www.virtus.com.

SOURCE Virtus AllianzGI Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund; Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income Fund; Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income Fund II; Virtus AllianzGI Convertible & Income 2024 Target Term Fund; Virtus AllianzGI Diversified Income & Convertible Fund
New Delhi: Hey, you have been fooled - today is April Fool's Day! So, have you heard these lines more than once in your lifetime on the first day of April? Most of us have and why not, after all it is the day when your friends and family play sweet little pranks on you and enjoy the celebrations.

But ever wondered why we do what we do? Let's try to decode the story behind this special day.

APRIL FOOL'S DAY STORY:

It is said that this day was first marked in the 19th century, and then went on become hugely popular everywhere. It was Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' (1392) where the first precursor of the day was found written. In the tale, vain cock Chauntecleer is fooled by a fox, which is taken as a reference to the day.

There are many references in literature that indicate that Fools' Day had a meaning back in time. French poet Eloy d'Amerval referred to a poisson davril (April fool, literally "April fish"), a possible reference to the holiday. In 1539, Eduard de Dene also mentioned about a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1.

The day is immensely popular in countries like Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil and the United States, where practical jokes are played upon each other to celebrate it. April Fools' Day sees people playing harmless pranks on each other.

Interestingly, some references to the day trace back to the Roman festival of Hilaria and even to the festival of Holi festival of India, and the Medieval Feast of Fools.

Watch your back, and don't be pranked!
"Women are the heart of our economy and key to building a more resilient, inclusive and prosperous society across the continent amidst the global pandemic." -Vanessa Moungar

31-Mar-2021

This month, known to many as International Women's month, the African Development Bank Group continues to put a spotlight on women-led businesses and financial institutions set to support them.

The business experiences of African women running small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as financial institutions supporting them, were the subject of an online event held on 8 March 2021, by the African Development Bank and the African Guarantee Fund.

The businesses are all clients of financial institutions participating in the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Guarantee for Growth program.

The program is a tri-pillar innovation that aims to unlock up to $3 billion in loans to small and medium enterprises in the next five years. Working through financial institutions, the program addresses the financial and non-financial needs of small and medium enterprises by offering access to finance and technical assistance to enhance their bankability and ability to grow profitable and sustainable businesses.

"Women are the heart of our economy and the keys to building a more resilient, inclusive and prosperous society across the continent amidst the global pandemic," said Vanessa Moungar, the Bank's Director for Women, Gender and Civil Society, in her welcoming remarks to over 400 online participants.

Participants included women entrepreneurs, women-led business support organizations, development partners, financial institutions, civil society and government stakeholders.

"For my company, I had to borrow collateral to access my first loan, which allowed me to establish Ashleys," said Terry Mungai, CEO of Ashleys beauty and hair care franchise, financed by Equity Bank in Kenya.

Unpacking the obstacles to women's financing, offering solutions

Business and banking leaders said the Covid-19 crisis had exacerbated existing gender inequalities - further limiting women's ability to take advantage of equitable economic opportunities.

Financial institutions' representatives taking part in the webinar included: Mary Wangari Wamae, Executive Director responsible for subsidiary oversight at Equity Bank Kenya; and Etienne Mabunda, Commercial Director at Rawbank.

"Our approach is based on designing tailored lending programs with a social support system for which women don't need collateral. The reality is that women customers are excellent payers. With the AFAWA guarantees, we are more confident to continue giving them loans to expand their businesses," Wamae said.

Helen Walbey, Head of Gender and Inclusive Business at the Alliance for Financial Inclusion said it was important to have a supporting enabling environment. "There is an urgent need to listen to women entrepreneurs, as well as to educate Banks and governments on women's market realities," she added.

"Financial institutions are regulated and expected to work with formal entities. Through the AFAWA regulatory environment framework, the program will work with governments on finding ways to transition women who are in the informal sector to the formal sector, to enhance their ability to access the financing they need," said Esther Dassanou, AFAWA's Manager.

Mbuaya Kalenga Madhy, who heads a semi-industrial sewing company, Mwinda M Establishments, transitioned from the informal to formal sector. "To all African women, don't hesitate to start the business of your dream. You can do it too," she said.

Program participant Bijou Esther Monga Ilunga Kazadi, who owns Big Five Lodge Establishments in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said banks were starting to create financial products that are adapted to women's SMEs. "And my dream is to see more women-owned entrepreneurs in Africa taking advantage of them," she said.

The AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program is supported by the Group of Seven (G7) countries, as well as by the Netherlands and Sweden.

Watch the recorded full event here:

Watch The AFAWA Guarantee for Growth video here:
Przepraszamy!

Ogoszenie na stanowisku:

Junior Process Officer / Process Officer in KYC



wygaso z dniem 2021-04-30



Ta propozycja bya zozona przez Nordea Bank Abp SA Oddzia w Polsce

Mozliwe przyczyny wygasniecia oferty to:

propozycja zamieszczona przez pracodawce zostaa wycofana z serwisu praca.egospodarka.pl

ogoszeniodawca zakonczy proces rekrutacji uzyskujac odpowiednia ilosc osob

zleceniodawca zmodyfikowa tresc ogoszenia i jest ono dostepne pod innym adresem WWW

dostawca tresci usuna ogoszenie z bazy danych

bedny adres WWW ogoszenia

Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w branzy Bankowosc / Leasing, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Bankowosc / Leasing

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Pamietaj, ze mozesz takze rozpoczac poszukiwanie pracy od strony gownej, kliknij tutaj.

Inne propozycje, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan:
Two serving Australian Defence Force members have faced court accused of a string of sex and drug offences involving children.

The men allegedly supplied ecstasy and had non-consensual sex with two girls aged 14 and 15 in Darwin in September.

An Australian Army private, aged 20, was denied bail in the Northern Territory Local Court on Thursday.

A second soldier, 19, was granted bail with strict conditions.

He is charged with 13 offences, including supplying drugs alcohol to minors, possessing unlicensed firearms and having sex with children.

Two serving Australian Defence Force members have faced court accused of a string of sex and drug offences involving children (stock image)

The soldiers cannot be named for legal reasons.

The teen will be released into his parents' custody to return to his family home in Brisbane once a mortgage over their home is provided to the court as security.

He will also have to submit to drug and alcohol testing and not contact the complainants or witnesses.

Both men were stationed in Darwin and living at Robertson Barracks, a major Australian Army base located about 15 kilometres east of the Darwin city centre.

The 20-year-old from Sydney is charged with supplying drugs to a child and sexual intercourse without consent.

He's applied for voluntary discharge from the ADF and will remain in custody until his trial in the NT Supreme Court in 2022.

Defence lawyer Shane McMaster indicated his client would plead not guilty to the sex-related charge as he pressed for bail to be granted.

'There is going to be evidence that the complainant has said words to the effect that she was over 16,' he said.

'The rub really is how intoxicated the complainant was and how that relates to her capacity to consent.'

Both men were stationed in Darwin and living at Robertson Barracks (stock image), a major Australian Army base located about 15 kilometres east of the Darwin city centre

But magistrate Tanya Austin said 'the facts disclose that the complainant said 'no' on several occasions'.

Ms Austin said the soldier was facing serious allegations that carried maximum penalties of 14 years' imprisonment for supplying illegal drugs and life imprisonment for sex without consent.

She said the prosecution has a 'moderately strong case' and alleges the soldier knew the child was intoxicated when he initiated sex.

'He is proposing to leave this jurisdiction... The court does have concerns if he does leave the NT even if it is to reside with his family given the seriousness of the charges,' she said.

Both cases will return to court in May.

A third man is facing similar charges in relation to the same incident.
CARLSBAD, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific today launched the Thermo Scientific KingFisher Apex Purification System, a high-throughput sample purification instrument designed for scientists who need to automate the extraction of DNA, RNA, proteins and cells from an array of sample types. The instrument is easy to use, saves time and enables consistent results even as laboratory needs evolve.

The KingFisher Apex enables nucleic acid, protein and cell isolation while allowing users to customize protocols directly from the instrument to provide flexible, reproducible and fast sample preparation without additional expense or complexity. It automates much of the error-prone work associated with preparing high-quality nucleic acids and proteins, can process for 24 to 96 samples in 25 to 65 minutes and elutes in low volumes (10 L) for demanding downstream applications.

"Building on decades of product expertise, the KingFisher Apex combines unparalleled instrument capabilities into one platform, filling a gap where existing solutions include either large, complicated, high-cost instruments or low-throughput solutions that don't meet the processing needs of many labs," said Jeff Journey, vice president and general manager, sample preparation at Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Simplifying and automating the sample preparation workflow will help improve research productivity and drive new discovery, especially for those working with high-value samples such as circulating tumor cells, T-cells and exosomes."

The KingFisher Apex Purification System can be used in combination with any of the Applied Biosciences MagMAX Isolation kits, as well as with Invitrogen Dynabeads Magnetic Separation products. Additional features include: heating and cooling controls to maintain sample integrity, dual UV lights to safeguard against contamination, cloud-enabled access to up-to-date validated protocols, dual magnets to support both small and large volume ranges and the ability to elute in storage tubes to revisit samples later. The instrument's touchscreen allows users to write, edit and run protocols directly on the instrument and rely on guided visuals for easy plate loading without needing a desktop computer. Lot-specific bar codes confirm proper plate position during loading or may be used for lot tracking and documentation.

For more information including technical specifications, applications and consumables please visit www.thermofisher.com/kingfisherapex.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $30 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 80,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

Media Contact Information:

Mauricio Minotta

Phone: 760-805-5266

Email: [email protected]



Olivia Hayum

Phone: 978-201-9131

Email: [email protected]



SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

Related Links

http://www.thermofisher.com


Ongwediva  In its quest to provide affordable land to its residents, the Ongwediva Town Council has budgeted at least N$9.4 million for the 2020/2021 financial year as compensation to secure residential erven at Omatando.

Omatando has over 2 000 plots. Ongwediva Town Council spokesperson Jackson Muma said so far, only two homesteads have been compensated while negotiations with ten other crop field owners are at an advanced stage.

Muma said to date, the council has distributed compensation determination to about 53 homesteads and their plots have already been measured. "In November 2020, council started negotiating with field owners and as of today, two homesteads have been compensated," said Muma. Muma said the remaining crop field owners are still to be engaged but appeals to those who are ready to be compensated to approach the office. The council has completed the registration of all existing plots at Omatando. He said the council has to date registered eight extensions with the deeds office and residents will be required to buy off their properties once the purchase is announced in due course.

He said council is now busy aligning residents into plots as planned. Muma said once the compensation has been completed, the council will commence with the provision of services.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson said the council remains committed to deliver land to all its residents and ensure that everyone has a roof over their head. Recently, 209 plots were allocated to low-income earners at Onawa, Omatando and Okandjengedi. Muma said the area has already been surveyed and are only waiting to relocate the owners there.

A further 103 plots at Efidi Proper were also allocated to new owners. - nashipala@nepc.com.na
Following the wishes of his late father, who was a veteran defending Vietnam's Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, a 51-year-old man wanders along the countrys coastal areas and islands, carrying fishing rods and his fathers portrait.

Since his father's death in 2014, Pham Ngoc Thuc, a son of Hoang Sa martyr Pham Khoi in the central coastal city of Da Nang, has continued the familys legacy of collecting and providing archives to serve the countrys defense over its sovereignty in the East Vietnam Sea.

He goes fishing in different coastal villages and islands to fulfil his fathers wishes.

Successor of a Hoang Sa witness

According to documents of the Hoang Sa exhibition hall, Khoi joined the force protecting the islands twice, in 1965 and 1969.

His mission was to escort ships going to and from the territory, to report to the local command board, and to support ships in distress.

In April 1970, returning from the islands, Khoi brought his newly-born son to the citys authorities for birth registration.

Thuc has his birthday stated as the day his father left the islands.

A tiny house, only 40 square meters, in a small alley on Quang Trung Street, is where Thuc keeps his fishing gear, certificates of merit, and pictures of him with fish caught on different islands.

Thuc said he did not care much about the sea at first yet his fathers stories and love of Hoang Sa gradually immersed him.

When Khoi was still alive and healthy, he and his friends usually told each other about their trips.

Stories about strange lands and seas amazed Thuc but it was not until he accidentally discovered his fathers small crate containing exotic scallop shells that he fell in love with marine life.

Khoi told his son stories of the sea, brought him along on fishing trips without knowing that he was nurturing a strong, determined man with a burning passion for the ocean.

Thuc said he became a professional fisherman in 1997.

He invested all of his money in fishing gear.

Whenever he had free time, Thuc was off for a fishing trip.

I love fishing. I can tell whether it is shallow or deep and if I can catch any fish just by seeing the water, he said.

Pham Ngoc Thuc poses with a fish he caught on a trip in this supplied photo.

Fishing on islands

Phan Thi Hoa, Thucs wife, said he painstakingly kept track of his trips to islands.

The fisherman knows the central sea like the back of his hand.

He remembers every single coral reef and ledge.

Thuc is also famous for excellent diving skills.

In 2013, in their survey on Da Nang Bays seabed marine life status, an NGO for climate actions asked Thuc to take underwater photos for mapping.

Thuc said his farthest journey on the earliest days was to an island off the northern province of Quang Ninh.

I was tempted to go, even without a companion, after reading an introduction about the island on the Internet," he said.

"The trip took a couple of days and I didnt catch any fish because the water was unfamiliar.

Of hundreds of photo and video collections Thuc captured on his trips, those taken on Phu Quoc and Tho Chu Islands impress him the most.

The man and his friends spent months preparing for these trips.

He could not forget the moment he caught a red grouper weighing around 6kg in March 2017.

It was hard to catch it and the price was high," he recounted.

"At the time, I thought of returning without any catch yet the fish helped to cover the expenses of the trip."

Thuc visited Phu Quoc Island 11 times. He also left footprints on the islands of Ly Son, Cu Lao Cham, Nha Trang Bay, and Da Dia Reef.

It is best to go fishing on Kien Giang Provinces islands of Phu Quoc and An Thoi or Quang Tri Provinces Con Co Island, where there is still an abundance of seafood, he said.

To ensure a good catch, a fisherman has to develop his sense, according to the Hoang Sa defenders son.

You cannot just sit and drop baits anywhere, he said.

On a daily basis, Thuc is an electrician and breadwinner for a four-member family.

To pursue his passion, he does several side jobs.

On every fishing trip, he brings along his fathers portrait.

My father encouraged me to go discovering the countrys waters," he recalled.

"He asked me to take his picture along whenever I go.

"Since he passed away, Ive always carried my fathers portrait with me on sea trips.

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New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday (April 1, 2021) will start giving COVID-19 vaccine jabs to people above 45 years of age. The announcement on the same was made on March 23 by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across India. Javadekar had urged all the eligible people to immediately register and get vaccinated.

The first phase of the coronavirus vaccination drive in India had kicked off on January 16, 2021, in which the healthcare workers and the frontline workers were vaccinated. Keeping in view its pace of giving vaccine jabs, the Centre then extended the vaccination to people above 60 years and to individuals above 45 years of age with comorbidities.

Know how to register for COVID-19 vaccination:

1. To register, the eligible person will have to log into the Co-WIN portal using the link www.cowin.gov.in.

2. Then click on the 'Register/Sign In Yourself' tab to register.

3. An eligible person can also register for COVID-19 vaccination through the Aarogya Setu App.

4. You can register for the Co-WIN portal using any of the following ID proofs:

a. Aadhaar card

b. Driving License

c. PAN card

d. Passport

e. Pension Passbook

f. NPR Smart Card

g. Voter ID Card (EPIC)

Earlier on Wednesday, Rajesh Bhushan, the Union Health Secretary chaired a high-level meeting with all states and UTs to review the status, pace and issues regarding the COVID-19 vaccination. The meeting also focussed on the preparations for the third phase of the vaccination.

As of Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) stated that over 6.43 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across India.

The MoHFW said, "These include 82,47,288 HCWs who have taken the 1st dose and 52,38,705 HCWs who have taken the 2nd dose, 91,34,627 FLWs (1st dose), 39,23,172 FLWs (2nd dose), 3,00,39,599 1st dose beneficiaries and 86,869 2nd dose beneficiaries more than 60 years old and 76,74,934 (1st dose) and 13,571 (2nd dose) beneficiaries aged 45 and above with specific co-morbidities.

The vaccination will start a day after India witnessed 53,480 new COVID-19 infections, of which, 84.73% were recorded from eight states. India's total COVID-19 active count on Wednesday soared to 5.52 lakh, whereas the death toll was increased by 354 to 1,62,468.
Galveston ISD trustees violated state open meetings laws when they forced members of the public out of a Wednesday school board meeting for 14 minutes after a teacher speaking during public comments criticized the districts new superintendent, according to a government accountability attorney.

Bill Aleshire, an Austin-based attorney who also volunteers with the Texas Freedom of Information Foundation, said because there were no agenda items relating to Superintendent Jerry Gibson, controversial comments he made in a Facebook Live video or criticism about him, the school board was not allowed to discuss complaints made about him at all.

But they doubled down, Aleshire said. They would not have been able to discuss or deliberate the complaints being made about the superintendent even in public, but they certainly werent allowed then to close the meeting to have deliberations they couldnt have in public.

However, Board President Anthony Brown, who is a commercial and real estate attorney in Galveston, said they were permitted to go into closed session because the teacher, Carrie Hunnicutt, who complained was a district employee. He said he consulted with the districts general counsel, who said going into executive session was legal.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Two sides of the same screen: Teachers in training learn remotely, then stream into local classrooms

What our agenda permits us to do is go into executive session under any matters acceptable under the open meetings requirements, Brown said.

At issue were public comments made at a Wednesday Galveston ISD board meeting, in which several parents and teachers voiced displeasure with changes and controversial comments made about the districts virtual program, known as Students Accessing Innovative Learning or SAIL.

Proponents of the program say Gibson abruptly changed how it was run three weeks after joining the district on Feb. 1. In a Facebook Live video on Galveston ISDs account, Gibson said he found out around 5 p.m. on Feb. 22 that SAIL teachers were working remotely. He said he decided then that the teachers would have to return to a campus building to do their virtual instruction. They were told to report to a Galveston ISD facility by Feb. 24.

He added that he had heard allegations that some teachers were only giving five minutes of instruction a day or only working a few days a week while their colleagues teaching in-person were working full time.

Yet on payday (the virtual teachers) receive a full paycheck, Gibson said. Im not sure if thats fair; Im not sure if thats consistent.

Hunnicutt said she was offended by what she felt was an insinuation that she and her colleagues were doing subpar work and that her students were doing poorly, especially because Gibson had not talked with her or most other virtual teachers prior to making the video. She had prepared a three-minute speech to give at Wednesdays meeting, but before she could, Brown issued a warning to those signed up to speak during public comments.

If what you say in your comments could constitute as identifying a district employee by name or position, we will immediately take that in closed executive session, Brown said. If anyone starts, we will shut it down and go into executive session.

The other speakers avoided mentioning Gibson by name or title, as did Hunnicutt. She spoke generally about the Facebook Live video, and her frustration with being accused of not doing a good job.

If the board can honestly say that the person who was recently hired  she started.

Wait, were going to go into closed session, Brown said just before the livestream feed was cut and everyone inside the board chambers was told they had to leave.

While Hunnicutt said she only had about 42 seconds left to speak, she stayed in the closed session with trustees for 14 minutes. She said after she finished her comments behind closed doors, Brown asked if he could respond and ask her questions. She said they ended up talking about everything from the superintendent search process, prekindergarten curriculum and an anonymous website. None of those topics were on the meetings agenda.

Aleshire gave his legal opinion after a reporter described the events in the school board meeting.

Although Brown said the board can discuss some of those matters in closed session, Aleshire said any subjects discussed in closed session must be posted on the meeting agenda ahead of time. If the board discusses anything not on the agenda, its a violation of the Open Meetings Act, and doubly so if its done in closed section. Violations for those sections of the Texas Open Meetings Act can carry criminal penalties, including fines of up to $500 and several months in the county jail.

The first hole he dug was he thought they could deliberate a topic that wasnt noticed in the agenda, Aleshire said. Then he dug the hole deeper when he said said were going to do it in a closed meeting.

Aleshire said school boards and other government bodies can adopt policies limiting what can be discussed in public comments, such as imposing time restrictions and sometimes whether speakers can mention employees by name.

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However, Brown told the Chronicle on Thursday that only negative comments or complaints made against district employees during public comment would trigger a closed session in Galveston ISD. He said if a speaker complimented, thanked or said something neutral about a school employee during public comments, that would be permitted because it wouldnt violate employee rights to due process or internal grievance processes.

Aleshire said complaints made against government employees are only exempted by the Texas Public Information Act, which governs the types of documents agencies must release to the public. They do not apply to open meetings laws.

He said whats more troubling is that allowing speakers to say nice things about employees but censoring negative speech about employees violates both the Texas Constitution and the First Amendment.

He added that it did not matter whether the person speaking was an employee of the district or a member of the public.

He digs the hole even deeper by saying, Well, if you want to say something nice about government employee, youre allowed to speak. But if you criticize a government employee, you wont be allowed to do that, Aleshire said. That is a clear violation of free speech. It is a content-based restriction on free speech.

Hunnicutt, who teaches eighth-grade history, said she did not know that the closed session of the Texas Open Meetings Act and was surprised to learn she would have been allowed to compliment the superintendent publicly.

As a teacher who teaches the American Constitution, Im very disappointed, Hunnicutt said. I teach my students all about the First Amendment. To realize mine has been violated is astonishing.

shelby.webb@chron.com
PokerNews Podcast: Moneymaker a Farce, Guest Jared Jaffee Calls Out WPT

April 01, 2021 Chad Holloway

On the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Jeff Platt, Sarah Herring, and Chad Holloway discuss the latest developments in poker over the last week, including Chris Moneymaker's big lie. They review champions from events across the globe, both live and online, including Adrian Mateos Diaz, Artur Martirosian, and runner-up finisher Katie Stone.

Plus, in a controversial move, both partypoker and GGPoker run tournaments alongside PokerStars SCOOP and the crew discuss possible outcomes and the poker community reactions.

Next, guest Jared Jaffee joins the show and fires shots in his candid and no BS way. He holds nothing back in his opinion about Matt Savage, the World Poker Tour, and the poker community as a whole.

PokerNews Podcast would like to be known for taking a no-holds-barred approach and pulling no punches... this episode is just another example of that philosophy.

Big thanks to the special sponsor this week in Elite Chip Care, which you can learn more about here.

Time Stamps

Tell us who you want to hear from. Let us know what you think of the show  tweet about the podcast using #PNPod, and be sure to follow Sarah Herring, Jeff Platt and Chad Holloway on Twitter.

Subscribe to the PokerNews Podcast on Apple Podcasts here!

Check Out Past Episodes of the PN Podcast Here!
Phnom Penh officials on Thursday imposed a night curfew in the city and restricted non-essential travel from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. for two weeks, as the city continues to record new COVID-19 cases.

The directive follows a new sub-decree issued by the Cambodian government Wednesday evening based on the recently passed COVID-19 and infectious diseases law. The sub-decree allows for, among other things, the imposition of a curfew to restrict peoples movements, lockdowns in certain designated areas, and for travel bans within the country.

The new curfew will be in place from April 1 to April 14  which is also the first day of the three-day Khmer New Year holiday  and will be in place for nine hours every night.

The local government did allow some exceptions to the curfew, including the movement of workers who worked at establishments allowed to remain open beyond the curfew, travel for emergency medical care, and for medical personnel, civil servants, essential services, and food delivery services to move around uninhibited.

The measure comes as many provinces, most notably Phnom Penh, Kandal and Preah Sihanouk, struggle to curb the community transmission of COVID-19 since February 20, recording close to 2,000 cases in the last six weeks.

Phnom Penh Governor Khuong Sreng declined to comment on Thursday on the new directive.

Sorry, I am in a video conference in connection with security issues in the city, he said.

He did tell government-friendly Fresh News on Thursday that anyone caught violating the curfew would have their vehicle confiscated and required to be in quarantine for two weeks.

Phnom Penh Municipal Police Spokesperson San Sokseiha said the City Hall order was not a lockdown but an attempt to reduce movements at night.

Its not about a city lockdown. Its a decision which merely aims at banning the people from traveling between 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the early morning, he said.

Ngeth Chou, an economic analyst, believed that the new directive would impact night vendors but the increasing COVID-19 cases are concerning. The situation seems not to get improved, he said. So, in the current situation, the economy is perhaps not a priority. The priority is the security, safety and well-being of citizens.
Bangladesh bans entry from EU countries due to Covid-19

Dhaka, Apr 1 (UNI) The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has banned entry to Bangladesh from all European countries except the United Kingdom (UK).

Besides, Bebichak has banned the arrival of passengers from 12 other countries. The countries are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Turkey, South Africa, Uruguay, Peru, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Qatar.

This information has been given in a circular issued from Bebichak on Thursday (April 1). The circular, signed by Chowdhury M Zia-ul-Kabir, a member of Bebichak's Flight Standards and Regulation Division, said the ban would be effective from 12:01 pm on April 3 to April 18.
PARIS -- President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered France into its third national lockdown and said schools would close for three weeks as he sought to push back a third wave of COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals.

With the death toll nearing 100,000, intensive care units in the hardest-hit regions at breaking point and a slower-than-planned vaccine rollout, Macron was forced to abandon his goal of keeping the country open to protect the economy.

We will lose control if we do not move now, the president said in a televised address to the nation.

His announcement means that movement restrictions already in place for more than a week in Paris, and some northern and southern regions, will now apply to the whole country for at least a month, from Saturday.

Departing from his pledge to safeguard education from the pandemic, Macron said schools will close for three weeks after this weekend.

Tables and chairs are seen in a closed classroom at the private primary school Jeanne D'Arc in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, near Paris, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, March 30, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Macron, 43, had sought to avoid a third large-scale lockdown since the start of the year, betting that if he could steer France out of the pandemic without locking the country down again he would give the economy a chance to recover from last years slump.

But the former investment bankers options narrowed as more contagious strains of the coronavirus swept across France and much of Europe.

For school-children after this weekend, learning will be done remotely for a week, after which schools go on a two-week holiday, which for most of the country will be earlier than scheduled.

Thereafter, nursery and primary pupils will return to school while middle and high school pupils continue distance learning for an extra week.

It is the best solution to slow down the virus, Macron said, adding that France had succeeded in keeping its schools open for longer during the pandemic than many neighbours.

People enjoy a sunny and warm weather sitting on the grass near the Invalides in Paris amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, March 31, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Faster vaccinations

Daily new infections in France have doubled since February to average nearly 40,000. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care has breached 5,000, exceeding the peak hit during a six-week-long lockdown late last year.

Bed capacity in critical care units will be increased to 10,000, Macron said.

The new lockdown risks slowing the pace of Frances economic recovery from last years slump. It will force the temporary closure of 150,000 businesses at a cost of 11 billion euros ($12.89 billion) per month, the finance ministry said

The set-back for France, the euro zones second-largest economy, may also dampen Europes hopes of bouncing back swiftly from the pandemic, in the way that the U.S. and Chinese economies are doing.

French police patrol as people enjoy a sunny and warm weather sitting along the banks of the River Seine in Paris amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, March 31, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Frances new lockdown underlines the cost of the European Unions slow rollout of anti-COVID vaccines.

Neighbouring Britain, which finalised its divorce with the bloc on Jan. 1., has inoculated nearly half its population against the coronavirus and is re-opening its economy just as France hunkers down once again.

Macron said the vaccine campaign needed to be accelerated. Mired early on in red tape and slowed by supply shortages, it is only now finding its stride three months in, with just 12% of the population inoculated.

People enjoy a sunny and warm weather sitting along the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, March 31, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Bringing the calendar forward, Macron said people in their sixties would be eligible for a shot from mid-April and those in their fifties a month later. A goal of 30 million adults inoculated by mid-June remained the target, he said.

Seeking to offer hope, Macron said the April lockdown and a swifter vaccination campaign would allow the slow re-opening of the country from mid-May, starting with museums and the outdoor terraces of bars and restaurants, albeit under strict rules.
Hyundai Motors America Reports Record 1Q 2021 and March 2021 Sales







Best Total and Retail Sales Month of All-Time

March Total Sales Up 115%; March Retail Sales Grew 153%

Q1 Total Sales Increased 28%; Q1 Retail Sales Jumped 38%





FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., April 1, 2021  Hyundai Motor America reported total March sales of 75,403 units, a 115% increase compared with March 2020 and the all-time best month in Hyundai history. Palisade and Kona had their best month ever, while Santa Fe and Tucson set new March highs. Hyundai fleet sales were down 58%, representing 4% of total volume.

It was a historic U.S. sales performance in March and Q1 for Hyundai, said Randy Parker, senior vice president, National Sales, Hyundai Motor America. Strong consumer confidence, stable inventory, a compelling lineup, attention-grabbing advertising and the efforts of our dealer partners all came together to deliver these results. With the all-new Tucson, our highest-volume model, arriving at dealerships, we will build on this momentum and continue to gain market share.

March Retail Highlights

March was also the best retail month ever, with 72,740 retail sales, up 153%. Retail sales rose for the entire lineup with SUVs (+173%), cars (+120%) and eco-friendly vehicles (+235%), all up triple digits.

Q1 Highlights

For the quarter, Hyundai had its highest Q1 retail sales ever at 157,470 units, an increase of 38% compared with Q1 2020. Total Q1 sales were up 28% with significant growth across the lineup.

March Total Sales Summary

Mar-21 Mar-20 % Chg 2021 YTD (Q1) 2020 YTD (Q1) % Chg Hyundai 75,403 35,118 115% 167,130 130,875 28%

March Product and Corporate Activities

All-New 2022 Tucson : For the soon-to-be arriving all-new Tucson, Hyundai released pricing, launched a reservation program and provided details for the N Line and Plug-in Hybrid models

: For the soon-to-be arriving all-new Tucson, Hyundai released pricing, launched a reservation program and provided details for the N Line and Plug-in Hybrid models Santa Cruz Teaser: Hyundai released the first teaser sketch of its highly-anticipated Santa Cruz Sport Adventure Vehicle

Hyundai released the first teaser sketch of its highly-anticipated Santa Cruz Sport Adventure Vehicle Complimentary EV Charging: Hyundai is providing 250 kilowatt-hours of complimentary charging on Electrify Americas ultra-fast charging network for owners of 2021 Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric models

Hyundai is providing 250 kilowatt-hours of complimentary charging on Electrify Americas ultra-fast charging network for owners of 2021 Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric models Elantra Honors: The Hispanic Motor Press Awards named Elantra its 2021 Car of the Year and Autotrader selected Elantra to its 10 Best Interiors Under $50,000 list

The Hispanic Motor Press Awards named Elantra its 2021 Car of the Year and Autotrader selected Elantra to its 10 Best Interiors Under $50,000 list Usage-Based Insurance: Hyundai introduced its Usage Based Insurance (UBI) program to help owners potentially save hundreds of dollars on their auto insurance

Model Total Sales

Vehicle Mar-21 Mar-20 % Chg 2021 YTD (Q1) 2020 YTD (Q1) %Chg Accent 1,788 1,196 50% 4,272 4,807 -11% Elantra 12,598 7,430 70% 26,093 25,745 1% Ioniq 1,930 763 153% 4,125 3,522 17% Kona 10,416 3,874 169% 22,610 15,174 49% Nexo 30 7 329% 78 51 53% Palisade 9,184 3,934 133% 21,207 17,089 24% Santa Fe 11,538 6,358 82% 28,570 19,902 44% Sonata 9,335 3,957 136% 20,557 15,602 32% Tucson 15,744 6,073 159% 33,147 23,735 40% Veloster 272 575 -53% 687 2,082 -67% Venue 2,568 951 170% 5,784 3,166 83%

Hyundai Motor America

At Hyundai Motor America, we believe everyone deserves better. From the way we design and build our cars to the way we treat the people who drive them, making things better is at the heart of everything we do. Hyundais technology-rich product lineup of cars, SUVs and alternative-powered electric and fuel cell vehicles is backed by Hyundai Assuranceour promise to create a better experience for customers. Hyundai vehicles are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide and nearly half of those sold in the U.S. are built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea.
Celebration of Life: Fred Anthony Calloway

Fred Anthony Calloway, born June 10, 1937 in New Orleans, Louisiana, was an only child of the late Bernadine DeLille and Freddie Calloway. His early years were spent with his mother and stepfather, George Falley. He was the eldest of five siblings.

During his summer vacation in August 1957, he came to Los Angeles to join his grandmother for a brief visit with their family and decided this is the place he would call home. When he returned to New Orleans, twelve years later, he was visiting with his wife and seven-year-old son.

Employment immediately came when Fred was hired as an inventory clerk at Barker Brothers, an upscale furniture and accessories store. He worked in the storeroom and when his department manager had him display merchandise, his artistic creative ability was recognized and greatly admired. He came to the attention of Department managers from Bullocks, Robinson and other upscale businesses who sought his services in making window and store displays.

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Fred met Eugenia Johnson (Jeanie) when she joined his family whom she knew in New Orleans to greet him when he arrived in Los Angeles. On that day, they became acquainted at the familys welcome party and their friendship grew. Their relationship was warm and lasting with Jeanie leaving California for one year to complete her second year of graduate studies and returning in June, 1959. Three months later, Fred married his best friend and love of his life. Through their union, they became the proud, happy, and devoted parents of an only child, Anthony Michael Calloway, M.D. As a couple, Fred and Jeanie were lovingly compatible, supportive, devoted and fully committed to each other. He could never do enough in expressing his love and the joy he felt for his precious family whom he held in high esteem.

While employed, Fred continued his college education and earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree at California State University, Los Angeles, however his exemplary fatherhood was always heralded by his wife. He and Jeanie engaged in all aspects of their sons life. She described his relationship as a bond he held immediately upon learning of being an expectant father. Their unborn child was always referred to as Tony, Toni without concern for the unknown gender. He referred to his sons birth as the most precious gift he could receive and was always totally involved in helping to care for him. He was a loving, caring, and nurturing father with that unique unending bond of having his son as his priority. A great family man, he was engaged in all phases of his life and best man in his wedding. His active, caring, responsive, and supportive role was extended to his sons family, friends, and acquaintances. He was a consummate giver: and touched many lives with reaching out to others through his generosity and wisdom.

Fred was born into the Catholic faith and held a strong bond to the Christian beliefs by which he lived. He was an regular attending member of St. Bernadette Church with an active participating role in supporting member of building upkeep, fundraising and events in meeting the needs of the community.

He felt that his life had truly been fulfilled when their son married Vanessa Bell and from their union produced two granddaughters, Ashley and Alexandra, whom he and Jeanie dearly loved. He was a doting grandfather and with his wife, took great pride in engaging in their growing up experiences. Fred and Jeanie genuinely enjoyed being together, sharing their social and professional interests and love for frequent and extensive vacations in traveling to all parts of the world, covering every continent

As he prepared to continue his professional education and change careers, his job at Barker Bros moved to a different level. He realized his potentials for the area of services Barker Bros Home Furnishings provided and offered and became their first African American to serve as a buyer. His department was in Lamps, Mirrors, Accessories and Art and later to the supervision of all of these Departments in nineteen stores that Barker Bros had at the time. He later successfully began a role of Manufacturers Representative and represented, employed, trained, and shared his expertise with others to increase sales of several accessories manufacturers on the east and west coasts.

Fred was known for his business acumen accomplishments in successful business experiences. He had an active mind, always probing and getting a job done. His philosophy was You must be creative and strive for change by constantly upgrading your thinking because if you only keep up with trends to generate something anew, then your work is going to be very dull.

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Fred was a businessman and entrepreneur in real estate and other ventures in Southern California, Georgia, and Arizona areas. He founded BC2 Environmental Corporation with his son, Dr. Anthony M. Calloway and David Belasco, Esquire. The corporation was established in 1993 and specialized in environmental and geological drilling with commitments to providing unparalleled client service while operating with standards of integrity, professionalism and safety. He served as president and CEO with responsibility for the overall management and operation of the company, with particular emphasis on marketing, business development, personnel, and financial matters. He was also founding president and board member of The Southern California Drillers Association.

While developing BC2 Environmental Corporation, Regency West, and Calloway/Coleman Ltd., Fred owned and operated several manufacturing and sales companies. Beginning in 1976, he co-owned and operated the Regency West and the Calloway/ Coleman Complex in Leimert Park and purchased full ownership in 2007. The Regency West has served as a staple in the Black community since the mid 70s. Fred initially purchased the venue to host prominent Black social organizations in Los Angeles that were often turned away from White establishments. Through this success, Fred was approached by Michael Williams, founder of the Comedy Act Theater, to create a space for young Black comedians to perform. With Robin Harris as the host, the Regency West then became a launching pad for many comedians such as Joe Tory, Guy Tory, Buddy Lewis, Lewis Dix, Kym Whitley and many more. Now in the present, the Regency West still serves as a historical landmark in Leimert Park, hosting many events, and is ran by his son, Tony Calloway and granddaughters, Ashley and Ally Calloway.

He has received many appreciation and recognition awards for his leadership, talents, and resources which he used to help organize the Black Community around a strong cultural and productive base to facilitate growth and development of individuals in utilizing available opportunities. He has held audience with leaders at national, state, and local levels of government to discuss strategies for developing resources in the Black community. Fred has been recognized by city officials, civic and social organization for his contributions of service and support. He was charter and life member, past president of the 100 Black Men of Los Angeles, Incorporated and an active member on the Board of Directors; board member of TEAM HEAL FOUNDATION; chair of Greater Leimert Park Village, Incorporated, life member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, member of the Urban League, NAACP, Afro-American Art Museum, and Contemporary Gents.

He was a husband, father, grandfather, father in-law, brother, uncle, benefactor, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and a friend to many.

He will always be remembered as loving, kind, charismatic, generous, fun, compassionate, loyal, and valiant.

His loving memory will always be cherished. He is survived by his spouse, Eugenia; son, Anthony; daughter-in-law Vanessa Bell Calloway; granddaughters, Ashley and Alexandra; sisters; Jane F. Johnson and Glynn Crawford; brothers: Terry Lee, (Sharon) and Paul Douglas; sister-in-laws: Glenda Washington (Eugene) and Jacqueline Paynes; and brother-in-law, Warren Paynes and a host of relatives: uncle, aunt, nieces, nephews, cousins and many caring friends.

Fred wrote that following his demise, he wanted friends and family to know he had a blessed and marvelously happy life and wish to be remembered with joy and happiness. At his request, a party would take place at the Regency West for all to count their blessings, give the glory to God and eat, drink, dance, and have a good time.

Due to the Pandemic during his untimely death, there will not be an in-person celebration. A Mass of the Resurrection will be live streamed and remains entombed in Holy Cross mausoleum.
I felt exhausted, unwell and stressed by the whole situation. I had not eaten or drunk much and had fasted for a period prior to my procedure. I was scared to drink too much as there were no bathroom facilities anywhere near where I was in the corridor. I waited until I was taken to the X-ray department about 2am to use the facilities there. I was shocked at how sick patients waiting in the corridor seemed all around me and wondered how they were coping with such isolation, discomfort and lack of communication. June Raxter No nourishing food or drinks were offered, I was given on request, water, weak tea in a plastic cup and a jam sandwich which I felt was inedible. A doctor came about 11pm to take blood for tests and she brought me a ham and salad sandwich, also inedible in my opinion. I stayed in my own clothing, could not have a wash or clean my teeth and was not questioned or offered any of the routine medicines I take. All this may seem petty to you but was all part of the whole sickening and dehumanising experience.

Loading The night was interminable and exhausting. I think I slept for less than an hour in total. The noise which blared out overhead from speakers at regular intervals calling for an orderly or cleaner to attend various locations made me jump each time. From conversations I overheard from the paramedics, there must have been at least 30 ambulances ramping at one point. I tried to be patient as I realised there were patients with more serious conditions than me waiting. This included a woman with a fractured neck or femur who was in the corridor for at least three hours. During the night I asked the paramedics several times to try and find out what was happening with me but they always came back without news. I spoke to the St John Ambulance manager on duty but he was unable to help although he tried. I even discussed with them what would be the procedure for signing myself out as I was so exhausted, frustrated and unwell but they professionally talked me out of it as I obviously needed further investigation and treatment.

I was eventually taken to the emergency department and placed in a bed at 6am, a total of nine hours in the care of paramedics on a stretcher or hospital trolley and a total of 12 hours since the ambulance was first requested. I was seen by a doctor about 8am and a specialist about 10am. I was treated, monitored and transferred to a transit ward for further monitoring and discharged about 2pm with a prescription and advice to see my own GP and return to the hospital if necessary. In conclusion, my main points are as follows: I found the ambulance ramping situation a blight on the health care system. Being an ex-manager myself, I was appalled at the waste of time of qualified paramedics who had to wait with me for nine hours, plus all the ambulances wasted while parked at hospitals causing delays when possibly being needed in emergencies. I had to wait three hours for an ambulance myself. The nursing staff in the emergency department, when I eventually saw them, seemed overworked and exhausted and just doing the best they could. This goes also for the medical staff.

Loading The paramedics do the best they can with an impossible situation and gave me emotional support too. I was shocked at how sick patients waiting in the corridor seemed all around me and wondered how they were coping with such isolation, discomfort and lack of communication about their condition. I dont profess to have the answers to this disgraceful situation but talking to staff during my ramping experience, we discussed the increase of population possibly as a result of the pandemic. It was also noted the very wide catchment areas for Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Joondalup Health Campus. Everyone agreed there needs to be more hospital beds, facilities and staff.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc. (TB2") announced a 2021 Aviation Scholarship has been awarded to Kobe Lomasney, a Chandler-Gilbert Community College (a Maricopa Community College) student earning an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Aircraft Maintenance Technology. TB2 is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of aviation in Scottsdale, Arizona, honoring all military veterans, and providing scholarships for Arizona students studying all aspects of aviation.



Steve Ziomek, Chairman and President of TB2, stated, Kobe is our first Chandler-Gilbert Community College scholarship recipient. Not only does Kobe work full-time in an aircraft repair facility, he is carrying a 3.8 GPA in his field of study, Aircraft Maintenance Technology. His dedication is evident as he also spends part of his free time volunteering at EVIT (East Valley Institute of Technology), where students are building an airplane, and at the COPPERSTATE Fly-In held outside the Phoenix Metropolitan Area each year. Kobe already obtained his Airframe Certificate (from the Federal Aviation Administration), is pursuing his Powerplant Certificate, and aims to work for a commercial airline as an AP mechanic. TB2 is proud to have Kobe join the ranks of Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial scholarship recipients.

"The Maricopa Community College District has expansive curriculums which include an outstanding aviation program at Chandler-Gilbert Community College," said Brian Spicker, President and CEO, Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation. "We are excited to participate in the TB2 Aviation Scholarship Program for veterans and non-veterans. My congratulations to Kobe Lomasney for this award and I thank TB2s Chairman of the Scholarship Committee and the Board of Directors."

About Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc.

Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. During World War II, an airfield named Thunderbird Field II was built for the sole purpose of training U.S. Army Air Corps pilots in 1942. Thunderbird Field II graduated over 5,500 men and women pilots of who many saw military action in Europe and the Pacific. The field and school were deactivated on October 16, 1944, sold to Arizona State Teachers College (ASU), then to the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and finally to the City of Scottsdale in 1966 and is now known as Scottsdale Airport (KSDL).

The 2021 Aviation Scholarship Program provides scholarships to veteran and non-veteran Arizona resident students who meet specific criteria and are attending Arizona State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Cochise College, or Pima Community College. TB2 has a permanent memorial at the entrance of the Scottsdale Airport, honoring the service men and women of the nation's five armed services: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force, as well as POW-MIAs. For more information, please visit www.tbird2.org.

Contacts:

Steve Ziomek

Chairman & President

ziomek.steve@gmail.com

480.664.6604



Contact:

Amy Tupay

Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator

Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation

amy.tupay@domail.maricopa.edu

480.731.8410

Rudy R. Miller

Chairman, Advisory Board & Scholarship Committee

rrmiller@themillergroup.net

602.225.0505

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a781e4fd-793e-4a2a-ae5a-9a0a19a042d7

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/53337aea-bc8b-4120-9876-6a56c390408b
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprises, government agencies, and law enforcement use Cobwebs Technologies' geospatial data and spatial analysis to get location intelligence, which is a powerful tool to understand situations or events, get insight into, e.g., where events take place and who is involved to make informed decisions. Companies use location intelligence to, e.g., pinpoint optimal locations for their brick-and-mortar stores, government agencies use it in time of, e.g., natural disasters such as wildfires, and law enforcement uses it to identify the locations of threat actors, crime syndicates, criminal acts, and mass events turning into riots. In other words, location-based data provides unique insights, reveals hidden relationships, patterns, and trends that are crucial for follow-up.

In general, harnessing geospatial data requires a geospatial intelligence platform. Collecting enormous amounts of location-based data on the surface, deep, and dark web is extremely labor-intensive. Due to limited budgets and time restraints, a user-friendly WEBINT platform is needed that scrapes from all layers of the web, analyzes the collected data, and presents the actionable results in a user-friendly GUI. The cutting-edge location solution of Cobwebs Technologies automatically reveals and analyzes location-based data using interactive maps. It only collects open-source data to comply with the stringent statutory rules and regulations regarding data protection. This allows analysts and investigators to efficiently generate intelligent insights from the huge amounts of hidden and complex OSINT data. Connecting open-source web data with live and real-world information is a valuable addition to analyses and investigations.

A geospatial intelligence platform, such as the WebLoc from Cobwebs Technologies, provides real-world insights into locations and data that are of interest to analysts and investigators. The unique capabilities of such a platform enable location-based information to get location intelligence and investigative reports. The platform is designed to meticulously race through and scan endless digital channels from the web ecosystem, collecting and analyzing huge amounts of location-based data in any specified geographic location. This information is then displayed on a simple and map-centric interface which allows users to conduct a map-based and visual investigation.

The interactive map allows for filtering and analyzing data for gaining vital intelligence. This way, location-based structures and unstructured data from a large range of sources reveal various threats, including off-the-grid threat actors. Analysts and investigators can also use the collected and analyzed data for geofencing in order to discover relations between seemingly non-related data points. The platform also allows users to get historical data and use analytic tools for getting actionable insights. By collecting and analyzing real-time location intelligence using non-intrusive methods, threats can be identified for quick action. Furthermore, hidden connections are revealed, combining location-based data and open-source information and presenting it in an interactive multi-layered map for government agencies and law enforcement to take quick action.

With location-based intelligence using a WEBINT platform informed decisions can be made without setting foot on the ground, based on the generated dynamic reports. These automated real-time reports are the result of various location-based filtering inputs.

To summarize, location-based and geospatial intelligence data are crucial for analyses and investigations to make informed decisions. Only a geospatial intelligence platform can provide analysts and investigators with the location-based intelligence they need.

[email protected]

Related Images

webloc-location-intelligence.png

Webloc - Location intelligence

SOURCE Cobwebs Technologies
[April 01, 2021] Multiple Former FDA Commissioners Voice Support for Reduced Nicotine Mandate; Proposed Legislation Would Be Game-Changing for 22nd Century

22nd Centurys Proprietary VLN  King and VLN  Menthol King Poised to Play a Central Role in Making FDAs Reduced Nicotine Mandate Feasible





King and VLN Menthol King Poised to Play a Central Role in Making FDAs Reduced Nicotine Mandate Feasible MRTP Authorization of VLN  King and VLN  Menthol King Will Serve as a Major Catalyst for the FDA to Accelerate Rule





King and VLN Menthol King Will Serve as a Major Catalyst for the FDA to Accelerate Rule Containing 95% Less Nicotine than Traditional Cigarettes, VLN is the Only Combustible Tobacco Product that Complies with the FDAs Proposed Nicotine Cap

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y., April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE American: XXII), a leading plant-based, biotechnology company that is focused on tobacco harm reduction, very low nicotine content tobacco, and hemp/cannabis research, announced today that it continues to be confident on the renewal of the FDAs proposed reduced nicotine mandate that would make all cigarettes minimally or non-addictive. By way of support, four former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioners, Robert M. Califf, M.D. MACC; Scott Gottlieb, M.D.; Peggy Hamburg, M.D.; and, Jane Henney, M.D., spoke on a recent panel and were vocal in their endorsement of the mandate to limit the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to levels already achieved by 22nd Centurys reduced nicotine content cigarettes, VLN. During the panel discussion, Dr. Gottlieb, who first established the FDAs Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco and Nicotine Regulation in 2017, remarked: [c]ertainly if a Republican administration can begin a process to regulate nicotine in combustible tobacco, I suspect that its going to be taken forward by a Democratic administration. Dr. Hamburg also pointed out that, [n]ow is the timeto really address a whole range of [tobacco] issues that [the] FDA is now empowered to act on. Coming from such a group of experienced and authoritative assembly of public health figures, the comments made during the STAT webcast are a powerful endorsement of the FDAs plan to implement a reduced nicotine product standard, said James A. Mish, chief executive officer at 22nd Century. Over the past year, COVID-19 has brought the criticality of respiratory health to the forefront of public concerns. The FDA has the authority and responsibility to change the trajectory of public health in the U.S., save millions of lives, and protect future generations from addiction by enacting a reduced nicotine mandate. We believe that the Agency will advance their Comprehensive Plan and soon announce its simple, yet powerful reduced nicotine product standard. This will be a grand slam for 22nd Century. 22nd Centuy shares the former FDA Commissioners enthusiasm. With the recent change in administration at the White House, and Democratic control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Company believes there will be a high focus on improving public health moving forward. The Biden administration is placing public health as a top priority and recently issued a proclamation strongly committing to improving the prevention and treatment of cancer. In addition, the appointment of Xavier Becerra as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a long-time proponent of tougher regulation for the tobacco industry, further points to a favorable political climate for the renewal of the reduced nicotine mandate that is projected to help more than five million people to quit smoking within the first year of implementation and save more than eight million American lives by the end of the century.



Made from tobacco engineered by 22nd Century to contain 95% less nicotine than traditional cigarettes, VLN is the only combustible product that complies with the FDAs proposed nicotine cap. Numerous independent scientific studies, funded largely by the FDA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other U.S. federal government agencies, have demonstrated that using reduced nicotine content tobacco cigarettes helps smokers reduce their nicotine exposure and dependence, smoke fewer cigarettes per day, increase their number of smoke-free days, and double their quit attempts  all with minimal or no evidence of nicotine withdrawal or compensatory smoking. The Company believes that it is in the final stages of the FDAs application process to obtain a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) designation for VLN. The designation will allow 22nd Century to communicate key features of VLN King and VLN Menthol King, including a headline claim of 95% less nicotine. Although VLN contains just 0.5 milligrams of nicotine per gram of tobacco, VLN tastes, smells, and smokes like a conventional cigarette. This disruptive product is an innovative alternative to addictive, traditional cigarettes and will help adult smokers reduce their exposure to nicotine. 22nd Century is fully prepared and eager to launch its VLN cigarettes within 90 days of receiving authorization from the FDA and believes that a MRTP designation will serve as a catalyst for its VLN brand and tobacco franchise. The Company also remains willing to license its technology to enable every cigarette manufacturer to comply with the FDAs proposed nicotine cap that will significantly reduce the harm caused by smoking and protect future generations from ever becoming addicted to cigarettes.

About 22nd Century Group, Inc.

22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE American: XXII) is a leading plant biotechnology company focused on technologies that alter the level of nicotine in tobacco plants and the level of cannabinoids in hemp/cannabis plants through genetic engineering, gene-editing, and modern plant breeding. 22nd Centurys primary mission in tobacco is to reduce the harm caused by smoking through the Companys proprietary reduced nicotine content tobacco cigarettes  containing 95% less nicotine than conventional cigarettes. The Companys primary mission in hemp/cannabis is to develop and commercialize proprietary hemp/cannabis plants with valuable cannabinoid profiles and desirable agronomic traits. Learn more at xxiicentury.com, on Twitter @_xxiicentury, and on LinkedIn. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as anticipate, believe, consider, continue, could, estimate, expect, explore, foresee, goal, guidance, intend, likely, may, plan, potential, predict, preliminary, probable, project, promising, seek, should, will, would, and similar expressions. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are set forth in Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 11, 2021. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Investor Relations & Media Contact:

Mei Kuo

Director, Communications & Investor Relations

22nd Century Group, Inc.

(716) 300-1221

mkuo@xxiicentury.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Dr. M. Katherine Banks will assume her new role as president of Texas A&M University on June 1. | Image: Texas A&M Engineering

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Wednesday confirmed Dr. M. Katherine Banks as the 26th president of Texas A&M University.

Banks, who is currently vice chancellor of engineering and national laboratories and dean of the Texas A&M College of Engineering, assumes her duties June 1.

Banks also will carry the title vice chancellor of national laboratories and national security strategic initiatives because of her continued involvement with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex at the RELLIS Campus.

Banks, who has led Texas A&M Engineering for the past decade, was selected after a national search led by Board of Regents Chairman Elaine Mendoza, Vice Chairman Tim Leach and a 15-member search committee.

After a robust national search, which drew top-notch, competitive candidates, our Board today unanimously confirmed Dr. Katherine Banks as the next president of Texas A&M University, Mendoza said. With her decade of accomplishments evident right here on campus, Dr. Banks will be ready and able to move forward from day one. Texas A&M is a great university and under her leadership, we are expecting it to be even greater; we are excited to see this next chapter unfold.

We have all worked with Dr. Banks for many years and we know what she has done to transform our engineering college to be among the biggest and best in the world, said Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp. Dr. Banks is going to do for the university what she has already done for engineering. She is going to be a great president.

I am truly honored that the Board of Regents has selected me to be the next president of this great university, said Banks. Crucial listening sessions will begin soon with key stakeholders across campus and the state to gather perspectives concerning the issues, challenges and opportunities that we face today. I look forward to working together as we take Texas A&M University to new levels of preeminence.
Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Group is looking to expand its operations in Saudi Arabia, with plans to open a new luxury hotel, said a report.

The groups Taj brand of hotels has already become established in the Dubai market with two hotels in operation in the UAE city and two more under development, a report in Arab News said.

Sunil Sinha, Tatas resident director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, revealed that a fifth hotel was now on the way in Saudi Arabia, with a number of other locations being looked at for future expansion, the report said.

A 340-room luxury development is coming up in Makkah and is slated to open in 2022. With the focus on tourism and development such as the Red Sea (luxury destination project), NEOM, and Qiddiya, there is a lot of opportunity for us to expand our hospitality brand as an operator in this region, he told Arab News.

Tata has had a MENA presence for more than 50 years, operating through 24 companies in eight sectors which employ in excess of 10,000 workers and have combined revenues of at least $3 billion.

In terms of further expansion into the MENA region, Sinha added that while most of the groups large businesses were already present in the Middle East, it saw emerging opportunities in many areas, namely technology and telecoms, hospitality, infrastructure, consumer and retail, and aerospace and defense.

With focus on the Saudi government toward Indian suppliers as a strategic partner, we are keen to service the requirements of the country with our integrated solutions in this space, he said.
Seguin, Texas (78155)

Today

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 78F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 67F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
"Ideally, the cost for tests in travel portals should not cost more than $50 but some West African countries are charging as much as $90."

The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, revealing a global failure to invest in pandemic preparedness. Scientists, looked upon to find a cure, had little time and a low margin for error.

And because the disease is novel and spreads fast, an infodemic - misconception, mistrusts, and scepticisms - sprung, putting pressure on fact-checkers and journalists to deliver accurate, balanced, and timely reports while countering false information.

Two issues remained contentious for more than a year after the pandemic broke: a growing debate on the efficacy of the treatment regimens for the disease and the safety concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

For instance, the use of Ivermectin - a medication used to treat many types of parasite infestations - for treating COVID-19 has been a hot topic in the health community with many national health associations like the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. choosing to remain neutral, leaving the decision to physicians and their patients.

In Nigeria, the growing concerns about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccines are escalating an already flourishing scepticism and misconception.

Last week, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) in partnership with the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH) held a webinar to address some of the contentious issues surrounding vaccine safety and treatment of the disease.

Themed 'Vaccines, Treatments and Stemming a Public Health Crisis', the virtual event gave government officials, health and media experts from across Africa and the world the space to discuss these challenges and forge a new way forward.

Here are some key messages from speakers at the event:

Harmonizing COVID-19 response in ECOWAS countries

Nigerian journalist Moji Makanjuola, the moderator of the event, set the stage by underlining the importance of a harmonised COVID-19 response by all nations under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

She then introduced Joshua Obasanya, the COVID-19 coordinator at the West Africa Health Organization (WAHO).

WAHO has been designated as the lead agency to coordinate the COVID-19 ECOWAS regional response.

By its founding protocol and in line with the political mandate by the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS countries, WAHO works collaboratively with governments, through the Ministries of Health and other key ministries, departments, and agencies, to safeguard the health of the population.

Mr Obasanya explained how a harmonised safety guideline would help tackle misinformation and foster compliance to safety protocols in the region.

He said a coordinated COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the region will improve access to the much-needed jabs.

He also highlighted challenges in West Africa's COVID-19 response.

"There is lack of harmony of travel protocols among West African nations. If you are travelling from Nigeria to Ghana, for instance, the COVID-19 test you conducted in Nigeria may not be accepted in Ghana, meaning you must do a repeat test.

"Ideally, the cost for tests in travel portals should not cost more than $50 but some West African countries are charging as much as $90.

"These are some of the issues we are trying to address at WAHO," he explained.

Mr Obasanya said WAHO is looking beyond the COVAX arrangement by trying to source about 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the region.

He said the agency is also trying to build the capacity of testing centres and the potential for vaccine production in the region.

The official said one of the biggest challenge in the region is getting people to comply with safety regulation and tackling rumors and misinformation.

Role of the media

Mia Malan, the founding editor of Bhekisisa, a South Africa health journalism platform, took the participants through the rigorous challenge of reporting on COVID-19.

Mrs Malan, a multiple award-winning journalist, said the complexity and the dynamics of the science of COVID-19 has made health reporting very hard and challenging.

"Ideally, the role of the media is to provide fair, balanced and accurate reporting on COVID-19 but the complex nature of the pandemic and the increasingly growing info-demic has made the job more challenging," she explained.

"The reporting on COVID-19 requires an understanding of complex science, research, and regulatory approval processes in vaccine manufacturing.

"COVID-19 has changed all journalists into health reporters overnight. Countries approve vaccines in different ways and manufacturing processes for vaccines are more complex than for many other medicines."

The journalist said the speed at which the science of vaccines and treatment regimen develop makes it hard for reporters to catch up.

"Preprints move so fast and so some of them are not even peer-reviewed. Once science gets it wrong, journalists will now struggle with reporting the facts."

Mrs Malan itemised the basic expectation of journalists reporting on COVID-19.

"Our most basic duty is to inform. There's so much information that people need which has led to this infodemic. It is our job as journalists to break down the science and explain things in such a way that people will get to understand accurately.

"In vaccine development for instance, we need to explain the complex issues such as how the vaccine works, the safety concerns, the impact and spread of the new COVID-19 variants."

She said health journalists should do more explanatory and interpretative journalism.

Accountability

Mrs Malan in her presentation also pointed out that it is the duty of the media to serve as a watchdog that will hold governments, international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), scientists, pharmaceutical companies and vaccine developers accountable.

In tackling misinformation and fake news, there must be accountability too, she said.

"We should go beyond, reporting and trying to challenge false and fake news. We should do more evidence-based journalism that will place the right information above the wrong ones."

She urged scientists and researchers working in any field related to the pandemic to make themselves available for interviews.

"Scientists also have a role to play in accountability by independently reviewing the works of their colleagues."

Mrs Malan also reaffirmed the need for journalists reporting on COVID-19 to get special training and mentoring.

Repurposing of drugs for COVID-19 treatment

With growing concerns over the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the advocacy for the adoption of drugs repurposed for the treatment and prevention of the disease is increasingly gaining grounds.

One drug that has drawn a lot of debate in the health and science community is <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin">Ivermectin</a>, an age old drug used for parasitic worm infestations which shot to limelight in the pandemic era as studies suggest that the drug in certain doses can kill COVID-19.

Ivermectin is known to have broad-spectrum antiviral properties, making it possible for it to kill or block a host of viruses.

While many scientists and health experts are calling for its adoption as a treatment regimen for COVID-19, others are questioning its efficacy and possible side effects pointing that there is insufficient data on trials for the drug.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Coronavirus Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Pierre Kory, an American critical care <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physician">physician</a>, gained attention for his advocacy for the use and recommendation of Ivermectin.

Mr Kory, the President of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs last December and testified that Ivermectin is effectively a "miracle drug" against COVID-19 and called upon medical authorities to urgently review the latest data and then issue guidelines for health workers to prescribe Ivermectin for Covid-19.

During the virtual event, Mr Kory also explained why Ivermectin is effective in treating COVID-19.

He made presentations showing various studies that proved that the drug can be used as either prophylaxis or as a treatment regimen for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/452542-covid-19-nigeria-records-129-new-cases.html">COVID-19</a>.

He also highlighted how several countries such as Peru has adopted the drug in their treatment guideline.

The debate over the use of Ivermectin has also become a hot topic in Africa.

The<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/AfricaCDC"> Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)</a> in late February advised African countries against the use of Ivermectin for treating COVID-19.

"Member States are advised against the use of Ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 because there is no conclusive clinical data to support its safety and efficacy. The public is advised to adhere to country-specific guidelines for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19," it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, authorities in Lagos, Nigeria's COVID-19 epicentre, said they will deploy Ivermectin in a short clinical trial to ascertain its efficiency to prevent and treat COVID-19 infection.
In a bid to minimise international currency fluctuations, government approached the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) to provide foreign currency to settle the 10-year Eurobond that matures this year. In return, government will then owe GIPF as the international debt will have been converted to domestic debt to cover the more than N$7 billion required to redeem the Eurobond. According to government officials, more than N$5 billion have already been set aside to redeem the bonds.

During a debate on the budget last week, organised by the Capricorn Group and EY, finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi confirmed that government opted for the debt conversion "to cushion against foreign currency fluctuations".

The Eurobond is basically a foreign currency denominated loan. Namibia currently has two of these loans, one for US$500 million and another US$750 million (US$1.25 billion) almost N$19 billion at yesterday's exchange rate. The bonds are scheduled to mature this year and in 2025.

To minimise the impact on the domestic economy, the Ministry of Finance is using a debt redemption strategy to reduce any default risk by maintaining two sinking funds in two currencies, namely the Rand as well as a USD-denominated fund, to cater for foreign debt redemption.

According to chief economist at the Capricorn Group, Floris Bergh, Namibia's domestic debt will amount to N$75.8 billion while foreign debt will add up to N$43.9 billion for a total of N$119.8 billion or 68.8% of GDP.

"This debt trajectory will not stabilise over the forecast horizon, rising to 77% over three years. More needs to be done to get it under control," Bergh stated during the debate. However, he noted this would be a mammoth task given persistent pressure from the wage bill, which accounts for 52% of revenue, and interest bills amounting to 14% of total revenue.

During the tabling of the 2020/21 budget, Shiimi stated that Namibia's budget deficit is expected to gradually reduce from 10.1% to 4.1% of GDP during the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).

"We think the minister of finance missed a trick therein that he did not aim for a confidence inspiring 3%, especially since the intention is now to roll the Eurobond coming due in November 2021. The total funding requirement will remain large relative to the domestic economy," Bergh commented on the budget deficit. - ebrandt@nepc.com.na
In Louisiana, 116,187 more doses of COVID vaccines have been administered this week, according to a noon updated from the Louisiana Department of Health.

State officials opened vaccine eligibility this week to all adults 16 and older.

Now there are 782,189 people who are fully vaccinated and 1,234,713 people who have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Why should people who were infected get vaccinated? Because their immunity may not last Just more than 380,000 people in Louisiania have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since COVID-19 was first detected in the state a ye

A total of 1,958,640 doses have been administered statewide.

Most of those shots are part of the two-dose regimen recommended for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which is why the total number of people who have received at least one dose is lower.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported 334 more confirmed coronavirus cases and 15 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Thursday.

The number of hospitalizations decreased by 7, and the number of patients in need of ventilators decreased by 4.

There are now a total of 380,683 confirmed coronavirus cases and 65,083 total "probable" coronavirus cases in Louisiana, according to the agency's dashboard.

Thursday's numbers will be the final report the LDH releases until Monday, April 5, due to the Easter holiday.

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

Here are a few key statewide statistics as of Thursday:

Total confirmed cases: 380,386

Total "probable" cases: 65,083

Total confirmed deaths: 9,308

Currently hospitalized: 347

Currently on ventilators: 56

Vaccine series initiated: 1,234,713 (updated twice weekly)

Vaccine series completed: 782,189

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 Thursday report:

East Baton Rouge: 72

Calcasieu: 40

Lafayette: 37

Orleans: 28

Ascension: 27

Jefferson: 24

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.

This is a developing story. More details and analysis to come.
In an interview on ESPN's "SportsCenter" on Wednesday night, President Joe Biden said that he would "strongly support" moving the 2021 MLB All-Star Game out of Atlanta.

That was in response to a question about Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark, who said last week that he "would look forward" to discussing moving the All-Star Game from Truist Park after the state of Georgia enacted a sweeping Republican-sponsored overhaul of state elections.

"I think today's professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly. I would strongly support them doing that," Biden, a Democrat, said. "People look to them. They're leaders.

"Look what's happened with the NBA, as well. Look what's happened across the board. The very people who are victimized the most are the people who are the leaders in these various sports, and it's just not right."

OPINION: This time when fighting racism, the sports world failed

Rangers' attendance plan 'a mistake'

When MLB opens its 2021 season Thursday, there will be one very noticeable difference from its truncated 2020 campaign.

There will be fans in the stands.

And, while the majority of teams will open their stadiums at 25% capacity or fewer, one team plans to open its entire stadium to fans.

The Texas Rangers  whose home opener is on April 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays  intend to sell every seat in the 40,000-seat Globe Life Field. That is because Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced in early March that he would end the state-wide mask order and "open Texas 100%."

Biden was critical of the Rangers' decision as the nation continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic as an increasing number of people continue to get vaccinated.

"That's the decision they've made. I think it's a mistake," Biden said. "They should listen to Dr. (Anthony) Fauci and the scientists and the experts. I think that is not responsible."

Story continues

The Rangers' in-state rival, the Houston Astros, plan to open Minute Maid Park at 50% capacity when they have their home opener against the Oakland Athletics on April 8. Outside of Texas, only the Arizona Diamondbacks plan to have more fans than other teams at 40% capacity.

On the eve of baseball's opening day, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said that he hopes stadiums can be at full capacity by midsummer.

I hope by midsummer that we have ballparks that are unrestricted and we have full fan access, Manfred said.

MLB 2021: National pastime opens to fans as pandemic threatens a fourth wave

OPENING DAY: Fun facts, milestones for the upcoming baseball season

President Joe Biden said that the Texas Rangers' plan to open their stadium at 100% capacity "a mistake."

Biden addresses gender pay gap in U.S. Soccer

Biden has attended three World Cups (two men's, one women's) and was in attendance at Vancouver's BC Place when the U.S. women's national soccer team won the 2015 World Cup final against Japan. Last week, Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted soccer star Megan Rapinoe and her USWNT teammate Margaret Purce for Equal Pay Day. Rapinoe spoke at the event, saying that "despite all the wins, I'm still paid less than men who do the same job I do."

"The idea that these women are getting paid  just overall women are getting paid 82 cents on the dollar, if you're a Black woman it's like 55 cents on the dollar, generically just across the board  but the idea that women's soccer players are getting paid so much less than the men, I just don't think it's right. I don't think it's fair," Biden said. "That's why I'm such a big supporter of Title IX."

The USWNT has won four World Cup titles  winning the previous two competitions  and has won four Olympic gold medals. The U.S. men's team, meanwhile, didn't qualify for the 2018 World Cup and, most recently, failed to qualify for the Olympics for the third straight time.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Biden would support moving MLB All-Star Game out of Atlanta
Precious Metals Mining Stocks Setting Up For A Breakout Rally  Wait For Confirmation

Precious Metals have continued to slide sideways as the US stock markets have rallied into the FOMC meeting last week. Not by coincidence, metals have continued to base/bottom near recent lows as concerns about the global debt/credit markets, central banks, and precious metal supplies continue to linger. The US Fed indicated it will do whatever is necessary to support the recovering economy. The question my research team asks in relation to the basis for a move in metals/miners is do the global markets believe the global central banks still have control of the underlying global banking/credit markets well enough to prevent another massive rally in metals?.

This question should be first and foremost for metals precious metals enthusiasts. Recently, there has been quite a bit of concern related to a Silver Squeeze and COMEX deliveries. Currently, there is some speculation that the Perth Mint has a very limited supply of physical metals on hand and nearly 60x that amount on their balance sheets (Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Wallstreetsilver/comments/mc18no/perth_mint_unallocated_silver_is_not_backed_by/). Were no expert related to this lack of physical inventory, but if it is true, then a breakout rally in metals (a true metals SQUEEZE) could be just days or weeks away.

Wait For Confirmation Of Miners Bullish Breakout

The charts we are including in this article suggest Wait For Breakout Confirmation because we believe the current technical/price setup may prompt a bit of an extended bottoming formation. If and when the breakout in miners happens, the upside price move could be very quick and efficient.

The Weekly NUGT chart, below, shows how well price has consolidated near the $51 level and how the extended downside trend line (originating from the 2016 peak) aligns with the current price level. Our researchers believe once this trend line is breached to the upside, NUGT may attempt a rally to levels above $108, the 0.618 Fibonacci Price Extension level, fairly quickly (possibly within 3 to 6+ months). The $146 target level, a full 100% Fibonacci measured move, would represent a massive +167% price rally in NUGT (if it happens). Quite literally, this breakout setup could be very explosive if and when it happens.

Junior Silver Miners Showing Stronger Support  Waiting For Breakout Confirmation

The following Weekly SILJ Junior Silver Miners chart shows a different type of price setup. Junior Silver Miners have held up much stronger than Gold Miners over the past 6 months. The reported Silver Squeeze could prompt a really big breakout trend IF and WHEN the current Pennant/Flag formation completes (which appears to be only a few weeks away).

Be sure to sign up for our free market trend analysis and signals now so you dont miss our next special report!

The first (0.618) Fibonacci target is near $20.50  a 40% increase from current price levels. The second target, a100% Fibonacci measured move, is near $25.25  a 74% increase from current price levels. Ideally, this type of breakout move in Metals Miners will happen as a pause in the upward movement of the US Dollar takes place.

I believe the US stock market will continue to rally 4% to 8%, or more, over the next (3 to 5+) few weeks. After that, we may start to see more weakness in the US stock market and the price trends leading up to this period of weakness is where we think Metals and Miners may start to rally.

Again, we need to wait for confirmation of these breakout moves. The technical/price setup we are seeing in both NUGT and SILJ suggests a potential breakout move may happen within the next 2 to 5+ weeks. There could be a deeper downside price move, a washout price low, that happens as the APEX of this move completes. It is not uncommon for a washout trend to happen near a Flag/Pennant APEX.

Overall, the next few weeks in the markets suggest we are likely to see fairly big sector trends and moderately strong support for Metals and Miners. The strength of the US Dollar will likely keep metals from attempting any type of breakout move for a few more weeks. When the Metals/Miners breakout move starts, though, it could be VERY EXPLOSIVE.

Dont miss the opportunities in the broad market sectors over the next 6+ months. 2021 and beyond are going to be incredible years for traders. What we expect to see is not the same type of market trend that we have experienced over the past 8+ years  this is a completely different set of market dynamics. You can sign up now for my FREE webinar that teaches you how to find, enter, and profit from only those sectors that have the most strength and momentum. Staying ahead of sector trends is going to be key to success in volatile markets.

For those who believe in the power of trading on relative strength, market cycles, and momentum but dont have the time to do the research every day then my BAN Trader Pro newsletter service does all the work for you with daily market reports, research, and trade alerts. More frequent or experienced traders have been killing it trading options, ETFs, and stocks using my BAN Hotlist ranking the hottest ETFs, which is updated daily for my premium subscribers

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




The state could see between 5,000 and 6,000 retirements from executive branch agencies next year, and a new report to the governor says Connecticut could save between $600 million and $900 million in the reorganization that will follow the mass exodus.

That includes streamlining hiring and shrinking the workforce in some areas  a change that wont happen easily.

Gov. Ned Lamont now has a list of actions he can take to deal with the surge of retirements expected on or immediately before June 30, 2022, when pension rules change. Boston Consulting Group, which the administration hired to come up with a plan to address the retirements, has identified about 200 ways to cut costs.

Many of them involve ways to modernize state government using technology, an initiative already underway in his administration.

The world is changing rapidly, and our government needs to move more quickly to transform how we operate to have the greatest positive impact on peoples lives, Lamont said in a written statement Wednesday announcing the reports public release. This report will help us do that.

The consulting group, however, acknowledges upfront in its report citing opportunities to save money that many of its recommendations will be difficult to implement. They require coordination across multiple agencies, legislative change, bargaining with state employees labor unions, investment in new technology, and more.

A cursory look at the report by the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, which represents the overwhelming majority of unionized state employees, yielded sharp criticism.

In this historical moment, Connecticuts elected leaders should be focused on mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on all people living in the state, the coalition said in a written statement following the reports release. This includes expanding and strengthening services to support those in need and reversing the direction of an economy where weve watched the gap between the rich and poor expand significantly since the start of the pandemic.

The coalition pushed back against the notion, presented in the report, that the possible loss of thousands of the state workforces most senior and experienced employees is an opportunity. That opens the door to more austerity and further deep cuts to services, instead of acknowledging the very real challenges facing the state, the coalition said.

Currently, the state has nearly 30,000 executive agency employees. More than 8,000 of them are eligible for retirement next year, with 72 percent saying they are seriously considering it. Thousands of employees of the states colleges and universities could also retire, but those areas were not covered in the BCG report.

Many employees cited the looming changes to state employee benefits, including to their health benefits and to the cost of living adjustments to pensions, as the reasons they want to retire. The changes, many of which take effect on July 1, 2022, are the result of a concessions deal made in 2017 between former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the states labor unions.

Malloy cut at least 3,000 executive agency jobs during his time as governor. The efforts to address the wave of retirements started while he was still in office with the legislature directing him to hire a national consultant to study the issue and make recommendations. That study was not funded.

With pension costs dominating the state budget, the Lamont administration saw the so-called silver tsunami as a chance to rein in spending and use technology to centralize many of the business functions of state government.

The pandemic has opened a lot of peoples eyes to adopting new technology, said Josh Geballe, the states chief operating officer and commissioner of the state Department of Administrative Services.

Take the transition of two-thirds of the state workforce to remote working, which essentially happened over night last year, Geballe said, a trend that could continue even after the state returns to a level of normalcy when the pandemic is over.

The report underlines teleworking as a significant way the state can save money by not renting or owning as much office space. Prior to the pandemic, labor unions did not favor teleworking, the report says, limiting the number of days non-managers could telework and not allowing managers to telework altogether.

Going forward, any changes to where state employees work would need to keep in mind those who handle highly confidential documents and need dedicated space to store them, the report says.

One area where jobs could be reduced is the Department of Correction, the report says, noting that Connecticuts prison population has decreased by 40 percent over the past five years, but that the states number of authorized corrections officer positions does not reflect that reduction.

Lamont, in his current budget proposal, is already eyeing savings in this area with a proposal to close three of the states correctional facilities.

The report also recommends shifting more state services, such as social work and mental health, to private nonprofits, which have been stretched thin in recent years and even more so during pandemic as their workloads grew.

Independent of the report, the administration believes a lot of the risk that we have with the significant number of retirements coming in the next year creates a lot of opportunities for employees, including promotions, training to learn new skills, and helping the state find innovative ways to do business going forward, Geballe said.

The state is also identifying roles for which the compensation may be off market, to help recruit more people to those positions and make the salaries more competitive, Geballe said.

Geballe and Melissa McCaw, the governors budget director, will lead the effort to further analyze the reports recommendations to determine which would be most feasible to implement. That effort will largely play out in budget negotiations between the administration and the legislature in the coming weeks.

Email: julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com
Which top Android phone is worth your attention? Which one should you give a miss? Heres a guide to the ones to target for your next upgrade and the ones not to bother with.

1. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

Price: from 1,299

Rating: 8/10

Strengths: joint-best cameras on an Android, great screen, overall top performer

Weaknesses: most expensive mainstream flagship prices, no charger in box

Specs: 12GB/16GB Ram, 128GB/256GB/512GB storage, Samsung Exynos chip, 5,000mAh battery

Verdict: It may be the most expensive phone and come without a charger, but this is still the top Android flagship phone on the market.

The 6.8-inch S21 Ultra has the best overall cameras on Android (and, in some instances, beats the iPhone 12 Pro Max) and at least matches its Android ultra-rivals for screen performance. Its also very nicely designed.

As well as being 25pc brighter (up to 1,500 nits), this years Ultra display is the only one that gives you the opportunity of having the ultra-high screen resolution at the full 120hz refresh rate.

Samsung normally doesnt allow this as it leads to a faster drain on battery life. But theyve shoved a much bigger 5,000mAh battery in there to help remediate against this.

Another element that separates this Ultra model is the camera setup. The Ultra has five camera holes on the back, compared to the three on the other two S21 models. One of those, a second optical zoom, has been added to satiate Samsungs lust in becoming the top zoom cameraphone in the world.

Overall, it works; the addition of a 10x optical lens to a 3x optical lens improves zoom ranges for most situations. Yes, the 100x space zoom is still usually blurry and hard to use, but Ill give it a pass because nothing else even tries to do this. The addition of a laser to help focusing is also there to steady the ship.

Unfortunately, Samsung put its own Exynos 2100 processor into the S21 Ultra models we get in Ireland and Britain, compared to the Snapdragon 888 in the US variants. The Exynos isnt quite as good.

Other features worth noting include reverse wireless charging and an under-screen fingerprint button. The matt black colour option is also a really pleasing design aesthetic.

Expand Close Top screen: The Oppo Find X3 Pro is a great all-round user experience / Facebook

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Whatsapp Top screen: The Oppo Find X3 Pro is a great all-round user experience

2. Oppo Find X3 Pro

Price: 1,149

Rating: 8/10

Strengths: top screen, very powerful, great all-round user experience

Weaknesses: a bit pricey and zoom lens is modest

Specs: 12GB Ram, 256GB storage, Snapdragon 888 chip, 4,500mAh battery

Verdict: This is one of the most pleasant surprises of 2021 so far. Other than a slightly weak zoom lens, Oppo has nailed it: the Find X3 Pro is probably the most user-friendly flagship Android phone launched on the Irish market this year.

It has top-end engine power, a really superb 6.7-inch display, one of the best Android OS implementations and some really fun extras, such as a microscopic camera among its (generally great) rear camera array.

Even at a price that feels a tad high for a challenger brand, its a genuine contender at the top of the Android pile.

The 6.7-inch display, for example, more than hits the required metrics, with an excellent 120hz dynamic refresh rate, a super-bright 1300 nits and a pretty stunning quadHD-plus (1440p) resolution. Its also more ergonomic to use than some rivals thanks to its 20:9 format and relatively light weight.

Its engine delivers with a beefy 12GB of Ram (more than most laptops), an ultra-fast Snapdragon 888 processor (which beats Samsungs S21) and 256GB of storage. Sometimes its hard to really tell the difference between a phone with 6GB, 8GBN or 12GB of Ram, or a Snapdragon 888 versus a Snapdragon 765 processor. But take my word for it: this combination is lightning fast. There is just about zero lag when you do anything at all on it, short of the most intensive gaming flow.

Speaking of power, heres a novelty: this comes with a charger in the box. And not just any charger, but a 65-watt fast charger that brings it up to about half full in 15 minutes. The phone also supports reverse wireless charging and can itself wirelessly charge at 30 watts.

Expand Close Power: Asus Rog Phone 5 is unmatched for gaming and battery life / Facebook

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Whatsapp Power: Asus Rog Phone 5 is unmatched for gaming and battery life

3. Asus Rog Phone 5

Price: 999

Rating: 8/10

Strengths: unmatched for gaming and battery life

Weaknesses: a little heavy

Specs: 16GB Ram, 256GB storage, Snapdragon 888 chip, 6,000mAh battery

Verdict: If gaming is an important consideration for you, Asuss new Rog 5 really cant be touched among this years flagships.

Ive never used a smartphone that comes close to this one on that front.

For that matter, Ive never used a phone as muscular or as fast. This 6.7-inch phone is simply a beast: 16GB of Ram on top of a Snapdragon 888 processor.

If you go for the Ultimate model variant (1,299), you get even more  an insane 18GB of Ram and 512GB of storage.

It also has an astonishing 144hz display, just about the fastest screen on the market. And its speakers are also the best on the market, if you want to take a break from headphones.

Add this to 65-watt charging, a huge 6,000mAh battery and some specialist accessories (like an attachable Aeroactive Cooler fan that keeps it cooler during gameplay and a custom game pad) and you have the standout gaming handset of the year so far.

Its not perfect: its camera system doesnt have a telephoto zoom lens, for example.

But for anyone who likes to dip into some shooters or role-playing games and is looking for an alternative to the usual flagships, this is it.

While my model (16GB of Ram and 256GB of storage) costs 999, an 8GB/128GB version is available for 799.

The Rog 5 Ultimate version (1,299) features a second small display on the back.

ANDROID ALSO-RANS

Expand Close Good to go: The OnePlus 9 Pro boasts a super-fast charger / Facebook

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Whatsapp Good to go: The OnePlus 9 Pro boasts a super-fast charger

OnePlus 9 Pro

Price: 919

Rating: 6/10

Strengths: great screen, nice design, fast charger

Weaknesses: relatively modest engine, storage and battery life, camera still behind rivals (despite Hasselblad hookup)

Specs: 8GB Ram, 128GB storage, Snapdragon 888 chip, 4,500mAh battery

Comment: OnePlus has been known as the affordable device brand that matches flagship specifications. But its 9 Pro model has a flagship price without matching some specifications of its biggest rivals.

The more basic OnePlus 9 (719) seems a better deal.

Expand Close Looking good: Huawei's P40 Pro+ has the joint-best cameras on an Android device / Facebook

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Whatsapp Looking good: Huawei's P40 Pro+ has the joint-best cameras on an Android device

Huawei P40 Pro+

Price: 999

Rating: 6/10

Strengths: joint-best cameras on an Android, great design

Weaknesses: no Google Play store, specs now a little old

Specs: 8GB Ram, 256GB storage, Kirin 990 chip, 4,200mAh battery

Comment: Without the Google ban, this would be much higher up the pecking order, even despite it being last years model. This is largely because Huaweis camera systems are generally the best or joint-best.

But even though you can side-load many of your normal apps onto it, the absence of Googles Play Store is just too awkward for many.
The phone at Princeton Day School was ringing all summer long.

Parents eager to find a school offering in-person instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic were willing to look past the more than $30,000 price tag for a spot at one of New Jerseys top private academies. And as public schools pushed back reopening dates, the inquiries only continued into the fall, said Julie Cucchi, director of admission and financial aid at the renowned school.

Parents just realized it was going to be a longer, you know, longer haul than even initially expected, Cucchi said.

Despite the flood of phone calls, Princeton Day School declined to expand enrollment, saying it wanted to ensure proper social distancing for its existing students. Its decision underscores a striking dichotomy between anecdotal tales of surging demand for private schools and state statistics that reveal the most dramatic decline in private school enrollment in a decade, an NJ Advance Media analysis found.

Though many frustrated families say they have transferred their children to private schools, enrollment at registered independent schools decreased by 5,095 students for the 2020-21 school year, a decline of more than 3%, according to the state Department of Education.

Whats behind the divide  and if enrollment significantly increased after the state collected data in October  is not entirely clear. But what is apparent is how the pandemic decimated financially struggling private schools while funneling interest to some Catholic elementary schools as well as elite academies that routinely turn away students.

Throughout this year, it was pretty easy to see announcements from districts that then resulted in interest, said Maureen Leming, director of strategic marketing and communications at The Hun School of Princeton, which accepted about 15 additional students. You know, the calls come in waves.

Private school enrollment in New Jersey has regularly fallen over the past decade, so its not entirely surprising that it would continue to drop during a period of financial uncertainty for many families.

However, a 5,000-student decline in enrollment when so many families were desperate for in-person learning is perplexing, said David Hespe, a former state education commissioner under governors Christie Todd Whitman and Chris Christie.

Hepses best guess is that many families did not switch to private schools until after Oct. 15, he said. But there are other possible explanations, such as private school closings or families pulling their children out in favor of home school, he said.

There are also private schools that do not register with the state (registering makes schools eligible for certain public funding) that could have gained students.

It is very difficult to compare the pandemic year with prior years just for a whole bunch of different reasons, Hespe said.

Few could have predicted the pandemics sustained impact on education last spring, when many schools closed for what was supposed to be a two-week precautionary period. But the ramifications for private schools quickly became apparent.

Many Catholic schools were unsure in the summer when students would fully return to the classroom or how much the cost of added safety measures would eat into their tight budgets. Skyrocketing unemployment numbers only added more uncertainty, as some families wondered how they could pay tuition.

For some religious schools that were already teetering on the brink, the first wave of the pandemic was too much to handle.

New Jerseys five Catholic dioceses announced over the summer that at least 19 schools would be shuttered in the fall and at least five others were being merged with nearby schools, continuing what has become an annual downsizing.

The Diocese of Trentons enrollment declined by 700 students from last school year, said Rayanne Bennett, the dioceses executive director of communications.

The drop from last year to this was in keeping with declines from years prior, Bennett said.

Catholic school closures and enrollment declines in certain parts of the state may have offset gains in other communities.

The Diocese of Paterson gained nearly 450 new students from pre-K through high school, with the majority coming at the beginning of the school year, said Richard A. Sokerka, the dioceses director of communications.

Neither the Archdiocese of Newark nor the Diocese of Metuchen provided specific data on enrollment, but both said they experienced success in some areas, notably in Catholic schools that opened for in-person instruction in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties.

We have seen an increase in enrollment in our elementary schools that we attribute to our decision to safely continue in-person learning, which we have found is preferred by many families, said Maria Margiotta, director of the office of communications and public relations for the Archdiocese of Newark.

Several schools in the Diocese of Metuchen have wait lists for next year, said Anthony P. Kearns III, spokesperson and chancellor for the diocese.

Many Catholic schools in the Diocese of Metuchen are continuing to work with prospective families this year and have already begun enrolling for next year, Kearns said in a statement, so it is difficult to say for certain exactly how the pandemic has affected enrollment totals across the diocese.

State Department of Education data offers few clues to overall trends in school enrollment this year.

The state has yet to provide an official 2020-21 public school enrollment number beyond a rounded 1.35 million figure used by Gov. Phil Murphy. So while enrollment appears to be down  it was 1,375,829 students in 2019-20  its unclear exactly how much and to what degree it can be attributed to a shrinking school age population.

The state also has yet to release its district-by-district enrollment report collected in the fall. While school districts must tell the state the number of students who leave public school for home instruction, the state does not track homeschool enrollment.

Once data is available, its important to determine how the pandemic has affected where students are learning, Hepse said.

As we prepare for next school year, we need to understand enrollment patterns, he said. Enrollment patterns in the public schools, but also enrollment patterns in the private schools and homeschool kids.

When parents turned to private schools this year, its possible many families struggled to find a spot for their children, especially at pricier academies and prep schools that emphasize smaller class sizes and have a regimented annual enrollment process.

Princeton Day School primarily heard from parents who had been happy with their public schools, but were looking for a change because of COVID-related school closures, Cucchi said. There was also interest from New York City transplants who fled to New Jerseys suburbs during the pandemic.

At one point during the summer, we just had to say that we werent adding any more students to our school, Cucchi said. Even late in the fall, we were getting calls. You know, people saying, Was there any possibility they could start immediately?

The Hun School of Princeton expanded enrollment from about 650 to 665, Leming said. The school usually receives two or three requests for mid-year transfers, but heard from about a dozen families this year. It wasnt able to accommodate any of those students, she said.

The school is also seeing a growing demand for next academic year and is on pace to receive five to six applications for every available opening in the fall of 2021, she said. Many grades already have wait lists, she said.

This is definitely an unusual academic year for all kids nationally, Leming said, and I think parents really want to make the most of next year.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.

Adam Clark may be reached at aclark@njadvancemedia.com. Have a news tip or a story idea about New Jersey schools? Send it here.
The government on Wednesday denied a claim by the Russian Embassy here that it is looking to approve the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V.

"We have not been officially given any documents on Sputnik V, and we are not reviewing the relevant data," the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said.

Russia's official TASS news agency on Tuesday quoted the embassy as saying, "The issue of registration of Russian anti-coronavirus medicines including Sputnik V is being considered by the Korean authorities. All documents that are needed for vaccine registration were referred to [Korea's] authorized agencies at the beginning of this current year."

Sputnik V is named after the world's first satellite Sputnik 1.


Amid the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called for an emergency meeting at his residence at 4 p.m. on Friday to review the situation.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain along with other officials of the health department will attend the meeting.

Action plan to control the Covid-19 surge, current state of the vaccination drive in the national capital, containment zones, availability of beds in the hospitals, mapping of Covid cases through sero-survey etc. will be discussed in the meeting.

Worried about the resurgence of Covid-19 in Delhi, Kejriwal had directed the health officials to ensure that the people of the national capital don't face any problems related to the pandemic.

According to the Delhi government, the number of beds in 33 big hospitals of Delhi have been increased by 25 per cent, from 1,705 to 2,547.

The number of ICU beds have also been increased by 230. Till March 30, there were 608 ICU beds which have now been increased to 838.

More than 80,000 tests are been carried out everyday in the national capital, according to the health department of the Delhi government.

Kejriwal has also asked the authorities to take strict action against people flouting the Covid-19 guidelines, especially against those not wearing masks in public places.
William Costellia-Kamm's release comes despite police finding a teenage girl - who went missing from New Zealand - living in his home, dressed as a child and holding a doll

Self-professed prophet, cult leader and child sex offender William Costellia-Kamm will be able to return to his followers' commune on the NSW South Coast despite his continued denial of his crimes.

The 70-year-old, who calls himself 'Little Pebble' and claims to communicate with Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary through visions, was on Thursday placed on a new supervision order restricting his movements and activities until 2024.

His return to the property he owns north of Nowra will be permitted after Supreme Court Justice Stephen Campbell said the risk of Costellia-Kamm reoffending could be 'adequately managed' with electronic monitoring and other restrictions.

His release comes despite police finding a teenage girl - who went missing from New Zealand - living in his home, dressed as a child and holding a doll.

Costellia-Kamm was released on parole in 2014 after being convicted of sexual and indecent assaults committed against two children in his cult in the 1990s.

He maintains he was falsely accused and wrongly imprisoned.

The self-professed seer claims to be in direct, revelatory communication with Jesus and his Holy Mother via monthly visions received by 'divine inspiration'.

Costellia-Kamm was released to parole in 2014 after being convicted of sexual and indecent assaults committed against two children in his cult in the 1990s

Part of the doctrine he claims to have received is that he is to be the last pope and was to 're-populate a royal dynasty' after the second coming with 12 'queens' and 72 'princesses'.

While still adhering to that belief, Costellia-Kamm now claims Jesus told him two decades ago to 'put aside' that belief system until the second coming.

His lawyers told the court he wished to lead a 'rather quiet' life, to take up residence on the cult's grounds in Cambewarra and to avoid the expense of renting in Sydney.

Justice Campbell said besides age, the offender's risk profile had changed little in the past five years.

'I remain sceptical about the defendant's disavowal of the current applicability of the 'queens and princesses' doctrine,' he said, pointing to the lack of sworn evidence by the cult leader.

'(Kamm believes) he is to be the last pope who was to be joined in a polygamous relationship with 12 queens and a polyamorous relationship with 72 princesses  with whom he would procreate to repopulate a royal dynasty after the Second Coming.'

Concern was also raised about the defendant's relationship with the young Kiwi woman, who left her home in New Zealand to join the cult soon after she turned 18.

The 70-year-old, who styles himself as 'Little Pebble' and claims to communicate with Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary through visions, was on Thursday placed on a new supervision order restricting his movements and activities until 2024

But there was no evidence Costellia-Kamm, who the court heard has a narcissistic personality disorder and is still highly regarded in his community, had been in contact with the woman when she was underage.

The judge said conditions of the supervision order needed to manage the risk of further serious sex offending.

Under the supervision regime, Costellia-Kamm will not be allowed to sign any new leases for residences at Cambewarra without the approval of a government supervisor.

He will also have to provide that supervisor any necessary keys and access codes to allow access to Cambewarra for monitoring purposes.
For so many people the dream of living in a rural idyll has been in their heads for a very long time. It might be a chance to get back to the quiet parish where they grew up, or the idea of returning to live in the town of their childhood.

For others, is it simply about moving out of a large city and bringing up their children in a place surrounded by nature.

But there has always been that one big problem. How do you make a living? Technology has the ability to change that because in theory at least it enables people to work from anywhere. One of the biggest obstacles in the past was convincing your employer that this was possible.

The Covid-19 crisis has proven that in a great many cases it is possible. Now the Government says it wants to make it happen.

As recently as ten years ago, many in rural communities in Ireland believed that if IDA Ireland could just land a factory in the town, employing 200 or 300 people, the whole place would be saved.

There is something genuinely revolutionary about the idea that it isnt just about attracting 300 new jobs to an area, but attracting 300 new people to an area who already have jobs somewhere else.

Technology and the possibility of remote working have the potential to open up that opportunity.

In some rural communities and smaller towns, it will just evolve that way anyway. This is because some towns in Ireland are far better than others when it comes to using their existing intellectual capital to come up with new ideas, to pull together and bring about change.

Other places will need help if they are to maximise this opportunity.

This is where the Governments new strategy comes into play. There are dozens of ideas contained in the Governments new plan but no targets, funding or detail on incentives.

It is one thing for the Government to piggyback on a trend that is already happening  such as movement of people from cities, remote working and a new surge in demand for properties in idyllic rural locations.

It is another thing for the Government to drive forward with properly-funded incentives to make sure opportunities are maximised and in the places where they are needed most.

There are two major factors driving this push towards a new life in a small town or a rural community. One is the cost of housing in big cities and the other is quality of life issues around local schools, commutes and space.

Read More

If it really happens, house prices in some rural areas will increase. The other reality is that a huge proportion of people living in rural Ireland already commute, often quite long distances, to their jobs in regional towns or cities.

The ultimate goal has been to populate rural communities with people who live and work there. This has tended to be confined to farmers (reducing in number), retailers (under huge pressure), hospitality jobs (depending on tourism) and essential public services like gardai, teachers and others.

The idea that more people from very different backgrounds and with different ideas would live and work in local communities is radical, and to some extent possible.

Firstly you have to define rural Ireland. Is Dundalk, Portlaoise or Athlone rural Ireland? These are big urban centres with their own challenges, among them the fact that not enough people who live there also work there.

Every day, thousands of people leave Portlaoise by bus, car and train to work in Dublin. Improving the economies of these big towns is a regional economic challenge rather than a rural Ireland revolution.

If one of the big attractions to leave a place like Dublin is to own a larger and less expensive home, or even just to buy any home, then what approach will banks take to granting mortgages?

Will enough people be able to convince the bank that they will have a long-term sustainable job in this rural location, as opposed to their employer in Dublin saying give it a go but if it isnt working out, youre gone.

The plan also envisages reviving old town and village centres by incentivising future development in the towns instead of on the outskirts. It is tempting to say this is a bit late in many cases, but it is a welcome idea none the less.

However, lots of properties, lets say old houses in the centre of Limerick City, might be operating as commercial premises. Would a prospective buyer get a mortgage without the property being re-designated residential?

These will be the nuts-and-bolts issues that will have to be dealt with if a genuinely radical change is to take place.

I havent even mentioned rural broadband. The situation has improved but is still five to seven years away from where it should be.

Public transport is also a major issue. Do we want a re-population of rural Ireland to be matched with an enormous increase in traffic congestion? The simple truth is that for many people outside of towns, you cannot move without owning a car. You take your life in your hands even on a bicycle with the way many drive.

Transport, broadband, financial incentives and tax breaks, as well as regional economic and spatial planning are all required to do this properly.

That is why it was so disappointing to find no targets and no money in this weeks (otherwise very interesting) plan. The reason given was that it would be a matter for Budget 2022 and that should not be pre-empted.

Why not? Each six-week lockdown is costing 1.5bn in direct exchequer payments. The heavy hitters of Government, who were all there at the announcement (with the exception of the Minister for Finance), should have put some real figures behind it.

I fear that when Budget 2022 comes along, the incentives will be, shall we say, modest.
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Touching photos have captured the moment a man reunited with his 98-year-old mother for the first time in a year after getting fully vaccinated.

Mark Uomoto, 68, and his cousin Gail Yamada surprised his mother Yoshia on Tuesday at Nikkei Manor, an assisted living home in Seattle, Washington, that serves primarily Japanese American seniors. The joy on her face was unmistakable when her son and niece walked into the room.

'It was so wonderful to hear, see her expression of excitement that she had because we've not seen Mom, my cousin and I, for over a year,' he told Today, adding: 'So it was wonderful to see her and it was more heartwarming for me to see her reaction and so happy to see us.'

Pure joy: Mark Uomoto, 68, and his cousin Gail Yamada surprised his mother Yoshia on Tuesday at Nikkei Manor, an assisted living home in Seattle, Washington

Amazing: Mark, who hadn't seen his 98-year-old mother in person for over a year, decided to surprise her after getting fully vaccinated

Look of love: Mark lovingly stroked his mother's head as they caught, talking about everything from the changes at their church to his recent retirement

Like others families across the country, Mark and Gail had previously been visiting Yoshia through the lobby window at the facility due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Mark noted that it was particularly difficult for them because his mother is 'quite hard of hearing.' He had to use a tablet to ask her questions.

When they learned that Nikkei Manor was allowing visitors who have been fully vaccinated, he decided he wanted to surprise his mom for their first in-person reunion.

'We wanted to carefully orchestrate it right,' he explained.

Getting ready: Laura Iijima-Schergen guided Yoshia back to her room ahead of the surprise

Big surprise: Laura told Yoshia to close her eyes right before Mark and Gail walked into the room

heartwarming: Mark and Gail walked in with a balloon and other goodies for his mother

Gail, whose mother was also a resident at Nikkei Manor before her death, was happy to be able to visit her aunt.

Mark had plenty to talk to his mom about, ranging from the changes at their church to his recent retirement.

'She got so happy that I was retired,' he told Today.

Photos of the reunion show Yoshia covering her eyes with her hands and then her mouth dropping in surprise when she sees her son for the first time.

In another snapshot, Mark can be seen lovingly stroking his mom's head as she looks up at him.

So sweet: Mark was able to give his mother a hug for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck

Going viral: Reuters shared the sweet images on Instagram , where they've received nearly 30,000 likes and plenty of love from commenter

Happy: The look of joy on Yoshia's face as she saw her son was unmistakable

Reuters shared the sweet images on Instagram, where they've received nearly 30,000 likes and plenty of love from commenters.

'The joy on her face,' one person wrote, while another added: 'So touching.'

'Aww this is so cute! She is so happy!!!' someone else shared.

'This warms my heart,' one Instagram user agreed.
New figures have revealed the extent to which Stormont's staffing levels were impacted by Covid, with around 16% of all Civil Service workers self-isolating during the pandemic.

One MLA said the figures show the Executive's "shambolic" handling of its pandemic response.

Across Stormont's nine departments and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), there were 22,936 employees at the end of February.

Figures obtained by the Belfast Telegraph show that there were 3,603 cases of staff absences due to self-isolation from February 2020 to March 2021.

Stormont's largest department, the Department for Communities (DfC), saw 1,609 occurrences where a staff member was absent due to self-isolation out of its 6,951 employees. This represents around 23% of DfC's workforce.

Read More

The highest proportion of absences was in the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) at almost 30%. DfI employs 2,973 workers and registered 884 occurrences of absences due to Covid.

Expand Close Questions: Roy Beggs said there will have been a variety of reasons for the leave / Facebook

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Whatsapp Questions: Roy Beggs said there will have been a variety of reasons for the leave

At just less than 2%, the Department of Health had the lowest proportion of self-isolation absences. The department employs 498 civil servants and had only nine off due to self-isolation throughout the pandemic.

Ulster Unionist MLA Roy Beggs, a deputy Chair of Stormont's Public Accounts Committee, said there will have been a variety of reasons for leave.

"Some may have wanted to shield, some parents may have had to stage at home to mind young children unable to go to school," he said.

"However, what is very strange is the vastly different numbers and proportion of staff seeking leave in each department and further clarification should be made to account for this."

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said the fact that almost 16% of workers employed by government departments have had to self-isolate through the Covid crisis "shows you how much they have been placed at risk from Stormont's shambolic handling of the pandemic."

"Although this figure would likely be underestimating the true figures for workers across our society, as it includes health workers who are employed by the department but not the trusts, nor do the figures include those working in retail or the private sector throughout the pandemic," he added.

"From forcing workers back into workplaces too soon, to adopting a reckless 'living with Covid' strategy, the Executive's approach has put workers and as a result their families directly at risk.

"The pattern throughout the last year was that when cases were declining but still circulating in our community, ministers decided it was a wise idea to lift restrictions and put people back into work, often in places were social distancing was difficult.

"Despite talks of learning lessons from Covid and respecting frontline workers the message hasn't been followed through in the actions of Stormont ministers. Still people struggle to afford to socially isolate when they need to do so on the meagre financial assistance that exists."

Separate figures also show how many staff were absent directly due to contracting Covid.

From April 1 to December 2020, of the 22,936 civil servants at Stormont, a total of 854 were diagnosed with coronavirus.

The DfC had 351 workers test positive, while the Department of Justice saw 148 employees absent due to Covid and DfI recorded 113. The PPS had the fewest absences directly due to Covid at five, followed closely by the Executive Office with seven.

Stormont departments are already dealing with staffing issues, with around 4,500 vacancies across the workforce at present.
Its no April Fools joke! The new no-charge licensing and the new, no-cost version of Cyber Protection Cloud enables MSPs to offer cyber protection services on more endpoints, based on Acronis best-of-breed backup, award-winning anti-malware, and protection management at little to no cost."

As part of its 2021 Cyber Protection Week activities, Acronis, which has grown into a genuine global leader in cyber protection, has just unveiled its new, no-cost version of Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, its award-winning service provider solution.

The company says its new licensing makes it more profitable for service providers to design and offer a comprehensive cyber protection services portfolio with little to no upfront costs.

With the announcement, the Swiss-Singaporean companys current Acronis Cyber Backup Cloud will be extended with cyber protection capabilities  including the companys best-of-breed backup, award-winning anti-malware, and protection management  and renamed Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud.

Serguei SB Beloussov, Founder and CEO of Acronis said: Using separate tools to address different IT requirements and counter cyberthreats is a complicated, inefficient, and costly way for service providers to operate.

By unifying data protection, cybersecurity, and protection management in one, any service provider can eliminate the complexity and management headaches while improving security. With this new licensing model for Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, our partners can deliver superior cyber protection services to their clients at little to no upfront cost, Beloussov condluded.

On a personal level, I think that having a multi-layered approach to security is a good thing, but complex things do get simplified and streamlined all the time in life, and companies create products and services that provide real solutions to pressing problems all the time, too.

The Acronis approach and rapid global growth has seen it emerge as a genuine cyber protection leader, providing a real challenge to its competitors, a real challenge to cyber criminals, and is great for competition - which, in the era of the escalating Cyber Cold War were currently living in, is the perfect timing for a solution like that offered by Acronis to emerge and benefit everyone, from customers, to partners and Acronis itself, with cyber criminals the true losers.

So, why else does Acronis say this is fantastic for its managed service provider (MSP) partners - and for everyone that uses MSP services to run their businesses and operations?

Well, were told that the new version of Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud features a set of essential cyber protection capabilities included at no cost or on a pay-as-you-go basis, enabling MSPs to build services at little to no upfront expense, ensuring 100% coverage of clients' workloads with cyber protection.

The company says MSPs can also expand their service portfolio to meet client requirements and market demand with advanced protection packs that extend their capabilities.

By adding advanced protection packs such as Advanced Backup, Advanced Security, Advanced Disaster Recovery, and Advanced Management onto of Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, MSPs gain the flexibility to expand and customise their services to deliver the optimum level of cyber protection for each client and every workload.

Installed with one agent and managed through one console, the centralised management of Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud ensures MSPs can fully protect their clients without having to juggle multiple solutions.

A single pane of glass provides the visibility and control needed to deliver comprehensive cyber protection  from creating local and cloud-based backups to stopping zero-day malware attacks with advanced AI-based anti-malware and antivirus defences that are VB100 certified.

Bradley Silverman, Technical Operations Manager of Ventra IP CTO, A/NZ said:

Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud's model has revolutionised our entire backup infrastructure, it truly does everything we were promised and more. It has lowered our operational costs, while enabling our servers to complete 600% more backups a day.

Backups are mission critical for us, so being able to provide our customers more backups, more frequently and with the ease Acronis provides has been a huge part of our offerings. Their pricing model means we get all these great features while being able to build the perfect solution for our unique requirements.

Proving the power of integration

The announcement comes as Acronis announced the findings of its annual 2021 Cyber Protection Week survey, which surveyed 4,400 IT users and IT pros from around the world.

One of the astonishing key findings Acronis shared was that more solutions does not mean more protection  80% of organisations now run as many as 10 solutions simultaneously for their data protection and cybersecurity needs, yet more than half of those organisations suffered unexpected downtime last year because of data loss.

Theres also the report from the FBI showing cybercrime jumped 400% during the pandemic. One wonders how many companies will go out of business due to lax cybersecurity in 2021, despite all of the protection at least some of the companies think theyre being protected by?

Acronis reports having long recognised the cost, efficiency, and security challenges that arise from deploying multiple solutions, which is why the company pioneered the field of cyber protection, integrating cutting-edge cybersecurity, best-of-breed backup, and protection management in a single solution.

Acronis notes: to ensure service providers can build their cyber protection service easily, efficiently, securely, and profitably its new licensing model is now available as of March 31, 2021.

Here's an infographic from Acronis with more information, while the annual 2021 Cyber Protection Week survey results are here.
Washington, D.C. Federal Court Denies Minister the Right to Hold Good Friday Service at the United States Capitol Building

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Christian Defense Coalition

April 1, 2021



WASHINGTON, April 1, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- Federal District Judge, James E. Boasberg, denied Rev. Patrick Mahoney's request for injunction relief to hold a Good Friday prayer service on the lower western terrace of the Capitol.





Last year's Good Friday service at the lower western terrace of the Capitol where Rev. Mahoney intended to have this year's vigil.



Rev. Mahoney still plans to have a Good Friday service around a 15ft cross at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Statue in Union Square outside of the Capitol perimeter fence.



The service will be held on Friday, April 2, at 12:00 P.M.



Brian Chavez-Ochoa, who argued the case for Rev. Mahoney, states;

"While we are disappointed that the Court denied our Application for a Temporary Restraining Order, we are encouraged by the fact the judge allowed us to amend our complaint and to hold a Preliminary Injunction Hearing at a later date. This matter is not over, and will not be, until the Government permits, once again, the ability for all Americans to exercise their God given First Amendment Rights at the Lower Western Terrace."

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, comments;

"Tragically, while business goes on at the United States Capitol Building without interruption, public and peaceful First Amendment activities are being prohibited. The federal court and government have in essence created a 'No Speech Zone' at the Capitol.



"Let's be clear, as of today, the United States Capitol Building is no longer 'The People's House,' but rather is a place where the First Amendment no longer applies. For if free speech can be denied at the Capitol, then First Amendment rights are in danger in every community across America.



"However, in spite of this setback, we will continue to passionately, prayerfully and peacefully work to see the 'People's House' returned to the people and the First Amendment once again honored and cherished at the United States Capitol.



"Tomorrow, we will press forward with our Good Friday Service praying for the healing of our nation and sharing the powerful message of Christ's enduring love and commitment to humanity through his death on the cross."

For more information on interviews call:

Attorney Brian Chavez-Ochoa at: 209.772.3013

Rev. Patrick Mahoney at: 540.538.4741



SOURCE Christian Defense Coalition



CONTACT: Brian Chavez-Ochoa, 209-772-3013;

Rev. Patrick Mahoney, 540-538-4741


Over the past 10 months the world has finally begun to acknowledge the real life impacts of anti-blackness and how it is structurally baked into all of our systems. The murder of George Floyd in the middle of 2020 brought the Black Lives Movement to the forefront in practically every country across the globe.

On this continent, anti-blackness is evident in the over-policing and incarceration of Aboriginal people, with one of its most horrific consequences being deaths in custody. Our criminal justice systems foundations were formed not just in the context of violent colonisation, but specifically to curb resistance by First Nations people.

So is it any wonder that when those same colonisers, who murdered and stole from the first people of this continent, plastered their names atop of land that already had custodians for more than 60,000 years, that this would cause hurt to First Nations people?

Changing the name of Boydtown, a historic whaling station on the South Coast of NSW, recognises the harm and pain the actions of this failed businessman and slave-trader had on First Nations and Pacific Islander people. The name of the national park it sits in should be changed too.
TAIPAI, Taiwan and ATLANTA, March 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nocera Inc. (OTCMKTS: NCRA) An engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) company focused on providing solutions to the aquaculture industry announced today that Nocera Taiwan has signed an agreement with Linshan Trading Co., Ltd., to cooperate and develop with the Yunlin County Government and J&V Energy Technology Co., Ltd 60 hectares of land to build a Green Energy Industrial Park in Taixi Township. The project will integrate innovative aquaculture-solutions and electricity technologies. The two companies will be cooperating to build Asias largest indoor recirculating aquaculture industrial park.



Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen toured the Yunlin development on February 19, 2021, meeting with local farmers, investors, and Nocera to review the development. President Tsai Ing-wen stated, Taiwan leads Asia in green energy transformation with the development of green power the most important task of the next decade.

Jeff Cheng, President of Nocera, Inc said, It is great that we had this opportunity to meet with the President Tsai Ing-wen and the local farmers wanting to take parts of the development for green energy. The dual use of the land by placing solar panels for power generation above the free-standing fish tanks will allow for greatly increased economic benefits from developing the land. This lowers the land utilization by allowing fish production for consumption and the excess power generated can be sold to the electric grid operator. We are pleased to take the lead on this project to set an example of the government promoting green energy combining solar power and land-based RAS fish farm. The combination of solar polar and fish farm developments onto a single piece of property increases the economic utilization of the property, generates clean solar power, and helps feed the population of Taiwan.

Linshan Trading Co., Ltd. was established in 1999 as a seafood trading company. Since then, Linshan Trading has further expended into international trade, biotech research, and the general construction business.

J&V Energy Technology Co. www.jv-holding.com founded in 2016, is Taiwan based solar power plant developer. The company focuses on three (3) key segments, site development, power plant ownership, and management.

About Nocera, Inc.

Nocera, Inc. is an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company that designs, builds, and installs equipment for the fish farming industry, as well as provides technical assistance to fish farm operations. Our Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) help preserve the environment by reducing pollution from over concentration of fish as often occurs in fish farms based in natural inland waterways or bodies. Noceras RAS tanks can produce 20,000  30,000 lbs. of fish annually.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are only predictions. Nocera, Inc. cautions readers that forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this news release and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's analysis only on their stated date, and Nocera, Inc. takes no obligation to update or revise these statements except as may be required by law. More detailed information about the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in Nocera, Inc.s Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is available on the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov.

Nocera, Inc. Taipei Office:

3F (Building B), No. 185, Sec. 1, Datong Rd.

Xizhi Dist., New Taipei City 221, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Website: www.nocera.company

Press contact:

Stan Yu, Chief Operating Officer

886 988 735 383

Email: stanyu@nocera.company

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/46c9cecb-1307-4826-aafd-afe07fd55e09

The Nocera team took a group photo with President Tsai Ing-wen, Chairman of the Council of Agriculture Chen Jizhong and other government officials.
A number of Ireland-based food groups have signed up to a new low carbon pledge backed by more than 60 of the countrys largest businesses.

ABP Food Group, fellow meat processor Dawn Meats and dairy business Ornua are among those committing to science-based carbon emission reduction targets as part of Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI)s new Low Carbon Pledge.

The pledge calls on businesses to set the carbon emission reduction targets to be no later than 2024.

They are charged with recording and then reducing their entire carbon footprint, both direct (Scope 1 & 2) and indirect (Scope 3) emissions.

Under the internationally-recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol, an organisations emissions are split into three scopes. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. A second, Scope 2, covers indirect emissions from the generation of the electricity, steam, heating and cooling bought and consumed by a reporting organisation. Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in a companys value chain.



The companies will have to report the results in annual reports or on their websites and also through an annual BITCI low carbon report. Signatory companies are asked to commit to regularly reviewing their carbon reduction targets to align to the latest climate science.

Tomas Sercovich, BITCIs CEO, said: Investors, regulators, consumers, suppliers and employees expect business to lead the net zero vision we all aspire. Transparency and accountability are fundamental for the change to happen. The Low Carbon Pledge is a clear demonstration of businesses driving towards decarbonisation, creating the business models, innovation and jobs for a low carbon future.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Royal Wins Corporation. ("Royal Wins Corp." or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has acquired 142,085,336 ordinary shares of Royal Wins PTY Ltd. ("Royal Wins PTY") under the terms of its previously announced take-over offer (See press release dated March 1, 2021). This represents 94.07% of the total issued and outstanding shares of Royal Wins PTY and as such, the Company will commence the process of compulsory acquisition in Australia which, on completion, will result in Royal Wins PTY being a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Wins Corporation.

On March 1, 2021, Royal Wins Corp. (then 10557510 Canada Corp.) formally lodged an offer to acquire all issued and outstanding shares of Royal Wins PTY (the "Offer"). The Company filed its Bidder's Statement detailing the terms of the offer with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission ("ASIC") and subsequently mailed the required documentation to all shareholders of Royal Wins PTY on February 26, 2021.

Royal Wins Corp. announced on March 29, 2021 that it has removed all conditions of the Offer, making it wholly unconditional. Royal Wins PTY shareholders had until April 1, 2021 at 7:00 pm (Sydney Time) respond to the offer and at this time 94.1% of shares have been tendered to, and acquired by, the Company. The Company plans to file the requisite Notice of Compulsory Acquisition with ASIC in the coming days and will mail the Notice to all remaining shareholders of Royal Wins PTY.

On the closing of the Offer, the Company issued 71,042,650 common shares to the former shareholders of Royal Wins PTY who tendered to the Offer and has reserved a further 4,474,761 common shares to be issued following the compulsory acquisition of remaining Royal Wins PTY shares.

Key Acquisition Details

Under the terms of the Offer, Royal Wins Corp. will acquire up to 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Royal Wins PTY for consideration of up to 75,517,445 Common Shares of the Company (the "Share Consideration") valuing Royal Wins PTY at $22.6-million (AUD 23-million) on the basis of one-half of one common share of Royal Wins Corp. for each ordinary share of Royal Wins PTY outstanding.

As part of the acquisition agreement, Royal Wins Corp. has agreed to increase the Company's board to five members (from the current four members). Further, two of the Company's current Directors have agreed to step down in favour of three Royal Wins PTY Directors, Messrs. Jean-Claude Petter, Robert Fong and Peter Gan.

Royal Wins PTY Highlights:

Royal Wins PTY is an innovative digital games studio pioneering skill game wagering and betting on mobile casual games. Established in 2014, Royal Wins PTY designs, develops and operates real money wagering skill games, to disrupt and dominate the online gaming space such that all players of legal age can play and win life-changing jackpots and prizes on their skill instead of only on chance and odds.

Royal Wins PTY developed advanced gaming platforms, wagering algorithms and proprietary intellectual properties to champion the creation of real money games of skill - significantly in the areas of dynamically maintaining the Return to Player (RTP), difficulty balancing, global and progressive jackpots in skill wagering games.

Royal Wins PTY has released a suite of pure skill mobile games on Android and iOS mobile/tablet platforms via their skill gaming app, the Kash Karnival and operates under license of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission of Canada.

Royal Wins PTY founders and the management team are gaming veterans, thought leaders and industry leading developers. They bring an operational expertise rarely found in the upstart public markets and together with their Directors and Advisors, Royal Wins PTY is equipped for strong business growth in online gaming and eSports.

Royal Wins PTY Key Drivers:

Royal Wins PTY is the first licensed real money pure skill gaming

License allows Royal Wins PTY to legally operate in over 140 countries

Gaming portfolio over 36 games with two (2) new games released per quarter

Proprietary AI technology built by Royal Wins PTY.

1.6 million global subscribers and growing

Pro-forma Revenues of CAD$10.4 million during fiscal year 2021/22

Royal Wins PTY Management:

Peter Gan, President & Chief Executive Officer, Director: Mr. Gan holds an Engineering degree (Hons) and Master of Business Administration from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He is registered to provide financial advice and deal in securities (RG 146 and RG 105) and is currently reading Law at the University of Sydney, Australia. He has held Senior Executive roles over the last 15 years in publicly listed companies (ASX, AIM, PLUS), private and institutional fund companies. Mr. Gan has expansive experience leading small to medium sized companies in multiple industries including online gaming, energy markets, technology start-ups and financial services. His experience comprehensively straddles the capital markets and corporate management.

Robert Fong, Chief Operating Officer and Director : Mr. Fong holds degrees in Architecture (Bachelor and Masters) Hons) from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He has lectured extensively on the subject and was named one of Australia's top 40 architects under 40 in 2006. His technology career has been decorated with senior management success including positions held with Frankfurt based E-Gal and E-Dynamics Group based in Switzerland. Mr. Fong founded and oversaw Morf Media, which was selected as one of 3 start-ups from Australia backed by Price Waterhouse Coopers to attend the Global Technology Conference in Palo Alto in 2012.

Lukie Ali Chief Technology Officer : With a background in advanced systems and software engineering, Mr. Ali is an expert coder in advanced technology systems, artificial intelligence, language technologies, server development and security systems. Together with Mr. Fong, he developed small footprint, high-fidelity game engine technology allowing vast 3D worlds and games to be streamed efficiently to web, desktop and mobile devices. Mr. Ali was also on the management team of Morf Dynamics, leading technical teams in building out the entire framework for the company's virtual worlds and corporate training platforms. He started his career as an entrepreneur, founding a successful computer retail chain with stores across Sydney, Australia, which imported and distributed computer hardware and equipment from China and Indonesia.

Jean-Claude Petter, Director : Mr. Petter is the retired MD of Ferrier Lullin Private Bank & Trust which became Julius Baer Group AG. Julius Baer Group AG is a small to medium sized generalist private banking corporation founded and based in Switzerland. Established as a traditional private bank, it provides investment management, real estate financing, wealth management, and select offerings in sales and trading based on an open and managed architecture. Located in 28 countries, Julius Baer employs a staff of over 6,700 worldwide. Mr. Petter serves as the Vatican's Ambassador to the United Arabs Emirates and has been in negotiations to establish and represent certain entities in the region.

For more information please contact:

Royal Wins Corporation

Nicholas Konkin

Communications Director

Phone: 1 416 642 1807, ext 312

E-mail: ir@royalwins.com

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will, could, plan, estimate, expect, intend, may, potential, believe, should," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's unaudited financial results and projected growth.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: dependence on obtaining regulatory approvals; investing in target companies or projects which have limited or no operating history and are subject to inconsistent legislation and regulation; change in laws; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; competition; hindering market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and recreational-use marijuana industry and; regulatory or political change.

There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. 1055710 Canada Corp. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law, and the Company does not assume any liability for disclosure relating to any other company mentioned herein.

No securities regulator or exchange has reviewed, approved, disapproved, or accepts responsibility for the content of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79239
Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey has charged the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to get to work and failure to do so will attract his wrath.



The Minister, who has embarked on a mission "Let's Make Accra Work'' to ensure right things are done to improve the Capital City as well as caution people against lawlessness, says the MMDCEs' duties are vital to the success of his mission.



He stated that they are the representatives of the President in their various districts and therefore expects them to effectively execute their duties.



The Regional Minister, who doubles as Member of Parliament for Ayawaso Central, cautioned the MMDCEs saying "the holidays are over. As far as I'm concerned, I've told the President, you will not be an MCE thinking that you're gonna have four years ride. It's not gonna happen. First 3 months, if you don't work, you're gone because you're the President's representative at the Assembly''.



He spoke in an interview with host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo''.



<iframe width="600" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6pPxzfetFaw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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ST segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a particularly severe type of heart attack associated with a high risk of mortality or long-term disability. Clinicians can reduce a patient's chances of unfavorable outcomes by performing a procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which combines coronary angioplasty--in which a balloon is inserted into a blocked artery of the heart to clear it--with stenting--inserting a tiny tube into a blocked artery to keep the line open. But studies in China have found that many patients with STEMI choose not to undergo PCI and that women with STEMI, in particular, have a reduced likelihood of undergoing guideline-based management and acute reperfusion therapy.

The phenomenon of patients with STEMI refusing PCI attracted the interest of a research team at China's Shandong University. As lead researcher of the team, Dr. Yu-Guo Chen explains, "Understanding the factors that influence patients' decisions to reject medical advice may facilitate efforts to improve treatment compliance, quality of care, and prognoses." Dr. Chen and team conducted analyses of treatment data to identify the predictors of PCI refusal for patients with STEMI. Their results appear in a paper published in a recent edition of the Chinese Medical Journal.

For their analyses, the researchers used data that had been prospectively collected through a cohort study involving patients with STEMI who presented to any of six Chinese emergency departments between August 2015 and September 2017. After excluding patients who never had the opportunity to decide whether to undergo PCI, as well as patients transferred to other hospitals and those discharged against the treating clinicians' advice, the researchers had a dataset of 957 patients, including 260 women and 697 men. On this dataset, they used multivariable logistic regression analyses to identify the predictors of PCI refusal.

In total, 98 of the patients in the dataset (10.2%) chose not to undergo PCI. One factor that had a major influence on their decisions was age, with patients older than 65 years being more likely than their younger counterparts to refuse PCI. Some important predictors of PCI refusal were having a history of myocardial infarction, experiencing cardiac shock while in the emergency department, a more than 12-hour delay in reaching the hospital after STEMI onset, and having a faster heart rate.

Some other factors included being married, receiving treatment at a tertiary hospital, and having a higher body mass index value.

Interestingly, comparisons between male and female patients showed that female patients were older, were less likely to be married, had lower body mass index values on average, and were less likely to receive treatment at tertiary hospitals. Given that these factors were all predictors of PCI refusal in the regression model, these differences may help to explain why women with STEMI are more likely to refuse PCI than their male counterparts are.

In conclusion, the researchers at Shandong University have identified a host of factors that may help to predict whether a patient with STEMI will give or withhold consent to PCI. When asked about the long-term medical and societal importance of these findings, Dr. Chen notes that knowledge of these predictors may aid healthcare providers in their efforts to persuade more patients with STEMI to consent to PCI. He predicts that increasing the number of patients who undergo PCI "will lead to reductions in mortality and improvements in long-term clinical outcomes." Given the sex disparities in PCI refusal rates, such improvements may be of particular value to Chinese women.

Percutaneous coronary intervention is the recommended procedure after ST-elevation myocardial infarction, but some patients refuse to undergo it. Researchers from Shandong University, China, have identified some demographic and clinical features associated with such treatment refusal.
When it comes to the state of Canadas post-pandemic economy, its deficits as far as the eye can see  provincially, municipally and nationally.

When it comes to the state of Canadas post-pandemic economy, its deficits as far as the eye can see  provincially, municipally and nationally.

The price tag for numerous programs implemented by all levels of government to support the economy since last spring continues to rise. Federally, its expected to soar well above the "uncomfortable" $200-billion mark; and in Manitoba, its around $1.6 billion.

Leading economists suggest those pummelling deficits will cause fewer investments in health care, education and social-security infrastructure. And as funds are spent instead on paying down debt loads, ramifications could include a lower value for the loonie, fewer employment opportunities and decreased federal transfers to the provinces.

Thats why the Conference Board of Canadas two-year forecast, provided to the Free Press this week, is urging governments across Canada to begin looking at fiscal restraints and measures to boost revenues once the pandemic is over.

"Its mind-boggling debt that just isnt sustainable," said Pedro Antunes, chief economist at the board, in an interview on Wednesday. He expects COVID-19 to make a "permanent hit" to Canadas financial potential.

Antunes believes a fiscal anchor is a much-needed necessity from Ottawa. Hes also among many economists who indicated higher taxes is likely an inevitability to help balance Canadas books.

"We certainly need to start being prudent about spending on additional stimulus," he said. "Lets wait and see if the economy isnt able to kick up and get going on its own first."

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Pedro Antunes, chief economist at the Conference Board of Canada, expects COVID-19 to make a permanent hit to Canadas financial potential.

However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to pledge that his government will not raise taxes on Canadians  at least not for now.

"We will not impose more on Canadians," Trudeau told reporters last week. "We know that we must restart the economy. Its not time to take away from people, its time to offer opportunities for people to go through this and rebuild stronger."

According to the boards snapshot, Canadas economy will expand by 5.8 per cent in 2021 and four per cent in 2022 because of the initially "sluggish" rollout of vaccines. Once thats ramped up, it could lead to higher expansion.

In Manitoba, the economy is estimated to rebound and expand by 4.3 per cent in 2021, following a four per cent decline in 2020. Although, that decline has been less severe in Manitoba than in most other regions of the country, the report says, "thanks in part to a more diversified economy which is less reliant on energy than those of the other Prairie provinces."

Financial support during COVID-19 was crucial to ensuring the economy didnt collapse. "And the ongoing drop in the unemployment rate shows just how important the assistance has been," the report added.

"But the problem now is that weve dug ourselves deep in deficits," said Antunes. "We keep hearing that its manageable because its not like the 90s and our interest levels are low. But the debt-to-GDP ratio will be far too uncomfortably high, no matter what."

One of the key factors behind the economic recovery in the short-term will be a rebound in household spending, the board believes. Last year, spending collapsed by 6.1 per cent due to pandemic-driven restrictions on activity and surging unemployment.

"That being said, because of the support measures from Ottawa, household income held up well over the course of the pandemic," said Antunes. "In fact, it created a unique phenomenon: a savings surge."

New data shows household savings rose from 1.4 per cent in 2019 to nearly 15 per cent in 2020. Thats the highest savings rate in 35 years.

The Conference board believes those savings will need to be turned into consumer spending on services to play an important part in supporting a strong economic rebound, but a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels of spending is not expected to be reached until 2022.

"Its a slow start with the rebound and it all depends on vaccine rollouts, along with managing COVID variants," said Antunes. "But to me, our forecasts are far more promising than previously thought and I think people are ready to go out and start spending on the economy again."

temur.durrani@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @temurdur
MIDDLETOWN  Its open season for COVID-19 vaccines in Connecticut, and Middletown is at the forefront of distributing the shots with 30 percent of citizens getting at least their first dose, officials said Thursday.

The older population is boasting even better numbers  with 94 percent of those 65 and older, and 84 percent of the 75 and older crowd, already having taken the first dose, according to Acting Health Director Kevin Elak, who conducted a Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinic at the Shepherd Home for veterans on Bow Lane Thursday.

He was thrilled to share the great news.

The city inoculated 110 people as part of an event for businesses held Thursday morning at the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. The plan was for 50 vaccines, but Elak doubled the number once he realized there would be a mass of people signing up, he said.

He also was excited that Middletown was chosen as one of 17 targeted communities selected to get a visit from a Federal Emergency Management Agency mobile clinic based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social vulnerability index, according to the governors office. The program launched in Bridgeport.

FEMA has the capacity to administer as many as 350 vaccines per day, the acting health director said.

On May 10-11, even more city individuals will have a chance to get the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Connecticut is the first state in the nation to administer vaccines with a trailer on wheels, which will help in ongoing efforts to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to people who live within socially vulnerable neighborhoods, according to Gov. Ned Lamonts office.

The clinic will be stationed at the Staples plaza, in the area behind Athenian Diner II on Washington Street/Route 66. I cant wait to see this thing, Elak said. Its going to be amazing. There will be six vaccination stations inside this trailer.

He and volunteers will be going door to door throughout the area beforehand, including the apartment complexes on nearby Plaza Drive, to encourage people to sign up, as well as reassure those who may be hesitant about the vaccines safety, Elak said.

The Rev. Robyn Anderson, president of the Middletown Ministerial Health Alliance, and leaders of AME Zion Church will help facilitate the initiative, Elak said. The church conducts weekly clinics Tuesdays in an effort to advocate for people of color, Anderson has told The Press.

The health alliance sends trusted messengers into the public to provide parishioners and others with facts on the vaccine, answer questions and deal with any concerns, Elak said.

Its on the [Middletown Area Transit] bus line, so we want to canvass the other apartments  Traverse Square (near downtown) and Rose Circle (off Newfield Street). Both are federally subsidized. Were trying to focus on the underserved and the people who are maybe a little hesitant, Elak said.

The unit consists of two trailers and will be on loan to the state for the next 60 days. The hours in Middletown will be May 10 from noon to 7 p.m. and May 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Local health officials will be coordinating appointments about 10 days before they begin once a team of volunteers is put in place. Elak will be notifying the public once they can sign up.

The city also has an online application for those who want to be contacted by the health department when there are extra doses available. It can be found at middletownct.gov.

For information on the AME Zion clinics, call 860-817-3330, email csfaithbaseclinic@gmail.com or visit crossstreetamezion.org. Information on Connecticuts COVID-19 vaccination program is available at ct.gov/covidvaccine.
The governor of Osaka prefecture said on Thursday that he wants to cancel the torch relay legs going through Osaka later this month, less than four months before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics .

Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said the prefecture is coming under new Covid-19 control measures because of rising case numbers. He said that will mean people being asked to stay home except for essential outings.

Also Read | Inside Mumbais new extortion economy

I think the torch relay through the middle of Osaka should be canceled," he said.

The Olympic torch relay began March 25 in northeastern Fukushima prefecture. It is crisscrossing all of Japan with 10,000 runners and arrives at the opening ceremony at the new National Stadium in Tokyo on July 23.

It is scheduled to go through the Osaka area on April 13 and 14.

Tokyo organizers were contacted but did not immediately reply.

Experts have raised concerns about Osakas rapid spike and the burden on its medical infrastructure. An international figure skating event is scheduled in mid-April in the city of Osaka.

Japan had 474,773 cases and 9,162 deaths as of Wednesday, according to the health ministry. Osaka reported 599 daily new cases Wednesday, surpassing Tokyos 414.

Japan has handled the virus better than many countries, but not as well as most in Asia.

Dr. Ryuji Wakita, director-general of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases who heads a government Covid-19 advisory board, said Wednesday that a new upsurge has already started in parts of the country, including western and northern Japan.

He said infections from new variants of the virus believed to be more contagious are rapidly on the rise in the Osaka region.

Olympic organizers are trying to conduct the relay by asking people to social distance, wear masks. and limit cheering as runners pass. They have said they will reroute or cancel legs if needed.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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This is the moment a shop owner shoots an armed robber as the gunman tried to steal from his store in Brazil.

The shooting left the 29-year-old man, who was struck twice by bullets as he attempted to flee, injured and lying on the floor outside of the mobile phone store in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte.

Video footage shows the robber entering the shop and speaking to the store owner while pretending to be a customer and asking for a quote for a phone repair.

Video footage shows the robber entering the shop and speaking to the store owner while pretending to be a customer and asking for a quote for a phone repair

When the shop was empty, the robber pulls out a gun from his bag and can be holding it up to the shop owner

When the shop was empty, the robber pulls out a gun from his bag and can be holding it up to the shop owner.

He then moves behind the counter and looks through a cupboard before appearing to follow the store attendant into a back room - which is out of shot in the video.

Seconds later, the gunman appears again and walks towards the shop door to flee.

But while leaving the store, the owner can be seen pulling out his own gun and firing at the suspect three times, hitting him twice.

The robber then moves behind the counter and looks through a cupboard before appearing to follow the store attendant into a back room - which is out of shot in the video

But while leaving the store, the owner can be seen pulling out his own gun and firing at the suspect three times, hitting him twice

The robber falls to the ground outside as the manager continues to point his gun at him

The robber falls to the ground outside as the manager continues to point his gun at him.

According to the news site G1, the injured gunman, whose name was not disclosed, was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery to remove the bullets.

He remains there receiving medical treatment while remaining under arrest.

Meanwhile, the police also arrested a suspected accomplice who was waiting on a motorbike nearby, allegedly to assist with the getaway.

The police added that the shop owners gun is legally owned and registered until 2030.

The investigation is ongoing.
SUMMERLIN, Nev., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Secura Bio, Inc. (Secura Bio) - (www.securabio.com), an integrated pharmaceutical company dedicated to the worldwide development and commercialization of impactful oncology therapies, announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion recommending the approval of COPIKTRA as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) after at least two prior therapies and follicular lymphoma (FL) that is refractory to at least two prior systemic therapies.

CLL and FL are slowly progressing, incurable blood cancers that can lead to life-threatening complications such as anemia, serious infections and bone marrow failure. COPIKTRA is an oral dual inhibitor of the PI3K-delta and gamma pathways, which are involved in the proliferation, growth, and migration of malignant cells and are thought to play a role in the formation and maintenance of a supportive tumor microenvironment.

"Today's positive opinion from the CHMP is an important step on the path toward authorization in Europe for COPIKTRA, which is expected to improve overall response rates in patients suffering from relapsed and/or refractory CLL and FL, who currently have limited treatment options. Assuming approval, COPIKTRA will provide patients and physicians across much of Europe with a treatment option that works differently from other available therapies for these incurable diseases," said Dr. David Cohan, Chief Medical Officer of Secura Bio.

The EMA summary of opinion stated "The benefits of COPIKTRA are that it prolongs the survival time without any progression of the disease as compared to ofatumumab in patients with CLL who have received 2 or more prior lines of treatment and induces tumour responses in patients with FL who have received 2 or more prior treatments. The most common side effects are respiratory tract infections, neutropenia, anaemia, thrombocytopenia, headache, dyspnoea, cough, decreased appetite diarrhoea/colitis, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, rash, musculoskeletal pain, arthralgia, pyrexia, fatigue and increased transaminases."

"With the expected approval of COPIKTRA in the European Union, Secura Bio will have two meaningful oncology drugs with novel modes of action. Our corporate goal is to expand our portfolio of indications worldwide, for the treatment of challenging hematologic and solid malignancies in patients with important unmet needs." said Joseph M. Limber, President and CEO of Secura Bio.

About Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a cancer that affects lymphocytes with most of the cancer cells located in the bloodstream and/or the bone marrow, although the lymph nodes and spleen are often involved. The symptoms of CLL include a tender, swollen abdomen and feeling full even after eating only a small amount. Other symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath, anemia, bruising easily, night sweats, weight loss, and frequent infections. However, many patients with CLL will live for years without symptoms. There are approximately 250,000 patients in the EU affected by CLL, with nearly 25,000 new diagnoses expected this year alone. While there are therapies currently available, real-world data reveals that a significant number of patients either relapse following treatment, become refractory to current agents, or are unable to tolerate treatment, generating significant unmet medical needs. The potential of effective new oral agents, particularly those that can be used as monotherapies in the community setting, offer hope in the treatment of patients with CLL.

About Follicular Lymphoma

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is typically a slow-growing or indolent form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that arises from B-lymphocytes, making it a "B-cell lymphoma." FL accounts for 20 to 30 percent of all NHL cases affecting more than 180,000 people in the EU, with more than 16,500, newly diagnosed cases expected this year. Common symptoms of FL include enlargement of the lymph nodes in the neck, underarms, abdomen, or groin; as well as fatigue, shortness of breath, night sweats, and weight loss. Often, patients with FL have no obvious symptoms of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Follicular lymphoma is usually not considered to be curable, but more of a chronic disease, with patients often living for many years following diagnosis with this form of lymphoma. New oral agents that can be added to the community hematologist's/oncologist's s armamentarium, particularly monotherapies, may offer significant benefit in the treatment of patients with FL.

About COPIKTRA (duvelisib)

COPIKTRA is an oral inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and the first United States FDA approved dual inhibitor of PI3K-delta and PI3K-gamma, two enzymes known to help support the growth and survival of malignant cells. PI3K signaling may lead to the proliferation of malignant cells and is thought to play a role in the formation and maintenance of a supportive tumor microenvironment. COPIKTRA is indicated in the United States for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) after at least two prior therapies, and has accelerated approval for refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after at least two prior systemic therapies. COPIKTRA is also being developed for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), for which it has received Fast Track status in the United States, and is being investigated in combination with other agents through investigator-sponsored studies. For more information on COPIKTRA, please visit www.COPIKTRA.com. Information about duvelisib clinical trials can be found on www.clinicaltrials.gov.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT COPIKTRA

WARNING: FATAL AND SERIOUS TOXICITIES: INFECTIONS, DIARRHEA OR COLITIS, CUTANEOUS REACTIONS, and PNEUMONITIS

See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning

Fatal and/or serious infections occurred in 31% (4% fatal) of COPIKTRA-treated patients. Monitor for signs and symptoms of infection. Withhold COPIKTRA if infection is suspected.

Fatal and/or serious diarrhea or colitis occurred in 18% (<1% fatal) of COPIKTRA-treated patients. Monitor for the development of severe diarrhea or colitis. Withhold COPIKTRA.

Fatal and/or serious cutaneous reactions occurred in 5% (<1% fatal) of COPIKTRA-treated patients. Withhold COPIKTRA.

Fatal and/or serious pneumonitis occurred in 5% (<1% fatal) of COPIKTRA-treated patients. Monitor for pulmonary symptoms and interstitial infiltrates. Withhold COPIKTRA.

INDICATIONS AND USAGE

COPIKTRA is a kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with:

Relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) after at least two prior therapies.

Relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after at least two prior systemic therapies. Accelerated approval based on overall response rate; continued approval may be contingent upon confirmatory trials.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Hepatotoxicity: Monitor hepatic function.

Neutropenia: Monitor blood counts.

Embryo-Fetal toxicity: COPIKTRA can cause fetal harm. Advise patients of potential risk to a fetus and to use effective contraception.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The most common adverse reactions (20%) are diarrhea or colitis, neutropenia, rash, fatigue, pyrexia, cough, nausea, upper respiratory infection, pneumonia, musculoskeletal pain, and anemia.

DRUG INTERACTIONS

CYP3A inducers: Avoid co-administration with strong CYP3A inducers.

CYP3A inhibitors: Monitor for COPIKTRA toxicities when co-administered with strong or moderate CYP3A inhibitors. Reduce COPIKTRA dose to 15 mg twice daily when co-administered with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors.

CYP3A substrates: Monitor for signs of toxicities when co-administering COPIKTRA with sensitive CYP3A substrates.

USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

Lactation: Advise women not to breastfeed.

Please click here to see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNING, for COPIKTRA (duvelisib).

To report Adverse Reactions, contact FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088) or www.fda.gov/medwatch and Secura Bio at 1-800-9SECURA (1-844-973-2872).

About Secura Bio, Inc.

Secura Bio is an integrated, commercial-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to the worldwide development and commercialization of impactful oncology therapies for physicians and their patients. For more information on Secura Bio, please visit www.securabio.com

SOURCE Secura Bio, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.securabio.com


The President of the Republic, H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah, has declared a dawn to dawn curfew in Maryland County as a result of violent street protests that emanated from reported gruesome killing of a boy in Harper City.

Both private and public properties in Pleebo City were destroyed by angry protestors who are demanding justice in Pleebo, the commercial city of Maryland County.

In a nationwide address Wednesday, March 31, 2021, President Weah said the situation in Maryland has claimed the government's attention, and assured Marylanders that the perpetrators of the gruesome murder and those destroying properties will face the full weight of the law.

"I am concerned about recent developments in Maryland County. I have been informed of the gruesome killing of a young man in Pleebo City recently," President Weah stated.

Although a suspect has been arrested and is currently in police custody, President Weah said some residents of Pleebo took to the streets and engaged in wanton destruction of private and public properties, including the burning down of police station in Pleebo.

The President announced that the government will not condone acts of violence and urged Marylanders to abide by the law.

According to the President, the police backed by other members of the joint security will enforce the curfew intended to bring the violence under control.
 Flash

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 4,203,087 as of Wednesday noon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic stood at 112,471, while 3,762,968 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Egypt are among the African countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the Africa CDC.

In terms of the number of cases, southern Africa is the most affected region, followed by northern Africa and eastern Africa regions, while central Africa is the least affected region in the continent, according to the African health agency.

African countries have so far received more than 26 million COVID-19 vaccines both from the COVAX facility and through bilateral agreements outside COVAX, according to the Africa CDC.
Wednesday concluded the third day in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer who kneeled on George Floyds neck for more than nine minutes last May.

The testimony over the last three days has confirmed what millions of workers around the world already know: Floyds death was a brutal police murder in cold blood. Occurring in the midst of the pandemic, it was a particularly graphic display of the nature of the apparatus of repression and violence that goes by the name of law enforcement.

George Floyd (Credit: Offices of Ben Crump Law)

One after another, witnesses recalled their shock, horror, and outrage as they saw officers pin Floyd on the pavement as he begged for his life. Nearly every witness that has taken the stand so farpeople of different races and backgroundshas come to tears while being questioned or shown footage reminding them of what transpired on May 25, 2020.

Minneapolis firefighter Genevieve Hansen, who is white, testified that she begged officers to let her take Floyds pulse. Hansen recalled how officers refused to allow her to assist Floyd, even after she identified herself as a firefighter. Hansen teared up as she recounted the helplessness she felt as Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyd after she could tell he was not conscious.

Darnella Frazier, an African American teenager who recorded the viral bystander video of the incident, told jurors she has stayed up some nights apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life.

Alyssa Funari, another bystander who recorded events, cried as she explained that she wanted to intervene but was unable to because there was a higher power therea reference to officers who pushed witnesses to the crime away and threatened them with mace.

The prosecution played harrowing bodycam footage Wednesday, in which Floyd could be seen pleading with officers, telling them that he was scared and begging not to be shot. In the footage, officers continued to pin Floyd to the pavement even after one acknowledged Floyd had passed out.

Derek Chauvin

Floyds brutal murder at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department evoked an outpouring of empathy and anger from workers across the globe. Protests began locally in Minneapolis the day after Floyds death and eventually spread to over 2,000 cities in over 60 countries. An estimated 15 to 26 million people protested at some point in the US, making the demonstrations the largest in US history.

The demonstrations were of a multi-ethnic, multi-racial and international character, and workers actively fought efforts to divide the struggle along racial lines.

While the protests were sparked by the killing of Floyd, deeper issues were driving them. In late May, the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in the US reached 100,000. Millions were out of work and without income while Congress provided trillions to Wall Street, only offering scraps to workers. The ruling class, led by the Trump administration, had initiated its homicidal back-to-work campaign, a policy which has been continued by President Joe Biden, driving the death toll above 560,000 today.

The ruling class responded to the protests by sending police on a militarized campaign of repression. Both Democrats and Republicans called on police and National Guard forces to terrorize the population. More than 14,000 people were arrested during the protests, charged with petty offenses such as violating curfews or blocking roadways. Police routinely violated the democratic rights of journalists, arresting 128 in 2020, a record for a single year. At least 19 people died during the police crackdown.

On June 1, Trumpwho encouraged police violence throughout his administrationthreatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the military across the country and effectively declare martial law. This response was not simply or even primarily aimed at the popular protests against police violence. It reflected the fear in the ruling class of growing social anger over its homicidal response to the pandemic. The threat of dictatorship found its ultimate political expression in the attempted fascistic coup in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021.

While supporting the police crackdown, Democrats worked on a parallel track. They sought to direct outrage over Floyds murder and the broader epidemic of police violence into a campaign based on stoking racial division. Workers were told that police killings were a racial matter that could be solved by making Kamala Harris the first female, African American and Asian American Vice President. The Black Lives Matter movement was heavily promoted and organizations associated with the movement were flooded with tens of millions of dollars by major corporations.

The Democrats, however, are no less culpable than the Republicans for the epidemic of police violence. Before George Floyd, there was Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, when protests were met by a militarized response overseen by the Obama administration. No doubt there will be, during the Biden administration, further outrages, some caught on camera, the majority not. According to an analysis by the Washington Post, there has been no significant reduction in the rate at which police kill people under Biden.

Since mappingpoliceviolence.org began keeping data in 2013, police have killed over 1,000 people every year. On average, US police kill more than 3 people every day. Already in 2021, police have killed more than 200 people.

Police killed 1,127 people in 2020, even in the midst of the pandemic. Of those, 457 were white. Year after year, white people account for the largest share of individuals killed by police. While racism plays a role, and the most backward and fascistic sentiments are encouraged within the police, the disproportionate number of minorities murdered is primarily a product of police patrolling the most vulnerable and impoverished communities.

The prevalence of police violence in the United States is, at its root, a class question, not a racial issue. It is the noxious product of a society characterized by unprecedented levels of social inequality. The concentration of wealth in the hands of a plutocracy has only increased over the past year, with the massive bailout of Wall Street fueling the rise of the pandemic profiteers.

Any struggle against police violence cannot be waged on a racial basis. Last years protests demonstrated the unity and power of the working class. The only way forward is a socialist program, which rejects artificial barriers and unites workers along their common class interests. The impassioned responses of the witnesses in Chauvins trial were not determined by their race, but by their humanity and empathy for the thousands of workers killed by police every year.

As the Socialist Equality Party wrote in the days after Floyds killing, How shall the death of George Floyd be avenged? What is the way forward? The fight against police brutality must be fused with the growing movement of the working class against unsafe working conditions, mass unemployment, social inequality and mass poverty. It is a fight against the capitalist system and for socialism.

Ten months after Floyds death, as the wave of police violence continues, as the ruling classs response to the pandemic has produced its horrific results, and as workers throughout the world enter into struggle against inequality, dictatorship and war, the necessity for such a struggle is more urgent than ever.
Guwahati, April 1 : The voting for the second phase of Assam assembly elections began on Thursday morning amid tight security and all Covid-19 protocols, officials said.

Men, women and the first-time voters in large numbers queued up in front of the polling stations well before the voting for 39 of the total of 126 assembly seats opened at 7 a.m.

The polling would continue till 6 p.m. without any break in 13 districts.

Assam Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade said that 73,44,631 voters, including 36,09,959 women, are eligible to cast their votes across 10,592 polling stations including 556 all women managed polling stations.

Around 31,000 Central Armed Police Force personnel, along with thousands of state security force personnel, have been deployed to maintain law and order during this phase in which 42,368 polling personnel are engaged.

In Thursday's balloting, the electoral fate of several Assam Ministers including Fisheries, Excise, Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Piyush Hazarika, state Irrigation Minister Bhabesh Kalita and Deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar will be sealed.

Suklabaidya is contesting from the Dholai seat for the seventh time on a BJP ticket, Hazarika from Jagiroad and Kalita from Rangia.

Former Congress Minister Gautam Roy is contesting from Katigorah on a BJP ticket, while former Deputy Speaker Dilip Kumar Paul, who resigned from the BJP after he was denied ticket and was subsequently expelled, is contesting as an Independent from Silchar constituency.

Covid-19 protocols for the voters including social distancing and thermal screening are being maintained.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
State House, Banjul, 30th March 2021: In accordance with the provisions of section 76 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, the Office of the President informs the public that Friday, 2nd and Monday 4th April 2021 will be public holidays throughout The Gambia in observance of the Christian Holy feast of Easter.

On behalf of the President, H.E., Adama Barrow, the Office of the President extends best wishes of a blessed Easter feast to the Christian community, at home and abroad.

As The Gambia continues to fight against the global Coronavirus pandemic, Christians are urged to continue praying for the country, those who have lost their lives from the virus, or have been infected. Everyone is reminded that adhering to the COVID-19 safety guidelines could save lives.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced a nationwide four-week lockdown, closing schools and business, in the latest and alarming sign that Europe is yet again losing control of the pandemic.

We did everything we could to make these decisions as late as possible, when they became strictly necessary. That is now, Macron said. New variants make the virus more contagious and deadlier.

The French leader implored the nation to make an extra effort as the comes into force on Saturday. Restrictions will be flexible this weekend, during the Easter holidays, to allow people to relocate within regions. Seventy-one percent of French said they approved of the decision to extend restrictions, according to a snap Harris poll.

Still, it represents a policy reversal for Macron. He had favored a localised approach, which the UK had also tried with little success, and his rejection of advice for stricter measures sooner comes with political risks a year out from presidential elections. Macron acknowledged mistakes in handling the pandemic, but said the nation was learning from them.

Last week, he had made a point of saying hed give no mea culpa. Either way, a comes at an economic cost, with 150,000 stores shut. The finance ministry said the cost of measures, including furloughs and tax relief, would rise to 11 billion euros ($13 billion) a month from 7.2 billion euros.

The situation in has been worsening since December, with new Covid cases rising to 69,590 per million, nearly twice the number in Germany, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. There are 1,417 deaths per million since the start of the pandemic, putting just shy of the 1,529 seen in Brazil.
EV

According to Peter Rawlinson, Lucids CEO, the hard decision to postpone deliveries has already been taken because of the numerous hardships everyones been through over the past year or so. As such, reservation holders wont be getting their brand-new $161,500 Air Dream Editions this spring.The company announced that reservations have closed on this flagship launch model, which is great news for them because it means interest has been high on anthats utterly pricey and still untested in the real world.On the other hand, now we know that Lucid is pushing the envelope as fast as it can to kick off series production sometime during the second half of the year. That doesnt mean there are no Airs being made at the Lucid AMP-1 factory in Casa Grande, Arizona. After all, the CEO himself recently drove the newest release candidate vehicle.Because the company usually provides interesting behind-the-scenes glimpses of its operations or proprietary technology , Lucid has recently released footage taken inside the factory's general assembly area. Fresh out of the paint shop, its where the body meets its heart and soul, the powertrain, and also receives all the cabin innards before undergoing a final check up by the quality assurance team.As always, its interesting to see what happens during the process, and it seems that Lucid has found a way to reunite both high-end automated manufacturing and the traditional craftsmanship delivered by expert human touch.Hopefully, Lucid is going to surpass Tesla at least in one area: quality. We all know very well the stories about Musks trials and tribulations in this area, so wed like to see a company learn from a competitors past issues and mistakes. For now, lets hope the 180-attribute inspection will be enough for the Lucid Air.
Burma Myanmar Doctor Condemns Security Forces Attack on Yangon Hospital

Tet Lann Hospital.

Yangon  Myanmars security forces used slingshots against Tet Lann Hospital in South Okkalapa Township, Yangon, on March 8. On Tuesday morning, they broke into the hospital.

While international law prohibits attacks on medical establishments, the security forces raided some private hospitals and fired shots inside the buildings in March. An eyewitness told The Irrawaddy about the raid on Tet Lann Hospital.

Could you tell me about the raid on Tuesday?

Around 1am on Tuesday, South Okkalapa residents banged pots and pans in response to the crackdown on protesters in South Dagon. The security forces arrived at the hospital at around 2am. They fired stun grenades and guns. We did not dare go to the ground floor. We locked the doors and hid in the lab on the top floor. Five hospital cleaners who live at the back of the hospital helped us and hid with us. When the security forces arrived, the residents [banging pots] had gone so they broke into the hospital. Some hospital staff ran to the roof.

How did they find you?

They went to the CCTV room. Apparently, they wanted to see what was happening outside. But from the CCTV they found the room where we were hiding. They asked a hospital employee at gunpoint to take them to us.

One of them came into the room. I think he was a police officer. He said: Kill them all if they dont come out. He told them to shoot anyone who ran. They detained five cleaners. We were taken to the outpatient department on the ground floor at gunpoint. Shortly after, five cleaners were taken to the ground floor and shot at. But they were not shot.

Are they hospital employees? What happened next?

The security forces did not believe they were hospital cleaners. They hit them with batons, accusing them of burning [car tires]. One of them in a white vest and cargo pants kicked their faces with his army boots, saying he would kick their jaws out if they did not answer him. And he also slapped two security guards and kicked them for not reporting [the burning tires] to them.

Did they beat doctors?

They didnt but they swore at us. They said why we were useless and ignorant. They kept abusing us, attempting to brainwash us. They said the country is in chaos because of us. They had to be awake through the night because we protested and people should be preparing for Thingyan [New Year] instead. When I responded, they swore at me.

Did they interrogate patients?

They opened all the patient rooms on the first and second floors and checked the patients and their relatives who are taking care of them. They even checked bathrooms. And they demanded the CCTV password, threatening to set the hospital on fire and kill us if we didnt tell them.

Did they damage the hospital?

They didnt. They just beat the cleaners, perhaps because they thought they were protesters.

How are their injuries?

Their faces are bruised and battered but not seriously.

What else did they say?

They beat five cleaning staff and two security guards for not informing them about the fires by phone. They beat them continuously. Junior policemen said they could not wait to kill us. They were wielding their guns as if they could not wait to shoot at us.

The security forces have raided other hospitals. What do you want to say about attacks on medical establishments?

Hospitals treat sick people and they should be respected. Patients were scared and if staff feel unsafe and dare not come to work, hospitals will have to close and this will further worsen the situation. This violence is inhumane.

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El Centro Sector Agents Arrest Two Sex Offenders in Separate Events

El Centro, California - U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro Sector arrested two illegal aliens Wednesday evening with prior convictions for a sexual offense.

The first incident occurred at approximately 7:58 p.m., when agents assigned to the Calexico Station encountered a man who illegally entered the United States 35 miles east of the Calexico Port of Entry. Agents placed the man under arrest and transported him to the El Centro Sector Rally Point for further processing.

Records checks revealed that the man, a 39-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, was previously convicted on July 14, 2010 in Santa Ana, California for Great Bodily Injury, Sex with a Minor and Lewd Acts with a Child. The illegal alien was sentenced to 28 months in prison for his sex crime. Additionally, on April 4, 2004, he was convicted of transporting and selling of narcotics, a felony and served 1 year in jail.

The second incident occurred at approximately 9:33 p.m., when agents assigned to the Calexico Station arrested a man who illegally entered the United States 30 miles east of the Calexico Port of Entry. Agents placed the man under arrest and transported him to the El Centro Sector Rally Point for further processing.

Records checks revealed that the man, a 55-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador, was previously convicted on March 22, 2002 in San Mateo, California for Sexual Intercourse with a Minor. The illegal alien was sentenced to 2 years in prison for his sex crime. Additionally, on November 16, 2000, he was convicted of possession and purchase for sale of narcotics, a felony and served 2 years in jail and convicted again on January 23, 2004 for felony grand theft involving money, labor, or property. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison for his conviction.

Both men were processed criminally for 8 USC 1326, Reentry of Removed Aliens and will be held in federal custody pending their hearings.

In fiscal year 2021, which began Oct. 1, 2020 El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested and/or removed 15 individuals either convicted or wanted on sexual offense charges.

Two Sex Offenders Arrested by Border Patrol on Wednesday
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 31, 2021) - Parkit Enterprise Inc. (TSXV: PKT) ("Parkit", "Company" or the "Corporation"), an industrial real estate growth vehicle and parking platform, is pleased to report the audited financial results for the two-month transitional fiscal year from November 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 with a comparative to the audited financial statements for the twelve months ended October 31, 2020. The two-month transitional period resulted from the Company's previously announced change of its fiscal year-end to December 31 from October 31.

Two-Month Audited Transitional Fiscal Year to December 31, 2020 Results

In the two-month period ending December 31, 2020, the Company recorded a loss of $1,568,069 (October 31, 2020 Fiscal Year - $5,327,509 loss). The loss is mainly a result of transaction costs and land transfer taxes of $1,259,824 relating the acquisition of $36,250,000 of industrial assets which closed on December 29, 2020. As a result, the Company only had two days of revenues and expenses from these acquisitions.

Financial Information

A summary of the operating and financial results are as follows:





Two months ended

December 31, 2020

Year ended

October 31, 2020 Investment properties revenue $ 17,290

$ -

Investment properties expenses

(5,974 )

-

Net rental income

11,316



- Other expenses (income)







Share of loss from equity-accounted investees

78,061



4,662,512

General and administrative expenses

233,386



431,460

Transaction costs and land transfer taxes

1,259,824



-

Finance costs

8,114



-



1,579,385



5,093,972 Loss before tax

(1,568,069 )

(5,093,972 ) Income tax expense

-

(233,537 ) Net (loss) and comprehensive loss for the period $ (1,568,069 ) $ (5,327,509 )

Subsequent to Year End

Subsequent to the two-month transitional year end, Parkit completed the acquisition of two additional industrial properties. The first closing occurred on March 15, 2021 for a purchase price $12,250,000 for a property in Toronto and the second closing occurred on March 18, 2021 for a purchase price $28,500,000 for a property in Ottawa (see press releases dated March 15, 2021 and March 18, 2021 for additional details).

In addition, Parkit raised gross proceeds of $125,261,004 through private placements of common shares on February 17, 2021 and March 18, 2021 which the Company plans to use for acquisitions in 2021 and beyond.

Our Strategy

Parkit's industrial real estate strategy is to own and operate a portfolio of strategically located industrial properties across key markets in Canada, with a focus on the GTA+, Ottawa and Montreal. The Company is committed to:

owning and operating a premium portfolio of industrial and parking assets with strong operating fundamentals

focusing resources on long-term cash flow and increasing value

maximizing the value of industrial and parking assets through expansion and innovative asset management

ensuring the Company follows progressive environmental, social and governance policies

Further Information

For comprehensive disclosure of Parkit's performance for the two-month transitional fiscal year from November 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 and its financial position as at such date, please see Parkit's Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the two-month transitional fiscal year from November 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Parkit Enterprise Inc.

Parkit is an industrial real estate platform focused on the acquisition, growth and management of strategically located industrial properties across key markets in Canada, with a focus on the Greater Toronto Area+ ("GTA+"), Ottawa and Montreal, to complement its parking assets across the United States.

For further information, contact the Company:

Tel: 604-424-8700

ir@parkitenterprise.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information:

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein is forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "proposed", "is expected", "budgets", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", "may" or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information in relation to: the use of proceeds from the Company's recently completed private placements, the Company's plans to complete further acquisitions in 2021 and beyond, the Company's strategy and the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business and its impact on property valuations. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. These risks, uncertainties, and factors may include, but are not limited to general business uncertainties, and in particular uncertainties relating to the impact and duration of COVID-19 on future financial performance. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what impacts they will have on the Company. A description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward looking information can be found in Parkit's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although Parkit has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Parkit as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. However, Parkit expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79175
The Nigerian government has since 2016 been making repeated promises to end the importation of dirty fuels.

In June 2016, members of the Economic Community of West African States convened for a two-day workshop in Abuja.

The sole aim was to chart ways to transit into using low sulphur fuels in their respective countries.

At the end of the event, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote D'Ivoire agreed to ban the importation of Europe's dirty fuels, thus limiting sulphur in fuels from 3000ppm to 50ppm.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said the move would help to drastically reduce vehicle emissions and help over 250 million people to breathe safer and cleaner air.

By the end of that year, Nigeria again hosted a sub-regional high-level ministerial meeting on low sulphur fuels, which was held in Abuja and hosted by former minister of environment, Amina Mohammed.

Joined by Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cote D'Ivoire, the countries agreed to adopt low sulphur diesel fuel standards of 50 ppm, and a target of July 2017 was set. Only Ghana met the deadline.

By the set date, Mrs Mohammed, now deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, again reiterated the Nigerian government's goal to reduce the sulphur in fuels imported into the country, starting from July 2017.

"Everybody knows that this is going to take some efforts, which is why we gave the six-month notice," she said at the time. "What is more important is that we are working with the refineries on a long-term approach."

The deadline would be shifted by another year.

A year after the last deadline was set, officials at the major importer of petroleum products, Nigeria's public oil company, NNPC, rehashed Nigeria's resolve to end the importation of dirty fuels into the country by July 2018.

At another high-level ministerial meeting organised by ECOWAS, which was held between February 5 and 7, 2020, in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, 15 environment and energy ministers of the regional bloc, including that of Nigeria, met again.

Nigeria alongside others adopted a comprehensive set of regulations for introducing cleaner fuels and vehicles in the region in order to ensure that their fuel's sulphur content meet global standard peaks at 50 ppm.

However, petrol and kerosene remain over 20 times (1000 ppm) and diesel 30 times what is required to be within safe limits.

Oil-rich, but not oil independent

Nigeria's production of crude oil, which is sweet because of its low sulphur content, non-acidic because it contains less CO2 and has high API gravity, is put at about 2.5 million barrels daily.

Energy giants like Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil do the drilling in the Niger Delta region of the country and they in turn pay production entitlements, taxes, royalties and fees, and other remittances to the Nigerian government.

Of the volume drilled, little is refined in state-owned refineries, which for several years have not been functioning despite draining billions of naira, and this little cannot meet the volume for national needs.

To bridge the deficit, the country turns to foreign refineries, including European refineries, from where refined and highly sulphured fuels - because they are cheaper - are imported into Nigeria, much to the chagrin of health and environmental campaigners and at the detriment of the well-being of Nigerians.

According to the statistics bureau, NBS, in 2019, imported petrol reached 20.89 billion litres, up from 20.14 billion litres in 2018 and 17.3 billion litres in 2017. Petroleum imports cost the country N289.46 billion in Q1 2019, almost tripling to N837.67 billion by Q2.

When these fuels are imported into Nigeria through each refinery jetty, they are blended to Nigeria's standard (as set by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria) for cost optimization, Saheed Abolaji, a quality control personnel at Schneider and Schroeder Services Limited, an Edo-based energy firm, explained.

He said the blending processes include dewatering, re-gassing and desulfurization.

In spite of these processes, fuels consumed in the country still contain as high as 1,000 ppm of sulphur content, unlike neighbouring Ghana and other East African cousins like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda who have transitioned to 50 ppm fuel standard, the acceptable threshold in Europe.

"There is a serious problem with our environmental control which is seriously affecting us," Mr Abolaji noted.

He added that "the contention with environmental pollution has to mostly do with the practices of waste management and also the combustion of our exhaust vehicle design" as most of the used vehicles imported into Nigeria are not up to the standard in Europe.

Lax regulations to restrict the quality of the vehicles being imported into the country, coupled with the aforesaid poor fuel quality, has ensured that air pollution continues to dog the country.

Nigeria is home to the highest fleets of used light-duty vehicles after Serbia and the United Arab Emirates, according to a 2020 report by UNEP.

The imported fuels cost Nigerians huge outlays with NBS saying Nigerians spent 5 per cent, or some 2 trillion, of their incomes on fuel and electricity in 2019.

According to the NNPC, 2.26 billion litres of petroleum products were sold and distributed in the country in December as against 1.72 billion litres in November.

Better fuel will cost more

As identified by a world bank study, the top three sources of PM2.5 (tiny dangerous pollutants) in Nigeria's commercial centre of Lagos (where, against the 10 g/m3 guideline set by WHO for annual mean PM2.5 concentration level, it can be as high as 68 g/m3) are overstretched road transport, industrial emissions and generators.

Generators made the list because of erratic electricity, which the world bank says 80 million Nigerians do not have access to, an albatross that pushed them to spend an estimated $14 billion a year on small-scale generators, and made Nigeria lose $29 billion in 2019.

By implication, local consumption of fuel will continue to surge in a country like Nigeria with a teeming population of over 200 million.

With fuel subsidies soon to be stopped as promised by the government, for Nigerians to get cleaner fuels to meet their massive demands, they may have to pay more.

However, this may be a tall order for many in a country where about a quarter of the population live on less than N377 daily and about a third are unemployed.

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Yet, it is a choice that has to be made.

A litre of petrol averaged 5.36 Ghanaian cedi (which is about N355 at N66 to a cedi) between February and March in Ghana, a price that increased by over 50 per cent since 2017.

In Kenya, petrol currently retails at about 125 Kenyan shilling, which, at N3.46 to a Kenyan shilling, is equivalent to N432.5.

An effort to raise the pump price of petrol (currently N162) as high as this is likely to be met with heavy pushback from Nigerians; except their purchasing power improves just as significantly, analysts believe.

Ghana for one has been able to reduce deprivations from access to healthcare, education, and improved living standards by nine percentage points from 55 per cent in 2011 to about 46 percent in 2017.

When this was compared to the purchasing power of the 31 million population, about 6 million Ghanaians (or about 1 in 5) are concurrently poor in both measures of poverty.

There are, nonetheless, indications that the pump price of petrol will increase in Nigeria in the coming months after NNPC boss, Mele Kyari, announced that the government was unwilling to continue subsidising petrol.

With the cost of importation and handling charges amounting to N234 per litre, the government has pegged the selling price at N162 per litre, a variation that the British government said cost Nigeria N10 trillion between 2006 and 2018; and could cost the country about N102.5 billion, according to an analysis by PREMIUM TIMES.

(Support for this report was provided by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) through its Natural Resource and Extractive Programme).
South Carolina reported 510 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 14 new deaths today.

Here's the latest on the pandemic in South Carolina.

CCU baseball pauses activities due to COVID-19 protocols The Coastal Carolina baseball team has been forced to pause all activities, including postponing its next five games, due to COVID-19 protocols in its program on April 1.

3:30 p.m.  The Coastal Carolina baseball team has paused all activities, including games and practices, for seven days due to COVID-19 protocols in the Chanticleers program on April 1. Read more.

SC reaches milestone of more than 2 million COVID-19 vaccines given The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said more than 2 million COVID-19 vaccinations have been given in the Palmetto State.

2:15 p.m.  More than 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given in South Carolina. The state reached the milestone this week as all residents age 16 and older became eligible for the shot. Read more.

+2 COVID-19 vaccinations underway for people held in SC jails and prisons As most South Carolina residents become eligible, coronavirus vaccinations for one of the state's most vulnerable populations are starting to ramp up.

1 p.m.  As most South Carolina residents become eligible, coronavirus vaccinations for one of the states most vulnerable populations are starting to ramp up.

People incarcerated in South Carolinas prisons and jails began receiving the vaccine in March and, with eligibility and vaccine allocations expanding, administrators are gearing up to fully vaccinate their populations. Read more.

1 p.m.  New small business loans aimed at combating the financial hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic found their first recipients this week.

The Turning Page Bookshop and Acute Heating & Cooling were the first small business owners to take advantage of Kickstart the Creek, a loan program and partnership between the city of Goose Creek and Charleston LDC that will serve as a direct line of help for businesses affected by the pandemic. Read more.

Company producing J&J vaccine had history of violations Emergent BioSolutions, a little-known company vital to the vaccine supply chain, was a key to Johnson & Johnson's plan to deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine to the United States by the end of May. But the Food and Drug Administration repeatedly has cited Emergent for problems such as poorly trained employees, cracked vials and problems managing mold and other contamination around one of its facilities, according to records obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act. The records cover inspections at Emergent facilities since 2017.

12:25 p.m.  The company at the center of quality problems that led Johnson & Johnson to discard 15 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine has a string of citations from U.S. health officials for quality-control problems. Read more.

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine batch fails quality check A batch of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine failed quality standards and can't be used, the drug giant said late Wednesday.

Wednesday, 8:12 p.m.  A batch of Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine failed quality standards and cant be used, the drug giant said Wednesday. The drugmaker didnt say how many doses were lost, and it wasnt clear how the problem would impact future deliveries.

A vaccine ingredient made by Emergent BioSolutions  one of about 10 companies that Johnson & Johnson is using to speed up manufacturing of its recently approved vaccine  did not meet quality standards, J&J said. Read more.
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Mexican smugglers have been caught on camera dropping two toddlers over a 14-foot-high border barrier into the US while a mom was assaulted and her six-month-old baby was tossed off a raft into the Rio Grande river where six other migrants drowned.

Disturbing footage released by US Customs Border and Protection Wednesday captures the moment two female toddlers from Ecuador, aged three and five, were dumped over the wall just west of Mt. Cristo Rey, near El Paso, Texas, Tuesday evening.

The CBP said the young children, who are sisters, had been mistreated and abandoned by human smugglers.

The girls, who were rescued by agents and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation, are just two of the record 16,000 children who crossed the US-Mexico border in March.

Thousands of families and unaccompanied children have entered the US along its southern border since Joe Biden took office and vowed to make immigration rules more 'humane'.

However, the influx has led to a bottleneck at custody centers with migrants penned in to facilities that are at around 1,700 percent capacity while smugglers in Mexico are making a living off exploiting migrants heading north to the US.

Mexican smugglers have been caught on camera dropping two toddlers over a 14-foot-high border barrier into the US (pictured)

Cameras set up along the border caught the moment two smugglers dropped the children from the roughly 14-foot high border barrier under the cover of darkness.

An adult was seen on the Mexico side dangling the first child over the US side before letting go, leaving her to fall to the ground below.

The smuggler repeats this with the second child before they are seen instantly running away from the area with another smuggler back into Mexico.

The CBP said the children were left vulnerable to the desert elements on the ground but were luckily spotted by the camera operator who alerted Santa Teresa agents.

The agents hunted for the children and found them, taking them to a local hospital for 'precautionary reasons and further evaluation', the CBP said.

The two sisters were then medically cleared and taken to a temporary Border Patrol facility.

El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said she was 'appalled' seeing the way the smugglers 'viciously dropped' the toddlers.

'I'm appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night.

Disturbing footage released by US Customs Border and Protection Wednesday captures the moment two female toddlers from Ecuador, aged three and five, were dumped over the wall just west of Mt. Cristo Rey, near El Paso, Texas, Tuesday evening

The girls, who were rescued by agents and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation, while the two smugglers ran away

'If not for the vigilance of our Agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours,' said Chavez.

'We are currently working with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and attempting to identify these ruthless human smugglers so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.'

The shocking incident came just two weeks after a Texas rangers and Border Patrol agents were forced to rescue a six-month-old baby from the Rio Grande river after smugglers threw the infant to die in the waters.

The horrific incident unfolded back on March 16 in Roma, Texas, after the infant's mom was assaulted and left with a broken leg by a group of smugglers in Mexico, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The mother had paid smugglers $3,500 to take her and her baby across the Rio Grande river that borders Mexico and the US, reported KVEO.

Texas DPS Lt. Christopher Olivarez said she had been waiting to cross from Mexico to the US since December and was finally placed on a raft with 67 other adults and 150 children on March 16.

During the journey, one of the smugglers then threw her baby from the raft into the water.

Meanwhile a mom was assaulted and her six-month-old baby was tossed off a raft into the Rio Grande river where six other migrants drowned. Pictured a member of the South Texas Special Operations Group of the Texas Rangers holding the child after it was pulled from the water

The South Texas Special Operations Group, Texas Rangers Division was assisting US border patrol agents at the time.

They spotted the incident and managed to save the infant from the water.

The baby survived and its mother was also rescued from the smugglers.

Olivarez said they were reunited and are now 'safe' in Border Patrol custody.

Authorities shared a photo of a member of the South Texas Special Operations Group of the Texas Rangers holding the child after it was pulled from the water.

This week, at least six migrants reportedly found drowned in the Rio Grande river after trying to make the perilous journey toward the US.

The bodies of six migrants were found in a shallow, narrow part of the river by Eagle Pass Tuesday night, according to Newsmax.

Eagle Pass, Texas. Another shallow, narrow part of the Rio Grande. An Eagle Pass police officer tells me they found 6 bodies right around here earlier tonight pic.twitter.com/Nto1hD8Z3s  Logan Ratick (@Logan_Ratick) March 31, 2021

The bodies of six migrants were found in a shallow, narrow part of the river by Eagle Pass Tuesday night, according to Newsmax

A family of migrants cross the Rio Bravo river in El Paso, Texas, from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday

Thousands of families and unaccompanied children have entered the US along its southern border in recent weeks

Central American migrants cross the Rio Bravo in an attempt to get from Ciudad Juarez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, to El Paso, Texas, Tuesday

Migrants are detained by a US Border Patrol agent after crossing the Rio Bravo river from Mexico

The horrifying incidents reveal the dangers facing migrants as they try to make their way into the US from Mexico, given both the perilous conditions crossing the rivers on cramped rafts and the dangers of trusting smugglers.

The Mexican government last week vowed it was limiting nonessential travel on the Guatemala border, shutting down migrant crossings and deploying security forces to clampdown on the flow of migrants from Guatemala into the country before people head north into the US.

But the reality is smugglers make a living off passing migrants entering Mexico, passing through the country and crossing into the US.

Around 16,000 minors have crossed the US-Mexico border in March, with 5,767 children in CBP custody on Sunday, according to CBP data.

Additionally, there are 11,886 children in the custody of Health and Human Services, meaning the Biden administration has more than 17,500 children in custody.

On Tuesday, the Biden administration finally allowed journalists inside the Donna facility in Texas for the first time, after weeks of shutting the media out and releasing their own photos.

It revealed more than 4,000 migrants, including children and families, crammed into pods with the facility now at 1,700 percent capacity.

Media were allowed in to see the border facilities on Texas this week, with shocking scenes like the one above at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility (file photo)

Children are being crammed into the at the shelters like the one above, the Donna Department of Homeland Security, for weeks on end after a huge increase in March in the number of unaccompanied migrants

Border guards say 14 per cent - roughly one in seven - of the migrant children have tested positive for COVID while photos also show detainees being treated for lice, amid fears of an outbreak.

Two thousand children have already overstayed their 72-hour legal limit and at least 39 have been stuck in the cramped quarters for two weeks.

US border officials estimate that up to 184,000 unaccompanied migrant children could arrive at the US-Mexico border this year, according to internal government data reviewed by Reuters.

If accurate, it would be higher than any other year on record since 2010, when CBP began to fully track apprehensions of unaccompanied children.

The next-highest annual total occurred during a spike in 2019 under Donald Trump when around 76,000 unaccompanied children were taken into custody at the border.
Ashley Tisdale has been staying busy with the real estate market: The actress, who purchased a new Mediterranean-style home in the Hollywood Hills in January, recently sold off her villa in L.A.s Los Feliz neighborhood for $5.78 million, a substantial return given the $4.1 million she paid for it in 2019. The 4,214-square-foot home has undergone significant changes under Tisdales ownership, which makes sense, given that, as she told Architectural Digest in 2018, she has an eye for interior design thanks to her father, who worked as a contractor all throughout her childhood. I grew up with him building all these amazing housesincluding Darren Stars home in Los Angelesand I missed working together, she said at the time.

Tisdale, who recently launched her own interior design business, updated the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom Los Feliz residence with new European oak floors and white subway tile backsplash in the kitchen but kept many of the pads original details, including its leaded glass windows and some of the lighting fixtures. One of the homes most unique features is a fireplace built into a breakfast nook adjacent to the kitchen. I never thought how nice it is to have a fireplace in your kitchen, she captioned an Instagram photo a few months back. Old homes with new charm.

See the video.

Much of the propertys charm also lies in the unique color schemes and patterns throughout: a deep teal for the dining room, a denim blue for one of the bathrooms, intricately patterned wallpaper for the front foyer. The main suite features a private covered balcony and a vintage-style bathroom with white marble floors. Out back, theres a spacious deck, a lounge space with a built-in grill, and a two-story guest house situated next to a large rectangular pool. Tisdale and her husband, composer Christopher French, recently welcomed their first daughter, Jupiter.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Nandigram: Media persons have been attacked in the Nandigram assembly constituency during the second phase of assembly elections in West Bengal. In fact, when the media car was running behind the convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram, some people threw stones at the convoy of Suvendu Adhikari and pelted stones on the media cars behind him.

Some media persons have also suffered injuries due to stone-pelting. The attack took place on Sharangabari. Suvendu Adhikari's car has not been damaged in the attack, but some other cars in his convoy have been damaged. Suvendu Adhikari has alleged that Jangalraj is going on in West Bengal. This is the secret of Begum Mamata. He further said that those who burst firecrackers after Pakistan's victory are the same as those who attacked.

He said that there can be disturbances in Ranichak and Shatangabari, due to which these people have come here. But the Central Force is stationed. Because of this, they are unable to do anything. These people have raised the slogan of Jai Bangla. Bangladesh has given a slogan. Warrant continues against these people. They are roaming freely under the rule of Mamata Begum.

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The Indian stock markets, Sensex and Nifty, are expected to open higher on Thursday, tracking firm global cues. Among the individual stocks, shares of State Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India, UCO Bank, Sterling and Wilson Solar, Piramal Enterprises, Indiabulls Housing Finance, Edelweiss Financial Services, auto stocks will be in focus in Thursday's trading session.

Also read: Share Market LIVE Updates: Sensex opens 257 pts higher, Nifty at 14,791; HCL Tech, IndusInd Bank top gainers

Stocks to watch today: Here is a list of top stocks that are likely to be in focus.

State Bank of India (SBI): The country's largest lender has inked a loan agreement of up to $1 billion with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), a wholly owned by the Japanese government. The PSU had signed a similar deal with JBIC in October last year.

Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India, UCO Bank: The central government has proposed to inject Rs 14,500 crore ($2 billion) into the Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India and UCO Bank through zero-coupon bonds.

Auto stocks: Shares of auto companies, including Maruti, Tata Motors, Hero Motocorp will be in focus as they will announce their monthly sales figures for March.

Sterling and Wilson Solar Ltd: The promoter of the company, Khurshed Yazdi Daruvala, has sold 4.99 per cent equity stake in the company through an open market transaction.

Central Bank of India: The state-owned lender has called-off deal with Centrum Housing Finance to sell 64 per cent of its stake in the housing finance venture.

Piramal Enterprises Ltd: Piramal Pharma Solutions (PPS), an arm of the company, has entered into an agreement to purchase a 100 per cent stake in Hemmo Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd for Rs 775 crore.

Indiabulls Housing Finance: Crisil has upgraded its outlook on the company to stable from negative and has reaffirmed long-term credit rating at "CRISIL AA". The short term credit rating has been reaffirmed at the highest rating of "CRISIL A1+".

Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd: The company will launch a secured non-convertible debenture (NCD) issue today of up to Rs 400 crore. The issue will close on 23 April.
To fund its 15 percent share of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, Uganda is opting to borrow Ush481 billion ($130 million) from the domestic market to financially back its shareholding with equity.

The 15 percent is owned through the Uganda National Oil Company and the money is a precondition for the government to solidify its ownership in the project.

The loan will also pay for "historical costs," which international oil companies have been footing since 2017 on behalf of the government, such as the project's design and environmental impact studies.

After failing twice, parliament's Committee on National Economy will now have the last say on whether the government gets the money in time for the final investment decision, (FID) to tie up its equity in the $3.5 billion pipeline project.

"We are still scrutinising this loan request and the different agreements," before deciding whether to grant authorisation to borrow domestically, Committee chair Syda Bbumba told The EastAfrican.

Ms Bbumba said parliament's concerns are that the government did not make the request during the budget planning cycle, and is now ambushing the committee.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) agreements that are being scrutinised include the Inter-Governmental Agreement, signed in 2017, the Host Government Agreement, the shareholder agreement, tariff agreement and transportation agreement all signed in 2020.

On March 24, Junior Minister for Finance David Bahati held discussions with parliament's Committee on National Economy, and the Budget committee to explain the urgency of the loan, the shareholding structure of Eacop and its impact on Uganda's economy. This was a follow-up to two previous unfruitful meetings that Mr Bahati held with parliament only days earlier, when the lawmakers rejected borrowing of $130 million on the grounds that there was no evidence that the loan request was conditioned to FID.

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"Negotiations for the Final Investment Decision for Eacop are in advanced stages. The Eacop Bill has been drafted and is under discussion between government and the oil companies before it's eventually presented to parliament. Conclusion of these negotiations and the Bill will pave the way for FID and thus enabling construction to start," Mr Bahati explained to parliament.

He had appeared before the committee with Energy Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu and officials from National Oil on March 18, to get parliament's approval which the government was to table at the Eacop signing ceremony that had been scheduled to take place on March 22 in Kampala but was deferred to an undisclosed date in April.

Unoc Chief of Legal and Corporate Affairs Peter Muliisa says the urgency for borrowing is that these monies are to be reimbursed to Total when the parties sign the shareholder agreement and the FID "in the next few weeks."

The Eacop is a 1,445km long heated pipeline, a key component of the commercialisation of Uganda's oil, which will transport crude oil from the Lake Albert oil production sites at Tilenga and Kingfisher projects in western Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania.
The go ahead has been given to turn part of an historic hall in Tullamore into a restaurant.

A planning application was lodged with Offaly County Council to change the ground floor recreation hall of the Irish National Foresters Hall on Church Street in the town into 'an authentic Asian restaurant and take away'.

Sunitta Thongsong applied for permission for the development which will consist of the change of use of the existing

ground floor area.

The first floor of the building and storerooms at the rear of the ground floor will remain as per their current use and will continue to be operated by Irish National Foresters.

According to the plans, the facade of the building will remain with the exception of new signage on the front elevation.

The building is a protected structure as listed in the Record of Protected Structures in Tullamore Town & Environs Development Plan.

Offaly County Council has now granted permission for the project with eight conditions attached.
New Delhi:

Pakistans former President Pervez Musharraf has accused Peoples Party of Pakistan (PPP) leader and Benazir Bhuttos husband Asif Ali Zardari behind his wifes assassination on Thursday.

Asif Ali Zardari is responsible for the murder of Benazir and Murtaza Bhutto, said Musharraf in a video posted on his official Facebook page.

Musharraf in the video said, Every time a murder takes place, the first thing that needs to be investigated who is the person to gain from death. In this case, i Had everything to lose as I was in power.

He in the video further said, There was just one person to benefit from Benazirs assassination and he is Asif Ali Zardari.

The former Pakistani president further added that Zardari was in power for five years but why was the investigation no active then.

He was involved in Benazirs murder so he did not look into the case when he was in power, said Musharraf.

Musharraf explaining further said that evidences clear that Baitullah Mehsud and his people were involved in the murder.

The question is who asked them to target Benazir Bhutto. It could not be me because Mehsud and his men hated me and the feeling was mutual, said Musharraf.

The video was released almost a fortnight after an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan had declared former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

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Cuban residents are participating in the world of cryptocurrencies and electronic wallets as a practical solution to the financial sanctions imposed by the United States and the difficulties brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Neither the poor internet connectivity on the island nor its technological backwardness has prevented operations like getting remittances, paying bills or accessing capital with digital currencies from becoming increasingly popular.

Due to the restrictions that Cubans have, they do not have the possibility of accessing traditional means of payments, such as credit cards.

The solution that a growing number of young people found is to trade cryptocurrencies, which in turn they save or resell for profit or use for payments, exchanging them for cash that is converted into remittances and delivered to recipients through transfers from their mobile phones or money orders.

There are no figures on the amount that is moving in this money market throughout the island, but it seems to have increased since the administration of former President Donald Trump suspended the authorization of Western Union to work with Cuba at the end of 2020.

Added to that, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of flights on which the "mules" brought cash.

The Miami-based consulting firm, The Havana Consulting Group, considered that last year some 2.3 billion dollars arrived in Cuba in remittances, 36% less than in 2019 due to the pandemic, through all possible channels; an important amount for a small country that reported income from tourism of about 3-billion dollars a year before the coronavirus paralyzed this industry.

But the cryptocurrency phenomenon that quietly grew is increasingly noticeable on the island's streets.

"The impact that the use of cryptocurrencies has had in Cuba from two years to now has been impressive. It has escalated in its use, in its interpretation, in what it is ," says Erich Garcia, a 33-year-old programmer who gained influence as a' youtuber '.

The appeal is that money can be sent to family or friends "from anywhere in the world," without "any bank mediating," Garcia said. "It is a huge peer-to-peer network."

Among the most popular cryptocurrencies on the island are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and USDT.

The rapid spread of the use of cryptocurrencies has attracted questions about the extent to which these currencies without a homeland and without the support of central banks or the production of goods and services in the country can be a long-term solution for the impoverished country or during an economic crisis.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
On March 25, in announcing its 2020 annual results, China Mobile revealed its plans to acquire more than 400,000 700MHz base-stations with China Broadcasting Network Co., Ltd (CBN) in 2021. The construction will be completed in the 2021-2022 period.

The rollout of 4G networks based on 700MHz spectrum was once regarded as a key trend in the global commercialization of mobile communications. Marked by the joint construction and sharing of 700MHz by China Mobile and CBN, China's 5G construction is advancing towards the goal of achieving full coverage of urban areas, counties, and key towns across the country.

With its good communication characteristics, the 700MHz frequency band is regarded as the golden frequency band for the development of mobile communication services. Although its capacity is not large, as a low frequency band it has the advantages of low propagation loss, wide coverage, strong penetration, and low network cost, and these advantages are particularly prominent in the 5G era.

In granting 5G licenses, China Mobile and CBN have opted to jointly develop a 700MHz 5G network. In March 2020, the 700MHz frequency band's 230MHz large-bandwidth technical solution formulated by CBN was adopted and included in the 5G international standard, becoming the world's first low-frequency band and large bandwidth 5G international standard.

The 700MHz frequency band is a traditional feature of the television broadcasting system. On April 2, 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued a notice to adjust the usage plan of the 700MHz frequency band, enabling it to be used for 5G communications. The adjusted 700MHz frequency band usage plan is compatible with international mainstream solutions.

Most countries in the world have completed or are in the process of making terrestrial TV "analog-to-digital conversion" in the 700MHz frequency band, and using the released spectrum for mobile communication systems with higher spectrum utilization.

The domestic mobile communication industry has formed a relatively complete network equipment and terminal industry chain in this frequency band, and has the conditions to switch from traditional TV broadcasting services to mobile communication services.

China Mobile and CBN announced a 5G co-construction and sharing agreement in May 2020. On Jan. 26 this year, China Mobile's subsidiary China Mobile Communication Co. Ltd. signed a series of agreements with CBN on behalf of China Mobile's 31 provincial branches, reaching a comprehensive consensus on specific issues such as construction, maintenance, marketing and settlement. The two parties plan to make a joint effort on 700MHz network investment and construction on a 1:1 ratio.

On March 10, China Mobile and CBN jointly launched the "700MHz Terminal Ecosystem Co-construction Plan" with industrial partners, calling on the terminal industry chain to upgrade frequency band capabilities, giving specific technical requirements for 5G terminals of various categories to support the 700MHz frequency band.

China Mobile's prediction of the mobile phone market capacity in 2021 is that the total sales of mobile phones in China's domestic market will reach 350 million, of which total sales of 5G mobile phones should reach 280 million, and the total sales of 5G mobile phones in China Mobile's network will exceed 200 million.

After signing the co-construction and sharing agreement, China Mobile has set a timetable for the popularization of 5G 700MHz terminals. Starting from March 1, 2021, new terminal equipment (the mobile phone, etc.) worth 4,000 yuan and above must support the 700MHz frequency band; From Oct. 1, 2021 onwards, all new terminals at all price levels must support 700MHz.

Wang Zhiqin, vice president of China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, emphasized that network construction is the cornerstone of 5G commercial use and business development, which requires huge investment. Adhering to precise and intensive network construction and continuous reduction of network construction costs are the strong guarantee for the stability and long-term development of 5G.

"In 2021, China will scientifically and prudently propose the goal of building another 600,000 5G base stations to achieve deep coverage in cities above prefectural level," he added.

Content created in partnership with Science and Technology Daily.
One week before the election, Joe Biden went south. He was headed for Franklin Delano Roosevelts familiar Georgia getaway at the foot of Pine Mountain in Meriwether County. Known as the Little White House, it was FDRs frequent retreat of during the Great Depression and the perfect backdrop for a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020.

This place, Warm Springs, is a reminder that, though broken, each of us can be healed, Biden told socially distanced supporters spread out on the lawn. That as a people and a country, we can overcome a devastating virus. That we can heal a suffering world. And yes, we can restore our soul and save our country.

Biden went on to carry Georgia, win the presidency, and adopt Franklin Roosevelts approach to governance. The new president makes no secret of fashioning himself as something of a second FDR and is known to host private chats with historians specializing in that progressive administration. Now Biden is pushing a massive public works project all his own: $2 trillion in infrastructure spending introduced Wednesday as a chance to rebuild the backbone of America.

Its not a plan that tinkers around the edges, Biden told supporters in a Pittsburgh union hall. It is a once-in-a-generation investment in America, unlike anything weve seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago.

All the White House must do now is sell Bidens 21st century iteration of the New Deal, along with the trillion-dollar tax increase that comes with it, to the public. This will be as difficult as it is ambitious. Biden wants $621 billion for physical infrastructure -- money for bridges and roads, airports and seaports, public transit and electric vehicles. He is asking for $300 billion to replace lead water pipes, expand Internet access, and upgrade electric grids. Another $300 billion would go toward retrofitting public housing and public schools. Then there is a proposed $400 billion to care for elderly Americans and an additional $580 billion to bolster manufacturing and job training efforts for the next generation.

Rather than just borrow, the administration has opted also to tax. And rather than get too caught up in the details, Biden has once again invoked a sense of urgency to make the sale. Put simply, these are investments we have to make, he said. We can afford to make them, or put another way, we cant afford not to.

The taxes would make history, Steven M. Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, told RealClearPolitics. The Biden tax increases would be the largest we have seen in decades going back to FDR days. We need large tax increases to pay for the ambitious infrastructure spending that he contemplates.

Republicans, meanwhile, seem to have already made up their minds. Its like a Trojan horse, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in Kentucky. Its called infrastructure, but inside the Trojan horse its going to be more borrowed money, and massive tax increases on all the productive parts of our economy.

And on this point, Republican brass and the Tea Party old guard are simpatico.

There's been a common thread among all Biden's efforts so far: He promises unity, then delivers division, Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson told RCP, dismissing the package as a grab bag of payoffs to the left-wing base.

Given that his $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus package didnt receive a single GOP vote in the Senate, this wont come as a surprise to Biden. He held out hope publicly, extending an invitation to Republicans to meet with him in the Oval Office but insisting, We have to get it done. That intention now rests on razor-thin Democratic majorities in the House and especially the Senate, where the bill will most likely need to be passed through budget reconciliation to bypass the normal 60-vote threshold.

The White House cant afford any Democratic defections, which makes any intra-party grumbling about the costly outlay troubling. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer must now herd the closest thing to cats on Capitol Hill and keep the disparate factions within their caucus from sinking the presidents marquee effort before the midterms.

There are at least three groups to follow: moderates now exhausted by deficit spending after the American Rescue Plan; coastal advocates for affluent tax relief; and Democratic socialists who want even more spending -- much more. Sen. Joe Manchin has been the critical swing vote in the upper chamber so far, and while he told NBC News that he favors an enormous spending bill, the West Virginia Democrat insisted Congress should do everything we possibly can to pay for it. His preference, one shared by Montana Sen. Jon Tester: Roll back the Trump tax cuts.

The White House doesnt have a problem taxing the rich to spend, but it also has to satisfy the seemingly contradictory demands of Democrats from high-tax blue states.

For Rep. Josh Gottheimer, an infrastructure bill is a non-starter if Biden doesnt reinstate the State and Local Tax deductions that are worth billions and are predominantly utilized by the top 1% of earners. Simply put, the New Jersey Democrat told Axios, no SALT, no dice. He isnt alone. New York Rep. Tom Suozzi also vowed to oppose any infrastructure deal unless we reinstate SALT as part of the deal.

Those concerns are minor when compared to the dissatisfaction of some progressives. While Republicans balked at the price tag, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rolled her eyes even before Biden delivered his speech. This is not nearly enough. The important context here is that its $2.25T spread out over 10 years, she tweeted. Her recommendation? Needs to be way bigger.

All the squabbling does not surprise Jim Kessler, a co-founder of Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank. A longtime policy director in Schumers office, Kessler predicts that while the different wings of the party are going to have their demands and complaints, Biden will ultimately be successful. After all, he told RCP, this is the most ambitious domestic package since FDR.

Going back to the campaign and his stop at Georgias Little White House, Biden has pitched his infrastructure plan as a way to bring the country back from economic morass. It is a similar task to the one President Obama took up in the wake of the Great Recession, Kessler said, but with a key difference: Obama had to do things that were necessary for the economy, but that the American people hated, and that was bailing out financial institutions. Biden has the luxury in that nothing he has to do turns the stomachs of Americans, and feels like an injustice.

So far, at least, this is true. The public generally likes infrastructure spending. New polling from Morning Consult shows that 57% of voters say theyd be more likely to support Bidens infrastructure plan if it were funded by tax increases on those making over $400,000. Another 47% of voters say theyd be more likely to support the proposal if it were funded by increases to the corporate tax rate. Those polling numbers were ricocheting across the halls of the White House, especially in the office of Bidens chief of staff, Ronald Klain. Biden made sure to lean in with populist tones on both points in Pittsburgh.

His vision of a renewed America, one rebuilt by his spending, was one not seen through the eyes of Wall Street or Washington, but through the eyes of hardworking people like the people I grew up with, the president said on Wednesday. Hence, his proposal to increase the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.

No one should be able to complain about that. Its still lower than what that rate was between World War II and 2017, Biden said. And then with words that could have been cribbed straight from a Bernie Sanders campaign speech, the president repeated the dubious claim that many Fortune 500 companies, the biggest companies in the world, including Amazon, use various loopholes so they pay not a single, solitary penny in federal income tax.

Lest anyone forget his campaign promise of centrism, Biden repeated his vow that no one making under $400,000 would see a tax increase, although his own White House press secretary has clarified that the pledge would not apply to families making more than that income.

This is not about penalizing anyone. I have nothing against millionaires and billionaires. I believe in American capitalism. I want everyone to do well, Biden added. But companies must pay what Biden considers their fair share, he added, and the money is necessary to keep the country competitive. Here, the president made a nationalist argument to pique Republican sensibilities.

They know China and other countries are eating our lunch, he said, insisting that an ageing infrastructure system is holding the nation back. Theres no reason why it cant be bipartisan again.

The fate of the big infrastructure package, and all the taxes to pay for it, now rests with Congress. His bias, Biden has made clear repeatedly, is in favor of a big government like FDRs. The country just cant wait, he said again in Pittsburgh: We have to move now, because Im convinced that if we act now, in 50 years, people are going to look back and say this was the moment that America won the future.
Central Michigan University is very comfortable with hiring former U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider to conduct an independent investigation of the universitys sending students to a Lansing public relations firm despite having gone to high school with its owner, a spokesperson said Thursday.

The university, which sent students to work as interns at Vanguard Public Affairs, is opening an investigation after former employees of the firm have alleged inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment from TJ Bucholz, the firms owner. CMU hired Schneider as an independent investigator to look into whether employees had prior knowledge of the claims made against Bucholz.

Related: CMU hires former U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider to investigate pipeline of students to Lansing firm

The university stood by the decision after the Detroit Free Press reported both attended Frankenmuth High School.

We feel very comfortable with Matthew Schneider leading the independent investigation. Retaining outside counsel is a process that includes full disclosure of possible conflicts of interest. Mr. Schneider followed that process and disclosed the fact that they attended the same high school 30 years ago and that he is aware of who TJ Bucholz is and the role he plays at Vanguard Public Affairs, said university spokesperson John M. Veilleux.

We are confident that Mr. Schneider does not have a conflict of interest and that he will lead a full, thorough and complete investigation that will shine a light on anything that may or may not have happened as it relates to any possible connection between CMU and the events at Vanguard Public Affairs.

He said it was standard practice for the university to get a list of disclosures from outside attorneys, which it does not typically make public. In this case, he said, They didnt know each other... they werent buddies, they didnt hang out.

Schneider is not investigating the allegations against Bucholz, but any potential connections to the university.

Former employees have described Bucholz as an unpredictable boss who created a toxic work environment and at times sexually harassed the predominantly young, female employees and interns at Vanguard Public Affairs.

His workplace behavior included calling women into his office to comment on the appearance of women on television, talking about trading in his wife for a younger model, bringing a gun to work, and asking at least one woman to address him as Daddy, according to former employees.

Bucholz is a CMU alumnus who often hired interns and recent graduates from the university.

Bucholz has been asked to resign from multiple leadership positions as a result of the allegations, and multiple staff members have left the firm.

More on MLive:

CMU hires former U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider to investigate pipeline of students to Lansing firm

CMU suspends staff, launches investigation after students it sent to Lansing PR firm report sexual harassment

Michigan Press Association suspends CMU staffer amid investigation into Lansing PR firm
A man suffered various injuries after he was attacked by a number of males in east Belfast on Wednesday.

Police are investigating the assault which occurred at Ravenhill Avenue around 8pm.

It was reported that the male, aged in his thirties, was attacked by the gang as he was walking along the area.

The man sustained a broken nose, a fracture to an eye socket and other cuts and bruising as a result of the incident.

Detective Sergeant Natalie Moore said: Our enquiries into this vicious attack are ongoing and I would ask anyone who witnessed the incident or was travelling in the area and may have dashcam footage to contact detectives at Musgrave on the non-emergency number 101 quoting reference 1975 31/03/21, or to submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/
A look at some of the major movers on the London market on Thursday

( ) is in demand after it announced a proposed exclusive agreement with a Saudi Arabian power specialist.

The company's shares have climbed 4.99p or 7.76% to 69.29p as it signed a memorandum of understanding for Altaaqa Alternative Solutions, which operates one of the world's largest rental fleets of mobile diesel generators, to distribute its hydrogen-based fuel cell systems.

AFC said the dealership would give it access to the emerging Saudi power market, already forecast to be one of the world's largest producers of green hydrogen. The plan would be to focus first on Saudi Arabia and then broaden out to cover the rest of the Middle East & North Africa region.

2.31pm: Biomarket specialist among day's biggest fallers

Biotech business ( ) managed to eke out an increase in revenues and profits in the pandemic-hit year.

Full year revenues rose from 4.66mln to 4.75mln and after-tax profits from 0.15mln to 0.29mln.

But the market is unimpressed, and its shares have slumped 16.83% or 0.85p to 4.2p. To be fair, they did jump sharply last week when the company said it expected full year profits of around 0.30mln, which turned out to be an accurate forecast.

It said pharaceutical research activity was at near-normal levels despite lockdowns, but the absence of on site meetings and trade shows hit its sales and marketing activities. It expects virtual marketing to be the main driver for at least the first half of this year.

It is also looking to grow the business with new collaborations and products, although much depends on the markets returning to more normal activity.

12.12pm: Online teaching group in 70m takeover

Wey Education PLC (LON.WEY) has chalked up a hefty rise after agreeing to a takeover bid from Inspired Education Online Ltd which values the business at more than 70m.

Inspired, which was founded in 2013 and owns 60 private pay schools across the world as well as an online business King's College Online, is offering 47.5p a share in cash for Wey,an online education specialist. In the market Wey's shares have jumped 14p or 43.08% to 46.5p.

The bidder has received commitments worth 53.21% of its target. In recommending the offer Wey's directors said it provided certainty for shareholders "as against the inherent uncertainty of the delivery of future value that exists in any business."

Inspired's chairman and founder Nadim Nsouli said: " , which is providing a British curriculum education through its online live teaching and learning platform, will now be able to benefit from the support of a global schools group with leading educational experts, strong brand recognition, and premium physical facilities across the globe."

10.50am: Oil company's partner agrees to sell stake

Shares in Oilex Ltd (LON.OEX) have surged after the company came closer to settling a dispute over an Indian gas project which it has been trying to control for more than four years.

It has wanted to buy the 55% of the Cambay field it does not own since 2016 but it got into a spat with its partner - the state-backed Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited (GSPC) - over expense payments which at one point went to an Indian court.

But now it has announced that GSPC has approved the sale of the stake for US$2.2mln, as has the state government of Gujarat, giving Oilex 100% of the field. Completion of the deal will require the finalisation of a binding sales and purchase agreement, and finalisation of funding arrangements, both of which are expected to occur in the second quarter of 2021, it said. The sale also needs approval from the Indian government.

Once completed, the deal will allow the company to restart field work at the site, subject to getting the necessary funding.

Oilex's managing director Joe Salomon said: "We are pleased that Oilex and GSPC have been able to work together to agree this outcome and in doing so a major milestone has been achieved by the company in the face of many challenges. The long-awaited resolution provides the company with a pathway to evaluate the significant gas resource potential identified at Cambay. Oilex and GSPC continue to work together to finalise past pending costs related to certain field costs and regulatory spending prior to 2018."

The news has sent the company's Aim-listed shares up 60.61% or 0.10p to 0.27p.

9.36am: Savoy show to be livestreamed

Singer Alfie Boe is proving a hit with investors in 7Digital Group PLC (LON.7DIG).

The company's joint venture eMusic Live has announced it will livestream a concert by Boe and friends from the Savoy in London on Easter Saturday.

The hour long concert wil also feature Gary Barlow, Amanda Holden, Freddie Fox and Jason Manford with some of the proceeds going to charity.

The company said: "A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to Hospitality Action, the UK hospitality industrys benevolent charity, and The Connection at St. Martins, which supports thousands of homeless people to move away from sleeping on the streets."

7Digital chief executive Paul Langworthy said: "With eMusic Lives advanced monetisation tools, Alfie will be able to engage remotely with fans in new and exciting ways and generate maximum revenue for two very worthy causes.

7Digital shares are up 0.05p or 3.57% at 1.45p.

8.37am: Oil group upbeat on trading and prospects

Victoria Oil &Gas PLC (LON.VOG) has seen its shares gush higher after a positive update covering a range of issues.

It said its operations at the port city of Douala in Cameroon had not been affected by a small number of positive COVID-19 tests, with weekly gas production as expected and one customer returning after paying outstanding debt.

The company has also signed non-binding agreements with a potential buyer of its Russian interests, which has been fully impaired in its accounts. It has also started arbitration proceedings seeking a settlement from the Kazakhstan government. It said: "The dispute arises out of a series of actions and omissions by the Government and its courts which ultimately deprived VOG of the value of its investment in the Kemerkol oil field located in Atyrau Oblast. After investing over US$35 million into the Kemerkol Field, Kazakhstan invalidated VOG's rights to the Kemerkol Field, seized assets on site, and VOG was forced to suspend oil production in June 2008."

There is more. It also issued a positive update on its Logbaba site, and said various preparations were underway at its Matanda licence.

Craig Howie as the company's broker Shore Capital said: "We believe that the announcement of a transaction here {Matanda] could provide a very important potential catalyst in due course. In the meantime, we consider this to be a very encouraging update from VOG, which we believe is demonstrating great resilience under its management team led by chief executive Roy Kelly  we continue to see excellent potential as the company continues to capitalise on its dominant position in the Douala region, where we see significant opportunity."

The company's shares are 7.69% or 0.3p higher at 4.2p.

Also on the rise is Infrastrata PLC (LON.INFA), up 6.41% or 2.5p at 41.5p.

The infrastructure company, which owns the famous Harland & Wolff name, said revenues for the eight months to March were 6.5m, compared to 1.4m at the previous year end.

Its strategy is to build the Harland business across five core markets - cruise and ferry, commercial fabrication, oil and gas, defence and renewables.

Chief executive John Wood said: "We believe that we have now built significant growth momentum over the past few months that will lead to large contract wins across the five core markets within which we operate.

"With the gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions, we anticipate larger spending patterns that will eventually lead to higher revenues across the second half of the calendar year."

Proactive news headlines

( ) said it has engaged consultancy Guidehouse to research and advise on science-based solutions towards the companys long-term strategy to eliminate its climate impact.

( ) is buying the owner of the Nicholas Humphreys estate agent and letting chain for 4mln.

FastForward Innovations Ltd ( ) said it has taken part in the 14mln pre-IPO funding round for , the Jersey-based medical cannabis group.

PLC ( ) said analysis of the drilling at the Wudinna gold project in South Australia had identified a strike extension of mineralisation at the Clarke prospect.

( ) ( ) has hailed the achievement of significant business and project level milestones in 2020 as it updated investors on the status of its balance sheet and financing.

( ) said gross origination of client companies increased by 13% in the first quarter from a year ago. The fintech firm's client list at the end of March stood at 187, up from 82 a year earlier, with the value of the inventory on the system rising to 2.4bn from 1.22bn a year earlier and from 2.13bn at the end of 2020.

Base Resources Ltd (LON:BSE, ASX:BSE) completed a pre-feasibility study (Kwale North PFS) on the potential for the North Dune and Bumamani deposits to extend the mine life at its Kwale mineral sands operation in Kenya. The study concluded that it was not currently viable to mine all of these deposits mainly due to the low heavy mineral grade, high land acquisition costs and elevated slimes content and associated tailings disposal costs.

( ) said it has made the first payment towards the purchase of the Minto operations in the Yukon, Canada, under a deal inked in 2019.

(LON:DDD, NASDAQ:LBPS) hailed 2020 as a transformational year for the company. In its full-year results statement, the company listed the publication of the first proof-of-concept data for MRx0518 in last-line cancers and the journey towards a listing on NASDAQ as highlights of the year.

Great Western Mining Corp PLC ( ) said drilling has started on its operations in Mineral County, Nevada to test a prospective copper target and is likely to be followed by a second hole on the same prospect.

(LON:WTE, OTCQB:WMELF) highlighted it is debt free as it announced the final repayment against convertible unsecured loan notes, which became due on March 31 2021.

Zephyr Energy PLC ( ) has completed the acquisition of non-operated working interests in producing and near-term production wells in the Bakken Formation in North Dakota, US.

( ) told investors that the FEED (Front-End Engineering and Design) study for its oil sands project in Utah will be delayed by six weeks, but when it is complete it will be more robust.

Amur Minerals Corporation ( ) said that it has received its interest payment for the first-quarter of 2021 based on the US$4.67mln convertible loan note investment to Nathan River Resources (NRR) to resume production at the Roper Bar iron ore project in Australias Northern Territories.

plc ( ) announces that on 30 and 31 March 2021 Trevor Brown, a director and PDMR of the Company, sold a total of 2,219,189 shares at an average price of 74.77p per share. He now holds 5,424,099 ordinary shares, representing a 14.16% stake in the company.

( ) said it will hold its annual general meeting on Thursday, 6 May 2021, and has today posted its annual report for the past calendar year and forms of proxy.

(LON:TRP,) announced that it has made an annual award of over 88mln share options at an exercise price of 0.45 pence under its long-term incentive plan, and has also issued 30,000-worth of warrants at the same exercise price in lieu of fees to directors and to one of its contractors in respect of the second quarter of 2021.

( ) confirmed the grant of 10.5mln replacement options awarded under its revised long-term incentive plan to CEO Sean Smith and CFO Alex Abrey.

(LON:TRR, FSX:5KV) Adam Davidson and Martin Page, CEO and CFO of Trident, will provide a live presentation via the Investor Meet Company platform on Wednesday 7 April 2021 at 5pm BST.

( ) chairman Tim McCarthy and CEO Simon Ward will give a company presentation via a live webinar hosted by London South East on Tuesday 6 April 2021, including a presentation and a Q&A session.


Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 21:36:36|Editor: huaxia

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MALE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives' Health Protection Agency (HPA) has lifted the curfew in the capital city of Male, local media reported Thursday.

A notice published by Director General of Public Health Maimoona Abu Bakr on Thursday declared the end of the 11:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. curfew, which was put in force on March 4 to contain a surge of COVID-19 cases in the capital city.

Furthermore, preschools, nurseries, daycares, gyms, universities, cinemas, dine-in eateries and running tracks will all be re-opened subject to guidelines by the HPA and relevant government departments.

However, certain restrictive measures will continue such as bans on public gatherings of more than five people, and travel from Male to quarantined islands.

The Maldives has registered over 24,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Enditem
Find lease deals for the Hyundai Tucson at Boucher Hyundai.

Vehicle shoppers who are waiting for the prime opportunity to find their next sedan or SUV are encouraged to check out the great vehicle deals in Waukesha at Boucher Hyundai of Waukesha. These vehicle deals include the great opportunity to lease the 2021 Hyundai Sonata SE from just $99 a month. There are a variety of other Hyundai vehicles included in this sales event, so customers who are interested in taking advantage of these deals are encouraged to act fast.

Other vehicles that have sales at Boucher Hyundai of Waukesha include:



2021 Hyundai Venue SEL from$129 a month

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL AWD from $229 a month

2021 Hyundai Elantra SE from $129 a month

2021 Tucson SE AWD from $139 a month

Currently, this dealership offers the Hyundai spring upgrade sales event, which offers a variety of vehicles 0% APR financing for 60 months plus zero payments for 90 days. Customers can also find that the 2021 Hyundai Tucson, 2021 Hyundai Kona and the 2021 Hyundai Sonata all have $0.00 down at lease signing, $0.00 first months payment and $0.00 security deposit. Additional information about these vehicle deals can be found at http://www.boucherhyundai.com.

Customers who are interested in taking advantage of these vehicle deals are encouraged to contact the Boucher Hyundai of Waukesha sales department by calling 800-339-7306 or by showing up to the dealership at 1583 E Moreland Blvd in Waukesha. Additional information about the Hyundai vehicle lineup can be found on the dealership's blog and via the research page on its website. Again, customers are encouraged to act quickly, as this sales event won't last long.
Legoland Water Park has announced the re-opening of its gates to the public from April 1  welcoming families with children aged 2-12 to swim, play and build memories together.

Opening during the Spring break holidays, the water park will make for the perfect family day trip adventure Thursday to Saturdays, with a limited time bonus of free access to Legoland Dubai theme park after 5:00 pm for Water Park ticket holders.

Families can once again enjoy the water parks key attractions including Build-A-Raft River, where families customise their own raft using Lego soft bricks, before floating down a lazy river. Exhilarating experiences await at Twin Chasers, where friends and family can race each other on double body slides that end in a shallow wading area.

There is plenty for the whole family to enjoy together, such as Red Rush where they can ride together in a family-sized raft down a 312-foot-long curving track on an 11-foot in diameter half pipe. Other highlights include the Wave Pools, Joker Soaker water playground and many more awesome family water slides.

Families looking to refuel can head over to Waves Bistro for a selection of delicious burgers, wraps, and salads and after 4pm kids eat free! If families wish to rent a cabana they are encouraged to pre-book cabanas online at an additional cost starting from AED99 ($26.9). Each booking includes a covered cabana area that accommodates up to six people, including two sofas, two luxury padded sun-loungers, and a locker.

With a variety of water slides and attractions, Legoland Water Park is the regions only water park designed to provide a full days interactive experience for families with children between the ages of 2-12. Only a 20-minute drive from Dubai Marina, the water park features 20 water slides and attractions, each offering a unique fun-soaked experience as well as full range of amenities, including dining and retail outlets, changing rooms, guest services, first aid and prayer rooms.

Lrgoland Water Park will be open from 10am  6pm Thursday to Saturday, with guests welcome to exit via Legoland Dubai theme park from 5:00 pm and make use of its family friendly attractions at no extra charge.

Maintaining visitor health and safety as a top priority, the team at Legoland Dubai and Legoland Water Park have been working hard to ensure hygiene and safety measures are enhanced throughout the Park, including temperature checks on arrival, enhanced cleaning, one way systems, social distancing markers at ride queues, shops, restaurants and more. Capacity will be reduced in line with the government regulations and social distancing requirements to ensure a safe and fun experience for all. Due to these measures, water park tickets must be purchased in advance online by all park-goers. In addition, Annual Pass members should reserve their Water Park spot online in advance. Families can secure their place and save an additional 20 per cent by visiting www.legoland.ae. - TradeArabia News Service
TechnipFMC (NYSE: FTI) (PARIS: FTI), a global leader in the energy industry, and Bombora, a leading wave energy technology company, have formed a strategic partnership to develop a floating wave and wind power project in support of a more sustainable future.

The relationship brings together TechnipFMC's unique technologies and experience delivering complex integrated Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (iEPCI) projects offshore with Bombora's patented multi-megawatt mWave technology that converts wave energy into electricity.

The partnership will initially focus on TechnipFMC and Bombora's InSPIRE project. With engineering work initiated in November 2020, the partnership is developing a hybrid system utilizing Bombora's mWave technology. The hybrid system demonstrator will deliver 6 megawatts of combined floating wind and wave power, followed by Series 1 and Series 2 commercial platforms which are expected to deliver 12 and 18 megawatts, respectively.

Jonathan Landes, President Subsea at TechnipFMC, commented: "Our core competencies and integration capabilities make us an ideal system architect and partner in developing renewable energy solutions alongside Bombora's experience and unique, patented mWave technology. We are delighted to work on a project that advances our commitment to the environment while contributing toward a more sustainable future

Sam Leighton, Bombora's Managing Director, said: "Bombora is collaborating with TechnipFMC to accelerate development of our floating integrated mWaveTM platform solutions for commercial wind farms. With TechnipFMC's extensive track record of delivering large-scale projects to the energy sector and Bombora's innovative mWaveTM technology, we are confident InSPIRE will play a key role in the offshore energy sector

Important Information for Investors and Securityholders

Forward-Looking Statement

This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words "believe", "estimated" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. Such forward-looking statements involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. For information regarding known material factors that could cause actual results to differ from projected results, please see our risk factors set forth in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which include our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of our forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

About TechnipFMC

TechnipFMC is a leading technology provider to the traditional and new energy industries, delivering fully integrated projects, products, and services.

With our proprietary technologies and comprehensive solutions, we are transforming our clients' project economics, helping them unlock new possibilities to develop energy resources while reducing carbon intensity and supporting their energy transition ambitions.

Organized in two business segments Subsea and Surface Technologies we will continue to advance the industry with our pioneering integrated ecosystems (such as iEPCI, iFEED and iComplete), technology leadership and digital innovation.

Each of our approximately 20,000 employees is driven by a commitment to our clients' success, and a culture of strong execution, purposeful innovation, and challenging industry conventions.

TechnipFMC uses its website as a channel of distribution of material company information. To learn more about how we are driving change in the industry, go to www.TechnipFMC.com and follow us on Twitter @TechnipFMC.

About Bombora and mWave

Based in Pembroke Dock in West Wales, Bombora is a leading marine energy company that has developed a membrane style wave energy converter called 'mWave'.

mWaveTM can be located in both nearshore and offshore sites with good wave resources to generate sustainable clean energy. mWaveTM is unique among wave energy converters as it simultaneously addresses the 'cost of energy' and 'ocean wave survivability' challenges while delivering a utility scale solution.

Bombora is currently completing the 1.5 megawatt mWaveTM Pembrokeshire Demonstration Project in Wales, part funded by 13.4 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government.

Bombora is progressing further opportunities in Lanzarote, Japan, Ireland and Australia.

www.bomborawave.com

For more information, please visit www.inspireoffshoreenergy.com

Images available on request.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005878/en/

Contacts:

TechnipFMC Contacts

Investor relations

Matt Seinsheimer

Vice President Investor Relations

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: Matt Seinsheimer

James Davis

Senior Manager Investor Relations

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: James Davis

Media relations

Nicola Cameron

Vice President Corporate Communications

Tel: +44 1383 742297

Email: Nicola Cameron

Brooke Robertson

Public Relations Director

Tel: +1 281 591 4108

Email: Brooke Robertson

Bombora Contacts

Sam Leighton

Managing Director

T: +44 1646 233140

M: +44 7981 844125

sam@bomborawave.com

Ffion Wright

Marketing and Communications Manager

T: +44 1646 233140

M: +44 7890 636898

ffion@bomborawave.com
[April 01, 2021] Novari Surgical Wait List Technology to be Deployed at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare

KINGSTON, ON, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - Novari Health has announced that it has executed an agreement with Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare to immediately implement its surgical wait list management and eBooking technology. The Novari ATC software is being implemented at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare. The technology is being provided as software as a service (SaaS) to the hospital and all surgical offices. The system will provide these surgeons and their office staff access to a standardized electronic wait list management system and the ability to electronically coordinate the scheduling of surgeries and procedures with the hospital. The software enhances the ability for collaboration and management of pooled lists of patients waiting for surgery as well as supporting a regional view of the demand for surgical services. The Ontario Ministry of Health, Ontario Health and hospitals across the province have been working to mitiate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients waiting for surgery. Having a modern wait list management system complements these efforts.



The implementation of the award winning Novari ATC system includes integration to Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare's installation of Cerner and will automate the surgical booking process. Novari Health's innovative and unique access to care technologies are live or being implemented at dozens of hospitals and regional health authorities across five Canadian provinces.

"Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare is eagerly anticipating the launch of the Novari software in Muskoka," says CEO Natalie Bubela. "Embracing this new technology will provide better digital access to accurate surgical wait times, moving us away from manual processes. There will be countless workflow efficiencies for our staff and for staff in the surgical offices and the benefits are promising and exciting." "COVID-19 has impacted surgical wait times in much of Canada. Having a digital wait list management system was important before the pandemic. Now it's even more important". - John Sinclair CPHIMS-CA, President, Novari Health About Novari Health

Novari Health designs, builds, and implements award-winning enterprise scale SaaS solutions that improve access to care, coordination of care, and the delivery of healthcare services. Based in Kingston Ontario and with offices in Vancouver, Australia, and New Zealand, Novari has become one of the largest Canadian based digital health solution providers. ISO 27001 certified, Novari Health is a Microsoft Gold Partner, with software solutions hosted on Microsoft Azure Canadian and Australian cloud data centres. For more information visit www.novarihealth.com. About Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare

Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) is a multi-site health care organization accredited with exemplary standing that provides acute care services at the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital and South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in Bracebridge. Find out more about Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare by visiting www.mahc.ca. SOURCE Novari Health Inc.

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Vietnam is seeking new COVID-19 vaccine supply sources from Russia, China, and India to ensure its plan on vaccinating all citizens this year.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long convened a working session with the Embassies of China, India, and Russia on Wednesday to discuss the supply of COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo, more than 100 million citizens in China have received COVID-19 vaccination.

The East Asian country has also provided vaccine aid to 69 countries.

China has rolled out COVID-19 vaccine passport policy, which gives priority to those who have received Chinese vaccines.

Minister Long requested China to provide Vietnam with vaccine support so that the latter can vaccinate individuals belonging to target groups listed by the government.

Vabiotech Company under the Ministry of Health is in charge of negotiating with Chinese partners and assessing their vaccine resources and availability.

If all conditions are met, the vaccine will be licensed within two weeks, Long stated.

Meanwhile, two COVID-19 vaccines are being manufactured in India, including that developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and Covaxin manufactured by Indias Bharat Biotech.

Vietnam's Duc Minh Company, which specializes in vaccine exports and imports, has proposed that the health ministry issue a license for Covaxin.

Vietnam seeks Indias cooperation in the human trial of the formers homegrown COVID-19 vaccine, said Minister Long.

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma stated he will discuss with local vaccine producers regarding cooperation methods.

With regard to Russias vaccine, Vietnam has approved Sputnik V for emergency use in the country.

However, the supply of this vaccine in the Southeast Asian country remains unclear.

Vietnam expects to acquire 150 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in total this year, with 60 million AstraZeneca shots already secured via direct purchases and the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme.

The distribution of these vaccine doses, however, will be slower compared to the original plan.

Vietnam is conducting human trials of two of its domestic COVID-19 vaccines, namely Nanocovax and Covivac.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
LANSING  Special education students require more attention from educators to be able to retain information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made learning easier for some of those students, while most have regressed, according to Derek Cooley, the president-elect of the Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education.

Schools are now forced to make up for their lost learning while continuing new learning.

Special education students are vulnerable learners to begin with, so virtual instruction has really exacerbated the need for extra attention, Cooley said.

Cooley said special education students face two major barriers with virtual learning.

What we have seen primarily is issues around technology access, but many schools have been able to address that, Cooley said. The second barrier is that its much more difficult for students to engage with teachers and with their peers in a virtual setting.

According to Cooley, a former special education director at Godwin Heights Public Schools in Wyoming, many students have returned to in-person instruction, but the negative effects of virtual learning linger.

In the virtual setting, many of our students with special needs have not made the same amount of progress that they would have in person, Cooley said. Now were in a position that we need to make up for that forgone learning that took place during virtual instruction, and continue to keep our kids on pace.

Stephanie Schumacher is a mother of four. Her 8-year-old son, Dalton, has severe autism and Williams syndrome, which made it extremely difficult for him to learn during the virtual learning period.

All four of Schumachers children have returned to in-person learning at Caledonia Community Schools, but the lingering impacts of virtual learning still affect Dalton.

Schumacher describes virtual learning as a disaster for her family.

Trying to be a teacher for a special needs student on top of all of my other kids being home was hard, she said. Dalton regressed  he had so many more meltdowns, he was banging his head on the walls, he started hitting his elbow on the walls.

There were constant meltdowns, just having his routine thrown off and having no outlets of anywhere to go was bad.

She said Daltons behaviors worsened.

Because he couldnt go anywhere, he couldnt do anything, he was stuck in his house and out of his routine.

According to Schumacher, the change in routine and extra chaos from his siblings also caused Dalton to regress academically.

Counting and just basic things that a toddler should know he forgot. He lost the fine motor skills and the ability to write his name, Schumacher said. It was crazy because he was even forgetting what his colors were. You know kids like Dalton need constant repetition.

Schumacher describes her son as happier and less stressed now that hes resumed in-person learning.

She said his teachers have done well in keeping things as normal as possible, but there have been no individualized education program (IEP) meetings between parents and school officials

The school normally holds those meetings with parents of special needs students at least three times a year, Schumacher said. She describes them as group discussions that play a major role in determining Daltons daily program.

Cooley says many school districts have begun providing recovery services to help special education students, like Dalton, who have regressed due to virtual learning. Some are after-school programs and others will be summer programs.

Laura LeMore, the executive director of special education for Grand Rapids Public Schools, said the district is working to create recovery services.

Our responsibility is to fill in the gap between the general education students and students with disabilities, she said.

According to LeMore, the Grand Rapids district is looking to offer summer school, more individualized services, before and after school services and extra tutoring as recovery services.

Cooley said, On the flip side, however, virtual learning has benefited some special education students, who have thrived, mostly at the secondary level.

For example, Tricia Crows son, Jacob, is a sophomore at Union High School in Grand Rapids. Jacob is high-functioning autistic and has been mainstreamed in regular classrooms.

According to Crow, virtual learning is beneficial for Jacob and hes still learning from home.

Hes failed almost every grade up until now, Crow said. With the virtual learning, hes gone from Ds and Es to As and Bs.

Crow said virtual learning lets her provide the one-on-one attention that Jacob doesnt get in school.

The virtual learning starts at 7:40. I get up with him and sit with him until I have to go to work. I only miss out on two classes, she said. If Jacob doesnt understand something, I try and figure out a different way to explain it to him that he would understand.

Its not like Im standing over him as an authoritarian trying to make him pay attention. Its more that Im interacting, too, Crow said

Crow said shes struggled to get her son the academic help he needs.

When he was younger, he used to space out so teachers would just say he wasnt paying attention. That didnt help our case with the IEP or getting the help he needed, she said. Its taken up until just this past year to get him diagnosed as autistic because hes high-functioning.

According to Crow, the pandemic has allowed her to understand how Jacob learns best.

He has less stress at home because we can control our environment more, she said. Without all the extra chaos going on, hes actually been able to learn and retain more.

If Jacob goes back to in-person learning, Crow says she hopes the school will provide the attention he needs and he isnt just passing with Ds.

I want him to have more help, more one on one. Even if they use the (teachers) aide, I want her to sit closer to him, she said.

Crow said shes apprehensive about sending Jacob back to in-person school since hes been in a controlled environment for so long.

If he has too much stimulus, he shuts down, she said. I can see that when he goes back, shutdowns are going to happen a lot more.

Cooley predicts that virtual learning may remain an option for students, like Jacob, who have benefited from the program.

For kids who had never accessed online, they were forced to do it during COVID, and that could be an opportunity for kids who have done well, he said.
2 Toddlers Dropped Over Border Barrier by Smugglers in New Mexico

Rescued by Border Patrol

Two toddlers who were dropped over a border barrier late Tuesday in the middle of the New Mexico desert have been rescued by U.S. Border Patrol.

A camera operator at the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port of entry witnessed the incident over security camera of the area, which was in a remote location. In the video, a human smuggler could be seen dropping the two toddlers from the top of the border barrier at a height of about 14 feet.

Immediately after both children landed on the ground, two smugglers immediately fled the area and abandoned the helpless little girls on the north side of the international boundary line, the U.S. Border Patrol announced.

The video of the incident was shared on Twitter by El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez.

Im appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night. If not for the vigilance of our Agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours, she said in a statement.

We are currently working with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and attempting to identify these ruthless human smugglers so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Santa Teresa agents came to the rescue after the camera operator informed them about the incident. The toddlers were found to be 3 and 5-year-old Ecuadorian sisters. Both were alert when the agents found them.

They were sent to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical checks, and later were sent to a local hospital for further checks. They were medically cleared and are currently in a Border Patrol temporary holding facility, pending placement by Health and Human Services (HHS).

Family units and unaccompanied minors climb the banks of the Rio Grande River into the United States as smugglers on rafts prepare to return to Mexico in Penitas, Texas on March 5, 2021. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

The incident follows a separate border rescue on March 16, when Texas rangers saved a 6-month-old baby who had been thrown off a raft into the Rio Grande River by smugglers. The Rio Grande acts as a natural border in some parts of Texas.

Border Patrol announced earlier this month the death of a 9-year-old girl who drowned while she tried to cross the Rio Grande River illegally into the United States. Two others, an adult woman and her 3-year-old child, were traveling with the girl.

The latest incidents have occurred amid a dramatic increase in illegal border crossings, including by unaccompanied minors, at the U.S.-Mexico border. The situation has proven to be a humanitarian crisis thats seen overcrowded temporary holding facilities and concerns over the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus among the illegal immigrants held there.

Since taking office, President Joe Biden has reversed a number of border policies from the Trump administration, including pausing border wall construction and announcing the removal of the Remain in Mexico policywhich required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while awaiting immigration proceedings.

Biden and other U.S. officials have repeatedly urged migrants to refrain from illegally crossing the border into the United States. Despite this, the number of illegal crossings at the southern border has been on the rise since October 2020.

The number of arrests from October 2020 to January 2021 was 296,259, representing a 79.5 percent increase from the same period last year, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data. In February, the CBP apprehended 100,441 aliens who crossed the southern border illegally.

While adults and family units are still being expelled from the United States, the Biden administration has been accepting all unaccompanied minorschildren who unlawfully enter the country without an adult.

About 11,900 children were in HHS shelters and nearly 5,800 children were in Border Patrol custody as of March 28. To reduce overcrowding, the administration is rapidly expanding emergency influx shelters and surveying military bases to host unaccompanied minors.

Reuters contributed to this report
Build (and Patronize) Alternative Structures While We Can

Commentary

Fed up and/or frustrated with mainstream methods and companies, not to mention governmental interference, our fellow and gal Americans have been building alternative structures as long as we have been alive.

Some have been useful, some not. Some lasted, most didnt.

But now, in this time of vaccine passports and similar growing intrusions and regulations in our personal lives, you might even call them traditional citizen lives in the increasingly nostalgic Constitutional sense, that threaten to, indeed very much are, turning us into drones in an autocratic state, they have become more necessary than ever, even mandatory.

As in so many incipient autocraciesthats what Im calling it for now because its a state-managed capitalism and, like China, not really communism, bad as that isfear stalks the land.

For what other than fear, bordering on terror, drives executives at our major corporations like Coca Cola to kowtow to the current racially-obsessed, politically-driven tripe as if they were sophomores buzzed on weed at some dormitory bull session? (The unintended benefit of this reactionary eyewash is some of us, myself included, may finally get off Coke Zero, definitely an improvement to health.)

The blog revolution at the beginning of this century is one of the alternative structures that has lasted, although it has morphed in various ways. So it shouldnt be surprising that my friend Dr. Helen SmithPh.D. psychologist, prize-winning documentarian, and wife of Blogfather Glenn Instapundit Reynoldsis the latest, very welcome entrant in the world of alternative structures.

As she explains on Helens Page:

A lot of people after the election are feeling more isolated than ever. So I made a place for them to meet each other. Helens Page is a place where people can come to find and help other liberty-minded people across the countryfrom selling your undiscovered screenplay or advertising your local bakery right down to finding an accountant, electrician, or other professional who shares your love of liberty.

Selling an undiscovered screenplay may be more than a tad optimistic at this point, but the other suggestions make a lot of sense. And the site is already filling up with people hawking various wares to their liberty-minded colleagues and friends.

A high percentage of these wares appear to be books.

This is also not surprising given how difficult it is for right-leaning books to be reviewed or even noticed, but, yet more importantly, because of what is going on in the publishing world.

Amazon, the dominant force in publishing by a hitherto unimaginable amount, almost to the point of monopoly in essence, if not technically, turns out to be a book banner straight out of Fahrenheit 451.

The most recent is example of this horrendous, anti-free speech behavior is the sudden disappearance of When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by Ryan T. Anderson.

Although I have been published twice by the same publisher, Encounter, I have not read the book and cannot speak for its contents, but cannot imagine anything that would merit this treatment when Amazon sells The Anarchist Cookbook, frequently bought together (in their parlance) with the U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook and U.S. Army Guide to Unconventional Warfare. Mein Kampf is also available.

We are obviously in the era of the New Corporate Dictators (Zuckerberg, Bezos, Dorsey, and whoever of multiple leaders is presently ruling Google/Alphabet) who are arguably as powerful as the conventional kind, more powerful in the crucial area of mind control.

Just today Facebook, bowing to the Sons of Goebbels at Media Matters, has, a second time, removed an interview with former President of the United States Donald Trump with the following juvenile email:

Hi folks,

We are reaching out to let you know that we removed content from Lara Trumps Facebook Page that featured President Trump speaking. In line with the block we placed on Donald Trumps Facebook and Instagram accounts, further content posted in the voice of Donald Trump will be removed and result in additional limitations on the accounts.

When that can happen, alternative sites like Dr. Helens, small as they may be, become all the more necessary.

You know what they say about little acorns.

DISCLOSURE: All thirteen of my published books are currently for sale on Amazon, but I have no ability to remove twelve of them that were licensed to publishers in the conventional manner. Only my most recent novelThe GOATthat was self-published as an experiment is under my control. But even that is difficult to unsnarl from the Amazon system with multiple editions, including Kindle, and the more complicated audiobook, which I share with the man who narrated it, who has his own fiduciary interest. But Im working on it, looking for other venues and payment methods. Give it some time. Soon enough it may turn up on Helens Page.

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.
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Transcutaneous monitor, commonly, is a non-invasive monitoring system which is continuously used to monitor the oxygenation and ventilation. These transcutaneous monitoring systems comprise of a sensor that detects and estimates the amount of blood gases diffused through the skin. Currently, transcutaneous monitoring is considered as the most trending tool that has been used to monitor oxygenation status and ventilation status by non-invasive means. These monitoring systems provide real-time information and enables a physician to take an instant action for patient safety, thereby generating a strong hold in transcutaneous monitors market.

Any unusual changes in oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide washout is reported by these transcutaneous monitoring systems in terms of partial pressure of transcutaneous oxygen (tcpO 2 ) and partial pressure of transcutaneous carbon dioxide (tcpCO 2 ) respectively. Usually, the skin-surface partial pressure of oxygen (PO 2 ) and carbon dioxide (PCO 2 ) is measured by transcutaneous monitors. Transcutaneous monitors are small and compact and are easy portable devices. They are capable to support patient monitoring during transport as they have in-built battery on the account of which they can be used anywhere.

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Transcutaneous monitors have installed integrated data memory that enables a user to download patients measurement of oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide washout on a computer system. Transcutaneous monitors are indicated for the patients who requires continuous monitoring of the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels via non-invasive means. These monitors find intensive applications in wound care, prolonged laparoscopic surgery, Apnea testing, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and evaluation of tissue perfusion which drives the growth for transcutaneous monitors market. Generally, transcutaneous monitors are indicated for the patients who have poor skin integrity.

A transcutaneous oxygen index is largely used as a marker for early detection of hypoperfusion and mortality. The transcutaneous oxygen monitor on whole is comprised of a platinum and silver electrodes. These electrodes are covered with hydrophobic oxygen-permeable membrane, and comprises chamber wherein phosphate buffer and potassium chloride are present. Hyperfusion is induced in the patient skin under transcutaneous monitoring system by elevating the temperature of skin at sensor site.

The sensor site where transcutaneous oxygen sensor is placed is heated till it reaches a temperature of 44C. In order to avoid any tissue damage, the sensor site to measure oxygen level is changed after regular intervals of time. The electrodes used in transcutaneous oxygen sensor should be calibrated as per manufacturers protocol in almost eight hours. The growing demand for transcutaneous monitoring systems, especially in neonatal care and adults & pediatric care is projecting the growth of transcutaneous monitors market. It continuously monitors the oxygenation status in neonatal intensive care units and thus prevents severe complications by monitoring abrupt changes in oxygenation and ventilation levels.

Transcutaneous monitoring system finds various applications in sleep diagnostics, diabetes, respiratory care, wound healing, and thus propels transcutaneous monitors market growth. Currently, wound healing monitors and baby monitors are the leading product type segments in transcutaneous monitors market. Also, transcutaneous monitors market is registering immense growth owing to their increased application in neonatal intensive care, measurement of amputation level, and clinical diagnostics. Major end users for transcutaneous monitors market involves hospitals & clinics, diagnostic centers, ambulatory surgical centers, neonatal intensive care units and others.

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Transcutaneous Monitors: Market Dynamics

Rising adoption of non-invasive monitoring for oxygenation and ventilation, rising incidence of respiratory risks associated with neonatal intensive care and growing healthcare expenditure especially in APAC region are some of the key factors driving the growth of transcutaneous monitors market. The rise in total unit sales of transcutaneous monitors and their increasing application in clinical diagnostics, plastic surgery, adult and pediatric intensive care, respiratory care are some other factors boosting the transcutaneous monitors market. However, lack of skilled technicians is anticipated to restrain the growth of transcutaneous monitors market.

Transcutaneous Monitors Market: Segmentation

The global transcutaneous monitors market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, end user, and region:

Segmentation by Product Type

Wound Healing Monitor

Baby Monitor

Others

Segmentation by Application Type

Sleep Diagnostics

Respiratory Care

Wound Healing

Blood Gas Monitoring

Diabetes

Plastic Surgery

Measurement of Amputation Level

Diagnostics in Vascular Ischemia

Segmentation by End User

Hospitals

Specialty Clinics

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Diagnostic Centers

Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Adult & Pediatric Intensive Care Units

Transcutaneous Monitors Market: Overview

Based on product type, wound healing monitorsare most commonly used over baby monitors in transcutaneous monitors market as it covers large number of applications and thus accounts for the largest revenue share in transcutaneous monitors market.

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Transcutaneous Monitors Market: Region-wise Outlook

On the basis of geography, global transcutaneous monitors market is segmented into five key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America followed by Europe, registers the largest shares in the global transcutaneous monitors market owing to the rising incidence of diabetic patients and chronic diseases, improved healthcare facilities due to increased spending in healthcare. However, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to register the fastest growth in transcutaneous monitors market during the forecast period due to the increasing footprint of local manufacturers of transcutaneous monitors.

Transcutaneous Monitors Market: Key Players

Some of the key players present in global Transcutaneous Monitors market are Radiometer Medical ApS, SenTec AG, Perimed AB, Humares GmbH, Koninklijke Philips N.V., and others


Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 02:34:25|Editor: huaxia

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NEW YORK, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Education Cannot Wait (ECW) on Thursday announced a 1.5-million-U.S. dollar regional grant for Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and appealed for 116 million U.S. dollars to support the fund's education in emergency responses for refugee children and youth in host communities impacted by the Venezuela crisis.

The new allocation of 1.5 million U.S. dollars builds on the ECW's 27.2 million U.S. dollars in catalytic grants announced in December 2020. The funding supports multi-year resilience programs in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru that aim to ensure continued access to inclusive and equitable quality education for over 350,000 vulnerable children and youth, said the ECW, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, in a press release.

With the issuance of the new grant, ECW Director Yasmine Sherif called on donors and the private sector to mobilize an additional 116 million dollars to help refugee children and youth in host communities impacted by the Venezuela crisis.

"Global leaders must step up to address this pressing humanitarian crisis. Over 5.4 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela have fled their country due to violence and insecurity. Girls and boys in this group are at risk of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, discrimination, hunger and malnutrition, and restricted access to schooling," said Sherif.

"If we don't act now, many will never return to the safety and opportunity that an education provides."

The escalating crisis in Venezuela has triggered the largest forced displacement in South America's history. Globally, only the Syrian exodus is larger. Since 2015, a significant number of Venezuelans have fled into Colombia (2.4 million), Ecuador (1.5 million) and Peru (830,000), said the ECW.

As the situation in Venezuela continues to escalate, it is likely that Venezuelans seeking refuge in neighboring countries and beyond will not be able to return home safely any time soon. Many refugee and migrant children and youth lack documentation or official status, and oftentimes lack access to basic services, including health services, education and social services, it said.

The COVID-19 crisis makes matters even worse. In Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, 28 million learners have been affected by school closures. While ministries of education are making efforts to expand remote learning options and expand educational programs to absorb the influx of refugees into local schools, refugee children are often left behind. Without access to the internet, computers and smartphones, these children are being cut off from distance learning opportunities, said the fund. Enditem
The national law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman has filed a Gardasil injury lawsuit on behalf of a young woman from Higganum, Connecticut, who says the injuries she now suffers after receiving the HPV vaccine have made her life "a living hell."

Attorneys Bijan Esfandiari, Nicole K. H. Maldonado, Michael L. Baum, Monique Alarcon, and co-counsel Robert F. Kennedy, Jr filed the complaint (Case No. 3:21-cv-00438) in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut on behalf of 22-year-old Korrine Herlth. Korrine suffers from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), vision loss, and a host of other serious health issues she alleges were caused by the Gardasil HPV vaccine.

The Gardasil injury lawsuit names the vaccine's manufacturer Merck & Co. Inc. and subsidiary Merck Sharp & Dohm Corp. as defendants. Both companies are based in New Jersey.

According to the allegations, Merck negligently designed and conducted clinical trials for Gardasil before receiving market approval, was negligent in the manufacture of Gardasil, and failed to warn consumers of dangerous known side effects. The lawsuit seeks punitive damages against Merck for creating a substantial risk of significant harm to children injected with the Gardasil vaccine.

"Merck is still running ads scaring parents with false claims about the dangers of HPV and cervical cancer," says attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "The truth is Merck has no idea if Gardasil actually prevents cervical cancer  there isn't a single clinical study to validate that claim. Do you want to know what's really scary? Scary is a giant corporation spending millions in advertising to inject people with a vaccine they've never truly tested. Scary is being so damaged from that vaccine that you experience a host of life-changing injuries, including now being legally blind."

The case filed yesterday is one of several ongoing cases for the Gardasil attorneys at Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman. Some other recently filed cases include:

Gardasil Lawsuit Alleges HPV Vaccine Caused POTS and Vision Loss

Growing up, Korrine Herlth was a happy, healthy girl with a passion for music and a love for animals that she hoped to one day turn into a career. She was an active member of the New England Chamber Children's Choir, (The Trebles), her church choir, and both her middle school and high school choirs, where she regularly performed in concerts and sang in several different languages.

Like other girls her age, she had a diverse range of interests and activities. She enjoyed attending concerts with her friends, riding her bike, roller skating, horse handling and riding, gymnastics, and many other hobbies.

All of that changed when she was 15 years old.

On October 2, 2013, Korrine received her first shot of the Gardasil HPV vaccine during a routine yearly physical examination. Like many mothers, Andrea Herlth permitted her daughter to receive the Gardasil injections after years of relentless marketing from Merck maintaining that Gardasil is very safe, that it prevents cancer and that good mothers must vaccinate their teenage daughters with the HPV vaccine.

Within a week of her second Gardasil injection on December 3, 2013, Korrine began experiencing dizziness and shakiness, headaches, and nausea. She also noticed an increased heart rate and felt faint and unsteady when she stood. Alarmed by these post-Gardasil symptoms and her daughter's rapidly declining health, Mrs. Herlth did not consent to Korrine receiving a third shot of Gardasil.

As months passed, Korrine's symptoms grew worse. She was seen by multiple physicians and specialists for her growing list of health problems which now included:

Daily seizures

Intractable vertigo and nausea exacerbated by double vision

Visual floaters

Balance difficulties

Chronic Fatigue

Anxiety and panic attacks

Convulsions

Sleep apnea, hypoxia and sleep disturbances

Depression and atypical response to antidepressants

Cognitive difficulties

Numbness and tingling in her lower extremities

Involuntary movements and tics

Endometriosis

Weakened connective tissue and chronic joint pain

Vision loss

As a result of her post-Gardasil symptoms, Korrine was unable to participate in normal activities that teens enjoy. She recalled having trouble walking the halls of her school. Focusing in a class full of students proved impossible. Her physical activities were drastically limited. She was constantly tired, dizzy, fatigued, or in pain, and her vision and cognitive abilities declined.

"My daughter has been assaulted on a systemic level," Mrs. Herlth stated. "Currently, there is no known cure, no offered hope of reversing the damage, just a series of trial treatments that have either failed her or exacerbated symptoms. It is a devastatingly helpless feeling watching my only child decline without hope of better days ahead."

Korrine had no choice but to stop attending school and the choir events she loved so much. She completed the majority of her high school classes via homebound instruction and one-on-one tutoring. With a lot of hard work and overcoming adversity on many levels, Korrine was able to graduate and walk to receive her diplomawith the help of a good friend, Max, her guide and service dog.

Before Korrine received her first Gardasil shot, Max was their pet. But after she became homebound, she was determined to learn how to train him as her personal service dog. The family hired a guide dog trainer to do such, and now Max is always at her side. Some of the tasks Max provides, include nudging her if her heart rate goes over 100. If she passes out from a seizure or drops things, he helps her, alerts others for help and retrieves dropped items.

After high school, Korrine had hopes of attending community college with an emphasis on animal science. Unfortunately, she was forced to defer her education due to her vision loss and worsening physical condition. Now at 22 years of age, Korrine's life is a shadow of what it once was before Gardasil. The main activities each day revolve around a series of never-ending doctor appointments, sometimes as many as three a day.

Her clinical diagnoses include (but are not limited to):

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)

Sinus tachycardia

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

Autoimmune mixed connective tissue disease

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS)

Pelvic floor dysfunction

Endometriosis

Neurogenic bladder

Vision loss

Seizures

Sleep apnea and hypoxia

Before the Covid 19 pandemic, Korrine was able to alleviate some of her pain with Ketamine infusions, which gave her relief from the burning nerve pain of the CRPS. She has not been able to receive the treatment in nearly a year due to the pandemic, and the pain in her bones, nerves, and joints is constant.

"I was a happy kid," Korrine says. "But Gardasil has made my life a living hell. The things I loved doing were ripped away from meI just want my old life back."

Korrine's mom, Andrea, maintains that if she had known Gardasil was capable of causing the pain and suffering that her daughter has dealt with over the last several years, she never would have allowed Korrine to receive the Gardasil injections. "If I could turn back time and undo the damage inflicted on my daughter, she would now still be able to engage in activities so easily taken for granted, such as riding her bike, roller skating, or attending a concert without the threat of seizures, which is one of many devastating health issues she has been left to endure post Gardasil."

Gardasil Injury or Death Claims Must First Be Brought in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, Which Many People Are Unaware Of and Do Not Have Notice

In 2016, Andrea Herlth timely filed a petition under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program due to the severe adverse reactions her daughter sustained after receiving the Gardasil vaccine. Anyone who sustained injuries that could be caused by a vaccine must first timely file a petition in The United States Court of Federal Claims (Vaccine Court) under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) within three years from the first onset of any vaccine-related symptoms or adverse events.

Unfortunately, there are many thousands of people who do not know that Gardasil could have caused their injuries and therefore, have not filed a NVICP petition within the three-year time limit. Our firm is currently working to change this and help provide the necessary information to those who are in fact injured or who have suffered a vaccine injury from Gardasil.

"Most people have no idea that Gardasil can cause their injuries, nor do they typically find out about the connection from their health care provider, unless they are treating with a specialist," says attorney Nicole K. H. Maldonado. "It is unfair that people with very serious injuries after receiving this vaccine are in the dark about it. This is something we are actively working to change."

About Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman

Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman is one of the leading firms in the country litigating cases on behalf of people who were injured after receiving the Gardasil vaccine. They have an extensive history of successful litigation against pharmaceutical companies, including against Bayer (Monsanto) in which they obtained a $2B verdict in a 2019 Roundup cancer trial. With so much controversy surrounding vaccines these days, our firm wishes to stress that we are not against vaccines. They have the potential to eradicate disease and save millions of lives. We are, however, against intentional efforts to mislead consumers about the safety and effectiveness of a drug or vaccine. Our attorneys have always foughtand will continue to fightfor the rights of consumers to be fully and honestly informed about risks associated with any drug, vaccine, or medical device. We will work tirelessly to ensure those rights are defended and victims of injustice are compensated for their injuries.

# # #
LAGOS, Nigeria, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As businesses continue to adopt the virtual workplace, a Nigerian company has developed a new Application for video conferences and webinars, writing Africa's name on the growing list of players in the multi-billion-dollar global meetings business.

Konn3ct

Known as Konn3ct, the new App was developed by a young company, called Newwaves Ecosystems, led by former Chams Nigeria executive, Femi Williams.

The global virtual conferencing market has grown astronomically since the global lockdown put in place by most countries to contain the Covid-19 pandemic that began to spread rapidly around the world from February 2020. The pandemic necessitated company shutdowns, while those in the service business had to find ways for their employees to work remote locations, mostly from their homes.

Although there have been dozens of players in the business for some years, Chinese company, Zoom Video Communications, appeared to sprint ahead of the pack as runaway market leader. Zoom's most recent figures suggest the platform had 300 million daily meeting participants at the end of 2020, versus just 10 million in December 2019. This is in comparison to Google Meet's 100 million participants for 2020.

Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft and the other existing players, numbering over 140, have been splitting the market among themselves, with no competition from Africa, in a market estimated to be worth over $75 billion (N30 trillion) in the next nine years.

But these are about to change with the entry of Nigeria's Konn3ct placing the country and Africa in prime position to play recognizable roles in the fourth industrial revolution as creators of technology rather than consumers.

Konn3ct, Leadership investigations reveal, is entering the market with more than 40 differentiating features that put the App in good stead to compete strongly with the leaders of this rapidly growing industry. For instance, it was learned the App effectively mirrored real-life conference experiences in its construction process, enabling participants in a large conference to go into breakout sessions. To make this experience all encompassing, Konn3ct allows as many as eight breakout rooms within the same conference after which the participants are timed out for return into the main meeting.

Story continues

Apart from the breakout session feature, this new App allows organisers of any meeting to record the proceedings for proper documentation and ease of future reference, doing the job of video cameras and rapporteurs at the same time. Another interesting feature is the one that enables the person hosting a session to play You Tube and other videos and still be able continue the presentation even while the video was still playing.

With a default high-definition audio and a video that allows for four quality bands, ranging from low to high definition, Konn3ct also has a virtual lobby where participants can see the meeting floor while waiting to input their access codes.

Leadership sought and spoke with Chief Executive Officer of the company, Femi Williams, who was upbeat about the capability of the indigenous application to hold its own against any other player in the industry.

Williams, who anchored his optimism on what he called superior meeting experience, said although there might be expected entry challenges, especially being a solution wholly developed in Africa by Africans, he was confident that the global community would opt for value against port of origin.

"We are lucky that technology solutions, such as Konn3ct, are not sold with nationality stamps, same way you have your German machines and Japanese technology driving automobile sales. If this was so, a Chinese solution like Zoom would not be the leading meetings solution in both the United States and Europe. Technology thrives more on quality of user experience and problem-solving capabilities than nationality branding. This makes us believe that Konn3ct will compete quite well in the global market space, just to sound modest," he stated in an exclusive interview with Leadership.

He said apart from the top-quality experience in Konn3ct, the solution also has strong security architecture that lends itself for classified meetings below the radar of open internet.

"The Transport Layer Security built into the App provides privacy and data integrity between two or more communicating computer applications. We also have the Secure Socket Layer Encryption (SSL Encryption), which is a protocol to protect data during transfer and transmission by creating a channel, uniquely encrypted, so that the user and the server have a private communication link channel over the public Internet," he explained, adding that Konn3ct, is capable of providing one of the largest meeting rooms in the market, with as many as 250 people in one room while an unlimited number can participate via livestreaming.

Cision

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/konn3ct-nigerian-tech-start-up-develops-first-online-meeting-solution-in-africa-301261102.html

SOURCE Konn3ct
Since appearing on Married At First Sight two years ago, Martha Kalifatidis' humble life as a makeup artist has completely changed.

The reality star, 32, now spends her days sharing sponsored posts on Instagram, and brands are willing to pay her thousands of dollars just to feature on her account.

But despite the obvious perks of being her own boss, Martha told Who magazine this week her new career has its own set of challenges.

Struggles: Despite the obvious perks of being her own boss, Married At First Sight star-turned- influencer Martha Kalifatidis said this week her new career has its own set of challenges

'My work-life balance isn't the healthiest right now,' she said.

However, there's a positive side to her hectic lifestyle, with Martha admitting: 'But funnily enough, I thrive living like this.'

She also discussed her role as a 'real' beauty ambassador, who doesn't lie to her followers about filters and cosmetic procedures.

Real talk: 'My work-life balance isn't the healthiest right now,' Martha told Who magazine. The reality star, 32, spends her days sharing sponsored posts on Instagram, and brands are willing to pay her thousands of dollars just to feature on her account

'I've been criticised for having had plastic surgery and being so open about it. The way I define "real" is the ability to be transparent and authentic,' she said.

'Everyone is over seeing these perfectly curated, beige feeds, perfect bodies and skin that is blemish and dimple free.

'We want to see ambassadors who looks like us, our friends and our peers.'

Earlier this year, Martha's boyfriend Michael Brunelli, 30, revealed she was the 'breadwinner' in their relationship.

Influencer vs influencer! Earlier this year, Martha's boyfriend Michael Brunelli, 30, revealed she was the 'breadwinner' in their relationship

'Martha makes more money than me and I'm f**king proud of her!' he said during an Instagram Q&A.

'She has worked her a** off to get where she is today and it's only just the beginning.

'Any guy who has an issue with his partner making more than he does gives off serious small d**k energy.'

Martha and Michael, a former teacher-turned-fitness entrepreneur, met on the 2019 season of Married At First Sight. They are one of the show's few success stories.
Authorities reported on Tuesday that the Salvadoran woman who died while in Mexican police custody was also an abuse victim. She was reportedly abused by her companion, whom the police has arrested.

The governor of the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Carlos Joaquin, confirmed that the Salvadoran victim, Victoria Esperanza Salazar was abused, but the governor did not specify whether the abuse was physical or sexual.

According to Associated Press, officials of the Mexican Police stated that Salazar died on Saturday after a female police officer was spotted kneeling on her on a street in the resort of Tulum. The officials also added that there is an ongoing investigation conducted towards four officers. The autopsy found that the neck of Salazar was broken.

In addition, Governor Joaquin also mentioned that one of the woman's two daughters was also abused and the man responsible was arrested as part of the state government's efforts in ensuring justice for the Salvadoran woman. Meanwhile, Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, tweeted that the arrested man was a Mexican and had sexually abused the daughter of the dead victim.

Bukele wrote in his Twitter account that Victoria filed a complaint weeks prior to the incident and took her daughter into a shelter in order to protect her. The Salvadoran president added that the situation is very unfortunate as the incident could have been prevented if the Mexican authorities have done something about the complaint. He said Mexican police are just following up on the case because Victoria was already murdered.

ALSO READ: College Student Found Dead in Ditch With Multiple Gunshot Wounds

Police officers under investigation

Moreover, the four officers, which involved three men and a woman, have been arrested in relation to the death of Salazar. They are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. But based on the prosecutors, the defense asked for additional time until Saturday, as four of them remain in custody, Aljazeera reported.

Oscar Montes de Oca, Quintana Roo State Prosecutor, stated that the autopsy confirmed that the broken neck of Salazar coincides with submission maneuvers applied to the victim during her detention. He also added that it was caused by the disproportionate use of force by police.

Furthermore, Governor Joaquin of Quintana Roo acknowledged that the death of the Salvadoran woman, Victoria Esperanza Salazar, did a lot of damage to their state's image and they were also saddened about the life loss. But the problems of the state did not end with the death of Victoria.

The other cases

A foreign woman was also wounded Tuesday in a bar shooting incident in Tulum. The Prosecutor's Office did not disclose the nationality of the victim but they shared that the victim had been brought and treated in a local hospital. The woman was eventually released. The suspect of the incident was also detained by the local authorities, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, in another case of violence, Governor Joaquin mentioned that the killing of a woman over the weekend in the resort of Holbox, the northern coast of the state, had to do or can be connected with passion motive. He also said that the suspect in the alleged crime of passion had been arrested and in the hands of law enforcement.

RELATED ARTICLE: Murder Suspect Recaptured After Mistaken Release From L.A. Jail

WATCH: Mexico investigating Salvadoran woman's death in police custody - Aljazeera English


There was panic last night as the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft that was on routine mission in the North-east lost radar contact.

Although details were still sketchy at press time, the aircraft was deployed to support troops at one of the theatres of operation in the Northern part of Nigeria.

NAF could not locate the aircraft as at last night.

In a terse statement issued last night, NAF's Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet confirmed the incident.

"A NAF aircraft on routine mission in support of own troops at one of the Theatres of Operation in the Northern part of Nigeria has lost radar contact."

The DOPRI, however, noted that efforts are currently ongoing to locate the aircraft, adding that more "details to follow".

It would be recalled that seven NAF officers had died in air crash last month and were buried at the National Cemetery, Lugbe, Airport Road, Abuja.

The men died in the Beechcraft King Air B350i which crashed a short distance from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after reporting engine failure.

The deceased include the Captain, Fl Lt. Haruna Gadzama; Fl. Lt. Henry Piyo (Co-Pilot); Flying Officer Micheal Okpara (Airborne Tactical Observation System Specialist); Warrant Officer Bassey Etim (ATOS Specialist); Fl. Sgt. Olasunkanmi Olawunmi (ATOS Specialist); Sgt. Ugochukwu Oluka (ATOS Specialist) and Aircraftman Adewale Johnson (Onboard Technician).
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 09:33:34|Editor: huaxia

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HARARE, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga on Wednesday unveiled commemorative postage stamps highlighting the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, state broadcaster ZBC reported.

"It is a commemorative stamp that will help preserve the history of the fight against the pandemic," Chiwenga said.

Like any member of the global community, Zimbabwe has borne the brunt of the pandemic which had claimed 1,521 lives from 36,858 infections as of Tuesday.

To curb the spread of the pandemic, the country has so far vaccinated nearly 73,000 people with assistance from China and India. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 00:06:22|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese expert members of a WHO-China joint team introduce the report on the WHO-convened global study of COVID-19 origins at a press briefing in Beijing, capital of China, March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The WHO-convened global study of the origins of COVID-19 found that introduction through a laboratory incident is "extremely unlikely," according to Chinese experts participating in the study.

Experts from the WHO and China jointly conducted the research in China and made an assessment of the likelihood of possible pathways, said Liang Wannian, team leader of the Chinese side of the WHO-China joint team studying the COVID-19 origins, at a press briefing on Wednesday.

According to a report on the China Part of the study, COVID-19 introduction through an intermediate host is "likely to very likely," introduction through cold/food chain products is "possible," and introduction through a laboratory incident is "extremely unlikely," Liang noted.

The coronaviruses most highly related to SARS-CoV-2 are found in bats and pangolins, however, neither of the viruses identified so far from these mammalian species is sufficiently similar to SARS-CoV-2 to serve as its direct progenitor, Liang said.

In addition to these findings, minks and cats are found highly susceptible to the COVID-19 virus.

REPORT STANDS TEST OF HISTORY

The report is based on existing data and evidence and can stand the test of history, Liang said.

China is the first country to conduct a joint study on the origins of COVID-19 with the WHO.

Liang said the history of infectious diseases tells us that it generally takes a long time to identify the origin of a new infectious disease and have the findings accepted worldwide, noting that the place a virus is first reported is not necessarily the originating point of the virus.

He added that further tracing of COVID-19 origins will be carried out around the globe, based on the findings of the study in China.

Liang pointed out that the assumption that China did not provide original data for the study of the origins of the novel coronavirus does not hold water.

Chinese and foreign experts have been carrying out continuous research and analysis together in Wuhan, and there is no difference between the information possessed by Chinese experts and foreign experts, he said.

Chinese and foreign experts have been working quite closely during their research, he stressed. "According to Chinese law, some data cannot be taken away or photographed."

PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

The Chinese experts participating in the study have suggested efforts to expand a global database for COVID-19 and the scope of the search for early cases worldwide.

Liang said that after serious discussions with their WHO peers, the experts recommended expanding a unified global database that includes molecular, genome sequence, clinical, epidemiological, zoonotic and environment monitoring information and findings regarding the disease.

The experts also called for continuous efforts to search for potential early cases of the disease in a wider range of locations around the world.

They suggested scientists worldwide conduct more diversified research in different countries and regions on animal virus hosts, and enhance their study of the role of cold chains and relevant products in the transmission of the virus. 
DUBLIN, April 1, 2021 The "Communications Hardware Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global communications hardware market as it emerges from the COVID-19 shut down.

The global communications hardware market is expected to grow from $625. 11 billion in 2020 to $666. 53 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6. 6%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $900. 88 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 8%.

Reasons to Purchase

Gain a truly global perspective with the most comprehensive report available on this market covering 50+ geographies.

Understand how the market is being affected by the coronavirus and how it is likely to emerge and grow as the impact of the virus abates.

Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis.

Identify growth segments for investment.

Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market.

Understand customers based on the latest market research findings.

Benchmark performance against key competitors.

Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing.

Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis

Where is the largest and fastest growing market for communications hardware? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward? The Communications Hardware market global report answers all these questions and many more.



The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography. It places the market within the context of the wider communications hardware market, and compares it with other markets.

The market characteristics section of the report defines and explains the market.

The market size section gives the market size ($b) covering both the historic growth of the market, the impact of the COVID-19 virus and forecasting its recovery.

Market segmentations break down market into sub markets.

The regional and country breakdowns section gives an analysis of the market in each geography and the size of the market by geography and compares their historic and forecast growth. It covers the impact and recovery trajectory of COVID-19 for all regions, key developed countries and major emerging markets.

Competitive landscape gives a description of the competitive nature of the market, market shares, and a description of the leading companies. Key financial deals which have shaped the market in recent years are identified.

The trends and strategies section analyses the shape of the market as it emerges from the crisis and suggests how companies can grow as the market recovers.

The communications hardware market section of the report gives context. It compares the communications hardware market with other segments of the telecom market by size and growth, historic and forecast. It analyses GDP proportion, expenditure per capita, communications hardware indicators comparison.

Major companies in the communications hardware market include Apple; Samsung; Cisco Systems; Huawei Technologies and Ericsson.



Asia Pacific was the largest region in the global communications hardware market, accounting for 32% of the market in 2020. Western Europe was the second largest region accounting for 29% of the global communications hardware market. Middle East was the smallest region in the global communications hardware market.



Rapid increase in energy consumption has been a major threat to environmental protection and sustainable development, thus driving the development of green technologies. For instance, communications hardware accounts for about 2%-4% of the total global carbon emissions. Due to access to the high-speed internet provided by next-generation wireless networks and increased smartphone usage, data traffic has increased significantly. This has triggered a significant expansion of network infrastructures and increased the energy demands. Environment friendly batteries, renewable energy sources, and intelligent management of the power systems are being developed to reduce carbon emissions.



The communications hardware industry is increasingly targeted by hackers, so exposing various security issues. For instance, according to Avast 2019 Smart Home Security Report, 40. 8% of all smart homes have at least one vulnerable connected device and 59. 7% of household routers worldwide are vulnerable. Hackers disrupt, intercept or deny communications. Despite various measures taken by the companies, telecommunications hardware is still vulnerable to data thefts. Due to the extreme cases of surveillance, the U. S and Indian government banned the Huawei Company. Hence, these security issues hindered the growth of the communications hardware industry during the historic period.



The communications hardware market is expected to be aided by rapid growth in investments in smart city projects in many countries globally. Smart city technologies use information and communication technologies to efficiently manage and operate urban services including transportation systems, water supply and law and order. These technologies are enabled through IoT technology. IoT is a convergence of computing devices, mechanical and digital objects. This system facilitates the transfer of data over a network without human interaction and minimal human to computer interaction. Smart cities are integrated with communication equipment, thereby benefitting the companies operating in this market. in 2018, APG Algemene Pensioen Groep N. V. announced investment of 250 million in "Smart City Infrastructure Fund", for development of smart city projects across North America, Europe, Australia and other major urban areas in the world. The concept of smart cities is becoming more popular in developing nations too. For instance, more than 1,000 smart city pilot projects are either ready for or are under construction globally and around 500 of these projects are in China.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Report Structure



3. Communications Hardware Market Characteristics

3.1. Market Definition

3.2. Key Segmentations



4. Communications Hardware Market Product Analysis

4.1. Leading Products/ Services

4.2. Key Features and Differentiators

4.3. Development Products



5. Communications Hardware Market Supply Chain

5.1. Supply Chain

5.2. Distribution

5.3. End Customers



6. Communications Hardware Market Customer Information

6.1. Customer Preferences

6.2. End Use Market Size and Growth



7. Communications Hardware Market Trends and Strategies



8. Impact of COVID-19 on Communications Hardware



9. Communications Hardware Market Size and Growth

9.1. Market Size

9.2. Historic Market Growth, Value ($ Billion)

9.2.1. Drivers of the Market

9.2.2. Restraints on the Market

9.3. Forecast Market Growth, Value ($ Billion)

9.3.1. Drivers of the Market

9.3.2. Restraints on the Market



10. Communications Hardware Market Regional Analysis

10.1. Global Communications Hardware Market, 2020, by Region, Value ($ Billion)

10.2. Global Communications Hardware Market, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, Historic and Forecast, by Region

10.3. Global Communications Hardware Market, Growth and Market Share Comparison, by Region

11. Communications Hardware Market Segmentation

11.1. Global Communications Hardware Market, Segmentation by Type

11.2. Global Communications Hardware Market, Segmentation by Application

12. Communications Hardware Market Segments

12.1. Global General Communication Equipment Market, Segmentation by Type, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, Value ($ Billion) - Alarm Systems and Equipment; Fire Detection Equipment; Smoke Detectors; Intercoms Systems and Equipment; Traffic Signals; Other General Communication Equipment

12.2. Global Broadcast Communications Equipment Market, Segmentation by Type, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, Value ($ Billion) - Pagers; Transmitting Antennas; GPS Equipment; Cellular Telephone; Other Broadcast Communications Equipment

12.3. Global Telecom Infrastructure Equipment Market, Segmentation by Type, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, Value ($ Billion) - Switching Equipment; Bridges, Gateways and Routers; Other Telecom Infrastructure Equipment



13. Communications Hardware Market Metrics

13.1. Communications Hardware Market Size, Percentage of GDP, 2015-2025, Global

13.2. Per Capita Average Communications Hardware Market Expenditure, 2015-2025, Global



14. Asia-Pacific Communications Hardware Market

15. Western Europe Communications Hardware Market

16. Eastern Europe Communications Hardware Market

17. North America Communications Hardware Market

18. South America Communications Hardware Market

19. Middle East Communications Hardware Market

20. Africa Communications Hardware Market

21. Communications Hardware Market Competitive Landscape

21.1. Competitive Market Overview

21.2. Market Shares

21.3. Company Profiles

21.3.1. Apple

21.3.1.1. Company Overview

21.3.1.2. Products and Services

21.3.1.3. Strategy

21.3.1.4. Financial Performance

21.3.2. Samsung

21.3.2.1. Company Overview

21.3.2.2. Products and Services

21.3.2.3. Strategy

21.3.2.4. Financial Performance

21.3.3. Cisco Systems

21.3.3.1. Company Overview

21.3.3.2. Products and Services

21.3.3.3. Strategy

21.3.3.4. Financial Performance

21.3.4. Huawei Technologies

21.3.4.1. Company Overview

21.3.4.2. Products and Services

21.3.4.3. Strategy

21.3.4.4. Financial Performance

21.3.5. Ericsson

21.3.5.1. Company Overview

21.3.5.2. Products and Services

21.3.5.3. Strategy

21.3.5.4. Financial Performance



22. Key Mergers and Acquisitions in the Communications Hardware Market



23. Market Background: Telecom Market

23.1. Telecom Market Characteristics

23.2. Telecom Market Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F Growth, by Segment, Value ($ Billion), Global

23.3. Global Telecom Market, 2020, by Region, Value ($ Billion)

23.4. Global Telecom Market, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, Historic and Forecast, by Region

23.5. Global Telecom Market, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, Segmentation by Type, Value ($ Billion)



24. Recommendations

24.1. Global Communications Hardware Market in 2025- Growth Countries

24.2. Global Communications Hardware Market in 2025- Growth Segments

24.3. Global Communications Hardware Market in 2025- Growth Strategies



25. Appendix

25.1. NAICS Definitions of Industry Covered in This Report

25.2. Abbreviations

25.3. Currencies

25.4. Research Inquiries

25.5. About the Publisher



26. Copyright and Disclaimer



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7d2ca?

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The Nigerian Protein Deficiency Report, 2020 has revealed that the level of protein deficiency in the country remains high and worrisome.

The new report, which was launched at a Protein Challenge Webinar, also ranked the country below the bar in global food security index.

The theme of the webinar is 'The Nigerian Protein Deficiency Awareness Report 2020: Unpacking the Numbers, Exploring the Issues.'

The report showed a gap in protein consumption across Nigeria with a protein per capita daily intake lower than the global standard, and cited household income levels as the main hindrance to adequate intake of protein in the country.

It noted a major burden that required continuous interventions to reduce the nutrition crisis in the country.

The survey was conducted on behalf of the Nigeria Protein Deficiency Awareness Campaign by IPSOS, a leading market research company in Nigeria.

The report highlights the current levels of protein deficiency, the meal consumption patterns and the barriers to protein intake among Nigerians

According to the report, though 7 in 10 households believe they are having enough protein intake, their daily intake of proteins suggests otherwise and remains very low, accounting for less than a third of daily food consumption.

This also suggests a huge knowledge gap amongst households on how often protein-based food should be consumed, the report stated.

Unveiling the report, Mr Obaro Agalabri, the Service Line Lead (West Africa), IPSOS Channel Performance, said, "Nigerians are consuming a minimal amount of protein daily due to the poverty level in the country. The recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates that less than half of the working population is unemployed, a situation that no doubt reduces the purchasing power of households and general food purchases."

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Nutrition Food and Agriculture By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

He said 45 per cent of respondents of the survey did not consume protein daily, and this is more prevalent in the North-East and amongst the lower socioeconomic class.

He said the average cost of protein per meal was N80, and the majority of Nigerians would have to use more than 68 per cent of their income in purchasing protein foods to get enough.

Dr Adepeju Adeniran, national co-chair at the Women in Global Health, Nigeria, who moderated the panel session, said the Nigerian Protein Deficiency Report 2020 showed that a large number of Nigerian infants and young children were malnourished. She called on Nigerians to use healthy food plate in meal planning.

Dr Beatrice Oganah-Ikujenyo, a chief lecturer in the Department of Home Economics, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, said most Nigerians ate food just to get satisfied, without considering the nutritional content.

According to her, protein deficiency remains prevalent in the country because the attitude makes food consumption patterns to lean towards carbohydrates.

She advised the public to consume protein-rich foods like soybeans, eggs, beans, groundnuts and so on, adding that children should be prioritised in protein consumption in every home.

Prof Adetunji Kehinde, provost, College of Agriculture, Osun State University, Osogbo, said the agricultural sector had the potential to alleviate protein deficiency in the country
The Iranian government has given the crew of a seized South Korean ship permission to leave the country.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Islamic Republic made a humanitarian decision to release the sailors.

Following the South Korean governments request and the assistance of the judiciary within the framework of judicial regulations, the crew of the Korean ship, which was seized on charges of causing environmental pollution in the Persian Gulf, have received permission to leave the country in a humanitarian move by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the state-run Fars News Agency quoted him as saying on Tuesday.

The Iranian military seized the South Korea-flagged Hankuk Chemi on Jan. 4 in the Persian Gulf. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it seized the ship because it ignored warnings regarding environmental pollution.

The seizure may have been related to frozen Iranian assets in South Korea, though. South Korea was until recently a major importer of Iran's oil. In May of last year, Seoul stopped purchasing Iranian oil amid pressure from the US government. South Korea is now illegally holding $7 billion in Iranian oil revenues, according to the Iranian government. The previous US administration made significant efforts to pressure countries to stop doing business with the Iranian government.

Iranian media reports referencing the oil funds in relation to the seizure fueled speculation that Iran seized the ship to pressure South Korea into releasing the money. An Iranian government spokesman also called South Korea a hostage-taker over the frozen assets following the seizure.

The crews pending return home followed a South Korean delegation arriving in Iran to negotiate in January.

The Hankuk Chemi will remain in Iran. Khatibzadeh said that a judicial investigation of the ship is continuing, calling it a trespass case. He also acknowledged the Iranian Foreign Ministry has discussed the oil funds with South Korean counterparts, according to Fars News.
NEW HAVEN  Pfizer announced Thursday that a trial showed its COVID-19 vaccine safeguarded patients six months after they received a second dose, particularly against severe cases of the disease.

The company said the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, known technically as BNT162b2, had been 91.3 percent effective through six months over a sample of 46,307 trial participants, including preventing 100 percent of severe cases as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 95.3 percent effective against severe cases as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Officials said 77 people who had received the vaccine came down with a case of the disease; none of the cases was severe, according to the CDCs definition.

The vaccine also demonstrated effectiveness against the variant of the virus that was found in South Africa, officials said. There, nine people came down with the virus, six of whom had the variant; all of those who tested positive for the virus had received a placebo instead of the vaccine.

These data confirm the favorable efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine and position us to submit a Biologics License Application to the U.S. FDA, said Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer. The high vaccine efficacy observed through up to six months following a second dose and against the variant prevalent in South Africa provides further confidence in our vaccines overall effectiveness.

It is an important step to further confirm the strong efficacy and good safety data we have seen so far, especially in a longer-term follow-up, said Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech. These data also provide the first clinical results that a vaccine can effectively protect against currently circulating variants, a critical factor to reach herd immunity and end this pandemic for the global population.

Reported side effects were generally consistent with previously reported results, with no serious safety concerns observed, officials said.

Efficacy of the vaccine was generally consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics, and across participants with a variety of underlying conditions, officials said.

The study is expected to be submitted for peer review in the near future, officials said.

Connecticut officials said this week that 41 percent of all people 16 and older had already received at least a first dose of a COVID vaccine. That ranked Connecticut second in the nation for percentage of population to receive a dose, according to CDC data.

As of Monday, nearly 1.2 million first doses of the vaccine had been administered in Connecticut and a total of 684,400 people were fully vaccinated.

According to the state Department of Public Health, first doses have been administered to 25,262 people in New Haven; 3,381 in East Haven; 19,879 in Hamden; and 13,619 in West Haven.

Residents in and around New Haven have been part of the clinical trials for the coronavirus vaccine.

The Rev. Leroy Perry, pastor at St. Stephens AME Zion Church in Branford, was one of them.

Part of the reason that we took part in the study was to say to our communities that we thought this was an important step for all of us. And we wanted to show, and to have them see, that we believed in it enough to take it, that it was safe, and it was critical, particularly for our population that was being impacted in such a dramatic way, Perry said at a March forum organized by Yale University. I tell all my friends and all my congregants  I got the shot. Thats good news. Thats gospel news.

Hearst Connecticut Media is tracking the rollout and distribution of the vaccine. Further statistics are available here.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
Thirty migrants including young children and a man in a wheelchair crossed the Channel earlier today despite worsening weather including 30mph winds.

No crossings had been expected today as conditions deteriorated following this week's mini-heatwave which saw people smugglers taking advantage of the warm weather to traffick dozens of asylum seekers across from France.

But Border Force vessel Vigilant was seen unloading 30 migrants shortly after midday at Dover Marina, Kent. The landing was was extremely late for the first arrivals of the day - which usually happen before dawn.

Yesterday 81 migrants including small children and a heavily pregnant woman arrived. They were mostly led ashore at Dover but one group of a dozen landed on the beach along the coast at Dungeness after slipping past search boats. On Tuesday 148 landed, making it the second busiest day of the year so far.

Over 1,300 migrants have made the 21-mile journey so far this year, which is almost triple the 466 who arrived in the first three months of 2020. Last year saw an overall record of 8,400 arrivals.

Around 30 more migrants, including young children, crossed the Channel and arrived in Dover earlier today

Among the group was a disabled man who needed a wheelchair to make his way up the gangway for processing

Border Force vessel Vigilant was seen unloading migrants shortly after 12pm at Dover Marina, Kent, despite the 30mph winds

One youngster was seen wearing a woolly hat shaped like a rabbit and another wore rainbow-coloured waterproof leggings as they stepped foot in the harbour.

Another toddler, who was too young to walk, had to be carried by an Immigration Enforcement officer.

And a disabled man was also seen needing a wheelchair to make his way up the gangway for processing.

All of the migrants were wearing red lifejackets and disposable face masks as they disembarked from a black Border Force vessel.

The Home Office confirmed UK authorities dealt with one event involving 30 people.

It added that French authorities prevented six attempted crossings overnight - from March 31 to April 1 - involving 113 people.

Minister for Immigration Compliance and Justice, Chris Philp said: 'People should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach and not make these dangerous journeys. Close work with law enforcement colleagues in France is stopping migrants from leaving French beaches, but there is more work to be done.

'Our New Plan for Immigration will break the business model of people smugglers, and overhaul our broken asylum system.'

The Home Office is yet to confirm how many people have arrived on UK shores so far today but it is thought that there were around 30 on board

Immigration Enforcement officer having to help one man into a wheelchair after the boat arrived at Dover Marina, Kent, earlier today

The extremely risky crossing comes after 229 migrants made the trip across the busiest shipping route in the world in just two days as people smugglers took advantage of unseasonably warm weather in recent days.

Border Force dealt with 81 people in six incidents on Wednesday after intercepting 148 migrants in six boats on Tuesday.

They included a woman who appeared to be heavily pregnant, multiple children and a group of around 12 migrants who had to be detained after successfully landing on the pebbles at a beach in Dungeness, Kent.

French authorities prevented a further 142 from attempting the crossing in seven boats over the two day period.

It means 831 migrants made the dangerous journey in 42 vessels last month - more than four times the 187 who made the 21-mile trip in 13 boats in March last year.

And it took the total number of arrivals for the year to 1,362 which is almost triple the 466 who arrived in the first three months of 2020.

The group who made the treacherous 21-mile journey were said to consist of mainly families including young children

All of the migrants were wearing red lifejackets and disposable face masks as they disembarked from a black Border Force vessel

No crossings had been expected as battering winds of up to 30mph replaced the mini-heatwave of the past few days

Tuesday's 148 arrivals is the second busiest day of the year - which stands at 183 in six boats on March 23.

The latest crossings come a week after Home Secretary Priti Patel announced a series of radical new policies for a 'firm but fair' immigration system.

Minister for Immigration Compliance and Justice Chris Philp said on Wednesday: 'People should claim asylum in the first safe European country they have travelled through.

'Last week, we announced the most significant overhaul of our asylum system in decades - a new, comprehensive fair but firm long-term plan.

'Under these plans, we will break the business model of smuggling gangs and protect the lives of those they endanger.'

In 2020 a record 8,410 migrants arrived by small boat - dwarfing 2019's total of just 1,850.
Almost one in seven people who test positive for Covid-19 are still suffering symptoms three months later, according to new UK figures.

The largest study of its kind on long Covid from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), found that people with coronavirus are significantly more likely than the general population to report ongoing issues, which can include muscle pain and fatigue.

Among a sample of more than 20,000 people who tested positive for Covid-19 between April last year and March this year, 13.7% continued to experience symptoms for at least 12 weeks.

This was eight times higher than in a control group of people who are unlikely to have had Covid-19, the ONS said.

Women were more likely than men to report long Covid at the 12-week point  with 14.7% doing so compared with 12.7% of men.

(PA Graphics)

Prevalence of long Covid was also highest among those aged 25 to 34 years (18.2%) than other age groups.

From a larger sample of people with and without Covid tests, the ONS estimated that 1.1 million people in private households in the UK experienced long Covid in the four weeks to March 6.

Of these people, an estimated 697,000 first had Covid-19  or suspected they had Covid-19  at least 12 weeks previously, while 70,000 first had the virus or suspected they had the virus at least one year ago.

Long Covid was estimated to be adversely affecting the day-to-day activities of 674,000 people, with 196,000 reporting that their ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been limited a lot.

Of those self-reporting long Covid, those aged 35 to 69 were most affected, as were women, people living in the most deprived areas, those working in health or social care and those with a pre-existing condition.

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Health and social care workers experienced the highest prevalence rates of self-reported long Covid among employment groups (3.6% and 3.1% respectively), followed by those working in personal services (2.8%), civil service or local government (2.7%) and teaching and education (2.5%).

For people living in the most deprived areas the rate was estimated at 2.1%, while for those in the least deprived areas it was 1.4%.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who is chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said: These figures reveal the devastating impact of long Covid across the country and the urgent need for the Government to step up support for those affected.

For too long, Covid patients have felt like the forgotten victims of this pandemic.

The Government must end the current postcode lottery of rehabilitation services and ensure all those who need long-term treatment can access it.

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We also need a compensation scheme for key workers with long Covid, who have worked tirelessly on the frontline against the pandemic and are now paying a heavy price.

The Government must recognise long Covid as an occupational disease and provide formal guidance to employers, to ensure that workers suffering symptoms are treated fairly and given proper support.

In February, the the World Health Organisations Europe director told a briefing that the burden of long Covid is real and it is significant.

Dr Hans Kluge said that as the pandemic had evolved, professionals and patients have mapped a path in the dark and stories of people with ongoing debilitating symptoms have emerged.

Regrettably, some were met with disbelief, or lack of understanding, he said, adding that disability following coronavirus infection can linger for months with severe social, economic, health and occupational consequences.

He added: We need to listen and we need to understand. The sufferers of post-Covid conditions need to be heard if we are to understand the long-term consequences and recovery from Covid-19.
Do you swear or affirm under penalty of perjury that the testimony youre about to give is the truth, and nothing but the truth? I do. Have a seat. Please, thank you. And so when were looking, Im going to have you identify this individual here  George Floyd. And thats Mr. Floyd, who you had the conversation with? Correct. All right. And then this individual right in here, whos that? Thats me. All right. Can you describe for the jurors, you know, generally what his demeanor was like  what was his condition like? So when I asked him if he played baseball, he went on to respond to that. But it kind of took him a little long to get to what he was trying to say. So it would appear that he was high. So you just had some signs that you thought he was under the influence of something? Yes. All right. But were you able to carry on at least some conversation with him? Yes. And did you eventually sell him something? Yes. That was what? The cigarettes. Now, freeze it here  Im sorry, I said I was going to let it run, but we saw you holding something up. Can you describe  and again, for the record, this is 7:45:10  describe for the jurors what you were doing there. I was holding up the $20 bill that I just received. And is that something you always do or something about this? No, when I saw the bill, I noticed that it had a blue pigment to it, kind of how a $100 bill would have. And I found that odd. So I assumed that it was fake. I know this is difficult, can you just explain sort of what youre feeling in this moment? I cant, I feel helpless. I dont have a mama either, but I understand him. Lets see your hands. Stay in the car, let me see your other hand. Im sorry, Im sorry. Let me see your other hand. Please, please. Both hands. Put your [expletive] hands up right now. Let me see your other hand. Whatd I do, though? Put your hand up there. Put your [expletive] hand up there. Jesus Christ, keep your [expletive] hands on the wheel. Hands on the wheel. Step out and face away. Please dont shoot me. Please dont shoot me, man. Step out and face away. Can you not shoot me, man? Im not shooting  step out and face away. OK, OK, OK, please. You cant win. You cant win. Im not trying to win. Go get in the car. Dont do me like that, man. OK, can I talk to you, please? [arguing]
The Mob Museum, The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, announces its roster of public programs for April.

Busting the Skim: The Case That Crippled the Mob in Las Vegas

Date: Thursday, April 8

Time: 7 to 8 p.m.

Location: Inside the historic courtroom on the second floor. To watch a livestream of this event, click on the Watch button here.

Cost: Free for Museum Members or with Museum admission.

Description: For decades, the Mob skimmed untaxed income from Las Vegas casinos, enriching crime syndicates across the country. In 1986, David Helfrey, chief of the Justice Departments Organized Crime Strike Force in Kansas City, Missouri, spearheaded the prosecution of several Midwestern Mafia bosses accused of skimming from the Stardust and Fremont casinos. Helfrey will provide insights into the high-profile case that inspired the movie Casino. This case arguably marks the end of significant Mob involvement with the Las Vegas casino industry.

Speaker: David Helfrey is the former chief of the Justice Departments Organized Crime Strike Force. He has more than 30 years of experience in litigation. In 1980, he became the attorney in charge of the United States Department of Justices Kansas City Strike Force against organized crime. His final prosecution of the Mafia leaders of the Kansas City, Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee families for offenses related to the unlawful control and skimming from various Las Vegas casinos was made into a major motion picture entitled Casino.

Community Safety Forum: Battling Addiction

Date: Sunday, April 18

Time: 2 to 3 p.m

Location: Inside the historic courtroom on the second floor. A livestream of the presentation will be posted on the Museums website thanks to NV Energys generous support. To watch a livestream of this event, click on the Watch button here.

Cost: Free, including free Museum admission, thanks to sponsorship provided by NV Energy. Registration is required.

Description: More than 20 million Americans struggle with some sort of addiction. Addiction takes a wide-ranging toll on addicts and their family members. About 88,000 people die as a result of alcohol abuse every year in the United States, while drug-related deaths have more than tripled since 2000. In recognition of National Alcohol Awareness Month, Will Allphin of Foundation for Recovery will highlight the dangers of alcohol and drug misuse and describe what it takes to maintain long-term recovery.

Each month, The Mob Museum partners with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and other local agencies to host Community Safety Forums  free public programs focused on pertinent issues that affect Southern Nevada. Thanks to NV Energy, pre-registered guests are given free admission to the Museum following the event. The Mob Museum will also provide a recording of this presentation on its website.

Speaker: Will Allphin of Foundation for Recovery

Writing the Mob: Chronicling Organized Crime in the 20th Century  A Virtual Author Talk Series

Date: The Mob Museum will host Virtual Author Talks April through June. The first two presentations of the series follow:

Thursday, April 15: J. Michael Niotta and Avi Bash, Los Angeles Underworld

Tuesday, April 27: Russell Shorto, Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob

Time: 4 p.m.

Location: The Virtual Author Talks will be available online at themobmuseum.org/events, on Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

Cost: Free

Description: This series of virtual presentations, exploring the real stories behind the Mobs heyday, features authors of new organized crime histories and memoirs. From New York to Los Angeles and even Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the Mobs tentacles reached into all corners of North America during the 20th century. Historians continue to explore this rich story to understand what really happened during the Mobs American heyday.

Arming the Cartels: How America Fuels Violence South of the Border

Date: Wednesday, April 21

Time: 7 to 8 p.m.

Location: The event will be livestreamed. Click here for more information.

Cost: Free

Description: Journalist Ioan Grillo, who has covered the international drug trade and its brutal tactics for 20 years, will discuss an often-overlooked facet of the story: the United States is the primary source of guns for the murderous Mexican drug cartels. Grillo tracks how legal guns in America make their way into the hands of criminals, fueling violence on both sides of the border.

Speaker: Ioan Grillo is the author of Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels. Grillo is a reporter based in Mexico City. He has been covering Latin Americas association with drug cartels since 2001 and his media portfolio includes Time Magazine, CNN, Reuters, The Houston Chronicle, The Associated Press, CBC, The Telegraph and much more. Ioan has witnessed it all from murder scenes to the fields of where drugs are born and even prison cells as well as luxury condominiums of criminals.

All Museum programs require registration. For more information on any of the public programs below and to register, visit www.themobmuseum.org/events/.

For more information, please call (702) 229-2734 or visit themobmuseum.org.

Follow vegasnews.com for more Vegas coverage.
LGBTQ activists are looking at Arkansas after its legislature passed the Arkansas Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, which prevents medical professionals from providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth in the state.

But Texas has very similar bills up for consideration this legislative session.

AFTER THE FREEZE: Texans really hate ERCOT after winter storm, UH survey confirms

State Rep. Steve Toth and State Sen. Bob Hall quietly filed House Bill 2693 and Senate Bill 1311, respectively, which would make it illegal for any physician in Texas to provide gender-affirming care to transgender people under the age of 18., including prescribing puberty blockers and hormones or performing gender-affirming surgery.

Under the bills, health care providers who offer gender-affirming care would lose their license to practice in the state.

This isn't Toth's only bill he's filed targeting health care for transgender youth  House Bill 68 would reclassify gender-affirming care from a mental health professional or physician as child abuse.

Arkansas' HB 1570 only needs a signature from its governor to become law. Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, is currently reviewing the bill.

After its passage through the Senate, several activists decried the bill.

"Affirming health care can literally be life or death for anyone, but particularly for trans youth," Black trans activist and writer Raquel Willis said, according to CNN's Lauren Holt. "People think that's an exaggeration. It's not. People think you can just discipline identity out of someone and that is not true and in many ways is torture."

IN TEXAS: Here's where you can schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment

According to the ACLU, 28 states are reviewing legislation that would restrict the rights of transgender people.

HB 2693 was filed on March 3, followed by SB 1311 filed on March 9. Both bills are currently in committee.
Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes has thanked fans for sharing their stories after revealing he has been suffering from chronic pain.

Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes has been inundated with support online, after he revealed on Thursday evening he is receiving hospital treatment over chronic pain.

Posting a photograph on Instagram and Twitter of him in hospital and wearing a mask, Eamonn captioned the photo: "At Hospital. Pain like I've never felt in my life . Hope they discover the cause . Wish me well folks."

The Belfast man (61) had previously shared with his 724,000 followers on social media that he was suffering from chronic pain, after posting a photo of him undergoing physiotherapy on Tuesday.

Read More

It followed him taking to Twitter last Friday, when he had a conversation with fans detailing his struggles with sleeping and admitting he has been suffering from insomnia due to chronic pain

During the chat, the broadcasting legend admitted that the "night is worse" and he feels there is "no escape" from the pain he is suffering.

The latest post by Eamonn has seen an outpouring of support and well wishes among his legion of fans, including some famous faces.

Television presenter Dermot O'Leary wrote "sending love Eamonn". While the former Ireland rugby star Tommy Bowe said "get well soon". The Northern Ireland artist Terry Bradley added: "Hope you are okay buddy".

Former Countdown star Carol Voderman also wrote: "Oh E...wishing you all the best".

The post - which has received around 28,000 likes on Instagram and Twitter - was also flooded with hundreds of comments from fans wishing him well and also sharing their experiences of dealing with persistent pain.

It isn't the first time the star has shared his experience of hospital treatment. Holmes underwent a double hip operation in 2016 after suffering what he described as "25 years of agony".

At the time of his operation, he was still presenting the Sunrise programme on Sky News as well as his Friday stint on This Morning with wife Ruth Langsford.

He took a 10 week break from the front of the camera following the surgery in order to recover, but he and Ruth kept fans updated on his progress throughout.

The star had been suffering from hip pains from as early as his 20s.

Following the operation, he said: "I stand straighter, am an inch taller, can touch my toes and sit without pain."
MILAN, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Berlin Packaging, the world's largest hybrid packaging supplier, announced today the acquisition of Glass Line, a Savona, Italy based supplier of glass and metal packaging specializing in the food and beverage end-markets.

As a family-run business, Glass Line has forged strong customer relationships and has significant expertise in the wine and olive oil markets. The company is co-led by Umberto Berruti and Patrizia Zoppi and has an established presence across Northwest Italy, including two warehouses in Liguria.

"Glass Line is an extraordinary company that not only shares Berlin's focus on quality and service, but also delights in serving its customers. As we continue to expand our presence in Northwest Italy, we are better able to serve packaging customers of all sizes and across all industries in this region," said Paolo Recrosio, CEO of Berlin Packaging Europe.

"Our family has built Glass Line over many years, and we were very deliberate in selecting a partner to help us accelerate our business," said Umberto Berruti, co-leader of Glass Line. "This combination with Berlin allows the best flow of ideas, innovations, and talent across Glass Line for the benefit of our employees, customers, and suppliers," added Patrizia Zoppi, co-leader of Glass Line.

This is Berlin Packaging's thirteenth acquisition in Europe since 2016, confirming the company's strong commitment to offering packaging solutions in all segments of the European market.

"We have successfully partnered with many family-owned businesses during our European expansion and appreciate the trust and confidence Glass Line has placed in us," said Bill Hayes, CEO and President of Berlin Packaging.

All Glass Line employees and locations will be retained, and Glass Line's leadership, including Umberto Berruti and Patrizia Zoppi, will continue in the same capacity.

Berlin Packaging

Berlin Packaging is the world's largest Hybrid Packaging Supplier of glass, plastic, and metal containers and closures. The company supplies billions of items annually along with package design, financing, consulting, warehousing, and logistics services for customers across all industries. Berlin Packaging brings together the best of manufacturing, distribution, and income-adding service providers. Its mission is to increase the net income of its customers through packaging products and services.

See BerlinPackaging.com for more information.

About Bruni Glass, a Berlin Packaging Company

Bruni Glass, the largest packaging distributor in Europe, has 40+ years' experience supplying premium and specialty glass packaging to the wine, spirits, food, and gourmet markets. Headquartered in Italy and with locations across Europe, Bruni offers thousands of custom-designed products along with popular standard items. The company has a world-class design studio, a network of high-quality manufacturing partners, a team dedicated to thrilling service, and is certified by CISQ-IMQ (Italian Institute for the Quality Mark) to ISO 9001 standards.

See BruniGlass.com. for more information.

For more information:

Press Office  Omnicom PR Group Italy

Barbara Papini, [email protected], +335 6113555

Ilaria Sala, [email protected], +39 335 8112968

Berlin Packaging

Elena Franzetti, [email protected], +39 02 48436611, +39 3401204145 Julie Saltzman, [email protected], +1 312 869 7554 for North America

SOURCE Berlin Packaging

Related Links

http://BerlinPackaging.com


Lucknow:

In what could be termed as a miracle, a 50-year-old woman came back to life after being declared dead at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh, leaving everyone, including the doctors surprised.



Saraswati Devi, a diabetic, was revived by a team of doctors at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute. She had undergone a stenting procedure a few months ago. She came to the hospital after she complained of chest pain recently. Her angiography report showed that her cardiac condition had worsened and she required to undergo an urgent bypass surgery.



On August 14, while she was being prepped for surgery and was wheeled into the operation theatre, she suffered a massive heart attack and her blood pressure plummeted to zero.



The doctors began to administer CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in order to ensure the circulation of blood and oxygen is continued, but no signs of revival were seen on the patient. After administering the CPR for 20 minutes, the doctors decided to continue with the bypass surgery.

ALSO READ | Woman presumed dead wakes up after an hour in Keralas mortuary



Cardiac massage could not be continued constantly when the anesthesia team pressed into action and put in IV lines. Once the lines were put in place, it was challenging to reach heart which would have meant a time lag of at least 20 minutes from sterilization of the surgical site to opening up the chest cavity through a process called, sternotomy (vertical incision is made along the sternum or the rib cage, after which the sternum itself is divided to reach the heart).

However, the team managed everything in 10 minutes.

We had to work fast as we needed to ensure that the brain does not go without oxygen supply for too long. Medically a person is declared brain dead if the oxygen has not reached the brain for four minutes. In this case oxygen did not reach the brain for 10 minutes. Therefore the fear was that patient would suffer from severe brain impairment, Dr S N Khanna said.

ALSO READ | Dharwad: Boy wakes up minutes before his cremation after presumed dead by family



After the chest cavity was opened we put the patient on a cardio-pulmonary bypass to ensure circulation. It was after this that we proceeded and completed the bypass surgery. We were extremely apprehensive about the condition the patient would be in when she woke up but there was no untoward damage to her brain functions. It was nothing short of a miracle, he added.



Dr Kousar Ali Shah said, While the bypass surgery was successful overall, we were worried there could be issues arising in awaking the patient from anaesthesia or thereafter due to substantial lag in oxygen supply to her brain. However, her post-operative recovery was uneventful and she was extubated almost as any normal patient who would have undergone a bypass surgery. Both the cardiac surgery and anaesthesia team worked in tandem to save a precious life.

ALSO READ | Telangana: Baby girl declared dead by MGM hospital wakes up to life at cremation ground

A case as this in the first place is rare to be even taken up for surgery post an arrest followed by an unresponsive resuscitation. I congratulate the doctors and the support staff for their perseverance and success. Saraswati Devi was discharged from the hospital on August 24th and has returned back home to Sonebhadra district in Uttar Pradesh, he added.
In a major U-turn on Thursday, the Pakistan Cabinet rejected the proposal of the Economic Coordination Committee to import sugar, cotton and yarn from India. According to Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, this decision was deferred until India restores Article 370 of the Constitution, which guaranteed special status for Jammu and Kashmir. Escalating matters further, Pakistan Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari linked the abrogation of Article 370 to the normalization of relations with India.

Maintaining that the Cabinet was unwilling to approve trade ties with India, she quoted Pakistan PM Imran Khan as saying that there can be no normalization of relations until the Parliament's steps pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir are reversed. The neighbouring country's move has raised eyebrows as Khan is also the in-charge of the Ministry of Commerce and Textiles, which approved the summaries for import for cotton, sugar, and yarn to be placed before the ECC for clearance. This implies that the PTI chairman was in favour of lifting the ban on the import of these items from India.

The federal cabinet rejects an Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) proposal to import cotton and sugar from India. The rejection comes a day after the ECC gave a go-ahead to the import of cotton, cotton yarn and sugar from the neighbouring country: Pakistan media  ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021

Addressing a press briefing a day earlier, newly appointed Pakistan Finance Minister Hammad Azhar announced that his country had decided to resume the import of sugar, cotton and yarn from India through land and sea routes. Explaining the rationale for this move, Azhar stated that the price of sugar in India was much cheaper than in Pakistan thereby allowing the commercial import of 5,00,000 tonnes of white sugar. Moreover, he added that the import of cotton and yarn would facilitate small textile industries in the country. The Pakistani media quoted him as saying that these decisions were "in the interest of the people".

Thaw in bilateral ties

The Pakistan government's latest move comes on the background of a thaw in the relationship between the two countries. For instance, Imran Khan called for resolving differences with India via dialogue. This was during his maiden visit to Sri Lanka where he addressed the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Conference on February 24. Claiming that he had unsuccessfully attempted to diffuse tensions in the bilateral relationship after assuming power in 2018, he stressed the need to improve trading ties with India. In a joint statement issued a day later, the Director Generals of Military Operations of both countries agreed to strictly observe all agreements and stop firing from February 25.

However, the Indian Army affirmed that it remains vigilant in the wake of relentless ceasefire violations by Pakistan in the past. This will also not impact counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Softening the brash tone further, Imran Khan told participants at the recently held Islamabad Security Dialogue that India can benefit from more trade and connectivity to Central Asia if both nations resolve their issues. Speaking at the same event, Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa stressed that it is time to bury the past and move forward.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state will vaccinate all willing college students beginning the week of April 5, as part of the race to vaccinate Ohioans as variants spread.

This is a pivot from a statement DeWine previously made on the subject, where he said the state would focus on colleges in the fall but not the spring because of the limited timeframe before students leave for summer break. After conversations with university presidents, DeWine said the state will use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to get college students vaccinated since its only one dose, versus two for Pfizer and Moderna.

The effort wont be completed next week and could continue for several weeks at larger universities, DeWine said. The vaccine opened to all Ohioans 16 and over on Monday.

We also believe more college students will opt to get the vaccines if they can get it right there and at the same time as their peers, DeWine said.

Ohio, like other states across the country, is experiencing an uptick in cases this week after a plateau last week. Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the Ohio Department of Health chief medical officer, said this is in part due to variants spreading. While Ohio is not seeing the same kind of increase as Michigan or New York, DeWine said vaccinating college students is part of the first line of defense against the virus -- vaccination.

Vaccination efforts in Ohio have focused on the elderly and those with preexisting conditions, jumping down by age group as more vaccine becomes available. More vaccine should become available in the coming weeks as well, DeWine said.

Younger people have shown to be less likely to experience serious health outcomes from the vaccine, but are part of the group most likely to spread it. A study published in the March volume of research journal Science found adults 20-49 responsible for consistent transmission rates.

The high reproduction numbers from adults are linked both to rebounding mobility over the summer and elevated transmission risks per venue visit among adults aged 20 to 49, researchers wrote. Before school reopening, we estimate that 75 of 100 COVID-19 infections originated from adults aged 20 to 49, and the share of young adults aged 20 to 34 among COVID-19 infections was highly variable geographically.

In Ohio, most cases are in ages 20-29, but that age group has the lowest hospitalization and death numbers, according to a state dashboards. Universities also test regularly, which would allow officials to locate asymptomatic cases.

DeWine also noted that working with universities could allow the state to vaccinate a large number of people at once. Some universities are already home to mass vaccination sites.

We have an obligation and imperative  to vaccinate people as quickly as we can, he said.

More coronavirus coverage:

-- Ohio will rush coronavirus vaccines to areas with case spikes

-- Ohio reports 854 new coronavirus cases in K-12 students, 145 in staff for week of March 22

-- Ohio reports 2,475 new coronavirus cases: Thursday update

-- Biden launches community corps to boost COVID vaccinations
The Growth Gap

The Growth Gap is a Yakima Herald-Republic reporting series and newsletter on how Washington states declining child care sector is edging out young learners. Were zeroing in on how this issue impacts children, families, providers and our economy in Central Washington, with an emphasis on long-term outcomes for early learners.

To sign up for the newsletter, go to www.yakimaherald.com/users/admin/mailinglist.

FROM WEDNESDAY: Why child care can be hard to find in Central Washington and how it affects families.
Over 82 per cent voter turnout was registered in Bengal in the second phase of the Assembly election today - 4.3 per cent less than in 2016. Assam registered a voter turnout of 77.2 per cent in the second phase today as opposed to 82.7 per cent in 2016.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of booth capture in Nandigram where she is contesting against her protege-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari. "...They didn't allow the local people to cast their vote. From morning I am campaigning...Now I am appealing to you, please see...," a visibly upset Ms Banerjee was seen complaining to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over the phone in a video shared by ANI.

Mamata leader has also accused the Election Commission of not taking action despite a formal complaint by her party. "Have lodged 63 poll related complaints since morning, no action by Election Commission," Mamata Banerjee was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Ms Banerjee's party has accused the BJP of booth capture in Nandigram. "Huge mob of BJP workers have entered booth no.s 6, 7, 49, 27, 162, 21, 26, 13, 262, 256, 163, 20. BJP workers attempting to take control of EVM & rigging the booth," Trinamool's Derek O'Brien has written to the Election Commission.

Assam - where the first phase of polls were held on March 27 along with Bengal - will also see high profile candidates, including a numbers of ministers in the outgoing government, among the 345 candidates in the battle for the 39 seats that go to polls in the second phase.

For Mamata Banerjee, and the BJP, the battle for Nandigram is a prestige fight because it was the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in the region that helped her capture power in the state for the first time.

Stray incidents of violence have been reported in Bengal where voting is being held in 30 seats, including the high profile Nandigram constituency, in the second phase of state polls. Stones were thrown at BJP candidate Pritish Ranjan Konar's car in Keshpur. Earlier, a polling agent of the BJP was beaten up allegedly by Trinamool Congress workers in Keshpur, news agency ANI reported.

Trinamool and BJP are contesting in all the 30 seats, while CPI(M) is contesting in 15 and its alliance partners of Sanjukta Morcha the Congress and ISF are competing in 13 and two seats respectively.

In Assam, the ruling BJP is contesting in 34 seats and its allies, the AGP in six and the UPPL in three. The Congress, meanwhile, is contesting in 27 while its partners, the AIUDF, in eight and BPF in four.
Close

For the first time, scientists from the ALPHA collaboration at CERN reported successfully manipulating antimatter with the use of a laser system - potentially changing antimatter research and guide future experiments on the field.

Antimatter basically refers to the opposite of matter. Specifically, antimatter has sub-atomic particles whose properties (such as electric charge) are the opposite of normal matter. Most of the challenges surrounding the detection and observation of antimatter come from the fact that it immediately "annihilates" when it comes into contact with normal matter.

The ALPHA collaboration scientists report their findings in the article "Laser cooling of antihydrogen atoms," appearing in the latest journal Nature, March 31.

ALSO READ: CERN Discovery Offers Insight About the Antimatter - Matter Discrepancy





Cooling Antimatter Samples

To achieve the breakthrough, researchers used a laser system made in Canada and cooled down the antimatter sample down to temperatures close to absolute zero - or almost 0 Kelvins or -273.15 degrees Celsius.

"Today's results are the culmination of a years-long program of research and engineering, conducted at UBC but supported by partners from across the country, said Takamasa Momose, a member of the ALPHA collaboration's Canadian team (ALPHA-CANADA) at CERN from the University of British Columbia (UBC) who helped develop the laser, in a news article from UBC.

He adds that the new antimatter could help solve long-standing questions about the particles like how does antimatter respond to gravity or whether it can offer new insights about symmetry in Physics.

Since it was first tested four decades ago, the use of lasers for cooling basic atoms has changed mankind's understanding of physics, leading to some Nobel-winning experiments. The use of the Canada-made laser system, however, marks the first use of laser for cooling antimatter.

In the first-ever laser cooling of antimatter, researchers used antihydrogen samples. Antihydrogen is an atom made of an antiproton (opposite of proton) and a positron (also known as antielectron). The magnetically trapped antimatter is cooled using a Lyman alpha (Lyman-) laser, emitted as narrow-linewidth pulses to excite the 1S-2P transition in the antimatter atom.

Researchers noted that while the laser only hits the sample in one direction, the magnetic trap couples the motions of the antimatter - both in longitude and transverse - leading to a complete, three-dimensional cooling of the sample.

"Crazy Dream" Come True

By cooling down antimatter samples, researchers could further investigate the nature and behavior of these particles which, in turn, could shed light on the fundamental laws that govern the Universe. One of the persisting problems in physics and cosmology is the so-called Baryon Asymmetry problem, which pertains to the observed imbalance between matter and antimatter in the observable universe.

It was a bit of crazy dream to manipulate antimatter with laser," shares ALPHA-CANADA spokesperson, TRIUMF researcher, and the original proponent of the test concept Makoto Fujiwara.

Both Momose and Fujiwara are now spearheading another Canadian-led project, the Hydrogen Antihydrogen Infrastructure at Canadian Universities (HAICU), which aims to develop new quantum techniques for further antimatter studies. Fujiwara shares of his next "dream" of making a "fountain" of antimatter atoms by ejecting laser-cooled samples into free space, which could open new avenues for quantum experiments previously thought impossible.

RELATED ARTICLE: Simple Mod Can Keep Quantum States 10,000 Times Longer





Check out more news and information on Antimatter in Science Times.


Courtesy of Cavender's Boot City

Although Cavenders Boot City has grown into a large corporation, the Cavender family is still actively involved in the business. They take pride in the fact that their stores focus on helping the customers have a positive customer experience. With that in mind, earning the Best Cowboy Boots in San Antonio title in this years Readers Choice Awards makes perfect sense.

In speaking with general manager Brett Emmons, he shared that he could pick up the phone and call if he ever needed to contact president Joe Cavender. We are family-oriented, and the Cavender family literally built the store and its brand from the ground up. They make themselves available if we ever need them.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A man is charged in connection with a shootout that injured seven people at an afterhours club run by a motorcycle club.

Cobbin Bates, 28, is charged with felonious assault. He is not in police custody and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The shooting happened about 2:40 a.m. at The Spot club on Pearl Road near Brookpark Road. Police gave special attention to the club for weeks after several people complained about the clubs large, rowdy crowds, gunfire and people milling about with guns.

Officials said the club, situated in the back corner of a half-empty commercial building, was run by a motorcycle club and was operating illegally. City officials sent the building owners a notice declaring the club a nuisance and threatened fines for any additional illegal activity.

A woman told police she spotted a man at the club she believed killed her boyfriend about two years ago. The two argued and the man, identified by police as Bates, pulled out a gun and fired shots at the woman in an attempt to kill her, according to police reports and court records. Bates has never been charged in any homicides.

Several others in the crowd pulled out guns and fired shots inside the club, according to police.

A video posted on Twitter showed 15 gunshots fired inside the club in about 8 seconds, before the video ends. The gunfire sparked panic as people ran from the club to their cars and sped away.

Officers noted in police reports that more than 100 cars were in the parking lot when they arrived.

Four men  between the ages of 25 and 37  and three 26-year-old women suffered gunshot wounds. Someone drove all seven to MetroHealth. All survived the shooting.

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She describes her childhood as idyllic, filled with the companionship of her seven siblings, with art and nature. The family produced most of its own food; she milked cows, rode horses and painted. We lived art, talked art, drank art and all of the visitors were artists. That was my diet when I was young. My younger brother thought he might be an artist but the competition was too strong. She was technically brilliant. She says  without a hint of boastfulness  that she could have painted a gum tree and signed her fathers name to it and no one would have guessed it wasnt by him. Visitors would admire her work, thinking it was her fathers. At first, she painted alongside him. Her mother, perhaps to protect Hans from undue competition, organised for Nora to work in her own space. Nora believed her mother was bitter about the fact that running her husbands studio and home and raising eight children didnt allow her own creativity to bloom. Nora Heysen, Petunias, 1930. Credit:Art Gallery of South Australia Famous actors, politicians and artists from around the world visited The Cedars. Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh dropped in, as did Helen Keller, the pianist Artur Schnabel, the ballerina Anna Pavlova, the artists Thea Proctor and Ellis Rowan, and the Australian Prime Minister, Robert Menzies. The renowned opera singer Dame Nellie Melba gave Nora a gift of a large painting palette. She used it all her life and it features in some of her self-portraits. When her father was away on sketching trips, Nora worked in his studio. This is where she painted some of the self-portraits that made her name. She turned to painting faces and painting myself and then subjects from the village and figures in the landscape. I thought father had a copyright on the gum trees. She added:

I was trying to make my own name then, you see, as against being the talented daughter of the famous Hans Heysen and I think something of that must have crept into it  that I wanted to create myself and by doing a self-portrait it was the best way I could think of, that I would make an image there of somebody and that was Nora Heysen, the daughter of Hans Heysen. By the time she was twenty, in 1931, her work had been bought by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Queensland Art Gallery. With the money she had earned, she bought herself a rich brown velvet jacket. In 1932 she painted a self-portrait of herself wearing it. She is in her fathers studio; her head is framed by a corner of a reproduction of a Vermeer; in her left hand she holds a paintbrush. Her palette is animated with a splash of cadmium red; to her right, a still life of bottles and a sketch pad. She glances at us, as if interrupted. She is stern, workmanlike, monumental and  thanks to her hard work  dressed in her beautiful jacket. Nora Heysen, A portrait study (self-portrait), 1933. Credit:Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery In 1933 she was awarded the Melrose Prize for Portraiture for A Portrait Study. The painting is, in fact, a self-portrait: Nora, her hair pulled back, in a simple white jumper and a red skirt, holds a drawing board; she looks out at us as if we are the mirror reflecting her back on herself. To the left of a painting is a still life of glass bottles, a brown jug, brushes and paint. To the right, books and a small bunch of vivid yellow Australian flowers. Many years later, in 1998, it would become the cover of Frances Borzellos ground- breaking book, Seeing Ourselves: Womens Self-Portraits. Sixty years after she painted it, Nora told the journalist David Meagher: I rather like that portrait because it was all sort of handmade; I knitted the sweater and made the skirt In that period the fashion was that you showed no breast, you had to bind up your bosom so it was flat. When I look at that portrait, I think I could have put a bit more in  I had a big one at the time. Why I went along with the fashion Ill never know, because I never have since.

In December 1933, Nora had a solo show of sixty-two paintings and drawings at the South Australian Society of Arts Gallery: it was a critical and commercial success. She made enough money to support herself for the next few years. She was 22. In 1934 she travelled to London with her parents. They spent most of their waking hours seeing the paintings she was only familiar with in reproduction. But modern art didnt resonate with her: the Cezannes, Van Goghs and Picassos left me bewildered. Chaos. Ridiculously high prices. Nora enrolled in the Central School of Arts and Crafts. For the first six months, no one spoke to her. She was profoundly lonely and found the winter horribly cold. She knew that compared to most students she was privileged; she had her fathers connections and was financially secure. Life looked up with the arrival of a close friend, a fellow art student from Adelaide, Evie Shaw (later Stokes). She was five years older than Nora and a widow. Her parents disapproved of the friendship, as they thought Evie was gay. Nora rebutted their criticisms; the young women were inseparable. They modelled for each other, supported each other, travelled together. Noras London Breakfast of 1935 is a sensitive portrait of her friend in her blue dressing gown, her face softly illuminated in the weak English light reading a book and drinking a cup of tea; to her right is a delicate still life of bread, a vivid orange pumpkin, a blue bowl of white flowers. Nora Heysen, London breakfast, 1935. Credit:National Gallery of Australia

Nora said that she learned more in two years in London than she did in five years in Adelaide but the world is the biggest education you can get. Yet, despite the quality of the work she was producing, Nora was constantly knocked down by the criticisms of men, some of whom were impatient with her lack of interest in modernism. She wrote  heartbreakingly, humorously  to her parents that one of her teachers, Bernard Meninsky, had said: that I had a good idea of drawing and proportion but unfortunately, I had been taught the wrong way, but it was likely with a few years of training I might be able to see the way he does and do Meninsky drawings. Nora Heysen, Self-portrait, 1934. Credit:National Portrait Gallery, Camberra A friend of her fathers, the Royal Academician James Bateman, was also stinging in his criticisms. In 1935 he and his wife came to dinner and then they visited Noras studio. Bateman was savage, telling Nora that her work lacked tone, her technique was mechanical, and that she was trying to evoke light and vibration the wrong way. Again, she wrote to her parents about the episode, concluding that he is biased against women painters . . . we nearly came to blows discussing women artists and their merits. When Nora was in her 80s, she revealed that she had been the subject of yet another attack. Her father had introduced her to the renowned painter, art historian and former director of Londons National Gallery, Charles Holmes, whose history of the National Gallery was her most used book. She recounted that:

I took my work to Charles Holmes . . . he asked me what I wanted to do and I said figures and landscapes  he just laughed at me and it crushed me. Absolutely. It was very untimely criticism. And, well, I lost my confidence entirely. I [went] on painting but my big ideas, you know, Australian landscapes and figures it was very sad and devastating. Devastating. He just laughed at me and it crushed me. It was very untimely criticism. I lost my confidence entirely. It was very sad and devastating. Nora Heysen on the comments of art luminary Charles Holmes Holmes must have been harsh, as he wrote her a letter of apology, but within a month he had died. Nora was deeply depressed. She was broke, disheartened, cold. She told her parents that she felt all the faith and heart taken out of me. In old age, she remembered her struggle to make a name for herself, beyond that of her fathers. She tells the story of deciding to change her name to Norah H but when she sent some paintings back to Australia, her father assumed she had made a mistake and corrected her signature. She also tried to show her work to some galleries on Bond Street, but they were very, very distant and haughty and not interested in a little Australian upstart. With so little encouragement, and in such isolation, her skin thickened. She learned to trust her instincts and to embrace her solitude. In 1994 a self-portrait by Nora was found, still rolled up in her studio. Down and Out in London was, in 1937, the last painting she completed in England. Its a melancholy, low-key scene: Nora, half seated on a kitchen bench, gazes into the distance.

Her right sleeve is rolled up; she is surrounded by the detritus of domesticity; washing on a line above a stove behind her, a large bowl, a kettle, an empty glass. There is no indication that she is an artist. She looks tired, deflated. The only flowers are reproductions; faded images of lost blooms on a tablecloth. Its telling that she depicts herself in a kitchen  the room that no doubt many men would have preferred her to stay in. Nora Heysen, Down and Out in London, 1937. Credit:Art Gallery of South Australia But, despite the melancholy scene, she didnt give up. Self-portraits can be a form of exorcism. In late 1937 she and Evie travelled through Italy looking at paintings. She wrote to her parents that: I feel now sure of what I want. I only need the time and quiet to work it out for myself. She returned to Australia and stayed at The Cedars for a few months where she painted another self-portrait. Gone is the dejection of her London painting. Against a pale yellow background  a nod, perhaps, to the welcome heat of the antipodean sunshine  she looks directly at us: she is dressed in a blue cardigan, buttoned to her neck. Her brown hair is pulled back. Her gaze is steady. She is young, strong, straightforward. She is unbowed. In 1938 she moved to Sydney. With her famous father, she could have met scores of people, but, in her words, I wasnt a social bird ever. She loved painting flowers but was told that they were inappropriate to exhibit, as mostly women were doing flowers. She delighted in her own company, working hard, swimming, reading. Art for her was a way of filtering the world, of focusing on what gave her pleasure. She was never a bohemian. She loathed parties. Painting was all the stimulation she required.

That year, at the age of 28, she won the most prestigious art prize in Australia, the Archibald, with a portrait of the socialite Madame Elink Schuurman. Nora was not only the youngest artist to ever win the competition but also the first woman to be awarded the prize in its 17-year history. Her painting beat 144 works by 84 artists. When her name was announced, she was swimming in the harbour. The renowned sixty-three-year-old artist and teacher Max Meldrum had also entered the competition. His response to Noras win was ungracious, patronising and bad- tempered. The Brisbane Sunday Mail of January 22 1939 reported his words beneath the heading Domestic Ties Downfall of Women Art Careerists. Nora Heysen with her portrait of Elink Schuurman, which won the 1938 Archibald Prize. Credit:Fairfax archives Nora Heysens WAAAF Cook: Corporal Joan Whipp, Cairns, 1945, which hangs at the Australian War Memorial. Credit:Australian War Memorial In a letter home, Nora wrote: This Archibald Prize has brought not only blessings on my shoulders but by some trick it seems to have made me a few enemies. There are still irate and seething letters in the papers against my portrait and the judges decision; the papers rang to know what I think of it. I have nothing to say, so probably they will grow tired of it. In her 80s, thoughtfully dragging on her cigarette, Nora mildly reflected on Meldrums words. That was a surprise to me; I wasnt aware of this [kind of attitude] as it wasnt in my home . . . Among artists I wasnt conscious that women were being treated differently. Arts art to me, whoever does it, men or women or what.

A few days after The Sunday Mails report, The Australian Womens Weekly added insult to injury. It ran a feature on Noras win under the title Girl Painter Who Won Art Prize is Also a Good Cook. A photograph of the young artist shows her peeling vegetables and three of Noras favourite recipes for foreign dishes: Hungarian goulash, duck with olive sauce and Chilean stuffed green peppers. Nora is surely one of the only painters in the history of art who longed for comfortable obscurity. She received a slew of commissions because of the Archibald prize but was frank about the difficulty they entailed. Although she was always interested in faces, she said Id rather make roads than commissioned portraits. In 1943, Nora became the first Australian woman to be ap- pointed an official War Artist. She travelled to New Guinea and painted and drew nurses and, in particular, women working. After the war ended, Nora and her work fell into obscurity. Nora Heysen (1911-2003) Transport driver (Aircraftwoman Florence Miles), 1945. Credit:Australian War Memorial Lou Klepac, the curator who was responsible for resurrecting her career, puts this down to a few factors: that she was naturally reticent and that she exhibited, at the behest of her father, with the conservative Academy of Art in 1938, and not the more radical Contemporary Art Society.

It also cant have helped that she was uninterested in modernism, socialising or promoting her work, loved painting flowers and earned a living, in the main, from portrait painting, which fell out of favour in post-war Australia. Also, her name was inevitably intertwined with that of her fathers, whose gum trees were sorely out of step with the contemporary art produced in Australia by expressionist artists such as Arthur Boyd, Joy Hester, Sidney Nolan and Albert Tucker, and then later by abstract and conceptual artists. Noras gradual falling out of fashion also coincided with her marriage. In 1943 she had found love with a scientist, Robert Black. He was married with a child. His wife didnt grant him a divorce until 1953; Nora and he married the next day, a wish of 10 years standing. They travelled extensively and, at various times, lived in the Pacific Islands. Although she kept working throughout her marriage, Noras identity as an artist was dominated by her role as a wife. One wonderful thing happened: in 1954 they found The Chalet to live in. Nora fell in love with it immediately; it reminded her of her family home back in the Adelaide hills. Their home was filled with animals; seemingly countless cats and Nora looked after bandicoots and possums. She had always wanted to have children, but she couldnt conceive. She said that some of her paintings were like children to her; the ones that have given you the most painful birth . . . you want to keep them . . . youve got nearer to what you want and youd like to have it around you for a while, until you do something better. Nora Heysen at 80 in her home at Hunters Hill. Credit:Tim Clayton

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Nora had a few solo shows, mainly in South Australia and organised by her brother Stefan, who ran the Heysen Gallery, and by another brother, David. She also continued to enter competitions. In 1962 she was interviewed for The Age newspaper. The article was titled: I Dont Know if I Exist in my Own Right. She says that that feeling haunted her for many, many years. This, despite all that she had achieved. In 1970 her work was included in a group show at Prouds Gallery in Sydney. An article in The Australian newspaper described it as an exhibition of some artists who still paint the old-fashioned way. Nora said: I wouldnt pretend to be an abstract painter or on the popular bandwagon. Im on my own private bus and Im quite happy. In 1972, Robert Black left Nora for his young assistant. Nora was overwhelmed with despair. She survived because she had my painting. She believed that great emotional upheavals are good for your work. She led a quiet life communing with her animals and her painting but found some solace in the close friendship she developed with a child, Steven Coorey, whose family were Noras neighbours. In the late 1960s he had visited her to enquire about a kitten; in 1972, when he moved to Tasmania with his family at the age of 15, they began writing to each other. In 1975 he moved in with Nora. They were very close; he sent her cards on Mothers Day and when he moved to San Francisco, he addressed his letters to her as The Angel Nora. In 1986, Steven introduced Nora to his boyfriend Craig Dubery, proposing that he might stay with her. He moved in and the older artist and the young man became close; in later years he became Noras confidant and carer. When Steven died from an AIDS-related illness in 1997, Noras grief was immense. As Nora aged, painting became more difficult. I havent got any more confidence that I can paint over the years. In fact, one becomes more and more convinced that its a very hard business to produce a good painting. She considered art to be a disease, a drug and an escape, but she wouldnt have it otherwise because to be an artist is to experience moments of extreme joy and exhilaration. She described herself as someone inclined to melancholy and the depths of despair and explained how painting took so much out of her that it didnt leave her much time to give to people.

I was always haunted with being the talented daughter of the famous Hans Heysen. Nora Heysen at 89 Loading It wasnt until 1989 when she was 78 when Lou Klepacs monograph on her was published and the S. H. Ervin Gallery in Sydney staged her retrospective titled Faces, Flowers and Friends, that Nora finally started to garner critical attention. With classic humility, she quietly remarked that recognition has come a bit late but its still very nice. In 2000, when Nora was 89, Klepac curated a retrospective dedicated to her life and work at the National Library in Canberra. It was life-changing. Nora said: I only just thought that I am a person, painter in my own right since Lou Klepac discovered me and put on this retrospective show and produced the book. Id never been published before. Id never had a retrospective show [. . .] I was always haunted with being the talented daughter of the famous Hans Heysen. In 2001, days after her 91st birthday and before her death at the end of 2003, Nora took part in a radio interview. When asked to sum up her life, she replied with typical, beautiful, understatement: Ive scraped by, up and down. Although her solitude had, at times, broken her heart, it also granted her the freedom to be herself: an artist.
Be safe. Make sure all family members and employees know the earthquake emergency safety and preparedness plan.

Earthquakes are a way of life in California and even though most talk about the last big one, or wonder when the next big one is coming, Earthquake Track, reports that several per day happen in the state. These daily earthquakes are usually not noticed by humans and are not of enough magnitude to do any damage, but Steve Dodson of Wildhorse Propane & Appliances, the Watsonville propane supplier, said, Its still important to make sure things are as earthquake-proof as possible, because we do have some pretty good shakers, too.

Safety during an earthquake is always a high priority and developing an earthquake safety plan is critical since a strong earthquake can hit without warning. Local public safety agencies usually have safety plans that are available to help members of the community create plans for home and business. The California Earthquake Authority is a good source for creating an earthquake safety plan for home or work.

When it comes to propane safety, the team from the Watsonville propane supplier has prepared some tips to help propane customers safeguard propane tanks and prevent leaks and potential fires. Propane is used by homes, all kinds of businesses, agriculture, and public agencies. These tips are useful for any propane customer:



Consider anchoring the propane tank to prevent the it from shifting or falling over during an earthquake. The Watsonville propane supplier can advise the best way to anchor the tank.

If the propane tank has shifted or is damaged, or if you smell that rotten-egg odor of propane, get to safety and call the fire department.

Make sure the tank is easily accessible by clearing the area around it and removing any heavy or tall objects that might fall during an earthquake.

Check insurance policies to determine whether the propane system is covered in the event of damage.

Know how to shut off the propane tank and teach other adults or older children how to do it as well. Also know where shut-off valves into buildings are located and how to turn them off.

Ask the propane company about installing a seismic gas shutoff valve that automatically shuts off the flow of propane during an earthquake. Some areas may require that a seismic gas shut off be installed.

Contact your propane supplier to inspect your propane system before turning it back on.

Also schedule a thorough inspection. The technician can check the tank, all the connections inside the building and detect any underground leaks that may be coming from damaged pipes.

Be safe. Make sure all family members and employees know the earthquake emergency safety and preparedness plan. The plan should include instructions for turning off propane, electricity and water. Practice it at least once a year.

Wildhorse Propane & Appliances is a family-owned company that has been serving the propane needs of Watsonville and Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo counties since 1980. A full service company, Wildhorse is proud to provide propane and appliance sales, 24-hour emergency service, plus underground plumbing, gas line installation, pipelines, underground plumbing and portable tank fill-up referrals.

Wildhorse Propane & Appliances

50557 Wildhorse Road

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A group of elderly retirees from the Prison department in northeast China's Liaoning province, stage a sit-down protest outside the Chinese Ministry of Justice over their unpaid pensions in Beijing, China on Nov. 8, 2011. (Goh Chai Hin/AFP via Getty Images)

Elderly Deprived of Pensions to Dead-End Those Who Uphold Belief

Many retirees in communist China have had their pensions suspended for upholding their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The CCP has no legal basis to deprive any citizen of their pensions, aiming to eradicate the group, a former lawyer commented.

In 2020, at least 161 practitioners were forced to pay back the pension they received during their time imprisoned for their belief, based on incomplete data collected by Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website dedicated to recording the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

The deprivation of any forms of pension is illegal, Lai Jianping, a political expert from China University of Political Science and Law, said on March 28.

The deprivation of money bankrupts people, leaving them with nothing to rely on, and even food- or other necessities- insecure. They are driving people to a dead-end, the former Chinese trial lawyer Chen Jiangang warned in an interview on March 29.

The sophisticated mechanism of internet censorship and surveillance makes the total number of cases concerned about human rights abuse against Falun Gong practitioners in communist China hard to record and confirm. Under the tight-fist control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), anyone investigating the details of the persecution can become a victim themselves.

Falun Gong was violently targeted by the CCP on July 20, 1999, out of fear that its estimated 70 million to 100 million adherents exceeded party members.

First introduced to the public in 1992, the practice, also known as Falun Dafa, consists of meditative exercises and a set of moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, which are rooted in traditional Chinese culture.

The brutal campaign to eradicate Falun Gong caused millions of practitioners to lose their jobs, be expelled from schools, jailed, tortured, and even killed for organ harvesting, simply for their belief.

Continuing Trends

In 2020, pension suspension cases emerged throughout China, from northeastern Liaoning Provinces to southwestern Sichuan Province. And there is no sign of it stopping in 2021. Data recorded on Minghui.org shows another 27 practitioners have had their pensions suspended from December 2020 to January 2021 for upholding their beliefs.

In southwestern Sichuan Province, a retired middle school teacher from the provincial capital of Chengdu had her pension suspended since December 2019. Zhan Min told a reporter on Oct. 14, 2020, that she was not informed of the suspension until she went to the bank in October 2020.

Zhan was told that the pension was used to pay for money she received between March 2012 and March 2015.

According to a new policy, Falun Gong practitioners wouldnt be entitled to any salary or pension while serving time for their faith, a report quoted the words of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau in Chengdu. In March 2012, Zhan was sentenced to three years of imprisonment because she distributed leaflets about Falun Gong, which is banned and censored in China.

There was no exception in the central city of Wuhan in Hubei Province. The news on March 17, 2021, revealed Liu Caifang had her monthly pension deducted from 3,271 yuan ($500) to 996 yuan ($150) in December 2020 and January 2021. The officials who answered her inquiries said the money she received during her three months of detention in 2008 should be paid back. The official also demanded she sign an agreement. Otherwise, the deduction would become permanent.

In northeastern Jilin Province, Zhu Xiyu of Yanbian city was ordered to pay back the 200,000 yuan ($30,461) pension she was given during her eight-year imprisonment. The authorities claimed that she was not entitled to be paid during her time of imprisonment for her faith. Zhu told a reporter on Jan. 5 that local officers demanded her son and sister pay for her. She had filed an appeal.

The news on March 21 said she is currently missing.

On Jan. 8, 2021, a report shows that 76-year-old Wei Xiuying from Linhai city of northeastern Liaoning Province won a lawsuit against the local Social Security Office, which has withheld her pension since December 2016.

However, the office refused to resume her pension and demanded Wei pay back the 104,635 yuan ($16,000) she received during her time imprisoned.

Who Gave the Order?

The continued trend of suspending Falun Gong practitioners pensions or demanding they pay back the money received while imprisoned, seems not to be ordered by the Chinese regimes Social Security Office.

Such policies concerning Falun Gong practitioners generally come from the local public security, national security, or even higher offices of the CCP, said Lai Jianping, a political expert from China University of Political Science and Law.

It is not a decision made by any individual or institution because it is politically systematic.

He suggested that the 610 Office is probably involved in this process.

Withholding Falun Gong practitioners pensions most likely came from the 610 Office, Lai said.

The 610 office was established by then-party leader Jiang Zemin and named after the date of its creation, June 10, 1999. It functions outside the state system without any official standing. The core task of the 610 office is to suppress the Falun Gong spiritual group through defaming their reputations, bankrupting them financially and destroying them physically, according to a secret order from Jiang.

Police detain a Falun Gong protester in Tiananmen Square as a crowd watches in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2000. (Chien-min Chung/AP Photo)

Early reports on Minghui had revealed such an approach to the persecution. At the beginning of the persecution in 2000, Zhao Zhufang was stripped of her pension after she appealed in Beijing. In 2005, Jiang Ruishan from Beijing had had his retirement pension suspended by the Bank of China after he served two and a half years in prison for his belief.

Lai warned that such cases are entirely illegal.

Based on Chinas laws, such as its Constitution, the Labor Law, or the Social Insurance Law, it stipulates citizens have the right to get pensions.

The absolute right should not be deprived for any reason, and is backed by the human rights conventions, including the United Nations.

Chen Jiangang, a former trial Chinese lawyer and visiting fellow at the American University Washington College of Law, pointed out that pensions are the savings from employees wages. When they strip you of pension, they are taking your money. It is robbery.

The CCP can deprive people of life, freedom, and property, he explained, as the nature of CCP is evil and worse than that of bandits.

Lai added, not only Falun Gong practitioners, but other descendants like the former party insider Cai Xia also had pensions withheld. He said the phenomenon reflects the tyrannical nature of the regime.
Both companies have agreed to negotiate in good faith for an ore supply agreement for about 800,000 wmt per annum commencing in 2023.

QPM and SLN will work together to evaluate a nickel ore specification that is beneficial to both parties

( ) (FRA:4EA) has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Societe Le Nickel (SLN), a subsidiary of Eramet SA (EPA:ERA) (FRA:ER7) (OTCMKTS:ERMAY) group, for the supply of nickel laterite ore from New Caledonia for the TECH Project.

Both companies have agreed to negotiate in good faith for an ore supply agreement for about 800,000 wet metric tonnes (wmt) per annum commencing in 2023.

"Underpin ore supply"

QPM chief executive officer Stephen Grocott said: We look forward to working with SLN to consummate an ore supply agreement which will underpin the ore supply required to support the TECH project at the 1.2-1.5 million tonnes per annum scale.

The key terms of the MoU are:

SLN will seek to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals it requires to make the sales;

QPM and SLN agree to negotiate in good faith a binding ore supply agreement for about 800,000 wmt of ore from New Caledonia per annum;

Supply to start in 2023; and

QPM and SLN will work together to evaluate a nickel ore specification that is beneficial to both parties, but indicatively will be in the range of 1.45  1.7% nickel and 0.15  0.25% cobalt.

Targeting limonite and transition zone ore

The majority of global nickel ore trade is for saprolite ore, which sits in the lower section of a nickel laterite ore body.

Saprolite ore is relatively low in iron and high in magnesium, making it suitable for ferronickel plants that produce nickel pig iron for the stainless steel industry.

QPM is targeting limonite and transition zone ore, which sits above the saprolite zone and must be mined to access the saprolite.

As there is a limited market for limonite ore, it is often stockpiled or returned to the ground as waste, both of which are costly exercises.

SLN

SLN is the worlds top producer of ferronickel and has multiple mine sites in New Caledonia, with operations dating back to 1880.

Its mining techniques have been devised to protect the environment, which fits with the sustainability principles of QPM and the TECH Project.

SLNs parent company Eramet is listed on the Euronext Paris Exchange.

Key appointments

Queensland Pacific Metals also announced a series of key appointments that will lead the company through its definitive feasibility study (DFS) and beyond.

Dr Grocott has been appointed as managing director of QPM, effective immediately and Barry Sanders will take on the executive management role of project director.

Executive director John Downie said: QPM is currently in an excellent position, being well-funded, having excellent traction with major global offtakers and having a project in an exciting sector.

I am excited to see Stephen and Barry lead such an innovative and fast-paced team on its way to becoming a major producer of battery chemicals in Australia.

I look forward to my ongoing significant involvement with the company as it continues to grow and evolve.

Dr Grocott will take over from incumbent managing director John Downie, who will transition to an executive director role and remain heavily involved with the company.

Since joining as chief executive officer, Dr Grocott has led QPM through a period of significant growth and advancement for the TECH Project.

QPM's board looks forward to his continued leadership as the company progresses towards achieving its goal of becoming a significant supplier of critical battery chemicals to the EV sector.

The board recognises the contribution made by Downie and notes that his industry and New Caledonian relationships, wealth of knowledge and experience and passion for the TECH Project are invaluable and critical to the success of the company.

Sanders has more than 30 years experience, including 20-plus years in leadership and strategy roles involving the delivery of complex industrial, power, mining and oil and gas projects throughout the Asia Pacific region.

He has had roles at GE, John Holland, Thiess, Jacobs and Clough.

Sanders will lead initially lead the DFS for the TECH Project, transitioning to project construction and commissioning, subject to a final investment decision.

Lead engineer appointment

QPM has also appointed global engineering group Hatch to provide engineering services for the DFS.

QPM is confident that, alongside Hatch, it can deliver a quality DFS that will meet the requirements of potential financiers of the TECH Project.
The role of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Dubai Chamber) in expediting the flow of goods into and out of the UAE was highlighted in the latest Ask the Expert video.

The presentation is the latest offering from Dubai Chambers Business Connect  an initiative established to inform the business community about key aspects of doing business in Dubai.

Featuring Atiq Juma Faraj Nasib, Senior Vice President for Commercial Services at Dubai Chamber, the presentation discussed how the chamber is instrumental in helping the free-flow of products between Dubai and destinations around the world, with its move towards electronic services playing an important role in speeding up the necessary processes.

Dubai Chamber has to be quick to ensure trade facilitation is on time so that goods can be moved and transactions conducted. Dubai Chamber has already taken a lot of measures in this regard - all our transactions are automated in accordance with Dubais vision for smart government and the smooth flow of electronic transactions. Customers dont need to come to the chamber anymore - they can simply log on to our website, enter the details needed for the documentation they require, pay for it, and then collect it, said Nasib.

Nasib said that the transition to e-services had helped customers involved in importing and exporting goods as it had reduced the time and expense involved in receiving a certificate of origin, with 98 per cent of all documents issued by the chamber available online.

Last year, our members exported goods worth AED 185 billion from Dubai, with our membership increasing by 16,000 new members to reach 261,000 in 2020. We will continue to serve all our customers the best way we can and beyond, he continued.

Nasib highlighted that Dubai Chamber recognises the importance of adopting the ATA carnet system, with the initials standing for admission and temporary admission of goods. He said that the system allows goods to come into the country on a temporary basis, negating the need to pay customs duties or value added tax. He said the system had been instrumental in helping professionals bring in business samples and goods required for specific temporary events, such as exhibitions and sporting fixtures.

Dubai Chamber is proud to be in the chain of the ATA carnet and we hope that many other people will consider using the system, as it entitles importers to bring in their goods and take them out of the country smoothly. Dubai is a major hub for events and exhibitions and the use of this carnet has facilitated the importation of items that are being exhibited or used in events held in Dubai, said Nasib.

This service can now be applied for online and we are proud to be one of the few chambers that uses an online service for this type of document. We are very grateful for those who are using the service and look forward to others joining it. This service is available for all members of the UAE business community, even if they are in another emirate. All they need to do is contact their local chamber of commerce in their emirate. They will then contact Dubai Chamber and we'll be very happy to issue the documents for them, he added.

The Ask the Expert series utilises Dubai Chambers social media channels to create a platform to deliver important business information, as well as acts as a forum for members of the business community to pose their questions to industry experts. The series has been designed to engage with the private sector and respond to its members changing needs.TradeArabia News Service
The Pentagon building is seen in Washington in a file photograph. (AFP via Getty Images)

Pentagon Diversity Chief Reassigned During Probe of Post Comparing Trump to Hitler

A Department of Defense diversity chief who compared former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler has been given a different assignment as his social media activity is probed.

Richard Torres-Estrada, a former Virginia diversity official, was hired in March by U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) as its chief of diversity and inclusion. When made aware of the post comparing Trump to Hitler, and other posts denigrating Republican officials, the Pentagon began an investigation.

Torres-Estrada is carrying out other duties at USSOCOM amid the probe, military spokesmen said.

Mr. Torres-Estrada has been assigned to other duties pending the results of the investigation, a USSOCOM spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email.

Asked why USSOCOM didnt immediately terminate Torres-Estrada, the spokesperson added: Personnel actions for civilian personnel assigned to headquarters USSOCOM are governed by federal law and civilian personnel regulations from the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Defense, and the Department of the Air Force. Civilian employees have rights under those laws and regulations. When allegations are made about an employee, the command must determine what the facts are and what actions, if any, are appropriate under those laws and regulations before taking action.

Special Operations Command claimed to be unaware of the activity before hiring the official.

Torres-Estrada didnt immediately respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin supports the investigation, a Pentagon spokesman said this week.

Obviously, we take the need to promote diversity and inclusion seriously here in the department, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington. The secretary has spoken of that many times. And we certainly want that work to be transparent, to be credible, to be effective, and, of course, professional. We want everybody to take those duties and those responsibilities seriously and professionally.

Lawmakers have expressed dismay over the hiring of Torres-Estrada, based on the posts.

I am shocked at the hiring of Richard Torres-Estrada as Chief of Diversity and Inclusion at one of Americas functional combatant command headquarters. Comparing former President Trump, who was duly elected by the American people, to a genocidal madman directly responsible for killing six million Jewish men and women shows irredeemably poor judgment and the total inability to separate fact from fiction, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) said in a statement.

Johnson sent a letter to Austin asking for a detailed report on the officials qualifications, and whether a background check had uncovered Torres-Estradas posts, which were made on his publicly available Facebook account.

What do you think, will a diversity and inclusion officer for our elite military units make America stronger? Or are China and Russia laughing at us? added Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) in a tweet.
Serowe  Click to see more pictures

The outbreak of fall army worm and destruction caused by elephants in the Central District are said be a threat to food security.

In an interview with BOPA, the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security Public Relation Officer, Mr Clifas Kemiso said if not properly controlled, the two would leave farmers empty-handed.

Mr Kemiso stated that due to the recent good rains, most farmers managed to plough, but their efforts were nullified by both the army worm and elephants.

He advised farmers to seek immediate assistance from agricultural demonstrators in their areas to secure the right pesticides for the worms, which he said were easiest to control when the larvae were still very small.

Meanwhile, he said some farmers in the district had complained about the excessive damage caused by elephants.

Mr Kemiso said the damage caused by elephants was excessive and appealed for prompt intervention from the relevant authorities.

He said some farmers spent money hiring people to assist in clearing weeds this year, which they may never recover, if elephants continued to raid their farms.

Some farmers said they reported the incidents to the relevant officers, but the officers never came to assess the damage.

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Soon out-of-state travelers coming to New York will not need to quarantine upon arrival.

Starting Thursday, April 1, domestic travelers entering New York will not be required to enter a mandatory quarantine period, though they are still urged to do so as an added precaution.

Travelers will, however, still need to fill out the states Traveler Health Form to aid in any future contact tracing efforts.

As we work to build our vaccination infrastructure even further and get more shots in arms, were making significant progress in winning the foot race between the infection rate and the vaccination rate, allowing us to open new sectors of our economy and start our transition to a new normal in a post-pandemic world, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said earlier this month.

As part of that transition, quarantine for domestic travelers is no longer required, but it is still being advised as an added precaution. This is great news, but it is not an all-clear for New Yorkers to let their guard down, Cuomo added.

The states decision was blasted by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who referred to the updated guidance as reckless and absolutely the wrong thing to do.

I dont know if thats the States idea of an April Fools joke, but its absolutely the wrong thing to do, de Blasio said earlier this month. Its reckless. It doesnt help us with our recovery.

Look, if you say someone is vaccinated, they can fly, they can visit, of course. But if someones not vaccinated, whats so hard about following the same process that has been followed to date? This is what our health-care leaders believe makes sense, the mayor added.

EXISTING GUIDANCE

Currently, all domestic travelers entering New York who have been out of state for more than 24 hours are required to complete the Traveler Health Form and obtain a coronavirus test within three days of departure, before entering the state.

Once arriving in New York, travelers must quarantine for a minimum of three days.

On the fourth day, travelers may go for another coronavirus test. If the test is negative, the traveler may leave quarantine at that point.

If travelers do not elect to obtain a coronavirus test upon return, they are required to quarantine for 10 days.

The following states are exempt from the domestic travel quarantine mandate: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Additionally, fully vaccinated residents who are asymptomatic are not required to quarantine within the first three months following vaccination.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS

The new guidance will not apply to international travelers, who will still be required to quarantine upon arrival.

All international travelers, regardless of vaccination status, are required to quarantine for seven days, with a coronavirus test taken between days three and five.

Without a test, international travelers are required to quarantine for a full 10 days.

Like domestic travelers, all international travelers are required to fill out the Traveler Health Form.
PHILADELPHIA  A pair of brothers who served together on the Philadelphia Police Department were charged Thursday with simple assault and other offenses, accused of injuring a man they mistakenly thought had broken into vehicles.

Inspector James Smith, 52, and former Detective Patrick Smith, 53, were off duty and in a car when they confronted a 27-year-old pedestrian in a shopping center parking lot in August, according to the district attorneys office.

District Attorney Larry Krasner told reporters that the Smith brothers falsely identified themselves as being members of a town watch as they pushed the victim into a wall. The victim, described as having Asperger syndrome, suffered a black eye and bruises on his head, arms and legs.

Patrick Smith retired shortly after the internal affairs investigation began and now works as an agent for the gun violence task force run by Krasners office and the attorney generals office. A spokesperson for the attorney general said Patrick Smith was put on administrative duty with pay for the duration of the case.

Philadelphia Police said David Smith was suspended for 30 days with the departments intention to fire him.

Krasner said there is no evidence to support the Smiths purported belief that the victim, who has no criminal record, may have previously broken into vehicles.

They were also charged with conspiracy and reckless endangerment.

It was unclear if the defendants were represented by lawyers. The police union president issued a statement calling the charges against them baseless.

ALSO READ: Harrisburg police conducting very active investigation of 16-year-old boys slaying

ALSO READ: 29-year-old man charged with killing Pa. mother of 6 in North Carolina road-rage incident: police
Mumbai, April 1 : Actor Manit Joura, who currently leads the show "Prem Bandhan", is back on set after recovering from Covid-19.

"I am very excited to be back on set, all well and rejuvenated. I make sure to take my vitamins from time to time, take steams and eat healthy to keep my immunity level constantly high. Quarantining helped me do things I otherwise wouldn't get time to do. It gave me time to brush my acting skills, get some yoga done, a lot of reading and i spent some good quality time with myself," he told IANS.

The actor, who has been part of shows such as "Kumkum Bhagya", "Ram Milaayi Jodi", looked at Covid isolation as a time to relax.

"As my symptoms were not too severe, I could do a lot of things and I saw this as a mini-vacation and took some time out to take care and work on myself," he said.

Giving a message to his fans, Manit added: "To my fans, I would really urge everyone to stay home until it is very necessary. Please mask up, sanitise, maintain social distance and take all the other precautionary measures because the numbers are going really high. Please take care of yourself and others."
Bill Clinton appointee and Los Angeles Times Legal Affairs Columnist Harry Litman admitted that vaccine passports are a good idea because they will single out and break down vaccine skeptics. This comes amid widespread concerns with reports that the Biden regime is influencing corporations to de-facto force Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine by restricting access to travel, products, and services.

(Natural News) (Article by Andrew White republished from NationalFile.com)

Vaccine passports are a good idea. Among other things, it will single out the still large contingent of people who refuse vaccines, who will be foreclosed from doing a lot of things their peers can do, tweeted Litman. That should help break the resistance down.

Vaccine passports are a good idea. Among other things, it will single out the still large contingent of people who refuse vaccines, who will be foreclosed from doing a lot of things their peers can do. That should help break the resistance down.  Harry Litman (@harrylitman) March 28, 2021

A recent poll by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy that showed that a staggering one out of four Americans will reasonably refuse to take the experimental mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. It appears that many Americans remain skeptical despite the creepy corporate/government campaigns currently urging them to get vaccinated.

To the displeasure of many New Yorkers, governor Andrew Cuomo has unveiled the Excelsior Pass, a vaccine passport that citizens of that state will need to get in order to engage in commerce, as National File reported.

The New York Post reports that the vaccine passport will force New Yorkers to prove their vaccination status, or recent history of a negative COVID-19 test, in order to gain entry to events and businesses, and was unveiled by Cuomo in a press release last week. According to the New York government, the vaccine passport will be available on smartphones or be printed, and must be presented by New Yorkers to enter businesses and become part of New Yorks safe reopening. They add, Businesses will scan your Pass with a mobile device or tablet.

In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced that he will be taking executive action against the Biden regimes development of vaccine passports. You want the fox to guard the hen house? I mean, give me a break, said DeSantis. I think this is something that has huge privacy implications, it is not necessary to do.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) says hell be taking executive action against vaccine passports over privacy concerns: You want the fox to guard the hen house? I mean, give me a break. pic.twitter.com/99ZPY9K8AW  The Recount (@therecount) March 29, 2021

As National File reported, the Washington Post confirmed that the Biden regime and private companies are working to develop a standard way of handling credentials  often referred to as vaccine passports  that would allow Americans to prove they have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus as businesses try to reopen. In other words, Americans will have to provide a certification of vaccination identification before being offered business.

It appears that the United States is taking inspiration for their COVID-19 response from none other than Xi Jinpings communist China, who oversaw implementation of a QR code-based digital certificate proclaimed as the worlds first COVID-19 vaccine passport in early March, according to reports.

Read more at: NationalFile.com and VaccineHolocaust.org
AMHERST  Persistent affordable housing shortages in town have not been solved, but it is widely recognized as a problem and efforts have been underway to address it.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday announced that the state will provide ten housing subsidies/vouchers, for homeless individuals, to live at the 28-unit building being built along Route 9, at 132 Northampton Road, called Amherst Supportive Studio apartments.

Northampton-based Valley Community Development Corporation is leading the effort, which was approved in November by Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals.

One condition for the boards approval was that ten units be set aside for homeless individuals.

The state Department of Housing and Community Development [DHCD] will provide the project with 10 MRVP (Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program) vouchers to assist in the effort to house ten homeless individuals, Baker said on Wednesday in a press release.

The voucher program is a state-funded subsidized housing program, by which rent is based on ability to pay, taking into consideration income.

According to the DHCD, a participant pays either 35% or 40% of their adjusted gross income, depending upon whether or not heat is included in the utilities.

In its decision letter approving the 28 units, the Amherst Zoning Board said the Valley Community Development housing proposal is in harmony with the goals of the Master Plan to increase density in already developed area; preserve and expand the number of affordable and moderately priced rental units and housing stock; and provide housing and services for the homeless.

The board said Amhersts rental vacancy rate is below 2%, compared to the national average of over 10%, and a Massachusetts vacancy rate of approximately 6%.

The board said that a recent study of eight of the larger rental complexes in Amherst that are subsidized or lower-cost rental developments found that only four of the 1,252 total rental units were vacant, suggesting a 0.3% vacancy rate in that type of lower cost rental housing in Amherst.

The zoning board decision in November also said more than 4,000 households, or 56.1% were paying too much for their housing and an estimated 2,700 households were spending more than half their income on housing in Amherst.

Town Manager Paul Bockelman last month informed Amherst Town Council he is forming an advisory committee to assist him in addressing a deficit in beds to handle the number of homeless in the community.

The initiative includes discussing amount of resources Amherst might or should provide towards this goal.

Amherst needs to look at this comprehensively, he told the council, adding: what should the towns commitment be to this?
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 02:46:31|Editor: huaxia

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RIGA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian government on Thursday decided to end the nationwide COVID-19 emergency on April 7 and start a phased transition to a safe mode of living amid the ongoing pandemic.

The state of emergency has been in force in Latvia since Nov. 9, 2020.

Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said that although the epidemiological situation remains delicate in the country, the government supports a transition that would allow for greater economic activity and more in-person learning in schools.

Starting April 7, all retailers that are not operating in Latvia's large shopping malls will be able to reopen their shops, provided that their floor space does not exceed 7,000 square meters. The number of shoppers allowed inside will be limited to secure at least 25 square meters of floor space per person.

Outdoor trade will be allowed to resume as well.

After the Easter holidays, graduation-year high school students will be able to return to classrooms twice a week. For all other schoolchildren, in-person learning will only be possible in municipalities that are recognized as epidemiologically safe, the government decided.

All other COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on all public and private gatherings, as well as distancing and mask-wearing requirements, will remain in force beyond April 7. Enditem
DGAP-News: Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V. / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V.: Vivoryon Therapeutics to Host Virtual Event on Current Clinical Landscape in Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Options with Leaders and Experts on April 15th, 2021



01.04.2021 / 07:00

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Vivoryon Therapeutics to Host Virtual Event on Current Clinical Landscape in Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Options with Leaders and Experts on April 15th, 2021

HALLE (SAALE) / MUNICH, GERMANY, 1 April 2021 - Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: VVY; NL00150002Q7) (Vivoryon) announced today that it will host a virtual event covering next steps in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) treatment options with leaders and experts in the field on Thursday, April 15th, 2021 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm CEST / 11:00 am - 1:00 pm EDT / 8:00 - 10:00 am PDT.



Despite repeated clinical trial failures in the AD space, a determined group of pharma and biotech companies has not given up on seeking for therapies that address the high unmet medical need in this indication. Vivoryon's interactive session will cover discussions surrounding current hurdles and exciting, novel approaches to the challenging AD space, including the company's clinical phase 2 compound, varoglutamstat, a small molecule inhibitor of glutaminyl cyclase (QC) capable of targeting all three hallmarks of AD: amyloid-beta, tau, and neuroinflammation.



Addressing the Alzheimer's Disease Puzzle in the Clinic: An Expert Overview

Participating AD experts include:



Professor Philip Scheltens, MD, PhD, Director at the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam and Managing Partner of the LSP Dementia Fund, will provide a general overview of the AD space and which approaches show promise in this complex indication.



Howard Feldman, MD, Professor, Department of Neurosciences and Director of the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, will give a presentation of VIVA-MIND, a Phase 2a US National Institutes on Aging-funded trial of varoglutamstat planned to start later this year.



Frank Weber, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Vivoryon, will discuss VIVIAD, Vivoryon's European Alzheimer's Disease Phase 2b study with varoglutamstat.



The speakers will be available for a Q&A session at the conclusion of the event.



The event will be accessible via a live webcast through this link. A replay of the event will be available on Vivoryon's website following the presentation.

###



For more information, please contact:

Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V.

Dr. Ulrich Dauer, CEO

Email: contact@vivoryon.com



Trophic Communications

Gretchen Schweitzer / Valeria Fisher

Tel: +49 172 861 8540 or +49 175 8041816

Email: vivoryon@trophic.eu



About Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V.

With 20+ years of unmatched understanding in identifying post-translational modifying enzymes that play critical roles in disease initiation and progression, Vivoryon's scientific expertise has facilitated the creation of a discovery and development engine for small molecule therapeutics. This platform has demonstrated success by developing a novel therapeutic in type 2 diabetes. In its current programs Vivoryon is advancing its lead product, varoglutamstat (PQ912), in Alzheimer's disease and its entire portfolio of QPCT and QPCTL inhibitors in oncology and other indications. In addition, the company pursues a development program for Meprin protease inhibitors with potential therapeutic use in fibrotic diseases, cancer and acute kidney injury. www.vivoryon.com



Forward Looking Statements

Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V. as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
A Charlotte private equity firm and owner of Dukes mayonnaise brand has made an undisclosed investment in another Southern food staple expected to help it grow.

Falfurrias Capital Partners on Thursday said it has made an undisclosed investment in the 87-year-old, family-owned company Carolina Foods, a manufacturer of baked goods including Duchess products, also based in Charlotte.

Carolina Foods 400 employees are not expected to be affected by the transaction, the investment company said in a news release.

The companys annual sales were more than $77 million as of September last year, according to Data Axle database reports available on the North Carolina Department of Commerce website.

Neither company is disclosing the size or nature of the investment, a Falfurrias spokeswoman said.

Carolina Foods CEO Paul Scarborough, son of the companys late founder Vernon Scarborough, will remain with the company, as will third-generation company leaders Katie Scarborough Caldwell and Ruffin Scarborough.

Marc Oken, a founder of Falfurrias, told the Observer only that the investment in Carolina Foods is significant, and the Scarborough family will stay involved in the company.

This partnership will give us the financial resources and management expertise to take Carolina Foods to another level, said Paul Scarborough, who joined the family business in 1977, in the release. Falfurrias has a tremendous track record of helping the companies they invest in realize next-stage growth, and their expertise in food marketing and distribution will be especially useful to our organization.

Falfurrias Capital Partners private equity firm in Charlotte made an undisclosed investment in family-owned Carolina Foods, known for prepackaged baked goods including Duchess brand honey buns.

Tad Dickson and Mary-Ann Somers, who served as advisors to Falfurrias throughout the transaction, will serve on Carolina Foods board of directors.

Dickson is a former CEO of Matthews-based Harris Teeter grocery chain and serves as a member of the board of Dollar Tree. Somers led Hersheys confection business and Coca-Colas water, tea and coffee segment.

About Carolina Foods

Story continues

Carolina Foods was founded in 1934 by Vernon Scarborough as a family-owned sandwich business serving textile mills, furniture manufacturers and lunch counters throughout the Carolinas. After World War II the company expanded its products to include glazed doughnuts and pies.

In 1992, under Paul Scarborough, the company began to focus exclusively on its baked goods.

Carolina Foods has grown to multiple locations across Charlotte, including its 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in South End.

The wholesale baker specializes in prepackaged doughnuts, pies, fritters and other goods under the Duchess brand distributed in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada.

Carolina Foods produces nearly a million honey buns daily, and enough doughnuts each year to circle the globe twice, according to the news release.

About Falfurrias

Falfurrias was founded in 2006 by Oken, former CFO of Bank of America; Hugh McColl Jr., former chairman and CEO of Bank of America; and Ed McMahan, former principal at Chicago Growth Partners.

This is Falfurrias third investment in packaged food companies in the last two years.

In 2019, Falfurrias acquired leading condiment, sauce and spice manufacturer Sauer Brands Inc., known for its Dukes mayonnaise brand, and also acquired the popcorn seasoning company Chicago Custom Foods.

We see tremendous growth potential for Carolina Foods, including expanding both its manufacturing capacity and distribution footprint, Oken said in the release.
As we have seen all too clearly over recent weeks, the opportunities Australian women are given to contribute to the public life of the nation are limited, and come with unacceptable risks. We now rank just 54th on political empowerment, well behind most developed nations; and at 99th, we are firmly in the bottom half of countries when it comes to womens health and survival, which includes measures of violence and harassment.

How is it that women who are amongst the most educated in the world are falling so far behind on every other measure of success? What has gone wrong in Australias gender politics since the heady days of the 1980s, when we made such great strides towards equality between men and women?

Last year, just before the pandemic diverted our attention from almost every other issue in public life, Per Capita published a landmark report that showed that the causes of womens economic, social and material disadvantage in Australia begin shortly after birth, and compound across the duration of their lives.

Gathering research from leading gender economists and sociologists, and the most recent publicly available data, Measure for Measure: Gender Equality in Australia demonstrated that Australian women begin to fall behind their male peers as soon as they leave school: they earn less, take on more unpaid domestic work, work fewer hours, interrupt their careers to care for others, work in underpaid feminised industries, are overlooked for promotions, encounter systemic ignorance of their health needs, are vastly under-represented in the media and on the sporting field, work twice as hard to achieve positions of leadership in business, struggle to break through the ranks of political power, experience harassment, abuse and violence both in the home and in the workplace, and ultimately retire into much greater levels of poverty than men in their old age.

The state of gender equality in Australia is, put simply, shameful. And its getting worse, at a rapid pace.
404

  

              
Bounteous, a leading insights-driven digital experience consultancy, received an honorable mention in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Global Marketing Agencies report.1 The recognition comes as the company continues to aggressively expand its blue-chip client base and global presence.

Bounteous co-innovates with clients globally, such as Coca-Cola, Domino's, Mars, Shake Shack, and Staples to create transformative digital experiences. Recently, Adweek recognized the consultancy as one of the Top 10 Fastest-Growing Large Agencies in the world. Bounteous provides strategic services for leading brands, including 40 of the Fortune 500, and spans five continents. Its headcount has grown to more than 700 strategists, technologists, designers, analysts, content creators, and marketers across offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Germany.

Gartner defines "global marketing agencies as service providers dedicated to developing and executing marketing strategies for global brands... An agency's particular combination of offerings and competitive strengths typically correlates to its roots as a traditional advertising, direct marketing or digital agency, or as a business consultancy or system integrator."

Bounteous is a service provider sitting at the intersection of system integrators, digital marketing agencies, and management consultancies. With the technology prowess of an SI, the insight of a consultancy, and deep customer experience capabilities, Bounteous is uniquely positioned to help clients drive results.

"We consider this mention from Gartner experts as significant confirmation that our service offering and ability to solve critical business issues appeal to large international brands that need to move nimbly to compete and win," said Keith Schwartz, Bounteous co-founder and CEO. "This is a testament to the results we are creating with our co-innovation approach for clients with global reach."

Magic Quadrant reports are a culmination of rigorous, fact-based research in specific markets, providing a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the providers in markets where growth is high and provider differentiation is distinct. Providers are positioned into four quadrants: Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, and Niche Players. The research enables leaders to get the most from market analysis in alignment with their unique business and technology needs.

[1] Gartner, "Magic Quadrant for Global Marketing Agencies 2021," Jay Wilson, Ewan McIntyre, Laurel Erickson, March 16, 2021.

Gartner Disclaimer:

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Bounteous

Founded in 2003 in Chicago, Bounteous is a leading digital experience consultancy that co-innovates with the world's most ambitious brands to create transformative digital experiences. With services in Strategy, Experience Design, Technology, Analytics and Insight, and Marketing, Bounteous elevates brand experiences through technology partnerships and unparalleled platform expertise. For more information, please visit www.bounteous.com. For more information about co-innovation, download the Co-Innovation Manifesto at co-innovation.com.

For the most up-to-date news, follow Bounteous on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005702/en/

Contacts:

Bounteous

Sarah Baker

(877) 220-5862

sarah.baker@bounteous.com
The Company is pleased to announce that in its ongoing efforts to actively seek out the most qualified and diverse board members in keeping with corporate policy, Dr. Kelli Ward has agreed to join the Board of Directors. (For bio, click HERE) She has dedicated herself to medicine, business, politics and helping children for the past 25 years. As a leader in politics, medicine and education in multiple states, Dr. Ward's experience as a legislator and party head will be extremely helpful as the Company seeks to grow exponentially with its leases in Arizona.

The Company board also granted and set 300,000 options based on the price of shares at the close of business on 03/31/2021. The options have an expiry of three years, fully vesting in 12 months, per the Company's stock option plan as approved by the board in January 2021.

The Company would like to advise that it has an agreement with a drilling company,cementing, open hole loggers, other associated contractors and suppliers of all equipment, with regards to the next three planned wells. The heavy truck haul road from the main access road to the proposed processing facility, (approximately one mile in length,) will be completed this week.

About Desert Mountain Energy

Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is a publicly traded exploration and resource company focused on the discovery and development of rare earth gas fields in the US. The Company is primarily looking for elements deemed critical to the green energy and high technology industries.

We seek safe harbor

" Robert Rohlfing"

Robert Rohlfing

Chairman & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forwardlooking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in the future the planned exploration activities, receipt of positive results from drilling, the completion of further drilling and exploration work, and the timing and results of various activities.

Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and the United States; financial risks due to helium prices, operating or technical difficulties in exploration and development activities; risks and hazards and the speculative nature of resource exploration and related development; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties.

Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's exploration operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not intend to, and does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Desert Mountain Energy Corp.

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More than three months into the rollout of coronavirus vaccinations in the U.S., many may already be wondering: How long will the protection last?

The short answer is, we do not yet know for certain. Not enough time has passed to gather the research to determine a more exact estimate.

The first definitive answer was that vaccine immunity will last at least three months, because that is how long vaccine trial participants were studied. The ongoing trial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, one of three approved for use in the U.S., confirmed protection lasts at least six months after the second dose, the companies announced Thursday.

But experts believe that immunity will last longer, with some convinced it could be years.

Up until now, the discussion has been focused on antibodies produced by the vaccines that recognize the virus and neutralize them. Research has shown that immunity from antibodies can last up to eight months based on following previously infected individuals.

Vaccines induce the creation of antibodies to fight off the virus, but those antibodies fade with time. They also induce other, longer-lasting immune responses: T cells and B cells. Helper T cells identify pathogens, and killer T cells kill them. B-cells, or memory cells, can quickly make new antibodies if a person is re-exposed to a pathogen.

A recent lab study from researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows that T cells appear to recognize the troublesome variants that originated from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa, which is a good sign that the vaccines will offer protection against them. Pfizer/BioNTechs announcement Thursday said its vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 cases in South Africa, where the B.1.351 variant originated and is prevalent.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Thats also good news for how long vaccine-induced immunity lasts.

T cells dont just give you comfort against variants, they also give you comfort against durability of immunity, said UCSF infectious disease expert Monica Gandhi.

A look at other coronaviruses, such as those that cause the common cold, indicates that immunity could last a year or two, according to the Washington Post. But Gandhi said comparing the coronavirus to the cold is problematic. She said SARS and MERS are the closest relatives to the coronavirus, and research on those who survived the illnesses years ago still shows strong T cell immunity.

Comparing the coronavirus to the flu is also not helpful, said Jay Levy, a virologist at UCSF, because the flu mutates much more rapidly, which is why a shot is needed every year. While the coronavirus does mutate, it appears a vaccine is likely not needed every year.

Levy said his best guess is immunity will last a year and maybe even multiple years, but that wont be known until more lab research is conducted.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

We dont know, we have to say that, but based on what we know in vaccines and other viruses, most of them are long-lived, he said. Thats why we need support for research laboratories.

While there is still not enough good data that shows how robust of a T cell and B cell response we will receive from the vaccines, studies into past viruses and diseases can offer clues.

Levy used the example of the polio vaccine, which induces long-lasting memory B cells, while Gandhi pointed to a 2008 study that found virus-neutralizing antibodies from B cells in survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic. A recent study in England found B cells had formed in individuals just a few weeks after they were vaccinated, Gandhi said, which furthers her optimism.

So the important thing right now, experts say, is getting as many people vaccinated as possible.

The message is, the sooner you get the vaccine, the better, so you will not be able to produce a new variant, Levy said.

Thats a major reason why global vaccine equity is so important.

If we dont start to look outside of the U.S. and start vaccinating others, we wont stop this virus, said Yvonne Maldonado, an infectious disease expert at Stanford. If it is kept in check in the U.S., all you need is an introduction to a pocket of people who are not vaccinated to have outbreaks.

So will we need booster shots down the line?

Melanie Ott, a senior investigator at the Gladstone Institutes at UCSF, said people are happy to get the vaccine as soon as possible, but now the clock is ticking. She hypothesizes that the vaccines could give a year of good immunity, but she cant be certain.

The key is watching how long the immune response lasts, she said. We have to see: How long will this last, and when do we need a booster? There are already all these booster trials going on.

Both Levy and Maldonado said its possible we may need boosters. But Gandhi said she doesnt think booster shots are going to be necessary, especially with the growing discussion and research on T cell immunity. And even if booster shots are needed, they are relatively easy to make.

Instead of worrying too much about that, we should focus on getting the population vaccinated and hoping we get levels down so low that were not even going to see a new strain to fight against, Gandhi said.

Staff writer Erin Allday contributed to this report.

Kellie Hwang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com
Candidates should not deceive voters



The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has gone too far in making populist campaign promises in a bid to woo voters ahead of the April 7 mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan. Such promises are not simply unrealistic, but also run counter to policy directions of the party and the Moon Jae-in administration.



With less than a week before the polling day, Rep. Lee Nak-yon, co-chair of the DPK's election committee for the by-elections, promised to soften restrictions on mortgage loans to help young people, particularly newlyweds, buy homes more easily. He also apologized for policy failures to check runaway housing prices.



He must have felt the need to apologize as public outcry is growing against ill-conceived anti-speculation measures ahead of the by-elections. He recognizes better than anyone else that voters are turning their backs on the government and the ruling party not least because of a land speculation scandal involving employees of the state-run Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH).



The scandal, which erupted last month, is dealing a severe blow to the DPK and the Moon government. It is feared to reduce the chances of DPK candidates winning in the polls. Yet it is wrong for the party to come up with campaign pledges which go against major policies the government has so far advocated for. It is hard to understand why the party has changed its policy stance so abruptly.



The loan restrictions along with heavier property and capital gains taxes are a key part of the government's anti-speculation measures. Putting a cap on mortgages is intended to make it hard for anyone to purchase homes for speculative gains. Easing the limits is tantamount to encouraging, not discouraging, people to buy homes. This could add fuel to the fire in rampant property speculation. No one knows this better than Lee who served as prime minister and chairman of the governing party.



In this context, his promise cannot be seen as anything other than a populist move to shore up tumbling support rates for the DPK and its candidates. Also worrisome is the party's sudden push for reducing tax burdens on homeowners. Park Young-sun, the DPK candidate for Seoul mayor, promised to restrict an increase in government-assessed housing prices, a yardstick for calculating property taxes, to less than 10 percent per year. This measure, if adopted, could cut homeowners' tax burden significantly. But it could undermine efforts to bring real estate speculation under control through imposing heavier taxes on property owners.



Park, a former lawmaker and Cabinet minister, also said she would opt for a private-led housing supply policy, instead of government-led development and reconstruction projects, to stabilize the overheated housing market. Besides, she has promised to supply homes at half the current market prices. The DPK and its candidates should refrain from making unrealistic, populist promises which could only derail the government's campaign against speculation. Voters should not be deceived by such irresponsible and reckless pledges.




MP and actor Kirron Kher has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, and is on her path to recovery, her actor-husband said on Thursday.

On Twitter, released a statement, also on behalf of son Sikandar, that the 68-year-old actor is currently undergoing treatment in Mumbai.

"Just so that rumours don't get the better of a situation Sikandar and I would like to inform everyone that Kirron has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood

"She is currently undergoing treatment and we are sure she will come out of this stronger than before. We are very blessed that she is being looked after by a phenomenal set of doctors. She's always been a fighter and takes things head on," said in the statement.

He also thanked her fans for their constant support and asked them to keep praying for Kirron Kher's speedy recovery.

"She's all heart and that's why she has so many people that love her. So keep sending your love to her in your prayers and in your heart.

"She is well on her way to recovery and we thank everyone for their support and love," he added.

The family's statement comes a day after Chandigarh chief Arun Sood shared Kirron Kher's diagnosis.

"She is suffering from multiple myeloma. She is recovering well from the disease which was detected last year," Sood said.

Multiple myeloma is a of the plasma cells which produce antibodies to fight infections.

Kirron Kher had suffered a broken left arm on November 11 last year. Thereafter, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here after undergoing a PET scan, Sood added.

She was airlifted to Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai on December 4 last year, he said.

Known for films like "Devdas", "Khamosh Paani", "Veer Zaara" and "Dostana", Kirron Kher had contested her first Lok Sabha elections in 2014 from Chandigarh on ticket and had then defeated Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal.

She again won from Chandigarh seat in 2019.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Google has announced that some of its US employees have the option of returning to the office this month while Amazon says workers will come back in the fall.

Google told staff on Wednesday that offices would be reopening in a limited capacity, according to USA Today.

'Because the situation remains dynamic, we continue taking a phased and deliberate approach to safely bringing more people back to the office where we can,' Google said.

Tech giants, including Google, were among the first to send employees home when the pandemic started to spread across the US more than a year ago.

Google said returning to work in April isn't mandatory, adding that all employees aren't required to return to the office until September 1.

Google (file image of Mountain View office) has announced that some of its US employees have the option of returning to the office this month. The company told staff on Wednesday that offices would be reopening in a limited capacity

It's unclear how many employees will be allowed in Google's offices but staff will be expected to show up in person three days a week.

According to CNBC, if employees want to work remotely after September 1 for more than 14 days per year, they will have to apply for it.

Employees can apply for up to 12 months in 'the most exceptional circumstances'.

However, Google could call them back into work at any given time.

According to CNBC, Fiona Cicconi, Googles new head of people operations, wrote in a memo to employees that the company is 'doing their best to make comfortable, including providing meals, snacks and amenities where possible'.

Employees will also be allowed to bring their dogs.

And the salaries of those who may have left the Bay Area for safer conditions during the pandemic could be adjusted depending on where they live now.

Even before the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, Google and many other prominent tech firms had been telling their employees to work from home.

Google had originally planned to allow a significant number of employees to begin returning to its Mountain View, California, headquarters and other offices during the summer of 2020.

But the pandemics ongoing spread pushed back the company's reopening.

Google's biggest offices have been largely unoccupied. The decision affected more than 123,000 employees on the payroll of Google and other Alphabet companies, as well as 80,000 contractors that normally work on the companies' campuses.

Meanwhile, Amazon confirmed Wednesday that the company still plans to have its employees return to the office by fall.

The company had previously given its return-to-office date as June 30, but questions remained as to whether the company would allow some of its 60,000 Seattle-area office employees to continue working from home part time.

'Our plan is to return to an office-centric culture as our baseline,' Amazon said. 'We believe it enables us to invent, collaborate, and learn together most effectively.'

Amazon will not require office workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before they return, but the company is encouraging employees and contractors to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible, according to Amazon spokesperson Jose Negrete.

Google's decision last year prompted other tech giants to follow its lead with companies like Facebook also telling employees that they should plan to work remotely until 2021.

At the time, Amazon and Microsoft both said their employees should expect to stay home until at least October 2021.

But as COVID-19 vaccinations rollout across the country, tech giants have started announcing plans to allow employees to come back to work.

Meanwhile, Amazon (file image) confirmed Wednesday that the company still plans to have its employees return to the office by fall

According to USA Today, Facebook said it plans to reopen its offices in the San Francisco Bay Area at 10 per cent capacity in May.

Facebook, Twitter and Square had previously said they'd be allowing employees to work from home permanently, which led to the development of remote or hybrid working structures.

Microsoft began bringing workers back to its suburban Seattle global headquarters on March 29.

In a post Monday on the company's corporate blog, Executive Vice President Kurt DelBene said Microsoft has been monitoring local health data and decided it can bring more employees back to its Redmond, Washington, campus.

DelBene said workers will have the choice to return to headquarters, continue working remotely or do a combination of both.

More than 50,000 people work at the company's headquarters campus in Redmond, 15 miles east of Seattle.

On Monday, Washington state moved into Phase 3 of its COVID-19 reopening plan, meaning all of the state's 39 counties will be allowed to relax coronavirus restrictions.

Under Phase 3, all indoor spaces  including indoor dining at restaurants, indoor fitness centers, and retail  can increase capacity from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.

Larger events like concerts and graduation ceremonies will also be OK since up to 400 people will be allowed to gather for indoor and outdoor activities as long as physical distancing and masking are enforced.
Last week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a private Zoom meeting of backbench Tory MPs, The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed my friends It was giant corporations that wanted to give good returns to shareholders. It was driven by big pharma.

His obscene comments sum up the response of the ruling elite to the pandemican opportunity for profiteering on a huge scale, aided and abetted by imperialist governments that have protected Big Pharmas monopoly profits.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (credit: WSWS media)

The reality is that the pharmaceutical companies were initially not interested in vaccine development. Zain Rizvi of the advocacy group Public Citizen told the Financial Times that the immense scarcity of vaccines was directly attributable to Big Pharma being missing in action as the coronavirus pandemic took off. The drug companies had years ago cut back on vaccine research and development in favour of blockbuster drugs to treat cancer and rare diseases, though the likelihood of a pandemic had long been discussed.

Even after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11 last year, three of the largest corporations, GSK, Sanofi and Merck, that dominated the vaccine market, were reluctant to get involved. They calculated that the pandemic would have run its course before a vaccine was ready and demonstrating once again the degree to which public health needs take second place to profits.

As the BBC reported in December, Initially firms didn't rush in to fund vaccine projects. Creating vaccines, especially in the teeth of an acute health emergency, hasn't proved very profitable in the past.

It was only after the governments of the European Union (EU), UK and US and agencies offered funding, including the main cost of running the Phase 3 trials, assuming most of the risk in the process, that the industry started work on vaccine development, making rapid progress.

The profit gouging also began in earnest.

The US alone poured in an unprecedented $14 billion via Operation Warp Speed even though six of the Big Pharma, excluding Moderna, had combined revenues last year of $266 billion and profits of $46 billion, an 18 percent profit margin, and could easily have funded it themselves.

While GSK, Sanofi and Merck received over $2 billion from the US government to support the production of vaccines, Merck pulled out after disappointing early test results. GSK and Sanofi are working jointly on a vaccine. According to the Peoples Vaccine Alliance, they are largely sitting on the sidelines, planning to produce Covid-19 vaccines for only 1.5 per cent of the global population in 2021.

Of the major vaccine producers, only Pfizer has a successful vaccine, produced jointly with the German company BioNTech using the new messenger RNA technology that requires storage at ultralow temperatures. The other major producers are new entrants to the field, the US-based biotech companies Moderna, whose vaccine also uses the RNA technology, and Novavax, whose vaccine can be stored in a normal refrigerator.

Moderna, the most expensive vaccine, received $2.5 billion from the US government. The campaigning group Public Citizen argues that this means, Taxpayers are paying for 100 percent of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine development. All of it. With the US government subsequently buying or reserving up to 500 million doses, Moderna is likely to make a whopping $8 billion profit.

While BioNTech/Pfizers vaccine was privately funded, the company received a 100 million development loan from the European Development Bank as well as a 365 million euro grant from the German government to help with manufacturing costs.

Public monies funded not only the development of the vaccines but also, via the universities and public laboratories, much of the science underpinning the vaccines. Crucially, all the vaccine development teams benefited from the initial research carried out by Professor Zhang Yongzhen at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre where he had sequenced thousands of previously unknown viruses. The Centre made the first genomic sequencing of the COVID-19 virus freely available on the open-source site virological.org on the very day that Wuhan recorded its first Covid death. It was the release of Covids genetic code that allowed University of Oxford, Moderna and BioNTech to design their vaccines in short order.

The companies have made a killing from massive pre-orders by governments, far larger than their population requirements, even before their vaccines had obtained regulatory approval. The US government made $1.95 billion and $1.53 billion pre-payments for the BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna vaccines respectively through Operation Warp Speed, in effect an interest free loan.

But that was not enough for Big Pharma. They lobbied hard to guarantee monopoly profits by insisting the World Trade Organisation reject India and South Africas call to waive patent protection for the vaccines and to allow developing countries to manufacture or import generic versions. Pfizer boss Albert Bourla said, At this point in time, I think its nonsense, and its also dangerous.

The US, the EU and the UK fell in line. Similarly, the companies sought and got legal indemnities from the governments protecting them in the event of problems with the vaccine, while ensuring that their contracts remained secret.

All this translates into massive profits for the pharmaceutical corporations. BioNTech/Pfizer is expected to make $4 billion profit on $15 billion sales at around $19 a shot, a profit margin of nearly 30 percent according to the Financial Times, as the company strikes hard bargains with rich and poor countries alike. Moderna is projected to make $8 billion profits on sales of $18.4 billion with at least 700 million pre-ordered vaccines in 2021 at between $25 to $37 a shot. The company says production costs are just 20 percent of sales revenues. The ultimate beneficiaries are the giant investment funds that hold the companies shares.

As well as profits, the companies have had a massive free advertising campaign as their jabs have made them household names, while the science underpinning the vaccines can be put to treating and profiting from other diseases. Furthermore, according to figures from Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, should the advanced countries decide to offer annual booster jabs to cope with new, more resistant variants, as they do for flu, the pharmaceutical companies are set to rake in a further $10 billion or more a year.

The one company that bucked the trend was AstraZeneca, which is selling its jab at between $2 and $4 a dose after entering into an agreement with the University of Oxford that restricted its prices. Not having developed a vaccine of its own, it bought the rights to the jab developed by the universitys Jenner Institute, paying the university $90 million and a 6 percent share of future royalties. The universitys spinout company, whose directors include the leaders of the vaccine development team Professors Sarah Gilbert and Adrian Hill, will get 24 percent of the universitys share.

The scientists had initially wanted their vaccine to be produced on a non-exclusive, royalty-free basis, with the director of the Jenner Institute telling the media, I personally dont believe that in a time of pandemic there should be exclusive licenses. He was echoing the words of Dr Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, who refused to patent the jab. When asked, Who owns this patent?, Salk famously replied, Well, the people I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?

In the event, the University of Oxford, stating that it needed to organize a massive global roll-out, entered into an exclusive deal with AstraZeneca, which agreed to sell the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis, claiming We are absolutely committed to make the vaccine available to as many countries as possible at no profit during the period of the pandemic to support broad and equitable access around the world.

Forgoing profits in the short term was viewed as good public relations and in any event ran counter to the terms of the deal that were not made public. According to the Financial Times, the contract allows the company to make 20 percent above the cost of manufacturing the vaccines and can raise the price when it deems the pandemic to be over, any time after the end of July. While these conditions appear to apply to the UK and EU, the company is also selling the vaccine to poorer countries, including Bangladesh, South Africa and Uganda, at higher prices.

Nevertheless, the AstraZeneca jab is the cheapest on the market, with the US corporation Johnson & Johnson more expensive despite also selling its vaccine at cost price during the pandemic, which is why the AstraZeneca vaccine has far larger shots under contract than any other vaccine producer. Its vaccine became the vaccine of choice for the worlds poorest countries and the WHOs Covax scheme, particularly since it does not require storage at low temperatures.

Their prices at $2-$4 are far lower than Sanofi/GSKs vaccine at $9.19, Pfizer/BioNTechs at $14.59 and Modernas at $18, according to the pricelist negotiated by the EU. Other countries, including the US, are paying far higher prices, with the Pfizer jab reportedly costing $39 per person. While AstraZenecas expected profits are unknown, sales of $6.4 billion in 2021 and a 20 percent profit margin implies profits approaching $1.3 billion.

Unquestionably, AstraZenecas undercutting of the market has incurred the wrath of its rivals, causing uproar in France, Germany and the US. The EU threatened a ban on the export of the vaccine, yet another instance of the vaccine wars fueled by the conflicting interests of the rival companies, the major imperialist countries, as well as their rivals and client states.

The unrestrained drive for profits has put vaccines out of reach for most of the worlds population and will serve to massively increase global death rates as more virulent mutants proliferate.

The disastrous response of all the major capitalist powers and the pharmaceutical industry to the global COVID-19 pandemic confirms the necessity of abolishing the capitalist system that subjugates human health and every other basic need to private profit. The international working class must intervene to expropriate the pharmaceutical giants and every major industry sector, transforming these monopolies into publicly-owned and democratically-controlled utilities to serve the needs of humanity.
Pakistans Cabinet, the final authority on resuming trade with India, reversed a decision by a government economic committee on Wednesday to cotton and sugar from the neighbouring country.

The Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, linked the resumption of trade with the restoration of autonomy to the region of Kashmir, interior minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed said. downgraded diplomatic relations and suspended bilateral trade with India in August 2019 after New Delhi revoked the autonomy for its part of the disputed territory.

The decision to start imports, aimed at addressing shortages and stabilizing prices in Pakistan, was criticized by analysts and opposition parties as a compromise on Kashmir.

The resumption of trade was seen as another sign of thawing relations between the two rivals. The nuclear-armed neighbours surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement along a disputed border that has seen wars and regular gunfire.

The India- cease-fire marked a milestone in secret talks brokered by the UAE, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.
President Joe Bidens proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan unveiled Wednesday includes a longtime Lehigh Valley wish-list item for commuters: passenger rail service to New York City.

Bidens plan includes $80 billion for rail. Amtrak calls it a vision for 2035 that would add 20 million more passengers over 15 years, via more than 30 new routes and more trips on more than 20 existing routes.

While a proposed new service from LA to Las Vegas and expansion of services in Chicago and Atlanta grabbed a lot of attention, the service map shows passenger rail service from Allentown to New York City.

This is certainly what weve been hoping for, Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong said.

Armstrong spoke to current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg earlier this year about the Lehigh Valleys transportation needs. It was a good sign the secretary, who served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, came from local government and can see how much local governments depend on infrastructure, Armstrong said.

Returning passenger rail to the Lehigh Valley is still in the distant future, but it is something that could never happen without the federal government commitment, Armstrong said. It is a very expensive project.

The Northeast Corridor is a critical transportation link for the Northeasts major metropolitan economies, Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said, but has bridges, stations and tunnels need immediate replacement or rehabilitation.

Amtrak has a bold vision to bring energy-efficient, world-class intercity rail service to up to 160 new communities across the nation, as we also invest in our fleet and stations across the U.S. With this federal investment, Amtrak will create jobs and improve equity across cities, regions, and the entire country  and we are ready to deliver. America needs a rail network that offers frequent, reliable, sustainable and equitable train service. Now is our time, lets make rail the solution, Flynn said in a prepared statement.

The last passenger trains to run on tracks in the Valley were in 1981 on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) service to Philadelphia, according to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.

Two years later, New Jersey Transit ended passenger service in Phillipsburg. The closest stops now are High Bridge on the Raritan Valley line and Hackettstown on the Morristown line.

Armstrong had family and friends who worked for Amtrak. When passenger rail lines were closing in the 1970s and 1980s, they said it was a mistake, that it would cost four to five times more to bring them back in the future. It really is, the county executive said.

Lehigh Valley officials have spent years pushing to bring passenger trains back to the region. Allentown Mayor Ray OConnell said Thursday he has never given up hope of re-establishing passenger rail service from Allentown to New York City.

Significant hurdles that have developed over the last 60 years stand in the way. President Bidens infrastructure plans investment in Amtraks Northeast Corridor line could eliminate a lot of those hurdles, OConnell said. I look forward to the passing of the legislation and seeing what it can do to bring about the resumption of passenger rail service in the area.

Part of the issue is freight rail regularly use the local tracks, and exploding warehouse and manufacturing growth doesnt mean that will stop, officials said.

Norfolk Southern is the dominant freight rail carrier in the region. Its main line runs from Newark, New Jersey, to Harrisburg, and passes through Lehigh and Northampton counties. A secondary main line runs north from Allentown to the Scranton area.

Norfolk Southern made an exception in 2016 for Amtraks Autumn Express passenger train to run on the former Queen of the Valley line. That line was used for passengers more than 40 years ago, and ran from New York, through Easton and Allentown on the way to Harrisburg.

Amtrak said it has the right to access all existing rail infrastructure to expand passenger rail in corridors shared with freight rail.

Armstrong said bringing passenger rail back would mean improvements and upgrades that would also benefit freight rail.

LANTA has lobbied for improvements to its existing bus service by saying they would be easier and cheaper than light rail to serve the Lehigh Valley. Amtrak said its plan would fill the gaps created by airlines and bus carriers that have steadily reduced service in communities.

A Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. study in 2010 found reconnecting the Valley to NJ Transit would cost $658.9 million

In 2015, the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study created a Road to Rail initiative to study connecting rail service to Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey and Harrisburg, as well as between Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

Biden has touted his plan as a way to create millions of jobs. Rail service to the Lehigh Valley would not only create quality jobs, but would incentivize investment and growth, and turbocharge economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, said Congresswoman Susan Wild.

It is long past time for us to invest in commonsense infrastructure like this, and I look forward to working in Congress to get this project  and other needed investments - done for families across Pennsylvania, Wild, the Lehigh Valleys representative of Pennsylvanias 7th Congressional District, said.

The $80 billion for passenger rail service will be hugely important in building back better and bolstering the Commonwealths economy, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said. I urge Congress to quickly move forward to pass this plan into law.

With @POTUS's infrastructure plan, Amtrak will create jobs and improve equity across the country, and we are ready to deliver. America needs a rail network that offers frequent, reliable, sustainable and equitable train service. Now is our time, lets make rail the solution.  Amtrak (@Amtrak) March 31, 2021

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.
Samsung today announced the launch of new Galaxy F12 and Galaxy F02s smartphones in India on April 5th. Both the phones will feature a 6.5-inch HD+ Infinity V display, but the F12 will have a 90Hz refresh rate screen. It has #FullOnFab for the F12 and #FullOn for the F02s.

The Galaxy F02s will pack a 5000mAh battery, feature triple rear cameras and will be powered by Snapdragon 450 SoC, the same as the Galaxy M02s which was launched in India back in January, so this could be priced less than Rs. 10,000 in the country.

The Galaxy F12 will come with a 48-megapixel rear camera with a Samsung ISOCELL GM2 sensor and feature a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The image shows patterns on the back. Most of the specifications of the phone are similar to the Galaxy M12 which was launched last month, so it could be priced in the similar price range.

The Samsung Galaxy F02s and the Galaxy F12 will be sold on Flipkart, in addition to Samsung online store and select retail stores offline.
Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda who is leading an effort to salvage LIAT, has warned the former pilots of the regional airline that they could find themselves getting nothing or very little at the end of the day. (Photo Credit: Times Caribbean Online)

Ten former pilots with the fraught-filled once regional airline LIAT have joined together to file a class-action suit against the government of Antigua and Barbuda. The constitutional motion was filed recently in the High Court in St Johns, Antigua, by Captain Neil Cave of Barbados.





This action was met by the harshest of references by Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne, who took to his radio station to brand the pilots as "rotten elements, and blame them for the demise of the airline.





"You see those very pilots, especially those in Barbados, Im told that they are some rotten elements, and one of the reasons why LIAT collapsed is not so much because of COVID you know, its because of the behaviour of them rotten elements within LIAT, Browne said Saturday on local radio.





Browne added, "So, after those rotten elements done mash up the company, they coming to make trouble again.





But as they saying goes, they better wet their hands and wait for us because we coming hard.





However, the ten pilots declared in a counter-response that they werent going to "be bullied into backing down in the face of Brownes recent outburst and his previous threat to end all support for LIAT if "pilots and those who represent them continue to frustrate his efforts to rescue the collapsed carrier.





The Antigua and Barbuda leader described the litigation as "very unfortunate, adding that if LIAT 1974 Ltd goes into liquidation, at best the former pilots would get about five per cent of what is owed to them.





LIAT is said to owe up to EC$90 million in severance pay to its former employees.





The constitutional motion against the government is challenging the constitutionality of the recently amended Companies Act which prohibits anyone from suing the Antigua and Barbuda government over any claims against LIAT.





The claimants, who have named the Attorney General as the only defendant, also want the court to order that they be awarded costs and/or other relief the court may deem just.





But Browne was in a fighting mood in his response to the suit warning, "You know the saying want all get none? Let them go ahead because they may end up getting nothing, or little. How do you resolve an issue by berating a government that is trying to assist you and literally taking the government to court? It makes no sense. (Caribbean News Service)




YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government approved the signing of a cooperation agreement with China whereby the latter will donate 100,000,000 yuan. The money will be used for building a new studio of the Armenian Public Television and the implementation of other jointly agreed projects.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
BOULDER, Colo., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Viserion Grain, LLC ("Viserion"), a newly formed subsidiary of Viserion International Holdco, LLC backed by Pinnacle Asset Management, L.P. ("Pinnacle"), today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 11 grain elevator facilities from Zen-Noh Grain Corporation ("ZGC"). ZGC is divesting the facilities in conjunction with its proposed acquisition of multiple grain elevators from Bunge.

Located across five states along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, the grain elevators have a total storage capacity of approximately 25MBu and are well-positioned to provide competitive services for farmers and grain dealers. The facilities being acquired by Viserion are located in Huffman, Arkansas; Osceola, Arkansas (Riverside and Landside); Helena, Arkansas; McGregor, Iowa; Savanna, Illinois; Shawneetown, Illinois; Lake Providence, Louisiana; Lettsworth, Louisiana; Caruthersville, Missouri; and Cottonwood Point, Missouri.

"These facilities located across major inland U.S. waterways are integral to expanding our agricultural trading platform and grain handling capabilities," said Aaron Wiegand, Chief Executive Officer of Viserion International. "We believe that the addition of these assets will accelerate our growth and provide a strong foundation to market grain and oilseeds directly to domestic customers and exporters."

Jason M. Kellman, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Pinnacle, added, "These facilities fit squarely into our growing physical commodities portfolio and expand our ability to participate in the grain and oilseeds supply chain directly. Moreover, we will leverage the strategic assets to complement Viserion's domestic trading operations. We look forward to working closely with Aaron and his dedicated team of industry experts as we further strengthen our business."

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is contingent upon the closing of the ZGC's previously announced acquisition of Bunge's facilities. Both transactions are expected to close in late-Spring 2021.

Over the past five years, Pinnacle-managed entities have made several strategic investments to bolster Pinnacle's physical commodities trading and merchanting business, including owning Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, the world's largest cattle feeding operation and Six One Commodities, a global energy merchant, as well as being the majority shareholder of Concord Resources Holdings Limited, a global metals merchant.

About Viserion Grain, LLC

Viserion International Holdco, LLC ("Viserion International") is a global agricultural merchant based in Boulder, Colorado. Viserion Grain, LLC, a subsidiary of Viserion International, is expected to manage a portfolio of strategic grain storage and handling facilities.

About Pinnacle Asset Management, L.P.

Founded in 2003, Pinnacle Asset Management, L.P. is a private, New York-based alternative asset management firm focused on the global commodities markets with approximately $3.2 billion under management. Pinnacle provides its institutional investor base with exposure to the global commodities markets via physical and financial absolute return strategies and products. Pinnacle is registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is registered as a commodity trading adviser and a commodity pool operator with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and is a member of the National Futures Association.

About Zen-Noh Grain Corporation

Zen-Noh Grain Corporation is the US Subsidiary of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations of Japan, Zen-Noh. ZGC trades and exports corn, soybeans, sorghum, wheat, and byproducts from its state-of-the-art export Elevator located at mile 164 on the Mississippi River in Convent, LA to Japan and other global markets. ZGC also has grain origination interests in Canada and Brazil, and a forage processing business in Pasco, WA. To learn more, visit www.zgcusa.com.



SOURCE Pinnacle Asset Management
Texas AG Paxton Says Illegal Immigration Costs State Taxpayers Over $850 Million Annually

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said taxpayers in his state are forking out over $850 million each year to pay for various costs associated with the housing and care of immigrants who enter Texas illegally.

Paxtons office had re-released the figures, which was first presented to a federal court in January, in an attempt to highlight the gravity of the burgeoning crisis at the U.S. southern border. The significant surge of illegal border crossings in recent weeks, particularly by unaccompanied minors, has overwhelmed border patrol facilities and resources. Although the Biden administration is sending most single adults and some families back, unaccompanied minors are being accepted into the country.

According to the office, Texans are paying between $579 million to $717 million each year for public hospital districts to provide uncompensated care for illegal aliens. It also found that taxpayers had previously paid $152 million to house illegal criminal aliens in one year, and between $62 million to $90 million to provide illegal immigrants with healthcare through the states Emergency Medicaid program.

The office also found that Texans paid over $1 million for The Family Violence Program to provide services to illegal aliens in one year, and that the states Childrens Health Insurance Program has been paying between $30 million to $38 million per year on perinatal coverage for illegal immigrants.

Texans have also been paying between $31 million to $63 million per year to cover the cost of educating unaccompanied children who cross into the United States illegally.

Texans are hardworking and generous people but the cost of illegal immigration is an unconscionable burden on the taxpayers of our great state. If we use the minimum estimated costs for services Texas provides to unlawfully present and undocumented aliens, taxpayers are shelling out an estimated $855 million every year, Paxton said in a statement.

Texas will always welcome those who legally immigrate but we cannot continue forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for individuals who skirt the law and skip the line. I will continue to fight for justice, safety, and prosperity for all Texans.

Paxton had taken issue with a number of President Joe Bidens immigration policies and early actions, which he says has contributed to the influx of illegal immigrants. This includes Bidens decision to reverse his predecessors key Migrant Protection Protocol, which sought to end the problematic Obama-era catch and release policy and is credited for significantly stemming the flow of illegal immigrants in 2019.

His office filed a lawsuit shortly after the Biden administration issued a memo (pdf) on Jan. 20 that directed an immediate pause on removals of any noncitizen with a final order of removal (except as noted below) for 100 days.

The state argued that the action would cause irreparable harm to the state because Texans would be forced to foot the bill for services and programs for illegal immigrants who are allowed to stay in the state.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration argued that the pause on deportation was needed to allow the White House to take into account considerations on immigration, foreign policy, and humanitarian needs.

The federal judge sided with Paxton, ruling that the federal government cannot make immigration enforcement changes without consulting Texas after he found the Lone Star State would suffer irreparable harm because of the action. He granted the request to block the enforcement of the deportation freeze. The block has since been extended indefinitely.
Pennsylvania court rules against abortion clinics, state can limit Medicaid funding for abortion

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A Pennsylvania court has ruled against a group of abortion clinics suing the state over a law that limits Medicaid funding for abortion.

A seven-judge panel of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled last week in the case of Allegheny Reproductive Health Center et al v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that the abortion clinics lacked the standing to sue.

At issue in the lawsuit was Pennsylvanias Abortion Control Act, which prohibits the use of state and federal funds for abortions, with exemptions for rape, incest, and life-threatening medical emergency for the mother.

President Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt authored the majority opinion, concluding that women enrolled in Medicaid, not the clinics, had the right to sue the state over the limits.

We conclude that Reproductive Health Centers do not have standing to vindicate the constitutional rights of all women on Medical Assistance, some of whom may not be their patients, and who may or may not agree with the claims asserted on their behalf in the petition for review, wrote Leavitt.

The interests of Reproductive Health Centers are not inextricably bound up with the equal protection interests of all women enrolled in Medical Assistance.

Judge Ellen Ceisler, a member of the seven-judge panel, authored an opinion that dissented in part and concurred in part, arguing that the clinics did, in fact, have the standing to sue since they suffer direct financial damage because of the limits.

Providers argue persuasively that analogous United States Supreme Court authority, adopted by this Court as applicable in Pennsylvania, confers standing in the circumstances of this case, wrote Ceisler.

Pennsylvania House Republican Leadership, who alongside Democrat Governor Tom Wolf defended the law in court, released a statement celebrating the Commonwealth Court ruling.

Pennsylvanias courts have been consistent for decades that medical assistance dollars and other publicly funded programs should not fund abortion procedures. This policy is consistent with existing federal law as well, stated House Republican Leadership last Friday.

This case was brought forward by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers who want to make abortions more prevalent in our communities. This ruling in our favor is a victory for all pro-life Pennsylvanians.

The Womens Law Project, which argued the case on behalf of the clinics in court last October, denounced the ruling and vowed to appeal the case to the state Supreme Court.

While the outcome was expected, a deeply disturbing aspect of todays ruling was that the Wolf Administration had challenged the abortion providers standing to bring this litigation, and the court agreed, stated the Project.

The court determined that abortion providers cannot challenge abortion restrictions on behalf of their patients; in other words, the court asserted that pregnant patients must be the ones to go to court.
Velda Joseph, Director of NEMO, St. Lucia, reported on the meeting called to discuss plans for the possible acceptance of Vincentian evacuees.

St. Lucia has moved to flesh out its response to assisting with the relocation of persons from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, should there be an explosive eruption of La Soufriere volcano.





According to a release from Ms. Velda Joseph, Director of St. Lucias National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO), that countrys disaster officials held an emergency virtual meeting on Saturday, to review the situation in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.





Noting that seismic activity had heightened and the experts continued to warn about probability of an explosive eruption, the meeting discussed and agreed upon a response plan.





The meeting was reported to have identified shelters to be used by the evacuees, who will arrive at the GFL Airport, for those travelling by air, and at the Rodney Bay Berth, for those arriving by sea.





Persons arriving in St. Lucia will be subject to COVID-19 screening and COVID-19 Shelter Protocols will be in place.





The meeting also addressed the response plan to the needs of residents in the district of Dennery in St. Lucia, which, experts say, could be affected by ash and polluted air, depending on the direction of the wind.





St. Lucia joins with other OECS member territories in committing assistance to St. Vincent, with Grenada expressing a willingness, in collaboration with St Georges University, to make available up to 2,000 beds on the campus, should an eruption of the volcano create the need for Vincentians to evacuate.
A prisoner charged with assault of a Prisoner Officer at the Midlands Prison received a five month sentence at Portlaoise district court last Thursday.

Martin Kelly (34) of 21 Church Avenue, Castlecomer appeared via videolink.

Sgt JJ Kirby told the court that on June 22, 2019 at the Midlands Prison Portlaoise at 11am Prison Officer Scales intervened in a fight between a number of prisoners.

Kicks and punches were thrown at him. Martin Kellys co-accused had pleaded guilty and paid 500 in compensation.

A victim impact report was available to the court.

Defence solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said that Mr Kelly was serving a sentence for burglary.

He was a 34-year old man who had addiction issues.

He said that Officer Scales was not the intended target and acknowledged that the experience had been traumatic for the injured party.

Mr Kelly had no compensation to offer.

Judge Catherine Staines noted that Officer Scales had been very brave.

He had suffered kicks and punches which were still affecting him.

She sentenced Mr Kelly to five months in the Midlands Prison, taking into account his guilty plea and giving him one month credit for it.
EMMETT, ID - A big bull elk with a distinctive set of antlers was something of a celebrity to folks living in Emmett. Now Fish and Game is asking people for information regarding the suspected poaching of the large bull elk northeast of Emmett near Black Canyon Dam in late February.

Citizens Against Poaching is offering a reward for information in the case, and callers can remain anonymous. Contact CAP at 1-800-632-5999 twenty four hours a day, or provide information online at https://idfg.idaho.gov/poacher.

Local residents enjoyed observing the bull elk for several weeks prior to its disappearance. In late February, Fish and Game conservation officer Josh Leal responded to a report of a dead elk near the south side of Black Canyon Dam and found the headless carcass of a large bull.

Given the timing, it is reasonable to assume this is the same bull seen and enjoyed by so many people, Leal said.

Witnesses reported seeing two people dressed in camouflage clothing  one carrying a rifle  in the area shortly before the elk was discovered.

Evidence was collected at the scene, but Leal would like to speak with others who might have knowledge of the poaching incident, a case which has struck a chord with local residents.

I am very interested in visiting with anyone who has information regarding this case, Leal noted.

In addition to the CAP hotline, persons with information regarding this case may also contact the Fish and Game Nampa office at 208-465-8465 weekdays and Idaho State Police at 208-846-7550 on weekends.
Pull out, suspend or stay? Foreign firms in Myanmar face some tough choices over how to respond to the military coup and subsequent violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in the country.

More than 520 people have died in daily demonstrations since the military overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, halting Myanmar's decade-old experiment in democracy.

The coup and the junta's subsequent actions have triggered international condemnation and US sanctions.

The junta has vested interests in large swathes of the country's economy, from mining to banking, oil and tourism.

NGOs have urged companies to review their presence as the military dramatically ramps up its use of lethal force against protesters.

"We want the decisions taken to be targeted against the junta and to penalise the population as little as possible," said Sophie Brondel, coordinator at French-based pro-democracy group Info Birmanie.

"The message has never been to say that we should not be present in Myanmar, but to cut ties with the army," she told AFP.

- Staying put -

In Myanmar since 1992, French giant Total has no intention of quitting, but insists that its local subsidiary "conducts its activities in a responsible manner, in respect of law and of universal human rights".

While NGOs have urged firms to stop financing the junta, Total paid around $230 million to the Myanmar authorities in 2019 and another $176 million in 2020 in the form of taxes and "production rights", according to the company's own financial statements.

The military controls Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), which has partnerships with Total and US rival Chevron and generates annual revenues of around $1.0 billion from the sale of natural gas.

Chevron told AFP the monies paid to MOGE were tax payments and that it holds only a minority stake in the gigantic offshore gas field, Yadana, operated by Total.

French hotel chain Accor, which operates nine hotels in Myanmar and is planning half a dozen more, also has no plans to leave or cut ties with its local partner, Max Myanmar Group, which is not under sanctions.

Story continues

Accor, which employs a local workforce of around 1,000, sees "tourism as the last link between the people of Myanmar and the rest of the world," a spokeswoman said.

Danish brewer Carlsberg said it would reduce production capacity as beer consumption in Myanmar is on the decline, but it has no plans to quit. It employs 500 people locally.

Carlsberg told AFP it has had "no contact" with the new authorities.

British tobacco giant BAT said that more 100,000 local jobs depended on its investment, operations and partnerships in Myanmar and it would stay, while prioritising the security and well-being of its workers.

- Suspending operations -

French energy giant EDF announced the suspension of its activities in Myanmar where it is involved in a $1.5-billion project to build a hydroelectric dam, Shweli-3, alongside consortium partners, Marubeni of Japan and Ayeyar Hinthar of Myanmar.

In a letter to the NGO Justice for Myanmar, EDF said that "the respect of fundamental human rights... are a pre-condition for every project in which we take part."

Japanese automaker Suzuki also halted operations at its two local plants shortly after the military coup. The factories assembled 13,300 vehicles in 2019, primarily for the domestic market.

But Suzuki, present in Myanmar since 1998, reopened the facilities again a few days later and intends to build a third production site in the country.

Myanmar is also a key manufacturer in the clothing industry and groups such as Italy's Benetton and Sweden's H&M have suspended all new orders from the country.

Benetton chief Massimo Renon hopes the move will send "a clear and concrete signal".

Giesecke and Devrient, a German company that supplies products to make Myanmar bank notes, suspended deliveries to state-owned Security Print Works this week due to the "ongoing violent clashes".

- To quit or not to quit -

At least one company has quit.

French renewable energy group Voltalia said it will "end its activities" in Myanmar, where it has been present since 2018 and powered 156 telecom masts in rural areas.

The group, which employs 43 people in Myanmar and generates less than one percent of its output there, pointed to the "political and humanitarian crisis" in the country.

Japanese brewer Kirin said it would cut business ties with the military with which it operates two local breweries, accusing the junta of acting "in contradiction" to its principles on human rights.

But the firm said it currently has no intention to pull out completely from a market that accounts for around two percent of its overall turnover.

bur-mch/aue/spm/lth
San Francisco school board member sues over tweet response View Photo

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  The former vice president of San Franciscos school board is suing the district and her colleagues after they voted to strip her of the position because of tweets she wrote in 2016 that said Asian Americans used white supremacist thinking.

Alison Collins filed the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court, alleging violation of her constitutional rights including free speech, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

She is seeking to have the board restore her lost positions and also is seeking nearly $90 million in damages from the school district and five school board members who supported the vote.

At a Wednesday evening rally, Collins said she has been the focus of a targeted smear campaign to label me as a racist, KGO-TV reported.

Collins, who is Black, came under fire after critics unearthed tweets she wrote in 2016. Many Asian Americans, she wrote, believe they benefit from the model minority BS and use white supremacist thinking to assimilate and get ahead.

Near the end of the thread, Collins called for Asian Americans to speak out against then-President Donald Trumps policies, saying that her daughter stepped in to stop Asian American boys who were bullying a Latino student.

Dont Asian Americans know they are on his list as well? Collins wrote, using asterisks in place of a racial slur. Do they think they wont be deported? profiled? beaten? Being a house n(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk)r is still being a n(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk)r. Youre still considered the help.

Collins has said her words were taken out of context and apologized for the pain my words may have caused.

In a 5-2 no-confidence vote last week, the school board stripped Collins of her vice presidency and removed her from committees.

In her lawsuit, Collins alleges that instead of taking actions to protect Black and Brown children from racist harassment and racist bullying, defendants opted to burn the messenger, using a pretzel-twisted redirection of Ms. Collins seasoned social metaphors.

Dozens of officials, including the mayor, have condemned the tweets and called on Collins to resign.

The posts resurfaced amid a surge of violence and harassment against Asian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the country. They are the latest embarrassment for San Franciscos school board, which has prided itself on putting racial equity at the top of its agenda.
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.

By Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Brad Bumsted of The Caucus

HARRISBURG  Former employees of a Harrisburg lobbyist are now atop the official staff and political fundraising arm of the Pennsylvania Senates Republican majority, further deepening the influence and ties of the lobbyists firms with decision-makers in the Capitol.

Within the past few weeks, Senate Republican leaders hired Cody Harbaugh, a onetime political strategist at Red Maverick Media, as executive director of the campaign committee that raises money for the chambers GOP candidates. Red Maverick is headed by Ray Zaborney, who with his wife runs a trio of companies known as The Mavericks that help elect public officials, then lobby them once they are in office.

Harbaughs hiring comes months after another one of Zaborneys lobbying partners, Krystjan Callahan, was brought on as chief of staff by the Senates top Republican, Jake Corman of Centre County. At the time, the move raised concerns in the Capitols political circles about whether Zaborney and his firms were gaining outsize influence with legislative Republicans. In Harrisburg, the GOP firmly controls both chambers and sets the policy agenda.

Its cozy. Its integrated, Christopher Borick, political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, said of Zaborneys ties to former Maverick employees now working in the public policy and campaign realms.

In an email, Zaborney rejected any suggestion that having former associates in key policy and fundraising positions would give his businesses, or his lobbying clients, an advantage.

He did note that, since taking the job with the Senate Republican Campaign Committee (SRCC), Harbaugh has cut professional ties with Red Maverick. Harbaugh was still listed as an employee on the firms website until The Caucus and Spotlight PA questioned it earlier this week.

Harbaugh did not respond to emails and other requests for comment.

According to his online biography, Harbaugh worked for the state Republican party and ran political campaigns before joining Red Maverick Media in 2019.

Over the years, Red Maverick has grown to represent dozens of Republican campaigns both in and out of the state. In Pennsylvania, the firms marquee client is Corman, who just this year was elected by his peers to the state Senates top spot of president pro tempore.

Once a relative unknown, Ray Zaborney has over the past decade become one of the go-to operatives for electing Republican candidates.

Harbaugh previously confirmed to The Caucus and Spotlight PA that he was the executive director of a dark money nonprofit group, the Growth and Opportunity Fund, that Zaborney launched. Because of the way the group is organized under the federal tax code, it does not have to disclose its donors, and only makes public limited information about what it spends its money on or how that aligns with its agenda.

Corman helped raise money at an exclusive event in California last year for the Growth and Opportunity Fund, The Caucus and Spotlight PA reported. The event coincided with a campaign fundraiser, organized by one of the Maverick firms, that Corman was having at the same resort.

Neither Harbaugh nor the dark money groups president responded to questions about whether Harbaugh has left or intends to step down from his post with the fund. The last publicly available tax filing from the Growth and Opportunity Fund was for the 2018 calendar year.

Sen. Dave Argall, the Schuylkill County Republican who heads the SRCC, said in an interview that Harbaugh was hired by Senate GOP leaders some time in late January or early February. Although he said he did not know whether Harbaugh had given up other employment, he said being the SRCCs executive director is a full-time job.

As far as I know, this is all hes doing, said Argall, adding that Harbaugh brought considerable credentials to the job.

I know that hes been very responsive to me, whether I call him at 8 in the morning or 8 at night, Argall said.

The SRCC is a significant player in Pennsylvania fundraising circles. Between 2018 and 2020, it raised just shy of $10 million to bolster the GOPs majority in the Senate, according to campaign finance reports.

The Senates top leaders, Corman among them, along with the SRCCs executive director get to decide which campaigns to spend money on and how much each will receive. Harbaugh will now be a key player in that decision-making process.

Argall said favoritism does not and will continue to not play a role when making political calculations on which campaigns receive funding. There will be, he said, no special treatment at all, and any senator who is concerned should talk to me.

Still, the close relationships showcase the tangled nexus between politics, policy, and campaign fundraising, perpetuated by the states weak lobbying and campaign disclosure rules, and little appetite among the legislative majority to prioritize changes.

One reform, touted by advocates as necessary to increase public confidence in government, would ban lobbyists like Zaborney from also operating as campaign consultants. Though there are only a handful of firms in Harrisburg that do both lobbying and campaign work, they run the lions share of Republican campaigns in both chambers.

Zaborneys Red Maverick, for instance, did work for at least 35 state legislative candidates in 2020, when all 203 seats in the House and half of the 50 seats in the Senate were up for grabs, campaign finance reports show. His lobbying firm, Maverick Strategies, represents 70 clients in industries like health care, gambling, liquor, cannabis, and energy, according to lobbying disclosure reports.

The reform, introduced at least twice in as many legislative sessions, has never received a hearing.

Sam Janesch of The Caucus contributed to this article.

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A total 92.7 million Nigerians do not eat any protein in a day, the Nigerian Protein Deficiency Report 2020 has revealed.

The result of a survey carried out in 2020 to assess protein deficiency in Nigeria claimed that 45 percent of the population, translating to almost half of the 206 million Nigerians, do not consume protein daily as against recommended consumption.

Poor protein consumption is more prevalent in the North, East and among the lower class in the West, according to the study released by Mediacraft

The rate of non-daily protein consumption in the East is 49 percent, in the North, it is 45 percent while in the West, it is 36 percent.

Food rich in protein are fish, meat, egg, chicken, cheese, milk, among others.

The report indicated that Nigeria has a gap in its protein consumption, compared to other global economies.

The food and agriculture organization (FAO) recommended minimum per capita daily protein intake is 53.8g, while the daily intake is 64g globally, it is 45.4g in Nigeria.

"Nigeria is ranked below the bar in global food security index with a protein per capita - daily intake lower than the global standard. This is a major burden that requires continuous interventions to combat and reduce nutrition crisis in Nigeria," the report stated.

Despite its availability, only 47 percent of the population prefers beans, 24 percent prefers soya beans, 11 percent prefers meat, 10 percent prefers fish and only 5 percent prefers eggs as their source of protein.

Meanwhile, about 81 percent of the population consume beans, 62 percent consume fish, 59 percent consume meat, 55 percent consume soya beans and 46 percent of the populace consume eggs.

In the survey, it was explained that 45 percent of the population believe that high cost of protein-rich food is responsible for their low protein intake, 39 percent insisted their low income has been responsible for it, 10 percent are of the believe that their little or low knowledge of protein benefits has been responsible for their low protein intake while 4 percent ascribed it to scarcity of protein-rich foods.

According to the head of home economics at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College Of Education, Lagos, Dr Beatrice Ogana-Ikujenyo, children should be given more eggs, meat, fish, soybeans as they need protein more than adults for their growth.

Inadequate protein intake among children has been linked to slow growth in children (stunting).

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It was recommended that protein and soya beans should be consumed more for its growth and nutritional value as it helps in addressing issues concerning malnutrition, stunting, wasting and overweight.

In the report, it was emphasized that seven in 10 households believe they are having enough protein intake while their daily protein intake suggests otherwise and remains very low accounting for less than a third of daily food consumption.

This was ascribed to cost and household income levels as an average cost of protein is N80 per meal which translates to N240 per day.

"If the average Nigerian lives on a dollar, it means he spends about 65 percent of food on proteins alone," according to the report.

"There is a need for more collective efforts to drive more awareness, affordability for protein daily intake among households. There is a need to channel communication to the essence of protein consumption and to push out clear information regarding required intake of protein for optimum wellbeing especially in the Northern and eastern part of the country," the report stated.
A new law forcing parties to disclose financial donations they receive came into effect in South Africa on Thursday, in a closely-followed step to foster transparency and curb corruption.

Since the first democratic elections in 1994, politicians and parties have had carte blanche to collect money from anyone, with little scrutiny.

Now they have to reveal any gifts of 100,000 rand ($6,730) and more, while smaller annual donations from a single source will be capped annually.

Donations from foreign governments, agencies or individuals are also prohibited.

The law "signals a fundamental change in our political landscape," My Vote Counts, a pressure group that fiercely campaigned for the legislation, said on Thursday.

"It will enhance transparency, deter corruption, allow us to better hold political parties accountable and, ultimately, deepen democracy," it said.

Parties and givers will have to disclose donations to the election organiser, the Independent Electoral Commission. Violation of the law is punishable by a fine or jail of of up to five years.

The commission's vice chairwoman, Janet Love, has lauded the change as "part of the country's evolution" -- "the most important far-reaching enhancement to the electoral legislative framework since 1994."

Damning allegations of corruption and politicians using public office to further agendas of their benefactors have become a distinguishing feature of South Africa's politics.

The magnitude of that has been highlighted in countless testimonies before anti-graft investigators probing state looting since 2018.

Political leaders, too, have been tarred by the obscure sources of funds.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is under attack over funding for his campaign to be elected leader of the ruling ANC in 2017.

A millionaire who has strong support from the business community, Ramaphosa reportedly received a billion rand ($68 million) from undisclosed sources.

Story continues

Firebrand Julius Malema's leftist opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has gone to court seeking to unseal bank records of the 2017 campaign. The case is still being heard.

"As the president of this country Ramaphosa must lead by example and disclose his funders immediately," the EFF thundered.

But the EFF itself has admitted receiving 200,000 rand from a controversial cigarette manufacturer, Adriano Mazzotti, ahead of the 2014 national general elections, a year after the party was created.

The largest opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA), meanwhile, came under fire in 2003 for secretly accepting 300,000 rand from wealthy Italian businessman Count Riccardo Agusta in return for permission to develop a private housing estate on a wine farm -- a breach of environmental protection laws.

- 'Transparency' -

In this light, it is unsurprising that the law has struggled to gain party support, say commentators.

"The ultimate goal (of the law) is to ensure transparency and remove any influence of money," said political analyst Ralph Mathekga.

But "there is no single political party that has been enthusiastic about this legislation."

Thirteen parties represented in parliament already receive an annual funding allocation from government, proportional to their representation in parliament.

Most large parties have historically resisted disclosure of private donations.

The DA bemoaned during a recent parliamentary debate that it was "simply impractical and impossible to report the small donations".

The ruling ANC (African National Congress) has voiced concerns around the implications of the new law on donors and also wants state funding to parties to be increased.

"Otherwise, political parties, including opposition tend to rely mainly on private corporates to fund their activities," said ANC treasurer-general, Paul Mashatile.

Approved by parliament in 2018, the bill was signed into law by Ramaphosa in 2019.

It takes effect as the country prepares for local government elections, expected between August and November.

mgu/sn/ri
IRB Infrastructure Developers added 3.13% to Rs 112.05 after the company received letter of award (LoA) from NHAI for a road project in Himachal Pradesh.

The project involves rehabilitation and upgradation to four lane configuration & strengthening of Punjab/HP border to Mo of NH-20 of Pathankot-Mandi section in Himachal Pradesh on hybrid annuity mode (HAM). The project length is 28.7 kms.

NHAI's project bid cost was Rs 758.04 crore and the company's project bid cost is Rs 778.64 crore. The construction period of the said project is 730 days and operation period is 15 years, commencing from the commercial operation date (COD).

IRB Infrastructure Developers is India's largest private toll roads and highways infrastructure developer. The company's consolidated net profit fell 56.5% to Rs 69.48 crore on 11.2% decline in net sales to Rs 1,547.16 crore in Q3 December 2020 over Q3 December 2019.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gaborone  Vice President Slumber Tsogwane yesterday asked Parliament to extend the state of emergency for another six months from today until September 30.

Tabling the request, Mr Tsogwane said the sole aim was minimizing the impact of the coronavirus and safeguard the lives of Batswana.

Noting Public Health Act shortcomings, he said it did not sufficiently endow health services director with authority to deal with an emergency of the scale and magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The director, he said, could only declare an emergency if it was not practicable for the President to do so.

In addition, the director was not empowered to curtail movement of persons except under a declaration of health emergency, said the vice president.

The motion follows President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi's briefing to Parliament Tuesday on achievements made since the declaration of the first state of emergency last May.

President Masisi emphasised the need for the extension as the challenges to combat the COVID-19 pandemic remained.

"The State of Emergency was the strongest legal tool availed in our laws to provide sufficient legal leverage in disease containment and control," he said.

President Masisi said the Public Health Act was inadequate to enforce regulations introduced during the state of emergency.

He explained that during the period, he had the power to lockdown the whole country and to impose curfews.

Urging MPs to put political differences aside and act as a collective unit to help the nation through the pandemic, he said it would be premature and remiss for any responsible government to abandon strategies that had so far saved the nation from peril.

Outlining achievements, President Masisi said the state of emergency prohibited retrenchments where businesses were unable to pay salaries.

Mandatory testing at all points of entry was introduced and people were required to wear face masks and have inter-zonal movement permits, he said.

Furthermore, he said the state of emergency provided for the suspension of transport permits and limitation of trading hours, restriction of the number of people at social gatherings and the banning of activities such as workshops.

President Masisi said government was able to fast track construction of ablution facilities in all public schools, strengthen and expand COVID-19 testing to include high output laboratory based Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing at six strategic locations.

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"Government has also deployed point of entry rapid antigen testing at clinic level, and we are able to conduct our own COVID-19 genomic surveillance to better understand the variants that keep emerging," he said.

The President said Botswana had been able to secure COVID-19 vaccines which he said "do not prevent against contracting the virus".

He said acceptance of the vaccines was based on their safety, quality and efficacy.

Dr Masisi however said the country continued to face challenges as at March 26 there were 37 452 COVID-19 cases and 568 deaths recorded.

The loss of lives, he said, should not be perceived as a sign of ineptitude and inefficiencies by government.

Dr Masisi said the emergence of highly transmissible COVID-19 variants remained of grave concern for Botswana as they made prevention more complicated and unpredictable.

He pleaded with the nation to minimize travel especially during the upcoming Easter holidays.

The President said it was unfortunate that some people continued to defy health protocols with others spreading false information about the pandemic.

At the time of going to press Parliament was still debating the motion.

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
Workers transport packages of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, March 31, 2021. (Sri Lankan President's Media Division/Handout via Xinhua/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (4th R, front) attends a handover ceremony of a batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, March 31, 2021. (Sri Lankan President's Media Division/Handou Image Source: IANS News

Colombo, April 1 : Sri Lanka has received a batch of China's Sinopharm vaccines against Covid-19 as part of a donation by the Beijing government to the island nation.

The vaccines arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Wednesday where it was officially handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by China's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, reports Xinhua news agency.

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga were present at the occasion.

An official certificate signing ceremony took place between the Chinese Ambassador and State Minister of Pharmaceutical Production, Supply and Regulation Channa Jayasumana, after which the vaccines were handed over to President Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka is presently in the midst of a mass scale vaccination program as it began inoculating all those above 30 in the urban Western Province from mid-February, after frontline and health workers were administered the AstraZeneca jabs.
THE CIO AGENDA

In this Hackett Groups 2021 study on IT transformation, they uncover that those who are further along in their transformation journeys are more successful in meeting business objectives, particularly security, agility and resource optimization.

However, there are many things that stand in the way of that goal, especially compared to 2020 top IT priorities.

Open up this research study to explore:

IT key challenges in 2021

The hurdles to IT transformation

What digital adoption looks like in 2021

And more.
One of the three major credit rating agencies announced Wednesday it had upgraded Connecticuts general obligations bond rating, the first time the state has seen a boost in its credit rating in two decades.

In an announcement Wednesday afternoon, Moodys Investors Service said it had upgraded the states roughly $16 billion of debt from an A1 rating to Aa3.

The agency noted the states continued commitment to numerous governance improvements, which allowed the state to accumulate a rainy day fund, along with Connecticuts good financial performance through the pandemic. Those reserves are important, given the states lack of budget flexibility heavy debt and retiree benefit liabilities, which are among the highest of the states, the ratings agency said.

State officials took the news as a sign the states financial tide is rising.

Gov. Ned Lamont called the announcement yet another strong indication of Connecticuts comeback.

We are a national leader in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to our wise investments, robust savings, better than anticipated revenues, and generous federal support we are emerging as a financial leader among the states, the governor said in a statement.

He said the state is committed to paying down its pension liabilities, ending the last fiscal year with a surplus and is projected to do so at the end of the current fiscal year.

This report should build confidence in our business community and our residents, as it provides outside validation that Connecticut continues to make prudent financial decisions that set the state up for growth now and into the future, which are critical as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, Lamont said.

During a conference call with reporters that afternoon, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Melissa McCaw and Treasurer Shawn Wooden echoed the governors rosy outlook.

Moodys is indicating that Connecticut is leading from a place of strength, said McCaw, who noted the rating upgrade came as many residents are reliant on social safety net programs.

This is the first time in 20 years that Connecticut has received an upgrade, said Wooden, calling it a sign the state is a good bet for investors.

In its announcement, Moodys said the upgraded bond rating also reflects Connecticut's high income and wealth levels offset by a lagging economy and recent consecutive years of population loss, which make liabilities more burdensome.

That comes as the state has seen what McCaw described as in-migration during the pandemic, as demand for homes in Connecticut soared.

Tthats sending the message that Connecticut is a place where you want to live, work, play, she said. Im taking positive notice of that.

She said that will come on top of the states plans to give significant supports to the average working parents so their kids can thrive  an apparent reference to Lamonts plan to invest $210 million in federal pandemic relief funds to support child care services. McCaw also noted the state was among the first to reopen schools during the pandemic.

All of these things add up to what it means to live and work here in the state of Connecticut, she said.

Wooden pointed to Connecticuts economic strength compared to that of its neighbors, particularly reflected in home sales. All of these are indicators of the trajectory were on as a state, Wooden said.
Freedom Under Law has accused CPS of under-reporting its profits by R800 million

The Constitutional Court has ordered Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) to furnish chartered accountants Rain with all the documents required to conduct a proper audit of the firm's illegal contract for the payment of social grants on behalf of government.

The court granted the order at the behest of Freedom Under Law (FUL) which has accused CPS of under-reporting its profits by R800 million.

FUL wants all the profits made by CPS - from what the court in 2014 deemed to be an "illegal contract" - to be properly determined and repaid to the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).

After the 2014 ruling the contract was extended to prevent chaos in the distribution of social grants, until SASSA was in a position to do the job itself by 2017. But at the 11th hour, then social development minister Bathabile Dlamini approached the court to have the contract extended again saying it was still not ready.

In its ruling on Wednesday, the court said the suspension of the declaration of the invalidity of the tender was subject to certain conditions in the form of a "supervisory order". One was that CPS file an audited statement of expenses incurred, income received and net profit earned under the invalid contract.

SASSA, in turn, had to obtain an independent audited verification of the statement and submit it to the treasury for approval. SASSA appointed Rain chartered accountants and in November 2019, it filed a report with the court.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Governance Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

But FUL cried foul, saying there had not been proper compliance, and it launched an application claiming that Rain had been denied access to some financial information by both CPS and auditing firms KPMG and Mazars. It said it appeared the company had under-declared its profits by R800 million.

The court said the application was, in the main, not opposed and it was not necessary to set out detailed reasons for granting most of the relief sought by FUL.

The court ordered that Rain must, within ten days, provide CPS and the other two auditing firms with a list of all outstanding documents and that these must be furnished within 15 days.

The court said the issue of profits would be considered once all the necessary information was placed before it.

Should treasury be unable to approve an updated verification report, it must file an affidavit setting out why.
LONDON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PeopleScout won the highly competitive Employee Engagement award at the 2021 RAD Awards for its work with King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The judges described the campaign as "topical, timely, brave and rewarding." The judges added that "everything was aligned for this project, and it's a very well-deserved winner."

King's College Hospital wanted to show appreciation to their staff in the aftermath of phase one of COVID-19 and looked to raise awareness of open positions to support the significant hiring needs related to the pandemic.

The PeopleScout team developed the "Big Thank You" campaign, which consisted of 300 pieces of "thank you" artwork constructed in 18 installations. Each piece of artwork featured a portrait photograph of an employee and a quote from a colleague describing the employee's work and thanking them for what they had done. The campaign showcased 166 valued employees across a range of clinical and nonclinical roles.

Nicola Ranger, Chief Nurse & Executive Director of Midwifery said of the campaign: "The staff response to these images has been extraordinary and has created a real buy-in and the internal buzz that we were after. It has been fantastic and has gone way beyond my expectations. Thank you so much."

"We are honored to be recognized for this incredibly meaningful campaign," said Andrew Wilkinson, Executive Leader, Group Managing Director  EMEA and APAC. "The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we must approach recruitment marketing and employer branding. With this campaign, we had an opportunity to address recruiting issues by showcasing the power of team and recognizing how essential each individual's effort is to ultimately delivering an exemplary experience during a challenging time."

This recognition builds upon PeopleScout's history of top award honors. In 2020, PeopleScout won four Recruitment Marketing Awards (RMAs), including Agency of the Year and Campaign of the Year. PeopleScout also won four 2020 RAD awards, including Work of the Year as well as in the Innovation, Use of Social and Out of Home Advertising categories.

Learn more about the making of the "Big Thank You" campaign.

To learn more about PeopleScout and how PeopleScout delivers Next Generation RPO visit www.peoplescout.com.

About PeopleScout

PeopleScout, a TrueBlue company, is a leading RPO provider managing talent solutions that span the global economy, with end-to-end MSP and talent advisory capabilities supporting total workforce needs. PeopleScout boasts 97% client retention managing the most complex programs in the industry. The company's thousands of forward-looking talent professionals provide clients with the edge in the people business by consistently delivering now while anticipating what's next. Affinix, PeopleScout's proprietary talent acquisition platform, empowers faster engagement with the best talent through an AI-driven, consumer-like candidate experience with one-point ATS and VMS integration and single sign-on. Leveraging the power of data gleaned from engaging millions of candidates and contingent associates every year, PeopleScout enhances talent intelligence for clients across more than 70 countries with headquarters in Chicago, Sydney and London and global delivery centers in Charlotte, Toronto, Montreal, Bristol, Krakow, Gurgaon and Bangalore. For more information about PeopleScout and its Now to Next brand promise, please visit www.peoplescout.com.

Press Contact

Sarah Katz Candelario

Director of Marketing & Communications

[email protected]

312-915-5544

SOURCE PeopleScout

Related Links

http://www.peoplescout.com


A fisherman has been left reeling after snagging a monster crocodile in North Queensland.

Jim Falkenberg, from Townsville, felt a tug on the end of his line while fishing near Hinchinbrook island on Monday.

But he quickly realised the catch was much more than he bargained for when a massive salt water crocodile surfaced at the end of his rod.

'I tripped on my thongs and nearly fell in, which got the heart racing faster,' Mr Falkenberg totherold Daily Mail Australia.

Jim Falkenberg snagged a three-metre crocodile (pictured) while fishing near Hinchinbrook island on Monday

'It was roughly three-metres long so I knew it wasnt going to be an easy catch.'

The fisherman said the predator either grabbed the lure, or swallowed a fish that had grabbed onto the bait.

After battling for nearly an hour, Mr Falkenberg managed to break the line free and the beast swam away.

Mr Falkenberg shared footage of his nerve-racking encounter online.

'Jesus cripes!' he yells as he sees the croc on the end of his line.

'Holy moly, right in the corner of the jaw!'

The top of the rod bends as the massive beach pulls down on the line beneath the water.

Mr Falkenberg (pictured) said he 'needed a beer' and a 'massage' after battling for nearly an hour to get the beast off his line

'I really hope you don't come up underneath the boat dude, because that would end really, really badly for me,' he says, tugging at the other end of his fishing gear.

After eventually breaking the line, Mr Falkenberg leans back into his boat and breathing a sigh of relief.

'Thank god that is over. Holy moly that was a big boy. I need a beer. I need a massage,' he says.

It is not Mr Falkenberg's first brush with the deadly reptiles.

Last October, he accidentally hooked a two-metre crocodile while fishing in the same area but managed to shake it off his lure.
Oak Brook, IL - The April edition of SLAS Discovery is a special issue on advances in protein degradation curated by guest editors M. Paola Castaldi, Ph.D., and Stewart L. Fisher, Ph.D.

Targeted protein degradation has generated interest within the drug discovery arena due to the inhibition of one particular function of a protein not often delivering the successful results that comes from whole-protein depletion. The pharmacology of PROTACs present challenges, however, namely for the development of orally bioavailable drugs. In the article "Target Validation Using PROTACs: Applying the Four Pillars Framework" authors Rados?aw P. Nowak, Ph.D., and Lyn H. Jones, Ph.D., describe the application of a translational pharmacology framework (the four pillars) to expedite PROTAC development by informing pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) understanding and helping clarify structure-activity relationships. Nowak and Jones hope that the four pillars will serve as a useful guideline to those developing targeted protein degraders and help establish PROTAC molecules as target validation chemical probes.

The April issue of SLAS Discovery includes three articles of original research.

These include:

Exploring the Biology of Degraders -- Simultaneous Detection of Protein Target Engagement and Functional Readout for In-Depth Characterization of Targeted Protein Degraders

A Method for Determining the Kinetics of Small Molecule Induced Ubiquitination

CDK Family PROTAC Degradation Profiling Reveals Differential Family Member Responses and Cell-Cycle Dependent Degradation of CDK

Other articles include:

Target Validation Using PROTACs: Applying the Four Pillars Framework

E3 Ligase Ligands for PROTACs: How They Were Found and How to Discover New Ones

Delivering Best Practice PROTACs Projects -- Lessons from AZ Experience.

High-Throughput Assay Technologies for Accelerating the Discovery and Optimization of Targeted Protein Degradation Therapeutics

The Vital Role of Proteomics in Characterizing Novel Protein Degraders

Non PROTAC Small Molecule Degraders -- An Exciting Novel Modality?

Development of a Novel SNAP-Epitope Tag/Near Infrared Imaging Assay to Quantify G Protein-Coupled Receptor Degradation in Human Cells

###

Access to April's SLAS Discovery issue is available at https:/ / journals. sagepub. com/ toc/ jbxb/ current .

For more information about SLAS and its journals, visit http://www. slas. org/ journals . Access a "behind the scenes" look at the latest issue with SLAS Discovery Author Insights podcast. Tune in by visiting https:/ / www. buzzsprout. com/ 1099559 .

SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building.

SLAS Discovery: Advancing the Science of Drug Discovery, 2019 Impact Factor 2.195. Editor-in-Chief Robert M. Campbell, Ph.D., Twentyeight-Seven Therapeutics, Boston, MA (USA).

SLAS Technology: Translating Life Sciences Innovation, 2019 Impact Factor 2.174. Editor-in-Chief Edward Kai-Hua Chow, Ph.D., National University of Singapore (Singapore).
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Los Andes Copper Ltd. (TSXV: LA) ("Los Andes" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received the final results for the copper recoveries and concentrate grades as part of the ongoing Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") at the Vizcachitas Project in Chile ("Vizcachitas" or the "Project"). These results confirm a copper recovery of 91.4% and the production of a high-quality clean copper concentrate.

Over the past nine months, as part of the PFS metallurgical studies, the Company implemented a comprehensive bench scale testwork program at SGS Minerals facilities in Santiago, Chile. Samples were selected to best represent the composition of the geological features that would be mined over the first 12 years of the mine plan, the period where the most complex mineralogy and alteration is found, and thus presents the toughest conditions for the flotation circuit.

Fernando Porcile, Executive Chairman of Los Andes, commented:

"I am very pleased that the recent comprehensive testwork has confirmed that Vizcachitas will produce a clean and high-quality copper concentrate. This testwork validates the flotation performance when the operating parameters are applied to the more complex areas of the mine.

"These results are encouraging and give us confidence as we continue to progress the development of the Project, focusing on delivering a sustainable mining, including a reduction in both its water and energy consumption."

Further Information

The 2019 Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") assumed an overall life of mine copper recovery of 91.0%. The PFS testwork results confirmed these assumptions on the metallurgical performance with samples representing the most challenging mineralogy identified within the mine plan.

The testwork focused on both, rougher and cleaner flotation stages including different reagent formulas, open cycle testing with different regrinding sizes and pulp pH, and a complete locked cycle testing to produce the final copper concentrate.

The metallurgical testwork showed that the Vizcachitas projected copper recovery for the first 12 years of operation is 91.4% with a final concentrate grade of 24.5% copper. The testwork also shows that, in this period, Vizcachitas produces a clean copper concentrate with no market penalties.

Qualified Persons

Antony Amberg CGeol FGS, the Company's President and CEO and Magin Torres, the Company's Senior Metallurgist who is a Qualified Person in Extractive Metallurgy under the Chilean Mining Commission, QP Registration No. 0409, are the qualified persons under N.I. 43-101 who have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

For more information please contact:

Fernando Porcile, Executive Chairman

Tel: +56 2 2954-0450

Antony J. Amberg, President & CEO

Tel: +56 2 2954-0450

Blytheweigh, Financial PR

Megan Ray

Rachael Brooks

Tel: +44 207 138 3203

E-Mail: info@losandescopper.com or visit our website at: www.losandescopper.com

Follow us on twitter @LosAndesCopper

Follow us on LinkedIn Los Andes Copper Ltd

Certain of the information and statements contained herein that are not historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the Securities Act (British Columbia), Securities Act (Ontario) and the Securities Act (Alberta) ("Forward-Looking Information"). Forward-Looking Information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend"; statements that an event or result is "due" on or "may", "will", "should", "could", or might" occur or be achieved; and, other similar expressions. More specifically, Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Information; including, without limitation, Spinnaker's ability to raise capital, target and attract institutional and retail investors and focus on developing and expanding the network of investors, analysts and financial intermediaries who are interested in Los Andes. Such Forward-Looking Information is based upon the Company's assumptions regarding global and Chilean economic, political and market conditions and the price of metals and energy, and the Company's production. Among the factors that have a direct bearing on the Company's future results of operations and financial conditions are changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, a change in government policies, competition, currency fluctuations and restrictions and technological changes, among other things. Should one or more of any of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from any conclusions, forecasts or projections described in the Forward-Looking Information. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise Forward-Looking Information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79139
From a drivers perspective, understanding how car insurance companies set prices can be puzzling. Auto insurance companies use multiple pricing factors to determine your risk, meaning how likely it will be that youll file a car insurance claim. The lower your perceived risk, the better your car insurance rates.

Not all insurance companies weigh pricing factors the same. A car insurance quote you get at one company might be significantly cheaper at a different company for the exact same coverage. Heres the main factors in the pricing formulas.

Your Driving Record Will Follow You

Your driving record includes your history of moving traffic violations and at-fault accidents. Its one of the biggest factors that determines your car insurance rates. Car insurance companies look at your driving history for the past three to five years, depending on your state. If you have caused a car accident or received traffic tickets, expect to pay more for car insurance.

If you have an extensive history of at-fault accidents, traffic violations and/or a DUI/DWI conviction, you might have a tough time finding car insurance. If insurance companies deny you coverage, you may end up with non-standard car insurance, which is for risky drivers. Or as a last resort youll have to buy car insurance from your states assigned risk pool.

But heres the good news: No matter whats on your driving history, you can immediately work to improve it. Practicing safe driving habits and avoiding transgressions like speeding tickets and accidents will pay off. It may take a few years, but the longer you drive without any incidents will result in better car insurance rates.

Credit Has Traction

Many auto insurance companies make heavy use of credit-based insurance scores when setting rates. They contend that credit predicts the likelihood that youll make a claim.

The use of credit-based insurance scores for car insurance pricing is banned in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan.

Your Coverage Selections

The coverage you choose will have a major impact on your car insurance prices. But dont be so focused on cheaper prices that you skimp out on the coverage types that you actually need.

For example, dont only buy your states minimum requirements when you need full coverage car insurance. Not having enough car insurance could be a recipe for financial disaster.

Here are some coverage types:

Liability car insurance: This is the foundation of your car insurance policy and required in most states. Liability car insurance pays others for injuries and property damage if you cause a car crash. It also pays for a legal defense in case you are sued because of a car accident.

This is the foundation of your car insurance policy and required in most states. Liability car insurance pays others for injuries and property damage if you cause a car crash. It also pays for a legal defense in case you are sued because of a car accident. Uninsured motorist insurance: This coverage is required in some states and optional in others. Uninsured motorist coverage pays for your own medical expenses if you are hit by someone who doesnt carry liability insurance or doesnt have enough.

This coverage is required in some states and optional in others. Uninsured motorist coverage pays for your own medical expenses if you are hit by someone who doesnt carry liability insurance or doesnt have enough. Collision and comprehensive coverage: These are two separate optional coverage types which are often sold together.

These are two separate optional coverage types which are often sold together. Collision pays for car repair bills if you get into a car accident. Comprehensive pays for car repair bills for theft, vandalism, collisions with animals, fire, floods, falling objects and hail. If you have a car loan or lease, youll likely be required to buy collision and comprehensive insurance.

Comprehensive pays for car repair bills for theft, vandalism, collisions with animals, fire, floods, falling objects and hail. If you have a car loan or lease, youll likely be required to buy collision and comprehensive insurance. Medical expense coverage: This type varies by state, but generally pays for your medical bills and other expenses (like lost wages) if you are injured in a car accident. In some states, you may be required to buy personal injury protection insurance.

Your car insurance company might offer additional options such as:

Accident forgiveness: Some car insurance companies will forgive an at-fault car accident. But you typically have to pay extra for accident forgiveness and there may be some limitations, such as one forgiveness per policy every three years.

Some car insurance companies will forgive an at-fault car accident. But you typically have to pay extra for accident forgiveness and there may be some limitations, such as one forgiveness per policy every three years. Gap insurance: If you have a car loan, gap insurance pays the gap between what you owe on your loan and the vehicles actual value if its totaled in an accident covered by your policy.

If you have a car loan, gap insurance pays the gap between what you owe on your loan and the vehicles actual value if its totaled in an accident covered by your policy. Rental reimbursement insurance: This pays for a rental car or substitute transportation (such as train or bus fare) if your car is in the shop for a problem covered by your policy, like a car accident. Rental reimbursement coverage is optional.

This pays for a rental car or substitute transportation (such as train or bus fare) if your car is in the shop for a problem covered by your policy, like a car accident. Rental reimbursement coverage is optional. Roadside assistance insurance: If your car is disabled, roadside assistance insurance pays for services like towing, battery jump-start, locksmiths and flat tire repair.

Car Insurance Deductible

Your deductible amount will also factor into your pricing. The deductible is what you pay out-of-pocket if you file a claim for car repair bills. You can typically choose deductible amounts that range from $250 to $2,500. The higher the deductible, the less youll pay in insurance premiums.

Your Car Insurance History

If you are a new driver and this is your first car insurance policy, you can expect to pay a higher rate. Thats because car insurance companies wont have much information to evaluate your risk.

A coverage gap can also cause higher rates when you buy auto insurance. This is a period of time when you dont have car insurance. For example, if your car insurance company canceled you for non-payment or you were between cars and didnt have auto insurance. Insurers see the coverage gap as a higher risk, which often translates to higher insurance premiums.

If you dont have car insurance but want to avoid a coverage gap (for example, if you are between cars), non-owner car insurance is a good option to maintain continuous car insurance coverage.

The Type of Car You Drive

The type of car you drive also plays a significant role in setting your car insurance rates. Theyll look at past claims from similar models and evaluate repair costs, theft rates and payments made for comprehensive claims.

Age and Driving Experience

Young and inexperienced drivers will pay higher car insurance rates because they pose a higher risk for car accidents. For example, drivers between the ages 16 and 19 are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than drivers over the age of 20, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Your ZIP Code

Pricing factors driven by location include weather claims (such as hail), accidents and car theft. Drivers who live in metropolitan areas tend to pay more for coverage than those who live in suburbia due to higher rates of theft, vandalism and car accidents.

Other location-related factors include the cost of medical care, car repair costs and the frequency of auto accident lawsuits.

Other Car Insurance Pricing Factors

Car insurance companies often look at several non-driving factors when setting their rates, such as:

Home ownership

Marital status

Education

Occupation

Gender

Some consumer advocacy groups have raised concerns that these non-driving factors are inherently discriminatory. In late 2020, insurance regulators pledged to address racism and discrimination within the insurance industry.

How to Save Money on Car Insurance

Here are some ways to cut your auto insurance costs:

Shop around. Each company has its own pricing system. The best way to find good rates is to compare car insurance quotes among several companies. The best car insurance companies have good customer service at a good price.

Each company has its own pricing system. The best way to find good rates is to compare car insurance quotes among several companies. The best car insurance companies have good customer service at a good price. Lower your deductible. You can save money by choosing a higher deductible. If you are a safe driver who avoids accidents, its not a bad idea to bet on yourself. Just be sure you can afford to pay your deductible amount out-of-pocket if you need to file a car insurance claim.

You can save money by choosing a higher deductible. If you are a safe driver who avoids accidents, its not a bad idea to bet on yourself. Just be sure you can afford to pay your deductible amount out-of-pocket if you need to file a car insurance claim. Take a defensive driving course. A state-approved defensive driving course can benefit you in two ways. First, in some states it can help reduce any points you may have accumulated on your driving record for traffic citations, which can land you cheaper rates. Second, many insurance companies offer discounts to drivers who have completed a driving course, especially drivers age 55 and older.

A state-approved defensive driving course can benefit you in two ways. First, in some states it can help reduce any points you may have accumulated on your driving record for traffic citations, which can land you cheaper rates. Second, many insurance companies offer discounts to drivers who have completed a driving course, especially drivers age 55 and older. Ask for discounts. You might be eligible for car insurance discounts such as safe driver discounts, good student discounts, pay-in-full discounts, car safety feature discounts and multi-policy discounts. Ask your auto insurance agent for a review of potential discounts.

More From Advisor

This article, Here Are Factors That Affect Your Car Insurance Rates, originally appeared on Forbes Advisor.
NEWTOWN - A Vermont-based RV dealer that has impressed leaders with its business plan to convert a former warehouse site into a $7 million showroom and service center has been granted a tax break package as an incentive.

Overall this project has had strong support, said Judit DeStephano, a member of the Legislative Council - the last of four boards to sign off on the seven-year tax abatement for Country Camper. This would be a great addition to town if they decide to come.

The approval of tax breaks for Country Camper clears the way for the RV dealer to apply to Newtowns Planning and Zoning Commission for permission to construct a 31,000-square-foot facility at 201 S. Main St. - the 23-acre site of the former Georgia-Pacific distribution center.

A representative of the family-owned company said Thursday that the family was pleased with the tax breaks and would focus on the land use approval process in Newtown.

We greatly appreciate the experience with the town of Newtowns (boards) as well as the people within Newtown, said Logan Gregoire, who has attended Zoom calls about the tax breaks with his father, Layne. The response has seemed to be overwhelming support, and we are appreciative of that.

Should Country Camper earn land use approvals, it would get a seven-year break on the higher taxes it would have to pay after improving the site. Newtown, in turn, would trade an abandoned former warehouse lot that collects $43,000 annually for a new recreational vehicle business that pays $106,000 annually for the first seven years, and $173,000 in annual taxes after that.

At least 15 jobs would be created, the company said.

This has been really well vetted, DeStefano said on Thursday, referring to previous reviews and approvals by Newtowns Economic Development Commission, its Board of Selectmen and its Board of Finance. They also have a strong sense of community commitment, and doing right by the community.

Country Camper, which has two locations in Vermont and a third in New Hampshire, hopes to expand its market with a Newtown location that would attract buyers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.

The company is not concerned about expanding during an economic crisis, the Gregoires told town leaders in March.

On the contrary, the company has found that coronavirus lockdowns have made recreational vehicles a popular option, the family said.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 23:55:10|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- An armed attack in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz regional state, located in the western part of the country has left seven civilians dead, an Ethiopian official said on Thursday.

Lieutenant-General Asrat Denero, chief of Metekel zone task force in the state said an armed attack in Mandura earlier on Thursday left seven people dead, reported state media outlet Ethiopia News Agency (ENA).

Denero said a counterattack by security forces has resulted in the deaths of 10 suspected attackers and the capture of five other suspected attackers.

In January, the Ethiopian government disclosed plans to train around 10,000 militiamen to stem gruesome violence in the Benishangul-Gumuz regional state.

The plan is to create a structure that will sustainably protect civilians from attacks.

In recent months, deadly inter-communal violence in Metekel has killed thousands of civilians and displaced more than 100,000 others.

In one especially deadly incident in December, at least 207 people were killed in a massacre in Bekoji village, Metekel zone. The violence is mainly over access to power and land resources.

Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State, located along the Ethiopia-Sudan border, hosts Ethiopia's largest development project - the 5,150 Megawatts (MW) Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is under construction on the Blue Nile River with a construction cost of close to 5 billion U.S. dollars. Enditem
"We are excited to support the enrollment and retention of diverse first-generation students, who will share their strengths and perspectives with the Bentley community," said Tammi Wortham, senior vice president of Human Resources at Sun Life U.S. "Bentley's goal to increase the diversity of their student body matches our own goals, and will allow us to be an impactful partner in driving change within the university as well as bringing strong candidates to Sun Life and other organizations."

The Bentley FPF program provides mentorship, development, support, and a full academic scholarship to each student. The program was created to offer a "transformative" educational opportunity to high-performing, first-generation college students, and to help grow the diversity of the growing student body.

"Bentley University is committed to making our campus and the business world more diverse and inclusive," said Jane De Leon, PhD, associate dean of Arts and Sciences and faculty director of Bentley's FirstGen Presidential Fellows program. "First-generation students are central to this goal because of the unique perspectives, talents and life experiences they bring. This program helps them further tap into those talents while gaining academic, professional, and life skills that prepare them to make a positive impact on the organizations they join after graduation."

Sun Life and Bentley have worked closely together for years. In addition to many new-graduate hires from Bentley, Sun Life has been a member of the university's Center for Women and Business Executive Working Group since 2017, actively working to foster more inclusive workplaces and examine key issues impacting workplace gender diversity and equity.

"Bentley is an excellent school for business and other academic areas, and we know these students only learn and thrive," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., president of Sun Life U.S. "We're confident that they will be well-prepared to enter into the professional world and achieve success."

Sun Life will engage with program students during their time at Bentley, including potential internships and job opportunities after graduation. Sun Life scholarship recipients will receive notification this spring and will begin their first semester in September 2021.

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2020, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1,247 billion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

In the United States, Sun Life is one of the largest group benefits providers, serving more than 60,000 employers in small, medium and large workplaces across the country. Sun Life's broad portfolio of insurance products and services in the U.S. includes disability, absence management, life, dental, vision, voluntary, supplemental health and medical stop-loss. Sun Life and its affiliates in asset management businesses in the U.S. employ approximately 5,500 people. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in New York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com/us .

About Bentley University

Bentley University is more than just one of the nation's top business schools. It is a lifelong-learning community that creates successful leaders who make business a force for positive change. With a combination of business and the arts and sciences and a flexible, personalized approach to education, Bentley provides students with critical thinking and practical skills that prepare them to lead successful, rewarding careers. Founded in 1917, the university enrolls 4,200 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate and PhD students and is set on 163 acres in Waltham, Massachusetts, 10 miles west of Boston. For more information, visit www.bentley.edu .

Media contacts:

Devon Fernald

Sun Life U.S.

781-800-3609

[email protected]

Helen Henrichs

Bentley University

781-891-2277

[email protected]

Connect with Sun Life U.S.

Facebook

LinkedIn

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SOURCE Sun Life U.S.

Related Links

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Pakistani mangoes to enter Chinese market via Economic Corridor

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-04-01 08:43

Pakistani mango exporters are planning to enter the Chinese market through the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor.

Six Pakistani mango exporters had a discussion with Chinese traders, retailers and distributors during an online seminar held on March 30.





As the worlds third largest mango exporter, Pakistan can supply mangoes for five to six months of each year. In 2018, the production of mangoes in Pakistan was 1.9 million tons, ranking sixth in the world. The top five are India, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Mexico.

In Pakistan, mango is called the King of fruits and is among the countrys largest export-oriented industries.

Last year, a mango tasting event was held in Shanghai, with positive feedback from Chinese consumers. To better help Pakistans mangoes enter the market, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center organized an online meeting on Tuesday.

In his speech, Mr. Abdul, director-general of the TDAP, said he hopes that Pakistans mangoes can press the accelerator button for the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and achieve win-win results for both countries.

As Sun Lei from the Hongqiao Management Committee said, the trade seminar was of special significance as this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan.

It is also reported that the Consulate General of Pakistan in Shanghai will work with the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center later this year to hold mango tasting activities.
Allocations via the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for forests and natural protected areas amount to about 1.5 billion euros, but there's a risk that these funds will be wasted with no concrete finality because there is currently no reform plan for forestry in place, WWF Romania said in a statement.

According to the environmental organization, Romania should put out every year a National Reform Plan, which should include forestry among its key structural reforms, identify concrete annual needs and subsequently allocate funding for meeting them.

"The most recent plan was developed in April 2020, and no plan has yet been devised for this year. In this situation, how can the government decide the directions for investing the European money allocated for reforms if it hasn't yet committed to the reforms it wants to implement?," the organization argues.

WWF Romania's project manager for forests and protected areas Antoanela Costea considers that in order to be substantive, the reform needs a plan and detailed allocation sheets to clearly set out allocations and the result indicators.

"At this moment, the PNRR is just a wish list. For it to get substance, we need a reform plan, detailed sheets to understand how the funds are actually allocated and what the result indicators are. If we want the forestry interventions proposed in the PNRR to be approved, we must present the European Commission the concrete steps and the expected finality for each reform and investment," Costea underlined.

The representatives of the environmental organization consider that it's time for the government to commit to a National Forestry Policy that should include the reforms and strategic directions identified last year following the public consultation process carried out under the coordination of the academic environment.

WWF Romania representatives deplore the fact that two major proposals supported by WWF for the forestry sector have not been included in the PNRR draft.

One refers to the development of AI-based solutions to allow the digital measurement and establishment of the digital footprint of the harvested wood that is put on the market.

The other is the Single Forest Directory - a GIS database to be incorporated into the Wood Tracking National Integrated System - SUMAL that provides basic information on the origin of the wood, as the first link in the wood management chain. "Without a clear record of forest areas, one cannot develop a relevant and consistent legislative framework, investments cannot be absorbed to support sustainable forest management or plan an efficient control," reads the WWF Romania statement.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Vultures play an important role in the ecosystem cleaning up animal carcasses from the landscape. However, although primarily scavengers, some black vultures cause problems for cattle operators in southern Indiana, harassing and even preying on young calves and other livestock.

Historically common in southern states, black vultures have expanded into Indiana during the last few decades due to a warming climate and changes in human land use. Black vultures can be found throughout Indiana, but they are most common in southern counties.

As the spring calving season progresses, Purdue quantitative ecologist Patrick Zollner, professor of wildlife science; doctoral student Marian Wahl; and partners with the USDA Wildlife Services program hope to get help from cattle producers for research into black vulture habits and methods that could be used to stop them from harming livestock.

In other parts of the world, when vultures experienced local extinction, the numbers of animals like coyotes, rats and feral dogs increased and diseases such as rabies, brucellosis and anthrax became problematic for human health, Zollner said.

These vultures are natures garbage disposals. Theyre cleaning up the carcasses of dead animals, and thats an important role, said Zollner, a professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. If they come across a stillborn calf, theyll eat that. But some of these birds go after young animals or even calves as theyre being birthed.

Zollner and his colleagues are looking for producers to donate calves that they believe were killed by black vultures so that researchers can perform necropsies on the animals free of charge. Zollner and colleagues hope to learn signs that can determine whether a calf was killed by vultures or simply scavenged.

We dont know enough about the biology of these vultures to understand why some birds become predatory or the differences between how they scavenge and how they kill an animal, Zollner said. If we can get enough of these predated calves to study, we can learn what evidence is needed to help producers file successful claims to the USDA Farm Service Agencys indemnity program to receive compensation for their losses.

The scientists are also looking for livestock producers to complete an online survey, designed by Wahl and Zollner, in collaboration with doctoral student Brooke McWherter and Zhao Ma, a Purdue professor of natural resource social science. Respondents will be asked questions about broad concerns related to livestock losses as well as their experiences with black vultures. Learning more about where black vultures cause damage and how much damage theyre causing will help determine better ways to manage these birds.

For producers dealing with black vultures, Lee Humberg, Indiana state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, suggests first assessing your operation to ensure that its not attracting the birds. He said quickly removing any stillborn carcasses (including afterbirth) or dead wildlife can remove food the birds might be attracted to, and taking down dead trees removes a preferred roosting option for the vultures.

Effigies of vultures, including taxidermy birds or those made of artificial materials, hung by their feet near cattle can scare off other birds. Pyrotechnics, cattle dogs and other sources of harassment can frighten some away as well.

Some of these tactics help, Humberg said. But not everything works for everybody. A lot of it depends on the size of the operation and the sensitivity of the birds to your tactics and tools.

Black vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so they cannot be killed without a permit. Humberg said anyone with questions about mitigation efforts or who wants a permit to use lethal force should call the USDA Wildlife Service at 866-487-3297.

Zollner said its also helpful for producers to know the difference between black vultures and turkey vultures since the latter only scavenge and dont cause producers any harm. Black vultures have black heads. In contrast, adult turkey vultures have red heads, while immature turkey vultures have dark grey heads. Black vultures also have white feathers at the outer tips of their wings, whereas turkey vultures have a browner color and their entire wings are two-toned, with the front half being dark and the rear half being a silvery color.

To donate a potentially attacked calf, contact Wahl at 317-647-5294. To learn more about the teams work, visit their website. To participate in the teams black vulture survey, go here.

Writer: Brian Wallheimer; 765-532-0233; bwallhei@purdue.edu

Sources: Patrick Zollner; 765-496-9495; pzollner@purdue.edu

Lee Humberg; lhumberg@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: 765-494-8415;

Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
A KAROI man appeared in court in Harare yesterday for allegedly defrauding CBZ Agro-yield (Pvt) Limited of agricultural inputs worth US$45 347.

Gamuchirai Carlton Gorogodo appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court charged with fraud.

Gorogodo, who was being represented by lawyer Mr Simon Chabuka, was not asked to plead to the charge when he appeared before Mrs Tafadzwa Miti who remanded him to April 14 on $15 000 bail.

It is said that on November 2 last year Gorogodo applied for farming inputs for the 2020/21 farming season from CBZ Agro-yield.

In his application, he allegedly stated that he had a farming contract with one Madani who owns Zebra Downs Farm in Karoi.

Allegations are that the application found its way into the CBZ Agro-yield offices for processing and it was approved.

He is said to have been issued with 100x25kgs seed maize, 5 000 litres of diesel, chemicals and 30 tonnes of compound D fertiliser.

On December 23, 2020, a 30-tonne truck was intercepted by officials from the Command Agriculture scheme, while loaded with 600x50kg compound D fertilisers which were to be delivered to Gorogodo.

Investigations revealed that his name was not in the Command Agriculture data base and he was arrested.
The BMW Group has launched an initiative to protect the deep seas in cooperation with the WWF Germany. In a joint declaration, the BMW Group, WWF and other companiesincluding the Volvo Groupundertake, as a precautionary measure, not to use deep-ocean minerals or finance deep-sea mining until comprehensive scientific research into the impact of deep-sea mining can be conducted and the consequences for the environment are clearly assessed.

Mining in water thousands of meters deep could have destructive effects on vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems and lead to loss of biodiversity and species extinction. WWFs recent report, In Too Deep, shows the projected large-scale destruction of the seabed could affect global fisheries and threaten carbon and nutrient cycles in the ocean. Given the slow pace of deep-sea processes, destroyed habitats are unlikely to recover within human timescales. What has been created over millions of years would be wiped out in a day.

The BMW Group aspires to be one of the most sustainable automotive manufacturers and has built high standards into its supply chains for this purpose. The procurement of raw materials requires particular care. There are currently insufficient scientific findings to be able to assess the environmental risks of deep-sea mining. For this reason, raw materials from deep-sea mining are not an option for the BMW Group at the present time. Patrick Hudde, head of Supply Chain Sustainability and Indirect Purchasing Raw Materials Management, BMW Group

Due to growing demand for raw materials in general, deep-sea deposits of mineral raw materials have recently received greater attention. In particular, manganese nodules (polymetallic nodules), cobalt-rich iron and manganese crusts, as well as massive sulfides and ore sludge, could attract the interest of mining companies.

Individual experts believe this could offer an attractive alternative to minerals from terrestrial mining. However, the majority of experts remain sceptical overall, due to the lack of scientific analysis.

The BMW Groups sustainability strategy is also relying more on resource-efficient closed-loop material cycles, with the aim of significantly increasing the percentage of secondary material in vehicles. The company already uses up to 50% secondary aluminium, 25% secondary steel and up to 20% secondary thermoplastics. These percentages should continue to increase going forward. Wider use of secondary materials will help reduce the need for primary raw materials in the long run.
Everyone over the age of 45 can get the vaccine today. Go to your nearest vaccination centre and get the vaccine, said the chief minister. (PTI file photo)

Bengaluru: As the state geared up to vaccinate everyone above 45 years of age from Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar appealed to the eligible people to make use of this protective cover against coronavirus.

Cautioning people not to underestimate the danger posed by Covid, Yediyurappa tweeted, "Our protective cover is the vaccine against corona. Everyone over the age of 45 can get the vaccine today. Go to your nearest vaccination centre and get the vaccine. Together we can defeat coronavirus."

Health Minister Sudhakar too tweeted, "As we begin vaccinating all citizens aged above 45 years from today, 5,500 vaccination sites will be operational across the state including 650 private and 4,850 government facilities."

According to him, 1.5 lakh doses of vaccine is supplied to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the civic body, which is distributed to about 600 sites across the state capital.

The Health Department said in a statement that COVID- 19 vaccination will continue at all the primary health centres, community health centres, Taluk hospitals, district hospitals, medical colleges and private hospitals as already being done.

It added that Karnataka has in stock 13.5 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine and 1.5 lakh doses of Covaxin vaccine and it has been supplied to all the cold chain points across the districts as per their requirement.

The government of India has assured the state that additional vaccine doses will be supplied regularly in the coming days as per daily coverage, the department added.

The vaccination drive covering everyone above 45 years of age started at a time when there is an alarming rise in cases in Karnataka.

The state reported 4,225 fresh cases including 26 deaths on a single day on Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 04:32:24|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Thursday urged the African Union (AU) to support completion of the peace process in Sudan by bringing in the non-signatory groups.

Al-Burhan issued the call while meeting at the presidential palace with the visiting delegation of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), the sovereign council said in a statement.

"Sudan is looking forward to further support from the AU and AUPSC to complete the peace process and urge the non-signatory groups to join the process," the statement noted.

Al-Burhan reiterated Sudan's keenness to find solutions to all African issues through the efforts of the Africans themselves, it added.

Head of the AUPSC delegation, Mohamed Idriss, voiced the AU's keenness to support Sudan during the coming phase in a bid to achieve peace and stability in the country, according to the statement.

He said the meeting reviewed the challenges facing Sudan as well as the accomplishments achieved, particularly with regard to the Declaration of Principles signed by Al-Burhan and the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Abdel-Aziz Al-Hilu.

On March 28, the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N signed a declaration of principles in South Sudan's capital Juba to pave the way for signing a final peace deal between the two sides.

On Oct. 3, 2020, the Sudanese government and armed groups, under the Revolutionary Front Alliance, signed a final peace deal in Juba to end armed conflicts.

However, Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), led by Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur, a major armed group in Darfur region, still refuses to sit at the negotiation table with the Sudanese government. Enditem
FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its rapid antigen test to be used for SARS-CoV-2 screening through serial testing of asymptomatic individuals.

BD today announced the FDA has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its BD Veritor Plus System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 to be used for SARS-CoV-2 screening through serial testing of asymptomatic individuals. An elementary school student is receives a rapid antigen test using the BD Veritor Plus System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2.

Articles and studies in multiple peer-reviewed publications including the New England Journal of Medicine1 and the British Medical Journal2 have touted the benefits of serial, rapid antigen testing. In addition, a recent landmark RADx-funded study demonstrated that the serial use of diagnostic tests (at least twice per week), including rapid antigen tests, increased the ability to detect infection3. The BD Veritor Plus System supports this approach in everyday locations such as schools and businesses, along with serial testing in other situations, such as athletes and teams to ensure safe games and competitions.

The EUA for the BD Veritor Plus System includes SARS-CoV-2 screening through serial testing of asymptomatic individuals when tested twice over two or three days with at least 24 hours and no more than 48 hours between tests. Serial testing on the BD Veritor Plus System can be performed in any setting with a CLIA certificate of waiver.

"BD is supporting the global efforts to return to normalcy as soon as possible, and this additional authorization for the BD Veritor System to be used in screening through serial testing of asymptomatic individuals is a large step forward," said Dave Hickey, president of Life Sciences for BD. "Frequent testing of individuals without symptoms will enable those with negative results to resume their normal school or work routines and will help to identify and isolate positive cases of COVID-19 as early as possible to prevent further spread. Screening through serial testing is an important part of any back-to-school or back-to-work program, along with additional measures such as mask wearing and social distancing."

Serial COVID-19 testing in everyday settings presents challenges in managing test subject demographics and reporting results to public health authorities. To assist with this reporting in a mass testing program, BD recently announced a collaboration with ImageMover to provide a companion mobile app that enables organizations performing point-of-care testing to efficiently capture required demographic details of those being tested, upload COVID-19 test results, report results to appropriate stakeholders and automate reporting to public health agencies. This enables compliance with reporting requirements and significantly reduces manual documentation.

About BD Veritor Plus System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

The BD Veritor Plus System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 is intended for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigens in direct anterior nasal swabs from individuals who are either suspected of COVID-19 by their health care provider within the first five days of the onset of symptoms, or from individuals without symptoms or other epidemiological reasons to suspect COVID-19 when tested twice over two or three days with at least 24 hours and no more than 48 hours between tests. This product has not been FDA cleared or approved; but has been authorized by FDA under an EUA for use by authorized laboratories. This product has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. This product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C.  360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner. For more information, please see bdveritor.com.

About BD

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 70,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.

Contacts:





Media Investors Troy Kirkpatrick Kristen M. Stewart, CFA VP, Public Relations SVP, Strategy & Investor Relations 858.617.2361 201.847.5378 [email protected] [email protected]

1 New England Journal of Medicine, November 26, 2020; 383:e120, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2025631

2 BMJ 2021;372:n208

3 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.19.21253964v2.full.pdf

SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)

Related Links

www.bd.com


London: The most senior black adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned, the day after a report on racial disparities concluded the country does not have a systemic problem with racism.

The government denied any link between the departure of Samuel Kasumu and the much-criticised report, which activists and academics said ignored the experiences of ethnic-minority Britons.

Johnsons office said Kasumu would leave his job as a special adviser for civil society and communities in May, as had been his plan for several months.

Samuel Kasumu, who resigned on April 1 as an adviser on race to Boris Johnson.

It denied the resignation was related to Wednesdays publication of the report by the government-appointed Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which concluded that Britain was not an institutionally racist country.
[April 01, 2021] SideKick Operators Partners With the Oscar W. Larson Company and Trive Capital

SideKick Operators ("SideKick"), the Texas-based strategic investment and advisory firm, is excited to announce its recent partnership with the Oscar W. Larson Company ("Oscar Larson" or the "Company) and Trive Capital ("Trive"). Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Clarkston, Michigan, Oscar Larson is a growing and leading end-to-end provider of installation, testing, inspection, planned maintenance and repair services for fuel infrastructure across North America SideKick chairman Phil Miner said, "We are thrilled to become partners with the Oscar Larson and Trive team. They put people first and lead with a service first mentality." SideKick is a co-investor alongside Trive and the shareholders of the Oscar W. Larson Company. SideKick is also serving as a strategic advisor to the Oscar Larson management team as the company expands nationally and broadens their offerings to better meet the needs of their customers. President Charles Burns said, "We are excited about our partnership with Trive and Sidekick. Our teams share a passion fr unrivaled service. We believe that this is the right combination to accelerate our growth and expansion."



About SideKick Operators For more than 4 decades, the partners of SideKick Operators have been building long lasting and sustainable companies across North America. SideKick is a strategic firm investing in mission critical trades providing repair, maintenance, inspection, and testing services. The company joins in partnership with business leaders to build national brand reputations through operational excellence. SideKick comes from a history with a deep rooted appreciation for founder and family-owned businesses.

About Trive Capital Trive Capital is a Dallas, Texas based private equity firm managing approximately $2 billion in aggregate capital commitments. Trive focuses on investing equity and debt in what it sees as strategically viable middle-market companies with the potential for transformational upside through operational improvement. We seek to maximize returns through a hands-on partnership that calls for identifying and implementing value creation ideas. The Trive team is comprised of seasoned investment professionals who have been involved in over 100 middle-market transactions representing in excess of $6 billion in revenue across Trive's targeted industry sectors and situations. About Oscar Larson Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Clarkston, Michigan, Oscar Larson is a leading end-to-end equipment distributor and provider of installation, testing, inspection, maintenance and repair services to fuel infrastructure and other customers across the Midwest. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005805/en/

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A treasure hunter who illegally dug in Yellowstone National Park while searching for a hidden chest was sentenced Wednesday to six months in prison, officials said.

Rodrick Dow Craythorn did not find the Forrest Fenn treasure, named after the New Mexico art dealer who hid the chest rumored to be worth millions around a decade ago and left clues about its whereabouts in a poem.

The 52-year-old Utah man damaged Fort Yellowstones cemetery, including to a historic grave, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming said.

Craythorn was sentenced to six months in prison, six months of home confinement and ordered to pay $31,566 in restitution, the office said.

He pleaded guilty in January to excavating or trafficking in archeological resources and injury or depredation to United States property.

Through his attorney, Craythorn apologized to the National Park Service and the people of the United States. He is scheduled to surrender in May to begin his sentence.

"To the National Park Service, the people of the United States and my family, I am truly sorry. I was motivated by the thrill of possibly finding a treasure, and my obsession clouded my judgment," Craythorn said in the statement.

"After my time in prison, I intend to make full restitution. I can only hope that my case will serve as a reminder to people that we should respect National Parks and the laws that were enacted to protect them," he said.

The search for the Forrest Fenn treasure captivated thousands. Fenn hid the chest of gold and jewels sometime between 2009 and 2010, and he left searchers nine clues in a poem in his book, "The Thrill of the Chase."

The treasure was discovered in June in Wyoming but the person who found it, identified as a medical student from Michigan, did not say exactly where. Fenn died in September.

Craythorn dug in the cemetery of the Fort Yellowstone National Historic Landmark between October 2019 and May 24, 2020, according to an indictment.

Story continues

Rangers found 17 excavation sites, including damage to a historic grave, the U.S. attorney's office said.

"A national park is no place to stage an adult treasure hunt motivated by greed," Bob Murray, acting U.S. attorney for Wyoming, said in a statement. "The harmful actions of Mr. Craythorn, no matter the reason or intent, destroyed valuable archaeological resources that cannot be undone."

Fort Yellowstone was built in the park after the Army was sent in following poaching, souvenir hunting and other damaging acts after the national park was established by Congress in 1872, according to the park service.

The Army stayed at the park until 1918 when duties were turned over to the National Park Service, which was established by Congress two years before.

At least 54 people, mostly civilians who worked for the Army or families of military personnel, were buried at that cemetery between 1888 and 1916.

Sarah Davis, chief ranger for Yellowstone National Park, called the violation "highly egregious" and said Craythorn's sentence "sends a clear message that these types of transgressions will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted."

Before the Forrest Fenn treasure was found, several people died while looking for it. In 2017, the chief of the New Mexico state police discouraged people from hunting for it, citing the dangers involved.
The OPEC+ ministerial meeting is discussing gradual production increases over the next three months, sources say, while the group was still debating as of 11:10 a.m. EDT on Thursday how to proceed with its oil supply management policies.

The OPEC+ alliance is reportedly debating raising its oil output by 350,000 bpd in each of May and June and by 400,000 bpd in July, a source told Reuters.

The market was more or less expecting a rollover of the current cuts or just a slight increase in view of the recent weakness in oil demand with European lockdowns and with Saudi Arabias Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, reiterating calls for a cautious approach today.

Going into the behind-closed-doors session, the key ministers of Russia and Saudi Arabia spoke at the opening of the meeting and had somewhat diverging views. Russia appeared more optimistic about oil demand recovery and the market as a whole, while Saudi Arabia hinted at a very cautious approach.

The situation on the global oil market has improved since last months OPEC+ meeting, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in his speech.

But the Saudi minister said that Until the evidence of the recovery is undeniable, we should maintain this cautious stance.

The Saudi remarks had analysts speculate that there would be another rollover of the current cuts.

As the meeting advanced to the session closed to reporters, media outlets began to report various sources as saying that there would be an increase in the groups production over the next three months.

Saudi Arabia was also reportedly submitting a plan to ease its extra unilateral cut of 1 million bpd over the course of the summer. According to OPEC+ sources, the Kingdom will unwind its additional voluntary 1mn b/d cut by 250kb/d in May, 350kb/d in June, and 400kb/d in July.

Oil markets continue to react with mixed feelings to the outcomes of the OPEC+ meeting, with both the WTI and Brent benchmarks rising up to 2% on the day before the news broke, but giving up some gains shortly after the group decided to gradually increase oil output over the next three months.

OPEC+'s decision to hike oil production by around 1 million bpd over the next three months may sound bearish to some, but given the increased demand for petroleum products in the U.S. and Asia this summer, it seems that a slight output increase is the most acceptable decision for most parties.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Read From Oilprice.com:
National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser Thursday said peace in Afghanistan was imperative for regional economic development and connectivity

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Apr, 2021 ) :National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser Thursday said peace in Afghanistan was imperative for regional economic development and connectivity.

Talking to Najeebullah Ali Khel, Ambassador of Afghanistan, he said peace in Afghanistan would bring prosperity there and the region and Pakistan would stand firm with an indigenous Afghan owned peace process.

Speaker Asad Qaiser said constructive engagement between parliamentarians and political leadership of both the countries had brought each other more closer.

He said Pakistani and Afghan people were not only neighbors and brothers but also have strong historic linkages. He said he was looking forward to his visit to Kabul where he would meet his Afghan counterpart and Afghan leadership.

Referring to the initiatives by the parliament and executive, the speaker said on the recommendations of Pakistan-Afghanistan Parliamentary Friendship Group in National Assembly impediments in strengthening bilateral relations and trade were removed.

He said tariff barriers and impediments in Afghan bilateral and transit trade had witnessed a positive progression in the bilateral trade.

Afghan Ambassador Najeebullah Ali Khel said the government and people of Afghanistan were also appreciative of Pakistan's efforts for peace in Afghanistan. He agreed that not only Afghanistan but the entire region would reap the dividends of peace in Afghanistan.

He said people on both sides of the border had close affinities. He expressed his gratitude to Speaker Asad Qaiser for this initiatives for bringing the political leadership and people of both the countries more closer.

The Afghan ambassador said forthcoming visit of National Assembly speaker and his delegation would be historical and vital for the warm relations between both the countries.

He said this visit would provide an opportunity to Pakistani parliamentarians to meet their Afghan counterparts. He said Afghan government also values parliamentary actions for enhancing bilateral trade.
A new law requiring companies to try to keep their workers on the payroll until age 70 takes effect on Thursday in Japan.

A survey by the ministry of internal affairs found there were a record 9.06 million working people aged 65 or older last year. Those older workers accounted for 13.6 percent of the entire workforce.

The number of elderly workers is expected to keep going up due to the declining birthrate and graying population as well as labor shortages.

Currently, companies are required to retain their employees that want to work until the age of 65.

The revised law gives companies five options for keeping older employees. They may extend the retirement age to 70, abolish it outright, or allow workers to stay on past the age limit.

Companies can also outsource work to retirees who start their own businesses or go freelance. Finally, they can support employees who move on to work for nonprofits and other entities that provide a public benefit.

The law says that companies and employees should come to agreement on the chosen option.

However, the Labor Standards Act doesn't apply to contract workers and those who work for nonprofits. In such cases, some workers may not be eligible for unemployment benefits.

For this reason, companies with a majority of unionized workers must receive the union's consent to exercise the last two options.

The labor ministry's guidelines call on companies to ensure the revision will not lead to unstable employment for each worker.
St. Martin/Barbados/Dominica

On Saturday, March 27th, 2021, BPW Concordia SXM, in collaboration with BPW Barbados and BPW Dominica, hosted a discussion under the theme: CHOOSE TO CHALLENGE: Lets Work Together For An Egalitarian World to mark International Womens Month 2021.

The word Egalitarian means:

Believing in or based on the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities (Bing.com).

A belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs. A social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people. (merriam-webster.com)

The objective of this event was to bring men, women, and various organizations from the Caribbean together to discuss gender equality and other forms of discrimination. The 2nd aim was to create a unified platform to help foster partnerships between various organizations that will help promote progress in achieving an egalitarian world.

The virtual gathering fittingly opened with the song Ubuntu by Colby and Awu as registrants tuned in from across the Caribbean, Europe, South, and North America at different times to listen to and interact with the 12 panelists, comprising of (listed in alphabetical order of first names):

Ms. Abigail Christmas, Founder Perfect In My Own Skin organization (Dominica)

Mr. Anderson Langdon, Head of Family Planning (Barbados)

Ms. Cassandra Richardson, Co-Founder Wild Flower Institute (DSXM)

Mrs. Danielle Chance-Glasgow, Founder United Womens Book (FRSXM)

Mr. Fabian Sargeant, President of the Mens empowerment network support group to champion the cause of men. (Barbados)

Ms. Helene Micot-Bride, President of Soroptimist & Le Manteau (womens shelter FRSXM).

Ms. Lyndell Danzie-Black, Managing Director of Cerulean (Guyana)

Mr. Phoenix Belfield, Economist & radio host (Dominica)

Ms. Ramona Riley, President of Prominent Womens organization (DSXM)

Ms. Shara Edwards, Owner of Events Management and Market Enterprise  BPW Dominica

Ms. Valerie Damaseau, Honorable 1st Vice President of the Collectivite of St. Martin

Ms. Vanessa Fraser, Director Safe Haven organization (battered womens shelter)

The well selected and knowledgeable panel did not disappoint as each delivered a content-rich speech on the topic from varying angles, which sparked healthy discussions with the audience. Topics covered included:

Gender equality, gender equity, and their impact on our societies.

The prevalence of spousal abuse, its contributing factors, and biases that promote the behavior.

The need for men and women to see each other as allies instead of adversaries.

Societal expectations are imposed only on the female gender, whilst systemically being more accepting of the male gender for the same given situation or action.

The need for change in the legal systems to support gender equality.

The need for more unity amongst women and a call to action for women to uplift each other. instead of competing with and bringing each other down.

The societal pressures inflicted on single, unmarried, and women without children.

The need for the 2 genders to become actionable agents of change by first introspecting in order to identify eachs own inherent biases.

The dangers of body shaming & the need for humanity to accept each individual with their own uniqueness such as shape, size, height, disability etc.

The importance of developing good self-esteem and self-love to combat spousal abuse and other societal issues.

It is a known fact that we all have biases or prejudices. Prejudiced is forming an opinion before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case and Bias is an inclination or outlook to present or hold a partial perspective on a topic. The common message from all the Panelists was that to become agents of change towards achieving an egalitarian world, we must first introspect, identify our own biases and prejudices, then we must stop acting on them.

The 3 club presidents, Kathia Magdeleine (BPW Concordia SXM), Nicole Alleyne-Phillips-Ayikpa (BPW Barbados), and Rhoda St. John (BPW Dominica), were very grateful to the panelists for the outstanding work done as well as to the registrants for their attendance and support. This means that to change we must know ourselves, whats your bias?

The 3 clubs plan on continuing to strengthen their partnership and collaboration with other organizations, including mens organizations.

BPW is an international non-profit womens empowerment organization that helps women through networking and skill building. The organization is open to male membership under its Fellows program. For more information, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Decentralized Internet Writing Contest Anyone can enter the Decentralized Internet contest by writing a story with the #decentralized-internet tag on HackerNoon.

HackerNoon and Free TON have teamed up to launch the decentralized internet writing competition. Anyone can enter the contest by writing a story with the #decentralized-internet tag.

Free TON is a new blockchain platform created by the developers of the Telegram Open Network (also abbreviated TON), and they recently became known for The Declaration of Decentralization.

HackerNoon will be awarding $3,500 in price money each month through the end of 2021. Anyone who publishes on the #decentralized-internet tag will be entered to win a monthly prize.

While Free TON is sponsoring this contest, HackerNoon is technology agnostic and we are open to any and all story submissions that cover the who, what, when, where, why and how of decentralizing the internet, said CEO David Smooke in a HackerNoon post. I've said it before and I'll say it again and again: less dependency on central entities is essential for the internet to mature into a technology that works for the people using it.

This is HackerNoons second writing competition this year following the #Velo by Wix contest which kicked off in March.

Additionally, HackerNoon will be hosting the Free TON developers team for a webinar: What happened to the Telegram Blockchain? on April 2 to discuss and gain an insight into the nitty-gritty of the software giant and its divorce with the Telegram Open Network (TON).

HackerNoon has published tens of thousands of tech stories about blockchain, cryptocurrency, decentralization, bitcoin, and more.

About Hacker Noon

How hackers start their afternoons. Hacker Noon is built for technologists to read, write, and publish. We are an open and international community of 15k+ contributing writers publishing stories and expertise for 3M+ curious and insightful monthly readers. Founded in 2016, Hacker Noon is an independent technology publishing platform run by David Smooke and Linh Dao Smooke. Start blogging about technology today.


Arizona News

Dateland, Arizona - A registered sex offender was among a group of 11 illegal aliens apprehended in the desert south of Dateland, Sunday afternoon.

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Wellton station encountered the group at approximately 1 p.m. Record checks conducted on the individuals in the group revealed that Jose Shul-Cruz, a 36-year-old Mexican national, was a convicted felon and registered sex offender.

Shul-Cruz had convictions for sexual assault, corporal injury of a spouse or cohabitant and disorderly conduct. He also had seven previous Border Patrol apprehensions.

Keeping these criminals out of our communities is critical, said Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Chris T. Clem. This is another great example of why border security is national security.

Shul-Cruz will be prosecuted for illegal re-entry after previously being deported from the United States.
[April 01, 2021] CraneMorley's Mixed Reality Deployment at Warp Speed Fueled by COVID-19

LONG BEACH, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "Since April 2020, it's been like drinking from a fire hose," commented CraneMorley President, Thomas Pratt. "Adoption of Microsoft's HoloLens mixed reality headset was the long-term challenge you might expect until the April start of the pandemic travel restrictions. COVID has changed that." Global companies like Varian Medical Systems stood ready to send an engineer to keep their radiation cancer treatment machines running for their healthcare customers. With travel constraints, an engineer flying to Brazil for example, must be quarantined for 14 days prior to the needed service call. So, potentially no cancer treatment for two whole weeks. Any company with a field technical workforce faces the same problem. On a Wednesday, Varian approached Microsoft and its mixed reality partner, CraneMorley with the problem. The CraneMorley team sent HoloLens headsets to Varian field engineers, at that time working at home and by Friday had developed a virtual workshop to get them trained up on the device and Microsoft's Remote Assist application, which allows the engineer to "see-through" the distant technician's eyes and guide them through a difficult repair. Monday morning, they were up and running. "That's when word must have got out through Microsoft's global sales team, because we have been working with companies such as Kraft Heinz, Thermo Fisher, Intel, BNSF Rail, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics and Sempra Energy in support of their adoption of the HoloLens and Remote Assist as a COVID countermeasure," stated CraneMorley's president. "We discovered we are able to use the same HoloLens tool to teach remotely, basically 'walking the talk' as instructor as well as student work learn at home. Because of the travel time and cost savings, we believe the adoption of this method of support will continue long after the pandemic.



Another discovery during the pandemic is that our team works well at home writing and developing learning and performance solutions, so we do not plan to return to an office any time soon. Instead, we have leased studio space from which we will originate live mixed reality and streaming video training written and developed by our creative team working at home. It is like the quotation from Abraham Lincoln, "the best way to predict the future is to create it." That is exactly what we aim to do.

CraneMorley has been developing learning and performing solutions for enterprise for more than 28 years. Microsoft Remote Assist Application Overview

https://tinyurl.com/yde9pfgs CraneMorley Mixed Reality Journey Microsite

https://mixedreality.cranemorley.com For more information:

Thomas Pratt (562)881-8031 tpratt@cranemorley.com Related Images image1.jpg View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cranemorleys-mixed-reality-deployment-at-warp-speed-fueled-by-covid-19-301260280.html SOURCE CraneMorley Inc.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala.  A 28-year ban on yoga in Alabama's public schools may be in place a little longer.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday deadlocked on legislation from Rep. Jeremy Gray, a Democrat, that would lift the prohibition after testimony from Christian conservatives who said it would lead to proselytizing in public schools by followers of Hinduism.

"Yoga is a very big part of practicing Hindu religion," said Becky Gerritson, a longtime conservative activist. "If this bill passes, then instructors will be able to come into classrooms as young as kindergarten and bring these children through guided imagery, which is a spiritual exercise, and it's outside their parents view, and we just believe that this is not appropriate."

Gray dismissed that in a phone interview Wednesday.

"Ive been doing yoga probably for 10 years now," he said. "Ive taught classes for five years, and I can tell you I still go to a Baptist church every Sunday."

The bill would give Alabama public schools the option of offering yoga as an elective. The legislation would limit any yoga practice to exercises, require activities to have English names and ban "chanting, mantras, mudras, use of mandalas, and namaste greetings." It passed the Alabama House on March 11 on a 73 to 25 vote.

More: Alabama House approves elective yoga in public schools. Why was it banned?

The Alabama State Board of Education banned yoga from public schools in 1993 amid allegations from right-wing organizations that hypnosis and meditation techniques were being used in public schools. A woman who testified at one meeting before the State Board of Education claimed a meditation tape made her son "visibly high." The current ban also includes hypnotic states, guided imagery and meditation.

Rep. Jeremy Gray, who played cornerback for the North Carolina State Wolfpack and later played in the Canadian Football League, has taught yoga and said it felt physical and mental benefits from the practice.

Gray, who played cornerback at North Carolina State, said his own yoga practice has led to mental and physical benefits, and questioned why it should be kept out of public schools.

Story continues

"Athletes do it at Alabama and Auburn universities," he said. "People do it at Methodist Churches. So many people do yoga, why is Christianity the dominant religion in Alabama? So much of this is asinine."

Opponents said the exercise benefits of yoga could be achieved in other ways. John Eidsmoe, the senior counsel of former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore's Foundation for Moral Law, told the committee that the bill should be amended to require parents to sign permission slips for children participating in yoga classes "and state that they understand the Hindu origins of this."

"The very breathing and stretching, these are the essence of Hindu religion, and they're the means by which the energy of the gods flow into us and through us and united us with themselves," he said.

The vote to approve the bill tied, meaning it failed. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Tom Whatley, a Republican, , immediately moved to reconsider the vote and carry the bill over, which means it can be voted on again. Whatley said two senators who supported the bill were absent, and that he wanted to give them a chance to vote on it.

Gray could not attend Wednesday's meeting due to a House committee meeting occurring at the same time. But he said he would attend the next Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on the topic to address any lingering concerns.

"This is a modernized thing that Americans are doing all over the United States," he said.

Follow Brian Lyman on Twitter: @lynman_brian.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama Senate stalls effort to lift yoga ban in public schools
Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner left Tbilisi in a hurry after protests held by Georgian activists against his visit, according to media reports.



Georgian civil activists held a demonstration close to Vinotel Boutique Hotel where 87-year-old Pozner and his friends and relatives have gathered on the eve of his birthday.

Formula media outlet cited Pozner as saying that he has not arrived in Georgia to talk about politics, but rather to celebrate his birthday like he has done the past two years.

Pozner, who had plans to stay in Tbilisi until April 3, had to leave the country by charter flight at night.



Activists, as well as opposition leaders, have first gathered to protest outside a small hotel in downtown Tbilisi, which hosted a curfew-defying feast of Pozners group.

The protesters that skirmished with the mobilized police, saying that Pozner who suggested "Abkhazia will never again become part of Georgia" shall not have been allowed to the country.



Also at the protest outside the hotel-restaurant, the protesters have called the labour inspection to fine the hotel for allowing the Russian visitors to gather during the curfew. The Labor Inspection fined the hotel-restaurant with GEL 10,000 (about $3,000) for defying the COVID-19 restriction, which prohibits on-site restaurant services after 21:00.

As the crowd kept protesting, the police escorted Pozner and his co-visitors from the restaurant to the hotel, where the group is reportedly staying over. The protesting activists soon followed the route, egging the entrance of the hotel as a sign of protest.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 15:13:07|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BANGKOK, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Thailand on Thursday confirmed 26 cases of coronavirus infection, mostly domestic, a report of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) showed.

Of the new cases, 21 were domestic infections while five others referred to imported cases, the CCSA report said.

The domestic cases include 11 in Samut Sakhon, seven in Bangkok and three in Samut Prakan, according to the report.

Local media quoted Public Health Ministry Permanent Secretary Kiattiphum Wongrajit as saying, the country started to distribute the COVID-19 vaccines to all provinces nationwide since Thursday.

Thailand has so far confirmed a total of 28,889 cases of infection, of which 27,548 patients have fully recovered and been released from hospitals while 1,247 others are currently hospitalized and 94 fatalities have been reported. Enditem
[April 01, 2021] Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company Signs New $100,000 Sponsorship Agreement for Subsidiary Flamengo Esports

Boca Raton, Florida, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company ( OTCQB:WINR ) (Simplicity Esports), announced that it has signed a nine month sponsorship agreement with Terraco Digital for $100,000. Terraco Digital will receive a patch on the sleeve of Flamengo Esports players jerseys, as well as additional social media promotion by the team and players.

Roman Franklin, CEO of Simplicity Esports, stated, This is the beginning of what I expect to be a growing relationship with the incredible team at Terraco Digital, as we continue to increase the monetization of our investment in League of Legends specifically, and Flamengo Esports in general. We value all of our sponsors and partners and will continue working together to expand the reach with the addition of other teams and content creators. This $100,000 sponsorship comes on the heels of a previously announced deal for $100,000 to sublicense the Flamengo Esports name for two years, to a team competing in Free Fire. Additionally, Flamengo Esports was recently named the sixth most tweeted about esports team in the world for the months of January and February 2021. About Simplicity Esports and Gming Company:



Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company (WINR) is an established brand within the esports industry, competing and streaming in popular games across different genres, including Apex Legends, PUBG Mobile, Overwatch, League of Legends, and various EA Sports titles. Simplicity Esports is also in the process of designing, minting, and selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for the esports and gaming industries. Simplicity Esports also owns and operates 13 and is the franchisor for more than 20 Esports Gaming Centers providing the public an opportunity to experience gaming and esports in a social setting, regardless of skill or experience. Simplicity Esports also organizes and hosts various in-person events and play from home, online tournaments. Simplicity Esports also owns a Riot Games League of Legends franchise and top Brazilian esports organization, Flamengo Esports. Apex Legends, PUBG Mobile, Overwatch, League of Legends, Fortnite, EA Sports and Free Fire are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond Simplicity Esports control, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of Simplicity Esports Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on August 31, 2020 and our subsequent SEC filings, as amended or updated from time to time. Copies of Simplicity Esports filings with the SEC are available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov. Simplicity Esports undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. Simplicity Esports Contact:



Roman Franklin

Chief Executive Officer

Roman@SimplicityEsports.com

561-819-8586



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Przepraszamy!

Ogoszenie na stanowisku:

(Junior) Process Officer in Transaction Monitoring Investigation



wygaso z dniem 2021-04-30



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Inne ogoszenia, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan:
ALBANY, N.Y.  Inmates can no longer spend more than 15 days in solitary confinement at state correctional facilities, according to a new law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Thursday.

Prior to this, there was no set limit on how long a prisoner could be held in solitary confinement.

The HALT Solitary Confinement Act also reduces the number of infractions that make an inmate eligible for segregated confinement, and make certain people exempt from the punishment, including the young, elderly, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and individuals with a serious mental illness.

"Generations of incarcerated men and women have been subjected to inhumane punishment in segregated confinement with little to no human interaction for extended periods of time and many experience emotional and physical trauma that can last for years," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "By signing the HALT Solitary Confinement Act into law, we are reforming New York's criminal justice system by helping ensure the effective implementation of proven, humane corrections policies.

The law also establishes Residential Rehabilitation Units, which give prisoners access to therapeutic programming in a congregate setting, to help address the actions that led to the disciplinary action.

Staff will also undergo additional training on de-escalation techniques, implicit bias, trauma-informed care and dispute resolution.
As the state geared up to



vaccinate everyone above 45 years of age from Thursday, Chief Minister and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar appealed to the eligible people to make use of this protective cover against coronavirus.

Cautioning people not to underestimate the danger posed by Covid, Yediyurappa tweeted, "Our protective cover is the vaccine against corona. Everyone over the age of 45 can get the vaccine today. Go to your nearest vaccination centre and get the vaccine. Together we can defeat coronavirus."



Health Minister Sudhakar too tweeted, "As we begin vaccinating all citizens aged above 45 years from today, 5,500 vaccination sites will be operational across the state including 650 private and 4,850 government facilities."According to him, 1.5 lakh doses of vaccine is supplied to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the civic body, which is distributed to about 600 sites across the state capital.

The Health Department said in a statement that COVID- 19 vaccination will continue at all the primary health centres, community health centres, Taluk hospitals, district hospitals, medical colleges and private hospitals as already being done.

It added that has in stock 13.5 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine and 1.5 lakh doses of Covaxin vaccine and it has been supplied to all the cold chain points across the districts as per their requirement.

The government of India has assured the state that additional vaccine doses will be supplied regularly in the coming days as per daily coverage, the department added.

The vaccination drive covering everyone above 45 years of age started at a time when there is an alarming rise in cases in

The state reported 4,225 fresh cases including 26 deaths on a single day on Wednesday.

(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.)
Bozeman On Fire as New Pastor of Transfiguration Catholic Church

Enthusiasm and excitement are second nature to Father Anthony Bozeman. He describes himself as on fire with the gift of the Holy Spirit and he intends to apply that energy as the new pastor of the Church of the Transfiguration in L.A.s Leimert Park.

The parish has been without a priestly leader since 2014, so Bozemans appointment will aid the congregation in further establishing itself as a Black Catholic Church. And no one is more motivated to publicize that designation than the new pastor of the historic church.

I came to Los Angeles from New Orleans and really didnt know about Transfiguration, but once I Googled it, I learned about the deep history and prominence that Transfig had in the community, said Bozeman.

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My plans are to work with the members to build on that great legacy and continue making Black Catholic history. I think by Gods grace, our actions working together, that will happen, he declared.

Bozemans passionate fervor and deep faith in God has guided him throughout his life. Prior to becoming a priest, he served 16 years in the military, as an active and Air National Guard reservist. Convinced that he had a higher calling to fulfill, Bozeman entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, which resulted in his ordination in May 2000.

By this time, he was 40-years-old, but Bozeman was undaunted. He embraced his spiritual profession with his usual optimistic zeal and served admirably as the parochial vicar at Our Lady of Grace and Our Lady of Hope Churches in Philadelphia.

In 2005, I left [that position] for a higher calling with a religious community called the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart  the Josephites. I joined them and spent some time in Washington, D.C. and Houston, Texas until I finally got an official assignment in New Orleans, recalled Bozeman.

After being pastor of St. Joan of Arc Church in New Orleans for a little less than two years, he was appointed to lead the newly created St. Raymond & St. Leo the Great Parish, where he served nine years before he was transferred to Transfiguration in January 2021.

Admitting that it was not the smartest move to come in the middle of a pandemic, Bozeman is still impressed by the abundance of potential that Transfiguration possesses. The congregation is dedicated and continues to attend Masses, now held in the parking lot due to the pandemic.

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In addition, the Diocese of Los Angeles designated the church as the only African American parish in its district. That means, according to Bozeman, Transfiguration is specifically for the Black community. There are no bi-lingual Masses for any other ethnic community.

All are welcome, of course, but the mission is to make sure we focus on our Blackness and celebrate that Blackness, so we can bring our gifts to make the church truly catholic  universal  and bring people together, he insisted.

Bozeman also extended an invitation for the community to worship at Transfiguration where the congregation continues to praise God in spirit and in truth every Sunday on the parking lot. While were outside, were still rockin it and still making sure that God get praised because we know when the praises go up, the blessings come down, Bozeman said.

So, if you need a little hope, Transfiguration is on the spiritual corner of hope and transformation. If youre in need, this is where you come. Check us out and see what God is doing to, through and for us and will do it for all who come and worship with us!

Transfiguration Catholic Church is located at 2515 W. Martin Luther King Blvd., in Los Angeles. To learn more, call (323) 291-1136.
TORONTO, March 31, 2021 /CNW/ - Almost six per cent of Ontarians online are spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, and the vast majority of them are older men and women, according to exclusive new research conducted on behalf of the Ontario Medical Association.

Ontarians ages 55-64 are the most engaged online across all COVID hoax topics, with men (52 per cent) and women (48 per cent) almost equally involved. While men who engage in spreading misinformation online tend to talk about government using COVID to further its own interests, women who do so are focused on variants and government as the source of COVID-19 and why the vaccine is to be feared. Both men and women ages 55-64 believe in the misinformation they are sharing, and are not on social media to dispel the myths.

It's not clear why this age group now is responsible for so much misinformation on social media, but it is concerning, given that many of them are now eligible for COVID vaccines.

"This new data demonstrates this ongoing issue of misinformation needs to be addressed in every community and demographic group," said OMA President Dr. Samantha Hill. "The best antidote is to provide clear, consistently high quality, factual information. Ontario's doctors have been combatting COVID misinformation throughout the pandemic, and these new insights make us even more committed to providing evidence-based facts to stamp down the misinformation on social media."



The research found that in many cases, Ontario's COVID-hoax theorists have been accessing right-leaning websites and blogs focused on U.S. politics. Twenty-six per cent of misinformation came from one website.

The new data was collected by Advanced Symbolic Inc., which used artificial intelligence methodology to build a representative sample of Ontarians from publicly available social media and glean insights into what people are saying about COVID.

Other findings:

COVID fears had been declining but are again increasing

Social media misinformation about COVID is also high among men in the 45-54 age range

There has been a rise in conversation about frustration over the vaccine rollout, and it coincided with the rise of concern about variants and the Third Wave.

Women are more likely to engage in online conversations about the Third Wave, while men are expressing their frustration about the vaccine rollout.

"We encourage everyone to seek facts from credible sources like doctors," said OMA CEO Allan O'Dette. "It's only by separating the facts from the fiction that we will make sound decisions that will protect us, our loved ones, and our communities."

About the OMA

The Ontario Medical Association represents Ontario's 43,000 plus physicians, medical students and retired physicians, advocating for and supporting doctors while strengthening the leadership role of doctors in caring for patients. Our vision is to be the trusted voice in transforming Ontario's health-care system.

SOURCE Ontario Medical Association

For further information: please contact: OMA Media Relations, at [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.oma.org


Notice is hereby given that on the initiative and by the resolution of the Board of "NEO Finance", AB, legal entity code 303225546, with the registered office at A. Vivulskio str. 7, Vilnius (hereinafter - the Company), ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company will be held on 23 April 2021 at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held in the Company's office at A. Vivulskio str. 7, Vilnius in the administrative office of the Company. Agenda of the meeting: 1. Organizational issues of the General Meeting of Shareholders; 2. Approval of consolidated set of annual financial statements of the Company for the period between 01/01/2020 and 31/12/2020; 3. Approval of the Company's profit (loss) distribution for 2020; 4. Regarding the appointment of the auditor to audit consolidated financial statements of the Company for the financial year which will end in 31/12/2021. Drafts of decisions with related documentation and further information shall be published separately by supplementing this notice. Other important information: The natural person's authorization shall be notarized. An authorization issued in a foreign state shall be translated into the Lithuanian language and legalized under the procedure prescribed by the laws). A shareholder or his proxy shall have the right to vote in writing in advance by filling in a general ballot paper. At the request of the shareholder, the Company shall send a general ballot paper to the shareholder by registered mail free of charge at least 10 days before the meeting. The filled-in general ballot paper and the document attesting the voting right shall be submitted to the Company no later than until the meeting, sending by registered mail or providing them at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. The shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes may propose additions to the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders by submitting with every proposed additional item of the agenda a draft resolution of the general meeting of shareholders or, when no resolution is required, an explanation. Proposals on addition to the agenda shall be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mail: info@paskoluklubas.lt. The agenda shall be supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 days before the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. If the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders is supplemented, the Company shall notify on the additions no later than 10 days before the meeting in the same ways as in the case of convocation of the meeting. The shareholders, who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes, at any time before the general meeting of shareholders or during the meeting, may propose new draft resolutions on items which are or will be included in the agenda of the meeting. The proposals may be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mail: info@paskoluklubas.lt. The shareholders shall have the right to submit to the Company in advance questions relating to the items on the agenda of the meeting. The shareholders may submit their written questions to the Company on business days or send by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice no later than 3 business days before the meeting. The Company will reply to the questions by e-mail or in writing before the meeting, except the questions which are related to the Company's commercial (industrial) secret, confidential information or which have been submitted later than 3 business days before the meeting. The Company does not provide the possibility of participating and voting at the meeting by means of electronic communications. The shareholder shall have the right to authorize through electronic communications means another person (natural or legal) to participate and vote in the meeting on behalf of the shareholder. No notarization of such authorization is required. The shareholder must confirm the proxy issued through electronic communications means by an electronic signature developed by a secure signature-creation device and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the Company on the proxy issued through electronic communications means to the following e-mail: info@paskoluklubas.lt no later than until the last business day before the meeting at 10:00 a.m. The proxy and the notice must be issued in writing. The proxy and the notice to the Company shall be signed with the electronic signature but not the letter sent by e-mail. By submitting the notice to the Company, the shareholder shall include the internet address from which it would be possible to download software free of charge to verify the shareholder's electronic signature. The record date of the meeting shall be 16 April 2021 (only those persons who will be shareholders of the Company at the close of the record date of the general meeting of shareholders or their authorized persons, or persons with whom an agreement on assignment of the voting right has been executed, may participate and vote at the general meeting of shareholders). The shareholders of the Company may familiarise with the draft resolution of the meeting, the form of the general ballot paper and rules on granting Company's shares to employees under the procedure prescribed by the laws on the Company's websites at www.paskoluklubas.lt and www.neofinance.com. CEO Aleksejus Loskutovas Email: aleksejus@neofinance.com
"We are thrilled to welcome the 154 startups into our Summer 2021 Programs. During the course of the next three months, these startups will receive unprecedented access to our corporate, VC, and mentor network. It has been an extensive selection process to get to this point and the quality of these startups are a testament to that. We also hope to invest in many of the future success stories within these batches," said George Damouny, Partner at Plug and Play Ventures.

During the three months of the program, the selected startups will participate virtually in networking events, mentor sessions, focus weeks, and private dealflow sessions. They will be fully immersed in Plug and Play's global network and be given numerous opportunities to work with industry-leading corporations and investors to kickstart pilot projects or potential investment. There is no equity requirement for startups to participate.

Graduation for these startups will commence mid-June at Plug and Play's Summer Summit 2021, which will be held virtually. Please reach out if you would like to reserve attendance.

Plug and Play has also released their 2020 Company Performance Report. To see their new programs, locations, investments, and more, read the full report: https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/2020-report/

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, and PayPal. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

Media Contact

Allison Romero

[email protected]

(408) 524-1457

SOURCE Plug and Play

Related Links

http://plugandplaytechcenter.com


Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 19:35:54|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Three policemen and a policewoman and an Afghan National Army personnel died in separate incidents in Afghanistan, authorities said on Thursday.

In eastern Nangarhar province, a policewoman was shot and killed near a park in Police District 3 of provincial capital Jalalabad city Thursday morning, Farid Khan of the provincial police told Xinhua.

Two suspected militants were arrested following the shooting, he said.

In southern Kandahar province, one police officer was killed by gunmen in Dand district outside Kandahar city, capital of the province, on Thursday morning, the local police said.

On Wednesday, two police officers and an army personnel were killed after a Black Hawk helicopter of the national army made an emergency landing in Nahri Saraaj district in southern Helmand province, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The Taliban militant group has claimed shooting down the chopper. However, the ministry said the helicopter made the crash landing after a technical failure. Enditem
Comedian Shane Todd has called for fans to give one last "shabba", as his BBC Radio Ulster Rave Lockdown show is set to air its final episode on Friday

The 32-year-old comedian from Holywood Co Down has been running the weekly radio show alongside friend and comedy partner Dave Elliott.

Originally debuting during the first lockdown, the one-hour-and-a-half show is a mixture of old-school club classics, alongside the Holywood man's cheeky sense of humour.

The end of the radio show comes just a few weeks after BBC Northern Ireland had broadcast a television version of the show on St Patrick's Day.

Read More

Receiving rave reviews from users online and "good" ratings according to the BBC, some called on the broadcaster to greenlight a full series of the small screen version.

Announcing the end of the radio show on Twitter on Thursday afternoon, the comedian penned a humourous poem and urged fans to "get the glowsticks out one more time".

"The rave lockdown was supposed to be just one show. A substitute for the nightclubs to which you couldn't go. 90 minutes of old school dance on Radio Ulster? The BBC?" he said.

"If you don't believe that, we even ended up on TV. The videos pouring in of you dancing 'round the kitchen rave. It is hard to know what day it is, but your Friday nights we tried to save.

Expand Close Shane Todds Lockdown Rave / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Shane Todds Lockdown Rave

"Patricia making the dinner, to her cooking is more than a hobby. The Wool Crew, Elaine Craig and of course Marpool and Blobby.

"You listened all over the world on your radio and computer. Faithless, Maniac 2000, Tiesto and Scooter. One year of a bit of fun at 6pm, but all good things must come to an end.

"One more show and the rave bus departs. For your support thanks, from the bottom of our hearts. Get the glowsticks out one more time. I'll leave you with a word that doesn't rhyme. Shabba."

Tomorrow night is the last ever Rave Lockdown, it has been a blast... But all good things come to an end! Letas go out with a bang and make tomorrowas show the best ever!!! SHABBA from me & @shanetodd !! pic.twitter.com/J5fHykmp4f  Dave Elliott (@TheDaveElliott) April 1, 2021

Captioning the video in a tweet, Dave Elliott added: "Tomorrow night is the last ever Rave Lockdown, it has been a blast... But all good things come to an end! Lets go out with a bang and make tomorrows show the best ever!!! SHABBA from me & @shanetodd!"

The news of the radio show coming to an end has been greeted with dismay online, with some asking if it was an April fools joke, while others said their "Friday nights would not be the same".
The launch of Deliveroo onto the stock market was supposed to be a vindication not just for its founder, its financial backers, and even the Chancellor - but for its customers too.

Many initial public offerings are closed to small investors. But Deliveroo opened the float to its six-million UK customer base.

Some 70,000 of the app's users took up the offer and bought 50million worth of shares, with allocations ranging between 250 and 1,000.

Those customers who were happy to buy into a brand they liked are now nursing a 29 per cent paper loss after Deliveroo shares suffered a disappointing stock market debut.

Deliveroops: Deliveroo's share price fell 30% upon its much anticipated public listing on the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday

PrimaryBid, the broker Deliveroo used to manage the offering to customers, made the terms of the offer clear: investors would initially be locked in during the usual 'conditional trading' period.

Even had small investors been able to trade they would have struggled to beat the loss, which occurred instantaneously.

Amid concerns about Deliveroo's corporate governance, its treatment of its self-employed riders and its path to profitability, the shares plummeted from the IPO price of 390p to a low of 271p on Wednesday's open.

They are currently trading at around 280p.

Its performance, which made for one of the worst London debuts on record, has sparked a backlash against Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, the banks which advised Deliveroo on its IPO. Critics said advisers which had billed the company 49million had 'mispriced' the shares.

It is, of course, incredibly early days for the company. 'No one should invest in an equity on a one-or-two-day view, that's short-term trading, not investing', Jason Hollands, from Tilney Investment Management, said.

'It can take several weeks for a price to settle down and find its "natural" level.'

As institutional investors like asset managers and pension funds scrabble over the price, customer-investors are on the outside looking in.

They cannot trade their shares until 7 April, or next Wednesday, as although the company has gone public it is in what is known as a conditional dealing period.

Which is not uncommon.

'These usually last three days and represent the window between the results of the IPO being announced and the deal actually settling so that the shares are officially admitted to the market once all the conditions have been met,' Jason Hollands added.

'In theory', according to Russ Mould, investment director at DIY investment platform AJ Bell, 'it is designed to help a new float settle, generate liquidity and create an orderly after-market.'

During this period, up until 7 April, Deliveroo could actually cancel the offer, although this is unlikely, no matter how unattractive the food delivery firm's shares seem.

Because the share offering could potentially be pulled, private investors are usually locked out at this point, 'as to not do so would run the risk of them trading in shares that for whatever reason might not get admitted and come to the market', according to Hollands.

But the sharp fall in the share price might leave small investors wondering whether they should sell up when the doors open on 7 April. And that could be a blow to hopes that retail investors will be allowed to buy into more IPOs in the future.

After all, Deliveroo's offer to let customers buy up to 50million worth of shares was noteworthy because it doesn't happen all that often when it comes to high-profile public offerings.

Unlike the mass privatisations in the 1980s and 90s, when the likes of British Gas were opened up to millions of Britons, privately-owned firms that come to market don't always let retail investors in.

Deliveroo emailed customers in mid-March ahead of its public offering to offer them the chance to buy shares in the company

'The reasons that IPOs rarely include retail investors are need, greed and speed', Russ Mould said. 'It is easier, quicker and cheaper for the advisers, syndicate of banks and the company to simply place stock with institutions  fewer, bigger orders and less admin.'

DIY investment platform Interactive Investor said a poll of 2,008 visitors to its website in February found the majority felt individual investors should have the right to buy into an IPO, something a big review of the London stock market also recently called for.

Deliveroo's offering to 70,000 of its customers has been run by a company called PrimaryBid, which says it aims to put the 'public' back into public markets and will soon be doing a similar thing for customers of the pensions provider PensionBee.

One of those who bought into Deliveroo was Samuel Darko, an entrepreneur from St Albans and MBA graduate from the University of Oxford. He told This is Money he had 'probably made more than 100 orders since moving to England in September 2019 for my MBA.'

Retail investors were charged 3.90 per share. Since then the price has fallen by nearly a third but everyday customers are unable to trade until next Wednesday

However, he invested 500 after reviewing its prospectus because 'the founder's letter was credible, the company showed growth and I think it offers value to all its stakeholders, including its riders'.

'It wasn't a home run financial case, which is why I probably invested 500 and not 1,000', he said. 'And given I wasn't looking to short sell, I haven't been too worried about the post-IPO dip. If the underlying fundamentals are strong, the company's stock will do well.

'If the stock does well, great, if not well, it's 500 or some portion of it lost.'

But as an entrepreneur with previous experience funding companies, he is not the average Deliveroo customer who ordered a burger and wanted a side of equity to go with it.

Such people are likely to be less good at judging whether the share price of 3.90 represented good value, while he also expressed concern about the conditional trading period.

The performance of Deliveroo since its listing has drawn a backlash from customers who invested

'I don't know how many of these retail investors knew that institutional investors could trade while they couldn't,' Darko says. 'I won't shy away from the word 'unfair'; I only wished the folks who took this risk understood the full ramifications.

'This wasn't going through a broker. This was leveraging a customer-vendor relationship to make a financial markets transaction which is so complex, that even with an MBA, I can't claim to know all the intricacies.'

As a result, the seemingly ambitious pricinf of the IPO and a likely backlash from customers might put other firms off doing something similar.

'I do think that the idea to offer stock to their users many of whom may not be experienced investors was a double-edged sword,' Darko added.

'It was intended to give them a stake in the hopeful success of a brand they use and love, but in what appears to be an unfortunate start, the panic of these retail investors is likely to create a PR nightmare.

'It'll be interesting to see how they navigate it.'

This is Money has contacted Deliveroo for comment.
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said today it will ask the entire U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit to review a decision yesterday by a three-judge panel upholding the terror watchlist and overturning a district court decision that declared the program unconstitutional.

CAIR has mounted a nationwide challenge to the government's Terrorist Screening Database because there is no meaningful way to remove the names of those wrongfully placed on the list  which can lead to difficulty traveling for innocent people.

In 2019, a federal district court ruled the watchlist unconstitutional, citing the harm the secretly program has caused to American citizens, including numerous Americans, placed on the list without any clear recourse. Yesterday, three judges--two appointed by President Trump, and one appointed by President Bush--overturned that ruling.

SEE: Appeals court upholds constitutionality of terror watchlist (AP)

https://wtop.com/local/2021/03/appeals-court-upholds-constitutionality-of-terror-watchlist/

Appeals court upholds constitutionality of FBI terror watch list (Washington Post)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/appeals-court-upholds-constitutionality-of-fbi-terror-watch-list/ar-BB1f8sSw

In a statement, CAIR Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas said:

"When CAIR began our nationwide litigation campaign to end the government's Orwellian and unconstitutional watchlist program more than a decade ago, we knew that there would be victories and defeats along the way. Our strategy reflects this reality, with cases pending in courts across the country -- from Oregon to Maryland to Michigan to Texas.

"Yesterday, a three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit reversed a historic district court decision that declared the entirety of the watchlist unconstitutional. In doing so, the judges ignored the dire consequences experienced by American citizens placed on the watchlist and took a dim view of what the Constitution requires. We are disappointed in this decision, but we remain undeterred. The fight is not over.

"CAIR will now ask the entire Fourth Circuit to review the case. We hope that the entire slate of 15 Fourth Circuit judges will correct the errors of the panel of three circuit judges who issued yesterday's decision. National security can never justify anti-Muslim bigotry.

"And whatever the outcome, CAIR's legal strategy has never relied on any single case. Today, CAIR has cases pending in courts within the Ninth Circuit, the Fifth Circuit, the Sixth Circuit, and even other kinds of watchlist challenges in the Fourth Circuit. Altogether, we currently represent almost 50 Muslims in other court cases. And so long as one of those cases succeeds, inshallah, our entire community will benefit."

SEE: NJ Man sues in Texas

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2018/02/11/paterson-man-landed-no-fly-listno-fly-terror-watch-list-upended-paterson-mans-life-now-hes-suing-fed/1079702001/

Oregon Man's No Fly List case can proceed

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-civilliberties/muslim-american-can-sue-over-no-fly-list-u-s-appeals-court-idUSKCN1M02RU

Maryland Judge Allows Watchlist Case to Advance

https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020/07/20/maryland-judge-allows-challenge-to-terrorist-watchlist-to-move-ahead/

Muslim man's lawsuit over border torture can continue

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/03/05/muslim-dearborn-man-anas-elhady-lawsuit-ambassador-bridge-detention/3065915002/

BACKGROUNDER:

In January, CAIR attorneys argued in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in support of the Muslim civil rights organization's constitutional challenge to the federal government's Terrorism Screening Database that anchors the watchlisting system.

LISTEN TO CAIR'S ORAL ARGUMENTS:

https://www.cair.com/press_releases/listen-cair-offers-oral-arguments-in-defense-of-federal-courts-decision-declaring-the-terror-watchlist-illegal/

In September 2019, a lower court judge held that the watchlisting system is broadly illegal and violates the rights of the 23 Muslims who CAIR represents in the case.

JUDGE'S OPINION: https://tinyurl.com/WatchlistOpinion

SEE: Secret Terrorism Watchlist Found Unconstitutional in Historic Decision

https://theintercept.com/2019/09/06/terrorism-watchlist-lawsuit-ruling/

CAIR's position is supported by a broad and ideologically diverse group of amici (friends of the court), including the CATO Institute, ACLU, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Firearm Policy Coalition, Korematsu Center, Rutherford Institute, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

SEE: Diverse Coalition Supports Ruling Declaring Watchlisting System Illegal

https://www.cair.com/press_releases/diverse-coalition-files-amicus-briefs-in-support-of-cairs-watchlist-challenge/

CAIR's mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La mision de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprension del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

CONTACT: Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas, 720-251-0425, [email protected]; National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Related Links

http://www.cair.com


Private 5G technology builds the foundation for future deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning applications for more effective operations

LONDON, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon Business announced today it is working with Associated British Ports (ABP) to deploy private 5G at the Port of Southampton . Delivered in partnership with Nokia, Verizons private 5G platform will provide one of the United Kingdoms (UKs) busiest ports with a secure, low-latency private network connection.



ABP operates a network of 21 ports, including the Port of Southampton. Acting as the UKs number one port responsible for 40 billion in exports from the UK every year, the Port of Southampton provides a critical link in supply chains serving businesses and manufacturers throughout the nation. It is also the UKs number one port for cars and cruise, handling approximately 900,000 cars and welcoming millions of cruise passengers annually. With this new contract the Port of Southampton will become the first UK mainland port with access to a private 5G network.



Verizons private 5G is the foundation for a completely dedicated edge compute infrastructure, enabling ultra-low latency at the premise, higher levels of security and deeper customization for our partners, comments Tami Erwin, CEO, Verizon Business. Businesses such as ABP, are coming under more pressure to evolve their services at tremendous speeds in order to take advantage of new commercial opportunities. Along with Nokia, we have been able to equip ABP to take advantage of the immediate benefits private 5G offers, and most importantly prepare the Port of Southampton to take full advantage of new technology applications and real-time analytics which will digitally transform its services in the future.



The Verizon private 5G platform will provide ABP with a reliable and secure private wireless data network across selected areas within the East and West Docks of the Port. This will enable data communications to be consolidated onto a single network, reducing previous complexity as well as helping to improve the reliability and security of terminal communications.



Story continues

The deployment will not only address the immediate problem of loss of onsite data communications as a result of poor wifi connectivity, but the advanced capabilities of private 5G, specifically its reliability, throughput, security and ultra low latency can help enable the use of new technologies such as real-time analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning. In turn, this can help with the enablement of new service advancements including asset tracking, autonomous guided vehicles, workflow management, predictive maintenance and safety monitoring in the near future.



Henrik L. Pedersen, ABP Chief Executive Officer, said: Building flexible and resilient technology platforms to meet our customers needs is a key element of our strategy, and becoming the first mainland port operator in the UK to offer a private 5G network to our customers is a fantastic milestone for ABP.



We would like to thank our partners for enabling this project, which will equip our Port in Southampton with the state-of-the-art infrastructure needed to be at the forefront of the digital revolution in the maritime industry.



Verizon Business announced the launch of its international private 5G platform for global enterprises located in Europe and Asia-Pacific in October 2020. This solution, currently delivered in partnership with Nokia, will enable businesses to deploy a private industrial grade dedicated 5G network capability within their premises. The network is on Nokia Digital Automation Cloud , an application platform providing high-bandwidth, low-latency, hyper-fast private wireless connectivity and local edge computing.



The 5G opportunity will be fully realized with Industry 4.0 as spectrum opens up and private 5G networks go into operation at industrial sites around the world, said Brian Fitzgerald, SVP Verizon Business Group, Nokia. We are committed to enabling our strategic partner Verizon Business to expand its 5G global footprint with enterprise customers such as ABP; by providing unprecedented levels of support to drive success for private 5G as well as delivering the highest levels of performance, resilience and security required by its customers.



More information about Verizons 5G leadership may be found here .



About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the worlds leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $128.3 billion in 2020. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.

Media contact:

Clare Ward

clare.ward@uk.verizon.com

+44 (0) 118 905 3501




CHICAGO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "5G Enterprise Market by Network Type (Hybrid Network, Private Network), Operator Model, Infrastructure, Spectrum, Frequency Band, Organization Size, Application, Vertical, Region - Global Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is expected to grow from USD 2.1 billion in 2021 to USD 10.9 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 31.8%. A few major factors driving the growth of this market are the emergence of Industry 4.0 paving the way for mMTC, the development of smart infrastructure, and the delivery of differentiated 5G services using network slicing technique. The critical challenge faced by the market players is the requirement of the high spending capability of carriers to set up a 5G infrastructure. Similarly, the adoption of Wi-Fi communication technology by enterprises and security concerns in the 5G core network are the major factors hindering the market growth. Low latency connectivity with uRLLC and increasing demand for private networks from various enterprises and government organizations for mission-critical applications. Despite the market being in the infancy stage, a lot of research is being conducted in the market.

Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=128223246

Hybrid network segment is attributed to hold the largest share of the 5G enterprise market

Hybrid network is expected to hold a major market share owing to the growing number of users because of the high speed and time-share connectivity offered by 5G technology.

Private networks to witness the highest growth in 5G enterprise market in coming years

Private enterprises are expected to witness a higher CAGR in the coming years. Adopting technologies such as private 5G networks and small cells by enterprises for business-critical applications is increasing. Since it provides the enterprises with reliability and coverage, enterprises adopt 5G core network technologies by deploying standalone solutions.

Access equipment accounted for a larger share of the 5G enterprise market

Access equipment accounted for a larger share of the 5G enterprise market owing to the constantly increasing demand for better network connectivity and high-speed data transfer rate, which is fulfilled by 5G enterprise networks.

Unlicensed/shared spectrum is expected to gain traction during the forecast period

Unlicensed/shared spectrum is expected to gain traction in the coming years as it permits the use of spectrum with approved equipment without a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Also, users need not have to coordinated among themselves while using the network. 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) and 5 GHz Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) are the well-known standards through which Wi-Fi typically operates. This spectrum can provide significant capacity boosts for commercial networks without the need for wireless service providers (WSPs) to acquire licenses by themselves.

Sub-6 GHz is attributed to hold major share of 5G enterprise market during the forecast period

Sub-6 GHz held a larger market share in 2020 as it an amalgamation of coverage and capacity benefits to 5G users. The Sub-6 GHz spectrum is needed for extensive coverage of offers high-speed 5G mobile broadband across urban, suburban, and rural areas, as well as help support IoT services. It is essential that regulators assign as much coherent spectrum as possible in the 3.3-3.8 GHz range and consider the 4.5-5 GHz and 3.8-4.2 GHz ranges for mobile use.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are projected to witness highest CAGR for the forecasted period

Small and medium-sized enterprises are projected to witness highest CAGR for the forecasted period as they are intended to adopt 5G enterprise networks at a larger scale in coming years to enhance their business functionality by having a unified solution that would allow the management (provisioning, monitoring, and control) of the entire distributed set of networks with limited resources.

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Communication applications held the largest market size in 2020

Communication applications held the largest market size owing to the successful commercialization of 5G networks worldwide and the growing adoption of the 5G network owing to its dynamic features such as high data rates and low latency.

Healthcare is expected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Healthcare is expected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to the surging number of use cases and applications of 5G networks in the telemedicine market. For the healthcare sector, the 5G network infrastructure facilitates HD video calls and images. 5G network works at high speed; in other words, it has low latency time, which is an essential requirement of healthcare institutions, hospitals, and life science research centers for multiple applications and use cases, such as connected health devices, mHealth, and telemedicine, thereby enabling interaction between patients, doctors, medical experts, and scientists that are present at remote locations, as well as share digital images wirelessly from any site.

APAC is attributed to hold major share of 5G enterprise market throughout the forecast period

APAC is a diversified region with its countries transitioning toward their digital transformation. The region is set to dominate 5G, edge computing, blockchain, and 5G core technologies owing to its size and diversity, as well as due to strategic lead taken by countries, including Singapore, South Korea, China, Australia, and Japan. Japan and China are the largest manufacturing economies that produce automobiles, IT products, and electronic products in APAC. The manufacturing paradigm has changed considerably in APAC, with industries adopting advanced technologies, such as robotics and big data analytics. South Korea, China, and Japan are the prime countries in the region that have started several 5G-related activities.

The 5G enterprise market was dominated by Huawei (China), Ericsson (Sweden), Nokia Networks (Finland), Samsung (South Korea), and ZTE (China).

Related Reports:

5G Chipset Market with COVID-19 Impact by Type (Modem, RFIC), Frequency (Sub-6 GHz, 24- 39 GHz, Above 39 GHz), End-Use (Telecommunication Infrastructure, Mobile Devices, Non-mobile Devices, Automobile), Process Node & Geography - Global Forecast to 2027

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COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Wednesday received 6,00,000 doses of Chinas Sinopharm vaccine that would be used for the vaccination of Chinese workers living in the island nation, a senior health official has said.

The vaccines arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Wednesday where it was officially handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by China's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, according to reports by Xinhua news.

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga were present at the occasion. An official certificate signing ceremony took place between the Chinese Ambassador and State Minister of Pharmaceutical Production, Supply and Regulation Channa Jayasumana, after which the vaccines were handed over to President Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka is presently in the midst of a mass-scale vaccination program as it began inoculating all those above 30 in the urban Western Province from mid-February after frontline and health workers were administered the AstraZeneca jabs.

Joe Biden unveils USD 2 trillion package containing infrastructure, jobs plans

Australia falls over 80 percent short of Covid vaccination target

Chile President announces deal with China's CanSino to obtain COVID-19 vaccines
Katherine Ryan says she happily resigned herself to being single after having a boob job and 'deliberately' falling pregnant before marrying childhood sweetheart Bobby Kootstra.

The comedian, 37, exchanged vows with Kootsra - who she first dated as a teenager - during a civil partnership in 2019.

But in an interview with The Times she admits to having already come to terms with being a single mother following the collapse of her relationship with 11-year old daughter Violet's father.

Opening up: Katherine Ryan admits she had happily resigned herself to being a single mother after having a boob job and 'deliberately' falling pregnant before meeting husband Bobby Kootstra

She explained: 'I truly became authentically happy being single. My plan was to be single for life.

'I thought I can have as many dogs as I want, I can do the kitchen as I want, Im not accountable to a partner. I think thats a fine shape of a family if thats what you want.'

Then a waitress with global bar chain Hooters, native Canadian Ryan arrived in the UK to open a new branch in Nottingham in 2007 before relocating permanently with Violet's father the following year.

And the comedian admits she soon made the decision to fall pregnant after being diagnosed with Lupus - an incurable condition that affects the immune system - triggering concerns over her fertility.

Proud mum: Katherine had originally accepted singlehood following the collapse of her relationship with 11-year old daughter Violet's father

She said: 'I got pregnant very much on purpose because I was really frightened of these worst-case scenarios.

'I made a conscious decision that I wanted to be a mother and I thought I might as well have my daughter now.'

Now a successful comedian and presenter, Ryan admits she loved her old waitressing job with Hooters - famed for its scantily clad female staff and easy going atmosphere.

Old times: Katherine exchanged vows with Kootstra. - who she first dated as a teenager - during a civil partnership in 2019. Pictured: Katherine and Bobby at their school prom

Plans: The pair are now looking ahead to the prospect of having their first child as a couple in order to give Violet a sibling

And she says she felt happier after opting to have breast enlargement surgery while still employed with the chain in order to 'balance out' her general body shape.

'I wish I could say that it didnt,' she said. 'I know that the right answer is "no", that you should never treat your body like a trend or have a general anaesthetic to put bags of silicone in, but unfortunately that isnt how I feel. I loved having breast implants.'

Ryan's relationship with her only child's father eventually faltered, and she had embraced her independence before reconnecting with Kootstra while filming an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?

Unsure: Katherine admits she was initially sceptical of her feelings towards Bobby after they reconnected in Canada (the couple are pictured with Katherine's daughter Violet)

Ryan had returned to her native Canada to make an episode of the BBC show, and while there, she reunited with Bobby, her boyfriend from high school in the industrial town of Sarnia, Ontario.

However the comedian admits she was initially sceptical of her feelings towards him.

Speaking in 2020, she told the Daily Mail: I tried to resist, I looked for reasons not to go ahead with the partnership because I genuinely loved my independent life.

But everything was just so easy between us, and Bobby genuinely fitted in around both me and my daughter; he was an asset to both of us.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Orchid Ventures, Inc. (the "Company" or "Orchid") (CSE:ORCD OTC:ORVRF) is pleased to announce, further to its news release of March 3, 2021 and effective March 31, 2021, the Company consolidated its common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Shares") on the basis of a one (1) post-consolidation Share for each four (4) pre-consolidation Shares (the "Consolidation") effective March 31, 2021.

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement of units of the Company (the "Units") by the issuance of 16,838,000 Units at $0.25 per Unit for gross proceeds of $4,209,500.00 (the "Offering").

Each Unit consists of one post Consolidation Share and one-half of one transferrable common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional post Consolidation Share at a price of $0.40 on or before April 1, 2023.

The Company has paid eligible finders cash commission in the total amount of $276,850.00, being 7% of the aggregate proceeds from the sale of Units to purchasers introduced by the finders.

The Company has also issued non-transferable common share purchase warrants (the "Finder's Warrants") to the finders for the purchase of up to a total of 1,107,400 post Consolidation Shares, being 7% of the number of Units sold under the Offering. Each Finder's Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one post Consolidation Share at a price of $0.25 on or before April 1, 2023.

All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day ending on August 2, 2021. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for general working capital.

The Company's post Consolidation Shares begin trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") on April 1, 2021. The name of the Company and trading symbol remain the same after the Consolidation. The post Consolidation CUSIP number is 68573L206, and the new ISIN number is CA68573L2066.

Letters of transmittal with respect to the Consolidation will be mailed to all registered shareholders of the Company. All registered shareholders will be required to send their respective certificates representing the pre Consolidation Shares along with a properly executed letter of transmittal to the Company's transfer agent, Olympia Trust Company. ("Olympia"), in accordance with the instructions provided in the letter of transmittal. Additional copies of the letter of transmittal can be obtained through Olympia at 1-587-774-2340 or by e-mail to cssinquiries@olympiatrust.com. All shareholders who submit a duly completed letter of transmittal along with their respective pre-Consolidation Share certificate(s) to Olympia will receive a post Consolidation Share certificate or Direct Registration Advice representing the post Consolidation Shares.

"Today marks a significant day in the future of Orchid Ventures. We have managed to perform what we feel to be a very successful turnaround and strategic shift in our business. Now that we have proven to ourselves that we have a business model that can be successful and importantly sustainable, the next step was to properly capitalize the company in order to accelerate growth. This placement was dominated by strategic investors that share our vision of providing the best performing and safest vaporizers on the market, and leveraging our proprietary technologies and design capabilities to provide customers with high-value products that will help build their brands." said Corey Mangold, CEO of Orchid Ventures, Inc. "With capital injected into our company, we can now aggressively market our revolutionary PurTec vaporizer products and the Orchid Brand Licensing Platform. We have the products, we have the technology, we have the services, we have the team, and with decades of marketing experience, we are confident that the capital raised will enable us to achieve our aggressive growth initiatives. We believe that we are now in the position to build the foundation necessary to deliver on our strategic growth priorities, thereby driving shareholder value. We will be hosting a virtual shareholder update meeting within the next 30 days and will announce details in the coming weeks."

About Orchid Ventures, Inc.

Orchid Essentials is a California-based cannabis innovation company that has developed a mass-market brand and loyal consumer following with its premium cannabis products and unique vape hardware delivery systems. Orchid also owns 100% of PurTec Delivery Systems, a company that produces, markets, and sells clean vaporizer hardware that has been emissions tested against the most stringent standards in the world set forth by the EU and has unrivaled product quality and value pricing. Orchid's management brings significant branding, product development, and distribution experience with a proven track record of scaling businesses and building sustainable revenue growth through value-generating partnerships and innovation that creates enterprise value. Learn more at https://orchidessentials.com/

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS - ORCHID VENTURES, INC.

Corey Mangold

CEO and Director

investors@orchidventures.com

Investor Relations

Corey Mangold

949-357-5818

corey@orchidventures.com

The securities issued in connection with the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), or under any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold directly or indirectly, or delivered within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy such securities in the United States.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING "FORWARD-LOOKING" INFORMATION: This news release contains forward-looking statements. The Company has provided the forward-looking statements in reliance on assumptions that it believes are reasonable at this time. The reader is cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of the forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. All such forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, delays resulting from or inability to obtain required regulatory approval. The actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits, including the amount of proceeds, the Company will derive therefrom. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

SOURCE: Orchid Ventures, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638684/Orchid-Ventures-Consolidated-its-Shares-and-Closes-Over-Subscribed-Private-Placement-of-Units
CASPER, Wyo., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Donate Life Month this April, Donor Alliance is inviting Wyoming residents to help raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation by sharing with friends and family why they are signed up to be a donor. Participants can take part by visiting DonateLifeWyoming.org/ShowYourHeart to upload a photo, customize it with a heart and share what inspired them to sign up as an organ, eye and tissue donor using #ShowYourHeart on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

"Wyoming is among the most generous states in the country when it comes to percentage of residents who have signed up as organ and tissue donors, and we love hearing the inspirational stories behind what encouraged Wyomingites to say yes to giving the gift of life," said Jennifer Prinz, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. "To represent the nearly 2,000 people right here in our community waiting on a lifesaving transplant, we are hoping to accrue at least 2,000 submissions in support of the generous gift of organ and tissue donation. In addition to raising awareness for this important cause and encouraging more people to sign up to become organ, eye and tissue donors, sharing the stories of our friends, family and neighbors gives hope to those on the waitlist."

Donor Alliance Advocates for Life volunteers Lucy Williamson and Mark Holder are sharing their stories with their communities this April. After being diagnosed with cryptogenic liver disease and nearly a year on the waiting list, Lucy's life was saved with a liver transplant in 2009. Now, eleven years after her transplant, the Cheyenne resident is living her life to the fullest. She is sharing her story to give hope to and be an example for others new to their transplant journey, including Mark. Mark received his lifesaving transplant in May 2020 after living with cryptogenic liver disease for seven years. Not a day goes by that Mark doesn't think about his donor. A nurse in Laramie, Mark is sharing his story of profound gratitude to encourage more people to sign up to be donors.

Beyond sharing their stories to encourage others to say yes to giving the gift of life, they are also sharing their stories as an example of the incredible support of community. Through their volunteer work advocating for organ, eye and tissue donation, Mark and Lucy discovered a remarkable connection. After seeing Mark's familiar name and a candy recipe from her childhood days in Advocates for Life volunteer materials, Lucy realized that she and Mark were childhood friends. The sweet treats Mark's grandmother once made for her Sunday school class were unforgettable. Lucy wrote Mark a letter and they have since reconnected through their unique diagnosis, transplant and recovery stories. Due to the pandemic, Mark and Lucy have not been able to see each other in-person, but have made plans to reconnect virtually on Thursday, April 8.

Mark and Lucy were once two of the nearly 2,000 people in our region waiting for a lifesaving transplant. #ShowYourHeart for all Wyomingites touched by organ, eye and tissue donation at DonateLifeWyoming.org/ShowYourHeart.

Donor Alliance is the federally designated non-profit that facilitates organ and tissue donation in Colorado and most of Wyoming. For more information about organ and tissue donation, please DonorAlliance.org. To sign up to become an organ, eye and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeWyoming.org.

About Donor Alliance

Donor Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. As the organ and tissue procurement agency for Colorado and most of Wyoming, Donor Alliance serves more than 5.8 million residents and more than 100 hospitals. Donor Alliance adheres to the highest medical, regulatory and ethical standards, and meets every performance standard. By respectfully working with the families of organ and tissue donors, maintaining partnerships with hospitals, educating residents on the life-saving benefits of donation and inspiring them to sign up on the state's donor registry, Donor Alliance is able to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Colorado and Wyoming boast some of the highest rates of donor registration in the country, which directly translates to more lives saved and healed through organ and tissue transplantation. Donor Alliance is one of 58 federally designated organizations of its kind in the United States. For more information visit DonorAlliance.org or the Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming Facebook pages.

Media Contacts:

Courtney Brunkow Ryea' O'Neill The Fletcher Group Donor Alliance 303.717.9575 307.577.1700 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Donor Alliance

Related Links

https://www.donoralliance.org


Connecticut State Police / Contributed Photo

STRATFORD  A local man pleaded guilty this week to federal charges in connection with his involvement in a conspiracy to sell fentanyl disguised as oxycodone, prosecutors said.

Luis Hitman Colon, 50, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years; and possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum 10-year prison term.
Q&A: Ferrao on the history, current state of anti-Asian sentiment and violence

Stop Asian Hate: Protestors hold up signs during a Stop Asian Hate rally in Washington, D.C., in March 2021. Photo by Victoria Pickering Photo - of - Hide Caption

The mass shooting in Atlanta in early March that took the lives of eight  including six women of Asian descent  has brought a recent spate of violence against Asian and Asian American people into the national focus.

W&M News recently spoke with R. Benedito Ferrao, assistant professor of English and Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies, to discuss the history and roots of anti-Asian sentiment and violence in the U.S. and abroad.

Ferrao, who also teaches in the universitys Asian & Middle Eastern Studies Program, is currently a Fellow of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies in Germany. In 2019, he traveled to Goa to conduct research as the recipient of a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Research Award.

The news has reported an increase in anti-Asian violence not just in the U.S. but across the world in the past year. Is this really a new phenomenon, or does anti-Asian sentiment and anti-Asian violence have a much longer history?

Even as it is important to take cognizance of the recent spate of anti-Asian violence in the United States and elsewhere, it is necessary to contextualize these incidents within a larger terrain of how societies regard minorities and those deemed other. In this sense, violence against Asian Americans does not occur in a vacuum, given the overwhelming evidence of brutality against, and even the deaths of, Black people, Muslims, LGBTIQ2S, Latinx, Native and other minority communities. That such violence may also be gendered and state-sanctioned adds another dimension.

To say there is an increase in anti-Asian violence may suggest that these events are a contemporary phenomenon. They are not. Indeed, the demonization of Asian people has received a fillip in the era of the pandemic, not least due to politically motivated rhetoric that has racialized the origins of the coronavirus. The stigmatization of Asian people, in particular through the rhetoric of disease, has a particular resonance in the West.

Dating back to the 19th century, the arrival of Asian migrants to North America was characterized as a Yellow Peril. Xenophobic caricatures in popular media at the time depicted the Chinese, among others, as an undifferentiated and multitudinous horde that were carriers of disease who, additionally, threatened the livelihoods of white people. Racist media tropes of this nature could be seen not only in the United States, but also Canada and Australia.

What are some of the factors that have contributed to anti-Asian discrimination or hate crimes in recent history?

There is a line that can be drawn between the notion that American society regards people of Asian origin as perpetually foreign and the idea that a disease can have a racialized origin.

An example of the first is the fact that Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJAs), as they were then known, could be rounded up and placed in concentration camps during World War II because it was believed that their allegedly nascent patriotism to Japan, regardless of their birth or lifetime in the United States, could be activated thus making them a national threat.

More contemporarily, that a political administration could irresponsibly and unscientifically label the coronavirus as the China Virus, to avert attention from its inaction in dealing with the pandemic, again demonstrates how the assumed foreignness of a minority community is opportunistically relied upon and perpetuated. This was done with scant regard for the violent fallout faced by Asian Americans; the number of racist attacks against this community saw a sharp increase in the wake of the pandemic.

As a literary scholar, have you seen the subject covered in literature? If so, any significant works come to mind that illustrate the history of this form of racism?

The racist murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit in 1982, an event that came to have much significance in the formulation of hate crime laws in the United States and galvanized a generation of Asian American activists, is the subject of the play Carry the Tiger to the Mountain by Cherylene Lee. What I find profound about the play is its focus on Lily Chin, a Chinese immigrant mother who became an activist even as she was mourning the loss of her son.

The incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II continues to wield influence on Asian American cultural production, but some classics endure. One such is John Okadas No-No Boy. And for a Hawaiian perspective on how U.S. colonialism affected the lives of people in the islands, one could look to the poetry of Haunani-Kay Trask, especially her Night is a Sharkskin Drum.

Although I tend to teach more contemporary works of Asian American literature, even these cannot escape the effects of anti-Asian racism experienced by their protagonists. Students in my Transnational Asian American Literature class have just read Alia Yunis The Night Counter, a multi-generational Arab American family saga which bears witness to the effects of post-9/11 Islamophobia and state surveillance on the lives of its characters.

Have you seen any kind of uptick in anti-Asian sentiment or violence while abroad recently? What has the reaction been?

When the pandemic was first declared in March 2020, I was pursuing a fellowship in India. Almost immediately, there were reports of violence against Northeasterners, several of whom are mistaken for being Chinese, and thus foreigners, on a regular basis. While this minority community faces ongoing stigma in many Indian metros which they travel to for work, the xenophobia they experience was exacerbated during the lockdown period. As I have been noting, a recurrent theme in history is the undue attention paid to minorities in times of national crisis. The scapegoating of minorities is often politically motivated, strategically serving to draw attention away from more pertinent matters and the inaction surrounding them.

I began 2021 in Germany as a Fellow of the Africa Multiple Cluster at the University of Bayreuth. As in so many places following the pandemic, there have also been incidents of anti-Asian racism in Germany. But this gives rise to quite a conundrum. Germany has no state mechanisms in place to statistically record such events given post-World War II measures to dissuade the collection of race-based data. Of course, this does not mean that racism has ceased to exist  a fact made amply clear by Black activists in the country.

Ive heard some say that many of the incidents prior to the murders in Atlanta didnt receive sufficient media coverage. Why do you think that is?

At the same time as there is a long history of anti-Asian violence in the United States, it is also the case that such crimes go unacknowledged as hate crimes. This has much to do with the notion that Asian Americans are an unthreatening and generally successful model minority invested in respectability politics, a group insulated against racism due to their class standing. Again, such notions derive from the stereotypification of the community by media and through political opportunism. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are not a homogenous group, their class diversity being as much of a spectrum as their varied ethnic make-up.

I will quickly add that this is where universities can play an important role in diversifying the curriculum. It should not only be the job of ethnic studies to teach about diversity; rather, all disciplines must be invested in calling out and ending white supremacy.

Last year, we saw a significant racial reckoning in the country following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others. Do you think these anti-Asian incidents will spark a similar outcry for change?

Change is long overdue, especially in addressing police brutality and gun violence. What I have found heartening is the solidarity that Black and Asian communities have expressed after the state-sanctioned murders of Floyd, Taylor, and others, as well as following the Atlanta shootings. This is not to suggest that inter-ethnic harmony is a given; it is still a work in progress, especially in addressing the common enemy, which is white supremacy. Coequally, in calling for an end to systemic racism, it is important to understand how gender, sexuality, class, ability, and more play a part in the oppression of the marginalized.
Trinamool (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees heartfelt appeal to Opposition parties to sink differences and forge a united front against the (BJP) has not achieved the resounding endorsement the TMC expected. While the leadership of the biggest Opposition party, the Congress, has not reacted, even non- and (now) anti-BJP parties like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) have voiced no view on Banerjees appeal.

In a letter addressed to leaders of all major Opposition parties barring the Left, in the midst of the Assembly election campaign, Banerjee said the time had come for a united and effective struggle against the BJPs attacks on and the Constitution, and that other party leaders should try present a credible alternative to the people of the country.

Though Banerjee specifically referred to the travails of the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which she claimed had been a victim of the BJPs efforts to undermine federalism, the AAP is yet to respond.





ALSO READ: 'Locals not being allowed to vote': Mamata dials WB Governor from Nandigram

There was no response from the TRS either, which had adopted a position of equidistance from the BJP and till recently, when the BJP not only defeated it in important by elections but began attacking it in Telangana.

Even the Shiv Sena, while supporting Banerjee generally, was cautious about endorsing Opposition unity under the Bengal CMs leadership, saying merely that the letter had been received by party supremo and Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

The most enthusiastic response was from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with party general secretary Nawab Malik saying top party leader Sharad Pawar was indisposed and unable to respond personally but that the party supported her completely. In fact, Pawar, Malik said, wanted to show his appreciation by campaigning in the Assembly elections but was taken ill: and might do so in the later phases of the elections.

Unexpected agreement and support came from the Kashmir-based Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Former Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti reacted immediately to the letter. This process (of undermining federalism) started in 2019 with the dismemberment of Jammu and Kashmir and stripping it of its special status which was again a constitutional guarantee. Unfortunately, not many in the Opposition used their collective power and voice to oppose this unilateral and illegal step, Mufti alleged. She also referred to the detention of political leaders and alleged harassment by central probe agencies. Therefore, the need of the hour is to unite and put up a collective fight against this onslaught, she added. Although Muftis political rival Farooq Abdullah also got the letter, he is yet to respond.

The Congress did not respond as a party. But individual leaders did voice support for the proposal.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, who is campaigning in Assam, told reporters:  is under threat and people should understand its gravity. The Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, Income-Tax department and other agencies are working under pressure from the central government. Those who express disagreement are labelled anti-national, he said. The Congress is facing a leadership crisis and leaders are wary about endorsing Banerjees bid for fear of being misunderstood.

The letter comes months after top NCP leaders said the United Progressive Alliance was in danger of becoming a defunct organisation and that Sharad Pawar should be asked to lead it. Within the Congress, there was a discussion about exactly when Pawar would make a move seeking to reunite former and real Congressmen.




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Socialite Shafi Roepers has slashed a third off the price of her third-floor co-op in Manhattan, which she bought with her ex-husband, hedge fund founder Alexander Roepers, now on the market for $45 million.

The five-bedroom, eight-bathroom home at 4 East 66th Street, went on the market in 2015 for $65 million, the New York Post reported.

The unit carries an enormous maintenance cost of $20,770 monthly, according to the real estate listing by agency Brown Harris Stevens and brokers Mary Fitzgibbons and Chris Poore.

A private elevator landing opens to the 'extraordinary residence with exquisite details,' the listing says.

The full-floor home has 12-foot ceilings, wood-burning fire places, Juliet balconies, herringbone floors, French doors, rooms for entertaining, a corner living room, a courtyard and Central Park views.

There is also a formal dining room and a marble and stainless steel chef's kitchen. The main bedroom includes two bathrooms and two dressing rooms.

Socialite Shafi Roepers has listed her home at 4 East 66th Street in Manhattan for $45 million

The apartment originally went on the market in 2015 for $65 million but has been slashed by $20 million

Working wood fires are a feature in the full-floor home inside the building along Central Park

The apartment has five bedrooms and eight bathrooms, according to the real estate listing by agency Brown Harris Stevens

The building, designed by James E. R. Carpenter, dates to 1920 and 'is one of New York's most distinguished white-glove cooperatives,' the listing says. 'This magnificent, mint condition residence was renovated by a world-renowned architect and interior designer featuring the finest materials and craftsmanship.'

Shafi Roepers attends the Wildlife Conservation Society 'We Stand for Wildlife' event at the Central Park Zoo in New York City on June 9, 2016. Her apartment is on the market at a slashed price of $45 million

The seller's ex, Alexander Roepers, is the chief investment officer of Atlantic Investment Management, which he founded in 1988.

'This is an extraordinary residence with exquisite details,' according to the listing, which goes on to note the extraordinary details of the 13-room apartment.

'The elevator opens to a grand gallery, spanning 37 ft., with three glorious windows. Majestic entertaining rooms with 12 ft. ceilings and wood burning fireplace overlook Central Park,' the listing notes.

'The grand corner living room with double exposure and library with Juliet balcony are equally proportioned and connected by two sets of French doors. There is an elegant, formal dining room with a wood burning fireplace and delightful Juliet balcony,' Brown Harris Stevens says in the description.

The outside staff includes a concierge, doorman and elevator attendant. Other amenities of the everyday variety include storage and laundry in the building. And yes, pets are allowed.

'The luxurious primary suite enjoys matched his & hers private marble baths and his & hers private dressing rooms,' according to the Brown Harris Stevens website, which says the home also has a staff room with full bath and a large playroom/gym.

'The well-equipped marble and stainless kitchen with breakfast room can easily accommodate a large staff or caterers. The private wing has four, generous bedrooms with ensuite marble bathrooms all overlooking a beautiful tree-lined street,' the listing says.

The building, designed by 'architectural luminary' James E. R. Carpenter, dates to 1920 and offers views of Central Park

The apartment listing describes a 'grand corner living room with double exposure and library'

The unit has a hefty monthly maintenance cost of $20,770 but comes with a concierge and private elevator attendant

Everyday amenities of the the third-floor co-op include storage and laundry in the building

The home 'is one of New York's most distinguished white-glove cooperatives,' the listing says

The apartment overlooks a tree-lined street along Central Park and includes Juliet balconies and French doors

A mortgage calculator provided on the listing website estimates that at the $45 million price, a 30-year loan at 4 percent interest will result in a $214,836.88 estimated mortgage payment. Including the $20,770 'Maintenance/Common Charges' each month, the total monthly payment would be $235,607.33.

Past and present residents of the building include Daniel Nir, founder and CEO of hedge fund Gracie Capital and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Nir sold his unit for $52 million in 2016, while Allen paid $25 million for the penthouse in 2011.

The discounted new price for the apartment comes during an apparent downturn for the higher end of Manhattan real estate.

Billionaire Vince Viola sold his Upper East Side mansion for $59 million, which was down from its original asking price of $114 million almost a decade ago.

Fellow billionaire Sidney Kimmel sold his Central Park South home for $18.6 million at a $4 million loss.

The estate of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sold for $51 million, which was $37 million off its original $88 million asking price.

A marble and stainless kitchen with a breakfast room can accommodate a large apartment staff or caterers

'The elevator opens to a grand gallery, spanning 37 ft., with three glorious windows,' according to the apartment listing

The seller's ex-husband, Alexander Roepers, is the chief investment officer of Atlantic Investment Management

The apartment offers an 'elegant, formal dining room with a wood burning fireplace,' the listing says

The private wing of the home has four, 'generous bedrooms' with en suite marble bathrooms

Past and present residents of the building include Daniel Nir, founder and CEO of hedge fund Gracie Capital, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen

The apartment is an 'extraordinary residence with exquisite details,' according to brokerage Brown Harris Stevens
LeafFilter Adds Six New Locations Across North America

LeafFilter, the largest gutter protection company in North America, is pleased to announce its six new office locations opening this month: Calgary, Alberta; Stockton, California; Athens, Georgia; Newburgh, New York; Washington D.C.; and Madison, Wisconsin. These expansions total LeafFilter to 112 locations, with more on the horizon.

Since 2005, LeafFilter Gutter Protection empowers homeowners to eliminate gutter cleaning hassle with its award-winning and patented technology, scientifically designed to keep everything out of the gutters except water. See if LeafFilter serves your neighborhood in the U.S. or Canada and schedule a free estimate today.

Leaf Home Water Solutions Heads to Florida's First Coast

Leaf Home Water Solutions has set its sights on Florida's largest and most populous city for its fourth location: Jacksonville. Through this growth, the company is looking forward to providing cleaner, safer water to as many Florida residents as possible, with additional states on the radar later this year.

Leaf Home Water Solutions pairs homeowners with the ideal whole-home water filtration system for their needs by testing tap water with free cutting-edge digital water tests. The product line tackles both city and well water's unique demands, with a team of industry experts with an intense dedication to customer service. To schedule a free water test for your home, visit the Leaf Home Water Solutions website.

About Leaf Home Solutions

Leaf Home Solutions is North America's leading tech-enabled direct-to-consumer provider of branded home solutions. Our innovative products enhance the safety, enjoyment, and comfort of homeowners and their families and protect the condition and enhance the appearance and value of their homes. Customers value our quality products and the exceptional service we deliver through our end-to-end DTC sales and service model. Our proprietary data-driven platforms for marketing, customer service, field services, and talent management driven by our "Today-Not-Tomorrow" culture underpin our competitive advantage and high, sustained growth.

Learn more about Leaf Home Solutions at www.leafhomesolutions.com.

For more information, contact: [email protected].

SOURCE Leaf Home Solutions

Related Links

http://www.leafhomesolutions.com


Lara Trump Criticizes Facebook for Erasing Donald Trump Interview

Former President Donald Trumps daughter-in-law issued a warning after Facebook removed her interview with the former commander-in-chief earlier this week.

Lara Trump posted screenshots of alleged emails sent by a Facebook representative saying that content in the voice of Donald Trump will be removed. A person close to the Trump Organization confirmed to The Epoch Times on March 31 that a video of an interview with Trump was taken down by the social media giant.

I know that people that dislike Donald Trump might celebrate this and think, Well this is great, we dont want to hear from him anyway,' Lara Trump told Fox News on March 26. Every American should be outraged by this because today its Donald Trump; tomorrow, it could be you.

The censorship, she said, is something that happens in communist countries and added that the message here is they want to erase Donald Trump.

They want you to forget he ever existed. They dont want you to see him, they dont want you to hear from him. Look away, move on, shut up, and go on about your lives, forget Donald Trump existed. This is really scary stuff, continued Trump, who is married to Eric Trump, in the Fox interview.

According to screenshots of the purported emails, a Facebook representative told her: We are reaching out to let you know that we removed content from Lara Trumps Facebook page that featured President Trump speaking.

In line with the block, we placed on Donald Trumps Facebook and Instagram account, further content posted in the voice of Donald Trump will be removed and result in additional limitations on the accounts.

Facebook officials didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Another email from a Facebook staffer gave a reminder that content in the voice of Trump isnt allowed on the social media platform, according to Lara Trumps Instagram post.

The guidance applies to all campaign accounts and Pages, including Team Trump, other campaign messaging vehicles on our platforms, and former surrogates, it read.

In January, the former president was suspended from Twitter, Facebook, and other Big Tech platforms, which claimed that Trump was inciting violence or would incite further violence following the Jan. 6 riots.

Trump told Lara Trump that Twitter has since become boring without him and asserted that millions of people have left while promoting his newfound practice of sending out emailed press statements. Meanwhile, his adviser Jason Miller told news outlets last month that the former president is working to create a new social media platform, although details are scant.
Australias dairy industry is preparing for a global fight over the right to use the name haloumi after the European Union vowed to restrict cheese manufacturers outside Cyprus from marketing their products under that name.

The decision is another potential source of friction in any future trading relationship between Australia and the powerful EU trading bloc, which is insisting Australia adopt its geographical indications system that protects products it believes possess qualities or a reputation associated with certain regions.

The semi-hard cheese made from goat and sheeps milk is produced in numerous countries, including Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and several in the Middle East. Credit:iStock

Cyprus, which has a population of about 1.2 million people, on Wednesday hailed the decision to recognise the famously grillable cheese as a product distinct to the divided eastern Mediterranean island after a seven-year wait.

It adds haloumi to a list of food names such as Parmesan, feta and chorizo the EU is attempting to monopolise in global trade.
( ) is well-positioned to move into its next phase of growth  the generation of JORC mineral resources at its key tungsten and lithium projects and the initiation of feasibility studies  following its successful listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in October 2020.

The company is focused on building a pipeline of battery and critical metals assets, which are at or near the bottom of their peer group cost curves.

Pan Asia has a 100% interest in four projects - two tungsten project areas and two lithium project areas, with three of them fitting the companys strategy of downstream, value-adding development opportunities in low-cost environments proximal to end-market users.

The company owns three projects in southern Thailand - Khao Soon Tungsten Project, Reung Kiet Lithium Project and Bang Now Lithium Project - and the Minter Tungsten Project in Australia.

Whilst Minter does not directly fit Pan Asias strategy, it is seen as a potential source of tungsten concentrate to feed future South East Asian-based downstream processing operations.

Depending on the results of its drill programs, the company is targeting to have maiden resource estimates at two projects and hopes to be commencing work on scoping studies for the projects late in the year.

Advantage over many peers

The company is specifically focused on South East Asia for geological and economic reasons - low-cost operating environment with greater potential to move downstream and value-add in certain circumstances.

Pan Asia has an advantage over many of its peers as its projects are located where balance sheet requirements are expected to be much less demanding due to their close proximity to the advanced industrial centres in Thailand and Malaysia.

These countries offer competitively priced process inputs as well as being low-cost operating environments  something, which applies to South East Asia in general and is why processors and manufacturers choose to locate there.

Its projects are in the South East Asian Tin-Tungsten Belt, which extends from Myanmar in the north through Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia to the Tin Islands in the south.

This belt appeals due to the occurrence of a suite of specialty metals associated with granite related tin, tungsten, lithium, tantalum, niobium, rubidium, caesium, rare earths and other rare metals.

It contains some of the largest historical tin producing districts in the world, specifically in Southern Thailand and much of Peninsula Malaysia, and has experienced very limited modern exploration.

Pipeline of project opportunities

PAM is focused on speciality metals and value-added products that are in high demand in South East Asia and the companys business model is to develop its key assets while simultaneously building a pipeline of future project opportunities.

The company targets assets that have the potential to be positioned in the lower third of the cost curve, which are likely to have lower capital requirements and have the potential to present downstream value-adding opportunities.

Executive chairman and managing director Paul Lock said: PAMs tungsten and lithium projects potentially offer low opex and capex solutions for two critical metals, with balance sheet requirements expected to be much less demanding as the projects are in low-cost environments and close to the advanced industrial centres of Thailand and Malaysia.

We are also continuing to develop our target generation program, which will see us acquire additional assets that fit our criteria.

Our aim is to build a pipeline of target assets in battery and critical metals, and rare earths (specialty metals) which fit our criteria.

The company has conducted due diligence on several projects in Asia and Australia.

Simple strategy

Lock added: At Pan Asia our strategy is simple, we aim to secure assets, which have the potential to place future operations at the bottom of the cost curve and which offer the option to extend down-stream and value add.

If we achieve this, then our operating margins will naturally be higher, allowing the company to prosper in all price environments.

The company has built a strong reputation in South East Asia and as a result, Pan Asias shareholders and stakeholders will benefit as the current assets are developed and new assets are secured.

Khao Soon Tungsten Project

Pan Asias Khao Soon Tungsten Project is a significant historical producer.

Modern exploration has discovered potentially world-class, district-scale tungsten mineralisation across numerous prospects.

Pan Asia started its second drilling campaign at Khao Soon just before listing and both drilling programs have intersected robust widths and tungsten trioxide (WO3) grades associated with strong surface anomalies, from which exploration targets have been estimated.

Additional drilling has been undertaken to support mineral resource estimation

Earlier this week, the company intersected near-surface tungsten mineralisation with good grades over robust widths while drilling at Than Pho West (TPW) prospect within the Khao Soon Project.

PAM will use laboratory results to enhance geological interpretations and grade modelling at TPW to update the exploration target.

Reung Kiet Lithium Project

Its Reung Kiet Lithium Project in southern Thailand is in a region of previous large-scale tin mining.

Pan Asias exploration discovered lepidolite and muscovite (lithium-rich micas) occurring in pegmatites over a combined strike length of 2.5 kilometres.

Rock-chip and trench sampling have generally defined consistent high grades across good widths and initial diamond drilling has also resulted in some encouraging intersections.

The company started its second drilling campaign in mid-January 2021, targeting the previously undrilled Bang I Tum (BIT) prospect.

Last week, Pan Asia Metals intersected relatively wide pegmatite dyke swarms in the first two diamond drill holes at Reung Kiet prospect, which forms part of the Reung Kiet Project, with a further six holes planned.

The intersections followed an earlier trenching program that returned lithium grades of up to 1.99%.

Bang 1 Tum (BIT) prospect

Also in March, Pan Asia Metals Ltd intersected pegmatite dyke swarms over substantial widths in all six diamond drill holes completed at BIT prospect within the wider RKLP.

Spot hand-held XRF analysis of drill core by the company identified the presence of elevated tin and niobium along with elevated lithium indicator elements, such as rubidium and manganese.

Lock said: Whilst we await results from the lab we are buoyed by the hhXRF results and visual indications which support the presence of lepidolite and muscovite and therefore the potential for lithium to be hosted in both.

The presence of elevated tin and niobium, the latter as a proxy for tantalum, is also very encouraging.

Minter Tungsten Project

The Minter Tungsten project, within the central portion of the Lachlan Orogen, also known as the Lachlan Fold Belt, includes the broadly-defined Wagga Tin Belt in New South Wales.

This tin belt hosts numerous granites of particular composition that give rise to tin, tin-tungsten, tungsten and gold mineralisation hosted within the granite intrusions and/or adjacent metasediments, and commonly in quartz veins.

It plans to start drilling the Doyenwae prospect within Minter Tungsten Project after receiving State Government approval for a six-hole reverse circulation (RC) drilling program of 1,000-1,200 metres.

The program aims to test the potential for near-surface tungsten mineralisation that may be amenable to open-pit mining.

It will also test a revised interpretation of the controls on tungsten mineralisation at Doyenwae.

Exploration by previous explorers at Minter has defined a belt of prospective tungsten mineralisation hosted in quartz veins occurring within metasediments near a granite contact and has identified elevated tungsten over a relatively large area.

Buoyant tungsten market

Lock noted the general buoyancy in the APT market - the reference price for tungsten, adding: Fastmarkets MB recently reported that the APT price was $25,000-25,500 per tonne, the highest level since 2019.

The strong price was attributed to tightness in the scrap and raw materials market and the demand side facing the prospect that several large Chinese and Russian mines are reaching the end of their respective lives.

We believe Khao Soon will be one of the few new tungsten projects with the potential to work in the current price environment, Lock said.

IPO

Pan Asia Metals completed its Initial Public Offering (IPO) and was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker code PAM on October 8, 2020, which coincided with the start of drilling at the key Khao Soon Tungsten Project in Thailand.

The IPO, which raised A$4.28 million at 20 cents per share, resulted in an implied market capitalisation at listing of A$25.2 million.

PAM's IPO was met with strong demand from a range of investors across Australia, resulting in a share register of 414 shareholders and shares have traded in the range of A$0.15 to A$0.20.

Following the listing, Lock said: Listing on the ASX is a major milestone and the beginning of a new phase of growth for the company.

The company intends to use the majority of the IPO proceeds for exploration.
The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing innovative solutions for the textile, apparel, and personal care industries, announces the appointment of Yafu Qiu, chairman of The LYCRA Company, and Julien Born, chief commercial officer of The LYCRA Company, as co-chief executive officers, effective April 1, 2021, following the retirement of David Trerotola. The co-ceo structure is intended to better implement The LYCRA Companys new strategic development plan for the next five years and will bring greater operational focus and tap into each leaders experience and skills in the areas most beneficial to the company to solidify its industry-leading position and drive its long-term success.

Mr. Trerotola served as the companys chief executive officer since 2019, following the Ruyi Groups acquisition of the business. Mr. Trerotola retires after 20 years of dedicated service to The LYCRA Company and its predecessor companies. He began his career in 1994 with DuPont.

"I want to thank Dave for his many contributions to The LYCRA Company," said Yafu Qiu, chairman of The LYCRA Company, the companys controlling shareholder. "Daves passion for the business was evident to me from the beginning, and I wish him all the best in this next phase of his journey with his wife and family. At my request, Dave will support a smooth transition of leadership and will be working with me and Julien over the next 60 days."

Mr. Born, currently the companys chief commercial officer, will serve as co-ceo and lead the overall operations of the company and implement its ambitious growth vision. Mr. Born joined the business in 2007 and, since 2018, led the companys apparel business, where he managed the global commercial organization, helped strengthen R&D and innovation capabilities, and oversaw manufacturing assets. Mr. Born has also spent significant time in Asia, where he led that region over an eight-year period, with assignments in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Mr. Born has had a diverse 24-year career spent in the US, Europe and Asia, as both an executive in large multinational companies and as a business owner of a full-service corporate licensing agency. A native of Switzerland, Mr. Born holds a bachelors degree from Arizona State Universitys W.P. Carey School of Business and a Swiss baccalaureate degree.

Story continues

"The board has appointed Julien as The LYCRA Companys next ceo," said Mr. Qiu. "I am confident that Julien understands the opportunities and challenges facing the business and we are fully committed to supporting him and the entire leadership team on the new developments and performance growth of The LYCRA Company to help The LYCRA Company realize its full potential in 2021 and beyond."

"I am excited for the opportunity to lead a tremendous team of colleagues at The LYCRA Company who are focused every day on creating value in the industries we serve via our unique brand portfolio, high-quality products, unparalleled innovation capabilities, and our global network of partners," said Mr. Born. "I look forward to a close partnership with Chairman Qiu and the Ruyi Group to further develop our manufacturing capacity and accelerate the growth of our business, especially in China."

Mr. Qiu, in addition to continuing as chairman of The LYCRA Company, will focus his co-ceo role on the companys relationships with key stakeholders, board governance matters, strategic planning, and capital structure adjustments, including the strategy and timing of an initial public offering.

"The LYCRA Company is faced with many new challenges in a fast-developing world," concluded Mr. Qiu. "We are taking this opportunity to appoint Mr. Born and other new management team members to work on a new strategy to further build our brand franchises, expand manufacturing capacity, develop more impactful innovations with our global value-chain partners, lead the industry in sustainability, and accelerate our digital transformation. I am confident that the new management team will be able to further strengthen the leadership role of The LYCRA Company in the apparel and personal care industries."

About The LYCRA Company

The LYCRA Company innovates and produces fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, The LYCRA Company is recognized worldwide for its innovative products, technical expertise, and unmatched marketing support. The LYCRA Company owns leading consumer and trade brands: LYCRA, LYCRA HyFit, LYCRA T400, COOLMAX, THERMOLITE, ELASPAN, SUPPLEX, and TACTEL. The LYCRA Companys legacy stretches back to 1958 with the invention of the original spandex yarn, LYCRA fiber. Today, The LYCRA Company focuses on adding value to its customers products by developing unique innovations designed to meet the consumers need for comfort and lasting performance. For more information, visit www.thelycracompany.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005877/en/

Contacts

Karie Ford

karie.j.ford@lycra.com
Indian Oil Corporation's research and development (R&D) centre has been working since the early 2000s to explore the use of hydrogen as a fuel. The use of this gas as a fuel has recently been tested by mixing it with compressed natural gas (CNG) to make H-CNG.

This is the next logical step for adopting hydrogen as a fuel, according to officials at the R&D facility of Indian Oil.

The R&D division is also in the process of closing a tender to generate clean hydrogen and demonstrate running of vehicles with this fuel.

The end-to-end tender involves a demonstration of manufacturing hydrogen from four different technological routes and having car manufacturers running vehicles on gas. This demonstration project is expected to be completed by 2022.

Broadly speaking, if hydrogen is available at less than Rs 700 per kilogramme (kg) at the point of use, it will be comparable to a petrol-run vehicle at present market prices. This can be possible in another decade with more technological investments in the hydrogen ecosystem, an official from Indian Oils R&D division told Business Standard.

H-CNG option

The first step for adoption of hydrogen will be through H-CNG. Indian Oil R&D has found that by mixing hydrogen with CNG, up to around 18 per cent by volume, it will not have any adverse effect on the vehicle. Further, efficiency of the vehicle will improve and emissions will come down. We have set up a 4 tonne per day plant for this at Rajghat in Delhi and are servicing 50 H-CNG compatible buses from it, the Indian Oil official added.

In October 2020, Indian Oils R&D centre had announced that it developed a patented compact reforming process for H-CNG production directly from natural gas.

Since existing vehicles cannot use H-CNG, these 50 buses were tuned to accommodate it and are in a trial phase. The final outcome is expected in a month or two. The trends are positive, reflecting more efficiency and environment friendliness than CNG buses, the official said.

H-CNG will not be cheaper than CNG at purchase price, but when taking into account the incremental benefit, it will be cheaper. These results can be quantified in a month, he added.

Using pure and clean hydrogen

However, the currently available hydrogen manufacturing approach is not clean or green. The hydrogen here is made from natural gas or naphtha, largely using steam-methane reforming. This puts dependence on fossil fuel as a source of hydrogen.

This is not viable for putting in cars from a cost and compatibility perspective. In a decade from today, pure and neat hydrogen can be used, and demonstration projects have started in the world and India. A large amount of R&D work for generating green hydrogen is also being done at Indian Oil R&D, the official said.

Any vehicle that runs purely on hydrogen will be equivalent to an electric vehicle. This is because when hydrogen goes to a fuel cell, the cell produces electricity, which runs the vehicle. So, a fuel cell is the future of battery and hydrogen is a future fuel, he added.

Clean hydrogen manufacturing facilities that produce hydrogen from water are currently available in Japan, Germany, and a few European countries.

They use solar electrolysers to break down water into its basic constituents of hydrogen and oxygen. It is expected that such projects are going to come up in India too.

IndianOil has floated a tender for setting up a green hydrogen generation demonstration unit. We have proposed making green hydrogen from four different techniques. It is expected to be awarded in three months and project implementation will take another year from the date of award. We are hopeful that by mid-2022, we will see ready-to-demonstrate systems at our R&D centre in Faridabad, Haryana, the Indian Oil official said.

The tender seeks to develop an ecosystem and has sought participation from car manufacturers. Vehicle manufacturers are already planning for these new technologies. Tata Motors has already conducted trials with cells installed in buses. Ashok Leyland, Maruti, Hyundai and Toyota are also said to be participating in this technology, he said, adding, It is a bit of a chicken-and-egg where car manufacturers are waiting for the to be available and fuel are hoping for a better ecosystem, including availability of cars.

Centres push towards hydrogen fuel

In November 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the launch of the National Hydrogen Energy Mission. This was also reiterated in the Union Budget 2021-2022 by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

An important requirement for large scale adoption of hydrogen, similar to CNG, is the need for specialised fuel cells.

Hydrogen is a very light gas, and occupies a lot of volume. It cannot be placed in the same cylinders as CNG because it requires much more pressure. The challenges to hydrogen are transportation and storage. Hydrogen is currently being used in oil refineries. The costs of storage, purification and transport in bringing it to the cities drives up the prices, said the IndianOil official.

To attempt a solution to these issues, in February 2021, petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan oversaw the signing of a statement of intent between Indian Oil and Greenstat Hydrogen India, a subsidiary of Greenstat Norway, for setting up a centre for excellence on hydrogen.

In the last week of March, Pradhan also held a meeting with US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The two reviewed the India-US Strategic Energy Cooperation (SEP).

They agreed to prioritise greater collaboration in cleaner energy sector- biofuels, CCUS, hydrogen production and carbon sequestration through technology exchange, joint R&D through Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Research (PACE-R), among other initiatives, an official statement said.

But the Petroleum Ministry is not the only government arm pushing for Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had also chaired a meeting of government agencies and representatives from research institutions where he said with nearly 81 per cent of Li-ion battery components available locally, India stands a good chance for value addition at lower costs.

Gadkari was reacting to the presentations made for different technologies, including lithium-ion, metal-ion, sodium sulphur, hydrogen, iron sulphur, polymer electrolyte membrane cell system and zinc gel, among others.

NTPC, a public sector enterprise under the administrative control of the Power Ministry is also exploring prospects for Hydrogen run buses and cars. According to recent reports, an NTPC tender to run hydrogen-powered fuel cell-based electric cars and buses has got responses from Toyota, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and KPIT Technologies. NTPC is expected to soon issue a tender for procuring 20 such vehicles for pilot projects in New Delhi and Leh.

FUELLING GROWTH

Year 2000: IndianOil R&D begins work on hydrogen fuel

October 2020: IndianOil announces patented technology to generate H-CNG

November 2020: PM Modi announces National Hydrogen Energy Mission

February 2021: IndianOil inks pact with Norwegian firm for setting up Centre for hydrogen excellence

2022: IndianOil likely to demonstrate clean hydrogen-run vehicles
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed DarkPulse, Inc. (OTC Pink: DPLS) ("the Company"), a company that uses advanced laser-based monitoring systems to provide rapid and accurate monitoring of temperatures, strains and stresses. Founder and CEO of the Company, Dennis O'Leary, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

"Could you give my listeners some background information about yourself and how you came to be the Founder of DarkPulse, Inc.?", asked Jolly. O'Leary shared that he previously worked with the NYPD until an injury led him to early retirement. "I decided to go back to school and got into physics and science, and also developed a real interest in business," he shared. "It culminated into the search of what became DarkPulse."

O'Leary then shared that the Company was eventually founded after he attended a networking event that connected him with a representative from the University of Brunswick. "I was invited to Brunswick to view a few of their intellectual properties; dark-pulse stood out from a dozen or so other technologies," said O'Leary. "I negotiated the purchase of the intellectual property," he added, noting that the inventor of the technology, Dr. Anthony Brown, also became a part of the Company.

Jolly then asked about the Company's patented BOTDA dark-pulse sensor technology, which is designed to solve the poor resolution issues associated with Brillouin Sensors. "Over many decades, there has been a run for better resolutions," explained O'Leary. "Dr. Brown has discovered a way to increase the resolution by almost flipping the technology on its head, and instead of bright-pulsing, we use a technique called dark-pulsing."

The conversation then turned to a recent announcement detailing the Company's decision to open a manufacturing and engineering facility in Tempe, Arizona. "We've found a location in Tempe, which is very strategic," said O'Leary, adding that the site is in close proximity to companies and manufacturers that the Company utilizes for various components and processes. "We're continuing to outsource as much of the capabilities, in terms of building the system, as we can until we are able to fully utilize the facility that we are in."

"When do you think you will start generating revenues?", asked Jolly. "We're confident that by Q3 we may be seeing revenues," shared O'Leary. "We do have a demonstration facility that we are currently building out, and we expect that to go online in the next few weeks. From there, we will be able to perform custom demonstrations."

"What makes your company so different?", asked Jolly. "It really is the dark-pulsing technique; it comes down to resolution. We can see things that other fiber sensors can't," explained O'Leary. "We can connect into or partner with existing sensor technologies, and sort of bring it all the way to the end, and offer an end-to-end solution."

"What does the technology do and what other industries is the company trying to penetrate?", asked Jolly. "We have a fiber optic cable, which can be deployed into different media, and it is an analog process where we collect data," explained O'Leary. "The system converts that data digitally, and essentially it is really a temperature and strain detector," he added. "Our focus is oil and gas initially, but we're definitely working on the infrastructure monitoring space as well, which would be smart concretes, bridges, tunnels, roadways, and things of that nature."

"What is the vision for your company?", asked Jolly. "The glue of building smart cities will be these intrinsic sensors, and I believe that it comes down to resolution," said O'Leary. "DarkPulse is positioning itself to be that sort of glue, that foundational technology that pulls it all together."

To close the interview, O'Leary elaborated on the Company's potential as they continue to expand and explore new opportunities. "Most recently, we're also in line to file for an uplist," he shared. "We believe the first step would be to file an uplist and start trading on the OTCQB market," said O'Leary. "It's a process, but I think we have the right team in place and we look forward to the future."

To hear Dennis O'Leary's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7834751-darkpulse-inc-discusses-the-potential-of-its-patented-dark-pulse-sensor-technology-with-the-sto.

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/.

About DarkPulse, Inc.

DarkPulse, Inc. uses advanced laser-based monitoring systems to provide rapid and accurate monitoring of temperatures, strains and stresses. The Company's technology excels when applied to live, dynamic critical infrastructure and structural monitoring, including pipeline monitoring, perimeter and structural surveillance, aircraft structural components and mining safety. The Company's fiber-based monitoring systems can assist markets that are not currently served, and its unique technology covers extended areas and any event that is translated into the detection of a change in strain or temperature. In addition to the Company's ongoing efforts with respect to the marketing and sales of its technology products and services to its customers, the Company also continues to explore potential strategic alliances through joint venture and licensing opportunities to further expand its global market position.

For more information, visit www.DarkPulse.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

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New Delhi: It might come to you as a shock but a thief in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor has suffered a heart attack after seeing the huge amount of money he stole. This got even worse for him after he had to spend a chunk of the money for his treatment in the hospital.

According to The Times of India, two thieves had broken into a public service centre and were not expecting Rs 7 lakh cash and other valuables.

The accused told the police that they were overjoyed after getting the huge amount of money and divided it evenly.

"The accused are habitual offenders and have several cases registered against them at different police stations. They confessed to have committed a robbery at the public service centre and fled with Rs 7 lakh cash and other valuables kept in an almirah," the TOI quoted Bijnor superintendent of police Dharm Veer Singh as saying.

"However, soon after the theft, buoyed Ajaj suffered a heart attack and was admitted to a private hospital. He had to squander a big chunk of the stolen money on his treatment. Naushad, however, spent the money in betting in Delhi," added Singh.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrives at a polling station during the second phase of West Bengal Assembly Polls, at Boyal in Nandigram. (Photo: PTI)

Kolkata: Despite prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of the CrPC, massive presence of Centre-ordered paramilitary forces and aerial surveillance by the Election Commission, Nandigram -- the hot seat in West Bengal Assembly elections where chief minister Mamata Banerjee is taking on her protege-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari -- reeled under violence on Thursday, leaving Ms Banerjee stranded at a polling booth for over two hours.

Ms Banerjee had to be rescued by Central paramilitary forces after she was confined at a polling booth in Nandigram amid an extremely tense face-off between BJP and Trinamool Congress supporters. From the spot, she dialled Governor Jagdeep Dhankar, telling him the situation was a failure of the Election Commission.

"Anything might happen at any moment... There is total breakdown of law and order," wheelchair-bound Ms Banerjee said, adding that she feared for her life. She was escorted out by the security forces, who managed to bring the situation under control after long-drawn negotiations with the villagers.

Soon after, the Governor tweeted, "Issues flagged @MamataOfficial a while ago on phone have been imparted (sic) to the concerned".

Despite this Nandigram recorded voter turnout of over 81 per cent till 5 pm.

Though sporadic incidents of violence and allegations of vote fraud marked the second phase of West Bengal Assembly polls, a large voter turnout of more than 80 per cent was recorded. Bankura recorded the highest turnout at 82.92 per cent, followed by Purba Medinipur at 81.23, South 24 Parganas at 79:65 per cent, Paschim Medinipur at 78 per cent.

The Election Commission has sought a report from the East Midnapore district administration on Ms Banerjee's presence at the booth for a long time and her allegations of electoral malpractices.

Violence erupted across the high-profile constituency as the polling got underway in the morning. At Satengabari, TMC activists pelted stones on the convoy of Ms Banerjee's nemesis, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, and shouted Go Back. Bombs were hurled at Sonachura and Kalicharanpur. In Bhetukiya a BJP worker, Uday Dube (48), was found hanging in his residence. His party accused the TMC of driving him to commit suicide.

Allegations also surfaced against the BJP of not allowing TMC agents at voting booths, rigging and booth capturing at many polling centres. Ms Banerjee, who was keeping a tab on the polling from her temporary address at Reyapara in Nandigram, came out in the afternoon. She visited booth (No. 7) at Boyal Moktab Primary School at around 1.15 pm after getting complaints from her party of booth capturing and rampant rigging by the BJP in the absence of Central paramilitary forces.

The TMC chief was taunted by BJP workers with "Jai Shree Ram" slogan and her party workers, shouting "Khela Hobe", clashed with them. Sitting in her wheelchair inside the booth, a helpless CM was seen calling up Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to complain as the fight between BJP and TMC workers escalated despite prohibitory orders. Stones were hurled and abuses traded, prompting the administration to rush a police contingent to the spot.

Later, IPS officer Nagendra Nath Tripathi, who was deputed by the EC in Nandigram, rushed with Election Commission officials to the CM and spoke with her.

In 2015, Mr Tripathi was sent on compulsory leave by Ms Banerjee for slapping a famous sweet shop owner during Municipal polls in Kolkata. At around 3.15 pm, Central forces and state police personnel escorted Ms Banerjee out of the booth.

Eighty per cent votes here were rigged. Cheating was done in polling here. I lodged 63 complaints to the EC. Why are the goons of the BJP from other states like Uttar Pradesh allowed here? I have never seen such an EC. I urge it to act impartially. I am not blaming the Central forces because Union home minister Amit Shah is giving orders to BSF, CRPF and others, Ms Banerjee said.

"I am not worried about Nandigram because I am winning here. The people love me and cast their votes for me. I am worried about democracy. Even today Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed two rallies in the state while the polling was underway. This is a violation of the EC's Model Code of Conduct, she added.

Confident about his victory, Mr Adhikari said, "The CM, as a candidate who is bounded by electoral Do's and Don'ts, cannot stay inside a booth for such two hours. She directly influenced the voters." The TMC boss claimed she would win a majority of the 60 seats that had gone to polls in the first and second phase.
[April 01, 2021] ISW Holdings Inc. (ISWH) Markets: Incredible Scale, Disruptive Nature

NEW YORK, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NetworkNewsAudio  ISW Holdings Inc. (OTC: ISWH) announces the availability of a broadcast titled, Companies Offer Diverse Opportunities Under One Umbrella. To hear the AudioPressRelease, please visit: The NetworkNewsAudio News Podcast To view the full editorial, please visit: https://nnw.fm/cHeD0 A look at the numbers quickly ferrets out why Bitcoin keeps appreciating in value. There are about 18.7 million Bitcoin in circulation out of the total of only 21 million that will ever be released. According to Glassnode, an analysis firm that tracks blockchain data, there are actually only about four million Bitcoin freely circulating, and the number is shrinking as people hold on tightly. ... As noted on Crunchbase , venture capital has also broken the mold with its new patterns investing in telehealth. In short, VCs cant get enough, making big investments at all stages of development across the complete market spectrum from postcard urine tests to digital health clinics. ... For global brand management company ISW Holdings Inc. (OTC: ISWH) , these are two attractive markets due to their relative nascency, yet incredible scale and disruptive nature. Las Vegas-based ISW Holdings has taken a unique approach to cryptocurrency through mining operations and turnkey mining solutions, aligning the company for a durable footprint in a global cryptocurrency market tha Facts and Factors forecasts to reach $5.2 billion by 2026.



About ISW Holdings Inc. ISW Holdings, based in Nevada, is a diversified portfolio company comprised of essential business lines that serve consumer product demands. The companys expertise lies in strategic brand development, early growth facilitation, as well as brand identity through its proprietary procurement process. Together with its partners, ISW Holdings seeks to provide a structure that meets large scalability demands, as well as anticipated marketplace needs. The company is able to meet these needs through a variety of strategic innovative processes. ISWH is creating and managing brands across a spectrum of disruptive industries. It maneuvers its proprietary companies through critical stages of market development, which includes conceptualization, go-to-market strategies, engineering, product integration, and distribution efficiency. The company has also partnered with a well-known software development and consulting company, Bengala Technologies LLC, which is developing significant enhancements in the supply chain management space; and the partnership has a vitally needed patent now pending.

For more information about the company, visit www.ISWHoldings.com . NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to ISWH are available in the companys newsroom at http://ibn.fm/ISWH . About NetworkNewsWire NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) NetworkNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. NNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in todays market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge. To receive SMS text alerts from NetworkNewsWire, text STOCKS to 77948 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only). For more information, please visit https://www.NetworkNewsWire.com . Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website, applicable to all content provided by NNW wherever published or re-published: http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

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Protesters take part in a rally to support non-profit Spark Alliance in a rally at Edinburgh Place in Hong Kong on Dec. 23, 2019. (Sung Pi-lung/The Epoch Times)

Chinese Regime Suppresses NGOs to Prevent Color Revolution

Beijing has been cracking down on Chinese civil organizations and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in recent weeks. NGOs have been recognized as a potential threat that could instigate a color revolution, which would undermine the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Former Chinese leader Hu Jintao implemented policies in 2005 to prevent color revolutions from erupting in China. The color revolution generally refers to the mass non-violent movement, marked by different colors as symbols, that took place in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to overthrow dictatorship and tyranny in the early 21st century.

A large number of non-governmental organizations in mainland China are labelled as illegal social organizations, which the Ministry of Civil Affairs refers to as those committing fraud and those engaged in economic, cultural or charity activities in the name of implementing national strategies.

According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and other government departments on March 22, local authorities should continue to crack down on illegal social organizations and activities by banning, dispersing, and publishing a list of suspects.

On March 17, the Ministry of Civil Affairs closed the social media accounts of 10 organizations it deemed as illegal. In Beijing, 23 unregistered social organizations were closed on Feb. 4. In Guangxi, 10 unregistered and suspected illegal social organizations were shut down on March 5. In Sichuan, 84 illegal social organizations closed on March 25.

The CCP Suppresses NGOs to Silence the World

The CCP has recognized that international NGOs are behind a series of human rights activities in China. The recent H&M boycott has put slave labor in Xinjiang under the spotlight.

H&M issued a statement of due diligence in October 2020 to ban cotton sourced from Xinjiang due to forced labor in the regional camps and factories, following the practice of cotton trade body Better Cotton Initiative (BCI).

Human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang have been documented in recent years. According to U.S. think tank Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy (formerly the Center for Global Policy), in 2018, three Uyghur regions alone mobilized at least 570,000 persons into cotton-picking operations through the governments coercive labor training and transfer scheme. Xinjiangs total labor transfer of ethnic minorities into cotton picking likely exceeds that figure by several hundred thousand.

Other international companies that follow BCI practices were also implicated in the H&M boycott, such as Nike and Adidas.

On March 26, BCIs China office in Shanghai said in a statement that not a single case related to incidents of forced labor was ever found in Xinjiang since its registration in 2012, according to the CCPs overseas media CGTN.

Farmers picking cotton in the fields during the harvest season in Hami, in northwest Chinas Xinjiang region on Sept. 20, 2015. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

CCP Blames NGOs for Inciting Hong Kongs Pro-Democracy Protests

In retaliation for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act bill imposed by the United States, Beijing announced on Dec. 2, 2019 that it would impose sanctions on a handful of NGOs that played an egregious role in the recent disturbance related to an amendment bill in Hong Kong, said foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying at a press briefing. The NGOs included the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the International Republican Institute, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House.

Hua said, A great amount of evidence proves that these NGOs have supported anti-China forces to create chaos in Hong Kong and made utmost efforts to encourage these forces to engage in extreme violent criminal acts, and also hyped separatism activities in Hong Kong.

The CCPs mouthpiece Peoples Daily published an article on Dec. 3, 2019 and lashed out at NGOs: These American NGOs, headed by the NED [National Endowment for Democracy] are the strategic pawns to export American democracy. Its purpose is to subvert the target state.  It is also the big sponsor of the Tibet independence and Xinjiang independence forces.

Peoples Daily also cited the CCPs Political and Legal Committees WeChat account Changan Jian, which stated that American NGOs are operators in the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong which began in mid-2019.

U.S.-based China affairs commentator Li Yanming told The Epoch Times that the CCP blames NGOs for starting the color revolution in Eastern Europe, and inciting international condemnation of the CCPs tyranny in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is worried that a revolution could happen in China, fearing that his political opponents will use NGOs and social organizations both at home and abroad to overthrow his regime, Li said.

The CCP Fears Civil Organizations

As early as 1996, the CCP has disclosed in a report, that civil organizations are a major hidden danger that undermines Chinas political and social stability.

It [civil organization] has close ties with anti-China and anti-communist forces in the West, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It uses politics as its purpose and uses academic research as a cover. It accepts donations and commissions from foreign hostile organizations. Some even acted as tools for opponents of Western hostile forces to infiltrate, subvert, and steal secrets from us, the report said.

Li believes that the CCP has always had a sense of political crisis since its establishment. In order to fulfill its ambition of dominating the world, the CCP uses draconian measures to ensure stability such as suppressing dissenters and those who criticize the regime.
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and police officers have been challenged to thoroughly investigate cases before arresting and referring matters to the National Prosecuting Authority.

They were also warned against abusing arresting powers. This was said by ZACC chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo during the graduation of the basic investigations training programme in Harare yesterday.

A total of 28 students graduated, while 16 others are expected to do the same two-month training at the commissions training academy.

Justice Matanda-Moyo said the role bestowed on them in various arms of Government involved in the fight against corruption could not be over- emphasised, particularly at a time when the country was striving to resuscitate the economy.

We are all cognisant to the fact that corruption imposes major economic, political and social instability in our country, she said.

Corruption remains one of the greatest barricades to the resuscitation of a thriving economy in Zimbabwe and hinders the prospects of the attainment of our Vision 2030.

Corruption knows no boundaries. It is estimated that Zimbabwe loses about US$1,8 billion annually due to corruption, smuggling, tax evasion/ avoidance, money laundering practices, illicit financial flows, externalisation of foreign currency, unlawful and illegit- imate deals and transactions, under- ground foreign-exchange transactions, under declaration of imports and exports among other corrupt conduct.

Justice Matanda-Moyo said one very important strategy of fighting corruption was being equipped with the necessary skills to fight the vice. She welcomed the newly recruited officers to Zacc.

Justice Matanda-Moyo said; You have all come from various back- grounds which include law, tax, audit, forensic science, security, financial intelligence and accounting, among others.

Accepting to be employed by Zacc is not only a confirmation that you are committed to serving your country, but an endorsement that above everything else you have the passion to fight cor- ruption, she said.

Justice Matanda-Moyo said cor- ruption was a specialised crime which required special knowledge and chal- lenged officers to execute their duties transparently, professionally, diligently and without fear or favour.

She said it was a known fact that cor- ruption was evolving due to its transnational nature, networks of criminals involved, increased globalisation and technological advancements.

Criminals do not sleep, they continuously devise new methods of avoiding detection and convictions, consequently making a mockery of our justice delivery system, said Justice Matanda-Moyo.

Hence, it is vital that we respond to these situations by continuously enhancing our skills to ensure that we move with the evolving pace of corruption. We need to sharpen our financial investigation techniques and make use of digital forensics for uncovering corruption.

Justice Matanda-Moyo said Zacc, they promised to execute their mandate without prejudice and to be competent, diligent and committed.

The event was attended by Com- missioner-General Godwin Matanga, Judicial Service Commission secretary Mr Walter Chikwana and other senior Government officials. Herald
New Delhi, April 1 : Mahindra & Mahindra sold a total of 40,403 units of its vehicles last month both in the domestic and the international markets.

On YoY basis, the sales numbers are multiple times higher than the 6,679 units sold in the pandemic-struck March last year, when India was moving towards a lockdown and Covid-19 cases surged rapidly.

The statement noted: "The growth in March 2021 over March 2020 has been unprecedented and is not comparable given the onset of pandemic during mid-March last year." In the utility vehicles segment, Mahindra sold 16,643 vehicles in March 2021, compared to 3,111 vehicles in March 2020, the company said in a statement. The passenger vehicles segment (which includes UVs, cars and vans) sold 16,700 vehicles in March 2021.

Veejay Nakra, Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd said: "At Mahindra we are witnessing very good momentum in demand and have a strong pipeline of bookings across our SUV range of Bolero, Scorpio, XUV300, All-New Thar and also the Bolero Pik-up. Infact Bolero volumes for March has been the highest in this financial year and despite supply constraints we have been able to ramp up production of Bolero Pik-up significantly during the month." He added that supply challenges are expected to remain for the next two to three months and then ease out gradually.

The company's total passenger vehicle sales during the financial year ended March 31, 2021 was over 1.57 lakh units, higher than 16 per cent lower than nearly 1.87 lakh units sold in the previous financial year.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Monrovia  Three witnesses in Monday's session of the ongoing war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi accused the Sierra Leonean former rebel leader of mass murder of civilians during Liberia's second civil war.

The first witness, codenamed "Soldier 13" by the court to hide his identity, was called by both the prosecution and defense lawyers. He was a commander of the Sixth Navy Division for the Liberian government forces under former President Charles Taylor. Appearing before the Finnish court, he accused Gibril Massaquoi and his operation commander "Salami" of massacring civilians in Waterside and Konia, Lofa County in 2001.

"I saw Massaquoi, 'Salami' and their men when they came in a pickup (truck) and opened fire on some civilians who went to look for food in a store in Waterside. I was not on the spot to see who gave the command to kill the civilians but I saw 'Salami' on top of the pickup, using a heavy caliber machine gun and shooting while Massaquoi and their men in the pickup all opened fire on the civilians," he said.

The witness said he carried the wounded civilians to JFK hospital and helped buried the dead. He reported the incident to Massaquoi's commander General Benjamin Yeaten, one of former President Taylor's most trusted commanders, and never saw Massaquoi again. 'Salami', he said, was killed on the bridge in Waterside.

"Soldier 13" said that in 2001 Massaquoi and his men massacred people in Konia Town, Lofa County near the Guinea border. When he and his men arrived soon after they arrested many of the RUF fighters and called Yeaten to report the incident. Yeaten brought Massaquoi and his men to Monrovia.

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Asked how and when he first met him Gibril Massaquoi, he responded: "I was assigned to Lofa in 2000 and Massaquoi introduced himself to me as spokesperson for the RUF. And how come we were fighting together in Waterside, was because when LURD (a faction trying to overthrow the Taylor government) bypassed and attacked Monrovia, Yeaten told our boss man Roland Doue to send for additional manpower. So when we arrived Monrovia, we met Massaquoi and Salami in Waterside."

In court "Soldier 13" responded to defense questions about the last time he saw Massaquoi saying it was in 2001. But in the police investigation leading up to the trial he had said it was 2003. The defense played a recording of the investigation interview for the court in which he gave the later date. "Soldier 13" explained the discrepancy claiming he was talking about Taylor turning over power to his vice president in 2003 by which time Massaquoi had left Liberia.

The witness expressed his shock as the recording was played and clearly contradicted that claim. "It was in 2003 Massaquoi and 'Salami' were in Liberia and 'Salami' was killed by rocket on Via Town Bridge and people were happy," he said in the recording. "But after that, I did not see Gibril Massaquoi again. And it was not long after Taylor turned power over to his VP Moses Blah."

The defense caught the witness contradicting himself about the massacre in Konia. "Solider 13" had said on the same day as the massacre in Konia in Lofa, Massaquoi gave the order to kill Jonny Paul Kromah, another Sierra Leonean rebel leader. The order was carried out.

Defense lawyer Kaarle Gunmerus asked the witness how it was possible that Jonny Paul Kromah was killed in 2001, when he contested in the 2002 general and presidential elections in Sierra Leone? The witness countered that he did not think it was the same Jonny Paul Kromah.
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR TO US WIRE SERVICES

Rogue has received a formal refusal from Quebec's Ministere des Forets, de la Faune et des Parcs ("MFFP") regarding the permit application for the Company's Silicon Ridge Project

After 6 years of investment, based on the continued perceived support and explicit signoffs along the way, the Company will now pivot to seek fair compensation of its investment, the project value, and other damages

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Rogue Resources Inc. (TSXV:RRS) ("Rogue" or the "Company") is deeply disappointed to announce that the Province of Quebec has chosen to refuse the permit process attempting to advance its 100% owned Silicon Ridge Project ("Project"), located approximately 42 kilometres ("km") north of Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, and 4 km northeast of Sitec's operating silica mine.

The Silicon Ridge Project represented an opportunity for the development of a quarrying operation with limited environmental impacts, operating within an area that currently supports active quarrying operations co-existing with the local wildlife. The Company designed its project to minimize the impacts on the wildlife and other stakeholders within the region. The local community was supportive of the Project for jobs (see News Release dated March 27, 2017) and Quebec-based buyers of the quartz were interested in the new supply, to help supply silicon metal production and Quebec's focus on the new green economy.

"It's very disappointing to be told that our Project is now officially blocked, but frankly, given the long delays in the process and lack of any open solution-oriented dialogue with MFFP representatives since mid-2017, it is not a total surprise", said Sean Samson, President and CEO of Rogue. "Rogue has remained consistent and transparent with the government throughout this process but we did not feel it was reciprocal. Rogue had listened to MFFP's initial, informal review of the Project and chose to significantly reduce its geographic footprint. I am convinced our projected disturbance was minimal and negligible compared to the average forestry operation in the area. I am saddened for our local team on the ground in the Charlevoix community, who wanted the long-term good paying jobs, and also for the Huron-Wendat Nation with whom we have a partnership agreement. We will work through the options from here with our advisors. While we see this as a setback to our objective of bringing Quebec's Silicon Ridge Project into production, Rogue has continued to advance our other projects, including the successful Rogue Stone - Limestone quarries in Ontario."

Brief Overview of Interaction with the Province of Quebec

Rogue acquired the Silicon Ridge Project in August 2014 and immediately began additional investments in developing the Project by spending on Exploration and Technical Analysis, using Quebec-based firms. Soon after Rogue initiated the programs, in 2015 the province (through SIDEX- an initiative of the Quebec government and the Fonds de solidarite des travailleurs du Quebec) invested directly into Rogue, to support the Company's work in the province.

Initially, the Province of Quebec (and the MFFP) were very supportive

In January 2015 the MFFP approved the extensive deforestation permit related to the initial drill plan. Combined with the permit from the Ministere de l'Energie et des Ressources naturelles ("MERN"), Rogue spent $3.5M on the Project's Exploration and Technical Analysis by April 30, 2016 (Rogue's fiscal year-end), using almost all Quebec-based suppliers.

Based on research conducted by Rogue's team using publicly available information on the Woodland Caribou, initial feedback from the MFFP and discussions with stakeholders in the community, Rogue voluntarily decided to improve the Project's original concept to minimize impact on the Woodland Caribou habitat and potential sightlines from the regional tourist areas. These improvements were across 4 main areas (this became the "2017 Project Plan"):

Footprint: The project area was reduced by over 50% between the 2016 and the 2017 Project Plans. Site Layout: Improved the design of waste piles to be behind ridges and barely visible from the Mont du Lac-des-Cygnes viewpoint in the Parc national des Grands-Jardins. Rogue proposed to upgrade existing trails/roads accessing the property as much as possible. Continuous Reclamation: Rogue proposed to shift to refilling the mining void on a regular basis with overburden and waste material to minimize the overall open cut. Operating Schedule: Rogue proposed to shift from year-round operation in the 2016 Project Plan to a limited "spring through fall" operation in the 2017 Project Plan. Rogue also anticipated additional restrictions during the important spring calving season.

The 2017 Project Plan was done voluntarily and was well received by representatives of the MFFP at meetings in February 2017.

Rogue applied for permits, everything hinged on MFFP

After the February MFFP meetings, Rogue submitted the Section 128.7 Authorization application and expected an expedited turnaround as had been discussed with MFFP representatives. Rogue publicly planned to target commercial operation in 2017 at Silicon Ridge (see News Release dated February 13, 2017).

It should be noted that the Company had also submitted the applications for:

The bail d'exploitation miniere permit ("BEX"). Based upon communications with the representatives of the MERN, Rogue was told that it had provided all of the required information for the Ministry to complete the application process except for the requirement that the MFFP provide its decision on the Section 128.7 Authorization; The Certificate of Authorization ("CofA") with Ministere de Developpement durable, de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques ("MDDELCC") and based on communications with representatives of the MDDELCC, Rogue had provided all of the required information for the Ministry to complete the application process except for the MFFP's Section 128.7 Authorization and the BEX from the MERN.

In summary, by April 2017 everything was complete for the Project to advance, pending the MFFP's Section 128.7 Authorization decision.

In the 12 months from April 30, 2016, during this period of continued positive feedback from the MFFP, Rogue spent an additional $900K on Environmental Studies, Exploration and Consultants, using almost all Quebec-based suppliers.

MFFP permitted additional spending in Spring 2017

On April 27, 2017 the MFFP approved an additional exploration program including the stripping of overburden from approximately 4,500 square metres, covering a portion of the quartzite on top of the ridge to expose the bedrock for detailed mapping, sampling and to confirm the depth of the overburden in the area (see News Release dated April 27, 2017). Despite approving the Exploration permit (and Rogue proceeding to spend more on the Project), no update was available on the Section 128.7 Authorization application.

After the MFFP approved this work, Rogue spent $460K on this Exploration program, using only local suppliers.

After the Spring 2017 spending, everything changed

The Company made numerous requests to the MFFP regarding its permit application, including email and meeting requests, for an estimate of when the decision on the Section 128.7 Authorization application would be reached and asked if any additional information was required to finalize a decision. Until a meeting in August, 2017 there were no substantive communications from the MFFP and the Company continued to be impacted by the lack of clarity on the timing for potential sales contract negotiations and a development decision for the project.

At the August 2017 meeting, the project was put on hold (see News Release dated August 10, 2017), the MFFP explained that a decision on the Section 128.7 Authorization application would not be made until a policy study forming part of the Province-wide action plan for the development of forest-dwelling caribou habitat was completed in Spring of 2018.

Deadlines passed and Promises were ignored

In March 2018, the MFFP informed Rogue that the MFFP's decision would be further delayed, until fall of 2018. No update was provided for the remainder of 2018 and most of 2019, despite continued attempts to seek information.

In November 2019, the MFFP agreed to a telephone update and explained that the Study was taking longer than expected and there was now no date for completion. The MFFP promised to keep Rogue updated if anything changed.

In March 2020, the Province of Quebec's Budget referenced the Woodland Caribou, including funding to "...support companies that could be impacted by measures in the government's future strategy". This was the first official mention of potential compensation of companies for impacts from the political inaction. When Rogue was able to ask MFFP about this it was explained as something "directed at the forestry companies".

In April 2020, the MFFP made a statement that Quebec would not act until 2022.

In early May 2020, Rogue met with the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change and explained that the Company was still waiting to hear back from the MFFP.

Later in May 2020, Rogue's management and representatives of the Board and external counsel participated in an update call with the MFFP. On the call the MFFP explained that Rogue would soon receive a decision, promising this by the end of June (one month away). Nothing was heard in response.

In June 2020, Rogue was invited to meet at La Malbaie with Minister Pierre Dufour of the MFFP and also the minister responsible for the region of Abitibi-Temiscamingue and the region of Nord-du-Quebec. This was a group session, with regional members of industry invited. No new details were presented or discussed.

In September 2020 Rogue was invited to participate in another industry meeting, this time in Quebec City. The Company was not able to attend this meeting in-person but again asked about the update promised on the May call and heard nothing in response.

In early October 2020 the MFFP accepted Rogue's continued requests for an update and held a videoconference with Rogue's management and representatives of the Board. During this call, the MFFP referred multiple times to the existence of zones which are "Hot Spots" (a non-technical, MFFP term) for the Woodland Caribou and that one Hot Spot is on Rogue's Project site. Rogue specifically asked how long had the MFFP known about this Hot Spot and was told that it was well documented internally and had been known for some years by the ministry. This was entirely new information for Rogue and was data that the Company had been asking for since the initial meetings with the MFFP in 2016. The MFFP promised to send full details in a letter.

Later in October 2020, Rogue received a letter from the MFFP which did not detail the information referred to on the videoconference, it did not include further information about Woodland Caribou Hot Spot on Rogue's specific Project site, but rather discussed broad generalities about habitat and seasons, which Rogue feels it had addressed with measures it had already taken to limit the habitat and operational impact of the Silicon Ridge Project.

This week's letter also included broad generalities, with none of the detail that Rogue has been continuously requesting.

Rogue was told that its permit application has been refused because of the feared impact of the project's specific land on the province's Woodland Caribou. Despite repeated promises to provide animal traffic data specific to Silicon Ridge, none has ever been provided. In December, media reports claimed that the Charlevoix Woodland Caribou herd was now down to 19 animals across the entire 4,000 square kilometer region1. The MFFP has GPS collars on most if not all of these animals and although repeatedly promising, never provides the area-specific information.

As also has been explained in detail, the Company's voluntary decision to shift to the 2017 Project Plan significantly limited its impact to 0.5 square kilometres. Rogue felt that it had addressed MFFP's original concerns with measures by limiting the habitat and operational impact of the Silicon Ridge Project and has respectfully requested for similar treatment as the neighboring quarry, owned by Sitec Amerique du Nord Inc. ("Sitec", now owned by Cambria, a US company based in Le Sueur, Minnesota), which has operated its quartz quarry for more than 50 years. Rogue's Silicon Ridge quarry clearly falls within the existing zone of impact as the Sitec quarry.

Over the past six years Rogue has been consistently transparent with various ministries of the Government of Quebec, including the MFFP, and in return, the various ministries, including the MFFP, have provided irregular and inconsistent communications to Rogue and now has delivered a formal refusal of the Company's application.

Given the encouragement to continue investing and creating good paying jobs in Quebec, the Government of Quebec, including the MFFP, have provided continued approvals and encouragement, which led Rogue to continue investing and developing its project. Rogue has remained consistent and has reacted positively to continued support and signoffs along the way. Similarly, Rogue has been consistent in stressing that if a permit is not to be issued, it would expect fair compensation. Rogue has invested more than $5M so far into the Silicon Ridge Project and the Project has been valued at almost 5x that amount by an independent study performed by Quebec based engineers and geologists (see News Release dated May 23, 2017). All of this spending has been audited, can be demonstrated and explained, and, most importantly was spent based on stage-gated approvals by the MFFP as the Company progressed.

Rogue has notified the Province of Quebec that it plans to explore all legal options open to it, to protect the Company and secure fair compensation.

About Rogue Resources Inc.

Rogue is a mining company focused on generating positive cash flow. Not tied to any commodity, it looks at rock value and quality deposits that can withstand all stages of the commodity price cycle. The Company includes Rogue Stone selling quarried limestone for landscape applications from two operating quarries in Ontario; Rogue Quartz focused on advancing its silica/quartz business with the Snow White Project in Ontario and the Silicon Ridge Project in Quebec; Rogue Timmins with the gold potential at Radio Hill and an ownership position in the private company EV Nickel, exploring in the Shaw Dome.

Qualified Person

The Company's Projects are under the direct technical supervision of Paul Davis, P.Geo., and Vice-President of the Company. Mr. Davis is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release. There are no known factors that could materially affect the reliability of the information verified by Mr. Davis.

For more information visit www.rogueresources.ca or contact:

+1-647-243-6581

info@rogueresources.ca

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains certain statements or disclosures relating to the Company that are based on the expectations of its management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company which may constitute forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "plans", "intends", "target", "estimates", "projects", "continue", "potential" and similar expressions, or are events or conditions that "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur or be achieved. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to the following: closing of future tranches of the Private Placement.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release reflect several material factors and expectations and assumptions of the Company including, without limitation: business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future; commodity prices; exploration and development costs; mining operations, drilling plans and access to available goods and services and development parameters; regulatory restrictions; the ability of the Company to obtain applicable permits; the ability of the Company to service its debt obligations; the Company's ability to qualify for government funded support programs; the Company's ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to it or at all; activities of governmental authorities (including changes in taxation and regulation); currency fluctuations; the unpredictable economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the acquisition of equipment and recruitment of human resources required for the sales expansion; the global economic climate; and competition.

The Company believes that the material factors, expectations and assumptions reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are reasonable at this time but no assurance can be given that these factors, expectations and assumptions will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance and should not be unduly relied upon. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements including, without limitation, those risks identified in the Company's most recent annual and interim management's discussion and analysis, copies of which are available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined in the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

1 Reported via https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1755320/caribous-charlevoix-declin-seuil-critique-enclos-faune

SOURCE: Rogue Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638671/Rogue-Update-Quebec-Refuses-Silicon-Ridge-Application
Monrovia  Reports from Maryland County in Southeastern Liberia said that House Speaker Bhofal Chambers' house in Pleebo, Sodoken District has been set ablaze, while angry protesters have stormed the Harper Central Prison, freeing 91 inmates.

In the wake of the incident, President George Weah has declared a daytime curfew in Maryland County from 6: AM to 6: PM.

The political officer in the office of Speaker Chambers, George Watkins, confirming the arson attack on the Speaker's house to FrontPageAfrica, said Police has arrested the alleged perpetrator only identified as Kalagbah who said he acted based on rumored that the Speaker ordered the police to use force on protesters in Harper city.

Recently, a group of angry people took to the streets in Pleebo, the county's commercial hub to protest the mysterious death of a motorcyclist identified as Mordecial Nyemah.

To calm the situation, Watkins said, the Speaker, exercising his responsibility as a senior citizen of the area, liaised with his colleagues and they engaged the Liberia National Police (LNP) to restore calm in the area and investigate the incident.

But rumors soon began to spread that the Speaker has ordered the Police to beat on the protesters and remove them off the streets forcefully, something he said that prompted Kalagbah to the set the four-bed room house, valued at US$100, 000 ablaze.

Responding to whether the Speaker ordered the LNP to forcefully remove the protesters off the streets, he said: "It is not true, the Speaker just exercised his responsibility and worked with his colleagues to see how calm can be restored on the ground. We leave it with the government of Liberia to do something about it."

Meanwhile, the Joint Security in the county has issued a search order against 91 inmates including the main subject of the latest violence, identified as Moses Mlamah who fled the Maryland Central Prison in Harper and called on the public to assist in re-arresting them.

In the statement, the Joint Security said beside releasing 91 prisoners, the prison was vandalized on March 30, 2021 by angry protesters from Pleebo and other surrounding towns, damaging important materials of the prisons.

The Joint Security also added that some of the items from the prison were looted by some community members and is requesting those behind the unwholesome act to turn in those items to the prison authority or call 0886-922-486/0770-243-749.

Excerpt of the statement: "The Joint security says whoever comes across Mr. Moses Mlamah, the accused should called these numbers: 0777-005-551/0886-839-991/0886-642-204. And for those who are on the run should also turn themselves in to the joint security of this county. Please note if they are refusing, their sentencing terms will be added if they are caught."

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Liberia Governance Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

While the search for the inmates continues, the Joint security is appealing to the public not to harbor any of the escapees, but to turn them in, assuring they will be accorded due process.

'Unlawful and totally Unacceptable'

Meanwhile, the Pleebo Sodoken District's student group has 'strongly' condemn the recent murder of Mordecial Nyemah, but also expressed dismay over the wave of violence that erupted in the wake of the incident, leading to the burning of the Speaker's House.

"This is unlawful and totally unacceptable," the group said.

"The alleged scale and gravity of these attacks by protesters mark a worrying escalation of violence. No cause can justify such brutality against the Speaker's house and even the senseless killing. Perpetrators should be held to account. We urge the security forces to exercise restraint in dealing with the situation and above all ensure that innocent civilians are not harmed."

The group further urged all students, communities and groups to reject violence, adding, "After years of insecurity and instability, it should be clear that violence is not the solution to the challenges facing Pleebo."
3 1 of 3 Yoichi Okamoto / LBJ Library photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 David Wiegold Photography, courtesy of the White House Historical Association. Show More Show Less 3 of 3 David Wiegold Photography, courtesy of the White House Historical Association. Show More Show Less





The White House will commemorate former president and native Texan Lyndon B. Johnson with its annual Christmas ornament featuring one of Johnsons most enduring quotes on social injustice and voting rights.

Designed by the White House Historical Association, the collectible ornament features a painting of a Christmas tree from the Johnsons White House Christmas card in 1967. Wreathed in Texas bluebonnets and cherry blossoms, the ornament is also a tribute to Lady Bird Johnson, the former First Lady and a patron of wildflower conservation.
She's an established actress in her own right, but Isla Fisher said she's often confused for Amy Adams.

In an interview with The Project on Thursday, the 45-year-old actress said she's learnt to laugh about the constant comparisons.

'We laugh about it because Amy has blue eyes and I've got brown, our husbands have laughed about it, too,' she said.

Twins: She's an established actress in her own right, but Isla Fisher (left) said she's often confused for Amy Adams (right)

But Isla said the comparisons have lessened amid the coronavirus pandemic, mainly because she hasn't been going out.

'I haven't had it for a while, but I think I've been inside my house in COVID for a year,' she joked.

'Now to be honest, I look forward to being recognised as anyone. I look forward to being out and about.'

'We laugh about it because Amy has blue eyes and I've got brown, our husbands have laughed about it, too,' she said on The Project

Look-alike: Isla said the comparisons have lessened amid the coronavirus pandemic, mainly because she hasn't been going out

Isla and Amy, 46, even starred together in the 2016 Jake Gyllenhaal thriller, Nocturnal Animals.

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2017, Isla revealed that even Lady Gaga confused her for Amy at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscars after party.

'I was there, all excited and dressed up at the bar and, you know, schmoozing with showbiz types, and the crowds parted and there was Lady Gaga,' she recounted.

Teaming up: Isla and Amy even starred together in the 2016 thriller, Nocturnal Animals. Pictured, (L-R) Armie Hammer, Amy, Isla, Jake Gyllenhaal and Aaron Taylor-Johnson at a photo call in LA in October 2016

'And she's heading right toward me, and she says, "Thank you. Your performance in American Hustle, Amy, was..." And I'm thinking, "Oh my gosh, it's Lady Gaga. I love her so much. I don't want to tell her the truth."

'So I just gracefully thanked her, bowed my head, okay? And then she wants to talk about the performance, and now I'm thinking, "I don't want to be a liar"

'And then I look over her shoulder and there's Amy Adams walking into the party. So I'm like, "There's Isla Fisher." I said, "She's not even nominated for anything. What's she doing here?"'

Striking similarities: In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2017, Isla revealed that even Lady Gaga confused her for Amy at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscars after party

In a separate interview with the US Today show in November 2016, Isla revealed she once stuck Amy's face over hers for her family's Christmas card and no one noticed.

'I cut-and-pasted Amy Adams's face over mine, so it was Sacha, Amy and the kids, and then we said, "Seasons greetings from Sacha and Isla"... And no one noticed,' she said.

'Everyone was like, "Oh, your card was so cute." I was like, "It was a joke, it's not me, it's Amy!"'
Demolition of structures and removal of land occupiers without a court order is unconstitutional, says advocate

The establishment and operation of the City of Cape Town's Anti-Land Invasion Unit (ALIU) is unlawful, because it is mandated to demolish structures without needing a court order, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) argued in the Western Cape High Court last week.

The case on the legality of evicting land occupiers was reheard in court after the matter could not be resolved by two judges in December 2020.

In its heads of argument, the SAHRC said that the ALIU "is not bound by the same rules and standards as SAPS or metro police" and that it is "merely a sub-department within the City".

Yet the ALIU exercises policing powers and uses force to remove land occupiers and demolish their homes, said Advocate Norman Arendse, representing the SAHRC.

The SAHRC also argued that counter-spoliation - when a dispossessed owner immediately and forcibly takes back possession of their property - has been used by the City to justify the demolition of structures and removal of land occupiers without getting a court order.

Arendse argued that counter-spoliation is unconstitutional "because it allows the City to circumvent the provisions of the ... PIE [Act]". PIE is the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act, which prohibits unlawful evictions and provides for procedures to be followed to evict unlawful occupiers. Arendse argued that any eviction "must be dealt with under court supervision" and the PIE Act.

Reliance on counter-spoliation could "give rise to the possibility of abuse", said Arendse.

The EFF, also an applicant in the case, said "the City should not be left to be judge and executioner" when it comes to the removal of structures.

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Advocate Tshidiso Ramogale, for the EFF, said that in a dispute about property "it shouldn't be the land owner who makes the decision" but rather the court.

"No one should be able to usurp the functions of the court ... and this is what counter-spoliation does," said Ramogale.

Background to the case

The applicants in the case, the SAHRC and the EFF, made their arguments before three judges - Judge Vincent Saldanha, Judge Hayley Slingers, and Judge Mokgoatji Dolamo.

In August last year, a Western Cape High Court judgement ruled that the City of Cape Town's Anti-Land Invasion Unit (ALIU) will not be allowed to evict anyone or demolish their homes without a court order while the country is in a national state of disaster.

The SAHRC wants the ruling to extend beyond the national state of disaster. But in December last year, Judges Yasmin Meer and Judge Rosheni Allie could not reach a consensus on the matter. It was decided that the matter should be heard again before a full bench of three judges.

The hearing began with arguments made by the applicants. The matter will continue for another three days at a date yet to be confirmed.
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... or is it? In 2014, Wes Craven revealed that his inspiration for A Nightmare on Elm Street came in part from an L.A. Times article about a young man plagued by nightmares after escaping the Killing Fields in Laos. He eventually stopped sleeping, telling his family that "he was afraid that if he slept, the thing chasing him would get him." After he eventually succumbed, his family "heard screams in the middle of the night, [and] by the time they got to him, he was dead. He died in the middle of a nightmare."

Coincidence? Maybe. In fact, it's hard to find that particular story in the L.A. Times archive, so it's possible that Craven unknowingly invented these details over the decades, but the newspaper really did run a series of articles in the early '80s about an epidemic of healthy young Southeast Asian refugees who mysteriously died of sudden cardiac arrest after screaming in their sleep.

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

Several theories have been proposed over the years to explain the deaths in a non-spooky way, but none of them are quite satisfactory. The refugee community themselves believed it was probably a side effect of chemical warfare, but no sign of poisoning was evident in the victims, although symptoms of night terrors were. It's also a phenomenon that, while less prevalent, goes back to at least 1917. And it doesn't really explain the screaming.
He had just finished grocery shopping, but a New Mexico man got much more than he bargained for when he returned to his car in the stores parking lot: A swarm of 15,000 honey bees had taken over the back seat.

The man, whose name was not released, had left a window down in a Buick while he made a 10-minute stop at an Albertsons supermarket on Sunday afternoon in Las Cruces, N.M., the authorities said.

It wasnt until he had started to drive away that he noticed that something was amiss, according to the Las Cruces Fire Department.

Then he turned back and looked and like was, Holy Cow,  Jesse Johnson, an off-duty firefighter and paramedic whose hobby is beekeeping, said of the mans reaction in an interview on Wednesday. He called 911 because he didnt know what to do.
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.

Signs new agreement in Colombia, plans further development activity in Argentina, and announces contemplated share issue

29 March 2021

Interoil Exploration and Production ASA (Interoil or the "Company") is pleased to announce a new transaction which adds further momentum to the Companys exploration activity in Colombia. In addition, Interoil will invest in further development activity in Argentina.

In Colombia, Interoil has signed a participation agreement with SLS and Quantum Resources for the drilling of up to two exploration wells in LLA-47, namely Jaca.x-1 and Malevo.x-1. This agreement is subject to Interoils obtainment of the funding required to meet its obligations under the agreement.

In Argentina, Interoil will invest in the re-opening of the remaining 19 wells in the Mata Magallanes Oeste (MMO) oil field. The Company had earlier signed an agreement with Argentine drilling services company Velitec SA, for the re-opening of an initial 15 wells.

The contemplated issue of new shares in the Company (the Share Issue) announced herein is aimed at securing funding for the investments mentioned above. The Share Issue will be based on a Norwegian national prospectus covering the offering of new shares with gross proceeds of up to NOK 37 million.

Leandro Carbone, CEO of Interoil, commented:



These are exciting times for Interoil and our shareholders. We are very encouraged by the overwhelming investor response from the previous share issue, and I am looking forward to presenting to existing and new investors with the opportunity to participate in the Companys exploration campaign in LLA-47, where we deepen our long-lasting partnership with SLS and Quantum Resources. Interoil recognizes that the Jaca.x-1 and Malevo.x-1 exploration prospects are very promising and should untap potential oil resources that could be transformative to Interoils future production profile. In addition, the complete re-opening of our wells at MMO promises to further unlock valuable barrels in Argentina.

Interoil will be streaming an investor webinar on 6 April at 14:00 hours CEST. Leandro Carbone will provide a brief presentation of the Companys investment plans in Colombia and Argentina, followed by a Q&A session. The Company invites all interested investors to join the online event by registering via this link: https://www.vhgo.no/interoil/

Exploration Colombia

Drilling of the Jaca.x-1 and Malevo.x-1 exploration prospects in the LLA-47 block will commence shortly. As part of the agreement, SLS and Quantum Resources will retain a 22 percent equity interest in the well and cover 60 percent of the drilling expense. The cost of the Jaca.x-1 well is estimated at between US$ 2.9 million (for a dry well) and US$ 3.2 million (for a successful discovery); while the cost for the Malevo.x-1 well is estimated at between US$ 3.1 million (for a dry well) and US$ 3.3 million (for a successful discovery).

The Jaca.x-1 well will target the Carbonera formation. Interoil estimates the prospective resources at Jaca.x-1 to amount to 4.0 MMbbls with a 30 percent probability of success. The Malevo.x-1 well is a twin exploration well to Vikingo.x-1, where the primary exploration target will be the Gacheta formation and will also target the Carbonera formation to optimize its development. Interoils exploration commitment at LLA-47 consists of a total of 9 wells to be drilled by February 2022.

If any of the wells result in commercial discovery and production, 55% of the net oil operating income (oil sales after royalties and operating and lifting costs) will be allocated to repay the investments, 40% Interoil and 60% SLS and Quantum Resources. The remaining 45% will be split as per equity interest. Once investment pay-out is reached, then the net oil operating income will be split as per equity interest, with 78% share to Interoil.

Argentina MMO field re-opening

Plans in Argentina involve the complete re-opening of the remaining 19 oil wells at the MMO field. Interoil expects to reach a total daily production estimated at around 230 bopd (from the current 17 bopd) once all wells are re-opened, including the 120 bopd resulting from the intervention of the first 15 wells in partnership with Velitec SA.

The investment will be carried by Interoil. Under the JV agreement, Petrominera Chubut SE (Petrominera), a minority JV partner that is the Provincial Governments oil and gas and mining company, is not required to make cash contributions for the proposed investment. Funding by Interoil of such portion of the investment shall be repaid with the future net oil operating income (oil sales after royalties and lifting costs) corresponding to Petromineras participating interest that shall be allocated to reimburse Interoil until Petromineras share in the investment program is fully covered. Once investment pay-out is reached, then the net oil operating income will be split as per equity interest, with 80% share to Interoil.

Progress with Mazorca.x-1 and first 15 wells at MMO

Interoil has already initiated contact with local communities to introduce the scope of drilling in Mazorca.x-1. Furthermore, Interoil and Petroland SAS have agreed on the commercial terms for the engagement of the drilling rig. The contract is expected to be signed in the coming days.

At MMO, Interoil requested the necessary certifications and approvals of the drilling rig prior to accepting it for the work-over program.

Share Issue

The Company is announcing an offering of new shares in the Company with gross proceeds of up to NOK 37 million. The Share Issue is directed towards Norwegian investors and international institutional investors pursuant to and in compliance with applicable exemptions from relevant registration, filing and prospectus requirements, and subject to other applicable selling restrictions. The minimum subscription amount in the Share Issue will be NOK 10,000. The Share Issue will be governed by a national prospectus registered in Norway (the "Prospectus").

The net proceeds from the Share Issue will be used for capital investments in the well/s and development activities above-mentioned. The Company decided that the best alternative is to raise the necessary funding for the investment program through the Share Issue.

The subscription price in the Share Issue is established at 1.46 NOK per share. This price was calculated on the basis of a 90-day, volume-weighted average price plus a 10 percent discount, as of close of business 26 March 2021. The application period commences on 6 April 2021 at 09:00 (CEST) and will close on 13 April 2021 at 16:30 hours (CEST). The Company reserves the right to close or extend the application period at any time at its sole discretion, at short notice.

Instructions on how to submit applications in the Share Issue, as well as expected timeline for settlement and delivery of shares will be published by the Company in the Prospectus which will be published by the Company prior to the application period. The final allocation will be made at the discretion of the Board.

The completion of the Share Issue is conditional upon approval by the Board. The Company has considered the Share Issue in light of the equal treatment obligations under the Norwegian Securities Trading Act and the rules on equal treatment under Oslo Rule Book II for companies listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and the Oslo Stock Exchange's Guidelines on the rule of equal treatment, and the Board is of the opinion that the contemplated transaction is in compliance with these requirements and guidelines. Taking into consideration the time, costs and expected terms of alternative methods of the securing the desired funding, the Board has concluded that offering new shares in a Share Issue on acceptable terms at this time is in the common interest of the shareholders of the Company.

Advokatfirmaet Schjdt AS is acting as legal advisor to the Company in connection with the Share Issue.

***************************

Please direct further questions to ir@interoil.no

Registration for the webinar on 6 April 2021: https://www.vhgo.no/interoil/

Interoil Exploration and Production ASA is a Norwegian based exploration and production company - listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange - with focus on Latin America. The Company is operator and license holder of several production and exploration assets in Colombia and Argentina. Interoil currently employs approximately 50 people and is headquartered in Oslo.

SLS is a Colombian drilling services company.

Quantum Resources is a Colombian E&P company.

This notice contains information which is considered inside information pursuant to the European Market Abuse Regulation. The notice has been published by Mr. Geir Arne Drangeid (Partner and Senior Advisor, First House AS) at 08:30 CEST on 29 March 2021.

The notice is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5 -12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.




Professor Sam McConkey has said the governments decision to change to an age-based vaccine roll-out system favours pragmatism - but urged caution in easing restrictions.

Irelands National Vaccination Programme is to take a new approach and to change to an age-based system once over 70s, vulnerable people, and those with underlying conditions are vaccinated.

Following expert advice given to the Government, the new arrangement aims to simplify vaccination rollout once the Johnson & Johnson doses arrive later this month.

The changes have been harshly criticised by teachers and gardai, who were expecting vaccinations to be administered on an occupational basis, as per the original plan.

Professor Sam McConkey, infectious disease specialist at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI), said that hes on the fence about the change but that both plans have their merits.

Read More

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast today, he explained: Im probably on the fence. I think it could work either way. I can see merits in both sides.

The option the Government has chosen is one favouring pragmatism, ease of delivery, feasibility. Its easier to roll it out if its just a simple criterion of age.

"There's nothing complicated.

When you have 19 different categories and you have to say Are you this? and Are you that?, everything becomes harder whereas having really simple criteria allows for a really massive rollout.

"As long as we get loads of vaccines in the next month or two, I think people will be happy with it.

Currently, Level 5 restrictions are set to loosen from April 12th, with the 5km travel limit being lifted and construction resuming.

However, Professor McConkey warned that the Government should be cautious when easing restrictions this month.

He said: I think the Governments learned from that experience which went very badly for all of us and they really, really dont want to repeat it.

"We can all make a mistake once... but making the same mistake twice is a very bad thing.

We do have a hopeful, better way out of this permanent social distancing which we all hate, and this vaccine gives us that hope.

But we just dont have our million doses right now because we havent been able to get our hands on it.

"Were told that thats improving and if it does then thats a way out of it, he continued.

I suppose the hope is that now we will have broadly a million doses of vaccines for Covid in April and then a million in May, a million in June because these vaccines seem to be so effective.
President Joe Biden is shifting his focus from the pandemic to boosting the economy. On Wednesday, he unveiled a $2 trillion infrastructure plan.

"It's a once-in-a-generation investment in America, unlike anything we've seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago. In fact, it's the largest American jobs investment since World War II," Biden said "It's big, yes. It's bold, yes. And, we can get it done."

The American Jobs Plan would improve roads and bridges across the country, boost manufacturing, expand broadband access and replace all lead pipes carrying drinking water. Biden says his plan will create millions of jobs that will help the economy grow.

People in North Alabama had mixed opinions on the plan, but there's one thing they all agreed with  the roads need improvements.

"They're pretty messed up. It could be due to the weather we've had recently, but they do need work done," James Mannis.

Mannis, along with many others, says roads in North Alabama need improvement. The state passed a gas tax increase in 2019 to help fix them.

"They're getting better. I see there's a lot of work going on," James Carter said.

The American Jobs Plan would invest $621 billion to rebuild 20,000 miles of roads, 10,000 bridges, public transit, waterways and ports.

"People have to get around. Money don't stop, you know," Carter said. "If we don't have roads to get to the places we need to get, then how are we going to make the money?"

However, many are concerned with the plan's $2 trillion price tag.

"I think it's too much, way too much of a bill for sure," Mannis said.

To help pay for eight years of spending, Biden is proposing to raise taxes on major companies. The corporate income tax rate would increase from 21% to 28%. The rate had been as high as 35% before former President Trump cut taxes in 2017.

"President Trump dropped that so that they could hire more people, and get more people to come in from other countries that had left. Now, you're going to have people pack their backs and go back out of the country," US Sen. Tommy Tuberville said.

"That's totally opposite of what we need."

Tuberville says Biden's plan is not feasible.

"You can't tax enough to pay for this. There's not enough money in this country," Tuberville said.

Some people in North Alabama are also concerned with the corporate tax increase.

"Bigger companies could use to spend a little more, but probably a bit more than he's wanting to put out on them," Mannis said.

Meanwhile, others say they can afford to pay the higher taxes.

"They can give back. Why not make the world beautiful?" Carter said. "If that's the way they can give back to the community, I think that they should do it. It shouldn't hurt their pockets."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she hopes to pass the American Jobs plan by July 4th if not later that month.

Biden will announce a second part of his proposal later in April. It will focus on health care and home-based issues.

Biden says both plans are essential for our economic future.
In an effort to strengthen the inclusive and transparent character of the process of implementation of the Harmonized System (HS), the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) has recently made available the HS 2022 amendments to its Common External Tariff for public consultation. All SACU Member States - Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa - have simultaneously placed draft tariff amendments on their official web-sites, inviting comments and feedback from the public.

Public consultation on draft tariff amendments is part of the SACU strategy to improve the process of migration of Unions Common External Tariff to new versions of the HS. The strategy is intended at ensuring that the process is handled in a meaningful and transparent fashion, creating a level playing field for all stakeholders wishing to contribute to this work. The SACU has been successfully implementing the strategy in cooperation with the EU-WCO Programme for Harmonized System in Africa (HS-Africa Programme), funded by the European Union.

The publication of draft tariff amendments is one of the initial phases in the process of implementation of the HS 2022 amendments. Comments and feedback received from the public will be discussed at a regional workshop to be held later in the year, which will be followed by further consultations before the amended tariff is finalised.

The improved mechanism of involving public in the tariff amendment process provides better opportunities for traders and other interested parties to comment on the proposed tariff amendments. It also increases the level of awareness of the public about upcoming changes in advance of their entry into force, in line with the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement requirements.

For more details, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
The Government-backed review of racial disparities in Britain gives racists the green light, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence has said.

Baroness Doreen Lawrence said the authors of the report are not in touch with reality.

Her comments come after the report said that geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion all affect life chances more than racism.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that more work needs to be done to tackle very serious issues of racism in Britain.

Baroness Lawrence was made a peer in 2013 after campaigning for justice for her son who died in 1993 following a racially motivated attack in south-east London.

Speaking at a public event organised by De Montfort University Leicesters (DMU) Stephen Lawrence Research Centre on Wednesday, she said: When I first heard about the report my first thought was it has pushed [the fight against] racism back 20 years or more.

I think if you were to speak to somebody whose employer speaks to them in a certain way, where do you go with that now? If a person is up for promotion and has been denied that, where does he go with that now?

You know, all these things weve been working for and showing that structural racism exists  we talk about the pandemic when you look at how many of our people have died, all the nurses, the doctors, the frontline staff, of Covid, and to have this report denying that those people have suffered they are denying that the likes of my son was murdered through racism and the fact that it took 18 years to get justice for him. The report is denying all those issues.

Those people who marched for Black Lives Matter? Its denying all of that. The George Floyd stuff? Its denied all of that.

So those who sit behind this report (saying) that racism doesnt exist or it no longer exists need to speak to the young boys who are stopped and searched constantly on the street. They need to speak to those young people.

Boris Johnson has said that more work needs to be done to tackle very serious issues of racism in Britain (Scott Heppell/PA)

Baroness Lawrence continued: They (the report authors) are not in touch with reality basically. Thats what it boils down to. When you are privileged you do not have those experiences.

My son was murdered because of racism and you cannot forget that. Once you start covering it up, it is giving the green light to racists.

You imagine whats going to happen come tomorrow. Whats going to happen on our streets with our young people? You are giving racists the green light.

Ministers have been facing a backlash over the report since its publication, with Boris Johnsons most senior black adviser Samuel Kasumu quitting, despite No 10 insisting his departure was absolutely nothing to do with the report.

Asked on Thursday about Mr Kasumus resignation, Mr Johnson said: I worked very closely with Samuel in the last year or so and hes done some great stuff.

I thank him very much, particularly on helping to encourage vaccine take-up amongst more hesitant groups and communities.
(Natural News) With the murder case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin falling apart, the fake news media may be resorting to jury intimidation to get the scalp they need to provide fuel for the far-left Black Lives Matter revolution.

(Article by Shane Trejo republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

The New York Times is publishing personal information about the jurors in the Chauvin case. Chauvin faces second-degree murder charges for the death of serial felon George Floyd, who had a tremendous amount of fentanyl in his system as he died in police custody.

A white intensive care nurse who said if she saw someone on the street who needed help, she would feel obligated to step in. A Black grandmother who said she had no personal experience with the police or the criminal justice system, the Times article began.

It continued: A white widow who rides a motorcycle in her spare time and said she believes that all lives matter. A Black man who works in banking and said he was eager to serve on the jury of the most historic case of my lifetime.

These are some of the jurors appointed to weigh the evidence in the case of Derek Chauvin, the white former police officer who is accused of murdering George Floyd, a Black man, the Times added.

Reporters obtained questionnaires filled out by jurors in order to discern details about their identities and reveal them to the public. The identities of the jurors are being protected by the court due to safety concerns.

The racial makeup of the jury was more diverse than many expected  in fact, the jury has a higher percentage of Black people than the city of Minneapolis, which is about 20 percent Black. But strong views about racism and police brutality based on personal experience could be enough to get passed over, the Times wrote about their analysis of the jury.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com and NYTWatch.com
Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan's federal cabinet rejected an Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) proposal to import cotton and sugar from India, reported local media on Thursday. The rejection comes a day after the top economic body gave a go ahead to the import of cotton, cotton yarn and sugar from the neighbouring country.

A proposal of the ECC to import cotton yarn and sugar from India was rejected by the cabinet on Thursday, according to a news report by Pakistan's Geo News that quoted its sources.

Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said on Twitter that only after the cabinet's approval will the decision be considered "approved by the government".

"Just for the record  All ECC decisions have to be approved by cabinet & only then they can be seen as 'approved by govt'! So today in the cabinet there will be a discussion on ECC decisions including trade with India and then the government decision will be taken! The media should be aware of this at least!" Mazari wrote in a tweet.

The U-turn comes a day after Finance Minister Hammad Azhar announced on Wednesday that will buy sugar and cotton from India, lifting a ban on their import from the neighbouring country imposed in the wake of heightened tension over Kashmir in 2019.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), which was chaired by Azhar.

Azhar said that the meeting discussed 21 items on the agenda, including import of cotton and sugar from India, which it allowed after detailed discussions.

The resumption of import of these goods would have led to partial revival of bilateral trade relations, which were suspended after the August 5, 2019 decision of India to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The private sector was allowed to import 5 lakh tonnes of white sugar from India, he said.

He also said that the government had allowed sugar to be imported from other countries, however, the price of the commodity in other countries was also high.

"However, in our neighbouring country India, the price of sugar is quite cheap," he said, reported PTI on Wednesday.

He said the government estimated a difference of 15-20 per cent in sugar prices in India as compared to

Talking about the reason for allowing the import of cotton from India, Azhar said that there was a high demand for it because Pakistan's textile exports had increased but last year's cotton crop was not good.

Azhar also said that will import cotton from India starting June this year.
Matt Horne, a 150,000-a-year deputy assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard (pictured in 2018), has been moved to an alleged backroom job

A top Met officer appointed head of professional standards despite bullying colleagues has been quietly dropped from his role as he faces criminal prosecution over a separate allegation.

Matt Horne, a 150,000-a-year deputy assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard, has been moved to an alleged backroom job.

He was found guilty of three counts of misconduct in 2018 while serving at Essex Police. As deputy chief constable, he pushed a chief superintendent into a desk and later hurled a stress ball at his throat. He also repeatedly swore at a colleague with his fists clenched.

After Mr Horne, 51, joined the Met as head of professional standards in February 2019, further allegations were made that he had illegally accessed confidential information to undermine the bullying probe.

The police watchdog notified the Met of its investigation in October 2019 and he was placed on restricted duties the following March.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has since passed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which is considering criminal charges under the Data Protection Act.

It has now emerged that Mr Horne has been made senior responsible officer in charge of futures work  ensuring the Met is fit for the future  as the force awaits a decision on charges.

In an earlier statement, he said: I have co-operated fully with the IOPC investigation and will continue to do so.
The risks of exacerbation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh are minimal now, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister, co-chair of the trilateral working group Alexei Overchuk, which was held in Baku today.

The corresponding message was published on the official website of the Azerbaijani president.

Greeting the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Ilham Aliyev stressed the progress made by the trilateral group on unblocking transport links in the region, noting that very intensive consultations were underway. The head of state added that he was regularly informed of their progress. He expressed satisfaction with the fact that the earlier decision had turned out to be correct and that there are already concrete results, noting that five meetings had already taken place, both face-to-face and in a video conference format.

Thus, the President of Azerbaijan pointed out there is a topic for discussion, which is very important in terms of economic preferences, regional cooperation and strengthening security and peace in the South Caucasus. "Moreover, the post-conflict situation is positive as a whole, the risks of escalation are minimal. The more elements of cooperation there are, the stronger the security and stability will be," Ilham Aliyev stressed.

Alexei Overchuk expressed gratitude to Ilham Heydar for the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the work that is being carried out within the framework of the tripartite working group of deputy prime ministers on unblocking economic and transport links in the region. "Indeed, we have made some progress and the work is being done in close contact. We are always in touch with both the Azerbaijani and the Armenian sides. Indeed, we have established very good contacts here," the Russian politician said.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - A Belgian Malinois that was part of the El Paso Canine Centers puppy program and raised in Yuma Sector has retired after more than seven years of Border Patrol service.

Kirpy worked his final shift with his handler, Border Patrol Agent Rolando Carbajal, on Friday.

Kirpy was born at the CBP Canine Center El Paso (CCEP) on Thanksgiving Day in 2012 and was given to the Yuma Sector Border Patrol Canine Unit at four months old to be reared and trained. BPA Carbajal, who is a certified canine instructor, conducted the majority of Kirpys training and subsequently became his handler.

Kirpy was trained to detect the presence of concealed humans and the odors of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy. Throughout his career, Kirpy detected more than $85,000 worth of marijuana and hashish, more than $140,000 worth of methamphetamine, and several concealed humans. In addition to working at USBP immigration checkpoints, in the field, at the San Luis and Andrade ports of entry, and in support of other local law enforcement agencies, Kirpy also regularly participated in public demonstrations at schools, RV parks and at community events. In fact, public demonstrations are what Kirpy is known best for.

That dog was awesome, said Special Operations Supervisor Mark Sims. We used Kirpy whenever we had demos. He could do it all and his temperament was really good.

Agent Carbajal said he was affectionately referred to as Kirpy the Flying Dog, especially by school kids. Part of Carbajal and Kirpys regular routine while visiting schools was to ask the kids if they had ever seen a flying dog. He would them tell them that Kirpy was such a dog. Then Carbajal would reward Kirpy with a toy after finding and alerting to a trained odor and spin him through the air while Kirpy held on to his toy. Kirpy literally appeared to be flying.

The kids would just go nuts, Carbajal said.

Kirpy was named at CCEP after fallen Nogales Border Patrol Agent Alexander Kirpnick, who was killed in the line of duty on June 3, 1998, while attempting to arrest smuggling suspects. CCEP often chooses names of fallen agents for their canines as a way of honoring and remembering them.

Now that Kirpy is retired, Carbajal said he is living the life of a pet and getting to do everything with the humans in the house. His first outing as a retiree was on a fishing trip to the river. Carbajal said his oldest son has pretty much taken ownership of Kirpy and he now sleeps on a dog bed in his sons bedroom.

Hes loving retirement, Carbajal said. Hes able to come inside and hang out. Everything is new [for him].

Carbajal continues to work as a handler and instructor and is currently training with a new partner, a German shepherd. This will be his third canine partner.
Outdoors lovers, rejoice: the development of Texas' first new state park in nearly two decades is currently underway.

Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, located about four hours north of San Antonio and 75 miles west of Fort Worth, spans nearly 5,000 acres and includes rolling hills, stunning vistas and a massive body of water called Tucker Lake.

Once open, Texans can head to Palo Pinto for hiking, camping, fishing and more. It will also include an extensive network of trails for hikers, bikers and horseback riders. Other highlights include RV parks, primitive camp sites, playgrounds and picnic areas.

READ MORE: The 11 best glamping getaways are just a road trip away from Houston

When that opening date might be, however, is still unknown.

The project began in 2011 when a 3,300-acre portion of former ranch land was purchased by Texas Parks & Wildlife. Currently, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the state's parks department, is working to raise about $9 million for Palo Pinto.

The state park opening process is multi-phased and informed by a lot of surveying. Though the financial goal has yet to be met, building and development has officially, if tentatively, kicked off.

If you want to donate to the Texas State Park effort, whether you want to help conserve the land (or selfishly want to expedite the road trip scheduled on your calendar) you can contribute a donation online.

Camille Sauers is a freelance writer based in San Antonio. Follow her on twitter @camillesaccount. Send her emails to camillefrancissauers@gmail.com
Find lease deals at Hyundai of St. Augustine.

The Hyundai Spring Sales Event is now at Hyundai of Saint Augustine in Florida. This dealership has a variety of vehicle deals for customers to take advantage of. Included in this sales event for a variety of Hyundai models, including the 2021 Hyundai Tucson, 2021 Hyundai Elantra, 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe and the 2021 Hyundai Kona.

From 0% percent APR for 60 months, plus 90 days of no payments and, for some models, $1500 bonus cash, there are many of incentives for customers to shop at Hyundai of Saint Augustine. Such deals include:

2021 Hyundai Tucson with 0% for 60 months plus $1500 bonus cash and 90 days of no payments

2021 Hyundai Elantra with 0% APR for 60 months, plus 90 days of no payments

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe with 0% APR for 60 months, plus 90 days of no payments

2021 Hyundai Kona with 0% APR for 60 months plus $1500 bonus cash and 90 days of no payments

Customers who are interested in taking advantage of the Spring Sales Event that Hyundai is currently offering are encouraged to contact Hyundai of St. Augustine today. This local Hyundai dealership has an expert team who would be more than willing to assist any customer in finding their future vehicle, as well as explaining more about the current sales offered.

Additional information about these sales can be found at http://www.hyundaiofstaugustine.com. Customers who are interested in learning more about their future vehicle can also contact the dealership at 2898 US 1 South in St. Augustine or by calling 904-417-8981.
 Flash

Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi met with Cambodian ambassador to China Khek Caimealy Sysoda, Lao ambassador to China Khamphao Ernthavanh, and Kuwaiti ambassador to China Sameeh Essa Johar Hayat respectively on Wednesday, calling for efforts to enhance bilateral relations with these Asian countries.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said China is ready to work with the three countries to promote cooperation. It includes fighting the pandemic, jointly building the Belt and Road with high quality, enhancing multilateral coordination, and jointly safeguarding international justice, as well as regional peace and stability.

China's top legislature on Tuesday voted unanimously to adopt the amended Annex I and Annex II to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Yang stressed that this is a move to improve Hong Kong's electoral system, aiming to implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong." It also aims to ensure long-term stability in Hong Kong and the steady implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy.

"This move complies with the common interests of China as well as of the international community," Yang said.

China is determined to safeguard Hong Kong's stability, national sovereignty, security and development interests, said Yang, adding that China would continue to protect other countries' lawful rights in Hong Kong and welcomes the international community to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with Hong Kong across the board.

The ambassadors from the three countries expressed gratitude for China's support in fighting the pandemic. They said they would continue to promote friendly relations and cooperation between their countries and China.

They said Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs, and their countries would continue to firmly adhere to the "one country, two systems" policy. They would also support China's legitimate position on Hong Kong issues and believe that Hong Kong would achieve prosperity and stability in the long run.
VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI  At 49, Shannon ODay Brown was healthy and active. She took precautions against COVID-19, but the virus still left her in a fight for her life.

Brown is that mother who would be embarrassing to her kids in middle school and then fun in high school, her son Jonah Brown said. With kids ages 14 to 21, shes been involved in all their activities at Mattawan Consolidated School and always helping the community.

When local nurse realized on Feb. 23 that she had been exposed to COVID-19, she quarantined away from her kids so she wouldnt get them sick, boyfriend Jeff Stevens said. He also had COVID-19, but recovered.

Brown tested positive for COVID-19 on March 1, Stevens said. Her symptoms quickly escalated and she went to a hospital March 5. She was turned away because they said she wasnt in enough distress.

A nurse for 20 years, Brown was the last person to go to the hospital for treatment of an illness because she knew when symptoms were serious enough to seek help, Jonah Brown, 18, said. She told her son she was worried she was going to die in her sleep.

The next morning, Saturday, March 6, she was admitted to Ascension Borgess Hospital and was moved to the intensive care unit within four hours, Stevens said.

Browns condition was declining every day in the hospital. Her supplemental oxygen was increased each day until she was intubated and put on a ventilator on March 17, Stevens said. Once on the ventilator, her supplemental oxygen was increased until it was at 100%.

She eventually declined to a point where hospital officials in Kalamazoo told the family on March 25 there was nothing else they could do for her, niece Autumn Forster said. Forster is Browns patient advocate and talks with the care team daily.

Shes 49, otherwise heathy, no medical conditions  a very healthy, active person, Forster said. This is why I want people to know her story. This is so serious, and it can affect you and take you out, out of nowhere.

Brown needed treatments to help her lungs, but Borgess could no longer help, Forster said. The University of Michigan Health System agreed to take Brown by helicopter to Ann Arbor and treat her there. The family was warned the Brown might not survive the flight.

They held a vigil outside Borgess in the evening of March 25, with about 100 people. As it ended, Forster got the call Brown would be leaving by helicopter in a few minutes. The family raced to launch pad to say goodbye.

Hearing they had to air fly her was a reality check in a way, like Oh my God, its that serious. Its that bad, Jonah Brown said. That was a really scary thing to witness.

In the days Brown has been in Ann Arbor, she has had small daily victories and is improving. She is no longer intubated, and her supplemental oxygen was cut in half, although she is still on a ventilator, Forster said.

Forster gets a daily call from Browns doctor with updates about her condition and how the treatment is going.

If you have a family member with COVID thats hospitalized, get them to UM, Forster said. Im not saying other hospitals dont do what they can do based on their protocols, but because the different variants of COVID and because its still a virus that hospitals are learning about, research hospitals to me - I would go to UM.

Brown is stubborn and has always been strong, her family said. She birthed four kids without pain medicine  something she always loves to remind them of, her oldest son Gavin Brown said.

Shes definitely a fighter, which is why were pretty confident shell pull through this, said Brown, 21.

That fight isnt over. Brown has sepsis in her blood and bacterial infections that are being treated through a new therapy, Forster said. Theres no release date in sight.

Ideally, it would be cool to have her home in a week, Jonah Brown said. Is that going to happen? I dont know. It could be a couple weeks; it could be a couple months. She may feel better for a little bit and then get worse. Its so unpredictable. Its just a waiting game, which sucks.

The community has rallied to support Brown and her family. There is a meal train to feed the kids, a GoFundMe to help the family pay hospital bills and also Shannon Tough T-shirts for sale.

During her 12-year nursing career, Brown has worked in multiple departments at Ascension Borgess Hospital and Bronson Methodist Hospital, her family said, before working to care for a severely injured family member.

Brown started a new job with HomeJoy in December as a community liaison, where she helps people transition to in-home medical care. Stevens said they want to make sure she has no worries about medical bills when she wakes up.

The community support makes a huge difference for her kids, they said. Its been stressful and hard with no timeline for her to return home. But the communitys support helps, Gavin and Jonah Brown said.

People are praying for her night and day, Forster said. I believe that its the power of prayer and Gods hand on her life. I also believe he works through physicians with the knowledge and wisdom that he gives them.

The science is important to helping Brown get better and all the prayers are helping too, Forster said.

Before Brown was sedated, she told Forster that the ICU is full of people her age with COVID-19. Its not just elderly people or people with preexisting conditions. The virus can still affect anyone, Forster said.

The state of Michigan is averaging 4,680 new cases a day, as of Wednesday, March 31. That average is up 59% from 2,938 a week ago, and is the states highest average of new daily cases so far in 2021.

It was so surprising (she tested positive), Stevens said. A year in (to the pandemic), people think, OK the worst is over. Nobody dies from it anymore.

Brown is expected to make a full recovery, but her lungs have a lot of healing to do. Once she is awake and able to leave the hospital, she will probably be changed by the life-or-death situation and the trauma it carries, Jonah Brown said.

Im interested to see how she bounces back from it, he said.

He expects thousands of Facebook notifications and text messages will be waiting to blow up his mothers phone when she first checks it.

For now, the family continues to take things day-by-day, and wait and pray for the treatments to work.

I think her conscience is refusing to not make it home to us, Gavin Brown said.

Read more from MLive:

Latest COVID-19 wave putting younger people in hospital, Kent County health leader says

Police searching for body of Battle Creek woman missing since 2005

Two Michigan National Guard members seriously injured by falling tree at Fort Custer
Standard General has been TEGNA's largest active shareholder since the summer of 2019.

In the four years since its separation from Gannett, prior to Standard General's involvement(1), TEGNA's share price declined 28%. This is during a time when the shares of local broadcast peers(2) appreciated by 36%.

With our involvement came our willingness to engage actively with management to hold them publicly accountable. Since our investment, TEGNA's share price has increased by 51% while its peers have seen an increase of 59%. Better, but not good enough.

Standard General's push for change has created value for shareholders.

We are an active investment manager. We believe that shareholders should have a voice. And management should listen to its ownership.

Standard General challenged the management team to stop pursuing its value destructive acquisition program. We pointed out the difference between TEGNA and its peers' critical retransmission rates and asked it to take a proactive stance. And we wanted the company to refocus on share repurchases and dividends.

Finally, we called out management for entrenching itself and resisting strategic takeout interest. While the board finally relented and engaged potential buyers that had approached the company, the window of opportunity closed with the onset of the pandemic and an opportunity for shareholders was lost.

Even with the existing board in place, Standard General has been able to influence more disciplined capital allocation and increased accountability in the TEGNA boardroom. But our work is not done yet.

There is more to do.

We have pointed out that TEGNA has the most important collection of local television stations outside the network owner operators. TEGNA's EBITDA margins should be on par with its peers. They are not. Despite a series of acquisitions that TEGNA claimed would drive synergies and margin expansion, TEGNA's margins have declined from 38% to 33% over the last three years, while its peers have seen significant improvements. TEGNA's margins currently lag Gray's by 363 basis points and Nexstar's by 521 basis points.

TEGNA's leading stations should be top performers in their respective markets. Many of TEGNA's stations, which include stations in highly-prized markets that TEGNA acquired during its acquisition spree, were once highly ranked (#1 or #2 in their respective markets), but have since seen precipitous declines.

New perspectives are needed at TEGNA.

TEGNA will not achieve its potential under status quo governance.

Here are a few areas of improvement:

Excessive Compensation : We believe that CEO compensation is one of the most significant indicators of the quality of a company's governance. In the midst of the global pandemic, Mr. Lougee was paid $6.7 million  the most TEGNA has ever paid its CEO  a 16% increase over the prior year. This record compensation occurred during a year when TEGNA's share price declined 15%, underperforming its peers(2) and the broader market. This increase happened in a year in which the CFO's compensation was reduced and TEGNA furloughed employees and cut salaries . We ask the Compensation Committee of the board to explain itself.

Racial Injustice; DEI Issues : We nominated Adonis Hoffman, a distinguished African American media executive to serve on TEGNA's board. Unfortunately, Mr. Hoffman chose to withdraw from consideration on March 3, 2021. In a letter to the board, Mr. Hoffman cited a racially insensitive incident involving CEO Dave Lougee, in which Mr. Lougee, after sitting with Mr. Hoffman at an industry lunch, mistook him for a valet and asked him to fetch his car. When Mr. Lougee met Mr. Hoffman a few months later at another industry event, in the presence of two prominent media executives, Mr. Lougee denied the incident occurred.

We learned of Mr. Hoffman's letter on the same day he sent his letter to the board. On March 8, 2021, we wrote to the board asking for an investigation into Mr. Lougee's conduct. In fact, by the time TEGNA received our letter  and just a few days after Mr. Hoffman's letter  the board had already concluded its investigation. That investigation consisted of interviews of Mr. Lougee by the General Counsel, the board, a newly-hired law firm and a review of his personnel file by HR. This is far from a thorough independent investigation. Most troubling, no one investigating the incident bothered to reach out to speak with Mr. Hoffman. It's incredible that TEGNA, which at its core is a news gathering institution, is led by a Board that believes there is no need to ask the victim what happened.

We find the board's response deficient and disturbing. It is clear to us that this board views the matter as closed, and that no further action is contemplated. This proverbial closing of the ranks is tone deaf. The lack of a thorough independent investigation speaks to the culture at the top.

Misallocation of Scarce Company Funds: Boards of directors are expected to set an example in their engagement with the company's constituencies. Amidst a pandemic last year, and at the same time TEGNA was instituting a rolling furlough of their employees, including essential workers, TEGNA spent $29 million in high-priced "activist defense" fees  this amounts to two times TEGNA's quarterly dividend. Much of this money was spent engaging in personal attacks on Standard General and its founder Soo Kim. TEGNA even hired Tusk Strategies, a self-described "political fixer", to disparage Standard General. No shareholder deserves to be treated in such a manner.

To achieve its full potential, TEGNA needs to address these governance shortcomings. It's time for a change.

New board members are again needed to drive the change that TEGNA requires.

Several members of the current board have served for over a decade and have overseen the lackluster governance and execution that have contributed to the issues that TEGNA faces today. The board needs new perspectives.

We have nominated three exceptional, independent and diverse candidates  Colleen Brown; Carlos Salas; and Elizabeth Tumulty. Collectively, they have decades of experience that spans broadcasting operations, directly with local affiliates, strategy, corporate finance and governance with roles as officers, directors and advisors of publicly-traded companies.

Our nominees are committed to maximizing the value of shareholders' investment in TEGNA. They are focused on improving operations and performance, ensuring that TEGNA adheres to the highest ESG standards, and rigorous oversight of management, including executive compensation and management diversity. They are committed to an independent, third-party investigation into the racial incident involving Mr. Lougee, and the board's actions in response to that incident.

We have now nominated seven diverse candidates over the last two years, all of whom have been rejected by the TEGNA board. We ask that this year be different and that you support our efforts to hold this company accountable in voting on the WHITE proxy card in this year's process.

Best Regards,

Soo Kim

Founding Partner

Standard General L.P.

Forward-looking Statements

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(1) August 14, 2019  the day Standard General filed its 13G.

(2) Local broadcast peers include Gray and Nexstar.

SOURCE Standard General
Lagos  For ages, the Nigeria education system has been one area of great concern to many in the country. Despite the fact that huge funds have been expended over the years to put the sector on sound footing, it can be inferred that the system is yet to attain the desired results.

Watchers in the nation's education sector have always blamed the leaders for the downward trend of the sector, as it continues to remain in shambles.

To this end, the confidence in public educational systems across the country has declined significantly for the past few decades with parents preferring to enroll their wards in private schools.

But the Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu does not think the status quo should continue. He believes that the ultimate key to a successful education system lies in the quality of teachers and other relevant stakeholders saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the sector.

To achieve this, the state's commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Sam Egube, said a whoppingN146.934 billion had been earmarked for the state's education sector in the year 2021 budget.

Egube who said education sector is given priority attention in the state said, "As part of our revolution in the education sector, we have achieved the followings in the course of the year 2020 constant training of our teachers with the aid of technology; Continuous renovation and construction of schools, and the expansion of our skills acquisition centres.

"Launching of the EKO EXCEL Programme to improve learning outcomes in our children; deployment of the 9000 devices to our schools, to aid the training of 9000 teachers; provision of textbooks and other ancillary teaching aids for over 350,000 students (school digitisation programme); recruitment of 2000-(Primary School Teachers) and 1000-(Secondary School Teachers).

"Construction and rehabilitation of 589 classrooms and 1,568 bed hostels in our secondary and primary schools; provision furniture for about 220,000 students; renovation of 20 libraries and information technology centres across the state; trained over 100,000 students in coding through CODE Lagos: a programme that covers 656 public and private schools in the state.

"Approval of E-learning infrastructure for state-owned tertiary institutions- to mitigate the effect of the pandemic on our students' access to education (1st State to achieve this in the country); disbursed bursary and scholarship awards to 8,246 and 845 beneficiaries respectively; and establishment of additional 21 number of adult literacy centres 2 nos -vocational Centres."

To show how serious his administration is about the state's education sector, Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu has been carrying out reforms in the sector in line with his THEME agenda in which education is an integral part presented handsome rewards to teachers adjudged to have made quality impacts in the state's teaching service.

In the package to show teacher's rewards are no longer in heaven or thankless job, thirteen teachers and school administrators got a brand new car each from the Governor at the Year 2020 Teachers' Merit Award organised by the Ministry of Education.

The awardees were part of the finalists nominated for the grand prize by the Screening Committee led by the chairperson of Association of Private Educators in Nigeria, Mrs. Lai Koiki.

The merit award is an initiative of the Sanwo-Olu administration to reward teachers' commitment and excellent service to boost delivery of quality education in the state.

Over 3,700 applications were reviewed by the screening committee; 23 teachers and school administrators made it to the final stage. They were abjudged to be passionate, visionary, and adept in modern teaching techniques.

Sanwo-Olu, while presenting the cars to the recipients, said his government was cognizant of the essential role of teachers in building a prosperous society, stressing that the reward would be made regular to inspire hard work and excellence.

The governor said the merit award was institutionalised in fulfillment of his pledge to raise the bar of excellence in education and make teaching service a rewarding profession.

He said: "Today, I celebrate the remarkable teachers who leave no stone unturned in molding lives, building character and preparing our students for a productive future. In Lagos State, teaching is not a thankless job and this annual Teachers' Merit Award is proof that Lagos will always reward excellent, committed, and diligent teachers.

"We are cognisant of the essential role that teachers play in building a formidable society, which is why we are committed to rewarding exceptional teachers on a regular basis. This is one of the key strategies for the actualisation of the education and technology pillar of our development agenda. We cannot thank our teachers enough for the passion they bring to the job and for inculcating in our children the values they require to excel as global citizens."

Sanwo-Olu said the award was a genuine way to promote merit and encourage healthy competition amongst our teaching staff in Lagos.

He appealed to teachers to continue to uphold the ethics and standards of the profession, urging them not to relent in demonstrating uncommon sense of responsibility in discharging their duties.

The governor said his administration would not waiver in achieving the key goals of its education and technology pillar, pledging to provide holistic education that would enable children to excel and compete with their peers globally.The government's commitment to capacity building in education, Sanwo-Olu said, is reflected in the periodic recruitment and training of highly qualified teachers, pointing out that the state's strategic investment in technology and provision of digital devices to support learning in basic schools had begun to yield the desired results in terms of quality teaching.

"We will continue to prioritise investment in education by improving the capacity, competence and welfare of our teachers, bridging the teacher-pupil ratio in our schools, making the education sector more ICT-compliant, exposing our teachers to international best practices as well as ensuring that our schools are conducive for teaching and learning with quality and modern infrastructure," Sanwo-Olu said.

The state's commissioner for Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo, said the merit award was initiated by the governor to raise the bar of excellence in public teaching service and inspire commitment of teachers.

She said the event was a testimony to the pledge by Sanwo-Olu to reward teachers for their contribution to education, stressing that the gesture had elevated education in the state.

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She said, "In line with T.H.E.M.E.S. agenda to deploy education and technology to produce highly resourceful students, teachers must be equipped in 21st century skills to deliver this promise. Teachers' welfare, training and development remain the focus of this administration.

"The awardees will be showcased and exposed to multiple opportunities in the course of the year. They will be our ambassadors to enhance our vision and showcase the possibilities for delivering quality education and restoring prestige back in teaching. This will encourage young people to consider teaching careers."

Koiki, director of Green Springs School, applauded the state government for the initiative, stressing that the reward model recognised the importance of education as bedrock of development.

She said members of the screening committee came out of the process enriched and empowered for more collaboration with the public sector.

For the chairman of the state's chapter of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Adedoyin Adeshina, who has served 29 years in the teaching service Lagos education had benefited more under Sanwo-Olu, saying the governor met excellent records, broke the records and set another record with the reward for teaching staff.

Dr. Wilson Barney, who represented private schools, said the gesture would inspire the teachers to spread their wings and deliver quality teaching to the next generation.

Interestingly, recipients of the grand prize of brand new cars were nine primary and secondary school teachers, and three school administrators, while ten other finalists were rewarded with consolation prizes.
Unknown gunmen on Wednesday killed three police officers attached to former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo adding to an already worrisome trend.

Mr Soludo, a professor of econometrics, is an aspirant under the All Progressives Grand Alliance for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

The incident, it was gathered occurred around 5.30 p.m., at the Civic Centre in his hometown of Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, during a political gathering.

Others were injured during the attack. But Mr Soludo, who was said to be the convener of the political meeting, escaped unhurt.

However, a commissioner for Public Utilities in the state, Emeka Ezenwanne, who attended the meeting, was kidnapped by the gunmen, a witness said.

The witness told PREMIUM TIMES, Wednesday, a couple of minutes ago, unknown gunmen disrupted an interactive session between Isuofia youths and a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof Chukwuma Soludo at the towns civic centre.

Three policemen were shot dead in the meeting.

He said Mr Soludo had left the state immediately after the incident took place. Nobody is safe here again, he added.

The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the incident.

He, however, said he was not aware of the number of casualties.

The incident happened at a political gathering at Isuofia. But as at (of) this night (Wednesday), Im still gathering information about the incident, the police spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Mr Soludos aide, Pauly Onyeka, said the former CBN governor was safe.

According to him, Mr Soludo was safely whisked out of the event venue.

He confirmed that the former CBN chief was holding an interactive session with youths of his community in Isuofia when the gunmen struck.

Mr Onyeka, a former House of Assembly member, did not disclose Mr Soludos current location, after the attack.

It is not clear, for now, if the attack was politically motivated.

The slain police officers add to the increasing number of security operatives killed in deadly attacks lately around Nigeria, especially in the countrys South-east and South-south regions.

Three police officers, for instance, were brutally killed on Tuesday in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigerias South-south, while four officers are still missing.

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With COVID-19 cases rising in the county, some school districts have reported new cases, while others have seen decreasing trends.

The Pottsville Area School District had three positive cases on March 18 and 49 students in quarantine, one positive case on March 19 with 26 additional students in quarantine, and three positive cases on Tuesday with 44 students and one staff member quarantined, Jared Gerace, Ed.D., acting superintendent, said Wednesday.

Sheila Rutko, of Pottsville, said while she has some concerns about rising cases, she feels her first and third grader are generally safe at John S. Clarke Elementary Center.

The school has seemed to keep up mitigation and follow the guidelines, Rutko said. I think theyre doing all they can.

Michele Hume, of Pottsville, who has a grandchild in fourth grade, said she is not too worried about safety in schools, because the increase in cases seems to be occurring outside of schools.

I dont think they can do anymore than they already have, Hume said. I think that social distancing and the masks work the best.

Bryan McShaw, of Pottsville, who has a second grader at John S. Clarke, said he has also believes schools have been safe, and he was happy that kids were able to return for five days.

I hope they can keep going five days a week as much as possible, especially for the kids, because I know a lot of kids were struggling, McShaw said.

Michael Maley, John S. Clarke principal, said the district still offers a fully virtual option for students who do not feel comfortable returning to school in person, which around 20% of students have chosen.

Overall, Maley said the schools have done well with continuing safety measures since the return to five days in person March 1.

We social distance as best as we can, Maley said. It is a little harder with everyone back, but we have really commended our students for doing a great job with it.

Students at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School went to five days of in-person March 8, while high school students increased to five days March 18.

Blue Mountain School District

On Monday, Blue Mountain School District announced two new cases at the middle school and four new cases at the high school. The high school shifted to virtual instruction for the week, set to return Tuesday.

Mahanoy Area School District

According to the districts COVID-19 tracker, there was one reported student case at the elementary school on Monday with no others needing to quarantine.

On March 22, there was one student case at the junior-senior high school with five students in quarantine, and one staff case at the district level with no others in quarantine.

Minersville Area School District

As of Wednesday, the school district had nine students in quarantine due to outside exposure, one staff member in quarantine and one staff positive case, according to Superintendent Carl McBreen, Ed.D. All schools have remained in person five days at the Minersville Elementary Center and Llewellyn Early Childhood Center and four days at the junior-senior high school.

The students, faculty and staff have done a phenomenal job of wearing their masks and following COVID protocols, McBreen said. We are thrilled (that) all faculty and staff that wanted to be immunized have received the J&J COVID vaccine either through the mass clinic sponsored by our local IU or through the assistance of Rite Aid at Kings Village.

North Schuylkill School District

Superintendent Robert Ackell, Ed.D., said the North Schuylkill School District has not had a positive cases in over a month, as of Wednesday.

He said the district will continue with in-person learning on April 6 rather than going virtual after the Easter break.

A key factor in this decision was as of today, a little over 70% of NSSD employees have reported that they have received the COVID-19 vaccine, Ackell said Wednesday.

Additionally, since we began school back in August, we have not seen any widespread outbreaks or transmissions of the virus in our schools.

Pine Grove Area School District

Superintendent Heath Renninger said the number of COVID-19 cases in the district have been trending downward.

As of Wednesday, there was one active student case in the high school and one in the middle school, with 13 students quarantining districtwide. None of the schools have needed to close since before winter break, Renninger said.

Saint Clair Area School District

The district had no active cases or individuals in quarantine as of Wednesday, Superintendent Thomas McLaughlin said.

Schuylkill Haven Area School District

Schuylkill Haven Area Middle and High School announced Monday it would be going virtual for the remainder of the week after new cases were reported Friday and Monday. The district had previously changed the school calendar to have an Easter break starting Thursday, with school resuming April 12.

Tamaqua Area School District

Superintendent Raymond Kinder said the district has two cases with 11 individuals in quarantine on Wednesday. None of the schools needed to shift to virtual instruction.

Kinder said those in quarantine will be able to return after the break.

Tri-Valley School District

As of Wednesday, Superintendent Mark Snyder, Ed.D., said the district has no positive cases and eight preventative quarantines, four at the elementary school and four at the junior senior high school.

The junior-senior high school had a regularly scheduled virtual day Wednesday, but none of the schools needed to go virtual because of the cases, Snyder said.
(Reuters) -Myanmar's deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been charged with breaking a colonial-era official secrets law, her lawyer said on Thursday, the most serious charge against the veteran opponent of military rule.

Myanmar has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew Suu Kyi's elected government on Feb. 1 citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud in a November election that her party swept.

In a new measure to stifle communication about the turmoil, the junta ordered internet service providers to shut down wireless broadband services until further notice, several telecoms sources said.

Suu Kyi and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) have been detained since the coup and the junta had earlier accused her of several minor offences including illegally importing six handheld radios and breaching coronavirus protocols.

Her chief lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, told Reuters by telephone that Suu Kyi, three of her deposed cabinet ministers and a detained Australian economic adviser, Sean Turnell, were charged a week ago in a Yangon court under the official secrets law, adding he learned of the new charge two days ago.

A conviction under the law can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

A spokesman for the junta did not answer telephone calls seeking comment.

Suu Kyi, who is 75 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her efforts to bring democracy to Myanmar, appeared via video link for a hearing in connection with the earlier charges on Thursday. Another of her lawyers, Min Min Soe, said she appeared to be in good health.

"Amay Su and President U Win Myint are in good health," the lawyer said, referring to Suu Kyi by an affectionate term for mother. The president, a Suu Kyi ally, was also deposed and detained in the coup. He too faces various charges.

Their lawyers have said the charges against both of them were trumped up.

At least 538 civilians have been killed in protests against the coup, 141 of them on Saturday, the bloodiest day of the unrest, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group.

Story continues

Protesters were back out in several places on Thursday and two more people were killed, according to media reports, as activists burned copies of a military-framed constitution and called for unity among all those opposed to army rule.

One person was killed and five wounded when the security forces fired in the central town of Monywa, the Monywa Gazette reported.

Security forces also opened fire in the second largest city of Mandalay killing one person, media reported. Shots rang out and black smoke drifted over Myanmar's ancient royal capital.

Police and a spokesman for the military did not answer calls seeking comment.

The suspension of wireless internet connections is likely to cripple communications about the protests in a country where very people few have access to fixed line connections.

'NEW DAY'

The coup has also triggered new clashes in Myanmar's old wars.

At least 20 soldiers were killed and four military trucks destroyed in clashes with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of Myanmar's most powerful rebel groups, DVB news reported.

Reuters could not immediately verify the reports and a junta spokesman did not answers calls seeking comment on the clash.

Myanmar military aircraft have started bombing positions of another group, the Karen National Union (KNU), for the first time in more than 20 years and thousands of villagers have fled from their homes, many into Thailand.

The army takeover has led to calls for a united opposition among city-based democracy campaigners and ethnic minority forces battling in frontier regions.

Ousted members of parliament, mostly from Suu Kyi's party, have vowed to set up a federal democracy in a bid to address a long-standing demand from minority groups for autonomy.

They also announced the scrapping of the 2008 constitution drawn up by the military that enshrines its control over politics. The military has long rejected federalism, seeing itself as the central power holding the fractious country together.

Social media posts showed copies of the constitution, real and symbolic, being burned at rallies and in homes.

"The new day begin here!" Dr Sasa, the international envoy for the ousted parliamentarians said on Twitter, referring to what for now is not a change that proponents can make.

Britain's Next on Thursday joined a growing list of European clothing retailers suspending new production orders with factories in Myanmar in the wake of the coup.

(Reporting by Reuters StaffWriting by Ed Davies and Robert BirselEditing by Stephen Coates, Simon Cameron-Moore and Frances Kerry)
After speaking to the media on Wednesday, 27-year-old Sam was released from hotel quarantine and advised he was also not obligated to isolate any longer at home after he received a negative test. But that decision has left other travellers, such as Brighton couple Kerry and Craig Mitchell, furious as they were on an even earlier flight that day but have still been directed to isolate at home for the full 14-day quarantine period. Brighton couple Kerry and Craig Mitchell. Kerry Mitchell, 67, said she and her husband had followed the Department of Healths advice to the letter when they cut short their holiday in Brisbane to return home on Monday. They had obtained orange zone permits, which would require them to return a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of their arrival on Monday on Virgin flight VA342, which departed Brisbane at 4.55pm local time.

Although the couple was not forced into hotel quarantine, they were instructed upon arrival at Melbourne Airport to isolate themselves at home for 14 days as Brisbane had moved from being listed as an orange zone to a red zone mid-flight at 6pm. After reading that other passengers had been released entirely from their isolation obligations on Wednesday, Ms Mitchell said she again contacted the coronavirus hotline to ask why she and her husband were being treated differently to passengers who landed in Melbourne later than them. They essentially said, we understand and she [the phone operator] felt that we should also be on orange permits with the 72 hours rule, but there was no confirmation, the financial planner said. Its just so wrong, its brought me to tears, Ms Mitchell said. My Easters been ruined ... why dont they just get it right?

Marc, a resident of Melbournes south-east suburbs who did not wish to use his surname, told The Age he was in the same state of limbo. He was on an entirely different flight. Marcs flight, Virgin flight VA334, was slated to depart Brisbane at 2.55pm AEST on Monday but was held up after the pilot told passengers the Victorian government was re-categorising Brisbane as a red zone from 6pm. About 30 to 40 people put their hand up to get off the flight, so we departed at roughly 4.30pm Brisbane time. We were supposed to have landed at 6.20pm Melbourne time but instead, we arrived at 7.45, he said. The man, who is a casual worker and has no access to sick leave, is waiting for clear advice in writing that states that he was incorrectly sent into 14-days of home isolation, so he can show his employer and get back to work. Marc took up his case with the coronavirus hotline on Thursday morning after finding evidence on the governments own website that only flights departing Brisbane after 6pm should have been considered as being from a red zone.

The advice reads: If you were in City of Brisbane, City of Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay Region, Redlands City any time in the last 14 days up to March 29 at 5:59pm, you need to apply for an orange zone permit. Marc was told to wait for a call. Both Ms Mitchell and Marc said they were frustrated calls to the coronavirus hotline are not given a reference number to follow up their cases with. Acting Police Minister Danny Pearson said he was not aware of the circumstances of passengers who had been sent into home isolation when asked at a press conference on Thursday, however, he said he would follow up the matter.
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Public Works Association (APWA) applauds President Joe Biden for introducing his American Jobs Plan. This robust 8-year, $2.25 trillion proposal is very encouraging to the more than 30,000 members of APWA who are responsible for designing, building, operating, and maintaining the nation's vast infrastructure network.

"Today, President Biden kicks off a welcome, and much needed conversation with the Congress, our citizens, and the men and women of public works," stated the Association's CEO Scott D. Grayson, CAE. "Our members are specifically interested in the proposed $620 billion investment in our nation's transportation infrastructure to include roads, bridges, transit, and electric vehicles, as well as the $45 billion to remove lead pipes, and the $66 billion offered to provide grants and low-cost loans to states, territories, tribes, and additional investment to strengthen our rural wastewater and well systems. APWA also appreciates the President's support for workforce development programs through his proposing $100 billion of investment in this important area."

APWA's Board of Directors recently approved the Association's public policy priorities for the 117th Congress, which are focused on Surface Transportation Reauthorization, Water Resiliency, and Emergency Management. "We call upon Congress and the Biden administration to come together again to support infrastructure investment, and reinvestment, that will provide, as it has for generations, a successful foundation to safeguard the essential public works services counted upon by our citizenry," added APWA President Mary Joyce Ivers. "APWA aims to be a resource to policymakers at every level by providing detailed and sound solutions to support resilient, sustainable, and technologically adaptive infrastructure for the demands and needs of our great nation."

Since its beginnings in 1894, APWA has been serving and representing the professionals working in all aspects of public works, which sets the Association apart. APWA includes personnel from the local, county, state/province, and federal agencies, as well as the private sector.

For more information about APWA, visit the website at www.apwa.net. For media queries, contact APWA's Director of Government and Public Affairs Andrea Eales at [email protected], or 202-218-6730.

About APWA

The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 30,000 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, has an office in Washington, D.C. and 63 chapters and 97 branches throughout North America.

SOURCE American Public Works Association

Related Links

www.apwa.net


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Five years is an age to wait for the results of a study but Symphony Environmental Technologies probably thinks the wait was worth it.

A study into Symphony's d2w oxo-biodegradable plastic technology sponsored by the French Agence National de Recherche proved 'beyond doubt' that d2w is biodegradable in the marine environment.

Symphony added that there was a direct correlation between lab results and real-world conditions, which it said was 'hugely positive' as until now it had been alleged that lab results could not demonstrate performance in real-life marine conditions.

Big step forward: Five years is an age to wait for the results of a study but Symphony Environmental Technologies probably thinks the wait was worth it

'No government can now be in any doubt that oxo-biodegradable plastic (as distinct from oxo-degradable plastic) does properly biodegrade in the open environment, and is not toxic. This is not, therefore, the type of material that the EU intended to prohibit and I trust that this and other scientific evidence will now dispel the confusion in the marketplace', Symphony's chief executive Michael Laurier said in a statement.

The shares rose 35 per cent on the week.

Mediazest soared 68 per cent on the back of news of business wins.

The creative audio-visual company said that more than 250,000 of confirmed additional written orders have been received and roughly the same amount of further orders on top of these are currently at the final stage of negotiation.

Several additional other projects are at an advanced stage of discussion with both new and existing clients.

In 1984, the easiest way to secure a number one hit single in the UK was to release a song entitled 'The Power of Love'; three songs with that title hit the top spot. This week, the easiest way to make it into the top risers list was to have the word 'energy' in the company name,

Echo Energy, 88 Energy, Aura Energy, Kibo Energy and AFC Energy all racked up gains of more than 33 per cent.

On the up: Aura Energy rocketed 58 per cent after it revealed in its interim results it seeking compensation from Sweden

Echo Energy and 88 Energy both doubled in price, the former on debt restructuring news and the latter on the hotly-anticipated results of wireline logging operations for the Merlin-1 well in Alaska.

88 Energy told investors on Monday that logging-whilst-drilling data indicated multiple zones in the Merlin-1 well that were potentially hydrocarbon-bearing zones.

Wireline logging to confirm whether mobile hydrocarbons are present is underway and the results are expected this weekend.

Aura Energy rocketed 58 per cent after it revealed in its interim results it seeking compensation from Sweden for the alleged expropriation of its rights to mine and produce uranium concentrate from the tenements held by its subsidiary, Vanadis Battery Metals.

Kibo Energy, up 34 per cent, was wanted after it confirmed it would spin out its MAST Energy Developments subsidiary via a standard listing on the London Stock Exchange on April 14.

AFC Energy, the hydrogen power generation technology outfit, was on a charge on Thursday after announcing a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the Zahid Group to establish an exclusive dealership for the distribution of the company's fuel cell systems in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East & North Africa regions via a strategic partnership.

AFC shares were up 53 per cent on the week.

Going the other way was Yu Group, which ran into serious profit-taking as its full-year results failed to justify the stratospheric rise in the share price in the run-up to the release of the figures.

Investors had chased the shares up from 120p at the tail-end of January to 380p last week but the shares now languish at 285p, despite the gas and electricity supplier reporting its loss before tax narrowed to 1.54million from 5.98million.
This opportunity with PCF delivers all the pieces necessary to move forward in our growth trajectory, said John Foster, owner and principal of Mourer Foster. This is going to be a great partnership for both our employees and the clients that we serve.

PCF Insurance Services (PCF) announced the completion of a new strategic partnership with Mourer Foster Bonds and Insurance based in Lansing, Michigan. Mourer Foster is a specialty risk management company which provides insurance solutions to Michigan residents as well as throughout all 50 states. PCFs partnership with Mourer Foster will enable them with growth opportunities in cross-selling P&C and bonding solutions.

John Foster, owner and agency principal of Mourer Foster, will continue to lead all operations of Mourer Foster while becoming an owner and Partner of PCF Insurance Services. Foster is a highly motivated leader in the industry and has been achieving great success in building off of the great history and longevity that Mourer Foster has.

John and his team have built an enduring legacy through their unwavering commitment to service their clientele, said Peter Foy, chairman, CEO and founder of PCF Insurance Services. Mourer Foster is highly-respected throughout the insurance industry and were thrilled to bring the team on board as we further expand PCFs presence in the region.

Since its inception, Mourer Foster has been a leading agency in providing surety credit to its customers throughout Michigan and across the United States, earning numerous awards for its outstanding sales and service, including seven Crystal Blue awards from United Fire Group. Mourer Foster will continue to operate as an independent agency and continue to provide a true, concierge client experience.

This opportunity with PCF delivers all the pieces necessary to move forward in our growth trajectory, said John Foster, owner and principal of Mourer Foster. This is going to be a great partnership for both our employees and the clients that we serve.

PCF will bring added infrastructure and operational support to Mourer Foster through its Shared Services team. This elite team of experts offer tailored support in the areas of finance and accounting, human resources, information systems, carrier relations, communication and marketing, and growth operations. With 36 acquisitions in 2020 and over 60 agencies dotted across the United States, PCF is establishing its place on the national stage among the industrys most active acquirers.

About PCF

Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Woodland Hills, CA, PCF is a full-service insurance brokerage firm which provides complete risk management solutions with a broad array of property & casualty, life and health, employee benefits and workers' compensation insurance products. Due to its scale and growth, PCF is a top 50 broker in the United States by revenue. Additional information can be found at https://pcfinsuranceservices.com/.

About Mourer Foster

Founded in 1933 in Lansing, Michigan, Mourer Foster offers full-service specialty insurance services. They offer specialty risk insurance like their KennalPro program, veterinarian insurance and PetrolGuard insurance, as well as business and personal insurance bonds. Mourer Foster has been a recipient of the Surety Crystal Blue Award from UFG for five years running. The award recognizes extraordinary contributions in surety premium. Additional information can be found at https://mourerfoster.com/.
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The Head, Press and Public Relations of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Ibraheem Al-Hassan, has explained how the statement he issued to deny the assault allegation levelled against the tribunals chairperson, Danladi Umar, was error-filled.

Mr Al-Hassan also explained why his statement blamed Biafra boys for a doubtful assault on Mr Umar during the Mondays incident.

The CCT chair, who presides over the trial of public offers accused of breach of code of conduct enumerated in the Nigerian Constitution, was seen in a video clip, which has now gone viral, assaulting a security guard at Banex Plaza, Wuse 2, Abuja, on Monday.

But, Mr Al-Hassan, in his statement on the incident, denied the allegation, insisting that it was Mr Umar that was assaulted.

PREMIUM TIMES has identified the victim to be Clement Sargwak, who narrated his ordeal in an interview with our reporter on Wednesday.

Various copies of Mr Al-Hassans statement highlighting various blunders contained in the original copy have emerged on the social media attracting critical derision.

Many Nigerians are also angered by the statements reference to Biafran boys blamed by Mr Al-Hassan for an unsubstantiated assault on Mr Umar during the pandemonium on Monday.

The reference to Biafran boys is widely seen as an unjustified ethnic slur directed againt people of Igbo extraction.

I wrote under pressure, instruction

Mr Al-Hassan told ICIR Thursday that he was under pressure while issuing the Tuesdays statement.

Speakingin an emotion-laden voice, Mr Al-Hassan said he was instructed by the CCT chair to blame the unsubstantiated assault on him on Biafran boys.

The PRO said he later realised his mistake, the ICIR report says.

Mr Al-Hassan also he had been summoned over the statement by his parent ministry, the Ministry of Information and Culture, which posted him to the CCT as an information officer since 2013.

He said, Theres a problem with that statement. In fact, we are about disowning it. We want to retract the content because it was written under intense pressure. I must confess to you, that is why there are many structural imbalances, language structure not being perfect and, again, some of the expressions used. I acted on instruction.

Now as I am speaking with you, Im in my ministry. My ministry has summoned me for that statement. My minister, so to say, through my director. So, I should be given some time to get this problem solved.

All the grammatical errors and what have you were not noted. I did not proofread it, I was in the car when I composed it with my android (phone).

Asked if he feared he could be punished by his superiors for the blunders contained in his statement, he said, What should I do? I am now in my ministry as I speak with you. That is Ministry of Information.

There are series of issues in that place and I have been able to manage them. There has never been an issue with my statements, he stated, adding that as I am speaking with you, I am regretting my action.

When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, Mr Al-Hassan said he would not talk further on the matter.

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Error-filled statement

Mr Al-Hassans statement, which has since gone viral, was littered with grammatical blunders such as, video cliff instead of video clip; packing lot instead of parking lot; rode instead of rude; fixe instead of fix. And also preferred had went instead of had gone; on a report instead of to a report.

The statement also contained derogatory and ethnic profiling of the use of the phrase BIAFRAN boys

In reaction, many Nigerians have taken to several social media accounts to express their dismay at what many described as offensive about the content of the release.

Read the full statement issued by Al-Hassan

Press Statement from the Code of Conduct Bureau

Our attention was drawn on a report from some online publication with a video cliff suggesting Hon Chairman, Justice Danladi Y. Umar assaulted a Security Guard at Banex Plaza.

To start with, the said plaza has been his usual place of visits for the past 18 years for shopping and repairs of his phones, and in all these periods there have never been any time he had any turmoil with anybody.

Unfortunately, yesterdays altercations started over a packing lot, which Chairman met vacant and it was directly opposite a shop he want to make a purchase and to fixe his phone, when the young Security guard sighted him, he ordered that Chairman should not pack his car in that particular empty space, but Chairman asked why, the security guard couldnt convinced chairman, though Chairman didnt identify himself, because to him is needless and is a place he visited often, but the boy was rode in his approached and threaten to deal with Chairman if he refuse to leave the scene.

Again, if Chairman had went there to cause trouble or intimidate some one, as suggested in the report, he would have gone there in his full official paraphernalia, but he went there alone with his younger brother.

The Police men seen in the video cliff were not the Chairmans police team, they were policemen operating around the plaza whom at first instance intervened before the arrival of police team from Maitama Police station. As the few policemen in the complex were apparently overwhelmed by the mobs, consisting of BIAFRAN boys throwing matches and shape object to his car, which led to deep cut and dislocation in one of his finger, causing damage to his car, smashing his windscreen.

At a point he attempted to leave the scene, these same miscreants, BIAFRAN boy ordered for the closure of the gate thereby assaulting him before the arrival of police team from Maitama police station.

In an incident like this when it happened, sympathy usually goes to the low personalities. Though is unfortunate as I said, it ought not to have happened.

Ibraheem Al-Hassan,

Head, Press & Public Relations.

CCT HQ.

Abuja.

March, 30th 2021.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
April 01, 2021





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Links are an important signal for Google to determine the relevance and authority of your webpage. The way Google looks at backlinks has changed quite a bit over the past 10 years. The quality of the links has become increasingly important. A natural link profile has a healthy distribution between the number of backlinks and the number of domains where these backlinks are coming from.

Linkbuilding is an important part of the search engine optimization process. A search engine places great value on the number of relevant inbound links to a website. The theory behind this is quite simple. Search engines see these links as votes for the website. The more votes the website receives, the more important it must be according to the search engines. After all, why else would people bother to refer (a link) to your website. Linkbuilding helps to improve the rankings of your keywords if the landing pages are technically sound and contain good content. The keywords of your target group can be found with the help of keyword research.

Data-driven SEO techniques

Whatever linkbuilding techniques you use, it always includes the following steps:

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Data tools for SEO:

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Twitter has announced GIFs and sticker support for its Fleets feature. The new feature will be available immediately and allow users to add GIFs and Tweemojis to a Fleet.

Twitter recently introduced Fleets, a Stories-like option heavily inspired by Instagrams Stories. It allows users to express themselves better with ephemeral content. Fleets lets you post photos, videos and now GIFs as stories. When launched we noted that Twitters Fleets feature is very basic as opposed to Stories on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. It looks like Twitter is planning on adding new Fleets feature in a staged manner.

Your Fleets just got an upgrade. Now you can express yourself in the conversation with stickers. Add GIFs and Twemojis to a Fleet by tapping the  icon, on Android and iOS. pic.twitter.com/Ihh9ZZh70a  Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) March 31, 2021

You can add a sticker or GIF to Fleets by simply tapping the emoji icon. Furthermore you can choose from thousands of GIFs from Tenor and Giphys vast library. Sadly, Fleets feature is not available on third party apps like Aviary and Tweetbot. You can only use it on official Twitter app and on web.

Twitter seems to be on a roll. The company is currently testing full-sized image preview on iOS. It is also testing an Undo Button that allows users to retract Tweets. Thats not all, Twitter also announced support for voice DM on iOS in India, Japan, and Brazil.

Our Take

Twitter started out as a microblogging platform with very rigid word limit. Lately, the microblogging site has been borrowing features from Facebook, Instagram and even trying out a new feature to rival Clubhouse. We feel Twitter is losing its identity and trying hard to be like others. On a separate note, the company is working on increasing its revenue with new paid subscription features.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

The global adoption of gastric electric stimulators is projected to witness a surge in demand in 2019, representing a robust year-on-year growth of 6.6 percent , reach a valuation of approximately US $ 188.4 Million , during the same period. Persistence Market Research (PMR) has studied the global gastric electric stimulators market for a period of 8 years, 20182026, offering critical insights into demand-driving factors, shaping the adoption trajectory.

The demand for gastric electric stimulators is likely to be driven by a host of pacesetters, including increasing minimally invasive procedures, rising reported cases of Gastroparesis, and favorable reimbursement schemes. Growing prevalence of Gastroparesisa condition characterized by severity of nausea and vomiting and composite quality-of-life (QOL)has been identified as the most critical demand generating factor, further making gastric electric stimulators the most preferred treatment alternative for such difficult-to-treat diseases.

How About Looking Through The Sample Of Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Report? https://www.persistencemarketresearch.co/samples/25954

Company Profiles Medtronic Plc.

IntraPace Inc.

ReShape Lifesciences, Inc.

Changzhou Ruishen Medical Equipment Co., Ltd

Others.

Enterra system, the most principal medical device used for treating Gastroparesis, globally, is approved by the FDA as a humanitarian use device, considering its applicability is treating or diagnosing a disease or condition affecting less than 4000 individuals a year in the United States.

Moreover, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), although conditionally, recommends the use of gastric electric stimulators for patients with chronic, intractable nausea and vomiting due to Gastroparesis. The gastric electric stimulators, such as Enterra, is a battery-operated gastric neurostimulator, which is normally implanted under the skin in the lower abdomen region, Senior Analyst, PMR

Considering the rareness of Gastroparesis combined with increasing prevalence of gastric-related conditions, investments in research and clinical studies have substantially increased in the recent years.

Studies indicate that gastric electric stimulators have the ability to normalize symptoms, such as BMI, oral nutritional intake, and gastric emptying rates. Moreover, considered as an effective alternative to gastrectomy in patients with end-stage gastric dysfunction, demand for gastric electric stimulators is anticipated to increase 1.6x, through 2026.

How About Step-By-Step Insights To Gastric Electric Stimulators Market? Look Through The Methodology Employed! https://www.persistencemarketresearch.co/methodology/25954

High-Frequency Gastric Electric Stimulators Gain Prominence

According to the report, high-frequency gastric electric stimulators is gaining immense traction as one of the highly effective product type, versus low-frequency gastric electric stimulators.

Apart from being less invasive and more patient-friendly in terms of insertion, high-frequency gastric electric stimulators are known to have a relatively longer battery life compared to low-frequency gastric electric stimulators.

In addition, gastric electrical stimulation with high-frequency significantly improved the severity of nausea and vomiting combined with enhanced propagation velocity and slow wave amplitude. As per the report, high-frequency gastric electric stimulators with approximately 77 percent market share, is expected to ameliorate the treatment landscape for Gastroparetic patients.

Although gastric electrical stimulation is the most viable treatment for chronic drug-refractory nausea and vomiting secondary to Gastroparesis of idiopathic or diabetic etiology, risks associated with Enterra Therapy remain exceptionally high, thereby limiting its adoption. Infection, bleeding, pain at the implant site, lead penetration, gastric and bowel perforation, and inflammation are some critical risks that often result in additional surgeries and unpleasant patient experience, Senior Analyst, PMR

In the wheel of fortune analysis of various segments, PMR placed different segments including product type, end-user, indication, and region in various growth quadrants. While high frequency gastric electric stimulators is placed in the mature phase quadrant, low-frequency gastric electric stimulators are anticipated to showcase high CAGR, in the coming years.

Since, the implantation of gastric electric stimulators requires precision, only hospitals having institutional review boards approval can use such stimulators on Gastroparetic patients. In terms of end-user, hospitals are projected to hold approximately 75 percent of the total market share. On the basis of indication, obesity, after Gastroparesis is expected to be the second most lucrative segment in the global gastric electric stimulators market during the forecast period.

Want To Keep A Tab On The Latest Findings In The Gastric Electric Stimulators Market? Purchase Our Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Report Now! https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/25954

Regionally, North America retains its lead as the largest and most lucrative gastric electric stimulators market, with nearly 57 percent market share anticipated by the end of 2018. Growing investments in R&D activities, on-going innovations, and presence of key companies are some major factors creating attractive opportunities in the gastric electric stimulators market, across North America.

The competitive landscape in the global gastric electric stimulators market is relatively consolidated, with key tier-1 players such as Medtronic Plc. contributing approximately 5o percent revenue share to the global gastric electric stimulators market, given their superior product offering and expansive regional presence.

In terms of differentiation strategies, key companies are poised to enter into partnerships and collaborations to solidify their market presence. In addition, key companies are also strengthening their product portfolios by developing potential treatment options for gastrointestinal disorders.

About Us: -
Healthinsurance.org Reboots Subsidy Calculator The enhanced subsidies will allow existing policyholders in many states a chance to level up to better coverage, and individuals who have been previously deterred by high premiums to finally locate affordable plans.

A dramatic expansion of the Affordable Care Acts health insurance subsidies  paired with a one-time six-month special enrollment period  is providing an extraordinary opportunity for millions of Americans to enroll in comprehensive health coverage. The subsidy expansion  made possible by provisions of the American Rescue Plan (ARP)  is driving consumer interest regarding the laws provisions.

In response to heightened consumer appeals for specifics about the law, healthinsurance.org has dedicated its efforts to educating consumers with a series of articles about ARPs impact. And, in April, the site will further assist consumers by providing an updated version of the sites immensely popular Obamacare subsidy calculator, designed to help consumers quickly identify eligibility for premium tax credits.

American Rescue Plan explained

Since 1994, healthinsurance.org has helped American consumers navigate a complex and changing individual market and, over the past decade, has provided extensive analysis of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). New articles from health reform authority Louise Norris explain how more ARP will deliver more affordable access to ACA coverage:



Subsidy calculator reboot with 2021 subsidy

Subsidy-related explainers are among the most visited pages at healthinsurance.org. The sites Obamacare subsidy calculator alone has been visited nearly a million times since it first appeared in 2014. Starting April 1, consumers will be able to utilize the sites updated calculator to quickly assess their eligibility for premium subsidies in all federally facilitated marketplaces for 2021. (State-based marketplace subsidies will be displayed as data becomes available,)

Consumers who take the time to check out the American Rescue Plans provisions  and then check their subsidy estimate  are likely to be pleasantly surprised, Norris says. The enhanced subsidies will allow existing policyholders in many states a chance to level up to better coverage, and individuals who have been previously deterred by high premiums to finally locate affordable plans.

###

About healthinsurance.org

The site has been in operation since 1994 and is one of the most visited online sources of health insurance education and tools for comparing coverage. A free quoting tool on the site draws on the strength of a referral partner network that points to coverage options in all 50 states with options for consumers to shop online or call and talk to a licensed agent.
Sandeep Marwah Managing Director NFTC at Chandigarh, Dr. Sandeep Marwah President of AAFT School of Tourism



(TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - March 31st, 2021 - Chandigarh: AAFT School of Tourism and Hospitality Dr. Sandeep Marwah also Managing Director of National Federation of Tourism and Transport Cooperatives of India limited visited the Union Territory of Chandigarh which is also capital of Punjab and Haryana.

Chandigarh is considered to be one of the best designed cities of India. The city has one of the highest per capita incomes in thew country. The city is cleanest in India based on a national Government study. It has also been ranked as the happiest city in the country. The metropolitan area of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula collectively forma a Tricity with a combined population of over 17 lacs.

Delhi Chandigarh is one of the important tourism sectors in North India. This sector can be raised to new platform by propagating heavily, the advantages and silent features of Chandigarh. AAFT School of Tourism has Chandigarh in the list of cities to be visited by the students of Tourism and Hospitality, said Dr. Sandeep Marwah in a press conference at Hotel Lalit Rajiv Gandhi IT Park DLF Commercial Complex.

Dr. Marwah took the round of the city to have first-hand experience of the beauty of the city including Chandigarh International Airport.

###
Aviatrix Continues to Attract Elite Cloud Networking Talent

Aviatrix, the cloud network platform, today announced that Brad Hedlund has joined as a Principal Solutions Architect. Prior to joining Aviatrix, Hedlund held principal technical positions for some of the world's biggest IT infrastructure brands including AWS, VMware NSX, and Cisco. As the latest addition to the company's distinguished Solutions Architecture and Engineering team, Brad joins a growing group of top industry talent, including James Devine, the former AWS networking expert and co-author of "AWS Certified Advanced Networking Study Guide," who have decided Aviatrix is the place to be for the industry's rapid transformation to cloud networking.

"I'm thrilled to be joining the incredible team at Aviatrix," stated Brad Hedlund, Principal Solutions Architect at Aviatrix. "I've seen the market shift over the last two years and it's no longer a single cloud world. Enterprise requirements for multi-cloud networking, security, and operational visibility have gone well beyond the basic services offered by any single cloud provider, and Aviatrix has a proven solution that is way ahead of anything I have seen out there. I wish I had joined sooner!"

Hedlund is well-known in the networking industry, considered by many as a premier technical resource and influencer. He is an expert in networking, data center infrastructure, with deep knowledge in both private and public clouds. Brad often speaks at industry conferences and hosts his own blog, which offers valuable content focusing on networking topics such as, Cisco UCS, data center networking architectures, VMware NSX, and more.

"Brad is a super addition to Aviatrix. His experience, knowledge, and industry recognition will play a valuable role as we continue to enable enterprises on their cloud networking journeys," said Nauman Mustafa, Vice President Solutions Engineering, at Aviatrix. "Brad was at Cisco at the right time. He went to VMware NSX at the right time. And then six years ago, he went to learn cloud at AWS at the right time. Now, he's going to the multi-cloud networking leader Aviatrix, at the right time too."

About Aviatrix

Aviatrix cloud network platform delivers advanced networking, security and operational visibility and control required by enterprises, with the simplicity, automation, and agility of cloud. More than 500 customers worldwide leverage Aviatrix and its proven multi-cloud network reference architecture to design, deploy and operate a repeatable network and security architecture that is consistent across any public cloud. Combined with the industry's first and only multi-cloud networking certification (ACE), Aviatrix is empowering IT to lead and accelerate the transformation to the cloud. Learn more at aviatrix.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005094/en/

Contacts:

Aviatrix

Dmitry Lipkin

dlipkin@aviatrix.com

408-888-2792
N.C. praises county's program for gifted students

The Academically or Intellectually Gifted program at Henderson County Public Schools has recently received state recognition as an AIG Promising Practice program, the school system said.

The county schools' AIG program exemplifies a Critical Action outlined in the North Carolina Department of Public Instructions Call to Action: Guidebook, which was guidebook was recently presented at the State Board of Education on March 4.

Over the last two years, NCDPIs Division of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education has collaborated with school districts AIG coordinators to develop a strategic initiative to realize equity and excellence in gifted education programs across the state. Part of this initiative, the Call to Action: Guidebook details six Critical Actions or best practices, including mitigating systemic barriers to accessing gifted education (Critical Action 2), providing a range of services within an AIG program, (Critical Action 3) and intentionally cultivating student strengths and talents (Critical Action 4).

In the Guidebook, existing AIG programs in various North Carolina public school systems are listed as Promising Practices, serving as successful illustrations and models of each Critical Action.

The AIG program at HCPS is noted as a Promising Practice for Critical Action 4: Foster Talent Development, which calls for cultivat(ing) potential in students whose strengths are not yet tapped or readily observable in typical classroom environments, in addition to serving students who are already demonstrating high performance.

The districts AIG program is described as using a nurturing philosophy to ensure instructional differentiation that challenges students and supports their individual growth and development by being intentionally inclusive, ensuring access to advanced academic services from kindergarten through Grade 12, giving schools the flexibility to meet the needs of unique student populations, and more.

Its an honor to be represented in this Guidebook of statewide best practices, said Caroline Patterson, the school district's Director of High Schools and AIG. Our AIG department is continually working on ways to ensure that the program adapts to meet the needs of all academically gifted students in each of our schools, said Patterson. We recognize the need to increase access and opportunity to gifted academic services, in every grade level.
TURIN, APR 1 - Patients in stretchers were piled up on a staircase in a Turin hospital this week as nurses complained they were on the verge of collapse amid a COVID-induced "crisis" at the hospital. Pictures of the stretchers at the Maria Vittoria Hospital went viral. It was just the latest case of overcrowding in Piedmont hospitals including those at Chivasso and Rivoli. Piedmont Governor Alberto Cirio went to the hospital to assess the situation for himself. Regional health pointman Luigi Genesio Icardi said "the situation is under control". But nurses union Nursind said these cases were growing ever more frequent. "After a year of pandemic in the hospitals, nothing has changed," said the head of the Piedmont branch of Nursind, Francesco Coppolella. NAS health and hygiene police are continuing to monitor the situation in the region's hospitals. (ANSA).
Mexican immigration authorities said Wednesday they found a three-year-old Honduran boy apparently wandering alone in an area near the Rio Grande after his father left him to hide from agents.

Authorities had initially estimated his age at four, but found out he was younger when his father showed up to claim him.

The incident began when a government helicopter detected a group of seven children and three women hiding in bushes near the river, known in Mexico as the Rio Bravo, according to the National Immigration Institute.

The three women were traveling with their seven children in the area near the border city of Reynosa, but the boy was not related to any of them and was apparently unaccompanied.

Scroll down for video

Mexican immigration authorities said Wednesday they found a three-year-old Honduran boy (pictured) apparently wandering alone in an area near the Rio Grande

The boy's father showed up to claim him Wednesday. The father said he left his son and ran to hide from the immigration agents.

The institute said when the boy saw his father, he asked him why he had abandoned him.

The institute said that through March 25, 4,440 underage migrants had been found in Mexico so far this year.

It did not say how many were unaccompanied, though adults often travel through Mexico with minors and leave them only upon reaching the border.

'Migrants have told federal immigration agents that "the guides" suggest they travel with children, because it is easier to get into the United States,' the institute said.

In March, a seven-year-old Honduran girl appeared alone at the US border.

She said her father had traveled with her by bus across Mexico, and then he went back to their homeland - but not before he placed her in the hands of a young man who was to help her cross the river into Texas.

It was not clear what happened to the man who helped her cross.

The increase in child migrants represents a dilemma for the fledgling administration of President Joe Biden as it attempts to restore an orderly asylum system.

Nearly 9,500 migrant children arrived at the US border in February, up 60 per cent from a month earlier.

US border officials have estimated that up to 184,000 unaccompanied migrant children could arrive at the US-Mexico border this year, according to internal government data reviewed by Reuters.

The estimate underscores a growing challenge for President Joe Biden as his administration struggles to house a rising number of mostly Central American children arriving at the border without a parent or legal guardian.

An internal document from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) projects that 159,000 - 184,000 unaccompanied children could arrive at the southwest border in fiscal year 2021, which began on October 1, 2020.

If the estimate is accurate, it would be higher than any other year on record since 2010, when CBP began to fully track apprehensions of unaccompanied children, the classification given to youth who may have arrived alone, with smugglers or relatives other than their parents.

The boy's father showed up to claim him Wednesday. The father said he left his son and ran to hide from the immigration agents. Immigrants (file image) are seen crossing the Rio Bravo in an attempt to get to El Paso

The next-highest annual total occurred during a spike in 2019 under former President Donald Trump. During that fiscal year, roughly 76,000 unaccompanied children were taken into custody at the border.

CBP estimates that about 15,000 unaccompanied children arrived at the US-Mexico border in March.

The figure is based on data through March 19 and official statistics are not expected to be available until early April.

If the estimate is accurate, the 15,000 arrivals will be the highest monthly total since 2010.

The previous high was in May 2019, when about 11,500 unaccompanied children were taken into custody.

CBP estimates that four times as many unaccompanied children could be held in government-run shelters by September.

The shelter system, overseen by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), had a little over 12,000 children in custody as of March 29.

The figure could grow to 53,000 by September, requiring HHS to add tens of thousands of additional shelter beds, according to the internal estimate.

The HHS refugee office has struggled to keep up with hundreds of arriving children each day, leaving kids stuck in crowded border stations and processing centers for days.

The new CBP estimates come with a few caveats. The estimates exclude Mexican children, most of whom can be quickly returned to Mexico under a bilateral agreement.

The projections also assume the Biden administration will not change its policies toward unaccompanied minors, as new policies could lead to different estimates.

CBP and the HHS refugee office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says over $1 billion would accrue to the government from the sale of the spectrum after the completion of the Digital Switch Over (DSO).

The minister stated this on Thursday in Abuja when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) flagship interview programme, NAN Forum.

NAN reports that the DSO is in the process of transiting from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting and the country has set April 29 for the resumption of the roll-out of the second phase in the remaining 31 states.

The first phase of the roll out had covered the Federal Capital Territory and the five states of Plateau, Kaduna, Kwara, Osun and Enugu.

Mr Mohammed said when the process is completed and there is Analogue Switch Off (ASO), the spectrum band to be vacated by broadcasters would be ceded to the telecom regulatory agency for sale and use in the mobile broadband industries.

The good side is that when there is analogue switch off, we will be able to sell to telecommunication companies the spectrum band that all of them were occupying which is worth over one billion dollars, he said

Mr Mohammed, who said the DSO would change the entire creative industry ecosystem, pledged that government would ensure its successful completion.

He reiterated that the DSO project is capable of creating one million jobs in three years and generate huge revenue for the country.

According to him, with the approval of N9.4 billion by the Federal Government and the setting up of a 14-member ministerial task force to drive the process, the remaining 31 states will be successfully covered.

He promised that the reduction in government involvement in the DSO ecosystem and the opportunity given to the private sector to take the lead, on purely commercial terms, would not hamper the process.

The minister said the government was already addressing the concerns raised by the Set-Top Box manufacturers on access to foreign exchange.

Set-top boxes which is the decoder to transmit the digital signal to homes is a critical component in the DSO process

We are pushing for the manufacturers for government to reduce to zero per cent duties payable to completely knock down products and reduce from 10 per cent to five per cent duties payable on semi knockdown products.

We have also asked them to give us a draft of what they want from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The ministry will now officially communicate the CBN on their behalf asking that they should be given priority in access to Forex because of the amount of jobs they are capable of creating and the chain effect of a cheaper STB in the system

We have also licensed another middleware company to crash the cost of the boxes, he said

Mr Mohammed said by creating a level playing ground for all the stakeholders and removing all the barriers, the cost of the boxes would be affordable to ordinary Nigerians.

(NAN)

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Former Homeboyz Radio presenter Shaffie Weru has threatened to sue his former employer Radio Africa Group for "unfair and unlawful termination" of his employment.

Weru, who was the Programs Controller at the station, targetted the radio's general manager with a demand later in which he wants to be paid a sum of Sh21 million in damages.

Before his dismissal on March 27, the media personality had reportedly worked for the company for 18 years.

He also wants one month's salary in lieu of notice totaling Sh682,500, and 12 months' salary for unfair termination (Sh8,190,000) as well as gratuity totaling Sh12,285,000.

The former Kiss 100 presenter wants these demands met within seven days or by April 6, failure to which he has threatened to move to court.

"Our Client reserves the right to sue for Defamation, violation of his constitutional rights, unfair termination of employment and attendant and penalties thereto. Take Notice that if our client's demands are not met within the next seven (7) days hereof that is 6th April 2021, we will have firm and unequivocal instructions to institute appropriate legal action against you at your own risk as to and other legal consequence's thereon" reads part of the demands letter from MMA Advocates on behalf of Weru.

Through his lawyer, Weru claims his former employer denied him the chance for a fair hearing, discriminated against him and violated his constitutional rights by circulating his termination letter on social media.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Legal Affairs Labour By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

He claims he learnt of his dismissal on social media and that to date, he is still unaware of the "insensitive comments" he allegedly made leading to termination of his employment.

"Your suspension letter dated March 26, 2021, referred to "inappropriate and insensitive comments" allegedly made on March 25, 2021, while your summary dismissal letter referred to "inappropriate and insensitive comments" made on March 24, 2021. Our client is still lost and confused as to the exact comments you allude to," read the demand letter in part.

Weru and his co-hosts Joseph Munoru (DJ Joe Mfalme) and Neville Musya were fired for demeaning a woman who was thrown off a building after she declined a man's sexual advances.

According to a statement from the company released on Saturday evening, the termination followed a comprehensive review of their comments on Thursday morning and subsequent suspension from employment.

"Our partners and listeners will not be surprised by this action to terminate their services as it is the right thing to do," Homeboyz Radio General Manager Somoina Kimojino said in the statement.
This is the moment an amputation-obsessed failed Iraqi asylum seeker is seen with a woman just hours before he brutally murdered her and then dismembered her body.

Azam Mangori, 24, killed Lorraine Cox, 32, in his room above an Exeter kebab shop in September last year.

He cut her body into seven pieces over the course of a week and disposed of her clothing and possessions in bins and woodland.

It is believed Ms Cox could have been suffocated as the T-shirt she had been wearing was found in her mouth.

After murdering Ms Cox, Mangori then used her SIM card in his mobile phone to pretend she was alive and well to family and friends.

They reported her missing to the police before the terrible truth was finally discovered.

Detectives cracked the case after finding CCTV of Ms Cox walking through the city centre at night with a mystery man - who would later be revealed as Mangori.

The footage is the last time Ms Cox would be seen alive.

Police later made the grim discovery that Mangori had dismembered Ms Cox's body before attempting to dispose of it in bin bags.

Following a four-week trial at Exeter Crown Court, Mangori, of no fixed address, was today convicted of murder by a jury after six hours of deliberations.

CCTV footage shows the pair walking together in Exeter city centre - Lorraine was never seen alive again

Azam Mangori (pictured left), aged 23, has this afternoon been found guilty of the murder of Lorraine Cox (pictured right)

He had previously admitted a separate charge of preventing Miss Cox's lawful burial.

Miss Cox was last seen walking home from a night out with friends at about 1.30am on September 1.

Prosecutors said a drunken Miss Cox and Mangori had a 'sexual encounter' in an alleyway before they went back to his flat above the Bodrum Kebab House.

Her whereabouts remained a mystery to her family for a week until Mangori - a failed asylum seeker from Iraq liable to deportation - was arrested by detectives.

This is the moment Mangori first walks towards Ms Cox as he approaches her in the street in Exeter

The pair (Mangori represented with the blue dot and Ms Cox the pink) are seen walking of together

They are later seen on another CCTV appearing to walk closely together - it is the last time Ms Cox is seen alive

Lorraine's body remained in the flat until September 8. Mangori spent the first day looking through her belongings, hacking into her phone, emails and online social networks.

The prosecution claimed he tried to steal her money by setting up a PayPal account.

Later that evening he took a Snapchat video of himself vaping on his bed and listening to music with the lyrics 'Angels deserve to die'.

The scene after police launched the murder investigation into missing woman Lorraine Cox

Mangori, who was remanded into custody, will be sentenced on April 7 by Mr Justice Garnham

Mangori, 24, killed Miss Cox, 32, in his room above an Exeter kebab shop in September last year

The Iraqi national cut her body into seven pieces over the course of a week and disposed of her clothing and possessions in bins and woodland

How police scoured thousands of hours of CCTV and gigabytes of phone data to crack the case Detectives scoured thousands of hours of CCTV and gigabytes of phone data in order to crack the case of Lorraine Cox's murder. In what was one of the largest investigations in Exeter in recent years, detectives combed through mounds of CCTV tapes in order to find clues. They also interviewed half a dozen potential suspects and analysed massive amounts of phone data. Eventually it was the CCTV analysis which led them to Mangori's door. CCTV footage from the city centre showed Lorraine had left Bodrum kebab house and wandered through Cathedral Yard before sitting on a bench near Marks and Spencer to eat a kebab. Shortly after, footage showed a man leaving the building and later Lorraine coming back to the building with the same man. This was the last time Lorraine was seen alive. The footage was found eight days after her disappearance. Police later visited the kebab house and spoke to the tenant who lived above it - but they did not find Lorraine's body. Mangori introduced himself to police as Christopher Mayer. But suspicious police checked out the serial number in his phone and was able to confirm that Lorraine's SIM card had been used it in. Then, in a third breakthrough, police discovered that Mangori had disposed of her body. The next day a police officer searching the alleyway at the back found bin bags containing human body parts. With Mangori in custody on suspicion of kidnap, and a body found, police pushed towards a murder charge. Another breakthrough came when a taxi driver remembered seeing Mangori with a large blue and red holdall. When police found the bag, it contained Lorraine's remains. CCTV also showed how Mangori had made several trips to Wilko. Receipts showed he had purchased dozens of big bags - in which parts of Lorraine's body were found. A detailed forensic examination of Mangori's room later found spots of her blood on his wall and two knives in a bin. Mangori was later charged with Lorraine's murder. Helen Phillips, of the CPS, said: 'This was a complex case which saw the police and CPS working closely together from an early stage of the investigation. 'Huge amounts of forensic and digital evidence were analysed and the investigation led overseas to Iraq and Germany. 'Thanks to the excellent work of Devon and Cornwall Police, the CPS were able to build a compelling case that led to today's guilty verdict. 'The CPS and police are committed to working together to deliver justice for the victims of violent crime. 'Our thoughts are with Lorraine's family and friends at this difficult time'. Advertisement

He responded to concerned friends of Lorraine by pretending she was still alive and saying she was making a new start in Plymouth.

The messages included one to her father saying 'Hey Papa, I'm sorry. I'm in Plymouth. Please forgive me.' Another said: 'I love you Papa. Changing my number. I will text to you my new number.'

He deliberately mimicked Lorraine's use of words like 'Papa' to make the false messages seem genuine.

Friends recognised the person responding was not Lorraine and he gave up the act on September 3 after being told that police were being called.

Prosecutor Simon Laws QC told the court the defendant had a 'morbid interest in amputation' and days before and after the murder had looked at images relating to the subject.

Mr Laws said: 'Given the dates he viewed this material, you may think it is clear he was interested in the topic before he had any need for information.

'He did not have the dead body of Lorraine Cox in his room until a couple of days later. When he did, he performed a neat and professional amputation of her limbs.'

Mangori looked at videos of people with amputations, as well as those with deformities to their legs and one of a woman's lower leg experiencing cramp.

'You will no doubt want to consider whether it was this interest that may have motivated him to commit this murder,' he said.

Mangori purchased items to dispose of Miss Cox's body over a number of days, including a trowel after viewing a website entitled: 'How to dig a grave by hand.'

A pathologist was unable to determine a cause of Miss Cox's death due to the length of time between her murder and remains being found.

Giving evidence, Mangori told the jury she died suddenly after sex in his bedroom having been drinking and taking drugs.

He said he panicked when he discovered her lying dead on the floor, and left her in his room for several days before wrapping her body in clingfilm, bin liners and tape.

'I just remember waking up, like it was a nightmare. I just freaked out when I saw her. I just dragged her on to my bed because she looked really cold,' he said.

'Deep down I knew she was dead but I thought she would wake up.'

Mangori, who was remanded into custody, will be sentenced on April 7 by Mr Justice Garnham.

Lorraine Cox's family said after the verdict: 'We hope and pray that no other woman or family has to go through what our beautiful girl suffered, or that any other family suffers the brutal, distressing experience we have all been through.'

They said she was 'most kind hearted, loving generous girl - the heartbeat of our family.'

Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Jim Colwell said: 'The murder of Lorraine Cox was callous and brutal in its nature and details of the crime revealed at court will have disturbed many of our communities.

'The way in which Azam Mangori exploited Lorraine's vulnerability before murdering her and dismembering her body is a deeply disturbing crime.

'Violence against anyone, especially a vulnerable woman like Lorraine, is abhorent.

'Devon and Cornwall Police, along with many parts of our society, is currently reflecting on the highlighting of threats many women and girls feel on a daily basis.

'We need to understand and listen to those in our communities who say they do not feel safe and come together to change any culture of fear which may exist.'
(Natural News) The Associated Press (AP) has ordered all journalists to stop using the word crisis to describe the situation at Americas southern border because fake president Joe Biden and Jen Psaki, his press secretary, do not like the term and the way it negatively reflects on the regime.

AP Vice President and Editor-at-Large for Standards John Daniszewski claims that there is no crisis at the border to begin with, which is why he is now advising all mainstream media reporters to pretend as though everything is just fine in Bidens America.

The current events in the news  a sharp increase in the arrival of unaccompanied minors  is a problem for border officials, a political challenge for Biden and a dire situation for many migrants who make the journey, but it does not fit the classic dictionary definition of a crisis, a memo circulated by Daniszewski claims.

Needless to say, Beijing Biden and his people refuse to use the word crisis when talking about the thousands of illegal aliens who are pouring across Americas border. Many of them are being trafficked and held in cages under Bidens watch, it is important to note.

As to be expected, the AP is blaming President Donald Trump for the current situation, which between Nov. 8, 2016, and Jan. 20, 2021 was widely referred to as a crisis by the media. However, now that Hunters dad is occupying the White House, this crisis is no longer a crisis, unless it can still be blamed on Trump.

According to the AP, the rise in unaccompanied minors flooding Americas southern border follows a monthly increase in border crossings each month since April, or the last eight months of the Trump presidency.

In other words, there is no crisis and everything is just fine, except that there is a crisis and it is all Trumps fault. This is the official position of the AP, which steers news media headlines and content for much of the civilized world.

The current level of crossings in 2021 is roughly equivalent to the last upturn that occurred in mid-2019, the AP alleges.

The media treats Biden just like Obama  like he can do no wrong

Now that Dementia Joe is Americas figurehead, the AP is using neutral language while claiming that anything that appears out of the ordinary concerning the border rush is a product of regular season fluctuation.

The AP says that the word crisis can, in some circumstances, be used to describe Bidens border debacle. The caveat is that doing so will require a disclaimer, of sorts, relinquishing Trippy Joe of all responsibility.

If using the word crisis, we need to ask of what and to whom, the AP memo reads There could be a humanitarian crisis if the numbers grow so large that officials cannot house the migrants safely or in sanitary conditions.

Migrants may face humanitarian crises in their home countries. In theory, there could be a security or a border crisis if officials lose control of the border, allowing people to enter unencumbered in large numbers. But, in general, avoid hyperbole in calling anything a crisis or an emergency.

One example that the AP proposes is suggesting that the border crisis is posing a challenge for Biden. Instead of blaming Biden, the AP says journalists should paint Biden as the victim of a migrant onslaught, to which he is responding by doing everything possible to remedy it.

Again, the AP had a completely different set of rules during the Trump administration. The AP routinely used the phrase humanitarian crisis to describe the southern border situation back then, but now under Biden it is hyperbole to use such language.

More related news stories about the mainstream medias nauseating pandering to the Biden regime can be found at Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheRightScoop.com

NaturalNews.com
Oryx Expands Content into Switzerland through Ambitious New Deal with Grand Casino Luzern

Published April 1, 2021 by Lee R

Slovenia's global content provider Oryx is making a bold move into Switzerland as part of expansion.

A new deal in Switzerland between a global provider and a local operator has bolstered the Swiss market.

The Deal

As part of a rapid expansion, Slovenia provider Oryx Gaming has inked a content provision deal with Switzerland-based Grand Casino Luzern, which will bring Oryx content live Switzerland for the first time.

A First for Grand Casino

The deal establishes Grand Casino Luzern as the first Swiss casino operator to use Oryx's portfolio, with more deals reportedly in the works.

Implementation

The unveiling of Oryx content will take place through Luzerns online brand mycasino.ch.

Oryx Expansion

This is one of several recent agreements in new markets for Oryx, with other deals reached recently to provide content in Croatia, Romania, Spain, Portugal and America.

Oryx Boss Comments

Oryx Gaming MD called Switzerland Matevz Mazij an exciting young market and we are pleased to finally take our content live with Grand Casino Luzern.

Mazij looked forward to establishing an increasingly significant presence in the Swiss market through providing players with the premium content we have to offer."

Grand Casino Head Speaks

Grand Casino Luzern CEO Wolfgang Bliem expressed his organisation's satisfaction with concluding a a very smooth integration process.

Our business continues to go from strength to strength and our offering has been further improved by our partnership with Oryx.

The Oryx Factor

At this point, Oryx brings a complete suite of iGaming products which includes a gaming content portfolio of over 10.000+ games from over 100 globally renowned gaming providers. Oryx is currently featuring a new fully managed Sportsbook with comprehensive live and pre-match betting offers, as well as a diverse lottery portfolio of insurance-based lottery betting, high frequency live lotto products and number of games products.

Impact

There are many ramifications for this deal and it's timing.

The level of specialisation that Oryx is addressing seems well-suited to Swiss players, who appreciate a certain standard of technology and operability to optimize their engagement.

The expansion of Oryx globally make the diversified content provider a new name to watch, from an emerging iGaming region that Slovenia is a part of.

Outlook

The enhancement of Grand Casino Luzern's online offerings should help bolster land-based shutdowns, and drive substantive growth in the Swiss iGaming sector.
Millions of social media users have been touched by an unexpected relationship between a parrot and a puppy.

Wendy Albright of Idaho said her cockatoo parrot Sweet Pea soon became a social media phenomenon after posting a too-cute video of her pet parrot meeting her puppy for the first time.

Albright, who had already been uploading hilarious Sweet Pea videos to TikTok, wanted to record her parrot's reaction to meeting her tiny black Lab on March 23.

Sweet Pea brushes the puppy's head with her foot in the clip and also tells the dog, "I love you."

Albright told local television station KTVB, "I was keeping the puppy, and the puppy was sleeping, and I allowed Sweet Pea to come to meet the puppy."

Albright said she got "thousands of updates" on TikTok after uploading the lovely video.

The video has gained over 27 million views and 4.9 million shares to date.

"I think the nation, at this moment, saw the video and just enjoyed the unadulterated love of two animals just caring for each other," Albright said.

Albright has continued to record Sweet Pea's encounters with her puppy and post them on TikTok due to the video's popularity.

Sweet Pea, whom Albright met on Craigslist, takes toys to the puppy's crate to play with him after a nap in one video.

Albright captioned the video, "Wake up and play with me!!"

Inside, the puppy can be seen playing with Sweet Pea and watching the cockatoo as she runs across the front yard.

Related Article: Chonky Kitty: The Internet's Unhealthy Obsession Over Obese Cats



Friendship in the Animal Kingdom

Although MOST animals make friends, only a few species are worthy of genuine friendship. Higher apes, members of the horse family, elephants, cetaceans, and camelids are within this select group of mammals. All of these species live in stable, partnered social communities, which is no coincidence. Living in a group has its perks, but it can also be tricky because one can't quit when things get rough, where friendship comes in. Friends form protective coalitions that keep everyone else at a safe distance without completely keeping them away.

Unlikely Animal Friendship

Social media is filled with viral posts of unlikely animal friends, from the common cats and dogs to rats and birds. Situations like these are called Interspecies friendship.

Interspecies partnerships like Sweet Pea's puppy pal show that everyone can get along if they really try.

Interspecies Friendship

A non-sexual relationship between animals of different species is known as an interspecies friendship. Interspecies friendships between wild and domesticated animals have been captured with photographs and video in many instances. Animal domestication has resulted in interspecies friendships between species that would not normally coexist. Many interspecies friendships include animals that aren't known to get along, and often one of the animals is of a species that would usually prey on the other in nature.

Interspecies friendship is analogous to mutualism in that it involves two people from different species living in a partnership in which each organism profits from the other's behavior. Friendship techniques for chickens use this tool. Domestication, interspecies contact, mutually beneficial exchanges, the need for social bonding, security, and other factors all play a role in the forming of interspecies friendships.

Also Read: Exotic Animal Cafe Raises Concerns!

For the latest animal trends, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
The logos of mobile apps Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Google and Messenger displayed on a tablet on Oct. 1, 2019. (Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images)

Texas Senate Passes Bill That Would Block Social Media Companies From Banning Users for Their Political Views

The Texas Senate passed a bill that forbids social media companies that have at least 100 million users per month to block, ban, demonetize, or discriminate against any of their users due to their political views.

Senate Bill 12, which is sponsored by Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes, passed on Thursday and would apply to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms.

Hughes said in a video posted on Twitter that the bill is going to get Texans back online.

I think we all have to acknowledge, these social media companies are the new town square, Hughes said.

And a small group of people in San Francisco cant dictate free speech for the rest of us. It needs to be an open exchange of ideas, and Senate Bill 12 is going to get Texans back online.

He said that the bill is on its way to the state House and that it is expected to get a good consideration, adding that he hopes that the governor will sign it into law soon.

After several hours of debate, Senate Bill 7 (Election Integrity) and Senate Bill 12 (Social Media Censorship) fully passed the Texas Senate early this morning. #txlege #SB12 #SB7 @Scott_SanfordTX @BriscoeCain pic.twitter.com/HdQPc2FBy7  Senator Bryan Hughes (@SenBryanHughes) April 1, 2021

The measure would require companies to make their moderation policies known, publish reports about the content blocked out by the platform, and create an appeals process for the removed content.

Hughes recognized that if the bill is signed into law, it would most likely face legal challenges.

Even though theyre private actors, because they are common carriers, because they chose to enter this business and offer their services, then they are bound by certain rules, Hughes told The Texas Tribune.

Two companion bills have already been sent to the House but have not yet moved ahead in the State Affairs Committee.

Hughes is very optimistic in regard to the bill. He said that their team is very strong and sharp, and is prepared to take the fight to court.

We know were going to be sued if we pass this bill. Facebook is going to take us to court. Facebook and Google and Twitter have armies of lawyers and lobbyists who will be fighting us on this. But were on the right side, the law is on our side. Yes, we expect to see this bill passed, put in place, and protecting Texans free speech, Hughes told NTD in February.

Hughes said that this problem cries out for a federal solution, but that they cant wait for it. He believes this bill will thread the needle to get past federal limitations and will serve as a model for other states to do the same.
Tata Steel Ltd is quoting at Rs 848.8, up 4.55% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 234.5% in last one year as compared to a 82.41% spurt in NIFTY and a 172.43% spurt in the Nifty Metal.

Tata Steel Ltd gained for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 848.8, up 4.55% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.37% on the day, quoting at 14745.7. The Sensex is at 49581.27, up 0.15%. Tata Steel Ltd has risen around 15.4% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Metal index of which Tata Steel Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 5.63% in last one month and is currently quoting at 3977.2, up 4.32% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 235.86 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 203.06 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark April futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 852.3, up 4.36% on the day. Tata Steel Ltd is up 234.5% in last one year as compared to a 82.41% spurt in NIFTY and a 172.43% spurt in the Nifty Metal index.

The PE of the stock is 14.83 based on TTM earnings ending December 20.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce the opening of new offices in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. The new office openings were prompted by the arrival of a 21-lawyer litigation team from Dentons and greatly expand Husch Blackwells presence in California, where the firm has maintained a Sacramento office since 2018. The group includes Los Angeles-based partners Bradford J. DeJardin, Frederic Norris, Kelvin Wyles, and Jules Zeman; the new Bay Area partners include Lisa L. Oberg, Lynne Patricia Blair, Michelle C. Jackson, Jennifer J. Lee, Michael E. Sandgren, and Christopher W. Wood.

The group also includes 11 counsel and associates. Joining the firm as counsel are Patricia Alberts, Arlene Barton, Erin Carpenter, Kimberly Chew, Daniel Hoye, Kathy Huynh, Karen Luong, and Natasha Sumner; among the three associates joining the firm are Natalie Lashinsky, Shayan Heidarzadeh, and Amrita K. Pannu. The firm has also added 14 administrative staff, bringing the total new-arrival headcount for its California offices to 35.

We always viewed our Sacramento office as a prelude to further expansion in California, said Husch Blackwells Chair Catherine Hanaway. We are so excited to expand our footprint in California with this incredibly gifted team of lawyers who are a great fit with our culture and strategy.

The arrival of our new California colleagues deepens the bench and resources available to our clients who have a variety of litigation needs in the region, said partner Greg Smith, under whose chairmanship Husch Blackwell first expanded into California.

California is often a bellwether state in terms of the regulation of private business, and we are very pleased to add a substantial presence in a state that is vital to so many of our clients, said Paul Eberle, Husch Blackwells Chief Executive. This is just the first chapter in our growth in California; we look forward to adding additional depth and talent when the opportunities arise.

The economics of handling large portfolios of complex tort claims can be difficult to master, but we have built a platform for doing just that, said Joseph Orlet, the head of Husch Blackwells Technology, Manufacturing and Transportation industry group. Our approach and the technology applications we bring to bear on these matters enable us to provide clients with a compelling value proposition. Risk and reward are shared, and ultimately, this aligns our goals with those of our clients.

Our team reached a comfort level quickly with Joe Orlet and Husch Blackwell, said Oberg. Not all firms are configured in a way that makes sense for our practice, but Husch Blackwells platform is perfectly suited to us and our clients, especially in terms of putting the focus where it belongs: helping clients manage the potential liabilities associated with tort claims in the most efficient manner possible. We are excited and honored to be the tip of the spear for the firms California expansion plans.

In addition to the creation of two new California offices, some of the new attorneys plan to join Husch Blackwells The Link, a virtual office created in July 2020. The Link was formed to enable attorneys to work remotely and to provide the administrative support, leadership, and technology necessary to serving clients in the remote environment.

# # #

About Husch Blackwell

Husch Blackwell is an industry-focused law firm with 23 offices across the United States, including its virtual office, The Link. The firm represents clients around the world in major industries including energy and natural resources; financial services and capital markets; food and agribusiness; healthcare, life sciences and education; real estate, development and construction; and technology, manufacturing and transportation. For more information, visit huschblackwell.com.
Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. receives a Notice of Compliant rated inspection to distribute pharmaceuticals

Key milestone in the development path to commercialization of Reduvo

OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. ("Tetra" or the "Company") (TSX:TBP)(OTCQB:TBPMF)(FRA:JAM1), a biopharmaceutical pioneer in immunomodulator drug discovery and development announce they have received a notice of compliance for its Drug Establishment License (DEL) following an audit by the Drug GMP Inspection Program of Health Canada.

Guy Chamberland, CEO and CRO of Tetra Bio-Pharma stated, "This is a critical step in the regulatory process for drug approval. Tetra's robust GMP quality management system is in place to ensure product quality and consumer safety. This Compliance rating signifies that we are one step closer to our goal of bringing Reduvo soft gel capsules to market in 2021."

Last month, Tetra announced it received a notice of compliance for its Quantum Pharma Inc. DEL to fabricate, package, and label pharmaceuticals. Today's announcement is the issuing of a DEL to Tetra for the distribution of pharmaceuticals. Tetra's DEL is required for continuing the DIN review process with Health Canada.

In December 2020, Tetra filled a New Drug Submission with Health Canada for Reduvo Soft Gel Capsules. If successful, it will provide Tetra with its first Drug Identification Number (DIN). In order to be authorized to distribute the drug to pharmacies across Canada, the Company is required to hold a DEL and is inspected by Health Canada to ensure compliance with Division 2 Part C of the Health Canada Food and Drug Regulations.

The inspection took place in March 2021 and during this period, the Company demonstrated to Health Canada that it can distribute prescription drugs in compliance with the requirements of the Food and Drug Regulations.

About Tetra Bio-Pharma

Tetra Bio-Pharma (TSX:TBP)(OTCQB:TBPMF)(FRA:JAM1) is a biopharmaceutical pioneer in immunomodulator drug discovery and development with a FDA and a Health Canada cleared clinical program aimed at bringing novel prescription drugs and treatments to patients and their healthcare providers. Our evidence-based scientific approach has enabled us to develop a pipeline of cannabinoid-based drug products for a range of medical conditions, including pain, inflammation, and oncology. With patients at the core of what we do, Tetra Bio-Pharma is focused on providing rigorous scientific validation and safety data required for inclusion into the existing biopharma industry by regulators, physicians and insurance companies.

For more information visit: www.tetrabiopharma.com

Neither the TSX Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements

Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the inability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to execute the Company's business plan; competition; regulation and anticipated and unanticipated costs and delays, the success of the Company's research and development strategies, including the success of this product or any other product, the applicability of the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion and uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the timing of clinical trials, the timing and outcomes of regulatory or intellectual property decisions and other risks disclosed in the Company's public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.

For further information, please contact Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc.:

Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc.

Ms. Natalie Leroux

Phone: + 1 (833) 977-7575

Email: investors@tetrabiopharma.com

media@tetrabiopharma.com

SOURCE: Tetra Bio-Pharma

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638502/Tetra-Bio-Pharma-Receives-Second-Compliant-Rating-on-Inspection-from-Health-Canada
The on



Wednesday decided not to extend the two per cent waiver on registrations from April.

It said it would reinstate its earlier system of five per cent on registrations from Thursday.

The state government had slashed the charges to two per cent between August and December last year to boost the real estate market, which was facing a slowdown due to COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown. It was made three per cent between January 1 and March 31.

State Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat on Wednesday said that there would not be any changes in the stamp duty rates announced in September last year.

Stamp duty is one of the three biggest revenue contributors for the state government.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had offered one per cent extra relaxation in stamp duty if the is purchased in the name of a woman.

While issuing the order, state finance department had stated that once the property is purchased in the name of woman, she cannot sell it for the next 15 years.

If she sells it, then one per cent of the waived amount along with heavy fine will be collected from her. It means, if a woman buys an immovable property, she will have to pay four per cent stamp duty.

However, for the purchase of the same property, a man will have to pay five per cent stamp duty from April 1 onwards.

(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.)
[April 01, 2021] Groove and Seismic Announce New Integration for Building Lasting Relationships and Accelerating Revenue in a Digital-First World

Groove, the leading sales engagement platform for enterprises using Salesforce, and Seismic, the industry-leading sales enablement platform, today announced a new integration that enables joint customers to deliver relevant, approved, compliant content through a single, easy-to-use interface. According to Gartner's (News - Alert) 2020 Future of Sales research, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels. In today's digital and remote B2B sales environment, this integrated solution bridges a critical gap between the point of engagement and Salesforce that helps companies quickly realize time-to-value - all without a heavy lift from their IT or application development teams. Together, Groove and Seismic provide revenue teams and their leaders with a powerful solution for building lasting relationships, remotely or in-person. This new integration provides Groove and Seismic customers with seamless access to content in Seismic. It improves productivity and empowers reps to easily send personalized content from within their daily workflows. "We're very excited about using Groove and Seismic together to streamline how our revenue team delivers value to our customers and prospects," said Kishen Mistry, Director of Global Sales Strategy and Technology at TIBCO. "Enabling our sellers to access Seismic content within their Groove workflows will be a huge productivity boost, resulting in a better sales experience for everyone." Integration Benefits Streamline Workflows : Access all relevant content and CRM data in one place, eliminating the back and forth between systems.

: Access all relevant content and CRM data in one place, eliminating the back and forth between systems. Increase Customer Satisfaction: Quickly build repeatable email templates, giving reps time to focus on nurturing relationships and delivering on client requirements.

Quickly build repeatable email templates, giving reps time to focus on nurturing relationships and delivering on client requirements. Make Informed Decisions: Combine Groove's engagemnt and account insights with Seismic's content performance data for comprehensive intelligence on every deal.



"Revenue teams need to embrace digital transformation to engage the 'everywhere customer,' and Groove's new Seismic integration provides reps with the integrated platform that they need to do so in an efficient and measurable way," said Tehsin Daya, Head of Partnerships for Groove. "It's never been easier to engage prospects and customers with the most relevant content at the right time."

"Personalization is no longer a nice-to-have, but rather is an expectation from customers in today's digital-first B2B sales environment," said Preseetha Pettigrew, Seismic Global Vice President, Strategic Alliances. "This integration with Groove streamlines the seller workflow, allowing frontline teams to focus on nurturing relationships and deliver greater value to clients. I look forward to seeing how our joint customers benefit from this partnership." About Groove Groove is the leading sales engagement platform for enterprises using Salesforce, specializing in ease-of-use, ease-of-administration, and cross-team collaboration. Built for the needs of full-cycle sellers, Groove automates non-sales activities so that pre- and post-sales reps can spend more time building relationships and generating revenue. On average, Groove gives revenue teams 20% of their time back to focus on higher-value activities. Groove's Salesforce-native architecture can be customized to align with industry-specific workflows while ensuring more accurate reporting and forecasting, lower compliance risk, and streamlined administration. Over 50,000 sales representatives use Groove at some of the world's largest and fastest-growing companies, including Google, Uber, BBVA, and Capital One (News - Alert) . Groove has earned the highest customer satisfaction rating on G2 in the sales engagement category for over two years in a row. Groove was named one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces 2020 and is one of the 2020 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. Groove also ranks #16 on the San Francisco Business Times' "fastest-growing private companies in the Bay Area in 2020" and #191 on the Deloitte (News - Alert) 2020 Technology Fast 500 list. Founded in 2014, Groove is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in San Diego and Seattle. To learn more, visit groove.co. About Seismic Seismic is the industry-leading sales enablement and digital sales engagement solution, aligning go-to-market teams and empowering them to deliver engaging buyer experiences that drive growth. Seismic's Storytelling PlatformTM delivers innovative capabilities for marketers to orchestrate content delivery across all channels, and for sellers to engage with prospective buyers in a compelling, resonant manner at every step of the buyer journey. More than 700 enterprises including IBM and American Express (News - Alert) have made Seismic their sales enablement platform of choice. The Seismic Storytelling PlatformTM integrates with business-critical platforms including Microsoft, Salesforce, Google (News - Alert) and Adobe. Seismic is headquartered in San Diego, with offices across North America, Europe, and Australia. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005277/en/

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SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After several years researching and evolving different methodologies, a simple set of 3 symbol tags can now make pet owners and those they encounter more at ease.

These three universal symbols identify the dog's likely temperament and communicate the owner or handlers wishes without saying a word. Visible from up to 30 feet away, the two-inch tags can be easily attached to a dog's collar. Each tag is distinguished by a unique color and shape so they are able to communicate quickly without confusion.

New Canine Temperament Symbols are Designed to Put Dog Owners, Communities and the White House More at Ease, While Helping Other Pets in Need

Developed with input from pet owners, insurance companies, dog trainers, veterinarians, apartment owners and community representatives, the tags are easily understood by everyone from young children to senior citizens so that encountering an unknown dog is much less stressful for passersby and the dog's owner or handler.

The octagonal red symbol means the dog's owner does not wish passersby to approach the animal as the dog could be aggressive to other dogs or people. The yellow triangle tag means the dog's owner wants to be asked permission before someone approaches because the dog could have issues with other dogs or people. The green circle means the dog is no threat to people or other animals and no permission needs to be asked to approach the dog. They also contain a distinct reflective strip for better night or low light visibility.

Retailing for just $5.99, part of the cost of each tag goes to the ASPCA and the Humane Society so consumers are not only helping their community and neighbors by using the K9 temperament tags they are helping other pets in need.

Every year it is estimated there are nearly 5,000,000 dog bites in the US, with almost 20% of them needing some medical attention at a cost over half a billion dollars annually. These tags will help reduce unneeded incidents and help children, joggers, seniors, pets, and even Presidents more peacefully coexist.

For more information contact Patrick Aroff at [email protected] or 310-402-3434.

To purchase tags, go to www.k9symbols.com

For retail or etail business enquiries please contact [email protected]

SOURCE Symbiotic International
River Gee County district#3 Representative Francis S. Dopoh, terms as 'baseless and immoral', recent call by the chairman of the opposition Liberty Party Musa Bility for opposition lawmakers to boycott the signing of a resolution that would approve request by the Cenral Bank of Liberia to print fresh family of Liberian bank notes, totaling over LRD48 billion.

On Friday, March 26, while visiting Lofa County, Chairman Bility urged the leadership of the four Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) to ban its lawmakers who approved the printing of LRD48.7 billion banknotes from contesting on the CPP's tickets in the 2023 presidential and legislative elections.

He said the CPP will ensure that all those representatives who signed the resolution for the government to print new money won't be allowed to contest on its ticket.

Mr. Bility, also a businessman, claimed the government's plan to print new banknotes is an attempt to enrich officials of Weah Administration.

But Rep. Dopoh counters that in every political institution there are multiplicity of views which cannot be controlled by mere individual opinion other than thru administrative dialogue.

The River Gee County lawmaker explains there was no time that Mr. Bility, as National Chairman of the Liberty Party, called LP lawmakers and urged them to resist the printing of new family of banknotes.

He says the statement by the LP chairman has no effect on the CPP, as it remains focused on acting and working in the best interest of the ordinary Liberians.

He reiterates his support for the printing of new banknotes, adding that he has ensured the issue of audit and control for currency deployment is placed in the resolution.

Dopoh at the same time calls on fellow CPP Lawmakers in the Legislature to go beyond party lines and work in the interest of the country.
Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk through Hong Kong's Central business district in a July 16, 2020 photo.

Plans by the Hong Kong government to relax public disclosure requirements for companies operating in the city have sparked concerns over transparency and money-laundering, as well as dwindling press freedom.

Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam has previously told the city's Legislative Council (LegCo) that the government will adjust legal requirements to make it harder to carry out an online Companies Registry search.

The Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA) said last month that it is extremely concerned about the measures and their impact on the ability of journalists to carry out investigations into corporate activity.

Estate agents have also expressed concerns that they won't be able to carry out adequate due diligence to prevent property scams, as required by law.

Currently, it is possible to carry out an online search of the Companies Registry and find the residential addresses and ID card numbers of directors of Hong Kong companies. Similar information is available for company secretaries and liquidators called in to wind up a business.

The government is planning to ensure that only correspondence addresses and partial ID numbers will be accessible in future, in a bid to protect directors' privacy.

Under new rules being implemented by the Bureau of Financial Services and the Treasury, companies can refuse to allow public access to the directors usual residential addresses and the complete ID numbers of the directors and company secretaries.

By next year, companies may withhold registration documents bearing the usual residential addresses and ID numbers of their officers, and they may withdraw such documents from the registry entirely in 2023.

The new rules are highly likely to pass in a LegCo that is controlled by pro-Beijing lawmakers.

Hong Kong has previously had an excellent international reputation for transparency that underpins its former status as an international trading city with a separate administration from China.

As late as 2017, the financial services bureau had followed recommendations from the Financial Action Task Force, ensuring public access to owner information for registered companies.

Hong Kong has been a member of the task force, which works to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, since 1991, before the 1997 handover to China.

Hong Kong's Companies Registry website still has a special page dedicated to explaining how it complies with FATF regulations.

"Negative impact could be very large'

Simon Lee of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) business school said many other people and organizations need to conduct Companies Registry searches as part of due diligence.

"I think the chief executive is taking an overly simplistic view of this," Lee told RFA. "This isn't just about journalism; it involves the security of a great many assets and is essential to the basic operations of the financial markets."

"It should be handled with care, otherwise the negative impact could be very large."

He cited the example of real estate agents who are required to carry out background research on companies involved in property deals.

He said the new restrictions could attract international organized crime groups to set up in the city to carry out money laundering, and would do nothing to improve the city's reputation as a tax evasion hub.

Prominent economic Law Ka-chung said the move would undermine the public's right to access information.

"Hong Kong banks may actually want customers to volunteer company registration information in future, as they take on the work of preventing money-laundering," he said.

Real estate agents expressed concerns on Tuesday that new laws will prevent them checking the backgrounds of property owners and potentially preventing scams, The Standard newspaper reported on March 31.

Centaline Property Agency said the restriction makes it difficult for agents to meet regulatory requirements, the paper said.

A spokesperson for the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau said in a statement issued late on Wednesday that all searchers, including journalists, would continue to have access to Companies Registry information, but only to correspondence addresses rather than main residences of company directors, and only to a truncated version of their ID card number.

"There are no new restrictions on other currently available information," the spokesperson said.

But it made no comment about the second and third phases of the proposed rule changes, which will begin curbing public access to companies registered after October 2022, and allow companies until December 2023 to apply to the Companies Registry to remove existing information from public view.



Reported by Gigi Lee and Chan Yun Nam for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
In April, Amazon Prime has a whole host of other films coming to its streaming service  one of the many perks of having a subscription. Many of these films are comedies, so if youre looking for a good laugh, youll have plenty of options on Prime. But what are the six best you need to check out?

Lets take a closer look at six cult-favorite comedies coming to Amazon Prime this month, according to TIME, and why you need to watch them ASAP.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

RELATED: Outbreak Films to Stream on Amazon Prime That Arent Contagion

Jason Segel stars in this film about a sad-sack guy in love with his girlfriend when he finds himself dumped. In a bid to cheer himself up, he takes a solo vacation to Hawaii. Hes then mortified to find out his girlfriend (the aforementioned Sarah Marshall, played by Kristen Bell) is there with her British rockstar boyfriend (Russell Brand). Jonah Hill also stars in this hilarious comedy written by Segel.

Four Weddings and a Funeral

This charming British comedy is about as dry and witty as they come. Hugh Grant plays a man who seems to attend a ton of weddings with his friends, though none of them ever seem to find love. He finally meets a woman he begins to fall for (Andie MacDowell). He can never seem to link up with her while running into multiple old exes at a few weddings (and, as the title indicates, one tragic funeral).

Tyler Perrys Madea films

Tyler Perry | Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Tyler Perry isnt just a talented writer, he also performs the titular role in his Madea films. Playing the outspoken, hilarious matriarch of the family, Perrys version of Madea will never be mistaken for someone subtle. For fans of broad, over-the-top comedy, check out any of these three Madea titles coming to Amazon Prime: Madeas Big Happy Family, Madea Goes to Jail, and Madeas Tough Love.

Bruno

https://youtu.be/D4FDZoPiDhc

If youre a fan of Sacha Baron Cohens Borat movies, Bruno is a great pick for you. Combining scripted scenes and vignettes with footage filmed with unsuspecting costars, this blend of comedy and reality TV is as shocking as it is hilarious. While some of Cohens outlandish antics make for some gross yet hilarious scenes, they also provide some biting social commentary.

Hancock

Will Smith has played plenty of heroes in his time, but none quite like this. Hancock features Smith portraying a superhero with the capabilities of Superman and the attitude of a surly alcoholic. Turning the superhero genre on his head, Hancock is about a hero with less than heroic qualities who tries to deal with life as a comic book character in the flesh. Supporting turns by Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron help buoy this funny but unique take on superhero movies.

Smith has made a career playing good guys in blockbusters, so its fun to watch him play against type as someone you wouldnt want your kids modeling themselves after. Theres also a pretty shocking twist that adds a whole other wrinkle to the films plot you may not see coming.

My Cousin Vinny

Joe Pesci is a fish out of water as a New York City lawyer headed to the country to defend his wrongly accused nephew in a murder trial. Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for her portrayal of Pescis girlfriend in this classic comedy that also features Karate Kid Ralph Macchio in a decidedly non-Daniel LaRusso role. Pesci is known for playing tough guys, wise guys, and mobsters  and while his Vinny here has elements of all three present in the characterization, he gets to chew a little scenery for laughs. Its fair to say Pescis never been funnier (though anyone whos seen Goodfellas will be sure to avoid telling him that).
Highlights The flagship Xperia 1 III is expected to have Snapdragon 888 and a 6.5 inch 4K OLED display.

The Xperia 10 III is expected to sport a 6-inch FHD+ display with Snapdragon 690 5G chip.

The launch event is scheduled for 1 PM (IST) on April 14 2021.

Sony is all set to host a major launch event on April 14. The Japanese electronics giant is expected to launch the new Xperia 1 III flagship smartphone alongside the Xperia 10 III and an Xperia compact phone at the event.

The Xperia 1 III is likely to be powered by the latest Snapdragon 888 chipset and will feature a 12GB/256GB RAM and storage configuration, although there will be a premium 16GB/512GB version too. The display will be a 6.5-inch OLED 21:9 CinemaWide 4K HDR display, which is the same as the predecessor. The bezels on the front are expected to be slimmer. The smartphone is said to come with a metal frame and a glass back.

Its 4K HDR panel is expected to support 10bit colour with a 120Hz refresh rate, similar to the Xperia 5 II. The peak brightness is 1,300 nits on par with modern OLED smartphone displays.

There's some news around the camera system of the Xperia 1 III as well. It seems that for the first time, Sony has decided to go along the periscope route. The Xperia 1 III will sport a triple rear camera setup with ZEISS optics with lossless zoom. However, the exact camera specifications are still unknown.

The Xperia 10 III is expected to sport a 6-inch 21:9 aspect ratio CinemaWide with no punch-hole or notch display, which will likely come with an FHD+ resolution. It will have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, front-facing stereo speakers, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Xperia 10 III will also have a triple rear camera setup, a 12-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera, same as the predecessor. We can expect a mid-range Snapdragon SoC, which could be Snapdragon 690 5G based on earlier rumours.

Sony is also expected to launch an Xperia Compact phone, however according to some reports, this will not be a flagship phone like earlier flagship compact phones in the Xperia Z and Xperia XZ series with top-end specifications, instead this will be a budget phone powered by Snapdragon 480 5G SoC.

We will know the complete specifications of the smartphones at the launch event for these new Xperia devices, which is scheduled for April 14 at 13:00 IST.
 Notably split Sixth Circuit panel finds way-above guideline felon-in-possession sentence to be substantively unreasonable | Main | CCJ's National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice releases "Impact Report: COVID-19 Testing in State Prisons" 

The title of this post is the title of this interesting article published in the American Sociological Review earlier this year that I just came across. This research was authored by Scott Duxbury, and here is its abstract:

Threat theory argues that states toughen criminal laws to repress the competitive power of large minority groups. Yet, research on threat suffers from a poor understanding of why minority group size contributes to social control and a lack of evidence on whether criminal law is uniquely responsive to the political interests of majority racial groups at all. By compiling a unique state-level dataset on 230 sentencing policy changes during mass incarceration and using data from 257,362 responses to 79 national surveys to construct new state-level measures of racial differences in punitive policy support, I evaluate whether criminal sentencing law is uniquely responsive to white public policy interests. Pooled event history models and mediation analyses support three primary conclusions: (1) states adopted new sentencing policies as a nonlinear response to minority group size, (2) sentencing policies were adopted in response to white public, but not black public, support for punitive crime policy, and (3) minority group size and race-specific homicide victimization both indirectly affect sentencing policy by increasing white public punitive policy support. These findings support key theoretical propositions for the threat explanation of legal change and identify white public policy opinion as a mechanism linking minority group size to variation in criminal law.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 00:28:15|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The British government has been accused of trying to downplay structural racism in Britain, after its new social disparities report said claims that the country is institutionally racist are "not borne out by the evidence".

The government's Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, set up after Black Lives Matter protests last year, said Wednesday in the report that social class and family structure, rather than race, had a bigger impact on how people's lives turned out.

It claimed Britain acts as "a model" for other white-majority countries when it comes to racial equality in education and the workplace.

The 264-page report was criticised widely, with lawmakers and campaigners accusing the British government of trying to "whitewash" the systemic racism in Britain.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy said she was "deeply disappointed" that the race report "seems to downplay the structural problems we've got in this country".

Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, a leading race equality think tank, said that denying the existence of institutional racism was "deeply, deeply worrying".

Labour MP Zarah Sultana tweeted that it is a "disgraceful sham" for the ruling Conservatives to mark their own homework and decree that Britain is a "model" on racial equality.

"From Windrush to Grenfell, the Criminal Justice system to rates of poverty, systemic racism is all too real. We demand change, not this whitewash," she added.

The race report published Wednesday said Britain has become a "more open society" where children from many ethnic communities perform as well, or substantially better, than white pupils in compulsory education.

"The landmark report challenges the view that Britain has failed to make progress in tackling racial inequality, suggesting the well-meaning 'idealism' of many young people who claim the country is still institutionally racist is not borne out by the evidence," said the report. Enditem
One year of Teagasc Signpost Webinar Series

This week marks one year of the Teagasc Signpost Webinar Series which covers environmental topics. The webinar, today, Thursday 1 April, was about Multispecies Swards - sward and animal performance under reduced nitrogen fertiliser inputs with speakers Dr Helen Sheridan and Professor Tommy Boland, UCD providing their insights.

One year of Teagasc Signpost Webinar Series

The Teagasc Signpost Series is presented in association with Dairy Sustainability Ireland, Food Drink Ireland Skillnet and the National Rural Network. Since its first episode in the early days of the first lockdown, in April 2020, the series has gone from strength to strength and has broadcast weekly episodes every Friday morning from 9.30-10.30 covering environmental topics such as climate change, biodiversity, soil health, nutrient management and water quality.

The series attracts a weekly attendances in excess of 400, and past webinars can be viewed at https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/sustainable-agriculture-webinars/

Along with the topics and speakers for upcoming webinars. While the series is aimed at agri-professionals it has built up quite a diverse following of those interested in improving the environmental outcomes for agriculture.

Pat Murphy, Head of Environment Knowledge Transfer at Teagasc, said that the Signpost Series has demonstrated the interest that is there in improving the sustainability of Irish agriculture. We are delighted that we have had the opportunity to shine a light on a diverse range of issues to our loyal audience. The contribution of our partners, Dairy Sustainability Ireland, National Rural Network and Skillnet Ireland has been instrumental in the success of the venture.

Mark Gibson, host of the Teagasc Signpost Series said: To mark the first anniversary of the series, we are delighted to announce that the webinars are now also available to listen to as Podcast. We are truly heartened by the response we have received to the series. I want to thank all of our speakers and the excellent engagement we continue to have with our audiences.

You can register for the Signpost Series for free at www.teagasc.ie/sustainableagriculture and tune in every Friday morning for the one hour webinar at 9.30am. All of the webinars are recorded and available to view on the Teagasc website. The Signpost Podcast Series is available on all popular podcast platforms.

Ends
The Board of Industries has appointed former Reserve Bank Governor as the company's Additional Director in the category of Non-Executive and Independent Director.

He has been appointed as the Additional Director with effect from March 31 for a five-year period.

"The Board of Directors of the Company at their meeting held today 31st March, 2021, approved the appointment of Dr. Urjit Patel, as an Additional Director of the Company in the category of Non-Executive and Independent Director with effect from 31st March, 2021 for a term of 5 years i.e., upto 30th March, 2026, subject to approval of the shareholders of the company," Industries said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.

fulfills the criteria of independence as required under the provisions of the Act, 2013 and the Rules framed thereunder and the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015.

Further, it also said that Patel is not debarred from holding the office of director by virtue of any SEBI order or any other authority.

He was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) during September 2016-December 2018.

--IANS

rrb/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.)
TASHKENT -- Health authorities in Uzbekistan kicked off a mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 on April 1 with the first residents of Tashkent and regional capitals getting their shots.

The Health Ministry said on Telegram that people in district capitals and smaller settlements will start getting vaccinated on May 1, while vaccine doses will arrive in more remote areas in June.

The ministry said the British-Swedish Vaxzevria (formerly known as AstraZeneca) and the Chinese-Uzbek ZF-UZ-VAC 2001 vaccines are initially being used to guard against COVID-19 among the country's 32 million people.

The initial rollout is for individuals older than 65, medical personnel, people with chronic diseases, teachers of schools and kindergartens, and law enforcement and military personnel.

An official statement says that "3,138 vaccination centers and 862 mobile medical brigades have been set up across the country for the vaccination campaign...[and] more than 4,000 doctors and more than 11,000 nurses are involved in the vaccination program."

As of April 1, the number of officially registered coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan is 83,050, including 630 deaths.

Neighboring Kyrgyzstan also started its mass vaccination program this week.
It would allow the board to defer action on new and recent applications until the expiration of a statewide disaster declaration made by Gov. J.B. Pritzker because of COVID-19, the expiration of the public health emergency declared by the federal government, or until July 1  whichever occurs later. It would also allow the board to hold off on earlier applications that are now pending before the board, such as Mercys, for 60 days.
Retail sales in the UAE are expected to rebound and grow by 13% to reach $58 billion by the end of 2021.

Covid-19 has accelerated digital transformation in the UAE and the Mena region  shifting from the traditional brick-and-mortar to omnichannel retail, like the rest of the world, while online shopping has picked up fast over the last one year since the lockdown in March last year, experts at a conference titled Lets Talk Shop, organised by Images RetailME, said.

UAE retail sales are forecast to maintain 6.6% annual growth in the medium term to reach $70.5 billion by 2025. A recent study found that companies with $1 billion annual turnover can expect to earn an additional $700 million within three years of investing in customer experience.

The UAE currently leads the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region in terms of household spending on e-commerce at $2,554 per household, which is twice the value of the global average of $1,156, according to a report by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Shruthi Nair, Executive Editor, Images RetailME, opened the conference, saying, The term At your fingertips isn't just a phrase anymore. We now have access to a lot of things at just the click of a button. As shoppers, we are spoilt for choice and channel, making the job that much harder for every brand and retailer to grab our attention and earn our money.

This expanded choice landscape has shifted customer expectations, resulting in a new type of modern buyer - one that is more aware and knowledgeable of their purchases, one that expects to be satisfied with not just their purchases, but also with their entire shopping journey and also one that is willing to pay more for a better experience.

During the lockdown the retail sector witnessed a massive transformation in customer behaviour.

Retail sales in the UAE are expected to rebound and grow by 13% to reach $58 billion by the end of 2021, supported by pent-up consumer demand in the second half of the year, Covid-19 vaccination efforts and Expo 2020 Dubai, new analysis from Dubai Chamber has projected.

A recent study found that companies with a $1 billion annual turnover can expect to earn an additional $700 million within three years of investing in customer experience.

Freshworks recently surveyed 1500 CX professionals across the globe and released some of their findings.

Customer expectations have increased last year. 63% of the customers have seen a rise in expectation through the crisis, and this is very important. This is a number which is changing the whole scenario of how things are moving. Additionally, 56% of customer service leaders have seen an increase in the budget compared to 2019, Sanjay Kumar, Marketing Head, Middle East & Africa, Freshworks, told the webinar.

Take your service to the customer with "Digital CX" by adopting emerging channels SMS, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Apple for Business chat etc. which allows proactive service delivery and 'anytime engagement'.

With increase in customer queries and expectations, "To Bot or Not" is not a question anymore. Bots are your great first line of defence and ensures 24/7 service availability, he added.

The analysis, based on recent data from Euromonitor, predicted that UAE retail sales are forecast to maintain 6.6% annual growth in the medium term to reach $70.5 billion by 2025, with store-based retailing growth forecast at a CAGR of 5.7%, while non-store retailing is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 14.8%.

The grocery retail sector was under massive strain ahead of and during the lockdown period, which forced them to accelerate their digital adoption and omnichannel offerings to ensure that the essential supplies are reaching its customers without delay.

Ashutosh Chakradeo, Head of Retail, Choithrams said, During this pandemic a lot of things just fast-tracked. Its not like digitalisation was not part of our strategy from 2015 to 2019, but the pandemic escalated it.

Online business has jumped during the Covid-19 period, from say, 10% to 50% for some retailers

Toufic Kreidieh, CEO of BFL Group says that digital is the future of any industry and if retailers can increase online sales to up to 50% of their revenue, they will be on the right track.

He said: We upgraded the online business, which was already there before the pandemic and was only 8% of our business, but today its 27% of our turnover.

We were able to open 11 big stores during 2020. Now we have another 14 stores in the pipeline. We are extremely positive now as we know that revenge shopping, revenge spending, and revenge travelling is going to happen.

Customers are putting a lot more emphasis on value. And the increased focus on value means a brand has to deliver multiple positives.

Shehbaz S. Shaikh, CEO of Redtag, thinks its high time for brands to deliver an emotionally uplifting and memorable shopping experience where the customer feels that the brand is truly going above and beyond their expectations.

A big trend we've seen for sure is physical footprints are going down and the digital interactions are increasing, he said.

Earlier, customers used to step in the store, try their apparels before they make the purchase. But today, we are seeing a big shift towards digital experiences. Loyalty is very important, so if a customer feels that she/he doesn't belong, they have got a lot of options and a lot of places to go to.

Personalisation plays a big role. The retail industry now needs to be customer-centric, offering personalised experience to attract customers and gain their loyalty. The time lag between discovery and purchase is a constant pain point for a customer.

Speaking about digitalisation, Shehbaz Shaikh said: We created a digital catalogue through WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, and got an extremely good response. This was for all GCC countries, beside Saudi Arabia. But in Saudi Arabia, due to the sheer size of our customer base, we launched our e-commerce site. And it reinforced the brand identity as a business that goes the extra mile for the customers.

Brands are trying to reach out to the customers through various means of digital advertising and attract them with offers and promotions.

Hridesh Methwani, Head of Marketing at Pan Emirates Home Furnishings, said, Dubai is a promotion-driven market. Across all brands, within every industry, there are people who are reaching out with different kind of promotions.

Hyper personalisation in digital websites makes a brand get closer to its customers, understand their needs better and as a result, serve them better.

Todays customers need hyper personalisation addressing specific customer needs. If you are looking for a particular item, that should be the one point of discussion rather than discussing any other product, he added.

Although the retail industry is moving towards digital, brick-and-mortar will always have its place in the Middle East as the customers in this region love to go out for shopping. According to Jones Lang LaSalle, a global real estate advisory, Dubai saw 110,000 square metres (sqm) of gross leasable area (GLA) in the retail sector completed in 2020, which brings the emirates total retail stock to 4.2 million sqm.

We cannot negate the fact that people want the best shopping experience. They want to touch and feel and try stuff. No matter what you do through technology, you cannot replace the experience of stepping into a store. So, I'm still positive that, probably in a couple of years time, people will be back to their normal life, and will be comfortable going out, said Methwani.

At the end of the day, the digital, physical, multichannel and omnichannel experiences need to all be centred on the ever-evolving customers. The retailers who understand and cater to their customers best will lead the way.

The virtual roundtable is a series of such initiatives by RetailME  to reflect on the changing market dynamics of the regions retail industry. -- Tradearabia News Service
During the Home Rule controversy at the start of the 20th century, Ulster unionists produced a series of political postcards about the danger of Irish Home Rule and their determination to oppose it. One of these depicted a young woman, who represented Ulster, and it carried the message Deserted, well I can stand alone.

That word deserted reflected their deep sense of betrayal and abandonment in the face of threat. The position of unionists today is not that of 1912, or 1913, but within unionism there is a deeper level of resentment and disillusionment than I have seen in a very long time.

An older generation of unionists will recall their sense of betrayal 50 years ago, when Conservative prime minister Edward Heath abolished the devolved Northern Ireland Parliament at Stormont. They will also recall the anger and bitter resentment in 1985, when another Conservative prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, opened the door to Dublin, through the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

Now, there is a similar sense of betrayal by the current Conservative prime minister, Boris Johnson.

When he signed an international agreement with the European Union to create an internal border in the United Kingdom, he broke a solemn pledge that he would never do such a thing.

The record of the Labour Party is no better and Tony Blairs secret deals with Sinn Fein and the IRA are still toxic, especially his 200 on-the-run letters for members of the IRA.

He even had the audacity to reappear in 2015 to warn David Cameron that the peace process was fragile and that any attempt to pursue IRA terrorists for their atrocities could unravel it.

Its no wonder that many unionists feel as angry as they do.

The implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol is a running sore and it will remain a running sore while the Protocol exists.

Unionists have also had to endure the exclusion of Northern Ireland from the UK Governments announcement on the Union flag and we have seen the shameful refusal by the UK Government to use frozen Libyan assets to compensate victims of an IRA terror campaign that was resourced by the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Many people in Northern Ireland have also been angered by the imposition of a radical abortion regime, as favoured by Sinn Fein  a decision which totally undermines the credibility of devolution.

Against that background, they now have to swallow the decision by the PPS not to pursue cases against 24 prominent members of Sinn Fein for breaching Covid regulations at the Bobby Storey funeral.

The fact that it took six months to interview the Sinn Fein members and present the case to the PPS is itself a disgrace, as is the revelation that engagement between Sinn Fein and the PSNI before the funeral was a key factor in the decision not to prosecute.

It simply reinforces the widespread belief that there is two-tier policing and a two-tier justice system.

Sinn Fein directing 700,000 of Stormont MLAs expenses to Research Services Ireland is just one example from a very long list of Sinn Fein misdemeanours.

The list of known misdemeanours is long and the list of actual misdemeanours would be a lot longer if they were all to be interrogated, as they should.

That culpability is then magnified by the arrogance of Sinn Fein who will attempt to brazen out anything, no matter how obvious the guilt.

Unionists are also faced with an arrogant and energised pan-nationalism as the Dublin coalition government sets up a Shared Island Unit and the SDLP backs calls for an Irish minister for reunification.

Meanwhile, Irelands Future provides a vehicle for Irish republicanism to mobilise and galvanise what is termed civic nationalism and at the same time seeking to demoralise both civic and political unionism.

That situation has not been helped by the bumbling comments of the new US President, Joe Biden, who is clearly a firm believer in the blame the Brits school of Irish history.

Its not a pretty picture, but sometimes you have to step back and look at the bigger picture and the longer term.

In this case, it helps to explain why there is a growing sense of unionist alienation and frustration and all politicians, whether in Belfast, London, Dublin, or Washington, would be foolish to underestimate it, or ignore it.




About 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were ruined after workers at a manufacturing plant accidentally conflated the vaccines' ingredients. This causes a delay in the authorization of the production lines.

Emergent BioSolutions is managing the operations of the plant. They are also the manufacturing partner to both J&J and AstraZeneca.

Meanwhile, federal officials said that the mistake was a human error, according to The New York Times report.

J&J has already made a move to strengthen its control over its plant to avoid any possible quality lapses in the future.

The good news is this does not affect the J&J vaccine doses that are currently being delivered and used nationwide, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

Government officials said there is still enough to meet U.S. President Joe Biden's commitment to provide enough vaccine by the end of May to provide to every adult.

Pfizer-BooNTech and Moderna are seen to continue delivering as expected.

READ NEXT: Johnson & Johnson's Single-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Signs of Promise

Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

J&J shot earned U.S. authorization on Feb. 27. Its executives have then committed to deliver 20 million doses to the U.S. by the end of March, while they will be delivering 100 million doses by the end of June, according to a Business Insider report.

J&J aims to produce one billion doses for this year.

"We are pleased we have met our commitment to deliver enough single-shot vaccines by the end of March to enable the full vaccination of more than 20 million people in the United States," J&J was quoted in a statement.

The company also included in their statement about the failed batch due to human error, saying the said batch was never advanced to the filling and finishing stages of their manufacturing process.

J&J signed a five-year deal with Emergent BioSolutions with the first two years of the agreement valued at $480 million.

The Biden administration has opened a massive vaccination campaign in January. The daily vaccination rate has remained sturdy at 1.7 million shots, as reported by the White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients.

Meanwhile, other vaccine candidates have been reporting other reports of their study.

Pfizer-BioNTech announced on Wednesday the results of its COVID-19 vaccine study on kids as young as 12, saying it is safe and offers strong protection.

Most of the COVID vaccines rolled out around the world are only applicable to adults. However, vaccinating children has become one of the priorities to help schools reopen and make it look a little more normal after months of disruption, according to a WCNC report.

The company said the kids have similar side effects to young adults. The main side effects are pain, fever, chills, and fatigue, especially after the second dose.

Dr. Philip J. Landrigan of Boston College said the results are promising, with kids not mostly complying with masking and distancing.

"So, something that gives them hard protection and takes them out of the mix of spreading the virus is all for the good," Landrigan was quoted in a report.

Read also: Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Applies for Emergency Use Authorization

WATCH: U.S. to Deliver 3.9 Million Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Doses -from Bloomberg Markets and Finance






ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NATSO, the trade association representing the nation's truckstops and travel plazas, issued the following statement in response to the draft infrastructure proposal put forth today by President Biden. The statement can be attributed to Lisa Mullings, President and CEO of NATSO.

"NATSO is encouraged by the Biden Administration's commitment to the nation's immediate and long-term infrastructure needs as outlined in today's proposal.

We are pleased to see that the Administration's plan did not incorporate tolling existing interstates and commercializing rest areas, which would harm off-highway businesses and highway users.

NATSO and its member locations are eager to work with the Administration to advance its infrastructure objectives, including building a reliable and safe nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations.

Any effort to develop a nationwide network of charging stations will only succeed if there is a clear, unambiguous policy framework that harnesses the core competencies of the utility and retail fuel sectors. There should be a very strong business case for both utilities and fuel retailers to work together to create a nationwide network of fast charging stations.

The utility sector is best suited to perform the generation development and power grid restructuring that will be needed to meet new demand, while fuel retailers are best positioned to own and operate EV charging stations and provide transportation energy to consumers.

The competitive market dynamics that govern the retail fuel market today should be replicated to accommodate electric vehicles. The consumer should have multiple charging options all competing for their business on price, speed, and quality of service.

As the Administration and Congress work toward more detailed, concrete proposals, we urge them to ensure that there is a productive partnership between the utility sector and fuel retailers for electric vehicle charging stations. We are optimistic that today's proposal is a step in the right direction.

As an industry that depends on the efficient, safe movement of motorists and goods along the Interstate Highway System, we understand that infrastructure is the key to a strong economy.

Policymakers should therefore seek self-sustaining infrastructure funding mechanisms, such as increasing the motor fuels taxes or a vehicle-miles traveled tax, rather than imposing corporate tax increases, which will hinder the economic recovery of businesses that have yet to emerge from the pandemic."

NATSO (NATSO.com) is the professional trade association representing America's travel plaza and truckstop industry, and serves as the voice in Washington, D.C., for off-highway fuel retailers. Founded in 1960, NATSO represents the industry on legislative and regulatory matters; serves as the official source of information on the diverse travel plaza and truckstop industry; provides education to its members; conducts an annual convention and trade show; and supports efforts to generally improve the business climate in which its members operate.

NATSO Contact: Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman

Vice President, Public Affairs

Direct: (703) 739-8578

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE NATSO, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.natso.com


The 2004 legislative deal that created casino gambling in Pennsylvania included heavily subsidizing horse racing. Now, due to a recent investigation by The Philadelphia Inquirer, it is clear that the state government saved horse racing at the expense of racehorses  and at a massive financial cost to the public.

Every time a gambler loses a slots bet at a Pennsylvania casino, about 10% of the money goes to a fund that subsidizes purses at racetracks. It amounts to nearly $200 million a year, without which the industry likely would crash because it doesnt otherwise generate enough revenue for competitive purses. It is public money. So far, the state has delivered about $3 billion to the industry, making it the most heavily state-subsidized private enterprise.

Meanwhile, as documented by the Inquirer, more than 1,400 thoroughbred horses have died at Pennsylvania racetracks since 2010. Most had to be euthanized due to catastrophic injuries, but some died in their stalls.

The carnage has occurred within an industry that the state is supposed to regulate not only for competitive integrity, but for the safety of the horses. The catastrophic death rate is a catastrophic failure of the state government.

But it isnt alone. The Jockey Clubs Equine Injury Database reported that in 2018, for example, horses died at U.S. racetracks at the rate of 10 per week.

There is little doubt that doping  drugging horses to improve their performance or to make them able to race at all  has been a factor in the slaughter.

Several witnesses in a Pennsylvania criminal case in 2017 testified that they regularly had doped horses. And two trainers among 28 people charged in a pending criminal doping case in New York state have trained hundreds of horses that have raced in Pennsylvania.

There is a chance that a new federal law regulating racing will improve conditions. But in the meantime, state legislators should take up Gov. Tom Wolfs proposal to use the $200 million a year in racing subsidies to fund 20,000 college scholarships. Otherwise, lawmakers should explain to Pennsylvanians why they pay the race industry $200 million a year to kill horses.
Republican members of Alabamas congressional delegation said today they oppose President Bidens $2 trillion plan that would upgrade roads and bridges and other infrastructure, a sweeping proposal with many other components that would be funded by higher taxes on corporations.

Biden announced the plan on Wednesday. It includes billions for mass transit and Amtrak, electric vehicle charging stations, airports, water and sewer systems, expansion of broadband internet access, and other projects, including $400 billion to expand long-term care services under Medicaid, according to the Associated Press. It would raise the corporate income tax from 21% to 28% and end tax breaks for the fossil fuels sector.

Joe Bidens infrastructure bill is nothing more than a massive tax hike in disguise, Congressman Mike Rogers, R-Saks, said. Our nations infrastructure is crumbling, but all Joe Biden is focused on is green new deal and liberal, environmentalist job killing. Only a small percentage of this bill even addresses infrastructure. Im against this package, and I will fight against it in the House.

Zach Weidlich, communications director for Congressman Jerry Carl, R-Mobile, who represents the 1st District, said Biden should negotiate with Republicans for a better plan.

Whether its finding a workable solution to the congestion across the I-10 Mobile River Bridge or addressing the desperate need for rural broadband in many of our communities, Congressman Carl has many priorities for infrastructure improvements in Alabamas First Congressional District, Weidlich said in a statement.

Congressman Carl understands the vast infrastructure needs in AL-01 and the state as a whole, but he is concerned with pork in the Biden Administrations plan which has nothing to do with infrastructure. The American Jobs Plan, despite its more than $2 trillion price tag, allots just $115 billion to roads and bridges, while dumping hundreds of billions of dollars into unsustainable Green New Deal projects. This plan would also saddle hardworking middle-class Americans with tax increases while forcing radical social justice policies on the American people.

President Biden should come to the table in a bipartisan manner to work toward an infrastructure plan benefitting all Americans, rather than try to ram through a repackaged Green New Deal agenda.

Congressman Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, who represents the 2nd District, issued a statement saying that the plan would be a radical expansion of national debt and taxes.

Infrastructure hasnt historically been a partisan issue, but Bidens latest proposal essentially bank rolls the radical Green New Deal on hardworking taxpayers dime, Moore said. America needs a bipartisan bill that doesnt include billions in unrelated partisan spending and supports pro-growth policies that rebuild our economy and help everyday Alabamians get back to work. States are best suited to determine their infrastructural needs, and Id like to see bipartisan legislation that gives them the opportunity to do just that.

Other Alabama lawmakers said the plan is more about promoting Democratic priorities than building and maintaining the nations infrastructure.

Our roads and bridges, many of them in the 4th District, are in need of repair and replacement, Congressman Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, said. But this Biden plan is heavy on New Green Deal proposals and light on actual infrastructure. Only 7% goes to the improvements we actually need. We shouldnt use a need like infrastructure as a chess piece to push liberal agendas.

Elizabeth Hance, communications director for Congressman Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, said, While Rep. Palmer recognizes the benefits of investing in our nations infrastructure, a $2 trillion bill financed by tax increases is the wrong approach. Infrastructure spending should be focused on projects with a clear federal nexus and not serve as a vehicle to deliver federal dollars to special interests in the green energy space. His priority is finishing the northern beltline and ensuring his constituents have access to high speed internet.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville said the nation needs targeted investment in infrastructure but that Bidens plan misses the mark.

Once again, President Biden and Democrats are proposing a massive spending bill which is being advertised as an infrastructure package, but is really the Green New Deal in disguise. As it stands now, only 6% of the $2.25 trillion proposed actually goes to fix bridges and roads, while the rest goes to big cities on the coasts and progressive priorities, leaving rural communities behind.

As we continue recovering from the pandemic, this proposal will kill jobs when we need them the most. Hiking taxes on businesses hurts workers and raises costs for consumers. We saw record wage growth thanks to the 2017 tax cuts, and this is Democrats attempt to erase those gains at the expense of American workers.

We cant keep throwing money at our problems as if this were a game of Monopoly. We need to focus on putting the virus behind us, getting folks back to work, and returning our kids to school. Im in favor of improving our bridges and roads, and am willing to work with our Democratic colleagues on a thoughtful and targeted approach. But if were going to waste our time on another partisan, progressive wish list like the one President Biden proposed yesterday, you can bet Ill oppose it.

Related: Biden infrastructure plan includes $5 billion to prevent gun violence
A young woman who was jailed for two months after she pleaded guilty to popping open a 1.50 packet of Pringles after she was ordered out of a Tesco store is back in prison after she stole nearly 400 worth of false eyelashes.

Kathleen McDonagh, now 27, of Inchera Close in Mahon, Cork was jailed in November 2018 after she pleaded guilty at Cork District Court to causing criminal damage to a Pringles box at the Tesco shopping centre near her home on December 27th, 2016.

She had tied the knot just weeks before she was jailed with her story making international headlines even gracing the pages of Time magazine.

At the time of the offence she was barred from the Tesco branch but she proceeded in to the store.

Ms McDonagh was asked to leave but she picked up a packet of Pringles and went to the self service station.

Ms McDonagh, who at that time had 31 convictions, then removed the foil tin off the can saying that as she had opened the Pringles staff would have to allow her to pay for them.

Jailed for two months Judge Brian O'Shea said it was "smart Alec behaviour."

Ms McDonagh has now been jailed for six months for stealing false eyelashes from a pharmacy.

She pleaded guilty to stealing 392 worth of false eyelashes from Boots in Merchant's Quay, Cork on September 28, 2020.

At a sitting of Cork District Court Judge Olann Kelleher said he accepted that Ms McDonagh had experienced a lot of difficulties in her personal life.

However, he stated that "the thieving is not stopping" and that he had heard representations about her problems on about four occasions.

He jailed Ms McDonagh for three months in relation to the theft of the eyelashes.

He also activated a three month suspended sentence for a previous offence. Ms McDonagh now has 35 convictions.

She is appealing her sentence and has lodged 400 for that purpose. A relative of Ms McDonagh also came forward to provide an independent surety for the same amount.
The National Council of People with Disabilities (NCPD) has said that over 3,000 children with disabilities currently under the care of different children centres, need to be reintegrated in families.

This, officials said, is part of the national effort to give every child a chance of being brought up in a family set up, which is a catalyst for better welfare.

The figure is according to officials, is just preliminary, with a conclusive one expected at the end of an ongoing survey to assess the status of children with disabilities in the country.

According to officials, some of these children live full time in the centres while others spend a portion of the time in the centres where they are supported and then return to their families, which are mostly vulnerable.

Emmanuel Ndayisaba, the Executive Secretary of NCPD told The New Times that the need for reintegration is being guided by the survey, which found up to 73 per cent of these children having both families.

Eight per cent have at least one parent, implying that at least 81 per cent of these children have parents in general.

"This is the information people did not have," he said, adding that it shows that reintegrating these children in families is actually possible.

"We analyzed their current living conditions, the services and support they get as well as what should be improved in terms of their life. This aims to see how these children can be relocated from these centres and be reintegrated into families," he said.

He said that the government in partnership with stakeholders is already running a pilot project in two centres with children with disabilities in Gatsibo district and Gahanga sector in Kicukiro district to reintegrate disabled children into families.

"The pilot phase will help us in planning and determine the budget it requires to reintegrate all children. When children with disabilities are raised in families, get care and love, it improves their life, their thinking, their mental health and intellectual capacity. It heals their trauma.

We will only have centres that provide special support such as education where some children can pursue classes while in boarding but can go home during holidays. Children living near the centres can learn from there and return home after classes."

Those with health issues can remain in the centres while being treated but rejoin families once they recover, he added.

Financial support to families

Ndayisaba said that parents and foster families will also be financially and morally supported to be able to receive and raise the children in better conditions.

"We are working with local government to ensure all children with disabilities benefit from social protection programmes. This will ensure that even when external supporting projects are not available, they can still survive. The support includes access to education, healthcare and general welfare."

He added that rather than keep children in centres, it is better to empower their families so that they are able to take care of their special needs children.

He said that after the pilot phase, the next phase is to assess case by case of these children, identify their immediate families or next of kin and prepare them to receive the children.

Why reintegration?

Innocent Habimfura, the Country Director of Hope and Homes for Children-Rwanda, said that reintegrating the children with disabilities into families is aimed at ensuring their right to be raised in family according to international treaties, the Rwandan constitution and other legislations.

"When children are raised in centres, they grow up as orphans and vulnerable. They have no identity or sense of belonging and at the centres, there is not enough support system for them as they would get in families. They need families or foster families," he said.

He said that the challenges remain in the reintegration process itself which requires participation of different stakeholders and investment.

He reiterated that in order to promote rights of disabled children, an SMS-based platform has been developed to report issues related to children with disabilities so that they get a quick intervention from concerned institutions.

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"The cost of raising a child with disability is not the same as that of a normal child. They need advocacy. Families and the community should fight stigma against the children with disabilities," he said.

James Nduwayo, the senior programme manager at National Child Development Agency, said that the ongoing survey will help generate the whole picture of children with disabilities in the country.

"Some children with disabilities live in centres that are close to communities where they come from. It means they take the opportunity to live in the centres because they live in the same place yet they have parents," he said.

He said that while there has been a success in reintegrating children who had been in orphanages, it should be the same move for children with disabilities.

In 2012, there were 3,323 children in 33 orphanages and so, far only 447 children remain in four orphanages, he said.
Four in 10 people in England aged 80 and over are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, figures suggest.

An estimated 40.8% of people in this age group had received both doses of the vaccine as of March 28.

In some regions the proportion was higher, with 42% for the North West and 50.2% for the North East and Yorkshire.

People aged 80 and over were among the first groups on the priority list for vaccines, with initial doses offered from early December.

(PA Graphics)

Second doses must follow within 12 weeks of the first, meaning an increasing number of people in this age group will be due another jab in the next few weeks.

The figures for vaccinations were published by NHS England, and have been combined with population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.

They suggest 12.7% of people aged 75 to 79 have had both doses, along with 4.7% of 70 to 74-year-olds, 3.3% of 65 to 69-year olds and 4.9% of 60 to 64-year-olds.

Some 3.1% of those aged 16 to 49 are also likely to have received both jabs.

An estimated 93.1% of people aged 50 and over in England have received their first dose, including 91.1% of 55 to 59-year-olds and 83.5% of 50 to 54-year-olds.

Regional estimates range from 84.5% in London to 95.9% for the South West.

(PA Graphics)

Analysis by the PA news agency shows that at local authority level, the highest estimated take-up for people aged 50 and over is in Stratford-on-Avon (99.6%), Warwick (99%) and South Oxfordshire (99%).

The lowest is in the London boroughs of Westminster (64.7%), City of London (65.6%) and Camden (70.7%).

The Government has set a target of offering a first dose to everyone in England aged 50 and over by the middle of April.

Some 93.8% of residents at older adult care homes in England eligible to have their first dose had received the jab by March 28.

Residents are classed as eligible if they have not had Covid-19 in the previous 28 days.

The equivalent figure for staff of older adult care homes was 77.8%.

Just 66.2% of eligible staff of older care homes in London are estimated to have received their first jab.
Germans have been urged to stay at home over the Easter period to stem the third Covid-19 wave, as the country's intensive care association calls for a two-week lockdown and a faster vaccination programme.

Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to Germans on Thursday to stay at home over Easter and meet fewer people to help curb a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, as the capital Berlin announced a nighttime ban on gatherings from Friday.

'It should be a quiet Easter, with those closest to you, with very reduced contact. I urge you to refrain from all non-essential travel,' Merkel said in a video message, adding this was the only way to help doctors and nurses fight the virus.

Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) appealed to Germans on Thursday to stay at home over Easter and meet fewer people to help curb a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic

Merkel was accused of losing her grip on the COVID-19 crisis last week after she ditched plans for an extended Easter holiday agreed two days earlier with governors of Germany's 16 states.

She has since tried to shift the blame for the third wave of the pandemic onto state premiers, accusing them of failing to stick to earlier agreements to reimpose restrictions if infections rose.

The DIVI intensive care association also advised that compulsory testing in schools should be introduced in a bid to combat the third coronavirus wave.

The warnings come amid claims that intensive care units across Germany face the prospect of reaching full capacity as the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb.

Speaking earlier today, Christian Karagiannidis, the DIVI's scientific head, said that around 1,000 additional patients were being treated in intensive care since the middle of March.

DIVI data showed that there were 3,680 people receiving intensive care in Germany as of yesterday.

'If this rate continues, we will reach the regular capacity limit in less than four weeks,' he told the Rheinische Post daily. 'We are not overexaggerating. Our warnings are driven by the figures.'

Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing growing criticism for failing to spell out a plan to reverse rising coronavirus infections in Germany and blaming uncooperative state premiers for an increasingly chaotic management of the crisis.

Germany saw a rise in new coronavirus cases of 24,300, bringing their total to 2,833,173, the biggest increase the country has seen since January 14.

According to government data, Germany has also reported 201 coronavirus-related deaths today, bringing their total to 76,543.

Speaking earlier today, Christian Karagiannidis (pictured), the DIVI's scientific head, said: ''If this rate continues, we will reach the regular capacity limit in less than four weeks. We are not overexaggerating. Our warnings are driven by the figures'

Germany saw a rise in new coronavirus cases of 24,300, bringing their total to 2,833,173, the biggest increase the country has seen since January 14. Germany has also reported 201 coronavirus-related deaths today, bringing their total to 76,543

German president, 65, receives AstraZeneca vaccine two days after authorities recommended it for over-60s only German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday received the first dose of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, just two days after authorities recommended use of the controversial jab only for people aged 60 and over. 'I trust the vaccines authorised in Germany,' Steinmeier, 65, said in a statement after getting inoculated at Berlin's Military Hospital. 'Vaccinating is the decisive step on the path out of the pandemic. Use the opportunities available. Join in!' he added. German officials have been at pains to shore up public confidence in AstraZeneca's vaccine, which has been on a rollercoaster ride in Europe. Germany's STIKO vaccine commission on Tuesday said it recommended use of the jab only for people 60 and older following concerns over several blood clotting cases among younger recipients of the vaccine. People under the age of 60 can still take AstraZeneca in consultation with their doctor and if they are fully aware of the potential risks. German Health Minister Jens Spahn, who is 40 years old, told reporters Thursday that he would be willing to take AstraZeneca 'when it's my turn'. Chancellor Angela Merkel has also said she is up for the Anglo-Swedish company's vaccine when it is her turn. Efforts to talk up the jab's effectiveness among elderly people were undermined by 71-year-old Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who told the topselling Bild daily he had no plans to take AstraZeneca. 'The answer to Jens Spahn's appeal (to the elderly) is no,' Seehofer said, adding that he had nothing against AstraZeneca but didn't want to be 'patronised'. Several other countries, including France, Spain and Canada, have also imposed age limits on the AstraZeneca shot over the occurrence of rare but very severe blood clots. The European Medicines Agency on Wednesday said experts probing links between AstraZeneca's vaccine and the rare reports of clotting have found no specific risk factors, but are investigating further. The World Health Organization has also said that the AstraZeneca shot is safe. Advertisement

The number of cases per 100,000 in the last seven days, which the government has used as a key metric to decide on lockdown steps, rose to 134 from 132 on Wednesday and up from 113 a week ago.

Karagiannidis called for a hard lockdown for two weeks, compulsory tests at schools twice a week and much faster shots at vaccination centres and doctors' practices.

Bavaria's Health Minister Klaus Holetschek told ARD television he would consider introducing compulsory testing for teachers and pupils, noting that the willingness to get tested voluntarily has not turned out to be as high as he expected.

The premiers of two southern German states badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic urged leaders in the rest of the country on Wednesday to reintroduce tougher lockdown measures to try to contain the third wave of infections.

The calls for a faster vaccination programme within Germany echo those recently made about Europe as a whole by the World Health Organisation.

Speaking earlier today, WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge said: 'Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic ... However, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow' and is 'prolonging the pandemic'.

The EU is facing soaring infections - France yesterday imposed its third national lockdown - as countries face a lack of vaccine doses which are being centrally allocated by Brussels.

The Bloc failed to order enough doses or grant vaccines swift approval and is now facing a crisis of confidence in the AstraZeneca jab - which leaders like Emmanuel Macron helped fuel during the EU's bitter row with Britain over supplies.

EU officials repeated their threats to block all vaccine shipments from crossing the Channel as the bloc continues to demand that Astra-Zeneca fulfil its commitments to Europe.

Despite these demands from the EU, countries within the bloc have continued to push their scepticism of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine.

France, Germany, Norway and Spain have all placed bans on the jab being administered to people under the age of 60 over blood clot fears.

However, Europe's medicines regulator yesterday slapped down fresh doubts raised in Germany after hospitals in Berlin and Munich banned the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over sporadic cases of deadly blood clots.

Analysis by the regulator found just 62 out of 9.1 million people vaccinated with the British-made jab worldwide had developed the rare brain clot, known as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT)  a rate of about five per million. Forty-four of them were in Europe.

Reports of CSVT have been most common in Germany, where 31 out of 2.7million vaccinated people suffered the deadly brain clot - a rate of one in 90,000. It led to the nation banning the vaccine in under-60s last night.

Emer Cooke, the head of Europe's medicines agency, the EMA, said the rate of the blood clots could be one in 100,000 for people under 60 and that this did appear higher than the normal population risk, although there was still no solid link to the jab, only a 'possible' one.

While the reasons for the higher prevalence in Germany aren't at all clear, the EMA revealed twice as many women had received AstraZenca's jab in Europe than men, before adding that the people normally most at risk of CSVT are females aged 35 to 45.
KOLKATA: BJP's heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday exuded confidence that the states Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will lose badly in Nandigram. The BJP leader said this after casting his vote early as polling for the second phase of the assembly election began on Thursday morning.

Riding a bike, Suvendu Adhikari went to the Nandanayak Bar Primary School around 7.30 AM to cast his vote. Speaking to reporters, he said that he was confident that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is contesting the elections against him from the Nandigram seat, will lose the polls.

"I have a very old relationship with the people of the area. I have a personal relationship with almost every person in Nandigram. Pretty confident that I will win the election," Adhikari said.

Adhikari said that people will cast their votes in hope of development of the state and not for appeasement politics. "Voting is underway, the situation is under control. People are hoping for development and casting their votes against appeasement," Adhikari said.

He also hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying that youth is against her as they have been left to fend for themselves in terms of employment. "Farmers are also dissatisfied with her. She siphoned off the money intended for the Amphan cyclone. Nobody in Bengal is happy with her."

He further said that if he goes on to win the high-stakes seat of Nandigram, it will be BJP`s win and not just his. Hinting at Prashant Kishore - poll strategist for the Trinamool Congress in the ongoing elections - Suvendu said his image has also damaged Mamata`s winning prospects.

He hoped that the voter turnout would be around 80 to 58 per cent in the second phase of the elections. "I appeal to people to come out in large numbers to cast their vote as the whole country is looking at Nandigram," he added.

Voting in a total of 30 assembly constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur is taking place in the second phase of the eight-phased assembly elections in West Bengal. Out of the 171 candidates in the fray, 152 are men and the remaining are women.

Live TV
editorial

There was palpable outrage and pandemonium at an Abuja shopping mall on Monday after the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, and his driver brutalised a security guard at Banex Plaza at Wuse 2 in Abuja.

The CCT chairman was seen in a viral video assaulting the security man. Most of the eyewitnesses condemned the assault and called for justice for the hapless guard. The cause of the public show of shame by such a highly placed public officer who was appointed by the federal government to ensure due diligence in the conduct of public officers is yet to be ascertained.

Still, it is inexplicable and, we dare say, unpardonable for the hapless guard to be so humiliated in the course of his duty. When the incident became public, many had asked why the head of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, a judicial officer, who adjudicates matters concerning the conduct of public servants, could not conduct himself in a proper manner but resorted to taking the law into his hands, assuming he was provoked.

As a Newspaper, we are appalled that a senior public officer of his calibre could not rein in his emotions in a public space. This, again, brings to the fore the argument regarding the temperament of public officers in relation to their attitude towards those they consider beneath their status.

We call to mind the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Chapter 58 LFN 1990 from which CCB draws its powers to establish, maintain and sustain public morality in the conduct of government organizations. That law also is meant to ensure that the behaviour of public officers, including that of the chairman of the Tribunal, conforms to the highest quality of public morality and accountability.

However, it is pertinent to point out that this is not the first time a citizen of this nation was assaulted and humiliated in public by a supposedly highly placed public official. This newspaper recalls that in the early days of this current legislative session, a serving 'distinguished' Senator, Elisha Abbo, was caught on camera physically assaulting a woman at a porn shop in Abuja. The lawmaker, representing Adamawa-North senatorial district, was caught on camera pummelling the woman after she pleaded with him not to physically assault the shop owner whom the senator had accused of insulting him. Nothing happened as he is still serving in the Senate and curiously making laws for the good governance of this country.

We note with regret that in Nigeria, it is normal to see public officers and their convoys beating traffic lights and jumping queues in public places, and sometimes descending on citizens who dared to challenge such awkward conducts. An average Nigerian is wired to use his power to oppress those he sees as lesser beings. It is the same power they use to loot the treasury and get away with it.

From available information, elsewhere such behaviours are repudiated and severely punished. For instance, in 2017, a South African minister resigned amid accusations that he assaulted a woman in a nightclub. Also, in 2019, Armenia's Minister of High-Tech Industry, Hakob Arshakian, announced his resignation two weeks after assaulting a journalist at a restaurant in Yerevan. Last year, Rwanda's State Minister in Charge of Constitution and Legal Affairs, Evode Uwizeyimana, resigned after pushing a female security guard to the ground. This is Nigeria where anything goes and public officers are at liberty to break the law and dare anyone to do anything about it.

Still on the conduct of the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, this newspaper also finds it even more shocking the response of the CCT to the accusations against their chairman. The attempt to twist the incident as a tribal matter should be condemned by all right thinking Nigerians. Ethnic profiling is a cancer that must be nipped in the bud.

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Accordingly, we call on the CCT chairman to tender an unreserved public apology to the security official as well as to the management of the mall where the incident took place. Furthermore, Umar no longer has the moral standing to continue to adjudicate on matters relating to the conduct of public officers. Therefore, we call on him to do the most sensible thing which is resign. Failure to toe this path of rectitude, we urge President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend him from office and institute an investigation to get to the root of the matter. This will serve as a deterrent to public officers who behave like demi gods in public places. In our opinion, it is high time Nigerians began to register their angst over the obviously reprehensible and aberrant behaviours of public officials. We insist that Danladi Umar must be punished to serve as a deterrent to others who may be inclined to feel disposed to ride roughshod on the sensibilities of the Nigerian people.
TBILISI -- Veteran Russian journalist and television host Vladimir Pozner has cut short a visit to Georgia to celebrate his 87th birthday after harassment from local activists and opposition groups angry over his stance on Georgian territorial integrity.

Local critics pelted Pozner's bus with eggs, cut power to the venue hosting his feast, and accused him of being a "Kremlin propagandist" during their frenzy on March 31 and April 1.

Pozner, a dual Russian-U.S. national, reportedly left the country early on April 1, while many in his dozens-strong contingent were fined for allegedly breaking anti-pandemic restrictions as they tried to stay one step ahead of the demonstrators.

The extraordinary events prompted Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to speak out to defend his Georgian Dream government's decision to permit the visit, saying that Pozner had a valid negative COVID-19 test on entry and did not appear to have broken local laws aimed at opposing Russia's military occupation of its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Pozner was traveling in a private visit on his U.S. passport, Garibashvili said.

Garibashvili, who took power last month amid an intraparty rift, blamed the opposition National Movement and its supporters and said the incidents had "employed the most destructive force" and "damaged the international image of our country."

Russian troops have been in Abkhazia and South Ossetia since a five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008 before Moscow backed those regions' independence.

Pozner's tormenters said they don't want Pozner in their country and criticized Georgian Dream for allowing him to come.

In 2010, Pozner said that "Georgia lost [Abkhazia] forever" and the area "will never be Georgia's territory again." He also blamed Tbilisi for the situation that led to the deadly Russian-Georgian conflict.

Opposition supporters and other critics of Pozner's presence rallied outside his hotel in Tbilisi following his arrival on March 31.

In some cases, demonstrators holding placards calling Pozner a "Kremlin propagandist" and "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin's ideologist" clashed with police.

They cut off electricity to a venue hosting a dinner event at least twice, and some reportedly tried to force their way into the hotel.

Pozner and his entourage left a second hotel early on April 1 surrounded by police, who accompanied them to Tbilisi's international airport.

Pozner complained that he "came to [Georgia] not to talk about politics but to mark" his birthday.

The Interior Ministry said on April 1 that Pozner and 31 of his 41 associates were fined 2,000 laris ($585) each for violating sanitary regulations introduced over the coronavirus pandemic while moving between the two hotels.

His initial hotel, Vinotel, was reportedly fined 10,000 laris ($2,925) for hosting a birthday party for Pozner and his companions, since public gatherings at restaurants are banned by coronavirus restrictions.

Garibashvili called the protests "actions that violated civilized norms and Georgian standards."

Major protests by thousands of people were sparked in Tbilisi in June 2019 after Russian lawmaker Sergei Gavrilov spoke in Russian from the speaker's chair of the Georgian parliament during an international meeting of Orthodox-minded lawmakers.

The resulting protest outside parliament descended into violence when riot police fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons.

More than 240 people were injured in that crackdown, including more than 30 journalists and 80 policemen.

With reporting by civil.ge
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Beginning in January, some Purdue University Global students pursuing graduate degrees in information technology and cybersecurity began working with Flying HIGH Inc. to gain experience while lending their topical knowledge to the nonprofit organization in Youngstown, Ohio.

Some of the first projects have been completed, and here is a sampling:

Sherri Wheeler, who works in the cybersecurity/information security field in Georgia, delivered a 47-page Information Security Policy based on the NIST cybersecurity framework. She acknowledged Purdue Global for such a rewarding academic experience and for affording me the opportunity to contribute, in some small way, to the Flying HIGH mission.

Flying HIGH Inc. offers a wide variety of community services, including job readiness and placement assistance and a professional development center. Its mission is to help all people develop their potential and discover their destiny.

Tim Elliot, a security supervisor working for ManTech International in Virginia, also supports the Flying HIGH mission. He curated free security awareness and comprehensive training specific to the organization. Additionally, he delivered checklists for employee orientation training and provided a quick reference guide for those taking the training. Elliot conducted a simulated phishing attack, as well.

Jonathon Schumaker, who works as a network systems engineer in Michigan, reviewed Flying HIGHs current network and provided an improved network design that can be used as the organization grows. Security was a focal point for Schumakers work. In addition, he worked with IT vendors in the Youngstown area to get costs for hardware and labor.

Sean Hopkins, an intelligence analyst living in South Carolina, analyzed Flying HIGHs internal systems with a future plan to move some of these systems to the cloud. He also proposed a more cost-effective data backup and restore solution using the cloud.

The volunteer services provided by these students as they completed their degree programs provided benefits that would have cost Flying HIGH a significant amount of funding that it did not have available. This series of projects is intended to be a model for future matching of small businesses in need with graduating Purdue Global students seeking internships and/or employment in their communities or virtual positions supporting multiple organizations.

In August 2020, Flying HIGH founder Jeffrey Magada asked Purdue Global cybersecurity professor Rhonda Chicone to join his volunteer board of directors. Chicone, who is a resident of the Youngstown area, agreed to assess the organizations information technology infrastructure and information security posture. Because of the organizations rapid success and growth, opportunities exist for process improvements and upgrades. Chicone identified several projects for Purdue Global students to complete, encompassing the cloud, data analytics, networking and cybersecurity.

Small businesses often lack the resources to maintain and secure their information technology infrastructure, and Purdue Global graduates can provide the expertise and solutions to support them, said Tina Burton, associate dean for the Purdue Global School of Business and Information Technology.

Purdue Global has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education for its Bachelor of Science degree in Cybersecurity. The goal of the program is to reduce vulnerability in national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and expertise in cyber defense. A significant part of the NSA/CAE designation is also to support communities, nonprofit agencies and small businesses that might otherwise not have the expertise necessary to operate in a secure manner. Purdue Global maintains a Cybersecurity Center, which includes a link for outreach requests.

About Purdue University Global

Purdue University Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. It offers a hyper-tailored path for students to earn an associate, bachelors, masters or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations  no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global serves approximately 36,000 students (as of January 2021), most of whom earn their degree online. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue Universitys flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates two regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana, as well as serving science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, please visit purdueglobal.edu

Media Contact: Tom Schott, 765-427-1721, tschott@purdue.edu

Sources: Tina Burton, TBurton@purdueglobal.edu

Rhonda Chicone, RChicone@purdueglobal.edu

Sherri Wheeler

Tim Elliot

Jonathon Schumaker

Sean Hopkins
We have the first word on a new supernatural horror film, Mete Miedo, or Don't Come Back Alive, that has just begun shooting down in Argentina. We also have a small selection of production stills to share with you as well, featuring Maria Abadi, Marco de la O and Melisa Garat on set with director Nestor Sanchez Sotelo

Camila is a young member of an elite police unit. During an operation in a dangerous area, she turns up in the middle of a ritual, in which their members burnt themselves to death. She suffers severe burns all over her body and goes into a coma. In her long recovery, her friend Fatima, a criminal prosecutor, and her partner and ex-boyfriend Angel will help her. But Camila acts strange she is distant, emotionless. The albino, a female figure who is attached to her soul since the ritual episode, is here to play a game with the three of them.

Don't Come Back Alive is being directed by Sotelo who was the producer of White Coffin, I Am Toxic and The Funeral Home. It was written by Hernan Moyano who wrote Cold Sweat with Adrian and Ramiro Garcia Bogliano and El pulpo negro with Luis Murillo Arias for our friend Nick Onetti (Abrakadabra, What the Waters Left Behind).

Sotelo is producing his flick through his production banner Del Toro Films. Shooting will continue over the next few weeks in and around Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dont Come Back Alive will also participate as a WIP during the BIF Market, part of the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, next week. It goes as part of the Blood Window showcase, looking to drum up some interest in international sales. Sotelo and Del Toro Films anticipate an end of the year release date.

Don't Come Back Alive stars Maria Abadi, Melisa Garat, Marco de la O with Ruby Vizcarra and Fiorela Duranda.
Tensions are going to reach an all-time high on Married At First Sight.

A trailer for next week's episodes shows Coco Stedman returning to the experiment to take care of 'unfinished business' - leaving her ex-'husband' Sam Carraro furious.

In the promo, the 30-year-old Pilates studio owner is seen walking into the reunion dinner party and announcing to the group: 'Hello!'

Explosive! Married At First Sight's Sam Carraro (right) is left furious when his ex-'wife' Coco Stedman returns to the reunion dinner part to take care of 'unfinished business'

Sam looks furious as he stands up and storms out the moment Coco arrives.

Relationship expert Mel Schilling then says: 'There is a lot of tension. There is a lot of unfinished business here.'

Sam and Coco were one of the first three couples to leave the social experiment.

They both elected to end their 'marriage' after their relationship failed to blossom and Coco's affair with co-star Cameron Dunne came to light.

She's back! In a promo for finale week, the 30-year-old Pilates studio owner is seen walking into the reunion dinner party and announcing to the group: 'Hello!'

Not happy: Sam looks furious as he stands up and storms out the moment Coco arrives

Elsewhere in the trailer, Melissa Rawson walks out on 'husband' Bryce Ruthven after she finally realises how he has been manipulating her.

The promo shows Melissa packing her bags and storming through the underground car park of the Skye Suites Sydney apartment complex where MAFS was filmed.

She has a determined look on her face as she climbs into a taxi and is driven away.

Is it over? Elsewhere in the trailer, Melissa Rawson (pictured) walks out on 'husband' Bryce Ruthven after she finally realises how he has been manipulating her

In a rare act of defiance against her controlling spouse, she says: 'I'm actually over it!'

Later in the promo, Melissa tells the relationship experts at the last commitment ceremony: 'We are a sinking ship at this point.'

Meanwhile, radio announcer Bryce looks stressed-out as he throws his hands up in despair during his counselling session.

Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine
A performance being held during the Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music (SSF) at Yun Po-sun's house, Oct 12, 2020 / Courtesy of SSF

By Park Ji-won







Poster for the Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music (SSF) / Courtesy of SSF





The Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music (SSF) will be held in May with the theme of "Ode to Joy" to mark the 251st anniversary of Beethoven in several cultural places in Seoul.







From May 13 to 23, up to 52 performers will put on 11 performances in the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, the Seoul Arts Center and the house of Yun Po-sun.







For the first performance at the Sejong Center on March 13, J. N. Hummel's "Piano Trio in E-flat Major Op. 12" will be played by Kim Kyu-yeon (piano), Cho Jin-joo (violin) and Kang Seung-min (cello) under the title of "Beethoven's Contemporaries" while L. Boccherini's "Guitar Quintet in D Major G448 'Fandango'" will be performed by six artists including Park Jong-ho and Chang Lola. Pianists Lim Hyo-sun and Cheung Jae-won will play Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9, 4th mov. 'Ode to Joy' for two Pianos." J. W. Krogulski's "Piano Octet in D minor Op. 6" will be also performed by eight artists such as Mun Ji-yeong (piano). The house concert at Yun's house will be held on May 17 and will cover modern repertoires such as J. Ibert's "Entracte for Flute and Guitar."







On the last day of the festival, themed "Mad for Garlic," ShinPark Duo will start with C. Debussy's "Petite Suite L 65" (a piano piece for 4 hands) while pianist Lim Hyo-sun, violinist artistic director Kang Dong-suk and three other players will play C. Saint-Saens' "Piano Quintet in A minor Op. 14."







Kang Dong-suk, artistic director of the SSF, said in a press release that "Even though we were not able to fully get out of the coronavirus pandemic, we decided to reflect a positive and hopeful atmosphere in the world after the vaccination and the treatment of the virus. We are preparing for new repertoire."







For more information, visit http://www.seoulspring.org.


Instead of touting old buildings or artifacts, the historic Phillips Community points to its people.

The families who inhabit the small community today are descendants of the formerly enslaved freedmen who founded Phillips in 1875 where a plantation of the same name had been. They themselves are "living history" one resident said, passing down common values through generations.

Family. Working together. Everybody knowing everybody.

But the world around Phillips, an unincorporated community in Charleston County east of the Cooper, changed dramatically once more people moved into the area.

This week, we heard from lifelong Phillips resident Ada Bennett and Phillips Community Association president Richard Habersham on the history of the community, their experiences living there, what it means to them and what they have done and continue to do to fight for its survival.

Most recently, that's meant opposing a plan that would widen Highway 41 through the Phillips Community.

After Phillips residents and a broad coalition of community groups opposed that plan, Charleston County proposed an alternative.

But, even if the county goes with another plan that has less of an adverse impact on Phillips, there are still a number of challenges they face in the once-rural community that's now surrounded by growth and development.

Listen now for more.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. This episode was hosted by Emily Williams and Gavin McIntyre and edited by Emily Williams.

How to listen:

Related reading:
Pittsfield Police were on hand March 24 in support of a Department of Homeland Security operation at 16-18 Maple St. A resident of the home, Benjamin Shacar, has been charged with accessing child pornography from the residence.
TORONTO, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - Argonaut Gold Inc. (TSX: AR) (the "Company", "Argonaut Gold" or "Argonaut") is pleased to announce the appointment of Lowe J. Billingsley in the role of Senior Vice President, Operations effective April 12, 2021.

Argonaut Gold Inc. Logo (CNW Group/Argonaut Gold Inc.)

Mr. Billingsley has 32 years of industry experience spanning executive leadership, multi-cultural engagement, operations, project management and technical expertise. He was previously the Mine Manager of the Stillwater East Mining Complex for Sibanye-Stillwater. Prior to, Mr. Billingsley spent 27 years with AngloGold Ashanti in various roles increasing in responsibility, seniority and leadership with the most recent being Senior Vice President, Americas. In this role with AngloGold Ashanti, Mr. Billingsley was responsible for managing the Americas Region, comprising four operations in Brazil and Argentina with annual production of 850,000 gold ounces and a workforce of approximately 5,000 employees and 4,000 contractors. Mr. Billingsley holds a B.A. in Geology from The Colorado College, in Colorado Springs.

Pete Dougherty, President and CEO stated: "We are excited to welcome Lowe to the Argonaut senior management team and look forward to leveraging his experience in managing a multi-asset operations portfolio. Lowe is an accomplished international mining professional with a demonstrated track record of vision, leadership, engagement, sound judgement and execution. His wealth of experience will be a tremendous asset to the Company."

Ana Paula Sale Update

The previously announced definitive agreement to sell its Ana Paula project (see press releases dated September 11, 2020 and January 4, 2021) expired on March 31, 2021. The acquiring company did not fulfill its obligations in relation to financing and receipt of certain regulatory and other approvals.

Pete Dougherty, commented: "Our current growth strategy is focused around the Magino project and secondarily around the Cerro del Gallo project. We felt we had entered into a win-win agreement on the sale of Ana Paula whereby we could bring some value forward and also maintain upside to the project through an equity ownership and royalty. Unfortunately, the acquiring company was not able to fulfill its obligations and after extending the agreement once already, we feel we are better off pursuing other options for Ana Paula at this time. We believe Ana Paula has the ability to be a foundational asset in time and are excited about having exposure to the project. We expect to be in a position to publish an update pre-feasibility study for the Ana Paula project during the second quarter of 2021, which we feel will demonstrate a relatively low capital cost, low operating cost, high-grade open pit project with future underground potential."

Story continues

About Argonaut Gold

Argonaut Gold is a Canadian gold company engaged in exploration, mine development and production. Its primary assets are the El Castillo mine and San Agustin mine, which together form the El Castillo Complex in Durango, Mexico, the La Colorada mine in Sonora, Mexico and the Florida Canyon mine in Nevada, USA. The Company also holds the construction stage Magino project, the advanced exploration stage Cerro del Gallo project and several other exploration stage projects, all of which are located in North America.

For more information, contact:



Argonaut Gold Inc.

Dan Symons

Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations

Phone: 416-915-3107

Email: dan.symons@argonautgold.com



SOURCE Argonaut Gold Inc.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2021/01/c4400.html
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has responded to anti-Ukrainian provocations in Moscow, the ministry has said in a statement in connection with provocations against the staff of the Embassy of Ukraine in Moscow.

"On March 30 and 31 in Moscow, unknown individuals put up posters on the fences in front of the Ukrainian Embassy in the Russian Federation with photos of embassy diplomats and insulting comments. An official car of the Ukrainian embassy, which was parked in the city, was also damaged," the statement reads.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it saw this provocation as another gross violation by Russia of the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

"We demand that the Russian side take urgent measures to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened, bring the perpetrators to justice, prevent further similar actions and provide conditions for the personal safety and inviolability of Ukrainian diplomats in Russia," the statement reads.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the Embassy of Ukraine in Moscow had sent a note of protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the anti-Ukrainian act.

On March 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Charge d'Affaires of Ukraine in Russia Vasyl Pokotylo and expressed a "strong protest" to him over a campaign against diplomats of the Russian Embassy in Ukraine, which took place on March 16, and the Russian Embassy in Kyiv sent a note to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

Early on Tuesday, March 16, posters appeared in Kyiv near the places of residence and work of Russian diplomats, on which Russians recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine.

op
Australians who don't have enough superannuation to retire comfortably are controversially funding their twilight years by drawing on the value of their house.

Under a reverse mortgage, the elderly can fund their living costs through the equity in their home but when they die, it means their children inherit less.

Former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, 77, the architect of Australia's three-decade old super system, described funding retirement through property equity as forcing someone to 'eat your own home'.

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia recommended a single Australian have $535,000 tucked away to live in a bit of style while couples needed $640,000 for an equivalent lifestyle.

Scroll down for video

Australians who don't have enough superannuation to retire comfortably are controversially funding their twilight years by drawing on the value of their house. Pictured is a stock image

Many Australians are a long way from achieving that savings goal with official Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing average super balances of just $286,800 in the final decade before retirement.

Tax office data showed women aged 60 to 64 had even less, with average balances of $280,000 compared with $345,000 for men in the years just before retirement.

Mike Callaghan, the chairman of the federal government's Retirement Income Review, said a pensioner who owned a $500,000 house could every year draw down $5,000 from the equity in their home to fund their retirement for 25 years.

'There's a lot of claims made that I call it scaremongering to say we're suggesting that people will have to sell their house to fund their retirement,' he told the ABC's 7.30 program.

'It's not at all. The example that we have in the review is that if someone used the pensioner loan scheme, they had a $500,000 house, a pensioner at 67 withdrew $5,000 a year off the equity in their house, at age 92, and some consecutive consumptions in house price growth, that person would still have 75 per cent equity in their house.'

Mr Callaghan said a pensioner wouldn't have to sell their house but when they died, their children would be left with 75 per cent of the home's value.

Under a reverse mortgage, the elderly can fund their living costs through the equity in their home but when they die, it means their children inherit less. Pictured is a house at Toongabbie in Sydney's west

'It is an asset there that is under-utilised that I think people should be thinking about making more use of their house to fund themselves in their retirement,' he said.

Mr Keating, the architect of the compulsory superannuation scheme that debuted in 1992, said reverse mortgages were a bad idea, even if he didn't advocate banning them.

'You shouldn't be forced to eat your own home but also, reverse mortgages at the moment are very expensive,' he told the ABC.

Mike Callaghan, the chairman of the federal government's Retirement Income Review, said a pensioner who owned a $500,000 house could every year draw down $5,000 from the equity in their home to fund their retirement for 25 years

Superannuation Minister Jane Hume said reverse mortgages to fund retirement should be an option.

'We don't want to compel people to use home equity, but it should be there as a flexible option and it already is there as a flexible option,' she said.

Australian home prices surged by 2.8 per cent in March to a median value of $614,768, marking the fastest monthly growth pace since October 1988, CoreLogic revealed on Thursday.

Sydney's median house price in one month soared by 4.3 per cent to $1.113million.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesian navy divers have recovered the cockpit voice recorder of a Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the Java Sea in January, killing all 62 people on board, officials said Wednesday.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said divers retrieved the cockpit recorder at about 08.00 p.m. Tuesday local time, near where the flight data recorder was recovered three days after the accident.

The contents of the recorder were not immediately available. However, the device could help investigators determine what caused the Boeing 737-500 to nosedive into the ocean in heavy rain shortly after it took off from Jakarta on Jan. 9.

If the voice recorder is undamaged, it might tell investigators what the pilots were doing  or failing to do  to regain control of the plane during its brief, erratic flight.

Searchers have recovered plane parts and human remains from an area between Lancang and Laki islands in the Thousand Island chain, just north of Jakarta. The flight data recorder tracked hundreds of parameters showing how the plane was being operated.

Most retrieval efforts ended about two weeks after the crash, but a limited search is continuing for the missing memory unit of the cockpit voice recorder, which apparently broke away from other parts of the device during the crash.

The bright orange voice recorder was taken to Jakarta and given to the National Transportation Safety Committee, which is overseeing the accident investigation.

We hope the KNKT could share information about what is contained in this VCR to improve our aviation safety, Sumadi said, referring to Indonesian acronym for the transportation committee.

The KNKT chairman, Soerjanto Tjahjono, said the device will be taken to the investigators black box facility. It will take five to seven days to dry and clean the device and to download its data, he said.

Without the CVR . . . it would be difficult to determine the cause of the plane crash, Tjahjono said, We would disclose it transparently to avoid similar accidents in the future.

Rear Adm. Abdul Rasyid Kacong, the navys western region fleet commander, said the voice recorder was buried under 1 meter (3 feet) of seabed mud at a depth of 23 meters (75 feet). Divers removed debris and carried out desludging operations to reach the voice recorder, he said.

Data from a preliminary investigation report, which didnt state any conclusions, showed that the planes left engines throttle lever moved backward on its own while the autopilot was engaged, reducing the power output of that engine before the jet plunged into the sea.

That report provided new details on persistent problems with an autothrottle on the 737-500 Sriwijaya Air jet and the airlines efforts to fix them. An autothrottle can be used by pilots to set the speed automatically, thereby reducing workload and wear on the engines.

It also might help answer questions for those who lost people in the disaster.

I warmly welcome the CVR finding . . . this is some relief from our despair, said Rafik Yusuf Alaydrus, whose wife Panca Widia Nursanti, a teacher, died in the crash.

We hope this could answer what caused the crash, especially for us who lost our loved ones, he said.

The 26-year-old jet had been out of service for almost nine months because of flight cutbacks due to the pandemic before resuming commercial flights in December.

The disaster has reignited concerns about safety in the aviation industry, which has grown quickly along with the economy since the fall of dictator Suharto in the late 1990s. The United States banned Indonesian carriers from operating in the country in 2007 but lifted that restriction in 2016, citing improved compliance with international aviation standards. The European Union lifted a similar ban in 2018.

Sriwijaya Air had had only minor safety incidents in the past, though a farmer was killed in 2008 when a plane went off the runway while landing due to a hydraulic issue.

In 2018, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet operated by Lion Air crashed shortly after taking off from the airport in Jakarta, killing 189 people. An automated flight-control system played a role in that crash, but the Sriwijaya Air jet did not have that system.

About the photo: National Transportation Safety Committee investigators carry a box containing the cockpit voice recorder of Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 retrieved from the waters off Java Island where the passenger jet crashed in January, during a press conference at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The only thing that is different is the masks, said Richard Strickland, airport director at Key West International, who has flown five times in the last five months. Were now busier than we were in 2019.

Idaho Falls Regional Airport is about two hours from Yellowstone National Park, which attracted many visitors last year. The airports passenger volume is now 80 percent of what it was last year  a stronger recovery than at the states largest airport, in Boise, which is at roughly 60 percent of its regular travel volume.

Two other airports that serve Yellowstone, one in Wyoming and another in Montana, were fully back to prepandemic travel volume in early March.

For late summer and through the fall, we were seeing close to the same numbers that wed had in 2019, said Rick Cloutier, executive director of the Idaho Falls airport. We were fortunate recipients of the peoples desire to get to the great outdoors.

Passenger volume has returned to normal at Canyonlands Field airport in Utah, near Arches National Park. On Floridas Gulf Coast, airports near beaches are having a similarly good year. There were 24 percent more passengers passing through Northwest Florida Beaches airport in early March than around that time last year.

Airports in one outdoors vacation destination have remained notably empty, though: Hawaiis airports are down between 51 percent and 84 percent in passenger volume. The state, which has had relatively few Covid cases, requires visitors to obtain a negative test within three days before travel or to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival, making travel there more complicated. The longer time spent on a flight may also scare away potential passengers.
SPRINGFIELD  City Council President Marcus J. Williams announced Wednesday that the council will continue to meet by remote at least through Labor Day as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the name of public safety and health, I have decided that the City Council will not be returning to the Chambers for meetings before Labor Day, Williams said in a statement. Considering the recent uptick of COVID-19 cases and vaccine accessibility for all members of the public, I prefer to (err) on the side of caution for those who participate in meetings including residents, other guests, city department staff and the Council.

Council meetings went online in March of 2020 as City Hall and other public buildings closed indefinitely due to COVID-19. City buildings reopened thereafter with restrictions, but public meetings by the council, School Committee and other city boards have occurred the past year generally via Zoom.

I am grateful that with help of Focus Springfield, we have been able to remain fully operational in handling the business of the city, Williams said.

Williams said he will also expand resident participation in meetings. The council office will manage a sign-up sheet for those who wish to provide live testimony via Zoom. Sign-up instructions will be available on council meeting agendas on the citys website.

There will be a limit of five residents for each item on the agenda, with each having two minutes to speak, Williams said. The City Council will also continue to accept testimony via email, letter or voice recording, which will be circulated to all council members prior the hearings, he said.

Since we will be conducting business virtually for some time, the goal is to always expand access when feasible, Williams said. He has set some limits on live testimony, citing the need to keep order in Zoom settings.

The process was formed with input from Focus Springfield, the City Council office, the Law Department and the Office of Planning and Economic Development, Williams said.

This addition will add a more personal touch to our hearings meetings, one that I think Councilors and residents will appreciate, Williams said.

Related content:
PRESIDENT GEORGE MANNEH Weah and his entourage were not only surprised, but clearly disappointed when local authorities in Robertsports, Grand Cape Mount County could not host the President and his official delegation due to lack of infrastructure as they ended a three-county tour to Western Liberia on Saturday, 27 March. It is hardly believable that Robertsport, a very historic city, does not have official guest house to host the President of Liberia and members of his party on an official visit.

PRESIDENT WEAH WAS constrained to stay at Nana's Lounge, a private facility in Robertsport during his tour of the county where he held town hall meetings with Cape Mountaineers. The tour to Western Liberia that took President Weah and his official delegation to Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount counties respectively was the second leg of a nationwide tour that began in February in Central and Southeastern Liberia.

"DO WE HAVE lawmakers in this county", the President asked, and continued, :If there is any lawmaker in this country that did not invest in hotel or invest in his own house that when leaders come here they will host them, then they are the problem... you re the Representation or Representative of people and where you live, you can't develop the place for attraction?"

PRESIDENT WEAH: "LOOK into our government; we have men and women who are from Robertsport. If I make a list of those officials from Robertsport that are in the government... if they cannot improve this county then they don't have to blame the government."

RENOWNED LIBERIAN CORPORATE lawyer Varney G. Sherman is Senator of Grand Cape Mount County, but has no structure in the county that he represents to host the President and entourage. Instead, Sen. Taylor, who formed part of President Weah's tour to the county recently, went on bending knees during the town hall meeting and implored the President to help construct an official guest house in Cape Mount that would host guests from Monrovia and elsewhere.

BUT VARNEY SHERMAN is completing two-nine year terms in the Liberian Senate, and he has failed to look back in terms of development to the county he represents along with his colleague, the late Sen. Edward Dagoseh, and his successor Victor Watson, who lost the seat last year to Simeon Taylor, but is challenging the poll result. Besides, Grand Cape Mount has about three other lawmakers in the House of Representatives. And like all other counties in the Republic of Liberia, it had benefited County Development Funds over the years from the previous administration of ex-president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Liberia Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

SO, THE MILLION dollar question that President Weah asked in the town hall meeting was, what happened to the CDF? He challenged the entire leadership of the county to return to the drawing board in order to restore dignity to that area. How can a county received millions over the past 12 years plus and does not have a presidential guest house? It's too sad.

ROBERTSPORT, ENDOWED WITH so much tourist attractions, is a town in western Liberia, about 10 miles from the Sierra Leone border. It is named after Liberia's first president, Joseph Jenkins Roberts. The town lies on Cape Mount peninsula, a spit of land separating the brackish lagoon Lake Piso from the Atlantic Ocean. It serves as the capital of Grand Cape Mount County. The town used to host the Tubman Center of African Culture, which was built in 1964 to commemorate William V.S. Tubman's sixty-ninth birthday. The institution was meant to be a world-wide center of research, and to support and promote African studies, writes Wikipedia, but the Liberian civil war destroyed the structure, and only the ruins remain.

DESPITE ITS HUGE potential for revenue generation, the town virtually lies necked and neglected. The visit by President George Manneh Weah to Grand Cape Mount County is a wake up call to leaders of the county to do more in projecting a good image of the area.

SENATOR VARNEY SHERMAN and his colleagues in the Liberian Legislature who hail from Cape Mount should be honest to themselves and know that they owe it to their people, who elected them to bring proud to that beautiful county and by extension, Liberia by channeling county resources to development rather than crying baby.
A Texas state trooper who was shot in the head and abdomen by a driver he had pulled over to help has died, officials said Wednesday.

Chad Walker, 38, had been on life support after he was shot Friday evening while stopping to help DeArthur Pinson Jr. in his apparently disabled car west of the city of Mexia.

Tropper Walker had not yet come to a stop behind Pinson Jr.'s vehicle on the shoulder of the roadway when the 37-year-old driver got out and opened fire.

'Our DPS family is absolutely heartbroken at the loss of one of our brothers in uniform who was killed in the line of duty,' said DPS Director Steven McCraw.

'Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Chad Walker was committed to protecting the people of Texas. His sacrifice will never be forgotten, and we ask that you keep his family, friends and colleagues in your prayers during the difficult days ahead.'

Texas state trooper Chad Walker (left) who was shot by 37-year-old DeArthur Pinson Jr. (right) during a traffic stop has died

Authorities say that Pinson of Palestine, Texas, shot Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Walker before he had stopped his vehicle during the traffic stop.

Walker was struck in the head and abdomen and was later flown to a hospital in Waco, about 40 miles away.

Authorities launched a manhunt for Pinson and he was reported dead Saturday. Pinson killed himself, according to Limestone County Judge Richard Duncan.

Pinson is said to have seen the patrol car and 'immediately emerged from the driver's seat of the disabled vehicle armed with a handgun and fired multiple rounds at Trooper Walker through the patrol unit's windshield,' officials said.

He then fled on foot, authorities added. Pinson had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for armed robbery in 2007, ABC reports.

Walker (pictured) was a husband and a father-of-four, having welcomed a daughter into the world two months ago

Walker is survived by his wife and four children, a 15-year-old son, twin seven-year-old daughters and a two-month-old daughter

'Trooper Walkers horrific murder is a solemn reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face every day to keep our communities safe,' Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.

Walker is survived by his wife and four children, a 15-year-old son, twin seven-year-old daughters and a two-month-old daughter.

He had worked in law enforcement since 2003 and had been with DPS since 2015. Officials said he had been kept on life support so that his organs could be donated.

The Texas Department of Public Safety issued a statement on social media in which they said trooper Walker no longer exhibited 'signs of viable brain activity' and that he was now being kept on life support until he can donate his organs

Governor Abbott added: 'Our hearts are with the family and friends of Trooper Walker as they grieve his tragic death in the line of duty.

'Trooper Walker's horrific murder is a solemn reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face every day to keep our communities safe.

'We will always support law enforcement here in Texas, and we are indebted to the sacrifices that they make to serve and protect their fellow Texans.'

A GoFundMe for Walker's family has raised more than $220,000 as of Thursday morning.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has closed all picnic sites in parks, game reserves, and sanctuaries within the five "disease infected" counties.

A communication by the wildlife agency confirmed the move and explained it as part of efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.

"KWS has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in National Parks and Reserve in line with the 15th Presidential address on Coronavirus pandemic. Parks, reserves, and sanctuaries that fall in these counties will close all picnic sites and other sites where visitors have a tendency to congregate," read part the communication.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, in his address to the country last Friday, classified Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Kiambu, and Nakuru as disease-infected areas.

The parks, reserves, and sanctuaries will, however, remain open to members of the public from 6am, with an adjusted closing time of 5pm with strict observance of Ministry of Health Covid-19 protocols.

The new move will, nevertheless, not affect parks, reserves, and sanctuaries in all the other 42 remaining counties, which will remain open but with strict adherence to set Covid-19 protocols.

"Visitors are reminded that it's mandatory to wear masks, keep social distance, and wash hands with soap and running water, or using a sanitizer at all our facilities," said KWS.

According to the Health ministry, Nairobi, Mombasa, Kiambu, Nakuru, and Kajaido counties continue to have the highest attack rates of Covid-19 compared to the rest of the country.
Migrants: port assigned to Open Arms ship,headed to Pozzallo 209 people aboard who were rescued off Libya

(ANSAmed) - ROME, 01 APR - The 209 migrants rescued in recent days in the Mediterranean by the Open Arms, the ship of the Spanish NGO, will disembark in Pozzallo, Sicily.



"After five days at sea and two medical evacuations, those still aboard will be able to get the treatment they have a right to," said the NGO in a tweet, confirming that Italian authorities assigned the Sicilian port to the ship for disembarkation.



(ANSAmed).




By Kim Jin-heon





On Dec. 7 last year, Jang Seok-ung, superintendent of education for South Jeolla Province (also known locally as Jeonnam), met Cho Hee-yeon of the Metropolitan City of Seoul at the Seoul education office and talked about pending educational issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(CNN) -- As the United Nations Security Council discussed Myanmar's military coup on Wednesday, the country's junta declared a "ceasefire" -- though it said it would continue to respond to "actions that disrupt government security and administration."

The ceasefire offer appeared to refer to actions taken against ethnic armed groups, where fighting has increased since the junta's seizure of power in a coup on February 1. The statement, carried on Myanmar's state television MRTV, called on ethnic armed groups to "keep the peace" and said the military would "suspend its operations unilaterally from April 1 to April 30."

Excluded from the peace, however, are those who "disrupt" government security.

Pro-democracy demonstrators have repeatedly filled streets in Myanmar for nearly two months in protest over the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and key government officials. Security forces' response has seen unarmed civilians shot in the street, and beatings, arbitrary detentions and nighttime raids on the homes of suspected opposition members. This weekend saw the bloodiest crackdown yet, with at least 114 people killed on Saturday.

CNN has reached out to Myanmar's military for comment.

Since Saturday, the military has been conducting airstrikes in Karen state, forcing thousands of residents to flee into the jungle and neighboring countries.

Many of the villages targeted are controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), an ethnic armed group that holds large swathes of territory in the borderlands. The KNU is one of many ethnic armed groups to have come out in support of the protests and to condemn the military takeover.

The UN special envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgner on Wednesday highlighted the danger of "widespread and systemic attacks on the civilian population" and warned that a "bloodbath is imminent," in her remarks to the Security Council.

More than 520 people have been killed since the coup, she said.

"Looking back ten years from now, how will history judge this inaction? I hope you can act while there is still time to avoid the worst outcome by overcoming caution and disagreement," Burgner told the Security Council members.

'Urgent help needed'

The Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations Kyaw Moe Tun sent a letter to the UN Secretary General earlier in the week highlighting concerns about civilians' safety in the country and calling for "effective action without delay" to restore democratic leadership.

"The people of Myanmar feel helpless and are seeking urgent help from the international community to save lives of the innocent civilians," the letter from Kyaw Moe Tun read.

The representative appealed to the United Nations and international community for protection of the Myanmar people against the military, assistance for all people in need, declaring a no-fly zone to prevent future airstrikes, tougher sanctions and freezing of military bank accounts, an immediate arms embargo and suspension of foreign direct investment.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Wednesday that asking for a United Nations intervention was a "broad call."

"I think the Secretary-General has been extremely vocal on Myanmar from the get-go. We want to be engaged but there are no bystanders in the solution," Dujarric said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Myanmar junta offers ceasefire to some, as UN envoy warns of 'bloodbath'"
Oakmount and Partners' Glenn King joins Proactive London to discuss their UK multi-award-winning Investment consultancy.

King explains how the company raises expansion capital from its high-net-worth clients, globally to unite them with premium-quality investment opportunities.

The firm aims to optimise investment performance over the medium to long-term without exposing their customers to unnecessary risk.

They customise plans for each client based on risk profile and return targets. Furthermore, they strive to produce the perfect long-term performance for their clients.
Investigators say they have solved a 44-year-old cold case homicide in Pennsylvanias Pocono Mountains, and charged a New York City man in the death.

Female remains discovered in 1976 along the Lehigh River have been identified 44 years later as those of 15-year-old Evelyn Colon, of Jersey City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania State Police announced Wednesday.

Police said they have charged 63-year-old Luis Sierra, of Ozone Park in Queens, with homicide in Evelyns death.

Sierra is in custody and awaiting extradition to Carbon County, police said.

State police were called Dec. 20, 1976, to investigate human remains found on the riverbank in East Side Borough, Carbon County. The investigation revealed two separate human remains, one being female and the other being a nearly full-term fetus, according to police.

The remains were found in three suitcases beneath an Interstate 80 overpass.

Evelyns death has long been ruled a homicide, and investigators for years have been asking for the publics help in identifying the remains.

Until the remains were identified 44 years later, the female victim was referred to as Beth Doe.

Numerous interviews and investigational processes were conducted following her identification which led to the development of a suspect, state police said in a news release on the case labeled Criminal Homicide -- N03-27244.

State police, in consultation with the Carbon County District Attorneys Office, said additional information would be released in the near future.

District Attorney Michael S. Greek declined additional comment Wednesday.

The district court in Weatherly, Pennsylvania, where the charges against Sierra are filed, said no further information would be released until the arrest warrant is served.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 22:26:46|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

LONDON -- About 1.1 million people in Britain have reported having long COVID symptoms over a four-week period ending March 6, figures from the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Thursday.

Of the 1.1 million from private households, 674,000 people were thought to have symptoms that affected their daily life, with 196,000 estimated to have their ability to undertake everyday tasks limited a lot, said the ONS.

- - - -

ADDIS ABABA -- Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse has commended China's support for Ethiopia's fight against COVID-19, saying its vaccines will further contribute to the African country's vaccination campaign.

"The Chinese government has been undertaking various types of anti-COVID-19 support to the Ethiopian government ranging from sending medical supplies to sending a Chinese medical team," Tadesse told Xinhua recently at a ceremony to receive a batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines.

- - - -

COPENHAGEN -- As the European region currently fights a resurgence of COVID-19 transmissions, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on Thursday called upon the governments in the region to "scale-up of both vaccine production and vaccination."

According to WHO Europe, to date, only 10 percent of the region's total population has received one vaccine dose, and four percent has completed a full vaccine series.

- - - -

PARIS -- The third coronavirus wave in France would reach its peak in seven to 10 days, Health Minster Olivier Veran said on Thursday, hoping the new restrictive rules would have "strong impact on the epidemic dynamic."

"We could reach a peak of the epidemic in seven to 10 days if all goes according to the plan. Then we need two extra weeks to reach a peak in intensive care units (ICUs) that could occur at the end of April," Veran told France inter radio.

- - - -

VIENTIANE -- The second batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines has arrived here. Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong were among those present at the hand-over ceremony held at the airport late on Wednesday, on the vaccines' arrival. Enditem
Residents of a rural town dubbed Australia's meth capital are crying out for help as they struggle with ice addictions and deal with violence caused by the drug.

An hour east from Adelaide in the town of Murray Bridge, South Australia, locals have shared horrific stories of how meth ruined their lives.

Locals have told harrowing stories of how living there has permanently scarred them, turning them into addicts and exposing them to unthinkable brutality.

A young mother and Murray Bridge resident has been struggling with ice addiction

A mother told Daily Mail Australia she lived in Murray Bridge for ten years, and said it felt like overnight the town turned from family friendly to 'overrun with ice and dangerous people.'

She said when a drug dealer moved into her street violence escalated so badly her young son suffered PTSD and she was forced to move.

'I lived near the high school and it was a regular thing for people high on ice to be walking up and down the street causing all sorts of problems, arguing and yelling at all times of day and night,' she said.

'Everyday I walked my son to school you would see at least 20 syringes on the ground.'

The woman - who asked for anonymity - said she was too scared to even go into her own backyard and her then-primary school aged son suffered from hearing violence during the night.

One former Murray Bridge resident said the town turned violent overnight when ice moved in

'It was scary, I hated going outside even in my own back yard my son was terrified from it as it woke him up. He now suffers [PTSD] from living in that [street],' she said.

'People yelling abuse towards people who owed them money for drugs ... Several times [neighbours] got into fights in the middle of the night.'

The woman said she eventually moved to another state to escape her ex-partner, who she said became abusive after moving to Murray Bridges and developing a drug habit.

After leaving, she said she is happier than ever and has found a partner who treats her 'like a Queen.'

Devoted grandfather Nathan wants help after getting hooked onto ice through a friend

Murray Bridge resident Nathan, 48, is a devoted grandfather who takes care of his granddaughter, but he has a secret he is desperately trying to hide from her - his meth habit.

He told A Current Affair he has spent thousands of dollars on the 'insidious' drug which he started using when a friend introduced him to it.

'A good friend of mine who got me into it  I see the road he's going down, he's about to lose his house,' he said.

One long-term resident said the violence in the area was overwhelming, and getting worse.

'I can give you a thousand stories ... about people wanting to, coming on to the property to kick my door in, the rape threats,' she said.

'Just this afternoon, two neighbours actually threatened to cut my mother's throat.'

Mayor of Murray Bridge Brenton Lewis admits the area has a problem

Another resident in a notorious area of the town locals call 'the birdcage' said it was not long after she moved in that her neighbour found her son dead from the drug.

'A young man, not too long after I moved in here, died across the road. To hear the mother scream to find her dead son in there, was just awful,' the young mum said.

The woman believed nearly every third street in 'the birdcage' was impacted by meth, and has had an 'on and off' addiction.

'I try, get up on my horse again and then I fall back off,' she said.

Travis Kirchner (pictured) pleaded guilty to killing a mother of three in 2018

The town came to prominence in 2018 when 54-year-old mother-of-three Sally Rothe was murdered by Travis Kirchner.

After the murder, over a hundred homes in the area were raided and police said they were shocked to see the 'squalor' people lived in.

'It breaks your heart when you see these families and you see these kids believe that's normal,' Sergeant David Hunt of SAPOL's Serious and Organised Crime Branch said in 2015.

'I'm not quite sure what normal is anymore, but that's not normal.'

Media reports after the murder said children as young as 11 were addicted to ice.

One woman said she lived on a street with eight dealers and once saw a man threaten a six month old baby with a smashed bottle.

'There was (also) an argument between two families, and the male member of one family smashed a bottle and aimed it at the head of a six-month-old baby that its mother was nursing,' she said.

Mayor Brenton Lewis is upset by the fact his town is called 'Australia's meth capital'

Mayor of Murray Bridge Brenton Lewis admitted the town has a problem with methamphetamines but insisted it was a great place to live.

'I've hugged a couple of young people in our community over the years who have said to me, I just want to be clean. One was a son of a friend of mine. He's now dead,' he said.

However, he said the suggestion the town was 'Australia's meth capital' was hurtful.

'I'm extremely proud of Murray Bridge,' he said.

'I think [ice] is on the way up everywhere you want to go. Because it's cheap, it's affordable. It's a drug pushers dream.

'The big problem you'll find across regional and rural Australia no matter where you go, is that there's nowhere near enough resources to treat people.'
Surveillance footage in San Francisco showed a family chasing after the thieves who broke into their car and then made a speedy getaway.

San Francisco police said in a statement to McClatchy News that they responded to a robbery report on Monday afternoon and a 52-year-old man told them he and his family parked their car on Moraga Street to tour the area. Police said two men pulled up in another vehicle and broke into the familys car by breaking the windows.

The men grabbed a backpack inside and ran back to their car, police said. The 52-year-old man then chased after the thieves as they were driving away and grabbed onto their car. At one point, one of the men pointed a gun at him, according to police.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Authorities said the 52-year-old eventually let go of the car and fell onto the ground because he feared for his safety and was treated for non-threatening injuries at a local hospital.

Video of the incident posted on Twitter by a KPIX reporter shows a man jumping into a car as the family chases after them. A woman tries to stop the men from getting away but trips and falls onto the ground while attempting to get her belongings back.

Police said the men took a backpack, cash, clothing, a passport, credit cards and earbuds, among other things, KPIX reported.

Authorities confirmed to McClatchy News that there is video of the robbery but the police department isnt releasing it at this time.
Facebook Inc. co-founder Eduardo Saverins B Capital Group is moving into China, hiring former SoftBank Vision Fund partner Daisy Cai. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Edgar Su)

By Yoolim Lee

(Bloomberg)  Facebook Inc. co-founder Eduardo Saverins B Capital Group is moving into China, hiring former SoftBank Vision Fund partner Daisy Cai to help it hunt down promising startups.

Cai will run a team of about 10 investment professionals initially from Hong Kong and focus on Chinese tech startups serving businesses in health care, financial services and transportation, among others. As general partner at B Capital, which Saverin founded with former Bain Capital executive Raj Ganguly in 2015, shes tasked with helping expand the young venture houses global footprint.

As China cracks down on its consumer-internet giants, Cai  one of the few women holding influential positions in a male-dominated venture capital industry  will help deploy some of B Capitals US$1.9 billion of assets under management toward the countrys fast-emerging enterprise technology segment.

I see a tremendous opportunity for technology companies servicing enterprises as the digitalisation theme is going to play out in large industries, Cai said in an interview. Its very similar to what the U.S. has gone through in the past 20 years.

While Beijings clampdown is clouding the prospects for internet behemoths such as Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., U.S. regulators are reviving threats to toss Chinas largest corporations off U.S. bourses. Thats compounding investor concerns over the future of Chinas technology industry. At the same time, valuations for the largest startups such as ByteDance Ltd. are climbing as investors bet on a raft of impending mega-debuts.

Yet B Capitals founders, who also include American venture capitalist Howard Morgan, believe there is no better time to scout for upstarts that could become the Salesforce.com Inc. or Oracle Corp. of China. Of the 10 largest companies in the country, only Huawei Technologies Co. truly provides enterprise technology solutions, Ganguly said.

If the last two decades in China were about the rise of the consumer internet, the next two decades will be about digital transformation in traditional businesses, he said. We definitely take a long-term view on how technology is transforming these industries, regardless of geopolitics.

Story continues

Born in Beijing, Cai held senior positions at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Baidu Inc.s investment arms before joining the SoftBank Vision Fund in 2020. A graduate of Beijings prestigious Tsinghua University, she got her first big break in investing when, as a design engineer at Advanced Micro Devices Inc., she found herself seated across from the U.S. chip giants chief technology officer at a company dinner. After listening to her views on a particular type of flash memory storage AMD wasnt delving into at the the time, the CTO appointed Cai to help AMD on startup investing.

If we didnt have that dinner or if I didnt sit across him or didnt have that conversation, I would probably still be very happy doing circuit design, she said.

Cais approach to China investing mirrors B Capitals broad approach of shunning cash-guzzling consumer internet companies and betting on software startups serving companies in large, antiquated industries. The U.S. accounts for slightly more than half of B Capitals global investment, while South and Southeast Asia, Latin America and Europe make up the rest.

Besides entering China, the firm plans to continue investing in India and Indonesia, two of the fastest-growing technology hubs in Asia. In Indonesia, the company recently led a US$20 million Series A round for e-commerce platform Ula and a US$53 million Series B funding for personal finance platform Payfazz. It has also backed Khatabook and logistics startup BlackBuck, scooter and bike-sharing venture Bounce, delivery company Ninja Van and Bizongo, a B2B marketplace for packaging materials.

The firm said it closed a new US$415 million fund to provide follow-on capital to late-stage companies in its portfolio.

What weve seen so far is just the beginning for an era of innovation in the region, Saverin said. Whats important to remember is not the venture capitalist like myself but the entrepreneurs and their teams who work tirelessly to solve very big problems.

(Updates with Cais comments from the eighth paragraph)

 2021 Bloomberg L.P.
A devastating surge in COVID-19 deaths in Hungary showed no sign of abating Wednesday as the daily total set a new record of 302 fatalities.

It's the highest weekly death rate per 1 million inhabitants in the world.

The Central European country is in its fourth week of a new round of lockdown measures aimed at mitigating record-breaking infections, hospitalizations and deaths

This is despite an ambitious vaccination program that has given Hungary the highest vaccination rate in the European Union.

The number of inoculations rose over 2 million on Tuesday, more than 20% of the population, and the foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, announced Wednesday that 250,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine had arrived overnight in the capital Budapest.

But the mass vaccination has been unable to cause a turnaround in pandemic indicators, and Hungary's hospitals are under unprecedented strain: As a proportion of the population, more COVID-19 patients are being treated in hospitals in Hungary than in any other EU country except Bulgaria.

The nation was recently shocked after the sudden death of a 51-year-old nursery teacher in the Torokbalint area of Budapest.

Candles were lit outside her kindergarten, as people mourned another COVID-19 victim.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Communications and Technology Subcommittee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 05, 2019. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Chinese Telecom Firms Can Exploit Glaring Loophole to Enter US Networks: FCC Commissioner

A Commissioner of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is calling on the regulator to eliminate a backdoor that allows telecom firms with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) access into the U.S. network.

The FCC last year banned U.S. firms from tapping into an $8.3 billion government fund to purchase equipment from Chinese telecom firms Huawei and ZTE after deeming them national security threats. But U.S. telecom carriers are still allowed to use private funds to purchase and use the same equipment, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said during a virtual panel event hosted by Washington-based think tank CSIS on March 30.

Once weve determined that Huawei or any other gear poses an unacceptable national security risk, it makes no sense to allow that exact same equipment to get purchased and inserted in our communications network, said Carr.

This isnt just a concern for the military, he said. Everything that we do in modern society now runs on interconnected networks, from banking to transportation, even our power gridsIf these networks are threatened, everything that we have come to rely on is threatened.

In 2012, the Congressional Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence issued a report stating that Huawei and ZTE cannot be trusted to be free of foreign state influence and thus pose a security threat to the United States and to our systems.

U.S. officials have also warned that Chinese telecom companies like Huawei and ZTE have close ties with the CCP. Under Chinas national security law, companies in China are required to cooperate with the CCPs intelligence agencies when asked, which could include granting authorities access to and control of their data.

Huawei also has several hundred CCP committees embedded in its corporate structure, Nury Turkel, commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said at the same event. When needed, Huawei and ZTE will follow the Partys leadership and policies, according to Turkel.

In addition, Chinas telecom companies have played an important role in facilitating and carrying out the CCPs oppressive policies on ethnic minorities, including Uyghur Muslims and Tibetans, Turkel said.

More than one million Uyghurs and other minority Muslims are detained in the Xinjiang region, where they are subjected to forced labor, torture, and indoctrination.

Huawei provides surveillance technology used in Xinjiang such as facial recognition, Turkel said. It has also provided technical support and training to Xinjiangs Public Security Bureau, which has been put on the U.S. trade blacklist.

Carr also urged the United States to adopt more measures to ensure that electronic devices made with forced labor do not enter the U.S. market.

In May 2019, the Trump administration placed Huawei and its subsidiaries on a trade blacklist, which bars American companies from doing business with it without a license.

The FCC in December finalized rules requiring carriers with ZTE or Huawei equipment to rip and replace that equipment. It created a reimbursement program for that effort, and U.S. lawmakers in December approved $1.9 billion to fund the program.

Last month, the regulator designated five Chinese companies as posing a threat to national security: Huawei Technologies Co, ZTE Corp, Hytera Communications Corp, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co, and Dahua Technology Co.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The first time Ross MacPherson of Seaforth had dealings with a plumber, about 30 years ago, he was told the price for the job was $50  in cash. Earlier this week my wife went to the bank to withdraw a substantial amount of money, several thousand in fact. As the teller was counting out the pineapples, he looked at my wife and said, Let me guess, youre paying off a tradesman right? He was spot on. Some things never change!

An example of our much-beloved Australian vernacular has been amusing the self-described 92-year-old ex-Pom, Dorothy Bragg of Avalon Beach. Regarding the COVID vaccine roll-out, I just heard an official personage say, Three-fifths of bugger-all has been done. Only in Australia would this be said. I love it!

While driving along the road from Goulburn to Canberra Alastair Wilson of Birchgrove observed a sign advertising the National Dinosaur Museum. Travelling at the speed limit, I was unable to discern whether it included directions to Parliament House.

Eighth Columnist Chris Flynn of Old Bar would like to congratulate the RAAF for its centenary celebrations on Wednesday, including the entrance to the ceremony over the lakeside waters, of the RAAF Flag. What a pity that the chopper delivering this gigantic flag was a NAVY aircraft.

Jane Ross of Merewether reports that the toothpaste (C8) she uses  Alfree plain toothpaste  is free of allergy, flavour, colour, sugar, salicylate fluoride, SLS. The downside? The lack of lingering flavour means Im often not sure whether Ive cleaned my teeth or not.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

REGINA, SK / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / ROK Resources Inc. ("ROK" or the "Company") (TSXV:ROK) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated March 26, 2021 (the "Purchase Agreement") to acquire certain producing oil and gas assets (the "Assets") in Southeastern Saskatchewan. Closing of the acquisition is expected to occur on or about April 30, 2021 with an effective date of April 1, 2021, subject to the completion of a financing transaction to provide funding to purchase the Assets, as well as the receipt of any necessary regulatory approvals, including, without limitation, any required approvals of the TSX Venture Exchange. Total consideration for the acquisition is $1,500,000 in cash and 2,000,000 Class B Common Shares of ROK.

The acquisition property is located within the Company's core operating area in Southeast Saskatchewan, targeting the Midale and Frobisher formations. Current production is approximately 55 boe/d1 (90% oil and non-gas liquids). The acquired Assets also includes a non-operated interest in a central oil battery and prospective land in proximity to the Company's existing land base. The property provides additional growth potential for the Company and complements an established operating area allowing for cost effective capital development.

In addition, the Company announces that it has entered into a marketing agreement dated March 17, 2021 (the "Marketing Agreement") with Hybrid Financial Ltd. ("Hybrid") out of their Toronto, Ontario office for a six month term, such term automatically extending for additional three month terms until such time as the Company provides notice to Hybrid no less than thirty days in advance that it wishes to terminate the agreement. The Company shall pay Hybrid a total of $22,500 per month during the initial term of the agreement and $15,000 per month during the renewal period(s). Hybrid will provide marketing services with the objective of increasing the Company's reach within the investment community. There are no performance factors contained in the agreement. Hybrid and the Company are unrelated and unaffiliated entities, but Hybrid and/or its clients may have an interest, directly or indirectly, in the securities of the Company.

Notes to the Press Release:

Average production in the month of January 2021 from the combined acquisitions was approximately 55 boe/d, consisting of 45 bbl/d of oil (82%), 4.5 bbl/d of non-gas liquids (8%) and 33 Mcf/d of natural gas (10%).

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's objectives, goals or future plans. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; those additional risks set out in ROK's public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; and other matters discussed in this news release. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Statements relating to "reserves" are also deemed to be forward looking statements, as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions, that the reserves described exist in the quantities predicted or estimated and that the reserves can be profitably produced in the future.

Oil and Gas Disclosures

Management uses oil and gas metrics for its own performance measurements and to provide shareholders with measures to compare the Company's operations over time. Readers are cautioned that the information provided by these metrics, or that can be derived from the metrics presented in this press release, should not be relied upon for investment or other purposes.

The term "boe" or barrels of oil equivalent may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil equivalent (6 Mcf:1 bbl) is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Additionally, given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil, as compared to natural gas, is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1; utilizing a conversion ratio of 6:1 may be misleading as an indication of value.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility of the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

ROK Resources Inc.

Cam Taylor, Chairman CEO

Email: cam@rokresources.ca

Lynn Chapman, CFO

Email: lynn@rokresources.ca

SOURCE: ROK Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638663/ROK-Announces-Bolt-On-Acquisition
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood paid a $40,000 fine as part of a deal with federal prosecutors after making misleading statements to federal agents and failing to disclose a $50,000 payment on two government ethics forms, the Department of Justice disclosed Wednesday.

The announcement about the former Peoria lawmaker came as part of a broader federal inquiry into a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire, prosecutors in California said. Gilbert Chagoury agreed to pay $1.8 million to resolve claims that he conspired to violate federal law by making illegal campaign contributions to candidates for president and Congress.

Foreign nationals cannot contribute to such races. But Chagoury, 75 and now living in France, paid the fine to resolve claims that he, with the help of others, donated $180,000 to four candidates between 2012 and 2016.

His fine was paid in December 2019 but just announced this week.

Where does LaHood come into this? A release from prosecutors described it as a separate and unrelated matter.

While still a member of President Barack Obamas Cabinet, the now-75-year-old accepted a $50,000 loan from an associate of Chagourys, Toufic Joseph Baaklini, knowing the money actually came from Chagouri, prosecutors said. They noted LaHood was suffering financial difficulties at the time.

LaHood didnt disclose the receipt of that check on two ethics forms to avoid connection with Chagoury, and later made misleading statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents inquiring into the matter, prosecutors said.

As part of a non-prosecution agreement signed in December 2019, LaHood agreed to cooperate with the feds investigation of Chagoury, repaid the $50,000 to Baaklini and later paid the $40,000 fine, according to the release.

A phone message left for LaHood on Wednesday seeking comment was not immediately returned.

LaHood served from 1995 to 2009 in Congress representing the Peoria area before retiring. He was quickly tapped to head Obamas Transportation Department, and oversaw much of the federal infrastructure spending under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act after the 2008-09 financial crisis.

LaHoods son Darin has represented the Peoria area since 2015 in Congress. Ray LaHood was named in 2019 to chair the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.

Baaklini, and another associate of Chagoury, Joseph Arsan of Paris, also entered into agreements with federal prosecutors for their work with Chagoury, the release stated.

Baaklini paid a $90,000 fine and agreed to help prosecutors; Arsan agreed to pay $1.7 million in penalties to resolve a related tax probe, and also to aid prosecutors.
Last Friday, Floridas Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the controversial HB 1 Combating Violence, Disorder, and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act, a draconian piece of legislation that gives the state greater power to suppress unlawful assemblies and maintain funding for law enforcement.

The Florida Capitol complex in Tallahassee (Source: Wikipedia)

Now that the House has passed HB 1, the Florida Senate will have to pass a similar bill before it reaches the desk of Governor DeSantis. The Senate is also dominated by Republicans, who currently hold 24 of its 40 seats, but it has yet to give the bill a hearing in committee.

HB 1 is an attack on the First Amendment and serves as a reaction to the George Floyd protests last year. However, it is also a broader attempt by Republicans to strengthen the police amid concerns over the eruption of social opposition.

The bill elevates to the level of felony any crimes committed during a riot, which it defines as a violent public disturbance involving an assembly of three or more persons that results in (1) injury to another person, (2) damage to property, or (3) imminent danger of injury to another person or damage to property. The legislation would allow police provocateurs and fascistic law-and-order organizations to more easily enter any kind of protest action and convert it into a riot resulting in felony arrests and charges for all present.

HB 1 also holds municipalities civilly liable to maintain funding to their law enforcement agencies. It authorizes elected officials to appeal to the governor if a municipalitys governing body makes any reduction to the operating budget of its law enforcement agencya response to the slogan defund the police which gained popularity during the Floyd protests. Essentially, this would allow the governor to reject a city or county budget if it shifts any amount of money away from the police.

The bill has been spearheaded by Governor DeSantis, who first proposed the legislation in September while surrounded by law enforcement officers from around the state. On the first day of the 2021 legislative session in early March, DeSantisan acolyte of ex-President Donald Trumpparaphrased a Merle Haggard song in his State of the State address: When you mess with the men and women of law enforcement, you are walking on the fightin side of me.

The initiation and passing of HB 1 legally encodes the lie that the George Floyd protests were riots characterized by looting and vandalisma deliberate misrepresentation spurred on by the selective video footage aired by the media and promoted by Trump last summer. A study published last September by the US Crisis Project at Princeton University showed that about 93 percent of those protests in the United States were entirely peaceful and nondestructive.

Many elected officials have publicly opposed the bill over the past few weeks. Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, a Democrat, critiqued the definition of riot in the bill for being too broad. Under this definition, if you have a large group of people where only three of them do something bad, everybody else there is participating in a riot, he told ABC News affiliate WTXL. This bill doesnt actually help prosecutors. We already have laws on the books for rioting, looting, destruction, violence.  Rather than draw a clear distinction between peaceful protesting and criminal conduct, it actually blurs the line between them.

Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince said, This is an anti-protest bill, not a bill to enhance public safety. Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg told the Palm Beach Post: This is a politically motivated bill that nobody asked for, and its liable to be overturned in court because of its dubious constitutionality.

The debate that took place within the House on Friday has been framed by the corporate media as being between law and order and racial justice. Imitating the stunt pulled off by Democrats in Congress last June, Florida Democrats on Friday opened their remarks by speaking for eight minutes and 46 seconds, a symbolic gesture referencing the time George Floyd was pinned to the ground with a knee on his neck before he died.

The bill was passed with a vote of 76-39, which is almost the exact divide between Republicans and Democrats currently in the House (78-42). Democrats attempted to make several amendments, but most were rejected. Among those that were accepted is a requirement that only a state attorney or local elected official can appeal a budget cut. HB 1 also originally removed liability for individuals who harm other individuals whom they think are riotersa nod to the fascist Kyle Rittenhouse who is charged in the killing of two anti-police violence protesters in Wisconsin last August.

The Democrats have used this opportunity to posture as defenders of democracy but have unsurprisingly couched all of their criticisms in a racialist outlook. Warren, in his critique, stated: This bill creates a potential for widespread abuse. We know that abuse in the criminal justice system has historically disproportionately hurt minorities.

Democratic House members spoke before a rally against the bill at the state Capitol in Tallahassee on March 2. Rep. Michelle Reyner of St. Petersburg called the bill anti-Black, anti-Brown, and anti-LGBTQ, and Rep. Angie Nixon of Jacksonville stated bluntly, This bill is a racist bill.

The Democrats have also appeared at rallies held by their allied activist groups in the wake of the passing of the bill in the House. Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando spoke at a rally Friday night, where she stated: Though it passed the House floor yall, the fight is nowhere near over, referring to the fact that the Florida State Senate has not given HB 1 a hearing in committee.

The rally was held by March For Our Lives, and its Florida Director Alyssa Ackbar spoke before the crowd, saying: This bill is very much an attack on Black and Brown organizers and protesters in the state, because, you know, during the summer we saw a mass of people making their voices heard and that really scared elected officials.

As the Socialist Equality Party stated last June the protests against police violence have been multiracial and multinational, bringing together young people and workers in mass demonstrations across the US and internationally. The political forces that currently dominate such protests are affluent sections of the middle class with close ties to the Democratic Party, which seek to impose upon the protest a racialist narrative and block the emergence of the fundamental class issues.

Anger is mounting in the working class, and the Republicans and Democrats are only divided tactically on how to suppress a genuine working class movementthe former through strengthening the state and fascistic forces to smash any sign of opposition and the latter through the promotion of divisive racial and gender politics that pit workers against each other.
Bengaluru, April 1 : A day after Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa complained about the "high-handedness" of Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, top ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol and Home Minister Basvaraj Bommai, on Thursday came out in full support of Yediyurappa.

In a letter to Governor Vajubhai R. Vala on Wednesday, Eshwarappa had accused Yediyurappa of running the administration in an "authoritarian manner", and charged him with making allocations worth Rs 774 crore from his department while bypassing him.

Karjol said that it was not right on the part of any ruling party member to express displeasure in this manner.

"Yediyurappa is not CM but he is also Finance Minister, and hence he has all the prerogative of allocating funds to people who come to him. This is first time, in the state, such a thing of writing letter to the Governor has taken place," he said.

Bommai said that one must be aware that the Chief Minister is a "supreme decision maker" and his decision must be respected. "He, being a Finance Minister, he also enjoys certain privileges of allotting funds under his discretionary powers. He may have exercised it. These differences could have been sorted out well within the four walls of the party or the cabinet forum itself," he said.

Health Minister K. Sudhakar admitted that the letter by Eshwarappa was "an embarrassment".

"We can not deny that it has embarrassed us. Both are contemporaries. They have started their political journey almost at the same time and worked together. They have tasted victories and defeats at the same time. I think this will get resolved soon," he said.

Revenue Minister R. Ashoka said that one must realise that the CM has the prerogative of whom to induct and drop from his cabinet. "This being the bedrock of a functioning system, how can any of us (ministers or MLAs) object to release of funds? Eshwarappa should not have adopted this route to air his grievances like this, instead he could have tried to raise it in our party forum," he said.

CM's close aide and political secretary, M. P. Renukacharya sought to turn the table on Eshwarappa, alleging that it was due to Eshwarappa's decisions like forming Sangolli Rayanna Brigade ahead of the 2018 Assembly polls, that resulted in defeat of party candidates in not less than 40 seats.

"Eshwarappa is responsible for restricting the party's winning streak to 100 seats. Yediyurappa toiled hard to keep the flock together, but Eshwarappa doesn't seems to like it, therefore, he is making such statements," he alleged.
Shot Live at the Savoy With Guests Gary Barlow, Amanda Holden, Freddie Fox Jason Manford

The Must-See Event Will Be Streamed on eMusic Live on 10 April 2021

Tickets On Sale Now at emusiclive.com/AlfieBoeAndFriends

Alfie Boe OBE, the Tony Award winning tenor and actor, today announces a global livestream event 'Alfie Boe Friends Live At The Savoy 'Lockdown Edition' shot at The Savoy in London, which will be livestreamed live on eMusic Live on 10th April at 19:30 BST

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006032/en/

Alfie Boe Friends Live At The Savoy 'Lockdown Edition' will be shot at The Savoy in London and livestreamed on eMusic Live on 10th April at 19:30 BST. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The evening will include performances and interviews with Alfie and his friends, as well as some staple members of staff from The Savoy. Experience phenomenal musical performances, cocktail making at the bar and hear tales of The Savoy's history and guests from over the years.

A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to charities close to The Savoy's heart; Hospitality Action the UK hospitality industry's benevolent charity and The Connection at St. Martin's, which supports thousands of homeless people to move away from sleeping on the streets.

eMusic Live is hosting the livestream performance which will stream the multi-camera, hour-long concert that includes special guests Gary Barlow, Amanda Holden, Freddie Fox and Jason Manford. In addition to the spectacular music event, the livestream will include additional engagement such as fan live chat and VIP experiences with virtual meet and greets and photos with Alfie Boe as well as some new merchandise items. Ticket for this must-see event can be purchased exclusively below from today and will be available to stream for fans globally.

"I cannot tell you how exciting it is for me to perform at the legendary The Savoy with my friends," Alfie Boe said. "I thought it would be fun to come together (socially distanced of course) in front of our fans who can't be in the room with us yet to help lift people's moods and share memories of celebrated musicians who have set foot in the hotel and have had an influence on my life from rock band Queen to world-renowned Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong amongst others. The eMusic Live platform has created a new way for us to take the virtual stage to our fans, enjoy some songs, raise a glass or two from home, and I hope people enjoy it!"

"We're thrilled to work with Alfie Boe to livestream his upcoming show at The Savoy on April 10 and welcome him to the roster of artists using eMusic Live. Our livestreaming platform will allow Alfie and his award-winning guest performers to engage with fans in new ways and to drive additional revenue for two great charities," said Tamir Koch, eMusic President and 7digital Chairman. "eMusic Live strives to provide the most advanced commercial features to support live shows including in-platform promotional opportunities and VIP experiences, so artists can continue to perform for their devoted fans."

Tickets On Sale Now at emusiclive.com/AlfieBoeAndFriends

For more information visit alfie-boe.com

About eMusic Live

In 2020, 7digital and eMusic launched their joint venture, eMusic Live, which has fast become the most advanced commercial live stream platform, offering end-to-end monetisation, engagement opportunities, and sponsorship experiences for artists, artist managers and venues around the world. Additionally, eMusic Live provides tremendous value for brands for whom music plays a key role in their engagement strategy or business model.

About The Savoy

The Savoy is the UK's most historic luxury hotel. Right on the River Thames, it is perfectly placed at the cultural heart of one of the world's most exciting cities. 267 rooms and suites are accompanied by some of the most well-known restaurants and bars in London, alongside magnificent and varied meeting and events space. The Savoy's legendary service creates wonderful memories to last a lifetime. You don't just stay at The Savoy, The Savoy stays with you. http://www.thesavoylondon.com/

About Alfie Boe

Alfie Boe has conquered the world's most prestigious opera stages, has received an OBE for his services to music and charity, led the cast of Les Miserables, and stole the show at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. He has always strived to bring good music to different audiences, and after three sold-out UK Tours (including the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall), Boe has entertained fans around the globe and achieved Platinum album sales in the UK, a number one bestselling Live DVD and four top ten album placings.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006032/en/

Contacts:

Lara Peterson

+1 (917)2889064
The Butcher & Vine meat and seafood display in Athens, Georgia, on Thursday, Jan 28, 2021. This is the second location of Butcher & Vine that opened in Five Points on Jan. 26. (Sofia Gratas, 2021)
(CNN)  More than a year after Covid-19 was first detected, Asia's first "travel bubble" has finally launched.

The islands of Palau and Taiwan have opened a reciprocal travel lane, allowing residents of both places to travel back and forth quarantine-free provided they follow certain guidelines.

The bubble, which Palau is calling a "sterile corridor," kicked off on April 1. The first flight, on Taiwan's China Airlines, is scheduled to leave Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport at 2:30 p.m. and is due to arrive in Palau at 7:30 p.m. local time. Palau is one hour ahead of Taiwan.

Rules for participating are strict. Travelers on the first flight had to show up to the airport five and a half hours early so that they could be tested for Covid-19 on-site. The passengers' test results were expected to arrive by 1:00 p.m., at which point they would get the all-clear to begin boarding.

And that's not the only restriction.

Would-be vacationers must join up with one of six government-approved tour groups and are required to stick to strict itineraries. The respective governments have lists of approved attractions and hotels, while mask-wearing in public is mandatory.

Tour itineraries include trips to Palau's famous "jellyfish lake," a tour of the Japanese shipwreck at Lake Yamanaka, snorkeling opportunities (which include lessons for newbies), a visit to Chang Causeway Park (known as the world's smallest national park), kayaking, an afternoon tea experience, a mud bath at Milky Lake (famed for its beautifying mud) and shopping.

A typical four-day package costs TWD75,000 ($2,600), while a five-day itinerary is around TWD95,000 ($3,300).

But not everyone is pleased with the news -- or, at least, its implications.

China considers self-governed Taiwan to be part of its territory and strongly rejects any claim to the contrary. As a result, only 15 countries and territories -- including Palau -- have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

"I want to emphasize that the one-China principle is a recognized norm of international relations and a universal consensus that the vast majority of countries in the world agree to, accept, and practice. Adhering to the one-China principle is the trend of the people's hearts," Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement on March 29.

Low case numbers, minimal risk

Both islands have done a stellar job of keeping Covid-19 at bay.

Taiwan has reported 1,022 cases and only 10 deaths, while Palau has had zero. Palau, which is home to about 18,000 people, embarked on an ambition vaccination program in January.

In November 2020, a planned bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong fell apart at the last minute when coronavirus cases spiked in the latter city.

According to local Taiwanese media, the island is looking into a similar bubble with Guam.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Asia's first 'travel bubble' opens between Taiwan and Palau".
NEWTOWN  The driver of the tractor-trailer involved in Tuesday mornings fiery rollover crash on eastbound Interstate 84 walked away uninjured.

The crash occurred on the Rocheambeau Bridge near eastbound Exit 13 around 7:15 a.m. when a tractor-trailer, driven by a 58-year-old North Carolina man, lost control and struck a concrete barrier while crossing the bridge near the Southbury-Newtown line.

The collision caused the truck to overturn, blocking both lanes of the eastbound highway. Lumber on the truck fell off, damaging an exit sign on the highway, according to state police.

A crash Tuesday, March 30, 2021, closed I-84 near eastbound Exit 13 in the Newtown/Southbury area after a tractor-trailer lost control and struck a concrete barrier while crossing the Rochambeau Bridge, police said. Video: Courtesy of CT State Police A crash Tuesday, March 30, 2021, closed I-84 near eastbound Exit 13 in the Newtown/Southbury area after a tractor-trailer lost control and struck a concrete barrier while crossing the Rochambeau Bridge, police said. Video: Courtesy of CT State Police

Both the eastbound and westbound sides of the highway were closed as state and Southbury police, Southbury and Newtown firefighters and the state Department of Transportation responded to the scene, leading to hours of traffic delays.

With I-84 access blocked between westbound exits 14 and 11 and eastbound exits 11 and 13, motorists were detoured through Southbury and Newtown, which caused heavier than usual traffic.

The crash did not cause any structural damage to the highway or bridge  nor did it delay the Rochambeau Bridge projects construction timeline, said state Department of Transportations Rochambeau Bridge project manager Christopher Zukowski.

We were in the process of performing work on the new westbound structure when the accident unfortunately occurred on the older structure (where traffic flows), he said.

Zukowski said the crossover setup at the site  which allows construction to take place without impeding traffic flow, and vice versa  is why the crash did not affect the bridge work. He said the reconstruction project is still slated for completion in the fall of 2023.

The westbound lanes of the highway reopened to traffic around 1:45 p.m., but the eastbound side remained closed for several more hours.

It took a significant amount of time to remove the rolled over truck and the lumber from the roadway in the eastbound direction, Zukowski said.

As crews worked to clear the road, Zukowski said the state Department of Transportation inspected the Rochambeau Bridge to make sure there were no safety issues and none were found.

The tractor-trailer was eventually towed from the scene and the eastbound side of the highway reopened around 4:50 p.m., according to police.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured in the crash, state police said, but he was issued an infraction for failure to maintain proper lane and operating with an unsecured load.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  Despite another night of citizens pleading with the City Council to fully adopt police reforms as proposed by the city Police Reform Task Force, the council Wednesday night approved a cautious approach to reform with a decision to only review, not embrace, a civilian review board.

It was extremely disappointing to watch our City Council dismiss the voices of city residences, especially Black people, as they patted themselves on the back for doing the bare minimum, said Kristen Dart, a member of the Police Reform Task Force. The first civilian review board draft was presented in early January and the city attorney provided no feedback at that time or at any time moving forward. These issues now being raised could have been addressed in the following months of committee work. The comments at tonight's meeting prove the city will continue to drag its feet on the loudest, most consistent call for reform.

The final resolution, rewritten twice over the past week, passed 4-1, with only Commissioner of Accounts John Franck dissenting. He did not comment Wednesday, but at the last meeting said the city should adopt the reforms as written and called the resolution rewrites a dog with different fleas. It also rejected the task force's recommended ban on no-knock warrants and military equipment and firearms entering the city.

The time for debate was over as the council had to pass a resolution Wednesday night because it has to hit the April 1 deadline to comply with Gov. Andrew Cuomos Executive Order 203 on police reform.

The mayor and most of the officials taking part in the virtual meeting did not comment on the resolution. The only commissioner to speak on it was Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan, who asked the citizens to stop threatening us.

The resolution is well done, Madigan said. It does exactly what was requested by the task force. It moves it along for their recommendation for action. I cant understand the divisiveness or contrariness and why we are so berated by the commenters.

She said that police reform takes comprehensive analysis, constructive dialogue and realistic deadlines and called the council courageous for adopting it.

However, when the council was about to take a vote, people on the Zoom call screamed out words like "racist" and "cowards." Mayor Meg Kelly knocked everyone off except officials and the city attorney so the vote could be taken without interruption.

The resolution urges the mayor to create an advisory committee on or before June 1 to assist in the implementation of the directives in the resolution, with periodic progress reporting to both the community and the council.

City resident Elizabeth Zacks saw the vote as the council ignoring the will of the people.

Are they just deaf to this and not taking it seriously? Zacks asked. We had three draft resolutions in the last week to deal with civilian review board. I feel like its a lot of stalled tactics on your end to not get this implemented. Thats a shame. Shame on you City Council. ... These are our voices. Im a citizen here and I would like to see a civilian review board.

Terry Diggory, a task force member, said the resolution language is ambiguous and that it could have a broad interpretation."



Others spoke up, saying the unwillingness to adopt the task forces 50-point plan for police reform further erodes trust between the police and the community. Adopting the plan would only benefit the citizens and the police, many said.

And still others were angry that City Attorney Vincent DeLeonardis, who was also a nonvoting member of the task force, told the council a civilian review board could not be created without further research and a possible referendum, something he did not bring up during the task force meetings.

Finally, the task force members were also upset that police Chief Shane Crooks, who was also on the task force, released his own 88-page report that questioned if the task force was in compliance with the executive order because they did not meet with the Saratoga County district attorney, the Saratoga County public defender or business owners in the downtown core where most policing in the city occurs.

"The irony of a majority Black task force doing extremely burdensome work for free, under unprecedented circumstances, only to have our collaborative work be sabotaged by civil servant task force members and 'thanks but no thanks' by the council itself is not lost on us," said Daesha Harris, a task force member.

Harris also said she is astonished by the council's vote.

"An all-white City Council has the audacity, during the national historic trial for the anti-Black murder that triggered Executive Order 203, to tell a Black-led task force and overwhelmingly supportive community, 'wait.' Wait is a word that has been used against people of color, abolitionists and civil rights activists for 400 years. It is a polite word for exercising systemic oppression, and no one is fooled by it."
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said that England was still 'well on track' to invite everyone in the top nine priority groups for a Covid vaccine by April 15

The boss of the NHS has urged all over-50s and younger people with health conditions who have yet to get their Covid vaccine to book an appointment now.

During April the NHS will focus on second doses but appointments for all over-50s not yet protected will also be available.

The most up-to-date NHS England data showed that at least 4million vulnerable people were still yet to get jabbed across the nation.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: 'We're well on track to meet our April 15 goal of offering NHS Covid vaccination to everyone aged 50 and over, as well as other high risk groups.

'In just the past two weeks, we've now jabbed nearly 85 per cent of people aged 50-54, and over three million of the highest risk people have also now had their top-up second dose.'

NHS medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, added: 'Our fantastic staff, helped by local organisations and volunteers, have done everything in their power to jab millions of people at speed - an incredible achievement.

'As we start to see signs of normal life returning - seeing family or friends outdoors - protecting those most at risk is even more important.

Moderna joins the fight The Moderna jab is, like the Pfizer vaccine, based on mRNA technology which involves injecting synthetic fragments of genetic code that instruct human cells to build the distinctive 'spike' protein found on coronavirus particles. These new spike proteins cannot cause infection, but their presence enables the immune system to recognise Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus particles as dangerous invaders  and so attack any they come across. Moderna is a fledgling American company and the vaccine is its first approved product. In the US, 64.3million doses have been given. Like the Pfizer jab, it must be kept at sub-zero temperatures during transportation and storage, but only at minus 20C rather than minus 70C for Pfizer. The Government has ordered 17million doses, and the EU has 310million, with an option for another 150million in 2022. Advertisement

'So, if you have not been jabbed and are eligible, please do book in - staff are working hard to protect as many as possible, as supply allows.

'I had my jab a few weeks ago - it is easy, quick and effective.'

Those over 50 can book a vaccine via their GP or the central vaccine booking website. People who are clinically vulnerable or a health and care worker can contact their GP for an appointment.

It comes after the number of second doses of Covid vaccine outnumbered first doses for the first time yesterday.

A total of 270,526 second doses were registered on March 30, compared with 224,590 first doses, according to government figures. Previously the number of first jabs per day had always exceeded second jabs.

A total of 4.1million people in the UK are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, around one in 13 adults.

It comes as Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith today said the UK could receive its first batch of Moderna Covid vaccines as early as next week, the BBC claimed.

Earlier this week, ministers suggested the UK would not receive any doses from the American pharmaceutical firm until the middle of the month at the earliest.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told BBC's Andrew Marr show he was confident the first shipment would arrive by the end of the month.

He said: 'We expect that in April Moderna will come.'

But a leaked Scottish Government document from January laying out the dosing schedule showed Moderna jabs  the third vaccine to be approved in the UK  were expected as early as April 4.

Moderna, which was codenamed 'Renown' by the Government during its development process, is being manufactured by the Swiss-based Lonza biotech company.

Professor Adam Finn, an adviser on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said the limited Moderna stocks will not be a 'game changer' because the 'small outfit' is focusing supplies on the US.

But he said: 'It adds an extra string to our bow, if you like, and it gives us an extra line of security.'
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MONTGOMERY, Alabama  More than 800 steel blocks hang from the ceiling, one for every place in the United States where a lynching occurred. They wind around in alphabetical order by state, Alabama through Virginia.

I pause when I get to a block representing Ohio.

Ohio had lynchings? I did not know. I should have known.

It was one of many things I learned on a recent visit to Montgomery , a major destination on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, and home to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which opened in 2018 to recognize more than 4,000 victims of lynchings in the U.S.

Its a companion site to the nearby Legacy Museum, sometimes referred to as the lynching museum, both operated by the Equal Justice Initiative, the nonprofit agency that advocates against the death penalty and provides help to indigent defendants.

Lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who founded EJI (and wrote Just Mercy, made into a movie in 2019), realized in recent years that his legal work needed more historical context. These two sites provide that context, in a deeply moving and disturbing way.

They are stops on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, which winds through 15 states and Washington, D.C., a path that connects more than a hundred sites integral to the civil rights movement and American history.

Montgomery alone has 11 sites on the trail, including the Alabama State Capitol, the final destination of the march from Selma to Montgomery and where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his How Long, Not Long speech; Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where King served as pastor and where the Montgomery bus boycott was organized; and the Rosa Parks Museum, which honors the woman who launched the movement.

Some locations were closed because of the pandemic during my February visit. I toured three sites and took a walk past several others.

I spent two days in the city, en route to Florida, and could have allotted twice that. Heres what I learned.

A sculpture by Dana King depicts the women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery.

At the Legacy Museum in Montgomery.

Soil from lynching sites across the South on display at the Legacy Museum in Montgomery.

Legacy Museum

You are standing on a site where enslaved people were warehoused.

I studied the words on the wall after entering the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration. In 1860, Montgomery was home to largest slave population in the region  more than 23,000 people, two-thirds of the citys population. Free Black residents were banned by state law. Jefferson Davis was inaugurated president of the Southern Confederacy here in 1861.

It did not get much better after the Civil War, when an era of second slavery commenced, marked by what the museum refers to as racial terror lynchings. These were not isolated hate crimes by vigilantes  they were targeted acts of violence intended to terrorize an entire population and to uphold an unjust social order.

And terrorize it did. Between 1910 and 1940, 6 million Black Americans left the South in what became known as the Great Migration, fleeing to the North and Midwest, in part to escape the violence.

The exhibits here may be difficult to fully comprehend: a photo of spectators gathered for the public lynching of Henry Smith in Texas in 1893; an ad from the Selma Times-Journal in 1963 that contains this plea: Ask yourself this important question: What have I personally done to maintain segregation?

And shelves of glass jars, filled with soil from across the South, an effort to memorialize those lost to lynching. Volunteers with EJIs Community Remembrance Project, joined by local organizations, have filled these jars with dirt collected from lynching sites, labeling each vessel with a name, date and location, in the hopes that we may not forget.

It didnt happen just the South. An interactive display allows me to look up the names of all 15 people lynched in Ohio from 1877 to 1932: William Taylor in Erie County, killed September 4, 1878; Henry Howard in Coshocton County, on June 19, 1885; Charles Davis in Athens County, September 20, 1881; and Unknown, Cuyahoga County, June 27, 1911.

Read more: Ohio communities, including Sandusky and Coshocton, honor local lynching victims

The museum, however, is not all about the past  about half of the exhibit space is devoted to the ongoing legacy of slavery in our present, primarily in the criminal justice system, from the racially-charged war on drugs to the unequal application of the death penalty.

The death penalty, according one former prisoner, is simply a legal version of lynching.

They took off the white robe and put on a black robe, says Anthony Ray Hinton via video screen, one of numerous former and current prisoners featured in the museum. Visitors may remember Hinton from Just Mercy; he was released from an Alabama prison in 2015 after two murder convictions were overturned. He spent 28 years on death row.

If it all sounds rather sobering, it is, although its a necessary kind of sadness.

An exhibit as you exit asks you to consider acts that you can take to make things better  by registering to vote, for example, or through volunteer work. Also here, a small exhibit devoted to Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott that launched the civil rights movement in 1955.

Residents of Montgomery relied on an alternative system of transportation during the 13-month bus boycott in 1955 and 1956, as depicted at the Rose Parks Museum.

A statue of Rosa Parks in downtown Montgomery.

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where the Montgomery Bus Boycott was planned.

Rosa Parks Museum

But for the full story of that critical event, I walked three blocks south to the Rosa Parks Museum, which opened in 2000 on the campus of Troy University.

The facility is divided into two parts, with two separate admissions, the main museum and the Childrens Wing, which consists of an interactive, time-traveling bus that transports riders back to key points in American history  to the Civil War, to meet Harriet Tubman and Homer Plessy (whose landmark legal battle in 1892 established the separate but equal doctrine) and finally, to Montgomery in 1955.

The main museum tells the story of Parks, who was a secretary for the NAACP at the time of her arrest in December 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on Bus 2857 to a white man, as instructed by the driver.

Shortly after her arrest, a 26-year-old Rev. King, new to town, was recruited to lead a boycott of the public bus system in Montgomery. Expected to last just a few days, the boycott went on for 13 months, until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Browder vs. Gayle that the bus companys system of segregation was illegal.

The story is told primarily chronologically, with engaging, interactive exhibits featuring the voices of those involved. Among the artifacts on display: a police report from an informant sent to Kings Dexter Avenue Baptist Church to hear him preach; a flier from the White Citizens Council for a rally at the Montgomery coliseum; and the police report from the bombing of Kings house in January 1956.

The museum concludes on a somewhat more hopeful note  Parks, who died in 2005, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery honors the nation's 4,400 victims of racial terror lynchings.

A searing work of art by Kwame Akoto-Bamfo at the entrance to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery.

"Raise Up" by Hank Willis Thomas at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery.

National Memorial for Peace and Justice

The most unusual and unexpectedly moving site in the city is the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, a large, open-air pavilion on a hilltop a few blocks south of downtown.

The pavilion features more than 800 6-foot-long steel boxes, hanging from the ceiling  one for every county in the country where lynchings occurred. Engraved on the boxes: the county name and the people who were killed there.

The boxes are organized alphabetically by state, a winding labyrinth of tragedy. I started out attempting to read each one  one box, from Carroll County, Mississippi, had 29 names  but quickly got overwhelmed. I walked through, unable to comprehend so much tragedy.

Inside the pavilion, visitors descend into the structure, increasing the distance from the boxes, hanging above. The walls on either side include the stories of individual victims: Frank Dodd was lynched in DeWitt, Arkansas, in 1916, for annoying a white woman, reads one; Henry Patterson was lynched in Labelle, Florida, in 1926 for asking a white woman for a drink of water.

As I walk, my eyes scan above and ahead, in search of the box that says Ohio. I find it and slowly read the 15 names inscribed.

I should have known about this. Now I do.

The Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.

Montgomery was a center of the Southern slave trade in the mid-19th century.

The Legacy Museum, which opened in 2018, chronicles the legacy of slavery in the U.S.

If you go: Montgomery, Alabama

What: Alabamas capital city, with a population of about 200,000, was the birthplace of the civil rights movement  and also the first capital of the Confederacy. The U.S. Civil Rights Trail, created in 2018, has more sites in Montgomery than any other city. Its a fascinating, complicated place that was enjoying some necessary economic revitalization before the coronavirus pandemic put everything on hold. Heres hoping that investment continues.

Where: We drove to Montgomery, about 800 miles south of Cleveland, an 11-hour trip. Montgomery Regional Airport is served by Delta and American airlines.

The Legacy Museum (115 Coosa St.) and National Memorial for Peace and Justice (417 Caroline St.) both opened in 2018 and are operated by the Equal Justice Initiative. Both are free, but the museum requires advanced reservations. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday. Information: museumandmemorial.eji.org

Rosa Parks Museum: 252 Montgomery St.; admission is $14 for both the Childrens Wing and main museum, $10 for ages 5-12; hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information: troy.edu/student-life-resources/arts-culture/rosa-parks-museum/index.html

Where to stay: We stayed at the new 105-room Springhill Suites, 152 Coosa St., across the street from the Legacy Museum, located inside a restored former warehouse. Room rates start at about $105.

Where to eat: Pannie-Georges Kitchen serves up excellent Southern cuisine inside the Legacy Pavilion, 400 N. Court St. (which also has parking and the bookstore for the Legacy Museum). The restaurant is open 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

For more on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail: civilrightstrail.com

More about Montgomery: visitmontgomery.com
Deputy Prime Minister Kelemen Hunor declared today in Miercurea Ciuc that a difficult period is lying ahead in terms of the pandemic, as the third Covid wave has reached Romania and people need to act with extreme care and be aware that many things depend on themselves.

"We have a difficult period ahead of us, but I am convinced that together we will be able to overcome it. The third wave has reached Romania too, and if we look at what is happening in Hungary, in Slovakia, Austria, Germany, or France, at the restrictions ordered there, we can say that we will not be spared wave 3. For now there is no explosion in daily Covid cases, but if we look at intensive care, there is already crowding and pressure on the health system. (...) What will happen, whether the incidence will increase or not, whether hospitals will come under more pressure or not, is largely up to us. We have said that we will not go for a total lockdown, there are specific measures in place to ensure safe distancing and prevent crowding in public spaces, through which we can keep the pandemic under control," Kelemen Hunor said.

With the approaching Catholic and then Orthodox Easter, an occasion when families come together, the Deputy Prime Minister calls for caution, so that people be able to meet their loved ones in the next years too.

"Surely, we'll celebrate Easter again next year, we will have it in two years again, the important thing is for us to also be around, that it doesn't happen without us. We, at the government, discussed ten days ago with the representatives of all denominations and agreed that religious services may be held, there will be no restrictions until 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and this applies for Orthodox Easter as well. I am convinced that with the experience gained in the past year, the vast majority of people will understand that it's OK to meet, but it is just as important to be able to meet next year too. Of course, vaccination helps, but we are still far from having reached 65-70 percent of vaccinated population, therefore the watchwords are attention, care, responsibility. Taking these decisions was no pleasure, but through these nuanced decisions we are trying to find a method that allows us to both preserve our freedom and protect our health. I am convinced that the vast majority of the citizens are extremely aware and responsible and know what they have to do," the Deputy Premier said.

Kelemen Hunor and UDMR Ministers Cseke Attila, Tanczos Barna and Novak Eduard are on a working visit to Harghita County, having scheduled meetings with representatives of local communities and various institutions.
The U.S. called Saudi Arabia on the eve of an OPEC+ meeting to highlight the importance of affordable energy, adding another element of uncertainty into the groups decision on production cuts.

The cartel is heading into Thursdays talks with several options up for discussion, including maintaining its existing production cuts or making a modest increase, delegates said. Rhetoric from the cartels top official had indicated a cautious approach, focusing on the fragility of demand and the risk of a Covid-19 resurgence.

Many OPEC-watchers had been expecting the group to roll over its production quotas for at least one month, so any deviation from that could be bearish. It remains to be seen whether the call from U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to her Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman could tip the balance in the another direction.

THE MARKET: Oil pares gain with OPEC+ to choose between hike or holding cuts

Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 1.4% to $63.61 a barrel as of 9:52 a.m. in London.

A spokesman for the Saudi Energy Ministry had no immediate comment. People familiar with the call said the two officials discussed collaboration between the U.S. and the kingdom around areas like hydrogen, renewables and carbon sequestration, rather than the oil market.

At the start of this week, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies had been widely expected to maintain their output curbs for at least another month. Bolstering that view, the coalitions technical experts lowered their demand estimates on Tuesday.

In his opening remarks at a ministerial panel on Wednesday, OPECs top official warned that oil demand remains fragile.

We should not be out smelling the flowers just yet, Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo told a committee of ministers that lays the ground for their main meeting, scheduled for Thursday. The oil market is surrounded by uncertainties, including the prevalence of Covid-19 variants, the uneven rollout of vaccines, further lockdowns and third waves in several countries, Barkindo said.

But as of Wednesday evening, before the U.S. intervention, the possibility of increasing production was among the options that may be considered, according to two delegates who asked to speak anonymously.

There arent just external calls to pump more oil. Saudi Arabia is also facing internal pressure from Russia and the United Arab Emirates, who appear more eager to restore production, said Helima Croft, chief commodities strategist at RBC Capital Markets LLC.

Surprises can take many forms and the Saudi oil minister might look to give way to the other producers that are pushing for a production increase, Croft said.

Demand forecast

Still, the coalitions data point to the need for caution.

Officials from the OPEC+ Joint Technical Committee, which met on Tuesday, reduced their estimate for global oil demand growth this year to 5.6 million barrels a day, from 5.9 million previously. The adjustment was most pronounced from April to June, when on average consumption is now seen 1 million barrels a day lower than prior projections.

That implies that the cartels primary goal for the coming months -- running down excess fuel inventories built up during the pandemic -- would only happen slowly unless it agrees on Thursday to maintain production cuts close to current levels.

The OPEC+ alliance is withholding about 8 million barrels a day of production -- roughly 8% of the global total -- in order to disperse the surplus that built up when demand collapsed last year.

While theyve committed to restoring some of that halted supply over the rest of the year, the producers have so far moved very carefully. At the start of March, the group stunned traders by rebuffing calls to open the taps as consumption was recovering.

OPEC expects demand to pick up in the summer, especially in the U.S., but they are very concerned about other parts of the world, Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst and co-founder of Energy Aspects Ltd. said in an interview on Bloomberg television. Even so, there is genuinely talk of starting to put back barrels in the market from May.
Funding Promotes Innovative Partnerships to Boost Student Readiness & Postsecondary Success

Nashville, TNToday, the Tennessee Department of Education announced a $14 million grant opportunity to establish the new Innovative High School Models program, intended to empower local communities and collaborate to boost student readiness and prepare students for a bright future in high-demand jobs in their region.

The goal of the Innovative High School Models program is to encourage strong and strategic innovative partnerships between Tennessee public school districts, postsecondary education institutions and local employers to reimagine how to prepare students for success after high school.

In public education, we have a responsibility to make learning both engaging and exciting for every student while they are in school, and meaningful to them long after they graduate, said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. The Innovative High School Models program will build upon Tennessees history of collaboration between K-12, postsecondary and industry to create, strengthen and expand local partnerships that help students be ready for success during and after high school.

Through a competitive application process, 10 to 20 school districts will be awarded a grant ranging from $750,000 to $2 million to establish strategic partnerships that accelerate and increase student attainment of high-quality, in-demand postsecondary credentials.

Grant recipients will be encouraged to rethink and revision high school educational models from the use of time and space, entrance requirements, instructional practices and modes of learning, scheduling, and mentorship and training opportunities available to students to provide new and additional pathways for students to be prepared for postsecondary success.

This program will also help reinforce the work of the Tennessee Pathways model, which supports alignment among K-12, postsecondary, and industry partners to provide students with relevant education and training to jumpstart their postsecondary degrees and credentials.

In Tennessee, high-quality career pathways support student success through:

High-quality college and career advisement throughout K-12;

Rigorous early postsecondary and work-based learning opportunities throughout high school; and

Seamless vertical alignment between K-12, postsecondary programs, and career opportunities as a result of effective partnerships among school districts, higher education institutions, employers and community organizations.

This grant opportunity is available through federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funding.

The notice of intent is due April 15 and the grant application is due May 7. The application guidance and additional information can be found here.

For additional information about Tennessees Career and Technical Education initiatives and programs, including Tennessee Pathways, click here. For Tennessee Department of Education media inquiries, contact Edu.MediaInquiries@tn.gov.

###
U.S. President Joe Biden, and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un / Korea Times file



Team Biden would seek coalition with allies, but outcome not promising



By Robert A. Manning



I knew Pyongyang's quiet couldn't last. Through U.S. President Joe Biden's impressive flurry of Asian diplomacy  unprecedented Quad summit, 2+2 ministerial meetings, first with Japan, then South Korea, and meeting with Beijing on U.S. soil  North Korea didn't steal the show.





Robert A. Manning
As the Derek Chauvin trial wraps its first week of testimony in the U.S., Mexico is reckoning with its own case of police brutality.

Why it matters: The death of Victoria Salazar, a Salvadoran refugee who had lived in Tulum for years, is the most recent case of Mexican law enforcement being accused of killing someone of Central American origins.

Victoria Salazar's neck was broken and she died when officers pinned her to the ground on Sunday and kept her down as she writhed and cried out. The reasons for the arrest remain unclear.

The big picture: Mexican law enforcement has for years faced accusations of using excessive force, torturing suspects to get a false confession and physically and sexually torturing women they detain, often without due cause.

A dozen policemen near the Mexico-U.S. border were detained in February for their involvement in the killings of 19 people who were shot to death and burned in Tamaulipas state.

A Guatemalan man, Elvin Mazariegos, was shot near Mexicos southern border on Monday. The army has called it an erroneous reaction by soldiers.

What theyre saying: The Mexican state must also take responsibility, because this was a similar case to what happened in the United States with [George] Floyd, said Salazar's mother, Rosibel Arriaza, whos been granted a humanitarian visa to recover the body.

What's next: Authorities in Quintana Roo, the state on the Caribbean where Tulum is located, have opened a murder investigation.

Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, has asked for the full force of the law to be applied to the officers responsible.

Flowers, graffiti and metal fences in Mexico City, protesting the death of Victoria Salazar. Photo: Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Expands Food Systems platform with stabilizing and texturizing solutions broadening the Company's customer base



Brings label-friendly ingredients and innovative solutions that align with the latest consumer trends

WESTCHESTER, Ill., April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ingredion Incorporated (https://ir.ingredionincorporated.com/) (NYSE: INGR), a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to the food and beverage industry, announced today that it has acquired KaTech (https://www.khpartner.com/), a privately held company headquartered in Lubeck, Germany that provides advanced texture and stabilization solutions to the food and beverage industry. The acquisition complements Ingredion's existing specialty ingredient portfolio by expanding its Food Systems platform with a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that assist food and beverage manufacturers with product formulation, ingredient functionality and technical assistance. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

"KaTech has deep food formulation expertise which complements our leading texture business in Europe," said Jim Zallie (https://www.ingredionincorporated.com/content/ingredion/ingr/AboutUs/executiveleadershipteam/Zallie.html), Ingredion's president and chief executive officer. "The addition of KaTech enhances our ability to formulate customized, complete food solutions leveraging Ingredion's expanded ingredient portfolio. It also expands the geographic footprint of our Food Systems growth platform complementing our positions in the U.S. and Asia."

"We are committed to working together to continue to meet KaTech's customers' needs and building upon their world-class reputation in specialties for technical depth, applications know-how, and innovative texturizing solutions that create value for foods and beverages," said Pierre Perez y Landazuri (https://www.ingredionincorporated.com/content/ingredion/ingr/AboutUs/executiveleadershipteam/Landazuri.html), Ingredion's senior vice president, texture, protein and performance specialties.

"Our customers will benefit from a comprehensive suite of nature-based ingredients with access to tailored solutions and unrivalled speed to market," added Mike O'Riordan, Ingredion's president of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "Ingredion's complementary geographic reach will enable the KaTech business to thrive and continue growing."

ABOUT KATECH

Founded in 2010, KaTech (https://www.khpartner.com/) has four locations: two in Germany, one in the United Kingdom, and one in Poland with approximately 95 employees. The company develops bespoke food system solutions designed to help its customers bring products to market faster, solve technical problems and optimize product costs. KaTech has a strong focus on plant-based, dairy and dairy alternatives, meat and fish, savory, and bakery products providing a high level of technical expertise and formulation capabilities for texturization and stabilization and clean and simple formulations. The company has expertise both in ingredient functionality and applications including areas, such as stabilization, texture enhancement, protein protection and enrichment, mouthfeel improvement, and emulsification.

ABOUT INGREDION

Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With 2020 annual net sales of $6 billion, the Company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets. With Ingredion Idea Labs?innovation centers around the world and approximately 12,000 employees, the Company co-creates with customers and fulfills its purpose of bringing the potential of people, nature and technology together to make life better. Visit ingredion.com (https://ir.ingredionincorporated.com/)for more information and the latest Company news.

Forward-looking Statement

This release contains or may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Ingredion Incorporated (the "Company") intends these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for such statements.

Forward-looking statements include, among others, any statements regarding the Company's prospects, future operations or future financial condition, including expectations regarding impacts of COVID-19, the Company's net sales, operating income, margins, rates of returns from capital projects, project pipeline and earnings, as well as management's plans or strategies and goals or objectives therefor, and any assumptions, expectations or beliefs underlying the foregoing.

These statements can sometimes be identified by the use of forward looking words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "plan," "project," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "continue," "pro forma," "forecast," "outlook," "propels," "opportunities," "potential," "provisional," or other similar expressions or the negative thereof. All statements other than statements of historical facts in this presentation or referred to in or incorporated by reference into this presentation are "forward-looking statements."

These statements are based on current circumstances or expectations, but are subject to certain inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and beyond our control. Although we believe our expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, investors are cautioned that no assurance can be given that our expectations will prove correct.

Actual results and developments may differ materially from the expectations expressed in or implied by these statements, based on various factors, including the impact of COVID-19 on the demand for our products and our financial results; changing consumption preferences relating to high fructose corn syrup and other products we make; the effects of global economic conditions and the general political, economic, business, and market conditions that affect customers and consumers in the various geographic regions and countries in which we buy our raw materials or manufacture or sell our products, including, particularly, economic and political conditions in Europe, and the impact these factors may have on our sales volumes, the pricing of our products and our ability to collect our receivables from customers; future financial performance of major industries which we serve and from which we derive a significant portion of our sales, including, without limitation, the food, beverage, animal nutrition, and brewing industries; the uncertainty of acceptance of products developed through genetic modification and biotechnology; our ability to develop or acquire new products and services at rates or of qualities sufficient to gain market acceptance; increased competitive and/or customer pressure in the corn-refining industry and related industries; the availability of raw materials, including potato starch, tapioca, gum Arabic, and the specific varieties of corn upon which some of our products are based, and our ability to pass along potential increases in the cost of corn or other raw materials to customers; energy costs and availability, including energy issues in Pakistan; our ability to contain costs, achieve budgets and realize expected synergies, including with respect to our ability to complete planned maintenance and investment projects on time and on budget and to achieve expected savings under our Cost Smart program as well as with respect to freight and shipping costs; the behavior of financial and capital markets, including with respect to foreign currency fluctuations, fluctuations in interest and exchange rates and market volatility and the associated risks of hedging against such fluctuations; our ability to successfully integrate the KaTech businesses with our current business operations; operating difficulties at our manufacturing facilities; the impact of impairment charges on our goodwill or long-lived assets; changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional income tax liability; our ability to maintain satisfactory labor relations; the impact on our business of natural disasters, war or similar acts of hostility, threats or acts of terrorism, the outbreak or continuation of pandemics such as COVID-19, or the occurrence of other significant events beyond our control; changes in government policy, law, or regulation and costs of legal compliance, including compliance with environmental regulation; potential effects of climate change; security breaches with respect to information technology systems, processes, and sites; our ability to raise funds at reasonable rates and other factors affecting our access to sufficient funds for future growth and expansion; volatility in the stock market and other factors that could adversely affect our stock price; risks affecting the continuation of our dividend policy; and our ability to remediate in a timely manner a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting.

Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of the statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. If we do update or correct one or more of these statements, investors and others should not conclude that we will make additional updates or corrections. For a further description of these and other risks, see "Item 1A. Risk Factors" included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in our subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.

CONTACTS:

Investors: Tiffany Willis, 708-551-2592

Media: Becca Hary, 708-551-2602
Today, Cherokee Legal Holdings (Cherokee), a full-service direct legal and medical services company, providing financial assistance for plaintiffs, payment for medical care and the servicing of third-party, torte action receivables for medical providers, announced the hiring of Michael Byman as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Michael began with Cherokee at the beginning of the year.

Michaels extensive experience in the healthcare space combined with his focus on customer service and his competitive edge from being both a collegiate and professional athlete fits perfectly with Cherokees growth initiatives. We are here to change the healthcare and legal playing fields to the benefit of providers, attorneys and patients and he is the ideal leader for these goals, said Cherokee CEO, Reid Zeising. Michael has proven to be successful at every stage in his career and this latest challenge is one that he is ideally suited for.

Prior to joining Cherokee, Michael worked as Regional Vice President for Jackson Physician Search, a Jackson Healthcare Company, where his region experienced 180 percent growth under his leadership, making it number one in region (2016-2020) for both growth and revenue. Additionally, Michael worked for Merritt Hawkins, part of AMN Healthcare, as Director of Business Development and Marketing, Smart-Tek as Divisional Vice President  Healthcare, and CompuPay Inc. as District Sales Manager.

The announcement of Michael comes as part of a series of promotions and new hires as Cherokee prepares for the next stage of company growth. Cherokee also recently announced the launch of Gain Servicing (http://www.gainservicing.com), a SaaS-based, AI-enhanced third-party servicing platform.

About Cherokee Legal Holdings

Cherokee Legal Holdings (Cherokee), parent company of Cherokee Funding and Gain Servicing, is the fastest growing legal funding and medical lien servicing company in the United States. Cherokee has built a best-in-class technology platform with core competencies designed specifically to effectively service and manage tens of thousands of third-party liability liens simultaneously  this has proven to be much more effective than if a provider were to manage any volume of liens in-house.

More about our companies:



Cherokee Funding (http://www.cherokeefunding.com) provides monetary advances for personal injury victims to pay for their life needs and medical procedures while they await fair settlements.

Designed for healthcare providers, Gain Servicing (https://www.gainservicing.com) is built on a SaaS based, AI-enhance lien servicing platform and provides revenue cycle management (RCM), financial, underwriting, risk management, settlement, collections and reporting services to healthcare providers who treat personal injury victims.

Fundamentally, Cherokee believes that uninsured and underinsured patients who have suffered injuries in an accident, through no fault of their own, should have access to the same high-quality medical care as insured victims. In addition to Cherokee Funding and Gain Servicing, Cherokee has established a non-profit organization built around personal injury victim access to medical care. Stay tuned for more details, http://www.allpatientaccess.com.
Airline food might be one of the last things people are missing during the pandemic, but one Japanese carrier has customers flocking to sample luxury in-flight meals on its parked planes.

Foie gras, crabmeat mousse and wagyu beef fillet are all on the menu aboard aircraft belonging to Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) - for a cool $540 (390).

The airline launched its 'restaurant with wings' for just a single day on Wednesday, but with demand proving sky-high, it is now planning to expand the offering.

Foie gras, crabmeat mousse and wagyu beef fillet are all on the menu aboard aircraft belonging to Japan's All Nippon Airways - for a cool $540 (390)

The restaurant offered either first class or business class meals usually served on international flights, with 'passengers' boarding a Boeing 777 at Tokyo's Haneda airport holding tickets designed to look like boarding passes.

According to ANA, the experience came complete with crew announcements, with meals served in cabin seats, though seat belts were not required.

Demand appears strong, despite the prices - 59,800 yen (390/$540) for first-class meals and 29,800 yen (195/$269) for a business class offering.

'The tickets for the restaurant sold out in a day,' a spokeswoman told AFP on Thursday, and the company now plans an additional 11 dates.

All Nippon Airways launched its 'restaurant with wings' for just a single day on Wednesday, but with demand proving sky-high, it is now planning to expand the offering

The airline said it could extend the service further if virus restrictions are not tightened.

The 'restaurant' already observes virus measures, using only 60 seats on the plane to ensure customers can maintain some distance between them.

The Japanese carrier is not the first Asian airline to offer meals aboard grounded planes to travel-starved customers.

Hundreds of travel-starved diners ate lunch and watched seat-back films on two parked Singapore Airlines jets in October last year, with tickets selling for up to Sg$642 ($470/340).

'Passengers' boarded a Boeing 777 at Tokyo's Haneda airport holding tickets designed to look like boarding passes. Pictured is an ANA crew member preparing food for the experience

ANA has also been selling airline meals online - and British Airways recently followed suit.

It now offers a cook-at-home meal kit that mirrors the airline's first-class dining experience.

MailOnline Travel was sent one to try out that contained Loch Fyne smoked salmon with mustard dressing; slow-cooked British beef cheeks in herb jus with chimichurri; golden Cenarth, black bomber, Harrogate blue and kidderton ash cheeses with fig chutney; and dark chocolate and orange liqueur bread and butter pudding with vanilla sauce. Our verdict? Exceptional.

Each meal kit costs from 80, serves two and customers can choose vegetarian, fish and meat dishes.

Like airlines around the world, ANA has been hit hard by virus-related travel restrictions.

In January, it upheld its forecast for a record $4.9billion (3.5billion) net loss this financial year to March 2021, compared with 27.6billion yen (180million/$249million) in net profit the previous year.

ANA Holdings' nine-month net loss came to 309.6billion yen ($3billion/2.1billion) - also a record - and a sharp drop from the 86.4billion (566million/$780million) yen in profit it logged during the same April-December period last year.
CGPR, French/West/Vaughans Boston-area office specializing in the outdoor, fitness, fashion, lifestyle and travel sectors, has been selected by Bern, Crazy and Softies by Paddi Murphy to support public relations efforts for all three brands. CGPR will help each brand navigate its initiatives amid COVID-19, promoting thought leadership, driving 2021 product launches and providing ongoing media relations and trade show support. Bern produces a line of street-inspired helmets; Crazy is an outdoor apparel brand which is set to expand its U.S. offerings this fall; and Softies offers loungewear, sleepwear and robes. Acquired by FWV in 2020, CGPR also works with such outdoor brands as adidas Terrex, Birkis, Helly Hansen, Kelty, LifeStraw, Outdoor Industry Association and Outdoor Retailer.

R&J Strategic Communications is named agency of record for the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. Through a proactive media relations and thought leadership strategy, R&J will position GSNNJ as the preeminent girls leadership development organization in northern New Jersey with the goal of increasing membership and volunteer participation and supporting fundraising efforts. GSNNJ serves girls ages 5 to 18 in Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and northern Warren counties. By utilizing our media relations expertise and our deep knowledge of the New Jersey media market, we will shine a spotlight on inspiring stories of girls achievements, further giving them a voice and a platform for the issues and causes they are passionate about, said R&J executive vice president Tiffany Miller.

Rainier Communications signs on as PR agency of record for several new technology-startup clients, including Techology Commerce Management and WarpUV. For TCM, Rainier will work to establish and grow the e-commerce aggregators North American market presence and highlight its AI and machine learning technological advantages. The agency will handle TCMs strategy, messaging, analyst and media relations, content and social media. WarpUV, which produces airport bio-security systems, has engaged Rainier to handle all aspects of its marketing efforts to target security infrastructure decision makers, including go-to-market strategy, market messaging, content creation, and analyst and media relations. Other new technology-related AOR clients for the firm include AI Redefined, MeaTech, NexWafe and RadSee.
Her fantastic figure has made her famous all around the world.

And Alessandra Ambrosio looked lovely as ever while arriving at her afternoon Pilates class in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Brazilian beauty, 39, was sporty and stylish in a mint green athleisure look which showcased her lean legs and flat abs.

Fresh look! Alessandra Ambrosio looked cool in a chic mint green athleisure look while going to Pilates in the Brentwood area of LA on Thursday

Keeping the breeze at bay, she layered a light linen shirt on top while letting her caramel-streaked brunette locks down long and loose.

A simple chain necklace, rainbow facemask, neon green purse, and tan slip-on shoes completed the look along with aviator shades.

Ale, as fans called her, kept her eyes glued on her phone as she walked, making sure to catch any last minute messages before starting class.

Check in: Ale, as fans called her, kept her eyes glued on her phone as she walked, making sure to catch any last minute messages before starting class

Neon dream: The Brazilian beauty added a pop of color with her highlighter green purse

The retired Victoria's Secret Angel recently revealed she has a new man in her life.

Earlier this month Alessandra confirmed her romance with model Richard Lee when they were spotted on a romantic dinner date.

She was previously involved with Italian fashion designer Nicolo Oddi who founded the brand Alanui with his sister Carlotta.

Layers: Keeping the breeze at bay, she wore a light linen shirt on top

Alessandra shares her two children - Anja, 12, and Noah, eight - with her ex-fiance Jamie Mazur who co-founded RE/DONE.

The modeling sensation herself runs the swimwear line GAL Floripa which she launched with her sister Aline and their pal Gisele Coria.

Her brand is named partly after Florianopolis which is the city in southern Brazil where she gave birth to both of her children.
Materials and trucks to fix roads are seen over a local road in Newark, New Jersey, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

The U.S. Congress is poised for a long battle over President Joe Biden's infrastructure investment plan as Democrats argue with Republicans and among themselves over the $2 trillion cost and how the money should be parceled out in coming years.



Democrats, with effective control of the Senate and a slim majority in the House of Representatives aim to deliver a final bill for the Democratic president to sign into law between July 4 and early September.



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They have said they want Republican support for the plan, but have also pledged to move unilaterally if they cannot make prompt progress.



Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invoked special fast-track budget rules to pass Biden's recent $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill without Republican support. Schumer may have to go that route again, as Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday he would not support tax increases or deficit spending in the bill.



"I'm going to bring Republicans into the Oval Office, listen to them, what they have to say and be open to other ideas," Biden said in a speech in Pittsburgh on Wednesday unveiling the proposal. "We'll have a good-faith negotiation with any Republican who wants to get this done,"



Liberal Democrats urged Biden to be more ambitious.



"Needs to be way bigger," Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter. Senator Ed Markey, a fellow progressive, has called for $11 trillion in spending over the next decade.



The Associated General Contractors of America, a construction group, praised the job creation that Biden's plan would ignite, but attacked a measure it said would provide new protections for workers trying to join labor unions.



Biden's plan initially calls for $2 trillion in new spending on everything from roads and bridges to broadband and elderly care, along with higher corporate taxes. Economists say the measures could create millions of blue-collar jobs.



Biden may also unveil a second spending package in April.



Republican former President Donald Trump had pledged infrastructure legislation in 2017, but it never got off the ground in part because of partisan disagreements over funding mechanisms.



Last month, Congress passed Biden's coronavirus aid package without Republican support.



This time around, a dizzying array of congressional committees, ranging from House and Senate tax-writing panels to those that oversee health policy, the environment and transportation, are expected to struggle to find consensus.



ARRAY OF QUESTIONS



Many Republicans are wary of Biden's infrastructure plan, especially if it is financed with tax increases. Some moderate House Democrats have said they will only support it if there is a bigger write-off for state and local taxes.



An array of thorny questions, including whether to use the legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs, could produce delays along the way.



Sam Graves, top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, lamented that only 25% of the proposal was devoted to transportation infrastructure like roads and bridges and objected to tax increases.



Graves called on lawmakers to back proposals that could gain bipartisan support. Bill Shuster, a retired Republican congressman who was chairman of the transportation and infrastructure panel, predicted that elements like green energy and broadband investment could gain backing from both Democrats and Republicans.



Current and former lawmakers say it may take until September to pass the bill. The environment gets more difficult after that point as moderate Democrats could be pressed to defend Biden's deficit spending ahead of the 2022 congressional elections.


Dr. Marc Lazare The lecture series that I present focuses on reinforcing and introducing concepts and approaches in dentistry that allow you to repair tooth structure in the most minimally invasive ways possible.

Dr. Marc Lazare, known for his master dentistry designation and international lectures on biomimetic dentistry, will be giving a lecture on biomimetic case studies through the Academy of Biomimetic Dentistry in April. Dr. Lazare, who is President of this organization, will lead the April lecture to educate an international audience on the principles and practices of the field of Biomimetic dentistry, which aims to mimic natural tooth structure and preserve teeth. This lecture is the first of many lectures that Dr. Lazare will be conducting. He also hosted a webinar in September which is now available online through the organizations membership portal.

Biomimetic Dentistry is one of my greatest passions, said Dr. Lazare. The lecture series that I present focuses on reinforcing and introducing concepts and approaches in dentistry that allow you to repair tooth structure in the most minimally invasive ways possible. Our techniques maximize bond strength while minimizing stress on the teeth and use materials and protocols that mimic the natural structures of the teeth. The results are what I truly believe are the best and safest dental options for tooth preservation today. Im excited to give the April lecture as well as future lectures in conjunction with the Academy of Biomimetic Dentistry, where I have the honor of serving as their President.

According to the Academy of Biomimetic Dentistrys website, the field of Biomimetic dentistry is best thought of as tooth conserving dentistry. Biomimetic dentistry involves protocols, materials and procedures that mimic the natural tooth, allowing dentists to treat weak, fractured, or decayed teeth in manners that mirror the natural tooth and negate the need for aggressively reducing tooth size or resorting to invasive procedures like root canals.

The lecture by Dr. Lazare will be available for free to members of the Academy of Biomimetic Dentistry. For more information and to register for the online lecture, visit https://www.aobmd.org/.

Dr. Marc Lazare is a world-renowned dentist who has lectured internationally from D.C. to Paris, Dubai, the Philippines and beyond. Dr. Lazare holds the designation of Master of the Academy of General Dentistry (MAGD), a title earned by less than 1% of dentists in the United States. Known by many as Dentist to the Stars, his client list includes celebrity icons such as Liza Minnelli, Gina Lollobrigida, Cindy Adams and Neil Sedaka, as well as many top models and designers, Tony, Oscar and Emmy winning producers, directors and performers, and even popular reality show stars such as Jill Zarin and Sonja Morgan from the Real Housewives of New York. Dr. Lazare is a Certified Instructor in the principles and discipline of Biomimetic Dentistry and has been trained at the Alleman-Deliperi Center (ADC) with the Biomimetic Mastermind group in Sardinia. He is the founder of the Lazare Institute for Biomimetics & Smile Design, an organization that hosts lecturers from around the world, and he proudly serves as the current President of the Academy of Biomimetic Dentistry (ABD). Dr. Lazare recently published his second book titled Dr. Lazares  The Patients Guide to Biomimetic Dentistry and Smile Design.
A woman in her 90s was targeted during a distraction burglary in Co Antrim on Wednesday.

Two men have been arrested following the incident in the Jordanstown Road area of Newtownabbey shortly before 4pm .

Police received a report that two men called to the home of the woman and claimed they were there to carry out maintenance.

One man entered the property and went upstairs and into a room. When the homeowner raised the alarm, the suspect pushed past her and left the property.

Police have arrested two men, aged 28 and 35, in connection with the incident. Both remain in custody assisting police with their enquiries.

A PSNI officer described the incident as "a distressing ordeal for the victim".

The officer offered advice for people to follow when answering the door.

People are advised to report suspicious persons or vehicles being driven in a suspicious manner, make sure the back door is locked before opening the front door, use a door chain or get one installed and ask callers for their identification and check it carefully while asking them to wait outside.

Anyone concerned can also ring Quick Check on 101. The call will be answered by a train police call handler who will check if the person at the door is genuine. If they are not or seem suspicious police can be dispatched.

"Do not let anyone into the property until you are satisfied as to who they are," the officer advised.

"We are appealing to anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity at the time of the incident to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 1298 of 31/03/21.

"Alternatively, information can be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime."
Arjun Rampal Still To Get A Clean Chit From The NCB In Drug Case, Agency Claims Actor Was Trying To Flee To South Africa

Arjun Rampal was one of the many Bollywood celebrities who were called in for questioning by the Narcotics Control Bureau last year after the agency began probe into the drugs links associated with the Sushant Singh Rajput case. While most of all the celebrities questioned including Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan among others were given a clean chit by the NCB, actor Arjun Rampals name has not year been removed from the list of suspects.

Arjun and his girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades were called in for questioning by the agency in November after some prohibited drugs were discovered at their home during a search conducted at their home. According to a Mid-Day report, the NCB recovered 14 tablets of Clonazepam Dispersible Tablet Clonotril and four tablets of Ultracet Tramadol Hydrochloride and Acetaminophen from the actors home for which he was asked to furnish a prescription for. The actor told NCB that the Ultracet was prescribed to his dog while the Clonazepam tablets belonged to his sister Komal who occasionally stayed at him home.

The report claims that while the veterinary prescription checked out, the Clonazepam prescription was issued in Delhi at a date after Arjuns questioning by the NCB. While his sisters statement was also recorded, the doctor who prescribed the medicine told the agency that a telephonic consultation for Komal Rampal happened on 10 November 2020 and the prescription dating from September was a mistake.

Additionally, Gabriellas brother Agisilaos was claimed by the NCB to be a suspect in two cases and the agency found that he was using Arjuns name to sell drugs. While Arjun denied any knowledge of this, the NCB still has its doubts.

In December, the agency also wrote to the Consulate General of Republic of South Africa to warn them about the actor being a suspect and Gabriellas brothers association with the drug case citing that the actor was trying to flee the country.

Arjun Rampals name has been listed as a suspect in the 50,000 page charge sheet filed by the agency. The name of Agisilaos Demetriades has also been mentioned in the same.
New Delhi: Megastar Rajnikanth will be conferred with the prestigious 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar in a press conference on Thursday (April 1).

Dadasaheb Phalke Awards are managed by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The award is considered to be one the most prestigious one for people in cinema.

Rajnikanth last appeared in the 2020 Tamil action-thriller film Darbar.

The actor has been part of the showbiz business for more than 4 decades and enjoys immense popularity among the masses.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to the new Clubhouse social media app on March 31 to defend Tehran's controversial recent strategic cooperation pact with China -- a deal criticized for lacking transparency and "selling out to China" amid crushing U.S. sanctions.



In past days, small scattered protests against the 25-year China deal have been reported in Tehran and several other Iranian cities -- with protesters warning that "Iran is not for sale."



Zarif's use of Clubhouse, an audio-based social media application, is seen as a way to counter those critics in Iran and abroad.



Zarif, a prolific Twitter user with a significant following on Instagram, said in his Clubhouse message that he was in discussions with Chinese officials to release details about the agreement.



He described the deal as a road map for relations between Tehran and Beijing. Zarif also noted that China has not published details of similar agreements Beijing has reached with other countries.



An 18-page document leaked online in 2020 outlined future cooperation between the countries, including Chinese investment in Iran's energy sector.

Zarif said that, despite the agreement, there are still "barriers" that make it difficult for Iran to "look to the East" and expand ties with China and other countries.



He said those obstacles include ongoing U.S. sanctions and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) -- an international financial crime watchdog that Iran has failed to comply with.



U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has offered to resume negotiations over a 2015 nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump withdrew from while imposing sanctions.

But Tehran has rejected direct talks with U.S. officials and has called for the removal of all sanctions.



"I don't believe in the [policy] of looking to the East or the West," Zarif said on Clubhouse, adding that Iran's foreign policy should be balanced and engaged with the whole world.

Disillusioned Iranians



Zarif's decision to join Clubhouse highlighted the growing popularity of the social media application in Iran.



In recent weeks, Iranians have joined discussions in virtual "rooms" about diverse issues that have included the country's June presidential election.



Critics say Iranian authorities are using Clubhouse to present the appearance of free debate and to encourage increasingly disillusioned Iranians to vote.



Iranian Clubhouse talks have usually been attended by a few hundred people to as many as 2,000.

But Zarif's presentation quickly attracted the maximum number of 8,000 listeners in the virtual "room."



The moderator of the discussion with Zarif was later quoted as saying that officials had agreed to participate in the discussion under the condition that reporters with Persian-language media based outside of Iran would not be allowed to ask questions.

Also using the app during Zarif's presentation were Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh and Iran's Minister of Information and Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi.



Reporters with the Persian Service of the BBC and others confirmed that they were not called upon to ask questions even though they had signaled that they wanted to ask questions.



During the discussion, Zarif reiterated that he is not planning to run as a candidate for president in June  an election which comes amid a power struggle between moderate and hard-line factions of the Iranian establishment.



Following the discussion, some observers inside Iran suggested that hard-liners could push for filtering the Clubhouse app to prevent moderates and reformists from using it ahead of the vote.

Others, however, said that banning Clubhouse could turn away potential voters.



Zarif said that neither he nor Iran's information minister support the idea of filtering, "nor do we have the power to filter."



Twitter and Facebook are already filtered in Iran. Hard-liners have made calls for the blocking of the popular Instagram.



Despite such restrictions, Iranians continue to use banned social media and websites via anti-filtering tools.
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You have questions. I have some answers.

Q: One of my favorite shows is The Good Doctor, but I have not seen Dr. Glassmans wife lately. Did her character get COVID, or did the actress leave the show? Will we see her in any episodes this season?

A: A fan of Sheila Kelley, who plays Aaron Glassmans wife, Debbie, on the series, recently hoped on Twitter that Debbie would be seen more often this season. You and me both, Kelley replied, but  alas  Disney+ called. Last fall, she said that she had been cast on Turner & Hooch, a Disney+ adaptation of the Tom Hanks movie but that she would still try to be on The Good Doctor. Now that sounds less likely. Kelley also has a female-empowerment system called S Factor (sfactor.com). You can see more about it, and how pole-dancing is part of the program, in the current Netflix documentary Strip Down, Rise Up. As for Aaron, he is still seeing plenty of Debbie off-camera, since Richard Schiff, who plays Aaron, is married to Kelley in real life. You can see how smitten they are in Kelleys Twitter feed, @thesheilakelley.

Q: After missing several episodes of NCIS, I watched it the other night and Maria Bello wasnt there. Can you tell me what happened to her character?

A: Bello, who played Jack Sloane on the long-running drama, announced her plans to depart before the current season began. She reportedly has another project in the works in which she will also be a writer and producer. She had nothing but praise for NCIS after her final episode aired, and the show did leave open the possibility of her returning. After going to Afghanistan on a mission with Gibbs, Jack decided to stay and work there.

Q: Whats up with Survivor? Is the crew finally getting access to Fiji this spring?

A: After a long, pandemic-related wait, Survivor is getting ready to return. Host Jeff Probst tweeted not long ago that the show is going back into production in Fiji. We have all of our COVID protocols so that everybody in Fiji will remain safe, all of our crew will be safe and of course our players will be safe. Probst said the past year reminded him that we all have to treat our lives as one big, great adventure, and Survivor fulfills that. No air date yet.

Q: They say The Price is Right is done at the Bob Barker theater. Does he own it?

A: No. Its actually Studio 33 in the Television City complex where Price and other shows are made. It was named the Bob Barker Studio in 1998 to celebrate Barkers long Price tenure, which at that time included more than 5,000 telecasts. (Barker ended up hosting the show from 1972 to 2007.)

Do you have a question or comment about entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH 44260, or brenfels@gmail.com. Letters may be edited. Individual replies are not guaranteed.
(Photo : Screenshot From Google Official Website) Google Decides to Cancel April Fools the Second Time in a Row: Countries that are Suffering the Most This 2021

2020 has been quite a tough year and while some thought that the hardships would be left back in 2020 alone, it seems like a lot are still suffering during this 2021. The situation is still really complicated and although the majority of the world is already easing and things are slowly getting back to the way they were, there are still a lot of places gravely suffering from the pandemic.

Google April Fools' Day

Google operates around the world which is why the company is trying to be sensitive to an international audience. With different countries still badly affected by COVID, it can be seen that the pandemic has not totally been resolved.

For the second time in a row, Business Insider has been able to obtain a certain internal email noting Google won't be creating a series of elaborate as well as occasionally entertaining April Fools pranks this 2021. When asked by Business Insider, Google then confirmed their situation to do so.

2nd year in a row

In an update by the story by The Verge, they also asked for confirmation and were given so by Google. The update noted that Google added more information in their confirmation pointing towards the pandemic as their decision not to celebrate April Fools' Day this 2021.

The confirmation noted that back in 2020, Google made a decision to pause what was known as a longstanding Google tradition of celebrating in the classic April Fools' Day. The decision was made out of respect for those that are really fighting against COVID-19. The statement notes that with a large part of the world still facing some serious challenges, they have decided to pause their traditional jokes this 2021 April Fools' Day.

Read Also: Why Older Adults Should be First in Line for COVID 19 Vaccinations, Study Explains

Countries around the world still suffering

Here are a few other places in the world that are suffering the most: Myanmar, Hong Kong, Philippines, Mexico, India, and more. These places in Asia alone are suffering around the world and not all majorly due to the coronavirus. The United States remains the most affected by COVID while Mexico tails in second place.

The United States has also had its fair share of suffering as well as a lot of iconic things have happened in 2020. Although 2021 hasn't seen something as big as the coronavirus happen, it might be better not to joke about it which is what Google is trying to steer clear from.

With Google's choice to stay out of any April Fools' Day pranks, it can be seen that the company treats this 2021 as a more serious year where jokes shouldn't really be the priority. Google, instead, has its iconic and general design in place this April 1, 2021 which should be enough to signify that they are not participating in this 2021's April Fools' Day at all.

Related Article: WHO Claims No COVID-19 Herd Immunity This 2021; Here's What It Suggests You Should Do

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian Buenconsejo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Rio Las Vegas

Aimbridge Hospitality was selected by Dreamscape Companies to manage Las Vegas multi-brand project.

Dreamscape Companies engaged the global hotel management company to manage the repositioning and reopening of the 2,510-room property into multiple Hyatt full-service brand flags

Aimbridge Hospitality, a global, third-party hotel management company, has been engaged by Dreamscape Companies as their operating partner to reposition the Rio Las Vegas to multiple Hyatt full-service brand offerings.

Aimbridge Hospitalitys capabilities, depth of expertise, and resource-rich support is unrivaled; I couldnt think of a better team as our hotel operations partner for this venture, said Eric Birnbaum, Founder & CEO of Dreamscape Companies.

By pairing their operational expertise with our investment team, we have created a differentiated platform and opportunity to unlock value for our investors. We believe there will be significant opportunity in the near term, and we plan on being active buyers in the hotel sector.

We are excited to be working with Eric and Dreamscape as their operations partner, said Dave Johnson Aimbridge Hospitality Executive Chairman.

And we are certainly glad to continue to lead operations for Dreamscape on several other properties, continuing our mutually successful relationship.

The more than 2,510-room Rio Las Vegas will be renovated and rebranded into multiple Hyatt full-service brand flags and will undergo a redevelopment of the current public spaces including gaming, retail, food and beverage, spa and fitness, and pool recreation deck.

One of the Rio Las Vegas existing towers will become a 1,501-room Hyatt Regency hotel with standard guest rooms averaging 580 square feet upon completion.

The remainder of the Rios guestrooms are expected to be branded or affiliated with other Hyatt full-service brands after they are renovated.

Beyond redefining the hotel experience for business travelers and leisure guests, the Hyatt Regency hotel and other Hyatt-affiliated hotels will welcome meetings and event business with more than 220,000 square feet of function space and state-of-the-art meeting facilities.

Stay in-the-know at vegasnews.com.
A judge in New Orleans resentenced 13 criminal defendants Wednesday at a hearing that laid bare the frustration and forgiveness triggered by Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams project to undo split jury convictions.

It was the first court hearing giving victims of robberies, rapes and shootings to respond to Williams push to erase convictions that he says were tainted by a Jim Crow-era law. Meanwhile, long-imprisoned defendants spoke of their efforts to turn their lives around.

Louisiana was one of two states to allow non-unanimous verdicts until a 2018 referendum ended the practice. But neither that vote nor a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year against split verdicts applied to convicted defendants who had exhausted their appeals.

The high court is still considering whether to toss about 1,600 final convictions in Louisiana, including about 340 from New Orleans. Regardless, Williams announced Feb. 26 he will not object to new trials for these defendants.

Prosecutors first stop was that day in the courtroom of Criminal District Judge Nandi Campbell. With the district attorneys approval, Campbell vacated the convictions of 22 defendants, and most of the defendants agreed to plead guilty to identical or lesser charges.

Wednesday was what one defendant called the moment of truth. Appearing one by one over video conference, 13 defendants learned their new sentences.

For most, it was a straightforward affair. In at least six cases - some stemming from decades ago - prosecutors said they had not located victims or survivors. In at least 10 cases, Campbell handed the defendants sentences that should allow them to walk free without delay.

Rayshaud Green, convicted by a split jury in 2009 of an armed carjacking, was a completely different man than the one who walked into prison 12 years ago with a 50-year sentence, said his defense attorney, Jamila Johnson of the Promise of Justice Initiative. In prison, he teaches anger management classes and speaks with newly sentenced prisoners at orientations, she said.

Green said he felt lost, hurt, broken and confused at his first sentencing. Since then, he said, "a number of things has transpired within my life to make me see what really matters in life, such as relationships, family and ultimately the thing that we cant get back, which is time."

Campbell gave Green a sentence of 10 years, less than what hes already spent behind bars.

Other resentencings provoked wrenching reactions from victims.

Michael Davis was serving life plus 198 years after his split-jury conviction in the armed robbery of a St. Roch bar that ended with an accomplice shooting and killing a New Orleans police officer. The bartender on duty at the Club Tango on the night of Aug. 4, 2002, Peggy Pritchard-Buckner, said she still thinks she owes her life to the actions of officer Christopher Russell.

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She is left with the haunting reality that officer Russell died so that she might live, and she carries that with her every day, said Ben Cohen, chief of appeals for the district attorneys office. Pritchard-Buckner was not happy upon learning that prosecutors agreed to vacate Daviss conviction and sentence, Cohen said.

He said the district attorneys office thinks Davis should receive a sentence similar to two other defendants in the case. They pleaded guilty before trial and received 15- and 25-year sentences. The man who shot and killed Russell, Dwight Patterson, remains incarcerated on a life sentence.

Davis' defense attorney, Colin Reingold of Orleans Public Defenders, said that before the armed robbery his client worked in medical recordkeeping, but he was in the midst of a "downward spiral" as a result of a drug addiction.

"Mr. Davis is now a 50-year-old man. Hes in prison for a mistake in 2002," Reingold said.

Campbell resentenced Davis to 18 years, which is likely to allow him to go free immediately.

Cohen acknowledged that for Pritchard-Buckner and others, learning that defendants could go free was devastating. One woman heard while in hospice that her rapists conviction was being overturned, Cohen said.

Williams has argued that the convictions must be overturned because they are linked to the origins of Louisianas non-unanimous jury law, which was first passed by an 1898 Constitutional Convention dedicated to maintaining White rule in Louisiana.

We believe that the non-unanimous verdict in this case did an injustice not just to the defendant and the jurors but to the victims like Ms. Pritchard-Buckner, Cohen said. We do not blame her or the jurors for returning the non-unanimous verdict in this case. That responsibility lies solely with the state.

Williams references to Jim Crow juries rankled the sole victim to speak directly to the court, rather than through a prosecutor, on Wednesday.

Dan Bright's jail calls highlight differences in how 2019 stabbing case was handled by Orleans DAs Former death row inmate Dan Bright began making phone calls from jail soon after his arrest in a March 2019 stabbing that left the 44-year-old

Erik Beelman, a White man who was shot by another White man in 2006, held a photograph of his face swollen from a gunshot wound as he spoke via Zoom. Beelman said he learned from a reporter for this newspaper, rather than the district attorneys office, that prosecutors agreed to overturn the conviction of the man who shot him after a verbal altercation in front of a St. Charles Avenue hotel. In the years since, Beelman has suffered through debilitating physical effects and tried to kill himself.

Even so, Beelman said he supported immediate release for the man who shot him, Christopher Marlowe, who had been serving a 20-year sentence. Beelman visited Marlowe in prison on Friday and heard an apology firsthand.

Maybe God made all this happen, so that a voice could be heard, to speak for all the other victims out there who are going through pain and suffering, who feel ignored, who feel mistreated by the system, Beelman said. That day, I forgave Christopher Marlowe. I told him, I said, When you get out of here, I dont want you to look back. I want you to live your life.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Recently released survey results found that less than half of New York City teachers were satisfied with former Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, whose resignation took effect last month.

Just 49% of teachers were satisfied with Carranzas leadership during the 2019-2020 school year, according to a citywide analysis of the NYC School Survey, which was conducted last spring. The survey drew fewer responses due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Out of 52,822 teachers surveyed, 25% said they were dissatisfied with the chancellor, 49% were satisfied, and 25% said they didnt know if they were satisfied or dissatisfied.

The percentage of teachers dissatisfied rose 8 percentage points from the 2018-2019 school year, when 17% of teachers said they werent satisfied with Carranza.

The survey results showed that families were more satisfied with the chancellor than teachers were last school year.

Data shows that 74% of families were satisfied with Carranza, 8% were dissatisfied, and 18% werent sure. The percentage of families dissatisfied rose 2 percentage points  from 6% in the 2018-2019 school year to 8% in the 2019-2020 school year.

We know this has been a challenging year for our school communities, and many teachers completed this survey during the height of the pandemic, said Sarah Casasnovas, spokesperson for the city Department of Education (DOE). Despite the circumstances, the vast majority of families surveyed were satisfied with former Chancellor Carranza, and 96% of families reported high levels of satisfaction with schools overall.

In late February, Carranza announced he would step down from his post as the citys top education official  explaining he lost 11 close friends and family members throughout the pandemic and needed to step away to take time to grieve.

However, IXL Learning, a developer of personalized learning products used by more than 12 million students, has hired Carranza as its chief of strategy and global development, according to a press release.

Richard will supply IXL with an abundance of wisdom gained from working at the highest levels of K-12 education and a boundless commitment to ensuring all students have access to world-class learning experiences, said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning. He has been a transformative force throughout his career and we are excited to continue shaping the future of education with him.

Carranza officially resigned from the position of schools chancellor on March 15.

To all my colleagues at the Department of Education, it is incredibly hard to say goodbye to you, and in my culture, we dont say goodbye, we say hasta luego, until we see you again, Carranza said. Its been my privilege to be your colleague.

He was replaced by the former Bronx Executive Superintendent Meisha Ross Porter, who is the first Black woman in history to run the citys school system. Porter recently visited PS 45 in West Brighton during her week-long tour of public schools in the five boroughs.

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:



FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
A North Carolina man was arrested in a road rage encounter that killed a mother of six who was on an anniversary trip with her husband, the authorities said Thursday.

The man, Dejywan R. Floyd, 29, was arrested in an apartment in Lumberton, N.C., early Thursday morning, the Robeson County Sheriffs Office said in a statement.

Mr. Floyd was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Julie Eberly, 47, of Manheim, Pa., and with discharging a weapon into an occupied property.

Mr. Floyd was booked into the Robeson County Detention Center without bond. It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer.
Last month, Fethiye Times met up with Lucille Shone, editor of Kusadass local newspaper, The Ege Eye, which celebrates its 200th edition on 1 April 2021.

Fethiye Times met up with The Ege Eye editor, Lucille Shone and owner/editor Karim Abdullah

Left to right: Karim, Kirsty, Lucy and Sheila

Lucy and Cathie

Local newspapers cater to their area and community, focussing on localised issues and events.

The Ege Eye has been doing just that since it was founded in 2006 and editor Lucy, is a familiar figure in Kusadas, regularly out and about gathering information to keep The Ege Eye readers up to date.

The first edition was published on 8 July 2006

Many of you may never have come across The Ege Eye so, in celebration of 200 editions, Fethiye Times and Daily Sabah would like to introduce you.

Welcome to The Ege Eye

Thank you to Leyla Yvonne Ergil, for her article in Daily Sabah.

Read Leylas informative article here: The Ege Eye: Expat paper marks 200th issue in Turkeys Kusadas

Where can you find The Ege Eye?

Email lucy@theegeeye.com to be added to the mailing list to receive a copy of The Ege Eye in PDF format.

Alternatively, visit www.theegeeye.com from where you can download your copy  and back copies.

Yu can download your copy directly from the website

You can also read news and articles on the website.

Homepage of www.theegeeye.com

Foreign Citizens Advice Centre

As The Ege Eye grew and more and more people had questions and needed information, the Foreign Citizens Advice Centre in Kusadas was created to provide free, independent and confidential advice and support on all aspects of living in Turkey.

Lucy standing outside The Ege Eye office and Foreign Citizens Advice Centre in Kusadas



The Ege Eye special 200th edition

And heres what youve been waiting for, the special, 20-page 200th edition of The Ege Eye.

Visit the website and download your copy now

Congratulations to the team at The Ege Eye from the team at Fethiye Times.
Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Seismic is an industry leader in sales and marketing solutions that empowers customers and drives growth

Their customer service department is dedicated to helping customers achieve goals by providing them with advisors and strategists

The Seismic Community hosts thousands of Seismic customers who share knowledge and expertise with like-minded individuals

About Seismic

Seismic is an industry-leading sales enablement and marketing orchestration solution, aligning go-to-market teams while empowering them to deliver engaging buyer experiences that drive growth. Seismic is headquartered in San Diego, California, with 13 other offices across the United States, Europe and Australia.

Seismics Stellar Customer Service

Seismics Customer Service Department mission is to delight customers and build long-term partnerships that enable transformation and success of buyer engagements. Seismic aims to achieve this through its broad portfolio of offerings and programs across customer success management, consulting, education, and support. From the inside out, Seismic is an organization dedicated to protecting and growing customer success.

Each Seismic customer journey starts with an introduction to their customer success manager who will serve as their advisor and central enablement strategist. Seismics global CSM team maintains a deep industry and product knowledge, guiding each customer through the phases of their journey from onboarding through maturation and growth. This year, the team built a set of playbooks that guide customers through the journey, and they implemented a new platform tool integrated into business workflows to provide 360-degree views of customer health.

In addition to world-class support and consulting offerings, Seismic customers receive ongoing actionable, personalized insights through reviews of their individualized success snapshot. This tool presents key information in a user-friendly format, focusing on critical statistics against industry benchmarks to measure success.

Compared to their industry, Seismic also boasts top-tier community and customer education programs. Seismic Community, an internal message board and online community, allows users to share expertise and crowdsource ideas. With thousands of users, the community is full of active customers swapping knowledge. Seismic also maintains a growing online learning and knowledge portal, Seismic University, which is known for excellence in customer education.

Seismic won the Silver Stevie for Customer Service Department Categories - Customer Service Department of the Year  Computer Software - 100 or More Employees in the 2021 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Interested in entering the 2022 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service?
Three persons have been reportedly killed in a clash involving two communities of Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The crisis, as gathered, has grounded commercial activities in the affected communities.

The recent communal clash, it was learnt, was over a piece of land between Uhonmora and Sabongida communities, which began last Sunday.

It was gathered that trouble started when some persons from Uhonmora went to measure a piece of land at the boundary of the two communities, and were attacked in the process by some persons from the other community.

In the process, some persons got injured during the attack while their vehicle and motorcycle also got damaged.

According to a source, this necessitated the youths from Uhonmora to carry out reprisal in the Sabongida community the following day.

As at last Tuesday evening, three persons had been confirmed dead in the communal clash between the two Owan West communities.

Consequently, commercial activities have been grounded as youths from both communities blocked the busy Ifon - Iruekpen federal road for the past three days, thus, preventing motorists from going through the communities.

The member representing Owan federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, has called for the warring faction to embrace peace.

Ihonvbere, who stated this in a statement, said: "I am unhappy over this ugly incident that has created unrest, tension and closure of business activities in Owan West.

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"This is coming at a time when we should be joining hands to mobilise resources to empower our women and youths.

"It is so sad to see persons of the same family turn against one another. It is also a reflection of intolerance, unemployment and lack of investment in Owan West."

"I sympathise with the families of the victims, including those injured in the fracas. I call on traditional, religious, community and political leaders to urgently wade into the matter with a view to restoring lasting peace and harmony."

Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command has stated that a team of the Mobile Police Force has been deployed in the area to join force with the ones on ground to restore peace.

The spokesman of the police command, Bello Kontongs, who made this disclosure, said: "The situation in the area as at today (yesterday) is better than it was last Tuesday."
Cloverdale, CA (95425)

Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. Hot. High 98F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low near 55F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Sandon Global Products to Deliver Industry-Leading Quality, Flexibility, and Performance for Daetwyler Customers

HUNTERSVILLE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / In a move designed to provide even more industry-leading insight and comprehensive print-performance solutions to companies operating in flexographic printing, Daetwyler USA has announced a new partnership for top-quality anilox rollers and sleeves. Sandon Global is a recognized international brand specializing in the manufacturer of anilox rolls and sleeves, and headquartered in Runcorn, England. Under the agreement, Daetwyler will provide sales, marketing, distribution, and after-sales services support for Sandon Global' s wide range of anilox technologies.

"Our approach to superior print results has always been to provide our customers with 360-degree solutions. While Daetwyler is typically known for our high-quality doctor blades, our depth of expertise involves all ink transfer technologies - including anilox products," said (David Young, President) for Daetwyler USA. "Flawless printing requires excellent quality from every component of the printing system. Sandon Global not only provides such quality, but continues to push forward through a tireless commitment to innovation, a philosophy we share at Daetwyler. The coming together of these two brands matches the best anilox products in the industry with the best doctor blades in the industry, the result of which is unmatched print performance."

Among the benefits that Daetwyler customers should expect from this new partnership are:

Wider selection of engraving patterns to suit all flexo print and coating applications on a variety of substrates

In-House manufacturing of lightweight cores with stainless-steel end rings / caps to Sandon Global's own design and production standard

Ability to accept custom engraving orders

Sizing for both imperial and metric measurement rollers and sleeves

Specialty engravings for litho, gravure, and flexo coating applications

High-precision surface polish to preserve cell volume and extend doctor blade life

"The Daetwyler name is one that is known for superior customer service and knowledgeable technical insight," said Richard Millington, Managing Director with Sandon Global. "That reputation is what makes Daetwyler such a strong match for bringing the performance of our brand to The U.S. market. We look forward to serving many clients together in the future.

For more information about the Sandon Global product line available through Daetwyler USA, please visit https://www.daetwyler-usa.com/anilox.

About Daetwyler USA

Max Daetwyler, Inc. was founded in 1943 in Switzerland and expanded into the United States in 1975 to support the North American market. Today, we are a leading worldwide supplier of Doctor Blades and other pressroom products for the printing industry. For more information please visit http://www.daetwyler-usa.com.

About Sandon Global

Founded in 2004 Sandon Global designs and manufactures laser-engraved anilox rolls and sleeves and supplies narrow- and wide-web flexographic printers worldwide. Exporting to 67 countries and ISO 9001 accredited, we pride ourselves on innovation. Developing the latest generation in anilox engravings and supplying a range of ancillary products including sleeve covers, ultrasonic cleaning equipment and sleeve storage. Acknowledged by the industry as a leading brand in the flexographic market we have received numerous industry and national awards. Including;

KTP "Future Innovator" award 2020

EFIA Silver Award "Supplier of the Year" 2020

UK Halton Chamber Business Of The Year and Manufacturer Of The Year 2019

EFIA Gold Award "Supplier of the Year" 2019

EFIA Gold Award "Supplier of the Year" 2018

British Chambers of Commerce SME National Award 2017

EFIA Gold Award 'Supplier of the Year' 2017

Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade 2016

EFIA Gold Award 'Supplier of the Year' 2016

EFIA Gold Award 'Supplier of the Year' 2015

EFIA Gold Award 'Supplier of the Year' 2014

EFIA Gold Award 'Supplier of the Year' 2011

EFIA Silver Award 'Supplier of the Year' 2013

EFIA Silver Award 'Supplier of the Year' 2010

EFIA Silver Award 'Supplier of the Year' 2009

EFIA Silver Award 'Supplier of the Year' 2008

For more information, contact:

Marty Cansler

National Sales Manager

Phone: (704) 875-1200

Direct: (704) 948-1244

Fax: (704) 875-0781

mcansler@daetwyler.com

SOURCE: Daetwyler

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/637985/Daetwyler-Announces-New-Relationship-with-High-Performance-Anilox-Brand
ROME, APR 1 - The wife of an Italian Navy officer accused of passing classified military documents to Russian officials has said he was "desperate" because of the family's economic situation. She also said that any material he handed over would not have compromised national security. Italy on Wednesday expelled two Russian officials after frigate captain Walter Biot was allegedly caught handing over documents for 5,000 euros late on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio described the espionage as a "hostile act of extreme gravity" on Moscow's part. "He had truly been in (a state of) crisis for some time because he was afraid that he would not be able to face up to the all spending we have," Biot's wife Claudia Carbonara told Thursday's Corriere della Sera. "We have been impoverished by COVID. "My husband did not want to screw the country, if you will excuse my language. "And he did not this time either. "I assure you that he gave the minimum he could give to the Russians. Nothing compromising. "He is not stupid or irresponsible. "He was just desperate. Desperate about our future and that of our children". (ANSA).
Prep Golf: Riley Zebroski earns all-conference honors, Arrows take 7th in ESD tourney

MITCHELL  Sophomore Riley Zebroski earned all-conference honors by tying for 5th place on Wednesday in the Eastern South Dakota Conference girls golf tournament at the Lakeview Golf Course.
The UK Cyber Security Council, the self-regulatory body for the cyber security education and skills sector, has announced that the Formation Project to create the Council has been completed, allowing the UK Government-mandated Council to officially become an independent entity, fully and only accountable to its trustees.

UK Cyber Security Council

The Council will champion the cyber security profession across the United Kingdom, providing broad representation for the industry, accelerating awareness and promoting excellence in the profession.

The Council will champion the cyber security profession across the United Kingdom

It will do this by delivering thought leadership, career tools and education resources to the cyber security sector and those seeking a career in the industry, alongside helping influence government, industry and academia, with the aim of developing and promoting UK cyber security excellence globally and growing the skills base.

The Formation Project

Dr. Claudia Natanson, Chair of the Councils Board of Trustees, said The Formation Project has put down solid foundations on which the Council can build and that is what the Council is able to, and will do, from today. The next few months will be especially busy, as we are now able to hire and start work on gaining traction and momentum, across and beyond the profession.

She adds, Well also be engaging with the Government to ensure the delivery of the standards and governance needed to ensure a strong cyber security profession, now and in the future. The trustees assure all those involved in the Council to date of our maximum efforts to take their work forward.

Near-term tasks for the UK Cyber Security Council include:

The appointment of a permanent leadership team, who will work with the Board of Trustees to establish the Council as a leader in the profession, influencing its standing and reputation within the UK and globally; and

The recruitment of personnel to take forward the work of the Formation Project on elements of the Councils remit, including recognition for cyber security practitioners, professional ethics, diversity and inclusivity in the profession and thought leadership

Cyber Security Alliance

Volunteers from the members of the Cyber Security Alliance have put their heart and soul into the Formation Project"

Dr. Claudia Natanson also thanked the Cyber Security Alliance and the member organisations that supported the Formation Project. Dr. Natanson said, For twenty months, scores of volunteers from the 16 forward-thinking organisations of the Cyber Security Alliance have devoted countless hours to getting the Council to this date. We cannot thank them enough, because without them there would be no Council. In the teeth of a pandemic, to reach this date with the Council on schedule is remarkable.

Dr. Budgie Dhanda, Managing Director of 3BDA and Co-Chair of UK Cyber Security Council Formation Project, said The volunteers from the members of the Cyber Security Alliance have put their heart and soul into the Formation Project, and the members of the Alliance itself have supported their staff all the way. Were all very proud of what were handing over today and look forward to its evolution into a fully functioning, effective Council to represent our profession through the changes ahead.

Protecting UK against cyber threats

Dr. Bill Mitchell OBE, Chair of the Cyber Security Alliance, said Today marks a significant milestone for the many people, who are today and will be in the future, handed the enormously important task of protecting the United Kingdom and its economy from cyber threats that undermine the foundations of modern society.

He adds, Handing over the Council to its trustees is the culmination of over four years of commitment to a shared vision and shared values of public benefit from 16 organisations that came together in recognition of the breadth of skills and disciplines that go into this task.

CYBERUK cyber security conference

Dr. Bill Mitchell OBE further adds, Now a new profession for the UK can be officially recognised and supported. The Alliance remains fully committed to supporting the new Council and ensuring it succeeds at the pace and with the reach that the UK needs, as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and find our place outside the European Union.

The Council has been invited by the NCSC to participate at CYBERUK, the UK governments flagship cyber security conference in May 2021. It will outline some initial plans at the event.
[March 31, 2021] Cello Therapeutics' Platelet Membrane-Coated Nanoparticles Offer a Novel Platform for the Delivery of Immunotherapy in Cancer Treatment

SAN DIEGO, March 31, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Solid tumors comprise about 90% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases and cancer deaths according to an annual report from the National Cancer Institute. Despite the relative ease of surgical resection of such tumors, there lies significant risk in the recurrence of the tumor due to incomplete removal of tumor cells or from metastasis, making new treatment options such as immunotherapy urgently needed to control and eliminate these tumors.

In a new study published today in Nature Communications, Cello Therapeutics shows how semisynthetic nanoparticles coated in platelet membrane can effectively inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in multiple mouse models of solid tumors. Cello collects the membrane of human platelets and coats them onto synthetic nanoscale particle cores loaded with a toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist to create a formulation dubbed PNP-R848. See the article at: https://rdcu.be/chOMZ Platelets have been implicated in many disease pathologies, including tumor progression. Previous studies have shown that platelets naturally bind to both cancer cells and components of the tumor microenvironment. In addition, platelets have even een shown to facilitate metastasis by binding to circulating tumor cells and hiding them from detection.



Localized intratumoral injection of PNP-R848 effectively eliminated or inhibited tumor growth in two separate mouse models of cancer. In a colorectal cancer model, PNP-R848 not only entirely eradicated the tumor, but also induced a sustained long term immunity. Mice that had been treated initially with PNP-R848 were rechallenged two additional times with increasing tumor burdens. The mice were able to completely reject and kill these tumors without any additional PNP-R848 treatments, suggesting that treatment with PNP-R848 has the potential to prevent future recurrence of the cancer. In an aggressive metastatic breast cancer model, administration of PNP-R848 was able to significantly inhibit tumor growth compared with free drug or drug loaded into purely synthetic particles. In addition, treatment with PNP-R848 was able to substantially reduce the number of metastases found in the mice, indicating that localized administration of PNP-R848 is able to induce a system-wide immune response against the tumor.

Cello CEO Dr. Jie Zhang said, Combining the benefits of both manmade and natural materials, the development of therapeutic approaches based on the modification of synthetic nanoparticles with natural cell membranes represents a significant advancement in the field of nanomedicine. The ability of PNP-R848 to retain at the tumor site and promote a specific and sustained systemic antitumor immune response is a promising step towards a generalizable cure for cancer. Cello is currently scaling up manufacturing of PNP-R848 and evaluating its safety profile in preparation for clinical trials. About Cello Therapeutics Inc.: Founded in 2016 in San Diego, CA, Cello is an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing novel nanoparticle delivery platforms for cancer treatment. Taking inspiration from nature, Cello seeks to mimic the complexity found in physiological processes with their patented cell membrane coating technology. www.cellothera.com

Melanie Book 858-886-7649 melanie.book@cellothera.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Solar module imports to attract 40% duty from April 2022

Solar cells imported into India will attract customs duty of 20 per cent while imported solar modules will attract duty of up to 40 per cent, beginning 1 April 2022.

The decision follows the recent imposition of a 14.8 per cent safeguard duty on fresh import of solar cells and modules, in order to protect the interest of domestic module manufacturing companies.

The minister of new and renewable energy announced the imposition of a basic customs duty on solar cells and modules which was a major demand by manufacturers for a long time as they wanted a level playing field with the Chinese companies.

The Indian solar power market is dominated by Chinese companies that supply 80 to 90 per cent of all solar modules used by power producers in the country.

While the move may help protect and promote Indian solar cell and module manufacturing companies, this could lead to an increase in solar power tariff bids by project developers.

There have been numerous attempts by domestic manufacturers to get the government to levy import duties on Chinese modules.

However, it was the military skirmishes between the two countries last year that triggered a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment in India. The Indian government launched a massive programme to promote domestic manufacturing in several sectors with a goal to achieve self-sufficiency, solar equipment being one of the sectors.
A Delhi court will hear the bail plea of Punjabi actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, accused of January 26 tractor rally violence, on April 8.

On Wednesday, the Tis Hazari court had adjourned the hearing on the bail application filed by Sidhu after a jurisdictional issue arose.

Sidhu, accused of allegedly inciting violence near the Red Fort on Republic Day, had moved his bail petition in the court on Tuesday.

Police had arrested Sidhu on February 9.

The names of Sidhu and others were included in the FIR registered in connection with the violence, Delhi Police had said earlier while adding that Sidhu was involved in the incident.

Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the capital since November 26 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.)
A court here sentenced a to two years' imprisonment for encroaching on government land.

Additional District Sessions Judge Sandeep Gupta on Wednesday held Sohanbir Singh guilty under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. He also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Singh.

According to District Government Counsel Rajiv Sharma, a case was registered on September 25, 2013 at Mansurpur police station here against Singh on the complaint of revenue official Sanjay Kumar for encroaching a public water irrigation drain in Begrajpur village.

(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 former Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Scholarship Board, Stephen Oshinowo, has said that he was tricked into writing a statement admitting stealing N127million belonging to the Board while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Mr Oshinowo stated this at an Ikeja Special Offences Court on ThursdayAdebayo told me that he has spoken with the EFCC and they have an understanding. He urged me to cooperate with every step. while testifying during the trial-within-trial to determine whether he voluntarily gave his statement to the EFCC.

He is facing trial over an eight-count charge of criminal conversion of N127 million belonging to the Board.

Led in evidence by defence counsel, Lawal Pedro, SAN, the defendant narrated how his statement admitting to the fraud was obtained during his detention at the anti-graft agency.

He said when he was in EFCC custody, he was approached by a state counsel whom he identified as Rasak Adebayo.

Mr Oshinowo alleged that Mr Adebayo asked him to cooperate with the investigation and resolve the matter amicably rather than proceed to court for trial.

He explained that an offer was made to him through the state counsel to give him back N30million and secure his freedom.

The defendant said the offer as well as the fact that his health was deteriorating while in EFCC custody made him change his earlier statement and write a statement admitting to the alleged offences.

On Nov. 29, 2019, Adebayo approached me and me that he was contacted by my family to intervene in my matter. He advised me to play along with the EFCC in order for me to be set free.

Adebayo told me that he has spoken with the EFCC and they have an understanding. He urged me to cooperate with every step.

Thereafter, I was made to write another statement which I was guided on what to write down by the EFCC operatives, Mr Oshinowo said.

When asked by Mr Pedro how he became aware that Mr Adebayo was a state counsel, Mr Oshinowo stated that he came to the realisation when he received an invitation from EFCC for an arraignment.

An EFCC officer called me on phone that their boss will like to see me, an invitation I honoured and on getting to their office I was made to realise that I would be arraigned in court over the allegations.

The development made me to reach out to Adebayo to know the reason behind the turn around of our agreement with EFCC.

I told him to join me in court to resolve the whole issues he created for me.

It was then Adebayo told me that he cant represent me in court because he is a state counsel.

I was shocked to hear his admission, thereafter, I realised that I have been coerced to admit to an offence I knew nothing about, he said.

Under cross-examination by the EFCC prosecuting counsel, Usman Buhari, the defendant was asked if he had verified Mr Adebayos identity from his family before he used him as his legal representative at the EFCC.

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Mr Oshinowo responded that he did not contact his family because he was in detention.

Mr Buhari further queried did you at anytime ask your family members about engagement of the services of Adebayo upon your released from EFCC custody?

The defendant said no.

The EFCC counsel also asked if he instituted charges or wrote a petition to the state against Mr Adebayo for his alleged misconduct, the former Scholarship Board boss responded in the negative.

When he was confronted by the EFCC with documentary evidence that his daughter was a beneficiary of the Lagos State Scholarship Scheme, he stated that the process was not by influence but on merit.

The judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, adjourned the case until April 28 for the adoption of written addresses and ruling on the trial-within-trial.

(NAN)
The European Union's refusal to admit that there were attempts made by European officials to discredit a Russian COVID-19 vaccine suggests that Brussels did not find substantive arguments, the press office of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) The European Union's refusal to admit that there were attempts made by European officials to discredit a Russian COVID-19 vaccine suggests that Brussels did not find substantive arguments, the press office of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said on Thursday.

"The press office of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia drew attention to the fact that the statement of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia dated March 30 of this year on the EU's approach to vaccination of the population did not go unnoticed in Brussels," the office said.

An EU spokesperson told Sputnik on Wednesday that the union rejects SVR's claim that the bloc seeks to undermine trust in the Russian COVID-19 vaccine.

"We consider such a reaction from the EU as evidence that we have touched upon a topic that is painful for the European Union. Brussels did not find substantive arguments, but only noted in our statement that there were no 'references to any sources that would confirm these accusations," the SVR's office added.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High around 75F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 64F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
On Sunday morning, 28 March, in the Vatican Basilica, Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass for Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Holy Week. The following is the English text of the Holy Fathers homily which he delivered in Italian after the proclamation of the Passion of the Lord from the Gospel of Mark.

Every year this liturgy leaves us amazed: we pass from the joy of welcoming Jesus as he enters Jerusalem to the sorrow of watching him condemned to death and then crucified. That sense of interior amazement will remain with us throughout Holy Week. Let us reflect more deeply on it.

From the start, Jesus leaves us amazed. His people give him a solemn welcome, yet he enters Jerusalem on a lowly colt. His people expect a powerful liberator at Passover, yet he comes to bring the Passover to fulfilment by sacrificing himself. His people are hoping to triumph over the Romans by the sword, but Jesus comes to celebrate Gods triumph through the cross. What happened to those people who in a few days time went from shouting Hosanna to crying out Crucify him? What happened? They were following an idea of the Messiah rather than the Messiah. They admired Jesus, but they did not let themselves be amazed by him. Amazement is not the same as admiration. Admiration can be worldly, since it follows its own tastes and expectations. Amazement, on the other hand, remains open to others and to the newness they bring. Even today, there are many people who admire Jesus: he said beautiful things; he was filled with love and forgiveness; his example changed history,  and so on. They admire him, but their lives are not changed. To admire Jesus is not enough. We have to follow in his footsteps, to let ourselves be challenged by him; to pass from admiration to amazement.

What is most amazing about the Lord and his Passover? It is the fact that he achieves glory through humiliation. He triumphs by accepting suffering and death, things that we, in our quest for admiration and success, would rather avoid. Jesus  as Saint Paul tells us  emptied himself he humbled himself (Phil 2:7.8). This is the amazing thing: to see the Almighty reduced to nothing. To see the Word who knows all things teach us in silence from the height of the cross. To see the king of kings enthroned on a gibbet. Seeing the God of the universe stripped of everything and crowned with thorns instead of glory. To see the One who is goodness personified, insulted and beaten. Why all this humiliation? Why, Lord, did you wish to endure all this?

Jesus did it for us, to plumb the depths of our human experience, our entire existence, all our evil. To draw near to us and not abandon us in our suffering and our death. To redeem us, to save us. Jesus was lifted high on the cross in order to descend to the abyss of our suffering. He experienced our deepest sorrows: failure, loss of everything, betrayal by a friend, even abandonment by God. By experiencing in the flesh our deepest struggles and conflicts, he redeemed and transformed them. His love draws close to our frailty; it touches the very things of which we are most ashamed. Yet now we know that we are not alone: God is at our side in every affliction, in every fear; no evil, no sin will ever have the final word. God triumphs, but the palm of victory passes through the wood of the cross. For the palm and the cross are inseparable.

Let us ask for the grace to be amazed. A Christian life without amazement becomes drab and dreary. How can we talk about the joy of meeting Jesus, unless we are daily astonished and amazed by his love, which brings us forgiveness and the possibility of a new beginning? When faith no longer experiences amazement, it grows dull: it becomes blind to the wonders of grace; it can no longer taste the Bread of life and hear the Word; it can no longer perceive the beauty of our brothers and sisters and the gift of creation. It has no other course than to take refuge in legalisms, in clericalisms and in all these things that Jesus condemns in chapter 23 of the Gospel of Matthew.

During this Holy Week, let us lift our eyes to the cross, in order to receive the grace of amazement. As Saint Francis of Assisi contemplated the crucified Lord, he was amazed that his friars did not weep. What about us? Can we still be moved by Gods love? Have we lost the ability to be amazed by him? Why? Maybe our faith has grown dull from habit. Maybe we remain trapped in our regrets and allow ourselves to be crippled by our disappointments. Maybe we have lost all our trust or even feel worthless. But perhaps, behind all these maybes, lies the fact that we are not open to the gift of the Spirit who gives us the grace of amazement.

Let us start over from amazement. Let us gaze upon Jesus on the cross and say to him: Lord, how much you love me! How precious I am to you! Let us be amazed by Jesus so that we can start living again, for the grandeur of life lies not in possessions and promotions, but in realizing that we are loved. This is the grandeur of life: discovering that we are loved. And the grandeur of life lies precisely in the beauty of love. In the crucified Jesus, we see God humiliated, the Almighty dismissed and discarded. And with the grace of amazement we come to realize that in welcoming the dismissed and discarded, in drawing close to those ill-treated by life, we are loving Jesus. For that is where he is: in the least of our brothers and sisters, in the rejected and discarded, in those whom our self-righteous culture condemns.

Todays Gospel shows us, immediately after the death of Jesus, a splendid icon of amazement. It is the scene of the centurion who, upon seeing that Jesus had died, said: Truly this man was the Son of God! (Mk 15:39). He was amazed by love. How did he see Jesus die? He saw him die in love, and this amazed him. Jesus suffered immensely, but he never stopped loving. This is what it is to be amazed before God, who can fill even death with love. In that gratuitous and unprecedented love, the pagan centurion found God. His words  Truly this man was the Son of God!  seal the Passion narrative. The Gospels tell us that many others before him had admired Jesus for his miracles and prodigious works, and had acknowledged that he was the Son of God. Yet Christ silenced them, because they risked remaining purely on the level of worldly admiration at the idea of a God to be adored and feared for his power and might. Now it can no longer be so, for at the foot of the cross there can be no mistake: God has revealed himself and reigns only with the disarmed and disarming power of love.

Brothers and sisters, today God continues to fill our minds and hearts with amazement. Let us be filled with that amazement as we gaze upon the crucified Lord. May we too say: You are truly the Son of God. You are my God.
[April 01, 2021] WellSky Human & Social Services Advisory Board Welcomes New Members to Expand Insights Into Future Industry Needs

WellSky, a global health and community care technology company, today announced the addition of three industry experts to the WellSky Human & Social Services Advisory Board: Janet LaBreck, former Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration; Kathy Greenlee, former Assistant Secretary of Aging and Administrator for the Department of Community Living for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and Richard Dorman, Deloitte (News - Alert) Consulting's first Public Sector Senior Technology Partner. The Human & Social Services Advisory Board provides WellSky with industry insight, counsel, and guidance to ensure the needs of its clients are met. This demand is growing as WellSky clients across the care continuum further rely on partnerships with social services providers for whole-person care. Current topics under discussion include data, analytics, equity, and collaboration between social services and healthcare. "We are thrilled to have such a strong and diverse advisory board to guide us as we continue to innovate," said Steve Greenberg, Senior Vice President, WellSky Human & Social Services. "Their deep expertise in the areas of aging, disability, homelessness, data, and policy will drive us to build and evolve solutions that help our clients, and their consumers, achieve more." In 2013, LaBreck was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration ( RSA (News - Alert) ). Under her leadership, LaBreck promulgated the most substantive national policy regulation changes to the Vocational Rehabilitation program in over 15 years. In 2007, LaBreck was appointed to serve as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) by former governor Duval Patrick until her transition to Washington, D.C. She is also th recipient of numerous awards and honors, including an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Optometry from New England College of Optometry (NECO). Most recently, she established Janet L. LaBreck Consulting LLC and is the Co-Founder of Synergy (News - Alert) Consulting Partners.



Greenlee has 25 years of public service experience, with expertise in aging, long-term care, disability, elder rights, healthcare, community services, rural aging, and LGBT health. She held the position of U.S. Assistant Secretary in the Obama Administration for seven years, during which time she established the Administration for Community Living. She chaired the Elder Justice Coordinating Council, created a federal home for state adult protective services programs, and created the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS). Greenlee also co-chaired the HHS LGBT Issues Coordinating Committee. In addition to her federal experience, Greenlee spent 18 years in the Kansas state government in high-level positions, including the Secretary of Aging for former governor Kathleen Sebelius. A national leader in the management consulting profession, Dorman's career with Deloitte Consulting included leading 28 large information technology engagements across 17 states - all with successful implementations. His client-facing career focused on health and human services work including public assistance eligibility, child welfare, adult protective services, and Medicaid. Since his retirement in 2018, Dorman consulted for Deloitte to oversee the implementation of three large HHS technology projects. Dorman currently serves as Advisory Board member at ProspHire LLC, a fast-growing healthcare strategy and operations consultancy.

These new members join existing board members Dennis Culhane, Professor of Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania; Merrill Friedman, Senior Director - Disability Policy Engagement at Anthem, Inc.; Ann Oliva, Visiting Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; and Martha Roherty, Executive Director at ADvancing States. Learn more about the advisory board members here. About WellSky WellSky is a technology company leading the movement for intelligent, coordinated care worldwide. Our next-level software, analytics, and services power better outcomes and lower costs for stakeholders across the health and community care continuum. In today's value-based care environment, WellSky helps providers, payers, health systems, and community organizations solve tough challenges, improve collaboration for growth, harness the power of data analytics, and achieve better outcomes by further connecting clinical and social care. WellSky serves more than 20,000 client sites around the world - including the largest hospital systems, blood banks, cell therapy labs, blood centers, home health and hospice franchises, post-acute providers, government agencies, and human services organizations. Informed by more than 40 years of providing software and expertise, WellSky anticipates clients' needs and innovates relentlessly to ultimately help more people thrive. For more information, visit WellSky.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005060/en/

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New Delhi, April 1 : Microsoft has announced to end support for its visual assistant Cortana on both Android and iOS devices.

Microsoft has also removed the Cortana app from both the App Store and Google's Play Store, beginning March 31.

"As we announced in July, we will soon be ending support for the Cortana app on Android and iOS, as Cortana continues its evolution as a productivity assistant," Microsoft said in an update.

The company first launched Cortana for iOS and Android in December 2015.

The app was designed to connect Windows 10 PCs and mobile phones but failed to gain momentum as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri won the race.

According to Microsoft, the Cortana content people created -- such as reminders and lists -- will no longer function in the Cortana mobile app, but can still be accessed through Cortana in Windows.

Also, Cortana reminders, lists, and tasks are automatically synced to the Microsoft To Do app, which people can download on their phones for free.

"After March 31, 2021, the Cortana mobile app on your phone will no longer be supported," said Microsoft.

In 2019, the company first withdrew the Cortana for iOS app from a number of regions.

Last year, Microsoft said it will make productivity the focus of the digital assistant and as part of the shift, its digital assistant Cortana will lose some of its more consumer-facing features, such as the ability to play music and control smart home devices.
Initiates AVRT program for the early detection of diseases, with a focus on cancer incorporating its Aristotle multi-cancer panel

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd (TSX:SZLS) ("StageZero" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that effective March 31, 2021 is has entered into a letter of intent to purchase substantially all of the business of Health Clinics Limited and of Health Clinics USA Corp. (together, the "HC Companies") related to their current oncology business and expanding focus into early disease detection utilizing proprietary treatment protocols to ameliorate progression (the "Transaction").

The letter of intent commits the HC Companies to negotiate exclusively with StageZero for one hundred and twenty (120) days, and is binding as to payment terms. The payment terms contemplate that StageZero will issue 15,000,000 common shares (the "Closing Consideration") to the vendors on the closing of the Transaction, with an additional 8,000,0000 common shares (the "Contingent Consideration") potentially issuable to the vendors post-closing, contingent upon the achievement of certain performance milestones.

A portion of the shares representing the Closing Consideration will be held in escrow for a 24 month period from closing to secure the indemnification obligations of the sellers under the definitive agreement, subject to certain exceptions. The balance of the shares representing the Closing Consideration will be subject to a lock up agreement restricting vendor share sales such that the shares may be sold as 1/3 four months following closing, 1/3 eight months after closing, and 1/3 twelve months following closing.

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including satisfactory due diligence findings by both parties, the obtaining of necessary approvals, including, in the case of StageZero, approval of the TSX and any required shareholder approval, and the execution of a definitive agreement. The definitive agreement will contain representations, warranties, covenants and conditions customary for a transaction of this nature."

"Together with Health Clinics, we are taking three of the highest growth areas within healthcare - liquid biopsy, early detection of disease and telemedicine - and combining them into one innovative company that with ground-breaking technology, will find disease early (as opposed to late and with presentation of symptoms), diagnose and treat, or diagnose and seek to prevent late stage disease, with a telemedicine reach in both North America and the UK/Europe" explained James Howard-Tripp, Chairman and CEO of StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd. "We begin now with AVRT, the combined program to find disease early, notably cancer, and to work via our primary care physicians and oncologists to establish appropriate treatment protocols to both treat diagnosed cancer as well as avert the consequences of late disease. We believe that launching Aristotle via this broader offering positions us uniquely in the market."

About Health Clinics

Founded in London, England in 2013, Health Clinics specialises in chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction and uses telemedicine to provide specialist clinical services across Europe and North America. HC provides two main clinical offerings:

1. Under the trade name Care Oncology Clinic ("COC"), HC provides a patented and safe adjunctive treatment for all cancer types;

2. Under the trade name AVRT (pronounced "avert"), HC clinicians will provide a managed clinical service to help people to reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases, including cancer, using a proportionate and tolerable protocol.

About StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd.

StageZero Life Sciences is dedicated to the early detection of multiple disease states through whole blood. The Company operates a CAP accredited and CLIA certified high complexity reference laboratory based in Richmond, Virginia. A specialist in PCR testing for the early identification of Cancer through blood, the Company is uniquely positioned to provide both COVID PCR testing (swab and saliva) and blood test analysis (Antibody testing). Our full service, telehealth platform includes access to physicians and phlebotomist who can prescribe and draw samples for individuals and groups. As we provide COVID-19 test during this Pandemic, we continue making progress with our mission to eradicate late stage cancers through early detection. Our next generation test, Aristotle, is a multi-cancer panel for simultaneously screening for 10 cancers from a single sample of blood with high sensitivity and specificity for each cancer. www.stagezerolifesciences.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements identified by words such as "expects", "will" and similar expressions, which reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual events to differ materially from those projected herein. Investors should consult the Company's ongoing quarterly filings and annual reports for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Company Contacts:

James R. Howard-Tripp

Chairman & CEO

jht@stagezerols.com

Tel: 1-855-420-7140 Ext. 1

Rebecca Greco

Investor Relations

rgreco@stagezerols.com

Tel: 1-855-420-7140 Ext. 1838

SOURCE: StageZero Life Sciences Ltd

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638594/StageZero-Life-Sciences-Announces-Signed-Letter-of-Intent-for-the-Acquisition-of-Health-Clinics-Limited
The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 13 additional COVID-19 cases, of which two are local cases with unknown sources of infection, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong to 11,480.

The cases with unknown infection sources involve a 23-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman.

The male patient is a decoration worker who last went to work on March 27. He developed a cough and diarrhoea on March 28 and consulted a private doctor the following day. His sample submitted on the same day tested positive.

The female patient is a restaurant staff member and last went to work on March 31. She developed shortness of breath on March 29. She went to a community testing centre the next day and tested positive.

The buildings where the patients reside are now covered by compulsory testing notices.

The Government will set up two mobile specimen collection stations near these two buildings to provide virus testing for residents and workers subject to compulsory testing.

Eleven imported cases arrived from Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines.

A total of 127 cases have been recorded in the past 14 days, including 52 local ones, of which 16 have unknown sources of infection.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.
As increasing numbers of migrant children are held at border detention facilities, many Texans wonder if the Biden administration will fulfill its promise for more humane immigration enforcement. But theres a deeper problem that extends beyond the border: the lasting impact of Trump-era policies on immigrant children in Texan communities and schools.

An estimated 131,000 children in San Antonio have at least one immigrant parent, and roughly 1.2 million Texas kids live in mixed-status households  meaning either they or a member of their family is undocumented.

The federal governments discriminatory public charge rule left many without adequate medical care and food. Others were traumatized by family separations and increased deportations. The data reflected this: 84 percent of public school educators said they had students who were worried about immigration enforcement and 70 percent noticed a decline in these students academic performance, according to a 2018 UCLA survey. We must act now to reverse these alarming trends.

First, mixed-status families and undocumented immigrants need economic support. More than 2 million Texans, including thousands of essential workers, were left out of the first stimulus package. They were forced to work outside the home but didnt have the means to afford adequate child care. The new stimulus bill includes mixed-status families, but it still leaves out undocumented immigrants. Pandemic relief must include these families.

Second, vulnerable children must be able to rely on their schools. Parents who work outside the home are unable to assist with remote learning, and some children simply dont show up to class. An estimated 3 million students have dropped out of school since March 2020, and an NPR analysis found enrollment declines across 20 states, including Texas. This fall, San Antonio ISD was down 2,400 students. At least some of these kids joined the workforce to help cover bills. Schools need the resources to hire dedicated personnel, such as social workers and counselors, to support these students.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

Third, communities of color must be connected. Nearly 30 percent of immigrant households  and 42 percent of low-income immigrant households  lack high-speed internet, according to an analysis by New American Economy. These students could lose seven to 11 months of learning, increasing existing achievement gaps by 15 to 20 percent. The average K-12 student could lose $61,000 to $82,000 in lifetime earnings as a result of pandemic-related learning losses, which translates into a GDP loss of $173 billion to $271 billion, according to a study by consulting firm McKinsey and Co. We must expand and subsidize high-speed internet for our most vulnerable neighborhoods.

Finally, leaders must show compassion and overtly counteract xenophobia. Federal support is crucial here, but so is state leadership. Texas has one of the nations toughest sanctuary city bans, and we have done little to shut down inhumane detention centers. Repeatedly, our leaders have left vulnerable families to fend for themselves. This must stop and that means rebuilding trust with our immigrant communities. Children at Risk recommends an outreach campaign that expands eligibility to health care programs, addresses language barriers and removes fears of immigration enforcement.

The way we treat foreign-born children speaks volumes about who we are as a country  and as a state. Every child must have access to education regardless of ZIP code, race, socioeconomic status or place of birth. They deserve to be supported, valued and feel regarded. The last four years have traumatized too many kids. Its time we step up and start acting like adults.

Bob Sanborn is president and CEO of Children at Risk, a Texas-based nonprofit focused on research and youth advocacy. Yael Ross is the director for the organizations Center for New American Children.
Mercedes-Benz supplier SMP Automotive Systems Alabama is moving into a third facility in Tuscaloosa County.

The company plans a $4.195 million plant using about 112 employees from Plant 1, including at least four new hires. The new facility will support new and ongoing activities at SMPs initial plant.

A subsidiary of Samvardhana Motherson Group (SMG), the company built a 700,000square foot facility in Tuscaloosa County in 2015 to supply various exterior and interior components for Mercedes models. In 2019, SMP opened a second Tuscaloosa County plant located on Brookwood Parkway. The third facility will be located in an existing building in the Cedar Cove Technology Park, adjacent to Plant 1.

SMP manufactures multiple automotive components and supplies logistics and other services to Mercedes-Benz U.S. International. More than 1,900 people currently work at the companys two plants in Tuscaloosa County.

We are excited about the additional opportunities that this new plant will bring us. Our focus on North America will also continue as we explore new areas in which we can bring value to our customers, Motherson Group Chairman V.C. Sehgal said.

The TCIDA board of directors approved the package Tuesday afternoon during its March meeting. The company will receive an abatement of the noneducational sales and use taxes for purchases of equipment and building materials during the construction phase of the project.

The Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority this week approved a tax abatement package of $263,958 over 10 years for the project. TCIDA estimates the project will contribute almost $200,000 in tax revenue in nonabated taxes, including education taxes, from initial purchases alone. It is also expected to contribute more than $800,000 over the next 20 years in certain taxes generated from the company and direct employee spending.

This post was corrected at 9:47 a.m. April 1 to clarify that the project will locate in an existing building in Cedar Cove Technology Park.
Firefighters in a central California city conducted a pretty hefty rescue mission following a pet store fire.

On March 24, firefighters with the Lodi Fire Department rescued a dozen tortoises that were trapped in a facility owned by the Serpentarium, a reptile shop, where they were being housed. Some of the chelonian creatures, Tim Ortegel of the Lodi Fire Department told KOVR in Sacramento, weighed up to 160 pounds.

We always used to joke, they used to house snakes and lizards and other stuff there and there were certain individuals that were like If that place ever catches on fire, I am not going into it, Ortegel told KOVR. But the firefighters ended up entering and rescuing the creep of tortoises (yes, thats what a group of them is called) despite their own reservations on reptiles.

The group of shelled creatures were a bulky bunch; some of their shells were nearly four feet wide and required two per tortoise to lift them up and out of the burning structure.

After they were rescued, a worker with the Serpentarium took them in a truck and transported them to another site, KOVR reported. Some of the turtles had burn injuries.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical issue.

Representatives from the Lodi Fire Department and the Serpentarium did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.
Almost nine years ago, Bristol Myers Squibb filed paperwork in Ireland to create a new offshore subsidiary. By moving Bristol Myerss profits through the subsidiary, the American drugmaker could substantially reduce its U.S. tax bill.

Years later, the Internal Revenue Service got wind of the arrangement, which it condemned as an abusive tax shelter. The move by Bristol Myers, the I.R.S. concluded, would cheat the United States out of about $1.4 billion in taxes.

That is a lot of money, even for a large company like Bristol Myers. But the dispute remained secret. The company, which denies wrongdoing, didnt tell its investors that the U.S. government was claiming more than $1 billion in unpaid taxes. The I.R.S. didnt make any public filings about it.

And then, ever so briefly last spring, the dispute became public. It was an accident, and almost no one noticed. The episode provided a fleeting glimpse into something that is common but rarely seen up close and that the Biden administration hopes to discourage: multinational companies, with the help of elite law and accounting firms and with only belated scrutiny from the I.R.S., dodging billions of dollars in taxes.
In March 2021, archaeologists in the Czech Republic uncovered a part of chilling history: the instillation of a forced labor camp that had been built in Prague during the communist regime, which ended with the Velvet Revolution of 1989. The camp was close to the spot on a strategic hilltop overlooking the medieval city where a massive, 51-foot-high monument to Stalin had stood from May 1955 until it was blown up in 1962 under pressure from Nikita Khrushchev, who was denouncing the crimes of Stalin. The camp had held "politically unreliable" individuals, often academics, intellectuals, and paid manual labor prisoners. This was the first time that Czech archaeologists had uncovered a penal institution in Prague built during the communist regime. This camp was previously unknown, as all mentions, footprints, and evidence of the encampment had been destroyed.

At a moment when Alexei Navalny, a prominent political activist critical of the present Russian regime, is being held in a labor camp, the Prague finding is a reminder of the Gulag system in the Soviet Union, the network of forced labor camps set up by Vladimir Lenin in 1918, and intensified by Joseph Stalin until his death in 1953, and which were officially ended by Khrushchev in January 1960. The hundreds of labor camps incarcerated more than 18 million, of whom at least 1.5 million died. They averaged between 2,000 and 10,000 inmates: the Vorkuta Gulag at its peak held 73,000 prisoners. In his magisterial trilogy, The Gulag Archipelago, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn provided a compelling picture of the vast array of forced labor camps and prisons, the horrors of the Gulag throughout the country, and an indictment of the Soviet Union.

It is now three decades since the end of the Soviet Union. Since Vladimir Putin consolidated power in 1999, Russia cannot be categorized as a Stalinist-type totalitarian state, but an authoritarian one that does not resemble a normal democratic system. Though it has a sort of pseudo-democratic legitimacy, it is a county that subverts democratic rules and continues the forced labor system. Putin, the holder of a judo black belt, a symbol of guile and aggression, and master of tokui waza, a match-winning throwing technique, is a dictator, planning to stay in power ruling a Potemkin democracy, changing the constitutional rules to remain in power, becoming head of the executive and curbing the power of the Legislature and the courts. Though Russia is officially, according to the 1993 Constitution, democratic, a federation of territories with their own rights and responsibilities, Putin in effect has eroded their autonomy and imposed on them the power of the Kremlin.

Putin on the international stage has demonstrated his policy to reassert Russian power with military intervention in Ukraine, annexing Crimea in March 2014, and acting to support the Assad regime in Syria. Internally, Putin is an authoritarian ruler in whose hands power is concentrated, supported by loyalist security forces, a subservient Judiciary, controlled media, a Legislature dominated by his party, and manipulation of elections.

The human rights situation deteriorates with bans, repressive laws, restrictions online, persecutions, and elimination of political and other critics. The list of individuals threatened or murdered is long and well known. Some of the more familiar are Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, Boris Berezovsky, Anna Politkovskaya, Sergei Skripal, Pyotr Verzilov, Yaroslav Belousov, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Sergei Mokhov, and Vladimir Kara-murza  along with the best known recent serious opponent, Alexei Navalny.

Navalny, now 44, who had been a World Fellow at Yale in 2010, emerged as a charismatic opposition figure, critical, in non-ideological fashion, of Putin's autocratic rule, concentrating on the corruption of the regime and on issues like income, health, education, rule of law. He organized the largest protest in modern Russian history in 2017. He referred to Putin's party, United Russia, as a party of thieves and crooks; accused Dmitry Medvedev, then prime minister and former president, with his yachts and palaces, of corruption; and mentioned Putin's vast luxury Black Sea palace, "gifted" to him by associates. He founded the Anti-Corruption Foundation. In 2013, Navalny was tried in criminal court for embezzlement and received a suspended sentence, but he ran for mayor of Moscow, coming in second and getting 27% of the vote. In 2016, he wanted to be a candidate for the 2018 presidential election, but he was barred because of his criminal trial.

Nevertheless, he built up a following of 120,000 volunteers, but all independent candidates were disqualified from local council elections. Though the Kremlin put down protests with brutality, Navalny organized the largest protest in modern Russian history in 2017.

During a flight from Tomsk, Siberia to Moscow on August 20, 2020, Navalny became violently ill and was taken to a hospital in Omsk after an emergency landing. After two days there, he was flown to the Charite hospital in Berlin. German specialists found he had been poisoned by a new form of the nerve agent Novichok. His survival is a mixture of luck and quick, efficient medical treatment. Speculation is that he may have been poisoned by a cup of tea he drank at Tomsk airport. Another suggestion according to a state security agent is that Novichok had been smeared on his underpants. Navalny has humorously referred to Russian history as having Alexander the Liberator (1861); Yaroslav the Wise (1019); and Putin, the poisoner of underpants.

Navalny returned from Berlin to Moscow on January 17, 2021 and was detained for violating his parole conditions because he did not report to the police while recovering from his poisoning. On February 2, 2021, his suspended sentence was increased to a prison sentence: two and a half years in a labor camp. He was sent to a penal colony, 60 miles east of Moscow, Penal Colony No. 2 in the village of Pokrow. It is said to be particularly onerous, a prison where inmates are woken up hourly at night by guards shining a torch in their faces. Prisoners work long shifts and are subjected to psychological torture. Navalny's health continues to deteriorate with the possibility of solitary confinement, a condition close to torture, for major crimes such as getting out of bed ten minutes before official wake up call and wearing a T-shirt when meeting lawyers. Yet, though he has been removed from being a direct political threat to Putin, Navalny can still influence millions of supporters on social media.

The poisoning and imprisonment of Navalny are only the latest exercise of Putin's power over opponents, but they throw light on the existence and continuation of camps, a heritage of the Gulag. Russia is a land of penal colonies: there are estimated to be 684 work colonies, out of a total of 692 prisons, that hold 393,000 prisoners where inmates carry out menial labor in long shifts. These penal colonies consist of barracks that house several dozen inmates sleeping in rows of bunks, and they are surrounded by high walls with razor wire.

Surprisingly, Amnesty International stopped calling Navalny a "prisoner of conscience" because of remarks he made years ago about "migrants who are cockroaches." But nothing he said in the past justifies his detention. He may not be a saint, but he should be honored as an example of courage.

The West must respond to Russian inhumanity. It is understood that Russia is powerful, if not a superpower, with large nuclear warhead stockpile, with supplies of oil and gas, the second largest in the world, highly developed communications equipment, sophisticated weapons, upgrading its equipment and objects like nuclear torpedoes. At the same time, opposition is present, especially with the rise of social media, though it is dangerous. This was shown in the case of Sergei Furgal of the Liberal Democratic Party. He had bested the Putin candidate in election in 2018 to become governor of the Khabarovsk region, but he was arrested two years later and charged with murders supposed to have been committed fifteen years earlier.

The international community should react strongly against the inhumane treatment of Navalny, in addition to applauding his actions. It is evident that all charges against him are politically motivated. The E.U. diplomat Joseph Borrell stated that the Navalny case was a low point in relations with Russia. The Bidden administration should join with Borrell and internal Russian critics to appeal, as a minimum, for the release of Navalny. Spring should not be a little late this year.

Image: Evgeny Feldman via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
GREENWICH  As he reflected on the past year filled with incredible hardship and heartbreak. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday offered an optimistic outlook for the future.

During the COVID-19 crisis, many businesses struggled to keep their doors open and some families found it difficult to put food on the table, he said. But the recently passed American Rescue Plan stimulus package will offer economic support to Americans in need and get the coronavirus vaccine to millions more.

Finally, after this very painful, grief-stricken year, we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel, conquering the pandemic and potentially reviving the economy, said Blumenthal, D-Conn. The numbers look good. But nobody knows quite how long the tunnel is going to be.  We are seeing glimmers of hope and rays of sunshine appropriate for this spring. But we still have a ways to go.

But Blumenthal, a town resident, also expressed a note of caution as he spoke Wednesday via Zoom to the Retired Mens Association of Greenwich. The state has seen a recent rise in COVID-19 cases, which is why it was so important for residents to get vaccinated, he said.

What happened here is reminiscent of the great influenza of 1918, Blumenthal said. The failure to prevent, the failure to take precautions and the failure to understand the need for drastic action. As I think over this past year, what in some ways is most painful for me is to think of all the preventable deaths that have occurred.  There will be more pandemics threatened. We need to prevent them from actually happening. That is an ongoing threat because as long as the virus keeps spreading around the world, not just in this country, it will keep mutating.

The lesson is were not going to be safe until everyone has this vaccine, said Blumenthal, who gave a brief speech before taking questions.

When asked about President Joe Bidens performance since taking office, Blumenthal said his fellow Democrat is doing very well and praised him for getting the American Rescue Act passed in record time.

Remember he got off to a late start because the election was contested right down to the end, Blumenthal said. Im not going to go into the Jan. 6 insurrection, but that kind of assault on our democracy and the effort to, in effect, overthrow the election meant that there was some delay in (Biden) getting started. And then (Senate Minority Leader) Mitch McConnell further delayed it by obstructing the rules before they could be adopted by the Senate.

The president is now seeing the last of his Cabinet confirmed, but hes moved ahead in spite of those delays, Blumenthal said.

He also offered his support for a proposed $2 trillion infrastructure package that Biden unveiled on Wednesday, saying it would have a positive impact on Connecticut, if passed, by upgrading the roads and bridges.

If you drive on them, you know how much they are in need of repair, Blumenthal said, adding that the proposal would also invest in high-speed rail.

Another participant asked him about the filibuster, which could bring action to a halt in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris can break a tie, but it takes 60 votes to end a filibuster.

I am in favor of abolishing the filibuster, Blumenthal said, saying he never believed the founding fathers wanted the filibuster. He said they wanted a majority in the Senate to be able to pass legislation.

Blumenthal said there has been an increasing misuse and abuse of the filibuster. It is now used for almost every vote, which he said is not the way to accomplish things for the American people. His position has seen growing support within the Democratic caucus in the Senate.

I think that either abolishing it or converting it to a talking filibuster, which is what it used to be, should be done, he said. You know the Jimmy Stewart movie Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, where he stands on the Senate floor and filibusters. Its no longer that way. People threaten to filibuster, and they can block a measure from going forward.

Repeal or reform of the filibuster could happen with 51 votes, and the idea of a talking filibuster is gaining currency and support, Blumenthal said.

One participant asked Blumenthal about UFOs because, under a law passed in December, government agencies must give the Senate a report on UFOs by June 25.

I have heard nothing that would change my views on UFO, Blumenthal said. I cant say whether it would change yours.  I havent heard of anything reliable or credible that would lead me to think UFOs are a threat to our country or our world right now.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Jeff Chiu / Associated Press

Google is joining the wave of tech companies returning to the office and plans to have some U.S. employees back in April.

Workers can voluntarily return or continue working remotely until September, the company confirmed. Reopenings will be based on vaccine availability and coronavirus trends. Google is not requiring vaccinations for office workers but is strongly encouraging it.
Press Release

1 April 2021

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced plans to grow its brand footprint in India - one of Hyatt's top three growth markets globally - by more than 70% by 2023. With over 20 executed managed and franchised agreements, Hyatt will add more than 3,600 keys to its existing portfolio of 32 Hyatt-branded hotels across eight distinct brands in the country, including the Andaz, Alila, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, and Hyatt Place brands.

Advertisements

This ambitious growth in India is fueled by an ever-increasing demand from guests, World of Hyatt members, customers, and owners to offer unique and differentiated hotel experiences. This announcement signals significant intentional growth plans for Hyatt, bringing the number of Hyatt-branded hotels in India to more than 50 by the end of 2023, resulting in a more diverse portfolio of hotel offerings in new and existing markets.

"Hyatt remains focused on thoughtfully accelerating its brand growth and momentum by transforming the hotel landscape in India with planned openings in some of the most frequented and desirable destinations in the country," said Dhruva Rathore, Hyatt's vice president real estate & development, India. "Hyatt's pipeline in India reflects a thoughtful growth strategy by expanding into new markets and leisure destinations that are relevant to our guests and customers. We are thrilled to collaborate with a number of new and existing owners to bring these exciting projects to fruition. We are also focused on expanding our independent collection portfolio by teaming up with owners and developers who are eager to leverage our global distribution network and World of Hyatt loyalty program."

In 2021, Hyatt plans to primarily expand its Hyatt Regency and Hyatt Place brands. The Hyatt Regency brand, which continues to drive Hyatt's brand growth in India, will enter two new markets with Hyatt Regency Jaipur Mansoravar, and Hyatt Regency Trivandrum. The Hyatt Place brand will enter four new markets with Hyatt Place Bodh Gaya, Hyatt Place Jaipur Malviya Nagar, Hyatt Place Vadodara, and Hyatt Place Bharuch.

"India remains a growth driver for Hyatt, and we are committed to catering to the Indian traveler with a comprehensive portfolio of hotels," said Sunjae Sharma, Hyatt's vice president & country head, India. "Despite the challenges the industry faced last year, Hyatt signed eight new hotels across various brands that will cater to the needs of both leisure and business travelers. The growth of the Hyatt Place and Hyatt Regency brands remain a key priority for India, with nearly 20 hotels under these brands expected to open across India by 2023."

Hyatt's growing brand footprint in India will offer a balanced portfolio designed to provide unique and engaging guest experiences, coupled with Hyatt's deep understanding of the local and global hospitality standards for which it is known. Executed managed and franchise agreements for Hyatt-branded hotels in India that are expected to open through 2023 include:

Grand Hyatt

Grand Hyatt hotels bring travel dreams to life by celebrating the iconic in small details and magnificent moments. Guests can experience superior service within a multicultural backdrop of dramatic architecture, inventive restaurants, luxury spas and sophisticated meeting spaces. grandhyatt.com

Grand Hyatt Gurgaon

Grand Hyatt Jaipur

Hyatt Regency

Hyatt Regency hotels allow guests to transition from work to play, and create their own meaningful connections in modern spaces designed for sharing, socializing and collaborating. Each property boasts spirited restaurants and bars, vibrant event venues, and their trademark atrium lobby setting. hyattregency.com

Hyatt Regency Jaipur Mansarovar*

Hyatt Regency Trivandrum*

Hyatt Regency Dehradun

Hyatt Regency Ghaziabad

Hyatt Regency Udaipur Sisarma

Hyatt Regency Kochi Malayattoor Resort

Hyatt Regency Goa Baga

Hyatt Regency Kasauli

Hyatt Regency Surat

Hyatt Regency Jaipur

Hyatt Centric

Hyatt Centric hotels inspire exploration and discovery for savvy, millennial-minded travelers with an adventurous spirit. Offering shareworthy experiences at and around each property, each property connects guests to the heart of the action in each destination, so they never miss a moment of adventure. hyattcentric.com

Hyatt Centric Sector 17 Chandigarh

Hyatt Centric Lonavala

Hyatt Centric Electronic City Bangalore

Hyatt Place

Hyatt Place hotels offer guests the opportunity to recharge and make the next day more successful than the one before. Each property is thoughtfully, intuitively designed around guests needs and wants. From the lobby to guestrooms to 24/7 market dining options, Hyatt Place hotels deliver a seamless transition from work to relaxation. hyattplace.com

Hyatt Place Bodh Gaya*

Hyatt Place Jaipur Malviya Nagar*

Hyatt Place Vadodara*

Hyatt Place Bharuch*

Hyatt Place Vijayawada

Hyatt Place Dehradun Rajpur Road

Hyatt Place Kolhapur Shiroli

Hyatt Place Tirupati

Hyatt Place Visakhapatnam Madhurawada

Guided by its purpose of care, Hyatt's multi-layered Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment further enhances its operational guidance and resources around colleagues and guest safety and peace of mind. More information on Hyatt's commitment can be found here: hyatt.com/care-and-cleanliness.

For more information or to book a stay, please visit www.hyatt.com.

The term "Hyatt" is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

Hyatt-branded hotels expected to open in 2021.

For further information:

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company offering 20 premier brands. As of December 31, 2020, the Company's portfolio included more than 975 hotel, all-inclusive, and wellness resort properties in 69 countries across six continents. The Company's purpose to care for people so they can be their best informs its business decisions and growth strategy and is intended to attract and retain top employees, build relationships with guests and create value for shareholders. The Company's subsidiaries operate, manage, franchise, own, lease, develop, license, or provide services to hotels, resorts, branded residences, and vacation ownership properties, including under the Park Hyatt, Miraval, Grand Hyatt, Alila, Andaz, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Thompson Hotels, Hyatt Centric, Caption by Hyatt, JdV by Hyatt, Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, tommie, UrCove, and Hyatt Residence Club brand names, and operates the World of Hyatt loyalty program that provides distinct benefits and exclusive experiences to its valued members. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its short and longer-term effects, including the demand for travel, transient and group business, and levels of consumer confidence, and the pace of recovery following the pandemic, any additional resurgence, or COVID-19 variants; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, any additional resurgence, or COVID-19 variants, and the impact of actions that governments, businesses, and individuals take in response, on global and regional economies, travel limitations or bans, and economic activity, including the duration and magnitude of its impact on unemployment rates and consumer discretionary spending; the ability of third-party owners, franchisees, or hospitality venture partners to successfully navigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, any additional resurgence, or COVID-19 variants; general economic uncertainty in key global markets and a worsening of global economic conditions or low levels of economic growth; the rate and the pace of economic recovery following economic downturns; levels of spending in business and leisure segments as well as consumer confidence; declines in occupancy and average daily rate; limited visibility with respect to future bookings; loss of key personnel; domestic and international political and geo-political conditions, including political or civil unrest or changes in trade policy; hostilities, or fear of hostilities, including future terrorist attacks, that affect travel; travel-related accidents; natural or man-made disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, oil spills, nuclear incidents, and global outbreaks of pandemics or contagious diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or fear of such outbreaks; our ability to successfully achieve certain levels of operating profits at hotels that have performance tests or guarantees in favor of our third-party owners; the impact of hotel renovations and redevelopments; risks associated with our capital allocation plans, share repurchase program, and dividend payments, including a reduction in, or elimination or suspension of, repurchase activity or dividend payments; the seasonal and cyclical nature of the real estate and hospitality businesses; changes in distribution arrangements, such as through internet travel intermediaries; changes in the tastes and preferences of our customers; relationships with colleagues and labor unions and changes in labor laws; the financial condition of, and our relationships with, third-party property owners, franchisees, and hospitality venture partners; the possible inability of third-party owners, franchisees, or development partners to access capital necessary to fund current operations or implement our plans for growth; risks associated with potential acquisitions and dispositions and the introduction of new brand concepts; the timing of acquisitions and dispositions, and our ability to successfully integrate completed acquisitions with existing operations; failure to successfully complete proposed transactions (including the failure to satisfy closing conditions or obtain required approvals); our ability to successfully execute on our strategy to expand our management and franchising business while at the same time reducing our real estate asset base within targeted timeframes and at expected values; declines in the value of our real estate assets; unforeseen terminations of our management or franchise agreements; changes in federal, state, local, or foreign tax law; increases in interest rates and operating costs; foreign exchange rate fluctuations or currency restructurings; lack of acceptance of new brands or innovation; general volatility of the capital markets and our ability to access such markets; changes in the competitive environment in our industry, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, industry consolidation, and the markets where we operate; our ability to successfully grow the World of Hyatt loyalty program; cyber incidents and information technology failures; outcomes of legal or administrative proceedings; violations of regulations or laws related to our franchising business; and other risks discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including our annual report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which filings are available from the SEC. These factors are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any of our forward-looking statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
Most young people across Africa are left out of political activities due to their lack of interest, says Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) Commissioner Gerson Tjihenuna.

"Voting is not just a favour citizens do for politicians as some may think, it is a fundamental human right that allows people to participate in a democratic process," he said during the first African Youth Summit which took place last week.

The virtual summit was aimed at interrogating the causes of youth apathy in politics, and was hosted by the Namibia Institute for Democracy under the theme 'The Africa we want'.

It brought together representatives of youth organisations in the country and abroad to share their reflections on these factors and sound, realistic strategies to promote youth political participation.

According to Tjihenuna, voting apathy continues to be a dominant factor despite efforts by the election body to carry out voter education campaigns.

At the same event, Councillor of the Rehoboth West Urban Constituency, Harald Kambrude gave an inspiring speech and presented his 100 days in office report on what he has achieved as the new councillor.

He encouraged young people to find existing paths and opportunities to venture into politics as current and future leaders.

"You are a Namibian by birth and it is your right to take part in politics," he said. The summit also tackled issues around quality education, gender equity, reduced inequalities, decent work, and economic growth.

Executive chairperson of the National Youth Council, Sharonice Busch advised the youth to become members of the youth organisation and also create innovative projects that can be funded by the organisation.

"We are welcoming all youth for aid. However, young people should also take action, develop innovative strategies and create the Africa we want," she said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling on Kazakhstan to drop the criminal case against a blogger and journalist who went on trial earlier this month on charges of participating in the activities of a banned organization.

In a statement on March 31, the New York-based media freedom watchdog urged the Kazakh authorities to immediately release Aigul Otepova from house arrest, drop the charges against her, and allow her to work safely and freely.

Journalists in Kazakhstan should not be persecuted for their independent reporting, and it is authorities responsibility to ensure journalists safety, not to intimidate and pressure them, said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna.

Otepovas trial started in the capital, Nur-Sultan, on March 15, with the journalist attending the hearings remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Authorities accused her of supporting the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) opposition movement, which has been labeled as an extremist group and banned in the country.

Otepova denies participating in any political movements and says the case against her is retaliation for her political coverage.

If convicted, the journalist could face up to two years of imprisonment.

Amnesty International has said that Otepova was "a prisoner of conscience who is being prosecuted solely for the peaceful expression of her views."

Otepova was detained in mid-September and put under house arrest after she placed a post on Facebook criticizing official efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

In November, she was placed in a psychiatric clinic for 18 days for a mandatory mental health evaluation. The journalist was released on December 11 and remained under house arrest.

Human rights groups have criticized the Kazakh government for years for persecuting independent and opposition journalists.

Rights activists in Kazakhstan have criticized authorities for using Soviet-era method of stifling dissent by placing opponents in psychiatric clinics.
State Sen. Karen Carter Peterson pushed through a landmark change in Louisiana when she extended Medicaid to the working poor  or so an outside PAC supporting her congressional campaign wants voters to believe in a new TV ad.

When Republicans refused to expand Medicaid, and the insiders said it couldnt happen, it was Karen who got it done, according to the ad by the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC.

In reality, it was Gov. John Bel Edwards who extended the government-sponsored health care program to more than 500,000 working poor in Louisiana.

Medicaid expansion happened in Louisiana because Gov. Edwards issued an executive order expanding the program in 2016, said Ed Chervenak, a UNO political science professor. The governor was responsible for that decision, not state legislators. That being said, statements by anyone but the governor in taking credit for Medicaid expansion in Louisiana can only be characterized as misleading.

Peterson was a strong Medicaid expansion advocate.

Christina Stephens, the governors spokesperson, also noted Edwards action, taken on his first day as governor more than five years ago.

It wasnt actually something the Legislature voted on, Stephens noted. She added: We appreciate the support of all legislators who thought that Medicaid expansion was the right thing for Louisiana.

The Medicaid expansion, passed by Congress in 2010 at the urging of President Barack Obama, is hugely popular with Democrats. The federal government picks up most of the tab and has dramatically reduced the number of Louisianans who lack health care.

The governors office noted on Tuesday, for example, that Louisianans from the Medicaid expansion have undergone more than 100,000 breast cancer screenings. Many Republicans, however, see the program as a classic example of government overreach.

Peterson is competing against state Sen. Troy Carter to win the April 24 runoff election to replace Cedric Richmond in a congressional district that is centered in New Orleans and the west bank of Jefferson Parish but extends up through the River Parishes into north Baton Rouge.

Both are Democrats from New Orleans. Carters district includes Algiers and also Gretna in Jefferson Parish while Petersons includes Central City and Broadmoor in New Orleans.

Carter led the primary with 36% of the vote followed by Peterson with 23%. Gary Chambers Jr., a Baton Rouge activist and advocate, finished third with 21% and endorsed Peterson on Monday.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Evan Brown, executive director of the PAC, pointed out in an email that Peterson had been a strong advocate of expanding Medicaid for years. He attached a 2013 article about a bill of hers that sought to force then-Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal to expand Medicaid. But Senate Bill 125 failed to get a vote in the face of Jindals opposition to the program.

The record on this is pretty clear, said Brown. Karen was the staunchest advocate for expanding Medicaid in the Louisiana legislature during the Bobby Jindal years and was at the forefront of fighting for it against Republican opposition year after year while also serving on the White House Task Force on the Affordable Care Act.

In 2015, the Legislature passed a measure that established the framework for the next governor  who turned out to be Edwards  to expand Medicaid. Then-Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, sponsored House Concurrent Resolution 75, which Jindal could not veto. Then-state Sen. Sherri Buffington, R-Keithville, handled the bill in the Senate, which passed the measure 31-8. Peterson voted for the resolution.

She sponsored another Medicaid expansion bill in 2015, Senate Bill 10. It died in committee.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC is airing two weeks after EMILYs List, which aims to elect female Democrats who favor abortion rights and is supporting Peterson, sent out a questionable mailer that slammed Carter for a trip to Hollywood 25 years ago when he was a New Orleans city councilman. Then-Mayor Marc Morial, city officials and other council members also went on the trip to woo the motion picture industry to film in New Orleans.

The trip cost taxpayers $26,000, according to news accounts at the time, but the EMILYs List mailer put the cost at $200,000.

The mailer contained six photos of Carter, but all were taken recently and had nothing to do with that trip to Hollywood.

Both ads are similar in that they contain misleading claims, Chervenak said. The EMILYs List mailer distorted both the nature and the cost of a West Coast trip Troy Carter took in the mid-1990s. The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC ad misrepresented Karen Carter Petersons role in Medicaid expansion in Louisiana.

Neither PAC is allowed to coordinate its activities with the Peterson campaign.

Note: This story has been updated to note that the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC is not a super PAC.
The Scottish Conservatives have claimed Nicola Sturgeon is 'in denial' about the strength of the Union as they argued the coronavirus vaccine rollout showed the positives of being part of the UK.

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Tories, said the mass vaccination drive had 'shown the overwhelming benefits of us working together across our Union'.

He blasted Ms Sturgeon and the SNP's push for another independence referendum and said splitting from the UK would leave Scotland 'worse off'.

He said an independent Scotland would have been 'left out of the world-leading UK vaccine scheme'.

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Tories, said the mass vaccination drive had 'shown the overwhelming benefits of us working together across our Union'

Mr Ross blasted Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP's push for another independence referendum and said splitting from the UK would leave Scotland 'worse off'

His comments came as the latest statistics showed as of yesterday some 2,463,069 people in Scotland had received their first dose and a further 354,756 had been given their second coronavirus jab.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly said it is on track to inoculate all of the priority groups set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), including all over-50s and those who are vulnerable, by mid-April.

The Tories have ramped up their criticism of Ms Sturgeon's demand for a second independence referendum as the parties campaign ahead of the Holyrood elections in May.

Mr Ross said: 'The vaccination rollout has been an incredible success story across Scotland and the United Kingdom.

'It has shown the overwhelming benefits of us working together across our Union to emerge from the Covid crisis.

'My thanks go to our heroic NHS staff, volunteers in our communities and our armed forces who have all stepped up to deliver this astonishing achievement.

'We are seeing, with reduced hospitalisations and deaths, the positive effects of the vaccine and how it will help us return to a sense of normality in the coming months.

The latest statistics showed that as of yesterday some 2,463,069 people in Scotland had received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Michael Gove is pictured visiting a vaccination centre in Glasgow last month

'The SNP are in denial about how much worse off we would be if they had got their way and we were left out of the world-leading UK vaccine scheme.

'The vaccine rollout has exposed another glaring weakness in the nationalist argument for independence and the SNP's plan to put another divisive referendum over our recovery.

'The Scottish Conservatives are committed to fully funding our NHS over the course of the next Parliament to ensure our health service is prepared for any future challenges.'
[April 01, 2021] Ecoark to Utilize Excess Natural Gas to Power Cryptocurrency Mining as Part of ESG Strategy

SAN ANTONIO, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ecoark Holdings, Inc. ("Ecoark" or the Company) (OTC: ZEST) announces that it expects to begin beta testing an environmentally conscious cryptocurrency mining approach in May 2021 as a part of the Companys environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy.

Ecoark established a strategic initiatives team in February 2021 to focus on and analyze innovative and valuable ways to deploy capital. This team is led by Brad Hoagland, Chief Financial Officer of Ecoark, and includes senior leaders from across the Company. As its first initiative, the team focused on opportunities related to ESG technologies for hydrocarbon emissions and reductions in energy waste. The Company formulated an approach to pursue regionally constrained energy that is otherwise lost due to a lack of commercial infrastructure to economically process and/or transport the natural gas to market. This approach is expected to drive significant molecule value through the energy intensive process of cryptocurrency mining. Ecoarks strategy is anticipated to incubate green energy project development and growth by balancing regional power grid demands during times of heightened use, including during the recent Texas winter storm that left millions without power. We expect that Ecoarks modularized infrastructure approach will allow the Company to become an industry first, Spot Midstream company, allowing for the creation of a mobile natural gas market hub anywhere in the world, within weeks of deployment. By redirecting power back to the grid when green sources of energy production are unable to supply the required load, we alleviate grid pressure and help fill gaps that currently hinder the growth of green energy technologies, said Brad Hoagland, CFA, the Companys CFO. We are extremely excited to be launching our first strategic project focused on improving our sustainability and ESG profile, while enhancing our returns and deploying capital in a highly efficient manner, continued Mr. Hoagland. We plan to mine a diversified basket of higher margin, established cryptocurrencies. Our strategy entails reselling cryptocurrency back into the market, as permitted by applicable laws, and redeploying the capital raised towards accretive growth projects within this sector. Ecoark is currently in discussions with several public midstream companies to relieve pipeline capacity constraints and allow additional third-party molecules to be transported, thereby creating additional revenue synergies. The Companys approach is unique as it is not targeting individual wll head flare gas due to the unpredictability of gas production uptime, personnel requirements to service non-centrally located assets, lack of oversite and control, surface use issues, and gas quality issues.



About Ecoark Holdings, Inc. Founded in 2011, Ecoark is a diversified holding company. The company has three wholly owned subsidiaries: Zest Labs, Inc. (Zest Labs), Banner Midstream Corp (Banner Midstream) and Trend Discovery Holdings (Trend Discovery). Zest Labs, offers the Zest Fresh solution, a breakthrough approach to quality management of fresh food, is specifically designed to help substantially reduce the amount of food loss the U.S. experiences each year. Banner Midstream is engaged in oil and gas exploration, production, and drilling operations on over 30,000 cumulative acres of active mineral leases in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Banner Midstream also provides transportation and logistics services and procures and finances equipment to oilfield transportation services contractors. Trend Discovery invests in a select number of early-stage startups each year as part of the funds Venture Capital strategy; we are open-minded investors with a founder-first mentality. Trend Discovery LP has an audited track record of uncorrelated outperformance of the S&P 500 since inception.

Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Companys plans to begin beta testing of the new environmentally conscious cryptocurrency mining approach, the expected benefits of using this approach, including increased future returns and future green energy project development and growth, the Companys expected future role as an industry first, Spot Midstream company, the Companys plans with respect to cryptocurrency mining, future sales of cryptocurrency and expected use of proceeds from such sales. The words believe, may, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, should, plan, could, target, potential, is likely, will, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on managements current expectations and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other important factors, many of which are outside managements control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the results of beta testing, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our Company and the national and global economy, changes in applicable laws, regulations, or executive and administrative orders, certain cryptocurrencies being deemed securities for regulatory purposes, volatility in cryptocurrency markets, fluctuations in natural gas prices, and the possibility of adverse economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Ecoarks filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, as updated and supplemented by the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2020, as amended, the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2020, and the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2020, and the registration statement on Form S-3 filed on October 16, 2020, as amended by Amendment No. 1 filed on December 22, 2020, and Amendment No. 2 filed on December 28, 2020. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Additional factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law. ZEST FRESH and Zest Labs are trademarks of Zest Labs, Inc. Contact: Investor Relations: John Mills

ICR

646-277-1254

John.Mills@icrinc.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
HACHIKO will be distributed by Hengye Pictures and premiere nationwide on December 31, 2021, making it the first movie to be scheduled for New Year's Eve 2021. Shooting for HACHIKO has commenced, and is led by director Xu Ang and supervised by Yeh Jufeng.

Set in a local small family, HACHIKO is about human-dog companionship and the importance of family. At HACHIKO's announcement ceremony, Gong Yu, the film's producer and iQIYI Founder and CEO, said that he believes that the film will resonate with audiences through its depiction of the sincere emotional connections between people and animals. Prior to shooting, lead actor Feng Xiaogang already formed a close bond with his four-legged co-stars and at the ceremony, he expressed his appreciation for the dogs 'cooperation and his participation in such a moving film.

The world-renowned tale explores the touching relationship between an old man and his loyal dog, with the 2009 U.S. remake winning the hearts of global audiences and enhancing the image of Hachi as a cultural symbol. The Chinese version of HACHIKO is based on the Japanese screenplay Hachiko Monogatari written by Kaneto Shindo. After acquiring the rights to produce the adaptation, iQIYI retained the original's emotional and artistic value while adding some local elements to create a Chinese version. For example, the dog will be played by a Chinese Field Dog named Batong, meaning eight dots, a Mahjong tile.

HACHIKO tells the moving story of Batong, who waits in the same place for his owner, played by Feng, to return ten years after his death.

Besides adapting it for a more local Chinese context, the film also features a star-studded cast and production team. The director has previously helmed highly-acclaimed films such as 12 Citizens and Medical Examiner Dr. Qin. The former was nominated for the Director's Debut Award at the 30th Golden Rooster Awards and won the Best Film Award in the Contemporary Film section of the 9th Rome International Film Festival. The supervisor, Yeh, has overseen films such as Red Cliff, The Wayward Cloud, and Godspeed. Another highlight is Feng, who takes a leading role for the first time in six years following his performance in 2015's Mr. Six. In contrast with his image of a Beijing street punk in Mr. Six, in HACHIKO, he plays a kind and warmhearted old man who loves his dog. The female lead, played by Joan Chen, is a candid and fiery mahjong-loving landlady, which also contrasts sharply with the capable police inspector role of her previous movie, Sheep Without a Shepherd.

Crossroad Bistro, Feng's first directorial effort for a web drama that is also produced by iQIYI- will be exclusively aired on the platform. Among the films produced by iQIYI, Break Through The Darkness, a realistic drama starring Jiang Wu and Zhang Songwen about China's campaign against gang crime and Hovering Blade, a crime movie featuring Wang Qianyuan and Wang Jingchun, are both expected to hit big screens across the country this year. Moreover, upcoming movies such as PING-PONG OF CHINA, Hello Hero, Raid on the Lethal Zone, Man On The Edge, In Our Prime, The Apprentice of Mensa, and The Big Band have commenced production. HACHIKO and the planned slate of new releases once again demonstrate the Company's commitment to producing high-quality content across a wide range of genres.

ABOUT iQIYI

iQIYI, Inc. is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China. Its corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for continuous innovation and the production of blockbuster content. iQIYI's platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive library of other professionally-produced content, partner-generated content and user generated content. The company distinguishes itself in the online entertainment industry by its leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary technologies. iQIYI attracts a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and has developed a diversified monetization model including membership services, online advertising services, content distribution, live broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online literature and e-commerce.

SOURCE iQIYI
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A key state witness has refused to testify in Derek Chauvin's murder trial, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Morries Lester Hall, 42, was in the car with George Floyd, 46, on the day of his death.

He has spoken publicly in the months since the incident outside Cup Foods and has consistently claimed that Floyd did not resist arrest and that he himself attempted to diffuse the situation.

But in a surprise move Hall, who is on the State's witness list, filed a motion with Hennepin County District Court late Wednesday evening in which he gave notice that he would plead the Fifth if called upon to testify by either side.

Hall's decision came at the end of the third day in Chauvin's trial, which saw the jurors shown previously-unseen footage of Chauvin with his hands around Floyd's neck, trying to wrestle him into a patrol car.

Morries Hall, whose name initially was spelt as Maurice, is refusing to testify in court in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin

Hall was in the passenger seat on May 25, 2020, when Floyd was arrested by Minnesota police for using a fake $20 bill

Hall, in white t-shirt and red sweat pants, is seen getting into the passenger side of Floyd's car

The legal document filed by Hennepin County Public Defender and seen by DailyMail.com states: 'Mr Morries Lester Hallhereby provides notice to all parties in this matter that if called to testify he will invoke his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.'

Hall, like Floyd, is a Houston native and the two men connected with each other in Minneapolis through a pastor.

According to an interview with The New York Times he and Floyd had been in touch every day since 2016 and he considered the older man a 'confidant and mentor.'

In that same interview Hall himself boasted: 'I'm a key witness to the cops murdering George Floyd, and they want to know my side. Whatever I've been through, it's all over with now. It's not about me.'

Hall and Floyd (pictured) were both from Houston but met in Minneapolis through a pastor: Hall saw him as a mentor

Hall, in a red baseball cap, is seen inside Cup Foods in Minneapolis with Floyd

Hall, with a female friend, speaks to police after the death of Floyd on May 25

Yet despite his claims, Hall was far from co-operative at the outset of the investigation into Floyd's death.

He had outstanding warrants for his arrest on felony possession of a firearm, felony domestic assault and felony drug possession at the time of Floyd's death.

He gave a false name at the time, and then left the city two days after Floyd died, and hitch-hiked to Houston, The New York Times reported.

Agents of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension attempted to contact Hall numerous times to no avail.

He was tracked down to Houston and arrested, spending a night in jail following questioning.

Chauvin is standing trial on three counts: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

If convicted on the most serious count he could face up to 40 years in prison. If convicted on the lesser charge he could be free within as little as five years.

Prosecutors expect to take between two and two and a half weeks to mount their case against him and have so far rattled through numerous, often emotional, witnesses in their bid to see Chauvin convicted.

Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes

Chauvin is currently on trial for murder following Floyd's death

Hall has not been named in proceedings though his image has been seen numerous times alongside Floyd in surveillance footage and officer body-camera video played in court.

He was next to Floyd in the blue Mercedes SUV when Cup Foods staff tried to get Floyd to return the cigarettes he had just purchased using a fake $20 bill, or come back and pay with a genuine one.

He was next to Floyd when Officers Lane and Keung arrived on the scene. And he was next to him when Lane pulled his weapon and instructed him to get out of the car.

In numerous clips Hall can be seen interacting with both officers on the sidewalk.

During testimony on Wednesday jurors heard Cup Foods clerk Christopher Martin explain that one of the reasons he knew the $20 bill with which Floyd tried to pay was fake was because of its blue pigment.

But he went onto reveal that his suspicions were also roused because the note was so similar to one that Hall had attempted to pass off as real earlier that same day and which the clerk had refused to accept.

Speaking not long after the May 25, 2020 incident Hall said: 'I walk with Floyd. I know that I'm going to be his voice.'

But with Wednesday's filing Hall has made it very clear that it is not a voice that will be heard from the witness stand.

The third day of Chauvin's trial saw prosecutors play long segments of video from the body camera worn by one of the rookie police officers who first arrived on the scene at Cup Foods, Thomas Lane.

Lane approached Floyd, who was sitting in the drivers seat of a Mercedes SUV outside Cup Foods and drew his weapon immediately.

Floyd, from the start, was agitated, crying and seemingly terrified.

Chauvin was also seen with his hands around Floyd's neck in never-before-released footage.

Derek Chauvin was seen with his hands around George Floyd's neck in never-before-released footage from the officer's body camera played at his murder trial on Wednesday

Chauvin is seen struggling with Floyd in footage from Officer Tou Thao's body camera

The prosecution called Lt Jeff Rugel, who runs the Minneapolis Police Department's Business Technology Unit, to the stand on Wednesday afternoon to authenticate officers' body camera footage and other video evidence from the scene.

Brief footage from Chauvin's camera was played, revealing his perspective as he approached Floyd for the first time.

Chauvin was seen with his hands around Floyd's neck as he and Lane struggled to get him into a squad car.

After a chaotic, blurred portion of footage, Chauvin's camera fell to the tarmac and there was no more footage from his perspective.

In footage recorded by Lane's body camera, Chauvin's camera could be seen lying beneath the squad car.

It's unclear exactly how the camera came to be on the ground during the confrontation.

Earlier, the judge temporarily halted the proceedings after a 61-year-old witness broke down in sobs as he recounted his memory of Floyds arrest.

The witness, Charles McMillian, was among several who have spoken through tears on the witness stand.

Jurors also heard on Wednesday from Christopher Martin, the 19-year-old Cup Foods employee who first confronted Floyd about the apparently fake $20 bill that he used to buy cigarettes.
UK Cyber Security Council Begins As Independent Body

LONDON ? March 31st 2021 ? The UK Cyber Security Council ? the self-regulatory body for the cyber security education and skills sector ? today announced that the Formation Project to create the Council has completed, allowing the Government-mandated Council to officially become an independent entity, fully and only accountable to its Trustees.

The Council will champion the cyber security profession across the UK, providing broad representation for the industry, accelerating awareness and promoting excellence in the profession. It will do this by delivering thought leadership, career tools and education resources to the cyber security sector and those seeking a career in the industry, alongside helping influence government, industry and academia with the aim of developing and promoting UK cyber security excellence globally and growing the skills base.

Dr Claudia Natanson, chair of the Council?s Board of Trustees, said: ?The Formation Project has put down solid foundations on which the Council can build, and that is what the Council is able to, and will do, from today. The next few months will be especially busy; we are now able to hire and start work on gaining traction and momentum across and beyond the profession. We?ll also be engaging with Government to ensure the delivery of the standards and governance needed to ensure a strong cyber security profession now and in the future. The trustees assure all those involved in the Council to date of our maximum efforts to take their work forward.?

Near-term tasks for the Council include:

? the appointment of a permanent leadership team, who will work with the Board of Trustees to establish the Council as a leader in the profession, influencing its standing and reputation within the UK and globally; and

? the recruitment of personnel to take forward the work of the Formation Project on elements of the Council?s remit, including recognition for cyber security practitioners, professional ethics, diversity and inclusivity in the profession and thought leadership

Dr Natanson also thanked the Cyber Security Alliance and the member organisations that supported the Formation Project. ?For twenty months, scores of volunteers from the 16 forward-thinking organisations of the Cyber Security Alliance have devoted countless hours to getting the Council to this date. We cannot thank them enough, because without them there would be no Council. In the teeth of a pandemic, to reach this date with the Council on schedule is remarkable,? she said.

Dr Budgie Dhanda, managing director of 3BDA and co-chair of UK Cyber Security Council Formation Project, said: ?The volunteers from the members of the Cyber Security Alliance have put heart and soul into the Formation Project, and the members of the Alliance itself have supported their staff all the way. We?re all very proud of what we?re handing over today and look forward to its evolution into a fully functioning, effective Council to represent our profession through the changes ahead.?

Dr Bill Mitchell OBE, chair of the Cyber Security Alliance, ?Today marks a significant milestone for the many people who are today and will be in the future handed the enormously important task of protecting the United Kingdom and its economy from cyber threats that undermine the foundations of modern society. Handing over the Council to its trustees is the culmination of over four years of commitment to a shared vision and shared values of public benefit from 16 organisations that came together in recognition of the breadth of skills and disciplines that go into this task. Now a new profession for the UK can be officially recognised and supported. The Alliance remains fully committed to supporting the new Council and ensuring it succeeds at the pace and with the reach the UK needs as we recover from the pandemic and find our place outside the EU.?

The Council has been invited by the NCSC to participate at CYBERUK, the UK government?s flagship cyber security conference in May. It will outline some initial plans at the event.

History of the Council to date

? In November 2016, the UK Government?s National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021 set out ?the UK Government?s plan to make Britain secure and resilient in cyberspace?.

It included ambitions to develop and accredit the cyber security profession by: ??reinforcing the recognised body of cyber security excellence within the industry and providing a focal point which can advise, shape and inform national policy.?

? In December 2018, the Government?s Initial National Cyber Security Skills Strategy policy paper specifically prescribed a new, independent body: the UK Cyber Security Council.

The policy stated that: ?Our ambition is for there to be a new, independent UK Cyber Security Council that will embolden the profession to structure and develop itself in a way that meets current and future demands. The Council will be charged with the development of a framework that speaks across the different specialisms, setting out a comprehensive alignment of career pathways, including the certifications and qualifications required within certain levels. The Council will lay the structural foundations of the cyber security profession that will enable it to respond to the evolving needs of industry and the wider economy.?

? In August 2019, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) appointed the Cyber Security Alliance following a competitive tender process, with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) serving as the lead organisation, to design and deliver the UK Cyber Security Council.

? In a statement on February 9th 2021, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed that the launch of the Council was scheduled for the end of March 2021.

The Cyber Security Alliance

The Cyber Security Alliance brings together a range of established knowledge and disciplines, each of which currently has a leadership role in underpinning UK expertise in the digital environment. With an overall aim to provide clarity around the skills, competences and career pathways within this fast-moving area of cyber security, the initial objective is to support commitments expressed within the UK National Cyber Security Strategy, including the stated intent to recognise professionals through Chartered status. Members include:

? (ISC)?

? BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT

? Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISEC)

? Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

? CompTIA

? CREST

? Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences (CSFS)

? Engineering Council

? Information Assurance Advisory Council (IAAC)

? The Institution of Analysts and Programmers (IAP)

? The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)

? Institute of Measurement and Control (InstMC)

? ISACA

? Security Institute (SyI)

? techUK

? The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists (WCIT)
Pirelli managed to complete the final 18-inch tyre test of its 2021 rubber on Thursday, after three days of testing at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.

Ferrari and Alpine

Both Ferrari and Alpine provided 'mule cars' for the test, allowing Pirelli to gather new data on the new tyres that will be introduced next season.

While Ferrari completed 144 laps on Tuesday with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, Alpine's Esteban Ocon did the same on Wednesday with 100 laps. On Thursday it was the turn of experienced driver Fernando Alonso, who completed 144 laps on his own.

Alonso

"It was a great test day and the new tyres already feel good", Alonso told Motorsportweek.com. "The tyres are at an encouraging stage of development. Hopefully with all the laps I did today we can help Pirelli understand the tyres better."

The new tyres are one of the upcoming changes to the regulations for next season, aimed at improving racing and increasing competition at the front of the grid.
POTTSVILLE  The work of the citys Blight Task Force continues amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the focus being on revitalizing properties under the right developers.

A general meeting, which involves city officials as well as those from outside the city, is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. May 4, the first such meeting since last March.

City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said while general meetings havent been held during the pandemic, internal meetings have been taking place weekly to review the status of properties on the citys blight list.

The task force, formed in 2014, includes the city administrator; the citys three code enforcement officers; animal control and health officer; fire chief; police department representative; Mayor James T. Muldowney; and council members.

Also on the task force are the countys four legislators; Pottsville Housing Authority Executive Director Craig Shields; officials from Schuylkill Community Action; and District Attorney Michael A. OPake.

To fight blight, the city in the past has received funding from the county commissioners, the state Department of Community and Economic Developments Community Development Block Grant Program, the Pottsville Redevelopment Grant and a Home Improvement Grant, also from DCED.

There are 292 properties on the citys blight list, 75 of which are set to be demolished. They are ranked one to five on priority, with five being the worst. Palamar said the lists are being reviewed ahead of next months meeting.

Code Officer Justin Trefsger said some properties on the list can be saved, while others are in danger of collapsing.

Controlling problem

City officials have seven methods to help address blighted properties:

 Quality of life tickets.

 The nuisance property ordinance, which fines owners up to $1,000 when police, fire, health and code officers respond to three or more incidents at a property in a six-month period.

 Denying a permit to an owner.

 Home grants, which provide 20 individuals not able to afford repairs $500,0000 grants to prevent properties from becoming neglected.

 The vacant property registration program.

 The rental inspection program, which allows code officers to inspect any registered rental property.

 The Pottsville Redevelopment Project, a partnership between the city and the Pottsville Redevelopment Authority that identifies problem properties and puts them in the hands of developers vetted by the authority.

The new Drasdis & Son mens clothing store at 123 W. Market St. and the former YWCA at 325 S. Centre St., slated to open as Black Rock Brewery later this year, were developed under the redevelopment partnership.

Palamar emphasized demolition is a last resort for blighted properties, and city officials work with a buildings owner to remedy problems.

Trefsger said 10 buildings on the demolition list were torn down last year, but none has come down this year.

Through the Redevelopment Authority, three properties on Norwegian Street were demolished this year.

Last year, he said nearly 100 citations were issued by the citys code enforcement officers, the most common complaint being about roofs being in bad shape.

If they met their life expectancy, they start to fail, he said, adding water that seeps into support beams can result in a roof collapse.

Trefsger described the task forces work as a process and individuals are as responsible for their properties as they choose to be.

The task forces work continues despite three buildings collapsing in the city in the past year.

A property at 313 W. Market St. partially collapsed last year and has since been stabilized by its new owner, while one at 326 E. Norwegian St. partially collapsed last month.

Palamar said code enforcement officers issued multiple citations for both properties and Trefsger was in court seeking action on them on many occasions.

Going forward, Palamar said the task forces goals are looking at the vacant property registry list and continuing to work with the Redevelopment Authority to identify neglected properties and put them in the hands of developers.

Any property in the citys redevelopment area, which covers downtown Pottsville and a few areas beyond it, is eligible for redevelopment.

The longer a property is vacant, the more work it is to keep it maintained, he said, adding officials are looking at multiple properties for redevelopment.

Palamar said residents have the option of reporting blight on the citys website.

Its a long story, but hopefully one with a happy ending, he said.
David Arakhamiya, the leader of the Servant of the People party faction, has stated that the support provided by the United States of America strengthens Ukraine's defense capabilities.

As Ukrinform reports with reference to the press service of the Servant of the People party, this was discussed during Arakhamiya's online meeting with U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright on March 31.

Arakhamiya thanked the Congressman for many years of assistance to Ukraine, in particular, the approval by Congress of a law on U.S. military support for Ukraine.

"Amid the aggression and temporary occupation of part of our territories by Russia, such support contributes to the strengthening of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and, consequently, the defense capabilities of Ukraine," he said.

In addition, the parties discussed the situation with the spread of coronavirus infection in Ukraine and the United States. The Congressman talked about the American experience of imposing restrictive measures during the pandemic.

For his part, Arakhamiya pointed out that Ukraine did not introduce a national lockdown. After all, the positive practice of "red zones" of quarantine in the regions shows that total restrictions can be avoided.

"There is no curfew or legal regime of state of emergency in Ukraine. We have much more liberal restrictions, which are set at the regional level. This, of course, has a negative impact on the economy, but the total restrictions would have worse consequences," Arakhamiya said.

The politicians agreed to hold a large-scale online meeting of all representatives of the Friends of Ukraine group in the U.S. Congress and representatives of the Verkhovna Rada as soon as possible.

It is noted that Matt Cartwright represents the Democratic Party of the United States and is a member of the Friends of Ukraine group, actively supporting our state. In addition, the Congressman is a member of the Appropriations Committee, which determines the level of spending on economic and military assistance to Ukraine.

ol
The woman at the center of a sexual assault investigation that led to a bitter fight between New Jersey State Police and county prosecutors on Wednesday criticized a new report that cleared law enforcement officials of wrongdoing.

In 2017, Laura Gallagher accused the son of a county official of shoving her into a car and groping her.

State troopers arrested the man, but the Sussex County Prosecutors Office later decided not to bring charges, which led to formal complaints of misconduct and lawsuits that continue to this day.

A 101-page review of the case released Tuesday didnt find evidence of misconduct by officers or prosecutors, but it did fault the two agencies for an immediate and clear breakdown of communication.

On Wednesday, Gallagher said she was not satisfied with the conclusions in the report. It did little to restore her faith in the criminal justice system and didnt make her feel safer walking the streets, Gallagher said.

She said shes still haunted by the alleged assault and how the investigation played out. I live with that everyday, she wrote in an email.

The review also offered a rare view of the tensions that can arise between officers that begin investigations and prosecutors tasked with seeing them through in court.

The report outlines how troopers and prosecutors disagreed about whether the case should go to a jury.

State leaders praised the review, which was conducted by an outside law firm.

Asked about it at his routine coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy said he was quite gratified though not surprised that the head of the State Police had been cleared of misconduct.

I know you (are) an extraordinary man of character and a great leader, Murphy said to Col. Patrick Callahan, acting superintendent of the State Police.

After troopers formally accused prosecutors of improperly dropping charges in 2017, Callahan told the county prosecutor about the accusations against his office. The head of the troopers union later said it was wrong to tell the targets of the investigation that they were targets, but the report found Callahan was only making a good faith effort to mend fences.

On Wednesday Callahan called the review thorough and independent  he said he hadnt received an advance copy and had just read it that morning  but he declined to comment further.

It speaks for itself, Callahan said.

The report described confusion between troopers and prosecutors about the process for charging suspects.

At the time of the allegation, a new state law that largely eliminated cash bail also changed who signed off on arrests.

Rules from the state attorney generals office said officers needed the express approval of an assistant prosecutor in order to issue certain charges.

This was a major shift in long-standing police procedures, the report said. Troopers who had long-enjoyed the ability to exercise their discretion were no longer able to freely exercise that authority, investigators wrote.

Troopers arrested Ian Schweizer, the son of the then-head of the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, but prosecutors decided not to continue the case based on evidence available.

Tempers rose as the two sides fought over where troopers had jurisdiction. Yet instead of taking a breath, slowing things down and trying to work through a problem, both sides dug in on their respective positions and assumed the worst from the other side, the review said. That quickly led to a breakdown in process.

Gallagher and Schweizer have since each filed suit against each other. Those lawsuits remain active, their lawyers confirmed.

Schweizers attorney, Robert Dunn, said he had not yet read the report but was glad for the review.

There were rules in place, and they just werent followed, Dunn told NJ Advance Media.

On Tuesday, Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch blamed troopers for any breakdown, and several troopers were transferred in the cases aftermath.

The head of the troopers union previously said theyd successfully stopped one trooper from being re-assigned and continued to fight disciplinary charges against another.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Matt Arco contributed to this report.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com.

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Terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria [ISIS], or Daesh, may be expanding its tentacles to the shores of eastern Africa, two years after it was declared defeated in its original territory.

A group of 83 countries, known as the Global Coalition Against Daesh, said on Tuesday the emerging sympathisers for ISIS in Africa pose a new challenge in combating counter-terrorism.

After a virtual meeting on Tuesday, the Coalition, which includes the US, the UK, France, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti and several countries in the Gulf, said they must "remain firmly united in our outrage at Daesh/ISIS's atrocities and in our determination to eliminate this global threat."

Iraq's authorities announced in 2019 that ISIS had been defeated after years of pursuit by a coalition led by the US. However, on the second anniversary of the victory, ministers and representatives from the 83 countries said they were concerned with the latest violence by Daesh in Iraq, Syria and offshoots in Africa such as Mozambique.

"We have removed key Daesh leaders, and continue to pursue those remaining to prevent their resurgence and bring them to justice," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the virtual meeting.

"The global coalition remains united in its determination to see this enemy destroyed and will continue its efforts against the group in Iraq, Syria, and other countries. The US is firmly committed to the global coalition and to the lasting defeat of Daesh."

On Monday, fighters under the ISIS-affiliated Al-Shabaab group in Mozambique claimed an attack on the gas-rich northern city of Palma in which 50 people were killed. The group said it has taken control of most parts of the town.

The Coalition said the number of attacks claimed by ISIS in Africa have risen by nearly 30 percent over the past one year, including kidnappings in Lake Chad, suicide attacks in Somalia and beheading of children in Mozambique.

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Earlier in March, UK Charity Group Save the Children accused Mozambican insurgents, al-Shabaab, of killing children by beheading them. The group shares a name with Somali militants but have had no association. The Mozambican militants have pledged allegiance to ISIS, same as some factions of Somalia's al-Shabaab.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the conference that only continued collaboration among countries will achieve an "enduring defeat" for ISIS across the globe.

When ISIS was declared defeated in 2019, it meant it was no longer controlling a territory of eight million people in Iraq and Syria. The scars of the war and the sprouting groups across the world mean the threat is still on, ministers said.

"The UK is supporting partner forces confronting Daesh in Iraq and Syria, stabilising liberated communities, building institutions so that terrorists face justice, and leading efforts against its twisted propaganda," Raab said at the virtual meeting he co-hosted.

The ministers said the terrorist group and affiliates have been able to "rebuild its networks and capabilities to target security forces and civilians" and that Daesh was now a "serious and growing threat" in West Africa and the Sahel, and an emerging threat in East Africa.

Also in the meeting was Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) whose members contributed troops to the military coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
This colorized transmission electron micrograph shows a slice of Reston virus particles (blue) in the lung of an infected pig. Credit: NIAID

Belgium has an extra unexpected hurdle to overcome in its fight against the coronavirus: a bout of gorgeous weather.

Temperatures in Belgium have never been so high so early in the yearreaching 24.5 degrees Celsius (76 Fahrenheit)and the warm weather is bringing thousands of people to coastal beaches and parks amid a worrying surge of COVID-19 cases.

The good weather was expected to continue until Friday and the start of the Easter weekend. Good news for the 11.5 million Belgians craving sun after a gloomy winter, but a real worry for the government struggling to deal with a third wave of infections.

In response to the number of passengers on its trains, Belgium's national rail company, SNCB, was forced to activate a "stop-and-go" system to prevent travelers from boarding in several train stations packed to the rafters on Tuesday.

Under the COVID-19 restrictions imposed in Belgium, residents are banned from traveling abroad but can move freely across the country. Many did not resist the appeal of a grand day out to North Sea beaches, especially after the government decided last week to shut down schools for an extra week before the Easter school break in a bid to slow infections.

That move could ultimately backfire.

"It's too crowded. And you don't have to be a great scientist to predict that. The weather is good, and the Belgian (train pass) with free rides is still valid until the end of the month. It was bound to go wrong," Western Flanders Governor Carl Decaluwe told Het Niewsblad newspaper. "I'm holding my breath for the Easter holidays."

Both Decaluwe and the SNCB are now advising against trips to the coast, but the situation in big cities is also a source of worry. In Brussels, for instance, residents late Tuesday gathered en masse in one of the city's largest parks to enjoy al fresco drinks and outdoor games. Despite restrictions limiting outside gatherings to four people, large groups were spotted sitting on the grass.

Although mandatory mask-wearing outdoors is in force, many did not bother with the rule.

Brussels prosecutor's office issued a warning Wednesday following the announcement on social networks of two illegal festivals scheduled to take place on April 1 and 2 in two of the city's parks. The office said police will be deployed and that revelers attending the events in breach of COVID-19 restrictions could be prosecuted.

One of the parties is promoted by a collective called the Abyss. The group said it does not question the government's strategy but fights for citizens' rights to gather outdoors.

"Some people say we have fallen into a health dictatorship. We don't want to believe it," the group said. "We want to prove that it is still possible to live and therefore to celebrate even in the midst of a pandemic, as our grandparents did during the war."

A night-time curfew and other restrictions have been in place in Belgium since last year. A court in Brussels ordered the government Wednesday to either end exceptional measures it imposed in the context of the pandemic or to frame them properly as laws, Belgian media reported. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the Belgian League of Human Rights.

Belgium has reported over 876,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and almost 23,000 virus-related deaths. Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have risen consistently in recent weeks, and the country's health authorities have warned that intensive care unit occupancy could reach a critical level by April 10 if the pace of infections does not slow down.

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.
The Karnan press and audio meet was held today at Prasad Lab preview theatre. The hauntingly beautiful song Uttradheenga in the mesmerizing voice of the recent sensational enjoy enjami fame Dhee and Santosh Narayanan was launched. It is sure going to be a chartbuster.

Karnan directed by Mari Selvaraj has Dhanush and Malayalee actor Rajeesha Vijayan in the lead with music by Santosh Narayanan. Dhanush who was in USA for his Netflix Hollywood venture send a thanks letter to the Karnan team which was read out at the press meet. The actor has however sent a press note to his fans and media. "Karnan is a special film to me. As an actor and human, Karnan has taught me so many things. Mari Selvaraj's humanity and perseverance were a surprise every day. I used to even think about whether someone can be a good human being like Mari Selvaraj. Thanks for choosing me as your Karnan and thanks for coming into my life. Be the same, you have a special place in the industry", said Dhanush.

Director Mari Selvaraj went out of his way to praise Dhanush for his commitment and dedication to his work. Selvaraj says :  Dhanush sir asked me if I had a script for him, I told him all my stories were written keeping him in mind including Pariyerum Perumal. All the praises that I have received so far for my work is due to director Ram and Pa.Ranjith whom I have assisted. I will call Karnan an independent film, straight from my heart.

Producer Kalaipuli Thanu says after he watched the film he was spellbound and could not move from his seat. He says Karnan is like a Picasso painting. Thanu got plenty of OTT offers for the film, but was very keen that he would first premiere it only in theatres which are the lifeblood of Tamil cinema.

Karnan is scheduled for a big wide release on April 9.

Text & Images: MOVIEBUZZ


Clean light: LED lamps are replacing open fires and kerosene lamps in Kenya. Image: Empa / ETH

The fact that electricity not only provides the luminous displays of our numerous gadgets, but also enables healthy, clean living spaces or even access to education in large parts of the world is easily forgotten in our highly digitalized world. Many developing countries are stuck in a vicious circle of poverty with their low electrification rates. Without lighting at home, there is a lack of opportunities for value-adding work besides agriculture. Children can no longer do their homework or learn to read in the evening. Moreover, there are health problems, often caused by smoking fireplaces in the house or sooty kerosene lamps. Access to clean energy is generally considered a springboard to generate a higher income and thus escape poverty. This is why it has been identified as one of the 17 UN goals for sustainable development.

A model for areas worldwide

To help achieve this goal, Cristina Dominguez, a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Building Physics at ETH Zurich and in Empa's Urban Energy Systems lab, is developing a computer model that will provide project developers in rural areas with estimates of household electricity requirements. This should enable accurate and therefore sustainable planning of the electricity grid. In developing countries, electrification projects often fail because reliable data for determining the needs of often widely scattered households is hardly available. Data collection in particular is a major cost factor that makes project developers hesitant to invest. If an electricity grid is then planned too large, for example, this is passed on to electricity prices, making electricity unaffordable for the poor population. Ultimately, electricity grids must be tailored to provide long-term benefits to the people on the one hand and to offer developers an attractive and realistic investment opportunity on the other.

To collect data, Dominguez chose an area in sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the lowest electrification rate worldwide: "In addition to political problems, the areas here are extremely sparsely populated, and the small settlements are very widely scattered. This makes electrification much more difficultand of course more expensive," says Dominguez. As part of her Ph.D. thesis, she determined the energy use and requirements of around 250 households in eastern Kenya. In order to make her model applicable worldwide, research institutes in Guatemala and Pakistan support her and provide her with equivalent data sets from these countries.

Without lighting, dark indoor living spaces are barely usable. Kerosene lamps produce toxic soot and endanger the health. Moreover, kerosene is expensive. Solar powered lamps would be a solution. Credit: Empa / ETH

Analyzing development

Dominguez's fieldwork in Kenya collected data from households without access to electricity and from those that had been connected to a power grid within the last six years. She was concerned not only with recording existing energy sources and their requirements, but also with the change in use after electrification had been completed. The Empa researcher also used diaries, in which the residents recorded their activities, which they had followed throughout the day, in order to get to know their everyday lives and needs and to anticipate changes, which would set in after electrification and which would then be reflected in the demand for electricity. In Kenya, for example, kerosene is an important source of energy to light up the dark mud huts. To get the kerosene, it is often necessary to walk long distances to the dealership. Time that could perhaps be invested in value-adding work at home in the futureif a source of electricity were available.

And once the power supply is available, people start to act accordingly; they buy electrical appliances such as TVs, and power consumption increases accordingly. But how long can the power grid continue to function if demand continues to rise? Dominguez wants to incorporate these dynamics into her model: "In our local surveys, we asked people which appliances they would buy after the first year or second year with electricity. We then compared this with households that had already gone through this process." In this way, Dominguez wanted to find out how people would handle energy when it was available to them. Dominguez knows from her research that engineers are often unable to assess this correctly: "There are great biases here, which often result in power supply systems being designed too large.

Tailor-made power grids

To make accurate predictions and recognize consumption dynamics, Dominguez applies machine learning algorithms and data mining techniques. To create the models, the researcher combines global data sets from organizations such as the World Bank with data from project development companies so that she can incorporate additional consumption patterns such as seasonal fluctuations. These are then validated for the three priority regions using field data from Kenya, Pakistan and Guatemala. Mini Grid companies have also provided data on electricity consumption in return for the opportunity to test their model on the basis of local conditions.

Cristina Dominguez's approach highlights the problems facing developing countries with hardly any infrastructure: Although technical possibilities for electrification exist and have become cheaper with solar technology, investments in a weak economic environment must be made with careful consideration. Otherwise, there is a serious risk of over-indebtedness on the part of electricity users and, in the worst case, also on the part of the operating companieswhich could well exacerbate poverty and deter others from investing in these areas. Dominguez's computer model has the potential to overcome at least one hurdle to electrification and thus provide the impetus for a way out of poverty.

Explore further Grid or solar: looking for the best energy solution for the rural poor
Alex Salmond today faced a brutal grilling over his past conduct by the BBC's Mishal Husain as he said his 'behaviour was tested as probably no behaviour has been tested before'.

The former Scottish first minister and leader of the new Alba Party was asked by Ms Husain: 'Do you think it is okay to stroke women's faces when they are asleep?'

But Mr Salmond said 'the most significant thing is the verdict of the jury' and 'for most people in Scotland they think that these matters have been dealt with'.

He added: 'The verdict is in, the jury has decided and fair minded people think that is fair enough.'

Later, at a press conference, Mr Salmond said he believed female voters would be motivated to vote for the Alba Party despite allegations made against him in the past.

It came as Mr Salmond issued an independence warning to Boris Johnson as he suggested Scotland could hold a second vote on splitting from the UK even if the Prime Minister refuses to give it the green light.

Mr Salmond, who wants the Holyrood elections in May to result in a pro-independence supermajority in the Scottish Parliament, said there would be a 'whole range of actions' that could be taken if Mr Johnson tried to block a border poll.

Alex Salmond today faced a brutal grilling over his past conduct by the BBC's Mishal Husain

The former Scottish first minister and leader of the new Alba Party was asked by Ms Husain: 'Do you think it is okay to stroke women's faces when they are asleep?'

The former SNP leader last year faced 13 charges including one of attempted rape, one of intent to rape, nine charges of sexual assault and two of indecent assault.

He was cleared of all charges by a jury following an 11-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Ms Husain asked Mr Salmond this morning during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme if he had 'reflected' on elements of his conduct, with questions on the matter having largely dominated the launch of his new political party.

She said: 'You did stroke a colleague's face when she was asleep, didn't you, and you did have the 'sleepy cuddles'?'

Mr Salmond replied: 'Most people in Scotland, after two court cases, a jury verdict, a majority of women on that jury incidentally, in front of a female judge, and three inquiries over the last three years, most fair minded people would accept a verdict of a jury.'

Ms Husain continued: 'I was asking how you had reflected on the things that you admitted you had done on those aspects of your conduct?'

Mr Salmond replied: 'Well, I am afraid that the case that we put forward at the trial which is now a year ago was that the accusations against me were part fabrication, part exaggeration'

At this point Ms Husain interrupted and said: 'But do you think it is okay to stroke women's faces when they are asleep?'

Mr Salmond replied: 'What I said and what I reflected on, the most significant thing is the verdict of the jury and as I say, fair minded people think that is very important and that is what we are saying in the case we put forward, put a case for Scottish independence on the political canvas.'

Ms Husain then said: 'It wouldn't be hard for you to say, Mr Salmond, would it, that I have reflected on those things, the things that you admitted to, and I realise they were wrong and I wouldn't do them again.'

Mr Salmond said: 'Well, as I said, everything I have said at the trial stands and everything I have said previously stands.

'But what we are doing now is putting forward a case in the election. For most people in Scotland they think that these matters have been dealt with.

'My behaviour was tested as probably no behaviour has been tested before in a trial of my peers in the high court, the judiciary in Scotland.

'The verdict is in, the jury has decided and fair minded people think that is fair enough.'

Mr Salmond's Alba Party is standing 32 candidates in the Holyrood elections in the hope of boosting the number of pro-independence MSPs.

The former first minister said this morning that securing a pro-independence supermajority in the Scottish Parliament would change the 'power balance considerably'.

Mr Johnson has repeatedly said he will not allow a re-run of the 2014 independence referendum to take place, arguing the first vote was supposed to be a once in a generation event.

Mr Salmond said the 'cause of independence is much, much bigger than personalities' as he insisted he could work with the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon

Asked what Holyrood could do if Mr Johnson digs in on the issue, Mr Salmond said: 'Well, there is a whole range of actions that you can take under these circumstances.

'You can look at how we mobilise the legitimacy that comes from a parliamentary majority, to look at firstly referendum and plebiscites that could be held by the Scottish Parliament, you can look at international opinion, you can look at legal action in the Scottish courts, you can look at international legal action, you can look at mobilising peaceful demonstrations in Scotland - a whole panoply of things a parliament with legitimacy can do to appeal to the people.'

Asked how the Alba Party could work with the SNP on independence given the recent bitter row between him and Nicola Sturgeon, Mr Salmond said: 'Frankly, the cause of independence is much, much bigger than personalities.

'It is a noble cause, a huge cause for Scotland and everybody through history but now has to put aside personal differences and work for that national interest and certainly that is what the Alba party will be doing.'
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Westman Youth for Christ officially launches its Common Spaces initiative today.

The program is designed to give second-stage addictions recovery support to young people living within the region.

A Westman Youth for Christ staff member helps a young person move their belongings into the group's new transitional housing units on Tuesday. Starting today, this 30-unit housing project, known as Common Spaces, will be accepting youth who have already completed the first steps in their addiction recovery process. (Submitted)

The Common Spaces program will be facilitated through two new apartment complexes that provide 30 units of affordable housing and are located at 705 Lorne Ave. in downtown Brandon.

Common Spaces director Allan Peters made this announcement during a Wednesday morning livestream with representatives of federal, provincial and local municipal governments, who all had a hand in funding this project.

Peters said that one of these two buildings is actively taking in tenants starting today, with the aim of cultivating a safe, secure and drug-free environment that can lead troubled youth, aged 18 to 29, on the steady road to recovery.

"When young people can be confident in housing stability, safer and more secure buildings and supportive relationships across the community, they have the opportunity to embrace recovery and build towards a hopeful tomorrow," he said.

Peters later mentioned that this project has been in the works since April 2018, and wouldnt have been possible without the support he has received from individuals in the Brandon area and beyond.

Outside of getting funding from the federal ($3.3 million) and provincial governments ($1.95 million), Peters also highlighted the fact that nearby businesses like Steves Livestock Transport also chipped in despite the strain that COVID-19 has put on the local economy.

"And so were really thankful for the many individuals in the community who have stepped up," Peters said. "And were excited to share that our funding goals for our initial investment have almost been met at this time."

An exterior photo of Westman Youth for Christs new housing units that will help facilitate their second-stage addictions recovery program called Common Spaces. These housing units are located at 705 Lorne Ave. in downtown Brandon. (Submitted)

This announcement comes off the heels of Westman Youth for Christ announcing that they will also be setting up a Youth Hub in downtown Brandon, which is meant to be a one-stop shop for mental health care, addiction treatment and other social services.

While the Youth Hub is designed for individuals who are taking the first steps in their recovery, Westman Youth for Christ executive director Dwayne Dyck later told the Sun that Common Spaces is designed for people who just got out of a treatment facility and need a secure place to live.

Together, these two new programs are part of Westman Youth for Christs overall plan to create a stronger support network for troubled youth in the Westman region.

"For years, weve been meeting young people who are trying to get out of their addictions," Dyck said in a Wednesday news release from WYFC. "This was something we could do to help. Its not an easy road for them."

Moving forward, Peters expects that the remaining 15 units of Common Spaces housing will be made available as of May 1.

To learn more about this program, Peters says interested parties can contact Westman Youth for Christ directly at 204-727-1251 or brandon@wyfc.ca.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @KyleDarbyson
SAN FRANCISCO, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagens Berman urges SOS Limited (NYSE: SOS) investors to submit their losses now.

Class Period: July 22, 2020  Feb. 25, 2021

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: June 1, 2021

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/SOS

Contact An Attorney Now: [email protected]

844-916-0895

SOS Limited (SOS) Securities Fraud Class Action:

The complaint centers on SOS's purported entry into the bitcoin mining business. The complaint alleges that, in truth, SOS is a fraudulent stock promotion scheme that has concealed related party transactions, and has misrepresented the bitcoin mining rigs SOS claimed to have purchased.

Investors allegedly began to learn the truth on Feb. 26, 2021, when Hindenburg Research and Culper Research released scathing commentary, claiming that SOS was an intricate "pump and dump" scheme that used fake addresses and doctored photos of crypto miners to create an illusion of success. The analysts pointed out that the company's SEC filings, for instance, listed a hotel room as the firm's headquarters. Most damaging, the analysts alleged that the photos SOS had published of their "mining rigs" were phony. Culper noted that the photographed SOS "miners" weren't the A10 Pros the company claimed to own. Instead, they were pictures of Avalon's A1066 miners. Hindenburg further found the original images from SOS's site belonged to a legitimate rival, RHY.

After the class period, Hindenburg and Culper provided additional information on SOS that further supported their earlier allegations, including evidence of related party transactions and SOS attempting to hide the misconduct noted in the February 26, 2021 corrective disclosures.

"We're focused on investors' losses and proving SOS is a false promotion scheme," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you are a SOS investor, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding SOS should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a national law firm with eight offices in eight cities around the country and over eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw.

Contact:

Reed Kathrein

844-916-0895

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP

Related Links

https://www.hbsslaw.com


The WCO Strategic Trade Control Enforcement (STCE) Programme and Customs Operational Practices for Enforcement and Seizures (COPES) Programme organized a training course which was delivered online from March 29 to April 1st in Albania and Kosovo. The course was delivered in Albanian through the support of United States Department of State (the donor) and Kosovo and Albania Customs Authorities.

The COPES and the STCE Programmes are two of the key programmes within the WCO Enforcement and Compliance Sub-Directorate. Over the next two years the WCO will deliver workshops for members using the new COPES-STCE training materials.

The training course brought together 23 Customs officers from both Albania and Kosovo Customs, Albanian State Export Control Authority and Kosovo STDG. The training was delivered online both in English and Albanian by COPES and STCE expert trainers.

The goal of these new trainings is to reinforce the importance of controlling cross border transfers of dual-use, to facilitate the adoption of universal strategic trade controls enforcement (STCE) Standards, and to enhance as well best practices for customs enforcement procedures for STCE seizures including investigations.

This course was organized with these considerations in mind. After the STCE and COPES Programme and their team had been presented and the course participants introduced, the agenda for this training was structured around the definition of strategic goods, dual use materials, on the one hand, and on the other hand, technical aspects both related to evidence collection standards and investigative techniques. This last part aims at allowing prosecutions against criminal groups operating in the STCE area.

For further information about the COPES Programme, please send your request to: Copes@wcoomd.org.

For more information about the STCE Programme, please contact: WCOSecurityProgramme@wcoomd.org.
European credit investment firm AlbaCore Capital Group ("AlbaCore"), announced the pricing of its second Collateralized Loan Obligation ("CLO"), AlbaCore Euro CLO II, an upsized 408,350,000 CLO with environmental, social and governance ("ESG") eligibility criteria in the documentation.

In line with its first CLO that priced last year, AlbaCore Euro CLO II incorporates negative ESG screening criteria that is combined with AlbaCore's fundamental research and risk focused ESG considerations, including restrictions on the industry type in which the CLO can invest.

Arranged by Barclays Bank PLC, the fund is expected to close in May 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions. The collateral manager of AlbaCore Euro CLO II is AlbaCore Capital LLP.

Deborah Cohen Malka, Managing Director at AlbaCore Capital Group, commented:

"We are delighted to have launched our second CLO following on from the success of the first, reinforcing our commitment to our CLO platform. Our CLO strategy is underpinned by AlbaCore's active and fundamental approach to credit investing, with ESG risk screens integrated into every investment decision."

David Allen, Chief Investment Officer at AlbaCore Capital Group, added:

"This is another great achievement for AlbaCore and a testament to the proven ability and hard work across the team. Continuing to build our CLO business reflects the opportunities available in the current climate as we seek to provide solutions for our investor partners across the credit spectrum."

ENDS

About AlbaCore Capital Group

AlbaCore Capital Group is one of Europe's leading specialist credit investors focusing on public and private corporate credit markets. The senior investment team have been investing with this hybrid strategy for over a decade1. Founded in 2016, AlbaCore has invested over $16bn2 across 280 companies for global pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, consultants, insurance companies, family offices and endowments.

AlbaCore is focused on consistently outperforming the market in the long term while protecting investor capital. The credit selection process is based on fundamental research with a focus on capital preservation, ESG factors and risk-adjusted returns.

Headquartered in London and with an office in Dublin, AlbaCore has a partnership approach with values at the center of the AlbaCore community.

www.AlbaCoreCapitalGroup.com

1 Including period prior to AlbaCore at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board ("CPPIB").

2 Invested capital is the sum of all 'buy' trades for all AlbaCore mandates since inception to 31 December 2020, and includes recycled capital and co-investment.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005339/en/

Contacts:

For media enquiries:

Kepler Communications

Charlotte Balbirnie

+44 (0)7989 528421

CBalbirnie@keplercomms.com



Caroline Villiers

+44 (0)7808 585184

CVilliers@keplercomms.com
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Fidelity Bank Plc on Wednesday said it made N28.1billion profit in 2020 in what it described as testimony of its resilience and stability.

In the results announced on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the Nigerian lender reported strong growth in Core Operating Profits, Net Revenue and other key financial indices.

The bank reported a 50.9% growth in Core Operating Profits from N29.8BN in 2019 FY to N44.9BN while Net Revenue increased by 15.0% from N111.8Bn in 2019FY.

Customer Deposit, which it described as a measure of consumer confidence, rose by 38.7% from N1, 225.2BN to N1, 699.0BN just as Total Assets grew by 30.5% from N2, 114.037TRN in 2019FY to N2, 758.148TRN.

However, Profit Before Tax dropped by 7.6% to N28.1BN from N30.4BN in 2019, a situation the bank blamed on an increase in its loan provisions to shield it from any headwinds. It described that arrangement as a positive move for the Bank especially in the current era of Covid-19 and its attendant effect on business risks.

Given that result, the Board of Fidelity Bank is proposing a N6.4BN payout, which translated to 22 kobo dividend per share to its shareholders.

We are pleased with our financial performance, which clearly showed the resilience of our business model as core operating profit increased by 50.9% to N44.9bn from N29.8bn in 2019FY.

We also saw a significant improvement in our efficiency indices as cost-to-income ratio moderated downward to 65.1% from 73.4% in 2019FY. However, Profit before Tax (PBT) dropped by 7.6% to N28.1bn as we proactively increased our provisions on risk assets to N16.9bn from a net write-back of N0.6bn in 2019FY, said Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Fidelity Bank CEO, adding that the bank took a conservative stance in recognition of the impact of the global pandemic, which has redefined business risks and opportunities in the new normal.

In a statement Wednesday, the bank said its digital retail banking approach has continued to yield positive results. Though Digital Banking income dropped by 18.8% due to the revised bankers tariff, it increased by 19.6% QoQ on account of increased customer adoption as more services were migrated to the banks digital channels.

Ms Onyeali-Ikpe is happy with the progress of its digital banking play stating that over 52.8% of customers are now enrolled on the banks mobile/ internet banking compared to 47.4% in 2019FY, while 88.4% of our customers transactions were done on the digital platform products and more than 81 % of total transactions done on digital platforms.
US DOLLAR WEAKENS SLIGHTLY AS PRESIDENT BIDEN REVEALS $2-TRILLION INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING PACKAGE

President Biden announces plans for $2-trillion in new infrastructure spending

US Dollar softens slightly as the broader DXY Index sheds -0.1% on the session

Treasuries remain under pressure with the ten-year yield trading around 1.75%

Check out the DailyFX Education Center or read up on How to Trade the News

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The US Dollar softened a bit across major currency pairs throughout most of Wednesdays session, but the Greenback erased initial weakness as trading progressed. This left the broader DXY Index little changed with US Dollar strength against the Yen offsetting weakness versus the Pound. EUR/USD price action whipsawed lower to finish flat on the day with US outperformance likely reinforced by France entering a month-long nationwide lockdown. Not to mention, the US Dollar could also be reacting to firming Treasury yields as the ten-year contends with 175-basis points. This likely comes on the heels of President Joe Biden unveiling $2-trillion in government spending plans on infrastructure.

New infrastructure investments are said to be allocated over an eight-year period, which will target transportation, broadband internet access, manufacturing, elderly care, and clean energy. To help pay for the infrastructure spending, President Biden proposed raising the corporate tax rate to 28%. Biden also said that the it will have two parts: the American jobs and American families plan. The second half of his plan will be announced in a few weeks.

Follow our coverage of breaking headlines with DailyFX Real Time News!

US DOLLAR INDEX PRICE CHART WITH TEN-YEAR TREASURY YIELD OVERLAID: 15-MINUTE TIME FRAME (31 MAR 2021 INTRADAY)

Chart by @RichDvorakFX created using TradingView

The US Dollar was little changed in immediate reaction to President Biden speaking on his infrastructure spending package, though the broader DXY Index did dip slightly. While Bidens speech is crossing market wires after the close on Wall Street, which is typically a period of low liquidity, the infrastructure spending plan announcement was expected and largely priced in. Looking ahead, US Dollar volatility could accelerate around upcoming employment data due with jobless claims and nonfarm payrolls scheduled for release this Thursday and Friday respectively at 12:30 GMT.

Keep Reading  US Dollar Outlook: DXY Index Forges Ahead to Fresh 4-Month High

-- Written by Rich Dvorak, Analyst for DailyFX.com

Connect with @RichDvorakFX on Twitter for real-time market insight
CHICAGO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Livingstone is pleased to announce the firm's healthcare team has advised Advocate Aurora Enterprises on the acquisition of Senior Helpers. Advocate Aurora Enterprises is a subsidiary of Advocate Aurora Health ("Advocate Aurora"), one of the 12 largest not-for-profit, integrated health systems in the nation. Livingstone acted as exclusive financial advisor to Advocate Aurora.

Founded in 2002, Senior Helpers is a leading franchisor and premier provider of in-home senior care services operating more than 320 locations across 44 states, Canada, and Australia. Senior Helpers' industry-leading services range from specialized care for those with diseases, such as dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's, to personal and companion care to help individuals looking for assistance with daily activities.

Advocate Aurora Enterprises was established to invest in businesses that enable people to improve their health and well-being beyond traditional clinical care settings. Through a commitment to Whole Person Health, Advocate Aurora Enterprises' three focus areas include (i) Aging Independently, enabling aging seniors to thrive safely and comfortably in their homes; (ii) Parenthood, supporting parents in raising healthy and happy kids with less stress and greater confidence; and (iii) Personal Performance, helping people to achieve their mind, body, and nutrition goals. Senior Helpers represents the second investment for Advocate Aurora Enterprises.

"We deeply respect the company and its franchisees' proven commitment to delivering compassionate care. One of our top priorities is to invest in companies that help people age well, and Senior Helpers fits that strategy perfectly," said Advocate Aurora Enterprises President Scott Powder. "This deal capitalizes on our organizations' shared commitment to helping seniors thrive independently, comfortably, and affordably in their homes and our shared vision of the home as the care delivery venue of the future."

"The need for high-quality, in-home senior care has never been greater. We see all sorts of opportunities to enhance our suite of senior services as part of Advocate Aurora Enterprises' portfolio because we share many of the same core values," Senior Helpers CEO Peter Ross said. "Given Advocate Aurora's scale and their experience as a premier health care provider, which aligns with the work our franchisees are already doing, we'll be better positioned to expand best-in-class care and wellness services for seniors." The Senior Helpers leadership team will continue in their current roles.

"As demand for non-medical home care services is expected to remain robust for the next decade, and these services become a much larger and more critical piece of the broader care continuum, we anticipate strong continued interest in these types of assets as the business model, demand drivers, and overall industry outlook remain favorable," said Jim Moskal, Partner at Livingstone.

"Livingstone's transaction experience in the home care sector was valued," commented Advocate Aurora Health Senior Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions Vamsi Botla. "Their in-depth knowledge of the unique characteristics of the franchise model proved instrumental in our assessment of Senior Helpers."

Mark Carl, Director at Livingstone, added, "This transaction is a prime example of leveraging our extensive sector expertise in conjunction with professional advisory services to assist acquirers in their evaluation of an opportunity."

The acquisition of Senior Helpers represents Livingstone's fourth successful transaction in the non-medical home care franchisor sector following the sales of Synergy Homecare to NexPhase Capital, Homewatch CareGivers to PNC Riverarch, and Home Helpers to Linsalata Capital Partners.

About Livingstone

Livingstone is an international mid-market M&A and debt advisory firm. We have deep industry expertise, and extensive global coverage, with dedicated teams across our offices serving five segments: Business Services, Consumer, Healthcare, Industrial, and Media & Technology.

To learn more, visit the Livingstone website.

Media contact:

Olga Jewusiak

[email protected]

773-505-8315

SOURCE Livingstone Partners
Policies, technologies contribute big part to China's spring farming

09:02, April 01, 2021 By Gao Yuncai, Wang Hao, Yu Jingxian ( People's Daily

Photo taken on March 11 shows a bird's-eye view of a demonstration crayfish-rice field in Longwang Township, Xiangyang, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Yang Dong)

Seeds are being sowed on farmlands across China as the spring arrives. However, this year, different from usual, policies and technologies are playing a more vital role in increasing and stabilizing grain output.

China said 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 that the country will keep strengthening the position of agriculture as the foundation of the economy, deepen supply side structural reform in the agricultural sector, and drive agricultural development with better quality, so as to advance rural vitalization.

According to the latest survey by China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the sowing areas of both winter wheat and winter rapeseed recovered growth this year. The country planted a total of 335 mu (23.3 million hectares) of winter wheat, 3 million mu more than that from a year ago, and the sowing area of winter rapeseed reached 96 million mu, up 4 million mu year on year.

With a target to stabilize the output of staple grains and soybeans, and increase that of corns, China is continuously deepen the supply side structural reform of the agricultural sector.

Liu Changyuan is a capable farmer from Zhongping village, Ersheng Township, Banan District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The man has contracted 220 mu of land this spring.

"Paddy fields are planted with rice, while soybeans and coarse cereals are planted on dry land. This year I'll plant more soybeans, as the grain brings more economic benefits," he said.

Li Yufeng, president of an agricultural cooperative in Keshan County, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province told People's Daily that after expanding the growing area of soybeans, the cooperative gained a profit of 53.28 million yuan ($8.11 million) last year. Each member of the cooperative received 922 yuan per mu, Li said, adding that soybeans made a huge contribution to the remarkable performance.

This year, China will continue implementing the plan to rejuvenate soybean farming, striving to maintain the soybean acreage above 140 million mu. A total of over 10 million mu of corns will be newly planted in northeast China and the North China Plain to further consolidate the foundation of China's grain reserves.

This year's spring farming in China is highlighted by resource conservation and driven by green development.

In Qian Gorlos Mongol Autonomous County, northeast China's Jilin Province, soils were sampled by agricultural technicians for tests. After the day of "Jingzhe" or "Awakening of Insects," the third of China's 24 solar terms and the start for spring farming, fertilizer formulas were delivered to local farmers based on the test results. The formulas were expected to save two kilograms of fertilizers and increase the yield by 10 kilograms for each mu of corn field.

Lu'an, east China's Anhui Province is replacing fertilizers with organic ones, and chemical pesticides with bio-pesticides. In a tea plantation in Taiyang Township of the city's Huoshan County, rows of solar power insecticidal lamps and traps are placed. Local tea farmer He Xiangru noted that his fellow villagers are now fully aware of the importance of green agriculture.

Ye Xingqing, Director-General of the Research Department of Rural Economy of the Development Research Center of the State Council, told People's Daily that by driving green development with institutional innovation, China has blazed a trail of modern agricultural development featuring high efficiency, safety, resource conservation and environmentally friendliness.

"Potato planting was a thing of my whole family in the past, but today it's turning easier with the help of agricultural drones," said Du Gaogu, president of an agricultural cooperative in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. He planted 80 mu of potatoes this year, and it only cost him less than a day for spraying. "With the Beidou navigation system, the error was controlled within two centimeters," he added.

Large agricultural machines are running on the broad farmlands across China, while agricultural drones are flying over them. Besides, big data is also applied to manage the fields. All these smart technologies are helping improve the quality and efficiency of the country's agricultural sector.

This year, China will build 110 pilot counties for an project involving the internet plus and the supply of agricultural products to cities. At present, agricultural technologies are contributing over 60 percent to China's agriculture improvement, and 71 percent of crops are planted and harvested by machines.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Blake Lively playfully clapped back at her husband Ryan Reynolds, after he tried to turn their COVID-19 vaccine outfits into a competition on Wednesday afternoon.

After receiving substantial teasing for his pink beanie, the 44-year-old Deadpool star asked fans to compare his look with a photo of his wife, 33, from the film Rhythm Section, in which she wore a blue beanie and looked uncharacteristically grungy.

'Who did it better?' he teased, while the poll results were nearly divided down the middle with 52 percent of votes cast in his favor, just four percent more than Lively.

Teasing: Blake Lively playfully clapped back at her husband Ryan Reynolds, after he tried to turn their COVID-19 vaccine outfits into a competition on Wednesday afternoon

Upon discovering his post, the Gossip Girl alum shared a screenshot of the same poll to her own account with a sassy caption.

'...my husband tryin' to troll me, while he's lookin' like a Bernie meme and Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou had a hot a** offspring,' she wrote over the poll. 'Good luck with this one.'

Upon announcing he got vaccinated, Reynolds blasted conspiracy theorists, who believe the coronavirus pandemic is part of a strategy to implant microchips into humans with tracking chips that would later be activated by 5G.

Poll: After receiving substantial teasing for his pink beanie, the 44-year-old Deadpool star asked fans to compare his look with a photo of his wife, 33, from the film Rhythm Section, in which she wore a blue beanie and looked uncharacteristically grungy

'Finally got 5G,' he mused of the biologically impossible theory, which was debunked by scientists, according to the BBC.

Reynolds fans on Twitter couldn't get enough of his joke, including YouTuber Sean William McLoughlin, known as Jacksepticeye.

'At least you have great reception everywhere now,' the 31-year-old video game commentator tweeted at the Canadian actor.

Grateful: Lively confirmed she also got vaccinated on social media with a very sweet caption: 'Find you someone who looks at you like I look at the heroic nurse vaccinating me'

Another quipped: 'If you stand next to any TV you'll get HBO Max and Hulu!'

Just a few hours later, Lively confirmed she also got vaccinated on social media with a very sweet caption: 'Find you someone who looks at you like I look at the heroic nurse vaccinating me.'

In the photo, she can be seen wearing a black and white striped long sleeve t-shirt under a grey cardigan as well as a face mask.

'...my husband tryin' to troll me, while he's lookin' like a Bernie meme and Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou had a hot a** offspring,' she wrote over the poll

Last month, the power couple donated $1 million to the food banks Feeding America and Food Banks Canada.

This comes three months after they gave away $500,000 to the same organizations. 'We are honored and privileged to be able to continue our support of Feeding America and Food Banks Canada,' the power couple said in a statement.

'We know the struggles of so many of our neighbors faced last year are not over and we are grateful for the opportunity to help facilitate the important work of food banks across the US and Canada to be able to provide nourishing meals to the people in need,' the duo added.

Blake and Ryan - who wed in 2012 and have three children, Inez, Betty and James.
By Ahn Choong-yong





Chinese President Xi Jinping made global headlines at the APEC summit on Nov. 20, 2020 by announcing that China was considering joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which came into effect in December 2018.



The news came amid a likely reconfiguration of the Asia-Pacific trade landscape due to unabated trade tensions between the United States and China and the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) five days prior to the announcement.



Significantly deviating from former U.S. President Donald Trump's "America first" policy, the Biden administration is returning to global governance by reviving multilateral institutions, including the Paris Agreement, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Joe Biden administration's pivot back to Asia might see the U.S. revisit the CPTTP, after mending urgent domestic affairs, including public anti-globalization sentiment.



The U.S. has lost a great deal of its leadership credibility in Asia when it comes to safeguarding the liberal trade order. Despite the U.S. withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the deal was salvaged laboriously under Japan's leadership with the remaining key members either dropping or compromising on some sensitive items in the final agreement.



In addition to China, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan have also expressed interest in joining the CPTPP. Major signatory economies of the TPP and the RCEP are Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members.



If every country interested in an expanded CPTPP, including China, were to commit to the high standards of its clauses even with a raised reentry bar, it would help create progress toward APEC's long-cherished aim of creating a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP), identified as a goal by APEC leaders as early as 2004.



Seven of the eleven CPTPP members, including Japan and Australia, are intersection economies also belonging to the RCEP. China's entry into the CPTTP in the absence of the U.S. could be viewed as creating an advanced "RCEP-II," provided that the clauses signed in "RCEP-I" are upgraded to closely match those in the CPTPP chapters.



An expanded CPTPP, with a rejoined U.S. and newly joined China, alongside other wishful entrants from the RCEP, could lead to an FTAAP. It should be welcomed as an ideal building block toward the stalled WTO quest for multilateralism with the most-favored nation principle.



But in reality, China's entry into the CPTPP is more complex. If partner countries disagree on the key components of a "level playing field," efforts toward economic integration are unlikely to bear fruit. There are several sticking points for new entrants into the CPTPP, especially China.



This includes the prohibition of state subsidies for state-owned enterprises, investorstate dispute settlement, intellectual property rights over biological products, labor conditions for government procurement, data free flows and localization restrictions and digital trade.



The picture of enhanced free trade becomes more complex and unrealistic when transparency standards for the implementation of the free trade pact and strategic security elements for the Indo-Pacific are considered.



Some of these points have been embraced in the EUChina Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) in principle concluded on Dec. 30, 2020, allowing the European Union enhanced market access in China. Still, China's CAI commitments fall short of the high standards of the CPTPP.



The TPP was originally designed by the U.S. to counter China's assertive rise. In response, China became enthusiastic about concluding an RCEP, originally perceived by ASEAN and Japan to rival the TPP. If these twin motivations for regional hegemonic leadership remain unchanged, the U.S. and China are unlikely to be in the same expanded CPTPP boat.



With a possible return of the U.S. to the CPTPP on the horizon, the U.S. and other major TPP signatories are likely to screen new members while writing reinforced trade rules. The CPTPP would then become more politically like-minded.

Given this politicoeconomic dichotomy, China's entry might be a long shot. Some experts claim China is motivated by a domestic reform agenda, referencing CPTPP's high standards. But it remains to be seen how China carries out its domestic reforms to meet CPTPP entry requirements.



Amid the challenging and unpredictable circumstance, an early conclusion of the China, Japan and South Korea trilateral trade agreement  under negotiation since 2012 despite intrinsic trilateral acrimonies  could help expedite a convergence of the two mega deals. The leaders of the three countries have already committed to realizing a "free, non-discriminatory, transparent, predictable and stable trade and investment environment" at the Chengdu trilateral summit in 2020.



Many RCEP economies are experiencing their worst economic downfall since the Great Depression due to COVID-19 and want to avoid being forced to side economically with the U.S. or China in the years to come. Only once the two major powers collaborate can urgent global issues like the ongoing pandemic and climate change be effectively dealt with.



To bring them together, the regional "constructive powers" belonging to both the CPTPP and RCEP should raise their collective voice to safeguard a deeper, rule-based, regional free trade order and serve as honest brokers.

In due process, major trading powers in the Asia Pacific should be non-assertive, non-unilateral and non-treacherous. And for any sustainable and large FTAAP in the Asia Pacific, mutual trust is key.





Ahn Choong-yong (cyahn@cau.ac.kr) is distinguished professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, Chung-Ang University. This article was published in East Asia Forum on March 26.


She rose to fame as the long-haired brunette 'born-again Christian' on Love Island.

But reality star Cartier Surjan looked almost unrecognisable as she attended launch of Magnum LUXE Gold Caramelised Chocolate on Wednesday night.

Cartier cut her hair into a bob last October and dyed her locks a rich auburn hue.

Remember her? She rose to fame as the long-haired brunette 'born-again Christian' on Love Island, but reality star Cartier Surjan looked almost unrecognisable as she attended launch of Magnum LUXE Gold Caramelised Chocolate on Wednesday night

For the event she wore her shiny locks out in a poker straight style.

The lifeguard turned social media influencer showed off her fit frame in a cute floral shift mini dress by Bec & Bridge.

She wore makeup that complimented her hair, a copper toned eyeshadow and a plum lip.

Cartier rose to fame as the long-haired brunette 'born-again Christian' on Love Island

Flirty in florals: The lifeguard turned social media influencer showed off her fit frame in a cute floral shift mini dress by Bec & Bridge

She posed on the red carpet solo, but recently debuted her new relationship with West Tigers player Jake Simpkin.

The reality star revealed she was dating the NRL star earlier this month, posting an image of herself and her beau to Instagram.

Cartier was coupled up with Adam Farrugia, 27, on Love Island, who she dated for four weeks. In that time, the two developed a strong connection.

It ran its course however, and the two decided to be friends. Cartier then moved on with co-star Matthew Zukowski, 24.

Cartier and Matthew called it quits just two weeks after the finale episode.

Changes: Cartier cut her hair into a bob last October and dyed her locks a rich auburn hue

Blast from the past: Cartier appeared on Love Island back in 2019
A court in Hong Kong on Thursday found seven veteran pro-democracy activists -- including 82-year-old Democratic Party founder Martin Lee -- guilty of charges related to "illegal assembly" in connection with a mass march of around 1.7 million people in 2019.



The District Court on Thursday Lee, media magnate Jimmy Lai, and former lawmakers Margaret Ng, Cyd Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Leung Kwok-hung of "organizing and taking part in an illegal assembly" in connection with a march from Victoria Park to the Central business district on Aug. 18, 2019.



All had denied the charges.



The march, which began with a police-authorized rally in Victoria Park to protest plans to allow the extradition of alleged criminal suspects to mainland China, was one of the biggest mass protests of the movement.



Former Civic Party lawmaker Au Nok-hin had earlier pleaded guilty to the same charges, while former lawmaker Leung Yiu-chung pleaded guilty to taking part in an illegal assembly.



Judge Amanda Woodcock found that while the march's organizers, the Civil Human Rights Front, were permitted by police to hold a rally at Victoria Park that day, the subsequent march to Central was unauthorized by police.



"This intention was vocalised repeatedly and publicly days before the public meeting ... The truth is, it was a planned unauthorised assembly," she said, rejecting the defense argument that the defendants had only attended to help disperse the crowds after the rally.



Six of the defendants including Ng and Lee were released on bail under a travel ban, while Leung, Lai, and Au remained behind bars in connection with other cases.



They will be sentenced after a mitigation hearing on April 16.



Cyd Ho, Margaret Ng, and Lee Cheuk-yan emerged from the court after being released on bail to thunderous applause from supporters chanting "Go Hong Kong! Go Hong Kong!"

'Freedom is shrinking in Hong Kong'



Ho said the case was an indication that "freedom is shrinking in Hong Kong," while Lee Cheuk-yan told reporters that those who took part in the march had exercised their right to protest in a peaceful manner on Aug. 18, 2019.



"If I get sentenced to jail, this would be a matter of great pride, and the crowning glory of my life's work," Lee Cheuk-yan told reporters. "Because I will be going to jail for standing by the people of Hong Kong."



"I would like to thank and pay my respects to all of the beautiful people of Hong Kong who marched alongside us, who marched peacefully to exercise our rights," he said. "We promise that we will carry on marching with you for our rights."



The court hearing was attended by diplomats from the European Union, Sweden, and New Zealand, as well as outspoken Catholic bishop emeritus Cardinal Joseph Zen.



Chung Kim-wah, deputy chief executive of the Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI), said there has been a sea change in the way courts in Hong Kong are handling public order cases since 2019.



"Previously, it would have been much harder to get a conviction if the assembly merely expressed some political demands, and there was no violence involved," Chung told RFA.



"Now, when Hong Kong courts deal with these cases, they tend to accept the government's view of that these protests should be suppressed," he said. "This is a crucial change from the common law system we had in the past."



Pro-democracy camp convener Figo Chan said the case was part of a political campaign to remove pro-democracy politicians from public life.



"The Hong Kong authorities are going after the democrats, regardless of whether protests are peaceful or not," Chan told reporters. "The people of Hong Kong are going to lose any opportunity to speak out."

Authorities silence critics



Sophie Richardson, China director of the New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW), said she first met Martin Lee, Margaret Ng, and Lee Cheuk-yan in 1996.



"These are people who could have spent their lives doing something else, but theyve dedicated themselves to working for human rights, and especially democracy, for all #HongKong people," Richardson said via her Twitter account.



"The law deployed today to 'convict' them is designed to make it easy for authorities to silence critics," she wrote, adding that United National human rights experts had long flagged the Public Order Ordinance as a problem.



"So those found 'guilty' today had only committed the crime of being pro-democracy. That #HongKong police and courts even indulged this case is a powerful indictment of them, not of the defendants," Richardson wrote.



Benedict Rogers, who heads the U.K.-based rights group Hong Kong Watch, told Euronews that the verdict was a huge blow to Hong Kong activism.



"These are respected, internationally renowned, moderate democrats ... mainstream politicians in Hong Kong," Rogers said in comments published on his group's website. "The opposition in Hong Kong is now very significantly constrained."



Reported by Lau Siu Fung and Lu Xi for RFA's Cantonese and Mandarin Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
In regard to working with Liger Studios, Director Jared Hess says, ...[theyre] pretty much my favorite production company.

Liger Studios is set to begin production on Napoleon Dynamite Dos: Summers Revenge, the sequel to the cult comedy Napoleon Dynamite, starring Jon Heder and Efran Ramirez and directed by Jared Hess.

Napoleon Dynamite Dos: Summers Revenge returns with the original cast 18 years after Summer Wheatleys defeat by Pedro Sanchez in the 2004 Class Presidential Election at Preston High School in Idaho.

Jon Heder makes his return to the Idaho Plains for this sequel after his most recent work with co-star Michael Gross in Tremors: Shrieker Island. The film documents the trio of friends, Napoleon Dynamite, Pedro Sanchez, and Deb Bradshaw as they take on Pocatello, a nearby Idahoan city with a population 10 times the size of their hometown. While in the interview process for a promotion to general manager at the local Costco, Pedro finds himself vying for the position against a familiar competitor, Summer Wheatly. Deadpan hilarity and quirky comedy ensue as the high school misfits continue to find their sweet spot in all-American geekdom with more Tina the llama, cage fighting, and of course, Liger drawings.

In regard to working with Liger Studios, Director Jared Hess says, ...[theyre] pretty much my favorite production company.

For fans of the cult classic, dont break out your Vote for Pedro t-shirts too fast. This feature film wont be heading to the cinemas anytime soon because this is an April Fools Day prank brought to you by Liger Partners. But dont get too upset, as of September 2020, John Heder is open to returning for a real Napoleon Dynamite 2.

About Liger Studios

Liger Studios is a subsidiary of Liger Partners with award-winning producers, Isaac Mendoza and Ingrid Schmidt, accompanied by upcoming talent in the industry and state-of-the-art equipment. Liger Partners is a full-service marketing firm delivering everything from an engaging social presence to a full outside marketing solution crafted to an organizations specific needs. Why the name Liger? Because, much like the mythical creature from the movie Napoleon Dynamite, we're a bunch of marketing and operations experts bred for our skills in magic. and our awesome dance moves and mad nunchuck skills arent half bad either. Learn more at http://www.ligerpartners.com.
One on One with Joe Korkowski, as heard Saturdays on KXRA-1490AM (@7:40am) and KXRA-92.3FM (@8:00am), as well as each Sunday morning on KXRZ Z99.3fm (@10:15am).

The interview is also re-broadcast on Monday mornings on KX92 at 10:00am and on Z99 at 9:10am.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez delivers a message after his brother Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernandez was found guilty of U.S. drug trafficking, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Oct. 18, 2019. (Jorge Cabrera/Reuters)

Honduran Presidents Brother Sentenced to Life in Prison in US for Drug Trafficking

NEW YORKTony Hernandez, a former Honduran congressman and brother of the sitting president, was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for drug trafficking by a U.S. judge on Tuesday.

Hernandez, 42, was convicted on the drug charges and related weapons charges in October 2019. Hernandez will also be forced to pay $138.5 million in forfeiture, which prosecutors in their sentencing memo wrote was blood money from drug trafficking.

This is state-sponsored drug trafficking and this is exactly the type of conduct the government should be targeting, because of the impact it has on Honduras, U.S. prosecutor Matthew Laroche said. Honduras is one of the principal drug transhipment places in the world and one of the most violent places in the world.

Laroche went on to say that the depth of corruption set Hernandezs case apart.

He secured protection from investigation, arrest and extradition by paying massive bribes to politicians, like his brother, and like (former president) Porfirio Lobo Sosa, Laroche said.

He said Hernandez had accepted millions in bribes, including $1 million from El Chapo Guzman, to funnel into the ruling National Partys coffers for elections in 2009, 2013, and 2017 to benefit his brother, President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

President Hernandez has denied the allegations and he has not been charged with a crime.

Based upon Tony Hernandez free choice to engage in a life of drug trafficking for 12 years, a sentence of life imprisonment is richly deserved, U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel said in federal court in Manhattan.

Tony Hernandezs lawyer Peter Brill said he plans to appeal.

In a statement, the Honduran government rejected assertions by U.S. prosecutors that it was a state that fostered drug trafficking.

We regret that these sentences have as a fundamental pillar, as a cornerstone, the evidently false statements of drug traffickers, who in order to seek benefits for themselves and their families in the United States, they go and lie, the statement said.

Court filings laid out that in addition to corrupting institutions to transport at least 185,000 kilograms (204 tons) of cocaine to the United States, Tony Hernandez commanded members of Honduran security forces, controlled drug laboratories, sold machine guns and ammunition, some from the military, to drug traffickers, and helped cause two murders.

President Hernandez has often represented himself as tough on drugs, acting as an ally to the United States in immigration and anti-narcotics operations.

The allegations could complicate the efforts of the new U.S. administration of President Joe Biden to address the causes of migration from Central America by investing $4 billion in the region, including Honduras.

In an indictment in a case earlier this month against now-convicted Honduran drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez, prosecutors said that Hernandez, who has been president since 2014, used Honduran law enforcement and military officials to protect drug traffickers.
Stomachs resumed churning and caps resumed flying off heads in Vallejo on Thursday as the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom amusement park at long last reopened its pandemic-shuttered collection of gut-busting thrill rides.

There were ample amounts screams  mostly the happy kind.

This is going to be great, said Vallejo paramedic Kevin Reustle, stepping aboard the Joker roller coaster on its first run in over a year. Id say the odds of my puking this ride are only about 10%.

For the next minute or so, the 5-year-old roller coaster did its best to jerk, yank, spin, invert and separate Reustle from whatever hed had for breakfast.

It failed, and Reustle  one of the health care workers and first responders invited to the grand reopening Thursday  took a second ride, just to make sure.

That was great, he said. Ive loved this place since I was a kid. Its good to be back.

Six Flags, like other California amusement parks in the red safety tier, got the green light to operate at 15% capacity, so long as it adheres to enhanced safety standards.

In Vallejo, that means park-goers must leave the roller coaster seat next to them empty. It also means submitting to a temperature scan at the front gate, closed benches, extra squads of rag-wielding cleaner-uppers and hand-sanitizer dispensers installed on seemingly every square inch of park real estate not already occupied by a fast-food stand.

Six Flags manager Kirk Smith said it was great to be back in the business of turning people upside down. Were here to bring thrills and escapism, he said. But were also here to bring our community back to work.

Guests will be admitted in 15-minute slots, which must be reserved online. For Saturday, most of those slots have already been booked  on Thursday, a few remained for late in the afternoon.

Park admission is $30 but there are other ways the park separates cash from customers besides shaking it from their pockets on roller coasters: There are $15 tri-tip sandwiches, $6 fish for flinging at sea lions and $5 for a locker pass to park your cell phone at the entrance to each thrill ride, to keep it from flying off in midair.

At the Joker, ride operator Paul De Guzman dispatched each train full of hands-up screamers with the push of a black button.

He said his crew was ready in case the Joker  one of what the industry affectionately refers to as vomit comets  lives up to its billing.

We have a supply of what looks like kitty litter, he said. After that we use sanitizer. Were ready.

Smith added that roller coaster cars are wiped down with alcohol every half hour by employees hired just for that duty.

The pandemic has created new job opportunities, he noted, even as it has taken others away.

The park, an eclectic mix of thrill rides and animal exhibits, was to be open Thursday and Friday for season pass holders only. On Saturday, members of the general public can see just how well their guts will perform after a year off.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF
Over the last year, fast-food chain employees have faced a deadly pandemic, customer push-back to mask mandates and long lines during Februarys winter storm.

To thank its 46,000 workers who have endured those hardships, San Antonio-based Whataburger announced this week it has awarded more than $90 million in bonuses  or an average of nearly $2,000 for each employee.

Workers also received other compensation, emergency pay and a doubling of their 401(k) plan matching for 2020.

Employees helped set record company performance numbers since last March, the company said.

NEWS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up for breaking news email alerts from HoustonChronicle.com here

The past year reshaped how we live, work and play, with the restaurant and hospitality industry being heavily impacted by the pandemic and this years crippling winter storms, Whataburger CEO Ed Nelson said in a statement. We wanted to help ensure that our family members and their families were taken care of and thank them for continuing to go the extra mile to serve our guests with great pride, care and love.

The company is also changing general managers titles to operating partners and said they can earn six figures annually, including bonuses of up to 150 percent of their target incentive.

Whataburger did not immediately respond Thursday to an inquiry seeking more details about its announcement.

The company began as a roadside burger stand that Harmon Dobson opened in 1950 in Corpus Christi. Today it has over 840 restaurants in 10 states, with the bulk of its locations in Texas, and generates annual sales of over $2.5 billion.

The Dobson family announced in 2019 that Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners had acquired a majority stake in the company with plans to expand it. Whataburger is opening restaurants in new markets, including cities in Missouri and Tennessee; franchising again for the first time in nearly two decades; and introducing new restaurant models.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
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Nigerian pastor, Chris Oyakhilomes religious TV channel, Loveworld, has been sanctioned by The Office of Communications in the United Kingdom (Ofcom) for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19.

Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.

Ofcom, in a statement on its official Twitter page, said the station was fined 125,000 (N65.6m) for breaching the countrys broadcasting code by disseminating misinformation on COVID-19.

Today we have fined Loveworld 125,000 for this breach of the broadcasting code. This was the second time in a year that the broadcaster breached our rules on accuracy in news and harm in its coverage of the coronavirus. More detail: https://t.co/4y6dJ08DT3 https://t.co/PGosakSzyk  Ofcom (@Ofcom) March 31, 2021

The statement read in part, Today we have fined Loveworld 125,000 for this breach of the broadcasting code. This was the second time in a year that the broadcaster breached our rules on accuracy in news and harm in its coverage of the coronavirus.

On December 1 2020, Loveworld aired a 29-hour programme called the Global Day of Prayer, during which claims were made about the COVID-19, which has so far killed thousands across the globe.

According to the agency, these claims included the notion that the outbreak was planned, that the sinister vaccine can be used to implant nanochips that can control and cause harm to members of the public and the debunked theory that the virus was somehow caused by 5G.

The agency said it was unfortunate that the station could continue to spread such information despite previous warnings.

Mr Oyakhilome, who heads Christ Embassy church headquartered in Lagos, has in the last one year encouraged his members to ignore COVID-19 protocols.

The statement further read, Ofcom stresses that legitimate debate about the official response to the coronavirus pandemic is fundamental to holding public authorities to account during a global health crisis - particularly when public freedoms are curtailed and complex policy decisions are being taken.

However, the inaccurate and potentially harmful claims made during this programme were unsupported by any factual evidence and went entirely without challenge.

Controversies

The agency added that it was particularly concerned that this breach followed previous, similar breaches in 2020 during the investigation of which, Loveworld Limited, gave Ofcom a number of assurances as to how it would improve its compliance procedures.

A year ago, the controversial preacher shot a viral video wherein he established a link between the 5G network, Coronavirus, and anti-Christ.

In the video, Mr Oyakhilome also stated that the lockdown was to enable the Federal Government to install 5G in Abuja and Lagos.

He told his members in a sermon that 5G was part of the new world order where some figures of authority in the world were trying to build a religion, economy, and government for the entire universe.

But three clerics, Poju Oyemade, Sam Adeyemi and Matthew Ashimolowo, would later debunk Oyakhilomes claims at separate fora.

He recently asked his members not to take COVID-19 vaccines and berated Nigerian pastors who complied with the governments ban on large gatherings because of coronavirus.
Kim Kardashian has continued to pump out new products for her SKIMS collection despite the coronavirus pandemic proving to be a detriment to most businesses.

And the KUWTK star, 40, took to Instagram on Wednesday to model a cozy, yet flattering grey number from the brand's Cozy collection, which was recently restocked.

Posing in a luxe bathroom, Kardashian put her flat tummy and ample bust on display in a triangle bra and a cropped fluffy zip-up.

Thriving: Kim Kardashian has continued to pump out new products for her SKIMS line despite the coronavirus pandemic proving to be a detriment to most businesses

She completed the ensemble by throwing on a pair of matching drawstring joggers and slipping into a pair of slide slippers.

Kardashian wore her lengthy raven tresses in a loose, voluminous waves that flowed down her back from a neat middle part.

'Alright I am leaving set right now and I just wanted to show you guys my full cozy attire!' captioned Kim on the post, which was uploaded to the official SKIMs Instagram account.

She noted that when she 'pulls up' to the set of a photoshoot, she almost always wears 'my slides, my Cozy sweats, and my SKIMS bra underneath.'

Cozy gal: And the KUWTK star, 40, took to Instagram on Wednesday to model a cozy, yet flattering grey number from the brand's Cozy collection

Monochromatic moment: Posing in a luxe bathroom, Kardashian put her flat tummy and ample bust on display in a triangle bra and a cropped fluffy zip-up

'And I am just the coziest person on the planet,' concluded the SKIMS CEO, who boasts 212million followers on her own Instagram account.

The Cozy collection, which was first released in late February, is described as a 'trend-defining boucle knit collection has a waitlist of over half a million for a reason!'

It is made of 'the softest, fluffiest yarn,' which allows the pieces to live up to their name.

Check it out: 'Alright I am leaving set right now and I just wanted to show you guys my full cozy attire!' captioned Kim on the IG Story post

Glamorous: Kardashian wore her lengthy raven tresses in a loose, voluminous waves that flowed down her back from a neat middle part

Her go-to: She noted that when she 'pulls up' to the set of a photoshoot, she almost always wears 'my slides, my Cozy sweats, and my SKIMS bra underneath'

Kim's SKIMS-related IG Story posts come just one day after she used Instagram to share three sweet snapshots of her youngest children, sons Saint, five, and Psalm, one, and daughter Chicago, three.

The KKW Beauty owner shares the trio, as well as seven-year-old daughter North, with estranged husband Kanye West, 43.

For the snaps, all three of the little ones donned matching orange while wearing mini Yeezy shoes.

Sweet: Kim's SKIMS-related IG Story posts come just one day after she used Instagram to share three sweet snapshots of her youngest children, sons Saint, five, and Psalm, one, and daughter Chicago, three

Color coordinated: For the snaps, all three of the little ones donned matching orange while wearing mini Yeezy shoes

Saint and Psalm kept it simple in white T-shirts with orange shorts.

Chicago looked cute in a orange top with a matching maxi skirt which was emblazoned with scales like a goldfish.

Regardless of the impending divorce, the children all showed support for dad Kanye West as they wore his Yeezy Foamrunner shoes and slide sandals in mini form.

The KUWTK star made it official with her divorce filing in February, and the two are reportedly planning to split custody of the children.

Co-parenting: The KKW Beauty owner shares the trio, as well as seven-year-old daughter North, with estranged husband Kanye West, 43; Kim, Kanye, and their brood in 2019

Kim has hired top Hollywood divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, reportedly the inspiration for Laura Dern's Oscar-winning role in Marriage Story.

The attorney also represented her when ending her second marriage to husband Kris Humphries, which lasted only 72 days.

According to TMZ, Kim may get to hold on to the family's Hidden Hills home so as not to uproot the children.

Split: The KUWTK star made it official with her divorce filing in February, and the two are reportedly planning to split custody of the children; Kanye and Kim pictured in 2014
Conservative MP Michael Chong rises during question period in the House of Commons on Oct. 5, 2018. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

They Are an Attempt to Silence Us: Commons Committee Unanimously Condemns Beijings Sanctions

A House of Commons committee voted unanimously Wednesday to condemn Beijings sanctioning of a member of Parliament and a parliamentary subcommittee.



Members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development said they stand in solidarity with Conservative MP Michael Chong, after Beijing announced sanctions against him and the Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights on March 27.

Both Chong and the subcommittee have been instrumental in investigating and calling out the human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang by the Chinese regime.

Liberal MP Ruby Sahota tabled the motion to strongly condemn Chinas sanctions, saying they represent an affront to Canadas democracy and parliamentary system.



These sanctions are nothing more than retaliatory measures taken which I feel are unacceptable and unjustified, Sahota said during the meeting.



We think that there should be a united and clear stance taken by parliamentarians, and especially by this committee first and foremost, to condemn this action by China.



Chong said that although the sanctions will not have any impact on him personally, they are nevertheless an attempt by Beijing to silence Canadian parliamentarians.



They are an attempt to silence us. Theyre an attempt to stop us from speaking up on the violations of international law in the form of the 1948 Genocide Convention that China is perpetrating in its genocide against the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang province, he said.



On Feb. 22, MPs voted unanimously to declare the Chinese regimes persecution against Uyghurs a genocide on a motion tabled by Chong. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet abstained from the vote.

A month later, on March 22, Canada announced sanctions against four Xinjiang officials and one entity in China for their participation in gross and systematic human rights violations against the Uyghurs.

Chong stressed that MPs mustnt allow the Chinese sanctions to silence them and the focus should be on why we were sanctioned. He then listed several of Beijings rights transgressions, including its abuse of Uyghurs, its violation of the Hong Kong international treaty, its continued persecution of the Tibetan people, its arbitrary imprisonment of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, its arbitrary imposition of the death penalty on Canadian Robert Schellenberg, and its two-decade imprisonment of Canadian Huseyin Celil.



Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi concurred.



We have to remain focused on the main issue, which is to reduce harm, which is to save lives, which is to stop rape, torture, forced sterilization, abortion, forced slave labour, Zuberi said, referring to the abuses of Uyghurs.



NDP MP Jack Harris proposed an amendment to Sahotas motion to add the sentence: As parliamentarians, we will continue to actively denounce human rights violations and breaches of international law in keeping with our respect for basic human rights, and that the motion be reported to the House.



The committee voted unanimously in favour of the amendment.



Bloc MP Stephane Bergeron said Beijings sanctions crossed the line of the fundamental principles of the British parliamentary system.



If theres a single rule that is imminent in the British parliamentary system, it is this very ability by parliamentarians to execute their work safe from any pressure, Bergeron said.



If we cannot accept this  from the inside, we certainly cant accept from the outside.



Conservative MP Garnett Genuis said Beijings sanctions are proof that the pressure being put on the regime by Chong and the human rights subcommittee are working.



Those criticisms are having an impact, and the greater that impact the more likely were going to see a change in behaviour, Genuis said.



Zuberi said Canada needs to continue to raise the alarm against the regimes crimes against humanity.



All citizens need to continue to raise the alarm, and everybody has agency. Citizens have agency and their agency is to share what they know with others around them, he said.



Be it on social media, be it within their families, be it in their workspaces. Thats a form of activism and a form of forward movement to help what we are all doing here together right now.


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Mounted police officers charged at and trampled park-goers before turning water cannons on them as thousands of revellers packed a park in Belgium for a lockdown-breaching festival that was arranged as an April Fool's joke.

Clashes erupted as police attempted to clear the Brussels park, with several officers and their horses and at least eight party-goers injured.

Footage showed one woman being knocked unconscious as a police horse smashed into her as she looked the other way. Reports said she was one of two people taken to hospital in an unknown condition.

Up to 5,000 people decended on Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels for 'La Boum' - French for 'The Party' - an event originally announced on Facebook as a joke.

Despite Belgium's Covid rules barring gatherings of more than four people, the revellers had seemingly hoped to be treated 'eight stages, a hundred DJs and zero coronavirus rules' and acts including a one-off reunion of recently split French dance group Daft Punk.

Instead, they met with a stern response from the city's police force after the moyor had demanded the youngsters disperse.

When they refused to leave, police on horseback charged into the crowd while other officers fired water cannons and used tear gas against rowdy party-goers.

Belgian police officers trampled park-goers under horses' hooves after revellers refused to leave a prank festival for April Fools Day

A horse ran straight into one woman (right, moments before she was hit) in the park on Thursday

The woman was hit by the horse and sent crashing to the floor. Horrified onlookers rushed to help

Bruxelles aujourd'hui les policiers deployes par dizaines, a cheval ou a pied, en equipements antiemeutes policiers + canons a eau pour disperser un rassemblement au Bois de la Cambre, 1 femme grievement blessee par un cheval! Toute cette armee est mobilisee au nom de l'EPIDEMIE! pic.twitter.com/SyuGBzzhRc  Le General (@LE_GENERAL_FR) April 1, 2021

More than 2,000 Belgians (pictured being dispersed) rushed to Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels to attend the fake 'La Boum' festival which was announced on Facebook as a joke

A girl was seen being lead away with a bloody nose by two others amid the chaos

A police officer was seen being led away by colleagues covered in blood as the crowd was dispersed in Brussels

A woman was seen covered in blood at the park during the protest in Brussels

A woman is seen clutching her head and crying after the fake La Boum lockdown party descended into chaos

Police were seen firing pepper spray at a party-goer in Brussels during the clashes

One girl stood with her arms out in front of a large fire blocking the road at the festival

Huge crowds - unperturbed by the revelation that the festival was a hoax - launched into a party on the grass, with speakers blasting music and revellers dancing and singing along. Pictured: Police spraying water cannons at revellers

When they refused to disperse, police on horseback charged into crowds while other officers fired water cannons (pictured) and used tear gas against rowdy revellers

Police used batons to beat protesters as they attempted to disperse the crowds

A woman poses with her hands in the shape of a heart in front of a fire set by partygoers in Belgium

A woman is seen running through the spray caused by a water cannon in Belgium on Thursday

Horses were seen rearing up as terrified onlookers jumped away in fear in the Brussels park

Last month, Belgium authorities announced a raft of stricter measures to combat a third wave of Covid-19 sweeping through Europe.

The country has a 10pm curfew in place in most areas and all bars, cafes and restaurants are closed - as are all of Belgium's schools.

Non-essential shops are open but they can only be visited with a pre-booked appointment.

And, as of March 24, all outdoor gatherings are limited to just four people.

Hundreds of revellers descended on the park for the unauthorised festival organised by an anonymous group of people on Facebook

Police were seen spraying pepper spray into the faces of demonstrators who cowered in fear

People are sprayed by a police water cannon during a protest at Bois de la Cambre park

Teenagers clashed with the police as tensions escalated during an unauthorised festival

Revellers remained at the park into the night. Several were seen standing on a van

Mounted police officers surround protesters at the park in Brussels

Water was sprayed into the crowds as protesters defied the aggressive tactics

Protesters were blasted by fast jets of water as police officers tackled the crowd

Party goers were seen standing on a van in Belgium. The windscreen was smashed

Revellers were seen standing by a huge fire they started in Belgium during clashes with police

Belgian youth set a fire as they gathered for a fake concert announced on social media

People are seen holding cloths up to their mouths as they make their way through the tear gas in the park

Some 22 people were arrested and several police officers were injured in the clashes, Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de keere confirmed

Organisers of the La Boum festival told party-goers that the event was fake several times leading up to April 1. Pictured: Police clearing revellers from the park

Organisers of the La Boum festival told party-goers that the event was fake several times leading up to April 1.

But even so, police officers were forced to rush in clear lockdown-breaching revellers from the park at around 5pm.

Those who refused to leave began throwing objects - including bottles - at police.

It was then that officers began using water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray and a drone to break up the party, local paper The Brussels Times reports.

Earlier this week, mayor of the City of Brussels Philippe Close insisted the event was 'unauthorised and fake' - but warned people may gather regardless. Pictured: Police breaking up the event

Belgium has a daily infection rate of 420 - making it the tenth worst-hit nation in Europe. Pictured: People at the event today

Police officers (pictured) were forced to rush in to break up the gathering and clear lockdown-breaching revellers from the park at around 5pm

A woman is seen getting ready to throw a bottle at police officers at the prank festival today

People throw stones and bottles towards the police during a protest at Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels

Party-goers clashed with police in Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels on Thursday

Huge sprays of water from a water cannon were shot at revellers in Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels

Belgians clashed with the police in Bois de la Cambre park. Massive crowds gathered for a fake festival

People were seen throwing stones and bottles towards the police. Many objected to being told to leave a fake lockdown festival

Revellers were seen washing their faces with water after being doused with tear gas and pepper spray in Belgium

Earlier this week, mayor of the City of Brussels Philippe Close insisted the event was 'unauthorised and fake' - but warned people may gather regardless.

He said 'police will be present at Bois de la Cambre and will act with discernment in the event of an actual gathering' and urged party goers to consider officers 'who have a lot of work to do and are subject to complex tasks in the context of the pandemic'.

Belgium has a daily infection rate of 420 - making it the tenth worst-hit nation in Europe.

Over the past week, the UK has recorded an average of 73 cases per one million people every day.

This is a lower rate than all 27 EU nations apart from Denmark and Portugal, which have both adopted strict lockdowns.

Belgium has reported over 882,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 23,000 virus-related deaths. Pictured: The party moments before the police arrived

Hospitalizations due to Covid -19 have risen in recent weeks in Belgium and health authorities have warned that intensive care units could reach a critical level by April 10 if the pace of new infections and hospitalizations does not slow down. Pictured: The party today

Revellers were seen enjoying the party in Bois de la Cambre in Belgium shortly before it was broken up by police

Hungary - the worst-affected EU nation - has a daily rate of 882 cases per one million.

In France it is 571, while the rate in the Netherlands is 449 and in Italy it is 334.

As Europe battles a third wave, UK cases, deaths and hospitalisations have fallen to a six-month low.

On Wednesday, another 43 deaths and 4,052 cases were recorded.

Deaths are now averaging 50 a day, down from a peak of 1,284 deaths on January 19. It also marked a 56 per cent week-on-week drop in deaths on last Wednesday.

And today, Britain's daily coronavirus cases dropped by a third in a week and deaths are continuing to fall.

Department of Health bosses posted 4,479 lab-confirmed cases today and 51 deaths  down 20 per cent on the same day last week.

Figures also showed that more second vaccine doses (404,922) than first shots (241,906) were dished out for the second day in a row.

Data across the board revealed the virus remains in retreat, prompting experts to claim reopening schools had a 'very small' impact on cases and England was in a 'good position' for the next bout of lockdown-easing on April 12.

The Office for National Statistics estimated 148,100 Britons were infected on any given day last week  the lowest figure since before the second wave spiralled out of control and down almost 10 per cent on the previous seven-day spell.

Belgium has reported over 882,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 23,000 virus-related deaths.

Hospitalizations due to Covid -19 have risen in recent weeks and health authorities have warned that intensive care units could reach a critical level by April 10 if the pace of new infections and hospitalizations does not slow down.

Large crowds have been gathering across Brussels' green spaces this week to enjoy the unusually warm weather.

Another event has been advertised for Friday in a different Brussels park, promoted by a group called the Abyss.

The group said it does not question the government's strategy but fights for citizens' rights to gather outdoors.
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As phase-2 of West Bengal assembly elections witnessed high octane drama in the Nandigram constituency with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee levelling allegations on CRPF forces of collusion with BJP and lodging complaint of poll rigging, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan slammed his Bengal counterpart while praising the people of Nandigram. Incidents of violence and clashes were reported while the polling was underway earlier in the day.

Speaking with ANI, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "TMC means Terror, Murder and Corruption. You have seen how violence erupted in West Bengal. Nandigram has given them their result. It's shameful how she (Mamata Banerjee) is abusing. She has lost her mental balance."

Levelling allegations of people not being allowed to vote, the Mamata Banerjee on Thursday started touring several booths across Nandigram which has been the epicentre of the West Bengal faceoff between BJP and TMC. However, several women were seen raising slogans of 'Jai Shree Ram' against Mamata Banerjee after which she termed them as outsiders from UP and Bihar. Mamata Banerjee also dialled governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and complained about the poll rigging and voter suppression.

Taking cognizance of Mamata Banerjee's allegations, Governor Dhankar has assured full 'adherence to rule of law'. He added that the concerned authorities have been briefed about the issue and the right action will be taken. Banerjee has threatened to go to court if the EC takes no action on such instances.

Meanwhile, BJP's Suvendu Adhikari exuding confidence has opined that the high voter turnout in Nandigram was an indication of his victory from this constituency.

"Such a high voter turnout! This is a message for change. Sanatani people saying Jai Shri Ram, Hare Krishna who were in fear came out freely and voted," Adhikari said while adding that Banerjee has insulted voters.

After the conclusion of the phase-2 polls, the Chief Election Officer of Kolkata said that nothing untoward has happened in the election barring a few stray incidents.

"We are checking everything. We have been monitoring everything. We have the machinery and people are also deployed everywhere. 7 people have been arrested for Keshwar violence. A candidate has been attacked in Keshpur along with 4 others.," said CEO Kolkata.

He added, "Slogan shouting was seen in Nandigram. Senior officials were sent to the spot where they got the situation under control. I don't think apart from few stray incidents, any major untoward incident has taken place".

The polling for the remaining phases will take place on April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29. The counting of votes shall take place on May 2.
A British employee has won a racism claim after his boss said English people were 'lazy'.

James Heeley said he was repeatedly teased about his nationality by colleagues who asked whether he was 'still drunk' and accused him of being workshy.

The transport administrator worked for Peterborough-based transport company, Birk Holdings, and was one of five white British employees out of 16 staff.

On one occasion, he claimed he overheard boss Gurvinder Singh Birk, saying: 'No more English drivers should be used as they are lazy and only interested in claiming benefits.'

An employment tribunal found Mr Heeley was the victim of race discrimination and harassment and ordered his former employer to pay him 2,500 compensation.

The panel heard that on one occasion, employees Wiktoria Kolenska (left) and Sandra Liutkevciene (right) said: '[We] can tell you're British as you don't have your coat on, are you still drunk from last night?'

While the company claimed staff had 'just been joking', the panel disagreed, adding in its ruling: 'Many extremely unpleasant behaviours can be dressed up as jokes but it is no excuse.'

The hearing in Bury St Edmunds was told Mr Heeley began working for the Peterborough-based transport company, Birk Holdings in October 2017.

At the time five of its 16 employees were white British, and the panel heard this put Mr Heeley 'in the minority'.

From February 2018 to February of the following year, the tribunal found Mr Heeley was the victim of numerous discriminatory comments made by his fellow colleagues.

He told the hearing that senior employees had said, 'English drivers do drive slowly' and that Mr Heeley did 'not do a lot of work because he's English'.

The panel heard that on one occasion, employees Wiktoria Kolenska and Sandra Liutkevciene said to him: '[We] can tell you're British as you don't have your coat on, are you still drunk from last night?'

After Mr Heeley took a few days off sick, he told the court that another employee, Vilius Augustis, had said: 'Oh, the lazy English worker has decided to come back to work.'

The panel heard that manager Mr Birk also told another senior employee not to hire British workers because they 'can turn you down easily and claim benefits.'

Mr Augustis allegedly said to Mr Heeley: 'Lazy English workers are always off sick,' the tribunal was told.

At the tribunal another employee had argued that the comments were 'mere jokes' made by colleagues by his 'perceived friends' and that Mr Heeley would 'join in'.

He was fired on March 15, 2019, by Mr Birk who cited concerns about his performance, attendance and time keeping.

An employment tribunal in in Bury St Edmunds found Mr Heeley was the victim of race discrimination and harassment and ordered his former employer to pay him 2,500 compensation

But the panel, chaired by Employment Judge Jennifer Bartlett, concluded that he had been discriminated against.

'We consider that the comments are serious such that they create a hostile and/or intimidating environment because they are by a number of reasonably senior individuals, over a period of time, repeated and in a workplace in which the claimant was a minority,' it said.

'We do not accept that the fact that he called some of the comments jokes undermines their effect on him. Many extremely unpleasant behaviours can be dressed up as jokes but it is no excuse.'

Mr Heeley was awarded 2,500 for injury to feelings and a further 961.74 for a breach of employment law.


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The country's exports jumped by 58.23 per cent to $34 billion in March as key sectors such as engineering, gems and jewellery and pharmaceuticals recorded healthy growth rate during the month, according to the Commerce Ministry's provisional data.

Exports during April-March 2020-21, however, dipped by 7.4 per cent to $290.18 billion compared to $313.36 billion in 2019-20, the data showed.

during 2020-21 contracted by 18 per cent to $388.92 billion compared to $474.71 billion during 2019-20.



In March 2020, the exports stood at $21.49 billion, which was a decline of about 34 per cent over March 2019 due to global slowdown induced by the Covid-19 crisis.

"India's merchandise exports in March 2021 were $34.0 billion as compared to $21.49 billion in March 2020, an increase of 58.23 per cent," the ministry said in a statement.

It said that "first time ever in a month", the exports crossed$34 billion.

too rose by 52.89 per cent to $48.12 billion as against $31.47 billion in March 2020. The trade deficit during the month widened to $14.12 billion as against $9.98 billion in March 2020.

In March, oil grew by 1.22 per cent to $10.17 billion. During 2020-21, oil imports dipped by 37 per cent to $82.25 billion.

Non-oil imports in March were up by 777.12 per cent to $37.95 billion. During the full fiscal, the imports contracted by 10.89 per cent to $306.67 billion.

Gold imports jumped to $7.17 billion during the month under review.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in a tweet said: "Make in India, Make for the World: Merchandise exports in March 2021 grew by 58 per cent year-on-year to $34 billion, the highest ever in Indian history. PM @NarendraModi ji's policies have propelled Indian economy to historic new heights, despite the pandemic".

Federation of Indian Exports Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai said that despite issues related with container shortage and movement of ships Suez Canal, the exports have crossed $290 billion.

"It is extremely good growth looking into COVID-19 challenges," he said.
What lies beyond the pandemic? MassForward is MassLives series examining the journey of Massachusetts businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

________________

Nuestra, a restaurant serving Puerto Rican cuisine in Worcester, announced on Thursday it would be temporarily closing on April 18 due to COVID-19.

Its just the right move at the right time, owner Natalie Rodriguez said. We cant keep continuing to lose each week. We have to figure out a different strategy. So thats where were at.

Rodriguez opened Nuestra in January of 2020. In many ways, the timing couldnt have been worse for navigating through the pandemic. Many of the loans and grants offered both federally and at the state level required a business to be open in 2019 as a reference to consider a loan or grant amount.

It wasnt easy for Rodriguez to receive funding that other restaurants were able to obtain. At the state level, available aid for restaurants required that they were established before June of 2019.

Rodriguez registered Nuestra with the state in August of that year.

Governor (Charlie) Baker, I wish I could see him face-to-face and say listen, you gave out these grants to all these restaurants, but in the provisions, they needed to be established in June. I didnt get established until August. That wasnt fair at all, Rodriguez said. What matters is I opened before the pandemic. Not June. Who cares who opened in June?

Rodriguez was able to obtain Paycheck Protection Program funding but because she moved so quickly in applying for the loans, it actually hurt the restaurant. The first round of PPP loans required businesses to use 75% of the funding over an eight-week period, specifically toward wages.

After Rodriguez abided by the rules for six or seven weeks, the Small Business Administration altered the regulations extending the terms from eight weeks to about five months and also expanded what the funds could be used for.

I could have gotten a lot more than I got this last round, but I wasnt able to because they went and changed things again, Rodriguez said. Had they done it a bit sooner, we probably could have been open for a little bit longer. We could have stretched out those funds a little bit more.

Rodriguez wants to use the break to reimagine Nuestra. In the meantime, the restaurant will continue catering and expects to be a part of the food scene at Polar Park.

Rodriguez is also preparing to take orders for frozen Empanadillas that patrons can cook at home. Updates for the cook-at-home kits will be posted on Nuestras Facebook page when they are available.

Were just trying to see where we pivot because thats what you have to do during this pandemic, Rodriguez said. We didnt anticipate giving up - were not giving up, were just changing how we do things as a whole.

Rodriguez has remained nimble during the pandemic. She started a second business during the pandemic, working as a financial advisor to make ends meet.

As vaccines continue to roll out in Massachusetts, Rodriguez has a few plans for Nuestra in the coming months but wants to iron out any wrinkles before announcing.

I have a couple ideas. I just have to make sure they come to life before I actually put them out there, Rodriguez said. Theres a couple things in the works that I want to do in regards to the name, the brand, and some of the things we have to offer.

MassForward is MassLive's series examining the journey of Massachusetts' small businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

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The developed world must not push others to adopt Net Zero carbon emissions, said union minister R K Singh, insisting countries like India cant be "stopped" from using resources needed for progress.

Singh, who handles the power, new and renewable energy ministry, was speaking at a virtual inter-ministerial summit on Net Zero hosted by the International Energy Agency on Wednesday. He comment comes ahead of the climate conference or COP26 in Glasgow, UK in November. Developed nations will announce their Net Zero target years during COP26.

Net Zero means that there is balance in versus emissions saved. Net negative emissions means saving is more than emitting. China has announced it will achieve Net Zero before 2060 and the UK has kept 2050 as the target. It has also passed a Net Zero emission law.

India does not have a Net Zero target. Developed world has occupied 80 per cent of the carbon space already. Now you have to give space to others to develop, for instance, 800 million people still are without electricity in Africa. It is not about us (India); we get investment. It is about those countries. You cant say you come to net zero  no, sorry. These countries have to develop and that development would need steel, cement etc. You cant stop them, Singh said.

Developed nations should not talk about Net Zero, but focus on removing carbon from the atmosphere they add. Net negative is what they need to talk about, Singh said.

Countries whose per capita emissions are 4-6 times the worlds average, they should tell us when they are bringing it down. We are hearing by 2050-60 they will become carbon neutral but the years are far away. If people continue to emit the same way, the world wont survive till then. What are you going to do in the next five years is what we want to know. We do not know which countries were able to meet their pledge made in earlier COP conferences, he said, adding 2060 sounds good but it is just that - a pie in the sky.

Singh said India will overachieve the targets it has set during the last COP21 in Paris in 2015. He said India has emerged as the fastest growing renewable energy capacity in the world and the country has no problems with finance.

If we add hydro power to solar, wind and renewable energy sources we will touch 525 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030. We are the only major economy in the world whose actions in energy transition are consistent with keeping the temperature rise below 2 degrees, Singh said, adding several energy efficiency programs of India have brought down the emission intensity of the country's GDP.
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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LAGOS, Nigeria, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As businesses continue to adopt the virtual workplace, a Nigerian company has developed a new Application for video conferences and webinars, writing Africa's name on the growing list of players in the multi-billion-dollar global meetings business.

Known as Konn3ct, the new App was developed by a young company, called Newwaves Ecosystems, led by former Chams Nigeria executive, Femi Williams.

The global virtual conferencing market has grown astronomically since the global lockdown put in place by most countries to contain the Covid-19 pandemic that began to spread rapidly around the world from February 2020. The pandemic necessitated company shutdowns, while those in the service business had to find ways for their employees to work remote locations, mostly from their homes.

Although there have been dozens of players in the business for some years, Chinese company, Zoom Video Communications, appeared to sprint ahead of the pack as runaway market leader. Zoom's most recent figures suggest the platform had 300 million daily meeting participants at the end of 2020, versus just 10 million in December 2019. This is in comparison to Google Meet's 100 million participants for 2020.

Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft and the other existing players, numbering over 140, have been splitting the market among themselves, with no competition from Africa, in a market estimated to be worth over $75 billion (N30 trillion) in the next nine years.

But these are about to change with the entry of Nigeria's Konn3ct placing the country and Africa in prime position to play recognizable roles in the fourth industrial revolution as creators of technology rather than consumers.

Konn3ct, Leadership investigations reveal, is entering the market with more than 40 differentiating features that put the App in good stead to compete strongly with the leaders of this rapidly growing industry. For instance, it was learned the App effectively mirrored real-life conference experiences in its construction process, enabling participants in a large conference to go into breakout sessions. To make this experience all encompassing, Konn3ct allows as many as eight breakout rooms within the same conference after which the participants are timed out for return into the main meeting.

Apart from the breakout session feature, this new App allows organisers of any meeting to record the proceedings for proper documentation and ease of future reference, doing the job of video cameras and rapporteurs at the same time. Another interesting feature is the one that enables the person hosting a session to play You Tube and other videos and still be able continue the presentation even while the video was still playing.

With a default high-definition audio and a video that allows for four quality bands, ranging from low to high definition, Konn3ct also has a virtual lobby where participants can see the meeting floor while waiting to input their access codes.

Leadership sought and spoke with Chief Executive Officer of the company, Femi Williams, who was upbeat about the capability of the indigenous application to hold its own against any other player in the industry.

Williams, who anchored his optimism on what he called superior meeting experience, said although there might be expected entry challenges, especially being a solution wholly developed in Africa by Africans, he was confident that the global community would opt for value against port of origin.

"We are lucky that technology solutions, such as Konn3ct, are not sold with nationality stamps, same way you have your German machines and Japanese technology driving automobile sales. If this was so, a Chinese solution like Zoom would not be the leading meetings solution in both the United States and Europe. Technology thrives more on quality of user experience and problem-solving capabilities than nationality branding. This makes us believe that Konn3ct will compete quite well in the global market space, just to sound modest," he stated in an exclusive interview with Leadership.

He said apart from the top-quality experience in Konn3ct, the solution also has strong security architecture that lends itself for classified meetings below the radar of open internet.

"The Transport Layer Security built into the App provides privacy and data integrity between two or more communicating computer applications. We also have the Secure Socket Layer Encryption (SSL Encryption), which is a protocol to protect data during transfer and transmission by creating a channel, uniquely encrypted, so that the user and the server have a private communication link channel over the public Internet," he explained, adding that Konn3ct, is capable of providing one of the largest meeting rooms in the market, with as many as 250 people in one room while an unlimited number can participate via livestreaming.

SOURCE Konn3ct
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Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Wednesday warned that the government would fire any local government education secretary who failed to perform the assigned duty of tracking pupils progress in their locality.

Mr Obaseki gave the warning in Benin during the closing of a training organised for education secretaries and managers, by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Weve gone through a diligent process in hiring you, and let me tell you that I will fire you if you do not achieve the set goals.

We are going to invest in you, weve started it. We are going to continue to train you.

This is just the first in a series. It will be a continual training, learning and development process. But we are going to have a very strict assessment system.

Any local government secretary or manager that falls below a certain standard will be fired. If we see that the children in your local government are not coping, then we will drop you.

We will be doing this assessment on an annual basis. No godfather gave you this job, it is your talent that gave it to you and you must go back there and do the work, he said.

Mr Obaseki said he was proud of SUBEBs achievements at the state level, adding that they should be replicated at the local government level.

Earlier, the Chairperson of SUBEB in Edo, Joan Oviawe, thanked the governor for his immense support to basic education.

You have not only given us the assignment, but also the tools to do the work. For this, we are eternally grateful, she said.

(NAN)
Opposition leader lists 4.34 lakh rigged voters through website 'operationtwins.com'

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 1 (UNI) Opposition leader in Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala has disclosed a list of 4.34 lakh rigged voters in 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala through a website 'operationtwins.com'.

The Opposition leader revealed the huge number of rigged voters when Chief Election Officer Teekaram Meena confirmed that there are only 38,000 double votes in the voters list.

The Opposition leader alleged that the rigged voters were added in different booths in the same constituency.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Health Minister Faeqa bint Said Al Saleh saluted all frontliners, hailing their tremendous efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and protect peoples health and safety.

She congratulated all health staff after the Geneva-based World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the 2021 as International Year of Health and Care Workers (YHCW).

The WHO tribute is in appreciation of the commitment and dedication of all healthcare workers around the globe as they continue to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.



She paid tribute to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, hailing the royal directives that supported frontliners and earned Bahrain international praise.



She also lauded the constant support and follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.



The minister met health employees working at COVID-19 test, quarantine and treatment cents, and inspected services being delivered as part of the national efforts to combat the pandemic.



She visited Al Shamel Hospital in Aali which implements voluntary home self-quarantine for active cases and stressed the importance of delivering quality services to citizens and residents.



Al Saleh has also paid a visit to the new vaccination centre which was opened in Sitra Mall to bolster national efforts to combat the pandemic and support health safety.
Charles Jeffers joins the Bermuda Tourism Authority ending his tenure as Chief Operating Officer at Visit Baltimore, the official destination management organisation (DMO) for Baltimore, Maryland. He was responsible for day-to-day operations, including HR, finance, IT, research, membership, and the Visitor Centre at the tourism body, which in 2019, welcomed 27 million visitors, generating $6 billion in economic impact.

Philip Barnett, Chairman of the BTA Board HR subcommittee said, "While global tourism grapples with the fallout of the ongoing pandemic, it's crucial that tourism's leadership is in capable hands as we work to get to the other side of the crisis. So, after an exhaustive recruitment exercise, through specialist international tourism recruitment firm SearchWide Global, we are delighted to welcome a home-grown professional with over 26 years of high-level tourism experience to this critical role. Charles' solid credentials and the passion and purpose he brings as a career destination management executive makes the Board and the Minister confident he is ably suited to lead the team through the post-COVID-19 era and beyond."

Prior to his role at Visit Baltimore, Jeffers served as Chief Operating Officer for Destinations International, a global trade association for destination organisations like BTA, supporting members from 600 destinations in 13 countries. He also served in progressive roles within the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Jeffers has an undergraduate degree from American International College, a master's degree from Georgia State University and has achieved the CDME (Certified Destination Management Executive) designation.

Wayne Caines, BTA Chairman said, "We owe a debt of gratitude to Glenn Jones, who assumed the interim role just as the global health crisis hit. His tireless work ethic, adaptability and deft communication skills helped steady tourism's ship, while keeping our staff and industry stakeholders engaged in the wake of unprecedented disruption this past year."

Jeffers shared that one of his earliest jobs was on the frontlines of hospitality, working in the famed Newport Room at the Southampton Princess. "My career journey has now come full circle. It is an honour to be able to return home after nearly thirty years to lead the organisation in an industry that I have a lot of passion for." With a valued network of contacts locally and internationally, Jeffers serves on several industry and non-profit boards. He has been married to Antoinette for 25 years and they have two children, Courtney and Arrington.

Jeffers assumes the executive post on April 1, 2021.

About Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA): The Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) is an award-winning, accredited destination marketing organisation that promotes Bermuda internationally and works to empower our tourism industry stakeholders. Explore Bermuda's National Tourism Plan at BermudaNTP.com .

Contact: Zina Edwards Malcolm

Communications & Strategy

[email protected]

441.703.0630

Visit Our Online Newsroom

SOURCE Bermuda Tourism Authority
New Delhi:

In a tragic incident, a TV journalist was killed on Wednesday while covering a clash between IPFT and ruling CPI(M)s tribal wing, Tripura Rajaer Upajati Ganamukti Parishad (TRUGP). The deceased journalist, identified as Santanu Bhowmick was abuducted and stabbed brutally. He was working for Dinrat News in Mandai.

The Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) started operations as a tribal-based party in Tripura apart from being a member of the North-East Regional Front.

The party existed from the years 1997 to 2001 until it was merged into the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) and reformed in 2009. Further, it made a foray in politics during the 2000 Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections. It won 17 out of 28 seats while earning a majority in TTAADC.

In the 2000 elections, the Tripura National Volunteers (TNV) supported the IPFT. The IPFT contested both the Loksabha seats of Tripura in 2009, but received very few votes.

Moreover, the party also failed to gain a majority in the 2013 Tripura assembly elections. Some prominent IPFT youth leaders, including David Murasing and Pabitra Jamatia, left the party to join BJP on 11 December 2016.

However, David Murasing ultimately left BJP in 2017 to join Tipraland State Party (TSP).

IPFT is demanding the tribal state of Twipraland from the existing Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council and has been resorting to a series of violent protests in the poll-bound state of late.

IPFT has been a long-term supporter of the NDA government. Further, under the presidentship of NC Debbarma, it had also held a meeting with PM Modi in May 2017 regarding their demand of Twipraland.

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A year spent hiding at home from the coronavirus has given Anne Bertolino, 96, a lot of time to dwell on the past: the anti-Semitic abuse she suffered on the streets of Hamburg as a child; the grandparents who pushed for her and her sister to leave the country for their own safety; and her mother, a widow who was killed in Auschwitz.

She has ached to return to a more normal life, when she socialized at a senior center instead of sitting in her apartment in Queens and watching old episodes of The Jack Benny Program and home makeover shows whose names she never learned.

I am alone all the time so I have been thinking about the past a lot, she said. Unfortunately, I cant forget anything. It drives me crazy.

As millions of New Yorkers have gotten vaccinated and have begun to enjoy a taste of life after the pandemic, many like Ms. Bertolino have remained stuck at home. Wheelchair-bound and with her eyesight fading, Ms. Bertolino considered vaccine appointments unattainable, hidden behind an impenetrable tangle of websites.
LAGOS, Nigeria, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Polaris Bank savings customers are gearing up for the grand finale of the ongoing nationwide ' Save & Win' promo, which is scheduled to hold in April 2021.

At the end of the 'Save & Win' Millionaire promo, a total of N26,000,000 would have been won by 188 Polaris Bank customers nationwide. The promo has so far recorded two draws in February and March with the Grande-finale scheduled for April 2021.

The grand finale draw will see Six millionaires emerge from the six geo-political zones of Nigeria and 60 other customers will go home with a consolation sum of N100,000 each. All winners will emerge through a transparent, electronically-generated process that regulatory institutions will supervise.

The 'Save & Win' promo aims to make millionaires of Nigerians by encouraging current and new customers to save a minimum of N10,000 monthly. The 'Save & Win' promo was launched in November 2020, and so far, two millionaires: Lucky Okunzuwa, a customer of Akpakpava branch in Benin City, Edo State and Ikechukwu Bartholomew Obiefuna, a customer of Okeke Street Branch, Awka, Anambra State, have emerged. In addition, 120 customers have also walked away with N100,000 each across the previous two draws which took place on the 9th of February and 9th of March, bringing the total amount won to N14,000,000 so far.

Commenting on their win, both the first and second millionaire, Lucky and Ikechukwu expressed immense appreciation to the Bank and had positive things to say on the Save & Win promo cash prize.

''I am very delighted about winning one million naira in the Polaris Bank Save & Win Promo. It was like a dream when I was told but this is a reality. The money will go a long way in supporting my small business to grow. I also commit to continue to save more. I sincerely thank Polaris Bank for this novel initiative,'' Lucky remarked.

Representatives from relevant regulatory bodies have also attested to the free, fair and transparent process of the draw used in selecting the winners. They also commended the Bank for keeping its promise to the winners.

Giving a background to what informed the Promo, Polaris Bank's Acting Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Innocent C. Ike, said, "it is a reward for our customers, who despite the challenging times, can put aside some money as savings. He reiterated that in not-so-pleasant economic times, there is a compelling need to save  not only to win a prize  but also to plan for the rainy day. He disclosed that "both existing and new savings account customers of the Bank are eligible to participate in the promo."

Savings Account accessibility is swift and straightforward in Polaris Bank. Prospective customers can dial *833*0# on their phones to follow the prompt to create or reactivate their savings account from their devices by visiting https://accounts.polarisbanklimited.com/opening/ or any of the Bank's branches across the country.

Polaris Bank is a future-determining bank committed to delivering industry-defining products and services across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.

SOURCE Polaris Bank
The claim: Theres an area of Yellowstone National Park where you could theoretically escape conviction for murder

Starting in 2005, something unusual happened: a legal theory became part of popular culture. It was covered by The Washington Post, NPR, The BBC; it inspired a thriller novel, called "Free Fire," by New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box; and it was the subject of an episode of The Atlantics podcast "The Experiment."

The theory: There is a 50-square-mile region in Yellowstone National Park where sloppy district boundaries would make the prosecution of serious criminal offenses unconstitutional  in other words, a region where one could get away with murder.

A popular Instagram post by the account @DidYouKnowBlog recently posted about the theoretical loophole. The post has received over 10,500 likes since it was posted on March 9.

If you committed a crime within the zone, there could be no jury because nobody lives there, a trial would be impossible, and, therefore, you could not be convicted, the post claims.

USA TODAY reached out to the poster for comment.

A law professor's theory

Brian Kalt, an associate professor of law at Michigan State University, published the theory in the Georgetown Law Journal and uploaded his paper to the popular Social Science Research Network, where it accrued thousands of downloads.

Kalt identified a "zone of death," a roughly 50-square-mile uninhabited region of Yellowstone National Park where no strictly constitutional trial by jury could be held.

Most of Yellowstone is in Wyoming, but the park's northern boundary is in Montana and western edge is in Idaho. The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction in Yellowstone, and it put the entire park in the District of Wyoming, despite the fact that the national park spans three states.

This becomes a problem, Kalt argues, because of the "vicinage clause" of the Sixth Amendment, which states members of a jury must be from both "the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed."

Story continues

Typically, jurors for a court case can be drawn from a large pool, because a federal district's boundaries match the boundaries of the state, as is the case in Wyoming, or a state has multiple federal districts designated within it, like, California. But the only place where one could live both in Idaho and within the District of Wyoming is in Yellowstone.

The court would have to draw jurors from within the tiny, mountainous region to satisfy the vicinage clause -- and no one lives there.

No jurors would mean no jury, which would violate criminal defendants' right to a trial by jury, enshrined in Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution. And thus, some argue, no trial could occur, and, logically, no conviction.

One case provides a guidepost  in a different direction

No crimes in the "zone of death" have ever been prosecuted; however, one case, explained in "The Experiment" podcast, suggests a judge might not allow a suspected murderer or other criminal defendant to go free because of the unique jurisdictional and geographic situation at Yellowstone.

In December 2005, Mike Belderrain illegally shot an elk in the small slice of Yellowstone that is in Montana. Belderrain's defense, apparently inspired by Kalt's theory, argued that the case could not be pursued unless he were given a trial with a jury drawn from the Montana residents of the park. There are enough residents that this would technically be possible, but it would be very difficult.

A bull elk pauses in front of the federal courthouse at Mammoth Hot Springs inside Yellowstone National Park.

The judge denied his request for such a jury, however, stating that any crime committed in Yellowstone should be tried in the state of Wyoming, with a jury chosen from Wyoming residents.

Notwithstanding Kalt's theory, the judge's ruling suggests that a jury trial in a prosecution for a crime committed in the "zone of death" would be held in the District of Wyoming.

In the end, though, Belderrain took a plea deal: on the condition that he would not appeal the case based on the loophole, he received a sentence of four years rather than the seven-year sentence he would likely have received in a trial by jury.

More complications

Even if Kalt's theory were to be upheld in court, there are other complications that the Instagram post does not note, many of which he acknowledges in his original paper.

Only serious offenses  offenses that carry a potential sentence of more than six months  entail the right to trial by jury. Petty offenses include traffic infractions and some kinds of low-level assaults. And the victim of a crime could still file a civil suit.

Our rating: Missing context

We rate this post MISSING CONTEXT. As the post states, it is true that there is an area of around 50 square miles in the Idaho portion of Yellowstone National Park where a crime such as murder could theoretically escape conviction. But, no crime committed in the "zone of death" has ever been prosecuted and one case raising the legal issues highlighted by Kalt suggests any such trial would be held in Wyoming, notwithstanding the constitutional issues Kalt has explicated.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Yellowstone's 'death zone' may not be free from conviction


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No new local coronavirus cases were reported in NSW on Thursday, after Byron Bay was placed on alert following the states first community transmission in 14 days.

NSW reported just one local case in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday: the man in his 20s whose infection was revealed on Wednesday, prompting coronavirus restrictions for parts of the states north.

The empty Bluesfest site, near Byron Bay, after the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Credit:Danielle Smith

The man had attended the Byron Beach Hotel on Friday night, sitting near a bachelorette party that contained Queenslanders who did not know they were infectious with coronavirus.

Testing was up in NSW during the latest reporting period, with 20,459 processed in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday compared with 17,393 the previous day.
NSIN and OSBP sign a memorandum of agreement to collaborate on expanding the National Security Innovation Base. Tweet this

Collaborate to develop events and programs to engage small businesses in the National Technology and Industrial Base.

Prototype operational concepts related to emerging technologies and accelerate the transition of technologies and services into acquisition programs and operational use.

Support partnership between DOD and academic institutions, commercial firms, accelerators, incubators, and nonprofit organizations whose missions relate to national security innovation.

Enhance the capabilities of the DOD in market research, source selection, partnerships with private capital, and access to commercial technologies.

"The effects of the past year have demonstrated the importance of small businesses in maintaining a strong supply chain and knowledge base within the national security and technology industrial base. The partnership between NSIN and OSBP is an important step towards building a resilient industrial base and engaging innovative small companies.

"In line with President Biden's Build Back Better (BBB) Recovery Plan, the initiatives developed in conjunction with NSIN will provide new pathways to American manufacturers and small businesses to offer critical emerging technologies to the Department," said Farooq Mitha, OSBP Director.

The OSBP and NSIN partnership enables more DOD collaboration and support between small businesses, academic institutions, commercial firms, accelerators, incubators, and nonprofit entities whose missions include national security innovation.

Morgan Plummer, NSIN Manager Director explained, "NSIN and OSBP share a deep belief that the ideas, technologies and talent that are needed to build a robust defense industrial and innovation base exist in small businesses and startups across the country, and must be deliberately engaged in partnership with the Department.

"This partnership will combine OSBP's expertise in leveraging small businesses to close capability gaps for our armed forces with NSIN's nationwide network of non-traditional problem solvers in the academic and startup communities to create a holistic way to increase the number of small businesses contributing to the work of the Department of Defense."

Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP)

OSBP is the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on small business matters and maximizes opportunities for small business to contribute to national security by providing combat power for our troops and economic poser for our nation. OSBP is also responsible for the health and resiliency of the small business industrial base, leverages small businesses to eliminate gaps and vulnerabilities in the national technology and industrial base and words to expand the number of small businesses in the national technology and industrial base.

National Security Innovation Network (NSIN)

The NSIN mission is to "build networks of innovators that generate new solutions to national security problems." NSIN is headquartered in Arlington, VA, and has regional offices in 11 commercial innovation hubs throughout the United States. Through its headquarters, regional hubs, and embedded university partnerships, NSIN builds a national network of innovators and delivers programming that solves real-world, DOD problems through collaborative partnerships with non-traditional problem-solvers within the academic and early-stage venture communities.

SOURCE National Security Innovation Network
Locally, doctors say the increase is likely a combination of reduced restrictions, particularly for bars and restaurants, increased travel for spring break and the spread of more contagious variants. People may also feel more comfortable going out because many in more vulnerable populations in the area are being vaccinated. The upcoming Easter holiday may contribute as well.
Bengaluru, April 1 : Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers developed artificial enzymes to block reactivation and replication of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) in the immune cells, said the premier institute on Thursday.

"Made from vanadium pentoxide nanosheets, the artificial enzymes or nanozymes work by mimicking a natural enzyme that helps reduce oxidative stress levels in the host's cells to keep the virus in check," said a study by two researchers at the institute.

Microbiology department's associate professor Amit Singh and inorganic and physical chemistry department's professor Govindaswamy Mugesh conducted the study, which was published in "Embo Molecular Medicine" journal.

As there is no process to remove HIV from a patient's body, anti-HIV drugs only suppress the virus but not eradicate it (HIV) from infected cells.

"The virus hides inside immune cells in a 'latent' state and maintains its reservoir. When levels of toxic molecules such as hydrogen peroxide increase in cells, the virus gets reactivated and begins replicating," said the study.

According to Mugesh, the advantage is nanozymes are stable inside biological systems and do not mediate reactions inside cells. They (nanozymes) can be prepared in a lab.

Earlier, Singh's team developed a biosensor to measure oxidative stress levels in HIV-infected immune cells in real-time.

"We found that to come out of latency and reactivate, HIV needs very little oxidative stress," said Singh.

One way to prevent reactivation is to keep the oxidative stress low, which would 'lock' the virus in a permanent latent state.

Enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase are essential for the process, as they convert toxic hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.

Mugesh's team also published a study showing that nano-wires made of vanadium pentoxide can mimic the activity of glutathione peroxidase.

Singh's lab decided to collaborate with the Mugesh team.

The teams prepared ultrathin nanosheets of vanadium pentoxide in the lab and treated HIV-infected cells with them.

The nanosheets were found to reduce hydrogen peroxide as effectively as a natural enzyme and prevent the virus from reactivating.

"We found that nanosheets have a direct effect where the expression of the host genes essential for virus reactivation is reduced," said the study's first author Shalini Singh, a research associate at Centre for Infectious Diseases Research (CIDR) here.

When cells from HIV-infected patients undergoing anti-retroviral therapy (ART) were treated with nanozymes, latency was induced faster and reactivation was suppressed when therapy was stopped.

Combining ART with nanozymes also has other advantages.

Some ART drugs can cause oxidative stress as a side-effect, which can damage heart or kidney cells.

"Adding a nanozyme can help reduce side-effects caused by such ART drugs. It can also improve the quality of life of HIV patients undergoing treatment," added Mugesh.
Lucknow, April 1 : With Covid cases continuously on the rise in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath government has extended the pandemic and enforced provisions of the Epidemic Act across the state till June 30.

Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) health, Amit Mohan Prasad said the decision was taken after reviewing the alarming situation in the state. He admitted that cases were going up daily and the coronavirus has hit the state again in pandemic form.

The ACS Health said that the Epidemic Act, which was enforced earlier till March 31, has been extended till June-end or till the situation arising out of the second wave is brought under control.

"In the public interest, the state government may cancel holidays of doctors, health workers and other government and private employees engaged in the duties to deal with the situation," said Prasad.

The ACS Health has also directed all health and frontline workers to take the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on priority to develop antibodies for carrying their duties safely.

The graph of infected patients increased further in the last 24 hours after 11 deaths and 1,230 more positive cases were reported from different parts of the state.

What has caused concern to the state government is that the second surge of coronavirus has brought down the recovery rate from 98.25 per cent to 96 per cent.

The state is heading back to the March and April 2020 pandemic situation. In March last year, the number of active cases were 2078 but by April 31, 2020, it had gone up to 9,848 positive cases. On March 1 this year, only 87 active cases were reported. Now the number stands at over 1,230, which is twelve times higher.

To fight against the second round of coronavirus pandemic, the state government has ordered to reopen all Covid Management Hospitals across the state with full capacity.

The KGMU has decided to slap a fine of Rs 200 on anyone roaming in the hospital campus without wearing a mask.

Lucknow is emerging as a Covid hotspot and the state capital recorded 361 cases in the past 24 hours-the highest in the state.

Micro containment zones have been created in seven major localities in Lucknow to check the second surge of coronavirus.

The state government has, once again, notified 45 hospitals from 30 districts as dedicated Covid facilities, said health officials.

Last month, the government had denotified nearly 240 hospitals after a dip in the number of Covid cases.

According to health officials, the state now has nearly 25,000 reserved Covid beds.

Prasad said, "We have added 45 hospitals across the state in the list of dedicated Covid facilities. These are among the hospitals that were earlier denotified. All these hospitals are of L2 and L3 category, as we now have 128 Covid facilities and close to 25,000 reserved beds. If we have even 25 per cent hospitalisation, we are prepared for around 1 lakh active cases. If needed, the number of dedicated facilities will be further increased like last year. The hospitals will be ready to admit Covid patients even on a very short notice." State Surveillance Officer Vikasendu Agarwal said that with the increasing number of cases, they are going back to the basic strategy of aggressive contact tracing, surveillance, isolation and treatment.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan John Kyeremanten,has assured the business community that the country will not become a dumping ground for foreign goods, following the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He said trade remedies and safeguard measures would be effectively implemented to protect domestic industries from such unfair tradepractices,while the Ghana International Trade Commission (GITC) would be supported to undertake anti-dumping strategies and other critical issues.

In a speech read on his behalf at the Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting in Accra yesterday, he said those efforts were to complement the several trade facilitation measures already in place to enable the private sector to get maximum benefit from the single continental market.

The event, on the theme "Leveraging AfCFTA -- The critical success factors", brought together members of the business community, investors and policy makers to deliberate onthe crucial success indicators of the free trade area agreement,which commenced in January this year.

Mr Kyerematensaid the tradefacilitation measures instituted by the governmentincludedthe reduction in the inspectorate bodies at the port and the harmonisation and simplification of customs procedure under the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS).

Others, he said, wereimprovement of access to funding, fiscal incentives through reduction in taxes, capacity building of private and public sector organisations and upgrading of trade infrastructure.

The Minister said the government would collaborate with local and international organisations tocreate more avenues for business in Ghana to leverage the free continental trade area.

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"One needs not to look any further for the critical success of our journey to empower the private sector to harness the opportunities and benefits of AfCFTA. Ultimately the effective implementation of AfCFTA requires national coordination between actors at all levels," he said.

The Director, Trade In Services of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Mrs Emily Mburu-Ndoria, commended Ghana and South Africa for being the first two countries to begin trading since January.

Giving an update on the AfCFTA, she said 36 out of the 54 countries which had signed the agreements had ratified it while negotiations were underway on outstanding issues, including rule of origin.

She said the agreement would not only facilitate trade and services on the continent but create jobs and eradicate extreme povertyfor 30 million people and lift about 88 million out of moderate poverty.

The Vice President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI),Mr. Humphrey Ayim-Darke, said AfCFTA would be beneficial to Ghanaianbusiness if the government effectively implemented its structural transformation, including the industrialisation agenda and the "Obaatanpa" programme.

He said the cost of electricity in the country was high and needed to be harmonisedwith those of its counterparts in the sub-region to reduce the burden on industry.

The Managing Director of Graphic Communication Group Limited, AtoAfful, said all efforts must be made to ensure that businesses in the country did not miss out on the vast opportunities associated with the AfCFTA.
Uyo  National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Senator Emmanuel Ibokessien has said the British government must properly define the type of help it would offer Nigeria to stem the worrisome security situation in the country.

Ibokessien, who made the remark on Wednesday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State while reacting to a statement by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing that the UK Government was prepared to help the country win the war against insecurity, said the help could not be a blanket offer.

He advised that as a sovereign country, that Nigeria must be very careful and make sure it doesn't expose its internal security to external people.

His words, "They said they have been offering help in the Northeast already, and now they want to cover entire Nigeria, they have to define properly the type of help they want to offer in the security of the country, it cannot just be a blanket offer.

" They have to define and agree with Nigeria, and Nigeria has to review and see whether what they have to offer will really help. There is a need for the country to be careful about the kind of assistance it receives as far as security is concerned.

"So there is nothing wrong if they want to help, but Nigerians will also clearly defined what type of assistance they will accept from them. You don't have to expose your house to an outsider. That is the issue"

Also read: Update: Identify sponsors, leaders of kidnappers, bandits, take them out, Buhari tells Security Heads

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The PANDEF chairman also said the British government could help stem the insecurity in the country by convincing Nigerian leaders to accept restructuring.

"What is causing this insecurity in Nigeria is that many of the regions are agitating for true federalism. And if true federalism is practised in Nigeria you will find that most of the security challenges will be a thing of the past.

" They were our Colonial Masters and they were the ones who amalgamated the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914. They can as well help to restructure Nigeria by convincing our leaders and the government to accept the restructuring of the country.

"Restructuring will bring down the insecurity in the country because everybody will be seriously protecting their region. Take Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB) for instance, they are agitating for self-governance or some kind of independence, so under true federalism, they will be satisfied.

"The same thing for the South-South, South West, Middle Belt and also the North. So people will be satisfied and they will be able to stem our insecurity issues. So if they really want to assist, they should have proper discussions with our leaders, and support the restructuring of Nigeria.

"That is the long term solution to our security challenges so that any state that wants to be an Islamic state can remain an Islamic state, or if a state Christian state wants to be purely a Christian, it can, but all under one Federation. So that is one way they could help this country to stem the security challenges that we have currently"

Vanguard News Nigeria
BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  The body of a Swiss woman who was held hostage for more than five years by an extremist Islamic group in Mali has been found and identified, the Malian foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Members of the International Committee of the Red Cross delivered unidentified remains to Malian authorities Saturday. DNA taken from the remains revealed the body is that of Swiss national Beatrice Stoeckli, who was kidnapped in Timbuktu five years ago, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Stoeckli, a Christian missionary, was held by the al-Qaida-linked group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam Muslimeen, also known as JNIM. After a brief abduction and release in 2012, Stoeckli was again kidnapped in January 2016 by militants who invaded her home in Timbuktu.

In 2017, JNIM released a proof-of-life video showing Stoeckli and other hostages, according to SITE Intelligence Group, an organization that monitors jihadist communications. But last October, Switzerlands Foreign Ministry said it was informed by French authorities that Stoeckli had been killed by the kidnappers.

Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 uprising prompted mutinous soldiers to overthrow the president. The power vacuum that resulted ultimately led to an Islamic insurgency and a French-led war that ousted the jihadists from power in 2013.

But insurgents remain active and extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have moved from the arid north to more populated central Mali since 2015, stoking animosity and violence between ethnic groups in the region.
BROOKFIELD, Wis., March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Applus Technologies, Inc. detected and stopped a malware attack which has temporarily interrupted the process of conducting vehicle inspections in Massachusetts and other locations. The restoration involves resetting Applus Technologies' IT environment and will take some time to fully restore the functionality of vehicle inspections.



"Unfortunately, incidents such as this are fairly common and no one is immune," said Darrin Greene, CEO of the US entity, Applus Technologies, Inc. "We apologize for any inconvenience this incident may cause. We know our customers and many vehicle owners rely on our technology and we are committed to restoring normal operations as quickly as possible."



For information regarding this incident and updates on the operational status, please contact Applus Technologies at [email protected].

Contact:

Dennis Palmer

[email protected]

SOURCE Applus Technologies, Inc.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1)  A holy mass and a fluvial parade highlighted the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the first documented mass in the Philippines on the Limasawa Island in Southern Leyte on Wednesday.

The mass was officiated by Most Rev. Precioso D. Cantillas, SBD, DD, Bishop of Maasin, Leyte, and was attended by officials headed by Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado, Undersecretary Anthony Gonzales of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, and members of the clergy.

Also present were pilgrims and devotees from different provinces, provincial officials, mayors, and other representatives from various agencies.

According to a report from the Philippine National Police, all those who attended complied with public health restrictions.

A fluvial procession of the pilgrim image of Santo Nino De Cebu from Maasin to Barangay Magallanes in Limasawa also marked the event.

Officials, meanwhile, led the unveiling of the historical marker of the Municipality of Limasawa by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

On Tuesday, the Archdiocese of Cebu said it is gearing up for the year-long celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in the country, which will start on Easter Sunday, April 4. It will be held simultaneously with the opening of the "Holy Doors" in 13 historic churches around Cebu.

The main celebration, however, is slated for April 14 with the reenactment of the first Christian Baptism that took place in Cebu some 500 years ago. This was when the queen of Cebu, Hara Humamay, was baptized as Juana in 1521 and was presented with an image of the Santo Nino as a baptismal gift.

The reenactment will be held at the Plaza Sugbo located in between the Cebu City Hall and the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino. This is where the Magellan's Cross Shrine is situated, the historic religious icon planted by explorer Ferdinand Magellan upon arrival in Cebu in April 1521.

The Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Charles John Brown, is expected to attend the mass, along with several other bishops from various dioceses across the country

A limited number of people will be allowed at the venues due to restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CNN Philippines correspondent Dale Israel contributed to this report.
COMPANY NEWS from Synology: Traditional HDD storage arrays are quickly giving way to all-flash arrays (AFA) as businesses need the low latency and high IOPS provided by solid-state drives to store growing pools and new types of data for increasingly demanding applications. However, choosing suitable servers is not always easy.

All-flash storage is designed for high-performance applications, placing high demands on product innovation and stability. For many businesses and teams, that often translates to prices that stretch their IT budget. However, AFA arrays provide tangible benefits that can boost your operational efficiency and competitiveness.

Cost is a major obstacle to purchasing their first AFA solution for many companies. Will new IT infrastructure bring enough value to your company? And how fast will your investment repay itself? Luckily, with more vendors entering the market, prices and total cost of ownership for flash arrays are on a downward trend.

Synology is one vendor producing innovative all-flash storage servers at attractive price points. Compared with other brands, its products distinguish themselves by hardware improvements and an easy-to-navigate operating system that brings powerful features within reach of businesses of all sizes.

Access to flash storage can have important benefits for your business. A look at three organizations shows us how cost-effective AFA storage can make all the difference in three types of applications:

1. Unstructured data storage and analysis

IDC projections show that by 2025, more than 80% of data worldwide could be unstructured. The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to a massive increase in the generation of unstructured data and demands for efficient processing and analysis.

Real-time analysis, accessing, storage, and sharing of such data demands storage systems with consistently high random read and write speeds.

Palmaz Vineyards in Northern California developed its own deep learning algorithm to collect brewing data, including environmental factor analysis and fermentation rates. However, with a single fermentation barrel generating up to 1GB of data per hour and the system constantly cross-checking data from various years, a fast and low-latency were crucial to not slow down analysis.

Palmaz Vineyards decided to deploy Synology FlashStation all-flash storage for its fast input/output performance, low latency, high availability, and easy expandability. The Synology arrays high IOPS allow the company to access and analyze up to 70% of the data generated in real-time.

2. Unleashing faster virtual machine performance

All-flash arrays are especially well-suited to storage for enterprise databases, virtual applications, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Using flash arrays for key databases can significantly boost data processing speed. Financial, medical, and other services with high data processing, indexing, search, and reporting requirements all heavily rely on flash arrays to meet performance requirements.

To meet legal obligations, the central Human Resources department at Taishin Financial Holding, a major Taiwanese financial services provider, is every day required to verify large volumes of instant verification requests for more than 8000 employees through its human resources system and website.

To cope with the demands of fast verification, the department decided to move its databases and virtual machine storage off its existing SAS HDD array and to an all-flash solution. After deploying Synology FlashStations, it managed to boost the systems average transactions from 56 to 380 per second, delivering the higher volume and speed required for efficient operations.

3. Boosting video production efficiency and I/O performance

All-flash storage has rapidly become a standard in film and TV production. The render farm at Taiwans National Center for High-Performance Computing assists video and film production studios with the production of high-quality animation and special effects simulation for live-action and animated films.

In 2018, the render farm planned to move from 2D to 3D rendering and provide its services online to production teams around Taiwan. To adapt to the new mission, Synology FlashStation storage arrays were deployed to push up I/O performance, improve the handling of multi-user workloads, accelerate rendering rates, cut waiting times and boost the data replication speed from about 40 to only a few minutes.

By deploying FlashStation, the centre managed to speed up its performance up to four times compared with the original infrastructure.

Select suitable all-flash storage and dont overspend

Purchasing all-flash solutions that offer extreme I/O performance can be a waste of resources if what you need is more moderate specifications. Applications such as ERP software, databases, and mail servers tend to require higher performance with up to 2,500 IOPS, while website hosting and software development typically can do with 100 to 250 IOPS.

After assessing their requirements, businesses looking to invest in all-flash arrays should set a benchmark for screening and perform a proof-of-concept for each unit they consider evaluating whether their I/O performance and data protection needs are met in an operational setting at an acceptable price.

Accurately assessing company needs is the first step to the successful deployment of all-flash storage and ultimately maximizing your use of enterprise data.

Learn more about Synology AFA solutions, and join the Synology AFA webinar on 20 April 2021 to choose suitable servers for your company.
H.E. Calvin Ho and Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar at the hand-over of the equipment.

The Ministry of Agriculture here is in a better position to assist farmers with their cultivation especially, having received a sizeable donation of equipment from the Government of the republic of China (Taiwan).





On March 26, Resident Taiwanese Ambassador to St. Vincent and the Grenadines H.E. Calvin Ho handed over 133 pieces of equipment to the Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar.





The donation included tillers, spraying machines, compost fermentation machines, computers, printers, office equipment and more, and was made under the "Farmers Organizations Strengthening and Improving Fruit and Vegetable Production Technology Project, which was launched in 2015 and completed in 2018.





During that period, the Project contributed to the strengthening of the administration operation of nine Vincentian Farmers Cooperatives, improved the cultivation techniques used in 8 kinds of vegetable, and increased the volume of agricultural commodities produced in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines by over 20%.





This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.





Over the years, the cooperation in agriculture has been one of the pillars that demonstrate the solidarity between the countries.





The Government and the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) are committed to deepening and broadening its cooperation with the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the years to come.




"The opportunity that lies ahead for Ricoh, our partners and customers is incredible," said Bruhn. "Customer behaviors, the increasingly changing workforce and the speed of digital transformation are driving toward the need for new business models, including digital services and subscription models, to name a few. And there's so much to be energized about in North America specifically. We have a tremendous customer base, a passionately dedicated team and a network of dealer partners who share our commitment to solving challenging business problems today and into the future."

Bruhn most recently served as Corporate Vice President for Ricoh Global Services. In this role, he managed and fostered Ricoh's relationship with the company's largest, enterprise customers around the world. He focused on empowering customers to embrace digital transformation and built strategies with Ricoh's best-in-class partners to enable businesses to transform into digital businesses. Under Bruhn's leadership, Ricoh's Global Major Account (GMA) channel experienced growth by attracting new customers, while also renewing and providing increased value to existing customers. In 2020, these initiatives continued to accelerate by helping customers work from anywhere with digitalization, automation, and collaboration solutions, as well as providing tools for a safe return to the workplace.

During a two-year assignment in Japan, at Ricoh's global headquarters, Bruhn led the global services transformation for Ricoh Business Solutions. Previous roles included Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Ricoh Global Services. Prior to joining Ricoh, Bruhn managed Lanier's Northern Europe region. Leveraging this experience, he understands the entrepreneurial spirit and passion that drives Ricoh Family Group dealer partners today and is eager to collaborate with them.

Bruhn's leadership approach includes articulating a clear vision and direction to inspire employees and foster collaboration and productivity. As a "servant leader" he consistently drives the collective team forward, leveraging individual strengths to support a common goal: customer success. Bruhn also focuses on important cultural issues such as diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and he discusses the importance of understanding and addressing unconscious biases. His global experiences and unique perspective encourage and embrace an inclusive company culture.

In the coming months, Bruhn will publicly outline his business strategy for Ricoh North America. Bruhn's strategy will provide a clear and ambitious path forward  both short and long-term  built with agility and flexibility to quickly address customers' changing needs throughout 2021 and beyond.

Click here to read Bruhn's first message in his new role. For more information about Ricoh's customer commitment, click here, or follow the company's social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

| About Ricoh |

Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services enabling individuals to work smarter. For more than 80 years, Ricoh has been driving innovation and is a leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, communications services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems.



Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2020, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,008 billion yen (approx. 18.5 billion USD).

For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com.

 2021 Ricoh USA, Inc. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE Ricoh USA, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ricoh-usa.com


MIAMI, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pipe , creators of the world's first trading platform for recurring revenues today announced that it has been named one of the 2021 Best Places to Work in Financial Technology. The awards program was created in 2017 and is a project of Arizent and Best Companies Group, publishers of American Banker , National Mortgage News , PaymentsSource , Financial Planning and Digital Insurance . Pipe ranked number six on the list of 49 companies.

This annual survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in the financial technology industry. Companies recognized on this year's list operate in and serve companies and consumers in a wide range of financial services including banking and mortgages, insurance, payments and financial advisory.

Pipe's trading platform for recurring revenues is the latest innovation in financial services. On one side, companies can trade their contracts that generate predictable recurring revenues for upfront capital. Each company is rated on their own merits so they can access the best possible bid price based on their level of risk. The healthier a company becomes, the more their contracts will trade for on the Pipe platform. The other side of the platform is made up of institutional investors, all eager to purchase these recurring revenue-generating assets, which have a similar profile to fixed-income products.

"We have made a conscious effort from day one to build a great workplace environment, and being chosen as a Best Place to Work in Financial Technology by Arizent is enormously gratifying," said Harry Hurst, co-founder and co-CEO, Pipe. "In the last 12 months, in the middle of a very challenging global environment, we relocated our headquarters to Miami, developed microhubs in New York, Atlanta, and Europe where employees have chosen to live, and made all of our people owners of Pipe. To further expand recurring revenue as a new asset class for growing businesses, we will continue to invest in our people to make Pipe an even better place to work."

"This year, the fintech industry became a larger and more important sector of our economy," said David Evans, chief content officer at Arizent. "This ranking helps highlight companies that have generous employee policies and positive cultures, and can help serve as a guide to job seekers in this competitive industry."

To be considered for participation, companies must provide technology products, services or solutions that enable the delivery of financial services. Companies must also have been in business for at least one full year and employ at least 15 people in the U.S.

Companies from across the United States entered a two-part survey process to determine Arizent's Best Places to Work in Financial Technology. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process, analyzed the data and determined the final ranking.

For more information on Arizent's Best Places to Work in Financial Technology program, including full eligibility criteria, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkFinTech.com .

About Pipe

Pipe is a trading platform that enables entrepreneurs to grow their businesses on their terms. By treating recurring revenue streams as an asset, Pipe allows companies to transform their recurring revenue into upfront capital, instantly. For entrepreneurs, that means more cash flow for scaling their business without debt or dilution. For investors, Pipe has unlocked the largest untapped asset class, revenue. Whether you're an entrepreneur or an investor - Pipe is growth on your terms. To learn more visit www.pipe.com or follow us on Twitter @pipe.

Contact

Merrill Freund

[email protected]

415-577-8637

Yasmin Moaven

[email protected]

720-937-1779

SOURCE Pipe

Related Links

http://www.pipe.com


Two men have been sent for trial accused of attacking a pensioner who was allegedly held at knife-point and beaten with his own walking stick during a house raid in Dublin.

Lee McDonnell, 29, of Colepark Green, Ballyfermot, and Alan Downey, 38, of Colepark Road, Ballyfermot, in west Dublin, were served with books of evidence when they appeared at Cloverhill District Court.

They are charged with assault causing harm and aggravated burglary at the home of a 73-year-old neighbour of Mr Downey in the early hours of Nov. 20 last year.

Judge Victor Blake noted the Director of Public Prosecution directed trial on indictment and he granted a return for trial order.

Books of evidence were served in court on the two men by Garda Erica Delaney.

Judge Blake ordered them appear at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on June 4 next.

The defendants were told they must notify the prosecution within 14 days if they intend to use alibis in their defence.

Legal aid was granted.

At an earlier bail hearing the district court heard it was claimed raiders attacked and pulled the pensioner by his hair. They allegedly, beat him with his own walking stick, and it broke as a result.

A demand for 6,000 was made but 50 was taken, it was alleged.
Conrad Industries, the Morgan City-based ship builder and repair business, lost $4 million or 80 cents per share, during 2020 on $158.6 million in annual revenue.

The company was struggling to turn a profit about a year before the coronavirus pandemic and its related economic recession swept across the state. Conrad Industries saw annual net income of $86,000 in 2019 on $207 million in revenue but was profitable for the last two quarters of the year. Even so, demand for its services plummeted last year.

"Our loss was primarily related to the decrease in production volume of our business due to the pandemic," said Johnny Conrad, CEO of Conrad Industries in a news release.

The company has five shipyards, one in Morgan City, two in Amelia, Louisiana and another in Orange, Texas. In the past much of its revenue has stemmed to customers in the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas sector building steel and aluminum marine vessels but in recent years more of its customers are in the commercial and government sector. In 2020, less than 1% of its revenue was related to the oil and gas industry compared to 23% in 2019.

During most of 2020 the company sought to cut costs and focus on safety of employees on site since it remained open during the stay-at-home order as an essential business. Even so, the company secured an $8 million forgivable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program to support 473 workers, according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. The loan has not yet been forgiven but the company expects that its expenses are eligible. The loan was not included as income during 2020.

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As of Dec. 31, it had $183.7 million in its work backlog which is the largest in four years and an increase compared to $79.2 million in December 2019. The most common vessel under contract is for spud barges, which are used to hold cranes and other construction equipment while doing construction on bodies of water such as work on canals or oil platforms. The company also builds and repairs tugboats, ferries, lift boats and offshore supply vessels.

"We believe 2021 will be another challenging year, due to the continuing impacts of the pandemic, current high steel prices and constrained availability, and a competitive shipyard environment," Conrad said.

Its stock was trading around $14 per share, its 52-week peak.
The death of a seriously ill 11-year-old girl who had a 'complicated medical history' was not contributed to by a reduction in her pain medication, a coroner said today.

Melody Driscoll died at King's College Hospital (KCH) in south London in July 2018 after years of serious illness including a rare, life-limiting neurological disorder called Rett syndrome.

She hit the headlines in 2016 when she was visited by Ed Sheeran, who made a 90-minute visit to her bedside at Epsom Hospital in Surrey during which he sang hits including Photograph and tuned her guitar.

Melody's mother Karina Driscoll and her stepfather Nigel had alleged KCH medics' actions reduced Melody's quality of life and contributed to her death, including by improperly reducing her pain and steroid medications.

Coroner Dr Julian Morris, speaking at the conclusion of the inquest into the circumstances of Melody's death at London's Southwark Coroner's Court, today said she died after suffering post-operative complications following the development of gallstones and a bowel perforation.

He gave a narrative conclusion due to the complexities of the case and said the 'nub of the inquest' was a 3mm gallstone. Rett's syndrome was a factor but not a cause of her death, he added.

Her parents brought her ashes to hearing in a yellow box with Melody's name written on the front of it. They placed it in front of them on a desk as they quietly leant on each other with their heads together as the coroner delivered his conclusions.

Melody died in July 2018 after years of serious illness with conditions including Rett syndrome, as well as global developmental delay, gastrointestinal problems and epilepsy

Karina and Nigel Driscoll carried a box with Melody Driscoll's name printed on the side and containing her ashes into the inquest conclusion at Southwark Coroner's Court today

Melody Driscoll was visited by popstar Ed Sheeran in Epsom Hospital in Surrey in 2016

Nigel and Karina Driscoll, Melody Driscoll's parents, outside of Southwark Coroner's Court

WHAT IS RETT SYNDROME? Rett syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects all body movement. Development appears normal until the child is six to 18-months-old, but they then start suffering loss of speech and balance. The condition can also lead to scoliosis or seizures. Treatment such as physiotherapy can help slow the rate of movement loss, but there is no cure for the condition. Sufferers can live to their 40s but most die before 25. Advertisement

The coroner said he did not believe that the action of weaning Melody off her medication contributed to her death.

Dr Morris apologised to the family for the length of time it had taken for the inquest to take place, adding that he passed on condolences which were 'very sincerely felt' by everyone who had been involved in the hearing.

He told the parents he hope they may be able to 'move on in some small way' now they had listened to the evidence during the three-day hearing.

The coroner said there was no need to send a write a report to prevent future deaths in light of this case.

After the inquest, Mrs Driscoll and her husband said they had felt they had been branded as 'problematic parents for try trying to do the best for their daughter'.

Mrs Driscoll, who said the couple were still considering whether they could take legal action, added: 'We had to say goodbye and there was not enough time. She was not ready to go.'

She added that Melody, who was largely non-verbal, had a 'impact' on many people's lives.

'We love her so much even though she has gone,' Mrs Driscoll added.

They said they had brought Melody's ashes to the inquest because it was about her death and 'she needed to be part of it all'.

Melody was described during the inquest as a 'stunning, vibrant, happy little girl who loved life'. The family's barrister Patricia Hitchcock QC had told the inquest that her parents were 'haunted by the belief that Melody died in pain because she was not listened to.'

The inquest had heard that a revised post-mortem examination proposed Melody's cause of death as multiple organ failure and gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Pancreatitis and the perforation of the bowel due to a procedure in May 2018 were also suggested as contributing to her death.

The inquest heard that Melody's pancreatitis could have many causes, including gallstones. Dr Mervyn Davies, a consultant hepatologist at St James's Hospital in Leeds, said the 'fundamental question' was when the gallstone arose.

He said: 'If she had not developed the acute pancreatitis when she did, she would not have died when she did.'

Her parents Karina and Nigel Driscoll have alleged the actions of King's College Hospital (KCH) reduced Melody's quality of life and contributed to her death

Tributes for Melody Driscoll outside Southwark Coroner's Court in London

Melody pictured with her mother Karina Driscoll before she died in July 2018

Melody suffered from regular severe pain requiring medications including morphine and ketamine.

Mrs Driscoll said that Melody made recognisable signs when she was in pain, including tensing her muscles and shouting.

She claimed that KCH staff had a 'we know best attitude' that meant Mrs Driscoll's concerns were not listened to when Melody's pain relief was reduced.

Dr Jonathan Hind, a consultant paediatric hepatologist, said Melody 'occasionally' suffered pain, but also suffered from withdrawals as the medication was weaned.

'I do think that sometimes Melody had pain from the bowel and other times I do think it was withdrawals, and in both situations, morphine would help,' he added.

Karina Driscoll, the mother of Melody Driscoll, talks to the media outside Southwark Coroner's Court, London, following the inquest into their daughter's death

Nigel and Karina Driscoll, the parents of Melody Driscoll, look at tributes
JACKSON, Mich., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After more than a year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, many Michiganders are more than ready to undertake outdoor digging projects like landscaping and other home improvements. Dig Safely Month is designed to remind residents and excavators that safe digging measures must be taken with every project, large or small.

"Safety is and always will be our top priority, especially when it comes to underground digging," said Javid Khan, executive director of operations compliance for Consumers Energy. "It doesn't matter if the equipment used is a shovel, rototiller, auger or large earth-moving equipment, contacting MISS DIG 811 should always be the first step with any construction project. It's a free service that will mark underground utilities so you can then follow safe digging practices."

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared April as Safe Digging Month in Michigan, joining with MISS DIG 811, Consumers Energy and other utilities, the Michigan Public Service Commission and Michigan Legislature to urge Michigan residents, farmers and excavators to contact MISS DIG 811 before starting any digging project.

The law requires contacting MISS DIG by calling 8-1-1 or visiting www.missdig.org/at least three working days in advance of using power digging equipment as well as shovels, picks or other hand tools.

Practicing safe digging not only prevents damage and service interruptions for underground utilities like natural gas, electric, cable, fiber optic and water, but also helps keep those doing the work safe. No matter how small the digging job, from planting shrubs and other landscaping, to installing fencing, to large road and building projects, contacting MISS DIG 811 is required to safely complete a digging project.

In 2020, the total number of dig-in damages to the Consumers Energy natural gas system was 2,127, a 3 percent increase over 2019. Thirty-five percent of damages were attributed to not contacting MISS DIG 811 before digging, while 25 percent resulted from not using hand tools to dig around lines when required.

Six counties had 100 or more dig-ins last year:

Oakland  729 damages in 2020 vs. 706 in 2019

 729 damages in 2020 vs. 706 in 2019 Macomb  248 damages in 2020 vs. 230 in 2019

 248 damages in 2020 vs. 230 in 2019 Genesee  195 damages in 2020 vs. 176 in 2019

 195 damages in 2020 vs. 176 in 2019 Kalamazoo  126 damages in 2020 vs. 136 in 2019

 126 damages in 2020 vs. 136 in 2019 Ingham  100 damages in 2020 vs. 113 in 2019

 100 damages in 2020 vs. 113 in 2019 Livingston  111 damages in 2020 vs. 77 in 2019

Four key safe digging tips were shared by Khan. They include:

Contact MISS DIG 811 at least three business days before digging to have underground utilities marked. Wait to dig until you are sure all lines are marked with flags and/or paint or cleared by the utility. Confirm this by calling MISS DIG at 8-1-1 or visiting www.response.missdig811.org/ Respect the marks and dig with care. If the project is within four feet of the marks, dig carefully with hand tools or modify your plans to be further from the marks. If using power equipment within four feet of the marks, always use a wooden handled tool to carefully expose the lines and confirm their exact location before starting to excavate. Be sure to contact MISS DIG 811 prior to digging if using a contractor or be sure that person makes the contact.

"I urge all Michiganders to keep themselves, their neighbors and underground utilities safe by taking the important first step of contacting MISS DIG 811 before they dig," Khan said.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information about Consumers Energy, go to www.ConsumersEnergy.com.

Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/consumersenergy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consumersenergy

SOURCE Consumers Energy

Related Links

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Migrants: Open Arms docks in Pozzallo with 209 people 56 minors also aboard, others transferred to quarantine ship

(ANSAmed) - ROME, APRIL 1 - The ship Open Arms docked in Pozzallo on Thursday with 209 migrants aboard, of whom 56 were minors, including a seven-year-old girl.



Six siblings were evacuated from the Spanish NGO ship and taken to suitable facilities.



The other migrants will undergo a period of quarantine aboard the ship Snav Adriatico, which reached the port of Pozzallo on Thursday morning from Porto Empedocle.



The migrants, almost all of whom departed from Libya, declared Libyan, Moroccan, and Egyptian nationalities.(ANSAmed).




STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Health-care workers in Staten Island hospitals and nursing homes recently received 14,000 free face masks and face shields, thanks to the generosity of a domestic manufacturing company and the efforts of Staten Island Community Organizations Active in Disaster (SICOAD).

The American Mask Company donated the equipment to the health-care workers with the help and direction of SICOAD and its Medical Ecosystem (MES), which directed the donations toward those patient-facing providers hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and in the greatest need of the equipment, said Sharmila Rao Thakkar, executive director of the Staten Island Not for Profit Association, which manages the SICOAD, a coalition of community-based organizations, health-care providers and elected officials.

SUCH A SHORTAGE

Weve just been experiencing such a shortage [of PPE] from the beginning,' she said. We have been facing shortage after shortage throughout this pandemic. So, when we learned that we were getting this donation, you feel a sense of relief. It comes at the right time.'

Founded in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the SICOADs mission is to prepare organizations and health-care institutions to respond in times of crisis or disaster, serving as a go-between between them and public officials. They provide a variety of services, including CPR training, active-shooter and earthquake-preparedness drills.

Lately, the focus has been primarily on pandemic-related assistance, Thakkar said. In spring 2020, SICOAD held a fundraiser that generated $20,000 to help frontline workers care for those battling the virus, she said.

In addition to hospital and nursing home workers, SICOAD prioritized the distribution of the American Mask Company face shields and other PPE toward other health and human service agencies with staff on the front lines.

ABOUT AMERICAN MASK COMPANY

American Mask Company is currently manufacturing masks at plants in Michigan, California and Indiana, and the face shields are produced in Kentucky, using domestically sourced and manufactured materials, according to the company announcement.

American Mask Companys products have been tested, and meet the standards set by the U.S. government, and are manufactured in facilities registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the company.

While its products are available for bulk purchase by organizations in need of PPE, including essential workers, medical professionals and businesses looking to protect their employees and customers, American Mask Company executives were looking to get supplies out faster to those in serious need, and thus sought the assistance of SICOAD.

Our goal is to get PPE into the hands of the American people,' said Josh Kozel, president of American Mask Company, which has also made donations to UCLA Health in Los Angeles. Our donations to UCLA Health and SICOAD enable the rapid distribution of PPE to healthcare and medical professionals, first responders and nursing home workers who are fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines.
Abuja  President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, yesterday, said for Nigeria to provide 'herd immunity' for its over two hundred million population, efforts must be made by the federal government to collaborate with international bodies to develop and produce a vaccine for the purpose.

According to Lawan, the project to develop a vaccine must deploy resources specifically meant to provide the needed environment for Nigerian scientists resident abroad to come up with a vaccine that would serve not only Nigeria's population, but of other developing countries.

The senate president made this known during the public presentation of a 'Research Work on the Legislative Efforts and Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic' by the Young Parliamentarians Forum in collaboration with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in Abuja.

In his address, Lawan recalled the efforts by the National Assembly and State Assemblies in coming up with legislative interventions such as the economic stimulus package to help cushion the effect of the lockdown caused by the pandemic.

He added that such legislative interventions have subsequently extended to long-term legislative proposals that would address the inadequate number of health facilities across the country.

"The legislature was also forthcoming in supporting the executive arm, in formulating policies to cushion the effect of the contagion, particularly because of lockdowns, and the attendant adverse effect on personal and public incomes.

"Talking of public incomes, we know what the National Assembly did, particularly to support the Executive arm of government in passing the economic stimulus package, which we graciously did and, I'm sure the legislatures at the state level did the same in their states", Lawan said.

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On how to successfully vaccinate Nigeria's over two hundred million population in record time, the senate president called on the federal government to explore the option of collaborating with international bodies and Nigerian scientists abroad for the development of its own vaccine.

Also speaking at the event, speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who was represented by the chairman of the Young Parliamentarian Forum, Hon. Kabir Ibrahim Tukur, said the

COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges to legislative duties across the world.

On his part, chairman of the Conference of Speakers, Abubakar Suleiman, said the Research Work on the Legislative Efforts and Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic would assist legislators and policy makers to come up with required framework and laws to better prepare the country and its health institutions ahead of such situations.
Worldwide air cargo volume increased by 1% in week 11 of the year compared with the previous week. Worldwide capacity remained unchanged, according to WorldACD Market Data.

On a regional level, the origins Asia Pacific and Middle East & South Asia did best with a volume increase of 4% week-over-week, while the origins Europe and North America showed a decrease (-2%).

The average worldwide yield/rate in week 11 increased compared with week 10. -- Tradearabia News Service
When times get tough, horse people are always known for coming together. And that is exactly what is happening this weekend in support of P.E.I. horsewoman Fran Strongmans battle against cancer.

A group banded together to solicit entries for a stallion benefit auction for the Summerside, P.E.I., horsewoman who has just started chemotherapy as she continues her road against her diagnosis.

Strongman and her family, husband and trainer-driver Norris Rogers and daughter Madison Rogers, have already incurred a great number of expenses since hearing the news that no one wants to hear.

The auction will go live Saturday (April 3) at 12 p.m. (ADT) featuring eight Atlantic stallion breedings as well as a pair of Ontario stallions. The Facebook page for the auction will be at Stallion Breeding Auction Benefit Towards Fran Strongman with the bidding beginning to close at 8 p.m. (ADT) on Monday evening (April 5) with a stallion closing every five minutes.

The choices for anyone looking to support the fundraiser include Ontario Sires Stakes eligible Big Bad John, who is being offered by Chestnutt Country Farms. State Treasurer is another Ontario stallion in the mix with Dr. Ian Moore donating a breeding to his former trainee.

For Atlantic stallions, Flameproof Hanover will have a breeding available for purchase for his inaugural season courtesy of Earl Watts of Windemere Farms. Robin Burke offers a breeding to Atlantic-eligible Shanghai Phil for the auction while Todd Weatherbee has a breeding offered for Czar Seelster.

Boomboom Ballykeel will have a breeding available courtesy of Jamie MacKinleys Double J Farms for the stallions first season.

The EL Rocket syndicate offers a breeding to the trotting stallion in support of Strongman and Blaine MacPherson of Howmac Farms also offers a service to Articulator. Trotting stud Mill Hill Willie will also have a 2021 breeding available courtesy of Paul Morrison.

Woodmere Farms offers the choice of Stonebridge Terror, Bet The Moon, Arthur Blue Chip and Rollwithitharry. The winner of that bid can select any one of the four Woodmere stallions to cover the stud fee for a live foal of either 2021 or 2022.

The group organizing the stallion auction reminds potential bidders that stud fees are non-transferable, the winning bidder must use it for one of their own mares.
Your insurance claim will not be rejected for accidents that happen during curfew hours, the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) has clarified.

This comes as a reprieve after AKI dismissed a statement by an insurance agents' lobby that warned motorists that insurers would not settle claims for accidents that take during curfew hours.

"The motor vehicle insurance (motor vehicle private, motor vehicle commercial and motor vehicle (PSV) contract documents were standardized and came into effect on 1st February 2012. These are the approved documents for use by all companies transacting motor vehicle insurance," read part of the statement.

"As per the approved and standardized motor insurance policy documents, driving past and during curfew hours is not an exclusion in the current motor vehicle insurance covers. As such, insurance companies cannot reject motor vehicle claims based on timing."

AKI, however, noted that driving past curfew hours does not warrant an insurance firm to dismiss a claim unless other circumstances were leading to an accident.

The Association of Kenya Professional Insurance agents (AKPIA) had in a statement earlier this week disclaimed themselves from eventualities likely to occur between 8pm and 4am, though a notice stating that they will not settle claims out of incidences that occur during hours the government has barred movement.

"Driving past curfew hours without essential services authorisation or valid emergency reasons could render your motor insurance claim invalid. Please AVOID DRIVING PAST 8:00PM/Curfew Hours and adhere to all other GOK/MOH COVID-19 guidelines," AKPIA stated in the Sunday public notice.

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AKI however said motorists who have incidents while driving during curfew hours should be treated as normal incidents, adding that the offence of being outside during this time should be dealt with by law enforcement agencies.

"Any motor insurance claim that arises during curfew hours cannot be dismissed based on the time of the accident. If you violate curfew hours, then the police will charge you with that violation," said AKI.

The Authority said it had not received any request to vary the general terms and conditions of motor insurance contract documents to include curfew requirements.

"Consequently, payment of any motor claims is subject to the existing contracts between the insureds (policyholders) and insurers (insurance companies)," the statement added.

"However, should there be other circumstances that are excluded from the motor insurance policy the claim can be denied on those circumstances. We advise customers whose claims were denied on the basis of getting an accident during curfew hours to visit their insurer for review."

In his State of the Nation Address, President Kenyatta announced a cessation of movement into and out of Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado and Nakuru, further reviewing curfew hours in the regions to 8pm-4am.

Curfew hours in the rest of the 42 counties remain 10pm to 4am.
Actor and script writer Anoop Menons King Fish has been cleared by the Censor board with a clean U certificate.

The director has announced that the movie will be releasing soon.

King Fish was initially announced with V K Prakash as the director. However Anoop took over the mantle as director, when Prakash became busy with certain other projects.
A Canadian national was arrested near here on Wednesday while trying to sneak into the Indian territory from adjoining Nepal dodging immigration officials and without a valid visa, an immigration department official said.

The 26-year-old Ontario resident was arrested from a bus heading for Bettiah in neighbouring West Champaran district, the official said.

The police had been alerted by the immigration department officials that the woman had reached Raxaul border outpost in an auto-rickshaw from Nepal and had fled upon being asked to halt and show her documents, the official said.

The womans passport, camera and a video recorder were seized from her.

During interrogation she claimed to have visited India long back and that her online request for a visa in January 2020 when she was in Nepal was declined by the Indian authorities because of the coronavirus pandemic, the official said.

The woman claimed that during her previous visits she had extensively toured Himachal Pradesh, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, he added.

She was taken to Haraiya police station where a case has been registered against her under the Foreigners Act, the police said.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
It began as an accident, morphed into a parliamentary tool extensively used to block civil rights legislation, and today has grown into a partisan gambit threatening to obstruct democracy reforms and, for that matter, the entire policy agenda of the new Biden administration.

It is called the filibuster.

There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that provides for the filibuster. In fact, it is anathema to what the founders envisioned for the legislative process. Noting the standstill of the legislative process under the super-majority vote requirements of the Articles of Confederation, the founders wrote a new Constitution fundamentally based on majority rule. Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 22: If a pertinacious minority can control the opinion of a majority  (the governments) situation must always savor of weakness, sometimes border upon anarchy.

Instead, the filibuster came into existence very much unwittingly and by mistake. Both the House and Senate rule books included the previous question motion, which allowed each body to cut off debate by a simple majority. In 1805, Vice President Aaron Burr, recently indicted for the death of Alexander Hamilton, presided over the Senate and argued that the previous question motion was superfluous, and so the Senate deleted it from the rulebook. No one contemplated that the deleted previous question motion could empower a senator to keep the floor indefinitely and prevent a vote on a motion until decades later, with the first filibuster in 1837.

Back then, the filibuster was a talking filibuster in which senators had to stand on the floor and talk until they dropped. It really was not used often prior to the Civil War. The filibuster eventually did become a nuisance to the legislative process, so the Senate adopted a compromise reform to cut off debate by a supermajority vote in 1917, known as the cloture rule (Senate Rule 22).

Today, the filibuster has become a routine tool to derail a majority partys legislative agenda. Filibusters now are managed more like a poll of the Senate. If Senate leaders know that at least 41 senators would oppose a cloture motion on any legislative measure, that measure usually will not be scheduled for floor consideration. The startling frequency of such informal filibusters today can be measured by the number of cloture motions, which have gone from one or two cloture motions per session prior to the 1960s to 150 to 250 cloture motions today.

Following the tidal wave of scandals and corruption and efforts to suppress voting rights over the last four years, and in recognition of longstanding issues with our democracy, congressional Democrats have put together a massive legislative package to strengthen our system. The For the People Act would establish automatic voter registration, make voting by mail and early voting easy, ban gerrymandering and enhance election security. The legislation would enhance transparency of money in politics and replace the corrupting system of special-interest financing of elections with a small-donor matching program to reduce the role of Big Money in elections. It would strengthen governmental ethics by applying the conflict of interest rules all the way up the government hierarchy, including the president and vice president, and empower the Office of Government Ethics to enforce these rules, and much more. In short, the For the People Act is the cure to the ills of government for which we have all been waiting.

But the dysfunction caused by the filibuster could strangle much of the Democratic majority legislative agenda in the 117th Congress. And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has signaled that he will filibuster these democracy reforms to the death.

The filibuster, as it currently stands, is the single greatest obstacle to protecting us from voting access attacks happening at the state level, restoring election integrity and reining in special interest control over our government. This is reason enough to end the filibuster as we know it. There are a number of different steps that could be taken, from restoring the talking filibuster to exempting democracy reforms from the filibuster or, better yet, casting this accidental parliamentary mistake back into the dustbin from which it crawled.

As the 2020 elections demonstrate, the American people of all partisan persuasions are tired of the congressional gridlock and the scandals and corruption that have come to define Washington. Americans want sweeping change. It is what we voted for.

Lets not allow a parliamentary gimmick to block desperately needed democracy reforms and leaving us forever stranded in a legislative quagmire.

Craig Holman serves as Public Citizens lobbyist on ethics, lobbying and campaign finance rules. Lisa Gilbert is Public Citizens executive vice president. They wrote this for InsideSources.com.
EV

People familiar with the matter said Xiaomi has already found a carmaker to take care of the manufacturing business, as Great Wall Motors, the second-largest auto company in China, would handle production at its factories.But Great Wall has denied this possibility in a filling, and Xiaomi itself has remained tight-lipped on whos going to manufacture itsNevertheless, this doesnt mean Great Wall isnt interested in such a project, with one of its executives explaining recently that his company is ready to work with any tech giant for the development of an electric car. Maybe even Apple, though were not sure the Cupertino-based tech giant would favor a deal with a Chinese firm given the recent trade tensions between the United States and the Beijing governments.We do not exclude any potential partner for a tie-up, Li Hongqiang, investor relations manager at Great Wall, has recently been quoted as saying . In the IoT (Internet of Things) era, Great Wall will cooperate with more companies to deepen our digitalization drive.In the meantime, it now looks like both Xiaomi and Apple are seeking a partner to make their EVs happen, though, at first glance, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer has bigger changes to join forces with a domestic carmaker for this project.On the other hand, Apple is likely to turn to long-time partner Foxconn , which is currently the number one firm building the iPhone. Foxconn is also making big investments in EV production capacity, including in North America, with the company expected to announce a new location where it plans to build cars by the summer.If Apples partnership with Foxconn expands in the EV business, its believed the Apple Car could be on the market in 2024 at the earliest.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tore into Georgia's new state election law Thursday, after President Joe Biden compared it to Jim Crow laws but was rebuked by fact-checkers for his statement about how it impacts the times when people can vote.

Psaki was asked about the new law, which has prompted public complaints by leading Atlanta-based companies including Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola, amid calls by some community groups to boycott the state amid charges of voter suppression.

The state's Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed it after the GOP legislature passed it  following former President Donald Trump's election overturn effort even as courts and state election officials shot down his claims of voter fraud.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki slammed a new Georgia state election law that President Biden has also attacked, although fact checkers have poorly rated one of his claims about it

A Washington Post fact-checker gave President Joe Biden 'four Pinocchios' after he said the law would 'end voting at five o'clock when working people are just getting off work.'

Although the law has infuriated Democrats and many voting rights advocates, its positions provisions on hours set poll times on Election Day at 7 am to 7 pm. It lets counties set early voting times at 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but establishes 9 a.m. to 5 p.m as a minimum.

An old law stated that 'voting shall be conducted during normal business hours' but the new one standardizes it at 9 to 5.

A Washington Post fact-checker gave President Joe Biden 'four Pinocchios' after he said the law would 'end voting at five o'clock

Voters line up to cast their ballots outside of a polling location after Democratic and Republican primaries were delayed due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. June 9, 2020.

Republican Governor Brian Kemp signs the law S.B. 202, a restrictive voting law that activists have said aimed to curtail the influence of Black voters who were instrumental in state elections that helped Democrats win the White House and narrow control of the U.S. Senate

A reporter asked Psaki if the White House would be issuing a correction of Biden's comments.

'It standardizes the ending of voting every day at five, right?' Psaki asked him, continuing with a series of questions. 'It just gives options? It gives options to expand it, right, but it standardized it at five. It also makes it so that outside groups can't provide water or food to people in line, right? It makes it more difficult to absentee vote  are those things all correct?'

The reporter told her about the Election Day times and said early voting 'can standardize, adding Saturday and Sunday.'

Then he asked: 'Is the tone going to change out of the White House?'

'The tone for a bill that limits voting access and makes it more difficult for people to engage in voting in Georgia?' Psaki asked.

'That's actually not what the governor of Georgia has said,' the reporter followed.

'I think that is not based in fact, what the governor of Georgia has said, so o, our tone is not changing,' she said.

She said it makes it 'harder and more difficult to vote by limiting absentee options' and repeated her other statements.

Biden blasted the law again on ESPN Wednesday night. 'This is Jim Crow on steroids, but they're doing it in Georgia and 40 other states,' he said. 'Imagine passing a law saying you cannot provide water or food for someone standing in line to vote. Come on. Are you going to close a polling place at 5:00, where can people just get off? This is all about people, working folks, ordinary folks that I grew up with, from being able to vote.'

The law does limit providing food or drinks to people in line, although it also allows election officials to set up water stations near polling places.

The political backdrop for the fight is a traditionally Republican state where Biden beat Donald Trump by 11,780 votes and Democrats prevailed in two run-off elections, handing control of the Senate to Democrats.

Democrat Stacy Abrams turned up the heat on corporations who she blasted for 'mealy-mouthed responses' to the state's law. She said she doesn't think a boycott is required 'yet.'
BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - Students can attend the upcoming summer at Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) free of charge.

Students can attend the two summer school terms for free and receive $550 for living expenses.

Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) campus in Booneville, Mississippi. Photo Date: April 1, 2021. Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) campus in Booneville, Mississippi. Photo Date: April 1, 2021.

"With free tuition this summer and extra cash for living expenses, now is the perfect time for you to go to college or come back, Executive Vice President Craig-Ellis Sasser said.

All students, including dual enrollment students, who meet the college general enrollment requirements, can apply, regardless of their program of study.

Applications are now being accepted. The deadline to apply is 12 p.m. on Friday, May 14.

The first summer term begins on Tuesday, June 1. The second summer term begins on Monday, July 5.

Students may apply for tuition for a minimum of three and a maximum of 12 credit hours during the 2021 summer session.

Apply at NEMCC.edu or call the admissions office at 1-800-555-2154 or send an email at admissions@nemcc.edu.
First and foremost, its the new eco-friendly routes that we told you about yesterday and that allow Google Maps to provide users with more fuel-efficient navigation. In other words, Google Maps will now try to determine the fuel consumption for every route and then suggest the most efficient one based on factors like road incline and traffic congestion.That will be the default route calculation model going forward, but users can switch back to the fastest route from the settings screen. The feature will launch in the United States first, with both Android and iOS to get it later this year.Then, Google Maps is getting indoor navigation with Live View. Airports, transit stations, and malls will all allow you to use the phones cameras to scan the surroundings and get directions on which way to go to reach a specific point. Youll therefore see AR-based navigation right on your screen, along with additional information that will guide you to the destination even indoors.Indoor AR-based navigation is already available on Android and iOS in some malls in Chicago, Los Angeles, Long Island, Newark, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. Still, Google says itll also launch in several airports, malls, and transit stations in Tokyo and Zurich in the coming months. Google Maps is also updated with a new weather layer, allowing you to see live weather information right on the map in real time. The application will thus show the forecasted temperature and the weather condition in each area, making it easier to plan your route accordingly.A new air quality indicator has also been added, and Google says this should come in handy specifically to those with allergies.The new weather layer will debut on Android and iOS in the coming months based on data provided by The Weather Company, AirNow.gov, and the Central Pollution Board. However, the air quality indicator will only be available in the U.S., India, and Australia at first.
A scaffolder caught with a zombie-style knife is believed to be the first person sentenced in England to wear an ankle tag that monitors if he has been drinking.

Aiden Lund, 23, admitted carrying the 11in blade in public in Morecambe, Lancashire, while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

He will have to wear the electronic tag for 28 days. It will take a sample of sweat every 30 minutes and alert the probation service if alcohol is detected.

Aiden Lund, 23, admitted carrying the 11in blade in public in Morecambe, Lancashire, while under the influence of alcohol and drugs

The 'sobriety tags' are a new measure courts can impose on criminals convicted of booze-related offences such as street violence.

Those caught breaching an abstinence order will face further sentences. More than 100 criminals have been tagged in Wales since a pilot scheme launched in the autumn, with offenders staying sober on 95 per cent of the days they were monitored. The programme will cost 44million over ten years  but ministers insist it is good value given the huge cost of alcohol-related crime.

Up to 2,500 offenders are expected to be tagged across England and Wales in the first 12 months.

Lund, pictured, was also given a 26-week jail term suspended for a year, and 20 days of community service. When arrested, he said he was carrying the knife for his own protection from a man from Manchester.

Sentencing at Blackpool Magistrates Court, District Judge Jane Goodwin said: 'If this tag detects alcohol on you, you will be in breach and will be brought back to court and will serve the 26 weeks.'
PHOENIX (AP)  America is starting to claw its way out of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, but food insecurity persists, especially for children and older adults.

Food banks around the U.S. continue giving away far more canned, packaged and fresh provisions than they did before the virus outbreak tossed millions of people out of work, forcing many to seek something to eat for the first time. For those who are now back at work, many are still struggling, paying back rent or trying to rebuild savings.

We have all been through an unimaginable year, said Brian Greene, CEO of the Houston Food Bank, the networks largest. It was distributing as much as 1 million pounds of groceries daily at various points during the pandemic last year.

Data from Feeding America, a national network of most food banks in the U.S., shows that its members dispensed far more in the last three months of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.

The food banks that agreed to let Feeding America publicly share their data, 180 out of 200 total, collectively distributed far more food  about 42%  during the last quarter of 2020 than in the same period of 2019. The amount of food allotted in the last quarter slipped just slightly from the previous three months, down around just 1%.

Katie Fitzgerald, Feeding Americas chief operating officer, said the networks members are still seeing demand above pre-pandemic levels, although final numbers for this years first quarter arent yet available. Fitzgerald said she expects the food banks will collectively distribute the equivalent of 6 billion meals this year, about the same amount they gave away last year and far above the 4.2 billion meals given out in 2019.

A lot of families who were living paycheck to paycheck before the pandemic were already experiencing food insecurity, she said. Now, the level of insecurity for some has grown more extreme, when you see real hunger  mom skipping meals to feed the family.

Americas yearlong food insecurity crisis has been felt especially sharply by children who lost easy access to free school meals, and older adults who struggled to get groceries or meals at senior centers because they worried about contracting the virus.

Pallets of boxed foods sit inside Houston Food Bank's warehouse in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

It got really ugly, said Silvia Baca Garcia, 33, a Phoenix resident from Honduras who scrambled to feed her three children and granddaughter during months of unemployment caused by the viral outbreak. It had been a lot easier when my two boys were in school and getting their hot breakfasts and lunches everyday.

HUNGRY CHILDREN

When COVID fears shuttered schools around the U.S. last spring, school districts nationwide suddenly had to get food to students who rely on free lunches even in the best times.

The number of free meals districts served to children whose families meet income criteria fell sharply: Nationwide approximately 1.65 billion fewer breakfasts and lunches were served by child food service programs between March and November of 2020 than were served March through November of 2019 -- a decrease of 30 percent.

School children sit at desks and eat their school-supplied breakfasts in Fayette, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

There are definitely a certain amount of students that are falling through the cracks, said Reggie Ross, president of the School Nutrition Association, which represents school food service employees and food suppliers.

From rural to urban areas, districts have had to get creative to deliver the food to kids.

In Phoenix on a recent, hazy afternoon, grownups and kids lined up by a yellow school bus for bags of free food.

The tiniest kids balanced multiple bags as they trudged home to apartments nearby, an occasional apple or juice box tumbling onto the asphalt. A young woman stuffed bags of food under her toddlers stroller seat.

This has been important because most refugees dont have a ride, said Sinthia Rehmet, originally from Pakistan. She was among those picking up bags containing small milk cartons, peanut butter, hamburgers and pre-cooked meals to be re-heated.

The Alhambra School District in Phoenix went from serving 6,000 free breakfasts and 9,600 free lunches every day before the pandemic down to about 2,500 meals overall daily, said Brienne Berg, the districts child nutrition coordinator. Berg said about 5,000 of the districts estimated 10,000 students returned to campuses in March while a similar number were signed up to continue remote learning.

Silvia Baca Garcia, 33, and her children sit outside their home in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Anita Snow)

For Baca Garcia, the struggling Phoenix mother, without a car, it was often difficult to pick up the packages of food the kids school was offering while the campus was closed. Fortunately a neighborhood church ensured the family always had something to eat. Shes now relieved to be working as a hotel housekeeper and her sons Hugo, 14, and Adrian, 6, have returned to classes and two hot meals a day at the districts Valencia Newcomer School.

In Mississippis impoverished Jefferson County, t he school district for months has used aging school buses to deliver meals to the homes of remote learners. All 1,100 students in the district qualify for free school meals.

As districts reopen, including some with hybrid models where kids dont attend in person every day, schools are trying to ensure their access to food is consistent. As New York City works to get kids back in school, the school district has made students meals available at pickup sites in the mornings. In the afternoons, families can also get free packaged meals and snacks available to the whole community.

Jennel Jerome, a New York school district supervisor, worries about students nutrition when they arent in class where staff can make sure they eat lunch and encourage them to grab an extra milk or fruit if they are still hungry.

Now that were not seeing them, there is that concern: what are they really getting to eat? she asked.

The USDA has announced that during summer recess it will extend flexible food programs providing free meals to all children across the U.S. regardless of income.

OLDER ADULTS

Since the pandemic began, many older adults in the U.S. have turned to food banks, Meals on Wheels home deliveries and other charities to get enough to eat.

Daily meals at the local senior center are no longer an option during shutdowns and going to the grocery store may be dangerous. Many older people are cut off from family and friends trying to keep them safe.

Meals on Wheels programs that deliver food to homes were flooded with calls, while other programs also popped up to feed older adults nationwide. Meals on Wheels America said at the end of 2020 its branches nationwide were still serving on average 60% more seniors than before COVID-19.

Over $1.675 billion in emergency funding has gone to nutrition programs under the Older Americans Act to pay for food, gas and drivers to deliver meals, along with masks, gloves and sanitizer to protect staff.

Jackie Robinson shows the contents of a meal boxe he received from Revolution Foods in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Jackie Robinson, a 66-year-old retired cook who once worked at a French Quarter restaurant in New Orleans, struggled to get by on his Social Security benefits before the pandemic, occasionally visiting a food pantry. But over the summer he signed up for a city-run delivery program and now gets two meals a day, seven days a week.

Things were getting kind of tough, a little rough and ... I needed a little extra assistance, he said.

The New Orleans program pays local restaurants to make food that is delivered to people who qualify. It feeds 11,200 people including about 4,000 seniors and is a partnership between the city and FEMA designed to get food to people at a time when they were being encouraged to stay home. It isnt restricted to older adults, but officials had them in mind when they launched it last summer.

Its been renewed monthly since its inception in July. The city is planning a survey to get a sense of who will need help once the program ends so they can help them with things like applying for SNAP benefits or finding other food services.

Weve had quite a few people tell us that they would not have meals, they literally would not have food if not for the program, said Darnell Head, of Revolution Foods, which operates the program in New Orleans.

New Orleans resident Helen Smith Green, 76, uses a walker to get around and depended on her 96-year-old mother to cook for both of them before the older woman fell and went to an assisted living facility. Green now gets meals through the New Orleans program. Separately, she also gets a monthly food box delivered.

Helen Green puts on a face mask as a box of meals is delivered by Revolution Foods in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Im very thankful for these meals. It makes a big difference in your life, you know, she said.

With vaccinations hopefully hastening an end to the pandemic, advocates working with older adults who are food insecure worry the increase in clients wont abate when the outbreak does.

Economic recovery for people over 60 could be slower and more difficult. Its often harder for unemployed older adults to find work and they have fewer years to pull themselves out of poverty exacerbated by the pandemic.

Erin Kee who tracks nutrition issues for the National Council on Aging, said even before the pandemic only about half of the older adults eligible sign up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which lets people buy groceries at a store. While some dont know about the program, others are ashamed to use it or struggle with the paperwork, she said.

Robert Blancato, executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, said in a January survey that 90% of its members were still serving more people than before the pandemic, and most worried funds would run out.

Once the pandemic ends, people go back to their normal business, and again, seniors wont be on the radar, said Al Robichaux who heads the Jefferson Parish Council on Aging based in the New Orleans suburbs.

Terry and Barbara Jackson, who live in the town of Marrero, count on the home meals they started receiving from the councils delivery program. He is blind and has diabetes and congestive heart failure while his wife suffers from Alzheimers and dementia.

We get Social Security and disability, both of us, Terry Jackson said. It barely gets us by.

___

Santana reported from New Orleans and Choi reported from New York. AP writers Camille Fassett in Santa Cruz, California; Leah Willingham in Fayette, Mississippi and Cheyanne Mumphrey in Phoenix also contributed to this report.
Niger's security forces thwarted an attempted military coup at the West African country's presidential palace overnight, the government said Wednesday.

It comes just two days before the newly elected president is to be sworn into office in a peaceful transfer of power.

The coup attempt raises fear of more violence coinciding with Mohamed Bazoum's inauguration as president on Friday.

Already his administration faces unprecedented threats from Islamic extremists near the country's troubled border with Mali.

Several people have been arrested in connection with the coup attempt while "others" linked to the events were being "sought", government spokesman Abdourahmane Zakaria said Wednesday afternoon.

Fears have been mounting that Bazoum's inauguration could prompt more violence in Niger as the latest massacre killing at least 137 people came on the same day the constitutional court certified his electoral victory.

And at least 100 others were killed in villages near the border on the day that Niger announced the presidential election would go to a second round on Feb. 21.

The overnight crackle of gunfire in the neighbourhood near the palace immediately prompted concerns of a coup attempt given that Niger has a long history of the military seizing power by force since its independence from France in 1960.

The last successful coup took place in February 2010 when armed soldiers stormed the presidential palace, overthrowing strongman president Mamadou Tandja.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
(Natural News) The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed reports that dozens of unaccompanied minors who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and were transported to a shelter at the San Diego Convention Center have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

According to the HHS, 82 of the more than 700 migrant minors in the shelter tested positive but none required hospitalization.

HHS officials said those who tested positive were brought to San Diego on a separate plane and their intake was separate from the others. They were also kept in separate areas on a separate floor.

Those who tested negative are tested for COVID-19 every three days. All migrant minors are tested before boarding transportation to the shelter.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria told the media over the weekend that the shelter is only taking unaccompanied girls aged 13 to 17.

Today we are showing the world that San Diego is a welcoming city. These are children. This is the right thing to do, Gloria said as he led the opening of the facility on Saturday, March 27.

Gloria added the shelter will provide a full range of services.

I want to be clear, this is not just cots, but [what] we are doing here is intensive case management, medical care, behavioral health care, educational services, recreational services, nutritious meals, legal services, religious services, and probably above anything, to be a safe place, he said.

The San Diego shelter, which is under contract until mid-July, will operate as a processing facility and shelter for the children until social workers can connect them with relatives or sponsors. Officials said South Bay Community Services in San Diego is helping the minors contact relatives in the country or helping them find sponsors.

The convention center is one of at least eight facilities that have been converted into shelters or created to house the influx of unaccompanied immigrant children entering the U.S. in recent months.

Over 17,000 unaccompanied migrant minors under government care

According to a March 30 report, there are 17,641 unaccompanied migrant minors in government care  5,606 are in Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) custody and 12,035 are in the care of the HHS.

From March 1 to March 30, there were a total of 647 COVID-19 cases in 40 out of 50 Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Office of Refugee Resettlement operations. (Related: Unloading disease-carrying immigrants in large U.S. cities a perfect storm for pandemic disease outbreak.)

At the facility for migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Texas, around 11 percent of kids have tested positive for COVID-19, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News Wednesday, March 31. There are 766 unaccompanied migrant minors stationed at the site.

The source said the sites contractor is a nonprofit that provided emergency coronavirus response resources to Texas this year and requested that COVID-19 positive teens be sent to the facility.

Late Tuesday, March 30, 500 unaccompanied minors were brought to Fort Bliss, Texas, which houses boys between 13 and 17. The facility can house as many as 5,000 children. Its not yet clear how many children there have tested positive for COVID-19.

Also on Tuesday, reporters were given a first look inside a CBP-run facility, which revealed severe overcrowding. A temporary tent facility in Donna, Texas, which is meant to hold 250 migrants, had more than 4,100 crammed inside.

According to the CBP, 3,400 of those were unaccompanied minors and more than 2,000 had been held beyond the legal limit of 72 hours.

Its not surprising then, that girls who are legally not supposed to be held for more than 72 hours and are being held for a much longer period of time at those facilities are contracting the disease, Pedro Rios, the director of the U.S.-Mexico Border Program with the American Friends Service Committee, which aids migrants in San Diego, told ABC News.

He described those facilities as horrendous or ill-equipped to handle any type of medical emergency or any situation where there could be a spread of communicable disease.

They dont have the medical supplies there to handle any type of outbreak or treat anyone with any serious illness. Thats what weve seen children die in the past, Rios said.

During the time of former President Donald Trump, his administration invoked a section of the public health code known as Title 42 to give immigration authorities the green light to remove unaccompanied migrant children. CBP said it was necessary to reduce overcrowding at its facilities.

But under President Joe Biden, the government is allowing teens and children to stay in the country. The change, combined with an unprecedented increase in the number of kids found crossing the border, has strained government resources and sent the Biden administration scrambling to find more shelter space.

Follow Pandemic.news for more news and information related to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Engie, a global reference group in low-carbon energy and services, will carry out a feasibility study to create an Hydrogen Valley located on the Bushveld Complex and more broadly around Johannesburg, Mogalakwena and Kwazulu Natal in South Africa.

With its regional headquarters in Dubai, Engie announced the signing of an agreement together with South Africas Department of Science and Innovation, South African National Energy Development Institute, Anglo American, one of the worlds leading producers of platinum group metals, and Bambili Energy, the clean energy solutions provider.

The first step of the feasibility study, which is carried out by Engie Impact, is to identify tangible project opportunities to build hydrogen hubs in this key economic and transport corridor.

The projects objective is to identify up to 3 hydrogen hubs zones with a high concentration of hydrogen demand, with access to green hydrogen that act as a hydrogen eco-system.

Subsequently, a techno-economic analysis will be carried out on each of the hubs to assess the business case for the identified projects, map their potential for positive social impact and define the political and regulatory actions needed to create the conditions for implementation. This study will make recommendations on hydrogen projects in the hydrogen hubs.

Hydrogen is of strategic importance to South Africa. President Ramaphosa highlighted the Hydrogen South Africa Strategy in his recent State of the Nation address, stating that after a decade of research, South Africa is prepared to manufacture hydrogen fuel cells. The hydrogen economy presents an opportunity for South Africa to leverage its platinum resources to develop a domestic hydrogen economy valued at up to $10 billion per year, and to tap into export potential of $100 billion per year.

Initiated as part of a national H2 roadmap, the development of a local hydrogen economy has the potential to have a significant impact in stimulating economic activity, job creation and decarbonisation of the region. This involves the development of new industries, the exploitation of platinum resources as well as taking advantage of the promising private sector initiatives being developed in the territory.

Engie is delighted to be part of the 'Hydrogen Valley' study. We are keen to bring our global experts and knowledge encompassing the entire hydrogen value chain to accelerate Hydrogen solutions' deployment in South Africa and beyond. We believe that renewable hydrogen is key to decarbonising hard-to-abate industries and will play a fundamental role in the global economy of tomorrow, says Sebastien Arbola, Executive Vice President in charge of Thermal Generation, Energy Supply activities and Hydrogen and CEO of the Business Unit in charge of the Middle East, South &Central Asia, Turkey and Africa. -- Tradearabia News Service
In the wake of rising cases, Delhi government on Thursday issued a directive saying students of any class should not be called physically to schools for the new academic session 2021-22 until further orders.

"However, teaching-learning activities may be commenced from April 1," said Delhi education department.

The education department also said that students of classes 9 to 12 may be called to school only for providing academic guidance and support to the students for midterm or annual board exams, following guidelines with parents' consent'.

On Thursday, Delhi reported 2,790 fresh cases in the last 24 hours. A total 1,121 recoveries, and 9 deaths were also reported during the same period.

Schools in Delhi were closed in March last year ahead of a nationwide lockdown to contain spread of novel coronavirus. While several states partially reopened schools in October, the Delhi government allowed schools to reopen for students in classes 9 to 12 for practical works and remedial lessons, from January 18 and February 5.
Mogadishu, Mar 29 (UNI) At least five civilians were killed in a car bomb attack targeting an official in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, the Goobjoog News news outlet reported on Monday.

According to the outlet, the bomb hit the car of the city's Deynile district secretary, who survived the attack.

So far, none of the armed groups operating in the country has claimed responsibility for the car explosion.

UNI XC GNK SHK1717
A paramilitary police officer stands guard on Tiananmen Square shrouded in smog - CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS /REUTERS

A luxury auction house has pulled the sale of a watch awarded to Chinese troops responsible for the Tiananmen Square massacre following threats online.

Fellows, the UK auctioneers withdrew the lot, which was part of a mass auction of luxury timepieces, after a backlash about its sale.

The watch, featuring the text 89.6 to commemorate the quelling of the rebellion drew criticism over the ethics of selling an item with its history.

The company said: Threats made on social media against the owner of this watch have caused the vendor to express concerns about their safety.

We have taken the decision to remove this watch from auction.

Fellows told the Guardian that threats were received digitally and that one person had suggested the piece was admissible evidence and that the owner should be traced and tried for the massacre.

Fellows said that the watch had been left in a cupboard for many years and their investigations into its history found that to the best of our knowledge, the vendor is not associated with the PLA [Peoples Liberation Army], nor the Chinese government.

The massacre of student protestors at Tiananmen Square and the surrounding area is thought to have killed up to thousands of people.

The Chinese government maintains that fewer than two dozen were killed, and has been involved in suppressing information about the event to its population.

Internet searches for the massacre made within the country have often been met with censored results.

In its later statement, Fellows said the watch was of international interest, and in the past it had sold items from all sides of global conflicts. It is not our place to comment on events of the past. It is important for us to shine a light on historic events and report upon them in a respectful and unbiased manner, it said.
Im going to bring Republicans into the Oval Office, listen to what they have to say and be open to their ideas, Mr. Biden said on Wednesday. We will have a good-faith negotiation.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, said Mr. Biden had called him on Tuesday to discuss the broad contours of the package. But he warned that the proposal is like a Trojan horse  a comparison he has deployed repeatedly in both Washington and his home state, where he attended a series of events this week.

Its called infrastructure, but inside the Trojan horse is more borrowed money and massive tax increases on all of the productive parts of our economy, Mr. McConnell said. He said he most likely would not support such a package if its going to have massive tax increases and trillions more added to the national debt.

Republicans are already gearing up to fight the plan. Marc Short, a longtime aide to former Vice President Mike Pence, has started a new group, the Coalition to Protect American Workers, that aims to raise $25 million to $50 million from conservative donors to defeat the infrastructure initiative.

When you are talking about tax hikes of this magnitude, I dont see there being any Republican support on the Hill, he said.

Girding for that possibility, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and other top Democrats have already begun exploring how infrastructure legislation could move quickly in the coming months under the same fast-track budget reconciliation process they used for the stimulus measure. That would protect the plan from a filibuster and enable Democrats to muscle it through the Senate over potentially unanimous Republican opposition.
NEW BRITAIN  A local man will spend three years in federal prison for selling fentanyl and crack in the Hartford area, according to officials.

Jordan T Flythe, 28, was sentenced to 36 months in prison by Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford on Wednesday.

Flythe pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, 2020, to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl and cocaine base  or crack.

Authorities said Flythe was identified as a narcotics distributor who supplied various gang members in Hartfords South End.

Investigators set up a controlled buy of six grams of crack cocaine for $300 in Hartford from Flythe on Feb. 3, 2020. Hartford police stopped his vehicle and arrested him on state narcotics charges.

When police searched Flythes vehicle and person during his arrest, law enforcement said they found about 20 grams of crack, a digital scale and $3,450 in cash.

After Flythe was released on bond for the state charges, investigators arranged more controlled purchases from Flythe in February 2020  12 grams of crack on Feb. 12, 100 sleeves of fentanyl and eight grams of crack on Feb. 17 and seven grams of crack on Feb. 25.

Flythe was taken into custody on the federal charges on Feb. 26, 2020. He has been detained ever since.

That same day, investigators searched the Hartford apartment Flythe used to store, process and package narcotics. Authorities seized more than 30 grams of fentanyl, 18 grams of crack, nine ounces of marijuana and $5,582 in cash.

When law enforcement searched Flythes New Britain home, they found 52 grams of heroin and $3,357 in cash.
President Joe Biden talks to reporters during the first news conference of his presidency in the East Room of the White House in Washington on March 25, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Talk of Jim Crow Stokes Fires of Outrage

Commentary

Little did I know when I wrote in this space three weeks ago (see Lies That Democrats Tell in The Epoch Times of March 19, 2021) about the preposterous claim that Republicans want to go back to Jim Crow, that this was about to become the latest progressive article of faithreported over and over again in the media as if it were a simple matter of fact, for blatantly partisan political purposes.

When I first spotted the claim, in the headline to a column by former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich in the UK Guardian, I thought it so obvious a lie that only a Guardian-reader could believe it. Mr. Reich himself had framed the proposition more carefully than the headline writer, writing that the defeat of the Democrats attempt to nationalize our elections in their For the People Act, known as H.R. 1, would be the biggest setback to civil and voting rights since the end of Reconstruction and the start of Jim Crow in the 1870s.

This way of putting it was equally absurd, in my view, but it didnt pretend to be anything more than the writers opinion. Presumably, Mr. Reich himself would have been ashamed to write anything masquerading as a statement of fact that was so obviously false as that Republicans want to go back to Jim Crow.

But thats still in the headline to his article on the website, and it has since been repeated by numerous media propagandists for H.R. 1, or against changes to election law in Georgia designed to curb voter fraud. Especially the latter.

Eliminating voter access under the guise of race-neutral actions that clearly target communities of color is nothing short of Jim Crow 2.0, said Stacey Abrams on CNN.

She was elsewhere quoted as calling the Republican-sponsored election security legislation in Georgia Jim Crow in a suit.

Her fellow Georgian, Senator Raphael Warnock, stuck with the sartorial metaphor as he insisted that this is Jim Crow in new clothes.

At his press conference last week, President Biden, himself alluded to the fashionable comparison when he said that the Georgia law makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle. No one was quite sure what that meant, but the next day he repeated the charge, saying: This is Jim Crow in the 21st Century.

As a writer in Thursdays New York Times put it, Georgias Voter Law Is Called Jim Crow 2.0 for a Reason.

Indeed. And the reason is that Democrats have found it politically effective and a way of getting what they want to raise the emotional temperature of debate in this way.

Readers with long memories may recall the presidential election of 1996 and the plaintive cry of the losing candidate, Republican Bob Dole, against the Democratic incumbent and eventual victor, Bill Clinton: Wheres the outrage?

Though he was a politician of long experience, Mr. Dole didnt understand that, in a democracy, outrage rarely happens spontaneously. It has to be manufactured, and the raw materials out of which skilled political operatives and their media allies most commonly create outrage are lies.

A better comparison might be with building a fire. You start by feeding the slender flame little twigs of exaggerations or what Huckleberry Finn called stretchersthings that people know are not literally true but may be sort of true if looked at in just the right way.

For example, you could say that tightening up election security to prevent fraud amounts to voter suppression.

It might even be true that there really are people for whom showing a photo ID in order to vote would be such a hardship that they would rather choose not to vote. Unlikely but possible. And if some of these people are people of color, you could say that their vote was being suppressed.

That is enough to feed the first lick of the flame of outrage. And once the fire is burning strongly enough, you can throw on the big logsout-and-out lies like Republicans want to go back to Jim Crowand the flames of outrage will feed on them only to grow brighter and hotter.

Democrats have perfected this technique of kindling outrage while in opposition, and it has served them extraordinarily well.

In 1992, they started by saying, Its the economy stupid and soon moved on to the preposterous notion that it was the worst economy in 50 years.

Well, they wouldnt have said it if there wasnt some truth to it. Would they?

In the congressional minority when the Iraq War was launched, when the war started going badly, they eagerly hopped on the anti-war bandwagon that was trumpeting the slogan, Bush lied; people diedwhich elided the distinction between a mistake and a lie in order to feed the flames of outrage against George W. Bush.

Even the dictionaries agreed that you could call a mistake a lie without (any longer) the risk of committing a terminological inexactitude.

And in the Trump era the media opposition not only spent two and a half years promoting the lie of Russian collusion but also went straight from making dubious and disputable claims of racism against President Trump to the demonstrably false proposition that he was a white supremacist who had called Nazis very fine people.

By that time the conflagration of outrage against Mr. Trump was not controllable by any mere appeal to truth or accuracy in reporting.

The use of the Jim Crow meme against Georgia Republicans shows that, under President Biden, the bonfires of outrage are to be kept burning brightly even when Democrats are in the majorityan altogether trickier proposition, one would have thought.

But they stoked those fires to such a heat during the last four years that they obviously hope to keep them burning for another four years while they continue to blame everything that goes wrong on their own watch on Mr. Trumpas Nancy Pelosi has blamed him for Mr. Bidens crisis on the border and Jennifer Psaki has hinted at the blame accruing to him for a lunatics murder of Asian women in Atlanta.

The media, of course, will say nothing to discourage the Biden people from trying to perpetuate the anti-Trump outrage first kindled more than four years ago, but I wonder if it will ever dawn on the Democrats themselves that theyre playing with fire.

James Bowman is a resident scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. The author of Honor: A History, he is a movie critic for The American Spectator and the media critic for the New Criterion.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
COSHOCTON, Ohio  In June 1885, an angry mob gathered on court square in downtown Coshocton, extracted a Black man being held in a nearby jail, and hanged him from a tree.

This June, on the 136th anniversary of that event, a crowd will gather again  this time to remember the man, Henry Howard, as a victim of the communitys only recorded lynching.

A lot of people dont realize that there were lynchings taking place in the North as well as the South, said Daryl Murphy, president of the NAACP in Sandusky, where another lynching took place, this one in 1878.

It can even happen here, in Sandusky, a city known for its Underground Railroad history, he said.

Across Ohio and the United States, communities are honoring the long-ago victims of what the Equal Justice Initiative calls racial terror lynchings, designed to terrorize Black residents.

It was like a warning  this could happen to you or someone you love if you step out of line, said Lucy Bryan Malenke, co-founder of an organization called Coshoctonians for Peace and Equality.

EJI, based in Montgomery, Alabama, has encouraged and assisted with the commemorations, part of its Community Remembrance Project, designed to help communities confront and learn from these painful chapters in their histories.

The vast majority of lynchings took place in the South in the decades after the Civil War, a violent act meant to terrorize an entire race. But hundreds took place in the North, as well  in Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia, Maryland and Ohio.

According to EJI, at least 15 occurred in Ohio, from 1877 to 1932.

In Sandusky, the story of William Taylor wasnt widely known until the Toledo Blade wrote a 2017 story about the incident, Lynching mars Sanduskys abolitionist history. Taylor, accused in the disappearance of a local white woman, was dragged through the streets of town before being hanged from a lamppost, according to news reports at the time.

Spurred by the story, a group of local leaders, including Murphy, mobilized to learn more. And in 2019, the group hosted a ceremony at the location of the lynching to collect soil from the site, which it sent to the Equal Justice Initiative to be included in an exhibit at the Legacy Museum.

1878 may seem like a long time ago, but his sweat, his tears, his blood seeped down into that ground, said Murphy. The dirt in the jar symbolizes the memory of the events that happened. When people stand idly by and do nothing, mob rule takes over.

The city is planning to include a memorial to Taylor at the site of his killing near the corner of Columbus and Market avenues. The memorial will be included in a streetscaping plan that will be developed this year, said city manager Eric Wobser. Its an educational opportunity, he said. He was dragged to that intersection from our courthouse and then hung. We would like to see something done at that corner to memorialize that.

In Athens, a historical marker was erected last year on Mulberry Street, near the site where Christopher Davis was lynched in 1881. Davis, a Black man, was due to stand trial the following morning for the alleged assault of a white woman.

In Oxford, in Southwest Ohio, the City Council recently agreed to place a marker in Uptown Park commemorating the violent mob killings of two Black men in the late 19th century  Simon Garnett, in September 1877, and Henry Corbin, in January 1892.

And in Coshocton, about 110 miles south of Cleveland, Coshoctonians for Peace and Equality is planning an event on June 19, Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery. June 19 is also the anniversary of the death of Henry Howard, who was accused of raping and assaulting two young white women in 1885.

Malenke, with Coshoctonians for Peace and Equality, said Howard was likely innocent  he had an alibi and was nowhere near the crime  but thats almost beside the point.

I think there is evidence that if he had been given a fair trial, he might have been found innocent, said Malenke. We know for sure that this man was a U.S. citizen. He had a right to due process and to a fair trial and he did not get either of those things.

Javanna Ramsey, co-founder of Coshoctonians for Peace and Equality, said acknowledging the crime is important  even 136 years after it occurred, even if its painful.

We have to acknowledge the history, she said. Whether it be good or bad  I think thats how you grow as a community, as a country.

Read more: Montgomery, Alabama: Confronting Americas painful past at the Legacy Museum, along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
"These expansion activities will significantly increase output and reduce lead time for critical biopharmaceutical manufacturing solutions." Tweet this

Joseph Repp, President, Pall Life Sciences, said: "Demand for single-use technology has increased rapidly in recent years. With the global need for mass manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines, there is now even more pressure on the existing supply chain. This global capacity expansion will ensure critical products are manufactured and delivered to our customers, so people around the world have access to life-saving vaccines and genes therapies."

Pall's new facility, located at 816 Berry Shoals Road in Duncan, South Carolina, will focus primarily on single-use technology, such as the Allegrosingle-use platform. The Pall-Austar Lifesciences Limited acquisition also supports single-use technology manufacturing, primarily for biopharmaceutical customers in China.

Pall's manufacturing facilities in Medemblik, Netherlands; Hoegaarden, Belgium; Bad Kreuznach, Germany; Ilfracombe, UK; Newquay, UK; Fajardo, Puerto Rico; and Pensacola, FL, U.S. will expand capacity to produce and distribute the single-use technology, media and breathing filters necessary to support the current global pandemic and future industry needs.



About Pall Corporation

Pall Corporation is a filtration, separation and purification leader providing solutions to meet the critical fluid management needs of customers across the broad spectrum of life sciences and industry. Pall works with customers to advance health, safety and environmentally responsible technologies. The Company's engineered products enable process and product innovation and minimize emissions and waste. Pall Corporation serves customers worldwide. For more information visit https://www.pall.com.

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It's unusual, but not unheard of, for the New York Auto Show and April Fool's Day to fall in the same week, but this quirk of the calendar made for a tumultuous and rapid-fire start to the week. Fortunately, the Voltswagen fiasco was far enough removed from 4/1 that we've recovered enough to appreciate some light-hearted, not-so-tone-deaf foolery. We'll keep this updated throughout the day with the more-memorable highlights.

Porsche's Patina Paint To Sample program

"The future of individuality is truly here," Porsche says. Indeed, as this riff on the company's Exclusive Manufaktur options allows you to hit fast-forward on your car's aging process before it even leaves the factory. Paint To Patina lets you order a new car painted in the same shade of rust as the 911s you ostensibly have strewn about your country estate in various states of neglect. This gives us serious euro scene vibes circa 2007, and we're absolutely here for it.

Skoda's 'In Tune' infotainment add-on

Skoda offers a solution to your disastrous in-car sing-alongs. "In Tune" will let you go full Kanye on your favorite road trip tracks, auto-tuning your voice in real time and even offering you the opportunity to record tracks so you can lay down your own mix and share it with friends. Frankly, Skoda's entire press release is gold. Check out this quote from company "Chief Audio Officer" Carrie O'Key:

The UKs ongoing lockdown situation is straining families and friendships, and with the prospect of kids back at home for the Easter holidays tensions are likely to run high. We know music is good for the soul but caterwauling certainly is not. This software will hopefully add some much-needed light-hearted fun to every essential car journey.

Dodge's Do Not Disturb mode

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This riff on Ford's "Good Neighbor" exhaust mode is pretty straightforward, but earned a quick chuckle.

Story continues

The Dacia DUSTAR space program

Dacia decided to go extra silly, announcing "the worlds first (and only) affordable space programme." Here it, straight from Noel Armstrong, "Head of DUSTAR Operations:"

We are all about delivering best-value-for-money without compromising on quality. We have achieved this on Earth, so launching a car into space is the obvious next step! Going to space is a dream for many, but we want to show that you can make a little go a long way and make it a reality. Im over the moon that we begin by sending our rugged and robust Dacia Duster to seriously new heights today.

Alfa Romeo's Nuova Luce filter windows

Is your commute ugly? Alfa has your back, offering a series of custom window filters that will literally brighten your day. "Nuova Luce" literally translates to "New Light," as in the way you'll see your world when you drive a new Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The filter options include "Roma" (sunset), "Milano" (high noon), "Torino" (peach), "Como" (sunlit water) and "Cinque Terre" (bright Mediterranean coast).

"Nuova Luce is an evolution of the widely available auto-dimming mirror technology," said Alfa "Head of Ambient Lighting" Phil Terre. We know people up and down the country are desperate to go overseas. Were hopeful that while its no replacement for the real thing, this world-first technology brings a taste of Italy to the UK for Stelvio drivers.
MIAMI, FL, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Progressive Care Inc. (OTCQB:RXMD) (Progressive Care or the Company), a personalized healthcare services and technology company, is pleased to announce the filing of the Companys audited 2020 financial performance data, closing the books on a momentous year that featured strong execution in the face of historic obstacles, the establishment of new executive leadership, the successful establishment of new scalable strategies, and tremendous gains in net cash, EBITDA, and topline results, which have helped to drive shareholder value so far in 2021.

Read more



Financial Highlights for Quarter Ended Dec 31, 2020

Consolidated Revenue for the quarter was $10.1 million, representing an increase of 1% compared to Q4 2019.

Prescriptions filled during Q4 totaled approximately 134,000, representing an increase of 1% compared to Q4 2019.

340B revenue was approximately $879k, representing a sharp increase of 200% compared to Q4 2019.

EBITDA increased 104% to $667k in Q4 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019.

Financial Highlights for Fiscal Year Ended Dec 31, 2020

Consolidated Revenue was $40.3 million, representing an increase of 22% compared to fiscal 2019.

Prescriptions filled was approximately 530,000, representing an increase of 16% compared to fiscal 2019.

340B revenue was approximately $2.8 million, representing a sharp increase of over 300% compared to fiscal 2019.

COVID testing revenue was approximately $600K, most of which was earned in Q4 2020.

Realized positive EBITDA of $7K when compared to $479K negative EBITDA in 2019.

Cash provided by operations was $1.1 million in 2020, compared to $600K cash used in 2019.

Net Cash balances as of Dec 31, 2020 was $2.1 million vs $816K compared to 2019.

Operational Highlights for the Year Ended Dec 31, 2020

Fundamental changes in management: Alan Jay Weisberg named CEO; Cecile Munnik named CFO.

Finished year with 5-Star rating earning Humana bonus of approximately $904K.

Paid off note for the building of $300K plus interest.

Generated $700K in third-party administration fees through services provided to 340B Covered Entities.

Strong execution and pro-growth strategic path resulted in shareholder value, with RXMD shares rising more than 300% during 2020.

We confronted adversity successfully in 2020, and we have hit the ground running in 2021, commented Alan Jay Weisberg, CEO and Chairman of Progressive Care. In addition to the pandemic and the associated challenges, we adjusted well to a headwind in the form of higher DIR and PBM fees. Over the past year, we have also expanded operations and our overall strategic path to position for a future that leans more heavily on scalable growth opportunities, including data management, telehealth and virtual healthcare services, and technology applications that leverage our built-in market advantages.

EBITDA and Net Cash Improvements. EBITDA increased by approximately $500K for the year ended December 31, 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019. This increase is primarily attributable to increased interest expenses offset by a favorable change in the fair value of embedded derivative exposure and funding received to cover certain payroll expenses during the pandemic.

Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to net cash used in operating activities of $600K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Operational cash flow was positively impacted by the increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was largely due to the significant increase in billing activity from 340B contracts. Net cash used in investing activities was $700K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was attributable to equipment purchases, construction in progress at the Hallandale Beach and Orlando buildings, and leasehold improvements.

Pharmacy Fees. DIR fees and other PBM fees continued to apply significant downward pressure on profitability. DIR fees are PBM clawbacks of reimbursements based on factors that vary from plan to plan. DIR fees are often applied retroactively, which has caused a significant increase in the fees charged. During the year ended December 31, 2020, DIR and other PBM fees were $1.4 million, an increase of over 285% when compared to DIR and other PBM fees of $400K in the same period in 2019.

The increase in DIR and other PBM fees is primarily due to insurance carriers changing PBMs starting at the beginning of 2020, which has resulted in a high concentration of claims being processed by a single PBM with significantly higher DIR and other PBM fees. Management anticipates a positive shift to PBM fees due to imposed regulations on PBMs and changes in policies that can affect rates in the future. Any decrease in fees should have a positive impact on profitability.

Physical Consolidation. In December 2020, the Company completed the move of its PharmCo 901 pharmacy into its new 11,000 square foot pharmacy facility in Hallandale Beach, Florida. PharmCo 901 will continue to operate at an approximately 1,050 square foot location at the North Miami Beach, Florida location.

The consolidation of space is expected to save the Company approximately $130,000 annually in lease and associated occupancy expenses in 2021. In January 2021, we completed our move of our PharmCo 1103 Orlando location into its new 3,700 square foot location in January 2021. Management anticipates this expanded facility in Orlando to drive important performance gains, including advances in productivity, volume, and market reach due to expanded space and associated efficiencies.

Covid-19 Testing and MyVax Operations. During the third quarter of 2020, the Company launched an aggressive expansion of its COVID-19 testing service registered through the FDA under its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) guidelines, featuring Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Antigen testing systems that produces rapid detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with market-leading accuracy in 15 to 45 minutes. The Company has successfully tested approximately 5,000 patients, earning a reputation as a preferred provider for in-patient and out-patient COVID-19 Rapid Testing solutions, and driving approximately $600k in related revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020.

In February 2021, the Company entered into a service agreement with EagleForce Health, LLC to integrate its proprietary telehealth platform, myVax. This will include a Digital Passport or Digital Wallet that is QR-coded for registration, verification, and documentation of COVID-19 vaccination and/or test results. Management anticipates this platform to be operational in the second quarter of 2021. The MyVax platform will include complete patient scheduling, telehealth, and tele-pharmacy platform services.

For more information about Progressive Care, please visit the companys website.

Connect and stay in touch with us on social media:

Progressive Care Inc.

https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveCareUS/

https://twitter.com/ProgressCareUS

PharmCoRx

https://www.facebook.com/pharmcorx/

https://twitter.com/PharmCoRx

ClearMetrX

https://www.clearmetrx.com/

https://www.facebook.com/clearmetrx/

About Progressive Care:

Progressive Care Inc. (OTCQB: RXMD), through its subsidiaries, is a Florida health services organization and provider of prescription pharmaceuticals, compounded medications, provider of tele-pharmacy services, the sale of anti-retroviral medications, medication therapy management (MTM), the supply of prescription medications to long-term care facilities, and health practice risk management.

Cautionary Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Forward-Looking Statements contained herein that are not based upon current or historical fact are forward-looking in nature and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements reflect the Companys expectations about its future operating results, performance, and opportunities that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. When used herein, the words anticipate, believe, estimate, upcoming, plan, target, intend and expect and similar expressions, as they relate to Progressive Care Inc., its subsidiaries, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the Companys actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

Public Relations Contact:

Carlos Rangel

carlosr@pharmcorx.com
The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season doesnt officially get underway until June 1, but long-range forecasters from AccuWeather have been analyzing the trends and have issued their early predictions on whether this season will be a busy one or a calm one.

Although they dont expect this season to match the turbulent hurricane season that rocked the Atlantic last year  with a record-breaking 30 named storms and 12 that made a direct hit on the United States  AccuWeather forecasters believe 2021 will be an active year with an above-average number of tropical storms and hurricanes.

In all, they are calling for 16 to 20 named storms, including seven to 10 that will intensify into hurricanes. Of those hurricanes, AccuWeather expects three to five to become major ones that are capable of causing widespread damage.

An average hurricane season has 12 named storms in the Atlantic, six of which strengthen into hurricanes, and three of those becoming major ones.

Major hurricanes are storms that are classified as Category 3, 4 or 5 in terms of wind strength. Category 3 hurricanes pack sustained winds of 111 to 129 mph, Category 4 storms produce winds as strong as 130 to 156 mph and Category 5 hurricanes generate catastrophic winds higher than 156 mph.

Current indications are this will be another above-normal season, said Dan Kottlowski, an AccuWeather meteorologist who specializes in tropical weather. This can translate into high impacts on the United States.

Long-range forecasters from AccuWeather are predicting another active hurricane season in the Atlantic in 2021.AccuWeather

La Nina could play a role

As with most hurricane seasons, climate patterns known as El Nino or La Nina tend to play a role in how many tropical systems develop.

A strong El Nino  triggered when ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean warm up  tend to cause more wind shear in the Atlantic hurricane basin, limiting the formation and strength of tropical cyclones.

A strong La Nina  which develops when tropical Pacific waters are cooler than normal  tends to favor storm patterns with less wind shear, making it easier for tropical systems to develop and strengthen in the Atlantic basin. The Atlantic basin includes Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

AccuWeather forecasters say the current La Nina pattern is expected to transition to a neutral phase by late this spring or early summer. If that happens, water temperatures in the tropical Pacific will be near average, so there would not be an El Nino or La Nina.

The big question at this time is whether or not the pattern shifts back to a La Nina by the latter part of the hurricane season, AccuWeather noted in its early hurricane outlook. If that happens, that could certainly increase the chance that we could see more than 20 storms.

Forecasters are also keeping an eye on other factors that could influence the upcoming hurricane season, including warm water temperatures in the Atlantic basin  something that helps fuel tropical systems.

Here's how high pressure circulation known as a Bermuda high plays a role in tropical systems in the Atlantic hurricane basin.AccuWeather

In addition, forecasters believe a dome of high pressure known as the Bermuda high  because of its location near Bermuda  wont be as persistently strong as it was last summer. They also think the high will be circulating a bit farther north this year.

This will promote a greater chance of storms to recurve through the western Atlantic and toward the eastern seaboard, instead of being pushed farther south into the Gulf of Mexico, AccuWeather says. Recurving storms in the Atlantic have a greater chance of impacting the East Coast, whether through higher-than-normal surf or landfalls along the coastline.

If this hurricane season happens to be as busy as the 2020 season and all 21 designated storm names get exhausted, the National Hurricane Center will no longer use names from the Greek alphabet to identify additional storms.

Instead, the NHC and the World Meteorological Organization have drawn up a supplemental list of traditional storm names.

This is the main batch of 21 names that will be given to tropical storms and hurricanes that form during the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. If all 21 names are exhausted, a supplemental list of traditional names will be used, instead of using letters from the Greek alphabet.Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Instead of using letters from the Greek alphabet, these names will be used for storms that form during the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season if the main batch of 21 names is exhausted.Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local weather news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com or lehighvalleylive.com with a voluntary subscription.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.
Besides generating seasonal allergens, do any plants actually reduce air quality or cause air pollution?

While many of us thought Ronald Reagan sounded crazy back in 1981 when he told America that trees cause more pollution than automobiles do, the then-president may have been on to something.

Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley recently unveiled the results of a study in which they determined that certain trees and plants common in Southern California off-gas natural yet nevertheless harmful volatile organic compounds  to attract pollinators, protect against environmental stressors, and repel herbivores  especially during the hottest months of the year.

This so-called particulate matter pollution is not only dangerous in and of itself to breathe in as the tiny molecules can get lodged in the lungs, but it also leads to the formation of ground-level ozone and smog.

While Reagans comment may have been an utter falsehood back then, who knew it would take the electrification of the transport sector to make it actually ring true today? The only way researchers could have any way of knowing that these plants are a significant contributor to air pollution would be by the elimination of the vast majority of fossil-fuel-derived background noise that we are no longer subject to as we breathe in the air around the streets of California  where the nations strictest automotive fuel efficiency standards have driven many to Teslas, Bolts, Volts, Leafs, Polestars, e-Trons, Priuses and other green rides  and elsewhere.

The researchers found that over the past two decades, concentrations of these VOCs fell by 50% between 1999 and 2012, and then to undetectable levels during the cooler months thereafter. But when the mercury rose, even without additional automotive emissions, so did concentrations of airborne VOCs. Four out of five excessive heat days (with air temps topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit) led to unsafe VOC levels outside.

With transportation emissions off the hook as the culprit, researchers looked to the plant community for answers. One of the worst offenders is the iconic and ubiquitous fan palm, but sycamores, poplars, willows and many oaks and pines also off-gas their fair share of VOCs when the weather heats up  which will be happening more frequently as we warm the atmosphere with greenhouse gases. Backyard planners and landscape designers concerned about air quality and the environment might want to steer clear of these species when choosing plants.

I am not suggesting that we get rid of plants, but I want people who are thinking about large-scale planting to pick the right trees, says Ronald Cohen, the Berkeley atmospheric chemist who led the research effort. They should pick low-emitting trees instead of high-emitting trees. If you have the luxury of choosing which trees to plant and/or replace, and you care about your communitys air quality, some good choices include alders, magnolias, manzanitas, birches, hazelnuts, gingkos, apples and elms.

EarthTalk is written by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss for the nonprofit group EarthTalk. Send questions to question@earthtalk.org.
With more than $4 million in state funding, a Quincy homeless shelter moved a step closer to building a 16,000-square-foot resource center for people experiencing homelessness.

Father Bills & MainSpring received $4 million from the state Department of Housing and Community Development to build a housing resource center across the street from where the current overnight homeless shelter sits. Quincy also received $250,000 in capital grants to support the design and engineering of the project.

The shelter expects to offer refuge to up to 150 people at night like the current shelter did before the pandemic, said CEO John Yazwinski. But the center would also have staff available to help people during the day with health care, eviction prevention and housing resources.

Were going to be able to divert people people getting discharged from corrections or mental health institutions, he said in an interview. Were going to have a team that just works during the daytime, so people wont be roaming the community.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito also announced $13.7 million in funding for supportive housing and 100 shelter beds.

Gov. Charlie Baker addresses reporters outside Father Bill's Place, an overnight homeless shelter in Quincy.Steph Solis

Baker was joined by Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, House Speaker Ron Mariano, Rep. Tackey Chan and Sen. John Keenan, all Quincy Demcorats.

To be able to present a new facility, a bright and shiny facility for folks who are undergoing difficult circumstances in their lives is truly a great, great mark for the city of Quincy, Mariano said.

The Republican governor touted the impact of his housing choice program, saying it was easier to work with Quincy on making these investments because the Norfolk County city is a housing choice community.

The investment announced by Baker Wednesday covers part of the building costs for the housing resource center Father Bills wants to build. The shelter is trying to raise the remaining $7.5 million through private donors and has raised at least $3.2 million so far.

The shelters redevelopment project includes the creation of a second building that would include 30 permanent housing units for people who have experienced homelessness, Yazwinski said. Hes hoping the state will also invest in the construction of the second building when it announces the next round of housing funds in June.

Yazwinski estimates the total price tag of the project is $24 million.

The idea to create a multifaceted housing resource project, not just a homeless shelter, stems from a presentation Father Bills leadership delivered to its board of directors in 2015. The board members seemed skeptical at first, but years of negotiations with city leaders, state legislators and other stakeholders enabled them to raise funds and apply for state investments.

Here we are, Yazwinski. Its happening.

Wednesdays announcement brings a breath of fresh air to Yazwinski, who said this year was the hardest in his 20 years at Father Bills.

The shelter struggled with COVID-19 infections  sometimes with an infection rate as high as 30%  until staff was able to spread out their clients across multiple hotels, Yazwinski said. Before the pandemic, the shelter would place people in 90 beds and have another 50 or 60 people sleep on the floor.

The shelter now offers refuge to 58 people at a time, and has the other 100 or so in neighboring hotels and motels. The team has vaccinated about 60% of its clients.

When the housing resource center is built, Father Bills team will have staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Yazwinski foresees the center including a licensed health care clinic, local providers to help offer resources to people, whether they have just lost their jobs or have been released from prison and need help integrating back into the community.

Some clients work or have a fixed income but spend months at Father Bills to save up for a security deposit and first and last months rent. Between those expenses and a broker fee, renters often have to save up four months of rent to move into a new apartment.

A housing resource center would help people at risk of losing their homes and offer rapid rehousing funds, covering a security deposit or other initial costs, Yazwinski said.

The difference here is people just show up at our doorstep every night, he said. Thats a resource center thats going to deal with, How do we prevent people from coming in? How do we divert people?
-- China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest filled-aperture and most sensitive radio telescope, has officially opened to the world starting Wednesday.

-- Astronomers globally can submit their observation applications for evaluation till May 15 and the results will be announced on July 20. Observations by overseas scientists will begin in August.

-- The opening of FAST demonstrates that China is seriously expanding the circle of friends in basic research and sharing FAST with the rest of the world, said Li Di, chief scientist of the telescope.

by Xinhua writers Cao Bin, Qi Jian and Liu Xinyu

GUIYANG, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest filled-aperture and most sensitive radio telescope, has officially opened to the world starting Wednesday.

Hand-painting shows China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) at night in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Mengfan, Liu Hongde, Wang Jingyun and Liu Fangqiang)

Experts expect the gigantic telescope to bolster global astronomical research and find answers to some of the biggest unknowns in modern astrophysics and cosmology.

Astronomers globally can submit their observation applications for evaluation till May 15 and the results will be announced on July 20, according to a statement by the National Astronomical Observatories (NAO) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Observations by overseas scientists will begin in August.

About 10 percent of FAST's observation time in the first year, roughly 450 hours, is expected to be allocated to foreign scientists, said Li Di, chief scientist of the telescope and a researcher with the NAO.

An engineer of China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) shows the website to submit applications for observations, southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Many global astronomers have been looking forward to the opening of FAST following the collapse of the 305-meter vast telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico last December. The competition for grabbing observation time is set to be fierce, Li said.

Wu Xiangping, an academician with the CAS and director of FAST's science committee, said the applications submitted by domestic and overseas scientists will be evaluated by top international experts in their respective fields to ensure that the approved applications are in line with scientific frontiers.

The competition for observation time among Chinese scientists has already been very intense. During its trial run in 2019, FAST planned to operate for 360 hours but ended up receiving more than 2,000 hours of observation applications. In 2020, only about 30 percent of applications were approved.

Pre-research on the FAST project started in 1994 and its construction was completed in September 2016. It began formal operations in January 2020 after more than three years of test runs. Since then, the telescope has provided stable and reliable services.

Aerial photo taken on March 31, 2021 shows China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) under maintenance in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

As the world's most sensitive radio telescope, FAST, based on observables between 70 MHz and 3 GHz, is over 2.5 times more sensitive than Arecibo. According to the sensitivity calculation by astronomers, it can effectively explore four times more the scope of the universe space compared to Arecibo, greatly expanding the human observation of the universe.

To date, FAST has found more than 300 pulsars, and the number is expected to reach 1,000 in the next five years. It also made breakthroughs in fields like fast radio bursts, a type of powerful radio wave.

Chinese scientists are already using FAST to track Andromeda, the nearest galaxy, where they hope to find the first extragalactic pulsar.

Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) under maintenance at night in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

The opening of FAST demonstrates that China is seriously expanding the circle of friends in basic research and sharing FAST with the rest of the world, Li said.

"Before FAST was put into use, China's radio telescopes usually had a diameter of less than 50 meters," said Wang Qiming, FAST's chief technologist. "FAST marks a huge leap forward."

FAST's operation and maintenance team is working to fine-tune algorithms and upgrade software systems to further improve its observation efficiency and meet the growing demand from the international astronomical community.

A staff member maintains China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) in southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Every small improvement in FAST's hardware and software is essential as the project team seeks to maintain the telescope's leading position in the high-competitive radio astronomy field, said Yan Jun, former head of the NAO and manager of the FAST project.

Meanwhile, Li noted that astronomy is an open discipline, and many early achievements of FAST involve international experts. With the opening of FAST, foreign scientists can lead some research projects independently or act as chief experts.

The FAST project has also teamed up with observatories and astronomical teams worldwide including the American Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory to support frontier scientific research.

On the other hand, some potential exploratory projects led by young scientists globally will be given special support in the allocation of observation time. Such projects include research on the detection of fast radio bursts and radio detection of exoplanets, among others, Li added.

(Video editor: Wei Yin; video reporter: Liu Qinbing, Yang Yanbin, Ou Dongqu, Ou Dongqu and Chen Qiang.)
AIB is seeking permission to buy back some of the State's 71pc shareholding in the bank after its annual general meeting (AGM) on May 1.

In a resolution to be voted on at the meeting, the bank has asked shareholders to approve an off-market transaction with the Minister for Finance to repurchase shares in the bank.

The resolution would allow the bank to buy back up to 4.99pc of its shares without seeking further shareholder approval.

At the current share price, that means AIB could spend nearly 300m to redeem that proportion of shares.

Such a deal would have the effect of reducing the State's ownership stake and returning a significant sum to the Exchequer at a time when the public finances are under strain from Covid emergency measures.

As the State holds a large majority of shares in AIB, the resolution is certain to pass.

Bank share buybacks have become attractive in recent months as a way of rewarding shareholders whose dividends have been suspended due to pandemic restrictions.

They are of particular benefit to government shareholders eager to exit their ownership in domestic banks while securing a fair return for taxpayers.

Buybacks are also seen by investors as good capital management as the transactions grow capital by increasing proportional return on equity, especially if shares can be redeemed at a discount.

As Irish banks are trading at price below book value, buybacks represent a significant bargain and could potentially boost the share price, creating a kind of virtuous circle whereby the State gets paid back yet sees the value of its remaining stake increase.

Two weeks ago Ulster Bank's parent NatWest group handed more than 1.1bn (1.28bn) back to UK taxpayers just a month after announcing its Irish exit because of poor capital returns here.

NatWest bought back the shares from the UK Treasury in an off-market deal on March 19 after agreeing to the transaction at a general meeting of shareholders on February 6. The deal reduced the UK government's stake in NatWest to below 60pc from 62pc previously.

AIB was the best performing European bank share in the first quarter, trading at more than twice the average of banks listed in the Eurostoxx 600 Banks index.

AIB shares were up 36pc in the first three months of the year as investors reacted favourably to the exit of Ulster Bank from the Irish market, as well plans by CEO Colin Hunt to buy Goodbody, agree a joint venture with Irish Life and potentially acquire Ulster Bank's 4bn corporate business.




New Delhi: In a dramatic U-turn, the Pakistani cabinet on Thursday (April 1) deferred the import of sugar and cotton from India.

The Pakistani flip flop comes, even as on Wednesday, Pakistan's Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet had given approval for import of white sugar from India up to 500,000 MT till 30th June and import of cotton till the same deadline.

Restoration of special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has been a key issue for Islamabad vis a vis import of sugar and cotton.

Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, "Cabinet deferred the decision till India reverses the August 5 decision of 2019. Till that time it won't be easy to normalize things."

Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, speaking to reporters after the meet reiterated the same saying, "We have deferred the import of sugar and cotton till India reverse its decision of removal of Article 370 from Kashmir".

India had abrogated Article 370 or the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in August of 2019. As a reaction to it, Islamabad recalled its envoy from Delhi, cut trade ties and people to people relationships by suspending train and bus services.

Pakistani government sources told Zee News that Pakistan's human rights minister Shireen Mazari, Sheikh Rashid, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Finance Minister Asad Umar had opposed the proposal by ECC of imports from India which led to the matter being deferred in the Federal cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, earlier today, sources in Delhi told Zee News they were okay with Pakistan's decision to import sugar and cotton from India. Pakistan doesn't require any permission to import from India as New Delhi hasn't banned exports to Pakistan.

The development comes, even as there has been some positive sentiment by both Delhi and Islamabad.

Earlier this year, militaries of both countries came up with a joint statement for observance of the 2003 ceasefire pace at the line of control.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had written to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on Pakistan's National day on 23rd March, to which the latter had replied.

Live TV
Guidance for Schools Responding to LPHA Capacity Needs Related to Contact Tracing



At times, the Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs) in Oregon experience high volumes of COVID-19 cases, leading to challenges in completing case investigations and contact tracing. While detailed guidance explains how to plan for COVID-19 scenarios in schools, questions still remain related to the role of school staff and how they can support contact notification when cases of COVID-19 appear in schools and districts.

Resources

Background

In January 2021, ODE and OHA released a joint summary of the action steps schools can take in the event that their LPHA has limited capacity to conduct contact tracing. These actions are summarized below and represent options by priority:

Quarantine entire cohorts when there is a presumptive or confirmed case of COVID-19 instead of identifying close contacts and contact tracing. When the LPHA is experiencing high volume of cases and is unable to contact trace exposed individuals in schools, request that the LPHA partner with the Oregon Health Authority for additional operational support. Reduce the impact on the LPHA by working with the LPHA to develop streamlined systems to identify close contacts therefore reducing the number of students who are quarantined and saving valuable time. If the LPHA is unable to support contact tracing and districts want to identify close contacts and reduce quarantines, designated school staff can receive training from the OHA to support their LPHA.

ODE and OHA have refined this guidance even further to align with a new targeted training opportunity with increased clarity on the role of schools to support contact identification and notification. The purpose of this message is to provide a preview and get the training dates and information out for your consideration.

Training Recap & Recording

School staff have a responsibility to collaborate with their Local Public Health Authority (LPHA) to support contact notification - one part of contact tracing -- in the event that a positive case or outbreak of COVID-19 occurs at school. School staff should not take on the responsibility of contact tracing; instead, they should support school-based COVID-19 contact identification and notification.

This training is not for everyone. This training is to prepare and equip school personnel and staff for how they can support contact notification when cases of COVID-19 appear in schools and districts. This role works in coordination with an LPHA when an LPHA is without the capacity to meet school or district needs and the school has determined not to opt for blanket quarantining of cohorts.

Watch a recording of the training session.



Please email us with any questions.
A Swedish actor who flew to the United States to sexually abuse a 15-year-old girl on numerous occasions in Florida has been sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison.

Joaquin Nabi Olsson, a 46-year-old from Stockholm, Sweden, was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months for using the internet and social media to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity.

In addition to the prison stint, United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger also ordered Olsson to serve a five-year term of supervised released. He must also register as a sex offender, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Middle District of Florida.

Joaquin Nabi Olsson, a 46-year-old from Stockholm, Sweden, was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months. He has been behind bars since July 2019

Court documents state that Olsson met the teenage victim online in mid-2018, when she was 14 or 15 years old

'This child predator thought he could use international borders to abuse children and avoid law enforcement detection,' Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti said in a release. 'Thanks to HSI special agents and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, he will now understand how seriously we take this crime in the United States.'

Olsson was arrested on July 20, 2019, and has been behind bars since his arrest. He pleaded guilty on July 20, 2020.

Court documents state that Olsson met the teenage victim online in mid-2018, when she was 14 or 15 years old.

The small-time actor conversed with the victim through various social media platforms, learning about the girl's challenges at home and assuming the role of rescuer to help her.

The small-time actor conversed with the victim through various social media platforms, learning about the girl's challenges at home and assuming the role of rescuer to help her

A concerned witness called authorities after seeing the pair romantically involved at the Comfort Suites Palm Bay

Olsson expressed sexual interest in the child and began communicating with her in a romantic manner. He repeatedly referred to the minor as his 'wife' and told her of plans he had to move to Florida so that he could marry her.

In March 2019, Olsson flew to Florida from Sweden and stayed in the U.S. for two weeks for the visit. During that time, he and the victim 'engaged in sexually explicit conduct together.'

Olsson would take a second trip in May 2019, with the purpose of having sex with the teenage girl.

He was arrested in July 2019, after authorities found him and the young girl at a hotel in Brevard County.

A concerned witness called authorities after seeing the pair romantically involved at the Comfort Suites Palm Bay, WKMG-TV reports.

According to his IMDB page, Olsson has appeared in a few small Swedish productions.
The federal agent held up and fired upon by a gunman during an undercover operation in Hamilton last week had just handed the loaded firearm back to the suspect, NJ Advance Media has learned.

The agent, from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), has not been publicly identified.

The alleged robber-turned-shooter, Jabree Johnson, 26, of Trenton, was wounded in the incident and is charged with robbing and trying to kill the agent in a convenience store parking lot on Greenwood Avenue last Monday, March 22.

The Mercer County Prosecutors Office charged Johnson last week, alleging he tried to rob the agent during the encounter. The agent responded by throwing cash at Johnson, and firing at him, authorities said. A wounded Johnson then ran and fired back at the agent as he raced away on foot, they said.

Before that, though, the affidavit filed in the case against Johnson describes him and the agent on the verge of a gun deal - which was being recorded.

Two undercover agents were in the vehicle, and one got out when the masked man they say is Johnson arrived. Johnson then handed the agent sitting inside the vehicle a handgun, the document says.

The agent inspects the firearm, takes out the clip and sees its loaded, the document says.

Moments later, Johnson points the gun at the agent and demands cash, and orders the agent to get out of the vehicle. The agent fired at Johnson, who ran and fired back several times, the document says.

Before the shooting started, the agent handed the gun back to Johnson while in the vehicle, a law enforcement source told NJ Advance Media.

The ATFs New Jerseys office declined to comment on the case Wednesday. The Mercer prosecutors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment

No other information about the operation is mentioned in the affidavit, filed by a detective in the Mercer prosecutors Homicide Task Force.

After running away, the document and the prosecutors office has said, Johnson surfaced at a city trauma center wounded in the shoulder and soaked in blood, still wearing the bleached blue jeans, white t-shirt and brown boots he was wearing in the vehicle with the agent.

Johnson also had a large amount of cash, authorities said, but did not say how much. He told a detective at the hospital hed been shot a few blocks away on Walnut Avenue, in Trentons Wilbur neighborhood, authorities said.

Lawyer information for Johnson was not immediately clear Wednesday. Hes since been released from the hospital and is in the Mercer County jail. Prosecutors plan to argue he remain jailed pending his trial.

Johnson is a convicted felon who was released from the state prison system last fall after serving about three years on two firearm possession convictions from 2017, in Trenton. The convictions were plea bargains, and one case was a shooting - police said he fired at a man during an argument.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com.
Kalibo, Aklan (CNN Philippines, April 1)  A village and two sub-villages on Boracay Island were placed under stricter quarantine for two weeks to control the surge in COVID-19 cases.

The local government of Malay, Aklan put Barangay Balabag under enhanced community quarantine effective noon on Thursday until midnight of April 14.

It may be lifted depending on the status of COVID-19 cases in the area, the advisory read.

Zones 1 and 7 in Barangay Manocmanoc were also placed under "surgical lockdown" for two weeks.

In a phone interview with acting Malay Mayor Floribar Bautista on Wednesday, he said mass testing is ongoing on the Island, while infected individuals were brought to quarantine facilities in mainland Aklan.

The local government also cancelled Masses for the Holy Week in some villages of Malay.

Barangay Balabag will still allow lecturers, commentators, choirs, and ministers to go to church for the virtual Masses, which will be streamed via Facebook live and will be aired in a local channel.

No Masses will be celebrated in Barangay Manocmanoc.

Bautista encouraged residents to hear Masses virtually for the meantime.

As of Thursday, the Malay-Inter Agency Task Force recorded 135 COVID-19 cases, 76 of which are active cases.
Acclaimed author Jason Reynolds will set out on his second two-week virtual tour this spring as National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature. In the eight appearances scheduled for April, Reynolds will connect with students from 12 middle schools and high schools in underserved communities for 45 minutes each, discussing his role as Ambassador with an educator or other professional and conversing with two student ambassadors.

The participating schools were selected from more than 200 proposals: Noble Middle School in North Berwick, Me.; Castle Heights Elementary in Price, Utah; Jefferson Street Campus, Neosho High School, and Neosho Junior High School in Neosho, Mo.; George Washington Elementary and Keokuk Middle School in Keokuk, Ia.; Methow Valley School District in Winthrop, Wash.; Gordo High School and Pickens County High School in Gordo, Ala.; Coalinga Middle School in Coalinga, Calif.; and North Education Center School in New Hope, Minn.

In preparation for Reynoldss upcoming visit, each school was given paperback copies of Reynoldss National Book Award finalist Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, from the Library of Congress, with support from Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

Prior to embarking on his first virtual tour last December, Reynolds connected with young people via his Instagram live video series Brain Yoga, where participants are shown two images and challenged to imagine something new. In conjunction with the Library of Congress, he also debuted Write. Right. Rite. last Aprila 30-part video series for kids offering prompts to express creativity, as well as a monthly newsletter for parents and educators focused on relevant topics.

Reynolds said of his second virtual tour, If theres one thing Ive learned throughout this last year, its the power of persistence. And the teachers of this lesson have been the same teachers whove taught me most thingsthe young people of this country. Their persistence during such a relentless time has been incredible, and theres nothing I want to do more than to show up for them. I want to let them know how proud I am, and to encourage themeven in the midst of this plot twistto continue to press on with their beautiful stories.

Schools that are not participating in the tour can download Reynoldss GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story Educator Guides to access classroom activities that encourage students to share and celebrate their personal stories.
The Brazil-focused explorer also highlighted its cash balance of 10.9mln at the end of the year, which has since been supplemented by an 18mln fundraising in February

( ) ( ) has hailed the achievement of significant business and project level milestones in 2020 as it updated investors on the status of its balance sheet and financing.

In its results for the year ended December 31, the company said it had ended the period with 10.9mln in cash which was supplemented post-period by an 18mln fundraising in February.

The pre-revenue company also reported a pre-tax loss of 2.4mln, narrowed from a 3.2mln in the prior year, adding that it has also made significant progress on overall project financing for its Araguaia project in Brazil including a US$325mln senior debt facility to part-fund development of the site.

Horizonte also said it has made key appointments across its operational and corporate teams during the year, while it has also completed value engineering for Araguaia that has resulted in a number of improvements to enhance operational performance.

Looking ahead, the company said while the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had continued into 2021, it was confident that vaccine rollouts will result in a more certain, less interrupted year in 2021.

We continue to be grateful for the support of our shareholders, and we are pleased to see increasing interest in the Horizonte story from new investors and strategic partners. Horizonte has reached an exciting phase of its journey, and we believe we are able to offer a unique and compelling investment opportunity, chairman David Hall said in a statement.

In a separate announcement, the company said it has filed an amended technical report for its Araguaia, Vermelho and Serra do Tapa projects to provide corrective disclosure as a result of a review by staff of the Ontario Securities Commission of the preliminary short form prospectus of the company filed on March 15.

The company said the conclusions and recommendations of the technical reports remained the same and unchanged from the original publication dates, adding that it believed none of the changes are material to its assets or operations.

In a note on Friday, analysts at Peel Hunt retained their buy rating and 14p target price on the group, saying the 10.9mln year-end cash balance was ahead of their initial forecasts of 9mln, and that the companys cash burn was under better control than they had anticipated.

There were no major surprised in the FY20 financials but the financial detail at year end shows tighter financial control at year end than we had anticipated, a good sign. The company looks set for further progress in [the second quarter] when we expect they will complete the full debt package for Araguaia and commence some of the early stage works funded by the 18mln raise earlier this year, the broker added.

Shares in Horizonte were 3.6% lower at 7.1p in lunchtime trading.

--Adds broker comment and share price--
ROCHESTER, Minn- Population isn't the only thing growing in The Med City. Businesses such as Collider Coworking are also and are adding second locations.

The non-profit opened its second location today. According to executive director Jamie Sundsbak, it needed more room when Google moved into its original space.

"Were really excited that we are fortunate enough to become the first Google office in the state of Minnesota with our original location," Sundsbak tells KIMT News 3. "Now we are working on what our second location looks like to empower entrepreneurs in the Rochester area."

The new location is in the Minnesota BioBusiness Center in downtown Rochester. Sundsbak says he looks forward to serving even more entrepreneurs in their new spot.

"We knew that with Google coming in as a tenant, our existing operations in our first space would basically fill it up pretty fast," said Sundsbak. "We wanted to make sure that we had a second space to bring in additional coworkers to continue to grow to our coworking operations."

Collider Coworking's other location is downtown as well. It plans to only have two locations in Rochester but will open up more if needed. If you are an entrepreneur interested in sharing space at the non-profit, you can click here for more information.
(Natural News) Rutgers University last week announced it will require all students enrolled for the 2021 fall semester to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

(Article republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org)

The announcement prompted Childrens Health Defense (CHD) Chairman Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to remind university officials that federal law prohibits mandating products approved under the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

In a letter to Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway, Kennedy, who also serves as chief legal counsel for CHD, wrote:

Federal law 21 U.S.C.  360bbb-3(e)(1)(A)(ii)(III) requires that the person to whom an EUA vaccine is administered be advised, of the option to accept or refuse administration of the product, of the consequences, if any, of refusing administration of the product, and of the alternatives to the product that are available and of their benefits and risks.'

The reason for the right of refusal stems from the fact that EUA products are by definition experimental, Kennedy wrote. Under the Nuremberg Code, no one may be coerced to participate in a medical experiment. Consent of the individual is absolutely essential,' Kennedy wrote.

Kennedy said forced participation in a medical experiment could result in injury.

Dr. Hooman Noorchashm, who also spoke out against Rutgers policy, agreed. Specifically, he said, students should be pre-screened for COVID infection before vaccination.

In an open letter to Rutgers, Noorchashm, a surgeon and patient safety advocate, wrote:

While I fully agree with your policy of maximal immunity for all students and faculty attending in-person on the Rutgers campuses, you must also remain 100% cognizant of a potential danger of indiscriminate vaccination to some of your students. This potential danger is not only a safety risk, it would also pose a risk of liability to your university.

Noorchashm has been an outspoken critic of indiscriminate mass vaccination because he believes people already or currently infected with COVID are at risk of severe injury, including death.

As he told The Defender last week, viral antigens persist in the tissues of the naturally infected for months. According to Noorchashm, when the vaccine is used too early after a natural infection, or worse during an active infection, the vaccine force activates a powerful immune response that attacks the tissues where the natural viral antigens are persisting.

This, I suggest, is the cause of the high level of adverse events and, likely deaths, we are seeing in the recently infected following vaccination, Noorchashm said.

Holloway last week told The New York Times the vaccine mandate will apply to Rutgers three main campuses and that students will have to show proof of vaccination before moving into a dorm or attending in-person classes. Students will be able to file for medical or religious exemptions, and those attending online or off-campus programs will also be exempt.

NBC News last week reached out to several universities and colleges, which said they would encourage students to get the vaccine, but hadnt yet decided on mandates.

Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, told NBC:

Im just starting to hear discussion about mandating vaccines, and everyone Ive talked to has said that they are leaning in the direction of mandating vaccines not just with the students, but with faculty and staff, as well.

According to CHD President Mary Holland, federal law prohibits employers from mandating EUA vaccines.

In December 2020, CHD published Vaccine Mandates: An Erosion of Civil Rights? The downloadable e-book examines the history and consequences of vaccine mandates, and what you can do to protect yourself and your family members as public officials ramp up the pressure for COVID vaccines.

Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org
analysis

The Kalahari is a huge expanse of desert in southern Africa, stretching across Botswana and into the northernmost part of South Africa's Northern Cape province.

It's in the Northern Cape that we studied and described a new archaeological site, Ga-Mohana Hill, for research just published in Nature.

Our international team, made up of researchers from South Africa, Canada, the UK, Australia and Austria, has found evidence for complex symbolic behaviours 105,000 years ago.

Humans use symbols as a shortcut to communicate important ideas. Identifying the ancient roots of symbolism is limited to what preserves over time. Large calcite crystals from several kilometres away were found in the cave alongside stone tools. Why the crystals were brought there is unknown; they are not modified and do not seem to have a functional purpose. They may have been collected for their aesthetic properties, or included in ritual activities.

Crystals are collected by many people around the world to this day for ritual purposes. Early humans bringing crystals into Ga-Mohana suggests innovation in how people interacted with each other and their environment.

But such ancient innovation didn't occur in a bubble: there is context to when and where innovation occurs. What brought people there in the first place, at that time, to begin using those tools and collecting those crystals?

Reconstructing past environments allows us to understand this context. And so, a major part of our research centred on working out what the area's climate was like 105,000 years ago. To do so, we looked at Ga-Mohana's rocks.

The southern Kalahari is often considered too arid to be important for human evolution. Our work contradicts the idea of an arid and empty interior. At some points, Ga-Mohana was much wetter than today, with pools of standing water and waterfalls tumbling down the hillside. The fact that the climate was very different then opens up possibilities about why this previously under-appreciated region must have played an important role in our species' evolutionary history.

Archaeological and geological fieldwork allowed us to piece together this story.

The rocks

Some kinds of rocks preserve traces of the past environment. The Ga-Mohana hillside is draped in deposits called tufa; these form from water leaking out of cracks in the bedrock. This occurs when underground aquifers are recharged with rain water and begin to overflow. Over time, these waters precipitate calcium carbonate and form tufa.

The tufa system is no longer active, apart from small drips during the rainy season. But the fossil tufas represent periods in the past when there was more water available. Similar structures are growing today at places like Sitting Bull Falls, New Mexico in the US. Knowing when the tufas formed at Ga-Mohana tells us when it was wetter there.

To find out how old the tufas are and when these wet periods occurred, we used a method called uranium-thorium dating. Uranium is radioactive, meaning that it decays at a constant rate over time and produces 'daughter' elements; thorium is one of them. When tufa forms, uranium is 'locked' into the crystal structure and begins to decay to produce thorium.

The uranium-thorium system acts like a clock that starts when the tufa is formed. By precisely measuring how much uranium and thorium is in the tufa today, we use the known decay rate to calculate when the 'clock' started. This method is routinely applied to cave deposits like stalagmites and flowstones but has not been used very much on tufa.

This is because dating tufas is not straightforward. Unlike protected caves, tufa forms in the open where sunlight, dust, and debris can contaminate the ages. It took several years of dedicated work to get around these problems: we chose the tufa samples in the field with care and used a sensitive laser to make images of the layers with the most uranium present. We could then target these layers for dating. This provided a real breakthrough.

In the end, we dated two layers from an ancient tufa waterfall to between 110,000 and 100,000 years old. This means that fresh water was flowing down the hillside at exactly the same time that people were living at the shelter. Such wet conditions at this time were unexpected, so we wanted to know what caused such a large increase in water to begin with.

To understand the reasons for the region being much wetter 105,000 years ago than it is today, we looked at how climate processes influence modern rainfall there.

We did this by comparing historical rainfall records to current major climate drivers. We then looked back into the past and used data from an ocean core (deep sea sediments drilled out of the ocean floor which record changes in the earth's ocean and climate). These data show that parts of the Indian Ocean were warmer around 105,000 years ago. Climate systems are complex, but basically this would have increased the amount of rain in the southern Kalahari, filling the aquifer, and causing the build up of the tufa during this time period.

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An important role

People were drawn to Ga-Mohana for many reasons. Surface water would have been one. The many ostrich eggshell fragments we also found were probably used as water carriers 105,000 years ago. Perhaps these were being filled with water as it flowed down the hillside. One possibility is that water carriers allowed our ancestors to travel further distances.

There is still more to be learned from Ga-Mohana, its artefacts and its rocks. This will allow scientists to understand the role this space played in human evolutionary history better.

Benjamin Schoville, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, The University of Queensland; Jessica von der Meden, PhD candidate, University of Cape Town; Robyn Pickering, Senior lecturer, University of Cape Town, and Wendy Khumalo, Student, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town
The Congress on Thursday claimed that the alliance led by it will reach the majority mark of 64 in the 126-member Assam Assembly from the results of the first two phases of the election as the people of the state have responded to its "positive campaign".

Addressing a press conference here, AICC spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said that the Congress-led Grand Alliance is on track to achieve its target of winning 101 seats in the elections.

The Congress, which was in power for 15 years in Assam since 2001, has formed a Grand Alliance with the AIUDF, BPF, Left parties, the RJD and others to fight the Assembly election against the BJP-led NDA.

"With nearly 80 per cent polling in the first phase, the Congress is sweeping Upper Assam. Also, the information we are getting today, we will cross the majority mark after the second phase itself," Vallabh said.

An estimated 79.97 per cent of voters in 47 seats exercised their franchise in the first phase on March 27, while the second phase of voting for 39 seats took place on Thursday. The third phase of the election for the remaining 40 seats will be held on April 6.

Senior Congress leader Manish Tiwari, who was also present at the press conference, said, "The Congress has contested this election with a very positive campaign. The people of the state have responded to it very enthusiastically." The people of Assam should be very careful about protecting the Constitutional privileges that the state and North East have got, he said.

Tiwari said, "If the BJP comes to power again in Assam or (states of) Northeast, it is not far that Constitutional guarantees to this region like Articles 371B, and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution will also be curtailed.

Article 371B deals with special provisions with respect to Assam.

The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram to safeguard the rights of the tribal population in these states.

He said that the BJP abrogated the Article 370 which was about special provisions for Jammu and Kashmir, and brought an Act which will curtail the powers of the elected government of Delhi.

"Their (BJP's) idea of India is different from those who created the Constitution. They don't understand India. And they do not understand the border states of India," the Congress MP said.

The former union minister said that the Assam election is very important for its future and is Constitutional position in the Indian perspective.

"The NDA brought the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. This law is totally unconstitutional. Religion cannot be the basis to determine citizenship. When the Supreme Court will hear this, I fully hope that the law's unconstitutionality will be out," he said.

The objective of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is to grant Indian citizenship to people of minority communities Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who had come to India till December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in these countries.

The state witnessed violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019 and five persons lost their lives. The protestors saw the law as a threat to their cultural identity and livelihood.

Tiwari said that the Congress-led UPA brought 27 crore people out of the Below Poverty Line category during its 10- year rule at the Centre.

"This was stated by current Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her last budget speech. On the other hand, 27 crore people have fallen in BPL category in the last seven years of the NDA," he said.

India's economy grew at 7.8 per cent during the UPA's 10 years, while this year's GDP growth rate is minus 7.7 per cent, he added.

"Communal harmony is essential for the development of any state. The BJP's electoral model is religious polarisation between Hindus and Muslims. It is not attached to any religion, but only power," he said.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State Thursday inaugurated the state security outfit, the Amotekun Corps.

Speaking during the inauguration in Abeokuta, the state capital, the governor noted that the operatives of the Amotekun security outfit had been carefully chosen and trained to secure lives and property.

He added that the state government had provided the outfit with vehicles, motorcycles, communication gadgets, technical back-ups and the political will for an effective take-off and efficient operation.

He hinted that the provision of equipment and recruitment of personnel would be a continuous exercise, saying the government expected a superlative performance from the operatives.

Mr Abiodun urged them to diligently add value to strengthen the security of lives and property in the state, advising that they must carry out their duties within the ambit of the provisions of the law establishing them.

Your role is primarily to prevent crime. You are to do this through systematic intelligence gathering and collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, especially the security network agencies of other states, he said.

He called on the people to support and cooperate with the Amotekun operatives, to strengthen the state security machinery.

He also called on other security agencies to cooperate and collaborate with the Amotekun to form a synergy of purpose towards ensuring stronger security of lives and property in the state.

Let me at this juncture reiterate and say unequivocally that no part of Ogun will be a safe haven for criminals and criminality in whatever form or guise.

Permit me to recall that at the South-West Security Summit that was held on June 25, 2019, at Ibadan, the governments of the six South-West states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti agreed to establish a security outfit to be named Amotekun.

The establishment of the security outfit is part of a holistic approach determined to tackle insecurity in the region.

Governors and leaders of the South-West came together and decided on the need to complement the efforts of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in different states, especially with a truly indigenous security agency that understands the terrain.

We came up with the establishment of this security outfit code-named Amotekun,  he said.

In his remark, Wole Soyinka, commended the governor on the inauguration, saying that the outfit was set up to complement the work of existing security agencies.

Mr Soyinka appealed to the Amotekun operatives to be professional in their duties, adding that they must not tamper with the fundamental human rights of the citizens.

Ensure you work professionally, if you abuse your uniform, you will be dealt with,  he said.

Also speaking, the Alake of Egbaland, Adedotun Gbadebo, noted that the major assignment of any government is to provide adequate security.

Mr Gbadebo praised the governor, saying that the security outfit should collaborate effectively with other security agencies.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Ogun Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, noted that the police would work closely with the Amotekun outfit in the area of sharing information and joint operations to send criminals out of the state.

(NAN)
Emotional testimony in trial over Floyd's death evokes memories of U.S. trauma

Xinhua) 08:37, April 01, 2021

Video: The murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin charged with killing African American George Floyd in late May last year officially got underway in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 29, 2021. The trial is expected to last several weeks. (Xinhua)

"You can believe your eyes, that it's homicide -- it's murder," says prosecuting attorney Jerry Blackwell.

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- More witnesses have taken the stand as the murder trial for former police officer Derek Chauvin charged with killing George Floyd ended on Tuesday, giving emotional testimony reflecting the country's trauma over the death of the African American in Minneapolis, Minnesota, about ten months ago.

"He (Chauvin) just pretty much killed this guy that wasn't resisting arrest," prosecution witness Donald Williams was heard as saying in a 911 call played in court on Tuesday.

Williams told the court that he made the call because he believed he had "witnessed a murder" since Chauvin had Floyd in a "blood choke," a chokehold that cuts off the blood supply from the brain by placing pressure on either or both sides of a person's neck where the carotid arteries are located.

Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, argued on Tuesday that Williams, who is a 33-year-old mixed martial arts fighter, did not have enough medical or police training experience to analyze Floyd's cause of death.

The full video of Floyd's arrest was played by prosecutors in opening statements on Monday, showing that Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for about 9 minutes and 30 seconds, instead of the widely reported 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Floyd could be heard pleading with Chauvin multiple times, saying that he couldn't breathe.

"You can believe your eyes, that it's homicide -- it's murder," said prosecuting attorney Jerry Blackwell, noting Chauvin's knee remained on the neck even after Floyd lost consciousness. Floyd, 46, was pronounced dead later on the day.

U.S. civil rights activist Al Sharpton (C, front) speaks at a press conference outside the courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, March 29, 2021. (Photo by Ben Brewer/Xinhua)

Genevieve Hansen, a 27-year-old city firefighter and emergency medical technician, wiped tears from her eyes as she recalled witnessing Floyd's arrest. She said she had urged police officers to take Floyd's pulse and also called 911 at the time.

"I was concerned to see a handcuffed man who was not moving with officers with their whole body weight on his back and a crowd that was stressed out," Hansen said.

Among people who had testified as of Tuesday, four were younger than 18 on May 25, 2020, the day of Floyd's arrest and death, said a New York Times report.

Darnella Frazier, the teenager who recorded the infamous video igniting nationwide outcry for racial justice, said she ultimately believed the former city police officer was at fault for Floyd's death.

"It's been nights I stayed up apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life," said Frazier, noting the incident had changed her life by making her filled with grief and anger.

Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The duration Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd and the concrete causes of the black man's death were widely thought to be among the major cruxes of the trial.

National Guard soldiers are seen near the courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, March 29, 2021. (Photo by Ben Brewer/Xinhua)

While the defense may argue that use of force was necessary, prosecutors will try to convince the jury that the amount of time was unreasonable and unlawful, according to local media reports. At least three bystanders called 911 on the scene.

Outside the courthouse, high school English teacher Kaia Hirt, 48, sat wrapped in blankets and heavy chains locked to the security fence surrounding the building, quietly calling for racial justice. She told USA Today on Tuesday afternoon that she has been locked to the fence in protest for almost 24 hours, with a few breaks.

Currently, a record number of Americans are worried about race relations, according to a Gallup poll released on Friday.

As many as 48 percent of respondents said they worried a great deal about U.S. race relations, up 17 points from that of last year, the poll found, attributing the hike to last year's protests and riots in the wake of Floyd's death in police custody.

Twenty-five percent of Americans said they worried a "fair amount about race relations," while 16 percent said they worried only a little. Only 11 percent said they didn't worry at all, according to the poll.

The ongoing trial "will be a referendum on how far America has come on its quest for equality and justice for all," civil rights attorney Ben Crump said on Monday.

The landmark trial, which is attracting nationwide and international attention, was expected to last up to a month.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Ex-president of MAST-Bank gets 8.5 years for $73.5 mln embezzlement

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

14:26 01/04/2021

MOSCOW, April 1 (RAPSI)  Moscows Preobrazhensky District Court on Thursday sentenced ex-president of now insolvent MAST-Bank Yury Pirogov to 8.5 years in penal colony for embezzling over 5.6 billion rubles ($73.5 million at the current exchange rate), the courts press service told RAPSI.

The court also convicted the former vice-president of the bank Elena Zhuravleva and ex-head of the loan department Natalya Zhelobayeva as part of the case. Zhuravleva was given 6.5 years in jail, while Zhelobayeva received 5 years and 10 months behind bars. However, the latter was released from serving the sentence due to its actual completion.

Investigators believe that in 2013-2015 Pirogov and his accomplices stole funds by giving out non-performing credits to companies under their control and then transferred money further to other organizations.

Earlier, the court sentenced ex-top manager of the bank Alexander Chemetov to 4.5 years in a penal colony. Chemetov admitted his guilt in full.

The bank was declared bankrupt in August 2015. During the bankruptcy procedure it was found that the banks management made several deals exchanging the banks assets with unpayable debts of individuals and legal entities. It was also found that the bank did not take measures to prevent its bankruptcy.




INDIANAPOLIS, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Carrier is proud to support Habitat for Humanity International's Home is the Key campaign, aimed at unlocking more families' futures with homeownership  a fundamental steppingstone to better health, more financial freedom and security. The company has begun its fundraising effort with an initial $250,000 donation to the campaign and will continue to raise awareness throughout the month of April by engaging its distributor and dealer network and employees through advertising, social media, and digital outreach efforts. Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), the leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions.

Launched in 2017, Home is the Key is one of Habitat for Humanity's signature fundraising and awareness campaigns, taking place annually in April. With support from Carrier, as well as funds raised through Home is the Key, more families can partner with Habitat to secure the strong foundations a safe, decent, and affordable home provides.

"Habitat for Humanity is an organization that is very dear to us at Carrier, and we have been fortunate enough to be able to support its efforts for the last several decades," said Justin Keppy, President, NA Residential & Light Commercial, Carrier. "The Home is the Key campaign is designed to inspire individuals and businesses to donate to Habitat for Humanity during the month of April to help more families build a decent, affordable place to call home. In addition to the many fundraising and awareness efforts we have planned, we are engaging our employees and distributor and dealer networks to support this campaign."

Along with its support of Home is the Key, Carrier employees have helped build one Habitat home a year in Indianapolis since 1998, and the company has donated an HVAC system to every Habitat home built in the city since 1995. In addition, Carrier has supported Habitat for Humanity International as a Gold Level Sponsor at the 2018 and 2019 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, and during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Carrier donated 100 ductless units to assist in the re-build. Carrier has provided financial support, product donations  including from Carrier's Healthy Homes suite of indoor air quality solutions  and countless employee volunteer hours to local Habitat organizations.

"We're proud to have the support of companies like Carrier as we look to continuously help homeowners create stronger and healthier lives for themselves and their families," said Julie Laird Davis, Vice President of Corporate and Cause Marketing Partnerships at Habitat for Humanity International. "Habitat has built a strong relationship with Carrier over the last several decades and we're grateful for the contributions they've made to our efforts. We are looking forward to making an impact together again during this year's Home is the Key initiative."

To learn more, please visit: carrier.com/homeisthekey.

About Carrier

Founded by the inventor of modern air conditioning, Carrier is the world leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions. Carrier experts provide sustainable solutions, integrating energy-efficient products, building controls and energy services for residential, commercial, retail, transport and food service customers. Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions. For more information, visit carrier.com or follow @Carrier on Twitter.

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The U.S. military officials confirmed Wednesday that Pentagon is on alert following Russia's escalating activity in Eastern Europe and the Arctic this week. According to military officials, the Pentagon is on high alert as Russia ramps up its operation in Eastern Europe and the Arctic this week, creating a new obstacle for the young Biden administration.

Pentagon is on Alert

After combat continued between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk Region of eastern Ukraine, marking the end of a June 2020 truce, Russian forces started stockpiling military equipment along the border. The U.S. European Command lifted its alert status to the highest degree, according to a published report on POLITICO.Meanwhile, on Monday alone, NATO jets were scrambled ten times to respond to an exceptionally large number of Russian fighters and bomber flights near allied airspace. Last week, three nuclear-armed Russian submarines broke through several feet of ice in the Arctic, showing a new display of power in an area where American forces face difficulties, the International Centre for Defence and Security published on its website.

Joe Biden Urges $100 Billion Infrastructure Investment to Provide Affordable Internet by 2029

Biden Signaled Tougher Stance

President Joe Biden has also indicated a harder posture, calling Putin a "killer" and promising to keep Russia accountable for recent attacks, including one that leaked malware from Texas-based Solarwinds Corp., affecting at least 100 U.S. firms and nine federal agencies, according to The New York Times.

Meanwhile, the latest uptick in violence poses a new foreign policy threat for the Biden administration, including the president's promise to be harsher on Russia than his predecessor, Donald Trump, whose friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin prompted allegations that he was soft on Moscow.

On the other hand, President Biden recently authorized an extra $125 million in lethal assistance for Ukraine to protect its borders with Russia, which requires two armed patrol boats and counter-artillery radar. Since 2014, the United States has provided Ukraine with more than $2 billion in defense assistance, including Javelin anti-tank missiles. While the Obama administration sent military supplies to Ukraine, it was not until the Trump administration that lethal assistance came.

Pentagon's Response

According to Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby, Pentagon leaders are voicing their worries to NATO allies regarding the intensified fighting in Eastern Europe, killing four Ukrainian soldiers on March 26 and injuring two others. They are also concerned about the buildup of Russian troops.

Kirby said that they do not want to see any more violence in the Ukrainian territory. He also added, "We've been very clear about the threats that we see from Russia across domains ... we're taking them very seriously."

However, Kirby said that he is unaware of any Russian-U.S. military cooperation or interaction in Eastern Europe. Despite this, it can be remembered that national security adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier this week that the U.S. affirmed its support to Ukraine.

Furthermore, according to a readout from the office of Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he spoke with his Russian and Ukrainian colleagues separately on Wednesday about the security situation. On Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken explored "ways of improving defense cooperation."

Congress Looks To Limit Biden's War Powers, GOP Is Cautious

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A survey of 1,000 registered voters across the Bay Area has revealed significant cultural and geographical differences in coronavirus vaccine opposition.

According to the poll, conducted by the Bay Area Council, a public-policy advocacy organization, of the 57% who said they havent yet been vaccinated, 21% said they definitely or probably wont get vaccinated. This is likely to pose a challenge for public health officials working to end the pandemic by achieving herd immunity, though according the the World Health Organization it is not yet known what percentage of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.

Residents in the North Bay are least likely to get a vaccine, according to the survey, with nearly one in four adults reluctant to get their shot  around 23% of respondents in Sonoma, Marin, Napa and Solano counties described themselves as vaccine hesitant.

San Francisco residents are the mostly likely to get vaccinated in the Bay Area, with only 7% voicing hesitancy in the poll. Elsewhere, Contra Costa County is at 16%, San Mateo, 15%, Santa Clara, 13% and Alameda at 12%.

Beyond geographical differences across the region, the survey also broke down vaccine opposition across political affiliation, education and ethnicity.

It found that 31% of Republicans say they are hesitant to get vaccinated, compared to 7% of Democrats.

Only 4% of Asian American respondents said they are reluctant to get a shot, compared to 18% of Latinos.

Seven percent of those with a graduate degree expressed opposition to getting vaccinated, while 22% of people with less than a four-year degree are not inclined to get a shot.

When asked why they will not get the vaccine, 19% of vaccine-hesitant respondents answered that they arent worried about COVID, 14% said they are already healthy and 12% fear a vaccines negative side effects. Another 12% said they simply dont trust the vaccine and will rely on their own immune system to address any infection, reports the Bay Area Council.

The vaccine side effects are, however, not a bad thing.

"Side effects are a good sign," Dr. Melanie Swift, co-chair of the COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation and Distribution Work Group at the Mayo Clinic told SFGATE. "But it confuses people because a lot of these symptoms are COVID symptoms, but the difference is there are no respiratory systems as you can get with COVID. With the vaccine, youre not coughing, you dont have a runny nose, you dont lose your sense of taste or smell."

Getting people vaccinated is one of the most important things we can do to stop COVID and fully reopen our state and our economy, said Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. Understanding the reasons people are hesitant to get vaccinated and addressing their concerns will be critical to ensuring we put COVID behind us and avoid any flare ups."

Find the full survey findings here.

SFGATE reporter Amy Graff contributed to this story.
Khartoum / El Fasher  Sudanese Minister of Health Omar El Najeeb expects "a steady increase in COVID-19 infections and deaths during the next three months". This will not lead to school closures, El Najeeb said at a press conference in Khartoum yesterday.

According to Health Minister El Najeeb teachers must be vaccinated and students must be provided with free face masks to limit the spread of the disease.

There are less than 150 empty beds in the isolation centres in Khartoum at this moment. Bahri and Soba Hospital also urgently need medical equipment.

El Najeeb stressed the need for a reduction of the number of employees working in certain institutions and added that he has asked these institutions to provide face masks for their employees. The government is trying to provide free face masks to school students, he stated.

Omar El Najeeb reported that 5,000 people have been vaccinated this month. More than a million doses of the vaccine have been provided by China and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Ministry of Health is responsible for the vaccinations, which are provided to the people free of costs. El Najeeb said that the Chinese Sinovac vaccine has been proven effective in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkey. Osman also referred to recent efforts to start manufacturing the vaccine in Sudan itself.

Abdelmalik El Hadiya, advisor to the Minister of Health, said that the vaccination programme targets 20 per cent of the people, including 500,000 health care workers and people older than sixty who suffer from chronic diseases. He added that vaccination is the only way to eradicate the disease. At this moment, there are 47 vaccination centres in Khartoum. This will increase to 147 next week.

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Omar El Najeeb observed that the health care sector has been subject to great destruction over the last 30 years. He spoke about the introduction of a new law on the establishment of a Health Facilities Protection Unit to protect health care personnel. He added that the regular forces are responsible for most of the attacks on medical personnel.

Doctor Montasir Osman, Deputy Director of Health Emergencies Committee, said that the total number of recorded COVID-19 infections rose to 30,211 so far. 2,079 patients died. 38 per cent of all cases are people between 20 to 40 years. Osman attributed the rise of COVID-19 cases to a lack of adherence to health precautions. He added that the number of registered cases is "limited" compared to the number of unregistered cases. Just 5,000 COVID-19 tests are carried out in Sudan every day, he said.

The current vaccination programme aims to reduce both morbidity and mortality, Osman said. The goal is to vaccinate 65 per cent of the population in order to reach herd immunity which will limit the spread of the disease.

The Ministry of Health in North Darfur announced that health emergency measures will be enforced in all localities of the state for a period of two months. In the past week there has been a steady increase in COVID-19 infections in the state. Most of the cases were recorded in the capital El Fasher, many of them in isolation centres. Other cases were recorded in Mellit locality and one case in Kalamindo locality.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  A Christian youth camp about 15 miles southeast of Santa Fe could be used as a temporary housing facility for more than 2,000 migrant children as the Biden administration works to address a backlog of unaccompanied children at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Patrick Price, chief financial officer for Eagle Adventure Camps, which operates Christian youth camps in New Mexico and Texas, said Wednesday that there have been discussions with the federal government about temporarily housing immigrant children at the Glorieta camp, but no agreement has been reached.

Asked if he anticipated an agreement any time soon, he said, It would need to, if it were going to happen.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



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Price said federal officials reached out to them.

Theres a huge need for these people, he said of children at the border who are unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. Weve been asked to potentially help.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration for Children and Families did not respond to interview requests from the Journal on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden is under pressure to address immigration as thousands of people arrive at the southern border and are packed into holding facilities. The problem is that, despite the border being closed to migrants, more children show up at the border than the Department of Health and Human Services can process, creating a backlog.

On Tuesday, journalists were allowed for the first time under the Biden administration to visit a facility for migrant children on the Texas border. There, more than 4,000 people, including children and families, were crammed under a tent meant to shelter about 250.

A page on the Glorieta Adventure Camps website states that it has been asked by the White House and HHS to house and feed potentially as many as 2,400 unaccompanied children.

Were asking that you help us with this urgent need as we need people to help with meals, recreation, youth supervision, and housekeeping, states an announcement for a position at an Emergency Intake Site.

A local employment agency, The Hire Firm, was also hiring for temporary positions for housekeepers, cooks and kitchen help at Glorieta. The job announcements said the jobs would be for 30-60 days at a rate of $20 per hour.

A spokesperson for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state is aware only that federal administrators are looking for temporary congregate sites for unaccompanied minors and has no other information about what facilities are being considered.

Glorieta Adventure Camps opened in 2014 after the 2,400-acre property was sold by LifeWay Christian Resources, a division of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The landmark property had been in the hands of Southern Baptists since the mid-1940s and has been used for conventions, retreats and other church-related functions since 1952.

The new owners have turned the property into an outdoor adventure Christian youth camp, with ziplines, rock-climbing walls, hiking trails and a small lake. It advertises group camps, family camps, wilderness retreats and many other activities on its website.

The property is also host to numerous mountain biking trails and running events held there during the summer months.

Glorieta Adventure Camps has more than 100 buildings, including hotel-style rooms and bunkhouses, and a large commercial kitchen and dining hall.

Not everyone was happy about the camp being used to temporarily house immigrant children.

How do we get a refund on camp for this summer, a woman asked on Glorieta Adventure Camps Facebook page. I just found out youre housing illegals there and I dont feel comfortable sending my children there now. Thinking about canceling.

According to the Administration for Children and Families, a division of HHS, what are termed Unaccompanied Alien Children at the border are referred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Most children younger than 18 with no lawful status in the U.S. and no parent or guardian stay in the care of ORR. They are then put in touch with a parent, guardian or relative in an effort to find them a suitable sponsor, which usually ends up being a close family relative.

In fiscal year 2018, 73% of the children referred to ORR were 14 or older and 71% were boys. The vast majority come from the northern triangle of Central America, with 54% coming from Guatemala, 26% from Honduras and 12% from El Salvador.

Children are provided age-appropriate care and wraparound services in one of the approximately 170 facilities and programs in 23 states funded by ORR, according to an HHS fact sheet.

In fiscal year 2019, more than 67,000 unaccompanied children entered the system.

Allegra Love, a Santa Fe attorney and former executive director of the Santa Fe Dreamers Project, said problems with handling the influx of immigrants at the border is a longstanding issue with no good solution.

None of this is new and it is not unique to this moment, she said, adding that shes worked with immigrant families through three presidential administrations. None of this is particularly abnormal, nor is it unpredictable. We should have seen it coming.

Love said that what is happening at the border is a result of global migration in the 21st century.

Its what we should be expecting when the northern triangle is facing so many problems and violence, she said, adding that the way to address immigration is with long-term, expansive solutions.

While there is currently a surge of immigrants at the border, Love says its a cyclical problem that crops up every few years. She grimaces when she hears it called a crisis.

Calling it a crisis is really politicizing it. I feel like both parties are using the word for their own benefit, she said.

Its an American problem, not a Democratic or Republican problem.

Love said that, while Trump got blamed for separating families at the border, the same thing is happening under Biden. But she said people shouldnt get worked up over the fact that thousands of children are being housed in facilities across the country.

Its not a reason to feel hysterical; its actually following the law, she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
He recently launched his own hard seltzer brand.

And Travis Scott is going guns a' blazin' to promote the alcohol range.

The 28-year-old rapper - real name Jacques Bermon Webster - donned a plastic guzzler cowboy hat to promote Cacti in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Company man: Travis Scott donned a plastic guzzler cowboy hat to promote Cacti in Los Angeles on Wednesday

The interesting headwear had two holsters to hold his agave spiked seltzer with two clear straws attached to it for easy drinking.

Along with the eccentric hat he sported an orange shirt, ripped jeans with patches sewn all over them, and Nike Dunk Low SP sneakers in the Brazil colorway.

He posed up for some snaps taken by a friend as one of which was later posted on Instagram.

Drip: The interesting headwear had two holsters to hold his agave spiked seltzer with two clear straws attached to it for easy drinking

Showing his style: Along with the eccentric hat he sported an orange shirt, ripped jeans with patches sewn all over them, and Nike Dunk Low SP sneakers in the Brazil colorway

Travis - who was in front of a Cacti billboard - made light of his guzzler cowboy hat in his caption writing: 'A walking tailgate.'

The rapper - who shares three-year-old daughter Stormi Webster with Kylie Jenner - launched the hard seltzer line last week and it already has been a smashing success.

Cacti reported on Wednesday that they have outperformed the launch of major hard seltzers and secured the highest first-week rate of sale for a variety pack in Anheuser-Busch history.

Online inventory of the product had sold out within 12 hours while retailers across the country had reported stock selling out within 24 hours.

Travis has reached much success as he has also become one of the most famous rappers in the world as his fourth solo studio album, Utopia, is set for release later this year.

'A walking tailgate': Travis - who was in front of a Cacti billboard - made light of his guzzler cowboy hat in his caption

'I never tell people this, and I'm probably going to keep it a secret still, but I'm working with some new people and I'm just trying to expand the sound,' Scott said in the interview with i-D interview last month about his upcoming record.

He continued: 'Theres so much more ground I can cover, and I want to cover it, and I love the challenge of it.'

While he has yet to inform his followers exactly when Utopia will be available for the world, he noted it was 'coming soon.'

'You can bet that,' he teased, while revealing he has become 'way more productive' under quarantine.
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Coronavirus vaccine hesitancy has halved among black Britons following No10's PR blitz to quash fears, data revealed today.

Ministers launched a media campaign to address hesitancy in BAME communities back in February, after experts raised concerns about low uptake in ethnic minorities.

The Department of Health worked with more than 50 ethnic minority TV channels and radio stations that broadcast in 13 different languages to tackle anti-vaxx misinformation.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released today suggested the PR campaign already appears to be working, even in the face of EU nations stoking fears about the tiny risk that AstraZeneca's jab may cause blood clots.

Survey data of 17,200 adults in Great Britain show self-reported jab hesitancy dropped in all ethnic groups.

But the effect was particularly dramatic in black or black British adults, with the rate dropping from 44 to 22 per cent from February 17 to March 14.

Black adults still remain the most hesitant to get vaccinated  but the figures offer hope that uptake rates can be bolstered. The roll-out must go smoothly for ministers to feel confident enough to remove lockdown restrictions over the coming months.

It comes after Sir Lenny Henry and other black celebrities, including actress Thandie Newton and YouTube star KSI, this week wrote an open letter to urge ethnic minority people to come forward and get vaccinated.

Covid vaccine hesitancy halved among black Britons from February to March, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released today shows

The ONS's report today showed that hesitancy dropped by a third in all adults in Great Britain, from nine per cent to six per cent.

It defined hesitancy as adults who have refused a jab or said they would be unlikely to get one when offered, as well as those who responded 'neither likely nor unlikely', 'don't know' or 'prefer not to say' when asked.

Hesitancy rates fell from 18 to 11 per cent among Chinese and other ethnic groups, from 8 to 5 per cent among white people, and from 17 to 12 per cent in mixed race people.

The smallest decrease was seen in Asian people, where hesitancy only fell from 16 to 13 per cent.

Some 94 per cent of all adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine, up from 78 per cent when the roll-out kicked off in December.

Statisticians praised the change in attitudes seen across racial groups but warned hesitancy remains an issue.

Tim Vizard, public policy analyst for the ONS, said: 'Over the past few months, we have seen attitudes across most of the population becoming more positive towards Covid-19 vaccination.

'However, there is still hesitancy among some groups, including young people, Black or Black British and those living in the most deprived areas.'

It comes after Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng this week said Britain 'has made great strides' in boosting uptake among black people.

But a separate ONS report on Monday showed more work has to be done, with four times as many elderly black Britons yet to have a vaccine as elderly white people.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng on Tuesday blamed 'misinformation' and 'people sharing things online' for higher jab hesitancy rates in some communities. Sir Lenny Henry has written an open letter urging all black people to get the Covid jab

A report published yesterday by the Office for National Statistics on Monday found just 58.89 per cent of black African Brits over the age of 70 had received at least one dose of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca 's vaccine by March 11

The ONS calculated that black Brits were up to seven times less likely to get the jab than their white peers

The report also found that Muslims were the religious group least likely to take the vaccine, with only 72.3 per cent of over-70s getting one so far, followed by Buddhists (78.1 per cent)

The Government began its PR blitz to address hesitancy in minority ethnic groups on February 13  the day after the most recent ONS data begins at.

THE GOVERNMENT'S PR BLITZ TO ADDRESS HESITANCY IN ETHNIC MINORITIES The Department of Health and Social Care launched its UK Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake Plan on February 13. It released targeted information and advice via 50 ethnic minority TV, radio, social media, and printed materials. DHSC and NHS social media channels are producing advice and information videos every day to answer questions about vaccines and provide the latest details about the vaccination programme. DHSC also worked closely with social media platforms to identify and act against incorrect claims about the virus and anti-vaccination messages which could endanger people's health. Advertisement

It launched its Covid vaccine uptake plan on that date, outlining plans to reach minority ethnic groups on broadcast and social media in a policy paper.

Ministers are working with more than 50 ethnic minority TV channels and radio stations that broadcast in 13 different languages to tackle anti-vaxx misinformation.

More than 90 faith, healthcare provider networks, influencers and experts from a range of communities have been recruited to hold Q&As to address people's concerns about the Covid vaccine.

Officials are also working with the BBC World Service to produce videos on key questions from South Asian groups in Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil, Gujarati, and Sylheti.

In the same week, BAME groups launched an advert campaign urging minorities to take up the offer of the vaccine.

An advert featuring Adil Ray, Moeen Ali, Denise Lewis, Romesh Ranganathan, Meera Syal was aired simultaneously on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky TV channels on February 18.

And this Tuesday, film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton, author Malorie Blackman and radio DJ Trevor Nelson were among the signatories of an open letter by Sir Lenny Henry urging black Britons to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

In the letter Sir Lenny acknowledges the 'legitimate worries and concerns' that people feel, adding: 'We know change needs to happen and that it's hard to trust some institutions and authorities.'

He continued: 'But we're asking you to trust the facts about the vaccine from our own professors, doctors, scientists involved in the vaccine's development, GPs, not just in the UK but across the world including the Caribbean and Africa.

'Many of whom are our relatives, many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the people of this country from this pandemic.'
A prominent socialite has been charged with a vile graffiti attack on the office of Sydney PR queen Roxy Jacenko - a year after being cleared of the crime.

Anthony Hess, 40, beat Ms Jacenko in court after she slapped him with a restraining order claiming his campaign of harassment had her living in fear.

The April 24, 2019, attack on her Sweaty Betty PR office in Paddington, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, was one of the grounds in her application.

Hess denied being the culprit under cross-examination in Downing Centre Local Court in February 2020 with the quip 'gay guys don't do graffiti'.

'Look how many enemies she's got, half of Sydney hates her. Who wouldn't want to graffiti her?' Hess added outside court after the restraining order was denied.

Roxy Jacenko stands in front of the slur which was spray painted on the wall of her Paddington PR office on April 24, 2019

Magistrate Allison Hawkins said she did not believe Hess sprayed the graffiti and found Ms Jacenko's account to be 'hollow and unimpressive... grossly exaggerated'.

However, Daily Mail Australia can reveal Hess was on Tuesday issued a summons to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on June 8 on two charges of aggravated intentionally marking premises without consent.

A police facts sheet alleges Hess and controversial street artist Anthony Lister sprayed the graffiti between 1.38am and 1.40am, and then on a nearby skip bin.

Lister, 41, is awaiting trial accused of drugging and sexually assaulting five young women he met through the art scene, along with a series of drug charges.

The graffiti attack was caught on CCTV but neither of the figures could be positively identified despite a social media call-out by Ms Jacenko.

But the rape investigation into Lister was Hess' undoing as the renowned artist allegedly recorded the vandalism on his GoPro.

Detectives raided Lister's home on Taylor Street in Darlinghurst on March 10, 2020, 'in relation to an unrelated matter' and found a GoPro SD card.

'Upon review of the SD card, police observed three videos of which depicted the above mention incidents,' the facts sheet alleged.

The graffiti attack was caught on CCTV but neither of the figures could be positively identified despite a social media call-out by Ms Jacenko

Hess said he is 'living it up' in Los Angeles, staying in Beverley Hills and driving an expensive Porsche

The footage was handed to detectives investigating the graffiti attack, who cooborated it with other evidence that was presented in court during the restraining order hearing.

But the last piece of the puzzle did not fall into place until Monday when Hess' former friend Lena Kalajian dobbed him in to police.

She gave a statement at Surry Hills Police Station claiming she was with Hess and Lister on the night of the graffiti painting and witnessed the whole thing.

Ms Kalajian, who was not charged, was a close friend of Hess and supported him at court appearances during the restraining order - once hiding her face with a $4,000 Fendi 'monster' handbag.

The pair had a spectacular falling out soon afterwards with Hess filing a police report claiming she damaged his property during a bizarre incident.

Ms Kalajian, 34, is better known as the porn star Gigi Allen who boasts 126,000 Instagram followers, 11,000 OnlyFans paid subscribers, and her own PornHub channel, and a profile on escort site Scarlet Blue.

Vandals also sprayed 'Roxy Jacenko is a crook' on the traffic barrier near Syd Einfeld Drive in Bondi Junction

'Roxy is a dog' was also sprayed on a wall on Ramsgate Avenue in North Bondi

Artist Anthony Lister is charged alongside Hess and the videos allegedly found in his home during a police raid over his rape case

Police allege Hess spray painted the 7m-long obscene graffiti while Lister watched and gave instructions before they both left - all filmed on Lister's GoPro.

A few minutes later, they allegedly sprayed an Empire skip bin, again with 'Roxy is a c***', on the corner of Oatley and Renny Streets in Paddington.

Police allege the GoPro footage also shows the pair discussing doing more graffiti, though the actual spraying is not filmed.

'Roxy is a crook' was found sprayed on a traffic barrier on Syd Enfield Drive in Woollahra and 'Roxy is a dog' a wall on Ramsgate Avenue in North Bondi.

The facts sheet also details how Hess' mobile phone pinged towers across East Sydney and Bondi Beach, putting him in the area when the graffiti was sprayed.

Hess during the restraining order hearing said he was asleep at a friend's house on Oxford Street 10 minutes drive away at the time.

Police also matched Hess' Nike Epic React Flynit 2 shoes with 'distinctive pink, blue and white on the back' with shoes seen on the CCTV.

Hess posted a photo to Instagram of himself wearing the shoes on his Instagram on May 15, 2019, about three weeks after the vandalism.

Hess' former friend Lena Kalajian, better known as the porn star Gigi Allen (pictured), gave a statement to police claiming she was with Hess and Lister on the night of the graffiti painting and witnessed the whole thing

Ms Kalajian, who was not charged, was a close friend of Hess and supported him at court appearances during the restraining order - once hiding her face with a $4,000 Fendi 'monster' handbag (right)

Ms Jacenko stormed out of the court the second her application was denied and cried as she power walked to a waiting SUV

Hess claimed to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that he didn't remember the night in question.

'I was drugged, I can't remember even being there,' he said.

Hess said he is 'living it up' in Los Angeles, staying in Beverley Hills and driving an expensive Porsche.

Something of a drama magnet, he fled Australia to the US late last year after being slapped around by Mongols bikie boss Toby Mitchell at a Melbourne cafe.

Hess, who has been close friends with Mitchell for eight years, refused to make a police statement and asked police to drop assault charges, calling the scuffle a drunken 'misunderstanding'.

He blamed Married at First Sight star and former best friend Stacey Hampton for inciting the brawl by telling Mitchell that Hess had called him a 'dog' and a 'c**t' behind his back, sending him into a rage.

Mitchell was prosecuted anyway and pleaded guilty to assault in February, awaiting sentencing in September.

Hess became Married at First Sight star Stacey Hampton's best friend until their ugly falling out in July, and took her to meet bikie boss Toby Mitchell on one of her trips to Melbourne

Ms Jacenko claimed in court that Hess abused her at an event, beginning a campaign of harassment that left her living in fear.

Her lawyer Greg James QC said the incident left Hess with 'resentment' for his client, leading him to paint the offensive graffiti on her office two months later.

'That's not my style. Gay guys don't do graffiti,' Hess told the court when asked about it. 'I'm not violent, I'm not a criminal... I'm more of a fun guy.'

Ms Jacenko catastrophically lost the case and was slammed by Magistrate Hawkins. She stormed out of the court in tears without a word when the verdict was read.

Hess on the other hand celebrated by 'flossing' at the front of the court and hugging reporters at random, before leaving in a gold Lamborghini.

'She's ruined a year of my life with this hot mess. She's wasted everyone's time,' he said.

A year has passed since then, but it appears the saga is not over.
BTS, GOT7, CL, and more are among the K-Pop stars and celebrities that have condemned anti-Asian violence.

The U.S. has been plagued with continuous violent attacks against the Asian American community, having started upon receiving knowledge that the COVID-19 first originated from Wuhan, China.

Since then, hate towards the Asian community, especially towards the Asian Americans living in the U.S., has been steadily increasing. The anti-Asian violence has only taken a turn for the worse in the recent months, with anti-Asian supporters going as far as committing murder.

The recent Atlanta spa shooting that took place on Mar. 16, which killed eight people - six of them being female Asians and four of whom are ethnic Koreans, had triggered K-Pop stars to speak up and condemn the acts of violence, joining the #StopAsianHate movement.

BTS, GOT7, CL, and More: Here are the K-Pop Stars That Condemned Anti-Asian Violence

View this post on Instagram A post shared by  Eric Nam (@ericnam)

Eric Nam, who is a Korean American born and raised in Atlanta, contributed to Time Magazine on Mar. 19 for an article titled, "If You're Surprised by the Anti-Asian Violence in Atlanta, You Haven't Been Listening. It's Time to Hear Our Voices."

In the article, Eric shares his and other Asians' experiences as a "perpetual foreigner" living in the U.S. He notes that for the past twelve months since the attacks started, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were left feeling abandoned and overwhelmed.

He adds, "With memories of our past, the realities of our present and fears of our collective future in a country we love," and that AAPIs have been "excluded, interned, vilified, emasculated, fetishized and murdered."

Eric goes on to condemn the sheriff spokesperson who dismissed the Atlanta shooting, who claimed the suspect's motivation for the murders to be due to the suspect's addiction. He also shares is personal accounts on racism and criticized the anti-Asian discrimination in the U.S.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by  (@siwonchoi)

Super Junior's Siwon wrote on his Instagram that although he does not have all the answers, he hopes to use his platform to emphasize the need to address the issues on racism.

"I know this one post won't solve the problem, but I hope to help raise awareness on hate crimes against all," he said.

GOT7 members Jackson and Mark spoke up and shared their sentiments on the #StopAsianHate movement as well.

"Hatred and racism of any kind is not acceptable," said Jackson. He adds that if one can learn to hate, then they can learn to love.

"We are all human beings who deserve to live without fearing that the color of our skin challenges our safety in America," Mark shared in his tweet.

Im speechless and disgusted by the news that im reading. It hurt me to call my mom from overseas to tell her to be careful in the states. I believe together we can create positivity and put and end to hate. #StopAsianHate  Amber J. Liu  (@ajol_llama) March 18, 2021

f(x)'s Amber shares how she is disgusted by the news on the Atlanta shooting, and that it hurt to call her mother from overseas to be careful in the U.S.

CL, the former leader and member of 2NE1, shared pictures on Twitter with information on how to donate and support the AAPI community.

Epik High's Tablo, GOT7's Bambam, P1Harmony, Blackswan's Fatou, and AleXa also shared the same pictures.

We stand together. #StopAsianHate pic.twitter.com/do92V9rd0K  CL (@chaelinCL) March 17, 2021

Jay Park shared a simple message regarding the movement. In addition, KARD's BM and Ladies Code's Ashley called for the attention to the situation through their Instagram stories.

#StopAsianHate very simple  JAY BUM PARK (@JAYBUMAOM) March 18, 2021

BTS had recently shared their experiences with racial discrimination in a post on Twitter. They revealed that although their experiences were inconsequential compared to what Asian Americans are experiencing right now, they still felt powerless.

They end their post with a powerful message: "We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together."

If you wish to support the #StopAsianHate movement and donate to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, click here.

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.
analysis

Andrew Chirwa, the president of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, delivered this keynote address on 5 March 2021 as part of the Hugo Chavez Memorial Day.

On this day, 5 March, in 2013, a great revolutionary finally succumbed to cancer and passed away. He was only 58 years old. The socialist world will forever be grateful to the people, government and doctors of Cuba who did all they could to try and defeat the cancer and other opportunistic respiratory infections which finally killed this great revolutionary. Today, we are assembled on this platform to celebrate the life and times of this great socialist revolutionary.

Commandant Raphael Hugo Chavez Frias was born on 28 July 1954 and died on 5 March 2013. Comrade Hugo Chavez was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, apart from a very short time in April 2002.

Today we will look to five areas of Comrade Chavez's life that demonstrate that he was a true visionary leader of the working class.

Chavez, the internationalist

Chavez knew that his primary theatre of revolutionary struggles was, of course, Venezuela, but, he was alert always to the fact that Venezuela alone in Latin America and the world could not succeed to establish a sustainable socialist project if the rest of Latin America and the whole world remained chained to capitalism.

Comrade Chavez's internationalism made him instrumental in the setting up of the Union of South American Nations, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, the Bank of the South and, of course, the regional television network TeleSUR.

It is not true that Chavez did this great international work because he was using oil to achieve narrow Venezuelan interests. Chavez was always aware that the United States' imperialist interests and stranglehold on Latin America could not be defeated in one country alone, no matter how revolutionary its people and leaders of such a country could be.

For example, Chavez was well aware how the US economic blockade on Cuba was in fact economic genocide performed on Cuba by the US government and its capitalists. He knew Venezuela would suffer the same fate.

After the collapse of the Union of the Socialist Republics of the Soviet Union in 1991, a fundamental lesson no socialist or communist could ignore was the historic fact that to defeat capitalism, the working class and all oppressed peoples of the world needed to be organised in a world revolutionary movement to overthrow the world capitalist system. No single country on its own could achieve and sustain socialism, let alone advance to communism.

The reason is very simple: capitalism is a world system; to defeat it, it must be fought at a world level. While revolutions against capitalism must and can start in one country, the working class and all oppressed and dominated peoples of the world must also rise up everywhere and fight to destroy the world capitalist system.

Chavez understood this international character of the struggle for socialism very well, and so he moved swiftly to unite the desperate peoples of Latin America, so that together they could defend themselves against the rapacious imperialism of the United States in the region.

This is one powerful lesson we must learn and celebrate about Commandant Hugo Chavez: our struggles for emancipation, while being fought at a local and national level, are bound to fail if we at the same time do not forge a global movement against the world capitalist system!

The everyday struggles of the masses and the impoverished

Even without achieving socialism, it is possible to fight mass poverty, unemployment, extreme inequalities and the indignities these capitalist evils cause millions of human beings to suffer on Earth. We cannot completely win these fights under capitalism, but we can reduce the levels of suffering.

Chavez demonstrated in practice that there is no excuse for allowing the wealth of any country to benefit a tiny minority and their imperialist backers. He embarked upon an ambitious nationalisation project, crucially of the Venezuelan oil resources.

People love ideas, stories, poetry reading and writing books. But people don't eat ideas. They eat food, need houses to live in, must have clothes to wear, their children must go to schools well fed, and everyone needs water and good health. Chavez understood that with or without socialism, the majority of the Venezuelans who are the working class and indigenous people needed these basic things of life.

Chavez did not wait until Venezuela achieved socialism to redistribute wealth. He went ahead and did it inside the Venezuelan capitalist system.

In the shortest time, destitution, illiteracy, hunger, homelessness, access to clinics and hospitals were improved, and he improved the quality of lives for millions of Venezuelans such that even the UN could not pretend not to see that Venezuela was changing for the better.

To struggle every day to improve the quality of life of the working and impoverished masses is the revolutionary responsibility of every socialist activist whatever the ideological and political system of the country in which we live. The masses in fact may only listen to us, and fight with us for socialism because they will know by our example while in a capitalist system what good things we can achieve together with them, when we defeat capitalism and create socialism.

Chavez taught us to dedicate our lives fighting even for the smallest victories for the working masses and the impoverished inside capitalism, without losing sight of our goal for a socialist society through the socialist revolution.

Daily contact with the masses

On radio, television and Twitter, Chavez was not afraid to directly speak with and to the people of his country. He was not happy and comfortable to hide behind official press statements and one-way, "Address to the Nation" or "Letter from the President", hide-and-seek tactics.

To learn what was happening in his country, he did not just depend on his intelligence, security and military establishment: he had direct personal conversations with his people.

He enjoyed listening, learning and directly talking with the masses through the mass media means of communication and rallies. This way, he knew exactly what the burning questions of the day among all the classes of the people in his country were.

This is why his election victories saw him successively increase his votes for most of the time he stood as president of Venezuela - the masses knew him, and he knew them very well. In fact, this is what annoyed the US and the world capitalist system: here was a socialist and he was winning elections!

To counter the capitalist lies about Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution, Chavez instigated the birth of several newspapers and powerful TV, TeleSUR, a regional Latin American television broadcaster. Without a dedicated revolutionary media and press, it is almost impossible to win the battle for the hearts and minds of the working and impoverished masses - capitalism will always reach them first!

Consistent discipline and sacrifice

Hugo Chavez was a career soldier who, in fact, became a revolutionary while serving in the Venezuelan army and - believe it or not - hunting down Marxist guerrillas opposed to the government he was serving!

He read everything he could lay his hands on, on the history of Latin America and its revolutionary traditions and the world communist movement including, but not limited to, Simon Bolivar, Simon Rodriguez, Ezequiel Zamora, Karl Marx, Mao Zedong, Vladimir Lenin, Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and many others.

This rich literature and knowledge armed him with both revolutionary and theoretical strategic tools to navigate the complex political and economic world system in which Venezuela was immersed.

Ultimately he worked hard to unite the disparate Left parties and movements in Venezuela into what later became the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, in short PSUV. This is the party in power in Venezuela today.

Without this self-education and preparation and how Chavez used this to build the PSUV, it is possible that by now the US with its crippling sanctions and sponsorship of sabotage and insurrection would have completely destroyed the revolution in Venezuela.

Without revolutionary theory, it is impossible to have a revolutionary movement. Chavez understood this, and he armed the working class, through his daily contact and mass media, with a thorough knowledge of the capitalist class system in Venezuela and US imperialism and its intentions in Venezuela.

Chavez combined revolutionary theory with revolutionary practice and fought and lived for the success of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela.

We must learn the obvious fact that without the weapon of revolutionary knowledge, it is impossible to wage a successful revolution. Our first duty, therefore, is to learn, to educate ourselves, through both theory and concrete participation in the daily struggles of the working masses and the impoverished.

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Principles, discipline and courage

Today, we have many socialists in our trade unions and social movements who preach their Marxism at work and in workshops but are patriarchal savages in their homes. We have so-called socialists who steal money from their organisations to enrich themselves. Laziness, hatred of hard work, fear of suffering and hardships - these are the most important characteristics of so-called socialists of today. Love of comfort, luxury, a good time, idleness: this is the quality of revolutionary life many so-called socialist revolutionaries live or aspire to live today.

We have socialists who, with just a little money, all the socialism evaporates from their heads and they start singing from the capitalist bible. We have so-called socialists who hate working-class democracy and worker control. We have so-called socialists who are such hopeless cowards they hate any talk of the idea of the dictatorship of the working class as the most complete and thorough democracy. We have so-called socialists who think that capitalism can be destroyed through elections!

Chavez was the opposite of this. He was a fearless, principled, consistent and courageous revolutionary. He was prepared at all times to lay down his life for the struggle for a full life for the working class, the indigenous people and all the people of Venezuela, and therefore, for the working class of the world. He was never afraid to pick up arms against the capitalist system. He was not a thief. He was always ready to make the highest sacrifice, including sacrificing his own life.

He understood that to defeat the ruling class he had to set up working-class and popular-power structures among and for the masses. Through a referendum, he had the old Constitution amended to allow for the birth of the Constituent Assembly, which became the centre of power. Together with a loyal army, it is this assembly today that holds Venezuela together. Chavez was a democrat.

The Venezuelan revolution cannot be defended just via conference and congress resolutions of solidarity. We need to fight capitalism directly in our countries - this is the best way to increase the world socialist forces against capitalism.

This is a lightly edited speech delivered by Andrew Chirwa on 5 March 2021.
Tight security at the entrance of Garissa University College on April 3, 2015, after Al-Shabaab militants attacked the University (file photo).

When he risked his life by walking into Westgate Mall in Westlands, Nairobi, in the middle of an attack by Al-Shabaab in 2013, little did Abdikadir Haji, popularly known as Abdul Haji, know his act of valour would come to change his life.

A photo of the father of four daughters wielding a pistol as he helped rescue hostages not only earned him a presidential commendation, but has also paid off politically after elders endorsed him to be Garissa County's next senator.

The elders argued that Abdul Haji was the bravest among probable candidates for the seat that fell vacant following the death of his father, Senator Yusuf Haji, at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, on February 15.

Nomination papers deadline

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is expected to declare Mr Haji the winner as no one else had submitted nomination papers by Wednesday's deadline (March 30, 2021) for those intending to participate in the Garissa senatorial by-election scheduled for Tuesday, May 18.

"After receiving the nomination papers from only one aspirant, I have forwarded the information to IEBC headquarters for the commission to make a determination," Garissa County IEBC Returning Officer Hussein Gure told Nation.Africa Wednesday.

Mr Gure said that he had finalised his work as a returning officer as there is no election when a candidate has no opponents.

Elected unopposed

Mr Haji becomes the third politician to be elected unopposed in a by-election after Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria and Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi.

Following the death of his father Moses Mudavadi - a former powerful Cabinet minister in the late President Daniel Moi's government - in 1989, Mr Mudavadi was elected unopposed for the Sabatia parliamentary seat to succeed his father.

In 2014, Mr Kuria also went to parliament unopposed when his main challenger, Mr Kiarie Kamere of the New Democrats Party, quit the race for the Gatundu South parliamentary by-election in 2014. The by-election was occasioned by the death of former MP Joseph Ngugi Nyumu.

Elders' support

In a county where clan politics holds the key to power, Mr Haji managed to secure the support of all the major elders from the main clans in Garissa.

On Tuesday, the son of the late Senator Haji hosted 'Samawadhal Sagaales', respected traditional elders, at his residence in Garissa.

"Clan elders play an integral role in fostering unity and cohesion among the communities. It's a pleasure to have taken a keen consideration of the blessings, wisdom and the experiences of the elders," the senator-elect said after the meeting with the clan elders.

Mr Haji received the endorsement of the Abduwak, Aulihan and Abdalla clans, which recommended that he should succeed his father as senator. The three clans hold much sway in Garissa politics.

Mr Haji was cleared on Tuesday to run for the seat after he presented his Jubilee Party nomination papers to IEBC County Returning Officer Hussein Gure at the North Eastern National Polytechnic College.

He was accompanied by various leaders, among them Garissa Governor Ali Korane, Deputy Governor Abdi Dagane, Ijara MP Sophia Abdinoor, former Garissa governor Nathif Jama, former Garissa deputy governor Abdullahi Hussein and members of the Garissa County Assembly.

Before that, he had secured the support of ODM party after holding a meeting with ODM Deputy Party leader Hassan Joho and Deputy President William Ruto, and the latter pledged the support of the "Hustler Movement".

Westgate terror attack

Mr Haji, a businessman, first came into the national limelight during the Westgate terror attack in 2013, when he stormed the mall to rescue his elder brother, Noordin Haji, now the Director of Public Prosecutions, who was holed up in the besieged mall.

The businessman, who grew up shooting at the Athi River range, rescued many hostages and was among the key heroes from the tragedy.

Mr Haji, another unidentified man and three policemen, one of them armed with an Ak-47 rifle, entered the mall and rescued terrified people hiding in Java Restaurant. He was among the first responders to the tragedy.

Inherited political seats

Following his election, Mr Haji now joins a growing list of those who have inherited political seats from close relatives in a trend that serves to cement political families.

In the recent Msambweni by-election, independent candidate Feisal Bader, a nephew of the area's late MP - Suleiman Dori - was voted in to succeed him.

In the Machakos by-election, Wiper party's Agnes Kavindu Muthama, wife of former Machakos senator Johnson Muthama, was elected to succeed Senator Boniface Kabaka, who died in December last year after a short illness.

And in the Bonchari by-election, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party - a political outfit associated with DP Ruto - has fronted Ms Teresa Bitutu, wife of the area's late MP John Oyioka, to succeed him in the mini election scheduled for May 18.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The late Bomet governor Joyce Laboso succeeded her sister Lorna Laboso as Sotik MP in 2008, following the death of the latter in a plane crash.

Mrs Beatrice Kones was also first elected MP following the death of her husband, former Cabinet minister Kipkalya Kones in a plane crash in Enoosupukia, Narok. Kones died alongside Lorna Laboso.

In Homa Bay County, Senator Moses Kajwang also won the endorsement of the ODM party to succeed his brother Otieno Kajwang, who died after a short illness in 2014.

And in Kitui, Edith Nyenze, wife of former Kitui West MP Francis Nyenze, was elected to succeed his husband after he died of cancer at the age of 60 in 2017.

Vihiga Senator George Khaniri was also picked in 1996 by President Moi to succeed his father as the MP for Hamisi Constituency.

In Makueni, Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr succeeded his father, Mutula Kilonzo, as the senator of Makueni, after the latter died in 2013.

Former Labour minister Ahmed Mohamed Khalif, who died in a plane crash in 2003, was also succeeded by his son Mohamed Khalif.

In Kibra, Imran Okoth inherited the Kibra parliamentary seat following the death of his brother Ken, in yet another case of keeping political power within the family.
New Delhi: The second phase of polling in West Bengal witnessed a voter turnout of 29. 27 per cent till 11.17 am, as per the data released by Election Commission on Thursday (April 1).

The voter turnout trend till 10 am in Bankura district showed 16.05 per cent, Paschim Medinipur at 17.33 per cent, Purbo Medinipur stood at 16.91 per cent and South 24 Parganas was at 8.69 per cent, IANS reported.

Earlier, at 9 am the voter turnout was recorded at over 15 per cent.

In the second phase, 171 candidates are in the fray including 152 male and 19 female across four districts of South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Bankura. The voting started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

The battle in Nandigram constituency has garnered eyeballs as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is facing former TMC leader and now BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari from the seat.

After casting his vote in Nandigram on Thursday morning, Adhikari said he is confident that Banerjee will lose the West Bengal polls. He said he was confident that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is contesting the elections against him from the Nandigram seat, will lose the polls. He added that he is quite confident that he will win the elections.

Voting for 30 assembly constituencies is underway in the second phase of the eight-phased assembly elections in West Bengal.

Live TV
High end designer Erdem, whose pieces are a firm fixture in royal wardrobes, has taken the unprecendented step of launching a clothing range giong up to a size 40.

Turkish-Canadian designer Erdem Moraloglu, who launched his eponymous fashion brand in London, has joined forces with US-based Universal Standard, which specialises in plus-size collections, going up to a UK size 44.

Erdem and Universal Standard have released a summer denim capsule collection with sizes ranging from 0 up to a 4XL, or UK size 40, with a more affordable price tag, ranging from 122.99 to 181.99.

Typically, a dress from the brand loved by both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, costs in the region of 1,000 while a top is 300.

It's extremely rare for high-end designers to cater for plus-size customers with brands such as Burberry only going up to a size 18, while customers struggle to find anything about a size 14 from labels such as Victoria Beckham.

British designer beloved by the royals Erdem has teamed up with US-based brand Universal Standard to release an inclusive eight-piece capsules for the summer (pictured: the collection worn by models of different sizes)

The collection, which launched yesterday, includes jumpsuits, denim skirts and capri pants as well as ruffled shirts and aims to 'bring the future of fashion to the present.'

Universal Standard was founded by Alexandra Waldman and Polina Veksler in 2015 with the aim of being an inclusive brand.

Since its debut, they brand has collaborated with both high street and design labels, from Rodarte to J. Crew and Adidas.

And a collaboration with Erdem was on its wishlist from the start, even though the two brands have very different aesthetic.

The capsule is similar to a floral design from Erdem the Duchess of Cambridge, now 38, wore at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019 in London

The British brand, founded by Erdem Moralioglu MBE has become known for its take on ultra feminine silhouette and rose to fame thanks to the support of names like the Duchess of Cambridge, 38 and the Duchess of Sussex, 39.

In spite of the challenges posed by covid-19, including bans on international travel, Waldman and Moralioglu attended fittings to make sure the clothes suited both their styles.

The result is a collection that's both practical, comfortable and stylish.

The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, 39, favoured Erdem in the past, like this floral chiffon dress she wore in 2017 in Jamaica

The floral print on the shorts and dresses is current and fresh, and with the the right amount of ruffles to keep things feminine.

The collection features two different style of jeans: a wide-legged boyfriend cut and a high-waisted skinny jean offering with a double button sailor front.

There is also a fun denim jumpsuit with contrast panelling and top stitching and a white denim skirt.

For tops and dresses, the capsule includes a ruffled floral cotton shirtdress, a short or long sleeved ruffled shirt with floral pattern in two colours with different trims.

'Theres a beautiful universality in denim and with careful design you can achieve a wonderful permanence,' Moraloglu said.

'Fashion for everyone means designing consciously beyond the boundaries of shape or trend,' he added.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Waldman, who is the Chief Creative Officer of Universal Standard as well as its co-founder said: 'We want the industry to keep witnessing that size equality is the only way forward.

The collaboration between Erdem and Universal Standard wants to bring the 'future of fashion to the present' (pictured: models of different sizes wearing the capsule)

'Access for all doesnt end with US. Together with Erdem, we aim to change the way fashion looks for all of US and the way we look at fashion. This is to the benefit of the industry, the consumer, and the idea of fashion equality,' she added.

All the pieces in the collection come in several sizes and can be mixed and matched according to people's styles

White look! All the pieces in the collection go from a size zero to a UK size 40. Prices go from 122.99 to 181.99 (pictured: the plus size version of the jeans)

The collection also includes a fun jumpsuit with contrast panelling and top stitching, pirced at 181.99

The collection includes a very stylish white denim skirt, right. Both Erdem and Universal Standard made sure that both their brands' aesthetics came through in the capsule

Earlier this year, Moralioglu announced he was extending the sizing of his own line to a UK size 22, and launched a summer collection starting from 108.99 in order to be more inclusive.

'It was such an obvious gap that we werent catering to all our customers equally, which wasnt right. So weve been working on it for the last four seasons slowly to figure out how we offer it and do it the right way,' he told Vogue.

The designer first opened his Mayfair label in 2005 and has been committed to both innovation and traditional skills since.

Universal Standard has become a leading brand in inclusivity and has already collaborated with Rodarte, Adidas and J Crew. Pictured: models of different sizes wearing the Erdem x Universal Standard's jumpsuit

The models in the white denim skirt and jeans from the collection with white Ts, showing they all fit their style
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has stated that the form of protest against Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner, who arrived in Tbilisi yesterday, was unacceptable and uncivilised and that the radical United National Movement opposition party stood behind the process.



Garibashvili said that Pozner frequently visits Georgia with his U.S. passport and that his recent visit was in line with law and pandemic requirements.



"A group of individuals decided to protest the arrival and the destructive United National Movement opposition party used the protest for its own interests," Agenda.ge cited Garibashvili as saying.



According to him, the UNMs actions serve the goal to damage the state interests and the countrys international image and hemper the tourists inflow amid the pandemic.



"The UNM has transferred into the most destructive and degraded force," Garibashvili said.
Democratic Party founder and barrister Martin Lee leaves the West Kowloon Courts after he was found guilty in landmark unlawful assembly case, in Hong Kong, April 1. Reuters



Seven of Hong Kong's leading pro-democracy advocates, including a media tycoon and an 82-year-old veteran of the movement, were convicted Thursday for organizing and participating in a march during massive anti-government protests in 2019 that triggered a crackdown on dissent.



The verdict was the latest blow to the flagging democracy movement as the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing tighten the screws in their efforts to exert greater control over the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Hong Kong had enjoyed a vibrant political culture and freedoms not seen elsewhere in China during the decades it was a British colony. Beijing had pledged to allow the city to retain those freedoms for 50 years when it took the territory back in 1997, but recently it has ushered in a series of measures that many fear are a step closer to making Hong Kong no different from cities on the mainland.



Jimmy Lai, the owner of the outspoken Apple Daily tabloid; Martin Lee, the octogenarian founder of the city's Democratic Party; and five former pro-democracy lawmakers were found guilty in a ruling handed down by a district judge. They face up to five years in prison. Two other former lawmakers charged in the same case had pleaded guilty earlier.



According to the ruling, six of the seven defendants convicted on Thursday, including Lee and Lai, carried a banner that criticized police and called for reforms as they left Victoria Park on Aug. 18, 2019, and led a procession through the center of the city. The other defendant, Margaret Yee, joined them on the way and helped carry the banner.



Police had given permission for a rally at Victoria Park but had rejected an application from the organizer, the Civil Human Rights Front, for the march.



Organizers estimated that 1.7 million people marched that day in opposition to a bill that would have allowed suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial _ a measure that infuriated Hong Kongers who cherish their distinct justice system and sparked months of demonstrations that sometimes led to violent clashes between protesters and police.



The legislation was eventually withdrawn, but the fuse was lit, and the protesters' demands expanded to include calls for full democracy. Instead, Beijing has responded by cracking down even harder on dissent, including a new national security law and changes last month that will significantly reduce the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong's legislature. As a result of the clampdown, most of Hong Kong's outspoken activists are now in jail or in self-exile abroad.



Former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan, who was among those convicted Thursday, expressed disappointment in the verdict, saying he and his fellow residents have the constitutional right to march. Lee is known for helping to organize annual candlelight vigils in Hong Kong on the anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989. (AP)




The Privilege of Service: How Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Serving Today Across the Nation

March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, so we are traveling from Washington, D.C., to South Carolina, to Los Angeles, and to Georgia to meet Vietnam war veterans who, more than 50 years after that war ended, continue to serve today in inspiring ways.

Honor, patriotism, and audacity first sent them onto the battlefield to defend our freedoms from communism. And despite many years and many challenges, they still havent lost that spirit.

Hosted by award-winning documentary filmmaker and author Kay Rubacek, Life & Times travels the nation to bring you the hopeful stories behind the biggest news of today.

Life & Times is an NTD show available on YouTube and NTD website. It also airs on cable on NTD America. Find out where you can watch us on TV.
The pandemic is in no way the same as the Holocaust, but we do know that events can trigger deep and painful memories, and that is what has happened here for many people, Taylor said. Is it safe to go outside? How will I get food? When will I see my friends and family? How long do I have to hide from the world?
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We get it. You live by the Ski Valleys snow report even when youre hours away. You follow every Taos post on Instagram. Our small town occupies a BIG part of your heart. Keep in touch with all things Taos when you subscribe to FIVE of our national award-winning magazines, plus access to the website and e-edition for a full year at the special low rate of just $55.
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Moodys Analytics today announced that Credito Agricola Vida (CA Vida), the life insurance arm of Portuguese financial group Credito Agricola, will use the RiskIntegrity for IFRS 17 solution to address the new IFRS 17 accounting standard.

CA Vida selected Moody's Analytics for our combined actuarial and financial reporting capabilities, the flexibility of our software-as-a-service deployment model, and our experience advising firms implementing new standards.

There are many considerations when selecting a software vendor to address a new regulatory or reporting regime. Moody's Analytics delivers the capabilities, expertise, and experience we will need at each step of our IFRS 17 project, said Antonio Castanho, Chief Executive Officer at CA Vida.

IFRS 17 brings fundamental changes across insurers organizations. Meeting the new reporting deadline means implementing systems through which different teams can easily access all of the data required for their IFRS 17 calculations and reporting requirements. The RiskIntegrity for IFRS 17 solution comes with the capabilities required for an efficient implementation of the standard. It integrates seamlessly with an insurers existing infrastructureconnecting data, models, systems, and processes between actuarial and finance functionsand supports the needs of actuaries, finance, and IT professionals.

We continue to see demand from insurers across Europe for our RiskIntegrity for IFRS 17 solution, which reflects the depth and the breadth of our IFRS 17 offering, said Christophe Burckbuchler, Managing Director at Moodys Analytics. We are pleased that CA Vida recognized our history helping insurance companies manage their risk, actuarial, and reporting needs, and we look forward to helping the firm prepare for the new standard.

About Moodys Analytics

Moodys Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moodys Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moodys Corporation reported revenue of $5.4 billion in 2020, employs approximately 11,400 people worldwide and maintains a presence in more than 40 countries.

About Credito Agricola Vida (CA Vida)

CA Vida was established in 1998 as the life insurance company of Credito Agricola Group, a Portuguese-based cooperative financial group which owns the largest branch network in Portugal and has more than 1.2 million customers. CA Vida is incorporated and domiciled in Portugal. It provides life insurance products and pension funds through the Groups retail network. Over the years CA Vida has introduced several innovative work methodologies, ensuring that the company remains at the forefront of the life business in Portugal, both in terms of modernity and in the quality of the service provided.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005312/en/

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Moodys Analytics Communications

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Moodys Analytics Media Relations



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Source: Moodys Analytics
United Nations special envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener told the UN Security Council during a meeting Wednesday that "a bloodbath is imminent" in Myanmar and urged the council to act, according to AFP.

Why it matters: The military junta that usurped power from Myanmar's democratically elected government in February has killed hundreds of protesters during anti-coup demonstration across the country.

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What they're saying: "Consider all available tools to take collective action and do what is right, what the people of Myanmar deserve and prevent a multi-dimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia," special envoy Schraner Burgener told the council.

She added that it must consider potentially significant action to reverse the course of events because the junta is not capable of managing the country, according to Reuters.

Of note: The Security Council failed to formally condemn the military coup in February after Russia and China opposed the action, according to Reuters.

The big picture: Tensions have also flared between the military and armed ethnic minority groups.

The military launched an airstrike against territory controlled by the Karen ethnic minority on Sunday, killing two Karen guerrillas and sending around 3,000 villagers across the border into Thailand.

A group of elected lawmakers who were unable to take their seats in parliament because of the coup wants the ethnic minority groups to form an army to oppose the government armed forces, according to AP.

The U.S. State Department said Tuesday that it expects the civil unrest and violence occurring in Myanmar to continue.

Go deeper ... Russia and Myanmar: A pariah to the West is a friend to Putin

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New Delhi, April 1 : Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday said that the Congress has formed a new 'secular syndicate' with the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam, the Indian Secular Front (ISF) in West Bengal and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in Kerala.

Addressing various public meetings and road shows at Piravam, Ettumanoor and Vaikom in Kerala in favour of NDA candidates for Assembly elections, Naqvi said that for the BJP, secularism is a constitutional mission and for pseudo secularists it's a way to grab vote.

"Secular tag on communal bag is the new political experiment of Narendra Modi bashing brigade," he said.

"The Congress is expert in exploiting votes on communal basis and using cover of pseudo secularism," he said.

Naqvi highlighted that every welfare scheme of the Narendra Modi government has been committed to development with dignity and empowerment without appeasement ensuring benefits to all needy.

"The Modi government has made every section an equal partner of progress with the commitment to 'Reform, Perform and Transform'. The Modi government is dedicated to welfare of villages, farmers, youths, poor and downtrodden," Naqvi said.

Talking about Modi government's initiative for minorities, Naqvi said that a total of 48 lakh minority students in Kerala have been given different scholarships since 2014.

"While only five minority concentrated areas in just one district of Kerala had been included in 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram' (PMJVK) in 2014, now 73 blocks, towns in 13 districts of Kerala have been included in PMJVK," he said.

The Minister said that since 2014, development projects worth Rs 5,481 crore have been constructed in Kerala under PMJVK which include ITI, Hunar Hub, school buildings, common service centres, hospital building, drinking water facilities; working women hostels and market sheds.

Polling for 140-member Kerala Assembly will be held on April 6 while counting will take place on May 2.
South Africa: Government, private sector collaborate to build SA's Hydrogen Valley

The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) is collaborating with companies in the energy sector to carry out a feasibility study for the establishment of a Platinum Valley.

The collaboration agreement is led by DSI, partnering with Anglo American, energy and services company ENGIE, and clean energy solutions provider Bambili Energy.

The feasibility study, which is the first phase of the Platinum Valley initiative, will drive the planning, design, construction and commissioning of projects related to the development of a Hydrogen Valley.

The project will be implemented through the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), which will also fund projects to take intellectual property through the Hydrogen SA (HySA) centres of competence to market in partnership with the private sector.

The study will support plans to create a Hydrogen Valley along the Bushveld complex and larger region stretching from Anglo American's Mogalakwena platinum mine near Mokopane to Johannesburg and Durban, DSI explained.

The study aims to identify tangible opportunities to build hydrogen hubs in this key economic and transport corridor, leveraging the regional platinum group metals (PGMs) mining industry and exploring the potential for hydrogen production and supply at scale.

PGMs play an important role in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis used to produce hydrogen, as well as in hydrogen fuel cells, DSI explained.

The DSI said the agreement has the potential of creating direct opportunities for economic and community development while contributing to decarbonisation efforts.

Meanwhile, the department believes that science, technology and innovation will play a key role in supporting the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan for South Africa.

The Hydrogen Valley is one of the first projects that will be implemented in partnership with the private sector to support the Platinum Valley initiative.

In addition, small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) will be supported to take advantage of opportunities in the green economy as part of the just transition to a green economy.

The aim is to boost economic growth and job creation, drive the development of new industries, increase value-add to the country's platinum reserves, and reduce the country's carbon footprint.

Also, hydrogen and fuel cells offer several advantages to the transport sector  comparable refuelling times to internal combustion engine vehicles, longer ranges and space efficiency.

Anglo American is deemed as one of the leaders in initiatives to promote the adoption of hydrogen fuel cells vehicles for commercial use, facilitating the creation of consortiums of industry partners to promote the development of hydrogen freight corridors in the United Kingdom, South Africa and China, among others.

Anglo American's PGM business CEO, Natascha Viljoen, said: "The transition to a low-carbon world is an opportunity to drive the development of cleaner technologies, create new industries and employment, and improve people's lives.

She said the company was an early supporter of the global potential for a hydrogen economy, recognising its role in enabling the shift to greener energy and cleaner transport.

Our integrated approach includes investing in new technologies, supporting entrepreneurial projects and advocating for policy frameworks that enable a supportive long-term investment environment for hydrogen to deliver that potential," she added.

Meanwhile, the department said Bambili Energy has played a pivotal role in ensuring that the HySA catalyst and membrane electrode assemblies developed by the HySA Catalysis centre of competence are integrated into commercial products through its partnership with global original equipment manufacturers.

ENGIE, a French company, aims to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally friendly solutions.

It has provided co-funding for the techno-economic analysis that will be conducted on identified hubs within the Hydrogen Valley corridor.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Thursday before Easter, known as Maundy Thursday, marks the remembrance of Jesus Last Supper with his disciples.

The Thursday before Easter is known as either Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday. Maundy is derived from the Latin word for command, and refers to Jesus commandment to the disciples to Love one another as I have loved you.

Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which Christians consider the institution of Holy Eucharist, also known as the Lords supper or communion. It is described in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22. At the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus breaks bread, saying, This is my body, and pours wine, saying, This is my blood. He then asks the disciples to Do this in remembrance of me.

The Last Supper is derived from Jesus Jewish heritage and his observance of a Jewish holiday. The Last Supper was a Passover Seder, the feast of unleavened bread. Jesus and the disciples are eating unleavened bread. Passover is the Jewish festival commemorating the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, when they left so quickly there was no time for the bread to rise.

Maundy Thursday is also associated with foot-washing. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, an act described in the Gospel of John, chapter 13, as Jesus teaching them to be servants. Its the ultimate act of servant leadership. Jesus instructs his followers to love and to serve. Most Catholic churches have a Mass on the evening of Holy Thursday, with a Eucharistic celebration that includes the washing of feet.

At the last supper, Jesus foretells his death, saying he will eat no more until the kingdom of God is fulfilled. It also marks an act of betrayal. One of you will betray me, Jesus says. Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus 12 disciples, is pointed out by Jesus as the one who will betray him.
33259

Piet De Windt, CEO, VaultSpeed

3.6 million to accelerate growth and bring the best data warehouse automation solution to the global market.

FREMONT, CA: Vaultspeed, the Belgium-based SaaS firm specialized in data warehouse automation solutions, closes a 3.6 million Series A round led by Fortino Capital Partners. The firm was founded two years ago by Piet De Windt and Dirk Vermeiren with The Cronos Group, who remains on board through its seed investment fund, the CoFoundry.

Vaultspeeds data automation software serves data managers by automating the entire lifecycle of their Data Vault. Data Vault technology is an advanced approach to centralize enterprise data for business analysts who offer the necessary real-time insights that business leaders need to navigate their decisions. This is where Vaultspeed comes into play. While ensuring consistency and quality, the tool automates the data from several source systems into the Data Vault, making it available for analysis throughout the enterprise.

Vaultspeeds customer base ranges from California across Europe to Japan. The rise of microservices fueling the multiplication of distributed data, the move to the cloud, the accelerating volume of data and degree of change, and the scarcity of qualified talent stimulate firms to respond faster and smarter, increasing the demand for automated data warehousing solutions. Vaultspeed recently signed a deal with the Japanese multinational Olympus. They will be developing regional and global data integration platforms to better use their enterprise data and enhance their customer-driven solutions for the medical, life sciences, and industrial sectors. By bringing Vaultspeed into the scene, Olympus can create better-integrated insights on their SAP data and non-SAP data, which was not possible before.

Vaultspeeds data warehouse automation tool plays a crucial role in helping customers increase their agility while responding to strong time-stamping, auditability, and traceability requirements. Vaultspeed is ready to increase and deliver value to businesses all over the world. With enthusiasm for a great future for Vaultspeed, the company is with Fortino Capital's support in this exciting scaling phase.
AIB Group in the UK, which has 15 branches here, has reported an adjusted pre-tax loss of 62m for 2020 as it grappled with the economic impact of Covid-19.

There had been operating profit of 116m - which was down 38% due to the income impact of lower interest results as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the profits were wiped out as the bank increased its impairment charge - the amount set aside to cover bad debts - to 178m from 18m in 2019.

The 62m loss compares to 172m in profits in 2019.

In accounts lodged at Companies House, AIB Group (UK) plc said the increase in the impairment charge was down to the deterioration in the economic outlook, credit downgrades, especially in sectors most affected by Covid-19.

New lending was down from 2.1bn to 1.5bn, of which 0.3bn had been made as part of government-backed loan schemes.

However, there was a 12% increase in customer account balances to 10bn from 8.9bn as a result of less discretionary spending.

AIB also has 13 business centres in Great Britain, where it focuses on corporate and commercial banking.

Its Northern Ireland operation includes business banking, personal banking and mortgages.

The bank said that among its 285,000 customers, 129,000 were using digital channels for their banking.

There were 968 employees, of whom 55% were female. But among 271 managers, 40% were female.

The bank, which is led by managing director Robert Mulhall, told the Belfast Telegraph: AIB UK has been supporting our customers across the UK, including over 200,000 customers in Northern Ireland, through the Covid-19 pandemic, and will continue to do so.

This is made possible through our strong capital position. We are focused on implementing our new business strategy across the UK, including growing our mortgage, commercial and corporate business in Northern Ireland.

In the report, chairman Peter Spratt said the company had been planning for various scenarios around Brexit and would now focus on helping our customers through the impacts their businesses will face under the deal agreed for trade outside of the EU.

In October the lender announced it was letting out about a third of its headquarters space at Ann Street in Belfast.
A man who died in a horrific house fire in Perth has been identified as grandfather Damien Wood.

Emergency services were called to a home on Mariner Place in Coolongup, in Perth's south, at 6am on Thursday.

After the inferno was extinguished, fire crews discovered the body of the 51-year-old FIFO worker inside the home.

'It's a sad, sad situation, and we have the unfortunate task of having to go and notify a grieving family as you can expect,' Mandurah District Inspector Dean Snashall said this morning.

A man who died in a horrific house fire in Perth has been identified as grandfather Damien Wood (pictured)

Mr Wood's heartbroken parents released a statement on Thursday afternoon.

'Our son was a loveable larrikin, a father of three, a grandfather of two. Admired for his work ethics and most of all for his hunting prowess,' they told 7News.

'Loved by all who knew his inner soul. A great character sent to rest in the arms of his maker.'

Local Andrew Ward said he awoke this morning and noticed Mr Wood's blinds were closed and could see an 'orange glow' coming through.

Neighbours desperately tried to put out the inferno, thinking Mr Wood was away at work.

Arson detectives and energy safety inspectors investigated the burned out home, and are assessing whether an electrical fault could have caused the blaze.

Ward said he was 'shocked' by what had happened, describing his neighbour as a 'friendly guy.'

Mr Wood's dogs survived the inferno and are in the care of rangers.
On Wednesday, March 31, Apple released Beta 6 of its upcoming tvOS 1.4.5 update, and it contains code strings that suggest a new Apple TV remote might be in the works. A center wheel will be part of the remote, and there will be a universal remote. What will these new remotes do and offer for TVs?.

Apple TvOs 14.5 code reveals new remote design

As reported by AppleInsider, Apple released the sixth beta of its upcoming tvOS 14.5 updates. This, according to iOS developer Steve Moser, includes code strings that suggest an updated Apple TV remote may be on the way.

More evidence of a new Apple TV remote in tvOS 15.4 beta 6? During setup it asks the user to Press the center button or the touch surface to continue. There is no center button on the current Apple TV Siri Remote pic.twitter.com/sE0H9njpZl  Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) March 31, 2021

There is a set-up code in the latest beta that asks the user to "press the center button or the touch surface to continue." The center button is not present on the current Apple TV remote.

In the fifth beta of tvOS 14.5, Apple replaced Siri with "Apple TV Remote" across the operating system. Furthermore, the beta included references to a "Gen3 Apple TV remote."

The company is working on a next-generation Apple TV device with a refreshed remote and other improvements. Additionally, it could sport a new chipset and offer enhanced gaming features.

Read Also: Apple Expands Independent Repair Provider Program Worldwide: How to Apply

A Universal Apple Tv Remote

Apple has been rumoured to be working on a new Apple TV Remote for some time, and earlier today, more evidence was discovered that Apple is developing one. 9to5Mac has directly obtained screenshots for the new Apple TV Remote, internally known as B519.

As you can see in the highlighted image, this alternative Remote will differ significantly from the Siri Remote, which has an ultra-thin design made from aluminium and glass, little buttons, and a touch screen.

According to reports, the Universal Remote will include more buttons and a navigation wheel similar to the first Apple TV Remote.

For instance, there are new buttons for channel skipping, muting the TV, opening the channel guide, and turning on or off the television. The new remote also appears much larger than the Siri Remote included with current generations of Apple TV.

Despite being a new Remote being developed by Apple, it may not replace the Siri Remote. 9to5Mac reports that Apple is developing an Apple TV Remote for cable company customers.

The Siri Remote could be included in the box of Apple TV, but Apple will also supply an alternative for cable companies selling Apple TV to their customers.

Also, Apple has been updating the tvOS 14.5 codes with references to a new Universal Remote with a "center button." Presumably, Apple's new Universal Remote is being developed by a third party and available within the next few weeks.

This also speculates the next-generation Apple TV on hold since it was assumed that a new Remote would be related to a new Apple TV, which is not apparent.

Related Article: Apple TV tvOS 14.5 Beta Update: Redesigned Siri Remote, TV Button, and Other Major Changes

This article is owned by Tech Times





Written by Lionell Moore

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
KALAMAZOO, MI  Lakeside Academy is once again in the national spotlight.

Fueled by numerous allegations of physical and sexual abuse at the soon-to-be-closed Clarinda Academy in southwest Iowa, NBCs investigative reporting unit launched a more than two-year investigation into Sequel Youth & Family Services, which also operated the now-closed Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo.

Much of the focus during an hour-long special, being called Children That Pay, will focus on the Kalamazoo facility, NBC News Senior National Correspondent Kate Snow told MLive.

The episode will air at 10 p.m. Sunday, April 4, on MSNBC.

Lakeside Academys license was suspended, and later revoked, by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The suspension in June 2020 came less than two months after 16-year-old Cornelius Fredricks died after a 10-minute restraint that occurred April 29 at the facility, and involved seven staff members.

Three of those former staff members are now waiting to stand trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse related to Fredricks death. Two of them, Zachary Solis and Michael Mosley, can be seen restraining Fredricks in a video that showed Fredricks laughing and tossing food at another table before being taken to the ground by staff members.

Related: Security camera footage released of staff restraining Lakeside Academy teen

Solis, in a police interview that will be aired during the special, can be heard saying Sequel management told him he had done nothing wrong during the restraint. A TODAY Show segment that aired April 1 previewing the special can be viewed here.

They said everything was straight, he tells police. You know nothing was foul. Nothing went wrong. We did a good job. We did what we were trained to do.

Sequel has contested Solis account, Snow said. The former Lakeside employee was one of multiple employees fired from Sequel as the result of the incident.

Fredricks former case manager, Meghan Folkerson  in her first public interview since the incident  will be heavily featured in the hourlong special. Folkerson, according to Snow, said restraints were overused and commonplace at Lakeside; that it was a cultural thing at the academy.

Snow said the former employee told her nobody reacted much when Fredricks was taken down, because it was normal. It wasnt something they hadnt seen before.

The third former staff member facing charges, former Lakeside nursing director Heather McLogan, can be seen in video footage entering the cafeteria toward the end of the restraint. McLogan, who stood and watched, called 911 about 12 minutes after the restraint ended.

In police bodycam video that will be shown as part of Sundays episode, McLogan can be heard telling responding officers, Initially, I was like, he, we thought he was just faking  then we could see his chest rise and fall, so we just kind of sat there and waited.

Related: Attorney for nurse accused in death of Lakeside Academy student, 16, files motion to dismiss charges

McLogans attorney, Anastase Markou, recently filed a motion to have her charges dismissed, stating that during his clients preliminary hearing the prosecution did not offer proof McLogan failed to timely assess the teens condition or that, if she had stepped in more quickly, Fredricks would have survived.

For profit or children?

Fredricks death will not be the sole focus of the episode. Children That Pay intends to take a deeper look at the business of for-profit youth homes, like Lakeside Academy.

What I think youll see on Sunday night, is a truer, deeper portrait of this company and how this industry operates, Snow said. They are making millions of dollars on some of the most disadvantaged children in this country. Their business filings we found show that they are making more than $200 million a year in some years at Sequel Youth and Family Services.

Some of that profit comes from states, such as California and Oregon, that dont have enough space or facilities to house teens in group homes, Snow said.

California, for example, pays double the cost of what the State of Michigan pays to send kids to places like Lakeside, Snow said. And when Lakeside closed it had nearly as many residents from California, 41, as it did from Michigan, 47.

Other states are paying hundreds of dollars per child to send the child out of state, so what we are looking at is the enormous profits being made off these taxpayer funds, and whats happening to the kids and are they getting the services they are supposed to be getting, Snow said. Unfortunately, we have uncovered wide-scale allegations of abuse, physical abuse, restraining, overuse of restraint and, in some cases, deplorable conditions at the facilities.

In addition to Folkerson and others who knew Fredricks, Snow also sits down with Oregon State Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program Investigator Christy Johnson and Sequel Executive & Senior Director of Compliance Management Marianne Birmingham  the last of whom started her Sequel career at Lakeside, Snow said.

Another guest on the show will also be Fredricks family attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, who filed a civil suit last June in the amount of $100 million against Lakeside Academy and Sequel.

Related: Teens death comes after pattern of improper restraints at now-closed facility, investigation shows

The reason were doing this hour and reporting so extensively on this company is because these are some of the most vulnerable members of society: children who dont have a voice, Snow said. They dont get a lot of attention and we felt like there needs to be a light shined on whats going on behind closed doors.

MLive reached out to Sequel for comment but did not receive a response prior to deadline.

According to NBC News, the Alabama-based company, which operates in 19 states, issued the following statement in response to the networks investigation:

We remain steadfast in our mission to provide compassionate, therapeutic care knowing that the overwhelming majority of state child-serving agencies in the United States continue to find our services to be essential and operating at, or exceeding, their highest standards.

Also on MLive:

Suspect in Lakeside Academy students death turns self in, charged with manslaughter

Lakeside Academy was out of control prior to student death, police say

3 face criminal charges in death of 16-year-old housed at Kalamazoo youth facility

Family of Lakeside Academy student seek answers about his death

Nothing like this has happened before, Lakeside Academy board chair says of student death
New Orleans officials are offering a host of programs this summer for children, teens and young adults, part of a plan to keep the city's youngest residents engaged and out of trouble.

The New Orleans Recreation Development Commission has doubled number of spots available in its summer camp programs, which serve young people ages four to 15, CEO Larry Barabino Jr. said on Wednesday. More pools will be open and lifeguards working for the agency will be paid more than they were last year.

The Mayor's Office of Youth and Families and JOB1 will also provide a five-week summer work program, aimed at teens ages 14 through 17. And in April, an eight-week training program run by the city's Cure Violence initiative will help prepare people ages 16 through 24 for jobs.

Officials say their aim is to fight summer boredom, put money in young people's pockets and prevent youth from engaging in illegal activity.

"Our goal is to ensure that our young persons have something to do," said Barabino.

The slate of programs is in line with a pledge from Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration to provide additional opportunities for young people and to better address juvenile delinquency.

Increased vaccinations and loosened coronavirus restrictions have also given the city a chance to serve more students heading into this summer, compared to last year when most activities in the city were closed.

This summer, NORDC will serve 890 teens and 1,500 children, compared to 400 teens and 800 kids last year. The teen career camps, which focus on job preparation and exploration, pay as much as $30 per day to participants.

Lifeguards at NORDC's pools will earn $12.57 per hour, up from the $11 per hour they earned last summer. The agency is opening 12 pools this summer compared to the seven that were operating in 2020.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

The city's office of Workforce Development will offer work opportunities for youth ages 16 through 21 and an internship program for people age 18 to 21, beginning in June.

Interns are paid $16.97 per hour; most other programs pay $10 an hour, said director Sunae Villavaso, who joined Barabino at the Wednesday announcement.

A separate Summer Success Program will work with 125 students who have been involved in the juvenile justice system. They will be paid $10 per hour and can work up to 20 hours per week.

New this year is the Jump Start program run by Cure Violence, the city's violence reduction initiative. That program will pay its participants to attend workshops and provide them with soft-skills job training, then transition them into a nine-month job with a partner employer. That program will accept applicants in cohorts of 15; the city will open applications for the first cohort on April 5.

"We know that families have been pent up, [and kids] are ready to get out and play and be with their friends and their community this summer," added Emily Wolff, director of the youth and families office. "I just hope that everyone can attach themselves through these opportunities, because they are here for you."

Separately this week, Cantrell announced a beauty and barber shop initiative that is meant to provide conflict resolution skills training to business owners, so that they can better handle disputes among their customers -- another program meant to get a handle on the city's crime rate. That seven-week program kicked off earlier this week.

The mayor also said the city's Evening Reporting Center, which provides an alternative to juvenile jail for minors awaiting trial, would expand this year and offer a New Orleans East location.

To sign up for summer opportunities with NORDC, visit https://nordc.org/activities/youth-camp.

To sign up for summer opportunities with JOB1/Office of Workforce Development, visit https://nola.gov/economic-development/workforce-development/nola-youthworks/.

To sign up for Jump Start, call 504-505-2246; or email Patrick Young at patrick.young@nola.gov.
3 1 of 3 Facebook / Newtown Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Newtown Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3





NEWTOWN  A man who has worked as a city planner in Ohio is facing felony charges after allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a child using a social media app last year, according to police.

Gregory Voltz, 34, was extradited from Sandusky, Ohio, this week and charged with enticing a minor by computer and risk of injury to child following a months-long investigation into a complaint filed by parents of a child in Newtown.
A campaign targeting security researchers, initially unearthed in January, has set up a new website in March to continue the attempt to target these professionals.

Adam Weidemann, a researcher with Google's Threat Analysis Group, said the new site was for a fake company called SecuriElite located in Turkey which claimed to offer offensive security services like pentesting, software security assessments and exploits.

Researchers who had been targeted during the initial campaign reported that the PGP key hosted on the attacker's blog lured them to the site where a browser exploit was located.

The SecuriElite website. Courtesy Google Threat Analysis Group

The new site also has a number of social media profiles and is claimed to be operated by a North Korean-backed group.

Weidemann said the social media profiles were styled as fellow security researchers interested in exploitation and offensive security.

"On LinkedIn, we identified two accounts impersonating recruiters for antivirus and security companies. We have reported all identified social media profiles to the platforms to allow them to take appropriate action," he wrote.

However, the Google TAG team has not observed the new website serving malicious content. "But we have added it to Google Safebrowsing as a precaution," Weidemann wrote.

Social media profiles on the new website. Courtesy Google Threat Analysis Group

"Following our January blog post, security researchers successfully identified these actors as using an Internet Explorer 0-day.

"Based on their activity, we continue to believe that these actors are dangerous, and likely have more 0-days.

"We encourage anyone who discovers a Chrome vulnerability to report that activity through the Chrome Vulnerabilities Rewards Program submission process."

Commenting on the findings, Casey Ellis, chief technology officer of the crowdsourced security platform Bugcrowd, said: "As the security researcher community continues its decades-old effort to secure the Internet and its users, this string of incidents is an unfortunate validation of the corporate, economic, and national-security value of the work of security researchers. It's great to see Google TAG stepping up to look out for and defend the researchers themselves.

"As cyber security leaders, we have a responsibility to support the ethical hacker community as they defend the safety of the Internet, and to thwart adversaries like this who are targeting security researchers operating in good faith.

"The actions of security researchers have helped thousands of organisations around the world discover and address vulnerabilities before adversaries could exploit them  preventing countless attacks that would undoubtedly prove detrimental to any organisations digital operations.

"Google TAGs role in sounding the alarm on this threat reiterates the need for security researchers to protect our digital world and those within it, including themselves.

"While many questions still linger around recent state-sponsored attacks, this latest incident emphasises that no company, organisation or individual is exempt from being vulnerable to a cyber attack  no matter how robust their cyber security posture may be.

"The North Korean cyber attackers new strategy of hiding behind the identity of fake cyber security companies is detrimental to previous security researcher efforts in building a sense of trust between themselves, and public and private sector organisations.

"Organisations across industries must recognise the need to accept the assistance of security researchers who are actively defending against a growing legion of adversaries, such as this North Korean hacking group.

"Even enterprises with in-house security teams can benefit from the help of external security researchers  specifically their ability to provide continuous, 24/7 security testing and monitoring.

"Speed is the natural enemy of security and the best way to improve an organisations security posture and beat malicious adversaries is by thinking like one."
(TNS) - You and your spouse have gotten the COVID-19 shot, but your children are too young to be immunized. Is it safe for your family to visit grandparents, go to restaurants or join another family for a play date?Our readers have questions about the coronavirus vaccine, and cleveland.com is getting answers from health care experts.Families with unvaccinated children can still enjoy restaurants and play dates, but they need to do these and other activities in the least risky way possible, said Dr. Claudia Hoyen, director of infection control at Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital and co-director for University Hospitals Health Systems.We dont want the spread to continue, Hoyen said. The light is at the end of the tunnel. We have to hang tight for the next couple of months.In Ohio, everyone 16 and up is now eligible to receive a vaccine. However, whose who are immunized can still become infected with COVID-19. The vaccine protects against severe illness, hospitalization and death.Young children are not eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccines, because the initial trials did not test the vaccines in young age groups. Pfizers coronavirus vaccine is authorized for use in people aged 16 and older. Modernas is designated for 18 and older.Pediatric vaccine trials involving children are starting, but results arent expected for several months.We could know more soon. Pfizer and BioNTech announced Wednesday that its vaccine, which has been approved for emergency use in people 16 and older, is safe and effective in kids aged 12 to 15 years old. A phase three clinical trial showed the shot is 100% effective and well tolerated in teens.Questions about what unvaccinated kids can do safely require families to ask tough questions about their risk tolerance.About 26% of Black parents said they would probably not or definitely not vaccinate their children, nearly twice the rate of white parents (15%) or Hispanic parents (13%)","type":"textThose with annual household income of under $35,000 were significantly more likely to say that they will definitely not or probably not vaccinate their children (23%) than those with incomes over $75,000 (8%).","type":"textWhile pediatric cases of COVID-19 are low nationwide, children need to be protected because the illness can lead to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. Organs and tissues  such as the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin or eyes  become severely inflamed. MIS-C is rare, and most children who have it improve, but some kids rapidly get worse.While pediatric cases of COVID-19 are low nationwide, children need to be protected because the illness can lead to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. Organs and tissues  such as the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin or eyes  become severely inflamed. MIS-C is rare, and most children who have it improve, but some kids rapidly get worse.If people who are unvaccinated are gathering, there is risk of them acquiring and transmitting COVID-19, said CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.For now, while the United States has a high baseline level of coronavirus circulating, its best for families with any unvaccinated individuals to see one another outdoors only, with members of different families spaced 6 feet apart, Wen said to CNN. If children are playing together and cant always abide by 6-foot distancing, they should be wearing masks.Families should try to be outdoors, and wear masks when indoors, Wen said.Here is Hoyens advice about how vaccinated parents with children too young to be immunized can approach several common scenarios. Families with underlying medical conditions, specific risk factors or concerns should consult their pediatrician:The grandparents can host one family at a time, but should not hold a large gathering with unvaccinated children from multiple households, she said.Be sure the kids have not just come from a recent large gathering. Keep the gathering outdoors. Wash hands frequently and consider wearing masks.Visiting grandparents who are not fully vaccinated.I wouldnt recommend that right now, Hoyen said. Older people are at risk for severe COVID-19.The safest plan is to get take-out and eat it at home or in a park. Another good option is eating outdoors at the restaurant.When eating indoors, take your mask off only to eat or drink. Put it back on between sips and bites. Dont mingle with people from other households.Play dates with other unvaccinated kidsStick with the families within your pandemic bubble. Meet with one family at a time. Keep kids outdoors, or masked if indoors.If the family is not part of your bubble, keep the kids outside and masked. Head home after a half-hour.Driving is the safest plan. If you fly, be cautious in the airport and on the plane. Wear masks, wash hands and wipe down your area.Make your own food, if possible, and avoid restaurants while away from home.Your coronavirus vaccine questions answered:Are you contagious if you have side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine?Are you less immune to the coronavirus if you dont have vaccine side effects?Can I still get my second dose of coronavirus vaccine if I develop COVID-19 symptoms after the first?Can you mix and match two doses of coronavirus vaccine from different manufacturers?Can you request one coronavirus vaccine if you have concerns about the other?Coronavirus vaccine misinformation permeates social media: Here are the facts to counter six false claimsHow will local drug stores keep the coronavirus vaccine on site if it needs to be cold? How will they avoid waste?If Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are for people 16 and older, what does that mean for children? What about minors with pre-existing conditions?If the coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, how will you know if youre in the other 5%?Should cancer patients get the coronavirus vaccine?Should you get the coronavirus vaccine if youve had a bad reaction to the flu shot?Should you get the second vaccine if you contract COVID-19 after your first coronavirus vaccine dose?What if you contract COVID-19 in between your two coronavirus vaccine doses?Who should skip the second shot of coronavirus vaccine? Weve got answersWhy do I need to keep a mask on if Ive been vaccinated for coronavirus?Will your COVID-19 vaccine be less effective if you need to wait longer for the second dose?___(c)2021 The Plain Dealer, ClevelandVisit The Plain Dealer, Cleveland at www.cleveland.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Ah, King David. We are all enamored with how much he loved God despite his mistakes. Most of all we use King Davids prayers as our own. He was known as the man who was after Gods own heart.

His life was full of ups and downs but thats what anyone would expect from a man who was a protagonist mixed with being extraverted, intuitive, feeling, and judging personality traits. If the enneagram were a thing back in Davids day, he would likely be a two, meaning his basic fear was being unworthy of love and his desire was to feel love.

No wonder his psalms are so relatable. He knew the depths of despair. He understood betrayal and being betrayed. He also knew what it was like to be on top of the world. He also understood the love of our mighty God and perhaps one of the most prominent prayers in the Bible is his prayer of thanksgiving in 2 Samuel 7:18-29.

What Is Davids Prayer and What Does it Mean?

Now that we have a birds eye view of King Davids life, it adds depth to the words he penned in the psalms and his prayers found in Samuel. 2 Samuel 7:18-29 is not only known as King Davids Prayer, it is also known as Davids Prayer of Thanksgiving. In these verses, he humbly thanks God for his goodness.

This prayer reveals how Davids view of God grew instead of his ego. David could have thought, Im so great that even God gives me good gifts. Instead, Davids heart is reflected in the prayer. Because of how God elevated his stature and his family, he praises God and tells God just how wonderful and mighty God is. He then boldly asks God to keep His word of blessing his family for generations to come. We see in this passage a crystal-clear example of this God-centered reality in David. Prior to his prayer of thanksgiving, David had dreamed of building a grand temple to honor God. But David would not get what he wanted. God told him that his son would build the temple. Despite not getting everything he wanted, David praised God anyway.

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servantand this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!

What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israelthe one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.

And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, The Lord Almighty is God over Israel! And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.

Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, I will build a house for you. So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing, the house of your servant will be blessed forever.

The Heart Behind Davids Prayer

We first meet David when he is just a teen tending to his fathers sheep. We learn even then that God loved Davids heart. Compared to all of his brothers, God saw his passion, his leadership skills, and the deep cry in his heart to be love and to show love to others. He was already primed to be a kingthough no one except God knew until that very moment when God directed the prophet, Samuel, to anoint this kid.

Before we get into what King Davids prayer means, we need to understand some of the ups and downs in his life in order to truly understand the concept, content, and heart behind his prayer.

High: David is crowned king of Israel as a teenager.

High: He defeats Goliath.

High: He moves the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.

Low: King Saul makes him a fugitive and tries to murder him.

High: He becomes the king of Israel.

Low: He committed adultery with Bathsheba and then tries to cover it up and has Bathshebas husband killed.

Low: David and Bathshebas first son dies as a consequence of Davids sin.

High: God forgives David for his adultery and blesses him with his son Solomon.

Low: His own family falls apart. His son Absalom killed his other son Amnon in revenge for the rape of Absaloms sister Tamar.

Low: Sadly, Absalom attempted to overtake the kingdom of Israel from him.

High: Davids men defeat Absaloms men and take the kingdom back.

Low: Absalom is killed in battle.

High: His son becomes one of the wisest men in history.

How Can We Pray and Apply David's Prayer?

Davids prayer is applicable to our lives today. We may not be kings over nations, but God has set us as kings and queens in our own homes. We have friends, family, and a church community that care for us. We have all our needs met and God is still authoring our stories as we wake up every morning with breath in our lungs.

Our thoughts and prayers ought to mirror Davids. He meditated on Gods Word and let Gods Word soak into his spirit. Who are we that God thinks of any of us? Truly!

From Davids prayer, we can learn how to praise and trust God. David opens his prayers with gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving. He puts God at the center instead of himself when he opens his mouth with the words, Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

David never stops praising God throughout his prayer even when he boldly asks God to keep his word about the future generations of his family. We can see in his prayer that he not only knew God would keep his word, David knew he didnt have to worry because he trusted God. How often do you and I trust that God will work out all things for our good? Even when Davids life was full of things that caused worry and heartache, he intentionally looked up in thanksgiving to God. He shows us how to pray in accordance with Gods promises. Its as if Gods promises became the foundation of Davids hope, clarity, wisdom, and encouragement.

He asks for the Lord to bless, direct and provide. What more do we ask for? Matthew 6:31-33 also reminds us, So dont worry about these things, saying, What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

And were reminded again in Philippians 4:19, And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

In fact, there are over 365 verses in the Bible that tell us not to fear or worry. If there is one Bible verse for every day of the year that commands us not to worry or feardont you think we should trust God has our lives safely in His hands?

No matter what youre going through, Davids prayer of thanksgiving is a beautiful place to start. When worry, doubt, or the uncertainty of the future start to untether us, we can use Davids prayer as a way to combat the enemy of fear. We can trust that our mighty God is still authoring our lives and will use His plans for our good!

Related: Listen to our podcast, Teach Us to Pray with Christina Patterson. You can find all the episodes at LifeAudio.com.

Photo Credit: GettyImages/Halfpoint

Heather Riggleman is an award-winning journalist and a regular contributor for Crosswalk. She calls Nebraska home with her three kids and a husband of 22 years. She believes Jazzercise, Jesus, and tacos can fix anything and not necessarily in that order! She is author of I Call Him By Name Bible Study, the Bold Truths Prayer Journal, Mama Needs a Time Out, and a contributor to several books. You can find her at www.heatherriggleman.com or on Facebook.
The Planning Commission signed off on the apartment project slated for the same site where a project approved in 2008 never got off the ground.
On Monday, a 65-year-old female Filipino immigrant who has lived in the US for decades was attacked and brutally beaten near Times Square in Manhattan in broad daylight.

Family members reported that Vilma Kari was in the hospital recovering from a fractured pelvis and contusions on her body and forehead after she was kicked in the chest to the ground and repeatedly stomped in the head by a man who shouted an obscenity and then said, You dont belong here, according to New York City police.

Image from the apartment building security camera footage showing the assault on Vilma Kari in Manhattan on Monday [Credit: NYPD News]

The man, 33-year-old Brandon Elliott, was arrested and charged with felony assault as a hate crime on Wednesday. He was identified after an image of his face was copied from nearby security camera footage and shared on social media.

Elliot was reported by police to be on lifetime parole upon his release in 2019 after serving 17 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of his mother. According to the Manhattan District Attorneys office, Elliott faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted for the assault.

The entire attack was recorded on a video from the lobby of a luxury apartment building in Midtown Manhattan at approximately 11:40 a.m. The video had been viewed more than 625,000 times by the time of this writing.

The low-resolution video shows several men inside the apartment building witnessing the attack without coming to the aid of Ms. Kari either during or after the assault. A security guard is seen closing the front door of the building as the victim struggled to get up from the sidewalk and, after several minutes, stepped outside to see what happened before others appeared on the scene.

The assault on Monday in New York City is the latest in the alarming growth of violent attacks against Asians in the US over the past year. Research released by Stop AAPI Hate (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) last week shows that there were 3,800 racist incidentsincluding verbal harassment, shunning and violenceprimarily against Asian women between March 2020 and February 2021.

Significantly, the data shows that of these incidents, more than two-thirds have occurred in the past five months and women report incidents more than 2 times more often than men. Approximately 7 percent of the cases (more than 250 instances) the victims of the hate were either coughed or spit upon by the assailants.

Additional data maintained by California State University at Santa Barbaras Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism shows that anti-Asian hate crimes increased between 2019 and 2020 in fifteen US cities including San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles and New York City. While all of these cities have large Asian populations, New York City is by far the largest and with both the most instances of hate crimes (28) and the largest increase between 2019 and 2020 (nearly ten times).

New York Police Department (NYPD) received that 33 complaints about anti-Asian hate crimes in the first three months of 2021, already surpassing the total number of 28 reported last year. NYPD said that these numbers do not reflect the real scale of the problem with many cases going unreported for a host of reasons such as language barriers and distrust of law enforcement.

NYPD also said the victims of most assaults are middle-aged Asian men and women who were alone on the streets or public transit and the attackers tended to be homeless people and individuals who have prior arrests as well as behavioral or emotional conditions.

The attack on Ms. Kari followed the publication of a video on TikTok the same day of an Asian man being brutally beaten on a subway train by another passenger. This event is still under investigation.

Whatever the immediate individual causes of the attacks, the fact of the increasing manifestations of discrimination, hatred and assault is directly related to the deliberate stirring up of anti-Asian sentiments by the political establishment and corporate media over the coronavirus pandemic and the intensifying global conflicts between the US and China. The pursuit of anti-Chinese politics is being pursued by the Democrats and Republicans alike as well as the so-called conservative and liberal media.

For example, on March 26, Republican Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted tweeted, So it appears it was the Wuhan Virus after all? with a link to a news report on Axios which quoted a statement by former Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield on CNN that day. Redfield said on CNN, Im of the point of view that I still think the most likely etiology of this pathology in Wuhan was from a laboratory. Redfield added that the virus escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology as early as September or October of 2019, although he readily admitted he had no scientific evidence to back up the assertion.

The Axios report did little to clarify the issue, saying only that the World Health Organization (WHO) had said that it was extremely unlikely that the COVID-19 virus escaped from the Wuhan lab and then repeating the statement of the Biden administration that it had deep concerns about the WHO investigation and was demanding transparency from Beijing.

Following public outrage over Husteds Twitter provocation that further encourages anti-Asian sentiments, the Lieutenant Governor doubled down on his comment on Wednesday getting to the crux of the political position of both governing parties in Washington DC, To be clear, the tweet above referred only to the Chinese GOVERNMENT. A government of oppression that imprisons people of faith, silences dissenters and the media, manipulates its currency and steals our technology.

On Monday, the Washington Post published an article on the WHO-China report stating, the findings are far from conclusive and will be overshadowed by questions about Chinas lack of transparencyand the WHOs apparent inability to press for more. Here the position of the Democratic Party-affiliated Post is indistinguishable from that of right-wing Republicans such as Husted.

There is widespread public outrage in the US against the expanding attacks on Asian-Americans and growing demands for equality and the defense of the democratic rights of all people regardless of ethnic or national origin. As explained here on the World Socialist Web Site, the Wuhan lab lie is connected to the geopolitical aims of American imperialism and is a central aspect of the Biden administrations military escalation against China. Anti-Asian prejudice and all forms of racialist chauvinism are rooted in world capitalism and can only be defeated on the basis of the socialist unity of the international working class.
This $20 a month donation gives you full online access to all four of our local papers - Sonoma West, The Healdsburg Tribune, Windsor Times and Cloverdale Reveille - and will help the paper survive. This renews automatically, and we will charge your card monthly until you tell us to stop. Thanks for going above and beyond!
The hippies are here

A Sydney clergyman has warned of the growing dangers of a strange new religious cult. It is emerging among teenagers in Sydney and is based on the mind-bending drug LSD. The clergyman is the Rev. Ted Noffs, of the Wayside Chapel, Kings Cross. Members of the cult are known as hippies. A similar cult has rocked American social workers since it appeared 18 months ago. Sydneys hippies are thought to number at least 50 in one sect alone.

Ear-bashing title

A talking contest billed as the Australian Yarn-Spinning Championship will be held at Hotel Darwin next Friday. The contestants are the titleholder, Tall Tale Tex Tyrrell, 37, tattoo artist of Darwin, and Frank Hardy, 50, author, of Sydney. Hardy wrote the novels Power Without Glory and The Yarns of Billy Borker. Tyrrell won the title at Alice Springs in 1954 when he beat the Tennant Creek champion Walkie Talkie Lloyd Nelson in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Guard that gown
The NSW government is planning alternative quarantine accommodation for international students in the hope it can persuade its federal counterpart to approve their return from the second half of the year.

NSW Treasury has advertised for expression of interest, which closes on April 12, saying the return of international students as soon as possible is vital for retaining jobs in our education sector. Industry sources estimate that based on 600 beds being available each fortnight up to 7,000 students could return by the end of the year under the plan.

The advertisement invites purpose-built student accommodation providers based in the Sydney CBD or its fringe to submit an expression of interest with a view of forming a panel of eligible providers to house international students coming into NSW for the 14-day quarantine period.

Universities in NSW are hoping for the return of international students before the end of the year. Credit:Janie Barrett

The NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the NSW government was looking at ways to ensure it has the capability and processes in place to allow international students to return safely when restrictions allow.
OTTAWA and WASHINGTON, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) is pleased to announce the launch of a partnership to develop a new SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard for application in North America and potentially globally. SFI will collaborate with five urban forestry leaders: American Forests, Arbor Day Foundation, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Society of Municipal Arborists, and Tree Canada.



The SFI network is looking forward to collaborating with our urban forestry partners to promote the establishment of sustainable urban and community forests that meet local needs, while meaningfully contributing to national, bi-national, and global initiatives such as the 2 Billion Tree initiative in Canada or through regional and global initiatives such as the World Economic Forums 1t.org, says Kathy Abusow, SFIs President and CEO. Together, with these leaders, Im confident SFI will positively contribute to urban forestry initiatives across North America and globally.

Urban and community forestry involves both planning and management of the urban forest because the right tree, planted in the right place, in the right way, promotes the many benefits trees provide for people, wildlife, and climate. Community trees and forests provide many social and environmental benefits including, improved health and well-being, social cohesion and accessibility, outdoor learning environments, climate change solutions, reduced air pollution, and improved urban design.

SFIs commitment to developing an urban and community forestry standard goes beyond the launch of this new partnership, it is also embodied in the decision to create a new staff position: Director of Urban and Community Forestry. Paul Johnson assumed this new role on March 15. Johnson brings over 20 years of urban and community forestry experience and deep connections to an international network of partners to his new role. As Paul always says, Trees are key to healthier, happier, safer communities.

SFI, along with our partners, will set up a task group composed of leading experts to develop the new SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard. The partnership and task group will explore opportunities to seek remedies for the climate crisis and other serious challenges that urban forests are ideally positioned to help address, including access to public spaces, social cohesion and more. Please reach out to Paul Johnson, Director of Urban and Community Forestry, if you are interested in serving on the task group.

What our urban forest partners are saying about the potential benefits of an urban and community forestry standard:

Urban forests are not just scenerythey are life-or-death infrastructure for our cities in a changing climate. We must achieve Tree Equity our cities so that everyone has the vital benefits of trees for health, climate resilience, and economic vitality. We need all strategies employed to make this happen, including urban wood utilization, which can help address systemic economic barriers to urban forest management. We are thrilled to have the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard as a new tool for the urban forest movement, and to see Paul Johnson named as an ideal leader for SFIs urban efforts, says Jad Daley, President and CEO, American Forests.

We, at Arbor Day Foundation, are happy to welcome the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, one of our long-term partners, into the field of urban and community forestry. We see their efforts and this partnership as a prime vehicle to continue to advance our collective efforts across North America and the world. Now is the time for trees and now is the time for an urban and community forestry standard. Were pleased to work with Paul Johnson in his new role as Director of Urban and Community Forestry at SFI. Weve worked with Paul, in his previous roles, through our Tree City USA and Community Tree Recovery programs as well as our Partners in Community Forestry Conference. Paul will be an asset in this effort to enhance the sustainability and perception of urban and community forestry, says Dan Lambe, President, Arbor Day.

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is delighted that Paul Johnson has been appointed as Director of Urban Forestry for SFI. Paul recently served as our board president, so I know first-hand his passion for urban forestry and arboriculture, as well as his commitment to collaboration. For nearly 100 years, ISA has promoted the importance of trees and their care by arborists, and we are pleased to partner with SFI to continue to advance urban forestry globally. Exploring an urban forest standard with organizations committed to increasing the sustainability and health of our urban forest resource is work that ISA is looking forward to undertaking on behalf of our members and credential holders, says Caitlyn Pollihan, CEO and Executive Director, International Society of Arboriculture.

Since 1964, SMA has been working to build the confidence, competence, and camaraderie of the professionals who manage municipal trees and forests in order to create and sustain more livable communities. We are excited to join this partnership to develop an urban and community forestry standard for North America and potentially the world. We recognize that having a standard of this sort will be critical to meeting the challenges facing our industry in the years to come. We believe this standard can nicely complement SMAs municipal accreditation program. Were especially pleased to have Paul Johnson leading the effort on SFIs behalf, as Paul is one of our Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI) alumni and has long been a leading figure in the world of urban forestry, says Jerri LaHaie, Executive Director, Society of Municipal Arborists.

At Tree Canada we believe that the well-being and prosperity of our communities depend on the long-term sustainability, diversity and health of our urban forests. With increased pressures placed on them worldwide, their presence in our communities will only continue to become more critical as we become increasingly urbanized ourselves. We are pleased to see the launch of the new SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard, along with the hiring of Paul Johnson as their new Director of Urban and Community Forestry, showing SFIs commitment and dedication to the continued sustainability of our urban forests. We look forward to working together on this important cause, says Danielle St-Aubin, CEO, Tree Canada.

About the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.

SFI advances sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. We are an independent, non-profit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development. Learn more: forests.org.

Media Contact

Daniel Pellegrom

Vice President, Communications

Sustainable Forestry Initiative

202-596-3452 / daniel.pellegrom@forests.org

Urban Forestry Contact

Paul Johnson

Director of Urban and Community Forestry

Sustainable Forestry Initiative

202-719-1389 / paul.johnson@forests.org

About Arbor Day

Founded in 1972the centennial of the first Arbor Day observancethe Arbor Day Foundation is the largest 501(c)3 nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. More than 1 million members, supporters, and valued partners have helped us plant more than 350 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities, and forests throughout the world to ensure a greener and healthier future for everyone. Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, a changing climate, deforestation, poverty, and hunger. The impact we make on our world is accomplished through our conservation and education programs. We work to restore forests, improve tree cover in communities, and inspire the next generation of tree planters to ensure this important work endures. Learn more: arborday.org.

About Tree Canada

We are the only national non-profit organization dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments. Through our programs, research, and educational efforts, we have helped restore tree cover in areas hit by natural disasters, guided communities in managing their urban forests, helped green 700 schoolyards, and organized urban forest conferences. To date, with our community partners and sponsors, we have planted more than 83 million trees. Learn more: treecanada.ca.

About American Forests

American Forests is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the United States. Since our founding in 1875, we have been the pathfinders for creating healthy forests from coast to coast. In the early 1900s, for example, we rallied forest advocates to champion creation of the U.S. Forest Service. In 2018, we won a decade-long campaign persuading Congress to provide stable funding for preventing and fighting forest fires. Now we are focused on building a reforestation movement in America, from cities to large, rural landscapes. We all rely on forests to survive and thrive, given the power they have to filter our air and water, provide jobs, mitigate climate change and more. But our forests are being degraded and destroyed at a rapid pace and large scale. If we take care of our forests, they will take care of us. Learn more: americanforests.org.

About the International Society of Arboriculture

Through research, technology, and education, the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) promotes the professional practice of arboriculture and fosters a greater worldwide awareness of the benefits of trees. This is our passion and serves as our mission statement. ISA exists so that professionals, allied professionals, public officials, and consumers worldwide recognize the economic, environmental, and societal benefits and values of trees and their care at a cost that demonstrates the wise stewardship of resources. Learn more: isa-arbor.com.

About the Society of Municipal Arborists

Founded in 1964, the SMA is an organization of municipal arborists and urban foresters. Our membership also includes consultants, commercial firms, nonprofits, tree boards, tree wardens, allied professionals, and citizens who actively practice or support some facet of municipal forestry. A professional affiliate of the International Society of Arboriculture, the SMA has members from across North America and beyond. Through our magazine, City Trees, our conferences, our website and our many active members, we strive to create networking and educational opportunities that promote the sound, professional management of a vital and invaluable resource. Learn more: urban-forestry.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d8ea94e3-a146-427d-9885-11dca98ed50d
The Hamilton County Health Department has added new second dose Pfizer appointments to the schedule. As a reminder, the patient must schedule a second dose appointment on or after the date written on the back of their vaccine record card. The location of the second dose appointment might differ from the location of the first dose appointment.Second Dose Appointments: April 14 and 15, 19-22, 29 and 30, and May 1-3 at Tennessee RiverparkPeople age 16 years and older who live, work, or attend school in Hamilton County are encouraged to visit vaccine.hamiltontn.gov to make an appointment online.Those who do not have access to the internet can call the appointment call center to make an appointment over the phone: First dose appointments: 423-209-5398 Second dose appointments: 423-209-5399 Spanish appointment line: 423-209-5384The call center is open Monday-Friday from 8AM-4PM. Due to high call volume, callers may experience a busy signal and need to hang up and call back.The Health Departments general COVID-19 hotline 423-209-8383 is available to connect people to vaccine and testing resources. Hours are Monday-Friday from 8AM-4PM and Saturday 10AM-3PM. Bilingual representatives are available.In observance of Good Friday and Easter, the hotline and call center will be closed Friday, April 2  Sunday, April 4 and reopen Monday, April 5.Current Phases/EligibilityCOVID-19 vaccine appointments are for people age 16 years and older who live, work or attend school in Hamilton County. Acceptable documents to demonstrate eligibility can be:Proof of Hamilton County address:Drivers LicenseState issued ID CardOfficial mailElectric/utility billConsulate cardProof of age requirement:Drivers LicenseState issued ID CardPassportConsulate cardMail from a medical providerBirth certificateProof of work status eligibility:Work ID/badgePay stubEmail from your employerProof of school attendance in Hamilton County: Student ID Report Card Class Schedule Other official school documentationImportant Information to Know Prior to AppointmentDo not arrive more than 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.Wear appropriate clothing to get a shot in upper armBring proof of Hamilton County residency, employment, or school attendanceBring proof of age (16 and Up for Pfizer & 18 and Up for Moderna and Johnson and Johnson) Minors (16 and 17 years of age) must have a parent/guardian with them to give consent at the time of vaccination. Print and complete the COVID-19 Vaccine Encounter form for both first and second dose appointments. Click here to download the form: https://bit.ly/3rtuueu. Forms are available on-site, but bringing a completed form to the vaccination site will accelerate the process. Be prepared to wait 20 minutes after shot Be prepared for the entire process to take an hour or moreVaccination Record CardWhen patients receive their first dose with the Health Department, they will receive a Vaccination Record Card with the following important information. The vaccine manufacturer The date the first dose of vaccine was given The date the second vaccine dose is due (if Pfizer or Moderna). This date is not an appointment. Patient must schedule a second dose appointment on or after the second dose due date. The location of the second appointment might differ from the location of the first dose appointment.Additional Resources Stay up-to-date on new vaccine appointment information. Follow the health department via their email newsletter and social media accounts, available at this link: health.hamiltontn.org/AllServices/Coronavirus(COVID-19)/ConnectWithUs.aspx. To schedule your free transportation to either our Tennessee Riverpark or Carta Bus Barn vaccination locations, please call 423-209-8383. Read the press releases in Spanish, visit: https://www.facebook.com/SaludHamiltonTN/ Visit https://vaccinefinder.org/search/ and enter your zip code for a full list of providers and pharmacies offering the COVID-19 vaccine. To find COVID-19 testing resources near you, visit: https://bit.ly/38tExs9.
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  Seven persons, including five military officers and one Civil Defence Officer, were killed in a bandit attack on five communities in Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State
New Delhi, April 1 : Bengaluru-based telecommunication firm OnMobile has led a $13 million (nearly Rs 95 crore) funding round in homegrown short-form video app Chingari, the companies announced on Thursday.

As part of the deal, OnMobile will integrate and distribute its direct-to-consumer gaming platform, ONMO, on the Chingari app and collaborate on other mobile product integrations to serve millions of users.

On the other hand, Chingari will use the funds to enhance its content portfolio, hire top talent and accelerate its growing user base.

Chingari said that the investment will help it accelerate its growth from 56 million users to over 100 million users.

"We couldn't have hoped for a better partner than OnMobile to help Chingari embody its vision and become a content super media app for Bharat, and help engage a billion Indians," said Sumit Ghosh, Co-Founder and CEO of Chingari.

Earlier last year, Chingari had raised $1.4 million from a series of investors.

"We are very excited about this investment and partnership bringing millions of users to the new ONMO gaming service while providing immediate business value and increased user reach for both companies," said FranAois-Charles Sirois, Executive Chairman of OnMobile.

Chingari allows its users to download and upload videos, chat with friends, interact with new people, share content, browse through feed, and much more.

The platform is available in more than 10 vernacular languages along with English and Spanish.

"The Chingari team has built a terrific product with great user retention and growth. ONMO gaming's short format challenges and Chingari's short-form videos complement each other well," said Krish Seshadri, CEO of OnMobile.
Vaccination of the 80-an-over age group at Isabel Zendal hospital in Madrid. Jaime Villanueva / EL PAIS

A total of 70.8% of the 80-and-over age group in Spain have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Thats according to figures released on Wednesday by the Health Ministry, which for the first time break down the progress of the vaccination drive by age groups. The data shows that the Spanish government has not met its goal of vaccinating 80% of the 80-and-over population with at least one shot in March.

The figures also reveal the great discrepancies between Spains regions, which are responsible for the vaccination drive as well as for containing the coronavirus pandemic in their territories. While the southern region of Andalusia has made the greatest progress, administering at least one dose to 90.8% of people aged 80 and over, Catalonia is at the bottom of the list, with only 53.8% of this age group receiving at least one shot. At the current speed of the rollout, 80% of the 80-and-over population in Spain will be vaccinated by the end of this week.

This age group is receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine, which both require two shots for full protection. Only 40.2% of people aged 80 and over in Spain have received the two doses. Andalusia is once again at the top of the list, having fully vaccinated 58.1% of this priority group, compared to 24% in the Basque Country, which is the lowest figure of all the regions.

As a greater number of vaccines arrive, these numbers are set to rise more quickly. In April, Spain is expected to receive 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine a week. These doses alone  not counting the other vaccines available  are enough to fully vaccinate everyone in the 80-and-over age group in just two weeks. This would allow the mass vaccination of the 70-to-79 population to begin from mid-April. Some regions will start inoculating this age group earlier than others, either because they have made more progress in vaccinating the 80-and-over population or are planning to overlap the two priority groups.

The report released by the Health Ministry also shows what percentage of other age groups have been vaccinated. In the 70-to79 population, 3.9% have received at least one dose. This figure is 9.2% for the 60 to 69 age group; 11.2% for people aged between 50 and 59; 10.3% for the 25-to-49 age group and 4.7% of the 18-to-25 demographic. These age groups may have received the Covid-19 vaccine for three different reasons: for being a resident of a care center, an adult with disabilities who does not live in a care home or an essential worker.

Next priority group

Around 355,000 patients with medical conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 will be vaccinated next along with the 70-to-79 age group, according to the updated vaccination strategy presented by the Health Ministry on Tuesday. Transplant, oncology and dialysis patients are included in this group, as well as people with HIV infection and primary immune deficiency. The plan also prioritizes 10,000 people over the age of 40 with Down syndrome.

English version by Melissa Kitson.




Sao Paulo: Key members of Brazils government celebrated on Wednesday the anniversary of the countrys 1964 military coup, which launched a 21-year dictatorship that saw hundreds of people killed and thousands tortured.

President Jair Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has sought to steer the public conversation to his nostalgia for the 1964-1985 dictatorship that its supporters contend saved the country from communism  and away from a COVID-19 pandemic that has left 320,000 dead as well as from this weeks major cabinet reshuffle.

On this day, 57 years ago, the Brazilian people with the support of the armed forces stopped the international communist movement from sticking its tongs in Brazil, Vice-President Hamilton Mourao, a retired army general, said on Twitter. Strength and honour!

Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro, left, receives military honours in 2019. Credit:AP

Eduardo Bolsonaro, the Presidents son and MP, said the armed forces lawfully secured a free Brazil on March 31, 1964.
Purcotton Selects Centric PLM to Get Closer to Consumers The rich experience of Centric Software can help us to move towards a novel product R&D management model.

Purcotton, the Chinese cotton goods company, has selected Centric Softwares Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source and sell products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home decor, cosmetics, food & beverage and luxury to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Purcotton develops and retails cotton products across categories including cleaning care, pregnancy care, feminine care, clothing and home. Purcotton has over 240 stores in China, and its e-commerce sales rank first among its competitors on platforms such as Tmall and JD.com.

In 2019, Purcotton embarked on a digital transformation project to integrate central commodity operations, front-end product development management and back-end supply chain management. Purcotton needed a PLM solution to build a multi-mode, market-oriented, collaborative, efficient and open product development platform.

Products have always been designed based on the experience of our R&D and design teams, says Mr. Li Jianquan, General Manager of Purcotton. Nowadays, especially with the popularity of influencers and e-commerce live-streaming, consumer demands change frequently. In order for R&D to be in sync with consumers, we must speed up our market response and product launch cycle. PLM shortens the distance from concept to consumer.

After comprehensively researching Centrics experience working with leading global brands, reputation, professionalism and product quality, Purcotton selected Centric Retail PLM.

With Centric, Purcotton will improve collaboration and fully visualize business processes resulting in accurate, real-time data at all stages, from planning, R&D, sampling and manufacturing to sales. Their teams will be enabled to develop products based on data-driven decisions to transform products from being market-responsive to become market innovators.

Mr. Li explains, We expect that teams will eliminate trivial and onerous document management, concentrating more energy on consumer needs and product innovation. The rich experience of Centric Software can help us to move towards a novel product R&D management model.

We are delighted to announce that Purcotton has chosen Centric PLM, says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. This is a landmark project for Centric in the Chinese market, marking our further expansion into multi-category retail, and we are looking forward to working with Purcotton to achieve their goals. 

Learn more about Centric Retail PLM

Request a Demo

Purcotton (http://www.purcotton.net)

Inheriting the 30-year medical background of its parent company Winner Medical, Purcotton's vision is "Changing the world with 100% cotton." Based on cotton, the company is involved in the innovative research and development of the three core SKUs of cotton tissue, Nice Princess sanitary napkins, and BBNice cotton diapers, as well as seven categories including cleaning care, pregnancy care, feminine care, clothing, and home and living, establishing a good reputation in the field of maternal and infant products and daily necessities, and enabling a safe, happy and sustainable all-cotton lifestyle.

In 2017, Purcotton's first 1000 m2 store was opened in Suzhou, with its e-commerce sales ranking the first among its competitors on platforms such as Tmall and JD.com. By 2019, the number of Purcotton stores had exceeded 240, and more than 20 million members had been registered.
Besalampy Airport, Besalampy, Madagascar [ BPY / FMNQ ]

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Besalampy Airport IATA Code: BPY Besalampy Airport ICAO Code: FMNQ Latitude : -16.7441 Longitude : 44.484 City : Besalampy Country : Madagascar World Area Code : 541 Airport Type : Medium Besalampy Airport Address / Contact Details :

Besalampy Airport (BPY), Besalampy, Madagascar Timezone : Indian/Antananarivo Besalampy Airport Timezone : GMT +03:00 hours Current time and date at Besalampy Airport is 13:21:57 PM (EAT) on Friday, Jun 4, 2021

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Besalampy Airport Map - Location of Besalampy Airport Load Map Madagascar - General Information Country Formal Name Republic of Madagascar Country Code MG Capital Antananarivo Tel Code +261 Top Level Domain .mg

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FORMER National Council member and Okahandja constituency regional councillor Steve Biko Booys yesterday told a magistrate he is denying accusations that he raped a young woman on two occasions in January.

Testifying on the second day of a bail hearing in the Okahandja Magistrate's Court, Booys (42) told magistrate Khaepriums Swartz he wants to be given a fair chance to prove his innocence and clear his name from the charges he has been facing for the past two months.

"I deny the accusations that are made against me," Booys said.

Booys has been in police custody since his arrest on 2 February.

The state is alleging that he raped a 20-year-old woman at his home at Okahandja on 16 January and also on 17 January this year. It is also alleged that the complainant was raped while she was affected by sleep or intoxicating liquor or a substance that mentally incapacitated her.

Booys told the court the complainant was at his house on the two days in question. He said there were drinks at his house, but denied that he provided alcohol to the woman.

He recounted that on 18 January he first heard from his mother and other family members a rumour was circulating that a criminal charge might be registered against him. According to Booys he did not contact the complainant after he heard about the rumour.

On 2 February, he went to the Okahandja Police Station with his previous lawyer to enquire about the rumour that had been making the rounds, and he was then arrested, he said.

Public prosecutor Bernadine Bertolini told Booys he was not being truthful when he said he did not make contact with the complainant.

The state has evidence in the form of cellphone records and copies of cellphone messages that show Booys repeatedly contacted the complainant from 18 January to 2 February, Bertolini said.

To this, Booys responded: "Let the state call the witness."

The prosecutor also told Booys that cellphone messages exchanged between him and his alleged victim showed the contact between them was specifically about the allegations of rape made against him.

"I do not have any comment," Booys answered on that statement.

The state also has evidence that after the alleged incidents Booys tried to persuade the complainant not to continue with charges against him and that he told her criminal charges would destroy him when the public and his enemies found out about it, Bertolini added.

Booys replied that he is willing to provide evidence during his trial of a medical condition of the complainant and what has led to "these malicious charges against me".

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Bertolini further informed Booys that the state has a cellphone message which he sent to the complainant and in which he said he would get the morning-after pill for her, to prevent her from getting pregnant.

Booys also told the magistrate he has business interests - which he said includes a guest house at Otjiwarongo, a construction company and chicken farming - requiring his active involvement, which he is not able to provide while in custody.

He also needs to earn an income to continue to maintain his children, including two sons who were living with him before his arrest and a younger daughter living with his parents, he said.

Swapo member Booys served as regional councillor for the Okahandja constituency from 2009 to 2020 and also represented the Otjozondjupa region in the National Council from 2015 to 2020.

The bail hearing is scheduled to continue today.

Defence lawyer Vernon Lutibezi is representing Booys.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Onondaga County officials plan to rescind a new residential energy tax that was imposed five months ago amid fiscal constraints caused by the pandemic.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon today said he is working with legislators to phase out the 4% county sales tax on residential energy, which costs a typical household about $6 a month.

The tax was due to sunset in November 2022. McMahon said he will send a proposal to the legislature next month to repeal the tax later this year, because the countys financial position has stabilized. If the legislature approves, the tax will be abolished by the end of this year.

We made the commitment that this was essentially a temporary tax,' McMahon said.

County officials estimated last year that the tax raises about $12 million a year for the county. The tax also provides an estimated $3 million to $4 million annually for the city of Syracuse, which shares 25% of county sales taxes.

Residential energy sales are exempt from state sales tax. But counties and other taxing jurisdictions have the option to charge residential customers a local sales tax, which is already paid by commercial customers. More than 50 other counties, cities and school districts in New York currently impose a similar residential sales tax, state records show.

Onondaga County charged the residential energy tax until 1982, then abolished it. (Commercial customers continue to pay.)

By a 10-6 vote, the county legislature revived the tax starting in September 2020. It was scheduled to sunset November 2022 unless renewed.

McMahon said it might take time to phase out collections on utility bills, assuming the legislature approves the measure to rescind the tax. But he predicted the tax would be gone no later than next fall.

Do you have a news tip or a story idea? Contact reporter Tim Knauss of syracuse.com/The Post-Standard: email | Twitter | | 315-470-3023.
(Alliance News) - South32 Ltd on Thursday said it has changed the terms of its South Africa energy coal divestment agreement after key information regarding negotiations with Seriti Resources Holdings Pty Ltd and Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd ceased to be confidential.

On Monday, South32 said it now expects the transfer of its shareholding in South32 SA Coal Holdings Pty Ltd to Seriti to complete following the end of the March quarter. Previously, South32 said it was on track to close the transaction during the March quarter.

The deal was agreed back in November of last year, when South32 said it would sell its 92% holding in the coal subsidiary for an upfront payment of ZAR100 million. The consideration also included a deferred payment, with South32 expecting to receive a portion of the cash flow generated by the unit, capped at ZAR1.5 billion.

In addition, South32 would earn 49% of cash generated between the completion of the transaction and March 2024.

On Thursday, South32 said it has amended the original agreement by adjusting the up-front cash payment to a nominal consideration and removing the deferred consideration. The terms related to the 49% of earnings from operations were not changed.

The Perth, Western Australia-based mining company said it also has entered into a USD50 million facility with a subsidiary of Seriti that will primarily fund costs to be incurred for the restructure of some loss-making mining areas. In addition, South32 has agreed to provide USD200 million to fund rehabilitation activity. The facility is expected to be drawn down before the end of 2022 and is repayable over a ten-year period.

Seriti, meanwhile, said it intends to enter into a five year working capital facility of up to USD120 million with a South African commercial bank, which will be supported by a South32 subsidiary guarantee.

South32 Chief Executive Officer, Graham Kerr said: "Securing the long-term sustainability of South Africa energy coal has been our key objective in transitioning the business to black ownership, consistent with South Africa's transformation imperative. This additional support package moves us closer to completion of the sale and will enable the business to continue to operate safely and sustainably into the future for the benefit of its employees, customers and local communities."

Kerr added: "For South32, the transaction will significantly simplify our business, substantially reduces our capital intensity, improves the group's underlying operating margin and supports our strategy to re-shape our portfolio with a bias to base metals."

South32 shares closed 1.4% higher in Sydney on Thursday at AUD2.85 each.

By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) held a news conference Wednesday to reveal its vision for an integrated, free-flying commercial space station, building on key elements of the "Life" habitat and "Dream Chaser" spaceplane design.

SNC, the global aerospace and national security company owned by Eren and Fatih Ozmen, outlined development plans for its low-Earth orbit (LEO) space station  leveraging its transportation and destination technologies  releasing new images, details and video of the unique concept in support of LEO commercialization.

The space station is a configuration of multiple large inflatable "Life" habitats that can be serviced by both cargo and crew carrying Dream Chaser spaceplanes.

SNC also released that a crewed "Dream Chaser" will be able to shuttle private astronauts and to serve as the only vehicle capable of rescuing astronauts from space destinations and returning them to Earth via a safe and speedy runway landing.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Some would argue that former President Donald Trump's popularity far surpasses that of Joe Biden. It's somewhat funny how much that little piece of information contradicts reports that Sleepy Joe Biden garnered the most votes in U.S. history, more than his former boss, Barak Obama.

Donald Trump To Pep-Up Supporters Soon

It's been a long time since Trump held his "Make American Great Again" (MAGA) Rallies. However, he recently teased that one might actually be in the works.

The current President has a history of lackluster press conferences, and when he does get excited, it seems as though his brain becomes frazzled. Since being forced into the public eye after a drab campaign where the cognitively impaired president spent most of his time in his basement, Biden has been busy avoiding hard-hitting interviews and questions from conservative news outlets.

On the other hand, with Donald Trump, every appearance is exciting, and supporters are sure to turn out in the thousands for the long-awaited rally, as reported by the Epoch Times.

Last Tuesday in Florida, the former president informed his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, that he is thinking about doing a rally reasonably soon. He said he wants to remind everyone that the future is still bright despite what Biden has doneand undone. Since his term ended on January 20, the former president has not held a significant event and many MAGA supporters are sure to support it.

"I have a lot of fun doing them. But, more importantly, I believe we will spread the word." He adds that "You can tell if you won a state when you have rallied. A rally can say to me whether we're going to win a state. If we set up a rally 24 hours in advance and have 35, 40,000 people show up, that's a good sign for Donald Trump."

Trump Demands GOP Bodies to Stop Using His Name, Image to Procure Funds

"There were 55,000 in Florida and 52,000 people in Butler, Pennsylvania. Numbers were a significant factor to know how well it wentcontrasted to Biden, who never mustered such numbers in any rally."

"When 52,000 people show up for a rally in a short period, people wait in line four days before the date and sleeping in tents. Add accommodations, getting there, leave, and say there's no way I lost Pennsylvania." He went on to say it was a joke and the entire thing is fake.

According to the contested election results, Joe won by 20,000 votes despite the Pennsylvania votes getting counted on January 6; not everyone agrees. Not to mention, state results were calculated in Congress in January despite GOP opposition.

Though Trump claimed victory in 2020, Congress eventually confirmed Biden as the election winner, and he was inaugurated later that month.

He says that Biden has done suspect things since assuming office. He pointed out the fact that Biden never answered hardball questions during his campaign and that he's doing the same thing again now.

Donald Trump said people are hoping he will run in 2024. He added that everyone needs to pitch in to help America.

Also from HNGN

President Joe Biden's Tax Hike: Not Advisable, Reverses Trump Era Gains Says, Rep. Meuser

Biden Approves $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Bill Ready for Rollout

Republican Study Committee Exposes Hidden Agenda of Democrat Stimulus Bill; not all Pandemic Related Items

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
UofSC alumna uses politics, technology to elevate the 'underestimated'

From a dirt road in SC, Jotaka Eaddy builds a career of transformative change

Jotaka Eaddy is fond of quoting the words on the University of South Carolinas seal: Learning humanizes character and does not permit it to be cruel.

For Eaddy, a 2001 political science graduate and the first Black woman elected as the universitys student body president, those words  and their promise  help explain her lifes story. Her path started in the tiny Florence County town of Johnsonville, South Carolina, where she grew up on a dirt road. She now is the founder and CEO of Full Circle Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based social impact consulting firm specializing in strategy development, management consulting, public affairs and community engagement.

Along the way she has helped win a U.S. Supreme Court case that abolished the juvenile death penalty, worked as a senior advisor to the president of the NAACP, directed policy and strategic engagement for a financial technology firm, and pushed for increased diversity and inclusion in big tech. Fortune magazine dubbed her the Olivia Pope of Silicon Valley, likening her to the fictional television character known as a powerful and connected fixer.

Jotaka Eaddy, the first Black woman elected student body president at UofSC, attended the presidential inauguration in January to see the first Black woman sworn in as vice president.

She also is the founder of #WinWithBlackWomen, a collective of intergenerational Black women leaders around the country. Her work led her to a seat at the presidential inauguration in January, where she watched the first Black woman vice president being sworn into office. And in March, she was instrumental in advising Goldman Sachs in the announcement of its historic $10 billion investment in Black women as a way to advance racial equity and economic opportunity.

Its been a life with big dreams fulfilled and pinch me moments. And its a journey that took off when she was a student at South Carolina, with professors who became mentors and fellow student leaders who became lifelong friends and colleagues.

Im working at the intersection of politics, advocacy and technology, with a goal of creating transformative change throughout the world. Thats what I wake up thinking about, she says. How can I take people pushed to the margins and put them at the center? How can I help create and drive policies that make a difference in lives of people who often are underestimated?

Shes accomplished this by taking her experiences and the support shes received from others and worked to be a force for good. Thats how I think about how I want to manifest my life. And the University of South Carolina played and continues to play an important role in the development of who I am today and how I think about the work I do.

An early commitment to advocacy and justice

The path to those dreams started early for Eaddy. While Johnsonville, population 1,395, had only one stoplight when she was growing up (she points out there now are two), Eaddy was surrounded by a community rich in love, grit and pride.

As a middle-schooler, she remembers when South Carolina native and civil rights advocate Jesse Jackson came to march and advocate on behalf of workers on strike at a nearby plant. She was able to see what could be accomplished through commitment and advocacy. Also in middle school, she wrote a paper opposing the death penalty and became intensely interested in anti-death penalty work.

In high school, she had the chance to attend a national youth leadership conference in Washington  an opportunity that was helped along by family, friends and neighbors in her community, who baked cakes and sold dinners to raise the $3,000 to send her to the conference.

These people who had never been on an airplane, wanted and hoped and dreamed I would achieve something. They created an avenue for me to launch my career and literally put me on a journey to reach my wildest dreams, she says. My family and the community took what little they had to help me get to a place to realize those dreams. I feel a deep obligation to them  they are my original investors. 

Making connections and history at UofSC

Eaddy arrived at the University of South Carolina, with the desire to make a difference; she graduated with the tools to accomplish those goals, thanks to mentors and other student leaders she met along the way and who still play a major role in her life.

She thinks about her peers in student government and in the Association of African American Students, many of whom she continues to collaborate and network with today. And she is thankful for the mentors who went the extra mile to be sure students were ready to lead in the real world.

How can I take people pushed to the margins and put them at the center? How can I help create and drive policies that make a difference in lives of people who often are underestimated? Jotaka Eaddy

She thinks about Cleveland Sellers, a civil rights icon in South Carolina, a professor and director of the universitys African American Studies program. Eaddy listened and learned when Sellers spoke from personal experience about the strategies used to effectively organize during the civil rights movement.

She remembers walking into psychology professor Cheryl Armsteads classroom and seeing a strong Black woman leading the class. She thinks about Janis Leaphart, a student services coordinator in the political science department, who helped Eaddy earn credit for an internship spent learning to advocate against the death penalty.

And she thinks often about Don Fowler, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee who taught in the College of Arts and Sciences at South Carolina for decades. During his American politics class Fowler told Eaddy, You need to learn about the colored girls. Those are some strong women. I feel like you could be like them one day.

Fowler was referencing the name given to a group of Black women who were some of the countrys most influential and important figures in politics  Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, Tina Flournoy and Minyon Moore. Fowler had Eaddy study about these women as part of a class assignment.

He knew them, of course, she says. Over the years, Id get to know these women and they would become my mentors and friends. I speak to these women one, two, three times a week. They guide me in all I do and shape so much of who I am as a leader and an individual. And it was at the University of South Carolina more than 20 years ago that I learned about them and was inspired to be like them.

When I think about what I do today, its a blend of everything (Sellers and Fowler) taught me. Fight for something bigger than you. Be inclusive. Those are things I learned from them, she says. They opened my eyes up to people I would learn about, get to know and luckily learn from.

Turning attention to technology, diversity and inclusion

After working on progressive causes as a senior advisor to Ben Jealous  then president of the NAACP  she was lured to the new frontier of technology. It wasnt an easy decision to leave her work on criminal justice reform and voting rights and move across the country to Silicon Valley. She didnt know how to code, and she worried she wasnt qualified for a career in tech.

Jotaka Eaddy's work in Silicon Valley was geared toward helping the technology industry transition to be more inclusive, both in products and how it conducts business.

My mentors said technology is the future, and we need people like you in tech. We need leaders that are Black women who have executive leadership experience. That was in 2013. There were not as many diverse voices. I suffered from impostor syndrome, she says. But Ben said, You went to USC, a predominantly white institution and became the first Black woman to be student body president. Why is it you cant come in and be successful in Silicon Valley?

I decided after conversations with friends and mentors that I needed to get out of my own way. I went. And I learned that not only was there a place for somebody like me, there was a need for somebody like me.

Eaddy inspired other people of color from around the country to migrate into the technology field. She earned the Olivia Pope comparison, and says she saw her job as a connector of people and ideas. But she says shes also been referred to as a Harriet Tubman, helping lead new people to Silicon Valley. Harriet Tubman was an amazing woman. Ill take a reference to her any day with pride.

Her work in technology was geared toward helping the industry transition to be more inclusive, both in products and how it conducts business.

I continue to do that work. I said I was going to launch my own firm like Olivia Pope. For me its about being my whole self. I dont have to be just about politics, just a tech strategist, just a civil rights advocate. I can be all those things. I learned at the University of South Carolina we can be our whole selves.

And, she has always remembered those coming after her.

Im a firm believer that we have to lift as we climb. Minyon Moore taught me that. With all of these opportunities, I ask myself, How are you walking through doors and ensuring they never close and also that the hinges are removed and the doors are widened? 

And as for those pinch me moments. She remembers one clearly. It was a text that said: Hey, its Oprah. Can we talk?

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The renovation and beautification work of the iconic Chandni Chowk road has been completed and will be inaugurated by Chief Minister on April 17, the government said in a statement.

Beside various new facilities for tourists coming from across the world to visit the bustling historic market, the revamped stretch -- from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Mosque -- will be a non-motorised zone from 9 am to 9 pm, it added.

"It is a historical heritage site and the entire area has been made very beautiful, seeking to bring back the glory of this old historical place. After the beautification of Chandni Chowk, tourism would get a major boost, and people coming to would be attracted to pay a visit to Chandni Chowk," the chief minister was quoted as saying in the statement.

Completed at an estimated cost of Rs 99 crore, the beautification project, according to the government, has left no stone unturned to enhance the beauty of the historical site.So, be it using granite tiles or planting small and big plants on both sides of the road, the administration did a host of things to make Chandani Chowk look "green and beautiful" and "a sight to behold".

"For non-motorised vehicles, 5 to 10 meters wide pavement has been built on either side of the road. There is also a 2.5-meter footpath on either side of the road. Electric vehicles will also be operated for the convenience of the senior citizens. Also, during the reconstruction process, the needs of the disabled have also been taken care of," it said.

Under redevelopment from December 1, 2018, the 1.3 km stretch was targeted to be completed by November 2020, but got delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it noted.

Chandni Chowk is known to be one of the oldest and major markets not only in Delhi but also in the country.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 19:27:01|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed higher Thursday as investors welcomed upbeat U.S. private sector jobs data and a Bank of Japan (BOJ) survey showing improved sentiment among large Japanese manufacturers.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 210.07 points, or 0.72 percent, from Wednesday to close the day, the first of the new fiscal year, at 29,388.87.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, gained 3.64 points, or 0.19 percent, to finish at 1,957.64.

Investor sentiment was bolstered in early trade following U.S. jobs data showing an increase in employment in March adding to optimism about the U.S. economy's recovery, local brokers said.

They highlighted that U.S. private payrolls increased by 517,000 jobs in March, according to the ADP National Employment Report.

This compares to February's data showing an upwardly revised 176,000 jobs added, from an initial 117,000 jobs.

Market analysts said the data paints an improving picture of the U.S. labor market and raised optimism for positive reading for key U.S. non-farm payroll data due to be released on Friday.

The buoyant market mood saw investors return to picking up high-tech shares on hopes for solid earnings, with semiconductor issues gaining traction on increased demand amid a global shortage, traders here said.

"What's happening with Japanese tech shares is a reflection of what is happening in the United States," Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex Securities, was quoted as saying.

Also underpinning sentiment Thursday was the Bank of Japan's latest Tankan survey showing Japan's large manufacturers' business confidence turned positive for the first time in six quarters in March.

The sentiment index rose to 5 from minus 10 in December, marking the third successive quarter of increase and recovering to levels prior to the novel coronavirus pandemic, as optimism grew among firms for the economy to recover, the BOJ's survey showed.

"The market was well supported as the Tankan survey forecast a strong recovery in general-purpose machinery and production machinery sectors," Maki Sawada, a strategist at Nomura Securities Co.'s Investment Content Department, was quoted as saying.

By the close of play, precision instrument, insurance and electric appliance issues comprised those that gained the most.

Among semiconductor issues finding favor, Advantest climbed 4.1 percent, while Taiyo Yuden added 2.5 percent. Screen Holdings, meanwhile, surged more than 6 percent by the close.

Machinery-linked issues advanced following the central bank's upbeat Tankan survey, with Yasakawa Electric closing 1.6 percent higher, while industrial robot maker Fanuc jumped 5.1 percent.

Issues that fell outpaced those that rose by 1,261 to 861 on the First Section, while 64 ended the day unchanged.

On the main section on Thursday, 1,245.97 million shares changed hands, dropping from Wednesday's volume of 1,325.88 million shares.

The turnover on the penultimate trading day of the week came to 2,718.64 billion yen (24.53 billion U.S. dollars). Enditem
Bengaluru, April 1 : The opposition Congress in Karnataka on Thursday demanded that Governor Vajubhai R. Vala should dismiss the state government and recommend for President's Rule in the southern state in the wake Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa's letter to the Governor accusing Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa of 'interference' in department affairs and 'authoritarian administration'.

In a series of tweets, Congress leader Siddaramaiah said that the allegations levelled by Eshwarappa are of serious nature, and appealed to the Governor to dismiss the state government and recommend President's Rule in Karnataka.

"The allegations levelled by Eshwarappa are serious in nature. The Governor should intervene and dismiss the government and recommend for President's rule (in Karnataka)," the Congress leader said.

Siddaramaiah termed the five-page letter by Eshwarappa as evidence of the ruling BJP's rampant corruption, nepotism and irregularities. "We are saying this from day one and now their own party cabinet ministers are endorsing the same view," he said.

Commending Eshwarappa's action to write to the Governor and central leaders of the party against the Chief Minister' style of functioning, Siddaramaiah said that for the first time in his political career, Eshwarappa has done a good job and has shown that the state's interest is more important than his personal political interest.

The leader of the opposition further said that the BJP should immediately respond to charges and uphold internal democracy in the party.

Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Siddaramaiah tweeted, "You (Modi) had termed our government as 10 per cent Sarkar. Now that your own party Minister has submitted a detailed report on corruption to you, what ratings will you give to this government so that the people can make an informed decision in the coming elections?" In another tweet, Siddaramaiah said, "Mr.@PMOIndia@narendramodi, change your famous slogan 'Na Khaunga, Na Khane Dunga' to 'Mai Bhi Khaunga, Tum Bhi Khao'... let the world know the true face of @BJPInida." The Congress leader said that Eshwarappa has also cited corruption as the reason behind the state government's bankruptcy.

"@kseshwarappa has detailed in the letter that corruption is the reason for the government's bankruptcy and not #Covid19. This clearly indicates that while few powerful persons within the BJP are getting rich, people of Karnataka are becoming poor," Siddaramaiah tweeted.

In his five-page letter to the Governor on Wednesday, Eshwarappa had alleged that Yediyurappa was grossly violating the Karnataka (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1977 by sanctioning funds from the department headed by him.

Eshwarappa had also brought the issue to the notice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Arun Singh.

Meanwhile, state Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar told mediapersons on Thursday that either Yediyurappa should resign from his post, or he should sack Eshwarappa for levelling allegations against him.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The community of Baja Kunda in Wuli East district of Upper River Region over the weekend hosted the 3rd edition of its 'Badingbun' bantaba.

The day-long forum sought to promote peace, justice and reconciliation, among the victims of human rights violations under the former regime and some of their perpetrators.

The 'Badinbun'- which is a mandinka parlance, is one of the oldest means of settling disputes and seeking for truth and even reconciliation.

Welcoming participants on behalf of the village Alkalo, Mr. Sekuna Bajaha thanked Beakanyang for choosing their village to host such a historic and important event.

"We should forgive each other and open a new chapter and also learn from our past mistakes." he said.

For his part, Nfamara Jawneh, executive director of Beakanyang said such programmes could be emotional for victims but are needed in fostering peace.

"This activity seeks to provide victims of human rights violations a community platform to share their stories and encourage perpetrators to accept the truth and seek for forgiveness from their victims." he said.

Jawneh expressed optimism that the programme would provide an opportunity for survivors and victims in the district, who are yet to appear before the TRRC to also share their stories with the rest of the country.

He encouraged victims to speak up, while also advising perpetrators to make the best use of the opportunity to seek for forgiveness from their victims.

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"As you all know this is an election year, I would therefore use this opportunity to urge you not to allow what happened among some of you in the past to happen again." he warned.

Speaking earlier, Oustass Makeh Jagne, vice chairperson of 'Badinbun' explained that with this initiative, Beakanyang is promoting truth seeking, justice, reconciliation and peace in our communities.

Declaring the forum open on behalf of the head chief of Wuli East, Alhagie Juwara thanked Beakanyang for the laudable initiative.

"We need this kind of activities to truth telling, community healing and reconciliation and also facilitate the restoring of broken relations. Myself, I'm a victim of the former regime and I would share my story with you all when the session proper begins," he assured.

Juwara thus called on participants to learn from their past, while respecting human rights to promote social cohesion and peace.

Board Chairperson of Beakanyang Mr. Yaya Sumareh also spoke at the ceremony.
Ghislaine Maxwell has claimed that her treatment in prison is so bad it would be 'fit for Hannibal Lecter'.

Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam claimed that the conditions as she awaits trial would be appropriate for the fictional serial killer in 'The Silence of the Lambs'.

But they are not appropriate for a '59-year old woman who poses no threat to anyone', Maxwell's lawyers claimed.

They suggested she is the victim of sexism because high-profile male prisoners who had been accused of serious crimes like Bill Cosby and mob boss John Gotti were given bail while she wasn't.

The claim was made in a 31-page document filed in the Second Circuit appeal court in New York by Maxwell's lawyers as they sought to overturn a judge's rejection of her third attempt at bail.

Ghislaine Maxwell has claimed that her treatment in prison is so bad it would be 'fit for Hannibal Lecter'

In the Oscar-winning 'The Silence of the Lambs', Lecter, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, was kept in his own cell at the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane. In the film Lecter's cell had reinforced glass walls with holes in them so he could speak to visitors

Judge Alison Nathan earlier this month refused Maxwell again and said that she remained a flight risk.

Maxwell's lawyers have repeatedly and vocally complained about her treatment in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where she is being held until trial, which is due to start in July.

They have said she is losing her hair and losing weight because the prison food is inedible.

According to court filings, the water in the taps is cloudy, Maxwell is kept in isolation and she is woken every 15 minutes to be searched by a flashlight.

The latest claims were made in a letter by David Oscar Markus, one of Maxwell's lawyers, who called her conditions 'nightmarish'.

He said: 'Though she is a model prisoner who poses no danger to society and has done literally nothing to prompt ''special'' treatment, she is kept in isolation  conditions fitting for Hannibal Lecter but not a 59-year old woman who poses no threat to anyone'.

In the Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs, Lecter, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, was kept in his own cell at the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

But while the cell was basic it sounds less grim than Maxwell's lawyers claim her treatment is.

In the film Lecter's cell had reinforced glass walls with holes in them so he could speak to visitors.

There was a table for writing and he was given art supplies which he used to make drawings and hang them on the walls.

Maxwell's lawyers have repeatedly and vocally complained about her treatment in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn

In Hannibal Lecter's cell there was a table for writing and he was given art supplies which he used to make drawings and hang them on the walls

In the court filing Markus claimed that high profile men who were detained by federal prosecutors were treated much differently than Maxwell.

He said: 'The truth is that wealthy men charged with similar or more serious offenses, many of whom have foreign ties, are routinely granted bail so that they can effectively prepare for trial. Bernie Madoff. Harvey Weinstein. Bill Cosby. John Gotti. Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Adnan Khashoggi.

'The list goes on and on. In each case, the court set reasonable conditions of bond and the defendants appeared, despite similar arguments by the government that the defendant faced serious charges or that the evidence was strong or that he had foreign ties or that he had great wealth. Ms. Maxwell is entitled to the same opportunity as male defendants to prepare her defense'.

Markus claims that Maxwell was 'living peacefully' at her $1million New Hampshire home - which she bought through an anonymous company to disguise her identity - when she was arrested by a 'SWAT team' from the FBI in July last year.

He writes that the 'Epstein Effect' had 'clouded the judgement of the prosecutors into charging Ms. Maxwell because it needed a scapegoat' after Epstein hanged himself while awaiting trial.

Markus claims that Maxwell was charged as a 'substitute for Epstein' and that prosecutors are 'reverse engineering a charge' because their main target died.

In a striking passage, Markus' letter says: 'Perhaps never in the history of the US Justice System has the public relations imperatives of the government permitted such wildly inappropriate and unconstitutional treatment of an innocent human being'.

Her lawyers suggested she is the victim of sexism because high profile male prisoners who had been accused of serious crimes like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein were given bail while she wasn't

Maxwell, who is accused of acting as Epstein's 'madam' by finding him young women to abuse and then 'training' them to comply with his desires, was arrested on July 2, nearly a year after his death

In similarly hyperbolic language, Markus claims: 'Ms. Maxwell's continued detention would be wrong at any point in this nation's history, even when stealing a loaf of bread was a felony'.

He adds that it 'is especially unwarranted now' due to the coronavirus pandemic.

One positive part of Maxwell's conditions highlighted by Markus' letter is that the prison is now heating her microwave meals properly.

Previously they had been overheating them, causing the plastic to melt into the food and making it inedible.

Earlier this week Maxwell was hit with two new charges of sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor.

She now faces eight counts and has pleaded not guilty to the six previous ones.

Her lawyers this week complained about the new charges with attorney Bobbi Sternheim calling them a 'shocking, unfair abuse of power' because it comes so close to her trial.
I have never forgotten  I doubt I ever will forget  Scott Adams saying in a 2019 podcast that the tech tyrants would ensure that Trump would not win again and, indeed, that no one who was not of their choosing would ever win the White House again. They'd slipped up in 2016 and learned their lesson. He was prophetic, and boy! did they learn their lesson. Facebook and its subsidiary, Instagram, having already banned Trump himself from their platforms, are now banning any content with Trump's voice in it from the platforms.

As was the case with all the other tech tyrants, Facebook and Instagram banned Trump after January 6. They've kept that ban in place even though it has become absolutely apparent that Trump did nothing wrong on that day.

Actually, to smart people, such as American Thinker readers, Trump's innocence was instantly apparent; to leftist ideologues, the only apparent thing is that no number of facts will ever change their faith-based beliefs about all sorts of things, including the Russia Hoax, Hunter Biden's innocence, climate change, or the bizarre belief that Hannah Gadsby is a comedian.

But back to the ban. For Facebook and Instagram, merely preventing Trump from having an account is not enough. He must be erased entirely, just as the ancient Egyptians carefully scrubbed hieroglyphics referencing disfavored monarchs or the Romans systematically destroyed statuary that once paid homage to leaders who subsequently fell out of favor. (In 1689, a German dissertation gave us the wonderful phrase "damnatio memoriae," or "condemnation of memory," to describe the primitive mind's belief that disfavored people should be deleted from history.)

Showing just how primitive the college-educated censors at Facebook and Instagram are, they deleted a video interview that Lara Trump, wife to Trump's son, Eric, had conducted with the former president:

Facebook removed a video of an interview with former President Trump conducted by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, saying any content "in the voice of Donald Trump" would be scrubbed from the social media platform. Facebook permanently banned the former president from their platform in January after the Capitol riot. On Tuesday, Lara Trump, a Fox News contributor, posted an image on Instagram of her sitting across from her father-in-law, urging followers to "Join us tonight!" A group of Trump officials were sent an email from a Facebook employee, warning that any content posted on Facebook and Instagram "in the voice of President Trump is not currently allowed on our platforms (including new posts with President Trump speaking)" and warned that it "will be removed if posted, resulting in additional limitations on accounts that posted it."

Here's the notice, along with Lara's comment: ".and just like that, we are one step closer to Orwell's 1984. Wow." But note too how this screen grab caught two comments from leftists cheering on the censors:

It's time for conservatives to abandon these platforms and to turn them into little leftist ghettos. These platforms make money based on their membership. You're not paying anything, but advertisers are paying the platforms for the chance to get advertisements in front of you. If you pull out, that creates a smaller audience for the advertisers and inevitably decreases the tech tyrants' revenue stream.

The real beauty of these leftist ghettos  and we do need a few conservative media types to stay on board to watch for this  is that they'll do what leftists always do: having banished their original enemies, they will turn on each other, with each person in a frenzy to prove him-, her-, or itself more ideologically pure than the next person.

Think: the Terror in France, when Madame la Guillotine, deprived of aristocrats, turned on the revolutionaries; or the decades of purges in Stalin's Russia; or the Cultural Revolution in China. The thing about the social media purges, if conservatives pull out, is that they'll simply be decimating each other  and, of course, no actual lives will be lost.

Trump may end up having the last laugh. He is now an official Florida resident, and Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing for legislation allowing Florida citizens to sue the tech tyrants for, among other things, deplatforming politicians. If that legislation passes and Trump runs again, that's going to be helpful.

Image: Facebook/Instagram damnatio memoriae of Donald Trump. Instagram screen grab.
Masks have become a political tool and a talisman. When COVID-19 hit, governments panicked and created enormous fear. The Centers for Disease Control currently estimates a COVID-19 survival rate of 99.99 percent for people younger than 50, but the damage created by the panic was too great to undo.

It is likely that some politicians eventually realized their mistake and needed a way to back-pedal without admitting their lockdowns were a policy disaster. Their solution was for people to put any old piece of cloth across their face and magically believe that its okay to go out shopping again.

Masks are not merely a small inconvenience. They have inadvertently become a key impediment to returning to a more normal life, a desirable goal for those seeking to twist the pandemic for political and electoral purposes.

Masks dehumanize us, and ironically serve as a constant reminder that we should be afraid. People can now be spotted wearing masks while camping by themselves in the woods or on a solo sailing trip. They have become a cruel device on young children everywhere, kindergarten students covered by masks and isolated by Plexiglas, struggling to understand the social expressions of their peers. Face coverings are causing real harm to the American psyche, provide little to no medical benefit, and distract us from more important health policy issues.

The mask dogma had many cracks in it from the start. For one, the U.S. surgeon general and the Centers for Disease Control both previously said that masks are NOT effective in preventing [the] general public from catching coronavirus, so they were already starting with a credibility deficit. Furthermore, many officials have been frequently caught without masks when they think the cameras are off them. Dr. Anthony Fauci, for example, has been caught doing this multiple times.

Chicagos mayor and local media were all caught taking off their masks and violating social distancing as soon as a press conference ended. This was caught in a now deleted YouTube video that was shared by a now deleted Twitter account after being retweeted more than 26,000 times. As of the date of this publication, it is still available to view in a crude video of a video that has yet to be deleted on YouTube.

Clearly, some people do not want you to see what politicians do behind the scenes. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a strong advocate for mandatory masking, was caught off camera laughing about how wearing masks is an act of political theater.

Faking Science to Achieve Political Goals

These same politicians and health officials are so desperate to make people believe in masks that they doctor charts to make their case, even when their own data actually undermines them. So what is the actual science behind masks? Lets begin by reviewing the leading scientific studies.

The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University summarized six international studies which showed that masks alone have no significant effect in interrupting the spread of ILI or influenza in the general population, nor in healthcare workers. Oxford went on to say that that despite two decades of pandemic preparedness, there is considerable uncertainty as to the value of wearing masks. They prophetically warned that this has left the field wide open for the play of opinions, radical views and political influence.

A study of health-care workers in more than 1,600 hospitals showed that cloth masks only filtered out 3 percent of particles. An article in the New England Journal of Medicine stated, [W]earing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection and that [T]he desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.

There are many other credible studies showing lack of mask efficacy, such as studies published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, Cambridge University Press, Oxford Clinical Infectious Diseases, and Influenza Journal, just to name a few.

Studies do show masks can help in the case of direct respiratory droplets, which would matter if somebody is coughing, breathing, or sneezing directly on your face. That happens normally in a tight and highly confined space.

But the plentiful evidence we have indicates masks would not meaningfully help with aerosol transmission, where two people are just in the same area, or even the same room. This is because the two people end up breathing the same air, with or without a mask, as visually demonstrated in this video.

Now for Graphs about International Mask Mandates

Historical scientific studies do not make a compelling case that universal masking would meaningfully help, so lets explore real-world situations to see where data leads us.

Austria was one of the first governments to require masks, and it did so about 10 days after its cases began to go down. The level of downtrend did not change or improve after masks were required. After the nations people wearing masks for an extended period, cases are currently four times where they were when Austria mandated masks, and cases continue to climb.

Germany mandated masks about halfway down its original recovery. Their cases are now similarly climbing quickly.

The French now have around 1,000 percent more daily cases they had when they mandated masks, despite having one of the highest mask compliance levels in the world.

Spain was not far behind its French neighbor with a mandate. Spain required masks when cases were near zero and has the highest compliance with mask-wearing in all Europe. Now Spain is at around 1,500 percent the level of cases compared to when it mandated masks.

After three months of requiring masks, the United Kingdom is at around 1,500 percent more cases despite having one of the highest mask compliance records in Europe.

Belgium required masks shortly after the British did, and now possibly has the highest rate of cases in the world.

Italy had extremely high levels of mask-wearing despite no national mandate. Recently skyrocketing cases finally compelled them to create one of the strictest mask laws in the world, but the results have predictably failed to slow the rise in coronavirus cases. In fact, cases skyrocketed immediately after the mask mandate went into effect.

Similar results have been found in Ireland, Portugal, Israel, and many other countries. No matter how strictly mask laws are enforced nor the level of mask compliance the population follows, cases all fall and rise around the same time.

How about the United States? Americans have proven to be highly compliant with mask wearing, even higher than the Germans.

It is therefore no surprise that the same trends found in Europe are also found in U.S. states. For example, California required masks in June but cases still went up by more than 300 percent and the state remains heavily locked down four months later with still higher cases.

Hawaii suffered one of the most economically devastating lockdowns of all the U.S. states. It was also an early mover on mandating masks both indoors and outdoors, but cases still went up by almost 1,000 percent.

With and without mask mandates, Texas and Georgia followed nearly identical case development.

For those more interested in comparing deaths than cases, we again dont see a pattern of masks meaningfully helping.

Why Dont Masks Work?

Why dont masks work on the general public? For one, if you read the fine print on most consumer masks you will see something along the line of not intended for medical purposes and has not been tested to reduce the transmission of disease. Masks can work well when theyre fully sealed, properly fitted, changed often, and have a filter designed for virus-sized particles. This represents none of the common masks available on the consumer market, making universal masking much more of a confidence trick than a medical solution.

If we actually wanted effective masks, then manufacturers should be conducting scientific tests evaluating masks specifically for their ability to reduce the spread of coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration and CDC should be making recommendations on which masks to use and approving masks based on their scientific efficacy rather than promoting the wrapping of any piece of miscellaneous cloth around your face.

Many powerful institutions have too much political capital invested in the mask narrative at this point, so the dogma is perpetuated.

Effective masks, if they exist, should then be distributed to highly vulnerable groups for use only in rare and extenuating circumstances. There would be little point for the population at large to wear masks all the time because while focused protection may be possible, it is not possible to eradicate the virus at this point or stop its spread.

Our universal use of unscientific face coverings is therefore closer to medieval superstition than it is to science, but many powerful institutions have too much political capital invested in the mask narrative at this point, so the dogma is perpetuated. The narrative says that if cases go down its because masks succeeded. It says that if cases go up its because masks succeeded in preventing more cases. The narrative simply assumes rather than proves that masks work, despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.

The narrative further ignores places like Sweden and Georgia, which never required masks in the first place, and it suppresses new scientific evidence if it doesnt support desired political results, such as data from the worlds only randomized trial investigating if masks actually protect from COVID-19. Even a Nobel laureate has been canceled because his COVID charts and data were found to be undesirable.

History does not bode well for times that politics meddles with science. Martin Kulldorff, a professor at Harvard Medical School and a leader in disease surveillance methods and infectious disease outbreaks, describes the current COVID scientific environment this way: After 300 years, the Age of Enlightenment has ended.

In the end, it will be the loss of credibility in our scientific institutions, and the unnecessary division they have sowed among us, for which masks will be remembered.
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The accident-prone bank has certainly done a lot of damage to the reputation of Swiss bankers in the last few weeks. Swiss cheese has become a metaphor for the bank's balance sheet.

The walking disaster area that is is intending to recompense more investors burnt by the Swiss banks exposure to belly-up Greensill Capital.

News agency Reuters reports that the bank closed around US$10bn of funds that had bought notes from Greensill Capital, the supply chain financing outfit.

Some US$3.1bn of this has been repaid to customers while US$1.5bn in cash was in the funds as of March 29.

Over time, we expect the majority part of the funds investments to be recovered in the liquidation process, and we have recourse to other measures should they be necessary, including possible legal action, said.

Legal action seems to be the order of the day at the Swiss bank, which yesterday kicked off a legal battle that could see Liberty Steel and its ultimate owner, the GFG Alliance, tip into insolvency.

Reports indicate has instructed the administrators to file wind-up orders against Liberty Commodities, a metal trading unit owned by Sanjeev Gupta, the man behind Liberty Steel and the GFG Alliance.

The GFG Alliances main lender was Greensill Capital, so when the finance firm was declared insolvent last month it found itself in a financial pickle.

Meanwhile, Credit Suisse is also licking its wounds over its exposure to troubled hedge fund Archegos Capital, which last week defaulted on a margin call on its punt on the shares of ViacomGBS; buying on margin is a way of leveraging investment funds so that any gains can be amplified but when the price moves the wrong way, the investor is called to stump up more money to cover its bet.

The accident-prone bank has certainly done a lot of damage to the reputation of Swiss bankers in the last few weeks, but at least Swiss chocolate is halfway decent although Swiss cheese is in danger of becoming a metaphor for Credit Suisses balance sheet.

The perception is growing that the Swiss bank wants to play with the big boys in the investment banking market but does not have the street smarts to cope with playground bullies such as and JP Morgan.
Chinese visitors look on from the Broken Bridge as a train travels on the Friendship Bridge across the Yalu river from North Korea to China, in Dandong, Liaoning province, China June 10, 2018. Picture taken June 10, 2018.

After more than a year without trade between North Korea and China, who closed the Sino-Korean border to fight the coronavirus pandemic, there are signs that trade could resume in April, sources in China told RFA.

In January 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Pyongyang and Beijing closed their 880-mile border on the Yalu and Tumen Rivers and suspended all trade. The move devastated the North Korean economy, especially in border regions, where a large percentage of local commerce depends on the purchase and sale of goods imported from China.

Additionally, smugglers from North Korea who make their living by shuttling goods to and from China suddenly found themselves struggling to make ends meet. Commerce in entire towns dried up and industries that rely on Chinese raw materials could not continue to operate.

But this week, Chinese safety inspectors have been spotted on a major bridge connecting the Chinese city of Dandong with North Koreas northwestern city of Sinuiju.

Yesterday an acquaintance who works at Dandong Station informed me they are inspecting and repairing railroad tracks so international trains between China and North Korea can begin running from early April, a Chinese citizen of Korean descent told RFAs Korean Service Tuesday.

They also set up new quarantine facilities in the Dandong and Sinuiju customs offices, which have been closed for more than a year because of the coronavirus, and they are waiting for trade to resume, said the source, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

Inspections and repairs are necessary because trains between the two border cities have not traversed the 74-year-old Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge in so long, the source said. The area near the bridge is a popular tourist spot where visitors to Dandong can catch a glimpse of the reclusive Stalinist state across the river.

We know that only freight cars will be allowed to cross the border, not passenger cars. I heard that North Korea is opening its borders to import food, building materials and agricultural goods, which they need immediately for their economic development plans, the source said.

The inspectors from Dandong Station have been working on the tracks from morning to evening. They wear fluorescent safety clothes and helmets, so they are clearly visible to tourists around the bridge, said the source.

The source said that trains from China would only be allowed to travel as far as Sinuiju, unlike before the pandemic, when they passed through the border city on their way to Pyongyang, about 140 miles overland.

Perhaps it is because North Koreas emergency quarantine measures have not yet been lifted, and this is freight-only, not a passenger train, the source said.

The emergency quarantine measures limit movement between provinces and absolutely prohibit any contact with Chinese.

Another source, also from Dandong, confirmed to RFA that rail traffic would resume between the two cities in April.

Even if they reopen the border, the movement of people is prohibited and only freight will be allowed, said the second source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Today I saw a number of inspectors at the bridge across the Yalu River. The coronavirus is a huge concern in North Korea, so the economic situation must be pretty serious if they are going to reopen the borders, said the second source.

News that trade between China and North Korea will resume has spread all over Dandong, and trade officials from North Korea and their Chinese counterparts have been feverishly working to get their deals in place ahead of the reopening, according to the second source.

Trade with North Korea has been suspended for more than a year, so traders in Dandong, who are on the verge of bankruptcy, are in a much better mood than before, the second source said.

The second source acknowledged that rumors of a resumption of trade had made the rounds in Dandong many times over the past year, but never came to fruition.

This time its different. Given the movement of all the North Korean trade workers in and around Dandong, and the inspections on the Yalu River bridge, the possibility that Sino-Korean trade will resume in April is really raising the expectations of all the traders from both countries, said the source.

In 2019, the last full year before North Korea and China stopped trading, total trade volume between the two countries amounted to slightly more than U.S. $3 billion, according to data from the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

China was the origin country for 96 percent of North Koreas imports in 2019 and was the destination country for 67 percent of North Korean exports, according to data published on the website of the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).

According to a recent report by the UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights, the border closure caused many North Koreans to starve to death, with children and elderly resorting to begging in the streets or risking execution by breaking laws to obtain food from China.

Prolonged COVID-19 prevention measures have resulted in a drastic decline in trade and commercial activities and severe economic hardship to the general population, causing increased food insecurity, said the report.

Reported by Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
New cargo air route links China's Wuhan, India

Xinhua) 14:08, April 01, 2021

WUHAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A cargo plane loaded with 20 tonnes of goods on Tuesday departed from Wuhan in central China for Delhi, India, marking the launch of the 11th regular international cargo route for the Chinese city.

The route is operated by India's SpiceJet, with three weekly Boeing 737 flights.

The goods transported on the route are mainly electronic products, mobile phones and accessories, and cross-border e-commerce goods, with destinations covering a number of major cities in India.

Data show that in the first three months of 2021, Hubei Airport Group saw a total international cargo and mail throughput of nearly 30,000 tonnes, showing robust recovery from the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Liang Jun)
The Realme 8 Pro unveiled last week is receiving a new firmware with version number RMX3081_11_A.27. This is the second software update after a build with version RMX3081_11_A.24 was rolled out before the launch, which came with Starry Mode and Starry Timelapse features.

The new build bumps up the Android security patch level on the Realme 8 Pro from February 2021 to April 2021, which is impressive since even Google's Pixels are yet to receive the April patch.



Realme 8 Pro

Additionally, the firmware adds Hyper Motion Slo-Mo mode to the smartphone's rear camera and updates the watermark style. It also brings VoWiFi support for Vi (Vodafone Idea) to the Indian units. You can check out the complete changelog of the update below for more details:

Security Android security patch: April 2021

Camera Added Hyper motion SLO-MO mode of the rear camera Update watermark style Fixed the flicker issue of taking photos with the rear camera in some scenarios Fixed the probabilistic color shifts issue of the rear camera

Network Added support for VoWiFi function of Vi India carrier (India)

System Fixed the probabilistic issue of unable to swipe down to expand the status bar when power on Fixed the probabilistic issue of prompting reset failed in notification bar



The new update requires a download of around 330MB and should reach all the units in a week or two. We expect Realme to add the full update package to the software support page on its official site soon, allowing Realme 8 Pro users to install the update manually on their devices without waiting for the OTA to arrive on the units.



Realme 8 Pro receives second software update

The Realme 8 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 720G SoC and runs Android 11-based Realme UI 2.0 out of the box. It features a 6.4" 60Hz FullHD+ AMOLED screen and packs a 4,500 mAh battery with 50W charging.

The Realme 8 Pro comes with a total of five cameras - a 16MP selfie shooter inside the punch hole, with the 108MP primary camera on the back joined by an 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth units.

You can read our Realme 8 Pro review to learn all about it, or watch the video below to know more about its key features.
The costly rollout of asymptomatic screening for covid-19 at UK universities has found very few positive cases following its launch in December as part of the Governments ambitious 100bn Moonshot program, finds an investigation published by The BMJ today.

It reveals that almost two thirds of higher education institutions are not collecting data on the number of students being tested and a third are not logging how many test positive. Experts have described campus testing as haphazard and messy with a price tag that is outrageous.

On 17 Feb 2021 The BMJ sent Freedom of Information requests to the 216 universities and colleges eligible to receive public funding for twice weekly lateral flow testing for students, asking how much they received, how many tests they had carried out, and how many positive tests came back.

Among 69 institutions that disclosed three months worth of data, 1,649 positive results were reported from 335,383 tests carried out, a 0.5% positive rate.

The BMJ also found widespread reluctance among universities and colleges to share information about costs and the effects of testing on containing the virus.

Only 16 institutions disclosed complete data on their funding, the number of tests carried out, and the number of positive results. These showed that the government spent roughly 3,000 per positive test result yielded.

But experts said this is likely to be a vast underestimation of the full cost, as factors such as staffing of testing sites were not included.

The clear message from the data is that the mass testing is haphazard, fragmented, disjointed and absolutely the antithesis of public health. Allyson Pollock, Professor of public health at Newcastle University, and Vocal critic of testing program

And she urged universities to abandon asymptomatic testing and instead focus on testing those with symptoms, particularly as students return to campuses and prevalence of covid is falling to low levels.

Jon Deeks, professor of biostatistics at the University of Birmingham and leader of the Cochrane Collaborations covid-19 test evaluation activities, points to data from Englands Test and Trace service which suggest that the cost of asymptomatic testing in schools could be as much as 120,000 per case found, and said it was crucial that the Department of Health and Social Care published an analysis of data that it was collecting from universities in England.

Angela Raffle, consultant in Public Health and honorary senior lecturer at Bristol University, who has worked for the UK National Screening Programs since their inception in 1996, described the rollout of asymptomatic testing as a lost opportunity.

She said the whole thing is a desperate exercise in trying to get favorable publicity for number 10, trying to get rid of the Innova test mountain, and trying to change the culture in this country so that we start to think that regular tests for everybody is a worthwhile use of public resources, which it isn't.

The government told The BMJ that it was up to universities to determine their testing approach, but said it was committed to working with them to offer twice weekly asymptomatic testing to all students on campus.

A government spokesperson said, Protecting communities and saving lives is always our first priority and every pound spent is contributing towards our efforts to keep people safe. Testing at universities is a key pillar in reducing transmission risks, and allowing more students to return to face-to-face study as safely as possible.

A spokesperson for Universities UK said, Lateral flow device testing is not perfect, no test is. But they are easy to use and give rapid results, which can enable universities to quickly identify highly infectious asymptomatic individuals who could otherwise unknowingly be spreading the virus, and help them to follow the right course of action.
US food giant Campbell Soup Co. has sold its Plum Organics baby-food brand to local snacks business Sun-Maid Growers of California for an undisclosed sum.

Fresno-based Sun-Maid said the range of organic baby food and kids snacks fits well with its offering of better-for-you whole fruit snacks.

Harry Overly, CEO and president of Sun-Maid, said: Plum is a natural fit for the Sun-Maid family given our expertise, leadership and rapid growth in healthy snacking, along with our strong emotional connection with family households.

Its acquisition is an integral part of our continued dedication to providing superior products while delivering category growth. Were committed to carrying on Plums mission of serving babies the very best food from the first bite.

Plum is the latest non-core disposal from Campbell following deals in late 2019 to sell its European snacks assets  including UK-based Kettle Foods  to Valeo Foods Group and its Australia-based snacks business Arnotts to private-equity firm KKR.



It had sold its Denmark-based snacks business Kelsen to Italian confectionery heavyweight Ferrero earlier that year.

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In January this year, it announced it was to sell its US artisan bread brand Ecce Panis to New Jersey-based Jimmy's Cookies.

Chris Foley, Campbell's president of meals and beverages, said: "The sale of the Plum Organics baby-food brand is part of our ongoing strategic process to create even greater focus on driving growth in the division's core categories of soup, sauces and beverages."

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Plum Organics was founded in 2007 by a group of parents on a mission to provide high-quality food to their children. Campbell acquired Plum in 2013.

In February, it was revealed Campbell was facing a consumer lawsuit filed in the US over claims its Plum Organics products contain elevated levels of toxic metals.
It is a romantic scene. Adam Driver lifts Lady Gaga in a small wooden boat, with one Arm, he supports her legs, the other hand he has around your waist and looped. The water glistens in the sun, as the Driver losrudert, and in the middle of lake Como, kisses are exchanged. He is wearing a white turtleneck under his blue jacket, a beige plaid trench coat over a patterned dress and the light brown moccasins, of course, Gucci.

Julia Anton

editor in the Department of society FAZ.NET

F. A. Z.

The two rotate in these days in Italy, together with Director Ridley Scott's "The House of Gucci". Driver takes on the role of the Gucci heirs Maurizio, Lady Gaga plays his wife, Patrizia Reggiani, you will later confess to the murder to him in order.

The movie is about the family, which once stood behind the luxury brand, is already in the conversation. The Italian press accompanied the shooting step of the way, and the photos from the Set of the Glamour of the seventies and eighties revival: beautiful gowns, opulent jewelry and hairstyles!

two main cast members, all of whom were nominated for an Oscar. In the roles of other family members Al Pacino, and Jared Leto hatch. The story could not have come up with in Hollywood better. The Film is based on the eponymous family biography of the former "Women's Wear Daily"correspondent Sara Gay Forden, the reconstructed in the year 2000, the rise and fall of Gucci.

The whole family worked with

In 1921, had opened Guccio Gucci, who was in his youth as an Elevator operator working with his wife, a small shop for leather goods in Florence. He had good taste, put emphasis on quality and fair prices, and opened two years later, a second Store. His children helped: Grimalda, the first born, took care of the branch in Florence, Italy. Aldo, the eldest son, continued to drive the company's Expansion to Rome and, later, abroad. Rodolfo managed the new store in Milan, designed pockets and the Flora scarf, Vasco led the Gucci factory near Florence.

Updated Date: 01 April 2021, 05:20
In September 2020, NerdsToGo was bought by Propelled Brands, the parent company of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchisor in North America.

FREMONT, CA: NerdsToGo, a leading computer, and technology repair services franchise, has declared that it is aggressively targeting franchise growth across the United States as demand for in-home technology solutions continues to rocket with more professionals working from home. The announcement comes after the signing of two franchise agreements to develop new locations in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina.

In September 2020, NerdsToGo was bought by Propelled Brands, the parent company of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchisor in North America. Following the new leadership, the NerdsToGo brand and its franchisees would receive ongoing training, support as well as unparalleled resources that will position the brand as a leader among the industry and also in the local communities it serves.

"The pandemic has forced many professionals to work remotely from their homes full time, without direct access to their company's IT department. Remote work is a part of the 'new normal,' and we see a huge opportunity for managed IT services for both small and medium-sized companies," has stated Mark Jameson, Chief Support and Development Officer. "Propelled Brands has grown FASTSIGNS to be the leader in its category, and with a proven business model, we aspire to duplicate that strategy with NerdsToGo. With the brand's authority in the business-to-business sector, we are looking to utilize our expertise to grow NerdsToGo to be a powerhouse brand."
We had mentioned in Wednesdays closing report that Nifty, Sensex were still on a rally mode. On Thursday, the indices opened higher and rallied with decent gains. On the NSE, there were 1,593 advances, 353 declines and 56 unchanged.

The trends of the major indices in the course of Thursdays trading are given in the table below:

Sunteck Realty had secured a seven-acre land parcel in Mumbai's Borivali. JLL India would be the exclusive transaction partner for the joint venture, said Sunteck in its BSE filing, adding it expected to generate a project topline of around Rs 1,750 crore over the next four-five years.

Steel Strips Wheels achieved the highest-ever wheel rim sales of 16.73 lakh in March 2021 versus 7.88 lakh in March 2020. Gross turnover was Rs 307.38 crore in March 2021 versus Rs 102.28 crore in March 2020.

Reliance Infra sold Reliance Centre in Mumbai to Yes Bank for a consideration of Rs 1,200 crore. Entire proceeds from the sale are to be utilised for repaying the debt of Yes Bank, Reliance Infrastructure said.

Hindustan Aeronautics reported all-time high revenue of over Rs 22,700 crore for the year ended on March 31, 2021. The corresponding figure for the previous year stood at Rs 21,438 crore, the company said.

Wipro announced buying Australia-based Ampion for USD 117 million (Rs 858 crore), as it provides cyber security, Dev Ops (software development and IT operations) and engineering services.

Government owned Indian Bank has declared bad loans amounting Rs 202.32 crore to seven domestic borrowers and USD 5.289 million lent to a foreign company as fraud.

JSW Steel has commenced production at its Dolvi Works facility. In another statement, the company said it completed the acquisition of the manufacturing business of high-grade steel plates and coils of Welspun for Rs 848.5 crore.

Maruti Suzuki posted total sales of 1,67,014 units in March 2021, consisting of domestic sales (passenger vehicle and light commercial vehicle) of 1,49,518 units, sales to other OEMs of 5,899 units and exports of 11,597 units, the company said in the release.

Ashok Leyland said it sold 17,231 units in March 2021.

Mahindra & Mahindra reported a 128% YoY jump in total tractor sales to 30,970 units for March.

Indraprastha Gas signed a long- term gas supply agreement with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to supply CNG for a period of ten years till December 2030.

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:

The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below:
[April 01, 2021] Certain Affinity Celebrates Second Anniversary of Toronto Studio with New Executive Hire and "Studio of the Year" Award Nomination

AUSTIN, Texas, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Certain Affinity, one of the largest independent video game developers, today announced that it is celebrating the two-year anniversary of its Toronto studio with the hiring of a general manager and a coveted game industry award nomination. On the heels of the company being nominated for Canadian Games Award for Studio of the Year , Certain Affinity is excited to announce that game industry veteran Dan Ayoub has joined the studio as its VP of Canadian operations and Toronto's general manager. A Lebanese Canadian, born and raised in Montreal, Dan will be located in Canada and will be instrumental in leading Certain Affinity's Canadian growth efforts. He is an integral part of the company overall, driving business development and marketing functions as well as overseeing education relations. Outside of his career, Dan is a passionate advocate for education and the power of games for learning and social impact, and serves on the Board of Directors of Games for Change. Dan brings a wealth of experience from his career in video games that has spanned more than 20 years. He was most recently the General Manager of Education at Microsoft and 343 Industries' former external studio head. He has also held game producer roles at Electronic Arts, Disney, and Ubisoft.

"As our main contact at 343 Idustries for many years, we have worked with and respected Dan through many collaborations on the Halo franchise. We've always been impressed with his zeal for gaming and his extraordinary leadership skills," said Max Hoberman, Certain Affinity's CEO and Founder. "We have ambitious goals and growth plans for our company, and with Dan's acumen for helping teams achieve their goals and making games accessible to everyone, we know we are set up to exceed all of our expectations."



Dan joins a rapidly growing company, which recently passed 250 full-time employees across both studios located in Austin and Toronto. The Toronto studio currently has more than 30 employees and expects to nearly double in size this year. Certain Affinity recently celebrated its 14th anniversary as a studio. It has a proven track-record of developing innovative, triple-A action games, including both original titles and co-developed games in blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty, Halo, DOOM, and Left 4 Dead. Across its 14 years, it has developed or co-developed 32 products across 13 different franchises, with more than 100 million units sold. The Toronto location works in tandem with the Austin studio and is currently working alongside it on five projects, including an ambitious unannounced original IP game. Hoberman continued, "What attracts talent to Certain Affinity is the same as what keeps them here: our commitment to our values, the variety and quality of projects, opportunity to work with amazing partners and IP, and the incredible talent that we are so fortunate to work alongside."

Recognizing this dedication to its employees and products, Certain Affinity was recently nominated as "Studio of the Year" from the Canadian Game Awards. Certain Affinity was selected for this honor as a leading Canadian studio among much longer established studios including EA Motive, The Coalition, and Phoenix Labs. The winner is expected to be announced on April 9, 2021. Certain Affinity is seeking a variety of skilled and passionate team members to join the company in Austin and Toronto, including artists, engineers, designers, producers, and more. Anyone interested in joining this growing independent AAA game developer can see a list of current job openings at certainaffinity.com/careers. About Certain Affinity:

Certain Affinity (CA) was founded in 2006 as a bootstrap startup with the goal of creating innovative, top-quality action games. CA brings an exceptionally talented group together to form the largest independent developer in Austin, Texas and opened a second studio in Toronto, Canada in 2019. The company's 250+ full-time employees include individuals from dozens of successful game studios, with Max Hoberman, CA's founder and former Multiplayer and Online Lead for the Halo series, serving as CEO. Learn more at http://www.certainaffinity.com Contact:

Susan Lusty

415-269-0226 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/certain-affinity-celebrates-second-anniversary-of-toronto-studio-with-new-executive-hire-and-studio-of-the-year-award-nomination-301260694.html SOURCE Certain Affinity

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Apiarists stung by the news 15 million Italian bees are on their way to England via Northern Ireland have launched a post-Brexit campaign to create a hard border for the insects.

They want a ban on the foreign species as the Italian insects are "a horrendous pest" and will dilute the quality of native bees due to cross-breeding, according to a councillor.

Mid Ulster District Council is to support the campaign calling on the UK Government to stop the importation of the Italian honeybees to Britain via here.

Kent beekeeper Patrick Murfet wants to import the young insects for his business and to help farmers pollinate their crops.

He stands to lose nearly 100,000 if he is prevented from bringing them into England.

For decades bees have been imported to replenish stocks, strengthen breeding lines and as pollinators for fruit and honey farms. However, thanks to Brexit, only queens can be imported into Britain, not colonies or packs.

But confusion remains over importing them here.

In a bid to avoid the ban and abide by the law, Mr Murfet has arranged for his usual importation of 15m bees to arrive in Northern Ireland this month before they travel to England.

At the council's monthly meeting, independent member Dan Kerr said he had been contacted by concerned beekeepers who had asked for help to block the insects' arrival.

"A few local beekeepers and members of the Low Country Native Irish Honeybee Association have requested council support its campaign to stop the import of 15m Italian bees into the UK via the north of Ireland," said Mr Kerr.

"The Italian bees have a notifiable disease, which can cause contamination to the native black Irish honeybees.

"It is a horrendous pest that eats everything in the colony.

"Our native bee is under threat due to cross-breeding, which will dilute what academic studies have designated the best strain of black bee in Europe.

"The native bee has adapted over thousands of years to Ireland's moist temperature and climate and it would be a shame to destroy our native bees' heritage."

Mr Kerr proposed the council support the campaign to prevent the importation of the Italian species.

Fellow independent Barry Monteith backed him.

He said: "This plan to import these bees could potentially have a very serious impact on the native Irish bee and I think we should do everything we can to resist all attempts to do so.

"This mistake can only be made once."

The SDLP's Malachy Quinn also supported the proposal and told the chamber it was important to protect native species.

"We all know the risk of invasive species to our native ones - just look at the grey squirrels and what has become of our red squirrels," he pointed out.

"I am very happy to support this proposal.

"It is not just us, a lot of people in England are unhappy about the import of these bees as well."
Athens, GA (30605)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 90F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
ORANGE, Calif.  A gunman opened fire at a Southern California real estate office on Wednesday, killing four people, including a 9-year-old boy who the authorities said appeared to have died in his mothers arms as she tried to shield him from the gunfire.

The shooting was likely related to a business and personal relationship which existed between the suspect and all of the victims, Lt. Jennifer Amat, a spokeswoman for the Orange Police Department, said at a news conference on Thursday morning.

This appears to be an isolated incident, and we believe everyone knew each other, Lieutenant Amat said.

The woman holding the boy was wounded in the shooting and remained in a hospital on Thursday after emergency treatment, with the Orange County district attorney, Todd Spitzer, cautioning that their relationship had not been formally determined. The police did not provide details about the other victims, a man and two women, because their next of kin had not all been notified.
She rarely puts a foot out of line when it comes to fashion.

And Isla Fisher certainly made a style statement on Wednesday, as she enjoyed a private shopping trip with her A-list pals Rita Ora, Elsa Pataky and Tessa Thompson at the David Jones department store in Sydney.

The 45-year-old actress, known for her roles in Wedding Crashers and Confessions of a Shopaholic, wore a designer outfit worth more than $8,600.

She has expensive taste! Isla Fisher donned an $8,600 outfit for a late-night shopping trip with her Hollywood pals in Sydney on Wednesday

She dressed to impress in Kut From The Kloth blue jeans, a high-neck white shirt and a check blazer.

Isla teamed her outfit with a pair of Gucci slides, which retail for $1,515, and carried a $7,100 Fendi handbag.

The star swept back her long hair and accessorised with red sunglasses and a white Vistaprint face mask.

After four hours of private shopping, Isla and her friends were spotting leaving David Jones.

Fashionista: The 45-year-old actress teamed her chic outfit with a pair of Gucci slides, which retail for $1,515, and carried a $7,100 Fendi handbag

Elsa, 44, left the department store carrying several shopping bags and climbed into a waiting car.

Isla then walked out and got into another car, before Rita, 30, and Tessa, 37, followed shortly afterwards.

David Jones' flagship Sydney store closed at 7pm on Wednesday, but remained open an extra two hours for the Hollywood stars to complete their shopping.

Shopping spree: After four hours of shopping, Isla and her A-list friends left David Jones. Elsa (pictured) exited carrying several shopping bags and climbed into a waiting car

Going back home: Isla then walked out and got into another car, before Rita Ora (right) and Tessa Thompson (left) followed shortly afterwards

Isla and her husband Sacha Baron Cohen relocated to Australia at the end of last year to escape 'Trump's America'.

The Perth-raised actress recently discussed making the move across the Pacific with her family in an interview with Stellar magazine.

'I just feel so safe, I suppose the word is cosy, when I'm in Australia. It's where I grew up,' she said.

'I'm the happiest when I'm home. I miss it when I'm not here. I don't feel any pressure when I'm in Australia. I don't have to say or do or be anything. I mean, I don't even have to wear shoes.'
The bridge spanning the Santa Ynez River was built in 1880 and affectionately known as the Old Red Bridge. It was the only means of crossing the river during the winter months. When the river raged, no one could get to or from the south coast.
Eataly Las Vegas at Park MGM will host its popular all-you-can-eat Italian Pizza Giro (tour) and Vino Day during March.

Pizza Giro, March 19-21

For $35 a person*, guests can dine on all-you-can-eat authentic Neapolitan-style pizza by Rossopomodoro. The Pizza Giro begins Friday, March 19 and continues through Sunday, March 21 at La Pizza e La Pasta. Hours are 11 a.m.  10 p.m., with no restrictions on the pizza menu. *Drinks not included.

For more information on Pizza Giro and La Pizza e La Pasta, click here.

Vino Day, March 26

Eataly is offering 40% off six or more bottles of wine at its Las Vegas retail store on Friday, March 26, while supplies last. Eataly Las Vegas carries more than 500 wines hailing from all 20 regions in Italy, as well as a curated selection of rare and vintage bottles.

The corkage fee at Cucina del Mercato will be waived for any retail store purchases on March 26.

For the latest information and offerings at Eataly Las Vegas, follow @EatalyLasVegas @ParkMGM on Instagram and Facebook.

Focused on providing high-quality, sustainable products for all, Eataly is the largest Italian retail and dining experience in the world, transforming the way consumers experience food, beverage and, culture.

At Eataly, guests have the unique opportunity to experience Italian culture through markets, counters, cafes, restaurants and educational offerings that explore the best food and beverage options Italys 20 regions and the world has to offer.

To read more about all things Vegas, stay on vegasnews.com.
Steve Jobs took one class in calligraphy on a whim. Later when he remembered what he learned when he designed the Macintosh computer, Jobs said, It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.

Jobs story offers a real-life example of how an arts class changed the course of a career and affected millions of lives. For decades, Texas has acknowledged the power of the arts by requiring one fine arts credit in high school.

One credit can only scratch the surface of centuries of visual and performing arts. But even that seems too much for the sponsor of a bill currently in front of the Texas Senate.

SB 473 seeks to remove the requirement for one high school Fine Arts credit and allows students to choose either one fine arts or one career and technical education (CTE) credit to meet high school graduation requirements. Legislators should vote no on this bill and remain committed to a well-rounded education for all Texans.

I wholeheartedly support and value CTE. After all, if I hadnt taken typing in high school, decades before widespread use of computers, I might be pecking out this op-ed on my computer today rather than typing fluidly, as I am doing now. But this bills false choice between the arts and technical education will mess with Texas students.

Americans take much pride in our culture and schooling as fostering innovation. Think about this: Fine arts classes are the one place in a childs education where innovation and creativity are essential to the curriculum. And this is the curriculum requirement that this bill asks the Texas Legislature to eliminate.

Five years ago, Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Boards 60x30 plan. The 60x30 plan aims to ensure 60 percent of Texas 25- to 34-year-old workforce achieves a postsecondary education credential by 2030.

Multiple studies show that the arts enhance academic achievement, attendance and graduation rates. The Legislature should encourage participation in the arts, if it is serious about meeting the 60x30 plans ambitious goals.

Teachers who have no training in the arts can teach elementary art, music and theater. Similarly, middle schools need not provide a full year arts class. That leaves high school as the only time in a young Texans education when she can count on appropriate exposure to the arts.

The bills defenders say that students have the option to enroll in art. But state funding gives districts more money for each student enrolled in CTE, and its easy to predict the unintended consequences of this bill. Counselors will steer students away from art classes in favor of a technical credit.

Access to arts education in Texas is already inequitable, especially among Title I school districts and neglected low-income and minority communities. Removing the Fine Arts requirement will unintentionally further the disparity among students in these communities.

Before he died too young in 2011, Jobs famously said in a college commencement address that he wouldnt have been able to connect the dots in his life going forward. That he was only able to understand his life looking back.

But in the case of SB 473, Texans can connect the dots looking forward. The passage of this short-sighted bill would lower the bar for Texas education and the horizon of generations of students.

White is a board member of Texas Cultural Trust, a non-profit that supports the arts in Texas, a former Houston Chronicle editorial board member, a writer and the former First Lady of Houston.
Organizers of the campaign to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom handed in more than 2 million signatures by the March 17 deadline; this figure is significantly higher than the 1.5 million signatures needed to trigger the recall. Given preliminary estimates indicate an 80 percent validation rate, there is a high probability that a recall vote will take place this October or November, a year before the governor finishes his first term.

In expectation that the recall petition will meet the requirement and force a vote, the California Democratic Party has launched an anti-recall website, StopTheRepublicanRecall.com.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (AP Photo Rich Pedroncelli, File)

There is nothing progressive about the drive to unseat California governor Gavin NewsomStopTheRepublicanRecall correctly points out that it is being organized by a collection of right-wing, evangelical, ultra-nationalist, xenophobic and fascist groups and individuals.

It appeals to some of those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but principally small businessmen and others whose economic interests have been hurt by lockdowns, not to those suffering from the health effects of the pandemic and the current drive, spearheaded by Newsom, to reopen schools and businesses no matter what the cost is in terms of lives.

The Newsom administration in California, like the Biden administration, places corporate profits ahead of the health needs of working class families and the poor. As of last Sunday, California had reported 3,613,780 infections and 56,833 deaths. Only 11.7 percent of the states population has been vaccinated. Despite this horrible toll, schools are being reopened and lockdown measures significantly eased.

Like President Biden, Newsom is faithful to the needs of the financial oligarchy and supports its policy of herd immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic. By aggressively pushing for the reopening of the states economy and of public schools, the governor is turning his back on science and endangering California families.

However, the recall campaign is not because Newsoms policies endanger Californians, or for his attacks on the working class, but because, in the view of its ultra-right supporters, Newsom has been too slow in these attacks.

The words of the petition outline a rabid attack on democratic rights and working class families, and a free-market defense of big business:

Governor Newsom has implemented laws which are detrimental to the people of this state and our way of life. Laws he endorsed favor foreign nationals in our country illegally, over that of our own citizens. People in this state suffer from the highest taxes in the nation, the highest homelessness rates, and the lowest quality of life as a result. He has imposed sanctuary state status and fails to enforce immigration laws. He unilaterally over-ruled the will of the people regarding the death penalty. He seeks to impose additional burdens on our state by the following: removing the protections of Proposition 13 [limiting the states ability to raise property taxes], rationing our water use, increasing taxes and restricting parental rights.

Additionally, the campaign website recallgavin2020.com blames the governor for emptying prisons, locking down the population and for other grievances associated with right-wing, ultra-nationalist and fascist organizations such as QAnon, the John Birch Society, the California Patriot Commission, Christian fundamentalists and the anti-immigrant movement.

Their issues include support for treating workers as independent contractors, opposition to sex education in schools, opposition to supportive housing and benefits for the homeless and immigrants, opposition to increases in the minimum wage, opposition to COVID-19 restrictions of church services, andin addition to calls for the reopening of public schools and collegessupport for the death penalty, for the police, and for the unrestricted right to carry weapons.

Last week, an opinion poll released by Nexstar Media found that 38 percent of those surveyed would vote to recall the governor, 42 percent would vote against, 13.9 percent have not decided and the rest would not vote. A February poll by the Institute of Governmental Studies of the University of California found that just 36 percent of California voters were in favor of the recall.

Orrin Heatlie, a retired Yolo County sheriffs sergeant and leader of the recall campaign, declared that the people of California are speaking loud and clear. We have cleared another milestone, when he announced that his groups 2 million signature goal had been reached. He lives in Folsom, California, outside Sacramento, site of the infamous state prison.

Heatlie is notorious for calling for installing microchips in undocumented immigrants so the government could monitor their movements. He wrote in 2019, Microchip all illegal immigrants. It works! Just ask Animal control!

The recall campaign began in June 2020. Legally, the petitioners had 160 days to collect the required number of signatures, until mid-November. Anticipating that they would not have enough signatures by that deadline, Heatlie and his California Patriot Coalition appealed in October to a Sacramento court, asking for more time, arguing that the restrictions imposed by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic severely inhibited their ability to circulate petitions and gather signatures in support of the recall effort.

Sacramento Judge James Arguelles agreed with the recall campaign, declaring their argument persuasive. The ruling was made final on October 16, 2020, when California Secretary of State Alex Padilla did not present any arguments challenging the groups request.

The attitude of the Democrats and the courts was far different when they considered the request of the Socialist Equality Party 2020 campaign, when attorneys for Joseph Kishore and Norissa Santa Cruz, the partys candidates, asked for the signature requirements to be suspended because the COVID-19 pandemic made it too dangerous to approach voters.

Democrats vociferously opposed the SEP effort, claiming that putting the SEP on the ballot would cause voter confusion and frustration of the democratic process. Attorneys representing Governor Newsom and Secretary of State Padilla argued that the SEP should have deployed 66 signature gatherers, working five days a week for 15 weeks, to obtain the requisite number of signatures. This in the midst of a global pandemic, when social distancing rules effectively barred the type of contact required to collect signatures.

However, confronted by a right-wing petition, backed by sections of the Republican Party, both Padilla and the courts were happy to oblige, granting an additional four months to collect signatures. The courts decision gave new impetus to Recallgavin2020. Donations increased, paid petitioners were hired. As of February 2021, the campaign had raised over $2.5 million, with hundreds of out-of-state donors.

In Arkansas, former governor Mike Huckabees Political Action Committee donated $100,000. Tens of thousands of dollars have come from Texas, Oklahoma, New York, and Florida. Last December in Orange County, California, a reactionary evangelical group known as Prov 3:9 donated $500,000, from a donor who opposed the governors decision to close churches during the pandemic. (Prov 3:9 takes its name from a biblical text that admonishes rich people to use their riches to honor God, in return for more wealth for the super-rich).

The announcement that 2 million signatures had been obtained came the day after Newsom delivered his third State of the State speech in Los Angeles Dodger Stadium, in which he dismissed his critics as a few nay-sayers and dooms-dayers motivated by outdated prejudices. He pledged to his big-business backers, we will not be distracted from getting shots in the arms and our economy booming again.

In his speech, Newsom promised to fight for equity among Californians, a far cry from his actual record as the choice of the multi-millionaires both to become mayor of San Francisco and then governor. He showed his devotion to equity with his October 2019 veto of a $2 billion affordable housing bill to address the homelessness crisis in the state, financed by a tax on wealth.

With this veto Newsom exposed himself as a fiscal austerity conservative, no less than the Republicans. The one thing that concerns me and should concern everybody is our ability to balance the books, said Newsom as he killed the bill. More recently, Newsom has repeatedly blocked additional funds for schools.

By describing the recall campaign as the work of a handful of supporters of former President Trump attempting to divide America, Newsom has followed the script laid out by President Biden and the Democratic Party. He minimizes the significance of the recall drive, much as Biden has done with regard to the national Republican Party and the assault on Congress of January 6, 2021.

When California Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks had observed that some of the groups and individuals who participated in the January 6 attack, are also part of the recall effort, he was compelled to back down from the comparison. But San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria agreed, declaring that it was possible to draw a straight line from the January 6 event to the recall effort.

A Newsweek report published on January 28 found that the groups initially involved in pushing the recall included the Oath Keepers, the III Percenters and the Proud Boys. One such figure involved is Proud Boys member and recently-elected Sacramento County Republican Partys Central Committee member Jeffery Perrine, who was documented on social media demanding that illegal immigrants should have their heads smashed into the concrete.

Interviewed on The View television program on March 16, Newsom continued to downplay the recall drive, pointing out the small proportion of the electorate required for a recall to get to the ballot compared to other states and to the number of people who cast their ballots for Trump in California.
Alls well doesnt seemingly end well for the cast of The Real World Homecoming: New York. Despite having some hope that Becky Blasband would reconcile with the original MTV cast, she ultimately turned her back saying, Theyre not my friends.

Blasband left the loft after a heated discussion about race with Kevin Powell. Like the same discussion they had in 1992, Blasband and Powell were unable to reach an understanding. But Blasband became increasingly frustrated when she thought she was being portrayed as a racist. Most of the cast reached out to her after she left, but she only agreed to meet with Julie Gentry.

Becky Blasband | Photo courtesy of Paramount +

Becky Blasband didnt realize the cast would cover the hard hitting issues again

Blasband met Gentry at a neutral location in the city. While Blasband said she had a great time for the majority of the time in the loft, she didnt mince words when it came to how she felt about the show and the cast. She felt as though Gentry was the only person who supported her during the blowout she had with Powell.

I was like, Well, some people have grown up, other people not so much,' she said. It wasnt what I was expecting at all. Cant do it. I didnt want to fight. It just makes me feel bad.

Things took a turn with the roommates, and it just got more real!



An all-new episode of The #RealWorld Homecoming: New York is available to stream right now on @paramountplus! pic.twitter.com/2AEgl8H4IT  The Real World Homecoming: New York (@RealWorldMTV) March 18, 2021

RELATED: The Real World: New York Shocker: Becky Blasband Leaves the Show After Arguing With Kevin Powell

Gentry thought it would have been a good idea if Blasband had revisited their season before returning to be on the reunion show. Theres fighting for things, Blasband said. And then theres bickering and arguing and hurtful things. Im not there to be the poster girl for white privilege. Its not who I am. Im not a racist, Ill never be a racist.

Becky Blasband says the cast are not her friends

And while Blasbands position was clear, she still felt as though she couldnt fully trust everyone from the show. I love where Ive traveled, I work hard, she said. Blasband was dragged at one point during the argument for being a little elitist and constantly talking about her travels to France, for instance. Nobody has a right to come down on me personally, she added.

Thats what happened, she told Gentry. And the fact that everybody was just silent, I was genuinly hurt. Theyre not my friends.

If this friendship isn't real, I don't know what is anymore



Catch up on The #RealWorld Homecoming: New York now on @paramountplus! pic.twitter.com/mnr35W4jIN  The Real World Homecoming: New York (@RealWorldMTV) March 29, 2021

RELATED: The Real World Homecoming: New York: Eric Nies Shares Why Val Kilmers Team Iced Him out of Batman Forever

Gentry appeared to be a little stunned when Blasband made the remark. Norman Korpi was especially hurt when Blasband walked out of the loft. He even asked her if their friendship was real and she replied, Nope. But he was also hurt that she wouldnt reply to his texts or phone calls. But she responded to Gentry.

You know Becky things dont have to be fixed, Gentry said. It doesnt have to be that deep. We dont have to agree 100% of the time on 100% of everything. While Gentry knew she should pushed harder, she couldnt do it. I dont want to say what Im thinking, Gentry said in a confessional about the exchange.

The Real World Homecoming: New York is currently streaming on Paramount+
ALBANY, Ore.  A Portland man died after a crash outside Albany Wednesday night, Oregon State Police say.

Investigation indicates Martin Pratt Jr., 81, was operating a Honda motorcycle on Highway 226 and was turning onto Highway 20 when he hit the side of Dodge pickup being driven by a 59-year-old Lebanon man.

Pratt and his passenger were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis, where Pratt was pronounced dead.

The driver of the pickup was not injured.

The Linn County Sheriffs Office, Albany Fire Department and Oregon Department of Transportation assisted OSP.
Peter Daszak, who led the WHO investigation into China to quash the theory that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak, declared his alliance with the CCP.

The highly anticipated, controversial WHO COVID-19 investigation into China has been finally released on Tuesday following several delays. On the same day, COVID-19 investigator Peter Daszak made an appearance on the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN) to hype the findings that absolved the Wuhan virology lab from any faults concerning the coronavirus.

Daszak, who in the past has developed a habit of praising communist China' state-run media outlets, admitted that he had previously collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party and its scientific communities in the recent interview, The National Pulse reported.

"Everybody knows that I have strong collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology for many years," WHO COVID-19 investigator Daszak said after reiterating that the coronavirus lab leak was an improbable theory.

The National Pulse reported that according to Daszak, they "didn't see significant information that suggests'' that the lab leak hypothesis was indeed true. He said that as a scientist, he can only "deal with the evidence you see in front of your eyes" and since there was no evidence to support the lab leak theory, they concluded that it was "extremely unlikely."

Daszak reiterated that he had long standing collaboration with the CCP and its numerous scientific institutes, because "we all work on these viruses, and let's not forget SARS, the original important coronavirus emerged in Guangdong. And that's why we're working in China collaboratively with China CDC, Wuhan Institute of Virology, and many, many other organizations because we want to stop this from happening."

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who prior to his departure from office released a report indicating that there's evidence pointing that COVID-19 indeed came from a laboratory in Wuhan, stood by the State Department's report even after the initial report produced by Daszak and team, along with Chinese representatives, absolved the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Many have become suspicious of Daszak and the entire WHO COVID-19 investigation held in January, including Jamie Metzl, former U.S. National Security Council under the Clinton administration and a member of the WHO advisory committee on genetic engineering. He and a slew of other experts signed an open letter in March calling for another international investigation into China, CBS News reported.

Metzl criticized what Daszak called an "investigation," saying it was more like a "highly-chaperoned, highly-curated study tour." Metzl argued, "This group of experts only saw what the Chinese government wanted them to see."

Metzl isn't alone in his quest to find out the truth about the supposed inquest in January led by WHO COVID-19 investigator Peter Daszak. The United States on March 30 released a joint statement signed by 13 other countries calling for a "transparent and independent analysis and evaluation, free from interference and undue influence, of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Countries who co-signed the statement are Australia, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

Daszak seems to remain unfazed by the demands of international powers and stands by the results of his "investigation" alongside the CCP.
A group consisting of some of the worlds most powerful oil producers on Thursday will meet to decide on the next phase of output policy, CNBC reported.

OPEC and non-OPEC partners, a group sometimes referred to as OPEC+, convened for talks via videoconference at around 1:25 p.m. London time.

The OPEC+ alliance is currently cutting by just over 7 million barrels per day in an attempt to prop up prices and reduce oversupply. OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia has voluntarily added an additional 1 million barrels per day to those cuts.

The meeting comes shortly after the Suez Canal reopened to traffic and as the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, with French President Emmanuel Macron ordering the country into its third national lockdown to alleviate some of the pressure on hospitals.

The ongoing coronavirus crisis continues to cloud the demand outlook and analysts expect this to reaffirm Saudi Arabias caution about the global economic recovery.
Five new beer licenses were approved at the Thursday morning meeting of the Chattanooga Beer Board.

They include Party Fowl Hamilton Place which is opening in the former location of Bar Louie at 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd. #238A. This will be the fifth location for the business and the first outside of Middle Tennessee, said owner Austin Smith. The restaurant specializes in Nashville hot chicken and offers boozy slushies and craft beer.

The restaurant also has a patio with fire pits. The opening for friends and families is Saturday, which will be closed to the public. The official opening will be Monday, April 5.

Nick & Normans, 1386 Market St., opened at the Chattanooga Choo Choo in December. As part of the original lease, the restaurant had planned to have a patio area, but that space has just recently been completed and it is now ready to open. Adding more seating to the original beer permit required a new application which was unanimously approved.

Fuji Steak & Sushi, 5437 Highway 153, was approved for a beer license on Thursday. The owner Chao Lin told the beer board that nothing would be changing except the ownership.

The Big River Grill Hamilton Place, 2020 Hamilton Place Blvd. already had a consumer beer license and at the beer board meeting was approved to add a catering permit. The business also has an ABC catering license for liquor and wine.

After the third appearance at the beer board, Ryan Rothermel and Rashell McKee owners Exile off Main Street, 1634 Rossville Ave. were approved for a new beer license after passing all inspections from the city. The new permit comes with the removal of Martin Bohannan from the license. Mr. Bohannan asked to make a statement under oath and on the record. He said that during the process of changing ownership, he had been falsely portrayed as calling police about the business. He told the board that he had not had a good working relationship with Mr. Rothermel but he does care a lot about the customers and employees at Exile and would not jeopardize their jobs.
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood toured the Morgan County Health Departments vaccination clinic at Passavant Area Hospital on Wednesday, talking with county leaders and hospital representatives about the push to get everyone vaccinated.

LaHood, R-IL, who has been vaccinated, had many questions about the process and how the future looks.

Morgan County Health Department head Dale Bainter, Passavant Area Hospital President Dr. Scott Boston, Morgan County Emergency Management director Phil McCarty and Morgan County Commissioner Ginny Fanning all joined LaHood on his tour, helping to answer questions about delivery of the vaccine, the vaccine clinics schedule and COVID-19 positivity rates for the area.

It seems to me that the biggest concern is convincing people to get vaccinated, LaHood said.

Some 17,000 doses of vaccine have been administered in Morgan County, Bainter and McCarty said.

We really focused hard (on seniors) in the month of January and February, McCarty said.

Boston explained the severity of the peak in COVID-19 cases in the fall and what it was like at the hospital at the time.

November and December were pretty busy months because thats when we had our surge, Boston said. We were pretty overwhelmed because our colleagues contracted COVID and (there was) a shortage of staff.

As more people are vaccinated, it encourages others to be vaccinated, Boston said, acknowledging that some people remain hesitant.

Getting everyone vaccinated really enforces how to get that workforce available, he said. We really do believe this is the right way out of this pandemic.

LaHood, whose 18th District is largely rural, wondered about how to convince those who remain unsure about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine to be vaccinated.

Im curious, when you think of the hesitancy in the rural population  and my district is very rural  but, if you get farm bureaus involved, other organizations involved, would it help push?

Boston agreed that it might, suggesting that getting other organizations, such as Kiwanis and Rotary, involved also might help.

LaHood also wondered when daily life might return to normal.

I dont think well ever get back to the old normal, Boston said. I think well get back to a new, steady state.

Wearing face masks during certain seasons and using telehealth for medical appointments may be the future of health care, he said.

Bainter expressed interest in getting more doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which is the only one so far to be approved for those as young as 16, and worried that people might start trying to choose which vaccine they receive once the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is more readily available.

Everyone is excited about that one dose, Bainter said.

Bainter also brought up funding for health departments, saying his department  like many  wasnt fully prepared for the pandemic because funding is always an issue.

Its an industry that has been flat-funded, or underfunded, for three decades, Bainter said.

The past year highlights the importance and the critical nature of what (health departments) do and what you provide, LaHood said.
President Biden has been repeatedly criticizing the new Georgia election law. He has called it the Jim Crow of the 21st Century. He, and media and press, has stated that people without an ID would not be able to vote. They have stated that water cannot be given to a voter while waiting hours in line to vote.

First, Jim Crow (segregation) has nothing to do with this voting law. Maybe he was reflecting on Columbia Universitys recent graduation proposals.

Second, Voter IDs can be obtained for free in Georgia. Georgia will provide a Voter ID to anyone for free. They are valid for eight years. A Voter ID card can be issued at any Georgia Department of Driver Services office free of charge.

Third, can be provided if given without party affiliation to entice a particular vote. We do not want to return to the days of handing out chickens and water to entice desired votes. This is pure fiction on the Presidents part and that of the White House personnel.

An additional voter advantage in Georgia from this law is that there are added days to be able to vote. Early voting will run for 17 days before election day and counties can expand their early voting hours if they desire. Regular voting hours on election day are mandated to run from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. These hours have not been changed. Expanding the period in which to vote to a total of 18-days allows for greater access to voting, not less.

White House personnel, including Jen Psaki, would like everyone to think that election day voting ceases at 5 p.m., and this is not correct. The time is at 7 p.m., which they have avoided at all costs.

One only need wonder what Democrats would gain from the absence of voting laws that maintain the integrity of elections.

To assure everyone has one vote, maintaining voter integrity is paramount to a totally free society. Until we develop a fingerprint voter ID system that distinguishes one fingerprint voter from another, without naming the voter, we will have to have a voter ID system of some sort. New York State initially has an identification of the voter when completing a voter signature identification card. The signature is compared each time people vote. Individuals who point to such states as being without voter ID are being disingenuous in their statements.

We have been provided false information about the Southern Mexico/US border. The wall, President Biden stated, would be halted to save money. This was blatantly false, and he knew it. The wall that was left to be completed has already been paid for by the Executive Branch and continues to cost millions of dollars every month without any further work. If Biden was representing the people, he was better off allowing the wall to be built until this allocated money was depleted.

Getting 4-Pinocchios from the Washington Post is a shock, since this newspaper has been friendly to Democrats for four years. Even the Post can no longer condone the Biden Russian Propaganda train. Things appear to be getting worse.

Don Gala, Ph.D.


THE announcement by Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo that the Government is working on modalities to increase the number of agriculture extension officers is welcome.

We say this knowing that increasing the number of agricultural extension officers will address the current shortfall of such important workers.

Surely the move will go a long way in addressing the challenges rural farmers currently face with regards to agricultural know how.

It is also heartening to note that Mr Katambo further informed the Parliament that the objective to employ more officers was to meet the Food Reserve Agency (FAO) recommended ratio to bring more quality agriculture services as close to the farmers as possible.

To attain the ratio, the ministry was undertaking proactive measures such as continuous recruitment of extension staff, citing in 2018 when more than 600 staff were employed.

It is further encouraging that, working with various cooperating partners, the ministry has been providing the extension workers with transport in order to enhance access to extension.

For instance, in the year 2020, 214 motorcycles for extension staff were procured.

Needless to say, such noble interventions would to improved farmers' productivity, which will ultimately improve food security.

It is also good to note that such interventions came at a time when climate change has affected the country's agriculture sector negatively.

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This unwelcome 'new normal' has caught several farmers on a wrong footing since many do not have knowledge on how to tackle the challenges that come with it.

This is mainly attributed lack of extension officers who act as mediators between research institutions and farmers.

Agricultural extension officers function as facilitators and communicators, helping farmers in their decision-making and ensuring that appropriate knowledge is implemented to obtain the best results

with regard to sustainable production and general rural development.

With the changing trends in modern farming, it goes without saying that farmers need agricultural information on new methods of improving their yields.

It is this knowledge vacuum that needs the services of extension officers who come in handy to inform farmers on improved methods of agriculture.

For many years, Zambia has been facing serious officer to farmer ratio, which stands at 1:1,136 ratio calling for a paradigm change.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s recommended agriculture extension officer to farmer ratio one officer to 400 (1:400) farmers.

With the minister's announcement to employ more agriculture extension officers, we feel this disparity will be bridged.
"We've made the shift to the RIA model because it's our responsibility to structure personalized plans that align with our clients' goals and tax situations," stated Tom Pappas. "Our clients task CWS to manage their multi-generational wealth, navigate difficult challenges and keep their strategies on track  there is no one size fits all. By launching a fee-only advisory business, there is a higher level of transparency and fiduciary responsibility, allowing us to serve our clients and community better."

The firm, formerly known as The Cottonwood Group, spent more than 30 years developing and refining the Insight FORMula, a comprehensive approach that walks families and business owners through a three-stage process of Discovery, Design and Deploy. This process is designed to guide clients through their financial journeys' inevitable ups and downs, staying nimble in this rapidly-changing environment.

"There are many factors that can influence a decision to start an independent registered investment adviser firm, but if I had to choose one, it's the autonomy to create a unique client experience," said John Peluso, President of First Clearing. "We're excited to welcome Cottonwood Wealth Strategies to our custodial platform and support them through this journey."

"As a fee-only firm, we can offer more diverse and unique investment opportunities that are tailored specifically for your family or business," said Matthew Pappas. "Entrepreneurs and business owners tend to have more complex needs. We act as the guide to help them navigate those needs."

Cottonwood Wealth Strategies is engaging TradePMR for technology and brokerage support based on the firm's twenty-year track record of serving thousands of RIAs. "As a firm that was founded by a former financial advisor, it was clear from our first conversations that TradePMR understands an RIA's day-to-days obstacles and are quick to provide support and solutions so that we can better serve our clients," continued Pappas.

Thomas Pappas, President, and Matthew Pappas, CEO, will serve as co-investment officers on behalf of the firm. Michael Pappas, Chief Strategy Officer, will be heading client-strategies and various operational aspects of the Salt Lake City-based firm. To schedule an introductory call, email [email protected] or call (385) 853-5000.

ABOUT COTTONWOOD WEALTH STRATEGIES

Based in Salt Lake City, Cottonwood Wealth Strategies is a fee-only wealth management firm that advises high-net-worth families with multi-generational wealth planning. Founded by Thomas Pappas with his two sons, Matthew and Michael Pappas, the team utilizes an Insight FORMula to integrate risk management, tax strategy, and philanthropic planning into a comprehensive financial plan for families and entrepreneurs. For more information visit: www.cottonwoodws.com.

DISCLAIMER

Cottonwood Wealth Strategies is a registered investment adviser and does not provide any legal, accounting or tax advice. You should seek the counsel of a qualified accountant and/or attorney when necessary. A copy of our written disclosures brochure discussing services and fees is available upon request. Advisory services offered through Cottonwood Capital Advisors, LLC, doing business as Cottonwood Wealth Strategies, LLC.

About TradePMR

For more than two decades, TradePMR has worked with growth-minded independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) helping to provide the innovative technology tools and support designed to transform their businesses. The privately-held brokerage and custodian services provider (Member FINRA/SIPC), based in Gainesville, Fla., works to streamline fee-only investment advisors' operations through comprehensive custodial, operational and trading support. For more information, visit www.TradePMR.com.

Securities offered through Trade-PMR, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

About First Clearing

First Clearing is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. First Clearing provides correspondent services to broker-dealers and registered investment advisors and does not provide services to the general public. Learn more at: www.firstclearing.com

TradePMR and First Clearing are not affiliated.

Media Contact

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Cottonwood Wealth Strategies

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If you would like to know more about the Guided Discoveries, Inc. lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland K. Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

The Los Angeles labor law attorneys, at Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC, filed a class action complaint against Guided Discoveries, Inc. for allegedly failing to accurately pay employees' wages for all their time worked. The Guided Discoveries, Inc. class action lawsuit, Case No. 21STCV08418, is currently pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit, Guided Discoveries, Inc. allegedly violated California Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 204, 206.5, 226.7, 510, 512, 558, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802 by failing to: (1) pay minimum wages; (2) pay overtime wages; (3) provide required meal and rest periods; (4) provide accurate itemized wage statements; (5) provide wages when due; and (6) reimburse employees for required expenses. The lawsuit also alleges Guided Discoveries, Inc. violated the Private Attorneys General Act ("PAGA"), which gives rise to civil penalties as a result of Guided Discoveries, Inc.'s conduct. PAGA allows aggrieved employees to file a lawsuit to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the State of California for Labor Code violations.

California Labor Code Section 226 requires an employer to furnish its employees an accurate itemized wage statement in writing showing (1) gross wages earned, (2) total hours worked, (3) the number of piece-rate units earned and any applicable piece-rate, (4) all deductions, (5) net wages earned, (6) the inclusive dates of the period for which the employee is paid, (7) the name of the employee and only the last four digits of the employees social security number or an employee identification number other than a social security number, (8) the name and address of the legal entity that is the employer and, (9) all applicable hourly rates in effect during the pay period and the corresponding number of hours worked at each hourly rate by the employee. Guided Discoveries, Inc. allegedly failed to provide its employees with accurate itemized wage statements that complied with all the requirements of California Labor Code Section 226.

If you would like to know more about the Guided Discoveries, Inc. lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland K. Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC are labor and employment law firms with offices located in California that dedicate their practices to fighting for employees who have been wronged by their employers due to unfair employment practices. Contact one of their attorneys today if you need help with workplace issues regarding wage and hour, wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment.

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The new normal, which has changed global economy strategies and individual way of life, has given rise to gig economy that is gradually shaping global workforce.

The outbreak and spread of COVID-19 pandemic has brought about the new normal, where daily activities have shifted online and majority now work from home.

The new normal, no doubt, has created new line of digital jobs, while impacting positively on some existing jobs like the gig job, where most people in Nigeria and across Africa, now take pleasure in doing part-time jobs that are digitally inclined.

Today, there are thousands of educated Nigerians, including some with regular day jobs, working as on-demand drivers on platforms like Uber and Bolt. Some people have even said that driving for these platforms pays better than their day jobs.

The gig economy

A gig economy is a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organisations hire independent workers for short-term commitments.

The term "gig" is a slang word for a job that lasts a specified period of time. Examples of gig employees in the workforce could include work arrangements such as freelancers, independent contractors, project-based workers and temporary or part-time hires.

Gig jobs are mostly driven by emerging technologies, through digital apps, and there has been a trend toward a gig economy in recent years. There are a number of forces behind the rise in short-term jobs. For one, the workforce is becoming more mobile and work can increasingly be done remotely via digital platforms. With gig economy, freelancers can select among temporary jobs and projects around the world, while employers can select the best individuals for specific projects from a larger pool than what is available in any given area.

Ride-hailing platforms

Ride-hailing platforms such as Uber and Bolt are the poster child of the gig economy, which is a catch-all term used to describe online marketplaces that have emerged over the last decade for short-term and freelance work.

These marketplaces typically focus on niche services such as transportation, food delivery, content writing, music production, graphics design or programming. These fully digital marketplaces try to create a market by matching people who need a service/product (the buyer) with service providers/independent workers (the seller) who can provide these services on request.

Meanwhile, the platform handles everything from payments to ratings for the buyer and seller.

A report by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), estimated that the global gig was worth $4.5 trillion in 2018, with the US unsurprisingly being the largest market with 53 million gig workers and total gig spending of $1.3 trillion.

Given the value of gig economy across Africa, Nigeria inclusive, the Chief Executive Officer of Trium Venture Capital, Adedeji Olowe, said: "Across Africa, the gig economy platforms take different forms. For example, there are Kobo360 and Lori Systems, two companies that have each raised at least $37 million to connect people with third-party truck drivers on-demand. Lori Systems estimates that the African haulage market is worth $180 billion annually."

According to him, "There is also SweepSouth, which has raised $6 million from investors, and Eden Life, which provide on-demand home cleaning services, among many other things, in South Africa and Nigeria, respectively.

"But there are also other platforms for professional services like accounting, graphics design, programming, content writing, among others. One notable name is Andela, the Mark Zuckerberg-funded company valued at $700 million in 2019. Although it has tweaked its model significantly, Andela connects experienced African developer talent to international companies with salary opportunities above the local market rates.

"There are other platforms connecting skilled workers to international clients, including Toptal, UpWork, Paydesk and Fiverr, an $8.6 billion company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2019."

Prospects and challenges

However, with the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020 and COVID-19 control measures, the global economy tumbled.

The lockdowns, particularly full lockdowns, grounded mobility and forced many people to isolate themselves at home.

Business temporarily shut down physical operations, and employees started working from home. But not every job can be done from home, and that's definitely the case for many gig workers offering ride-hailing services.

Ride-hailing suffered as ride orders plummeted globally, affecting the earning power of many gig workers. For instance, in the second quarter of 2020, Uber's gross booking volume declined by 35 per cent compared to the previous year. Other platforms such as Kobo360 and Lori Systems worried about the impact of government lockdowns, with Kobo360 warning that 3,000 of its truck drivers in Nigeria stopped working until they got clarity on the mobility restrictions.

In African countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Kenya, Uber and Bolt swiftly introduced logistics services, which were classified as essential services by the government, to keep these companies and their drivers in the business. But this was not enough. And because gig workers are not employees, they are not eligible for steady salary payments, paid leave, insurance and health benefits. The experience was scary for many, with several news reports early in the pandemic proclaiming the gig economy was dead.

However, contrary to such belief, Oluwatoyin Ashipa of Trium Venture Capital, said: "The gig economy is more alive than ever. While Uber and Bolt suffered declines in the first half of 2020, ride orders soared again in the second half, and Uber could return to pre-pandemic growth levels by the first half of 2021. Logistics services such as Eden Life, OyaNow, Gokada and Jumia Food have recorded impressive growth since March 2020 as the food delivery industry re-organised amid the lockdown and gained traction in the months that followed."

According to Ashipa, "Outside food delivery, the number of independent riders working as logistics providers for other businesses, including Jumia, the pan-African retailer, is reportedly growing. At one point in mid-2020, the Nigerian government threatened to enforce stricter logistics regulations because the number of operators had increased within a short period."

A crucial part of the resilience of the gig economy, particularly platforms and providers of physical services, is they are highly essential. When Kobo360 warned of disruptions to its truck activities, it predicted that supermarkets and major stores could run out of food items, medical supplies and other critical items within seven days. That warning was instructive, and within a few days, the government clarified the exemption for essential service workers to include truck drivers moving in and out of a state. Food delivery and other logistics operators have also benefited from their essential status, which has kept them in business.

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Also, gig economy companies doubled down on providing health care and sanitary support to workers on their platforms.

Over the last year, Kobo360, Uber, Bolt, Jumia, Gokada, among others, have each supplied their riders with nose masks, hand sanitisers and other support to help them complete their orders within different cities.

Other forms of gig economy

According to Olowe, last year, gig economy platforms like UpWork and Fiverr saw their numbers reach new highs as demand for professional services soared. For instance, Fiverr, which has 3.4 million active buyers, saw its revenue grow 77 per cent year-on-year to top $189.5 million in 2020.

"Homegrown African companies such as TalentQL, Andela, Semicolon, Gebeya and Decagon are equally connecting Africa's top developer talent to global companies," Olowe said.

He explained that for venture capital investors, the gig economy represented a growing and profitable opportunity because of the large number of young Africans and the relatively low living costs, compared to rich countries.

For venture builders and investors, the goal now is to identify startups and local platforms that are enabling this on the continent and support them. Because like it or not, Africa is the future. Its young population of digital natives represent an essential chance to leapfrog many of the continent's challenges using creatively and using technology.

As a start-up, it is critical to make the right connections with a venture builder that not only provides the needed finance to grow business but also guarantees a commitment to business success within the African business terrain and beyond.
Neighbours fans can now own a piece of TV history as the one-time home of Jarrod 'Toadie' Rebecchi hits the market for the first time in three decades.

The single storey home - that served as the external shot for the house of the Ramsay Street icon, played by Ryan Moloney - is expected to sell from between $1.3million to $1.4million, realestate.com.au reported on Thursday.

The property, located in the iconic cul de sac of Pin Oak Court in the Melbourne suburb of Vermont South, will go under the under the hammer on May 1.

Own a piece of TV history! Neighbours fans can now buy Toadie's home as the Ramsay street property under the hammer for a cool $1.4million. The property, located in the Melbourne suburb of Vermont South, will go under the under the hammer on May 1

It features four bedrooms, including a master bedroom with a spacious walk-in-wardrobe and ensuite.

Upon entry, the home leads to a living room that features a brick fireplace, and formal dining room.

The combined area then flows to a spacious kitchen that is fitted with top of the range appliances, an island table and sleek cabinetry.

Cosy: Upon entry the home leads to a living room that features a brick fireplace, and formal dining room

Beside the kitchen is the generously-sized family room - perfect for entertaining guests.

The room also has glass sliding doors that allow for bright natural light to flow into the space, as well as lead out to the outdoor deck.

The property's outside ground level features a barbecue area and a firepit, perfect for entertaining guests outdoors.

A little 80s flair: It features four bedrooms, including a master bedroom with a spacious walk-in-wardrobe and ensuite

Updated: The combined area then flows to a spacious kitchen that is fitted with top of the range appliances, an island table and sleek cabinetry.

Back inside, the home also features a wall with photos and newspaper clippings related the property's Neighbours history from the owner.

The current owner of the property, Lorraine Rushton - herself a fan of the soap - told the publication she hopes another fan of the show snaps up the property.

Ms Rushton, who moved to Australia from the UK in 1987, said the four bedroom home was what she and her three children 'dreamt of' when the moved Down Under.

Shrine: Back inside, the home also features a wall with photos and newspaper clippings related the property's Neighbours history, from the owner

Neighbours favourite: The single storey home - that served as the external shot for the house of the Ramsay Street icon, played by Ryan Moloney (pictured) - is expected to sell from between $1.3million to $1.4million

She also noted that potential buyers will earn a 'fee' when the external shot of the house is used for filming.

'We get a fee for them coming and filming, and we have 24-hour security  were well looked after,' she said.

The last Ramsay Street home that was sold was Dr Karl and Susan Kennedy's home in 2019 and was sold for $1.4million.
Second drill has been added to accelerate Phase One drilling

Deep drilling program has produced 2,700 m of drill core to date

Drill core is presently being logged and sampled

Detailed airborne drone-based magnetics survey just completed

Begun surface work at historic near-surface target

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Tombill Mines Limited (TSXV: TBLL) (the "Company" or "Tombill"), is pleased to announce that it has begun an extensive integrated exploration program at its 100% controlled, royalty-free flagship and patented Tombill Main Group property within the Geraldton Gold Camp.



Exploration and Drilling Plan Highlights

The first Phase One diamond drill hole, TB-21-001, has been completed to a down hole depth of 1,219 m. Drill core is presently being logged and sampled. A wedge "daughter hole," TB-21-001A, was started at a downhole depth of 500 m and is responding well with directional wedging. Such wedge drilling has been utilized successfully at the Hardrock deposit immediately east of Tombill Main Group.

A second drill has been added to the deep-drilling campaign as per plans to accelerate the Phase One drilling. Drilling has begun on hole TB-21-002 which is currently at a down hole depth of 750 m and is on track to intersect target. (See Figure 1, where the background shows the well-known local landmark, the MacLeod #2 Headframe that is in the middle of Hardrock's proposed open pit)

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Magnetometer Survey ("UAV-MAG Survey") has been completed on the Tombill Main Group. Tombill's geological personnel have identified cross-cutting features associated with refolded lithologies and structures. These new targets are being added to the near-surface exploration campaign: (See Figure 2)

Eight surface targets were defined, including the past producing Talmora Mine,

This campaign is the first conducted at historic near-surface targets utilizing modern exploration techniques.

Areas of near-surface targets are being accessed with bulldozer trails in preparation for stripping of overburden, allowing detailed mapping and channel sampling:

Tombill is continually utilizing a Bayesian ranking system to target as more data is acquired,

The goal of the current surface campaign is to identify near-surface targets down to 300 m depth to be tested by future drilling.





Figure 1: Aerial photo of drill at Tombill, looking east, March 2021.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7659/79200_fig1-otig.JPG





Figure 2: A 3D map of deep drill hole traces with new drone magnetics survey, NE part of the property.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7659/79200_fig2-orig.JPG

Deep Drilling Program

The Phase One drill plan is comprised of a 15 drill hole (5 hub-holes + 10 daughter holes) campaign encompassing approximately 16,000 m.

The deep drilling program is focused on delineating extension and continuity from the neighbouring Hardrock Project's east to west resource plunge, especially the F Zone where their westernmost drill hole, MM170, encountered 18.49 g/t over 20.5 m. All mineralized zones at Hardrock continue onto Tombill Main Group's property.

The Phase Two drill plan is comprised of a 63 drill hole campaign encompassing approximately 70,000 m. This program is contingent on the success of Phase One drilling.

Near-Surface Program

Past producers and explorers at Tombill did not emphasize the search for open-pittable low grade gold resources. This strategy was successful at the adjacent Hardrock property, resulting in the delineation of 5.5 million ounces of Proven and Probable reserves, 2.6 million ounces of Measured and Indicated resources, and 3.4 million ounces Inferred resources1, associated with past-producing mines and the identification of 17 separate gold zones. Tombill geologists are presently:

Conducting 3D modelling and interpretation of historical geologic data coupled with detailed drone magnetic data,

Putting in bulldozer trails to open access to near-surface targets in preparation for stripping of overburden.

Upon opening surface exposures at these targets, the focus will be on:

Conducting detailed mapping and sampling of stripped areas, and reconciling magnetics interpretation with observations of zone extensions and plunges,

Continual ranking of targets using a Bayesian system for the selection of future drill targets.





Figure 3: Tombill Main Group Exploration and Drilling Program



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7659/79200_fig3-orig.JPG

1 Equinox Company Presentation (March 2021)



Qualified Person

Glen Kuntz, P.Geo, of Nordmin Engineering Ltd., is the Company's designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed and approved its scientific and technical content.

The Company cautions that its Qualified Person has been unable to verify the information concerning the Hardrock Project and that this information is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the Tombill Main Group.

About Tombill

Tombill owns various royalty-free mineral exploration and past-producing gold properties in the Geraldton and Beardmore Camp, Ontario. The Company's business is mineral exploration, primarily gold. It has 74 claims: 60 are owned and patented, five leased, and nine where it owns the mineral rights. Of these, the Tombill Main Group property comprises 58 claims: 54 owned patents, and four owned mineral rights. The Tombill Main Group claims were originally staked in the first Geraldton Gold Rush in the 1930's by Tom Johnson and his brother Bill.

For more information, please visit www.tombillmines.com, and contact:

Adam Horne

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Email: adam@tombillmines.com / Tel: +44 (0) 207 529 2351

Reda Jalabi

Strategic Development

Email: reda@tombillmines.com / Tel: +44 (0) 207 529 2361

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the trading date of the Company's common shares on the TSXV. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the Company with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79200
British officials are routinely being spied on by China when they travel to the country on business, it was claimed last night.

Businessmen, doctors and teachers are also among more than 100 Britons whose details are on a Chinese police security watchlist, according to a leaked database.

Information recorded on the individuals includes dates of birth, passport numbers and their points of entry and exit.

Those on the database include Margaret Johnson OBE, head of an advertising agency with an office in Shanghai, an Army officer and two Virgin Atlantic pilots.

MI5 is investigating the files, which have emerged amid escalating tensions between the UK and China over human rights abuses of the Uighur minority

The list also includes 7,600 Uighur Muslims in Shanghai, who are marked as 'terrorists', the Daily Telegraph reported.

MI5 is investigating the files, which have emerged amid escalating tensions between the UK and China over human rights abuses of the Uighur minority.

The data seen by analysts was stored on servers at the Public Security Bureau in Shanghai and was largely collected in 2016. The bureau reports to Beijing.

The BBC's China correspondent John Sudworth (pictured) has been forced to flee to Taiwan with his family after 'threats' from the authorities over his reports on human rights abuses and the Covid pandemic

Cyber security consultancy Internet 2.0, which obtained the databases, said: 'The system gives us new insight into how China tracks dissidents and seeks to exploit data on foreign entries and companies.'

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said recording dates of birth, passport numbers and points of exit and entry was 'common international practice'.

The BBC's China correspondent John Sudworth has been forced to flee to Taiwan with his family after 'threats' from the authorities over his reports on human rights abuses and the Covid pandemic.
More Information

Residents who want to receive the vaccine can find more information on how to get one on the county Public Health website, elpasocountyhealth.org.

The website includes a list of the countys nearly 100 vaccine providers and a new interactive online map that allows users to use the search function to locate a vaccine clinic or find one on the map.

Residents can also dial 2-1-1 or text vaccine for English or vacuna for Spanish to 667873 for more information about how to receive the vaccine.

Additionally, the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System has opened up vaccine eligibility to all enrolled veterans, regardless of age or health status. Veterans can schedule a vaccine appointment by calling the 24-hour call center at (888) 336-8262, or when checking in at their next VA appointment.
ANN ARBOR, MI  As a number of people and groups call on University of Michigan Regent Ron Weiser to resign from the board, more than 1,800 faculty members supported a statement that says he cannot be an effective leader in our community.

UMs Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA) issued a statement on March 29 regarding Weisers recent comments, in which he called Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson the three witches and said the GOP needs to make sure they are ready for the burning at the stake.

SACUA, like many other people and groups, condemned Weisers comments, saying the intention of such language perpetuates misogynistic attitudes that continue to oppress women and girls. Weiser also referenced the concept of assassination when asked what could be done about Republican U.S. Reps. Peter Meijer and Fred Upton  who voted in favor of impeaching former Republican President Donald Trump  which incites and perpetuates violence, according to SACUAs statement.

Weisers comments were captured in a video shared on social media.

Some University of Michigan regents call on Weiser to resign following three witches, assassination comments

The day after releasing the statement, SACUA sent a survey to Faculty Senate members, lecturers and clinical faculty, giving them to endorse the statement through an electronic ballot. Of the 7,320 faculty members receiving the survey, 1,837 participated in the vote, and 1,807 of them endorsed the statement, according to SACUA. Thirty faculty members voted not to endorse the statement.

While the percentage of those voting to endorse the survey greatly outweighs those who did not, SACUA Chair Colleen Conway believes there were some who didnt click on the email and the 1,807 who endorsed the statement represents the large majority of faculty who believe Weisers name could not be associated with the university any longer.

SACUA did not specifically call on Weiser to resign  the statement says Weiser cannot be an effective leader in our community  partly because the word has a political connotation, Conway said, and SACUA tried to make a purposeful effort to keep their statement out of the political realm.

This isnt about politics. This was really the community coming together to say, whatever your political views are, this is not the kind of language you can use and still be considered a leader for our university, Conway said.

Since Weisers comments on March 26, many have called for him to resign, including other UM regents, UMs Lecturers Employees Organization and leaders of the Congregations of Catholic Sisters in Michigan. UM President Mark Schlissel, Provost Susan Collins, Board Chair Denise Illitch and 21 deans at the university condemned the comments but did not call on Weiser to resign.

Several University of Michigan deans condemn comments made by GOP chairman

Those statements were important because its a place where it appears that faculty and the administration are on the same side, Conway said. However, Weiser is an elected official, which means that if he doesnt resign, removing him from office would entail a recall election. Since regents are statewide elected officials, the petition must have signatures from 25% of Michigan voters in the 2020 general election, according to the Secretary of State.

Rogerio Pinto, a professor in the UM School of Social Work, helped with the final draft of SACUAs statement, and it was clear from the votes that faculty were appalled by Weisers comments. The statements by administrators at the university level reflect the feelings of faculty, Pinto said.

We work very hard here on excellence in research and teaching, so as to maintain UM as an internationally honored and respected institution. Regent Ron Weisers sexist statements and incitement of violence jeopardize UMs standing nationally and globally, Pinto said.

Weiser apologized for his comments in a March 27 statement and has since suspended his social media and email accounts due to threats of violence he said he has received in recent days.

Weiser did not immediately return a message seeking comment about faculty endorsing the statement.

The UM Board of Regents has called a special meeting for 9:30 a.m. Friday to address recent events, which will center around Weiser, sources and other media reports say.

READ MORE:

University of Michigan regents call special meeting after Ron Weisers controversial comments

State lawmakers are latest to call on Ron Weiser to resign from University of Michigan Board of Regents

University of Michigan regent, GOP chair temporarily suspends social media, email accounts after threats
In a year that's seen many restaurants close their doors and thousands of people hit with cooking fatigue, many have reached for their phones to indulge in a takeaway on a regular basis, with orders from Just Eat soaring by 23 per cent in 2020.

And while Britons often find comfort in a curry or kebab, pizza has become the top ordered dish in the UK, according to new research from the food delivery giants.

Looking at data from across the country for the last ten years, accounting for more than a million orders, Just Eat revealed pizza has been the most ordered dish every year since 2017, with it soaring in 2020 to accounted for a whopping 19 per cent of all Just Eat's orders.

And while Britons often find comfort in a curry or kebab, pizza has become the top ordered dish in the UK, according to new research from the food delivery giants. Stock image

Missing out on the top spot was Chinese takeaway, which topped the polls from 2011 to 2016.

Dishes from Chinese restaurants were also the most popular last year in southern England, with it taking the top spot in London, the south east and the south west, while Indian food was the most ordered cuisine in Scotland, and the third most ordered nationwide.

Meanwhile, orders for vegan food has increased a whopping 119 per cent year on year, with it surging in popularity more than 2900 per cent since 2015.

Last year, Deliveroo announced their most popular dishes across the UK, with a cheese burger from Five Guys being the number one choice among Londoners.

Just missing out on the global top spot, the fast food chain's burger was found to be the second most popular dish ordered on the takeaway app worldwide.

Meanwhile KFC's hot wings are the most commonly ordered dish in Brighton, while Edinburgh dwellers are most partial to Chow Mein.

Pizza was also the top pick in Sheffield, while Burritos were top of the list in Aberdeen and Bristol.

THE MOST POPULAR TAKEAWAYS IN THE UK IN 2020, BY REGION UK wide- Pizza Scotland - Indian Wales - Pizza Northern Ireland - Pizza England wide - Pizza North West - Pizza North East - Pizza East Midlands - Pizza South West England - Chinese Greater London - Chinese South East England - Chinese East of England - Pizza Yorkshire & The Humber - Pizza West Midlands - Pizza MOST POPULAR TAKEAWAY, UK WIDE, BY YEAR 2020 Pizza 2019 Pizza 2018 Pizza 2017 Pizza 2016 Chinese 2015 Chinese 2014 Chinese 2013 Chinese 2012 Chinese 2011 Chinese 2010 Italian Advertisement

It comes after Just Eat fans were left baffled to discover the company goes by 'MenuLog' in Australia - but their famous catchy jingle and star-studded advert remains the same.

The memorable UK Just Eat advert features Snoop Dogg rapping about takeaways, including fried rice and chicken wings, before spelling out Just Eat a letter at a time at the end.

But after the Australian advert was shared on Twitter, British foodies were left surprised after seeing the highly-acclaimed artist rap about a song with the almost identical lyrics with one key difference.

Spot the difference! Britons have been left shocked after discovering that the Australian version of Just Eat is called MenuLog - but their famous catchy jingle and star-studded advert remains the same. Left the British logo, right the Australian one

While in the advert on British TV, Snoop Dogg spells out 'Just Eat', in the Australian version, the rapper instead spells out MenuLog one letter at a time, causing Brits to argue that the Australian version of the brand should change its name to Just Eat as well.

Hoards of shocked people took to Twitter to insist that 'nobody' will ever say 'MenuLog' as they insisted that the British Just Eat jingle is much catchier.

Other dedicated fans of the delivery service were surprised to learn that the exact same advert was used for both Just Eat and MenuLog, with Snoop Dogg even starring in both.
Thousands of book donations have made their way to Midland from libraries across the state, to help replenish the media center at Windover High School.

Coordinating the donation project and organizing the schools library have been volunteers and staff from the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, who have dedicated hundreds of hours.

Our hearts are melting because of all the time they have put in, said Windover Principal Marcella Mosqueda.

When the dams failed in May 2020, Windover High School had 14 inches of water throughout the entire building at its Smith Road location in Midland. The school suffered a massive amount of damage, Mosqueda explained.

Just to see the massive damage  not just to the media center but to the school as a whole  was very difficult, she said. But when it comes to the library, knowing and seeing the books floating in the water and in the muck afterwards was very difficult to see. And just wondering, How will we ever get this back to where it was?

But now, Mosqueda explained, the media center is slated to be even better than before and to have twice as many books and materials.

A staff member at Windover, Sally Billotti, reached out to the community, and when Grace A. Dow Memorial Library Director Miriam Andrus heard about the need, she jumped in to garner more donations locally and statewide.

By Andrus contacting other libraries through the Michigan eLibrary system, more than 7,500 teen books have been donated and more continue to trickle in from over 30 libraries across the state.

Bay City All Saints School also did a book drive and donated many new teen books, and NTH Consultants, Ltd. out of Detroit brought several boxes of books to Windover. Also, a librarian from South Lyon in metro Detroit donated six more boxes last week.

In addition, Mosqueda said the school received various monetary donations, including an almost $9,000 grant from the St. Johns Episcopal Church Endowment Committee to purchase new furnishings and metal shelves for the media center.

Stephanie Williams, who retired from the Grace A. Dow Library, has been volunteering her time along with two other library staff members, and they are now in the organizational phase of the project  reviewing all of the donations and making the hard decisions of what to keep and what there is room for. They are hoping to finish the project by the end of the school year, which is slated for early June.

It just shows you how important people realize it is to have a good library and have those resources, Williams said about the donations.

Mosqueda also pointed out the value of the students seeing the community collaboration bring about positive change. Its setting a good example for the students, she explained.

With so many donations, the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library will be selling the extra books to raise money for additional shelving at Windover. The outdoor, cash-only sale is slated to start in May and will feature carts of books for people to browse and purchase.
ADAS

Generally speaking, people tend to agree that the Autopilot or the Full Self Driving (FSD) suite offered now by Teslais the bestaround, though reaching a consensus on how far behind the other manufacturers are proves to be a lot more difficult. Tesla fans veer toward light-years, while more sensible people argue it might be more the case of them not wanting to take the risk rather than lacking the technology.Whatever the case, if you were dropped on Earth today and browsed through the media looking for information on such systems, you might come away with the impression that the Autopilot isn't just the best, but maybe even the only one. Credit to Tesla's PR department where it's due. Oh, wait. However advanced we might think the Autopilot (or any other similar system, for that matter) is, the truth is it's only any good in regular, "western" conditions. To function, it needs a clear, well-signaled infrastructure and a certain degree of predictability. Throw it on an unmarked road or on a street where nobody else minds the lane markings, and trying to read what's happening around the vehicle would be like me trying to read old Sanskrit.We tend to forget (or, frankly, choose not to care) that not all cities in this world have equally developed infrastructures and not all drivers have the same level of road manners. Simply put, traffic isn't the same everywhere in the world, and a self-driving system will have to accommodate all situations before it can call itself that.This clip of a Tesla Model X driving through Ho Chi Minh City's streets is a perfect illustration of the Autopilot's limitations in this sense. Surrounded by scooters and mopeds that zipped by as the four-wheeled vehicles were gridlocked, the system tried to cope for a while before acknowledging defeat and calling it quits.And that's the problem: the AI driver has a luxury we, humans, don't have: it can go "I don't want to do this anymore right now" and pass control over to the human driver. Ironically enough, that's the exact opposite of the reason these systems were created in the first place, which was to take control when we didn't feel like driving. Well, just in case more proof was needed, it's pretty clear we're not there yet.
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Do you think Jesus would have ever said that or that he was ashamed of being born Jewish?

Obviously, he would not. God chose that! He was God in the flesh.

How does a culture get to a place where one must follow the lead of so many others who reject their race because culture has deemed that entire race is racist? Who determines that? It gets there by allowing those who are embittered by the past to exploit history in a way that gives a payback to any group that decides they were mistreated in the past. It is birthed out of their own pain and anger to breed rage.

The Jews have been mistreated for centuries throughout the world with 6 million Jews being exterminated by the Germans. Why shouldnt that race cancel all non-Jewish people and get reparations for the wrongs committed against them by the world? Have they risen up with an injustice? There are others, but this was the worst case in history.

Racial injustice took place in America and all over the world in such an outrageous outpouring. Was it spiritual? Yes! Slavery is a sinful stain upon the world, not just America. Does that mean the world should be paying for the sins of our fathers forever? NO! That in itself is unjust. Besides, this generation had nothing to do with any of the sins of our forefathers. We need to not allow the enemy to cause this division within the Body of Christ. Ask God to open our spiritual eyes to see the enemys deception and to walk in unity of the spirit of Christ.

Every nation has racism to some degree, because of a spirit of entitlement and pride. There are nations that have a cast system that puts one group below the other. Racism and discrimination comes in all shapes and sizes. We should ask the Holy Spirit to show us the true motives of our own hearts. Repent and renounce anything that would not be of Him.

So WHAT is the answer? The answer is that no one has ever had a choice to be whatever race they are and that no one is born racist because of the color of their skin, but this is all learned behaviors and can be changed to see this issue as God sees every individualcreated in the Image of God. You are a racist if you treat another race less than yourself and have bitterness in your heart toward them because of their color. We are all equal in the site of God.

If you allow God to examine your heart you will know whether you are a racist. If you were racist in the past, you may not be a racist today, but ask the Lord to cleanse any residue of that out of your soul. Ask Him to give you a heart of love for all people as His heart of love is for them, no matter what the color or belief of that person.

Recently a woman was refused the opportunity to accept a high-level position at a media company because of something she said 10 years ago as a 17-year old. How many things did you say at 17 that you would definitely regret today? Unfortunately, we live in a social media world that records everything that can now be used against you. Culture is requiring you to have a perfect record. Thank God we do have the perfect record through the blood covenant with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Life is about growing and learning from our mistakes, and from others mistakes to not repeat them, both individually and as a culture. I am a different person than I was 20 years ago. Ive learned from my mistakes and from so many others. That is the Christian life. Culture must provide opportunities for its citizens to ensure equal opportunities, especially for those who have been impacted negatively from our history. The issue is internal, within our soul, versus trying to make those who had nothing to do with a wrong pay. Making financial reparations to one race over another is not the answer, nor denouncing the race God chose you to be uniquely designed to be. Concluding that every person that is white or that is black is racists is also not the answer.

Today we are seeing an incredible over reaction to the sins of our past by cancelling culture at every turn. The woke culture has removed our statues, turned Mr. Potato head into a genderless toy and childrens books and library reading areas into an opportunity to promote racism and to twist the minds of our children to accept this way as normal. Where will it stop? Who will take a stand for righteousness? Are we not a chosen generation, a royal priesthood in Christ? A culture that cant own its past and learn and change is a culture that will make all its citizens live in fear, shame and entitlement. That is not Gods way of making change. We must repent and in love with boldness to stand our ground in the power of Christ we have been chosen to be blessed to live in.

Is America Racist?

I do not believe America as a nation is racist. America would have never elected a black man president if we were. However, I do believe there is racism in America. I believe every nation has people inside their nation that still have racist views. The difference today compared to the 1960s is it is under the hood and not easily recognizable. As a white man I know I can never feel the pain that my brothers and sisters have felt who have been impacted by racism. I acknowledge the sins that we have committed. However, I also believe the Bible gives us the right approach to dealing with our sins, and instilling equality among Gods created people. Only the cross allows respect and true love to be expressed to all people.

The next time someone says you are a racist simply because of the color of your skin, reject that statement in love telling them they too were chosen uniquely just as they are to be used by God, but they must make that choice to follow Him. Acknowledge where there were sins in the past, repent and move toward Gods ideal of equality love for every human being. That is all God ever asks of us.to love!
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Inne oferty, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan:
Eleventh night celebrations take place at Pitt Park in east Belfast - stock picture. (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Bonfire builders across Northern Ireland have vowed to go ahead with their Eleventh night celebrations following the Public Prosecution Services decision not to prosecute those in attendance at IRA man Bobby Storeys funeral.

On Tuesday, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Herron, announced that none of the 24 members of Sinn Fein, who attended Storeys funeral in west Belfast in June, will face prosecution for allegedly breaching Covid-19 regulations.

Around 2,000 mourners lined the streets - including deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill - at a time when there were regulations in place limiting large gatherings.

The PPS announced on Wednesday that the decision not to prosecute will be reviewed.

First Minister Arlene Foster called on Chief Constable Simon Byrne to resign after it emerged engagement between the PSNI and funeral organisers was a factor not to prosecute.

Responding on Thursday evening, the PSNI said they were "aware of the public statements" by a number of community bonfire groups indicating that they "will not engage with the PSNI community policing teams ahead of the summer".

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton PSNIs Head of Community Safety added: "We understand and are working to address the very serious public concerns around recent events. Its hugely disappointing to us that anyone would decide not to engage with their local neighbourhood officers especially around events which present public safety challenges.

"As a police service we remain committed to working with all communities to support their safety and wellbeing. Community police officers are invested in their neighbourhoods with many strong working relationships and will continue to be there for everyone in the days and weeks ahead.

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Bonfire associations in Belfast, Co Tyrone, Co Londonderry and Co Down have now claimed they will not engage with the PSNI ahead of July 11 - as is usual practice - and will go ahead with their celebrations after the majority of Twelfth events were called off last year due to Covid.

In a social media post, Moygashel Bonfire Association said, attention PSNI - the deal is off.

Moygashel will be going ahead with their July 11 bonfire this year, the group wrote.

Each year the Moygashel Bonfire Association liaise with the local community policing team to keep them informed of the schedule of events ahead.

After careful consideration and the general feeling among the local community, the bonfire team has made the decision not to engage with the PSNI on any level until confidence within the PUL community towards policing and justice has been restored.

ATTENTION PSNI -THE DEAL IS OFF! Moygashel will be going ahead with their 11th july bonfire this year. Each year... Posted by Moygashel Bonfire Association on Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Those behind the bonfire in the Tigers Bay area of north Belfast added that they are making a stand against two tier policing and said they are angry Sinn Fein undermined government rules.

After hearing about how the PSNI disgracefully handled the funeral of IRA man Bobby Storey, the community of Tigers Bay feel it is only right not to engage with community police teams regarding our July 11 bonfire celebrations, the group wrote.

Avoniel and Sydenham bonfire groups in east Belfast also stated their intentions to press on with their celebrations and said they will not engage with the local community policing team.

Elsewhere, North Down Defenders said that a number of loyalist groups in north Down and Ards withdrew their support for the PSNI over a week ago.

This year there will be full traditional bonfires at Kilcooley estate, Bloomfield estate, Strand Avenue, Loughview estate, Holywood and Donaghadee, the group said.

We encourage the community to come together and commence building whenever they see fit.

It is very clear the PSNI are little more than a tool of republicanism which is consistently weaponised against our community.

Our bonfire group, like so many others within the loyalist community, have had enough.
The Sunrock Group, a privately held construction materials provider headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, is pleased to announce its Canadian affiliates acquisition of Fenelon Ready-Mix located in Fenelon Falls, Kawartha Lakes Ontario, Canada.

Fenelon Ready-Mix Concrete and the McConnell Family have been in business in Fenelon Falls since 1962. Darrell, Terry and the McConnell Family have been dedicated to providing excellent customer service and delivering quality products to the area for almost 60 years. Sunrock looks forward to continuing their legacy.

The Fenelon Ready-Mix acquisition builds upon the 2020 acquisition of a high-quality licensed aggregate quarry in Kawartha Lakes and Spartan Ready-Mix in Uxbridge Ontario.

The Sunrock Group has been in the construction materials business for more than 70 years, beginning with operations in the Buffalo, New York area and expanding to the Raleigh Durham, North Carolina market in the mid 1980s as a vertically integrated construction and construction materials supplier. The Sunrock Group brings considerable experience and a seasoned management team to the Ontario market and looks forward to working with Darrell and Terry McConnell and their family during this integration.

Bryan Pfohl, The Sunrock Groups Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is looking forward to continue building a strong Canadian company that prides itself on Safety, Environmental Stewardship and Community Relations. For more information about The Sunrock Group, please visit our website at http://www.thesunrockgroup.com.

If you have any questions about Sunrock Canada or the transition of Fenelon Ready-Mix to The Sunrock Group please contact Bill Kester at (519) 500-8146 or e-mail at bkester@thesunrockgroup.com or Rick Shaw at (905) 836-3380 or e-mail at rshaw@thesunrockgroup.com.

About The Sunrock Group

Sunrock Group Holdings Corporation is a privately held, family-owned construction materials supplier and highway contractor offering customers a one-stop-shopping experience by producing aggregates, recycled aggregates, hot mix asphalt, ready mixed concrete, and contracting services at our conveniently located quarries and production facilities in Butner, Kittrell, Woodsdale and throughout the greater Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, area. Our nearly 70-year legacy has positioned us a leading privately held producer of construction materials and industrial minerals, providing contracting services in the Southeastern United States. Our mission is to be the preferred supplier, employer and neighbor in the communities we serve. More information is available at http://www.thesunrockgroup.com/
Australia Plans New Space Command as Air Force Celebrates 100 Years

The chief of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld has verified that Australia will establish an integrated space organisation in the next year.

Hupfeld, who confirmed the news to the ABC on March 31, is currently heading up an analysis into the requirements for Australia to establish its own sovereign space organisation.

The organisation will be staffed by Air Force, Army, and Navy personnel, and will thus most likely not form its own independent branch.

Its to allow us to establish an organisation to sustain, force-generate, operate space capabilities, and assign them to a joint operation command if needed, Hupfeld said.

The world has witnessed an upsurge in military space programs, with China and Russia both launching their respective space forces in 2015 and the United States following suit with its own program in 2019.

The Space Force logo. (Space Force)

Hupfeld said that Australia would catch up quickly despite being four years behind its Western counterparts. However, he also pointed out that Australia will not use space as a medium for aggression.

Space is a war-fighting domain, but were not going to militarise space, he said.

If this is true, then this may put Australia in a difficult position given that a report (PDF) released in September 2020 by the United States Department of Defense said that the Chinese Communist Partys military, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), have not demonstrated a promise to do the same.

The PLA continues to strengthen its military space capabilities, despite its public stance against the militarization of space, the report stated. China also continues to develop counter space capabilities and related technologies, including kinetic-kill missiles, ground-based lasers, and orbiting space robots.

China is also not alone in its weaponisation of space.

In December of 2020, Russia conducted a direct-ascent anti-satellite test (DA-ASAT), raising further concern about the growing militarisation of space.

Russia publicly claims it is working to prevent the transformation of outer space into a battlefield, yet at the same time Moscow continues to weaponize space, stated a media release by the United States Space Command. Russias persistent testing of these systems demonstrates threats to U.S. and allied space systems are rapidly advancing.

The disruption of satellite systems poses a severe threat to infrastructure around the globe as it has the potential to affect not only civilian use of GPS and satellite communications but also military applications, varying from intelligence to unmanned drones.

If this weapon is tested on an actual satellite or used operationally, it will cause a large debris field that could endanger commercial satellites and irrevocably pollute the space domain, the media release stated.

Centennial Celebrations Pay Tribute to RAAF Members and Families

The news of Australias development of a sovereign space force comes as the RAAF marked its centenary on March 31 by living up to its motto: Per Ardua, Ad Astra, or Through struggle, to the stars.

The celebration included a massive display of air dominance in the skies over Canberra, which included 60 aircraft, both old and new.

The current Chief of the Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld, said the current Australian airforce is a tribute to the generations of dedicated men and women and their remarkable ingenuity and resilience that have come before.

In our first 100 years, in conflict, peacekeeping, search and rescue, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, Air Force developed a reputation within our nation and among our global partners for courage, perseverance and overcoming adversity. We consistently deliver airpower well above the weight of an air force our size, Hupfeld said.

As we commence our second century, it is our duty to preserve our proud legacy and to maintain our enduring commitment to supporting Australia, he said.

RAAF Roulettes aircraft perform a flight show marking the 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force, Canberra, Mar. 31, 2021. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Newly appointed Defence Minister Peter Dutton paid tribute to the 350,000 Australians who are serving or have served in the Royal Australian Air Force and remembered the eleven thousand Australians who had died while serving in the Royal Australian Air Force.

As Defence Minister, I am incredibly proud of the work of the Royal Australian Air Force, and I want to recognise all of those support and ancillary functions, both on base across the Australian Defence Force, but also those in the community as well, Dutton said.

He also recognised the families of serving and retired RAAF Officers, who he said make an incredible sacrifice themselves for the time that their loved ones spend away from home, on training or on mission.
(CNN)  Brazil reported yet another record number of deaths on Tuesday as a surge of COVID-19 infections cripples hospitals across the country. But it's the political turmoil rocking the government that grabbed headlines on Wednesday.

A day after the biggest Cabinet reshuffle since President Jair Bolsonaro took office, the three commanders of Brazil's armed forces were squeezed out, fueling speculation that Bolsonaro is losing the support of the military and seeking to assert control, amid growing criticism over his handling of the pandemic.

"The Military Refuses Political Affiliation and Bolsonaro Replaces the Heads of the Armed Forces," declared O Globo newspaper. In its headline, Folha de S. Paulo called it the "biggest military crisis since 1977," when there was a similar institutional rift during the military dictatorship.

The military departures have been particularly scrutinized because Bolsonaro, a former captain, has made much of his ties to the armed forces, filling his cabinet with generals and even celebrating the military dictatorship that once ruled the country.

Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, a retired Army general and former senior member of Bolsonaro's administration, told CNN affiliate CNN Brasil that while ministerial changes are normal, "it is not normal to replace the three commanders of the armed forces without a reason, an explanation or any information given to society."

The political crisis comes as Brazil struggles to control the latest and most deadly COVID-19 surge to date. A record 3,780 people died on Tuesday, with ICU occupation at over 90% in 14 of Brazil's 26 states. Brazilians have increasingly taken their anger out on Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the virus from the beginning.

Bolsonaro recently invoked the military as he lashed out at state governors for lockdown measures, warning, "My army won't go to the streets to ensure obedience to governors' decrees."

His approval rating has hit all-time lows and cost him support among allied parties in Congress. The Cabinet reshuffle was aimed at shoring up support by giving key ministerial positions to those parties and by replacing embattled foreign minister Ernesto Araujo.

Araujo had previously come under fire from Congress for his antagonistic relationship with China, not only a key trade partner but a main supplier of raw ingredients in the vaccines used in Brazil.

But the broader shakeup came as a surprise, especially Bolsonaro's decision to replace former defense minister, retired General Fernando Azevedo e Silva. The relationship had grown tense in recent weeks and in his resignation letter, Azevedo e Silva pointedly said he had "preserved the Armed Forces as institutions of state."

Bolsonaro's minister of communications, Fabio Faria, insisted the recent personnel changes did not reflect a major rift. "There is no change in the position in relation to the armed forces," he told CNN Brasil. "The president is a military man and the relationship with the military is very close."

Faria added that there would be a "harmonious transition" as the new commanders were appointed. Traditionally, the president selects commanders from among a list of names provided by the armed forces.

In fact, Bolsonaro replaced the outgoing general at the Defense Ministry with another one: Walter Souza Braga Netto, formerly the president's chief of staff. And one of his first actions as minister on Tuesday was to call the 1964 military intervention that led to a 21-year dictatorship in Brazil, a "movement" that should be "understood and celebrated."

But according to Carlos Melo, a professor at Sao Paulo's Insper university, Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic created problems with many in the military.

"It was obvious to (Bolsonaro) that he didn't have the dominion over the Defense Ministry that he wanted and he is trying to get it now, wrongly, without understanding that the armed forces belong to the state, not the government," Melo told CNN Brasil.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Political turbulence in Brazil overshadows Covid-19 crisis."
The Charger Blog

Meet two recent graduates of the Universitys paramedicine program who are looking forward to continuing their education and pursuing careers in medicine. By Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications

Alicia Martin-Conyers 20 (center) and her classmates gain hands-on experience on campus in 2018.

After Natasha Pavlinetz 20 graduated from the University of New Haven, she began working as a paramedic in rural Alaska. She was a first responder covering a nearly 15,000 square mile area, and that meant sometimes driving an hour and a half one way to respond to a call.

Working with just one partner, Pavlinetz had to learn to think quickly, and she describes her work as a great experience. A graduate of the Universitys paramedicine program, she credits her time as a Charger with helping her to feel prepared to serve her patients in Alaska.

I researched programs across the country and spoke with faculty in all of them, she said. But when I met Professor Peter Struble and Professor Joe Soto at the University of New Haven, I knew this was the program for me. They are very dedicated, and they want students to be great paramedics.

Peter Struble, MPA is the director of the Universitys paramedicine program.

It is always exciting to see gifted students realize their potential

In connection with an executive order that enables paramedics to work in hospitals during the coronavirus global pandemic, Pavlinetz has transitioned to working at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She has been accepted into the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts, making her the first graduate of the paramedicine program to be accepted to medical school.

As Pavlinetz has found, the program has provided a pathway for the future. Students immerse themselves in hands-on and real-world learning opportunities, such as riding along with ambulance services and practicing skills such as starting IV lines on high-fidelity mannequins. Graduates hold dual certification as both a firefighter and a paramedic.

Natasha Pavlinetz 20 served as a paramedic in rural Alaska

Peter Struble, MPA, director of the paramedicine program, is an expert in fire department-based emergency medical services at the paramedicine level. A retired fire chief who served nearly 30 years as a member of the Wallingford, Conn. Fire Department, including 13 years as a chief, he is eager to share his own real-world experiences with his students.

"Our students attend clinical rotations in hospital emergency departments and on specialty floors, said Struble, who, as a fire chief, was among fewer than 100 fire officers in the country to be accredited as both a chief fire and medical officer. It is always exciting to see gifted students realize their potential and strive for excellence as professional healthcare providers."

Alicia Martin-Conyers 20, Pavlinetzs classmate, is also looking forward to continuing her education. She will begin her studies at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, with which the University has an affiliation agreement, in June.

The best thing about the paramedicine program is how it is set up in cohorts, said Martin-Conyers, who completed a double major in paramedicine and biology pre-med. I like how the cohort became a second family, and there was always someone there if you needed help. I also enjoyed the clinical rotations, and these hours gave me a robust experience. This gave me a huge advantage over other college graduates.

I have the skills I will need to succeed in medical school

Now working at Saint Clares Denville Hospital in Denville, NJ, Martin-Conyers is a nursing assistant in the Telemetry/Progressive Care Unit. She also has experience volunteering in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as serving as an emergency medical technical (EMT) and a certified nursing assistant (CNA).

Martin-Conyers, who aspires to become a physician assistant (PA) in a hospital as a surgical or OB/GYN PA, endeavors to help foster diversity in the field.

Alicia Martin-Conyers 20.

While growing up it was a rarity to see an African American healthcare worker, she said. Representation matters  even today. African Americans only make up three percent of the PA profession. I hope one day to help others by sharing my experiences and being a mentor. I look forward to the day when a young African American girl can see herself in me and pursue similar positions practicing medicine. I know that becoming a PA is the best way that I can positively contribute to my community.

The Universitys paramedicine program, offered in conjunction with Yale New Haven Hospital, enables students to gain more than 700 hours of clinical and internship experience and to take classes through the Yale University School of Medicine.

Pavlinetz, who will begin medical school in August, says she feels prepared to continue her education, and shes grateful for the real-world experience she had in the paramedicine program.

I have the skills I will need to succeed in medical school, she said. The clinicals we did at the University of New Haven were amazing, and I expect the clinicals I have in medical school will be easier for me because of the experiences I had.
Kelly Young, a white law student at Temple University Law School in Philadelphia, comes from a neighborhood where everybody pretty much has a house, has a job, has enough, she said.

So when one of her universitys law clinic clients shared a harrowing and complex narrative about how she had been physically and sexually abused, Young admits she felt lost about her next steps in the case.

Her client, a diminutive Black woman, sat in one of the clinics tiny rooms, crying as she delved into a story plagued by gaps in logic and facts. The womans husband had physically and sexually abused her, then pimped her into prostitution so he could feed his cocaine addiction. In all that abuse, she had self-medicated with drugs, too, she revealed in a quiet tumble of words.

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It would have been so easy for a student like me, or even an attorney to say: There are so many gaps. I think you are lying,  Young, 28, said.

But a law class kept Young from having those knee-jerk reactions. By teaching students to recognize the ways trauma manifests itself in people, the class had trained her to identify, rather than stigmatize, those telltale signs.

This approach to trauma awareness is making its way into the legal profession. Whether taught in formal law classes or in professional training, it is gaining traction across the country, according to the American Bar Association.

Trauma awareness in the legal system is a significant trend, said Eva Klain, a D.C.-based, child welfare attorney and spokesperson for the ABA. Through hundreds of partnerships with organizations and legal services providers throughout the United States, Kalin added, We see that lawyers are understanding how essential it is to recognize the trauma of their clients.

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At its root, trauma awareness is about assessing trauma and trauma symptoms in all routine practices and then asking: What happened to you? not What is wrong with you?  said Deeya Haldar, co-author of The Pedagogy of Trauma-Informed Lawyering, published by NYUs Clinical Law Review in 2016. Haldar is a visiting assistant professor at the Charles Widger School of Law at Villanova University, where she teaches trauma awareness to her students.

This shift in thinking first gained traction in the field of mental health about a decade ago. But it took time for the legal field to catch up.

Lawyers are super late to the party, said Sarah Reisman, a supervising attorney at Community Legal Aid SoCal, an organization that advocates for low-income people. Were trying frantically to catch up because so much of what is going on in our clients lives is dictated by their trauma.

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In this country, an often disproportionate number of women and people of color experience trauma, research shows. Nearly 1 in 5 women in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives. In a sample of nearly 4,000 Native Americans and Alaska Natives 56.1 percent of women reported experiencing sexual violence at some point in their lives. And in a sample of more than 1,600 Black/African American and multiracial adolescents aged 1317, 18 percent of respondents said they had been forced into unwanted sexual acts while 13 percent said that they had been sexually attacked or raped.

Meanwhile, the Black Lives Matter movement has brought urgent attention to the accrual of systematic racism that includes the police brutality that Black people endure in this countryforms of trauma that call urgently for the need for trauma-informed legal help. Without this care, legal experts say, these populations are likely to be retraumatized in a system that diminishes them as unreliable, untrustworthy, even challenging to represent.

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I think there is a great positive effect to understanding racism as a trauma and I think trauma-informed attorneys understand that trauma is not just about something like domestic violenceand trauma-informed attorneys, even if they are not from the same culture as their clients, would be able to incorporate that understanding of racism as a trauma into their representation, said Haldar.

No organization keeps publicly available statistics on the proliferation of trauma-informed attorneys. However, Meg Garvin, executive director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute, estimated that her organization trains as many as 4,000 attorneys and legal advocates a year in the nuances of trauma-informed lawyering. Ten years ago, she estimated, that number was 1,300.

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Instead of judging or dismissing her clinic client, Young, the law student at Temple University, leaned on the information she was studying in her trauma awareness legal classparticularly that trauma can alter the way the brain processes, interprets, and differentiates between present and past information.

Working in a trauma-informed way is not going to be like reading a novel, Young said. Its going to be patchy and confusing.

By definition, a trauma-informed legal practice aims to reduce retraumatizing the client and to better advocate for clients by recognizing the role that trauma plays in shaping the lawyer-client relationship.

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We step away from the paradigm that we hold all the information and they know nothinga paradigm that retraumatizes a person, said Rebekah Thomas, associate attorney at the Holzer Law Group in Santa Ana, California, and president-elect of the Thurgood Marshall Bar Association in Orange County, which supports the Black legal community there.

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In addition to her personal experiences with racism, Thomas has also attended classes on how to be a trauma-informed attorney. One of the most important lessons she learned, she said, was how intimidating the law is to a layperson, and therefore how important it is to help each person involved in the legal process to feel empowered, versus feeling like something is happening to them.

A recent example: A Black Irvine resident contacted the association, Thomas says, saying he felt Mayor Christina Shea had violated his First Amendment rights by blocking his profile on Facebook after he made comments in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

We brought him into the process, Thomas said. We asked him: Do you want to come to the press conference? Would you like to speak to how you felt? It wasnt just, Thank you for telling us, let the lawyers take it from here. He sat down with an attorney, and he felt heard. That was the trauma-informed part. What he may find is that: Hey, my voice matters. Change may happen because of that.

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Those who do not feel heard end up walking away from the legal system and sometimes all government systems, vowing never to engage in them again, Thomas said.

But in July, the L.A. Times wrote that the Irvine resident had filed a complaint in federal court, accusing Shea of violating his First Amendment rights. And in January, the city of Irvine settled the suit for nearly $40,000.

Mary, a 46-year-old Los Angeles resident who asked that her real name not be usedI havent told my family members about the assault because I dont want them to worry about me, she saidhas been plagued by an overwhelming sense of helplessness since she was assaulted by her massage therapist two years ago.

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She hired the therapist to help relieve the painful nerve damage caused by a car wreck some years earlier. The two had worked on and off for nearly a year when one day, he suggested she book a longer, hour-and-a-half appointment to work on a particularly tight area around the right side of her hip, Mary recalled.

That is when he assaulted me, she said. I froze. Its very frustrating that I didnt react the way I wish I would have. I just remember looking at the clock at the time and thinking: This will be over. This will be over. And it just went on. He went over the time by about 20 minutes.

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She hasnt been able to work at her career as a financial analyst since, she said; she faces too many anxiety attacks to think clearly. Unable to pay for her apartment, Mary moved back in with her parents.

The estimated lifetime cost of rape was $122,461 per victim, or a population economic burden of nearly $3.1 trillion, according to a 2017 report published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Costs included attributable impaired health, lost productivity, and criminal justice costs from the societal perspective.

Attorneys who understand the impact of trauma can better advocate for the correct restitution that their clients need to fully recover, legal experts say, particularly when it comes to long-term mental health treatment to counter the devastating psychological impact of abuse.

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Sarah Katz, the associate clinical professor of law at Temple University who oversaw Youngs interactions with her traumatized client, said that all the students I teach walk away with some understanding of trauma-informed practices. One of Katzs main emphases when she teaches is how to spot signs of trauma manifesting in a clients behavior. For instance, sometimes clients dont appear to want to answer a question, or they go into a long diatribe about something seemingly unrelated, Katz says.

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If I dont know about trauma, I could judge the person and say that they are not listening, she says. But if I know about trauma, I know that when a person is talking and talkingits called floodingthe trauma experience is overriding my question.

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In that circumstance, she teaches her students to be empathetic instead of judgmental, often by allowing their clients to flood for a while and then helping them to refocus by saying something like: I know you have a lot of things you want to tell me. And you want my help. So its not that I dont want to hear what is important, but let me also tell you what information I need to prepare for the case.

Clients who act withdrawn or flat may also be exhibiting trauma, Katz said. It might be because they are not sure what you are going to do with the information, the professor says.

If the attorney understands that the clients experience has resulted in them not being trusting, then the attorney is much less likely to be judgmental about the behavior or to take it as a personal attack, Katz said. Otherwise, the clients story doesnt get told.

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And then, much worse and more likely, the client is retraumatized by the experience and walks away thinking: No one has ever helped me before and this person isnt helping me either,  Katz said.

Interviewing exercises, role playing, and strategizing, along with constant reminders about how trauma affects the brain, are all part of Katzs curriculum.

Across the country in Los Angeles, Community Legal Aid SoCal supervising attorney Sarah Reisman said that running a trauma-aware legal firm is a complete paradigm shift from the conventional approach in which she was trained.

Were taught to come from an expertise perspectiveto see things in a black-and-white perspective and then to go forth and win, Reisman said. So to say: This person sitting across from me is an expert in her own lifethat is a shift in perspective.

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Even the office spaces at her nonprofit firm are designed with trauma awareness in mind: The rooms set aside for meetings with clients have soothing window views; clients are given direct phone numbers of various team members with whom they feel safeincluding their attorneysso that the clients do not have to feel the helplessness of not knowing when a message on an office voicemail will get picked up.

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Carmellas memory of that terrible night skips haphazardly: Her landlord walked uninvited into her kitchen, she says, insisting that she drink a beer. She refused. She was married and wanted him to go away. But he was relentless. Having no idea that he had secretly tainted the drink with a drug to render her unconscious, she gulped it downand quickly blacked out.

Other than that, the details of that evening remain as disordered as the buttons on her dress, the ones her assailant ripped open and then hastily twisted into a crazy, lopsided linean upsetting metaphor for the way her life still feels, years later.

Carmella, who lives in that same apartment in Los Angeles, asked that her real name not be used because she is afraid of retribution from that landlord.

She takes a deep breath, centers herself. The chronology of the crime comes into focus. The assault happened two months after she married her husband in October 2015, she says. After that, she saw a trauma-informed attorney who assessed her case and helped her choose the legal avenues that would not retraumatize her.

Even with the recurring flashbacks and bouts of anxiety and sadness, the 45-year-old volunteers at a community hospital, where she talks to four to five families a week, helping them to understand what she didnttheir rights as tenants.

I want to help women, Carmella says. So, she said: I refer them to lawyers.

This article was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
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Facebook is to allow users to turn off the algorithm powering its News Feed and control the order in which items appear amid growing calls for algorithmic transparency. The company will also provide more context on suggested content by expanding the Why am I seeing this? tab, as well as letting users control who can comment on their posts. It comes ahead of the first draft of the UKs new Online Safety Bill, which is likely to include powers for Ofcom to audit how social media companies algorithms work. Algorithmic transparency has become a focus for regulators, especially when companies are seen to be promoting harmful content or creating enclaves for people who believe conspiracy theories and only encounter people who share those beliefs. Sky News

Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, have voted in a historic poll to decide whether they want to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The results are not expected until next week  but if they say yes, it will become Amazons first US union. Amazon argues its wages and benefits are industry-beating and has gone into battle to persuade workers to vote no. Most agree the outcome could have major implications for US labour laws. Peter Romer-Friedman, principal of law firm Gupta Wessler PLLC, said: The key question in America at the moment is are we going to have fair treatment of workers in the businesses that will dominate our future? BBC

Microsoft has won a lucrative deal to supply augmented reality headsets based on its HoloLens product to the US army. The contract could be worth up to $21.88bn over 10 years  and its been a while in the making. Over the past two years, Microsoft has worked with the Army on the prototyping phase of what is called the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS. The company said that the Army had moved into the production phase of the project. Microsoft Technical Fellow Alex Kipman said the headsets are designed to deliver enhanced situational awareness, enabling information sharing and decision-making in a variety of scenarios. Telegraph

Apple Inc said Wednesday that it will build a battery-based renewable energy storage facility in Central California near a solar energy installation that already provides energy for all of its facilities in the state. Apple said the project will store 240 megawatt-hours of energy, or enough to power more than 7,000 homes for one day. It is located next to the California Flats solar installation in southeastern Monterey County, about 100 miles southeast of Apples Cupertino, California headquarters. Reuters

As bitcoin surges to unprecedented value, the sprawling matrix of computers around the world that run its software is now consuming as much energy a year as Sweden, the latest calculations suggest. The higher the price, the more electricity this network uses. Iran was recently rocked by power outages that were partly blamed on bitcoin. Bill Gates recently warned bitcoin was not a great climate thing. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellan has called its energy use staggering. Business Insider

Delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic have cost NASA almost $3bn since last March, a report says. COVID-caused facility closures, mandatory remote working and disruptions to the materials supply chain have caused an enormous headache for NASA, according to the space agencys office of inspector general (OIG) audit report. It follows a previous report into NASAs Artemis Programme which warned NASAs plans to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024 are unlikely to be achieved. Sky News

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Chinese FM Wang Yi meets Singaporean counterpart

Xinhua) 13:36, April 01, 2021

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan in Nanping City, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

FUZHOU, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore on Wednesday expressed their willingness to deepen pragmatic cooperation and further develop bilateral relations.

The agreement was made when Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan in Nanping City, Fujian Province.

Noting that last year marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Wang said China is willing to strengthen strategic communication, deepen pragmatic cooperation with Singapore, and make joint efforts to maintain regional peace and stability and to improve global governance.

Wang said the two countries should work together to oppose "vaccine nationalism" and prevent "vaccine divide," calling for both sides to jointly upgrade the level of China-ASEAN relations.

China supports ASEAN to uphold the principles of non-interference in internal affairs and help cease chaos and resume stability in Myanmar in the ASEAN way, Wang added.

Balakrishnan congratulated the Communist Party of China on the 100th anniversary of its founding, adding that Singapore is willing to exchange views with China on the upgrading of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement, and to enhance the level of cooperation between ASEAN and China.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Father Ferdinand Nguban and at least three other people were killed in an attack by gunmen in Nigerias Benue, in yet another instance of growing insecurity in the west-African nation.

By Vatican News staff writer

A Catholic priest, Father Ferdinand Fanen Nguban, and at least three other people were killed in an attack on Tuesday at a parish in Benue State, in Nigeria's middle belt region.

Local news sources say that the priest had just finished celebrating the morning Mass and was within the church premises when the unknown assailants shot at him.

Up until the tragic attack, Fr. Nguban served as the Assistant Priest at St. Paul Quasi Parish, Ayetwar, Agu Centre Village, in the Katsina-Ala Local Government Area. He was ordained a priest in July 2015.

Tragic death

A Wednesday statement from the Chancellor of the Diocese of Katsina-Ala, Fr Fidelis Phelle Akumbul recounts the incident: After celebrating Mass and while he prepared to leave for Chrism Mass at St. Gerard Majella Cathedral, Katsina-Ala, to renew his priestly vows alongside his brother priests, there was pandemonium among the internally displaced persons who took refuge in the parish premises.

Fr Ferdinand went out to find out the cause of the confusion. He was shot in the head as he tried to take cover after sighting armed gunmen, the statement said.

Several houses were also said to have been set ablaze during the Tuesday attack by the gunmen.

Investigation underway

Confirming the attack, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Benue Command, DSP Catherine Anene said that the bodies had been deposited at General Hospital, Katsina-Ala.

The PPRO added that a joint operation of Police and other security agencies is on the trail of the hoodlums.

Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom, in a statement issued on Wednesday by his chief press secretary, Terver Akase, condemned the killing of Fr. Nguban and offered assurances that the state government would not relent until those responsible for the killing and other attacks are brought to justice.

Rising insecurity

The tragic killing of Fr. Nguban adds to the long list of instances of rising insecurity in Nigeria. This latest attack comes just a few days after the release of another priest, Fr. Harrison Egwuenu of the Diocese of Warri, who was kidnapped by gunmen on 15 March.

Nigerias challenges with insecurity, especially in the northern region, stem from multiple reasons, including overstretched and underequipped security forces. School abductions and kidnappings for ransom are sadly becoming a lucrative industry, while the nation still battles with attacks from the Boko Haram extremist group and other issues stemming from conflicts between the nomadic Fulani herdsmen and local indigenous peoples.
The chair of the government's race commission today dismissed 'ridiculous and offensive' claims that it downplayed the 'evil' of the slave trade.

The long-awaited study was branded a 'whitewash' yesterday as it concluded there is little evidence of institutional racism in Britain.

Factors such as geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion were found to have more impact on life chances than racism.

And the authors were accused of trying to put a 'positive spin on slavery' after they called on schools to use history lessons to 'tell the multiple, nuanced stories of the contributions made by different groups that have made this country the one it is today'.

In his foreword, chair Tony Sewell said there was a new story to be told about the 'slave period' and about how 'culturally African people transformed themselves into a remodelled African/Britain'.

But Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think-tank, said: 'I'm absolutely flabbergasted to see the slave trade apparently redefined as ''the Caribbean Experience''; as though it's something Thomas Cook should be selling  a one-way shackled cruise to purgatory.

'The cultural deafness of this report is only going to become clearer in the coming days and weeks.'

But Dr Sewell said the criticism was 'absurd'. 'It is absurd to suggest that the commission is trying to downplay the evil of the slave trade,' he said.

'It is both ridiculous and offensive to each and every commissioner.

'The report merely says that, in the face of the inhumanity of slavery, African people preserved their humanity and culture.'

Overseen by chair Dr Tony Sewell, the findings from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities were branded a 'whitewash' by the Left, but welcomed by other campaigners

Labour MPs and campaigners lined up to slam the report findings last night, although others backed it

The landmark review found children from many ethnic minorities do as well or better at school than white pupils

Boris Johnson (pictured on a visit to Middlesbrough today) said the findings were 'interesting', but the government might not accept 'everything' it concluded

The commissioners behind the report Dr Tony Sewell (chairman): Brixton-born son of Jamaican immigrants who has previously questioned claims of institutional racism in Britain. The 62-year-old was raised in London and worked as a teacher, first in London and then for two years in Jamaica. He gained a PhD for a thesis called 'Black masculinities and schooling'. Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock: Space scientist and presenter of The Sky At Night since 2014, when she replaced Sir Patrick Moore. Born in London to Nigerian parents. The married mother-of-one, 53, is a physicist and mechanical engineer once helped create a hand-held landmine detector. Works to inspire schoolchildren to work in science and technology. Aftab Chughtai: A retail businessman who runs Aftabs in Alum Rock, Birmingham. A member of the Grenfell taskforce he was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to business and the community. chairman of the West Midlands Police Independent Advisory Group and co-founder of Brexiteer group Muslims for Britain. Keith Fraser: A former police officer who worked for the Met and West Midlands police in a career spanning 32 years, rising to the rank of superintendent. Currently chairman of the Youth Justice Board. Birmingham-born son of Jamaican immigrants who became a bus driver and secretary respectively. Last year he spoke of being a victim of stop and search when a serving officer and accused forces of 'unconscious bias'. Naureen Khalid: Experienced school governor and educatuion blogger who set up @ukgovchat, an online forum for school governors. Mother of three who originally trained as a geneticist before moving into education. Dr Dambisa Moyo: Economist and author who was previously on the board of Barclays Bank. Born in Zamia and educated at Oxford and Harvard she was one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2009. Author of 'How Boards Work' and 'Dead Aid', which criticised post-war economic support for African countries. Her website described her as 'a pre-eminent thinker, who influences key decision-makers in strategic investment and public policy'. Mercy Muroki: Oxford-educated social policy researcher at the Centre for Social Justice, commentator and columnist. Born in Kenya to parents who moved the family to Northampton. Became a single mother at the age of 18 to daughter Rosalind and has spoken about surviving on Universal Credit. Brexiteer Tory who introduced Sajid Javid at the 2019 Conservative Party Conference. This month she told the Sun: 'I just don't subscribe to woke, academic culture.' Martyn Oliver: Teacher, chief executive of Outwood Grange Academies Trust which runs more than 30 schools and runs a zero-tolerance discipline regime. He backs moves to extend the school day, especially in deprived areas. He told Schools Week today: 'The evidence is clear: give schools the resources to extend the school day and they will enrich the social and cultural capital of every child while boosting their academic performance.' Dr Samir Shah: TV producer, a former deputy chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum and a non-executive Director on the BBC Board. His firm Juniper TV produced Boris: The London Years and Theresa Vs Boris: How May Became PM for the BBC in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Kunle Olulode: Director of the Voice4Change England charity which has more than 400 organisations as members. A member of the Government's Windrush Working Group in 2018 he co-curated the Black And Banned season at Londons South Bank which 'considered the impact of censorship in black film, literature and music'. Blondel Cluff: Chairman of the National Lottery Community Fund, which hands out money to charity, since February. Solicitor and former diplomat for the British Overseas Territory (BOT) of Anguilla, who is chief executive of the West India Committee charity Advertisement

The race report was months in the making and produced by a group of 12 experts  only one of whom was white.

The report, commissioned by the Prime Minister after last year's Black Lives Matter protests, said Britain was no longer a country where the 'system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities'.

In a foreword, Dr Sewell rebuked 'negative calls for ''decolonising'' the curriculum'.

He said a Making Of Modern Britain teaching resource should focus on the influence of the UK during its Empire period, how 'Britishness influenced the Commonwealth' and how local communities influenced 'modern Britain'.

He added: 'There is a new story about the Caribbean experience which speaks to the slave period not only being about profit and suffering but how culturally African people transformed themselves into a remodelled African/Britain.'

Mr Johnson insisted today there are 'serious issues that our society faces to do with racism' and that work needed to be done to 'fix it'.

And he suggested the government will not agree with 'everything' in the report's conclusions.

'Look, this is a very interesting piece of work,' he said.

'I don't say the Government is going to agree with absolutely everything in it, but it has some original and stimulating work in it that I think people need to read and to consider.

'There are very serious issues that our society faces to do with racism that we need to address.

'We've got to do more to fix it, we need to understand the severity of the problem, and we're going to be looking at all the ideas that they have put forward, and we'll be making our response.'

Although the study came under heavy fire, many campaigners voiced support.

Duwayne Brooks, a friend of Stephen Lawrence, said he agreed that not all disparities in the UK were caused by racism.

The activist told Times Radio: 'What the report is doing is comparing life for the ethnic minorities in Britain, in comparison to the European countries, where life would be much, much worse than how it is today.'

He added: 'It's not as simple to just say that the black people of Britain cannot get jobs because they're black.

'And that's what people want the report to say.'

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, added: 'This report rightly identifies the varied causes of disparities and by making recommendations to address them gives the Government the opportunity to design policy targeting the sources of inequality.'

'It is no wonder they are losing the expertise from their team.'

Yesterday Dr Sewell, who insisted that the commission simply hadn't found evidence of institutional racism in Britain, said some communities were haunted by historic racism and there was a 'reluctance to acknowledge that the UK had become open and fairer'.

He said the review found some evidence of bias, but often it was a perception that the wider society could not be trusted.

NHS Providers said it disagreed with the report's conclusions and said there was 'clear and unmistakable' evidence that NHS ethnic minority staff had worse experiences and faced more barriers than white counterparts.

Sabby Dhalu, of Stand Up To Racism, said: 'Suggesting Britain should be regarded as a 'model for other white-majority countries' is an insult to all those who lost their lives due to racism.'

But Chancellor Rishi Sunak said progress had been made in tackling racism, telling ITV's Peston: 'If I think about the things that happened to me when I was a kid, I can't imagine those things happening to me now.'

The 264-page report also called on ministers to tackle online abuse, lengthen the school day to help disadvantaged pupils, force police to switch on body cameras during stop-and-search encounters, and establish an independent body to target health disparities.

The report said: 'The evidence shows that geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion have more significant impact on life chances than the existence of racism.

'That said, we take the reality of racism seriously and we do not deny that it is a real force in the UK.'

It added: 'We have argued for the use of the term 'institutional racism' to be applied only when deep-seated racism can be proven on a systemic level and not be used as a general catch-all phrase for any microaggression, witting or unwitting.'

The report said: 'The life chances of the child of a Harrow-raised British Indian accountant and the child of a Bradford-raised British Pakistani taxi-driver are as wide apart as they are, partly because of the UK's economic geography.

'Meanwhile, the numerically largest disadvantaged group is low income White boys, especially those from former industrial and coastal towns, who are failing at secondary school and are the people least likely to go to university.

'Unlike many other reports on race and ethnicity we have included the White group in our deliberations.

'For a range of outcomes, White working class children trail behind their peers in almost all ethnic minority groups, although the extent of these disparities vary by area.'

The review highlighted the different fortunes of ethnic groups, pointing out that white British boys from poorer backgrounds are among the most disadvantaged. These figures show the difference between the mean score for the group and the grand mean score across all pupils - which is equivalent to zero

No10 frantically plays down dramatic resignation of PM's adviser on ethnic minorities

Downing Street today frantically played down the resignation of the PM's most senior black aide as ministers faced backlash over a 'whitewash' race report.

Boris Johnson heaped praise on Samuel Kasumu's 'great' work in encouraging vaccine take-up among ethnic minorities after it emerged he is leaving No10.

The news surfaced after the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published a controversial study on inequality in Britain.

But a spokesman for the PM said Mr Kasumu had planned to go for 'months', and will be staying until May.

'Any suggestion that this decision has been made this week or that this is linked to the CRED report is completely inaccurate,' the spokesman said.

Mr Kasumu had tendered his resignation in February, penning a letter warning that ministers were pursuing a 'politics steeped in division' and voicing 'concern' about how equalities minister Kemi Badenoch handled a spat with a journalist. At that stage he was talked out of going, even though the letter was leaked.

The 33-year-old informed No10 colleagues yesterday that he was leaving, according to Politico.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi is believed to have tried unsuccessfully to persuade Mr Kasumu to change his mind again.

During a visit to Middlesbrough, Mr Johnson told reporters: 'I worked very closely with Samuel in the last year or so and he's done some great stuff.

'I thank him very much, particularly on helping to encourage vaccine take-up amongst more hesitant groups and communities. And, actually, we're seeing some real success there.

'It is true that different groups have been coming forward at different paces, everybody is increasing their take-ups, so I thank him very much for that.'

The race report, which was months in the making and produced by a group of 12 experts  only one of whom was white  concluded that there was no evidence of institutional racism in this country.

Overseen by chair Dr Tony Sewell, its findings were branded a 'whitewash' by the Left, but welcomed by other campaigners.

Samuel Kasumu, who advised Boris Johnson on ethnic minorities is understood to have handed in his resignation after long-running tensions

Boris Johnson (pictured on a visit to Middlesbrough today) heaped praise on Mr Kasumu's 'great' work in encouraging vaccine take-up among ethnic minorities after it emerged he is leaving No10

Overseen by chair Dr Tony Sewell, the findings from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities were branded a 'whitewash' by the Left, but welcomed by other campaigners

Samuel Kasumu: From Tory activist and HuffPost writer to advising the PM on ethnic minorities Samuel Kasumu, originally from Barnet but now living in St Albans, studied business and management accounting at Brunel University - where he was student President and Vice President and left with a 2:1 - and a postgraduate degree in Ethnicity, Migration, & Policy from Birkbeck, University of London. While at Brunel, in 2006, he was also the President of the largest African and Caribbean Society on a university campus in the country, the HuffPost says. He is married to Barbara Kasumu, who held an advisory position at the Cabinet Office in 2018. The couple ran Elevation Networks until 2018, which was setup to help young and under-represented people in the job market. Mrs Kasumu has worked for similar social enterprises including The Kids Network and The Foyer Federation. During the 2011 London riots he acted as a community representative calling for peace, particularly in the Tottenham area in the north of the capital. That same year the political adviser also featured in a campaign called Operation Black Vote, where he was presented as a leading entrepreneur and future political figure. Since leaving university the Liverpool football fan has worked as a councillor, with faith groups and started out in politics at a local level. He was a contributor for the HuffPost and is still described on its website as a 'young political commentator'. He has also written for the Guardian, New Statesman and was a columnist for Nigerian Watch. In 2012 he wrote his first book called Winning the Race, which criticised what he saw as a lack of action by the Tories in appealing to ethnic minorities. But he was best known for being the founder of Elevation Networks - a student level social enterprise in Euston which tries to give underrepresented young people a more competitive stance in the labour market. During the 2010 general election he campaigned for Theresa Villiars MP, David Borrowes MP, and Philipa Stroud. He has worked as a special adviser in Downing Street for the past year and a half. Advertisement

The report, commissioned by the Prime Minister after last year's Black Lives Matter protests, said Britain was no longer a country where the 'system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities'.

It said factors such as geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion all impacted life chances more than racism, and concluded the UK was a 'beacon' to the world as a successful multi-ethnic nation which displayed much more tolerance than its neighbours.

But unions said the report denied the experiences of black and minority ethnic workers.

Labour justice spokesman David Lammy said black Britons were being 'gaslighted' and called the report an insult to anyone in Britain who had experienced structural racism.

The report's authors were also accused of trying to put a 'positive spin on slavery' after they called on schools to use history lessons to 'tell the multiple, nuanced stories of the contributions made by different groups that have made this country the one it is today'.

In his foreword, Dr Sewell said there was a new story to be told about the 'slave period' and about how 'culturally African people transformed themselves into a remodelled African/Britain'.

But Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think-tank, said: 'I'm absolutely flabbergasted to see the slave trade apparently redefined as 'the Caribbean Experience'; as though it's something Thomas Cook should be selling  a one-way shackled cruise to purgatory.

'The cultural deafness of this report is only going to become clearer in the coming days and weeks.'

But Dr Sewell said it was 'absurd to suggest that the commission is trying to downplay the evil of the slave trade'.

Mr Kasumu wrote a resignation letter from his job, paid up to 75,000 a year, in February.

Although he later retracted it, the BBC obtained a copy.

In it, Mr Kasumu accused the Conservative Party of pursuing 'a politics steeped in division' and suggested Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch may have broken the ministerial code in her public spat with a journalist.

He wrote: 'I fear for what may become of the party in the future by choosing to pursue a politics steeped in division.'

The former Conservative activist and councillor who grew up in Barnet, north London, said 'the damage that is often caused by our actions is not much considered', adding: 'As someone that has spent his whole adult life serving others, that tension has been at times unbearable.'

He reportedly described the actions of Ms Badenoch as 'concerning'.

Ms Badenoch accused HuffPost reporter Nadine White of 'creepy and bizarre' behaviour after the journalist contacted her requesting a comment for a story.

The minister posted screenshots of Ms White's emails online sparking a backlash against the reporter.

Mr Kasumu apparently notified the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Dan Rosenfield, that he will be leaving last week, and told colleagues yesterday.

Shadow equalities secretary Marsha de Cordova said: 'To have your most senior advisor on ethnic minorities quit as you publish a so-called landmark report on race in the UK is telling of how far removed the Tories are from the everyday lived experiences of Black, Asian and ethnic minority people.

'Their divisive report appears to glorify slavery and suggests that institutional racism does not exist despite the evidence to the contrary.

'It is no wonder they are losing the expertise from their team.'
Dhaka, Apr 1(UNI) Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen took part in the Special Session of the BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) virtually held on Thursday in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

He led a four member Bangladesh delegation composed of Additional Foreign Secretary Md Shamsul Haque (SAARC & BIMSTEC) and other officers. The Foreign Secretaries and Senior Officials of all the seven BIMSTEC Member States joined the meeting.

Bangladesh facilitated and supported the endorsement of a series of vital documents at the Special Session of the BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting chaired by Admiral Prof Jayanath Colombage, Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka.

The meeting considered and endorsed the reports of the third meeting of the BIMSTEC Transport Connectivity Working Group (BTCWG) held virtually in New Delhi, India on 08 December 2020 and the Fifth Meeting of the BIMSTEC Network of Policy Think Tanks (BNPTT) held virtually in New Delhi, India on 21 December 2020.

The meeting finalized the revised draft Provisional Agenda and the Joint Statement of the Seventeenth BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting to be held virtually tomorrow. The meeting discussed on the convening of the Fifth BIMSTEC Summit and finalized the draft declaration. The meeting also endorsed the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity for approval and adoption by the Seventeenth BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting and the Fifth BIMSTEC Summit respectively.

In the forum, Foreign Secretary stated that as the BIMSTEC lead country for Trade, Investment and Development, Bangladesh is committed to strengthen BIMSTEC cooperation in this important field.

The relevant Ministries and agencies of Bangladesh are ready to host all required meetings and events in this regard. In order to promote the areas of cooperation, Bangladesh proposed to host the 20th Meeting of the BIMSTEC Working Group on Rules of Origin (WG-ROO) and tourism related meetings to be held virtually in Dhaka this year.

He expressed that the implementation process of BIMSTEC cooperation in various sectors must be expedited on priority basis to harness quick dividends for our peoples in the Bay of Bengal Region through exploitation of the full potentials of this Region. COVID 19 Pandemic waged an unprecedented global crisis posing multiple challenges for us.

BIMSTEC forum provides an excellent platform to combat the devastating impact of COVID-I9 in BIMSTEC region. BIMSTEC platform can be used in addressing multi-prong challenges in the Post-Covid-19 Era in a more effective and powerful manner if we can activate the Forum effectively and fully with our collective efforts, he added.

UNI MAZ GNK 0703
EML-powered Saurus.com users can instantly make a cash deposit to a nearby user of the patented and patent-pending platform.

Social and financial inclusion programme Saurus.com from Rewire Holding has partnered with EML to power its game-changing mobile payments app available on Android and iOS. In 2020, Saurus.com raised over $2 million in its second seed funding round. Its next pre-Series A round is expected to be completed within days to fund its ambition to become a regulated entity.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005039/en/

Saurus.com partners with EML. (Photo: Business Wire)

Jose Merino, CEO at Saurus.com, has a long history of successes in the tech space. The former Executive Vice-President of Operations at a Global Fortune 500-listed electronics company in Silicon Valley speaks 5 languages. In the '90s, he invented a cell phone he sold to a listed tech company in Asia. He followed this success by signing a licencing agreement with a Fortune 500 tech giant. Jose's philanthropic endeavours in pandemic involve a social inclusion project with a global coffee chain in Spain. Saurus is his latest brainchild.

'We live in a world characterised by financial legacy systems and the continued divestment of traditional financial institutions that are closing more branches. It leaves a void in the market for Saurus.com's technology and a waiting list of individuals and businesses eager to use our convenient payments solution. As an immigrant myself, we aim to serve mainly rural communities, the Hispanic and Muslim diasporas, socially responsibly,' said Jose.

Lee Britton, CEO Europe at EML (ASX: EML) (S&P/ASX 200) stated: 'It's incredible to work alongside Europe's latest FinTech driven to create a new market rather than competing with existing players. Our friend Jose is specialising in an underserved market segment backed by his intellectual property rights. EML is delighted to provide the growth-ready platform Saurus.com needs and to support its long-term goals.'

About EML Payments Limited

EML provides an innovative payment solutions platform, helping businesses all over the world create awesome customer experiences. Wherever money is in motion, our agile technology can power the payment process, so money can be moved quickly, conveniently and securely. We offer market-leading programme management and highly skilled payments expertise to create customisable feature-rich solutions for businesses, brands and their customers.

Come and explore the many opportunities our platform has to offer by visiting us at: EMLPayments.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005039/en/

Contacts:

For further information, please contact:

Marie O'Riordan, Global Director of PR

EML Payments Limited (ASX: EML) (S&P/ASX 200)

marie.oriordan@emlpayments.com pr@emlpayments.com

+353 46 94 2010 9 +44 207 183 5856
Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan will likely be a Trump target in 2022 for telling Republicans they are handling their 2020 loss poorly. Photo: Nathan Posner/Shutterstock

On November 19, 2020, Georgia Republicans suffered a major blow when their state was called for Joe Biden in a close presidential contest. But at that point, they had every reason to think the future would be brighter. They were the strong early favorites in two January U.S. Senate runoffs. And knowing that Democrats controlled the White House, Republicans could look forward to likely gains in 2022 for three reasons: (1) The presidential out party usually gets a boost in midterms, (2) midterm turnout patterns usually favor Republican voting groups, relatively speaking, and (3) redistricting would be totally in the GOPs hands thanks to their control of the governorship and the legislature.

But instead of playing their shot as it lay, Georgia Republicans tore each other apart over Donald Trumps mendacious election fraud claims and his subsequent efforts to overturn the Biden victory, with many GOP elected officials and activists gleefully attacking Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp, both Republicans, for certifying Bidens victory. Trump himself dominated the Senate runoffs and may well have depressed Republican turnout by constantly claiming that the vote in Georgia was rigged.

After the catastrophe of losing control of the Senate for their party, which in turn led to the passage of Bidens $1.9 trillion stimulus package, Georgia Republicans probably should have licked their wounds and begun healing their divisions heading toward 2022. But no  instead, they made the Georgia General Assembly the national showcase for GOP voter-suppression measures. There was hardly an evil idea for making voting more difficult, particularly for minority citizens, that did not get introduced by some Republican legislator during its 2021 session, up to and including a total end to no-excuse voting by mail, a ban on Sunday in-person early voting, all sorts of burdensome and redundant voter-ID requirements, and attacks on the jurisdiction of Democratic county election offices. The nastiness progressed to include the cartoon-villain idea of making it a crime to give food and water to voters in the long lines that Black people notoriously have to endure in Georgia.

All this obnoxious activity was obviously the product of Trumps election-fraud claims, since there were no documented cases of problems with Georgias 2020 elections other than the aforementioned long lines. So the Georgia GOP was very conspicuously exposing itself as doing bad things in a bad cause.

Eventually, legislators took out some of the most offensive pieces of the final election bill, but they had so mishandled it all that nobody noticed or cared. As Kemp went on-camera to spin the legislation he was about to sign as a triumph for voting rights and election security, a Black legislator tapped on his door to see what he was doing and was promptly wrestled out of the Georgia State Capitol by white state troopers and charged with two felonies:

Why are you arresting her? This Facebook Live video from @TWareStevens shows the moment authorities detained state Rep. Park Cannon as @GovKemp was behind those doors signing elections restrictions into law. #gapol pic.twitter.com/U1xMJ6tZrY  Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 25, 2021

Surely, someone in the orbit of Kemp or legislative leaders could have advised them to tell the troopers protecting them, Whatever you do, dont go all Bull Connor on protesters! Instead, the image of Park Cannon being dragged off to jail was the enduring impression of the day  and brought back a lot of bad memories, especially for Black citizens subjected to generations of brutal suppression of both voting rights and the right to peacefully protest.

And when the national protests over the law pressured major Atlanta-based corporations to deplore the law, did Republicans ignore the criticism? No. They threatened to withdraw a tax subsidy to Delta Air Lines (though they did not follow through on the threat). And in a particularly juvenile bit of theater, the House Speaker made sure cameras saw him cracking open a can of Pepsi at a press conference in what was clearly an expression of unhappiness with local corporate giant Coca-Cola. Even if this anti-corporate saber-rattling isnt serious, alienating their usual business allies is not a smart move for Republicans heading into an election cycle that has now gotten a lot tougher.

Nobody really knows what sort of advantage the new election law will give Georgia Republicans going forward. But it may not be enough to counteract the voter mobilization that Democrats and voting-rights advocates will undertake in defiance of GOP efforts to make it harder for them to register and vote, particularly if voting-rights champion Stacey Abrams is, as expected, at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2022 (alongside Senator Raphael Warnock, heir to the pulpit once held by Martin Luther King Jr.).

The brutal stupidity of his partys recent maneuvers led Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan to pen an op-ed for USA Today that defended some of the actual provisions of the new law while expressing impatience with others, and with the underlying GOP lies about voter fraud:

Last weeks divisive debate on election reform directly resulted from the months-long misinformation campaign led by former President Donald J. Trump 

Republicans in politically safe districts [should have] resist[ed] the temptation to superficially support knee-jerk reaction legislation, such as not allowing the distribution of water within 150 feet of a polling station or punishing and removing oversight responsibilities from the former presidents scapegoat and popularly-elected statewide official Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, just to appease the extreme right corners of their districts and to avoid potential primary challenges.

Unfortunately, Republicans fell into the trap set by the left and allowed them to make the bill into something that its not.

Like Raffensperger and Kemp, however, Duncan was already the almost certain target of a Trump 2022 primary purge effort, likely fronted by State Senator Burt Jones, a prominent supporter of Trumps lies about 2020. It would not be at all surprising to see the 45th president himself in the Peach State pursuing vengeance against disloyal Republicans and perhaps reprising his disastrous role in the Senate-runoff campaign.

If only they had quietly conceded after November, then Republicans might still have those two Senate seats from Georgia and control of the Senate itself. And had Georgia Republicans gone about their usual business of passing bad  not conspicuously racist  legislation this year, they might be in very good shape for the midterms. As it is, if they suffer another debacle in 2022, they have no one but themselves, and perhaps the tyrant of Mar-a-Lago, to blame.
Thiruvananthapuram: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is on a two-day visit to poll-bound states, will address election rallies and roadshows in Kerala on Thursday (April 1).

The Uttar Pradesh CM will start campaigning for BJP in the poll-bound state on Thursday morning from Haripad Assembly in Kayamkulam. The BJP leader is scheduled to address a public rally there around 11:30 am.

The Kayamkulams public rally will be followed by massive roadshows in Kazhakkoottam and Parassala in the afternoon.

Additionally, BJP National President JP Nadda is also scheduled to hold numerous public rallies and roadshows in Kerala. The BJP chief will commence his campaigning in the poll-bound state with a roadshow in Attingal constituency in the morning, followed by a public meeting in Karunagappally constituency at noon.

The BJP leader will also motivate the citizens of Aranmula constituency to vote for his party by holding a roadshow in the area. Finally, Nadda will conclude his campaigning in the state on Thursday by addressing a public rally in Changanassery constituency.

The election for the 140-member Kerala Assembly will be held on April 6 in over 40,771 polling stations. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

Live TV
Washington  The US State Department highlighted Wednesday the "bold leadership" of HM King Mohamed VI, making Morocco a "world leader" in investing in renewable energy and in meeting its climate goals under the Paris Accords.

"Under the bold leadership of King Mohamed VI, Morocco has become a world leader in investing in renewable energy and in meeting its climate goals under the Paris Accords," the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs of the U.S. Department of State wrote in a tweet.

Earlier today, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry welcomed HM King Mohammed VI's commitment to fighting climate change.

"Morocco is a tremendous partner in the global fight on climate change. I personally experienced HM King Mohamed VI's commitment when Morocco hosted COP22" in Marrakech in 2016, Kerry said in a tweet broadcast on the sidelines of the "Climate and Development" Ministerial Meeting, held in virtual mode at the initiative of the United Kingdom.

"We're eager to deepen our partnership" on the way to Glasgow, which will host the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP26) on November 1-12, 2021, he added.

The "Climate and Development" ministerial meeting brought together ministers and stakeholders to identify the next steps to address a series of priority questions for climate-vulnerable communities ahead of COP 26.
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Authorities in Botswana say the elephant hunting season will go ahead as planned, despite a world conservation body listing African elephants as endangered. Botswana's government argues its elephant population - the world's largest - is growing too fast and leading to human-wildlife conflict.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) this month listed Africa's Savannah elephants as endangered and its forest elephants as critically endangered.

But Botswanas Director of Wildlife and National Paks, Kabelo Senyatso said the authorized elephant hunts will begin on April 6 as planned.

Senyatso said his government uses IUCNs red list as one of the tools to implement conservation programs.

However, he said IUCNs latest report notes Botswanas elephant population is growing, not declining. The country has an estimated 130,000 elephants within its borders.

Senyatso said Botswana lifted a hunting ban in 2019, mainly to generate sustainable income for communities, and not as a way to control the elephant population.

The co-chairperson of the IUCNs Elephant Specialist Group, Ben Okita-Ouma, said the red list is meant to guide authorities as to the status of various species.

He said the organizations report acknowledges there are some countries where elephant populations are thriving.

"The entire African population has declined significantly. When it comes to specifics there are places that are probably doing ok than others. There are places that require much more intervention. Places like KAZA, we are seeing that population of savanna elephants are doing ok," he said.

KAZA is shorthand for Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, home to the worlds largest elephant populations.

Conservationist Neil Fitt said the move to declare the two elephant species as under extreme threat is long overdue.

The IUCN blames poaching and habitat fragmentation for the decline in populations.

However, Fitt argues Botswana has a stable elephant population which means the country can continue with its elephant management programs.

The ones in Botswana and KAZA are still extremely stable if not increasing over the geographically area. I am not too sure how that will affect the hunting in Botswana and Namibia. Usually IUCN allows the countries to manage their own populations as long as they have scientific facts and if the population is increasing or stable, he said.

The IUCNs African Elephant Specialist Group found that in the past 50 years, savanna elephants have declined by more than 60 percent, while forest elephants are down by an alarming 86 percent in just three decades.


BOULDER, CO - MARCH 25: Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, appears before Boulder District Court Judge Thomas Mulvahill at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colorado on March 25, 2021. Alissa is suspected of shooting and killing 10 people at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder on Monday, March 22. The Boulder County district attorney charged Alissa with 11 counts in connection to the shooting. Alissa has been held in jail since his arrest Monday at the scene of the shooting on suspicion of 10 counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post, Pool)
Mike Fahner, owner of the Cedar Points Nursery, in a screenshot from a video interview on Crossroads, on March 31, 2021. (Courtesy of Crossroads)

Business Owner Takes Private Property Fight Against Californias Union Access Law to the Supreme Court

Mike Fahner, the owner of a strawberry operation in northern California who is embroiled in a legal dispute with union organizers that is now before the U.S. Supreme Court, told The Epoch Times Crossroads program that his challenge to a controversial California union access regulation has broader implications for the protection of private property rights under the U.S. Constitution.

In the United States, everyone has a sovereign, rightor should have the sovereign rightto determine who can and cannot come onto your property, Fahner said. Well, weve been stripped of that in agriculture in the state of California.

Fahner, who owns the Cedar Points Nursery, argued that a nearly half-century-old California regulation, dubbed the union access law, violates the Constitutions Fifth Amendment, which bars the government from taking property without compensation.

This is the most disruptive event that can happen to someone in business, Fahner said. The idea that strangers can come onto your property and solicit your workforce  for three hours per day, 120 days out of the year  its like paralysis.

The California regulation lets union organizers enter the property of agriculture businesses to speak to employers about supporting a union. While not allowing unconditional access, the regulation effectively allows union organizers to enter an agricultural employers property for up to 120 days a year, and for a maximum of three hours on any given day.

When the United Farm Workers (UFW) came onto Fahners property in 2015, he filed a complaint with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, which dismissed his complaint. So Fahner filed a lawsuit against the state of California, challenging the law.

This needs to change, Fahner said. This is wrong, its unconstitutional, and we must stop this. And thats why Im in this fight because its happened to me, it was incredibly disruptive.

After defeats at the state and district level, the casecalled Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassidmade it to the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on March 22.

Joshua Thompson, an attorney with the nonprofit Pacific Legal Foundation, who represented Cedar Point before the Supreme Court, argued at the virtual hearing that the law violates the Fifth Amendment, according to an argument analysis by SCOTUSblog.

Thompson told the justices that because the regulation gives union organizers the right to enter and stay on the businesses property, it is a taking,' wrote Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog.

This refers to the idea that, under the Fifth Amendment, private property shall not be taken for public use, without just compensation.

The plaintiffs in the caseCedar Point and Fowler Packing Company, a Fresno-based shipper of grapes and citrus fruithave argued that the takings clause gives them a broad right to exclude unwanted persons from their property, including union organizers. They have also argued that property owners are entitled to compensation if a state regulation violates this right.

Several justices pressed Thompson on whether a ruling on behalf of the plaintiffs would make it harderas the state of California has contendedfor authorities to carry out routine health and safety inspections. Thompson said such concerns were exaggerated, as the law gives the government the power to undertake reasonable searches and property owners cannot legally block authorities from entering their property for such purposes.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the newest member of the Supreme Court, said that the real concern was what she described as line-drawing, namely, at what point do government regulations that force landowners to give authorities access to property become takings, according to Howes review.

This prompted a series of competing arguments presented by Thompson and Michael Mongan, the solicitor general of California, about where a reasonable line could be drawn that would make compelled access to private property a taking that would be protected under the Fifth Amendment.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested that the court could put aside questions about line-drawing and arrive at what he characterized as a very simple resolution to the case that would result in a win for the businesses, even if it was not the sweeping property-rights win that they had hoped for, Howe wrote in her analysis.

The very simple resolution that Kavanaugh alluded would be a ruling in line with an earlier Supreme Court decision which said that an employers right to deny union organizers access to their property must yield when employees are otherwise unreachable through normal channels, Howe wrote.

Kavanaugh said the growers would likely win under that ruling, called NLRB v. Babcock & Wilcox, and told Thompson that his argument about treating the California regulation as enabling a taking was essentially asking the Supreme Court to reinvent the wheel.

Echoing Kavanaughs point, Justice Sonia Sotomayor suggested Thomson would win under Babcock, potentially offering a simpler way out of the dilemma, as a Supreme Court ruling on the basis of the Fifth Amendment could, potentially, fundamentally reshape the balance of power between the government and private property owners.

Fahner, in his interview on Crossroads, said that the California regulation was enacted for the sole purpose of making it possible for union organizers to communicate with workers at a time of dial-up phones, and now that cell phones have become prevalent, its an unnecessary burden on business owners.

Why do they have to  come in and trample on my property to advance their agenda? They dont need to do that, he said.

The Supreme Court is likely to rule on the case in the summer, according to SCOTUSblog.

Joshua Philipp contributed to this report.
JACKSON, MI -- A truck and other items were stolen during a Tuesday break-in at a Jackson storage building, police said.

An officer was dispatched to to the storage facility in the 700 block of East South St., at 8:48 a.m., March 30, Jackson Director of Police and Fire Services Elmer Hitt said.

A storage building for Barts Asphalt was broken into sometime within the past two weeks, Hitt said. A blue 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 truck was stolen, along with additional tools and equipment, he said.

There are no known suspects at this time, Hitt said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jackson Police Department at 517-768-8724 or report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 517-483-7867.

Read more:

1 dead, 1 injured in Jackson shooting

Jackson woman killed in shooting Saturday night

2 men shot in drive-by in Jackson
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Ebonyi State Government has announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Effium as part of measures to end the violent crisis in the area.

The announcement is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abakaliki by the Deputy Governor of the state, Kelechi Igwe.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Ezza and Effium communities in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have been embroiled in deep crisis, leading to wanton destruction of lives and property.

The crisis is a fallout of a leadership tussle within the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the area.

The government statement said military and police operatives have been fully deployed in the area to enforce the order.

Miscreants and hoodlums, including mercenaries hiding in the forest and bushes, are advised to vacate the community immediately.

We are saying this in their own interest, because security agencies will leave no stone unturned to root them out.

Also, those who are in the habit of raising false alarms to distract and divert attention of security agents are, by this announcement, advised to desist from doing so.

Such persons will be tracked, arrested and prosecuted as one of those promoting the crisis, Mr Igwe warned.

The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi had warned the state government would go after those suspected to be behind the violent crisis.

(NAN)
MEDFORD, Ore.  Jackson County Public Health said on Thursday that it is currently investigating two coronavirus outbreaks, accompanied by a particularly high daily case count.

The agency reported 73 new cases of COVID-19 for April 1. Jackson County has remained comfortably within Oregon's "High Risk" level for coronavirus restrictions over the past several weeks, which requires that the county see less than 200 cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period.

Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of the virus associated with Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, with the initial investigation starting on March 12. As of Thursday, there were five cases linked to the outbreak.

A separate investigation is also underway at Butte Creek Baptist Church. The investigation into a potential outbreak began on March 16, and has since identified 17 cases.
National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) parliamentarian Utjiua Muinjangue has expressed concern over the country's ballooning debt, saying borrowed funds are for consumption and debt servicing - and not for productive means.

The country's domestic debt to GDP is expected to increase to 77% at the end of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), mainly owing to the high debt servicing costs of N$7.7 billion, which equates to 14% of revenue.

While motivating the budget, tabled by finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi, Muinjangue on Tuesday said the future generation should not be burdened by the sin of their parents.

"As government, we should, by all means, avoid a situation where our children's children would have to pay for our current consumption without anything to show for," she said. "The IMF loan is the big elephant in the room. Are we slowly drifting in the throes of a deadly debt trap? Hon. Speaker, Hon. Minister, Hon. Members, we must tread carefully, or otherwise what has befallen many will be upon this nation sooner or later."

Muinjangue further commended Shiimi for removing value-added tax (VAT) on sanitary pads, saying that from the gender perspective, this is a positive move.

"In fact, I'm looking forward that when the House starts debating and discussing the various votes, it will become clearer how patterns of allocations to various schemes or projects will directly or indirectly benefit women and girls."

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Furthermore, Muinjangue, who is also the deputy minister of health, welcomed the increase in taxes on cigarettes and alcohol as announced by Shiimi, saying from a public health point of view, the increase will hopefully lead to less abuse of the substance.

She further advised the finance ministry to, in future, involve MPs in the process of assisting the finance minister to draft the budget before it is tabled in Parliament.

Muinjangue said this will allow various stakeholders to have input and will also make all MPs own the budget and not see it as Shiimi's budget.

"I understand the process is on to have a budget committee, although I'm not exactly in the know about the terms of reference of the budget committee."

She also advised the finance minister to present the budget well in advance - before the new fiscal year - to allow the National Assembly to have enough time to debate.

"This is an international trend; countries such as France and Germany, present their budgets some two to four months before the start of the new fiscal year. The main objective is to allow the National Assembly to have enough time to scrutinise, debate and propose alternative in advance."
Michael Bridges witnessed serious abuse and was neglected in his childhood, issues that ultimately followed him to the night he murdered 18-year-old Erin Chorney and buried her in another persons grave, a Brandon courtroom heard Wednesday.

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Michael Bridges witnessed serious abuse and was neglected in his childhood, issues that ultimately followed him to the night he murdered 18-year-old Erin Chorney and buried her in another persons grave, a Brandon courtroom heard Wednesday.

Bridges was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2002 killing of Chorney in 2005, when he was 24 years old. He was sentenced to spend 25 years in prison without parole but is applying to be allowed to ask for parole earlier under a now-repealed section of the Criminal Code called the faint hope clause.

Wednesday marked the third day of Bridges scheduled two-week-long hearing in Brandon Court of Queens Bench. To date, he has spent approximately 17 years in prison.

Bridges talked about witnessing his stepfather verbally and physically abuse his mother in his childhood during high-intensity family violence programming sessions at Stony Mountain Institution, correctional program facilitator Tara Verbling testified.

"I think he would acknowledge he has poor relationship skills  there were some things that were negative from his childhood that he was carrying and just not coping well and not behaving well and not managing his life in a healthy way," she said under questioning from defence lawyer Ryan Amy.

"Also, issues of abandonment, of rejection that he felt from his mother. His father wasnt present in his life, so there were issues around rejection."

Bridges sat in the prisoners box flanked by two Manitoba Sheriffs officers, behind the defence table. He sat facing forward listening to testimony but at times listened with his head down.

Members of Chorneys family sat behind the Crown attorneys table.

The program required Bridges and the other inmates in it to discuss issues in their families and how they played into the crimes for which they were serving time in prison, she said. They also learned healthy coping mechanisms.

When Bridges started the program, he was defensive, didnt trust facilitators and didnt want to speak in-depth about his feelings, Verbling said.

"(He was) talking about things in a generic kind of way, not necessarily applying it to himself, not necessarily applying it to his life  I would say probably just trying to do enough and seeing if thats the limit, if thats acceptable or not," she said.

This wasnt unusual of inmates, but as the program and years went on, he made significant progress, she testified.

Eventually, Bridges made a breakthrough during a one-on-one session with another facilitator, which is when he started opening up more and acknowledging the impact the killing had on the victim and her family.

It was then that he started drawing parallels between his childhood and the murder, Verbling said.

"He talked about witnessing family violence, again to his mom and how powerless that made him feel and how disgusted he was. He did talk about how he became  the worst thing he could think of," she said.

"Basically, he was disgusted with himself that he was repeating that behaviour and he was becoming an abuser himself."

During cross-examination by Crown attorney Joel Myskiw, Verbling said Bridges issues with rejection and feeling abandoned followed him to the night he killed Chorney. She said he couldnt cope with the fact she was ending the relationship.

Verbling said Bridges had poor coping skills and never moved on from his childhood issues.

Myskiw also raised the fact that some people can fake emotions or fake cry.

"Im not talking about small things, this is not him covering up a parking ticket," Myskiw said.

"Hes capable of covering up the murder of his girlfriend. Hes able to hide the fact that he hid her body in an existing grave and no one found out. He destroyed all of the evidence of a murder and then after that, he went on to live a normal life."

Verbling said she believed Bridges emotion was real in the more than a decade she spent with him.

The Crown also raised an instance where Bridges reacted poorly to being questioned by a new facilitator about the murder and his feelings. At the time, the facilitator wrote he got defensive and didnt want to complete the exercise.

Bridges did apologize for his reaction, calling it "ridiculous," and wanted mediation, but not until the next day. Myskiw raised Bridges own words in the report, where he said he got uncomfortable when put on the spot and felt rushed in the conversation.

Its an example of where he ran into a challenging situation but still reacted poorly, the Crown said.

"In this example, he reacted poorly and then apologized later the next day," he said.

Basil Lewin, a building service technician at Stony Mountain Institution, also testified for the defence. He said he worked with Bridges in the prisons carpentry program and added Bridges was "almost a model prisoner."

The faint hope clause was repealed from the Criminal Code in December 2011, but Bridges can still apply under it as he was convicted before it was removed.

The clause, otherwise known as S.745.6 of the Canadian Criminal Code, was a statutory provision that allowed offenders sentenced to life imprisonment with a "parole eligibility period of greater than 15 years to apply for early parole once they have served 15 years."

The hearing is scheduled to continue today as the defence continues to call witnesses to testify.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
Shawn Lehocky, the new CEO of Pond Lehocky Giordano, LLP. I'm proud to be CEO of this firm, Lehocky shared. It's one thing to have a passion about what you're doing, and I feel lucky to have a place where I can put my passion to work in an industry that needs change.

Pond Lehocky Giordano, LLP has named Shawn Lehocky as the Chief Executive Officer for the firm effective March 30, 2021. Lehocky who previously served as Chief Strategy Officer, has been with the firm since 2010.

It is with great pride and excitement to announce Shawn as the CEO of Pond Lehocky Giordano. This ensures our future with continuing cutting-edge service, representation to our clients and allows us to continue to grow, Managing Partner Samuel H. Pond shared. Shawn is a leader, a visionary, and a strategist. His objectivity and sense of fairness are the foundations of his character.

Lehocky and the firm's executive team have focused on strategizing to find new opportunities for the firm, scaling the business, enhancing the company culture, embracing technology to work more efficiently, and growing the brand with innovative and impactful marketing campaigns.

I'm proud to be CEO of this firm, Lehocky shared. It's one thing to have a passion about what you're doing, and I feel lucky to have a place where I can put my passion to work in an industry that needs change.

Lehocky has constantly said that the firms ultimate goal is to be a premier brand in all legal verticals, both domestically and internationally. That is a bold objective, but Lehocky believes data and technology provide a path under his leadership.

A primary focus for Lehocky has been expanding the law firm into practice areas that complement its primary concentration areas of workers' compensation and Social Security disability as well as offer clients holistic legal service. Thus, the firm has added short- and long-term disability insurance departments, while developing a nationwide referral network to help meet all clients' needs, anytime and anyplace.

To help be a catalyst and a part of this team that's going to bring that innovation forward and help more people, I feel like the luckiest person alive, Lehocky said. There's a lot of people that have passions and hobbies and everything, but when you can truly do what you love in a place that encourages it, to be able to help hundreds of thousands of people on a yearly basis, I mean, that's a self-fulfilling prophecy in itself.
According to information published by Indian Navy on March 31, 2021, French Naval ships, Tonnerre (Amphibious Assault Ship) and Surcouf (Frigate Class Ship) are on a two-day goodwill visit to Kochi, the headquarters of Southern Naval Command. The ships arrived at Cochin Port Trust on 30 March 2021 and were received by Senior Naval Authorities in the background of fanfare by the naval band.

According to information published by Indian Navy on March 31, 2021, French Naval ships, Tonnerre (Amphibious Assault Ship) and Surcouf (Frigate Class Ship) are on a two-day goodwill visit to Kochi, the headquarters of Southern Naval Command. The ships arrived at Cochin Port Trust on 30 March 2021 and were received by Senior Naval Authorities in the background of fanfare by the naval band.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Mistral-class LHD Tonnerre and frigate Surcouf (Picture source: Indian Navy)

The French delegation comprising Mr Emmanuel Lenain, French Ambassador in India at New Delhi, Rear Admiral Jacques Fayard, French Joint Forces Commander in the Indian Ocean (ALINDIEN), and Mrs. Lise Talbot Barre, Consul General of France in Puducherry were also present, as part of the visit.

The French delegation and the Commanding Officers of the French Naval ships called on Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, Vice Admiral AK Chawla on 30 March 2021. The ships will be departing Kochi on 01 April 2021.

Interactions between India and France have evolved into a strong partnership especially in the domain of maritime security. The regular conduct of bilateral exercises, goodwill visits by ships, and high-level delegation visits involving both the navies are indicative of growth in mutual cooperation and joint manship.

Tonnerre is the second of three Mistral-class LHD of the French Navy. It was launched in July 2005 and commissioned in December 2006. Designed by Naval Group, Mistral BPC (Batiment de Projection et de Commandment) LHD is a multi-mission 21,500t amphibious assault, command, and power projection ship. Mistral-class vessels are capable to accommodate and deploy 16 transport or attack helicopters, four landing crafts, up to 70 vehicles, or 13 main battle tanks. They have accommodations for 450 to 700 troops.

The FS Surcouf is a La Fayette-class frigate, a multi-role frigate that is able to integrate within an international task force or operate on her own in crisis situations. Her detection capacities can be enhanced by boarding a helicopter.
The BBC World Service and AfricaWeb have formed a new digital partnership to offer BBC News text, podcasts, audio and video content in English, Pidgin, Hausa and French to audiences in Ghana and Cameroon via market-leading news portals Ghanaweb.com and Camerounweb.com

This partnership will offer for the first time The Comb podcast, a unique and fascinating news and current affairs product aimed at younger audiences across the continent.

Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye, Head of West Africa Languages, BBC World Service says: "This partnership provides an opportunity to expand our digital reach in Ghana and Cameroon simultaneously to a combined audience of 6 million online visitors to both sites. We're very pleased to be partnering with AfricaWeb and look forward to expanding our service to a wider audience online."

Ismail Akwei, Editor-in-Chief, AfricaWeb says: "GhanaWeb and CamerounWeb have been serving Ghanaians and Cameroonians with quality news and independent journalism that have kept readers enlightened while safeguarding their right to freedom of expression. Our partnership with the BBC is part of the AfricaWeb dream of building Africa-wide collaborative relationships to make a more positive impact on the continent."

GhanaWeb and CamerounWeb are part of the AfricaWeb Holding group, an advertising and digital solutions provider for African publishers.
McGarry is the latest in a long line of distinguished academics, writers, artists, journalists, librarians, and notable public figures whose significant contributions to Irish cultural and intellectual life have earned them the position of Burns Scholar. Appointees teach courses, offer public lectures, and use the Universitys John J. Burns Library in their ongoing research, writing, and creative endeavors related to Irish history, art, and culture.



A member of the Royal Irish Academy, the Dublin-area native has written or edited 11 volumes on Irish history. His earlier work, including studies of Ireland and the Spanish Civil War, explored Ireland in an interwar-European context. His recent research, presented in publications including The Rising and The Abbey Rebels of 1916: A Lost Revolution, focuses on the Irish revolution and the cultural and political revival from which it emerged.



McGarry needed little in the way of introduction to Boston College when he arrived to begin his Burns Scholar appointment. Hes done research at the Burns Library and spoken at the University several times, including at the 2016 conference organized by BCs Irish Studies Program to commemorate the centenary of the Irish Easter Week Rising. McGarry also has worked with Boston College Ireland on Century Ireland, an online historical newspaper that details events in Irish life from a century ago.



I had a big ambition to come here, he said. The Burns Scholar chair is a very prestigious, sought-after honor in Ireland. The facilities at BC are outstanding, particularly the resources at the Burns Library. But it also gives you a lot of space and time to advance your research and write your book, and theres the opportunity to teach as well, which is fun.



McGarrys class, Modernity and Tradition in Interwar Irelandopen to undergraduate and graduate studentsalong with the theme of his forthcoming lecture, reflect his longstanding interest in using a more expansive research lens on the Irish Revolution, which encompasses the 1916 rising and subsequent war for independence from Britain, as well as the 1922 Irish civil war.



As McGarry notes, perspectives about this crucial period in Irish history have shifted in recent decades. In past generations, including his schoolboy days, the focus was on the heroism and sacrifice of Irish rebels such as Padraic Pearse, and Irelands eventual success in winning independence. Over time, there has been an increased desire for a more thorough, diverse, and nuanced reading of the Irish revolution, including the important role women played and the range of radical ideologies among those involved.






Remarks were made during the award ceremony of winners of the Digital Challenge for Economic Reactivation (Solveathon), held within the framework of CADE Digital, which brought together young professionals who presented proposals to improve public services in the country.





This challenge was driven by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM), in partnership with IPAE Accion Empresarial, Universidad Peruano Alemana (UPAL), the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology





More than 300 proposals on digital solutions were submitted and will be promoted at the Laboratory of the Government and Digital Transformation, led by the Digital Government Secretariat of the PCM.





"Around the world, open-innovation mechanisms have shown great effectiveness and impact mainly on the deployment of digital platforms and services," Bermudez expressed.





"Therefore, meetings like this constitute a significant progress in the participation of public and private sectors, academia, civil society, and citizens, in the solution of citizens' problems," she added.





"This pandemic has posed a series of challenges. However, initiatives like this one show Peruvians' resilience to recover and move forward, especially if we take advantage of the benefits of technology and innovation, in favor of our own development," the Cabinet chief pointed out .





During the meeting, which was supported by MIT Solve an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) participants presented digital solutions in start-up business, property registration, and vehicle registration services, among others.





(END) NDP/JCC/CVC/RMB

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Greater Brisbane residents were free to travel across the state and cross some domestic borders heading into the Easter long weekend after the regions three-day lockdown ended.

Lifting stay-at-home orders spanning the Brisbane, Redlands, Ipswich, Logan and Moreton Bay council regions from noon on Thursday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk urged other jurisdictions to also wind back travel restrictions while declaring Queensland was not out of the woods yet.

Just one new case of community transmission was reported by Queensland Health on Thursday amid a second record-breaking day of testing rates above 30,000, giving authorities confidence wider spread of the coronavirus was not occurring.

The sole local case was linked to an existing cluster at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, with 10 new cases detected in hotel quarantine. Eased travel restrictions came hours before the start of an Easter holiday period many hoped would provide some help for the states struggling tourism sector.
She may not be on the runway as much as she used to due to the pandemic.

But Kaia Gerber maintained her catwalk shape as she hit the gym on Thursday.

The catwalk queen, 19, was seen leaving a workout wearing black leggings and a matching Alo Yoga hoodie with a thermos in hand.

Legs get together! Kaia Gerber put her long limbs on display as she left a workout in Los Angeles on Thursday

She wore a pair of white socks and black Birkenstocks, which she swapped for a clean pair of trainers for her workout.

Kaia slicked her brunette hair into a high ponytail, and propped on a cool pair of shades over her dark brown eyes.

She slung a small leather purse over her shoulder and helped slow the spread of COVID-19 with a black face mask.

Despite the laid-back outfit, Kaia was still turning heads as she showcased her fabulous figure in the all-black outfit.

A step in the right direction: She strode about wearing white socks and Birkenstock sandals

Right this way: Kaia, who modeled a cropped Alo Yoga hoodie with black leggings, appeared relaxed as she returned to her car

The natural beauty appeared relaxed and at peace as she strolled about in the fresh air, before and after her workout.

The outing comes after the daughter of Crawford and Rande Gerber landed a role on American Horror Story, cementing her efforts to branch out from modeling into acting.

Kaia will join fellow AHS newcomer Macaulay Culkin in the tenth season of the horror series, titled Double Feature.

Leggy lady! The black outfit accentuated Kaia's fabulous legs

Bead it! Gerber accessorized her phone with a small chain of beads

AHS co-creator Ryan Murphy announced the news last month on his Instagram page, where he posted a photo of the stunning model.

'Very excited to announce that Kaia Gerber is joining the American Horror Story family,' gushed Ryan, 55, in his Instagram caption.

American Horror Story is anthology with each season structured around a different theme such as Asylum, Freak Show, Cult, Apocalypse, Coven and Hotel.

In a cryptic teaser he dropped on Instagram Ryan revealed that he is calling season 10 'Double Feature.'
A man arrested for attacking an Asian American woman in New York was on parole for killing his mother, police say.

Brandon Elliot, 38, was charged with a hate crime for his alleged attack on the Filipina immigrant that took place near the citys Times Square.

Authorities say he is the man who was caught on security camera footage brutally assaulting 65-year-old Vilma Kari as she was walking to church on Monday.

Mr Elliot was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of attempted assault as a hate crime, and authorities say he made an anti-Asian remarks during the attack.

He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Read more:

Police say that he served 17 years in prison for stabbing his mother to death before being released on parole in 2019.

For the life of me, I dont understand why we are releasing or pushing people out of prison, not to give them second chances, but to put them into homeless facilities or shelters or, in this case, a hotel, and expect good outcomes out of that, said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.

Mr Elliot pleaded guilty in 2002 to the second-degree fatal stabbing of his mother in front of his five-year-old sister in the Bronx.

Ms Kari reportedly suffered a fracture pelvis in the attack, for which she was hospitalised.

The NYPD says it has investigated 33 ant-Asian attacks as hate crimes so far this year, already more than the 28 it probed in all of 2020.

The issue of anti-Asian racism came into the spotlight with the Atlanta shootings on 16 March, when six of eight people shot dead were women of Asian origin.
Surveillance cameras in Hangzhou, in China's Zhejiang Province on May 29, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

5,000 Foreigners Flagged by China in Advanced Surveillance Sweep: Data Leak

More than 5,000 foreigners were tracked during visits to mainland China between 2017 and 2018, according to the latest data leak from a Chinese institution. Some individuals on the list say they were only in China for a day or were transiting through Shanghai.

One cybersecurity expert says the latest data leak is unique in its increased sophistication, the fact a local bureau was involved in surveillance, and the use of facial recognition.

The information was compiled by the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, a local level branch of Beijings main surveillance body, the Ministry of Public Security.

The data leak contains more than 1.1 million surveillance records and includes information on 25,000 persons of interest in China, and 5,000 foreigners, including government officials as well as employees of Mitsubishi and U.S. manufacturing giant 3M.

A man wearing a protective mask walks under surveillance cameras as China is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Shanghai, China, on March 4, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Hackers found the unprotected database, named Uyghur Terrorist, on an open-source platform and provided it to Australian security officials, media organizations, and Canberra-based cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC).

The information compiled by Chinas Public Security Bureau (PSB) included facial and vehicle recognition photos, immigration data, reports from informants, and the passport details and pictures of foreigners, which was collected when they traveled to Shanghai in 2017.

More than 161 Australian citizens were flagged by the PSB while passing the immigration checkpoint at Shanghais Pudong International Airport in 2018.

Passengers wearing masks are checked by airport security staff upon their arrival at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, on March 18, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

A watchlist containing information on employees from 976 companiesChinese and foreign-ownedwas also discovered.

Individuals on this list were flagged because they had access to dangerous chemicals, drugs, or materials for making explosives. Up to a quarter of these companies were foreign-owned, including 3M, Mitsubishi, and German pharmaceutical titan Bayer.

Up to 48 employees were tracked with facial recognition cameras as they moved through Shanghais Jinshan Port.

Vehicles were also tracked with an intelligent vehicle-monitoring system, which forced owners to install GPS-tracking on their vehicles if they worked with dangerous materials.

A Chinese paramilitary policeman stands guard before security cameras at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on April 8, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Australians from Ernst and Young, National Australia Bank, Telstra, the Australian Agricultural Co., the Department of Foreign Affairs, and a media group were also caught in the data sweep.

Janis Manning, the co-owner of publication Mediaweek, told the ABC she was only in Shanghai for a one-day stopover.

Im more intrigued and mystified than anything else, Manning said.

I just think Ive popped up on some database, possibly because Ive throughout my career been connected with the media in some senior positions.

Matthew Warren, professor of cybersecurity at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, who has seen first-hand how Beijings surveillance network operates, noted that local-level bodies were also involved in advancing the Chinese regimes surveillance.

What the database also shows is how closely the CCPs Close-Circuit Television Network (CCTV) and biometrics systems operate to collectively bring all aspects of surveillance together, he told The Epoch Times in an email.

It demonstrates that the Chinese government has a fully integrated system that could also extend to drones, he added, noting that he was shown 5G surveillance drones during a previous visit to China.

In this photo, taken on May 22, 2012, a surveillance drone is displayed in Beijing. The drones that China plans to deploy are small, propeller-driven aircraft that can take off from ships. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

The CCPs Skynet project is an ongoing, centralized mass-surveillance project linked to more than 200 million CCTV cameras across the country and includes biometric data collection technologies such as facial recognition.

The latest PSB leak also contained the identities of 25,000 persons of interest, including ethnic Uyghurs, political dissidents, children, alleged criminals, and those with mental illness.

A subset of that list contained the details of 10,000 individuals who fit into one of seven categories listed by the Ministry of Public Security, including those who disturb social order or petitioners, individuals who file official complaints against corrupt government officials.

The details of thousands of police informants were also contained in the datasets phone records, including names, home addresses, and phone numbers.

One Uyghur, marked as a suspected terrorist, and now living in Turkey, believes he was caught up in the data sweep when he visited Shanghai Disneyland for one day in 2017. He was in Hangzhou at the time.

Around 8,000 Uyghurs have been flagged for suspected terrorism and other alleged crimes.

In 2020, cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0 was also involved in deciphering and analyzing two other major data leaks from China, the Zhenhua Data leak and Shanghai Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members list.

A display for facial recognition and artificial intelligence is seen on monitors at Huaweis Bantian campus in Shenzhen, China, on April 26, 2019. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Michael Shoebridge, the Australian Strategic Policy Institutes defense director, said this latest leak was broad-ranging and didnt target the usual high-profile individuals that previous datasets contained.

Huge numbers of their own citizens, including 4-year-old children and families visiting Shanghai Disneyland, are happily labeled as terrorists by CCP agencies, he told The Epoch Times.

You can be puzzled and bemused by the types of people and the information on them that Chinese security agencies collect, he added, saying the mass of information means the CCP has leverage to target individuals to either advocate for Beijing or be discredited.

However, Shoebridge noted that major leaks of Chinese data had been occurring on a regular basis.

Despite enormous investments in cybersecurity, online monitoring, surveillance, and a deeply controlling central authority, he said, this is a large vulnerability in the Partys operating model that seems to be growing, not contracting.
Prior to Fake News and slanted news channels on television in the modern era there were also rumors about the paternity of the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, who has historically been credited with saving the country through his support of the Union in the Civil War (War to Suppress the Rebellious) and that his father was not Thomas Lincoln but was Abram Enloe.

The origin of the paternity story started in articles in the September 10 and 17, 1893 editions of the newspaper Charlotte Observer. After it got circulated several other Western North Carolina writers perpetuated the myth.

The most notable source was first published in 1899 by author James H. Cathy in his book entitled Truth is Stranger Than Fiction: True Genesis of A Wonderful Man based on Cathys research and that of one of the earlier writers in 1893 who was identified only as a Student of History.

The most recent reference to the shocking rumor was a Spring 2008 article in a two-page newsletter published by the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), Great Smoky Mountains Colloquy, Spring Volume 9, Number 1.

Other sources that discuss the paternity issue are: (1) Barton, William E. The Paternity of Abraham Lincoln. New York, George H. Doran Co. 1920 and (2) Coggins, James Caswell. Abraham Lincoln: A North Carolinian: A True and Thrilling Story Never Before Published Told by a Third Cousin of President LincolnA Buncombe County, North Carolina Tradition. Asheville Advocate Pub. Co. 1925. Later reprinted as Abraham Lincoln: A North Carolinian with Proof 1927 by author J. C. Coggins; The Tarheel Lincoln by authors Jerry Goodnight and Richard Eller, 2003 and Goodnights individual writing, Searching for Lincoln, 2008.

Bostic, North Carolina around February 12, 2009 made a claim that their town was the original birthplace of Abe Lincoln and conducted a festival commemorating his illegitimate arrival on the alleged 200th Anniversary of his birth.

Bostic is located in Rutherford County about 50 miles east of Hendersonville near the North Carolina  South Carolina border and can be reached easily on Interstate 26 and then on Highway US 74.

The town has created the Bostic Lincoln Center as a museum that was initially housed in a building that was once the railroad ticket office at the train depot in Bostic. It contains Lincoln memorabilia including books and materials that describe Enloe-Lincoln and book signings by authors on the subject have been held there.

There has been discussion over the years to have DNA testing of both Lincoln and Enloe descendants.

The Bostic Lincoln Center has been advertised as part of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and visitors to North Carolina Welcome Centers have been given advertising material making the public aware of its existence. It is located at 112 Depot Street, Bostic, N.C. 28018 Phone (828) 245-9800.

Abram Enloe was a resident of the village of Oconoluftee in Swain County in western North Carolina at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Around 1800 Abram Enloe had in his house a 10-12-year-old orphan servant named Nancy Hanks as well as a legitimate daughter also named Nancy.

Unfortunately, daughter Nancy Enloe eloped with a man with the last name of Thompson to Kentucky against the wishes of her family.

After their daughter left, they discovered that servant Nancy Hanks was pregnant and had a child in either the Enloe home or at a neighbors as rumor number one. The additional allegation was that Abram Enloe was the father of Nancy Hanks' child.

A second version of Nancy Hanks pregnancy was that she was removed from the Enloe home prior to the birth of her son (Abe Lincoln?).

In the meantime Nancy Enloe Thompson returned from Kentucky and made amends with her family and, when she left western North Carolina to return to Kentucky, she took Nancy Hanks, who was either pregnant or had just delivered a son with her. (Abe Lincoln has historically been claimed by Kentucky as a native son by birth).

After Nancy Hanks was taken to Kentucky, she met and married Thomas Lincoln who has always been identified as the late President's father.

What are alleged factors that support the theories that Abram Enloe was Abraham Lincoln's father:

1. The obvious similarity in the first names.

2. The similarity of both men being tall with dark hair.

3. The facial resemblance of several of the 16 children of Abram Enloe including Wesley Enloe and Wesleys daughter, Julia as shown in photos reproduced in Catheys book.

4. Second and third hand hearsay information, if true might be corroborative evidence.

5. Two stories were allegedly told to a local merchant, Joseph R. Collins, from Judge Gilmore of Texas of a conversation with traveling salesman Phillip Wells who often stayed with Abram Enloe. The two-part story that Wells told to author Cathy was that: (a) he and his wife were having problems over the servant girl, Nancy Hanks; and (b) Enloe told Wells that he had sent Nancy Hanks to a family near Jonathan Creek (locations in both North Carolina and Kentucky) to have her baby which she named Abraham; and

6. According to the hearsay accounts of Phillip Wells, Nancy Hanks and her baby were sent to live with relatives in Beechland, Kentucky in Washington County where she met and married Thomas Lincoln, the acknowledged father of Abraham Lincoln.

Other unusual coincidences are that when Abraham Lincolns alleged father, Thomas Lincoln, passed away on January 17, 1851 at the age of 73, the future president did not attend the funeral. On October 5, 1818 his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died at the age of 34 from a disease caused by drinking milk from cows which had grazed on poisonous white snakeroot. In later years Abraham Lincoln allegedly would recall helping to carve pegs for his mothers coffin.

On February 12, 1809, at the Sinking Spring Farm on Nolin Creek near Hodgenville, Kentucky Abraham Lincoln was allegedly born on a bed of poles covered with corn husks.

Conspiracy theories about presidents' lives and deaths have existed throughout history.

Political campaigns up to the present have a way of providing colorful (and often false) news fodder to the hungry public of America!

Portions of this article should be credited to author Wally Avett of Murphy, North Carolina from one of his several books about the history of the adjoining states of Tennessee and North Carolina. It was written in 2017 under the title of Real Mountain Tales.

* * *

Jerry Summers



(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
Q. You have been newly appointed as Principal at Baleares International College, Sant Agusti. How would you describe your first months in the School?

A.  I began as Principal in August 2020, so it has been a very exciting few month. It is always exciting when you start any new job; things are always a little different as you must learn how things work quickly!

Children are so open and honest, and it was a delight to learn all about the children at BIC Sant Agusti as individuals. Forming and working as a team alongside all the staff has been very rewarding as everyone has had so much to learn together in the last few months.

Q. What has been your most proud and major success throughout your successful career?

A.  I started my career as a teacher in a primary school in Wales, where I stayed for many years, before moving into lecturing at a university in teacher training.

I then returned to teaching, but this time in Cairo, Egypt, which was my first experience in international teaching, making me think about inclusion and diversity.

Moving to Malawi, as Head of Primary, I set up a new International Primary school from its beginning, working with a remarkable lady who had the vision to open a school for children to give them an education and a goal to improve their life.

In Gran Canaria, I then spent a wonderful 5 years as Head of Primary at an International School, fostering excellent relationships with children, staff and parents and becoming a lead inspector for the National Association of British Schools in Spain.

Simply put, my proudest moments have been watching others achieve after some kind of input from me.

Q. What drove you to accept this new challenge as Principal of Baleares International College?

A.  I am a firm believer that change is good for everyone. Schools need new ideas; they cannot keep going as they are, or standards can begin to fall.

BIC Sant Agusti is the type of school I love, and I was ready for a new challenge. When you are teaching internationally, the country you are living in, as well as the school, are both important factors.

After visiting Baleares International College, and meeting the children, staff and parents, I felt it was my type of school and one which I could build on its excellent foundations.

Q. You are running a wonderful Early Years and Primary specialised School in Palma, known for its family and community feel, could you tell us a little bit more about it?

A.  Baleares International College, Sant Agusti, is the only dedicated British Primary school on Mallorca, so we have a very special position.

Everything in our school is targeted at Primary children such as the specific curriculum, the style of education, the behaviour systems and even the furniture!

The school is small which gives us huge advantages of smaller classes, dedicated teachers, a feeling of being part of a family and a closeness which is difficult to find in larger schools.

We believe that a happy child will make a good learner and therefore be successful in whatever they choose to do.

Q. What is the role of a parent in shaping a childs education? How do you see this encouraged at Baleares International College?

A.  Communication is a key factor in establishing and maintaining positive links between parents and teachers.

Normally we hold activities which help to bring the community closer together and we are still holding parent evenings, individual consultations and all teachers meet the parents at the gates daily.

Although teachers are the specialist educators, parents know their child better than anyone, so that link between parents and school is vital.

The first years of a childs education are the most important, to build the basic foundations, so when parents and school work together in partnership, children can benefit from a unique experience in their school life.

Q. You are passionate for education with a strong belief that every child can receive a challenging education within strong inclusive values. Can you tell us a little bit more about this?

A.  Using the British curriculum, children can be educated to the best of their ability. As well as learning subjects such as English, maths, art and PE, we introduce the children to thinking skills, growth mindset and positivity.

We are a non-selective school, but we want all children to have a positive attitude to their learning.

The children are introduced to ways of looking after themselves, ways of dealing with problems and how to be the best person they can be. We celebrate our international cultures, are passionate about inclusion, diversity and acceptance.

Q. What are you looking forward to this year?

A.   I am looking forward to seeing the children at BIC Sant Agusti making good progress academically, but also to grow in confidence and be flexible in their approach to learning, as well as continuing to develop my relationship with my team of staff and parents.

I am looking forward to embedding my role as Principal, moving the school forward by introducing new ideas and some changes, to improve standards in those areas which need improving.

Q. And finally, would you like to send a message to the readers?

A.  I would like to thank everyone for the welcome I have received. It has been quite challenging, but already hugely rewarding. I believe we should always try to be the best we can be - aim high!
Downtown Charleston's newest timeshare property is getting ready for its close-up as construction starts to wind down.

Liberty Place Charleston is the first Holy City property for Hilton's Orlando-based timeshare company, Hilton Grand Vacations.

It's expected to open in June.

Units include studios and one- or two-bedroom suites with full kitchens. All guests will have access to a fitness center, a lobby bar and a lounge for owners.

Hilton's description of the property touts its location, both for its proximity to Holy City sightseeing and its own historic roots.

Liberty Place is at East Bay and Calhoun streets, not far from two major attractions: the S.C. Aquarium and Liberty Square, where ferries pick up tourists to visit historic Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

Before the timeshare project got underway, the high-traffic corner property housed a popular Starbucks cafe, among other businesses.

Liberty Place takes its name from the Liberty Tree, which no longer exists but was on or near the development site. The tree had marked where the Declaration of Independence was believed to have first been read aloud to South Carolinians.

Sign up for our new business newsletter We're starting a weekly newsletter about the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email

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Hilton Grand Vacations partnered on the project with Strand Capital Group, a North Myrtle Beach-based firm that has other timeshare properties in the Grand Strand, Hilton Head and Atlanta.

An affiliate of Strand Capital, 1776 Development LLC, bought the parcel for $20 million in 2018 from Mazyck Holdings LLC. Strand then secured final city approval for the project's design in 2019, backed by support from the Mazyck Wraggborough Neighborhood Association.

Bookings are open to Hilton Club members for June 1 and beyond, according to Hilton's website.

The anticipated summer opening is one of several local accommodations debuts expected this year.

Last month, two large projects, the 153-key Sweetgrass Inn at Wild Dunes Resort on Isle of Palms and a new Embassy Suites at the Ferry Wharf development near the base of the Ravenel Bridge, opened their doors.

And more openings are coming soon, like the spring launch of The Ryder in the former King Charles Inn on Meeting Street and debuts of The Saint and The Loutrel, both boutique offerings in Charleston's historic downtown.
13 people infected with coronavirus after returning from the Philippines

14 people who recently returned to Vietnam from abroad have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 including 13 from the Philippines, raising the total number of patients in the country to 2,617, the Ministry of Health reported on Thursday evening.













Illustrative photo







According to the ministry's report, 13 new patients including three women and 10 men aged between 21-33 returned from the Philippines to Can Tho Airport on March 29. They were sent to quarantine areas for Covid-19 prevention upon arrival and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on March 31. They are now being treated at hospitals in Ca Mau and Ben Tre provinces.

The other patient is a 20-year-old man who returned to Ha Tien International Border Gate on March 30/3. He was sent to a local quarantine area upon arrival and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on March 31. He is now being treated at the Ha Tien City Healthcare Centre.



With these new infection cases, the number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to 2,617, including 910 locally-transmitted cases reported since the new outbreak started in Hai Duong on January 28.



As of 6 pm on April 1, a total of 2,359 Covid-19 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospital. There have been 35 deaths, most of them being the elderly with serious underlying diseases.



At present, over 37,000 people who had close contact with Covid-19 patients or returned from virus-hit areas are being monitored at hospitals, quarantine facilities, and at home.
An aircraft carrying 811,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine doses lands at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, April 1, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Cong.

The first batch of AstraZeneca vaccine under the Covax facility arrived at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport Thursday morning.

The 811,200 doses have been transferred to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) for storage, awaiting the Health Ministry's instructions on distribution.

Vietnam had been promised 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine under Covax, a global mechanism for developing, manufacturing and procuring Covid-19 vaccine candidates that help member countries access vaccines as they become available.

The original plan was to deliver 1.37 million doses on March 25. But a lack of supply has meant that just 811,200 doses were made available in the first batch.

India, the world's biggest vaccine maker, has put a temporary hold on exports of AstraZeneca's vaccine being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), as the country focuses on meeting rising domestic demand.

The Serum Institute was due to deliver 90 million vaccine doses to Covax over March and April.

Rana Flowers, UNICEF's representative in Vietnam, said earlier that the production capability problems have led to delivery delays to all Covax-participating countries, not just Vietnam.

"However, Covax guarantees to give Vietnam over four million vaccine doses by the end of May despite the supply shortage. The remaining batches are scheduled to arrive in the country by the year-end or early 2022," she added.

Vietnamese officials have asked the private sector to step in after the Covax supplies were slashed. The country also wants to cooperate with India and Russia to develop Covid-19 vaccines and asked for China's help to inoculate prioritized groups, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said Wednesday.

In February, Vietnam received about 117,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses of the 30 million doses it has ordered from the producer, and started its mass vaccination campaign on March 8.

Over 50,000 Vietnamese, mainly frontline workers in the Covid-19 fight, have received their first Covid-19 vaccine shots.
New Delhi:

Maharashtra Congress leader Narayan Rane on Thursday resigned from the party.

Rane had announced that he will reveal his future plans on September 21 after meeting reporters at Kudal in Konkan region of Maharashtra.

He was not pleased with the state leadership of the Grand old party and decided to move on. It is believed that he may join BJP, but did not get any assurance from the saffron party yet.

It is said that Rane also wants his two sons to join the BJP.

Senior Congress leader Narayan Rane resigns from the party (File picture) pic.twitter.com/yT8Mjaz8Pc  ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017

Rane was furious after Maharashtra state Congress chief and former chief minister Ashok Chavan had dissolved the Sindhudurg district Congress committee.

The committee had office bearers who were close to Rane. Later, Chavan had appointed a new committee which irked the leader.

Rane was also part of Shiv Sena but his ambitions had coerced him to leave the party and he had joined Congress.

Also Read: Narayan Rane rejects talk of joining BJP; Fadnavis too dubs it as media's 'kite-flying'

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
- By GF Value





The stock of Manhattan Associates (NAS:MANH, 30-year Financials) is believed to be significantly overvalued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $121.24 per share and the market cap of $7.7 billion, Manhattan Associates stock is believed to be significantly overvalued. GF Value for Manhattan Associates is shown in the chart below.





Manhattan Associates Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Significantly Overvalued

Because Manhattan Associates is significantly overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be much lower than its future business growth, which averaged 2.1% over the past three years and is estimated to grow 5.06% annually over the next three to five years.

Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk.

Companies with poor financial strength offer investors a high risk of permanent capital loss. To avoid permanent capital loss, an investor must do their research and review a company's financial strength before deciding to purchase shares. Both the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage of a company are a great way to to understand its financial strength. Manhattan Associates has a cash-to-debt ratio of 7.35, which which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Software industry. The overall financial strength of Manhattan Associates is 8 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Manhattan Associates is strong. This is the debt and cash of Manhattan Associates over the past years:

Story continues

Manhattan Associates Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Significantly Overvalued

It poses less risk to invest in profitable companies, especially those that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. A company with high profit margins is also typically a safer investment than one with low profit margins. Manhattan Associates has been profitable 10 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $586.4 million and earnings of $1.36 a share. Its operating margin is 19.45%, which ranks better than 87% of the companies in Software industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks the profitability of Manhattan Associates at 8 out of 10, which indicates strong profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Manhattan Associates over the past years:

Manhattan Associates Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Significantly Overvalued

Growth is probably the most important factor in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long term performance of a company's stock. The faster a company is growing, the more likely it is to be creating value for shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. The 3-year average annual revenue growth rate of Manhattan Associates is 2.1%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Software industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is -12.4%, which ranks worse than 81% of the companies in Software industry.

Another way to look at the profitability of a company is to compare its return on invested capital and the weighted cost of capital. Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. We want to have the return on invested capital higher than the weighted cost of capital. For the past 12 months, Manhattan Associates's return on invested capital is 31.60, and its cost of capital is 13.51. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Manhattan Associates is shown below:

Manhattan Associates Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Significantly Overvalued

Overall, the stock of Manhattan Associates (NAS:MANH, 30-year Financials) is believed to be significantly overvalued. The company's financial condition is strong and its profitability is strong. Its growth ranks worse than 81% of the companies in Software industry. To learn more about Manhattan Associates stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.

To find out the high quality companies that may deliever above average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has explained why the Ameri Power Plant is being relocated from Aboadze to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.



According to GRIDCo, the move is to help use the 250 megawatts plant to stabilise the power situation in the central part of Ghana.



Bui Power Authority (BPA) or the Bui Hydroelectric Power Plant happens to be the only power generation plant which is located in the central part of Ghana.



All the other generating power plants are located in the southern and coastal parts of Ghana.



Bui supplies the central part and the rest of the load is met by generation from down south.



At a press briefing on Thursday [April 1, 2021] to give an update on the electric power situation in the country in the wake of complaints of intermittent outages in some parts of Ghana especially in Kumasi and Accra, the Director of System Operations at GRIDCo, Mr Mark Baah said "currently, we have had to shut down the Bui plant because of the low level of water in the dam."



In view of this, every power that Ghana requires from the southern parts up to Bolgatanga, Wa, everything has to come from the coast, down south upwards towards the north.



Interruptions



He said since the beginning of the year, there has been some power interruptions in the network.



Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021

This, he said is primarily due to the fact that the transmission system in particular has some "weaknesses, which we are trying to address but have not finished yet."



"So we have had intermittent outages, sometimes transmission lines tripping off from the south western part of the country, affecting the entire system particularly Kumasi and this culminated in the entire system collapse on March 7, 2021".



"Beyond this, Ashanti Region and in particular Kumasi has been experiencing intermittent outages particularly in the evening during peak times and all this is basically because of the fact that our power system has grown in terms of demand."



Mr Baah said: "In fact, for the first time this year, we have crossed 3000 megawatts in terms of demand. At the moment, there is no generation plant in the central part of Ghana. All the power needed is generated from the coastal parts of Ghana.



Kumasi



"Kumasi happens to be the major central point within the system, heavy load. By the time the power gets to Kumasi, the voltage is so low, when voltages are low, you switch on your light and it is almost dim. Normally people call it low current, it is actually called low voltage, the voltage becomes so low and if we dont do anything about it to prop up the voltage, the entire system will collapse.



"So it happens that during the evenings, during peak hours when the voltages are so low, sometimes weve resorted to taking off some figures particularly in Kumasi in order to prop up the voltages, so you will have Kumasi continue to experience this outage situation.



"Weve noted that inherent problem and there was a partial solution whereby we moved one transformer from Accra to Kumasi, but this is not the entire solution.:



To address the Kumasi problem, he said the Kumasi-Kintampo project is being built and will be completed by July 2021.



Why Ameri is going to Kumasi



He said as they analyzed, they saw that it is best to get a generator around Kumasi, "so the Ministry [of Energy] has taken a decision that the Ameri Power Plant, should be moved to Kumasi. So efforts are being put in place to ensure that gas infrastructure is sent to Kumasi to feed the Ameri Power Plant once tht project is done. So when this is completed, our system will become even more resilient, Mr Baah said.





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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FORT WORTH, Texas, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Uplift Elevate Preparatory ceremoniously opened their doors in 2019 in West Fort Worth with grades PreK through eighth. The free, public, college-preparatory charter school is now extending the tradition of success with the addition of high school grades beginning with the inaugural freshman class this fall. These scholars will represent the graduating class of 2025. Throughout the Uplift Education network, 100% of their graduates have been accepted for college for the past 18 years, and Uplift alumni earn college degrees at 4X the national average for low-income students.

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"Uplift Elevate scholars will now have the opportunity to progress through middle school and high school at the same campus. Uplift scholars outperform state and national averages in reading and mathematics, and their gains grow the longer they attend Uplift schools," says Yasmin Bhatia, Chief Executive Officer of Uplift Education.

"The traditions born within the Uplift Elevate environment develop community in and beyond the classroom. These are extended and amplified as our scholars move from middle school to high school. As each grade is added: ninth grade in 2021, tenth grade in 2022, eleventh grade in 2023 and seniors in the 2024-2025 school year, there will be creative opportunities for each class to make their mark as scholars grow with the school," says Bhatia.

Uplift Elevate will begin the Founding Class of 2025 traditions on April 7, 2021 with the distribution of commemorative items to the enrolled future freshman and the beginning of the Founding Class wall that will be created on campus. In addition to the traditions that these new freshmen will create, they will be able to participate in the long-standing Uplift Education traditions. Uplift's annual College March is an opportunity for seniors across the network to celebrate as they send off their first college applications, and Uplift's Senior Decision Day gives seniors the spotlight to announce their future plans for college or career.

Uplift Elevate offers many opportunities for scholars to prepare for their future including the Road to College and Career program where they can begin to picture their college futures with a tailored curriculum focused on college and career preparation. Uplift's RTCC program goes beyond high school to help their alumni be successful in college and move into the career of their dreams. Uplift's goal is to allow scholars to engage in a changing economy and compete in the global marketplace through life-long learning skills.

Uplift Education

Uplift Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of teachers, families, and, most importantly, students. With a network of 43 college preparatory, public charter schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Uplift offers students of any background the powerful chance to study within a multidisciplinary curriculum and prepare for the college career they deserve. Uplift is the largest International Baccalaureate district in Texas and the #2 IB district in the nation because of the number of holistic extracurricular and educational programs. The incredible educators in the Uplift network guide and teach over 21,000 students in Pre-K- 12th grades, with the majority being low-income and minority students who will be the first in their family to attend college. For more information Uplift's mission and their blind lottery selection system, visit uplifteducation.org or facebook.com/uplifteducation.

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SOURCE Uplift Education
(Reuters) - Apple Inc Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook on Thursday was the latest corporate leader to speak out against the state of Georgia's new voting restrictions, which many critics say targets Blacks and other racial minorities.

"American history is the story of expanding the right to vote to all citizens, and Black people, in particular, have had to march, struggle and even give their lives for more than a century to defend that right," Cook said in a statement.

The Republican-backed Georgia law strengthened identification requirements for absentee ballots, shortened early voting periods for runoffs and made it a misdemeanor for members of the public to offer food and water to voters waiting in line.

"Apple believes that, thanks in part to the power of technology, it ought to be easier than ever for every eligible citizen to exercise their right to vote," Cook said.

The measure, which has also been slammed by Democratic President Joe Biden, faces legal challenges from civil rights groups that contend it is aimed at suppressing voting among Blacks and other racial minorities.

On Wednesday, major U.S. companies led a charge to challenge the law, with several executives making statements against voting restrictions.

(Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)
NORTH CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Abbott (ABT) said Wednesday that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization for over-the-counter, non-prescription, asymptomatic use of its BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Self Test for detection of COVID-19 infection. The new indication allows individuals with or without symptoms to have access to the test without a prescription. The BinaxNOW Self Test is the same technology as the existing BinaxNOW test that has been available since August 2020 but is indicated by the FDA for serial asymptomatic testing, meaning that people should test themselves frequently. Abbot said it will begin shipping to major food, drug and mass merchandiser retailers in the coming weeks and expect the test to be available through some of their online store websites. BinaxNOW demonstrates overall performance of 84.6% positive agreement (sensitivity) and 98.5% negative agreement (specificity) in people seven days or less post-symptom onset at all Ct counts. In the company's studies, it further shows performance of 95.6% positive agreement (sensitivity) in people seven days or less post-symptom onset with Ct counts of 33 or below. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Electrification of the transportation sector has been a hot topic over the last several months as GM and other major auto manufacturers have announced their plans to phase out gas and diesel engines and transition their models to all electric-powered vehicles.

The federal government recently made electric vehicle manufacturing and installation of electric vehicle charging stations a key component of a proposed plan to fix highways, bridges and airports under a major infrastructure improvement package.

Its readily apparent that the wheels are rolling on the transition to electric vehicles. But amid all the discussion about an electric-vehicle future, one critical question persists: Is Illinois ready for electric vehicles?

For the 1,200 communities and millions of individuals who live south of Interstate-80, the answer is no, we are not ready. While Chicagoland enjoys more than 1,600 vehicle charging stations at places like Whole Foods and Walgreens, Downstate residents have fewer than 60 publicly accessible locations to charge their vehicles.

Those figures bear repeating: There are fewer than 60 charging stations in the 44,000 square miles that make up Downstate Illinois. Its an untenable situation, and its hard to blame Downstate residents for sticking with gas-powered cars and trucks.

Illinois is a very diverse state with different needs and strengths in different regions. But everyone in Illinois should have access to electric charging stations, particularly if our collective goal is an all-electric vehicle future. The important question is how do we get there?

I am the Executive Director of the Alliance for Transportation Electrification, a broad and diverse coalition of organizations that are advocating for the acceleration of transportation electrification in all States across the country. Im also past president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. From our experience, one of the biggest hurdles to adoption of electric vehicles is overcoming the range anxiety that motorists experience when they fear that their vehicle may not have enough of a charge to make it to the destination. Here is what needs to happen in order to ensure that downstate Illinois residents dont get left behind:

 Illinois needs to jump-start the electric vehicle market by expanding the network of electric charging stations with full coordination of the utilities. Motorists should be able to charge wherever they want, with clear and affordable pricing.

 Utilities, like Ameren Illinois, should be allowed to provide consumers with rebates for purchases of electric vehicles and installation of in-home, multi-family, and public charging. At home is where 80-percent of charging will take place. With rates designed specifically for EV charging, utilities can encourage charging at times better for the electric grid, and enhance customer affordability.

 The infrastructure that will support the electrification of transportation will need to continue to be maintained, upgraded and hardened to make sure that customers and businesses have the reliable and resilient power they rely upon.

With a state as diverse and geographically large as Illinois, solutions that work for everyone need to be carefully crafted. Illinois took an important first step this month when the House Public Utilities Committee approved the Downstate Clean Energy Affordability Act, which includes incentives to jump-start the electric vehicle market.

Its a sensible plan that puts Illinois on its way to 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and considers the needs of all of its residents from Cairo to Chicago. The future of transportation and energy are here, and its time we make sure all of Illinois is ready for it.

Philip B. Jones is executive director of the Alliance for Transportation Electrification.
Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban met his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, and Italian right-wing Lega party chief Matteo Salvini on April 1 to try to lay the groundwork for a new European political grouping.



Orban's right-wing Fidesz last month quit the center-right European People's Party (EPP), two weeks after walking out of the alliance's group in the European Parliament.



"We are going to launch a new platform, an organization, a process which will give those citizens who believe in a traditional Europe the representation that they deserve," Orban said ahead of the meeting with Morawiecki and Salvini in Budapest.

After the meeting, Orban welcomed "the first step of a long road together."



"We have agreed to continue the work. We will meet in May, either in Rome or in Warsaw. The date will depend on the pandemic," the Hungarian leader told a joint news conference.



Fidesz's exit from the EPP put an end to years of debate inside the conservative European-wide group about whether Orban's party should be allowed to remain, given Brussel's concerns about the rule of law in Hungary.

In his search for new allies, Orban has turned to Morawiecki's Law and Justice (PiS) party, as well as the anti-immigration and euroskeptic Salvini.



"Today it is necessary to discuss building a strong group which will defend the traditional, normal values on which European civilization has developed," Morawiecki said before setting off for the Hungarian capital.



Salvini said earlier this week that if non-EPP right-wing groups were to join forces they could form the second-largest grouping in the European Parliament -- after the EPP itself -- and gain sizable clout.

After the meeting, Salvini spoke of a "path which begins today and which will continue in several stages in different European capitals, expanding the group."



Orban has a very close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has spoken up against EU sanctions on Russia. Hungary became the first EU country to use a Russian vaccine for COVID-19.



Salvini is also pro-Russia, but that may not sit well with Morawiecki and could cause unease among other potential allies, diplomats say.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
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The Ebonyi State Police Command said Thursday that investigations into the killing of at least 15 persons in Mondays gruesome attack on some communities of Ishielu Local Government Area of the state were ongoing.

The police public relations officer in the state, Odah Obianuju, gave the assurance to PREMIUM TIMES, following a statement by a group, Victims of Persecution, demanding justice for the victims of the killings and their families on Thursday.

The organisation led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, expressed horror over what it described as the slaughtering of scores of defenceless women, children and people from Nkalaha, Obegu, Amazu Nkalagu, Umuhuali autonomous communities in Ishielu L.G.A, Ebonyi State by A-K 47 bearing foreign marauders/mercenaries and herdsmen.

A Vanguard newspapers report says the attackers launched an assault on the communities Monday night, with Governor David Umahi visiting the affected areas on Tuesday to commiserate with the victims families and ascertain the level of destruction.

Victims of Persecutions statement on Thursday wondered why the government, despite its constitutional mandate to protect lives and property, appeared helpless, inactive and unconcerned about the invasion of various parts of the country by armed men.

It stated, The constitutional duties of the military is to ward off armed invasion of any part and territory of Nigeria while the police and the para-militaries are to ensure that public law and order are ensured in the Country. How come these foreign mercenaries are having unfettered field days in our country?

We, of the Victims of Persecution are asking, in the face of these armed invasions and insurrections by these foreign killers/herdsmen and occupiers, why is the government appearing helpless, inactive or unperturbed.

The group noted that the constant murdering of villagers and occupation of their father-land without decisive repulsion by the government is beginning to paint a dirty colour of condonation of the activities of these foreign marauders.

Indigenes are now becoming the internally displaced persons in their own ancestral lands in Nigeria, it stated.

While it condoled with the government and people of Ebonyi State, the organisation said, We demand that the necessary authorities to do the needful.

The Ebonyi State killings feed into the general state of insecurity in the country where mass killings, kidnapping for ransom, terrorism and other violent crimes have become the other of the day in different places.

Another Vanguards report says the attack on Ishielu L.G.A of Ebonyi State came barely 24 hours after eight persons were killed by rampaging herdsmen in Adani, Uzo-Uwani L.G.A of Enugu State.

Police speak

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, police spokesperson in Ebonyi State, Obianuju, said investigations into the killings were ongoing, but said the ethnic profile of the perpetrators not important.

Investigation is ongoing, she said, adding, It is investigation that would fish out the culprits of the killings. We (the police) dont like colourating a crime; anyone who commits a crime must be arrested and punished according to the law, no matter where they come from whether they are herdsmen, bandits or criminals.

He said the most important thing is that the commissioner of police has vowed to do anything within the ambit of the law including collaborating with other security agencies and the relevant stakeholders in the community to ensure that they people who did this are brought to book in no distant time.
THIS TOO SHALL PASS by Julia Samuel (Penguin Life 9.99, 368 pp)

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

by Julia Samuel (Penguin Life 9.99, 368 pp)

The past year has been a period of crisis, so there could hardly be a more timely moment for Julia Samuels compassionate book on how to live through change.

Samuel says even positive change can take time to accept, but the more we allow ourselves to learn and expand the more likely we are to thrive.

Case studies bring the theme vividly to life: after her second divorce, Esther, 73, wonders if she can love again, Eric struggles with recovery from Covid-19, while the transition from university to work proves problematic for 24-year-old Caz.

Samuels insight, empathy and occasional tough love shine through her wise and helpful book.

MISS AUSTEN by Gill Hornby (Arrow 8.99, 416 pp)

MISS AUSTEN

by Gill Hornby (Arrow 8.99, 416 pp)

After Jane Austens death in 1817, her beloved sister, Cassandra, burned all Janes letters that she had judged too indiscreet.

Gill Hornbys novel imagines Cassandra, now in her 60s, arriving at a vicarage in the Berkshire village of Kintbury. She and Jane had first visited the vicarage as young women, when Cassandra had been engaged to the son of the house, Tom Fowle.

After Toms early death, the sisters kept up an intimate correspondence with the Fowles, but now the family is leaving Kintbury and Cassandra must retrieve Janes letters before they go.

Hornby combines a moving portrait of sisterly devotion with a comic depiction of the provincial life so brilliantly evoked in Austens own novels.

THE DIRTY SOUTH by John Connolly (Hodder 8.99, 480 pp)

THE DIRTY SOUTH

by John Connolly (Hodder 8.99, 480 pp)

Former New York police detective Charlie Parker is on a mission to right wrong. His quest wasnt meant to take him to the deadbeat Arkansas town of Cargill, but his stopover at a local motel coincides with the murder of a young black woman, the third victim of what seems a perverted serial killer.

But with Arkansas-born Bill Clinton in the White House, the state is expecting an influx of development, and some fear that an investigation into the girls fates may deter investors.

Set in 1997, Connollys 18th novel in the Charlie Parker series returns to the beginnings of the detectives career in a finely written thriller haunted by a powerful sense of the struggle between good and evil.
Firefighters have begun to gain control of wildfires in the Black Hills of South Dakota that have forced the evacuation of more than 400 homes and closed the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Three separate wildfires were burning near Rapid City, with the largest near Schroeder Road in the Nemo area. That fire has burned nearly 3.3 square miles (8.1 square kilometers). But officials said they expected to contain about half of the fire by the end of the day on March 30.

Its not over yet, but were in a pretty good spot, said Gov. Kristi Noem, who traveled to Rapid City to help oversee the fire response.

But the Republican governor acknowledged that fire danger had not passed, declaring a state of emergency until June. She cited widespread drought conditions, low humidity, high wind and high temperatures that create serious peril for our state. The order allows state agencies to assist in tackling the wildfires.

The Schroeder Road fire has crossed into two neighborhoods near Rapid City, the Pennington County Sheriffs Office said. At least one home has been destroyed, as well as several other structures. No injuries have been reported.

There was quite a firefight last night, said Rob Powell, the firefighting official overseeing the response.

As winds died down throughout the day, firefighting crews worked both on the ground and from aircraft to contain the fire.

Two smaller blazes were burning southwest of Rapid City, including one inside the grounds of Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The monument, as well as surrounding roads, were closed through at least Wednesday. One fire has burned an estimated 117 acres (47 hectares) and is 30% contained; the other is about 9 acres (4 hectares), and officials hoped to have it 50% contained by the end of the day.

The fire near Mount Rushmore threatened 15 structures, including park facilities and private homes, but none have been destroyed, according to Great Plains Fire Public Information Officers Travis Mason-Bushman. He said the fire was near main access roads to the monument but wasnt close to the visitor center.

The challenge is that its burning in some pretty steep and rugged terrain, he said. We need to bring in hand crews.

About 60 firefighters responded to the fire, as well as a South Dakota National Guard Black Hawk helicopter that was dumping water.

On March 29, multiple fires burst up across the region as winds in some places reached as high as 81 mph (130 kph). Firefighters initially responding to the Schroeder fire found a fast-moving ground fire in extreme fire danger condition, officials reported. They immediately called for assistance from firefighters around the region, with about 250 responding.

The governor noted that it was really early in the year for wildfires and that battling them had taxed nearly all available resources. Officials said they do not have the firefighters to tackle any more large blazes and were instead trying to snuff out smaller ones quickly.

Were probably one of the first in the nation for 2021 facing this kind of a situation, Noem said.

Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom said his family was among those who were evacuated.

I watched a neighbors house go up in flames. So it touches all of us, Thom said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire South Dakota
MOUNT GILEAD, N.C., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- McRae Industries, Inc. (Pink Sheets: MCRAA and MCRAB) McRae Footwear, a division of McRae Industries has been awarded a contract for Marine Corps temperate weather combat boots by the United States Government Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support. This contract is for a base year and four option years with the following maximum dollar value. Base year $6,213,060.00, Option I $6,306,300.00, Option II $6,400,800.00, Option III $6,496,560.00, Option IV $6,594,210.00 for a total of $32,010,930.00. The first delivery is scheduled for 120 days after contract award date.

SOURCE McRae Industries, Inc.

Related Links

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Illegal immigrants, most from Honduras, walk toward a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico near Mission, Texas, on March 23, 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)

More Than a Million Illegal Immigrants Expected to Cross Border in 2021: Official

A Border Patrol official estimated that more than 1 million illegal immigrants are expected to arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021 as the White House grapples with how to find facilities and process them.

Were already starting to see some higher days of 6,000-plus apprehensions, Raul Ortiz, deputy chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, told reporters. So I fully expect our border patrol agents to encounter over a million people this year.

Border Patrol apprehended approximately 100,000 illegal immigrants in February, which is the highest number since February 2019, Ortiz said. He noted that people try to illegally cross into the U.S. between April and June.

A facility in Donna, Texas, holds about 4,100 people, with many of them being unaccompanied children, Reuters reported. Border Patrol official Oscar Escamilla told Reuters that some 2,000 unaccompanied children have been held there for more than 72 hours, which is the legal limit.

Its out of my hands, he said. For whatever reason, they have fallen through the system or through the cracks.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday issued a statement criticizing human smuggling attempts into the United States.

The inhumane way smugglers abuse children while profiting off parents desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible, Mayorkas said. Just this month, a young girl died by drowning, a six-month-old was thrown into the river, and two young children were dropped from a wall and left in the desert alone.

There can be no doubt that children are exceptionally vulnerable when placed in the hands of smugglers. There is grave risk they will be exploited and harmed. I applaud our heroic Border Patrol agents who have saved lives this week and every week, while putting their own lives at risk for the greater good of the country.

It comes after a video released by a Border Patrol official in New Mexico showed human smugglers dropping two young girls over a 14-foot-tall border barrier before abandoning them.

The smugglers were seen via night-vision cameras leaving the children, aged 3 and 5, in the middle of the New Mexico desert miles from the nearest residence, said Border Patrol sector chief Gloria Chavez.

According to a news release from Border Patrol, the two girls were sisters from Ecuador. When agents came upon them, they rendered aid, officials said, before they were taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and were later medically cleared. The young girls were then put in a temporary holding facility.
JACKSON, MI  Jackson Mayor Derek Dobies will not seek reelection for the citys highest office.

Dobies announced his decision to step away on Thursday, April 1, after two two-year terms as mayor. His current term as mayor ends this year.

Dobies, 35, said he wants to step down and allow another person to take over as mayor, he said. He recommends Daniel Mahoney, a Democratic Jackson County commissioner representing District 7 in Jackson, because he thinks theres an opportunity to let leadership reflect the residents of Jackson.

I think its about service above self. This is about making history in Jackson, he said.

In a letter to supporters on Thursday, Dobies noted there has never been a person of color as the citys mayor.

One thing that has always bothered me presiding over meetings in council chambers is the many faces of mayors circling the room, he wrote. Anyone viewing those portraits would see two things: first, that I am the 70th mayor of the city of Jackson, and second, that none of those mayors have been a person of color.

Dobies has been considered a progressive force in Jackson city politics. He ushered in policy that expanded the citys nondiscrimination ordinance to prohibit discrimination against the LGBTQ community, focused on adding infrastructure and reducing blight, established a racial equity commission and renamed Francis Street for Martin Luther King Jr.

Dobies is particularly proud of his work on the nondiscrimination ordinance and renaming MLK Drive, he said.

Both showed change happening in the city, he said. It was a breath of freshness in the community. A lot of people felt that Jackson was their home or could be their home.

Jacksons economy and downtown have changed and grown since the Great Recession, Dobies said. He and other city leaders, including former City Manager Patrick Burtch, worked to improve infrastructure and promote business downtown and reduce blight in city neighborhoods, he said.

In 2017, Dobies faced a recall vote in the 6th Ward council seat he filled from 2011-17 for his support of the nondiscrimination ordinance. He declined to seek that seat again and instead focused on his mayoral campaign. He defeated incumbent Bill Jors by 441 votes.

In 2019, Dobies defeated fellow councilman Jeromy Alexander, Ward 3, to keep his seat. He beat Alexander by less than 400 votes and was the first person to win consecutive mayoral elections in Jackson since 2005.

Dobies said hell continue to stay involved in politics, but did not say if he intends to seek another office.

Ive served with 17 other council members and mayors. Thats afforded me the ability to see new faces come in and old faces telling me what its like on the other side, he said. You never leave the work. Im never going to stop serving, elected service or not.

Mahoney confirmed Dobies has reached out to him to suggest his candidacy, and said he was surprised because he intended to endorse Dobies in a reelection campaign in the November election. But hes honored at the suggestion and intends to consider it with his family, Mahoney said.

I love the city of Jackson, he said. My family has been here for many years. I dont think its too far-fetched. Its not something Ive thought about before, because I feel like Derek has done a great job.

Dobies full-time job is chief of staff to the Michigan AFL-CIO. Dobies and his family will stay in Jackson, he said.

MORE JACKSON NEWS:

Michigans COVID-19 surge is the worst in the nation. Whitmer is focused on vaccines, not restrictions.

Police seek help in finding truck, other items stolen from Jackson storage building

Sewer clog at Jackson-area Meijer releases 5,000 gallons of wastewater

Jackson courts return to stricter access due to growing county COVID infection rate
Last month, it was reported that Apple would require to show a list of pre-approved apps by the state legislature to the users in Russia as a part of the first setup of the iPhone. The change is now live for iPhone users in Russia, as an App Store dialog box shows up while setting up an iPhone, regardless of the iOS version user is running.

Apple was required to comply with the change by 1st April, and now the change has been enabled from the server-side. After completing a normal iOS setup, users in Russia are straight directed to the App Store showing the list of special apps, which include some famous names like VK, Yandex Browser, and Yandex Maps.

Its not mandatory for the user to install these apps, since the user can simply close the section, which is basically an App Store Story, by clicking the X button. The change was first reported in 2019 when the Russian government threatened Apple to completely ban iPhone sales in the country if not complied with the change.

Here is how it looks in the actual setup. pic.twitter.com/QOUwwIGSnx  Khaos Tian (@KhaosT) April 1, 2021

Apple is not giving the Russian government a special status and has asked that all the apps must comply with App Store Review guidelines. This basically means that the special apps cannot include content that is not allowed in the App Store.

Apple released iOS 14.5 Beta 6 yesterday. New features introduced in the beta include two new Siri voices and a battery recalibration tool. More on the changes coming to the iPhone setup screen, iOS 14.5 now gives users an option to select the Siri voice as a part of the iPhone setup process.

We Want to Hear From You

If youre in Russia, have you seen this change? Which of the pre-approved apps do you use the most? Let us know in the comments section below!
The man was taken to a hospital, where he died. The patrol said an officer also was struck in the head during the shootout, but was conscious and alert when he was taken to a hospital for treatment. His condition was stabilized and he was later released from the hospital, according to Independence police.
The suspected leader of a people-smuggling crime network has been deported to Belgium from Slough.

The suspected offender, whose name has not been revealed at the request of Belgian authorities, was living in Cippenham when he was arrested by officers in January 2020.

The 30-year-old was subject to a European Arrest Warrant issued by a judge in Antwerp, Belgium.

He is alleged to have organised the transportation of significant numbers of people in 2018 and 2019.

Migrants were moved from Brussels to motorway service lorry parks and would be loaded onto trucks bound for the UK. The group often used refrigerated lorries.

The Iraqi nationals extradition was confirmed by courts in the UK on March 12 and on March 27 he was returned to Belgium, where he is now in custody and awaiting trial.

The suspected offender was arrested in January 2020 and deported last week.

A woman who was arrested at the same time has since been released.

NCA head of organised immigration crime operations, Miles Bonfield, said: NCA officers both in the UK and overseas have worked closely with our Belgian counterparts throughout this investigation.

We are determined to do all we can to tackle criminal people-smuggling networks impacting on the UK, no matter where they are.

These networks are ruthless, treating migrants as a commodity to be profited from, and we have seen the tragic consequences that can come about when refrigerated lorries are used in such attempts.
Card. Beshara Rai met with Sheikh Hamid Shahrayari and the charge d'affaires of the embassy in Beirut. A "frank and transparent" dialogue which confirmed the importance of "national unity" to safeguard "sovereignty". Openness to dialogue and confrontation also by the leader of Hezbollah to "get the country out of the impasse".

Beirut (AsiaNews / Agencies) - In the context of a profound political and institutional crisis, with an almost irreversible rift between President Michel Aoun and the prime minister in charge Saad Hariri, the Maronite patriarch is continuing consultations in an attempt to find a way out.

Yesterday Card. Beshara Rai received an Iranian delegation, chaired by the secretary general of the World Front for Friendship between Islamic Schools, Sheikh Hamid Shahrayari, the charge d'affaires of the Tehran embassy in Beirut, Hassan Khalil and senior officials.

At the end of the meeting, a delegate from the Islamic Republic spoke of a "frank and transparent" dialogue, underlining at the same time "the need to remain attached to national unity, the only one capable of preserving Lebanon's sovereignty, its freedom and independence". Current historical experience, continues the Tehran diplomat, "has shown that when Lebanon demonstrates national unity, it can resist against all external aggressions".

For some time, the Maronite patriarch has supported a position of "positive neutrality" for the country and the need for an international conference under the aegis of the United Nations. The cardinal was targeted by an Iranian newspaper in early March for his critical positions towards the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, close to Iran. Criticisms that had prompted Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe to summon the Iranian ambassador, who did not even want to respond to the summons.

For supporters of the president, the interim prime minister is waiting for the conclusion of a new agreement between Iran and the United States that would end up obliging Saudi Arabia, close to Hariri, to adopt a more "realistic" view of the situation in Lebanon. An agreement [between Washington and Tehran] that, today, still seems a mirage but could prove to be the key to unblocking the stalemate in Lebanese public and institutional life.

Analysts and observers argue that, at the moment, Iran has an interest in keeping "the Lebanese charter" for future talks with the White House when the negotiations begin. Even a European diplomat, on condition of anonymity, points the finger at the Islamic Republic, considering it chiefly responsible for the current blockade.

Meanwhile, a first, partial opening comes from the head of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah who, yesterday evening, admitted the current difficulties and invoked the need for dialogue and compromise: "The country - he said - is on the brink of the abyss and no longer has the luxury of time. The time has come to put aside all expectations and differences and to undertake a serious attempt to get the country out of the current impasse ".
(Newser)  Gender reveal stunts that end in tragedy aren't just an American thing. Authorities say a pilot and co-pilot died Tuesday when a stunt went wrong off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, the Washington Post reports. Video shows the small plane release a pink cloud as family members on a boat shout, "It's a girl!" Seconds later, they screamed as the single-engine Cessna 206 nosedived into the lagoon. According to local media, the plane had been rented from a company called Xomex and its owner was one of the crash victims. Mexico's Federal Civil Aviation Agency is investigating the cause of the crash, reports the New York Post. (In February, an exploding gender reveal device killed a father-to-be in upstate New York.)
UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Apr, 2021 ) :The world needs "a major breakthrough" to slow the pace of climate change and build resilience to protect the most vulnerable from increasingly severe and frequent climate impacts, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a crucial high-level meeting Wednesday, looking ahead to November's UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26.

With countries across the world having agreed through the Paris Agreement to a goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels to mitigate global warming, she said at the Climate and Development Ministerial Meeting: "We now need to spare no effort to achieve it in this 'make-or-break year'".

Ms. Mohammed painted a picture of climate financing to Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States at 14 and two per cent respectively; one person in three not adequately covered by early warning systems; and women and girls  who make up 80 per cent of those displaced by the climate emergency  often excluded from decision-making roles.

She said the need to adapt and be resilient, was "a moral, economic and social imperative", pointing out that it receives just one-fifth of total climate finance. She said "we cannot wait until 2030 or 2050 to rectify these failings".

The UN, she said, has identified five concrete and achievable actions to help countries throughout the year respond to the climate emergency and "secure the breakthrough that the Secretary-General has called for".

Firstly, donors need to increase their financial support to climate adaptation by least 50 per cent by June, when the United Kingdom hosts the G7 Summit of industrialized countries, followed by national and multilateral development banks once the UN climate conference (COP26) convenes in November.

Access to climate support must be "streamlined, transparent and simplified", especially for the most vulnerable and for a "significant scale-up" of existing financial instruments designed to handle disasters, along with new instruments to "incentivize resilience-building".

Next, the deputy UN chief said that developing countries needed to have the tools at their disposal to embed climate risk in all planning, budget, and procurement strategies.

"Risk information is the critical first step for risk reduction, transfer and management", she said.

The final action highlighted, was to support locally and regionally led adaptation and resilience initiatives in vulnerable countries, cities and communities, at the frontlines of climate disruption.

"We must support efforts that provide local actors, including indigenous people, women and youth, with a much greater voice in the decisions that most affect them", Ms. Mohammed said.

Noting that a "decade of transformation" cannot be delivered with soaring debt levels, she welcomed calls for a massive injection of liquidity and extensive debt relief to provide vulnerable countries with extra resources.

"Equally important will be transforming the international debt architecture so that it ensures all can emerge from this crisis with an equal chance of building back better and differently", she said.

In closing, the deputy UN chief urged ministers online to seize the opportunity to "push again today for a concrete outcome that is bold, decisive and ambitious" to ensure "an inclusive and climate resilient transition".

"I very much look forward to working with you all to achieve the success people and planet deserve at COP26." At the same time, top international energy and climate leaders met at the International Energy Agency (IEA)-COP26 Net Zero Summit to discuss how to accelerate clean energy momentum and examine how countries can more effectively work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.

The meeting took stock of the growing list of commitments from countries and companies to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement and focused on implementing the necessary actions to turn the growing number of net zero targets into a reality.

To sort out future measures, participants from more than 40 countries shared insights on what has worked so far.

The event was designed to increase momentum towards COP26 and informed the preparation of IEA's upcoming Special Report?"The World's Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050".
In Godzilla vs. Kong, young actor Kaylee Hottle plays Jia, an orphan of Skull Island who shares a unique bond with Kong. But the film also suggests that she may have a psychic connection with Godzilla as well. After all, while transporting Kong across the ocean, shes able to sense Godzillas underwater approach and rushes to warn the rest of the ship. The psychic link between humans and kaiju has been explored in several other Godzilla movies of the past, particularly in the reoccurring character of Miki Saegusa, played by Megumi Odaka. Saegusa was an instructor at an institution for psychic children, and - like Jia - was able to telepathically communicate with Godzilla in six films from the Heisei era. Jia is also the latest addition to a long line of children in kaiju films who share a special connection with giant monster. Similar kiddie characters appear in a number of Toho entries, like Son of Godzilla and All Monsters Attack.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - LaSalle Exploration Corp. (TSXV: LSX) is pleased to advise the flow-through private placement announced March 24, 2021 has now closed, raising a total of $2,018,659.98. 2,787,5000 Flow Through Shares were sold to Quebec residents ("QFT Shares") at $0.20 per QFT share, with the $557,500 proceeds to be used to accelerate the comprehensive exploration program, including diamond drilling, on the Radisson Property in the Eeyou Istchee - James Bay region of Quebec. 10,905,055 Flow-Through Shares were sold at $0.18 per share ("FT Shares") with the $1,461,159.98 proceeds going to further exploration on the Company's Radisson property and the high-grade gold Blakelock and Egan properties in Ontario.

Eventus Capital Corp. and Haywood Securities Inc. acted as Finders on a portion of the Offering for which they will receive commissions of 6% in cash on the proceeds of the shares placed and 6% of the number of shares placed in compensation warrants exercisable for one year from closing at the same price as the respective FT and QFT Shares placed.

The shares issued, along with the Finder's compensation warrants and any shares issued on exercise of the compensation warrants are subject to a four-month resale hold period in Canada expiring July 31, 2021.

About LaSalle Exploration Corp.:

LaSalle Exploration Corp.is an exploration company focused on less explored districts of the Abitibi, recognized for mining investment based on mineral potential, policy and success, and the developing Eeyou Itschee-James Bay region in Quebec. LaSalle Exploration Corp. is listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") under the symbol "LSX".

Additional information about LaSalle can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.lasallecorp.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

LASALLE EXPLORATION CORP.

"Ian Campbell"

President and Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (604) 647-3966

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been, and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available).

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79252
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, MB, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That is why the Government of Canada is funding new affordable homes for seniors in Portage la Prairie.

Canada (CNW Group/Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), alongside Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, Irvine Ferris, Mayor of the City of Portage la Prairie and Al Braun, Chair of the Portage la Prairie Assisted Living Corporation, announced nearly $16.8 million in federal funding for Dufferin Villa.

Dufferin Villa will provide 53 new safe and affordable homes for seniors. As an assisted living complex, the three storey building is designed to accommodate the social, recreational, accessibility, and mobility needs of seniors. It will be the first project of its kind in the community.

The assisted living services at Dufferin Villa will include meals, housekeeping, garbage collection, social/recreational activities and personal emergency response services.

This funding is being delivered through CMHC's National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF), which supports new construction and repairs of mixed-income and mixed-use affordable housing. The NHCF is a key pillar of the Government of Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS).

Quotes:

"Canada's seniors have shaped this country and contribute to our communities every day. Thanks to this investment by our government, more seniors in Portage la Prairie now have a place to call home that is accessible and meets their needs. Thanks also to the collaboration and dedication of community partners, more seniors in Portage la Prairie will be able to live independently. This is the National Housing Strategy at work."  The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

Story continues

"Seniors deserve a healthy and affordable place to call home. Through the co-investment fund, our Government is working hand in hand with our partners to ensure an increased stock of affordable housing are made available for our seniors in Portage la Prairie."- Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South.

"The new Dufferin Villa assisted living complex will make a real difference in the lives of many seniors in Portage la Prairie. Our investment will help meet their needs by providing them with a safe and affordable home to live in. The Government of Canada will continue to support assisted living to help ensure every Canadian has a place to call home."  Minister of Seniors, Deb Schulte

"Our Government recognizes the importance of caring for our aging citizens and the value of seniors to be able to live independently close to their families and friends. Dufferin Villa in Portage la Prairie is another example of our Government taking action to ensure senior citizens are cared for in a safe and stable environment while still being connected to their communities." - The Honourable Jim Carr, Special Representative for the Prairies and Member of Parliament of Winnipeg South Centre

"The City of Portage la Prairie is very excited to see this Assisted Living facility become a reality in our community. Dufferin Villa will be the first of its kind in our city. Today's announcement is the result of many years of hard work by the board members and the support of our citizens and donors. We want to thank CMHC for supporting this very worthwhile project in our community." - Irvine Ferris, Mayor of the City of Portage la Prairie

"Dufferin Villa will provide seniors in our community with access to much needed appropriately designed and affordable assisted living housing. It will be the first of its kind in Portage la Prairie and will provide seniors the opportunity to continue to live close to family and friends as opposed to moving to another community. We are grateful for the financial support provided by CMHC and look forward to completing construction and welcoming seniors to their new home"  Al Braun, Chair of Portage la Prairie Assisted Living Corporation

Quick facts:

$1,442,484 of the total loan amount of $16,792,720 under NHCF will be forgivable.





17 of the units will be leased at 80% of the Median Market Rent for the area with the financial assistance from CMHC.





The proposed building design will exceed NHCF minimum reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and features 100% accessible units.





With a budget of $13.2 billion, the NHCF gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans and young adults.





Through the NHCF, the Government of Canada will work with partners to build up to 60,000 new affordable homes and repair up to 240,000 existing affordable and community homes.





Under the NHCF, investments are also planned to create or repair at least 4,000 shelter spaces for victims of family violence, as well as create at least 7,000 new affordable housing units for seniors and 2,400 new affordable housing units for people with developmental disabilities.





Seniors are the fastest-growing demographic age group in Canada. By 2030, the number of seniors is expected to reach 9.6 million, representing close to one quarter of Canada's population.





The Government of Canada has a broad national seniors agenda which includes initiatives that:

a. improve the income security of seniors;

b. improve seniors' access to affordable housing;

c. promote healthy aging and improve access to health care; and

d. foster the social inclusion and engagement of seniors.





Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $70+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call homethis includes more than $13 billion committed through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.

Associated links:

As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.





To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) (CNW Group/Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2021/01/c4471.html
Portland once had a dire reputation in certain circles. Back in the 1950s, the blue-collar town was known as the abortion capital of the world.

Insiders here say Portland is considered wide open so far as abortions are concerned, San Francisco Chronicle city editor Abe Mellinkoff wrote to Rose City officials in 1951. There is known to be traffic to Portland by local women unable to get abortions in San Francisco.

Mellinkoff had heard that girls arriving in Oregons largest city had only to discreetly ask taxi drivers or elevator operators where to go.

This was more than two decades before the U.S. Supreme Court made it legal to deliberately terminate a pregnancy. At the time, Portland had a thriving underworld, thanks to on-the-take cops and politicians. Here the price ranged from $100 for an illegal abortion from a former whorehouse operator in a hotel room to $750 in one practitioners plush suite of offices, offered one report.

The publics growing awareness of the local abortion racket led The Oregon Journal to take action. The evening newspapers editors decided to send reporter Rolla J. Bud Crick undercover to find out how it all worked.

Oregon Journal reporter Rolla J. Crick. (Oregonian archive)LC- The Oregonian

Crick quickly confirmed what was already widely believed: that many abortions were carried out in unsanitary conditions by amateur doctors, sometimes even causing patients to collapse in the street on their way home.

The reporter, a Boy Scout leader in his spare time, soon teamed up with law enforcement as he continued his covert investigation, resulting in some pulse-pounding moments.

I was in this tough joint to meet our contact man, with a policewoman posing as my girlfriend, Crick later recalled. We had just made our contact when her purse fell on the floor and her police badge went scooting across the floor. Luckily, she had enough other junk in there to hide the badge while we dived to recover it.

As it turned out, the undercover operation got even hairier for the policewoman. Pretending to be pregnant and in desperate need of an abortion, she found herself getting drowsy in a makeshift operating room.

She was supposed to run to the window and blow her whistle for the pinch once [the abortionist stepped into the room], Crick said. But the pill they gave her made her so complacent she could hardly muster strength enough to whistle.

Oregon Journal photographers captured the scene when Portland police raided illegal abortion clinics.

Crick, a combat reporter for the Army Air Corps during World War II, enjoyed the cloak-and-dagger experience, and so he became the Journals Nellie Bly. Hed follow his undercover assignment on the abortion beat with one at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem. There, posing as an attendant, he helped administer electric shock treatments to patients and saw the dramatic results of the newest mind drugs.

More than half a dozen years before Ken Kesey published his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, which is set at an unnamed Oregon state institution, Crick found Oregon State Hospitals cast of characters fascinating.

The mental condition of one man who had participated in a daring and sensational Oregon train robbery years before had deteriorated to the point that he was catatonic and merely sat looking at the floor, Crick recalled years later. Another patient who had gone on an arson spree in Portland neighborhoods turned out to be one of my former Boy Scouts. Apparently, I taught him too well how to make fires.

The movie version of Cuckoos Nest, starring Jack Nicholson, would be filmed at Oregon State Hospital.

But Cricks expose of the state psychiatric hospital didnt have the immediate impact of his abortion racket articles, which shocked readers and resulted in an NBC TV adaptation called The Helpless Ones. (The actor Dennis Patrick, later known for roles on Dark Shadows and Dallas, played Crick.) In the wake of Cricks initial reporting, law enforcement raided a series of abortion mills around Portland, with the Journal writing that police and sheriffs deputies thundered at the doors of suspected abortionists to round up operators, assistants and frightened patients.

The resulting arrests brought multiple convictions, most notably of Dr. Ruth Barnett, a high-profile advocate for safe and legal abortion. Barnett, who operated out of a swanky downtown Portland clinic, would claim in her 1969 autobiography that she had performed thousands of abortions. In spite of my patients tears and anguish, I toiled in a happy climate, she wrote, because here, in my surgery, came the end of tears and anguish.

Crick acknowledged that Barnett was a professional and unconnected to Portland gangsters.

Of all the abortionists in town at that time, she was the best, Crick would say.

Three decades after its series of articles about the abortion racket, The Oregon Journal noted how times and mores had changed.

Today, the paper wrote in 1982, anyone who desires can walk into an abortion clinic, a doctors office, a hospital or to organizations like Planned Parenthood and talk openly about the subject. Then it was a matter of seeking out underworld sources or people who knew someone who performed abortions.

-- Douglas Perry

dperry@oregonian.com

@douglasmperry
Blog

In the early hours of March 29, an estimated sixty gunmen attacked two small military installations in Kafolo and Kolobougou, both located in Ivory Coast on the border with Burkina Faso. The assailants killed at least three soldiers and wounded others. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the media is speculating credibly that the perpetrators were jihadis based in nearby Burkina Faso, where Islamist groups have been increasingly active.

There have been attacks before in the same area. In 2020, "jihadis" killed fourteen soldiers and gendarmes, also near Kafolo. Nevertheless, concerns are growing that the latest attack is a sign that jihadi insurgents are expanding their reach, as they have in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.

In some ways Ivory Coast is the largest and most important country in francophone West Africa. In the decades after independence in 1960, Ivory Coast was an economic powerhouse with wealth mostly based on agriculture, especially cocoa. It hosted the largest French expatriate community in West Africa. However, political instability after the death of long-time statesman/big man Felix Houphouet-Boigny resulted in coups and civil war, the latest round of which ended in 2011 and left the economy in shambles. Since then, under the technocratic President Alassane Ouattara, the country has largely recovered economically. (Ouattara was elected to a controversial third term in 2020.) Ivory Coast, linked by roads and railways with interior francophone countries, plays an outsized regional economic role. The country has long been an immigration magnet from the other West African francophone countries, which are much poorer.

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Nevertheless, even with renewed prosperity, remaining internal divisions provide an opening for jihadi groups. As elsewhere in West Africa, the south, centered on Abidjan, is predominantly Christian and much more prosperous than the north. In effect, the south dominates the country. The north is predominantly Islamic and many northern residents feel marginalized by a southern francophone elite that is predominantly Christian. Overlaying north-south differences are those between "indigenes" and immigrants from elsewhere in francophone West Africa, especially Burkina Faso. The indigenes are mostly Christian, the immigrants mostly Muslim.

Hence, Ivory Coast in some ways resembles other African hotspots--such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mozambique, Central African Republic, and Niger--where a marginalized Islamic population provides an opening for radical jihadism. However, Ivory Coast is far larger and economically more important that the others, with the exception of Nigeria. If jihadi radicalism acquires a foothold, the consequences will be dire for the West African region beyond just Ivory Coast.

Blog posts represent the views of CFR fellows and staff and not those of CFR, which takes no institutional positions.
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP, a class action law firm dedicated to representing shareholders nationwide, is investigating a potential breach of fiduciary duty claim involving the board of directors of U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLCA).

If you are a shareholder of U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. and are interested in obtaining additional information regarding this investigation, free of charge, please visit us at:

http://pjlfirm.com/u-s-silica-holdings-inc/

You may also contact Robert H. Lefkowitz, Esq. either via email at [email protected] or by telephone at 212-725-1000. One of our attorneys will personally speak with you about the case at no cost or obligation.

Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP is a law firm exclusively committed to representing shareholders nationwide who are victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty and other types of corporate misconduct. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://pjlfirm.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

SOURCE Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP

Related Links

http://www.pjlfirm.com


Australia is running 80th in the world when it comes to vaccinating its population in a national humiliation that has war-ravaged Rwanda, protest riddled Lebanon and the tiny poverty stricken nation of Belize doing better.

Just 2.4 people per 100 people have been vaccinated by the Government's woefully sluggish immunisation program with the nation falling farcically short of its goal of four million shots by April 1, with only 670,349 Australians jabbed so far.

Meanwhile, Rwanda is motoring ahead by comparison, having doled out shots to 2.8 people per 100. That's in a nation where the average citizen is likely to live 14 years fewer than the typical Australian and earn barely a fraction of our annual wages.

Likewise, Lebanon, gripped in a long-running political and economic crisis, has immunised an average of 3.0 people per 100. Meanwhile, Belize - where 40 per cent of the population live in poverty - has managed 5.2 per 100.

Meanwhile, the US has injected more than 100 million doses, the UK some 30 million and world-beating Israel more than half its population.

So why is rich, democratic and mostly Covid-free Australia doing so poorly?

Times may be tough in Lebanon - with Beirut in the grips of Covid, political unrest an economic crisis and the aftermath of last year's explosion - but the nation is outperforming stable, democratic and prosperous Australia with its vaccination program. Above, a woman carries a masked disabled man on her back in the nation's capital

A young man receives a vaccination in Rwanda which is currently beating Australia by proportion of people the government has managed to immunise - 2.8 people per 100 to our equivalent 2.4 per 100

The Central American nation of Belize is likewise beating Australia in its race to vaccinate its 400,000-strong population. Above, a stock image of Belize City

Australia's vaccine phases: When will you get one? Phase 1A: Quarantine, border and front line health care workers will need to provide proof of occupation to demonstrate their eligibility Phase 1B: Elderly adults aged 70+, other health care works, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 55 and over, adults with an underlying medical condition or disability (with proof), critical and high risk workers (This phase is currently underway.) Phase 2A: Adults aged 50+, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, critical and high risk workers There have been suggestions this phase could begin in May and will involve pharmacies participating Phase 2B: The rest of the population. The original timeline was for this to occur by October but it is unlikely the whole adult population will be fully vaccinated Phase 3: People aged under 16 if recommended Advertisement

Health Minister Greg Hunt has blamed Europe for blocking several shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to its own surging virus numbers.

That may not be as much of a problem moving forward with the Australian company CSL ramping up its production of AstraZeneca jabs.

But the states say there are major issues with the Federal Government's rolling out of the 2.4 million doses the nation supposedly has ready to go.

For instance, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said his government last week expected to receive 13,700 AstraZeneca jabs.

45,000 doses were delivered instead.

'You get 45,000 items dumped on your front door at night and told, 'you should have it out by the next morning',' Mr Hazzard said.

'No one would be able to do that. If you are going to win a war, you can't have the tanks and artillery dropped at the airport and (then be) told about it. You have to know what your supply lines are.

'It shows an ignorance about frontline delivery of services and I think that's because the Federal government doesn't deliver frontline services.'

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned the Federal government will meet its own October deadline for all Australians who want the vaccine to have had one dose without better cooperation.

Some doctors have also criticised the design of the vaccination program - which has so far focused on GP clinics jabbing their patients.

That's rather than mass-vaccination sites - the US is using stadiums and military personnel to deliver shots - and pharmacies.

Several GP clinics have complained about tiny amounts of doses trickling in batches of about 50 a week, when they were originally planning to inject hundreds or thousands in that same period.

Dr Stephen Duckett, a health expert at the Grattan Institute think tank, told the Daily Telegraph this week 'you have to do mass vaccination centres'.

Pressure's on: Health Minister Greg Hunt has assured Australians that the country's vaccination program is ramping up

But as of this morning just 670,000 jabs had been performed (one of the first is above)

But Royal Australian College of GPs President Dr Karen Price said GP clinics are suitable for the program as 'GPs are used to doing vaccinations.

'I mean last year with the flu vaccination we did six million in six weeks so given the right supply and the right timing we can get it done,' she told Sky News.

It's not all bad news - with a few exceptions, Australia has had a virtually Covid-free 2021, life mostly back to normal, house prices surging and the economy humming along.

Queensland reported just one new case on Thursday meaning greater Brisbane has come out of its snap three day lockdown.

And New South Wales - where there were fears the outbreak may have spread to Byron Bay - reported zero new cases.

Australia has reported just 909 Covid-related deaths, compared to 552,000 in the United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 00:54:22|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Uganda on Wednesday hailed China for its support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sam Kutesa, Uganda's minister of foreign affairs at a function held here said China has donated an assortment of medicines and equipment to Uganda to combat the pandemic. China recently also announced that it would donate 300,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Uganda.

"I take this opportunity to applaud China for its solidarity and cooperation with Africa and Uganda in particular, during the COVID-19 pandemic," Kutesa said as he received a donation of 70 motor vehicles from the Chinese embassy here.

Although the Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine has not arrived in Uganda, the country has already embarked on a vaccination exercise targeting over 21.9 million people who face the highest risk of the infection. These include health workers, teachers, security personnel, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.

Ministry of Health says although the cases of the virus in the country have reduced, the country has detected new strains of the virus.

Ruth Aceng, minister of health said on Saturday the variants from South Africa, Brazil and United Kingdom, among others are circulating in the country.

As of March 29, Uganda had a cumulative total of 40,867 cases of COVID-19, 40,449 recoveries, and 335 deaths. According to the ministry of health figures, a total of 80,836 people have been vaccinated. Enditem
San Francisco, April 1 : At least four people were killed and two others injured during a shooting incident in the US state of California, according to authorities.

The incident took place on Wednesday evening in the city of Orange, 55 km southeast of Los Angeles, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Orange Police Department said that they responded to reports of a shooting at around 5.30 p.m. and then found "multiple victims at the scene including fatalities" where shots were being fired.

"The situation has been stabilised and there is no threat to the public. More details to follow," the Department tweeted on Wednesday night.

The four victims were pronounced dead at the scene and two others were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the Metro City Fire Authority Dispatch, an emergency organisation providing fire and emergency medical services to over 1.2 million residents in Southern California.

Video clips posted online by the local ABC 7 news channel showed a business complex, where at least two bodies lay down outside the building, one on a second floor walkway and the other in a courtyard.

At the scene there were also bloody clothes and what appeared to be a weapon as officers investigated.

A witness told ABC 7 that she heard two distinct sets of shots, one apparently the initial shooting and the other the gunfire exchange between the suspect and police.

"I was just in my room hanging out. All of a sudden I heard five to seven gun shots go off," the witness said.

"And then I waited a couple minutes and the police came. And I heard a few more gunshots go off. It was a lot, quickly. Then the helicopter showed up and it was silent after that." Orange police said it was that city's deadliest shooting since 1997.

Wednesday incident were the latest mass shooting in the last two weeks.

On March 22, 10 people, including one police officer, were killed in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.

On March 16, a series of mass shootings occurred at three spas or massage parlours in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, which killed eight people including six Asian women.
The containerized ferrous scrap import market of Taiwan continued to witness price gains this week amid tight supply of United States- and Japan-origin materials, sources told Fastmarkets.

Fastmarkets daily price assessment for containerized steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20), United States material import, cfr main port Taiwan was $400-405 per tonne on Thursday April 1, unchanged day on day and up by $5 per tonne from $395-400 per tonne on March 26.



Buyers raised their bids to $400 per tonne cfr Taiwan by Tuesday March 30 against offers at $405-410 per tonne cfr Taiwan.



Offers disappeared by Thursday on increasingly bullish sentiment in the spot market, with market sources expecting offers to be raised in the near term.



"Many suppliers in the United States are hesitant to offer materials because they feel that prices will increase in the near term," a key trader in Taiwan told Fastmarkets.



A major domestic steel mill had raised its offers for domestic rebar by NT$200 ($7) per tonne, but kept their domestic scrap purchase price stable.



"Product prices are increasing not just in Taiwan, but also in Asia. For example, billet prices have been increasing, so sellers are confident that their buyers have to follow their offers higher," a second Taiwanese trader told Fastmarkets.



US President Joe Biden's $2-trillion infrastructure plan has also supported sentiment among sellers in the US, who are expecting domestic scrap prices to see support in light of stronger demand for steel.



Buyers who were not urgently looking for cargoes or attempting to hold out against rising prices were bidding at $390-400 per tonne cfr Taiwan.



Offers for South and Central American scrap were at $390 per tonne cfr Taiwan.



"Spot prices will be clearer from next week once Taiwan returns from the major Qingming Festival on Tuesday April 6," a buyer source in Taiwan told Fastmarkets on Thursday.



Offers for Japanese H1&H2 (50:50) were at $440 per tonne cfr Vietnam by Thursday, up by $10 per tonne from $430 per tonne cfr Vietnam in the earlier part of the week. There were limited cargoes in the spot market.



Buyers were looking to purchase cargoes at $415 per tonne cfr Taiwan, although such bids were unlikely to result in any transactions, sellers said.



Major Japanese mini-mill Tokyo Steel has not adjusted its domestic scrap purchase price this week, although fob Japan prices have increased slightly.



Tokyo Steel is presently paying at 42,500-43,500 ($384-393) per tonne at Tahara works, 42,500 per tonne at Okayama works, 43,000 per tonne at Kyushu works, 42,000 per tonne at Utsunomiya works and 41,500 per tonne at its Takamatsu works.
TENS of thousands of KBC mortgage customers were left fearing the bank sold their mortgages to a vulture fund without telling them.

Borrowers were left reeling after their April mortgage repayments were collected by an unknown entity called Phoenix Funding 7.

Fears that the mortgages were sold to a fund were ignited when the legal entity collecting their mortgage changed from KBC Bank Ireland PLC to Phoenix 7 on current account statements.

This set off panic and led to a large volume of calls and emails to KBC Bank.

The bank insisted the use of the Phoenix 7 name that appeared on statements instead of KBC Bank was an error.

It said it has not sold the mortgages, but it admitted has securitised them. Customers were not told about this.

Securitisation is where a lender bundles up a package of mortgages and borrows against the monthly interest payments.

It is a way of raising money on the markets.

The lender remains the economic owner of the loans and continues to service them.

From research by this publication, it appears that there are 33,000 mortgages worth 5.9bn that were bundled together, securitised and called Phoenix 7.

In what is a highly technical piece of financial engineering, KBC Bank Ireland ownership of the mortgages transferred to another entity within the wider KBC Group.

KBC Group is headquartered in Belgium.

A bond was then issued on the back of the securitised loans, with a 149-page prospectus issued as part of this process.

One person familiar with what happened explained: It was an internal securitisation. So a bit of financial engineering. The larger KBC Bank still owns the mortgages.

They did not sell the mortgages to a fund. They just bundled them up and got another part of the bank to buy them. They then issued a bond to raise money.

The prospectus shows that the mortgages are mostly residential, with a minority buy-to-lets.

About 40pc of the mortgages in the portfolio were issued before 2011 when mortgage underwriting standards were lower, according to an analysis of Phoenix 7 issued by ratings agency Fitch.

But these older loans are mostly being paid, Fitch says.

Customers were angry when informed by this publication that their loans had been securitised without them being told.

KBC mortgage holder Siobhan McMahon, of Skibbereen in Cork, said: God, I hate the thought of our mortgage being sold off to some non-entity. And not being told. I have been with them since 1997-1998 and never once missed a payment.

I feel very betrayed now.

She was just one of a number of customers who contacted the Irish Independent about the situation.

The bank insisted it was not required to tell the mortgage customers their loans had been securitised and used to raise money through the issuing of bonds.

The bank followed all theregulations in relation to whether or not customers needed to be told, a spokesperson said.

It said in a statement: Some customers KBC mortgage payments are appearing on their current accounts with a description of Phoenix 7 instead of KBC Bank Ireland.

This is as a result of an internal issue and KBC is working to have this resolved.

This has had no impact on the processing of customer payments and we apologise for any confusion that this may have caused.

It added it was using an internally-retained securitisation scheme to support the financing of its balance sheet. This is a well-established practice in the industry and has no implications for customers, it said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 20:45:21|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

VIENTIANE -- The second batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines has arrived here. Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong were among those present at the hand-over ceremony held at the airport late on Wednesday, on the vaccines' arrival.

- - - -

JAKARTA -- The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 6,142 within one day to 1,517,854, with the death toll adding by 196 to 41,054, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

According to the ministry, 7,248 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 1,355,578.

- - - -

STOCKHOLM -- The European Union has failed to reach its twin goals that 80 percent of healthcare workers and 80 percent of those aged 80 or older be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of March.

Statistics released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Wednesday show that no EU country achieved the goals for both target groups.

- - - -

MALE -- Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Maldives crossed 24,000 and the total death count from the pandemic has reached 67, local media reported on Thursday, citing the country's Health Protection Agency (HPA).

The HPA confirmed 241 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, raising the total number of cases to 24,079. The country currently has 2,849 active cases of COVID-19 including 99 patients who have been hospitalized for treatment. Enditem
A letter sent to an Asian-owned business in Utah threatening Asians and praising the shootings in Georgia is under investigation, police said.

The Unified Police Department told McClatchy News that the letter was sent to an Asian business in Taylorsville and that police are working with the U.S. Postal Inspector because it was sent via U.S. mail.

In the letter, it states that Asians need to go back to wherever they came from or more Asians may be killed. Very disturbing honestly, Sgt. Melody Cutler said, according to ABC4.

The letter was sent the weekend after shootings at Atlanta spas left eight people dead, including six Asian women, Deseret News reported. The letter celebrated the Georgia killings and said Asians caused COVID-19 and need to go back to their countries before theyre killed.

All (Asians) must go home now. Spread the word or you may die, the letter reads, according to the publication.

Police said the letter didnt have a return address and there isnt surveillance footage of who left the letter, KUTV reported.

The envelope and letter will also be tested for fingerprints, according to the station.

Whoever sent the letter could face terrorist threat charges or other federal charges depending on the findings of the investigation, authorities said. The incident is the only Asian-related hate crime reported by the Unified Police department in the past year, cops said.

Threats and attacks  including hate crimes  against Asian Americans have been on the rise in the U.S. in the year since the coronavirus pandemic began. Stop APPI Hate, a national coalition documenting and addressing anti-Asian hate and discrimination, received 3,795 accounts of anti-Asian hate from 47 states and the District of Columbia between March 19, 2020 and Feb. 28.
ALBANY  State officials are weighing how to distribute hundreds of millions of new federal dollars that are to be used for an expansion of COVID-19 testing in public K-12 schools.

New York is poised to receive $335 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control this month to distribute among more than 700 districts, one component of the Biden administration's effort to flood schools with federal money and bring back in-person learning for most students by this spring.

Teachers' unions have lobbied for state and federal money to establish pooled surveillance testing in every school building, similar to the routine screenings provided to students and faculty on State University of New York campuses.

New York State United Teachers President Andrew Pallotta said COVID-19 testing would enable teachers to feel safer in the classroom but asserted that $335 million is insufficient to create a statewide pooled testing program without additional support from the state.

"The state is getting $335 million (from the CDC); that sounds like a lot of money but it's not," Pallotta said. "It's not when you want to do the testing that we want to do."

A pilot program in Massachusetts  the first state to attempt statewide pooled testing in K-12 schools  has in two months cost the state $40 million to $60 million to conduct tests in 1,000 schools, The Atlantic reports. New York has 4,422 public schools and 351 charter schools.

The New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS), which represents school leaders across the state, wants the money directed to urban districts hard-hit by the pandemic where many families are still hesitant to send their children back to school.

"There are some communities where parents are showing great wariness about their children going back to school, you read it in the news every day... that's where we should concentrate the federal resources," NYSCOSS spokesman Bob Lowry said. "There are districts where this does not seem to be an issue."

The apprehension is apparent at city schools in Albany and Schenectady, where more than half of elementary school students opted for fully remote learning this year. Schools in the surrounding suburbs taught roughly 20 percent of their student populations remotely this year.

The Capital Region has never been classified as a COVID-19 microcluster, which would trigger a state mandate on in-school testing, but a number of local districts chose to utilize free tests provided by the state Department of Health to do at least one round of testing in December and January when community infections hit a record high.

Hundreds of screenings uncovered few positives. The CDC has since released a study showing that in-school transmission is rare.

Statewide, about 57 out of 700 school districts in New York have voluntarily screened students or staff, according to a recent NYSUT survey.

A spokesman for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office said the state is "awaiting further guidance from the federal government" on how the funds may be spent.

We agree with the President that reopening schools is a top priority, which is why weve had strong, science-based guidance since last summer that allowed in-person education to safely restart, and over the last year weve provided nearly 630,000 test kits to school districts at no cost," Cuomo spokesman Jack Sterne said. "We appreciate the CDCs support for these ongoing efforts."

Some districts, including Albany and Schenectady, are just beginning to bring middle and high school students back to the classroom.

Space constraints, transportation schedules, and evolving social distancing guidelines are among the logistical challenges officials are working through as they hustle to reopen buildings this spring.

The Biden administration has set a goal of having a majority of schools reopen for in-person learning five days a week by April 30, his 100th day in office.

To help schools reopen, fight learning loss and cover other new expenses, the American Rescue Plan is pumping an unprecedented amount of money into public schools using the Title I formula, which prioritizes high-need districts.

In recent guidance for schools reopening, the CDC advised that in counties where community infection rates are low, desks may be separated by 3 feet instead of 6. In areas with higher risk of infection, middle and high school students must be separated by 6 feet.

Every county in the Capital Region is currently classified as high-risk, according to the CDC.

Biden has also encouraged states to prioritize vaccinating teachers and school staff, which New York has done.
NEW YORK, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Whole Grain and High Fiber Food Market in US by Product and Distribution Channel - Forecast and Analysis 2020-2024

The whole grain and high fiber food market in the US is expected to grow by USD 3.37 billion during 2020-2024, expanding at a CAGR of over 5%. The report throws light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the market and the new opportunities and challenges market players can expect.

Download Free Sample Report

A substantial portion of the population in the US is obese. For instance, the prevalence of obesity was 42.4% in 2017-2018. This has increased the prevalence of heart diseases among people in the country. To reduce the occurrence of such diseases, people are paying more attention to adopting a healthy lifestyle by indulging in fitness activities and consuming nutritional food. This has increased the demand for whole-grain foods owing to their high fiber content. They are also rich in vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids, that help in maintaining blood cholesterol levels and keeping the heart healthy. Such health benefits are expected to foster the growth of the whole grain and high fiber food market in US during the forecast period.

Looking for more information on this market? Request for a free sample report

In this report, Technavio highlights the convenience factor associated with whole grain and high fiber foods as one of the key emerging trends in the whole grain and high fiber food market in US.

Whole Grain and High Fiber Food Market in US: Convenience Factor Associated with Whole Grain and High Fiber Foods

Rapid urbanization and increasing disposable incomes have increased the adoption of fast-paced lifestyles among many individuals in the US. This has increased the demand for on-the-go foods that are convenient yet healthy enough to fulfill daily nutritional requirements. Whole-grain foods such as granola and energy bars, processed breakfast cereals, and whole-grain bread are gaining popularity owing to their high nutritional content. They are also considered as meal-replacement snacks. Besides vendors are introducing high-fiber biscuits and ready-to-eat sandwiches made of oats which can easily suppress hunger. Therefore, the rising demand for convenience food is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the whole grain and high fiber food market in US during the forecast period.

Story continues

"Expanding vegan population base and increasing marketing campaigns by vendors will further boost market growth during the forecast period", says a senior analyst at Technavio.

Whole Grain and High Fiber Food Market in US: Segmentation Analysis

This market report segments the whole grain and high fiber food market in the US by product (cereals, bakery products, snacks, and others) and distribution channel (offline and online).

The cereals segment led the whole grain and high fiber food market in 2019. The dominance of the segment can be attributed to the convenience offered by cereal foods.

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Request for a free sample report

Related Reports on Consumer Staples Include:

Global Superfood-based Packaged Snacks Market  Global superfood-based packaged snacks market is segmented by product (nuts grains seeds, edible seaweed, superfruit, and others) and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and MEA).

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Global Pea Protein Market  Global pea protein market is segmented by product (textured pea protein, pea protein isolate, and pea protein concentrate), application (dietary supplements, bakery products, meat substitutes, beverages, and others), and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America).

Get an Exclusive Free Sample Report

Some of the key topics covered in the report include:

Market Challenges

Market Drivers

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/

Report: www.technavio.com/report/whole-grain-and-high-fiber-food-market-in-us-industry-analysis

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Federal agents have arrested a Washington man accused of breaching the U.S Capitol on Jan. 6, pushing past law enforcement officers and entering the Senate gallery.

Marc Anthony Bru, 41, made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in Portland on Wednesday afternoon after his arrest Tuesday in Vancouver.

An arrest warrant affidavit contains photos and video screenshots that prosecutors allege show Bru flashing the OK white power hand symbol while attending a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, then marching with a crowd to the Capitol before moving through a line of officers outside the building.

One photo shows Bru dressed in a black zipped-up sweatshirt, with plastic swim goggles around his neck and the black antenna of a walkie-talkie radio clipped to the inside of his sweatshirt while standing amid a crowd inside the Capitol, FBI agent Julianna Dippold wrote in the affidavit.

About 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, video footage shows Bru enter the Senate gallery and later leave, according to the affidavit.

This photograph was included with the FBI arrest warrant affidavit filed in federal court to support changes against Marc Anthony Bru, arrested in Vancouver, Washington, related to the storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The FBI circled the man they believe to be Bru.

More than 300 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol riot, including two Oregon brothers arrested last week. Authorities have said they believe at least 100 more people could face charges. The riot temporarily halted members of Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 Electoral College vote as they were forced to evacuate the House and Senate chambers while police struggled to hold back the intruders.

The FBI learned of Brus presence largely through tips, according to the affidavit.

Someone contacted the FBI National Threat Operations Center in February to report that Bru had traveled to the nations capital and that Bru had said he was headed there to witness history in the making, the affidavit said.

When the tipster asked Bru for more details, Bru responded, You are about to see, its going to be big, according to the affidavit. The tipster also alerted the FBI to video from Brus Facebook page that showed him at or near the Capitol that day.

The FBIs affidavit also cited photos shared on the Twitter account of the Pacific Northwest Resistance, described as an an anti-fascist movement, showing Bru aiming a handgun in his right hand while flashing the OK symbol and another photo of Bru with an overlay of a yellow-and-black Proud Boy logo. Its not clear when or where the photos were taken.

The FBI accuses Marc Anthony Bru, arrested in Vancouver, Washington, of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Bru is charged in federal court in the District of Columbia with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds, violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and obstruction of Justice and Congress.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim You in Portland ordered Brus pretrial release with GPS monitoring.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Cadotte read a recent text message sent by Bru that was intercepted by law enforcement.

He talked about outnumbering officers, being done with them in a way that no NGs, or National Guard members, would be dispatched from DC to come put out this fire no matter what judges say from the bench, according to Cadotte. Its unclear who he sent the message to.

Cadotte argued that the recent message displays a wanton disregard for any type of authority, or laws we have in place. People were injured at the Capitol on Jan. 6. People died, and he is attempting to corral people to effectuate the same type of visceral and damage in Portland.

She also argued that Bru had a gun in his waistband when arrested and was seen carrying guns in photos on social media.

Yet the judge found Bru has long-standing community ties and family in the area and some evidence of employment. In addition to ordering GPS monitoring, she said Bru must stay away from the District of Columbia, surrender travel documents and not possess any guns.

Last week, Oregon brothers Jonathanpeter and Matthew Klein were arrested on charges of conspiracy to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election results for Joe Biden. They remain in custody.

Another man with Oregon ties, Richard L. Harris, 40, was arrested on March 18 in Florida in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian
Boulder, Colo., USA: The Geological Society of America regularly publishes articles online ahead of print. For March, GSA Bulletin topics include multiple articles about the dynamics of China and Tibet; the ups and downs of the Missouri River; the Los Rastros Formation, Argentina; the Olympic Mountains of Washington State; methane seep deposits; meandering rivers; and the northwest Hawaiian Ridge. You can find these articles at https://bulletin.geoscienceworld.org/content/early/recent

Transition from a passive to active continental margin setting for the NE Asian continental margin during the Mesozoic: Insights from the sedimentary formations and paleogeography of the eastern Jiamusi Massif, NE China

Yini Wang; Wenliang Xu; Feng Wang

Abstract: The Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the NE Asian continental margin has received much attention in recent years. However, previous studies focused mainly on the petrogenesis of igneous rocks and their relationship with Mesozoic tectonics, and there have been few studies of the Mesozoic sedimentary formations of the NE Asian continental margin. We combined zircon U-Pb ages with Hf isotopic and biostratigraphic data to reconstruct the Mesozoic paleogeography of the NE Asian continental margin. The results indicate that Mesozoic strata of the eastern Jiamusi Massif, NE China, include the Upper Triassic Nanshuangyashan Formation (Norian), Lower Jurassic volcanic rocks, and Lower Cretaceous Longzhaogou Group. The Upper Triassic Nanshuangyashan Formation consists of a suite of alternating marine and terrestrial sedimentary rocks with abundant fossils that formed in a passive continental margin setting. The Lower Jurassic strata comprise a suite of calc-alkaline volcanic rocks that include basaltic andesites, andesites, and rhyolites that formed in an active continental margin setting related to initial subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath Eurasia. The Lower Cretaceous Longzhaogou Group belong to alternating marine and terrestrial sedimentary formations that formed in an active continental margin setting related to subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. Here, we integrate these data to reconstruct the Mesozoic tectonic history of the NE Asian continental margin, which comprises a Late Triassic passive continental margin, the initiation of subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate in the Early Jurassic, and westward subduction and rollback of the Paleo-Pacific Plate in the Early Cretaceous.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35850.1/595823/Transition-from-a-passive-to-active-continental

Low-18O A-type granites in SW China: Evidence for the interaction between the subducted Paleotethyan slab and the Emeishan mantle plume

Jian Xu; Xiao-Ping Xia; Qiang Wang; Christopher J. Spencer; Bin He ...

Abstract: The mechanisms and processes by which subducted slab interacted with mantle plume remain controversial, as direct observation of such interaction is difficult to impossible. Compositional heterogeneity of large igneous provinces (LIPs) additionally makes plume-slab interaction hard to detect. Oxygen isotopes are sensitive enough to trace the source of magmas. Here we provide evidence for plume-slab interaction mainly based on in situ zircon Hf-O isotope analyses, as well as whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope analyses, on the Late Permian and Early Triassic A-type granites on the margin of the Emeishan LIP in SW China. These granites show typical A-type geochemical characters, such as high total alkali (7.939.68 wt%) and field strength element (HFSE, e.g., Zr and Nb) contents, and high FeOT /(FeOT+MgO) (0.870.98) and Ga/Al (3.675.06) values. The Late Permian (ca. 259 Ma) and Early Triassic (ca. 248 Ma) granites show high Nb/Th (>3.0) and low Y/Nb (<1.2) and Yb/Ta (<2.0) ratios similar to the oceanic island basalts and have near-zero Nd (t) (0.83 to 0.13 and 0.15 to +0.16, respectively) and depleted Hf (t) (+2.71 to +3.39 and +2.62 to +3.55, respectively). In situ zircon O-Hf analyses yielded anomalously low 18O (0.22.0 and 3.24.8, respectively) and positive Hf (t) (1.67.0 and 3.98.8, respectively), suggesting varying proportions of hydrothermally altered oceanic crust in their source region. Our results imply that significant amounts of altered Paleotethyan oceanic crust have been subducted in the upper mantle beneath the western South China Block. The nearby rising Emeishan mantle plume may have rapidly entrained and incorporated these oceanic crustal materials to the shallow mantle so that their low- 18O isotope feature was preserved. Subsequent decompression-related partial melting of this hybrid source formed parental rocks of the low-18O A-type granites. Our findings also suggest that LIPs could obtain their compositional (especially oxygen isotope) diversity through the interaction between the subducting slab and rising mantle plume.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35929.1/595807/Low-18O-A-type-granites-in-SW-China-Evidence-for

The ups and downs of the Missouri River from Pleistocene to present: Impact of climatic change and forebulge migration on river profiles, river course, and valley fill complexity

Justin Anderson; John Holbrook; Ronald J. Goble

Abstract: The Missouri River is a continent-scale river that has thus far escaped a rigorous reporting of valley fill trends within its trunk system. This study summarizes evolution of the lower Missouri River profile from the time of outwash in the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) until establishment of the modern dominantly precipitation-fed river. This work relies on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, water-well data, and a collection of surficial geological maps of the valley compiled from U.S. Geological Survey EDMAP and National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergrads projects. Mapping reveals five traceable surfaces within valley fill between Yankton, South Dakota, USA, and Columbia, Missouri, USA, that record two cycles of incision and aggradation between ca. 23 ka and ca. 8 ka. The river aggraded during the LGM to form the Malta Bend surface by ca. 26 ka. The Malta Bend surface is buried and fragmented but presumed to record a braided outwash plain. The Malta Bend surface was incised up to 18 m between ca. 23 ka and ca. 16 ka to form the Carrolton surface (ca. 16 ka to ca. 14 ka). The Carrollton surface ghosts a braided outwash morphology locally through overlying mud. Aggradation followed (ca. 14 ka to ca. 13.5 ka) to within 4 m of the modern floodplain surface and generated the Salix surface (ca. 13.5 to ca. 12 ka). By Salix time, the Missouri River was no longer an outwash river and formed a single-thread meandering pattern. Reincision at ca. 12 ka followed Salix deposition to form the short-lived Vermillion surface at approximately the grade of the earlier Carrolton surface. Rapid aggradation from ca. 10 ka to ca. 8 ka followed and formed the modern Omaha surface (ca. 8 ka to Present). The higher Malta Bend and Omaha profiles are at roughly the same grade, as are the lower Carrolton and Vermillion surfaces. The Salix surface is in between. All surfaces converge downstream as they enter the narrow and shallow bedrock valley just before reaching Columbia, Missouri. The maximum departure of the profiles is 18 m near Sioux City, Iowa, USA, at 100 km downstream from the James Lobe glacial input near Yankton, South Dakota. Incision and aggradation appear to be driven by relative changes in input of sediment and water related to glacial advance and retreat and then later by climatic changes near the Holocene transition. The incision from the Malta Bend to the Carrolton surface records the initial breakdown of the cryosphere at the end of the LGM, and this same incisional event is found in both the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. This incisional event records a "big wash" that resulted in the evacuation of sediment from each of the major outwash rivers of North America. The direction and magnitude of incision from the LGM to the modern does not fit with modeled glacioisostatic adjustment trends for the Missouri Valley. Glaciotectonics likely influenced the magnitude of incision and aggradation secondarily but does not appear to have controlled the overall timing or magnitude of either. Glaciotectonic valley tilting during the Holocene, however, did likely cause the Holocene channel to consistently migrate away from the glacial front, which argues for a forebulge axis south of the Missouri Valley during the Holocene and, by inference, earlier. This is at least 200 km south of where models predict the Holocene forebulge axis. The Missouri Valley thus appears to reside in the tectonic low between the ice front and the forebulge crest. The buffer valley component of incision caused by profile variation could explain as much as 25 m of the total 40 m of valley incision at Sioux City, Iowa. The Missouri Valley also hosted a glacial lobe as far south as Sioux City, Iowa, in pre-Wisconsinan time, which is also a factor in valley excavation.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35909.1/595763/The-ups-and-downs-of-the-Missouri-River-from

Segmentation of the Wassuk Range normal fault system, Nevada (USA): Implications for earthquake rupture and Walker Lane dynamics

Ben Surpless; Sarah Thorne

Abstract: Normal faults are commonly segmented along strike, with segments that localize strain and influence propagation of slip during earthquakes. Although the geometry of segments can be constrained by fault mapping, it is challenging to determine seismically relevant segments along a fault zone. Because slip histories, geometries, and strengths of linkages between normal fault segments fundamentally control the propagation of rupture during earthquakes, and differences in segment slip rates result in differential uplift of adjacent footwalls, we used along-strike changes in footwall morphology to detect fault segments and the relative strength of the mechanical links between them. We applied a new geomorphic analysis protocol to the Wassuk Range fault, Nevada, within the actively deforming Walker Lane. The protocol examines characteristics of footwall morphology, including range-crest continuity, bedrock-channel long profiles, catchment area variability, and footwall relief, to detect changes in strike-parallel footwall characteristics. Results revealed six domains with significant differences in morphology that we used to identify seismically relevant fault segments and segment boundaries. We integrated our results with previous studies to determine relative strength of links between the six segments, informing seismic hazard assessment. When combined with recent geodetic studies, our results have implications for the future evolution of the Walker Lane, suggesting changes in the accommodation of strain across the region. Our analysis demonstrates the power of this method to efficiently detect along-strike changes in footwall morphology related to fault behavior, permitting future researchers to perform reconnaissance assessment of normal fault segmentation worldwide.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35756.1/595764/Segmentation-of-the-Wassuk-Range-normal-fault

Widespread hydrothermal vents and associated volcanism record prolonged Cenozoic magmatism in the South China Sea

Fang Zhao; Christian Berndt; Tiago M. Alves; Shaohong Xia; Lin Li ...

Abstract: The continental margin of the northern South China Sea is considered to be a magma-poor rifted margin. This work uses new seismic, bathymetric, gravity, and magnetic data to reveal how extensively magmatic processes have reshaped the latter continental margin. Widespread hydrothermal vent complexes and magmatic edifices such as volcanoes, igneous sills, lava flows, and associated domes are confirmed in the broader area of the northern South China Sea. Newly identified hydrothermal vents have crater- and mound-shaped surface expressions, and occur chiefly above igneous sills and volcanic edifices. Detailed stratigraphic analyses of volcanoes and hydrothermal vents suggest that magmatic activity took place in discrete phases between the early Miocene and the Quaternary. Importantly, the occurrence of hydrothermal vents close to the present seafloor, when accompanied by shallow igneous sills, suggest that fluid seepage is still active, well after main phases of volcanism previously documented in the literature. After combining geophysical and geochemical data, this study postulates that the extensive post-rift magmatism in the northern South China Sea is linked to the effect of a mantle plume over a long time interval. We propose that prolonged magmatism resulted in contact metamorphism in carbon-rich sediments, producing large amounts of hydrothermal fluid along the northern South China Sea. Similar processes are expected in parts of magma-poor margins in association with CO 2 /CH 4 and heat flow release into sea water and underlying strata.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35897.1/595765/Widespread-hydrothermal-vents-and-associated

Tectonically conditioned record of continental interior paleoclimate during the Carnian Pluvial Episode: The Upper Triassic Los Rastros Formation, Argentina

C.A. Benavente; A.C. Mancuso; R.B. Irmis; K.M. Bohacs; S. Matheos

Abstract: Discerning paleoclimate parameters in depositional systems of the continental interior is challenging because the system response and stratigraphic record of climate are controlled by tectonic processes and are mediated through landscape and hydrological evolution of fluvial lacustrine systems. Climate and tectonic signals cannot be deconvolved from stratigraphic patterns alone but require additional information or data sets that directly record climate or tectonic influence. The Carnian Los Rastros Formation in northwest Argentina provides an excellent case study that integrates an appropriate range of information in a system with strong climate and tectonic signals, being deposited in part during the Carnian Pluvial Episode and spanning the active rift phase of the IschigualastoVilla Union Basin. We examined the stratigraphic and spatial patterns of carbon (C) and oxygen (O) stable isotopes in lacustrine carbonates from the Los Rastros Formation in multiple parts of the basin to constrain paleohydrological conditions and paleotemperatures. Practically all C and O isotope values are characterized by negative values:  18O carb 11.6 and 15.7 ( average 13.1; 1 = 1.6) and 13C carb 2.6 to 8.0 ( average 5.1; 1 = 2.1), reflecting the latitude, altitude, and continentality of the lake system and its vegetated and humid catchment area. Stratigraphic patterns of stable isotope data from two different localities (Cerro Bola North and Cerro Bola South) show a change from short water-residence time to long residence time and back to short residence time. This contrasts with sedimentologic, organic geochemical, and small-scale stratigraphic patterns that indicate an overfilled lake basin, which is expected to contain a completely open-hydrology isotopic signature. Paleotemperatures calculated from marginal lacustrine carbonates show a warm and quite variable paleothermal range consonant with their continental interior position and with Global Climate Model estimates for high paleolatitudes. Warmer paleotemperatures (linked to aridity, probably smaller lake size, and less thermal mass) precede the Carnian Pluvial Episode, whereas relatively cooler paleotemperatures coincide with the Carnian Pluvial Episode (linked to humidity, probably larger lake size, and more thermal mass). Carbon and oxygen stable isotope signatures integrated with sedimentologic and physiographic information allow us to propose that tectonics, specifically, half-graben tilting during the active synrift phase, dominated over climate effects as the cause of hydrological fluctuations of this system, even during the Carnian Pluvial Episode. Without appropriate stratigraphic-tectonic context, single-proxy reconstructions of continental-interior paleoclimate can be misleading. A robust interpretation of climate effects requires characterization of tectonic effects, geomorphology, paleohydrology, and sedimentary system responses.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35847.1/595766/Tectonically-conditioned-record-of-continental

An intracontinental orogen exhumed by basement-slice imbrication in the Longmenshan Thrust Belt of the Eastern Tibetan Plateau

Zhenhua Xue; Wei Lin; Yang Chu; Michel Faure; Yan Chen ...

Abstract: The Longmenshan Thrust Belt in Eastern Tibet resulted from a Mesozoic orogeny and Cenozoic reworking. It is generally believed that the Cenozoic tectonics along the Longmenshan Thrust Belt are mostly inherited from the Mesozoic. Reconstructing the Mesozoic tectonics of the Longmenshan Thrust Belt is therefore important for understanding its evolutionary history. On the basis of detailed structural analysis, we recognized a Main Central Boundary that divides the Longmenshan Thrust Belt into a Southeastern Zone and a Northwestern Zone. Both zones underwent a main D 1 event characterized by D 1E top-to-the-SE thrusting in the Southeastern Zone and D 1W top-to-the-NW/N thrusting in the Northwestern Zone. In the Southeastern Zone, a D 2 top-to-the-NW/N normal faulting that cuts the D 1E structures is developed along the NW boundary of the basement complexes. Newly obtained and previous geochronological data indicate that the D 1E and D 1W events occurred synchronously at ca. 224219 Ma, and the D 2 top-to-the-NW/N normal faulting was episodically activated at ca. 166160 Ma, 141120 Ma, 8147 Ma, and 2725 Ma. Episodic and synchronously activated top-to-the-NW normal faulting and top-to-the-SE thrusting along the northwestern and southeastern boundaries of the basement complexes, respectively, leads us to propose that the basement slices were episodically imbricated to the SE during the Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous and Late Cretaceousearliest Paleocene. The D 1 amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks above the basement complexes recorded fast exhumation during the Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous. We propose that the early Mesozoic northwestward basement underthrusting along a crustal "weak zone" was responsible for the D 1 double-vergent thrusting and amphibolite facies metamorphism. Subsequent basement-slice imbrications reworked the Longmenshan Thrust Belt and exhumed the amphibolite facies rocks. Our results highlight the importance of basement underthrusting and imbrication in the formation and reworking of the intracontinental Longmenshan Thrust Belt in Eastern Tibet.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35826.1/595732/An-intracontinental-orogen-exhumed-by-basement

Mo isotope records from Lower Cambrian black shales, northwestern Tarim Basin (China): Implications for the early Cambrian ocean

Guangyou Zhu; Tingting Li; Kun Zhao; Chao Li; Meng Cheng ...

Abstract: The widely developed black shales deposited during the early Cambrian recorded paleoenvironmental information about coeval seawater. Numerous studies have been conducted on these shales to reconstruct the paleomarine environment during this time period. However, most research has been conducted on stratigraphic sections in South China, and equivalent studies of sections from other cratons are relatively rare. Here, we report Mo isotopic compositions as well as redox-sensitive trace-element and iron (Fe) speciation data for black shales of the Lower Cambrian Yuertusi Formation from the Tarim block (i.e., a small craton). The Fe speciation data show high Fe HR /Fe T and Fe py /Fe HR ratios, indicating roughly sustained euxinic bottom-water conditions during their deposition. Based on Mo isotopic compositions ( 98/95Mo), we further classified the euxinic black shales into two intervals: a lower interval (021.3 m) and an upper interval (21.332.3 m). The lower interval is characterized by variable Mo isotopic compositions (2.12 to +0.57, mean = 0.52  0.72), with an obvious negative excursion in its middle portion. The overlying upper interval has relatively heavy 98/95Mo values up to +1.42 (mean = +0.62  0.37). We ascribe 98/95Mo differences in the lower and upper intervals to inadequate aqueous H 2 S concentrations for quantitative thiomolybdate formation under euxinic conditions. The most negative Mo isotope excursion may have been caused by upwelling hydrothermal inputs during a transgression, consistent with significantly elevated total organic carbon (TOC) contents, Mo and U enrichments, and Fe supply. Relatively positive 98/95Mo values in the upper interval have roughly similar variations with other coeval sections, indicating such variations were common for early Cambrian euxinic deposits, and they were most likely caused by local differences in [H 2 S] aq . Compilation of Mo isotope data from the early Cambrian and earlier times further indicates relatively oxygenated seawater, especially the deep-marine areas during the early Cambrian before reaching a state like modern seawater.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35726.1/595658/Mo-isotope-records-from-Lower-Cambrian-black

Quantitative analysis of the sedimentary architecture of eolian successions developed under icehouse and greenhouse climatic conditions

Grace I.E. Cosgrove; Luca Colombera; Nigel P. Mountney

Abstract: The continental terrestrial record preserves an archive of how ancient sedimentary systems respond to and record changes in global climate. A database-driven quantitative assessment reveals differences in the preserved sedimentary architectures of siliciclastic eolian systems with broad geographic and stratigraphic distribution that developed under icehouse versus greenhouse climatic conditions. Over 5600 geological entities, including architectural elements, facies, sediment textures, and bounding surfaces, have been analyzed from 34 eolian systems of Paleoproterozoic to Cenozoic ages. Statistical analyses have been performed on the abundance, composition, preserved thickness, and arrangement of different eolian lithofacies, architectural elements, and bounding surfaces. Results demonstrate that preserved sedimentary architectures of icehouse and greenhouse systems differ markedly. Eolian dune, sand sheet, and interdune architectural elements that accumulated under icehouse conditions are significantly thinner relative to their greenhouse counterparts; this is observed across all basin settings, supercontinents, geological ages, and dune field physiographic settings. However, this difference between icehouse and greenhouse eolian systems is exclusively observed for paleolatitudes <30, which suggests that climate-induced changes in the strength and circulation patterns of trade winds may have partly controlled eolian sand accumulation. These changes acted in combination with variations in water table levels, sand supply, and sand transport, ultimately influencing the nature of long-term sediment preservation. During icehouse episodes, Milankovitch cyclicity resulted in deposits typified by glacial accumulation and interglacial deflation. Greenhouse conditions promoted the accumulation of eolian elements into the geological record due to elevated water tables and biogenic- and chemical-stabilizing agents, which could protect deposits from wind-driven deflation. In the context of a rapidly changing climate, the results presented here can help predict the impact of climate change on Earth surface processes.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35918.1/595649/Quantitative-analysis-of-the-sedimentary

Late Eocene post-collisional magmatic rocks from the southern Qiangtang terrane record the melting of pre-collisional enriched lithospheric mantle

Yue Qi; Qiang Wang; Gang-jian Wei; Xiu-Zheng Zhang; Wei Dan ...

Abstract: Diverse rock types and contrasting geochemical compositions of post-collisional mafic rocks across the Tibetan Plateau indicate that the underlying enriched lithospheric mantle is heterogeneous; however, how these enriched mantle sources were formed is still debated. The accreted terranes within the Tibetan Plateau experienced multiple stages of evolution. To track the geochemical characteristics of their associated lithospheric mantle through time, we can use mantle-derived magmas to constrain the mechanism of mantle enrichment. We report zircon U-Pb ages, major and trace element contents, and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions for Early Cretaceous and late Eocene mafic rocks in the southern Qiangtang terrane. The Early Cretaceous Baishagang basalts (107.3 Ma) are characterized by low K 2 O/Na 2 O (<1.0) ratios, arc-like trace element patterns, and uniform Sr-Nd isotopic compositions [(87Sr/ 86Sr) i = 0.70670.7073,  Nd (t) = 0.4 to 0.2]. We suggest that the Baishagang basalts were derived from partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle that was metasomatized by subducted BangongNujiang oceanic material. We establish the geochemistry of the pre-collisional enriched lithospheric mantle under the southern Qiangtang terrane by combining our data with those from other Early Cretaceous mafic rocks in the region. The late Eocene (ca. 35 Ma) post-collisional rocks in the southern Qiangtang terrane have low K 2 O/Na 2 O (<1.0) ratios, and their major element, trace element, and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions [(87Sr/86Sr) i = 0.70420.7072,  Nd (t) = 4.5 to +1.5] are similar to those of the Early Cretaceous mafic rocks. Based on the distribution, melting depths, and whole-rock geochemical compositions of the Early Cretaceous and late Eocene mafic rocks, we argue that the primitive late Eocene post-collisional rocks were derived from pre-collisional enriched lithospheric mantle, and the evolved samples were produced by assimilation and fractional crystallization of primary basaltic magma. Asthenosphere upwelling in response to the removal of lithospheric mantle induced the partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle at ca. 35 Ma.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35864.1/595453/Late-Eocene-post-collisional-magmatic-rocks-from

Reappraisal of the Mesozoic tectonic transition from the Paleo-Tethyan to Paleo-Pacific domains in South China

Chengshi Gan; Yuzhi Zhang; Yuejun Wang; Xin Qian; Yang Wang

Abstract: The southeastern (SE) South China Block was mainly influenced by the Paleo-Tethyan and Paleo-Pacific dynamic domains during the Mesozoic. The initial timing of the tectonic transition between these two domains in the SE South China Block still remains debated. The transition would affect the nature of the lithosphere and material provenance of sediments, and, therefore, igneous and sedimentary rocks in the area could record such dynamic processes. In this study, published geochronological and geochemical data of the Triassic and Jurassic igneous rocks and detrital zircon data of contemporaneous sedimentary rocks in the SE South China Block were compiled, aiming to provide constraints on the tectonic transition via tracing the spatial-temporal variations in the nature of the lithosphere and sedimentary provenance signals. The compiled results suggest that the magmatic intensity and volume decreased significantly from the Late Triassic to EarlyMiddle Jurassic, with an obvious magmatic quiescence between them, and increased from the EarlyMiddle Jurassic to Late Jurassic. The Nd ( t ) and zircon Hf ( t ) values of mafic rocks, granitoids, and shoshonitic rocks remarkably increased from the Late Triassic to EarlyMiddle Jurassic, indicative of variations in the lithospheric mantle and continental crust. Such variations suggest that the initial tectonic transition occurred at the earliest Early Jurassic. Based on the southward paleocurrents from Early Jurassic sandstone, E-Wtrending extension of EarlyMiddle Jurassic mafic and shoshonitic rocks, and similar sedimentary provenances of Late Triassic and EarlyMiddle Jurassic sedimentary rocks, these features imply that the SE South China Block was not immediately influenced by the Paleo-Pacific domain during the EarlyMiddle Jurassic. However, from the EarlyMiddle Jurassic to Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, the spatial distribution, geochemical signatures, magmatic intensity, and magmatic volume of igneous rocks and provenance of sedimentary rocks exhibit obvious variations, and the regional fold hinge direction changed from E-Wtrending to NE-trending, suggesting significant effects from Paleo-Pacific subduction on the SE South China Block. Thus, the Mesozoic tectonic transition from the Paleo-Tethyan to the Paleo-Pacific dynamic domain in the SE South China Block likely occurred during the EarlyMiddle Jurassic.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35755.1/595454/Reappraisal-of-the-Mesozoic-tectonic-transition

Two key switches in regional stress field during multi-stage deformation in the CarboniferousTriassic southernmost Altaids (Beishan, NW China): Response to orocline-related roll-back processes

Zhonghua Tian; Wenjiao Xiao; Brian F. Windley; Peng Huang; Ji'en Zhang ...

Abstract: The orogenic architecture of the Altaids of Central Asia was created by multiple large-scale slab roll-back and oroclinal bending. However, no regional structural deformation related to roll-back processes has been described. In this paper, we report a structural study of the Beishan orogenic collage in the southernmost Altaids, which is located in the southern wing of the Tuva-Mongol Orocline. Our new field mapping and structural analysis integrated with an electron backscatter diffraction study, paleontology, U-Pb dating, 39Ar-40Ar dating, together with published isotopic ages enables us to construct a detailed deformation-time sequence: During D 1 times many thrusts were propagated northwards. In D 2 there was ductile sinistral shearing at 336326 Ma. In D 3 times there was top-to-W/WNW ductile thrusting at 303289 Ma. Two phases of folding were defined as D 4 and D 5 . Three stages of extensional events (E 1 E 3 ) separately occurred during D 1 D 5 . Two switches of the regional stress field were identified in the Carboniferous to Early Permian (D 1 -E 1 -D 2 -D 3 -E 2 ) and Late Permian to Early Triassic (D 4 -E 3 -D 5 ). These two switches in the stress field were associated with formation of bimodal volcanic rocks, and an extensional interarc basin with deposition of Permian-Triassic sediments, which can be related to two stages of roll-back of the subduction zone on the Paleo-Asian oceanic margin. We demonstrate for the first time that two key stress field switches were responses to the formation of the Tuva-Mongol Orocline.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35898.1/595455/Two-key-switches-in-regional-stress-field-during

Structural styles, deformation, and uplift of the Olympic Mountains, Washington: Implications for accretionary wedge deformation

M. James Aldrich

Abstract: The Olympic subduction complex is the exposed subaerial Cascadia accretionary wedge in the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. Uplift of the mountains has been attributed to two competing models: margin-normal deformation from frontal accretion and underplating, and margin-parallel deformation from the clockwise rotation and northward movement of the Oregon Coast Range block compressing the Olympic Mountains block against the Canadian Coast Range. East-northeastoriented folds and Quaternary thrust faults and paleostress analysis of faults in the Coastal Olympic subduction complex, west of the subduction complex massif, provide new evidence for north-south shortening in the Coastal Olympic subduction complex that fills a large spatial gap in the north-south shortening documented in prior studies, substantially strengthening the block rotation model. These new data, together with previous studies that document north-south shortening in the subduction complex and at numerous locations in the Coast Range terrane peripheral to the complex, indicate that margin-parallel deformation of the Cascadia forearc has contributed significantly to uplift of the Olympic Mountains. Coastal Olympic subduction complex shallow-level fold structural style and deformation mechanisms provide a template for analyzing folding processes in other accretionary wedges. Similar-shaped folds in shallow-level Miocene turbidite sediments of the Coastal Olympic subduction complex formed in two shortening phases not previously recognized in accretionary wedges. Folds began forming by bed-parallel flow of sediment into developing hinges. When the strata could no longer accommodate shortening by flexural flow, further shortening was taken up by flexural slip. Similar-shaped folds in the deeper accretionary wedge rocks of the subduction complex massif have a well-developed axial-surface cleavage that facilitated shear folding with sediment moving parallel to the axial surface into the hinges, a structural style that is common to accretionary wedges. The pressure-temperature conditions and depth at which the formation of similar folds transitions from bed-parallel to axial-surfaceparallel deformation are bracketed.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35729.1/595422/Structural-styles-deformation-and-uplift-of-the

Late Paleogene paleotopographic evolution of the northern Cordilleran orogenic front: Implications for demise of the orogen

Majie Fan; Kurt N. Constenius; Rachel F. Phillips; David L. Dettman

Abstract: The paleotopographic history of the North American Cordilleran orogen holds the key to understanding mechanisms of orogenesis and subsequent orogenic collapse. It has been suggested that the orogenic front in western Montana (USA) and Alberta (Canada) was more than 4 km high during Late Cretaceousearly Eocene contractional deformation and during the initial phase of extension in the middle Eocene; however, the late EoceneOligocene topographic evolution during continued extensional collapse remains poorly constrained. Here we extend the paleotopographic record in the Kishenehn Basin in northwestern Montana and southeastern British Columbia (Canada) to the late Oligocene by studying 18O values of fossil mollusks and cement and paleosol carbonates. The molluscan taxa changed from three sympatric groups with preferred habitats ranging from tropical wet, semi-arid subtropical, and temperate during the middle and late Eocene, to mainly a single group associated with temperate environment during the Oligocene, reflecting a decline in molluscan biodiversity induced by climate cooling across the EoceneOligocene transition. Reconstructed  18O values of alpine snowmelt and basinal precipitation decreased by 1.4 and 3.8, respectively, from the middle to late Eocene, reflecting climate cooling and 1 km surface uplift of the basin floor. The reconstructed alpine snowmelt 18O values then increased by 2.9 in the Oligocene suggesting a 0.5 km drop in elevation of the orogenic front. Collectively, the results of our new and previously published  18O data chronicle the paleotopographic response to the change from flat-slab subduction to slab rollback over a 45 m.y. period. These data suggest that the orogenic front was characterized by high elevation (>4 km) in the ancestral Lewis-Clark-Livingston ranges during latest Cretaceousearly Eocene (ca. 7552 Ma) contraction. The initial phase of extension related to the Kishenehn Basin created a lowland basin with a surface elevation of only 1.5 km during the early middle Eocene (ca. 4644 Ma) whereas the ranges remained >4 km high. The high range elevations were sustained for at least 12 m.y. in the middle to late Eocene concurrent with extension, while the basin floor elevation was uplifted to 2.5 km by the latest Eocene (ca. 3634 Ma). Basin aggradation can explain at most half of the 1 km basin floor uplift. The remaining amount (at least 0.5 km) and sustained high range elevation suggest that range denudation and crustal extension was compensated by the isostatic and thermal effects of slab rollback and/or passage of a slab window and infusion of hot asthenosphere beneath the continent. The range elevation in the orogenic front decreased 0.5 km by the late Oligocene (ca. 28 Ma), associated with a decrease in rock uplift rate associated with extension. A post-Oligocene elevation drop of 1 km resulted in both the ranges and basin floor reaching modern topography in the Kishenehn Basin drainage, likely due to the regional effect of Neogene Basin and Range extension. This study, along with the previous investigation of the Kishenehn Basin by Fan et al. (2017), are the first studies that systematically investigate paleorelief of the orogenic belt by reconstructing paleoelevations of the mountains and the basin at the same time. The results highlight that the Cordilleran orogenic front of northern Montana and southern British Columbia sustained its high elevation edifice for at least 12 m.y. after the start of extension. We suggest that initial crustal extension did not result in orogenic demise because of concurrent thermal and isostatic uplift.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35919.1/595423/Late-Paleogene-paleotopographic-evolution-of-the

The role of slab geometry in the exhumation of cordilleran-type orogens and their forelands: Insights from northern Patagonia

Marie C. Genge; Massimiliano Zattin; Elisa Savignano; Marta Franchini; Cecile Gautheron ...

Abstract: In cordilleran-type orogens, subduction geometry exerts a fundamental control on the tectonic behavior of the overriding plate. An integrated low-temperature, large thermochronological data set is used in this study to investigate the burial and exhumation history of the overriding plate in northern Patagonia (4045S). Thermal inverse modeling allowed us to establish that a 2.54-km-thick section originally overlaid the JurassicLower Cretaceous successions deposited in half-graben systems that are presently exposed in the foreland. Removal of the sedimentary cover started in the late Early Cretaceous. This was coeval with an increase of the convergence rate and a switch to a westward absolute motion of the South American Plate that was accompanied by shallowing of the subducting slab. Unroofing was probably further enhanced by Late Cretaceous to early Paleogene opening of a slab window beneath the overriding plate. Following a tectonically quiescent period, renewed exhumation occurred in the orogen during relatively fast Neogene plate convergence. However, even the highly sensitive apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronometer does not record any coeval cooling in the foreland. The comparison between Late Cretaceous and Neogene exhumation patterns provides clear evidence of the fundamental role played by inter-plate coupling associated with shallow slab configurations in controlling plate-scale deformation. Our results, besides highlighting for the first time how the whole northern Patagonia foreland was affected by an exhumation of several kilometers since the Late Cretaceous, provide unrivalled evidence of the link between deep geodynamic processes affecting the slab and the modes and timing of unroofing of different sectors of the overriding plate.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35767.1/595424/The-role-of-slab-geometry-in-the-exhumation-of

Flow of Devonian anatectic crust in the accretionary Altai Orogenic Belt, central Asia: Insights into horizontal and vertical magma transfer

Sheng Wang; Yingde Jiang; Roberto Weinberg; Karel Schulmann; Jian Zhang ...

Abstract: Flow of partially molten crust is a key contributor to mass and heat redistribution within orogenic systems, however, this process has not yet been fully understood in accretionary orogens. This issue is addressed in a Devonian migmatite-granite complex from the Chinese Altai through structural, petrological, and geochronological investigations presented in this study. The migmatite-granite complex records a gradual evolution from metatexite, diatexite to granite and preserves a record of two main Devonian phases of deformation designated D1 and D2. The D1 phase was subdivided into an early crustal thickening episode (D1 B ) and a later extensional episode (D1 M ) followed by D2 upright folding. The D1 M episode is associated with anatexis in the deep crust. Vertical shortening, associated with D1 M , gave rise to the segregation of melt and formation of a sub-horizontal layering of stromatic metatexite. This fabric was reworked by the D2 deformation associated with the migration of anatectic magma in the cores of F2 antiforms. Geochronological investigations combined with petro-structural analysis reveal that: (1) D1 M partial melting started probably at 420410 Ma and formed sub-horizontal stromatic metatexites at 30 km depth; (2) The anatectic magma accumulated and migrated when a drainage network developed, as attested by the pervasive formation of massive diatexite migmatites, at 410400 Ma; (3) Soon after, massive flow of the partially molten crust from orogenic lower to orogenic upper crustal levels, assisted by the interplay between D2 upright folding and magma diapirism, led to migmatite-granite emplacement in the cores of regional F2 antiforms that lasted until at least 390 Ma; (4) a terminal stage was manifested by the emplacement of 370360 Ma granite dykes into the surrounding metamorphic envelope. We propose that Devonian anatexis assisted by deformation governed first the horizontal and then the vertical flow of partially molten orogenic lower crust, which drove crustal flow, mass redistribution, and crustal differentiation in the accretionary system of the Chinese Altai.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35645.1/595395/Flow-of-Devonian-anatectic-crust-in-the

Three stages of arc migration in the Carboniferous-Triassic in northern Qiangtang, central Tibet, China: Ridge subduction and asynchronous slab rollback of the Jinsha Paleotethys

Yin Liu; Wenjiao Xiao; Brian F. Windley; Kefa Zhou; Rongshe Li ...

Abstract: Carboniferous-Triassic magmatism in northern Qiangtang, central Tibet, China, played a key role in the evolution of the Tibetan Plateau yet remains a subject of intense debate. New geochronological and geochemical data from adakitic, Nb-enriched, and normal arc magmatic rocks, integrated with results from previous studies, enable us to determine the Carboniferous-Triassic (312205 Ma), arc-related, plutonic-volcanic rocks in northern Qiangtang. Spatial-temporal relationships reveal three periods of younging including southward (312252 Ma), rapid northward (249237 Ma), and normal northward (234205 Ma) migrations that correspond to distinct slab geodynamic processes including continentward slab shallowing, rapid trenchward slab rollback, and normal trenchward rollback of the Jinsha Paleotethys rather than the Longmuco-Shuanghu Paleotethys, respectively. Moreover, varying degrees of coexistence of adakites/High-Mg andesites (HMAs)/Nb-enriched basalt-andesites (NEBs) and intraplate basalts in the above-mentioned stages is consistent with the magmatic effects of slab window triggered by ridge subduction, which probably started since the Late Carboniferous and continued into the Late Triassic. The Carboniferous-Triassic multiple magmatic migrations and ridge-subduction scenarios provide new insight into the geodynamic processes of the Jinsha Paleotethys and the growth mechanism of the Tibetan Plateau.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35906.1/595412/Three-stages-of-arc-migration-in-the-Carboniferous

Magnetostratigraphic study of a Late CretaceousPaleogene succession in the eastern Xining basin, NE Tibet: Constraint on the timing of major tectonic events in response to the India-Eurasia collision

Chi-Cheng He; Yue-Qiao Zhang; Shao-Kai Li; Kai Wang; Jian-Qing Ji

Abstract: Cretaceous-Cenozoic basins developed in the NE Tibetan Plateau contain key archives to unravel the growth history of the plateau in response to the India-Eurasia collision. Here we present magnetostratigraphic results of a Late Cretaceous to Paleogene succession of the Zhongba section outcropping at the southern margin of the eastern Xining basin. This succession consists of three lithological units punctuated by two stratigraphic unconformities, which best recorded the deformation history of this foreland basin. Detailed magnetostratigraphic investigation show that the lower terrestrial sedimentary rock unit, the Minhe Group, was deposited in latest Cretaceous in the time span of ca. 74.569.2 Ma; the middle unit was deposited in Paleogene in the time span of ca. 49.322 Ma; and the upper conglomeratic unit, not dated, possibly was deposited in early Miocene. Accordingly, the CretaceousPaleogene unconformity, widely observed in the foreland basins of NE Tibet, represents a sedimentary hiatus duration of 19.9 m.y., from ca. 69.2 Ma to ca. 49.3 Ma, which possibly recorded the far-field response to the tectonic transition from Neo-Tethys oceanic plate subduction to the India-Eurasia collision in southern Tibet. Changes in provenance, sedimentary accumulation rate, and mean susceptibility value at ca. 3330 Ma, and the total prolate anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) ellipsoids and provenance shifting since ca. 2319 Ma, point to the pulsed growth of West Qinling, and rapid uplift of Laji Shan, respectively, indicating an enhanced effect of the India-Eurasia collision in Oligocene and early Miocene. AMS results show a clockwise rotation of the shortening direction from NEN-SWS in latest Cretaceous to NE-SW in Paleogene.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35874.1/595413/Magnetostratigraphic-study-of-a-Late-Cretaceous

Temperatures of Late Cretaceous (Campanian) methane-derived authigenic carbonates from the Western Interior Seaway, South Dakota, USA, using clumped isotopes

Yang Gao; Gregory A. Henkes; J. Kirk Cochran; Neil H. Landman

Abstract: Methane seep deposits, comprising large, carbonate-rich mounds formed from hydrocarbon seepage, were widely distributed in the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (WIS) of North America. Well-preserved, methane-derived authigenic carbonates (MDACs) from these deposits have been shown to retain petrological, paleontological, and geochemical imprints of their ancient depositional setting, all of which are important for understanding the dynamics and evolution of the shallow, epeiric WIS. To better characterize the environmental conditions of WIS seeps, we applied clumped isotope paleothermometry to magnesium calcite MDAC samples from five seep localities in the upper Campanian Pierre Shale, South Dakota, USA. We measured 21 subsamples, including 18 micritic carbonates and demonstrated apparent clumped isotope equilibrium between MDACs and WIS bottom waters. Extreme 13C depletion in most samples (13C ranging to 45.44) indicates they were precipitated with oxidized methane as a major source of dissolved inorganic carbon, which itself implies a close association with ancient methanotrophic metabolism. The average clumped isotope paleotemperature from the micritic carbonates is 23  7 C (1 standard deviation), which agrees with bottom water paleotemperatures inferred from 18O measurements of MDACs and well-preserved mollusk shells at similar localities in the WIS. The calculated average  18O w value for these samples is 0.5  1.7 (1 SD), which is indistinguishable from previously reported calculation on Campanian seawater 18O w from fossil mollusk shells, but elevated above younger fossils collected from other locations in the WIS. Our conclusions are inconsistent with previously hypothesized disequilibrium for WIS MDAC clumped isotope and therefore we propose that fossil MDAC deposits may be used as paleotemperature archives.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35846.1/595396/Temperatures-of-Late-Cretaceous-Campanian-methane

Autogenic translation and counter point bar deposition in meandering rivers

Z. Sylvester; P.R. Durkin; S.M. Hubbard; D. Mohrig

Abstract: Although it has long been recognized that deposition along meandering rivers is not restricted to convex banks (i.e., point bars), the consensus is that sediment deposition on concave banks of channel bends mostly occurs when meander bends translate downstream because erosion-resistant barriers inhibit their lateral migration. Using a kinematic model of channel meandering and time lapse satellite imagery from the Mamore River in Bolivia, we show that downstream translation and associated concave bank deposition are essential, autogenic parts of the meandering process, and resulting counter point bars are expected to be present whenever perturbations such as bend cutoffs and channel reoccupations create short bends with high curvatures. The implication is that zones of concave bank deposition with lower topography, finer-grained sediment, slack water, and riparian vegetation that differs from point bars are more common than previously considered.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35829.1/595343/Autogenic-translation-and-counter-point-bar

Stratigraphy, age, and provenance of the Eocene Chumstick basin, Washington Cascades; implications for paleogeography, regional tectonics, and development of strike-slip basins

Erin E. Donaghy; Paul J. Umhoefer; Michael P. Eddy; Robert B. Miller; Taylor LaCasse

Abstract: Strike-slip faults form in a wide variety of tectonic settings and are a first-order control on the geometry and sediment accumulation patterns in adjacent sedimentary basins. Although the structural and depositional architecture of strike-slip basins is well documented, few studies of strike-slip basins have integrated depositional age, lithofacies, and provenance control within this context. The Chumstick basin formed in central Washington during a regional phase of dextral, strike-slip faulting and episodic magmatism associated with Paleogene ridge-trench interaction along the North America margin. The basin is bounded and subdivided by major strike-slip faults that were active during deposition of the intra-basinal, non-marine Chumstick Formation. We build on the existing stratigraphy and present new, detailed lithofacies mapping, conglomerate clast counts (N = 16; n = 1429), and sandstone detrital zircon analyses (N = 16; n = 1360) from the Chumstick Formation to document changes in sediment provenance, routing, and deposition. These data allow us to reconstruct regional Eocene paleo-drainage systems of Washington and Oregon and suggest that drainage within the Chumstick basin fed a regional river system that flowed to a forearc or marginal basin on the newly accreted Siletzia terrane. More generally, excellent age control from five interbedded tuffs and high sediment accumulation rates allow us to track the evolving sedimentary system over the Formation's ca. 45 m.y. depositional history. This is the first time lithofacies and provenance variations can be constrained at high temporal resolution (0.51.5 m.y. scale) for an ancient strike-slip basin and permits a detailed reconstruction of sediment routing pathways and depositional environments. As a result, we can assess how varying sediment supply and accommodation space affects the depositional architecture during strike-slip basin evolution.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35738.1/595282/Stratigraphy-age-and-provenance-of-the-Eocene

Progressive spatial and temporal evolution of tectonic triggers and metasomatized mantle lithosphere sources for orogenic gold mineralization in a Triassic convergent margin: Kunlun-Qinling Orogen, central China

Hesen Zhao; Qingfei Wang; David I. Groves; Jun Deng

Abstract: Whether orogenic gold deposits formed from crustal or subcrustal sources is debated, and their link to orogenic processes is ambiguous. Gold mineralization in the Triassic East KunlunWest Qinling Orogen, China, displays a spatial zonation in terms of its ages and stable isotope compositions. In the West Qinling segment, most gold deposits formed in a back-arc setting at 220210 Ma during a collisional episode within late slab rollback. These deposits have dominant 34S of 515 and  18O fluid of 1014, whereas those formed in the suture zone at 210170 Ma, during a post-collisional episode after slab break-off, have lower 34S of 5+5 and 18O fluid of 610. In the East Kunlun segment, those deposits that formed in a continental-arc setting and its related suture zone at 240200 Ma, in collisional to post-collisional episodes associated with slab break-off, have 34S and 18O fluid values that are essentially similar to those in the West Qinling suture.  34S values of ore sulfide separates and rims of zoned pyrites that have mantle-like signatures, in contrast with crustal signatures of host rocks, are indicative of subcrustal ore-fluid sources. The combined chronological and stable isotope shifts are consistent with a model in which ore fluids for gold mineralization in a back-arc setting were sourced from mantle lithosphere that was metasomatized by subducted oceanic sediment; whereas those in a continental-arc setting--including its suture zone--were sourced from fluid derived from altered oceanic crust. This study thus provides new insights into the complexity of orogenic gold systems in evolving orogens.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35754.1/595219/Progressive-spatial-and-temporal-evolution-of

Late MesozoicCenozoic cooling history of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and its foreland derived from low-temperature thermochronology

Chen Wu; Andrew V. Zuza; Jie Li; Peter J. Haproff; An Yin ...

Abstract: The growth history and formation mechanisms of the Cenozoic Tibetan Plateau are the subject of an intense debate with important implications for understanding the kinematics and dynamics of large-scale intracontinental deformation. Better constraints on the uplift and deformation history across the northern plateau are necessary to address how the Tibetan Plateau was constructed. To this end, we present updated field observations coupled with low-temperature thermochronology from the Qaidam basin in the south to the Qilian Shan foreland in the north. Our results show that the region experienced a late Mesozoic cooling event that is interpreted as a result of tectonic deformation prior to the India-Asia collision. Our results also reveal the onset of renewed cooling in the Eocene in the Qilian Shan region along the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, which we interpret to indicate the timing of initial thrusting and plateau formation along the plateau margin. The interpreted Eocene thrusting in the Qilian Shan predates Cenozoic thrust belts to the south (e.g., the Eastern Kunlun Range), which supports out-of-sequence rather than northward-migrating thrust belt development. The early Cenozoic deformation exploited the south-dipping early Paleozoic Qilian suture zone as indicated by our field mapping and the existing geophysical data. In the Miocene, strike-slip faulting was initiated along segments of the older Paleozoic suture zones in northern Tibet, which led to the development of the Kunlun and Haiyuan left-slip transpressional systems. Late Miocene deformation and uplift of the Hexi corridor and Longshou Shan directly north of the Qilian Shan thrust belt represent the most recent phase of outward plateau growth.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35879.1/595220/Late-Mesozoic-Cenozoic-cooling-history-of-the

Distinct responses of late Miocene eolian and lacustrine systems to astronomical forcing in NE Tibet

Zhixiang Wang; Chunju Huang; David B. Kemp; Ze Zhang; Yu Sui

Abstract: East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and winter monsoon (EAWM) variability on
An international conference titled Muhammed Bayram Khan Turkmen and traditions of humanism, patriotism and courage of Turkmen people was held in Ashgabat in a hybrid format. The forum was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan.

Diplomats and scientists from Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Russia and Tajikistan delivered reports via video link at the plenary session.

They spoke about historical and literary materials relating to the life of Muhammed Bayram Khan Turkmen, peculiarities of his poetry, philosophical and humanistic views. According to historians and literary scholars, the study of the life and work of prominent political figure and outstanding poet Muhammed Bayram Khan Turkmen will make a great contribution to the development of international scientific and cultural contacts between the peoples.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
ALBANY  A city nonprofit that supports youth and the LGBTQ community is organizing a rally Friday outside Rocks bar on Central Avenue to call for an Albany County legislator to resign after he made homophobic comments at a "constitutional liberty" seminar last weekend.

The House of Precise shared a post on Facebook about the rally, which it said will be held at 5 p.m. Friday. About two hours after the Times Union posted a story about the rally, legislator George Langdon IV released a statement saying in part he sincerely apologizes to the LGBTQ community for his "hurtful remarks," and said it was a "foolish off-the-cuff comment."

London Jae Precise, the founder of House of Precise and an Albany advocate for the trans community, said various speakers will be appear, and will call on Langdon to resign from the County Legislature after he said "Everything God does is sustainable  it's sustainable. It's perpetual. ... Sorry, when you have homosexual relationships, it's not perpetual. Give them an island, they'll be gone in 40 years. Because God created us this way. There's so much common sense that needs to be applied to our policies, our procedures that we do in our government."

Langdon, a Republican in his first term on the legislature, made the remarks at Camp Pinnacle, a Bible camp and retreat just south of Thacher State Park in the town of New Scotland, which hosted a seminar titled "A Return to Liberty under the Constitution." Speakers were introduced by another Coeymans resident who was arrested Tuesday for being involved in the U.S. Capitol siege Jan. 6. A full video of the March 27 Camp Pinnacle seminar was posted to YouTube.

The Albany County Democratic Committee and many Albany County elected Democrats swiftly called on Langdon to resign after video of his remarks surfaced on Facebook Wednesday.

On Thursday afternoon, Langdon released a statement that said: "I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community and all others for the hurtful remarks recently made at a conference. I have never been homophobic nor do I think any individuals should be placed on an island. I deeply regret my foolish off-the cuff comment that has caused so much pain. I commit to doing a better job of respecting diversity. I hope my years of past public service demonstrate genuine concern for all individuals. I will be taking time to reflect on how to best serve moving forward."

Langdon did not address the calls to resign in his statement. His profile and title as chief financial officer of a financial firm he and his wife run had been removed from the business' website as of Thursday. Albany County Legislature Minority Leader Frank Mauriello on Wednesday called Langdon's comments, "unacceptable," but stopped short of calling for his resignation.

Precise said community activists also want other elected officials in Coeymans to answer for Langdon's comments. Langdon was previously on the Coeymans Town Board, and Camp Pinnacle is run by former Coeymans Town Supervisor Stephen Flach.

The current Coeymans Town Board put out a statement Wednesday that said they were "unfamiliar with the context" of Langdon's comments or of the event he attended.

"However, all of us have many close friends, some lifelong, as well as family members within the LGBTQIA community, and if they or anyone else felt insulted by Legislator Langdons remarks, then we would hope he would publicly apologize for his comments and clarify any remarks or opinions he may have shared that were offensive," the board wrote. "Albany County Legislator Langdons opinions and comments certainly do not reflect the beliefs or opinions of the Coeymans Town Board."

The Facebook post of the Town Board's statement generated intense reactions from some residents, including a few who thought Langdon's comments fall under freedom of speech and do not need to be addressed by the board. But most of the commenters were angry about what they felt was the board tiptoeing around the issue. One resident wrote: "Im insulted that George McHugh (the supervisor) and the Board think this is an adequate response. Anything short of condemning Langdons comments and demanding his resignation is disgraceful and speaks loudly of their own character."

But village of Ravena Mayor Bill Misuraca on his official Facebook page Wednesday delivered the most blistering comments of any Albany County Republican. Ravena is in the town of Coeymans.

"I'm pissed off that in 2021, here and now after our country and world has been rocked by so many troubles, that this kind of thought and behavior is STILL EVEN A THING. Isn't being happy the one thing that EVERYONE wants? Then why, for the LOVE of God would anyone, let alone an elected representative of the people (ALL The people!) think this kind of behavior is remotely acceptable?"

Misuraca wrote, "George, no sugar coating it, you gotta go. There's no place [for] that mindset in government, ( or in day to day life, for that matter)."
Cuba has erected a giant concrete flag in front of the US embassy in the capital Havana as hopes of an improvement in bilateral relations under the Joe Biden administration fade on the island nation.

The 12-meter (40-foot) high flag is on a square that has been the site of many pro-government rallies, including some targeting the United States.

Neither the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, Granma, nor the official state news website Cubadebate, which usually makes such announcements to great fanfare, mentioned the flag.

State construction and maintenance company ECOM was the first official body to mention the flag on its Facebook page.

"This monumental construction is now up on our anti-imperialist stage: our flag, which has never been mercenary and on which shines a star that is brighter for being alone," the company wrote.

The stage was built in 2000 during a legal and political battle between Cuba and the United States over the fate of a six-year-old boy, Elian Gonzalez.

His mother had died while the pair crossed the Straits of Florida from Cuba to Miami and the island nation's authorities wanted to repatriate him to be with his father in Cuba.

In 2006, authorities planted 138 Cuban flags on the stage as a "monument against terrorism" that was inaugurated by the late Fidel Castro, Cuba's revolutionary hero who was then president.

"Frankly I don't know what it is. A monument, a sculpture, a parasol, a giant pulpit?" Maikel Jose Rodriguez, the editor of Artecubano, the official publication of the national plastic arts council, wrote on Facebook.

"What can this eyesore offer to Cuban monumental art? Very little. In fact, nothing, except mockery."

Cubans seem less than enamored by the monument.

"If you look at it from behind it's a guillotine," wrote Whigman Montoya on Facebook, while Aristides Pestana described it as "embedded in asphalt, rigid, grey and dead."

Story continues

Relations between Havana and Washington were increasingly strained under the Donald Trump administration, which ramped up sanctions against Cuba.

But hopes that things would improve under President Biden have so far proven unfounded.

Biden has made no overtures to the island nation while remaining steadfast on the subject of human rights abuses by the Havana government.

rd/ka/lp/mps/bc/bgs
A US pension fund has been blocked from seeking permission to allow it to question members of the media in Ireland and the UK, including this reporter, in a long-running legal action against Ryanair and its CEO, Michael OLeary.

The pension fund for fire officers and police officer, based in Birmingham, Alabama, sued Ryanair and Mr OLeary in 2018, claiming they had made false and misleading statements to shareholders regarding employment issues at the airline.

In late 2017, Ryanair said it would recognise trade unions.

The pension fund alleged that increased costs as a result of unionisation at Ryanair, as well as lower profits, wiped out millions in shareholder value. The claims have been strenuously rejected by Ryanair and Mr OLeary.

A New York court last year said many of the complaints made against the airline and its boss by the pension fund had no actionable basis.

The pension fund recently sought permission from the court to request judicial assistance from the Irish courts to interview under oath this correspondent in relation to a 2018 article in which Mr OLeary said that recognising trade unions was not one of my best days in Ryanair, but it was inevitable at some point in time.

In a draft letter to the High Court, lawyers for the pension fund state that testimony and documents produced by the Irish Independent are intended for use at trial and are relevant and important to the claims and defences asserted in this action.

The funds lawyers also wanted permission to ask the UK courts for judicial assistance to question Financial Times journalists Arthur Beesley and Josh Spero; John Collingridge of UK edition of The Sunday Times; and Conor Humphries of Reuters.

Lawyers for the US pension fund insisted that the journalists it wanted to interview possess material information that is highly relevant to the claims at issue in this action.

However the New York court has rejected the requests.

Plaintiffs' motion for the issuance of letters rogatory is denied with prejudice to renewal, it noted in relation to the pension funds application to issue the letters to the High Courts in Ireland and the UK to question the journalists.

The pension funds lawyers also wanted permission to seek to question representatives of recruitment firm Crewlink, which provides cabin crew to Ryanair, and Brookfield, a company that provides it with pilots. The request to petition the High Court here to be allowed to do that was also rejected.
A Texas Highway Patrol trooper shot during a traffic stop in Limestone County has died.

The Texas Department of Public Safety late Wednesday said Chad Walker died after the shooting on Friday near Mexia.

Walker stopped to assist a driver around 7:45 p.m. when the driver exited his vehicle and shot the trooper multiple times, the agency said. Walker was transported to a Waco hospital where he later died. He was 38.

Our DPS family is absolutely heartbroken at the loss of one of our brothers in uniform who was killed in the line of duty, said Steven McCraw, the agency's director. Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Chad Walker was committed to protecting the people of Texas. His sacrifice will never be forgotten, and we ask that you keep his family, friends and colleagues in your prayers during the difficult days ahead.

Walker, a second-generation peace officer, was a husband and father to four children. In 2003, he began his law enforcement career with the Groesbeck Police Department. He went on to work at the Athens Police Department, Henderson County Sheriff's Office and Limestone County Sheriff's Office before joining the state public safety department in 2015.

Law enforcement officers across Texas will turn on their red and blue lights for one minute at 1 p.m. Thursday to honor Walker.

Condolences poured out from law enforcement agencies across the country and Texas leaders.

"Our hearts are with the family and friends of Trooper Walker as they grieve his tragic death in the line of duty," said Gov. Greg Abbott. "Trooper Walker's horrific murder is a solemn reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face every day to keep our communities safe. We will always support law enforcement here in Texas, and we are indebted to the sacrifices that they make to serve and protect their fellow Texans.

The trooper donated his organs before he was taken off life support this week.

"This final sacrifice embodies Trooper Walkers actions throughout his life and service as a Texas Highway Patrol Trooper," the department said in a statement.

Arrangements for funeral services are pending.

The 36-year-old man suspected in Walker's shooting was found dead on Saturday night at a residence on Highway 84, according to DPS. Officials said they suspect he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Following the shooting of the trooper, the department launched a manhunt and identified the suspect as DeArthur Pinson Jr.






RFE/RL Welcomes ECHR Ruling On Journalists Cellphone Data Protection Case

RFE/RL applauds this ruling, which protects the confidentiality of journalistic communications and sets limits for executive power, said RFE/RL President Jamie Fly. Fly continued, The work of investigative journalists, by its nature, is hard and often dangerous. Such journalism empowers the public to hold authorities accountable for their actions. Credible investigative journalism cannot be done in an atmosphere of official impunity, and without the certainty that exchanges between source and journalist will remain private.

INCIDENTS AND THREATS

Georgian Protesters Cause Famous Russian Journalist To Leave The Country

Vladimir Pozner, a veteran TV journalist and commentator working for Russian state TV, cut short a visit to Georgia after his arrival sparked protests in Tbilisi on March 31. Pozner, accompanied by about 30 Russian journalists and celebrities, was planning to celebrate his 87th birthday and stay in the country until April 3. His bus and hotel were pelted with eggs as angry crowds accused him of being a Kremlin propagandist. Russian troops have been stationed in the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia since a five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008.

U.S. Lawmakers Demand Belarus Release Blogger Losik From Prison

A group of lawmakers in the U.S. Congress has condemned the unjust and illegitimate detainment of Ihar Losik, a popular blogger and RFE/RL consultant jailed in Belarus, calling for his immediate release in the latest show of support from the highest echelons of government. In a letter addressed to Losik on March 26, a bipartisan group of lawmakers said they stand shoulder to shoulder with him, his family, and all other Belarusians struggling in the countrys pro-democracy movement.

FEATURE: Belarusian Journalist Who Are Still Behind Bars

Since Belarus August 9 presidential election and the massive protests that followed, the authorities have waged a war against journalists, who have been detained more than 300 times, with 65 people sentenced to from 3 to 30 days in jail, some receiving longer sentences, and others being held for months on end in pre-trial detention, including RFE/RL Belarus Service consultant Ihar Losik. The Belarusian Association of Journalists tracks all cases of harassment of journalists; this list focuses on the plight of those still behind bars. (Belarus Service)

Footage Vs. Footage: Reaction Of Russian State Media To President Bidens Words About President Putin

Current Time TVs Footage Vs. Footage program spoke with Russian media expert Konstantin Eggert about how the current conflict between Moscow and Washington, including U.S. President Joe Bidens recent statement calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a killer, is being used by Russian propaganda. Eggert says Russian state propaganda outlets are acting very aggressively, knowing that comments from Biden upset Putin. (in Russian, Current Time TV)

Stop 'Repression' Against Independent Journalism, HRW Tells Belarus

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Belarusian authorities have "escalated" repression against independent media over the past five months, as "part of the government's efforts to silence media reporting on human rights violations and peaceful, countrywide protests" that have rocked Belarus in the wake of an August election, the New York-based human rights watchdog said in a report published on March 29. The Belarusian opposition and the West say the August vote, which authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed extended his rule for a sixth term, was rigged, and are demanding fair elections and justice for abuses that have occurred since the vote.

RSF Concerned Torture Was Used To Obtain Jailed Crimean Journalist's 'Confession'

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it fears that a detained Crimean journalists televised confession to spying on behalf of Ukraine was obtained under torture and has called for his immediate release and the withdrawal of all charges against him. In a statement on March 26, Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSFs Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, expressed concern about the psychological and physical pressure RFE/RL freelancer Vladislav Yesypenko has been subjected to. Cavelier also condemned the ban on access to his lawyer.

Kazakhstan Urged To Stop Targeting Journalists For Independent Reporting

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling on Kazakhstan to drop a criminal case against a blogger and journalist who went on trial earlier this month on charges of participating in the activities of a banned organization. In a statement on March 31, the New York-based media freedom watchdog urged Kazakh authorities to immediately release Aigul Otepova from house arrest, drop the charges against her, and allow her to work safely and freely. Journalists in Kazakhstan should not be persecuted for their independent reporting, and it is authorities responsibility to ensure journalists safety, not to intimidate and pressure them, said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna.

Armenian Minister Resigns After Attacking A Journalist In Cafe

Hakob Arshakyan, Armenias Minister for High-Tech Industry, resigned on March 31, following a March 19 incident in which Arshakyan hit a journalist and damaged the journalists property while at a cafe in Yerevan. The journalist, who recorded the incident on a video camera, approached Arshakyan while he was dining and asked why he wasn't working during working hours. The minister replied that he is always working, to which the journalist replied that officials have fixed working hours. Following that, Minister Arshakyan followed the journalist to the second floor of the cafe, hit him and pushed his computer off of a table. (Armenian Service)

Ex-Police Chiefs Sentenced For Murder Of Turkish-Armenian Journalist

An Istanbul court has handed life sentences to two former Turkish police commanders and two top ex-security officers over the killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink 14 years ago. Dink, 53, was gunned down in broad daylight on January 19, 2007, outside the Istanbul offices of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian Agos newspaper, where he was the editor. Dink had been an arduous proponent of reconciliation between Armenians and Turks and was repeatedly prosecuted for insulting "Turkishness" over his comments on Armenian identity and the massacres of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915.

Wave Of Taliban Violence Against Journalists In Afghanistan Raises Concerns Over Press Freedom In Peace Settlement

Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuses the Taliban of having engaged in a pattern of threats, intimidation, and violence against media workers in Afghanistan, which the watchdog says heightens concerns about preserving freedom of expression and the media in any peace settlement between the militant group and the Afghan government. A wave of threats and killings has sent a chilling message to the Afghan media at a precarious moment as Afghans on all sides get set to negotiate free speech protections in a future Afghanistan, Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director for HRW, said in a statement on April 1. (Gandhara)

Uzbekistan Continues The Prosecution Of Blogger Otabek Sattoriy
Skeena welcomes $5 million investment from Tahltan Nation

Posted by Publisher Internet

Skeena Resources Limited (TSX: SKE, OTCQX: SKREF) (?Skeena? or the ?Company?  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/skeena-resources-ltd/) and the Tahltan Central Government (?TCG?) are pleased to announce that they have entered into an investment agreement, pursuant to which TCG have agreed to invest C$5 million into Skeena by purchasing 1,597,138 Tahltan investment rights (the ?Rights?). The Rights are priced at approximately $3.13 per Right, which reflects the five-day volume weighted average price for the common shares of Skeena (?Common Shares?) for the trading day ended March 25, 2021.

Rights will automatically vest and convert into Common Shares, at a ratio of one Right per one Common Share (subject to customary adjustments), over the three-year period following the closing of the offering.

Walter Coles, Skeena?s President & CEO commented, ?Skeena is delighted to welcome Tahltan as partners in the Company. Over the years we have often discussed our mutual desire to have the Tahltan Nation become owners of natural resource projects being developed in their Territory. This investment into Skeena represents a further step in an evolving relationship with the Tahltan Nation. We look forward to continuing our work with the Tahltan and gaining the support required for Skeena?s projects.?

Chad Norman Day, TCG President commented, ?Tahltan Territory is home to British Columbia?s resource rich \-\-Golden Triangle\-\- and a booming mineral exploration industry. Mining has always been part of our culture, both in the past and in present-day times. For thousands of years, our people prospected, mined, and utilized obsidian for tools, weaponry, and trade. More recently, Tahltans supported miners during the gold rush and have had operating mines in our homelands for multiple generations. In partnering with Skeena, the Tahltan Nation is evolving and taking significant steps forward by becoming meaningful equity partners in these projects. Ownership provides the Tahltan Nation with a strong seat at the table as we continue our pursuit towards capacity building and economic independence for the Tahltan people.??

The offering is subject to the achievement of certain conditions precedent, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Skeena Resources Limited & the Tahltan Central Government

About Skeena

Skeena Resources Limited is a Canadian mining exploration company focused on revitalizing the past-producing Eskay Creek gold-silver mine located in Tahltan Territory in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia, Canada. The Company released a robust Preliminary Economic Assessment in late 2019 and is currently focused on infill and exploration drilling to advance Eskay

Creek to full Feasibility by the end of 2021. Additionally, Skeena continues exploration programs at the past-producing Snip gold mine.

About the Tahltan Nation

The Tahltan Central Government (TCG) is the administrative governing body of the Tahltan Nation. The Iskut Band and the Tahltan Band continue to govern Tahltan interests with respect to the Indian Act in the communities of Iskut, Dease Lake and Telegraph Creek. The TCG is the representative government of the Tahltan Nation with respect to the inherent and collective Aboriginal title and rights shared by all Tahltan people. The Tahltan Nation?s Territory spans 95,933 square km of northwest British Columbia or the equivalent of 11 per cent of the province. Tahltan Territory includes 70 per cent of BC?s Golden Triangle, a world-class mining jurisdiction with a thriving mineral exploration sector.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

Certain statements made and information contained herein may constitute ?forward looking information? and ?forward looking statements? within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management?s expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as ?anticipates?, ?believes?, ?targets?, ?estimates?, ?plans?, ?expects?, ?may?, ?will?, ?could? or ?would?. Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and other matters. While the Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
A crowd lines the streets of South Boulder Road to watch the motorcade of law enforcement and first responders to honor Boulder police officer Eric Talley, who was killed in a mass shooting at the Boulder King Soopers on March 22.
For the first time since Oct. 13, the state is reporting one death from COVID-19 on Wednesday. And while every human who utters that number  starting with Gov. Ned Lamont late in the morning  quickly adds that its still one too many, it represents a quiet triumph for Connecticut.

Since the beginning of January, when the earliest second vaccination doses reached arms, Connecticut has seen its death rate fall faster than just about all other states, well ahead of the declines in our neighboring states.

This is happening even as the number of people in Connecticut hospitals climbed by more than one-third in the last two weeks, and as the closely watched positive test rate has crept up. Connecticut, in fact, stood in the No. 4 position Wednesday among all states in new infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days  behind only Michigan, New York and New Jersey.

But the state is also in the No. 38 position in deaths per 100,000, according to the New York Times, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Not bad, considering Connecticut started the year 50 percent higher than the nation in deaths and over the last few days has seen residents die at less than half the national rate.

How can this be?

A few forces may be at work but in a word, it comes down to Lamonts vaccination priorities. By sticking with age as the overriding factor in deciding who gets to roll up a sleeve for the magic juice first  defying CDC recommendations and standing virtually alone among states  Lamont put Connecticut in an early and lasting lead when it comes to vaccinating people age 65 and over.

This isnt complicated. Despite the well-meaning cries of foul from patients and advocates for people with any number of medical conditions, and people in front-line jobs such as grocery clerks and retail workers, the fact remains that COVID-19 takes the lives of old people overwhelmingly.

Among 7,886 Connecticut residents who have died, 179 were under age 50.

Jessica Hill / Associated Press

And so, the strategy has worked, at least when it comes to preventing deaths. The numbers are irrefutable. Were down to a seven-day average of just over five deaths a day, or 1.4 per million residents, compared with three in the nation as a whole; just over five per million in Massachusetts; and hovering around four in both New York and New Jersey.

The age-based strategy is the right strategy for Connecticut, Dr. Ajay Kumar, chief medical officer at Hartford HealthCare, the group that includes St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport, told me Wednesday. Age is a strong correlation here, so our age-based strategy meets that goal ... I truly agree with that.

Kumar and Dr. Tom Balcezak, the chief medical officer at Yale New Haven Health, both advised the state in the tough decisions by Lamont to go with age, along with teachers, other school employees and health care workers including everyone in nursing homes.

Now Kumar and Balcezak both report their systems are seeing significantly higher numbers of middle-aged and even younger in-patients with COVID. They are sick, to be sure, but with rare exceptions, theyre not dying.

And at Yale New Haven Health, a new report Wednesday showed the mortality rates fell for most age groups and rose for no groups in the weeks from Feb. 7 to March 27, compared with Dec. 27 to Feb. 6. Among people 75 and older, the number of deaths fell from an average of 12 per week to 3.3 and the death rate among people that age who were admitted fell by nearly one-third, to 10 percent.

That reflects better treatment methods and the vaccinations. Of course, the rise of younger patients is a concern. Its possible Lamonts decision to lift some restrictions is contributing to that rise, though thats debatable and he remains adamant about masks and distancing.

Its an important warning to young people that you can still get sick enough to go to the hospital, said Josh Geballe, the states chief operating officer and point person for the vaccinations.

Still, Kumar and other medical experts say they dont expect to see rising deaths among young people.

Lamont, after announcing the one daily death at an event at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, talked with me about the lower fatality rates.

Right after we did the age announcement, I heard from a lot of governors and they said, I wish we could do this but Im already too far down the road trying to decide whos essential and whos not, and whose comorbidity is more severe than others,  Lamont recounted.

It wasnt just that Connecticut made older people a priority; its that simplifying the vaccinations let providers focus on injections rather than rejections of people fighting for a place on line  speeding inoculations for everyone.

Still, they fight. Just this week, on Tuesday, Disability Rights Connecticut, an advocacy group, filed a formal complaint with the civil rights office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to require Connecticut to revise its discriminatory plan to allow hospitals to decide, without any uniform statewide policy and procedures, who will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as of April 1.

Every Connecticut resident is eligible to make an appointment as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday. The complaint, reflecting earlier criticism of the vaccine order, refers to a list of five medical conditions that health care providers will consider as a nonbinding priority.

The complaint should be dismissed. Lamont rebuffed the notion that the list was arbitrary.

We talked to every single chief medical officer in the state, we asked who was at risk, Who would you think should be in the fast-lane? Lamont said in response to the formal complaint. And by the way, everybody is eligible tomorrow. Weve got 12 hours to go. 

He added, The CDC list included everybody so it was no help at all.

And yet, only Connecticut and Maine have not given special priority to people with certain medical conditions, according to a New York Times chart of all states policies. And only a small handful of states, including Connecticut, have not given priority to food workers.

Brutal as it seems, the decision saved lives. Could Connecticut have prevented even more deaths?

We remain in the the top tier among all states in total deaths per 1 million residents, at No. 7 according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, because of the tragic carnage in nursing homes last spring.

Vaccination in Black and Latinx communities has lagged in every state, including this one, despite significant outreach. Those two racial minority groups, especially African Americans, have seen higher death rates at younger ages.

The states 17 community health care providers petitioned the state to allow them to vaccinate their entire patient populations, not just the eligible age groups, but were spurned. Three times I urged in columns that urban and non-white residents should receive vaccines regardless of age.

Well never know whether that strategy would have saved more lives. This much we know: The path Connecticut took, aiming at age groups above all else, did prevent many deaths, perhaps well into the hundreds.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
News Third NLD Member Dies While Being Detained by Myanmar Military Regime

A collage of the NLD members who have died while being detained by the military regime. U Khin Maung Latt (left), U Kyaw Kyaw (middle) and U Zaw Myat Lin (right)

A member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Naypyitaw has died while being detained by the military regime.

U Kyaw Kyaw, an executive member of the NLDs branch in Naypyitaws Zabuthiri Township, died on March 30 while being interrogated by the security forces. He is the third member of the NLD to die in custody since the juntas Feb. 1 coup.

His family were allowed one final look at his corpse, but regime authorities refused to allow them to take away the body for a funeral, insisting that they would arrange one themselves.

On March 9, NLD member Ko Zaw Myat Lin, who was in charge of the Suu Vocation Institute in Yangons Shwepyithar Township, died while being detained by the regime.

Family members said that Ko Zaw Myat Lin had suffered a large wound to his abdomen. The military claimed that he was injured by a pointed object when he climbed over a fence while attempting to escape arrest.

Ko Zaw Myat Lin was arrested by the security forces during a raid on the institute late at night on March 8. Three students and three local residents were also arrested during the raid. Vehicles, computers, phones and money at the school, which offers free training courses to young people, were also confiscated by the security forces.

NLD member U Khin Maung Latt was tortured to death by the regime on March 6. The 58-year-old Muslim, an NLD ward chairman in Yangons Pabedan Township and a campaign manager for NLD candidates in the 2015 and 2020 elections, died hours after being detained by the security forces on the evening of March 6.

Over 2,700 people have been arrested by the regime since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). They include elected leaders, NLD members, election commissioners, activists, anti-regime protesters, artists, writers, journalists, teachers and civilians,

Around 230 of the detainees are NLD members.

As of Wednesday, around 536 people have been killed by the junta during crackdowns and raids on anti-regime protesters and innocent bystanders, said AAPP.

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Ekachai Hongkangwan (left) and Bunkueanun Paothong (right) speak with reporters upon being released on bail after being charged with threatening Queen Suthida, in Bangkok, March 31, 2021.

Updated at 6:19 a.m. ET on 2021-03-31

A Thai criminal court indicted five pro-democracy demonstrators Wednesday on charges of threatening the queen by blocking her royal motorcade during a mass rally last year  the first prosecution of its kind in the countrys modern history, according to a lawyers group.

Ekachai Hongkangwan, Mahidol University student Bunkueanun Paothong, Suranart Paenprasert and two unidentified co-defendants pleaded not guilty at a Bangkok criminal court, Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen, an attorney with the Thai Lawyer for Human Rights (TLHR), a group representing the five, told reporters.

The attorney general prosecuted Ekachai and four co-defendants. They pleaded not guilty and will fight the case as the court set April 26 for a pre-trial hearing to examine evidence, Poonsuk said.

The TLHR, an NGO that represents political defendants, said the attorney general accused Ekachai, Bunkueanun and their co-defendants of arousing a crowd of pro-democracy protesters, which surrounded the royal limousine and blocked its path as it drove by.

Some water bottles were also thrown at the car transporting Queen Suthida and her stepson, Prince Dipangkorn, according to reports.

Section 110 of the Penal Code, which shields royals from being threatened or harmed, was exercised for the first time in modern history, TLHR said.

Under 110, [w]hoever commits an act of violence against the Queen or Her liberty, the Heir-apparent or His liberty, or the Regent or his/her liberty, shall be punished with imprisonment for life or imprisonment of sixteen to twenty years. Whoever attempts to commit such offense shall be liable to the same punishment, according to information posted on the Thailand Law Library, a website.

The five accused were all charged under this first clause of Section 110, TLHR said, citing prosecutors but without divulging more information.

People convicted under this law can also be punished with life in prison  or death  if such an act is likely to endanger the life of the Queen, the law also stipulates.

The attorney general prosecuted Ekachai and four co-defendants. They pleaded not guilty and will fight the case as the court set Apr. 26 for a pre-trial hearing to examine evidence, said Poonsuk, the lawyer from TLHR, which represents political defendants.

The court allowed the five to be released on bail amounts ranging from 200,000 baht (U.S. $6,396) to 300,000 baht (U.S. $9,594), he added.

We affirm we are innocent. I and four co-defendants were falsely charged that we were attempting to violate the liberty of the queen and the heir, which was not the case, Bunkueanun said.

According to the lawyers group, the Attorney General accused the five demonstrators of urging the crowd of thousands to block the road as the royal motorcade passed by the rally.

The protesters nearby gave the royals a three-fingered salute, inspired by The Hunger Games movie, to symbolize their resistance to the royals  an unprecedented happening in the country where the king is regarded as a demi-god, BenarNews reported at the time.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters had gathered on that day, Oct. 14, to mark the 47th anniversary of a 1973 protest that led to the overthrow of the dictatorship of Thanom Kittikachorn.

BenarNews also reported then that the crowd was 8,000-10,000 strong, and the queen and her stepson were briefly trapped in their car amid the throng.

Ekachai and Bunkueanun were seen active near the motorcade, which the police guarded.

Co-defendant Suranart Paenprasert said they were not attempting to harm the convoy.

That day, everyone knew that we were there before [the motorcade arrived], crowd control police were putting in place strict security measures.  I believe we have solid witnesses and evidence, as well as reports from the media, Suranart said before he entered the courtroom on Wednesday.

The U.S. State Department, in its 45th annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released Tuesday, reported on the arrest of Bunkueanun and two others as a result of the incident.

Bunkueanun said it boded well that he and the four others had been released on bail.

Im glad the court granted us bail; its a good sign. But its not the end, we will come to the court to fight the case, Bunkueanun told reporters as his friends hugged him after his release.

Pro-democracy demonstrators have held a series of rallies, beginning in mid-July last year, to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Chan-o-cha  the retired army chief who led the 2014 coup  a rewrite of the constitution, and a reform of the royal institution itself.

At least 18 demonstrators have been remanded for offenses ranging from sedition to Lese-Majeste since the protests began, according to TLHR.

Lese-Majeste, or Article 112 of the Penal Code, the nations strict anti-royal defamation law, carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison for each conviction.

This report was updated to include information about which clause the five activists were charged under.
Rohingya refugees are seen at a housing complex on Bhashan Char Island in Noakhali, Bangladesh, Dec. 30, 2020.

Envoys from several countries contributing to the Rohingya response will for the first time visit a remote island this weekend where Bangladesh has moved thousands of refugees, they said Thursday, amid widespread international concern about its safety and on-site facilities.

Their government-hosted visit scheduled for Saturday comes after trips last month to Bhashan Char Island by a United Nations delegation, and by the Red Cross, which said more global relief was needed for the refugees health and food security there and elsewhere.

During this first visit to Bhashan Char by some of the heads of mission whose countries are contributing to the Rohingya response, participants will have an opportunity to see some of the facilities and services on the island and may have a chance to meet with relocated Rohingya refugees, authorities, and others living and working there, the ambassadors of at least seven Western countries said in a joint statement.

The ambassadors and in-country representatives of Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States of America said they were among foreign envoys invited by Bangladeshs government to visit the low-lying Bay of Bengal island.

Envoys look forward to continuing the dialogue with the Government of Bangladesh on its Bhashan Char project, as well as with the U.N. and other relevant partners following the visit. Further conversations are needed, especially between the Government of Bangladesh and U.N. to discuss the policy and technical issues in detail.

The U.N. had been requesting a visit to evaluate the livability of the flood-prone island for more than two years, and humanitarian groups had criticized Bangladesh for moving refugees there without a thorough assessment of the site by international experts.

While the U.N.s visit on March 17 to 20 did not include a technical assessment of the island, experts from the world body did look at the facilities and talk to the relocated refugees.

Most of the 1 million Rohingya who fled from neighboring Myanmar live in 34 refugee camps in and around Coxs Bazar, a southeastern district that borders Myanmars Rakhine state. The refugees include more than 740,000 who escaped a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine in 2017.

Bangladesh began relocating the Rohingya from crowded camps in Coxs Bazar on the mainland to Bhashan Char last December. The government has continued to assert that no one is being be forced to move to the island.

Once they visit Bhashan Char, international representatives will be convinced that it is a safe island, said Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University.

They are being taken to a better place than the camps in Coxs Bazar. International representatives and foreign ambassadors will see that, Ahmed told BenarNews.

A view of the tin-shed concrete houses built for Rohingya refugees at Bhashan Char Island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh, Dec. 29, 2020. [Reuters]

More international relief needed

Meanwhile on Thursday, Bangladesh moved an additional 2,125 Rohingya to Bhashan Char from Coxs Bazar, with another batch of 2,185 expected Friday, Commodore Rashed Sattar, director of the Bhashan Char project, confirmed to BenarNews.

Bangladesh has relocated close to 16,000 refugees from the mainland camps, Sattar said.

Last week, a devastating fire at a camp in Coxs Bazar left at least 11 people dead and 45,000 homeless.

Earlier this week, some Rohingya told BenarNews they had decided to move to Bhashan Char after the fire because compatriots told them that living conditions were better on the island.

Bangladesh had said that transferring thousands of refugees to the offshore location would relieve pressure on the densely crowded camps in Coxs Bazar. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has, time and again, raised the issue of the refugees and the strain that sheltering them has taken on Bangladesh.

The government had said it spent about U.S. $280 million to construct housing, a large embankment and other infrastructure on the island, where the facilities were better than at the camps.

After its independent visit to the island March 13 to 15, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) urged Bangladesh, humanitarian agencies and international donors to do everything possible to keep the refugees safe wherever they lived.

The IFRC team said it found that the Bangladesh government had made progress on Bhashan Char in terms of the development of infrastructure.

However, it also found urgent investment is needed to ensure that women and children are adequately protected, and that food security, health care and schooling is assured both in the short and longer-term, the IFRC said in a statement.

The government had put in place evacuation centers on the island to keep the Rohingya safe during natural disasters and cyclones, but the facilities need to be strengthened, especially because of the upcoming cyclone season and the periodic storms.

With the cyclone season fast approaching, people on Bhashan Char could become stranded with a shortage of food when major storms strike, leaving the sea passage impassable, in turn denying the delivery of relief, medicines and other vital supplies, said Sanjeev Kafley, the ICRC delegation head in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent also said it was working with the authorities to deliver food packages, hygiene items, and sanitation and health services to the thousands of people on the island for the coming months.

Dhaka Universitys Ahmed said the infrastructure on Bhashan Char is sound because the Bangladeshi navy built it.

Shelters have been made in Bhashan Char keeping in mind the possibilities of disaster. There are also arrangements to keep food and other items in case of emergency, he said.

Moreover, natural disasters like cyclones, can even damage modern cities. Different parts of America are also often badly affected.

Abdur Rahman in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, contributed to this report.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Mercy Health announced Wednesday that its partnering with Havenwyck Hospital to build an up to 96-bed psychiatric hospital near Mercys southwest campus in Byron Township.

In a joint announcement, the two healthcare organizations said Havenwyck was issued initial approval for a state certificate of need, which is required to build the hospital. Once a final decision is made on the certificate of need, Mercy and Havenwyck would finalize their joint partnership agreement.

The need is here and growing, Matthew Biersack, interim president and chief medical officer of Mercy Health Saint Marys, said in a statement. The shortage of mental health resources is a national issue. Approval of the CON applications is a positive step forward on our journey to expand access and options serving more patients in Kent county and surrounding communities.

The hospital would have 60 adult inpatient beds, a 24-bed geriatric psychiatric unit, partial hospitalization services and crisis management services, according to a news release.

Havenwyck Hospital is an affiliate of Universal Health Services (UHS), which describes itself as one of the largest hospital and healthcare providers in the nation.

Mercy said it chose to partner with UHS because of its long-standing commitment to patient and family-centered care, strong clinical outcomes and proven track record of partnering with community-based entities.

We are excited to work together with Mercy Health on the construction of a new facility that will incorporate the latest innovative evidence-based care elements for maximum patient safety, Diane Henneman, divisional vice president of behavioral health at UHS, said in a statement. Mercy Health is an outstanding provider of critically needed services in West Michigan. Our missions are aligned, and we share a deep commitment to expand access to compassionate care and treatment for all populations in region.

Pending final approval, construction of the new hospital would start yet this year, with the facility slated to open in spring 2023, according to a news release.

Mercys southwest campus is located at 2373 64th St. SW.

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South Africa: Dlamini-Zuma calls for vigilance over Easter weekend

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has urged citizens to be cautious and adhere to Alert Level 1 COVID-19 regulations over the Easter weekend.

Given the relatively low transmission levels, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday announced that Cabinet had decided to keep the country on Coronavirus Alert Level 1, with a few adjustments.

The President said the Easter weekend is a time of spiritual significance and attending religious services is important to millions of Christians.

For Christians, congregational worship is an important part of celebrating Easter.

The Jewish community is currently celebrating Passover, and the Muslim community will soon be starting the holy month of Ramadan, he said.

Following consultation, it was determined that religious gatherings over this period be restricted to a maximum of 250 people indoors and 500 outdoors.

Where venues are too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, no more than 50% of the capacity of the venue may be used.

In regulations gazetted this week, in line with the adjustments, every person is obliged to observe curfew time from midnight until 4am daily, unless a person has a permit.

Dlamini-Zuma in the gazette emphasises that communities, industries, businesses and entities, both private and in the public sector, must operate within the Alert Level 1 regulations, as amended.

Between Friday and Monday, the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption will be prohibited. On-site sales at restaurants, shebeens and bars will be allowed, according to licensing conditions, up until 11pm.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Minister emphasised that even though provisions have been made for gatherings, South Africans are urged to avoid them if possible, and this includes the elderly and those with co-morbidities.

It is important to note that even as the country remains at Alert level 1 during the Easter period, government urges everyone to be extremely cautious and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and others from possible COVID-19 infection.

Government further implores people to observe and adhere to all the non-pharmaceutical interventions in an effort to mitigate the possibility of a resurgence, Dlamini-Zuma said.

Funerals are still limited to 100 people and are required to last a maximum of two hours.

The regulations also indicate that all people attending gatherings, including faith-based ones, should endeavour to limit exposure to COVID-19 by adhering to all protocols and regulations.

Congregants are urged not to gather outside their usual places of worship, and people must go home and not sleep over after services.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
BALTIMORE, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- b.well Connected Health today announced a partnership with Mastercard to provide individuals a simpler and more secure way to prove their identity online and in-person when accessing healthcare services.

The b.well platform brings together patient data across providers, insurers, pharmacies, and a patient's own apps and devices, so people can share their information, manage their medications, understand their costs, and receive personalized health insights and alerts. Now, with the introduction of Mastercard's ID Verification service, b.well users will also be able to securely verify their identity in real time using their mobile phones.

"Consumers want to use their phones to connect with their doctors, get information about their insurance, and share sensitive information with trusted sources, but the process for authenticating themselves is complicated, difficult, and not always secure," said Kristen Valdes, CEO and Founder of b.well. "Our partnership with Mastercard solves that problem by enabling consumers to protect their identity, while at the same time simplifying the verification of their identity, giving them more control over their personal information and streamlining interactions with their providers and health plan."

The partnership enables healthcare organizations to provide their members and patients with a biometric alternative to verify their identity in-person or virtually, replacing traditional processes involving physical documents such as a driver's license. Mastercard's ID Verification service employs a combination of government ID document scanning, facial biometrics with liveness detection, and mobile phone intelligence to deliver high success rates for automated user verification.

ThedaCare, a 7-hospital Wisconsin health system that has made b.well available to its communities under the name "Ripple," is the first U.S. health system to use Mastercard ID Verification.

"As part of our mission of creating a healthier community, we strive to make it easier for our patients and community members to use digital tools to engage with our providers and manage their health," said Jim Albin, Chief Information Officer of ThedaCare. "The Mastercard ID Verification provided through Ripple offers added safety and security for them to use their smartphones to verify their identity when accessing virtual care or sharing personal medical information, adding convenience as well as peace of mind."

"Mastercard is working to deliver a globally interoperable ID, ensuring strong security and governance. Our partnership with b.well offers consumers the ability to interact with their health plan providers and third parties while better protecting their personal identity information," said Sarah Clark, Senior Vice President Digital Identity of Mastercard. "We're pleased to join b.well in helping to provide consumers with a trusted and truly patient-centered digital health care journey."

b.well will offer the service to its health plan and health system customers, who depend on b.well's Connected Health Platform to engage and connect their members and patients in a single mobile application.

Mastercard ID Verification is designed to comply with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2), the federal government's highest level of assurance for remote consumer-facing identity proofing. The NIST IAL2 benchmark is cited as a requirement in many healthcare use cases involving patient data sharing, aligned with the ONC Cures Act Final Rule for secure patient access to their medical record.

About b.well Connected Health

b.well Connected Health is a healthcare technology company providing platform services comprised of five core capabilities that work together to enable health systems, payers, and employers with a configurable and personalized digital health experience for their populations. The b.well technology platform is transforming how consumers interact with the healthcare system by integrating data, insights, and partners into a single customized solution that helps people take control of their healthcare experience.

Media Contacts:

Todd Stein for b.well

510-417-0612

[email protected]

SOURCE b.well Connected Health
MY PHANTOMS by Gwendoline Riley (Granta 12.99, 208 pp)

MY PHANTOMS

by Gwendoline Riley (Granta 12.99, 208 pp)

You dont read Gwendoline Riley to be cheered up, but even by her standards, My Phantoms is bleak.

Its a portrait of a mother/daughter relationship, although narrator Bridget, the daughter in the equation, is scarcely more forthcoming with us than with her mother  we know shes a PhD student but little else. The more we learn about her parents, however, the more her refusal to offer up details makes sense.

Her father, now dead, loved nothing more than to taunt and humiliate, fancying himself as a characterful rogue. Her mother, showily self-christened Hen, has reached late middle-age still waiting for her life to begin, a terrible combination of insecurity and neediness.

In 2018, the Times Literary Supplement named Riley as one of the best living novelists in Britain and Ireland, and her talents are evident.

Bridget, forensically and mercilessly insightful, knows shes trapped as one half of an excruciating double act, and she and Hen perform their miserable parts in dialogue that is utterly convincing.

THE HIGH HOUSE by Jessie Greengrass (Swift Press 14.99, 288 pp)

THE HIGH HOUSE

by Jessie Greengrass (Swift Press 14.99, 288 pp)

Above a now-ruined coastal village stands the high house, home to local girl Sally and city-bred siblings Caro and Pauly. Once a holiday retreat, its now a kind of ark, having been equipped by Francesca, Caros firebrand environmental activist stepmother, with a mill-powered generator, stores of seed and stocks of morphine  everything needed to survive the climate catastrophe that Francesca knows is coming.

Greengrass, whose previous novel, Sight, was shortlisted for the 2018 Womens Prize, sets her story in the wake of this disaster, which has apparently devastated large parts of the globe.

While gesturing at a number of thorny moral and ethical questions  not least who deserves to be saved from such collectively created destruction?  its essentially an intimate, elegiac drama of a not-quite family finding a way to be together.

Greengrass steeps us deeply in her wild, watery setting, and while her evocative tale doesnt deal in surprises, its prophetic vision fixes the attention.

FRAGILE MONSTERS by Catherine Menon (Viking 14.99, 256 pp)

FRAGILE MONSTERS

by Catherine Menon (Viking 14.99, 256 pp)

Malaysian mathematician Durga has returned for Diwali to her grandmother Marys sprawling riverside house.

The old woman has always been a teller of tall tales  tiger princes and drowned girls  but maintains that Durgas mother died in childbirth.

Has she been telling the truth though? And, after a decade away, is Durga ready to confront another spectre: that of her dead teenage best friend?

The rotting stink of the nearby banyan swamp and the frequent local floods offer themselves as ready metaphors for a treacherous past that rises up and refuses to be contained.

And as the novel moves backwards and forwards in time to tell Marys story, we realise how the familys fate is bound up with the wartime history of the country itself.

Menon is a sparky storyteller whose thickly atmospheric debut keeps us guessing as its many ghosts press in ever closer.
Kaduna  No fewer than eight people have been killed, and four persons injured by armed bandits in separate attacks across Chikun, Giwa and Kajuru local government areas of Kaduna State.

In a statement issued by the commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Samuel Aruwan, yesterday, the state government said the attacks were outlined in reports made by security agencies to the Kaduna State Government.

Aruwan explained that at Kan Hawa Zankoro, near Ungwan Yako in Chikun local government area, armed bandits shot at a vehicle, which then somersaulted, leading to the deaths of six persons, and leaving four others injured. "Those who lost their lives in the crash are listed as: Aisha Bello, Uwaliya Alhaji Shehu, Ramatu Sani, Muhammad Shehu, Aminu Ibrahim, Ibrahim Abdu.

"The injured are Zainab Alhaji Usman, Surayya Bello, Khalifa Sani, Ushe Sani," the statement read in part.

The statement said in another incident, armed bandits attacked locals at Iburu in Kajuru LGA, and killed one Amos Yari.

It added that, armed bandits also invaded Hayin Kanwa village, Fatika district, Giwa LGA, and shot dead one Alhaji Sule, a business man in the area, after he resisted their attempts to kidnap him.

The statement said Governor Nasiru El-Rufai received the reports with sadness, and prayed for the repose of the souls of those slain, while sending condolences to their families and also wished the injured speedy recovery.
Kylie Jenner was recently the target of backlash after she was accused of not donating 'enough' to a GoFundMe supporting her injured former makeup artist.

But the KUWTK star, 23, may have just silenced her critics as it was revealed Wednesday she donated $500,000 to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jenner's hefty donation, as well as monetary assistance given by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend's Teen Cancer America, went towards the construction of a patient space, called the 'Hey, I'm Here For You Teen Lounge.'

Charitable: It was revealed Wednesday that Kylie Jenner donated $500,000 to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt( located in Nashville, Tennessee); Jenner pictured in 2020

Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, often referred to as Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, is described as 'one of the nation's leading children's hospitals, and the largest in the Southeast' that deals with the 'simple to the most complex' of illnesses.

Kylie made her generous $500,000 donation in honor of her longtime pal and musician Harry Hudson, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013.

The Kylie Cosmetics CEO was by Hudson's side as he battled the cancer of the lymphatic system, which he successfully overcame.

'I am so grateful for Kylie's friendship and the impact she's had on my life and my cancer journey,' said Hudson in a press release. 'She has always been there for me, and together, we wanted to figure out a way to be there for other young people who are battling this disease.'

Teen lounge: Jenner's hefty donation, as well as monetary assistance given by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend's Teen Cancer America, went towards the construction of a patient space, called the 'Hey, I'm Here For You Teen Lounge'

Longtime coming: Jenner first began raising the funds in 2017 as she allocated a portion of her Kylie Cosmetics Birthday collection proceeds to Teen Cancer America

He continued: 'With the help of Teen Cancer America, we were able to contribute the first Hey, I'm Here For You Teen lounge at Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt  a comfortable space for young people undergoing treatment to pursue their passions.'

Hudson, who launched his Hey, I'm Here For You charity following his own cancer battle, described the lounge's construction as 'a full-circle moment for [him].'

'And I am excited to continue growing my partnership with Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and TCA,' his statement concluded.

Luxe: The spacious lounge features numerous video gaming set-ups, a big screen television, an endless supply of movies, a meditation space, as well as a collective space for fellow patients to mingle

The spacious lounge features numerous video gaming set-ups, a big screen television, an endless supply of movies, a meditation space, as well as a collective space for fellow patients to mingle.

Taking to Instagram, Hudson further gushed over Jenner, who first began raising the funds in 2017 as she allocated a portion of her Kylie Cosmetics Birthday collection proceeds to Teen Cancer America.

'Today is a beautiful day! A couple years ago @kyliejenner & I raised money to build a center for teens going through cancer in hopes of making their experience a little better,' he captioned the post, which showcased various images of the recently completed lounge space.

Big announcement: 'Today we are so excited to finally announce the completion of the first #HeyImHereForYou Lounge @vumcchildren in Nashville. This space is the initial program of my new charity @hihfycharity which is focused on enhancing the lives of teens and young adults undergoing cancer treatment,' wrote Hudson on Instagram

In his honor: Kylie made her generous $500,000 donation in honor of her longtime pal and musician Harry Hudson, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013

'Today we are so excited to finally announce the completion of the first #HeyImHereForYou Lounge @vumcchildren in Nashville. This space is the initial program of my new charity @hihfycharity which is focused on enhancing the lives of teens and young adults undergoing cancer treatment.'

In the heartfelt post, Harry passionately thanked his famous friend for 'always having my back & helping make this dream become a reality.'

News of the hospital lounge's completion and Jenner's generous contribution comes after the star was crucified by fans for 'not doing enough' to help her make-up artist who needed monetary assistance following a car collision.

Thankful: In the heartfelt post, Harry passionately thanked his famous friend for 'always having my back & helping make this dream become a reality'

Full circle: Hudson, who launched his Hey, I'm Here For You charity following his own cancer battle, described the lounge's construction as 'a full-circle moment for [him]'

Pediatrics: Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, often referred to as Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, is described as 'one of the nation's leading children's hospitals, and the largest in the Southeast' that deals with the 'simple to the most complex' of illnesses

The mother of one, who is worth $900million, donated $5k into a GoFundMe for Samuel Rauda towards his $10k medical expenses and shared a post encouraging others to contribute if they wanted to.

Yet when fans questioned why she didn't cover the full cost, Kylie explained her actions and said Samuel is not her current make-up artist as had been reported by other outlets.

She wrote: 'I feel it's important for me to clear up this false narrative that I've asked fans for money and am not paying for my makeup artist's medical bills.

News of the hospital lounge's completion and Jenner's generous contribution comes after the star was crucified by fans for 'not doing enough' to help her make-up artist who needed monetary assistance following a car collision; Jenner pictured in 2016

Followers criticized the youngest of the Kardashian/Jenner brood for not doing enough to help but Kylie explained the amount she gave was simply what had been the target total at the time.

As of Tuesday morning, the total stood at $100,031 of a $120,000 goal.

Kylie continued: 'Sam isn't my makeup artist and unfortunately we don't have a personal relationship anymore but I worked with him a few years ago and think he's the sweetest.

'I saw my current makeup artist and friend Ariel post about Sam's accident and his family's gofundme and i called Ariel immediately to see what happened to Sam.

Donated: The mother of one, who is worth $900m, paid $5k into a GoFundMe for Samuel Rauda towards his $10k medical expenses and shared a post encouraging others to contribute if they wanted to

Explanation: Yet when fans questioned why she didn't cover the full cost, Kylie explained her actions and said Samuel is not her current make-up artist as had been reported

She added: 'After learning in more detail about the accident it compelled me to visit his gofundme which was was set at 10k.

'They had already raised 6k so i put it in 5k to reach their original goal and thought I'd post on my stories to gain more awareness if anyone else felt compelled to share or donate.

'I don't know how all of this got so twisted but his family has reached out through Ariel and are very appreciative of all the donations, prayers, and love towards Sam.'

Get well soon: It is not known exactly what Sam's injuries are, but his friends have said he underwent major surgery on Sunday

Staying positive: In another post, Kylie wrote: 'Anyone that knows me knows that I do things from the heart and I try to be helpful whenever I can be'

In another post, Kylie wrote: 'Anyone that knows me knows that I do things from the heart and I try to be helpful whenever I can be.

'Let's all stay positive and keep Sam, his family, and anyone you know who is going through a difficult time in our prayers. I hope you have a beautiful day and let's encourage each other to help.'

It is not known exactly what Sam's injuries are, but his friends have said he underwent major surgery last Sunday.
[April 01, 2021] SES Shareholders Approve All Resolutions at Annual General Meeting

SES (News - Alert) (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) today in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. The meeting was held on the basis of the rules set out in the law of 23 September 2020 as amended by the law of 25 November 2020. Shareholders participated remotely by appointing SES designated proxyholders to represent them at the meeting and to carry out their voting instructions given ahead of the meeting. Compliance with voting instructions was verified by the bureau of the Annual General Meeting. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005599/en/ SES Shareholders Approve All Resolutions at Annual General Meeting (Photo: Business Wire) The shareholders approved all proposed resolutions, notably the company's 2020 accounts and the proposed dividend of EUR 0.40 per A-share, which will be paid to shareholders on 22 April 2021. Shareholders also approved a reduction in Board size to 11 Directors. Shareholders elected Katrin Wehr-Seiter for another three-year mandate and Serge Allegrezza for another one-year mandate. Shareholders also noted the resignation of Romain Bausch as Director of SES. Following the shareholders' meeting, the Board of Directors elected Mr Frank Esser as Chairperson for a period of one year and both Mrs Tsega Gebreyes and Mrs Anne-Catherine Ries as Vice-Chairperson also for a period of one year. The complete composition of the new Board and short biographies on each of the Directors are available at: https://www.ses.com/about-us/board-directors



The 2020 Annual Report is available for download at: https://www.ses.com/investors/annual-reports Follow us on:

Twitter | Facebook | Youtube | LinkedIn | Instagram Read our Blogs >

Visit the Media Gallery > About SES SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world's only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world's leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES's video network carries over 8,200 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 361 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005599/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid have discussed the escalation by Russia of the security situation in eastern Ukraine and in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Kuleba wrote this on his Twitter account on Thursday, April 1.

"I spoke today with OSCE's Helga Schmid on Russia's systemic aggravation of security situation in the east or Ukraine & in Crimea. At this time SMM mandate extension & budget approval was critically important. I welcome the decision. OSCE should closely follow Russian moves," he wrote.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service, Kuleba emphasized the importance of the OSCE opening additional forward patrol bases along the uncontrolled section of the border with Russia.

In addition, the parties discussed efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic and the schedule of further bilateral contacts.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak stated at an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on March 30 that 28 battalion tactical groups of the Russian Armed Forces had been stationed along the state border of Ukraine.

On March 31, during a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine was extended by another year - until March 31, 2022.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Ann Linde, stated that the mandate extends to the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

op
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1)  More than 1,300 healthcare workers have completed their COVID-19 vaccination one month into the government's inoculation drive.

The National Task Force Against COVID-19 on Thursday reported that 1,344 medical frontliners have received two doses of vaccines as of Tuesday.

This means only 0.074% of the estimated 1.8 million healthcare workers in the country have been protected against contracting severe COVID-19 and death.

Meanwhile, 737,569 people have gotten their first dose of either vaccines made by Sinovac or AstraZeneca  the only COVID-19 shots available in the country. Sinovac doses are taken 28 days apart, while the two shots of AstraZeneca are taken four to 12 weeks apart.

Despite criticisms on the slow rollout of vaccines, government officials assured that the current pace of the COVID-19 vaccination will rise exponentially once the bulk of the government-procured doses, as well as those from the global initiative COVAX, arrive in the country.

This week, the national government started the "simultaneous vaccination" of the top three priority groups  healthcare workers, elderlies, and people with comorbidities  to speed up immunization efforts.

The Philippines has so far received a total of 2,525,600 vaccine doses through donations and procurement.
San Antonio, there's a new ice cream shop opening soon, and it has all your favorite snacks.

Family-owned Tropicana Ice Cream is hosting its grand opening with $1.99 paletas and ice cream from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 3, at its shop at 8223 Marbach Rd.
YORKTOWN, Va., March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Come ready to experience an Easter like never before. Join Waters Edge Church for Easter services. WEC will kick off Easter weekend with an on-demand Good Friday experience online at watersedgechurch.net. Then, on April 3 and 4, Waters Edge Church will host 16 identical, hope-filled Easter services across four campuses in Newport News, Williamsburg, Yorktown and online. Guests visiting in person will experience a safe, socially distanced service, while kids, ages 6 weeks to fifth grade, enjoy WEC's newly redesigned kids' environments. Kids will play games and receive an age-appropriate Easter message.

Join us on April 3 or 4 for a hope-filled Easter service!

Save a seat! Guests will be required to register for free tickets to attend. Visit watersedgechurch.net/easter for a list of service times and locations.

We'll change the way you think about church!

Related Images

easter-with-waters-edge-church.jpg

Easter with Waters Edge Church

Join us on April 3 or 4 for a hope-filled Easter service!





SOURCE Waters Edge Church
Most egg hunts aren't happening this Easter due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a new event will give families in the Auburn area an opportunity to safely comb their surroundings for colorful prizes.

AuburnRox, a painted rock community scavenger hunt group, will host a local event from 5 p.m. Friday, April 2, through 5 p.m. Sunday, April 4. The group's founder, Jenna Dorsey, told The Citizen that the locations of the event will be announced on Facebook when it begins so that participants don't try to search for the hidden items early. But there are four locations, she said, all in the downtown area.

Dorsey created the group after moving to Auburn from Connecticut about five years ago. Familiar with the concept, she thought it would help her meet new people and get outdoors. But it wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic that AuburnRox really started rolling. She believes that's because the hunts require minimal contact with others, and are therefore among the few local family activities available.

"I've gotten a lot of emails and thank yous from moms," she said. "'Thank you for giving my child something to focus on besides video games.'"
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the 25th Anniversary milestone for Brian's Flooring and Design. Since its beginnings, Brian's Flooring and Design has been devoted to being an integral part of the local community. Whether in Bessemer, McCalla, Hoover, Birmingham, or any neighborhood within the metro area, Brian's has made an imprint through its commitment to hard work, honesty and integrity. As co-owner, Brian McCarver has said, "Early on, we didn't even think about it, but we knew we would always treat our customers with respect and no matter what the cost, we were going to do the right thing." This way of doing business has certainly been instrumental to the success and longevity of Brian's.

Since 1996, Brian's Flooring and Design has strived to be a premier flooring company focused on the customer, both in the residential and commercial markets. The Brian's Mission, "To fulfill each customer's flooring vision by providing specialized expertise and unparalleled service," is accomplished by a dedicated group of employees who embody the culture and core values of the Brian's organization--Hard Work, Honesty, Knowledge, Accuracy, Integrity, Excellence, and Service.

As to future growth, co-owner, Brian Hammonds, envisions an expanded footprint in the metro area to include another flooring showroom not currently served by Brian's as well as a new and enhanced warehouse. These additions will allow Brian's Flooring and Design to continue to provide its customers with local convenience, reliable service, and professional expertise.

Additional information about Brian's Flooring and Design can be found on its website: www.shopbriansflooring.com

Media Contact :

Tim Mann

Anniversary Team Leader

205.919.6517

[email protected]

SOURCE Brian's Flooring and Design
WHO report on joint WHO-China study of COVID-19 origins published

09:15, April 01, 2021 By Zhang Penghui, Zhang Jinruo ( People's Daily

Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia)

On March 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on the joint WHO-China study of COVID-19 origins in Geneva, Switzerland, and released a report: WHO-convened Global Study of Origins of SARS-CoV-2: China Part. The report said that the lab-leak theory is "extremely unlikely."

A joint study was conducted from 14 January to 10 February 2021 in the city of Wuhan, China. The joint international team comprised 17 Chinese and 17 international experts from other countries. They made studies in the areas of the following three parts, epidemiology, animals and environment, and the molecular epidemiology and bioinformatics.

The 120-page document, composed after the team's 28-day field study in Wuhan, the capital city of China's Hubei Province earlier this year, shed light on the likeliness of different pathways for the origins of COVID-19.

They concluded that it's a "likely to very likely pathway" for the virus to infect humans through an intermediate host, while introduction of the virus through a laboratory incident was "extremely unlikely." And in between, direct zoonotic spillover is considered to be a possible-to-likely pathway, while cold food chain products are a possible pathway.

The report also mentioned that "some of the suspected positive samples were detected even earlier than the first case in Wuhan, suggesting the possibility of missed circulation in other countries," adding that "Nonetheless, it is important to investigate these potential early events."

The report also raised recommendations for further study from the joint international team, including continuing to develop an integrated global database, sequencing early cases or samples collected in future SARS-CoV-2-global tracing studies, establishing a global expert group to support joint traceability research on the suspected origin of the epidemic, and analyzing the different role of the cold chain in the possible introduction of the virus in a market and the possible spread within a market following the introduction of the virus in a market by an infected human.

A Member State Briefing on the report of the international team studying the origins of SARS-CoV-2 is held on the same day. Peter K. Ben Embarek, leader of the international team of experts to Wuhan, introduced the field work and research results of the team, extending the team's collective sincere thanks to Wuhan locals for their cooperation during their research.

Liang Wannian, leader of the Chinese team of experts, said that the report is the joint efforts of Chinese and foreign experts. He emphasized that the team adhered to scientific method in the research cooperation based on evidence. It is part of the global tracing study. All the conclusions and recommendations of the report are based on a global perspective, and future research will not be limited to a certain region.

Chen Xu, head of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, said that the international experts from China and the WHO had demonstrated a scientific and open spirit and the Chinese government at all levels had provided necessary assistance for their work in Wuhan, which fully reflected the open, transparent and responsible attitude of China, and was highly appreciated by experts from both sides. The traceability research is a scientific work that should be carried out by global scientists. It is also a global task. The China-WHO joint research will play a good role in promoting traceability in other countries and regions around the world, and provide positive and useful guidance for better understanding the virus.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
She's the Victoria's Secret model who never fails to turn heads with her stunning appearance.

And Joy Corrigan was at it again on Monday as she put on a showstopping display during a high fashion photoshoot in Beverly Hills.

The 26-year-old wowed in a billowing pink vintage gown by Roberto Cavalli and towering nude heels as she posed up a storm in middle of the street.

Traffic-stopping: Joy Corrigan put on a showstopping display during a high fashion photoshoot in Beverly Hills on Monday

The stunner was sure to stop traffic as she strutted up and down the tarmac while modelling the jaw-dropping strapless ensemble which featured a short skirt, a long train and a ruffled hem.

Adding a touch of bling to her ensemble, Joy added a dazzling beaded choker and small diamond stud earrings.

While she kept things simple in the hair and make-up department; styling her blonde locks with a simple centre parting, while highlighting her features with a dewy make-up palette.

The North Carolina born beauty was in her element as she swished her elaborate gown back and fourth while pulling a number of poses.

Work it: The 26-year-old wowed in a billowing pink vintage gown by Roberto Cavalli and towering nude heels as she posed up a storm in middle of the street

However, at one point, she did become a tad windswept as a gust of wind whipped up her flowing tresses.

In her personal life, Joy is currently enjoying a romance with Mehran Moghaddam, who is the founder and CEO of the cannabis company Kurvana.

Alongside her modeling career she has acted in movies and started a clothing line with her sister Gina called Naked Species.

'Ive always loved fashion and my sister is really good on the business side,' Joy explained in an interview with AfterBuzz TV last year.

Wow: The stunner was sure to stop traffic as she strutted up and down the tarmac while modelling the jaw-dropping strapless ensemble which featured a short skirt, a long train and a ruffled hem

Stunning: Adding a touch of bling to her ensemble, Joy added a dazzling beaded choker and small diamond stud earrings

Walk this way: The North Carolina born beauty was in her element as she swished her elaborate gown back and fourth while pulling a number of poses

'We wanted a clothing brand that gives back and helps endangered species. We partnered with the Wild Tomorrow Fund and 10% of the proceeds goes to them.'

Joy got a plug in for the clothes as well saying: 'The most important thing with the brand are the designs...they are a little more edgy.'

Meanwhile on the acting front she has acted in such projects as the 2018 action movie Reprisal which starred Bruce Willis.

Careful! However, at one point, she did become a tad windswept as a gust of wind whipped up her flowing tresses

Joy called the experience of working with Bruce 'such an honor' and explained that she 'learned so much' from observing him.

'He is such an inspiration and his work ethic is impeccable. He only has a few takes,' said Joy whose movies also include the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Aftermath.

She dished that Bruce 'Comes super prepared and has this confidence and energy. Its cool to watch. Hopefully I can be like that.'

Joy's career began when she was just 14 years old and got scouted at a shopping mall in Raleigh, North Carolina.
[April 01, 2021] aeCyberSolutions Introduces aeCyberPHA Facilitation Suite for Users to Self-Perform Compliant ICS Risk Assessments

aeCyberSolutions, the Industrial Cybersecurity division of aeSolutions, announces the aeCyberPHA Facilitation Suite for industrial asset owners looking to self-perform, maintain, and manage cyber PHA (process hazards analysis) cyber-safety risk assessments. The suite includes an all-in-one package of the tools, training, and guidance needed to successfully lead an ISA/ IEC (News - Alert) 62443-3-2 compliant risk assessment per the proven cyber PHA methodology. "Choosing the right method to assess cybersecurity risk can be a challenge, and effectively conducting studies can be more challenging still. As a result, many operational technology (OT) professionals lack the necessary experience and tools to facilitate and maintain cyber PHAs," said John Cusimano, Vice President of aeCyberSolutions. "With the aeCyberPHA Facilitation Suite, the entire organization will quickly realize the benefits of ownership of the cyber PHA process and will be able to effectively make the connection between process safety and cybersecurity risk." While cyber PHA is a proven method in the industrial industry, it can still lead to sub-par results if the risk assessment team lacks the tools and training needed to conduct the study effectively and efficiently Risk assessment work processes and templates, while seemingly simple, are notoriously challenging to develop and manage.



What has become the de facto methodology for ICS risk assessment, Cyber PHA links realistic threat scenarios with known vulnerabilities and existing countermeasures and couples them with credible consequences from the PHA to determine cyber risk. For facilities that do not have a formal PHA, credible worst-case scenarios are incorporated into the template. The toolset codifies aeCyberSolutions' internal knowledge and expertise that have been refined in executing hundreds of successful cyber PHA studies, including risk assessment templates, company-specific template customization, integrated libraries, comprehensive training, and expert support guides. "Until now, asset owners have had to hire consultants or develop internal tools to conduct Cyber PHAs," Cusimano added. "Our new facilitation suite is truly the first of its kind in the industry and leverages our team's tremendous experience and best practices in leading hundreds of studies and dozens of custom risk assessments to build an ideal toolset and training for Cyber PHA teams. Users of the facilitation suite will find that the toolset is easily adopted across different industry sectors and product lines, while leveraging the integrated library of common recommendations and industry best practices."

About aeCyberSolutions aeCyberSolutions, the Industrial Cybersecurity division of aeSolutions, exclusively provides industrial cybersecurity services including risk assessments, program development, implementation, support, and training to clients in oil and gas, chemicals, maritime, water, industrial gases, and other process industries. A leader in the intersection of cybersecurity and process safety, aeCyberSolutions helps clients identify and address cybersecurity risks in a manner that is consistent with the engineering methods already in place for process safety risk management. They do so by leveraging existing information and practices while presenting a single, consistent expression of risk to senior management. The aeCyberSolutions team is exclusively staffed with personnel who have strong industrial automation backgrounds and general IT and IT security backgrounds and credentials. This combination of IT and Operational Technology (OT) expertise is essential for working in the field of industrial cybersecurity. aeCyberSolutions is based in Greenville, SC. For more information, visit www.aesolutions.com/aecyberpha-facilitation-suite, www.aeCyberSolutions.com, or follow @aesolns. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005639/en/

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A pro-Trump lawyer allegedly punched the boss of a non-profit foundation and pulled the man's own gun on him after being accused of using the organization for political gain, Law & Crime podcast 'Objections' reported.

Lin Wood reportedly threatened Dave Hancock, the then-executive director of the #FightBack Foundation, during a heated argument over the allegations on October 21, 2020.

The argument centered around allegations that Wood had helped the Foundation raise money for Kenosha shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse primarily for political gain.

Wood allegedly pulled the gun from Hancock's holster and later punched the non-profit organization chief during the exchange.

Lin Wood (left) reportedly threatened Dave Hancock (right), the then-executive director of the #FightBack Foundation during a heated argument on October 21, 2020

The argument reportedly started when Hancock raised concerns Wood had helped the Foundation raise money for Kenosha shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse primarily for political gain

The allegations were revealed in tapes played on the Objections podcast on Tuesday.

Audio recordings reveal Wood saying: 'I grabbed your gun away because you were threatening me... You're in my house. I think the police will believe me.'

Hancock also alleges Wood punched him in the face during the exchange, but neither of the men decided to press charges, the Daily Beast reported.

Recordings played on the podcast reveal Hancock telling police: 'He's an angry 68-year-old man... He doesn't have that much of a right hook. So I don't want to pursue anything on that.'

The exchange happened after Hancock told Wood he was concerned he was using the non-profit organization for personal political benefit, including to help a fundraiser for the Senate campaign of Doug Collins.

Lin Wood is pictured with Donald Trump in the Oval Office on March 11, 2020

Wendy Rittenhouse, mother of the Kenosha shooter suspect, also told the podcast she thought Wood had only supported the case to raise bail money for Kyle for political benefit.

Kyle Rittenhouse was 17 when he was arrested on suspicion of shooting dead two men and injuring a third during Black Lives Matters protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August.

He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide, but has claimed self-defense.

He posted a $2million bail, which non-profit foundation #FightBack helped to raise for his release on November 20.

She told the podcast: 'They (Wood and fellow conservative John Pierce) used Kyle to gain money, gain Twitter followers, I feel now they didn't care about Kyle.'

Kyle Rittenhouse (pictured) was arrested in Auguston suspicion of shooting dead two men and injuring a third during Black Lives Matters protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin

Wendy reportedly requested an audit of the money raised by the #FightBack Foundation, but Wood refused to comply, claims he later denied in an email statement

Rittenhouse reportedly requested an audit of the money raised by the #FightBack Foundation, but Wood refused to comply.

She said: 'He used my son's image to make profit off of that. And I asked for an accounting of it. And I never got it. I was ignored.

'They used a 17-year-old kid's image for their own political gain.'

Wood reportedly denied the claims in an email to Law & Crime and said the foundation would be willing to submit documents for an audit which was required by law.

Rittenhouse has cut ties with #FightBack and launched domain called FreeKyleUSA to raise funds for her son's legal defense.

She also told the podcast Wood had harmed her son's defense by promoting messaging which did more to support their political ambitions than her son's best interests.

In one example, Pierce told FoxNews that Kyle would use a Second Amendment defense on the weapons charge and that he had a right to carry the gun as part of a 'militia'.

Rittenhouse said the claim was untrue and damaging to her son's case.

She also said the attorney had advised her Kyle should stay in jail until after the election over concerns mass protests would erupt.

Rittenhouse told the podcast: '[Wood] told me that my son would be safe in jail because he thought that on the night of the election  [it] was Nov. 3 or the fourth, I can't remember what day the election was on  that there was going to be Armageddon going to happen'.

She blamed Wood and Pierce's advice for Kyle's 87-day stay in jail.

Wood also denied these allegations, saying as he was not a criminal defense attorney he could not represent Kyle in this capacity.

He said he agreed to the decision, but did not say who had made it, because of death threats to Kyle.

But, recordings played in the podcast appear to prove Wood promoted the plan to leave Kyle in jail until after the presidential election.

On the recording, Wood can be heard saying 'keep this boy in that youth facility in Illinois... and the longer he can stay there, the better, because if things get as bad as they could half as bad as I think they will get, he's safe there and nobody's going to care much about handling criminal or civil cases'.

#FightBack Foundation was co-funded in August by Wood and Pierce, who soon took on Kyle's case.

But in December, prosecutors in the case termed the foundation a potentially self-dealing 'unregulated and opaque slush fund'.

The allegation prompted the Rittenhouse family to fire Pierce.

Wood is a North Carolina-born defamation lawyer who helped peddle claims former President Donald Trump won re-election in November's presidential election.

Wood is a North Carolina-born defamation lawyer known for several high-profile cases (pictured, Wood and Sidney Powell hold a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on March 25. MIRAFLORES / EFE/ MIRAFLORES

During the coronavirus pandemic, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has drawn attention for violating social media policies against sharing fake news and misinformation. His Facebook page, which has been blocked for the past month, is another outlet the president has added to his foxhole of Chavist communication. More than 115 media outlets in the country have shut down during his presidency. According to watchdogs including the Press and Society Institute (IPYS) and Public Space, censorship and government control of the media has increased during the pandemic. In a report titled The Virus and Censorship, published by the IPYS in March, 25 digital media outlets are recorded as having been blocked in 2020. This in addition to the rise in journalist arrests and the 374 cases of violations of freedom of expression and information.

The management and release of information concerning the pandemic have been concentrated in the political apparatus of the government, denying technical and scientific voices a platform. While government control over the media increases, Maduro has appeared on the dais of the national television channels almost daily in a self-appointed role of expert, holding forth on scientific and medical matters while espousing miracle cures for the coronavirus and laying out conspiracy theories over the spread of the virus.

A weapon of war

Before Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) and at a time when Latin American countries remained relatively untouched by its advance, Maduro flew the flag for a theory that the novel coronavirus discovered in a Wuhan market was a weapon of war directed against China. There is much global analysis that shows the coronavirus could be a strain created for biological warfare against China, he said in February 2020. We have to raise our voices, call attention to this and sound the alarm. Let us hope that the coronavirus is not a weapon of war being used against China and against the people of the world in general.

Herbs, lemon and ginger

Last March, when according to official data fewer than 100 coronavirus cases had been reported in Venezuela, Maduro announced that so-called scientist Sirio Quintero had found a supposed cure for Covid-19. A concoction of lemongrass, elderberry, lemon and ginger would see off the virus according to Quintero, who had previously suggested the same herbal remedy could cure cancer. Maduro described him as doctor, despite Quintero lacking any recognized medical qualifications, and invited him to the presidential palace of Miraflores. Quinteros references are listed on the pro-government website Aporrea, where he is a regular columnist. He claims to have studied philosophy of science in Italy and Germany and applied nanotechnology in biomedicine and toxicology in academies in Germany and Russia. Quinteros biography also credits him with inventing the protocol of bioelectric medicine and human re-constitutive wave genetics. A Twitter post advertising Quinteros Covid-19 cure and containing links to his articles that stated that coronavirus was an intracellular parasite designed by the imperial powers for use as a weapon of bio-terrorism were deleted from the social media site. That was the first yellow card for Maduros irrepressible discourse.

Chloroquine, ozone therapy and homeopathic drops

While lacking the fervor of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and former US president Donald Trump, leaders representing his political antithesis, Maduro nonetheless aligned himself with them in support of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine  treatments for malaria and lupus  despite medical evidence that they are ineffectual against Covid-19. Against international recommendations, the drug was included in a treatment kit, along with others lacking medical backing of efficacy such as Ivermectin, and distributed at isolation centers for people with possible cases and asymptomatic patients who had already been treated with other medicines. Maduro also supported other experimental therapies and was on the verge of incorporating them into the Health Ministrys public treatment plans. These included Interferon alfa-2b, an antiviral drug developed in Cuba; homeopathic drops also from Cuba; plasma treatment; ozone therapy and alternative medicines, none of which have enough scientific evidence to be considered effective against Covid-19.

The Colombian virus

Maduro also shared theories about the propagation of the virus that were more to do with his political stance than with epidemiology. The return of Venezuelan migrants from Colombia to the country during the first months of the pandemic  some 160,000 throughout 2020, according to figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs  was held up by Maduro as the cause of the spread of the coronavirus in the country. We are under attack from the Colombian virus that [Colombian President] Ivan Duque is sending with the trocheros [people using illegal border crossing routes], Maduro said in July. No other country in the world is subjected to an invasion of the virus from another country. The Venezuelan leader also described migrants returning from Colombia as biological weapons.

Nullify the virus 100%

On October 25, 2020, Maduro stated that Venezuelan scientists had discovered a molecule called TR-10, which was capable of destroying coronavirus. Venezuela has produced a medicine that nullifies the virus 100%, he said via social media with a picture of a vial containing a yellow liquid. Without providing any medical backing, Maduro claimed he had initiated the process of certification with the WHO to ratify the results obtained by the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC). The active ingredient of the molecule is a derivative of a plant-based ursolic acid, which is not harmful to humans and has been tested against hepatitis B, human papillomavirus infection and Ebola, and which has been investigated by the IVIC in in-vitro virus replication studies against Covid-19.

The tears of Doctor Hernandez

The latest treatment to receive the presidential seal of approval against coronavirus is Carvativir, better-known in Venezuela as the tears of Doctor Jose Gregorio Hernandez, a name bestowed by Maduro in honor of the famed 19th-century physician beatified by the Catholic Church. Carvativir is a thyme-based oral treatment that, according to Maduro, neutralizes the cells of the virus. It has been distributed across the country and will be available in pharmacies after Maduro insisted it had met all the necessary pharmaceutical, biological and molecular standards. It can be used as a prophylactic, to strengthen the immune system. It is used curatively and therapeutically in all cases: asymptomatic, mild, moderate, serious and very serious, and for post-Covid treatment. Maduro claimed the miracle drops had been developed at the IVIC. However, a statement issued by researchers at the institute said that they had no knowledge of these studies.

English version by Rob Train.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

Crushing the Great Reset in a Non-Unipolar World

March 31 , 2021 (EIRNS)Despite the frantic efforts of the Federal Reserves QE4ever program and similar financial easing from other runny emitters of currency in the trans-Atlantic world, the inevitable financial blowout following decades of collapse of the physical productivity of the trans-Atlantic worlda collapse made all the more astonishing and sickening when contrasted not to the past, but to what could have been the presentis driving the present would-be rulers of Olympus to promote, nakedly, policies of direct population reduction through suicidal economic policy and warfare.

But these policies can no longer be forced through.

The unipolar post-U.S.S.R. world order, in which the Anglo-American special relationship exerted enormous and unchallenged powerof the military, financial, and policy frontsis over. The just-released U.S. State Departments 2020 human rights report falls all over itself making claims about genocide in China, claims which are unsupported by facts on the ground and for which numerous professions of agreement can no longer reliably be elicited from other nations by the threat of falling out of the U.S.s good graces.

The enormous hypocrisy, the vast disparity between, on the one hand, claims of support for human rights with, on the other, the reality of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Iran, and Yemen, this chasm can not be ignored. As Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said today, The U.S. has no right whatsoever to criticize China on human rights issue. Let the curtain fall on this U.S.-staged play. Its time for U.S. politicians to wake up from their Truman Show.

The nature of the recent discussion between Macron, Merkel, and Putin, in which the necessity of adhering to the Minsk Agreements was reasserted and the potential for use of the Sputnik V vaccine was raised, is just one example of how the unipolar world is crumbling. The proposal by the President of Finland to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Accords by bringing the U.S., China, and Russia to discuss climate and Arctic issues, while off the mark in the proposed topics, is correct in identifying the necessary participants. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a similar reference to the formation of the OSCE coming out of the Helsinki Accords when he proposed, during the Valdai Conference in Moscow, a platform comprising all the stakeholders in the Southwest Asia-Persian Gulf-North Africa region to reach final settlements regarding Syria, Libya, Iran and the Arab Gulf states, and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Russias independence of action and its brilliant strategic interventions, along with Chinas meteoric economic rise through policies that once characterized the United States and which China is now exporting in an increasingly worldwide way, are changing the world. Terms from London, dictated for American and European stenographers, no longer hold sway.

While some trans-Atlantic stink tanks continue to disgrace themselves by peddling fantasies about the Belt and Road Initiative as a neocolonialist debt-trap, many others are realizing that they cannot pooh-pooh the enormous Chinese initiative out of existence. While some look for opportunities to smear Chinas record on Covid, the reality of that nations vaccine exports cannot be denied. Where the U.S. offers weapons contracts and threats, Chinese firms offer infrastructure and financing. Where the U.K. brings chaos in Southwest Asia, Russia offers a path towards regional stability.

The greatest flank the British have is the mass-suicide proposal known as the Great Reset, the most destructive anti-development population-reduction policy short of actual military conflict menacing the world today. For the United States and Europe not to sink into a historical condition far worse than mere irrelevance, the Great Reset policy, and the fraudulent Malthusian outlook that serves to advance it, must be defeated and replaced.

But with what?

The magnificent Schiller Institute Conference of March 20-21 demonstrated the quality of thoughtful, polemical, and agapic deliberation required, as well as the power of the international dynamic created in significant part through the efforts of the LaRouche movement, to shape that better future. Prepare for that Institutes next conference, to be held in May, by taking actions over the coming days and weeks to crush the Great Reset and bring to life the physical economic potential of the creative human species.
NASHVILLE  The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is once again partnering with The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to provide needed support so Tennessees child care agencies can remain open and operational during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately $15 million in grant assistance will be available for licensed agencies through the Child Care COVID Relief Grant Program.

These grant awards will be based upon the licensed capacity of the agency and they will provide for eligible expenditures including but not limited to:

 Cleaning and sanitation.

 Increased operating expenses such as salaries, insurance, rent, and personal protective equipment.

Availability of quality child care is critical to Tennessee communities and continuing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, said TDHS Clarence H. Carter. These grants will support child care providers with the financial assistance they need for expenses like cleaning, salaries, and PPE so they can continue delivering care that is safe, healthy, and educationally rich.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee will be administering the grants in collaboration with TDHS. Over the next 4-6 weeks, DHS licensed child care agencies will be contacted directly by ChildcareTennessee, an initiative of The Community Foundation, and given instructions for how to apply for funds through a simplified process based upon their licensed capacity.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but were not quite there yet, said Gina Tek, Senior Manager of ChildcareTennessee. By offering this continued support to child care providers, we are ensuring child care is available as Tennessees economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic continues.

Last year TDHS and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee worked together to award over $52 million in grants to licensed child care agencies that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the March 3, 2020 tornado disaster. These grants represent one part of Tennessees more than $500 million investment into early childhood education through routine and pandemic child care activities since the pandemic first began in March 2020.

Funding for the Child Care COVID Relief Grant Program is provided through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA). Additional child care funding will be coming to Tennessee through the American Rescue Plan. TDHS is currently developing plans to deploy these funds to support families and licensed child care providers.

Learn more about the Tennessee Department of Human Services at www.tn.gov/humanservices.

###


American President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday a $2 trillion spending plan that is, in his words, "a once-in-a-generation investment in America."

Biden said it is the largest American jobs investment since World War II. He added it will create millions of jobs, grow the economy and help the country compete against China.

The plan is the first of Bidens two proposals called the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. He promised to release the second plan in a few weeks.

The Biden administration said in a statement that the American Jobs Plan provides money to improve the countrys roads and bridges and to build charging stations for electric vehicles. Other projects include housing for the poor, expansion of high-speed internet service, and money for research and manufacturing.

The administration said the plan would be paid for by raising the U.S. corporate tax rate from 21 to 28 percent, establishing a minimum tax rate on corporate earnings, and ending tax breaks for fossil fuel companies and others.

Whats in the $2 trillion spending plan?

The Biden administration said the largest amount of money, $621 billion, would go to transportation projects. These include fixing 32,000 kilometers of highways, repairing 10,000 bridges and building 500,000 charging stations. The plan is designed to push the nations automobile industry to build more electric vehicles.

The plan includes $400 billion to expand home-based care for older people and the disabled. One of the largest investments includes $213 billion to help build housing for the poor. Another $111 billion will go to new water and sewage system for homes. High-speed internet, clean energy for electrical systems and public schools will each receive a $100 billion investment.

The plan will also invest more than $500 billion to help manufacturing in the country, retrain workers and support research and development.

Biden announced the plan in an appearance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the same city in which he launched his presidential campaign.

The city once famous for its steel factories was central to the rise of American industrial power. As steel manufacturing disappeared over time, Pittsburgh re-invented itself as a center of health care, technology and academic research.

Whats next for the plan?

The new spending proposal came just 20 days after Biden signed into law a $1.9 trillion spending plan to help Americans affected by the coronavirus health crisis. Lawmakers in the presidents Democratic Party have expressed support for the plan. Republican Party lawmakers have criticized it.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the plan is about making an investment in America  not just modernizing our roads or railways or bridges but building an infrastructure of the future.

Mitch McConnell, the leader of Senate Republicans, said he is not likely to support the spending proposal. He said the plan will result in more borrowed money, and massive tax increases on all the productive parts of our economy.

McConnell told reporters that Biden spoke to him about the spending plan in a call on Tuesday.

The Business Roundtable is an organization of American business leaders. It supports what it calls user pay models for infrastructure building. And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business interest group, called Bidens plan "dangerously misguided" in how it expects to pay for infrastructure improvement.

At the same time, some members of Bidens own Democratic party think the infrastructure spending plan should be bigger.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called the plan not nearly enough in a Twitter post. She noted that it calls for spending $2.25 trillion over 10 years as compared to the coronavirus spending plan of $1.9 trillion for this year alone.

The plan, Ocasio-Cortez added, Needs to be way bigger.

I'm Caty Weaver.

Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

infrastructure - n. basic equipment and structures such as roads and bridges

fossil fuel - n. fuel such as gas or coal

academic - adj. relating to schools and education
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Inne oferty, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan:
Halima Elias Mtwethe from Mtepa Village in southern Tanzania is one of the smallholder farmers who borrowed from the Mahanje Savings and Credit Co-operative Society (SACCOS).

Madaba/Mafinga, Tanzania  Small agricultural loans, disbursed through mobile phones and targeting specific farming activities at different phases of production, have more than doubled food productivity among thousands of smallholder farmers in southern and central parts of Tanzania over the past three years, improving their livelihoods.

IPS travelled the region this month and spoke to many farmers who attested to how the new form of controlled village-specific lending resulted in their successful harvest.

Peter Lulandala, a smallholder farmer from central Tanzania's Iringa Province, is one of those farmers.

Lulandala is servicing a TZS one million ($312) loan he borrowed from a local community bank. The problem was that once the money had been paid out to him in a single instalment he was unable to keep aside the funds for the various farming phases.

"We could borrow money, which was usually given in a single batch mostly during the planting season. For most of us, it was extremely difficult to keep part of the money in our houses or on personal bank accounts just to wait for the weeding or harvesting season.

"As smallholder farmers in the villages, we have many urgent things that always require cash. For example, it will be very difficult to see my children go to bed for the second day in a row without food and yet I have cash under my pillow or in my personal account," Lulandala told IPS.

That was until three years ago when an innovative new money lending product became available in his village. Through the new model, smallholder farmers who belong to particular groups (like farmer groups or reside in certain villages), are expected to save some money with a targeted financial institution before borrowing three times their savings.

"This is an innovative product introduced to us by the Alliance for as Green Revolution in Africa in collaboration with the Small Entrepreneurs Loan Facility (SELF) project to help smallholder farmers access agricultural finance, and to help them use the money for the intended purpose," said Khassim Masengo, the manager of Mahanje Savings and Credit Co-operative Society (SACCOS) in Madaba District, Ruvuma Province, southern Tanzania.

Farmers are guaranteed by two signatures of fellow group members. What makes the SACCOS lending different is that once the loan is approved, the farmer can only access it in phases.

"We disburse it in three phases so that the farmers can only access what they need during the planting season, then the second disbursement can only be released at the right time for weeding and top-dressing, and finally the last payment is for harvesting and post-harvest handling," Masengo told IPS.

Lulandala said the new lending structure has worked for him.

"But since this particular cash is kept by the bank and with an agreement on how it will be disbursed, I will always look for an alternative way to feed my children as the money waits for the intended purpose," said the farmer who hails from Itengulinyi village, 15 kilometres off the main highway that connects Makambako and Iringa towns.

The farmers are expected to pay back the loans after harvest.

"Once they harvest, we encourage them to keep their produce with particular warehouses, and based on the warehouse receipts, we can give them personal loans worth half of their produce for immediate domestic use or further investment as they wait for better prices," explained Masengo.

According to Hedwig Siewertsen, the head of Inclusive Finance at AGRA, many African smallholder farmers fail to achieve their full potential because they have no access to agricultural finance.

She said that unless farmers have collateral to show that they can pay back loans, banks would not loan to them. Siewertsen noted that there was need to come up with innovative means through which smallholder farmers can access agricultural finance without necessarily offering collateral.

"Our main aim is to improve the quality, cost-effectiveness, access and impact of financial and agribusiness products and services for smallholder farmers in Africa," said Siewertsen.

According to the Food Sustainability Index (FSI), created by Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) and the Economist Intelligence Unit, increasing food productivity is vital, given the population growth and intensifying climate change. And this, according to the report, can only be achieved through new innovations.

It also notes that sustainable agriculture needs funding and this is particularly difficult in developing countries.

"It can be hard to funnel money in from investors, particularly for developing countries. In the FSI, the top ten countries most likely to attract investment in sustainable agriculture are all European, with the exception of the US and Israel. And while most countries in the index offer some form of public financing for agricultural innovation, 12 countries--nine of which are in sub- Saharan Africa--do not," the report notes.

Unlike MUCOBA Bank, which works with farmers in small groups of 10 to 15 members, Mahanje SACCOS works with villages. This means that SACCOS's offerings are specific to members of these villages and it also allows for traceability and easy service provision.

It also gives SACCOS security because they are able to engage the borrowers in person and from their homes.

"For one to qualify for a farming loan from this SACCOS, the first requirement is that they must be descendants of one of the eight targeted villages, and that must be confirmed by the village elder of that particular village," said Masengo.

"The main reason is that we need to work with farmers who are well known by the villagers, and whom we can access for extension services," he said.

So far, 2,847 members of Mahanje SACCOS, among them 892 female farmers who hail from the neighbouring villages of Mahanje, Madaba, Lituta, Mtepa, Magingo, Mkongotema, Lukira and Kipingo in Madaba District, Ruvuma Province, Tanzania have become net producers of maize and beans over the past three years. They are now able to export their produce to neighbouring districts.

SACCOS has since been converted into a fully fledged bank registered by the Central Bank of Tanzania, and it is offering credit and savings services, but specifically for farmers from the eight target villages.

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However, MUCOBA Bank, which is a community bank headquartered in Mafinga town in Central Tanzania, covers a larger area and targets smallholder farmers in far areas that do not have good infrastructural access to urban centres. It currently has some 50 farmer member groups.

"Our bank has agents who are also our agricultural extension officers on the ground whom we use to register farmers through farmer groups, then send us information via internet," Philipo Raymond, the general manager for MUCOBA bank, told IPS.

With MUCOBA Bank, qualifying farmers are then given their money through mobile phones, and once they harvest, they can service their loans through the same digital channel.

With both institutions, farmers have been able to borrow as little as TZS200,000 ($87) or as much as TZS15 million ($6,520).

"Besides receiving the moneys in batches to serve specific needs, use of M-Pesa payment has made it easier for us because we do not have to travel all the way to town, and we have reduced the risk of carrying hard cash in our pockets," Emanik Mgwiranga, the chair of the Nguvu Kazi Itengulinyi farmers group from Itengulinyi Village, 44 kilometres from the nearest town, Mafinga, told IPS.

The main crops grown are maize, beans and rice, but some farmers also include Irish potatoes.

In addition, the Mahanje SACCOS has introduced indigenous poultry farming to cushion farmers when farming seasons fail or when market prices for their produce are still low.
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GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Joann Hoganson, health liaison for Kent Countys K-12 schools, is worried West Michigan could see a surge on top of a surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks.

The cause? Spring break.

Spring break lands on the first week of April this year for most schools across West Michigan. And after a year full of COVID-19 lockdowns, rules and regulations, families may be itching to travel next week, said Hoganson, who coordinates with schools on behalf of the Kent County Health Department.

School leaders across West Michigan say they are worried a surge in cases linked to travel could force schools to switch to remote learning after spring break.

While widespread vaccination efforts bring a light to the end of the tunnel in the coronavirus pandemic, Hoganson said things are not back to normal yet. West Michigan is fighting a new surge in COVID-19 cases, along with the rest of the state.

Health officials are concerned the latest increase in COVID-19 cases will become a third wave in the pandemic, particularly as more contagious variant strains become more prevalent. The latest surge in coronavirus cases is putting younger people in the hospital compared to a previous surge last fall.

RELATED: 6 ways that Michigans current COVID-19 spike differs from fall surge

If we were to see even more cases or signs of the more contagious variant, it very well could put us back into a fully remote learning situation at some of our schools, said Dan Behm, superintendent of Forest Hills Public Schools. And we dont want to do that. We want to be able to go through this final part of the school year creating really good memories for kids and family.

Other spring school activities, like graduation and prom, could also be jeopardized if the virus continues to spread among students and their families, said Jason Craner, spokesperson for Holland Public Schools.

We are concerned that some of our spring activities could be at risk after numbers spike from spring break, Craner said. To be honest, Im less concerned about schools being open than I am about people getting very sick or going to the hospital or dying from this. I also want schools to stay open.

Holland is one of several West Michigan school districts that moved some students to remote learning this week in an effort to slow the spread of the virus ahead of spring break.

North Muskegon Public Schools also switched to online-only learning this week because 10% of the districts 969 students were either in quarantine or isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 or being identified as a close contact.

Superintendent Curt Babcock warned the trajectory of COVID-19 cases within the Muskegon community over spring break will determine whether kids can come back to school. In a March 26 letter to families, Babcock pleaded with the school community to make decisions that will promote the wellbeing of all.

Our behaviors over spring break are crucial to our return to what we all want  our kids in our school learning with their teachers and staff, Babcock wrote in the letter. We all need to be on the same page relative to mitigation strategies. There seems to be no other way for us to move forward; wear a mask, social/physical distance, keep your and your childs in-person social circle small, and wash hands regularly.

While experts attribute the latest COVID-19 surge to the reopening of schools, data shows classrooms may not necessarily be the source of infection, Hoganson said.

Many cases in students are being linked to the household setting, Hoganson said. For example, someone in the students household tests positive, and the student is then placed in quarantine and later tests positive as well.

We are definitely seeing an increase in cases amongst students, but most of the children that are testing positive have household contacts, Hoganson said. So, they are testing positive but we dont think theyre getting infection in the classroom setting.

RELATED: Who and where Michigans coronavirus surge is hitting hardest

Hoganson said some of the COVID-19 spread can be attributed to people just getting tired of following safety protocols like social distancing, mask use and hand washing. But health leaders are concerned that COVID-19 fatigue could leave many Michiganders anxious to travel next week, Hoganson said.

I think we are definitely seeing people who are tired of staying home, she said. Theres a lot of people that have anxiously waited for this moment and maybe just saying, Ive had it, Im going to take a trip, I put it off long enough.

Spring break travel is expected to reach nearly pre-pandemic levels this month as estimates for the busy spring break period between April 1 and 10 continue to rise at Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

Airport officials said they expect next week to be the busiest week of travel since the start of the pandemic, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Kent County Health Department is encouraging schools to limit face-to-face interactions in the week following spring break by switching to hybrid or remote learning, Hoganson said.

Grand Rapids Public Schools has already taken action following the health departments recommendations, delaying its plans to extend in-person learning to four days a week.

Forest Hills also announced its high school students will be fully virtual on the first day back from spring break on Monday, April 12.

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.

More on MLive:

Spring break travel out of Grand Rapids airport expected near pre-pandemic level

Grand Rapids delays expansion of in-person learning amid regional COVID-19 surge

Majority of teachers at these West Michigan schools are vaccinated or on track to soon be, leaders say
The 2021 Sony Xperia lineup will be introduced on Wednesday, April 14 at 9:30 AM CEST / 7:30 AM UTC time. As usual in these times were living, Sony will host an online keynote which will be live-streamed on the brands official YouTube channel.

What can we expect to see at this event? For starters the flagship Xperia 1 III. Rumors havent revealed a lot so far but were still expecting a 6.5-inch OLED display with 4K resolution and the signature 21:9 aspect ratio alongside improved brightness.



Render of the Xperia 1 III

Were also expecting the Xperia 10 III which we saw in a Geekbench listing not too long ago with the Snapdragon 765G chipset and 6GB RAM.



Sony Xperia 10 III render

There's also talk of a reborn Xperia Compact phone with a 5.5-inch display but it's still not certain if it will make its way outside of Japan at all.



Rumored Xperia Compact phone

Of course, Sony could surprise us with even more devices but well just have to wait and see whats in store.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 06:25:46|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BRUSSELS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Five European Union (EU) member states will share nearly three million additional "solidarity vaccine" doses following an agreement with the majority of other members, the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU announced on Thursday.

After days of negotiations, EU ambassadors agreed to change a system that usually distributes vaccines between the bloc's 27 countries based on population size. The tweak was aimed at helping the member states that need more vaccines in their fight against the coronavirus.

The discussion came after EU leaders adopted a statement at their summit last week tasking the Committee of Permanent Representatives "to address the issue of the speed of delivery of vaccines when allocating the 10 million BioNTech-Pfizer accelerated doses in the second quarter of 2021 in a spirit of solidarity."

Following the talks, it was agreed that 2.85 million so-called "solidarity vaccine" doses will be shared between Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia.

Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia will receive their full pro-rata share after they refused to be part of the solidarity mechanism, while the other 19 member states will be sharing the remaining 6.66 million doses on a pro-rata basis.

Earlier in March, leaders from five states -- Bulgaria, Austria, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Slovenia -- called for an EU debate on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

In a letter to European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the five 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. Enditem
Assam recorded a voter turnout of 10.51 per cent till 9.30 am across 39 constituencies in 13 districts during the second phase of the state assembly polls, according to the Commission (EC).

The Diphu constituency in the state has witnessed the highest voting percentage with a voter turnout of 17.20 per cent till 9.20 am, while the Marigaon and Laharighat constituencies witnessed the lowest voting percentage with a voter turnout of just six per cent each.

The second phase of polling for assembly elections in the states of West Bengal and Assam began at 7 am on Thursday and is currently underway.

Voting for the second and penultimate phase of Assam assembly elections was temporarily stopped at polling stations at Silchar and Nagaon due to EVM malfunctions.

In Silchar, the polling station number 146 at Nirtamoyee Balika Vidyalaya reported the malfunction, while the breakdown in Nagaon was reported at polling station number 26 at Nowgong Law College.

Over 73.44 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in the second phase of the elections. Of them, 37,34,537 are male voters and 36,09,959 are female voters, while 135 are third gender voters.

The voting will be held on 8,998 polling stations and 556 of them are all-women polling stations.

A total of 310 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies and 90 companies of Assam state police have been deployed for the second phase of polling.

A total of 345 candidates in 39 constituencies across 13 districts are in the fray in this phase of voting.

Polling for the third and last phase will be held on April 6. 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 former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) carrier has been sentenced on a federal charge in Maryland for making false statements to obtain disability compensation.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Ronald S. Repass, age 57, of Poolesville, Maryland, to five years of probation on the federal charge of making false statements or fraud to obtain federal employees disability compensation. Repass was also ordered to pay restitution of $22,000.

Repass admitted that he falsely claimed his inability to work, even though he had worked at various paid jobs between June 2016 and February 2019.

As stated in the indictment, the Department of Labors Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP) administered major disability compensation programs that provided wage loss benefits, medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation and other benefits for federal government employees who became disabled while performing their duties.

Beginning in October 1989, Repass was employed by the USPS at the Poolesville Post Office in Montgomery County, Maryland, according to the indictment. He was a rural carrier on December 5, 2014, when he filed a workers compensation claim after he fell and hurt his right shoulder.

OWCP granted his claim on February 11, 2015, for a right rotator cuff tear based on a finding that Repass was not able to perform any of the routine duties of his job. Repass began receiving benefits of approximately $3,227 per month on February 22, 2015.

The Department of Labor required disabled employees to annually sign and complete a form certifying that they had not worked for the past 15 months. The disabled employees were also required to immediately report any improvement in their medical condition or any part-time or full-time employment.

In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Repass signed and submitted the form stating that he had not worked for any employer, nor was he self-employed or involved in a business enterprise. During those years however, Repass worked part-time as a snow plow driver, as a service advisor at an automotive repair shop, as a field supervisor for a home improvement company, as a plumber, and he installed window blinds and mowed lawns, all in exchange for compensation.

Source: U.S. Attorneys Office, District of Maryland

Topics Carriers Maryland
President El-Sisi Leads Former PM El-Ganzouri's Funeral Procession

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, led the funeral procession of the former Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Kamal El-Ganzouri.

The military funeral was held in the military ceremony area at El-Mosheer Tantawy Mosque, Fifth Settlement.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi offered condolences to the family of the deceased, one of the bright symbols in the history of Egypt, who left our world after a standout journey full of work and giving in the service of the nation.
You are here: World

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Indonesian police killed one terrorist, a woman, in the compound of the national police headquarters on Wednesday afternoon, media TVone said.

The woman carrying a pistol has already been inside the headquarters and pointed the gun to the policemen.

The policemen immediately shot dead the woman.

The woman entered the compound along with some other fellows, the report said, without giving details.
A woman who was kidnapped by a serial killer in night-vision goggles when she was eight years old said her soul is 'finally free' after he died of terminal brain cancer.

Joseph E. Duncan died early on Saturday at a hospital in Terra Haute, Indiana near the federal prison where he was serving his sentence on federal death row, KXLY reported.

Shasta Groene, now in her mid-20s, has issued a written statement following Duncan's death about the man who murdered her entire family.

'One thing is for sure, he does not exist anymore. Now, we can live our lives knowing that. For so long I have been struggling with hate towards that man. Today, I woke up feeling like my soul was finally free,' the statement reads.

'I hope other people affected by Joseph Duncan were able to wake up feeling the same way.'

Groene's statement continued: 'For some reason I can't stop thinking about the Anthony Martinez family the last couple days.'

'They were victims as well as my family. As were Carmen Cubias and Sammie Jo Whites family. I just want to reach out to them. If I could, I would hug them all. If I could, I would take all their pain away,' she wrote, according to KTVB.

Shasta Groene, now in her mid-20s, has issued a written statement following Duncan's death about the man who murdered her entire family

Steve Groene, left, with his daughter, 8-year-old Shasta Groene, in July 2005 in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho

An undated evidence photo shows the cabin in Montana where Joseph Duncan held Dylan and Shasta Groene and filmed his crimes

Joseph E. Duncan, pictured in a police booking photo in 2008, right, and in 2011, left, died Saturday of brain cancer in an Indiana hospital while serving a sentence on death row for several murders

The Kootenai County Sheriffs Office in Idaho, which conducted the investigation, also released a statement.

'In May of 2005, the Groene Family of Kootenai County, living in the Wolf Lodge Bay area, was brutally victimized by a serial killer passing through our community. The family was stalked, attacked and tortured,' the statement said.

'It was one of the worst tragedies Idaho has ever seen.'

Duncan was a registered sex offender, telling a therapist that he estimated he had raped 13 younger boys by the time he was 16. He spent much of his life in prison.

His most violent string of crimes occurred in May 2005 while driving across the Idaho Panhandle on Interstate 90.

Duncan spotted two children playing in their swimsuits in the yard of a home next to the freeway. He pulled off the road and started surveillance of the home, later breaking in with night-vision goggles.

He tied up Brenda Groene, 40, her boyfriend Mark McKenzie, 37, and her son, Slade Groene, 13, before beating them to death with a hammer.

Duncan then kidnapped two of Brenda Groene's other children: Shasta and her 9-year-old brother Dylan. He took them into the wilds of western Montana, where he tortured and abused them for weeks before killing Dylan.

Shasta was spotted with a man on July 2, 2005 by employees and customers inside a Denny's diner in Coeur dAlene who called police and positioned themselves to prevent the man from leaving.

Groene said she has 'been struggling with hate towards that man' referring to serial killer Joseph Edward Duncan III

Joseph Edward Duncan III stands in court in Indio, California in 2011 after he was sentenced to life in prison for torturing and killing a 10-year-old boy in California in 1997

Joseph Edward Duncan III, right, is shown during a hearing at the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department Justice building in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 2006

Cops arrived with their lights off, drew their weapons and arrested Duncan without incident. Duncan maintained in court that he took Shasta to the restaurant just a few miles from where he killed her family with the intent of returning her to authorities.

Investigators also found Dylan Groene's remains at a remote makeshift campsite in the Lolo National Forest near St. Regis, Montana.

During the trial, it was revealed that Duncan shot the boy at point-blank range by holding a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun to his head.

Duncan videotaped many of his crimes against the Groene children, leading a veteran investigator to say the footage shook him to his core.

VICTIMS: Anthony Martinez of Beaumont, California, (left) was murdered by Joseph Duncan in April 1997, Dylan Groene (right) was killed in 2005

Slade Groene (left) and Mark McKenzie (right) were murdered by serial killer Joseph Duncan in 2005

Brenda Groene, pictured in an undated photo, was killed along with her son, Slade Groene, and her boyfriend, Mark McKenzie, by child molester Joseph Duncan

Duncan was convicted and sentenced to death in 2008 and, after his arrest, DNA evidence linked him to the April 1997 killing of ten-year-old Anthony Martinez of Beaumont, California. He admitted to murdering Martinez in 2011.

'The sun is a little brighter today,' said Diana Martinez, Anthony's mother, earlier this week.

'My soul is lighter. The world is a more beautiful place without the evil that is Joseph Duncan. God chose to make his end a long suffering and I believe that is fitting. The horror of his thoughts consumed him.'

'While I would've liked to witness his execution, knowing he is now standing before God being held accountable for what he has done, what he did to my son, and the horrible crimes he committed to others, that is the real justice,' Anthony Martinez's father, Ernesto, said.

Flowers were left at a memorial service for Dylan Groene in July 2005 in Post Falls, Idaho

Anthony's younger brother, Marcos, said there is now 'less evil in the world.'

'Nothing can bring my brother back, but now Duncan can never hurt anyone again. Because of him, I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to fight against any evil left in the world,' Marcos Martinez said.

'God has brought pure justice for all those Joseph Duncan has hurt,' he said.

Duncan's attorneys disclosed late last year that he had terminal brain cancer and did not have long to live. He lost the final appeal of his death sentence in 2019.

Martinez was killed while Duncan was on parole for a rape charge in Washington. He was kidnapped while playing outside of his home and his body was found 15 days later.

Duncan was not suspected of the crime until after his arrest in Idaho and he was extradited to Southern California to be tried for the crime.

Duncan was also linked to the killings of two young girls in Seattle in the 1990s.

In 2005, Duncan was accused of molesting a young boy on a playground in Minnesota. He posted a low bail and skipped town.
Chennai, April 1 : The DMK, which has been scurrying for cover ever since the social media took up the issue of party leader A. Raja's "derogatory" remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and his late mother, has now come out against the recent comments made by Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam through its social media activists.

Panneerselvam, better known as OPS in the political circles, had said in an interview with a local media house that the 10.5 per cent reservation for the Vanniyar community was provisional.

On Thursday, DMK social media handles stated that the reservation act clearly mentions that it could be revised after the caste-based Census comes out, which is expected in six months' time.

As the social media activists of the DMK made this viral, PMK founder and Vanniiyar leader S. Ramadoss had to issue a clarification in which he said, "I have spoken to Chief Minister Palaniswami and he has assured me that the reservation is permanent. The CM has also assured that after the caste-based Census, the reservation may be on the higher side." Guru Virudhambigai, the daughter of the revered Vanniyar community leader late Kaduvetti Guru who is aligned with the DMK, told IANS, "I have had strong doubts that the reservation for Vanniyars is an eyewash and that the government is not serious in implementing this."
Oman and China have agreed to improve bilateral cooperation between the two countries including the creation of free trade zone talks with other Gulf Cooperation Council member states, Middle East Monitor, MEMO, reports.

The two countries, media outlets also noted, signed a visa exemption agreement and reiterated their commitment to working together within the framework of Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative and Omans 2040 Vision.

Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Al-Busaidi signed the deal early this month.

Both countries also affirmed support for enhanced investment and tourism exchanges, MEMO notes citing Oman News Agency.

The Omani city of Salalah will be home to a monument to the famed Chinese Muslim Admiral Zheng He.

This will be an expression of the symbolic significance of his visit to the Sultanate 600 years ago, both top diplomats stressed.
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Polyvinyl Alcohol market will register an incremental spend of about USD 2.58 Billion, growing at a CAGR of 5.63% during the five-year forecast period. A targeted strategic approach to Polyvinyl Alcohol sourcing can unlock several opportunities for buyers. This report also offers market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Download free sample report

Polyvinyl Alcohol Market Procurement Research Report

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices.

Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation on pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPIs to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

Get a free sample report for more information

Insights into buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers:

Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for the Polyvinyl Alcohol market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Polyvinyl Alcohol pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfill their category objectives.

For more insights on buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers, Click here.

Key Drivers and Trends Fueling Market Growth:

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the low bargaining power of suppliers.

Price forecasts are beneficial in purchase planning, especially when supplemented by the constant monitoring of price influencing factors. During the forecast period, the market expects a change of 2.00%-5.00%.

Identify favorable opportunities in Polyvinyl Alcohol TCO (total cost of ownership).

Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes.

Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities.

Some of the top Polyvinyl Alcohol suppliers listed in this report:

This Polyvinyl Alcohol procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

Story continues

China Petrochemical Corp. (SINOPEC)

DuPont de Nemours Inc.

Eastman Chemical Co.

SEKISUI CHEMICAL Co. Ltd.

KURARAY Co. Ltd.

Denka Company Ltd.

OCI COMPANY Ltd.

Mitsubishi Corp.

Yibin Tinyuan Group Co. Ltd.

Anhui Wanwei Group Co. Ltd.

To get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment, Subscribe Now for Free.

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

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New Delhi: As per the Election Commission's announcement, voting for the second phase of West Bengal and Assam Assembly elections 2021 will commence at 7 am today (April 1, 2021).

Both the states witnessed intense political fight ahead of the second phase of assembly elections.

In West Bengal assembly elections phase II, a total of 30 constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur are heading in to vote.

Out of the 191 candidates in the fray 152 are men and the remaining are women. The list of candidates for second phase also includes two prominent names, which are Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari, who are fighting against each other from Nandigram constituency.

On the other hand, polling for the second phase of Assam Assembly elections will also start from today. A total of 39 assembly constituencies spanned over 13 districts of the Barak Valley, three hill districts, and parts of central and lower Assam are heading for polls.

While more than 75 lakh voters will be exercising their right to vote in West Bengal to decide the fate of 191 candidates, over 73 lakh voters will decide the fate of 345 candidates, out of which 26 are women, in Assam.

ALSO READ: West Bengal, Assam Assembly elections: Heres how to locate polling booth near you

Earlier, in the first phase of West Bengal assembly polls, 30 seats from the districts of Purulia and Jhargram and a segment of Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur went to polls to decide on the electoral fate of 191 candidates, including 21 women. The first phase also saw over 80 percent of voter turnout.

In the first phase of assembly elections in Assam, which was held on March 27, over 47 constituencies went for polls to decide the fate of 264 candidates. The first phase also saw at least 81 lakh voters at polling booths, which accounted for over 73 percent of voter turnout.

Live TV
Hundreds of people have gathered for an illegal rave in Manchester City Centre.

Officers were deployed to the scene to disperse the crowds at Castlefield Bowl on Wednesday evening, where a DJ booth had been set up.

Video taken from the scene show people dancing and drinking.

=Hundreds of revelers attended a 'rave' this evening in Manchester City Centre. The revelers were seen gathering in the Castlefield Bowl area

Video taken from the scene show people dancing and drinking

Other images show the aftermath of the impromptu gathering, with empty bottles and litter strewn around the venue

There is currently an actual DJ set at Castlefield Bowl. I wish I was joking. pic.twitter.com/3SArHVy9YZ  harpsjoey (@harps_joey) March 31, 2021

Other images show the aftermath of the impromptu gathering, with empty bottles and litter strewn around the venue.

Officers arrived on the scene and dispersed the crowds by 10.20pm, Manchester Evening News reported.

According to one local resident, there was even a live DJ at the illegal event.

Officers arrived on the scene and dispersed the crowds by 10.20pm, Manchester Evening News reported

Hundreds of people gathered for an illegal rave in Manchester City Centre on Wednesday evening

'There is currently an actual DJ set at Castlefield Bowl. I wish I was joking,' they told the publication

'There is currently an actual DJ set at Castlefield Bowl. I wish I was joking,' they told the publication.

Joan Davies, Labour councillor for Deansgate, condemned the event, saying: 'We want everybody to enjoy themselves but this is beyond a level which is tolerable.

'I think the police have a very, very difficult task, they've got to find that balance.'

Joan Davies, Labour councillor for Deansgate, condemned the event, saying: 'We want everybody to enjoy themselves but this is beyond a level which is tolerable'
Covid-19 cases are spiking in India with talks of 'second wave' and 'lockdown' gathering steam. Just yesterday, it was reported that India saw 56,211 fresh cases and 271 deaths and sadly, the daily fresh Covid-19 caseload is steadily rising for close to a month now.

Reuters

Maharashtra, the most affected state in the nation, alone saw 27,918 COVID-19 cases yesterday, which even though is a dip in the otherwise rising trajectory, its still almost half of all cases occurring all over India. This is even resulting in stringent actions being taken in the state such as lockdown in several districts and night curfews to curb the gathering of people.



So what's changed? Yes, new variants of Covid-19 have been found, but are they spreading so fast? We looked at Google Search trends to understand how people in India have possibly lowered their guards against Covid-19.

COVID-19 Search Trend in India

A year ago, when the nationwide lockdown was announced in India, people were forced to stay indoors because of multiple fears -- fear of catching the coronavirus, fear of the police, fear of risking your life and your family's lives. At the time, say around April 2020, the search value for coronavirus was at 96, however, now over a year later the search value has dropped considerably to just 26.

Google Trends

Comparing this search trend amidst states in India, the state of Meghalaya tops the search trend for the same keyword for the entire year (the state has seen a total of 14,034 cases till now), whereas Maharashtra, the state thats the worst affected (with over 2.75 million cases as of now) is all the way back to 20. This could obviously mean many things -- perhaps people have genuinely stopped searching for coronavirus information online -- but it could also mean something else.

Have we forgotten the fear and uncertainty of last year?

Last year was tough for most of us with uncertainty on how Covid-19 will impact our lives at multiple levels -- from basic safety and security of life to job prospects and other major disruptions we weren't preparing ourselves for. However, the government and the frontline workers did a phenomenal job of keeping things in check.

Reuters

But it seems as if most people have taken this hard work for granted or maybe they think that COVID-19 is a lot more manageable than it was thought of before, resulting in many becoming negligent, and weve been seeing this in several places in the nation where people have quit wearing face masks or adhering to social distancing norms.

Speaking just about Mumbai (because that's where I live), from resumption of local trains in Mumbai to people celebrating festivals and other celebratory occasions in huge numbers seems to have eroded all the gains we made from last year in terms of controlling the Covid-19 spread, as standard operating procedures like wearing masks, washing hands, and maintaining social distancing stopped mattering to people.

Google Trends

Looking at the search keyword covid-19 prevention for the past 90 days, in January, we saw a search value of around 100 in the first week of the month, whereas, by March-end, this value was around 16. Astonishingly, Daman & Diu was the state with most searches with this keyword, followed by Tripura, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Jharkhand. Maharashtra went all the way back to 21.



People searching for Covid-19 vaccines

One reason for this negligence could be the availability of vaccines in India. After authorities announced that people over the age of 60 and people over the age of 45 with comorbidities could get vaccinated, Google Search saw a considerable spike in people searching for vaccine and vaccine centres near them.

Google Search for Covid vaccine in the month of March showed a search value of 98 on March 1, whereas by the end of March, the number fell down to just 32.

Google Trends

Kerala topped this list with Daman & Diu coming second and Maharashtra coming third.

People looking for vaccine centres at the beginning of March showed a search value of 90-100, whereas now at the end of the month, it has dropped to 41.

Google Trends

Uttarakhand topped this list with West Bengal coming a close second, followed by Delhi, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Maybe all over the country, people thought the vaccines are here, so Covid-19 would magically disappear. If only it was that easy...



Wearing masks and social distancing is still paramount

It is established that despite vaccinations happening, people still need to be careful with the novel coronavirus. Face masks must be on at all times while stepping out and even though youre wearing the mask, it doesnt mean you need to be careless with social distancing.

Reuters

While CDC recommends maintaining 6-feet distance to prevent contraction of SARS CoV-2, studies have shown how that too can be inadequate at times, (also in a crowded nation like India, getting 6-feet distance from another human is a luxury we dont have), so make sure you only step out when it is absolutely necessary, as this will also help you avoid other diseases.



Weve already explained how it is crucial for us to not overburden the medical infrastructure in our nation, which even though it is far more equipped than it was last year, is still not ready to have millions of people hospitalized and put the medical healthcare professionals in a more dire situation.

Reuters

And remember, soap is the best enemy against the novel coronavirus and maintaining personal hygiene by following the 20-second hand washing technique is still equally important.



Lets not lose the battle against Covid-19 after enduring a year's worth of sacrifice, especially now when we have reached the vaccination stage. Covid-19 hasn't magically disappeared, vaccinating the population of India is going to take time, and no one knows where's the finish line. Stay indoors as much as possible, and when you're out please follow all the safety guidelines -- to protect yourself and your loved ones against this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic event.
The private space exploration company SpaceX , owned by Elon Musk , announced who will be the members of its first mission with an all-civilian crew.

These individuals will be part of the three-day Inspiration 4 mission and will travel aboard the Dragon spacecraft. The launch is scheduled for no earlier than September 15, 2021.


OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (BAM, BAM_A.TO) agreed to acquire all of the limited partnership units of Brookfield Property Partners L.P. (BPY, BPY_U.TO) at a value of $18.17 per BPY unit to be completed by way of an Ontario court-approved plan of arrangement. It represents total consideration of $6.5 billion payable to the unitholders of BPY other than Brookfield and its affiliates.



BPY unitholders will have the ability to elect to receive, per BPY unit, $18.17 in cash, 0.3979 of a Brookfield class A limited voting share, or 0.7268 of a BPY preferred unit with a liquidation preference of $25.00 per unit. Pro-ration will be based on a maximum cash consideration of about 50% of the total value of the BPY units , a maximum amount of Brookfield Shares equal to about 42% of the total value of the BPY units, and a maximum amount of BPY preferred units with a liquidation value of about 8% of the total value of the BPY units.



The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

BROOKFIELD ASSET MANAGEMENT-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
Christian woman says she asked God to stop deadly Alabama tornado and He did

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As a deadly tornado tore through parts of Alabama last Thursday, demolishing property and taking lives, a devout Catholic woman who sought refuge in a basement closet inside her now destroyed home said she asked God to stop the tornado and it did.

I was praying to God, Mary Rose DeArman told AL.com as Gov. Kay Ivey surveyed the damage from the tornado in her state Monday. When we got in that closet, I prayed to God, Let it stop, and it stopped.

Mary Rose, 69, and her husband Larry, 74, had to climb up two ladders to get out of the rubble of their home in the Eagle Point subdivision of Shelby County. The only thing that was left standing was an armless angel statue.

Never in my life did I think I would be climbing a ladder, she told the publication. I climbed that ladder like a monkey up a flagpole.

She further told Ivey in an interview that it was by the grace of God and good neighbors that she and her husband survived after their home was leveled.

The neighbors dug me out and I had to climb up two sets of ladders to get out and then they had to dig him out, she said of her husband. But we only got a few scratches.

The couple attends weekly mass at Our Lady of the Valley Church, and Mary Rose, who prays the rosary every morning, believes their lives were spared for a purpose.

It had to be from God, she told AL.com. Gods got a purpose. We dont know what that purpose is. Well have to wait and see.

If she had to take a guess as to what that purpose is, she said, it would be to get the message out that God is in control of everything.

I dont know why we got spared, she said. Most people look at that and say no way anybody could have survived.

State Rep. Arnold Mooney told the publication that volunteer crews from the Church of the Highlands and Meadowbrook Baptist Church helped clear debris from the road so emergency vehicles could enter the neighborhood to provide assistance.

While the DeArmans were celebrating surviving the tornado, however, Kalvin Bowers of Ohatchee told Ivey how he lost three family members and almost everything in Thursdays tornado.

We really dont have nowhere to stay, Bowers told Ivey, speaking of his 10 surviving family members who lived among five destroyed mobile homes on his property, according to the Alabama Political Reporter.

Bowers sister, Barbara Harris, 69; her husband, Joe Wayne Harris, 74; and their 38-year-old daughter, Ebonique Harris, died in the tornado. Two other residents of Calhoun County also died on Thursday. James William Geno, 71, died at his mobile home in Ohatchee, while Emily Myra Wilborn, 71, died at her Wellington home.

Bowers said his family has been gathering whatever personal items they can find from the rubble on their property until we can get past the funerals and begin to rebuild.

Its kind of a bad situation, he told Ivey. It looks like nobody ever lived here.

At a press conference at a volunteer station set up at Oak Bowery Missionary Baptist Church at the start of her tour, Ivey promised that she would do everything in our power to help those impacted come back, and come back stronger.
Councillor Garry Murtagh received support from fellow members of Longford County Council to write to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage requesting that consideration be given to a stipulation that objectors/lobbyists to planning approvals who reside outside the district of the subject application be required to submit a deposit of 2,000. with this deposit not to be refunded in the event of the objection being overruled.

Cllr Murtagh said it was important for the people of Longford to have the necessary infrastructure in place, that the extension to the N4 Mullingar to Longford/Rosskey brings to stimulate and sustain good economic commerce for the county.

Longford can ill afford to have objectors or lobbyists, undermining the development of strategic projects such as the bypass out of spite or for financial gain, said Cllr Murtagh.

While he had no problem with someone in the district/area objecting or expressing their concerns, the difficulty he has is from individuals or bodies outside of the region objecting for the sake of it.

Cllr Colm Murray seconded the motion and explained the difficulty the Forestry industry experienced last year from what he described as nuisance objectors to felling licences throughout the country.

The Department of Agriculture had processed over 400 appeals, with 50% of the objections coming from one individual living in the south of the country.

In the month of August, 29 tree felling licenses were stalled, halting the felling of over 100,000 cubic meters of timber, the equivelant of 5,000 homes, in the middle of a housing crisis, not to mention the knock on effect for the construction industry.

Cllr Murray supported the excellent motion in order to protect the development of the N4 bypass and other important strategic projects throughout the county.
Soldiers now have the option to wear their awards and decorations on the Class B version of the new Army Green Service Uniform, or AGSU, according to uniform officials.

The service sent an All Army Activities, or ALARACT, message to the force Wednesday detailing new wear guidelines for the Class B variation of the World War II-style AGSU, according to an Army news release.

The biggest change is that soldiers don't have to wear the AGSU jacket to show off their accomplishments.

Read Next: Marines' Drone-Killing Lasers Get Even More Powerful After Upgrades

"Army senior leadership agreed that soldiers throughout the Army should have the option to wear insignia and accoutrements on the AGSU Class B," Sgt. Maj. Brian Sanders, the Army G-1 uniform policy sergeant major, said in the release.

Senior leaders approved the new AGSU for everyday wear in late 2018 as a replacement for the blue Army Service Uniform, or ASU, after deciding that uniform is often too formal for everyday business use.

Soldiers have until Oct. 1, 2027, to acquire the new uniform, but the Army and Air Force Exchange Service has started offering the AGSU for purchase.

The new uniform guidance makes the Class B version almost identical to the Tropical Dress variation, which is primarily intended for soldiers in hot climates; the tropical variation serves as the alternative for the Class A uniform, which requires the AGSU jacket, Master Sgt. Quintana Mitchell, a noncommissioned officer for the Uniform Policy Branch, told Military.com.

Like the Tropical Dress version, the Class B can be worn with a long- or short-sleeved shirt. The necktie is optional with short sleeves but mandatory for the long-sleeved shirt.

"The only difference is with the Class Bs, you [now] have the option of wearing your insignia and accoutrements, whereas your Tropical Dress you must have that," Mitchell said.

The Army's AR and DA PAM 670-1 uniform policies, dated Jan. 6, 2021, currently do not reflect the change authorizing awards and decorations to be worn on the AGSU Class B uniform, according to an Army slide presentation included with the ALARACT, outlining the new guidelines. Awards and decorations on the Class B should be worn in the "same manner" as the Tropical Dress variation, according to the slides.

Soldiers may wear no more than two rows of ribbons -- a total of six ribbons -- on the left side of the chest of the Class B. The Army does not limit the number of ribbon rows on the AGSU jacket.

"The reason it's only the two rows of ribbons is because the shirt was not made to hold your full ribbon rack. ... It looked completely awful," Mitchell said. "The shirt just doesn't support the weight of all of it."

The new option to wear awards and decorations on the Class B is "important to me because we get to show exactly who we are as a soldier and some of our accomplishments that we have made," Mitchell siad.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Here's the Lineup of Bases Next to Get the Army Greens Uniform
Bruce Willis is best known for his role in the 1988 film, Die Hard. He was offered 5 million dollars to star in it, and it is still regarded as one of his most classic roles to date. But unfortunately, there was an incident while filming that nearly took his life.

Actor Bruce Willis attends the A Good Day To Die Hard Fan Celebration at AMC Empire on February 13, 2013 | Jim Spellman/WireImage

Filming Die Hard was dangerous for Bruce Willis

According to Willis, filming Die Hard was no walk in the park. Despite the amount of money he was making for the film, many dangerous elements had caused permanent damage.

According to the actor, he suffers permanent hearing loss from a scene in the first movie.

This Saturday, July 28th, you're invited to a special #DieHard30th screening live at Nakatomi Plaza. First come, first serve so click the link to RSVP now: https://t.co/2etP0clvyC pic.twitter.com/NOZIVcX24V  Die Hard (@DieHard) July 23, 2018

RELATED: Bruce Willis Has More Emmy Awards For Friends Than Most of the Cast

Due to an accident on the first Die Hard, I suffer two-thirds partial hearing loss in my left ear and have a tendency to say, Whaaa? he told The Guardian.

And in a separate interview with Oprah, Willis told the talk show host that he did a lot of his own stunts in the film.

This part was a lot harder than just about anything Ive done for a lot of reasons, Willis said. If you saw the film, they really kind of beat me up in this thing. Its a very physical part. I did a lot of my own stunts in it.

Demi Moore says Bruce Willis almost died while filming Die Hard

Die Hard smart-asses- do you know which Die Hard film this shot is taken from?

#ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/2DZocXlSOu  Die Hard (@DieHard) May 16, 2013

Williss former wife of thirteen years, Demi Moore, claims that the actor almost died while shooting Die Hard. And according to Moore, visiting her former husband on set was terrifying.

She recalls the moment she visited him on set back in 1988.

We were able to spend almost all of our time together until he started shooting an action movie he was really excited about: Die Hard, she writes in her memoir. There was a lot of buzz about the film, in large part because it was reported that Bruce got paid $5 million to star in it.

I went to see him on set, she continues, which turned out to be terrifying. He nearly died jumping off a five-story garage, just making it onto the airbag below when he was blown off course by a scripted explosion. (He laughed about it. I didnt.)

How does Bruce Willis feel about being in the Die Hard franchise after all these years?

Tell us, from which Die Hard movie is this shot taken from? #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/b8U7Vvg2s9  Die Hard (@DieHard) May 2, 2013

Willis has been a part of the Die Hard franchise for over two decades. And according to the actor, he feels fully honored to be a part of the films.

Ive been talking about this a lot over the past few days as to what it means to be in a franchise like this for over 25 years. But you can only really see that from the end of it, he told That Shelf. No one ever knew at the beginning that we would be doing five of these films. Its a strange, great honor to still be running down the street and doing what we do and being fun and scary and interesting and still have the core of the character in this one.
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Suspected herdsmen on Wednesday attacked a rice farmer, Amaka Okafor, on her farm at Ogbese town, in Akure North local government area.

She was reportedly attacked after an altercation with the herders, whom she accused of destroying her farm with their cows.

The victim sustained deep machete cuts on her head and hands, resulting in severe bleeding.

She, however, survived the attack after she was rushed to a nearby hospital where she is currently receiving treatment.

The attack is coming despite the rejection of open grazing by the state government.

The Ondo State Government had issued a directive for the eviction of herdsmen from its forest reserves while banning indiscriminate grazing across the state.

The government is, however, planning an enclosed grazing system that would involve herdsmen willing to practice ranching.

The spokesman for the Ondo State Police Command, Leo Tee-Ikoro, confirmed the development.

He said investigations were ongoing and the findings would reveal the true identities of the attackers.

Fortunately, the woman said she can identify her attackers, Mr Tee-Ikoro said.

So, this is a case where the attackers are well known to the woman.
In an action without precedent in the history of Brazil, the countrys fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro has fired his defense minister along with the uniformed commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force. His unconcealed aim is to secure a total grip over the state in preparation for dictatorial measures against the working class under conditions of a catastrophic worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic and a deepening social and political crisis in Brazil.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonao and Army commander Gen. Edson Pujol (Credit: AgenciaBrasil)

Bolsonaros conflict with the top echelons of the military has emerged in the context of his increasingly strident demands for a complete subordination of the Armed Forces to his governments political agenda, in particular his genocidal herd immunity policy in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the same day as the wholesale change in the senior command of the armed forces, Brazil set a record of 3,668 COVID-19 deaths, as its health care system confronts a nationwide collapse.

On different occasions in recent weeks, Bolsonaro has promoted a confrontation with any social distancing measures implemented by state and municipal governments in response to the record rise in COVID-19 infections and deaths. My Army is not going into the streets to force people to stay at home, he declared

On Monday, the government announced a cabinet reshuffle affecting six ministries, including the Government Secretariat, the Chief of Staff, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Justice, and the Office of the Attorney General. Defense Minister Gen. Fernando Azevedo e Silva was replaced by Gen. Braga Netto, who previously served as Bolsonaros chief of staff. After a brief meeting with Bolsonaro, Azevedo e Silva agreed to resign, although he was in fact fired by the president.

In his resignation letter, the general stated that as head of the defense ministry, I preserved the Armed Forces as state institutions, suggesting that after his removal, this may no longer prove the case.

Brazil's ousted military chiefs: Edson Pujol (Army), Ilques Barbosa (Navy) and Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez (Air Force) (Credit: AgenciaBrasil)

The commanders resignations were announced by Braga Netto as soon as he took over the defense ministry on Tuesday morning. The former commander of the Air Force, Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez, published a video following the meeting, with a statement that adopted the same theme as Azevedo e Silva. Bermudez declared that he worked for the Air Force as a state institution and for the sovereignty of what is ours: the airspace.

Tuesday was also marked by an offensive on the part of Bolsonaros allies in the House of Representatives. The leader of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) in the House, Major Vitor Hugo, tried to force a vote on a bill that defines public health emergenciessuch as the COVID-19 pandemic as a motive for decreeing a National Mobilization.

National Mobilizations, which today can be decreed in cases of war, allow the president to intervene in production at public and private companies and subject both civilians and military personnel to his orders. It represents a major concentration of power in the presidents hands. Even right-wing figures within the House defined the proposal as a coup attempt.

Bolsonaros unprecedented shakeup of his cabinet and the military high command was carried out on the eve of Wednesdays 57th anniversary of Brazils 1964 US-backed military coup. Braga Nettos first act as defense minister was to publish a military order of the day calling for the celebration of that political crime, which ushered in two decades of brutal dictatorship.

The order promoted the lie that the military coup was part of a 1964 movement in response to a real threat to peace and democracy. This cynical Bolsonarite fantasy casts the coup as beginning with a popular movement in the streets that ended up being supported by the Brazilian ruling class and its state, with the armed forces facing wear and tear to guarantee the democratic freedoms we enjoy today.

In fact, the 1964 coup was directly engineered and promoted by US imperialism and the Brazilian ruling class. It was not the military that suffered wear and tear, but rather the tens of thousands of workers and students that it killed and tortured during the bloody dictatorship that lasted 21 years.

The order, which was read aloud to military personnel in barracks across Brazil on Wednesday morning, is directed at drawing fascistic lessons from this history. It states: The current geopolitical scenario presents new challenges, such as environmental issues, cyber threats, food security, and pandemics. The Armed Forces are present, on the front lines, protecting the population.

It is urgent that the Brazilian working class draw its own political lessons from this defeat. Arming itself politically against the increasingly dictatorial methods of the capitalist class is a matter of life and death.

In 1964, the political subordination of the workers to the bourgeois nationalist government of Joao Goulart, promoted by the Stalinist Communist Party, was instrumental in disarming working class resistance to the coup.

In 1985, when the dictatorship was officially ended, the political forces linked to the Workers Party (PT) worked for a smooth transition to a civilian bourgeois regime, opposing the persecution of the military and civilian officials responsible for the barbaric crimes committed against the working class. The political lie that this path represented a settling of accounts with the legacy of military dictatorship has been laid bare by Bolsonaros emergence from this political setup.

Today, the same forces historically behind these political betrayals seek to blind the working class to the imminent dangers of the current situation.

Different pseudo-left groups, especially the political heirs of Argentine revisionist Nahuel Moreno, have drawn the same conclusion from the events of the past week: nothing to see here, move along.

One of the most grotesque formulations was drawn by Valerio Arcary, one of the main leaders of the former Morenoite organization Convergencia Socialista, who held leading posts in the PT. Today, at the head of the Resistance tendency within the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), Arcary ridiculed those who are on the verge of a nervous breakdown over Bolsonaros dictatorial actions, bluntly declaring: What happened with the ministerial reform is not the antechamber of a self-coup in preparation. ... Big capital does not support a subversion of the regime.

The same essential political view is held by the Morenoites of the Revolutionary Workers Movement (MRT), linked to the Argentine Socialist Workers Party (PTS). On their website, Esuqerda Diario, they describe Bolsonaro as without support within the military and harried by the center-right parties. The site advocates a more sober conclusion than the analyses that exaggerate Bolsonaros coup plot at a moment of clear weakening and disintegration of his bases of support.

The middle class complacency of these pseudo-left groups, stemming from their unshakable confidence in the eternal stability of the capitalist state, merit only contempt. Bolsonaros threats should be taken with the utmost seriousness by the Brazilian working class.

The political reality in Brazil is determined by the profound crisis of the world capitalist system, which is causing the breakdown of bourgeois democracies all over the world, and pushing the ruling class in every country toward dictatorial methods. The January 6 coup in the United States, openly hailed by Bolsonaro and closely followed by his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, is the most acute expression of this international political shift.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the fundamental contradictions of capitalism to an explosive level. The brutal increase in social inequality, the devastating effects of the coronavirus throughout Brazil and the dead-end crisis of Brazilian capitalism are the objective driving forces of Bolsonaros coup plotting.

However, these same objective factors are creating the conditions for a powerful revolutionary movement of the working class in Brazil and around the world. The working class in Brazil cannot allow another fascist military coup. It must arm itself politically to prevent one.

The struggle against the threat of dictatorship must be joined with the fight to halt the COVID-19 pandemic, and to resolve the social crisis affecting millions of workers. The decisive question in preparing for the coming wave of revolutionary upheavals is the building of a socialist and internationalist leadership in the working classthat is, a Brazilian section of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
She revealed she will never be able to get pregnant again following the heartbreaking loss of her son Jack.

Now Chrissy Teigen is learning to accept this new harsh reality.

'Coming to terms with not being able to carry again is still really difficult for me because I feel so healthy. I'm like, why?' the model, 35, admitted in her cover story for People. 'But then I think about it as my uterus is just not cooperating with me  and it's not a failure.

Learning to accept: Chrissy Teigen says 'coming to terms' with not being able to carry another child has been 'difficult'

Chrissy and her husband John Legend tragically lost their third child, a baby boy they had already started calling 'Jack', 20 weeks into her pregnancy.

Chrissy shared the heartbreaking news with her Instagram followers shortly after the horrific experience, and posted photos of herself in the hospital mourning the loss of her child.

Not long afterwards, she revealed she would be unable to carry a child again.

'I love being pregnant, so so much, and I'm sad I never will be again,' she posted on Instagram.

Cover family! Teigen and her children appearing on the cover of People magazine

Despite the loss, Chrissy expressed gratitude for her other two children, daughter Luna, four, and son Miles, two, whom were both conceived via IVF.

'I'm so lucky for that,' she told the magazine. 'I just think of it in terms of how blessed I am already, and also there are so many ways to have a child nowadays ... whether it's surrogacy or adoption.'

In keeping with Thai tradition, the family have planted a tree in their house to honor their son.

'I'm so lucky for that': Despite the loss, Chrissy expressed gratitude for her other two children, daughter Luna, four, and son Miles, two, whom were both conceived via IVF

By her side: Teigen with her husband John Legend in 2019

'I'm so lucky for that': Despite the loss, Chrissy expressed gratitude for her other two children, daughter Luna, four, and son Miles, two, whom were both conceived via IVF

'It's important for us in Thai tradition that we always embrace the ones we've lost, and they're never, ever gone. This tree being planted inside the home, the whole reason why I wanted it was so Jack's ashes could be in that soil and he could be with us all the time and grow through the beautiful leaves in this tree,' she said.

'The way Miles and Luna talk about him is so beautiful and reminds me of when I was little talking to my grandpa who was just sitting bedside next to my mom in a little urn,' she said. 'It's all beautiful, and I love that tradition carries down.'

Chrissy revealed she had lost Jack in September 2020, with a series of heartbreaking photos of herself at the hospital.

'We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we've never felt before,' she told followers. ' We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn't enough.'

On Thursday she posted a photo of herself standing before a wall of her magazine covers.

Chrissy had three more People covers to hang up, but there was hardly any space on the wall for her newest work.

'we're gonna need a bigger boat,' she mused in the caption.
A new poll shows support for a new Interstate 10 bridge over the Mobile River financed largely through a truck-only toll.

The poll was commissioned by the Coastal Alabama Partnership, and included 500 responses from March 24-25, two days after local officials unveiled the concepts of a new $725 million plan to build a new bridge aimed at removing trucks from the Wallace Tunnel.

Poll respondents support the new truck toll bridge concept by a two-to-one margin, with 51 saying they support it while less than 26% voice opposition. Another 24% are unsure.

The concept unveiled by local leaders for a truck bridge and expanded Bayway is a creative idea to address the serious concerns people are expressing over traffic congestion and the threat it poses for our economic future, said Wiley Blankenship, president & CEO with the Coastal Alabama Partnership, a non-profit organization focused on providing a platform for regional leaders to convene, collaborate, build consensus, and advocate for coastal Alabamas priorities.

The poll shows that a whopping 90 of respondents say that from an economic development standpoint, it is with very or somewhat important to solve the traffic jams crossing the Mobile River. Another 86% surveyed rate traffic congestion on the Bayway and through the Wallace Tunnel as very bad or bad during peak travel times.

Close to 77% of poll respondents believe that removing the trucks from the Wallace Tunnel  which is part of the new concept  would significantly improve or improve traffic flow. Another 64% believe that separating cars from 18-wheelers into designated lanes so they are not traveling in the same lanes would improve traffic safety, while 15% said it would not and 21% said they were unsure.

With so many positive economic changes taking place, the sky should be the limit for coastal Alabama, said Blankenship. One key issue that could hold us back is the serious traffic congestion that impedes the smooth flow of commerce through our area. This is a significant problem for our workers and our businesses, especially the trucking industry.

A proposal that will be considered by the Metropolitan Planning Organizations in Mobile and Baldwin counties calls for a truck-only toll that would cost between $10 to $15. The toll, as proposed, will help pay for the new bridge. Also part of the project is a restriping of the existing Bayway from two lanes to three each way.

The plan has received initial skepticism from the trucking industry, which has concerns about tolls assessed only on truck drivers. The industry is challenging some states, such as Rhode Island, for assessing tolls on the industry.

The truck toll bridge is an alternative to the $2.1 billion I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project the Alabama Department of Transportation supported, but was killed amid local opposition to assessing tolls on all drivers who use the new bridge and the Wallace Tunnel. The Spanish Fort Causeway would have remains untolled in both the current and former projects.

9 I-10 Truck Traffic

The latest I-10 plan considers the following:

-Prohibits large trucks over 46 feet in length from driving through the Wallace Tunnel, thus requiring them to diver over the Mobile River Bridge to the dedicated truck-only bridge. The new bridges design would be similar to a previous concept  a cable-stay structure that is 215 feet of air draft height, or high enough to accommodate large shipping vessels and cruise ships passing underneath.

Officials believe that removing large trucks from the tunnel will decrease the average passenger car delays by approximately 60 to 90 minutes during peak travel periods. In 2019, during the debate over the previous plan, ALDOT anticipated the average number of vehicles traveling daily on I-10 through the Wallace Tunnel going from 75,000 per day to 95,000 per day in 2040. The peak holiday travel periods, before the coronavirus pandemic, typically draw around 100,000 vehicles per day to the Bayway, according to ALDOT.

-Divert hazardous cargo routes from the Africatown community north of downtown Mobile. Large trucks often travel through Africatown via the Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge. Mobile city and county officials are looking at transforming the neighborhood into a tourist attraction following the 2019 discovery of the slave ship Clotilda.

-Restripe and convert the Bayway from two lanes to three lanes in each direction. Officials say the restriping will increase traffic flow by an estimated 40%. The Bayway, under the previous plan, would have been replaced with a new 7.5-mile, eight-lane span crossing the Mobile River connecting downtown Mobile with U.S. 98 in Daphne.

-Protect existing routes from tolls and fees. Only 18-wheelers and similar large trucks traveling over the truck bridge would pay a fee that would be, according to officials, less than half the fee considered in the previous plan. No cars or small trucks would be assessed a toll. The previous plan called for a $6 one-way toll assessed on users of the new Bayway, although the Spanish Fort Causeway would have remained toll-free. Criticism under the previous plan was the inclusion of the Wallace Tunnel as part of the toll plan.

Officials are examining the truck toll bridge concept as the fate of a federal grant looms large.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said recently that protecting a $125 million federal grant that U.S. Senator Richard Shelby secured for the previous iteration of the project is critically important. The deadline to utilize that grant is in the third quarter of 2022.
This is the Thursday, April 1, 2021 edition of Today in Slovakia. Learn about politics, business, and other notable events of the day in Slovakia in less than five minutes. If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.

President Zuzana Caputova has appointed Eduard Heger (OLaNO) as the new prime minister of Slovakia.

She also appointed the new cabinet ministers, except for the labour minister. She did not give any detailed explanation for this but the media have been reporting about his past connection with former PM Vladimir Meciar.

Caputova said that the agreement of the four coalition parties on the new cabinet is only the beginning of the journey.

Most of the cabinet members remain in their former posts. The main changes were made to the position of health minister, which will be occupied by general and former director of Ruzomberok hospital and to that of finance minister, which is now the remit of Igor Matovic who resigned as prime minister only on Tuesday. Matovic will now head a powerful department.

The Easter holidays start on April 2 and end on April 5. Pupils and students also have a holiday on April 6.

Most of the shops will be closed except on April 3 which is not a holiday. The anti-epidemic measures will stay in place, including the curfew which forbids people to be out after 20:00 with only a few exceptions. Travelling between districts is also banned.

Experts do not recommend visits however, authorities have allowed individual spiritual care and believers may visit churches, under strict restrictions.

It is also recommended that people should spend as much time as possible in the countryside in their localities but should not congregate in big groups. There is an exception for the inhabitants of Bratislava who can move around the whole Bratislava Region. Check our tips for outings.

These anti-Covid measures will apply to Slovakia this Easter Read more

Coronavirus and vaccination news

A New calculator will estimate when it will be your turn to get the vaccine . For example, a 35-year-old could be vaccinated in May.

. For example, a 35-year-old could be vaccinated in May. Altogether 719,418 people have received their f irst Covid vaccine shot , and 262,071 have been vaccinated with a second dose as of March 31.

have received their f , and have been vaccinated with a as of March 31. EU countries are discussing whether they will give up a certain amount of the Pfizer vaccine in Slovakia's favour. Slovakia would get 600,000 extra doses which could be enough to vaccinate 46 percent of population by the end of June. (Bloomberg)

in Slovakia's favour. Slovakia would get could be enough to vaccinate 46 percent of population by the end of June. (Bloomberg) The council of experts is negotiating the gradual opening of schools and commercial operations. According to Vladimir Krcmery, an infectologist and a council member, experts are also discussing the Covid automaton. Krcmery added that the testing strategy will be significantly revamped. More information should be available by April 11.

Feature story for today

This tiny common bird even serves as an indicator of environmental health and changes in the urban ecosystem. In other words, if our villages and towns provide enough food and nesting opportunities for sparrows, then they thrive. The tradition of International Bird Day on April 1 comes to central Slovakia.

Sparrows chirp of a healthy environment Read more

Other news

Slovakias economy may grow by as much as 5 percent in 2021 and should return to its pre-crisis levels by the end of this year.

may grow by as much as and should return to its pre-crisis levels by the end of this year. 86 percent of people participated in the electronic census a significant increase to the expectations of the statistics office which were assuming 70 percent. The most people who participated were in the Zilina Region, from towns in Banska Bystrica.

a significant increase to the expectations of the statistics office which were assuming 70 percent. The most people who participated were in the Zilina Region, from towns in Banska Bystrica. Dovera insurees will receive only urgent healthcare from the University Hospital of Louis Pasteur in Kosice. The hospital and the health insurer have not yet agreed on a contract.

will receive only in Kosice. The hospital and the health insurer have not yet agreed on a contract. More than 682,000 taxpayers fulfilled their legal duty and submitted their tax return on time, by March 31. More than 277,000 tax payers used the option to postpone the deadline for fulfilling this duty.

fulfilled their legal duty and on time, by March 31. More than 277,000 tax payers used the option to postpone the deadline for fulfilling this duty. The train journey from Bratislava to Prague will now take 25 minutes longer The reason for this is modernisation of the track in the Czech Republic that will probably last until 2022. Train transport between the Czech Republic and Slovakia is limited due to pandemic.

Do not miss on Spectator.sk today

Revenues receive a blow. Shops, restaurants and hotels report major gap Read more

Increasing number of people in Slovakia have encountered Covid Read more

Hong Kong protests inspired Slovak artist during his work on the film Justice League Read more

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) urges the Americas to be on their guard, stating that 2021 could have a greater surge in COVID compared to 2020. The World Health Organization's (WHO) body in the region warned countries in Latin America that can witness a worse spike in coronavirus infections, according to an Al Jazeera report.

Since January 1, 2021, PAHO has recorded 19.7 million cases of COVID-19 in the Americas. Meanwhile, 475,000 individuals from the region have lost their lives due to the notorious disease.

READ NEXT: Fauci Warns Against Loosening COVID-19 Restrictions, Mask Mandates

Americas and COVID

PAHO pointed out that the number of deaths in the region also remained high. Recent data has recorded 34 thousand deaths in the previous week. Among the countries in the region with the highest death rates are Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru, according to the news briefing from PAHO.

"All countries should be on high alerts," said PAHO Director Carissa Etienne in a different report. Etienne noted that complacency amid the pandemic leads to more cases.

Cases in Chile continue to mount even with the successful COVID vaccine rollout. To counter the situation, their government imposed a strict lockdown. Mexico, on the other hand, had a higher rate of death toll, overcoming their 3,000 daily marks.

"We urge our Member States to reinforce surveillance and act at the first sign that cases are rising," said Etienne. Etienne also pointed out that their member states' respective governments should not wait before they are overwhelmed because the risk for their constituent's health is too high.

The focus of PAHO on COVID measures

Because of the upcoming surge, which is considered worse, PAHO focuses on three domains: virus surveillance, vaccine procurement, and the supply of equipment.

Twenty-one countries are already participating in the PAHO's COVID-19 genomic Surveillance Network, granting the organization a better model of how the variants of the virus are circulating in the region. At least one of the three COVID variants that are in concern have been identified in 32 regional countries. The Brazilian variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been identified in countries such as Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and Uruguay, according to a Reuters report.

Over the last 30 days, more than 2.5 million vaccine doses through COVAX have already reached 17 countries in the region. This was done through the effort of PAHO's Revolving Fund.

However, securing vaccines is still a problem across the majority of Latin America. Etienne noted that this is because of the production delays due to manufacturers rushing to heighten the capacity. Another problem is vaccine nationalism which affects global availability.

Meanwhile, the organization has also released at least three million units of medical masks in the region. Oxygens and other supply limitations are being addressed.

Etienne highlighted that the places in the Americas that experience COVID surges should stay at home to prevent further transmission. "Without preventive action, our region could face an upsurge even larger than the last one," said Etienne.

READ MORE: People in Mexico Line up for Hours To Get Oxygen Amid COVID-19 Surge

WATCH: COVID-19 and Antimicrobial Resistance - from PAHO TV
ATLANTA, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the ongoing global pandemic, Bitcoin Depot  The largest and fastest growing bitcoin ATM network  is continuing to see major growth, both within their company and their ATM network. One year into the pandemic, the company has grown its bitcoin ATM network to more than 2,100 kiosks and increased their talent acquisition efforts by onboarding more than 60 new employees, a 200% jump.

In the last year, Bitcoin Depot has added several C-Suite executives to join CEO Brandon Mintz on the senior leadership team, including promoting Scott Buchanan to CFO, recruiting Bill Knoll as Head of Product and Jason Sacco to lead as VP of Operations. Like many companies, Bitcoin Depot's team transitioned to remote work in 2020 to ensure employee safety amid a global pandemic and is planning to continue the progressive practice until further notice.

"The safety of our employees is my number one concern," explained CEO and founder Brandon Mintz. "Collaborating with my team will always be an important part of this company and we have found a way to make it work virtually. I believe in being transparent with my team and building a two-way street of mutual trust that has made our company, not just survive this pandemic, but thrive through it."

In addition to its internal growth, Bitcoin Depot recently announced that its bitcoin ATM network has surpassed 2,000 kiosks, doubling its bitcoin ATM count in just six months. The company expects this trend to continue, forecasting nearly 400% growth this year, as more than 400 additional bitcoin ATMs get ready to be installed over the next month.

"We are continuing to partner with independent sales organizations to open bitcoin ATMs across North America and, eventually, world-wide," said Mintz. "The cryptocurrency industry is growing quickly with more and more adoption every day. Last year we were focused on creating an option for those concerned with visiting a retail store to purchase crypto so we launched ability to buy Bitcoin with debit, credit, and wire transfer on our website. While we have online options to buy crypto, having physical locations really sets us apart, and gives cash-based consumers the opportunity to join in. Regardless of the method it's simple, easy, and convenient to get bitcoin in a minute with any Bitcoin Depot product."

For more information on Bitcoin Depot, or to locate a Bitcoin ATM near you, please visit www.bitcoindepot.com.

About Bitcoin Depot

Bitcoin Depot is a cryptocurrency ATM network based in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the fastest growing multi-cryptocurrency ATM network in the world. Bitcoin Depot's mission is to provide the most secure, convenient, customer-service-oriented, and fastest cryptocurrency transactions, ultimately opening up the cryptocurrency market to the masses. The 2000-plus strong network of cryptocurrency ATMs enables users to buy Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum instantly. Learn more at www.bitcoindepot.com.

Media Contact:

Bitcoin Depot

678-435-9604

[email protected]

SOURCE Bitcoin Depot
The Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has assured the nation that the current power outages in the country are not national in outlook but rather confined to specific areas where work needs to be done on the transmission systems.



Dr Prempeh who is popularly known as NAPO, and who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, gave this assurance at a press briefing held by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) in Accra to address the current power situation in the country. The situation, he indicated, was simply due to a technical difficulty with the transmission, and that there is absolutely no difficulty with power generation.



According to GRIDCo, its current key projects are confined to enhancing power supply reliability in Accra and Kumasi and emphasized the fact that no nationwide interruptions were being planned.



The projects in Accra are:



- Millennium Development Authority (MIDA) funded Pokuase substation and Kasoa Bulk Supply Point installation



- French Development Agency (AFD) funded the Tema-Accra transmission line reinforcement project and the 330kV Kumasi



 Kintampo transmission line.



With regard to the situation in Kumasi and the northern parts of Ghana, GRIDCo explained that this stems from the inability to dispatch the Bui Hydro Electric Plant (HEP) due to the low water levels. The implication is that all the electricity required in that area have to be supplied from the southern part of Ghana.



A short-term solution has been implemented (transporting a 66MVA transformer from Accra to Kumasi). The medium-term solution is the construction of a 330kV transmission line between Anwomanso and Kintampo  earmarked to be completed in July 2021.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The United States Border Patrol released on Wednesday a horrifying video of smugglers dropping a 5-year-old girl and a 3-year old girl at a 14 feet high border barrier, abandoning the migrant children in the New Mexico desert in the middle of the night.

The Horrifying Video

Gloria Chavez, the El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent, said she released the video after seeing two smugglers in one of their surveillance footages, who scaled and dropped each child onto the ground, directly on the harsh surface. Afterward, the smugglers tossed what appears to be the belongings of both children. The two smugglers can then be seen running away from the southern side of the fence.

According to Fox News, the El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Chavez said that she was shocked about the way smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier. Chavez also shared that it is an advantage for them as their agents are using mobile technology. That is why they were able to detect the two girls right away because if not, the two little girls would be exposed longer to the dangers in the desert environment.

Chavez posted the video on her Twitter account and shared that the girls were spotted by their surveillance technology:

Smugglers, under cover of night, scaled a 14 ft. border barrier and cruelly dropped 2 young children in the middle of the New Mexico desert. The girls, ages 3 & 5, were left miles from the nearest residence. Thank you STN Agents for rescuing these children! @CBP @CBPWestTexas pic.twitter.com/U91y2g8Lk1  Gloria I. Chavez (@USBPChiefEPT) March 31, 2021

Moreover, the El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent also mentioned that they are currently working with their partners at the Mexican law enforcement to investigate the case further. She also added that they will attempt to get the identifications of the human smugglers, as they should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

ALSO READ: Migrant Caravan Flees Honduras in Chase of American Dream

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has been struggling with the issue due to the surge of unaccompanied children at the border. Based on the latest health protocols, known as the Title 42 health protections, single adults and families of migrants can be expelled. However, unaccompanied children were not included in the expulsion, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported.

Due to the rise in numbers of unaccompanied children at the border in the past weeks, the Biden administration will be opening centers that will serve as housing for them. As of writing, the Health and Human Services has more than 11,000 in their custody, while the Customs and Border Protection has more than 5,000 migrant children.

Honduran, 4, Travelling Alone

A four-year-old Honduran boy was found traveling alone by the Mexican authorities close to the Rio Grande River, which separates Mexico from the United States. Authorities also mentioned that no one claimed the boy when nearby individuals in the area were asked.

Based on the National Migration Institute of Mexico, the four-year-old Honduran boy was found unaccompanied in the trees and thickets while walking towards the border. The institute also mentioned that the boy was close to Reynosa at the time of the interception, a city in Mexico that sits across McAllen, Texas, U.S. News reported.

RELATED ARTICLE: Salvadoran Woman Who Died in Mexican Police Custody Has History of Abuse



WATCH: Caught on video: Young children dropped by smugglers over Santa Teresa border wall in the desert - from KVIA ABC-7
It had come to this. Soldiers exasperated beyond endurance could not stand it any longer, so they fixed bayonets and pressed them to the breasts of their officers. Starvation and near nakedness had driven them to take such desperate measures. And sure enough, the stir did them some good, and "provisions directly after" were provided.1 This account of defiance in the Continental Army of 1780 by Private Joseph Martin speaks to the unique circumstances that had arisen between officer and enlisted during that time. To inspire Soldiers to risk their lives and win wars can invoke exceptional circumstances driven by the deprivations of war. Though Private Martins example is extreme, the ability of an officer to sense, foresee and then correct a Soldiers unique circumstance, whether in war or peace, is an essential component of good leadership.

The Army of today is lacking in its ability to sense the unique circumstances of its Soldiers. The murder of Fort Hoods Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen is a regrettable example of leaders not maintaining awareness of the environment in which their subordinates operate and live. And this lack of awareness extends far beyond Fort Hood. From the Inability of a General Officer to understand her environment at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq to Platoon Leaders incapable of recognizing hunter killer teams in Maywand, Afghanistan, or contracting officers accepting bribes in Kuwait; the result of not sensing a Soldiers unique circumstance has profoundly affected innocent people and impacted Army readiness for many years. The question that arises from all of this is how is it possible for a leader to be unaware of harassment, rape, robbery, and murder plots?

An Engagement Problem

The Report of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee attributes the actual prevention of incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault to a lack of leadership engagement and accountability.2 Was this lack of engagement due to apathy, too much work, or just plain ignorance? Perhaps the lack of engagement is partly due to a digital culture that counts a "text" as leader engagement. Whatever the reason, a leader's place is in the breach, and apparently, that was not the case. The Fort Hood Report goes on to suggest that leaders should practice walking around, focus groups, and practice intrusive leadership through persistent engagement.3 With such basic engagement recommendations emanating from an exhaustive report, one is to conclude that very little engagement was occurring at all.

A current explanation for the lack of leader engagement is an erosion of trust between officer and enlisted. However, trust is a virtue and not an act. Its the first step of building a better relationship founded upon decent actions. Trust is absolutely necessary, but its only a starting point. The Armys current ethic emphasizes a culture of trust built upon moral principles, values, beliefs, and laws.4 But to get to a level of trust espoused in the Army's ethic, a leader must first engage. And thats what leaders arent doing well. Within the current climate of understanding a Soldiers circumstance, trust isnt enough.

The Intimacy Ethic

Do you love your Soldiers? If that seems like a cringe worthy leadership question, then commanding troops is not for you. We tend to use cliches such as "America's treasure" or "entrusted with the lives of our nation's sons and daughters" when describing the weight of responsibility in leading troops. These have become standard slogans in assumption of command speeches and tend to get repeated quite a bit. If these statements are true, why are leaders tolerating installations such as Fort Hood that average 129 violent felonies a year to include homicides, violent sex crimes, kidnapping, robbery, and aggravated assault?5 When Non-violent felonies are taken into consideration, such as drug and sex crimes, that number jumps to over 1,000. While Fort Hood is the worst, other Army installations share comparable data. If these Army installations were universities or suburban regions, no parent would send their national treasure to such a location.

These criminal circumstances are unacceptable. To understand the unique circumstance of our nations treasure, leaders must restore a level of moral intimacy with Soldiers to sense and then correct their personal conditions where needed. Intimacy between leader and subordinate in this sense is a measure of engagement beyond trust. Trust establishes a starting point for engagement, while emotional and intellectual intimacy fulfills deep communication. Engagement strategies to move to this type of intimacy will require more persistent and constant interaction. Instead of implementing the predictable "more sexual response training," perhaps we should move Platoon Leaders back into the open bay billets with their Platoons; or better yet, reinstitute Army Correctional Training Facilities across the Army. Changes in this manner would be real and would re-establish engagement where it has become an artifact. Whatever the fix, current compliance based ethics of codes, creeds, and rules that prescribe how Soldiers should behave doesnt seem to be working. An intimacy ethic that stresses a more genuine interface between leaders and subordinates that can pierce through bureaucratic mandated programs to understand the conditions of their lives is required. Once this occurs, a more principled ethic will arise that does not rely upon mandates.

Beyond Trust

Good leaders of public and private sector companies manage beyond trust. They recognize that human capital exists within a pluralistic workforce that transcends ethnic, religious, and cultural differences. And within this workforce, they manage the balance between individuals, the institution, and social concerns by adopting risk-mitigating and opportunity generating strategies.6 Though the risk differs between profit earning companies and the military, these companies understand that they must pursue proactive engagement with their employees to understand the talent they possess. Workforce segmentation is one such human resource practice commonly used by business strategists in corporate America. Through this process, human resource programs are designed and matched to the unique needs of various groups of employees. The segments may emphasize talent skills, business critical contributions, demographic trends, aspirational goals, or even personalities. The point is that senior managers actively engage their workforce and then go find ways to help them become more productive.

The Army is currently obsessed with Agile management practices that arose from the software wars of the 1990s. But there are other worthy corporate sector managerial practices that deserve attention now, in light of the Army's current engagement challenges. Workforce segmentation is one method of forcing engagement. By recognizing workforce segments, maximum time and precise human resource efforts can be applied to the unique circumstances that are discovered. Soldiers do not exist as human agents within a monolithic workforce. And this is where we as leaders tend to misinterpret what engagement really means. Engagement is not the pursuit of a strategy to "increase the likelihood that subordinates perceive leaders are concerned about the group's welfare," as is suggested in current Army leader doctrine.7 Rather, engagement is the recognition of the distinct groups of Soldiers in a formation, a visit with those Soldiers in their own environment to realize their unique circumstances, and then the act to design a human resources practice for those circumstances.

Army formations transcend the warrior class that leaders sometimes believe drives their membership. That's not to disparage "mission first." But no singular concept drives membership in the U.S. Army, nor do the Army workforce's various components adhere to the same belief systems of its careerist leaders. The types of workforce segments across a formation will not be the same when compared to other formations. But they will transcend officer or enlisted, leader or follower, and extend beyond rank. The following examples are some of the workforce segments present in formations that deserve precise engagement strategies:

1. Solo Contents. Their identity is often gathered from their Branch, and they possess aspirational goals not yet acted upon. These are usually the younger Soldiers in a formation and tend to be the most vulnerable as they have not reached a point of intellectual maturity.

2. The Up Skillers. Soldiers who are fully qualified in their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and are seeking Additional Skill Identifiers, enrolled in college, and in many cases are preparing for a post Army life.

3. Transactional Patriots. Soldiers who have joined purely to relinquish the benefits offered. This can include Active Duty for Operational Support (ADOS) augmentees who bring in an outsider mindset with an array of qualifications.

4. Career Segregationist. Usually, the senior leaders in the formation. Their concerns tend to be focused on salary and pension, and they can often harbor corrosive attitudes as they tend to yield to systems of bureaucratization.

Whether two or ten workforce segments are identified, the objective is to engage each group to discover the unique circumstances present. What arises will be issues common amongst many within those groups that can then be addressed. But with focus and intention on all groups, even the outlier egregious activities can become known.

Conclusion

Dotting the landscape of East Houston are memorials to Specialist Vanessa Guillen. Each of these memorials is a testament to the failure of leaders to engage Soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas.

Houston is a patriotic city, but that trust is resoundingly broken on its east side, and there will be young men and women who do not enter the Army because of our failures as leaders. The high operational tempo (OPTEMPO) required to train for war, bureaucratic necessities to mobilize for war, and heroic tragedies committed while conducting war creates inevitable tension between officer and enlisted. It is the leaders responsibility to stay physically engaged with their Soldiers in order to identify their unique circumstances and then apply a means of management to correct those deficiencies. As Alexis de Tocqueville stated in Democracy in America,  When the military spirit of a nation is lost, the profession of arms immediately ceases to be held in honor, and the military falls to the lowest rank of the public servants."8 The respect of our nation is at stake right now. Leaders better start engaging less we lose the spirit of the nation.

Colonel Clarence J. Henderson has commanded at all levels through an IBCT and is a veteran of multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Central America, and the U.S./Mexico Border. He holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College and is currently assigned to the 75th Innovation Command, U.S. Army Reserve.

As a civilian, he serves as the Deputy Director and Chief of Staff for the Chief Information Officer (CIO) in Harris County, TX., and is responsible for technology procurement and software application development for the nations third largest County.

Notes:

1A Peoples History of the American Revolution, Ray Raphael, The New Press, 2002, 125.

2Report Of The Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, Department of the Army, November 6, 2020, 114.

3Ibid, 131.

4ADP 6-22 Army Leadership and the Profession, Dept. of the Army, Washington DC, July 2019, 1-6.

5David A. Bryant and Jacob Brooks, Fort Hood shows higher crime rates than similar Army installations, Killeen Daily Herald, August 23, 2020.

6Corporate Social Responsibility and Global Workforce Dynamics, Engaging and Integrating a Global Workforce, SHRM Foundation, 2015, 37.

7ADP 6-22 Army Leadership and the Profession, Dept. of the Army, Washington DC, July 2019, 6-5.

8Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Ney York, D. Appleton and Co., 1899, Book II, Chapter XXII.
UK trade data for January confirms the predicted challenges the red meat sector would face post-Brexit resulting in a slowdown in trade as all parts of the supply chain adjusted to the new requirements.

This is according to the latest market commentary from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) with Stuart Ashworth, director of economic services, acknowledging the role the pandemic has played in a slowing of trade.

Trade has also been affected by pre-emptive measures taken in December 2020 and changed demand in export markets as a result of measures taken to control the spread of Covid-19.

Beef exports to the European Union during January fell by two thirds from January 2020 while sheepmeat exports fell 40% and fresh pork exports fell 70%.

Mr Ashworth said: Reduced exports can impact on the need for imports and that was the case during January with beef imports falling 18% and fresh pigmeat imports falling 47%, while sheepmeat imports were unchanged on year earlier levels during January.

"However, it should be noted that sheepmeat imports in January 2020 were already 30% lower than the average for the previous three years.

Although official detail of trade volumes for February and March are not available, the expectation is that there have been small increases in exports as traders become more familiar with the administrative requirements of trading in a Brexit world.

Mr Ashworth said: Many traders also report that demand remains subdued because of the continued impact of Covid control measures on consumer shopping behaviour in export markets and the firm prices for sheep and cattle in the UK making these products uncompetitive.

Scottish traders have reported exports running at 20-25% of year earlier levels in January, improving to 40% of previous levels in February.

"This is estimated to have reduced beef and lamb export revenues for Scottish traders from over 10m in the first two months of 2020 down towards the 3m mark in the same period of 2021.

Combining data on imports and exports gives a view on the net effect of trade on domestic availability.

For beef and sheep meat this net trade in meat has led to a lower contribution of net trade to domestic supplies.

Meanwhile slaughter data shows that during January and February the volume of beef produced in UK abattoirs was 2% lower than in 2020 while sheepmeat volumes fell 15%.

Mr Ashworth added: As a consequence of reduced volumes, the continuing firm retail demand set against beef and sheepmeat on the UK market has contributed to higher farmgate prices and indeed a lower requirement to export sheepmeat to balance the market.

"In contrast UK abattoir volumes of pigmeat climbed ahead of year earlier levels in February after lower production in January which have contributed to some cooling of pig prices through February as will constraints on pig meat exports to China from plants affected by Covid.

With the December 2020 Scottish agricultural census reporting a decline in slaughter cattle numbers and the number of hoggs carried into 2021, cattle and sheep numbers are likely to remain tight in the short term.

The announcement of delays in the introduction of UK border inspection and control measures on imported EU meat from April to October may yet prove a significant influence on the ability to import beef in particular.

"Nevertheless, lower stock numbers in Scotland combined with lower numbers of one to two year old cattle in Ireland leave producers in a strong negotiating position, he said.
TORONTO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Payfare Inc. ("Payfare" or the "Company") (TSX:PAY) a financial technology company powering digital banking and instant payout solutions for the global gig economy announced updates to its business operations following filing of its Year End 2020 Audited Financial Statements ("Statements") and Management Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the year ending December 31, 2020. A comprehensive discussion of Payfare's financial position and results of operations are provided in the MD&A for the year ending December 31, 2020 filed on SEDAR and can be found at www.sedar.com .

2020 Financial Highlights:

Revenue increased 113% to $13,449,513 for the year compared to revenue of $6,309,642 for 2019. The 2020 revenue growth over 2019 was mainly attributable to the continued rollout of the Lyft Direct program to Lyft drivers and the launch of the DasherDirect program to DoorDash drivers in Q4 2020.

2021 Business Updates:

On March 19, 2021 , the Company successfully completed its upsized initial public offering (IPO) that was significantly oversubscribed. The Company issued 10,900,000 common shares (on a post-consolidation basis) at $6.00 per share. The Company began trading its shares on Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "PAY".

, the Company successfully completed its upsized initial public offering (IPO) that was significantly oversubscribed. The Company issued 10,900,000 common shares (on a post-consolidation basis) at per share. The Company began trading its shares on Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "PAY". Payfare increased its active user count by 54% from the end of December 2020 to the end of February 2021 . With the expanded reopening of businesses across the United States Payfare anticipates the demand for rideshare services to continue to increase, along with higher consumer spending.

With the expanded reopening of businesses across the United States Payfare anticipates the demand for rideshare services to continue to increase, along with higher consumer spending. Payfare increased its gross dollar value loads (GDV) by 53% from the end of December 2020 to the end of February 2021 . Payfare's amount of funds added to cardholders' Payfare accounts, or GDV loads has a direct correlation to revenue.

Payfare's amount of funds added to cardholders' Payfare accounts, or GDV loads has a direct correlation to revenue. Further to the announcement made December 14, 2020 regarding the launch of the DoorDash DasherDirect program, the Company expanded to a full nationwide rollout in March 2021 and anticipates continued demand and new signups in the coming months.

made regarding the launch of the DoorDash DasherDirect program, the Company expanded to a full nationwide rollout in and anticipates continued demand and new signups in the coming months. On March 22, 2021 , the Company used a portion of the proceeds from the IPO to repay all its outstanding debt facilities and is now debt free.

"Navigating the past year of uncertainty and hardship resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic was a heavy challenge for our team, clients and cardholders. We quickly pivoted how and where we work, but our focus and mission remained steadfast," says Mr. Margiotta, CEO and Chairperson of Payfare.

"In March of 2020 State and Provincial governments ordered the temporary closure of many businesses due to the Covid 19 pandemic. In the midst of these closures and material disruption to the global ride hailing industry, we were still able to more than double our revenue in 2020 from 2019.

We continued to build innovative banking and payout solutions for our clients, so their gig workforces can access their earnings faster to better support their families and needs. In the past year, we saw a heightened need for immediate access to earned wages, as unemployment rates climbed and many turned to gig work as a source of income.

I am immensely proud of the Payfare team for what we were able to accomplish in such a difficult year, the impact we have on our cardholders, and am excited to see that 2021 is already setting up to be another year of significant growth for the company," said Mr. Margiotta.

About Payfare

Payfare is a global financial technology company powering digital banking and instant payout solutions for today's gig economy. Payfare partners with leading platforms and marketplaces, such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, to provide financial security and inclusion for their workforce.

For further information please visit www.payfare.com or contact:

Su Chun

Chief Compliance & Legal Officer

1 (888) 850-2713

[email protected]

or

Lindsey Abshire

(337) 772-8357

[email protected]

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale or any acceptance of an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects Payfare's current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Payfare's control, that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks include the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in Payfare's final prospectus dated March 15, 2021. Payfare does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

SOURCE Payfare

Related Links

http://www.payfare.com


MIRRORLAND by Carole Johnstone (Borough Press 12.99, 416pp)

MIRRORLAND

by Carole Johnstone (Borough Press 12.99, 416pp)

Identical twin sisters lie at the heart of this creepy Gothic debut set in a house on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Cat and El were brought up there and created their own world full of pirates and buried treasure in a secret basement they called Mirrorland.

Only a few people were allowed to visit, including Ross, who married El after Cat left for Los Angeles. But now El has vanished and Cat is back to help search for her, only to find that her twin has left what looks like a treasure map from their childhood that will reveal their long-lost secrets.

The house itself is one of the central characters in this ghostly story, hiding as many shadowy alleyways and cobbled runnels as Edinburgh itself. Intricately plotted and utterly engrossing, Johnstone superbly sustains a sense of menace and mystery that sweeps everything before it.

PRETTY THINGS by Janelle Brown (W&N 8.99, 496 pp)

PRETTY THINGS

by Janelle Brown (W&N 8.99, 496 pp)

This splendidly assured story of two wildly different women  one a con artist, the other a spoiled heiress  is one of the sleekest thrillers so far this year. Nina fails to find a job, so she turns to stealing from rich young men in LA, with the help of her Irish boyfriend.

When the police show up, they leave town for Lake Tahoe, where Nina has a new target in mind: Vanessa, the privileged sister of a former boyfriend, whos living in a family mansion by the lake.

Nina has her heart set on the $1 million in cash kept in the safe, but Vanessa has other ideas . . . Their lives intertwine in a series of plots and counterplots, double-crosses and thwarted revenge. The tempo never slips and drives the twists at a staggering rate.

BULLET TRAIN by Kotaro Isaka (Harvill Secker 12.99, 432 pp)

BULLET TRAIN

by Kotaro Isaka (Harvill Secker 12.99, 432 pp)

A Japanese bestselling thriller, this has already been bought by Hollywood as a film project for Brad Pitt and Lady Gaga.

Entirely set on the high speed-bullet train  the Shinkansen  from Tokyo to Morioka, it involves as many as four interlocking plots.

A father searches for a schoolboy who put his son into a coma, only to find that the child is a clever psychopath.

There are two hitmen who have rescued a son for an underworld boss, only for the boy to die mysteriously.

And the unluckiest assassin in the world has to collect a suitcase full of money, but runs into an old adversary and has to decide how to escape from the train travelling at 187mph.

The action accelerates up and down the ten carriages but the only question is: who will get off alive?
An error regarding travel and tourism dollars spent in Sweetwater County is being corrected by Green Rivers communication administrator, Steve Core.

Core initially sent a press release March 8 regarding a presentation Sweetwater County Travel and Tourisms Executive Director, Jenissa Meredith made to the Green River City Council, claiming tourism spending in Sweetwater County was down $87 million dollars in 2020 when compared to 2019.

However, that number will not be known until the Wyoming Office of Tourisms report is released.

It was reported that lodging tax dollars collected had increased, when in fact they decreased. Core reported fiscal year numbers from 18-19 to 19-20 instead of calendar year numbers. The current fiscal year does not conclude until June 30th.

Although we did see a 24% decrease in local lodging tax collections in 2020 as compared to 2019, many areas around the country faired much worse. Wyoming is the ideal destination for people to explore safely with their loved ones and we are optimistic that this summer will be busier than ever, Meredith said in a press release from the city.
An investor looks at stock prices on a smartphone at a brokerage in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Vietnams benchmark VN-Index surged 2.07 percent to a new historic peak of 1,216.10 points Thursday, driven by Vingroup and Vietcombank tickers.

The index rose throughout the day after breaking the 2018 peak of 1,204 points in the morning. It continued to surge in the afternoon and ended with a near 25-point gain.

This is its biggest daily gain in six weeks. The index has ended in the green four sessions in a row.

Trading value on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, surged 16 percent to VND16.94 trillion ($735 million). The bourse saw 334 stocks gain and 106 lose.

VIC of the biggest conglomerate Vingroup contributed most to the VN-Index gain with 4.6 points. The ticker rose 4.3 percent, its seventh gaining session in a row, up by a total 15 percent since March 23.

VCB of state-owned lender Vietcombank pulled the index up by 2.1 points with volume tripling from Wednesday to rise 2.2 percent.

Other major contributors included HPG of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group, VHM of real estate giant Vinhomes and VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk, together pushing the index up by 4.4 points.

The strongest blue-chip gainer was SSI of leading brokerage SSI Securities Corporation with a ceiling increase of 6.9 percent, followed by TCH of real estate company Hoang Huy Investment Financial Services JSC with a 5.9 percent gain.

Foreign investors broke off four consecutive net selling sessions with a net buying value of VND45 billion. They focused on VIC, HPG and STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank, which surged 17 percent in the last six sessions.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, surged 2 percent, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market added 0.37 percent.
The Biden administration has given Ukraine its full backing as new video showed Russia sending trains filled with tanks and military vehicles into Crimea.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the United States' 'unwavering support' for Kiev as tensions continue to escalate with Moscow.

The Kremlin said on Thursday the West should not 'worry' about Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border, but there are concerns the situation could develop into another conflict.

A number of American officials have reached out to their Ukrainian counterparts this week over concerning moves by Russia's military in Crimea and in Ukraine's easternmost region, Donbas, that borders Russia.

Blinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday in the face of 'Russia's ongoing aggression in the Donbas and Crimea,' reported CNN.

Russia has used trains to move massive military vehicles toward Crimea and in Ukraine's easternmost region, Donbas, which the Pentagon now believes was a military training exercise, but Ukraine's president viewed as a 'threat'

The Kremlin said Thursday Ukraine and the West should not 'worry' about Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border (pictured, a tank of pro-Russian militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic)

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held a similar call with his Ukrainian counterpart on Monday.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley spoke to Ukraine's top general and also Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the head of Russia's general staff.

Details about Milley's call with Gerasimov haven't been made public.

CNN reported that the Pentagon has become worried about an escalation as military intelligence reports said around 4,000 heavily armed Russian forces had been seen moving in Crimea.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the United States' 'unwavering support' for Ukraine during a call Wednesday

'It was not totally clear what they were up to,' an official told the network, adding that the US now believes it may have been part of a Russian military exercise.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that he believe the moves represented a threat.

'Playing with muscles in the form of military exercises and possible provocations along the border is a traditional Russian affair,' Zelensky said, according to Reuters. 'In this way, [Russia] seeks to create an atmosphere of threat and, at the same time, of pressure during the ceasefire negotiations and for peace as our value.'

The US agreed with Ukraine's assessment that two incidents involving mortar and machine gun fire that led to the death of four Ukrainian soldiers last Friday represented a violation of a ceasefire agreement.

Russia blamed the renewed fighting on Ukraine.

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not confirm the troop buildup on the border, saying Moscow was at liberty to move troops across its territory.

'The Russian Federation moves its armed forces within its territory at its discretion,' Peskov said. 'It should not worry anyone and does not pose a threat to anyone.'

'As for the participation of Russian troops in the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, Russian troops have never taken part in it,' he added. 'And [they] are not doing it now.'

President Joe Biden has taken a tougher approach to Russian than former President Donald Trump, labeling Russian President Vladimir Putin a 'killer' and slapping sanctions on Russian officials and entities over the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

More santions are expected over election interference and the SolarWinds cyberattack, CNN said.

Russia's large military exercise on Ukraine's border could be a message to Biden, showing the country's military dominance in the region, CNN's Pentagon source said.
Provides business update

Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - KWESST Micro Systems Inc. (TSXV: KWE) (OTCQB: KWEMF) ("KWESST" or "the Company") announces the results of its 2021 Annual and Special Meeting of shareholders held on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 in virtual format.

Shareholders approved all the resolutions detailed in the management information circular of the Company dated February 11, 2021, namely:

Electing all the nominees to the Board of Directors of the Company;

Appointing KPMG LLP as auditor of the Company for the ensuing year and authorizing the directors to determine the auditor's compensation; and,

Approving the Company's long term incentive plan.

The Company also provided the following general business update to investors.

Current contract with U.S. military for TASCS IFM product

The Company reported that it is progressing on schedule and to budget in the delivery of its $1.1M contract for TASCS (Tactical Awareness Situational Control System) IFM (Integrated Fires Module) systems for the 81mm mortar to a key U.S. military customer.

In March 2021, KWESST announced the successful integration of TASCS IFM into the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK), the pre-eminent battlefield management system used by more than a dozen U.S. government agencies and many NATO allies and partner nations.

This integration opens the door to further deployment of the Company's systems to military customers. The Company will now proceed to the next phase of the contract, involving live-fire trials at various U.S. military bases with full delivery of the contract expected in the current fiscal year.

Progress on other product introduction to the marketplace

GreyGhostTM

GreyGhostTM is a drone whose principal function and operation is acting as a projectile to intercept aerial threats using kinetic (i.e. motion-related) force. GreyGhostTM addresses a concern for deployed military and many security agencies arising from the proliferation of small drones and the potential hazards they pose to troops, sensitive infrastructure and the public at large.

Current methods to tackle this concern include electronic counter-measures which attempt to disrupt communication protocols. Other systems, such as net capture, have a short range and can only deal with one target at a time. The Company's licensed micro-drone missile technology provides a kinetic interceptor to engage drones threats. With a range in excess of three kilometers, the Company's GreyGhostTM locks on to a target. Once in attack mode, it will track and repeatedly impact the target drone until it is destroyed. Multiple GreyGhostTM missiles can be launched concurrently to deal with multiple targets simultaneously.

The Company reported that GreyGhostTM is among a small handful of counter-measures against small drones recently down-selected by the U.S. military joint program for further evaluation.

PhantomTM

PhantomTM is a compact, lightweight and selectively electromagnetic transmitter capable of mimicking the electromagnetic footprint of a tactical military units. Recent interest from NATO agencies and defence contractors for this product has resulted in KWESST moving up the production of demonstration samples of PhantomTM in the Company's priorities.

Non-Lethal Low Energy Cartridge (LEC) System

KWESST management reminded shareholder that the acquisition of the Non-Lethal Low Energy Cartridge (LEC) System is expected to close shortly and KWESST has begun plans to implement rapid productization. For further details on the proposed acquisition, please refer to the Company's January 18, 2021 and March 23, 2021 news releases.

The LEC system is a proprietary non-lethal cartridge-based ordnance system developed by David Luxton the Executive Chairman of KWESST. The LEC system is a novel proprietary combination of cartridges that fire from a dedicated firing device, with a range of projectile payloads specific to the intended application. The LEC system comprises three main aspects: (i) a dedicated firing platform in a non-standard calibre to ensure "live fire exclusion" for safety; (ii) a non-lethal low energy cartridge case and actuator; and (iii) a non-lethal polymer projectile with various payloads depending on the intended application (public order, training, personal defence or high-action gaming). The calibration of energy dynamics between the firing platform, the energy in the cartridge and the velocity of the projectile combine to ensure reliable functioning of the firing platform and terminal effects that are non-lethal. There are two versions of the LEC cartridge: (i) one for non-reciprocating firing platforms that look like revolvers and shotguns; and (ii) one for reciprocating firing platforms that look like automatic pistols, sub-machine guns and assault rifles.

Active contract pursuits and government funding proposals

The Company reported increased activity in contract proposals and government funding applications. "While we are not able to control the certainty or timing of contracts and funding, we are hopeful that a good portion of our recent efforts will mature in our current fiscal year," said Jeff MacLeod, KWESST Founder, President and CEO.

Incremental near-term revenue from ATAK Centre of Excellence

"As announced on March 30, we also expect an incremental revenue contribution starting in this fiscal year from our ATAK Centre of Excellence," said MacLeod. "Some of this work has already begun and we are ramping up to service more government agencies and defence companies who have approached us to develop and support their ATAK applications."

Industrial Tax Benefits (ITB) credit (typically known outside Canada as "Offsets")

In a new development, the Company reported that it has begun discussions with a major foreign defence contractor for near-term and potential future defence program work under which the contractor could receive favorable ITB credits for inclusion of KWESST in its supply chain. This has the potential to accelerate and expand the Company's stated go-to-market strategy of partnering with large defence contractors.

About KWESST

KWESST develops and commercializes high-value ultra-miniaturized technology applications that make a critical difference to the safety and operational effectiveness of personnel in the defence and security industries. The company's current portfolio of unique proprietary offerings include: its signature TASCSTM (Tactical Awareness and Situational Control System) for real-time awareness and targeting information from any source (including drones) streamed directly to users' smart devices and weapons; the autonomous GreyGhostTM soldier-portable micro drone missile system that defends against small hostile drones including swarms using high-speed kinetic impact; a Ground Laser Defence system to counter the emerging threat of weaponized lasers against personnel; and, the PhantomTM electronic battlefield decoy system to mask the electromagnetic signature of friendly forces with decoy signatures at false locations to deceive and confuse adversaries. All systems can operate stand-alone or integrate seamlessly with OEM products and battlefield management systems including Frontline, Edge, Killswitch and ATAK (Android Tactical Assault Kit) among others. KWESST also has developmental "smart ordnance" projects including its "Shot Counter" system, which records the number and type of rounds fired, for optimized firearms maintenance and performance. The Company is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with representative offices in Washington, DC, London, UK and Abu Dhabi, UAE. KWESST trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol KWE and on the U.S. OTCQB under the symbol KWEMF.

Contact: Jason Frame, Investor Relations: frame@kwesst.com

For more information, please visit https://kwesst.com/

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the timing for the commencement of trading and the plans and operations of KWESST after giving effect to the Qualifying Transaction. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. KWESST disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79169
A remorseful young woman broke down in court before she narrowly escaped conviction over her involvement in an ugly late night altercation which left another patron bleeding at a swanky Melbourne bar.

Monica Neskovski, 25, pleaded guilty to throwing a metal jug causing injury when she appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

She was out on a night on the town with her mother and several friends on September 30 2019 when they enjoyed a few drinks at The George on Collins in Melbourne's CBD.

The court heard the gathering became embroiled in an altercation with another group of revellers over a photo taken inside the bar.

The feuding parties went their separate ways before Neskovski later reignited the altercation when she hurled a metal jug at the rival group, the Whittlesea Leader reported.

Monica Neskovski was placed a 12 month over her involvement in an ugly incident at The George on Collins in September 2019

The jug struck a woman in the head which caused bleeding from a large gash, which required five stitches.

Neskovski and the victim were unknown to each other, the court was told.

The two groups were separated by venue security, who contacted police and handed over CCTV of the incident.

Neskovski was arrested on the night but wasn't charged until four months later.

Her barrister described his client's 'totally unacceptable' behaviour that night as 'completely out of character'.

'She felt scared and intimidated and acted out,' Thomas Bell told the court.

He added alcohol 'may have contributed' but not the 'primary cause' of the incident.

A series of glowing references about Neskovski was also tendered to the court, describing the RMIT business graduate and customer service representative as 'professional and dedicated' and an 'exceptional human being'.

Monica Neskovski (pictured) hurled a metal jug at another group of patrons, which hit a woman in the head which caused bleeding

The court heard an altercation between the two groups of revellers was sparked by a photo being taken inside The George On Collins (pictured)

The court was told Neskovski 'feels like she's let her mum down', who worked two jobs to give her daughter a private school education.

Neskovski had no prior criminal history and has since penned a apology letter to her victim, which was noted by magistrate Hayley Bate.

The magistrate described Neskovski's behaviour as appalling.

'(It was) an enormous fall from grace on this particular night... is embarrassed and ashamed as she should be,' Magistrate Bate told the court.

'This is such a stark difference from the woman on this night who acted in an absolute childish way and put another member of the public at risk.

Neskovski was placed on a 12 month good behaviour bond with no conviction recorded.

She was also ordered to donate $1000 to the Royal Children's Hospital.
The small plane arced over a blue lagoon near the Caribbean Sea, flying low above a family in a boat on Tuesday afternoon. As they clapped, it released a pink cloud into the sky.

"Girl! Girl!" a man aboard the boat yelled in Spanish, celebrating the dramatic results of the elaborate gender-reveal stunt for a new baby in the family. "It's a girl!"

Seconds later, the family's video shows, the small aircraft plummeted into the Nichupte Lagoon, a body of water off the east coast of Cancun, as the family and their guests watched in disbelief.

"No way!" a man cried in Spanish with an obscenity. "It went into the water."

Both the pilot and the co-pilot were killed in the crash, authorities later confirmed to local media. An investigation into the cause of the fatal crash is underway, and authorities have yet to release the names of the victims.

The crash is the latest incident of a gender-reveal celebration that turned fatal. In recent years, a practice that became popular following a 2008 parenting blog post, has sparked multiple wildfires, led several deaths in explosions, and caused at least one other plane crash.

Cancun's fatal crash is the second gender-reveal celebration that has resulted in a fatality. In February, a 28-year-old father-to-be died after the homemade device he was preparing for his gender-reveal celebration in New York malfunctioned inside his garage.

It's not clear who hired the plane in Cancun this week for the latest tragic announcement.

The 30-second cellphone video captured by someone on the boat shows the small white plane soaring near Isla Dorada, a waterfront community in the heart of Cancun's tourist zone. Near the beginning of the clip, one man unknowingly predicted the disaster that would take place moments later.

"As long as it does not fall on us," the man jokes, referencing the aircraft.

"Is it a boy?" another man can be heard saying.

The camera follows the plane through the clear sky as the pilot eventually releases the pink cloud.

"It's a girl!" a woman shouts.

Then, the videographer loses sight of the plane for a few seconds as the group on the boat cheers.

By the time the plane is back on camera seconds later, it swiftly nose-dives straight into the lagoon as the crowd shouts in horror.

Local authorities including the National Guard and the Municipal Police arrived at the scene around 4 p.m. on Tuesday to lead the rescue mission to the downed aircraft, which was about 300 meters from the shore, Quequi reported.

Francisco Fernandez Millan, the president of the Nautical Association of Quintana Roo, told local media the association coordinated Tuesday's rescue efforts.

The Municipal Police later confirmed two men, the pilot and co-pilot died in the crash. According to authorities, the pilot of the white Cessna appears to be the owner of the aircraft, Quequi reported.

Milenio and El Universal reported the aircraft, which departed from Holbox Island at 3:31 p.m., belonged to Xomex, an aviation company that offers commercial, recreational and cargo flights in the Riviera Maya and the country's southeast area, according to their website.

A representative with Xomex did not immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post late on Wednesday.

The Federal Civil Aviation Agency has begun an investigation to determine the cause of the crash, according to Milenio.

Pictures shared on social media show workers dressed in white hazmat suits accompanied by local authorities rolling at least one body wrapped in a blanket from the dock.
Photo credit: Nicole Franzen

From House Beautiful

You've definitely seen it, whether in the living room of your coolest friend, an actual museum, on your own dream coffee table Pinterest boardor perhaps it's currently sitting in your shopping cart but you're researching whether it's the real deal before you click "buy." And you'd be wise to do so because there are plenty of replicas out there (more on that in a minute!). The icon in question: The Noguchi Table.

Its clear glass top perched atop a sculptural wood base make it an enviable addition to interiors ranging from minimal to midcentury modern, a flexibility that has lent it increased visibility in the age of social media. With the uptick in mass production and copycats that are unfortunate effects of the internet era, though, the classic table (or, more often, knockoffs of it) is often encountered in the digital wild without much context about original the creator. But a true understanding of the piece requires a look at the artist behind it, Isamu Noguchi.

Noguchi was a Japanese American artist and designer, born to Japanese poet Yonejiro (Yone) Noguchi and Irish American educator Leonie in Los Angeles in 1904. He spent his early years in Japan after his mother moved there to join his father and learned Japanese woodworking techniques by assisting the carpenter who built his mother's home in Chigasaki, a city in Kanagawa, Japan. He was educated at an English language immersion program in Japan but expressed an interest in moving back to his birth country by age thirteen.



Noguchi was eventually accepted to The Interlaken School in Indiana and returned to the U.S., where he was taken in by the school's founder, Edward Rumely. Rumley urged Noguchi to study medicine, but he aspired for a creative career, so Rumley arranged for an apprenticeship with the sculptor Gutzon Borglum.





Photo credit: Eliot Elisofon





Though Noguchi did enroll in premedical studies at Columbia in 1922, the young creative further developed his love of sculpting while taking night courses (encouraged by his mother, who at that point had reunited with him in New York). He eventually traveled to Paris to study under the pioneering artist Constantin Brancusi, thanks to winning the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for travel to Paris and the Far East.

Story continues

Noguchi he was greatly influenced by modernism and abstraction in the 1920s and 1930s, but also studied traditional brush drawing under Qi Baishi, and worked with two artists studying under Diego Riveria in Mexico city, later. By 1929, his first work, Ruth Parks (1929) was placed in The Whitney Museum. As he continued doing studio work and commissioned busts and portraits, public awareness around his work began to grow.

But by the early 1940s, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, racism against Japanese Americans was quickly on the rise. Noguchi was an outspoken founding member of the Nisei Writers and Artists Mobilization for Democracy, a group that aimed to publicize Japanese American patriotism, ultimately as a form of advocacy against the racist oppression and internment of Japanese Americans. In fact, Noguchi voluntarily entered the Colorado River Relocation Center in Poston, Arizona, "hoping to be of assistance by improving the environment of internment," but ended up being held there against his will, along with the other interned Japanese Americans. He was finally able to leave seven months later, diving back into being an artist and creator.

I was finally free," Noguchi said following his time in the Center: "I resolved henceforth to be an artist only."

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In 1940, Noguchi created his first furniture designs, kicking off a successful genre that included that iconic glass-topped table produced by the American manufacturer Herman Miller, then under the leadership of another star of modern design, George Nelson. The table was widely publicized when it was used to illustrate an article by Nelson titled "How to Build a Table."

"A beautiful sculptural exercise in both art and design, the Noguchi Table is a distinctly understated and impressive 3-piece balancing act," describes Herman Miller's site. With its curved wood base and simple glass top, the piece is at once artful and practical, thoughtfully calibrated for an effect of stunning simplicity.



Over the course of his career, Noguchi worked with a plethora of materials, always stretching himself as an artist, including designing the sets for modern dancer Martha Graham, public playgrounds for children in Al Moana, Honolulu, Akari lights, and much more. In 1951, he developed the designs for another iconic home item: his Akari light sculptures, modern riffs on traditional Japanese materials.

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Today, there are tons of Noguchi-inspired tables on the market, in addition to original Noguchi pieces. If you're wondering how to know if it's a truly original design, then you'll want to purchase through the initial manufacturer, Herman Miller, or work with a trusted resellerlike a vetted antique dealer or a site such as Chairish or 1stdibswho will be honest about where they sourced it (this forum goes into depth about how you can tell the real deal).

However you decide to buy, this is a piece that's unquestionably a worthy investment.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.

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After several years in San Francisco, where they paid $3,200 a month for a one-bedroom in the Mission District, Christa Lei Sonido and Tobi Vollebregt were bored with the Bay Area.

We had done all the road trips around San Francisco, Mx. Sonido said. It felt stale for us. We had lived there for so long, and things were changing in not a great way.

Mx. Sonido, 28, who grew up in Honolulu, felt New York would offer more opportunity in her field, clinical research. And it was easy enough for Mr. Vollebregt, 36, a software engineer from the Netherlands, to transfer to his companys Manhattan office.

So two years ago, the couple moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where they had stayed when they visited the city. They shared a one-bedroom in a new boutique rental building near the Lorimer Street stop on the L train, paying around $3,000 for 500 square feet, a washer-dryer and no direct sunlight.

[Did you recently buy or rent a home in the New York metro area? We want to hear from you. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com]

Their dog, Kaia, was getting older and was frightened by the traffic on their busy corner. Whenever trucks or motorcycles passed by, she would find a place to hide, Mr. Vollebregt said. In the late afternoon, the sunlight would reflect off the cars. She was noticing the flashes of light and hiding in the other room.

Soon they adopted a puppy, Mayo. Two dogs and two people in a one-bedroom was not great, Mx. Sonido said. She found herself consumed by StreetEasy, hunting for a place to buy that offered more space, light and quiet.

The couple planned to remain in or near Williamsburg, familiar and beloved. I would be hesitant to buy in a neighborhood where I hadnt lived or stayed for at least a little while, Mr. Vollebregt said. It is hard to get a vibe for the neighborhood without doing that.

Online, they found Ashlie Roberson, a licensed saleswoman at Triplemint, and sought her help. They wanted a new-construction-type feel, which in Williamsburg is going to be a condo building, she said.

For up to $1.5 million  although less than $1.25 million, if possible  the pair hoped to find a dog-friendly two-bedroom condo with space for working from home. The apartments they saw were typically around 1,000 square feet.

They wanted laundry in the building, if not their own washer and dryer, because if Im paying over a million, I kind of wanted to have these things, Mx. Sonido said.

And a smaller building was preferable  something like their rental building, where they enjoyed the sense of community.

Among their options:
The Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi has temporarily suspended vaccination of the government-sponsored Covid-19 vaccine following the depletion of the stock.

The hospital also said in a statement it will announce the resumption of the exercise once more doses are received from the Ministry of Health.

"We appreciate Kenyans for turning up in large numbers for the free Covid-19 vaccination under the government program. We shall announce the resumption of the exercise once we receive more doses from the Ministry of Health," the statement read in part.

As of Tuesday, 130,575 people had so far been vaccinated against Covid-19, against an available 1.12 million doses, according to Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.

"A total of 806,000 of the AstraZeneca doses have been distributed countrywide," he added.

This statement comes as Kenya recorded 1,530 new Covid-19 cases from a sample size of 8,010 tested in the last 24 hours bringing the positivity down to 19.1 percent.

The vaccine is one of the cornerstones of the World Health Organisation (WHO) push to immunize frontline health workers and elderly people at high risk of dying from Covid-19.

Last week, the Ministry of Health said Nairobi is the biggest contributor to the increased Covid-19 positivity rate as the third wave of the pandemic continues to cause alarm in Kenya.

The government rolled out vaccination on March 5, 2021, while targeting health workers, security personnel, clergy, teachers and other staff in learning institutions.

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And now, persons aged 58 years and above have been added to the list of those to receive the vaccines, with data showing that they account for 60 percent of the deaths recorded so far.

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) said that some private and faith-based health facilities had been selected for this task include St. Francis Community Hospital, Jamaa Mission Hospital, Coptic Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital, Mater Hospital, and Aga Khan Hospital.

Mama Lucy, Pumwani, and Mbagathi Hospitals are among health facilities in Nairobi which have also been earmarked to offer Covid-19 vaccination.

Others are Kenyatta National Hospital, Mathari Hospital, Memorial Hospital, Moi Airbase Hospital, National Spinal Injury Hospital, and Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital.

According to Willis Akhwale, the head of the national Covid-19 vaccine deployment, Kenya decided to use all its 1.12 million vials to administer the first dose to as many people as it can.

The country will then move to give the second dose as soon as it receives its next shipment of the Oxford/AstraZeneca in early April.

The move, he said, is in line with Kenya's vaccination plan where people are expected to receive two shots of the vaccine eight weeks apart.

"We are not worried about any delays since we are in the process of expanding our procurement options through other mechanisms like the Africa CDC. We are also looking into having bilateral agreements," Dr Akhwale said.
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Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts on Wednesday amid escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine.

Milley and Ukrainian Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Ruslan Khomchak discussed the current security environment in Eastern Europe, according to a statement provided by Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. Dave Butler.

"Ukraine is a key partner to NATO and plays a critical role in maintaining peace and stability in Europe," said the statement.

Milley also spoke with his Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov. "The two military leaders exchanged their views on issues of mutual concern," said a separate statement.

The phone conversations came amid reports of escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow and Kiev blamed each other for provocative actions.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters later in the day during a press briefing that "we are concerned about the recent escalation of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, including violation of the July 2020 ceasefire."

He noted the Pentagon was aware of Ukrainian military reports concerning Russian troop's movement on the border.

The New York Times reported that the U.S. European Command in the past week raised its watch level from possible crisis to potential imminent crisis, the highest level, in response to the buildup of Russian forces on the border.
Mumbai, April 1 : As local level restrictions and lockdowns come up in several parts of the country amid resurging Covid cases, the Retailers Association of India (RAI) has raised concerns that such ad hoc measures have started to impact the retail businesses.

In a statment, the industry body said that there is a need for a coordinated effort for handling the second wave of the pandemic rather than creating diverse restrictions at local levels like the local weekend lockdowns, shutdowns at 8 p.m., arbitrary testing inside malls, among others.

About the concerns faced by the retail industry, Association CEO Kumar Rajagopalan said: "RAI has been highlighting the fact that formal retail spaces, especially shopping centres are controlled spaces and have SOPs in place. They have got the ability to adhere to hygiene standards and can definitely ensure social distancing, as compared to local markets." He added that the government could also consider these places to be used to vaccinate citizens and speed up the inoculation drive.

"However, as soon as pandemic seems to surge, a new wave of restrictions seem to apply on these places first, which beats the logic in our mind. These extemporised restrictions are creating setbacks for retailers as the already stressed retail businesses are getting further interrupted and in turn dampening consumer sentiment," Rajagopalan said.

RAI sai that removing roadblocks at the local level will not only help retailers to plan ahead, but will also help them make decisions on hiring. It will also help the exchequer in the form of taxes collected by the state governments like GST, among others which is important to help revive the economy.

Most importantly, it will be in the interest of consumers as it will bring convenience to them, it said.

Recovery will need unconventional solutions and government support, it said, adding that at this juncture, all efforts are required to boost the local economy and help revive retail, saving millions of jobs.

RAI has also appealed to the Ministry of Health & Welfare to prioritise Covid-19 vaccination for frontline retail workers.
Cuban and Russian officials began talks Wednesday in Havana aimed at strengthening bilateral collaboration in various fields.

Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Cuba's Vice-Prime Minister and his Russian counterpart, Yury Borisov, led their respective delegations in exploring issues of interest to both countries.

Delegates discussed issues related to financial, energy, transport, agriculture, communications and health sectors.

This session of the Intergovernmental Commission was expected last until Thursday.

Borisov arrived in Cuba from Venezuela after a meeting of the High Level Intergovernmental Commission in Caracas, Tuesday.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The national security advisers for the United States and the Philippines discussed their shared concerns over Chinese activities in the South China Sea in a call on Wednesday, the White House said.

The Philippines has described the presence of hundreds of Chinese boats inside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea as "swarming and threatening."

Manila believes the vessels were manned by maritime militia. Chinese diplomats have said the boats were sheltering from rough seas and no militia were aboard.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Philippines national security adviser Hermogenes Esperon "agreed that the United States and the Philippines will continue to coordinate closely in responding to challenges in the South China Sea," the White House said.

"Sullivan underscored that the United States stands with our Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based international maritime order, and reaffirmed the applicability of the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty in the South China Sea," it added.

Canada, Australia, Japan and others have voiced concern about China's intentions.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Vietnam have competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, through which at least $3.4 trillion of annual trade passes.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Lincoln Feast)
Blog

Balarabe Danladi Zakariya, a resident of Gabari, Kano State thinks he is jinxed and the reason is not far-fetched. He was married twice and lost both his wives in childbirth. His first marriage had a sweet beginning until his wife, Lami, died of breast cancer months after giving birth to their first child.

Zakariya found love again and married Hannatu, but that marriage was also short-lived. Hannatu got pregnant and died due to complications from childbirth one short year after their marriage.

Zakariya recounts painfully the harrowing conditions around his second wife's death. "I rushed my wife to a nearby hospital when she went into labour few days to the due date. At the hospital, I was told to fetch her hospital bag and also pay for bed space. I went to get the bag, made the payment and quickly ran back to the waiting area. A few minutes, the doctor called me to his office to inform me of how they tried to save her but could not. He said she died due to incessant bleeding and high blood pressure. The nurse told me that they gave her a lot of injections, but the bleeding was too much and did not stop. bleeding," Zakariya said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

Somehow, Zakariya now a single father, cannot seem to stop blaming himself for his wife's death.

Described as death that occurs during pregnancy or childbirth or within 42 days after giving birth: maternal mortality, is still disproportionately high in Nigeria. Sadly, Hannatu's death is a statistic in the growing maternal death count in Nigeria with approximately 512 deaths per 100,000 live births recorded in 2018, according to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey.

Disaggregating maternal deaths

Nigeria, like many low and middle-income countries accounts for some of the highest burdens of maternal deaths. Nigeria accounts for about 20% of global maternal deaths. More women especially aged 15-19 die from pregnancy-related complications. The most common causes of maternal deaths in Nigeria are postpartum haemorrghage, sepsis (infections), and high blood pressure during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia). However, postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal deaths accounting for about 25% of all maternal deaths in Nigeria.

Maternal deaths are preventable with the appropriate administration and widespread availability of a core group of medicines, magnesium sulfate, oxytocin and misoprostol, according to a 2012 UN report.

"And this is where the challenge lies for Nigeria", says Prof. Chimezie Anyakora, Chief Executive Officer, Bloom Public Health, a think tank bridging the gap in public health in Africa. Anyakora has been at the forefront of advocating for improved maternal health and medicines in Nigeria. He believes the enormity of maternal deaths caused by postpartum hemorrhage in Nigeria requires urgent prioritization of strengthened systems that ensure quality maternal medicines during pregnancy and childbirth.

Efforts to reduce maternal mortality by successive governments focused on the provision of physical infrastructure and health workers, with less priority given to the quality of maternal medicines. Additionally, the need to store some of these medicines at the right temperatures, has widened the gap for the proliferation of substandard medicines.

Zainab Abdullahi, a resident of Hausawa Sabon Titi in Kano, had a first-hand experience with substandard oxytocin. Oxytocin is a medication most commonly used in Nigeria for the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. She barely survived childbirth after the administration of oxytocin injections which could not stop the excessive bleeding.

"My child died shortly after birth due to unknown reasons. Hours later, I was struggling for my life because I could not stop bleeding. The medical team tried their best. I was given oxytocin injections to stop the bleeding, but it didn't work. I was in great discomfort and was afraid for my life." she said.

Quality of Medicines and impact on maternal outcomes

The quality of oxytocin is a global issue. A 2015 survey looking at the quality of life-saving medicines by the United Nations showed that the quality of oxytocin in 10 countries including Nigeria had 64% sample failure. Furthermore, a nationwide study conducted in 2018 showed the prevalence of sub-standard quality oxytocin across the 6 geo-political zones in Nigeria. Approximately, 74.2% of oxytocin injection samples were seen to be substandard at facility levels.

"The harmful effect of sub-standard and fake drugs is now an undeniable challenge to the integrity of Nigeria's public health system. Whether it antimicrobial resistance or maternal mortality, the pharmaceutical ecosystem needs to be overhauled," says Prof. Busayo Olayinka, a pharmaceutical microbiologist at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

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These are critical factors that must be considered, says Anyakora. He stressed that interventions in the sector must factor in the dynamics of the pharmaceutical supply chain for environmentally sensitive lifesaving maternal medicines.

While government's efforts which culminated in the local production of oxytocin injection are commendable, strengthening the whole cold chain system for the procurement, transportation, handling and storage of medicines is a major determinant of the quality of these medicines and it needs to be prioritized across states in Nigeria. In addition, health workers need to be trained on the correct safety protocols for storing and handling maternal medicines.

Rural communities in Nigeria with high maternal death rates due to PPH continue to struggle with storing life-saving maternal medicines like oxytocin at the recommended temperature (between 2 and 8C). Until this is addressed, and access to quality maternal medicines in Nigeria is prioritised, the stories of Hannatu and Zainab will continue to persist.
New York state prosecutors in Manhattan investigating former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization's finances have subpoenaed the bank records of Allen Weisselberg, the company's chief financial officer, The New York Times reports.

Several people with knowledge of the matter told the Times that prosecutors are also looking into gifts Weisselberg and his family received from Trump, including an apartment in New York City, and it appears this extra scrutiny may be part of an effort to get Weisselberg to cooperate with investigators. Weisselberg, 73, has worked at the Trump Organization for several decades, starting when Trump's late father, Fred Trump, ran the company. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

The investigation began with prosecutors looking into the Trump Organization's role in making hush money payments to two women who said they had extramarital affairs with Trump. Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, made a $130,000 payment to one of the women, porn actress Stormy Daniels, and said Weisselberg helped come up with the plan to have the Trump Organization reimburse Cohen.

The probe now has several facets, with investigators also looking into whether the Trump Organization has falsely reported property values in order to get loans and tax breaks. Several banks that work with Trump and the Trump Organization, including Capitol One and JPMorgan Chase, have reportedly turned their records over to prosecutors, who also obtained Trump's tax information in February.

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Reform Santee Cooper

I applaud the South Carolina Houses vote to reform Santee Cooper, empowering Gov. Henry McMaster to remove board members for poor performance.

Heres a case in point. Last fall, Johns Island residents expressed outrage at Santee Coopers proposed construction of a new 115 kV transmission line onto the island, ostensibly to improve reliability of the grid.

This new power line would defile the pristine tidal marsh vistas of Penny Creek and undermine residential property values in its path, particularly at Swygerts Landing.

Astoundingly, the benefits allegedly provided by this new construction are already available using an existing 115 kV power line. Upgrading the capacity of this unused 6.1-mile power line would accomplish the reliability and back-up objectives of Santee Coopers proposed new 15-mile power line, with significant cost savings, not to mention the environmental and visual benefits for Johns Island residents.

Santee Cooper has failed to address community objections to its new power line. Formal requests by impacted residents to the utility were rebuffed for comparative costs of overhead versus buried line installation, for justification of power line routing and for another round of public meetings.

All Santee Cooper projects in progress should be placed on hold, pending resolution of questionable activity by agency officials.

We should expect no lesser accountability when our exceptional Lowcountry quality of life is on the line.

ADAM SMOLKA

Rushland Mews

Johns Island

Support cannabis bill

In 1991, I became a pharmacist and took the professional oath, stating, I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering my primary concerns, which is the whole premise of the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act, which would allow the sale of medical marijuana.

In my profession, I have seen so much suffering and struggles with patients, friends and family.

My focus is, and will always be, to relieve suffering. My cancer diagnosis in 2013 changed my life. Now, I was the patient who needed help for my own suffering. I took all the standard medications; some worked, and others did not or had so many side effects I could not tolerate them.

I turned to cannabis, and it changed my life because my appetite came back, I was able to maintain my weight throughout chemotherapy and radiation, and my mood and pain management improved.

In late 2020, I was fortunate enough to receive a liver transplant. Following the same plan, I incorporated cannabis into my treatment to help with the nausea, pain, neuropathy, insomnia and lack of energy.

I truly believe the Compassionate Care Act would bring so much needed relief to those who need it.

We need to educate the populace and politicians with fact-based research to end the stigma against cannabis.

What if cannabis could be one piece of the puzzle to help relieve suffering and curb the opiate crisis? Please support the Compassionate Care Act, H.3361, to start making a difference for all those in need.

IK JUMANI

Palm Boulevard

Isle of Palms

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Kudos to teachers, staff

There comes a time when you realize you havent really seen it all. I thought Id seen the best of dedication, hard work, service and caring in my lifetime. Then I took a position as a full-time substitute at Oakbrook Middle School in Dorchester District 2.

Ive arrived early to school only to find teachers and staff already there working to prepare for a day when a large number of their students were going to be at home trying to participate with their classmates in the classroom. Ive watched teachers working online with parents and students who were struggling through this new

COVID-19 normal to help them achieve their goals.

Ive seen administrators, counselors, office staff and maintenance staff take time to encourage students to succeed during these times of stress.

This year I have seen in this school environment what we should all hope becomes our new national environment. Schools like this, thanks to dedicated staff members, have become an environment of effort, cooperation and caring, and a true community.

GENE ROWAN

Avonshire Drive

Summerville

Gutfeld trumps Colbert

Partisan late-night show hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and others will soon have more competition when Greg Gutfelds show moves to 11 p.m. April 5 on Fox.

The invective speech Colbert used against President Donald Trump was a bridge too far for many.

Gutfelds vituperative comedy will be guided by his superior intellect. You dont have to be nasty to be funny.

PHILLIP BIGGERSTAFF

Old Dominion Drive

North Charleston

No turning back

Please stop the yearly madness with our work schedules. Stop the practice of U.S. citizens having to play with our watches, bedroom alarm clocks, stove clocks and vehicle clocks twice a year.

Our countrys citizens should not continue to be forced to live by such an archaic mode every spring and fall.

LAURIN MCCARLEY

Jackson Terrace

Clover
The Italian government has banned cruise ships from entering the historic centre of Venice, with the liners now ordered to dock at the city's industrial port instead.

Italy's culture minister yesterday announced the decision was in response to a request from UNESCO.

The large cruise and container ships will now be re-routed away from the historic city's Giudecca canal, which leads to the popular St Mark's Square.

Instead, they will have to dock at an industrial port until a permanent solution is found following the government's 'call for ideas'.

The country's culture minister Dario Franceschini hailed the move as a 'correct decision, awaited for years'.

The Italian government has banned cruise ships from entering the historic centre of Venice, with the liners now ordered to dock at the city's industrial port instead

Mr Franceschini tweeted: 'A correct decision, awaited for years: the [Italian] Council of Ministers approves a decree-law that establishes that the final landing places of the big ships in Venice will have to be planned and realized outside the lagoon, as requested by UNESCO.'

The decision comes after a cruise ship collided with a small tourist boat along one of Venice's canals in June 2019, injuring four tourists.

The collision, which saw the luxury MSC Opera cruise liner crash into the small River Countess and the San Basilio dock on the Giudecca Canal - one of the major canals in the ancient city.

Horrifying images showed the hulking cruise ship sounding its horn as petrified tourists attempted to move out of its way.

Passengers can be seen leaping from the river boat which was smashed in the head-on collision - leaving it severely damaged.

Four female tourists, an American, a New Zealander and two Australians, were among those injured in the horror crash in June 2019

The decision comes after a cruise ship collided with a small tourist boat along one of Venice's canals in June 2019, injuring four tourists

The next month another cruise liner narrowly missed ploughing into a Venice dock after its captain appeared to lose control of the vessel during a heavy storm.

The Costa Deliziosa narrowly missed slamming into the dock but was unable to avoid scraping a smaller boat moored on the banks of the Sette Martiri.

A terrifying video taken from a bar on the pier shows the vessel appearing to head straight for the shore. Crew members were sent running for their lives during the nail-biting incident.

The incidents provoked resentful residents of the city, which draws some 30 million tourists a year, to protest against the cruise liners in the historic centre.

The city's population of 55,000 claims the ships are threatening to overwhelm them, dropping off an estimated 30,000 visitors during the peak summer months.

An Italian cruise ship had just seconds to swerve dry land in a Venice dock after its captain appeared to lose control of the vessel during a heavy storm

Venice has also suffered damage to its ancient wooden foundations from the bow waves of the enormous ships.

A demonstration in July 2019 - which saw members of the campaign group Comitato No Grandi Navi gather at the Zattere waterfront - came the same day as one of Venice's main attractions reopened its doors to tourists after the coronavirus crisis.

At the time, Covid-19 had killed more than 34,000 in Italy and caused the country's tourism sector to effectively shut down to slow the speed.

Protesters formed a 'human chain' along one of Venice's most-popular promenades to highlight issues brought about by large cruise ships.

Plans were announced in 2017 to divert the cruise ships away from the centre but they were not implemented. And in 2013, the Italian government banned heavy ships weighing 96,000 tonnes from Giudecca canal - but the law was overturned.
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Britain will be vulnerable to coronavirus for another two years but the illness should become as manageable as the flu in the future, Chris Whitty claimed today.

England's chief medical officer said vaccine manufacturers were still struggling to get basic supplies distributed around the world and were not yet fully equipped to deal with new variants.

He warned it was 'absolutely certain' a Covid strain will eventually emerge that will be able to infect vaccinated people, and could lead to a fresh surge in the virus if it is allowed to spread without restriction. He said this could send Britain 'back to square one'.

Professor Whitty said Britain will need to remain 'cautious for the next year or two' to guard against those variants. By that time he thinks more vaccines will have been approved and companies will have the infrastructure to tweak their jabs to target new variants at pace.

Other scientists, including the makers of the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab, have claimed it is unlikely a variant within the next 12 months will suddenly start escaping vaccines. They say it will be more gradual reduction in efficacy over years.

Professor Whitty told a Royal Society of Medicine conference today: 'Technology will find its way through this in the long run. But there is a period of risk between now and then.'

While he said he cannot see a system of local lockdowns returning, the emergence of a variant which was able to have 'unconstrained growth' could mean the 'alarm cord' must be pulled and more drastic measures reinstated.

Asked about whether shutting Britain's borders was enough to keep out troubling variants, Professor Whitty said it is not a 'realistic starting point' to think any policy could completely shut them out. But he hinted that restricting travel to virus hotspots could be needed for months.

'We have to accept that the idea that you can stop any variants coming into the UK at all is not a realistic starting point  but what you can do is you can slow it down,' he added.

'Anybody who believes that they can actually just put up some border policy or some overall policy that stops the possibility [of variants] completely is misunderstanding the problem completely.'

He hinted this could result in travel curbs continuing to be imposed for certain countries, adding: 'You don't worry about any country that's got less [virus and variants] than you have, but you do worry about any country that's got more than you have.'

Looking ahead, Professor Whitty said Covid should end up being as manageable as influenza in the future, with the disease remaining squashed most of the year and only rearing its head in winter.

It came as Britain's daily coronavirus cases dropped by a third in a week, deaths continued to fall and a record number of second vaccine doses were administered.

Department of Health bosses posted 4,479 lab-confirmed cases today and 51 deaths - down 20 per cent on the same time last week. Figures also showed more second doses (404,922) than first shots (241,906) were dished out for the second day in a row, after ministers said April would be the month of follow-up inoculations.

Britain will be vulnerable to coronavirus for another two years but the illness could as manageable as flu in the future, Chris Whitty claimed today during a Royal Society of Medicine conference

Pfizer and AstraZeneca are both confident their jabs protect the vast majority of people from getting severe disease, even if they become infected with concerning variants like the South African and Brazilian versions

PHE data showed that a quarter of council authorities in England - or 41 out of 149 - saw a rise in Covid cases last week, with the upticks likely being driven by school children

Describing what the next two years could look like, the CMO said 'we've got such a difficult situation to go through at the moment'.

'What we don't want to be is in a situation where we look back in six months and say 'If we'd only just been a bit more cautious for a month or two we would've actually got through (vaccinating) the whole population, we'd have understood a lot more, we'd know how to deal with this, we'd probably have a few variant vaccines on the stocks'.

Pfizer Covid vaccine 'is 100% effective against South African variant AND works against Brazilian strain' Pfizer's Covid vaccine still works against the South African and Brazilian variants of the virus, studies suggested today. The jab prevented 100 per cent of infections in a study run by Pfizer in South Africa and UK lab tests on the P1 Brazilian strain of the virus found it worked against that. Scientists had been worried that new variants of the virus would make vaccines less effective because they change its shape and make it harder for the immune system to recognise. Recent lab studies showed that levels of useful virus-fighting antibodies drop when vaccinated people are exposed to new variants, but scientists now say this doesn't seem to affect real-world immunity. One researcher said their study of elderly people saw that antibody levels were 'off the scale' after two doses and that everyone developed signs of protection. And Pfizer reported that results from its clinical trials showed 'high vaccine efficacy against the variant prevalent in South Africa'. The findings are good news for long-term trust in the jab and suggest that boosters may not be as vital as the first two doses. It also raises the prospect that international travel won't be too dangerous because the threat of variants is smaller. Advertisement

'I don't think though this should be seen as an indefinite posture, I think this is a matter of probably the next year or two whilst we understand how to do this and find a way of responding rapidly to variants.'

Pfizer and AstraZeneca are both confident their jabs protect the vast majority of people from getting severe disease, even if they become infected with concerning variants like the South African and Brazilian versions.

The UK Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) estimates that the South African variant, officially known as B1351, reduces the overall effectiveness of vaccines by 30 per cent.

Studies appear to suggest that vaccines are less likely to stop infection altogether from B1351, but they seem just as good at stopping people from becoming sick.

Professor Whitty said he was 'absolutely certain' that new variants down the line would be even better at escaping immunity than the South African one, which has been spotted in Britain almost 500 times.

But he said there would be a 'very wide portfolio of vaccines' in around two years and that the world will be in a situation where a 'large number of companies are incentivised to compete to see who can be the first one' to tackle the new variants.

With new technologies like mRNA, used for the first ever time in Pfizer and Moderna's jabs, it could see vaccines altered to target these new strains in a matter of weeks.

He added: 'If we scroll forward two years I think we're going to have a very wide portfolio of vaccines... We wont have as big a deficit globally [in terms of vaccine distribution].

And we've got technology that 'can turn around a vaccine to a new variant incredibly fast, compared to how historically we've been able to do it'.

Meanwhile, Professor Whitty assured people who have low or no Covid antibodies even after vaccination will likely still enjoy strong protection against severe disease.

'I certainly don't think you should assume that if you have lower or no antibodies that means there is no protection,' he said.

'It probably does mean you're more likely to get infected and it may mean you're more likely to be infectious, but doesn't necessarily mean you won't have protection from going into hospital, or having severe disease or mortality.'

He said data has shown that the combined antibody and T-cell response after a number of weeks appears to be 'pretty similar' both for the AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs 'against at least the variants we've currently got'.

His comments come after official data showed antibody levels in elderly Brits have been declining since mid-February.

Boris Johnson (pictured today in Middlesbrough) has suggested pubs and other venues could require customers to show a vaccine passport - which are likely to feature a combination of vaccine and testing data - to gain entry to hospitality venues or events.

Boris says vaccine passports WILL be needed to go on holiday Boris Johnson today delivered his strongest hint yet that Britons will need a vaccine passport to go on holidays abroad as he faces a Labour and Tory revolt over them potentially being used domestically. The Prime Minister said during a visit to Middlesbrough that there is 'definitely going to be a world in which international travel will use vaccine passports'. He insisted 'there's a logic' to such an approach on travel as he also said proof of vaccination and having had a test could help provide 'maximum confidence to businesses and customers in the UK'. The latter comment is likely to be viewed as a sign that the Government does intend to proceed with some sort of domestic 'Covid status certification'. Ministers are due to report with their initial findings on the subject on Monday next week but the PM is facing a growing battle to get a scheme passed into law after Sir Keir Starmer suggested needing a passport to go to the pub would be un-British. The Labour leader hinted that his party could line up alongside Tory rebels to oppose the idea, raising the prospect of Mr Johnson struggling to get legislation through the House of Commons. One Tory MP said on the potential for the Government to lose a vote on vaccine passports: 'If Labour are not onside that puts it in a totally different position.' Mr Johnson's comments on vaccine passports for international travel were welcomed by the Airlines UK trade body. It said a digital system built on vaccination status and test results 'will make it easier for customers' to travel but stressed there is a need for a 'common international approach'. Advertisement

The figures from the Office for National Statistics raised some concern about the UK's decision to extend the three-week vaccine dosing regimen to three months.

But Professor Whitty said: 'Looking back, I don't think it's turned to be the wrong decision.'

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson today delivered his strongest hint yet that Britons will need a vaccine passport to go on holidays abroad as he faces a Labour and Tory revolt over them potentially being used domestically.

The Prime Minister said during a visit to Middlesbrough that there is 'definitely going to be a world in which international travel will use vaccine passports'.

He insisted 'there's a logic' to such an approach on travel as he also said proof of vaccination and having had a test could help provide 'maximum confidence to businesses and customers in the UK'.

The latter comment is likely to be viewed as a sign that the Government does intend to proceed with some sort of domestic 'Covid status certification'.

Ministers are due to report with their initial findings on the subject on Monday next week but the PM is facing a growing battle to get a scheme passed into law after Sir Keir Starmer suggested needing a passport to go to the pub would be un-British.

The Labour leader hinted that his party could line up alongside Tory rebels to oppose the idea, raising the prospect of Mr Johnson struggling to get legislation through the House of Commons.

One Tory MP said on the potential for the Government to lose a vote on vaccine passports: 'If Labour are not onside that puts it in a totally different position.'

Mr Johnson's comments on vaccine passports for international travel were welcomed by the Airlines UK trade body.

It said a digital system built on vaccination status and test results 'will make it easier for customers' to travel but stressed there is a need for a 'common international approach'

Sir Keir said in an interview with the The Daily Telegraph that demanding certificates to enter pubs or sporting events would go against the 'British instinct' and indicated there could be public opposition if Covid death rates are near zero and hospital admissions are very low.

Mr Johnson last week suggested pubs and other venues could require customers to show a vaccine passport - which are likely to feature a combination of vaccine and testing data - to gain entry.

But while the idea has strong support among the public, according to polls, it is opposed by hospitality industry figures and some politicians on economic and civil liberties grounds.

Sir Keir said his 'instinct' told him there will be 'a British sense that we don't actually want to go down this road' as the pandemic comes to an end.

The Labour leader said: 'My instinct is that, as the vaccine is rolled out, as the number of hospital admissions and deaths go down, there will be a British sense that we don't actually want to go down this road.'

He continued: 'I think this is really difficult and I'm not going to pretend there's a clear black and white, yes-no easy answer on this.

'It is extremely difficult. My instinct is that... (if) we get the virus properly under control, the death rates are near zero, hospital admissions very, very low, that the British instinct in those circumstances will be against vaccine passports.'

Some Tory MPs, led by the former Cabinet minister David Davis, have expressed serious concerns about the potential use of domestic vaccine passports.

Mr Davis, who has backed using the documents for international travel, said using them to determine entry to pubs or other businesses could be illegal.

Pfizer Covid vaccine 'is 100% effective against South African variant, beats Brazilian strain' AND works for at least six months - while lower antibody levels seen in lab tests do NOT affect jab's real-world protection

Pfizer's Covid vaccine still works against the South African and Brazilian variants of the virus, studies suggested today.

The jab prevented 100 per cent of infections in a study run by Pfizer in South Africa and UK lab tests on the P1 Brazilian strain of the virus found it worked against that.

Scientists had been worried that new variants of the virus would make vaccines less effective because they change its shape and make it harder for the immune system to recognise.

Recent lab studies showed that levels of useful virus-fighting antibodies drop when vaccinated people are exposed to new variants, but scientists now say this doesn't seem to affect real-world immunity.

One researcher said their study of elderly people saw that antibody levels were 'off the scale' after two doses and that everyone developed signs of protection.

And Pfizer reported that results from its clinical trials showed 'high vaccine efficacy against the variant prevalent in South Africa'.

The findings are good news for long-term trust in the jab and suggest that boosters may not be as vital as the first two doses. It also raises the prospect that international travel won't be too dangerous because the threat of variants is smaller.

Pfizer's vaccine has been given to around 11million people in the UK and is a staple of the rollout, balanced with AstraZeneca jabs (Pictured: A man receives the vaccine in Derby)

Updated clinical trial results published today by Pfizer reveal the vaccine appears to be 91 per cent effective against Covid overall, according to findings from around 46,000 people.

It is between 95 and 100 per cent at preventing severe Covid and death, and was 100 per cent effective at preventing cases in South Africa in a group of 800 people.

The vaccine continues to work for longer than six months, the study found.

Pfizer found 850 cases of Covid in a group given a fake vaccine, compared to 77 in a group of vaccinated people  with approximately 20,000 people in each group.

In a South African sub-trial of 800 people there were nine cases of Covid in the non-vaccine group and none among the vaccinated people. Six of the cases were confirmed to be the South African variant.

RESULTS SUGGEST LOWER ANTIBODY LEVELS DON'T EQUAL LESS PROTECTION Lab studies done when the South African and Brazilian coronavirus variants were discovered found that people with immunity had lower levels of virus-fighting antibodies than they did against the Wuhan strain of the virus. The discovery worried some researchers because fewer antibodies could mean weaker immunity and a higher risk of re-infection or of a vaccine failing. The levels dropped because antibodies are super-specific. Ones made to target the Wuhan variant were less good at recognising the new, mutated strains. For example, a University of Birmingham study today revealed that people vaccinated with Pfizer's jab had 14 times fewer antibodies against the Brazil P1 variant than against the Wuhan variant. And other results from tests on Pfizer's and AstraZeneca's vaccines have suggested antibody responses are weaker. But trial results published today by Pfizer said it saw 100 per cent protection against the South African variant despite fewer useful antibodies. The company said: 'Although lower than to the wild-type strain, it does not appear to affect the high observed efficacy against this variant.' This could be because antibody levels are astronomically high to begin with, so even a large reduction is not enough to bring them below the threshold needed to destroy the virus. Birmingham's Professor Paul Moss, speaking about sending blood samples of Pfizer vaccine recipients to Public Health England's lab for antibody testing, said today: 'When we sent these samples to Porton Down they said 'we can't give you the results right now because we've got to dilute them because they're so high they're off the scale'. 'The antibody levels were so high that they'd gone above the threshold [of blood tests] so we had to dilute them.' Advertisement

If the vaccine couldn't protect against that variant, scientists would have expected to see about the same amount in the vaccinated group  but they didn't see any.

Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech which developed the jab with Pfizer, said: 'This is an important step to further confirm the strong efficacy and good safety data we have seen so far, especially in a longer-term follow-up.

'These data also provide the first clinical results that a vaccine can effectively protect against currently circulating variants, a critical factor to reach herd immunity and end this pandemic for the global population.'

A separate study by the University of Birmingham looked at how well the jab worked in over-80s.

It found that all of the one hundred 80 to 96-year-olds in the study developed antibodies after vaccination and that 98 of them had 'strong' immune responses.

The scientists behind the research said the numbers of antibodies  virus-destroying proteins made by the immune system  were 'off the scale' in their study and that they were 'delighted' with how well the vaccine appeared to work.

Vaccines haven't been widely trialled on the elderly because early studies tend to focus on low-risk patients and elderly people's immune systems are generally worse.

As well as extra proof the jab will protect old people, the most at risk from Covid, the study also found that it should work against the P1 Brazilian variant of the virus.

Immune responses to P1 were weaker but still high enough to prevent serious illness, the study found.

It didn't look at the South African variant, which is more widespread in England with 412 cases compared to 27, but admitted it was 'possibly of more concern'. The variants are extremely similar.

The study measured people's immune responses using blood samples taken just before the second dose and then two weeks afterwards.

The study started before the UK changed its policy to a 12-week gap between doses, so everyone enrolled got their second jab after three weeks, but Dr Helen Parry said: 'I would expect similar end results once those vaccines have been given.'

All of the people in the trial had Covid antibodies in their blood two weeks after the second dose, and two thirds had them after a single dose.

The presence of antibodies in the blood suggests the body is ready to fight off the virus and that someone is immune to Covid, at least to disease if not completely.

And Dr Parry and her colleague Professor Paul Moss, both from the University of Birmingham, said they were surprised by how many antibodies people had.

'When we sent these samples to Porton Down they said 'we can't give you the results right now because we've got to dilute them because they're so high they're off the scale',' Professor Moss said.

'The antibody levels were so high that they'd gone above the threshold [of blood tests] so we had to dilute them.'

Dr Parry added: 'It was very exciting. And even the response to the first vaccine, we were absolutely delighted at.'

The University of Birmingham research found that people still had antibodies capable of destroying the Brazilian variant (green)  they were lower than against the Wuhan strain but still enough to stop disease, the researchers said

For people who had already caught coronavirus before getting the Pfizer vaccine, antibody levels peaked at the first dose (blue lines). For people who had never had the virus, protection started after the first dose and was boosted by the second (red lines)

Around one in 10 people in the Birmingham study had already had Covid before the vaccine (blue) and these were the people who developed the most antibodies, illustrated by the bar graph

It was not clear how well vaccines would work on very elderly people because the immune system gets weaker with age and doesn't respond as well to jabs.

Although everyone had strong antibody responses, only 63 per cent of people had measurable levels of T-cell white blood cells after their jab.

These are cells capable of destroying virus-infected cells and controlling the long-term production of antibodies, and are thought to be important for lasting protection.

Dr Parry said researchers had seen an 'excellent cellular response' in younger people which 'probably does suggest that this is an effect of ageing'.

But in more positive news the study suggested that the vaccine would protect people against the Brazilian P1 variant.

P1 is evolved in a way that appears to make immunity designed for the Wuhan variant of the virus less effective against it, in the same way that the South African strain is.

This research found that effective antibody levels were 14 times lower against P1 but that they were still high enough to protect against illness with Covid.

Dr Parry said: 'Our research provides further evidence that the mRNA vaccine platform delivers a strong immune antibody response in people up to 96 years of age and retains broad efficacy against the P1 variant, which is a variant of concern.'
A significant scale-up in the overall ranking in the Nordics with a customer satisfaction score of 80 percent as compared to the industry average of 72 percent

STOCKHOLM, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced that it has been recognized as one of the top three service providers in the Nordics in the Whitelane Research and PA Consulting IT Sourcing Study 2021. The report ranked Infosys as the number one service provider in contractual flexibility, and ranked second in overall customer satisfaction across Nordics, owing to its ability to introduce new technologies and services, and drive business innovation and IT transformational changes for its customers.

For the report, Whitelane Research and PA Consulting, the innovation and transformation consultancy, surveyed over 350 CXOs and senior decision-makers from top IT spending organizations in the Nordics and evaluated over 700 unique IT sourcing and 700 cloud-sourcing relationships. These service providers were assessed based on their service delivery, client relationships, commercial leverage, and transformation capabilities.

Infosys was ranked among the top three service providers in the Nordics across the general satisfaction KPIs by customers who were surveyed for this study. Some of Infosys' key differentiating factors highlighted in the report are:

Infosys ranked as a top provider in the Nordics across key performance indicators on Service Delivery Quality, Account Management Quality, Contractual Flexibility, Pricing Levels, Innovation, Subject Matter Expertise, Cloud and Digital Transformation Capabilities, among others

Infosys' ranked above the industry average by 5 percent year-on-year, making it one of the top system integrators in the Nordics

Infosys' strong geographic presence and extensive partner networks, with increased localization, to accelerate client transformation journeys, was acknowledged in the survey

Committed leadership at Infosys that drives attention and investments in the Nordics, along with a sharp focus on ERP, infrastructure, cloud services, digital offerings, AI and automation, data analytics, and smart platforms, were also called out in the report

Johan Kroon, CIO, Toyota Material Handling Europe, said, "Infosys has been helping TMHE in its digital transformation journey by facilitating transformation to a scalable digital hybrid cloud platform, providing application services and digital workplace. As TMHE's partner since 2019, Infosys has delivered in improving customer experience while driving the innovation agenda. I congratulate Infosys for achieving top ranking in the Nordics IT Sourcing Study 2021."

"I would like to congratulate Infosys on being ranked one of the top providers in customer satisfaction in the Nordics," said Petteri Naulapaa, CIO, Posti Group Oyj. "Our partnership with Infosys has been invaluable, allowing us to innovate, strengthen our core operations, handle growing volumes and as customers focus on becoming increasingly digital, improve our services. The Infosys team supports our business transformation goals by helping us drive efficiencies and improve customer experience. Infosys demonstrated great support and flexibility throughout the pandemic, helping us keep our operations running and delivering with an unwavering customer-focus"

Infosys currently partners with leading Nordic corporations to increase localization to establish Northern Europe as a growth engine for the region. Earlier this year, Infosys was certified as a 'Top Employer for 2021' in the Nordics.

Mohit Joshi, President, Infosys said, "The ranking in the Whitelane Research and PA Consulting IT Sourcing Study 2021, endorses our ability to drive business innovation and IT transformation backed by strong partner network and geographical presence in the Nordics. This recognition revalidates our commitment towards driving customer success and excellence in delivering innovative IT services. We will also continue to focus on our design thinking approach to strengthen our localization, agility, and diversity initiatives to foster client confidence and further enhance delivery."

Jef Loos, Head of Sourcing, Whitelane Research, said, 'Rapidly evolving market conditions have put unprecedented pressure on enterprises to differentiate themselves and find more agile, scalable, and cost-effective means to develop applications. In response, Infosys has displayed relentless focus and efforts to build trusted relationships and invest in new capabilities for its Nordics customers, which has led to a significant shift in its overall ranking. This earned Infosys a top rank in our Nordics IT Sourcing Study 2021, and we believe they will continue to evolve their offerings and value proposition to address the post-pandemic requirements of enterprises."

For more information, please read Whitelane Research's report here.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With nearly four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg
For some artists, the thrill of performing again in a dark theater or club with a spotlight on them is within reach.

We had more comedians than we can use vying for spots, said Noam Dworman, the owner of the Comedy Cellar, where this weekends shows are sold out. Theyre really eager to perform.

At the Cellar  as well as other comedy clubs scheduled to open on Friday, including Stand Up NY and New York Comedy Club  the main safety protocols are a mask requirement, social distancing and temperature checks. Some performances, like the slate of spring programming at the Shed in Hudson Yards, set a higher bar, requiring proof of vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test to attend. According to state rules, if all attendees test negative before entering, the maximum audience size increases to 150 people indoors and 500 people outdoors.

For Daiseys show at the Kraine Theater, which typically seats 99 people, all 22 audience members must be at least two weeks past their final dose of a vaccine (tickets are available for a livestream, as well). Daisey, who hasnt performed for a live audience since December 2019, said that this requirement was the only way he would put on his act indoors at this stage of the pandemic.

Daiseys art is extemporaneous monologue, which makes it possible for him to take the stage on the day that restrictions loosen.
(Newser)  Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz says a Justice Department investigation of what he calls "sexual conduct with women" is "rooted" in an extortion scheme against his wealthy family. But insiders say the alleged scheme started months after the investigation was opened during the Trump administration. Sources tell the Washington Post that two men who had somehow found out about the investigation approached Gaetz's father, prominent Republican Don Gaetz, and offered to help his son with his legal problems if he funded their efforts to rescue Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran 14 years ago. The elder Gaetz contacted the FBI about the request and the agency is investigating whether it constitutes extortion, the sources say. More:

"Project Homecoming." According to screenshots provided to the Washington Examiner, former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent asked Don Gaetz for $25 million to fund "Project Homecoming," promised that his son would get the credit for the operation, and said the team that rescued Levinson would push for a presidential pardon or the dropping of the Justice Department investigation.

story continues below

The Gaetz allegations . The New York Times, citing "three people briefed on the matter," reported that an investigation was opened during the Trump administration into whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel with him in a potential violation of federal sex trafficking laws.

. The New York Times, citing "three people briefed on the matter," reported that an investigation was opened during the Trump administration into whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel with him in a potential violation of federal sex trafficking laws. Lawyer rejects Gaetz claim . Matt Gaetz claimed Tuesday that Levinson family lawyer David McGee, a former federal prosecutor, was involved in the scheme, but McGee strongly rejected the allegation, the Post reports. "Its a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that hes under investigation for sex trafficking of minors," McGee said.

. Matt Gaetz claimed Tuesday that Levinson family lawyer David McGee, a former federal prosecutor, was involved in the scheme, but McGee strongly rejected the allegation, the Post reports. "Its a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that hes under investigation for sex trafficking of minors," McGee said. Gaetz says father wore a wire . Gaetz told CNN that the "planted leak" to the Times was part of an effort to "thwart" the extortion investigation. He said the allegations against him were false "and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI's direction to catch these criminals." Sources tell CNN that the federal extortion investigation is being handled separately from the investigation of Gaetz.

. Gaetz told CNN that the "planted leak" to the Times was part of an effort to "thwart" the extortion investigation. He said the allegations against him were false "and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI's direction to catch these criminals." Sources tell CNN that the federal extortion investigation is being handled separately from the investigation of Gaetz. One of Tucker Carlson's "weirdest interviews." One of Gaetz's numerous media appearances after the allegations surfaced Tuesday was what Fox's Tucker Carlson called "one of the weirdest interviews" he had ever conducted, Vox reports. One exchange started with Gaetz saying, "Actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there, and I brought a friend of mineyoull remember herand she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldnt cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay-for-play scheme, that could face trouble." Carlson replied, "I dont remember the woman youre speaking of or the context at all, honestly."

One of Gaetz's numerous media appearances after the allegations surfaced Tuesday was what Fox's Tucker Carlson called "one of the weirdest interviews" he had ever conducted, Vox reports. One exchange started with Gaetz saying, "Actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there, and I brought a friend of mineyoull remember herand she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldnt cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay-for-play scheme, that could face trouble." Carlson replied, "I dont remember the woman youre speaking of or the context at all, honestly." Media blitz could backfire . Legal experts say that Gaetz's Trump-style strategy of countering the allegations with a blitz of media appearances could backfire on him, Politico reports. They note that Gaetz has now drawn more attention to the allegationsand confirmed that he paid for women to cross state lines.

. Legal experts say that Gaetz's Trump-style strategy of countering the allegations with a blitz of media appearances could backfire on him, Politico reports. They note that Gaetz has now drawn more attention to the allegationsand confirmed that he paid for women to cross state lines. McCarthy says he could be removed from committee posts . House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the allegations against Gaetz are serious and he could be removed from House committee posts if more evidence emerges, but "we don't have any information" right now. Sources tell the Hill that Gaetz has few friends outside the hardline conservative wing of the GOP caucus and many lawmakers see the scandal as a "self-inflicted wound."

. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the allegations against Gaetz are serious and he could be removed from House committee posts if more evidence emerges, but "we don't have any information" right now. Sources tell the Hill that Gaetz has few friends outside the hardline conservative wing of the GOP caucus and many lawmakers see the scandal as a "self-inflicted wound." Democrats want him to step aside. Democrats are calling for Gaetz to step aside from the House Judiciary Committee while he is under investigation, the AP reports. "You cant have Gaetz sitting on the Congressional Committee that has oversight over the Department that is investigating him," Rep. Ted Lieu said in a statement.

(Read more Matt Gaetz stories.)
This story is part of a paid campaign to raise awareness around the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The story was not reported by the newsroom and does not reflect the position of The Chronicles editorial staff.

On Nov. 18, 2020, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, announced the approval of the new Tehachapi Mountains American Viticultural Area (AVA), located in Kern County, about 120 miles inland from San Luis Obispo.

That means California is now home to 141 AVAs, making the state a clear leader among the 252 established AVAs in the U.S.

With so many regions and wineries vying for recognition, it is a given that winning awards for their work is often a priority among winery owners, winemakers and wine marketing teams. Besides being validation of a winerys skills, a bit of bling helps catch the consumers eye and usually increases sales.

Each year, the largest category of entrants in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition come from California. So California wineries taking home honors become particular badges of pride.

How to order wines V. Sattui: www.vsattui.com Woods Family Vineyards: www.woodfamilyvineyards.com Jeff Runquist Wines:www.jeffrunquistwines.com See More Collapse

There is tremendous competition in the wine business, V. Sattui Winery president Tom Davies said. To be the best and to stand out among thousands of wines takes commitment, innovation, hard work and dedication.

Recently, his team was toasting success at their St. Helena property, after capturing three San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Best of Class honors, seven Double Gold, eight Gold and eight Silver medals.

This must be a record for V. Sattui, Davies said. I dont remember a year where we did so well across so many different varietals.

The winery, which is well known for producing a wide array of wines in some 60 different labels, won in a multitude of categories, including Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah, Riesling, Chardonnay, Grenache, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and several red blends.

Of all the wines, Davies most cherishes the 2017 Paradiso red blend ($95) that was given a Double Gold.

It is a Bordeaux-style wine we first created in 2007, he said. What is in the bottle has everything to do with the talents of director of winemaking Brooks Painter and his team, but the name came to me from a visit to northern Italy where I saw B.B. King perform in the village of Paradiso on the Lugano Lake that straddles Italy and Switzerland. It was a magical evening and I always loved the name.

Wood Family Vineyards owners Rhonda and Michael Wood are also feeling pretty good. Their Livermore winery took home a Best of Class honor, seven Double Gold medals, two Gold medals and five Silver medals.

The couple has been producing wine since 2000, first entering the competition in 2002, and over all those years, won one Best of Class and Double Gold medal, six Silver medals and one Bronze medal.

The sudden outpouring of love can be attributed to several factors, Rhonda Wood believes.

In my humble opinion she began with a laugh. The fruit is shining from the Livermore Valley as there are now multiple farming companies we have worked with for many years in our own vineyard and the vineyards we source from. And all our wine is made from Livermore Valley grapes.

The Livermore Valley has grown substantially over the past 20 years and there are more varietals, vineyards and winemakers who have also grown over the years, upping the quality demands for everyone.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

We work separately, but also together as friends with other local wineries, and we all strive for world class wines, said Rhonda Wood, who is also the winemaker. There are many varietals which grow superbly well here, and I am pleased they are being recognized as such in their awards.

In addition, the Woods Family created a team that has a distinct interest in Livermore Valley wines, including two staffers that have been part of the winery since they were children. The Woods son, Harrison Wood, grew up helping at the winery, and now is the vice president of operations, handles outside sales, manages wine blending and creates the tasting rooms cheese and wine pairings.

Assistant winemaker Alec Fraser has been around the winery since he was 12, running in the vineyards with Harrison and helping out at events, Rhonda Wood noted. In high school, he came and helped me with cellar work before he went to Fresno State and graduated with a B.S. in viticulture and enology. Then he returned home to Livermore and to us.

Of all the Woods Family wines recognized this year, Rhonda Wood is most proud of her barrel fermented 2019 Para Mas Amigas Chardonnay ($30) that won a Double Gold.

I have loved making Chardonnay since 2003 and make it in honor of my girlfriends, she said. I thought when I was naming this wine, from my high school Spanish, I was calling it For My Girlfriends. I later discovered it actually means For More Girlfriends, which everyone loves.

Over in Plymouth (Amador County), the team at Jeff Runquist Wines was popping corks as well, over their remarkable win of a Red Sweepstake Winner, four Best of Class honors, two Double Gold, nine Gold and 10 silver medals.

A consistent entrant at the competition for two decades now, this was the most awards the winery has ever received. And of all the accolades, winery owner Jeff Runquist is most proud of a wine that doesnt even come from Plymouth: his 2018 Syrah Three Way Vineyard Paso Robles ($30) that won the Red Sweepstakes.

It brings a savory fruit component to a varietal that is often dominated by old world earthiness, he said. Our Syrah is rich and creamy with a luscious smooth finish.
Monterey College of Law, a 501(c)3 California non-profit terrestrial corporation located in Seaside, California has announced its intent to file for authorization from the State Bar of California to open its third branch campus  Lunar College of Law. The new lunar branch will join the law schools two other branches, San Luis Obispo College of Law and Kern County College of Law offering a hybrid online JD degree that can be completed terrestrially or extra-terrestrially. The marketing of the program is proposed to begin April 1, 2021 and the first student cohort is proposed to start classes April 1, 2022. As the first accredited law school authorized on the lunar surface, the program will be subject to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty of the United Nations.(1)

The curriculum will feature a traditional JD curriculum enhanced by special courses in Space Law.(2) Space law is a collection of domestic, international, and intergalactic agreements and guidelines that govern issues like space exploration, military and weapons use, and planetary commercial exploitation.(3)

According to Dean of Academics Elizabeth Xyr, As a space pilot program the curriculum will initially be offered as an offsite and possibly off-planet combination of synchronous, and asynchronous methodologies. Upon future establishment of a lunar campus facility, the program will transition to a hybrid JD program with combination of terrestrial and extraterrestrial synchronous and asynchronous courses, according to Xyr.

The LCL administration will initially be located at the terrestrial main campus in Seaside, California along with the other senior administrative staff. However, upon establishment of the LCL lunar campus facility, it is anticipated that the dean will make scheduled trips to the lunar campus subject to flight schedule and availability on SpaceX(4), U.S., or International space shuttles.

Program Description

There are four main practice areas for future space lawyers. The first is private industry and firms, such as launch providers, satellite manufactures and law firms. The second practice area is in policy making and regulation, working with agencies like the U.S. State Department and the Federal Aviation Administration. The third practice area can be found in national security, where space law experts are employed by the military, the U.S. Space Force (5), the Department of Defense or defense contractors. The fourth area will develop as further contact with extraterrestrials (6) develop into an intergalactic body of treaties, laws, and regulations.(7) The LCL Space Law curriculum will feature courses in all four areas.

Mitchel L. Winick, President and Dean of the law school noted, Opening successful branch campus locations is not a new venture for the law school. MCL was approved to open its first branch campus, San Luis Obispo College of Law, in 2015, followed by a second branch campus, Kern County College of Law in 2017. Opening a third campus is well within our (atmos)sphere of influence.

The law school will be utilizing several established digital education platforms for hosting the online courses and academic content. A preliminary agreement is being developed to utilize Elon Musks Starlink(8) service to provide direct communication links with LCL students regardless of their terrestrial or extraterrestrial locations.

According to Winick, The law school has confirmed an initial lunar location and received of a deed for 100 lunar acres through the Stellar Society Embassy(9) that conforms with all Stellar Real Estate Regulations. (See Attachments.)

It is anticipated that future development of the Moon will be authorized under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty of the United Nations.(10) Additional commercial developments, such a space hotel (11) is already in design according to the team at Orbital Assembly, a space construction company.(12) According to Orbital Assembly, companies like ULA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin are the railroads of the late 1800's, opening up low Earth orbit and beyond to construction, resource harvesting, development, and infrastructure.(13)

Administration

Mitchel L. Winick has served as the full-time dean of the law school since August 2005. Dean Winick is particularly well suited for overseeing the LCL program. He grew up in the shadow of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in Texas and as a child toured the facility numerous times. He has been an avid space frontier devotee, having followed the launch of the Russian Sputnik satellite, the launching and flights of the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station programs, the landing of the first man on the Moon, the landing of the Mars Rover, and the successful start-up of SpaceX, among other historic space-flight achievements. He is also a huge fan of science fiction books and movies.

Dean Elizabeth Xyr will serve as the Academic Dean for LCL. Dean Xyr has developed the current MCL hybrid curriculum out of what some have described as thin air . . . an appropriate preparation for developing the LCL Space Law curriculum. She has successfully expanded the hybrid online JD program to serve students and faculty across multiple locations and successfully provided academic counseling for more than one student euphemistically categorized as a space case. Having grown up in the Central Valley of California, she is experienced in dealing with remote locations that have limited resources . . . not unlike the lunar environment.

Market for a Lunar Branch Campus

Since 1999 it has been possible to acquire a lunar property and become a landowner on the Moon. The community already consists of more than 50,000 lunar landowners.(14) Darby Dyar, professor of astronomy and geology at Mount Holyoke College, says the moon is to people today what the New World was to Europeans 600 years ago. In my lifetime, we will establish some kind of permanent station on the moon.(15) As recently as 2016, NASA Scientists have said that the Moon could be colonized by 2022.(16)

For Additional Market Analysis, see the following:



Site Selection for Lunar Industrialization, Economic Development, and Settlement, by Dennis Wingo.(17)

Lunar Station: The Next Logical Step in Space Development, Robert Bruce Pittman, Lynn D. Harper, Mark E. Newfield, and Daniel J. Rasky (18)

Toward a Low-Cost Lunar Settlement: Preface to the New Space Special Articles, Alexandra Hall, Chris McKay, and John Cumbers (19)

A Summary of the Economic Assessment and Systems Analysis of an Evolvable Lunar Architecture That Leverages Commercial Space Capabilities and PublicPrivate Partnerships, Alexandra Hall and Charles Miller (20)

Stellar Advisory Board to be Appointed

The MCL Board of Trustees will appoint an advisory board for the LCL program comprised of lawyers, judges, astronauts, and scientists in the field of Space Law. The advisory board will meet quarterly on a lunar cycle and provide input to the MCL Trustees on issues and policies of importance to the LCL program. (21) Advisory Board members will serve terms of three lunar-years. (22)

Following the successful model that MCL has employed for the past 50 years, the adjunct law faculty for the LCL program will be practicing lawyers and judges. The law school anticipates adding specialists in the area of Space Law to the faculty. (23)

If approved by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California, the first student cohort admitted to the proposed branch campus program will start April 1, 2022.

"While you are considering your options to become the foremost expert in Space Law, Monterey College of Law would love to wish you a happy April Fool's Day."

NOTES:

(1) 1967 Outer Space Treaty of the United Nations: Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html

(2) Space Law: Becoming an expert, http://www.nationaljurist.com/lawyer-statesman/space-law-becoming-expert

(3) Space: The final legal frontier, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/08/31/space-final-legal-frontier/

(4) SpaceX: Facts about Elon Musk's private spaceflight company, https://www.space.com/18853-spacex.html

(5) United States Space Force, https://www.spaceforce.mil

(6) Astronomer and Harvard Professor Avi Loeb Says Aliens Have Visited, Scientific American, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/astronomer-avi-loeb-says-aliens-have-visited-and-hes-not-kidding1/

(7) Communicating with Extraterrestrials, https://www.nsa.gov/Portals/70/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/cryptologic-spectrum/communications_with_extraterrestrial.pdf

(8) https://www.cnet.com/how-to/starlink-explained-what-to-know-about-elon-musk-satellite-internet-venture

(9) Since 1999 it has been possible to acquire a lunar property and become a proud landowner on the Moon. Each deeded parcel comprises 100 acres and is located on the side of the Moon that can be seen from Earth. The community already consists of more than 50,000 lunar landowners. https://buyplanets.net/

(10) Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html

(11) https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/travel/2021/03/orbital-assembly-s-space-hotel-planned-to-open-in-2027.html

(12) https://orbitalassembly.com/#!

(13) https://orbitalassembly.com/invest

(14) https://buyplanets.net

(15) Solar System Exploration Research Institute (formerly the NASA Lunar Science Institute), https://sservi.nasa.gov/articles/colonizing-the-moon

(16) https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-scientists-say-we-could-colonise-the-moon-by-2022-for-just-10-billion

(17) https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/space.2015.0023

(18) https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/space.2015.0031

(19) https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/space.2015.0039

(20) https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/space.2015.0037

(21) https://www.space.com/33440-space-law.html

(22) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_calendar

(23) Space Lawyers: They Exist, https://www.fastcompany.com/3000243/space-lawyers-they-exist and Mark Sundahl 01, One of the Worlds Leading Space Law Experts, https://www.uchastings.edu/2018/08/15/mark-sundahl-01-one-of-the-worlds-leading-space-law-experts/
Back-office staff in Cork, Galway and Limerick received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Photo: Reuters

The HSE says it would be hard to quantify how many non-patient-facing staff have jumped ahead of sequence in the vaccine roll-out.

In recent weeks, it has emerged that non-frontline care workers, including those who work in payroll and pensions currently based at home, have been vaccinated in cohort two. It is understood that staff were able to access appointments via the HSE portal by signing up under sequence 2g.

There have been reports that large numbers of workers who fall under cohort six, which includes those providing essential health services, for example, management and administration, have in fact been vaccinated in cohort two.

The HSE told the Irish Independent it would be hard to quantify how many were vaccinated ahead of schedule as it would require a person-by-person analysis of 2g, including those from private and other settings to ascertain if people incorrectly registered.

Read More

Last week, after it came to light that finance staff in Offaly, as well as staff working in pension and payroll departments in other parts of the country, were vaccinated, the HSE closed off the portal for frontline workers.

This newspaper reported that HSE administrative staff, including a number working in payroll and pensions divisions, were vaccinated last month despite being in non-patient-facing roles.

Back-office staff in Cork, Galway and Limerick received the first dose of AstraZeneca.

Staff from the pensions department and a number of administrative staff in the HSEs Cork facility were vaccinated. The HSE declined to provide details, saying that it cant confirm the vaccination status of anyone or any group.

In relation to HSE staff from the HSE Mid-West admin department who were also vaccinated in March, a spokesperson said: While we cannot release individual information, we can confirm that there are administration staff based within the HSE Building, Catherine Street, that would fall under Category 2g.

The spokesperson sad that, as per national direction, there have been some opportunistic vaccinations of administration staff when there have been doses remaining in a vial, rather than wastage.

In response to reports that staff from HSE West admin building in Merlin Park, Galway, were recently vaccinated, the Saolta Hospital Group said it cannot comment on the vaccination status of individuals.

A spokesperson referred to sequence 2g, which includes healthcare workers without direct patient care, but with the potential to meet patients/service users.

Read More




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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) -- Actress Iza Calzado on Thursday recalled her battle with the coronavirus a year ago, sending a message of hope to everyone who is struggling amid the pandemic.

It was exactly a year ago when I was discharged from the hospital after 11 days of fighting this deadly virus we are now very much familiar with  COVID-19, said the actress in an Instagram post.

I dont know what lies ahead. Yes, there is so much uncertainty and anxiety, but I recognize that every breath is a blessing and for as long as I have this gift I will continue to fight to survive and, yes, thrive. I pray you do, too. Love and light, always! she added.

Calzado was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia on March 25 last year and she tested positive for the virus three days later. She was discharged from the hospital after a few days.

If you are reading this, that means you are alive and that in itself is a gift. I know that so many of us are struggling, it could be physically, mentally, spiritually, financially maybe even all at the same time but what I want to say is please fight to survive, she said. I hope you find something to be grateful for no matter how small it is. May you also find something to live for and fight for just like I did when I was in the hospital and now that I am home.

The actress also thanked everyone who helped her to recover, including the frontliners.

Today, I am especially grateful for my frontliners who took such great care of me, for the love and prayers people sent my way at a time when I needed it most. I am very grateful for my loved ones who support me through difficult moments and remind me to see the silver lining in these situations, said Calzado. All of this would not be possible without Gods mercy and grace so I am most grateful for Him.
New Yorkers over the age of 21 can now possess and use up to 3 ounces of cannabis in public under a legalization bill signed Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while sales of recreational-use marijuana wont become legal for an estimated 18 months until the state draws up regulations.

Advocates for criminal justice reform hope it will also help redress the inequities of a system that has locked up people of color for marijuana offenses at disproportionate rates.

The legislation provides protections for cannabis users in the workplace, housing, family court and in schools, colleges and universities, and sets a target of providing half of marijuana licenses to individuals from underrepresented communities. And police could no longer use the odor of cannabis as pretext for searching someones car for contraband.

By placing community reinvestment, social equity, and justice front and center, this law is the new gold standard for reform efforts nationwide, Melissa Moore, New York state director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said.

New York will start automatically expunging the criminal records of individuals with certain past marijuana-related convictions, and law enforcement in the state wont be able to arrest or prosecute individuals for possession of marijuana up to 3 ounces. Thats a step beyond a 2019 law that expunged many past convictions for marijuana possession and reduced the penalty for possessing small amounts.

Unlike all other states that have legalized recreational marijuana, New Yorkers over the age of 21 can now smoke cannabis in public, including on sidewalks.

No adult-use legalization state permits the personal use of cannabis in public, Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the nations oldest cannabis reform advocacy organization, said. In every state it remains a penalty, typically a civil one.

The law immediately allows using cannabis in public spaces, though New Yorkers cant smoke or vape marijuana in locations prohibited by state law, including workplaces, indoors bars and restaurants, colleges and universities, hospitals and within 100 feet of a school. And stricter local rules on smoking apply: New York City banned smoking in parks and beaches, while Great Neck on Long Island bans has banned smoking on sidewalks in front of commercial buildings.

Local governments can pass stricter rules on marijuana use and impose small civil penalties as long as they dont completely or essentially prohibit a person from lawful use of marijuana.

This legislation is pretty broad, that looks like it was the intention of the state Legislature, New York State Association of Counties Executive Director Stephen Acquario said. It looks like it was also their intention for local governments to further regulate that in the community.

The new law allows cities, towns and villages to opt out of allowing adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries or on-site consumption licenses by passing a local law by Dec. 31, 2021, or nine months after the effective date of the legislation. They cannot opt out of legalization.

Mackenzie Stevenson, a 20-year-old portrait photographer and dental assistant in central New York, was thrilled at the news. She has a relative with epilepsy whos been greatly helped by medical marijuana.

Ive seen the benefits its had for her, so Im excited for more people to be able to benefit from it, she said.

While the marketplace will take a while to set up, estimates by the trade publication Marijuana Business Daily show New York could become the largest on the East Coast  generating a potential $2.3 billion in annual sales by its fourth year.

Cuomo said it could take years to collect about $300 million in annual tax revenues, though Republicans are skeptical the state will see that much. California was forced to cut $223 million from state budget projections in 2019 due to slower-than-expected pot sales.

Tax revenues from marijuana would first cover the states cost of regulating and enforcing the marijuana legalization law, with the remainder divided among schools, drug treatment and prevention programs and a fund for investing in job skills, adult education, mental health and other services in communities that bore the brunt of the national and state drug war.

New York will set a 9% sales tax on cannabis plus an additional 4% county and local tax and another tax based on the level of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

Sen. Liz Krueger, the legislations Senate sponsor, estimates marijuana will end up facing an effective tax rate of around 20 to 21% in New York.

In the beginning, marijuana prices will be higher because theres less of it available, she said. So the tax rate will actually be lower. As market matures and theres more product in the legal market, the pricing with the tax will average around a 20 to 21% tax rate.

The state will provide loans, grants and incubator programs to encourage participation in the cannabis industry by people from minority communities, as well as small farmers, women and disabled veterans. Krueger said the state cant mandate giving 50% of licenses to underrepresented communities because it could be unconstitutional.

Fifty percent is a very high bar to try to reach, but if it happens, it would be amazing, said Hillary Peckham, chief operator of Etain Health, a women-owned New York medical cannabis company that is considering applying for a recreational marijuana license if it becomes legal.

The next step is to see how the regulations and the program are stood up to actually provide those opportunities, added Peckham, whose company has four dispensaries around the state.

Social equity emerged as a key theme in marijuana legalization in recent years, with newly legal states trying to build it in and others seeking to make up for a lack of diversity in the businesses they approved earlier. But the plans havent played out as intended in many places.

Illinois, for instance, was touted for the equity provisions in its 2019 law. But that has drawn criticism and legal action from some Black-owned businesses that were passed over. Illinois has since revised its process in an effort to address those issues.

New York joins at least 15 other states that have legalized recreational marijuana, including neighboring New Jersey. Voters moved to legalize recreational and medical use of marijuana in South Dakota in November, though it is currently being challenged in the states Supreme Court.

Opponents of legalization include law enforcement organizations and groups representing parents, who are concerned legalization will encourage marijuana use among children and lead to more traffic accidents caused by impaired drivers.

We are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the serious crisis of youth vaping and the continuing opioid epidemic, this harmful legislation is counterintuitive, several organizations wrote in an open letter earlier this month.

Supporters who hope legalization will reduce illegal sales say its already easy for young adults to access marijuana and that theres no clear link between marijuana legalization and impaired driving accidents.

New York officials plan to conduct a study that will examine the extent that cannabis impairs driving, and whether it depends on factors like time and metabolism. The law also allows state police to receive sales revenue to train more officers as drug recognition experts, though University at Buffalo professor R. Lorraine Collins said theres no evidence those experts can tell whether someones high or not.

By MARINA VILLENEUVE

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STOCKHOLM, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced that it has been recognized as one of the top three service providers in the Nordics in the Whitelane Research and PA Consulting IT Sourcing Study 2021. The report ranked Infosys as the number one service provider in contractual flexibility, and ranked second in overall customer satisfaction across Nordics, owing to its ability to introduce new technologies and services, and drive business innovation and IT transformational changes for its customers.

For the report, Whitelane Research and PA Consulting, the innovation and transformation consultancy, surveyed over 350 CXOs and senior decision-makers from top IT spending organizations in the Nordics and evaluated over 700 unique IT sourcing and 700 cloud-sourcing relationships. These service providers were assessed based on their service delivery, client relationships, commercial leverage, and transformation capabilities.

Infosys was ranked among the top three service providers in the Nordics across the general satisfaction KPIs by customers who were surveyed for this study. Some of Infosys' key differentiating factors highlighted in the report are:

Infosys ranked as a top provider in the Nordics across key performance indicators on Service Delivery Quality, Account Management Quality, Contractual Flexibility, Pricing Levels, Innovation, Subject Matter Expertise, Cloud and Digital Transformation Capabilities, among others

Infosys' ranked above the industry average by 5 percent year-on-year, making it one of the top system integrators in the Nordics

Infosys' strong geographic presence and extensive partner networks, with increased localization, to accelerate client transformation journeys, was acknowledged in the survey

Committed leadership at Infosys that drives attention and investments in the Nordics, along with a sharp focus on ERP, infrastructure, cloud services, digital offerings, AI and automation, data analytics, and smart platforms, were also called out in the report

Johan Kroon, CIO, Toyota Material Handling Europe, said, "Infosys has been helping TMHE in its digital transformation journey by facilitating transformation to a scalable digital hybrid cloud platform, providing application services and digital workplace. As TMHE's partner since 2019, Infosys has delivered in improving customer experience while driving the innovation agenda. I congratulate Infosys for achieving top ranking in the Nordics IT Sourcing Study 2021."

"I would like to congratulate Infosys on being ranked one of the top providers in customer satisfaction in the Nordics," said Petteri Naulapaa, CIO, Posti Group Oyj. "Our partnership with Infosys has been invaluable, allowing us to innovate, strengthen our core operations, handle growing volumes and as customers focus on becoming increasingly digital, improve our services. The Infosys team supports our business transformation goals by helping us drive efficiencies and improve customer experience. Infosys demonstrated great support and flexibility throughout the pandemic, helping us keep our operations running and delivering with an unwavering customer-focus"

Infosys currently partners with leading Nordic corporations to increase localization to establish Northern Europe as a growth engine for the region. Earlier this year, Infosys was certified as a 'Top Employer for 2021' in the Nordics.

Mohit Joshi, President, Infosys said, "The ranking in the Whitelane Research and PA Consulting IT Sourcing Study 2021, endorses our ability to drive business innovation and IT transformation backed by strong partner network and geographical presence in the Nordics. This recognition revalidates our commitment towards driving customer success and excellence in delivering innovative IT services. We will also continue to focus on our design thinking approach to strengthen our localization, agility, and diversity initiatives to foster client confidence and further enhance delivery."

Jef Loos, Head of Sourcing, Whitelane Research, said, ''Rapidly evolving market conditions have put unprecedented pressure on enterprises to differentiate themselves and find more agile, scalable, and cost-effective means to develop applications. In response, Infosys has displayed relentless focus and efforts to build trusted relationships and invest in new capabilities for its Nordics customers, which has led to a significant shift in its overall ranking. This earned Infosys a top rank in our Nordics IT Sourcing Study 2021, and we believe they will continue to evolve their offerings and value proposition to address the post-pandemic requirements of enterprises."

For more information, please read Whitelane Research's report here.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With nearly four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys
[April 01, 2021] Maximus Names Teresa "Terry" Weipert as New U.S. Federal General Manager

Maximus (NYSE: MMS), a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today it has named Teresa "Terry" Weipert as its new U.S. Federal Services Segment General Manager. Weipert will replace Thomas Romeo, who has announced his retirement after serving in the role for nearly ten years. Romeo will remain with the Company through July to assist with the transition and will subsequently serve on the Segment's advisory board. "The U.S. Federal Services Segment of Maximus has grown significantly in the past decade, thanks to the dedicated leadership of Tom, and we cannot thank him enough for his contributions to our company," said Bruce Caswell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maximus. "His successor, Terry, is poised to further this growth based upon her years of experience in the federal and public sector markets and broad skills in technology and business process management. We believe our future is very bright, as we aim to continue to build upon our current momentum, and Terry is the right person at this moment to lead us there." Most recently, Weipert served as the Vice President and Service Delivery Leader at IBM (News - Alert) , leading its Healthcare, Life Sciences, and SLED Public Markets. Her previous leadership experience includes executive roles at top companies such as Accenture, Sutherland Global Services, and Unisys (News - Alert) . During her 20-plus year career, she has focused on generating significant growth with particular expertise in business process outsourcing and IT services management. "I am honored and excited to join Maximus, as the company continues to differentiate itself from competitors through its technology and approach to citizen services," said Weipert. "I am looking forward to building upon the foundation laid by Tom and the Maximus team over the past ten years and taking it to new heights. With the passing of the American Rescue Plan last month, Maximus is ready to assist a vast number of federal agencies to navigate our new normal." Romeo joined Maximus in August 2011 to take the reins of a division with $80 million of revenue. Over the next decade, he led and transformed the U.S. Federal Services Segment to deliver over $1.6 billion of revenue in fiscal year 2020. Among the highlights of his tenure are the acquisition of GDIT's contact center business in 2018, which included the onboarding of roughly 14,000 employees. Under Romeo's leadership, Maximus expanded the number of agencies it serves while strengthening long-term relationships. Most recently, Romeo oversaw the cquisition of Attain Federal in March, a move that will further expand Maximus into new agencies such as the SEC (News - Alert) (Securities & Exchange Commission) and DHS (Department of Homeland Security).



"I am grateful for my time at Maximus, and particularly for the hard-working individuals whose focus on our clients' and customers' missions made our rapid growth possible," said Romeo. "As happy as I am to get to spend more time with family and traveling, it is balanced by knowing that I will miss interacting with this incredible team. I am truly excited for what the future holds for Maximus and our federal business, and I know Terry is the perfect person to take it to the next level." The timing of this transition aligns with the long-term strategy goals for Maximus set forth by CEO Bruce Caswell, to continue market expansion and building technology capabilities. As one example, Maximus launched a new FedRAMP-certified omnichannel contact center solution in late 2020.

"A key element of our long-term strategy remains to expand our value to Federal customers in achieving their citizen services goals through digital solutions and technology-driven business processes," said Caswell. "Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Maximus has been at the forefront of helping with the response, ranging from testing support, contact tracing, and vaccine distribution to helping the IRS carry out the CARES and now American Recovery Act. We are all extremely confident in Terry's ability to continue this important work, as well as further expand our value to our federal customers." About Maximus Since 1975, Maximus has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People, enabling citizens around the globe to successfully engage with their governments at all levels and across a variety of health and human services programs. Maximus delivers innovative business process management and technology solutions that contribute to improved outcomes for citizens and higher levels of productivity, accuracy, accountability, and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. With approximately 34,000 employees worldwide, Maximus is a proud partner to government agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit maximus.com. Forward-Looking Statements Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the company's confidence and strategies, and the company's expectations about growth, momentum, future contracts, market opportunities, market demand, or acceptance of the company's products are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including but not limited to: The ultimate duration of the pandemic

The threat of further negative pandemic-related impacts

Delays in our core programs returning to normal volumes and operations

The potential impacts resulting from budget challenges with our government clients

The possibility of delayed or missed payments by customers

The potential for further supply chain disruptions impacting IT or safety equipment

The impact of further legislation and government policies on the programs we operate These risks could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. A summary of risk factors can be found in Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2020, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 19, 2020, and found on maximus.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005190/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Job listings in Britain have reached the highest level for a year as the nation looks ahead to the easing of more lockdown restrictions, Indeed UK has revealed.

While still shy of levels since before the pandemic, the number of jobs available on Indeed has swelled to the highest since April 2020.

Government schemes like furlough have helped protect many people's jobs and income-streams over the past year, but the number of people out of work is expected to rise once this support drops off.

In the part-time or temporary sphere of work, job-hunter searches for bar, restaurant and pub jobs has surged in recent weeks, as have searches for e-commerce roles like warehouse pickers and delivery drivers, Indeed Flex said.

Fresh hope: Job listings in Britain have reached the highest level for a year, fresh findings from Indeed claim

With the reopening of pubs, bars and restaurants outdoors on the horizon, job hunter interest in bar and waitressing jobs has grown by 98 per cent and 60 per cent respectively in the last few weeks, according to the data.

Searches by jobseekers for warehouse 'picker' jobs more than doubled over the period, while searches for 'warehouse associate' jobs rose over 80 per cent.

While the bricks-and-mortar based retail sector has been hammered by the pandemic, job searches in this area have enjoyed a 'significant' upturn in recent weeks, Indeed Flex said.

Top 10 most-searched for terms on Indeed UK These were the fastest rising jobseeker search terms on Indeed UK from 26 February to 12 March. Percentage growth on previous period also shown: 1. Bar staff, 98% 2. Next, 76% 3. Waitress, 60% 4. Primark, 53% 5. Beauty therapist, 52% 6. Waiter, 52% 7. Costa, 43% 8. Cafe assistant, 42% 9. Front of house, 40% 10. Gym, 38% Source: Indeed UK

Specifically, job hunters have made Next and Primark the second and fourth most searched for terms on Indeed Flex's site respectively in the last few weeks, with both set to be bustling with shoppers later this month.

That said, a string of well-known retail brands, including Oasis, Warehouse, Topshop and Debenhams have all disappeared from high streets over the past year, as the online shopping sector grows.

Jack Beaman, CEO and co-founder at Indeed Flex, said: 'Covid-19 slammed the brakes on the UK jobs market and left many people wondering where to turn to next but as the vaccination programme continues apace and the economy slowly reopens, there is light at the end of the tunnel and thousands of new roles are becoming available every week.

'We know people were increasingly seeking flexible working options before the pandemic and our research shows there has been a rise in searches for part-time work since the first lockdown.'

It's going to busy: As lockdown restrictions ease, restaurants, bars and pubs are expected to be very busy

Since February 2020, the number of payroll employees has fallen by 693,000 with the biggest falls seen at the start of the pandemic, figures published by the Office for National Statistics last month showed.

An analysis by age band showed that under 25s contributed over 60 per cent of the fall seen since February 2020.

In its latest data, the ONS said: 'The number of job vacancies in December 2020 to February 2021 was 26.8% lower than a year ago.

'This is an improvement on the position in summer 2020 when vacancies were down by nearly 60% year on year, but the rate of improvement has slowed in the past few months.'

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has announced plans to open 18 new pubs and create 2,000 new jobs in a 145million upgrade, but only if there are no more Covid restrictions.

The group said it would also 'significantly extend' 57 existing pubs as part of the project.

It 'will provide work for architects, contractors and builders as well as result in 2,000 new jobs for staff in our pubs', boss Tim Martin said.
Nearly three dozen scientists vetted by the World Health Organization and the Chinese government gathered in Wuhan, China, early this winter to start the arduous task of finding the origins of Covid-19 and determining how it spread like wildfire around the world.

Six weeks after that trip, the working group this week delivered an analysis that laid out four possible scenarios and recommended next steps for digging deeper to find the pandemics genesis. The 123-page report, and a nearly 200-page supplement, was immediately engulfed by criticism, with a dozen nations including the US, the UK and Japan questioning its structure and insights.

Also Read | Inside Mumbais new extortion economy

The most unexpected detractor was WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who helped negotiate the details of the trip and agreed to the scope of the work back in July. He said the theory that the virus escaped via a laboratory accident needed to be more thoroughly vetted, a hypothesis that has been vigorously denied by the Chinese government.

Theres obviously a lot of politics," said John Mackenzie, an Australian virologist who led a 2003 WHO-convened mission in China to study the origins of SARS, leaving him well-versed on the delicacies of undertaking such a study. He should be standing by his committees report."

I just find it very strange that hes demeaning it and hes deflecting from it," said Mackenzie, an emeritus professor at Curtain University in Perth who serves on the WHOs emergency committee for Covid-19.

Its not that controversy was unexpected: the mission was fraught from the start, with China resisting the scientists for months before relenting to a team of experts that comprised of a local expert for every foreign one. Still, the furore now threatens to undermine scientific progress in understanding how the coronavirus came about, and the chance of WHO-led further investigation in both China and other countries -- which the experts have always said is needed -- is growing faint.

Multiple attacks daily, demonstrably false, but gullible followers believe them," said Peter Ben Embarek, an expert on zoonotic diseases at the WHO who led the international team of scientists, in a Twitter post on what he described as right-wing media outlets". Real issue is that this undermines science and ironically puts US citizens at risk by leading us into rabbit hole conspiracies instead of better understanding of how to prevent pandemics."

Complex Process

The WHO experts, who traveled to China in January after months of negotiations, were presented with reports from local researchers, rather than being allowed to conduct their own analysis, some said in media interviews after the trip. They also didnt have unfettered access to raw material or the lab in Wuhan that has become central to the controversy. Instead, they were required to work within the parameters negotiated by the Chinese government and the WHO more than six months before the mission began.

Their official report, itself delayed for weeks, was questioned even before its official release. The US has real concerns about the methodology and the process" of the report, including that the Chinese government apparently helped to write it," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN on Sunday, ahead of publication.

On Tuesday, hours after it was published, a joint statement from 14 countries including the US, the UK, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Norway, bemoaned a lack of access to complete, original data and samples." Scientists from five of the countries took part in the mission.

China dismissed the criticism as not serious or responsible" on Wednesday. They want to spread rumors and push their hidden political agenda," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a briefing in Beijing. The experts have said they went to places they wanted to, and they met with people they wanted to."

Some among the WHO expert team, made up of virologists, epidemiologists and other public health experts, argued that not many countries would allow unfettered access to confidential data, and noted that their work seemed to be taken out of context. At the heart of the controversy appears to be a mismatch between the slow speed and cautious precision of scientific work, and the political symbolism thrust on the origins investigation.

Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who was a member of the WHO team, mused on Twitter about whether other countries would allow outsiders to conduct a similar investigation.

While much of the criticism has focused on the reports dismissal of the laboratory leak theory, the scope of study included no mention of research specifically on labs in Wuhan, or any role they may have played.

A true audit of the lab is a much more complex process, and thats not what we were there to do," said Dominic Dwyer, a microbiologist based in Sydney who was part of the team.

The lab leak theory took off when it was promoted by the Trump administration. There has been nothing to suggest it emerged from a lab in China or anywhere else, Ben Embarek said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHOs technical lead on Covid, defended the report, saying the epidemiology and molecular data from 2019 is the most comprehensive she has seen, while the animal section provides details on the species that were sampled.

We were able to create a space for the science," said Ben Embarek. We were never pressured to remove critical elements from our report. Personally, I am very proud of this report and, like my other colleagues, we all stand behind it on both sides, despite all the interest and the pressure and the immense difficult environments we have faced over the past few months."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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Shortly after the inter-Korean summit in 2018, President Moon Jae-in scrapped research into responding to any North Korean nuclear, biological or chemical attack. He had ordered the study in 2017 after the North's sixth nuclear test but simply called it off citing "changes in the security landscape." Surely even the president did not really think that the North Korean threat had simply disappeared after one meeting with bellicose leader Kim Jong-un.

Moon's first defense minister said in 2019 that there was nothing to fear about North Korea except its nuclear weapons and chemical and biological agents. In other words, these weapons are the biggest threat to this country. A U.S. military report last year suggested that just 1 kg of North Korean anthrax could kill 50,000 people in South Korea. The North has an estimated 5,000 tons of chemical and biological agents, ranking third in the world, and its latest short-range ballistic missiles are capable of being mounted with warheads containing them. They are not aimed at the U.S. but at South Korea.

North Korea is constantly perfecting its short-range as well as long-range missiles in order to be able to achieve total destruction of South Korea. If it perfects its nuclear warheads, and only one of them breaks through the South's increasingly porous defenses, the result would be total devastation. Not only would hundreds of thousands of lives be lost, communication equipment would also be paralyzed for hundreds of miles around. But South Korea has not conducted any large-scale defense drills with the U.S. for several years, to Moon's evident delight, and a THAAD anti-missile battery in southwestern Korea is suffering from neglect and insufficient supplies.

There is no cause whatsoever for optimism. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un murdered his half-brother with an internationally proscribed VX nerve agent. He recently announced the development of tactical nuclear weapons and holds the trigger to a vast nuclear, biological and chemical arsenal aimed at South. But our president is busy looking the other way. How can any progress toward a viable peace be made if the government's heads are buried so firmly in the sand?


Every year, more home-bound seniors are becoming food insecure, which means they dont know where their next meal is coming from or they dont have enough money to cover groceries for the month.

To help fill that gap, Meals on Wheels San Diego County offers low-price meals for seniors that are packed and home-delivered by an army of volunteers that includes Allan Thomas of Carlsbad.

The retired 68-year-old welder spends two and sometimes three days a week delivering meals to nearly 40 clients, and frequently helps out by doing free handyman tasks around their homes.

Charlotte Fan, a North County district supervisor for Meals on Wheels, said she can always count on Thomas to pick up an extra shift when needed.

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Allan is like a teddy bear, Fan said. Hes very kind, very caring. You can look in his eyes and see his heart is pouring out for seniors and anyone else he can care for.

Since he retired six years ago, Thomas now volunteers five days a week. He spent a week this past month on a painting project at his church. He just finished up a concrete project at the home of an elderly couple with mobility issues. He serves on the executive committee of the North County NAACP chapter and he recruits workers for the Ironworkers unions apprentice program.

Thomas said he feels a responsibility to give back to his adopted country. Born and raised in Trinidad, he came to the U.S. in 1970 for work. He achieved his American Dream, but had to leave his aging mother behind in their native country.

While I was here in this country, my mom was really sick. Some of the guys I grew up with, whenever she needed something done, they would do it, he said. This is my way of giving back. If someone could help my mom, then I feel its my duty to help someone elses mom.

Thomas was 21 when he arrived alone in this country with the goal of working hard to achieve success. He was hired as a steelworker, building and repairing ships. Then he transitioned into welding, working as a hot spot welder in coal-fired and nuclear power plants. In 1997, he moved to Carlsbad to work at the San Onofre nuclear power plant and retired from that job in 2010.

Thomas is proud of his decades-long career in the construction industry and especially proud of his three adult children who have all achieved success. His 45-year-old son graduated from West Point and is now a retired Army colonel who works as a consultant for the Pentagon. His youngest daughter is a research scientist in Kentucky and his older daughter lives in Trinidad.

Meals on Wheels volunteer Allan Thomas in Oceanside (Bill Wechter )

When he first retired, Thomas first volunteered at Tri-City Medical Center, where he shuttled elderly patients around the hospital and worked in the cafeteria. One day, an older woman asked if she could take home the cafeterias leftovers because she didnt have any food at home. Haunted by the thought of her going hungry, he tracked her down after she left the hospital.

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I went over to where she lived and saw all these people in the home she was living in, people in wheelchairs, and I thought oh my goodness, look at all these hungry people, he said. I bought meals for all of them. And thats how I got hooked up with Meals on Wheels.

Debbie Case, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels San Diego County, said her district serves just under 3,300 hungry seniors each year. The majority of clients are age 60 and over, the rest are younger people with disabilities, their caregivers and others with special circumstances. Nationwide there are 9.2 million seniors in the United States who are food insecure and 121,000 of them live here in San Diego County.

Clients pay for home-delivered meals on a sliding scale based on ability to pay. It costs Meals on Wheels $7 to provide two meals and a beverage each day, and seniors can sign up for meal delivery three to seven days a week. Clients pay just one-third of the cost of producing the meals. The rest is made up through donations and grants. Case said the district can hold down its costs thanks to its 2,600 volunteers, who use their own cars and gasoline to make deliveries.

The volunteers like Allan save us over $2 million a year in costs, Case said. If we had to pay taxes, benefits and minimum wage, we wouldnt be able to do it. Theyre our lifeblood.

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Case said the need for volunteers and donations continues to grow as the population ages and the cost of living grows. Six years ago, the districts annual budget was $2.6 million. Now its nearing $5 million.

Luanne Hinkle, director of marketing for Meals on Wheels San Diego County, said Thomas began volunteering for the program in early 2015 and quickly became a highly reliable and enthusiastic volunteer. At first he worked in the office, but he missed interacting with the public so he asked to be transferred to delivery duty.

Allan has a deep level of understanding and caring for the challenges of getting older, Hinkle said. He tends to spend a good amount of time with our seniors and creates a wonderful friendship with them. Thats what stands out the most about him. In his heart, he really cares.

Meals on Wheels volunteers dont just deliver meals. Case said theyre also often the only connection many home-bound seniors have to the outside world.

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Thomas said that one couple in their 70s often asked him if he knew a good handyman so he volunteered to do the work himself. He trimmed their hedges, replaced termite-infested wood in their backyard deck and repaired and painted a concrete area in their back yard. Hes also done painting and landscaping for other Meals on Wheels clients.

Because of Thomas efforts to go above and beyond, Meals on Wheels recently recognized him for making a difference in the community. Hinkle said Meals on Wheels has recently introduced a philanthropy program where the public can volunteer on Saturdays to do household repairs and chores for seniors, like weeding, mowing lawns and other physical tasks.

In many cases, these seniors we serve dont have a family in town, Case said. We are their family. Were the ones making sure theyre OK and if they need a higher level of care. Thats why people like Allan are so important for us. He really likes to make that human connection.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
XIAMEN, China and DALLAS, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yeastar (www.yeastar.com), the world's leading provider of SME PBX systems, is proud to celebrate its 15th anniversary, continuing a legacy of elevating and transforming business communications. Grown into an industry leader, Yeastar is now ready to set sail for the next ambitious adventure, aiming at enabling successful digital transformation for SMEs and help them realize sustainable value from it.

From 2006 to date, Yeastar has established a global partner network across 100+ countries, providing best-in-class communications solutions for 200,000+ businesses. Yeastar has been awarded and recognized by TMCnet, Eastern Management Group, Funkchau, etc. for product excellence and business performance. All these are reflections of Yeastar's passion and commitment to addressing evolving customer needs and thriving with its partners.

Last year, Yeastar released a brand-new product, P-Series PBX System, a "PBX-Plus-More" solution, demonstrating its determination to accelerate towards unified communications and exceed customer expectations. Later this year, more features, integration, deployment options will be released for the P-Series to make it an ever-more impressive communications system.

Going forward, Yeastar is getting bolder. It is looking to navigate a wider variety of modern workplace challenges by incorporating the latest technologies and expanding its offerings, starting with the rollout of a digital workplace solution. Besides, Yeastar's new office building will also be an inspiring and experimental digital workplace, showcasing the integration of Unified Communications, Smart Office, and Intelligent Security technology.

"The past 15 years is an amazing journey. I want to thank all our employees, partners, and customers for supporting us along the way," said Prince Cai, Vice President of Yeastar. "We will maintain our innovative spirit and keep working on connecting, streamlining, and digitalizing the workplace for SMEs. We are looking forward to an exciting and promising future."

Yeastar's 15th anniversary has kicked off with an online celebration, click here for details.

About Yeastar

Yeastar provides cloud-based and on-premises VoIP PBXs for SMEs and delivers Unified Communications (UC) solutions that connect the workforce and clients more efficiently. Founded in 2006, Yeastar has established itself as a global leader in the industry with a worldwide network of value-added distributors and resellers and over 200,000 customers. Yeastar customers enjoy the easy-to-own and easy-to-manage communications solutions that have been consistently recognized for high performance and innovation. For more information about Yeastar, please visit https://www.yeastar.com/.

Contact:

Aviva Li

+86-592-5503309

[email protected]

SOURCE Yeastar Information Technology Co. Ltd.

Related Links

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ALBANY  The Hussain family, which rented out the Ford Excursion stretch limousine involved in the horrific crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people in October 2018, lost an appeal to regain control of their Wilton motel and other properties.

A panel of state Supreme Court justices in Saratoga County had placed an "attachment" on the properties that effectively made it impossible for the Hussains to sell them after the families of the victims of the crash argued that if their civil lawsuits against the Hussains are successful they would seek monetary damages.

At one point in 2019, the Hussains had put the motel up for sale for $1 million, although the Department of Health later shut down the motel and took away the family's license to operate it.

The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court in Albany heard the Hussains' appeal earlier this year and on Thursday ruled against the Hussains. The decision leaves the attachments in place.

Aimee Greer, an attorney with LaMarche Safranko Law in Albany, argued the case on behalf of the victims' families.

"We were confident that the lower court got this one right and are very pleased that the Appellate Division agreed and ruled in our favor," Greer said. "This rightfully provides some additional security for the families of the victims and ensures that compensation will be available when there is an eventual judgment."

Marc Kaim, who represents the Hussains, could not immediately be reached for comment.

One of the key factors in the decision was deciding whether or not Shahed Hussain, who ran the motel with his sons, was still considered to be domiciled in New York.

Lawyers for the families submitted Times Union articles showing that Hussain had left for Pakistan in early 2018 and did not intend to return, even though his son Nauman Hussain was charged with 40 felonies in connection with the death of the 20 victims of the crash and is facing years in prison if convicted.

"Plaintiff represented, with support from annexed newspaper accounts, that Shahed Hussain left New York for Pakistan in March 2018 and had no plans to return to the United States," a group of the justices wrote in their ruling. "Those facts, which defendants presented no evidence to dispute, were sufficient to show that Shahed Hussain had established his domicile in Pakistan."

The Times Union recently tracked Shahed Hussain, a longtime undercover informant for the FBI's terrorism task force, to the Pakistani city of Lahore where he is involved in real estate development. Shahed Hussain left Pakistan in the 1990s and settled in Albany and started working for the FBI after the 9/11 attacks.

Shahed Hussain's sources of income and true identity have never been fully revealed. After his $90,000 Loudonville home was destroyed by fire in 2003, he sold the property, which had only been partially rebuilt, for $450,000 to a mystery buyer and used the money to buy the Wilton motel and later launch the limousine company that his son Nauman helped manage.

The trial in Schoharie County Court for Nauman Hussain has been delayed due to the pandemic. He pleaded not guilty and has been free on bond.
Vladimir Pozner, a veteran TV journalist and commentator working for Russian state TV, cut short a visit to Georgia after his arrival sparked protests in Tbilisi on March 31. Pozner, accompanied by about 30 Russian journalists and celebrities was planning to celebrate his 87th birthday and stay in the country until April 3. His bus and hotel were pelted with eggs as angry crowds accused him of being a Kremlin propagandist. Russian troops have been stationed in the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia since a five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008. Georgia's opposition United National Movement criticized the government for allowing Pozner in the country. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili condemned the protest as uncivilized and falling short of what he called Georgian standards.
Alison Chabloz (pictured outside court yesterday), 56, repeated her anti-Semitic comments on a US podcast which she promoted via a far-right social media website called Gab

An anti-Semitic blogger who believes 'Hitler was right' has been jailed after saying Jewish people use the Holocaust as an 'eternal cash cow'.

Alison Chabloz, 56, repeated her anti-Semitic comments on a US podcast which she promoted via a far-right social media website called Gab.

Chabloz denied, but was convicted of, sending further grossly offensive comments on a public communications network at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

The latest conviction was new, but it also put her in breach of a suspended sentence she received in 2018, which was confirmed on appeal in 2019, for singing songs calling the Holocaust 'a bunch of lies' and referring to Auschwitz as a 'theme park'.

Holocaust denial is not a specific crime in the UK, which is why she was convicted under communications offences instead.

Speaking in court yesterday, District Judge Michael Snow said that the fact she had also breached the two-year suspended sentence while committing the offence meant he would have to jail her.

He told Chabloz: 'I'm not sentencing you on the basis that you are anti-Semitic, I'm not sentencing you on the basis that you are a Holocaust denier.

'I'm sentencing you on the basis that on two separate occasions whilst subject to a suspended sentence, you participated in a radio programme where you made grossly offensive comments.

'The grossly offensive contributions by the defendant to both programmes are insulting to members of a vulnerable community.

'The need to protect that community from such gross offence is a pressing social need.'

Judge Snow found Chabloz had made six 'grossly offensive' comments on far-right podcast 'Realist Radio' and 'The Graham Hart Show'.

The blogger had stated that the Holocaust is used as an 'eternal cash cow,' and that Hitler wanted the Jews out of Europe for behaving 'in a certain fashion as we're seeing again today'.

She asserted that the gas chambers were not 'homicidal,' but used 'to save lives from typhus epidemics'. Chabloz added that Jews who 'don't conform' should be deported.

On the Graham Hart show she asserted that the Holocaust is a 'central pillar' of Judaism and that Jewish children are brought up to be 'psychopathic maniacs'.

Giving evidence Chabloz refused to accept that her comments were grossly offensive.

Judge Snow found Chabloz (pictured) had made six 'grossly offensive' comments on far-right podcast 'Realist Radio' and 'The Graham Hart Show'

Benn Maguire, prosecuting, asked: 'Do you accept that saying the Holocaust was used for Zionist lobby and is an eternal cash cow is offensive?'

Chabloz replied: 'I would say that there's a great deal of evidence to show that that's the case.

'Individuals who got publishing deals who weren't in Germany during the war.... and weren't even Jewish.'

When asked why she said 'Six million jews blah, blah, blah,' she described the Holocaust death toll as a 'claim' which has been 'repeated' since 1880.

'People don't go to church any more, but are supposed to worship Jews,' she added.

The music teacher was convicted of three charges for posting offensive songs about the Holocaust and handed a suspended jail sentence in May 2018.

In the songs, Chabloz, who refers to herself a 'historical revisionist', sings: 'Did the Holocaust ever happen? 'Was it just a bunch of lies? Seems that some intend to pull the wool over our eyes.'

The musician claims in the podcasts that Jewish parents are 'indoctrinating their children that their grandparents were gassed because they were Jews', turning the children into 'psychopathic maniacs', the court heard

She said Auschwitz is 'a theme park just for fools' and 'the gassing zone, a proven hoax, indoctrination rules.'

The Holocaust denier appealed against the convictions - but a judge upheld them at Southwark Crown Court in February 2019.

The musician claims in the podcasts that Jewish parents are 'indoctrinating their children that their grandparents were gassed because they were Jews', turning the children into 'psychopathic maniacs', the court heard.

She also claimed the Auschwitz gas chambers were fake, and that Jews 'were promoting homosexuality, promiscuity, the same things they are promoting today' in Weimar Germany.

Giving evidence Steve Silverman, Director of Investigations for the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), said: 'The entire programme was abusive, hateful, with regards to anti-Semitism.

'It was appalling, as part of the work that I do as a part of the Campaign against anti-Semitism, I have to listen to some grossly hateful content.

'This content was, in terms of anti-Semitism, was some of the worst that I have experienced.'

She was defended by Adrian Davies, formerly of the British Democratic Party, who has previously represented high-profile Holocaust denier David Irving.

Mr Davis, defending Chabloz, has said her remarks 'constitute political speech and are prima facie protected as such by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.'

'It may well be that Mrs Chabloz would do well to curb her tongue. It should not be held against her that she was previously convicted.

'This case must be tried on its own facts and they are very strange, I say absent any evidence it cannot be proportionate to convict her of this offence.'

Prosecutor Benn Maguire said: 'The defendant's participation in the radio programmes go beyond the mere expression of an unfashionable opinion, permissible satire or iconoclastic comment.

'The content of the radio programmes are anti-Semitic, targeted against the Jewish people as a whole, and use both their content and their tone to ensure maximum offence, upset and hurt.

Chabloz denied, but was convicted of, sending further grossly offensive comments on a public communications network at Westminster Magistrates' Court (pictured)

'By the standards of an open and multi-racial society, the radio programmes are 'grossly offensive'.'

Chabloz, of St Johns Wood, London, was convicted of three counts of sending by a public communications network an offensive, indecent or menacing message or material.

She was sentenced to a total of 18 weeks jail.

Chabloz had been banned from broadcasting, posting on the internet or in any form, any reference to Judaism, the Jewish faith, the Jewish people, the Holocaust, World War two, Israel, or any member of the Nazi party.

Chabloz was previously convicted in June 2018 for writing three vile songs mocking the Holocaust, which she sang and uploaded to YouTube.

The songs suggested the Holocaust, which saw six million Jews killed by Nazi Germany during World War Two, was a 'bunch of lies' and referred to Auschwitz as a 'theme park'.

She also mocked Anne Frank and laughed during her earlier trial as the court heard how she mocked Jews being fashioned into lampshades, having their heads shrunk and being turned into bars of soap.

She was given a suspended prison sentence and banned from social media for 12 months.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

A few isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High around 80F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 64F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
President Joe Biden's Secretary of Education is looking into whether the president can cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for millions of borrowers.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said at a Politico Playbook event Thursday that Biden has asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to figure out if the president has the legal authority to wipe out their balances.

On the campaign trail he said he wanted to wipe away $10,000 per borrower, but prominent Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have pressed him to pursue $50,000 in debt relief per student.

President Joe Biden (left) has asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona (right) to write him a memo on whether he can legally cancel $50,000 in student loan debt per borrower

'Hopefully well see that in the next few weeks,' Klain said of the memo.

'And then hell look at that legal authority, hell look at the policy issues around that and hell make a decision,' Klain added.

At Tuesday's briefing press secretary Jen Psaki ignored a query about why the $40,000 difference between what Biden and Schumer wanted to do.

'The President continues to call on Congress to cancel $10,000 in debt for student loan borrowers,' she said. 'That's something Congress could take an action on, and he'd be happy to sign.'

We're still taking a closer look at ... our options on student loans. This includes examining the authorities we have, the existing loan forgiveness programs that are clearly not working as well as they should. This includes borrower defense, total and permanent disability charges. There's a lot of steps we're looking at, and we'll continue to review those and be in touch, of course, with Leader Schumer about our process,' she added.

While Psaki pointed to Congressional action, Democrats have urged Biden to wipe away the debt using executive order.

'Biden-Harris can cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt, giving tens of millions of Americans an immediate financial boost and helping to close the racial wealth gap,' Warren tweeted in November, days after the election was called in Biden's favor. 'This is the single most effective executive action available for a massive economic stimulus.'

Earlier this week, the administration also announced that it was expanding the pause on student loan payments for the more than 1 million borrowers who defaulted on private loans that were guaranteed by the federal government.

'That's actually a pretty significant step,' Psaki remarked Tuesday.

Students demonstrate against higher education debt at a protest at Hunter College in New York City in 2015
Epfdelhi.gov.in scored 41 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 24 Apr 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the epfdelhi homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the epfdelhi homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the epfdelhi homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the epfdelhi homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if epfdelhi has a Facebook fan page). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the epfdelhi homepage on Twitter + the total number of epfdelhi followers (if epfdelhi has a Twitter account).

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE Welcome to Employees Provident Fund Organization Delhi Region DESCRIPTION Welcome to Employees Provident Fund Organization Delhi Region KEYWORDS Welcome to Employees Provident Fund Organization Delhi Region OTHER KEYWORDS delhi, employer, treatment, claim, pensioners, please, submit



The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Microsoft-IIS/6.0 (ASP.NET) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2003

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Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for epfdelhi.gov.in by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

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Four Afghan nationals who allegedly witnessed an incident in which a man was said to have been kicked off a cliff and shot dead by Australian soldiers will be allowed to give evidence from overseas in the defamation trial brought by SAS veteran Ben Roberts-Smith.

Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times over a series of stories published in 2018, which he says are defamatory because they portray him as someone who broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement and committed murder.

Suing for defamation: Ben Roberts-Smith. Credit:Darrian Traynor

A trial, expected to take six to eight weeks, will begin in Sydney on June 7.

In a preliminary judgment on Thursday, Justice Anthony Besanko said he would allow four Afghan villagers and one person who has been posted overseas with the Australian Defence Force to give evidence in the proceedings remotely.
The Steering Committee of the EU-WCO Programme for Harmonized System in Africa (HS-Africa Programme) held its third annual meeting on 30 March 2021, in a virtual format. Representatives of the European Union, the WCO, the African Union Commission as well as selected Regional Economic Communities and Customs administrations from Africa gathered to review the results delivered by the Programme so far and approve a work plan for the next reporting period.

The Steering Committee members commended the work accomplished by the Programme to date and the results that it had achieved, defying the odds and challenges of the global health crisis. Committee members recognized the difference that the Programme was making for its beneficiaries in addressing their genuine needs and concerns in the area of implementation of the HS and other related matters. The Committee expressed its appreciation to the European Union for the funding provided to the Programme.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Mohamed Ali, Director of Trade in Goods and Competition of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In his presentation, he informed the Steering Committee on the state of the AfCFTA implementation and the key outstanding issues, in particular, negotiations of Rules of Origin and harmonization of Customs procedures. He stressed the role of the WCO as one of the key partners of the AfCFTA Secretariat in the process of implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area, and reiterated his organizations interest in joining forces with the HS-Africa Programme to achieve the projected results.

The Committee concluded the meeting by endorsing Programmes annual report for 2020 and validating the proposed work plan for 2021. In its future work, the HS-Africa Programme will continue placing main emphasis on timely implementation of the HS 2022 amendments by all its partners, and on modernization of tariff classification work practices in Africa.

For more details, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
At this pivotal time in the delivery of healthcare here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, especially where the chronic non-communicable disease of cancer is concerned, six infusion pumps used for the delivery of chemotherapy as part of the patients medical management, were handed over to the Modern Medical and Diagnostic Centre in Georgetown, on Thursday 25th March.





This donation, which is set to advance the work of the Medical Centre, was made through the Consulate of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in Toronto, and was procured through the instrumentation of Consul General Fitzgerald Huggins, in collaboration with St. Vincent and the Grenadines Disaster Relief Initiative Platform (SVG-DRIP).





The equipment was handed over by Senator Hon. Keisal Peters, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and others at the presentation were Ms. Idinga Miller, Deputy Hospital Administrator; Dr. Aimee Taylor, Oncologist; and Sis. Agatha Stay, Departmental Manager.





According to Senator Peters, the equipment was valued at US $4,896.00.





In Ms. Miller extending heartfelt thanks to Counsul General Fitz Huggins and SVG-DRIP, Ms. Miller stressed the importance of the machines to chemotherapy treatment as they will allow the treatment to be administered in a more efficient and effective manner.





She acknowledged also that the treatment they will provide could be an interventions that could prolong the life of persons suffering from cancer.
LONDON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier this week, the Government of Dominica met with the United Nations' sub-regional team for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit led the delegation, which other high-ranking government officials joined. The meeting aimed to provide a roadmap for a strengthened partnership between the island and the international agency and provide more tailored support to meet the needs of the people of Dominica.

During the meeting, the UN team reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the co-operation with Dominica and identified several focus areas based on national strategies, development challenges and opportunities for advancing progress on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 global goals have been a priority for the Dominican government for several years and concentrate on achieving a sustainable future for all. They include eliminating poverty, tackling the climate crisis providing clean water and quality education, amongst other important goals.

Prime Minister Skerrit described the meeting as the right step in strengthening Dominica and the UN's existing relationship. "Over the years, the UN has been a trusted and reliable partner to the Government of Dominica. In the last few years, particularly post Hurricane Maria, Dominica's engagement with the UN has intensified with support from more agencies within the UN System, for social protection programmes, disaster risk reduction and recovery, climate resilience strategy, and economic development," he said.

Established in 1993, Dominica's Citizenship by Investment Programme has been pivotal to rebuilding the nation after Hurricane Maria. The programme's revenue went towards repairing schools, health centres, and most importantly, providing weather-resistant and resilient housing to its entire population. The programme also supports the island's mission to become the world's first climate-resilient nation  a feat pledged by the Prime Minister following Hurricane Maria.

The Citizenship by Investment Programme facilitates a route to second citizenship for foreign investors and their families once making an economic contribution. There are two channels of investment available under the programme: a one-time non-refundable investment into the Economic Diversification Fund that supports national development on the island or through pre-approved real estate purchase.

Applicants must then undergo a rigorous multi-tiered vetting procedure to ensure that only those of the highest moral character get accepted as citizens. Once accepted, one gains access to visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to over 140 destinations, the right to live, work and study in the nation and alternative business avenues. Lastly, citizens have the invaluable option to pass citizenship down for generations to come.

Contact:

+447867942505

[email protected]

www.csglobalpartners.com



SOURCE CS Global Partners
Mumbai: Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Thursday (April 1) hinted at imposing strict restrictions in the city in order to curb the rising cases of COVID-19.

He has said that malls, temples and other public spaces which attract large gatherings may be temporarily closed.

The mayor said that shops may be allowed to open on alternate days. Hotels may run with 50 per cent capacity.

Entry of passengers may be closed in local trains except for employees associated with emergency services.

Private offices may be asked to call employees in a staggered manner in different shifts.

Earlier, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope warned that if people do not follow laid out COVID-19 rules then a total lockdown will have to be imposed. Rajesh Tope started while attending an event in Maharashtra's Jalna.

He said that if people do not wear masks, do not follow social distancing norms then lockdown will have to be imposed.

The COVID-19 virus tightened its grip in the state with a staggering 227 new deaths on Wednesday. The case tally crossed the 28 lakh mark, with over 1 lakh new cases in just the last 72 hours, health officials said on Wednesday.

Recording 39,544 new cases, down from the highest 41,404 on March 28, the state tally crossed 28 lakh to reach 28,12,980, the highest in India.

Live TV
In the first public engagement outside Windsor Castle in nearly five months amid the COVID-19 pandemic, UKs Queen Elizabeth II on March 31 made a clever remark about the countrys unfriendly relationship with Russia. Even though the 94-year-old UK monarch has been taking required precautions due to the global health crisis, she visited the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial in Runnymede, Surrey, to mark the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force where the maskless Queen made a quip about Russia.

In the first public outing of 2021, as per the Daily Mail report, Queen quizzed one Australian serviceman about his work with the Typhoon jets and asked if they were being sent off to chase the Russians? In reply, she was told, Thats correct, maam, its a lot of fun for us.

The UK monarch shared a light moment while attending the military service in southeast England after reportedly saying that she was delighted to be out on engagements again. Queens clever remark on Wednesday (local time) came as, in recent months, the British Air Force has intercepted several Russian aircraft approaching the UK airspace. Meaning the tensions between UK and Russia have also been escalating over a range of issues. The March 31 engagement of the Queen was also only her fourth engagement since the doors of the castle locked last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

First engagement since Harry and Meghans interview

It was also the first time she was seen in public after her grandson, Prince Harry and Meghans explosive interview that aired on CBS News in the United States. The military service on Wednesday came as her husband Prince Philip recovers at home after undergoing heart surgery earlier this month at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London. What made the UK monarchs first engagement of 2021 more notable is that it also marks the first anniversary of Megxit, a term derived by UK media to mark Meghan and Prince Harrys exit from the royal family as working senior members.

The visit, Queen Russia quip comes at a tumultuous time for the family which has been accused of hushing important issues including mental health and racism. Since Prince Harry and Meghans interview with American presenter, Oprah Winfrey aired, the royal family has been left with one of its worst crisis known for several generations.

Image credits: AP
A steelworker has killed himself by jumping into a furnace at a Chinese factory after he lost 6,000 in one day on the stock market.

Wang Long, 34, was captured on CCTV throwing himself into the molten vat of steel at the factory where he worked in Baotou, Inner Mongolia.

A haunting still image shows him silhouetted against the fiery well moments before he hurled himself inside, causing red leaping flames and black smoke to billow out.

His employer Baogang Group confirmed that Wang's death was believed to be related to a 'large amount of losses' and that he 'could not repay his heavy debts.'

A haunting still image shows Wang silhouetted against the fiery well moments before he hurled himself inside, causing red leaping flames and black smoke to billow from the furnace

Wang jumped inside and disappeared. He was initially reported missing by his colleagues before the CCTV emerged

Last Tuesday, the steelworks had reported Wang missing after his colleagues were unable to find him following the night shift.

However, surveillance footage later revealed that Wang had died in what police believe was a suicide.

In the video, Wang is seen to take off his helmet and gloves, placing them on the ground.

For several minutes he appears to hesitate before jumping into the furnace.

The Baogang Group said: 'We feel deeply sorry for his death. We are proactively appeasing the emotions of his family and carrying out psychological guidance for our workers.'

Wang's colleagues told The South China Morning Post he had been trading stocks and futures for a while, that he was an 'introverted' character and unmarried.

Police think Wang killed himself because he had taken out large loans and on Wednesday lost 60,000 yuan (6,000) on the stock market.

Baogang Group, established in 1954, is a major steel producer and China's largest light rare-earth metals manufacturer.

Its assets are worth around 20 billion and it has more than 48,000 employees.

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
Three teenagers were found and arrested Wednesday about 40 miles away from a youth correctional facility they fled over three days prior, authorities say.

The Oregon Youth Authority said the teens drove away from the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn early Sunday after assaulting a staff member, stealing their car keys and slipping through a hole in a fence around the facility.

The Oregon State Police found the three teens in a car about 2 p.m. Wednesday in Lebanon. The teens drove away, and troopers chased them.

Troopers put down spike strips near Albany, flattening the cars tires. One of the teens ran from the car but was arrested shortly thereafter, and the other two stayed inside the car. Troopers said none of the teens were hurt.

Preston Andrizzi, 19, Anthony Fitz-Henry, 18, and Christian Goin, 17, were taken back to the correctional facility.

The staff member who theyre accused of assaulting was treated at a hospital and released.

The Oregon Youth Authority did not immediately say whether the teens  who are from the Salem and Albany areas  will face additional punishment.

MacLaren, the states largest juvenile correctional facility, was placed on lockdown after the teens escaped, and visitation was canceled for the day.

Sarah Evans, a spokesperson for the Oregon Youth Authority, said the escape was the facilitys first since at least 2000, when a perimeter fence was installed.

About 200 youths are held at the facility.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
A taxpayer-funded university in Nevada is denying claims that it has designated certain identity-based dorm rooms off limits to whites for the safety of student participants.

It was alleged on Wednesday that the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) does not permit white students to live with African-American, Native American, and Latino classmates at a campus dormitory, according to the Young Americas Foundation.

But a spokesperson for the university told DailyMail.com that the YAF report was inaccurate and that a university official in charge of dormitories 'misspoke' when he was quoted as saying that the living quarters were off limits to whites.

The dorm, Great Basin Hall, has instituted so-called living learning communities, or LLCs, according to YAF.

In these communities, students with shared academic, social and cultural interests live on the same floor and attend courses together, according to the university web site.

This experience is considered a "high-impact practice," promoting...higher grade point averages [and] higher first-year to second-year retention rate.

The image above shows Great Basin Hall, a dormitory on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno

The LLCs are designed to make it easier for students to interact and engage with academic and administrative faculty outside of the classroom as well as develop personal relationships with peers of similar academic, social and cultural interests.

The UNR web site lists a total of 15 LLCs, most of which are designated according to the college that students plan to pursue their major, including the College of Business, College of Science, or College of Engineering.

Four of those LLC are distinctly identity-based - black scholars; indigenous; gender, sexuality and identity; and Latinx.

The black scholars LLC connects all students and provides a supportive environment to collectively explore black Identity, cultures and communities, according to the web site.

The LLC also will provide support, mentoring and networks necessary for educational success and empowerment while providing a comfortable living experience on campus.

Students will have the opportunity to connect and network with peers and faculty who identify as black faculty, engage in common black studies classes, and participate in cultural events and activities on campus and in the local community.

The other identity-based LLCs offer the exact same services for students from their respective ethnic and gender-based backgrounds.

When a reporter for Young Americas Foundation tried to get a better understanding of the requirements for gaining entry into one of the identity-based LLCs, she was informed that white students could not register.

In the identity-based communities, for the safety of student participants, it is important only students who hold that identity are considered, Dean Kennedy, who heads UNRs Office of Residential Life, Housing, and Food Services, told YAF.

But the university released a statement to DailyMail.com claiming that Kennedy misspoke and that whites are free to live together with the minority students in the LLCs.

The university on Wednesday pushed back on claims that it did not permit white students at specially designated sections of the dorm known as 'living learning communities.' The image above shows one of the dorm rooms inside Great Basin Hall

'Living Learning Communities (LLCs) are a national best practice in university residential life and housing communities,' according to UNR.

'These communities have been defined as high-impact best practice in higher education by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

'The headline listed in the Young Americans Foundation story is inaccurate.

'University administration never stated that white students could not participate in our LLCs  they are not called minority-dorm communities.

'Our Executive Director of Residential Life, Housing and Food Services Dean Kennedy misspoke in giving his statement.

'These LLCs provide a sense of community and belonging, especially at research-intensive institutions.

'The University of Nevada, Renos 15 LLCs are open to any and all students living on campus.

'All communities are required to take courses specific to their LLC.

'These courses are offered as part of the general course catalog and any students can take the classes.'

On Facebook, reaction to the initial report by YAF was largely negative.

Lanie Fuller wrote: If the students and their families who are being targeted by this blatant racism don't fight back this is what will be considered normal. File complaints. Possibly lawsuits. Fight back.

An earlier report claimed that whites were not permitted to live together with black, Native American, and Latino students in Great Basin Hall. The university has denied this

Gary Lee Connor wrote: My guess is if there was a hall who wanted to exclude all but white they would come down on them like a ton of bricks.

John Shebanow wrote: Do they have a white only living learning community? If not, it's patent discrimination based on Race and the racists who concocted this evil scheme should have their asses sued clean off.

Dr. King will be rolling over in his grave, Stuart Boyd commented.

UNR is a public university founded in 1874. Its student body counts nearly 18,000 undergraduates and more than 3,000 postgraduates.

For Nevada residents, tuition at UNR costs about $8,000 a year while out-of-state students pay around $23,000 per year to study there.
Five Connecticut vaccine clinics are the recipients of 800 purple and gold, wooden Easter eggs from the White House.

The Easter eggs were created for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden gifted the eggs to 20 health care providers, according to the Community Health Center, a federally-qualified health center with vaccine clinics across the state.

This was such a surprise, to have two large boxes with White House return addresses arrive at the health center, Mark Masselli, founder/CEO of the health center, said in a statement. The contents were hundreds of beautiful White House Easter Eggs, with images of a masked bunny and the Presidents dogs, Champ and Major. We cant wait to share this gift with our young patients and hard-working vaccinators, and are thrilled and humbled to be selected for this honor by President Biden and the First Lady.

The Easter Bunny will deliver the eggs to five of the health centers vaccine sites in Danbury, Stamford, Middletown, Hartford and East Hartford.

The eggs will go to the site at the Lord & Taylor parking lot in Stamford from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, then to Wesleyan University from noon to 1 p.m., then Connecticut Pediatrics@CHC in Hartford from 1:30 to 2 p.m., followed by the Pratt & Whitney runway in East Hartford from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The Danbury Fair mall site will be the last stop from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, England, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A clear majority of Europeans (84%) are keen to have the office back in their lives, new research has found after a year of widespread homeworking instigated by COVID-19.

While more than half of Europeans (55%) say homeworking is more enjoyable than office working, 85% say the office remains either important or essential - with a lack of social interaction and collaborative working among the most cited challenges facing homeworkers.

The findings are detailed in a comprehensive new report released by Formica Group. Hundreds of workers in six European countries were questioned to understand the emotional and professional impacts of the last year, as well as their feelings ahead of a potential return to office working in 2021.

The report, which includes a series of recommendations to create offices better equipped to a post-pandemic future, describes widespread homeworking as "a technological, management and perhaps most significantly a psychological challenge." As a result, face-to-face and collaborative work is likely to be more valued than ever - with almost seven in 10 (69%) of employees wanting a hybrid working pattern in future.

Jennifer Neale, Marketing Communications Manager at Formica Group, says: "As the path back to office-based work begins to take shape, this report provides crucial emotional context around our desire for shared spaces and professional experiences. It also reveals the depth and complexity of the challenges facing business across Europe. With some smart thinking and moves towards adaptable design, lightweight furniture, stringent cleaning regimes and guaranteed social distancing, the future of the office still looks like a long-term winner."

Nina Bailey, Design Manager at Formica Group, says: "While some people are satisfied working from home, others yearn for the collaboration and social elements offered by the workplace. Employers should aim to create flexibility and offer spaces for meetings, workshops and catchups. Because as much as we talk over video calls, it is never quite the same as face-to-face working. By creating spaces that can be open-plan enough, the working sense of community can start to rebuild."

The full report, titled The Office Awaits: Reinventing the Workplace for a Post-Pandemic Future, is published by Formica Group and offers a comprehensive insight into the issues facing employees, architects and designers.

Download the full report now.

Notes for editors:

Free-to-use images from the whitepaper and the Formica Group logo are available on request.

Formica Group globally leads the industry in the design, manufacture and distribution of innovative surfacing products for commercial and residential applications.

Formica laminate is the "original," with over 100 years of design and product innovation and manufacturing experience. Durable, easy to clean and resistant to impact, heat and scratches, Formica laminate requires minimal maintenance. Resistant to humidity, it can be also steam cleaned or disinfected with no adverse effects. Typical applications include wall panelling, doors, cubicles, furniture, worktops and more.

All of Formica Group's European manufacturing sites and distribution centres received accreditation by the internationally recognised Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Certified laminates from leading accreditation body, BM TRADA.

Formica Group ( www.formica.com ) is a global group of companies operating worldwide. In Europe, Formica Group has plants in the UK, North Shields and Newton Aycliffe; Spain, Valencia; and Finland, Kolho.

Please Note: Formica and the Formica anvil device are registered trademarks of The Diller Corporation.

 2021 The Diller Corporation

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Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1478787/Formica_Group_Logo.jpg


Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Thursday renewed pressure on President Joe Biden to provide sweeping relief to millions of Americans and narrow the racial wealth gap by canceling up to $50,000 in borrowers federal student loan debt.

In a news conference in Healeys office in Boston, the women also called for overhauls to a student loan system that they argued leaves behind too many American workers  particularly in communities of color  who face rising bills during the COVID-19 pandemic even if they did not graduate college.

Canceling $50,000 in student loan debt is a matter of racial justice, economic justice and generational justice, said Warren, who reintroduced the Higher Education Act and made the same request of Biden in February along with Pressley and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Earlier this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced the administration would expand a pause on student loan interest and collections for more than 1 million borrowers in default. When it comes to canceling debt, however, the president urged Congress to approve legislation canceling up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt.

Thats something Congress could take an action on and hed be happy to sign, Psaki said.

But the ongoing pressure from the Massachusetts lawmakers and advocates may have had an impact.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain mentioned during a Politico Playbook event Thursday that Biden has tasked Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to examine avenues for broader debt relief, up to $50,000 per borrower, according to Forbes.

Pressley, informed of Bidens consideration of the matter during Thursdays news conference, said it was a positive development if accurate. She called on Biden to do right by the movement that elected him.

The congresswoman said 85% of Black students have no choice but to take out student loans and are almost twice as likely to default  in large part due to intentional policy violence of the past such as redlining, which blocked minority communities from housing, services and opportunities for economic growth.

In Massachusetts alone, more than 855,000 student borrowers owe an average of $39,000 in student loan debt, Pressley noted. People are still expected to pay student loan debt thats the equivalent of a mortgage ... in the midst of a global pandemic, she said. This is about investing in the people.

Pressley also countered the notion that broad slashing of student loan debt largely benefits wealthy students and families. She noted that the fastest-growing group of those paying off student loans are over the age of 50, with some in her district in their 70s still trying to close out the debt.

In a February virtual town hall, Warren said the move would serve as an investment in the future at a time when Americans are suffering through the pandemic.

She noted that about 40% of those with student loan debt dont have a college degree for a variety of reasons, whether economic or family-related, challenging commutes or affordability.

She added that two out of every three graduates of state schools end up with student loan debt because they just cant make it. Our state schools dont get enough taxpayer support so people can graduate without debt.

Healey argued the student loan system is fundamentally broken, noting a dedicated unit in her office regularly takes calls to assist borrowers grappling with scams, billing disputes and finding income-driven repayment plans.

She cited one public school teacher who years ago took out $90,000 in a Parent PLUS loan to help her daughter go to college. The payments were unaffordable from the start, Healey said, so the teacher was granted repeated forbearances. The woman now owes more than $176,000, and her daughter later joined the U.S. Army to help pay off loans that had defaulted, damaging her credit.

This cycle happens far too often, Healey said, for Americans trying to enter some form of public service.

People are doing the right thing and trying to pursue their education, but unfortunately the system isnt set up to work for them, she said.

More than 40 million Americans are buried under $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt, Pressleys office said in February.

At least 329 organizations, including the NAACP, American Federation of Teachers, Minority Veterans of America, National Womens Law Center, the Sunrise Movement and others urged the Biden-Harris administration to take early executive action to cancel student loan debt.

Related Content:
INEC has complied with the Supreme Court judgment by issuing Mr Jarigbe a certificate of return, but the senate president has refused to swear in Mr Jarigbe

Over a month after the Supreme Court declared him the winner of a senatorial election in Cross River, Arigbe Jarigbe is yet to be sworn-in by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.

The apex court, on February 25, ordered that he should be issued a Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and be sworn in as the senator representing Cross River North District.

This was contained in a copy of a judgment obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

In the split decision, the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by Stephen Odey challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which earlier declared Mr Jarigbe as the valid candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The PDP had won the December 5, 2020, bye-election held to replace Rose Okoh, who died last year.

Two conflicting judgements from courts in the Federal Capital Territory and Cross River State judiciary initially upheld Messrs Jarigbe and Odey respectively as the winner of the bye election.

However, an Abuja division of the Court of Appeal declared Mr Jarigbe as the duly nominated candidate of the PDP and the rightful winner of the election against Mr Odey, who was earlier declared by INEC and sworn in by the Senate.

The court also ordered the INEC to immediately issue a certificate of return to Mr Jarigbe and withdraw the one earlier issued to Mr Odey.

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Dissatisfied with the judgement of the appellate court, Mr Odey approached the Supreme Court, which ruled against him.

Although the electoral body has complied with the Supreme Court judgment by issuing Mr Jarigbe a certificate of return, the senate president has refused to allow Mr Jarigbe to take his oath as a senator-elect.

Mr Jarigbe said he had before now expressed confidence in Mr Lawan to comply with the judgment of the apex court and inaugurate him.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, he said though his election into the Senate had witnessed serious opposition, the Supreme Court ruling on the matter has put an end to the disputes.

He said that his opponent, Mr Odey, has been occupying the seat illegally, and urged the Senate President to stop him from attending plenary, stressing he was no more a member of the National Assembly.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Senate, Ajibola Bashiru, said he was not aware of Mr Jarigbe's plight.

"It must be an administrative issue," he said, directing our correspondent to the Senate President.

All efforts to get the reaction of Mr Lawan did not yield any positive result as of press time.
BAE Systems has clinched contracts worth more than 1billion to maintain battleships and docks at Portsmouth Naval Base.

Britains biggest defence company will repair and upgrade state-of-the-art Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft carriers, Type 45 Destroyers and Type 23 under a 900million deal with the Ministry of Defence.

And, in another agreement, it will work with American group KBR to look after buildings and the docks at the base.

900m deal: BAE will repair and upgrade state-of-the-art Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft carriers (pictured), Type 45 Destroyers and Type 23

BAE has worked at the Portsmouth site for more than two decades and employs 2,400 people there.

The contracts could create jobs in the area. The company has 3,700 workers in the wider Solent area and around 85,000 employees worldwide.

Portsmouth, on the south coast of Hampshire, has been a naval hub for more than 900 years. The five-year contracts will be worth up to 1.3billion and will start in October.

As well as repairing ships stationed at the base, BAE also intends to use technology developed by a company it bought last year, called Techmodal, that can help it predict where there could be problems or breakdowns.

David Mitchard, managing director of BAE Systems maritime services business, said: We can use data science and analytics to drive improvements now.

This will give us a much richer view of the conditions the assets are in and means we can predict failures rather than react to failures.

Manufacturers like BAE have fared better during Covid than companies in many other industries.

Around 90 per cent of BAEs business is government defence orders, with the rest consisting of work for companies such as airlines and aerospace equipment makers.

It is these contracts  which include building parts like joysticks and flying systems and count GE and Boeing as customers  that have been hammered by the pandemic.

In February, it said full-year sales rose 4 per cent to 21billion and pledged to pay a 2020 total dividend of 23.7p per share  as well as handing back the delayed 2019 divi.

Last year it announced a series of contracts wins and secured more work on existing programmes  including a German order for 38 Eurofighter Typhoon jets.

The British group looks set to rake in 900million from the 4.8billion order for the planes, which are among the worlds premier fighter jets and can reach speeds of up to twice the speed of sound.

But the company is also angling its work increasingly to cyber security and electronic warfare.

It completed the takeover of two US cyber businesses last year  the Collins Aerospace Military Global Positioning business and Raytheons Airborne Tactical Radios  for 1.8billion.

As well as navigating the pandemic, BAE has been making the case for the Government to give the green light to a UK-built fighter jet, called Tempest.

BAE is among the companies designing the futuristic planes, which would be able to fly unmanned and have radar that can capture a citys worth of data in a second.

The group believes the project could support 20,000 jobs between 2026 and 2050, and add 25billion to the UK economy by 2050.
YPSILANTI, MI  A recent lawsuit filed against Sidetrack Bar & Grill in Ypsilanti alleges that employees were required to work off the clock and lost out on tips they had earned.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan, was filed by two former employees  Alana Hubbard and Jacob Redmon  and seeks to represent a class of former servers and bartenders who worked at the restaurant. While working at the restaurant, employees were paid below minimum wage as the business utilized a tip-credit system that they did not qualify for, according to the lawsuit.

Employees were also denied overtime wages by having their hours shaved down and were required to work multiple hours past 2 a.m., according to the lawsuit.

Attorney David Blanchard, who is representing the class, said filing the lawsuit as a class action lawsuit is common for these kinds of cases as wage theft is commonly reported in the food service industry.

If anything, this case is unique in how blatant the failure to comply with wage laws seems to be, without any apparent attempts to follow the legal requirements for how you pay tipped employees, Blanchard said.

Both Hubbard and Redmon, as well as other servers or bartenders, were customarily tipped employees, and the restaurant would take their tips and redistribute them to non-customarily tipped employees, including hosts, dishwashers and others, the lawsuit states. Employees were expected to cover the cost of walkouts, mis-rings or drawer shortages out of their tips of base wages, according to the lawsuit.

Servers and tipped employees were required to spend more than 20% of their time on non-tipped work activities and were not consistently required to sign any acknowledgements of their tips received before issuing paychecks, the lawsuit states.

Managers were directed to alter employees time records to show that they had clocked out at 2 a.m., when they would continue working for up to two or more additional hours, according to the lawsuit. Servers, bartenders and other tipped employees were required to come in early or stay late past their shifts and work off the clock, the lawsuit alleges.

In some cases, servers worked up to 60 hours a week but were paid far fewer hours, according to the lawsuit.

Linda French, owner of Sidetrack Bar and Grill, said she has not been served with the lawsuit, but were definitely going to fight these unfounded allegations, she said.

The lawsuit alleges failure to pay minimum wage and overtime and tip stealing, and seeks back pay damages, including unpaid overtime compensation and unpaid wages.

However, if the case has the secondary effect of raising public awareness of the working conditions for food service workers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, that would be a good thing, Blanchard said.

READ MORE:

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Rep. Debbie Dingell pens letter of concern about EMU sexual assault lawsuit
In the 1970s, Michael Friedlander was an architecture student at the Cooper Union, his head bursting with bodacious, unconventional designs. On graduating, he settled for a stopgap job with the City of New York, which had him working on prosaic assignments like drafting blueprints to renovate locker rooms for sanitation workers.

It proved to be far from a stopgap.

Over 40 years with the Sanitation Department he became an in-house architect, a project manager and finally the director of special projects  all the while never giving up on a singular crusade: to transform civic architecture, from being exercises in intrusive mediocrity, as the public tended to see such buildings, to being something worthy of approval, and even veneration.

His vision was epitomized in the form of a sculptural Sanitation Department salt-storage shed on the western fringe of TriBeCa in Manhattan. Glacially blue, cubelike, crystalline and rising 69 feet, it is called the Spring Street Salt Shed and appears, with a little imagination, to form, out of concrete, a coarse grain of salt.

Mr. Friedlander described this $20 million structure as a whimsical architectural folly that can hold 5,000 tons of salt.
(TNS)  The bipartisan focus on issues facing children at last weeks House hearing with the chief executives of major social media companies is encouraging advocates who believe kids can be the bridge between Democrats and Republicans who want to take on Big Tech but lack common political ground.The Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on March 25 featured familiar topics as lawmakers peppered the executives  Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg, Twitters Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Googles parent company, Alphabet  with questions about disinformation and hate speech online.But lawmakers homed in on the well-being of children on social media throughout the hearing, linking excessive use of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram (owned by Facebook) and YouTube (owned by Google) to cyber bullying, teenage suicide, depression and loneliness.Your platforms are my biggest fear as a parent, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash, the top Republican on the committee, told the executives in her opening remarks. Im a mom of three school-age kids and my husband and I are fighting the Big Tech battles in our household every day. Its a battle for their development, a battle for their mental health and ultimately, a battle for their safety.Lawmakers said the bipartisan focus on children should alert the companies that threats of tougher regulations should not ring hollow. This committee is ready to legislate to protect our children from your ambition, said Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass. The hearing was welcomed by advocates who have long argued that Democrats and Republicans, united in their desire to take on Big Tech but divided by opposing politics, should be pushing big changes to Internet policy through the lens of children.Kids are universal, said Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, a national child advocacy nonprofit. It doesnt matter if youre Republican or a Democrat, or live in an urban district or a rural district. You can avoid the toxic politics of Washington and say whats good for our kids is good for our country.Lawmakers expressed concerns that children, more isolated as a result of the ongoing pandemic, are becoming more addicted to social media. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio., said recent reports that Facebook is seeking to create a version of Instagram for children below the age of 13 is the latest example of the social media industrys attempts to circumvent child privacy laws to turn a profit.Big Tech is essentially handing our children a lit cigarette and hoping they stay addicted for life, Johnson said.Zuckerberg said the product had not yet been introduced because the company is still figuring out how to give parents control of how children under 13 would use it. But he said he believed the product would have broadly positive effects by helping kids connect with their friends.Trahan said she was struggling to accept Facebooks support for federal privacy laws and changes to Section 230, a 1996 law that shields online platforms from lawsuits related to third-party content, while the company is plotting your next frontier of growth which deviously targets our young children.In a key exchange, Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., asked Zuckerberg how much revenue Facebook generates by targeting advertising at users under the age of 13. It should be none of it, Zuckerberg replied. We dont allow children under the age of 13 on any services that run advertising. Castor responded by asking Zuckerberg whether that meant there are no children under 13 currently using Instagram. Zuckerberg said the company removes them from the platform when they find them.Every parent knows kids under the age of 13 are on Instagram, Castor said. And the problem is that you know it. And you know that the brain and social development of our kids is still evolving at a young age. There are reasons [current laws] set that cut off at 13.Steyers nonprofit, which reaches millions of parents and educators throughout the country by rating and recommending media content aimed at children, has long been working behind the scenes on technology policy. The group helped pass Californias landmark data privacy law and has since turned its focus to getting Congress  which Steyer said has been missing in action  to take on Big Tech.His hope is that lawmakers will position a variety of legislative proposals, especially on issues like data privacy and content moderation, under an umbrella of protecting kids online.My reaction to the hearing was, my gosh, they finally started framing this through the lens of kids and families, Steyer said. And that is a very effective political lens.
ROME  The coronavirus pandemic has kept most cruise ships docked. But the Italian government ruled this week that even when voyages resume, gigantic cruisers will no longer be permitted to pass Venices St. Marks Square and must find berthing outside its fragile lagoon.

Citing the need to protect the artistic, cultural and environmental heritage of Venice, the Italian cabinet passed a decree late Wednesday calling for urgent provisions to detour cruise activities and freight traffic. The government mandated that Venices port authority issue a public consultation  described as a call for ideas  to find alternative ports to handle large container ships and cruise ships over 40,000 tons and planned to build a terminal outside the lagoon.

Dario Franceschini, Italys culture minister, praised the decision on Thursday, citing the shock of visitors to Venice upon seeing cruise ships hundreds of meters long and as tall as apartment buildings, passing in front of St. Marks Square. He said the governments decision had been influenced by UNESCO, the cultural protection agency of the United Nations, which had long called on Italy to reconcile the balancing of lagoon preservation with the economics of cruise and freight activity.

The governments decision was welcomed by environmental associations that have been warning about the havoc that large ships have been wreaking on the Venetian lagoon as they make their way down the Giudecca Canal to dock at the citys main passenger canal.
A global shortage of steel slab is a key factor in rocketing flat steel prices, market sources told Fastmarkets.

Reduced CIS supplies

Customers from Italy and Turkey noticed a reduction in the availability of steel slab originating in the Commonwealth of Independent States region in the second half of March.



Some Italian re-rollers cannot produce much coil and plate due to missing slab volumes. Russian suppliers [of slab] are selling free volumes to China and the US, but not to Europe, a Northern European distributor said.



[Mills in] Asia and Brazil have been booking CIS slab, so availability is limited now, a Turkish source told Fastmarkets.



At least two large slab cargoes originating from the CIS were heard booked by Brazilian customers at $780-785 per tonne cfr in the second half of March.



There is definitely more demand from Latin American customers now, a spokesperson from Russias Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) told Fastmarkets.



Right now there is a big demand for everything in Brazil, one trader said. "Also, they [Brazilian mills] are selling their slab to the United States under quota, without Section 232 [tariffs]. So they import from third countries to make up the balance. They sell expensively to the US and Canada and then buy relatively cheaply from Ukraine, Russia and Asian producers.



Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil was $780-810 per tonne fob on Friday March 26, unchanged from the previous week.



Recent deals for Brazilian slab were reported at $800-810 per tonne fob to clients in the US, with some offers reported as high as $820 per tonne fob.



Ukraine-based producer Metinvest said the company had not reduced the allocation of slab to its traditional markets.



Long-term contracts with our key clients in Europe and Turkey are our main priority. We consider opportunistic sales to Latin America if we have some volumes available, Metinvest told Fastmarkets.



A source in Latin America suggested that reduced availability of slab from the CIS to Turkey and Italy could also be because NLMK USA is buying more slab from its parent company in Russia than last year - ever since reaching a settlement with the US government about Section 232 tariffs last year.



The agreement will only compensate expenditure on past shipments and it doesn't change any rules for this year, but NLMK USA is apparently buying more volumes from Russia this year, [and will be] expecting to get a similar deal later, a source told Fastmarkets.



In December 2020, NLMK Group restarted shipments of slab from Lipetsk in Russia to its US assets which were stopped in 2019. We need these slabs to meet the needs of our clients. If market sentiment changes and shipments of our own semis to the US assets will stop being profitable, we may redirect these volumes to the other markets, the company spokesperson told Fastmarkets.



According to the statistics from the International Trade Administration, Russia increased its slab shipments to the US by 65.5% year on year in the first three months of 2021 to 162,265 tonnes, compared with 98,064 tonnes shipped over the same period in 2020.



Higher shipments of CIS slab might also be seen to Mexico later this year with one of the two major flat-steel rolling projects coming on stream.



ArcelorMittal Mexico will start a 2.5 million-tpy hot strip mill at its Lazaro Cardenas asset, which currently produces only merchant slab and long steel. This was expected to come on stream in mid-2020, but commissioning was delayed until the end of 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.



Currently, the company has the capacity to produce 4 million tpy of slab. The commissioning of the hot-strip mill means the availability of slab for third parties will be significantly reduced - to about 1.5 million tpy, Fastmarkets understands.



Ternium, which is the major importer of slab in Mexico, has the capacity to produce more than 6.4 million tpy of finished flat steel products and just 2.3 million tpy of slab at the moment. And it is to start up a new 4.1 million-tpy hot-rolling mill in Pesqueria in June, with slab supplies expected to come from Terniums former CSA facility in Brazils Rio de Janeiro state.



Mid-term outlook positive

CIS-origin slab prices have reached a 10-year high at the end of March, supported by the uptrend in finished flat steel prices both domestically and in the customer markets overseas.



Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil (HRC), export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $830-855 per tonne on Monday, up from $815-830 per tonne a week earlier.



Turkish HRC sellers also achieved higher sales prices in export outlets, with about 10,000 tonnes booked to the US at $940-950 per tonne fob, sources said.



Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for steel HRC, export, fob main port Turkey was $890-950 per tonne on Friday, up by $10-50 from $880-900 per tonne on a week earlier.



And Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $720-750 per tonne fob Black Sea on March 29. Last time the market reached that price of $720 per tonne fob was in February 2011.



Sources on the seller side expect the uptrend in slab prices to continue in the in the near and mid term amid the support coming from growing finished steel products prices, the stable raw materials basket [and the] deficit of final [HRC, CRC and HDG] products in the European market.



Local flat steel consumers [in Europe] have order-books filled until the end of 2021, which is supporting the [slab] market, Metinvest said.



Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil (HRC) index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, at 836.00 ($981.27) per tonne on Wednesday March 31, up by 16.00 per tonne week on week and by 98.00 per tonne month on month.



And flat steel prices are expected to rise further, reaching 900 per tonne ex-works - the price targeted by ArcelorMittal - in April. The upwards trend in the EU coil market was driven by material shortages, good demand and lack of overseas alternatives.



The main slab consumers buying the semi-finished product in the spot market, however, are located in Italy and produce heavy plate. And market participants said that recovery of coil prices in Europe had been much faster than for plate, mainly due to better demand.



Plate prices have been lagging behind the coil products. It has been the worst market in the flat steel segment, but now it seems that prices have finally started to recover due to rising slab costs and [an increase in] restocking, a Northern European source said.



Demand is cautiously better but definitely still not brilliant, an Italian re-roller source said. With respect to other flat steel products, plate remains the only one struggling with a price increase. The forecasts are pretty good, but so far the reality has been that the market keeps suffering in terms of real volumes traded.



Sources also said that the shortage of HRC was supporting the slight recovery in demand for plate, with some buyers looking for thinner plate to replace missing volumes of coil, according to two market sources.



The rise in slab costs has also contributed to the increase in plate prices.



Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Southern Europe, was 720-730 per tonne on March 31, up by 10-20 per tonne week on week and up by 90 per tonne month on month.



The assessment was based on deals, while official offers have been heard at 750 per tonne ex-works.



Plate prices need to reach 800 per tonne ex-works as soon as possible due to rising production costs, a production source said.



Flat steel uptrend in Asia, export rebate doubts limit slab offers

Climbing flat steel prices in Asia have also bolstered the confidence of slab sellers, who have refrained from selling slab on because of better downstream hot-rolled coil prices, or because they anticipate being able to sell the slab at higher prices in the coming months.



The climbing prices are largely due to the uncertainty over whether China will reduce or remove export rebates for flat steel products such as HRC, cold-rolled coil and hot-dipped galvanized coils.



The HRC market is largely expected to see significant price increases in the near term, especially if China announces rebate cuts and Chinese suppliers withdraw from the spot market and cause a shortage of HRC, a seller source in China told Fastmarkets.



A major South Korean blast furnace-based steel mill has abstained from offering slab, preferring instead to concentrate on offering HRC cargoes, thereby contributing to the reduction in slab supplies.



A major Vietnamese blast furnace steel mill have also rejected bids for steel slab recently, hoping for more price increases in the downstream HRC markets.



Slab buyers have not been getting offers of slab from the CIS in recent weeks, however, and have had to purchase slab from Iran instead, sources said.



Felipe Peroni in Sao Paulo and Serife Durmus in Bursa, Turkey, contributed to this report.



[Editors note: This article was updated to include the most recent start-up date of Terniums hot-strip mill in Pesqueria, expected in June 2021.]
In the Eastern Europe OTT TV & Video Forecasts report, this would amount to a huge rise from the 15 million recorded at the end of 2020. And the analyst says that by 20206 there will still be plenty of room for growth beyond its forecast period as only 17% of the regions TV households would have subscribed to at least one SVOD platform.Of the 25 million additional subscriptions to 2026, Russia is set to generate 10 million and Poland 6 million.In terms of platforms, Netflix is forecast to have 12.29 million subscribers by 2026, more than double its 2020 total. The study noted that the products Russian subscriber base will likely rocket due to its recently-signed partnership with National Media Group. Disney+ is projected to have 5.80 million subscribers by 2026 despite only starting in mid-2021.Looking at alternatives to the big two, the Eastern Europe OTT TV & Video Forecasts report also observed that the market will receive a boost when WarnerMedia launches HBO Max in the second half of 2021. Digital TV Research forecasts 1.22 million paying subscribers by 2026, with many more continuing to receive HBO online as part of their pay-TV subscription.
She recently revealed that she had been very sick as a child and required several surgeries before the age of 11.

But Jessica Alba has taken adversity in her stride and gone on not only to be a successful Hollywood actress but also a multi-millionaire businesswoman.

On Wednesday, the 39-year-old headed to work at her The Honest Company HQ in LA looking gorgeous in her 'perfect for spring' ensemble.

So stylish: Jessica Alba headed to work at her The Honest Company HQ in LA on Wednesday looking gorgeous in her 'perfect for spring' ensemble

Alba wore a pretty blue and black floral print mini dress with a tailored black blazer.

She stepped out in heeled ankle boots and carried a patterned tote as well as a designer purse.

The Dark Angel star wore her long hair loose around her shoulders and added reflective sunglasses and a black Discover Night face mask.

Flawless: Alba, 39, wore a pretty blue and black floral print mini dress with a tailored black blazer

Ready for work: The actress and businesswoman stepped out in heeled ankle boots and carried a patterned tote as well as a designer purse

Looking good: She wore her long hair loose around her shoulders and added reflective sunglasses and a black Discover Night face mask

Earlier this month, the mom of three told Romper that she was often in hospital growing up due to chronic illness.

'I had five surgeries before I was 11 years old. I had chronic allergies, and I was hospitalized a lot as a child,' she explained.

That experience made her determined to focus on raising her own children when she became a mother despite her high Hollywood profile.

Hard start: Earlier this month, the Dark Angel and Into The Blue star told Romper that she was often in hospital growing up due to chronic illness (pictured in 2005)

Sickly: 'I grew up with chronic illness. I had five surgeries before I was 11 years old. I had chronic allergies, and I was hospitalized a lot as a child,' she said; seen with her brother

She was 'at the top' of her career when she gave birth to her first child, daughter Honor, now 12, whom she shares with husband Cash Warren.

The couple, who wed in 2008, have gone on to add two more to their family - daughter Haven, nine, and son Hayes, three.

'I had this real moment of, I want to live, and thrive, and spend as much time with this little person that I'm bringing into the world as possible,' Alba said in her interview with Romper.

'So, my health matters. I want this little person to be healthy. And it's really freaking hard to be happy when you don't have your health,' she said.

Family: Her experience during her own childhood led her to step back from her successful Hollywood career when she gave birth to her first child Honor in 2008. She is also mom to daughter Haven, nine and son Hayes, three, with husband Cash Warren

In 2012, Alba launched The Honest Company, a brand that specializes in eco-conscious products.

She said: 'Building a brand and building a business is f***** impossible. And to be good at it and for it to thrive and scale, it is really hard. If anything, I was like, 'Do I really want to do this?'

She went on: 'It took me three-and-a-half years just to find partners to even join me, and I got lots of rejection. I had to learn how to build decks.

'In every stage, I'm trying to get better and better as a business person, but it's a totally different skill set than just taking your influence and fame and putting your name on a package and doing a press tour, picking out a couple designs.'
A 30-year-old Hull man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday in connection with submitting false documentation to obtain a small business loan through the federal CARES Act, authorities said.

Shane Spierdowis was charged with one count of wire fraud after he allegedly used false social security numbers and other documentation to obtain the COVID relief funds in excess of $100,000 in the name of a limited liability company, according to Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell.

In connection with this loan, Spierdowis provided a fraudulent corporate bank statement reflecting a balance exceeding $220,000; in fact, this statement was dated before the pertinent bank account was ever opened, prosecutors said.

Spierdowis is also accused of obtaining an Economic Injury Disaster loan of $89,900 from the Small Business Administration in connection with a separate LLC, authorities said. Prosecutors say Spierdowis submitted fraudulent federal tax forms for both LLCs.

These tax forms reflect the signature of Spierdowis, as president of each LLC, and reflect the payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages to LLC employees during each quarter in 2019, prosecutors said.

Spierdowis was previously in federal custody for a probation violation stemming from a prior conviction for conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
WASHINGTON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The HBCU Green Fund, Land Peace Foundation, BIPOC Climate Scholars Project, and U.S. Action for Climate Empowerment Coordinating Team will convene Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) scientists, organizers and funders to discuss national climate goals and priorities with Biden administration officials and federal agency representatives. The day-long BIPOC Climate Justice Dialogue will be held Thursday, April 8, 2021, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The conversations will strengthen communication between BIPOC climate experts and government officials in advance of the Biden-Harris Leader's Climate Summit taking place on Earth Day. Topics to be discussed include BIPOC priorities for a just transition, culturally responsive climate action, and implementation of Justice 40 commitments across federal agencies. The dialogue will also introduce the community-driven U.S. framework for Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE), as recommended in Article 12 of the Paris Agreement.

The virtual event is free and open to the public. Climate advocates, scholars, experts, government officials, community members working to advance just climate policy, and media are invited to watch the event on Facebook Live. Visit http://hbcugreenfund.org/bipoc_dialogues_agenda.

WHO: In addition to elected officials, speakers include:

Gina McCarthy, Whitehouse National Climate Advisor*

Shalanda Baker, Department of Energy

Mustafa Ali, National Wildfire Federation

Felicia Davis, HBCU Green Fund

Henry Lancaster, BIPOC Scholars Project

Richard D. Schulterbrandt Gragg, FAMU

Sherri Mitchell, Land Peace Foundation

Elizabeth Yeampierre, UPROSE

Ashindi Maxton, Donors of Color

Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Roosevelt Institute

Denise Fairchild, Emerald Cities Collective

Jacqueline Patterson, NAACP

Tara Houska, Giniw Collective

Darren Ranco, University of Maine

Pablo Mendez, University of Puerto Rico

Fatemeh Shafiei, Spelman College

Isatis M. Cintron-Rodriguez, U.S. ACE

William Spitzer, U.S. ACE Framework

Taylor Morton, We ACT

Aryanna Khan, ACE

Daniel Wildcat, Haskell Indian Nations University

Rosemary Enobakhare, EPA

Brandon Jones, National Science Foundation*

John Balbus, NHIEHS

Ko Barrett, NOAA

*Invited

WHERE: Facebook Live: https://m.facebook.com/HBCUGreenFund

WHEN: DATE: Thursday April 8, 2021 TIME: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

ABOUT HBCU GREEN FUND

The HBCU Green Fund promotes investment in sustainable campus solutions, interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum development, student and faculty engagement and just climate policy with a focus on historically black colleges and universities.

ABOUT LAND PEACE FOUNDATION

The Land Peace Foundation (LPF) is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Indigenous way of Life, which includes: the protection and preservation of Indigenous land, water, religious and/or spiritual rights; proliferation of cultural and traditional practices; strengthening of kinship roles, and; preservation of ceremonial ways of being.

ABOUT BIPOC CLIMATE SCHOLARS PROJECT

The BIPOC Climate Scholars Project is established as a resource hub activating a national network of Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Asian/Pacific climate scientist and policy experts eager to advise, conduct and support research and implementation of public and private action to address climate change.

ABOUT U.S. ACTION FOR CLIMATE EMPOWERMENT COORDINATING TEAM

The ACE team promotes the alignment of climate education, workforce development, and civic engagement nationally to accelerate a just transition to a low carbon economy and coordinates multi-level participation in the development of an Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Framework to advance the US national strategy as articulated in UNFCCC and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement.

CONTACT: Media is invited to attend. For more information email [email protected], text: 818.613.9521, phone: 770.961.6200.

SOURCE HBCU Green Fund
CHICO, Calif. (UPDATE: 12:27 p.m.)  A hiker was rescued after falling down Big Chico Creek Thursday morning.

Chico Fire Battalion Chief, James Lucanic, said they received a report around 10:46 a.m. about a hiker who fell into the water.

Lucanic said the hiker fell from an embankment and landed in a waterway just below Bear Hole in Upper Bidwell Park. The hikers phone fell in the water with him, however, he was still able to call 911.

After half an hour of firefighters searching for the hiker, crews found him and removed him from the water. Lucanic said the man declined medical treatment and suffered minor injuries.

Lucanic wants to remind the public as the weather gets warmer and people head out to the water, let someone know where you are going and bring your phone.
Former Guam congressman and former University of Guam President Dr. Robert Underwood thinks back to his college years when his childhood friend who lived across the street from him was killed while serving during the Vietnam War.

He died when he was 19 years old about two or three weeks before he was about to turn 20. I understand he had only been in Vietnam less than a month, Underwood said.

Now Underwood is overseeing a new project where Guam Vietnam veterans can share their personal stories from that era and in the CHamoru language.

The project is called Beteranu Gi Geran Vietnam: In their own words, in their own language.

Its to tell the real-life stories and understand the Guam experience at that time. By listening to them, I think you get a sense of what was going on in their lives and thats really important, he said. There is a lot of dimensions to what the veterans went through. There is a feeling of not being properly respected when they returned. There are ongoing issues now with PTSD and Agent Orange that they continue to experience. There is also the issue that sometime people shy away from is because they were CHamorus that they didnt get the awards that they should have gotten.

Underwood is working with Humanities Guahan, as well as the Veterans History Center in Washington, D.C. to develop the project.

He said the idea was brought up after he gave former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Jon Peede, a historical tour of Guam about a year and a half ago. It was when they came across a memorial in Umatac that honors Vietnam veterans that Peede suggested Underwood develop the project.

So, I did, he said. Its been my experience in talking to many of these veterans that once they start explaining it in CHamoru they are a little bit more expressive and reveal a bit more of themselves.

He eventually sent in his idea, which Peede approved on his last day in office during the Trump administration.

Right on time, Underwood said.

Humanities grant

The Vietnam Veteran Project for Guam is funded through a $40,000 grant being provided by the National Endowment of the Humanities.

The stories will come from 25 Vietnam veterans from Guam who now live both on and off-island.

I think we are going to hear a lot of different kind of stories. Some of them will be very powerful and very gripping. Its really important that we are able to coordinate this with the Veterans Center and the Library of Congress because they have been doing this for a long time. We want to make sure our interviewers are sensitive and asking questions that lead to fuller conversations, he said.

Also involved in the project as veteran advisers are retired U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Bill Cundiff and retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Danny Santos. Humanities Guahan Executive Director Kimberlee Kihleng and CHamoru linguist Teresita Flores are a part of the team.

Underwood said the interviews will take about five months to complete. The stories will then be archived and shared on a website that his team is developing.

The site would also allow other Vietnam veterans from Guam to share their stories.
archived recording (SINGING) When you walk in the room, do you have sway?

kara swisher

Im Kara Swisher, and youre listening to Sway. This week, yet another video went viral  a terrible one. It showed a man brutally knocking a Filipino woman to the ground and then stomping on her. This happened in broad daylight in the middle of Manhattan, and no one intervened. Its become the latest in a wave of rising crimes against the Asian-American community. And it comes just a few weeks after six Asian women were killed in shootings in the Atlanta area. So I wanted to talk to someone about the roots of anti-Asian racism and how the myth of the model minority has delayed this national conversation. Cathy Park Hong is a writer and poet. Shes been capturing the Asian-American experience for years, first in her poetry, and most recently, in a collection of essays called Minor Feelings: An Asian-American Reckoning. Its part memoir and part critique. But above all, Minor Feelings is a question. What does it mean culturally and politically to be Asian-American? I wanted to understand Hongs approach to this question and why, as a poet, she chose to tackle it in essay form. Cathy Park Hong, welcome to the show.

cathy park hong

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

kara swisher

So you were in poetry. And its different than what you did in your book of essays, Minor Feelings. Talk about the shift from poetry, which is a lot more economical, in a lot of ways, to essays.

cathy park hong

I felt that as I was kind of getting older, the lyric medium just seemed too small, like a shirt size too small for all the stories that I wanted to tell and the arguments that I wanted to make. I was starting to feel that discomfort more and more. And also, you know, I talk  in the book, I talk about being inspired by Richard Pryor. And I really wanted to kind of directly, in a very confrontational manner, confront the question of race as an Asian-American. And I realized that poetry was not a suitable medium for that. It wasnt a capacious enough form for me. And part of the reason why was because I wanted to make an argument and wanted to ask questions that would lead to more questions. And its hard to do that with poetry.

kara swisher

Can you talk more about how Richard Pryors stand-up routines helped you hone this idea of minor feelings?

cathy park hong

It was in 2011. I was very depressed at the time. I was feeling very frustrated being a poet. And my husband turned on Live in Concert. And I started watching it. I watched bits of Pryor before. Ive seen some of his movies, the bad ones, like The Toy.

kara swisher

Yeah, theres some bad ones.

cathy park hong

Yeah, or Superman III. And it was the first time Ive seen his routine in its full length. And I was just blown away. I had this sort of shock of recognition, as I say in the book. And I think after that, I was trying to understand why I had that shock of recognition. What was Richard Pryor doing that even someone I, who is not Black or a man or had the kind of tragic history that he did, felt this kind of connection to him. And part of it was his brutal honesty, his rawness, just his brilliant way of cutting through the bullshit and telling it like it is. And I was like, why havent I read this or seen this for Asian-Americans? Why hasnt there been an Asian-American story like this or an Asian-American poem or a film like this and so forth, where there was this sort of brute honesty that really kind of got under my skin? And I was really attracted to this idea of stand-up comedy used as a kind of Trojan horse or as a kind of trap door to these truths about America that people wouldnt necessarily want to face.

kara swisher

If youd done this book as a stand-up routine, what would it have looked like? What would you open with?

cathy park hong

I would open with a therapist.

kara swisher

This is the opening of the book where you try to convince a Korean-American therapist to take you on as a patient.

cathy park hong

Yeah, I would probably open with the therapist section. And then, I mean, I think especially with the first essay, United, I was thinking more  you know I probably was unconsciously thinking of the stand-up structure, just thinking of these sort of absurd moments that kind of ruptures whatever kind of Asian-American tropes that were used to or tropes about therapy or finding healing or catharsis or redemption.

kara swisher

I think the Playboy shirt story would be devastating to people.

cathy park hong

Yeah. [LAUGHS] Yeah, and its an example that I use often when people ask me what Minor Feelings is. I was, like, seven or eight. And for whatever reason, we had a T-shirt that had the Playboy emblem, the bunny rabbit. It didnt say Playboy. It was just a bunny rabbit. It was red, and the bunny rabbit was white. My mom, she didnt know it was a Playboy shirt because she was a recent immigrant. And so she thought it was a kids shirt. She put me in that shirt. And the next day, I went to school wearing a Playboy T-shirt. And I dont remember any teacher approaching me or saying that was inappropriate. But when I was at recess, I do remember an older kid coming up to me and saying, Do you know what your shirt means? And I said no. And she didnt tell me. She ran off. And I saw her talking to her friends. And they were probably pointing or laughing at me. And I just had this very distinct, visceral sensation of feeling targeted, like I was stranded. I just felt very exposed. And the way I wrote it was I was trying to kind of allude to the scarlet letter where I felt like Hester Prynne with the letter A. But I didnt know what it meant. I had no understanding of what was wrong with me. I just knew that there was something wrong with me. But I didnt know what was wrong with me.

kara swisher

So you write a lot about shame and indignity, the markers of how you experienced racism as an Asian-American. But you note that its political shame, not necessarily a cultural one. Jia Tolentino, in reviewing your book, which I thought was quite interesting  to be Asian-American, she suggests, is to be tasked with making an injury inaccessible to the body that has been injured. It is to be pissed on at regular intervals while dutifully minimizing the odor of piss. I dont know if you agree with her. But I think this is well said. Can you talk about this idea of minimization and sort of swallowing the indignity?

cathy park hong

Yeah, of course. First of all, I do think it was perfectly apt what Jia Tolentino said, the way she was able to kind of break that metaphor of the urinal puck. I think this is particular to racism that Asian-Americans face, is that we have also been victims to systemic racism throughout history. But we have been conditioned to pretend that it doesnt exist, to minimize it, to 

kara swisher

Or you dont have it as bad. You called it a vague purgatorial status.

cathy park hong

Yeah, its a purga  we dont have it as bad. And what I often say is that I think probably also because of the way social media is and everything, we kind of look at race as oppression Olympics, right? Where Black people are the most oppressed, white people are the least oppressed, and everyone else is somewhere in the middle. And so its this kind of totem pole. And Asian-Americans are basically in the bottom of that totem pole right above white Americans. So weve sort of internalized that. I mean, I think that came from the white supremacist system that we live in. But I think a lot of Asians also internalize that, that what we went through wasnt that bad. Claire Jean Kim is a scholar who talks about this a lot. The way race works in America is not oppression Olympics, or its not necessarily we all have our own oppressions. But its very much interlinked in that its sort of triangulated, where Asian-Americans have been used  Basically, were used as a minority whos used as proof that American exceptionalism works or that American capitalism works. Because we are immigrating to this country, and look, were all doctors, or were going to Harvard, were going to Yale. And Black and brown Americans are compared unfavorably to Asian-Americans. So what that does is that it isolates us from forming any kind of bond or bridge with other people of color.

kara swisher

Or allyship.

cathy park hong

Or any kind of allyship or coalition building. But also, that kind of model minority myth is completely conditional, too, right? As were seeing now. Its like what Asian-Americans live under is this kind of contract where as long as we behave and keep quiet and so forth, were fine. The benefits of assimilation is that youre left alone. However, its not the same as having any kind of power.

kara swisher

Right, and you talk about complicity, but one of the things I thought was more powerful was this apologetic space, that you live in this apologetic space as a group.

cathy park hong

Mm-hmm. This goes back to immigration policy, right, with the Chinese Exclusion Act, where we were not allowed into the country until, really, 1965, is that weve always been treated as guests. Imagine inviting a dinner guest over. Theyre treated well. Theyre tolerated. Youre invited for a specific amount of time.

kara swisher

To do a specific thing.

cathy park hong

To do a specific thing, and then you leave. But if you start getting drunk and acting boorishly, then you are unwelcome. And thats sort of always been the experience of being Asian-American in this country, is that we were always treated as guests and that we have to act accordingly. And also, a lot of the kind of grievances that we did experience were minimized by this country. But also, I think we internalized a lot of that minimization. And I think when you first come to a country, right? Like, my parents came to this country. And as a guest, youre probably a bit more inhibited about expressing your rage.

kara swisher

Keep quiet. Be visible and invisible at the same time.

cathy park hong

Yeah, its also sort of the survivors mentality. Like for instance, my mother, with all the anti-Asian hate thats happening, and when she discovered that I was doing interviews, shes like, Oh, dont talk about the racism. And I said, Why? And shes like, well, you might be a target. People might try to hurt you in some way. And Im like, well, Im already getting trolled, so thats too late about that. But I think thats also kind of  its not just like her being Asian-American model minority or whatever, whatever. Its also just her experiencing what she had and trying to just sort of get through her day and get through her life. But someone whos born here, someone whos been here for three, four generations, and if theyre still considered second class citizens, youre not going to want to keep quiet.

kara swisher

Right. So now seems an especially pressing time to understand minor feelings, because thats what that is youre talking about, this idea of pretending major feelings are minor feelings. So lets talk about the shootings in Atlanta which happened on March 16. The gunman went to three different spas and fatally shot eight people, six of whom were Asian women. Where were you when the news about Atlanta came out, and what was going through your mind?

cathy park hong

I actually had my vaccination shot. I had side effects. So I was actually feeling quite depleted. And I was also very burnt out by the pandemic and child care, you know.

kara swisher

Mm-hmm, yes, I have several children. Yes, I know.

cathy park hong

Yeah, and my paperback came out. And I was just so overwhelmed and burnt out and angry. And really, actually, my first reaction was to look away. I didnt want to face it because I knew how it was going to be spun, how people were going to react, how mainstream media was going to summarize the massacre. When the first reports of the massacre was that a police officer, who said that the killer was just having a bad day. It was just basically what I expected.

kara swisher

Because the shooter insisted it wasnt. And so they just took his denial.

cathy park hong

And this is the problem, of course, with the way Americans look at race and racial discrimination, is that it has to be explicitly outlined for them to consider racism when a lot of racial acts are also unconscious bias. And I just feel like I was like kind of unconsciously sort of predicting the script of what was going to happen. It was not going to be a hate crime. Media, being ambulance chasers, would pay attention to the massacre for, like, 42 hours and then move on to the next.

kara swisher

And then when the other shooting happened in Boulder, Colorado, less than a week after, it was highlighted a difference in the coverage on Instagram from both the Times and The Washington Post included bios of the Boulder victims. The victims in Atlanta were only listed by their names, no accompanying descriptions. Can you talk a little bit more about why this script seems to go out and the denial of the racial elements here? Which is absurd as far as Im concerned, at least.

cathy park hong

Its absurd, and I think there were a lot  there was a huge pushback by a lot of activists, organizers, attorneys, Asian-American attorneys. And there has been a groundswell of support from other allies. But look, the first reports were not national media, national news. It was Korean language newspaper. It was Chosun Ilbo and all these Asian language news reporters who actually went and talked to the witnesses, the families of the victims. So thats one. Theres a language barrier, the cultural sensitivity barrier. But I think its also  I think everyone has been very enraged about the fact that in the beginning  or really not  all throughout, the stories of the victims were not centered at all. And instead, it was, like a lot of gun shootings, it was sensationalized.

kara swisher

What would you have liked to see?

cathy park hong

I wish that there was a really sustained investigation. I would like to know more about the labor practices that are happening in those massage parlors and Asian-American low-wage workers, and also more advocacy to support these women. I would like to see more stories about the intersections of gender, sex violence, and Asian-American. People  I think a lot of Americans barely grasp the basic building blocks of race. As Kimberle Crenshaw put it, racist experience is within the intersections of gender and class. And thats what we are seeing with the Atlanta massacre. And we need to have that made legible for the American public, right? And talk about how Asian-American women have been oppressed, exploited, fetishized in various ways. And also, I would like to know more about that community and the stories of this women. I think the greatest tragedy of this is that  this is not  the onus is not entirely on national news  but I dont think well ever get their stories, you know, except in the most superficial way.

kara swisher

Or we put the links together. I think historical is very important to bring into it, as we just dont do that in this country.

cathy park hong

We dont do it because when he murdered those women and when I found out it was a massage, these were massage parlors, I immediately thought of camp towns during the Korean War. You have to remember that because of these immigration policies, there are very few women. It was actually Chinese women were excluded from coming to America because they were considered prostitutes. So when America started occupying these Asian countries, their exposure to Asian women were these sex workers who worked in these camp towns. And their perception of Asian women as fetishized, compliant, submissive, dragon lady, exotic, whatever, was imported to this country.

kara swisher

Which Hollywood also underscored.

cathy park hong

Hollywood definitely replicated, perpetuated those stereotypes, the obvious iconic example of Stanley Kubricks Full Metal Jacket, where theres a Vietnamese prostitute says, Ah, me so horny. Everyone knows that. Everyone knows that quote.

kara swisher

And everyone just laughing about it.

cathy park hong

Yeah.

kara swisher

So the Atlanta shootings havent officially been designated as hate crimes. This is just one of the many recent attacks against Asian-Americans thats in a definition limbo for some reason. But the data shows theres been a rise in Asian hate crimes across the country, which is related to racist rhetoric around the pandemic. In New York City, for example, the number of NYPD classified hate crimes rose from three in 2019 to 28 in 2020. So what are your thoughts on this increase?

cathy park hong

I think the Atlanta massacre was a different angle into the kind of discrimination that Asians face thats brought in issues of gender violence, the vulnerability of sex workers, as opposed to what is perhaps happening in Oakland, California, or Chinatown, New York, or Koreatown, Los Angeles, which is happening in these urban environments. I would say that what connects all of them is that theyre mostly happening to women. 70 percent of the victims so far are women. I think that we need to get some more coherent data of whats happening about these anti-Asian incidents. Its very spotty at this point. And theyre doing that. I think its really happening right now. I mean, what has made me kind of hopeful about whats happening now is that its really galvanized the Asian-American community in a way that I personally havent witnessed before in my lifetime, or I havent noticed. And theres just this complete outpouring of rage and grief. And Asian-Americans are really kind of standing up to this racism. And you see it a number of ways. You see, yes, theres the hashtag activism, but then theres also people on the streets, these organizations like Red Canary Song and CAAV and a lot of these organizations who are on the ground, raising money, raising awareness, bringing medical care to these vulnerable communities. And among leftists, theres this real attempt to kind of bridge alliance ships with Black Americans and Latinx and so forth. So I think there is this kind of  its happening right now in real-time, where I believe that there is this mobilization happening. And Asian-Americans are trying to find a way to define themselves as a coalition, as a kind of political alliance, as a way to kind of really finally assert themselves in this sort of Black-white dialectic in this country. And that doesnt necessarily mean crying out and saying, oh, we are victims, too. Pay attention to us. Its not that. Its more, how are we also complicit in this white supremacist and capitalist structure? How do we also eradicate anti-Blackness in our culture as well? And how can we work as allies to bring social justice?

kara swisher

So one of the things you talked about, this idea of allyship, were approaching the 30th anniversary of the L.A. riots. And those dynamics of that relationship were quite tense at the time. And then a Hmong-American officer, Tou Thao, is facing charges of aiding and abetting the second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charge in the death of George Floyd. Theres been a lot of discussion about anti-Blackness in the Asian-American community, something you wrote about, too. How do you get to real change in how people are talking about the issue? And do you see real change in that discussion?

cathy park hong

I dont see real change yet. I think people dont know how to talk about interracial conflicts and misunderstandings or misperceptions. We havent quite developed a vocabulary for it. I tried  I mean, I think partly another reason why I came up with the term minor feelings was that its not a structure, a feeling thats limited to Asian-Americans, I think. Anyone who comes from a marginalized community understand this kind of cognitive dissonance you feel when youre stuck, when you are not able to lift yourself up by the good bootstrap, and when you cannot have  attain that good life, no matter how hard you work, and where your perception as reality is drowned out by the dominant cultures reality. I mean, Prageeta Sharma, amazing poet  I also quote her in the way that Americans perceive race, which is that, like grief, at some point, they expect you to get over it. Its done. And I think thats whats going to happen with the Atlanta massacre, and it maybe already has, where people are like, O.K., lets move on to the next. And this is what happened during the L.A. riots, right? L.A. riots was a collision of many deep-rooted problems in this country, the kind of economic dispossession and segregation of Black Americans, police brutality, and also Korean immigrants, most of them who are very poor, setting up shop in Black neighborhoods and the interracial violence and conflicts that came from there and the misunderstandings, the anti-Blackness in Korean communities, all of that. It was just a collision of all of these different problems. And there was an uprising. I mean, a lot of activists call it an uprising rather than a riot. And afterwards, there were some attempts at rebuilding and attempt at healing because of what happened. But those attempts to rebuild were completely abandoned, right? Which is, part of it was this campaign to kind of funnel resources into South Central, where you would have built hospitals, schools, after-school programs  never happened. And the Black population in L.A. just ended up shrinking to something like 8 percent. Korean immigrants whose stores were looted or who were out of jobs and so forth, it was never fixed. And there was attempts at interracial community building. That also never happened. So that was forgotten. That wasnt actually addressed. That was not confronted. And now were seeing it again. So theres still a lot of anger, a lot of distrust. And I think we need to work on this because the majority of Asian-Americans, majority  I say this confidently  the majority of Asian-Americans want the same things that Black Americans want. They want affirmative action. It is a misperception that Asian-Americans dont want affirmative action. They want affirmative actions. They want criminal justice reform. They want racial equity. But we need to build coalitions. [MUSIC PLAYING]

kara swisher

Well be back in a minute. If you like this interview and want to hear others, follow us on your favorite podcast app. Youll be able to catch up on Sway episodes you may have missed, like my conversation with journalist and historian Isabel Wilkerson. And youll get new ones delivered directly to you. More with Cathy Park Hong after the break. You said that your daughter catalyzed your writing about race. How have you talked with her about these anti-Asian hate crimes? There have been reports of Asian-American kids being bullied in class with classmates over the past year related to COVID and discussions of having to deal with racism at a young age. Is that something youve been dealing with a lot? Can you talk about that?

cathy park hong

Shes six years old, so shes a little  at this point, shes still protected, I think, from being exposed to a lot of the anti-Asian discrimination.

kara swisher

Well, theres a Richard Pryor line about that. I was eight 

cathy park hong

Yeah, I was 

kara swisher

Yeah. What was that line?

cathy park hong

I was a child until I was eight. Then I became a Negro. She personally hasnt witnessed it. I havent really been talking about the actual specific incidents because shes so young, right?

kara swisher

Right, but it catalyzed your wanting to write about it.

cathy park hong

Yeah, I mean, for me, its like showing her positive role models, Black, Asian, Latinx, constantly. But yeah, I think thats also another reason why I wrote this book and wrote prose instead of poetry. Just as a mother, I became a bit of a pragmatist. And I didnt want my daughter to grow up the same way that I did. I wanted her to grow up in a different world, a different kind of paradigm, where she didnt take up apologetic space, where she didnt feel uncomfortable in the skin that she was in, where she felt that everything was within her reach, and also for her to be sensitive to the struggles of others. So that was why I wrote this book, to kind of cut through all of the bullshit that I had to deal with when I was a kid. And my heart really goes out to all the Asian kids who are being bullied because maybe it was naive of me, but I dont know. I thought the bullying would  I was bullied when I was a kid for being Asian. I know plenty of  everyone else, any other Asian kid that I know was also bullied when they were a kid for being Asian. They faced explicit, not microaggressions, explicit racist bullying. And Im seeing it again now. And it definitely is deeply wounding, but I think the difference between back then and now is that there is a galvanizing movement, this uproar, right, from Asian-Americans.

kara swisher

Well, its taking space and being angry and 

cathy park hong

Yeah, taking up space. And I think more space must be taken.

kara swisher

One of the things thats taken a lot of space is misinformation. And you wrote an op-ed in the Times about how its a growing problem in the Asian and Latino immigrant communities where right-wing messages and conspiracy theories like QAnon are spreading. So you wrote about it, your mom. My mom was also subject to this in a different way, more Fox News than anything else. But talk about what made you notice this issue. Because one of the things you talked about is how dangerous it is in terms of radicalizing groups of immigrants more towards these ideas.

cathy park hong

Well, this is the problems of sort of aggregating groups into ethnicities. Because there are real fractures in the Asian-American community, as there are fractures and in the Latinx community as well. I first noticed it before Biden was elected, actually late summer, where my mom, who is totally apolitical, she never really cared who was  she was not a Republican, not a Democrat. And suddenly, she started talking about how Biden was soft on China, and how Trump was better at confronting China. Because theyre worried  a lot of older Asian immigrant communities are worried about Xi Jinpings expansionist policies, especially Taiwan. But all of them, a lot of countries, and its not just East Asian countries. Its also Thailand, India, and so forth. And so my mom started telling me all of this, and Im like, where are you getting this news from, mom? Because my mom doesnt look  she looks at Korean news. She doesnt look at Fox. And shes just, oh, this is what friends tell me. And then I also understood that she was getting it from YouTube. And I discovered that right-wing talking points have been infiltrating ethnic language media, so 

kara swisher

And also the social media tools  WeChat, WhatsApp, KakaoTalk.

cathy park hong

Oh, WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook, all these closed groups. Kakao was another one. Its everywhere in social media. Disinformation was just growing like weeds, you know? And it was like a whack-a-mole carnival game. And it was really shocking, because I thought the huge problem with the Democratic Party  I dont know what theyre doing now to fix it  was that they just pretty much completely neglected the Asian-American immigrants and Latinx immigrants. They just didnt bother with them at all because they were like, theres a language barrier. Theyre on our side. We dont have to care about them. So in that vacuum, the right-wing kind of went in there and infiltrated these ethnic media sites and social media sites. And it just kept getting worse, where my mother was  even after Trump lost, she was saying, oh, I heard that Biden is stealing votes. And at that point, she was just getting it from everyone, all the other different immigrants. And they were being radicalized in a way that I found is absolutely maddening and really troubling. So I mean, I always forget to call my mom, but I was calling her three times a week, just arguing with her. And she voted for Biden. And I got her to stop listening to her friends and everyone else. But this disinformation is a huge problem not just among white Americans.

kara swisher

What makes combating misinformation in Asia and Latinx communities even more challenging than my mother and Fox News on constantly? What is the unique challenges here?

cathy park hong

Well, first of all, its a language barrier, right? I mean, you have to basically embed yourself in these communities to try to kind of clear up a lot of disinformation. And its also happening  its happening everywhere. Its hard to know what the source is. So you could say, theres one Falun Gong-funded media site and Steve Bannon. But then theres also 

kara swisher

Epoch Times.

cathy park hong

Yeah, Epoch Times. So at this point, its become global. And a lot of that is also, I believe  not only have we not really dealt with the roots of racism, we havent dealt with the repercussions and consequences of the Cold War. And a lot of the immigrants who ended up coming to America are very anti-communist. And the right-wing has weaponized that, used that fear of communism to turn them against their own interests. And this is an issue that Democrats really  and leftists  have to really address and confront.

kara swisher

So how?

cathy park hong

[LAUGHS] How? I am not an activist. I am not an organizer or a politician so I cant really  I dont really exactly know what the solutions are. But I will say that there has to be more of a grassroots effort. I think Atlanta is a good example of the organizations that really mobilized a lot of voters. But I think there needs to be a real grassroots effort to kind of communicate with a lot of these immigrant groups and also have other ethnic media news sites that tell the truth about whats happening. But I think it really involves people kind of talking to the community in their language.

kara swisher

It certainly cant just involve people calling their mothers and yelling at them every week.

cathy park hong

No.

kara swisher

Which is what I did for months to begin with.

cathy park hong

I know. I know.

kara swisher

Its exhausting. Its also exhausting.

cathy park hong

It is exhausting. I mean, it cant be the family members. It has to be  well, it has to be macro and micro. It has to be from  it has to be policies that the Biden administration will manage and orchestrate. And its also a lot of these organizations who are already doing a lot of the labor anyways.

kara swisher

So what are the stakes for addressing political misinformation? Why does it matter?

cathy park hong

Well, I think its like what happened with the white working class, right? Where they got radicalized. And theyve completely become brainwashed by the right-wing. And theyre constantly voting against their own economic interests because theres this manufactured fear that immigrants and Black people are taking away jobs, right? So right now, if you are a G.O.P., youre going to understand that your base is shrinking. And you know that this country is diversifying and that the minorities will be the majority in 20 years. So what are you going to do? Part of it, as were seeing now, is voter disenfranchisement, where theyre trying to prevent people from voting, Black people from voting, and so forth. But there are also  Im assuming theyre going to try recruiting these immigrants, using anti-communist and anti-Black rhetoric, using fear, basically, as a weapon to get them to vote against their own interests. And Im afraid of that. Im scared of that. Im also worried about  I mean, this whole  theres also an anti-Chinese xenophobia is also really complicated by the fact that this is going to become a bigger and bigger issue, I think, because I believe the Biden administration is going to be more hawkish against China. And theres still going to be that kind of anti-Chinese rhetoric coming from the White House. A lot of Americans will probably misinterpret that, and thats going to probably breed more hate crimes. But also, there are also Asians who support those hawkish policies. So 

kara swisher

Well, its complex, and you cant have complexity.

cathy park hong

Its very complicated. Thats the thing. Its like, its so complex. Its so complicated. And its this kind of mosaic of intersecting interests that you cannot say Asians are Republican or Asians are Democrat, Asians are leftists, or Asians are anti-Black. Were just too  there are too many of us.

kara swisher

Right. Well, this idea of one is sort of ridiculous on many levels. So is your mom still calling you with fake news? Has she moved along?

cathy park hong

No, shes fine. I mean, shes  occasionally, shell say, I dont know. Biden just looks really weak.

kara swisher

Oh, yeah.

cathy park hong

Thats the most shell say about Biden.

kara swisher

Yeah, my moms keeping it up, though. Dont worry. You can start calling my mom if you like.

cathy park hong

Oh, OK.

kara swisher

So last question, Minor Feelings was released at the beginning of the pandemic, which must be a joy for any writer.

cathy park hong

Mm-hmm.

kara swisher

How does being in the lockdown affected your creativity? And what are you doing next? Comedy act?

cathy park hong

[LAUGHS] There are some people that are like, well, she was a poet, a standup comedian. I was like, I was never a standup comedian. I just had tried 

kara swisher

Well, youre young.

cathy park hong

Im not young, no. [LAUGHS] Middle-aged, but the pandemic has not  I have not written King Lear. I havent produced prodigious amounts of work while under  because Ive been trying to take care of a daughter and teach and all that. But I think I want to work on another book. I hesitate to say what genre it is, but I think with Minor Feelings, I really kind of touched upon a lot of issues that I could have gone deeper into. It was just the tip of the iceberg, one of which is my mother. I think about this question that this poet Bhanu Kapil talked about, Who is responsible for the suffering of your mother? Which is a very heavy question. But I was thinking about my own mother and other peoples  And Ive been interviewing other people and their relationships with their mothers. And also Im thinking about their personal lives, but also structurally what has caused the suffering of my own mother. And I think that itll be a book about also colonialism and the American occupation in Korea. So, yeah.

kara swisher

I hope you continue to write, but I would love to see you do come  stand-up, excuse me.

cathy park hong

[LAUGHS] Im not that much of a masochist, but.

kara swisher

I would like to be pulled out of my skin in a  thats why I love comedy. Because thats the best comedy that happens.

cathy park hong

I know. I love comedy for that reason, too.

kara swisher

Yep. Anyway, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. This has been a wonderful conversation. Its a wonderful book youve written. And I really appreciate you taking so much time to talk to me.

cathy park hong

Thank you. Thank you so much, Kara. [MUSIC PLAYING]

kara swisher
At 7:30pm on Monday, President Museveni entered the meeting room at State House and immediately asked the NRM vice chairperson Hajj Moses Kigongo, who also doubles as the chairperson of the NRM disciplinary committee, to explain the agenda.

Hajj Kigongo, then made reference to March 11 press release in which he cautioned party leaders against bickering, attacks, abuses on the floor of Parliament over the election of the Speaker.

Earlier, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa had faced off in Parliament. Kadaga accused Ms Nankabirwa of importing issues of NRM's Central Executive Committee into the discussion on matters that are internal to Parliament. "I don't think CEC has a right to bind a future Parliament before even they are elected. That is totally undemocratic. Stop talking about CEC here".

In the meeting at State House, Hajj Kigongo told the President that he asked those who were dragging CEC in the Speaker race politics to stop it and even advised that democracy be exercise "reasonably while conducting matters of national importance."

As soon as Hajj Kigongo ended his preliminary remarks, sources who attended the meeting said the President confronted aspirants for Speaker and Deputy Speaker before he banned campaigns. He spoke for about 30 minutes uninterrupted and warned those undermining NRM to stop it immediately.

Sources in the meeting said the President reiterated that there must be no further campaigns for Speaker and Deputy until such a time when the Chief Justice will congregate Parliament at her first sitting on May 20.

"The President threatened that CEC may even leave all of us and choose other NRM candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker" another source told this newspaper.

The NRM chairperson accused Ms Kadaga, her Deputy Jacob Oulanyah and other six NRM MPs eyeing the Deputy Speaker of undermining the party structures and behaving as if they are bigger than the party. The President made it clear that he wouldn't tolerate indiscipline.

It was a stormy meeting filled with "fear" and few chances of rebuttal as President Museveni pulled the plug on what had become a conflict-ridden campaign for who will get the endorsement of the ruling NRM to run for Speaker of the 11th Parliament.

After lecturing aspirants on discipline and party structures, the President started asking questions. First, he demanded to know whether Ms Kadaga consulted NRM Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba before she went to Speke Resort Munyonyo to launch her re-election campaign. Ms Lumumba then shot up and denied knowledge of the pre-campaign launch plans.

Ms Lumumba told the President that she also learnt of the launch from the media. The President turned to Ms Kadaga and asked her to explain why she didn't consult the party and whether she is above the law. He also asked whether in 2016, she first launched her campaign before coming to CEC for endorsement.

The President paused a bit and requested Hajj Kigongo to remind him about what Ms Kadaga told CEC in 2016. Hajj Kigongo told the President that she requested for second term to complete the 10 years just like Edward Ssekandi (2001-2011).

Ms Kadaga speaks

Sources say when Ms Kadaga stood up to respond, she accused her deputy of starting campaigns in contravention of the rules. She made a reference to the Acholi and Lango parliamentary groups that endorsed Mr Oulanyah for Speaker. Mr Oulanyah according to sources interjected and denied ever participating in any endorsement meetings.

Following weeks of verbal fights between Ms Kadaga and Mr Oulanyah's camps as they prepare to battle for the leadership of the legislative arm of government, President Museveni under his mandate as national chairperson of the NRM summoned the duo to a meeting at State House, Entebbe.

Mr Museveni, sources say, invited Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, NRM secretary general Justine Kasule Lumumba, and government chief whip Ruth Nankabirwa, to be part of the meeting that started at 7:30 and ended at 10pm.

Dr Rugunda was drafted into the meeting to do possible mediation in case the proceedings led to bitter exchanges, especially between Ms Kadaga and Mr Oulanyah who have been involved in public disagreements over who is better for the job.

While launching her campaigns last week, Ms Kadaga accused her deputy of not working by dodging a number of assignments, something that led to his sideling from chairing plenary sittings for over a year. She also accused him of fearing to handle the controversial Age Limit Bill that saw Parliament remove Article 102B of the Constitution which paved way for Mr Museveni to run for another term.

Sources told Daily Monitor that the age limit issue again came up in the Monday meeting when Ms Nankabirwa accused Ms Kadaga of using Speaker's office to undermine the party. This annoyed Ms Kadaga and reminded Ms Nankabirwa and others in the meeting how she helped the President to stay in office after 65 years. This angered the President.

"This is not the way we have been working as the NRM. Are you independent candidates?" the President is quoted to have asked the contenders whom he learnt were holding meetings with MPs from both the party and Opposition.

"Who announced these campaigns? And which constituency are you campaigning for since the 11th Parliament has not yet been sworn?" Mr Museveni reportedly charged without attracting answers from the targets.

Rule 5 of the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure, provides for the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker at the 1st sitting of a new Parliament.

The elections of the Speaker are presided over by the Chief Justice or a judge representing him or her. Shortly after the Speaker upon being sworn in by the Chief Justice presides over the election and swearing in of a Deputy Speaker.

Effect on 10th Parliament

With the 10th Parliament still having about one and half months to the end of its tenure, Mr Museveni warned that the mode of campaigns has stalled work in the House, which is likely to affect the performance of government.

Mr Oulanyah insisted he has not called any campaign meetings as a sign of respecting party principles whereas Ms Kadaga reportedly told the President that it was normal to hold meetings.

The two leaders have publicly disagreed on the process the party is supposed to take to determine who the candidate becomes for Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker is on record for putting the CEC on notice to show that the party organs work by upholding its 2016 decision in which he reportedly agreed to allow Ms Kadaga take another five years in the seat and him as Deputy. He claims it was intended that after their 10 years as Speaker and Deputy Speaker, he would be cleared to take over from Ms Kadaga in 2021.

But Ms Kadaga has been disputing such a narrative, including while Speaking during a plenary sitting of Parliament and at the launch of her campaigns, saying CEC never made any resolution that she would not contest in 2021.

"The CEC of 2015 is an old CEC. It did its work and finished. Last year, another CEC came in and it has not yet sat. All I said was why are you pushing me out?" she said last week before adding on at the weekend; "this is a new CEC, a new Parliament and a new Uganda".

The President is expected to give further guidance on the conduct of the NRM legislators when about 230 newly-elected MPs report for a retreat at National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi District on April 7.

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Incumbent MPs who made it through the January 14 elections will not be going to Kyankwanzi because Parliament is dealing with statutory deadlines to process the budget of the 2021/2022 Financial Year by April 30.

Mr Emmanuel Dombo, the director for communications at NRM secretariat, told this newspaper at the weekend that the decision to take only new comers to Kyankwanzi was as a result of the Speaker's concern that the retreat would affect the budgetary deadlines.

Early this month, MPs raised the red flag on the floor of Parliament saying the campaign for Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been "vulgarised", alleging that some of the contenders are doing the unusual way of dishing out money in exchange for a vote.

Voting for Speaker and Deputy Speaker is by secret ballot.

Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda (FDC) and Bukoto Central MP-elect Robert Ssebamala (DP) are the two others who have so far expressed interest in running for Speaker's job whereas Mr Okin P.P Ojara (Chua West, FDC), Mr Eric Musana (Buyaga West, Ind) and Mr Muhammad Nsereko (Kampala Central, Ind), are the ones set to challenge the NRM candidate for Deputy Speaker.

They agreed that the CEC should vote on the matter at a convenient time.

Who attended the meeting

Sources privy to the proceedings of the meeting told Daily Monitor that in attendance were four MPs who are considered "serious contenders" for the office of Deputy Speaker". These are; Mr Jacob Oboth-Oboth (West Budama South), Mr Thomas Tayebwa (Ruhinda North), Ms Anita Among (Woman MP Bukedea) and Ms Robinah Rwakoojo (Gomba West).

It is from this group of six MPs that the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the NRM is supposed to vet a candidate for Deputy Speaker ahead of the 1st sitting of the 11th Parliament on May 20 when these two positions will be voted for.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Employees at Subaru of Indiana are being vaccinated while on the job. It is part of a collaboration between SIA and the State Department of health. For employees like Pierre Green, it is a relief to get the vaccine.

"I'm excited," said Pierre Green Associate Relations at SIA. "There are few different emotions going through my mind right now but definitely relieved."

Green is one of the thousands of SIA employees that will be able to be vaccinated on-site in Lafayette. Setting up a vaccination clinic on campus is a process that company leaders say they have been preparing for since the beginning of the pandemic.

"Companies that have on-site wellness centers or health care centers as we do were prime candidates because we have qualified medical professionals," said Scott Brand the executive Vice President

The state department of health is allocating vaccines to twelve large employers in the state. All of them have over 1,000 employees. SIA is getting around 1,100 doses for each vaccine clinic they hold. The company hopes to get above 60 percent of its workforce vaccinated.

"We know that even though we have mask protocols social distancing and extra cleaning activities in the plant the best thing we can do is get everyone vaccinated, said Brand.

SIA is also allowing family members of employees to get the vaccine.

"I've talked to my wife about it already so we are putting together a plan to get her in and scheduled also," said Green.

As for loosening COVID-19 restrictions, the company will be keeping them in place for the time being including requiring employees to wear masks.

"Maybe by the middle of the summer the July time frame we will probably be considering reducing some of our protocol but we really can't say until we see the data," said Brand.

As for employees like Green, they have hope for the future that with the vaccine things will get back to normal.

"This shows you know SIA truly does care about us and our families so it's a big deal to me that they are allowing us to do this here, said Green.

Employees are not required to get the vaccine if they choose not to. The company says that with all of their employees and their family members around 10,000 people will be eligible to get vaccinated on site. Around 450-500 people will be able to get vaccinated each day they hold a clinic.
Nguyen Dang Anh Thi

I choose to talk about Germany because most of the feed-in-tariff policies for Vietnam's renewable energy have been designed using the German model and built with consultation from the Deutshe Gesellschaftur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) or German Corporation for International Cooperation, an agency that provides services in the field of international development cooperation.

30 years ago, Germany issued the FIT policy for the first time to boost the selling of renewable electricity to the national grid. In the beginning, when the proportion of wind and solar power output made up just less than 0.1 percent of the nation's total, there were already worries about renewable energy threatening safety and stability of the national power grid.

Back then, a group of power companies in Germany had released a joint statement creating pressure on the government, saying that renewable energy from solar, wind and hydropower plants should not exceed 4 percent of the total power output, even in the long run.

For decades, many entities in Germany had advocated thermal and nuclear power, and kept calling for delays in expanding the national power grid and delivering cautions on clean energy.

But the people of Germany had said yes big time to clean energy. Their voice, luckily, had been heard, and the government had listened to them with a long-time view, adopting consistent policies with transparency and integrity.

These days, wind farms and villages full of rooftop solar panels have become German icons. Even tours to villages famous for renewable energy production have become signature treat. In 2018, wind and solar power output made up 26 percent of Germany's total power production.

Vietnam stands among nations that have learned from Germany's experience in building their own clean energy development model.

However, until now, solar power has remained a back-up plan in the nation's power grid expansion.

According to Vietnam's 8th National Power Development Plan, which is being drafted, thermal power output will rise to nearly 9,100 MW, but that of solar power stays at just 600 MW in the next five years.

As Vietnams solar power capacity rises, there have been opinions that such increases could make it difficult to ensure stable power distribution nationwide. In 2020 alone, Vietnam's installed rooftop solar photovoltaic capacity reached 8,900 MW, which means we need only 25 days or so to realize the solar power output target set for five years in the 8th National Power Development Plan.

In a report in January, national utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) said that the nature of solar power capacity, which accounts for 25 percent of the total, is to produce high volumes during the day and no production in the evening and that this poses difficulties in operating the national grid. There have been times when the grid was oversupplied during the low-demand hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when solar radiation is at peak, the report said.

Barking up the wrong tree

I am concerned about the idea that solar power is causing difficulties for the operation of the national grid. The only issue that should be discussed is the delay in making investments to improve the grid.

Adopting a positive perspective, the situation in which power consumption dropped too low during the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February that it caused oversupply on the power grid should be seen as a reminder that it is high time we have a solution to regulate the system and operate the electricity market in a more flexible way so that it can adapt to rapid changes in the structure of power sources.

The highest daily power consumption output of the whole national electricity system stayed at just 22,800 megawatts during the seven-day Tet break, with daily consumption hovering around 418 million kWh.

Compared to the week before the latest week-long Tet holiday, power consumption was about 27 percent lower per day and 32 percent lower for the week in total.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has said that total output from solar and wind sources is expected to reach 23.4 billion kWh this year, accounting for 8.9 percent of the national electricity production.

In a 2014 study, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that if wind and solar power make up 10 percent of the total output, the figure is insignificant and should not affect the stability of the entire system. This has proven true in Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and the U.K.

And offshore wind farm in Vietnam's southern province of Bac Lieu, May 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyet Nhi.

The fact that we are late climbers on to the renewable energy bandwagon and continue to express reservations and hesitation in exploiting solar and wind energy (which Vietnam has in abundance) will indirectly boost growth in the types of energy that damage the environment severely, like thermal and hydropower plants.

In central Vietnam, the Ho Ho hydropower plant contributed to the floods that killed 24 people and left nine others missing in Ha Tinh Province in 2016. In the latest incident that happened October last year, 11 workers of the Rao Trang 3 hydropower plant in Thua Thien-Hue Province are still listed as missing after about half of a hill collapsed on to the camping areas and operation facilities of the plant, burying 17 workers. The bodies of six workers were retrieved from the bed of the river that has as many as four hydropower projects along a 25 km section.

The air pollution caused by coal-fired power plants via the fine dust released into the atmosphere is well known all over the world now.

The power paradox

On top of that, the power paradox that has existed for long in Vietnam is exacerbating a socioeconomic problem. As a 2020 World Bank report noted: "Electricity has become relatively expensive for Vietnamese households, while industrial tariffs are low by regional standards. Vietnamese consumers are sensitive to electricity tariffs and increases. Industrial users, in contrast, enjoy electricity tariffs that are on average lower than households and remain at one of the lowest levels in Asia...." It adds that the industrial tariff structure does differentiate between peak and non-peak power.

After all this, it still remains an issue for Vietnam's power grid to ensure stability when the dry season is at its peak with heat waves and demand for power consumption via the use of air-conditioning surges.

All the problems mentioned above can be solved by developing green energy. That is the path Germany and many other nations have chosen so that their people have access to clean, safe, stable and affordable sources of energy.

Another IEA report has said that the proportion of solar and wind power in the total power output of the national grid could exceed more than 30 percent at an affordable investment cost if due improvements are made in policies, management systems, operations, and planning.

Research by the U.S.'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has also concluded that it is possible to have solar and wind power make up 25 percent of the total output on the national grid with just technical and managerial solutions, and that investing in a more flexible system to support the grid is only really necessary when the ratio of clean electricity output to the grid is more than 25 percent. In this instance, storage batteries can be dealt with as a last resort.

Therefore, the argument that it is impossible to send a high proportion of solar or wind power to the grid because there is no storage battery is not completely true.

As a temperate country with solar power potential far behind Vietnam, Canada has still made efforts to tap this renewable source. Last year, the agency I worked for, an education department in the metropolitan region of Vancouver, donated $25,000 to test a rooftop solar system for a school. Despite being the warmest place in Canada, the intensity of solar radiation in this area is less than three-quarters of the average level in Vietnam.

With high investment and relatively low output, this system would take 25 years to break even if the electricity is sold to the grid. But my agency decided to go ahead with it. That project is a model of a bigger plan worth up to $50 million we're working on to install rooftop solar PV for all eight schools in the area.

There are three main reasons for the above decision. First, using solar power will help realize the target of reducing 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 that my agency must comply with. Currently, most emissions in buildings come from burning cheap natural gas to operate the heating system. The goal of reducing emissions will be achieved by converting 50 percent of the heating system from gas to electricity.

Second, in addition to accounting for the additional electricity when switching to the heating system, rooftop solar power will reduce the heavy dependence on the national grid, limiting the risks of electricity price hikes.

Third, a solar power system in schools is the most practical and intuitive lesson for the next generation about the importance of clean energy and sustainable development. It is an invisible social benefit that is easier for students to absorb than theoretical lectures or slogans about environmental protection.

With a precious and almost endless source of solar and wind energy, clean power is the solution for Vietnam to reinforce three pillars of sustainable development: economy, society and environment.

I think that the energy transition should not be understood only as changing the structure of the energy sources. It must be a comprehensive transformation including sources, a regulated power system, transmission network, distribution and consumption.

For this transition, digitizing the entire electrical system is a vital requirement to optimize its operations. Also, the transition will not be successful without long-term, consistent, transparent and fair policies.

The lack of a well thought out strategy and a focus on large scale planning has been main factors for Vietnams failures in the energy sector.

Will we learn from our experience and that of others to make the best of the endless source of clean energy that we have?

This depends on the vision of those who run the nation.

*Nguyen Dang Anh Thi is an expert on environment and energy. The opinions expressed are his own.
Google searches for Christian Porter increased significantly after the ABC published an online article setting out a rape allegation against an unnamed cabinet minister, his lawyers say in documents filed in the Federal Court as part of his defamation claim against the broadcaster.

Mr Porter, who is now the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, filed defamation proceedings against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan on March 15 over a February 26 online article headlined Scott Morrison, senators and AFP told of historical rape allegation against Cabinet Minister.

Attorney-General Christian Porter at a March 3 press conference in which he identified himself as the subject of the ABC report. Credit:Trevor Collens

The Federal Court made orders on March 17 requiring Mr Porter to provide further particulars of how the article identified him even though he wasnt named, as well as more detail about his claim for aggravated damages.

Part of Mr Porters case will be inferential, based on the overwhelming material that we are continuing to collate, Mr Porters lawyer, Rebekah Giles, says in a letter to the ABC emailed on March 23 and now filed in court.
Police will take no action against federal backbencher Andrew Laming, who was accused of taking an inappropriate photograph of a woman while she was bending over.

A number of people were interviewed as part of the investigation and a Queensland police spokesperson said detectives found no evidence to indicate an offence had been committed.

Crystal White started the complaints process at Cleveland police station, east of Brisbane, last Monday after alleging Dr Laming photographed her bottom as she stacked a bar fridge for a Queensland landscaping supplies company in 2019.

Police said she has been advised of the outcome.

Police will take no action against federal backbencher Andrew Laming, who was accused of taking an inappropriate photograph of a woman while she was bending over

'I've documented the incident for now,' Ms White told 9News after visiting the police station to kake the complaint last week.

Witness and Ms White's colleague Sean Blinco also made a statement to officers.

'I'm just here to tell my version of events and just here to support Crystal,' he said.

Taking a photo up a person's skirt is a criminal offence punishable by up to three years in prison. Ms White previously called the photo 'really inappropriate.'

Mr Blinco has said his manager also saw the MP take the picture and forced him to delete it.

Dr Laming claimed the photo attempted to show someone trying to fit an impossible amount of stock into a fridge.

Crystal White alleging Dr Laming photographed her bottom as she stacked a bar fridge for a Queensland landscaping supplies company in 2019

Ms White started the complaints process at Cleveland police station, east of Brisbane, last Monday

'The purpose of the photograph was to show sometimes at work you have these Herculean tasks put to you and she was playing a game of Tetris trying to get every possible can in the fridge,' he told ABC radio.

'All I can do is apologise unreservedly because taking a photo of someone without asking first is a fundamental principle that an MP should be able to adhere to.'

Dr Laming has also been accused of - and has admitted to - harassing two female constituents and is now on leave to undergo empathy training at the request of Scott Morrison.

Pressure continues to mount on the prime minister to expel the LNP MP for the Queensland seat of Bowman from the coalition.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said Dr Laming's position in the coalition party room was untenable.

Mr Laming accused Alix Russo (left) of misappropriating funds at a homeless charity, while Sheena Hewlett (right) said she was forced to contact police after claiming Mr Laming hid in the bushes and took photos of her in a public park

He compared the circumstances to the handling of a rape allegation against NSW state MP Michael Johnsen.

Mr Johnsen was booted from the coalition party rooms after the allegations came to light.

Mr Turnbull said the same approach must be taken towards Dr Laming.

'It's pretty obvious that he should be sitting on the crossbench,' Mr Turnbull said.

'His behaviour is so out of order.'

Mr Johnsen has since resigned from parliament, after further allegations this week that he had invited a prostitute to visit him inside state parliament.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University and Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center] -- Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are an emerging assistive technology, enabling people with paralysis to type on computer screens or manipulate robotic prostheses just by thinking about moving their own bodies. For years, investigational BCIs used in clinical trials have required cables to connect the sensing array in the brain to computers that decode the signals and use them to drive external devices.

Now, for the first time, BrainGate clinical trial participants with tetraplegia have demonstrated use of an intracortical wireless BCI with an external wireless transmitter. The system is capable of transmitting brain signals at single-neuron resolution and in full broadband fidelity without physically tethering the user to a decoding system. The traditional cables are replaced by a small transmitter about 2 inches in its largest dimension and weighing a little over 1.5 ounces. The unit sits on top of a user's head and connects to an electrode array within the brain's motor cortex using the same port used by wired systems.

For a study published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, two clinical trial participants with paralysis used the BrainGate system with a wireless transmitter to point, click and type on a standard tablet computer. The study showed that the wireless system transmitted signals with virtually the same fidelity as wired systems, and participants achieved similar point-and-click accuracy and typing speeds.

"We've demonstrated that this wireless system is functionally equivalent to the wired systems that have been the gold standard in BCI performance for years," said John Simeral, an assistant professor of engineering (research) at Brown University, a member of the BrainGate research consortium and the study's lead author. "The signals are recorded and transmitted with appropriately similar fidelity, which means we can use the same decoding algorithms we used with wired equipment. The only difference is that people no longer need to be physically tethered to our equipment, which opens up new possibilities in terms of how the system can be used."

The researchers say the study represents an early but important step toward a major objective in BCI research: a fully implantable intracortical system that aids in restoring independence for people who have lost the ability to move. While wireless devices with lower bandwidth have been reported previously, this is the first device to transmit the full spectrum of signals recorded by an intracortical sensor. That high-broadband wireless signal enables clinical research and basic human neuroscience that is much more difficult to perform with wired BCIs.

The new study demonstrated some of those new possibilities. The trial participants -- a 35-year-old man and a 63-year-old man, both paralyzed by spinal cord injuries -- were able to use the system in their homes, as opposed to the lab setting where most BCI research takes place. Unencumbered by cables, the participants were able to use the BCI continuously for up to 24 hours, giving the researchers long-duration data including while participants slept.

"We want to understand how neural signals evolve over time," said Leigh Hochberg, an engineering professor at Brown, a researcher at Brown's Carney Institute for Brain Science and leader of the BrainGate clinical trial. "With this system, we're able to look at brain activity, at home, over long periods in a way that was nearly impossible before. This will help us to design decoding algorithms that provide for the seamless, intuitive, reliable restoration of communication and mobility for people with paralysis."

The device used in the study was first developed at Brown in the lab of Arto Nurmikko, a professor in Brown's School of Engineering. Dubbed the Brown Wireless Device (BWD), it was designed to transmit high-fidelity signals while drawing minimal power. In the current study, two devices used together recorded neural signals at 48 megabits per second from 200 electrodes with a battery life of over 36 hours.

While the BWD has been used successfully for several years in basic neuroscience research, additional testing and regulatory permission were required prior to using the system in the BrainGate trial. Nurmikko says the step to human use marks a key moment in the development of BCI technology.

"I am privileged to be part of a team pushing the frontiers of brain-machine interfaces for human use," Nurmikko said. "Importantly, the wireless technology described in our paper has helped us to gain crucial insight for the road ahead in pursuit of next generation of neurotechnologies, such as fully implanted high-density wireless electronic interfaces for the brain."

The new study marks another significant advance by researchers with the BrainGate consortium, an interdisciplinary group of researchers from Brown, Stanford and Case Western Reserve universities, as well as the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2012, the team published landmark research in which clinical trial participants were able, for the first time, to operate multidimensional robotic prosthetics using a BCI. That work has been followed by a steady stream of refinements to the system, as well as new clinical breakthroughs that have enabled people to type on computers, use tablet apps and even move their own paralyzed limbs.

"The evolution of intracortical BCIs from requiring a wire cable to instead using a miniature wireless transmitter is a major step toward functional use of fully implanted, high-performance neural interfaces," said study co-author Sharlene Flesher, who was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford and is now a hardware engineer at Apple. "As the field heads toward reducing transmitted bandwidth while preserving the accuracy of assistive device control, this study may be one of few that captures the full breadth of cortical signals for extended periods of time, including during practical BCI use."

The new wireless technology is already paying dividends in unexpected ways, the researchers say. Because participants are able to use the wireless device in their homes without a technician on hand to maintain the wired connection, the BrainGate team has been able to continue their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In March 2020, it became clear that we would not be able to visit our research participants' homes," said Hochberg, who is also a critical care neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and director of the V.A. Rehabilitation Research and Development Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology. "But by training caregivers how to establish the wireless connection, a trial participant was able to use the BCI without members of our team physically being there. So not only were we able to continue our research, this technology allowed us to continue with the full bandwidth and fidelity that we had before."

Simeral noted that, "Multiple companies have wonderfully entered the BCI field, and some have already demonstrated human use of low-bandwidth wireless systems, including some that are fully implanted. In this report, we're excited to have used a high-bandwidth wireless system that advances the scientific and clinical capabilities for future systems."

###

Brown has a licensing agreement with Blackrock Microsystems to make the device available to neuroscience researchers around the world. The BrainGate team plans to continue to use the device in ongoing clinical trials.

Other authors on this latest research were Thomas Hosman, Jad Saab, Marco Vilela, Brian Franco, Jessica Kelemen, David Brandman, John Ciancibello, Paymon Rezaii, Emad Eskandar, David Rosler, Krishna Shenoy and Jaimie Henderson.

The work was supported in part by NIH BRAIN Initiative - NINDS (UH2NS095548), the Department of Veterans Affairs (N9228C, N2864C, A2295R, B6453R, P1155R); NIH-NIDCD (R01DC009899, R01DC014034); NIH-NIBIB (R01EB007401); the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) of Massachusetts General Hospital; MGH-Deane Institute; DARPA REPAIR; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford; Larry and Pamela Garlick; Samuel and Betsy Reeves; the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford University and Conquer Paralysis Now (004698).

Disclosure: Arto Nurmikko is an inventor of wireless neural device U.S. Patent #10433754. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH, the Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Government.

Caution: Investigational device. Limited by federal law to investigational use.
The fishing grounds where Jung Kuenbae and his forbears have caught shrimp, butterfish and croakers for three generations are going to be turned into the worlds largest offshore wind farm. Hes OK with that.

I initially opposed the idea when the plan was proposed because it will destroy our livelihood, said Jung, who leads a group of local fishermen in some 200 ships that drop nets in the waters off the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula. But I realized the project is part of the countrys transition to cleaner energy, which is something we have to come to terms with, rather than fighting against it.

The 48.5 trillion won ($42.8 billion) wind farm, to be built over the next decade off the southwest coast of the country, would generate up to 8.2 gigawatts of power, one of a catalog of grand projects the government wants to roll out with private sector backing to meet its ambition of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Its a momentous challenge. South Koreas industrial ascent since the 1960s has made it one of the worlds top 10 energy users, with electricity consumption per capita ahead of both Japan and Germany. And two thirds of that comes from fossil fuels. Renewable energy accounted for only 6.5% of South Koreas generation in 2019, with nuclear making up the balance.

South Korea will have to source almost all of its electricity from renewable energy if its ever going to reach climate neutrality by 2050, said Lee Sanghoon, president of the New and Renewable Energy Center at Korea Energy Agency. It is a daunting task.

Many countries are scaling up wind energy. Developers set a record last year as they installed 96.3 gigawatts of wind turbines globally, according to clean energy research group BloombergNEF. That would be enough to power about 36 million American households. The International Energy Agency estimates that at least 160 gigawatts of wind has to be added per year by 2025 in order to meet the Paris Agreement's goals.

After retaining power last year on the promise of a Green New Deal, President Moon Jae-ins Democratic Party has brought a new urgency to the transition, with a proposal to get more than 20% of its energy from renewables by 2030. For South Korea, its not just about curbing emissions. Apart from a tiny amount of gas and coal, all its fossil fuels are imported, costing the nation $73 billion a year.

With its conventional hydropower resources almost fully utilized and a climate and topography ill-suited for large solar and onshore wind plants, the country is looking out to sea to solve the problem. It already has the worlds biggest tidal power plant at Sihwa Lake. But the government sees one of its best prospects is to harness 12 GW from offshore wind by 2030, compared with less than 0.2 GW now.

The open seas have more consistent wind speeds and provide space to install the biggest, most efficient turbines. Just by using sites in shallow water that are near to shore, the world could get enough electricity to meet all global demand. With floating turbines that go further out to sea, wind power could satisfy more than 10 times the worlds total electricity demand by 2040, an IEA analysis showed.

So far countries in northern Europe such as the U.K., Denmark and Germany have dominated the offshore wind industry, thanks to generous government subsidies and unusually shallow waters of the North Sea. But that's starting to change. Last year China installed a record-number of offshore wind turbines to become the world leader in total capacity. U.S. President Joe Bidens administration plans to rapidly scale up wind farms off the east coast.

About 80 miles from the Korean island of Shinan, where the fisherman Jung lives, maintenance workers in helmets and orange life jackets climb a 200 meter-tall tower at the nations biggest existing commercial offshore wind farm, 30 minutes by boat from the port of Buan. The projects 60 MW capacity is less than 1% of the proposed new wind farm in Shinan.

The complex, in the Southwest Sea, will be expanded to 2.46 GW after 2027, according to Korea Offshore Wind Power Corp., a special purpose company formed by state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. and six other generators.

One of the major challenges to achieving these goals is local opposition. A BloombergNEF report in September predicted that South Korea could fall short of the governments target wind power by 4.6 GW, mainly due to severe opposition from local residents.

To ease conflict with the community, the Shinan government in 2018 passed rules allowing them to acquire a 30% stake in local renewable energy projects. That will provide a windfall for residents of six of the islands in the archipelago this month when last years profits from two solar plants are distributed.

Renewable energy will become a stable source of income for Shinan residents, who are mostly in their 70s and 80s, said Kim Jung Dae, a 63-year-old farmer who represents a group of local residents. I wouldnt be surprised if Shinan became the most well-off island in the country.

There are other challenges. Wind power in South Korea currently costs about $220 per megawatt hour, according to IHS Markit, among the highest in the world.

Youd need the wind to blow at 13 meters per second all day every day to run at full capacity of 8.2 gigawatts, which is impossible, said Joo Han Gyu, a professor at Seoul National Universitys department of nuclear engineering. The economics of these wind turbines make no sense and the increased cost will eventually fall upon individuals.

South Koreas wind ambitions also rely on a sustained effort from dozens of private companies. The Shinan wind project, for example, is composed of about 20 separate ventures by corporations including SK E&S Co. and Hanwha Engineering & Construction Corp. That means plans could get scrapped or modified as each company goes through the long process of obtaining permits and calculating costs.

To help accelerate installations, a one-stop shop bill will be proposed in the first half of this year that will allow the government to take the helm in exploring potential offshore sites and getting required permits, said Yoon Sunghyuk, a director of the renewable energy division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

One answer may be to develop floating plants that can be moored further out than fixed turbines, which are limited to shallow water, said Lee from the Korea Energy Agency. Several such projects are planned by companies including Korea National Oil Corp. and Equinor ASA, which aim to jointly construct a 200-megawatt complex in the East Sea near Ulsan.

For Jung, sitting in his office in Mokpo, the countrys interest in offshore wind has led him to see the energy transition as an opportunity, rather than the end of his career.

No one knows the sea here better than us. Im sure there will be plenty of work we can do, Jung said. If you cant turn the tide, its better to embrace the flow.
In Abidjan, supporters of former president Laurent Gbagbo expressed their joy on social networks and in meetings, particularly in Yopougon. This large suburb, considered a Gbagbo stronghold and which recently elected his son Michel to parliament, was the scene of celebration. Groups of people formed spontaneously to follow broadcast of the decision and let their joy explode afterwards.

This decision is final. Gbagbo and his last defence minister Charles Ble Goude will no longer face prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in the dock at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Judges of the ICC Appeals Chamber acquitted the two Ivorian personalities, confirming a decision of the lower court in January 2019.

Local MPs like Dia Houphouet did not hesitate to take part in these celebrations, which were less significant than those of January 2019. People are happy to know that this case is finally over. We knew they werent going to say anything else. In any case, they could not go back to prison, said Franck Djedje, a student close to Gbagbo whom we met in Yopougon.

300 Gbagbo supporters still in jail

With the exception of Yopougon, Cote dIvoires economic capital greeted the decision with calm. Ivorians, no doubt exhausted by a long, frequently interrupted trial, have become somewhat disconnected from the ICC. But memories of the 2010-2011 electoral crisis remain, with several people in prison for cases related to this episode, which resulted in more than 3,000 deaths and was the most violent in Cote dIvoires history to date.

Desiree Douati, daughter of Gbagbos former minister Alphonse Douati, is president of the Association of Women and Families of Prisoners of Conscience in Cote dIvoire (AFFDO-CI). Reached by phone a few minutes after the judges decision, she was thinking of people close to Gbagbo still in jail. We are happy, she said. We are proud to have held out despite the great oppression that has reigned in the country. I take this opportunity to ask that all civilian and military detainees still in custody in Cote dIvoire be released. She went on to say she does not think reconciliation is working well. As long as there is an Ivorian in prison for his or her opinions, our record will be negative. Today, we have more than 300 people unjustly incarcerated, including about 30 who have been detained for ten years. We demand that all these people be released!

She thinks no Gbagbo supporter or person close to the president has a place in prison because at no time in ten years has anyone close to Ouattara [the current president] been arrested, charged, or placed under a detention order, even a provisional one, for acts he or she may have committed. Cote dIvoire must follow the path of reconciliation through forgiveness, not through a less than impartial justice system, added the president of AFFDO-CI. She concluded with a tribute to Aboudrahamane Sangare, a political companion of Gbagbo, who died in 2018 and who had predicted his release.

This decision enshrines impunity in Cote dIvoire

The ICC appeals decision has sparked reactions among victims. Issiaka Diaby, president of the Collective of Victims of Cote dIvoire (CVCI), was at the Plateau courthouse in Abidjans administrative district when he heard that Gbagbo and Ble Goude had been acquitted. He had been going there regularly for the past few days to participate in the trial of Amade Oueremi, a former militiaman accused of participating in mass killings in the western town of Duekoue during the 2010-2011 crisis.

After this decision, some victims feel that they have been the victims of a judicial farce, that the prosecutors office and the ICC were in cahoots to violate their fundamental rights. This decision enshrines impunity in Cote dIvoire, said Issiaka Diaby, who believes that this outcome is a serious matter for this institution of international justice that has worked for eight years. Three thousand dead and no one is guilty! he lamented. We will meet with the victims within 48 hours to soothe their hearts and ease their suffering.

My husband is not coming back

Located between the Plateau, Abidjans administrative district, and Yopougon, the commune of Attecoube has many victims of the crisis. Among them is Catherine K, whose husband lost his life during the post-election crisis. This mother of two who received compensation from the Ivorian government in 2018 was not interested in the verdict pronounced more than 7,000 kilometres away from her modest neighbourhood.

My son, I have moved on, she said. I dont have any particular reaction. If they are free, thank God. Its good for them and their children. My husband is not coming back. Now my children are growing up and they dont have a job. The month is over and I still havent found the money for the rent. What do I care about Gbagbos case?

Now 55 and struggling to make ends meet, she says that she no longer expects anything from politicians or international bodies. They gave us money and then it was over. No one has come back. Are the presidents thinking about me? Does the ICC think about me? Why should I think about them? My husband is dead. All I want is for my children to work so that they can bury me one day, she says, her voice hoarse with emotion.

Those who are celebrating or those who are angry have lost nothing in the crisis, says this victim, who calls for lasting peace in Cote dIvoire.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Hyatt Regency on February 26, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The probe into Rep. Matt Gaetz is linked to his associate Joel Greenberg, per several reports.

Greenberg is a former county tax official charged with a slew of crimes including sex trafficking.

Gaetz has denied allegations he was involved in a sexual relationship with a 17-year old.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The investigation into allegations that Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz trafficked a teen girl emerged from a probe into an associate who worked as a tax official and is charged with sex trafficking and stalking, according to several reports.

Three sources told NBC News on Thursday that the probe into the Congressman emerged from the investigation into Orlando-area former tax collector Joel Greenberg.

The connection between the investigations was first reported by The New York Times on Wednesday.

Gaetz has strenuously denied the allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him, possibly breaking sex trafficking laws.

He said the allegations are part of a plot to extort him and his family.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The Greenberg case goes back to June 2020, when he was arraigned on federal charges including sex trafficking, identity theft and stalking, prompting his resignation as the tax collector for Florida's Seminole County, an elected position.

Federal prosecutors allege that he trafficked a minor with whom he was engaged in a "sugar daddy" sexual relationship. They also claim he launched a smear campaign against a rival for his job whom he falsely accused of sexual misconduct.

On Wednesday new charges were filed against Greenberg, with investigators alleging that he committed wire fraud and money laundering, and misused a pandemic loan, according to News 6 WKMG, an Orlando news channel.

Greenberg pleaded not guilty to the initial charges, and is scheduled to be arraigned on the more recent charges next week, reported NBC News.

He is currently being held in jail awaiting trial in June, having broken his bail conditions in March, reported the Orlando Sun Sentinel.

Story continues

It is not clear exactly how the Gaetz case and the case against Greenberg tie together

Greenberg was elected as a tax official in Seminole in 2016, displacing an official who had held the position for three decades and who was embroiled in a real estate controversy, The Orlando Sentinel reported.

The association between Greenberg and Gaetz is known partly from pictures posted by Greenberg on social media.

In 2017 Greenberg posted a picture of himself, Greenberg and veteran political "dirty tricks" specialist Roger Stone.

In 2019 Greenberg posted a picture of himself and Gaetz, a prominent ally of former President Donald Trump, outside the White House.

Gaetz championed Greenberg for a potential run for Congress in 2017, describing him as a "disruptor" in an interview with local radio station WFLA.

Greenberg's tenure as a tax collector was marked by a series of headline-making scandals. He was accused of using his tax official badge to pull over a motorist he accused of speeding, and misusing public funds, reported Spectrum News 13.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 10:36:47|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Namibia joined the international community in condemning the ongoing insurgency in Mozambique, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said on Wednesday.

"Namibia condemns in the strongest terms, the killing of dozens of innocent people in the town of Palma and neighboring areas," Nandi-Ndaitwah said in a statement.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said they have not received any reports of Namibians killed in these attacks thus far.

"Our government extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this heinous attack. The security situation in Mozambique has been a source of concern for the last few years, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries had resolved to deal with this matter, but the COVID-19 pandemic had stalled any meaningful engagement," she added.

The SADC is engaging with the government of Mozambique to ascertain the best way to support the country, and work has been ongoing in this regard, Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

She said they hope that in the near future, cooperation in this regard will be finalized to restore stability and security in the Mozambique, for the sake of peace in the region. Enditem
[April 01, 2021] Tauriga Sciences Inc. Completes the Translations of Its 25mg Tauri-Gum Blister Pack Into the Following Languages: Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, French, German, Italian, Finnish, and Turkish



The Company is Focused on the International Expansion of Its Flagship Brand Tauri-Gum NEW YORK, NY, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire --Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: TAUG) (Tauriga or the Company), a revenue generating, diversified life sciences company, with a proprietary line of CBD & CBG infused Supplement chewing gums (Flavors: Pomegranate, Blood Orange, Peach-Lemon, Pear Bellini, Mint, Black Currant), additional product offerings, as well as an ongoing Pharmaceutical Development initiative, today announced that it has completed the translated versions of its Tauri-Gum blister pack (packaging) into the following twelve languages: Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, French, German, Italian, Finnish, and Turkish. The Company is focused on the international expansion of its flagship Tauri-Gum brand, which has recently been enhanced to 25mg infusion concentration(s) for its CBD & CBG products. ABOUT TAURIGA SCIENCES INC. Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (TAUG) is a revenue generating, diversified life sciences company, engaged in several major business activities and initiatives. The company manufactures and distributes several proprietary retail products and product lines, mainly focused on the Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG) Edibles market segment. The main product line, branded as Tauri-Gum, consists of a proprietary supplement chewing gum that is Kosher certified, Halal certified, and Vegan Formulated (CBD Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Mint, Blood Orange, Pomegranate), (CBG Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Peach-Lemon, Black Currant), (Vitamin C + Zinc Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Pear Bellini), (Caffeine Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Cherry Lime Rickey), & (Vitamin D3 Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Golden Raspberry). The Companys commercialization strategy consists of a broad array of retail customers, distributors, and a fast-growing E-Commerce business segment (E-Commerce website: www.taurigum.com). Please visit our corporate website, for additional information, as well as inquiries, at http://www.tauriga.com



Complementary to the Companys retail business, is its ongoing Pharmaceutical Development initiative. This relates to the development of a proposed Pharmaceutical grade version of Tauri-Gum, for nausea regulation (specifically designed for the following indication: Patients Subjected to Ongoing Chemotherapy Treatment). On March 22, 2021, the Company announced that it had Converted its U.S. Provisional Patent Application (filed on March 17, 2020) into a U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application. The Patent, filed with the U.S.P.T.O. is Titled MEDICATED CBD COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MANUFACTURING, AND METHODS OF TREATMENT. On December 18, 2020 the Company disclosed that it had entered into a Master Services Agreement with CSTI to lead the Company's clinical development efforts. The Company is headquartered in Wappingers Falls, New York. In addition, the Company operates two full time E-Commerce fulfillment centers: one located in Montgomery, Texas and the other in Brooklyn, New York.

DISCLAIMER -- Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which represent managements beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are often indicated by using words such as may, will, expects, anticipates, believes, hopes, believes, or plans, and may include statements regarding corporate objectives as well as the attainment of certain corporate goals and milestones. Forward-looking statements are based on present circumstances and on managements present beliefs with respect to events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences or timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in forward looking statements due to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, such as are not guarantees of general economic and business conditions, the ability to successfully develop and market products, consumer and business consumption habits, the ability to consummate successful acquisition and licensing transactions, fluctuations in exchange rates, and other factors over which Tauriga has little or no control. Many of these risks and uncertainties are discussed in greater detail in the Risk Factors section of Taurigas Form 10-K and other periodic filings made from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release, and Tauriga assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the Company will generate any future revenue, from bidding on U.S. Government contract(s). Contact: Tauriga Sciences, Inc. 4 Nancy Court, Suite 4 Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 Chief Executive Officer Mr. Seth M. Shaw Email: sshaw@tauriga.com cell # (917) 796 9926 Company Instagram: @taurigum Personal Instagram: @sethsms47 Twitter: @SethMShaw Corp. Website: www.tauriga.com E-Commerce Website: www.taurigum.com Attachment 04_01_2021 Afternoon PR Image



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Stacey Abrams is at the forefront of efforts to fight Georgias new voting law, and may help overturn it as governor after 2022. Photo: Michael A McCoy/AP/Shutterstock/Michael A McCoy/AP/Shutterstock

Democrats in the Georgia legislature had no power to stop the Republicans who control the General Assembly and the governors office from enacting a sweeping new package of voting rules adopted to reverse the GOPs 2020 election losses in the state. Yes, negative publicity about the changes and the underlying determination to reduce voting by troublesome pro-Democratic minority folks led Republicans to drop some of the most pernicious provisions of earlier bills, like abolishing Sunday early, in-person voting and abolition of no-excuse voting by mail. But now that the deed is done, what can the laws critics do to undo the damage? There are three different avenues:

Go to court

Before the ink was dry on Governor Brian Kemps signature on the new law, voting-rights advocates (including the New Georgia Project, Stacey Abramss legendary initiative to register and mobilize minority voters) went to federal court to seek an injunction to halt implementation of the law. Renowned Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias is representing the plaintiffs, who charge that the bill violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and also Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits state laws that dilute minority participation in voting and governance. Their case is buttressed by the rich record of public comments by Georgia (and national) Republicans justifying the new law as a way to turn back the clock on the political trends that carried the state for Joe Biden last November, and won the Senate for Democrats in two January runoffs.

Aside from aggrieved individuals, the Justice Deparment can join or launch Article 2 lawsuits, and its likely that Merrick Garlands federal law-enforcement agency will do just that. The likelihood that other state legislatures controlled by Republicans will join Georgia in cracking down on voting opportunities could create a powerful basis for litigation in the federal courts, though no one should imagine the U.S. Supreme Court  led by Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the 2013 opinion gutting the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act that paved the way for Georgias actions  will be sympathetic.

Preempt state election laws in Congress

The Georgia crackdown on ballot access coincided with the beginning of Senate consideration of the For the People Act, a package of legislation solidifying and expanding voting rights in federal elections. If the bill is enacted, which seems unlikely but is still possible, this legislation would preempt much of the new Georgia law by requiring easy access to voting by mail, including the drop boxes and proactive mailing of ballots, which have now been restricted. It would also mean more generous in-person and voting-by-mail opportunities, limits on voter-ID requirements, and a host of other reforms not even on the table in Georgia. In effect, such legislation would set strong national standards for voting rights and election administration that would prevent the sort of race to the bottom Republican-run states are currently engaging in, as part of their effort to reverse the trends that gave Democrats trifecta control of the federal government.

Short of the omnibus reforms in the For the People Act, congressional Democrats could buttress voting-rights prospectively, perhaps by enacting the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore the original VRA enforcement scheme. That would put a pause on voting-suppression measures by states with a history of racist election administration (like Georgia) until they are reviewed by the Justice Department.

Take back control of state government in 2022

The most definitive action Georgia Democrats and their allies could take to mitigate the damage wrought by the new law is to use it to mobilize voters to end Republican control of the state in 2022, or at least convince Republicans its smarter to expand their coalition than to deny the franchise to the minority voters they continue to alienate.

The odds are high that Georgias preeminent voting-rights champion, Stacey Abrams, will seek a rematch with Brian Kemp in 2022. Given the governors own extensive history of manipulating the voting rolls and election administration to further his own career, along with his signature on the new law, its very likely an AbramsKemp race will be, in no small part, a referendum on voting rights and a test of voter mobilization (and its possible Kemp himself will be purged by Trump allies who want to do far worse to the voting rights of their enemies). If Abrams joins newly elected Senator Raphael Warnock (who faces voters again in 2022 after winning a special election) at the top of the Democratic ticket next year, a broader party message of diversity and equal justice for a state long dominated by reactionary white men will be unmistakable.
London, April 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Apr, 2021 ) :Oil producing countries grouped together under the OPEC+ alliance led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed Thursday to only limited output increases as of next month.

Crude prices shot higher after the announcement, with the main international contract, Brent, rising 1.8 percent to $63.84, while the US contract WTI jumped 2.1 percent to 60.39.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the ministers noted "improvements in the market supported by global vaccination programmes and stimulus packages in key economies".

However, they also noted "the volatility observed in recent weeks warrants a continued cautious and vigilant approach in monitoring market developments." Kazakhstan's energy ministry said that a decision was taken to collectively increase output by OPEC+ countries by 350,000 barrels per day in May, 350,000 bpd in June and 450,000 bpd in July.

Under its current agreement, the OPEC+ group -- made up of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia -- is enforcing drastic cuts in production, meaning seven million barrels that could be shipped to markets every day are being left in the ground.

- Gradual increase - "The OPEC+ decision for a gradual output increase surprised some energy traders," said market analyst Edward Moya at Oanda, who said expectations were for no increase in May but a stronger hike in June.

"Given the improving crude demand outlook in Europe, oil prices did not completely fall off a cliff given the staggered output increase across May through July," he added.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman stressed that the decision could still be "tweaked" in the alliance's monthly meetings.

Before the meeting Prince Abdulaziz said that "the reality remains that the global picture is far from even, and the recovery is far from complete".

"And until the evidence of the recovery is undeniable, we should maintain this cautious stance." Prince Abdulaziz praised the OPEC+ alliance nations for more than fulfilling their current commitments to restrain output.

The cuts were aimed at avoiding limited storage capacity being saturated and supporting prices.

- Russian optimism - While Saudi officials urged caution about opening up the taps too much too fast, their Russian counterparts expressed optimism, both before and after the meeting.

"Today, there are figures that are much more positive concerning the market, including the level of stocks which have considerably fallen as demand increases," Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Rossiya 24 television following the meeting.

"Vaccination is already yielding positive results so that demand is recovering," he added.

While acknowledging uncertainty remains, Novak said "We're optimistic about the future." He said that the tone of Thursday's meeting was more positive than those at the beginning of the year.

With the northern hemisphere heading towards summer, Novak said he expected demand to rise as road and air traffic increase.

"We think the situation on the market will normalise and that we're going to see positive indicators," he added.

Earlier this month the International Energy Agency (IEA) took a more downbeat outlook about the oil market, estimating that global demand could take another two years to get back to its pre-crisis levels.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Read more about coronavirus updates from around the world and vaccine news, get the latest on fallout and opposition to Georgias new voting law and see more stories trending online today.

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North Dakota bans govt officials from mistreating churches during pandemics

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North Dakota has passed a law that largely prohibits the state government from treating houses of worship worse than non-religious establishments during times of emergency.

Gov. Doug Burgum signed Senate Bill 2181 into law on Monday, which amends subsection 12 of section 23-01-05 and section 37-17.1-05 of the North Dakota Century Code.

The new law prohibits state government health officials from, among other things, issuing emergency orders that treat religious bodies worse than secular entities unless a compelling state interest exists.

SB 2181 states that any orders relating to disease control measures cannot substantially burden a person's exercise of religion unless the order is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest." The states that officials can't treat religious conduct more restrictively than any secular conduct of reasonably comparable risk, unless the government demonstrates through clear and convincing scientific evidence that a particular religious activity poses an extraordinary health risk.

Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal nonprofit that has filed multiple lawsuits on behalf of churches against various state restrictions on in-person worship during the pandemic, celebrated the news.

Houses of worship and religious organizations provide soul-sustaining operations that are essential to our society and protected by the First Amendment, ADF Legal Counsel Greg Chafuen said in a statement.

We commend North Dakota for making it clear that officials cant use a public crisis to discriminate against religious operations while promoting secular ones, and we encourage other states to pursue similar legislation.

Sponsored by six Republican state lawmakers, SB 2181 garnered broad support in the North Dakota legislature, passing the Senate by a vote of 46-0 and the House by a vote of 88-4.

Earlier this month, the North Dakota Catholic Conference sent an open letter to the House Judiciary Committee expressing its support for the legislation.

The nationwide pandemic has brought renewed attention to how government actions can, intentionally or not, restrict the exercise of religious freedom, the conference argued in its March 16 letter.

For the most part, North Dakota has been spared the imposition of rules and policies unduly interfere with religious activity. Nevertheless, both the state and people of faith could benefit from established protections and parameters in the law.

The House of Representatives in Oklahoma passed a similar bill earlier this month that states that no governmental entity shall substantially burden a persons free exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability.
Time Out Group is seeking to raise 2million more than it originally planned from its fundraising round following 'strong demand' from institutional investors.

It now says it expects to raise 17million from issuing more than 48.5 million shares that constitute 17.1 per cent of the magazine publisher's total share capital.

The media firm's announcement comes two days after it released financial results showing its year-on-year losses surged by 91 per cent in the last six months of 2020.

Media firm Time Out Group now says it expects to raise 17million from its fundraising round

Leisure site closures and travel curbs due to the coronavirus pandemic were blamed by the group for severely affecting its earnings from hospitality, print media and advertising.

However, the business hopes the loosening of lockdown restrictions will lead to a revival in its fortunes. It has already reopened its Miami market and plans to inaugurate its first market in the Middle East next week.

The group, whose founder Tony Elliott died last July, initially declared on Tuesday that it said it had sought to raise 15 million earlier this week, saying the cash could help expand its digital advertising proposition and reopen Time Out Markets.

Chief executive Julio Bruno said: 'Thanks to the support of our shareholders and new investors, this successful fundraise will allow Time Out to emerge from this period of disruption in a stronger position.

'We now look forward to once again opening the doors of our existing Time Out Markets and to opening new ones in great cities around the world.'

Time Out has nonetheless had to scale back its expansion plans because of Covid-19. Last week, it announced that its planned Waterloo market, which would have been housed under the station's old Eurostar platforms, would no longer be developed.

Cancelled: Time Out announced last week that its planned Waterloo market, which would have been housed under the station's old Eurostar platforms, would no longer be developed

Meanwhile, it stated its print edition magazines have only relaunched in certain countries and that its print products would only come back when they are backed by sufficient advertising support and are economically viable.

Net revenues at its media wing plummeted by 59 per cent to 8.96million, as it lost all its advertising sales from live events, over 80 per cent from its print division, and 40 per cent from digital markets.

Trade was more acutely impacted in its markets division though, with sites being hit by restrictions on capacity and food ranges after they partially reopened in July and August before all venues were forced to close again by December.

Time Out Magazine was founded in 1968 by Tony Elliott, who died in July 2020 aged 73

Its net revenues declined by 82 per cent while its adjusted earnings went from a 195,00 profit in 2019 to a 6.2million loss. New management agreements were still signed though, and it is set to open additional markets in Porto, London Spitalfields, and Prague in the next few years.

Julio Bruno told the City A.M. newspaper in February that he was optimistic his company would rejuvenate when Covid-19 is brought under control, saying: 'We are expecting a renaissance post-Covid, a renaissance of culture and going out.'

He added: 'I don't see suddenly a new world where everybody lives in the Matrix, where we're living in a two-dimensional world instead of a three-dimensional world.'

Shares in Time Out Group were down 1.2 per cent to 40p this morning.
Facing boycott threats over their earlier public neutrality on a new voting rights law in Georgia, Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola on Wednesday publicly slammed the state measure and vowed to work to ensure better ballot access.

Delta chief executive Ed Bastian called the new Georgia state law "unacceptable" in a memo to staff, while Coca-Cola chief James Quincey said in a broadcast interview the controversial measure was "a step backward."

The statements came as big companies in Georgia and beyond face pressure from civil rights leaders to fight against a wave of voting rights changes in myriad states that critics have likened to Jim Crow-era restrictions used to repress the political power of African Americans.

Georgia's new law comes after unprecedented turnout in the 2020 election due to increased use of early voting and vote-by-mail amid the coronavirus pandemic, in a state with a history of slavery and segregation where Black people have faced decades of attempts to inhibit their votes.

Major lobbies such as the Business Roundtable have broadly endorsed ballot access and initiatives to promote voting, but individual companies have largely tried to steer clear of thorny legislative debates on voting in an era of US political polarization.

Quincey said Coca-Cola had always opposed the new Georgia law.

"Many things are improved and done and achieved in private without having to take a public stand," he told CNBC. "But in this case, it has not worked, clearly, so we're being more forceful in our public position."

- Georgia not alone -

A group of 72 prominent Black executives -- including Merck chief executive Kenneth Frazier and Mellody Hobson and John Rogers Jr, the co-chief executives of Ariel Investments -- released a public letter Wednesday calling for corporate America to oppose restrictive voting measures, US media reported.

The Georgia measure, signed into law last week by Republican Governor Brian Kemp, imposes voter identification requirements, limits the number of voting drop boxes and enacts other restrictions, such as forbidding volunteers from giving water bottles to voters who can be forced to wait in line for hours.

Story continues

Voting rights advocates had sought support from big corporations in the large southern state, whose capital Atlanta is also home to the headquarters to Home Depot and UPS. But the companies had largely stayed publicly quiet throughout the bruising legislative debate.

Kemp, in an interview on CNBC Wednesday, said the measure had been misrepresented by opponents, noting that the law ensures more early voting days than many states and automatic voter registration when obtaining a driver's license.

But critics say measures such as restricting the access to voting drop boxes to business hours are designed to depress turnout, and make it difficult for those in underrepresented communities to vote.

Georgia was one of the most hotly contested states in the 2020 election, with President Joe Biden narrowly prevailing over Donald Trump, who claimed falsely that he lost Georgia due to voter fraud.

Legislators in 43 states have introduced more than 250 bills that would make it harder to vote in response to the former president's "continued lies about voter fraud," according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a progressive think tank.

- 'Based on a lie' -

After Kemp signed the bill into law, Delta released a statement last Friday that said it "engaged extensively" with lawmakers in both parties to improve the bill, while adding that "there continues to be work ahead" on the matter.

However, the company faced consumer criticism, with #BoycottDelta trending on Twitter over the weekend.

Bastian said Wednesday's announcement came after the company had more time to "fully understand" the bill and its effect on the Black community.

"The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections," Bastian said.

Nse Ufot, chief executive of the New Georgia Project Action Fund, applauded Delta's shift, "even if it's late."

"Conversations with Black and Brown leaders must happen at all stages and all areas of decision-making, not after the damage is done," she wrote in a statement. "Here's the lesson: listen to Black and Brown people. Listen to young voters. Listen to new voters. We are the future, and our voices matter."

jmb/bfm
Pioneering scientist Dame Kathleen Lonsdale, who was born in Newbridge, Co Kildare, has been honoured today by English Heritage with the erection of a Blue Plaque at her childhood home.

The organisation, which cares for historic monuments, sites and buildings, unveiled the plaque today, Thursday, April 1, to mark the 50th anniversary of her death. The plaques are well-known symbols which link the connections between locations and famous people.

English Heritage will this year honour six women with Blue Plaques. Others to receive the accolade will include Diana, the Princess of Wales, social reformer Caroline Norton, designer Jean Muir, former slave and campaigner Ellen Craft, barrister Helena Normanton.

Kathleen Lonsdales plaque marks her childhood home in Seven Kings, Redbridge, where she lived from 1911 to 1927  a formative time encompassing her education, the First World War, and her early days at UCL and the Royal Institute, according to English Heritage.

Dame Kathleen Lonsdale

She was born Kathleen Yardley in 1903, the daughter of a Newbridge postmaster. Her family moved to Essex when she was five. She became a leading X-ray crystallographer and the first female Professor of University College London (UCL). She was elected as one of the first women Fellows of the Royal Society in 1945 and was the first woman president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Dame Kathleen was also a noted prison reformer and pacifist.

The Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research was named in her honour at Maynooth University in 2019, and a portrait of her was unveiled at DCU's Future Tech building earlier this year as part of its 'Women On Walls' series.

Principle Curator of Science at National Museums Scotland, and English Heritage Blue Plaques Panel member Rebekah Higgitt said, via English Heritage: Kathleen Lonsdale played a fundamental role in establishing crystallography as a research field and, in particular, progressing the new techniques of X-Ray crystallography. As a woman in science, she achieved a number of remarkable firsts, including being one of the first two women to be elected to the Royal Society and the first female president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Her strong views on supporting women in science helped pave the way for the next generation of female scientists, and we hope that this plaque will inspire more support for and recognition of young women who take up careers in the STEM field.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 16:09:47|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Thursday announced the optimizing measures of four senior secondary core subjects, in which Liberal Studies will be renamed as Citizenship and Social Development.

Hong Kong's Curriculum Development Council and the Public Examinations Board of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority endorsed on Wednesday the proposals to optimize the four senior secondary core subjects, namely Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies, and made recommendations to the bureau.

According to the proposals, Liberal Studies will be renamed and the core content of the curriculum will cover three themes: Hong Kong, the nation and the contemporary world. While the subject would remain compulsory for public assessment, the school-based assessment component would be removed. Students would be provided with mainland study opportunities.

The bureau accepted the proposals on Thursday and issued a circular memorandum to schools to provide details about the implementation of the optimizing measures of the respective subjects at Secondary Four in the 2021/22 school year.

The bureau announced last November that the HKSAR government has decided to streamline the curriculum content of Liberal Studies and optimize the subject's teaching materials and examination arrangements. The optimized curriculum will focus on nurturing students' positive values and attitudes, and national identity. Enditem
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Lisa Barlow loves working as she has several businesses, including the tequila brand VIDA. Her young sons have already gotten into it as they recently launched a luxury mens grooming products company, Fresh Wolf. However, many viewers believe Barlow created the business. She addressed the rumor on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

Watch What Happens with Andy Cohen  Episode 18035  Pictured in this screen grab: Lisa Barlow | Bravo

Lisa Barlow debuted on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

Originally born in New York, LUXE marketing company owner Lisa Barlow has called Utah her home for over 20 years. She also owns several other businesses, including the tequila brand VIDA.

While still very religious, Barlow believes shes a Mormon 2.0 who doesnt have to follow all of the traditional and usually strict Morman rules. Married to John, the couple has two sons and spends most of the time working one of their businesses together.

RELATED: RHOSLC: Meredith Marks Responds to Fans Who Thinks She Shouldve Stood up for Lisa Barlow During Reunion

Shes also close friends with celebrity jewelry designer Meredith Marks and her family. Therefore, Barlow was devastated when Marks initially shared she and her husband Seth separated. However, the two have since reconciled.

During the first season, the business owner got into arguments with Heather Gay, who Barlow offended by referring to her as a good-time girl, and Whitney Rose, a housewife who accused the New York native of calling her and her husband swingers.

Her kids started a grooming product brand, Fresh Wolf

Barlow, who loves working, enjoys setting goals and making vision boards in her downtime with her family. Although she loves them, she seemingly enjoys work more as she ignored her children to focus on her Sundance event.

During an episode, she claimed the kids wanted to spend her time with her, so she encouraged them to start their own ventures.

We are so proud of Jack and Henry for creating Fresh Wolf. For everyone unit purchased a 2-in-1 body wash/shampoo is donated to a boy in foster care. https://t.co/DZWZ5ACFkN pic.twitter.com/7FF70wkKl2  Lisa Barlow (@LisaBarlow7) January 7, 2021

RELATED: RHOSLC: Lisa Barlow Shades Katie Maloney-Schwartz From Vanderpump Rules About Sundance Queen Comment

After coming up with an idea and drawing board, the Barlows helped jumpstart the luxury mens grooming brand Fresh Wolf by funding it.

The boys noted they wanted to work hard on the business to buy their dream cars when theyre older.

She responds to rumors she created the company

During a Feb. 2021 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, a fan asked Barlow if their kids actually came up with the idea for Fresh Wolf or if she did and slapped her sons name on it.

However, the 45-year-old claimed her oldest son Jack pitched her after attending various business meetings with her hair care line. Following a basic business plan, Barlow agreed to fund it with her youngest, Henry, proudly naming the business.

RELATED: Bravos Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Holds The Golden Robes Awards Before Returning To the Studio

In a Nov. 2020 interview, Jack explained his hands-on process with the brand, noting he personally worked with the lab to make sure the fragrance was perfect. Additionally, he said he tests other products to ensure Fresh Wolf is the best.

Due to the father Johns time in foster care, the family has a soft spot for the industry. Therefore, the brand donates a product to a foster child per every purchase. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has been renewed for a second season.
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This is the moment police probing a missing farm worker's murder found him alive in a woodland camp five years after he disappeared without a trace.

Lithuanian Ricardas Puisys had been sleeping rough for more than 1,600 days, all the while living in fear that his captors would track him down and kill him.

He hid himself away in a small patch of woodland near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, and made 'a well concealed' hideout in deep undergrowth off a residential street.

Shocking footage has now been released showing the moment detectives probing his disappearance found his makeshift hiding place in July 2020.

It captures their 'euphoric' shouts of 'We got him!' as Mr Puisys is escorted by officers from his dilapidated shelter, and reassured that he is safe before he is handed his missing persons poster.

Police were led to his location after his sister received messages from a Facebook account on a phone that had connected to the Wifi of a nearby Asda supermarket in 2018.

In what was described by investigating detective DCI Adam Gallop as an 'extraordinary twist' in the case, the new Facebook account carried an unseen photo of Mr Puisys, that was confirmed by his family to be him.

The police investigation discovered Mr Puisy had been coerced into a form of modern slavery by an associate with links to organised crime.

In police interviews he described being violently beaten by a man after he come to the UK for work, including one episode when he beat him in the head with a set of keys and another time with a barbeque. On another occasion Mr Puisys was locked in the basement overnight.

The man confiscated his passport and bank card, and would take money from his wages at the leek farm where Mr Puisys worked, insisting that the farm worker owed him thousands of pounds. Mr Puisys claimed this man worked as part of a gang who forced one individual to dig his own grave in a bid to terrify and control the victim.

Mr Puisys, who is in his 40s, has started a new life in another part of the country since his ordeal,

Two photos of Ricardas Puisys that were uploaded to a new Facebook account that was accessed using the Wifi in an Asda before police discovered him living in woodland five years after going missing

He had been hiding in a dilapidated shack and was found in July 2020 after police traced a Facebook account he was believed to have been using to the WiFi of Asda in Wisbeach

Six months later they discovered Mr Puisys who has been living for five years deep in woodland woods off Harecroft Road

His incredible discovery is being featured in a Channel 4 episode of 24 Hours in Police Custody to be broadcast on Monday

Modern slavery: How a coercive associate with links to organised cime forced Ricardas Puisys' into hiding for five years DCI Adam Gallop, who led the investigation into Ricardas Puisys' disappearance, called his discovery a 'tremendous relief'. Police had recieved concerns over his welfare and that he was being exploited. And police interviews have since heard that he was beaten, while his bank cards and passport were seized. Considering his reasons for disappearing, he DCI Gallop said: 'Up until the point of his disappearance hes been in Wisbech for three or four years, hes come over and worked in the agricultural sector in and around Wisbech. 'He doesnt speak great English, so he's entirely reliant on other people. 'He does get pushed around, he gets money taken off him and doesn't have control of his finances. 'He's a victim of that coercive and controlling behaviour in a country where he does not have family, or friends, or any escape route. 'I suppose its the natural fight or flight instinct, and his response has been to run off and hide.' It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 people are living in modern slavery in the UK. Advertisement

The shocking revelations have come to light in Mr Puisys' interviews with detectives, which are being featured in an Channel 4 episode of 24 Hours in Police Custody.

DCI Adam Gallop, who led the investigation into his disappearance, described Mr Puisys as 'keeping himself a prisoner in the woods'.

He told MailOnline: 'It's extraordinary to think that he has been living there entirely undetected so close to where all the [police] activity was taking place.

'We contacted every police force, every local authority, every health authoritiy, over 250 hostels, 600 employment agencies, gangs - it is very hard to live without leaving a trace. But we were miles from him all the time.

'When we found him there was a tremendous amount of relief. Then to consider how he has lived his life for five years is really quite sad really. As investigators you start thinking through five years thinking, 'What did we do wrong to not find him sooner'.

Mr Puisys went missing in September 2015 from his work 20 miles away with detectives fearing he had been murdered. He was known to have left work at the Nightlayer Leek Company in Chatteris on September 26, and then joined a group of Lithuanian men in the evening.

But the alarm was raised when he failed to turn up for a shift two days later and his identification badge was found in a park.

Concerns for his safety had been raised the previous month when it was suggested he was being exploited, so a murder investigation was launched in November 2015. Extensive searches were carried out in an attempt to find a body.

A 31-year-old man from Wisbech was arrested in December 2015 on suspicion of murder and taken into custody, but later released with no further action. There is currently a European Arrest Warrant out for his arrest over allegations of modern slavery.

Describing the moment Mr Puisys fled in fear of his life, he told detectives: 'He had a bunch of keys in his hand and he was playing with them, playing with them. Then he hit me with those keys in my head. Blood was pouring out and he was threatening me with a knife. He said: Where do you want me to stab you?'

Mr Puisys was then subjected to a savage beating with an aluminium pole pulled from a wardrobe.

'It was very painful, I couldnt stand up,' he recalled in his police interviews. 'He told me, go downstairs, get a cloth and clean the blood. I could barely stand and barley walk downstairs.

'I turned around to the door and [ran]. I didnt know where to go. I turned left, there was a little park. I went into the park and hid in the bushes.

'And then I lived in the woods for five years. I found a tent, somewhere to sleep that someone had left behind and I was there all winter. Then I found that place in the woods and I stayed there. I was scared of being found again.'

Shocking footage from his interviews with police detectives are released for the first time where he describes the abuse he suffered

He was found by police in a location in woods nearby a cluster of houses in Wisbech (above)

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Gallop is seen holding a missing poster during an appeal for information for the missing Lithuanian man

It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 people are living in modern slavery in the UK.

Mr Puisys' tale of survival is a remarkable one. He scaveneged for food and kept warm by finding discarded clothing, something he said brought him great shame, and he even found a phone.

Concerns for his safety had been raised the previous month when it was suggested he was being exploited, and a murder investigation was launched in November 2015

He avoided people and would stay inside his concealed shelter - a rustic hut with a lean to shelter behind, made from a sheet of asbestos - during the daytime. He would only go out for a few hours every evening.

Police decribed his concealed home as 'something special forces would be proud of' and were 'amazed' that he had been able to sustain and feed himself while staying healthy for five years.

'He was absolutely desperate not to be discovered,' one detective said upon coming across his make-shift shelter. 'Its extraordinary that he was able to live where he lived for so long.'

In 2019 his sister, who feared her brother was dead, recieved a strange Facebook message from someone claiming to be her missing brother. They talked, and she was convinced it was him by the details he shared of their family that no one else could know.

Detectives investigating his suspected murder reexamind the case more than 1,600 days on from his disappearance. They traced the Facebook account to a phone using the WiFi network of an Asda in Wisbech.

Six months later, after trying to convince Mr Puisys to seek help and reveal himself with the help of trained negotiators over Facebook mesenger, they discovered Mr Puisys who has been living for five years deep in woodland woods off Harecroft Road on July 1 in a dilapidated shanty.

DCI Adam Gallop said: 'It is quite extraordinary when he goes into detail of how he survived. Its a real old-fashioned hunter gathered existence. He keeps his head down during the day time and then at night he can go out and scavenge for food.

DCI Adam Gallop, who led the investigation into his disappearance, described Mr Puisys as 'keeping himself a prisoner in the woods'

'But hes shaved, hes smart, hes looked after himself and maintained his dignity. But somehow mentally got himself into this routine that he cant get out.

'He was desperate. It very difficult to understand what that particular mind set is, but I think he felt completely helpless.

'Up until the point of his disappearance hes been in Wisbech for three or four years, hes come over and worked in the agricultural sector in and around Wisbech. He doesnt speak great English, so he's entirely reliant on other people. He does get pushed around, he gets money taken off him and doesn't have control of his finances.

'He's a victim of that coercive and controlling behaviour in a country where he does not have family, or friends, or any escape route. I suppose its the natural fight or flight instinct, and his response has been to run off and hide.'

Ricardas is receiving counselling and is starting a new life in another part of the country.
China's behaviour towards Australia and India has spurred both the countries to sharpen their policies against Beijing, an influential American think-tank has observed, saying that restoring US alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific is critical to compete more effectively against the Communist giant.

Beijing's growing economic might, military modernisation, and aggressive diplomatic efforts were already eroding America's competitive advantage and shifting the regional balance of power in the Indo-Pacific before the COVID-19 crisis began, said the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) in its latest report.

The report titled "Positive Visions, Powerful Partnerships: The Keys to Competing with China in a Post-Pandemic Indo-Pacific" said that the pandemic has accelerated trends in the diplomatic, economic, and defence realms in ways that reinforce structural challenges for the United States, but also create opportunities for it to compete more effectively against China.

"Restoring US alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific is critical to competing more effectively against China," said the report authored jointly by a group of experts, including Stephen Tankel, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Indo-Pacific Security Programme at CNAS and Lisa Curtis Senior Fellow and Director, Indo-Pacific Security Programme at CNAS among others.

Under the Trump administration, Curtis was deputy assistant to US president Donald Trump, and Senior Director for South and Central Asia on the National Security Council (NSC). Noting that the US-Japan alliance remains a linchpin for any such effort, the CNAS report notes that Tokyo's diplomatic warming with Beijing has cooled since the COVID-19 crisis began.

"Aggressive Chinese behaviour toward Australia and India in the wake of the pandemic has spurred both countries to sharpen their policies toward China," it said. "Together, these four democracies are enhancing their diplomatic, economic, and defence cooperation bilaterally, trilaterally, and through the Quad, which promises to be a core component of the US approach to the Indo-Pacific," it said.

The report said that another key factor that will influence the geopolitical dynamics of the Indo-Pacific moving forward is the extent to which the United States and its fellow Quad democracies can help Southeast Asia recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

On March 12, US President Joe Biden hosted the first-ever summit of the Quad grouping. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga participated in the meeting.

The US-China competition for influence is intense in Southeast Asia, and so the ability of the United States to deliver on a positive agenda for regional recovery will be a key test of its competence, commitment, and credibility in meeting challenges of the Indo-Pacific.

Done correctly, such efforts also provide an opportunity to build ties between the Quad and ASEAN, and to reinforce a web of networked relationships among their respective members, the CNAS said.

In its sets of recommendations, CNAS recommends swiftly following through with plans to work with Japan and Australia to fund the Indian production of at least one billion vaccine doses and their distribution in the Indo-Pacific. "Consider additional vaccine diplomacy options to pursue unilaterally or in concert with the Quad and other countries," it said.

The CNAS also recommended increasing defence integration with Japan and Australia. "Adapt exercises to account for potential reductions in presence and possible future disruptions to training cycles. Seize opportunities to expand the US-India defence relationship. Seek opportunities to reinforce and expand defence ties between all four Quad countries," it said.

The report recommends prioritising helping Indo-Pacific countries, especially those in Southeast Asia, deal with debt problems resulting from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. "Accelerate implementation of existing assistance programmes for infrastructure and human capital development in the region and enhance coordination with other Quad countries on the delivery of assistance," it says.
 Flash

China and Singapore on Wednesday expressed their willingness to deepen pragmatic cooperation and further develop bilateral relations.

The agreement was made when Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan in Nanping City, Fujian province.

Noting that last year marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Wang said China is willing to strengthen strategic communication, deepen pragmatic cooperation with Singapore, and make joint efforts to maintain regional peace and stability and to improve global governance.

Wang said the two countries should work together to oppose "vaccine nationalism" and prevent "vaccine divide," calling for both sides to jointly upgrade the level of China-ASEAN relations.

China supports ASEAN to uphold the principles of non-interference in internal affairs and help cease chaos and resume stability in Myanmar in the ASEAN way, Wang added.

Balakrishnan congratulated the Communist Party of China on the 100th anniversary of its founding, adding that Singapore is willing to exchange views with China on the upgrading of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement, and to enhance the level of cooperation between ASEAN and China.
IMLAY CITY, MI -- Imlay City is considering the county sheriff as a possible replacement for the citys retiring police chief.

After nearly 40 years in law enforcement, Imlay City Police Chief Scott Pike announced plans to retire last month.

His last day is April 30 and the city is working to appoint an interim chief, Mayor Joi Kempf told MLive-The Flint Journal.

For the department long-term, a committee is discussing multiple options moving forward, including having the police department managed by the sheriff, the mayor said.

The idea has only been discussed at a committee level and not yet with the city council as a board.

Kempf is inviting residents to a One-on-One Police Discussion with the mayor from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1 at the city offices, 150 N. Main St.

While she does not know the exact number, Kempf said she was told the city would save a significant amount of money if they consolidate with the sheriffs office.

In Lapeer County, a total of 12 cities and townships use this option, she said.

More details will be available as the process continues, Kempf added.

Negotiating the contract is key, Kempf said, emphasizing that the city is steadfast on keeping its own department, all current officers, school liaison and other employees dedicated to Imlay City.

These were just the first things that popped into our heads that we werent willing to give up, she said. Also, we would make sure theres a person thats stationed there throughout the day so people could walk in because our residents are use to that.

The sheriff informed the committee that these conditions would be possible, Kempf said.

Many have expressed interest in hearing details about this option, Kempf said, both pro and con.

The possible consolidation with the sheriffs office is not the only option, the mayor said. The city is also still collecting resumes for a possible new chief as well. The application is open through April 9 and can be found here.

However, because of the current COVID-19 restrictions, the city is limited to 25 people total inside city meetings. Therefore, Kempf said she is not placing the discussion on the April 6 city council agenda and will hold the issue until either meetings can have more attendees or the weather allows for an outside venue.

I personally believe something this important held via internet (or) Zoom will lack the personal communication the residents of Imlay City deserve and are requesting; remember too, not everyone is familiar with or has the ability to Zoom, Kempf wrote in a Tuesday, March 30 letter.

Read more on MLive:

Vehicle flees after shooting at occupied Imlay City home, police say

15-year-old stabbed multiple times by teen in Lapeer park, police say

Owosso barber fined $9,000 for haircuts at Michigan Capitol, other violations

Man carjacked at gunpoint during cell phone sale set up through Facebook Market Place, police say

Man shot and killed outside Flint Township apartment complex
Two National Housing Intermediaries Collaborate to Strengthen Housing Stability Access to safe and quality affordable housing is essential to thriving communities, but is out of reach for many...JPMorgan Chase [is] committed to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion for underserved households by using our business, philanthropy, policy and research expertise.

Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) and The Housing Partnership Network (HPN) today announced a joint response to enhance resident services and supports that are urgently needed during the global pandemic to maintain renter housing stability and support households on the path to economic recovery and resilience.

The collaboration between two national housing intermediaries, representing over 100 nonprofit members, is leveraging a $3 million investment from JPMorgan Chase to provide rent relief and expand critical services that support housing stability for more than 7,500 households served by 19 affordable housing nonprofits in seven states (California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C.). The grant also supports COVID-related peer exchange and public policy work facilitated by both SAHF and HPN. Throughout 2021, the two organizations will convene the 19 sub-grantees to ensure novel ideas and best practices to support residents of affordable housing are shared and replicated as well as to shape non-partisan public policy analysis that promotes long-term housing stability during the eventual economic recovery.

Access to safe and quality affordable housing is essential to thriving communities, but is out of reach for many people, said Abigail Suarez, Vice President, Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase. At JPMorgan Chase, we are committed to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion for underserved households by using our business, philanthropy, policy and research expertise.

During 2020, several flexible sub-grants were made available to select SAHF/HPN members to fund resident services and coordination and provide rent relief for impacted households as a critical pathway to housing stability through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. Participating organizations are AEON, AHC Inc, BRIDGE Housing Corporation, CHN Housing Partners, CommonBond Communities, EAH Housing, Foundation Communities, Hispanic Housing Development Corporation, Homes for America, Mercy Housing, Montgomery Housing Partnership, National Church Residences, National Housing Trust, Preservation of Affordable Housing, Operation Pathways/NHP Foundation, Prospera Housing Community Services, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, The Community Builders and Volunteers for America. Funded resident services include expanded digital access, job readiness and economic mobility, childcare and food security programs.

SAHF CEO Andrea Ponsor and HPN Executive Vice-President, Capital Markets, Kim Dempsey are grateful for the partnership and support of JPMorgan Chase. Says Ponsor, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted people of color and people of limited economic means, including those living in affordable rental homes. The resident services systems that nonprofit affordable housing providers have in place have been invaluable and the support of JPMorgan Chase to expand these services has helped connect thousands of people to resources they need to remain in their homes. Adds Dempsey, "Deep and sustained peer-to-peer learning has proven essential to our members ability to manage through major disruptions  such as the 2008 financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, and now COVID-19  learn from each other and quickly replicate best practices around emerging needs.

About SAHF

Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) is a national collaborative of 13 nonprofit affordable housing developers whose mission-driven alliance accelerates resident-centered policy changes, equitable investments and sustainable solutions for the affordable rental housing sector. Together, our members own, operate and manage affordable rental homes in 49 states, DC, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. SAHF works to translate policy into practice through its high-impact members, and advocates for best practices that contribute to healthy, equitable communities. Learn more at http://www.sahfnet.org, follow @SAHForg on Twitter and visit on LinkedIn.

About HPN

Housing Partnership Network (HPN) is an award-winning business collaborative of 100 of the nation's leading affordable housing and community development nonprofits as well as an Aeris-rated CDFI and HUD-approved housing counseling intermediary. Since our founding in 1992, HPN has collectively served almost 12 million people; developed, rehabilitated, or preserved over 400,000 affordable homes; and launched 14 successful social enterprises. Our work has been recognized with honors including the MacArthur Award for Creative & Effective Institutions and Wells Fargo NEXT Award for Opportunity Finance. Learn more at http://www.housingpartnership.net and follow @HPN_Network on Twitter and visit on LinkedIn.

###
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A former Nigerian beauty queen and doctorate student in the United States, Najeebat Sule, was shot multiple times by a yet-to-be-identified gunman in Philadelphia, United States, local media quote local police as saying.

Fox29 Philadelphia reported that the unknown assailant opened fire on the 24-year-old model while she was sitting in her car on March 12 at about 6 p.m. in the citys Holmesburg neighbourhood.

She was, thereafter, taken to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital where she died. The parents of the deceased are now in hiding over concerns for their safety, reports said.

Ms Sules father, Adewale Sule, told reporters that he heard the gunfire and hurried to the scene, but the suspect had just fired the last rounds of the shots at his daughter when he emerged from the house.

I saw the guy shooting my daughter. He shot the last round, and I pursued him, DailyMail quoted him saying. He ran back to his car.

The police said the search for the suspect was still on about three weeks after the incident happened.

Ms Sule, who had only recently earned a Masters degree in public health from West Chester University and was pursuing a doctorate, migrated with her family to Philadelphia from Nigeria in the early 2000s.

According to her bio on Instagram, in 2019, she was crowned second runner-up at the Miss Nigeria International pageant, where she represented Ondo State. She was also a 2019 Miss Nigeria USA finalist.

Her over 3,000 followers Instagram page features the fashionista modelling in a variety of glamorous outfits and accessories, including videos of her pageant victories.

Queen Najibat was an amazing young lady whose presence at the Miss Nigerian beauty pageant left a great ripple that continues to resonate, organisers of the Miss Nigeria International pageant wrote on Facebook. She was a breath of fresh air and her presence added a distinct touch that made the event memorable. She carried herself with great dignity and grace and her strength of character and approachability made her such a joy to work with.

Ms Sules death adds to the tolling casualties from gun violence in Philadelphia, which has seen a 29 per cent homicide rate increase over the last year. Fox29 said in the first three months of 2021, there have been 120 killings in Philadelphia, 15 of whom are children.
As the second phase of polling got underway in West Bengal, violence has yet again overshadowed the election process as BJP leader Suvendu Adhikaris convoy came under attack in Nandigram on Thursday afternoon. Miscreants hurled stones at Adhikaris vehicle at is passed from the Satengabari area, but the BJP leader managed to escape unhurt. A media vehicle following Adhikari's car reportedly sustained damage.

The saffron partys heavyweight candidate from the Nandigram Assembly constituency is fighting the polls against West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee.

The incident comes a few hours after Adhikari cast his vote at the Nandanayak Bar Primary School in Nandigram. The BJP leader arrived at the polling station on a motorcycle at around 7.30 am to exercise his franchise on his home turf. The Nandigram contest became more of a prestige battle after Adhikari vowed to beat his former aide in the constituency.

After casting his vote this morning, Adhikari hit out at opponent Mamata Banerjee, calling her a traitor, who betrayed former PM Rajiv Gandhi by breaking away from Congress and later Atal Bihari Vajpayee by leaving the BJP.

Responding to Mamata's accusation of betrayal, Adhikari said, "Nobody knew Mamata Banerjee. Rajiv Gandhi had given her an identity. Atal Bihari Vajpayee protected her. She was the one who first betrayed Rajiv Gandhi by breaking out from Congress and then betrayed Vajpayee Ji by leaving NDA. She is a traitor."

Meanwhile, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee arrived in Nandigram and visited polling booths, further escalating tensions in the area, even as significant forces were deployed for security.

TMC worker stabbed to death

A TMC worker was stabbed to death in the West Midnapore district hours before polling started in the area. As per reports, the TMC worker was at a local club in Hariharpur in the district Keshpur area when around 10 to 15 people allegedly attacked him with sharp weapons. The victim's family has alleged that the BJP goons attacked him to create tensions in the area and to intimidate voters ahead of polling.

It is to be noted that the Election Commission of India has deployed 22 companies of central forces in Nandigram for the assembly polls. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC have also been imposed in the constituency to curb the incidents of violence.

More than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 191 candidates in 30 constituencies in West Bengal on Thursday. The TMC and the BJP are contesting in all 30 seats, while the CPI(M) is in the fray in 15 constituencies and its alliance partners Congress and ISF are fighting in 13 and two seats, respectively. The elections for the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal are being held in eight phases. The votes will be counted on May 2.
The Dauphin County Coroner has completed the autopsy of 19-year-old Kejuan Cooke, an inmate at Dauphin County Prison who died on Tuesday.

Coroner Graham Hetrick has not made a determination on the cause or manner of death, and toxicology results are pending, county spokesman Brett Hambright said.

There were no evident signs of trauma, Hambright said.

On Thursday, Coroner Graham Hetrick told PennLive that Cooke had an extensive medical history, but was waiting for test results before announcing a cause of death.

Cooke was found unresponsive on the floor of his cell late Tuesday night, by his cellmate, according to Hambright. Correctional officers and medical staff performed CPR and he was transported to UPMC Pinnacle Harrisburg.

Cooke was pronounced dead at the hospital just after midnight Wednesday, Hambright said.

The Criminal Investigation Division of the Dauphin County District Attorneys Office is investigating Cookes death. Additional information will be provided as the investigation progresses.

Cookes death is the most recent in a series of deaths at the prison, which has prompted questions about the intake process and medical care.

Two inmates died last year while in custody, one reportedly from complications from a duodenal ulcer, and another from a brain injury after a fight with his cellmate. There have been at least 12 other deaths at the prison since 2014, including five suicides.

Community activists are planning a protest a the prison on Saturday, to advocate for better conditions.

People need to stop looking at what a person went to jail for, organizer Kevin Maxson said. Everyone deserves the right to come home safely and not in a box.

Read more on PennLive:
The Ministry of Health has finally agreed that the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is already in the country.

It has, however, issued a stern warning to distributors against marketing the vaccine since it has not been approved for market authorisation but for emergency use authorisation.

Vaccine task force chair, Dr Willis Akhwale says that the Pharmacy and Poisons Board is finalising a list of facilities that will be eligible to distribute the Sputnik V vaccine.

"It is important to note that any facility that will be issuing the Sputnik V vaccine will not be allowed to also have the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that is given for free by the government," said Dr Akhwale.

Bribes

Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi also noted that there are complaints that some healthcare workers are receiving bribes to enable Kenyans who are not eligible for the vaccine yet to jump the queue.

"We are warning that such healthcare workers risk losing their license. The Ministry of Health will deploy officers for a spot check and anyone found guilty will have their license withdrawn.

This comes after the Nation did a spot check at Pumwani, Ngara Health Care Centre and Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital where Covid-19 vaccine doses were supposedly not available despite the facilities having long queues.

The Health ministry has also said that it will consider other vaccines such Johnson & Johnson as well as Pfizer and Moderna as long as the distributors comply with the set guidelines in the country.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Coronavirus By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"All distributors will have to submit their dossier for review to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board. Their vaccine batch numbers also have to be shared in advance," said Dr Akhwale.

The Sputnik V vaccine has received emergency use authorisation, it has not received market authorisation ~ Dr. Akhwale. pic.twitter.com/VYWugXFsxb

- NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) March 31, 2021

Monitoring side effects

After confirmation and approval for rollout, everyone who gets vaccinated has to be registered using the Chanjo KE system for monitoring of side effects.

"We will only issue certificates to people whose details are in the Chanjo KE system," said Dr Akhwale.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council has also been advised to come up with a list of facilities that will receive accreditation for the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

The ministry has also reviewed downwards the timeline for eligibility to receive the jab after contracting Covid-19 and testing negative.

"We had previously stated that one needs to wait for six months before being vaccinated, but we can now go with just one month but after a clinician review," explained Dr Mwangangi.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh, the Indian Army will be participating in a multinational military exercise Shantir Ogroshena 2021 (Front Runner of the Peace) to be held in Bangladesh to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangladesh Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and mark glorious 50 years of liberation.

As India and Bangladesh jointly celebrate 50 years of the establishment of their ties and Bangladesh's 50 years of independence, both countries are holding commemorative events. The series of events that began with Bangladesh's tri-services contingent march in India's Republic Day Parade and Prime Minister's visit to Dhaka, will now continue with the Exercise Shantir Ogroshena 2021 that will be held in Bangladesh from April 4th to April 12th. Indian Army contingent comprising of 30 personnel including Officers, JCOs and Jawans of a Battalion from The DOGRA Regiment will participate in the exercise along with the contingent of Royal Bhutan Army, Sri Lankan Army and Bangladesh Army. The theme of the exercise is Robust Peace Keeping Operations. Military observers from the USA, UK, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise. This Military exercise will be the first of its kind military drill in Bangladesh.

India-Bangladesh relations are diversified and strategic, and the recent initiative to jointly celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh's independence has been a landmark move for the diplomatic ties between the two neighbours.

India-Bangladesh ties

Bangladesh is Indias biggest trade partner in South Asia. The trade between the two countries crossed $ ten million. Recently, Bangladesh brought ten broad gauge diesel locomotives from India. The two countries are also cooperating in building connectivity. The two countries are also cooperating in the field of health which saw New Delhi sending Covid vaccines as a gift.

Prior to the recent visit of the Prime Minister to Bangladesh his last visit to Dhaka in June 2016, and the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2017 and 2019 to Delhi were landmark events in building ties.

(Credit-ANI/AP/PTI)
Louisiana could get a piece of the $2.3 trillion pie that is President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan, which targets the nation's road construction, capping abandoned oil and gas wells and coastal restoration.

In his announcement Wednesday, Biden called the plan "the largest American job investment since World War II." A lengthy fact sheet also presented the proposals but didn't delve into state-by-state specifics.

There were mentions, however, of the Pelican State in the fact sheet, giving leaders an idea of what this bill could target in Louisiana if passed.

Here's a breakdown of what changes could be in store for Louisiana per Biden's plan, should it eventually make it through Congress:

Transportation infrastructure

One snippet from the fact sheet briefly mentioned New Orleans' own Claiborne Expressway when addressing how past infrastructure funds contributed to community division.

The fact sheet suggested that $20 billion will be put toward fixing transportation and connecting neighborhoods, but it didn't say how it would specifically fix Claiborne.

A Claiborne project would take place in the state's 2nd Congressional District, formerly held by Cedric Richmond, who gave up his seat for a senior White House role.

+5 Biden infrastructure plan would 'redress historic inequities,' like this New Orleans highway The proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan being unveiled by President Joe Biden Wednesday is aimed at fixing thousands of roads and bridges

Climate change and infrastructure

A mention of Hurricane Laura -- and the billions of dollars in damages the Category 4 storm caused to southwest Louisiana -- showed up in the fact sheet.

The plan proposed building infrastructure that could withstand "severe floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and other risks," noting the increasing quantity and severity of these weather events due to climate change.

There's no indication of what project might be planned to directly respond to Hurricane Laura damage.

+3 Environmental justice gains notice in Louisiana race to succeed Cedric Richmond Activists see candidates Troy Carter, Karen Carter Peterson as more vocal than former representative

Coastal restoration

Though Louisiana was not named in the section of the plan that details protection efforts of "our lands, forests, wetlands, watersheds, and coastal and ocean resources," the wording suggests that the state would receive a portion of the funding.

The fact sheet also highlighted the $10 billion creation of the Civilian Climate Corps, conservation and resilience workers that could end up taking jobs in Louisiana.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Broadband infrastructure

The plan calls for $100 billion to be used to expand broadband infrastructure, especially in rural areas where internet connectivity can be spotty or nonexistent.

That became a significant problem over the past year as schools nationwide attempted to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

+3 Latest federal relief aimed at small minority-owned firms and others that missed out The $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package passed earlier this month has less money for businesses than in previous rounds of relief. But the 

Cancer Alley

Biden in January pointed to Louisiana's "Cancer Alley" as an example of an area where his administration would focus on "addressing the disproportionate health and environmental and economic impacts on communities of color."

While the fact sheet didn't name "Cancer Alley," it proposed a plan to target "distressed communities" as locations for manufacturing hydrogen, a non-carbon fuel alternative.

Capping abandoned oil, gas wells

Thousands of Louisianans could be put to work if the state is included in the plan to capping orphaned oil and gas wells.

There are more than 4,500 abandoned wells in Louisiana, which cost an average of $30,000 to plug.

Tax plan

How can the U.S. afford this $2.3 trillion plan? By making major changes to the corporate tax structure, the fact sheet said.

It would include a reversal of the Trump Administration's tax cut, an attempt to limit businesses from using foreign tax havens, and a beefing up of the Internal Revenue Service's investigation program for businesses.

Louisiana's fossil fuel industry, a vital employer and large contributor to the state budget, would be impacted by this plan due to the elimination of tax subsidies.

Some in the Louisiana business sector are also concerned about the tax part of the plan.
Russia's actions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and in Crimea have brought the situation to a dead end, the only way out of which is diplomacy, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

"Moscow must stop military pressure, immediately and unconditionally reaffirm its adherence to a political and diplomatic settlement and the ceasefire regime," Kuleba said, according to the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

He stressed that the Ukrainian side is doing everything possible for a diplomatic settlement of the current situation.

"Ukraine, together with Germany and France as mediators in the Normandy format, are doing everything possible to induce Russia to a constructive negotiation process. Our other partners, in particular the United States, Canada, Great Britain, NATO, also advocate the continuation of negotiations by Russia," Kuleba assured.

"Whatever misinformation Russia spreads, I assure you: Ukraine will give priority to political and diplomatic ways of settlement, because peace and people's lives are a fundamental value for our state," he added.

At the same time, he stated that the current escalation by the Russian Federation in the occupied Ukrainian territories is systemic and the largest in recent years.
Mid-sized firms that slashed dividends but are expected to grow them by more than 10 per cent this year and next are revealed in new research from wealth manager Canaccord Genuity.

The 12 firms, all predicted to yield more than 4 per cent in 2022 based on consensus forecasts by City analysts, are dominated by financial, housebuilder and travel stocks.

The FTSE 250-listed broker Investec, with a forecast yield of 14 per cent next year, doorstep lender Morses Club and aircraft leasing company firm Avation top the list.

They are accompanied by an AIM-listed firm with similar potential, the development finance specialist Urban Exposure.

Income payers: FTSE 250 stocks with promising dividends for your Isa revealed

'As vaccine programmes signal the world has maybe regained some control in the fight against coronavirus, we see markets begin to stabilise.

'And with that, we see green shoots of optimism with dividend reinstatement in the FTSE 250,' says Simon McGarry, senior equity analyst at Canaccord.

'Due to the fact that so many companies cut their dividend last year, common sense might indicate that several should reinstate their dividend in 2021 and possibly grow them in 2022.'

McGarry, who looks more closely at companies that could see their dividends bounce back strongly below, says that 2020 was a terrible year for income investors, who rely on dividend payouts.

'Dividends were cancelled, left, right and centre. All sectors were hit, including bellwether income sectors like oil and gas, banks and tobacco.

'In the first six months of 2020, we counted 260 UK companies that had cut their dividend'

'In the first six months of 2020, we counted 260 UK companies that had cut their dividends, the single biggest collapse ever.'

McGarry says older investors who have a lower risk appetite were more likely to invest in FTSE 100 stocks before the coronavirus pandemic because until then they had been fairly reliable dividend payers.

But the crisis forced them to start looking for income elsewhere, and many saw mid-sized and smaller companies, falling outside the FTSE 100 universe of firms worth 4billion-plus, as a good place to start.

'The diversity in small and mid-caps is attractive  technology, healthcare, online gaming, consumer discretionary - and this range is good for portfolio diversification,' says McGarry.

'Its usually easier to grow faster when you are small, so these companies tend to grow faster in percentage terms. And their dividend can grow faster too, assuming the management doesnt want to divert all their cash to driving future growth.

'That said, mid and small cap investing is riskier  smaller companies are more likely to fail than larger ones, although financial leverage [borrowing] is often the more important factor.'

Why are dividends important, and how can you tell if they are 'safe'? Many investors rely on income from dividends, which can bring great returns, particularly if you keep reinvesting them in more shares. Take the FTSE 100's rather lacklustre long-term performance, for example: On a pure share price basis, the FTSE 100 index is up just 19 per cent over 20 years, but the FTSE 100 Total Return index, which factors in dividends reinvested, is up 146 per cent over the same period, data from AJ Bell shows. But it is important not to fall into dividend traps, where a stock price has plummeted faster than earnings so the dividend yield - the dividend-price ratio of a share - still looks tempting but the company might not be able to deliver the payout. If a company cuts its dividend, income investors and income funds will potentially bail out of the stock. The common way of checking the safety of a dividend is measuring whether profits forecast for next year would cover a company's most recent total annual dividend. This is a popular investing yardstick known as dividend cover, or sometimes earnings cover. Read more here.

Which FTSE 250 companies look poised for a dividend comeback?

Several companies in the FTSE 250 are expected to reinstate their dividend in 2021, before attempting to grow them in 2022, says Simon McGarry of Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management.

He picked out three from the list above for greater scrutiny.

Paragon: 'For the last 10 years, Paragon has been moving into new areas of lending, such as law firms, personal divorce and development for residential housebuilders.

What should you consider when seeking dividend-paying stocks? 'Investors need to be aware of a few things when they are sizing companies up,' says McGarry. 'A strong balance sheet is a must, with little debt. They need to demonstrate consistent margins and they have to be highly cash generative. 'Other factors include strong returns and a good market position in their sector. So when earnings recover, investors could expect companies that fit this profile to have good dividend cover.'

'It has a low NIM (net interest margin - the gap between what a bank borrows at and what it lends at) back book rolling into a higher NIM front book, which means that NIM is improving.

'This makes it one of the few UK banks to have its margins improving, due to the shift away from buy to let.'

Redrow: 'Housebuilders, which have been among the most resilient UK income stocks since the global financial crisis, feature prominently with Redrow and Bellway appearing.

'Take Redrow  it has a good management team and a high quality product. There is scope to grow volumes strongly but also to use part of their cash flow to pay dividends. Its a highly cash generative business with a strong balance sheet.'

Micro focus: 'Micro Focus has had a torrid few years after its acquisition of HP Enterprise went badly awry and is struggling with debts of more than US$4billion.

'But the business continues to generate significant amounts of free cash flow despite having a difficult 2020. It also enjoys a large amount of recurring well diversified revenues and high margins and although its debt is high, it is anticipated it will come down quite quickly.'
In June 2016, members of the Economic Community of West African States convened for a two-day workshop in Abuja.

The sole aim was to chart ways to transit into using low sulphur fuels in their respective countries.

At the end of the event, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote DIvoire agreed to ban the importation of Europes dirty fuels, thus limiting sulphur in fuels from 3000ppm to 50ppm.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said the move would help to drastically reduce vehicle emissions and help over 250 million people to breathe safer and cleaner air.

By the end of that year, Nigeria again hosted a sub-regional high-level ministerial meeting on low sulphur fuels, which was held in Abuja and hosted by former minister of environment, Amina Mohammed.

Joined by Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cote DIvoire, the countries agreed to adopt low sulphur diesel fuel standards of 50 ppm, and a target of July 2017 was set. Only Ghana met the deadline.

By the set date, Mrs Mohammed, now deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, again reiterated the Nigerian governments goal to reduce the sulphur in fuels imported into the country, starting from July 2017.

Everybody knows that this is going to take some efforts, which is why we gave the six-month notice, she said at the time. What is more important is that we are working with the refineries on a long-term approach.

The deadline would be shifted by another year.

A year after the last deadline was set, officials at the major importer of petroleum products, Nigerias public oil company, NNPC, rehashed Nigerias resolve to end the importation of dirty fuels into the country by July 2018.

At another high-level ministerial meeting organised by ECOWAS, which was held between February 5 and 7, 2020, in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, 15 environment and energy ministers of the regional bloc, including that of Nigeria, met again.

Nigeria alongside others adopted a comprehensive set of regulations for introducing cleaner fuels and vehicles in the region in order to ensure that their fuels sulphur content meet global standard peaks at 50 ppm.

However, petrol and kerosene remain over 20 times (1000 ppm) and diesel 30 times what is required to be within safe limits.

Oil-rich, but not oil independent

Nigerias production of crude oil, which is sweet because of its low sulphur content, non-acidic because it contains less CO2 and has high API gravity, is put at about 2.5 million barrels daily.

Energy giants like Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil do the drilling in the Niger Delta region of the country and they in turn pay production entitlements, taxes, royalties and fees, and other remittances to the Nigerian government.

Of the volume drilled, little is refined in state-owned refineries, which for several years have not been functioning despite draining billions of naira, and this little cannot meet the volume for national needs.

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To bridge the deficit, the country turns to foreign refineries, including European refineries, from where refined and highly sulphured fuels  because they are cheaper  are imported into Nigeria, much to the chagrin of health and environmental campaigners and at the detriment of the well-being of Nigerians.

According to the statistics bureau, NBS, in 2019, imported petrol reached 20.89 billion litres, up from 20.14 billion litres in 2018 and 17.3 billion litres in 2017. Petroleum imports cost the country N289.46 billion in Q1 2019, almost tripling to N837.67 billion by Q2.

When these fuels are imported into Nigeria through each refinery jetty, they are blended to Nigerias standard (as set by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria) for cost optimization, Saheed Abolaji, a quality control personnel at Schneider and Schroeder Services Limited, an Edo-based energy firm, explained.

He said the blending processes include dewatering, re-gassing and desulfurization.

In spite of these processes, fuels consumed in the country still contain as high as 1,000 ppm of sulphur content, unlike neighbouring Ghana and other East African cousins like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda who have transitioned to 50 ppm fuel standard, the acceptable threshold in Europe.

There is a serious problem with our environmental control which is seriously affecting us, Mr Abolaji noted.

He added that the contention with environmental pollution has to mostly do with the practices of waste management and also the combustion of our exhaust vehicle design as most of the used vehicles imported into Nigeria are not up to the standard in Europe.

Lax regulations to restrict the quality of the vehicles being imported into the country, coupled with the aforesaid poor fuel quality, has ensured that air pollution continues to dog the country.

Nigeria is home to the highest fleets of used light-duty vehicles after Serbia and the United Arab Emirates, according to a 2020 report by UNEP.

The imported fuels cost Nigerians huge outlays with NBS saying Nigerians spent 5 per cent, or some 2 trillion, of their incomes on fuel and electricity in 2019.

According to the NNPC, 2.26 billion litres of petroleum products were sold and distributed in the country in December as against 1.72 billion litres in November.

Better fuel will cost more

As identified by a world bank study, the top three sources of PM2.5 (tiny dangerous pollutants) in Nigerias commercial centre of Lagos (where, against the 10 g/m3 guideline set by WHO for annual mean PM2.5 concentration level, it can be as high as 68 g/m3) are overstretched road transport, industrial emissions and generators.

Generators made the list because of erratic electricity, which the world bank says 80 million Nigerians do not have access to, an albatross that pushed them to spend an estimated $14 billion a year on small-scale generators, and made Nigeria lose $29 billion in 2019.

By implication, local consumption of fuel will continue to surge in a country like Nigeria with a teeming population of over 200 million.

With fuel subsidies soon to be stopped as promised by the government, for Nigerians to get cleaner fuels to meet their massive demands, they may have to pay more.

However, this may be a tall order for many in a country where about a quarter of the population live on less than N377 daily and about a third are unemployed.

Yet, it is a choice that has to be made.

A litre of petrol averaged 5.36 Ghanaian cedi (which is about N355 at N66 to a cedi) between February and March in Ghana, a price that increased by over 50 per cent since 2017.

In Kenya, petrol currently retails at about 125 Kenyan shilling, which, at N3.46 to a Kenyan shilling, is equivalent to N432.5.

An effort to raise the pump price of petrol (currently N162) as high as this is likely to be met with heavy pushback from Nigerians; except their purchasing power improves just as significantly, analysts believe.

Ghana for one has been able to reduce deprivations from access to healthcare, education, and improved living standards by nine percentage points from 55 per cent in 2011 to about 46 percent in 2017.

When this was compared to the purchasing power of the 31 million population, about 6 million Ghanaians (or about 1 in 5) are concurrently poor in both measures of poverty.

There are, nonetheless, indications that the pump price of petrol will increase in Nigeria in the coming months after NNPC boss, Mele Kyari, announced that the government was unwilling to continue subsidising petrol.

With the cost of importation and handling charges amounting to N234 per litre, the government has pegged the selling price at N162 per litre, a variation that the British government said cost Nigeria N10 trillion between 2006 and 2018; and could cost the country about N102.5 billion, according to an analysis by PREMIUM TIMES.

(Support for this report was provided by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) through its Natural Resource and Extractives Programme).
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Copenhagen, April 1 : The slow vaccination campaigns in many European countries are protracting the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Europe office of the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO regional director Hans Henri Kluge said the vaccine roll-out was "unacceptably slow", reports dpa news agency.

"Let me be clear, we must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now," Kluge said.

"And as long as coverage remains low, we need to apply the same public health and social measures as we have in the past." Ultimately, vaccines were the "best way out of this pandemic", said Kluge.

WHO Europe counts more than 50 countries as belonging to the continent.

In this area, only 10 per cent of the total population have received their first jab, and only 4 per cent are fully vaccinated with two shots.

Accelerating vaccinations was now decisive, while the number of new infections in the European region increases in all population groups except people over 80, said Kluge's office.

With 1.6 million new cases and 24,000 deaths last week, the majority of countries in Europe are currently seeing a rise in infections which was very worrying, the office said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Dodoma, April 1 : Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has announced the appointment of new Finance Minister and Foreign Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle.

Announcing the reshuffle shortly after the swearing-in of Vice President Philip Mpango at Chamwino State House in the capital Dodoma, Hassan on Wednesday appointed Mwigulu Nchemba as the Minister of Finance and Planning to replace Mpango, reports Xinhua news agency.

Prior to the new appointment, Nchemba was the Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

The President also appointed Liberata Mulamula as new Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

Mulamula, a seasoned diplomat, replaced Palamagamba Kabudi who becomes the new Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

Mpango was appointed as vice president by President Hassan on Tuesday before Parliament endorsed him.

President Hassan appointed Mpango as Vice President to fill the post that fell vacant after she was sworn in as President following the death of former leader John Magufuli on March 17.

Hassan also appointed Hussein Yahya Katanga, Tanzania's Ambassador to Japan, as new Chief Secretary, replacing Bashiru Ally.
Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., unveiled an ambitious and potentially costly legislative effort Thursday to open up compensation and health care to a large swath of veterans sick from exposure to burn pits, but some are concerned the bill doesn't go far enough.

The Conceding Our Veterans' Exposure Now and Necessitating Training Act aims to streamline the claims process at the Department of Veterans Affairs by doing away with most of the burden of proof on veterans to show they got sick from breathing in burning garbage for up to a year at a time while deployed.

Most efforts to entitle burn pit victims to health care have been stuck in Congress in a struggle often referred to as the post-9/11 generation's Agent Orange, due to stalled legislation and the difficulty some veterans face navigating the VA bureaucracy seeking disability compensation.

Read Next: Nearly Half of DoD Employees Got More Productive When They Started Teleworking

"This legislation is going to secure benefits for thousands of veterans who have sacrificed for their country only to be denied what they deserve," Luria, the chair of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs subpanel of the House VA committee, said in a statement. "We cannot allow our veterans to face the same hardship as the veterans of past battles, who were exposed to toxins but waited decades for the research to catch up."

Luria's bill would cover veterans who served after Aug. 1, 1990, in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia or the United Arab Emirates.

It also covers veterans who served after the 9/11 attacks in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Uzbekistan, the Philippines or "any other country determined relevant" by the VA secretary.

Veterans would need only to prove they served in the affected areas during the covered time period and be diagnosed with one of the illnesses covered in the bill.

Illnesses covered in Luria's bill include:

Asthma that was diagnosed after a period of service

Head cancer of any type

Neck cancer of any type

Respiratory cancer of any type

Gastrointestinal cancer of any type

Reproductive cancer of any type

Lymphoma cancer of any type

Lymphatic cancer of any type

Kidney cancer

Brain cancer

Melanoma

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Constrictive bronchiolitis or obliterative bronchiolitis

Emphysema

Granulomatous disease

Interstitial lung disease

Pleuritis

Pulmonary fibrosis

Sarcoidosis

Rhinitis

Sinusitis

Luria's legislation directly competes with another bill reintroduced in the Senate by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla. A House version of that bill is set to be reintroduced by Reps. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., in conjunction with an April 13 press conference to be held by the four lawmakers and veteran advocates including former "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart.

That bill also has the backing of key veteran groups, including the American Legion and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Comedian, writer and veterans advocate Jon Stewart speaks at a press conference on "The Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020" at the House Triangle on September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

While Luria's proposal covers more illnesses -- including rhinitis and sinusitis -- it could end up being a less costly bill in the long run, thus potentially easier to pass into law by cutting a key provision that could draw the ire of advocates.

While Luria's bill has a larger roster of covered illnesses, it locks that list down and doesn't allow new conditions to be covered later, which could be an issue due to the dynamic nature of which new illnesses could be relevant from toxic exposure.

The Ruiz-Fitzpatrick-Gillibrand-Rubio bill uses the law providing health care to the victims of the 9/11 attacks as a blueprint, due to the similarities of first responders getting sick and dying from inhaling toxic debris. Both the 9/11 bill passed into law and the burn pit bill allow additional health ailments to be added later.

Rosie Torres, who founded the advocacy group Burn Pits 360, said Luria's proposal "isn't as comprehensive" and limits the care the VA could deliver.

"We appreciate they're using Gillibrand and Ruiz's as a template, but there are important provisions not in it," Torres said in an interview with Military.com. "We just don't know; there hasn't been enough time to see the full picture. With 9/11, they're still adding [sicknesses.]"

Another key difference between the bills is how a veteran would prove they were exposed. While Luria's bill outlines countries a veteran would have several ways to prove they served in, the other proposal would require a veteran to submit documentation that they received a campaign medal associated with the Global War on Terror or the Gulf War.

It is unclear whether there's a greater burden of proof by showing documentation for medals or proving service in a specific country. However, medals veterans are entitled to aren't always awarded or reflected in official records such as a DD-214. But there could also be barriers to veterans trying to prove they served in a specific country, such as no longer having access to their orders.

For decades, the military used open-air burn pits to dispose of garbage, paint, plastics, jet fuel and human waste. Now, some veterans are getting sick and dying from what they believe are cancers and other illnesses caused by breathing in the toxic fumes.

A soldier watches over the civilian fire fighters at the burn pit as smoke and flames rise into the night sky behind him at Camp Fallujah, Iraq on May 25th, 2007. (U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Samuel D. Corum)

The issue has even touched the White House. President Joe Biden suspects his son Beau's death of brain cancer in 2015 was due to exposure to burn pits in Iraq; he served as a major in the Delaware Army National Guard. Some advocates and lawmakers believed the president's personal connection to the issue would ignite momentum on legislative action, but he has not mentioned burn pits since taking office.

It is unclear how many veterans are sick or have died from toxic exposure. From June 2007 to February this year, more than 13,900 veterans filed for disability claims for issues they believed were related to burn pit exposure. Less than 4,000 claims were granted, according to Luria's office. The VA has not responded to a request for additional data by Military.com

But the data probably doesn't show the scope of what could be a massive health crisis. The VA hasn't been clear on why some veterans get care and compensation and others are turned away. Right now, it can be difficult for a veteran to prove they served near a burn pit and connect that service to a disease.

More than 230,000 veterans have registered for the VA's burn pit data collection registry. The department estimates about 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to burn pits, according to a 2015 report.

Efforts to provide medical care to military victims of burn pits have long been plagued by delays in Congress and the VA. The VA maintains the science is not clear on diseases potentially caused by burn pit exposure. Advocates, however, have argued the department is stalling and repeating mistakes made with Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange and World War II veterans exposed to radiation.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Why 2021 Could Be a Game-Changing Year for Veterans Sickened by Burn Pit Exposure
MELBOURNE, Fla., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ti Cold Development, a nationally recognized leader in the cold chain industry, brings this unique cold storage opportunity to the Reno market.

Situated within the heart of the infrastructure-invested Tahoe Reno Industrial Center and home to a diverse mix of industries and businesses including world-class brand names in Google and Tesla. This new Reno location offers convenient access to the I-80 corridor and Union Pacific Intercontinental rail line, which is the central logistics corridor to and from the east coast.

Ti Cold Development - Cold Storage Facility in Reno, NV Ti Cold Development - Cold Storage Facility Site Plan - Reno, NV

Upon completion, this facility will boast nearly 255,000 sq. ft. of storage space, 40,000 pallet positions, and a 41,000 sq. ft. refrigerated dock. This facility is immediately available to take advantage of both leasing and build-to-suit opportunities. "We are very excited to develop this cold storage facility in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center. Our new Reno facility offers some very distinct strategic advantages in that it is located to serve 80% of the California market within a day truck drive and is 'due' east of the Port of Oakland in support of e-commerce needs. With proximity to Sacramento as well as the State of California at large this location will further enhance the cold chain and our partner customers in cold," said Rob Adams, Principal at Ti Cold Development.

Through Ti Cold Development's experience with advanced engineering, planning, better design, smarter products and new technologies, this facility will not only be innovative, but more efficient and effective in meeting the demands of cold chain users.

About Ti Cold Development: Ti Cold Development is a division of Tippmann Innovation (Ti). Known as an award-winning, specialty industrial cold storage builder with decades of experience in designing and building state-of-the-art facilities across the United States, Ti utilizes time-honed expertise and advanced technology solutions to create efficient buildings that scale with a business and that are designed to maximize profitability through fully integrating operations and supply chain. Ti provides a full suite of cold storage construction services, including master site planning and operations guidance. Ti's consulting services help companies navigate the unique challenges associated with a rapidly changing cold chain. The Ti consulting team provides unique solutions in providing a sustainable competitive advantage to our clients in keeping them profitable and highly relevant in today's modern cold chain. Ti has offices in Florida and Indiana.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rob Adams ([email protected]) or Logan Stuller ([email protected]) at 260-424-2222.

To learn more about this project, please visit us online @ www.ticold.com/reno.

SOURCE Ti Cold Development
West Bengal: Prized Hilsa fish set to travel upstream in Ganges after four decades

April 01,2021 | Source: The New Indian Express

Hilsa, the darling of fish lovers across West Bengal and Bangladesh, could be breeding upstream in the mighty Ganges later this year, after almost four decades of being locked out by the Farakka barrage across the river. A new navigation lock is in the making at the barrage created to save Bihar and West Bengal from flooding and to generate hydel power to enable hilsa breeding in the next few months. Fish connoisseurs along the Ganga, up until Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad, maybe able to savour fresh hilsa as the project will make way for their travel upstream from beyond the Farakka, said a top official of L&T Geostructure. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) had contracted L&T GeoStructure for the new Farakka navigation lock in Murshidabad district, as a part the Jal Marg Vikas Pariyojana, and said it will make a special arrangement to allow easier passage of the hilsa. The movement of the popular fish in the Ganges till Allahabad came to a halt after construction of the old Farakka navigation lock in 1976, officials said. "The new Farakka navigation lock is expected to be complete by June," S Kanappan, Head and Chief Executive of L&T Geostructure, said.



The Centre had said in 2019 that based on research on the breeding season of the hilsa, the operation of navigational lock will be regulated to facilitate their movement from the Hoogly-Bhagirathi river system upstream to the main Ganga river and vice-versa. Kanappan said due to the inefficiency of the existing navigation lock gate at Farakka, about 280 km from Kolkata, the IWAI proposed a new one, which will feature modern features like electro-hydraulic and remotely-controlled operation of all gates from a control room. The new navigation lock will entail an investment of around Rs 361 crore, the officials said. Hilsa, considered a nonpareil delicacy when fried, smoked or cooked in mustard sauce, typically travels up the rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Irrawaddy from the Bay of Bengal during the rainy season to spawn. The fish is also found in the Arabian Sea from where it goes upstream through rivers in Gujarat and Pakistan's Sindhu river, as well as in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Vietnam and China seas. The peak upstream migration of the fish coincides with the advent of Monsoon July and August and continues up to October and November, according to a 2017 report by the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute. The report had also suggested that a "bypass channel" be created in the western side of the existing navigational channel at the Farakka Barrage to facilitate natural upstream migration of hilsa. The first phase of the Jal Marg Vikas Pariyojana covers the Haldia-Varanasi stretch, and aims at developing fairway and multi-modal terminals, strengthening of river navigation system and conservation works, the officials said.

 newindianexpress.com 2021
To the Connecticut General Assembly Planning and Development Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to submit the following testimony on behalf of the Ridgefield Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) for proposed bill SB 1024. The PZC has been closely watching the legislative efforts to bring statewide reform to the existing zoning and housing regulations, and is concerned that the effort to advance multi-family housing will be at the expense of local control and the rural single family community character that Ridgefield residents value.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents stated in recent polling for Ridgefields 2020 Plan of Conservation and Development, that what they most like about Ridgefield is the towns character and ambience.

SB 1024 proposes changes that, for small towns like Ridgefield, will forever change the town. Removing local control over zoning decisions, mandating middle-density housing by right, denying consideration for community character, eliminating parking requirements, and forcing sewer expansion will have a devastating effect. Nearly 30 percent of Ridgefield is deed restricted open space. Most residents have private well and septic systems. Many of our roads are so narrow that school buses cannot pass. We have no on-street residential parking. Eliminating on-site parking requirements might work in Hartford, but it will not work here.

Under local control, Ridgefield has worked diligently over the last 30 years to expand housing diversity. Thirty-eight 8-30g applications have been submitted and approved. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) up to 1,200 square feet and two bedrooms are permitted in residential zones by right. Middle housing is incorporated within our zoning regulations through Multi-Family Development Districts (MFDD), Age-Restricted Housing Districts (AHRD), and Main Street Design Districts (MSDD). All provide for density of six to eight units per acre within the sewer districts. The Neighborhood Business Zone (NBZ) provides for apartments above commercial use. The Mixed-Use Overlay Zone was established to promote socioeconomic diversity with up to 16 units per acre of affordable housing above commercial use in the Business zones. The Central Busines District (CBD) allows and does not limit residential density. Ridgefield has provided for, and supports, middle and multi-family housing through the MFDD, AHRD, MSDD, NBZ, MU Overlay Zone, and CBD. Each project advances the states, and the towns, objective to increase housing diversity without sacrificing the towns character.

Several initiatives do gain our support. We already provide ADUs by right, and administrative approval for middle-housing that is in-line with existing neighborhoods. We have a TOD development plan; however, Ridgefields only train station is in an area of town without sewer, and that directly abuts the Norwalk River. We support annual training for PZC members.

We fail to see how the effort to legislate as-of-right multi-family housing advances the states, and the towns, goal to address the need for affordable housing. By focusing on density while ignoring affordability, the bill sacrifices too much of what is important to Ridgefield without providing any objective means to provide much-needed affordable housing. 8-30g has proven to be a disappointing effort that only creates dissension within communities and has failed to provide the projected housing diversity. SB 1024 does not address the elephant in the room  8-30g  and proposes more punitive measures to towns that are unable to comply with the bills stated objective. How can this possibly be beneficial?

The sweeping legislative reform seeks to address socioeconomic issues with a one-size-fits-all approach that threatens all that makes Ridgefield special. If we lose consideration for community character, regionalize zoning decisions, up-zone residential zones, and eliminate parking requirements, then we lose the small-town rural New England charm that makes our town unique  and we risk becoming just another casualty of New York suburban sprawl.

The proposed legislation seeks to address some of the economic and social challenges that Connecticut faces at the expense of its small towns. The combined effect would be devastating  not just to Ridgefield, but to the state as a whole. We ask that you consider the consequence of the reforms that are proposed in SB 1024 and the impact they would have on towns like Ridgefield.

Thank you for your consideration.

Rebecca Mucchetti is chair of the Ridgefield Planning and Zoning Commission.
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Sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) system market: Growing preference for deploying integrated SONAR system.

Naval agencies focus on deploying integrated SONAR systems as an ASW measure owing to the increased deployment of underwater manned/unmanned platforms. To diminish the dominance of enemy submerged vehicles, many countries are enhancing their existing resources with advanced SONAR systems. This is further encouraging vendors to launch innovative systems and offer services to the governments across the globe. For instance, Ultra-Electronics Holdings Plc offers integrated SONAR systems to various naval agencies to help them augment and transform their conventional ASW mechanism. The company has integrated both military off-the-shelf and commercial off-the-shelf systems and components, including advanced technology readiness level elements and in-service equipment, to ensure a cost-effective and high-performance integrated SONAR system. Furthermore, they also help in transmitting data from a hydrophone array or sonobuoy sensor directly to the graphical displays of naval control rooms. These advancements will further drive the market growth during the forecast period.

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KALAMAZOO, MI  Zeigler Auto Group paid $85,111 in back pay to 214 employees for failing to make sure they earned minimum wage and were paid for overtime.

Commission-based sales consultants at 13 of the dealership groups 30 locations in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois did not always make minimum wage, the U.S. Department of Labor said in a news release. A total of $85,111 for minimum wage and overtime was repaid to 214 employees, the release said.

The employees were paid on commission. But if they did not make enough commission to reach minimum wage, Zeigler was required to make up the difference, the release said.

A representative for Zeigler Auto Group, reached by MLive, declined to comment.

The company did not make sure the commissions for sales consultants met federal minimum wage each month, and did not keep accurate payroll, the release said. Zeigler also misclassified employees as exempt from overtime requirements, and did not pay them overtime when they should have, the release said.

Our investigation put money into the pockets of workers who were underpaid, and levels the playing field for employers who play by the rules, said Mary ORourke, Wage and Hour Division District Director for the U.S. Department of Labor. Other employers in this industry should use this investigation as an opportunity to review their own pay practices and avoid similar violations.

There were 80 employees underpaid at 10 locations, the release said. In Michigan, those locations were Zeigler of Kalamazoo, Zeigler Motorsports, Zeigler of Grandville and Zeigler of Plainwell.

There was one location in Indiana, at Zeigler Ford of Elkhart. In Illinois, those locations were Hoffman Estates Mercedes Benz, Hoffman Estates Infiniti, Zeigler Nissan of Gurnee, Zeigler of North Riverside and Zeigler of Lincolnwood.

More from MLive:

COVID-19 fight comes out of nowhere for Kalamazoo-area nurse, mother of four

Railroad crossing malfunction causes backups in downtown Kalamazoo

No evidence found in search for body of Southwest Michigan woman missing since 2005

Controlled burn planned for Asylum Lake Preserve in Kalamazoo

Police release name of man killed in Otsego motorcycle crash
Theyre back.

Fans will be in the stands Thursday for the New York Yankees Opening Day game at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees played the 2020 season in front of an empty ballpark in the Bronx because of the coronavirus pandemic.

N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo cleared the way for fans to return to stadiums in New York state at 20% capacity. That means almost 11,000 fans can go to Thursdays game between the Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.

Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

When fans return, they will find strict protocols in place. Among them is the need to show proof of immunization or a negative COVID test.

In a conversation with the Washington Post, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was asked about New Yorks COVID plans for fans.

I dont really want to pass judgment, because then I get pitted against entire organizations. So, I mean, everybody has their own way of doing things. One of the ways is to require a negative test or proof of vaccination. Im not saying thats a bad idea, but its going to vary. As you said, some ballparks are allowing 100 percent capacity. Some want to start off at 10 to 20 percent capacity. And because everybody does things independently, youre going to have a great variety of requirements that people are going to have. And one of them might be a negative test and proof of vaccination.

On the flip side, when the Texas Rangers play their home opener next week, the club will allow 100% capacity at Globe Life Park. As you would expect, Fauci isnt on board with that plan.

Well, thats interesting. I dont want to be critical of that, but thats  I would not start off with 100 percent capacity. But, you know, Texas has been always a bit more  whats the right word?  daring when it comes to the kinds of things that they want to do in regards to this outbreak.

The Rangers plan doesnt sit well with President Joe Biden, either. Well, thats a decision they made. I think its a mistake, Biden said, per ESPN. They should listen to Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, the scientists and the experts. But I think its not responsible.

Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 00:01:09|Editor: huaxia

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KUNMING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Schools in Ruili, southwest China's Yunnan Province, have been suspended since Wednesday and residents have been urged to stay home following reports of new COVID-19 cases.

According to the city government at a press briefing on Thursday, students and teachers are required to undergo home quarantine and classes will continue on online platforms.

The city's stock of medical materials is sufficient, the government said, adding that a further 30 days' worth of personal protective equipment including masks, protective suits and gloves will arrive before April 3.

The supply of daily necessities is also stable, said Gong Yunzun, the city's Party chief. Seven large supermarkets in Ruili can meet the demand for the next two weeks and their stocks can be replenished within three days.

Gong said that home delivery services have been arranged for those under home quarantine in high-risk neighborhoods. Other residents have been urged to stay at home.

Sample taking for the first round of city-wide nucleic acid testing was completed Thursday morning. A total of 309,448 samples were collected, and the results for 105,530 samples have been available.

Sun Jiyuan, a local villager, told Xinhua that now COVID-19 vaccines and medical materials such as masks and alcohol are all available in Ruili. People just need to stay put and avoid cross infections.

A total of 1,320 close contacts of the confirmed or asymptomatic cases were traced by Thursday morning and are under medical observation at eight quarantine hotels.

The city reported six new COVID-19 cases and 23 asymptomatic cases on Wednesday, following the six confirmed cases reported the day before.

The city bordering Myanmar on Thursday ordered all jewelry trading markets including online live-streaming platforms to suspend business for epidemic prevention and control. Enditem
A suspect in the shooting of a man at a homeless encampment in Southwest Portland was taken into custody Wednesday, police said.

Noah Smith, 34, is accused of shooting 39-year-old Christopher Barrett in the stomach and leg at the camp near Southwest Barbur Boulevard and Southwest Capitol Highway on March 7.

Barrett was shot while inside his closed tent, according to police, who described two holes in the tent fabric where bullets entered his abode. He was taken to a hospital for emergency surgery, and he survived his injuries.

Smith has been charged with attempted murder, assault, robbery, unlawful use of a weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Police did not say whether Smith was a suspect in the death of Kimberly Lambright, a 53-year-old woman who was found shot to death at the same encampment Sunday.

Lambright was Barretts girlfriend and told police Smith had threatened her after the March 7 shooting.

On March 17, Lambright was alone when Smith unzipped her tent and crawled in to sit next to her, setting a handgun down between them.

Lambright was certain Smith was going to kill her, court documents state.

Smith was upset because he believed Lambright told police he had shot her boyfriend, documents said, and he took her phone. She walked to a nearby grocery store to contact authorities.

Lambright informed police that she wanted to help with their investigation but asked they not call her cellphone because she believed Smith will kill her if he finds out she is helping the police with this investigation, a police report read. She told police she would feel safe staying with a friend that night.

Crime victims in Oregon have a constitutional right to protection that requires responders to work with victims to determine what is best for that individual, and police made repeated offers to Lambright for services, including housing alternatives, to provide a safe place for her to stay, according to a police spokesman.

She declined those offers, officials said, which is not uncommon for people experiencing homelessness who may feel unsafe in shelters or mass housing for other reasons, according to experts.

Portland police were called to the scene of a fatal shooting near Southwest Barbur Boulevard and Capitol Highway. Kimberly Lambright, who told police in mid-March a man had threatened to kill her, lay dead. Police are searching for that man, accused of the attempted murder of Lambright's boyfriend.

While investigators have not publicly stated a connection between the two cases, they asked the public for help locating Smith hours after Lambright was found dead. A police spokesman did not immediately respond Thursday morning to questions about whether the two crimes were linked.

Smith was being held in the Multnomah County Detention Center in lieu of $785,000 bail. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday morning.

Oregonian/OregonLive reporter Nicole Hayden contributed to this report.

-- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale
Pennsylvania is getting closer to seeing 2 million residents fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The state has distributed a total of 5,309,424 vaccines, with 1,874,693 Pennsylvanians having received either two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

There are presently 1,682,499 residents who have received their first of two doses.

(Cant see the map? Click here.)

While the vaccination rollout chugging along is good news, Pennsylvania also continues to see its COVID-19 cases climbing. On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported an increase of 3,893 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the states total to 1,028,750 total cases since March 6, 2020.

With 27 new deaths, the Pennsylvania death toll rose to 25,120, though the death rate has remained relatively stable compared to case numbers.

Vaccine allotment ramping up for expanded eligibility

On April 5, Pennsylvania healthcare providers will welcome another 815,980 doses of the three vaccines. The allotted doses will be made up of 504,340 first doses and 311,40 second doses. Broken down by specific vaccine, Pennsylvania will be receiving:

192,700 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine (which causes the difference between first and second doses in the total)

133,800 first doses and 133,800 second doses of the Moderna vaccine

177,840 first doses and 177,840 second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

The 815,980 total doses being brought in next week is the highest number of vaccinations Pennsylvania has been allotted in one week. The distribution started on Dec. 21. Its also the most doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine Pennsylvanias received thus far.

The increased allotment makes sense following the health departments announcement that April will increasingly expand the eligibility for receiving the vaccination as part of its effort to speed up the vaccination rollout. On April 5, Pennsylvanians in Phase 1B will be able to sign up for appointments, followed by Phase 1C on April 12. On April 19, every Pennsylvanian age 16 or older will be eligible to receive the vaccine.

COVID in Pa.

The 3,893 new cases in the state bring the seven-day rolling average up to 4,073 new cases per day, the highest point since Feb. 4. Case counts have been trending upwards since early to mid-March after a few weeks of hovering around the 2,500-2,700-case mark. Now, theyre heading back up with loosened restrictions for restaurants and indoor events right around the corner, going into effect on April 4.

After going from 900,000 cases to 1 million cases in 36 days, the longest amount of time between 100,000-case marks since the first 200,000 cases, the state is on track to reach 1.1 million cases in about 24 days, reflecting how quickly things can spiral out of hand.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

As cases continue to increase, hospitalizations are following suit. There are currently 2,127 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Pennsylvania healthcare facilities  435 of which are in an Intensive Care Unit and 209 of which are on a ventilator. In mid-February, the states hospitalization numbers from the massive winter surge fell back below the level of where hospitalizations were in the first couple months of the pandemic, and kept falling until March 14, when the figure hit 1,433. Since then, the total has increased for 18 straight days.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

The states death rate continues to stay relatively level, largely because death frequency is dependent on case and hospital rates but delayed by a couple of weeks. Still, the seven-day death average hit 30 on March 19, and has since fluctuated between 25 and 30 deaths since then. Today, with 27 more deaths reported, the average dropped one to 29 per day.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

COVID in the Lehigh Valley

There were 305 new cases of COVID-19 in the Lehigh Valley reported on Thursday  163 in Lehigh County and 142 in Northampton County. Lehigh Countys cases bring its total count to 34,208 cases, and Northampton County is now up to 30,602 cases.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

There were no deaths in the region reported Thursday, leaving the Lehigh Valleys toll at 1,484.

Lehigh County currently has 65,613 fully vaccinated individuals and another 56,664 partially vaccinated. Northampton County has 51,523 residents fully vaccinated and 51,868 residents with one out of two doses.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
Daniel Castro is the vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and director of the Center for Data Innovation. Before joining ITIF, he worked at the Government Accountability Office where he audited IT security and management controls.
In the early morning darkness, a militiawoman loosens her braid under her balaclava before grabbing a rifle and taking up a frontline position with a group of the Anti-Terrorist Units (known by their Kurdish acronym YAT).

This is a mixed force of men and women who were partially trained by the US Marines, and which is now leading a broad humanitarian and security operation against sleeper cells of the Islamic State (ISIS) hiding among the sea of tents at Al-Hol, the biggest detention camp for ISIS family members in northeastern Syria.

It is sometime before dawn on Sunday. Backed up by small tanks, 5,000 heavily armed members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, made up of Kurdish-Arab militias allied with the international anti-ISIS coalition) have already surrounded the camp, where over 64,000 people, of whom 67% are minors according to the United Nations, are packed into an area barely covering three square kilometers. The SDF is in charge of the detention camps in northeastern Syria and also oversees the YAT units, which operate on the front lines.

Its been two years since the defeat of the self-proclaimed ISIS caliphate in Syria  and 10 years since the start of the civil war in that country  and the strategy in the anti-terrorist fight has changed: the focus is now on the offensive against sleeper cells. The goal of the operation is to arrest the 500 to 1,000 jihadists who live inside the camp, and to confiscate weapons and material used by the group to conduct attacks in recent months. These terrorist acts have raised the alert about an ISIS reorganization over the ashes of the feared caliphate despite the conditions of captivity.

A raid against ISIS at Al-Hol camp on Sunday. natalia sancha

Over 47 people have been killed this year at Al-Hol, explains SDF spokesperson Kino Gabriel, speaking on site. There were 20 homicides in 2020, and the victims, both male and female, were variously shot, stabbed, stoned and even beheaded, following the death sentences issued by the religious courts set up by ISIS inside the camp.

The YAT group poised for attack outside the camp is led by a militiawoman who goes by the nom de guerre of Roj and who looks around 30 years old. Her unit is one of the first to enter Al-Hol; its 40 to 50 members take up their positions and fan out between the tents before ordering everyone out. They keep their cool but they also keep their fingers on the triggers of their guns in case any member of an ISIS sleeper cell responds with bullets or a suicide attack. The silence is broken by the sound of crying children as the camp women emerge from behind the blankets that cover the entrances to the tents. In a matter of seconds, Al-Hol becomes a black-and-white picture as a sea of women in dark abayas and militias in balaclavas come and go among the white tents.

The small tanks advance over the dirt road in the section of the camp that houses slightly over 30,000 Iraqis. Among the families of jihadists who are from Iraq  for five years, the caliphate extended into that country as well as Syria, subjecting 7.7 million people to its rule  there are also 9,000 individuals who were displaced as they fled the fighting against ISIS.

With a wave of her hand, Samira orders a large group of kids to get out of the tent. A native of the Iraqi region of Ambar, she arrived at this Syrian camp two years ago. Just like 1,900 other families, she has signed up for the United Nations repatriation lists. They are fighting every day, she explains. By they she means those attempting to impose the caliphates rules in Al-Hol, and those who refuse to obey.

Over 64,000 relatives of ISIS jihadists are living at Al-Hol camp. Of these, over 34,000 are under 12 years of age. Natalia Sancha

ISIS radicals have managed to replicate the caliphates structure within Al-Hol and created units of the hisba  religious police  as well as an executive unit of female squadrons in charge of meting out punishment to those who fail to follow the caliphate: executions of the kuffar (unbelievers in Arabic), beatings and tent-burning.

The SDF unit carries out its anti-terrorist operation without any major incidents, although there is a tense moment when a woman runs out with a bundle sticking out under her abaya. She is quickly neutralized, and is found to be carrying not explosives but a belt bag with money, jewels and a cellphone. Women, men and children are guided into tents where biometric data and DNA samples are taken from them.

The reactivation of the ISIS cells inside prisoner camps is just one example of how the terrorist group is striving to restore the caliphate. In the north and northeast of Syria  an area representing 20% of the national territory, with an estimated population of 2.5 million people  attacks have been on the rise. There were 28 terrorist acts in February that resulted in 30 deaths, according to the Rojava Information Center, which is made up of volunteers reporting from the field.

The danger of a rebirth of Daesh [the Arabic acronym for ISIS] is no media exaggeration: it is a real, well-founded fear, says SDF commander Siyamand Ali inside his office. His militia, which for the last five years has led the ground fight against ISIS in Syria, is no longer facing an army but a myriad of sleeper cells. Ali says that each cell is made up of five to 10 members. Spread across the region, they carry out isolated attacks and no longer use heavy weapons or artillery; instead, they employ explosive belts and light weapons, which are enough to create chaos among the population and keep up a war of attrition against the Kurdish-Arab militias.

An SDF member collecting DNA samples from a woman at the section for Iraqi nationals inside Al-Hol camp. Natalia Sancha

South of the Euphrates river, inside an area under the control of Syrias regular army, several thousand jihadists (there are no official figures, but the Syrian government estimated them to be between 2,000 and 3,000 a year ago) are regrouping and extending their control over part of Al-Badia, a desert region located between Deir Ezzor, Homs and Palmira. There, Daesh levies the zakat [religious tax] on local tribes to finance itself, says Ali. The SDF forces are trying to cut off the funding channels feeding the terrorist group from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

The SDF is dealing with the ISIS cells war of attrition while simultaneously trying to maintain security at the two detention camps for ISIS family members, Al-Hol and Al-Roj, which contain at least 66,000 women and children, and additionally watching over the prisons, where there are 15,000 jihadists. The weight of the anti-terrorist fight cannot rest solely on local authorities, insist political and military spokespeople in the area.

The jihadists countries of origin must take charge of their nationals or else help maintain the camps and bring the terrorists before an international criminal court, says Nuri Mahmud, spokesperson for the Peoples Protection Units (YPG in their Kurdish acronym), which are also part of the SDF.

The SDF is seeking backing from the international community in order to preserve its autonomy from the administration of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. The reorganization of ISIS is not just a danger at the camps, but for the whole north of Syria and for the rest of the world, adds Mahmud outside the gates of Al-Hol. For now, the US is keeping between 600 and 1,000 Marines deployed in the northeast to support the Kurdish forces against ISIS.

After a five-hour operation, the SDF begins searching the tents at Al-Hol. They discover a tunnel and confiscate military uniforms, computers and cellphones containing ISIS material. This is possibly evidence that the cells are coordinating with someone on the outside. The militia detains 21 people, including Abu Saad al-Iraqi, a high-ranking ISIS official whod been wanted for a long time by the camps security personnel. The weapons have not been located yet, however.

Daeshs cells have eyes and ears everywhere, says an official. The camp residents had been forewarned about the SDFs operation through the Telegram cellphone app, on channels used by the jihadists. Meanwhile, soldiers with metal detectors are combing the ground in search of buried weapons. Day one of the 10-day operation is coming to an end.

English version by Susana Urra.
The owner of a boat restaurant on the Grand Canal has said he is utterly broken after being ordered to stop doing takeaway service less than three hours after opening.

La Peniche in Dublin has been operating for 22 years, and recently decided to do takeaway coffee to generate some income.

Diners can normally enjoy a meal while sailing down the canal  but this came to a halt due to lockdown restrictions.

Owner Shiful Islam spent 5,000 to prepare his business for takeaway service.

I didnt even get the chance to sell one coffee, Mr Shiful said.

Read More

Gardai entered the boat on March 25 to carry out an inspection on foot of a request from State agency Waterways Ireland  which is claiming La Peniche is carrying out unlicensed trading, because it does not have planning permission.

Legislative changes were introduced by the Government to allow restaurants to operate as takeaways without planning permission during the pandemic. Dublin City Council confirmed restaurants were still exempt.

However, in a statement to the Irish Independent, Waterways Ireland said it believes stationary restaurant or take-away business trading from a boat at a fixed location would require planning permission from Dublin City Council.

It said: There is a significant difference between a cruising passenger boat providing meals to a limited number of passengers in the course of cruises along the Grand Canal or Royal Canal, and a stationary boat moored at a specific location on the Grand Canal or Royal Canal for the purpose of selling takeaway food to members of the public.

Mr Shiful said it was difficult for him to watch pop-up food stalls set up outside his restaurant every week when he was not allowed to trade.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) wrote to Waterways Ireland to request it to reconsider its position.

RAI chief executive Adrian Cummins has described the decision as a joke and said the agency was out of touch with reality as business owners fight to protect livelihoods.

Were definitely not all in this together, he said.

The same rules should be applied to all restaurants, whether youre on a river or land.

Waterways Ireland added while it empathises with commercial traders during this difficult period, it was unable to support commercial activity in breach of the Canals Act, 1986 (Bye-Laws), 1988.

Waterways Ireland are working with An Garda Siochana to mitigate against the pressure created by the large numbers of people congregating along the banks of the Circular Line along the Grand Canal during this period of restriction.

This is leading to increases in anti-social behaviour, littering and impacting on the physical integrity of the banks.

And it is placing demands on the gardai, particularly at weekends.




U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has spoken by phone on Tuesday with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. The two reportedly agreed to work on addressing the root causes of immigration to the United States, according to the White House.

"They agreed to explore innovative opportunities to create jobs and to improve the conditions for all people in Guatemala and the region by promoting transparency and combating crime," the statement was quoted in a Voice of America News report.

Harris then thanked Giammattei for his efforts to fortify the Guatemalan southern border as a new caravan has repeatedly formed.

For their part, Guatemala's government said that during the call, Giammattei noted the Guatemalans living in the U.S. under the temporary protected status.

The said status allows nationals of certain countries facing major natural disasters to remain and work in the United States. This is only applicable to those migrants who are already in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Giammattei also said that Harris had accepted the offer of the president to visit the Central American country at any future date, according to Big News Network report.

RELATED ARTICLE: Illegal Migrants Deported Back to Mexico Say Biden Fails to Keep His Promise

Harris' Role

Harris was earlier tapped by U.S. President Joe Biden to address the border crisis through diplomatic efforts to countries with the highest number of citizens fleeing to the U.S.

Biden said that Harris is the most qualified person to do it.

"As she speaks, she speaks for me, doesn't have to check with me, she knows what she's doing - and I hope we can move this along," Biden was quoted in a CBS News report.

Officials noted the vice president's experience in fighting organized crime and upholding human rights as a former California attorney general and member of Senate committees that particularly dealt with migration policy.

Honduran Migrants

Meanwhile, a group of Honduran migrants has set out for the Guatemalan border before dawn Tuesday. The migrants were hoping to reach the U.S. with dreams of a better life.

However, by afternoon, they had been largely dispersed, according to an Associated Press report.

Guatemalan authorities have recently dispersed other recent caravans. A new migrant caravan had been reported for days, with smaller groups than the one that was formed in January.

Mexico last week started restricting crossings at its southern border to essential travel.

The Northern Triangle countries, namely Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, have accounted for most migrants arriving in the U.S.

Most of the reasons for the migrants fleeing the said countries were gang violence and lack of economic opportunities.

With the pandemic still continuing, conditions in the said countries were only exacerbated.

In February, around 9,500 unaccompanied migrants entered the U.S. border. This was reported with an average of 530 encounters per day, according to U.S. border officials.

As of now, Health and Human Services shelters house more than 11,300 unaccompanied children.

Harris said that they will address the situation at the border not only with diplomacy but by bringing allies together.

READ MORE: Biden Administration Wants Billions More to Fund Migrants in Their Home Countries

WATCH: Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the response to the migrant issue as numbers rise at border - from Los Angeles Times






The Government of Canada announced a $2,890,000-investment in the University of Albertas biojet technology. The University of Alberta, along with project partners Alberta Innovates, FORGE Hydrocarbons Inc., Western Economic Diversification Canada, Future Energy Systems, CanmetENERGY Devon and Edmonton International Airport, are also providing funding toward this $7.4-million project.

The investment will support the universitys Lipid-to-Hydrocarbon (LTH) technology by developing two pathways to generate renewable jet fuel from a range of feedstocks, including waste materials from the restaurant and livestock industries.

Led by inventor Dr. David Bressler, Professor at the University of Alberta, the LTH technology has the potential to reduce the aviation industrys greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 90%.

The first approach will focus on modifying standardized isomeration approaches currently utilized for the creation of jet fuel from hydrocarbons and other renewable fuels. The second will focus on the optimization and deployment of a novel patented process developed by the Bressler lab.

This project is funded through Natural Resources Canadas Energy Innovation Program (EIP), which invests in the research, development and demonstration of clean energy technologies to lower emissions, including GHGs, with the aim of meeting 2050 clean growth targets. The EIP recognizes that innovations in clean energy technologies must be affordable, reliable and sustainable to support Canadas transition toward a low-carbon economy.

The Energy Innovation Program also provided support to the University of Alberta for the capacity to collaborate with the CanmetENERGY laboratory in Devon, Alberta, which will develop methods and processes for converting distillate cuts from the LTH technology into biojet fuel.

This investment was through the programs Science and Technology Assistance for Cleantech initiative, which provides federal laboratory support for innovators to help bring Canadian clean technologies to market by providing federal research expertise, facilities and equipment.
(Newser)  President Biden unveiled his sweeping infrastructure investment plan Wednesday in the same city where he announced his White House bid in 2019. The president, speaking at a carpenters union training center in Pittsburgh, described the $2.3 trillion plan as a "once-in-a-generation investment in America" unlike anything since the space race or the creation of the national highway system, the AP reports. "It's the largest American jobs investment since World War II," Biden said. "It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs." He said it would be paid for with an overhaul of the corporate tax system and noted that "91 Fortune 500 Companies, including Amazon, pay not a single solitary penny in income tax."

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"Im convinced that if we act now, in 50 years people are going to look back and say this is the moment when America won the future," said Biden, who promised to bring skeptical Republicans into the Oval Office for a "good faith negotiation." "It's big, yes. Its bold, yes, and we can get it done," Biden said of the plan, though predecessors Donald Trump and Barack Obama both failed to deliver on promises of sweeping infrastructure plans, Politico reports. With the Senate split 50-50 and a very narrow Democratic majority in the House, the fate of the "American Jobs Plan" could hinge on whether the budget reconciliation process is used to pass it, and on whether it gets support from lawmakers who insist it include lifting of the $10,000 "SALT cap" on tax deductions introduced under Trump. (Here's a look at what's in the plan, which goes far beyond roads and bridges.)
New Delhi:

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday claimed that it is a mistake to consider Rohingyas entering India as refugees as they did not follow due procedure.



"We need to understand that Rohingyas who have infiltrated India are not refugees," Singh said during an NHRC programme.



The Minister argued that there is a set procedure to follow in order to acquire refugee status, hence the Rohingyas currently in India are illegal immigrants. Thus, human rights argument does not apply, he told media.



"India won't be violating any international law by deporting Rohingyas from India, as it isn't a signatory to 1951 UN Refugee Convention," the home minister added. "Principle of non-refoulement applies on those who have taken asylum in India. No Rohingya has applied for asylum in India till today."

Read | Rohingya Muslims serious security threat to nation, Modi govt tells Supreme Court

Furthermore, Rajnath Singh stressed that 'People need to understand that one aspect of illegal immigration of Rohingyas is related to the national security'.

On the humanitarian actions taken by Indian govt, Rajnath said, PM Modi had requested Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to accept returning Rohingyas. Hopefully, concrete actions will be taken soon, he said.



India is also sending humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees, the minister added.



It is to be noted that Supreme Court is scheduled to hear petition against the deportation of Rohingya Muslims filed by West Benga; State Commission for Protection of Child Rights on October 3.

Read | Rohingyas row: WB commission for child rights files petition in SC

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Babies and breastfeeding will allowed in South Australia's House of Assembly under new laws which passed on Thursday.

Male and female MPs will be able to bring their young children to sittings, while expectant mothers have been granted 20 weeks of paid maternity leave without needing weekly authorisation from the House.

Deputy Premier Vickie Chapman said the changes will make the South Australian Parliament a more 'family-friendly' workplace and help new parents strike a better work-life balance.

Senator Larissa Waters (pictured) became the first woman to breastfeed in Parliament in 2017

'A desire to have a family should not impede women or men from entering politics,' Deputy Premier Chapman said.

'It's well and truly time these rules changed, bringing our Parliament in line with modern workplace expectations.

'I hope it signals to aspiring young politicians in this state that your family life is important and will be accommodated.

Attorney-General and Deputy Premier of South Australia Vickie Chapman (pictured) said the new law would modernise parliament and help young parents strike a better work-life balance

In February 2016 changes were made in federal parliament to allow male and female MP's to bring children into the chamber, if they were their primary care-giver.

Breastfeeding was also permitted, with Senator Larissa Waters becoming the first woman to nurse her baby in federal parliament in 2017.

The Queensland mother proudly breastfed her two-month-old baby girl, Alia, while passing a senate motion on black lung disease.

New law will allow MP's to bring their children into the House of Assembly, permits breastfeeding, and gives expectant mothers up to 20 weeks of paid maternity leave

The new laws comes as female politicians across the nation continue to expose the repeated mistreatment of women in parliament.

Last month former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped by a senior colleague in defence minister Linda Reynolds' office in 2019.

Her allegations have sparked further claims of sexual misconduct within parliament house, prompting an independent inquiry into its workplace culture.

Sex Discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins will lead the inquiry and has said current and former staff will have the opportunity to participate in the review.

Ms Jenkins said she hopes the inquiry will 'create the foundation for long-term positive cultural reform that will make parliament safe and respectful'.
Bharat BillPay, a payment ecosystem conceptualized by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and driven by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has recently launched a campaign to build brand awareness. Conceived by Lowe Lintas Mumbai, this is Bharat BillPay's first-ever television campaign.

In its latest campaign, the brand seeks to promote its wider coverage of payments that include all kinds of recurring payments through online and offline channels, over and above the existing utility payments. The campaign has a two-pronged objective: to rehash the routine of consumers who use a particular method of payment, and to reinforce the element of convenience and safety symbolized by the B (referring to the partners enabled by Bharat BillPay).

Talking about their maiden television campaign, A R Ramesh, Chief of Bharat Bill Payment System, NPCI said: "This campaign is focused on creating consumer awareness to look for brand B of Bharat BillPay and make recurring payments safe and convenient instead of going around to multiple biller touch points. It is our strong conviction that once the consumer experiences the power of making various types of recurring payments conveniently at one place, it will permanently shift the behavior of making payments through Bharat BillPay enabled partners. We are happy that our creative agency Lowe Lintas has created brand communication, which clearly showcases the USP and conveys the message to consumers."

The campaign film opens with the protagonist visibly stressed about the hassles of monthly bill payments. A reassuring voice bursts into a song asking the protagonist to not worry about the hassles of paying bills anymore. What follows is a series of reasons for using Bharat BillPay tastefully woven into a melody. The catchy song touches upon numerous aspects, from the channels it allows to its robust customer service, ultimately concluding how Bharat BillPay is a safe, reliable and instant method for bill payments.

Commenting on the campaign idea, Amar Singh, Regional Creative Officer, Lowe Lintas said: "There is such a surfeit of bill payment options now, that for some people it can get a bit intimidating and overwhelming. A paradox of choice. In such a scenario, people tend to follow the old-fashioned means of payment even if it takes up a lot of their time and causes them a fair degree of tension. This film, conceived by Rajat Dawar, Vishal Bagade and S. Ravikrishna, tells people that instead of letting this tension get the better of them, all they need to do is look out for a simple sign of authority and assurance in the payment option nearest to them. A simple B seen on a website, or on a payment app or at a store, that lets them know that they can pay all their bills here without any sort of worry or inconvenience.
500 Unaccompanied Minors to Be Housed in Houston Holding Facility

The Biden administration is moving another 500 unaccompanied children from border facilities under U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody to an emergency holding facility as part of efforts to reduce overcrowding.

The children are scheduled to arrive at the National Association of Christian Churches site in Houston, Texas, which has been transformed into an Emergency Intake Site used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Refugee Resettlement (ORR).

The HHS made similar statements earlier this week to announce the opening of additional overflow facilities to address the significant surge of illegal border crossings at the U.S. southern, particularly by unaccompanied minors. Children have been placed in HHS facilities in Fort Bliss and San Antonio.

While most single adults and some families are being turned back, the Biden administration has been accepting all unaccompanied minorschildren who unlawfully enter the country without an adult. About 17,200 unaccompanied minors were in the custody of either CBP or HHS as of March 29, according to the HHS Administration for Children and Families.

The administration is currently seeking to build capacity for 13,500 beds, with the potential for additional capacity in order to meet what has been a continuous flow of unaccompanied minors coming across the border.

The Biden administration is currently racing against time to divert resources to manage the sharp increase in illegal immigration in recent weeks. Upon taking office, President Joe Biden reversed several Trump-era immigration policies, including his predecessors key Migrant Protection Protocol, which sought to end the problematic Obama-era catch and release system that is credited for significantly stemming the flow of illegal immigration in 2019.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who is leading White House efforts to deal with the crisis, will be focusing her efforts to address the root causes of migration, not the border, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday.

Biden tapped Harris to lead the administrations effort last month, saying that she is the most qualified person to handle the task, as he trusted her to speak for him on the issue.

Illegal immigrants, most from Honduras, walk toward a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico near Mission, Texas, on March 23, 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)

During the month of March, Border Patrol apprehended more than 150,000 illegal border crossers50,000 more than Februaryaccording to former CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan.

A further 30,000 evaded capture, according to Morgan, who has received the provisional CBP numbers from internal sources.

U.S. Border Patrol agents and local authorities have reported appalling incidents of human smugglers leaving unaccompanied children at the border or in the Rio Grande river. A special tactical team operating along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas said that agents rescued a 6-month-old baby who had been thrown off a raft into the Rio Grande River by smugglers earlier in March.

Similarly, U.S. Border Patrol announced on Thursday that agents rescued two toddlers who had been dropped from the top of a 14 foot border barrier into the middle of the New Mexico desert that night. A video of the incident was shared on Twitter by El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez.
The Miami-based law firm representing the latest accuser of late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein had previously defended lawyer Alan Dershowitz in his legal battle against Virginia Roberts Giuffre, according to a new report.

In a new lawsuit filed last week, a Turkish-born woman claimed she was repeatedly raped by Epstein with the help of his alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, in front of her eight-year-old son.

The accuser, identified only as Jane Doe, said she was 26 years old and working as a real estate agent in Florida in January 2008, when the attacks began.

The abuse continued for at least five months, culminating in Epstein forcing the woman to undergo vaginal surgery to make her appear as a virgin, according to court documents.

The law firm representing Jeffrey Epstein's latest accuser, identified only as Jane Doe last week, has also represented Alan Dershowitz (right) in his legal battle against Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre (left)

Doe also alleged that Epstein had once threatened to feed her to alligators at a Florida waterway if she ever reported his crimes.

The allegations were the latest in the slew of disturbing claims made by several women who claimed to have been victims of Epstein's underage sex trafficking ring, including 'sex slave' Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Attorney Kendall Coffey, a partner of the Miami-based firm Coffey Burlington that is representing Jane Doe, has been described as Dershowitz's 'close friend'

On Tuesday the Daily Beast reported that Doe is being represented by the same law firm that represented lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who has also been accused of participating in the abuse with the billionaire financier.

Giuffre, one of the most outspoken victims of Epstein's child sex trafficking ring, has claimed the noted lawyer was among the prominent men who sexually exploited her when she was 17 and 18 years old.

The 37-year-old claimed in court filings that Epstein made her his teenage 'love slave' and forced her to have sex with Dershowitz a half-dozen times in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Dershowitz, who was once part of President Donald Trump's impeachment defense team, has vehemently denied the allegations.

The former Harvard professor reportedly hired attorney Kendall Coffey, a partner of legal firm Coffey Burlington which is representing Doe, to represent him in his fight against Giuffre.

In a new lawsuit filed last week under pseudonym Jane Doe, a Turkish-born woman accused Epstein of repeatedly raping her with the help of his alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell, in front of her eight-year-old son in early 2008

Epstein bought the Palm Beach mansion (pictured) in 1990, where he abused dozens of girls

According to the report, Coffey, a former US attorney, appears to have close ties to Dershowitz beyond being his lawyer.

The outlet pointed to a LA Times article last year in which Coffey was referred to as a 'close friend' of the 82-year-old, in addition to being his attorney.

Coffey Burlington, however, has claimed there is no conflict of interest in Doe's lawsuit despite their previous connections to the Epstein case.

'It would be wholly inappropriate and unfair to both our current client and Professor Dershowitz to suggest that there is any connection between the two of them,' attorney Andrew Marks, who representing Doe, told The Daily Beast Tuesday.

Co-founder and partner Robert Burlington also told the outlet that the two cases were independent of each other.

'We represented a victim (Dershowitz) of defamation by an accuser and we now represent a victim of sexual battery against Epstein and Maxwell,' he said in a statement.

The Harvard lawyer and TV law expert exclusively told DailyMail.com he welcomes the chance to prove that the claims made by Roberts, who now goes by Virginia Giuffre, were false

Dershowitz himself even vouched for his legal team, telling the outlet that Coffey 'is a very ethical lawyer.'

A hearing for Doe's case is scheduled in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday.

Doe said that she met Epstein and Maxwell sometime in late 2006 or early 2007 at a barbeque hosted by her employer, who knew Epstein well.

The Turkish woman was notably older than most Epstein accusers, but in court documents said that she looked much younger, and was told to tell the men she was trafficked to that she was 17.

In May 2008 she was taken to a house to undergo vaginal surgery, against her wishes, at the request of a 'high profile client', according to the suit.

She claimed the surgery was carried out 'in a wealthy person's home by a man with a Russian accent' and left her mutilated and permanently damaged.

The lawsuit comes as additional charges were filed against Maxwell Monday, alleging that she trafficked a 14-year-old girl for sex.

Epstein died by suicide in August 2019, aged 66, while awaiting trial in jail. His estate is facing numerous civil suits.

Maxwell, 59, his former girlfriend and alleged accomplice, was arrested in July in New Hampshire and is currently in jail in Brooklyn, awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Verizon Business announced it is working with Associated British Ports (ABP) to deploy private 5G at the Port of Southampton. Delivered in partnership with Nokia, Verizons private 5G platform will provide one of the United Kingdoms (UKs) busiest ports with a secure, low-latency private network connection.

ABP operates a network of 21 ports, including the Port of Southampton. Acting as the UKs number one port responsible for 40 billion in exports from the UK every year, the Port of Southampton provides a critical link in supply chains serving businesses and manufacturers throughout the nation. It is also the UKs number one port for cars and cruise, handling approximately 900,000 cars and welcoming millions of cruise passengers annually. With this new contract the Port of Southampton will become the first UK mainland port with access to a private 5G network.

Tami Erwin, CEO, Verizon Business, said, Verizons private 5G is the foundation for a completely dedicated edge compute infrastructure, enabling ultra-low latency at the premise, higher levels of security and deeper customization for our partners. Businesses such as ABP, are coming under more pressure to evolve their services at tremendous speeds in order to take advantage of new commercial opportunities. Along with Nokia, we have been able to equip ABP to take advantage of the immediate benefits private 5G offers, and most importantly prepare the Port of Southampton to take full advantage of new technology applications and real-time analytics which will digitally transform its services in the future.

The Verizon private 5G platform will provide ABP with a reliable and secure private wireless data network across selected areas within the East and West Docks of the Port. This will enable data communications to be consolidated onto a single network, reducing previous complexity as well as helping to improve the reliability and security of terminal communications.

The deployment will not only address the immediate problem of loss of onsite data communications as a result of poor wifi connectivity, but the advanced capabilities of private 5G, specifically its reliability, throughput, security and ultra low latency can help enable the use of new technologies such as real-time analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning. In turn, this can help with the enablement of new service advancements including asset tracking, autonomous guided vehicles, workflow management, predictive maintenance and safety monitoring in the near future.

Henrik L. Pedersen, ABP Chief Executive Officer, said, Building flexible and resilient technology platforms to meet our customers needs is a key element of our strategy, and becoming the first mainland port operator in the UK to offer a private 5G network to our customers is a fantastic milestone for ABP. We would like to thank our partners for enabling this project, which will equip our Port in Southampton with the state-of-the-art infrastructure needed to be at the forefront of the digital revolution in the maritime industry.

Verizon Business announced the launch of its international private 5G platform for global enterprises located in Europe and Asia-Pacific in October 2020. This solution, currently delivered in partnership with Nokia, will enable businesses to deploy a private industrial grade dedicated 5G network capability within their premises. The network is on Nokia Digital Automation Cloud, an application platform providing high-bandwidth, low-latency, hyper-fast private wireless connectivity and local edge computing.

Brian Fitzgerald, SVP Verizon Business Group, Nokia, said, The 5G opportunity will be fully realized with Industry 4.0 as spectrum opens up and private 5G networks go into operation at industrial sites around the world. We are committed to enabling our strategic partner Verizon Business to expand its 5G global footprint with enterprise customers such as ABP; by providing unprecedented levels of support to drive success for private 5G as well as delivering the highest levels of performance, resilience and security required by its customers.
President Joe Biden vowed Wednesday to make companies like Amazon pay their fair share in taxes to fund his ambitious $2trillion infrastructure plan.

He said it was not about 'retribution' against the wealthy and successful, but the fact that Amazon pays zero in federal taxes is 'just wrong.'

Biden on Wednesday unveiled the far-reaching plan to shore up the nation's highways, bridges and ports, as well as fund telecommunications upgrades plus research and development to boost competitiveness, especially compared to China.

A key source of the financing would come from increasing the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent, and cracking down on the use of tax havens to avoid paying US taxes.

The package already is drawing condemnation from corporations that balk at reversing the tax cuts signed in late 2017 by then-President Donald Trump.

That measure slashed the corporate rate from 35 percent, although with various deductions and loopholes, the average rate companies actually pay was, and remains, much lower.

President Joe Biden speaks about his $2 trillion infrastructure plan during an event to tout the plan at Carpenters Pittsburgh Training Center in Pittsburgh on Wednesday

The president is seen above arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after his speech in Pittsburgh on Wednesday

Companies in the United States pay an average tax rate of just eight percent compared with 16 percent prior to 2017, according to a recent analysis by the Joint Committee on Taxation.

In his speech in Pittsburgh, Biden expressed outrage over the imbalance between taxes paid by the wealthiest corporations and the burden for middle-class workers.

He cited a 2019 study showing 91 Fortune 500 companies, 'the biggest companies in the world, including Amazon...pay not a single, solitary penny of federal income tax.

Here's the full text of the president's remarks.



THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Mike asked me  and I said to Bobby, my good friend  he asked me back there  he said, 'Do you ever get nervous?' And I  he said, 'Because I got up this morning, made breakfast for my kids. Ive got to introduce the President.'

And what I say to you, Mike: You did a heck of a job. But Id get nervous if I had to get up in the middle of the night, climb up a telephone pole, replace  in the middle of a storm  a connection that knocked out everybodys electricity, and put a transformer in. Thats what would make me nervous. So what you did was really good. I couldnt do what you do, pal. I couldnt do what you do.

And I want to  and its true, Mike. Youre a union guy; me too. I got in trouble, but I dont make any apologies for it. Im a union guy. I support unions. Unions built the middle class. Its about time they start to get a piece of the action.

To all my colleagues  (applause)  to the County Executives, to the Mayor, to everyone whos here, I want to say: Thank you. Thank you, Congressman, for the passport into your district. And I appreciate being here. Im honored to be with you.

Two years ago, I began my campaign here in Pittsburgh, saying I was running to rebuild the backbone of America. And today, I return as your President to lay out the vision of how I believe we do that  rebuild the backbone of America.

Its a vision not seen through the eyes of Wall Street or Washington, but through the eyes of hardworking people, like the people I grew up with; people like Mike and his union family; union workers in this Carpenters Training Center; people like the folks I grew up with in Scranton and Claymont, Delaware.

People who get up every day, work hard, raise their family, pay their taxes, serve their country, and volunteer for their communities, and just looking for a little bit of breathing room  just a little bit of light.

Ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. The people who break their necks every day for their families and the country they love - a country that, in fact - which, on the day I was elected, was in extreme distress with a virus on a deadly rampage that has now killed four thou- - excuse me, five hundred - I carry it in my pocket every day.

I have the list of exactly how many have died: 547,296 Americans dead from the virus - more than all the people killed in World War One, World War Two, the Vietnam War, 9/11. 547,296 Americans.

And an economy that left millions out of work and created so much anxiety.

Thats why I moved so quickly to pass the American Rescue Plan with the help of my friends here in the Congress. I really mean that. It didnt pass by a whole lot, but with the leadership of Conor and Bobby and Mayor  just  you got it done, because it was an emergency. We needed to act to save jobs, to save businesses, and to save lives. And thats what we did.

Were beginning to see the results. Were on our way to having given 200 million vaccination shots in the first 100 days of my presidency.

When I said Id get 100 million done, people thought it was a significant exaggeration.

Were going to get 200 million done - twice the original goal - because of all the help of all of you.

Leading economists are now predicting our economy will grow 6 percent this year.

Thats a rate we havent seen in years and years. We can cut child poverty in half this year.

With the American Rescue Plan, were meeting immediate emergencies. Now its time to rebuild.

Even before the crisis were now facing, those at the very top in America were doing very well, which is fine.

They were doing great. But everyone else was falling behind.

The pandemic only made the division so much worse and more obvious. Millions of Americans lost their jobs last year while the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans saw their net worth increase by $4trillion.

It just goes to show you how distorted and unfair our economy has become. It wasnt always this way.

Well, its time to change that. Id note, parenthetically, that I got criticized for giving tax breaks to middle-class and poor folks this last time. I didnt hear that cry  hue and cry when we were doing the same thing when Trumps tax bill passed and 83 percent of the money went to the top 1 percent.

You know, this is not to target those whove made it; not to seek retribution. This is about opening opportunities for everybody else.

And heres the truth: We all will do better when we all do well. Its time to build our economy from the bottom up and from the middle out, not the top down.

It hadnt worked very well. For the economy overall, it hadnt worked - because Wall Street didnt build this country; you, the great middle class, built this country. And unions built the middle class.

And its time - in this time, well rebuild the middle class. Were going to bring everybody along.

Regardless of your background, your color, your religion, (inaudible) everybody gets to come along.

So, today, Im proposing a plan for the nation that rewards work, not just rewards wealth.

It builds a fair economy that gives everybody a chance to succeed, and its going to create the strongest, most resilient, innovative economy in the world.

Its not a plan that tinkers around the edges. Its a once-in-a generation investment in America, unlike anything weve seen or done since we built the Interstate Highway System and the Space Race decades ago.

In fact, its the largest American jobs investment since World War Two. It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs.

It will grow the economy, make us more competitive around the world, promote our national security interests, and put us in a position to win the global competition with China in the upcoming years.

Is it big? Yes. Is it bold? Yes. And we can get it done.

It has two parts: the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. Both are essential to our economic future. In a few weeks, Ill talk about the Americans Family Plan, but today I want to talk about the Americans Jobs Plan.

Ill begin with the heart of the plan: It modernizes transportation infrastructure - our roads, our bridges, our airports. I just left your airport.

The director of the airport said, 'Were about to renovate the airport.'

Is that right, Mr. County Executive?

'Were going to renovate. Were going to employ thousands of people.'

And she looked at me and said, 'I cant thank you enough for this plan.'

It grows the economy in key ways. It puts people to work to repair and upgrade so  that we badly need. It makes it easier and more efficient to move goods, to get to work, and to make us more competitive around the world.

Some of your local officials know, when someone wants to come into the area and a company wants to invest, what do they ask?

'Wheres the first rail bed? How can I get to the railroad? What access to interstate do I have? Whats the water like? Tell me about it.' And it goes on and on.

Its about infrastructure. The American Jobs Plan will modernize 20,000 miles of highways, roads, and main streets that are in difficult, difficult shape right now.

Itll fix the nations 10 most economically significant bridges in America that require replacement.

Remember that bridge that went down? We got 10 of the most economically significant bridges with more commerce going across it that need to be replaced.

Well also repair 10,000 bridges, desperately needed upgrades to unclog traffic, keep people safe, and connect our cities, towns, and Tribes across the country.

The American Jobs Plan will build new rail corridors and transit lines, easing congestion, cutting pollution, slashing commute times, and opening up investment in communities that can be connected to the cities, and cities to the outskirts, where a lot of jobs are these days. Itll reduce the bottlenecks of commerce at our ports and our airports.

The American Jobs Plan will lead to a transformational progress in our effort to tackle climate change with American jobs and American ingenuity.

Itll protect our community from billions of dollars of damage from historic super storms, floods, wildfires, droughts, year after year, by making our infrastructure more secure and resilient and seizing incredible opportunities for American workers and American farmers in a clean energy future.

Skilled workers, like one we just heard from, building a nationwide network of 500,000 charging stations, creating good-paying jobs by leading the world in the manufacturing and export of clean electric cars and trucks.

Were going to provide tax incentives and point-of-sale reberts [sic]  rebates to help all American families afford clean vehicles of the future.

The federal government owns an enormous fleet of vehicles which are going to be transitioned to clean electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles right here in the United States, by American workers with American products.

When we make all these investments, were going to make sure, as the executive order I signed early on, that we buy American.

That means investing in American-based companies and American workers.

Not a contract will go out, that I control, that will not go to a company that is an American company with American products, all the way down the line, and American workers.

And well buy the goods we need from all of America, communities that have historically been left out of these investments: Black, Latino, Asian American, Native American, rural, small businesses, entrepreneurs across the country.

Look, today, up to 10 million homes in America and more than 400,000 schools and childcare centers have pipes - where they get their water from - pipes that are lead-based pipes, including pipes for drinking water.

According to scientists, there is simply no safe exposure to lead for a child. Lead can slow development, cause learning behaviors and hearing problems.

The American Jobs Plan will put plumbers and pipefitters to work, replacing 100 percent of the nations lead pipes and service lines so every American, every child can turn on a faucet or a fountain and drink clean water.

With each $5,000 investment replacing a line, that can mean up to $22,000 in healthcare costs saved - a chance to protect our children, help them learn and thrive.

We cant delay. We cant delay another minute. Its long past due.

You know, in America, where the early interest was in Internet - this thing called the Internet that we invested - we invented, the early - the early Internet was invented here.

Millions of Americans, though, lack access to reliable high-speed Internet, including more than 35 percent of rural America.

Its a disparity even more pronounced during this pandemic. American Jobs will make sure every single  every single American has access to high quality, affordable, high-speed Internet for businesses, for schools.

And when I say 'affordable,' I mean it.

Americans pay too much for Internet service. Were going to drive down the price for families who have service now, and make it easier for families who dont have affordable service to be able to get it now.

As you saw in Texas and elsewhere, our electric and power  power grids are vulnerable to storms, catastrophic failures, and security lapses, with tragic results.

My American Jobs Plan will put hundreds of thousands of people to work - hundred of thousands of people to work - line workers, electricians, and laborers - laying thousands of miles of transmission line; building a modern, resilient, and fully clean grid; and capping hundreds of thousands of, literally, orphan oil and gas wells that need to be cleaned up because theyre abandoned - paying the same exact rate that a union man or woman would get having dug that well in the first place.

Well build, upgrade, and weatherize affordable, energy-efficient housing and commercial buildings for millions of Americans.

Even before the pandemic, millions of working families faced enormous  enormous financial and personal strain trying to raise their kids and care for their parents at the same time  the so-called 'sandwich generation'  or family members with disability.

You got a child at home, you cant stay home from work to take care of that child unless you lose - youre going to put the child at risk or you lose your job; or you have an elderly parent youre taking care of. And seniors and people with disabilities living independently feel that strain as well.

But we know, if they can remain independently living, they live longer.

The American Jobs Plan is going to help in big ways. Its going to extend access to quality, affordable home or community-based care.

Think of expanded vital services like programs for seniors, or think of homecare workers going into homes of seniors and people with disabilities, cooking meals, helping them get around their homes, and helping them be able to live more independently.

For too long, caregivers - who are disproportionately women, and women of color, and immigrants - have been unseen, underpaid, and undervalued.

This plan, along with the American Families Plan, changes that with better wages, benefits, and opportunities for millions of people who will be able to get to work in an economy that works for them.

You know, decades ago, the United States government used to spend 2 percent of its GDP  its gross domestic product  on research and development. Today, we spend less than 1 percent. I think its seven-tenths of 1 percent.

Heres why that matters: Were one of only a few major economies in the world whose public investment in research and development as a share of GDP has declined constantly over the last 25 years.

And weve fallen back. The rest of the world is closing in and closing in fast.

We cant allow this to continue. The American Jobs Plan is the biggest increase in our federal non-defense research and development spending on record. Its going to boost Americas innovative edge in markets where global leadership is up for grabs  markets like battery technology, biotechnology, computer chips, clean energy, the competition with China in particular.

Critics say we shouldnt spend this money. They ask, What do we get out of it? Well, they said the same thing when we first flew into space for the first time. They said the same thing.

Well, pushing the frontiers led to big benefits back home. When NASA created Apollos digital flight control system  unheard of at the time  it led to technologies that help us today to drive our cars and fly our planes.

When NASA invented ways to keep food safe for the astronauts, it led to programs that have been used to  for decades to keep food safe in supermarkets. At least 2,000 products and services have been developed and commercialized as a result of American space exploration.

GPS has helped us find each other. Computer chips allow us to see and talk to one another, even when were separated by mountains and oceans  singing Happy Birthday and watching the first steps of that new baby grandchild; comforting each other when comfort is needed.

Think about what it means to you and your loved ones. We just have to imagine again.

I had a long discussion with Xi Jinping, the leader of China, when he called to congratulate me. We spent two hours on the phone. And he said  and was astonished by NASAs security team and the China experts who were on the line  he said, Youve always said, Mr. President, that you can define America in one word: possibilities. Thats who we are.

In America, anything is possible. Like what we did with vaccines a decade ago that laid the foundation for COVID-19 vaccines we have today. Like we did when the Interstate Highway System that transformed the way we traveled, lived, worked, and developed.

Americans could visit relatives anywhere in the country with just a family station wagon. Businesses here in Pittsburgh could load up a truck and get a product to Portland or Phoenix. To this day, about a quarter of all the miles Americans drive each year on one of those very original highways.

Imagine what we can do, whats within our reach, when we modernize those highways. You and your family could travel coast to coast without a single tank of gas onboard a high-speed train.

We can connect high-speed, affordable, reliable Internet wherever you live.

Imagine knowing that youre handing your children and grandchildren a country that will lead the world in producing clean energy technology and will need to address one of the biggest threats of our time. Thats what well do.

Altogether, along with the American Rescue Plan, the proposal I put forward will create millions of jobs  estimated by some Wall Street outfits: over 18 million jobs over four years; good-paying jobs.

It also works to level the playing field, empower workers, and ensure that the new jobs are good jobs that you can raise a family on, and ensure free and fair choice to organize and bargain collectively.

Thats why my plan asked Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act  the PRO Act  and send it to my desk.

This plan is important, not only for what and how it builds, but its also important to where we build. It includes everyone, regardless of your race or your ZIP Code.

Too often, economic growth and recovery is concentrated on the coast. Too often, investments have failed to meet the needs of marginalized communities left behind.

There is talent, innovation everywhere. And this plan connects that talent through cities, small towns, rural communities; through our businesses and our universities; through our entrepreneurs, union workers all across America.

We have to move now. Because Im convinced that if we act now, in 50 years, people are going to look back and say this was the moment that America won the future.

What Im proposing is a one-time capital investment of roughly $2 trillion in Americas future, spread largely over eight years.

It will generate historic job growth, historic economic growth, help businesses to compete internationally, create more revenue as well. They are among the highest-value investments we can make in the nation  investing in our infrastructure.

But put it another way, failing to make these investments adds to our debt and effectively puts our children at a disadvantage relative to our competitors. Thats what crumbling infrastructure does. And our infrastructure is crumbling. Were ranked 13th in the world.

Whats more, it heightens our vulnerability to  it attac-  attracts our adversaries to compete in ways that they havent up to now. And our adversaries are worried about us building this critical infrastructure.

Put simply, these are investments we have to make. We can afford to make them  or, put another way, we cant afford not to.

So how do we pay for it? I spoke to the Majority Leader and  no longer  I guess hes no longer the Majority Leader; he has been for a long time. I spoke for the Republican  I spoke to the Republican Leader about the plan. Everybody is for doing something on infrastructure. Why havent we done it? Well, no one wants to pay for it.

Less than four years ago, as I said, the Congress passed a tax cut of $2 trillion, increasing the national debt $2 trillion. It didnt meet virtually any of the predictions it would in terms of growing the economy. Overwhelmingly, the benefits of that tax package went to the wealthiest Americans. It even included new investments that would profit by shifting profits and jobs overseas if youre a corporation. It was bad for American competitiveness, deeply unfair to the middle-class families, and wrong for our future.

So, heres what Id do. I start with one rule: No one  let me say it again  no one making under $400,000 will see their federal taxes go up. Period. This is not about penalizing anyone. I have nothing against millionaires and billionaires. I believe American  in American capitalism. I want everyone to do well.

But heres the deal: Right now, a middle-class couple - a firefighter and a teacher with two kids - making a combined salary of, say, $110-, $120,000 a year pays 22 cents for each additional dollar they earn in federal income tax.

But a multinational corporation that builds a factory abroad - brings it home and then sell it - they pay nothing at all. Were going to raise the corporate tax.

It was 35 percent, which is too high.

We all agreed, five years ago, it should go down to 28 percent, but they reduced it to 21 percent. Were going to raise it back to - up to 28 percent.

No one should be able to complain about that. Its still lower than what that rate was between World War Two and 2017. Just doing that one thing will generate $1 trillion in additional revenue over 15 years.

In 2019, an independent analysis found that are 91 - let me say it again, 91 Fortune 500 companies - the biggest companies in the world, including Amazon - they used various loopholes so theyd pay not a single solitary penny in federal income tax.

I don't want to punish them, but thats just wrong. That's just wrong. A fireman and a teacher paying 22 percent? Amazon and 90 other major corporations are paying zero in federal taxes?

Im going to put an end to that, and heres how well do it. Were establishing a global minimum tax for US corporations of 21 percent. Were going to level the international playing field. That alone will raise $1trillion over 15 years.

Well also eliminate deductions by corporations for offshoring jobs and shifting assets overseas.

You do that, you pay a penalty; you dont get a reward in my plan. And use the savings from that to give companies tax credits to locate manufacturing here - in manufacturing and production here in the United States.

And well significantly ramp up the IRS enforcement against corporations who either fail to report their incomes or under-report. Its estimated that could raise hundreds of billions of dollars.

All of this adds up to more than what Ive proposed to spend in just 15 years.

Its honest. Its fiscally responsible. And by the way, as the experts will tell you, it reduces the debt  the federal debt over the long haul.

But let me be clear: These are my ideas on how to pay for this plan. If others have additional ideas, let them come forward. Im open to other ideas, so long as they do not impose any tax increase on people making less than $400,000.

Let me close with this: Historically, infrastructure had been a bipartisan undertaking, many times led by Republicans.

It was Abraham Lincoln who built the transcontinental railroad. Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican - the Interstate Highway System. I could go on.

And I dont think youll find a Republican today in the House or Senate  maybe Im wrong, gentlemen  who doesnt think we have to improve our infrastructure. They know China and other countries are eating our lunch. So theres no reason why it cant be bipartisan again.

The divisions of the moment shouldnt stop us from doing the right thing for the future.

Im going to bring Republicans into the Oval Office; listen to them, what they have to say; and be open to other ideas. Well have a good-faith negotiation with any Republican who wants to help get this done. But we have to get it done.

I truly believe were in a moment where history is going to look back on this time as a fundamental choice that had to be made between democracies and autocracies.

You know, theres a lot of autocrats in the world who think the reason why theyre going to win is democracies cant reach consensus any longer; autocracies do.

Thats what competition between America and China and the rest of the world is all about. Its a basic question: Can democracies still deliver for their people? Can they get a majority?

I believe we can. I believe we must.

Delivering for the American people is what the American Rescue Plan was all about. And its been overwhelmingly popular.

When I wrote it, everybody said I had no bipartisan support. Were overwhelming bipartisan support with Republican - registered Republican voters. And ask around.

If you live in a town with a Republican mayor, a Republican county executive, or a Republican governor, ask them how many would rather get rid of the plan.

Ask them if it helped them at all.

Its what the American Jobs Plan is about - the new one Im proposing. I hope Republicans in Congress will join this effort.

I hope and I believe a number of businesses will join this effort. And I hope and believe the American people will join this effort - Democrats, Republican, and independents.

We can do this. We have to do this. We will do this.

We just have to remember: This is the United States of America. And Ive said it a thousand times: Theres nothing beyond our capacity if we act together. So its time to move together.

Thank you and I hope I get to come back to see you folks after this plan is passed. And the question is: You have to attract even more apprentices, more people, because were building so much.

God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. Thank you.
D. Robert Frisina, pictured here in the 1970s, enjoyed interacting with students at RIT/NTID, where he served as founding director. Few leaders anywhere in the nation could have matched [Frisina's] dynamic leadership in charting the course for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. - Arthur L. Stern, who chaired RITs Board of Trustees from 1961 to 1976.

The founding director of Rochester Institute of Technologys National Technical Institute for the Deaf, D. Robert Frisina, died in Florida on Monday, March 29. He was 96.

An international author and lecturer, Frisina was a visionary and a pioneer in the field of deaf education. He was selected by the RIT Board of Trustees as the first director of NTID in January 1967, and he went on to quite literally build NTID from the ground up. Arthur L. Stern, who chaired RITs Board of Trustees from 1961 to 1976, said of Frisina, Few leaders anywhere in the nation could have matched his dynamic leadership in charting the course for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

At the time he was appointed NTID director, less than 1 percent of all college-age deaf individuals were enrolled in postsecondary education. Of those employed, most held unskilled or semi-skilled positions, and there were virtually no deaf people in technical or managerial positions. Frisinas goal from the start was to improve education opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing students to open to them successful career paths on par with those of their hearing peers.

He brought with him to RIT/NTID a background in education and deafness as well as an acute understanding of the need for RIT to fulfill its contract with the federal government for operating NTID. When he saw a challenge, he doggedly pursued a solution. He scrupulously selected faculty and staff who were experts in a variety of technical and educational fields and who understood they were embarking on what he called The Grand Experiment, an entirely new venture to educate a large number of deaf and hard-of-hearing students at the postsecondary level on a mainstream college campus.

Well known for encouraging faculty and staff to develop innovative ideas, Frisina was known to say that he had two pocketsone for problems and one for solutions. He often would tell people that if they brought him a problem for one pocket, he also expected them to bring a solution for his other pocket.

Bob was instrumental in developing, encouraging, and mentoring many of NTIDs best leaders over the years, said Gerry Buckley, current NTID president and RIT vice president and dean. His foresight, wisdom, and perseverance helped make NTID what it is today.

Stepping down as leader of NTID in 1976, Frisina continued to serve as an RIT senior vice president for 15 years. In 1993, he formed the International Center for Hearing and Speech Research (ICHSR), which was housed at RIT/NTID, and served as director of ICHSR for 17 years. He also served as a board member and adviser for a number of organizations and earned many RIT awards, including the Presidential Medallion, the Principal Investigator Award, and the RIT Diversity Trailblazer Award. In 2007, RIT/NTID dedicated the D. Robert Frisina Quadrangle in his honor. In 2009, he was named vice president emeritus of RIT.

Among other awards, Frisina also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Westminster College, the Bicentennial Medal of Excellence Award from the New York State Board of Regents, the Civic Award for Education from the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, the Lyons Founder Award from the Rochester School for the Deaf, and the Special Recognition Award from the University of Buffalo.

He held a bachelors degree in biology from Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.; a masters degree in education of the deaf from Gallaudet College; and a Ph.D. in audiology and psychology from Northwestern University.

He always spoke with tremendous pride about the mission of NTID and the positive impact it has had on the lives of thousands of deaf individuals, Buckley said. He said that one of the highlights of his career was receiving a standing ovation from the thousands of alumni who attended NTIDs 50th anniversary celebration in Rochester in 2018.

Frisina leaves behind children Dr. Robert D. Frisina, Karen Moses, Sandy Richter, Tom Frisina, and Chris Frisina, as well as 10 grandchildren. RIT/NTID will hold a memorial service on campus at a later date.




Korea should be on lookout against technology leaks to China



Magnachip Semiconductor said it will be acquired by Wise Road Capital, a Chinese private equity fund, for about $1.4 billion. Magnachip was spun off in 2004 from Hynix Semiconductor, currently SK hynix, the world's second-largest maker of DRAM chips. The company's flagship product is the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display driver integrated circuit (DDI). In the market for core semiconductors in TVs and smartphones using OLED panels, Magnachip is the world's No. 2 company after Samsung Electronics.



If a company like this falls into Chinese hands, Korea might end up passing on its OLED industry leadership to the world's second-largest economy. Currently, Korea enjoys a predominant status in the global OLED industry. LG Display accounts for 90 percent of the large OLED panel market for TVs, while Samsung Display accounts for a similar proportion in the small and midsize panel market for mobile devices.



Overconfidence can be dangerous, however. Korea has the bitter experience of handing over its position as the global leader in the liquid crystal display (LCD) market to China just several years ago. It began with Hynix's sell-off of its LCD business unit, HYDIS, to China's BOE in 2002. BOE absorbed HYDIS' technology and sold it off to a Taiwanese company, which later emerged as the world's No. 1 company in the LCD sector. The case of Ssangyong Motor was similar. China's Shanghai Automotive Group took over Ssangyong in 2004 and got out of it only five years later, creating a stir about the alleged theft of diesel car technology from the Korean automaker.



OLED is one of the core industries that forms the basis of the national economy. If the technology in this sector is transferred to foreign competitors, it will deal a critical blow to our national competitiveness. That explains why a petition opposing Magnachip's acquisition has appeared on the Cheong Wa Dae website. And while the deal has already been signed, Korean regulators have yet to approve it and will make a final decision after examining whether Magnachip's technology is a core national technology that deserves protection. The government should not just sit and watch a core technology that has fed the Korean people being leaked to a foreign rival.




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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Thursday, announced its plan to recommence Continuous Voter Registration exercise (CVR) on June 28 across the country.

The commissions chairperson, Mahmood Yakubu, stated this while addressing journalists in Abuja.

The exercise, as stipulated in Section 10 of Nigerias Constitution, should be on continuous basis but that has not been constant due to exigencies of resources.

Mr Yakubu said the exercise could not recommence largely due to the impact of COVID-19.

Recalling the attempts made by the commission to ensure continuous voter registeration, the INEC chairperson said the CVR took place continuously from April 2017 till late August 2018 when it was temporarily suspended in preparation for the 2019 General Election.

The General Election was followed by the usual post-election preoccupations of the commission, such as post-election litigations, post-election reviews and several off-cycle elections, particularly the Governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States, which took place late in 2019. These off-cycle elections had to be conducted using the same Register of Voters for the 2019 General Election, Mr Yakubu said.

The CVR could not recommence in 2020 due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with the general advice by health officials regarding events involving large groups of people, we considered it inauspicious to restart the CVR at the height of the pandemic.

The commission issued a detailed policy on conducting elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which focused mainly on proper elections, since these elections must be held to prevent any constitutional crisis linked to the end of tenure. Such elections took place in Edo and Ondo states late last year.

Our thinking at the time was that at the turn of the new year, we would have completed all outstanding off-season governorship elections and that the pandemic would have eased. We also needed time to put in place new systems that would facilitate safer registration of voters, should the pandemic persist.

The INEC boss said the exercise was initially scheduled to recommence within the first quarter of 2021.

New Developments

Mr Yakubu on Thursday said the commission was set to commence the exercise on June 28 ahead of the forthcoming 2012 Anambra Governorship Election.

He said the exercise would run for over a year until the third quarter of 2022 with emphasis on the Anambra State as a result of its November 6 governorship election.

Effective from Monday 28th June 2021, the CVR exercise will commence nationwide and carried out continuously for over a year until the third quarter of 2022.

However, emphasis will initially be on Anambra State where more centres will be established in view of the Governorship election already scheduled for Saturday 6th November 2021.

In order to complete preparations for the governorship election, the CVR exercise in the state will be temporarily suspended in August 2021. This will enable the commission to clean up the data for the state and print the PVCs for registrants. As time goes on, the commission will provide more details on the CVR exercise, particularly the innovations that will ensure a safe and stress-free experience for registrants. In doing so, we will fully consult stakeholders. In fact, the first in the series of these consultations will take place after the Easter break, he said.

Mr Yakubu also disclosed that the earlier system of voter identification known as the Direct Data Capturing Machine (DDC) would now be replaced by new compact registration devices to serve better purposes during election.

The new device is known as the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED) and is based on an Android tablet.
April 01 : Actor Kangana Ranaut just took to her social media and shared some of the most candid stills from the remote location in Rajasthan, where she was busy shooting Tejas, and also confirmed the schedule wrap.

Kangana recently flew to Rajasthan to complete the next schedule of forthcoming drama Tejas. She has completed the schedule of the film and shared that they shot very close to the Pakistan border.

The actor took to her social media and shared BTS pictures from the shoot of her forthcoming film. Kangana wrote, Team #Tejas successfully completed Rajasthan schedule today, also shot very close to Pakistan border the crew faced many obstacles including extreme weather conditions,it seemed as if our commander in chief @sarveshmewara1 was driven by other worldly force. Salutations team Tejas

Team #Tejas successfully completed Rajasthan schedule today, also shot very close to Pakistan border the crew faced many obstacles including extreme weather conditions,it seemed as if our commander in chief @sarveshmewara1 was driven by other worldly force.Salutations team Tejas. pic.twitter.com/1tzVPJY7m7  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) March 31, 2021

Kangana will be seen playing an air force pilot in the movie, which has been written and directed by Sarvesh Mewara. The film is being bankrolled by RSVP Movies, the production house that had also produced the blockbuster military drama 'Uri: The Surgical Strike'.

The Indian Air Force was the first of the country's defence forces to induct women into combat roles in 2016. The film takes inspiration from this landmark event.

Apart from 'Tejas', Kangana will also be seen in 'Thalaivi', a biopic on actor-turned-politician Jayalalithaa. Apart from this she also has 'Dhaakad' and 'Manikarnika Returns: The Legend Of Didda' in the pipeline.

Kangana has also signed up to play the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in an upcoming political drama.
Lara Trump slammed Instagram and Facebook removing her posts talking about her interview with Donald Trump, saying this happens 'in communist countries.'

Lara Trump slammed Instagram and Facebook removing her posts talking about her interview with Donald Trump, saying this only happens 'in communist countries.'

'It's so crazy,' she said of the tech media companies' decision. 'Today it is Donald Trump. Tomorrow it could be you.'

Lara, the former president's daughter-in-law, posted captures of the emails he got from Facebook and Instagram, explaining their decision to remove her posts promoting her interview with Trump.

She blasted the companies' decision in an interview with 'Fox & Friends' on Thursday morning.

'This is not the country we want to live in, this happens in communist countries,' she said.

She accused the tech companies, who banned Trump from their platforms after the January 6th MAGA riot on Capitol Hill, of wanting to 'erase Donald Trump.'

'But I think the message is they want to erase Donald Trump. They want you to forget he existed. They don't want you to see him, they don't want you to hear from him, look away, move on, shut up and go on about your lives, forget Donald Trump existed. This is really scary stuff,' Lara Trump said.

In the interview Lara Trump, Trump tore into social media and the mainstream media for suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story, he criticized President Biden's green agenda and railed against cancel culture which he said obliterates US culture.

It was for The Right View, Lara's show. During the 18-minute interview, Trump also spoke about running for President again in 2024. Lara had been promoting it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter beforehand.

At 9.26pm on Tuesday night, four minutes before it was due to be uploaded, Facebook emailed Lara's team warning them that it would be removed if it went live. At 9.51pm, they emailed again to say that they'd taken it down.

Lara Trump, the former president's daughter-in-law, posted captures of the emails he got from Facebook and Instagram, explaining their decision to remove her posts promoting her interview with Trump. She blasted the companies' decision in an interview with 'Fox & Friends' on Thursday morning.

Lara shared screenshots of the emails on Instagram afterwards. 'And just like that, we are one step closer to Orwell's 1984. Wow,' she wrote alongside them.

Trump has been banned from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram since the January 6 riots, cut off from his supporters and unable to get messages to them in the way he did before.

In their email, the Facebook employee said that 'content posted in the voice of President Trump is not currently allowed on our platforms (including new posts with President Trump speaking) and will be removed.

'This guidance applies to all campaign accounts and Pages, including Team Trump, other campaign messaging vehicles on our platforms and former surrogates'.

Trump's interview with Lara is the first time he has been seen on camera since he left office. Until now, he has been phoning in to FOX News to share his opinions.

The social media giant has not responded to inquiries about taking the video down, and it has not made any public statement.

Trump supporters are irate and say it's further proof of big tech trying to silence anyone who doesn't agree with them.

At 9.26pm, Lara's team received this email from Facebook warning them that the interview would be removed (left). Thirty-minutes later, after she'd uploaded it to Facebook, she received another, informing her it had been taken down. Lara shared screenshots of the emails on Instagram

Donald Trump sat down with his daughter-in-law Lara Lea, Eric's wife, for his first on-camera interview since leaving office

During the 20-minute interview Trump talked about Joe Biden falling on the stairs to Air Force One, how boring Twitter had become without him and how the woke mob's cancelling of Dr Seuss made the US look absurd to its foreign adversaries, including China. It was the 74-year-old's first on-screen interview since losing to Biden in the general election and leaving D.C. under the cloud of the deadly Capitol Hill riot after he claimed the vote was rigged.

During the 18-minute interview Trump talked about how Joe Biden 'didn't know where the hell he was' when he fell down the stairs on Air Force One and how 'boring' Twitter had become without him.

Lara said the US was becoming like Communist China and others said Facebook 'can't handle the truth'

He was asked whether his supporters could hope he will run for president again, he replied: 'You do have hope, that I can tell you, you do have hope. We love our country, this country, we all owe a lot to our country, but now we have to help our country.'

Trump also criticized the situation at the border. pointing to the fact that many crossing the Rio Grande have explicitly stated that Biden was the reason they made the journey North.'Look at our borders, look what's happening,' Trump said.

'We had the best southern border that we've ever had and in one day he said, 'Everybody come up,' and and what's going on now is something compared to what's going to take place during the summer.'

Trump also criticized the situation at the border. pointing to the fact that many crossing the Rio Grande have explicitly stated that Biden was the reason they made the journey North.

Trump opened the chat by slamming Biden's first two months in power after Lara asked about the debut White House press conference last week - a record-breaking 65 days after taking office.

'Well I think the press conference is probably the least of it,' Trump told his daughter-in-law. 'People saw a lot of things happening long-prior to the press conference - and even the trip up the stairs - up and down, three times - there are a lot of things going on, so we'll see what happens.

'I hope he's in good shape I hope he's OK for the sake of the country.

Trump compared it to the media's coverage of how he had walked 'inch by inch' down a ramp after a speech at West Point.

'But they covered that for weeks, and this guy falls down three times, he couldn't get up, the third time he didn't know where the hell he was.

'And it was not on the evening news, other than a couple of networks, but it wasn't ABC, CBS, NBC, and it got almost no coverage. It's incredible.'

Trump said it was a 'sad situation' because 'we don't have freedom of the press anymore.'

He also referred to how, during the campaign, Hunter Biden was not brought up by the media because that topic 'was cancelled.'

During the election battle, the contents of an old laptop belonging to the president's son including video and images of Hunter having sex and taking drugs.

It was dismissed by Biden supporters - and the pro-Democrat press - as having been handed to Trump's campaign team by Russians, while there was never any denial that it was Hunter in the footage.

'When they didn't show any of that during the campaign - they just cut it out, like, cancelled I guess, you could call it cancel culture right - to me that was really the beginning, because it was bad it's been bad for a really long time, it's been fake for a long time,' Trump said.

'But it used to be fake where they'd come up and I'd come up and you'd fight and the public can believe one way or the other ... but they didn't bring Hunter up, it was just really cancelled.'

GEORGE ORWELL'S 1984 AND BECOMING AN 'UNPERSON' Orwell's novel 1984 tells the story of a dystopian world where the state controls the people and anyone who disagrees with the party can be erased. In the novel when that happens, they become an Unperson. It means that every trace of the person has been wiped from public record - there are no photographs of them or videos, no mentions of their name and they are even wiped from the memories of friends and family. Critics say it is what the left is trying to do now to Trump. Advertisement

The president claimed subsequent polls had shown it would have made a ten point difference in the election if the story had not been suppressed.

He said this had made him realise there was a 'new phase' in the cancel culture where the news media are refusing to cover certain subjects for political reasons and described social media as being 'worse' that the traditional press.

Trump later expanded on this 'woke left' theme, saying that the mob mentality was a disgrace to the United States which damaged its reputation internationally.

'I think that they [America's allies and adversaries] cannot believe what is happening,' the president said.

'Can you imagine China looking at us and they're talking about Dr Seuss and that was like the big thing of the day - but it's gone beyond Dr Seuss, they want to take down monuments to heroes, they want to obliterate our history.

'Whether it is good or bad you learn from it, you have to learn from history and some is bad and some is good. I would say most of it's good.

'But they want to obliterate our past and what you have is you don't have much of a country left.

'I think China is very happy now and I think that Russia and a lot of other countries are very happy. They look at what is going on and they don't believe it.'

Trump said that the social media giants were also bound up in this woke culture, telling Lara: 'Twitter has gotten very boring, a lot of people are leaving Twitter.'

He referenced the possibility, which has been previously discussed, about his starting a new social media platform.

'So I think there's room for something and I bring a lot of people with me, so we'll see,' Trump said.

He added that he 'loved' how his team were now putting out press releases which he described as an 'elegant' solution.

Trump was kicked off Twitter, Facebook and numerous other social media sites in the wake of the Capitol siege.

The President then lost his balance again and fell to his knees on the carpeted stairs

Donald Trump Jr. said it was 'no wonder' the US was being attacked by 'enemies' Russia and China when Biden's health is in question

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies before Congress last week. Trump said that Dorsey's platform had become 'boring' without him

The former president skewered Biden's first two months in office, claiming that the Democrat has brought in socialist policies that would make even Bernie Sanders blush and was allowing thousands of illegal migrants through at the southern border.

He said: 'The things that [Biden] said - and whether we debate it or whether he just made statements - all of those things are not what he's doing.

'[The agenda] is more liberal, more radical than Bernie Sanders ever had in mind. Bernie could not be happier, but this is something Bernie would have never suggested, he never talked about what he's doing to destroy energy and the second amendment.'

Trump said: 'All of things that he's doing - raise taxes to the biggest levels in history - those were not things that were discussed at all during the election.'

Trump said that he had rebuilt the US military to its strongest ever levels, that he had brought in the biggest tax cuts and cut regulations to their lowest in years.

But he warned that 'all of this will erode' because of the green agenda which the Democrats are intent on pushing through.

The former president said that the southern border wall had been a magnificent success but that it still needed to be completed.

He suggested that the Biden administration had no intention to do so and would simply let the plan fall through.

'During the summer you're going to see things that nobody has ever seen before,' Trump told Lara. 'It's very dangerous, it's very bad for our country and they're destroying our country.'
The medical cannabis specialist will now begin cultivation as specialist facilities on the island of Jersey

Medical cannabis group said it has successfully closed a pre-IPO funding round, which at 14mln was significantly oversubscribed.

The fundraise allows the company to begin a grow programme at its facilities on the island of Jersey.

Chief executive and Master Grower, Campbell Dunlop, said: "We have spent the last two years investing in our facilities, growing hemp, liaising with regulators and customers to pull together our strategy to be a European leading cannabis company in cultivation, extraction and production for medical markets.

We are now fully funded to start the next phase of our growth and we will start planting in the coming months.

had initially set out to raise 5mln. Dunlop said the excess demand for the pre-IPO round (which was structured as a convertible loan note issue) had provided additional financial heft to accelerate investment into higher-yielding extraction equipment.

Looking to phase two

It will also help start the ball rolling on phase-two of the business growth plan  to build the UKs first vertically integrated cannabis business.

holds a licence granted by the Jersey Government under the authority of the UK Home Office, that allows it to grow and sell medical cannabis.

It currently operates from a 75,000 square-foot facility on Jersey where the favourable climate and sunshine hours contribute to its comparatively lower cultivation cost.

Under phase one of the programme, management expects to harvest a normalised production capacity of 6,500kg of THC flower per year.

It also has an additional 196,000 square-feet of capacity at the site that will be brought under cultivation during phase-two.

The UK market for medical cannabis is in the formative stages of development but is expected to grow quickly if Germany and Australias experiences provide a reliable yardstick.

Currently, the issue is one of supply, or lack of it domestically after the law changed in 2018 to allow the prescription of cannabis-based medicines.

First mover advantage

Northern Leaf secured a government licence authorised by the Home Office last December and was the first company to do so since 1998.

This, it believes, gives it a potential first-mover advantage to supply high-quality medical-grade cannabis into Britain and other underserved markets.

Israel, for example, is a leader in cannabis research, but lacks local supply, so imports around 10 tonnes a year from international suppliers.

Germany, the largest European market for medical cannabis, is in a similar position.

Katie Shelton-Innes, Northern Leafs director of corporate affairs, said: "This funding round has shown how much interest and excitement there is in investing in the European cannabis market."

UK shareholder participation is now an option after the Financial Conduct Authority guidance last September allowed the listing of cannabis companies here in the UK.

Shelton-Innes said she expects Northern Leafs IPO to happen later this year.

"We have appointed advisers and are actively pulling together an experienced board and senior management team to complement and strengthen our existing team. I look forward to updating the markets in due course," she added.
Armed Paris was the only serious obstacle in the way of the counterrevolutionary conspiracy. Paris was, therefore, to be disarmed.

On this point the Bordeaux Assembly was sincerity itself. If the roaring rant of its Rurals had not been audible enough, the surrender of Paris by Thiers to the tender mercies of the triumvirate of Vinoy the Decembriseur, Valentin the Bonapartist gendarme, and Aurelle de Paladines the Jesuit general, would have cut off even the last subterfuge of doubt. But while insultingly exhibiting the true purpose of the disarmament of Paris, the conspirators asked her to lay down her arms on a pretext which was the most glaring, the most barefaced of lies. The artillery of the Paris National Guard, said Thiers, belonged to the State, and to the State it must be returned. The fact was this: From the very day of the capitulation, by which Bismarcks prisoners had signed the surrender of France, but reserved to themselves a numerous bodyguard for the express purpose of cowing Paris, Paris stood on the watch. The National Guard reorganized themselves and entrusted their supreme control to a Central Committee elected by their whole body, save some fragments of the old Bonapartist formations. On the eve of the entrance of the Prussians into Paris, the Central Committee took measures for the removal to Montmartre, Belleville, and La Villette of the cannon and mitrailleuses treacherously abandoned by the capitulards in and about the very quarters the Prussians were to occupy. That artillery had been furnished by the subscriptions of the National Guard. As their private property, it was officially recognized in the capitulation of the 28th of January and on that very title exempted from the general surrender, into the hands of the conqueror, of arms belonging to the Government. And Thiers was so utterly destitute of even the flimsiest pretext for initiating the war against Paris, that he had to resort to the flagrant lie of the artillery of the National Guard being State property!

The seizure of her artillery was evidently but to serve as the preliminary to the general disarmament of Paris, and, therefore, of the revolution of the 4th of September. But that revolution had become the legal status of France. The republic, its work, was recognized by the conqueror in the terms of the capitulation. After the capitulation, it was acknowledged by all the foreign powers, and in its name the National Assembly had been summoned. The Paris working mens revolution of the 4th of September was the only legal title of the National Assembly seated at Bordeaux, and of its executive. Without it, the National Assembly would at once have to give way to the Corps Legislatif, elected in 1869 by universal suffrage under French, not under Prussian, rule, and forcibly dispersed by the arm of the revolution. Thiers and his ticket-of-leave men would have had to capitulate for safe-conducts signed by Louis Bonaparte, to save them from a voyage to Cayenne [prison]. The National Assembly, with its power of attorney to settle the terms of peace with Prussia, was but an incident of that revolution, the true embodiment of which was still armed Paris, which had initiated it, undergone for it a five months siege, with its horrors of famine, and made her prolonged resistance, despite Trochus plan, the basis of an obstinate war of defence in the provinces. And Paris was now either to lay down her arms at the insulting behest of the rebellious slaveholders of Bordeaux, and acknowledge that her Revolution of the 4th of September meant nothing but a simple transfer of power from Louis Bonaparte to his royal rivals; or she had to stand forward as the self-sacrificing champion of France, whose salvation from ruin, and whose regeneration were impossible, without the revolutionary overthrow of the political and social conditions that had engendered the second Empire, and, under its fostering care, matured into utter rottenness. Paris, emaciated by a five months famine, did not hesitate one moment. She heroically resolved to run all the hazards of a resistance against the French conspirators, even with Prussian cannon frowning upon her from her own forts. Still, in its abhorrence of the civil war into which Paris was to be goaded, the Central Committee continued to persist in a merely defensive attitude, despite the provocations of the Assembly, the usurpations of the Executive, and the menacing concentration of troops in and around Paris.

Thiers opened the civil war by sending Vinoy, at the head of a multitude of sergents-de-ville and some regiments of the line, upon a nocturnal expedition against Montmartre, there to seize, by surprise, the artillery of the National Guard. It is well known how this attempt broke down before the resistance of the National Guard and the fraternization of the line with the people. Aurelle de Paladines had printed beforehand his bulletin of victory, and Thiers held ready the placards announcing his measures of coup detat. Now these had to be replaced by Thiers appeals, imparting his magnanimous resolve to leave the National Guard in the possession of their arms, with which, he said, he felt sure they would rally round the government against the rebels. Out of 300,000 National Guards only 300 responded to this summons to rally round little Thiers against themselves. The glorious working mens revolution of the 18th March took undisputed sway of Paris. The Central Committee was its provisional government. Europe seemed, for a moment, to doubt whether its recent sensational performances of state and war had any reality in them, or whether they were the dreams of a long bygone past.

From the 18th of March to the entrance of the Versailles troops into Paris, the proletarian revolution remained so free from the acts of violence in which the revolutions, and still more the counterrevolutions, of the better classes abound, that no facts were left to its opponents to cry out about, but the execution of Generals Lecomte and Clement Thomas, and the affair of the Place Vendome.

One of the Bonapartist officers engaged in the nocturnal attempt against Montmartre, General Lecomte, had four times ordered the 81st line regiment to fire at an unarmed gathering in the Place Pigalle, and on their refusal fiercely insulted them. Instead of shooting women and children, his own men shot him. The inveterate habits acquired by the soldiery under the training of the enemies of the working class are, of course, not likely to change the very moment these soldiers change sides. The same men executed Clement Thomas.

General Clement Thomas, a malcontent ex-quartermaster-sergeant, had, in the latter times of Louis Philippes reign, enlisted at the office of the Republican newspaper Le National, there to serve in the double capacity of responsible man-of-straw (gerant responsable) and of duelling bully to that very combative journal. After the revolution of February, the men of the National, having got into power, they metamorphosed this old quartermaster-sergeant into a general on the eve of the butchery of June, of which he, like Jules Favre, was one of the sinister plotters, and became one of the most dastardly executioners. Then he and his generalship disappeared for a long time, to again rise to the surface on the 1st November, 1870. The day before the Government of Defence, caught at the Hotel de Ville, had solemnly pledged their parole to Blanqui, Flourens, and other representatives of the working class, to abdicate their usurped power into the hands of a commune to be freely elected by Paris. Instead of keeping their word they let loose on Paris the Bretons of Trochu, who now replaced the Corsicans of Bonaparte. General Tamisier alone, refusing to sully his name by such a breach of faith, resigned the commandership-in-chief of the National Guard, and in his place Clement Thomas for once became again a general. During the whole of his tenure of command, he made war, not upon the Prussians, but upon the Paris National Guard. He prevented their general armament, pitted the bourgeois battalions against the working mens battalions, weeded out the officers hostile to Trochus plan, and disbanded, under the stigma of cowardice, the very same proletarian battalions whose heroism has now astonished their most inveterate enemies. Clement Thomas felt quite proud of having reconquered his June [1848] preeminence as the personal enemy of the working class of Paris. Only a few days before the 18th of March, he laid before the War Minister, Le Flo, a plan of his own for finishing off la fine fleur (the cream) of the Paris canaille. After Vinoys rout, he must needs appear upon the scene of action in the quality of an amateur spy. The Central Committee and the Paris working men were as much responsible for the killing of Clement Thomas and Lecomte as the Princess of Wales was for the fate of the people crushed to death on the day of her entrance into London.

The massacre of unarmed citizens in the Place Vendome is a myth which M. Thiers and the Rurals persistently ignored in the Assembly, entrusting its propagation exclusively to the servants hall of European journalism. The men of order, the reactionists of Paris, trembled at the victory of the 18th of March. To them it was the signal of popular retribution at last arriving. The ghosts of the victims assassinated at their hands from the days of June, 1848, down to the 22nd of January, 1871, arose before their faces. Their panic was their only punishment. Even the sergents-de-ville, instead of being disarmed and locked up, as ought to have been done, had the gates of Paris flung wide open for their safe retreat to Versailles. The men of order were left not only unharmed, but allowed to rally and quietly to seize more than one stronghold in the very centre of Paris. This indulgence of the Central Committeethis magnanimity of the armed working menso strangely at variance with the habits of the party of order, the latter misinterpreted as mere symptoms of conscious weakness. Hence their silly plan to try, under the cloak of an unarmed demonstration, what Vinoy had failed to perform with his cannon and mitrailleuses. On the 22nd of March a riotous mob of swells started from the quarters of luxury, all the petits creves in their ranks, and at their head the notorious familiars of the Empirethe Heeckeren, Coetlogon, Henri de Pene, etc. Under the cowardly pretence of a pacific demonstration, this rabble, secretly armed with the weapons of the bravo, fell into marching order, ill-treated and disarmed the detached patrols and sentries of the National Guards they met with on their progress, and, on debouching from the Rue de la Paix, with the cry of Down with the Central Committee! Down with the assassins! The National Assembly forever! attempted to break through the line drawn up there, and thus to carry by a surprise the headquarters of the National Guard in the Place Vendome. In reply to their pistol shots, regular sommations (the French equivalent of the English Riot Act) were made, and, proving ineffective, fire was commanded by the general of the National Guard. One volley dispersed into wild flight the silly coxcombs, who expected that the mere exhibition of their respectability would have the same effect upon the Revolution of Paris as Joshuas trumpets upon the walls of Jericho. The runaways left behind them two National Guards killed, one severely wounded (among them a member of the Central Committee), and the whole scene of their exploit strewn with revolvers, daggers, and sword-canes, in evidence of the unarmed character of their pacific demonstration. When, on the 13th of June 1849, the National Guard made a really pacific demonstration in protest against the felonious assault of French troops upon Rome, Changarnier, then general of the Party of Order, was acclaimed by the National Assembly and especially by M. Thiers, as the saviour of society, for having launched his troops from all sides upon these unarmed men, to shoot and sabre them down and to trample them under their horses feet. Paris, then, was placed under a state of siege. Dufaure hurried through the Assembly new laws of repression. New arrests, new proscriptionsa new reign of terror set in. But the lower orders manage these things otherwise. The Central Committee of 1871 simply ignored the heroes of the pacific demonstration; so much so, that only two days later they were enabled to muster, under Admiral Saisset, for that armed demonstration, crowned by the famous stampede to Versailles. In their reluctance to continue the civil war opened by Thiers burglarious attempt on Montmartre, the Central Committee made themselves, this time, guilty of a decisive mistake in not at once marching upon Versailles, then completely helpless, and thus putting an end to the conspiracies of Thiers and his Rurals. Instead of this, the Party of Order was again allowed to try its strength at the ballot box, on the 26th of March, the day of the election of the Commune. Then, in the mairies of Paris, they exchanged bland words of conciliation with their too generous conquerors, muttering in their hearts solemn vows to exterminate them in due time.

Now, look at the reverse of the medal. Thiers opened his second campaign against Paris in the beginning of April. The first batch of Parisian prisoners brought into Versailles was subject to revolting atrocities, while Ernest Picard, with his hands in his trousers pockets, strolled about jeering them, and while Mesdames Thiers and Favre, in the midst of their ladies of honour (?) applauded, from the balcony, the outrages of the Versailles mob. The captured soldiers of the line were massacred in cold blood; our brave friend, General Duval, the iron-founder, was shot without any form of trial. Gallifet, the kept man of his wife, so notorious for her shameless exhibitions at the orgies of the Second Empire, boasted in a proclamation of having commanded the murder of a small troop of National Guards, with their captain and lieutenant, surprised and disarmed by his Chasseurs. Vinoy, the runaway, was appointed by Thiers, Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, for his general order to shoot down every soldier of the line taken in the ranks of the Federals. Desmerets, the gendarme, was decorated for the treacherous butcher-like chopping in pieces of the high-souled and chivalrous Flourens, who had saved the heads of the Government of Defence on the 31st of October 1870. The encouraging particulars of his assassination were triumphantly expatiated upon by Thiers in the National Assembly. With the elated vanity of a parliamentary Tom Thumb, permitted to play the part of a Tamerlane, he denied the rebels against his littleness every right of civilized warfare, up to the right of neutrality for ambulances. Nothing more horrid than that monkey allowed for a time to give full fling to his tigerish instincts, as foreseen by Voltaire.

After the decree of the Commune of the 7th of April, ordering reprisals and declaring it to be its duty to protect Paris against the cannibal exploits of the Versailles banditti, and to demand an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, Thiers did not stop the barbarous treatment of prisoners, moreover insulting them in his bulletins as follows: Never have more degraded countenances of a degraded democracy met the afflicted gazes of honest men,honest like Thiers himself and his ministerial ticket-of-leave men. Still, the shooting of prisoners was suspended for a time. Hardly, however, had Thiers and his Decembrist generals become aware that the Communal decree of reprisals was but an empty threat, that even their gendarme spies caught in Paris under the disguise of National Guards, that even sergents-de-ville taken with incendiary shells upon them, were sparedwhen the wholesale shooting of prisoners was resumed and carried on uninterruptedly to the end. Houses to which National Guards had fled were surrounded by gendarmes, inundated with petroleum (which here occurs for the first time in this war) and then set fire to, the charred corpses being afterwards brought out by the ambulance of the Press at the Ternes. Four National Guards having surrendered to a troop of mounted Chasseurs at Belle Epine, on the 25th of April, were afterwards shot down one after another, by the captain, a worthy man of Gallifets. One of his four victims, left for dead, Scheffer, crawled back to the Parisian outposts, and deposed to this fact before a commission of the Commune. When Tolain interpellated the War Minister upon the report of this commission, the Rurals drowned his voice and forbade Leflo to answer. It would be an insult to their glorious army to speak of his deeds. The flippant tone in which Thiers bulletins announced the bayoneting of the Federals surprised asleep at Moullin Saquet, and the wholesale fusillades at Clamart shocked the nerves even of the not over-sensitive London Times.

But it would be ludicrous today to attempt recounting the merely preliminary atrocities committed by the bombarders of Paris and the fomenters of a slaveholders rebellion protected by foreign invasion. Amidst all these horrors, Thiers, forgetful of his parliamentary laments on the terrible responsibility weighing down his dwarfish shoulders, boasts in his bulletins that lAssemblee siege paisiblement (the Assembly continues meeting in peace), and proves by his constant carousals, now with Decembrist generals, now with German princes, that his digestion is not troubled in the least, not even by the ghosts of Lecomte and Clement Thomas.
Third graders at Tomball ISDs Grand Oaks Elementary School balked when student teacher Grace Neal first joined their class. They thought she might be a robot.

That smiling face on the laptop, who would wave and say hello to any student that passed by, is a real person, teacher Sara Dvorak told the kids. She just is not physically in the room with them.

Neal joins the class from her College Station apartment and streams into the classroom about twice a week.

Now Ill ask Can you bring Ms. Neal to me please? Dvorak said, and a student will walk the laptop streaming Neals face over to her desk. They love working with her, and shes already built some relationships with them, which is so important.

Neal is one of about 120 Texas A&M students doing some of their student-teaching hours in Tomball ISD remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While much has been written about K-12 teachers overhauling how they deliver instruction to both in-person and remote students this school year, colleges across Texas and the country also have had to reinvent how to teach aspiring teachers virtually and get them the classroom experience they need to thrive after graduation.

The pandemic has forced colleges to get more creative, especially in states where most schools have been closed for more than a year, said Gloria Ladons-Billings, president of the National Academy of Education and a retired professor of education at the University of Wisconsin. In Madison, for example, Ladons-Billings created a tutoring program that benefits low-income students whose parents work during the day, as well as student teachers who need practicum hours.

Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Still, Ladons-Billings said, aspiring teachers who are not in actual classrooms are missing out on learning about the connective tissue of teaching, including how to manage transitions and how to keep students on task. And tutoring programs like hers in Wisconsin still do not satisfy many states prerequisites for student-teaching hours.

I think most state departments of education and teacher preparation programs have been scrambling about how to meet these requirements, Ladons-Billings said.

Texas was one of only four states to require schools to offer in-person instruction last fall, so seniors in teacher preparation programs here have had more access to shadow and work with teachers in face-to-face settings. Many of those students have been spending their final year learning remotely themselves.

The University of Houstons College of Education, for example, has been remote since the pandemic hit the United States last March.

When what seemed like a temporary switch to virtual classes ended up lasting the rest of the spring 2020 semester, Shea Culpepper, director of teacher education at UHs College of Education, felt the pangs of panic. She worried the class of 2020 would be unprepared to begin their careers in Zoom chats instead of classrooms. There was no time to go back and instruct them how virtual teaching might work, but she soon realized the core of what her students had learned remained the same in remote settings.

What we have taught them about what good teaching is has not changed. Its still about understanding student thinking and building on that, Culpepper said. The foundation hasnt changed, but how you deliver that instruction has changed.

College students have taken courses online for years, but transitioning to virtual classes entirely also gave instructors an opportunity to demonstrate how it was done, said Robin Rackley, a clinical professor at Texas A&Ms College of Education and Human Development.

She began to show students the content management system she used to grade them and detailed how she posted and planned assignments for their courses.

I post material a week at a time, so Ill ask them why they think I do that instead of loading the whole semester at once, Rackley said. What am I looking for them to say? It could be overwhelming to students to see the whole semester. What if theyre working on an assignment and you see they need more time? If we havent loaded week two, we could add that assignment to week two, or if we already know this concept, we can move ahead.

Those lessons have limitations, however. Rather than sit in on actual classes, many seniors at UH and A&M had to watch prerecorded videos of teachers giving lessons in different content areas, such as math and social studies. Students could watch, but were not able to ask why the teachers decided to use certain techniques or how they were able to recapture a distracted students attention.

Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Justin Burris, a clinical assistant professor who specializes in math education at the University of Houstons College of Education, said he has been showing his students how to teach concepts, such as counting, by doing it with them over video calls. When his lessons are finished, his students sometimes struggle with how to take what they just learned and apply it to a virtual setting.

My students will ask How can I do this online? and Im like, We just did it online, Burris said. They dont always make that connection, but theyre seeing both sides of that coin.

For Jennifer Martinez and her mentor at Alief ISDs Outley Elementary, this year has been like inventing a car while driving it. Neither is particularly tech savvy, but they have managed to teach themselves and their students how to use Zoom and the online platform Schoology. When kids returned to school in October, they worked together to establish best practices for teaching in-person students and remote students at the same time.

Eventually, she began to settle into a rhythm, thanks largely to her mentors encouragement and lessons in classroom management and pedagogical techniques.

I feel that if you have taught students remotely and face-to-face at the same time its possible to achieve anything, because its really hard to engage the students online, keep them on track online and face-to-face, Martinez said. Its just a hassle.

Neal, the Texas A&M student working remotely in Tomball ISD, is just ready to get into a classroom. She will be able to do that next fall in the Austin area as she finished up her senior year in December. She is eager to learn more classroom management techniques and the little things that cannot be done via video calls  checking students work over their shoulders, leading educational games, learning more about their personalities and stories.

Just being able to be with them every day and to get to know them, Neal said. I want the full immersion.

shelby.webb@chron.com
YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations reports that several roads are closed across Armenia.

The ministry told Armenpress that the roads leading to the Amberd Fortress and Lake Kari in Aragatsotn province are closed.

The Georgian side informs that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open for all types of vehicles.

Drivers are urged to use snow tires.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
By Xinhua

Margaret Mackenzie is one of the traders at the open-air Maasai market located in the downtown section of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, which operates on weekends but has suffered losses amid COVID-19 disruptions.

The open-air market is renowned for its vibrant products from the nomadic Maasai community that range from wooden sculptures, beaded necklaces, batik wall hangings that often resonate with local and foreign tourists.

Mackenzie, a single mother of one, started selling jewelry at the market six years ago. The business was so good that she had never thought of quitting.I used to generate 16,000 shillings (about 145 U.S. dollars) profit in a week since most of my products do not require a huge capital. I make them, Mackenzie told Xinhua.

However, Mackenzies business started dwindling due to the pandemic.I used to sell one key holder for about 3 dollars but I had to adjust the price to one dollar so that I can get something to go back with at the end of the day, said Mackenzie. Now she has to do an extra job in order to cater to her household needs.

Paul Mutunga, a veteran trader at Maasai market has been in the business for more than a decade.I am watching my business as it goes down slowly. I dont know when it will resume as it used to, said Mutunga.

The Maasai market which largely relied on foreign tourists to remain vibrant is now forced to sell to local traders who buy the products at a low price due to pandemic related shocks.

We have to pay a tax fee of 5 dollars, it may look small but if you have not sold anything for that day, where will it come from? Mutunga expressed his worries. Mutunga is now appealing for well-wishers to offer him a job.

Pius Omari, a veteran trader at Maasai market whose products are tailor-made for the Chinese visitors said that it has been a herculean task to secure new clients since the onset of the pandemic in Kenya.

Omari sells products made from soapstone carvings that range from animal prints, African printed candle holders and carvings welcoming tourists like Jambo Kenya (Hello Kenya).

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent closure of international markets has hit my business hard, said Omari. He hoped the business can get through the pandemic and see a recovery this year.
DODOMA City has identified and prepared two new sites where timber traders will be relocated to conduct their business in a more centralised and organised manner, it has been announced.

Dodoma City Director Joseph Mafuru told the media that they have already prepared two sites in Kizota and Nzuguni wards next to Job Ndugai Central Market where the traders will relocate from their current site close to Jamhuri Stadium.

He said after three months the area will be ready for traders to relocate, saying the move aims to accommodate more timber traders and avoid inconvenience to traders and their customers.

Mr Mafuru said the Jamhuri Stadium area is currently overcrowded, which has caused public outcry from road users who were being inconvenienced.

"The situation posed a safety risk to motorists and other road users as well as traders themselves," he said.

He further said all timber traders across the city will be required to relocate to the earmarked sites.

"Timber sellers have been given a notice of departure, and if you look at many places here in the city centre, you notice timber scattered everywhere, even in public areas, that is not acceptable," he insisted.

"We had not made any move to solve this problem ... this is why I directed the city planning officers to allocate areas to centralise the timber business," Mafuru said.

Mafuru believed that the move intends to have a well-planned city and its citizens to be economically self-sufficient. To achieve that, he said every businessman must have an improved business permanent address.

For her part, a timber businesswoman, Ruth Jones said they are happy to have a permanent location prepared despite the fact that in the early stages, they will have a challenge in finding customers.

However, she said working in the city centre easily enables them to get customers, and she is somewhat worried about the new site.

Vera Ngamale, another trader on her part urged city fathers to complete the infrastructure in the newly allocated areas and make all timber traders move to the designated areas.

"They must make sure they move all traders to the designated areas at once and not leave others to operate in the city centre, because customers will be scarce at the new sites," he said.
Premium spirits producer Gordon & MacPhail has appointed Allied Young Fortune Brands as its distribution partner for the South Korean market.

The agreement covers the entire range of rare whiskies under the Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in addition to Benromach, the companys own distillery brand.

David King, sales director at Gordon & MacPhail, said: We recognise the long-term potential of our brands in South Korea where consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their choice of high quality, ultra-premium international spirits.



I am confident that together with the market expertise and brand building capabilities of Allied Young we will jointly unlock the growth opportunity that lies ahead."
Two worshipers in Butaleja District have been confirmed dead and eight others seriously hurt after the roof of a church in which they had gathered for Wednesday evening prayers collapsed on them.

The acting Bukedi South Police Spokesperson, Mr Moses Mugwe said the incident happened at Namulemu Catholic church in Namulemu cell, Lujehe ward in Butaleja town council.

"We have lost people while eight others are still admitted in hospital."

He said by the time police arrived at the scene for rescue, two people had died.

"We found some people already dead while others injured. We rushed the injured to hospital for medication,"Mr Mugwe added.

He identified the deceased as Angela Namulwa, 50, and one only identified as Magdalene, 70.

Related

Mr Mugwe also identified the injured as Henry Manyandi, 23; Wilfred Kadimba, 45; Petrina Masawe, 35; and Suzan Nahalomo, 35.

Others include Petwa Nabigi, 40; Pauline Namusene, 11, a pupil at Lunghele primary school in Butaleja town council; Margret Munaba, 23. Another victim not yet identified by press time.

Police said the injured were rushed to Busolwe general hospital for medication while bodies of the deceased were taken to Busolwe hospital pending postmortem as investigations continue.

"It seems the wall was poorly constructed using little cement and it could not withstand the heavy rain and hailstorm which lifted off the roof of the church," he said.

Survivors told this reporter that the congregation numbered about 50 at the time of the accident, most of whom scampered for their lives on sensing danger following heavy rain that started at around 4pm.
Dr. Marc Krouse made 59 mistakes in at least 27 autopsies, according to a new audit of his work

The Texas medical examiner suspended for failing to find a bullet in a teenager's body made 59 mistakes in at least 27 autopsies, according to a new audit of his work.

Dr. Marc Krouse's work was first called into question last November following the death of Alfredo Olivares, 19, who was shot in Forth Worth in September.

While Olivares was shot twice, Krouse noted in his September 19 report that the teen only had one gunshot wound on his left lower back and listed his cause of death as 'a gunshot wound to the abdomen'.

Now an audit of his work - which looked at 41 autopsies carried out between January and November of 2020 - has revealed he also did not recover a bullet in the death of Jose Moreno in February 2020, NBC5 reports.

The 57-year-old's sister Vanessa Morales said: 'I just want to know what he was thinking.

'What made him rush through the autopsies or not give enough detail. I just want to know where his head was at the time. Why were you not giving us closure. Why are you letting this happen? Youre responsible and we want answers.'

Other mistakes include the findings of an autopsy of a man who was stabbed and set on fire. Krouse is said to have failed to have clearly set out if he was stabbed first, The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports.

The audit - carried out by Tarrant County Medical Examiner Dr. Nizam Peerwani - also claims Krouse repeatedly failed to look at ambulance reports and hospital records.

Attorney Christy Jack said his alleged botched work 'has the potential to effect in the hundreds of cases'.

The chief deputy medical examiner, who has worked for the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office since 1981, is expected to now permanently leave his role.

While Olivares was shot twice, Krouse noted in his September 19 report that the teen only had one gunshot wound on his left lower back and listed his cause of death as 'a gunshot wound to the abdomen'. Olivares' x-ray is pictured

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office (above)

Dr. Krouses attorney Darrell Keith told ABC8: 'Were conducting investigation into what the medical examiners office has done to Dr. Krouse as well as the roles of Dr. Peerwani and the commissioners court.'

The audit states: 'Although in most cases, these did not necessarily impact the assignment of cause or the manner of death, the reports left questions unanswered and demonstrated lack of due diligence.'

In Olivares's case another medical examiner reviewed Krouse's report and noted several inconsistencies, including that images from the hospital showed two bullets in Olivares' body.

The second bullet had not been removed by Krouse and instead he reported the wound as a 'surgical stab' - despite hospital and police records reporting it as a gunshot wound.

That resulted in Olivares' body behind exhumed under court order in December.

The district attorneys office said in a statement: 'Moving forward, defense attorneys have the right to ask trial judges if they can question witnesses about the audit. The judges will decide if the information is admissible.'

An audit of Krouse's work - which looked at 41 autopsies carried out between January and November of 2020 - has revealed he also did not recover a bullet in the death of Jose Moreno, pictured, in February 2020

Defense attorney Benson Varghese told Fox4: 'It was extremely concerning at every possible level.'

Olivares, 19, was shot on September 19 as he stood in the front yard of a home in the 4100 block of Valentine Street in Fort Worth.

He was taken to the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, where he died of his injuries in the operating room.

Four days later, 23-year-old Peter Cardona, of Benbrook, was charged with his murder.

In Krouse's autopsy report, Krouse noted that Olivares had suffered a gunshot wound to his left lower back, which had caused injuries to his ribs and left kidney. His cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen.

A second bullet in the teen's body was missed by Krouse, despite hospital and police records stating he'd been shot twice.

On review of Krouse's report, another medical examiner found that Krouse didn't look at the radiology report which would have clearly shown both bullets in his body.

Additionally, at least four other discrepancies were found, including Krouse's assertion that Olivares didn't have any personal belongings, but photos show he was wearing a leg monitor.

Krouse also wrote that Oliveras was clothed, but police had already taken all of his clothing in as evidence.

By December, Oliveras body was exhumed by court order to retrieve any further evidence that may have been missed by Krouse, including the second bullet.
The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, revealing a global failure to invest in pandemic preparedness. Scientists, looked upon to find a cure, had little time and a low margin for error.

And because the disease is novel and spreads fast, an infodemic  misconception, mistrusts, and scepticisms  sprung, putting pressure on fact-checkers and journalists to deliver accurate, balanced, and timely reports while countering false information.

Two issues remained contentious for more than a year after the pandemic broke: a growing debate on the efficacy of the treatment regimens for the disease and the safety concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

For instance, the use of Ivermectin  a medication used to treat many types of parasite infestations  for treating COVID-19 has been a hot topic in the health community with many national health associations like the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. choosing to remain neutral, leaving the decision to physicians and their patients.

In Nigeria, the growing concerns about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccines are escalating an already flourishing scepticism and misconception.

Last week, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) in partnership with the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH) held a webinar to address some of the contentious issues surrounding vaccine safety and treatment of the disease.

Themed Vaccines, Treatments and Stemming a Public Health Crisis, the virtual event gave government officials, health and media experts from across Africa and the world the space to discuss these challenges and forge a new way forward.

Here are some key messages from speakers at the event:

Harmonizing COVID-19 response in ECOWAS countries

Nigerian journalist Moji Makanjuola, the moderator of the event, set the stage by underlining the importance of a harmonised COVID-19 response by all nations under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

She then introduced Joshua Obasanya, the COVID-19 coordinator at the West Africa Health Organization (WAHO).

WAHO has been designated as the lead agency to coordinate the COVID-19 ECOWAS regional response.

By its founding protocol and in line with the political mandate by the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS countries, WAHO works collaboratively with governments, through the Ministries of Health and other key ministries, departments, and agencies, to safeguard the health of the population.

Mr Obasanya explained how a harmonised safety guideline would help tackle misinformation and foster compliance to safety protocols in the region.

He said a coordinated COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the region will improve access to the much-needed jabs.

He also highlighted challenges in West Africas COVID-19 response.

There is lack of harmony of travel protocols among West African nations. If you are travelling from Nigeria to Ghana, for instance, the COVID-19 test you conducted in Nigeria may not be accepted in Ghana, meaning you must do a repeat test.

Ideally, the cost for tests in travel portals should not cost more than $50 but some West African countries are charging as much as $90.

These are some of the issues we are trying to address at WAHO, he explained.

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Mr Obasanya said WAHO is looking beyond the COVAX arrangement by trying to source about 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the region.

He said the agency is also trying to build the capacity of testing centres and the potential for vaccine production in the region.

The official said one of the biggest challenge in the region is getting people to comply with safety regulation and tackling rumors and misinformation.

Role of the media

Mia Malan, the founding editor of Bhekisisa, a South Africa health journalism platform, took the participants through the rigorous challenge of reporting on COVID-19.

Mrs Malan, a multiple award-winning journalist, said the complexity and the dynamics of the science of COVID-19 has made health reporting very hard and challenging.

Ideally, the role of the media is to provide fair, balanced and accurate reporting on COVID-19 but the complex nature of the pandemic and the increasingly growing info-demic has made the job more challenging, she explained.

The reporting on COVID-19 requires an understanding of complex science, research, and regulatory approval processes in vaccine manufacturing.

COVID-19 has changed all journalists into health reporters overnight. Countries approve vaccines in different ways and manufacturing processes for vaccines are more complex than for many other medicines.

The journalist said the speed at which the science of vaccines and treatment regimen develop makes it hard for reporters to catch up.

Preprints move so fast and so some of them are not even peer-reviewed. Once science gets it wrong, journalists will now struggle with reporting the facts.

Mrs Malan itemised the basic expectation of journalists reporting on COVID-19.

Our most basic duty is to inform. Theres so much information that people need which has led to this infodemic. It is our job as journalists to break down the science and explain things in such a way that people will get to understand accurately.

In vaccine development for instance, we need to explain the complex issues such as how the vaccine works, the safety concerns, the impact and spread of the new COVID-19 variants.

She said health journalists should do more explanatory and interpretative journalism.

Accountability

Mrs Malan in her presentation also pointed out that it is the duty of the media to serve as a watchdog that will hold governments, international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), scientists, pharmaceutical companies and vaccine developers accountable.

In tackling misinformation and fake news, there must be accountability too, she said.

We should go beyond, reporting and trying to challenge false and fake news. We should do more evidence-based journalism that will place the right information above the wrong ones.

She urged scientists and researchers working in any field related to the pandemic to make themselves available for interviews.

Scientists also have a role to play in accountability by independently reviewing the works of their colleagues.

Mrs Malan also reaffirmed the need for journalists reporting on COVID-19 to get special training and mentoring.

Repurposing of drugs for COVID-19 treatment

With growing concerns over the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the advocacy for the adoption of drugs repurposed for the treatment and prevention of the disease is increasingly gaining grounds.

One drug that has drawn a lot of debate in the health and science community is Ivermectin, an age old drug used for parasitic worm infestations which shot to limelight in the pandemic era as studies suggest that the drug in certain doses can kill COVID-19.

Ivermectin is known to have broad-spectrum antiviral properties, making it possible for it to kill or block a host of viruses.

While many scientists and health experts are calling for its adoption as a treatment regimen for COVID-19, others are questioning its efficacy and possible side effects pointing that there is insufficient data on trials for the drug.

Pierre Kory, an American critical care physician, gained attention for his advocacy for the use and recommendation of Ivermectin.

Mr Kory, the President of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs last December and testified that Ivermectin is effectively a miracle drug against COVID-19 and called upon medical authorities to urgently review the latest data and then issue guidelines for health workers to prescribe Ivermectin for Covid-19.

During the virtual event, Mr Kory also explained why Ivermectin is effective in treating COVID-19.

He made presentations showing various studies that proved that the drug can be used as either prophylaxis or as a treatment regimen for COVID-19.

He also highlighted how several countries such as Peru has adopted the drug in their treatment guideline.

The debate over the use of Ivermectin has also become a hot topic in Africa.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in late February advised African countries against the use of Ivermectin for treating COVID-19.

Member States are advised against the use of Ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 because there is no conclusive clinical data to support its safety and efficacy. The public is advised to adhere to country-specific guidelines for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, authorities in Lagos, Nigerias COVID-19 epicentre, said they will deploy Ivermectin in a short clinical trial to ascertain its efficiency to prevent and treat COVID-19 infection.
With its award-winning contemporary design that includes one section shaped like a zinc-clad tube, Clifton Hall stood out when it opened in 2003 at the California College of the Arts in Oakland.

Now the arts school has moved to San Francisco, and the stocky but stylish dorm serves a different clientele. Theres an emergency family shelter on one floor. Two others will soon provide apartments to older men and women who were homeless.

This is the type of change that, in cities, is nothing new.

If youve ever paid rent for an apartment or bedroom in what once was a large single-family home, then you know what I mean. Housing designed for a certain type of resident is altered again and again, with new populations from one era to the next.

I emphasize this because housing proposals in todays Bay Area too often are stymied by absolutes. Self-styled progressives say new market-rate housing is immoral, a threat to lower-income residents. At the other extreme, affordable housing foes insist that anything other than a cookie-cutter version of their own way of life is an attack on neighborhood character.

The saga of Clifton Hall shows that real life is less predictable. And more satisfying.

The new owner is the city of Oakland, which in September was awarded $10.2 million from the states Homekey program, created in response to the strains on housing caused by the coronavirus. Three months later, the shelter residents began moving into the four-story structure that fills a corner near the prominent intersection of College Avenue and Broadway.

It was a home run for the city, said Shola Olatoye, Oaklands director of housing and community development. Strategically located, and a great building in wonderful condition.

Nina Riggio / Special to The Chronicle

The structure was designed by San Franciscos Mark Horton, and the California Council of the American Institute of Architects presented it with a merit award in 2003. But despite such flourishes as the bulbous zinc form that contains each residential floors lounge, it still feels like  a dorm.

The bottom floor holds the lobby, and offices will be added where families seeking shelter can meet with case workers. On the three upper levels, the elevator opens onto a hallway with recessed doors on either side. Take a right at the end and you step into the communal lounge with a kitchenette.

Two floors, which will be run by Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, are being readied to welcome formerly homeless elders this spring. East Oakland Community Project manages the 20-room emergency shelter.

You wouldnt know that the shelter floor has a family behind each doorway  though if a door has the personal touch added, its more likely to be a pink unicorn on a heart-shaped whiteboard than band decals. The rooms may be small, but they offer a secure privacy far different from the streets.

According to the architect and contractor hired by the city, the conversion has gone smoothly.

Its not like were having to do any real structural changes at all, said Gary Suthers, the architect whos teamed with Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods, the contractor. Its a gorgeous building, and it has held up well.

One quirk is the layout of the former dorm rooms  theyre arranged in pairs, each side with a door into the bathroom in-between. The locks are now wired so that both doors will automatically lock when the person inside pushes a button.

Then theres the task of getting rid of each rooms trash. Hortons design left it to students to empty their waste baskets downstairs, but families have more stuff to dispose of. Elders, meanwhile, might have trouble with the bag-laden journey. So a trash chute will descend along each floors lounge  an exterior addition that the city wants done in an architecturally compatible way.

Horton isnt involved in the conversion, but thats fine with him.

Its not mine anymore. Its someone elses, he said last month, showing an easy-going acceptance that not all architects share. Im just glad its continuing to be used as housing. The Bay Areas need is so great.

Oakland isnt the only beneficiary of the Homekey program, which distributed more than $200 million to 20 Bay Area projects. Many of them turn motels into permanent low-income housing  a great use of a building type that has withered in popularity over the decades (the current Schitts Creek craze aside). Oakland received a grant for one of these conversions as well.

Some of this is opportunistic, Olatoye said. If we have the money and the flexibility to move quickly, we can find a way to keep people safe, people who otherwise dont have a roof over their heads.

Opportunistic, indeed. And in the case of a dorm reborn as safe space for those of us in need, a reminder that good housing is a resource that endures  no matter for whom it was first intended.

John King is The San Francisco Chronicles urban design critic. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron
Calif. bill to ban officers tied to hate groups, censor speech amended over religious freedom concerns

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A California bill that would ban police officers from being members of entities deemed as "hate groups" has been amended to clarify that the term does not apply to being part of conservative or Christian groups.

Assembly Bill 655, also known as the "California Law Enforcement Accountability Reform" or CLEAR Act, seeks to prohibit police officers from being affiliated with certain groups.

The proposed legislation had garnered criticism from conservative groups and others who say the bill is too broad in its definition of what constitutes a so-called hate group or hateful opinions or images.

As amended, the bill now states in part:

'Public expression of hate' means any explicit expression, either on duty or off duty and while identifying oneself as, or reasonably identifiable by others as, a peace officer, in a public forum, on social media including in a private discussion forum, in writing, or in speech, [....] advocating for, supporting, or threatening the genocide of, or violence towards, any individual or group of persons based upon race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. "(2) 'Public expression of hate' also includes the public display of any tattoo, uniform, insignia, flag, or logo that indicates support for the denial of constitutional rights of, the genocide of, or violence towards, any group of persons based upon race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability."

In an interview with the San Francisco-based station KPIX, Democratic Assemblyman Ash Kalra, author of AB 655, said last week that he had amended the bill in response to concerns.

We have put in amendments to remove the specificity regarding denial of constitutional rights. Because you do have the First Amendment right to be part of groups that may differ in opinion, said Kalra.

Jonathan Keller, president of the California Family Council, which had been critical of AB 655, expressed his support for the amendments to the bill.

We thank Assemblyman Kalra for listening to our concerns and revising AB 655 to respect the constitutional rights of peace officers, Keller said Friday.

Jesus said there is no greater love than to lay down ones life for ones friends. California Christians serving as police strive to sacrificially love their communities and treat every person with honesty and fairness. California should want more people of faith in law enforcement, not fewer.

AB 655 was introduced in February in response to the Jan. 6 protests in Washington, D.C., and following concerns expressed by federal officials that extremists were infiltrating the National Guard and law enforcement.

"You have a constitutional right to have racist and bigoted views. You dont have a constitutional right to be a police officer," stated Kalra in February, as reported by KCRA.

The role and responsibility of peace officers is so important for a community healing  for a communitys safety  and the people in the community dont feel that those that are entrusted with that responsibility look at them in a way thats unbiased.

As The Federalist reported last month, before the bill was amended, it defined hate speech as as advocating or supporting the denial of constitutional rights of, the genocide of, or violence towards, any group of persons based upon race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Critics argued that the bill, as it was originally written, could be used to fire any police officer who had opposed the legalization of gay marriage or abortion, or was critical transgender ideology.

They warned that the bill would also prohibit a member of the Roman Catholic Church from becoming a police officer since the Church recently reaffirmed its stance against same-sex unions.

David Levine, a constitutional law professor at the University of California Hastings, told KPIX last week before the bill was amended that it likely would not have survived a legal challenge.

The definitions of a hate group, in particular, are so broad that it would encompass all sorts of groups that nobody would say would actually constitute some sort of a problematic hate group, Levine said.
(Natural News) Rutgers University was one of the first higher-learning institutions to violate federal law and mandate experimental vaccines for all students. Rutgers announced that all students who enroll for the 2021 fall semester will have to take the new covid jabs and show proof of vaccination to get in the doors. Rutgers vaccination push is violating state law, federal law, and an international treaty. Robert F. Kennedy Jr of Childrens Health Defense was quick to notify Rutgers of these violations.

University officials cannot legally force students to inject experimental vaccines as a precondition to enrollment. This violates a students medical privacy, their body autonomy, and essentially makes the student a piece of property, owned and controlled by the university.

Federal law prohibits Emergency Use Authorization vaccines from becoming mandatory

Federal law 21 U.S.C.  360bbb-3(e)(1)(A)(ii)(III) prohibits any authority from mandating an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) vaccine. The new covid vaccines were only given emergency use authorization and were never fully approved by the FDA. Any authority that recommends an EUA vaccine must inform the potential vaccine recipient of the option to accept or refuse administration of the product, of the consequences, if any, of refusing administration of the product, and of the alternatives to the product that are available and of their benefits and risks.

This is the basic tenet of informed consent, a principle of human rights that university officials obviously could not care less about. Still, the individual has a right to refuse an EUA product because these products are classified as experimental. Historically, when people are forced to participate in a medical experiment, injuries result, and those injuries are often covered up to protect authorities. Because vaccine makers are legally indemnified when their products harm people, vaccine mandates are ripe for abuse and mass injury, with no recourse.

State law allows for medical and religious exemptions to vaccination

Rutgers mandatory vaccine push also violates state laws that guarantee medical and religious exemptions to vaccination. Individuals are not an inherent source of infection, nor are they an innate biological threat to others in their school and community. Vaccination is a belief system, a promise of disease prevention, but its not guaranteed immunity nor is it 100 percent safe. Some people believe it is better that their whole immune system is exposed to its environment and do not want to inject toxic ingredients into their body. This is their personal religious belief, and it must be honored by all authorities. Even when the FDA gives full approval to these risky vaccine experiments, students will be able to file for a medical or religious exemption. The universities must make this part of the state law clear: Every person has a choice to vaccinate, no matter what.

Rutgers push for mandatory vaccines violates informed consent, Nuremberg Code

Finally, university officials are violating an international treaty signed in the aftermath of the doctors trial after World War II. Under the Nuremberg Code, no one may be coerced to participate in a medical experiment. Consent of the individual is absolutely essential, Kennedy wrote, informing Rutgers officials of their international human rights violations and legal obligations. As part of informed consent, any student who is coerced to take the vaccines should be screened beforehand, to ensure they do not have an active infection. Dr. Hooman Noorchashm also wrote to Rutgers and informed them that people who have already been infected with covid or are currently infected with covid are at risk of severe injury and death if they take the vaccines.

While I fully agree with your policy of maximal immunity for all students and faculty attending in-person on the Rutgers campuses, you must also remain 100% cognizant of a potential danger of indiscriminate vaccination to some of your students. This potential danger is not only a safety risk, it would also pose a risk of liability to your university, Noorchashm wrote.

The vaccine causes a violent immune reaction in people who have already had or currently have an infection. Students who dont want to take this risk should be able to make a conscientious medical decision, and not be forced into a risky situation, especially when a hypothetical covid infection presents minuscule risk and longer immunity benefits for the young and healthy population.

Sources include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

USCode.House.gov

NaturalNews.com

Media.org

NaturalNews.com
The Virus, Vaccines and New Variants: Weighing the Threat of a Mutant COVID Strain

Health care specialists, including several medical doctors, are keeping their eyes on coronavirus variants that some fear could lead to new strains of COVID-19 that could possibly undermine global efforts to vaccinate people and stem the global crisis.

According to the Centers of Disease Control, the B117 variant (first detected in the UK), the most threatening because of its prevalence, is the cause of 20 % of new infections in the United states  and 30 % of new infections in Florida.

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Dr. Nirav Shah, senior scholar at Stanford Universitys School of Medicine and chief medical officer of Sharecare, a health data services firm, says there are currently four different variants of COVID-19. He said the virus is adapting because of evolution and natural selection.

The more virus particles there are, the more chances that a single virus particle may be a little different than the rest of them, said Shah. One or more virus particles is all you need to have a slight change. Maybe these spike protein changes  just a little  and it can attach to cells better than all the other particles.

Shah said the virus is adapting as it encounters new hosts. But scientists are in a race to get everyone inoculated before the level of the disease in a community gets too high.

The B117 strain, he says, is 50 more % infectious than the original strain of the coronavirus and it could lead to up to a 60 % to 70 % higher rate of deaths, according to a paper published in the journal Nature.

Shah said some of the COVID-19 virus variants could reinfect people who have contracted the disease before. The good news, he says, is that the B117 is susceptible to existing vaccine therapies, although other variants like 1351 (first detected in South Africa) and P1 (first detected in Brazil), could reduce the effectiveness of the COVID shots in patients.

Fortunately, to date, scientists studying COVID-19 have not identified any variants that have been designated Variants of High Consequence. Those in that category cause more disease and more hospitalizations, and they have been shown to defeat medical countermeasures, like vaccines, anti-viral drugs and mono-clonal antibodies, says Shah.

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Shah was speaking at recent news briefing on COVID-19 Virus variants organized by Ethnic Media Services. Other panelists on the Zoom teleconference were: Dr. Daniel Turner-Lloveras, a member of the Latino Coalition Against COVID-19; Dr. Dali Fan, a UC Davis Health Science clinical professor and Dr. Kim Rhoads, an African American physician and associate professor, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, at UC San Franciscos School of Medicine.

Although the average citizen may be surprised at how COVID-19 is changing, Fan, said the virus adaption and mutation are much like other diseases.

He also presented some statistics from the Center for Disease Control about the coronavirus vaccines and their development. He said the vaccines were tested before they were released to the public.

All three vaccines are very effective against symptomatic COVID-19, said Fan. He said there are differences in the content of the vaccines and how they are stored. Fan said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires one dose, is easier to transport and is perfect for pop-up clinics and rural areas.

It may be a better option for people who want to get fully vaccinated quickly, he said.

Turner-Lloveras said that one of the issues overlooked during the coronavirus pandemic is the impact of the digital divide. Black and Latino communities often lag in vaccination rates because they dont have access to high-speed Internet to discover information and arrange for their vaccination appointments.

Internet access is a civil rights issue, at this stage, said Turner-Lloveras. All of the resources that are provided to people are online.

He also said more than 20 million seniors dont have broadband access. This is a group that needs to be vaccinated, but they dont have access to the Internet, he said.

Hes trying to solve this problem with a group called the Digital Companeros, who meet with senior citizens and help them walk through online registration and information. The organization also has a WhatsApp group to target people who access the Internet through their cell phones.

According to Rhoads, some of these reports about Black hesitancy and under-vaccination may not be accurate. She talked about her experiences serving a predominantly African American population in San Francisco through Umoja Health, a coalition of community health organizations that joined their efforts to increase COVID-19 awareness, testing and vaccinations in Black communities in the Bay Area.

The organization held a mass testing event in the Sunnydale and Bayview Hunters Point neighborhoods in San Francisco where they screened about 400 people, taking a community-based approach she calls service in the name of public health. No one came back positive for the coronavirus at a time when there was a 2 % positivity rate in all of San Francisco. She said the people, who were tested by community members, were also eager to get the vaccines. However, she attributes their willingness and openness with their confidence in Umoja Health.

The community developed rapid trust in us. I was very surprised by this and they called out to us when one community member tested positive, she said. We saw neighbors going to door to door, knocking telling people to come out and get tested.

What we recognized from that mass-testing site was that it was not going to work for the African American community, said Rhoads. But something more intimate would.

Rhoads said when African Americans know and trust the health care workers, there is more participation. Because of the organizations successful testing effort, Alameda County has now entrusted it to provide vaccines in Oakland and areas across Alameda County with African American populations.

It is based on a pop-up model. We mobilize with local folks who go door-to-door, hand-to-hand, face-to-face, peer-to-peer, asking questions about COVID. As we moved into the vaccination phase, the Alameda Public Health Department recognized that as a major asset. They knew we could reach people, they couldnt.
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DEEMED BY QUETZAL CAPITAL PLC TO CONSTITUTE INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER REGULATION 11 OF THE MARKET ABUSE (AMENDMENT) (EU EXIT) REGULATIONS 2019/310 (AS AMENDED). ON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

1April 2021

Quetzal Capital Plc

("Quetzal Capital" or the "Company")

Results of General Meeting

Board Changes

Director Options

Result of General Meeting

Quetzal Capital Plc is pleased to announce that at the Company's General Meeting held earlier today, all resolutions put to the meeting were duly passed, including approving the Directors' Authority to issue new Ordinary Shares in the Company. As a result the placing announced on 10March 2021 to raise 3m of gross funds has become unconditional and 75,000,000 new Ordinary shares are expected to admit to trading the AQSE Growth Market on or around 7thApril 2021.

The table below sets out the results of the voting on the resolutions :

Resolution Votes for % of shares voted Votes against % of shares voted Resolution 1: to authorise the Directors to issue new ordinary shares 35,895,582 100% 0 0 Resolution 2: to authorise the new investment strategy 35,895,582 100% 0 0 Resolution 3: to disapply the statutory pre-emption rights 35,895,582 100% 0 0

Notes :

(1) Any proxy appointments which gave discretion to the Chairman have been included in the "for" total.

(2) An abstention is not counted towards the votes cast "for" or "against" a resolution.

Board Appointment

The Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Fungai Ndoro as Executive Director of the Company with immediate effect.

Ms Ndoro is an experienced small cap financier who specialises in working with growth companies. She has worked in the City for over a decade and has spent most of her career as a corporate financier at Peterhouse Capital, advising public companies and executing a broad spectrum of corporate transactions, including IPOs, acquisitions and disposals, CVAs, open offers, and structural reorganisations for corporate clients on the London Stock Exchange, AIM and AQSE. Over her career, Ms Ndoro has executed the structuring and launch of several companies within sectors including digital currencies, technology and life sciences. She was pivotal in the sourcing, re-structuring and listing of KR1 on to the AQSE exchange



Ms Ndoro is currently an independent consultant, providing strategic guidance on capital market transactions and corporate governance frameworks, to start-ups and growth companies, in various sectors.

Further information on Fungai Ndoro (aged 34):

Fungai Ndoro does not currently hold shares in the Company.

Current Directorships Previous Directorships FN Advisory Limited V22 London Limited (resigned Jan 2020)

Except as set out above, there is no further information regarding Fungai Ndoro, that is required to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 4.9 of the AQSE Growth Market Access Rulebook.

Award of Director Options

The Board has awarded Director options to Fungai Ndoro (the "Director Options"). The options awarded to Ms Ndoro are identical in quantum and exercise conditions to those issued previously to Simon Grant-Rennick that have now lapsed having not fulfilled the vesting criteria, as outlined below. As a result there is no increase in the aggregate number of Director options in issue from the previous announcement of 10 March 2021. The details of the option award and associated conditions are outlined below:

Fungai Ndoro Options Award

Strike price Options Vesting Expiry 6p 112,500 10 September 2021 10 March 2023 8p 112,500 10 September 2021 10 March 2023 10p 112,500 10 September 2021 10 March 2023

Board Resignation

The Company further announces that Simon Grant-Rennick has agreed to step down from the Board with immediate effect in order to focus on his other commitments, primarily in the African-focused commodities sector and Evrima Plc in particular. The Board would like to thank Simon for his stalwart support during the Company's recent transformation and change in investment strategy.

Under the terms of the Directors' Option grant announced on 10 March 2021, Simon Grant-Rennick will retain 25% of the Director options granted to him, with the remaining 75% lapsing, having not fulfilled their vesting criteria. Simon has agreed to abide by an orderly market restriction for 6 months in relation to his shareholding.

John Taylor has assumed the role of Non-Executive Chairman.

John Taylor, Non-Executive Chairman, said:

"We are delighted that our shareholders have agreed to adopt our new investing strategy and that the previously announced fund-raising for 3m has now become unconditional. The Board has been busy evaluating investment options for the last month and all the conditions are now set to execute on the new strategy. I am delighted to welcome Fungai Ndoro to the role of Executive Director. Given her experience at the sharp end of disruptive technology deals she will be an excellent asset to the Company in the execution of our investments or a Reverse Takeover transaction.

I would also like to thank Simon Grant-Rennick for his support during the Company's recent transformation and funding rounds and for the offer of continued support to the Company as a valued shareholder."

Simon Grant-Rennick, outgoing Non-Executive Chairman, said:

"It has been a pleasure guiding the transformation of Quetzal Capital in to a well-capitalised investment vehicle on AQSE that is poised to attract deal flow in some of the most exciting and high growth sectors of the economy. I look forward to news of future developments as a shareholder of the Company."

The Directors of the Company take responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

Enquiries:

Quetzal Capital Plc

Fungai Ndoro: +44 (0) 203 813 0175

AQSE Growth Market Corporate Adviser

Peterhouse Capital Limited

Guy Miller / Allie Feuerlein

Tel: +44 (0) 207 469 0930
A Covid scare in Melbourne has seen the Department of Health issue an urgent warning for residents in seven suburbs to remain on high alert for possible symptoms.

Victoria chalked up 34 consecutive days with no new locally acquired cases on Thursday, but the alert was released after coronavirus fragments were detected in a wastewater sample collected from the Altona wastewater treatment plant.

The positive sample - taken on March 26 - was confirmed on Thursday following intensive testing.

Residents in Altona, Altona Meadows, Hoppers Crossing, Laverton, Point Cook, Seabrook, Seaholme and Williams Landing in Melbourne's west are strongly encouraged to monitor for possible Covid symptoms.

The health alert was released after coronavirus fragments were detected in a wastewater sample collected from the Altona wastewater treatment plant in Melbourne's west (stock image)

Victoria chalked up 34 consecutive days with no new locally acquired cases on Thursday

Typical symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, and shortness of breath.

The timeframe of the potential exposure to the fragments is from March 22 to March 26.

The development comes just days after the 'unexpected detection' of viral fragments in a catchment in Melbourne's south-east and a second in Melbourne's west, according to 7News.

'Fragments of the virus detected in wastewater may be due to a person with Covid-19 being in the early active infectious phase or it could be because someone is continuing to shed the virus after the early infectious period,' the Department of Health said in a statement.

In Brisbane, residents were out and about moments after the three-day lockdown officially ended at 12pm on Thursday.

Certain restrictions will remain in place until April 15, but Queenslanders can now leave their homes for any purpose, and travel anywhere in the state.

It was welcome news with Easter looming, with face masks still mandatory at all times in public.

In NSW, no new infections were recorded apart from a case diagnosed on Tuesday night, which was added to Thursdays announcement.

The infectious person attended the same venue at a hens party in Byron Bay where seven positive cases have since been recorded.

One of those positive cases was a 'male entertainer' from the celebration between March 25 and 28.
Britain was too slow to ramp up its Covid testing capacity and introduce masks, the boss of No10's new pandemic-fighting body has admitted.

Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency  which begins work today, conceded that officials have 'an awful lot to learn' after a catalogue of failures early on in the crisis.

She said the country was 'not fully prepared for this pandemic', adding that 'it would have been good to have had more tests' and that asymptomatic spread had not been 'considered carefully'.

Dr Harries, who is currently England's deputy chief medical officer, came under fire last spring for defending the UK's decision to stop swabbing the public, saying it was 'not appropriate'.

She later said there was no proof more testing would've saved more lives  despite mass-swabbing being at the heart of every successful Covid containment strategy worldwide.

Dr Harries is at the helm of the UKHSA, which will replace Public Health England and aim to protect the UK in the face of future disease outbreaks. The agency will initially focus on fighting Covid before tackling future viral outbreaks or biochemical attacks.

PHE is being axed following widespread criticism of its handling of the Covid crisis, which Boris Johnson slammed as 'sluggish' last year.

Dr Harries has been advising the Government throughout the current pandemic and oversaw the UK's response to the Russian novichok poisonings in 2018.

Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, conceded that officials have 'an awful lot to learn' after a series of failures early in the crisis

WHAT IS THE UKHSA? The UK Health Security Agency  which was originally meant to be called the National Institute of Health Protection  launched today, April 1. Initially its work will focus on the continued fight against coronavirus. But once the UK gets on top of the Covid crisis, UKHSA will start preparing for future outbreaks of infectious diseases. The body will also advise the Government on biochemical attacks on the UK. UKHSA will bring together Public Health England, the Joint Biosecurity Centre and NHS Test and Trace. All the organisations, which ultimately answer to the Department of Health, will basically be streamlined and run from under one roof. The body will be closely connected to local public health teams who have been carrying out their own contact tracing programmes. Advertisement

She told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: 'We were not fully prepared for this pandemic and, as I've said, I'm very happy to accept there is an awful lot to learn.

'I think we share some of those failings with many other countries.'

Asked if the UK's initial response to the pandemic was poor, she said: 'I think it had merits and it had things that we would wish to improve.'

She said that while officials had looked at asymptomatic transmission, it had not been overlooked.

It's thought that at least 30 per cent of patients who pass on the virus do not show any signs of illness.

She added: 'So obviously the response that we put in place and some of the interventions were not accounting for that high degree of numbers of asymptomatic cases, so I think there's learning as we've gone through.'

Grilled about face coverings indoors, which were not initially recommended, she said: 'We've learned more, as I've said, about asymptomatic transmission, and I think we would recommend face coverings earlier.'

Dr Harries said the issue around testing was that more tests were needed early on.

PHE was heavily criticised over a decision to stop community testing and contact tracing last March after it became clear the virus was spreading at a fast pace.

Dr Harries said: 'We were using the 2,000 tests a day that we had  maximum  to save lives in the best way we could.'

There are now 'hundreds of thousands of tests available', she added. Department of Health figures show more than 1million swabs are now being carried out each day.

She added: 'So, yes, it would have been good to have had more tests and, yes, we would have used them.

'But we've now processed, I think, nearly 90million tests, so clearly [a] lesson has [been] learned and, I think, [there are] lots of opportunities going forward.'

Dr Harries said the aim of UKHSA is to bring expertise under one roof to fight future threats, including pandemics.

Asked what the body's mission is, she said: 'I think the mission is that I wake up every morning and worry about protecting the country, and that clearly is the most valuable mission in public health terms.

'We have learned an awful lot from the pandemic and the value, I think, in the new UKHSA is in continuing that work, so it's about putting all of the expertise in the country under one roof.'

Pressed on whether this means moving faster in future, she said: 'I think one of the things which is evident, not just for the UK of course but for many other countries, is the sheer scale of the problem that the pandemic has caused.

'And whereas I would recognise the work of Public Health England colleagues, for example, over many years, managing 10,000 outbreaks a year  not of the scale that we've seen with this particular pandemic.

'So we need something which is proportionate to the problems we have and scalable very rapidly.'

UKHSA will be fully up and running by the autumn and will bring NHS Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre, which advises on lockdowns, under one roof.

PHE's health improvement work, which includes tackling obesity and cutting down on smoking, will be passed to the Office for Health Promotion.

UKHSA is the final name for the National Institute of Health Protection, which was set up last August when it was announced PHE would be dismantled.

Baroness Dido Harding, who was originally tipped for the top UKHSA job and has also overseen NHS Test and Trace, will step down as head of the department this month.

At the helm of UKHSA, Dr Harries will be in control of much of the country's long-term coronavirus fight and future responses to similar outbreaks.

She has been defensive of the Government's actions during the pandemic even in the face of critics and evidence suggesting it could have saved more lives by acting faster during the first wave.

Dr Harries defended the UK's decision to stop testing the public for coronavirus in spring 2020, saying it was 'not appropriate'.

She later said there was no proof that doing more testing would have saved more lives, although it is the approach the Government is now following to control Covid outbreaks.

On testing everyone suspected of having the virus, Dr Harries said in a briefing last March: 'There comes a point in a pandemic where that is not an appropriate intervention,' the Financial Times reported.

The UK had stopped testing people because PHE  responsible for the system at the time, before NHS Test & Trace was set up  didn't have enough capacity.

It was capable of doing far fewer tests than the hundreds of thousands of people getting infected of coronavirus would have demanded.

As a result, everyone who thought they might have coronavirus was simply instructed to stay at home and wait for it to blow over, or to get medical help if they became seriously ill.

Dr Harries later admitted the UK might have done more testing if it had been able to, saying: 'If we had unlimited capacity, and the ongoing support beyond that, then we perhaps would choose a slightly different approach.'
(Natural News) Millions of people around the world have been using single-use face masks, disposable gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid infection since the coronavirus pandemic began in March last year. But the increased use of such items has resulted in a new wave of litter, one that harms and even kills animals. Those are the findings of a recent report by biologists from Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Published March 22 in Animal Biology, the report is the first overview of cases of entanglement, entrapping or ingestion of COVID-19 litter by animals. The COVID-19 litter included in the report were single-use latex gloves and single-use face masks consisting of rubber strings and polypropylene fabric.

The biologists said most animals were ingesting gloves or becoming entangled in the ear loops of masks. Other animals were even building their homes with COVID-19 litter, demonstrating the impact of the pandemic on ecosystems.

I think its ironic that the materials that protect us are so harmful to the animals around us, noted lead author Auke-Florian Hiemstra.

Discarded single-use face masks, gloves are killing animals

Hiemstra and his colleagues started researching incidents of animals becoming trapped in single-use masks or dining on broken-down gloves after volunteers alerted them to a perch trapped in a glove during a canal cleanup. Volunteers also spotted coots, a kind of water bird, making nests from masks and gloves.

To understand how pervasive these wastes are, the team searched news sites and social media posts from litter collectors, birdwatchers, wildlife rescue centers and veterinarians. Their search produced incidents of animals, both terrestrial and aquatic, getting entangled in or ingesting COVID-19 litter.

In particular, the researchers spotted incidents of foxes in the United Kingdom and birds in Canada becoming entangled in face masks. In fact, the earliest victim of COVID-19 litter was a robin entangled in a mask in Canada in April last year. They also came upon reports of hedgehogs, seagulls and crabs trapped by PPE.

Other incidents included a checkered pufferfish found trapped in a face mask along the shores of Miami Beach. Unfortunately, the fish was already dead. In France, a shore crab was also found dead after getting caught in a face mask along the beach.

In addition, the researchers came upon reports of a serotine bat caught in the ear loops of two pieces of masks in the Netherlands and a monkey attempting to eat a soiled mask in Malaysia.

Researchers also discovered evidence of animals eating broken down bits of plastic from COVID-19 litter. One of the cases was of a penguin that had bits of plastic inside its stomach. The researchers also warned that pet animals, such as dogs, can swallow masks and gloves.

Co-author Liselotte Rambonnet explained that COVID-19 litter poses a threat to wildlife for two reasons. First, animals become weakened due to becoming entangled. Second, animals can starve from ingesting plastic because the plastic makes them feel full. Degraded plastic can also leak chemicals into their bodies.

The researchers pointed out that more information and studies are needed to understand the full extent of the damage COVID-19 litter causes to ecosystems. For this reason, they recently launched a website where anyone can submit a report of animals becoming trapped in or eating COVID-19 litter.

The researchers hope their report will raise awareness of the dangers the discarded face masks, gloves, PPE and other coronavirus-related waste pose to wildlife. (Related: The once pristine European Arctic is now covered in plastic despite low human population; researchers concerned for wildlife, ecosystems.)

They called on people to use reusable face masks as much as possible or to dispose of single-use face masks properly. Other environmentalists and advocacy groups are asking people to snip the ear loops of used face masks to lessen the chances of birds and other wild animals becoming entangled in them.

Visit Environ.news to learn more about the environmental impact of COVID-19 waste like masks and PPE.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Brill.com

ABC17News.com
Gov. Eric J. Holcomb, the Indiana State Department of Health and other state leaders will host their media briefing to provide updates on COVID-19 and its impact on Indiana.

Posted: Apr 1, 2021 12:59 PM
RAS AL KHAIMAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 01st Apr, 2021) H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, today received, in his palace in Saqr bin Mohammed City, Falah Mohammad Al Ahbabi, Chairman of the Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities and Member of the board of Directors of Etihad Rail.

During the meeting, Sheikh Saud was briefed about the developments to the UAEs national railway network project, as well as related achievements and plans. He then lauded this strategic and vital project while highlighting its role in consolidating the countrys competitiveness and leading regional and international stature.

Sheikh Saud also attended the signing of an agreement between Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAEs national railway network, and Stevin Rock, one of the largest quarrying companies in the world, which aims to provide shipping services and transport construction materials from Ras Al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi.

The agreement, which was signed by Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, and Naser Bustami, General Manager of Stevin Rock, is the first in a series of commercial agreements that are part of phase II of the UAEs national railway network project.

Sheikh Saud praised the agreement and stressed the importance of supporting the project, as it will reinforce the UAEs economic and industrial sustainability.

The meeting was attended by a number of Sheikhs and officials.
Local business owners say they have seen a significant loss of commerce since the Vilas Bridge from Bellows Falls to Walpole, N.H. was closed in 2009.
TIOGA, Texas, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Healing Springs Ranch (HSR), an internationally recognized residential treatment center known for its integrative work with adults recovering from ALL addictions (both process and substance) announced today the appointment of Dr. Manish Nair, MD as Medical Director.

Dr. Manish Nair is a board-certified psychiatrist with 13 years of experience working with a variety of populations from adult and adolescent to veterans and seniors. He completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Kentucky, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Nair has also served as a Director for Consult Psychiatry for Albert Chandler Medical Center and Medical Director for Recovery Works as well as acute crisis inpatient facilities and several outpatient clinics.



He is currently a clinical assistant professor for TCU-UNT medical school. He runs an outpatient clinic in Frisco, TX and returned to the DFW Metroplex in hopes of serving his childhood community.

"I chose a career in mental health and addiction because I saw the potential to allow for a paradigm shift in how we approach health," said Dr. Nair. "Traditionally, modern medicine has seen the mind and physical body as two separate things. Realizing that our minds and what we feel, think, believe and practice can affect BOTH our physical and mental well-being, will enhance one's ability to create better health for themselves and lead a less stressful and more peaceful lifestyle. I am truly excited to be joining a team whose passion for mental wellness considers the mind-body connection and is committed to creating comprehensive treatment options, education and positive outcomes for our clients."

"We are pleased to have Dr. Nair in this role. His professionalism, experience, and bedside manner are huge assets to our clinical team," said Rachel H. Graham, CEO and Co-founder of HSR.

About Healing Springs Ranch

Tucked away on 80 acres of beautiful and serene lakefront property north of the Dallas Metroplex, HSR offers an Integrated Addictions Model, which addresses the underlying issues and unresolved trauma behind most, if not all, self-defeating addictive patterns and co-occurring symptoms and diagnoses. As an industry leader, HSR is actively involved in conducting on-going research and publications. HSR's committed to providing innovative and cutting-edge therapeutic modalities and making better treatment options available.

HSR currently offers ETT  (Emotional Transformation Therapy), Trauma Model Therapy, and the family recovery program, BALM  (Be A Loving Mirror). Through research, education, and quality services, HSR strives to raise the bar for best practice standards, matching the advances in science and technology to address addiction and mental health at multiple levels.

Life Works Wellness (LWW) is a sister company to Healing Springs Ranch and a part of Elevate Global Partners' family of wellness companies. LWW is a new company focused on helping individuals with life balance, optimal performance, purpose, healthy communication skills, and general personal growth.



SOURCE Healing Springs Ranch
[April 01, 2021] Alaska Legislature Passes Bill Allowing Virtual Shareholder Meetings

On March 31, 2021, Governor Mike Dunleavy signed Senate Bill 24 into law in Juneau. The Alaska Legislature unanimously passed Senate Bill 24, on March 22, 2021, allowing corporate shareholder meetings and nonprofit member meetings to be held via remote communications. Section 12 of SB 241 of the 31st Legislature and subsequent emergency orders have allowed for these virtual meetings, but that authorization expired with the most recent declaration. "This is a common-sense bill that makes Alaska an easier place to do business, and I expect it to have an immediate and positive impact," said Alaska Representative Matt Claman. International law firm Dorsey & Whitney helped obtain, on March 19, 2020, an emergency order from the Governor of the State of Alaska to temporarily suspended certain state laws during the coronavirus public health crisis and allow all Alaska corporations to hold virtual and hybrid annual shareholder meetings on short notice. Every Alaska corporation must have an annual shareholder meeting, and the previous Alaska Statutes required that corporations hold these meetings in-person, at a "place," as provided in th corporation's bylaws. Alaska was only one of nine states that does not allow either virtual (via communications equipment) or hybrid (in-person and by communications equipment) meetings. Dorsey attorneys Jill McLeod, Bonnie Paskvan and Siena Caruso worked closely with bill sponsors Senator David Wilson and Representative Calvin Schrage to comprehensively amend existing state statutes governing how corporations of all types may "meet."



"The ability to meet virtually, as would be permanently allowed by the passage of this bill, has proved invaluable to Alaska Native Corporations. Senate Bill 24 enables all corporations and nonprofit organizations to operate more efficiently and with greater flexibility than in the past," said Dorsey Partner Jill McLeod. Dorsey Partner Bonnie Paskvan added, "Our Alaska clients are universally thrilled and relieved. This is a permanent game changer as more Alaska Natives move out of their traditional home communities; they can now legally hold "hybrid" annual shareholder meetings, supporting e-participation from literally around the globe. All Alaskan non-profit and for profit corporations will benefit from having more options available for how they meet with their members and shareholders."

"We are grateful that Dorsey supports community service and leadership through pro bono efforts like this. It was a privilege to work as a team on behalf of our clients to research, draft, and testify before both the House and Senate on this important legislation to bring the Alaska Corporations Code into the 21st century," said Dorsey Associate Siena Caruso. About Dorsey & Whitney LLP Clients have relied on Dorsey since 1912 as a valued business partner. With locations across the United States and in Canada, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, Dorsey provides an integrated, proactive approach to its clients' legal and business needs. Dorsey represents a number of the world's most successful companies from a wide range of industries, including leaders in banking & financial institutions, development & infrastructure, energy & natural resources, food, beverage & agribusiness, healthcare and technology, as well as major non-profit and government entities. www.dorsey.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005765/en/

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Chinese envoy elaborates China's position on situation in Myanmar

Xinhua) 10:09, April 01, 2021

UNITED NATIONS, March 31 (Xinhua) -- During the United Nations Security Council consultations on Wednesday, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, elaborated China's position on the current situation in Myanmar.

China is concerned about the situation in Myanmar. Violence and bloodshed serve no one's interests, and it is the people of Myanmar who suffer, Zhang told the Security Council in closed-door consultations, according to the Chinese Mission to the United Nations.

China hopes that all parties in Myanmar can keep calm, exercise restraint, and take actions with a constructive attitude to de-escalate and cool down the situation. The lives and properties of the people of Myanmar and foreign nationals and businesses should be protected, and any attack on them is unacceptable, the Chinese Mission quoted Zhang as saying.

As a close neighbor, China follows the situation in Myanmar very closely. China has been working on all parties in Myanmar and actively engaged in Security Council consensus-building. China emphasizes that all parties in Myanmar should take up the responsibility of maintaining national stability and development, act in the fundamental interests of the people, strive to find a solution to the crisis within the constitutional and legal framework through dialogue and consultation, maintain political and social stability, and continue to advance the democratic transition in Myanmar, the Chinese Mission quoted Zhang as saying.

Maintaining peace and stability in Myanmar is in the common interests of the international community. Should Myanmar slide into protracted turbulence, it will be a disaster for Myanmar and the region as a whole. The international community should, on the basis of respecting Myanmar's sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and national unity, step up diplomatic efforts and encourage the parties to narrow differences so as to find a way out. One-sided pressure and calling for sanctions or other coercive measures will only aggravate tension and confrontation and further complicate the situation, which is by no means constructive, the Chinese Mission quoted Zhang as saying.

The Security Council has reiterated on several occasions its support for the mediation efforts by the special envoy of the UN secretary-general. China hopes the special envoy will play a constructive role with concrete actions. Myanmar is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). China supports ASEAN in upholding the principles of non-interference and consensus-building, conducting mediation in the ASEAN way and playing a positive role in easing the situation in Myanmar. China has noticed the discussion of ASEAN countries to convene a special summit. China hopes and believes that ASEAN will play an important role in finding a solution, the Chinese Mission quoted Zhang as saying.

As a friendly close neighbor, China hopes that Myanmar will restore peace, stability and constitutional order as early as possible and continue to steadily advance democratic transition. China will keep engagement and communication with all parties in Myanmar to work for de-escalation of the situation, the Chinese Mission quoted Zhang as saying.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
The Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations, reappointed in October 2020 by President Gregory L. Fenves and Interim Provost Jan Love, has delivered its report to the president. The executive summary is available on the presidents website.

At work since being reappointed by President Gregory L. Fenves and Interim Provost Jan Love in October 2020, the Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations has delivered its report to Fenves, and the executive summary is available on the presidents website. Over the next month, he will review the research and recommendations of the task force and make decisions about which measures to adopt.

The groups charge was to review opportunities for recognizing and memorializing the contributions made to the university by enslaved persons whose labor helped build the Emory campus, and their descendants, as well as Indigenous nations and peoples on whose lands Emorys campus was erected.

The task force is one of two presidential advisory committees. The Committee on Naming Honors was charged with reviewing contested historic names for buildings, spaces, programs, scholarships and other celebratory titles as well as with developing recommendations for leadership. It also was reappointed by Fenves and Love in October 2020 and will issue a report in May.

The beginning of dialogue and reflection

Co-chaired by Yolanda Cooper, dean and university librarian, and Paul Root Wolpe, director of the Emory Center for Ethics, the task force was purposefully large in order to represent many aspects of the university as well as the broader community. The group also widened the circle of contributing voices through listening sessions with the community and by consulting with scholars and other experts.

Wolpe credits the example set by the president and provost. We believe the recommendations contained in the report will transform Emorys institutional culture and change the experience of being a student, faculty or staff member here, Wolpe says.

Cooper welcomed having a dual role  helping lead the task force and also making some of the subcommittees better aware of the librarys holdings with regard to Emorys history.

We see this as a beginning, Cooper says of the report. The task force is adamant about connecting the past with the present. We definitely want to make people aware of the history, but we also have proposed positive recommendations for moving forward.

The task force subdivided into four working groups that corresponded to its charge.

Honoring the labor of enslaved persons;

Defining criteria for a descendants scholarship;

Acknowledging the contributions of Indigenous peoples; and

Developing educational and experiential opportunities.

Honoring the labor of enslaved persons

One of the great joys of this process has been the ideation and the invitation to dream big, says subcommittee chair Gregory C. Ellison II 99C, associate professor of pastoral care and counseling, who credits a team of experts that has included Molly McGehee 07PhD, associate dean for faculty development, director of the Oxford Center for Teaching and Scholarship and associate professor of English and American studies at Oxford.

The group brainstormed suggestions for how to create memorials on both campuses to honor the work of enslaved people. The hope is to wed the narratives of the two campuses so that, on either campus, it is possible to grasp the full history. McGehees insights were germane, for she teaches the course Visual Culture: Monuments, Memorials, Meanings.

According to Ellison, Buildings are named and plaques are placed with great intentionality, oftentimes to send a counter-message to social issues that are brewing at that particular time. To think about when buildings received their names and why, as well as what they were speaking against in the culture, was a really intriguing way to look at this history  and Professor McGehee helped us get there.

Mayor David S. Eady of Oxford was one of the groups invited speakers. The town of Oxford is pursuing outreach similar to Emorys; hence, he has pledged to work with Emory in honoring descendants and in giving families who previously might have felt excluded reason to believe that the university is becoming more welcoming.

The subcommittee also looked at ways to more fully express the value of hourly staff at the university. Notes Ellison, There are generations of families who, year after year, have worked in the Emory system. It is important to acknowledge these individuals.

Defining criteria for a descendants scholarship

John Leach, associate vice provost for university financial aid, was at the helm of the group charged with developing criteria and processes for awarding scholarships to descendants of enslaved people who built Emory. In some ways, he says, ours was the most operational of the charges the task force was pursuing. Our job was to give life to Eugene Emorys idea of establishing scholarships for descendants.

Emory, a professor of psychology, first expressed the idea in the late 1980s when he was the keynote speaker for an event honoring the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. that involved the Board of Trustees, Emory leadership, faculty, staff and students. A descendant of Bishop John Emory, for whom the university was named, Emory sees a scholarship as an investment in human capital for the descendants of those who gave so much to Emory and described participation on the task force as a way to pair genuine compassion with concrete action.

According to Leach, members of the scholarship subcommittee challenged themselves to think audaciously as they looked at Emorys own scholarship programs and those offered elsewhere for models. Carol Henderson, vice provost for diversity and inclusion, chief diversity officer and adviser to the president, stressed that the scholarships should provide recipients maximum flexibility and that the university should deliver the best web of care for the descendants. Leach phrases the groups approach this way: These students will not be obligated to Emory; Emory will be obligated to them.

The group has created a process for potentially identifying more descendants of the enslaved peoples of Newton County beyond the 13 families currently known. Rev. Avis Williams 78Ox 98C 08T 18T, herself a descendant, works in the Georgia school system and has provided insight into why Newton County applicants have been few and how Emorys enrollment management division can address perceptions of Emory and the specific needs of descendants.

Williams worked with Emory on previous efforts to acknowledge disenfranchised populations. When invited to join the task force, she says, my first thought, to be honest, was here we go again. With Black Lives Matter occupying our attention, Emory doesnt want to be left out, but will we achieve anything?

Instead of her doubts being borne out, her hopes were lifted. I am excited about the future and grateful for Emorys commitment to inclusivity. I also have confidence that the right steps are being taken to attract bright students of color who live in the area to Emory and Oxford, she says.

Acknowledging the contributions of Indigenous peoples

Working group leader Megan E. ONeil, assistant professor of art history and faculty curator at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, describes the task force as a moment of great synergy and opportunity to effect change at Emory.

But the working group confirms a tension they felt  namely, with the long arc of its history effacing Indigenous peoples, could Emory halt such erasure and would the task force be the right platform to address longstanding needs of this community?

On the one hand, recent progress at Emory includes the expansion of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative Ad Hoc Committee; the hiring of Beth Michel, a citizen of the Tohono Oodham Nation, as associate dean of admission and lead for Native American outreach; programming offered by the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference as well as the Carlos Museum; and interdisciplinary work on the part of several departments.

Moreover, in 2020, Emory recognized Indigenous Peoples Day, acknowledging that the university is located on the homelands of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Summer 2020 saw Emory host the College Horizons program, which supports Native American and Indigenous students on the path to higher education, and Emory again will be the host in 2022.

Yet when Craig Womack, associate professor of English, retires from Emory this year, only three Native American professors will remain at the university. Notes Womack, We started the task force with the conviction that our top priority was hiring more Native American professors in tenure lines at Emory, and that priority continued. With Native American subject matter currently being taught and slated to be expanded, the hope is for Native American faculty to be welcomed in greater numbers.

In addition to recruitment of Native American and Indigenous students and faculty, other central topics for the group have been creating online and physical reminders of Native American individuals, lands and treaties; establishing meaningful lines of communication with the Southeastern tribal nations; and supporting robust collaborative research about Emorys history with those nations, as well as the points of intersection with African American history.

Developing educational and experiential opportunities

This subcommittee canvassed to learn about course offerings on the Oxford or Atlanta campus that delve into Emorys history. Says chair Mary Dudziak, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law, some courses are occasionally offered, but not many, and most students dont encounter them. Her group wants to see Emory encourage and reward faculty for revising their courses to include components that cover the universitys history.

Grateful for a subcommittee she describes as diverse, creative and smart, Dudziak and her colleagues have a vision for a culture at Emory where history doesnt happen somewhere else. Instead, in a course about the legacy of slavery, students will learn that it is part of Emorys history as well.

The second half of her groups charge was about creating experiential opportunities that can lead to deeper reflection by Emory as an institution and by faculty, staff and students as participants in the next phase of Emorys history.

Inspiring ideas came from Holocaust remembrance efforts and from the practices of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). We considered the way that HBCUs work to create a sense of place and history as students come to campus and as they think about who they are in relation to the institution and its past, says Dudziak.

In a sentiment echoed across the working groups, Dudziak expressed gratitude for leaderships support of the task force, believing that the ideas we have offered will serve Emorys broader community-building purpose.

Love agrees, saying, the issues that the task force has courageously tackled arise at a time of national reflection but also at a critical juncture in the universitys history. We are steadily advancing to be worthy of our values. I am grateful to the Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations for reminding us of these ideals and for advancing a series of actions to bring us to this higher ground.
In 1975, the Winnipeg Art Gallery had grand plans to celebrate International Womens Year with an exhibit about the female form. The show, Images of Women, included 75 artworks, many of which were nudes created mostly by male artists.

In 1975, the Winnipeg Art Gallery had grand plans to celebrate International Womens Year with an exhibit about the female form. The show, Images of Women, included 75 artworks, many of which were nudes created mostly by male artists.

It was, to say the least, a tone-deaf response to a United Nations designation meant to promote the advancement of women and eliminate gender-based discrimination across the globe.

Reviews in the Dec. 4. 1975 edition of the Winnipeg Free Press-

Local artists were livid. A feminist art show, entitled Woman as Viewer, was organized in protest and the ad hoc Committee for Women Artists group pushed the gallery to make space for the exhibit. Woman as Viewer became the first feminist art show displayed at a major cultural institution in Canada.

Artist Bev Pike revisited the landmark exhibit for the latest issue of Herizons Magazine and will be discussing her research and the history of feminist art in Winnipeg during this weeks First Fridays Online Art Talk, moderated by the Free Presss Alison Gillmor.

"One of the reasons I wrote this piece is to show activists and other people that the big art galleries havent budged much at all since the bad old days when women were excluded from these institutions," Pike says. "(The WAGs) permanent collection was 19 per cent work by women in 1975 and its risen, its skyrocketed all the way up to, as of last fall, 22 per cent. Thats a deliberate marginalization of womens art. Its not accidental; it cant be."

Although the door was opened a crack for Woman as Viewer, organizers experienced pushback from all angles while mounting the two-week show.

Combing through the WAG archives, Pike unearthed a memo from gallery installers concerned that an artwork composed of several small penis sculptures would offend the public. The catalogue printer refused to finish the job because of its inclusion of a male nude and the gallerys director at the time, Roger Selby, expressed concern that work by female artists would be subpar.

Bev Pike will be discussing the history of feminist art in Winnipeg during a First Fridays Online Art Talk. (Connie Chappel photo)

"He really had that attitude that you still see today, where authority figures think that a marginalized group is justifiably marginalized because theyre not that great," Pike says.

Despite the attempted gatekeeping, the public came out in droves. The exhibit opened the door for future feminist art shows and emboldened artists such as Pike, who moved to Winnipeg from Alberta 30-odd years ago. She was drawn to the city by its tight-knit feminist art community and became "radicalized" through her involvement in Mentoring Artists for Womens Art (MAWA), which formed in 1984.

"Its made me a real sourpuss," she says with a laugh. "Back in 75 there was the idea that, yeah, we want to fight for women, but we should work with men, we shouldnt hurt them or alienate them and now, I think thats garbage  its not working.

"They have access to prestigious exhibits in a way that women never have had we dont have to cater to (men); we can be strong in our own community."

Supplied Bev Pikes Sunken Seance Meeting Hall is one of the painters many huge pieces.

Pike is known for her huge paintings of underground grottos. Her goal as a feminist artist is to take up as much physical space as possible.

"My work is eight feet high by 20 feet wide. Id like to double that," she says. "It could be argued that thats part of feminist progress, to take up space and insist we have the right to do that."

She also writes feminist satire through her Agony Aunt advice columns: "One way to feel better about living in a discriminatory society is to snipe, frankly."

Visit firstfridayswinnipeg.org for a link to Pikes Art Talk, which will be livestreamed at 7 p.m. on April 2.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney
Judges at International Criminal Court in The Hague have upheld the acquittal of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo and youth minister Charles Ble Goude, paving the way for both to return home.

The two had been accused of instigating postelection violence, and observers said there were concerns that their return could again destabilize Ivory Coast, the worlds largest producer of cocoa.

Gbagbo and Ble Goude were in the courtroom for the verdict. Ble Goude smiled widely as Presiding Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji read it.

"The appeals chamber by majority has found no error that could have materially affected the decision of trial chamber in relation to either of the prosecutors two grounds of appeal," Eboe-Osuji said. "It therefore rejects the prosecutors appeal, and confirms the decision of the trial chamber.

The judge also revoked all remaining conditions on the mens release. Gbagbo, who has been staying provisionally in Belgium, has said he wants to return to Ivory Coast, where he remains a heavyweight in the opposition against current President Alassane Ouattara.

In a statement, Gbagbo's defense team hailed the acquittal, saying justice had been done.

In 2019, ICC judges acquitted Gbagbo and Ble Goude of crimes-against-humanity charges related to postelectoral violence in Ivory Coast in 2010 and 2011. The vote saw Ouattara defeating Gbagbo, who refused to concede. Following an investigation of alleged atrocities that included perpetrating murder and rape, Gbagbo became the first former head of state to be arrested on orders of the ICC.

The prosecution appealed the initial acquittal on procedural grounds, all of which were dismissed by the appeals judges, with two of them dissenting.

In some cases, Eboe-Osuji offered particularly strong criticism of prosecutor Fatou Bensoudas arguments, including her apparent suggestions that the first court had hadnt fully considered all the evidence before coming to its verdict.

"Judges of the ICC  are presumed to act with integrity and impartiality. The appeals chamber would expect evidence of a very clear nature to support such a serious allegation as was made, Eboe-Osuji said.

Wednesdays ruling amounted to yet another setback for the ICC prosecution. Judges previously acquitted on appeal former Democratic of Republic of the Congo Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba. Prosecutor Bensouda earlier dropped crimes-against-humanities charges against Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta.

Bensouda is also under U.S. sanctions for launching an investigation into war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. However, champions of the 20-year-old ICC argue that its mission  as a court of last resort taking on extraordinarily difficult cases against powerful figures  is extremely challenging from the start.

Bensoudas nine-year term is up in June. British prosecutor Karim Khan will succeed her.
New monthly development record also achieved, with an advancement of more than 3,000 metres

Detailed monthly progress update expected on April 6

Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) Co-Chairs Robert Friedland and Yufeng "Miles" Sun are pleased to announce that the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has mined and stockpiled a record number of tonnes of copper ore during the month of March. The project also set a new monthly development record, with an advancement of more than 3,000 metres.

Final tonnage calculations and assays are pending for the ore mined during March. The monthly progress update for March, detailing tonnes and grade, as well as the project's overall construction progress, is expected to be issued on April 6, 2021.

The total project remains on track and on budget, with the milestone of first ore into the mill comfortably expected to be achieved this July.

About Ivanhoe Mines

Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal joint-venture projects in Southern Africa: the development of major new, mechanized, underground mines at the Kamoa-Kakula copper discoveries in the DRC and at the Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold discovery in South Africa; and the extensive redevelopment and upgrading of the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the DRC.

Kamoa-Kakula is expected to begin producing copper in July 2021 and, through phased expansions, is positioned to become one of the world's largest copper producers. Kamoa-Kakula and Kipushi will be powered by clean, renewable hydro-generated electricity and will be among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of metal produced. Ivanhoe also is exploring for new copper discoveries on its wholly-owned Western Foreland exploration licences in the DRC, near the Kamoa-Kakula Project.

Information contacts

Investors: Bill Trenaman +1.604.331.9834 / Media: Matthew Keevil +1.604.558.1034

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79170
The urban railway project of Cat Linh - Ha Dong will be officially handed over to Hanoi authorities in early May.

Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway will be put into commercial operation soon.

According to Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong, to prepare for the handover, the Ministry of Transport and the Hanoi administration have assigned the Hanoi Railway Project Management Board and the Hanoi Metro Company to review related documents and files from March 31. This task is expected to be completed within three to four weeks.

Based on these agencies reports, the Ministry of Transport and Hanoi government will set the specific date for handover and operation of the urban railway route.

Hanoi Metro Companys General Director Vu Hong Truong said that the route would be put into commercial operation after the handover.

The Ministry of Transport said the remaining work of this project is to evaluate and get the certification for system safety. The French consultant ACT has checked and evaluated the entire work.

In January the French consultant ACT issued a test certificate along with the report, which includes 16 recommendations on risk prevention in the operation of the route, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The French consultants recommendations that have been completed so far this year, include certification from the Firefighting Police Agency and the consultants step-2 safety assessment of the signal system.

The Ministry of Transport has told the Railway Project Management Board to urgently complete the foreign consultants recommendations and procedures, which belong to the responsibility of the investor and the general contractor.

The Ministry has also worked with Hanoi authorities on the completion of recommendations, which belong to the responsibility of the route operator (Hanoi Metro Company) and the measures to evacuate passengers in emergency situations.

Deputy Minister of Transport Dong said that investment in construction and installation of the Cat Linh - Ha Dong railway project has been completed according to the schedule assigned by the Prime Minister.

Dong said that the project is huge and complicated, and has been carried out for many years, while the legal system, standards and even price management mechanism need further work.

Lessons learned from this project is that for new things, it is better to study abroad and then do it. For future super-big projects, we must have a roadmap for both investment preparation and human resource training before implementation, he said.

Running from Cat Linh in Ba Dinh district to Ha Dong district and funded with Chinese ODA, the line has total investment of about 886 million USD, following several adjustments.

It has an elevated line of more than 13 km with 12 stations and 13 trains. Each train, whose designed speed is 80 km/h, has four carriages capable of carrying over 900 passengers.

The trial run was completed in December 2020, with more than 70,000 km of tests on thousands of trips, enabling the system to operate commercially.

Vu Diep - Bat Tuan

Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway to be handed over in late March The Ministry of Transport will hand over the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway to Hanoi authorities on March 31 for commercial use under the direction of the Prime Minister.
The Greek government has published its plan for a post-Covid economic recovery. The strategy aims to mobilize at least 10 billion towards the green energy sector, with the prospect of further EU loans on top.Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has outlined a national recovery plan which aims to shift "the country's economic and institutional paradigm"-by modernizing both. The Greek Covid recovery strategy, which follows the principles of the EU recovery fund agreed in July, builds on reforms put forward by the Mitsotakis administration since its election in July 2019. Policies introduced ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Check out the news you should not miss today:

Society

 Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 case on Thursday morning, marking the countrys tally at 2,603 with 2,359 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health.

 Hanoi police on Wednesday said they had successfully broken up a drug dealing ring run by a man with mental illness who allegedly made transactions right at the National Psychiatric Hospital No. 1, where he was receiving treatment.

 Vietnamese Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long on Wednesday had a working session with the Chinese and Indian ambassadors as well as the Minister Counselor of the Russian Embassy in Vietnam in an effort to find more COVID-19 vaccines for the Southeast Asian country.

 Local authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on Wednesday said they had detained Tran Thi Tuyet for an investigation into a case in which she allegedly faked her own funeral to cheat creditors.

 Police in Hanois Cau Giay District on Wednesday said they had prosecuted Nguyen Bao Tuan, 20, from the north-central province of Quang Tri, after he allegedly demanded VND15 million (US$650) from his 'sugar baby'; otherwise, he would release photos from their sex tape.

 The Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company has decided to offer a 50 percent discount on train tickets in April and May for children aged six to 10, starting from Thursday.

 Customs officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City have intercepted six cases of illegal drug transportation by air, seizing a total of 12.7kg of drugs of all kinds in the past two weeks.

Business

 Total new and additional investment capital in Ho Chi Minh Citys industrial and processing zones reached $224.61 million in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 66.34 percent year-on-year and representing 40.84 percent of the annual plan, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Lifestyle

 Hanoi suggested organizing a Hanoi Cultural Day in St. Petersburg and a St. Petersburg Cultural Day in Hanoi during an online meeting between the Vietnamese capital's Department of External Affairs and the Russian city's Committee for External Relations to discuss ways to enhance cooperation on Wednesday, the Vietnam News Agency reported the same day.

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Peterborough is asking a judge to rule in its favor in the long-standing legal dispute with the Monadnock Rod and Gun Club over land use violations.
Is there any restaurant visit as memorable as your very first? You may have been 10 or 11 years old. You were taken by your parents. Oh, the moment of opening the menu and being able to choose. What power!

As an experiment, try asking people what they ate. Often, theyll be able to remember. Your friend will say: It was at The Old Spaghetti Factory in The Rocks. It was 1976 and I had the Spaghetti Bolognese and the really garlicy garlic bread. They also had a photo of a tree with spaghetti growing on it.

Cahills inspired many more family-friendly chain restaurants in Australia. Credit:Fairfax Archive

Or: It was at a Black Stump in the 1980s and I had the steak with the foil-wrapped jacket potato with the sour cream and the chives inserted into the little X they carved into the foil. Oh, and corn on the cob with the little yellow handles they pushed into the ends.

Or: It was Sizzler in the 90s and I had so much Cheese Toast I threw up in the car park.
An entrepreneur who secured a 50,000 investment from Dragons' Den's Deborah Meaden has revealed how she bravely quit her full-time job during the pandemic to run her brand-new business.

Zena El Farra, 28, from East London, took a sabbatical from her full time job at a bank to found MasterPeace, a mindful art studio, in 2019, and was left devastated when the Covid-19 crisis hit six months after she launched the business.

But instead of giving up, Zena, who studied economics at University, left her career to transform the business into a subscription service for painting which she describes as the 'HelloFresh of art'.

Speaking to FEMAIL, she revealed: 'The pandemic started just as I was meant to make a decision on the business, like am I doing this for real or not?...I made the decision to actually resign during the pandemic, which was doubly scary.'

Zena El Farra, 28, (above) from London, launched her art school MasterPeace in September 2019, and appeared on Dragon's Den with her art kits and secured a 50,000 investment

Zena said she 'relied' on painting to manage her stresses and anxieties while she was growing up.

The entrepreneur helped to run arts and literature magazines and dances during her school years, saying it had always been a 'dream' of hers to combine her love of art with starting her own business.

She explained: 'I always knew that I wanted to run my own business, I just hadn't worked out the when and the what, so I was just squirrelling away as much money as I could.'

While studying economics at University, Zena worked for a food delivery company, before beginning her first full-time job for a high street bank, which saw her design an app for them and travel to South Africa during her eight-year employment.

Zena (pictured on Dragon's Den) accepted Deborah Meaden's offer and has used the investment to redesign her home art kits and launch her art projector, the IlluminArty

She decided to launch MasterPeace, an art school with a team of 20 artists, in 2019, after feeling there there weren't enough classes promoting painting as a way to manage stress and anxiety, whereas there are many options for other activities, such as yoga.

She funded the business with her 'modest' life-savings, as well as raising 16,000 through Natwest's Back Her Business Scheme.

Despite her ambitious plans, she said her family found the prospect of her starting her own business 'difficult to get on-board with' because she was stepping away from the financial security that comes with full-time paid employment.

She explained: 'It [starting up a business] was very, very new and very, very difficult for my family to get on-board with in lots of ways.'

Zena (above) admitted her family found her own business 'difficult to get on-board with' because she was stepping away from the financial security that comes with full-time paid employment

Zena was faced with a tough decision when the Covid-19 crisis hit just six months after she launched her art school, which was forced to close amid lockdown (pictured, her home art kit)

She added: 'There's definitely something really special about having paid employment from a big company, it provides so much reassurance for a family.

'The idea of leaving that behind to run your own business is very unattractive to a mother, or somebody who wants to see you settled and safe.'

After the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to standstill in 2020, Zena was left terrified for the future of her business.

She continued: 'We launched as very much an in-person experience, it was the space to get creative with the help of a professional artist, in a space that was designed to help people relax.

Zena (pictured) took a six-month sabbatical from her job in a bank to launch MasterPeace, but when this came to an end in March, she bravely resigned during the pandemic

'When Covid happened, it could very easily have been the end of us, because our proposition was the space.

'Without the space, what were we going to be? How would we stay connected with the huge community we'd built at that point?'

Just three days into lockdown, Zena came up with the idea of creating home art kits which her 20 MasterPeace artists could create the artwork for and record tutorials for.

The businesswoman explained: 'I really kept my ear on the ground with some of the other art schools out there and I really do think that we were the first ones out of the track with that idea.

Three days into lockdown, Zena came up with the idea of creating art kits which her 20 artists, who did not qualify for furlough, could create (left and right: Artists' sketches for the kits)

'But yeah, I was sat on the sofa with my husband just saying, "I've had this idea for an at home service but I don't think it's very good", and he was like, "No that's a great idea".'

Zena quickly began crafting the sets in the spare room of her home, explaining: 'The team didn't qualify for furlough so part of the rush for me was thinking "I need to pay these people, I can't let them down, so how do I create work for them now?"'

The painting kits, which are priced between 28 and 45, come with pre-sketched images ready to paint, the paints and paintbrushes needed, written instructions and pre-recorded video tutorials from artists on the MasterPeace app.

Zena explained: 'The idea is that even if you are a complete and utter beginner, because it's all pre-drawn, you can actually achieve a really beautiful, very professional looking finish with these kits.

The painting kits (pictured) provide people with pre-sketched images to paint over, paints and paintbrushes, written instructions and pre-recorded video tutorials on the MasterPeace app

'It's a bit like HelloFresh, but for art. You will come out with a really delicious meal you'll feel proud of, and it's because it's been made really easy for you, anybody could do it.'

Zena said appearing on Dragon's Den was a 'genuinely really, really scary and very difficult experience'.

She said: 'If I had been going on to the Den six months before when the studio was up and running, I think I would have felt really confident and clear about what we do and how we do it, but I went into the Den with the studio shut and just really at the beginning of our art kit journey.

'We had a product but it was being handmade by me, in my spare room of my flat, with materials that I could just about get online, from Amazon, and piece it together. It was done purely as a response to Covid.

Zena said it was 'really scary' to enter Dragons' Den after her studio space had closed and she had only just started selling the art kits, which she was making by hand in her spare room

'So I'm on the Den with a product that's selling super, super well, but looks very much like a handmade thing. I was relying on them seeing the potential of it, rather than them judging what it was at that moment in time, when it was just a couple of months old.

'I think that is what made the Den so much of a challenge, just trying to land that point that this is by no means a finished product, in that we've done it to survive and the response from customers has been incredible.'

Luckily, her gamble luckily paid off when Deborah, 62, was won over by the handmade art kits and invested 50,000 for 25 per cent of the business.

Zena said Deborah's investment has gone towards completely redesigning the range of art kits, which are now almost entirely recyclable, reusable and biodegradable.

Zena said Covid has taught her a huge lesson as she wouldn't have created the art kits without the pandemic, which are now her most successful product (above, example artwork from kit)

The entrepreneur said the kits are a 'big improvement' from when she presented them on Dragons' Den.

Another large focus for Deborah's 50,000 investment has been creating the IlluminArty, a 249 projector that is specifically designed for artists, rather than repurposing large wall projectors.

The product enables beginner artists to project an image from their phones on to a canvas or piece of paper for them to trace before starting to create their artwork.

The multi-functional projector also boasts a lamp, so it can also be used as a stylish piece of furniture.

Another large focus for Deborah's 50,000 investment has been creating the IlluminArty, a 249 projector that is specifically designed for artists

Zena's projector (above) enables artists to project an image from their phones on to a canvas or piece of paper for them to trace before they start to create their masterpiece

Zena revealed she now views the Covid-19 crisis as a huge business opportunity, having been able to sell her product to customers across 17 countries.

She now plans to expand MasterPeace and turn it into a franchise, which would see her open more studios in other big cities across the UK.

Zena said: 'There's a reality check for sure that small businesses it does take time to get to a stage where you do get those luxuries again.

'But big risk, big reward - hopefully one of these days! To get to do what you love every day is worth a lot more than all the rest.'
Alex Salmond has said the route to Scottish independence should not be pigeon-holed into holding a referendum.

The leader of the newly formed Alba Party said, if there is an independence supermajority in Holyrood after this election, the parliament should instruct the Scottish Government to start negotiations with Westminster.

During those talks, the UK Government may require a referendum or consultation to ensure independence was the will of the Scottish people.

Mr Salmond was speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, where he also said he does not believe his party will suffer with female voters as a result of allegations made against him in the past.

When asked about the path to Scottish independence after a successful election for his party, Mr Salmond said: I dont think that the pigeon-holing of this debate into a Section 30 referendum or a public consultation or a ballot elsewhere is either straightforward with the people or the way to proceed which has the statecraft required to get a result from Westminster.

I dont think you should tell in advance your negotiating opponent what youre going to do or the time scale you intend to do it on.

I think you should begin negotiations and those negotiations have an infinitely higher chance of succeeding if the First Minister has a substantial independence majority in the parliament at her back, than they would have if she was in a precarious parliamentary position with regard to independence.

He added: Pigeon-holing yourself into one route and one time scale has limitations over the advantages of taking the substantial independence supermajority in the parliament and taking direction from that and taking the parliament instead of a single party in the drive to independence in Scotland.

Over the past two years, Mr Salmond has been accused by women of sexual impropriety, of which he was cleared in the High Court in Edinburgh, but he maintains these allegations will not impact his partys standing with women.

Alex Salmond insisted his party would have no issues with female voters as a result of allegations made against him (Andy Buchanan/PA)

I remember last Friday I was told by a metropolitan journalist that we would find it difficult to attract formidable women campaigners to our cause, he said.

As youll see from our candidates list, not only is there a substantial majority of women on the candidates list, but they include some of the most formidable feminist campaigners in Scotland including the former equalities campaigner of the Scottish National Party and the former womens convener of the Scottish National Party.

He added: I think the candidates list demonstrates already that many formidable women campaigners are rallying to the Alba standard, and I expect well see exactly the same thing as the campaign proceeds with the general voting public.

So no, I dont think thats going to happen, I think what people are going to respond to is the positive message Alba are going to be putting forward in the campaign.

Mr Salmond was also asked repeatedly about his partys stance on the European Union and whether they would support rejoining the bloc, however, he said they would wait until after their conference to develop such policy positions.
FCW Insider: April 1, 2021

The Homeland Security secretary announced a series of focused efforts to address issues around ransomware, critical infrastructure and the agency's workforce that will all be launched in the coming weeks.

Updates to federal facilities and an emphasis on electric vehicles are just part of the Biden Administration's $2 trillion jobs and infrastructure plan announced on Wednesday.

The Defense Department's unified cybersecurity program is making gains with its first tranche of certifying bodies, but assessments for defense contractors are a ways off.

Emerging and established technologies hold great potential for addressing our nation's evolving challenges; the trick is in helping government agencies integrate them into their operations.

Quick Hits

*** The U.S. Army awarded Microsoft a 10-year, $21.8 billion production contract to produce virtual reality headsets for combat troops called the Integrated Visual Augmentation System. The award is a massive scaling up of an other transaction authority contract to prototype headsets based on Microsoft's HoloLens commercial product for military use.

*** Democratic and Republican leaders on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform joined forces in letters sent March 31 to the heads of 23 agencies urging cooperation with ongoing Inspector General investigations.

*** According to a report in Politico, emails from the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs were hacked by Russian operatives in 2020.
The brands were never interested in marine traffic before the incident took place, where Evergiven Cargo ship had blocked the Suez Canal. When a lot of ships were unable to pass through the canal, brands on social media had gone berserk on Twitter. The image visualized where an ant-size crane was holding back the giant Evergiven cargo ship blocking the Canal. This incidence has emotionally connected people to fight with the situations they go through and to come out stronger.

These are the few Brands that have posted the relatable creatives on the similar situation replicting their issues as well as promoting the brand,

MakeMyTrip

OkCupid India

Dunzo

DBS Bank India

Allen Career Institute

ImpactGuru

Mercedes AMG F1

Paytm
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is getting a fiscal shot in the arm from good old Uncle Sam to the spritely tune of $7.3 billion. Thats billion with a B.

Its the state governments share -- theres much more for local governments, school districts, etc. -- of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, a pandemic recovery package that your kids, their kids and their kids might never pay off.

Seem like a lot? It is a lot, one-fifth of the state budget. But government runs on money. Ours hasnt run well. Maybe more money makes it run better.
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) elects to move to Term 2 of Lofdal JV Agreement with option to earn 40% interest in Lofdal Project

JOGMEC approves initial provision for an additional $2,063,000 budget for further development and metallurgical work through to July 31, 2021

An updated 43-101 resource report expected in late April 2021

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Namibia Critical Metals Inc. ("Namibia Critical Metals" or the "Company" or "NMI") (TSXV:NMI) today announced that its JV Partner, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation("JOGMEC") has officially elected to move to Term 2 of the JV Agreement and provide additional funding of $2,063,000 for further exploration and development programs at Lofdal through to July 31, 2021.

The terms of the JOGMEC JV Agreement contemplate that JOGMEC provides $3,000,000 in Term 1 and $7,000,000 in Term 2 to earn a 40% interest in the Lofdal project. Term 3 calls for a further $10,000,000 of expenditures to earn an additional 10% interest. With today's announcement the total approved expenditures for Terms 1 and 2 are $6,163,000. The JV Agreement is structured such that no NMI equity will be issued and it is totally non-dilutive to NMI shareholders.

Darrin Campbell, President of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. stated "We are very encouraged by the results from our first year of exploration and development at Lofdal with our partner JOGMEC and are delighted with their decision to advance to Term 2. JOGMEC has been an exemplary technical and financial partner and has consistently demonstrated their intent to advancing the Lofdal project with the accelerated funding provided. Term 1 was increased from $3,000,000 to $4,100,000 (September 21, 2020 News Release) and now we have further accelerated budgets into Term 2 totalling $6.163 million.

This partnership with JOGMEC brings all the necessary technical and financial capacities required to take Lofdal to commercial production. It provides alignment with, and access to significant industrial groups in Japan looking to secure long-term supplies of dysprosium, terbium and other heavy rare earths. JOGMEC is mandated to seek a stable supply of natural resources for Japan and they have recognized the potential of Lofdal to provide a secure and sustainable source of heavy rare earths. The development of a new mining operation and associated processing facilities would bring significant employment and economic benefits to Namibia, and specifically to the Kunene Region. We are excited to continue to work closely with our partners at JOGMEC in advancing the Lofdal Project to the next stage."

The Lofdal Heavy Rare Earths Project is located 450 kilometers northwest of the capital city of Windhoek in the Kunene Region of north-western Namibia. The project area covers 314 square kilometers centered on the Lofdal carbonatite complex which hosts a large number of rare earth occurrences, including the Area 4 deposit and the Area 2B deposit. Mineralization in both deposits is dominated by xenotime, a heavy rare earths phosphate.

Lofdal is unique as one of only two primary xenotime projects under development in the world, the other project being Browns Range in Australia. The joint venture with JOGMEC is driven by Lofdal's potential to be a long term, sustainable supply of heavy rare earths for Japan.

About Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC)

JOGMEC is a Japanese government independent administrative agency which among other things seeks to secure stable resource supply for Japan. JOGMEC has a strong reputation as a long term, strategic partner in mineral projects globally. The mandated areas of responsibilities within JOGMEC relate to oil and natural gas, metals, coal and geothermal energy. JOGMEC facilitates opportunities with Japanese private companies to secure supply of natural resources for the benefit of the country's economic development.

Rare earths are of critical importance to Japanese industrial interests and JOGMEC has extensive experience with all aspects of the sector. JOGMEC provided Lynas with US$250,000,000 in loans and equity in 2011 to ensure supplies of the Light Rare Earths metals suite to the Japanese industry.

About Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Namibia Critical Metals Inc. holds a diversified portfolio of exploration and advanced stage projects in Namibia focused on the development of sustainable and ethical sources of metals for the battery, electric vehicle and associated industries. The two advanced stage projects in the portfolio are Lofdal and Epembe. The Company also holds significant land positions in areas favourable for gold and base metal mineralization.

Heavy Rare Earths: The Lofdal Heavy Rare Earth Project is the Company's most advanced project having completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment in 2014 and full Environmental Clearance for a first mining area in 2016. The Company has received Notice of Preparedness to Grant the Application for a Mining Licence for Lofdal from the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The Company has lodged its acceptance of the mining licence and awaits finalization of the process from the Ministry. The project is developed in joint venture with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation ("JOGMEC") who are funding the current CD$10,000,000 drilling and metallurgical program with the objective of doubling the resource size and optimization of the process flow sheet.

Gold: The Company's Exclusive Prospecting Licenses ("EPLs") prospective for gold are located in the Central Namibian Gold Belt which hosts a number of significant orogenic gold deposits including the Navachab Gold Mine, the Otjikoto Gold Mine and more recently the discovery of the Twin Hills deposit. At the Erongo Gold Project, stratigraphic equivalents to the meta-sediments hosting the recent Osino gold discovery at Twin Hills have been identified and soil surveys are progressing over this highly prospective area. The Grootfontein Base Metal and Gold Project has potential for magmatic copper-nickel mineralization, Mississippi Valley-type zinc-lead-vanadium mineralization and Otjikoto-style gold mineralization. Detailed interpretation of geophysical data and regional geochemical soil sampling have identified first gold targets.

Tantalum-Niobium: The Epembe Tantalum-Niobium-Uranium Project is at an advanced stage with a well-defined, 10 km long carbonatite dyke that has been delineated by detailed mapping and radiometric surveys with over 11,000 meters of drilling. Preliminary mineralogical and metallurgical studies including sorting tests (XRT), indicate the potential for significant physical upgrading. Further work will be undertaken to advance the project to a preliminary economic assessment stage.

Copper-Cobalt: The Kunene Copper-Cobalt Project comprises a very large area of favorable stratigraphy along strike of the Opuwo cobalt-copper-zinc deposit. Secondary copper mineralization over a wide area points to preliminary evidence of a regional-scale hydrothermal system. Exploration targets on EPLs held in the Kunene project comprise direct extensions of the cobalt-copper mineralization to the west, sediment-hosted copper, orogenic copper, and stratabound manganese and zinc-lead mineralization.

The common shares of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NMI".

Donald M. Burton, P.Geo. is the Company's Qualified Person and has reviewed and approved this press release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information please contact -

Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Darrin Campbell, President

Tel: +01 (902) 835-8760

Fax: +01 (902) 835-8761

Email: Info@NamibiaCMI.com

Web site: www.NamibiaCriticalMetals.com

The foregoing information may contain forward-looking information relating to the future performance of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. forward-looking information, specifically, that concerning future performance, is subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the appropriate securities commissions.

SOURCE: Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638482/Namibia-Critical-Metals-Inc--JOGMEC-Elects-to-Move-to-Term-2-of-Joint-Venture-Agreement-and-Significantly-Increases-Budget-for-Lofdal-Heavy-Rare-Earths-Project
Kaye is proud to announce that we have earned ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation by the China National Accreditation for Conformity Assessments (CNAS) and by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China (CNCA) for our China calibration laboratory, making it the third Kaye lab with such distinction. The China lab joins the Germany lab, located in Pforzheim, and the Americas lab, located in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, to tout this accreditation.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005035/en/

Kaye Earns ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Accreditation in its China Calibration Laboratory (Photo: Kaye)

"Being able to support locally our Chinese clients with an accredited and certified laboratory ensures compliance and traceability against internationally established standards in-China-for-China and is an important step in our pre- and after sales support for Kaye customers around the globe" says Frank Kies, General Manager of Kaye.

ISO 17025 Accreditation reaffirms that Kaye labs demonstrate the highest standards and competency in generating valid results across the Kaye product line. Furthermore, the accolade guarantees the high-quality standard of accuracy in thermal, pressure, humidity, and electric calibration.

Pharmaceutical and biotech businesses throughout China that rely upon calibration from 17025 accredited labs can now have all their work done in one seamless process through the Kaye laboratory. Working with Kaye will now also give customers more flexibility in cooperating internationally with clients that expect this high standard of verified equipment.

With expertise in all areas of calibration, the Kaye lab is able to perform temperature calibrations from -80C to 420C and DCV from 10mV to 220mV range.

"The needs of our customers have always been among our highest priorities here at Kaye," says Xiqing Wu, sales leader of mainland China Taiwan. "Having yet another facility with this world-renowned accreditation shows our customer base that we're trained, prepared, and excited to work with them on all of their calibration needs."

For more information on Kaye's quality and accreditations, click here.

About Kaye

For more than sixty years, Kaye has been at the forefront of high accuracy process measurement, for applications from thermal process validation and environmental and cold chain monitoring, to sensor calibration. https://www.kayeinstruments.com

Kaye is a subsidiary of Amphenol Corporation

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005035/en/

Contacts:

Nicole Rauenbuehler; Global Marketing Manager

E-Mail: News@amphenol-sensors.com



Xiqing Wu; Sales Manager China, Hong Kong, Taiwan

E-Mail: xiqing.wu@amphenol-sensors.com
Raila Odinga has made his first appearance in the public after three weeks.

On Wednesday, the opposition leader met members of his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party at Chungwa house, in Nairobi.

Those present include party chairman John Mbadi, Senate Minority Whip James Orengo, National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohammed, party secretary-general Edwin Sifuna, treasurer Timothy Bosire, and Homabay women representative Gladys Wanga.

The meeting among other issues, discussed the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), handshake with President Kenyatta, and forthcoming referendum, Covid-19 pandemic, among others.

"We agreed the BBI must be subjected to a referendum because it entails a fundamental reorganization of the architecture of the Executive and Kenyans need to have a say in the reorganization. The party therefore fully supports a referendum on the document," a statement by ODM explained in part.

In the meantime, as we go through these fundamental processes, we appeal to our people to continue adhering to the health protocols meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country. We also appeal to our people to go for vaccination."

Odinga also sent his message of condolence to the family of Kiambaa lawmaker Paul Koinange.

"The people of Kiambaa have lost in Paul Koinange, a diligent and dependable leader whose undivided focus was the unity, stability, and progress of the country. He served with distinction as the Chairperson of the National Assembly's Committee on Administration and National Security."

Odinga has been away from the public since he announced he'd tested positive for Covid-19 after checking in to Nairobi hospital weeks ago.

He remained in hospital for a couple of days and then upon getting discharged retreated to self-isolation at his Nairobi home.

Sources within ODM have confirmed to Nairobi News that Odinga has since tested negative.
Hay fever sufferers may want to stay indoors this weekend as forecasters warn of a 'pollen bomb' bringing with it some of the highest levels of tree pollen this year.

The warning comes from Kleenex and Allergy UK, who have launched a new 'Pollen Pal' tool, giving a three day pollen count forecast to help hay fever sufferers.

London, Leicester and Nottingham will be among the worst affected, with almost twice the concentration of pollen as will be seen in other 'high pollen' regions.

The Met Office, which produces a regional forecast for the UK says their data suggests a low to medium pollen count for most of the country this weekend.

In contrast, data from the new Kleenex Pollen Forecast, launched today, and taking more local data per postcode, shows that pollen levels across the country this weekend will be high, especially for tree pollen.

London, Leicester and Nottingham will be among the worst affected, with almost twice the concentration of pollen as will be seen in other 'high pollen' regions

Hay fever sufferers may want to stay indoors this weekend as forecasters warn of a 'pollen bomb' bringing with it some of the highest levels of tree pollen this year

How can you treat hay fever? Vaseline: Apply the jelly around the nose to trap pollen particles Nasal filters: They make a physical barrier between the pollen particles and the nasal membrane Air purifiers: The home appliances remove pollen particles from the air Eye drops and tablets: They contain antihistamine to reduce inflammation Immunotherapy: The process involves consuming the allergen over a number of years to build the body's tolerance Advertisement

There are thought to be 13 million hay fever sufferers in the UK with varying levels of sensitivity to different pollen types who would benefit from a regular forecast.

Allergy UK say sufferers planning to go out to enjoy the long Easter weekend should wear a hat, use an allergen barrier balm and carry a packet of tissues with them.

This isn't surprising as we are about to move towards peak pollen season, but the forecasters say tree pollen readings are forecasted to be particularly high.

The severity of pollen levels is measured by Pollen Grains Per Cubic Metre (PPM), where a reading of 200-703 for tree pollen is considered high, and anything above 704 very high, Allergy UK explained.

The Kleenex Pollen Forecast, that supplied the Pollen Bomb warning, is one of the most regionally accurate pollen tracking tools available, the firm claims.

It provides a detailed pollen count for all 1.7 million postcodes across the UK three days in advance.

Kleenex says this enables those with hay fever to plan days out using pollen data specific to their local town or city, rather than a broad national forecast.

However, when asked about the discrepancy between their relatively low to mid-level pollen count and the high forecast from Kleenex, the Met Office said it could be down to differences in the types of pollen traps used.

The Met Office said several companies in the UK use American traps that have been found to produce suspect data as they don't use standard counting methods.

A spokesperson said the pollen season hasn't properly started yet and the forecast for the weekend is relatively cool, so shouldn't have a big impact on hay fever.

London is showing a high tree pollen forecast, although other pollen types are not expected to be high this Easter weekend

The data is sourced from Ambee, which collates information from pollen traps across the country.

They also look at local weather on the day and on different types of trees, weeds and grass in a specific area.

'The Kleenex Pollen Forecast offers unrivalled insight into local pollen levels and should be a big help for anyone struggling with allergies,' said Ori Ben Shai, Vice President and Managing Director, Kimberly-Clark UK, makers of Kleenex.

The warning comes from Kleenex and Allergy UK, who have launched a new 'Pollen Pal' tool, giving a three day pollen count forecast to help hay fever sufferers

LONDON, LEICESTER AND NOTTINGHAM TO FACE HIGH POLLEN COUNTS The severity of pollen levels is measured by Pollen Grains Per Cubic Metre (PPM). A reading of 200-703 for tree pollen is considered high, and anything above 704 very high. Selected regions with currently high tree pollen forecasts for the UK on Good Friday include: Belfast: 302 PPM

Birmingham: 349 PPM

Bristol: 355 PPM

Glasgow: 220 PPM

Leeds: 275 PPM

Leicester: 358 PPM

Liverpool: 486 PPM

London: 377 PPM

Manchester: 222 PPM

Nottingham: 420 PPM Advertisement

'We recommend that anyone with hay fever symptoms check pollen levels in their postcode daily to ensure they can prepare appropriately.

He added they 'need not hide inside while the sun is shining.'

The launch of the Pollen Forecast comes as Kleenex renews its partnership with Allergy UK to help support the UK's hay fever sufferers through peak allergy season.

The partnership funding will allow Allergy UK to divert extra resource towards its helpline to ensure those really struggling with their symptoms are able to access expert support and guidance.

Amena Warner, Head of Clinical Services, Allergy UK, said: 'Despite the expected spike in pollen levels this Good Friday, most hay fever is manageable if you take the necessary steps to prepare yourself.'

Warner said there are a number of measures sufferers can take to minimise symptoms if they do decide to go out in the spring sunshine.

'Consider your wardrobe choices,' she said, adding 'accessories like hats and wraparound sunglasses can stop pollen from reaching face, hair and eyes.'

Allergy UK advise sufferers try using an allergen barrier balm around the base of the nostrils and around sunglasses, as it creates a barrier to airborne allergens.

'Schedule your daily outings carefully Always check the Kleenex Pollen Forecast before leaving the house,' said Warner.

'Monitoring pollen levels daily can help you plan ahead to manage your symptoms.'

They also recommend always carrying a pack of tissues, adding that the 'Kleenex Allergy Comfort tissues hold the Allergy UK Seal of Approval and are designed to be gentle and ultra-absorbent for use around watery eyes and runny noses.'
MONROE, La., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the State of Louisiana prepares for a potential early hurricane season in 2021, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center is offering business continuity, disaster planning and cybersecurity services at no-cost to Louisiana small business owners.

It's no secret that Louisiana's 2020 business year was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, tornadoes and hurricanes. When business is disrupted it costs money, and many small business owners have found out that insurance does not cover all costs and cannot replace customers.

Louisiana SBDC State Director Carla Holland said the importance of having a plan to protect both physical and digital assets can't be overstated.

"Being able to acquire the tools to thrive in business the first time is a challenge, so we want to make sure that our small business owners have an increased chance to not have to buy them a second time due to a disaster," Holland said.

The Louisiana Small Business Development Center network announced its SBDC CARES Act initiative in March, which is a program that allows the Louisiana SBDC to expand its small business technical assistance service to specialty consulting for existing small business owners and entrepreneurs who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SBDC CARES Act initiative is designed to serve only existing small business owners in the state of Louisiana who were in business prior to March 2020. As part of the initiative, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center has brought on Theresa Jones, CSA to work directly with business owners to develop a continuity plan and offer cybersecurity planning at no-cost.

"Businesses that fail to plan, fail. Please don't let this be you," Jones said.

Small business owners are encouraged to contact Jones directly by email [email protected] or visit the Louisiana SBDC website at www.louisianasbdc.org for more information.

SOURCE The Louisiana Small Business Development Center

Related Links

https://www.louisianasbdc.org/


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This weeks virtual screening room offerings run the gamut from an award-winning African story to literally all of the nominated short films for this years 2021 Academy Awards.

Beginning on April 2, Cleveland Institute of Arts Cinematheque is offering This is Not a Burial, Its a Resurrection.

The late Mary Twala Mhlongo (Black Is King) plays an elderly Mosotho woman preparing her own funeral when she decides to resist the construction of a new dam and reservoir that will force the resettlement of her village. The film currently has a 100 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Also on April 2, Cleveland Cinemas (Cedar Lee, the Capitol and Chagrin Cinemas) and the Cinematheque are providing a sneak peek for those folks who want to be up on this years Oscar-nominated short films -- Animated, Live Action and Documentary -- before the April 25 ceremony.

Each category can be purchased individually. Presented by ShortsTV, the 2021 Oscar Nominated Short Films are not suitable for younger viewers and would probably be rated PG-13 (Animated) and R (Live Action, Documentary).

Virtual screening rooms continue to offer movie lovers a safe way to view first-run films online during a pandemic. Half the proceeds from the virtual films go back to the local theater. Costs vary for each film, which is accessible for either 48 or 72 hours.

Heres a look at new and current films streaming this weekend through Cinematheque and Cleveland Cinemas:

OPENING FRIDAY

2021 Oscar Nominated Short Films

For those folks who want to be up on this years Oscar-nominated Animated, Live Action and Documentary short films before the April 25 ceremony, each category can be purchased individually. The 2021 Oscar Nominated Short Films are not suitable for younger viewers and would probably be rated PG-13 (Animated) and R (Live Action, Documentary). (Cinematheque and Cleveland Cinemas)

Shiva Baby

Director-writer Emma Seligmans feature debut is a hilarious -- albeit uncomfortable -- comedy that finds a young, bisexual Jewish woman at an awkward funeral gathering attended by her parents, relatives, ex-girlfriend and an older married man who is her secret sugar daddy. (Cinematheque)

A Sunday in the Country

To commemorate the passing of veteran French filmmaker and cinephile Bertrand Tavernier, who died last week at age 79, movie fans can experience his celebrated A Sunday in the Country, which was voted the Best Foreign Language Film of 1984 by both the New York and London Film Critics Circles. (Cinematheque)

A Tale of Springtime

Cinematheques new Eric Rohmers Tales of the Four Seasons series begins with the recently restored A Tale of Springtime. The 1990 film features romantic intrigue, ambiguous motivations and ambivalent behavior. (Cinematheque)

This is Not a Burial, Its a Resurrection

The award-winning This is Not a Burial, Its a Resurrection stars the late Mary Twala Mhlongo (Black Is King), who plays an elderly Mosotho woman preparing her own funeral when she decides to resist the construction of a new dam and reservoir that will force the resettlement of her village. The film currently has a 100 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. (Cinematheque)

Van Gogh/The Society of the Spectacle

Fans of French movies will love the double feature of newly restored classics Van Gogh and The Society of the Spectacle. The former is an Oscar-winning short; the latter is an avant-garde collage-essay film critiquing capitalism, mass marketing and consumer culture. (Cinematheque)

STILL SHOWING

Acasa, My Home

Acasa, My Home tells the poignant and poetic story of a Romanian family with nine children who after living off the grid for nearly two decades in the Bucharest Delta must move to the city after their home becomes part of a new nature preserve. Radu Ciorniciucs documentary has a 100 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. (Cinematheque)

Another Round

Booze is good is the simplistic premise put to the test of four unhappy high school teachers in new film Another Round. Director Thomas Vinterbergs (The Celebration) comedy-drama finds the characters testing out a prominent psychologists theory that human beings would be more creative, happier and relaxed with a constant level of alcohol in their blood. (Cinematheque)

Band of Outsiders

Jean-Luc Godards tragicomedy Band of Outsiders is perhaps the most accessible film from this auteur. The 1964 classic -- which includes the Madison dance number and the race through the Louvre -- follows three reckless young people (Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Claude Brasseur) hoping to plunder a suburban villa. (Cinematheque)

Blizzard of Souls

The horrors of war reach new depths in the Blizzard of Souls, which is Latvias official submission for this years Oscar for Best International Feature Film. Based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Aleksandrs Grins that was banned in the Soviet Union for 60 years, the detailed historical drama follows a wide-eyed teens journey from farm boy to hardened WWI soldier. (Cinematheque)

Collective

Recently named Romanias official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2021 Academy Awards, Alexander Nanaus gripping documentary Collective delves into the fallout from the Bucharest 2015 Colectiv nightclub fire, which killed or injured more than 200 people. Weaving together accounts from whistleblowers, newspaper reporters, government officials and burn victims, the impressive piece of investigative journalism uncovers deadly corruption within Romanias healthcare industry. (Cinematheque)

Coming Home Again

Director Wayne Wang (Chan Is Missing and The Joy Luck Club) based his new film Coming Home Again on a New Yorker essay about a first-generation Korean-American man who returns to his San Francisco home to care for his ailing Korean mother. (Cinematheque)

Eyes Without A Face

Presented as part of the 2021 Cleveland Humanities Festivals theme of Identity, Georges Franjus 1960 film Eyes Without A Face is a surrealistic nightmare about a mad surgeon who kidnaps beautiful young women with the intention of transplanting their faces onto his disfigured daughter. (Cinematheque)

The Fever

Acclaimed documentarian Maya Da-Rin makes her feature him debut with The Fever about a middle-aged indigenous widower working as a security guard in a Brazilian industrial city who yearns for his Amazonian rainforest roots. (Cinematheque)

Francesco

Evgeny Afineevskys new Pope Francis documentary focuses on the Pontiff addressing issues such as climate change, immigration, religious tolerance, health, economic equality and gender/identity justice. The movie, which contains the interview in which he endorses same-sex civil unions, is said to appeal to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. (Cinematheque and Cleveland Cinemas)

F.T.A.

Obscure documentary F.T.A. was the lefts answer to Bob Hopes USO tours. Filmed during the height of the Vietnam War protests, the recently-restored movie documents Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland and a troupe of entertainers traveling stateside and through Southeast Asia presenting an anti-war musical-comedy revue to soldiers. (Cinematheque)

Gustav Stickley: American Craftsman

Known as the father of the American Arts and Crafts movement, Gustav Stickley (1858-1942) designed and manufactured furniture, published The Craftsman magazine and founded Craftsman Farms, which is a forerunner to the farm-to-table movement. Herb Stratfords new documentary Gustav Stickley: American Craftsman includes interviews and archival materials. (Cinematheque)

Her Name is Chef

Featuring six bad-ass, inspiring, heroes of the kitchen, Peter Ferriero new documentary Her Name is Chef allows foodies an insiders view into what it takes for women to become a chef in a male-dominated world. Hosted by Leia Gaccione, the film focuses on the trials, tribulations and achievements of Elizabeth Falkner, Fatima Ali, Hillary Sterling, Esther Choi, Juliet Masters and Caroline Schiff. (Cleveland Cinemas)

Just Dont Think Ill Scream

Director Frank Beauvais eclectic debut movie, Just Dont Think Ill Scream, is a collage film that strings together clips from B-movie and 70s horror flicks to create a tortured monologue to mirror the filmmakers post-breakup blues. (Cinematheque)

Kuessipan

Adapted from a Naomi Fontaine novel, Kuessipan finds two lifelong First Nations teenage friends whose relationship is tested when one dates a white boy. The Canadian film, which is directed by Myriam Verreault, offers a glimpse into Quebecs Innu community. (Cinematheque)

M.C. Escher: Journey To Infinity

Robin Lutzs new documentary M.C. Escher: Journey To Infinity delves into the life and legacy of Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, whose surreal, psychedelic bland-and-white drawings bridged the worlds of art and mathematics. The film includes surviving family members with Graham Nash providing voice over. (Cinematheque)

Meeting the Beatles In India

In 1968, Paul Saltzman -- who was studying transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi -- unexpectedly crossed paths with the Fab Four. Now the Emmy Award-winning Canadian filmmaker has turned this experience into new documentary Meeting the Beatles In India, which is narrated by Morgan Freeman and includes never-before-seen personal photos. (Cinematheque)

Minari

Director Lee Isaac Chungs Minari, which stars Steven Yeun (Walking Dead), is a touching, tender, semi-autobiographical work about a Korean immigrant family that relocates from California to a farm in rural Arkansas during the 1980s. Currently boasting a 99 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is the winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at last years Sundance Film Festival. (Cinematheque)

My Little Sister

The official Swiss submission for this years Oscar for Best International Feature Film is My Little Sister, which has a 100 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The drama finds a once brilliant playwright -- who no longer writes -- returning to her craft when her famous stage actor twin brother is diagnosed with leukemia. (Cinematheque)

Nasrin

Jeff Kaufmans new documentary Nasrin spotlights Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is currently a political prisoner serving a 38-year sentence. The portrait of the Iranian human rights lawyer -- who has fought for the rights of women, children, LGBT prisoners, religious minorities, journalists, artists and death row inmates -- is narrated by Olivia Colman and features interviews with filmmaker Jafar Panahi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and journalist Ann Curry. (Cinematheque)

The People vs. Agent Orange

New documentary The People vs. Agent Orange explores how the toxic chemical was employed as a defoliant during the Vietnam War, as well as how it continues to be used by the American timber industry today. The film focuses on the crusade of two women -- an American and French resident -- trying to stop the use of Agent Orange, which causes deformities, disabilities, disease and death. (Cinematheque)

Perfumes

If youre in the mood for something light, fun and foreign, French comedy Perfumes will check all of the boxes. Director Gregory Magnes new film about a haughty, diva-esque fragrance designer and her down-on-his-luck new driver stars Emmanuelle Devos and Gregory Montel Rose (Call My Agent!). (Cinematheque and Cleveland Cinemas)

Quo Vadis, Aida?

Nominated for the 2021 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, Quo Vadis, Aida? is a gripping Bosnian War drama. Director Jasmila Zbanic tells the story of a Bosnian woman working as a United Nations translator as she tries to protect her family from Serbian soldiers. (Cinematheque)

Rififi

Blacklisted director Jules Dassins 1955 classic Rififi is about Paris jewelry thieves who join together for one big job. This influential film is known for its famously tense, wordless 30-minute robbery sequence. (Cinematheque)

Rose Plays Julie

Rose Plays Julie explores the flipside to the happy reunion between a mother and the child she put up for adoption. However, there are tears of a different kind when Rose, a university student raised happily in an adopted family, forces a meeting with her less-than-interested birth mother. The result is a psychological suspense thriller including hidden truths involving larger themes like identity. (Cinematheque)

Ruth: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words

For those fans of Ruth Bader Ginsburg who dont feel its soon after her death last year, Freida Lee Mock has a documentary for you. Ruth: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words tells the improbable story of how Ginsburg -- who couldnt get a job despite tying first in her graduating law class and making Law Review at Harvard and Columbia Law Schools -- became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. (Cleveland Cinemas)

Shoplifters of the World

Fans of both The Smiths and 80s films will enjoy director Stephen Kijaks new film Shoplifters of the World, which details how fans of the Morrissey-led band react to the news the group has broken up. The comedy features Helena Howard (Madelines Madeline) and Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood). (Cinematheque)

Songs My Brothers Taught Me

While director Chloe Zhaos third feature film Nomadland is currently attracting Oscar buzz, her 2015 debut, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, is worthy of viewing. Shot on location in South Dakotas Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the film provides insight into troubled Native American life while following two teens who react differently to the death of their rodeo father. (Cinematheque)

Stray

Elizabeth Los imaginative new film Stray is a mostly wordless documentary that follows a stray dog living in Istanbul alongside other homeless canines, as well as Syrian refugees. In addition to the feature, theres an exclusive Q&A with Lo. (Cinematheque and Cleveland Cinemas)

Test Pattern

Shatara Michelle Fords debut feature, Test Pattern, taps into the zeitgeist touching upon everything from health care inequities, the #MeToo movement, policing and race in America. The award-winning feature focuses on the relationship between a young Black woman and her white boyfriend as he drives her in search of a rape kit after she is sexually assaulted by another man. (Cinematheque and Cleveland Cinemas)

Til Kingdom Come

Director Maya Zinshteins new documentary Til Kingdom Come explores the unlikely ties between an impoverished coal-mining town in Kentucky and Israel. Specifically, the film follows the Bluegrass State pastors and their Evangelical congregants who believe the Jews are crucial to Jesus return. (Cleveland Cinemas)

To the Ends of the Earth

Director Kiyoshi Kurosawas (Cure and Pulse) latest project is the black comedy To the Ends of the Earth, which stars J-pop icon Atusko Maeda. A Japanese TV reporter takes her travel show to Uzbekistan, where while searching for a mythical fish her life quickly unravels into a self-discovery journey. (Cinematheque)

Two of Us

Frances official submission for the 2021 Oscar for Best International Feature Film is Two of Us, which follows two elderly women who have been neighbors -- as well as secret lovers -- for decades. Their decision to relocate to Rome and live openly is met with unexpected consequences. Viewers can view a pre-recorded, post-film discussion between writer/director Filippo Meneghetti, star Barbara Sukowa and international film icon Isabelle Huppert. (Cinematheque)

True Mothers

Japans official submission for this years Oscar for Best International Feature Film is True Mothers, which is a heart-wrenching story about a married couples struggle to keep their adopted child after his birth mother arrives in the picture. (Cinematheque)

What Happened Was

Tom Noonans directorial debut, What Happened Was, which won the top prize at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, was recently restored. The film depicts the awkwardness associated with first dates when two lonely co-workers spend an uneasy Friday night together. (Cinematheque)

Wojnarowicz: F**K You F*Ggot F**Ker

Aids activist David Wojnarowicz is the subject of Chris McKim new documentary Wojnarowicz: F**K You F*Ggot F**Ker. The film profiles the queer, downtown New York City artist, writer and photographer who during the 1980s AIDS epidemic weaponized his work and waged war against the establishments indifference to this plague. (Cinematheque)

You Will Die At Twenty

Billed as a coming-of-death fable, You Will Die At Twenty -- which is Sudans first-ever official submission for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film category -- is about a Sudanese boy who as an infant was prophesied to live for only two decades. Obviously stigmatized by the prediction, the child must overcome ridicule and an over-protective mother in order to live life to the fullest. (Cinematheque)
SHELDON, Iowa (AP)  The parents of a 5-month-old baby who died in July in northwestern Iowa are among three people now charged in the infant's death.

The Sioux City Journal reports that 20-year-old Lawrence Ruotolo and 21-year-old Brittanee Baker, both of Sheldon, have been charged with child endangerment causing bodily injury in the July 31 death of their daughter.

Authorities say 49-year-old Stacie Hurlburt of Sheldon has been charged with a misdemeanor count of accessory after the fact.

OBrien County prosecutors say in court records that the baby was fatally injured while in Ruotolo's care and that he and the two other women charged made up a story that the child had been injured by a lamp knocked over by cats.
Police say they have not cited the driver of the CTA bus. Holmes told officers he had a green light at the time he entered the intersection, and police are trying to determine whether the bus entered the intersection before the light turned from yellow to red. Officers viewed video that appeared to show the bus had been in the intersection before the light changed but was still in the intersection when it turned red, according to the police report.
By Rania El Gamal, Ahmad Ghaddar and Olesya Astakhova

DUBAI/LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - OPEC+ has lowered its 2021 growth forecast by 300,000 barrels per day reflecting concerns about the market's recovery as new lockdowns take hold, a move that could strengthen the case for a cautious output decision this week.

The Joint Technical Committee, which advises the group of oil-producing nations that includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, met on Tuesday ahead of a ministerial meeting on Thursday to decide output policy.

"Despite the ongoing destocking of commercial OECD stocks, they remain above the 2015-2019 average, while recognising that prevailing volatility in the market structure is a signal of fragile market conditions," according to the JTC report seen by Reuters.

Under its base case scenario, it expects to grow by 5.6 million barrels per day this year, down by 300,000 bpd from its previous forecast, the report showed.

It also raised its global supply growth forecast by 200,000 bpd to 1.6 million bpd.

As a result, it sees oil stocks in the industrialised world dipping below the 2015-2019 average in August, a month later than it previously forecast.

At a higher level ministerial panel meeting on Wednesday, known as JMMC, OPEC's secretary general also warned about the need for caution.

"We need to remember that the environment remains challenging, complex and uncertain, with the market volatility we have witnessed in the last two weeks of March a reminder of the fragility facing economies and oil demand," Mohammad Barkindo said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers, a group known as OPEC+, are curbing output by just over 7 million bpd to support prices and reduce oversupply. Saudi Arabia has added an additional 1 million bpd to those cuts.

Saudi Arabia is prepared to support extending oil output limits and is also ready to prolong its own voluntary cuts, a source told Reuters.

On Wednesday, the JMMC made no formal recommendation, three OPEC+ sources said. Options, which the ministers are set to consider on Thursday, include an output roll-over and a gradual increase, two OPEC+ sources said.

Some members have expressed frustration that non- Russia and Kazakhstan have asked for small output increase for a third month running while supporting a broader cuts roll over, the sources said.

JPMorgan in a research note said it believes OPEC+ will tread cautiously by largely rolling over its production cuts into May and that Saudi Arabia will extend its additional cut until the end of June.

"We expect the alliance to start adding production in 500,000 bpd increments beginning in June and lasting through August," the bank added.

(Reporting by Rania El Gamal in Dubai, Ahmad Ghaddar and Alex Lawler in London and Olesya Astakhova in Moscow; editing by Barbara Lewis and Marguerita Choy)

(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, April 1 : The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Indian drug regulator, tasked with vetting Covid-19 vaccine proposals, sought additional data on Russian Covid-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V', while deciding on its emergency use authorisation, a senior government official said on Thursday.

In September 2020, Dr. Reddy's had partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct the clinical trials of Sputnik V and for its distribution rights in India. The company had conducted Phase 2 trials in India with 1,500 participants. Phase three trials are underway.

The Hyderabad-based pharma major had applied for its emergency licensure on February 19. The Committee looked into Dr. Reddy's application, on Thursday. Sputnik V has not received the emergency use authorisation yet, as the SEC has sought additional data, according to top sources.

In February, the committee had asked the pharma company to furnish immunogenicity data. The approval, if granted, would make Sputnik V the third coronavirus vaccine to be administered in India.

Russia had registered Sputnik V in August, ahead of large-scale clinical trials, which had raised concerns among many experts over the fast-track process. However, later reviews have shown the vaccine to be both safe and effective in preventing Covid-19.

The efficacy of Sputnik V is 91.6 per cent as confirmed by the data published in the Lancet. The vaccine is based on human adenoviral vectors, which cause common cold. It uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration.

The RDIF had earlier announced four manufacturing deals with Indian pharmaceutical makers -- Virchow Biotech Private Limited, Gland Pharma Private Limited, Stelis Biopharma and Hetero Biopharma.

So far, more than six crore doses of corona vaccine have been administered in the country since the drive began on January 16 after the approval for 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin'.
Laura Whitmore has reportedly welcomed her first child with husband Iain Stirling.

Laura and Iain have yet to publicly confirm their new arrival, however, the couple were seen with their baby daughter in photos published by the Daily Mail.

Laura is believed to have given birth in recent days and did not present her BBC radio show as usual on Sunday.

The Bray-born presenter and her husband, a comedian and narrator on Love Island, looked proud and relaxed with their new-born as they went for coffee in London.

Laura and Iain first met in 2016 and started dating about a year later.

The couple got married in Dublin last November and shared their first photo of the wedding on New Years Day. Laura then confirmed they were due to have a baby.

Expand Close Laura Whitmore and husband Iain Stirling (Photo: Instagram) / Facebook

Twitter

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Whatsapp Laura Whitmore and husband Iain Stirling (Photo: Instagram)

Laura previously confirmed that she was expecting a baby girl.

Writing in her new book, No-one Can Change Your Life Except for You, the Love Island presenter says: Theres a new chapter coming in my life in the form of a baby girl currently growing inside me.

And that scares the s*it out of me. I once swallowed a fly and was freaked out that there was a live bug inside me. A little live human is a whole new level of freaking out. But Im excited. Because there is a lot of good in the world, there is a lot of potential and I want to bring up a child knowing that she has her own story to write.

She adds: She will be supported and loved but she is the heroine of her own life, no-one else."

The couple suffered a miscarriage in 2018, with Laura penning a deeply personal and moving piece about the experience for Hot Press magazine a year later.

Expand Close Photo by: Laura Whitmore/ Instagram / Facebook

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Whatsapp Photo by: Laura Whitmore/ Instagram

Later, on The Late Late Show, she described how she had felt overwhelmed after sharing her story.

It took me a long time. I didn't talk about it for like a year or so and I also found out from my doctor that one in three women experience a miscarriage, she said. I am sure a lot of miscarriages are not knowing or not telling as well and that really surprised me I didn't know that figure.
TWO pages in this week's Limerick Leader newspaper might just have been the most eagerly awaited history!

Kilmallock Community Councils Guess Who competition has caused arguments, debates and lots of laughs. And not just in south Limerick, the video has gone viral around the world.

In this week's newspaper (available in print and online) we exclusively reveal who these 23 cherubic youngsters are to prevent any more head scratching and hair being pulled out.

Chairman of Kilmallock Community Council, Tony Dowling said they wanted to spread a bit of positivity this Easter.

We are all spending more time scrolling through our phones and it tends to be all doom and gloom. We thought of an idea to bring some cheer from and to Kilmallock people near and far and came up with a Guess Who competition, said Tony.

They asked well known locals to send on photos of themselves between the ages of three and 18. To make things harder these were changed from colour to black and white. All the photos were packaged together into a video and posted on Kilmallock Community Councils Facebook page. They even received private messages from ex-pats across the globe begging for clues!

These pictures created great banter on our page with every correct guess gaining entry to a raffle. We asked our friends in Ryans SuperValu, Fogarty's Life Pharmacy and Denis and Rory OSullivans butchers who all came on board to bring some community spirit and offered us some prizes.

The beach babe in number 16 stumped everybody!

The community council ran a second competition called Guess our Little Chicks for Easter.

The idea behind this was a video from kids whose parents were originally from Kilmallock. We had kids from New Zealand, Australia, USA, Germany, County Limerick and County Cork taking part. Kilmallock native Molly spoke proudly of her grandad Mike Houlihan.

The video has over 2,000 views in two days and we have received so much positive feedback from everyone who enjoyed the short show! said Tony.

The chairman said their aim was to bring a bit of community spirit to Kilmallock and from the feedback we have received I think it was mission accomplished.

We would like to thank all who took part in the videos and pictures and also our sponsors, said Tony.

And best of all there wasnt one mention of the C (Covid) word in the whole article!
A judge today spared a paedophile further jail time despite telling him he 'expects to see him again'.

Gary Dyer, 37, was put behind bars in 2019 for sending 'obscene' messages to a 14-year-old girl and her school friend.

He walked away from Liverpool Crown Court today with a one month curfew after breaching the terms of a past three-month curfew.

Judge Stuart Driver, QC, told him: 'There's a really good chance you're going to step out of line'.

In 2019, Dyer was handed a 17-month prison sentence and ordered to adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) as part of which he has to declare any mobile phones he owns to police.

Gary Dyer (pictured outside court today), 37, was put behind bars in 2019 for sending 'obscene' messages to a 14-year-old girl and her school friend

Just four weeks after he was released from prison in November 2020, Dyer was back in court for keeping two secret phones.

He served the rest of his prison sentence and was handed a suspended sentence and a three month curfew - but today was back at Liverpool Crown Court for breaching the curfew.

Martyn Walsh, prosecuting on behalf of the Probation Service, explained that between February 11 and 12 and February 12 and 15 Dyer was in breach of the curfew, which runs from 8pm to 6am.

Dyer claimed on the first occasion he argued with a housemate over an alleged theft and left his home to go to his mother's house.

On the second occasion Dyer said he was looking for his daughter in Halifax as there was concern for her welfare.

Dyer, from St Helens, Merseyside, also has a previous conviction from 2004 after admitting 'intercourse with a girl under 13', today classed as rape, for which he received three-and-a-half years in prison.

When he appeared in court last November Tom Challinor, prosecuting, said: 'Mr Dyer was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on August 16, 2019, following a conviction for engaging in sexual communication with a child.'

Mr Challinor explained that he received the sentence after he contacted a 14-year-old and her schoolfriend and would send 'messages of an obscene sexual nature'.

He said: 'He made several requests to send indecent images of herself and also requested they met up.'

Mr Challinor said: 'On November 8 last year he was released from his sentence on licence was made subject of various conditions including being managed by a probation officer.'

Dyer walked away from Liverpool Crown Court today with a one month curfew after breaching the terms of a past three-month curfew

He explained it came to the probation officer's attention Dyer had been on social media 'posting messages about a new relationship he was involved in'.

The court heard 'the lady concerned had an eight-year-old daughter' and the probation officer was concerned Dyer may be breaching the terms of his SHPO.

Police went to Dyer's home where they found two phones, one of which was concealed in the bed covers.

Dyer was in a relationship but the court heard the woman's daughter was in care and had no access to her.

In November Dyer was handed an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months along with 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and the curfew.

He was also ordered to take part in the Horizon sex offenders' programme and Judge Andrew said: 'It seems your rehabilitation and the safety of the public would be better served by you being given intensive support by the probation service in the community.'

Brendan Carville, defending, told the judge Dyer is a 'man with a lot of problems'.

Judge Stuart Driver, QC, replied: 'He's also a sex offender who repeatedly violated orders.'

Sentencing, the judge said: 'You're getting a last chance from me, but it really is a last chance because I am as close as I can be from sending you to prison now.'

The judge said: 'I think there's a really good chance you're going to step out of line and we'll be seeing you again and I'm sending you to prison.'

Dyer was handed a one month curfew for breaching the terms of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
New Delhi, April 1 : Airtel Africa on Thursday announced the signing of an agreement under which global payments technology major Mastercard will invest $100 million in Airtel Mobile Commerce BV (AMC BV), a wholly owned subsidiary of Airtel Africa Plc.

AMC BV is currently the holding company for several of Airtel Africa's mobile money operations and is intended to own and operate the mobile money businesses across all of Airtel Africa's fourteen operating countries.

The transaction values Airtel Africa's mobile money business at $2.65 billion on a cash and debt free basis, Airtel Africa said in a statement.

Mastercard will hold a minority stake in AMC BV upon completion of the transaction, with Airtel Africa continuing to hold the majority stake.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including necessary regulatory filings and approvals, and the transfer of specified mobile money business assets and contracts into AMC BV.

Alongside the investment, the Group and Mastercard have extended commercial agreements and signed a new commercial framework which will deepen their partnerships across numerous geographies and areas including card issuance, payment gateway, payment processing, merchant acceptance and remittance solutions, amongst others.

Following the announcement on March 18 of $200 million investment in AMC BV by TPG's The Rise Fund, and the sale of the Group's telecommunication towers companies in Madagascar and Malawi on March 23, the transaction is a continuation of the Group's pursuit of strategic asset monetisation and investment opportunities.

As previously announced, Airtel Africa aims to continue to monetise its mobile money business with minority investments up to a total of 25 per cent of the issued share capital of AMC BV, and to explore the potential listing of the mobile money business within four years, it said.

The proceeds from the transaction will be used to reduce group debt and invest in network and sales infrastructure in the respective operating countries.
UPDATE (March 31, 2021) -- DRIVER, 14, TURNS SELF IN; TIPS, INFO STILL SOUGHT

Sheriff's Office investigators contracted to Happy Valley PD have identified the suspect driver in this hit-and-run case. The driver is a 14-year-old Clackamas County resident.

The driver turned himself in at the Clackamas County Juvenile Intake & Assessment Center this morning (Wednesday, March 31).

Thanks to everyone who sent tips. Anyone with additional information on this hit-and-run case is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office Tip Line -- by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online email form at https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff/tip . Please reference CCSO Case # 21-006411.

Three Clackamas County cities -- Happy Valley, Estacada and Wilsonville -- contract with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office to provide municipal police services.

_____

EARLIER (March 30, 2021, 12:03 p.m.) -- Sheriff's Office seeks hit-and-run suspect after Cadillac driver hits motorcycle, flees, leaves behind grill, license plate

Please reference CCSO Case # 21-006411

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help to ID a suspect in a morning hit-and-run that left a motorcyclist injured. The suspect fled the scene in a red Cadillac DTS -- leaving behind the Cadillac's grill and a license plate. Surveillance photos of the suspect are attached. [UPDATE (March 31): Because of the age of the suspect, these photos have been removed.]

The hit-and-run happened just before 7a.m. on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, at Rock Creek Junction in Happy Valley, where Highways 212 and 224 intersect.

The suspect vehicle -- a red 2009 Cadillac GTS -- was heading west on 212 and turning east onto 224. The suspect Cadillac ran a red light in the process, crashing into a 1986 Honda motorcycle.

The motorcyclist, 35, went over the Cadillac's hood, sustaining what appear at this writing to be non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect vehicle slowed down just long enough after the crash long enough for a witness to get information and a photo. The driver then fled the scene.

Deputies, officers and medical personnel from Clackamas Fire District #1, Oregon State Police and American Medical Response responded to the crash scene. The injured motorcyclist was transported to an area hospital for treatment.

Left behind at the scene: large pieces of the front of the Cadillac, including its grill and license plate. Photos from the crash scene are linked above.

After fleeing the scene, the suspect pulled into the parking lot at the nearby Damascus Safeway. The suspect driver then entered the Safeway and made purchases before abandoning the vehicle (minus its grill) in the grocery parking lot.

Authorities were alerted by Safeway employees about a suspicious person in the parking lot. Deputies responded to the store and found the abandoned suspect Cadillac -- and retrieved store surveillance photos and footage of the male suspect driver.

Investigators are now asking for the public's help to ID the suspect.

TIPS SOUGHT: Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sheriffs Office Tip Line  by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online email form at https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff/tip . Please reference CCSO Case # 21-006411.

[END]

Sgt. Marcus Mendoza

Clackamas County Sheriff's Office

Public Information Unit
Two experts named as stakeholders in a landmark report into race disparities in Britain have hit out at claims they provided evidence, with one protesting: I was never consulted.

It comes as the government faces a backlash over the findings of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which concluded that the UK was no longer a country where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities.

On Thursday, the commission was accused by Baroness Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, of giving the green light to racists and Boris Johnsons most senior black adviser quit after questioning governments approach on race.

The appendix to the 258-page report  commissioned in response to the Black Lives Matter protests  expressed thanks to stakeholders including professional bodies, charities and academics for providing evidence during the course of its work.

SI Martin, an author who specialises in the field of black British history and literature, who is named in the report, told The Independent: I was never consulted, I dont know what record they have of contacting me.

Read more:

I just would not have agreed to have been consulted even if I had been asked, but Ive not been asked. I have been invited to things in the past  not by this administration  I just dont go, I just refuse. Its just not something I do.

Pressed on his reaction to seeing his name in the report, the historian said it was a growing shock, asking: How many other people have been roped unknowingly into this? Rubber-stamping this nonsense.

Describing the report as a horrible, typical, right-wing fig leaf, he went on: I would ask them when did they consult? Who did they ask? Who are these stakeholders and participants? On which planet do they live that they can arrive at that conclusion?

After being alerted to the authors inclusion, The Independent understands the commission will remove his name from the list  acknowledging it had been included in error.

A second academic, Stephen Bourne, a historian of black Britain, also told The Independent he felt manipulated at his name appearing in the report as being consulted by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.

Mr Bourne, who described the report as flawed and insisted institutional racism does exist, claimed to have been contacted by No 10 adviser Samuel Kasumu. After having a conversation with him in June, he was later invited to a Downing Street roundtable of historians of black Britain in October 2020, he said.

Nothing was explained to me, he went on. I wrote down some of their names of the people there [at the roundtable], and when I googled them and the penny dropped that they were this commission.

Mr Bourne added he later contacted Downing Street and read the riot act to Mr Kasumu.

How dare you do that, I said that is so unprofessional so rude to invite me to what I thought was going to be what we discussed, a round table discussion of historians of black Britain. And it turns out to be this commission which Ive never heard of.

It was confirmed on Thursday that top adviser Mr Kasumu himself would stand down after warning in an earlier resignation letter that the government was pursuing a politics steeped in division. Downing Street says his departure is unrelated to the commissions report.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2021 A red panda rests on a tree at Manor Wildlife park, which reopened its doors as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, in Tenby, Wales Reuters UK news in pictures 25 April 2021 Sheep climb the hillside as flames from a moor fire are seen on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 24 April 2021 Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 23 April 2021 People enjoy the warm weather at City Hall near Tower Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 22 April 2021 Uyghurs during a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, which is being held ahead of a House of Commons debate, bought by backbench MP Nus Ghani, on whether Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2021 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Orchard in Alnwick REUTERS UK news in pictures 20 April 2021 People stand in front of anti Super League banners outside Anfield as twelve of Europe's top football clubs, including Liverpool, launch a breakaway league Reuters UK news in pictures 19 April 2021 Women enjoy sunny weather in Greenwich, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, Reuters UK news in pictures 18 April 2021 Stephen Maguire (right) of Scotland interacts with Jamie Jones of Wales during day 2 of the Betfred World Snooker Championships 2021 at The Crucible, Sheffield PA UK news in pictures 17 April 2021 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburghs coffin, covered with His Royal Highnesss Personal Standard arrives by Landrover Defender at St Georges Chapel carried by a bearer party found by the Royal Marines during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle Getty Images UK news in pictures 16 April 2021 Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, checks the teeth of "Dentosaurus" during a visit to the Thornliebank Dental Care centre in Glasgow, as she campaigns ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 April 2021 Myanmar's former ambassador to the UK, Kyaw Zwar Minn, outside his residence in north west London. The ambassador has been barred from entering the Myanmar embassy in Mayfair after he was removed from office PA UK news in pictures 14 April 2021 People take part in coronavirus surge testing on Clapham Common, south London. Thousands of residents have queued up to take coronavirus tests at additional facilities set up after new cases of the South African variant were found in two south London boroughs. 44 confirmed cases of the variant have been found in Lambeth and Wandsworth, with a further 30 probable cases identified PA UK news in pictures 13 April 2021 The core of the Milky Way becomes visible in the early hours of Tuesday morning as it moves over Bamburgh Lighthouse at stag Rock in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 12 April 2021 Rebecca Richardson (left) and Genevieve Florence, members of the Aquabatix synchronised swimming team, during a practice session in the swimming pool at Clissold Leisure Centre in north London, which has reopened to the public. Many facilities have reopened in the latest easing of lockdown include pubs and restaurants who can serve outside, non-essential shops, indoor gyms and swimming pools, nail salons and hairdressers, outdoor amusements and zoos PA UK news in pictures 11 April 2021 A pub staff pins up a sign announcing the reopening of the Fox on the Hill pub on Denmark Hill in London EPA UK news in pictures 10 April 2021 The Death Gun Salute is fired by the Honourable Artillery Company to mark the passing of Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the The Tower of London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 9 April 2021 A man arrives to lay a bunch of flowers outside Buckingham Palace in central London after the announcement of the death of Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. - Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip, who recently spent more than a month in hospital and underwent a heart procedure, died on April 9, Buckingham Palace announced. He was 99. AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 8 April 2021 Cousin Pascal ridden by James King clears the chair on their way to winning the 4:05 Pool via REUTERS UK news in pictures 7 April 2021 Deliveroo riders from the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain outside Deliveroo headquarters in London, as they go on strike in a dispute for fair pay, safety protections and basic workers rights PA UK news in pictures 6 April 2021 Waves crash over the walls next to Seaham Lighthouse in Durham PA UK news in pictures 5 April 2021 Lusamba Katalay (third from left), the husband of Belly Mujinga joins activists at a vigil at Victoria station in London to mark the first anniversary of the death of railway worker Belly Mujinga who died with Covid-19 following reports she had been coughed on by a customer at London's Victoria station PA UK news in pictures 4 April 2021 People spend Easter Sunday at Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth Jake McPherson/SWNS UK news in pictures 3 April 2021 A woman looks into the camera as she attends a 'Kill the Bill' protest in London EPA UK news in pictures 2 April 2021 Members of the Bamburgh Croquet club play a game following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Northumberland, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 1 April 2021 A family walks in St Nicholas' Park in Warwick, the hot weather which baked much of the UK this week is set to give way to a chilly Easter weekend. PA UK news in pictures 31 March 2021 A woman adds a heart to the National Covid Memorial Wall in London EPA UK news in pictures 30 March 2021 Jamie Klingler from Reclaim These Streets speaks to the media in Clapham Common, south London, after a review by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Thomas Winsor concluded that Metropolitan Police officers did not act inappropriately or in a heavy-handed manner at the vigil PA

A spokesperson for the commission later said: Stephen Bourne participated in a 10 Downing Street event for Black History Month, in which he made a valuable contribution about the curriculum which influenced the thinking of the commissioners on the subject. We thanked him as a courtesy.

Meanwhile, the Kings Fund think tank raised concerns about the commissions claims that two of its academics, Veena Raleigh and Shilpa Ross, were listed as contributors to its report.

A spokesperson for the fund said it was not strictly true that the pair had produced research for the commission. They said that the researchers had presented some existing publicly available material and that beyond that neither Veena or Shilpa had any involvement.

And Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford who, after seeing his name on the list, told The Daily Telegraph: Totally news to me. I never spoke to them. I did support this office and had a call with them, but that is not the report  it is different.

Publishing the long-awaited report on Wednesday its authors said the term institutional racism was too liberally used and that factors such as socio-economic background, culture and religion have a more significant impact on life chances.

However, the authors said that outright racism still exists, the UK was not a post-racial society, and stressed: We take the reality of racism seriously and we do not deny that it is a real force in the UK.

But criticism continued to pour in on Thursday. Baroness Lawrence said she believed the review had pushed back the cause of anti-racism by 20 years, adding: You imagine whats going to happen come tomorrow. Whats going to happen on our streets with our young people? You are giving racists the green light.

Speaking on Thursday, Boris Johnson said the government would respond fully to the commissions report in due course, adding that there were serious issues that our society faces to do with racism.
The announcement on March 18 by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that a snap parliamentary election would be held in June has presented some hope for a peaceful resolution to the countrys months-long political crisis, Emerging Europe writes. Pashinyan also announced that he would be stepping down in April to fulfill the parliamentary and constitutional requirements for holding snap elections, but would continue to rule as interim prime minister until the elections are over.

Pashinyan and his My Step party have been under considerable pressure since a disastrous defeat to Azerbaijan in the most recent fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The prime minister has been accused of mishandling the conflict and failing to adequately prepare the Armenian military for war. Protesters from the Homeland Salvation Movement, a political alliance led by elements of previous Armenian governments, have been occupying the streets leading to the Armenian parliament since January. They have been calling for the government to step down and to be replaced by an interim government led by Vazgen Manukyan, the first prime minister of Armenia after it declared independence from the Soviet union. In February, following the dismissal of the deputy chief of staff of the military, more than 40 high-ranking military officers sent an open letter demanding Mr Pashinyan resign.

The decision to hold snap elections  set for June 20  was made after talks between Pashinyan and the leaders of the two main opposition parties, Gagik Tsarukyan and Edmon Marukyan. Although holding the election falls short of the demands of the Homeland Salvation Movement, it was welcomed by civil society as an opportunity to finally put the paralysing political crisis to bed through modern, diplomatic and democratic means. The election will be the third parliamentary vote held in Armenia in just four years.

Pashinyan came to power on the coattails of 2018s Velvet Revolution which forced former prime minister Serzh Sargsyan and his government to resign. Initially hailed for his liberal outlook, commitment to dialogue and overtures towards the West (at the expense of Russia), Pashinyan and his My Step party have seen much goodwill evaporate since then. The recent war showed that Armenia cannot rely on the goodwill of the West to protect itself. As such, there has been increasing consensus among the Armenian public that Russia is the only country with the will and the political capital to effectively protect Armenia. There have been escalating talks about deepening Armenias integration with the Commonwealth of Independent States, dominated by Russia. Some have even broached the prospect of a union state with Russia. Even previously pro-European parties have begun calling for closer ties to Russia.

Since December, Edmon Marukyan, the western-educated leader of the moderate Bright Armenia party has advocated for creating a new Russian military base in the southern province of Syunik. Armenias Shirak province already hosts a Russian military base. Furthermore, Russia brokered the November 9 ceasefire, under which 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of Prosperous Armenia, the largest opposition group currently in parliament, has espoused openly pro-Russia and eurosceptic views. An oligarch and arm wrestling world champion, Tsarukyan has been under investigation since 2019 for vote buying, fraud and illegal land appropriation. This, however, is not going to prevent him and his party from running in the election. Robert Kocharyan meanwhile, a former president who was ousted following the Velvet Revolution, has since January expressed his intention to run in the next elections.

Another issue which has been raised ahead of the vote is that of electoral reform. Since March 23, Pashinyan and his My Step party have floated the possibility of changing the open proportional system which critics say gives too much power to individual personalities within parties. Other amendments include lowering the five per cent threshold for entering parliament, banning covert vote-buying though PR stunts and criminalising forcing employees to attend political rallies.

The fact that the Armenian government is demonstrating its intentions to resolve the political deadlock through peaceful, amicable and democratic means is certainly reason for optimism amidst the negativity which has engulfed the country since the defeat to Azerbaijan.

Although Pashinyan has failed to live up to much of what was expected of him back in 2018, paving the way for a peaceful transition of power bodes well for the countrys democratic future, if the elections pass without major controversies. And although Armenia and its people still remain powerless in the face of geopolitical machinations  closer ties with Russia seem inevitable, for example  the elections could consolidate the work done since 2018 to create a vibrant democratic culture. At the very least, this would be an upgrade on the pre-Velvet Revolution days.
Michigan Receives Federal Waiver to School Accountability Requirements

Michigan Receives Federal Waiver to School Accountability Requirements

Martin Ackley, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs 517-241-4395 Education

March 29, 2021

LANSING - The U.S. Department of Education (USED) has waived the federal requirements for school accountability in Michigan for the 2020-21 school year due to the disruption of instruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Michigan Department of Education announced today.

In the federal waiver approval letter sent to State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice on Friday evening, USED said that it is still considering the state's request to waive the federal requirement to administer statewide summative assessments to public school students and will be responding separately on that issue.

"This has been an extremely challenging year for students and educators," Dr. Rice said. "USED's waiver of federal accountability requirements recognizes that our schools are still navigating their way through a deadly pandemic that continues to grip our state and nation."

The Michigan legislature passed and the governor signed into law last summer the requirement that local districts administer locally chosen, national benchmark assessments to provide parents and educators with the knowledge of where children are academically and to help target resources and supports as a result.

"This is not the time to engage in state summative assessments," Dr. Rice said. "Educators can determine where kids are academically for parents and for themselves with our benchmark assessments, and can use those assessments to target resources, interventions, and supports for our kids in our districts. Our schools need this time to focus on the social emotional and academic needs of children."

Earlier this school year, USED cancelled its scheduled national assessment of educational progress (NAEP) test due to the pandemic. Just as it is currently impossible for USED to get representative results from NAEP assessments, so too with rising COVID numbers is it impossible to get representative results from state summative assessments.

While a substantial majority of school districts have been open much of the school year, large percentages of students in many districts, including many in the larger districts in the state, have been learning remotely.

In spite of the clear desire on the part of many to return students to in-person instruction, a growing number of COVID cases recently reported in Michigan-including 5,000 cases in each of the last three days-may affect this goal. One way or the other, state summative assessments for roughly half of the students in the state will have little utility, nowhere near the utility of benchmark assessments this year.

Based on Michigan's waiver request, USED has waived the following federal accountability and school identification requirements:

that the state measure progress toward long-term goals and measurements of interim progress;

that the state meaningfully differentiate, on an annual basis, all public schools;

that the state assess with a participation rate of at least 95 percent; and

that the state identify schools for comprehensive, targeted, and additional targeted support and improvement based on data from the 2020-2021 school year.

In its letter, USED also encouraged the state and local school districts to consider other steps to further reduce the high stakes associated with assessments this year, such as excluding their use from students' final grades, grade promotion decisions, educator evaluations, and local school ratings.

MDE has been working with the legislature to set aside state laws for high stakes accountability tied to assessments during the pandemic, including but not limited to educator evaluations and the Read By Grade Three student retention requirements.

MDE is asking the state legislature, assuming approval of the assessment waiver request, to also set aside the state law requirements for state summative assessments. Until USED rules on the assessment waiver request, MDE has informed local school districts that the statewide summative assessments will be administered this spring.
The United States has called on Saudi Arabia to make sure there is affordable energy supply in the world, ahead of todays OPEC+ meeting where the cartel will discuss production rates.

As always, the outcome of the meeting is somewhat uncertain, although most seem to expect the group to keep its production rate unchanged, with Saudi Arabia specifically signaling that it was ready to extend its voluntary 1-million-bpd output cut through May and June.

Even with this cut, however, OPECs combined output registered an excess of 3 million bpd in February, according to data from the Joint Technical Committee that oversees the implementation of the production cuts. That was despite full and even slightly excessive complaints with the cuts from OPEC members because two of themLibya and Iranare exempt from the cuts and are boosting their production at a fast rate.

Bloomberg reported that a slight increase in production is also a possibility at tomorrows meeting. Russia has requested a slight increase in its production quota to satisfy seasonally higher domestic demand. However, OPEC remains cautious about any larger adjustments to output.

We should not be out smelling the flowers just yet, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo told the Joint Technical Committee, which met on Tuesday. Oil markets are surrounded by uncertainties, including the prevalence of Covid-19 variants, the uneven rollout of vaccines, further lockdowns and third waves in several countries, the official said, as quoted by Bloomberg.

OPEC+ energy ministers are meeting today to discuss progress and next steps. Internal tensions remain, with the UAE one of the strongest voices for a production increase. This would fit in with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholms call for affordable energy, but it would do nothing for oil prices, which Saudi Arabia and most other OPEC members need higher than they are now.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the third-highest ranking member of Democratic Party leadership in the House, told HuffPost hes insulted by the position Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is taking on the partys top legislative priority: a giant reform package that includes an expansion of voting rights across the country.

Manchin, the only Democratic senator not to co-sponsor the For The People Act this year, very carefully backed parts of the bill in a statement issued on March 25. While he expressed some support for elements of the bill, he also said that he was primarily focused on finding a bipartisan solution to the issues the bill addresses, including voting rights.

For Clyburn, Manchins statement prioritizes bipartisanship over the voting rights of Black Americans and other minority groups.

Im insulted when he tells me that its more important to maintain a relationship with the minority in the U.S. Senate than it is for you to maintain a relationship with the minority of voters in America, Clyburn said in an interview. Thats insulting to me.

Its more important for you to protect 50 Republicans in the Senate than for you to protect your fellow Democrats seat in Georgia. Thats a bunch of crap. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.)

Clyburn further criticized Manchin for imperiling his fellow party caucus members by not trying to reverse voting restrictions passed by Republican state legislatures. He specifically cited the possibility that new voting restrictions in Georgia could cost freshman Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) his seat in 2022.

Since when do their rights take precedence over your fellow Democrat Warnock, who saw his state just pass laws to keep him from getting reelected? he asked. And youre going to say its more important for you to protect 50 Republicans in the Senate than for you to protect your fellow Democrats seat in Georgia. Thats a bunch of crap.

The For The People Act passed the House on March 3, with all Democrats but one voting in favor  and all Republicans plus that one Democrat opposed. The bill faces a similarly stark partisan reception in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) calls the bill a Democratic power grab and socialism.

Story continues

The bill will face a Republican-led filibuster when it comes to the floor. Ten Republicans would need to vote to end debate on the bill to allow it to clear a filibuster and face a simple majority up-or-down vote. That is unlikely to happen.

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) endorsed President Joe Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary. He now wants Biden to uphold his promise to have the backs of Black people by getting the For The People Act through the Senate. (Photo: Scott Olson via Getty Images)

Clyburn says Senate Democrats need to change the filibuster rules in order to pass this bill. At the very least, he believes that the filibuster rules should be changed to allow voting and civil rights legislation to pass on a simple majority.

The issue of civil rights and voting rights, these constitutional issues, should never be sacrificed on the altar of the filibuster, Clyburn said. Ive been saying that for a long time.

I dont understand why we cant see that my constitutional rights should not be subjected to anybodys filibuster, he added.

He warned that if Democrats let this voting rights bill, along with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act reauthorizing the 1965 Voting Rights Act, fall to Republican-led filibusters, the party would pay the biggest price it has ever paid at the polls in the 2022 midterm elections.

That is an actual fact, Clyburn said. I think I know Black people. Ive been Black 80 years.

Clyburn hopes that President Joe Biden heeds this warning as well. He believes Biden will push to get this bill enacted into law after the president made a promise to have the backs of Black voters after he won election last November.

And especially those moments when this campaign was at its lowest end, the African American community stood up again for me, Biden said on Nov. 8 after he was officially declared the winner last year. You always had my back, and Ill have yours.

Clyburns endorsement of Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary, after the former vice president had lost the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire and Nevada primaries, propelled him to the Democratic presidential nomination.

The best way to have the backs of Black folks is to ensure the constitutional rights to cast an unfettered vote; there aint no better way than to do that, Clyburn said. Joe Biden is not going to allow the voting rights of Black people to be sacrificed on the altar of the filibuster.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
Kurt Steven Phillips was born in Los Angeles, Ca. on June 25,1954.

He was a lifelong member of the Crystal Cathedral. He served our country in the US Coast Guard during the Vietnam war. After the Coast Guard, he became an iron worker which took him all over the U.S. and Europe. After Kurts injury, he won several medals on the weight lifting and archery teams at the International Paralyzed Veterans Olympics. He would become an instructor for the Iron Workers Apprentice Program, Local 433 in Los Angeles, Ca. He made Daytona Beach his home in 1990. He embraced the Florida lifestyle. He loved to fish, cook, tell stories and laugh, all of which suited him well. His personality entered the room before his wheelchair did. He never met a stranger, and always had time for a joke, no matter how corny. Kurt attended the Daytona Drive-In Christian Church, where he fueled his deep faith In God. He volunteered at a local elementary school and the Daytona Speedway. Eventually, he was hired by Nascar as a seating supervisor for the handicapped sections. He gleamed at the chance to tell you about his niece, his nephew, and his brothers music. He was incredibly proud of them all. He loved and adored his family. Kurt Phillips donated his wheelchair on March 19, as he walked through the Gates of Heaven.



He was preceded in death by his father, Bill.

He is survived by his mother, Donna, brothers, Kris (Traci) and Scott, nieces, Melissa (Jerod) and Donna Lynn, nephew, Matthew (Marin).

The interment service will at 2:30 p.m. on April 15, at the Chattanooga National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donation to St. Jude Childrens Hospital in his name.
Maputo  Marracuene (Mozambique), 1 Apr (AIM) - Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Thursday inaugurated the new brewery owned by Cervejas de Mocambique (CDM - Beers of Mozambique), which is the local subsidiary of AB InBev, the world's leading producer of beers.

The new plant, located in Marracuene district, about 30 kilometres north of Maputo, resulted from an investment of 180 million US dollars. The brewery covers an area of 40 hectares. At the peak of the construction phase it employed 2,730 workers and during the operational phase it is employing directly about 300 employees.

The initial production capacity is estimated at 2.4 million hectolitres a year, but this can be expanded to 6.7 million, depending on market demand. The brewery has a filling line with the capacity to produce 80,000 bottles per hour. This is AB InBev's largest production line in Africa.

Addressing the commissioning ceremony, Nyusi said the new plant is an unequivocal signal of the prospects that the market for beer in Mozambique offers in the medium and long term, so that investment may continue to blossom in favour of the country's development.

Nyusi said the brewery sets strong ties with the agriculture sector, since it will purchase some of its raw material (maize, cassava and sugar) from Mozambican farmers. He encouraged the management to think about rice produced in several parts of the country which also has a very strong potential for use in brewing.

"The increase in the demand for raw material will boost production in the rural areas, where value chains will be established, thus adding value to agricultural products and consequently generating income for smallholders," he said.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Company Mozambique By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Nyusi also outlined some challenges such as the need to establish operational systems which are environmentally friendly and allow a wise use of water.

"We are very glad to know that you safeguard the control of waste as well as the emissions. The waste waters are useful for other production activities," said the President.

Nyusi reaffirmed his government's commitment to improving the business environment, in order to attract new investments, create jobs and thus provide better living conditions for Mozambicans.

The Chairperson of the CDM Board, Tomas Salomao, also pledged the brewery's determination to purchase raw material from local smallholders.

He announced a one million US dollars grant for the acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines, to support the inoculation efforts currently under way.

The new plant increases to four the number of CDM breweries. The others are in Maputo, Beira and Nampula.
Dont be afraid of the vaccine. Be afraid of COVID-19.

Thats the message Gladys Vega gave as she stood beside Gov. Charlie Baker at the nonprofit La Colaborativa in Chelsea.

I urge you to please make the right choice, and if youre not able to make that choice for you, make it for that family member, for the grandmother who wants to give you a hug, said Vega, executive director of La Collaborative. Make sure that you do it for the sake of others.

Vega and Baker teamed up Thursday to urge people to get vaccinated and keep their guard up during Passover and ahead of Easter weekend.

Baker said the number of new COVID-19 cases has fallen below 1,000 for older residents, yet the numbers continue to rise among those under age 50.

A team of volunteers working with Vega going door-to-door to promote getting the vaccine has seen the most resistance among young adults.

That has been our biggest challenge, convincing individuals that are 35 and under. They dont believe in the vaccination, but they love to party and have gatherings, Vega said.

Vegas team has turned their office into a vaccine site with help from the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. They organize a food pantry down the street that often has lines of people out the door. Locals also come to La Collaborativa for help with illegal evictions, issues with unemployment applications and other problems.

7 La Colaborativa food pantry

Another challenge Vega sees sometimes is convincing people that there wont be any immigration-related repercussion for getting a vaccine, which are free in Massachusetts.

The Baker administration requires its vendors to administer vaccines to anyone, regardless of immigration status, according to state contracts. But the fears associated with the countrys public charge rules, exacerbated under the Trump administration, persist even though the rules have been repealed.

Vega said she often tells people that she has not heard of any cases where someone has gotten a vaccine and faced repercussions.

We have done everything possible to address those issues, to say that public charge has not been implemented at all, and please do not make that an excuse to not get vaccinated, she said. We make sure and we tell them all the time. If were behind the vaccination, it is because we are asking you to trust the government, this government of Massachusetts, to make sure that you get vaccinated.

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Shareholders of Infant Bacterial Therapeutics AB (publ) are summoned to the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, May 4, 2021. In light of the coronavirus, the Annual General Meeting is conducted through advance voting pursuant to temporary regulations. Therefore, it will not be possible to attend this year's Meeting in person or by proxy.

Right to participate

In order to participate in the Annual General Meeting (AGM) shareholders must be recorded in the shareholder register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB no later than Monday April 26, 2021 and register for the meeting no later than on Monday May 3 by submitting an advance voting form in accordance with the instructions set forth in the section "Advance voting" below.

In order to participate in the AGM, shareholders whose shares are registered in the name of a trustee must, in addition to registering for the meeting, register the shares into their own name by April 26, 2021. Such registration may be temporary and is requested from the nominee in accordance with the nominee's routines at a time in advance as the nominee determines. Voting right registration made no later than the second banking day after 26 April 2021 are taken into account in the production of the share register.

Advance voting

The shareholders may exercise their voting rights at the Annual General Meeting only by voting in advance, so called postal voting in accordance with section 22 of the Act (2020:198) on temporary exceptions to facilitate the execution of general meetings in companies and other associations. A special form shall be used for advance voting. The form is available on www.ibtherapeutics.com. The advance voting form is considered as the notification of participation at the general meeting. The completed voting form must be received by company no later than Monday May 3, 2021. The completed form, in original, shall be sent to Infant Bacterial Therapeutics AB (publ), Bryggargatan 10, SE-111 21 Stockholm, Sweden. The completed form may alternatively be submitted electronically to ibt@ibtherapeutics.com. If the shareholder votes in advance by proxy, a power of attorney shall be enclosed with the form. If the shareholder is a legal entity, a certificate of incorporation or a corresponding document shall be enclosed with the form. The shareholder may not provide special instructions or conditions in the voting form. If so, the vote (i.e. the advance vote in its entirety) is invalid. Further instructions and conditions are included in the form for advance voting.

Proposed Agenda

Election of Chairman of the Meeting Selection of one or two persons to approve the minutes of the Meeting Establishment and approval of the voting list Approval of Agenda Resolution as to whether the Meeting has been duly convened Presentation of the annual report and the audit report, the consolidated accounts and the consolidated audit report Decision:

a) to determine the income statement and balance sheet and the consolidated income statement and consolidated balance sheet;

b) on disposals of the company's income according to the established balance sheet,

c) discharge from liability for the Board members and the managing director Resolution regarding the number of Board members and Auditors Determinations of fees to the Board of Directors and Auditor Election of Board members

a) Re-election of Margareta Hagman

b) Re-election of Eva Iden

c) Re-election of Anthon Jahreskog

d) Re-election of Kristina Sjoblom Nygren

e) Re-election of Peter Rothschild

f) Re-election of Robert Nolander

Election of the Chairman of the Board Election of Auditor Resolution regarding the Nominating Committee Presentation of the the Board's remuneration report for approval The Board's proposal for resolution regarding mandate for a new issuance of shares.

Proposed resolutions, etc.

Item 1 - Chairman of the Meeting

The Nominating Committee, which consists, in addition to the Chairman of the Board, Peter Rothschild, of Per-Erik Andersson (Annwall & Rothschild Investments AB), Sebastian Jahreskog (second largest shareholder in the company) and Jannis Kitsakis (the Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund), proposes that lawyer Erik Sjoman or, in his absence, the person appointed by the Board, be instead elected chariman of the Annual General Meeting

Item 2 - Selection of one or two persons to approve the minutes of the Meeting

Jannis Kitsakis och Sten Irwe or, to the extent both or any of them are prevented, the person or persons assigned by the Nomination Committee, are proposed as persons to approve the minutes. The assignment for the persons to approve the minutes includes verifying the voting list and confirming that advance votes received are correctly reflected in the minutes of the Meeting.

Item 3 - Establishment and approval of the voting list

The voting list proposed for approval under item 3 on the agenda is the voting list prepared by the company, based on the shareholders' register and advance votes received, and verified by the persons elected to approve the mintues.

The Nominating Committee's proposals regarding items 8 - 13 on the agenda

Item 8 - Resolution regarding the number of Board members and auditors

Six members without deputies. One auditor without deputies.

Item 9 - Determination of fees to be paid to the Board of Directors and auditors

The Chairman of the Board shall receive SEK 250,000 annually and an extra remuneration of SEK 400,000 annually for the duties as working Chairman of the Board. Other members who are not employed by the company SEK 125,000 annually per member. Auditing fees shall be paid in accordance with approved invoice.

Item 10 - Election of Board members

Re-election of Board members Margareta Hagman, Eva Iden, Anthon Jahreskog, Kristina Sjoblom Nygren, Robert Molander and Peter Rothschild

Information about the members proposed for re-election can be found in the annual report for 2020.

Item 11 - Election of Chairman of the Board

Re-election of Peter Rothschild.

Item 12 - Election of auditor

Re-election of Deloitte AB. The proposal is in accordance with the Board of Directors' recommendation.

Item 13 - Resolution regarding the Nominating Committee

The Chairman of the Board shall convene the three, in terms of voting rights, largest shareholders in the company, each of which shall appoint a representative to be a member of the Nominating Committee together with the Chairman of the Board. Composing the Nominating Committee, the ownership structure as per June 30, 2021 will determine who are the largest shareholders in terms of voting rights. The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the member representing the largest shareholder as determined by voting rights on this date. If any of the three largest shareholders waives their right to appoint a member of the Nominating Committee, this right shall be vested in the shareholder that, after these shareholders, has the largest shareholding. The names of the three owner's representatives shall be published as soon as they have been appointed, but no later than six months before the Annual General Meeting 2022. The Nominating Committee's term of office extends until the new Nominating Committee is appointed.

In the event that the shareholder the Nominating Committee member represents no longer constitutes one of the three largest shareholders in terms of voting rights, the Nominating Committee, if it finds it appropriate, may dismiss that member and give a representative of the shareholder that is next in terms or voting power the opportunity to be elected. In the event that a nominated member of the Nominating Committee for other reason resigns from the Nominating Committee, the shareholder who appointed the member in question shall be entitled to appoint a new representative in the Nominating Committee. If such shareholder declines to appoint a new representative, the Nominating Committee shall, if it considers it appropriate with regard to the remaining term of office, request that the shareholder that is next in terms of voting power determine, if it wishes to appoint a representative to the Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committee shall prepare proposals in the following questions to be submitted to the Annual General Meeting 2022 for decision:

proposal for election of the Chairman of the AGM proposal for election of Board members proposal for election of the Chairman of the Board proposal for determination of Board fees proposal for election of Auditor proposal for determination of Auditor fees proposal for reasonable costs for the Nominating Committee proposal for a resolution regarding the Nominating Committee prior to the 2023 AGM.

The Board's proposals for resolution regarding items 7b, 14 and 15 on the agenda

Item 7b - Appropriation regarding the company's earnings

The Board of Directors proposes that no dividend be paid and that the result for the period be carried forward.

Item 14 - The remuneration report

Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve the Board's report on remuneration prepared in accordance with the Swedish Companies Act, Chapter 8. 53 a .

Item 15 - The Board's proposal for a resolution regarding mandate for a new issuance of shares

The Board of Directors proposes that the AGM approve that the Board of Directors have a mandate to, on one or more occasion until the next AGM, issue new B-class shares. The Board of Directors will be able to decide on a new issuance of shares with deviation from the shareholders' pre-emption rights. This authorisation is to include the right to issue shares with cash payment, payment by contribution in kind or payment by way of set-off, and otherwise subject to conditions as set out in Chapter 13, Section 5, first paragraph 6 of the Swedish Companies Act.

The decision by the Board of Directors in relation to a new share issue that deviates from shareholders' pre-emption rights (directed issue) shall not exceed a twenty percent increase in share capital in relation to the share capital when the mandate for new issue is first utilised by the Board of Directors.

The share issue under this authorization shall be on market terms. The Board shall have the right to determine the conditions of the issue under this authorization as well as mandate to determine who has the right to subscribe for shares. The purpose of the authorization is to provide the Board with flexibility in efforts to ensure that the company in an appropriate manner, has additional capital to finance the company's ongoing clinical activities, and to enable a broadening of the owner base of the company.

Further information

Available documentation and proxy forms

The annual report and other complete documentation will be made available at the company and on www.ibtherapeutics.com no later than three weeks before the Meeting and will be sent free of charge to all shareholders who so request and provide their postal address. The shareholders' register for the Meeting is also made available at the company. Proxy form for shareholders who wish to vote in advance by proxy is available on the company's website, and will be sent free of charge to all shareholders who so request and provide their postal address.

Questions and shareholders' right to request information

At the AGM, if any shareholder should so request and the Board assesses that this can be done without significant damage to the company, the Board of Directors and the CEO shall provide information about conditions that could affect the assessment of items on the agenda and conditions that could affect the assessment of the company's or a subsidiary's financial situation and the company's relationship to other group companies.The request for such information shall be made by e-mail to ibt@ibtherapeutics.com or by mail to Infant Bacterial Therapeutics AB (publ), Bryggargatan 10, SE-111 21 Stockholm, Sweden no later than April 24, 2021. The information is provided by being made available at the company and the company's website, no later than April 29, 2021. Furthermore, the information will be sent within the same time period to the shareholder who so request and provide its postal address.

Shares and votes

The total number of shares in the company amounts to 11,226,184, consisting of 377,736 Class A shares and 10,848,448 Class B shares, carrying a total number of 14,625,808 votes.

Personal data

For information on how your personal data is processed, see the integrity policy available on Euroclear's website:

https://www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Privacy-notice-bolagsstammor-engelska.pdf. Infant Bacterial Therapeutics AB (publ) corporate registration number is 556873-8586 and its registered office is in Stockholm, Sweden.

Stockholm in April 2021

The Board of Directors of Infant Bacterial Therapeutics AB (publ)

Attachment
Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 44, from Fullerton, was named as the suspect in the shooting Thursday

Police have released a photo of the gunman who allegedly killed four people, including a 9-year-old boy, from inside the California office complex where he was seen brandishing a gun.

Authorities also revealed that Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 44, from Fullerton, had arrived in a rental car and had been living out of a motel.

Orange Police Department Lt. Jennifer Amat said in a press conference that the alleged gunman knew all of his victims, whose identities are not yet confirmed.

'We feel for the families who believe their loved ones may be one of the victims,' Amat said.

She added: 'Between all of the victims and the suspect, there was a personal and or business relationship.'

Amat also revealed that the gunman had chained gates to the complex closed 'with a bicycle-type cable lock', forcing officers who responded to engage him from outside.

Police then used bolt cutters to access the building and recovered an automatic handgun and a backpack with pepper spray, handcuffs and ammunition.

They withheld the identities of the dead but said one was a nine-year-old boy, who was found being held in the arms of a critically injured woman. The others shot dead were a man and two women.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said: 'It appears a little boy died in his mother's arms as she was trying to save him during this horrific massacre.' He later clarified police are working to establish a relationship between the pair. The boy was the son of another of the victims, officers confirmed.

Scroll down for video

Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 44, from Fullerton, has also allegedly been pictured inside the building for the first time in a screenshot from surveillance footage

Images of suspect Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez were released by Lt. Jennifer Amat of the Orange Police Department on Thursday

Orange Police Department arrived at the office block to live gunfire at around 5.30pm Wednesday at 202 W. Lincoln Avenue - a small two-story building that houses a number of small businesses.

At least one cop fired at the suspect who was wounded and taken to hospital.

No charges have yet been filed.

It is the third mass shooting in the United States in two weeks after a shooting at Atlanta spas killed eight people, including six Asian women, and 10 people were killed at a Boulder, Colorado grocery store.

The attack is also the city's deadliest shooting since the 1997 Caltrans attack which also left four people dead when a disgruntled employee gunned down his colleagues.

Police said the shooting involved the office suites of a company called Unified Homes, a mobile home brokerage. Lt. Amat added: 'The preliminary motive is believed to be related to a business and personal relationship which existed between the suspect and all the adults.'

Gonzalez is said to have had 'issues' with those at the location as part of a 'business dispute', officials said.

Paul Tovar had told KTLA-TV Wednesday that his brother owns United Homes. 'He's not answering his phone, neither's my niece,' Tovar said. 'I'm pretty scared and worried - right now I'm just praying really hard.'

Hector Gomez works in the building. He had told The New York Times that the woman who ran a real estate office - where the windows were shot out Wednesday - would often bring her son to work.

Charlie Espinoza told The Orange County Register that he could not reach his fiance, who works for a medical billing company at the site.

Police Lt. Jennifer Amat talks during a news conference at the Orange Police Department headquarters in Orange, California Thursday. A child was among four people killed Wednesday in a shooting at a Southern California office building that left a fifth victim wounded and the gunman critically injured, police said

Officials work outside the scene of a shooting, Thursday, in Orange. Police withheld the identities of the dead but said one was a 9-year-old boy. The others were a man and two women. The wounded victim was only identified as a woman

Wednesday's shooting happened in the city of Orange southeast of Los Angeles. When officers arrived, shots were ringing out at the building. Police said the shooting involved the office suites of a company called Unified Homes, a mobile home brokerage

Amat said the shooting happened on both levels of the building. Signs outside indicated a handful of businesses are located there  including an insurance office, a financial consulting firm, a legal services business and a phone repair store

Police officers stand outside a business building where a shooting occurred in Orange, California on Wednesday

Police surround someone at the scene in a video shared online by a witness who said it showed the gunman being detained

Locals gathered near the crime scene after the attack on Wednesday which left four people, including a child, dead

An object believed to have been involved with the shooting is pictured on the blood spattered ground alongside a tactical vest or some sort of bag with straps. Police recovered an automatic handgun and a backpack with pepper spray, handcuffs and ammunition

The shooting took place at around 5.30pm at 202 W. Lincoln Avenue in Orange at a small, two-story office building that houses a number of small businesses

An armored police vehicle was on the scene as investigators tried to determine the motive and victims of the savage attack

Police officers are seen in a building were multiple people were killed in a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday

Carnage as 22 killed in mass shootings in 15 days Wednesday's shooting was the third mass shooting in the US in two weeks, leaving 22 people dead. On March 16, Robert Aaron Long, 21, gunned down eight people in a series of attacks at three Atlanta spas. Six of the victims were Asian women and police said he carried out the massacre in retaliation for his sex addiction. Long was arrested and has been charged with eight counts of murder. The following Tuesday, gunman Ahmad Alissa shot dead ten people including a police officer, in a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. His motive remains unclear and he is being held on 10 counts of murder, one count of attempted murder. Friends and family say the shooter was a 'paranoid loner' who had never had a girlfriend and was bullied in school over his Syrian heritage. Wednesday's latest attack adds four more fatalities to the growing list of America's mass shooting victims as the gun reform debate continues to rage. Advertisement

Alec Torres, who works at the complex, told NBC: 'I believe the shooter was familiar with the building. He closed the front gate to the entrance, which would not allow anybody to leave.'

District Attorney Todd Spitzer confirmed bolt cutters were needed to open a gate to the building, adding: 'We are now looking at whether his locking of the gates constitutes a lying in wait.'

The boy and injured woman were found in a courtyard area. The remaining three victims were in the offices of Unified Homes, police said.

Footage taken by one witness shows the moment a bloodied man believed to be the suspect in the shooting was dragged by police from the office complex.

Two officers are said to have opened fire on the suspect. It is unclear if Gonzalez's injuries were self inflicted or as a result of police shots.

Signs outside indicated a handful of businesses were located there, including an insurance office, a financial consulting firm, a legal services business and a phone repair store.

'Officers arrived as shots were being fired and located multiple victims at the scene including fatalities. An officer involved shooting occurred,' said a police Facebook post, which was filed shortly after 7pm.

'The situation has been stabilized and there is no threat to the public.'

A SWAT vehicle and dozens of police cars responded to the shooting as well as fire engines from multiple area fire departments, the Orange County Register reported.

Cody Lev, who lives across the street from the office building, said he heard three loud pops that were spaced out, then three more.

There was a period of silence and then Lev said he heard numerous shots, followed by sirens and more shots. He said he saw police swarm the office building and paramedics carry a person away on a stretcher when he looked outside from his home.

Bloody clothes and what appeared to be wallet are seen after the deadly mass shooting a California office building

An aerial view shows the large police response after a deadly shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday

Witnesses told the outlet that they heard two distinct sets of shots with the first being the initial rampage and the second being the shootout with cops.

'I was just in my room hanging out. All of a sudden I heard five to seven gun shots go off,' a neighbor told KABC-TV.

'And then I waited a couple minutes and the police came. And I heard a few more gunshots go off. It was a lot, quickly. Then the helicopter showed up and it was silent after that.'

The neighbor added: 'We thought it was a car backfiring at first. Then it became louder and quicker and we knew it was not. It was quick gunfire shots.'

A video showed officers at the scene interacting with a person on the ground outside of the office building on Wednesday

Politicians started to react to the news of yet another mass shooting on Wednesday evening.

In a tweet, Gov. Gavin Newsom called the killings 'horrifying and heartbreaking', writing: 'Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight.'

Congresswoman Katie Porter said on Twitter that she was 'deeply saddened' by reports of the mass shooting. 'I'm continuing to keep victims and their loved ones in my thoughts as we continue to learn more,' she tweeted.

'Obviously this is something shocking for the city of Orange, for something of this magnitude to happen,' Orange Councilwoman Arianna Barrios said, according to the Orange County Register.

'Perhaps in this day and age, no community should be unprepared for something like this to happen.'

Politicians including State Assembly member Rob Bonta, a pick for California Attorney General, have started to respond to the shooting

State Assembly member Rob Bonta called gun violence 'America's disease.'

'No one should have to fear for their lives at work, in school, or in prayer,' Bonta wrote in tweet.

Bonta is Gov. Gavin Newsom's nominee for California attorney general.

'I am truly heartbroken for the victims' families and everyone impacted by this shooting in Orange. We don't have to live like this. We need #MoreThanThoughtsAndPrayers to stop these preventable tragedies. We must ensure that our communities are safe,' wrote State Assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva on Twitter.

California Gov Gavin Newsom said the shooting was 'horrifying and heartbreaking' as he paid tribute to the victims' families

The Orange Police Department said that it was that city's deadliest shooting since 1997 when a 43-year-old former Caltrans worker who had been fired shot and killed four of his former coworkers before he was killed by police.

Arturo Reyes Torres, 41, an equipment operator who had been fired six weeks earlier, killed four people and wounded others, including a police officer, before police killed him.

The city of Orange is about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles and home to about 140,000 people. It is six miles from Disneyland, California.
(Newser)  President Joe Biden set about convincing America it needs his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan on Thursday, deputizing a five-member jobs Cabinet to help in the effort. But the difficulty of his task was made clear as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's vowed to oppose the plan every step of the way," per the AP. Speaking in Kentucky, McConnell said he personally likes Biden and theyve been friends a long time. But the president will get no cooperation from the GOP, which objects to the corporate tax increases in the plan and says they would hurt America's ability to compete in a global economy. We have some big philosophical differences, and thats going to make it more and more difficult for us to reach bipartisan agreements," the Republican leader said.

story continues below

White House chief of staff Ron Klain said the key to any outreach is that the proposals ideas are already popular. Americans want smooth roads, safe bridges, reliable public transit, electric vehicles, drinkable water, new schools, and investments in manufacturing, among the plan's many components, he said. We kind of think its just right," Klain told Politico. "But were happy to have a conversation with people, less about the price tag, more about what are the elements that should be in the plan that people think are missing. Biden told his Cabinet at its first meeting that he is enlisting several of them to help with the push: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. (Read details of the plan.)
Lawton, OK (73501)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High around 85F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 62F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Would-be vaccinators are being asked for their Leaving Cert results, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has admitted in the Dail  but said it was necessary.

That might seem utterly superfluous to all of us, obviously - how anyone did in their question on Shakespeare, Mr Donnelly conceded to complaints from TDs, one of whom claimed a person had been asked for their Junior Cert results.

The Health Minister said he had heard himself of retired medics who were volunteering to serve being asked about their childhood exam results during the recruitment process.

It really doesn't matter in terms of vaccinating against Covid, he said. The reason is that when we are hiring healthcare workers to perform tasks like this, there are criteria set out in law that have to be met. And one of those criteria is previous qualifications.

So does it matter how you did in the Leaving Cert results? Obviously not, but it is a requirement in law.

Read More

Mr Donnelly added: We could look at changing the law, but obviously speed really matters here. So thats the reason why there are some of these things that just don't seem to make sense to any of us now.

He was warned by Roisin Shortall, co-leader of the Social Democrats, that there was a dire need for vaccinators. On the basis of projected increases in vaccine supply this month in figures given by the Taoiseach, Ireland would need to be carrying out 33,000 vaccinations per day  nearly double the highest daily number recently achieved.

It suggested the need for up to double the number of vaccinators, she suggested, because the Taoiseachs figures also pointed to 50,000 jabs a day in July and August. Yet there appeared to be no plans in place. The Minister should cut through the bureaucracy in asking for Leaving Cert results, she said, because nothing of the kind was being done in other countries.

Mr Donnelly also explained the rationale for switching to vaccination by age, rather than some vocational cohorts, admitting that officials had discussed this switch last week, ahead of it being confirmed by Government on Tuesday.

The evidence is unequivocal that risk of hospitalisation and death increases with age, Mr Donnelly said. The evidence from NIAC (the National Immunisation Advisory Committee) about the risk of severe outcomes based on age is clear and it's very stark.

Comparing someone aged 20-34 to someone aged 50-54, the latter is three times more likely to be hospitalised. They're 10 times more likely to end up in intensive care, and they're 15 times more likely to die from Covid, he said.

If we compare someone 20-34 with someone age 60-64, the latter is five times more likely to be hospitalised. They're more than 20 times more likely to end up in intensive care, and they're more than 70 times more likely to die.

Given the huge extra risk associated with age, the Government had decided to accept the recommendations fro mNphet and NIAC, he sad.

This approach will maximise the benefit of the vaccination programme, and minimise serious illness and death. Our vaccination program has already had a big impact  with a spectacular fall in the number of cases among those aged over 85, he said.

One of the greatest successes of the programme is for those living in nursing homes. In January we averaged 38 outbreaks a week in nursing homes, but in the last four weeks, we averaged two outbreaks a week. That's a huge drop.

Sero-testing for Covid in nursing homes is now showing a positivity rate of less than 0.2 per cent. Health care workers and people in long term residential care now make up 3 per cent and 1 per cent of all new cases -- compared to 16 per cent and 15 per cent at the end of January.

He added: We expect to receive over three times the number of vaccines to the end of June than we received over the first three months of the year. We expect to receive an average of a million vaccines a month during this second quarter.
Governor Whitmer, MPSC mark Safe Digging Month, urge Michiganders to call MISS DIG 811 before digging

Governor Whitmer, MPSC mark Safe Digging Month, urge Michiganders to call MISS DIG 811 before digging

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 1, 2021

Media Contact: Matt Helms 517-284-8300

Customer Assistance: 800-292-9555

Michigan.gov/MPSC

Twitter

With spring weather's arrival, projects ranging from major construction to backyard improvements go into full swing, and each year underground utilities are damaged thousands of times because individuals neglect to have buried lines marked before digging.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has issued a proclamation marking April as Safe Digging Month. Governor Whitmer, the Michigan Public Service Commission and MISS DIG 811, the state's underground utility locator, urge all Michiganders to call 811 at least three business days (72 hours) before digging to ensure underground utilities aren't damaged, leading to dangerous and potentially deadly consequences, no matter the size of an excavation project.

The call to MISS DIG 811 is free and ensures buried phone, gas, electric, water and sewer and other underground utilities are clearly marked with flags before digging projects begin.

"We strongly encourage anyone planning to dig, whether it's digging for a new fence in their back yard, or a construction crew preparing for a big project, to call 811 first," said MPSC Chair Dan Scripps. "Calling 811 helps prevent underground utility lines from being damaged during digging, leading to possible service outages, injuries or deaths."

Over 60% of homeowners already call 811 before beginning projects that involve digging, according to Common Ground Alliance, a national association dedicated to preventing damage to buried utility infrastructure.

Call 811 at least three days before digging or fill out a request online at www.MISSDIG811.org. Trained workers from utility companies will be sent to job sites to mark the location of utilities with spray paint or flags. Anyone planning to dig is asked not to do so until utilities are marked, and to carefully dig by hand in the designated utility area.

"Contacting MISS DIG 811 before you dig is easy and free, and it's the law," said Bruce Campbell, CEO of MISS DIG System Inc. "It's a required step to make to help keep you and your neighbors safe and prevent damage to underground utilities."

Check out the MPSC's tip sheet on MISS DIG 811 and safe digging.

For information about the MPSC, visit www.Michigan.gov/MPSC, sign up for its monthly newsletter or other listservs, or follow the Commission on Twitter or LinkedIn.

# # #
The floodgates are open. Almost a week after a bill that curbs voting access in Georgia became law  and nearly one month after it passed the state's House  a slew of corporations have come out against voter suppression.

Why it matters: In an era where businesses are more outspoken (and being pressured to be that way), their silence on this issue had been deafening.

Flashback: Activists called on Georgia-based companies (Delta, Coca-Cola, Home Depot) to use their political might and put pressure on politicians, to no avail. Then they threatened boycotts.

Driving the news: In an open letter out on Wednesday, over 70 Black executives demanded that corporate America take a stand against legislation that makes it harder to vote, as the New York Times first reported.

What they're saying: Delta CEO Ed Bastian, in a reversal on Wednesday: "I need to make it crystal clear that the final [Georgia] bill is unacceptable and does not match Deltas values."

"Let me get crystal clear and unequivocal. This legislation is unacceptable," Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told CNBC on Wednesday.

The big question: When corporate action typically comes in the form of a press release, what took so long?

"When they really started to respond is when they started to get pressure from antagonists. What they should have done is gotten ahead of it," says Paul Argenti, a corporate communications professor at Dartmouth College.

Argenti says there's a slew of factors that go into when a company decides to speak out and how quickly  like if the issue aligns with corporate strategy.

"The right to vote? This is an easy one," Argenti says.

Go deeper: Track all the CEO statements here
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 23:44:37|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Thursday announced that the country's locust invasion will be effectively contained by mid-April.

Cyrus Oguna, government spokesperson, told journalists in Nairobi that control and containment efforts by the government in collaboration with the county governments and other development partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCEO) and the World Bank, have managed to reduce the swarms to only three.

"These have split into small swarmlets which are currently concentrated around Gilgil and Elburgon in Nakuru County. Efforts continue to be applied to ensure that the last of the swarmlet is contained," Oguna said.

Oguna revealed that a total of 25 counties had been infested by the pests in different magnitudes and there has been remarkable progress made with the containment efforts against locust invasion.

According to the government spokesperson, the first swarms crossed in November 2020 and invaded counties bordering Ethiopia and Somalia. Enditem
Maybe it's the Texas in us that would assume everyone outside of statelines would be excited to have a Whataburger.

That wasn't entirely the case in Colorado Springs, where Whataburger announced it is planning on opening a location.

News broke Wednesday and to say not everyone was enthusiastic would be an undercooked statement.

RELATED: San Antonio staple Nicha's is planning another South Side restaurant with patio views

One person threatened to call the police, another called it "crap." We are equally confused and maybe just a little hurt.

Whataburger confirmed the news to Colorado Springs news outlets in a statement on Tuesday saying the company is "excited" to expand.

READ MORE FROM MADALYN: Texas' first Redlands Grill just opened in San Antonio near La Cantera

While some of the reception was met with negativity, there were some fans who reciprocated the energy, especially from transplants who can't wait to get a taste of home in Colorado.

Whataburger did not release an opening date for the Colorado Springs location. The Texas favorite also recently announced a four-restaurant expansion into Kansas City. Those locations are expected to open by this fall.

If you want to feel like you're in an alternate universe where Whataburger does not reign supreme, keep scrolling.
Editor's note: This article, originally published on August 7, 2018, has been updated to include new information on phishing kit features.

Phishing is a social attack, directly related to social engineering. Commonly centered around email, criminals use phishing to obtain access or information. Phishing attacks can be basic or customized toward the victim and their organization.

A phishing attack with a directed focus is called spear phishing. If, for example, the criminal were targeting a group or person within a company, they'd use spear phishing to make the email look and feel legitimate. Usually this is done by using the victim's correct name and title, referencing legitimate projects, known co-workers, or spoofing an email from a senior executive.

Vishing is the term given to phishing via telephone. Same goals, same emotional triggers, only instead of email the criminal calls the victim directly. Examples of common vishing attacks include IRS scams and tech support scams. In both cases, the criminals are hoping to get personal information and money.

No matter what type of phishing attack is launched, the goal is to get the victim to do something, such as reveal usernames and passwords or share documents and other sensitive details.

Phishing attacks typically stress urgency or play on a person's willingness to help. Phishing attacks can also evoke a sense of fear, by warning of serious consequences. Sometimes you'll see this as a threat to suspended services, the loss of critical data, or various personal consequences. The most common observation, though, is that phishing attacks start by triggering the victim's sense of curiosity. This is why the victim opens the email to begin with.

What is a phishing kit?

A phishing kit is the web component, or the back-end to a phishing attack. It's the final step in most cases, where the criminal has replicated a known brand or organization. Once loaded, the kit is designed to mirror legitimate websites, such as those maintained by Microsoft, Apple or Google.

The goal is to entice the victim just enough so they'll share their login details and other sensitive data, which will vary depending on the phishing scam. Developed using a mix of basic HTML and PHP, most phishing kits are stored on a compromised web server or website, and usually only live for about 36 hours before they are detected and removed.

If proper detections and security are in place, administrators can usually block phishing attempts as they hit the mail server and detect the kits as soon as they are uploaded. That's the exception and not the rule. Criminals register new domains by the thousands, and as soon as one is flagged, another takes its place.

Another downside is that criminals are all too familiar with basic phishing detection techniques and develop their scripts in a way that will assist in hiding the kit from the public. On the back end (the web server), their kits look like normal websites, and usually because the compromised host has a neutral or good reputation, they can avoid passive detection.

It's very common to see phishing kits block IP ranges belonging to some of the world's largest security companies (Kaspersky, Symantec, McAfee, Palo Alto, Blue Coat), as well as universities, Tor exit nodes, and tech giants, such as Google and Amazon. These layered security approaches by the criminals are useful, especially if the server administrator is lacking when it comes to proactive measures.

How do phishing kits work?

Short answer? Exactly like a normal website. You'll see the main page, login fields, and after that either a short "thank you" message or a form asking for additional information (as seen in the videos below). Sometimes, after you've entered information into the form, you'll be forwarded to the legitimate website as if nothing happened.

Some phishing kits offer features designed to increase their effectiveness. Email security company Trustifi reported in March 2021 that its researchers identified several new features including:

Anti-bot protection. Some organizations use security bots that check where phishing links lead. The Spox phishing kit can fool these bots by sending them to a 404 error page rather than the fake Chase Bank page its victims see and the bot would recognize as malicious.

Real-time phishing. This feature, found on a Brazilian phishing kit, gives phishers the ability to decide which fake page the victim sees depending on their actions as they move through the phishing site.

QR code generation. Brazil's PIX instant payment system requires a QR code to transfer funds, and the Brazilian phishing kit mentioned above is capable of generating that QR code.

Some phishing kits target consumers, while others are designed to gather corporate credentials. In its recent Phishing for Finance report, Akamai noted that the Kr3pto phishing kit targets customers of financial institutions. It goes after usernames, passwords, and secondary authentication data such as SMS-based PINs or security question answers. It tricks victims by spoofing as many as 11 well-known brands.

The Ex-Robotos phishing kit uses an API to streal corporate credentials. According to the Akamai report, the Ex-Robotos kit was very active in early 2021. Akamai monitored 220,000 hits to the Ex-Robotos API IP address in a 43-day period from January to February.

Why do phishing attacks work?

Phishing attacks work because humans are helpful by nature, curious, and as a rule don't expect bad things to happen to them as they go about their daily routine. Phishing, or social engineering really, is one of the quickest ways to compromise a network. Sometimes, the easiest way in is to simply ask for access, and that's why some red team assessments will mark phishing or social engineering out of scope [which defeats the purpose of the assessment if you ask me].

The most successful phishing attacks target one person and are personalized to that individual in such a way that it doesn't feel like an attack at all. In fact, the phishing attempt will feel more like a typical personal or business interaction.

Imagine working in HR and you get an email from a service like Indeed  a service your company uses. It's addressed to you, you're familiar with the service already, and it's reporting an error of some kind related to a recent job posting. You made this posting yourself, so you're naturally curious about the error, and you're already familiar with everything else.

You click the link in the email and are presented with a login page, which then asks for basic additional information once you enter your username and password. After filling out all the forms, you're directed to the Indeed website, and you're still not logged in. Were you phished?

Yes, you were. But dealing with recruiting websites is simply part of the job for people working in HR, and they might not realize anything's wrong until long after the fact. Most awareness training doesn't cover third-party services and supply chain attacks, so tricks like the one in the Indeed example are almost always successful in the short term, especially if the victim reuses passwords.

Other, more generalized, phishing attacks are lazy, but they're effective nevertheless. They're the emails warning about missed shipments or mail delivery problems. They're blasted out to thousands of people in a day, and maybe half-a-percent or less will fall for the scam.

If the criminals are consistent, that can add up to thousands of fresh victims a month. Given that password recycling is a constant problem, those victims can translate into hundreds of social media accounts and email accounts, which increases the criminal's victim pool as now they can launch a new attack using a known contact as the originating source.

What can I do to protect myself?

Question everything and use two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever possible. Get an email from your boss asking for sensitive data? Call your boss and confirm. That Indeed example from earlier? Don't follow the link in the email, go to the website manually, so you can ensure it's the actual domain. Get an email from your bank that spooks you? Call a local branch and speak to an employee.

It might seem cold to question everything, and trust even less, but security is something everyone has to consider, and asking for confirmation is a good habit. In the business world, especially when sensitive documents or financial matters are concerned, confirmation could be seen as a value-add and proof that you take your responsibilities seriously.

Don't email the sender for confirmation, call them or try and see them face to face (especially for business matters). Otherwise, you might just get a response from the criminal telling you everything's okay.

The videos and links below will direct you to additional materials related to phishing and phishing kits.

VIDEO / Audio:

What an Apple phishing attack looks like:





What a TSB phishing attack looks like:





What a hybrid Office 365 phishing attack looks like:





Listen to an IRS scam call from start to finish:





Listen to a tech support call from beginning to end:





ARTICLES:

Deconstructing an IRS Phishing scam
The owner and operator of a Birmingham tax preparation service has been indicted on federal charges.

A grand jury this week issued a 37-count indictment against Ametra Q. Wooden, according to a joint press statement by Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and IRS Criminal Investigations Atlanta Field Office Special Agent in Charge James Dorsey.

Wooden, 33, is charged with 35 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns and two counts of willing failing to file personal income tax returns.

According to the indictment, Wooden owned and operated A Plus Tax Experts & Financial Services, a tax preparation firm with locations in Birmingham and Jasper. The indictment alleges that Wooden knowingly and willfully aided and assisted in the preparation of 35 fraudulent tax returns on behalf of clients for the tax years 2014 through 2017. In 2014 and 2016, Wooden allegedly failed to file personal income tax returns despite being required to do so by law.

IRS Criminal Investigations Atlanta Field Office is conducting the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Canter is prosecuting the case.

The penalty for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns is a maximum of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The penalty for willfully failing to file a tax return is a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000.
WILLIAMSPORT  A transplanted Philadelphian who says his arrest likely saved his life because it was spiraling out of control has been sentenced to 16 years for selling heroin laced with carfentanil that nearly resulted in a death.

Markeese Askew, 28, of Williamsport, was one of three men who admitted partial responsibility for the rash drug overdoses in the Williamsport area in the summer of 2017.

They destroyed lives and harmed people, U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann said Thursday when he sentenced Askew to the long jail term followed by six years of supervised release.

The other two, Nathan Crowder Jr., 32, and Wayne Saquon Davidson, 27, each are serving 17 years.

The reason for the difference, judge explained, is Askew was accused of providing drugs that nearly killed just one man. The other two admitted selling drugs that nearly killed three.

All three pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

They admitted distributing more than 100 grams of a mixture of heroin and carfentanil between October 2016 and July 2017. Carfentanil is a drug developed to tranquilize elephants.

Askews sentence is a year longer than the one proposed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin.

She acknowledged Askew was the least culpable of the three but said he continued to sell fentanyl after the near-death incident.

The rash of overdoses peaked in late June 2017 when UPMC Susquehanna in Williamsport reported treating 51 such cases within a 48-hour period.

There were three confirmed deaths at that time but none was attributed to Crowder, Davidson or Askew.

Askew had a troubled childhood and followed three uncles, all drug addicts, from Philadelphia to Williamsport, chief public defender Heidi Freese said.

He has weapons charges pending in Lycoming County court from a 2017 incident in which gunfire was exchanged in the 700 block of West Fourth Street in Williamsport and a parole violation to deal with.

The length of the federal sentence will be a factor if Askew is offered a plea agreement, First Assistant District Attorney Martin Wade said.

A fourth defendant in the federal drug case, Raymond Howard, chose to stand trial and was found guilty of the same conspiracy charge. He is awaiting sentencing.
QUEBEC, QC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / NuRAN Wireless Inc. ("NuRAN" or the "Company") (CSE:NUR)(OTC PINK:NRRWF)(FSE:1RN) is pleased to announce the following financial results for the three months ended January 31, 2021:

Highlights of the Company's financial results for the three months ended January 31, 2021 include the following:

Revenue of $470,407 compared to $2,045,212 for the three months ended January 31, 2020;

Gross profit of $90,939 compared to $761,577 for the three months ended January 31, 2020;

Total expenses of $753,607 compared to $954,939 for the three months ended January 31, 2020;

Net Loss of $1,364,190 compared to $193,361 for the three months ended January 31, 2020;

Highlights from the Quarter and Recent Highlights Include:

In February, 2021 the Company entered into a Network as a Service ("NaaS") contract with Orange DRC SA ("Orange DRC"), a subsidiary of Orange S.A (NYSE:ORAN) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC"). The NaaS contract is estimated to generate gross revenue for the Company of up to CAD$500 million during the term of the agreement commencing February 5, 2021.

In February 2021, the Company completed the site build of its previously announced project with GSMA in Ghana for Vodafone. Effective immediately, NuRAN will manage daily operations, monitoring and maintenance of seven sites in Ghana. The project is intended to expand the GSMA network and relationship with Vodafone.

In February 2021, the Company announced the appointment of two industry veterans to assist with the deployments in Africa, Mr. Badi Abdallah as Director of Operations and Mr. Charles Kouadio as its Director of Finance for Africa. Both come with extensive experience working in telecoms in Africa including direct experience in DRC including mobile operator and added-value mobile services businesses.

In March 2021, the Company announced that the number of sites to be built and managed under the previously announced Network as a Service contract with Orange Cameroon SA was increased by 120 raising the total number of sites in this 10 year contract to 242. NuRAN formed its wholly owned subsidiary in Cameroon, NuRAN Wireless Cameroon Ltd. during the quarter to deliver the contract.

In March, 2021 NuRAN announced the appointment of Vitor Fonseca as Director of the Company. Mr. Fonseca has held senior finance positions with various public and private companies as well as private investment firms for over 20 years. Presently Mr. Fonseca is a Treasurer and Vice President of Romspen Investment Corp. He is also on the board of Canntab Therapeutics Ltd. and a member of the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada and the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Since the start of fiscal 2021, the Company has worked to significantly improve its working capital position through various debt settlements with its senior creditors. The Company reached a forbearance agreement with holders of its 12% Senior Secured Debentures in January 2021 pursuant to which a total of 5,721,212 common shares have been issued to settle $1,888,000 of outstanding principal owing to holders of its 12% senior secured convertible debentures and a further 1,988,917 common shares was issued to settle $850,000 of other long-term secured debt. The debt settlements have considerably reduced the Company's long-term debt to a total of $947,000 principal outstanding on the 12% debentures and $437,637 principal outstanding on all other long-term secured debt.

In March, the Company entered into debt settlement agreements with certain creditors to convert $1,000,000 of outstanding debt into secured convertible debentures of the Company (the "Debentures") and extended the maturity date to December 31, 2021. Following the debt settlement, the Company no longer had any debt that was in default. The Debentures were subsequently converted into an aggregate of 1,000,000 common shares at a conversion price of $1.00 per share and have been cancelled.

"NuRAN's recent quarterly financial results reflect the continued progress the Company is making towards its goal of delivering the NaaS model across multiple markets. The progress we have made in demonstrating the viability of the model as well as the additions to the management team position the company well for future growth. This along with the restructuring of debt puts NuRAN on very firm footing for future successes in 2021 and beyond.", stated Jim Bailey, CFO of NuRAN.

New CEO Employment Agreement

The board of directors of the Company (the "Board") have approved a new employment agreement between the Company and its Chief Executive Officer, Francis Letourneau for a term commencing March 30, 2021 (the "Employment Agreement"). Details of Mr. Letourneau's employment agreement include but are not limited to: an increase in base compensation to $350,000 per year subject to the Company either completing its project financing under any of its network as a service agreements or completing an equity financing in the minimum amount of $1,000,000 (whichever is earlier); continued entitlement to receive options of the Company under the Company's stock option plan at the discretion of the Board and the issuance of a performance warrant to acquire a total of up to 3,200,000 common shares of the Company based on the Company reaching certain successful milestones in strategic planning, growth, increase in revenue and achievement of operation targets and subject to Mr. Letourneau completing a minimum of four months of continued employment from the date of the Employment Agreement.

Under Mr. Letourneau's leadership, the Company has successfully restructured its operations, improved its balance sheet, and significantly improved its working capital position. Mr. Letourneau has also been instrumental in the Company securing a number of significant Network as a Service agreements that have put NuRAN in a stronger position to meet its stated business objectives for fiscal 2021 and beyond. In connection with the negotiation of this Employment Agreement Mr. Letourneau has demonstrated a willingness to align his personal compensation with the achievement of the Company's strategic objectives and continuing to build the value of the Company.

"The Company and its Board are very pleased to have concluded this employment agreement with Mr. Letourneau. We are very confident that he can manage and lead this company to a bright and successful future as he has already demonstrated through his diligence and guidance during the past few months. Mr. Letourneau was instrumental in the development of the Network As A Service ("NAAS") model and has concluded a number of important contracts with Orange, a Tier 1 Partner, which is further evidence that the model resonates in the market place. We expect further developments with respect to the adoption of NAAS by other Tier 1 partners in the near future. We look forward to a growing market penetration and net income that will translate into a continuing increase in the value of Nuran." stated, Vitor Fonseca, Director of Nuran.

The entry into the Employment Agreement and issuance of the performance warrant and any common shares issuable pursuant thereto constitutes a "related party transaction" under applicable Canadian Securities Exchange policies and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101"). The related party transaction will be exempt from minority approval, information circular and formal valuation requirements pursuant to the exemptions contained in Sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the gross securities to be issued under the Employment Agreement nor the consideration to be paid by the insider will exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

About NuRAN Wireless

NuRAN Wireless is a leading supplier of mobile and broadband wireless infrastructure solutions. Its innovative radio access network (RAN), core network, and backhaul products dramatically drop the total cost of ownership, thereby creating new opportunities for established, as well as emerging mobile network operators. Indoor coverage, isolated rural communities, offshore platforms and ships, NuRAN Wireless helps its customers reach everyone, everywhere.

Additional Information

For further information about NuRAN Wireless: www.nuranwireless.com

Francis Letourneau, Director and CEO

info@nuranwireless.com

Tel: (418) 264-1337

Frank Candido

Investor relations

Frank.candido@nuranwireless.com

Tel: (514) 969-5530

Cautionary Statement: Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements:

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as, "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "intends", "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements include those relating to the Company's NAAS agreements and the Company's proposed build out of network sites and ability to obtain project financing in relation to same. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results projected, expressed or implied by these forward looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, such as the uncertainties regarding include risks such as the uncertainties regarding the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, and measures to prevent its spread, risks relating to NuRAN's business and the economy generally; NuRAN's ability to refinance its long term debt that is currently in default; NuRAN's ability to adequately restructure its operations with respect to its new model of NAAS service contracts; the capacity of the Company to deliver in a technical capacity and to import inventory to Africa at a reasonable cost; NuRAN's ability to obtain project financing for the proposed site build out under its NAAS agreements with Orange and other telecommunication providers, the loss of one or more significant suppliers or a reduction in significant volume from such suppliers; NuRAN's ability to meet or exceed customers' demand and expectations; significant current competition and the introduction of new competitors or other disruptive entrants in the Company's industry; NuRAN's ability to retain key employees and protect its intellectual property; compliance with local laws and regulations and ability to obtain all required permits for our operations, access to the credit and capital markets, changes in applicable telecommunications laws or regulations or changes in license and regulatory fees, downturns in customers' business cycles; and insurance prices and insurance coverage availability, the Company's ability to effectively maintain or update information and technology systems; our ability to implement and maintain measures to protect against cyberattacks and comply with applicable privacy and data security requirements; the Company's ability to successfully implement its business strategies or realize expected cost savings and revenue enhancements; business development activities, including acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses; the Company's expansion into markets outside of Canada and the operational, competitive and regulatory risks facing the Company's non-Canadian based operations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management's discussion and analysis that is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The estimates included in this news release relating to the calculation of the gross revenue of the agreements with Orange are based on multiplying an average population per site by the expected penetration rate which yields the number of mobile customers. This is then multiplied by the average revenue per customer per month (ARPU) to derive total revenue. Orange's direct costs associated with this revenue are deducted and the resulting amount is shared by both parties. The revenue share only applies to revenue in excess of a guaranteed amount which is the minimum paid to NuRAN. A penetration rate reduction factor has been used to mitigate risk. The base data used to calculate the total potential revenue of this agreement was provided by Orange based on average population, penetration rate and ARPU. Management of the Company believes that the estimates have been prepared on a reasonable basis, reflecting best estimates and judgments, and based on a number of assumptions management believes are reasonable as well as information provided to the Company by Orange. However, because this information is highly subjective and subject to numerous risks, including the risks discussed above, it should not be relied on as necessarily indicative of future results. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

SOURCE: NuRAN Wireless Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/637734/NuRAN-Wireless-Reports-First-Quarter-2021-Financial-Results-and-Announces-Entry-into-New-CEO-Employment-Agreement
Baylor study shows benefits of Bible-based trauma healing programs in prisons Faith-based program leads to reduced PTSD, improved forgiveness

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Inmates who participated in a Bible-based trauma healing ministry program showed enhanced emotional well-being and a significant decrease in the negative consequences of trauma, a recent study by the American Bible Society and Baylor University revealed.

Through participating in Healing the Wounded Heart, ABS Bible-based Correctional Trauma Healing Program, participants experienced a decline in PTSD and vengefulness. Also, they experienced increases in forgiveness, resilience and meaning in life.

ABS and the Good News Jail & Prison Ministry partnered to train chaplains and volunteers at the Riverside Regional Jail in North Prince George, Virginia, to facilitate the program used for a study conducted by Baylor University.

Of the 349 inmates in the study, 86% had experienced at least one type of traumatic event.

The 210 individuals in the treatment group completed surveys throughout the Correctional Trauma Healing Program to see if they had better outcomes than those in the control group who did not complete the program.

The longitudinal study of the program that consisted of five two-hour sessions revealed significant healing outcomes, which provided evidence on how Bible-based intervention should inform holistic approaches to offender reform.

Whats amazing and not surprising to me is just how effective this program has been, not only through reduced trauma symptoms and increased a persons sense of connection to God and to their neighbor and to the Bible but that it continues , Christian psychologist Dr. Phil Monroe, who works with the ABS Trauma Healing Program, told The Christian Post. We have proven effects that last.

Even after one to three months of completing the program, inmates showed improvement in areas of forgiveness, compassion, resilience and support from family and friends, among other positive effects.

Monroe said the program yields these results due to the ministrys faith aspect.

When we are able to bring together a persons faith that they are interested in talking about, along with best mental health practices, we know from other research as well that they tend to recover much faster, Monroe said.

The program is volunteer-led, which allows for more impact at a low cost, Monroe said. The program is derived from the book Healing the Wounds of Trauma: How the Church Can Help and is contextualized for a correctional facility setting.

Robert L. Briggs, ABS president and CEO, said that as America struggles with a mental health crisis, this study shows the potential benefits of faith-sensitive care for traumatized people.

The Bible has been shown to be a vital source for emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental healing, Briggs said in a statement. The volunteer-driven Trauma Healing Ministry at American Bible Society is an important resource for the church, helping her respond to the deep wounds of trauma in communities.



There arent many programs like this that reduce post-traumatic stress, improve positive virtues like forgiveness and compassion, increase confidence in God and the Bible, and reduce negative behaviors at this low of a cost, Briggs added. Its highly efficient, effective, and scalable across the country.

Byron R. Johnson, Sung Joon Jang and Matt Bradshaw from Baylor Universitys Institute for Studies of Religion were the report's researchers and co-authors.

No other known intervention accomplishes so much good for highly traumatized jail inmates in such a short period of time, Johnson said.

Around 20% of prison inmates have a serious mental illness, and around 30% to 60% struggle with substance use, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Inmates are also more likely to suffer from infectious diseases and mental health crises, such as withdrawal, psychological distress and the pains of imprisonment, according to the study.

Over half of men and women in jails and state prisons experience mental health problems requiring treatment each year, which sometimes results in behavioral problems.

Bible-based trauma healing was developed in the late 1990s by SIL Bible translators and church leaders in East African war zones. ABS began to develop the Trauma Healing Program in 2010 to help victims of trauma process pain and gain hope through Scripture.

Monroe said this could be the solution for better rehabilitation programs in correctional facilities, which would lead to a decreased number of released inmates returning to the correctional system.

It does seem to be the missing link that could be beneficial for solving the revolving door problem that we have in our correctional setting where people are not being rehabilitated and are not having their traumas addressed, and so are coming back to the revolving door, Monroe shared.

Thursday marked the first day of Second Chance Month. President Joe Biden made a proclamation about it, as did former President Donald Trump in 2018, 2019 and 2020 during his administration.
Considered one of the top predators among dinosaurs, the scientist, who found a well-preserved skull of a horned "Llukalkan aliocranianus" dinosaur in Argentina, have named the ancient beast the "one who causes fear."

Citing a new study published on Tuesday about the discovery, USA Today said the dinosaur's full name comes from the native Mapuche language Llukalkan, which means the "one who causes fear" - and aliocranianus is Latin for "different skull."

The newly discovered species of a meat-eating dinosaur, which roamed in South America 85 million years ago, was around 5 meters (16 feet) long, weighing between one and five tonnes.

And like the Tyrannosaurus rex, the Llukalkan dinosaur was two-legged with very short arms but was smaller than the giant T. rex. This elephant-sized dinosaur also has tiny fingers and short horns, according to the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

READ NEXT: Endangered California Condor to Return to its Original Habitat After a Century

A Top Predator Among Dinosaurs

Because of its formidable size, very sharp teeth, powerful bite, huge claws, and keen sense of hearing and smell, scientists said the Llukalkan aliocranianus was "likely among the top predators" across Patagonia, now in Argentina, during the Late Cretaceous Period.

In a statement, the study's lead author Federico Gianechini, who is a paleontologist at the National University of San Luis, Argentina, said the discovery is important since it suggests that the diversity and abundance of abelisaurids were remarkable, not just across Patagonia but also in many local areas during "the dinosaurs' twilight period."

Abelisauridae was a striking family of theropod dinosaurs averaging five to nine meters long that roamed and hunted mainly in Patagonia and other ancient southern subcontinent Gondwana areas, which is known today as South America, Africa, India, Australia, and Antarctica.

So far, only 10 species of this fearsome predator have been unearthed across Patagonia. The Northern Hemisphere was ruled by famed tyrannosaurs some 80 million years ago, and this newly named lookalike flourished in the southern continents.

Gianechini earlier told Reuters that one of the unusual features of the Llukalkan dinosaur was that it has cavities in the ear area that other abelisaurids did not have. He noted that this peculiarity gave this species a greater hearing range that made it a "better hunter."

The study showed that the carnivorous dinosaur had a strange, short skull with rough bones, indicating it had bulges and prominences on its head similar to some modern iguanas and other reptiles, such as the Gila monster, BBC reported.

The fossilized remains of the Llukalkan dinosaur, which included a preserved and uncrushed braincase, were discovered in 2015 by accident in La Invernada, near Rincon de los Sauces city in Neuquen Province.

Gianechini said the dig was only to unearth a large, plant-eating sauropod dinosaur they had found a year earlier. However, he noted that they noticed other bones protruding from the ground a few days before they finished their excavation.

The study showed that Llukalkan's adaptations' fossil evidence suggests that abelisaurids flourished right before the dinosaurs became extinct.

The co-author of the study, Ariel Mendez from the Patagonian Institute of Geology and Palaeontology in Argentina, said these dinosaurs were still trying out new evolutionary routes and still rapidly diversifying right before they died out completely, Sky News reported.

But despite this new finding, scientists and researchers believe that there is still a lot to unearth. Reports said dinosaur extinction was caused by the impact of a massive asteroid or comet.

READ MORE: Ancient Mural in Peru Depicts a Knife-Wielding Spider God Associated with Fertility

WATCH: Dinosaur Discovery: Top Predator That Roamed South America Named One Who Causes - From Nonstop News
(ALS), an integrated logistics solutions provider, has announced that it is collaborating with leading players across technology, cold chain warehousing, pharmaceutical, healthcare, airline and airport sectors for its new integrated vaccine delivery platform.

The company is also in talks with vaccine makers  Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech, Zydus Cadilla and Aurobindo Pharma for vaccine supplies.

It has partnered with IndiGo airlines and UNICEF Ventures' funded StaTwig for Indias first vaccine platform solution. We have created an integrated platform for vaccine delivery, airline connectivity and last mile connectivity, Raaja Kanwar, vice chairman and managing director, Apollo LogiSolutions, said.

The platform is expected to bring vial level visibility on track and trace, chain of custody management and temperature continuity. has already onboarded UNICEF-backed blockchain technology firm StaTwig for technology capabilities; Coldman, Kool Solutions and other major companies for effective cold chain warehousing of 70,000+ pallet capacity at 10 locations in India and GMR-Hyderabad airport and Indigo airlines for air transportation.

IndiGo, Indias leading airline is amongst the fastest growing low-cost carriers in the world which has been playing a pivotal role in Indias inoculation drive by transporting vaccines within the country. By collaborating with IndiGo, plans to bolster its initiative of contributing towards world's largest vaccination drive.

The integrated vaccine platform solution is designed to address the end-to-end supply-chain related challenges and bring more transparency and effective tracking for effective Covid-19 vaccine distribution in the country.

Kanwar said, As India grows, the logistics segment will need to scale, adapt and transform itself to the needs of businesses and consumers. Apollo LogiSolutions is aggressively working towards introducing innovative technologies, tools and operational excellence to streamline the fragmented sector, make it future ready and drive

better efficiency.

Sid Chakravarthy, founder of StaTwig said, India manufacturers 60% of global vaccines by volume. With this integrated solution that ensures quality and safety of the vaccines both in domestic and international supply chains, we can make Indian vaccines market much more resilient and sustainable.

In addition to the current partners, Apollo LogiSolutions is also engaging with major players in the healthcare and pharma sector alongside various local and central government authorities and ministries to get them on-board.
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EUGENE, Ore.  On Thursday morning, 15 members of the Northwest Youth Corps performed fire mitigation and fuel reduction work in Eugenes South Hills.

The work is part of a partnership between the youth corps, City of Eugene and Eugene-Springfield Fire.

According to Northwest Youth Corps Executive Director Jeff Parker, the goal is to remove brush and vegetation that could burn and spread flames to homes or critical infrastructure.

Representatives from the citys Parks and Open Space division said these types of partnerships are critical because city crews cannot do all of the work on their own.

Youre protecting lives, Deputy Fire Marshal Merrill Harisson told the youth crews. From human life to wildlife. Youre protecting property. With the mitigation of vegetation, the threat of wildfire decreases.

Some members of the youth corps said they were passionate about this work because they know people who lost homes in wildfires.

For Frankie Stuvesant, the mitigation work is especially timely.

I feel like fire reduction work is really important, especially with how todays climate is changing so quickly, Stuvesant said.

Parker said many lessons were learned after Oregons historic Labor Day fires, making this work even more important.

What we need to do is prepare our communities so that when it comes upon us, that fire burns slow, it burns cool. And it's not having the devastating or catastrophic effects that the fires that happened on Labor Day had, Parker said.

Members of the youth corps were also paid a visit by Sen. Ron Wyden. Wyden is promoting legislation that would create a national conservation corps to do similar work nationwide. The 21st Century Conservation Corps, as Wyden calls it, would fund a natural resource management and conservation workforce and bolster wildfire prevention and preparedness programs.
Obesity rates have increased dramatically in developed countries over the past 40 years -- and many people have assumed that food marketing is at least in part to blame. But are people with obesity really more susceptible to food marketing? And if they are, is that a permanent predisposition, or can it change over time?

According to a new study by UBC Sauder School of Business Assistant Professor Dr. Yann Cornil (he/him/his) and French researchers, people with obesity do tend to be more responsive to food marketing -- but when their weight drops significantly, so does their responsiveness to marketing.

For the study, which was published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the researchers followed three groups: patients with severe obesity before they had gastric bypass or other weight-loss surgeries (collectively known as bariatric surgery), as well as three and 12 months after; people with obesity who were not undergoing bariatric surgery; and people who were not obese.

To measure their responsiveness to food marketing, the researchers evaluated what's called framing effects -- that is, how branding, advertising, and labeling "frame," and thus influence food evaluations and choices. In one study, participants were asked to estimate the calorie content in well-known snacks and drinks including some, which marketers typically framed as healthy (i.e. apple juice, granola bars), and others, which are not framed as healthy (i.e. soft drinks, chocolate bars).

The researchers found that everyone underestimated the calorie content of snacks that were framed as healthy but the effect was more pronounced in people with obesity.

To further test the framing effect, the researchers had participants hypothetically choose a portion of french fries from a fast food restaurant, and gave them the nutritional information they would need to make an informed decision. The three options were always the same in quantity -- 71g, 117g, and 154g -- but in one instance they were labeled small, medium and large, and in another instance the same portions were labeled mini, small and medium: a marketing tactic aimed at making larger portions seem more reasonable.

"We measured how likely people were sensitive to that framing, and whether it would change their choice of fries quantity depending on how the portions are labeled," explains Dr. Cornil, who says the people with obesity were more likely to follow the labeling and not the actual information about quantity -- so they would choose the portion labeled "medium" even though that's quite large.

Overall the researchers, who worked closely with the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, found that the people with obesity tended to be more responsive to food marketing -- but when they lost a significant amount of weight because of bariatric surgery, their level of responsiveness to food marketing dropped substantially.

People with obesity going through bariatric surgery will become less responsive to marketing over time. And after 12 months, their responsiveness to marketing reaches the level of people with more medically-recommended weight." Dr Yann Cornil, Assistant Professor, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia

Dr. Cornil says it's not clear whether people with obesity become less responsive to marketing because of physiological changes following the surgery -- hormonal, neurological shifts or changes to the gut microbiota -- or because of people's desire to change their lifestyles and habits. Another possible reason, he adds, is that people's tastes tend to shift following bariatric surgery.

"The results clearly suggest a bidirectional influence between people's weight status, psychology and responsiveness to the environment -- including marketing," says Dr. Cornil. "So, it's a complex relationship."

However, had the researchers found the responsiveness to marketing remained high even after weight loss, it would have pointed to a deeper-rooted predisposition.

"That would mean people are endowed with unchangeable psychological characteristics that would always make them more responsive to marketing -- which would make it very difficult to sustain a medically-recommended weight," he explains. "But one of the positive things is that after significant weight loss, people become less responsive to marketing, such that it is more sustainable to remain at a lower body mass index."

Dr. Cornil says the findings are especially important because for years, researchers have assumed that marketing messages -- especially for foods that are high-calorie and low in nutrition -- are at least partly responsible for the obesity epidemic, but there wasn't clear empirical evidence.

"Our results provide important insights for policy-makers in charge of regulating food marketing in order to curb obesity," says Dr. Cornil.
Oregon State senior Ellie Slama shot an opening round 2-over 74 Wednesday and is tied for 24th after the first round of the Augusta Womens Amateur.

Twenty-seven players were unable to finish their first round due to a weather delay. Theyll finish Thursday morning, with a goal of completing the second round by days end.

An invited international field of 82 players make up this years field. This is the second year for the Augusta Womens Amateur. The first two rounds are played at Champions Retreat, and the final at Augusta National, site of the Masters Tournament.

The top 30 players after two rounds play Saturdays final round. The entire field gets to play a practice round Friday at Augusta National.

Slama was even-par through 12 holes before running into trouble with a double bogey at the par-4 13th. Slama was 3-over heading into 18, where she finished with a birdie.

The current leader is Nebraska senior Katherine Smith, who is 4-under through 11 holes. Shell finish the final seven Thursday morning. Five players are tied for second at 1-under, though only two have finished.

This is Slamas second Augusta invite. Last year she didnt make the cut after shooting 153 for 36 holes.

Slamas second-round tee time is 5:40 a.m. PDT Thursday.

--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
Fisheries minister Albert Kawana is not perfect, but he has surely earned himself new admirers judging by the manner in which he is presiding over the affairs of the fisheries ministry.

It is no doubt Kawana was ostensibly thrown in at the deep end when President Hage Geingob first named him as acting fisheries minister following the rushed resignation of Bernhard Esau in 2019 in the wake of the Fishrot scandal.

The head of state reaffirmed Kawana in this position in March last year in a display of confidence in the former justice minister and attorney general to steer this ship out of murky waters as well as bring about the much-needed reforms, especially when it comes to the allocation of fishing rights.

It is true that the fisheries ministry is struggling for credibility given the resultant fallout of the Fishrot scandal, which remains a topical issue to date and has rocked the country in a big way. To preside over a sector and a ministry whose former head is facing counts of fraud, bribery, corruptly using the office for gratification, money laundering and conspiring to commit corruption, is not easy.

The Fishrot scandal has also seen the once popular support of the ruling Swapo steadily erode.

So, it makes great sense for Kawana to go for broke and restore some lost credibility in the affairs of the ministry.

To this end, the minister displayed an act of transparency and accountability this week when he publicly and thoroughly outlined the process leading to the allocation of fishing rights, albeit two years late.

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When he made the much-awaited announcement on Tuesday afternoon, Kawana also gave the assurance that he would consult extensively in order to arrive at a comprehensive review of the fisheries sector, with the view to benefit ordinary Namibians.

"Although it is impossible to accommodate every applicant, I believe that there is room for more Namibians to indirectly benefit from this national resource by ensuring that fishing companies locally source all their goods and services which are available in Namibia.

"The industry has already been requested to provide me with a list of those goods and services so that I can coordinate with the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade. As we strive to achieve Namibianisation of the fisheries sector, I appeal for national unity so that we are not derailed from our path.

"Given what has been achieved so far, I believe that we can achieve our goal in the shortest possible time," Kawana declared on Tuesday.

Although this massive test has now passed, there is still a massive weight of expectation on Kawana's shoulders, including ensuring sustainable strategies to increase employment and tackle thorny issues such as illegal fishing by foreign trawlers within Namibian waters, among others.

So, all things considered, it is our sincere hope that the much-talked about Namibianisation plan becomes a reality and whose impact should be felt by ordinary citizens across the length and breadth of our country.

It should not end in tears this time around.
Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's leading Airline, has transported over 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in a single flight.

Ethiopian transported the vaccines in 6 envirotainers from Beijing to Harare via Addis Ababa and arrived in Harare yesterday.

Moreover, Ethiopian has also transported 300,000 vaccines donated by Chinese Government to Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Airline Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said "today, we have delivered more than 1million vaccine doses to Zimbabwe, Harare which is indicative of our commitment to collaborate with African governments at this critical time so that Africans get access to vaccines in due time."

Our efficiency in cargo transportation is growing from time to time enabling us to reach as many countries as possible, the CEO said, adding "we are desirous of reaching every corner of the world with our dependable freight service."

The airline expressed determination to enhance its commitment to curb the spread of the pandemic working in collaboration with governments and humanitarian organizations across the world.

It is to be recalled that Addis Ababa Bole International Airport has been chosen as a Humanitarian Air Hub for the distribution of medical supplies for Africa.

Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services has Africa's largest cargo terminal and technologically equipped facility dubbed 'Pharma Wing' to store and ship time sensitive pharmaceuticals including vaccines.
Students walk around the University of New South Wales campus in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

International Students Slated to Return to Australia in 2022

Australian universities may see their international student cohorts return to class in large numbers by the beginning of 2022, says the education minister.

We are looking forward to welcoming back international students who remain overseas, and we thank them for their patience to date, Education Minister Alan Tudge said in a speech to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) on Wednesday.

Tudge noted that the vaccine rollout gave the government more confidence around the possibility of international students returning en masse by semester 1 of next year.

In the meantime, he noted individual universities are welcome to bring back small groups under the Chief Health Officers approval.

This comes as it has been revealed that the number of international students almost doubled over the last decade, from 400,000 in 2012 to 750,000, and contributed $37.5 billion to the Australian economy last financial year.

This incredible growth has been good for our economy, but even before COVID hit, strains were appearing, and the continued rate of growth of on-campus enrolments was not sustainable in my view, Tudge said. This is particularly true for our public institutions, which have a broader mandate.

The international border restrictions due to COVID-19 had devastating economic effects on the higher education sector. However, the impact on enrolment was not as severe as initially thought.

Enrolment numbers for universities only fell by five percent in 2020down to numbers equal to 2018 with many international students opting to defer studies or continue through online learning.

But Tudge noted that the economic difficulties of 2020 had created an opportunity for institutions to rethink business models and explore different ways Australian education can expand in the international market.

Tudge has therefore announced the launch of consultations for the Australian International Education Strategy for 2021 to 2030, which aims to guide the recovery of the sector and set a path for long-term success.

One possibility he wants to explore is the development of education online, particularly for offshore international students.

Australia has become the worlds third-largest provider of international education, Tudge said.

He noted that India set a target to train 400 million people for its workforce by 2022, while Indonesia aimed to educate an additional 57 million skilled workers by 2030. Tudge pointed to these as potential opportunities for the Australian education sector.

Education Minister Alan Tudge at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on July 9, 2020. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

It is unlikely that Indian and Indonesian institutions have the capacity to educate this many in the near term, Tudge said. We have the opportunity for Australian institutions to meet this market with greater use of online delivery or hybrid learning models at different price offerings.

Tudge also wants levers to ensure international student enrollment targets areas where the country is experiencing skill shortages.

Currently, almost half of international enrolments at universities are concentrated in commerce, while fields like engineering, maths, technology and health attract significantly lower enrolment shares than the OECD average, he said. In the US, two-thirds of international student enrolments are in engineering, science and health.

Tudge also hopes to attract students from countries other than China and India, which account for over 55 percent of international students in Australia.

Not only does concentration limit the diversity of perspectives in classrooms, but it also lowers the resilience of the international education sector to changes in global demand, he said.

Many universities and higher education institutions have welcomed Tudges announcement.

Group of Eight (Go8) universities said they were looking forward to collaborating with the government to develop a comprehensive plan to improve and expand their international students experiences.

It is critical that the government and higher education sector work together to develop a model that maintains our competitive advantage in international education and research while ensuring Australia has the skills and expertise required to meet our national priorities, Go8 CEO Vicki Thomson said in a statement.

Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA) highlighted the economic importance of international students to the country said appropriate consultation was essential to get it right.

The Australian economy needs the industry to resume operations as soon as possible, and IHEA is working closely with the government to achieve this, IHEA CEO Simon Finn said. IHEA looks forward to participating in the Australian Strategy for International Education 2021-2030 consultation process over the coming months.
A postgraduate agricultural award which provides bursaries to cover up to 75 percent of course fees closes for applications at the end of this month.

The award provides bursaries for selected students who are undertaking a postgraduate course in agriculture - Masters or PhD - within the UK.

The application deadline for NFU Mutuals Centenary Award closes on 30 April 2021.

To date, 43 agricultural students have received bursaries to help further their studies.

The award is open to individuals who have gained, or are expected to gain, a 2:1 or above in agriculture or a related degree.

They also must have accepted or provisionally accepted on a Masters or PhD course in agriculture in the UK, in autumn 2021.

NFU Mutual says at least one of these topics must form part of the postgraduate course: sustainable agriculture and climate change; international agricultural development; the application of science and innovative technology.

Jim McLaren, NFU Mutual Chairman said: Our Centenary Award aims to support outstanding agricultural students as they grow to lead the next generation of farmers.

"These young people are the future of our industry and, by giving them an opportunity to continue their studies, we hope we can help them make a difference not only to themselves but also within our farming communities.

Elin Havard, from Powys, was one of three students to receive the bursary in 2020, helping fund her MBA Innovation in Sustainable Food and Agriculture at the Royal Agricultural University.

She said: Having grown up on a beef and sheep farm, my interest in agriculture was instilled in me as a child.

"I relish this opportunity to further my understanding and gain the skills required to contribute positively to the future of our industry.

The closing date for the 2021 award is 30 April.
U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci reportedly admitted in an interview with Meet The Press that the COVID-19 vaccines are not actually safe for people.

The said interview was cited by Washington Gazette from a Jan. 29, 2021 New York Post report. The Gazette said Fauci "blatantly stated that the country needed to 'make sure' the vaccine truly is safe before" it is given to children by conducting "hundreds to a couple of thousands" of tests on children.

"The reason is traditionally when you have a situation like a new vaccine, you want to make sure, because children as well as pregnant women, are vulnerable, so, before you put it into the children, you're going to want to make sure you have a degree of efficacy and safety that is established in an adult population, particularly an adult, normal population," Fauci remarked in the said interview.

The Gazette pointed out that this indicates uncertainty in the vaccines' safety yet would still use it to undertake the test on children who would come from the "general public."

"So we don't know if this vaccine is safe, but we're going to pump it into children anyways. But what is particularly striking about his statements are when he said we needed to be certain of the vaccine's safety in a "normal" population. For those of you who are scientifically-minded or work in the field of vaccine testing or statistics, you likely know this means a population that represents the general public," the Gazette said.

The Gazette raised that Fauci's recent statements indicate "there's no way anyone could have said this vaccine was safe because the trials didn't consist of a normal population." It cited Pfizer's test being performed on "healthy individuals" while Moderna is mum on the type of individuals their clinical trial sample had.

In the said NYPost report, Fauci announced during the COVID-19 briefing at the White House that children would already be vaccinated either by late spring or early summer depending on the guidance of United States Food and Drug Administration.

He revealed that a series of trials called "age descalation testing" will be conducted by researchers to check the efficacy of the vaccines on a small batch of a hundred couple of thousands of children. The results of the said trials, NYPost explained, will be compared to those of Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech that was conducted on tens of thousands of people.

Vaccine-related injuries and deaths

It was reported here early this month that various sources have cited the vaccines cause more injuries and deaths than natural COVID-19 infections.

On Tuesday, local news station WRIC reported that a man experienced his skin peeling off as a rare reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.

Richard Terrell, 74, from Goochland County in Virginia developed a severe rash four days after being vaccinated. He said he felt "stinging, burning and itching" from various parts of his body. Parts of his skin were peeled off. Doctors who examined him concluded that the severe skin problem was caused by the J&J vaccine.

Other reports revealed that the AstraZeneca vaccine also caused thromboembolism or rare blood coagulation disorders on those vaccinated. The European Union temporarily suspended the use of this vaccine as a response.

Notwithstanding, the World Health Organization has continued to push its use for seniors since "the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh its risks." The WHO also provided a briefer in its website on the said vaccine, which comes in two versions--one from Korea and one from India. Fauci, an immunology expert, defended the said brand as "good" with "a very important role in the global response to this outbreak."

The WHO reported that, as of March 28, "a total of 520,540,106 vaccine doses have been administered" globally and that, as of March 25, there have been " a total of 135,544,787 vaccine doses " administered in the United States where "30,030,084 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 545,022 deaths" have been recorded for the period Jan. 3, 2020 to March 31, 2021.
At just 32-years-old, Dr Tran Anh Tu is one of the youngest members of a special team of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Dr Tran Anh Tu (right) and his colleague during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam last year.  Photo courtesy of the health ministry

Since the start of the pandemic, Tu has been working at the Infectious Disease Control Department of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

He has been among the frontline workers heading to COVID-19 hot spots like Son Loi Commune in Vinh Phuc Province, Ha Loi Hamlet in Hanoi, Da Nang City and Hai Duong Province.

Now his hard work, dedication and efforts have been rewarded.

Tu has been named among ten exemplars of Vietnamese youth in 2020 as a role model in labour and production thanks to his active participation in the COVID-19 fight.

Tu majored in preventive medicine and was worried he was lacking experience when he first began his work.

He said People stay away from the outbreaks epicentre and infection sources while preventive medicine doctors must head to the hot spots.

Tu was lucky to be assisted by senior colleagues and gradually got used to the work.

The more experience I have and the more work I have done, the more I love my job. Facing challenges in the job helps young people grow up, he said.

After six years working as a preventive medicine doctor, Tu understands that he and his colleagues face high risks of infection and might become transmission sources for relatives.

Being aware of this risk, he regularly has health check-ups and tests to make sure he is not infected.

Tu has also taken advantage of IT in the pandemics prevention and control to improve efficiency.

He is also dedicated to providing professional guidance and support to medical workers at local healthcare facilities.

Dr Tu has shared new knowledge in two international scientific articles on COVID-19 in Vietnam which he acts as a co-author.

He received a certificate of merit from the Minister of Science and Technology for his outstanding achievements in researching and applying science and technology to analyse and process epidemiological information, contributing to localisation and control of COVID-19 in Vietnam.

Receiving the "Outstanding young Vietnamese faces award, a prestigious award to honour excellent youth in various sectors since 1996, came as a big surprise to Tu.

He said the pandemic prevention and control work required the participation of many people.

I only represent those people to receive the award which recognises contribution of a group, not any individual.

The award shows the recognition of community to those working in preventive medicine sector.

Tu added: "I feel proud to be one of the individuals who have contributed to the overall achievement of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. The award gave me opportunities to share more about the work of community doctors.

VNS

Lists of 20 outstanding, promising young Vietnamese announced The 10 outstanding young Vietnamese and the 10 promising ones in 2020 have been chosen and announced by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and the award council.
Maruti Suzuki registered a decline of 7.8 percent in overall sales at 1,323,396 units in FY21 as compared to 1,436,124 units in FY20. The sales figures include its LCV Super Carry. The fiscal 2021 tally is the lowest since 2015-16 when sales were 1,305, 351 units. It is also 24.5 percent less than its peak sales of 1,753,700 units in 2018-19.

However, India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki reported a near 92 percent jump in sales in March 2021 at 146,203 units against just 76,240 units of last year, when the country had gone into a lockdown from March 25. Realising that the numbers are not comparable due to low base effect, the company provided sales figures for March 2019 as a reference point which showed a 0.8 percent growth suggesting that at least for the leader of the pack, volumes have indeed reached pre-pandemic levels.

The sales tally for March 2021, while higher than in 2019 was also not the highest-ever for the month. For passenger vehicles, the peak was in March 2018 when the company had dispatched 147,170 units from its factory gates to the dealers.

Also read: After Maruti, Hero MotoCorp announces hike in motorcycles, scooters prices from April

In March 2021, the company registered growth across almost all segments. The entry-level mini car segment-- Alto and S Presso, saw a 54.2 percent growth at 24,653 units while the compact vehicle segment which accounts for the lion's share of sales for the company and comprises of bestsellers like Swift, Dzire, Baleno and WagonR, more than doubled with a 103 percent growth at 82,201 units. For the full fiscal both the segments recorded an identical 8.7 percent decline.

Sales in its utility segment portfolio also more than doubled at 26,174 units, a jump of 120 percent. Mirroring the overall trend in the industry where SUVs and MPVs are growing the fastest, this segment was also more resilient in the post lockdown phase. For the full fiscal, it declined by only 2.6 percent at 229,101 units.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki to hike prices from April amid rise in costs

The only segment where the company registered a decline in March was the mid size sedan category where it sells the Ciaz. Sales of the car saw a 12.6 percent dip during the month over last year at 1628 units. For the full fiscal as well, sales of the sedan declined the most at 13,852 units, a 45.2 percent drop over 2019-20.

A comparison of absolute sales volume figures with respect to past years is as follows:
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The Queen, 94, looked carefree at her first public engagement away from Windsor Castle in five months yesterday while following England's rules that allow her to go without a face covering outdoors.

But one of the world's other elder statesmen Joe Biden, 78, continues to stick to the letter of his health experts' recommendations by wearing two coverings even when outside - a cloth mask on top of a disposable mask.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US recommends that people wear masks in any public settings - and many of Mr Biden's Democrat supporters are in favour of strict mask precautions.

The CDC also recommends that people can get the highest protection against coronavirus by wearing two masks at the same time, which can help block Covid-19 particles from exiting and entering the airway.

But the fully-vaccinated US President is facing some criticism at home for continuing to wear a mask despite the CDC's guidance stating that vaccinated people don't have to wear them if they're gathering with others who have received their shots.

Biden has been fully vaccinated for more than two months after receiving his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on January 11. People are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second vaccine shot, according to the CDC.

Biden, however, has continued to wear his mask for photo opportunities in the Oval Office and White House. On many occasions he is joined by Vice President Kamala Harris who is also fully vaccinated.

By contrast, the Queen, 94, has only be seen wearing a mask once, on November 7 last year when she had one on during a poignant visit to the grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of his burial.

Public Health England says people should wear masks indoors to protect against Covid-19 droplets from the mouth and nose which can be spread when someone breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes. But are not required when outside, given that the risk of transmission is significantly reduced when there is increased ventilation.

The Queen, 94, resumed public duties without a mask yesterday, left, while Joe Biden, right, continues to wear a mask

In a light moment yesterday, the Queen quizzed one Australian serviceman about his work with Typhoon jets and asked if they were 'being sent off to chase the Russians?' and was told, 'That's correct, ma'am, it's a lot of fun for us!'

Biden has continued to wear his mask for photo opportunities in the Oval Office and White House. On many occasions he is joined by Vice President Kamala Harris who is also fully vaccinated. They are pictured above on Tuesday in the Oval Office

The Queen with William and Kate in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle to meet volunteers on December 8 last year

MASK, INSIDE: At Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior on November 7 last year

MASK, INDOORS: At the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down in Wiltshire on October 15 last year

The Queen knighting NHS fundraising hero Captain Sir Thomas Moore at Windsor Castle on July 17 last year

Yesterday, the Queen travelled to Runnymede, Surrey, for her first public engagement of the year outside Windsor Castle as she attended a service at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Air Forces Memorial.

The event - at which the Queen paid tribute to the Royal Australian Air Force on its centenary - comes after she was said to have received her second coronavirus jab, some 12 weeks after her first was announced on January 9.

There was no legal requirement for the Queen to wear a mask because the ceremony was held outside, and social distancing was also in place - along with the likelihood that all those attending had been tested for Covid-19.

The Queen's approach is very different to that of Mr Biden who regularly wears one or two masks even when outdoors. The US President received his second Covid-19 jab on January 11, three weeks after getting his first.

He was mocked for wearing masks by ex-president Donald Trump, who said at a debate last October: 'Every time you see him he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200ft away and he shows up with biggest mask I've ever seen.'

Buckingham Palace has not commented on reports about the Queen's second vaccine or the lack of masks. But a royal source confirmed to MailOnline that the event was held outside and 'in line with government guidelines'.

The Queen was last seen outside her Berkshire home on November 8 last year when she attended the annual Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Westminster, where she was not wearing a mask outdoors. However, one day earlier on November 7, she wore a face mask in public for the first time at Westminster Abbey.

The head of state followed Government regulations and adopted the covering when she visited the place of worship for a brief ceremony - which was her first public engagement in London since March 2020.

Members of the Royal Family from the Prince of Wales to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had appeared at official events wearing face coverings for months leading up to November, and the Queen then followed suit.

Details about the black mask with white edging were not released by Buckingham Palace - but it is thought to have been made by Angela Kelly, the Queen's personal adviser and curator, who designs many of her outfits.

A few weeks earlier on October 15 she was joined by her grandson Prince William to visit the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down in Wiltshire - but did not wear a mask on this occasion.

At the time, Graham Smith from Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state, said the Queen should have been 'setting an example', adding: 'I can't see how this fits with the rules everyone else is expected to follow.'

But royal commentator Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said while the Queen and William would inevitably be criticised, medical advice would have been carefully followed.

The Duke of Cambridge and the rest of the 48 people the monarch met were tested for coronavirus beforehand, and social distancing - including between William and his grandmother - was carried out during the event.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said at the time: 'Specific advice has been sought from the medical household and relevant parties, and all necessary precautions taken, working closely with DSTL.'

MASK, OUTDOORS: President Joe Biden at Pittsburgh International Airport ahead of an infrastructure speech yesterday

MASK, INDOORS: Joe Biden speaks before signing a law in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington DC on Tuesday

MASK, OUTDOORS: Talking to reporters as he leaves the White House to travel to Wilmington in Delaware on March 26

NO MASK, INDOORS: Joe Biden at his first formal news conference in the East Room of the White House on March 25

MASK, OUTDOORS: Arrives at John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio to board Air Force One on March 23

MASK, INDOORS: Joe Biden receives the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccination in Delaware on January 11

TWO MASKS, OUTDOORS: Joe Biden wears two masks at Raleigh-Durham Airport in North Carolina on October 18 last year

Porton Down has pioneered Covid-19 diagnostic testing and so was able to test everyone prior to them coming into contact with the royals. The Queen also arrived by helicopter separately from the Duke, who travelled by car.

Rules on wearing face masks in Britain and USA BRITAIN Face coverings are required by law in certain indoor settings such as on public transport, in shops and places of worship. The Government recommends wearing a face covering in indoor places where social distancing may be difficult and where the public come into contact with those they do not normally meet. There are legal exemptions relating to age, health or disability for not wearing a face covering when required. Government advice states that those who have had the vaccine should still follow national guidance, including wearing a face mask and practising social distancing. USA The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US recommends that people wear masks in public settings, at events and gatherings, and anywhere they will be around other people. Masks are required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the US and in US transportation hubs such as airports and stations. The CDC also advises that those who have been fully vaccinated should still continue wearing a mask and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Advertisement

Small groups of those taking part in the royal visit were arranged two metres apart for social distancing, with marks on the floor where they should stand.

In England, face coverings are required by law in certain indoor settings such as on public transport, in shops and places of worship.

The Government recommends wearing a face covering in indoor places where social distancing may be difficult and where the public come into contact with those they do not normally meet.

The Queen has been continuing to carry out her duties as head of state during the pandemic with many of them being virtual royal engagements via video call, including one where she encouraged people to have the vaccine.

A number of high-profile events have been staged in the grounds of Windsor Castle including a ceremony on July 17, 2020 where the Queen knighted veteran NHS fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore, neither of whom wore a mask.

The Queen, who is at a greater risk of severe illness from coronavirus because of her age, delivered two rare televised addresses to the nation just weeks apart during the first wave of the pandemic.

The monarch has only ventured from HMS Bubble  the nickname for her reduced household of staff  on a few occasions for events, and watched a mini socially distanced Trooping the Colour for her official birthday at Windsor Castle last June.

The Royal Family has sported an assortment of face coverings during the pandemic  from the Duchess of Cornwall's trendy leopard print mask to the Duchess of Cambridge's classic floral Liberty fabric ones.

Some have been topical such as Camilla's poppy-covered Royal British Legion mask at the Field of Remembrance ahead of Armistice Day last year.

Others have been practical and in keeping with their surroundings when the Duke of Cambridge wore a sterile blue surgical mask as he met scientists searching for a vaccine.

Heir to the throne the Prince of Wales incorporated his charitable credentials when selecting a mask.

He was first seen in a covering in Belfast last September, wearing one made by artisans from Burma and sold by his organisation Turquoise Mountain, which works to protect heritage and communities at risk around the world.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wear face masks at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London on November 7 last year

Prince Charles wears a face mask as he speaks to staff during a visit to The Ritz in London on December 10 last year

The Duchess of Cornwall wears a mask and visor at a Royal Voluntary Service event in Rickmansworth on October 8 last year

Princess Anne visits Citizens Advice Harlow in Essex on September 11 last year while wearing a face mask

Sophie, Countess of Wessex wears a mask as a St John Ambulance care volunteer at an NHS vaccine centre on February 25

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wear face masks as they volunteer with Baby2Baby in Los Angeles on August 21 last year

Diana, Princess of Wales channelled the royal face mask look some 24 years ago when visiting Harefield Hospital in 1996

William wore a surgical face mask when he viewed the removal of a bladder tumour at the Royal Marsden in London in 2013

Turquoise Mountain supports weavers in Burma and the prince's blue 6.50 reusable mask was made by Nuu Nuu Pan whose family fled ongoing conflict in the region and has been living in a refugee camp since 2010.

'Are they being sent to chase off the Russians?': What Her Majesty asked jet fighter controller The Queen was on sparkling form as she asked an airman about being sent to 'chase the Russians' at her first public engagement of the year outside Windsor. She paid tribute to the Royal Australian Air Force on its centenary during a service at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede, Surrey yesterday. The Queen, 94, wore a lime green and ivory dress and jacket by Angela Kelly with matching hat, and the wattle brooch presented to her during her 1954 tour of Australia, but did not wear a face covering. She quizzed Squadron Leader Matthew Sander about his job as a fighter controller for Typhoon jets and asked if they had been 'sent off to chase the Russians'. He replied: 'That's correct, Ma'am, it's a lot of fun for us!' The ceremony began with a flypast by the Red Arrows, but with white smoke only instead of the familiar red, white and blue. As they do not normally perform at this time of year, their smoke pods are being serviced. Afterwards the Queen was shown the names of some of the 1,383 Australian war dead who are commemorated on a panel at the memorial and was promised a present  two RAAF dog jackets for her new corgis, to be delivered once they have been made. 'That's very kind,' she said. 'I look forward to it.' Of her first public engagement beyond the walls of Windsor Castle since November's Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, the Queen  who had her first Covid-19 vaccination in January  said: 'I'm delighted to be here.' Prince Philip, 99, is continuing to recover at home after undergoing heart surgery at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. Advertisement

Kate is a fan of delicately patterned floral masks  and was first seen in a face covering last August during a tour of Baby Basics UK which helped provide struggling families with nappies and infant clothing during lockdown. The Pink Pepper Liberty pattern mask from Amaia Kids costs 15.

Kate has also used the Blue Pepper and Yellow Pepper versions made by the London-based boutique, whose clothes are often worn by the Cambridge children.

Camilla was pictured in a mask for the first time at an official engagement last July, and joked about whether anyone could hear her speak.

The stylish blue Liberty peacock print mask was made by couture designer Fiona Clare as a birthday gift from a friend, and matched the navy blue shade of the duchess's dress.

It was a bespoke creation but can now be made to order by Fiona Clare for 48.

The Duchess opted for a striking leopard print face mask when she helped pack lunches for African Caribbean pensioners at the Pepper Pot Centre in West London last October.

Clarence House said the mask was a handmade gift from a member of the public. The Duchess has also chosen to wear clear visors, expressing her preference for those instead.

She was heard saying while wearing a fabric mask: 'I cannot speak through this. It's quite hard having a conversation. Those visors are much easier.'

The Princess Royal has worn a white monogrammed face mask featuring a small capital 'A' for Anne beneath a crown.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex were both seen wearing masks as they volunteered by helping to prepare meals for NHS hospitals during lockdown last June.

Former working royals the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also stepped out in masks Stateside.

Meghan was pictured wearing a blue and white striped fabric one by Royal Jelly Harlem  an African-inspired clothing and home decorating line based in New York  as they volunteered at a drive-through run by Los Angeles charity Baby2Baby, which provides basic necessities for families in need.

Diana, Princess of Wales channelled the royal face mask look some 24 years ago. She wore a surgical face covering, gown and hair covering when she was filmed watching a heart operation at Harefield Hospital in 1996.

William wore the same when he viewed sections of a breast reconstruction procedure and the removal of a bladder tumour at the Royal Marsden in London in 2013.
Pulse teams up with Francis Chan, Ebony Small for global Good Friday service

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For the second year in a row, evangelist Nick Hall and his young-adult ministry Pulse will host a global Good Friday broadcast, teaming up with influential leaders including Francis Chan and Ebony Small to reach millions with the hope of the Gospel.

On Good Friday  the day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross  Hall will host the Good Friday Worldwide broadcast, a free livestream event, translated inover40 languages andavailable in 200 countries, including Japan, China, Nepal, Thailand, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Ukraine and Russia.

Good Friday Worldwide is set to be thelargest Easter outreach in the world, with 400 host sites, radio stations, and TV stations airing the program, which will feature messages from Chan and Small with worship led by Grammy Award winners for King and Country, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Michael W. Smith, and Dove Award winners Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes.

Last year, the world was shaken by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, radical injustice and overwhelming loneliness. We were inundated with grim news and the nations were desperate for hope, for peace, for stability, for joy," Hall said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

"The Good News that carried us through 2020 will continue to carry us through as we recover, rebuild and repair. Our job as the global church is to share that Good News with the world. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to once again reach the ends of the Earth with the life-changing love of Jesus Christ this Good Friday."

Last year, Pulse Ministrys Good Friday simulcast reached 115 million homes, with 130,000 individuals responding to the Gospel message and professing faith in Christ.

At the time, Hall revealed his ministry received photos from all over the world  from Nigeria to India and China  of families gathering in their living rooms, around 18-inch cathode-ray TVs, laptops and HD screens watching the services.

The doors to our church buildings may have been closed, but the church has not closed. We are living through a Great Quarantine Revival, and I think God is just getting started, he said.

Good Friday is always observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday, the day Christians believe Jesus rose from the grave conquering death. The Bible says those who believe in Christ will rise to meet Jesus when He returns as promised in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

Last year, Chan, founder of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, acknowledged that while a digital Good Friday service isnt exactly the norm, theres something powerful about reflecting on Jesus' crucifixion and death in solace.

Youre used to being in a church building with a crowd of people celebrating the cross of Jesus, but I actually think that theres something fitting about you being alone because most of you are watching this by yourself or maybe with your family in just a small group, he said, noting that being alone can be a golden opportunity to connect with God.

Thats why theres something good about you being alone right now. Its one thing to yearn for Him and scream for Him when everyone else is there because the crowd may move you to that. But this Good Friday [it's good] for you to have some quiet and some isolation so that the core of your being, not just your lips, the core of your being will connect with Him, Chan said.

The free livestream can be viewed globally at GoodFriday.com and the Pulse Facebook and YouTube pages.
A man has been arrested after he allegedly shot dead a mother-of-six on a North Carolina Highway after her husband failed to see his car while merging lanes and accidentally cut him off.

Dejywan Floyd, 29, of North Carolina was charged with first-degree murder of Pennsylvania mother-of-six Jule Eberly in March

Dejywan Floyd, 29, of North Carolina, was arrested on Thursday and charged with first-degree murder of Pennsylvania mother Julie Eberly, 47, in March.

Julie and her husband Ryan Eberly were driving down Interstate 95 in North Carolina on their way for a beach vacation.

Authorities say the couple's couple's GMC Yukon cut off Floyd's Chevrolet Malibu while merging into another lane.

Police say Floyd immediately retaliated by firing multiple shots into the passenger side of the couple's car.

According to Julie's husband, there was no confrontation leading up to the fatal shooting.

'I didn't give him the finger or beep my horn at him or anything to heighten the situation at all,' Eberly told Lancasteronline.

Julie Eberly, 47, of Manheim, Lancaster County is survived by her husband and six children

Police say Floyd shot into the passenger side of the car Eberly and her husband were in after he was accidentally cut off

Authorities say the couple's couple's GMC Yukon cut off Floyd's Chevrolet Malibu while merging into another lane

Eberly says that switched into the right lane to get around a slower driver when he became aware of Floyd's Malibu driving on the shoulder.

He says the driver then rolled down his window and gestured to which he responded with an apologetic gesture and returned to the left lane.

According to Eberly, shortly after he noticed the Malibu tailing him before pulling up to the side, rolling down the window and firing into his car.

'I looked over. The passenger window of my car was shattered. My wife called my name,' Eberly told Lancaster Online.



Police said after the shooting Floyd sped away and took Exit 22 before crossing the bridge into Lumberton.

Julie died in a nearby hospital. Her husband was not injured in the shooting.

'This was an innocent family from Pennsylvania headed to the beach for a vacation. Thankfully they had left their six children at home with grandparents but now these kids have to live with the thought of their mother being murdered  in such a cowardly and senseless way,' Sheriff Wilkins said.

Eberly and her husband Ryan Eberly were driving down Interstate 95 headed to a beach vacation when authorities say she was shot and killed in a road rage attack in North Carolina

A GoFundMe campaign launched to help the family start a memorial foundation in Julie Eberly's name has raised over $65,000

A GoFundMe set up by Julie's mother-in-law to help start a memorial foundation in her name has raised over $65,000.

'We want to raise funds to honor Julie and her life,' the description reads. 'Julie was a beautiful, loving, generous, and giving person. We will be using the funds to help others and to give to the organizations that were close to her heart.'
The first case of COVID-19 in Africa was reported in Egypt on Feb 14, 2020, just 14 days after WHO had declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

In an act of continental solidarity and leadership, the African Union (AU) Commission, through the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), convened an emergency meeting of all ministers of health on Feb 22, 2020, to develop and endorse a Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Outbreak.

Since February, 2020, Africa CDC has rolled out six additional pandemic response initiatives across the continent targeting surveillance and testing; medical supply availability; public health and social measures (PHSMs); safe travel, livelihoods, and economies; pathogen genomics; and vaccine development and supply.

In fact, to successfully and equitably inform the implementation of the continental strategy and all of the associated initiatives across the continent, it was important to understand the regional and AU Member State-specific infection and mortality rates, testing capacity, ability to implement mitigation measures, and overall pandemic effect. To this effect, Africa CDC has monitored the evolution of the pandemic across the globe since early January, 2020, through routine event-based surveillance. Within Africa, this information provided situational awareness and informed continental response efforts.

Despite the spread of COVID-19 to almost all countries in Africa within 3 months, country-reported case counts suggest that the pandemic has spread much slower on the continent than in the rest of the world. In actual fact, currently the spread of the pandemic is increasing alarmingly.

Ethiopia, since the first case was reported, has been working persistently and executing various mitigating activities to curb the spread of the virus. In line with this, it has been working aggressively to strengthen prevention activities, improve rapid detection, and implement a strong national COVID-19 deployment and vaccination plan.

Currently, the country has already started providing vaccines that were allocated by the COVAX Facility.

This week also a batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines, donated by the Chinese government to Ethiopia, arrived in Ethiopia.

The doses were received at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport by Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zhao Zhiyuan, Ethiopia Minister of Health, Lia Tadesse and Birtukan Ayano, State Minister of Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"China is the first to provide Ethiopia with vaccine aid through the bilateral inter-governmental channel, which speaks volumes of the profound traditional friendship between the two countries," Zhao told reporters.

The Chinese government has been donating vaccines to dozens of countries, as part of its solidarity in the fight against the pandemic Zhao also added.

"China has donated and is donating vaccines to 80 developing countries in urgent need, and has provided support under COVAX for emergency use of vaccines in developing countries."

COVAX, an international vaccine campaign co-led by the World Health Organization and its partners, aims to speed up the development, production and fair distribution of new COVID-19 vaccines.

Lia Tadesse, Ethiopia Minister of Health also commended the latest Chinese COVID-19 donation as a testament to the solid bilateral ties between the two countries.

"Since the onset of the pandemic in the past one year, the collaboration and partnership between these two countries has really been immense, and the support of both the government of China as well as organizations, private foundations and other organizations in China have been extending their support in the fight against the pandemic to Ethiopia," she told reporters.

"Several donations of supplies like Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs), test kits, and medical equipment have been delivered. In addition, technical support and missions have been here to share experiences in how best to combat this challenging pandemic."

"Today's donation of these vaccines will have an immense contribution to this effort of the objective that we have in terms of inoculating at least up to 20 percent of the population within this year of 2021," she said.

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China has been helping Ethiopia in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since its outbreak in the African country last year.

China donated several batches of medical supplies to Ethiopia last year, and a Chinese team of medical experts has been sent to Ethiopia to support its fight against the pandemic.

Ethiopia has recorded 204,521 COVID-19 cases and 2,841 COVID-19 related deaths by Tuesday evening. 156,625 patients also recovered from the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia, with the aim to avert the spread of the pandemic, has announced a legal directive to impose up to three years of imprisonment on those who fail to adhere to COVID-19 health precautions.

As FBC reported mentioning the Federal Attorney General Office (FAGO), the failure to wear facemasks in public, as well as not abide by other COVID-19 health precautions by the public, businesses and other institutions, could cost people up to three years in jail,

Under the new rules, public gathering of more than 50 people is banned as part of measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.
SARATOGA  The Saratoga Lake Association (SLA) and neighbors living around the proposed Cedar Bluff subdivision have sent a letter to town officials demanding the clear-cutting operation of a yet to be approved development end immediately.

Addressed to the town board, the planning board and the towns Zoning Officer Gil Albert, the letter from lawyer Charles W. Malcomb told officials that the felling of the forest for an unapproved John Witt Construction development is "in flagrant violation of the zoning regulations, the towns subdivision laws, and SEQRA" (state environmental quality review act).

If the board refuses to act within 10 days to enforce the applicable state and local laws against the developer, my clients will commence the appropriate action, the letter states.

Albert, when reached on Thursday, said he could not yet comment as he had not seen the letter. However, last week, he said the clear-cutting of the forest on the yet-to-be-approved subdivision is legal and legitimate because Witt has an agreement with Walt Borisenok, who sits as an alternate on the planning board, to plant a vineyard there. Under the towns Right to Farm law, Albert said, approvals are not necessary.

As long as theyre farming it, its all right, Albert said recently.

Malcomb disagreed.

Clear cutting forested land in the town without a permit violates not only the letter of the zoning regulations but one of its clearly stated purposes. Section 273-1 of the zoning regulations states that the purpose of this article is to properly preserve forested land in the Town of Saratoga and that [f]orested land is an important natural resource and an integral part of the scenic beauty and healthy ecosystem of the town,' Malcomb wrote. Additionally, Section 273-3 of the zoning regulations states that a property owner must obtain a special permit from the planning board before any clear cutting of trees may begin and approval of such permit must be consistent with the stated purpose of this section. Obviously, none of this has occurred.

On Thursday, neither Supervisor Tom Wood nor Planning Board Chair Ian Murray responded to a Times Union request for comment. Witt also did not respond to a Times Unions calls for comment.

While SLA and neighbors wait for a response, neighbor John Cashin said every couple of hours he sees large trucks loaded down with trees from the forest driving by his house. Cashin fears that in 10 days, all the trees on 40 acres of land could be gone.

You cant replace those trees, said Cashin, who with his neighbors have been fighting against the Witt 31-home subdivision for at least four years. We are hoping that public pressure will make the town do the right thing.

This is not the first time Witt was caught in a clear-cutting controversy. In 2014, he chopped down a forest in Greenfield for his Old Stone Ridge subdivision to provide views of the Green Mountains. But the site plans approved by the Greenfield Planning Board did not show clear cutting. By the time the code enforcement got a stop-work order, the trees were gone.
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Consumers in the US are exhibiting an increased demand for flavored vodkas and cocktails. This is driving many retailers in the country to introduce different types of vodkas under their private-label brands to increase revenues. For instance, Walmart Inc. offers Rue 33 premium vodka under its subsidiary Sam's Club. Similarly, Costco Wholesale Corp. offers vodka under the brand, Kirkland Signature. Thus, the increasing prominence of private label brands is expected to foster the growth of the vodka market in the US during the forecast period.

Looking for more information on this market? Request for a free sample report

In this report, Technavio highlights the increasing demand for vodka from millennials as one of the key emerging trends in the vodka market in US.

Vodka Market in US: Growing Demand from Millennials

Millennials constitute a major segment of the population in the US. The impact of social media and the growing popularity of pubbing and nightlife have increased the awareness of the authenticity of different types of alcoholic beverages, such as value and premium vodka products among millennials. This has significantly increased the spending on alcoholic beverages such as vodka in on-trade channels across the country. Besides, the high inclination of millennials toward breweries, social events, and social gatherings has further increased the consumption and sales of alcoholic beverages such as vodka. All these factors are expected to positively influence the growth of the vodka market in the US during the forecast period.

"Growth of organized retail sector and new product launches will further boost market growth during the forecast period", says a senior analyst at Technavio.

Vodka Market in US: Segmentation Analysis

This market report segments the vodka market in US by product (unflavored and flavored), distribution channel (on-trade and off-trade), and price (premium and value).

The ulflavored vodka segment led the vodka market in 2019. The dominance of the segment can be attributed to the introduction of limited-edition unflavored vodkas by vendors in the US.

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Request for a free sample report

Related Reports on Consumer Staples Include:

Global Vodka Market  Global vodka market is segmented by product (unflavored and flavored), distribution channel (off-trade and on-trade), price (premium and value), and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America).

Get an Exclusive Free Sample Report

Global Craft Spirits Market  Global craft spirits market is segmented by product (craft gin, craft whiskey, and other craft spirits), geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA), and distribution channel (on-trade and off-trade).

Get an Exclusive Free Sample Report

Some of the key topics covered in the report include:

Market Challenges

Market Drivers

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

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Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

Report: www.technavio.com/report/vodka-market-in-us-industry-analysis

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People attend the Peace Vigil for Victims of Asian Hate at Union Square Park in New York on March 19, 2021. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Who Actually Benefits From the Stop Asian Hate Movement?

Commentary

The recent shooting of massage parlor workers in Atlanta has sparked a string of anti-Asian hate demonstrations throughout the country.

In the United States, the issue of systemic racial discrimination is complex. There are several key points that stand in the way of me being able to agree that systemic racial oppression exists today in the form of white Americans specifically targeting people of color. More importantly, as someone who was raised in communist China, Im wary that political entities are happy to wield radical equality rhetoric for political capital.

First, hate crimes against Asian Americans arent carried out by one predominant ethnic group. To put it bluntly, racial hate crimes are not only carried out by white people.

The latest U.S. Department of Justice hate crime data was compiled in 2019. The DOJ did report that the largest motivator for hate crimes was racial and ethnic bias, accounting for 57.6 percent of all hate crimes.

It also detailed the racial identity of offenders: 52.5 percent of all known hate crime offenders were white, while 23.9 percent were black, with 14.6 percent of offenders being of unknown racial origin, the report said.

Per 2019 U.S. census data, white people accounted for 76.3 percent of Americas population, while black people accounted for 13.4 percent. Adjusted for population, black Americans committed proportionally more hate crimes than white Americans. These racial trends may be related to the socioeconomic status and the educational background of the perpetrators.

In America, its not one specific racial group committing hate crimes specifically against another singular racial group. Its my opinion that most of the crimes in the United States arent actually targeted at specific ethnic groups. Sometimes shops in Chinatown are robbed and the looter may not think too much about the ethnicity of the shop owner; his goal is just to get money, not to commit a race-based hate crime.

Second, the discrimination that systemically hurts Asian Americans comes mainly from the Democratic Party.

Affirmative action seeks to balance educational opportunities on the merit of race. Students of Chinese and/or Jewish heritage tend to have better school performance due to their cultural emphasis on the importance of education and the family. However, these same cultural groups that exhibit overwhelming rates of high academic performance are forced to compete for less academic opportunity on the basis of equality.

This is a systemic legal process utilized in America today, and the primary beneficiaries are not whites but black and Latino students.

In February, the oldest U.S. Asian American civil rights group denounced critical race theory (CRT) as real racism.

The Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) of Greater New York said in a statement: CRT wants to drive Asians out of the best schools. They believe Asians account for too much of the student population. CRT is todays Chinese Exclusion Act. CRT is the real hate crime to deal with.

CRT appears in our workplace under the cover of implicit bias/sensitivity training. It pretends to be a culturally/racially sensitive pedagogy and penetrates our schools. Its courses include The New York Times 1619 Project and the proposed ethnic mathematics curriculum in Seattle. Hate groups, with allies in politics, the press, and education, pass CRT as anti-racism and diversity, equality, and inclusion. But CRT is exactly the opposite. From its very roots, CRT is racist, oppressive, and divisive.

CRT is the belief that legal institutions have no positive role for society and are fundamentally racist because they have been constructed by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of all people of color. The theory has been harnessed as a powerful political weapon by Democrat progressives.

Actually, left-leaning media tends to hesitate in highlighting harm and hatred perpetrated against Asians. The New York Times asserts that the hatred against Asian Americans is due to Trumps use of the term China virus as a name for COVID-19. This statement is ridiculous because Asian people in the United States know very well that the generalized discrimination of Asians in America existed long before Trumps election in 2016although it was not made a topical issue in the media.

Ive noticed in the past that leftist media turned a blind eye to discrimination against Asian Americans because Asians on average dont fall into the colored people are oppressed narrative that has been weaponized by the CRT movement.

Many leftists identify Asians as white accomplices and as beneficiaries of the oppressive society inherent in the United States. They believe that Asians, as a racial group, should be criticized.

Hatred Versus Discrimination

In the past, Asians would express their opposition to discrimination, because in the United States the term discrimination is a commonly used term. But the position of this movement is against the expression of hatred, not discrimination. Hatred and discrimination may be similar terms, but theyre not the same.

In America, systemic discrimination against Asians makes for a weak argument. Asian Americans tend to have higher levels of education and higher household incomes. Critical race theory doesnt make much sense here. The vague term, Asian hate (Asian hate crime?) became a substitute.

Over the past year or so, theres been more and more division within the Democrat party. The extreme left in the Democrat Party differs massively from the Democrat centrists. They need a landmark event, or landmark movement, to bring their partys supporters together.

But this campaign against hate will surely come to an end with little progress.

It is a campaign with no specific goals. Regardless of party, we all oppose hatred. We oppose hatred via discrimination, and we all oppose hatred of any human group, whether based on race, gender, or income. How do they seek to end instances of racial hate? What constitutes racial hate? What policies can end discrimination?

Amid calls to end the hate of Asians, I want to point out that there are groups in the United States who are actively calling for the destruction of the United States for what they call imperialist crimes. They claim that communist China is their true homeland and vigorously promote patriotism for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the United States. Americans must be careful.

The virus of communism has begun to break out in the United States. These people are hidden in the Democrat Party, taking form as the Democrat Partys radical leftists. Their promises are slogans like equality and eliminating racial hate, but these Marxist and communist slogans have historically proven unreliable and dangerous.

In mainland China in the late 1940s, the CCP fought a civil war to seize power from the Chinese Nationalist Party. All CCP media promoted democracy and freedom and equality. The rhetoric loudly demanded universal suffrage, decried a one-party dictatorship and opposed a political party controlling the army. They vigorously praised Western democracy, especially the United States. A large number of Chinese people and intellectuals, dissatisfied with the dynastic rule of government, supported the CCP.

But once the Communist Party took power in China, all talk of democracy stopped, universal suffrage disappeared from the dictionary, and demands for nationalization of the military were silenced. Two million Chinese intellectual elites were sent to prison.

Just like the slogans propagated by the CCP in the last century, we need to be particularly vigilant about such movements today that flaunt the banner of equality as their political fuel.

Alexander Liao is a columnist and news reporter for international affairs studies in the United States, China, and Southeast Asia. He has published numerous reports, reviews, and video programs in newspapers and Chinese financial magazines in the United States and Hong Kong.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A vengeful woman who posted a naked picture of a man she had sex with alongside laughing emojis after he told her he just wanted to be friends has been jailed for revenge porn.

Yasmin Walker, 30, of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, posted the 'revenge porn' on Instagram after having a fling with the victim.

She did so by uploading a naked photograph of the man, alongside three laughing emojis and a mocking caption.

She posted the private photo on Instagram, where she has 1,300 followers, and captioned it 'what the f*** is that?' next to three laughing emojis.

Yasmin Walker (pictured), 30, of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, posted the 'revenge porn' on Instagram after having a fling with the victim

She did so by uploading a naked photograph of the man, alongside three laughing emojis and a mocking caption

The victim was then sent a screenshot of the post. He begged her to take the image down and said he was contacting the police.

Prosecutor Lewis Allan Kerr said the defendant deleted the post after it had been online for 11 minutes.

'Not my fault you got a little d*** and is s*** in bed,' she later messaged him on WhatsApp.

Walker, of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was convicted of disclosing a personal sexual photo with intent to cause distress at the seaside town's magistrates court.

Her victim did not provide the court with a victim personal statement however, he had previously revealed that he'd 'had nights out where people have been shouting stuff about it'.

Walker had denied the offence, claiming she had posted the picture accidentally.

Prosecuting lawyer Philip Morris told the court that Walker 'attempted, quite callously, to humiliate him'.

Walker has four previous convictions for four dissimilar offences, including drink-driving, threatening and abusive behaviour and battery. She has also been cautioned for battery.

She posted the private photo on Instagram, where she has 1,300 followers, and captioned it 'what the f*** is that?' next to three laughing emojis

The court was told an ex-partner of the defendant's was jailed for 12 years for an attack on her that resulted in her losing sight in one eye and having difficulties with sight in the other eye.

Graham Parkin, mitigating, said his client was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the attack at the time of the offence. He said she is addressing her cannabis use problem.

Walker's grandmother attended court to support her.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, said he had to jail the defendant 'so people know revenge porn means prison'.

He jailed her for three months.

Legislation designed to clamp down on revenge porn was introduced in 2015.

People caught sending nude photos of other people without their consent and with the intention of embarrassing them can now get up to two years in prison.
RBC Luxembourg signed a third social agreement on Wednesday in conjunction with the LCGB, OGBL and Aleba unions.

The Canadian bank announced an internal restructure at the beginning of March, which would see a number of redundancies among their 1,100-strong staff base.

214 roles will be affected, according to the latest update issued this week.

The Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB), Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (CGBL) and the Financial Sector Trade Union (Aleba) criticised the fact that the previous social plan, signed in 2019, had not yet come to an end. The unions called upon the bank's management to ensure the Luxembourg site and its roles would be guaranteed.
New Delhi:

India prevented the deaths of about one million children under five in 2005-15, driven by significant reductions in the mortality rates of pneumonia, diarrhea, tetanus, and measles, according to the latest study published in The Lancet.

To achieve UN global goals of reducing child mortality to at least 25 percent 1,000 live births by 2030, India would need to maintain the rapid decline in mortality of children in the 1-59 month group.

The United Nations data revealed that between 2000 and 2015, 29 million children below five died of different causes in India.

"However, since 2005, the progress in terms of reduction in mortality accelerated. Had the mortality rates of 2000-2005 remain unchanged, 30 million children would have died by 2015," said Dr Prabhat Jha, one of the authors and head of the Centre for Global Health Research of St Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

Notably, all the significant changes have occurred due to an increase in spending on public health by the Indian government. Not only this, the government has been launching programmes to encourage women to give birth in hospitals and for children to have a measles vaccine, the study noted that.

Meanwhile, the study also found a slower decline in malaria death rates in children in the 1-59 month group.It also underlined that neonatal mortality rates in rural areas were twice that in urban areas.

The study also emphasized the need for giving special attention to maternal factors such as anemia and tobacco chewing.

Also Read: Scary scenario predicted by WHO, world is running out of antibiotics

The research was done in collaboration with the Registrar General of India, based on 1,00,000 interviews with parents who lost a child. "Hundreds of specially trained census staff in India knocked on the doors of more than 1.3 million homes to interview household members about deaths. Two physicians independently examined these 'verbal autopsies' to establish the most probable cause of death," Dr Jha said.

The study showed a 3.3 percent annual decline in the mortality rates of neonates (babies less than one-month-old) and 5.4 percent for those aged one month to 59 months.The declines in numbers have started accelerating from 2005 and were the fastest between 2010 and 2015 and in urban areas and the richer states.

Per 1,000 live births, the mortality rates among neonates fell from 45 in 2000 to 27 in 2015, while the 1-59-month mortality rate fell from 45.2 to 19.6

Pneumonia and diarrhoea mortality rates for the 1-59- month group declined substantially in 2010-15, at an average of 8-10 percent annual decline nationally

Mortality rates from vaccine-preventable diseases such as tetanus and measles fell by about 90 percent from 2005 and neonatal infection and birth trauma by more than 66 percent.

For the 1-59-month group, mortality rates from pneumonia and diarrhoea fell by more than 60 percent.

Co-author of the study, professor Rajesh Kumar, Dean (Academic) at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, said to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals of halving child mortality rates by 2030, India must maintain its current trajectory for the 1-59-month group and accelerate declines in neonatal mortality.

Also Read: Sharp decline in maternal, infant mortality rate: Union Health Min

Reducing the number of neonatal deaths will require efforts to bring down deaths caused by premature delivery and low birth weights, especially in poorer states, he said

Both are strongly linked to largely modifiable maternal and prenatal factors such as health care during pregnancy, education, nutrition, anaemia and tobacco use.

The author also said that there is a need for a stricter assessment of child mortality at district levels.




press release

The Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Mauritius, Mr Sun Gongyi, paid a farewell courtesy call, today, on the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, at the State House, in Reduit.

The Chinese Ambassador took office in Mauritius in July 2017 and, has since, contributed to the strengthening of the bilateral relations between China and Mauritius.

It is recalled that Mauritius-China bilateral economic and trade relations have been developing steadily since the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries in 1972.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Autism Spectrum Disorder affects 1 in 54 children in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Purdue Autism Research Center Co-Director Mandy Rispoli said parents should be on the lookout for the signs of the disorder.

"When families are not seeing their 12-month-old hit some of those milestones, they probably want to reach out to get support from their pediatrician," Rispoli explained.

Those milestones include using simple gestures like waving or pointing. Children of that age should be using baby talk and saying simple words like, "Ma-ma or Da-da".

"Especially if they used to have some skills and you're not seeing them use those skills anymore," she said. "That's a sign that maybe it's time to reach out and get some additional support."

Rispoli said pediatricians should do autism screenings at 18 and 24 months, but it never hurts to share concerns with a doctor.

"If the family is seeing other concerns during that time or in between those appointments, it's important to reach out," Rispoli added.

She said getting a diagnosis as early as possible is crucial for children.

"The earlier we can intervene and offer support to children and to families, the better the outcomes," she explained.

Rispoli said parents play a key role in making sure their child gets the help they need.

"What's important to know is that child you bring into the doctor's office is the same child you're bringing home," she said. "So, nothing is changing. It's still your baby. It's still your daughter or your son, and you still love or care for them just as you did before these labels were assigned."

For more information on the signs and other Autism resources, click here.
Grants for Teachers

Harbor Freight Competition Recognizes Teachers in Trades

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools has opened the new application window for applying to win cash prizes for teaching excellence. This competition puts the emphasis on recognizing educators and programs teaching the "skilled trades" in public high schools. Its sponsored by the Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools owner and founder Eric Smidt, to support the advancement of skilled trades education in the United States.

For 2021 three grand prize winners will receive $100,000, with $70,000 of that going to the trades program they work in and $30,000 going to the teacher or teacher team. An additional 15 winners will each receive $50,000, with $35,000 going to the public high school program and $15,000 going to the teacher or team.

Previous winners have included:

Kathryn Worley, an industrial technology teacher for West Hills High School in Santee, CA, whose students build furniture and manufacture machined parts, learning about welding, computer-driven machining and other skills. Nine in 10 students who take the program's first semester end up continuing through all three years. More than 90 percent of students complete all assigned projects, and 85 percent believe the program teaches them skills like responsibility and timeliness. One in three of her students enter the trades.

Nicole Taylor, who teaches construction for Warren Technical School in Chamblee, GA, immerses special-needs students in basic carpentry, electrical and masonry before diving into specific trades. Classes tackle community projects, including constructing and maintaining shelters for homeless people.

Wayne Violet, an automotive technology teacher for Washington County Technical High School in Hagerstown, MD, who guides his students through taking donated vehicles and repairing them for sale or auction or preparing them for being scrapped. At least half of the seniors in Violet's program have received cooperative work placements.

All three teachers became educators after many years of working in industry.

Access to the application requires registering on the teaching excellence website. Those applications are due by 5 p.m. Pacific time, May 21, 2021. The finalists will be named July 14, followed by a round two application process. The winners will be announced in October.
A New Jersey bill that requires insurers issuing business interruption policies in the state provide policyholders with a summary of coverage for loss of use and occupancy of a commercial property has passed the state Senate and Assembly. It now awaits Governor Phil Murphys signature.

The bill  A-4805  was introduced in October of last year and aims to achieve greater transparency between insurers and their clients during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

If passed, it requires that The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance publish on its website a one-page summary of common insurance clauses regarding coverage for loss of use and occupancy of a commercial property and business interruption that may be used in a commercial insurance policy.

According to the bill, the summary is required to be published on the departments website within 90 days of the legislations enactment. It should be developed through a public stakeholder process and be written in easily understandable language, as well as include information concerning common coverage triggers, examples of perils typically covered and a summary of common exclusions.

The bill also says a statement reminding policyholders their insurance policy may not cover pandemics or viruses should be in a prominent place in the summary.

Under the bill, authorized insurers are required to provide this summary to potential clients as well as any policyholder seeking renewal of a policy that provides coverage for loss of use and occupancy of a commercial property and busines interruption in New Jersey. Any insurer issuing this type of policy in New Jersey that is in effect on the date the summary is published on the departments website is considered an authorized insurer under the bill. The summary should be delivered to each policyholder either in writing or electronically within 90 days of its publication on the departments website.

The bills primary sponsors are Assemblyman Roy Freiman, Assemblyman P. Christopher Tully and Assemblyman Joe Danielsen.

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), a national insurance industry trade association, expressed its support for the bill, saying it provides an opportunity for insurers to better educate consumers about their insurance policies.

Insurers are committed to helping their customers fully understand their business interruption policies and the coverage options available to them, especially in the midst of a pandemic, Alison Cooper, vice president of state government relations for APCIA, said in a prepared statement.

This bill comes amid an ongoing effort between insurers and policyholders to find clarity regarding pandemic-related business interruption coverage.

Early in the pandemic, The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) made a similar effort toward transparency on this issue by instructing insurers to submit details of business interruption policies provided to insureds, as well as the coverage each policy offers regarding COVID-19.

The instructions were issued on March 10, 2020, to property/casualty insurers authorized in the state and asked insurers to send business interruption coverage explanations to each of their policyholders as well as to DFS, along with a representation that the explanations have been provided to policyholders.

Given the potential impact of COVID-19 on business losses, particularly concentrated effects in local communities, DFS considers insurers obligations to policyholders a heightened priority, DFS stated in its instructions to insurers last year.

New York and New Jersey arent the only states tackling the business interruption issue as it relates to the pandemic. A number of states have gone so far as to consider bills that would mandate business interruption insurers cover COVID-19-related losses, Insurance Journal previously reported.

In 2020, 16 states considered bills like this, but they were either defeated or not acted upon, according to APCIA figures.

An Insurance Journal survey found that the states with proposals pending in 2021 include California, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. One state, Washington, recently defeated its 2021 measure.

While they differ in approach and language, the state proposals seek to require any commercial property insurance policy to cover business interruption losses due to global virus or pandemic. The bills seek to apply coverage retroactively to 2020 coronavirus claims and typically only apply to small businesses.

The insurance industry has pushed back against measures like this, saying the pay out for these losses would come at too high of a cost for the industry.

While were sympathetic to the community, we support the carriers in saying that this was never intended, Jason Ernest, CEO of professional trade association Insurance Agents & Brokers, told Insurance Journal last year.

He said this is because its difficult for insurers to predict the extent of impact for a virus of this type, and therefore, price the risk accordingly.

When insurance is put in place, theres a lot of data that predicts whats going to happen, and it is priced accordingly, he said. If these types of [virus-related business interruption] claims were to be considered, the pricing would just be way out of line for what an average consumer would be able to afford to take on a risk of this type.

Alexandra Roje, partner in Lathrop GPMs insurance recovery practice, previously told Insurance Journal she believes taxpayers, insurers and policyholders will need to all share in bearing the risk from COVID-19.

The impact and burden of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy is so large and so ubiquitous that it simply cannot be shouldered by any single source, she said. As a result, the question is not whether the burden is better handled by one entity or another; it is whether it can be handled at all. To that end, everyone, including insurers, needs to participate in the solution.

Topics Carriers New Jersey
Former US first lady Michelle Obama has reconnected virtually with a group of 'resilient and determined' London schoolgirls she first met in 2009.

Mrs Obama spent an hour speaking by video call to current and former pupils from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (EGA) School in Islington and Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets to promote the publication of two new versions of her 2018 memoir, Becoming.

She discussed topics including mentorship, sisterhood and leadership as well as the impact of Covid-19 on the girls' lives.

Michelle Obama reunited with current and former pupils at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school and the Mulberry School for Girls in London during an hour-long virtual event on Zoom

The former First Lady discussed sisterhood and leadership as well as the impact of Covid-19

She told them: 'Conversations like these keep me optimistic. Meeting all of you, watching your growth.

'You all give me hope. Listening to how thoughtful and insightful you are, how resilient and determined you've been, how strong and capable you are.'

She first visited EGA School in 2009 and in 2011 took a group of pupils to Oxford University when she gave a talk to Christ Church College.

In 2018, she returned for another event at EGA School when she visited the UK for the publication of her memoir.

Mrs Obama first visited Mulberry School for Girls in 2015 to launch her Let Girls Learn campaign and later that year welcomed a group of pupils to the White House.

The lawyer and author, 57, reconnected with the girls on Wednesday afternoon to mark the launch of paperback and younger reader editions of Becoming.

Pictured: Michelle Obama with students from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school back in 2011

Michelle Obama is greeted by pupils as she arrives at Mulberry School for Girls back in 2015

Sarah Beagley, headteacher at EGA School, said: 'Mrs Obama has been a part of EGA since her first visit 12 years ago, before our year seven students today were born.

'Since 2009 she has stayed true to her word, continuing to connect with us in multiple ways and remains a truly inspirational figure for generations of EGA students.

'Her story, her passion and her determination to make a difference to the lives of others resonates completely with the values of EGA and we are proud and delighted that she values her relationship with us as much as we do with her.'

Dr Vanessa Ogden, chief executive and headteacher of Mulberry School for Girls, said: 'Students past and present are so excited about the launch of Michelle Obama's book Becoming, especially adapted for young readers.

The virtual reunion event was part of Michelle Obama's promotion of two new versions of her bestselling memoir Becoming which was released in December 2018 (pictured right)

'Childhood and adolescence are such a formative period. Learning from Mrs Obama - one of the greatest, most inspiring women of our time - could not be more important.

'Her use of her platform to drive change for girls is critical, breaking down barriers to education and building a sisterhood of young women advocating for each other.

'Mulberry is deeply grateful to Mrs Obama for her generosity and support for our girls, providing many opportunities for them to have a voice and inspiring them to found Global Girl Leading as a legacy of her relationship with us.'

BBC One's The One Show will air a film about the event from 7pm on Thursday evening, with a video of the full conversation released by Penguin on its YouTube Channel at 7.30pm.
A Harvest man is in jail after Huntsville police say he was arrested for sexually abusing a child and posting it on social media

Jadarian Williams, 24, is charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12.

Police said several citizens contacted the departments Special Victims Unit regarding the concerning social media post.

Additional charges are expected, and police believe there are no other victims.

The Huntsville Police SVU Investigators are based at the National Childrens Advocacy Center, where they received assistance from Homeland Security on this case, said Capt. Michael Johnson, police spokesman.

Investigators traveled to the central part of the state during the investigation to collect evidence.

If the public knows of any child being abused, they are urged to contact local law enforcement.
A lawsuit filed by a Pennsylvania prison inmate who accused a corrections officer of whistling for the Devil has been ruled out of tune by a federal judge.

Haddrick Byrd, a Muslim, claimed in his U.S. Middle District Court suit against the state prison at Frackville that the guards chronic whistling was offensive to his beliefs and disruptive to his prayer.

He also contended that Muslims believe that whistling is calling the devil.

Byrd claimed the guards almost constant whistling therefore violated his right to free practice of religion.

Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick and Senior Judge Sylvia H. Rambo disagreed, concluding the officers conduct didnt prevent Byrd from practicing his religion or violate any prison rules. Rambo dismissed Byrds suit on Mehalchicks recommendation.

According to Rambos opinion on the case, Byrd contended the officer whistled constantly while on duty in his housing unit. Prison officials said the guard whistled only sporadically, Rambo noted.

Byrd complained to prison officials, pointing to a ban on whistling cited in the inmate handbook and his contention that the whistling infringed on his religious beliefs and ability to pray. Jail officials told the guard to stop whistling, but Byrd said he kept doing it until he was transferred to another housing unit.

In dismissing the suit, the judges found that permitting correctional officers to whistle was rationally related to the legitimate government interest in affording them minimal freedoms to cope with stress while performing their work duties. The ban on whistling applies only to inmates, not to their guards, Rambo found.

It would be unduly burdensome to expect prison officials to monitor every corrections officer to ensure they didnt whistle, Rambo concluded.

In any case, she found the officers whistling didnt prevent Byrd from practicing his religion because Byrd could engage in praying when the whistling guard was off duty.

Byrd, 68, is serving a life sentence for a murder he committed in Philadelphia in 1974.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  The Eastern Caribbean has created its own form of digital currency meant to help speed transactions and serve people without bank accounts.

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank said its DCash is the first such blockchain-based currency introduced by any of the worlds currency unions, though some individual nations have similar existing systems.

It became available Wednesday in four island nations under a yearlong pilot program: St. Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis.

(It) is a milestone in the history of monetary instruments, said Bitt CEO Brian Popelka during a press conference broadcast online.

DCash was created by Barbados-based fintech company Bitt in partnership with the central bank. Unlike cryptocurrencies, it is issued by an official central bank and has a fixed value, tied to the existing Eastern Caribbean dollar used across much of the region.

The system allows users even without bank accounts  but with a smartphone  to use a downloaded app and make payments via a QR code. Those without bank accounts would go to a previously approved agent or nonbanking financial institution who would verify a persons information and then approve a DCash wallet. That person would then go to a supermarket or other store and give the cashier physical cash which would then be deposited as digital currency in their wallet, Bitt spokesman Chris Burnett told The Associated Press.

In addition, there are limits on the amount of money people can send via DCash, there are no plans for now of integrating credit cards and interest does not apply to the digital currency.

While many in the Eastern Caribbean cheered the historic move, some experts worry that digital currency issued by smaller countries could end up being used as a conduit for illicit activities, including terrorism financing and money laundering, said Eswar Prasad, a trade policy professor at Cornell University.

That skepticism is waning as more central banks get into the act, and as central banks around the world face the inevitability of the declining use of physical cash, he said.

He noted that the Bahamas last year became the first country to roll out its digital currency nationwide, and that the Marshall Islands is considering its own cryptocurrency. For smaller countries, there is more at stake in part because many people remain unbanked, he said.

Thats why I think small countries are being more aggressive about this, simply because they need to, Prasad said.

Officials said that by September at the latest, the digital currency will be available in Anguilla, Dominica, Montserrat and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which form part of the eight island economies under the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.

The project aims to see a 50% reduction in the use of physical cash by 2025, said Sharmyn Powell, chairperson of the banks fintech working group.

Its safer, faster and cheaper, Powell said.

Central Bank Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine said he envisions farmers, fishermen, small business owners, single mothers and people without bank accounts, among others, using the digital currency.

Payments are still too slow and too expensive, Antoine said of the current system. We heard you, and we have delivered.

Antoine said it is harder to steal digital cash and said its a safe way to make payments while avoiding contact during the pandemic.

One Eastern Caribbean dollar is currently equivalent to 37 U.S. cents. All Eastern Caribbean notes feature Queen Elizabeth II of England as head of the Commonwealth.

The project comes more than two months after the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Swedish Riksbank and the Swiss National Bank created a group to study whether they should issue digital currencies.

The Swedish central bank already has commissioned a pilot program. Meanwhile, China rolled out a digital currency in four cities in April 2020 as part of a pilot program that has since expanded to more than two dozen cities.

However, Lee Reiners, a fintech law and policy professor at Duke University, said it remains to be seen whether central bank digital currency is the future.

I approach it with a sense of skepticism because this technology has been around for over 10 years now but has not taken off as a broad medium of exchange, he said.

By DANICA COTO

Associated Press
[April 01, 2021] Global Water Technologies and Envirologics bring new pipeline rehabilitation technology to the United States for sustainable infrastructure program

INDIANAPOLIS, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Water Technologies (OTC: GWTR) and Envirologics Engineering, Inc. are pleased to announce their collaboration to bring a new pipeline rehabilitation technology to the United States, where sustainable infrastructure investment was just announced as a national priority for renewing the economy.

This new system is an exciting tool for protecting our nations drinking water while extending the life of existing infrastructure in a cost-effective manner, said Erik Hromadka, CEO of Global Water Technologies.



Our evidence-based asset management system is the first to clean, evaluate, line and protect drinking water pipelines in a sustainable manner, said Randy Cooper, CEO of Envirologics.



The two companies have been working together since 2016, when they hosted an initial demonstration of the technology in the 16 ech innovation district of Indianapolis. Since then, the patented technology has been deployed in several water systems in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.







Although the pandemic and subsequent border closing impacted projects over the past year, this weeks infrastructure announcement by the White House has prompted a greater focus on the need for this system to help renew Americas drinking water distribution pipes.



Envirologics patented technology uses an airborne stream of aggregate to quickly remove tuberculation, corrosion and contaminants from the inside of water distribution pipes. That is followed by a live-streaming evaluation of pipe wall thickness, an application of drinking-water approved pipe lining and external corrosion protection. The technology can also be used to encapsulate any lead found in drinking water pipe joints.





More information is available at: gwtr.com and envirologics.ca. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT:

Statements relating to plans, strategies, economic performance, projections of results of specific activities or investments, and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking information is inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors. Although we believe expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The company has no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.



Contact: info@gwtr.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
analysis

In an article published in 1994 titled The Coming Anarchy, the American journalist Robert Kaplan predicted an impending Armageddon for West Africa due to what he considered its notoriety for breeding crime, coups and tyrannical regimes. Twenty-six years later, it bears examining whether the region has measured up to this grim forecast.

In my paper, I examined how the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had fared in the context of some emerging and recurring security threats in the region. These included jihadist terrorism, drug trafficking and piracy and unconstitutional changes of government.

ECOWAS was formed in 1975 by West African states to accelerate economic growth and development in the region. Its member states include Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria. The adoption of the Accord on Non-aggression and Defence in 1978 marked the inroads of ECOWAS into security regionalism as a prerequisite for the attainment of economic integration.

I assessed the progress of ECOWAS in resolving the main security challenges in the region. I concluded that there are reasons to be optimistic. But recent conflict trends have reignited a great deal of concern about the political stability of the region.

I concluded that ECOWAS is limited in what it can achieve. Nonetheless, it needs to be decisive in enforcing its protocols and policies and sanctioning member states and governing elites who flout them.

Democracy landscape

I reviewed the period between 1989 and 2020.

One of the categories of political instability I looked at was trends in constitutional coups.

Within this period, unconstitutional changes of government accounted for a high percentage of the conflicts in the region. These included Liberia (1989-2005), Sierra Leone (1991-2002), Cote d'Ivoire (1992-2002; 2010-2011), Guinea Conakry (2007-2010), and Guinea Bissau (2005-2009).

Only Cape Verde and Senegal were spared a military coup. Even so, the erstwhile president of Senegal, the then 86-year-old Abdoulaye Wade, did attempt a constitutional coup in 2012 to run for a third term.

In response to many of these developments, ECOWAS deployed both military and diplomatic tactics at different times. For instance, ECOWAS deployed the military in the Liberia and Sierra Leone conflicts and recorded a modicum of success, but this intervention was controversial because of alleged human rights abuses.

Diplomacy was deployed in 2012, when a festering terrorist challenge and Tuareg rebellion in Mali led to the ousting of President Amadou Toumani Toure in a putsch. ECOWAS initiated a mediated settlement with the junta to restore constitutional order while granting them amnesty. It failed to deploy a military tactic due to lack of capacity and disagreements by member states.

However, the use of Blaise Compaore as mediator in the Mali intervention contradicted the organisation's protocols given his despotic tactics at home. Compaore was eventually toppled by a popular protest in 2014.

After a military coup in Burkina Faso in 2015, ECOWAS returned the interim president, Michel Kafando, to office. And it facilitated a political transition in the Gambia in 2017.

Yet it has been ineffectual in dismantling the Gnassingbe dynasty in Togo. And it failed to deplore the move by Alpha Conde of Guinea to push through a constitutional referendum in March 2020. This saw him return to power for a third term as president.

Similarly, President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d'Ivoire capitalised on a new constitution and ran for a third term in 2020 amid some violent protests in the country. According to Adam K. Abebe in the Africa Report, the new constitution

"retains the two-term limit on presidential aspirants but says nothing about terms served prior to its adoption".

In 2020, Mali was back in the spotlight when a popular uprising and coup ended the administration of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. This time, ECOWAS imposed economic sanctions and gave a deadline for the military to hand over to a transitional government.

Overall, I found that ECOWAS's achievements in responding to the crises of governance wrecking the region have been strained by the non-compliance of its own leaders with its good governance protocol.

Drugs, piracy and terrorism

One of the major security threats in the region is drug trafficking. Coastal states of Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Cape Verde, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia and Senegal have become major transit routes for drug traffickers. And substantial seizures of drugs were made between 2005 and 2007. This challenge has been coupled with alarming kidnappings at sea in the Gulf of Guinea.

ECOWAS tried to address the drug crime through the adoption of a policy in 2009 and a year later agreeing the Dakar Initiative. Most of its efforts have focused on restricting the flow of drugs, strengthening borders, and prosecuting culprits.

Then there is the ongoing terrorism of Boko Haram and its splinter sects in Nigeria. This has become a normalised phenomenon with seismic reverberations in neighbouring states. The challenge is compounded by the activities of armed bandits and kidnappers.

ECOWAS adopted a counter-terrorism strategy and implementation plan in 2013. This outlined three main pillars: prevent, pursue, reconstruct.

The priority of member states has been to pursue culprits, with little investment in addressing the ideological and political conditions of violence.

There are also major shortfalls when it comes to the organisation's military unit. The most pressing are corruption and a lack of sustained and improved training.

And, despite its measured progress, ECOWAS still has the critical challenge of resource scarcity. There is also the lack of will to follow through on the implementation of protocols, non-compliance with the protocols, a lack of leadership by members, the brutality of state forces and a general disconnect with the realities of people on the ground.

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The way ahead

The decline of interstate violence and civil wars in West Africa, and the greater prominence of ECOWAS in conflict management, are perhaps indications that the security situation of West Africa didn't turn out to be as gloomy as Kaplan forecast two decades ago. But there are important lessons that have been learnt.

The organisation should support and safeguard the rights of its citizens to stage peaceful protest as a way of balancing the excesses of politicians.

The people should use their rights granted by Article 4 of the 2005 revised protocol under the ECOWAS Court to seek justice in situations where they have been abused by the state or other oppressive groups.

ECOWAS should appoint individuals who are not former heads of state and do not hold political office as regional mediators. Given Nigeria's mammoth internal challenges and weakened political clout, other countries within the region must step up and drive the organisation to achieve its mandate of becoming a community of people rather than an institution that enhances the status and profile of subversive regimes.

Benjamin Maiangwa, Teaching Fellow in International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies, Durham University
North Smithfield Public Schools Joins the Rhode Island Purchasing Group North Smithfield Public Schools invites all potential vendors to register online.

Today, North Smithfield Public Schools announces they will utilize the Rhode Island Purchasing Group for vendor management and bid distribution. This purchasing community and e-Procurement solution from BidNet Direct connects 18 public purchasing departments throughout the state of Rhode Island. North Smithfield Public Schools encourages all local vendors interested in doing business with local government agencies to register online with the Rhode Island Purchasing Group to gain access to upcoming bid opportunities by visiting http://www.bidnetdirect.com/rhode-island/nsps.

The Rhode Island Purchasing Group is a regional online community for public purchasing professionals looking to increase efficiency and transparency for their agencys procurement process. Through participation with the Rhode Island Purchasing Group, North Smithfield Public Schools joins Barrington Public Schools, Providence Public Schools, South Kingstown Public Schools, and Westerly Public Schools in posting RFPs and RFQs on one central location. The online purchasing group makes it easier for local vendors to find, access and bid on local public solicitations.

As a school district, we are always looking to increase our vendor pool and competition, says Lisa Marcotte, Business Manager of North Smithfield Public Schools. We hope the Rhode Island Purchasing Group will help us extend the reach of our solicitations, and it can help our vendors find more local opportunities, continued Marcotte.

Vendors are able to register with the Rhode Island Purchasing Group for free and gain access to open bids from 18 local government agencies all on one platform. Vendors have an option to upgrade their account for notication services and other added benets for extra cost.

The Rhode Island Purchasing Group is a cloud-based e-Procurement solution built to help local government agencies, such as North Smithfield Public Schools, simplify bid and vendor management processes. These days, anything that helps to save me and cut costs is a no brainer for us, Marcotte adds. North Smithfield Public Schools encourages all interested vendors to visit http://www.bidnetdirect.com/rhode-island and register.

About BidNet Direct:

BidNet Direct, a Mediagrif product, is a sourcing solution of regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. BidNet Direct runs regional purchasing groups, including the Rhode Island Purchasing Group, across all 50 states that are used by over 1,600 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers
Because his family and the public will undoubtedly have many questions, we must release any relevant videos as soon as possible, Lightfoot said. Recognizing that these are the most complex cases that COPA investigates, transparency and speed are crucial.
(Newser)  A fishing outing near an Ohio dam ended with the deaths of a high school student who fell into the river and a man who tried to rescue him, authorities said. Two other teenagers were hospitalized. The three teens were part of a larger group who were exploring and fishing Tuesday night on the spillway side of the Delaware Dam on the Olentangy River, about 35 miles north of Columbus, the AP reports. The teens were swept into the river on the downstream side of the dam and began to struggle in the current, witnesses said.

story continues below

Melvin Guerra Salvador, 20, of Columbus, jumped in the water and attempted a rescue, but he and Nabin Bhandari, 17, a Columbus resident who attended Westerville Central High School, both died a short time later. The two other teenagers suffered undisclosed injuries and were being treated at a hospital, authorities said. Salvador wasn't with the group who were fishing from a precarious spot on the dam, but "was a good Samaritan who jumped into the water to save the life of a struggling teen," a sheriff's office spokesperson tells the Columbus Dispatch.

(Read more Ohio stories.)
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KENT  A warehouse and office building at 5866 S. 194th St. in Kent sold for just under $5 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Robbins Holdings LLC, which acquired the property in 2003 for nearly $2.4 million. Robbins Co., now of Ohio, makes tunnel boring machines, or TBMs. The company was founded here in 1952, and apparently sold out of family ownership in 1998.





. . .
The company at the center of quality problems that led Johnson & Johnson to discard an unknown amount of its coronavirus vaccine has a string of citations from U.S. health officials for quality control problems.

Emergent BioSolutons, a little-known company at the center of the vaccine supply chain, was a key to Johnson & Johnsons plan to deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine to the U.S. by the end of May. But the company has been cited repeatedly by the Food and Drug Administration for problems such as poorly trained employees, cracked vials and mold around one of its facilities, according to records obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act. The records cover inspections at Emergent facilities since 2017.

Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday that a batch of vaccine made by Emergent at its Baltimore factory, known as Bayview, cant be used because it didnt meet quality standards. It wasnt clear exactly how many doses were involved or how the problem would affect future deliveries of J&Js vaccine. The company said in a statement it was still planning to deliver 100 million doses by the end of June and was aiming to deliver those doses by the end of May.

J&J locked arms with Emergent in April 2020, enlisting the lesser-known company to manufacture the vaccine J&J was developing with federal funding. At the time, Emergents Bayview facility wasnt scaled for making millions of doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, according to the FDA records that describe the plant as a contract testing laboratory that did not manufacture products for distribution. Upgrades in technology and personnel were required before Bayview could begin making whats known as drug substance material for the vaccine, a two-month process during which the required biological cells are grown.

The FDA inspected Emergents Bayview plant in April 2020, just as the agreement with J&J was being announced. The federal agency criticized the company for problems with its testing of a potential treatment for anthrax, according to the records obtained by the AP. The FDAs lead investigator cited the company for failing to train employees in the particular operations they perform as part of their function and current good manufacturing practices.

On the same day, Johnson & Johnson, in a separate news release, heralded its partnership with Emergent as a step toward the pharmaceutical giants goal of supplying more than 1 billion doses of the vaccine globally by the end of 2021.

Other problems cited by the FDA during the April 2020 inspection included failures by the Bayview plant to ensure that electronically held data generated during analytical testing of material was protected from deletion or manipulation. The FDAs lead investigator, Marcellinus Dordunoo, wrote that Emergent hadnt investigated what he described as data integrity concerns.

The inspection was the most recent in a series of critical reports from the FDA about Emergent, including one following a December 2017 inspection at a plant in Canton, Massachusetts, in which the FDA said the company hadnt corrected continued low level mold and yeast isolates found in the facility. Nearly a year later, agency investigators questioned why Emergent had an unwritten policy of not conducting routine compliance audits at a separate plant in Baltimore, known as Camden, where an anthrax vaccine is filled into vials.

Emergents revenues skyrocketed during the Trump administration, jumping from around $523 million in 2015 to more than $1.5 billion in 2020. The company has invested heavily in lobbying the federal government, according to disclosure records, which show the company spent $3.6 million on lobbying in 2020 alone.

Emergent is one of about 10 companies that Johnson & Johnson is using to speed up manufacturing of its recently approved vaccine, the company said. The Bayview factory where the tainted vaccine ingredient was found had not yet been approved by the FDA, so no vaccine in circulation is affected. Emergent declined to comment.

President Joe Biden has pledged to have enough vaccines for all U.S. adults by the end of May. The U.S. government has ordered enough two-dose shots from Pfizer and Moderna to vaccinate 200 million people to be delivered by late May, plus the 100 million single-dose shots from J&J.

A federal official said Wednesday evening the administrations goal can be met without additional J&J doses.

A J&J spokesman said earlier Wednesday that the company met the end-of-March goal, and the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions online vaccine tracker showed J&J had provided about 6.8 million doses to the U.S. vaccine effort. J&J has been shipping finished vaccines from its factory in the Netherlands to the U.S.

J&J said it was putting more of its manufacturing and quality experts inside Emergents factory to supervise production of the COVID-19 vaccine, a move meant to enable delivery of an additional 24 million vaccine doses through April.

J&J said it still expects to deliver more than 1 billion vaccine doses globally by the end of the year.

The J&J vaccine has been viewed as crucial for vaccination campaigns around the world, because only one shot is required and it can be shipped and stored at standard refrigeration temperatures, unlike some other vials that must be kept frozen. The company also has pledged to sell the vaccine without a profit, but only during the pandemic emergency.

The problem with the vaccine batch was first reported by The New York Times. The FDA said it was aware of the situation but declined further comment.

___

Richard Lardner and Linda Johnson of The Associated Press wrote this story.

Johnson reported from Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, and Lardner from Washington. Associated Press writers Matt Perrone and Zeke Miller in Washington and Jason Dearen in New York contributed to this report.

___

Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org. Follow Richard Lardber on Twitter at @RPLardner.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
ADDIS ABABA - The absence of good governance, sluggish pace of discharging responsibilities and inefficient structures of public enterprises in the pre-2018 period have caused 19 billion USD loss, economic expert said, expressing optimism that the current reform would reverse the situation.

Speaking to The Ethiopian Herald, an economist and private consultant Solomon Zegeye stated that the loss is unbearable to the developing nation like Ethiopia and public enterprises' inefficiency, which is inherited from TPLF-dominated regime, puts the country's economy in a serious challenge.

Public enterprises had to be models for other firms in efficient management; however, the appointment of weak and incompetent persons, based on their party loyalty, lead the institutions to failure and bankruptcy, he added.

"It is understood that in the past, the Auditor General recurrently reported its audit findings and the financial deficit to the parliament, but the response to the report was turning a blind eye and a deaf ear."

As to Solomon, during the TPLF-dominated regime, the debt of public enterprises was written off and it was shifted to the government thereby becoming public debt and worsening the country's debt distress. Broadly speaking, the public enterprises were established to serve the political interest of the elite group and corruption and nepotism were highly prevalent.

Consequently, the government is expected to employ meticulous approaches to address the longstanding mismanagement of public enterprises whilst the effort may take a lengthy period.

Instead of writing off the debt of public enterprises, the government should transfer inefficient institutions and those will not have strategic or security importance to private sector based on studies, the expert noted.

It is remembered that recently the Ministry of Finance announced that public enterprises such as Ethiopian Electric Power, Ethiopian Electric Utility, Ethiopian Railway Corporation, Ethio-Engineering Group (formerly METEC), Chemical Industry Corporation, Construction Works Corporation and the Sugar Corporation have encountered a high risk of debt distress.
The Marine Corps' ground-based laser systems, which can be mounted to the tops of vehicles to take down drones, now have stronger beams to combat airborne threats.

The Corps has a new $2.5 million agreement with Boeing to service its Compact Laser Weapon System for the next five years. The system, which can be attached to combat vehicles, can be used on land or at sea.

Boeing just completed a round of updates to the service's Compact Laser Weapon Systems, giving Marines the ability to take out bigger drones. The updates also made the laser weapon more reliable and faster, and they allow Marines to target more aircraft from greater distances, according to Boeing.

Read Next: Marines Under Investigation After Ammo, Explosives Reportedly Go Missing at Pendleton

The changes come as the top U.S. general in the Middle East warned last month that cheap, off-the-shelf drones pose the most concerning tactical development in that region since terrorists began using improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"These systems are inexpensive, easy to modify and weaponize, and easy to proliferate," Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., the head of U.S. Central Command, said last month.

The Islamic State group has used drones to fly IEDs. One such attack killed two Kurdish fighters in 2016.

Militaries are also using drones to target and surveil troops. Marines using another vehicle-mounted system in 2019 jammed at least one Iranian drone that flew within 1,000 yards of their Navy warship in the Strait of Hormuz, sending it plummeting into the sea.

The Compact Laser Weapon System doesn't just jam drones but destroys them. Josh Roth, a spokesman for Boeing's missile and weapon systems, said the lasers can take out what the Defense Department refers to as Group 1 and 2 unmanned aircraft, which weigh as much as 55 pounds and can operate below 3,500 feet.

Boeing's system also has a counter-sensor capability at longer ranges for larger targets, Roth said. The system uses software to spot and track a threat. Once a drone is spotted, the weapon system focuses a high-energy laser beam on the threat until it's disabled and defeated, he added.

Marines began testing the system, the first ground-based laser approved for military use, in 2019. The laser gives Marines a lightweight option to target drones, Roth said, since it can be carried and operated by just one person.

"It ... affords the warfighter the opportunity to save more expensive air defense missiles for other threats and reduces the logistics footprint by eliminating resupply needs for conventional ammunition," he said.

Roth declined to say how many of the laser systems have gone to the Marine Corps and what units received them, citing operational security. Marine Corps photos and videos show low-altitude air defense battalions on the East and West coasts testing the systems.

Last year, Marines tested the upgraded laser weapon in Yuma, Arizona, where they were able to take down 12 out of 12 drone threats, according to Boeing. Now, those upgraded systems have been delivered to Marine units, Roth said.

The system has also been used in real-world missions, though Roth declined to say where.

The Air Force tested it at Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base in September.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Related: Tiny Drones Are the Biggest Threat in the Middle East Since IEDs, Top General Says
Announcement on the Progress of the A-Share Repurchase through Centralized Bidding Transactions

Qingdao / Shanghai / Hongkong / Frankfurt, 01 April 2021 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-share 690D.DE, A-share 600690.SH, H-share 06690.HK) repurchased a total of 2,715,800 A-shares by way of centralized bidding transactions as of the end of March 2021, accounting for 0.029% of the total share capital of the Company, with the highest purchase price of RMB 30.09 per share and the lowest price of RMB 28.79 per share, and the amount paid was RMB 80,630,869.

I. General information of the A-share repurchase

Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. held the 16th meeting of the tenth session of the board of directors on 5 March 2021, at which the Proposal on the Scheme of Repurchase of a Portion of A-share Public Shares of Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. was reviewed and approved. It is agreed that the Company may repurchase a portion of its A-shares through centralized bidding transactions with its own funds, providing that the repurchase price is no more than RMB 46/share and the total amount of funds used for the repurchase is no more than RMB 4 billion and no less than RMB 2 billion, the number of repurchased shares shall not exceed 86.96 million shares. The implementation period for repurchase falls in the 12 months from the date when the share repurchase scheme is adopted by the board of directors.

II. Details of the first implementation of A-share repurchase

In accordance with the relevant provisions of laws, regulations and regulatory documents including the Detailed Rules of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Implementation of Repurchase of Shares by Listed Companies, the Company's progress of share repurchase is hereby announced as follows:

As of the end of March 2021, the company repurchased a total of 2,715,800 A-shares by way of centralized bidding transactions, accounting for 0.029% of the total share capital, with the highest purchase price of RMB 30.09 per share and the lowest price of RMB 28.79 per share, and the amount paid was RMB 80,630,869.

The repurchase complies with relevant laws and regulations and is in line with the Company's established repurchase scheme.

III. Other matters

The Company will strictly follow the Detailed Rules of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Implementation of Repurchase of Shares by Listed Companies and other relevant regulations and its share repurchase scheme to make repurchase decisions based on market conditions and implement within the repurchase period. The Company shall perform information disclosure obligations in a timely manner according to the progress of the share repurchase. Investors are advised to pay attention to investment risks.

Note: This Announcement has been prepared in both Chinese and English. Should there be any discrepancies or misunderstandings between the two versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.

The Board of Directors

Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.



About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.:

Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized mass production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as smaller household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience.

IR Kontakt:

Yao Sun (Sophie) - Haier Smart Home Deutschland

T: +49 6172 9454 143

F: +49 6172 9454 42143

M: +49 160 9469 3601

Email: y.sun@haier.de
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TUPELO, Miss., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BancorpSouth (NYSE: BXS) will release first-quarter 2021 earnings on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, after the close of the financial markets. It will also hold its regularly scheduled earnings webcast on Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. CDT.

The webcast is live coverage of management's conference call with analysts and can be found by visiting: www.BancorpSouth.com/Webcast . This will be an interactive session between management and analysts; others may listen to the live broadcast as it happens. The conference will also be available in archived format at the same address.

BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, with approximately $24 billion in assets. BancorpSouth operates approximately 305 full-service branch locations as well as additional mortgage, insurance, and loan production offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including an insurance location in Illinois. BancorpSouth is committed to a culture of respect, diversity, and inclusion in both its workplace and communities. To learn more, visit our Community Commitment page at www.bancorpsouth.com ; "Like" us on Facebook; follow us on [email protected]; or connect with us through LinkedIn.





SOURCE BancorpSouth Bank

Related Links

http://www.bancorpsouth.com


(Natural News) Roughly three weeks after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order that lifted mask mandates and allowed most businesses to reopen to full capacity, the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) positivity rate in the state continues to drop.

Today the 7-day Covid positivity rate dropped to a new recorded low: 4.95%. Hospitalizations dropped to a 6 month low. This week we have 1 million 1st vaccines available, Abbott tweeted on Sunday, March 28. Everyone now qualifies for a shot. They are highly recommended to prevent getting Covid but always voluntary.

The 4.95 percent test positivity rate was the lowest the state has seen since the start of the pandemic.

Executive order drew criticism from President Biden

Abbotts executive order, which went into effect March 10, drew a lot of criticism from various sectors. It also put Texas in conflict with President Joe Biden, who urged Americans to keep taking precautions, including wearing masks.

I think its a big mistake. Look, I hope everybodys realized by now, these masks make a difference. The last thing, the last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that, In the meantime, everythings fine, take off your mask, forget it. It still matters, Biden said at that time.

While Biden was Abbotts most recognizable critic, he was certainly not the only one.

Absolutely reckless, California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted in response to Abbotts announcement.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci called it inexplicable.

Texas will experience more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths, state Representative Richard Pena Raymond, a Democrat from the border city of Laredo, told Abbott in a letter.

What Abbott calls pro-business is anti-people. Make no mistake: Opening Texas prematurely will only lead to faster COVID spread, more sickness and overcrowding in our hospitals, and unnecessary deaths. Our countrys infectious-disease specialists have warned that we should not put our guard down even as we make progress towards vaccinations. Abbott doesnt care, said Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Democratic Party in Texas, in a statement.

The states DSHS Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt didnt directly criticize Abbott but told local lawmakers that he did not have a personal conversation with the governor prior to the announcement.

Texas cases down despite what critics said

Contrary to what critics had predicted, cases in the state have actually gone down.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), at least 1,900 new virus cases were reported on Sunday, which would be the lowest daily number the state has seen since early June last year.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that the seven-day moving average number of cases in Texas dropped to the lowest level since mid-June last year. According to the CDC, Texas was averaging 3,783 daily cases as of March 27.

According to data from the states DSHS, 3,104 COVID-19 patients were in hospitals across the state as of Saturday. The state has not recorded a number this low since Sept.19 last year, when there were 3,081 COVID-19 patients in hospital.

As of Monday, March 29, Texas has reported more than 2.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 47,156 deaths.

The drop in virus cases, hospitalizations and the testing positivity rate came three weeks after the state officially lifted its pandemic restrictions, including a statewide mask mandate. Abbott first announced the removal of most COVID-19 restrictions on March 2, when he tweeted that Texas is OPEN 100%. (Related: Texas Gov. Abbott ENDS statewide mask mandate and lifts all restrictions on businesses.)

Abbott says mandates no longer needed

It seems that Abbott took a calculated risk with his decision. Like the rest of the country, Texas sawthe number of cases and deaths plunge before he issued the executive order. At the time he issued the order, Texas had administered nearly 5.7 million vaccine shots to its 29 million residents.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than $42.4 billion in unemployment claims had been paid out in Texas.

From March 2020 to March 2021, 7.2 million unemployment claims have been filed in the state. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, thats more than the previous five years of claims combined. At last count, there were still 322,060 Texans making continued claims for jobless benefits.

Texas is also coming off a deadly cold snap that resulted to massive power outages and food shortages.

We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans by opening Texas 100 percent, Abbott said. At the same time, the governor noted that COVID-19 has not disappeared, but it is clear from the recoveries, vaccinations, reduced hospitalizations, and safe practices that Texans are using that state mandates are no longer needed.

Follow Pandemic.news for more news and information related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

NewsWeek.com

ABC.net.au
Masdar, one of the world's leading renewable energy companies, has launched a global brand campaign 'For A Sustainable Future' ahead of its 15th anniversary later this month.

The move is aimed at reinforcing its leadership in renewable energy and sustainable technology, while highlighting the sustainable development goals of the UAE.

The campaign will highlight real-world examples of Masdar's investment in the transition to cleaner energy sources besides celebrating its legacy, and reiterating its commitment to a sustainable future for all.

"Guided by the future-focused vision of our nation's leadership to develop a resilient and sustainable economy, Masdar continues to innovate and build on its strong history of driving commercially viable, renewable energy solutions for the UAE and around the world," said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman of Masdar.

"Importantly, Masdar's 15 year track record of contributing to the growth of the renewable energy sector reflects the UAE's commitment, as a responsible global citizen, to progressive climate action," he stated.

"We, in the UAE, have always viewed the climate challenge as an opportunity to diversify our economy, building knowledge, skills and jobs. As we prepare to celebrate Masdar's 15th anniversary, 'For A Sustainable Future' will celebrate our many achievements, which have positioned Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a global renewable energy leader," he added.

Despite the global economic challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, Masdar said it has maintained its growth trajectory.

The capacity of the renewable energy projects that the company is a partner in has more than doubled over the past two years, from 4 gigawatts (GW) to 11 GW  enough electricity to power more than 4 million homes  with a combined value of $19.9 billion, it added.

CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said: "Our success in exceeding our own capacity growth targets both reflects the commitment of our shareholder, Mubadala Investment Company, and our dedicated employees around the world."

"It also demonstrates that the pace of the energy transition is accelerating, as visionary nations like the UAE continue to drive sustainable development and as clean energy technologies become more economically compelling," he noted.

"Masdar today is supporting communities in more than 30 countries across the world, and we look forward to extending our global footprint and delivering a more sustainable future for all," he added.

Key projects in which Masdar is currently involved include the largest wind farm in the Middle East, Dumat Al-Jandal, Saudi Arabia's first utility-scale wind-power source.

It is being developed by a consortium led by France's EDF Renewables and once operational will displace 885,000 tonne of carbon dioxide each year and generate enough electricity to power 70,000 homes.-TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi, April 1 : Its that time of the year again where you usually find yourself looking over your shoulder, being a tad suspicious of that story your friend is telling you, or just plain laughing at the pranks everyone is playing on each other, from co-workers right through to big brands.

And no one can deny kiwis are experts at not taking themselves seriously. April Fool's Day classics have included an airline announcing the first "Kids' Class" cabin in the world featuring kickable seats and a radio station for cows - proving there's no end to New Zealand's sense of humor.

In these challenging times it can sometimes feel like we've been living April Fool's Day every day for more than a year now so, rather than play pranks or spread more misinformation, we are taking a different approach and using this as an opportunity to clear up some of the common misconceptions and share some surprising truths about New Zealand! The kiwifruit is from New Zealand.

FALSE. The kiwifruit originated in China and was known as 'yang tao'. After being successfully grown in New Zealand, it was given a name change in 1959, for its resemblance to New Zealand's national bird - small, brown and fuzzy! New Zealand has the longest place name of any English-speaking country in the world.

TRUE. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu is a hill near the town of Porangahau, south of Waipukurau in southern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. At 85 characters, this place name is one of the longest in the world. The name translates into "the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as 'landeater', played his flute to his loved one." Locals simply call it Taumata Hill.

New Zealand has an official wizard.

TRUE. You might think New Zealand can only lay claim to fictional wizards, like Gandalf and Saruman. The city of Christchurch has actually employed its own official wizard for more than 20 years. Ian Brackenbury Channell has been dressing up as a wizard for decades and was offered an official wizarding contract by the city in 1998.

New Zealand is the only country in the world allowed to put Hobbit related imagery on its currency.

TRUE. In 2012, as anticipation for Peter Jackson's latest Tolkien epic "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" reached a fever pitch around the world, New Zealand minted commemorative coins stamped with the faces of Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins and Gollum, and were considered as legal tender in the country.

About 5% of NZ's population is human. The rest are animals.

TRUE. This means New Zealand has the highest animal to humans ratio in the world. Despite the country being roughly the same size of the UK, its human population is over 90% smaller. That's a lot of personal space! New Zealand is full of dangerous animals.

FALSE. New Zealand is an isolated country whose wildlife developed over millions of years, and fortunately, it did not develop any plants or animals that pose a danger to humans. This means there are no lethally poisonous snakes, scorpions, or spiders - or any other dangerous animals or plants. Phew! New Zealand's Parliament building in Wellington is referred to as 'the beehive'

TRUE. The building is so-called because its shape is reminiscent of that of a traditional woven form of beehive known as a "skep". The Beehive was built in stages between 1969 and 1979, when the first parliamentary offices moved in and stands 72 metres tall.

(Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
(CNN) -- You may not be traveling or hanging out in malls much these days, but Google Maps is preparing for a return to such places in the not-so-distant future: It's rolling out a new feature that uses augmented reality to navigate malls, airports, and train stations.

On Tuesday, Google unveiled the feature, called Indoor Live View, which shows graphics like arrows, directions, and icons on your smartphone's screen, laid atop a camera view of the world around you. It can be used to help you find a store in a shopping mall or a bathroom at an airport, for instance. The feature is more interactive than Google Maps' existing indoor maps, and expands on a similar feature for city-street navigation that launched in 2019. It's available for Android and iOS users at some malls in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long Island, Seattle, and Newark, New Jersey. Google said it will be available for use at a limited number of airports, malls, and transit stations in Tokyo and Zurich in the coming months.

The feature is among a host of changes Google has made in recent years to Maps as it continues to position its popular app as one that goes far beyond offering maps and turn-by-turn directions.

Russell Dicker, a Google Maps director of product, said during a briefing with journalists on Monday that the AR feature will help users find a range of things indoors, such as a baggage claim or a train platform at a transit station, or, in a mall, directions to a store on a certain floor.

Typically, a smartphone uses its built-in GPS and compass to determine your location and what direction you are facing in a mapping app. In crowded cities and inside buildings, however, these technologies may not be as effective (GPS, for example, relies on having a line of sight to pass along radio signals from far-off satellites to your phone).

Instead, Live View relies on artificial intelligence and Google's massive inventory of Street View images: As the company explained in the past, a user holds up their phone so the app can match details about landmarks with those visuals that the app has already captured. Google Maps uses machine learning to determine which details are likely to be the same and which are best to ignore. Google said the indoor version of Live View also takes into consideration the user's altitude and where objects are inside a building. Once the app has a good idea of where you are, it can overlay virtual images to help you find your way to your destination.

Other features Google Maps showed off Tuesday that will be available in coming months include the ability to see the weather or air quality as you plan a trip within the app. Later this year, the app will also show users the most eco-conscious driving route, by default, if a route that uses less fuel (which will be determined by considering factors such as road incline and traffic density) is estimated to be about as fast as another route. Google said it's working with the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the feature.

"By and large what we're seeing in our work so far is that for around half of routes we're able to find an option that's more eco-friendly with minimal or no time cost tradeoff," Dicker said.

The company also said it's conducting a pilot program with Kroger-owned supermarket Fred Meyer to integrate its existing curbside grocery pickup with Google Maps. For instance, the app could continuously update the store about your estimated arrival time and let you check in through the app when you arrive. The pilot will run this summer in some stores in Portland, Oregon.

These features follow several others that were introduced earlier this month that focus on encouraging users to post more of their own content to the mapping app; these included making it simpler to share photos of places you visit.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Google Maps adding new features, including augmented reality for (eventually) getting around airports and malls"
TEL AVIV, Israel, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 7th, the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Jewish calendar, International March of the Living, together with the Maimonides Institute for Ethics and the Holocaust, the Miller Center at Rutgers University, the USC Shoah Foundation and Teva Pharmaceuticals, will hold a special symposium on "Medicine and Morality: Lessons from the Holocaust and COVID-19".

Medicine and Morality: Lessons from the Holocaust and COVID-19 [PROMO] Invitation for medical symposium on "Medicine and Morality" on April 7th, 2021 (PRNewsfoto/International March of the Living)

The program will include testimony from survivors who were both persecuted by Nazi doctors as well as saved by medical professionals during the Holocaust. It will also feature world renowned medical professionals and researchers who will discuss medical resistance during the Holocaust, the legacy of Nazi medicine and what the Holocaust can teach us about the ethics of care.

During the symposium, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the U.S. President, will receive the "Moral Courage in Medicine" award for his work in combatting COVID-19, his long history of leading the battle against infectious diseases, and his dedication to the health and wellbeing of humankind.

The event will also include a moving performance of 'Schindler's List' by Grammy Award winner and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador of Music, Miri Ben-Ari. A renowned violinist, producer and humanitarian, Ben-Ari is also the descendant of Holocaust survivors.

Participating organizations include the World Medical Association, Department of Education of the UNESCO Chair of Bioethics, Israeli Medical Association, Canadian Medical Association, Indian Medical Association, South African Medical Association and many others. The program has been approved for 1.5 ACCME credits for participating physicians and nurses.

Vice-Chair of the International March of the Living, Prof. David Machlis, and Founding Director of the Maimonides Institute for Ethics and the Holocaust, Dr. Stacy Gallin, noted that this year in particular, it is appropriate to honor the activities and heroism of the medical community during the Holocaust, by inviting practicing medical professionals to participate in all of the March's events. "We believe that hundreds of medical staff and medical students will tune in to watch a program that will be both informative and poignant," said Prof. Machlis.

Dr. Eran Harary, VP, TA Head, Neurology and Psychiatry, Global Specialty R&D:"The Nazis and their collaborators worked systematically to exterminate our people, conducting monstrous experiments. We are now a world leader when it comes to science and medicine, developing drugs and bringing improved health to the lives of patients across the world. From a nation that was condemned to death and destruction during the Holocaust, we are a people engaged in preserving life".

International March of the Living is the largest annual international Holocaust education program which, until the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020, has taken place in Poland and Israel without interruption, since its inception in 1988. To date, close to 300,000 International March of the Living participants have marched en masse along the 3.2-kilometer path from Auschwitz to Birkenau, against prejudice, intolerance and hate and in tribute to the greatest loss in the history of the Jewish people.

The event will be broadcast online on Wednesday April 7 at 19.00 ET. Visit the following link to register: https://www.motl.org/medicine/

Promo video: https://youtu.be/G5l-dGf04Ok

Video: https://youtu.be/G5l-dGf04Ok

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479819/International_March.jpg

SOURCE International March of the Living
(Newser)  Four people, one of them a child, were killed Wednesday in a shooting at a California office complex. A fifth victim was critically injured. Police responded to the two-story complex in Orange, which holds multiple small businesses, around 5:30pm after a report of gunshots. They were fired upon when they arrived and returned fire, the Los Angeles Times reports. Lt. Jennifer Amat with the Orange Police Department says the suspected shooter was hospitalized in critical condition, but it's not clear whether he was shot by police or had a self-inflicted wound, reports KTLA. A firearm was reportedly recovered at the scene. The Times notes that the mass shooting in "usually quiet" Orange is at least the third mass shooting in the US in two weeks, pointing to one on March 16 in Atlanta that left eight dead, and one on March 22 in Boulder, Colo., which ended in 10 fatalities.

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CNNwhich defines a mass shooting as one that leaves four or more wounded or deadputs that number even higher, listing 20 that have taken place since the Atlanta shootings. The spate of mass shootings comes after the number had dropped during the coronavirus pandemic to its lowest level in nearly 10 years. "We haven't had an incident like this in the city of Orange since 1997," Lt. Jennifer Amat tells the outlet. NBC News notes that is the year when a California Department of Transportation worker who'd been fired for stealing fatally gunned down four other employees in a DOT maintenance yard. Reacting to the news in Orange, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement calling the shooting "horrifying and heartbreaking," while Democratic California Rep. Katie Porter said she was "deeply saddened." (Read more California stories.)
Irvine, CA - April 1, 2021 - A collaborative team centered in the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and including Children's Hospital Orange County (CHOC) and Chapman University (CU) has been awarded a three-year grant totaling in excess of $2.3 million, to address the health impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) using precision medicine. Announced by the California Governor's Office of Planning & Research, in partnership with the Office of the California Surgeon General, the award is part of the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM). The research project will begin May 2021.

Led by Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD, Bren Distinguished Professor and director of the Conte Center at UCI, the UCI, CHOC and CU team has established two goals. The first is to identify the degree to which unpredictability of early life experiences interacts with established ACEs to influence children's neurodevelopment. The second is to employ a novel epigenetic approach, with a goal of discovering, for each child, a marker that can predict their level of resilience, so targeted interventions can be delivered to children who need them most.

"The burden of ACEs is not equally distributed. There exists a greater risk of exposure among low socioeconomic and racial/ethnic minority communities," explained Baram. "Through this project we seek to determine how both established ACEs and a new, preventable ACE influence children's emotional and cognitive behaviors, and identify a way to predict early-on if a child is impacted by ACEs or is resilient. Our goal is to enable caregivers to provide special attention and intervention to those most at need, ameliorating health disparities."

ACEs affect two-thirds of Californians directly and can complicate physical and mental health across the lifespan. The UCI team intends to screen 100,000 children across Orange County, California for the study.

In addition to Baram, principal investigators on the UCI team include Michael Weiss, DO, FAAP, vice president of population health for Children's Hospital Orange County (CHOC); Dan Cooper, MD, associate vice chancellor for clinical and translational science, professor of pediatrics and biomedical engineering, and director of UCI's Institute for Clinical and Translational Research; Laura Glynn, PhD, professor of psychology, and associate dean for research at Chapman University; and, Candice Taylor-Lucas, MD, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics and co-director for UCI's Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC) program.

UCI was among four awardees announced by the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research, in partnership with the Office of the California Surgeon General. The other three awards were given to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Loma Linda University and the University of California, San Francisco.

A total of $9 million in state funds were awarded to support the proof-of principle demonstration projects for families and communities with ACEs with an aim to improve access, care and outcomes through collaboration between academic, community, nonprofit and private partners.

"This State of California initiative recognizes that ACEs have profound cumulative negative impacts on mental and physical health of children, impacts that remain for a lifetime," said Baram. "Along with the state, we believe precision medicine holds promise to more fully apply data to improve health and healthcare, and we intend to deliver on that promise."

###

About the UCI School of Medicine

Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students, and nearly 150 doctoral and master's students. More than 700 residents and fellows are trained at UCI Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The School of Medicine offers an MD; a dual MD/PhD medical scientist training program; and PhDs and master's degrees in anatomy and neurobiology, biomedical sciences, genetic counseling, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and translational sciences. Medical students also may pursue an MD/MBA, an MD/master's in public health, or an MD/master's degree through one of three mission-based programs: the Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM), the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC), and the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). The UCI School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit som.uci.edu.
Tunis/Tunisia  Civil society activists from Sousse rallied on Thursday morning outside the Italian embassy headquarters in Mutuelleville, near downtown Tunis, to demand that 282 containers of Italian household waste "illegally exported to Tunisia" be returned, TAP reporter said.

Activists, whose home city port saw dozens of containers of Italian waste unloaded and stored since last summer, laid wreaths outside the entry to the embassy. where police presence was beefed up.

They chanted slogans demanding the removal of Italian waste and decried the use of Tunisia as a dumping ground. They also condemned the neglect demonstrated by both countries and corruption seen in this field.
The seven-day rolling average of daily COVID-19 deaths fell below 1,000 for the first time in nearly five months on Wednesday, a DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

It comes after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr Rochelle Walensky said Monday she was 'scared' and had 'a feeling of impending doom' as she watched the trends in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

After weeks of steady declines, those trends leveled off. By Monday, the CDC's figures showed new average daily coronavirus cases had risen by 10 percent compared to the previous week, and deaths were hovering around 1,000 a day.

Although the average of deaths fell on Wednesday, the U.S. recorded another 1,076 fatalities on Wednesday - an increase over the prior five days.

The contradictions in U.S. Covid numbers reflect a larger tension in the American battle against the virus: Vaccinations accelerating and the weather is warming, prompting states to relax restrictions, but herd immunity is still months away and more infectious variants are taking hold, fueling the spread of coronavirus.

If the U.S. is in a race between vaccines and variants, the data suggest it's neck-and-neck.

The seven-day rolling average of daily COVID-19 deaths fell below 1,000 for the first time in nearly five months on Wednesday

The seven-day rolling average of new cases is down to about 64,500, but more than 67,000 new infections were recorded Wednesday

CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky warned that she had a feeling of 'impending doom' when looking at the trends in Covid cases and deaths, but average fatalities have fallen

The U.S. saw more than 67,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, up from 61,240 the previous day.

That's somewhat more new infections than the seven-day rolling average of 64,514 cases a day, but down 23 percent from the number of new positive tests reported on the prior Wednesday.

Fatalities have been declining quickly in the U.S. over the past three months, but the CDC now predicts that 'deaths will remain stable or have an uncertain trend over the next 4 weeks.'

Its latest models, published Wednesday, predict that 3,100 to 10,200 Americans will die during the week ending in April 24.

By then, the total death toll could rise as high as 585,000 the latest model warns.

In the past week, the U.S, saw 6,722 new deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

CDC predicts that eight states or territories will continue to see declining death rates, but says that the future trends in fatalities are uncertain in the vast majority of states.

CDC's latest models, published Wednesday, predict that 3,100 to 10,200 Americans will die during the week ending in April 24

To-date, more than 552,000 Americans have died of COVID-19.

More than 30 million people have been infected by coronavirus and tested positive, though the real number of cases is likely much higher.

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed total U.S. deaths last year beyond 3.3 million, the nation's highest annual death toll, according to a Wednesday CDC report.

Coronavirus caused approximately 375,000 deaths, and was the third leading cause of death in 2020, after heart disease and cancer.

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now top 550,000 since the start of the pandemic.

The disease displaced suicide as one of the top 10 causes of death, according to the report.

The data should serve again as a catalyst for each of us to continue to do our part to drive down cases and reduce the spread of COVID-19 and get people vaccinated as quickly as possible,' CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday.

The U.S. death toll increases most years, but last year's death rate was up nearly 16% compared to the previous year. That's the largest one-year leap since 1918, when U.S. soldier deaths in World War I and the flu pandemic pushed deaths up 46% compared with 1917.

Death rates last year overall were highest among Black people and American Indian and Alaska Native people. The COVID-19 death rate was highest among Hispanic people.

'Sadly, based on the current state of the pandemic, these impacts have remained in 2021 where we continue to see that communities of color account for an outsize portions of these deaths,' Walensky said.

Preliminary data in December suggested 2020 would be an especially deadly year and the CDC's new report showed it was even worse than anticipated. The new numbers are still considered preliminary and are based on an analysis of death certificates.

With tens of millions of Americans already infected and the vaccination campaign accelerating, the worst should be behind the U.S., despite the appalling toll 2020 took.

All three vaccines authorized in the U.S. are virtually 100 percent effective against severe disease and death from COVID-19.

And good news keeps rolling in about the protection they provide.

On Thursday, Pfizer published data showing its two-dose vaccine is 91 percent effective against symptomatic infection and offers at least six months of protection.

The shot also was 100 percent effective in a small study of 800 people in South Africa, where a variant scientists feared would dodge vaccine immunity is now dominant.

Separate tests added evidence that the shot works against the Brazilian variant as well.

And Pfizer reported its trial participants were protected for at least six months - twice as long as it was able to say of its vaccine at the time of FDA authorization in December.

Nearly 30 percent of Americans have had one or more dose of COVID-19 vaccines, and 16.4 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

With 2.8 million shots being given a day, according to Bloomberg data, all but one U.S. state (Wyoming) have opened vaccine access or announced plans to expand that access to all adults, ahead of President Biden's May 1 deadline.

Many of those states have stepped to a new level of reopening in tandem with their vaccine expansions.

Eight states - North Dakota, Wyoming, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Iowa, Montana and Arkansas - have dropped virtually all of their restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus.

But at least Iowa, Wyoming and North Dakota are still in the midst of rising new Covid cases over the past two weeks, according to DataUSA.io.

North Dakota, in fact, has seen the second steepest rise in new infections in the country over the past 14 days.

It joins New York, New Jersey and Michigan with an increase of more than 40 percent in new infections.

Michigan tops the charts, with cases increasing by nearly 70 percent over the past two weeks.

North Dakota has dropped virtually all restrictions, including masking requirements, while Michigan, New Jersey and New York have raised indoor dining capacity caps to 50 percent (up from 25 percent).

Public health experts are calling these moves toward reopening 'premature,' and if more states make similar changes, new Covid cases will likely rise, followed by hospitalizations and deaths.

Vaccinations could head that trend off - but Bloomberg's calculator estimates that the U.S. is still at least four months from herd immunity.
Neneh M.C. Cham, a private lawyer, yesterday testified before the TRRC, stating that former President Yahya Jammeh's government used to intervene in any court case that interested him, adding she normally had difficulties in getting information from the police with regard to her clients.

"Sometimes it was not easy to have access to our clients and some of the times, they are kept for more than 72 hours and needed to see lawyers."

Giving examples of police denying her access to see her clients, she explained that when Mariama Denton was arrested in 2006, she tried on many occasions to visit her at the Mile 2 Prison, but to no avail. She added Lamin Tunkara was not initially denied access, but at the later part, they used to give excuses and eventually said he (Lamin) was no more in their custody.

Barrister Cham further explained that when she visited her clients, Bai Lowe and others, who were incommunicado for two years, she was directed to one of the senior commissioners who told her that the detainees couldn't be released. She indicated that Bai Lowe and colleagues were kept on the orders from the top and she couldn't have access to them.

"Even if we were granted access to see our clients, they wouldn't give us privacy; instead, they would be standing beside."

She told the commission that some of her clients normally complained about slaps by the police, adding most of the severe tortures took place at the NIA headquarters.

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"I don't have personal experience but it was known that some of the magistrates receive command on whether to grant bail or not. I was never allowed to visit any of my clients detained at the NIA," she recalled.

On the alleged 2008 coup, the witness said the soldiers were tried at the Yundum Barrack Court Martial and all of those alleged had been tortured. She said the lawyers were denied access to the NIA just to cover-up the tortures meted on the detainees.

On the detention of UDP militants in 2016, she further recalled that Antumana Gaye and she visited the arrestees but were denied access, saying some of the militants were transferred to Janjanburreh Prison and tried at Mansakonko Magistrate's Court.

With regard to a girl child who suffered detention at the prison, she testified that she and Sagar Jahateh visited the child, who was 17 years and was in prison for two years without trial.

"The child was accused of killing her husband and I believe she got married at the age of 13 and the laws of the country do not allow early marriages. The police couldn't find the case file but with our efforts, she was later granted bail by the court."

She testified that one of her clients, Babou Janha was convicted and sentenced to 10 years by the court for concealment of treason with zero evidence.

Quizzed about former witness Cherno Marena's allegation that the DPP did receive instructions from the President or the Attorney General mostly on political cases, Neneh said she agreed with Marena.
[April 01, 2021] DATA443 ANNOUNCES NEW RANSOMWARE PRODUCT FOR ENDPOINTS IN RESPONSE TO ESCALATING INFECTION COSTS AND EXTORTION RISKS

Capability Removes Requirement for Physical Interaction by IT Staff, Perfect for Hospitals, Schools, Government & Manufacturing RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc. (Data443 or the Company) (OTCPK: ATDS), a leading data security and privacy software company, is pleased to announce that its latest privacy-centric endpoint technology  Data443 Ransomware Recovery Manager  is now available. The functionality of Data443 Ransomware Recovery Manager is a direct response to the escalating ransomware attacks experienced around the world on a daily basis, said Jason Remillard, founder and CEO of Data443. These attacks affect millions of organizations of all sizes and across all sectors - with a high number of attacks primarily targeting three sectors: financial services, healthcare and education. Not only has the incident rate been increasing, the infection rates, costs, and true damages are also increasing year over year, and at an accelerated rate. It is no longer a matter of if but when a ransomware or virus attack hits a business. The Data443 Ransomware Recovery Manager solution was built for the modern enterprise with this attack landscape in mind, and its capabilities are designed to recover a workstation immediately upon infection to the last known business-operable state, without any end user or IT Administrator efforts. Data security continues to be a growing concern for all stakeholders, and having a capability at hand to protect, respond and be back in full operations within minutes is a true differentiator for Data443 and our unique product stack. With the integrated power of Data Identification Manager and Data Archive Manager, we are able to ensure sensitive data is both archived and restored if there is any infection, and with virtually zero down time. Augmented with Data Classification and Data Governance capabilities within the larger Data443 product family, Ransomware Recovery Manager possesses unique capabilities unmatched in this market segment. This new capability demonstrates our commitment to always deliver sophisticated and timely solutions purposefully designed to produce strong ROI for our customers. Data security, protection and recovery are some of the industries greatest challenges, and we are proud to be at the vanguard of combating ransomware attacks, which has already cost US companies billions of dollars, concluded Mr. Remillard. Ransomware Recovery Manager is available immediately from Data443 at:

https://data443.com/products/ransomware-recovery-manager/ Interested parties may also contact sales directly at: sales@data443.com or call us at: 855-DATA-443 About Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc. Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc. (OTCPK: ATDS), is the de facto industry leader in Data Privacy Solutions for All Things Data Security, providing software and services to enable secure data across local devices, network, cloud, and databases, at rest and in flight. Its suite of products and services is highlighted by: (i) Sensitive Content Manager (ARALOC), which is a market leading secure, cloud-based platform for the management, protection and distribution of digital content to the desktop and mobile devices, which protecs an organizations confidential content and intellectual property assets from leakage  malicious or accidental  without impacting collaboration between all stakeholders;



(ii) Data Archive Manager (ArcMail), which is a leading provider of simple, secure and cost-effective email and enterprise archiving and management solutions; (iii) Data Identification Manager (ClassiDocs and FileFacets), the Companys award-winning data classification and governance technology, which supports CCPA, LGPD, and GDPR compliance in a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that performs sophisticated data discovery and content search of structured and unstructured data within corporate networks, servers, content management systems, email, desktops and laptops;

(iv) ClassiDocs for Blockchain, which provides an active implementation for the Ripple XRP that protects blockchain transactions from inadvertent disclosure and data leaks; (v) Data443 Global Privacy Manager, the privacy compliance and consumer loss mitigation platform which is integrated with ClassiDocs to do the delivery portions of GDPR and CCPA as well as process Data Privacy Access Requests  removal request  with inventory by ClassiDocs; (vi) Data Placement Manager (DATAEXPRESS), the leading data transport, transformation and delivery product trusted by leading financial organizations worldwide; (vii) Access Control Manager (Resilient Access), which enables fine-grained access controls across myriad platforms at scale for internal client systems and commercial public cloud platforms like Salesforce, Box.Net, Google G Suite, Microsoft OneDrive and others; (viii) Data443 Chat History Scanner, which scans chat messages for Compliance, Security, PII, PI, PCI & custom keywords; (ix) the GDPR Framework WordPress plugin, with over 30,000 active users and over 400,000 downloads it enables organizations of all sizes to comply with the GDPR and other privacy frameworks; (x) The CCPA Framework WordPress plugin, which enables organizations of all sizes to comply with the CCPA privacy framework;

(xi) LGPD Framework WordPress plugin, which enables organizations of all sizes to comply with the Brazilian GDPR/LGPD privacy rules; and (xii) IntellyWP, a leading purveyor of user experience enhancement products for webmasters for the worlds largest content management platform, WordPress.

For more information, please visit http://www.data443.com. Forward-Looking Statements The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as may, will, could, should, expect, plan, project, intend, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential, pursuant, target, continue, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding Data443s plans, objectives, future opportunities for Data443s services, future financial performance and operating results and any other statements regarding Data443s future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, financial conditions, assumptions or future events or performance that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, many of which are beyond Data443s control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and include, without limitation, results of litigation, settlements and investigations; actions by third parties, including governmental agencies; volatility in customer spending; global economic conditions; ability to hire and retain personnel; loss of, or reduction in business with, key customers; difficulty with growth and integration of acquisitions; product liability; cybersecurity risk; anti-takeover measures in our charter documents; and, the uncertainties created by the ongoing outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus that was recently named by the World Health Organization as COVID-19. These and other important risk factors are described more fully in our reports and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), including under (i) Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, in our Registration Statement on Form 10 filed with the SEC on January 11, 2019 and amended on April 24, 2019; (ii) Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 23, 2021; and, (iii) subsequent filings. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are based on information available to us on the date hereof. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise. The Data443 logo, ClassiDocs logo, ARALOC logo, ARCMAIL, DATAEXPRESS and FILEFACETS are all registered trademarks of Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc.

All product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement.

All other trademarks cited herein are the property of their respective owners. For Further Information:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/data443Risk

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Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/data443-risk-mitigation-inc/

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Investor Relations Contact:

Matthew Abenante

ir@data443.com

919.858.6542



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Hyderabad: The TRS is in power in all elected bodies from the village to the district level in Nalgonda district, which puts the ruling party on a strong wicket for the Nagarjunasagar Assembly bypoll on April 17.

The majority presence of TRS sarpanches, ward members, mandal and zilla committee members, municipal chairpersons, zilla parishad chairpersons covering every village and mandal in constituency gives the TRS an edge over rival parties. No other party stands anywhere near the TRS on this front.

These TRS elected representatives with their local connect are playing a key role in garnering the support of voters at their respective levels for the party candidate Nomula Bhagat.

In the Nagarjunasagar constituency, the TRS has two municipal chairpersons, two municipal vice-chairpersons, three zilla parishad terrritorial committee (ZPTC) members, five mandal presidents, 50 mandal parishad terrritorial committee (MPTC) members and 137 sarpanches covering every village and mandal.

The constituency has six mandals: They are Gurrampodu, Peddavura, Tirumalagirisagar, Halia, Nidamanoor and Tripuraram, besides a part of Madgulapalli mandal.

In the last Assembly polls held in December 2018, TRS candidate Nomula Narasimhaiah secured a majority over the Congress candidate K. Jana Reddy in all the mandals except in Tripuraram where he trailed by 235 votes.

The TRS dominance in this constituency was proved yet again in the gram panchayat, mandal and zilla parishad and municipal polls held soon after, in 2019, in which the TRS made an almost clean sweep.

The local elected leaders of TRS are strictly following the instructions of ministers, MLAs and MLCs of TRS in executing the strategies with regard to micro=level booth management to ensure voters reach polling booths and cast votes in favour of TRS.
(Newser)  The highest criminal appeals court in Texas will review the high-profile case of a woman sentenced to five years in prison for voting while ineligible. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rarely reviews non-death penalty convictions. But it announced Wednesday that it would review legal briefs, but not oral arguments, in the case of Crystal Mason, reports the Texas Tribune. The Fort Worth woman, now 45, was on supervised releaseakin to probationfor felony tax fraud when her mother encouraged her to vote in the 2016 election. She was not on the voter registration roll at her Tarrant County polling place but filled out a provisional ballot with help from a poll worker, unaware she's wasn't eligible. The back of the ballot, which Mason didn't read, included an affidavit stating convicted felons in Texas are barred from voting until they complete their full sentence, including any term of supervision.

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Though her ballot was one of more than 11,000 of 12,668 provisional ballots cast in Tarrant County between 2014 and 2019 to be rejected for ineligibility, the Guardian reports the Black woman appears to be the only one who ended up prosecuted. An appeals court later upheld her sentence, finding "the fact that she did not know she was legally ineligible to vote was irrelevant." But Mason's legal team, including the American Civil Liberties Union, hopes the highest criminal appeals court will find Mason didn't intentionally vote illegally and didn't really commit the crime since her vote wasn't counted, per NBC News. "I'm hopeful that the judges will understand that any Texan, like me, who at most unknowingly makes an innocent mistake, should not be punished for it," says Mason, who is out of prison on an appeal bond. (Read more voting stories.)
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Wealth Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: WML) (OTCQB: WMLLF) (SSE: WMLCL) (FSE: EJZN) (the "Company" or "Wealth"), announces a non-brokered private placement (the "Placement") of up to 30,303,030 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.165 per Unit (the "Offering") for gross proceeds of up to $5,000,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional share of the Company for a period of two years from the date of issuance at a price of $0.30 per share.

Finder's fees may be payable to arm's length parties that have introduced the Company to certain subscribers participating in the Offering. All securities issued in the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period, during which time the securities may not be traded. Closing of the Offering is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The net proceeds from the Offering are intended for general corporate purposes.

This press release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the foregoing securities in the United States. None of the foregoing securities have been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Wealth Minerals Ltd.

Wealth is a mineral resource company with interests in Canada, Mexico, Peru and Chile. The Company's main focus is the acquisition and development of lithium projects in South America.

The Company opportunistically advances battery metal projects, namely copper and nickel, where it has a peer advantage in project selection and initial evaluation.

Lithium market dynamics and a rapidly increasing metal price are the result of profound structural issues with the industry meeting anticipated future demand. Wealth is positioning itself to be a major beneficiary of this future mismatch of supply and demand. In parallel with lithium market dynamics, Wealth believes other battery metals will benefit from similar industry trends.

For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's website (www.wealthminerals.com) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

WEALTH MINERALS LTD.

"Hendrik van Alphen"

Hendrik van Alphen

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Marla Ritchie

Phone: 604-331-0096 Ext. 3886 or 604-638-3886

E-mail: info@wealthminerals.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements with respect to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained lithium, vanadium, copper and precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Company's projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Company's projects and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, the timing and amount of estimated future production, the costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, requirements for additional capital, future prices of lithium and copper, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, including the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in the future financings, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, including acceptance by the TSXV, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Managements' Discussion and Analysis and filed with the Canadian Securities Authorities. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

**NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES**



To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79270
The Market Report with Katie Pilbeam.

FTSE 100 started April Fool's Day in good spirits, although its likely to remain quiet ahead of the long Easter weekend. Londons main index gained 46 points to 6,760 in the morning.

( ) expects sales to drop 20% this year as it expects store performance to remain weak even after Covid-19 restrictions end. Profit before tax more than halved in the year to January 2021 due to lockdowns.

Denise Coates, the head of gambling firm Bet365, was paid 469mln in 2020 in one of the biggest annual pay packets ever seen in British corporate history. However, company profits fell 74% in the same period after international sporting events were cancelled.

PLC ( ) shareholders have voted in favour of buying Pinnacle, a Canadian biomass company. The energy firm is planning to clean up operations by replacing coal with wood pellets but scientists have warned against it.

( ) has engaged consultancy Guidehouse to research and advise on science-based solutions as part of a long-term strategy to eliminate its climate impact. The cryptocurrency miner said Guidehouse work will include providing a full climate action plan.

( ) said it is part of a consortium of investors in Enerox that will invest US$30mln to scale up annual production capacity by 2022. Enerox is a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) manufacturer.

FastForward-Innovations-Limited ( ) has taken part in the 14mln pre-IPO funding round for , the Jersey-based medical cannabis group. It received 600,000-worth of convertible loan notes in the heavily over-subscribed issue.
Samsung Electronics' office in Seoul / Yonhap



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung Electronics is scheduled to announce its preliminary earnings for the first quarter on April 7, and all eyes are on whether the tech giant will be able to log a better-than-expected performance, despite a series of difficulties such as the shutdown of its U.S. chip plant and a drop in the won-dollar exchange rate.



Market consensus for Samsung's January-March performance is expected at 60.27 trillion won ($53.32 billion) in sales and 8.64 trillion won in operating profit, according to data by market researcher FnGuide, improving markedly from a year ago, when sales totaled 55.35 trillion won and operating profit reached 6.44 trillion won.



Before entering the first quarter, Samsung's semiconductor business was expected to enjoy soaring chip demand, but the business was forecast to post a modest performance due to power outages at its chip-making plant in Austin, Texas, and the impact of the exchange rate.



In February, Samsung had to shut down its contract-based chip-making factory in Austin due to power outages after an unprecedented winter storm. Samsung said the operation of the facility is now back to normal, but industry analysts estimate the company could see a loss of around 300 billion won.



Despite the issues, industry analysts are revising their forecasts of Samsung's first-quarter performance as demand for the firm's smartphones and home appliances increased during the first three months of 2021.



To fill the vacuum left by China's Huawei and to defend its status as the world's largest smartphone maker, Samsung has been releasing new handsets aggressively this year. Huawei, the third-largest smartphone maker in 2020, decreased its handset production after being hit by the U.S. government's sanctions banning the company's supply of components made with U.S. equipment, software and designs.



Samsung unveiled its flagship Galaxy S21 smartphone in January, about a month earlier than the release date of the previous S series phones, aiming to improve its market share. The company also lowered the price of the Galaxy S21 to 999,900 won ($885) from the 1.24 million won ($1,100) price tag of the Galaxy S20 to better compete with Apple's iPhone 12.



Thanks to these efforts, Samsung sold around 24 million smartphones worldwide in February to grab a largest market share of 23.1 percent, according to data by Strategy Analytics. The company was followed closely by Apple, which sold some 23 million iPhones to account for a 22.2 percent market share.



The company's home appliance business has also continued to enjoy soaring demand as increased telecommuting has prompted more people to buy new gadgets.



Roh Geun-chang, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities, said Samsung could post an operating profit of 10 trillion won in the first quarter, mainly due to the improved sales performance of smartphones.



"At a time when every industry sector is struggling with supply issues, it is necessary to raise Samsung's profit-creating ability once again. It also seems necessary to reevaluate Samsung's superior supply chain management capability," the analyst noted.



He added that Samsung is expected to sell around 76 million smartphones, including more than 10 million Galaxy S21s, and its smartphone business is estimated to post an operating profit of 4.8 trillion won, followed by the chip business with 3.8 trillion won, consumer electronics with 1.1 trillion won and displays with 460 billion won in the first quarter.


The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a product recall for a batch of turkey crown over cooking safety fears due to the incorrect weight declaration on the package.

The alert was issued on Thursday by the FSAI and the product is sold in Dunnes Stores outlets across Ireland.

The recall applies specifically to 1.5kg packs of Dunnes Stores Irish Turkey Breast Crown with Prime Wings, with a best before date of April 5, 2021 and approval number IE 807 EC.

"Dunnes Stores is recalling the above batch of its Dunnes Stores Irish Turkey Breast Crown with Prime Wings as the product may be inadequately cooked due to the incorrect weight declaration on the package," reads a notice published on the FSAI website.

"Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the implicated batch."

Nature Of Danger:

If the cooking instructions are followed based on the weight declared on the label, the product may not be adequately cooked, therefore would be unsafe for customers to eat.

Consumers are advised not to eat the implicated batch.
Author Julie Berrys stories span genres and formats, landing on the shelves of bookstores YA, picture book, and middle grade sections. Soon, one of those bookstores will be her own. The Lovely War author has purchased a bookstore in her childhood hometown of Medina, N.Y., moving cross-country from Los Angeles with her family, all to open the newly renovated and renamed Authors Note.

Between renovations that involve uncovering a molded tin ceiling, Berry talked with PW about her homecoming and her new journey in the world of independent bookselling.

What made you decide to buy an independent bookstore?

I was born and raised in Medina, so this little town has always been my home. I havent lived here since I was in high school, but Medina has always been so good to me. [The people here have been so supportive of my work as an author and have really embraced me.

And the fact is that very few of us in the book world dont have at least some level of secret fantasy of starting a bookstore. I have the career that I have today as an author because of the support of independent booksellers and how theyve championed me. So many of them have become my dear friends over the years. Ive tried to really pay attention to that industry and those relationships.

With all of this as backdrop, when I heard that the bookstore in Medina had gone up for sale, towards the start of the pandemic, I just I had to have it.

What is the location like?

The space itself is really well situated, which I think is really important. It is on Main Street, in a historic downtown shopping district, in a town that boasts one of those beautiful turn-of-the-century Main Street areas. A lot of new restaurants are coming in and theres this lovely opera house thats being meticulously restored to its original glory. The space itself is narrow, long, and very charming and were doing a complete renovation; we just pulled down the ceiling tiles and discovered, you know, antique molded tin ceiling up.

How are you learning the ropes?

Theres certainly a lot to learn in starting a bookstore, and Im confronted daily with, Oh, I hadnt thought of that. So Im learning as I go. Paul Swydan of Silver Unicorn Books in Acton, Massachusetts has become a very good friend. I lived for many years in Maynard, which is right next door to Acton, where Silver Unicorn is. About a year ago, when I started cooking up this plot, I reached out to him and said, Okay, so tell me what its like to start a bookstore now. Whats the climate like? How do you make it work?

He was very frank and open with me, and very encouraging. He shared his story, his experiences, tips, and techniques. The remarkable example at Silver Unicorn is that he has shown what is possible for bookstores that actively create strong relationships with their customers digitally. He has done such a fantastic job with email and social media, and with online ordering, and with creating a community that exists as powerfully online as it does in person. Everybody loves a bookstore as a great place to go to, but I feel like Paul has made sure that you can go to Silver Unicorn from wherever you are. It doesnt feel canned. It feels very natural and organic.

How do you know what books you want to have in the store?

Well, in that regard, Im really fortunate. I have a wonderful buyer, who just so happens to also be my cousin and dear friendErica Caldwelland she is a bookseller as well. She has her finger on the pulse of what Western New York buyers are looking for, and she is doing a really nice job of bridging the classic and traditional with new and up and coming titles. So even though were not open, were actively ordering and selling books online, and thats due to her excellent taste. As for me, I love that I get to also have some input; I get to stock books by my favorite authors and all my author friends. Thats a big part of what this story is about, as authors know. Its all about creating relationships between readers and authors and bringing authors closer to readers.

The one thing that Im sure of is that we are not going to be all childrens books, but we are going to have a big childrens section. Theres a whole cosmos in the childrens section of a bookstore because its where a childs imagination grows and expands.

Whats been the reception from the community?

Were not even open for browsing yet and I have been blown away by the special orders and the outreach that Ive received from people who live an hour away, but clearly frequent the store to pick up online orders, and make the point of coming here to place orders. Thats just kind of how life is out here. Being in the local community is important to them.

Do you have any new books publishing in time to be on your own bookstores shelves when it opens?

Yes! I just delivered Book 2 in the Wishes and Wellingtons series. Its called Crime and Carpetbags [Sourcebooks Young Readers, Oct.]. I am working on a new YA novel with Simon and Schuster. And Cranky Right Now [Sounds True] is coming out in May and is a companion to Happy Right Now.
Washington, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick proudly announces impact investor, CEO and educator James Rhee as the new John H. Johnson Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship, effective July 1, 2021. During his three-year appointment, Rhee will teach a University-wide course titled, Impact Investing, ESG and Life, which will be supplemented with a speaker series featuring leaders from the most innovative global companies.

We are delighted to have Mr. James Rhee share his array of knowledge on best investment practices, leadership and building brands with the students of Howard University. After hearing his passionate keynote for our Women in Business Digital Summit last summer, we knew that we had to have him back to share his expertise, says President Frederick. In addition to his course, Im excited that the entire campus community will have an opportunity to hear from Mr. Rhees network of business colleagues during the entrepreneurship series. The information shared will truly motivate our students to dream and think big. Mr. Rhee will also serve as a senior adviser to the new Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership, utilizing the skills he garnered as the former CEO of Ashley Stewart.

Rhee is the third person to serve in this prestigious role, following Melissa Bradley, founder, 1863 Ventures and Monique Greenwood, president and CEO of Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns and former editor-in chief of Essence magazine. Housed in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, the John H. Johnson Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship was established by Linda Johnson Rice in memory of her father John H. Johnson of the Johnson Publishing Company in 2013.

The goal of the position is to strengthen a culture of entrepreneurial activity across the University among students, faculty, staff, alumni and community business owners. Rhee is a thought leader on impact/ESG investing, multidimensional transformation and principled leadership. In his class, portions of which he has taught at MIT Sloan School of Management and Duke Law School, students will learn practical valuation tools, contract structuring rules, investment portfolio construction and deal-making skills while also debating fundamental assumptions regarding fairness, freedom and equality of opportunity by tracing the life of a business enterprise from formation to sale.

Howard University is one of our countrys most important institutions, says Rhee. To be able to contribute both to its growing legacy and future influence at this historically significant moment of our collective humanity is an honor and responsibility that I do not take lightly, especially as the son of Korean-American immigrants. I look forward to engaging with the students, faculty and broader Howard Community as we collectively explore ways in which capitalism and technology can shape a better society for all. Through my role as both Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship and senior adviser to the new Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership, I hope to do my part in further expanding Howards already impressive network of relationships in the business and investment communities.

We are pleased that James Rhee will be joining us as the next Johnson Entrepreneurship Chair, says Dean Gracie Lawson-Borders. He will bring the depth and breadth of his entrepreneurial and business acumen to the position, and we look forward to him sharing a wealth of knowledge and practical experience with students and the entire University community.

About James Rhee

James Rhee is an impact investor, founder, CEO and educator who empowers people, brands and organizations to fulfill their true potential by marrying capital with purpose and truth across multiple systems. The acclaimed story of the remarkable transformation and reimagination of Ashley Stewart, one of the countrys largest brands serving Black women, under his leadership as chairman, CEO and investor (2013-2020) has served as proof to millions of people, as well as the worlds leading businesses and organizations, that one can do better by being better. The reinvention of Ashley Stewart, which was facing almost certain liquidation in 2013, is proof of how trust and joy, grounded in math and amplified through digital excellence, can overcome impossible odds and fuel individual and enterprise-wide innovation. It is a tangible example of the power of diverse ecosystems, as well as a commentary on a potential way forward for achieving multistakeholder goals. At its core, it is also the story of an unlikely friendship between a son of Korean immigrants (who raised his hand to become the self-described least qualified CEO) and a predominantly Black female employee group who placed their mutual trust in each other, learned from one another, and then proceeded to quietly shock the world.

As a client of United Talent Agencies, he is a frequent speaker on impact and ESG investing, multidimensional transformation, DEI operationalization through Kindness & Math, principled leadership and the future co-existence of capitalism, humanism and technology. As a senior leader of two Boston-based private equity firms, Rhee helped manage billions of dollars of growth and distressed capital before ultimately founding FirePine Group, a platform that has stewarded the capital of some of the worlds most sophisticated investors.

Rhee is at the vanguard of making knowledge, opportunity and capital accessible to all. He holds appointments at both MIT Sloan School of Management and Duke Law School as a senior lecturer, where he teaches future leaders about organizational systems and deconstructed investment principles relating to money, life and joy. In March 2021, Howard University announced that James would serve a three-year term as the Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship as well as senior adviser to the newly endowed Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership, beginning with the 2021-22 academic year. Rhee is exploring the intersection of impact investing, ESG and financial literacy through a new venture called Red Helicopter.

Rhee connects seemingly disparate leaders and organizations that are unified in their goal to make investments and forge relationships that catalyze purposeful growth. He serves alongside global difference makers as an Advisory Council member of JPMorgan Chases Advancing Black Pathways, a member of the Governing Committee of the CEO Action for Racial Equity and a Board Director of Conscious Capitalism. He is also a former member of the board of the National Retail Federation, where he served as chairman of the Innovation Advisory Committee.

His inspirational story has been featured in media outlets such as the Good Business Issue of Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Harvard Business Review, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Thrive Global, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, Womens Wear Daily, Morgan Stanleys Access and Opportunity Podcast, ABC News, National Urban Leagues State of Black America, and the Huffington Post.

Rhee is a regional winner of the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the winner of one of five 2016 Power Player Awards granted by the National Retail Federation, and the recipient of the 2017 Black Retail Action Group Business Achievement Award, the 2018 Temple Fox School of Business Information Technology Innovator Award, the 2018 Essex County Urban League Centennial William M. Ashby Award for community building and a 2019 One To World Fulbright Award.

Rhee received his A.B. with honors from Harvard College and his J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He lives outside Boston with his wife and three children. He is a former high school teacher. He is working on a book.

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Attachment
Harrisburg police on Thursday arrested a man in connection with the fatal shooting of a Texas truck driver who was working in the city last month.

Police charged Charles E. Anderson, 29, with criminal homicide and carrying a gun without a concealed permit. He was being held in the Dauphin County Prison without bail.

Anderson had been in jail since March 15 on an unrelated assault charge, but made bail Wednesday and was released from custody. Police tracked him down Thursday and arrested him on the newly-filed homicide charges.

Investigators say the shooting of Christopher CJ Hill on March 6 stemmed from a petty argument in a bar parking lot. Police accuse Anderson of following Hills vehicle from the bar and opening fire at Hill and his best friend in the 300 block of Division Street.

Hill was shot in the back of the head, then crashed into a tree in the 200 block of Division Street.

Its tragic, said Steve Zawisky, chief deputy district attorney. A hard-working guy goes out with a friend to have a few drinks and gets gunned down over some stupid argument in a parking lot.

Hill, 26, owned townhome in Houston, Texas and was hoping to start his own trucking company. He had been in Harrisburg about two months working a contract assignment for Sygma when he was killed.

He and his best friend had both taken a contract assignment through the summer in Harrisburg and both were staying at a hotel in Susquehanna Township. They decided to go out after work March 6, according to court records.

The records gave this account:

They ended up at the S Club in the 2900 block of N. Seventh Street, arriving about 9:30 p.m. They had a few drinks, spoke to the DJ several times and talked to a woman inside the club.

The men eventually left the club about 11:25 p.m. and Hill drove his friends car because the friend said he had consumed too many drinks. Hill drove north on Seventh, then they pulled into a parking lot north of the club to turn around and go south on Seventh.

The friend said he asked Hill to stop for a minute so he could run back toward the club and get a womans phone number. Video surveillance of the parking showed when the friend returned to the car, it appeared as if the men got into an argument with a group of people in the parking lot.

The group of people are seen gesturing with their hands toward Hill and (his friend) as if they were telling them to leave, court records said.

Hill then turned south out of the parking lot onto North Seventh Street at 11:34 p.m.

The same video shows two men with distinctive clothing get into a Chrysler 300 in the northern parking lot at 11:34 p.m. They were involved in the argument with Hill and his friend.

Video from inside the S Club showed Anderson and the other man who got into the Chrysler clear enough to identify their faces, court records said. Police compared the face of the man in the club to one of Anderson on social media and got a match through facial recognition software, the records said.

Police accuse Charles E. Anderson, 29, of opening fire at another car March 6, 2021, killing Christopher Hill.

Video from different businesses showed the Chrysler 300 tailing the Nissan that Hill was driving along Division Street. It appeared Hill may have tried to lose the Chrysler at Sixth Street by getting into the left-only turn lane at 11:39 p.m. But the Chrysler followed, and instead Hill went straight.

The friend said after they stopped at a traffic light, and the light turned green, he heard gunfire.

Hill continued traveling on Division Street but didnt say a word and then slouched in his seat. His friend thought he was looking at his phone, but then all of the sudden, Hill crashed into a tree near the Hadee Mosque.

After the crash, Hill did not respond to the friend. Thats when the friend realized hill had been shot.

A witness contacted police who said he was driving home with his wife when they saw a Chrysler 300 was almost right on the first cars back bumper.

The first car that Hill was driving was signaling to go south on Third Street. Thats when the witness heard pops like firecrackers. He saw someone firing out the front drivers window of the Chrysler and saw muzzle flash.

The first vehicle drove past the witness on Division and the Chrysler stopped and signaled a turn to go south on Third Street. The witness waited, to allow the Chrysler to make the turn, but the driver waved at the witness to go past.

The witness said he didnt want to look at the driver, but he saw the car was a dark-colored 4-door.

Police found nine .357 Sig spent shell casings and one .9mm spent casing at North Third and Division streets.

Court records list the name of a man police identified as the passenger in Andersons car, but the man had not been charged in the killing. The man was arrested on a parole violation March 15 and remains in jail.

On March 15, police went to his home and recovered a 9 mm handgun. His girlfriend was at the home and had rented a Chrysler 300, the same color as the one seen in the video involved in the Hill homicide.

Police charged the girlfriend, Alma Demirovic, of Lower Paxton, with felony hindering apprehension for allegedly lying about whether she had allowed anyone to use her rented Chrysler.

READ MORE:

Texas truck driver fatally shot in Harrisburg dreamed of owning his own company

Harrisburg police charge woman with lying in connection with fatal shooting of truck driver




North Korea's highly restrictive coronavirus measures and lack of essential goods have caused many foreign embassies to close and international humanitarian workers to leave the country, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said Thursday.







In a post on its official Facebook page, the embassy said a total of 12 nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France, closed their missions due to pandemic-caused challenges and that there now remain only nine ambassadors and four diplomats who work as acting ambassadors. There are about 25 foreign embassies in Pyongyang.







All foreign workers of international humanitarian organizations have left the country and there are fewer than 290 foreigners in the capital, it added.







The Russian Embassy wrote about the difficulties that diplomatic missions and others are facing in their daily lives, such as a lack of essential goods and medicine, in a country isolated from the outside world even before the pandemic.







The embassy attributed the exodus to "the unprecedentedly strict total restriction, the sharpest shortage of essential goods, including medicine, the lack of possibility to solve health problems."







Despite the challenging situation, the Russian Embassy will remain open and continue its diplomatic service, it said.







Since early February of last year, North Korea has sealed off its borders for fear of the deadly virus overwhelming its poor health system. It is said to make exceptions only in special cases, including for foreign missions. (Yonhap)


Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 14:04:56|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

Afghan security force members carry the body of a victim from the site of a bomb attack in Kamar Kalagh, an area on outskirts of Herat city, Afghanistan, April 1, 2021. Two police officers were killed and two others wounded when an improvised bomb was detonated near a police checkpoint along a provincial road in Afghanistan's western Herat province on Thursday, a local official confirmed. (Photo by Elaha Sahel/Xinhua)

HERAT, Afghanistan, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Two police officers were killed and two others wounded when an improvised bomb was detonated near a police checkpoint along a provincial road in Afghanistan's western Herat province on Thursday, a local official confirmed.

"The incident happened in Kamar Kalagh, an area on the outskirts of provincial capital Herat city, in the morning. The killed were transported to a police hospital and the wounded were shifted to a regional hospital," Mohammad Rafiq Shirzai, a spokesman of provincial health directorate, told Xinhua.

Relatives of the affected people will be notified soon, the official said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, Afghan officials have blamed the Taliban militant group for a string of explosions in recent months in the conflict-stricken country. Enditem
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) (FSE: TH8) ("TransCanna" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed a Unit financing, completed the Daly Facility Construction Loan Agreement, issued shares for debt to certain employees and received an MCTO.

"Thank you to all of our shareholders for their support, I'm very excited about today's press release, to provide everyone with a number of updates as our entire team has been working feverishly to move the company into a position to be well capitalized through phase 1 of our build out process," Stated Bob Blink, CEO of the Company.

Daly Facility Loan

TransCanna is also pleased to announce that further to its news release of February 3, 2021, the Company has successfully completed a Construction Loan Agreement (the "Construction Loan") with a US based lender (the "Lender") for a secured convertible loan of $2M USD.

"After a lengthy and thorough due diligence process, we are delighted to have found the right partners with this Lender for this exciting next phase," said Mr. Blink.

Proceeds will be used exclusively for capital expenditures that will dramatically increase production capacity at the Company's Daly Facility in Modesto, California.

"With this funding, we will complete Phase 1 construction at the Daly Facility, which is already 80% finished," said Mr. Blink. "Achieving this significant milestone will empower us to increase output, boost profits, and set the stage for our Californian expansion."

The Company's planned facility build-out consists of four phases - phase 1 includes 22,500 square feet of cultivation, a 16,000 square foot distribution and inventory storage area and a 12,000 square foot packaging facility.

"This increased capacity will significantly assist us in meeting the outstripped demand for our supply of prized exotic flower, and to be even more responsive to the growing and evolving needs of our retailers and end consumers," said Alan Applonie, Company General Manager. "It will also give us the ability to reasonably explore deals with a number of potential industry partners who have expressed interest in collaborating with us."

The Construction Loan comes in the form of a secured convertible loan bearing 10% annual interest, with interest payable a year after the agreement date. The Construction Loan matures after a two-year period, whereupon the Company will repay the principal plus interest in cash. Subject to regulatory approval, the entire principal amount outstanding is convertible at the Lender's option after expiry of the applicable statutory hold period into common shares of the Company at a fixed conversion price of USD $0.59 per common share at any time from the agreement date until the maturity date. Upon the first drawdown by the Company of any part of the Construction Loan, the Lender will be entitled to appoint one member to the Board of Directors of the Company.

Unit Financing

In connection with the closing, the Company issued 1,578,194 Units at a price of $1.00 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $1,578,194. Each Unit consists of one (1) common share and one (1) warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company, at an exercise price of $1.50 per share, for a period of two years from the date of issuance. The Company paid cash commissions of $62,000 and issued 42,000 Broker's warrants in connection with finder's fees payable. In lieu of 8% cash finder's fees, 20,400 Broker's Units were issued.

The private placement is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") and the securities will be subject to a four-month hold period under securities laws. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement for working capital purposes.

Management Cease Trade Order (MCTO)



TransCanna also announces that it anticipates a delay in the filing of the financial statements required pursuant to Part 4 of National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations (the "Instrument") as a result of difficulties in the collection of data from its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lyfted Farms, Inc.

The delay is due to difficulties in coordinating with the auditor the collection of all of the required data and documentation to complete the audit on a consolidated basis. As well, certain key persons who are needed to complete the audit have been affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic due to stay at home restrictions.

The Instrument requires that the Company's audited financial statements and MD&A for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2020 be filed by March 30, 2021. The Company and its auditor are in the process of completing the associated audit work to complete these audited financial statements. The Company expects that the audited financial statements and MD&A for the year ended November 30, 2020 (collectively, the "Required Filings") will be completed and filed on or before May 31, 2021.

In connection with the anticipated delays in making the Required Filings within the time periods mandated by the Instrument, the Company has been granted a management cease trade order ("MCTO") under National Policy 12-203 Cease Trade Orders ("NP 12-203") by the British Columbia Securities Commission, as principal regulator for the Company. The MCTO will restrict all trading by the Company's CEO and CFO in securities of the Company, whether direct or indirect. The issuance of the MCTO will not affect the ability of persons who are not directors, officers or insiders of the Company to trade their securities. The MCTO will remain in effect until the Required Filings are filed or until it is revoked or varied.

The Company confirms that it intends to satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines described in NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of a news release for so long as it remains in default of the requirement to make the Required Filings. The Company has no material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed.

Shares for Debt

The Company has entered into debt settlement agreements to settle obligations owed to certain employees of its subsidiary, Lyfted Farms Inc., in the amount of $634,804.33 through the issuance of an aggregate of 610,388 common shares of the Company (the "Shares") at a deemed value of $1.04 per Share. The issuance of the Shares is subject to the approval of the CSE, and when issued the Shares will be subject to a statutory four month hold period.

Legal Update

The Company has settled matters related to a civil action it had launched with the British Columbia Supreme Court against Umbrella Capital Group Ltd. The Company has received $100,000 in settlement of the action.

About TransCanna Holdings Inc.

TransCanna Holdings Inc. is a California-based, Canadian-listed company building cannabis-focused brands for the California lifestyle, through its wholly-owned California subsidiaries.

TransCanna's wholly owned subsidiary Lyfted Farms is California's authentic cannabis brand whose pioneering spirit has been continuously providing the finest cannabis flower genetics and cultivation methods since 1984. The Lyfted Farms brand of exclusive cannabis flower is sold at premium retailers throughout the state. With its new cultivation facility in Daly, California, the company is now poised to become one of the largest and most efficient vertically integrated cannabis companies in the California market.

For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.transcanna.com or email the Company at info@transcanna.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Bob Blink, CEO

Corporate Communications:

Hybrid Financial @hybridtcan

irteam@transcanna.com

604-800-3589

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws or forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs regarding future events of management of the Company. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things: commencement of operations of the Facility; the increase of the Company's output; the receipt of licensing approvals for the Company's facilities; expansions to and growth of the Company's business operations and the use and availability of the procees from the Convertible Loan.

These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, among other things: the receipt of necessary regulatory approval and licensing approvals; market uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic; potential negative consumer, investor or public perception of a party's respective current brand or company; changes in consumer preferences and product trends; general market trends; political, legal and regulatory uncertainty relating to cannabis products generally; and the use and availability of proceeds from the Convertible Loan.

In making the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation: the ability of the Company to commence operations at the Facility; the ability of the Company to increase its output; the ability of the Company to receive the necessary licensing approvals for its facilities; the ability of the Company to achieve its anticipated expansion and growth of its business operations; and the ability of the Company to make the required interest payments under the Convertible Loan.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79166
A SUSPENDED doctor inflicted a patient with a barrage of nonsense claiming Covid-19 was a hoax, the High Court has heard.

Dr Gerard Waters (71) had pamphlets in the waiting room of his surgery with the title No Pandemic Killing Us and told the patient the State and the Government were scamming the people.

The general practitioner, based at the Whitethorn Clinic in Celbridge, Co Kildare, was suspended from practice by the president of the High Court last month pending the outcome of an inquiry by the Medical Council.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine found patients of Dr Waters would be at significant risk of remaining undiagnosed and untreated if they presented to him with Covid symptoms.

The court also made orders to facilitate the ongoing provision of medical care by other medical practitioners to patients of the Whitethorn Clinic.

The decision was delivered in camera on March 2. However, it has now been published following an application by the Medical Council.

It made the request after a banner appeared on the wall of the Whitethorn Clinic which the council was concerned misrepresented the basis for the making of the suspension order. Ms Justice Irvine ordered the banner be removed.

Her ruling detailed claims by a patient that Dr Waters advised him the wearing of masks was causing illness.

Read More

Dr Waters was said to have handed him photocopied pages with death numbers from Ireland and Italy, and bar charts showing the ages of victims in an effort to convince him Covid-19 was a hoax.

The patient alleged Dr Waters claimed people who are confirmed as having died of Covid-19 had not actually died from the disease and those that did were terribly old.

He also alleged the doctor suggested his symptoms were caused by the mask he was wearing during the consultation last September.

The patient had originally contacted the surgery days earlier seeking a Covid test but said he was informed by the secretary they did not have a computerised system so were unable to refer patients for Covid testing.

Following a phone consultation with another GP, the man was told he did not have Covid symptoms. Two days later, he arranged an appointment with Dr Waters to deal with a suspected chest infection.

The visit prompted the complaint to the Medical Council.

As soon as I entered the surgery, wearing my mask I may add, I was treated to a barrage of nonsense about the 'hoax that is Covid-19', how the State and the Government are scamming the people, and how masks are causing illness, the man said in his complaint.

It was the most uncomfortable experience I have sat through in many years.

The man complained the doctors opinions were not unlike those being shared by terribly irresponsible people online.

Dr Waters even suggested my illness was as a result of 'that silly f ***ing thing I was wearing, as he pointed to my mask. His behaviour was beyond inappropriate, the man said.

The court heard that when contacted by the Medical Council about the complaint, Dr Waters admitted having set out his point of view on Covid-19 but maintained he did so in a reasoned manner.

In his response, he claimed that death toll figures were inflated and that propaganda perpetuated by governments and the media in relation to Covid-19 was being used to front run an economic collapse in the Western world.

The president of the Medical Council, Dr Rita Doyle, wrote to Dr Waters expressing concerns and seeking assurances that he would follow HSE Covid-19 guidelines.

But Dr Waters went on to send a fax to the HSE indicating he did not intend to administer the Covid-19 vaccine to his patients.

The HSE requested that he provide it with the names, addresses, dates of birth, contact numbers and email addresses of his patients aged 85 and over and those aged 70 and over, but he did not comply.

Dr Waters indicated to the court he was willing to give undertakings to comply with the request by the HSE and also to facilitate the referral of his patients with Covid symptoms to other practices.

Ms Justice Irvine said the suspension of the doctor would undoubtedly have adverse consequences for his patients, particularly those on the General Medical Services scheme who will have to find a new practitioner.

But she said any adverse consequences for those patients were outweighed by the risks Dr Waterss conduct poses to them and those with whom they live if he was permitted to continue with his practice, regardless of the undertakings offered.

The respondents conduct exposes his patients to the very real risk of infection when attending his surgery, she said.

If symptomatic for Covid-19, the respondents patients would, in my view, be at significant risk of remaining undiagnosed and untreated or having their diagnosis or treatment delayed.

Furthermore, patients with Covid-19 symptoms might not be advised to self-isolate, thus furthering community transmission.

All of the evidence heard in the context of the present application leads me to conclude that the health, safety and welfare of the respondents patients and the community in which they live can only be adequately protected by the imposition of the suspension sought.

These concerns outweigh all other considerations including the inconvenience, although burdensome, imposed on those patients who will have to find a new GP to attend with.
The Netherlands has initiated a research alliance with the UAE and Jordan to spotlight water, energy and food security challenges during the Expo 2020 Dubai event to be held from October 1 2021 to 31 March 2022.

Water, energy and food are the most vital resources for human existence and essential to sustainable development. Climate change threatens the availability of these interlinked resources, while rising global populations and increasing urbanization add further pressuresm, said exp.

To be able to feed a projected population of almost 10 billion in 2050, the effective management of our scarce natural resources is an existential challenge that we must tackle collectively.

The trilateral endeavour will culminate in a high-level Water, Energy and Food Summit - to be held from January 19 to 20, coinciding with Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) - that will combine policy-making with practical solutions for water, energy and food challenges.

The announcement of the trilateral agreement and summit comes the week after Expo Talks: Water an event exploring how this finite life-sustaining resource  the lifeblood of ourcivilisations, economies and communities  can be preserved for future generations.

It was the final in a series 10 thematic talks that had brought together influential policymakers, thought-leaders, Expo participants and the public to help shape the thought-provoking content and conversations taking place during Expo 2020.

Hala Zawati, Minister of Energy & Mineral Resources of Jordan, said: "The inter-dependency between the energy and water sectors has significant implications for the optimized use of energy and water; to meet the requirements of the agriculture sector in a more efficient ways and eventually to move towards a sustainable development of the countries especially at the Water-Energy-Food Nexus."

Sigrid Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of Netherlands, said: "Access to water, energy and food for all, both regional and worldwide, demands close collaboration between governments, businesses and knowledge institutions to develop sustainable solutions."

"Cross-border research will contribute to national and regional policy planning to secure water, energy and food for future generations," stated Kaag.

Mariam Almheiri, UAE Minister of State for Food Security, said: "Jordan, the UAE and Netherlands share many water, energy and food security challenges, so working together and sharing our knowledge and experiences in all three areas will enable us to draw on our collective expertise to deliver the best possible results."

"The high-level Water, Energy and Food Summit is an essential component of Expo 2020 and will enable our respective countries to create a roadmap for pooling our resources and combining synergies to deliver more sustainable systems, not just for our three nations, but for the wider global community," stated Al Mheiri.

"The collaboration will leverage Expo 2020s role as a global convener to spotlight the complex issues surrounding these three essential resources and highlight the need for collective action, including an integrated resource management approach, if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030," she added.

The Water, Energy and Food Summit will be the first initiative to focus on the regional and national policy steps needed to address these challenges in an integrated manner. Partnerships between governments, corporations, knowledge institutions and communities are essential as we effectively, efficiently and sustainably ensure that these scarce resources are accessible for today and tomorrow.

Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai and Chair of the National Committee on the Sustainable Development Goals, said: "The UAE is a living innovation lab for food production technologies in arid climates, and Expo 2020 Dubai  an unparalleled global gathering dedicated to delivering solutions to our most pressing challenges  presents the UAE, the Netherlands and Jordan with a timely opportunity to work together on developing and implementing innovative solutions that we can share with the world."

"This trilateral partnership also exemplifies our commitment to cross-border collaboration and our belief that through collective action, we can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, resulting in a cleaner, safer and healthier future for all by 2030," she added.

Youth is, and will continue to be, at the heart of how these intrinsic global challenges are managed, and will be at the forefront of all activities undertaken as part of this trilateral agreement.

In the lead-up to the January 2022 Summit, interactive youth roadshows in each of the three countries will explore challenges around water, energy and food security, the results of which will then be presented to world leaders during the event. In addition, youth ambassadors will be declared within the Summit programme, she added.-TradeArabia News Service
An investigational vaccine designed to protect against the B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant has been administered as part of a new Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the vaccine candidate's safety and immunogenicity in adult volunteers. The vaccine, known as mRNA-1273.351, was developed by the biotechnology company ModernaTX, Inc., based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The trial is led and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The trial will enroll approximately 210 healthy adult volunteers at four clinical research sites in the United States that are part of the NIAID-funded Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC).

The B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant, first identified in the Republic of South Africa, has been detected in at least nine states in the United States. Preliminary data show that the COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States should provide an adequate degree of protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants. However, out of an abundance of caution, NIAID has continued its partnership with Moderna to evaluate this variant vaccine candidate should there be a need for an updated vaccine." Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID Director

Investigators from NIAID and Moderna co-developed the mRNA-1273 vaccine, which is currently authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use in the United States for the prevention of COVID-19 in adults 18 years of age and older. The vaccine is administered as two 100-microgram (mcg) doses 28 days apart. The vaccine uses lipid nanoparticles to deliver instructions to the body's cells for making a stabilized version of the spike protein found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. After the vaccination, the immune system detects the stabilized spike protein and begins building a response against the virus. The variant vaccine candidate developed by Moderna, mRNA-1273.351, differs from the currently-authorized Moderna vaccine in that it delivers instructions for making the SARS-CoV-2 spike that incorporates key mutations in the B.1.351 virus variant. In addition to the Phase 1 clinical trial, investigators at NIAID's Vaccine Research Center are collaborating with Moderna to evaluate mRNA-1273.351 in animal models.

The trial will enroll people ages 18 years and older who already have received the mRNA-1273 vaccine, as well as people ages 18 through 55 years who have not received any COVID-19 vaccine. Approximately 60 volunteers who previously received mRNA-1273 as a participant in NIAID's Phase 1 trial of mRNA-1273 (which began in March 2020) will enroll in the new variant Phase 1 trial. Approximately one year ago, these volunteers received two vaccinations of mRNA-1273 28 days apart at varying doses: 50 mcg, 100 mcg or 250 mcg. As part of the variant vaccine trial, these volunteers will be randomized to receive either a single booster vaccination of 50 mcg of mRNA-1273.351 (group 1A) or a single vaccination containing one 25-mcg dose of mRNA-1273 and one 25-mcg dose of mRNA-1273.351 (group 1B). The remaining participants from the March 2020 trial will be offered a booster shot of mRNA-1273 as part of a separate clinical trial protocol (for more information see clincialtrials.gov: NCT04283461).

The Phase 1 variant vaccine trial also will enroll approximately 150 volunteers ages 18 through 55 years who have not received any COVID-19 vaccine, have no known history of COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 infection, and do not have health conditions that are associated with an increased risk of severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as cancer, heart conditions, type 2 diabetes mellitus, severe obesity or chronic kidney disease. These volunteers will be randomly assigned to one of eight cohorts:

Group 2C (20 participants) will receive two vaccinations 28 days apart: 100 mcg mRNA-1273.351, followed by 100 mcg of mRNA-1273.351.

Group 2A (15 participants) will receive three vaccinations 28 days apart: 100 mcg of mRNA-1273, followed by 100 mcg of mRNA-1273, followed by 50 mcg of mRNA-1273.351.

Group 2B (15 participants) will receive three vaccinations 28 days apart: 50 mcg of mRNA-1273, followed by 50 mcg of mRNA-1273, followed by 50 mcg of mRNA-1273.351.

Group 2D (20 participants) will receive two vaccinations 28 days apart: 50 mcg of mRNA-1273.351, followed by 50 mcg of mRNA-1273.351.

Group 2E (20 participants) will receive two vaccinations 28 days apart: 100 mcg of mRNA-1273, followed by 100 mcg of mRNA-1273.351.

Group 2F (20 participants) will receive two vaccinations 28 days apart: 50 mcg of mRNA-1273, followed by 50 mcg of mRNA-1273.351.

Group 2G (20 participants) will receive a single vaccination at their initial visit which combines 50 mcg of mRNA-1273 plus 50 mcg of mRNA-1273.351. Twenty-eight days later, they will receive another single vaccination of the same dose and combination.

Group 2H (20 participants) will receive a single vaccination at their initial visit which combines 25 mcg of mRNA-1273 plus 25 mcg of mRNA-1273.351. Twenty-eight days later, they will receive another single vaccination of the same dose and combination.

The trial will evaluate the safety and reactogenicity of the vaccine candidate as well as its ability to induce an immune response. Reactogenicity can include injection site reactions like redness and pain as well as systemic reactions such as fever, headache, fatigue or muscle aches. Participants will be closely monitored for safety and will be asked to return to the study clinic for multiple follow-up visits between vaccinations and for additional visits during the year after their last vaccination. Participants also will be asked to provide blood samples at specified times throughout the trial. Scientists will use these samples to measure the immune response against circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2, including the B.1.351 variant.

An independent safety monitoring committee (SMC) will oversee the trial by regularly reviewing safety reports. The SMC can make a recommendation to the sponsor (NIAID) whether the trial should be halted, modified or terminated at any point.

The Phase 1 clinical trial will enroll participants at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) in Seattle, Emory University in Atlanta, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) in Cincinnati. The trial is led by investigators Lisa A. Jackson, M.D., M.P.H., senior investigator at KPWHRI; Evan Anderson, M.D., professor of pediatrics and medicine at Emory; Nadine Rouphael, M.D., professor of medicine at Emory; C. Buddy Creech, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program and associate professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt; and Paul Spearman, M.D., director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at CCHMC. These clinical research sites are four of the ten Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs) comprising the IDCRC. The IDCRC's Leadership Group also provides scientific oversight and operational support for this trial.

Investigators anticipate the trial will be fully enrolled by the end of April 2021. The results of this trial will inform further evaluation of vaccine variant strategies should an updated vaccine be required. The FDA recently issued guidance for vaccine developers seeking to amend an Emergency Use Authorization to address new variants. For more information about the study, visit ClinicalTrials.gov and search identifier NCT04785144.
Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press

Kamala Harris will return to Oakland on Monday for the first time as vice president, her office says.

Harris is is scheduled to talk about a range of topics during her stop, including water infrastructure and small business. No other details about her appearances have been released. In March, President Biden tasked Harris with leading the administrations response on border and migration issues.
Event

The Hotel Investment Conference-South Asia (HICSA), since its inaugural edition in 2005, has been an unequalled gathering platform for the hospitality industry the world over. The conference is valued for its content-rich sessions and excellent networking opportunities attracting the hospitality industrys top brands, hotel owners, bankers, developers, and professional advisors from around the globe.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, we shifted the dates for the 16th edition of HICSA (originally scheduled for April 2020) a few times and have finally decided to hold it on the usual first week of April dates. The 16th HICSA (HICSA 2021) is now scheduled to be held on 6 -7 April 2021. Further, we have decided to have a Hybrid HICSA 2021 wherein we would have in-person participants and those who we cannot accommodate or those who are unable to attend in-person will attend the conference virtually.

HICSA 2021 is scheduled to start with opening cocktails on 6 April at the Taj Palace, New Delhi followed by the conference program that will begin at 9:00 AM on 7 April at the Andaz Delhi, Aerocity, New Delhi. As always, we are striving hard towards making HICSA 2021 an enriching experience with keynote speeches, stage interviews, and engaging panel discussions by the industry stalwarts.

The HICSA organizing committee thanks all its speakers, sponsors, supporters, and delegates for your continued support and looks forward to welcoming all of you at HICSA in April 2021 in New Delhi.

For more information on HICSA, please visit https://www.hicsaconference.com/ or write to [email protected]| [email protected]

Hotel Investment Conference - South Asia (HICSA) 2021 is organized by Hotelivate Private Limited
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

View Results
15 MAR 21 How Eco-Business continues to increase productivity and be part of a larger community at Bridge+ Ascent

Established in 2009, Eco-Business is Asia Pacifics leading media organisation on sustainable development. Its team of experienced and award-winning writers and editors publishes articles on business and policy actions. With offices around Asia Pacific, Eco-Business is headquartered in Singapore and has found a home at Bridge+ Ascent.

In a bustling city with countless office options and coworking spaces, what led them to choose Bridge+ Ascent? Read on to find out.

Choosing a coworking space over a traditional office space

In recent years, the demand for coworking spaces has grown as more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) began to leverage their flexibility and personalisation options.

According to The Business Times, coworking spaces took up 3.7 million square feet in net lettable area (NLA) of Singapores commercial space in 2019, triple that in 2015.

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the need for alternative offices, with many SMEs preferring coworking spaces to meet their clients or hold team meetings since most have been working from home due to social distancing measures.

Coworking spaces have highly flexible lease terms, and teams can share amenities and office resources, which is cost-efficient.

This way, SMEs can focus on growing their business without worrying about a physical space with the appropriate resources. With fully furnished conference rooms to casual lounge areas, everything is provided at your convenience.

Out of Eco-Business team of 20 people, 10 of them have been using the Bridge+ Ascent coworking space since 2016. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, though, many of them have been working from home. However, they do meet up at Bridge+ Ascent every week.

Jessica Cheam, the founder, managing director, and editor of Eco-Business, works at Bridge+ once or twice a week. She revealed that she enjoys the increased flexibility of working in a coworking space.

Challenges of finding an accessible, affordable and conducive space

Its not easy to find a flexible workspace that suits all of the teams needs and requirements. Cost, location, quality of facilities, and community were the top things that Cheam looked for when choosing a coworking place for Eco-Business. It was tough to find a space that was affordable yet spacious enough for the team, so it doesnt feel so claustrophobic.

Previously, Eco-Business had its own fixed office in the South West area of the city, but there was a lack of community space and common meeting rooms.

Now, the team has no problems working in a place with enough community interactions and an abundance of meeting rooms. With over 11 meeting rooms, Bridge+ Ascent can accommodate SMEs and enterprises alike for project discussions or client meetings in a conducive and productive environment.

Bridge+ also prioritises convenience of access, balanced with security and privacy. Guests and tenants can gain entry to Bridge+ and the meeting rooms by using the CapitaStar@Work app on their mobile deviceyou no longer have to dig your bag for your card. In light of the ongoing pandemic, there are also temperature reading devices on different levels.

The ability to configure a personalised space at Bridge+ has also helped improve the efficiency and productivity of the Eco-Business team.

Aside from office suites, Bridge+ members can use hot-desking workspaces and event spaces. The coworking space enabled us to scale up and down whenever needed, which was helpful, [and] the comfort level of the space also helps the team work better, says Cheam.

Regardless of whether its a regular team meeting or a short meetup with a client, Bridge+ can provide you with suitable facilities to meet your evolving needs.

Being part of the inclusive Bridge+ community

For Cheam, one of the most enjoyable experiences of working at Bridge+ is being a part of its community. I like that there is a community in a coworking space that exposes you to other companies, she says. The team also appreciates the shared spaces that encourage the building of social connections with other members.

Bridge+ offers programmes to nurture community experiences among companies that use their coworking spaces. These include Hackathons and Pitch Days, the Singapore Fintech Festival, and even Conversations with Government. The ability to make social connections and increase the network between SMEs and multinational corporations is another advantage of being Bridge+ member.

It also has community managers who help teams ease into the coworking environment. Aside from events, the managers regularly organise casual lunches for the community and encourage interactions by introducing people from different companies to one another.

For Bridge+, the term coworking goes beyond more than just working together in the same place. Its about building a community, increasing productivity, and enhancing creativity within teams and outside of them.

Beyond an office space

Whether its for a small or large enterprise, Bridge+ offers a dynamic coworking space to ensure that you and your team are in a comfortable work environment.

For the Eco-Business team, being part of a diverse community is a refreshing and enjoyable experience. Bridge+ values community experience and engagement as it turns the coworking space into a place where SMEs and enterprises can network and build connections.

As many companies implement social and remote work due to Covid-19, coworking spaces have surfaced as the ideal choice, providing spatial flexibility as well as a safe and productive workplaces.

With a personalised working arrangement and access to meeting rooms, event facilities, and a vibrant community, Eco-Business decision to join the Bridge+ community has certainly paid off.
Judith Monachina is the director of the Housatonic Heritage Oral History Center at Berkshire Community College. This interview was a part of the Math Oral History Project at BCC, and will be available online via the University of Massachusetts Libraries Special Collections. A podcast of this interview will also be available on the Eagle and Oral History Center sites.
A fight inside an Alabama high school led to a shot fired Thursday, but police said no one was injured.

The incident happened about 1 p.m. Thursday at Selma High School. Police Chief Kenta Fulford said the fight erupted inside the schools cafeteria, and one shot was discharged. Students just returned to in-school learning this week.

Two students, ages 15 and 17, then left the school. They were later taken into custody at an apartment complex. Fulford said the two teen suspects were fighting with another student.

The 15-year-old male is charged with certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and attempting to elude.

The 17-year-old male is charged with certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm, disorderly conduct and attempting to elude.

We are certainly glad it wasnt worse,' Fulford said.
Another batch of COVID-19 vaccines arrive in West Bank

Xinhua) 10:59, April 01, 2021

RAMALLAH, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian government on Wednesday received 25,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, according to a cabinet minister.

The batch of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is the first batch of 2 million vaccines purchased by the government from vaccine manufacturers, Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said.

The vaccination campaign against coronavirus is proceeding at a positive pace, especially after Palestine received a batch of the Sinopharm vaccine donated by China, al-Kaila said.

So far, 78,379 people have received COVID-19 vaccines, including 8,687 people who received the second dose of the vaccines, according to al-Kaila.

The health minister also said the COVID-19 curve in the Palestinian territories is currently bending downward, citing a slight decrease in the number of COVID-19 deaths as well as the rate of hospital bed occupancy.

On Wednesday, Palestine recorded 2,288 new COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths, according to the Health Ministry.

Among the new 2,288 cases, 1,227 cases were recorded in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and 1,061 others in the besieged Gaza Strip, the ministry said.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
No one will argue that an ambulance service isnt a needed and integral part of any community. These are the first responders who take our neighbors to the hospital under the most dire situations, sometimes staving off life-threatening conditions until better medical attention can be provided.

Yet, how do we fund this necessary service continues to be a question local government grapples with. There is only one solution to the issue and it might be one a lot of people disagree with: the creation of a special tax district within the county.

We know tax is a very dirty word in Wyoming...
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), along with its partner BP, has sought bids from companies to sell the additional gas produced from KG D6 basin off the east coast of India.

RIL and BP Exploration Alpha Ltd are currently producing and developing deep water gas fields in the KG D6 block under the production sharing contract with the Indian government.

"The additional gas produced from KG D6 will be available for sale at the delivery point at Gadimoga near Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh tentatively from last week of April 2021/early May 2021 subject to the terms of gas sale and purchase agreement," the companies said in a newspaper notice.

Also read: RIL, BP start gas production at ultra-deep-water field in KG D6

The consortium has appointed CRISIL Risk and Infrastructure Solutions Ltd as an independent agency for conducting the bidding process through an online web-based electronic bidding platform.

In December, the companies had announced start of production from R Cluster, an ultra-deep-water gas field in block KG D6. Besides R Cluster, Satellites Cluster and MJ are the other two deepwater gas projects in the block.

(Edited by Rai Vinaykumar)

Also read: Saudi Aramco's rising oil fortune to speed up Reliance O2C deal
How To Spot Market Boom and Bust Cycles

One of the most important aspects of trading is being able to properly identify major market cycles and trends. The markets will typically move between four separate stages: Bottoming/Basing, Rallying, Topping/Distribution, and Bearish Trending. Each of these phases of market trends is often associated with various degrees of market segment trending as well. For example, one of the most telling phrases of when the stock market is nearing an eventual Topping/Distribution phase is when the housing market gets super-heated. Yet, one of the most difficult aspects of this Excess Phase rally trend is that it can last many months or years, and usually longer than many people expect.

Until Gold Really Starts To Rally, Expect A Continued Rally In The Stock Market

When an Excess Phase rally is taking place in the stock market, we expect to see the Lumber vs. Gold ratio moving higher and typically see the RSI indicator stay above 50. Demand for lumber, a commodity necessary for building, remodeling, and other consumer essential spending, translates well as an economic barometer for big-ticket consumer spending. Extreme peaks in this ratio can often warn of a pending shift in consumer spending and how the stock market reacts to an Excess Phase Peak. Lets take a look at some of the historical reference points on this longer-term Weekly Lumber vs. Gold chart below.

First, the 1992 to 2005 ratio levels represent a moderately low Gold price level compared to a somewhat inflated Lumber price level. You can see how that dramatically changed between 2005 and 2012  this was a time when Gold started a historic rally phase just before the Housing/Credit crisis of 2008-09.

Since that time, the Lumber to Gold ratio has stayed below historical low reference points (near 0.6). This shift in the Lumber to Gold ratio suggests that demand for Gold outpaced demand for Lumber over the past 10+ years. Now, the Lumber to Gold ratio is climbing back to levels near or above that 0.6 level and may soon move higher if the post-COVID economic recovery continues while demand for Gold stays somewhat muted.

Traders need to pay attention to this current rally in the Lumber vs. Gold ratio because a breakout rally above the 0.60 level would likely mean a continued rally phase for the US stock market and strong sector trending related to consumer spending, housing, and speculative sectors. Whereas, a failure to rally above the 0.60 level at this stage may indicate that the US stock market will begin to stall and potentially move into a sideways correction before starting a new trend.

Be sure to sign up for our free market trend analysis and signals now so you dont miss our next special report!

Lastly, we have drawn some Std Deviation channels on this longer-term Lumber to Gold Weekly chart above. It is very important to understand that a continued rally in the Lumber to Gold ratio will break above the upper downward sloping channel from the 1999 peak and potentially prompt a big upside price rally  likely pushing the US stock market to extended new highs.

A Closer Look At The Current Setup

When we zoom into the current price trends on the following Lumber to Gold ratio chart below, we can clearly see the two recent rally trends; the first after the 2016 US elections and the second after the COVID-19 bottom. The most important aspect of this chart right now is that any continued rally in the Lumber to Gold ratio may quickly breach the 0.60 historical range and potentially prompt a very big rally in the US stock market over the next few months.

The new COVID stimulus and the continued efforts to pass an Infrastructure Bill in the US Congress may prompt enough of a capital injection into the US economy to set off a booster phase rally at this stage in the economic recovery. One simply cant rely on the fact that the Lumber to Gold ratio is near a historically critical level, we need to actually wait to see confirmation of a breakdown in this trend before we can say what is likely to happen in the near future. If the ratio climbs above 0.60 and continues to rally higher, then it is very likely that the US and Global stock market trends will also continue much higher.

Historical Peaks & Rallies  When To Be Concerned

This longer-term Lumber to Gold ratio chart shows how the SPY continued to rally through various stages of the rally in the ratio level. We also have to remember the peak in 2000 was related to two important economic events; the DOT COM bubble burst and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Subsequently, the breakdown in the Lumber to Gold ratio that started in 2004 was related to a broadly weakening housing market trend  prompted by an ever-increasing Fed Funds Rate which began in 2004-05. Currently, we have the US Fed promising near-zero rates through 2022 and an easy money policy throughout that time to support stronger global market recovery. Barring any unforeseen credit, economic, or global market event, we believe a breakout rally in the Lumber to Gold ratio, assuming Gold stays below $2250 and does not enter a breakout rally phase, will coincide with a moderately strong US stock market rally.

When should you start to be concerned that a top is setting up based on this ratio?

Very simply put, when you see Gold start to rally above $2150~$2250 and breakout into a true rally while the price of Lumber begins to fall somewhat sharply, then we believe traders should start to actively protect positions and prepare for a bigger breakdown in the stock market trend. Until Gold starts to react as a proper hedge, this speculative excess phase rally will likely continue higher.

As a warning for all our friends and followers, a breakdown of this upside rally trend could be sudden if a major market event takes place. For example, if a sudden collapse in the credit/debt markets were to happen (related to risk exposure or bank/financial firm failures), then we may see a very sudden breakdown in this ratio. Additionally, if war or geopolitical economic tensions break out where excessive global risks become a factor, then we may also see this ratio turn negative quickly.

Traders need to understand the potential for a continued stock market rally near these current levels is quite strong, but there are still risks of a sudden breakdown in trending. The question that nobody can answer is what will the catalyst event be and when could it happen?. Until then, trade the hottest sectors using my Best Asset Now strategy, which you can learn NOW by signing up for my FREE webinar that will teach you how to find the best sectors to trade.

Until the end of the trend is upon us, get ready for some really interesting global market trends and sector opportunities. It is very likely that volatility will stay higher than normal prompting 2% to 4%+ rotations in market trends. These next few years are going to be a traders dream market in terms of trending and price rotation.

For those who believe in the power of trading on relative strength, market cycles, and momentum but dont have the time to do the research every day then my BAN Trader Pro newsletter service does all the work for you with daily market reports, research, and trade alerts. More frequent or experienced traders have been killing it trading options, ETFs, and stocks using my BAN Hotlist ranking the hottest ETFs, which is updated daily for my premium subscribers

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Hyderabad, April 1 : Bharat Biotech has said that Brazil government's order of 20 million doses of Covid-19 Covaxin is still active and that it will fulfil certain requirements pointed out during the inspection by Brazilian health regulator Anvisa.

The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker's clarification came after reports that Anvisa denied permission to import Bharat Biotech's Covaxin into the country The health regulator refused to grant a certification of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to Covaxin, citing non-compliance with necessary standards. It suspended the request of Brazil's health ministry to import the vaccine.

GMP certification by Anvisa is a must for import and sale of drugs and vaccines in Brazil.

The regulator, whose team visited Bharat Biotech's vaccine-making facility at Genome Valley in Hyderabad last month, reportedly found certain non-conformities indicating risk to vaccine's manufacturing and product quality assurance.

The regulator flagged the issues relating to vaccine potency, sterilisation, viral inactivation and purity. It observed that the vaccine maker has not validated the method of analysis that proves that the virus was completely inactivated during manufacture.

Bharat Biotech, however, maintained that the requirements pointed out during inspection will be fulfilled. It also clarified that the agreement with Precisa Medicamentos, its Brazilian partner, will also continue.

Sources in Bharat Biotech told IANS that seeking more information or certain clarifications is common during inspections and regulatory procedures followed by drug regulators across the world. "This is not uncommon. We will definitely be fulfilling the requirements pointed out during the inspection," they said.

Bharat Biotech had announced on February 26 that it signed an agreement with the Brazilian government for the supply of 20 million doses of Covaxin during the second and third quarters of 2021. The value of the deal is estimated at around Rs 2,140 crore It was on January 12 that Bharat Biotech announced that it has signed an agreement with Precisa Medicamentos for the supplies of Covaxin to Brazil.

This followed the visit by a team from Precisa Medicamentos to Bharat Biotech facility in Hyderabad to discuss potential export possibilities of Covaxin, India's first Indigenous vaccine for Covid.

The team had met Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Dr Krishna Ella. It was revealed that during the discussion, Brazil's ambassador to India, Andre Aranha Correa do Lago joined on a virtual platform. He expressed his keen interest on behalf of the government of Brazil, towards the procurement of covaxin.

Both the parties agreed to prioritise supplies of Covaxin for the public market, through a direct procurement by the government of Brazil. Supplies to the private market would be based upon receipt of market authorisation from Anvisa, the Brazilian regulatory authority, it was stated.

"We identified highly technological, scientific and sanitary control levels. There were also excellent outcomes in clinical trials, which will be published soon. Bharat Biotech has exceeded our expectations, demonstrating quality and safety at the level of the largest vaccine suppliers in the world," a statement by Bharat Biotech had quoted pharmaceutical director of Precisa Medicamentos, Emanuela Medrades as saying.

Bharat Biotech has developed Covaxin in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV). This indigenous, inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) bio-containment facility, one of its kind in the world.

Covaxin, one of the two vaccines currently being administered in India, is a highly purified and inactivated 2 dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, manufactured in a Vero cell manufacturing platform with an excellent safety track record of more than 300 million doses, says the vaccine maker.

The company claimed last month that the vaccine candidate demonstrated an interim vaccine efficacy of 81 per cent in its Phase 3 clinical trial.

The Phase III human clinical trials of Covaxin began mid-November and are currently ongoing in about 26,000 volunteers across India.
Mumbai, April 1 : Reliance Infrastructure Limited and YES Bank Limited announced a sale transaction of Reliance Centre, Santacruz, Mumbai to YES Bank.

The transaction value is Rs1,200 crore.

Entire proceeds from the sale of Reliance Centre, Santacruz is utilized only to repay the debt of YES Bank.

Reliance infrastructure limited has reduced its exposure by 50 per cent in the last 90 days.

Rinfra has closed three major transactions in the last 90 days namely sale of road assets -- Delhi Agra Toll Road, Transmission Asset-Parbati Koldam Transmission Company limited and sale of Reliance Centre, Santacruz.

Rinfra exposure of YES Bank has been reduced from Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 2,000 crore.

Rinfra is committed to be a debt free company in 2021.

YES Bank plans to use the building as its corporate headquarters.

Reliance Infrastructure Limited (RInfra) is one of the largest infrastructure companies, developing projects through various Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) in several high growth sectors such as Power, Roads and Metro Rail in the Infrastructure space and the Defence sector.

RInfra is a major player in providing Engineering and Construction (E&C) services for developing power, infrastructure, metro and road projects.

RInfra through its SPVs has executed a portfolio of infrastructure projects such as a metro rail project in Mumbai on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis; nine road projects on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

RInfra is also a leading utility company having presence across the value chain of power businesses, i.e. Generation and Distribution.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Hagerstown Housing Authority closes in on end of McCleary Hill project

After objections from neighbors, the Hagerstown Housing Authority's McCleary Hill project is done its first phase. Officials held an open house.
SANTA ANA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company in North America, recently appointed Mike Beregovsky as Chief Merger & Acquisition Officer and Co-Head of Strategy & Investor Relations. Danette Perkins has been promoted to President of Mergers & Acquisitions for North America.

Beregovsky will be responsible for working with the company's executive leadership team to develop and execute the strategic direction for the organization to continue driving strong, consistent and profitable growth. Beregovsky will be leading Allied Universal's global merger and acquisition activities and will also play a key role in the upcoming acquisition and integration of G4S.

"I've had the pleasure of working with Mike over the last eight years when he was at Warburg Pincus, the company's long-standing financial partner," said Steve Jones, Chairman & CEO of Allied Universal. "Mike's vast experience and execution capability, coupled with his pragmatic and strategic perspective, will give Allied Universal a tremendous lift in regard to our merger and acquisition activities on a global scale. We are truly thrilled that Mike is joining our executive team."

Over the years, Beregovsky has been instrumental in leading Allied Universal's key transformative transactions and, in 2019, he was appointed to the company's Board of Directors.

"I am delighted to join Allied Universal. I have worked with the executive team for years so this will be a natural and seamless transition," said Beregovsky. "This is truly an exciting time to join Allied Universal as the company sits at the forefront of remarkable international expansion. I look forward to partnering with Danette and her team to replicate the company's extremely successful North America acquisition program on a worldwide scale."

As Co-Head of Strategy & Investor Relations, Beregovsky will also be responsible for ensuring the company is appropriately and strategically positioned with investors, lenders, and other relevant stakeholders.

Since 2011, Beregovsky served at Warburg Pincus' Industrial and Business Services group in London and New York. Prior to that, he worked at Thomas H. Lee Partners and at Banc of America Securities' Leveraged Acquisition Finance Group. He received a B.S. in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

About Allied Universal

Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company with more than 265,000 employees and revenues over $9.5 billion, provides unparalleled security services and technology solutions. With offices located throughout the nation as well as internationally (Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom), Allied Universal is responsible for protecting more than 50,000 client sites covering multiple specialty sectors such as higher education, healthcare, retail, commercial real estate, government and corporate campuses, etc. Supported by vast experience gained from being in business for over 60 years, Allied Universal provides proactive security services and cutting-edge smart technology to deliver evolving, tailored solutions that allow clients to focus on their core business. Through world-class customer service, highly advanced systems and cohesive technology solutionsAllied Universal is There for you. For more information, please visit www.aus.com.

Media Contacts:

Vanessa Showalter, Allied Universal/PR Manager

Phone: 714-619-9744

Email: Vanessa.Showalter@aus.com

Nancy Thompson, Vorticom Public Relations

Phone: 212-532-2208

Email: nancyt@vorticom.com

SOURCE: Allied Universal

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638486/Allied-UniversalR-Hires-Chief-Merger-Acquisition-Officer-and-Co-Head-of-Strategy-Investor-Relations
If you squint you can see it while driving over the Bay Bridge, nestled somewhere below Coit Tower on the southern slope of Telegraph Hill. A curious blue dome atop a cartoonishly narrow tower that looks like it belongs in a Dr. Seuss story. You can also see it from a small portion of Broadway in North Beach.

But that's about it; there aren't many other spots in San Francisco you can get a glimpse of Pasquale's Tower, which is odd considering how funny-looking and tall it is.

It's even out of sight if you walk up to its apparent entry point on Dunnes Alley. After passing an Italian flag mural, the narrow, steep street abruptly ends at a barbed wire-wrapped gate, topped with the wrought iron crest "Gogna," as the Transamerica Pyramid fills the backdrop, but even there, Pasquale's Tower is out of sight.

Andrew Chamings

Maybe the obscurity is unsurprising for a building with no address and no city record of a building permit ever being pulled.

When it was built on a rocky San Francisco outcrop nearly a century ago, it was certainly made to be looked at, and was probably within eyeshot for most of the city. But over the decades, luxury condos and strip clubs have obscured the view, yet that strange blue dome atop the four single-room floors remains the same.

There are many stories about Pasquale's Tower, and the man who built it.

"As the martinis flow from the pitcher in the evenings in the little flats and apartments on Telegraph Hill, the conversation often gets around to Pasquales House," the Chronicle waxed poetic in 1956. "And by the time the ice tinkles unhappily against the bottom of the pitcher, most of the fascinating legend about Pasquales House have been once more examined and carefully laid away."

These myths included the story of the lovelorn Italian immigrant, Pasquale Gogna, who built the tower with his bare hands to entice his love in Italy to move to San Francisco. When finished, she made the journey to America and upon seeing the tower declared that she was returning to Italy immediately, leaving Pasquale brokenhearted, alone in his strange creation.

Another tale claims that San Francisco wanted to close Dunnes Alley, the steep half-block lane that leads to nowhere, and so Pasquale quickly erected a residence on the rocky plot of land he had acquired to block the move.

The true story, as told by Gogna's nephew Joseph to the Chronicle in that same article, reveals that Pasquale Gogna immigrated from Italy in 1907 and worked in the city as a baker. When his brother Eugene joined him in 1927, the family went into the hotel business in San Francisco, and still owned a number of small hotels into the 1950s.

Andrew Chamings

The house was indeed designed and built by Pasquale atop the cliff in 1930, and its strange structure honored the architecture of his home, with a living room on the first floor, a kitchen on the second, a bedroom on the third and a study on the fourth. The blue dome on top is also a remembrance of Mediterranean life, the most striking examples of which can be seen in Santorini, Greece.

In 1956, Joseph also said that Pasquale had recently vacated the tower for another North Beach home because his arthritis made the four-story daily climb a pain.

A classified ad for a new tenant can be found in a 1960 San Francisco Examiner that reads, "Ideal for bachelor. For young in heart."

San Francisco Examiner

One of the hazards of diving into the archives to research folkloric San Franciscans is that so many characters turn out to be less than likeable, and Pasquale Gogna is no exception.

In 1908, the Oakland Tribune reported that Gogna used a wagon jack to inflict "a severe wound in the left cheek" of a man over a money dispute in the Sunset District, one of many reported assault arrests for the baker.

In 1922, he was arrested in Healdsburg on charges of drunkenness while carrying a 32-caliber revolver outside a service station and threatening to "kill all of them." The Italian was reportedly "tanked up on jackass brandy," and "wandering around town in a hilarious mood."

Street brawls and jackass brandy aside, Pasquale did leave a mark on San Francisco, and it's still standing tall and weird on Telegraph Hill today.
BEIJING, Mar. 31 -- The defense authorities of China and Japan held the third annual meeting of maritime and air liaison mechanism and the fifth round of working-level consultation on defense affairs via video link on March 29. The two sides exchanged views on such topics as maritime and aerial security policies, regional security situation, operation of the maritime and air liaison mechanism, and defense exchanges.

At the meeting, the Chinese side reiterated that the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are Chinas inherent territory, no matter what Japan says or does, it cannot change the fact. The Chinese side also urged the Japanese side to stop provoking China on the Diaoyu Island issue , let alone talking black into white and making groundless accusations against China.

Moreover, the Chinese side expressed strong dissatisfaction with and grave concern over a series of Japans negative acts against China, asking the Japanese side to abide by the basic norms governing international relations, stop smearing China, and safeguard the overall interests of China-Japan relations with concrete actions.

The Chinese side also stressed that the formulation of the Coast Guard Law is a normal legislation move taken by China, which conforms with the international law and international norms.

Upon reviewing the operation of the maritime and air liaison mechanism, the two sides acknowledged the mechanisms positive role in reducing misunderstanding and miscalculation and safeguarding maritime and aerial security, and put forward suggestions including opening a direct hotline as soon as possible.

It is reiterated that according to the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, the two sides should continue improving the mechanism, promoting defense exchanges, and effectively increasing mutual trust and diffusing misunderstanding, so as to make positive efforts to fostering a constructive bilateral security relationship.
The State Department says the U.S. will let a license extension with Belarus expire because of the human rights abuses in their country.

The Department of Treasury issues the general license that authorizes transactions with nine state owned enterprises in Belarus.

It was first approved because of notable progress at the time in the field of human rights and specifically due to the release of all political prisoners.

"We find the human rights situation has deteriorated to arguably the worst point in Belarus independent history, with more than 300 political prisoners currently detained in Belarus," said State Department Spokersperson Ned Price.

"The department is unable to recommend another extension at this time, particularly in light of the sense of Congress expressed in the 2020 Belarus Sovereignty and Democracy Act. The current extension will expire on April 26th."

Belarus has been rocked by big demonstrations against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election to a sixth term in the August 9, 2020 vote that the opposition argues was rigged.

Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation with an iron fist for more than 26 years, has accused the United States and its allies of fueling the protests.

"This step is reversible and we call on Russian authorities to take steps to allow us to do just that, specifically by releasing all political prisoners," said Price.

"The Lukashenko regime is still able to take these necessary steps to reverse course, release all those wrongfully imprisoned simply for peacefully disagreeing with the authorities, espousing different views or daring to compete in an election."

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , employment openings in computer science and other IT-related careers are projected to grow by at least 11 percent by 2029. While those job openings will grow faster than in other fields, states have had to compete for computer scientists and IT talent as demand for tech workers continues to outpace the number of available candidates.Noting these demands, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 633 last week to require the state Department of Education to establish a computer science curriculum for all elementary, middle and high schools by the 2024-25 academic year. The bill comes as more than 30 other states, notably including Rhode Island and Arkansas , continue other initiatives to make computer science a core part of their public schools curriculums.State Rep. Kent McCarty says the goal of the law is for Mississippi to produce its own pool of IT talent in the years to come.Introducing computer science curriculum at the elementary, middle and high school level is a huge step in the right direction for the next generation of Mississippians. We need to expose our students at the earliest possible level to the tools they need for the jobs of the future, and this bill does that, said McCarty, who serves as vice-chair of the states education committee.In 2016, the state announced its Computer Science 4 Mississippi initiative to train computer science course instructors. Mississippi Rep. Richard Bennett, chair of the education committee, said there's still work to be done to help fill computer science career openings.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many of these openings focus on cloud computing, data storage and information security. Bennett said there are currently about 1,500 IT-related openings in Mississippi alone. Meanwhile, only half of the state's schools offer computer science curriculum courses.For Mississippi to attract new businesses, we need to focus on building a high-quality, well-educated workforce in each community across the state," he said.McCarty said the bill will require the state Department of Education to formulate a list of high-quality courses and approved vendors to work as partners in the bill's goals. He said state officials have allocated about $1 million in state funding for the law's requirements. Mississippi-based tech company C Spire is donating an additional $1 million toward education department efforts.McCarty also noted that legislators and state officials were considering such legislation before this year. The bill, he said, had broad support among lawmakers but died in committee when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted last year's legislative sessions.The Department of Education's Chief Academic Officer Nathan Oakley said education officials will develop courses and additional guidelines required through the legislation set to take effect this summer.Education leaders, industry partners and elected officials recognize the growing job market in computer science and are committed to creating new computer science opportunities in the coming years, he said in an email. Mississippi has adopted computer science standards, and many districts have already shifted from older technology courses to updated computer science courses to meet graduation requirements."
Delhi HC seeks stand of Centre, AAP govt on plea seeking CBI probe into deaths at Jaipur Golden Hospital due to alleged oxygen shortage.
Firefighters battled a wildfire spanning several acres near the CZU Lightning Complex burn scar in Santa Cruz County on Wednesday afternoon, Cal Fire officials said.

Authorities were first alterted to the 3 to 5-acre timber fire around 4:35 p.m. as it encroached on Greenvale Road near Highway 9 in Boulder Creek, said Cecile Juliette, a spokeswoman for Cal Fires San Mateo and Santa Cruz Unit. Firefighters halted the fires progress around 5:15 p.m.
Reverend Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, has sued Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Capitol Building police in order to be able to conduct a Good Friday prayer vigil on the Lower Western Terrace of the Capitol Building. Mahoney is supported by the Center for American Liberty, founded in 2019 by Indian American attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who is representing Mahoney in his lawsuit. (photo via Twitter)
Before the pandemic, the staff at ADNET Technologies worked in a typical cubical farm: a maze of high walls with a collection of private offices for managers. When the lease was coming to an end on the space, which had been empty for months as the employees worked from home, co-CEO Chris Luise started reconsidering the idea of office space all together.

While some companies have closed their bricks and mortar offices all together, Luise didn't feel that was right for ADNET, a company that manages information technology systems for clients, maintains cloud services and cybersecurity. After talking with employees in both Albany and Farmington, Conn., where ADNET has offices, Luise realized there were people who loved their new arrangement working from home and others who didn't like it or didn't have a good situation at home for work.
Armenia still does not give maps of minefields, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said, making a speech at the informal Summit of the Cooperation Council of the Turkic-Speaking States (Turkic Council) held in a video conference format.

"After the war, many Azerbaijani civilians and servicemen were killed and wounded by landmines. Armenia still does not give us maps of minefields. This is another war crime. Therefore, demining will take more time. Without the completion of this work, of course, we will not be able to return our IDPs and refugees to those lands," he said.

Ilham Aliyev added that destroying historical sites is another war crime and an insult to the entire Muslim world.

"Everything in the liberated lands has been destroyed. Journalists and diplomats are visiting those places now. They see that cities have been destroyed, houses have been destroyed, villages have been destroyed, our historical sites have been destroyed. Foreign and local journalists have called Aghdam the Hiroshima of the Caucasus. After the liberation of Fuzuli, there was not a single safe building left in the city for us to raise the Azerbaijani flag on. Armenians have destroyed all our cities, destroyed all our historical sites, plowed cemeteries, destroyed graves, destroyed more than 60 mosques and kept cows and pigs in half-demolished mosques," the head of state stressed.
Andrew Cuomo was paid more than $4 million for his controversial book bragging about his handling of the pandemic at the same time that his office was hiding COVID-19 nursing home deaths, according to a report.

Sources told the New York Times the embattled governor of New York state landed the seven-figure deal with publisher Crown for his memoir 'American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic'.

The outlet, which obtained emails about the book and an early draft, revealed Cuomo began writing the book in mid-June with an early draft written by early July - which closely coincided with the finalizing and the release of the state health department's July 6 report into COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

It transpired this year that the report had grossly undercounted the deaths with Cuomo's office altering the 9,844 death toll detailed in the first draft to release a lower number of 6,432 to the public.

Cuomo also took aim at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in an early draft of his book, branding him 'one of the worst mayors in modern history' in a three-page long rant about his longtime foe which was cut from the final version.

The governor released his book on October 13, praising his own leadership during the COVID-19 crisis, despite the pandemic being far from over.

Since then, Cuomo's reputation has rapidly unraveled as he is facing investigations into both the COVID-19 nursing home deaths scandal and allegations he sexually harassed multiple women.

Andrew Cuomo was paid more than $4 million for his controversial book bragging about his handling of the pandemic at the same time that his office was hiding nursing home deaths, according to a report

Sources told the New York Times the embattled governor of New York state landed the big-dollar deal with publisher Crown for his memoir 'American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic'

The NY Times tied the timing of the book being written with the alteration of state data on COVID-19 nursing home deaths.

An email dated June 27 shows Cuomo staffer Stephanie Benton asked an unidentified assistant to print pages of a draft copy of the book and take them to the Executive Mansion to give to the governor.

The same day, Cuomo's top aide Melissa DeRosa - who last month appeared to admit the state hid the death data from the Trump administration - held an impromptu teleconference with other top aides to talk about the state health department's report.

Then, on July 5, another female staffer was sent an email asking her to print out a 224-page draft of the book and take it to the Executive Mansion.

This draft was entitled 'MDR edits', in reference to DeRosa, who is said to have attended publisher meetings and helped Cuomo with writing his early drafts.

The very next day - on July 6 - the state health department report was released.

Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to the governor, denied any connection between the writing of the memoir and the health department report in a statement to the Times.

'There is no connection between the report and this outside project, period,' Azzopardi said Wednesday.

'And any suggestion otherwise is just wrong.'

Azzopardi said the July 6 report was not intended to be a 'full accounting' of the nursing home deaths toll but was to investigate whether the administration's policies 'contributed to increased deaths'.

The report all but cleared Cuomo and his administration of fault over its March directive to send COVID-19 infected patients back to nursing homes with non-COVID patients.

The outlet, which obtained emails about the book and an early draft, found Cuomo was writing the book in June and July - which closely coincided with the release of the state's July 6 health department report. A patient at Cobble Hill Health Center, Brooklyn, last April

Instead, it placed the blame for the virus spreading and the huge number of deaths in the state's nursing homes on asymptomatic staff and visitors entering the facilities.

Earlier this month, it emerged that the report's data had been massaged to hide the true extent of the crisis.

A bombshell report revealed Cuomo's office had asked the state health department to change its definition of COVID-19 nursing home deaths.

State health officials had originally included nursing home residents who died after being transported to hospitals in the tally of deaths in long-term care facilities but Cuomo's top aides requested the state health department remove the hospital deaths from the figures before the report was made public.

This revision resulted in the report detailing 6,432 nursing home deaths up to that point - a significant undercount of the actual death toll and down from the almost 10,000 which were included in the initial version of the report.

The true number of deaths among nursing home residents only became clear this year following a review by the state attorney general.

DeRosa is said to have been one of the key people behind the changes made to the final version of the report.

Cuomo with top aide Melissa DeRosa who worked with him on the book and was also involved in the controversial nursing home deaths report

She also found herself at the center of the scandal when she admitted in a call with Democratic state legislators that officials 'froze' when then-President Donald Trump's Department of Justice asked for data on the nursing home deaths in August.

DeRosa said the state then hid the damning data and rebuffed the request before walking back her comments.

Other Cuomo aides were also involved in helping the governor draft the memoir, the Times reported, with one anonymous staffer saying they were tasked with typing or transferring notes.

Azzopardi said DeRosa and Benton 'volunteered' to work on the book while 'every effort was made to ensure that no state resources were used in connection with this project' when it came to junior staff members.

The early draft Cuomo's memoir also revealed he was planning to unleash on de Blasio in a three-page diatribe before the section was cut from the final version.

In it, Cuomo slammed de Blasio's 'standing' as 'somewhere between negative and irrelevant' and unfavorably compared him to another foe - Donald Trump.

He wrote that while the mayor was 'annoying and counterproductive' the then-president was a 'serious threat.'

Cuomo went on to trash de Blasio, who he once called 'a friend in the deepest sense of the word', as a political opportunist with 'very little interest or aptitude for government policy or governmental operations' and boasted that he was more popular than him.

'My popular rating in New York City has always been higher than his,' he wrote.

Cuomo also took aim at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in an early draft of the book, branding him 'one of the worst mayors in modern history' in a three-page long rant about his longtime foe which was cut from the final version

De Blasio meanwhile is 'viewed as one of the worst mayors in modern history,' who suffers from 'obvious ego driven narcissism,' Cuomo wrote.

A spokesperson for de Blasio hit back at Cuomo's 'ego-driven narcissism' in a statement to the Times.

'Andrew Cuomo writing about ego-driven narcissism sounds like the pot calling the kettle black,' said Bill Neidhardt.

'It's more of the same from a bully facing impeachment after covering up deaths at nursing homes and numerous credible accusations of sexual assault.'

There has been no love lost between the two men for many years.

The two men worked together when de Blasio was appointed regional director for the Housing and Urban Development for New York and New Jersey in 1997 reporting directly into Cuomo who was Bill Clinton's Housing and Urban Development secretary.

But when de Blasio was elected mayor to Cuomo's governor in 2014, their relationship quickly soured.

Tensions reached a head this last year as they sparred over the coronavirus pandemic.

De Blasio this month joined calls for Cuomo to resign as multiple women - including several current and former aides - came forward to accuse the governor of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior.

Cuomo's memoir was released in October at a time when the state - which had been the virus epicenter of the world back in April - was heading for another wave.

In it, he praised his own leadership during the pandemic and described trying to placate Trump in order to get hospital beds, ventilators and other supplies for New York.

Absent from the book was his own failings, including the thousands of patient deaths at New York nursing homes.

Critics slammed the governor at the time saying it was shameful for him to be trying to make money from the crisis and that it was also premature given the pandemic was far from over.

Now, a federal probe is now looking into the state's handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes and the release of the data.

Cuomo is also under investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James into allegations he sexually harassed multiple women.

At least eight women have accused the governor of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.

Calls are mounting for him to resign with an impeachment investigation launched by state Democrats but Cuomo has vowed he will not stand down.
In this image from video, George Floyd's girlfriend Courteney Ross answers questions on the fourth day of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in Floyd's death, in Minneapolis, Minn., on April 1, 2021. (Pool via Reuters)

George Floyds Girlfriend Says He Overdosed Two Months Before Death

George Floyds girlfriend testified in court on Thursday.

I went to go pick Floyd up from his house that night. I thought I was taking him to work. He wasnt feeling good. His stomach really hurt. He was doubled over in pain. Just wasnt feeling well. And he said he had to go to the hospital. So I took him straight to the hospital, Courteney Ross, 45, said in court in Minneapolis.

We went to the ER, and they were checking him out in the ER. And it was getting late. And I had to get home to my son. So I left.

Ross affirmed she later learned that Floyd had overdosed. She said she did not learn what caused the overdose.

Ross was testifying during day four of Derek Chauvins trial. Chauvin, a police officer who was later fired, was one of four to respond to a 911 call concerning counterfeit money allegedly being used at a convenience store in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.

Floyd, who was accused of using the money, resisted officers attempts to put him into the back of a patrol car. They then pinned him to the ground. Chauvin knelt on his neck to keep him in place.

Floyd, 46, experienced cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by officers, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiners Office, which determined the manner of death was homicide.

In this image from police bodycam video, Minneapolis police officers attempt to remove George Floyd from a vehicle, on May 25, 2020, outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis, as it is shown Wednesday, March 31, 2021, during the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in the case of Floyds death, at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. (Court TV via AP, Pool)

Floyd had high levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system, according to substance screening, and that drug use possibly contributed to the death, along with a history of heart disease.

Ross told jurors that both she and Floyd were addicted to opioids, an addiction that started when they received prescriptions for chronic pain they suffered.

We got addicted and, and tried really hard to break that addiction many times, she said.

Ross said she and Floyd had purchased pills from Morries Hall, who was in the vehicle with Floyd when police arrived on the scene last year. Hall on Wednesday asked the judge to quash a subpoena seeking his testimony, saying he would use his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination if he were forced to appear.

Eric Nelson, one of Chauvins lawyers, in a motion last year argued prosecutors failed to show his client likely caused Floyds death. He highlighted the presence of drugs detected in Floyd.

Put simply, Mr. Floyd could not breathe because he had ingested a lethal dose of fentanyl and, possibly, a speedball. Combined with sickle cell trait, his pre-existing heart conditions, Mr. Floyds use of fentanyl and methamphetamine most likely killed him, Nelson wrote. Adding fentanyl and methamphetamine to Mr. Floyds existing health issues was tantamount to lighting a fuse on a bomb.

Nelson attached a file that quoted Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, who said that if Floyd were found dead at home alone and no other apparent causes, this could be acceptable to call an OD, or overdose.

In his opening remarks on Monday, Nelson told jurors that Baker found no signs of bruising to Floyds neck or on his skin.

In this courtroom sketch, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, accompanied by his defense attorney Eric Nelson, attends the fourth day of his trial for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., on April 1, 2021. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)

There was no evidence that Mr. Floyds airflow was restricted, and he did not determine to be a positional or mechanical asphyxia death, he said.

Prosecutors assert there is probable cause linking Chauvins actions to Floyds death, noting that he and officers J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane pinned Floyd for nearly nine minutes.

During that time, Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyds neck for about four minutes after Lane told the other officers that Floyd was passing out, and for two and a half minutes after Kueng said Floyd did not have a pulse. Indeed, he continued to press his knee into Floyds neck for a full minute after emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene, and even while emergency personnel tried to check Floyds pulse, they wrote in a motion last year.

Probable cause is manifest. The facts here would lead a person of ordinary care and prudence to hold an honest and strong suspicion that Chauvin committed second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The evidence is more than sufficient to establish probable cause for each offense, they wrote last year.

Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and third-degree murder.

Mr. Chauvin has the presumption of innocence. He is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty, prosecutor Jerry Blackwell told the court this week. We plan to prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Chauvin was anything other than innocent on May 25th of 2020.
Britain has expressed grave concern about what it described as the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria and pledged to help the country tackle insecurity.

The UK's Minister of Armed Forces, James Heappey, and the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, expressed worry at the deteriorating security situation in the country, adding that London was keen on helping Nigeria win its fight against insecurity.

They spoke at different fora during engagements in Abuja between Monday and yesterday.

Britain's pledge to help Nigeria combat insecurity came just as the United States, in a report released yesterday excoriated Nigeria over its human rights records but said it could not confirm the accurate figures of causalities during the shootings at Lekki Tollgate last year.

"We are extremely concerned about the deteriorating security situation.

"I mean Nigeria is facing a lot of problems everywhere - in the North-east, terrorism; in the North-west, banditry, kidnapping; in the Middle Belt, the farmers-herders conflict; in the South, the Niger Delta conflict everywhere.

"And the secession movements in the South-east. So, Nigeria is really struggling," Liang told journalists yesterday in Abuja on the sidelines of a reception to welcome home the 2019/2020 UK Chevening Scholarship beneficiaries.

Laing said the UK government had been helping the Nigerian military with training, campaign planning and how to counter improvised explosive devices.

"Well, we are here to support and help. We have the military team here, who came here after the Chibok girls were kidnapped actually. We are still here, training the Nigerian military, helping them to do campaign planning, how to counter IEDs," Laing said.

She added that the recent visit of the UK's Minister of Armed Forces, James Heappey, during which he interacted with the Nigerian government at the highest level, including the service chiefs, also showed the commitment of the UK government to assist Nigeria in combating insecurity.

Laing, however, urged the federal government to be specific about the support it needed from the UK and what the UK can offer.

"So, we are here for a long time. This is a Nigerian partnership. Your insecurity becomes our insecurity if we don't help you tackle it. So, we are here and we are trying to do our best to support you," she said.

Chairperson of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, urged the Chevening scholarship beneficiaries to use the knowledge and skills gained for Nigeria's development.

Earlier, Heappey, during his meeting with Nigerian service chiefs, committed the UK to assist Nigeria in tackling the growing insecurity, especially terrorism.

A statement by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of UK said Heappey, who visited Nigeria on Monday, met with Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd); Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo; Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; and the Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum.

"Minister for the Armed Forces said the UK would continue to work closely with Nigeria to address the current security situation. He discussed future Nigeria-UK opportunities to strengthen cooperation, including further UK Ministry of Defence assistance for Nigeria. He also stressed the importance placed on human rights in our engagement", the statement stated.

The UK said the minister's visit had demonstrated the importance of the UK-Nigeria partnership across a range of foreign policy and defence objectives.

It added: "The UK's recently launched Integrated Review - our most significant review of foreign, defence, development and security policy since the end of the Cold War - clearly identifies Nigeria as a priority partner for the UK.

"The UK has a long history of defence engagement in the West Africa region, and an enduring partnership with the Armed Forces of Nigeria and those deployed with the Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram.

"Programmes within this engagement seek to explore ways to strengthen our relationship and to identify areas where the UK can support the Armed Forces of Nigeria and regional partners in their efforts to bring stability to the region."

During his discussions, Heappey said the UK would continue to work closely with Nigeria to address the current security situation.

He also discussed future Nigeria-UK opportunities to strengthen cooperation, including further UK Ministry of Defence assistance for Nigeria, while stressing the importance of human rights in the country's engagement.

The minister also outlined how the UK was committed to working with Nigeria and other regional allies in West Africa to tackle violence in the Lake Chad Basin and emphasised the importance to the UK and Nigeria of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.

He stated that the UK remains keen on exploring opportunities to do more work with Nigeria on these issues.

He added that the UK looks forward to joining Senegal in co-chairing the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FOGG) this year while also emphasising how the UK is committed to supporting Nigeria with reforming national and regional structures and processes.

Heappey said: "Nigeria is an important and valued defence partner for the UK. Our two countries face many shared threats, from violent extremists like Boko Haram, to serious organised crime and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

"The UK is committed to working with our Nigerian friends to tackle these threats and enhance security and stability across West Africa."

US Accuses Nigeria of Human Rights Abuses

The United States, in a report, "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2020", released yesterday by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, has excoriated Nigeria over its human rights records.

In the report titled, "'Nigeria 2020 Human Rights Report, Executive Summary," the US accused Nigeria of "significant" human rights abuses, which include: unlawful and arbitrary killings by both government and non-state actors; forced disappearances by the government, terrorists and criminal groups; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government and terrorist groups; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions.

However, the reported stated that the US could not confirm the number of casualties at the Lekki Tollgate shootings that occurred last year.

"Accurate information on the fatalities from the shooting remain fuzzy because apart from "Amnesty International which reported 10 persons died during the event, no other organization was able to verify the claim," it said.

When contacted to react to the report, Presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, referred THISDAY to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

"Please get across to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. He is to react to issues that have to do with the government. He is in a better position to answer your question," Adesina said.

But efforts to reached Mohammed yesterday were futile as he neither picked calls to his telephone line nor respond to a text message sent to him.

The 102-page report also accused the federal government of "arbitrary detention by government and non-state actors, political prisoners, serious problems with the independence of the judiciary, arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy, serious abuses in an internal conflict, including killing and torture of civilians; serious restrictions on free expression, the press, and the internet, including the existence of criminal libel laws."

The report also indicted Nigeria for "substantial interference" with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, in particular for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex persons; severe restrictions on religious freedom; serious acts of corruption; trafficking in persons; inadequate investigation and accountability for violence against women; the existence or use of laws criminalising consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults; and the worst forms of child labour.

The US stated that even when the federal government took "some steps" to investigate alleged abuses by police, including the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and military forces, impunity remained a significant problem.

"There were reports of further progress informally separating and reintegrating child soldiers previously associated with the Civilian Joint Task Force, a non-governmental self-defence militia, which received limited state government funding.

"Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa continued attacks on civilians, military, and police; recruited and forcefully conscripted child soldiers; and carried out scores of person-borne improvised explosive device attacks-many by coerced young women and girls-and other attacks on population centres in the North-east and in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. Abductions by Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa continued," the report added.

The report said even though consistent with the constitution, the federal government had continued to turn to the armed forces to address internal security concerns, due to insufficient capacity and staffing of domestic law enforcement agencies.

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It said there were reports that members of the security forces committed human rights abuses.

The report stated: "Civilian authorities did not always maintain effective control over the security services. The insurgency in the North-east by the militant terrorist groups Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa continued.

"The groups conducted numerous attacks on government and civilian targets, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries, widespread destruction, the internal displacement of more than two million persons, and the external displacement of somewhat more than an estimated 300,000 Nigerian refugees to neighbouring countries as of December 14."

On the alleged controversial killings at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on October 20, last year, it said "accurate information" on fatalities resulting from the shooting was not available at year's end.

US said: "Impunity remained a significant problem' in the security forces, including in the police, military, and the Department of State Services (DSS). The DSS, police, and military reported to civilian authorities but periodically acted outside civilian control.

"The government regularly utilised disciplinary boards and mechanisms to investigate security force members and hold them accountable for crimes committed on duty, but the results of these accountability mechanisms were not always made public.

"Police remained susceptible to corruption, faced allegations of human rights abuses, and operated with widespread impunity in the apprehension, illegal detention, and torture of suspects."

Questioning the state of Nigerian prisons, the report said prisoners and detainees were reportedly subjected to torture, overcrowding, food and water shortages, inadequate medical treatment, exposure to heat and sun, and infrastructure deficiencies that led to inadequate sanitary conditions that could result in death.

According to the report, "Guards and prison employees reportedly extorted inmates or levied fees on them to pay for food, prison maintenance, transport to routine court appointments, and release from prison. Female inmates in some cases faced the threat of rape."

The report said only prisoners with money or support from their families had sufficient food, and accused prison employees of sometimes stealing money provided for prisoners' food.
NEW YORK, MUNICH, ARMONK, N.Y. and RALEIGH, N.C, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Celonis, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Red Hat today announced a global strategic partnership to help accelerate the adoption of the Celonis Execution Management System (EMS) and help deliver more flexibility and choice in how customers deploy the technology. The collaboration seeks to accelerate how customers apply process mining, intelligence and automation to the core enterprise system functions and processes that drive business execution.

Celonis, IBM and Red Hat Form Strategic Partnership to Transform Business Execution Celonis, IBM and Red Hat Form Strategic Partnership to Transform Business Execution

The strategic partnership aims to help address many challenges business leaders face as they seek to digitally transform their operations. Despite trillions of dollars[1] invested in technologies, solutions, and transformation initiatives, businesses often execute below their full capacity because of system and technology complexity, broken or inefficient processes, and fragmented data that sits across various IT and cloud environments. Celonis EMS sits on top of core enterprise systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management, pulls real-time data from them, and applies process intelligence in order to help identify and unlock execution capacity across a business.

IBM Global Business Services (GBS) is bolstering its consulting approach by implementing Celonis software as part of its methodology, alongside the application of IBM data and AI solutions. GBS is also helping clients build new solutions using Celonis EMS. Clients across all industries and domains can benefit by accelerating their transformation and re-envisioning work with intelligent workflows. Additionally, Celonis is embracing an open hybrid cloud strategy by re-platforming on Red Hat OpenShift to deliver more flexibility and choice in how customers deploy their technologies.

"Through the strategic partnership with IBM and Red Hat, we plan to help power the shift from analog to intelligent business execution, helping many of the world's largest companies with their transactional systems, boosting their business performance," said Miguel Milano, Chief Revenue Officer and co-owner of Celonis. "It's incredibly powerful for our customers to be able to combine the Celonis Execution Management System with Red Hat OpenShift's hybrid cloud approach and IBM Global Business Services' expertise."

"This strategic partnership accelerates IBM's billion-dollar partner ecosystem commitment and reflects our bold approach to expanding into high growth, emerging categories to help meet the evolving hybrid cloud and AI needs of our clients," said Mark Foster, Senior Vice President, IBM Services. "The bottom line is our clients are looking to accelerate the transformation of their workflows and make them more intelligent. Through this powerful new global strategic partnership with Celonis, we're adding to IBM's suite of technology capabilities to unlock value and help propel our clients' growth and innovation."

Harnessing value through digital transformation

GBS is bringing deep consulting experience to complement Celonis' execution management and process mining capabilities to help create intelligent workflows that are more responsive, accurate and predictive. GBS is embedding Celonis software into its services methodologies and is broadly deploying Celonis' capabilities via 10,000 practitioners throughout its industry and domain practice areas, from consulting and business process outsourcing, to enterprise applications like customer care, to finance and supply chain.

"Working with IBM Global Business Services, we have analyzed our procure to pay processes across several countries in Europe and Africa by applying Celonis process mining tools to uncover and fix inefficiencies. Our finance business processes have benefitted from greater transparency and the identification of tangible improvement areas," said Jens Knoblauch, Executive Director, Digital Business Services at Linde. "We will need to further develop our operational excellence and can benchmark best practices across all our countries to help each perform their best."

The strategic partnership between Celonis and IBM GBS will initially focus on:

Advanced end-to-end consulting expertise: IBM GBS can deliver skills, capabilities and experience through a center of excellence that can accelerate customer enablement. IBM is integrating Celonis into its consulting work for clients across service line areas like supply chain, finance, procurement, HR, and customer experience including its application modernization work with leading independent software vendors.

IBM GBS can deliver skills, capabilities and experience through a center of excellence that can accelerate customer enablement. IBM is integrating Celonis into its consulting work for clients across service line areas like supply chain, finance, procurement, HR, and customer experience including its application modernization work with leading independent software vendors. Embed in IBM Garage : IBM is embedding Celonis intelligent execution management software into its IBM Garage methodology to help deepen workflow analysis and accelerate intelligent workflows for critical processes like production, customer service, distribution, manufacturing and logistics. IBM Garage is a methodology to help collaborate with clients, generate innovative ideas, and turn those ideas into business value, leveraging both IBM and ecosystem technology.

: IBM is embedding Celonis intelligent execution management software into its IBM Garage methodology to help deepen workflow analysis and accelerate intelligent workflows for critical processes like production, customer service, distribution, manufacturing and logistics. IBM Garage is a methodology to help collaborate with clients, generate innovative ideas, and turn those ideas into business value, leveraging both IBM and ecosystem technology. Business process outsourcing : IBM GBS is adopting Celonis across many of its business process outsourcing engagements to help them run more efficiently to drive better outcomes for clients.

: IBM GBS is adopting Celonis across many of its business process outsourcing engagements to help them run more efficiently to drive better outcomes for clients. Industry-specific intelligent workflows: IBM GBS is building applications and assets on Celonis EMS for key industries and domains, particularly focused on regulated industries, to help bring actionable data and more intelligent workflows to large enterprises.

A flexible, hybrid cloud platform for deployment

Additionally, Celonis is embracing an open hybrid cloud strategy using Red Hat OpenShift to deliver more flexibility for customers in where they deploy Celonis' software  across any public or private cloud environment they choose. This flexibility is especially useful in highly regulated industries and enhances Celonis' interoperability across customers' existing systems, bringing another level of agility in how critical data can be moved and analyzed to drive new value.

Red Hat OpenShift technology and experience can also enable agility, speed, security and scalability. Celonis is in the process of adopting Red Hat OpenShift across its entire software portfolio.

"The collaboration between our three companies gets at the heart of what we often talk to customers about: how can they transform to enable new innovation and choice while maintaining consistency and the ability to scale," said Dave Farrell, general manager, Global Strategic Alliances, Red Hat. "Just as Red Hat Enterprise Linux did at the operating system level, Red Hat OpenShift provides a consistent foundation to enable Celonis to deliver its powerful platform across multiple clouds. And by using Managed OpenShift, Celonis can take advantage of the power of the industry's leading enterprise Kubernetes platform without the complexity of building and managing a Kubernetes environment, enabling them to keep their focus on serving customers and innovating its EMS offerings."

"With our move to Red Hat OpenShift, we're offering our customers a new level of flexibility and agility for how they deploy Celonis to help meet their requirements," said Martin Klenk, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Celonis. "Giving them more choice fits with our belief as a company in living for customer value."

About Celonis

Celonis believes that every company can unlock its full execution capacity. Powered by its market-leading process mining core, the Celonis Execution Management System provides a set of instruments, applications, and developer studio and platform capabilities for business executives and users. The Celonis EMS offerings help companies manage every facet of execution management from analytics to strategy and planning, management, actions and automation. Celonis has thousands of customers, including ABB, AstraZeneca, Bosch, Coca-Cola, Citibank, Danaher Corporation, Dell, GSK, John Deere, L'Oreal, Siemens, Uber, Vodafone and Whirlpool. Celonis is headquartered in Munich, Germany and New York City, USA and has 15 offices worldwide.

About IBM

To learn more about how IBM is working with Celonis to help enterprises transform with hybrid cloud technologies and services, visit https://www.ibm.com/services/business or engage with us on Twitter @ibm. For more information on IBM's AI-powered Automation solutions, visit: https://www.ibm.com/cloud/automation

About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat is the world's leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver high-performing Linux, hybrid cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Red Hat helps customers integrate new and existing IT applications, develop cloud-native applications, standardize on our industry-leading operating system, and automate, secure, and manage complex environments. Award-winning support, training, and consulting services make Red Hat a trusted advisor to the Fortune 500. As a strategic partner to cloud providers, system integrators, application vendors, customers, and open source communities, Red Hat can help organizations prepare for the digital future.

For more information contact:

Gabrielle Gugliocciello

IBM Media Relations

[email protected]

[1]

According to IDC, investments in digital transformation will approach $6.8 trillion by 2023.

IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Digital Transformation 2021 Predictions, Doc # US46880818, October 2020

SOURCE IBM

Related Links

www.ibm.com


Although beef is one of the most consumed foods around the world, eating it when it's past its prime is not only unsavory, but also poses some serious health risks. Unfortunately, available methods to check for beef freshness have various disadvantages that keep them from being useful to the public. For example, chemical analysis or microbial population evaluations take too much time and require the skills of a professional. On the other hand, non-destructive approaches based on near-infrared spectroscopy require expensive and sophisticated equipment. Could artificial intelligence be the key to a more cost-effective way to assess the freshness of beef?

At Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Korea, a team of scientists led by Associate Processors Kyoobin Lee and Jae Gwan Kim have developed a new strategy that combines deep learning with diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), a relatively inexpensive optical technique. "Unlike other types of spectroscopy, DRS does not require complex calibration; instead, it can be used to quantify part of the molecular composition of a sample using just an affordable and easily configurable spectrometer," explains Lee. The findings of their study are now published in Food Chemistry.

To determine the freshness of beef samples, they relied on DRS measurements to estimate the proportions of different forms of myoglobin in the meat. Myoglobin and its derivatives are the proteins mainly responsible for the color of meat and its changes during the decomposition process. However, manually converting DRS measurements into myoglobin concentrations to finally decide upon the freshness of a sample is not a very accurate strategy--and this is where deep learning comes into play.

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) are widely used artificial intelligence algorithms that can learn from a pre-classified dataset, referred to as 'training set,' and find hidden patterns in the data to classify new inputs. To train the CNN, the researchers gathered data on 78 beef samples during their spoilage process by regularly measuring their pH (acidity) alongside their DRS profiles. After manually classifying the DRS data based on the pH values as 'fresh,' 'normal,' or 'spoiled,' they fed the algorithm the labelled DRS dataset and also fused this information with myoglobin estimations. "By providing both myoglobin and spectral information, our trained deep learning algorithm could correctly classify the freshness of beef samples in a matter of seconds in about 92% of cases," highlights Kim.

Besides its accuracy, the strengths of this novel strategy lie in its speed, low cost, and non-destructive nature. The team believes it may be possible to develop small, portable spectroscopic devices so that everyone can easily assess the freshness of their beef, even at home. Moreover, similar spectroscopy and CNN-based techniques could also be extended to other products, such as fish or pork. In the future, with any luck, it will be easier and more accessible to identify and avoid questionable meat.

###

About Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented university situated in Gwangju, South Korea. One of the most prestigious schools in South Korea, it was founded in 1993. The university aims to create a strong research environment to spur advancements in science and technology and to promote collaboration between foreign and domestic research programs. With its motto, "A Proud Creator of Future Science and Technology," the university has consistently received one of the highest university rankings in Korea.

Website: http://www. gist. ac. kr/

About the authors

Kyoobin Lee is an Associate Professor and Director of the AI laboratory at GIST. His group is developing AI-based robot vision and deep learning-based bio-medical analysis methods. Before joining GIST, he obtained a PhD in Mechatronics from KAIST and completed a postdoctoral training program at Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

Jae Gwan Kim is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering at GIST since 2011. His current research topics include brain stimulation by transcranial ultrasound, anesthesia depth monitoring, and screening the stage of Alzheimer's disease via brain functional connectivity measurements. Before joining GIST, he completed a postdoctoral training program at the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic at UC Irvine, USA. In 2005, he received a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from a joint program between the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, USA.
A suspect held after a young man was stabbed to death at a vigil for another knife murder victim is being hunted after he attacked police and fled from hospital.

The man in his thirties was one of two suspects arrested on suspicion of the murder of 23-year-old Reece Young in Croydon, south London, on Tuesday night [March 30].

Mr Young was fatally stabbed when a fight broke out at a vigil in memory of 19-year-old music student Tai O'Donnell who was knifed to death in Croydon on March 3rd this year.

Reece Young, pictured left, was stabbed to death at a vigil held to commemorate stabbing victim Tai O'Donnell, right, who was knifed to death in Croydon on March 3

Mr Young was stabbed to death on Alpha Road, Croydon on March 30, pictured

Police and paramedics were called to reports of three men fighting at around 9pm on Tuesday.

Mr Young was pronounced dead at the scene. His family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

Two men took themselves to hospital with serious knife wounds after fleeing the scene in a vehicle before police arrived.

It is believed they were injured during the same fight that in which Mr Young was killed.

But when police arrived at the hospital and arrested both men on suspicion of murder, one of them assaulted the officers and NHS staff before fleeing.

A 33-year-old man who was also arrested remains in hospital where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Vandenbergh, who is leading the murder inquiry, appealed for witnesses to come forward.

He said: 'We believe this incident was witnessed by a number of people.

'They had gathered for a small vigil in remembrance of another recent fatal stabbing victim when an altercation began.

'Some of those people have already spoken to police, but I believe there are others who captured images and videos of what happened.

'I need those people to contact us immediately. The information they have could prove vital in establishing the chain of events that has led to a young man losing his life.

'One arrest has been made and my team are working with colleagues across the Met to establish the whereabouts of the second man.

'We believe he suffered injuries that require urgent medical attention. He is urged to make contact with us immediately.'

The triple stabbing took place on Alpha Road, the same street where Mr O'Donnell was fatally stabbed. A woman has been charged with his murder and remains in custody.

Multiple attacks also took place in Croydon on February 5 with 10 stabbings in the space of two hours, leaving one man dead and 10 others left injured.

No official link has been made by police between these stabbings and Mr Young's murder.
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor has recently released its 45th annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

The State Department's 2020 report has highlighted the status of human rights in every country around the world as well as some progress in the U.S. foreign policy in terms of addressing abuses.

In its preface, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken nailed on the universality of human rights.

"All people are entitled to these rights, no matter where they're born, what they believe, whom they love, or any other characteristic," he said.

Although Blinken has touched on the rising humanitarian crises in some countries, the International Christian Concern (ICC) observed that some of the languages used in the report tried to weasel out of the real crux of the matter which is the suppression of religious freedom.

While the report used "strong language" against the suppression of China's religious minorities, it settled for political correctness in the description of other faith and ethnicity-related abuses from other countries. ICC also cited two examples: one from Secretary Blinken's comments and another from the report itself.

On the political upheaval in Myanmar, Blinken condemned the violence perpetuated by the Burmese military against the "non-violent protesters." There was no mention or acknowledgement of the Myanmar Christians who have been targeted by the military because of their involvement in the protest.

About Nigeria, ICC said that the State's report has "showed some progress in addressing religious freedom concerns there." Still, it fell short in its discussion of the violence against Christian farmers in Nigeria's Middle Belt where Fulani herdsmen assault them. The report referred to the violence as "a farmer-herder conflict about land rights."

ICC also noted that the State Department has finally acknowledged the present Turkish government's involvement in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It has supported the Azerbaijani military in its campaign against Armenians and Artsakh.

Since September last year, ICC has been working round the clock to raise awareness on this issue. They said that they tried engaging U.S. policymakers in Congress and the State Department. They have also published a detailed report in "The Anatomy of Genocide - Karabakh's Forty-Four Day War" and by hosting a virtual discussion with the Armenian Assembly of America on the threats facing ethnic Armenian Christians following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Distinctly noting that "religious freedom" is a vital right, Matias Perttula, ICC's Director of Advocacy, said that they will continue to work with the State Department and that they hope for the present administration to make it a priority on U.S. foreign policies.

"We at ICC welcome the progress that the State Department has made on promoting religious freedom and human rights around the world," he said.

"However, we remain concerned whether the Biden administration is still committed to putting religious freedom as a central principle in the United States' foreign policy priorities. We look forward to working with the State Department in ensuring that this vital right is protected for all," Perttula added.

Additionally, Secretary Blinken's words on the Biden Administration's commitment "to working toward a fairer and more just society in the United States," remains to be seen in the coming years.
A California judge has ruled that Apple intentionally sold MacBooks with flexgate issue to customers. The displays on the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models suffer from a stage lighting issue that was caused by a small and fragile flex cable.

Apple never officially acknowledged the issue, but it did roll out a service program and quietly fixed the issue in the 2018 MacBook Pro models. The issue led to a class-action lawsuit being filed against Apple. Now, a California federal judge has ruled Apple intentionally sold the 2016-2017 MacBook Pro models to consumers despite knowing about the defect.

The plaintiffs in the case had alleged that Apples reliability engineers who would have carried out stress tests and other tests on the MacBook Pro models before they went on sale must have discovered the issue related to the display and informed Apple about the same.

Plaintiff Mahan Taleshpour also alleges that Apple removed comments and threads from its support forums on posts related to the flexgate. Judge Edward Davila rules that if the accusations turn out to be true, they act as further proof of Apple being aware of the issue and intentionally ignoring it.

The court finds that the allegations of pre-release testing in combination with the allegations of substantial customer complaints are sufficient to show that Apple had exclusive knowledge of the alleged defect, the judge wrote in his opinion.

On its part, Apple says that it could not have determined the issue with the flex cable in its pre-release testing.

Judge Edward Davila, however, has reduced the scope of the class action lawsuit, though he has denied Apples motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit.

[Via Law360
Zhytomyr Armored Vehicle Factory (AVF), a state-owned company incorporated with the Ukroboronprom defense industries conglomerate, has completed refurbishment and upgrading on a batch of BMP-2 armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) and delivered the vehicles to the Ukrainian armed forces.

According to Defense Express, the vehicles have undergone major repairs and received advanced capabilities, including new sighting and targeting devices, IR LED headlights, and a GPS navigator.

Among other improvements are new tracks produced domestically in Ukraine, in particular by Zhytomyr AVF.

"This is not the first time we employ our own produced track assemblies. In the future, this would fully eliminate for our company the need to source out track assemblies from private or international markets," Oleksiy Zhukovets, CEO of Zhytomyr AVF, said.

For record, Zhytomyr AVF, itself a manufacturer of track assemblies, is also sourcing these components from the domestic market. The company has over a few past years sourced a total of 80 track assemblies it purchased, through competitions, from Malyshev Factory (70 assemblies) and privately-run NVP Aktiv Spets Prom (10 assemblies).

Zhytomyr AVF is also purchasing generous quantities of situational awareness devices. Thus, in February of this year, it contracted Trimen-Ukraine to supply 60 BPK-2-42MBT day/thermal imaging sights with their related accessories, meant to be installed in BMP-2 armored fighting vehicles.

op
New Delhi: Bangladeshi's high commissioner to India, Muhammad Imran has highlighted his country's economic progress and how the country is developing fast. Speaking at the Independence Day celebration of his country at the high commission, he said, "Bangladesh has become a role model for fighting poverty, empowering women, disaster management. We have made commendable progress in achieving food security despite frequent natural disasters. The economy of Bangladesh is developing rapidly."

The economic size of Bangladesh is 330 billion dollars, with GDP growth during COVID times standing at 5.2 percent. 99 percent of the country has access to electricity, 150 million people have a mobile phone and 100 million are connected to the internet. It has its own satellite in space since 2018, and the second one is going to be launched soon.

Bangladesh's textile industry is the second largest in the world. The country is also the fourth largest rice producer and is self-sufficient in food. Foodgrain production in the nation has increased 4 folds, from 1971 to 2020. This year, it fulfilled all the criteria to get the status of a developing country, from the LDC status.

Additionally, Muhammad Imran paid tributes to Indian soldiers who laid lives for the liberation of his country in 1971. This year, the country is celebrating its 50th year of Independence from the then West Pakistan. March saw almost a month-long celebration, including visits of South Asian leaders including Maldives President, Nepali President, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and India's Prime Minister.

Muhammad Imran said, "We recall with deep gratitude, the contribution of people and government of India for their moral and material support during our difficult days". Adding, "Bangladesh acknowledges the support received from our Neighbours and remember our friends around the world who stood beside us for our just cause."

Bangladesh will be building a memorial for Indian soldiers in Ashuganj near Dhaka, the foundation stone for which was laid during PM Modi's Bangladesh visit in March.

He pointed out that the "emotional bonds between India and Bangladesh stem from the invaluable contribution from the people and government of India in the war of liberation in 1971. In the last decade, relations have reached a golden chapter, achieving a comprehensive partnership covering all possible areas of cooperation."

Both countries have seen high-level visits, including the visit of PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar to Bangladesh in March. That was PM Modi's first visit during COVID times abroad. Dhaka, Delhi are working to revive old connectivity routes and establish new connectivity routes.

India will be able to use both land and water routes in Bangladesh, to go to northeastern states from the mainland, Imran said.

Earlier this year, a bridge over the Feni river was inaugurated, connecting India's North East with Bangladesh. The countries share 54 rives, maximum for any two countries globally.

He also spoke about the Rohingya issue or displaced minority community from Myanmar who have taken refuge in the country. Bangladesh is hosting 1.2 million Rohingya refugees and is keen for "safe and early" repatriation of the community.

He said, "to keep on supporting them for an indefinite period would be asking too much for a country like us which has its own domestic development targets to achieve with limited resources.... we all want to avoid the rise of any radicalism, which can seriously impact peace, stability, economic growth in the region and beyond".

At the Independence Day celebration at the high commission, India's trade minister Piyush Goyal was the chief guest. Large presence of Delhi's diplomatic community was also seen.

Live TV
Well start with a Mardi Gras scenario, Excelsior Band leader Hosea London said Thursday afternoon, and see where we go from there.

Just like that, the music flowed and a new season of Brown Bag concerts got under way. The wind was driving whitecaps out on Mobile Bay, so this performance had been moved from the usual spot down near the shore to the upper lawn at Daphnes May Day Park. But the move was no bad thing: The trees provided enough shelter to keep the music from being blown sideways, there was sun to counterbalance the chill in the air, and soap bubbles from a childs birthday party in a nearby pavilion swirled all around.

Say what you want about whether the vaunted return to normal is imminent, or possible, or even what the world really needs. The return of a series thats been going for 36 years, thanks to Mobile-area radio pro Catt Sirten, proved to be a very welcome piece of the way things used to be on Thursday. Maybe seeing a jazz band play in front of a sign that says Beware of alligators and snakes isnt everybodys idea of normal, but in Lower Alabama, well take it.

A respectable crowd turned up with jackets and lawn chairs for the debut, and the serendipitous presence of the party gave the occasion an even more celebratory feel.

Let the record show that Calliope Schuerman turned one year old with a jazzy happy birthday serenade from The Excelsior Band. The group was founded in 1883, so those guys have seen a few birthdays.

Not everybody gets a jazzy "Happy Birthday" from Mobile's Excelsior Band, but Calliope Schuerman of Daphne, center, did on Thursday. Her family happened to be holding her one-year party in Daphne's May Day Park when the group kicked off the latest season of Catt Sirten's "Brown Bag" concerts.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

A few of my friends thought wed hired a band, said her mother, Lauren Schuerman. We definitely impressed them, today.

The only sad note is that COVID-era uncertainty means Mobile wont be getting Brown Bag concerts in Bienville Square as usual this spring. Sirten said there had been some discussion of a virtual version for Mobile, but those plans never came together. So for now, its an Eastern Shore-only affair.

Be that as it may, the free lunchtime concerts will continue every Thursday in May Day Park through April and May. The event takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For program updates visit Sirtens www.radioavalon.com or listen to his weekly Sunday Jazz Brunch, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. weekly on WZEW-FM 92.1.
First Lady Jill Biden garnered attention on social media after she appeared to mispronounce a Spanish phrase in her speech at a Cesar Chavez Day event on Wednesday.

Appearing alongside California Governor Gavin Newsom, Jill Biden spoke to farmworkers at the Forty Acres in Delano, California for the occasion of Cesar Chavez's birthday, Fox News reported.

The national historic landmark served as a COVID vaccination site for the last couple of weeks, intending to vaccinate more farmworkers, according to a KRON 4 report.

The Forty Acres is the United Farm Workers union's former headquarters. It was the country's first permanent agricultural labor union founded by civil rights icon and labor movement leader Cesar Chavez.

The Forty Acres is where Cesar Chavez held two of his three famous fasts when he drank only water for a month to send a message to farmworkers that they could build a union through persistence and sacrifice and without using violence.

READ NEXT: America's Next First Lady: Who Is Jill Biden?

Jill Biden Botching a Spanish Motto

The first lady's speech happened at the event entitled a "Day of Action at the Forty Acres." During her speech, Jill Biden used the famous Spanish line "si se puede," which means "yes we can."

However, the phrase, which became popularized by Cesar Chavez and his United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, was pronounced wrong by Jill Biden.

In the speech, the first lady pronounced the words "si se puede" correctly on separate occasions. But on the third time she mentioned the phrase as she was closing out her speech, she pronounced it "si se pwad-way."

The gaffe stirred up various reactions from the Twitter community, with some people laughing at it. Memes have appeared on Twitter threads that transcribe how Jill Biden pronounced the Spanish phrase.

What a huge fail. Does this chica not know one person who speaks Spanish fluently? Hurts the ears. pic.twitter.com/bz2JGmrV1c  Lourdes Withem  (@WithemLourdes) April 1, 2021

Oh my God when they zoomed out!   Greg Cyr and 48 others (@Gtcyr) April 1, 2021

Did she open with despacito?  Jaeton Glover (@JaetonGlover) April 1, 2021

A Twitter user wondered if what the first lady said. Some even find it funny how the camera zoomed out when the first lady delivered the botched Spanish line. Another user also asked if the first lady started with the "Despacito" song upon delivering her speech.

Shes almost as annoying as @VP (not really).....almost   Robin Correll (@correllrealtor) April 1, 2021

A Twitter user also expressed curiosity if the first lady knew anyone who speaks Spanish fluently. Even Vice President Kamala Harris was dragged into the issue when someone has noted that Jill Biden is almost as annoying as the vice president.

The phrase "si se puede" was used as a motto by the United Farm Workers in the 1970s, and other activist groups had also adopted it.

Cesar Chavez Day on Forty Acres

Jill Biden has honored the memory of Cesar Chavez during the event. The first lady noted that Cesar Chavez is a big inspiration to President Joe Biden. She said the president started his career inspired by the "civil rights movement."

As president, Jill Biden said her husband fights for those who "often go unseen" and believes that work must be guided by humanity and justice.

In the same speech, the first lady also praised the farmworkers and other essential workers who continue to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, USA Today reported.

Jill Biden also stressed the importance of the COVID-19 vaccination drive and advocated for the president's immigration reform proposals.

"To see the first lady of the White House coming to a small city like Delano speaks volumes as to the focus of farmworkers to the Biden administration," said Delano Mayor Bryan Osorio.

Jill Biden's appearance on the Cesar Chavez Day marks the first lady's first time visiting Central California since the president took office in January.

READ MORE: Biden Deploys Top Officials to Mexico and Guatemala, Vows to be More Humane in Border Disputes

WATCH: First Lady Jill Biden Visits Delano's Forty Acres for Cesar Chavez Day Event - From KGET News




President Bidens American Job Killing Tax Plan

Commentary

There is a deep irony in President Joe Bidens decision to start looking for support for his American Job Killing Tax Plan in Pittsburgh.

And make no mistake: Bidens so-called American Jobs Plan is a tax increase bill masquerading as an infrastructure billwhich is, in turn, masquerading as a jobs bill. It will not create jobs or ultimately improve our infrastructure. It will kill jobs and make infrastructure projects more expensive in time and money.

Roughly 230 years ago, the same area was the central battlefield of the Whiskey Rebellionin which Americans opposed (violently) an overreaching tax on whiskey imposed by the still new federal government.

After the American Revolution, the states were broke and deeply in debt. Then-Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton concocted a plan for the federal government to take on the debt and to pay for it all via a by-the-gallon tax on whiskey production. President George Washington was skeptical at first, but the various state government leaders assured him this was a good idea.

So, the Whiskey Tax was enacted in 1791. By September of that year, taxpayers in western Pennsylvania got so mad they started ambushing tax collectors, stripping them naked, tying them to trees, and stealing their horses. It was so bad, tax collectors started quitting.

These kinds of things escalated over the next few years and by 1794, angry mobs had burned down the house of a pro-tax landowner in Allegheny County and assembled 7,000 men to march on Pittsburgh. Eventually, President Washington had to assemble a 12,000-man federal militia to scare the mobs into submission. At the time, this was not just an issue for Pennsylvania. It was a serious threat to the stability of the new Union.

So, today, we have President Biden, who is calling to immediately raise all domestic corporate taxes by one-third (from 21 percent to 28 percent), set a minimum 21 percent tax rate for multinational U.S. corporations, raise taxes on oil and gas companies (which will cause the costs of gasoline, heating oil, and plastic to skyrocket), and levy a host of other new tax measures across the economy. I go into further detail about the plan on todays episode of my Newts World podcast.

All of these measures will mean that the companies that employ people will have to lay them off. Construction companies will have fewer workers to complete large infrastructure projectsand the projects themselves will have higher price tags because it will cost more to run the machines necessary to do the work.

Only a true-believing, left-wing Washington zealot could imagine a reality in which any of these measures will make America better or improve the lives of Americans.

Raising taxes doesnt create jobsand it never has. If you need evidence, look at the unemployment rate after passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (which enacted much of the job-creating tax cuts President Biden is clumsily trying to destroy). Along with deep deregulation, the tax cuts led Americans to some of the lowest unemployment rates in modern U.S. history (in fact, the lowest ever for black and Latino Americans).

Even some Democrats are recognizing that calling to raise taxes in the waning days of a global pandemic is just ridiculous.

According to Axios, Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey warned we need to be careful not to do anything thats too big or too much in the middle of a pandemic and an economic crisis, adding that its got to be responsible and both parties need to be at the table. This cant just be jammed through without input and consideration from the other side.

Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) also told Axios he wouldnt support the Biden tax increases unless tax deductions for millionaires and billionaires in high-tax Democrat-run states (which President Trump capped) were reinstated, saying Im not voting for any changes in the tax code unless we reinstate SALT as part of the deal.

The U.S. Chamber of Commercewhich has been calling for a sweeping infrastructure plan for yearscalled President Bidens American Job Killing Tax Plan dangerously misguided.

U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley said, We strongly oppose the general tax increases proposed by the administration which will slow the economic recovery and make the United States less competitive globallythe exact opposite of the goals of the infrastructure plan.

Hamiltons and Washingtons decision to levy new taxes on Americans who had just endured a war led to the Whiskey Rebellion. Why does President Biden think levying taxes on Americans who have just endured a pandemic will go over well?

Theres something else President Biden could learn about the Whiskey Rebellion: It didnt really end with Washingtons militia in Pittsburgh.

The American peoples rejection of this enormous federal overreachboth the widespread tax and the federal response to the people in western Pennsylvaniagave rise to what is now the Republican Party. This ultimately led to the repeal of the Whiskey Tax in 1802 under Democratic-Republican President Thomas Jefferson.

President Bidens Job Killing Tax Plan is a terrible idea. He needs to stop and ask if anyone (outside of the Democratic Partys extreme left flank) actually wants what hes proposing.

My guess is that after the COVID-19 crisis, Americans want to rebuild their businesses, get back to work, and recoup their savingsnot pay more taxes.

From Gingrich360.com.

Newt Gingrich, a Republican, served as House speaker from 1995 to 1999 and ran as a presidential candidate in 2012.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/01/2021 -- Transparency Market Research delivers key insights on the food contact paper market in its published report, which includes global industry analysis, size, share, growth, trends, and forecast for 20192027. In terms of revenue, the global food contact paper market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of ~4% during the forecast period, owing to numerous factors, about which, TMR offers thorough insights and forecasts in this report.



To understand how our report can bring difference to your business strategy, Ask for a brochure https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=15971



Food Contact Paper Market: An Overview



Food contact paper plays an essential role in the foodservice industry. The growing demand for paper-based packaging products is expected to boost the global food contact paper market in the coming years. Leading food companies are collaborating with emerging online foodservice platforms to establish themselves as well-known brands across the globe. Owing to this, food contact paper comes into the picture and acts as a branding and marketing tool for various fast food companies, bakeries, and quick-service restaurants.



Increasing awareness regarding the need for recyclable products is expected to boost the growth of the food contact paper market in the next eight years. Stringent regulations related to the consumption of single-use plastic packaging products are also projected to propel the demand for sustainable packaging solutions, such as food contact paper.



Online Foodservice and Increasing Number of Fast Food Outlets to Drive Market Growth



With more than 42,000 locations across 112 countries and more than 37,800 locations across 119 countries, respectively, Subway and McDonald's are the top fast food restaurants in the world. These fast food companies are expanding their businesses in developing nations such as ASEAN countries. Additionally, these restaurants are providing their products with food-grade paper-based packaging solutions. Therefore, an increment in the number of fast-food outlets is anticipated to boost the food contact paper market growth in the next decade. Manufacturers in the industry are looking forward to investing in recyclable food contact paper material to provide more sustainable and eco-friendly products. However, greaseproof paper remains a widely-used food contact paper across the world, which provides high barrier properties to the packaging.



Request a sample to get extensive insights into the Food Contact Paper Market



Manufacturers' Preference: Specialty Food Contact Paper



Sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, cookies, and other bakery & fast food products require the appropriate packaging, as it comes in direct contact with food products. Therefore, to attain the necessary barrier properties, manufacturers treat food contact paper with certain chemicals. Food contact paper is also known as greaseproof paper, waxed paper, and foil paper. Some food manufacturers use these papers for filtering, cooking, and frying, which is expected to push the growth of the food contact paper market. Furthermore, food contact paper should be made in accordance with FDA food contact material regulations, which differ for different countries. For manufacturers, making food contact material in compliance with government regulations, such as exclusion of PFAS chemicals and usage of food grade materials, is expected to be a key factor in achieving a significant foothold in the market.



Food Contact Paper Market: Competition Landscape



Food contact paper manufacturers are looking forward to invest to offer recyclable products, along-with investments in the developing regions of the world, such as India, ASEAN, and GCC countries.



The competitive intensity in the food contact paper market is discussed based on revenue share analysis, market structure, and segmental share of different companies. Key manufacturers included in the report are SCG Packaging PCL, PT. Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Tbk (Asian Pulp & Paper Group), Ahlstrom-Munksjo Oyj., Nordic Paper AS, Seaman Paper Company, Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc., Twin River Paper Company, Westrock Company, Pudumjee Paper Products, Mondi Plc, Metsa Board Corporation, Quick Pack Pacific Co., Ltd., Detmold Group, PT Parisindo Pratama, and PT. Maesindo Indonesia, among others.



Stuck in a neck-to-neck competition with other brands? Request a custom report on Food Contact Paper Market https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=15971



Global Food Contact Paper Market: Structure



Food Contact Paper Market by Material



Kraft Paper

Brown Grade

White Grade

Specialty Paper

Greaseproof Paper

Wax Paper

Foil Paper & Others

Recycled Paper



Food Contact Paper Market by Thickness



Up to 30 GSM

30  50 GSM

Above 50 GSM



Food Contact Paper Market by End Use



Bakery & Confectionery Products

Fresh Food

Fast Food

Burgers

Pizzas

Sandwiches

Wrap & Rolls

Chicken

Other Snack Food

Dairy Products

Baby Food

Other Food



Food Contact Paper Market by Application



Hotels & Restaurants

Bakeries & Cafes

Fast Food Outlets

Movie Cinemas

Airline & Railway Catering

Others



Food Contact Paper Market by Region



North America

U.S.

Canada

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Argentina

Rest of Latin America

Europe

Germany

France

Italy

Spain

U.K.

BENELUX

Russia

Poland

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

India

ASEAN

Australia & New Zealand

Japan

Rest of APAC

Middle East & Africa

GCC Countries

Northern Africa

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa



About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights to thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.



TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 21:01:14|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Offenders involved in illegal fishing and sand mining along the Yangtze River will find little chance to escape from the arm of the law, as police forces along the river and customs authorities inked a cooperation agreement on Thursday.

The effort will see the Yangtze River Shipping Public Security Bureau, which is in charge of law and order along the river's primary stream, joining hands with anti-smuggling forces in customs departments. They will also join police from 11 provincial-level areas along the river, the Ministry of Public Security announced.

Three cooperation zones will be set up. Linked by the Yangtze River Shipping Public Security Bureau, they will enhance information exchanges and optimize resource allocations between the cooperation zones.

China has continued to ratchet up crackdowns on illegal fishing, illegal sand mining, and illegal pollutant emissions along the Yangtze River.

A total of 8,024 suspects were apprehended, and 427 criminal rings were dismantled amid a three-year campaign against illegal fishing on the river, which launched last June. Enditem
WEST HAVEN  Days after meeting Vice President Kamala Harris at the West Haven Child Development Center, 5-year-old Galya Nkwenti said she wants to tell Harris, Youre my best friend and I love you.

Her hair is beautiful, Galya also said of Harris, who told Galya and her pre-K classmates that they can be anything they want to be.

Mercy Ambe Mbu said her daughter was still talking about the visit days later.

Galya had a precocious and heartwarming exchange with Harris when the vice president made a stop at the pre-K program Friday during a visit to Connecticut.

Tal Kopan

Harris told the children, You can be anything you want to be, to which Galya replied, I want to be everything.

Contributed photo

Although Galya said she wants to be nurse, she told her mother that if she were to go into government work she wants to be president.

I want to be the president (if going into government). I remember the vice president told me I can be anything I want, she told her mom.

Inspiring exchanges between Galya and Harris were caught on video - Galya is watching it over and over on YouTube  and her mom, a registered nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital, wasnt surprised her independent and outgoing daughter engaged Harris in such a compelling conversation.

Susan Walsh / Associated Press

Im always proud of Galya, said Mbu. Im happy for this event that it will leave a positive mark on my daughters life  a memory that will be motivation for her to pursue her dreams.

The visit was a surprise to parents at the pre-K program who were told only that the children would be staying late for a special activity, Mbu said. When Mbu dropped off Galya that Friday, the girl had to undo her coat and show nothing was hidden. Thats when parents were told about the special visit.

At the program, Harris spoke to 14 three- to five-year-olds, accompanied by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, and federal Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who originally is from Connecticut.

When Harris walked in, the children were seated on a floor mat and Galya scooted to the front and said, Ive been waiting for you. I wanted to talk to you.

In response to that, Harris said to the group of children squealing with delight, This is like the best part of my day to see you guys.

Then Galya, dressed in a yellow shirt and gray mask, said above the noise - politely - Do you know whats my name? Its Galya - G-a-l-y-a. A couple of other children said their name, as well, and Cardona, seemingly touched by the interest in Harris visit, said in a warm voice, Oh, wow.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media

Harris then sat cross-legged on the carpet and the children sat around her, Galya right by her side. Galya introduced all the children to the vice president, naming them one by one.

You cant do this on Zoom, Cardona remarked.

Galya asked Harris how she liked being vice president and Harris replied, I kind of like it.

Harris asked the children: What did you guys do today? Galya quickly offered that she had breakfast, lunch and snack.

Harris told the children, I love meeting our young leaders and thats why I am here to meet with you.

Cardona said of the visit, I think this was like fuel for our hearts.

Contributed

Mbu, who came to the United States from the African country of Cameroon in 2013, said Galya wasnt necessarily tuned into Harris prior to the visit, but the family talks in general terms about the president and vice president.

When Mbu told Galya she would be talking to a reporter, her daughter instructed her: Make sure you tell them I still love the vice president because she loves all the kids and she is kind.

Contributed photo

Mbu said that after she dropped off Galya at school Friday and told Galyas aunt the vice president was coming, the aunt immediately said, I know Galya will stand up and talk to the vice president.

She was right and Galya is still talking about the meeting.

Mbu said Galya has always had an independent streak  at 2 if she couldnt get her pants on correctly, she would cry, but refuse help and say, I can do it by myself.

Contributed photo

Galya came home Friday screaming at the top of her voice, Mommy, I met the vice president, Mbu said.

Galya said she also likes that people are telling her she is famous on YouTube.
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Christian mother raises awareness on sex trafficking after attempted abduction of 2 y-o daughter

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A Texas mother's harrowing run-in with suspected child sex traffickers who attempted to abduct her 2-year-old girl recently shared what she believes every parent needs to know so they can protect their children.

During an appearance on pro-life advocate Abby Johnsons hit podcast, "Politely Rude," Amanda Florczykowski, a Christian mother of four from Longview, Texas, shared how in 2016, she and her 2-year-old daughter and infant son were shopping in Walmart when a strange man commented on how cute her children were.

Thinking nothing of it, Florczykowski proceeded to the check-out line but noticed the man was still observing her family. While in line, another strange woman struck up a conversation with her.

Her first words are, How old is your daughter? She's so cute. How old is your daughter? And she wants to talk about my daughter, Florczykowski recalled. She asked me again, like 10 seconds later, OK, she's so cute. How old is your daughter?

At that point, the woman turned over her shoulder to talk to a second man behind her in a different language, Florczykowski said.

He is like a stone statue, facing the opposite direction, never looks at my kiddos, she said. She is communicating with him in a different language over her shoulder about my kids. And she asked me a third time, How old is your daughter?

LISTEN: Subscribe to the Politely Rude With Abby Johnson Podcast on Edifi

At this point, Florczykowski said caution started to rise up in her: I'm thinking to myself, this is really bizarre that she's asked me for a third time, she said. It finally dawns on me that she's interpreting what I'm saying. It still gives me goosebumps. I'm having an unwanted conversation with this man about my young daughter through this woman.

Disconcerted, Florczykowski picked up her daughter  and the woman began inching closer, even placing her hand on her grocery cart.

Even a security camera wouldn't have picked up that this was like a scary, creepy couple. I mean, they were really savvy, really smooth, she said. And I thought, This is bizarre she's got her hand on my cart. She's asking about my kiddo.

The woman asked Florczykowski to hold her little girl  and after she refused, the woman suddenly grabbed the toddlers wrists and began to walk away. "Say bye to mommy, the woman told her.

She's not even making eye contact with me at this point, she's just looking at my daughter and she takes her little wrists, Florczykowski said. I lunged forward, grabbing my child; it's like slow motion. At that same time, [the couple is] exiting the store and leaving. I finally have my daughter back. I'm like slumped over the register; my knees are shaking.

The cashier asked Florczykowski if she was OK  and she replied, No. Im not. I do not know what just happened, but I think ... my child was just potentially abducted by a sex trafficking ring.

The second she said sex trafficking, Florczykowski noticed a third, suspicious-looking tattooed man glaring at her.

He looked like pure evil. He's terrifying. And when I said the word child sex trafficking, he caught my eye ... he did not want me to say anything else. His look was, If you dont shut up, Ill make you shut up.

That evening, Florczykowski got home and began researching sex trafficking and shared her experience on Facebook, where it shortly went viral.

I go, OK, nobody else is going to be a victim, she said.

Shortly after sharing her story, a woman reached out to Florczykowski and identified the strange man in Walmart as a notorious drug and sex trafficker and serial rapist who had been released from prison just a few weeks prior to their encounter.

Though the police department wasnt initially helpful, Florczykowski said she continued to demand answers. After some investigating, it was confirmed that the first man she encountered at Walmart had left the store with the third man she encountered  a known trafficker and serial rapist.

That moment it was a lightbulb moment ... like this is the reality of what's happening, she said.

Determined to raise awareness about sex trafficking and prevent others from having the same experience, Florczykowski wrote a book, Unraveled: Mothering Fiercely in a World Full of Fears,and launched a website.

She encouraged other parents to be aware of their surroundings at all times and trust their gut instincts about those around them.

We've been so conditioned as a culture that we want to be nice. We want to be friendly, she said. But let me tell you something, that right there needs to be thrown out; that conditioning culture of being politically correct and wanting to appease everybody has got to be thrown out ... trust the Holy Spirit [who] lives inside you. Its pretty basic.

Florczykowski also stressed the importance of maintaining a strong family unit, pointing out that sex traffickers can seek out and identify vulnerable children in a matter of seconds.

It's not like they're dragging children and the children are kicking and screaming and they have their hands over their mouths. That's not what child trafficking looks like, she said, adding that traffickers know how to groom children and make them feel comfortable.

She encouraged parents to educate themselves, prioritize their families, and advocate for those vulnerable.

I think it speaks to this shift in our culture where we just don't value our kids. People are not valuing their children. So you know what? We as parents have to because nobody else will value them, Florczykowski said.

According to Human Trafficking Hotline, the United States, along with Mexico and the Philippines, was ranked as one of the world's worst places for human trafficking in 2018. It's estimated that between 18,000 and 20,000 victims are trafficked into the U.S. every year.



Ashleigh S. Chapman, a human rights lawyer and the founder of Engage Together, an organization that helps individuals and churches combat human trafficking, recently told The Christian Post that the Church is uniquely positioned to combat the crisis.

Churches are already serving in every community and often know the needs of their community better than anyone. They are regularly interacting with people who might be vulnerable to human trafficking. They also are in a position to equip their leadership and mobilize church members to respond to the needs of their community. Each individual member of a congregation has an important role to play in preventing and ending human trafficking, as does the church as a whole, she said.

And the truth is, there are not 10 things to do to end human trafficking in your city. There are a thousand things that need to be done. Instead of being overwhelmed by that, see it as an opportunity. And know that there is absolutely something (or many things) your church and members can do to make a substantial impact.
When Will Nigeria Stop Importing Europe's Dirty Fuel?

The government has since 2016, been making repeated promises to end the import of dirty fuels. Members of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, convened a two-day workshop in Abuja in June 2016 with the plan to find ways in using low sulphur fuels in their respective countries. At the end of the event, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Cote D'Ivoire agreed to ban the importation of Europe's dirty fuels. However, energy giants like Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil do the drilling in the Niger Delta region, and they, in turn, pay production entitlements, taxes, royalties and other remittances to the Nigerian government. Of the volume drilled, little is refined in state-owned refineries, which has not been functioning effectively for years, despite draining billions of naira and not being able to meet national needs. To bridge the deficit, the country has turned to foreign refineries, from where refined and highly sulphured fuels - because they are cheaper - are imported into Nigeria, much to the chagrin of health and environmental campaigners. The Nigeria government recently announced that it would not be able to bear the U.S.$300 million monthly subsidy burden on petroleum products. With fuel subsidies soon to be stopped, Nigerians may have to pay more to get cleaner fuels.
Express Entry: 284 PNP candidates invited in new draw More candidates invited to apply than the previous PNP-specific draw.

Express Entry: 284 PNP candidates invited in new draw More candidates invited to apply than the previous PNP-specific draw.

Express Entry: 284 PNP candidates invited in new draw More candidates invited to apply than the previous PNP-specific draw. Shelby Thevenot Mohanad Moetaz Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

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Canada held a new Express Entry draw on March 31, inviting 284 hopeful new immigrants to apply for permanent residence.

Invited candidates needed to have a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). For this reason, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cutoff score was 778.

The new score may seem high, especially compared to the previous draw where the cutoff score was 449, but PNP candidates automatically get an additional 600 points added to their score once they receive a provincial nomination. In other words, the lowest-scoring candidate would have had 178 CRS points without the PNP.

Candidates who had the minimum score of 778 were only included if they submitted their Express Entry profile before March 16, 2021 at 16:09:32 UTC, as per the tie-break rule. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes the cut-off time for the tie-break rule as an administrative requirement, regardless of whether there was an actual tie.

Get a Free Express Entry Assessment

Canada targeting domestic candidates for immigration

Canadas border is still closed to non-essential international travel, but at the same time, the government still needs to welcome high numbers of new permanent residents. This is because the current government, led by the Liberal Party, set an ambitious target to welcome 401,000 new immigrants in 2021, most through Express Entry-managed programs.

To meet these targets amid travel restrictions, IRCC has been holding program-specific draws that target candidates who are likely already in the country.

When the border first closed in March 2020, Canada alternated between holding PNP-specific draws and rounds of invitation that only invited candidates who might be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). IRCC went with this pattern until the later part of the year when it started holding all-program draws again, which do not single out candidates of any particular program.

Since the new year, IRCC has been back to holding PNP- and CEC-specific draws. On February 13, the department invited every-single candidate who was eligible for the CEC to apply for permanent residence.

As a result of this large draw, the number of ITAs that IRCC issued this year has far exceeded last years levels. So far in 2021, Canada has issued 44,124 invitations to Express Entry candidates. On this date last year, that number was 22,600.

The CRS requirement over the past few draws has gone up and down, depending on the draw type. PNP-specific Express Entry draws will always have a score requirement above 600, but CEC draw scores depend on how many candidates IRCC invites in a given draw. The CRS requirement goes down for CEC draws because it is based on how many eligible candidates are in the pool, as well as how many invitations IRCC issues. Since there are no Foreign Skilled Worker Program candidates competing for invitations in CEC draws, there is more space for lower-scoring candidates to be invited.

We cannot predict when IRCC will once again hold draws that allow Federal Skilled Worker Program candidates, for example, to apply for permanent residence, said Attorney David Cohen, Senior Partner of Campbell Cohen, But based on precedent, we can be optimistic about seeing more all-program draws later on in 2021.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is not an immigration program. It is a system that manages immigration applications for three federal immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.

If you want to immigrate to Canada through an Express Entry-managed program, the first step is to check to see if you are eligible. If so, the system will give you a score based on your work experience, education, age, and official language ability, among other factors.

IRCC then invites the highest-scoring candidates through regular rounds of invitation. Invited candidates receive an ITA, which they can use to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Who was invited?

The following is a hypothetical example of someone who may have been invited in the new Express Entry draw:

Lin is 39, holds a bachelors degree and has been working as a construction manager for six years. Lin has an advanced English language proficiency and has never worked or studied in Canada. She entered the Express Entry pool with a CRS score of 386. She recently received a provincial nomination through Albertas Express Entry stream. Her new CRS score of 986 would have been high enough to get an ITA in the new Express Entry draw.

Get a Free Express Entry Assessment

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
U.S. shoppers expect them and so grocery stores do, too  but how do you deliver a summer fruit like grapes all 52 weeks of the year?
English Lithuanian

Retail turnover (including VAT) of Apranga Group amounted to EUR 10.6 million in March 2021 and has increased by 22.9% comparing to March 2020. In March 2021, the retail turnover of Apranga Group in Lithuania increased by 55.1% year-to-year (from 16th March 2020 until 18th April 2020 all the Group stores in Lithuania were closed, therefore the turnover is not comparable), in Latvia decreased by 14.3% and in Estonia decreased by 15.0%.



Due to epidemic coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, from 16 December 2020, all the Groups stores in Lithuania are temporarily closed. Stores in Lithuania with a separate entrance from the outside and a sales area not exceeding 300 square meters have been open since 15 February 2021. Stores with a separate entrance from the outside and a sales area exceeding 300 square meters have been open since 15 March 2021. In Latvia, stores are temporarily closed from 19 December 2020. In Estonia, stores are temporarily closed from 11 March 2021 (from 6 March 2021 until 11 March 2021 Estonia banned the operation of stores on weekends). These temporary closures had a significant impact on the Group's generated turnover in January-March 2021.

The retail turnover (including VAT) of Apranga Group reached EUR 25.5 million in January through March 2021 or by 44.3% less than in 2020.

During 1st quarter 2021, Apranga Group reconstructed 3 and closed 5 stores.

Currently Apranga Group operates the chain of 174 stores (101 in Lithuania, 48 in Latvia and 25 in Estonia) covering the gross area of 93.4 thousand sq. m., or by 0.2% more than a year ago.

Rimantas Perveneckas

Apranga Group General Manager

+370 5 2390801
Burma From Thailand, Myanmar Beauty Queen Begs UN to Help Her Country

Miss Grand International Myanmar Han Lay raises a three-finger salute to signify opposition to Myanmars military regime in Bangkok on Wednesday. / Khaosod English

Miss Grand International Myanmar 2020 Han Lay on Wednesday issued a plea through the media in Thailand, where she has been competing in a beauty pageant, for international help to rescue her country from the military regime, which has been killing protesters every day since early February.

The comments by Han Lay (aka Thaw Nandar Aung), who made the 20-contestant final of the Miss Grand International competition in Bangkok, followed her tearful plea from the stage on Saturdaythe day more than 100 people were killed by regime forces in Myanmarin which she begged for help from the international community, saying, I want to say here that, please help Myanmar. We need your urgent international help right now.

As of Wednesday, the military regime in Myanmar had killed more than 500 people in crackdowns on protesters across the country. Protests against the junta erupted following a military coup that toppled the Southeast Asian countrys democratically elected government.

Speaking to The Bangkok Post on Wednesday, Han Lay asked the United Nations what it was waiting for before taking action against the Myanmar regime.

So many people have died in Myanmar. The most important thing to do is just think about humanity and take action, please, immediately, she added.

She said the Myanmar military should cease using violence against its own peoplewords that place her and her family in danger of retribution.

On Wednesday, Khaosod English reported that Han Lay said she would be staying in Thailand for the time being out of concerns for her safety.

The director of the Miss Grand Pageant organization, Nawat Itsaragrisil, said that the beauty queen would be working in Thailand with the help of the pageant organizer for at least three months.

Nawat said Han Lays decision to speak out and call for international help would land her in legal trouble in Myanmar, especially under the new laws imposed by the military regime.

We have to take care of her. If she goes home, she will be arrested for sure, said the director.

You may also like these stories:

Ammunition and Grenades Destined for Myanmar Seized on Thai Border

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Simultaneous Blazes at Two Myanmar Military-Owned Malls Raise Suspicions of Regime Plot
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 00:36:57|Editor: huaxia

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NICOSIA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus reopened its airports to tourists on Thursday in a bid to revive its largest economic sector, a spokeswoman for the operator of the country's two international airports said.

She told CyBC state radio that, as of April 1, international travelers are no longer required to quarantine upon arrival, but they are requested to present one or two negative COVID-19 tests according to the classification of the country where they come from.

Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Yiannis Karousos said that more than 800 flights to and from Cyprus are expected until the end of April, up from less than 150 in March, with about 30 airliners offering a total of 140,000 seats.

However, Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios said that he did not expect very large numbers of tourists in the next three months, mostly because of restrictions on travel imposed by the United Kingdom (UK) until mid-summer and the slow pace of vaccination in Russia.

The two countries are the largest tourist markets for Cyprus. In 2019, 1.33 million UK tourists visited the island, which also attracted 782,000 Russians and registered 295,000 arrivals from Israel. Cyprus has a population of about 900,000.

The Health Ministry said an agreement between Israel and Cyprus, which came into force on Thursday, provides that people who are permanent residents of either country can travel without any restrictions provided that they have a certificate from the health authorities of their country of origin that they have received both doses of vaccine approved by the European Union (EU).

It added that the holders of an Israeli vaccination certificate must still obtain a CyprusFlighPass.

Other Israelis traveling to Cyprus must have a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test taken before departure and must also take a similar test on arrival.

Ahead of the reopening of the airports to tourism, the Cypriot Health Ministry upgraded the UK, Russia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Belarus from the "grey" to the "red" epidemiological category.

Serbia, the U.S., Armenia, Georgia, Bahrain and Qatar were already "red" category countries, along with most European states.

Passengers from these countries who are not holders of a vaccination certificate must present two negative PCR tests, one taken within 72 hours before departure and another upon arrival in Cyprus.

Passengers from low-risk "green" category countries, which are Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, are not required to either hold a negative coronavirus certificate or self-isolate after arrival.

Passengers from countries classified by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) as "orange" are only required to hold a negative PCR test certificate not older than 72 hours upon arrival.

"Orange" category countries are Portugal, China, South Korea and Thailand.

Several hotels in Cyprus' major tourist areas have reopened, but restaurants, cafes and pubs still operate under restrictions. They can serve customers in outdoor spaces only with no more than six people per table.

Dance clubs, which are very popular with tourists, are not allowed to operate at all.

Local people are currently not allowed to stay in hotels.

Zoi Dorothea Pana, an infectious diseases expert who is a member of the scientific team advising the Health Ministry, said that a slow return to normality is planned based on the progress of vaccination.

She said that a return to a state resembling normality should be expected after mid-June, when about half the population will have been vaccinated.

The pace of vaccination has picked up after the delivery of large quantities of approved vaccines, with adults over 45 expected to be vaccinated by mid-April.

Vaccination is also underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 268 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 84 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 30. Enditem
Belarus businessman Mr Alexander Zingman was released yesterday after police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) cleared him of potential offences and flying directly to Harare said on arrival he had been in DRC on a legitimate business trip for generating trade in agricultural machinery and his arrest was a set-up to tarnish his image.

In a statement yesterday in Harare, Mr Zingman, who is honorary consul of Zimbabwe in Belarus, said he is a businessman who has previously visited DRC and his recent arrest came as a surprise.

Honorary consuls do not handle diplomatic affairs between countries, but are appointed to help Zimbabweans visiting the country where they live and work, in this case usually business links.

Mr Zingman said his business deals are clean and transparent as he specialises in selling and distributing mining and agriculture equipment.

The 54-year-old owns Aftrade, a company that distributes agricultural and mining equipment in Africa. He was visiting the DRC with Vodchits, the African representative of Aftrade, and Mr Paul Persico for meetings in Lubumbashi.

Mr Perscio is the owner of Super Afro Trading and Perleen International Trading FZE which specialises in fertiliser manufacturing and mining.

Mr Zingman, who was cleared by DRC officials yesterday morning, had spent 12 days in detention.

I want to make it clear that I am a businessman who was arrested upon my arrival in DRC at Lubumbashi. I had gone for a business meeting with Mr Moise Katumba. Mr Katumba has an agriculture foundation. No other meeting was scheduled in DRC, said Mr Zingman.

Mr Katumba was also arrested with us and we spent the last 12 days in detention, All our cellphones where confiscated and lines of communication cut. We couldnt even communicate with our families. It was terrible experience.

Our arrests were as a result of our enemies trying to victimise our business. However, we are happy that the DRC officials finally cleared us of any wrong doing and we were released yesterday morning, Mr Zingman said last night.

Im still willing to do business in DRC, like in any country, even though I have been a victim of misinformation by enemies.

Mr Zingman has been in DRC for two previous visits where he met several business people including the former DRC president J0 the most successful farmer in DRC. My technical team was working with his technical team on agriculture technical expertise. There was no other business discussed with Mr Kabila outside agriculture.

But it appears that these meetings were what triggered the arrest. Mr Zingman was arrested by Congolese police soon after meeting Mr Kabila. On his relationship with Zimbabwe, Mr Zingman said it was only premised on business.

Im honorary consul of Zimbabwe in Belarus. Im the one who conducts business activities for the two countries. Im a businessman doing agriculture and mining in both countries and many African countries.

Im not a president of any country or a politician, but all I can say is that President Mnangagwa was invited by the President of Belarus for their bilateral conversation.

Their meeting had nothing to do with weapons or any other business besides farming machinery and tractors. The agenda of the meeting was fully shown in the media. President Mnangagwa was surprised with the mining system and trucks he saw in Belarus that he wanted engagement between the two countries.

The meeting was about mining activities as it has shown impact in the Hwange Colliery. We have supported Zimbabwe in many ways only in mining and farming, he added.

Aftrade has agricultural deals with several African countries including Zimbabwe to provide tractors and other farming machinery, as well as to provide training in modern farming techniques. Herald
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The Liberian Senate through a majority vote has given approval for the printing of L$48 billion, despite suggestions from some political leaders for lawmakers here to pause the move and ensure that the executive fixes issues within the banking system so as to boost public confidence.in the banks.

Following the Senate's vote Wednesday, Senate President Pro - tempore Albert T. Chie says the leadership and it's Committee on Banking and Currency consulted all sectors including experts on the printing of the new family of banknotes.

During a news conference Wednesday, 31 March at his Capitol Building office in Monrovia, Mr. Chie explained that the Senate did sincere justice to the process leading to the printing of the new banknotes.

The plenary of the Liberian Senate voted 18 with 6 against to approve the smooth passage of Special Resolution seeking the Senate's concurrence with the House of Representatives for the printing of the money.

The Central Bank of Liberia requested to print L$48 billion in various denominations including L$20, L$50, L$100, L$500 and L$1,000.

However, the Senate authorizes the Central Bank to print the rest of the denominations with the exception of the L$1,000.

Earlier on Tuesday this week, Senators from the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) resolved not to sign the resolution to print the L$48 billion new family of bank notes until certain demands were settled.

The opposition senators' demands led to the postponement of the passage of the resolution to print the Liberian dollars requested by the Central Bank of Liberia.

The CPP Senators demanded having a report in 24 hours before a debate is held surrounding the printing of the money, and also want to see policies on internal controls to restore confidence in the banking sector.

The request by the Central Bank of Liberia to print about $48 billion new Liberian banknotes at the cost of approximately US$45.522 million has been causing stir here.

This request to print L$48 billion comes as controversies over the L$16 billion that have prompted mass protests here and the subsequent printing of additional L$4 billion just before the 8 December 2020 mid-term election remain fresh in the minds of Liberians.

Meanwhile, the Liberian Senate insists that all of the expert witnesses that appeared before it confirmed the need for the printing of new family of Liberian dollars banknotes, noting that their input and recommendation influenced the report of the joint committee.

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The Senate Committee also said that there was a lot of justification to print the money, noting that 89.36% of Liberian money stock is outside of the banking system.

According to the committee, there are two distinct family of banknotes currently in the country, coupled with a high quantity of mutilated banknotes. The committee notes that all of these factors have resulted in serious liquidity problems here.

The CBL says that they can only provide US$21 million dollars as part of the printing cost and for the printing to take effect, the Government of Liberia has to find the deficit of US$24 million dollars and US$5 million as cost for logistics.

Meanwhile the Central of Liberia on 2 February 2021 submitted a formal request to the Liberian Senate for the replacement of all Liberian dollars currently in circulation. The bank also sent proposal for a currency reform in compliance with Section 23 of the CBL Act.
The soul of Sullivans Island is alive and well. There is an amazing amount of energy and community spirit that is good and giving here. Grassroots groups pick up beach trash, adopt walkways and collect for the underserved. Parks filled with children, a thriving downtown and an elementary school idyllically situated by the sea are just a few of the perks of living in this extraordinary place.

But even in extraordinary places, challenges arise. Democracy is defined by collaboration. It is what moves us forward. Division is a political tool that uses fear to maintain the status quo. I believe that it is time for us to come together for the good of our families, our children and the future of our island.

We cannot continue to kick the can down the road another inch, neglecting other issues, while debating yet again the settled accreted-land lawsuit. While Mayor Pat O'Neil would like to keep relitigating the decade-old lawsuit, the simple truth is that the matter was mediated and settled. Six of seven council members, including the mayor, voted to do so. An inability to compromise has no place in governance. Government is about the common good, and finding a way that accommodates many varied interests.

We need to return to being a civil society. It is time to move on  resilient, diligent and united. I have a vision that includes maintaining a healthy and livable environment for our island. One that includes an efficient stormwater management plan to handle the water that inundates our streets, tidal surge flood relief planning, and a plan to address traffic flow and infrastructure on the island in concert with a push to garner funding from the state and other sources.

Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email

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Our infrastructure is crumbling, and global warming is at our doorstep. We need leadership to chart a new path that moves us forward together. We can no longer ignore these challenges and just wish them away.

Sullivans Island remains a place of exquisite beauty inhabited by a wonderful community of deeply engaged citizens. People from all over the world come to our pristine beaches. None of that has changed, but the world around us has. The Charleston area is growing by leaps and bounds. It is unrealistic to think that change will not happen. We have to adapt. We have to plan. We have to constantly create options to deal with the inevitable changes that will come while holding dear our island way of life and the things that are important to us. We need to focus on the future and not be distracted by the embittered, divisive noise being used to foster fear and misinformation.

The challenges ahead may be difficult, but I believe that if we can act as good neighbors and friends toward a common good, there is nothing we cannot accomplish together. I love this island, and I have devoted much of my life to good citizenship, service to my country and public service, but this election isnt just about me. Its about our future. Its about all of us, united not divided.

Chauncey Clark is a longtime Sullivans Island resident and Town Council member, chairman of the USS Yorktown Foundation and a Vietnam veteran helicopter pilot. He is a Sullivan's Island mayoral candidate.
"Authority and a Judge's Role at the International Courts"

Attending the 11th Brandeis Institute for International Judges allowed me to witness a conversation that highlighted the prospects and challenges relating to the authority of the international courts. At the beginning of the conference, discussion revolved around the definitions of and differences between de jure authority (legal authority) and de facto authority (authority in fact).

During the institute, I learned from the participants that these two terms face subjective interpretations in terms of their meaning and role. It was remarked that de jure authority refers not only to the source of authority, but rather is linked to authority of judgment itself, good quality judgment, whereas, de facto authority refers to its overall impact of the court on society.

In certain international courts, it is common to have narrow authority in fact because states do not always comply with rulings. Many of the represented institutions at the BIIJ are globally recognized, but are not globally supported because certain states desire complete jurisdiction and sovereignty over their land, people and law. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is among these international institutions that are not globally accepted. During my time studying on the Brandeis in The Hague summer program, I was made aware of the fact that as a result of the ICC taking referrals from the United Nations Security Council as well as from states parties, there is a perception that the ICC is influenced by politics rather than being an impartial arbiter of justice.

From listening to the discussions held at the BIIJ, I can understand how acting on referrals can undermine de facto authority of the court. However, it was pointed out that the existence and legal authority of the ICs is not broadly contested. In one of the sessions, an iCourts scholar announced that courts can and do gain authority when they set new reference points, such as performance indicators and standards. Moreover, to overcome opposition from states, courts should show flexibility, but not unprincipled flexibility. Evidently, questions remain as to how much courts are required to bargain with states parties to accept their authority and rulings, and how final decisions in regards to referrals should be made.

Loss of authority that may result from the fragmentation of international legal norms was also a central topic at the BIIJ. Fragmentation exists because judges are human and naturally bring subjective experiences to the decision-making process. Nonetheless, it was stated that the issue of fragmentation could just be an over analysis on the part of certain academics because courts do consult with people in other judicial institutions and look at texts to reference other courts. That being said, as the number of international courts and tribunals increases, having contradictory interpretations of international law becomes a risk.

Further, it is not only claimed that there is fragmentation in jurisprudence among courts, but also, fragmentation within a court can undermine authority. Independent institutions do not mean institutions that have the right to apply the law any way that they see fit. It is unclear if judges should go beyond their individual mandates as judges, but, at the conference, it was stated that building a coherent legal order is seen as a duty of international judges. This links to the next topic that I will highlight: a judge's role.

I strongly believe that the quality of judges can make the difference between a respected, credible court and one that is not. The participants addressed the challenge of subjectivity amongst judges and the lack of a homogenous judicial culture. Specifically, the conversation shifted toward discussing whether judges are interchangeable parts and, if so, if the individual judge even matters. Unsurprisingly, the judges around the table want to matter, and made the point that judges represent different cultures, working backgrounds, levels of open-mindedness, and habits of engagement with legal scholarship. Some judges are more activist than others and while it is difficult to assess a judge, the quality of judgments is vital. Decisions should be clear, principled, and most importantly, I think that the judges should take accountability for the decisions in the public eye by openly speaking out and defending their decisions in the face of criticism. Newer courts have judges who are more activist in urging states to become members, and exposure to the media can increase a judge's accountability.

In terms of outreach to the general public, ICs face a challenge because some courts believe that they should only speak through judgments. Nonetheless, in a breakout session at the BIIJ, it was noted that judges should be careful of the statements they choose to make in public because de facto authority can be influenced by the comportment of judges. Specifically, maintaining strong collegial relationships and confidentiality are important elements for an image of authority. The question becomes what substantive actions judges can take for their institutions to gain de facto authority while acting appropriately to their position so as not to undermine de jure authority. It is difficult because context is relevant, and there is a fine line between a judge speaking out versus overstepping an ethical boundary.

The function of international courts is to attain justice, but defining justice is not an easy task. Unlike companies that use profit rates to analyze their success, it is significantly harder for courts to evaluate themselves. The assessment of the courts' authority and the international judges' role did not only address specific challenges, but also provided a forum for participants to engage with one another on a personal and professional level.

Observing and taking part in some of these interactions was fascinating because I was able to ask for career advice from eminent judges. In general, the judges were extremely willing to impart their wisdom to younger attendees at the BIIJ. An analogy that was made by one of the judges at the conference that resonated strongly with me is that human rights and justice can be symbolized as two beautiful flowers that cannot develop in soil that is infertile. Courts are the fertilization for the soil, meaning the courts help the flowers flourish by creating synergies with other entities, such as NGOs, lawyers, national judiciaries, and national human rights commissions.

Although prominent individuals sat around the table at the BIIJ, some judges admitted to not having strong views on certain topics as they were still thinking of the many parameters of the complex topics. The topics of authority and the role of judges were thought provoking and enabled the judges to learn from each other. The conversations that took place in Copenhagen at the eleventh BIIJ provided great support for the judges, even on an emotional level. I benefited through hearing judges share ideas with colleagues from a range of continents and courts. The judges represented many different courts that, while not technically connected, can relate as they share many of the same challenges and prospects in relation to authority.
Two days after she announced Manitoba was pausing the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for people under 55 years old due to rare side-effects being observed in Europe, vaccine team medical lead Dr. Joss Reimer tried to put the situation in context during a vaccination update on Wednesday afternoon.

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Two days after she announced Manitoba was pausing the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for people under 55 years old due to rare side-effects being observed in Europe, vaccine team medical lead Dr. Joss Reimer tried to put the situation in context during a vaccination update on Wednesday afternoon.

"We, along with colleagues across the country, continue to monitor the situation closely, and we will adjust our plans based on the science and the evidence as it comes forward," said Reimer. "The findings and these side-effects are serious, but we have to remember that COVID is also serious.

Dr. Joss Reimer

"For people in the older age group, the risks posed by COVID, including the risk of blood clots related to COVID infection, are much greater than this possible side-effect from the vaccine. Vaccines are the most studied and closely monitored medical intervention in our history. These types of rare side-effects could occur with other medications, other herbal remedies, but because we dont have monitoring systems, we wouldnt be aware of those."

She took time to further explain the symptoms of these rare side-effects.

"We know that a very rare but serious side-effect where people are having blood clots combined with low levels of platelets have been observed among young people in Europe," said Reimer.

"This increased risk of these serious blood clots with low platelets affects somewhere between one in every 100,000 doses or one in every million doses. Symptoms usually occur between four to 16 days after immunization and those symptoms can look a lot like a stroke or a heart attack.

Platelets are a type of blood cell that clump together in cases of injury to stop bleeding by creating blood clots.

Later on, Reimer said that the blood clots are being formed by a different mechanism than normal where antibodies are triggering something in the platelets that makes them stop working properly.

Because of this, its a different situation than people at risk of developing blood clots in their lungs or legs.

The doctor specified that these side-effects have not been observed in Manitoba or in Canada as a whole at this point.

After the AstraZeneca announcement on Monday, some comments on the Suns Facebook page questioned why there were still some people eligible to get the vaccine despite the side-effects. Reimer addressed those concerns.

"I think theres two aspects that weighed into our decision to use the temporary age cutoff," said Reimer. "The first was that the cases that we were seeing in Europe were occurring in younger populations. Most of them were under 55. We dont know yet if thats truly a reflection of younger people being more likely to experience the side-effects or if it had more to do with who was being offered the vaccine in Europe. But because we dont know that, thats one of the reasons we decided to pause while we gathered more information from Europe."

The other reason is that severe outcomes from COVID-19 infection are a higher risk for older people than developing the side-effects.

She also discussed her concerns about how the AstraZeneca situation could affect confidence in the vaccination effort.

"My concerns about communicating the AstraZeneca situation are what keep me up at night," said Reimer. "Im very worried about Manitobans feeling worried about the vaccine and losing trust in what we know is a very safe product and so we want to continue to use opportunities like this (media conference) to share information with Manitobans ... the last thing we want from this is for people to decide they dont want to be immunized because theyre fearful of the vaccine."

Reimer was asked about Wednesdays news that Pfizers vaccine was found to be safe and have protective effects on kids as young as 12 and if this would change Manitobas vaccination strategy.

"What we need to wait for in Canada is for Health Canada to approve its use in people under 16," said Reimer. "At the moment, Pfizer is only approved for people over 16, with the other vaccines only being approved for people under 18. However, if Health Canada were to approve it for younger populations, certainly we would look at how we roll out a vaccine campaign for younger Manitobans as well."

She did not have any information from Health Canada as to when the approved ages might change.

Vaccine team co-lead Johanu Botha said that with Manitoba reaching its target daily maximum vaccine capacity of administering 20,000 doses per day, the province will run out of doses to administer if it does not receive any more doses in less than a week.

All doses that have arrived in Manitoba have either been injected, allocated to a partner group or booked to be injected between now and April 5.

Data shown during a technical briefing led by Botha on Wednesday morning shows stated that Brandons Keystone Centre supersite has administered an average of 250 doses of vaccine a day since it opened.

Thats below Winnipeg (1,054 per day), Morden (476) and Selkirk (378) but above Thompson (134).

Last week, Brandon administered the second-least number of doses of all supersites with 1,904. That was above Thompson (557) in doses administered, but below Selkirk (2,025), Morden (2,078) and Winnipeg (16,551).

In terms of total doses administered, Brandons 13,022 ranks second-highest among all supersites, leading Selkirk (4,915), Morden (2,856) and Thompson (2,681) but far below Winnipeg (83,288).

All of these statistics are from the end of day on March 30, though Botha said there was a data entry delay making these statistics lower than the actual totals, especially in Winnipeg.

"My initial assessment would be that especially compared with the Morden site, Brandon was obviously operating before both Selkirk and Morden so it may have gotten through its age eligibility cohort in that area at a faster clip than what we saw in Interlake-Eastern and Morden," Botha said about Brandon lagging behind last week.

"I would expect Brandon to, given their population, next week be chugging ahead of the rest assuming uptake is even across the province, of course, but behind Winnipeg."

Approximately 230,000 combined doses of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZenecas vaccines are expected to arrive in April, including approximately 40,000 Pfizer doses and 50,000 AstraZeneca doses supposed to arrive next week.

"Wed like more, wed like all our supersites to get up to their daily maximum capacity, which will require more Pfizer supply than this," said Botha. "Were awaiting information on that piece from the federal government, but the supply stability remains nice to see for Pfizer."

Botha said there has been a delay in receiving Moderna shipments from the federal government and Manitoba is still waiting on approximately 26,000 doses that should have arrived on March 29. The new estimated delivery date is April 1.

Additionally, next weeks Moderna shipment of approximately 28,000 doses is expected to be delivered the week after.

"We can deal with such difference within a week, although its not ideal," he said. "A much more challenging piece for us is when our confirmed delivery schedule from the federal government is more than a week out or delayed."

With the new doses arriving, the province projects that it will hit the 200,000 mark for doses administered as of April 3 and the 300,000 dose mark on April 17.

Given Manitoba is holding off on using the AstraZeneca vaccine on people younger than 55, Botha was asked if there was any risk of spoilage due to the delay.

"I dont have the specific expiry date on hand," said Botha. "What I do know is that it wont be near as tight as the one we saw on the first shipment of AstraZeneca. Our physician and pharmacy partners will have more time to administer these, not that theyve had an issue administering them quickly anyway."

He said he didnt foresee any going to waste.

Asked about AstraZeneca during a press conference held later Wednesday afternoon, Premier Brian Pallister said he supports the decision to pause the use of the vaccine until further data and scientific information become available.

 cslark@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
Rakesh Verma, Indias original digital map data product maker and the founder of MapmyIndia, a Make in India, Deep-Tech company which specializes in Maps, Navigation, Tracking, Analytics, GIS, GPS, IoT & location technologies has pledged INR 1 Crore towards strengthening the Incubation and Innovation ecosystem. Well-known for its students and alumni startups, 17 of BITS alumni-led startups have raised $700 million in past few months. MapmyIndia will further support promising student entrepreneurs by mentoring and advisory, workspace, seed/angel funding and incubation to help accelerate their ideas.

I am indebted to BITS Pilani, a generous giver, my almamater has played a key role in shaping me personally and professionally. And it gives me great pleasure to be part of this unique initiative  BITS Pilani Incubation and Innovation Centre (BPIInC). In this pandemic hit scenario we will churn out job creators rather than seekers  a class of professionally Aatmanirbhar students via Mentorship, guidance, funding and incubation. BPIInC will be a legacy builder, one that will have a lasting impact on the future genrations of the bright and talented alumni that will walk through the hallowed precincts of this great institution, says Rakesh Verma, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, MapmyIndia, a BITS alumnus, class of 1972.

Prof. Souvik Bhattacharyya, Vice-Chancellor, BITS Pilani, said, What MapmyIndia did in 1990s, despite a lack of support system really inspires us at BITS  its our commitment and ambition to support innovators on the campus with the resources they would need to be successful. With Rakeshs pledge, we are moving a step closer to our intended goals.

This initiative comes close to the heels of the recent path breaking partnership between MapmyIndia and ISRO to create Indias indigenously developed most advanced geospatial services, as a shining example of public-private partnership to enable Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and the Government of Indias historic announcement of the opening up of geospatial industry to bring the benefits of geospatial to the entire economy and society. MapmyIndia is quickly making moves to leverage them advantageously by speeding up innovation and increasing the output of the Indian geospatial sector.

Prof. Arya Kumar, Dean, Alumni Relations, added, BITSian entrepreneurs and the alumni network has been widely acknowledged as one of the most helpful innovation networks, with support available to anyone with a viable idea. Rakesh Verma has been a long-standing contributor to this network, and his collaboration with the incubation efforts at BITS will help scale outcomes to newer heights.

The funds from MapmyIndia shall be used for augmenting the upcoming Incubation and Innovation Centre at the Pilani Campus being built at the cost of Rs. 15 Crore  a 20,000 sq. ft. space for innovation labs and co-working spaces for enabling students and faculty with their ideas to change the world.
"Joining oneworld is joining a family of the best airlines in the world," said Ben Minicucci, Alaska's CEO. "Being a part of the alliance allows us to provide fantastic global connectivity, a seamless travel experience and more valuable loyalty offerings for our guests. This alliance transforms Alaska into a truly global airline, connecting our strong West Coast network and destinations across North America with the worldwide reach of our oneworld partners."

With safety protocols in place due to the pandemic, Alaska and oneworld hosted a virtual celebration and news conference today in Seattle, the airline's hometown. Fellow airline members from around the world welcomed Alaska to the alliance with video greetings and provided versions of employees performing the Alaska Safety Dance, briefly renamed the Global Safety Dance.

"With Alaska Airlines now part of oneworld, we are excited to offer to customers even more destinations and flights, strengthened by Alaska's leading network on the U.S. West Coast," said oneworld CEO Rob Gurney, who joined Minicucci in Seattle for the event. "For oneworld top-tier customers, the joining of Alaska will provide even more opportunities for their status to be recognised as we look forward to a recovery in international travel."

For Alaska and its guests, oneworld provides a global network of flights to as many as 1,000 destinations across more than 170 countries and territories*. With its membership in the alliance, Alaska will add seven new airline partners and enhance its six existing partnerships with oneworld members.

"We're delighted to welcome Alaska to the oneworld family. As the industry recovers from COVID, airline alliances are going to be more important than ever. Alaska will be an asset to the alliance, positioning oneworld to deliver even more value to our customers and member airlines," said oneworld Governing Board Chairman and Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce.

Effective today, all Alaska Mileage Plan members can earn miles when they fly any of the other 13 member airlines. Mileage redemption for flights on airlines that Alaska did not have previous partnerships with will occur in the coming months.

Alaska's elite Mileage Plan members automatically receive matching oneworld tier status: MVP Gold 75K = oneworld Emerald; MVP Gold = oneworld Sapphire; and MVP = oneworld Ruby. Depending on tier status, those passengers can enjoy a variety of privileges, including access to more than 650 international first and business class lounges*, fast track through security and priority baggage benefits. Guests with Emerald, Sapphire or Ruby status in any oneworld member airline's frequent flyer program will be able to use priority check-in desks, where available. Also, guests with Emerald or Sapphire status will be offered priority boarding.

"If you've been a frequent flier who has earned status with us, all that loyalty will go even further with benefits in oneworld to make your journey even more enjoyable," said Minicucci.

Alaska fliers can find out more about what oneworld means for them on the Alaska Airlines Blog.

Flight connectivity becomes easier with Alaska's membership in oneworld, especially on international bookings, which includes a long-standing partnership with American Airlines. American, a oneworld founding member, sponsored Alaska's membership into the alliance.

"Alaska has been an outstanding partner to American for nearly 40 years and we're excited to do even more together in the years to come," said American Airlines President Robert Isom. "By connecting American's strength in long-haul international flying and Alaska's strong presence along the West Coast, we're building a better network for our customers than either airline could build alone."

The 14 full members of oneworld are: Alaska Airlines; American Airlines; British Airways; Cathay Pacific Airways; Finnair; Iberia; Japan Airlines; Malaysia Airlines; Qantas; Qatar Airways; Royal Air Maroc; Royal Jordanian; S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines. Fiji Airways is a oneworld connect partner offering select alliance benefits to frequent flyers from any oneworld member airline travelling on their flights.

Learn more about Alaska's membership in oneworld at alaskaair.com/oneworld and at oneworld.com/members/alaska-airlines

* The reach of the oneworld network in January 2020 when including Alaska Airlines and Royal Air Maroc.

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. The airline emphasizes Next-Level Care for its guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. On March 31, 2021, Alaska became the 14th member of oneworld. With the global alliance and Alaska Airlines' additional partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

About one world

oneworld brings together 14 world-class airlines  Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines, and more than 20 of their affiliates. Fiji Airways is a oneworld connect partner. oneworld member airlines work together to deliver consistently a superior, seamless travel experience, with special privileges and rewards for frequent flyers, including earning and redeeming miles and points across the entire alliance network. Top-tier cardholders (Emerald and Sapphire) enjoy access to airport lounges and are offered extra baggage allowances. The most regular travelers (Emerald) can also use fast track security lanes at select airports. Learn more about the oneworld Alliance at alaska.oneworld.com and oneworld.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

Related Links

http://www.alaskaair.com


TURIN, N.Y. -- Fire crews are still at the scene of a massive fire that began late Wednesday evening in Lewis County.

Crews responded to a large, unoccupied building at 6308 East Main Street, in Turin after 11 p.m.

Roads going in and around that immediate area of State Route 26 continue to be closed.

According to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office, the entire Village of Turin is under a conserve water mandate until further notice, due to low water levels in their tower.

A caller who was passing by the building notified authorities that it was on fire.

At least seven departments were called in to fight the fire: Turin, Boonville, Lowville, Constableville, Martinsburg, Lyons Falls and Port Leyden.

Responding crews say no one was injured.

There is extensive smoke, fire and water damage to the building.

The cause is under investigation.

This story will be updated as more details are released.

Photos: Denise Foley, Teresa Jackson-Croneiser
Janice E. Paskal, March 31, 2021

Beloved wife of the late James for 69 years; dear mother and mother-in-law of Nick (Judy) of St. Louis and Dr. Steven (the late Andrea Lederfine) of Andover, MA. Adored as the best grandma ever by seven grandchildren Amy, Kate, Molly, Samantha, Benjamin, Theodore, and Margaret  and will be missed by seven amazing great-grandchildren.

Jan, a graduate of Pacific High School, completed Nurses Training at Jewish HospitalSt. Louis in 1950, where she worked as an RN and met her future husband while caring for his father. After raising her sons, she returned to nursing at the Jewish Center for Aged where she became a head nurse and was loved by all residents.

A private graveside service will be held at United Hebrew Cemetery. Memorial contributions preferred to the Goldfarb School of Nursing (www.barnesjewishcollege.edu/Giving) or to the Hospice of your choice.

Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. BERGER MEMORIAL SERVICE
ZURICH, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb Limited (NYSE: CB) will hold its first quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

The company expects to issue its first quarter earnings release and financial supplement after the market closes on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. These documents will be available on the company's investor website at investors.chubb.com.

The earnings conference call will be available via live webcast at investors.chubb.com or by dialing 888-394-8218 (within the United States) or 323-794-2588 (international), passcode 3276681. Please refer to the Chubb website under Events and Presentations for details. A replay of the call will be available until Wednesday, May 12, 2021, and the archived webcast will be available on our website for approximately one month. To listen to the replay, please click here to register and receive dial-in numbers.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com.

SOURCE Chubb Limited

Related Links

http://new.chubb.com


National Trench Safety (NTS) and Trench Plate Rental Company (TPRC), two leading pure-play providers of trench safety solutions in the U.S., announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge. The combined company will be majority-owned by Tailwind Capital. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

NTS was founded by President and Chief Executive Officer Ronald Chilton, who has led the business since 2003. NTS provides mission-critical safety solutions to over 4,000 customers, who look to NTS to provide premier trench shoring products and solutions for complex, highly engineered projects.

Founded in 1979, TPRC is led by Phil Mason, President and Chief Executive Officer. TPRC provides a wide range of trench safety solutions including slide rail systems, trench boxes, aluminum shores as well as trench plates, and traffic control equipment. TPRC focuses predominantly on the infrastructure-related end-markets.

The combined company will operate under the National Trench Safety brand and will be led by Phil Mason, President and CEO. The business will offer a full suite of trench safety solutions, with unparalleled national reach and service capabilities. I look forward to joining forces with National Trench Safety, as we bring together our complementary businesses to drive unmatched customer service and continued growth, said Phil Mason. The merger will allow the combined company to better serve our customers on a national scale with enhanced fleet, improved service capabilities, and expanded footprint.

TPRC Chairman and Tailwind Operating Executive, Bruce Dressel, noted, Over the last 18 years, Ron Chilton has built a nationally-renowned trench safety solutions platform with a stellar reputation. We are pleased to partner with the NTS team and look forward to driving long-term sustainable growth via new greenfields and additional M&A. We believe that the combined platform will allow us to better serve our customers and will provide exciting opportunities for our employees. I look forward to welcoming Ron to our board, where his deep industry knowledge and strategic insight will help further define our growth aspirations. Bruce joined Tailwind Capital in 2020 as an Operating Executive. He became TPRC chairman in January 2021 and is the former COO of Herc Holdings, Inc. and former CEO and President of Sunbelt Rentals.

About National Trench Safety

Based in Houston, Texas and founded in 2003, NTS is one of the leading independent national providers of trench shoring and safety solutions in the U.S., with a differentiated business model that targets projects requiring a high level of consultative, construction services expertise. NTS services a wide range of infrastructure maintenance and expansion activities across a diverse set of markets. NTS serves over 4,000 customers through an international network of 33 U.S.-based and 2 U.K-based branches.

About Trench Plate Rental Co.

Based in Artesia, California and founded in 1979, TPRC has grown into one of the countrys largest providers of trench safety and traffic control solutions to the underground construction and infrastructure-related industries. TPRC serves over 5,000 customers through a network of 37 branch locations across the United States.

About Tailwind Capital

Tailwind Capital is a middle market private equity firm focused on growth-oriented investments in targeted sectors within industrials, technology & business services and healthcare. Tailwind partners with experienced management teams and entrepreneurs to transform businesses through organic growth initiatives, acquisitions, and operational and strategic investments. Since inception, Tailwind has managed $3.7 billion of committed equity capital, and has invested in 47 portfolio companies and over 125 add-on acquisitions.
A 10-year-old in Huainan, East China's Anhui Province, saw through a scam call after the fraudster said his father was in debt to the tune of 50 million yuan ($7.6 million), which he believed sounded "impossible" given his father's financial situation, reported Hongxing News on Tuesday.

The boy received the call while he was alone at home and immediately reported it to the police after he suspected it to be a fraud.

He told police that the caller first said his grandfather had been in a car accident and that his father owed them 50 million yuan.

"That just doesn't sound like my dad, as I know he won't have that much money," he said in a video that the police filmed with a body camera.

The child's calm and confident tone gained the video more than 5,000 comments on Sina Weibo. "Good for you, kid, but sorry to see you so assured about your dad's 'financial condition,'" one netizen joked.

The primary school student said the anti-fraud education at school also helped him to identify the scam and respond to the case quickly and rationally.

The police later contacted the parents and praised the kid for his alertness. The case is under investigation.




More than $10 billion is earmarked for Connecticut as part of the American Rescue Plan  a $1.9 trillion economic relief package signed by President Joe Biden on March 11.

According to estimates shared by Rep. John Larsons office, Berlin is predicted to see $2,017,705 in municipal aid and $822,000 in K-12 education funding.

Municipalities can use American Rescue Plan funds to offset losses caused by the pandemic, to invest in water, sewer and infrastructure, and to make grants to small businesses and nonprofits.

American Rescue Plan funds will also go directly to state residents in the form of stimulus checks, unemployment payouts and more.

Individuals who have an adjusted gross income below $75,000 should be receiving $1,400, plus additional payments for any children. Married couples filing jointly must have an AGI under $150,000 to receive the full $2,800.

People who earn more than $80,000, or couples with incomes above $160,000, will not receive a payment.

Gov. Ned Lamont released a statement applauding approval of the American Rescue Plan.

I commend President Biden, Congressional Democrats, and particularly Connecticuts Congressional delegation for their leadership and commitment to providing long-delayed relief for millions of American families, small businesses, state and local governments, our schools and child care system, and communities struggling with the economic fallout of this pandemic. It is a remarkable achievement, said Lamont.

nkorytnikova@record-journal.com203-317-2444Twitter: @n_korytnikova
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The global vibration monitoring market size is anticipated to reach USD 3,574.3 million by 2026 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. The report Vibration Monitoring Market Analysis Report By Component (Hardware, Software, Services); By Monitoring Process (Online, Portable); By End-User (Automotive, Chemical, Aerospace and Defense, Food and Beverages, Construction, Mining, Oil and Gas, Others); By Regions: Market Size & Segment Forecast, 2019  2026provides a complete analysis of present market trends and future insights.

In 2018, the hardware segment accounted for the highest market share in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global Vibration Monitoring market revenue in 2018. The increasing modernization of factory equipment, and stringent regulations regarding energy efficiency and workforce safety majorly drive the market growth.

The growing adoption of IoT, cloud-based technologies, and machine learning further supports the growth of the market. The growing need to streamline operations for improving productivity and safety, while reducing maintenance time and cost would increase the adoption of vibration monitoring systems during the forecast period. Other driving factors include technological advancements, increasing adoption of smart factories, growing adoption of embedded systems, and increasing demand from emerging economies.

Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/vibration-monitoring-market/request-for-sample

Vibration monitoring systems ensure that data is organized and decisions can be made efficiently. They collect real-time information, offer historical trends and graph data for further analysis. They generate alarms when abnormalities occur and send instant alarms to smart devices. They sense concerns such as imbalance, misalignment, bearing wear and looseness and provide predictive maintenance.

North America generated the highest market share in the Vibration Monitoring industry in terms of revenue in 2018, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The presence of established telecom and cloud infrastructure in this region, and growing trend of IIoT has accelerated the market growth in the region. The growing demand of mobile devices, automation of manufacturing process, increasing safety concerns, and technological advancements generate numerous opportunities for the market in this region.

The well-known companies profiled in the report include National Instruments Corporation, Emerson Electric Co., Bruel & Kiaer Sound & Vibration Measurement A/S, Meggitt PLC, Honeywell International Inc., Schaeffler AG, Analog Devices, Inc., SKF AB, General Electric, and Azima DLI Corporation. These companies are consistently launching new products to enhance their offerings in the Vibration Monitoring industry. With the advancement of technologies, companies are innovating and introducing new customized products to cater the growing needs of the customers. Leading companies are also acquiring other companies, and enhancing their product offerings to improve their market reach. Acquisitions enable key players to increase their market potential in terms of geographic expansion and expansion of customer base.

Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/vibration-monitoring-market

Polaris Market research has segmented the vibration monitoring market on the basis of component, monitoring process, end-user, and region.

 Component outlook (Revenue USD Millions, 2015  2026)

 Hardware

 Software

 Services

 Monitoring process outlook (Revenue USD Millions, 2015  2026)

 Online

 Portable

 End User outlook (Revenue USD Millions, 2015  2026)

 Automotive

 Chemical

 Aerospace and Defense

 Food and Beverages

 Construction

 Mining

 Oil and Gas

 Others

 Regional outlook (Revenue USD Millions, 2015  2026)

 North America

o U.S.

o Canada

o Mexico

 Europe

o Germany

o UK

o France

o Italy

 Asia-Pacific

o China

o India

o Japan

 Latin America

o Brazil

 Middle East & Africa

Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/vibration-monitoring-market/request-for-discount-pricing

About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to our customers.

Contact Us:



Polaris Market Research

Phone: 1-646-568-9980

Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com

Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
The US is undertaking strategic planning" with its Australian ally to consider potential joint responses to a war over Taiwan, according to President Joe Bidens top diplomat in Canberra.

Were committed as allies to working together -- not only in making our militaries interoperable and functioning well together, but also in strategic planning," Michael Goldman, the US Embassys charge daffaires, said in an Australian National University podcast released on Thursday, when asked about a potential role for Australia in a Taiwan contingency.

And when you look at strategic planning, it covers the range of contingencies that youve mentioned, of which Taiwan is obviously an important component," Goldman added.

While Australia regularly hails its history of being involved in every major American conflict over the past century, its yet to officially commit to taking part in a potential conflict over Taiwan. The US also makes no iron-clad guarantees it will come to Taiwans defense if China makes good on threats to invade, only agreeing to help the separately ruled economy maintain its capacity for self-defense.

China has stepped up military exercises around Taiwan over the past few years as the US bolsters diplomatic ties with the set of islands, which Beijing claims as part of its territory. The government in Taipei views Taiwan as an already de facto sovereign nation.

The comments risk inflaming US-China relations as Beijing hits back hard over criticism from Western countries over everything from allegations of forced labour in Xinjiang to cracking down on democracy advocates in Hong Kong to increased intimidation of Taiwan. President Xi Jinpings government views all of them as internal matters," and has begun to lash out at companies that take a position on them.

China has also hit Australia with trade reprisals since Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government called for independent investigators to be allowed into Wuhan to probe the origins of the pandemic a year ago. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week that Beijing apparently helped to write" a World Health Organization report studying the origins of the coronavirus.

Goldman, who is heading the embassy until the US replaces Arthur Culvahouse as ambassador after he left in January, also backed up recent comments by Kurt Campbell, the US National Security Councils Asia coordinator.

Campbell said in a newspaper interview last month that US relations with China wont improve until Beijing stops its economic coercion against Australia. Other nations including Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam have also been targeted with economic action by Beijing, he said.

We really cant expect to have substantial improvements in our relationship with China while its holding hostage the economies of our partner nations," Goldman said.

Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
Srinagar: The police security guard of a local BJP leader was killed after some unidentified terrorists attacked his residence in Nowgam, Srinagar on Thursday.

According to the J&K Police, BJP leader Anwar Ahmad, who is the party's district general secretary for Baramulla and in-charge for Kupwara district, was not present at his home during the attack.

He is said to safe, a J&K police official said.

Jammu and Kashmir: BJP leader Anwar Khan's residence attacked by terrorists in Nowgam, Srinagar One sentry critically injured in the attack succumbs to his injuries, say police (visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/VLcficM9Kn  ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021

"The BJP leader was not present at his residence when the terrorists attacked. Ramiz Raja, the police constable guarding Khans residence was injured in the attack, he said.

"He was shifted to a city hospital where he succumbed to critical injuries, he added.

An eyewitness said that two terrorists knocked at the door of the BJP leader and when the door was opened by the police guard, they opened fire upon him and fled from the spot.

SSP Srinagar said,  Terrorists attacked house guard of BJP leader Anwar Khan at Naugam. One sentry Rameez Ahmad was critically injured in the attack. He later succumbed to his injuries

"The terrorists decamped with the service rifle of the injured police guard," sources said.

Police have registered an FIR and investigations are underway to identify the terrorists involved in the attack.

In the past week, this is the third such attack carried out by the terrorists in Kashmir.

Live TV
Jerry Ray Pierce, 79, of Red Desert, Wyoming passed away at his home March 27,2021. Jerry was born on February 8, 1942 in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho to Harry and Francis Pierce and was the middle of three children. His family later moved to Casper, where he grew up and graduated from Natrona County High School in 1959.

Jerry married Joyce Koroulis on February 18, 1977 in Casper, Wyoming. With their children Scott Pierce, Donny, Michelle, Marianne, and Karri Koroulis they made their home in Red Desert where Jerry owned Red Desert Station. In August of 1978 Jerry & Joyce welcomed their daug...
The words tumbled readily from Josh Hawleys lips as he argued for doing little in the wake of the Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado, massacres.

Thats reason enough not to let them tumble from the rest of ours.

They were Tom Cottons chosen term for the laws that reasonable Americans are calling for and that he opposes. That makes me triply determined to latch on to different language  and to urge other journalists to do the same.

Im talking about gun control, a phrase whose day should be done. Its day is done, to judge by many prominent Democrats, who have rightly recognized the prejudicial aspect of control and moved away from it. You dont hear President Joe Biden talking about gun control, not anymore. The same holds true for other Democrats urging gun safety, a preferable coinage.

But gun control still appears in The New York Times, in The Washington Post, on the CNN website and throughout the media. It was there in the first question put to Biden during his first news conference as president. And in the second question. And in yet another question. Its like some reflex we cant shake.

Or maybe we just dont care to. Theres an argument for gun control, absolutely. Its accurate: The legislation entails more government control over who can purchase guns and when and how. Gun control is probably the most instantly and widely recognized shorthand for the debate over such laws.

But its off key. Its unhelpful. And its an example of the loaded language that often shapes our discourse.

Is vocabulary destiny? It certainly plays its part. I dont think gun control is the main thing standing in the way of additional measures to protect Americans from gun violence and to diminish the number and near-instant availability of guns. But how we write and talk about this issue is inevitably consequential.

Remember death panels? That was the chillingly worded and wildly inaccurate specter with which Sarah Palin and other Republicans whipped up alarm over the Affordable Care Act. The mainstream media avoided the expression, except to challenge it, but it circulated widely and with blunt effect.

Talking about some immigrants as illegal aliens or illegals casts them in a dehumanizing, sinister light. Calling them undocumented doesnt. Thats why Americans of divergent bents diverge in their language.

Pro-life and pro-choice are ideologically stacked labels, with currency for that reason. Gay marriage and same-sex marriage morphed into marriage equality among its supporters, who wanted to make clear that they werent proposing some separate right but addressing an injustice.

Verbiage over gun laws has a similarly fraught history. Robert Spitzer, a professor at SUNY Cortland who has written five books on gun policy, told me that the phrase gun control goes back more than a half-century. Its present, he pointed out, in the very name of a law passed after the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  the Gun Control Act of 1968.

And it seemed relatively anodyne in the absence of a lobby against gun regulations as well organized and funded as the one that exists today. There were thousands of gun laws of every imaginable variety for hundreds of years, Spitzer said. Only recently has it been thrown into reverse.

In the 1970s, he said, people opposed to restrictions on firearms began to talk about them in apocalyptic terms, with the imagery of jackbooted thugs coming to your door. They cast their fight against that in terms of liberty. It was freedom-loving Americans versus the gun grabbers, he said.

Spitzer noted that in the 1990s, when the Clinton administration was promoting legislation to prevent gun violence, Clinton spoke of child-safety locks on guns, though those locks werent exclusively for protecting kids.

Subsequently, more proponents of better gun laws came to the conclusion that gun control might be hurting their cause.

Two decades ago, the advocacy group Handgun Control Inc., which had begun in the 1970s as the National Council to Control Handguns, changed its name to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Its now just Brady. (Brady refers to Jim Brady, who was shot during an assassination attempt against President Reagan, and Bradys wife, Sarah.)

And that was part of a march toward safety.

If youre a person who doesnt want to see our gun laws change, it makes sense that you would evoke the rhetoric of gun control, especially in a place like America, where individual freedom is so celebrated, said Jonathon Schuldt, an associate professor at Cornell University whose expertise includes the role of language in opinion making. Its much harder to justify being against safety than it is to justify being against control.

Schuldt told me that he has noticed yet another shift in language used by advocates like Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization born in 2013 from Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

If you look around the time of Parkland in 2018, he said, referring to the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, you see an increase in people talking about common-sense gun reform. Whos against common sense?

I asked him how much time he had. The list is long.

I asked Spitzer if gun control was so ingrained, so automatic, so generic at this point that it was ipso facto neutral.

I used to say that I study gun control, he told me. Now I say I study gun policy. Im confessing to you  for attribution, I suppose  that Ive changed the way I describe myself. And while part of that, he said, is about accuracy, part of it is the search for a less loaded term.

If Spitzer is doing it, why cant we?

By we I mean the mainstream media, and by we I mean me.

Ive used gun control over the past two years. In my weekly newsletter several days ago, I wrote more stringent firearm restrictions in its stead. I was steering clear of gun control only to land in another ditch by the side of the road.

Stringent? Restrictions? Unduly negative.

Safety is accurate but bland, so Im in the market for a snazzier vocabulary. All suggestions welcome.

FRANK BRUNI is a columnist for The New York Times.
A man who left his friend in a burning car has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide.

Douglas Cody Gass, who was 23 at the time of the incident on Oct. 7, 2019, also pleaded guilty to reckless aggravated assault and evading arrest.

The method and manner of his sentence will be determined at a sentencing hearing, which is set for June 10 at 9 a.m.

Gass was being pursued by Fort Oglethorpe Police for reckless driving in Catoosa County. The pursuit went into Chattanooga, where the driver lost control and hit a power pole. The crash happened on East 38th Street.

The car had three people inside: Gass (the driver), and two passengers. One of the backseat passengers, 19-year-old Kobe Burchfield, was pinned in the vehicle. A transformer, damaged from the wreck, leaked oil on the car and Burchfield. The oil ignited and Burchfield burned to death.

Gass was already out of the car, and when it caught on fire, he fled the scene on foot and made his way to Florida, even dyeing his hair to avoid being caught. He was eventually captured by U.S. marshals.

Andrew Coyle is prosecuting the case.
Marriott Executive Apartments, part of Marriott Bonvoys portfolio of 30 leading brands, has announced its debut in Qatar with the opening of Marriott Executive Apartments City Centre Doha.

Owned by Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC), the elevated serviced apartments answer to the rapidly growing demand for longer stay accommodations which offer a sophisticated experience with amenities and services that mirror the comforts of home.

We are pleased to build on our fantastic relationship with ARTIC and open the first Marriott Executive Apartments in Qatar. With the current trend for bleisure travel, we believe this opening will cater for guests looking to mix business and leisure travel by creating a home from home feeling for their longer stay, said Safak Guvenc, Area Vice President, Gulf, Levant and Turkey, Marriott International.

This opening reflects ARTICs investment strategy focused on high quality hospitality assets in premium destinations that enable us to create significant additional value through redevelopment, rebranding or reformatting in partnership with leading global operators like Marriott International. Marriott Executive Apartments City Center Doha enhances our extended stay and serviced apartment offering and underlines our commitment to providing a full range of accommodation at the highest quality and standards of service. This is one of six properties in Qatar that we plan to launch with Marriott International this year, as we continue to balance our growing portfolio of operating assets with a healthy future project pipeline and contribute to the continuing expansion and range of Qatars hospitality sector in the process, said Mr. Tarek El Sayed, CEO and Managing Director, ARTIC.

Marriott Executive Apartments City Centre Doha features 254 modern residential apartments. The spacious studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments offer separate living, sleeping and working areas so guests can live comfortably and thrive during their stay.

At Marriott Executive Apartments City Centre Doha guests can dine at Campagnia cafe, a bright, vibrant space where guests can relax, socialise or work while enjoying freshly baked pastries, healthy salads and wraps. Each apartment offers cooking facilities, allowing guests to dine as if at home.

During their stay guests will enjoy free Wi-Fi, a rooftop pool with expansive views of Dohas skyline, an indoor pool with a jacuzzi, and a 24-hour well equipped fitness centre.

Centrally located in West Bay, Dohas thriving business and diplomatic district, the hotel is in close proximity to Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre and City Centre Mall, and is near to some of the citys most famous sites including the Qatar National Museum, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha Corniche, Souq Waqif and Katara Cultural Village. West Bay metro station is a short 5-minute walk from the hotel, while Hamad International Airport is a 21-kilometre drive.

We are excited to welcome guests to enjoy a premium and trusted home-away-from-home experience at Marriott Executive Apartments in Doha. Our team are ambassadors of the guest journey and will provide tailored services so guests can connect, accomplish and explore during their stay, said Rick Enders, Multi-Property General Manager, Marriott International, Qatar.-- Tradearabia News Service
A Massachusetts man has been charged with beating the mother of his child to death at her favorite beach in Maine on Friday.

Police received multiple 911 calls reporting a man assaulting a woman behind a large rock at Short Sands Beach in the town of York at around 4pm.

Arriving officers detained Jeffrey Buchannan, 33, of Bedford, Massachusetts and found his girlfriend Rhonda Pattelena, 35, dead.

Buchannan allegedly told officers that he had 'blacked out' after seeing Pattelena make a gesture to another man on the beach.

The state medical examiner's office on Saturday ruled Pattelena's death a homicide caused by blunt force injury to the head. A rock was found at the scene, believed to be the murder weapon.

Officers detained Jeffrey Buchannan, 33, of Bedford, Massachusetts and found Rhonda Pattelena, 35, also of Bedford, dead behind a rock on Short Sands Beach

Maine State Police said the York Police Department received multiple 911 calls reporting a man assaulting a woman behind a large rock at Short Sands Beach at around 4pm

Buchannan was charged with murder and is in custody at York County Jail.

He made his first court appearance at the York County Superior Court in Alfred, and is being represented by defense attorney Jon C. Gale.

York County Superior Court Judge Wayne R. Douglas ordered the man be held without bail and also ordered Buchannan undergo a mental health evaluation.

According to an affidavit obtained by Portsmouth Herald, witnesses reported seeing Buchannan leave the scene of the attack on foot before he was apprehended by police nearby.

Buchannan reportedly told police that he had come to York with his girlfriend.

He says he saw a man running toward them at the beach, and then saw Pattelena making hand gestures behind him, the affidavit states.

He felt threatened and then 'blacked out,' the document adds. Buchannan said that he only recalled breathing heavily and seeing his girlfriend lying on the ground, before he walked away.

York County Superior Court Judge Wayne R. Douglas ordered the man be held without bail and also ordered Buchannan undergo a mental health evaluation

Buchannan declined to speak about the alleged assault any further, the affidavit states.

Officials said that Buchannan had physically attacked Pattelena on at least one occasion.

A GoFundMe for the mother shared that she had three children, with the two oldest being 17 and 14. She and Buchannan shared a two-year-old son together.

'Rhonda was a beautiful, loving, caring, and generous person, she had such a big heart, she was always smiling and laughing,' said Pattelena's close friend, Melissa Matranga. 'She was so full of life.'

Matranga didn't approve of Pattelena's relationship with Buchannan, alleging that he had previously been violent towards the mother. She didn't know they had gotten back together, Matranga told the Boston Globe.

Officials said that Buchannan had physically attacked Pattelena on at least one occasion. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to assaulting her and kidnapping her and her two sons from previous relationships, according to court records. Buchannan was sentenced to two years behind bars.

A GoFundMe has been made for the mother's funeral expenses and for her children

Pattelena had three children, with the two oldest being 17 and 14

The Essex district attorney's office said that Pattelena alerted a State Police trooper at Logan Airport that Buchannan was not letting her or her children leave her Lawrence home.

Matranga shared that she and Pattelena used 'ostrich' as a code word in case the mother ever found herself in trouble. She believes her friend was attacked suddenly.

'I don't believe for one minute she would have just sat there and not done anything,' Matranga said. 'I believe in my heart, she would have texted me.'

She and Buchannan shared a two-year-old son together

Pattelena's sister, Jessica, said that the mother and her boys moved to Bedford approximately three months ago. Pattelena was taking online classes to become a licensed practical nurse.

'She was an amazing mother and she was raising some amazing kids. She always did her best for them,' Jessica added. 'She had the most beautiful soul you could ever meet. All she ever wanted to do was to help people.'

'She wanted to better their lives and she loved the school system there.'
The Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has assured the nation that there are no challenges whatsoever with power generation in the country.



The Minister, who is popularly referred to as NAPO, and who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, gave this assurance at a press briefing held by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) in Accra to address the current power situation in the country. The situation, he indicated, was simply due to a technical difficulty with the transmission.



Dr Prempeh further clarified that none of the current challenges is due to the government owing any entity and that Ghana has put in place mechanisms where every generator, transmitter and distributor of electricity is paid something regularly. He also disclosed that government is also introducing a gas clearinghouse where funds will be made available to the suppliers of fuel for our generators.



In its press briefing, GRIDCo indicated that it has no intention of embarking on a nationwide load shedding programme in the months ahead and that it is carrying out key projects to enhance power supply reliability in Accra and Kumasi.



The projects are:



 Millennium Development Authority (MIDA) funded Pokuase substation and Kasoa Bulk Supply Point installation

 French Development Agency (AFD) funded the Tema-Accra transmission line reinforcement project and the 330kV Kumasi  Kintampo transmission line.



With regard to the situation in Kumasi and the northern parts of Ghana, GRIDCo explained that this stems from the inability to dispatch the Bui Hydro Electric Plant (HEP) due to the low water levels. The implication is that all the electricity required in that area have to be supplied from the southern part of Ghana.



A short-term solution has been implemented (transporting a 66MVA transformer from Accra to Kumasi). The medium-term solution is the construction of a 330kV transmission line between Anwomanso and Kintampo  earmarked to be completed in July 2021.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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South Jacksonville trustees are scheduled to meet in regular session at 7 p.m. today in the village hall at 301 Dewey Drive.

The meeting will also be available online at bit.ly/3rH40WW or by phone by calling 312-626-6799 and using meeting ID 993-584-5163 and passcode 62650.
Abu Dhabis third investment fund, ADQ, has acquired for $740 million Egypt-based Amoun Pharmaceutical Co. controlled by Canada-based Bausch Health Companies Inc.

Bausch Health Companies Inc. in a statement Wednesday said it reached a deal with ADQ to relinquish its shares in Amoun Pharmaceutical Co.; one of the leading drug producers and distributors in Egypt.

Per the deal expected to close in the first half of 2021, cash generated by Amoun from Jan. 1 to the closing of the deal will accrue to the buyer and is not expected to be part of Bausch Healths results.

Shares of the Canada-based company rose as much as 2.9 per cent to $31.93 in New York trading, Bloomberg reported. The sale will help Bausch Health to slash down its debt.

The sale of Amoun marks significant progress in our efforts to reduce overall Bausch Health debt as we continue to pursue all opportunities to drive value for our shareholders, including preparing for the spinoff of Bausch + Lomb, said Joseph C. Papa, chairman and CEO, Bausch Health.

The acquisition had been in the pipeline since October, when it was first reported. With the new acquisition, ADQ has expanded its investment spree in other sectors as Abu Dhabi moves to end its dependence on oil revenues.

Endowed with $110bn in assets, ADQ aims to develop an integrated health-care and pharma value chain through strategic investments and new ventures both locally and internationally.

ADQ already invests in Egypt through regional supermarket chains. Abu Dhabi also in 2019 signed a deal with Cairo to set up a $20bn investment platform to invest in a range of sectors.
Oromiya /Ethiopia  Gunmen killed 30 people in an attack on a village in the west of the Ethiopian region of Oromiya late on Tuesday, witnesses said.

The Oromiya region's communications office said in a statement that an unknown number of civilians were killed in what it called a "terror attack."

"The regional state is saddened by this horrific and gruesome attack," it said.

Clashes between ethnic groups have become a major challenge to the government in the country, which took its present form from territorial expansions of the 19th century.
New Delhi, April 1 : Nuclear escalation between India and China was not only unlikely but also unthinkable, a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report on 'South Asia's Nuclear Challenges', released on Thursday, said.

"Among Chinese and Indian experts, there was a prevailing view that they shared the same stance on no first use, and that nuclear escalation between the two countries was not only unlikely but also unthinkable," the Swedish think tank's report said.

Some experts, the SIPRI report said, cited nuances in India's approach towards no first use and an evolving discussion in the country on its future, while others pointed to some of the past debate in China on no first use. They, however, largely disregarded these caveats when it came to escalation.

In most cases, there was a steadfast view that both countries were on the same page when it came to nuclear posture, with no first use as just one example.

"While stabilising in the context of recent tensions at the China-India border, the assumption that both parties are operating from the same starting point merits greater attention - in relation not just to no first use but also a range of nuclear postures from de-mating to targeting," the report stated.

Assumptions of "postural parity" may bring stability in the short term, when altercations are largely limited to skirmishes at the border, but in the longer term -- as both China and India extend the ranges of their systems and deployments -- such assumptions may lead to misunderstandings and mis-signalling.

Further, the continued dominance in Indian analyses of the concept of a "two-front" threat from China and Pakistan means that greater consideration of how deterrence operates among these three countries is needed, even if it requires more countries at the table, it said.

Among Chinese and US experts, there was a strong tendency for experts from each to see the other country as playing a larger and more destabilising role in South Asia.

While much of the commentary from Chinese experts centred on India-Pakistan dynamics, when it came to external influences, the USA's role was paramount.

While citing past US weapon sales to the region and the 2005 India-US nuclear deal for their role in strengthening India and freeing up its nuclear material for military aims, Chinese experts also focused on forward-looking initiatives such as the US Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which have a focus on China as well as India.

Among US experts, China's outreach to Pakistan in terms of conventional and nuclear assistance, military training, and more recently, the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) demonstrate China's far-reaching aspirations in the region, the report said.

While Chinese experts characterised China's role as stabilising, US experts were more cautious in evaluating its long-term implications.

Nonetheless, they cited tensions generated by China's arms sales to South Asia and economic engagement under the BRI, combined with the most recent incidents along the China-India border, as presenting an opportunity for greater US collaboration with India.

"For this very reason, however, some US experts expressed concern that the region could break into two camps, with the USA and India on one side and China and Pakistan on the other," the report stated.

This conflicting view of regional dynamics and their own countries' roles indicates the importance of greater China-US engagement on South Asia.

Among Indian and US experts, there was a shared concern that Chinese entanglement of conventional and nuclear platforms and command and control could filter into Pakistan's posture and planning.

Despite this commonality, interviews revealed limited avenues for nuclear discussion. In particular, US experts cited the difficulty of engaging Indian interlocutors on nuclear issues, particularly at the official level.

Further, Indian experts expressed scepticism about the US approach to South Asian dynamics, which is built on US scenario-building and tabletop exercises.

A number stated that they did not recognise South Asia within these US assessments, suggesting that there was "an inherent artificiality" in the US approach. There was a tendency to view US assessments as projections that did not reflect India's reality, as with US discussions of India's potential shift towards counterforce doctrine.

Nevertheless, a number of Indian experts emphasised a growing willingness within India to move beyond its historical reticence driven by non-alignment and to cultivate more active involvement in such initiatives as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and the US Indo-Pacific Strategy and even to propose such concepts as an AI Quad or Digital Quad.

While they noted that this shift in India has been largely shaped by recent events on the India-China border, this willingness to engage suggests that a window may be open in the near term for more high-level India-USA interactions on nuclear issues.
A former government soldier told the Finnish war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi, the former Revolutionary United Front commander, harrowing stories Wednesday of Massaquoi massacring women and children in Lofa County and roasting them.

"Gibril Massaquoi killed women and children and opened up the bodies and roasted them just like roasted meat," said the soldier codenamed "Soldier 1" by the court to conceal his identity.

"Soldier 1" told the court his brother, a child, was among the victims. "He also killed my brother in Popolahun, when I was on the front line in Bellehfasama and someone told me but when I got there Massaquoi had already left the area."

The former soldier said Massaquoi's brutality was well known. He said his commander, also a witness in the trial and so the court has ordered his identity be concealed, had sent him to order Massaquoi to stop killing as the massacre at Waterside in Monrovia became known. Many previous witnesses have detailed what they said was Massaquoi's murder and rape of civilians at Waterside.

"My commander sent me to Waterside to put a stop to Gibril Massaquoi, but he refused to listen to me, because I was lower in rank. When I told him what my boss had said, he took a gun from one of his soldiers and started shooting and killing the soldiers and civilians," he said. "I saw Massaquoi himself killing 12 soldiers and many civilians. Just because Massaquoi had the power, so whenever he saw group of people standing, he would start shooting and killing them."

He told the four-judge panel that after 2001 he never saw Massaquoi again even though he was looking for him to kill him in revenge for killing his brother.

Another witness, codenamed "Soldier 07", was also an officer of the Special Security Service, (SSS) under President Charles Taylor invited by both prosecution and defense teams. He also spoke about the Waterside killings and said Gibril Massaquoi controlled the Waterside area in 2001. He said Massaquoi killed soldiers and civilians in the store in Waterside. The witness said Massaquoi also killed his bodyguard, a man known as "Bulldog". After that the two nearly exchanged gunfire.

"When I went to collect Bulldog's body, I saw Massaquoi executing some soldiers and civilians," he said. "I started appealing with him to allow the civilians to go and kill the soldiers but he refused and said it was the civilians who had caused the soldiers to loot. While we were arguing, he took his gun and started shooting soldiers and civilians. I was so angry that we almost got into a battle, but Yeaten (his commander known by his call sign "50") told me to forget about it, so we took my bodyguard's body and left."

"Soldier 1" had echoed many previous witnesses in telling the four-judge panel that Massaquoi ordered the bodies of those killed in Waterside to be thrown into the river. But "Soldier 7" said he and others buried those who were killed in the massacre at the store at Waterside.

"Soldier 7" was the latest to contradict his own testimony in an earlier interview with police investigators, a fact that Massaquoi's defense has made much of.

"Soldier 7" told the police that one of his men, who had gone ahead of him, called him to come quick because some execution was about to take place by Massaquoi. He said that when he arrived he asked Massaquoi why he was killing the people. In response, Massaquoi killed three civilians and five soldiers in front of him, seemingly to show "Soldier 7" that he did not care what he said.

Dates have been a key issue for the defense as it tries to show that the witness's testimony is unreliable. Witnesses have given various dates between 2001 and 2003. The prosecution must prove Massaquoi's guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt." The defense hopes that the disputes over dates will undermine the judge's confidence in the witness's memories of the events.

Aaron Weah, a former officer with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission currently undertaking a PHD in the United Kingdom, has been sitting in on the trial. He stressed that it was should not have been possible for Massaquoi to have been in Liberia in 2002 and 2003 because he was in witness protection in Sierra Leone as part of the proceedings for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, where he was a key informant.

"There are two accounts, some combatants who are witnesses are saying after 2001, Massaquoi disappeared but yet some are saying Massaquoi was present in 2003," said Weah. "So to account for his physical presence in Liberia at the time he was actively monitored under witness protection in Sierra Leone is conflicting."

Weah is expecting the court to explore the arrangements of Massaquoi' role in Sierra Leone when the court moves there in late April, to see whether he was monitored and whether it was possible he could have come in and out of Liberia.

"So this trial has to cross check in Sierra Leone about Massaquoi's whereabouts during 2002 and 2003, when he was said to have been in witness protection, to see if there was a weak witness protection program that allowed Massaquoi to keep crossing into Liberia," Weah said. "If we are looking at a weak witness protection, then that may have been possible, but unless that can be established, it cannot be proven if Massaquoi was here in 2003 or not."

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A third witness codenamed "Soldier 04", called by the prosecution, said he was with the government forces. He also spoke about the Waterside killings.

"I met 'Angel Gabriel' on the frontline and used to see him in Waterside where he was controlling," "Soldier 4" said. "I can remember one day while we were going on another mission it was around "99 Stairs" (an area) in Waterside. We saw some people on their knees, who looked like civilians and when we stopped the car and asked what was going on, the men assigned to Massaquoi said "Angel Gabriel" had ordered them to kill the people, because they were enemies. We were going on another mission so I do not know if the people were killed but I believe they were killed because the soldiers could not disobey "Angel Gabriel". He said after his assignment was changed and he went back to Lofa, he never saw Massaquoi again.

This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project.
Conceiving the Covid terrorist operation does not date back to 2020. The globalist elites were already seeking in the previous decades a catalyzing event to drag the world towards global dictatorship.

(Natural News) David Rockefeller himself revealed in a UN dinner in 1994 that everything was ready to usher in the New World Order.

All that was needed was a right and major crisis which would have forced the nations to surrender their sovereignty to the one-world government desired by the globalist cabal.

Basically, the principle of globalism has always been the same. The artificial crisis would play a major role in destabilizing the political scenario and in allowing the world government plan to advance forward.

There were several options available to trigger a major crisis, but the cabal chose the pandemic solution, and their intentions were not hidden in some secret document.

Everything was published in 2010, and it was once again the Rockefeller family that announced these globalist plans in one of their official documents called Operation Lockstep. By choosing the term lockstep, the Rockefellers were perfectly describing the global authoritarian society that will rise after the artificial health emergency.

It is certainly interesting to point out how the Rockefeller family played a major role in conceiving this catalyzing event. According to several scholars and authors, after the Rothschilds (who are the most influential banking family in the world), the Rockefellers are the most powerful family in the globalist hierarchy.

The Rothschilds have been exercising their influence mainly over Europe, while the Rockefellers have had control of the United States.

However, in the document previously mentioned, all what is happening now with COVID is perfectly described: An unknown animal virus suddenly mutates and infects men. To cope with this new threat, the world governments decide to establish an authoritarian rule over society.

Movements are restricted and mask mandates are enforced exactly in the same way that occurred after the Covid crisis.

Later, the world economy completely collapses because all economic activity is halted due to the continuous lockdowns enforced by the governments.

Once the world plunges into chaos, nation state sovereignty gradually disappears and is replaced by major supranational structures.

Then, the world is divided in several blocks and each one of these blocks is ruled by these supranational entities, which are in the hands of the industrial and banking powers.

These entities will then be the main foundation of the future world government.

Therefore, the strategy of Freemasonry and globalism is always the same. Ordo ab chaos. The planned chaos would serve in this matter to create an outcome or a solution, which was already set up by the same architects of the destabilization.

At this point, it is important to carefully consider the timeline. Once the Rockefellers reveal in 2010 that the pandemic will drag mankind towards the NWO, five years later, in 2015, the Moderna labs are already at work developing the mRNA vaccines that will be distributed in 2021, during the Covid crisis.

According to several scientists and physicians, these vaccines can change human DNA. To better understand what kind of harm these drugs can do to the world population, it is certainly helpful to quote the French scientist, Alexandra Henrion-Claude, who described the decision to give these vaccines to healthy people complete madness.

Once the mRNA vaccine is inside the human body, the potential molecular interactions are virtually unknown and the immune system could be completely upset by the technology of this vaccine.

Moreover, according to Dr. Michael Yeadon, a former Pfizer scientific director, the mRNA vaccines can also sterilize the people who receive them.

In other words, the vaccines would be the perfect way to reach another fundamental goal of globalism, which is the reduction of world population.

All this without considering the people who are already dying from the adverse reactions of the drugs.

The American doctor, Sherri Tenpenny, has recently revealed how millions of people could die because of the side effects of these vaccines.

The paradox in this story is that the alleged cure recommended by the system would be the real disease.

The virus is the vaccine itself.

Therefore, the preparation of this crisis was already in progress during the previous years and the pandemic would have been triggered in any case in the present time.

The unexpected event not foreseen by globalism: Donald Trumps election

The unforeseen event that upset the globalist plans was the election of Donald Trump in 2016.

The Covid terrorist operation would have been triggered in any case, but the elites wanted a Clinton administration that would have led the world towards the NWO without obstacles.

If this happened, Russia would have been completely isolated and the Great Reset announced by the Davos Forum would have already been a reality now.

The possibility of Trumps election was not considered at all because the system couldnt afford to lose control of the US, which is a chess piece too important in this game.

One of the most influential freemasons in history, Manly P. Hall, clearly explained why America is so important.

In his 1944 book, named The secret destiny of America, Manly P. Hall reveals how Americas mission was to lead the world towards the NWO.

The economic and military superpower of this nation had been used for decades to hit and overthrow all the world governments that defied the deep state and tried to defend their own national independence and sovereignty.

Read more at: TheLibertyBeacon.com
Pan-African group Smile Telecoms Holdings has agreed a debt restructuring plan with its lenders.

The approved plan will see Smile receive a fresh injection of US$51m funding from its majority shareholder, Saudi Arabias Al Nahla Group. Additionally, the operators deadline for the repayment of its debts has been pushed back to end-March 2022.

Last week, we reported that South Africas Public Investment Corporation (PIC) was brokering a deal with Smiles creditors in a bid to avoid its liquidation. The new agreement will allow the operating group to bolster its position in its markets, which include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
Travellers are required to pre-book accommodation in a designated quarantine facility(Brian Lawless/PA Wire)

Ireland has added 26 more countries and territories deemed high risk to its mandatory hotel quarantine list.

As of 4am on Tuesday, anyone arriving in Ireland from the new list must quarantine for 12 nights at a designated hotel.

Israel, Albania, Palestine, Bahrain, Nigeria, the Philippines, Monaco, Oman and Qatar are among the new additions.

But no further European member state has been included. The US has not been included either.

Plans to include the US, France, Italy and Germany have been abandoned for now amid division among ministers.

Expand Close A bus transports passengers from the airport to a hotel for a mandatory 12-day quarantine (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp A bus transports passengers from the airport to a hotel for a mandatory 12-day quarantine (Brian Lawless/PA)

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the Government was adding to the list after holding talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney.

The Governments quarantining rules came into effect last Friday with 33 countries originally on the list.

The Republic of Mauritius has now been removed from the list.

Travellers are required to pre-book accommodation in a designated quarantine facility and to pre-pay for their stay.

The cost per adult traveller for a 12-night stay inclusive of all services is 1,875 euro.

The stay at the hotel could be reduced if a person receives a negative test for the virus taken on day 10 of quarantine.

The Tifco Hotel Group is the service provider for hotel quarantining in Ireland.
3i Infotech has completed the slump sale of the global software products business of the Company (including its worldwide subsidiaries other than the sale of such business of its subsidiaries in Saudi Arabia and Thailand, the completion of which is to occur separately subject to regulatory approvals) on a going concern basis to Azentio Software (and its affiliates) (Buyer), pursuant to inter alia the business transfer agreement dated 28 December 2020 executed between the Company and the Buyer.

The company plans to utilize the sale proceeds for the following purposes:

(i) repayment of outstanding facilities of lenders of the Company (including lenders forming part of the corporate debt restructuring mechanism) and certain of its subsidiaries on such terms and conditions as may be agreed;

(ii) redemption of outstanding foreign currency convertible bonds subject to receipt of necessary regulatory approvals; and

(iii) redemption of outstanding preference shares on such terms as may be agreed between the preference shareholders and the Company and as per applicable law.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With no masks, no quarantine and almost no Covid, it is easy to see why the remote Kenyan island of Lamu has become a popular pandemic escape.

Led by Lady Lola Bute, the socialite daughter of the late Marquess of Bute, glamorous jet-setters from around the word have descended on the tranquil isle recently, noted Nimrod Kamer in Air Mail.

Among the recent arrivals is Old Etonian actor Dominic West, who headed to Lamu in January for a five-week stint after being snapped canoodling last autumn in Rome with Lily James. It is believed he was accompanied by his wife Catherine FitzGerald and their children.

Meanwhile makeup guru Charlotte Tilbury was running her beauty empire from a rented house on the island as recently as last month.

Led by Lady Lola Bute, the socialite daughter of the late Marquess of Bute, pictured, glamorous jet-setters from around the word have descended on the tranquil island of Lamu, Kenya

DJ Carly Foxx has also shared photos from Lamu with her Instagram followers. The island has no masks, no quarantine and has had very few cases of Covid, making it an attractive escape

Nairobi-based influencer Hali Oduor shared this stunning snap of breakfast in a pool on Lamu. Visitors can choose to stay at one of the island's hotels or rent out a private residence

Two of the sons of Jemima Goldsmith and Imran Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, have also been spotted on the island in recent weeks.

Kenya has long been a refuge for the rich and famous ever since the days of the uninhibited 'Happy Valley' 1930s set, headed by the Earl of Erroll.

Most of the British visitors and influencers set up camp in Shela, a small settlement on the south-east side of the island which was favoured by the late 'Bunny' Allen, a big-game hunter who helped the Duchess of Gloucester catch cheetahs and enjoyed affairs with Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner.

Visitors must first fly to Nairobi, then take a short flight to Lamu and complete their journey to Shela by boat, landing on a beach.

Among the most popular hotels is high-society favourite Peponi - 'Paradise' in Swahili - which is where Lady Lola stayed. Pictured a photo of one of Peponi's sea-fronted rooms

Visitors to the popular tourist outpost of Shela must first fly to Nairobi, then take a short flight to Lamu and complete their journey to Shela by boat, landing on a beach

Life passes slowly there and there is little in the way of tourist facilities. Donkeys are still the preferred mode of transport.

Among the most popular hotels is high-society favourite Peponi - 'Paradise' in Swahili - which is where Lady Lola stayed.

Originally a private residence owned by a Nestle heir, it was bought and renovated by Danish family the Korschens in the 1960s. Word soon spread and by the 1980s it was attracting the likes of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall.

Princess Caroline of Hanover and her husband Prince Ernst of Hanover, who was last week handed a suspended jail sentence, were among the first big names to snap up property on Lamu. They built the imposing Beach House and renovated three other villas in Shela.

The super-rich, celebrities and aristocrats have been coming ever since. Sting, Jude Law and Sienna Miller have all holidayed there.

Lady Lola Bute shared this snap from her time in Lamu, she has since returned to the UK

Lamu also holds a special place in the heart of Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Edo's family own a coastal estate, which was built from scratch by his mother, Nikki Shale, and his late stepfather, Christopher Shale, a close associate of David Cameron.

The couple enjoyed one of their first holidays together there and reportedly were planning to holiday on Lamu before their plans were cancelled due to the pandemic.

Lamu has received renewed attention in recent months thanks to the escape it offers from a world fed-up with lockdowns.

Lamu Town is the hub of the island, but British visitors prefer the quiet output of Shela

The beachfront at the Peponi Hotel, which is a favourite with well-heeled visitors to Lamu

'We have seen a lot more celebrities recently. They are escaping Covid and lockdown.

'In Lamu we see princesses and all manner of people,' Alejandra Wolf, manager of Majlis Lamu, which offers rooms at up to 1,300-a-night, told The Times.

The island has had very few cases and has taken a relatively relaxed approach to the virus.

Masks are not required indoors or outdoors and there is no quarantine on arrival. Visitors simply need to show proof of a negative test and adhere to the 10pm-4am curfew.
DUBLIN, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The US Pet Insurance Market: Size & Forecasts with Impact Analysis of COVID-19 (2021-2025 Edition)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

"The US Pet Insurance Market: Size & Forecasts with Impact Analysis of Covid-19 (2021-2025 Edition)", provides an analysis of the US pet insurance market, with a detailed analysis of the market in terms of value, volume and the average annual premium.

There are many types of pet insurance policies from which people can select the best and appropriate policy which meet their requirements. These are deductible, co-pay, premium, pre-existing conditions, maximum payouts and waiting period. In maximum payout, there are five sub-types for special cases like maximum payout per incident, maximum annual payout, maximum lifetime payout, maximum payout per body system, and maximum payout based on a predetermined benefit schedule.

In premium pet policies, there are many factors which impact the premium insurance. Such as breed of the pet, species from which pets belong, age of the pet, and location where the services is to be provided. Keeping these factors apart, pet insurance is very beneficial for pet owners as they are able to save more money, they can save their pets without hesitation, increases the accessibility to different treatment options, saves on additional treatment costs, etc.

The US pet insurance market is supported by various growth drivers, such as increasing love for dogs and cats, growing interest of millennials for pets, etc. yet, the market faces certain challenges, such as, barrier to entry, risks for a pet insurance company, etc. few new market trends are also provided such as, expanding distribution channels options, association with competing payment options, etc.

Moreover, the report also assesses the key opportunities in the market and outlines the factors that are and will be driving the growth of the industry. Growth of the overall US pet insurance market has also been forecasted for the years 2021-2025, taking into consideration the previous growth patterns, the growth drivers and the current and future trends.

Trupanion Inc., FigoPet Insurance, ASPCA Pet Insurance and Pet Plan Insurance are some of the key players operating in the US pet insurance market, whose company profiling has been done in the report. In this segment of the report, business overview, financial overview and business strategies of the companies are provided.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

2.1 Pet Insurance: An Overview

2.1.1 Pet Insurance: Meaning

2.1.2 Types of Pet Insurance

2.1.3 Factors Affecting Premium Pet Insurance

2.1.4 Benefits of Pet Insurance

3. The US Market Analysis

3.1 The US Pet Expenditure: An Analysis

3.1.1 The US Pet Expenditure by Value

3.1.2 The US Pet Expenditure by Category (Pet food and treats, vet care and product sales, supplies, live animals and OTC medicine, other services)

3.1.3 The US Pet Expenditure by Basic Annual Expenses For Dogs And Cats

3.2 The US Pet Insurance Market: An Analysis

3.2.1 The US Pet Insurance Market by Value

3.2.2 The US Pet Insurance Market by Volume

3.2.3 The US Pet Insurance Market by Cities

3.2.4 The US Pet Insurance Market by Average Annual Premium

3.2.5 The US Pet Insurance Market by Top Encouraging Reasons

4. Impact of Covid-19

4.1 Impact on the US Pet Insurance Market

4.1.1 Impact on Pet Care Market

4.1.2 Impact on Pet Insurance Market

5. Market Dynamics

5.1 Growth Drivrs

5.1.1 Increasing Love for Dogs and Cats

5.1.2 Growing Interest of Millennials for Pets

5.1.3 Rapid Growth in Consumer Acceptance of Pet Insurance

5.1.4 Growing Disposable Income of a Household

5.1.5 Increasing Transparency Regarding Coverage

5.1.6 Growing Industry

5.2 Challenges

5.2.1 Barrier to Entry

5.2.2 Risks for a Pet Insurance Company

5.2.3 High Competition

5.3 Market Trends

5.3.1 Expanding Distribution Channels Options

5.3.2 Association With Competing Payment Options

5.3.3 Technological and Efficiency Improvements

5.3.4 Expansion of Exotic Pet Insurance

6. Competitive Landscape

6.1 The US Pet Insurance Market: Player Analysis

6.1.1 The US Pet Insurance Market Player by Share

6.2 The US Pet Insurance Market Player: Price Comparison

7. Company Profiling

7.1 Trupanion Inc.

7.1.1 Business Overview

7.1.2 Financial Overview

7.1.3 Business Strategy

7.2 FigoPet Insurance

7.3 ASPCA Pet Insurance

7.4 Pet Plan Insurance



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rzn4nk

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Wednesday expressed strong opposition to the comments contained in the so called "U.S. Department of State's 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" relating to the HKSAR.

A spokesman for the HKSAR government reiterated that foreign governments should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of the HKSAR.

The spokesman said, "Human rights are fully protected by law in Hong Kong. The HKSAR Basic Law, which serves as the constitutional document of the HKSAR, provides a constitutional guarantee for fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to equality before the law, and is buttressed by the rule of law and an independent judiciary."

Safeguarding human rights and freedoms is a constitutional duty of the HKSAR government. The HKSAR government attaches the utmost importance to and is firmly committed to upholding human rights and various freedoms in Hong Kong, the spokesman said.

The spokesman said the report calls into question China's willingness to uphold the "one country, two systems" principle, which is an accusation utterly groundless. The HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China (PRC), a local administrative region that enjoys a high degree of autonomy under "one country, two systems" and comes directly under the Central People's Government (CPG).

To uphold and implement the principle of "one country, two systems" meets the interests of the Hong Kong people, responds to the needs of maintaining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and serves the fundamental interests of the nation. The CPG has time and again made it clear that it will unswervingly implement the policy of "one country, two systems", the spokesman said.

"We strongly object to the comments in the report smearing the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR. National security is a matter within the purview of the central authorities. It is the legitimate right and duty of every country to safeguard its national security. Whether it is in a unitary or federal system, legislation on national security is invariably carried out by the central authorities rather than a local government.

"Enacting laws on national security with extraterritorial effect is also squarely in line with international practice. Smearing the national security law in Hong Kong out of political motivation is clear hypocrisy in adopting double standards," the spokesman said.
New Delhi, April 1 : The Ola cab, which the four Campus Front of India (CFI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) members used for visiting Uttar Pradesh's Hathras gangrape victim family was not "hired" but was bought just 10 days before by Mohammad Alam, brother-in-law of Mohammad Danish, who has been named as an accused in the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

The revelations have been made in the first charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the PFI case against CFI National General Secretary KA Rauf Sherif and several others in February this year.

The ED in its charge sheet claimed that Sherif in his statement to the financial probe agency stated that the CFI was involved in student strengthening programmes, career development programs and engaged in public programs related to student matters.

It said that hence, "it is clear that the purported visit of the CFI delegation including Atikur Rahman, Masud Ahmed, Sidhiquie Kappan and Mohammad Alam was not related to student matter and was with an ulterior motive to foment trouble and instigate violence".

The ED charge sheet, which has been viewed by IANS, claimed that Rahman in his statement stated that he received money from Sherif in his bank account on the night of October 4 last year. A day later, he hired a taxi to visit Hathras with Kappan and Ahmed, as delegation of the CFI.

In his statement, Ahmed said that Sherif and Rahman asked him to visit Hathras to meet the victim's family. Ahmed met Rahman at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi and from there Rahman booked the Ola cab for Hathras. They payment for the cab was done by Rahman as Ahmed didn't had money.

The ED said, similarly, Kappan admitted that he went to Kalindi Kunj, where Ahmed and Rahman were waiting, to travel to Hathras. Kappan said in his statement that all the three persons were to share the cab fare.

Highlighting the role of Alam, who drove the car, the ED said, his taxi was booked through Ola app for Hathras and to avoid the commission to the cab aggregator, he cancelled the online booking and took the booking at a fix amount.

The ED said, "Alam also stated that the car was bought by Maqsood, a relative of his brother-in-law Danish, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad for Rs 2.225 lakh and it was to be paid by him in installments of Rs 17,000." The ED said that Danish was interrogated by the Delhi Police Special Cell and during his questioning disclosed that he was a member of the PFI since 2018 and was involved in the conspiracy of the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

The ED said, "Call data records of the mobile phone numbers of Rahman and Alam revealed that they were in constant touch of Danish." It said, "Investigation revealed that the car used by them to travel to Hathras was bought just 10 days prior to their scheduled visit to Hathras. Alam in his statement said that the payment for buying the car was made in cash and the agreement for sale was made in his name." The ED said that the statements of the four accused "establish" the fact that they "intentionally gave false statements about booking the cab through Ola and lied that they did not know taxi driver Alam".

"This cash appears to be part of the unaccounted money and proceeds of crime which was either transferred by Sherif and his associates to Rahman and Ahmed or the amount collected by Ahmed and others in the name of and for the purpose of opposing the government, fomenting trouble, inciting communal feelings and inciting violence.

The ED alleged that to ensure that no outside person or evidence was involved in the commission of offence, the accused persons, in a pre-planned manner, bought the car for the specific purpose and also ensured that it was driven by a relative of the PFI member or activist.

The Uttar Pradesh Police had arrested the four people from near Mathura on October 5 last year.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Tunisia: illegal waste from Italy, demonstrations in Tunis

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, APRIL 1 - A group of civil society activists demonstrated on Thursday in front of the Italian Embassy in Tunis to call for the return to Italy of 282 shipping containers of domestic waste, currently under seizure at the port of Sousse, which was illegally imported from Italy by a Tunisian company.



The protesters filled rubbish bags with flowers and placed them in vases in front of the embassy.



The case goes back to the summer of 2020 when customs discovered the domestic waste, the exportation of which is prohibited by Tunisian law and international conventions, but which was presented administratively by the importing company as "non-hazardous" plastic waste.



First an administrative investigation was opened in Tunisia, and then a criminal investigation, which saw 26 people probed for corruption, including customs workers and former Tunisian environmental minister Mustapha Aroui, who was arrested.



Eight people are still in pre-trial custody in jail, while the manager of the importing company is a fugitive.



March 24 was the deadline established by international conventions and Italian authorities for sending the shipping containers back to the exporting company, according to Jabeur Ghnimi, spokesperson for the court of first instance of Sousse, which is responsible for the case.



However, the deadline was not respected and the shipping containers are still in the port.(ANSAmed).




The hydrozoan Turritopsis dohrnii, an animal about 4.5 millimetres wide and tall (likely making it smaller than the nail on your little finger), can actually reverse its life cycle. It has been dubbed the immortal jellyfish.

When the medusa of this species is physically damaged or experiences stresses such as starvation, instead of dying it shrinks in on itself, reabsorbing its tentacles and losing the ability to swim. It then settles on the seafloor as a blob-like cyst.

Over the next 24-36 hours, this blob develops into a new polyp - the jellyfish's previous life stage - and after maturing, medusae bud off. This phenomenon has been likened to that of a butterfly which, instead of dying, would be able to transform back into a caterpillar and then metamorphose into an adult butterfly once again.

The process behind the jellyfish's remarkable transformation is called transdifferentiation and is extremely rare.

Medusa cells and polyp cells are different - some cells and organs only occur in the polyp, others only in the adult jellyfish. Transdifferentiation reprogrammes the medusa's specialised cells to become specialised polyp cells, allowing the jellyfish to regrow themselves in an entirely different body plan to the free-swimming jellyfish they had recently been. They can then mature again from there as normal, producing new, genetically identical medusae.

This life cycle reversal can be repeated, and in perfect conditions, it may be that these jellyfish would never die of old age.

'We might be distracted watching much larger jellyfish, but the tiny things such as this can inform so much of our science about these animals,' says Miranda.
ABC Radio host and Noongar Banjima Yamatji man from WA, Craig Quartermaine, is guest host tonight on Back Roads.

He is in Cooktown, Queensland, where Captain Cooks Endeavour stopped after it hit the Great Barrier Reef and needed repairs.

Craig Quartermaine arrives in Cooktown to find out what the locals make of Captain Cook and how the community is making sense of its past. Firstly, he meets an Indigenous family whose ancestors came face to face with Cook. Fred Deerals great-great grandfather handed Captain Cook a broken tipped spear, which Cook interpreted as an act of friendship. The gesture is widely accepted as the first act of reconciliation ever recorded in Australia.

Craig meets Loretta Sullivan and Alberta Hornsby, who have formed an unlikely partnership and are re-writing history. Loretta and Alberta have been studying the journals of Endeavour crewmen and are making sure the Indigenous perspective is not forgotten.

Craig also visits Normanby station, a cattle property owned and run by Indigenous brothers Vince and Cliff Harrigan. The brothers have been running the station since their grandfather died, but still find time for their other passion, music. The Harrigan brothers are members of the Black Image Band and perform all over Cape York Peninsula.

Craig also meets a kite-surfing couple Ant Hadleigh and Paully Smith who lease the land where they run their business at Elim Beach, from the traditional owners. Ant and local elder Eddie Deemal have been firm friends for more than 30 years.

This episode is about connections, friendships and forgiveness.

Production credits: Executive Producer: Brigid Donovan. Story Producer, Kerri Ritchie.

8pm tonight on ABC.

Related
SLAS Technology April issue dives into reactive oxygen species

Oak Brook, IL - The April edition of SLAS Technology features the cover article "Therapeutic Potential of Reactive Oxygen Species: State of the Art and Recent Advances" by Valeria Graceffa, Ph.D. (Institute of Technology Sligo, Sligo, Ireland).

The cover article explores the therapeutic potential of reactive oxygen species (ROS) including applications ranging from wound healing and hair growth enhancement, to cancer treatment, stem cell differentiation and tissue engineering. At low concentrations, ROS can be utilized as inexpensive and convenient inducers of tissue regeneration, triggering stem cell differentiation and enhancing collagen synthesis. Recent cancer studies have represented ROS as the 'Achilles Heels' of cancers given their high basal levels, leaving tumoral cells unable to sufficiently handle the additional source of oxidative stress. Because of this, higher doses of ROS are used for targeted killing of tumor cells. Lack of understanding of the technicalities between anabolic and cytotoxic effects means limited ROS clinical translation opportunities. While there is ample potential for the use of ROS, new strategies to control temporal pattern of ROS release have yet to be developed.

The April issue of SLAS Technology includes six articles of original research including:

Highly Versatile Cloud-Based Automation Solution for the Remote Design and Execution of Experiment Protocols during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Metabolomic Signatures in Pediatric Crohn's Disease Patients with Mild or Quiescent Disease Treated with Partial Enteral Nutrition: A Feasibility Study

Acoustic Ejection/Full-Scan Mass Spectrometry Analysis for High-Throughput Compound Plate Quality Control

An Emerging Fluorescence-Based Technique for Quantification and Protein Profiling of Extracellular Vesicles

Development of an Enhanced Throughput Radial Cell Migration Device

A Variable Scheduling Maintenance Culture Platform for Mammalian Cells

Other articles include:

Application of Artificial Intelligence to Address Issues Related to the COVID-19 Virus

Therapeutic Potential of Reactive Oxygen Species: State of the Art and Recent Advances

Recent Developments in Bacterial Chemotaxis Analysis Based on the Microfluidic System

Development of a Gold Nanoparticle-Based Colorimetric Sensor for Water for Injection At-Line Impurity Testing

Integrating Mobile Robots into Automated Laboratory Processes: A Suitable Workflow Management System

###

Access to April's SLAS Technology issue is available at https:/ / journals. sagepub. com/ toc/ jlad/ 26/ 2 . For more information about SLAS and its journals, visit http://www. slas. org/ journals .

SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building.

SLAS Discovery: Advancing the Science of Drug Discovery, 2019 Impact Factor 2.195. Editor-in-Chief Robert M. Campbell, Ph.D., Twentyeight-Seven Therapeutics, Boston, MA (USA).

SLAS Technology: Translating Life Sciences Innovation, 2019 Impact Factor 2.174. Editor-in-Chief Edward Kai-Hua Chow, Ph.D., National University of Singapore (Singapore).

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Three Portland city commissioners have told Mayor Ted Wheeler they oppose his current plan to seek $2 million to bring back a uniformed police team tasked with stemming a surge in shootings, according to multiple City Hall sources.

Commissioners Carmen Rubio, Dan Ryan and Mingus Mapps  moderates by Portland City Council standards  outlined their concerns to the mayor late last week in a memo that proposed the immediate one-time funding instead go to bolster community-based groups focused on gun violence prevention, said four people familiar with the document.

The trios emerging position echoes one held by Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, a longtime police critic who publicly panned Wheelers proposal earlier this month.

The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday requested that the mayors office provide a copy of the memo, which is a public record, but it had not received a response by Wednesday evening.

After multiple inquiries to commissioners and staffers for more information, the City Council issued a joint statement through Rubios office that said all five of the citys elected leaders were working together to come up with a measure more expansive than just cops on the street.

The harm we are witnessing daily in our community to immediate victims, their families and surrounding neighbors requires actions that must complement and extend beyond the responsibilities of the Portland Police Bureau, the statement said.

We need direct interventions with the individuals and families affected by gun violence, the mayor and commissioners wrote. And for that element of addressing the citys gun violence epidemic, they said, Those best positioned to do this work are trusted community organizations.

The councils ongoing deliberations come amid urgent calls to tackle shootings that have plagued Portland for months and have led to a level of killings not seen in decades.

They also reflect a sharp disagreement among commissioners and their constituents about the size and scope of the role Portland police should play in combatting a seemingly relentless wave of gun violence.

That wave continued Wednesday.

A man shopping at a 7-Eleven in the 1900 block of North Lombard Street was fatally shot outside the convenience store about 4:30 a.m., according to police and video obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

A half-hour earlier, the suspect in a separate shooting died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a standoff with officers near Southeast 122nd Avenue and Mill Street, police said. The victim in that shooting suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

There have been at least 266 shootings this year, including 81 that resulted in injuries, Lt. Greg Pashley, a Portland police spokesman said Wednesday. Firearms have caused 18 of the citys 25 homicides since Jan. 1.

Statistically, the city is on track to experience 100 homicides if the pace does not slow in the remainder of the year. The city recorded 55 in 2020, the highest number in 26 years. Forty-one were fatal shootings.

Wheelers proposal, announced earlier this month, calls for $2 million in one-time funding to allow more proactive policing on city streets with greater civilian oversight and data collected and publicly shared on police stops and arrests.

The plan would bring back a uniformed team of two sergeants and 12 officers to try to intercept and seize guns and work to prevent shootings and retaliatory violence in the city. The team also would respond to shootings, do follow-up investigations and engage with people who are at risk of gun violence.

Wheelers plan was crafted with the help of the Interfaith Peace-Action Collaborative, which is made up of clergy, social workers, police and Black community members who have longstanding ties to the mayor and law enforcement.

However, the proposal quickly drew fire from Hardesty, who criticized the mayor and the collaborative for unveiling it before informing her and other city commissioners of its existence.

The commissioner also said she wanted money for gun violence prevention to go into boosting community-based programs, such street outreach workers or Healing Hurt People, which sends support workers to help shooting victims and their families in hospitals.

Hardesty was the main proponent of the successful push last year to eliminate the Police Bureaus Gun Violence Reduction Team, citing concerns about its disproportionate stops of people of color.

The concerns were amplified Tuesday night during a townhall-style forum she and the mayor held so any member of the public could hear from young-to-middle-age Black men, who Hardesty said are among those in Portland most impacted by enhanced policing.

Hardesty hosted the virtual meeting on Zoom and broadcast it publicly on her personal Facebook page. Her office, the police bureaus equity officer and others reached out to Black males aged 14 to 44 to invite them to be included on the Zoom session.

Nearly a dozen Black men described in detail their first encounters with police, many of them terrifying or traumatic. A poll taken among 40 of the forums participants showed that only three believed the city should increase funding for police to reduce gun violence.

Its important that youre in the room, Hardesty said. As Ive looked at the people here tonight, 95% of you have never been inside City Hall and have never sat at these tables telling us what you need. And I hope tonight is the beginning of us continuing this dialogue.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Hyderabad, April 1 : A fake Telangana government order about partial lockdown in the state went viral on social media on Thursday, leading to rumours and confusion among people.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar subsequently issued a statement Thursday night denying that any such GO was issued.

"It has come to the notice of government that an unsigned document claiming to be a GO issued on 1st April 2021 providing for closure of shops and commercial establishments etc. is circulating on social media. It is hereby clarified that the above said document is fake. No such order has been issued by Government of Telangana," he said.

The Chief Secretary also clarified that that a lockdown is not under consideration.

Telangana's Director, Digital Media, Konatham Dileep, said some miscreants created fake government order about a partial lockdown, and urged people not to forward or share this. Action will be initiated on anyone who spreads such rumours, he said in a tweet.

The fake GO, issued in the name of Somesh Kumar but without his signature, states that all shops and commercial establishments including play zones will remain closed between 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. till April 30.

As the 'GO' sent people into a tizzy, the government immediately issued a statement clarifying that no such order was issued.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had categorically told the Assembly on March 26 that lockdown will not be imposed in Telangana.

"No hasty decision will be taken in this regard, considering the adverse impact the pandemic had on everyone during the lockdown last year," he had said while advising people to strictly follow Covid-19 safety norms and avoid mass gatherings.
TUCSON, Ariz., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, announced today it will invest $65 million to construct a state-of-the-art facility in Tucson, Arizona that will be a hub for the company's supply chain, serving as a final-stage manufacturing and sterilization center.

The new 120,000 square-foot facility will be built on approximately 32 acres at the northeast corner of Valencia and Kolb Road and is planned to be operational in mid-2022. BD plans to add approximately 40 new jobs, including engineers, scientists, quality control specialists and other skilled talent. Sun Corridor, Inc. projects that BD's investment will have a $122 million economic impact over the next 10 years.

As part of the company's response to COVID-19 and commitment to public health, BD is investing significantly in its in-house capacity for manufacturing and sterilization. This facility will advance BD's goals of improved overall operational efficiency, customer service levels and supply chain resilience.

This transformational project will become an integral part of the U.S. medical device supply chain and expands the footprint BD already has in Arizona, which includes a $1 billion BD Peripheral Intervention business unit headquartered in Tempe.

"Tucson is the ideal location for critical infrastructure and was selected after a careful review of a number of alternative locations in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico," said Alexandre Conroy, executive vice president, Integrated Supply Chain for BD. "Arizona's favorable business climate, the strength of its workforce and Tucson's centrality to other parts of BD's supply chain were key factors in the decision."

BD operates more than 90 medical device and health care technology manufacturing and sterilization facilities globally and has a track record of sustainable operations. This facility will be one of the first in the world with an original design that will meet or exceed the most stringent environmental guidelines and serve as a model for other sites worldwide.

Tucson is centrally located between eight of BD's U.S. major manufacturing plants and three distribution centers. BD selected this specific site in Ward 4 because it sits within compatible existing and planned industrial areas.

Mayor Regina Romeo of the City of Tucson said, "We're thrilled to welcome BD to Tucson. Tucson's strategic location, coupled with our tech companies, university, workforce and proximity to Mexico, were key strengths that led to this successful outcome for our region."

Sandra Watson, Arizona Commerce Authority President & CEO, said, "We're excited to see global innovator BD select Tucson for this new operation. Arizona has earned a reputation as a hub for biotech and life sciences, thanks to our unique value proposition and the continued investments from industry leaders like BD. We thank the company for its continued commitment to our state."

Joe Snell, president & CEO, Sun Corridor Inc., said, "We were tenacious in our efforts to win this project. BD joins Roche Tissue Diagnostics, Accelerate Diagnostics, HTG Molecular and other companies here doing cutting-edge work to help solve our country's greatest challenges."

Judy Rich, president & CEO, TMC HealthCare and chair of the board, Sun Corridor Inc., said, "BD has a long history of commitment to public health and is deeply involved in many aspects of the nation's COVID response. For this global powerhouse to choose Tucson for its new state-of-the-art manufacturing and sterilization facility is big news. We thank BD for its significant investment in Southern Arizona."

Project partners include the Arizona Commerce Authority, City of Tucson, Pima County, Pima Community College, Tucson Electric Power, Southwest Gas, Lumen, Primus Builders, Perry Engineering, Azbil Telstar, Lesni A/S, Advanced Air Technologies, Inc, Cushman & Wakefield/PICOR and JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle).

Conroy continued, "Tucson's economic transformation is a national success story, and BD is excited to be part of it. We have worked closely with Mayor Romero and the city government to identify this site and ensure its compatibility with our planned work and with the city's vision for the area. Tucson will become a crucial part of the manufacturing of medical devices and the resilience needed within our health care supply chain."

About BD

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 70,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.

Contacts:





Media Investors Paul Tyahla Kristen M. Stewart, CFA BD Public Relations BD SVP, Strategy & Investor 908.873.4412 201.847.5378 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)

Related Links

www.bd.com


ISTANBUL - Numerous Turkish exporters have for some months been removing labels of origin from their products in order to bypass the unofficial boycott that began last year in Saudi Arabia against goods arriving from Ankara.



According to what some businesspeople have told the media, the strategy is to send the products to third countries, where they are then sorted for the market of the Kingdom without the "Made in Turkey" label.



In particular, data from trade flows show an anomalous increase of between 200% and 400% of Turkish exports of fabric products, chemicals and jewelry to Lebanon and Oman.



Other companies in Ankara are aiming on a delocalisation of the final phases of production, so that it results in a different origin.



The Saudi boycott, promoted by some of the biggest local businesspeople and retailers, has never been officially recognised by Kingdom authorities, but figures clearly reveal a sudden halt in trade.



In the first two months of 2021, Turkish exports fell 93% year-on-year to 38 million dollars.



According to the Association of Turkish Exporters (TIM), a reduction of more than 90% hit sectors such as clothing, jewelry and automotive.



In recent days, Ankara gave an official dimension to the diatribe, raising in the case in Geneva before the World Trade Organization.



Relations with Riyadh have been under various regional tensions for years and were aggravated by the killing in Istanbul of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.



In recent weeks, however, the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed willingness to mend relations.


The Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia extended the decision to temporarily ban and restrict the crossing of the border of the Republic of Croatia, the decision is valid until April 15, 2021, according to the Ukrainian Embassy in Croatia.

"Ukrainian citizens who permanently reside in Ukraine have the right to enter Croatia on exceptional grounds," the embassy said in a statement on Thursday.

The diplomatic department said this is about medical workers, health researchers, care workers for the elderly; border guards; employees in the transport industry; diplomats, employees of international organizations, the military, police officers, humanitarian employees and civil protection persons in the performance of their official duties; persons traveling in transit; persons traveling for study purposes; sailors.

In addition, the right of entry to Croatia is granted to persons traveling for tourist purposes if there is documentary evidence of payment in full for the planned period of stay of the hotel, apartments, camps, private estates, yacht rental, or proof of ownership of housing or yacht in Croatia; persons traveling for urgent personal or family reasons, business reasons (having an invitation from the host) or have other economic interests; persons who have applied to the police for work and residence in Croatia, including IT freelancers (digital nomads), provided that the competent Croatian authority has made a positive decision on their residence in Croatia.

The Embassy of Ukraine said that permission to enter Croatia would be allowed if there is confirmation of the reason for entry and one of the following documents. They include a document confirming a negative result of a PCR test made no later than 48 hours before the moment of crossing the Croatian border; a document confirming a negative result of a rapid test for the SARS-CoV-2 antigen, which is determined jointly by the countries of the European Union, made no later than 48 hours before the moment of crossing the Croatian border.

It is specified that if people stay in Croatia for more than ten days, the test must be repeated in Croatia before the tenth day from the date of issue of the preliminary test. In addition, it is possible to provide a document confirming the vaccination of a person against coronavirus (COVID-19), who was vaccinated with the second dose of the vaccine no later than 14 days from the date of entry into Croatia. If the vaccine includes a single dose, then the vaccination must be carried out no later than 14 days from the date of entry into Croatia.

Moreover, travelers can show a document containing information about a positive PCR test or a rapid antigen test, which confirms that a person has recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 virus within 180 days, the document must be received no earlier than 11 days before entering Croatia, or a doctor's confirmation that the person was sick with COVID-19. In addition, entry into Croatia can be allowed on condition of staying in self-isolation for ten days or passing tests on the territory of Croatia at their own expense.

Children under seven years of age are exempt from testing obligation if traveling with parents who has a negative PCR test, a rapid antigen test or a doctor's confirmation that the person has had COVID-19.

Persons, including citizens of Ukraine, who arrive in Croatia from countries where the new strain of coronavirus is widespread, must present a negative PCR test result (valid for 48 hours) upon entering Croatia, and they will also be assigned a 14-day self-isolation.

Citizens of Ukraine who plan to enter Croatia for the purpose of volunteering in the territories affected by the earthquake (Sisak-Moslavina County, part of Zagreb and Karlovac Counties) have the right to enter Croatia without a negative PCR test result, subject to the prior permission of the Civil Protection Headquarters Croatia.

Persons in transit through Croatia must leave the country within 12 hours of entry. If a person does not leave the territory of Croatia within 12 hours, then self-isolation is automatically assigned to him.
Security Cameras with AI will be the smart city norm for applications such as intelligent traffic management and preventive threat detection.

SINGAPORE, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research, the global installed base of smart cameras with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chipset will reach over 350 million in 2025. The inclusion of AI chipsets in security cameras in smart cities will become a norm, with over 65% of camera shipped in 2025 expected to come with at least one AI chipset. These cameras will feature deep learning (DL) models to automate and augment decision making in applications such as intelligent traffic management, autonomous asset, pedestrian flow monitoring and management, physical and perimeter security, and preventive threat detection.

"More and more city and county governments around the world are actively looking to utilize AI. This has led to a boom in the adoption of smart cameras with edge AI chipsets," says Lian Jye Su, Principal Analyst of AI & Machine Learning at ABI Research. Aside from low latency, data privacy concerns have also driven the adoption of AI at the edge as information can be processed without being sent to the cloud. Ambarella, HiSilicon, Intel, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Xilinx are some of the key AI chipset suppliers in the smart city space. Increasingly, TinyML vendors that offer always-on machine vision are expected to play a key role in enabling always-on machine vision through battery-operated cameras, Lidar, infrared and other sensors.

At the moment, most of these workloads are performed by either DL models hosted in the cloud, offered by video analytics vendors such as SenseTime, Ipsotek, icentana, and Sentry AI, or DL inference in smart cameras and network video recorders, such as HikVision and Dahua. Both deployment methods come with their own respective strengths and weaknesses. Two technology trends will likely further catalyze the deployment of DL-based machine vision. "The first one is edge computing. Instead of deploying specific DL models on smart cameras that are multiple times more expensive than legacy cameras, city and county governments can host DL models on gateways and on-premise servers. This allows data to be processed and stored at the edge, providing faster response time than relying on cloud infrastructure. The second is 5G. While network slicing won't be commercially ready by 2023, the network slicing capability of 5G allows communication service providers to offer dedicated network resources to host microservices, six nines reliability service assurance, seamless device connectivity, and onboarding to support DL-based machine vision in the smart city," Su explains. "The shift to edge computing opens new market opportunities, especially for AI chipset startups that focus more on processing at gateways and standard servers such as companies Blaize, Hailo, and Kneron."

Nonetheless, significant headwinds abound. Public trust and regulations related to adopting AI in public cameras is a big challenge facing their implementation. The public and human right advocates around the world are wary of misuse and have been pushing back against the adoption of facial recognition technologies. The use of facial recognition is even banned by city councils in the United States. As one of the key markets for DL-based machine vision technology, China has been under heavy scrutiny over its nationwide rollout of facial recognition technology to maintain national security and public order, particularly in ethnic minority territories.

"Trust is a critical component in public safety technologies. ABI Research encourages developers, vendors, authorities and the general public to focus on constant dialogue and the introduction of common technology platform for transparency, as well as AI ethic and governance frameworks that can minimize biases. Moving forward, the technology vendors that are successful in the smart city are those which will be able to demonstrate transparent and explainable DL models and those who show willingness to embrace open and common standards and ethical frameworks," concludes Su.

These findings are from ABI Research's Deep Learning-Based Machine Vision in Smart Cities application analysis report. This report is part of the company's Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning research service, which includes research, data, and analyst insights. Based on extensive primary interviews, Application Analysis reports present in-depth analysis on key market trends and factors for a specific technology.

About ABI Research

ABI Research provides strategic guidance to visionaries, delivering actionable intelligence on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces across the world. ABI Research's global team of analysts publish groundbreaking studies often years ahead of other technology advisory firms, empowering our clients to stay ahead of their markets and their competitors.



For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact Info:

Global

Deborah Petrara

Tel: +1.516.624.2558

pr@abiresearch.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1471031/ABI_Research_Logo.jpg
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mantra Health , a digital mental health clinic that partners with higher education institutions, today announced an extension of $2 million bringing its total funding to $5.2 million. The round includes new institutional investors Canaan Partners, City Light Capital, and Baleon Capital, as well as strategic angels, including Dr. Nitin Nanda, the founder of Aligned Telehealth, acquired by Amwell. Mantra will use the extension to continue to expand its network of psychiatric and therapy providers to all 50 states. Additionally, the company will continue to sign and support contracts with health insurance carriers across the country to increase access to evidence-based mental healthcare for the 20 million post-secondary students in America. This move will help increase payment options for colleges and universities, and increase continuity of care for students during seasonal breaks and after graduation.

While a recent survey indicates 72% of college and university presidents have reallocated or identified additional funding to address mental health, more than half (58%) said if they had unlimited resources they would hire additional staffmostly in the counseling center. Mantra Health uses telehealth technology to deliver evidence-based mental health treatment by integrating directly with on-campus counseling and health centers to help them expand their services and make seamless off-campus referrals that meet the specific needs of their student populations. This improves student outcomes by making it easier for schools to access high quality mental health providers that can work across traditional daytime hours, as well as evenings and weekends, aided by the flexibility of telehealth.

Mantra Health's program is currently deployed across 26 college campuses with more than 180,000 students enrolled. Historically, counseling centers have said only 40-50% of students make it to their first appointment when referred to a community provider, with an even lower percentage among rural schools. Through a mix of software and care navigation, Mantra has seen that referral success rate spike to 97% when referring students to a Mantra-affiliated provider.

"Mantra Health has seen a dramatic increase in demand from colleges and universities for their telemental health services since the beginning of the public health and civil rights crises last year, which caused a surge in students experiencing depression and anxiety," said Byron Ling, Partner at Canaan. "We seek to invest in category-defining teams with ambitious visions and believe that Mantra Health is building the preeminent digital mental health solution for universities and colleges. Their collaborative, evidence-based approach to telemental health leverages technology to improve access and outcomes, while deeply integrating with university counseling teams for comprehensive care."

With the increased demand and associated costs among school counseling centers, Mantra Health started accepting in-network insurance from UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Cigna in January 2021. The latest capital infusion will help the company bring on additional health insurance carriers. By doing so, Mantra eases the financial burden that schools have been facing when providing behavioral health services to their students. Students also benefit by having the opportunity to remain in the same ecosystem of care whenever they leave campus for seasonal breaks or graduate and transition to post-college life, which can often be a vulnerable time for patients.

"We're thrilled to welcome these new investors as we look to become the leading digital mental health player focused on Higher Education," said Ed Gaussen, co-founder & CEO of Mantra Health. "Covid has exacerbated the prevalence of mental health issues on college campuses, yet students aren't getting the care they need due to various structural issues. By launching our insurance partnership capabilities, we're taking a major step in our mission to democratize access to care for students across the country."

After bringing on Dr. Nora Feldpausch as Mantra Health's new Medical Director last month, the company is in the process of expanding services and obtaining licensure in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. in time for the Fall 2021 semester.

According to Mantra Health's co-founder & COO, Matt Kennedy, "Offering 50 state coverage to our university partners through our collaborative clinical model will fundamentally change mental health delivery for university and college students. Our ability to deliver care across the country will improve access and enable continuity of care for the 20 million university students in America over summer and after they graduate. Furthermore, we are doing it entirely through our provider group under Dr. Feldpausch's leadership, keeping a tight control on clinical quality and continuing to build on our reputation as the most clinically-informed partner in our space."

Dr. Nanda Joins Mantra Health's Board

Aligned Telehealth founder, Dr. Nitin Nanda has joined several other world class mental health experts on Mantra Health's Board.

Dr. Nitin Nanda is the founder of Aligned Telehealth (acq. Amwell), a respected psychiatrist, entrepreneur, leader, and educator. After launching in 2000, Dr. Nanda grew Aligned Telehealth into one of the largest behavioral health specialty practices in the U.S. He built a successful practice model based on clinical expertise, compassion, operational efficiency and fiscal responsibility.

He is Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Clinical Assistant Professor in Medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Nanda is also Chief of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the Los Angeles Jewish Home and serves as Medical Director of the Lisa and Ernest Auerbach Geriatric Psychiatry Unit at the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center in Los Angeles.

"This past year has eroded the behavioral health of our youngest generation that will have long term effects if we do not try to address them," explains Dr. Nitin Nanda . "Mantra Health is providing a viable solution that's removing many of the obstacles schools, counseling centers and students face and have thoughtfully created a solution that's incredibly easy to use, while maintaining a high-level of professional expertise in mental health."

Learn more about Mantra Health and how they work with universities at https://mantrahealth.com/for-universities .

About Mantra Health

Mantra Health is a digital mental health clinic on a mission to improve access to evidence-based mental healthcare for young adults. Through augmenting high quality clinical services with software and design, we're on a mission to improve the mental health of over 20 million university and college students through partnerships with higher education institutions and health insurance plans. Learn more about Mantra Health at MantraHealth.com . The deadline for students to apply for the Mantra College Mental Health Provider Diversity Scholarship is June 15, 2021.

Media Contact:

Nate Hermes or Laurel Getz

203-767-5963

[email protected]

SOURCE Mantra Health

Related Links

http://www.mantrahealth.com


The duel between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton is still a hot topic. The two are likely to have a spectacular season, but Verstappen's overtaking performance is also under the microscope of Lando Norris.

Lando Norris drove a strong race in Bahrain. The Briton started in fifth place and would eventually finish fourth. A great start of his season. The driver could not participate at the front of the field, where Hamilton and Verstappen fought for victory. According to Norris, Verstappen had an advantage there.

Norris supports Verstappen

Watching Verstappen's overtaking action, Norris notices the following. ''Max is already easily in front. He comes off track due to oversteer, but he was already in front and had already made the action. He could have taken his foot off the gas to get control, but then he would have lost the lead again,'' says Norris in his stream on Twitch.

The Briton believes that the advantage in the corner is already decisive in a duel. He also points to his own duel with Charles Leclerc. "Here Charles is in front, so he has control of the corner. I have to get off the gas here, because otherwise I'll be on the outside,'' Norris points out the difference with Verstappen's action.
He did not offer additional specifics.

The current legislation would restrict the use of solitary to no more than 15 consecutive days, or 20 total days over a two-month period. Punitive segregation would be banned entirely for people under 22 or over 54, those who are pregnant and individuals with mental and physical disabilities, among other groups.

Some of those changes, such as the ban for people under 22, had already been adopted in New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio has pledged to eventually do away with solitary confinement altogether. Corrections officials, however, were found to be transferring young detainees to correctional facilities elsewhere in the state, where such restrictions did not exist.

After the 15-day cap, people would move to high-security rehabilitative units when needed, where they would spend at least seven hours outside of a cell per day for therapy, treatment and other programs. (The change applies to prisons and jails with populations of more than 500.)

All of this really changes the framework. Its significant, and its justified, said Craig Haney, a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who has studied the effects of isolation. Were all going to look at how it works, and it may very well be the case that the state can go further.

The legislation comes as the proportion of detainees in isolation at Rikers Island and other jails in New York City has risen in recent years, even as the total jail population has fallen. In state prisons, about 40,000 solitary confinement sanctions were doled out in 2018, though use of the most restrictive form of isolation fell, according to a report from the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The majority of those in solitary for serious rule violations spent between one and three months inside, though many terms lasted three to six months. About 130 people were in isolation for more than one year.
Maybe it's the Texas in us that would assume everyone outside of statelines would be excited to have a Whataburger.

That wasn't entirely the case in Colorado Springs, where Whataburger announced it is planning on opening a location.

News broke Wednesday and to say not everyone was enthusiastic would be an undercooked statement.

FUN TIMES: Texas couple builds 6-foot Whataburger playhouse for 1-year-old's drive-by birthday party

One person threatened to call the police, another called it "crap." We are equally confused and maybe just a little hurt.

Whataburger confirmed the news to Colorado Springs news outlets in a statement on Tuesday saying the company is "excited" to expand.

RELATED: Whataburger thanks employees with more than $90 million in bonuses

While some of the reception was met with negativity, there were some fans who reciprocated the energy, especially from transplants who can't wait to get a taste of home in Colorado.

Whataburger did not release an opening date for the Colorado Springs location. The Texas favorite also recently announced a four-restaurant expansion into Kansas City. Those locations are expected to open by this fall.

If you want to feel like you're in an alternate universe where Whataburger does not reign supreme, keep scrolling.
SAN DIEGO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- San-Diego based Epic Wings has signed a 13 store agreement with an existing franchise owner-operator for locations in Orange County.

Henry Pourshirazi, of HPLS Corporation, initially signed a single store deal in Anaheim which opened early 2021. With a strong opening in Anaheim, Henry decided to continue to expand the Epic Wings brand throughout Orange County over the next 5 years.

"With the overwhelmingly positive response we received after opening our Anaheim location, it was clear that Epic Wings was filling a void in the community," said Henry Pourshirazi. "I knew then that I wanted to be a larger part of providing our epicly fresh menu and experience to more customers within Orange County."

Chicken wings have become very popular over the past few years making the already popular fast-casual concept more appealing to prospective franchisees. Their simple, approachable menu is something that both operators and customers have come to love about the brand. Easy operations makes for a better, consistent experience for their customers. On the menu, you will find award-winning family recipes including traditional and boneless wings, best-selling tenderloin strips, pizza sticks, fries and salads in addition to homemade breadsticks and dressings. Taste and quality are never compromised as the brand only uses the freshest ingredients. Customers will not find freezers, heat lamps or microwaves at any Epic Wings locations.

"We are excited to share this news of our upcoming Epic Wings development," said Rob Streett, President of Epic Wings. "Henry and his operations team have been great partners and look forward to increasing our footprint with them in Orange County."

Founded by the Sacco Family in 1982 in San Diego, California, Epic Wings available franchise growth markets include California, Nevada, Colorado, Texas and Arizona. What differentiates Epic Wings from other fast casual franchises is their $1,887,133 AUV*, industry leading ROI, easy to operate business model, simple menu and award winning food. For more information on franchise opportunities, please visit the website at ownanepic.com or email [email protected] .

About Epic Wings

Independently owned and operated since 1982, Epic Wings, formerly known as Wings N' Things, was the first to bring Buffalo Wings to the West Coast. The menu features award-winning family recipes including fresh, never frozen traditional and boneless wings, tenderloin strips, pizza sticks, fries and salads in addition to homemade breadsticks and dressings. Epic Wings has been named San Diego's Best Wings for the past 8 years in the San Diego Union-Tribune's Readers Poll, 2019 and 2020 Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise 500 Top New Franchise and Top Food Franchises in addition to the 2020 QSR 40/40 List: Hottest Startup Fast Casuals.

*This figure represents the average unit volume for all locations opened for a full year at the end of 2019 as published in the May 12, 2020 franchise disclosure document.

Contact:

Brittney Douthit

[email protected]

SOURCE Epic Wings

Related Links

https://www.epicwingsnthings.com/


[April 01, 2021] Konn3ct, Nigerian tech start-up, develops first online meeting solution in Africa

LAGOS, Nigeria, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As businesses continue to adopt the virtual workplace, a Nigerian company has developed a new Application for video conferences and webinars, writing Africa's name on the growing list of players in the multi-billion-dollar global meetings business. Known as Konn3ct, the new App was developed by a young company, called Newwaves Ecosystems, led by former Chams Nigeria executive, Femi Williams. The global virtual conferencing market has grown astronomically since the global lockdown put in place by most countries to contain the Covid-19 pandemic that began to spread rapidly around the world from February 2020. The pandemic necessitated company shutdowns, while those in the service business had to find ways for their employees to work remote locations, mostly from their homes. Although there have been dozens of players in the business for some years, Chinese company, Zoom Video Communications, appeared to sprint ahead of the pack as runaway market leader. Zoom's most recent figures suggest the platform had 300 million daily meeting participants at the end of 2020, versus just 10 million in December 2019. This is in comparison to Google Meet's 100 million participants for 2020. Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft and the other existing players, numbering over 140, have been splitting the market among themselves, with no competition from Africa, in a market estimated to be worth over $75 billion (N30 trillion) in the next nine years. But these are about to change with the entry of Nigeria's Konn3ct placing the country and Africa in prime position to play recognizabl roles in the fourth industrial revolution as creators of technology rather than consumers.



Konn3ct, Leadership investigations reveal, is entering the market with more than 40 differentiating features that put the App in good stead to compete strongly with the leaders of this rapidly growing industry. For instance, it was learned the App effectively mirrored real-life conference experiences in its construction process, enabling participants in a large conference to go into breakout sessions. To make this experience all encompassing, Konn3ct allows as many as eight breakout rooms within the same conference after which the participants are timed out for return into the main meeting. Apart from the breakout session feature, this new App allows organisers of any meeting to record the proceedings for proper documentation and ease of future reference, doing the job of video cameras and rapporteurs at the same time. Another interesting feature is the one that enables the person hosting a session to play You Tube and other videos and still be able continue the presentation even while the video was still playing.

With a default high-definition audio and a video that allows for four quality bands, ranging from low to high definition, Konn3ct also has a virtual lobby where participants can see the meeting floor while waiting to input their access codes. Leadership sought and spoke with Chief Executive Officer of the company, Femi Williams, who was upbeat about the capability of the indigenous application to hold its own against any other player in the industry. Williams, who anchored his optimism on what he called superior meeting experience, said although there might be expected entry challenges, especially being a solution wholly developed in Africa by Africans, he was confident that the global community would opt for value against port of origin. "We are lucky that technology solutions, such as Konn3ct, are not sold with nationality stamps, same way you have your German machines and Japanese technology driving automobile sales. If this was so, a Chinese solution like Zoom would not be the leading meetings solution in both the United States and Europe. Technology thrives more on quality of user experience and problem-solving capabilities than nationality branding. This makes us believe that Konn3ct will compete quite well in the global market space, just to sound modest," he stated in an exclusive interview with Leadership. He said apart from the top-quality experience in Konn3ct, the solution also has strong security architecture that lends itself for classified meetings below the radar of open internet. "The Transport Layer Security built into the App provides privacy and data integrity between two or more communicating computer applications. We also have the Secure Socket Layer Encryption (SSL Encryption), which is a protocol to protect data during transfer and transmission by creating a channel, uniquely encrypted, so that the user and the server have a private communication link channel over the public Internet," he explained, adding that Konn3ct, is capable of providing one of the largest meeting rooms in the market, with as many as 250 people in one room while an unlimited number can participate via livestreaming. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/konn3ct-nigerian-tech-start-up-develops-first-online-meeting-solution-in-africa-301261102.html SOURCE Konn3ct

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Hermes has had to pay retailers across the UK 'hundreds of pounds' in compensation after they missed out on processing fees after a computer glitch marked parcels as undelivered.

The parcel company, also known as myHermes, pays 35p to businesses for every package which is successfully processed and therefore able to be dropped off to customers.

But computer issues saw scores of parcels processed by retailers not logged correctly in the system, meaning the money shop owners were being paid was not equal to the number of packages they had in fact handled.

In some cases, this reportedly meant businesses missing out on hundreds of pounds.

Hermes has had to pay retailers across the UK 'hundreds of pounds' in compensation after they missed out on processing fees after a computer glitch marked parcels as undelivered

One worker claimed they were underpaid for 1,114 parcels over eight weeks, missing out on almost 400 worth of commission.

Another independent store said they were owed for 300 parcels across a six-week period.

Natalie Lightfoot of Londis Solo Convenience in Glasgow said: 'Last week, myHermes only paid me for one parcel when I know I had processed double figures.

'When I see this, it makes me wonder if it has ever been right.'

And Atul Sodha, owner of Peverills Londis Harefield in Uxbridge, said he has since been refunded for 342 missing parcels.

'The worrying thing is I didn't even know I was owed this,' he said.

'I'll be keeping a much more watchful eye on the parcels coming into and out of my store from now on.'

Meanwhile, Hardik Patel, owner of Svarn News & Off Licence in Stafford told Better Retailing he was owed payment for hundreds of missed parcels across a six-week period.

He said: 'Last week, I was underpaid by 74 parcels. This isn't anything new. I've been having issues on and off for more than a year. Between 26 December and 13 February, I was underpaid by 315 parcels.'

The 'glitch' came to light following an article by shopping mag Retail Express.

A spokesperson for myHermes said: 'We can confirm that a data issue at the end of last year resulted in a small number of mistakes in payment for some of our parcel shop partners.

'Once we had identified the problem it was quickly fixed and the team contacted all those affected to apologise. All payments were made by w/c 14th March.'

The spokesperson refused to comment on how much had been paid out to retailers.
Parents and employees on sick leave will receive more from state

The amendment adopted by the parliament also specify conditions for receiving the Covid surcharge.

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Parents taking care of their family members and employees on sick leave will see the benefits they receive from the state increase.

Our paywall policy: The Slovak Spectator has decided to make all the articles on the special measures, statistics and basic information about the coronavirus available to everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope.

This stems from an amendment to the law on social insurance approved by the parliament on March 30. It increases the pandemic benefit for the care of a family member (OCR) and pandemic sick pay, and specifies conditions for receiving Covid bonuses, the TASR newswire reported.

Benefits received for longer

Between April 1 and 30, 2021, the pandemic OCR and the pandemic sick pay will equal 75 percent of the daily assessment basis, up from the previous 55 percent. The final sum will be close to the net salary of employees, the Labour Ministry said.

This means that if somebody earns about 900 net, the pandemic sick pay or pandemic OCR may be as high as 866, compared with previous 635, according to the ministry.

At the same time, the period during which people can draw sick pay will be extended, if the applicants meet certain conditions. It will depend on how long the temporary sick leave lasts, and whether the support period expired while a person was on sick leave, which had to be extended due to the Covid crisis and harder access to health care. Another condition is that the performance of a person who returns from sick leave will not drop by more than 40 percent compared to his/her colleagues.

Parents are entitled to care of a family member benefit during holidays only if schools are closed Read more

The last two conditions will be evaluated by the doctor appointed by the state-run social insurer Socialna Poistovna, TASR reported.

Bonus conditions specified

The amendment will also make it easier to grant a Covid bonus to people who were infected at their workplace.

Every employee who contracted Covid-19 while doing an activity with a higher risk of being infected will be entitled to the Covid surcharge, the ministry explained, as quoted by TASR.

The surcharge will be paid from the day a person started pandemic sick leave, until it ends.

Read more about the coronavirus developments in Slovakia:

1. Apr 2021 at 11:56 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-31 20:45:08|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member at Campaign for Health Education, Sanitation and Hygiene (CAHESH) practices sign language in Blantyre, Malawi, on March 25, 2021. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua)

BLANTYRE, Malawi, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Sam Kabango, 36, was born with hearing impairments, shares his experiences on challenges that he faces in efforts to access public information.

Sign languages are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning and these languages are full-fledged natural languages with their own grammar and lexicon, which is the only way that people with hearing impairments depend on to understand interpersonal information.

However, the lack of adequate human resources with basic understanding of sign language in Malawi is a problem.

Kabango lives with his family in the outskirts of Blantyre and it's hard for him to communicate with other people efficiently due to gaps in communication. In an interview with Xinhua, with help from his wife, he outlined some of the challenges that he encounters on a day-to-day encounters.

"Oftentimes, it becomes a challenge for me to access and understand information during public gatherings such as church and community meetings. This is so because a lot of people do not know the sign language. Making things worse, people try to communicate to me using signs, yet their gestures become complex and confusing in the process. I think there is a need for people to at least have a basic understanding of how sign language works," he said.

Meanwhile, Campaign for Health Education, Sanitation and Hygiene (CAHESH), a non-governmental organization that has been reaching out to people with various impairments has started training its staff in sign language.

According to MacDonald Kaluwa, Executive Director at CAHESH, sign language training is a critical tool to the organization because it will ease communication abilities which have been a problem in executing their programs among people with communication impairments especially the deaf.

"The sign language is a good initiative as it now means that as an organization, we can now effectively communicate and assist with services without problems. Apart from sign language, CAHESH develops public health education Braille books for people with visual impairments in order to aid them with access to health education," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 18:13:35|Editor: huaxia

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Police officers work near the site of a shooting in the city of Orange, California, the United States, March 31, 2021. A shooting occurred Wednesday evening in the city of Orange, 55 km southeast of Los Angeles downtown, leaving at least four people dead and two others injured, local NBC news channel reported. (Xinhua)

LOS ANGELES, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A shooting occurred Wednesday evening in the city of Orange, 55 km southeast of downtown Los Angeles, leaving at least four people dead and two others injured, a local NBC news affiliate reported.

The Orange Police Department was quoted as saying that they responded to reports of a shooting around 5:30 p.m. local time (0030 GMT) and then found "multiple victims at the scene including fatalities" where shots were being fired.

"The situation has been stabilized and there is no threat to the public. More details to follow," the twitter read.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene and two others were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the Metro City Fire Authority Dispatch, an emergency organization providing fire and emergency medical services to over 1.2 million residents in Southern California, including the city of Orange.

Video clips posted by a local ABC 7 news channel online showed the fatal incident occurred around a business complex, where at least two bodies lay down outside the building, one on a second floor walkway and the other in a courtyard.

At the scene there were also bloody clothes and what appeared to be a weapon as officers investigated.

A young woman told ABC 7 that she heard two distinct sets of shots, one apparently the initial shooting and the other the gunfire exchange between the suspect and police.

"I was just in my room hanging out. All of a sudden I heard five to seven gun shots go off," the witness said. "And then I waited a couple minutes and the police came. And I heard a few more gunshots go off. It was a lot, quickly. Then the helicopter showed up and it was silent after that."

Orange police said it was the city's deadliest shooting since 1997.

Police gave no more details about the incident and shooter, who was in custody and transported to a hospital with unknown conditions. Local politicians were shocked by the tragedy.

"I'm deeply saddened by reports of a mass shooting in Orange County, and I'm continuing to keep victims and their loved ones in my thoughts as we continue to learn more. My team and I will continue to monitor the situation closely," Katie Porter, U.S. Representative for California's 45th congressional district where Orange is located, tweeted Wednesday evening.

"Horrifying and heartbreaking. Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight," California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted.

Wednesday's killings were the latest in a string of mass shootings nationwide in the last two weeks.

On March 22, 10 people, including one police officer, were killed in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. On March 16, a series of mass shootings occurred at three spas and massage parlors in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, which killed eight people including six Asian women. Enditem
Sony has announced a 2021 Xperia Worldwide Launch event that will take place on April 14. Its possible the Xperia 1 III, Xperia 10 III, and the new Xperia Compact (Ace 2) will make an appearance. New Sony Xperia 1 III rumors have offered up a potential camera configuration, battery details, and an eye-watering price tag.

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Sony will be holding an Xperia Worldwide Launch event on April 14, which will kick-off at 15:30 Beijing time (03:30 New York, 08:30 London, 09:30 Berlin, 16:30 Tokyo). Unsurprisingly, this has sparked considerable speculation, with some believing that Sony might launch the long-awaited Xperia 1 III at the event, with it being made available for purchase in May or June. In addition, the Sony Xperia 10 III and Xperia Compact (Ace 2) are also expected to be guests at the upcoming event.

Most eyes, however, are set upon what Sony will deliver with the new flagship Xperia 1 III smartphone. We have already reported on some incredible rumors, and now we have a few more courtesy of Chinese social media. Once again there is a mention of the Snapdragon 888 for the Sony Xperia 1 III, with a 12 GB + 256 GB configuration presumably for the international market while buyers in China will supposedly get the option of purchasing a mighty 16 GB + 512 GB model. A 5,000-mAh battery is allegedly onboard with support for 65 W charging while a 4K OLED 120 Hz-capable display adds to the list of temptations.

As for the camera equipment, fans will expect a lot from Sony for the Xperia 1 III and a leaker has offered up a curious collection of sensors for it: 64 MP (wide angle) + 12 MP (ultra wide) + 12 MP (periscope/Cyber-shot) with 60x zoom. As has been pointed out, a slim device as the Xperia 1 III is expected to be would struggle containing such a telephoto lens, although it also seems unlikely that the source is pulling a prank here even considering the date of the post (April 1). The price tag is certainly no joke, at a rumored 8,999 yuan (US$1,369/994/1,166)  and thats just the price for China without all those pesky international taxes, transit costs, etc. that will be added to the bill for Xperia fans in other countries.

Buy the Sony Xperia 1 II smartphone on Amazon
Apple has announced today that over 110 of its manufacturing partners, globally, are going to move to 100% renewable energy for the production of Apples devices. With this, nearly eight gigawatts of planned clean energy is set to come online.

Once these manufacturing partners move to 100% renewable energy it is going to avoid over 15 million metric tons of CO2e annually  that is the equivalent of taking more than 3.4 million cars off the road each year. Besides this, there is also going to be a major energy storage project in California that is going to pilot new solutions for renewable infrastructure.

We are firmly committed to helping our suppliers become carbon neutral by 2030 and are thrilled that companies whove joined us span industries and countries around the world, including Germany, China, the US, India, and France," said Lisa Jackson, Apples vice president for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives.

In a year like no other, Apple continued to work with a global network of colleagues, companies, and advocates  including the communities most impacted by climate change  to help further our efforts to make everything we do a force for good in peoples lives and the environment, Jackson added.

Also Read: Apple WWDC 2021 to take place on June 7, may announce iOS 15 and more

Apple unveiled its plans of becoming carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, product life cycle in July last year and the aim is to accomplish all this by 2030. This means that by 2030, every Apple device sold will have net zero climate impact.

Since then, Apple has increased the number of its suppliers who are going to transition to renewable energy.

The company has already become carbon neutral for its global corporate operations and they also shared new details about a $4.7 billion spent in Green Bonds to support environmental projects around the world.

Of the 110 manufacturing partners who are currently a part of Apples Supplier Clean Energy Program, there is Europes DSM Engineering Materials' wind power purchase agreement that is bringing new clean energy to the grid in the Netherlands, and STMicroelectronicss solar carport in Morocco that is supporting regional energy production. Also, companies like Solvay are now expanding their use of renewable energy to their broader operations after joining the program five years ago.

In the US, Alpha and Omega Semiconductor, Marian, The Chemours Company, and Trinseo have all recently committed to the program. In China, more than 15 suppliers have joined the program in the past six months and a number of Apples suppliers with operations in India have also come on board recently, including Yuto and CCL.

Also Read: Apple is expanding its independent repair program to more countries

In many markets where Apple operates, suppliers have limited options to access clean energy. They have managed to fix that issue with China at least with the China Clean Energy Fund. This fund enables Apple and its suppliers to invest in clean energy projects totaling more than one gigawatt of renewable energy in China. In other countries Apple connects its suppliers with opportunities to buy renewable energy directly from project developers and utilities.

Parallely, Apple is constructing one of the largest battery projects in the country, California Flats, which is a grid-scale energy storage project capable of storing 240 megawatt-hours of energy. Thats enough energy to power over 7,000 homes for one day. This project supports the companys 130-megawatt solar farm that provides all of its renewable energy in California.

Apples carbon footprint has decreased by 40% and it has avoided more than 15 million metric tons of emissions through initiatives to use low-carbon materials, drive energy efficiency, and switch to clean energy.
Pareteum Partners with Reach Mobile for New Turnkey Wireless Solutions

By Luke Bellos - Editor, Virtual PBX

Global cloud communications platform provider Pareteum announced a new partnership with Reach mobile to create new solutions for both company's global customer base.

Pareteum and Reach mobile plan to combine the resources of both companies to create new MVNO services, enabling users to conduct retail business in any location with carrier and private networks. The companies will leverage Pareteums Experience Cloud and Reach Mobiles cloud-native platform to provide new services on a completely unified network.

"We're excited to partner with Pareteum to provide a one-stop-shop for highly scalable billing, policy, catalog and data plan management, analytics and more," said Reach Mobile CEO Harjot Saluja. "The demand for turnkey wireless services within carrier and private network settings is exploding, and our platform offers a truly scalable end-to-end solution that positions both parties to support more use cases, globally."

Pareteum Representatives hope the new strategic partnership will help differentiate the companys platform among the growing global competition. The company has reported it should be ready to launch new services within 60 days.

"We're excited to partner with Pareteum to provide a one-stop-shop for highly scalable billing, policy, catalog and data plan management, analytics and more," said Reach Mobile CEO Harjot Saluja. "The demand for turnkey wireless services within carrier and private network settings is exploding, and our platform offers a truly scalable end-to-end solution that positions both parties to support more use cases, globally."

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Edited by Maurice Nagle
(Newser)  A prison policy labeled by many as "torture," "inhumane," and "counterproductive" is ending in New York state. On Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law the HALT Act, a measure that bars the use of solitary confinement for more than 15 days in a row in the state's prisons and jails, reports Spectrum News. The law, which will go into effect sometime in 2022, also prohibits inmates in vulnerable populationsincluding those 21 and under, inmates 55 and older, those with a disability, and inmates who are pregnant or who have newborns up to 8 weeks oldfrom being placed in solitary. The New York Times frames it as a "far-reaching move that will fundamentally change life behind bars," and one that's been a long time coming for criminal justice advocates, who've been pushing for the law for the past decade. Other states across the US have enacted similar restrictions on the use of solitary confinement.

story continues below

Among concerns cited are the mental health effects of isolation for weeks on end, with studies showing a tie to increased risk for self-harm, suicide, and worsened mental health. The effects can also last long beyond one's prison stay. "It didn't take me long to start seeing things that weren't in my cell, to start having a conversation with nobody there," Victor Pate, an anti-solitary advocate who spent more than two years in isolation during 15 years or so of incarceration, tells the Times. "You never get over that. I'm not well by a long shot." There's also the racial disparity: Most prisoners who end up in "the hole" are Black or Latino80% in New York, per the Times, although those inmates make up only 70% of the prison population overall. Corrections officials, meanwhile, want to keep the option of solitary confinement open, arguing that without it, inmates will be harder to discipline, meaning jails and prisons wouldn't be as safe. Cuomo has signaled he may tweak the bill before it goes into effect. (Read more solitary confinement stories.)
DHS Secretary Condemns Human Smugglers, Says Migrant Children Face Grave Risk

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security chief on Wednesday condemned human smugglers after a series of incidents that left one girl dead and three others in perilous situations.

The inhumane way smugglers abuse children while profiting off parents desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

Just this month, a young girl died by drowning, a six-month-old was thrown into the river, and two young children were dropped from a wall and left in the desert alone. There can be no doubt that children are exceptionally vulnerable when placed in the hands of smugglers. There is grave risk they will be exploited and harmed. I applaud our heroic Border Patrol agents who have saved lives this week and every week, while putting their own lives at risk for the greater good of the country, added Mayorkas, who was meeting with President Joe Biden and other Cabinet officials at the White House on Thursday.

Smugglers assaulted a woman in Mexico and chucked her 6-month-old baby off a raft into the Rio Grande River along the U.S.-Mexico border on March 16, authorities said. Texas Rangers saved the infant.

A 9-year-old girl from Mexico drowned while trying to illegally cross into the United States four days later, officials said. Border Patrol agents rescued her and two others who were stranded on an island on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River, but were not able to revive the minor.

Video footage captured two toddlers being dropped over the border wall into the desert in New Mexico on March 30. Border agents were able to save them.

Im appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night. If not for the vigilance of our Agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours, the Border Patrols El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez said in a statement.

The number of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S. southern border has jumped in recent weeks as the Biden administration stopped expelling them.

Under President Donald Trump, America was using Title 42 emergency powers due to the COVID-19 pandemic to send the kids back to their home countries.

Biden also reversed or changed other key Trump-era measures, which critics say has led to the skyrocketing number of immigrants entering the United States.

Theres a word for whats happening at our border. Its insanity, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said after senators toured the border late last month. Every day, thousands of migrants are racing towards our border. Yet those migrants are not running away from Border Patrol officers, theyre running to the Border Patrol officers because they know and their smugglers and their traffickers know that they can game our asylum system. They can be released into the country in a matter of days, sometimes a matter of hours and they will never have to go back to their home country.

He called on the president to tell migrants that they would be expelled if they cross into the United States. And until Joe Biden says that, the madness will continue, he said.

White House officials, including Biden, have claimed the border is not open, even as more and more immigrants are caught and released under their new policies.

At the current pace, the number of illegal border crossings will hit its highest in 20 years, Mayorkas said last month.

The situation at the southwest border is difficult. We are working around the clock to manage it and we will continue to do so. That is our job. We are making progress and we are executing on our plan, he added.
Navy veteran Dominic D. DiFrancesco of Middletown on Wednesday was awarded the Pennsylvania Veterans Service Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). Given at the direction of the governor, the award honors an individual for outstanding meritorious support to Pennsylvania veterans.

DiFrancesco has committed his life to advocating for veterans since he first joined the American Legion nearly 70 years ago, a press release said. He has served in just about every appointed and elected position within the American Legion, including as its national commander from 1991-92.

Leaders like Dominic who served our nation in uniform and continue to serve post-military are invaluable assets to the veteran community, Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvanias acting adjutant general and acting head of the DMVA, said in the press release. Because of his lifetime commitment to the American Legion, Pennsylvanias veterans will continue to benefit from having a strong advocate looking after their interests.

The award citation specifically notes that: DiFrancesco is a natural leader, a rare breed of men who have the ability to focus on a goal and to influence others to not only follow, but champion the causeAs he moved through the leadership ranks of the American Legion, he touched many people. His leadership style is such he could share a vision, instill interest, inspire action, and deliver excellence in every initiative he became involved with.

ALSO READ: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is fewer than 80 photos short of completing virtual Wall of Faces
analysis

For a woman who grew up and was educated in Masvingo, Marjorie Mayida, the current managing director and chief investment officer at Old Mutual Investment Group Zimbabwe has come a long way.

With 20 years of experience in the financial services sector under her belt, the Goromonzi High School and University of Zimbabwe alumni (where she did her first degree) has shown that she is a force to reckon with in a sector dominated by males.

The married mother of three has been breaking glass ceilings throughout her career and continues to do so, inspiring many women who have for years been hindered in either achieving their goals or climbing the corporate ladder to the very top.

"When I became MD for the Old Mutual Investment Group in July 2015, I wasn't sure if I was ready for the challenge. With the challenges that were in the business and being the first female MD within Old Mutual Zimbabwe, I realised I had to pull up my sleeves as I had my personal brand, that of my boss as well as the business' brand to protect. Since then, I have relished the challenges in this role rather than fear them, and this had helped build my confidence," she says.

Highlights in her career, culminating in her current position, include building an extensive economic research database of market statistics across all asset classes for the then Old Mutual Asset Management Zimbabwe (OMAM) in 2000.

"I also designed and implemented operational processes and procedures in OMAM Kenya in 2008 and in 2012, I championed and negotiated closure of two post dollarisation big ticket private equity deals," Marjorie says.

As a dedicated and driven woman, her portfolio is a testament to how she thrived, between years 2016 and 2019, when she successfully concluded the legacy challenges for Old Mutual Unit Trusts, marshalled the turnaround strategy for Old Mutual Property and championed the opening of the ground-breaking Eastgate Mall in Harare. Recently, she successfully managed the seamless merger of OMIG and Old Mutual Property, resulting in significant annual savings for the business.

For her most recent tenure as the managing director, Marjorie Mayida has shown she is a force to reckon with and has nourished her insatiable passion for success. She is deeply passionate about helping people grow and reach their goals in life, whether at work or socially.

"I make sure that where possible I provide the support to individuals, be it socially, emotionally, spiritually or financially," she says.

Her Christian values have helped guide her mission and goals in life. She centres her career mission on developing her financial skills to expert status on a global level while pursuing any challenging position in the financial services industry.

This, she says, will provide her with the opportunity to use her financial skills, knowledge, and analytical abilities while providing a meaningful contribution to the daily operations of the organisation.

It has not all been plain sailing for the affable Marjorie. She has encountered occupational and personal obstacles in her career. Her challenges included how to achieve a work/life balance given the demanding nature of her role.

"It requires discipline to ensure that neither of the two suffers. Fortunately, I have had a lot of support from family and work colleagues, and this has helped a lot. On the flipside, there have been opportunities, within Old Mutual, to work in or with businesses in other jurisdictions, and this has been a great opportunity for career growth and exposure, which I have gladly taken," says Mayida.

For her, serving as a leader is about dealing with various challenges in a business and its networks, being always alert to exhibit the best character and behaviour for the right situation, and sensitive to the surrounding people all the time.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Women Zimbabwe By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

She said the quote that best describes her style of leadership is by Jim Rohn, whiche says, "the challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humour but without folly".

Her parting advice for career women is for one to take up the challenge, target achievement of milestones in one's career and remain focused on individual goals, despite obstacles that one may meet. A person should carry on with the task at hand and things will happen at the right time.

Marjorie holds a degree in Business Studies and Computer Science from the University of Zimbabwe and an MBA from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST). She also holds a certificate in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management from UNISA and a Certificate in Management Advancement Programme from Wits University.
Photo: YouTube/LilNasX

Since the beginning of popular music, rock stars have often invoked Satan as a surefire way to scandalize parents and freak out the squares. In his latest endeavor, Lil Nas X is freaking out the squares in two different mediums. First, with the riotously gay music video for his latest single Montero (Call Me By Your Name), which features the rapper giving a lap dance to, then snapping the neck of, Beelzebub himself; and, now, with a limited-edition drop of Satan Shoes, 666 pairs of pentagram-accessorized Nike Air Max 97s that allegedly contain one drop of human blood. In case there was any doubt in your mind that they might be, Nike clarified Sunday that the Satan Shoes, currently setting the internet aflame and set to drop March 29, have not been officially endorsed by the brand. Presumably because of the, you know, human blood part.

We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF, Nike told the New York Times Sunday. Nike did not design or release these shoes, and we do not endorse them, nor was the company involved in any capacity in the production of the sneakers. The Times also checked in with MSCHF, the Brooklyn brand selling the shoes, who claim about six employees drew their own blood to donate to Lil Nas Xs fashion endeavor. Said MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg, Uhhhhhh yeah hahah not medical professionals we did it ourselves lol. A drop of blood was allegedly mixed in with ink that fills an air bubble in the sneaker.

Even as the nations youth-group leaders, not to mention South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, panic at the prospect of making both gay lap dances and occult footwear seem cool, Lil Nas X posted an apology video Sunday to address peoples concerns, an apology video that cuts almost immediately to the rappers above-mentioned scandalous music video.

As for the origin for his demonic aesthetic, Lil Nas X explained his inspiration on Twitter following his singles release. In a nutshell, if some people insist Lil Nas X is going to hell for being queer, he might as well shoot a music video there and set himself free.

Its about a guy I met last summer. I know we promised to never be that type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist, he wrote in a letter to his 14-year-old self. You see this is very scary for me, people will be angry, they will say Im pushing an agenda. But the truth is, I am. The agenda to make people stay the fuck out of other peoples lives and stop dictating who they should be.

And to anyone worried about their children purchasing Satan Shoes behind their backs: Dont worry, theyre $1,018, a number inspired by Luke 10:18, which is also written on the shoes themselves: And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Update: Monday, March 29, at 10 a.m.: Lil Nas X isnt even arguing with the conservatives angrily tweeting at him, hes simply stating facts. From right-wing pastors to public officials to gun girl Kaitlin Bennett, no one escaped Lil Nas Xs clapbacks. ur a whole governor and u on here tweeting about some damn shoes, he responded to South Dakota governor Kristi Noem. do ur job! No Bible verses shall prosper against the rapper. When Noem responds, he hits her with his own Montero 1:08: Shoot a child in your mouth while Im ridin. The 21-year-old knew he did something right when Candace Owens, outrage personified, tweeted about the Satan shoes. Lil Nas X also had to set the record straight about Old Town Road, when Joyner Lucas claimed Nas X dropped some left field ish with Montero, catching parents and kids off guard. i literally sing about lean & adultery in old town road, Lil Nas X quote-tweets with the harsh truth. u decided to let your child listen. blame yourself. If youre gonna let musicians raise your kids, dont be surprised when they turn out cool as hell. Take notes on Lil Nas Xs comebacks below.

i literally sing about lean & adultery in old town road. u decided to let your child listen. blame yourself. https://t.co/gYmTi49BqB  nope  (@LilNasX) March 29, 2021

Shoot a child in your mouth while I'm ridin'



-Montero 1:08 https://t.co/AFjBdcBEtG  nope  (@LilNasX) March 28, 2021

i still see ur tweets shitty pants https://t.co/ErZfnY13Rl  nope  (@LilNasX) March 29, 2021

u cant last 30 seconds in bed with your wife https://t.co/6mFCJlceWb  nope  (@LilNasX) March 29, 2021

Update: Monday, March 29, at 5:35 p.m.: In an epic display of marketing dissonance, Nike is suing MSCHF, the designer behind the Satan sneak, for copyright infringement. According to a filing obtained by New York Times reporter Kevin Draper, the complaints include trademark infringement, false designation or origin, trademark dilution, and common-law-trademark infringement. Lil Nas X processed the news by making a meme.

me after the nike lawsuit pic.twitter.com/XVLjHlSrru  nope  (@LilNasX) March 29, 2021

The thing is, the Satan shoes are actually a sequel to a 2019 MSCHF design: Air Max 97s filled with 60 cubic centimeters of water from the River Jordan, allowing its wearer to walk on water like Jesus himself. Nike really shouldnt have picked a fight with the internets sharpshooter. Lil Nas X is out for blood.

Update, Thursday, April 1 at 2:00 p.m.: U.S. District Court Judge Eric Komitee has stopped the sale of Lil Nas Xs limited-edition Satan shoes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Nike followed up their trademark lawsuit with a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. The company claims the shoe will dilute the integrity of its icon, the swoosh. Lawyers for MSCHF argued the shoes are not sneakers, but individually numbered works of art, in a letter to the federal judge yesterday. At a hearing on Thursday, Nike stressed that both general consumers and sophisticated sneakerheads were confused. We have submitted numerous evidence that some consumers are saying they will never buy Nike shoes ever again, said Nikes attorney, per THR. MSCHF says all but one pair have already been sold and shipped, but Komitee ruled in favor of Nikes temporary restraining order. A hearing to consider a longer-lasting preliminary injunctive will follow.
In a nationally-televised address last night, French President Emmanuel Macron rejected desperate calls from medical authorities for a hard lockdown, as the pandemic spins out of control throughout the country. Instead, Macron announced minor social-distancing measures that are totally inadequate as a contagion driven by COVID-19 variants surges across France and Europe.

Schools will be closed and classes transitioned online for one week, beginning next Monday, before the holiday break at the end of next week. After the two-week holidays, preschool and primary school-aged children will return to in-person classes, while high school classes are to remain online for an additional week. For the 1 or 2 weeks that classes are online, parents who cannot work from home will receive wage assistance to remain at home.

French President Emmanuel Macron [Sebastien Nogier, Pool via AP]

Measures imposed two weeks ago in 20 regions, including Paris, are also to be extended across France. These include closing retail stores selling nonessential items, and limiting peoples movements when not going to work or school to a 10-kilometre radius around homes.

Acting with blatant contempt for human life, Macron ignored urgent warnings by medical authorities that anything less than a full lockdown will flood hospitals in Paris and other major cities across France. Thousands of lives will be lost as doctors are forced into the barbaric situation of choosing whom they will treat, and whom they will not treat, for lack of space.

Daily new cases in France range between 34,000 and 45,000the equivalent of 200,000 daily cases in a country the size of the United States. Less than 5 percent of French people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The day before Macron spoke, Patrick Bouet, the head of the National Council of the Order of Doctors, published an open letter in the daily Liberation demanding a change in policy. He wrote, with this terribly grave situation, the strictest measures are imposed upon us, that is, a true lockdown everywhere is needed. He added, we have lost control of the epidemic. Patients are ever younger, infections in schools are so many indicators of the continual degeneration of the situation over the last weeks.

Bouet cited desperate warnings from the Public Association of Paris Hospitals (AP-HP). With 1,484 patients in intensive care, 90 percent of intensive care beds are already occupied. However, AP-HP warned that a failure to enforce a strict lockdown beginning April 1 would mean more than 3,400 patients in intensive care within the Ile-de-France broader Paris region in three weeks. An additional weeks delay, they warned, would mean 1,000 patients more would need intensive care by the end of the month.

Life can tolerate today no arbitrage, no hesitation, no betting, Bouet wrote, concluding: I solemnly ask you to immediately reinforce, clearly and with no detours, our health measures. They can still avoid the virus engulfing everyone across our territory. Mr President, before we are massively vaccinated, everywhere the situation is serious, you must put us under lockdown.

Instead, Macron signalled that the virus will be allowed to continue spreading throughout the population, in defiance of scientific and medical advice.

A year ago, on March 17, 2020, after a wave of wildcat strikes in Italy, and across Europe and America, French authorities agreed to a two-month full lockdown. At that point, there were less than 8,000 confirmed cases and 175 deaths from COVID-19. Today, there are over 4.2 million active cases and there have been over 95,000 deaths from COVID-19 in France.

Yet Macron proposed not a full but a partial lockdownwithout a shutdown of nonessential industrial production, or a full closure of the schoolsand for less than half the duration.

As it refuses the measures health authorities are begging it to take, the Macron government is anticipating a vast wave of death that will sweep across France and Europe. It plans to double the number of emergency care beds in France to 10,000 and train new intensive care nurses. At the same time, state officials are discussing plans to distribute oxygen tanks to severely ill patients in their homeseffectively leaving them to their fate, unless they can be treated by a small number of overworked visiting nurses.

The number of classes forced to close by infections among students and teachers is skyrocketing. Last Friday, the education ministry reported 3,256 classrooms closed, up from 1,238 one week earlier. In Paris, Socialist Party mayor Anne Hidalgo reported that the incidence rate of the virus among 1518-year-olds is 800 per 100,000, significantly higher than the broader population.

In the working-class Paris area district of Seine-Saint Denis, individual teachers, unsupported by the trade unions, have begun invoking their constitutional right not to work in life-threatening conditions to walk off the job and close schools. These include the closed Eugene Delacroix high school, where at least 20 students parents have died of COVID-19.

Macron did not attempt to reconcile his decision to briefly close schools with his governments repeated claims that school closures are ineffective against the spread of the virus. Only last Friday, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said, it has not been demonstrated that the holiday period leads to fewer infections than during the school period.

Instead, like the Roman Emperor Nero who fiddled while Rome burned, Macron spent much of his speech congratulating himself on his disastrous handling of COVID-19. Since the beginning of this year we have opted for a response which aimed at slowing the epidemic without locking down, he said. He hailed his government for taking into account the consequences of restrictions on our children, on their education, on the economy, on society, on mental health.

In fact, the policy adopted by Macron and the entire European Union (EU) placed profits over lives, with disastrous consequences. In January, polls indicated two-thirds of the French public supported a lockdown to halt the spread of the disease, and doctors were calling on Macron to implement strict social distancing. Yet Macron insisted upon rejecting a lockdown.

Events since then have refuted all Macrons rationalizations for keeping children in school, and workers at work, so that profits would continue to flow to the banks and major corporations. This policy, supported and adopted by governments across the EU, did not slow the pandemic. Rather, they led daily new cases in France to pass from around 10,000 at the end of December to triple that or more today.

Claims that herd immunity policies would save the economy compared to lockdowns are also exploded as frauds. Countries like China, Taiwan and Vietnam used scientific procedures such as lockdowns and rigorous test-and-trace procedures to limit the spread of the virus. With 96 million inhabitants, Vietnam has seen 35 deaths, and its economy grew over 2 percent in 2020.

France, with just under 67 million inhabitants, has seen nearly 100,000 deaths and, together with the rest of Europe, is sunk in its deepest economic and social crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The EU used this pandemic, however, to give a 1.25 trillion bailout to the banks and hand out over 750 billion in EU bailout funds in state loans to major corporations. A parasitic financial aristocracy is feasting on unprecedented handouts of public funds, while thousands are left to die.

The disaster unfolding in France exposes the bankruptcy of European capitalism. This includes not only the banks and the governments, but also the union bureaucracies and their political allies in the middle class, the pseudo-left parties, who in France have served as Macrons essential allies in implementing the open schools policy. Having signed their approval of EU bailouts as part of their negotiations with Macron, the unions isolated strikes by teachers last autumn against in-person learning, allowing Macron to crush strikers with riot police.

Macrons speech is a warning: the only way to avert truly horrific levels of death in France, as across Europe, is the international mobilization of the working class in struggle. Schools and nonessential production must be closed, and workers provided with a comfortable living wage to support them throughout the pandemic until a vaccine can be administered to the entire population. Massive resources must be invested to provide educators with the means for an effective program of online learning for students.

A struggle for such policies can only be organized independently of the union bureaucracies, however, as an international political movement to expropriate the financial aristocracy and transfer state power, including control over health policy, to the working class.
Professor Adam Finn, from Bristol University, said the decision hinged on whether children would be benefitted by the vaccine

British children may only be asked to get Covid vaccines if the spread of the virus threatens to shut schools once again, a Government vaccine adviser said today.

Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the advisory committee that decided the jab priority list, claimed the decision hinged on whether it would 'keep things functioning normally across society'.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'One would not really be comfortable with immunising children entirely for the benefit of others and not for the children.

'I think if it does look as though it's necessary, that will be driven by the observation that the virus is still circulating and there's jeopardy for children in terms of disruption to their education.'

His comments come after Pfizer claimed their vaccine was 100 per cent effective in children and triggered a 'robust' antibody response.

None of the 12 to 15 year olds given the jab as part of a trial caught coronavirus nor suffered any serious side-effects, according to trial results.

Jabs made by AstraZeneca, Moderna and Janssen are also being tested in children, with results expected later this year. Children as young as five will get vaccinated in British trials.

Scientists say it's morally complicated to jab children because they have almost zero risk of dying or falling seriously ill from the disease, and would only be vaccinated to protect older people. It is still unknown, however, how long Covid may affect them.

Leaked Government plans last month suggested ministers wanted to start getting jabs to millions of under-18s by August to try to achieve herd immunity when the virus can't spread because so many people are protected.

Pfizer revealed yesterday that its jab was 100 per cent effective in clinical trials on more than 2,000 children aged 12 to 15. It recorded 18 cases in the placebo group, and none among those who had been vaccinated against the virus

Vaccinating children could be controversial because it is likely to be focused on protecting older people rather than the children themselves. Other vaccines given to children, such as for measles and meningitis, protect against diseases that are very dangerous and potentially deadly to children, but the same is not true of Covid-19 (stock image)

Pfizer's Covid vaccine is 100% effective in children aged 12 to 15, trial results suggest The Pfizer vaccine is 100 per cent effective in children aged 12 to 15, a study suggests. None of those given the jab as part of a trial caught coronavirus nor suffered any serious side-effects. The company now hopes the vaccine can be given to pupils in this age group before the start of the next school year. It will send data to the UK regulator - the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - within a couple of months. Vaccinating children will move the UK closer to herd immunity and help ease teachers fears about classroom transmission, experts say. Researchers examined the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in a trial of 2,260 teenagers in the US. Half were given the jab and the other half were given a placebo. There were no Covid cases seen in the group who received the vaccine and 18 infections among those who did not. Albert Bourla, chief executive of Pfizer, said: We share the urgency to expand the authorisation of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15. We plan to submit these data to the US Food and Drug Administration... and to other regulators around the world, with the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year. Advertisement

JCVI member Professor Finn, who is also a child vaccine expert based at Bristol University, revealed the decision on whether to vaccinate children was yet to be taken.

He said: 'Of course, there are children who do get sick when they experience Covid, but very small numbers.

'There are children that get sick as well, but I think the main reason for doing it would be to try to keep things functioning normally across society, including schools.'

He said ministers may need to wait to see how the jab roll-out goes in adults before deciding if it is necessary to immunise children 'in order to keep the virus under control'.

Professor Finn added: 'The important aspect of that for children is that we desperately want to keep schools open into the next academic year and avoid any further disruption to education.

'I think this would benefit children if it turns out to be necessary, but clearly, we dont want to do this unless it is necessary, because it would be an additional difficulty, costs and so on.'

He added there had been 'no problems' in the AstraZeneca vaccine trials on children, and they were also awaiting results from trials of the Janssen jab.

If the threshold of protection needed is high to stop the virus spreading, children may need vaccinating too otherwise the disease will continue transmitting among them.

Scientists say it is likely at least two thirds of the population will need to be jabbed to get anywhere close to herd immunity. But because no vaccine is 100 per cent effective, experts say the threshold may need to be closer to 90 per cent.

Although most children won't get sick if they are infected, the long-term effects of the virus aren't well understood.

It means that, when prevalence is high, there is a higher risk that some will get seriously ill or that the virus will make its way into adults for whom the jab hasn't worked.

Other vaccines given to children, such as for measles and meningitis, protect against diseases that are very dangerous and potentially deadly to children, but the same is not true of Covid.

Children are at least risk of dying if they catch Covid  with Public Health England data showing their risk is less than one in a million.

The rate among over-80s, who are most at risk, is 1,513 per 100,000  or 1.5 per cent of all those who catch the virus.

Experts who back the child vaccination policy argue that it is important to minimise the risk of infection, despite some academics arguing children do not contribute to the spread of Covid.

Israel is the first country in the world to have rolled out vaccines to under-18s, with 16 and 17-year-olds having jabs after the health ministry decided it was safe.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said last month 'no decisions' had been made on whether children should be offered vaccinations.

One source involved in the plan told The Telegraph vaccines for children 'may begin by late summer,' stating specifically that August was the date.

Another source said that this would be the 'earliest' the roll-out for under-18s would begin.

Only children who are at a high risk of Covid are currently able to have a vaccine.

The proposal to vaccinate children underlines the extent to which the government feels it must drive down cases ahead of next winter.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1)  Local pharmaceutical company Unilab, Inc. on Thursday said it was working with the government to stomp out the spread of counterfeit medicines in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an advisory, Unilab said it continues to cooperate with the Philippine Food and Drug Administration to address the proliferation of fake medicines in the market.

"We advise the public to remain vigilant when buying healthcare products, and to purchase only from trusted drugstores and retailers," it added.

Last Saturday, the FDA cited ways to spot fake vaccines after reports of COVID-19 shots being illegally distributed in other countries, such as Mexico and South Africa.

READ: How can you spot a fake COVID-19 vaccine?

"Sometimes, a laboratory test is the only way to identify the difference," said Dr. Oscar Gutierrez, deputy director general for Field Regulatory Operations at the FDA.

He said these tips can help consumers identify between fake and authentic vaccine shots:

-It is not correctly labeled or has no label at all

-There is no expiration date indicated

-It does not contain information on how to store the product

-The packaging looks poorly constructed or appears to have been altered

-There are spelling or grammatical errors on the packaging or instructions on how to use the shot

-Vials are dirty or have scratches

-Cap has a dent or is broken

-Rubber seals are punctured

-Foreign materials are found in the vial

Gutierrez said fake vaccines "can lead to infection, severe disease, permanent disability or death.

For any information regarding the sale or distribution of counterfeit healthcare products, Unilab encourages the public to report it to the following:

- FDA - (02) 88095596 or email at report@fda.gov.ph

- Unilab - (02) 8864-5221 or message through its Facebook page
A man arrested following a stabbing rampage at a North Vancouver library that killed one woman and sent six to hospital has a history of threatening people with a knife, Winnipeg court records show.

A man arrested following a stabbing rampage at a North Vancouver library that killed one woman and sent six to hospital has a history of threatening people with a knife, Winnipeg court records show.

North Vancouver RCMP have charged 28-year-old Yannick Bandaogo with second-degree murder and other offences. He remains in custody.

In January, Bandaogo was sentenced in Winnipeg to 160 days of time served and one year of supervised probation, after admitting to threatening to stab two city employees.

Court heard the two were on patrol in the Exchange District, Aug. 10, 2020, shortly after 6 p.m., when they came upon Bandaogo, who started yelling at them and making threatening gestures to cut their necks.

The pair continued on their route, with Bandaogo continuing to yell at them and make slicing gestures at his throat.

At McDermot Avenue and Arthur Street, Bandaogo walked toward them with a 12-inch knife, saying: "I will cut you."

Bandaogo continued to threaten the two civic employees as they called police, who arrived a short time later and arrested the man.

DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES A forensics police officer works inside the Lynn Valley Library in North Vancouver, B.C., Saturday.

Bandaogo later pleaded guilty to two counts of uttering threats and one count of carrying a concealed weapon. Two counts of assault with a weapon were stayed.

Asked why he had the knife in the first place, Bandaogo told provincial court Judge Lee Ann Martin he needed it for protection, after street gangs twice tried to attack him.

"I had the knife to defend myself," Bandaogo said. "If I didnt have the knife, I would have died in the street It was for intimidating people  if they were going to attack me."

JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES A family embraces at a makeshift memorial outside of the Lynn Valley Library in Lynn Valley in North Vancouver, B.C., Sunday.

Martin said she believed Bandaogo when he said it was dangerous on the street, but he threatened people who posed no threat to him.

"Three times, you followed them, you threatened to cut them, and you brandished your knife," Martin said. "You didnt use it in your defence, you scared those people. We cant have that."

Bandaogo, an amateur boxer, was born in Montreal and was still living in Quebec when he became homeless about two years ago, court heard.

"Unfortunately, over the last two years, there have been family problems with his parents He found himself itinerant," said his lawyer, Jean-Rene Dominique Kwilu.

JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Thousands of flowers are pictured at a makeshift memorial outside of the Lynn Valley Library Monday.

Prior to his arrest, Bandaogo had been planning to move to Alberta to live with a cousin and look for a job, Dominique Kwilu said.

"There were possibilities for jobs but his English level isnt excellent," he said.

Dominique Kwilu said one year of probation would provide Bandaogo the support he needed to complete his high school education, access francophone services and improve his English.

Martin agreed, saying: "I feel one year (probation) will be enough to get him back on his feet."

JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Flowers and notes are seen at a makeshift memorial for the stabbing victims that were attacked by Yannick Bandaogo on Saturday.

Three weeks later, a warrant was issued for Bandaogos arrest, after he failed to report to his probation officer.

Bandaogo has a court record in Quebec as well, where warrants were previously issued for his arrest, after he allegedly breached court orders.

Bandaogo pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon causing bodily harm in September 2019, and a year earlier was sentenced to one month in jail for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest in Longueuil, Que., a suburb of Montreal.

On the same day, he was also sentenced to four months for assault causing bodily harm and three months in connection with two other assault cases.

JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES A man is silhouetted at the makeshift memorial.

Bandaogo was arrested March 27 after seven people, ranging in age from 22 to 78, were attacked in and around North Vancouver's Lynn Valley Library.

RCMP have said they dont know why Bandaogo came to the West Coast or when. Police said Bandaogo was not known to any of the victims.

Mayor Mike Little said the community is shocked and saddened by the attack.

"No one expects to be confronted with violence while going about their day in a civic plaza outside a library and just running their errands for the course of the day. It's an absolute shock."

 with files from The Canadian Press

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Dean Pritchard

Courts reporter Someone once said a journalist is just a reporter in a good suit. Dean Pritchard doesnt own a good suit. But he knows a good lawsuit. Read full biography


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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Ethos Gold Corp. (TSXV: ECC) (OTCQB: ETHOF) (FSE: 1ET) ("Ethos" or the "Company") announces that it has closed the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered flow through private placements (the "Private Placements") raising gross proceeds of $2,798,030.

The closing of the first tranche of the Private Placements consisted of the following:

a British Columbia flow through private placement of 2,796,168 flow through units priced at $0.24 per unit for gross proceeds of $671,080. Each unit will comprise one flow through share, and one half of one non-flow through common share purchase warrant. Each whole such warrant will be exercisable into one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.40 for a period of two years following closing. The common share purchase warrants will be subject to acceleration at the Company's discretion in the event its common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange on a volume weighted average price ("VWAP") basis of C$0.60 or more for a period of ten consecutive trading days. Proceeds of this offering will be utilized on the Company's Perk Rocky copper-gold porphyry project in British Columbia or on eligible flow through expenditures on other British Columbia projects.

an Ontario flow through private placement of 716,666 flow through units priced at $0.24 per unit for gross proceeds of $172,000. Each unit will comprise one flow through share, and one half of one non-flow through common share purchase warrant. Each whole such warrant will be exercisable into one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.40 for a period of two years following closing. The common share purchase warrants will be subject to acceleration at the Company's discretion in the event its common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange on a volume weighted average price ("VWAP") basis of C$0.60 or more for a period of ten consecutive trading days. Proceeds of this offering will be utilized on the Company's Savant Lake Gold Project in Ontario or on eligible flow through expenditures on other Ontario projects.

a national flow through private placement of 5,161,365 flow through units priced at $0.22 per unit for gross proceeds of $1,135,500. Each unit will comprise one flow through share, and one half of one non-flow through common share purchase warrant. Each whole such warrant will be exercisable into one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.40 for a period of two years following closing. The common share purchase warrants will be subject to acceleration at the Company's discretion in the event its common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange on a volume weighted average price ("VWAP") basis of C$0.60 or more for a period of ten consecutive trading days. Proceeds of this offering will be utilized on the Company's Toogood gold project in Newfoundland or on eligible flow through expenditures on other projects within Canada.

a national charity flow through private placement of 3,277,800 flow through units priced at $0.25 per unit for gross proceeds of $819,450. Each unit will comprise one flow through share, and one half of one non-flow through common share purchase warrant. Each whole such warrant will be exercisable into one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.40 for a period of two years following closing. The common share purchase warrants will be subject to acceleration at the Company's discretion in the event its common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange on a volume weighted average price ("VWAP") basis of C$0.60 or more for a period of ten consecutive trading days. Proceeds of this offering will be utilized on eligible flow through expenditures on the Company's projects within Canada.

The Private Placements are subject to the final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange, and all securities issued or issuable under the Private Placements will be subject to a 4-month hold period expiring on August 2, 2021. The Company paid cash Finders fees of $110,855 and issued an aggregate of 347,347 Finders Warrants in connection with the Private Placements.

Members of the Company's management and technical advisory team participated in certain of the Private Placements including subscriptions from related parties of the Company as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"): Craig Roberts (CEO and a director of the Company) and Jo Price (VP Exploration) acquired an aggregate of 667,000 Units. The participation of Mr. Roberts and Ms. Price in the Private Placement were exempt from formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements pursuant to exemptions contained in sections 5.5(c) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101.

Management Appointments

Ethos is also pleased to announce the appointments of Robert Scott, CPA, CA, CFA, as Chief Financial Officer, and Danica Topolewski as Corporate Secretary effective April 1, 2021. The Board of Directors of Ethos wishes to thank outgoing CFO Scott Kelly for his services over the past 7 years and wishes him success in his future endeavours.

Robert Scott brings more than 20 years of professional experience in accounting, corporate finance, and merchant and commercial banking and has served on the management teams and boards of a number of Canadian publicly traded companies. He is a founder and president of Corex Management Inc., a private company providing accounting, administration, and corporate compliance services to privately held and publicly traded companies. Mr. Scott currently holds senior management and board positions with a number of TSX Venture Exchange Issuers.

Danica Topolewski is a partner in a privately held consulting company offering corporate secretarial services to both private and publicly listed companies. She has over 15 years of corporate secretary experience with dozens of companies ranging from private start-ups to mid-tier market cap public companies in the mining, biotech, technology, and agricultural industries. She specializes in IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and private placements.

Clarification of Heaven Lake Option

The Company wishes to clarify certain disclosure in its March 8, 2021 press release whereby Ethos announced that it had entered into an earn-in agreement under which it may earn a 100% interest in the Heaven Lake claim block. The Company clarifies the following terms of the earn-in:

The final 2,000,000 shares payment is due within 24 months of signing (not 124 months).

The option agreement contains a 2.0% net smelter returns royalty (the "Royalty"), of which 1.0% can be repurchased for $1.0 million.

The Royalty is subject to a right of first refusal in favour of Ethos in the event of a proposed sale, transfer or other disposal of the Royalty, or any portion thereof, by the Heaven Lake optionors.

About Ethos Gold Corp.

Ethos Gold, a Discovery Group company, has accumulated a portfolio of district scale projects in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, and Nevada that we believe have large scale discovery potential. The Company has a strong technical team led by Dr. Rob Carpenter, formerly the CEO of Kaminak Gold Corporation. Rob led the Kaminak team from initial listing in 2005 through acquisition and discovery of the multiple-million ounce Coffee Gold Project. In Ethos he has assembled a senior geologic team with a strong record of discovery success including Dr. Robert Brozdowski, P.Geo., Dan MacNeil, M.Sc., P. Geo, and Dr. Alan Wainwright, P.Geo. Dr. Quinton Hennigh, an economic geologist with 25 years of exploration experience formerly with Homestake Mining Company, Newcrest Mining and Newmont Mining Corp oversees the Company's work at the Iron Point project in Nevada. With working capital of approximately C$7 million, the Company is well funded to advance its projects.

Ethos Gold Corp.

Per: "Alex Heath"

Alex Heath, CFA, President

For further information about Ethos Gold Corp. or this news release, please visit our website at ethosgold.com or contact Alex Heath at 604-354-2491 or by email at alexh@ethosgold.com.

Ethos Gold Corp. is a proud member of Discovery Group. For more information please visit: discoverygroup.ca

Forward-Looking Statement Cautions:

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company's plans with respect to the Company's projects and the timing related thereto, the merits of the Company's projects, the Company's objectives, plans and strategies, the Private Placements, and other project opportunities. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective,", "strategy", "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include the risk of accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, or the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other agency or governmental clearances, necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, risks and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, risks and uncertainties related to the Company's ability to complete the Private Placements and the size of the Private Placements, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes in the jurisdictions where the Company carries on its business that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79243
The new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers great opportunities for intra-African trade to prosper: 1.3 billion people can be served and over US$3 trillion markets can be tapped.



The CEO of AIDEC Holdings Ltd, Mr Ambrose Yennah, believes that digital technologies will play a major role in driving business growth and success on the Continent in the coming decade. He expects digitalization to facilitate the flow of goods, ideas and capital, and bolster innovation in the public and private sectors of Africa.



However, governments and business leaders face the challenge of crafting and executing clear strategies to harness the benefits of digitalisation.



AIDEC Consultancies International Ltd, a subsidiary of AIDEC Holdings Ltd, launches The AIDEC Digital Solutions and Excellence Center to provide digital solutions for businesses, public sector institutions and corporate organizations and Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs).



The Center will help organisations INNOVATE, STRATEGISE and EXECUTE their frontline and backbone technology plans. The Center will help drive DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION across the African Continent. The Team at AIDEC will work passionately to maximise our clients DiGiTaL-eDGe in Africa.



We will help them (clients) wire their organisations for the future. We will work with clients in the health, banking and finance, energy, education, retail and agric sectors to drive growth, efficiency and innovation using technology that works for people, profit and the planet!



Our sensitivity to the environment means that we will work with clients to explore green technologies to power clean and sustainable development on the Continent. The Team at AIDEC Consultancies International Ltd is excited to unveil its new baby to the public. We look forward to fostering prosperous partnerships across Africa to bridge digital skills gaps and offer high-quality technology consulting services, Mr Yennah said.



Prof. Robert Yennah, Chairman of the AIDEC Board of Directors dared individuals to seek to become Digital Citizens, by acquiring the relevant knowledge and skills to confidently, positively and effectively use digital technologies to communicate with others, participate in society, create and consume digital content.



Companies today are rushing to become more digital, so as to avoid being outmoded or folding up, because going digital is the new normal for doing business and engaging with customers, improving customer care and business outcomes.



Finally, going digital is a Technological and Organisational process that allows an enterprise to be agile and fast. The digital mindset of a company enables it to use data to make better and faster decisions in order to grow, blossom and be more profitable, Prof. Yennah added.





Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
GREENVILLE  Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order April 1 directing the state Department of Commerce to increase efforts to recruit pharmaceutical and medical supply manufacturers.

The difficulties of getting personal protective equipment during the past year  which sparked bidding wars  had "awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve," McMaster said during a news conference at Bausch and Lomb Greenville.

"This last year has made it very clear that relying on China for life-saving medical supplies is a risk we can no longer afford, and South Carolina can lead the way when it comes to bringing the manufacturing of those products back home," McMaster said in a statement.

The Department of Commerce will work with SCBio, a statewide, not-for-profit life sciences industry association. In February, McMaster announced at an SCBio event that he wanted South Carolina to be the leader in domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham also spoke, saying the state needs to be prepared for another pandemic. At the beginning of the health crisis more than a year ago, 90 percent of PPE gear was made in China, he said.

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Graham said he will help the directive on the federal level, working to get tax credits for companies that develop PPE, similar to incentives given to wind, solar and other alternative energy companies.

"McMaster has made a decision that I think may pay dividends long after our time is up," he said. "Telling everyone in America, South Carolina is open and ready to do business in the area of life sciences."

Life sciences is a $12 billion industry in South Carolina and one of the fastest-growing commercial sectors in the state. There are more than 800 firms in 42 of 46 counties and 43,000 direct or indirect jobs, according to research by Joey Von Nessen, a research economist with the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

SCBio CEO Sam Konduros said he is ready to "aggressively" follow McMaster's lead with a goal to make it the "most fertile" place for life sciences companies.
The public could lose trust in science if scientific and medical researchers choose to bypass the traditional high standards of peer-reviewed medical journals in the rush to get research data released, particularly during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

That's the warning from three leading medical communications organizations, that have published a joint statement in the peer-reviewed journal Current Medical Research and Opinion - asserting that the integrity of published scientific and medical research must be protected.

Out today, the joint statement from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA), the European Medical Writers Association (EMWA), and the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP), argues that although peer-review is still the most common process for vetting scientific publications, there is a worrying trend for manuscripts to be released without pre-publication review.

Especially during the COVID-19 health crisis, medical researchers have felt significant pressure to publish COVID-19 findings as quickly as possible, but the statement emphasizes that having a pre-publication review is still essential. The danger is that once the threshold of publication oversight is lowered, it becomes a precedent that cannot be easily reversed, potentially eroding standards and causing the public to lose trust in medical science. "Medical communicators, including writers, editors, and those involved in quality control, play a critical role in ensuring that clinical and scientific data are published and disseminated in an accurate and clear manner. In the current rush-to-publish environment, all stakeholders in the scientific and clinical research communities and press must ensure that the public have correct and actionable information from which to make health and medical decisions," explained Gail Flores, PhD, President of AMWA.

In particular, the statement highlights the impact of preprints - preliminary scientific reports that are made publicly available online for anyone to read and discuss before they have been peer reviewed. While preprints enable rapid release and discussion of data, many are never revised or corrected, and only about a third-to-a half are ever fully published. This can also occur with articles submitted for post-publication peer review, in which an article is published in its original form, before expert peer reviewers are invited to critique it.

The statement recognizes the benefit of rapid publication but alerts that they have to be vetted against the potential harms associated with an accelerated process. "Particularly in these times, it is more important than ever to retain public trust in science, while balancing the need to report timely and relevant medical research," stated Beatrix Doerr, PhD, President of EMWA. In seeking a resolution, the three organizations present recommendations and a Reviewers' Checklist to provide a minimum standard of pre-publication vetting to enhance preprint publication processes.

Their key recommendations include:

Performing more extensive and consistent checks ? for example, by preprint server hosts ? - on articles that have not been peer-reviewed prior to publication.

Referencing preprints and articles uploaded for post-publication peer-review only as in-text reference (with a preprint link, DOI, or both), rather than as a bibliographic reference, and clearly labelled as a preprint, or as undergoing post-publication peer review.

Watermarking articles plus including a disclosure within the body of the article highlighting that the findings have not been formally peer-reviewed.

Educating medical journalists and the public about the differences between preprints, post-publication peer review, and traditional peer review.

Crucially, the organizations have also identified ways in which the peer-review process - renowned for being "laborious and time-consuming" - could be expedited. They call upon each stakeholder - authors, journal editors, and publishers - to play a part in this. Their key suggestions include:

Rapid response team of reviewers

Standardized formatting requirements to shorten the time to re-submission

Portable peer-review

Fast-track options

Incentives for reviewers

"For those engaged in preprints, post-publication peer-review, as well as traditional peer-review publications, our joint statement presents key practical recommendations to safeguard the quality of the publications while supporting their more rapid dissemination. We strongly encourage authors, journal editors, publishers, and other stakeholders to review and apply these practical suggestions, ensuring a high-quality standard for published research, irrespective of the format," emphasized Robert J. Matheis, PhD, MA, President and CEO of ISMPP.

###
This month we uncover the heroes behind the brands that millions of South Africans take into their homes and hearts every day. Being acknowledged and appreciated is everything and so we find out more from Cate Williams, marketing manager and brand strategist at Retail Capital South Africa.

Cate Williams, marketing manager and brand strategist at Retail Capital South Africa

How would you define your brand?

The Retail Capital brand is positioned not only to offer accessible funding to grow South African Businesses but to also offer advice, tools and services to a highly neglected and very important South African business sector.

Which consumer sector does your brand predominantly play in?

What other sectors impact on your industry?

Can you share with our readers about your recent brand campaigns and the rationales behind them?

Tell us about your most successful marketing campaign.

What do you think are the most successful channels for getting your brand message out there?

Message delivery and connecting with consumers can often be a challenge. What is your strategy when delivering the intended message?

Through our surveys, business consultants and data analysts, we aim to stay at the cutting edge of what our customers need and want and we work tirelessly to give it to them.

Whats the best part of your job?

What career advice would you give to aspirant young marketing and branding professionals?

Education doesnt stop when you graduate. Marketing is an ever changing, ever evolving industry.

The Retail Capital brand is a true peoples champion (The Peoples Champion is a brand with a mandate: it is standing up for a group of people short-served or exploited by the establishment for too long. However, this challenger is an agent of change , not just protest. It offers an alternative model for success, often creating people powered solutions with the communitys interests at heart.)Driven to support a long underserved market, Retail Capital was born to offer alternative and more accessible funding solutions than traditional financial institutions. We openly challenge the status quo to address the real needs of every business owner in South Africa.While the brand is innovative and tech-led, we make sure to keep our customers at the core of every decision we make whether it be a product or marketing decision. We live by our purpose of supporting Small Business in South Africa and have a highly personal approach to each and every business we serve.We touch on fintech, small business funding and alternative lending.Predominantly banking, government and financial institutions.Our most recent campaigns have been education and engagement focussed, as opposed to sales driven. This, as the country (and small businesses in particular) struggle to navigate the challenges of Covid-19.Almost immediately, as South Africa went into lockdown a year ago, we overhauled our entire marketing strategy to support small businesses with as much information we could get our hands on and advice to keep them surviving and thriving through lockdown and one of the toughest global economic challenges of our time.Over the past year, since our first lockdown, we reached out and spoke to every one of our customers and ran multiple surveys to better understand what they were dealing with at the coalface. These results were published on our own channels as well as through PR.We also issued four e-books tackling key business issues and we even published a book, (Unlocked: A journey of struggle and survival to overcome lockdown as a business owner in South Africa) at the end of 2020 to summarise what was, a very tumultuous year. The book highlighted inspirational stories, key learnings to take into the future and profiled some of the brightest stars that really thrived throughout the lockdowns. This book was available as an e-book and print version and was downloadable free of charge on our website.By far our most successful campaign to date was our Unlocked Campaign which chronicled the effects of lockdown on Small Businesses in South Africa. The campaign, which featured stories of real businesses and ended up in a published book, was real, raw and authentic.We dug deep to tell the stories of strife but also to highlight the many businesses that thrived during lockdown. We used these stories as messages of hope and inspiration to guide other small businesses to do the same. The campaign saw extensive PR coverage and engagement on social media and our highest ever engagement rate on our direct mail platform.By far our most successful channel is our customer. Without blowing our own horn, its safe to say our customers love us and they love to recommend us to their peers. We have a phenomenally positive review base both online and offline and word of mouth is a huge generator of interest for us. Aside from that, we make use of a dedicated team of business consultants who service small businesses directly and tailor funding to their specific needs.At Retail Capital, even though we are a fintech company, personal relationships are of utmost importance. We also make use of Social Media to drive awareness as well as educate and engage with our audience.At the core of every successful product or business is addressing a key need and delivering it in a customer-centric way. Our strategy is therefore simple. We dont tell. We ask.We really do keep the customer at the core of everything we do, we are always listening and engaging with them and it allows us to communicate in a way that is relevant and authentic.Seeing the real impact of our funding and knowing how it not only helps businesses thrive but could contribute to growing our economy. In South Africa, small business contributes significantly to address the staggering unemployment figures and especially after a very tough year, it is deeply humbling to be a part of / play a role in the solution.In a world where data is the new currency of impactful and smart marketing, understanding the flow thereof and how to analyse campaign success, not only gives you a competitive advantage in the market, but with internal stakeholders and strategic partnerships too. But mostly, keep educating yourself.To succeed, you need to become a serial reader, serial course taker and serial conference-goer. The more you learn, the better youll become at navigating a very complex, very cluttered world of marketing.
Laval_news

Demers will not run again

Demers governed with relative stability, largely seen as the face of transition from Laval under trusteeship to a new era for the provinces third largest city

Laval Mayor Marc Demers will not seek re-election in November.

Its never easy to find the right time to leave says Demers, who announced his departure from public life on Tuesday morning. But leave he will, stating I feel like Ive done my duty.

The former long-time Laval cop and two-time Parti quebecois candidate made a mark in the provinces third largest city, pushing programs and initiatives, as well as high levels of spending and investment in infrastructure, community organizations, culture and more while working to get Laval out from under the shadow of trusteeship where he found it with its legacy of corruption, collusion and cronyism.

Mouvement lavallois Equipe Marc Demers took over council in 2013 with 18 of 22 seats, followed by a stunning victory of 20 of 22 council seats in 2017.

Th 69-year-old Demers is leaving after 38 years of public service, and recently handed over some of his duties to deputy mayor Stephane Boyer to spend more time with his wife who was undergoing medical treatment.

Demers said leaving politics required leaving behind a more favourable situation than he found, an enviable economic situation; and when there are successors at the ready. He expressed pride in having demonstrated that economic development and environmental protection can be reconciled. We brought Laval into the 21st century.

Demers will stay on as leader of Mouvement lavallois, the party founded by now opposition councillor David De Cotis, until his replacement is named. Its with sadness and understanding that the news was received says ML president Lyne Sylvain, who called Demers a historic leader for Mouvement lavallois, not only its first to win election but also the one who restored confidence in Laval, adding that the party will soon announce leadership race details.

To date, no one has declared interest in ML to run for mayor, and there are currently three declared mayoralty candidates for November: Official Opposition and Parti Laval leader Michel Trottier, Action Lavals Sonia Baudelot, and Vimont councillor Michel Poissant of Laval Citoyens.

Demers tenure also garnered some sharp criticism, particularly around the grand and expensive projects that one council observer dubbed Lavals municipal penis envy vis-a-vis Montreal, like Place Bell and the still nascent and costly central aquatic complex, while the city has a great dearth of neighbourhood pools and skating rinks. the installation of corporate sponsorship tributes at city hall, and the fiasco over the Commodore project with resulted in the city paying almost $14 million to settle out of court with developers.

The citys annual property tax hikes, despite growing reserves, earned his administration sharp rebukes from many citizens as well as criticism by its own auditor-general.

Demers was also mired in court actions more than once: fighting successfully to prove his eligibility to run due to residency questions; and twice condemned  over defamation of a former councillor, and in 2018 of knowingly breaking the election law when he loaned $28,000 to his party less than a month before the 2013 election. Demers claimed ignorance of the law, striking some observers as ironic, given he ran on cleaning up Laval after the Vaillancourt years, when several of that mayors associates claimed of ignorance of the law when questioned on straw-man financing schemes at the provinces Charbonneau Commission.

His 2017 victory was dampened the following year by a deep rift within Mouvement lavallois, that saw nine disgruntled councillors cross the floor after some changes to committee appointments and ostensibly in protest of their leaders dictatorial ways, some of them later stating that for years they did not work for the good of the public and claiming legal irregularities about the partys leadership process. Four councillors returned to ML shortly thereafter.

The rift temporarily slammed the brakes on governance in Quebecs third largest city, as charges of all types were leveled against the mayor, including one councillors contention that his former colleague and leader was a despicable liar, and anothers claim that the mayors staff would literally stand over elected officials with a phone in their hands and order them to contact media to praise their boss.

The ongoing disfunction did not help change the state of Lavals pull in Quebec, which was largely acknowledged as light in terms of relations with Quebec City under the former Liberal government, and that changed dramatically with the election of the CAQ government, which clearly warmed relations with Laval.

Its largely viewed that Marc Demers was the face of the transition of Laval, from an era of strongman politics and influence peddling to a period of stability for a new city increasingly taking its place on the Quebec map with more than 430,000 citizens with an increasingly diverse population and a billion-dollar budget.

As for Demers legacy, that, as with all political legacies, are not written by the pol, a press team, or a chef de cabinet. Indeed, they are written at the ballot box, and Laval voters will have their final word in less than eight months.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 04:40:21|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts on Wednesday amid escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine.

Milley and Ukrainian Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Ruslan Khomchak discussed the current security environment in Eastern Europe, according to a statement provided by Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. Dave Butler.

"Ukraine is a key partner to NATO and plays a critical role in maintaining peace and stability in Europe," said the statement.

Milley also spoke with his Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov. "The two military leaders exchanged their views on issues of mutual concern," said a separate statement.

The phone conversations came amid reports of escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow and Kiev blamed each other for provocative actions.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters later in the day during a press briefing that "we are concerned about the recent escalation of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, including violation of the July 2020 ceasefire."

He noted the Pentagon was aware of Ukrainian military reports concerning Russian troop's movement on the border.

The New York Times reported that the U.S. European Command in the past week raised its watch level from possible crisis to potential imminent crisis, the highest level, in response to the buildup of Russian forces on the border. Enditem
KLAMATH FALLS  Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday declared a drought in southern Oregons Klamath County.

The declaration allows state agencies to coordinate and prioritize assistance to the region. Brown said in a news release the Klamath Basin faces one of the most difficult water years in recent memory.

Moving forward, we must look for long-term solutions to the underlying issue in Klamath and many other Oregon counties: there is too little water to go around. After last years wildfire season, we are closely monitoring drought conditions in the Klamath Basin and statewide.

As of March 31, the snow-water equivalent in Klamath County was 81% of a normal water year, according to Natural Resources Conservation Service. Already dry soils heading into this winter will absorb more of that snow once it melts, causing streamflow forecasts to Upper Klamath Lake to be among the lowest in decades, The Herald and News reported.

Drought, severe weather conditions and the upcoming fire season pose significant threats to the local economy, agriculture and livestock, natural resources and recreation in Klamath County.

On March 9, the Klamath County Commission declared a drought emergency and a state drought declaration was requested.

--The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Micron Technology Inc. (MU) and Western Digital Corp. (WDC) are interested in buying Kioxia Holdings Corp, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter. The companies are each exploring a potential deal for Kioxia Holdings that could value the Japanese semiconductor company at about $30 billion, the report said. A deal for Kioxia, controlled by private-equity firm Bain Capital, isn't guaranteed, and it isn't clear how one might be structured. If a deal come together, it could be finalized later this spring. The Tokyo-based company had been planning an initial public offering before shelving it in late September, citing the coronavirus pandemic and market volatility. An IPO later this year is still a possibility should the company fail to reach agreement on a deal with one of the suitors, the report said. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PATERSON, N.J., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Legal-Bay, LLC, a leading pre-settlement funding company, reports today that they are increasing their funding for victims of wrongful termination in light of a recent ruling. An affirmative action officer was injured when she tripped over a rod in the lobby of Paterson's City Hall. The municipal employee utilized worker's compensation to take a year of leave to recover, but there was a miscommunication when she asked to extend it, and was terminated instead. After a lengthy legal battle, Ms. Kinion was awarded $125,000.

Legal-Bay expects to see comparable damages for similar cases in the future. They urge plaintiffs who have lost their jobs due to racial, gender, disability, or age-related discrimination to reach out now for financial assistance while they await a ruling on their case. A lawsuit loan can help ease the burden of people dealing with lost pay, lost benefits, emotional stress, punitive damages, and legal fees.

Chris Janish, CEO, commented on the company's focus of assisting plaintiffs in similar situations, "Due to complexities in corporate America with regard to what is deemed morally just and legally right, we are seeing a dramatic increase in wrongful termination lawsuits. These cases have substantial value for plaintiffs who did nothing wrong, but were terminated unjustly."

If you are an attorney or plaintiff in an ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit and require an immediate cash advance settlement loan from your case, please visit our website HERE or call 877.571.0405.

Legal-Bay's settlement loans program can offer immediate cash in advance of a plaintiff's anticipated monetary award. The non-recourse lawsuit loans sometimes referred to as loans for lawsuit or loans on settlementare risk-free, as the money does not need to be repaid should the recipient lose their case. Therefore, the law suit loans aren't really a loan, but rather a cash advance.

If you require an immediate cash advance loan settlement from your wrongful termination lawsuit, please visit the company's website HERE or call 877.571.0405 where skilled agents are standing by to hear about your specific case.

SOURCE Legal-Bay, LLC
After a period of calm around the coronavirus pandemic in Australia, two states have been thrown into uncertainty after the virus leaked into the community again.

Last month, a doctor in Brisbane was diagnosed with COVID-19 bringing an end to Queenslands run of zero community transmission. Then last week, a 26-year-old Brisbane man was found to have contracted the virus. By the weekend two more cases were diagnosed sending the greater Brisbane area into a snap three-day lockdown.

On Monday, it was revealed that the two recent cases  nurses at Brisbanes Princess Alexandra hospital  had travelled to Byron Bay and attended a bachelorette party prompting concerns for the northern region on the day restrictions were to be lifted. By Thursday, a single case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in Byron forcing the health department  concerned about a possible super-spreading event  to shut down the popular Bluesfest music festival less than 24 hours before it was to begin.

Today, Queensland recorded just a single new case of coronavirus bringing an end to the snap lockdown while no additional new cases were found in New South Wales.
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Italian energy giant, Eni, is to end exploration and production operations in Tunisia because of weak production and its orientation towards renewable energies, a Tunisian official said on Thursday
France's defense chief visited Mali on Thursday, where he defended a French airstrike in the country earlier this year which U.N. investigators said killed 19 civilians attending a wedding celebration.

Defense Minister Florence Parly's visit, which had long been planned but was not publicized for security reasons, came two days after the the U.N. mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, released a report on the Jan. 3 airstrike.

The report said the strike hit a wedding celebration of more than 100 people in the town of Bounti and killed three suspected members of an al-Qaida-linked group and 19 civilians, mainly local villagers. France rejected the findings, while top U.N. officials stood by the report.

While visiting the Malian capital of Bamako, Parly reiterated that the French military followed a rigorous targeting process in accordance with international law.

Seven international and local aid groups called Thursday for an independent investigation into the attack, and reparations for victims and their families.

In Paris, Defense Ministry spokesman Herve Grandjean told reporters that the U.N. report did not identify witnesses and included no tangible material proof that civilians were targeted.

Lets not be naive. The war we are engaged in is also an information war, and our enemy is aware of this and is undoubtedly exploiting all debates," he said.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Gov. Phil Murphys administration released new coronavirus models on Wednesday, both of which called for an increase in cases and hospitalizations in the coming weeks.

A moderate model says hospitalizations will peak in 17 days at 2,669 people  nearly 400 more patients than the states current total. A worst-case model predicts 3,644 people will be hospitalized on May 18 before numbers start to again decrease. The more dire model projects officials will report an additional 8,162 cases that day.

We continue to make unmistakable progress in vaccinations.



Nationally, New Jersey now ranks:

3rd in vaccine supply administered (88.4%)

8th in daily doses administered (93,733)

8th in percentage of population having received at least one dose (32.7%) pic.twitter.com/GzbEdmQdDp  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 31, 2021

Murphy noted, these are models, not certainties.

The models released by the state in early December turned out to be inaccurate. Cases were expected to peak on Jan. 13 under the states Department of Health moderate case scenario with 9,120 cases, according to the model. The Office of Innovation put the peak on Christmas Day with 7,180 cases.

Instead, Murphy disclosed 6,922 cases on coronavirus cases Jan. 13 and 5,095 COVID-19 cases on Dec. 25.

Two moderate models released in December were even further off on hospitalizations with predictions of 6,333 in mid-January under one scenario and 5,776 patients in late January, according to a second projection. In reality, hospitalizations in January peaked at 3,760 on Jan. 16, according to the states coronavirus dashboard.

The states December worst-case scenario model called for a whopping 12,595 cases and 8,747 hospitalizations by mid-January.

There were 2,292 patients in the states 71 hospitals as of 10 p.m. Wednesday, a decrease from the 2,363 in the previous 24-hour period. Murphy disclosed 4,585 more COVID-19 cases and 44 additional deaths on Tuesday.

The state had administered 4,300,375 vaccine doses as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. At least 1,608,433 are fully vaccinated.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Heres a roundup of the latest coronavirus news in New Jersey and elsewhere:

Manufacturing mixup ruins 15M doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, report says: A batch of Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine failed quality standards and cant be used, the drug giant said late Wednesday.

The New Brunswick-based pharmaceutical giant didnt say how many doses were lost, and it wasnt clear how the problem would impact future deliveries. A New York Times report said 15 million doses were ruined.

A vaccine ingredient made by Emergent BioSolutions  one of about 10 companies that Johnson & Johnson is using to speed up manufacturing of its recently approved vaccine  did not meet quality standards, J&J said.

Pfizers COVID vaccine protects kids as young as 12, pharma giant says: Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall.

Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus.

Pfizers vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic  and helping schools, at least the upper grades, start to look a little more normal after months of disruption.

N.J. launches new tool to help you find COVID vaccination appointments: With people across the state still struggling to schedule their shots, New Jersey on Wednesday unveiled a new online tool to help residents more easily find COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

The tool  found at covid19.nj.gov/finder  aims to address one of the biggest complaints residents have had: That New Jerseys vaccine scheduling system is hard to navigate, with people often having to search various sites to find scarce appointments.

The new website aggregates information from across multiple scheduling platforms, multiple times an hour, letting people know when appointments are open, and helping people make one themselves.

More younger N.J. residents are being hospitalized for COVID, health officials say: Younger people in New Jersey are increasingly being hospitalized at higher rates for the coronavirus as the number of new daily cases continues to climb.

When we compare hospitalizations in the first and last weeks of March by age group, were seeing the percentage of younger individuals being hospitalized, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said during the states latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.

U.S. cases: More than 552,000 of the approximately 30.4 million to test positive for the coronavirus in the U.S. have died as of 7 a.m. Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Worldwide cases: As of 7 a.m. Thursday, the coronavirus has led to more than 2.8 million deaths in 192 counties, according to the center. More than 129 million have been infected since the outbreak started in December 2019. At least 73.1 million have recovered.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

The Associated Press and NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco and Brent Johnson contributed to this report.
It needs to be easy for people to get appointments. If youre an essential worker, especially a front-line essential worker, you dont have the time to be in all the Facebook groups monitoring everything, he said. You have time to check a few things every day, maybe. At the very beginning, I saw how hard it was firsthand.  When they release (appointments), nobody knows. And if youre not at the right place at the right time, youre not going to get it. So thats why I created it.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - After President Biden announced an ambitious $2 trillion proposal to revitalize American infrastructure, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is outlining how the American Jobs Plan could help people across the North Star State.

The White House says the plan will create millions of jobs and rebuild infrastructure, a top priority for local governments across Southeast Minnesota. President Biden calls this a "once-in-a-generation investment" that is bold but doable.

Senator Klobuchar tells KIMT after decades of decay, the plan's $2 trillion price tag is warranted in order to build infrastructure that meets the needs of our 21st century economy.

"None of this is going to happen without a significant investment in our infrastructure," Klobuchar said. "You just can't put this together with band-aids and duct tape anymore. That's not how you fix a pothole or build a bridge."

The City of Rochester says it spends about $9 million each year fixing streets, however officials project they're still facing an annual shortfall of $23 million to meet road repair needs over the next 50 years.

The senator says it's been too long since cities like Rochester got enough help from the federal government to maintain infrastructure.

"Having just hit a few potholes in Rochester over the last few weeks, I'm well aware of that. And I think we have literally gone too long without major help from the federal government."

Other elements for President Biden's plan look to fund construction of affordable housing units, public transit systems, and provide high-speed broadband to all Americans. Klobuchar says many Minnesotans are still in need of sufficient internet access.

"That will literally get us to 100% connection," Senator Klobuchar said. "A certainly in some of the areas surrounding the Rochester region, we still don't have internet in 16% of households in Minnesota. That's about 144,000 families that's high speed enough. And certainly we've seen this during the pandemic."

In order to pay for The American Jobs Plan, the White House says it wants to raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, and work with other countries to implement a global minimum tax for multinational corporations.

The White House adds the proposal unveiled Wednesday is part of a two-pronged plan, with President Biden expected to announce a so-called "American Family Plan" next month.
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Market Research Future has published a Half-Cooked Research Report on the Global Aerospace Foams Market.

Market Synopsis

According to MRFR analysis, Aerospace Foams Market was valued at USD 5.42 Billion in 2018 and is projected to register a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period, 20192025.

The growth in the number of passenger traffic due to the rising per-capita income and emergence of low-cost airlines are fueling the growth of the commercial aircraft segment, which in turn, is expected to contribute to the growth of the global Aerospace Foams Market Share in the coming years.

Pricing and Regulatory Analysis

In 2018, the aerospace foams were priced between USD 2.5 and USD 5 per square meter across the globe.

Several aviation-based international governing authorities such as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), National Qualifications Authority (NQA), and Aircraft Information Management Systems (AIMS) have framed safety requirements for airlines and aircraft structures.

By Application

Aircraft Seats: The segment accounted for the largest share of the global market in 2018 and is expected to continue the similar trend during the forecast period. The growth in the number of passenger traffic across the world is boosting the manufacturing of new commercial aircraft. Also, the growing safety regulations and standards for aircraft seating are propelling the growth of the segment.

Interior Panel Structures: The segment held the second-largest share of the global market in 2018. Aerospace foams help in dampening the sound & vibration and also in thermal & electrical insulation of the interior panel structures.

Floor Coverings: Foams help to meet mechanical performance requirements and the stringent aviation regulatory standards in floor coverings

Flight Deck Pads: Flight deck pads are largely used for general aviation and military aircraft applications.

Electrical Components: Foams play the role of preventing the electrical components from entangling and keeping in place, while at the same time protecting the electrical components from thunderstorms, and lightning shocks.

By End-Use

Commercial Aircraft: The segment held the largest share of the global aerospace foam market in 2018 and is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. An increasing number of air passengers in the developing countries of Asia-Pacific due to rising per-capita income and the surge in low-cost carriers in the regions are propelling the growth of the segment and thus boosting the growth of the global commercial aircraft market.

General Aviation: The segment held the second-largest share of the global aerospace foams market in 2018. It includes two-seat training aircraft, utility helicopters, intercontinental business jets. According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), there were more than 446,000 general aviation aircraft across the globe as of 2018, of which over 211,000 aircraft were in the US and over 136,000 aircraft in Europe. The fuselage, bulkheads, and wings of the general aircraft are made with light-weight composites, manufactured using polymer foams.

Military Aircraft: The rise in military expenditure is likely to drive the demand for aerospace foams for military aircraft manufacturing in the coming years. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the military expenditure across the globe rose to USD 1.822 trillion in 2018, representing an increase of 2.6% from 2017. The five major countries in 2018 were the US, China, Saudi Arabia, India, and France, which together accounted for around 60% of global military spending. As per the report published by SIPRI, the military expenditure in the US was USD 649 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 799 billion by 2022. Chinas military expenditure in 2018 was USD 250 billion, and Indias military spending was USD 66.5 billion in2018.

SEGMENTATION

By Type

Polyurethane Foam: The segment held the largest share of the global aerospace foams market in 2018 owing to its low cost and superior performance characteristics over other types of foams such as closed-cell structure, high rigidity, resistance to water and fire, and excellent durability. Polyurethane foam is finding increasing demand in the manufacturing of aircraft seating, floor covering, flight deck pads; passenger cabin walls; aircraft ceilings; overhead stowage; interior aircraft class dividers; aircraft galleys; and lavatories. It is also preferred in the manufacturing of Boeing BMS 8-133.

Polyethylene Foam: Polyethylene foams also finds applications in aircraft manufacturing due to its excellent thermal and chemical resistance properties.

Melamine Foam: Melamine foam is generally used for its excellent thermal and acoustic insulation property in the interior sidewall panels of aircraft.

Metal Foam: Metal foams are largely preferred for military aircraft due to its excellent mechanical strength on account of its configuration that includes hollow metal spheres.

Polyimide Foam: Polyimide foams are extreme temperature resistant and non-flammable, along with being light-weight and durable. This led to its widespread use in F110 engines, F135 engines, B-2 engine, F-117 engine, F-22 engine, missile structures, and fifth- & sixth-generation engines.

Others: The others segment includes PET Foam, PVC Foam, Specialty High-Performance Foam, Polymethacrylimide (PMI) Foam, Polyetherimide (PEI) Foam, Polyethersulfone Foam (PES) Foam, Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) Foam, and Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Foam

Browse Full Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/aerospace-foams-market-8492

By Region

North America: The expanding aerospace industry in the US due to increasing passenger traffic and the presence of major aircraft manufacturers are driving the demand for aerospace foam in the region.

Europe: The presence of leading airline manufacturers such as Airbus, AltiGator, ArianeGroup, and United Aircraft Corporation, among others in the region are contributing to the demand for aerospace foams.

Asia-Pacific: The most opportunistic market, owing to rising per-capita income and emergence of low-cost aircraft.

Middle East & Africa: The favorable geographic location is boosting the growth of the aerospace industry, which in turn is expected to drive the demand for aerospace foams.

Latin America: The region is expected to register positive growth in the coming years owing to the growing aerospace industry.
A study conducted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, and Concordia University, Canada, has explored the impact of different types of glycans on the interaction between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor.

The findings reveal that although the spike  ACE2 interaction is not directly influenced by the glycans, there are specific glycans on ACE2, such as mannose-9 (MAN9) and sialated complex flucosylated 2-antennae (FA2), which can significantly alter the affinity between spike protein and ACE2. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly infectious RNA virus responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It is now well-established that SARS-CoV-2 infection initiates with the interaction between spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) and host cell ACE2 receptor. This is followed by proteolytic activation of the viral spike and subsequent fusion between the virus envelop and host cell membrane.

Structurally, both spike protein and ACE2 are densely glycosylated with distinct types of asparagine-linked N-glycans. Some of these glycans are present in the RBD-ACE2 interface, suggesting that glycans may influence the RBD-ACE2 binding characteristics. Previously, it has been observed that glycans play a role in modulating epitope exposure and antibody affinity for spike RBD. Moreover, there is evidence indicating that the host cell entry of SARS-CoV can be prevented by disrupting ACE2 glycosylation.

In the current study, the scientists have explored whether different types of glycans play any role in modulating spike RBD  ACE2 interaction. They have used molecular dynamics simulation approaches to analyze their study questions.

Study design

In the study, the scientists analyzed two models of RBD  ACE2 complex. In one RBD  ACE2 model, MAN9 glycans were attached to the Asn53, Asn90, Asn103, 59 Asn322, Asn432, and Asn546 or b residues of ACE2. Similarly, in another model, FA2 glycans were attached to the same ACE2 residues. In both models, a single FA2 glycan was attached to the Asn343 of spike RBD.

To evaluate the impact of glycans, they conducted all-atom explicit-solvent simulations of three conditions: the RBD  ACE2 complex with MAN9 glycans; the RBD  ACE2 complex with FA2 glycans; and the RBD  ACE2 complex without any glycan.

Important observations

The simulation study findings revealed that the physical contact between spike RBD and ACE2 was not affected by the presence of glycans and that the glycans did not influence relative orientations of RBD  ACE2. Moreover, the simulation data identified that interactions between the residues in the ACE2 N-terminal helix and the receptor-binding motif of RBD formed the most persistent complexes.

In another set of experiments, the scientists studied the effect of N501Y mutation on the RBD  ACE2 interaction. The N501Y is a spike RBD mutation primarily observed in the newly emerged UK variant (B.1.1.7) of SARS-CoV-2. By analyzing the simulated interactions, they observed that the N501Y RBD mutation further stabilized the RBD  ACE2 complex by interacting with Y41 and K353 of ACE2. This explains the increased transmissibility observed in the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2.

RBD-ACE2 binding affinity is glycan dependent. (a) To evaluate the binding energy between RBD-ACE2, the MM-PBSA approach was applied. Binding energy was calculated for simulations without glycans (white bar), and with MAN9 glycans (magenta bar) or FA2 glycans (blue bar) on ACE2. Simulations with MAN9 glycans on ACE2 are associated with a 14:7% decrease in stability, relative to the non-glycan simulations. In contrast, simulations with FA2 glycans on ACE2 result in a 9:1% increase in stability. (b) Electrostatic surface potential calculated for ACE2 and RBD. Two complementary views show that the ACE2 surface is overall negatively charged, while the surface of RBD is overall positive.

To further examine the RBD  ACE2 glycan interactions, the scientists thoroughly analyzed the interactions between RBD residues and MAN9 or FA2 glycan attached to ACE2. Their findings revealed that the probability of interaction between the spike RBD and the glycans present on Asn90 residue of ACE2 was significantly higher than that of other glycans. However, they noticed that the contact between RBD and Asn90 ACE2 glycan did not compete with the RBD  ACE2 interaction at the protein level. With further analysis, they observed that the steric effects of Asn90 glycan delayed the dissociation of RBD, which in turn increased the stabilization of RBD  ACE2 interaction.

Furthermore, they investigated the impact of glycan  glycan interactions on the RBD  ACE2 binding affinity. The findings revealed that Asn343 glycan of RBD more frequently interacted with Asn53 and Asn322 glycans of ACE2, suggesting that these interactions may contribute to RBD  ACE2 affinity.

To investigate relative alterations in RBD  ACE2 interactions with and without glycans, they performed a binding energetics analysis using the Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) approach. The findings revealed that while MAN9 glycan on ACE2 reduced the RBD  ACE2 affinity, the presence of FA2 glycan increased the affinity. Furthermore, the findings identified that distinct electrostatic properties of the negatively charged sialic acids in FA2 glycan are the main contributors of higher affinity.

Study significance

The study highlights the importance of specific glycan types in modulating the binding affinity between spike RBD and ACE2. In other words, different types of glycans attached to the host ACE2 receptor determine the stability of RBD  ACE2 interaction. Interestingly, the findings reveal that the electrostatic properties of specific ACE2 glycans influence the binding affinity without altering the physical interactions between virus and host.

*Important Notice

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Hong Kong: Maternity leave pay scheme opens

The Labour Department today announced that the Reimbursement of Maternity Leave Pay Scheme is now open for applications from employers.

The statutory maternity leave (ML) under the Employment Ordinance has been extended from 10 weeks to 14 weeks effective from December 11, 2020.

Through the scheme, employers can apply for reimbursement of the statutory maternity leave pay (MLP) paid to employees in respect of the 11th to 14th weeks, subject to a cap of $80,000 per employee.

The department has appointed a processing agent to assist with the schemes implementation.

An application for MLP reimbursement must meet four requirements. Firstly, the employee concerned has been employed by the applicant and entitled to ML and MLP under the Employment Ordinance.

Secondly, the employee has taken her ML and the applicant has paid MLP for all of the 14 weeks to the employee.

Thirdly, the employees confinement occurred on or after December 11, 2020.

Lastly, the MLP paid to the employee for the additional four weeks has not been and will not be covered or subsidised by other government funding.

Employers, after paying employees all of the statutory MLP, may directly submit online applications through the Reimbursement Easy Portal.

Employers may also download the application form from the portal or obtain it from the departments Labour Relations Division offices or the scheme's service centre at Unit 204, 2/F, South Island Place, 8 Wong Chuk Hang Road.

Call 2636 6353 for enquiries.

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China continues to insist that "a majority of friendly and developing countries" in the United Nations have signed the Cuban diplomatic statement that says the Uyghur genocide is merely a "manufactured political crisis," but the UN is doubtful that such a document even exists, a report says. Furthermore, the UN was not made aware of the list of 63 countries that Cuba claims to have signed such a document.

"Unfortunately, the Cubans never made their list available to us," Rolando Gomez, the UN Human Rights Council spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon. Back in March, the Cuban envot to the UN declared in a statement that the international allegations against China's Uyghur genocide was merely an attack by the western media.

According to The Federalist, Cuba and 63 other unnamed countries warned, "stop interfering in China's internal affairs by manipulating Xinjiang-related issues, (and) refrain from making unfounded allegations against China out of political motivations."

However, the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Cuban mission to the United Nations in Geneva kept mum on the existence of such a declaration or even a list of the 63 countries that signed the document. This increases doubt that China ever enjoyed "growing support" for the ongoing Uyghur genocide being carried out by the CCP, as there is simply no proof of it.

Just this week, the Biden administration declared the CCP's abuse of Uyghur Muslims a "genocide" in its annual human rights report that was released on Tuesday. The report stated, "Genocide and crimes against humanity occurred during the year against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang."

The statements of the U.S. against the Uyghur genocide called out the CCP's "arbitrary imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty of more than one million civilians; forced sterilization, coerced abortions, and more restrictive application of China's birth control policies; rape; torture of a large number of those arbitrarily detained; forced labor; and the imposition of draconian restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, and freedom of movement."

Sophie Richardson, an expert on China at Human Rights Watch, highlighted that the use of the term "genocide" to describe the abuses against "Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other Turkic communities" indicates that the Biden administration is truly concerned about what's going on in China and will not tolerate it, the Washington Post noted. In fact, Blinken stressed that the U.S. is "standing up for basic principles, basic rights and a rules-based international order" regardless if it's against China or Russia, the two superpowers that are the reason why former President Trump realigned the U.S. defense strategies during his term, as per Politico.

According to Reuters, the U.S. together with Canada, the UK, the EU, and its other allies have swapped sanctions with Beijing for China's Uyghur genocide. The U.S. slapped sanctions against several Chinese officials and the CCP fired back with sanctions against U.S., Canadian, and UK leaders and groups.
CYPRESS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX:KSHB) ('KushCo' or the 'Company'), a premier provider of ancillary products and services to the legal cannabis and CBD industries, is scheduled to host a conference call and webcast on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time to discuss its financial and operational results for its fiscal second quarter ended February 28, 2021.

The Company's financial results will be available on its investor relations website at ir.kushco.com and announced in a press release after the market close on the same day.

KushCo management will host the conference call and presentation followed by a question and answer session. The call will be webcast with an accompanying slide deck, which can be accessed by visiting the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website.

All interested parties are invited to listen to the live conference call and presentation by dialing the number below or by clicking the webcast link available on the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website.

Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021

Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (1:30 p.m. Pacific time)

Toll-free Number: 1-877-407-9124

International Number: 1-201-689-8584

Webcast Link: Here

Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download, and install any necessary audio software. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call or webcast, please contact KushCo's investor relations at ir@kushco.com or 714-539-7653.

A replay of the call will be available on the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website approximately two hours after the conference call has ended.

About KushCo Holdings

KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: KSHB) (www.kushco.com) is a premier provider of ancillary products and services to the legal cannabis and CBD industries. KushCo Holdings' subsidiaries and brands provide product quality, exceptional customer service, compliance knowledge and a local presence in serving its diverse customer base, which consists of leading multi-state-operators (MSOs), licensed producers (LPs), and brands.

Founded in 2010, KushCo Holdings has now sold more than 1 billion units to growers, brand owners, processors and producers across North America, South America, and Europe, specializing in child-resistant compatible and fully customizable packaging, exclusive vape hardware and technology, and complementary solvents and natural products.

As a pioneer in the industry, KushCo continues to work to create a positive impact on the environment, society, and community through CSR and ESG initiatives, such as: offering sustainable and compostable packaging; donating PPE supplies to healthcare workers on the frontline fighting the COVID-19 pandemic; partnering with organizations such as Mission Green to offer social equity programs for industry inclusion; being one of the first in the industry to award paid time-off for all employees on November 3, 2020 ("Election Day"); and working to incorporate industry-leading corporate governance practices and a more diverse board makeup.

For more information on KushCo's commitment to CSR and ESG initiatives, please visit the Company's KushCares page at www.kushco.com/kushcares.

KushCo has been featured in media nationwide, including CNBC, Fox News, Yahoo Finance, Cheddar, Los Angeles Times, TheStreet.com, and Entrepreneur, Inc Magazine. For more information, visit www.kushco.com or call (888) 920-5874.

KushCo Holdings Contact

Investor Contact:

Najim Mostamand, CFA

Director of Investor Relations

714-539-7653

ir@kushco.com

SOURCE: KushCo Holdings, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638579/KushCo-Holdings-to-Report-Fiscal-Second-Quarter-2021-Financial-Results-on-Thursday-April-8-2021
For the period ended December 31, 2020, the Roseland, New Jersey-based company reported a $1 million sequential gain in revenue, compared to the third quarter of 2020

The company has a strong cash runway with over $14 million of cash, cash equivalents and other short-term investments as of December 31, 2020

(NYSEAMERICAN:MLSS) posted fourth-quarter results on Thursday that saw its revenue rocket 78%, compared to the third quarter thanks to its growing dental business and flourishing distribution network.

For the period ended December 31, 2020, the Roseland, New Jersey-based developer of computerized drug delivery instruments that provide painless and precise injections, reported a $1 million, or 78% sequential gain in revenue, compared to the third quarter of 2020.

Meanwhile, full-year revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $5.4 million, compared to $8.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2019. The company said revenue decreased due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the companys customers and other business partners.

READ: Milestone Scientific receives notice of allowance for European patent as company seeks to develop device for ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block procedures

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $3.6 million or 67% of revenue, compared to $5.7 million or 68% of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019.

In a statement accompanying the numbers, Milestone Scientific president Arjan Haverhals, who is also the CEO of Wand Dental Inc said: "We carefully managed our operating expenses during the year and reduced our net loss. We achieved these strong results despite the impact of COVID-19, which shows that we are successfully navigating the pandemic and are on a growth trajectory.

Our sales initiatives are working. We expanded our dental distribution network to seven independent distributors in the US, plus a new distributor in Canada. Through our new decentralized sales strategy, we accomplished our goal of building a robust distribution network in the US.

Haverhals said the company is encouraged by the growing interest in its dental instrument, and expects growth within the dental business to continue in 2021.

Milestones wand product for dentistry, which is the group's biggest revenue earner, makes an injection at the dentist a lot more comfortable. The numbness is contained on a single tooth rather than a whole portion of the mouth.

In the medical solutions space, the firm has a CompuFlo Epidural Instrument for epidural injections, which has a 99% success in locating the epidural space on the first attempt. Done manually, the procedure can be cumbersome and time-consuming. The company believes the epidural system will become the new standard of care.

We have made significant progress over the past year advancing our commercial efforts around the CompuFlo Epidural Instrument and CathCheck System, said Haverhals.

Specifically, we have added new distributors and begun to penetrate key hospitals with our CompuFlo Epidural Instrument, and we expect this trend to continue as we anticipate adding additional hospitals in 2021.

A key element of Milestones sales strategy focuses on the disposable components of its system, which contributes to high margins and recurring revenue.

Were also expanding our medical sales force, said Haverhals. Overall, the response from hospitals and physicians has been positiveWe are in a number of trials that have the potential to convert to commercial orders this year.

Leonard Osser, who is the interim CEO at Milestone, noted that the company has a strong cash runway with over $14 million of cash, cash equivalents and other short-term investments as of December 31, 2020.

In addition, the proceeds from the recent exercise of warrants strengthens our balance sheet with an additional $4 million of cash since November 2020, said Osser.

This liquidity, combined with our improved cash flow, should help accelerate our sales and marketing activities around both our dental and medical instruments.

Osser said Milestones balance sheet gives it "a substantial runway" to advance the development of other indications for its DPS Dynamic Pressure Sensing Technology. We believe this technology platform is quite broad with multiple indications in large and underserved markets, added Osser.

Milestone designs and patents innovative injection technology and specializes in dynamic pressure sensing, which allows medics to know what the pressure at the tip of needle is at any time.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
Malta has become the latest country to announce it will welcome the return of British tourists this summer.

The small island nation in the Mediterranean said UK travellers who have had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine will be allowed to enter from June 1.

Passengers will need to show their vaccination card before boarding flights, according to the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).

Visitors from Ireland  currently classified orange under the EU traffic lights system  who are not vaccinated can travel to Malta as usual with a negative PCR test.

We are excited to welcome back British travellers from 1 June, who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Malta is second to the UK in terms of European countries vaccinating the greatest proportion of its population so you'll feel warmth of our summer sun soon #visitmalta pic.twitter.com/DghQiOU5Ig  Visit Malta UK (@VisitMaltaUK) March 31, 2021

Around 500,000 British tourists normally visit Malta every year, but the UK is currently on Maltas red list of countries, which means non-vaccinated travellers are banned from entering.

Tolene Van Der Merwe, director for the UK and Ireland at MTA, said: Malta is a very popular destination for British holidaymakers and is a key contributor to Maltas economy, so we are excited to welcome back fully vaccinated travellers from the United Kingdom from 1 June.

The people of Malta are looking forward to tourists returning who have loved our sunshine, culture, food and warm spirit year in, year out.

Malta is second to the UK in terms of European countries which have vaccinated the largest proportion of their population.

This focused reopening plan is designed to slowly and safely reopen tourism Clayton Bartolo, Maltas minister for tourism

Clayton Bartolo, Maltas minister for tourism and consumer protection, said: The health and safety of Maltese citizens and tourists will always be our top priority, and, with the continued rollout of the vaccine here in Malta, this focused reopening plan is designed to slowly and safely reopen tourism to fully vaccinated Britons.

A number of other destinations popular with UK holidaymakers have announced plans to reopen their borders in recent weeks.

Turkey expects to welcome UK holidaymakers without requiring proof of a vaccine or negative test, as soon as foreign leisure travel is permitted.

Greece will require international tourists to have been vaccinated, had a recent negative Covid-19 test or have coronavirus antibodies.

Visitors to Cyprus must have had both doses of a vaccine.

Overseas holidays in the UK are banned due to the coronavirus lockdown, but Boris Johnson will make an announcement on Monday about lifting restrictions.

The Governments Global Travel Taskforce will provide a report to the Prime Minister on April 12 setting out recommendations for how and when foreign holidays can resume.

Under Englands road map for easing pandemic rules, the earliest that overseas leisure travel could be permitted is May 17.

But there is growing speculation that that date could be pushed back as parts of Europe are seeing rising infections.
President Emmanuel Macron ordered France into its third national lockdown Wednesday in an effort to slow a third wave of COVID-19 infecting his country.

Among the lockdown measures, Macron closed all schools for three weeks beginning next Monday. Macron had hoped to avoid a lockdown and the effect it would have on the economy. However, the country's death toll is nearing 100,000 and it has struggled with a vaccine rollout that has been slower than hoped for. A rise in cases is crippling intensive care units in areas hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

"We will lose control if we do not move now," he said in a televised address to the nation. He also announced movement restrictions, beginning Saturday, for the whole country for at least a month.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States last year, and it boosted the overall U.S. death toll by nearly 16 percent from the previous year.

During the White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters the pandemic trailed only heart disease and cancer last year, accounting for about 378,000 fatalities, or 11 percent of all deaths in the country last year.

Walensky said COVID-19 deaths were highest among Hispanic people, and deaths among ethnic and racial minority groups were more than double the death rate of non-Hispanic white people.

Also Wednesday, Pfizer said it had produced 120 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for the U.S. The drugmaker is on track to deliver to the U.S. 200 million doses by the end of May and 300 million doses by the end of July, as it had vowed earlier this year.

On Monday, Moderna said it had shipped 100 million doses of its vaccine to the United States. While Johnson & Johnson said it had delivered about 20 million shots to the U.S. in March. However, Johnson & Johnson reported Wednesday that a batch of its COVID-19 vaccine made at a facility in Baltimore, Maryland, had failed quality standards and was unusable. The drugmaker did not give details on what happened to the batch or how many doses were lost.

Amazon said Wednesday it plans to have its employees return to the Seattle-area office by fall. The Seattle Times reported Tuesday that the company had told employees it is planning a "return to an office-centric culture as our baseline." Amazon spokesperson Jose Negrete said the company would not require office workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to the office. However, he said Amazon is urging employees and contractors to become vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.


BOOK OF THE WEEK

PHILIP ROTH: THE BIOGRAPHY

by Blake Bailey (Jonathan Cape 30, 912pp)

Graham Greene said a writer needed a splinter of ice in the heart. In the case of the great Jewish-American writer Philip Roth, who died three years ago, aged 85, after a glittering but controversial career, it was more like a raging fireball that engulfed anyone in its path.

Roth, author of bestselling Portnoys Complaint, is one of the undisputed heavyweights of the American novel. A National Humanities Medal, given by Barack Obama in 2011, was among his mighty haul of awards  although he never won the glitziest gong of them all, the Nobel Prize in Literature, despite his agent telling him each year to be ready for Press duty just in case.

Roth always suspected political correctness was to blame.

Philip Roth died three years ago, aged 85, after a glittering but controversial career but was undoubtedly one of the heavyweights of the American novel

But his literary reputation was at odds with his personal one and accounts surfaced of his self-centred, objectionable behaviour, with growing accusations of misogyny fed by the actress Claire Blooms searing account of her ill-fated marriage to Roth in her 1996 memoir Leaving A Dolls House  which, as one reviewer put it, exposed him as a spectacularly troubled and manipulative man.

Always unfaithful, he enjoyed hall-of- mirrors game playing  his 1990s novel Deception was about a middle-aged writer called Philip doing the dirty on his wife.

Ever since the publication of Blooms book, Roth had been making arrangements for an authorised biography to assert his side of the story, cooperating fully with chosen writer, Blake Bailey.

But if Bailey came to praise his subject, he instead ends up burying him under the sheer weight of patiently catalogued betrayals. By the end of this exhaustively researched book I was ready to believe even the most outlandish claims made by the various wronged parties from whom Bailey seeks to defend his subject.

As a rookie writer, Roth aspired to write a debut novel about a Jewish American out to kill a German in revenge for the Holocaust.

Shock value was part of his game even then  but he found it instead by writing what he knew, setting fiction in the east coast suburbia he grew up in.

His literary reputation at odds with personal one, with growing accusations of misogyny (pictured: one of his famous lovers, Ava Gardner)

In 1969 he struck gold with Portnoys Complaint, about a compulsive masturbator who finds relief in a piece of raw liver, later served by his mother for dinner.

His famous lovers included Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow  but not Penelope Cruz, who ignored his dinner invitation, or Nicole Kidman (who told him to grow up) or Jackie Kennedy, who, as Bailey reports, invited him back to her place, at which point Roth seems to have experienced an uncharacteristic loss of nerve.

In his 20s he met his first wife, the troubled divorcee Margaret Martinson, and based his novel My Life As A Man on her, relying on her private journal  which he read when she was in hospital after an overdose.

He never forgave her for supposedly duping him into marriage by lying about a pregnancy and then pretending to have an abortion. Yet he was no innocent, rampantly cheating on her  Martinson even feared with her own daughter.

If you ever f*** my daughter, Ill drive a knife right down into your heart, she told him. Roth hid the households knives, fearful of the possible interpretations of what Bailey describes as the flirtatious conduct of Martinsons daughter.

One of the books uglier passages describes his joy when, after their divorce, Martinson died in a car accident  he realised he would no longer have to split his income, just when Portnoys Complaint was about to become the bestselling novel in the history of its publisher, Random House.

Penelope Cruz ignored his dinner invitation while Nicole Kidman (pictured) told him to grow up). Jackie Kennedy, who, as Bailey reports, invited him back to her place, at which point Roth seems to have experienced an uncharacteristic loss of nerve

Roths marriage to Claire Bloom fared little better. Recovering from a spell of suicidal depression he sternly forbade her to return to their New York home, offering to pay for her to live elsewhere.

Their relationship had long been troubled. She was in London filming ITVs 1981 adaptation of Brideshead Revisited when Roth began an 18-year affair with a married mother of four living a mile down the road from his Connecticut studio.

And in 1988 he was briefly home alone with a twentysomething friend of Blooms daughter, Anna. One night, he thought she wanted him to kiss her; she didnt. Roth dismissed her outrage as sexual hysteria and in later years would answer the phone if she called for Anna by saying, Hi, little home-wrecker.

Always unfaithful, he enjoyed hall-of-mirrors game playing - his 1990s novel Deception was about a middle-aged writer called 'Philip' doing the dirty on his wife (pictured: Roth with his wife Claire Bloom in 1986)

Bailey calls all this ribaldry. Yet a department chair at one of Roths universities says he realised he was operating as a pimp by admitting students to Roths courses.

Not all of Roths mentoring projects had an erotic component, says Bailey.

How unintentionally damning.

PHILIP ROTH: THE BIOGRAPHY by Blake Bailey (Jonathan Cape 30, 912pp)

His dedication to preserving space and time for work led him to keep at arms length the people he used to feed it. He chided a lover for daring to talk over lunch because he was still writing in his head. When a developer wanted to build on land near his studio, Roth bought the land to maintain his peace; he bought his neighbours apartments in New York for the same reason.

Roth, a champion grudge-bearer, never forgot that Portnoys Complaint didnt make the shortlist for the National Book Award.

When, 36 years later, he heard that one of the judges was dying, he dispatched a go-between to ask her why it hadnt made the cut.

Never mind his fondness for what one lover called lop-sided relationships with damaged younger women, or his habit of ringing up a mistress at work, expecting her to drop everything to listen to him perform a sex act; even if we only concern ourselves high-mindedly with Roths novels, its hard not to find them diminished by his unsanctioned borrowings from the women he knew, whether from their journals or (in one alarming instance) secretly recording a telephone conversation with one of his flings. He once asked a lover to write down everything she could remember about their affair, before dumping her and putting it in a book.

Ironically, Roth objected to his portrayal in a draft of the 1969 novel Real People written by his friend Alison Lurie. Bailey quotes his letter: I am not just a s*** (when I am being one) but an interesting and intelligent s***.

Pity this biography only gives us one out of three.
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The Kaduna State Government on Thursday said suspected bandits killed a fomer councilor and one other in Birnin Gawri and Kajuru Local Government Areas of Kaduna State.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the killing in a statement issued in Kaduna.

Mr Aruwan said: Security agencies reported that armed bandits killed a former Councillor of Gayam Ward, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.

He said he was attacked and killed while working on his farm in Ungwan Fada, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.

He also said that in a separate incident, one other person, was killed by bandits at Kasuwan Magani general area of Kajuru.

Also, troops under the auspices of Operation Safe Haven have reported that a mob attacked some herders and their cattle along the Mabushi Cattle route in Zangon Kataf Kocal Government Area.

According to the report, the herders, who were in the employ of a person in Bakin Kogi, Kauru, were moving their cattle from Fadan Kaje to Bakin Kogi via the cattle route, when they were attacked.

The mob, in large numbers and wielding machetes and other weapons were repelled by troops who responded to a distress call.

Mr Aruwan said the troops provided security cover for the herders to recover their scattered cattle.

All the cows were recovered, save one which was later found dead in a swamp, one cow was also wounded with a machete cut.

One of the herders sustained an injury from being pelted over his right eye. He was taken to hospital where he was treated and discharged, he said.

He added that the troops escorted the herders to their destination in Bakin Kogi, Kauru to prevent further tension.

The Commissioner said Governor Nasir el-Rufai prayed for the repose of the souls of the slain and sent condolences to their families.

He said the governor thanked the troops for their prompt intervention against the mob.

He appealed for calm and directed that security be intensified in the general area.
PBSs Sesame Street has been teaching kids essential lessons for more than 50 years. The ABCs and 123s. Colors and shapes. And now, where to find the best mozzarella.

Yes, Sesame Street has come to New Jersey.

A recent episode of the long-running educational show featured Cookie Monster and Gonger making a Caprese salad. When they realized they needed mozzarella cheese for the dish, they took a trip to Fiores Deli in Hoboken. When they get to the deli, a worker at Fiores demonstrates how to make fresh mozzarella cheese  from cutting cheese curds to stirring in hot water, to stretching to forming the iconic Fiore braid.

While Cookie Monster and Gonger never mention Fiores by name and the delis sign is digitally blurred, Fiores Instagram posted a video of the segment to confirm that it was indeed the iconic Hoboken haunt featured in the show. Hoboken is loaded with vaunted Italian delis, but few have the history and following that Fiores boasts.

Fiores has been in business since 1913, meaning it has been serving up its creamy mozzarella for more than 100 years. It routinely has lines down the block for its roast beef sandwiches that it only serves on Thursday and Saturday  which NJ.com crowned the best sandwich in New Jersey earlier this year.

After trying Fiores, Cookie Monster might have to change his name to Mozzarella Monster.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
How plants will fare as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise is a tricky problem and, researchers say, especially vexing in the tropics. Some aspects of plants' survival may get easier, some parts will get harder, and there will be species winners and losers. The resulting shifts in vegetation will help determine the future direction of climate change.

To explore the question, a study led by the University of Washington looked at how tropical forests, which absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, might adjust as CO2 continues to climb. Their results show that multiple changes occurring in plants' leaves and competition between species could preserve these ecosystems' ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The resulting paper was published Jan. 16 in Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

"Our findings suggest that plants with some types of responses, like making their leaves thicker, will ultimately grow better in tropical forests than their competitors," said senior author Abigail Swann, a UW associate professor of atmospheric sciences and of biology. "If these better-growing plants become more common in the forest, the total rates of water and carbon exchange could stay closer to what they are now."

A previous study by Swann's group showed that tropical plants leaves' becoming thicker as CO2 climbs would worsen climate change, because thicker leaves might also be smaller. Plants would then capture less sunlight for photosynthesis, absorb less carbon dioxide from the air and emit less water vapor, all exacerbating the heating due to climate change.

The new work expands the scope of this question to include competition between plant species, and the ratio of carbon and nitrogen in their leaves. Higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes it a bit easier for plants to photosynthesize. But if nitrogen can't keep up, the plant becomes less efficient at producing energy.

"Although it is observed to happen, the verdict is still out on why exactly plants grow thicker leaves under high CO2," Swann said. The new modeling study suggests an explanation: "Thicker leaves can concentrate the nitrogen so that photosynthesis rates per area of leaf are high."

The authors ran simulations for Barro Colorado Island, a forested tropical island in Panama where the model had been well tested against conditions on the ground. The simulations included one or two species of broad-leaf evergreen tropical trees, such as wild cashew and Ecuador laurel. The trees were programmed to have various responses to the higher carbon dioxide and could compete with one another for space.

Trees that were programmed to have more carbon relative to nitrogen in their leaves became less efficient at photosynthesis, which helps them to grow, and emitted less water vapor, which helps trees stay cool. But tree species whose leaves also thickened were better at absorbing carbon and producing water vapor, helping them to grow tall and stay cool, and could also outcompete their neighbors.

"Our work suggests that by shifting which plants are growing in the forest there may be less dire consequences of higher CO2 than other studies have suggested," Swann said. "There is a lot we still don't know about how plants are responding to climate change -- this work really sets up some best guesses about which plants will grow best in future tropical forests that we can test with more observations."

###

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. Lead author was UW graduate student Marlies Kovenock; co-authors are Charles Koven and Ryan Knox at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and Rosie Fisher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

For more information, contact Swann at aswann@uw.edu.
Georgia passed and signed S.B. 202 last week, the law that is already infamous for making it a crime to give water to those waiting in line to vote, among other severe restrictions that disproportionately affect Black voters. It would not have been possible without corporate contributionsas Judd Legum of Popular Information reported earlier this month, major corporations were prolific donors to the Republican lawmakers who supported, sponsored, and passed S.B. 202 into law.

Perhaps no corporation has received more blowback than Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which has donated at least $41,600 since 2018 to the sponsors of the legislation that became S.B. 202. Last week, Deltawhich is the states largest employerfaced protests at its main terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and calls for the company to be boycotted after CEO Ed Bastian offered a mealy-mouthed statement that failed to condemn the law. In that statement, Bastian claimed that his company engaged extensively with state elected officials in both parties to improve the law. Activists disagreed and the hashtag BoycottDelta was soon trending on Twitter.

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On Wednesday, Bastian reversed course. In a letter to employees, the Delta CEO acknowledged that the law will make it harder for Black Georgians to cast their votes, saying that the law is wrong, and stating that it was based on a lie that there was rampant voter fraud in the 2020 election. This firm statement then caused a counterbacklash from the states elected Republicans, with the Georgia House of Representatives voting on Wednesday evening to punish Delta by revoking a tax break on jet fuel. (The state Senate declined to advance the measure, and so it failed for the time being.)

As much as it infuriated Georgia Republicans, though, Bastians statement stopped short of pledging any substantive action to work to reverse the unacceptable law. Indeed, when I asked Deltas corporate communications on Wednesday whether the company would pledge to divest donations from the legislators who sponsored, supported, and ultimately passed the law that their own CEO now acknowledges is wronga key demand of organizersDelta would not make any such commitment. As it relates to DeltaPAC and our political donations, we have robust processes in place for reviewing candidates before every contribution to ensure they align with both Deltas position on priority aviation and business issues, and our values. Previous contributions do not mean DeltaPAC will contribute to a candidate in the future, Lisa Hanna of Delta corporate communications told me.

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If past is prelude, theres no indication that Delta is going to pass Browns test.

In his statement on Wednesday, meanwhile, Bastian promised that his company was monitoring legislation in Congress named after John Lewis that will expand voting rights nationwide. That legislation faces an incredibly uphill road to passage given the near certainty of a GOP filibuster in the Senate. Activists who are working to gather support for national voting rights bills were unmoved by Bastians tepid promise. I dont need them to monitor anything. I need them to support it, LaTosha Brown, whose group Black Voters Matter helped organize last weeks protests against Delta, told me. They monitored S.B. 202. The world monitored. What we need now is action. While Brown commended Bastian and Delta for having finally seen the light, she said that the litmus test for whether further action was needed against Delta would be how it responded to the voting rights bills currently in Congress, H.R. 1 and H.R. 4. They have enough clout that they should be able to leverage their clout and if not, theyre going to deal with the consequences of all that, she said.

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If past is prelude, theres no indication that Delta is going to pass Browns test. In addition to Deltas support of local legislators who turned S.B. 202 into law and the companys refusal to commit to divesting from those candidates in the future, Delta has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting national politicians who have opposed voting rights action in Congress (if passed, H.R. 1 and H.R. 4 would overturn the worst sections of S.B. 202). According to Open Secrets, Delta Air Lines PAC gave 60 percent of its donationsor $648,500to Republicans at the federal level during the 201920 cycle. In the past two years, 33 of 41 of Deltas Senate donations went to Republicans, including to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been adamant in his opposition to federal voting rights legislation. Deltas support of Republicans who oppose voting rights also includes $10,000 a piece to Reps. Buddy Carter, Drew Ferguson, Jody Hice, and Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, all of whom voted against the bill that is now the John Lewis Act when it was up in 2019. Hice is now running for secretary of state against incumbent Brad Raffensperger because his fellow Republican didnt do enough to fight to overturn Joe Bidens victory over Donald Trump in the state after the 2020 election.

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Indeed, as Legum has noted, in January, Delta had declined to follow the lead of other corporations that committed to freeze donations to candidates who had supported Trumps efforts to overturn the election. In response to questions he submitted at the time, Delta gave Legum the same exact statement it gave me on Wednesday about S.B. 202 that previous contributions do not mean DeltaPAC will contribute to a candidate in the future.

Brown wants Delta to finally put its words into action. At this point, is you is or is you aint, she said. Either youre for supporting voting rights or youre against it. Theres no gray area. Indeed, the state GOPs vindictive attempt to punish Delta for shifting its public stance shows how pointless it is to attempt to walk a middle path on this issue. You are either going to be on the right side of history on voting rights, or not.

When the voting rights legislation comes up for a vote in the Senate, we should all monitor which side Delta is on.
Fund Aims to Assist SMEs With Restructuring and Growth Path Potential While Generating Greatest Value for All Investors

MILAN, Italy, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- illimity SGR, the illimity Group's asset management company created to set up and manage alternative investment funds, has completed the first closing of "illimity Credit & Corporate Turnaround" (the "Fund" or "iCCT")-a contribution fund dedicated to investments in unlikely to pay ("UTP") loans to SMEs with revival and relaunch prospects.



The initial portfolio consists of loans for a gross total of over 200 million euro made to 33 companies operating in highly diversified sectors. These loans have been sold by seven banks and banking groups (Banca Popolare di Sondrio, Banca Sella, Banco Desio, Bnl Gruppo Bnp Paribas, BPER Gruppo, Gruppo Bancario Cooperativo Iccrea, Gruppo La Cassa di Ravenna), which have then become unit holders in the Fund.

The initial cash facilities - subscribed by institutional investors, including illimity Bank - amount to 25 million euro. These funds will be used to service the acquired loans and support the turnaround of the companies in which the Fund has invested.

More specifically, the illimity Credit & Corporate Turnaround Fund presents a number of highly innovative features (including the possibility of acquiring and managing fully operational short-term credit lines as well as, through a securitisation structure, receivables and leasing agreements in continuity). These features enable banks to fully transfer their financial exposure, regardless of the technical forms used, and to benefit from the restructuring process of the corporates.

The Fund will support a financial restructuring of businesses designed not only to overcome a crisis but also to make the most of their potential and pursue a concrete prospect of recovery.

"The Management Team of our first turnaround fund effectively combines financial and industrial skills that allow us to look beyond the reports to capture the potential of the companies in which the Fund invests," said illimity SGR's UTP & Funds unit head Paola Tondelli. "This first turnaround fund, which has very innovative technical features, will soon be followed by other initiatives, always aimed at relaunching the entrepreneurial soul of the country, which will find in illimity SGR a new type of support, not only financial, but also advisory for a strategic vision."

"The closing of our iCCT fund represents the first, very important step in the SGR's multi-product strategy aimed at bringing innovative funds to the attention of our institutional clients," added illimity SGR Chairman Massimo Di Carlo. "The new funds will focus both on SMEs and on those sectors where we will be able to operate by leveraging the distinctive skills of the group."

The illimity Group was assisted by BE Partner for the structuring of the SGR and the Fund, as well as on negotiations regarding the purchase of the loans, by Giovanardi Studio Legale on the legal and regulatory aspects and by Studio Ludovici (which has become Gatti Pavesi Bianchi Ludovici) on fiscal matters.

In addition, PwC assisted illimity SGR on the fairness of the loan valuations and relative valuation models.

The banks were assisted by Studio Gatti Pavesi Bianchi Ludovici for the legal aspects.

The securitisation of loans and leasing contracts was structured by Banca Finint.

For further information :

Investor Relations

Silvia Benzi: +39.349.7846537 - +44.7741.464948 - silvia.benzi@illimity.com

Press & Communication illimity Isabella Falautano, Francesca D'Amico Sara Balzarotti, Ad Hoc Communication Advisors +39.340.1989762 press@illimity.com (mailto:press@illimity.com) +39.335.1415584 sara.balzarotti@ahca.it (mailto:sara.balzarotti@ahca.it)

Wire Service Contact:

InvestorWire

212.418.1217 Office

Editor@InvestorWire.com
Brasilia, April 1 : The Brazilian government wants lockdowns lifted so economic activity can return to normal "as quickly as possible", President Jair Bolsonaro said.

He made the announcement following a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Social distancing, restrictions on mobility and other measures taken by Brazil's state governments to curb the outbreak are harming the economy, Bolsonaro, accompanied by other officials and legislators, said at a press conference.

"We are not going to solve this problem by staying at home. This policy (social distancing) is still being adopted, but the spirit of it was to prepare intensive care beds and respirators so that people would not die due to a lack of care,.

"No nation can sustain itself for long with that type of policy and what we really want is to return to normality as quickly as possible and seek measures to combat the pandemic, as we have done with the issue of vaccines.

"We are calling here for a review of this lockdown policy. That depends on the governors and mayors, because only then can we return to normality," Bolsonaro added.

Minister of Health Marcelo Queiroga stressed the importance of vaccination.

"The broad and agile vaccination campaign is the passport to the end of the pandemic, and that is the effort we have been making," Queiroga said.

Brazil is going through its worst Covid-19 outbreak, on Tuesday reporting a record 3,780 deaths from the virus in 24 hours.

The country's overall caseload and death toll currently stood at 12,748,747 and 321,515, respectively.

Brazil is the second worst-hit nation in the world after the US.
Romania's new car registrations stood at 7,861 units this March, 18.14 percent higher than in the year-ago period, shows data centralized by the Romanian Automobile Manufacturers Association based on reports of the Directorate for Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registration.

Registrations of new cars in Q1 2021 amounted to 20,762 units, 25.79 percent down YoY.

The Dacia brand tops the ranking in the category of new cars registered since the beginning of the year with 3,830 units, followed by Ford with 1,905 units, Toyota - 1,882, Hyundai - 1,844, Skoda - 1,767, Volkswagen - 1,548, Renault - 1,049, BMW - 939, Mercedes-Benz - 810 and Suzuki - 809.

In the used cars category, as many as 36,558 units were registered for the first time in Romania this March, by 1.41 percent more than in March 2020.

The number of used car registrations in Q1 2021 reached 101,299 units, 6.27 percent less compared to the first three months of the previous year.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ted Cruz got into yet another Twitter spat Thursday where she claimed he's 'all puff' as they argued over who's to blame for the immigration crisis at the southern border.

During a Twitter rant, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez blasted 'Ted Cruz types' for putting on a show but not making real strides in terms of improving the situation through the legislature.

'A politician's strength isn't based on a trip,' she tweeted as part of an eight-part thread. 'It's based on their policy and voting RECORD.'

Cruz and several other Republicans have visited detention centers at the southern border and have decried the conditions and overcrowding.

'And the fact is a LOT of Ted Cruz types who are now going down to meet refugee children in boats outfitted w/ machine guns are the ones who helped create this problem in the first place,' she insisted, taking aim at the GOP Texas senator.

Cruz pushed back, writing in response to her tweets: '@AOC explains the real Dem position: abolish ICE. Full open borders. Which would make the #BidenBorderCrisis even worse.'

'She says nothing else works. Really? Last year, we had the lowest illegal immigration IN 45 YEARS. This year, we have the highest in 20 years,' Cruz continued in lauding Trump-era policies.

She responded: 'Ted, this is pretty rich coming from someone who fled their own home (and responsibilities) during an environmental crisis to cross the border and seek refuge in Mexico.'

AOC was referencing a scandal earlier this year when the Lone Star State was experiencing an unprecedented winter storm emergency  causing a lot of Texans to be left without power and resources  and Cruz was pictured during that time flying to Cancun with his family for vacation.

He was excoriated on social media, where critics said he should have been in Texas to help solve the crisis there.

'Also you funded cages, expanded cages, and yet you're complaining about cages,' AOC tweeted.

She added: 'You have no policy, just puff.'

'Maybe Mexico shouldn't let YOU in the next time you try to run away from your job to sip umbrella drinks in Cancun.'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took aim at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the thread where she also called for the abolition of border agencies in the midst of Biden's immigration crisis

Cruz lashed out at AOC for her thread, claiming abolishing ICE and creating open borders would 'make the border crisis worse'

AOC responded by excoriating Cruz for going to Cancun for vacation when his home state of Texas was experiencing an emergency during an unprecedented winter storm

'Maybe Mexico shouldn't let YOU in,' she tweeted

Cruz said AOC was trying in her tweet about Cancun to deflect from real border problems and launch a personal attack instead

AOC repeated her demand Cruz resign for voting to overturn the presidential election results after the January 6 Capitol attack

The New York representative also told Cruz: 'A reminder that your resignation is 84 days past due. At least.'

After the January 6 Capitol attack, Cruz was one of the several Republican lawmakers to vote to overturn the presidential election results in a few of the states Trump lost  and where the GOP claims he should have won if it weren't for fraud and cheating.

This led to Democrats to call for their resignation from Congress.

Ocasio-Cortez bashed Republicans on Twitter Thursday, claiming they are just now starting to care about the issue at the border now that it's under a Democrat administration.

'A lot of people who are just now suddenly horrified at the dehumanizing conditions at our border are the same folks who dehumanize immigrants + helped build these cages in the 1st place,' she wrote.

'For all those who are brand new to this & only care about cages on a partisan basis, catch up: we've been fighting our own party on immigration for a long time,' the progressive congresswoman continued.

'This is the result of Congress endlessly dumping money into CBP/ICE cages vs humane policy,' she tweeted.

AOC claims Republicans who are responsible for creating the crisis are the one who created it.

'Politicians and pundits who are pretending to care about the border now but have continuously voted to expand these cages can sit down,' she demanded.

'You might be new to this, but we're true to this,' AOC added. 'Short-term issue is facilities. Long-term issue is destabilization that's driving migration.'

'For all the new tears GOP have about the border, what are their policy solutions?' she continued in her rant. 'A Muslim ban, racist policy, shutting down the border, & more cages.'

She also suggested  like many times before  that border agencies, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) be abolished entirely or completely restructured from the ground up.

'If you don't want children in cages, then you need to stop upholding CBP, ICE, and the military as the solution to this crisis,' she tweeted.

'Fact is a lot of the politicians crying right now don't work to solve either,' she added.

'They vote to grow ICE + CBP cages and they do everything to avoid addressing the root: US foreign policy and interventionism that destabilizes regions, the climate crisis, and unjust economic policy.'

AOC took to Twitter in a lengthy thread where she bashed Republican for just now bringing attention to the border crisis now that it's happening under a Democrat administration

'Catch up!' AOC said people just now tuning into the issue should educate themselves on the ongoing issues at the border

She instead suggested getting rid of ICE and other border enforcement agencies

Cruz pushed back against this on Twitter, as well.

'Classic leftist strategy: ignore substance, engage in ad hominem attacks,' he wrote.

'True or false: Obama built the cages,' Cruz posed. True or false: Biden is building bigger cages for more kids.'

He added: Your policyopen borders & abolishing ICEwould result in millions of kids being abused by traffickers.'

Ocasio-Cortez finally tore into President Joe Biden's handling of the southern border crisis, calling conditions 'barbaric' and 'inhumane'.

'As we've seen there are arrivals and undocumented children  rather unaccompanied children that have come at the border and this had lead to completely inhuman and unacceptable, horrifying conditions of children in CBP [Customs and Border Protection] custody,' the New York representative told constituents during a virtual town hall Wednesday.

'And it's unacceptable and it's horrifying,' she continued.

AOC also claimed that families who were separated during Trump's presidency are 'owed reparations Period.'

She did not specify how much the reparations should be, and her office has not yet responded to DailyMail.com request for expansion on her demand.

Ocasio-Cortez finally tore into Biden's policies Wednesday, claiming the conditions at border facilities under this president are 'horrifying,' 'barbaric' and 'unacceptable'

During a virtual town hall Wednesday evening, she said mass unaccompanied minor arrivals have 'lead to completely inhuman and unacceptable, horrifying conditions of children in CBP custody. And it's unacceptable and it's horrifying'

Dentition and holding facilities at the southern border are overcrowded  some by more than 1,700% capacity

AOC didn't go as far as to blame Biden for the crisis, claiming the president is working to fix the problem and instead blamed U.S. foreign policy for exacerbating bad situations in Central American countries from where migrants are fleeing.

'I've been in contact with the Biden Administration personally. What is different is they're trying to figure out,' she said. 'How to find the resources to end his problem.'

'I don't want to excuse any of this,' she said of Biden's policies. 'We should be doing better by now.'

The congresswoman's comments came the day after she was slammed for telling supporters during a lengthy Instagram live Tuesday night to stop calling the record number of migrants arriving at the border a 'surge', insisting it is not.

She said using that language places the crisis in a 'militaristic frame'.

'They wanna say, 'But what about the surge?'' Well, first of all, just gut check, stop. Anyone who's using the term 'surge' around you consciously is trying to invoke a militaristic frame,' AOC claimed.

'And that's a problem because this is not a surge, these are children and they are not insurgents and we are not being invaded, which by the way is a white supremacist idea-philosophy, the idea that if another is coming in the population that this is an invasion of who we are,' the congresswoman said.

Critics have labeled the comments 'peak AOC', and ridiculed her for not knowing the difference between the word 'surge' and 'insurgent'.

The critique came after AOC told her Instagram following Tuesday using the word 'surge' to describe the border crisis is incorrect and puts it in a 'militaristic frame'  despite the number of illegal crossings reaching record numbers under Biden

Critics claimed AOC mixed up the meaning of the word 'surge' and 'insurgent'

'Every word of this is false,' Cruz bashed AOC for her video, claiming Democrats are trying to 'cover up' the crisis

Overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, Guatemala migrants cross into the U.S. from the Rio Grande

SURGE V. INSURGENT Critics ridiculed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for apparently mixing up the meaning of 'surge' and 'insurgent' when talking about the border crisis. SURGE: A sudden powerful forward movement by a crowd INSURGENT: A rebel or revolutionary WHAT AOC SAID: 'They wanna say, 'But what about the surge?'' Well, first of all, just gut check, stop. Anyone who's using the term 'surge' around you consciously is trying to invoke a militaristic frame.' 'And that's a problem because this is not a surge, these are children and they are not insurgents and we are not being invaded, which by the way is a white supremacist idea-philosophy, the idea that if another is coming in the population that this is an invasion of who we are.' WHAT CRITICS SAID: - 'Not knowing the difference between the meaning of 'surge' and 'insurgent' - and then using it as a talking point about white supremacy - is peak AOC.' - 'It's like no matter what happens she has some half-brained complaint that has nothing to do with what's going. 'Surge' is racist? What the f*** do you even do?' - 'The men and women of the Border Patrol say it's a surge. The men and women at the Border Patrol say it's a crisis. The men and women of the Border Patrol know that these cartels are using these children and family units to drive them across the border and tie up their assets. This is a national security crisis. If she can't understand that or accept that, then she shouldn't be in Congress at all.' Advertisement

In Biden's first few month's in office, the U.S. has seen the highest-ever numbers of illegal border crossers at the U.S.-Mexico border  particularly when it comes to unaccompanied minor migrants.

Biden put Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of the administration's efforts to address the problem, as the White House still refuses to call it a 'crisis.'

Harris, however, has still not visited the southern border or the overflowing facilities as senior officials have walked back on her role, claiming she is more focused on addressing 'root causes' in migrants' home countries.

Ocasio-Cortez seemed to dismiss this in her Twitter rant Thursday.

'A politician's strength isn't based on a trip,' she posted.

During a question-and-answer portion of her town hall Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez said: 'The fact that this keeps happening is a political failure of both parties.'

A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled a bill Tuesday that would create a $1 billion emergency fund for border crises, but the proposal requires the Department of Homeland Security to decide on specific metrics that would unlock the money.

The bill, proposed by Homeland Security Committee ranking member John Katko and border district Democrat Henry Cuellar, would prevent DHS from having to reallocate its own funds for food, transportation or clothing during migrant surges.

It's rare that Democrats and Republicans agree on immigration, but there is bipartisan agreement that the situation at the southern border right now has reached a peak.

AOC's critique of the border situation came after she was accused of giving Biden a pass during her Tuesday Instagram video but excoriating former President Donald Trump for his border and immigration policies that also resulted in issues at detention and holding facilities.

During 2019, Ocasio-Cortez visited facilities at the border and said the conditions under Trump were like 'concentration camps.'

Biden's border crisis is many times that of Trump's.

The number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the border is at record levels as well, with children put into small pods at facilities where they sleep on the floor

Facilities were overcrowded, some by nearly 2,000% max capacity, and Customs and Border Protection projections last month showed numbers are expected to reach a record of 26,000 in September, which is more than double the record crossings under the last administration.

Approximately 16,000 minors crossed the southern border in March, a record high.

The influx of children is leading to a bottleneck at custody centers as agencies attempt to make additional accommodations with makeshift facilities along the border.

There were 5,767 children in Customs and Border Protection custody on Sunday, up from 5,495 children on Thursday, according to CBP data. In June 2019, when Donald Trump was president, the highest number of unaccompanied minors in custody was around 2,600, according to CBP data.

Additionally, there are 11,886 children in the custody of Health and Human Services.

Combining the HHS and CBP figures, the Biden administration has more than 17,500 children in custody.

Biden's administration was also facing claims of transparency issues as they refused for weeks to allow journalists into detention facilities to report and capture images on the conditions.

On Tuesday, Biden finally allowed journalists inside its main border detention facility for migrant children.

The tour revealed a severely overcrowded tent structure in Donna, Texas, where more than 4,000 migrants  children and family unites  are crammed into pods.

The youngest are kept in a large, colorful playpen with mats on the floor for sleeping since the facility is flooding by more than 1,700% of its capacity and the dormitories are full.

Border guards say 14%  roughly one in seven  of the migrant children have tested positive for COVID while photos also show detainees being treated for lice, amid fears of an outbreak.
Brasilia, April 1 : Brazilian authorities have identified a new Covid-19 variant, similar to the one found in South Africa, which could be a mutation of the strain detected in Amazonas state.

This new variant was detected in a patient hospitalised in the city of Sorocaba, 97 km west of Sao Paulo, Xinhua news agency quoted Dimas Covas, director of the state laboratory Butantan Institute, as saying at a press conference on Wednesday.

"The variant found in Sorocaba resembles the one (first detected) in South Africa, although there is no link between the patient and someone who has travelled to South Africa," he said.

"The variant may be an evolution of the P1." P1 is the variant that emerged in Amazonas in November 2020 and is considered more contagious and lethal.

It is responsible for a new wave of the pandemic in Brazil that has been overwhelming its hospital system.

Covas said it is now necessary to determine the "real incidence" of this variant, or if it is just one case.

"The information we have identifies the variant as the one (first detected) in South Africa, which is new to Brazil," said Paulo Menezes, coordinator of the Sao Paulo Coronavirus Contingency Center, at the conference.

Brazil is going through its worst Covid-19 outbreak, on Tuesday reporting a record 3,780 deaths from the virus in 24 hours.

The country's overall caseload and death toll currently stood at 12,748,747 and 321,515, respectively.

Brazil is the second worst-hit nation in the world after the US.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Thursday morning, and urged all adult residents to do the same.

Im so grateful and excited to be finally getting my vaccine, Hidalgo said at the Spring Branch Community Health Center. Everyone above the age of 16 qualifies and everyone can register online at readyharris.org.
[April 01, 2021] Global Wave Group and Compliance Systems Partner to Offer Banks and Credit Unions an End-to-End Process for Commercial Loan Documentation

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Wave Group LLC, a leading supplier of Commercial Loan Origination Systems, has partnered with Compliance Systems to offer a seamless solution providing banks and credit unions a highly efficient, end-to-end process for the analyzing, approving, monitoring, and documenting commercial loans.

The joint solution leverages the highly configurable document solution from Compliance Systems with the web-based Credit Track Commercial Loan Origination solution from Global Wave Group. The integrated solution supports faster processing times, lower costs, and accommodates the unique business requirements of financial institutions. We are very pleased to be entering into a partnership with Compliance Systems, said Zubin P. Mehta, CEO of Global Wave Group. Compliance Systems Simplicity Platform is a natural extension of our Credit Track Commercial Loan Origination Solution, providing an efficient and easy way to move commercial loans processed by Credit Track into a fast, reliable, and regulatory compliant document creation process. We are looking forward to providing our clients exceptional value and service through our partnership. Global Wave Group is an important strategic partnership for Compliance Systems. We see not only an ideal alignment of our compliant document solution with Credit Track Commercial Loan Origination Solution, but an ideal alignment of our service philosophy, said Chris Apie, President of Compliance Systems. Were committed to ensuring our clients see their return on investment hit their bottom lineregardless of their size. Global Wave Group shares that commitment and will help us deliver premium content configurability with great efficiency.



About Global Wave Group, LLC Founded in 2007 by Banking Executives, Global Wave Group is a financial technology solutions provider located in Aliso Viejo, California. Proudly serving an installed base of financial institutions with a combined asset size of over $2.8T, Global Wave Group provides Commercial Loan Origination Solutions that include workflow and process automation tools that reduce risk, lower costs and increase efficiency. Our deep banking experience, combined with our best-in-class implementation process, builds a unique ability to understand our clients business requirements and translate them into a tailored solution that drives efficiency. Global Wave Group brings advanced tools, processes, and technology used by the top-tier banks to the mid-tier, regional and community bank and credit union markets. For more information, please visit www.globalwavegroup.com or call 888-315-4704.

About Compliance Systems Compliance Systems is a best-in-class provider of financial transaction technology and expertise based in Grand Rapids, MI. With more than 27 years experience with financial transaction data analysis and documentation, Compliance Systems currently supports content configuration and compliance risk management at more than 1,500 U.S. banks and credit unions. Compliance Systems, in concert with an extensive Lending, Deposit, and Core FinTech partner network, equips financial institutions to mitigate the inherent business risk associated with perfecting commercial and consumer loan and documenting deposit transactions. Compliance Systems minimizes transaction risk and reduces resource expenditures so that institutions can focus on business development. For more information, please visit www.compliancesystems.com. Media Contacts:

LeAnne McGowan

Media Relations

888.315.4704



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Washington, April 1 : A new Phase 1 clinical trial has started in the US to evaluate Moderna's investigational vaccine which is designed to protect against the B.1.351 coronavirus variant, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced.

The trial, led and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine, known as mRNA-1273.351, in adult volunteers, Xinhua news agency quoted the announcement as saying on Wednesday.

The trial will enrol approximately 210 healthy adult volunteers at four clinical research sites in the US, according to the NIH.

"The B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant, first identified in South Africa, has been detected in at least nine states in the US," NIAID Director Anthony Fauci was quoted as saying.

"Preliminary data show that the Covid-19 vaccines currently available in the US should provide an adequate degree of protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

"However, out of an abundance of caution, NIAID has continued its partnership with Moderna to evaluate this variant vaccine candidate should there be a need for an updated vaccine," the top infectious diseases expert added.

The variant vaccine candidate differs from the currently-authorised Moderna jab in that it delivers instructions for making the SARS-CoV-2 spike that incorporates key mutations in the B.1.351 virus variant, according to the NIH.

In addition to the Phase 1 clinical trial, investigators at NIAID's Vaccine Research Center are collaborating with Moderna to evaluate mRNA-1273.351 in animal models.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A project to increase the health data literacy of youth has received funding through the University of Illinois Extension Collaboration Grant Program. Rachel M. Magee, assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences at Illinois (iSchool), will lead the project, "Health Data Literacy Ambassadors," with iSchool Associate Professors Catherine Blake and Jana Diesner serving as co-investigators.

Funded through the Office of the Provost's Investment for Growth Program and University of Illinois Extension, the grant supports research and partnerships that address critical issues in five key areas: food, economy, environment, community, and health.

In the two-year project, iSchool researchers and Extension staff will build on existing 4-H Ambassadors and Advocate models to create a Health Data Literacy Ambassadors program.

"Our interdisciplinary collaboration connects researchers with expertise in health informatics, data analytics, youth services, and youth community engagement with Extension experts deeply experienced with positive youth development, health, nutrition, and wellness," said Magee.

Fifteen teens from across the state of Illinois will participate as program ambassadors. They will conduct needs assessments of health topics in their communities, develop and conduct data analytics projects to address issues that arise from their assessments, and present their findings to University and local audiences. University of Illinois students and faculty will serve as mentors and support the teens in their projects.

"This collaboration has the potential to build a sustainable model for other data literacy ambassador programs for Illinois 4-H, furthering efforts to address critical issue areas across Illinois through the lens of data analytics, continuing to empower youth as change agents, highlighting career pathways, and building connections and new partnerships between local communities and the University," said Magee.

Informed by her background as a public librarian, Magee is a youth advocate who teaches about and researches youth technology and information practices. She holds a PhD in information studies from Drexel University and a master's degree in information resources and library science from the University of Arizona.
Two teenage girls were gang-raped in a forest area in Tripura, a state in northeast India, by eight men who were later arrested by the local police.

The attack took place in Tripuras Khowai district on Monday on the day of Holi when the victims, aged 14 and 15, went for a stroll with two of the accused after celebrating.

A total of eight accused aged 19-22 have been arrested in the case, Dr Kiran Kumar K, who is superintendent of police in Khowai district, told The Independent.

Of them, two were with the victims for the whole day while they celebrated Holi One of the victims was in a relationship with one of those two boys.

The boys had consumed alcohol as well. After celebrating Holi, they went for a stroll where they were joined by six others. They took the girls to a secluded place where they forced themselves on the girls.

Read more:

The superintendent said the police acted swiftly and all the eight accused were arrested on the same day of the complaint.

The accused have been sent to police custody for four days while investigations are underway.

Rape and molestation of women is an infamous problem in India.

According to a government report into crime, 32,033 cases of rape were registered in the country in 2019, with Tripura seeing 88 of those cases.

One of the main highlights of the annual reports has been that in the majority of rape cases in India the offender is known to the victim. In 2019, the accused were known to the victims in at least 94 per cent of cases (30,165).
[April 01, 2021] Global Installed Base of Smart City Cameras with an AI Chipset to Reach Over 350 Million in 2025

SINGAPORE, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research, the global installed base of smart cameras with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chipset will reach over 350 million in 2025. The inclusion of AI chipsets in security cameras in smart cities will become a norm, with over 65% of camera shipped in 2025 expected to come with at least one AI chipset. These cameras will feature deep learning (DL) models to automate and augment decision making in applications such as intelligent traffic management, autonomous asset, pedestrian flow monitoring and management, physical and perimeter security, and preventive threat detection. "More and more city and county governments around the world are actively looking to utilize AI. This has led to a boom in the adoption of smart cameras with edge AI chipsets," says Lian Jye Su, Principal Analyst of AI & Machine Learning at ABI Research. Aside from low latency, data privacy concerns have also driven the adoption of AI at the edge as information can be processed without being sent to the cloud. Ambarella, HiSilicon, Intel, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Xilinx are some of the key AI chipset suppliers in the smart city space. Increasingly, TinyML vendors that offer always-on machine vision are expected to play a key role in enabling always-on machine vision through battery-operated cameras, Lidar, infrared and other sensors. At the moment, most of these workloads are performed by either DL models hosted in the cloud, offered by video analytics vendors such as SenseTime, Ipsotek, icentana, and Sentry AI, or DL inference in smart cameras and network video recorders, such as HikVision and Dahua. Both deployment methods come with their own respective strengths and weaknesses. Two technology trends will likely further catalyze the deployment of DL-based machine vision. "The first one is edge computing. Instead of deploying specific DL models on smart cameras that are multiple times more expensive than legacy cameras, city and county governments can host DL models on gateways and on-premise servers. This allows data to be rocessed and stored at the edge, providing faster response time than relying on cloud infrastructure. The second is 5G. While network slicing won't be commercially ready by 2023, the network slicing capability of 5G allows communication service providers to offer dedicated network resources to host microservices, six nines reliability service assurance, seamless device connectivity, and onboarding to support DL-based machine vision in the smart city," Su explains. "The shift to edge computing opens new market opportunities, especially for AI chipset startups that focus more on processing at gateways and standard servers such as companies Blaize, Hailo, and Kneron."



Nonetheless, significant headwinds abound. Public trust and regulations related to adopting AI in public cameras is a big challenge facing their implementation. The public and human right advocates around the world are wary of misuse and have been pushing back against the adoption of facial recognition technologies. The use of facial recognition is even banned by city councils in the United States. As one of the key markets for DL-based machine vision technology, China has been under heavy scrutiny over its nationwide rollout of facial recognition technology to maintain national security and public order, particularly in ethnic minority territories. "Trust is a critical component in public safety technologies. ABI Research encourages developers, vendors, authorities and the general public to focus on constant dialogue and the introduction of common technology platform for transparency, as well as AI ethic and governance frameworks that can minimize biases. Moving forward, the technology vendors that are successful in the smart city are those which will be able to demonstrate transparent and explainable DL models and those who show willingness to embrace open and common standards and ethical frameworks," concludes Su.

These findings are from ABI Research's Deep Learning-Based Machine Vision in Smart Cities application analysis report. This report is part of the company's Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning research service, which includes research, data, and analyst insights. Based on extensive primary interviews, Application Analysis reports present in-depth analysis on key market trends and factors for a specific technology. About ABI Research

ABI Research provides strategic guidance to visionaries, delivering actionable intelligence on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces across the world. ABI Research's global team of analysts publish groundbreaking studies often years ahead of other technology advisory firms, empowering our clients to stay ahead of their markets and their competitors.

For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific or visit www.abiresearch.com. Contact Info:

Global

Deborah Petrara

Tel: +1.516.624.2558

pr@abiresearch.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1471031/ABI_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE ABI Research

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With effect from 01 April 2021

Tata Motors has completed the transfer of its Defense business with effect from 1 April 2021 to Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) for an upfront consideration of Rs 227.7 crore (which is subject to closing balance sheet adjustments). The transfer has been completed through a slump sale as per Scheme of Arrangement approved by National Company Law Tribunal at Mumbai and Hyderabad.

TML has been in the defense sector for several decades, and currently has a wide portfolio of logistics, combat support and armoured vehicles for the defense, paramilitary and state police forces. In recent years, TML has also focused on developing state-of-art armoured carriers & platforms such as Wheeled Amphibious Armoured Fighting Vehicles, Mine Protected and Light Armoured Multi-Role Vehicles. TML has partnered the Indian defense establishment in various strategic programs such as MRSAM, Aakash, Agni, BrahMos, etc. TML also exports its range of defense vehicles to SAARC, ASEAN, and African nations.

TASL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, is focused on providing integrated solutions for aerospace, defense and homeland security. The sale of Defense business to TASL is in line with Tata Group's strategy of consolidating the defense businesses under a single entity to bring scale and synergy. TML will continue to play a significant role in the value chain by supplying chassis and aggregates to TASL for developing specialized defense applications, while continuing to supply pure civilian PVs and CVs to defense forces directly. TASL will invest in enhancing design & development capabilities for expanding the global footprint and providing specialist, high value-added, futuristic solutions to defense customers in and outside India. The consolidation will yield benefits in the form of operational and financial synergies helping deliver better value for both the entities.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 01, 2021] SolomonSimmonsLaw Sues Tulsa for Withholding Race Massacre Documents from Survivors

Tulsa-based civil and human rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons of SolomonSimmonsLaw, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and a team of civil and human rights lawyers have filed a lawsuit against the City of Tulsa, The Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, and the Tulsa Development Authority for denying access to specific public records related to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in violation of the Oklahoma Open Records Act. The filing is the latest legal action to help provide healing and justice to the survivors and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. In early January, Mr. Solomon-Simmons filed 11 separate open records requests with the City of Tulsa City Clerk and one request with the Tulsa Development Authority under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, seeking records related to the 1921 Massacre and its ongoing impact on the Greenwood District. In each case, his requests to receive the records within the customary 15 business days were ignored, and subsequent efforts to reach out to the defendants were either ignored or subject to stall tactics. Ultimately, The City of Tulsa's legal department specifically interfered with the City Clerk's legal obligation to comply with Mr. Solomon-Simmons' requests in retaliation for Solomon-Simmons' civil rights work against the City, writing, "[G]iven the fact that your firm currently represents parties adverse to the City in on-going litigation you are respectfully advised to immediately discontinue contact with our client [the City Clerk]." "The City's refusal to provide records related to the Massacre to which I, as a tax-paying citizen of Oklahoma and nationally-recognized Greenwood historian, educator and advocate, am lawfully entitled access further proves that despite their self-serving public statements, the City's goal is to continue to cover up and whitewash its role in the destruction of Greenwood and 100 years of continued harmmy community has suffered," Mr. Solomon-Simmons said. "These records are needed to help us uncover additional truths about the events of 1921 to promote healing and justice for the victims of the Massacre, something the City is clearly not interested in."



On May 31, 1921, one of the worst acts of domestic terrorism in U.S. history completely decimated Tulsa's thriving, all-Black community of Greenwood. A large white mob, including members of the Tulsa Police Department, the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, the Tulsa County Sheriff's Department and the Oklahoma National Guard, as well as other city and county leaders, overwhelmed the approximately 40-square-block community, killing hundreds of Black residents, injuring thousands more, burning down over one thousand homes and businesses and stealing residents' personal property. Mr. Solomon-Simmons represents the only known survivors of the massacre, 106-year-old Lessie Benningfield "Mother" Randle, 106-year-old Viola "Mother" Fletcher, and 100-year-old Hughes (News - Alert) Van Ellis, who are still awaiting justice for Greenwood nearly a century after the brutal attack. In the other litigation related to the Massacre, an amended petition filed in February seeks to abate the public nuisance of racial disparities, economic inequalities, insecurity and trauma that the City of Tulsa's unlawful actions and omissions caused and continue to cause, and aims to return the Greenwood District, once known as Black Wall Street, back to the prosperous area it was prior to the devastating events of May 1921. Today, this area still remains poorer and in worse health than the rest of the city. SolomonSimmonsLaw, in conjunction with Schulte Roth & Zabel; J. Spencer Bryan and Steven Terrill of BryanTerrill, P.C.; Professor Eric Miller (News - Alert) of Loyola Marymount College of Law; and Maynard M. Henry, Sr., Lashandra Peoples-Johnson and Cordal Cephas of Johnson Cephas Law PLLC, is working to not only secure justice for survivors and descendants of the massacre, but also raise attention to the 100 years of continued harm the Tulsa Race Massacre has caused Black Tulsans.

The legal team will also work with Mr. Solomon-Simmons' partners from the human rights community, including Human Rights Watch, which in May 2020 published a groundbreaking report documenting the impact of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the systemic racism that followed, and called for reparations, Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005780/en/

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WARWICK, R.I. (AP)  A handful of coins unearthed from a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in rural Rhode Island and other random corners of New England may help solve one of the planets oldest cold cases.

The villain in this tale: a murderous English pirate who became the worlds most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim pilgrims home to India from Mecca, then eluded capture by posing as a slave trader.

Its a new history of a nearly perfect crime, said Jim Bailey, an amateur historian and metal detectorist who found the first intact 17th-century Arabian coin in a meadow in Middletown.

 Hidden beneath the St. Lawrence River, a sunken fortress and legend of treasure

That ancient pocket change  the oldest ever found in North America  could explain how pirate Capt. Henry Every vanished into the wind.

On Sept. 7, 1695, the pirate ship Fancy, commanded by Every, ambushed and captured the Ganj-i-Sawai, a royal vessel owned by Indian emperor Aurangzeb, then one of the worlds most powerful men. Aboard were not only the worshipers returning from their pilgrimage, but tens of millions of dollars worth of gold and silver.

What followed was one of the most lucrative and heinous robberies of all time.

Historical accounts say his band tortured and killed the men aboard the Indian ship and raped the women before escaping to the Bahamas, a haven for pirates. But word quickly spread of their crimes, and English King William III  under enormous pressure from a scandalized India and the East India Company trading giant  put a large bounty on their heads.

 Upstate NY legend: Is there Nazi treasure waiting to be found in Liberty?

If you Google first worldwide manhunt, it comes up as Every, Bailey said. Everybody was looking for these guys.

Until now, historians only knew that Every eventually sailed to Ireland in 1696, where the trail went cold. But Bailey says the coins he and others have found are evidence the notorious pirate first made his way to the American colonies, where he and his crew used the plunder for day-to-day expenses while on the run.

The first complete coin surfaced in 2014 at Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown, a spot that had piqued Baileys curiosity two years earlier after he found old colonial coins, an 18th-century shoe buckle and some musket balls.

Waving a metal detector over the soil, he got a signal, dug down and hit literal paydirt: a darkened, dime-sized silver coin he initially assumed was either Spanish or money minted by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Peering closer, the Arabic text on the coin got his pulse racing. I thought, Oh my God, he said.

Research confirmed the exotic coin was minted in 1693 in Yemen. That immediately raised questions, Bailey said, since theres no evidence that American colonists struggling to eke out a living in the New World traveled to anywhere in the Middle East to trade until decades later.

Since then, other detectorists have unearthed 15 additional Arabian coins from the same era  10 in Massachusetts, three in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut. Another was found in North Carolina, where records show some of Everys men first came ashore.

It seems like some of his crew were able to settle in New England and integrate, said Sarah Sportman, state archaeologist for Connecticut, where one of the coins was found in 2018 at the ongoing excavation of a 17th-century farm site.

It was almost like a money laundering scheme, she said.

Although it sounds unthinkable now, Every was able to hide in plain sight by posing as a slave trader  an emerging profession in 1690s New England. On his way to the Bahamas, he even stopped at the French island of Reunion to get some Black captives so hed look the part, Bailey said.

Obscure records show a ship called the Sea Flower, used by the pirates after they ditched the Fancy, sailed along the Eastern seaboard. It arrived with nearly four dozen slaves in 1696 in Newport, Rhode Island, which became a major hub of the North American slave trade in the 18th century.

Theres extensive primary source documentation to show the American colonies were bases of operation for pirates, said Bailey, 53, who holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Rhode Island and worked as an archaeological assistant on explorations of the Wydah Gally pirate ship wreck off Cape Cod in the late 1980s.

Bailey, whose day job is analyzing security at the states prison complex, has published his findings in a research journal of the American Numismatic Society, an organization devoted to the study of coins and medals.

Archaeologists and historians familiar with but not involved in Baileys work say theyre intrigued, and believe its shedding new light on one of the worlds most enduring criminal mysteries.

Jims research is impeccable, said Kevin McBride, a professor of archaeology at the University of Connecticut. Its cool stuff. Its really a pretty interesting story.

Mark Hanna, an associate professor of history at the University of California-San Diego and an expert in piracy in early America, said that when he first saw photos of Baileys coin, I lost my mind.

Finding those coins, for me, was a huge thing, said Hanna, author of the 2015 book, Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire. The story of Capt. Every is one of global significance. This material object  this little thing  can help me explain that.

Everys exploits have inspired a 2020 book by Steven Johnson, Enemy of All Mankind; PlayStations popular Uncharted series of video games; and a Sony Pictures movie version of Uncharted starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas thats slated for release early in 2022.

Bailey, who keeps his most valuable finds not at his home but in a safe deposit box, says hell keep digging.

For me, its always been about the thrill of the hunt, not about the money, he said. The only thing better than finding these objects is the long-lost stories behind them.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 02:07:08|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday that he is not anticipating "bright prospects" for Russia-U.S. relations.

The bilateral ties are in the midst of a deep crisis, which has grown partly due to the reluctance of the U.S. Joe Biden administration to solve problems with Moscow, Antonov said at a joint meeting of the international and defense committees of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament.

Washington is destroying the foundations of Russia-U.S. interactions as the incumbent administration has continued to "unwind the sanctions spiral under false pretexts," he told lawmakers.

The diplomat believes that Washington will not change its stance substantially and the "systemic containment" of Russia will remain a priority.

"For several years, Russia has actively attempted to improve bilateral ties, to establish equal, mutually respectful, pragmatic dialogue ... However, we haven't managed to change the trajectory of Russia-U.S. relations," Antonov said.

At the same time, despite existing contradictions, the ambassador still considers it possible to determine areas of cooperation with the United States.

Moscow-Washington relations hit a new low after a recent U.S. intelligence report accused Russia of meddling in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections with an aim to hurt Joe Biden's campaign.

In an unprecedented move, the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled Antonov to conduct high-level consultations in Moscow amid worsening Russia-U.S. relations. Enditem
TICKERS: WPM

Source: Streetwise Reports (4/1/21)

A CIBC report discusses Wheaton Precious Metal's acquisition of a gold stream at Santo Domingo.



In a March 25 research note, CIBC analyst Cosmos Chiu reported that Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (WPM:TSX; WPM:NYSE) agreed to purchase from Capstone Mining a gold stream on future production from its Santo Domingo copper-iron-gold project in Chile for $290 million.

"This is a good transaction for Wheaton Precious Metals, furthering the relationship with a known partner in Capstone Mining at an asset that is projected to be first quartile in terms of production costs," Chiu wrote.

He explained that with the stream, Wheaton Precious Metals will get 100% of the payable gold production from Santo Domingo up to 285,000 ounces (285 Koz). After that, the company's percentage drops to and remains at 67% for the remainder of the mine's life. Wheaton Precious will make ongoing payments equal to 18% of the spot gold price until the value of gold delivered (less the cumulative payments) equals the upfront $290 million payment. Then its payments will increase to 22% of the spot gold price.

With the stream, Chiu indicated, Wheaton Precious Metals will receive an estimated 3540 Koz annually for the first full five years and an estimated 25-30 Koz for the first full 10 years.

Capstone is targeting 2024 as the first full year of production with initial mine construction expected to commence in late 2021.

Chiu noted that the "Santa Domingo project is a first-quartile copper-iron gold project and Chiles only fully permitted greenfield project."

Chiu relayed that as for the deal terms, of the total $290 million concession for the stream, Wheaton Precious Metals is to pay $30 million upon transaction close and pay the rest during project construction, subject to certain conditions. One of those is Capstone obtaining financing to cover total expected capital expenditures; according to Capstone, it needs $800 million.

"We calculate an acquisition cost valued at less than 1x price:net asset value and 7x price:cash flow (based on first five years of attributable production), which are favorable metrics, especially considering the upside potential at the asset, which hasn't had any exploration drilling since 2011," commented Chiu.

As for Wheaton Precious Metals' financial standing, Chiu noted, the Canadian company had, at year-end 2020, $193 million in cash and about $1.8 billion available via its revolving credit facility.

CIBC has an Outperformer rating and a $65.60 per share target price on Wheaton Precious Metals, the current share price of which is about $38.99.

[NLINSERT]

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5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Wheaton Precious Metals, a company mentioned in this article.

Disclosures from CIBC, Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., Company Update, March 25, 2021

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 00:34:54|Editor: huaxia

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FUZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday said it firmly supports promoting peace talks in Myanmar in the ASEAN way, and supports holding a special meeting of ASEAN leaders to mediate Myanmar's situation at an early date.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks when co-meeting press with his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein in Nanping City, Fujian Province.

Wang said it is hoped that relevant parties of Myanmar should proceed from the long-term interests of the country and the nation, initiate dialogue and consultation as soon as possible, heal the rift under the constitution and legal framework, and constantly advance the hard-won democratic transformation process.

Calling on all relevant parties to exercise restraint, China and Malaysia agreed that the international community should uphold the basic norm of non-interference in internal affairs, and create a good environment for the domestic political reconciliation in Myanmar. Enditem
SUMMIT, N.J., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ECP today announced the successful completion of its first Continuation Fund with $1.2 billion in capital commitments, and the closing of the fund's subsequent acquisition of the remaining 50% interest held by ECP's third fund, ECP III, in Terra-Gen (the "Company"), a leading renewable energy developer and operator. ECP previously sold a 50% stake in the Company to First Sentier Investors. The transaction will provide additional capital to support Terra-Gen's next phase of growth, while allowing ECP III to fully exit its original investment in the Company.

ECP III originally acquired Terra-Gen in 2015, partnering with an experienced management team to acquire a portfolio of strategically located California renewable assets and capitalize on a number of compelling development opportunities. Since ECP's initial investment, the Company has more than doubled its portfolio of operating renewable assets and expanded its pipeline of wind, solar and battery storage projects throughout California and numerous key domestic markets. Terra-Gen currently operates more than 1,600 MW of facilities and has more than 3,000 MW of projects under advanced development, including the Edwards Sanborn solar + storage project, the largest project of its kind in North America.

"As one of the largest owners of renewable assets in the U.S., ECP is excited to continue its partnership with Terra-Gen as it moves into its next phase of growth and executes on a robust pipeline of advanced near-term development opportunities," said Schuyler Coppedge, Partner at ECP. "We believe that Terra-Gen's wind and storage assets in particular will serve as critical resources to facilitate the energy transition and help California meet its renewable and decarbonization goals."

The lead LP in the Continuation Fund is Blackstone Strategic Partners and included a diverse group of global investors, including existing ECP III limited partners, seeking to invest in a leading, California-focused renewable energy platform with strong environmental, social and corporate governance characteristics.

PJT Partners served as financial advisor on the Continuation Fund transaction. Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel to ECP on the sale of Terra-Gen and the formation of the Continuation Fund. Citi served as lead financial advisor on the sale of Terra-Gen.

About Terra-Gen

Terra-Gen, LLC is a New York headquartered renewable energy company focused on developing, owning, and operating utility-scale wind, solar, energy storage and geothermal generation assets. Terra-Gen and its subsidiaries are responsible for the operation of over 1,600 megawatts of renewable projects located in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Texas and Wyoming. The company primarily sells the output of the renewable energy projects to utilities and power cooperatives under long-term power purchase agreements. Terra-Gen was established in August 2007 and acquired by ECP in 2015. For more information, visit www.terra-gen.com.

About ECP

ECP, founded in 2005, is a leading investor across energy transition and decarbonization infrastructure assets, including power generation, renewables and storage solutions, sustainability-linked infrastructure and customer solutions facilitating the energy transition. The ECP team, comprised of 52 people with 500 years of collective industry experience, deep expertise and extensive relationships, has consummated more than 60 transactions over the last 10 years, representing more than $45 billion of enterprise value.

About Blackstone Strategic Partners

Blackstone Strategic Partners is a market leader in private fund investing. Since 2000, Strategic Partners has raised $50 billion dedicated to private equity, infrastructure and real estate secondary and fund investing. Strategic Partners is recognized as an innovative and market-leading investor, with broad transaction capabilities that reinforce its established reputation as a nimble and responsive investor. Strategic Partners has executed over 1,500 transactions that represent interests in over 4,100 underlying fund vehicles managed by nearly 1,400 financial sponsors.

Jonathan Keehner / Julie Hamilton / Kara Brickman

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449

SOURCE ECP
Well-educated, adventurous and a promoter of trailblazing science, there was much to distinguish 18th century aristocrat Lady Mary Wortley Montagu from her peers.

Although most famous for her letters about life in the Ottoman Empire - written during her husband's posting as ambassador to Constantinople - it is her work with smallpox inoculation that is brought to the forefront in a new biography.

The Pioneering Life of Mary Wortley Montagu: Scientist and Feminist, by Jo Willett, reveals how the diarist went from an independent child who taught herself Latin to a medical campaigner who brought the first smallpox inoculation to Britain in 1721.

Lady Mary had observed the method of 'engraftment', which involved putting pus from smallpox sores into open wounds of a patient, during her travels in Turkey and brought it back with her, after surviving the disease herself.

The method was sneered at by physicians but Lady Mary used her aristocratic connections to persuade the Royal Family to inoculate their children. She personally performed the operation on some of her well-heeled circle.

In 1755, the Royal College of Physicians finally endorsed the practice and in the late 1790s, Edward Jenner built upon the ideas of Lady Mary and other medical pioneers to create the first smallpox vaccine.

Well-educated, adventurous and a promoter of trailblazing science, there was much to distinguish 18th century aristocrat Lady Mary Wortley Montagu from her peers

British poet Alexander Pope once declared his love to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, but later wrote venomous poems about her. Pictured, a portrait of Pope and Wortley Montagu by William Powell in 1852

Lady Mary's daring streak was clear from childhood. Born in London in 1689, Mary was the eldest child of Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull, and his wife Mary Feilding, the only daughter of William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh.

After losing her mother at the age of four, Lady Mary was raised by her grandmother for a short time before returning to her father's care.

Although her father employed a governess, Lady Mary took it upon herself to supplement this education with what she could teach herself using books from the family's well-stocked library at Thoresby Hall.

Writing later in life, Lady Mary describes visiting the library to 'steal' her education, away from the gaze of a despised governess.

By the time she was 16 she had written two volumes of poetry, a short novel, and taught herself Latin.

Lady Mary continued write both prose and verse and became the friend of Alexander Pope, who once wrote that her eyes were the envy of 'other Beauties'.

However the two fell out, and Pope later spread that the aristocrat was 'poxed', a subtle dig suggesting she had syphilis.

Writing later in life, Lady Mary describes visiting the library to 'steal' her education, away from the gaze of a despised governess. Pictured, with her son Edward

Aged 23, she defied her father's wishes and married Edward Wortley Montagu, grandson of the 1st Earl of Sandwich.

The young couple moved to London where they established themselves prominent figures on the social scene and moved in royal circles.

At this time, her only brother died from smallpox, aged 20. Lady Mary also contracted the disease, in 1715, but recovered, although it left her disfigured.

The Pioneering Life of Mary Wortley Montagu: Scientist and Feminist, by Jo Willett is out now

She was left with scarring, no eyelashes, and with what Willett described as the 'Wortley stare, fierce and uncompromising.'

'With her looks altered, her career at court was likely to be very different, her influence with any male monarch much reduced.'

In 1716, her husband was appointed Ambassador to the Ottoman empire and they moved to Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).

During their two years in the Ottoman Empire, Lady Mary observed the process of engraftment.

The process saw pus collected in a jar before being transferred into nut shells and placed on top of small cuts on the arms and legs. The patient would then self-isolate while developing mild symptoms, before becoming immune to smallpox.

During a trip to a Hammam in Adrianople, Lady Mary quickly noticed the 'unscarred beauty' of the naked women in front of her, which 'struck her powerfully'.

'None of them bore the tell-tale marks of smallpox, nor the red stripes which western women's tightly laced clothing left on their skin', writes Willett.

When Mary was urged by the Turkish women to remove her clothing, her scarring was so bad they believed she had been 'locked in a machine' by her husband.

Lady Mary contracted smallpox and was left disfigured, although she is not depicted as such in paintings such as the one above by Sir Godfrey Kneller. She was left with scarring, no eyelashes, and with what Willett described as the 'Wortley stare, fierce and uncompromising'

Wortley was often away working and during one of his trips away Lady Mary made the choice to have her son, Edward, inoculated. However their daughter, Mary, was too young to undergo the procedure.

Due to shifting political alliances the Wortleys were called back to Britain and their arrived in London in 1719 in the midst of a smallpox outbreak.

Smallpox epidemics in England were growing increasingly common and severe.

In 1721, amid another outbreak, Mary's household physician Charles Maitland used the pus of a smallpox victim and successfully inoculated three-year-old Mary.

British aristocrat Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (pictured) discovered inoculation during her time in the Ottoman Empire

Tiny cuts were made to the child's skin before a small amount of pus from a live smallpox sore was rubbed in.

The medical establishment were suspicious of inoculation but Mary was confident in her ideas, and invited several influential figures to witness her daughter's fast recovery.

One of these figures was Dr James Keith, who had lost his two oldest sons to smallpox in the 1717 and asked if Dr Maitland would inoculate his youngest child Peter.

Willett writes: 'Medical historians have often played down Mary's role, and she sought to keep her contribution anonymous.

'Certainly, Dr Maitland helped her with the engraftment and he and Dr Keith would go on to receive public acclaim, but it was Mary who initiated things, Mary who bravely volunteered her own daughter for inoculation and Mary who accurately analysed the risks and rewards of doing so.'

Word of the successful engraftments spread to Queen Caroline of Ansbach, whose oldest daughter, Princess Anne, had suffered a dangerous attack of smallpox in 1721.

The monarch had the royal children inoculated and Mary began travelling around the country to inoculate aristocratic children - but despite the royal seal of approval, many were still suspicious of the method.

'Mother and daughter would go on to spend their time crossing the country in Mary's carriage to administer inoculations to friends and relatives, at times facing enormous prejudice against their actions, with people jeering at their carriage as it went past.

Despite her smallpox campaigning, Lady Mary is chiefly remembered today for her letters from her travels to the Ottoman Empire where she wrote about social attitudes towards women

History of smallpox The first known victim of smallpox was Pharaoh Ramses V of Egypt, who died in 1157BC and whose mummy still bears the scars of the disease. When the Spanish took it into Hispaniola - now Haiti and the Dominican Republic - which they settled for sugar cane plantation in 1509, it killed every one of the 2.5 million natives within a decade. More than 200 years ago, physician Edward Jenner made a crucial-discovery which led to the first vaccine. He found that milkmaids who developed cowpox through working close to the animals day after day seemed to be protected from smallpox, the human form of the disease. In Britain, the disease was endemic until 1935. The last major outbreak in Europe was in 1972 when 20 million were vaccinated after a pilgrim returning to Yugoslavia from Mecca infected 175 people. Doctors waged a vaccination campaign to wipe out smallpox which succeeded by the late 1970s. All nations were asked to destroy stocks of the virus or hand them to high-security installations in the US or Russia. It is feared terrorists may have got supplies from Russia in the 1980s. Advertisement

'Although Mary resolved to keep silent about this vital work, she was a formidable campaigner. She began working behind the scenes to ensure that word of their scientific breakthrough was spread far and wide.'

Her method had become politicised and enshrouded by misinformation; with the Tory party writing about how inoculation was 'interfering with nature and it was dangerous.'

But part of the problem was the procedure being carried out incorrectly.

In Turkey, the procedure was less risky, with patients knowing to quarantine for a period to avoid passing the illness, while patients in England would unwittingly spread the disease.

Doctors in England would also needlessly purge and bleed their patients during the inoculation and often give patients too much of the smallpox pus in gashes that were too big.

In 1755, the Royal College of Physicians finally endorsed the practice - but Mary herself wrote that she was 'abused and deluded by the knavery and ignorance of physicians' in the process.

Despite her smallpox campaigning, Lady Mary is chiefly remembered today for her letters from her travels to the Ottoman Empire where she wrote about social attitudes towards women.

Edward Jenner would eventually use the same process as Lady Mary, after observing that milkmaids who previously had caught cow pox wouldn't catch smallpox.

He was able to use his status as a male physician to publish his ideas, but Willet writes that it his remembering his engraftment against smallpox as a child which prompted the idea.

'If he hadn't been inoculated, then I don't think he would have gone on to think about vaccination', Willet wrote.
China in Focus (March 31): Viral Speech Reveals Beijings Shortcut to Success

A Chinese expert says Beijing copied its way to the worlds front row. And now, the Chinese regime uses that leverage to get away with aggression toward the West.

Hong Kongs special status is still long gone, in keeping with former President Donald Trumps policy. The city is now considered no different than mainland China, a shift that holds severe consequences for the financial hub.

Hong Kongs democracy has all but faded. This, after Beijing cuts down on opposition from the citys electoral system.

A historic moment for Taiwan. For the first time in 42 years, a U.S. ambassador visits the island.

And China says it would welcome a visit from the United Nations to its Xinjiang region. But adds that it will not allow investigations into reported abuse of the Uyghur ethnic minority.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
The V13 is a new Realme phone launched on the Chinese market today. Admittedly, its processor - the MediaTek Dimensity 700 - has been seen before. It is joined by a 90Hz display and a 5000mAh battery in its latest vehicle, which, as rumor has it, might launch in other regions as the Realme 8 5G soon.

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Realme launched the world's first Dimensity 1200-powered phone, the GT Neo, today (March 31, 2021). It did not have the event entirely to itself, however: the OEM also unveiled the even better-priced V13 today. Then again, its own MediaTek platform is not a new chipset this time.

It is the Dimensity 700, which confers dual-mode 5G on the new phone. This connectivity comes in a polycarbonate chassis with a 6.5-inch FHD+ display. This panel has a decent 90Hz refresh rate, as well as a 180Hz touch-sampling rate; however, it is also LCD. The V13's rear panel features an 8 Pro-esque camera hump, although only 3 of its rings are occupied with a 48MP main sensor as well as dual 2MP shooters for monochrome and macro photography.

Then again, the V13 may still be able to make a good enough case for itself due to its large 5000mAh battery - even if it charges at only 18W. Luckily, it also ships with its own power brick, not to mention Android 11 skinned with Realme UI 2.0 and a headphone jack.

Realme has also decided to take the increasingly 2021 route of setting 128GB as the base internal storage in the V13, in SKU that only get 8GB of RAM. It can be pre-ordered from Realme's website for 1,599 yuan (US$245), as can a second SKU with 256GB of space for 1,799 yuan ($275) from now.

Therefore, the V13 looks like another potential bargain of a phone that will not be seen outside its home country. On the other hand, a device with suspiciously similar-looking specs (particularly in the connectivity and battery departments) has also just been certified by Realme with the FCC.

This phone (the RMX3241) has also reportedly been registered by the BIS and NBTC regulators. This has led to speculation that the V13 is coming to other markets (the US, India and Thailand, at least) as the 8 5G - which might admittedly explain its resemblance to current members of this series.

Should this be the case, the phone might arrive on those shores with different, holographic sticker-like finishes rather than the V13's simpler black or blue colorways. Then again, without any form of official confirmation as yet, we can only wait and see.

Grab the Realme V15 on Amazon
Boulder, Colo., USA: GSA's dynamic online journal, Geosphere, posts articles online regularly. Locations studied this month include the western Himalaya, the boundary between the southern Coast Ranges and western Transverse Ranges in California, the northern Sierra Nevada, and northwest Nepal.

Marine sedimentary records of chemical weathering evolution in the western Himalaya since 17 Ma

Peng Zhou; Thomas Ireland; Richard W. Murray; Peter D. Clift

Abstract: The Indus Fan derives sediment from the western Himalaya and Karakoram. Sediment from International Ocean Discovery Program drill sites in the eastern part of the fan coupled with data from an industrial well near the river mouth allow the weathering history of the region since ca. 16 Ma to be reconstructed. Clay minerals, bulk sediment geochemistry, and magnetic susceptibility were used to constrain degrees of chemical alteration. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy was used to measure the abundance of moisture-sensitive minerals hematite and goethite. Indus Fan sediment is more weathered than Bengal Fan material, probably reflecting slow transport, despite the drier climate, which slows chemical weathering rates. Some chemical weathering proxies, such as K/Si or kaolinite/(illite + chlorite), show no temporal evolution, but illite crystallinity and the chemical index of alteration do have statistically measurable decreases over long time periods. Using these proxies, we suggest that sediment alteration was moderate and then increased from 13 to 11 Ma, remained high until 9 Ma, and then reduced from that time until 6 Ma in the context of reduced physical erosion during a time of increasing aridity as tracked by hematite/goethite values. The poorly defined reducing trend in weathering intensity is not clearly linked to global cooling and at least partly reflects regional climate change. Since 6 Ma, weathering has been weak but variable since a final reduction in alteration state after 3.5 Ma that correlates with the onset of Northern Hemispheric glaciation. Reduced or stable chemical weathering at a time of falling sedimentation rates is not consistent with models for Cenozoic global climate change that invoke greater Himalayan weathering fluxes drawing down atmospheric CO 2 but are in accord with the idea of greater surface reactivity to weathering.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/GES02211.1/595660/Marine-sedimentary-records-of-chemical-weathering

Late Pleistocene rates of rock uplift and faulting at the boundary between the southern Coast Ranges and the western Transverse Ranges in California from reconstruction and luminescence dating of the Orcutt Formation

Ian S. McGregor; Nathan W. Onderdonk

Abstract: The western Transverse Ranges and southern Coast Ranges of California are lithologically similar but have very different styles and rates of Quaternary deformation. The western Transverse Ranges are deformed by west-trending folds and reverse faults with fast rates of Quaternary fault slip (1-11 mm/yr) and uplift (1-7 mm/yr). The southern Coast Ranges, however, are primarily deformed by northwest-trending folds and right-lateral strike-slip faults with much slower slip rates (3 mm/yr or less) and uplift rates (<1 mm/yr). Faults and folds at the boundary between these two structural domains exhibit geometric and kinematic characteristics of both domains, but little is known about the rate of Quaternary deformation along the boundary. We used a late Pleistocene sedimentary deposit, the Orcutt Formation, as a marker to characterize deformation within the boundary zone over the past 120 k.y. The Orcutt Formation is a fluvial deposit in the Santa Maria Basin that formed during regional planation by a broad fluvial system that graded into a shoreline platform at the coast. We used post-infrared-infrared-stimulated luminescence (pIR-IRSL) dating to determine that the Orcutt Formation was deposited between 119  8 and 85  6 ka, coincident with oxygen isotope stages 5e-a paleo-sea-level highstands and regional depositional events. The deformed Orcutt basal surface closely follows the present-day topography of the Santa Maria Basin and is folded by northwest-trending anticlines that are a combination of fault-propagation and fault-bend-folding controlled by deeper thrust faults. Reconstructions of the Orcutt basal surface and forward modeling of balanced cross sections across the study area allowed us to measure rock uplift rates and fault slip rates. Rock uplift rates at the crests of two major anticlinoria are 0.9-4.9 mm/yr, and the dip-slip rate along the blind fault system that underlies these folds is 5.6-6.7 mm/yr. These rates are similar to those reported from the Ventura area to the southeast and indicate that the relatively high rates of deformation in the western Transverse Ranges are also present along the northern boundary zone. The deformation style and rates are consistent with models that attribute shortening across the Santa Maria Basin to accommodation of clockwise rotation of the western Transverse Ranges and suggest that rotation has continued into late Quaternary time.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/GES02274.1/595661/Late-Pleistocene-rates-of-rock-uplift-and-faulting

Influence of pre-existing structure on pluton emplacement and geomorphology: The Merrimac plutons, northern Sierra Nevada, California, USA

V.E. Langenheim; J.A. Vazquez; K.M. Schmidt; G. Guglielmo, Jr.; D.S. Sweetkind

Abstract: In much of the western Cordillera of North America, the geologic framework of crustal structure generated in the Mesozoic leaves an imprint on later plutonic emplacement, subsequent structural setting, and present landscape morphology. The Merrimac plutons in the northern Sierra Nevada (California, USA) are a good example of the influence of pre-existing structure at a larger scale. This paper updates and refines earlier studies of the Merrimac plutons, with the addition of analysis of gravity and magnetic data and new 206Pb/238U zircon dates. The gravity and magnetic data not only confirm the presence of two different neighboring plutons, but also (1) support the presence of a third pluton, (2) refine the nature of the contact between the Merrimac plutons as being structurally controlled, and (3) estimate the depth extent of the plutons to be ~4-5 km. The zircon 206Pb/238U dates indicate that the two main plutons have statistically different crystallization ages nearly 4 m.y. apart. Geomorphic analyses, including estimates of relief, roughness and drainage density and generation of chi plots, indicate that the two main plutons are characterized by different elevations with large longitudinal channel knickpoints that we speculatively attribute to possible reactivation of pre-existing structure in addition to lithologic variations influencing relative erosion susceptibility in response to prior accelerated surface uplift.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/GES02281.1/594115/Influence-of-pre-existing-structure-on-pluton

Protolith affiliation and tectonometamorphic evolution of the Gurla Mandhata core complex, NW Nepal Himalaya

Laurent Godin; Mark Ahenda; Djordje Grujic; Ross Stevenson; John Cottle

Abstract: Assigning correct protolith to high metamorphic-grade core zone rocks of large hot orogens is a particularly important challenge to overcome when attempting to constrain the early stages of orogenic evolution and paleogeography of lithotectonic units from these orogens. The Gurla Mandhata core complex in NW Nepal exposes the Himalayan metamorphic core (HMC), a sequence of high metamorphic-grade gneiss, migmatite, and granite, in the hinterland of the Himalayan orogen. Sm-Nd isotopic analyses indicate that the HMC comprises Greater Himalayan sequence (GHS) and Lesser Himalayan sequence (LHS) rocks. Conventional interpretation of such provenance data would require the Main Central thrust (MCT) to be also outcropping within the core complex. However, new in situ U-Th/Pb monazite petrochronology coupled with petrographic, structural, and microstructural observations reveal that the core complex is composed solely of rocks in the hanging wall of the MCT. Rocks from the core complex record Eocene and late Oligocene to early Miocene monazite (re-)crystallization periods (monazite age peaks of 40 Ma, 25-19 Ma, and 19-16 Ma) overprinting pre- Himalayan Ordovician Bhimphedian metamorphism and magmatism (ca. 470 Ma). The combination of Sm-Nd isotopic analysis and U-Th/ Pb monazite petrochronology demonstrates that both GHS and LHS protolith rocks were captured in the hanging wall of the MCT and experienced Cenozoic Himalayan metamorphism during south-directed extrusion. Monazite ages do not record metamorphism coeval with late Miocene extensional core complex exhumation, suggesting that peak metamorphism and generation of anatectic melt in the core complex had ceased prior to the onset of orogen-parallel hinterland extension at ca. 15-13 Ma. The geometry of the Gurla Mandhata core complex requires significant hinterland crustal thickening prior to 16 Ma, which is attributed to ductile HMC thickening and footwall accretion of LHS protolith associated with a Main Himalayan thrust ramp below the core complex. We demonstrate that isotopic signatures such as Sm-Nd should be used to characterize rock units and structures across the Himalaya only in conjunction with supporting petrochronological and structural data.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/GES02326.1/595237/Protolith-affiliation-and-tectonometamorphic

Boulder, Colo., USA: GSA's dynamic online journal, Geosphere, posts articles online regularly. Locations studied this month include the western Himalaya, the boundary between the southern Coast Ranges and western Transverse Ranges in California, the northern Sierra Nevada, and northwest Nepal.

Marine sedimentary records of chemical weathering evolution in the western Himalaya since 17 Ma

Peng Zhou; Thomas Ireland; Richard W. Murray; Peter D. Clift

Abstract: The Indus Fan derives sediment from the western Himalaya and Karakoram. Sediment from International Ocean Discovery Program drill sites in the eastern part of the fan coupled with data from an industrial well near the river mouth allow the weathering history of the region since ca. 16 Ma to be reconstructed. Clay minerals, bulk sediment geochemistry, and magnetic susceptibility were used to constrain degrees of chemical alteration. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy was used to measure the abundance of moisture-sensitive minerals hematite and goethite. Indus Fan sediment is more weathered than Bengal Fan material, probably reflecting slow transport, despite the drier climate, which slows chemical weathering rates. Some chemical weathering proxies, such as K/Si or kaolinite/(illite + chlorite), show no temporal evolution, but illite crystallinity and the chemical index of alteration do have statistically measurable decreases over long time periods. Using these proxies, we suggest that sediment alteration was moderate and then increased from 13 to 11 Ma, remained high until 9 Ma, and then reduced from that time until 6 Ma in the context of reduced physical erosion during a time of increasing aridity as tracked by hematite/goethite values. The poorly defined reducing trend in weathering intensity is not clearly linked to global cooling and at least partly reflects regional climate change. Since 6 Ma, weathering has been weak but variable since a final reduction in alteration state after 3.5 Ma that correlates with the onset of Northern Hemispheric glaciation. Reduced or stable chemical weathering at a time of falling sedimentation rates is not consistent with models for Cenozoic global climate change that invoke greater Himalayan weathering fluxes drawing down atmospheric CO 2 but are in accord with the idea of greater surface reactivity to weathering.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/GES02211.1/595660/Marine-sedimentary-records-of-chemical-weathering

Late Pleistocene rates of rock uplift and faulting at the boundary between the southern Coast Ranges and the western Transverse Ranges in California from reconstruction and luminescence dating of the Orcutt Formation

Ian S. McGregor; Nathan W. Onderdonk

Abstract: The western Transverse Ranges and southern Coast Ranges of California are lithologically similar but have very different styles and rates of Quaternary deformation. The western Transverse Ranges are deformed by west-trending folds and reverse faults with fast rates of Quaternary fault slip (1-11 mm/yr) and uplift (1-7 mm/yr). The southern Coast Ranges, however, are primarily deformed by northwest-trending folds and right-lateral strike-slip faults with much slower slip rates (3 mm/yr or less) and uplift rates (<1 mm/yr). Faults and folds at the boundary between these two structural domains exhibit geometric and kinematic characteristics of both domains, but little is known about the rate of Quaternary deformation along the boundary. We used a late Pleistocene sedimentary deposit, the Orcutt Formation, as a marker to characterize deformation within the boundary zone over the past 120 k.y. The Orcutt Formation is a fluvial deposit in the Santa Maria Basin that formed during regional planation by a broad fluvial system that graded into a shoreline platform at the coast. We used post-infrared-infrared-stimulated luminescence (pIR-IRSL) dating to determine that the Orcutt Formation was deposited between 119  8 and 85  6 ka, coincident with oxygen isotope stages 5e-a paleo-sea-level highstands and regional depositional events. The deformed Orcutt basal surface closely follows the present-day topography of the Santa Maria Basin and is folded by northwest-trending anticlines that are a combination of fault-propagation and fault-bend-folding controlled by deeper thrust faults. Reconstructions of the Orcutt basal surface and forward modeling of balanced cross sections across the study area allowed us to measure rock uplift rates and fault slip rates. Rock uplift rates at the crests of two major anticlinoria are 0.9-4.9 mm/yr, and the dip-slip rate along the blind fault system that underlies these folds is 5.6-6.7 mm/yr. These rates are similar to those reported from the Ventura area to the southeast and indicate that the relatively high rates of deformation in the western Transverse Ranges are also present along the northern boundary zone. The deformation style and rates are consistent with models that attribute shortening across the Santa Maria Basin to accommodation of clockwise rotation of the western Transverse Ranges and suggest that rotation has continued into late Quaternary time.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/GES02274.1/595661/Late-Pleistocene-rates-of-rock-uplift-and-faulting

Influence of pre-existing structure on pluton emplacement and geomorphology: The Merrimac plutons, northern Sierra Nevada, California, USA

V.E. Langenheim; J.A. Vazquez; K.M. Schmidt; G. Guglielmo, Jr.; D.S. Sweetkind

Abstract: In much of the western Cordillera of North America, the geologic framework of crustal structure generated in the Mesozoic leaves an imprint on later plutonic emplacement, subsequent structural setting, and present landscape morphology. The Merrimac plutons in the northern Sierra Nevada (California, USA) are a good example of the influence of pre-existing structure at a larger scale. This paper updates and refines earlier studies of the Merrimac plutons, with the addition of analysis of gravity and magnetic data and new 206Pb/238U zircon dates. The gravity and magnetic data not only confirm the presence of two different neighboring plutons, but also (1) support the presence of a third pluton, (2) refine the nature of the contact between the Merrimac plutons as being structurally controlled, and (3) estimate the depth extent of the plutons to be ~4-5 km. The zircon 206Pb/238U dates indicate that the two main plutons have statistically different crystallization ages nearly 4 m.y. apart. Geomorphic analyses, including estimates of relief, roughness and drainage density and generation of chi plots, indicate that the two main plutons are characterized by different elevations with large longitudinal channel knickpoints that we speculatively attribute to possible reactivation of pre-existing structure in addition to lithologic variations influencing relative erosion susceptibility in response to prior accelerated surface uplift.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/GES02281.1/594115/Influence-of-pre-existing-structure-on-pluton

Protolith affiliation and tectonometamorphic evolution of the Gurla Mandhata core complex, NW Nepal Himalaya

Laurent Godin; Mark Ahenda; Djordje Grujic; Ross Stevenson; John Cottle

Abstract: Assigning correct protolith to high metamorphic-grade core zone rocks of large hot orogens is a particularly important challenge to overcome when attempting to constrain the early stages of orogenic evolution and paleogeography of lithotectonic units from these orogens. The Gurla Mandhata core complex in NW Nepal exposes the Himalayan metamorphic core (HMC), a sequence of high metamorphic-grade gneiss, migmatite, and granite, in the hinterland of the Himalayan orogen. Sm-Nd isotopic analyses indicate that the HMC comprises Greater Himalayan sequence (GHS) and Lesser Himalayan sequence (LHS) rocks. Conventional interpretation of such provenance data would require the Main Central thrust (MCT) to be also outcropping within the core complex. However, new in situ U-Th/Pb monazite petrochronology coupled with petrographic, structural, and microstructural observations reveal that the core complex is composed solely of rocks in the hanging wall of the MCT. Rocks from the core complex record Eocene and late Oligocene to early Miocene monazite (re-)crystallization periods (monazite age peaks of 40 Ma, 25-19 Ma, and 19-16 Ma) overprinting pre- Himalayan Ordovician Bhimphedian metamorphism and magmatism (ca. 470 Ma). The combination of Sm-Nd isotopic analysis and U-Th/ Pb monazite petrochronology demonstrates that both GHS and LHS protolith rocks were captured in the hanging wall of the MCT and experienced Cenozoic Himalayan metamorphism during south-directed extrusion. Monazite ages do not record metamorphism coeval with late Miocene extensional core complex exhumation, suggesting that peak metamorphism and generation of anatectic melt in the core complex had ceased prior to the onset of orogen-parallel hinterland extension at ca. 15-13 Ma. The geometry of the Gurla Mandhata core complex requires significant hinterland crustal thickening prior to 16 Ma, which is attributed to ductile HMC thickening and footwall accretion of LHS protolith associated with a Main Himalayan thrust ramp below the core complex. We demonstrate that isotopic signatures such as Sm-Nd should be used to characterize rock units and structures across the Himalaya only in conjunction with supporting petrochronological and structural data.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/GES02326.1/595237/Protolith-affiliation-and-tectonometamorphic

###

GEOSPHERE articles are available at https://geosphere.geoscienceworld.org/content/early/recent . Representatives of the media may obtain complimentary copies of GEOSPHERE articles by contacting Kea Giles at the address above. Please discuss articles of interest with the authors before publishing stories on their work, and please make reference to GEOSPHERE in articles published. Non-media requests for articles may be directed to GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.
Gavin Newsom Owes California an Apology

Commentary

Gov. Gavin Newsom owes the citizens of California an apology. Telling someone theyre not essential is appalling. Every person and the work they do is essential. Just because a bureaucrat may deem you non-essential, doesnt mean its true.

Florida, Texas, and other states lifted their lockdowns and allowed businesses to open at 100 percent. Heres a novel ideaprovide guidance and education and allow business owners the opportunity to safely operate their businesses. Each day it becomes clearer and clearer: The lockdowns did not work in California.

A study in Scientific Reports looked at 87 regions world-wide and found there was little to no evidence lockdowns work. The European Journal of Clinical Investigation published a peer-reviewed study in January that examined the effects of lockdowns in 10 countries. The doctors compared the countries that had strict lockdown orders such as England, France, and Germany to countries that remained more open throughout the last year, such as Sweden and South Korea. There was no clear significant beneficial effect from the stay-at-home orders and business closures.

A study published in Frontiers in Public Health concluded that neither lockdowns nor lockdown severity were correlated with lower death rates. One of the doctors involved in the study was Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at Stanford University. I spoke with Bhattacharya; he warned against the dangers of closing businesses and keeping people inside. Recently, he called the lockdowns the biggest public health mistake weve ever made. I could not agree more with Bhattacharya.

The long-term effects of not having kids in school, of businesses being shutdown, in many cases forever, and people being deemed non-essential will be felt for decades to come.

Its estimated that 75 percent of restaurants will close permanently due to the lockdowns. Yelp reported that 55 percent of closed businesses listed on its review site have shut down for good because of the lockdowns. Teenage suicide rates are up, at devastating levels, due to isolation and not being allowed in the classroom.

While Californians have suffered, the governors children returned to in-person school, his winery remained open, and the thousand-dollar dinner at the French Laundry was a slap in the face to those deemed non-essential.

As the governor prepares for a recall election, it would do him a lot of good to apologize to students, to business owners, to the restaurant industry, to the events industry, and to the millions of Californians whose lives hes ruined. He needs to stop putting politics before human lives. An apology is the least he can do.

Jim Desmond is a businessman, pilot, U.S. Navy veteran, and San Diego County supervisor. He previously served as the mayor of San Marcos, California (20062014).

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday announced that his government would begin a $1 billion program to build missiles in Australia, for the first time since the 1960s, in close collaboration with the US administration of President Joseph Biden.

The project was foreshadowed last June, when Morrisons government unveiled a massive $270 billion spend on military hardware over this decade, taking total military expenditure to $575 billion in the next 10 years. At the time, emphasis was placed on the acquisition of missiles and other strike capabilities from abroad, including the purchase last year of 200 long-range, anti-ship missiles from the US.

US soldiers mount a refurbished nuclear warhead on to the top of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. [Credit: AP Photo/Eric Draper]

Yesterday, however, the government declared that it would accelerate the creation of a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise. This would encompass the establishment of a missile production facility and other military hardware development, spelt out in a Defence National Manufacturing Priority roadmap, which also calls for the construction of unmanned drones.

A government press release, detailing the plans, pointed to the dangers of supply chain disruptions, stemming from events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and escalating trade war conflicts as motivating factors for the haste of the project, as well as what was vaguely described as a changing global environment.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who was only installed in the post this week, as part of a broader Cabinet reshuffle, was more explicit. The manufacturing and supply of weapons in Australia will not only benefit and enhance our ADF operational capacity, but will ensure we have adequate supply of weapon stock holdings to sustain combat operations if global supply chains are disrupted, he stated.

In other words, the project is part of preparations for a major war, and not in the distant future. The clear target is China.

In the first two months of his presidency, Biden has ratcheted up a conflict with Beijing, which was initiated by Obama and further accelerated under the Trump administration. Biden is inflaming regional flashpoints, especially Taiwan, waging a hypocritical campaign over Chinese human rights violations and engaging in alliance building aimed at furthering the encirclement of China.

Over recent weeks, this has included a push by the US for the stationing of offensive missiles, previously banned by the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, within striking distance of China, including in Japan and Taiwan. Biden officials have also hailed Taiwans initiation of its own missile building program, at the same time as they have forecast a possible war between China and the island state within the next five years.

Duttons comments made clear that the Australian missile build is part and parcel of this broader offensive.

The latest announcement, he said, flowed out of AUSMIN talks last July, between Australian government ministers and top US representatives, including Trumps anti-China hawk Mike Pompeo, who was then secretary of state. And now, Dutton stated, We will work closely with the United States on this important initiative to ensure that we understand how our enterprise can best support both Australias needs and the growing needs of our most important military partner.

Morrison formally launched the program at US arms manufacturer Raytheons Joint Centre for Integration in Adelaide. He also announced a $111 million sustainment fund for the US company, which is preparing to produce its own National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System in Australia, as part of a separate project.

To signal the speed of the missile build, Morrison declared, we are bringing 2045 forward to now.

Those corporate journalists present did not ask a single question about the purpose of the project or the danger of war, but focused entirely on repeatedly demanding to know where the new facility would be located. This was in line with the governments attempts to present the planned missile facility as a driver of job creation, even though ministers have stated that a maximum of 2,000 people, most with expertise in the weapons sector, will be given employment.

Morrison, however, volunteered the broader agenda, declaring, we have augmented what our broader strategic outlook is, and that involved bringing forward the capability for longer-range strike and thats what this capability is about. This was part of a coordinated and comprehensive plan that meshes together with our alliance partners as well, particularly the United States

The PM placed the missile project in the context of recent steps towards formalising the Quad, a de facto alliance of the most powerful militaries in the Pacific, the US, Japan, India and Australia, directed against China. In US and Australian think-tanks, the consolidation of the alliance is presented as a key step towards preparing for conflict.

Arms companies, including Raytheon and BAE will now bid for a government contract for the facility, which is slated to produce long and medium-range missiles, and could transition to the next generation of weapons in the sector. Australia has already partnered with the US to test and develop air-launched hypersonic cruise missiles, that fly eight times faster than the speed of sound.

The missile project and its implications have received scant attention in the official press. This is all the more striking, given the description of the plan by Greg Sheridan, the foreign editor of the Murdoch-owned Australian newspaper, who has extensive connections to the US and Australian military and intelligence establishments.

Sheridan this morning insisted that, The Morrison governments decision to establish a missile manufacturing industry is one of our nations most important strategic decisions in decades. It was necessary to be watchful of the distance between announcement and delivery, but for the first time in fifteen years, the defence ministry was proceeding with real urgency.

The project, Sheridan stated, increases Australias ability to hit any potential enemy and to keep it at a distance, and our ability to support the US militarily if necessary in this region.

Sheridan called for the government to press ahead with its crisis-ridden project of building 12 Attack Class submarines, but made clear that he was forecasting conflict far-sooner than 2034, when they are slated to be operational. Bureaucrats and certain types of military planners are always dreaming of technology two generations away, because they have no sense at all that they could face a crisis tomorrow, Sheridan wrote.

In an article a week ago, which was clearly part of the discussion leading up to the announcement, Sheridan advocated a rapid build-up of military capabilities for imminent war. [L]ast year the government announced we were going to buy from the 200 US long-range anti-ship missiles. Thats a good purchase. But its a tiny number. If a conflict starts at 9am on a Monday, 200 missiles should get us through to morning tea on Thursday. After that were stuffed.

Representatives of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a hawkish think-tank funded by the Australian and American governments and arms manufacturers, also welcomed the announcement. One was asked on 3AW Radio whether there would be a war between China and Taiwan within five years, responding that this was probable, adding: If the United States then intervenes to assist Taiwan, it would be highly likely that Australia would assist the United States in that scenario.

The Labor Party opposition fully supports these plans for a catastrophic war, with its leader Anthony Albanese declaring yesterday: Australia does need to be more resilient when it comes to our defence, and this announcement is part of that. This is a bipartisan issue. At its just concluded national conference, Labor passed a series of resolutions, denouncing China and promoting the pretexts for US-led aggression against it.

It was the Labor government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who, in 2011, placed Australia on the frontline of the US war drive against China. Gillard hosted Obama, as he announced the pivot to Asia, which included a massive US military build-up in the Asia-Pacific, from the floor of the Australian parliament. She signed a series of agreements, including for the establishment of a new US military base in the northern city of Darwin.

Australia is to play a crucial role in a US conflict with China, centring on cutting off Chinese supply lines that pass through the sea lanes of South East Asia and the Pacific, and operating as a southern anchor for US offensive operations against the Chinese mainland. The missile program is part of those strategic plans.

These preparations, which have the support of the entire political and media establishment, are being conducted behind the backs of the population.

For the past six weeks, official Australian politics has centred on diversionary sexual misconduct scandals, involving the Morrison government. Corporate journalists have poured over the details and sharply condemned the response of the government to the various allegations. Not one of them has voiced a word of opposition, or even criticism, over the increasingly evident preparations for war.
Our hope is to have the most residents vaccinated by the end of May or June, Stamp said. If a third surge can be prevented in the intervening time, the risk of large numbers of additional hospitalizations and deaths can also be prevented. Preventing transmission also decreases opportunities for variants to develop and propagate.
An $804 million grant, under a new funding Model III of the Global Fund has been launched in Ghana.



The grant which will be used for dealing with malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS in Ghana will be dispensed between 2021 and 2023.



Launching the fund, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said it will help accelerate progress towards the realization of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.



In addition, it will help achieve lower morbidity and mortality in malaria, HIV and TB, as well as strengthen the entire healthcare system in Ghana.











Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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ROME, APR 1 - The two Russian officials who were expelled Wednesday after an Italian navy captain was caught handing classified military documents to a Russian official were named Thursday as Alexey Nemudrov, Russian embassy naval and aeronautical attache, and Dmitri Ostroukhov, an employee in the same office at the Rome embassy. Frigate captain Walter Biot was allegedly paid 5,000 euros for NATO telecommunications documents. (ANSA).
After the Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019, Abby Prywitch and her fellow student journalists at Parkway Central High School brainstormed an idea about an alum they would like to interview: Max Scherzer, a star pitcher on the Nationals.

Right away, I knew that I really wanted to do that story, so I volunteered for it, said Pyrwitch, who is Jewish and serves as editor-in-chief of Corral, the schools newspaper.

But it would not be an easy assignment.

Her persistence in reporting on Scherzer and a number of other well-written stories recently earned Prywitch the 2021 Student Journalist of the Year award from the Missouri Interscholastic Press Association.

As the editor-in-chief, she completed a redesign of the newspaper this year, during a pandemic, no less, Christine Stricker, a Parkway Central teacher and the student newspaper adviser, wrote in a letter recommending Prywitch for the award.

ADVERTISEMENT

Abby is not afraid of a challenge. Last year, she worked hard to get in contact with an alum who won the World Series. She was determined and kept making phone calls (that other students would be afraid to do) until she made contact with the player. Her story, so well written, continues to be our most read story  of all time  on our website.

Her story, headlined Alum Wins World Series: His advice for young players: Continue to get better,  was published Dec. 19, 2019.

The Missouri Interscholastic Press Association recognized Prywitch during the 52nd annual Journalism Day on Wednesday, March 31, on the Whova app. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3sFw0f0

After taking the Scherzer assignment, Prywitch worked to find someone who taught with Scherzers aunt, a former educator at Parkway Central. She managed to connect with the aunt, who connected Prywitch with Scherzers parents.

They said [Scherzer] was super busy, obviously, since he had just won the World Series, but they would check with him, said Prywitch, who belongs to Congregation Shaare Emeth.

The right-hander found the time to talk with Pyrwitch and shared advice for aspiring athletes.

You got to put in the work and put in the practice to really hone your craft and continue to keep marching forward in order to try and make it to the next level, Scherzer told Prywitch.

Prywitch said: That was the most cool experience I have had in journalism because usually I am just interviewing students, so to get to interview someone as big and popular as him was a really cool experience.

Prywitch, 17, submitted the Scherzer story and a portfolio of clips for consideration for the journalism award. She was on a spring break trip in Florida when Stricker texted her to let her know she had won.

I was super excited, and I was also really shocked, Prywitch said. Its probably the biggest award I have ever won.

Prywitch, a senior, plans to attend Indiana University Bloomington in the fall and study education and journalism.

She would like to specialize in elementary education but said, Journalism is something I want to carry on into my future.
When President Biden yesterday unveiled his $2-trillion economic recovery plan, few in his immediate circle likely thought about oil. Yet, the plan will have a positive effect on oil demand because $621 billion of the total would be used for transportation infrastructure, including lots of roads.

And roads are built with asphalt.

Of this $621 billion, $115 billion would be allocated for road and bridge construction, Bloomberg noted in a report, and another $16 billion has been earmarked for laid-off oilfield workers who would be tasked with plugging abandoned oil wells and securing abandoned coal mines across the country.

But the biggest winner from the recovery plan could be Canadian oil sands producers in what could be seen as an ironic twist of fate after Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline that might have made life easier for these companies by providing a much needed additional outlet for their growing oil exports to the southern neighbor.

Asphalt is made from bitumen, and bitumen is what the oil sands yield. With ambitious targets for new roads and bridges and for large-scale repair works, asphalt demand in the next few years could soar.

The employment plans for paid-off oil workers are also good news for the troubled industry.

Around 120,000 jobs were lost in the U.S. oil and gas industry last year due to the crash in oil demand and prices and subsequent massive downsizing of staffing levels, Rystad Energy said last month in an industry analysis.

The United States, the third-biggest employer in the oil and gas sector globally, saw the number of jobs in the industry decline to around 960,000 last year, down from approximately 1,080,000 employees in 2019.

The API, however, warned yesterday that the infrastructure plan will be bad for energy industry jobs.

Targeting specific industries with new taxes would only undermine the nations economic recovery and jeopardize good-paying jobs, including union jobs, the API said. Its important to note that our industry receives no special tax treatment, and we will continue to advocate for a tax code that supports a level playing field for all economic sectors along with policies that sustain and grow the billions of dollars in government revenue that we help generate.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
EDWARDSVILLE  For the third year running, Metro-East Lutheran High Schools orchestra took first place in the Illinois High School Associations 2021 solo and ensemble competition.

MELHS has now earned the No. 1 ranking for its division every year since the school launched its orchestra program in 2018.

We are blessed to have really talented musicians among our student body, and Im so glad they still had opportunities to use their talents and make music during this unusual year, said Karen Shimkus, music teacher at MELHS.

Shimkus launched the orchestra program at MELHS when she joined the school three years ago to lead the music department, which includes band, strings, choir and guitar classes. Previously, Shimkus worked to start strings programs at many of the Lutheran elementary schools in the region, including at Holy Cross Lutheran School in Collinsville and Trinity Lutheran School in Edwardsville.

One of the first items on her agenda at MELHS was to create a school orchestra, and many of the students she worked with at the local elementary schools are now her students at the high school.

In this area, being right next door to the Suzuki strings program at SIUE, it just is a perfect environment in which to encourage these high school musicians, Shimkus said, adding that shes looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the MELHS orchestra program. We have a very young group, which I think is just tremendously exciting. We have one beginner who took up strings just because she couldnt fit band into her schedule, and now shes learning the violin. Thats not something you would be able to do in a bigger school.

The IHSA orchestra competition judges high-school musicians individually, both on the difficulty of their pieces and their overall performance. MELHS orchestra students, who competed in cello, violin and viola, earned a combined score higher than any other high school in their division.

Everyone here works really hard on what they are doing, and its a really fun group to be part of, said Erin VanMiddendorp, a sophomore who plays the violin and viola, as well as the flute. VanMiddendorp started learning the violin at age 4, but the schools she attended prior to MELHS didnt have orchestra programs. I just enjoy playing music, and its so much more fun to play with other people. You can do so much more.

MaryAnn Rainey, a MELHS junior who plays the violin and the clarinet, said she has learned valuable lessons from being involved in the music program at the high school. You learn to listen to other people because you have to pay attention to what they are doing and not just what youre doing, Rainey said. You cant be self absorbed. Everyone has to learn to work together.

This has been a school year of successes for the MELHS music program overall. In December, MELHS students Katie Schwarz and Lars Gindler were selected for the Illinois Music Education Associations All-State Honors Chorus, and Justin Wright, a senior who plays the cello, was selected for All-State Orchestra. In November, Gindler, a junior at MELHS, was named top chair for the Bass 2 section of the senior chorus division of the ILMEA.

The MELHS music department will host an outdoor concert at the high schools campus on Center Grove Road on May 2. It will be the departments first in-person event of the school year and will feature music focused on the theme of water, to go along with the schools theme verse for this challenging year: Isaiah 43:2. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.

Musical selections will include everything from Handels Water Music to pieces from SpongeBob SquarePants and The Little Mermaid.

Since this whole year has been so unusual, were doing some unusual music, Shimkus said.

Shimkus said she has been pleased to see the number of students at MELHS getting involved in the music program.

Being involved in music teaches self discipline. It teaches poise. It teaches teamwork. It expands your brain, Shimkus said. And its a way to praise God. Well be singing in heaven, so music is a little piece of heaven on earth.

For more information about MEHS visit www.melhs.org.
Brent crude futures fell 0.8% to US$63.66 per barrel on Wednesday on concerns about the markets recovery after OPEC and its allies lowered their 2021 demand growth forecast.

Data from the American Petroleum Institute showed a bigger than expected build in U.S. crude stocks.

S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX:XJO) has gained 0.38% to 6817 by 1.51 pm with iron ore and gold miners adding most to the broader index.

Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) is leading the iron ore miners with a 1.72% gain while gold miners Newcrest Mining ( ) rose 3.36% and Northern Star ( ) climbed 3.32%.

Metal ore exports drop

Australias trade surplus dropped by $2.1 billion in February as iron ore exports fell from record highs and tourism services dried up, while the country also imported $1.6 billion more in goods and services.

The February trade balance was $7.53 billion, lesser than Januarys restated balance of $9.6 billion.

Export of metals ores - Australias cash cow - fell 7% to $14.88 billion for the month, falling by $1.14 billion from a record high of $16.02 billion.

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DomaCom founder and CEO highlights key products and services to investors during Proactive Revenue Webinar

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Creso Pharma uses ground-breaking technology to produce three new CBD tea products

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Davenport Resources plans name change to South Harz Potash

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Danakali remains well-placed to become zero-carbon potash producer

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Golden Rim Resources begins diamond drilling of high-grade Diabatou gold shoot at Kouri Project

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Queensland Pacific Metals in MoU with Eramet group subsidiary for supply of New Caledonian nickel laterite ore for TECH Project

( ) (FRA:4EA) has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Societe Le Nickel (SLN), a subsidiary of Eramet SA (EPA:ERA) (FRA:ER7) (OTCMKTS:ERMAY) group, for the supply of nickel laterite ore from New Caledonia for the TECH Project.

Brookside Energy secures drilling rig for much anticipated high-impact Jewell Well operations

Brookside Ltd ( ) (OTCMKTS:RDFEF) is making strong progress in preparation for drilling of the much anticipated high-impact Jewell 1-13-12 SXH well in the SWISH Area of Interest (AOI) within Oklahoma's world-class Anadarko Basin.

Pan Asia Metals well-positioned to move into next phase of growth with JORC mineral resources and feasibility studies

( ) is well-positioned to move into its next phase of growth  the generation of JORC mineral resources at its key tungsten and lithium projects and the initiation of feasibility studies  following its successful listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in October 2020.

Cellmid rights issue raises $3.81 million with strong support and plans follow-on placement for additional $700,000

Cellmid Ltds ( ) renounceable rights issue has raised $3,816,369, with strong support from existing shareholders and new institutional and professional investors.
President Joe Biden introduced the American Jobs Plan on Wednesday. This significant investment bill calls for spending $2 trillion over the next eight years to upgrade America's infrastructure while simultaneously generating new jobs.

Biden calls for $100 billion internet speed expansion

The bill aims to spend some of the funds on improving broadband internet service. According to a fact sheet published by the White House on Wednesday, the administration's target is to provide all Americans with accessible and efficient high-speed internet.

During a conversation with reporters on Tuesday evening, before the bill was publicly released, a senior administration official referred to the internet as the "electricity of the 21st century" clarified some of the plan's details. The official told reporters that "this initiative will accomplish the target of universal access to affordable broadband in this decade," as per Newsweek via MSN.

As the new investments are made over eight years, the bill as a whole is projected to generate "millions" of jobs, the official continued. The planned expenditures would be financed by raising the corporate tax rate to 28% if the bill passes.

According to the fact sheet, the planned $100 billion broadband investment would create broadband networks in places where it does not operate, enabling the nation to achieve 100% high-speed broadband coverage finally. This investment would also aim to lower internet prices by encouraging "price transparency and competitiveness" among internet service providers.

Joe Biden Unlikely to Issue Fourth Stimulus Check; Eyes on Infrastructure, Child Care

Biden urged broadband access improvement in the infrastructure plan

On Wednesday, the Democratic leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives issued statements endorsing the American Jobs Plan. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer based his speech on the plan's transportation aspect, highlighting proposals to redevelop a highway in his state.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lauded the bill in a tweet, highlighting many parts of it, including its "significant" investment strategy for internet access. Pelosi finished her statement by expressing confidence that both Democrats and Republicans would support the measure, Politico reported.

This is one of the thornier topics that Biden supports in the infrastructure plans, making bipartisanship on Capitol Hill more challenging to pursue without intensive negotiation. Broadband companies have traditionally opposed government intervention in their pricing policies. One of the concerns posed by the telecom industry and Republicans during negotiations over net neutrality is that Democrats will want to control broadband internet speeds, something many Democrats have said they have little interest in doing.

President Biden, CDC Give Stark Warning as COVID-19 Rebounds, Urge States To Pause Re-Opening Efforts

The White House "risks taking a serious wrong turn in discarding decades of good policies by proposing that the government is better positioned than private-sector technologists to develop and run the internet," said Michael Powell, president of the industry trade organization NCTA - The Internet & Television Association.

Although the government has a role in bringing networks to underserved communities and assisting low-income households in affording them, Powell believes it is incorrect to prioritize government-owned networks or micromanage private networks, including the false suggestion the government can control prices.

The Federal Communications Commission said the number of users without access to internet speeds of at least 25/3 Mbps has dropped to about 14.5 million by the end of 2019. In a letter to the White House earlier this month, a coalition of senators shared their disappointment with the new high-speed standard of 25 megabits per second and upload rates of up to 3 megabits. Senators urged support for a target of 100 megabits per second, as per Reuters.

Joe Biden's Dog Bites Another White House Personnel, Results to Medical Attention

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Imperfect: An Inspirational Guide on the Highway of Holiness: a well-written manuscript that holds spiritual inspiration and thought-provoking truths that will equip the children of God in clearly seeing His gracious goodness. Imperfect: An Inspirational Guide on the Highway of Holiness is the creation of published author Tiffany Rose Tighlman, a full-time mother who worked as a preschool teacher. Now, she uses her talent in singing, dancing, modeling, acting, writing, and the gift of prophecy to edify the body of Christ, encourage, uplift, inspire, and love others.

Tighlman shares, Take a journey spiritually on the highway of holiness as you are led by the word of God in the inspirational guide, IMperfect. Challenge your beliefs and grow in knowledge of the truth as the Holy Spirit renews your mind to change the way that you see humanity. God created everybody perfectly on purpose for their own purpose to serve his purpose so that he will get all the glory. Learn how to think more positively about who you are truthfully in the eyes of our Lord God Almighty. Grow in your relationship with God and others by learning how to love as God loves you. IMperfect will take you to new levels by transcending popular beliefs and breaking religious barriers. Explore the possibilities biblically on gaining a new view of the life God has given you. Be restored and reconciled back to God as the truth sets you free mentally so that you can be one with God in mind, heart, spirit, and body. IMperfect will show you how to expand your vision and help you to see more clearly who God has ordained you to be. After reading this book, you will be inspired by God to share the treasure that you discover within to change the lives of those around you and trust that God will do what only he is able to do.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Tiffany Rose Tighlmans new book is a mind-clearing creation that contains pages of inspiration and courage to seek growth in faith. This book will truly help every Christian navigate their journeys.

View a synopsis of Imperfect: An Inspirational Guide on the Highway of Holiness on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Imperfect: An Inspirational Guide on the Highway of Holiness at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Imperfect: An Inspirational Guide on the Highway of Holiness, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
The American Rescue Plan passed in March gave an extra bit of help to those who were unemployed in 2020 and collected jobless aid. The law waives federal tax on up to $10,200 of unemployment compensation per person received in 2020.

The waiver is available to individuals and couples who have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $150,000. Last week the IRS updated its guidance allowing workers to exclude unemployment compensation from AGI calculations. The tax agency has said that taxpayers that have already filed should absolutely not file an amended return but wait for further guidance.

Which states are taxing unemployment benefits?

As of Monday, there were 13 states that tax unemployment payments that had not followed the federal lead to extend a waiver to the first $10,200 in unemployment benefits claimed in 2020 according to H&R Block.

They are: Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina and West Virginia.

Will handle waiver administratively:

Another group of states dont conform to the federal rule but will let taxpayers file as if the state does, effectively giving filers the waiver.

They are: Arizona, Ohio and Vermont

Partial unemployment benefits exclusion:

Two states offer partial unemployment compensation exclusions under state law.

They are: Indiana and Wisconsin

States that have adopted the federal waiver:

There are 14 states and DC that have adopted the new federal waiver. In those states, up to $10,200 of benefits are excluded from tax, but amounts in excess are taxable. The income-eligibility limit of $150,000 for individuals and married couples also applies.

They are: Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah, as well as Washington, DC.

States that havent adopted the American Rescue Plans tax break may still opt to do so. To check whether your state is ready for you to file your state income tax now check here.

Which states dont tax unemployment benefits?

The remaining states either dont tax income or dont tax unemployment benefits.

States that dont tax unemployment benefits:

They are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia.

Which states dont tax income?

There are nine states that don't have income tax, but two of them still require taxpayers to file a tax return under certain circumstances. In New Hampshire and Tennessee, if an individual taxpayer receives more than $2,400 or $1,250, respectively, in interest and dividend income, they have to file. In the other seven states taxpayers technically only have to file a federal income tax return.

They are: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, but you might not be off the hook completely.

In the remaining taxable 42 states and the District of Columbia, you will need to file a tax return if you reside there or are a resident. Some states have already changed their filing deadlines to synch with the extended federal deadline of 17 May, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas have until 15 June. The IRS provides a list of state tax agencies to check what the filing deadline is where you are a resident.

You must file a return where you are a resident and where you reside, in addition to your federal tax return

Americans move around to go where the work is, but that doesn't mean that they stop residing in their home state. So, for example, if you work in Nevada but you are a resident of California, you still need to report the income you earned in Nevada to the tax agency in California as well as your federal tax filing. Likewise, if you are a resident of Florida but work in Georgia, you will need to file a non-resident Georgia return even though Florida is a tax-free state.

Third stimulus check: latest updates

You can get the latest information on the third stimulus check, and updates on the possibility of a fourth direct payment, by following our dedicated live blog.

You'll also find news on other provisions in Bidens economic-aid package, such as an enhanced child tax credit that offers qualifying families up to $3,000 per child aged six to 17, and $3,600 per child below six.
Chandigarh, April 1 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday assured the 'arhtiyas' of his government's full support in the wake of the Centre's latest directive ruling out any further relaxation to the state on the issue of direct bank transfer (DBT) to farmers against payment for grain procurement.

"My doors are open for you," the Chief Minister told the state's 'arhtiyas' or commission agents during a virtual meeting, adding his government would continue to stand with them and fight for them against the Central government's move to destroy the established system of making payments to farmers through them.

The 'arhtiyas' will remain an integral part of the procurement system in Punjab, he declared, while directing the department concerned to release the pending Rs 131 crore of the 'arhtiyas', due from the state government.

The Chief Minister said he had been seeking time from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who appeared to be busy with election campaigns in various states, for a meeting on the DBT issue.

Though he did not think the Prime Minister would give time to him, he and his government will keep writing to the Central government and knocking their doors, he asserted.

He had already written to the Prime Minister on March 19, and had personally spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the latter had assured of all help in the matter, Amarinder Singh told the 'arhtiyas'.

He further said state Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan had also met Shah to discuss the issue.

At the meeting, the Federation of Arhtiya Association of Punjab accused Haryana of betraying them by accepting the DBT proposal of the Central government.

They described the neighbouring state's Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and PM Modi as two sides of the same coin. "But we have faith in you," they told Amarinder Singh.

Promising to do his best for the 'arhtiyas', the Chief Minister said the farmers in Punjab shared long-standing and time-tested relations with the 'arhtiyas', who were the backbone of the successful procurement system in the state.

An official spokesperson said after the meeting that the Chief Minister had discussed with the 'arhtiyas' their concerns threadbare and assured them that the state government will work out all possible options to resolve the issue and approach the government of India with the same.

Besides continuance of the existing system of payment to farmers through them, the 'arhtiyas' are demanding clearance of all dues from the Food Corporation of India. They have also opposed linking of land records with farmers' produce being brought into the mandi, pointing out that there is no provision in the existing APMC Act or rules to allow this linkage or demand this data from the farmer.

In case it is to be implemented then it would automatically require an amendment in the APMC Rules, the 'arhtiyas', led by federation president Vijay Kalra said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Just days away from full-time in-person learning for K-5 students in Massachusetts, schools have reported 1,045 total new COVID-19 cases to education officials.

Those cases, detected from March 25 to 31, are among 801 students and 244 staff members, according to data from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

This shows an increase from last week when DESE reported 910 new cases of the virus, split between 682 students and 228 staff members. The week prior, there were 669 total new cases.

Of the positives in this weeks report, 791 student cases and 228 staff cases were at local school districts, 6 student cases and 10 staff cases were at education collaboratives, and 4 student cases and 6 staff cases were at approved special education schools, per DESE data.

Each Thursday, DESE reports COVID-19 cases among students and members who tested positive for the virus within seven days of being inside a school building. This means students learning remotely are not included.

This week, Barnstable had the highest number of student cases among districts with 23, according to the report. Quincy had 22 student cases, Methuen had 15 student cases while Framingham and Mansfield both had 14 student cases, data indicated.

Staff cases at districts were highest in Boston, which had reported 13 cases. Barnstable had 12 staff cases while Worcester had eight staff cases, according to the data.

Among education collaboratives, there were three student cases at Bi-County Collaborative (BICO), and one each at CAPS Education Collaborative, South Coast Educational Collaborative and at Southern Worcester County Educational Collaborative.

Staff cases at education collaboratives included three at Bi-County Collaborative (BICO), two at C.A.S.E. Concord Area SPED Collaborative and one each at South Coast Educational Collaborative, Southern Worcester County Educational Collaborative, Collaborative for Regional Educational Service and Training (CREST), North River Collaborative and at READS Collaborative.

There was one student case each at four approved special education schools. Those schools are: Compass School, The Center School, Hillcrest Educational Centers School and the Willie Ross School for the Deaf, the data shows.

Among staff members, there were two cases reported at the Childrens Center for Communication School and one each at the Willie Ross School for the Deaf, Crystal Springs School, Perkins School for Blind and the Nashoba Learning Group.

This month, the state is requiring districts to offer more in-person learning, shifting away from the remote and hybrid models some schools have relied on through the pandemic.

DESE laid out a timeline for the return to five days a week of in-person classes, requiring districts to have fully in-person learning for K-5 students by April 5 and for grade 6-8 students by April 28. Some districts were granted waivers to delay their return to full-time classes.

Come Monday, 90% of districts will have their elementary schools back fully in-person, DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said previously. All elementary schools will have full-time learning by May 3.

Parents can opt to keep their children home for the remainder of the school year.

Districts are encouraged to plan for a return to in-person learning for pre-kindergarten as soon as possible. A return date for high schoolers has not been announced by DESE yet.

More than 1,000 schools in the state have been participating in a pooled COVID testing program run by DESE. So far, the state has tested nearly 159,000 people in 22,679 pools, reporting a collective 0.76% positivity rate, the Baker administration announced Monday.

More than 329,000 students, educators and staff are eligible to be tested each week. Officials said DESE is now offering the testing program at no cost to K-12 public schools through the end of the school year. Previously, state funding was set to end on April 18.

Related Content:
Artificial intelligence adoption across the insurance industry is taking off. In its report, The Dawn of the Age of AI in Insurance, Genpact noted that insurers recognize the value and potential of AI, with 87% of carriers investing more than $5 million in AI-related technologies each year. This is more than both banking (86%) and consumer goods and retail companies (63%).

Genpacts researchers also projected that AI would make a fundamental impact on the insurance industry in the coming years. Signaling this prediction will hold, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Innovation and Technology Task Force formed a working group devoted to AI, which drafted the recently adopted Principles on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help guide third parties, regulators and NAIC committees looking into AI in insurance.

As the technology continues to mature, carriers continue to experience better outcomes and greater operational efficiency. And the really exciting part is that were still in the early innings in terms of what AI can do as well as the types of that are possible.

So, where will the industry go from here? What do organizations need to do to prepare for next-level insights? Lets dive in.

The Data Revolution

AI is only as good as its data. Its a phrase youve probably heard before. From my perspective, this means organizations need both accurate data and a high volume of data. What is fed into models must be as clean as possible if you want to make predictions and yield insights with any degree of confidence. Yet, if the amount of data fed into the system is too small (a couple hundred claims vs. 1,000,000+), your results will not be representative either.

Data accuracy and volume become even more important as the nature of claims changes. Based on our studies, new claims include factors that adjusters and carriers havent seen before. More precisely, 34% involve a rarely visited provider while a quarter involve comorbidities that complicate claims. Additionally, nearly all claims involve claimants the organization is meeting for the first time, with their own medical history and personality.

These issues are prompting a shift in what data is used in AI systems. In addition to incorporating new types of data, such as medical record images, claim notes, and language processing, organizations are also beginning to pool claims data across the industry.

New mechanisms are being developed that de-identify and anonymize claims from participating carriers so that they can be used in aggregation in the AI process. Doing so enables organizations to safely share valuable information, as each carrier benefits from the cumulative treasure trove of data. Our cross-carrier analysis of claim predictions already show that accuracy rises to greater than 90% when data is pooled, compared to 70-80% for machine learning predictions within a single carrier and 40-60% for adjusters working without the use of an AI system.

There are other pluses to data pooling as well. Organizations are able to make initial predictions where none were possible before. Insights can shed light on where a carrier might want to extend its offerings to include a new line of business, or perhaps they will help create new industrywide benchmarks, such as reasonable settlement ranges for particular types of claims. Cross-industry data may also provide a clear view of providers and attorneys actual performance as viewed across the broader lens of industrywide claims. These are all enormous benefits that will help AI systems meet the greatest needs of both individual carriers and the larger insurance industry.

Change Is Coming

While the idea of collected insights is tremendously exciting, there can be some initial unease that accompanies data sharing  even when it is de-identified and segregated. To this I would say that its true other participants will have access to your data, but its also true youll have access to theirs. This creates a win-win situation similar to international trade. Countries may be competitors, but in the end, it is better for them and their people to cooperate.

When it comes to sharing data, what an organization gains is the ability to see far more phenomena than they would ever capture on their own. Even the biggest carriers have less than 10% market share, so by participating in a cross-industry data collective, they gain an enormous influx of relevant insights that improve their outcomes and make them more effective.

There is no sharing of proprietary information, only the potential to understand things such as how well providers address particular injuries or how certain lawyers perform. This is particularly important during a period such as the current pandemic, when changes in claim trends surface in very short order. Having the best, most current information allows organizations to spot such changes faster and adapt accordingly, which saves time and money over the long run.

But there is a narrow line to walk for this vision of shared data to be successful. A balance must be struck between accessibility and security. Data is an organizations most valuable currency, and as such, security has to come first.

Security in Sharing

When looking for the right partner to build an AI system and effectively share the resulting information in a data collective, processes that ensure security should not be viewed as trivial. Any vendor should have implemented security best practices and controls to achieve compliance and certification with the most widely adopted security frameworks in both healthcare and IT. Some of the certifications to look for include the basics like Service Organizational Control 2 compliance to safeguard data, as well as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance, which secures patient data along every step of the care process. Many companies are adding certification from the Health Information Trust Alliance to demonstrate theyve achieved the highest level of HIPAA compliance in order to make customers feel more at ease.

Its also increasingly important to show compliance with regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which guarantees data protection and privacy in the European Union, as well as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) that offers California-based consumers the right to access their data, delete their data, and stop the sale of their data to a third party. These are essentially table stakes today.

Given the direction of the industry and the significant efficiencies and advantages of AI in claims operations, it is only a matter of time before all carriers begin sharing their data to get the most out of their AI investments. The change will not happen overnight, but it is inevitable. With the AI revolution underway, no one wants to be left behind. As such, carriers would be wise to begin plotting their data accessibility and security strategies.
SALEM, Ore.  Josephine, Klamath, and Lake counties can begin vaccinating the next groups under Oregon's vaccination plan, including frontline workers. According to the Oregon Health Authority, some counties have been cleared ahead of the state's official date on April 5.

As of Wednesday, 20 Oregon counties submitted letters attesting that they were ready to move forward: Benton, Coos, Crook, Deschutes, Douglas Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union and Wheeler.

Moving up vaccination in these counties will enable us to vaccinate our frontline workers more quickly while enabling counties with adequate supply to fully utilize their allotment of COVOD-19 vaccine, said OHA Director Patrick Allen.

Those 20 counties can now begin vaccinating people in Phase 1B, Group 7, which includes frontline workers as defined by the CDC, people living in multi-generational households, and people age 16 and older with underlying health conditions.

In Klamath County, the approval was been accompanied by an announcement from Sky Lakes Medical Center that people in those groups can begin scheduling their first-dose appointments. Eligible people can call 1-833-606-4370 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m in order to schedule a slot at a Saturday vaccination clinic.

"COVID-19 vaccinations will be given at Sky Lakes Collaborative Health Center on the medical center campus," Sky Lakes said. "No walk-in slots or on-site appointments are available."

Meanwhile, Josephine County Public Health said that it has open up a COVID-19 call center to help people schedule appointments or get general information about the coronavirus.

Josephine County residents can call 541-916-7030 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to speak to an operator in English or Spanish. The call center can directly schedule vaccination appointments for residents at one of 12 local providers using the county's online form.

The call center is operated by FCR, an Oregon-based call center management company. Josephine County said that it will remain active until everyone in the area who wants a vaccine has been able to schedule one.
Verizon to close their 3G cell-phone network US telecoms company Verizon will shut down their legacy 3G CDMA phone network on December 31, 2022, customers are advised to get 4G LTE or 5G devices



Verizon say:



Weve already communicated to customers that we are no longer allowing devices that are not 4G LTE capable to be activated on our network, so the focus now is the smooth migration of the remaining 3G devices in the market onto 4G LTE or 5G capable products and services. Additionally, weve already developed migration plans with most of our business customers to ensure any 3G devices they have in vehicles and equipment have been migrated to 4G LTE or 5G technology as soon as possible.



Customers who still have a 3G device will continue to be strongly encouraged to make a change now. As we move closer to the shut off date customers still accessing the 3G network may experience a degradation or complete loss of service, and our service centers will only be able to offer extremely limited troubleshooting help on these older devices.



We will turn off the last of the 3G CDMA network on December 31, 2022, months after our competitors have shut off their networks completely. The date will not be extended again. Were communicating this again now in order to provide customers plenty of time to complete their migration.



Read the Verizon announcement at

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/3g-cdma-network-shut-date-set-december-31-2022
Brisbanes lockdown will end at noon  five hours earlier than originally planned  after Queensland recorded just one new locally acquired coronavirus case on Thursday.

Ten new cases were detected in hotel quarantine overnight. The sole new local case was linked back to an existing cluster.

Brisbanes lockdown began on Monday. Credit: Attila Csaszar

Private gatherings will still be capped at 30 people and masks will remain mandatory indoors.

On Thursday morning, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said a record 34,711 tests were conducted overnight.
OPEC+ will debate two key options for oil policies from May and beyond, including a rollover of existing cuts and a gradual increase of production, three OPEC+ sources said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied producers, a grouping known as OPEC+, are cutting output by a little more than 7 million barrels per day (bpd) to support prices and reduce oversupply. Saudi Arabia has added an additional 1 million bpd to those cuts.

Two OPEC+ sources said the increase would not exceed 0.5 million bpd.

"There were lots of consultations overnight and there still are now," an OPEC+ delegate said. "The picture is still not clear."

Thursday's virtual meeting is scheduled to start at 1300 GMT.

Some OPEC members have expressed frustration that non-OPEC Russia and Kazakhstan have asked for small output increase for a third month running while supporting a broader rollover of cuts, the sources said.

Also Read: Saudi Arabia wants OPEC+ to extend oil cuts into May-June
In a significant recognition of its ongoing efforts to advance the highest standards of sustainability and ethical business practices, Abu Dhabi Ports has become the first-ever company from the Middle East to win a prestigious international CSR award from the UK-based CSR Accreditation (CSRA), said a statement.

The awards body granted its highest Gold Accreditation for excellence in corporate social responsibility (CSR) to Abu Dhabis premier global trade and logistics enabler following an independent assessment by an accreditation panel.

Abu Dhabi Ports was rated across four areas: environment, philanthropy, community, and workplace.

CSRA highlighted the companys progressive policies with respect to its promoting of environmentally sound and sustainable climate change mitigation measures, including energy efficiency and water optimisation; its philanthropic partnerships with leading international bodies such as Make-A-Wish-Foundation and the Red Crescent; as well as the organisations wide range of engaging training programmes and activities dedicated to advancing the wellbeing, education, and health and safety of both its employees and Abu Dhabis wider community.

Mohammed Al Tamimi, VP - Corporate HSSE, Abu Dhabi Ports, said: This accreditation reaffirms Abu Dhabi Ports ceaseless commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, and recognises the positive impact of sustainability on our business in line with international targets for global development such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Claiming this highly-sought Gold rating from one of the worlds most influential and respected CSR bodies is testament to Abu Dhabi Ports sterling efforts to advance global best practices, enabling us to strengthen our CSR strategy and achieve our long-term strategic goals.

Being recognised by global bodies such as CSRA is not only a great honour for Abu Dhabi team, but it also offers us tangible benefits that will positively impact the future of our business by supporting our efforts to attract more investment, while also enabling us to communicate with customers in new ways. - TradeArabia News Service
SEATTLE, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Invictus Foundation now has an operating footprint in all eight regions of the Country. Its Welcome Home Networks encompass fifty states. The organization stands ready and prepared to serve its active-duty military, veterans and their families across the Nation.

If We Send Them We Must Mend Them

"It has been a decade since I began the Invictus Foundation," said Peter J. Whalen, Founder and CEO of the Invictus Foundation. "I began it with this bedrock understanding and belief. That for those of us that have experienced the crucible of war that it has a profound impact both physically and emotionally on those men and women we send to fight in them on this Nation's behalf. When I say profound, I am talking about decades not years. It is a fundamental truth that most Americans cannot wrap their minds around. There is statistical data that points to a tailing effect of 30 years.

"Long after the physical wounds heal and scar over the emotional scarring remain. Understanding this fundamental fact drove me to start the Invictus Foundation ten years ago with ten thousand dollars of my own seed money. I remain steadfastly dedicated to its vision and mission.

"The high impact results achieved by the Invictus Foundation's programs and services over the last decade has been accomplished entirely through private sector funding which, in my opinion, demands an optimization of dollars spent on programs and service and far less on overhead.

"Technology has allowed the Invictus Foundation to accomplish its vision and mission at a fraction of the cost that it once took in the rolling out of regional managed care plans all around the Country. I was a young health care executive at the time helping Aetna roll out its managed care across the Country at costs per region that ran into the millions of dollars.

"Focusing on high impact programs and services and combining six sigma techniques, employing zero based budgeting annually and harnessing technology as a force multiplier we have been able to push ninety-five cents of every dollar donated down to the point of service."

A Leaning Forward Future for the Invictus Foundation

"I began this journey ten years ago using a capstone strategy," Whalen continued. "We are halfway along the continuum of completing that strategy. Our strategic and tactical plan was to first put eight regional Welcome Home Networks in place across the Country. That goal has been achieved. We will now begin to focus on building out eight regional Invictus Centers for Traumatic Brain Injury & Psychological Health.

"The Centers will be the capstones of the Invictus Foundation's vision and mission. The Centers will offer intensive day treatment programs and services, extensive outpatient programs and services for traumatic brain injury, mild traumatic brain injury, associated brain injury and behavioral health issues to active-duty military members, veterans and their families.

"Our Welcome Networks will act as feeders into the Centers for those men and women needing a higher level of intensity of treatment across the spectrum of physical and emotional injuries mentioned above. We are projecting that each Cerner will cost 3M dollars each. Our plans are to build the first Invictus Center for Traumatic Brain Injury & Psychological Health in Orting, Washington. Our goal is to break ground for the Center in 2024.

"We have accomplished a great deal in the last decade with much left to achieve in the coming decade. We are executing our strategic and tactical game plan with intelligence and patience. The joy is in the journey not how quickly you get there."

Media Contact:

Peter J Whalen

[email protected]

206-799-4089

SOURCE Invictus Foundation
The situation in was peaceful with a significant number of voters turning up during the morning hours to exercise their franchise in the 39 seats where voting was underway in the second phase on Thursday.

There were reports of EVM glitches from some polling stations and upon their immediate replacement voting continued uninterrupted, an election official said.

Long queues were seen outside most of the 10,592 polling stations across the 13 districts in the Barak Valley, the Hill region and parts of Central and Lower since early morning.

A significant number of women voters were seen turning up early for exercising their franchise.

At most places, voters were found wearing masks and maintaining social distance as they stood inside the rings drawn at six feet distance outside the polling stations.

Besides, they were examined with thermal scanners for body temperature, provided with sanitisers and disposable plastic gloves before they went into the polling booth to cast their vote.

E-rickshaw was made available to ferry senior citizens in the Cachar district, and they were also felicitated for their will to vote.

Wheelchairs were also provided at all the election centres with volunteers navigating the old and disabled to their polling booths. Resting areas were also created for the senior citizens to wait for their turn to vote.

Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm with the extra hour given in view of the pandemic.

Till 11 am, 27.45 per cent of the total 73,44,631 voters exercised their franchise.

Among the prominent candidates who have voted are Karimganj (North) MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purakayastha of Congress and his BJP opponent Manash Das, BJP's Nalbari candidate Jayanta Malla Baruah, UPPL's Gobinda Chandra Basumatary, and former Asam Sahitya Sabha president and BJP candidate from Sipajhar Paramanda Rajbongshi.

Senior Congress leader Sushmita Dev also exercised her franchise at a polling booth in Silchar and asserted that her party will win the elections.

Several polling stations in Cachar were decked up, showcasing the cultural legacy of the district through the display of handicrafts and handlooms.

In many of the 117 model polling stations, the first voters were greeted with traditional Assamese scarf 'gamosa' as well as with saplings.

Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, rain, hailstones and gusty winds reaching up to 30-40 kmph hit the Karimganj district in the morning, but the weather cleared later in the day, enabling voters to step out.

Overnight showers also lashed several constituencies where polling is underway.

Rains and thunderstorms are common ahead of the Rongali Bihu festival, which is a fortnight away.

Selfie stands with "I voted" written on them and wallpaper stands seeking comments were seen to be a favourite among voters, particularly the first-timers and the youths.

The total electorate include 37,34,537 males and 36,09,959 females.

Elections to the 126-member assembly are being held in three phases with 79.97 per cent of the electorate exercising their franchise in 47 constituencies in the first phase on March 27. The third and final phase elections for 40 seats will be held on April 6.

The votes will be counted 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.)
Chennai, April 1 : The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) on Thursday announced an investment of Rs 2,100 crore in Manipal Hospitals.

According to NIIFL, the investment is being made through its Strategic Opportunities Fund (SOF), a direct private equity fund. The SOF's first investment in India's healthcare sector will support the growth of Manipal Hospitals.

Manipal Hospitals has 15 branches across the country with key focus on tertiary and quaternary care and it recently announced the acquisition of Columbia Asia Hospitals.

According to NIIFL's MD & CEO Sujoy Bose, with this investment, the organisation looks forward to playing a role in serving the healthcare needs of India.

NIIFL is a collaborative investment platform for international and Indian investors, anchored by the Indian government.

It invests across asset classes such as infrastructure, private equity and other diversified sectors in the country, with the objective to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its investors.

NIIFL manages over $4.5 billion of equity capital commitments across its three funds - Master Fund, Fund of Funds and Strategic Opportunities Fund.
Professors of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in a statement on Wednesday denounced the military coup in Myanmar and expressed support for pro-democracy protesters there.

In the statement, which was published in 29 languages, the academics urged the Myanmar military to protect their people's lives and immediately stop widespread human rights violations and massacres of people, and transfer power peacefully to a civilian government.

The statement was signed by 184 professors at the university, including 39 foreign faculty.
A San Francisco school board member accused her colleagues and the school district in a suit Wednesday of retaliation, saying they violated her free speech rights by stripping her of her position as vice president and removing her from committees over tweets she posted in 2016 about Asian Americans.

In the lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco, Alison Collins seeks $72 million in general damages from the school district and the five board members who supported a no-confidence vote against her, plus $3 million in punitive damages from each of those same board members.

Collins, who declined comment about the lawsuit Wednesday, also seeks an injunction restoring her as vice president and to her committee positions. She claims in her lawsuit that board members retaliated against her because she, in her tweets as a private citizen in 2016, spoke out against the racist harassment and racist bullying of Black and brown students in the district. She was elected to the school board two years later.

Collins, in a series of tweets that included racist statements, said Asian Americans had used white supremacist thinking to assimilate and get ahead.

She wrote later in the thread: Where are the vocal Asians speaking up against Trump? Dont Asian Americans know theyre on his list as well?

Using asterisks in references to the racial epithet, Collins continued, Do they think they wont be deported? profiled? beaten? Being a house n****r is still being a n****r. Youre still considered the help.

Collins said in her lawsuit that the tweets were taken out of context and were not racist.

A coalition of city officials, including the mayor, 10 of 11 supervisors, two school board members and the politically powerful San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee condemned the tweets and have called on Collins, who is Black, to resign.

The school board, in a 5-2 no-confidence vote on March 25, stripped Collins, who is Black, of her role as vice president and removed her from committee assignments. Collins did not recuse herself. She and President Gabriela Lopez opposed the actions.

Collins is suing board members Jenny Lam, Mark Sanchez, Faauuga Moliga, Kevine Boggess and Matt Alexander. Four board members did not immediately return requests for comment. Boggess said he respects Collins right to litigate and was seeking legal advice on how to proceed.

The lawsuit alleges that the vote violated Collins due process and caused her to suffer losses in income, significant loss of reputation, severe mental and emotional distress, and humiliation.

When Ms. Collins refused to resign her elected position as commissioner, defendants lit their torches, sprinting to judgment in twenty-four hours, with less due process than given to victims of Malleus Maleficarum, Collins lawyer, Charles Bonner, wrote in the suit, referring to a manual for witch hunters.

Bonner claims the board and its members violated Collins freedom of speech by falsely labeling her a racist.

The false narrative and assertion that Ms. Collins comments imploring Asian Americans to resist oppression as racist has generated this ongoing and intensifying hostility, (causing) threats and damage to Ms. Collins reputation and threatening her and her familys physical well-being, Bonner wrote.

The BIG LIE that MS. COLLINS was racist against Asians in the current, continuing, and escalating national environment of hate crimes against Asian has generated worldwide media repetition of the DEFENDANT SCHOOL BOARDS BIG LIE.

Bonner said while the lawsuit was filed in court, the school board has seven days to call a special session and rescind the vote and write a public apology for its actions. If board members fail to do that, on the eighth day, he said he would formally serve the board members and district with the lawsuit, and they would be forced to defend themselves in court.

Joel Paul, a constitutional law professor at UC Hastings in San Francisco, said such suits by public officials face long odds.

Even if other school board members called Collins a racist, as she alleges, they have a First Amendment right to express their opinions, Paul said. She has the ability to speak her mind and defend herself, but not seek damages for her colleagues' comments unless they include knowingly false statements of fact.

As for the board's decision to demote Collins, Paul said, courts would be, I think, extremely reluctant to intervene in discretionary matters of an elected body.

Collins filed the lawsuit hours before a scheduled rally to support her at the school districts office. About 50 to 60 people listened to speakers in support of her and Lopez.

At the event, Collins said she had no choice but to fight back against this targeted smear to label me a racist.

I have committed myself and I will continue to advocate for families and especially those whose voices are often unheard and whose futures are in the balance, she said. Join me in making this moment count, to not let me or anyone else be swept under the rug, canceled or dismissed for speaking truth to power.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

San Francisco teacher Arisa Hiroi was among the many attending the rally, carrying a sign in support of Collins.

Now Playing: Video: Scott Strazzante

I think the Asian community is really hurting, she said. People are taking advantage of the situation. Critics targeted the tweets, she said, to capitalize on the real pain the Asian American community is suffering. I dont think Alison is the source of the pain.

Prior to the no-confidence vote, members Lam and Moliga had asked Collins to step down, joined by 5,400 people who signed a petition saying the 2016 tweet thread dehumanizes and divides our communities of color.

Collins previously responded to the outrage over the tweets, saying her words had been misunderstood.

I acknowledge that right now in this moment, my words taken out of context can be causing more pain for those who are already suffering, she wrote. For the pain my words may have caused I am sorry, and I apologize unreservedly.

Critics said Collins statement was not sufficient.

Many took this to be a non-apology apology, as did I, said Nancy Tung, a member of the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee.

The tweets remained online as of Wednesday.

Note: An earlier version of this story had incorrect information about damages sought by Alison Collins. She is seeking $72 million in general damages from the school district and five board members, plus $3 million in punitive damages from each of those board members, for a total of $87 million.

Jill Tucker and Bob Egelko are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker, @egelko
THE government said on Wednesday that it is in the process of reviewing loan repayment deductions of 6 per cent Value Retention Fee (VRF) charged annually from outstanding loan balance of loans from beneficiaries who are servicing their loans owed by the Higher Education Students' Loans Board (HESLB).

The move aims at reducing the burden of loan repayment to employees who have been complaining of increased interest on their debts.

However, the government came out strongly denying that it was not charging the 10per cent penalty on the debt owed by a beneficiary who has not come forward to begin repaying the loan after graduation as prescribed by law.

The new revelation was made here by the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Professor Joyce Ndalichako when responding to supplementary questions posed by Busokelo MP, Atupele Mwakibete (CCM) and Special Seats lawmaker, Halima Mdee (CHADEMA), who said that various charges and fees have turned to be a burden to poor Tanzanians who were taking longer periods to clear their loans.

Ms Mdee named the rates charged as the six per cent Value Retention Fee (VRF) which ought to be charged annually from the outstanding loan balance, 15per cent monthly deductions from salaries of employees and 10 per cent penalty imposed on beneficiaries who delay repayment of their debts.

"When will the government bring amendments in the HESLB Act (2016 Amendments) which proposes various fees charged on loans beneficiaries, because servicing the loan has now turned out to be a business for HESLB," she queried.

After the amendment of the legislation in 2016, HESLB introduced three charges, including a six per cent value retention fee (VRF) charged annually on the outstanding loan balance which aimed at increasing the value of loan financing offered to beneficiaries.

On March 3, 2021, the board's executive director, Abdul-Razaq Badru explained that the purpose of this charge is to enable the government, through HESLB, to have a sustainable fund that will enable it to lend to others without compromising the value of the money issued as loans to beneficiaries.

HESLB also imposes loan administration fee amounting to one per cent per annum which is charged once a year on the principal loan of the beneficiary to facilitate operational activities of the board, including improving technological systems, finding beneficiaries and sending invoices among other activities.

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The Board has been consistently insisting that it also charges a 10 per cent penalty on the debt owed by a beneficiary who has not come forward to begin repaying the loan after graduation as prescribed by law.

For pre-2016 graduates, the repayment begins 12 months after graduation, and for graduates from 2017 (when the law was amended) is charged within 24 months.

However, Prof Ndalichako told the National Assembly that it was not true that the government was charging 10 per cent as interest on the principal loan.

The minister and his deputy, Omar Kipanga assured Members of Parliament that the government was in the process of reviewing the six per cent VRF.

"After the ongoing review, we will immediately table a motion for amendment of the legislation so that we can ease the burden of loan repayment to lenders.
ABU DHABI, UAE, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Masdar has launched the global brand campaign 'For A Sustainable Future' to reinforce the company's leadership in renewable energy and sustainable technology, while highlighting the sustainable development goals of the United Arab Emirates.

Ahead of Masdar's 15th anniversary later this month, For A Sustainable Future will highlight real-world examples of Masdar's investment in the transition to cleaner energy sources, celebrate its legacy, and reiterate its commitment to a sustainable future for all.

"Guided by the future-focused vision of our nation's leadership to develop a resilient and sustainable economy, Masdar continues to innovate and build on its strong history of driving commercially viable, renewable energy solutions for the UAE and around the world," said His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman of Masdar.

"Importantly, Masdar's 15 year track record of contributing to the growth of the renewable energy sector reflects the UAE's commitment, as a responsible global citizen, to progressive climate action," H.E. Dr. Al Jaber added. " We, in the UAE, have always viewed the climate challenge as an opportunity to diversify our economy, building knowledge, skills and jobs. As we prepare to celebrate Masdar's 15th anniversary, 'For A Sustainable Future' will celebrate our many achievements, which have positioned Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a global renewable energy leader."

Despite the global economic challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, Masdar has maintained its growth trajectory. The capacity of the renewable energy projects that the company is a partner in has more than doubled over the past two years, from 4 gigawatts (GW) to 11 GW - enough electricity to power more than 4 million homes - with a combined value of US$19.9 billion.

"Our success in exceeding our own capacity growth targets both reflects the commitment of our shareholder, Mubadala Investment Company, and our dedicated employees around the world. It also demonstrates that the pace of the energy transition is accelerating, as visionary nations like the UAE continue to drive sustainable development and as clean energy technologies become more economically compelling," said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar. "Masdar today is supporting communities in more than 30 countries across the world, and we look forward to extending our global footprint and delivering a more sustainable future for all."

Global impact

Key projects in which Masdar is currently involved include the largest wind farm in the Middle East, Dumat Al-Jandal, Saudi Arabia's first utility-scale wind-power source. It is being developed by a consortium led by France's EDF Renewables and once operational will displace 885,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year and generate enough electricity to power 70,000 homes.

Expanding its global influence and impact, Masdar also made its first investment in Australia last year, acquiring a 40 percent stake in the country's second utility-scale waste-to-energy facility. When completed, it will process 300,000 tonnes per year of non-recyclable municipal, commercial and industrial waste and up to 30,000 tonnes of biosolids each year.

Building on its renewables capacity in the United States, Masdar acquired a 50 percent stake in a 1.6 GW clean-energy portfolio in a deal with EDF Renewables North America. In total, the eight projects in the portfolio have already created more than 2,000 jobs, and will displace more than 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Masdar also entered Southeast Asia in 2020, with an agreement to develop Indonesia's first floating solar PV plant. The 145 MW (ac) plant, the largest of its kind in the region, will be located in the West Java region of Indonesia.

Masdar has continued its expansion into new markets this year. In January, the company announced its first project in Poland, with the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in two wind farms in the country. Masdar also announced in January that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EDF Renewables to explore renewable energy opportunities in Israel and support the country's clean-energy objectives.

In March, Masdar signed an MoU with the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to explore the development of solar power projects with a total capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) and related grid infrastructure across the country.

Innovating for sustainable urban development

Masdar City, Masdar's sustainable urban development project, has reinforced its position as a hub for innovation and technology, as it welcomed the first students to the Mohammed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in January 2021. The Masdar City Free Zone has continued to attract new businesses, with more than 900 companies now located at the City.

Additionally, Abu Dhabi Holdings (ADQ) launched last year an AED 1.1 billion venture fund to support early stage businesses to set up their global or regional headquarters in Masdar City, enabling them to benefit from the City's exceptional digital infrastructure, as well as an advanced regulatory framework and other R&D initiatives.

Further evidence of Masdar City's growing business ecosystem is the success of The Catalyst, the anchor tenant of Masdar City's Tech Park. A joint venture between Masdar and BP, the Catalyst is the first start-up accelerator in the MENA region dedicated to sustainability.

Empowering the future

Masdar also champions sustainability through a range of strategic CSR initiatives. These include the Women in Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy (WiSER) platform, which has a mandate to promote female inclusion in sustainability through partnerships, thought leadership, and sharing the achievements and experiences of inspirational women around the world.

Masdar also leads the Youth 4 Sustainability (Y4S) platform, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Y4S supports students and young professionals hoping to pursue a career in the sustainability sector with training, work experience and career advice. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UAE's National Strategy and the UAE Centennial Plan, Y4S conducts a series of programs throughout the year, including the Sustainability Ambassadors and Future Sustainability Leaders, aimed at inspiring students and young entrepreneurs.

Promoting community engagement on sustainability issues is a focus of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), hosted annually by Masdar. Attracting heads of state, world-renowned speakers, tens of thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibiting companies, ADSW is today the world's leading platform for accelerating sustainable development. ADSW achieved another landmark in January 2021 when it hosted one of the world's largest virtual sustainability gatherings.

ADSW is also synonymous with the Zayed Sustainability Prize, the UAE's pioneering global sustainability award, whose recipients have positively impacted over 352 million people through their projects and solutions since the Prize's first presentation ceremony in 2009.

Inspired by the legacy of the UAE's founding founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has launched this year Beyond2020, a continuation and expansion of the pioneering UAE-led humanitarian initiative 20by2020, which was launched in partnership with several leading local and international organisations in December 2019. Beyond2020 represents Phase 2 of the initiative, having reached 8 countries, and impacted approximately 110,000 people during its first phase and debut year.

About For A Sustainable Future:

Masdar's For A Sustainable Future campaign showcases Masdar's pioneering innovation in sustainability across renewable energy, sustainable urban development and clean technologies, ahead of the company's 15th anniversary in 2021. The campaign will highlight Masdar's leadership initiatives in gender equality with WiSER and youth empowerment via Y4S, both key to Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. For more information on For A Sustainable Future visit Masdar.ae/ForASustainableFuture

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479521/Masdar_Infographic.jpg

PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479549/Masdar_For_A_Sustainable_Future.pdf
CLINTON, IND. (WTHI) - The COVID-19 pandemic led the way to a positive opportunity for South Vermillion High School students. Earlier this year, staff introduced a TV media class to give students the opportunity to develop new life skills. David Basan is the teacher of the course and says it is a great opportunity for the students.

They can put on their resume and if it's something they enjoy they can pursue a profession," Basan said.

Students come together at the start of each school day and create their very own newscast. The show includes general news, sports, weather, and even a joke of the day!

Why can't a nose be 12 inches long, because then it would be a 'foot,'" Ozofu Magaji, a student at SVHS, said.

The students are learning a variety of skills including how to use different software and editing programs, on-camera presentation, and leadership skills. Many students don't get opportunities like this until they get to college.

"It's really fun coming in every day and being on the news and going to homeroom and everyone's like woah where is the news at today, did you guys do the news," Easton Terry, a student at SVHS, said. "It's fun to watch and see everyone's reaction."

This class is one of the many career technical education (CTE) classes the school offers. However, Mr. Basan says the state legislature is trying to cut the funding for some CTE programs like this one in the near future.

"These are programs that kids can use and further their career or make a career out of it," he said. "To get this start is just such a plus for them and that funding cut is something we can't have."

If you want to support local CTE programs like this one, Mr. Basan is encouraging you to reach out to the state legislators and tell them how important these classes are for young students. Visit the website here to find your legislator and support your local CTE programs.

To watch the SVHS students' WCAT News, "News You Can Use," click here.
Pipeline

1 April 2021

Hyatt announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered a franchise agreement with Metric Ventures LLC (which is owned by Mr. Murari Lal Jalan, Chairman at MJ Developers) for Hyatt Regency Bukhara. Slated to open in 2022, the 223-room hotel will be the second Hyatt Regency hotel in Uzbekistan and marks Hyatt's ambition to further strengthen its brand footprint in Central Asia.

Set to be located on a 6.78 acres (2.75 hectares) site just outside the historic city, Hyatt Regency Bukhara will connect guests seeking inspiring experiences with the mosques, madrasas and remains of old bazaars that the city is renowned for. The hotel is expected to attract international and domestic travelers alike, and with facilities including extensive food and beverage options and with a large event space, it will become a choice venue for weddings and other social events.

Located on the Silk Road, Bukhara has long served as a center of trade, scholarship, culture and religion. The architectural splendor of Bukhara has earned the Old Town its UNESCO World Heritage status, appealing to guests across the world who are interested in the vast Ark citadel or the elegant Bolo Haouz Mosque. Interesting local attractions include The Ismail Samani Mausoleum and the Kalyan Mosque, both of which will be easily accessible from the hotel.
[April 01, 2021] Carsten Bruhn joins Ricoh North America as President & CEO

EXTON, Pa., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricoh today announced that Carsten Bruhn is now the President and CEO of Ricoh North America. A self-described "global citizen," Bruhn brings more than 20 years of experience from around the world. This includes having lived in Great Britain, Denmark and Japan, and with extensive travel meeting with customers in all regions throughout the world, including North America. He has led global teams that have successfully built digital transformation strategies and implemented services that solve crucial problems for organizations of all sizes  from global enterprises to small businesses. "The opportunity that lies ahead for Ricoh, our partners and customers is incredible," said Bruhn. "Customer behaviors, the increasingly changing workforce and the speed of digital transformation are driving toward the need for new business models, including digital services and subscription models, to name a few. And there's so much to be energized about in North America specifically. We have a tremendous customer base, a passionately dedicated team and a network of dealer partners who share our commitment to solving challenging business problems today and into the future." Bruhn most recently served as Corporate Vice President for Ricoh Global Services. In this role, he managed and fostered Ricoh's relationship with the company's largest, enterprise customers around the world. He focused on empowering customers to embrace digital transformation and built strategies with Ricoh's best-in-class partners to enable businesses to transform into digital businesses. Under Bruhn's leadership, Ricoh's Global Major Account (GMA) channel experienced growth by attracting new customers, while also renewing and providing increased valu to existing customers. In 2020, these initiatives continued to accelerate by helping customers work from anywhere with digitalization, automation, and collaboration solutions, as well as providing tools for a safe return to the workplace.



During a two-year assignment in Japan, at Ricoh's global headquarters, Bruhn led the global services transformation for Ricoh Business Solutions. Previous roles included Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Ricoh Global Services. Prior to joining Ricoh, Bruhn managed Lanier's Northern Europe region. Leveraging this experience, he understands the entrepreneurial spirit and passion that drives Ricoh Family Group dealer partners today and is eager to collaborate with them. Bruhn's leadership approach includes articulating a clear vision and direction to inspire employees and foster collaboration and productivity. As a "servant leader" he consistently drives the collective team forward, leveraging individual strengths to support a common goal: customer success. Bruhn also focuses on important cultural issues such as diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and he discusses the importance of understanding and addressing unconscious biases. His global experiences and unique perspective encourage and embrace an inclusive company culture.

In the coming months, Bruhn will publicly outline his business strategy for Ricoh North America. Bruhn's strategy will provide a clear and ambitious path forward  both short and long-term  built with agility and flexibility to quickly address customers' changing needs throughout 2021 and beyond. Click here to read Bruhn's first message in his new role. For more information about Ricoh's customer commitment, click here, or follow the company's social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. | About Ricoh | Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services enabling individuals to work smarter. For more than 80 years, Ricoh has been driving innovation and is a leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, communications services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2020, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,008 billion yen (approx. 18.5 billion USD). For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com.  2021 Ricoh USA, Inc. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carsten-bruhn-joins-ricoh-north-america-as-president--ceo-301260727.html SOURCE Ricoh USA, Inc.

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The Armenian parliament has adopted changes to the countrys Electoral Code that the opposition says are aimed at helping Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian win snap elections expected in June.



The amendments, announced on March 24 by Pashinian, whose My Step faction dominates the National Assembly, will switch the Caucasus country's electoral system to a fully proportional one.



Armenians have until now voted for parties and alliances as well as individual candidates. In the last two general elections, parliament seats were equally distributed among candidates picked through national party lists and individual races.



The amendments adopted on April 1 mean that the next election will be held only on a proportional, party-list basis. Only by pro-government lawmakers voted for the changes.



No one from the opposition faction Bright Armenia participated in the vote, while lawmakers from the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction boycotted the parliamentary meeting.

Following talks with the opposition, Pashinian on March 18 agreed to hold early general elections on June 20 in an effort to defuse a political crisis sparked by a war late last year with Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.



Armenia has been in the grip of political upheaval since November, when Pashinian signed a Moscow-brokered cease-fire agreement with Azerbaijan that ended six weeks of fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.



Under the deal, a chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh and all seven districts around it were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by ethnic Armenian forces.

The opposition held demonstrations in a bid to force Pashinian to step down over his handling of the war, during which more than 6,000 people were killed.



But the prime minister, whose My Step faction dominates parliament, has refused to resign, agreeing to early elections instead.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Upstate Medical University announced today it will be one of four sites around the world to test the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in children under 5 years old.

The university is enrolling children now for the two-year, multi-tiered study.

Testing the vaccine in children is crucial in keeping them safe from the serious effects of the novel coronavirus, said Dr. Joseph Domachowske, Upstates principal investigator for the trial.

Children who have been infected are at risk for developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, known as MIS-C, even if their initial illness was mild or asymptomatic, Domachowske said in a news release. We need safe and effective vaccines for children to keep them healthy, to prevent MIS-C, and to reduce potential transmission to others.

He said vaccinating children will be crucial in controlling the pandemic, which has killed more than 600,000 Americans since it began in early 2020.

While infected, children can transmit infection to their friends, family members, and close contacts at school, said Domachowske, a professor of pediatrics, microbiology and immunology.

Upstate said the study will roll out in phases over the next couple of months. The first phase, which starts Monday and wraps up by the end of May, will find the safest and most effective dosage for children. Researchers start with low doses and gradually increase those until the younger children start to develop the same rate of side effects that the 12- to 15-year-old group did.

Phases two and three will be a full-blown trial, in which volunteers will be divided into two groups, one of which will receive the vaccine and one a placebo. The study is double-blind, which means neither the researchers nor the volunteers will know who is getting the actual vaccine and who is getting the placebo, which is generally an inert saline solution. Six months after enrollment, Domachowske said, the study will be unblinded, and those children who had received the placebo will be offered the real vaccine.

Children will be tracked for two years to see how well the vaccine works and how their immune systems respond.

To be eligible for the study, children must be between 6 months and 11 years old, in good health, and able to make a two-year commitment. They will be required to provide blood samples during the study and to be seen up to 10 times at Upstates Physicians Office Building, on Irving Avenue in Syracuse.

Upstate plans to enroll 200 to 250 children. That shouldnt be a problem, Domachowske said, because about 1,000 parents have already contacted Upstate to ask that their children be included.

Ive been doing clinical vaccine trials at Upstate for 32 years, he said, and Ive never experienced anything like this before.

Some of the parents had volunteered for the original adult Pfizer vaccine trial last year and had put their children on a waiting list for this trial, Domachowske said.

Upstate was one of 60 research sites in the U.S. testing the Pfizer vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds. Pfizer and BioNTech, co-developers of the vaccine, announced today that the clinical trials of children 12 to 15 showed 100% efficacy, meaning none of those receiving the vaccine developed Covid-19. The companies said they plan to ask the Food and Drug Administration to allow the vaccine to be used in children as young as 12. Now, the vaccine has FDA emergency approval for those 16 and up.

A separate clinical trial for children is being conducted at Upstate for the Moderna vaccine, which has obtained FDA emergency approval for ages 18 and up. Volunteers for that trial were recruited from Child Health Care Associates pediatric practice, in East Syracuse.
Voter turnout for the second phase of polling in notched as much as 15.72 per cent in about three hours as over 75 lakh electorate began voting in 30 Assembly seats on Thursday.

Long queues were witnessed outside most of the polling booths till 10 a.m.

The approximate voter turnout trend till 10 a.m. in Bankura district was 16.05 per cent, Paschim Medinipur 17.33, Purbo Medinipur 16.91 and South 24 Parganas 8.69 per cent, according to the Election Commission's voter turnout App.

Voting began at 7 a.m. Thursday amid tight security with all eyes on Nandigram where Trinamool Congress supremo is locked in a fierce battle with confidante-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

Many, including the first-time voters, reached polling stations well before the voting began to decide the fate of 171 candidates, -- 152 male, 19 female -- in the fray in these elections across four districts of South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Bankura.

Polling will continue till 6 p.m.

Hours before the voting began, a Trinamool Congress worker, Uttam Golui, was hacked to death in Keshpur, West Midnapore outside a party office.

The Trinamool has accused the BJP of murdering Golui.

The Election Commission said that 75,94,549 voters -- 38,80,955 men and 37,13,508 women -- are eligible to cast their votes across 10,620 polling stations.

Nearly 700 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies have been almost deployed in all the districts to ensure a completely peaceful and fearless environment for polling.

All eyes are set on the high-profile Nandigram constituency, where the Chief Minister is pitted against Adhikari, her one-time loyalist-turned-rival.

Banerjee is seeking a third term in office from Nandigram Assembly constituency of Purbo Midnipur district.

For her and the BJP the battle for Nandigram is a prestige fight because it was the 2007 agitation against land acquisition in the region which catapulted her to the Chief Minister's post and to the centre stage of politics in the state, paving the way for the Trinamool's victory in the 2011 Assembly polls that ended 34 years of Left Front rule.

In the high stakes poll battle this time, a victory is a must for Banerjee so that she can lead the government and keep together her party, which is faced with exodus.

For Adhikari, it is a battle for political survival as a defeat would be a devastating blow and might also put a question mark on his political graph in his new party. the BJP.

A victory would not only establish him as one of the tallest leaders in Bengal but would also push him a few miles ahead of others in the Chief Ministerial race in case the BJP is voted to power.

Covid-19 protocols for the voters, including social distancing and thermal screening are being maintained.

--IANS

rak/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.)
Patients who have surgery for esophageal cancer commonly see the disease return, but a drug that boosts the immune system may help delay or prevent that, a new trial has found.

The drug, called Opdivo (nivolumab), doubled the amount of time patients lived without a recurrence when it was given after surgery: from a typical 11 months, to 22 months.

The improvement is a "big step forward," said lead researcher Dr. Ronan Kelly, of Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

Opdivo is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating various advanced-stage cancersincluding esophageal cancers that are inoperable and have spread to distant sites in the body.

Its use in earlier, operable esophageal cancer is not yet FDA-approved, but that could come as soon as April or May, Kelly said.

Even without formal approval, doctors are allowed to use the treatment. And they are using it, Kelly said: Guidelines have already added Opdivo to the standard of care for esophageal cancer patients at high risk of recurrence after surgery.

"Doctors can use this throughout the country now," Kelly said.

Opdivo belongs to a group of drugs called PD-1 inhibitors, which are a form of immunotherapy. Immunotherapies encompass various approaches to enhance the immune system's ability to seek and destroy tumors.

Tumors have various tricks to survive. One is to "upregulate" a protein called PD-1, which helps them hide from the immune system, Kelly explained. PD-1 inhibitors rob tumors of that strategy.

A number of PD-1 inhibitors are approved in the United States. But until now, the drugsand immunotherapy in generalhave largely been reserved for advanced cancers.

In this trial, Kelly's team treated patients with relatively earlier-stage cancers that were operable, in a bid to lower the risk of recurrence.

He said the move to use immunotherapy earlier "really signifies the start of a whole new era in cancer care."

The trial, published April 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine, was sponsored by Opdivo makers Bristol Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical.

It involved 794 patients from around the world who were treated for stage 2 or 3 cancers of the esophagus (the tube through which food passes to the stomach) or the gastroesophageal junction (the point where the esophagus and stomach join).

All underwent standard treatment: chemotherapy and radiation, followed by surgery.

After that, 532 patients were randomly assigned to a year of treatment with Opdivo, which was given by IV every two weeks to start, and then every four weeks. The rest were randomly assigned to placebo infusions.

Over two years, Opdivo patients were nearly one-third less likely to have a recurrence or die, and those cancer recurrences were typically delayed.

All of the trial patients were considered to be at high risk of a recurrence because there were still some signs of the cancer in their tissue samples after surgery.

And that's a common scenario, Kelly said: 70% to 75% of patients do not have a "complete response" to standard treatment.

Any of those patients are potential candidates for receiving Opdivo post-surgery, said Dr. David Ilson, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

"This trial really is a game-changer," said Ilson, who wrote an editorial published with the findings. "It's the first real advance in the field in several decades."

The drug's effects on overall survival are not yet known. But Ilson said the doubling in "disease-free" survival will almost certainly prolong some patients' lives, and "likely increase the proportion who are cured."

Quality of life is a big concern, too. Kelly said the trial found no red flags as far as safety: The side effects were as expectedmost commonly fatigue, diarrhea and rash, which affected 10% to 17% of patients.

And overall, patients on Opdivo had the same quality-of-life ratings as placebo patients.

That's good news, Ilson said, given that standard treatment is "rigorous," and patients generally cannot tolerate more chemotherapy after surgery. (Nor does extra chemo appear to help, Ilson noted.)

Still, Opdivo and other PD-1 inhibitors are highly expensive, with list prices of several thousand dollars per infusion.

Ilson said that insurers generally look to treatment guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in making coverage decisions. And the NCCN has endorsed Opdivo for patients like those in the trial.

Explore further FDA approves expanded use of Opdivo in advanced lung cancer

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Tunis/Tunisia  Algeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabri Boukadoum is paying a visit to Tunisia on Thursday.

The minister will "bear a message of fraternity" from Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to President Kais Saied, according to Ministry of foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad press release.

Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi will receive his Algerian counterpart, the press release specified.

A working session will be held on the occasion to look at ways to develop the bilateral relations in various fields.
Compliance with the sentencing requirement is monitored with the use of SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring bracelets. Tweet this

Probation officer Laura Harrison has been working on the Welsh rollout and appeared on a recent episode of BBC's Crimewatch to discuss the program. On the show she discussed one client who had been required to wear the device for 90 days, during which time he engaged in other interventions such as relapse prevention work, rehabilitation programs, and mental health support. Harrison quoted the client as saying that he attributed the sobriety tag to "saving his life."

Alcohol misuse can affect all regions of society and is found to be a contributing factor to various crimes including serious assaults, drink driving, and criminal damage. According to Public Health England, alcohol-related crime costs the UK economy more than 21.5bn a year and the Ministry of Justice has taken an innovative step to directly address the issue.

"We are thrilled to see this day arrive, with this sentencing option becoming available to courts across England and Wales," said Amit Sethi, Head of European Operations at SCRAM Systems. "We believe that it will have a positive impact on perpetrators of alcohol-related crimes and prove extremely valuable to those conducting the challenging job of managing criminal caseloads."

Notes to editors

The Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Requirement (AAMR) allows courts to impose a requirement that individuals charged with alcohol-related crimes abstain from alcohol for a fixed time period of up to 120 days and be regularly tested, via a transdermal alcohol monitoring device in the form of a 'tag' fitted around the ankle, as part of a Community or Suspended Sentence Order. The technology was piloted in London between 2014 and 2018. It was also made available in Humberside, Lincolnshire, and North Yorkshire between 2017 and 2019.

About SCRAM Systems

SCRAM Systems is a leading provider of electronic monitoring and software solutions for the criminal justice industry. The company's flagship Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) technology, launched in 2003, revolutionized the way courts, agencies, and treatment providers monitor and manage alcohol-involved individuals. In 2013 the company launched the industry's most comprehensive suite of electronic monitoring technologies, which includes SCRAM Remote Breath, SCRAM GPS and SCRAM House Arrest. The company has since launched software solutions including SCRAM Nexus to support the adoption and deployment of Evidence-Based Practices, a mobile client engagement tool called SCRAM TouchPoint, and the first license-based software platform, SCRAM 24/7, to support probation and sobriety programs. SCRAM Systems employs 280 people worldwide and is a privately held company, with headquarters in Littleton, Colorado.

SOURCE SCRAM Systems

Related Links

https://www.scramsystems.com/


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For six decades, Jellybeanville Mayor and Euclid resident Steve Kaselak has displayed hundreds of colorful, plastic eggs, life-size bunny inflatables, and Easter-themed ornaments on his front lawn for the Easter holiday.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Jellybeanville, an annual display that Kaselak launched when he was 7 years old. It also brings the return of in-person viewing at 25401 Zeman Avenue after last years drive-through event. Over 2,000 people attend each year.

It affected everyone, Kaselak said. So this year, I said, since things are getting a little better, people can come and see the display, but they have to wear their masks.

Display themes change yearly. Last years theme was Eyes fixed on Christ, featuring colorful easter eggs, a cross, and cut-outs of Kaselaks own family. This year, Jellybeanvilles theme centers on its 60th year of Easter-filled fun featuring Jellybean-shaped, wooden cut-out guards, new inflatables, and more.

Attendance is free, but cash donations are encouraged for Journey Center for Safety and Healing, a nonprofit based in Cleveland that provides support and resources for domestic violence survivors.

Treat bags are offered for kids, and the Easter Bunny will make an appearance on Easter Sunday, socially distanced, of course, from 9 a.m. until dusk.

Hes going to be set aside just like they do the characters at Disney World, Kaselak said.

While Jellybeanville is going strong, Lyndhursts beloved Eggshellland is not reappearing this year.

Ron and Betty Manolio started the popular display in 1957 on the front lawn of their small ranch-style home. At its peak, the exhibit featured over 40,000 colored easter eggs.

Eggshelland was featured in Ripleys Believe It or Not, Extreme Cuisine, CNN, and even the Today Show. After Ron Manolio passed away in 2013, the Euclid Beach Boys, a local preservation group, took on the project, including at the Richmond Town Square mall.

Kaselak noted some of his past favorite displays, including one year where a chemical lawn company used the wrong chemicals, turning the entire front lawn brown. After some ingenuity and stenciling, Kaselak turned the disaster into a multi-colored masterpiece. Jellybeanville has even featured live animals in past displays.

We just want to make everyone happy this year because its been a terrible year, Kaselak said. Come by and see the pretty colors. Hopefully, it makes someone feel better if they were sad.
He had an unbridled intellect, extreme compassion for other people and a demeanor that made him so perfect on the court, Hoylman told the Daily News. Im just grateful to have seen someone of his caliber rise in the ranks of the judiciary because of his hard work and intellect.
What equity looks like: As legalization has moved forward in other states, white people have tended to capture most of the economic opportunity in what is now a multibillion-dollar industry. New York is aiming to pre-empt this problem by creating an office of cannabis management, part of whose role is to ensure that half of all licenses go to social equity applicants: minorities, women, distressed farmers and service-disabled veterans. Priority will also be given to applicants with a marijuana-related conviction or a close relative with such a conviction.

This bill really tries to give licensing opportunities to individuals in communities, Ms. Goodman said. And even to people that are formerly incarcerated, youre not necessarily going to be denied just because you have a prior drug offense, for instance.

Why people (not just prohibitionists) still have concerns

As many legalization proponents point out, marijuana is less addictive and far less deadly than alcohol or tobacco. But its not without risks, many of which remain mired in confusion. As recently as 2017, for example, Mr. Cuomo himself suggested that it was a gateway drug. While the theory has fallen out of favor somewhat, there is still no firm consensus about it: As the Centers for Disease Control of Prevention say, more research is needed.

The research black hole: Because the federal government continues to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug  the highest level of restriction, the same as heroins and one level higher than cocaines  funding and conducting research about marijuanas potential harms and benefits is extremely difficult: There is only one facility in the country that is federally authorized to grow and supply marijuana for research, and its stock has been described as brown, muddy garbage that bears little resemblance to  and is much less potent than  most marijuana used today.

This means states that have legalized cannabis for adult use are doing so in an information vacuum, with less understanding of what it is and what it does than virtually any nutritional supplement currently on the market, and with far less information than they have on legal substances that are easily abused, such as alcohol or tobacco, Sarah Owermohle wrote for Politico in 2019. Law enforcement officers dont even know at what point it is unsafe for marijuana users to drive.

Road safety concerns were one of the biggest sticking points in New Yorks legalization process, The Times Union of Albany reports. Also unlike with alcohol, law enforcement officers have no easy way to check drivers for cannabis intoxication. (New York, for its part, has required its health department to study emerging saliva test devices.) The effects legalization may have on car accidents arent clear, but, as Dr. Aaron E. Carroll wrote for The Times in 2019, Its perfectly natural to be concerned that as cannabis products become legal in more states, they will affect more people.
The five telltale signs of 'high functioning' anxiety have been revealed by a student doctor - and one is as subtle as declining an invitation to a dinner party.

Zachery Dereniowski is a Canadian medical student at the University of Sydney, where he specialises in mental health and spends his spare time filming educational TikTok videos on the subject.

In one of his latest clips, the 27-year-old discusses the little-known symptoms of high functioning anxiety, a condition characterised by overthinking and self-criticism.

While people with high functioning anxiety often appear remarkably accomplished and socially at ease on the surface, privately they experience all the side effects of generalised anxiety disorder.

Scroll down for video

Zachery Dereniowski (pictured) is a Canadian medical student at the University of Sydney where he specialises in mental health

What is 'high functioning' anxiety? Men and women with high functioning anxiety are often able to accomplish tasks and appear to function well in social situations, but internally they are experiencing the typical symptoms of anxiety disorder, including intense feelings of impending doom, fear, anxiety, rapid heart rate, and gastrointestinal distress. Advertisement

Mr Dereniowski says these include a constant fear of saying or doing something 'wrong' or 'stupid', always imagining the worst case scenario and blaming yourself for everything - even when someone else is obviously at fault.

Overthinking the 'smallest things' and feeling so overwhelmed by social interaction that you often skip events are other signs, according to Mr Dereniowski.

Patients with 'high functioning' anxiety report that their fears propel rather than paralyse them, which often leads to lengthy delays in diagnosis as the condition can go unnoticed for years.

Mr Dereniowski's revelations, which have been viewed 76,400 times since they were uploaded online on March 26, have drawn grateful responses with many saying the clip made them feel less alone.

'I needed this. Anxiety is real,' one viewer replied.

'All day, every day,' added a second, while a third wrote: 'Literally, my life.'

Signs of high functioning anxiety 1. Overthinking the smallest, most mundane things 2. Blaming yourself for others' faults - such as someone not texting you back 3. Constantly being afraid of saying or doing something 'wrong' or 'stupid' 4. Declining invitations to social events because you feel overwhelmed 5. Always imagining the worst case scenario Source: MD Motivator Zachary Dereniowski Advertisement

One woman said she had never known why she experienced symptoms such as shortness of breath and feelings of impending doom until watching the video.

'I've always suspected I've had anxiety but I didn't know these were signs,' she said.

Others said they had never seen their personalities summed up so accurately.

'Oh my god, you're the first person that has described me to the fullest,' one woman wrote.

The video comes weeks after Mr Dereniowski told followers about little-known signs of depression, and how to reach out to someone who is struggling.

Mr Dereniowski says signs of high functioning anxiety include a constant fear of saying or doing something 'wrong' or 'stupid' (left) and blaming yourself for everything - even when someone else is obviously at fault (right)

He said an early alarm bell is breaking down over 'small', seemingly inconsequential issues which happens because you feel your life is falling apart.

The doctor added that feelings of 'faking it' - putting on a brave face in public and pretending to be okay - and an inability to sleep without the TV on are subtle signs of depression.

He said this is because total silence leaves you alone with 'intrusive, negative thoughts' which you are unable to cope with.

Other 'secret' symptoms of depression include unusual irritability, 'withdrawing' socially and feeling exhausted despite having a solid night's sleep.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing mental health issues, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
HALIFAX - Canadian officials are challenging American allegations that fishing gear from Canada is to blame for the entanglement of a North Atlantic right whale found dead off South Carolina.

In this March 28, 2018, file photo, a North Atlantic right whale appears at the surface of Cape Cod Bay off the coast of Plymouth, Mass. Canadian fisheries officials are challenging a draft report from their American colleagues that alleges fishing gear from Canada is to blame for the entanglement of a North Atlantic right whale found dead off South Carolina. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Michael Dwyer, File

HALIFAX - Canadian officials are challenging American allegations that fishing gear from Canada is to blame for the entanglement of a North Atlantic right whale found dead off South Carolina.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada issued a statement Wednesday saying it had determined the gear, retrieved after a whale known as Cottontail was found dead on Feb. 27, likely came from an American inshore fishing boat.

The statement said Canadian officials believe the gear had been used somewhere between Long Island, N.Y., and South Carolina, and was mostly likely from the southern United States.

Canadian officials said they came to that conclusion after examining the gear with experts from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As well, they pointed out that Cottontail was not spotted in Canadian waters in 2020.

"Over the past few years, Canada's fishing industry has demonstrated incredible adaptability and leadership when it comes to protecting North Atlantic right whales," Fisheries and Oceans Canada said.

"Our measures for protecting the North Atlantic right whales are world-class, and this is largely due to the hard work and co-operation of our harvesters and their organizations."

Experts estimate fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales survive.

A spokeswoman for NOAA confirmed Thursday that the results of a draft report are at odds with the Canadian findings. "We came to different conclusions," said Jennifer Goebel, a public affairs officer with NOAA's Atlantic region. "We were told there was disagreement, but we have not seen the report from Canada."

She said NOAA's final report may arrive at a different conclusion once all of the evidence has been examined.

While it was agreed the gear could not have been used in the 2020 Canadian fishery, given its lack of compliance with the latest rules, the Americans concluded the gear could have been used in 2019 and 2018.

As well, the report stated the gear could not have been used off the coast of the southern United States because it doesn't match the gear type known to be used in that area.

NOAA's draft report also included a detailed description of the 1.5-centimetre floating line that was retrieved from Cottontail's body, as well as a description of the various knots and mending twine attached to the rope.

Though the rope had no identification tags or marks, NOAA experts concluded it was identical to the type of Canadian snow crab trap gear found on another entangled right whale, Ruffian, in 2017.

"Given all the similarities between the two cases and not matching any U.S. fishery, we feel the gear is consistent with Canadian snow crab (gear)," the report said.

Those who drafted the report, however, admit they are not experts on Canadian gear. "Our NOAA Fisheries gear team has extensive experience with fishing industries within our country and we recognize our knowledge of Canadian fisheries is limited," the report said.

"Any case, including this one, which is not identified to an individual fisher will remain an open case as additional information may change the conclusion."

The entanglement was first reported by an aerial search team on Oct. 19, 2020, as they were flying south of Nantucket, Mass. The New England Aquarium identified Cottontail, saying the 11-year-old male had rope over its head and hanging from both sides of his mouth.

About 27 metres of rope was removed from the whale's body, but the response team couldn't get it all, as Cottontail became evasive and agitated as night fell.

A signal from a tracking device indicated the whale was about 100 kilometres south of Yarmouth, N.S., on Oct. 31, 2020, but the crew aboard a Fisheries and Oceans aircraft could not see the whale as the aircraft zeroed in on the signal.

Cottontail was last seen alive off Floridas Treasure Coast on Feb. 18, 2021.

Conservationists worry that North Atlantic right whales are slipping closer to extinction as deaths in recent years have outpaced births.

The 2021 calving season, however, has proven to be the best in years. Survey teams dispatched last month to search by air for right whale mothers and newborn calves spotted 15 calves  the most reported since 2015.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.
Okay, who had grocery store in the lottery? What lottery? The one that were all forced to play every day. The one where we bet our lives that we wont be there when the next mass shooter shows up.

Besides grocery store, recent choices include spas,: house parties, and big box stores. Other choices have been movie theaters, churches, synagogues, high schools and grade schools.

The lottery will continue as long as politicians cater to a minority of gun culturists who dont believe that the Second Amendment is not an absolute and to a National Rifle Association that cares more about the money it receives from gun manufacturers than it does about the safety of its members. This is an odd position since polls show that a majority of NRA members do believe in some forms of gun safety regulation.

However the lottery goes on. Until politicians learn that thoughts and prayers are no substitute for appropriate action, it will go on and on and on. All of us are forced to play, and nobody knows when their number will be up.

Lew Wolkoff, Harrisburg, Pa.
"With his dedication to client service, incredibly diverse and elite background, down-to-earth style, and solution-driven approach, we felt an immediate affinity with Adam and look forward to his contributions to our team. - Richard A. Rosenbaum

Distinguished white collar and investigations attorney Adam S. Hoffinger has joined the White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a shareholder. Hoffinger is based in the firms Washington, D.C. office and continues to practice in New York, as he has for many years. He joins from Schulte Roth & Zabel, where he was co-chair of its White Collar Defense & Government Investigations Group.

We are excited to welcome Adam as Greenberg Traurig continues to elevate our excellence and value proposition for clients during one of the most disruptive times in the legal industry and following the strongest year we have ever experienced as a firm by every measure, said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Greenberg Traurigs executive chairman.

Adam brings important expertise to the firm as he has spent his life building and winning in the areas of growing importance to our clients which are core to the strategic focus of our firm. With his dedication to client service, incredibly diverse and elite background, down-to-earth style, and solution-driven approach, we felt an immediate affinity with Adam and look forward to his contributions to our team.

Rosenbaum continued, It is rare to find such an approachable individual so well thought of in so many areas clients require today, such as complex civil and white collar criminal matters - including securities, health care - the False Claims Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, export sanctions, criminal tax, money laundering, antitrust, and bankruptcy. Adam also excels in internal investigations on behalf of corporate boards of directors, bankruptcy trustees, and public authorities; and in counseling corporations and individuals alike. These include numerous high-ranking executives and general counsel from some of the worlds largest companies, as well as high-profile staff and members of the Senate, Congress, White House and various government agencies, in compliance matters, government investigations, and a variety of civil and criminal matters. And he'll be a great partner!

Ernest L. Greer, firm co-president and chair of the Washington, D.C. office, together with Pamela J. Marple, an established Washington, D.C. White Collar attorney, and the offices administrative shareholder, noted in a joint statement, Adam brings a vast wealth of experience that will instantly enhance Greenberg Traurig's robust litigation practice, for which our firm is well-known in Washington, D.C. and across our 40 offices.

Commenting on his move, Hoffinger, who also previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said, I am extremely fortunate to join an empowering, collaborative, and growth-oriented firm with such a stellar reputation in the legal community. Greenberg Traurigs roster of highly experienced and regarded litigators and former prosecutors across the country and across the globe is compelling, and to have the opportunity to expand its formidable footprint in litigation, white collar defense, and government investigations with likeminded leaders, was hard to pass up. The timing, platform, and cultural fit could not have been better at this stage of my career.

Hoffingers reputation is well established. Publications have called him an absolutely fearless criminal defense lawyer, having immense talent as a trial lawyer, an aggressive trial advocate, and a celebrated government investigations practitioner with strong advocacy skills.

Hoffinger received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. degree from Trinity College. He is also an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School. A fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Hoffinger has successfully tried cases nationwide. He has been recognized and listed as a leading litigation and trial attorney in several publications and leading legal profession guides and news sources.

Greenberg Traurigs Washington, D.C. office has experienced growth in core practice areas in the past year, with the addition of: Smith (Smitty) W. Davis as shareholder and Rodney P. Frelinghuysen as senior director in the Government Law & Policy Practice; Kyle R. Freeny as shareholder in the White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice; Matthew L. Kanna as shareholder and Friederike S. Gorgens and Claudia D. Hartleben as of counsel in the International Trade Practice; Chia-Feng Lu as shareholder, Andrew Tsui as of counsel, and Tyler Scandalios as an associate in the Health Care & FDA Practice; Benjamin M. Saul as shareholder in the Financial Regulatory & Compliance (FRAC) Practice; Robert J. Hollingshead as shareholder in the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice; Charles Andres, Ph.D., RAC as shareholder and David G. Mata, Ph.D. as an associate in the Intellectual Property & Technology Practice; Gary Lombardo as of counsel in the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation Practice; Jack T. LeBris Erffmeyer as an associate in the Energy & Natural Resources Practice; Dima Al-Attar as an associate in the Immigration & Compliance Practice; and Christopher OBrien as an associate in the Government Contracts Practice.

About Greenberg Traurigs White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice: Greenberg Traurigs White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice protects companies and individuals under government scrutiny. Greenberg Traurigs creative defense lawyers in the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific are at the forefront of white collar defense, with wide-ranging experience in structuring internal investigations, developing guidelines, implementing compliance programs, and addressing issues of voluntary disclosure. Their representations involve alleged securities and commodities fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, health care/pharmaceutical fraud, environmental crimes, money laundering, financial services fraud, public corruption/campaign finance, tax corruption, defense contracting, and bankruptcy fraud. In addition, the majority of the firms litigation shareholders and counsel have first-chair trial experience.

About Greenberg Traurigs Washington, D.C. Office: The multidisciplinary team of lawyers and governmental affairs professionals in Greenberg Traurigs Washington, D.C. office help clients of all sizes and in an array of sectors, from federal defense to energy, telecommunications to health care, navigate the federal government. Washington, D.C. lawyers and lobbyists provide strategic corporate, regulatory, and litigation assistance on Capitol Hill, in the board room and before the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, regulatory bodies, and the entire U.S. court system. The offices practice areas include governmental affairs; federal procurement and government contracts; global trade and investment; corporate, securities and financial services; health care and FDA; antitrust; energy; environment; real estate and hospitality; telecommunications; international arbitration; intellectual property; public finance; and employment law.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT), has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com
Legendary actor Ian McKellen in 1965 (left) and 2017 (right). Don Smith/Radio Times via Getty Images; ERIC GAILLARD/Reuters

The careers of some of the world's most acclaimed actors looked wildly different in their 20s.

Harrison Ford was a struggling actor who used carpentry to supplement his performing career.

Other actors, like Maggie Smith, were already getting cast in life-changing roles by age 22.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tom Hanks was cast in a slasher film at age 23.

Tom Hanks in 1980 (left) and 2018 (right). ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images/John Lamparski/Getty Images

Now in his 60s, Tom Hanks has had a prolific acting career spanning multiple genres. In his 20s, Hanks moved to New York City from California and got his first film role in the slasher "He Knows You're Alone" (1980).

In 1981, he met actress Rita Wilson while filming the show "Bosom Buddies." Then at age 29, Hanks acted alongside Wilson again in the film "Volunteers." The pair later married in 1988.

Four decades later, Hanks is best known for his work in "Big," "A League of Their Own," "Cast Away," and the "Toy Story" franchise.

At 26 years old, Meryl Streep was a successful Broadway actress.

Meryl Streep in the late 1970s (left) and in 2018 (right). Bachrach/Getty Images/Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

A versatile actress, to say the least, Meryl Streep is one of the most-awarded actresses working today.

Streep was born in New Jersey in 1949. After graduating from the Yale School of Drama at age 26, Streep moved to New York City and was soon cast in multiple Broadway shows.

Streep's first feature role was alongside Jane Fonda in "Julia" (1977), and in 1978 she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in "The Deer Hunter."

Now in her 70s, Streep has appeared in seemingly countless films including "Sophie's Choice," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Into the Woods," and "The Post."

Forest Whitaker was 21 when he was cast in his first film.

Forest Whitaker in 1988 (left) and 2018 (right). Nancy R. Schiff/Getty Images/Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images

At nearly 60 years old, Forest Whitaker has had a long and celebrated career in film.

Born in Texas in 1961, Whitaker largely grew up in California and went on to study drama in college.

At age 21, Whitaker was cast in Cameron Crowe's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and received roles in "The Color of Money," "Platoon," and "Good Morning, Vietnam," soon after.

Story continues

As he has gotten older, Whitaker has gone on to receive acclaim for his acting abilities in dramas like "Bird," "The Last King of Scotland," and "The Butler."

Recently, Whitaker has played prominent roles in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," "Black Panther," and "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey."

Sigourney Weaver was 29 when she portrayed Ripley in "Alien."

Sigourney Weaver in 1979 (left) and 2018 (right). Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images/Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Born and raised in New York, Sigourney Weaver attended the Yale School of Drama and even acted alongside Streep in a theatrical production at Yale.

Although her acting background was theatrical, Weaver was cast in her first film in 1977 as a small character in "Annie Hall" at age 27. Just two years later she was cast as Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott's space thriller "Alien," one of her most iconic roles to date.

In the decades since, Weaver has risen to prominence through her roles in everything from "Galaxy Quest" to "Avatar" and "Finding Dory."

At 28, Denzel Washington played the lead of "St. Elsewhere."

Denzel Washington in 1982 (left) and 2018 (right). David Sutton/NBCU Photo Bank/HGL/GC Images

Denzel Washington was born in New York, although he lived in Florida as a teenager and attended graduate school at the American Conservatory Theater in California.

In 1981, Washington made his first film appearance in the comedy "Carbon Copy," and was soon cast in the hospital drama "St Elsewhere" as Dr. Philip Chandler at age 28.

From then on his career skyrocketed, and Washington has starred in an array of films that span from biopics like "Malcolm X" to thrillers like "Training Day," for which he won the Oscar for best actor in a leading role.

Washington continues to act in high-profile films including "Fences," "The Magnificent Seven," and "The Equalizer 2."

Diane Keaton was cast in "The Godfather" at age 26.

Diane Keaton in 1976 (left) and 2018 (right). Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images

Diane Keaton was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1946 and would later study acting in New York City.

After being nominated for a Tony for the Broadway play "Play It Again, Sam," Keaton received her first film role in "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970) at age 24.

Her big break came a couple of years later in Francis Ford Coppola's film classic "The Godfather." In her late 20s, she was cast in a slew of films that included "The Godfather Part II," "Sleeper," and "Love and Death."

In 1978, Keaton won the Oscar for best actress in a leading role for her work in "Annie Hall" and has since earned great acclaim for work in "Because I Said So," "And So It Goes," and HBO's "The Young Pope."

Samuel L. Jackson had a background in stage in his early 20s.

Samuel L. Jackson in 1993 (left) and 2019 (right). Mike Marsland/ Mike Marsland/WireImage/Ron Galella/WireImage

Samuel L. Jackson was born in 1948 and eventually studied drama at Morehouse College in Georgia.

After a background in stage plays, Jackson appeared in a few films made for television in his early 20s and made his film debut with "Together for Days" at age 24.

He moved to New York City and continued acting on the stage until he returned to film with a small role in "Coming to America," which introduced him to director Spike Lee. Lee cast him in "Jungle Fever," which earned Jackson attention at The Cannes Film Festival.

Since then, the actor has gained fame for his work in "Goodfellas," "Jurassic Park," "Pulp Fiction," and his portrayal of Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jessica Lange's first film role was in the 1976 remake of "King Kong" at 27.

Jessica Lange in 1977 (left) and 2017 (right). Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images/Steve Granitz/WireImage

Jessica Lange was born in Minnesota in 1949 and, as a young adult, she moved to Paris to study mime theatre and dancing.

When she was 24, Lange moved to New York City and became a model, which later led to her film debut as the leading lady in 1976's "King Kong."

At 27, Lange won the Golden Globe Award for new star of the year for her role in the film.

From then on, Lange's career quickly accelerated and she now lays claim to award-winning roles in "Tootsie," "Frances," "Grey Gardens," and FX's "American Horror Story."

Robert Downey Jr. portrayed Charlie Chaplin when he was 27.

Robert Downey Jr. in 1986 (left) and 2019 (right). Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage; Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Robert Downey Jr. was born in New York City in 1965 and had his first film role at age 5 in Robert Downey Sr.'s film "Pound" (1970).

He starred as Charlie Chaplin in the biopic "Chaplin" (1992) at age 27.

Downey had a drug addiction which followed him into his 20s and 30s. As he's gotten older, he's been open about it and his path to recovery.

Today, Downey is best known for playing billionaire superhero Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Julie Andrews filmed "Mary Poppins" as she turned 28.

Julie Andrews in 1950 (left) and 2018 (right). Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images/Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Hamptons International Film Festival

The famed actress Dame Julie Andrews was born in Surrey, England, in 1935 and grew up singing and performing as a young child.

On her 19th birthday, she made her Broadway debut in "The Boy Friend." Throughout her 20s, she went on to star in huge Broadway shows including "My Fair Lady," and movies made for television like "Cinderella."

At age 28, Andrews started filming the Disney movie musical "Mary Poppins," which would go on to become an iconic touchstone in her filmography.

Now in her 80s, Andrews has built an incredible acting career that includes beloved films like "The Sound of Music," "Victor/Victoria," and "The Princess Diaries."

Harrison Ford took up carpentry in his 20s to support his film career.

Harrison Ford in 1977 (left) and 2018 (right). Laurent MAOUS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images/Steve Granitz/WireImage

Harrison Ford was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1942.

At age 22, Ford moved to California to pursue a career in acting and was cast in a few minor film roles in his early 20s. When he was 25 years old he got his first credited role in the Western "A Time for Killing."

In his late 20s, his career stalled and Ford took up carpentry full time to support his wife and two children.

It wasn't until 1973 that Ford was cast in "American Graffiti," which opened new doors for him in the entertainment industry and made way for his starring roles in blockbuster franchises like "Indiana Jones" and "Star Wars."

Maggie Smith made her Broadway debut when she was 22.

Maggie Smith in 1963 (left) and 2017 (right). Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images/ Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Dame Maggie Smith was born in Essex, England, in 1934 and began studying acting at age 16. Smith made her film debut and Broadway debut at age 22.

By 1958, she received her first BAFTA nomination for her role in the film "Nowhere to Go." At age 26, she performed opposite Laurence Olivier in the Royal National Theatre's production of "Othello."

Throughout her late 20s, Smith continued to perform high-profile roles in theatrical plays and numerous films.

Now in her 80s, Smith is one of the most established actresses of her generation and has made her mark in countless movies, including the "Harry Potter" films and "A Room With a View."

She's also known for starring on the acclaimed ITV drama series "Downton Abbey."

Jeff Bridges was nominated for an Oscar at 22.

Jeff Bridges in 1970 (left) and 2019 (right). Art Zelin/Getty Images/Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage

Jeff Bridges was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1949 to parents who were both working actors.

Although he made minor appearances on his father's projects as a child, his first major acting role was in the 1971 movie "The Last Picture Show," which earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor at age 22.

From then on, he began an impressive career in film and even performed alongside Clint Eastwood in 1974 in the film "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot." By 27, Bridges was cast in the 1976 remake of "King Kong," alongside Lange.

Now in his 70s, Bridges boasts an acting career with an impressive range that includes dramas like "True Grit" and dark comedies like "The Big Lebowski."

Sally Field's early career included an award-winning TV role at 29.

Sally Field in 1976 (left) and 2018 (right). NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images/Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images

Sally Field was born in Pasadena, California, in 1946 and was the daughter of actress Margaret Field.

At just 19 years old, Field broke into television with the ABC sitcom "Gidget," and she was cast on ABC's "The Flying Nun" two years later.

When she was 29, the actress was cast as the titular character on CBS' "Sybil," a performance that earned her an Emmy Award for best dramatic actress.

In the time since, Field has earned a place among other high-caliber actors due to her work in films like "Norma Rae," "Steel Magnolias," "Mrs. Doubtfire," and "Forrest Gump."

Amitabh Bachchan began getting prominent film roles at age 29.

Amitabh Bachchan in 1988 (left) and 2017 (right). Dinodia Photos/Getty Images/SUJIT JAISWAL/AFP/Getty Images

A prominent Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan was born in Allahabad, India, in 1942.

Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 at age 27 as a voice narrator in "Bhuvan Shome" and landed his first on-screen role the same year in "Saat Hindustani."

At 29 years old, Bachchan earned the Filmfare best supporting actor award for his performance in "Anand" and starred in two more films, "Parwana" and "Reshma Aur Shera."

Outside of "Anand" Bachchan didn't earn wide appreciation for his work until the action film "Zanjeer" a few years later.

From there, his career blossomed and he became one of the top actors in Bollywood. He's since starred in over 190 films in Indian cinema.

Rita Moreno's smaller roles throughout her 20s helped her get cast in "West Side Story" at 29.

Rita Moreno in 1950 (left) and 2019 (right). GAB Archive/Redferns/Denise Truscello/WireImage

Rita Moreno was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, in 1931 and has seven decades of acting talent under her belt.

Although she had her first Broadway role at 13, Moreno largely acted in minor film roles until she played a star in "Singin' in the Rain" at 21.

Four years later, Moreno's career gained a huge boost from her supporting role in "The King and I."

When she was 29 years old, the actress was cast as Anita in "West Side Story" and went on to win the Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance.

In the years since Moreno has stayed active in film and television and is set to appear in Steven Spielberg's upcoming remake of "West Side Story."

Jackie Chan used his martial-arts training to break into acting at age 20.

Jackie Chan in 1981 (left) and 2019 (right). Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images/Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Born in Hong Kong in 1954, Jackie Chan gravitated toward martial arts at a young age.

Outside of a few small roles in films as a child and young teen, Chan had his first starring role in the movie "Little Tiger of Canton" right before he turned 20.

Throughout the next decade, Chan starred in numerous films that featured his martial arts abilities like "New Fist of Fury," "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow," and "Drunken Master."

At age 26, Chan began acting in Hollywood movies that included "The Big Brawl" and "The Cannonball Run."

Now in his 60s, Chan has acted in over 150 films and has become one of the most prominent actors in the world.

Angela Bassett began her acting career on the stage before moving to LA in her late 20s.

Angela Bassett in 1990 (left) and 2019 (right). The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images/Michael Bezjian/WireImage

Angela Bassett was born in New York City in 1958 and she would later earn her Master's of Fine Arts at the Yale School of Drama.

At 27, Bassett appeared in Second Stage Theater's production of "Black Girl," and also made her first television appearance in the TV movie "Doubletake."

A year later she played a news reporter in the film "F/X" and soon moved to Los Angeles to pursue film acting full time.

Since then, Bassett has become a sought-after actress in Hollywood due to her work in multiple films like "Malcolm X," "What's Love Got to Do With It," "Notorious," and "Black Panther."

Robert De Niro began acting professionally at 20 but was not credited until age 26.

Robert De Niro in 1973 (left) and 2018 (right). Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images/Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Robert De Niro was born in New York City in 1943. He got his first acting role when he was only 20 years old, but the film "The Wedding Party" wasn't released until six years later in 1969.

After its eventual release, De Niro was cast in "Bloody Mama" at age 27 and then "Bang the Drum Slowly" and "Mean Streets" right before he turned 30.

His breakthrough role wouldn't come until 1974 when he portrayed Vito Corleone in "The Godfather II," which earned him an Oscar for best supporting actor.

Now in his 70s, De Niro is an accomplished actor as well as director, and is best known for his performances in "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver," and "Goodfellas."

Betty White began her acting career by voicing ads on the radio in her 20s.

Betty White 1957 (left) and 2015 (right). Bettman/ Contributor/ Getty Images/ Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic

Betty White was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1922 and was raised in Los Angeles, California, during the Great Depression.

White made a short appearance on television after graduating high school, but she put her dreams of acting on hold during World War II to serve the troops. In her 20s White made money reading radio commercials and voicing bit parts in radio shows.

At 27, the actress starred as a television cohost for the variety show "Hollywood on Television." It wasn't until her 30s that White went on to host her own show "The Betty White Show" and appear on a slew of sitcoms.

Now in her late 90s, White's acting career has spanned eight decades and includes landmark shows like CBS' "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Life With Elizabeth," and most notably, NBC's "Golden Girls."

Dame Judi Dench became a Broadway star on her 24th birthday.

Judi Dench in 1960 (left) and 2019 (right). Jones/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; zz/KGC-03/STAR MAX/IPx/AP

Famed English actress Judi Dench was born in York, England, in 1934. She's now in her 80s, and her acting career hasn't slowed down.

Early in her career, Dench starred in the Broadway production of "Twelfth Night," which opened on her 24th birthday.

In the years since she's been nominated for her performances in films like "Mrs. Brown," "Chocolat," "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," and "Philomena." She also took home an Oscar for her performance in "Shakespeare in Love."

Dench has stayed busy acting in films like "Victoria and Abdul," "Murder on the Orient Express," and the 2019 remake of "Cats."

James Earl Jones didn't find major success until his 30s, but his career really started in his 20s.

James Earl Jones in 1965 (left) and 2017 (right). Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images; CARLO ALLEGRI/Reuters

The Mississippi-born/Michigan-raised actor was born in 1931. He's now in his 90s, and his film, stage, and voice-acting work have made him incredibly successful over the years.

Throughout his 20s, Jones had a few small performing roles on Broadway and on TV shows.

At the age of 37, he got his big break starring in the play "The Great White Hope," which earned him a Tony Award in 1969.

He continued his Broadway career in productions of "The Iceman Cometh," "Othello," "Fences," and "You Can't Take It With You."

When he made his way to Hollywood, Jones became well known for voicing Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" franchise and Mufasa in "The Lion King" (both 1994 and 2019) among other notable roles.

Shirley MacLaine was 22 years old when she starred in "Around the World in 80 Days."

Shirley MacLaine in 1955 (left) and 2019 (right). Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Phil McCarten/Invision/AP

The famous actress was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1934. Now in her 80s, Shirley MacLaine has found abundant success on Broadway and in Hollywood.

She moved to New York City right after high school and landed a role in the 1954 musical "The Pajama Game" when she was 20 before switching her focus to Hollywood.

MacLaine found early success in films like "Around the World in 80 Days" and "Some Come Running."

She later became known for "Sweet Charity," "Terms of Endearment," "Steel Magnolias," "Bewitched," and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."

Whoopi Goldberg was gearing up for her leading role in "The Color Purple" at the tail end of her 20s.

Whoopi Goldberg in "The Color Purple" in 1985 (left) and in 2020 (right). Warner Home Video; Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters

Whoopi Goldberg was born in New York City in 1955. She is now in her 60s, but she's still well-known for one of her first film roles as Celie Johnson in "The Color Purple."

The film premiered right after her 30th birthday, but earlier that same year, Goldberg started performing her stand-up comedy show.

She went on to perform in Broadway productions including "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Xanadu."

In Hollywood, Goldberg won an Oscar for her role in "Ghost" and advanced her stardom in both "Sister Act" films, on CBS' "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and in "The Little Rascals."

Steve Buscemi starred in "Parting Glances" when he was 28.

Steve Buscemi in "Parting Glances" in 1986 (left) and in 2019 (right). Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment; STEVE MARCUS/Reuters

Steve Buscemi was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1957.

Right after graduating high school, he studied acting with John Strasberg in New York City before getting his big break starring in "Parting Glances" at the age of 28.

Now in his 60s, Buscemi has become a legendary character actor best known for roles in films like "Reservoir Dogs," "Pulp Fiction," "Fargo," and "The Big Lebowski."

He's also worked on a number of family-friendly movie series like "Monsters Inc.," "Spy Kids," "Grown Ups," and "Hotel Transylvania."

Outside of film, Buscemi made it big starring on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire."

John Travolta starred in "Carrie," "Saturday Night Fever," "Grease," and "Urban Cowboy" all by the time he was 26.

John Travolta in 1978 (left) and 2020 (right). Tom Wargacki/WireImage via Getty Images; Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic via Getty Images

The triple threat (actor, singer, dancer) was born in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1954. He's now in his 60s, but his successful career really took off in his early 20s.

At the age of 21, Travolta started his four-year career as Vinnie Barbarino on ABC's "Welcome Back, Kotter," which launched him into mainstream fame.

Over the next five years, he starred in hit movies like "Carrie," "Saturday Night Fever," "Grease," and "Urban Cowboy."

Decades later, Travolta is still well known for those early roles, and he's since found success starring in "Pulp Fiction," "Face/Off," "Hairspray," and on FX's "American Crime Story."

Daniel Day-Lewis was in the Oscar-winning film "A Room With a View" when he was in his late 20s.

Daniel Day-Lewis in "Gandhi" in 1982 (left) and in 2017 (right). Columbia Pictures;Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Daniel Day-Lewis was born in Kensington, England, in 1957.

Now retired in his 60s, the English actor had a successful career that won him three Oscars and two Golden Globes.

Day-Lewis studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School before landing his first credited film role in 1982's "Gandhi" at the age of 25.

Throughout the rest of his 20s, he appeared in notable films including "The Bounty," "My Beautiful Laundrette," and "A Room With a View."

Day-Lewis has been selective with his roles throughout his career, but his in-depth character work won him Oscars for his performances in "My Left Foot," "There Will Be Blood," and "Lincoln."

He also received an Oscar nomination for his role in "Phantom Thread," which was his last role before he announced his retirement from acting.

Barbra Streisand starred in both "Funny Girl" and "Hello, Dolly!" before she turned 28.

Barbra Streisand in 1965 (left) and 2017 (right). AP Photo; John Salangsang/Invision/AP

Barbra Streisand was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1942. She is currently in her late 70s, and she has found decades of success as an actress, singer, and performer.

Streisand started acting in Off-Broadway productions in her late teens, and she landed her first Broadway role in 1962's "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" just before her 20th birthday.

Two years later, the actress originated the role of Fanny Brice in the musical "Funny Girl."

In her late 20s, the actress starred in the film adaptations of the musicals "Funny Girl" and "Hello, Dolly!"  which launched her film career.

In the years since she's starred in "A Star Is Born," "Yentl," "Meet the Fockers," and "The Guilt Trip" while also releasing albums.

Jane Fonda won her first Golden Globe when she was 24.

Jane Fonda in 1965 (left) and 2020 (right). AP; Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Jane Fonda was born in New York City in 1937. Now in her 80s, she has found continued success throughout her decades-long acting career.

When she was in her mid-20s, she landed her breakout role in "Tall Story," which earned her a Golden Globe for most promising newcomer in 1962.

The actress went on to memorable roles in "Period of Adjustment," "Fun With Dick and Jane," "9 to 5," "Monster-in-Law," and "Lee Daniels' The Butler."

Today, Fonda is also well known for her work as a feminist and environmental activist and for her starring role on Netflix's "Grace and Frankie."

Halle Berry was the runner-up at the Miss USA pageant when she was 20 years old.

Halle Berry in 1989 (left) and 2019 (right). Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; MARIO ANZUONI/Reuters

Halle Berry was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1966. She is now in her 50s, and she continues to have a successful career as an actress.

Before working on TV and in films, Berry competed in the Miss USA pageants.

In 1985, she won Miss Teen All American, and in 1986 she won Miss Ohio USA.

She went on to compete in the Miss USA pageant and came in second place. Later in 1986, she was the first Black woman to represent the US at the Miss World pageant, according to Essence.

Soon after retiring from pageants, Berry made her acting debut on ABC's "Living Dolls" in 1989. In 2002, Berry won an Oscar for her role in "Monster's Ball."

In the years since the actress has become well known for appearing in the "X-Men" and "James Bond" series.

Sir Ian McKellen was starring on "David Copperfield" by age 26.

Legendary actor Ian McKellen in 1965 (left) and 2017 (right). Don Smith/Radio Times via Getty Images; ERIC GAILLARD/Reuters

Sir Ian McKellen was born in Burnley, England, in 1939. Now in his 80s, the knighted actor is well known for his legendary, decade-spanning career.

He grew up acting in school plays before graduating from Cambridge in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts and pursuing a career on the stage.

By 1964, McKellen was making his first appearances on TV and in films. In 1966, at the age of 26, he landed the titular role on BBC One's "David Copperfield."

The English actor went on to star in famous franchises like "X-Men," "The Lord of the Rings," and "The Hobbit." He also appeared in Disney's 2017 live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast" and the movie adaptation of "Cats."

Catherine O'Hara kicked off her career in sketch comedy when she was 20.

Catherine O'Hara in 1981 (left) and 2019 (right). NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images; MARIO ANZUONI/Reuters

Catherine O'Hara was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1954. Now in her late 60s, the celebrated actress is well known for her career in comedy.

At 20 years old, the actress was working as a waitress at Second City Toronto (a famous improv theater) when she replaced Gilda Radner in the cast. She met longtime acting partner Eugene Levy at the theater, and they both went on to roles on Global's "SCTV"  Second City Canada's sketch-comedy TV show.

O'Hara went on to appear in films like "Beetlejuice," "Home Alone," "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Waiting for Guffman," and "Best in Show."

Today, the comedic actress is well known for playing Moira Rose on Pop's "Schitt's Creek" alongside Levy.

Regina King launched her TV career in her teens and broke into film at 20.

Regina King in 1996 (left) and 2020 (right). Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; DANNY MOLOSHOK/Reuters

Regina King was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1971. Now in her 50s, she's had highly successful acting and directing careers.

When she was 14 years old, the actress got her start playing Brenda Jenkins on NBC's "227," and she landed a role in "Boyz n the Hood" when she was 20.

Throughout her 20s, the actress appeared in a number of movies, including "Jerry Maguire" and "Enemy of the State."

King went on to play iconic roles in "Legally Blonde 2," "A Cinderella Story," and "If Beale Street Could Talk." She also appeared on shows like ABC's "American Crime," CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," and HBO's "Watchmen."

She broke into directing in 2013, and most recently led the award-nominated movie "One Night in Miami."

Nicolas Cage was in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" before he was even 20.

Nicolas Cage in 1986 (left) and 2018 (right). Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP

Nicolas Coppola, publicly known as Nicolas Cage, was born in Long Beach, California, in 1964. He's now in his late 50s, but his acting career took off in his 20s.

In his late teens, the actor got his start in the TV movie "The Best of Times" and in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," and he found continued success in films like "Valley Girl," "Peggy Sue Got Married," "Moonstruck," and "Time to Kill," all before turning 30.

Today, the actor is well known for his roles in movies like "Con-Air," "Face/Off," "National Treasure," "Ghost Rider," and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

Regina Hall broke into the "Scary Movie" franchise when she was 29.

Regina Hall in 2000 (left) and 2019 (right). Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images; MIKE BLAKE/Reuters

Regina Hall was born in Washington DC in 1970. Since breaking into acting in her 20s, she's found success on TV and in film.

After a one-episode appearance on "New York Undercover" at the age of 26, Hall went on to appear in films like "Love and Basketball" and "Scary Movie" before turning 30.

The actress is still well known for her roles in the "Scary Movie" franchise  she appeared in the second, third, and fourth sequels  and she also starred in "Death at a Funeral," "Think Like a Man," "Girls Trip," and "The Hate U Give."

Outside of film, Hall acted on Fox's "Ally McBeal," ABC's "Black-ish," and HBO's "Insecure."

Now in her 50s, she's still acting, recently in "Breaking News in Yuba County" and on Showtime's "Black Mondays."

Queen Latifah started both her music and acting careers by the time she was 21.

Queen Latifah in 1993 (left) and 2019 (right). Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images; Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Dana Elaine Owens, publically known as Queen Latifah, was born in New Jersey in 1970. Now in her 50s, she's built legendary careers in acting and music.

In high school, Latifah picked up her moniker and started her rap career with the album "All Hail the Queen," and by the age of 21, she was made her film debut in "Jungle Fever."

At 29, the celebrity added yet another medium to her career when she started hosting "The Queen Latifah Show."

She also went on to release seven studio albums and work on hit films and TV shows like Fox's "Living Single," "Chicago," "Last Holiday," "Hairspray," "The Secret Life of Bees," and Fox's "Star."

Jada Pinkett Smith was starring on TV at 20.

Jada Pinkett Smith in 1991 (left) and 2019 (right). Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Jada Pinkett Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1971. Over the past 49 years, she's established herself as a prominent Hollywood actress.

In her late teens, she got her start appearing on TV shows like Fox's "True Colors." Right after she turned 20, she landed a recurring role on NBC's "A Different World."

The actress went on to well-known films like "The Nutty Professor," "Ali," "The Matrix Reloaded," and "Girls Trip." She also appeared on TNT's "Hawthorne" and Fox's "Gotham."

In 2018, Smith, her daughter, Willow, and her mother started the successful web talk show "Red Table Talk" where they discuss social and cultural issues.

Meg Ryan had a recurring role on a major soap opera at 20.

Meg Ryan in 1990 (left) and 2019 (right). Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; MARIO ANZUONI/Reuters

Meg Ryan was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1961. Now in her late 50s, the actress has made a name for herself, especially in the rom-com genre.

She got her start in a few small film and TV roles before getting cast on CBS' "As the World Turns" at 20.

Today, Ryan is well known for her roles in "Top Gun," "When Harry Met Sally," "Sleepless in Seattle," "Anastasia," and "You've Got Mail."

At 22, Will Smith was starring on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

Will Smith in 1991 (left) and 2020 (right). Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/Reuters

Will Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1968. Now in his 50s, the actor is one of the biggest names in Hollywood, but he got his start rapping as a teenager.

In the late 1980s, he gained some attention under the rap name The Fresh Prince, and he was catapulted to mainstream fame just before his 22nd birthday when he starred playing Will Smith on NBC's "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

He went on to star in films like the "Men in Black" series, the "Bad Boys" series, "Ali," "Hitch," "The Pursuit of Happyness," and "I Am Legend."

More recently, the actor appeared in "Suicide Squad," "Aladdin," and "Gemini Man."

Like his wife, Jada, Smith has also had a hand in the production side of the industry since his "Fresh Prince" days.

Martin Lawrence was on "What's Happening Now" when he was 22.

Martin Lawrence in 1993 (left) and 2020 (right). Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images;DANNY MOLOSHOK/Reuters

Martin Lawrence was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1965, but he mainly grew up on the East Coast of the US. Now in his 50s, he's made a name for himself as an actor.

When he was 22 years old, he got his start on ABC's "What's Happening Now," and soon after, the actor went on to star on his own hit sitcom, Fox's "Martin."

Today, Lawrence is well known for his roles in the "Bad Boys" series, the "Big Mamma's House" series, and "Death at a Funeral." He also went on to CBS' "Panthers."

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The $900 million Direct Connection project on I-295 was four years off from its projected 2024 completion date before a retaining wall partially collapsed last week, a state DOT spokesman confirmed.

NJ DOT spokesman Steve Schapiro confirmed that the project was no longer expected to be completed by 2024, as DOT officials originally said in 2019. Before the wall collapse, the projects new completion date had been pushed to 2028.

Prior to the collapse, Contract 3 was expected to be completed in late 2024 and Contract 4 was expected to begin around that time and completed four years later, Schapiro said.

Assemblyman William F. Moen, Jr., D-Camden, said the project completion date was was delayed by four years in an interview with NJ Advance Media Tuesday.

The retaining wall under construction is part of the massive $900 million, I-295 Direct Connection project, to improve a congestion and crash-prone junction with I-76 and Route 42, which is a major commuter route to Philadelphia. Construction on the multiphase project started in 2014.

Damage to retaining wall that partially collapsed on I-295 north in Bellmawr on March 29 can be seen from where the right lane was closed for emergency repairs The project began in 2014 and is designed to make the highway safer and reduce congestion at the intersection of I-295, I-76, and Route 42. Bellmawr, N.J. March 30, 2021.Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The DOT completed temporary repairs to shore up the retaining wall on Tuesday, Schapiro said. The right lane of I-295 north between Exit 26N for I-76 and I-676 to an area near Exit 26S for Route 42 will be continue to be closed.

It will take some time to determine the cause, and the right lane will remain closed until further notice as a safety precaution, Schapiro said.

In 2019, DOT officials said the Direct Connection project was delayed by two years from a 2022 completion date because some modifications had to be made to pre-cast pier designs.

Contract 2 took about a year-and-half longer than expected because of delays in completing Contract 1 and some design changes in Contract 2, which resulted in some increased costs, Schapiro said in 2019.

DOT officials did not say what caused the delay from a 2024 completion date.

The cost of repair work and how it will affect the completion date for the project have been common questions and comments lawmakers have received from constituents, Moen said.

With this roadway collapse and the work done to fix it and make the roadway safe, what does it do to the timeline and the cost? Moen said.

Moen and District 5 lawmakers, State Senator Nilsa I. Cruz Perez and Assemblyman William W. Spearman, all D-Camden, sent a letter to the DOT late Monday requesting a public meeting for drivers ask questions and air concerns about the incident.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.
YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated the Assyrian community of Armenia on Kha b-Nisan  the Assyrian New Year, the PMs Office told Armenpress.

The congratulatory message reads:

I warmly congratulate the representatives of the Assyrian community of Armenia on their New Year - Kha b-Nisan.

Let one of the oldest religious and national holidays symbolizing the natures revival signal a beginning of a new and happy year. Let it be a year of new births, ideas, success and achievements.

Within the course of the history we have been had to resist numerous challenges and get out of them victoriously. Today as well, by continuing the centuries-old friendship tradition between the Armenian and Assyrian peoples, we are jointly passing through a period of challenges, fighting for the bright future of our common homeland.

Let our homes be filled with love, solidarity and warmth.

Congratulations on Kha b-Nisan.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
President Joe Biden revealed the infrastructure plan with a $2.3 trillion budget that will focus on different areas and domains. The budget will reinforce the fixing of roads and bridges in the United States and expand broadband internet access.

The budget for the infrastructure plan that Biden will back is bigger than the previous American Rescue Plan that only has $1.9 trillion. The previous plan has allowed the Americans to receive $1,400 stimulus checks and a budget for reinforcing the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the reopening of schools in America.

READ MORE: Biden Speech Keynotes: COVID Relief Bill, Post-Pandemic View

Biden's $2.3 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

The infrastructure plan Biden will push is the first part of his rescue plan geared towards the recovery of the United States. The first part will focus on building back the interiors of America's economy. The second part of his recovery plan will be focusing on childcare, healthcare, and education, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

A big chunk of the entire budget will be allotted to three main expenditures: $650 billion to the roads, rail, and transport, and $500 to manufacturing, training, and research. Another $650 billion will be allotted to clean water and electric grids, as well as high-quality housing. It also targets the 35 percent of rural Americans to be reached by broadband or internet services, according to a Reuters report.

A gist of what's inside the Infrastructure plan

The $650 billion will be utilized to modernize 20,000 miles of highways and roads. This also includes the bridges focusing on the 10 "economically significant bridges" along with 10,000 other bridges that need modernization.

From this main expenditure, another $20 billion will be used for road safety programs that aim to reduce the danger for cyclists and pedestrians. Moreover, another $20 billion will be used to reconnect vicinities divided by highway projects.

$25 billion will also be intended for airports, and $17 billion will be used to invest in cleaning port air pollution.

$400 billion will also be allotted to what they call the "Care Economy" that aims to cater and serve the senior citizens and people with disabilities.

The Opposition

Some Republicans expressed oppositiong to Biden's idea, saying that the budget will affect the American taxpayers, according to an ABC7 report.

"It seems like President Biden has an insatiable appetite to spend more money and raise people's taxes," said Representative Steve Scalise from Louisiana. Meanwhile, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell brushed off Biden's package saying that it is nothing but a "trojan horse" for taxpayers.

The funding for the bigger project connotes higher corporate taxes because the taxes will fuel the funding for the infrastructure plan.

Amid the opposition his infrastructure plan will be facing in Congress, President Biden noted that he will be open to suggestions and help from the legislature. "I'm going to bring the Republicans into the Oval Office, listen to them, what they have to say, and be open to other ideas," Biden said. The president also added that he will work with any Republican who wants to make the infrastructure plan possible, emphasizing that the plan shout be implemented.

RELATED ARTICLE: President Joe Biden Will Back New COVID Relief Bill Focused on Recovery

WATCH: Biden to Unveil $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan in Pittsburgh Wednesday - from Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
The situation on the global oil market has improved since last months OPEC+ meeting, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said at the opening of this months OPEC+ ministerial meeting on Thursday, while Saudi Arabia called again for a cautious approach to easing the production cuts.

There are still many uncertainties on the global oil market, especially in Europe, Russias top oil diplomat said.

Yet, there is currently a deficit of 2 million barrels per day (bpd) on the market, Novak said at the start of the OPEC+ meeting, which was open to the media.

According to the Russian minister, it is now critical neither to overheat nor to undersupply the oil market.

Ahead of the meeting, Russia was said to be favoring a rollover of the alliances oil production cuts, but it is seeking a slight increase for itself to meet higher seasonal demand.

Saudi Arabia was reportedly ready to extend current OPEC+ production cuts over May and June and also keep cutting 1 million bpd in oil output unilaterally, according to an unnamed source who spoke to Reuters.

Saudi Arabia, however, expressed a more cautious position about oil demand recovery at the beginning of todays OPEC+ meeting.

Until the evidence of the recovery is undeniable, we should maintain this cautious stance, Saudi Arabias Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said in his opening speech, which had analysts speculate that OPECs top producer and de facto leader would be pushing for a rollover of the cuts.

Last month, we called for a cautious and restrained approach, and - unfortunately - we have been proved right by subsequent developments, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said.

In todays uncertain environment, charting a rigid path to recovery is unwise. The reality remains that the global picture is far from even, and the recovery is far from complete, the minister said.

At the time of writing just past 3 p.m. Vienna time, the OPEC+ meeting behind closed doors had just started.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Findit, Inc. (OTC PINK:FDIT) owner of Findit.com, a full-service social networking platform that provides online marketing campaigns and tools for members to increase brand awareness through content creation and sharing, resulting in indexing in search engines is highlighting: American Craftsman Renovations, Freedom Loan Resolution, and RateForce.

In today's release, Findit will be highlighting three featured members that utilize Findit marketing campaigns. Each of these members on Findit has a recurring monthly marketing campaign with Findit that helps improve their overall web presence through search and social media. Findit offers a full suite of marketing services to each of these clients, from content creation to social sharing to video production and more to heighten their overall online presence, aiding them in reaching the audience that is looking for them throughout the web.

Our first featured member is American Craftsman Renovations. American Craftsman Renovations is a locally owned and operated, full-service general contractor in Savannah, GA, that offers custom residential remodeling, renovation, restoration, and repair services to homeowners. From smaller renovations in the kitchen or bathroom to major home improvements such as home additions, structural repairs and complete redesigns, American Craftsman Renovations helps homeowners transform the spaces in their homes. To improve their overall online presence in search and social, they have claimed a total of 33 names on Findit that surround the services that they offer in the areas that they provide those services.

As part of their marketing campaign, Findit is currently focused on improving overall indexing for American Craftsman Renovations for search terms involving larger home remodeling projects such as home additions, structural repairs, finishing basements and bonus rooms and other larger-scale projects. Findit will be updating photo galleries and creating content surrounding these topics to help improve overall indexing for these search terms.

Follow American Craftsman Renovations on Findit

findit.com/savannahadditions

Our second featured member, Freedom Loan Resolution offers professional student debt relief counseling services to students with student loans. Some of the services they provide are student debt relief solutions, student loan debt consolidation, and student debt relief counseling to assist students with their debt relief applications. Freedom Loan Resolution will review each student's financial situation that they work with to best determine the course of action to take to get their client student debt relief. While there are no guarantees, Freedom Loan Resolution will assist students in taking control of their student loan debt. As part of their marketing campaign, Findit set up three Findit URLs targeting the keywords that describe the services Freedom Loan Resolution offers. Findit has also produced videos for Freedom Loan Resolution to include in the content that we create for them and share throughout social media. By claiming these names on Findit, and creating content in each URL that is related to that URL, Findit assists Freedom Loan Resolution in increasing tangible search results in search engines and reaching the audiences that are looking for the services that they provide.

Follow Freedom Loan Resolution on Findit

findit.com/freedom-loan-resolution-services

Our final featured member is RateForce. RateForce started its journey in 2014 with a mission to help deliver a better way to buy insurance. They serve auto insurance quotes from all over the country so that drivers can compare insurance quotes and buy insurance online at any time. Individuals can find the lowest auto insurance rates that have the comprehensive coverage that they need by conducting online comparison. RateForce helps you compare insurance rates seamlessly by providing quotes from all the top insurance agencies in the country as well as local and regional insurance providers online with no need for long-form submission. Their marketing campaign initially focused on the state of South Carolina. Now, in addition to South Carolina, RateForce is focusing on the state of Georgia and most recently the state of Michigan. As part of their marketing campaign with Findit, URLs have been set up for RateForce utilizing Findit's Claim Your Name feature, targeting auto insurance rates in these three states. In addition to content created on Findit, several videos have been produced for RateForce, highlighting the services they provide.

Follow RateForce on Findit

findit.com/cheap-michigan-car-insurance

Claim your Name on Findit today with a Findit URL. Findit URLs are $9.95 per month, and each name only exists once on Findit. There is no limit to the number of URLs that you can have, and URLs that are not renewed on a monthly basis do have the ability to be claimed by other people or businesses.

The videos embedded in this release were produced by Findit as part of the marketing campaigns provided to these companies.

Findit also welcomes individuals who are looking to post the content that they want seen and shared without censorship. Findit does not have algorithms in place that controls which posts show up and which posts do not and does not censor content unless it is of pornographic or terroristic nature or inciting violence.

Want to be a featured member on Findit? Get in touch with us at 404-443-3224 or email clark@findit.com.

Download the Findit App today and let the world see what you have to say and share with them.

Google

Apple

About Findit, Inc.

Findit.com which is a Social Media Content Management Platform that provides an interactive search engine for all content posted in Findit to appear in Findit search. The site is an open platform that provides access to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines access to its content posted to Findit so it can be indexed in these search engines as well. Findit provides Members the ability to post, share and manage their content. Once they have posted in Findit, we ensure the content gets indexed in Findit Search results. Findit provides an option for anyone to submit URLs that they want indexed in Findit search result, along with posting status updates through Findit Right Now. Status Updates posted in Findit can be crawled by outside search engines which can result in additional organic indexing. All posts on Findit can be shared to other social and bookmarking sites by members and non-members. Findit provides Real Estate Agents the ability to create their own Findit Site where they can pull in their listing and others through their IDX account. Findit, Inc., is focused on the development of monetized Internet-based web products that can provide an increase in brand awareness of our members. Findit, Inc., trades under the stock symbol FDIT on the OTC Pinksheets.

Safe Harbor:

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including statements regarding potential sales, the success of the company's business, as well as statements that include the word believe or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Findit, Inc. to differ materially from those implied or expressed.

CONTACT:

Clark St. Amant

404-443-3224

SOURCE: Findit, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638605/Findit-Features-Members-American-Craftsman-Renovations-Freedom-Loan-Resolution-and-RateForce
The most notable feature of this weeks two-day online Labor Party Special Platform Conference was the frequency of the references to crisis and war.

With the current Liberal-National Coalition government visibly unravelling, the event amounted to a rather anxious pitch to the corporate elite by the Labor leaders and their trade union partners presenting themselves as uniquely qualified to prosecute its agenda in the face of unprecedented geo-strategic and social tensions.

Anthony Albanese addresses ALP conference (Source: YouTube)

In his opening speech, party leader Anthony Albanese claimed the mantle of the Labor governments of prime ministers Curtin and Chifley from 1941 to 1949. In Australias moment of greatest crisis at the height of the Second World War, John Curtin, led the nation out of military danger then Ben Chifley led into reconstruction, Albanese declared. Their mottovictory in war and victory in peace.

Likewise, shadow foreign minister Penny Wong referred to a less stable and more dangerous world in which conflicts had been accelerated by COVID-19. We face the most challenging circumstances since World War II, she said. Only Labor has the vision and discipline to address these issues. She boasted that Labor had forged the US alliance during the last world war.

Party president Wayne Swan, who was the treasurer in the last Labor government from 2007 to 2013, declared that Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government was falling to pieces. Therefore, the nation looks to us, as it always had in times of war and when economic reform was needed. Labor had mobilised the country when faced with invasion in World War II. And it had restructured the economy in the 1980s and 1990s. That was when the Hawke and Keating Labor governments worked via Accords with the unions to destroy workers jobs and conditions to satisfy the dictates of the financial markets.

Even more than previous Labor conferences, this was an extraordinarily scripted and orchestrated event. Every hand-picked speaker endorsed a policy platform that commits a Labor government to fiscal prudence in the wake of the devastating global pandemic and a stepped-up commitment to the US military alliance as the Biden administration intensifies Washingtons confrontation with China.

Adopted unanimously, the document vows that a Labor government would be an effective and collaborative partner with the business community and promote Australias international competitivenessall with the help of greater workplace collaboration between business and unions. It pledges to strengthen the US Alliance because of its vital importance to Australias national security requirements.

Albaneses opening address on Tuesday added an economic nationalist axis to the further pro-business shift that he spearheaded after being installed as Labor leader following the partys May 2019 election debacle. At that election, held six months after the partys last national conference, Labors primary vote fell to just 33.3 percent, the lowest in 85 years, with the biggest losses in working class areas.

The Labor leader extolled a plan he had unveiled in the media that morning for a $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund to essentially subsidise big business projects in a new era of national reconstruction, supposedly like that launched by the Chifley government after World War II.

Albanese declared that the pandemic had shown the economys supply chains and sovereign capabilities were vulnerable. We shouldnt have to rely on other countries when it comes to protecting and providing for our people, he said. As the danger of a US-led war with China rises, the US and all its allies are seeking to end their reliance on China for strategic goods.

The $15 billion package is also a slush funddescribed as a combination of loans, equity, co-investment and guaranteesto attempt to lift corporate investment, which remains at record lows despite all the government and media talk of recovery.

As well as aligning themselves behind plans for war, the Labor and union leaders are drumming up patriotism and protectionism to divert working class discontent and try to reverse the collapse of support and their memberships. Demands for government procurement and other policies to favour Australian-made products saturated the proceedings.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national secretary Steve Murphy said the promises of restoring domestic manufacturing production via Labors investment fund would play well to our base. But, revealingly, he warned that workers were cautious about such announcements, distrusting Labors claims that secure, well-paying jobs would result.

In another rare honest statement, the partys Queensland assistant state secretary Zac Beers said workers abandoned us in droves in 2019 because they did not trust Labor and did not believe its promises.

Throughout the stage-managed event, a hand-picked parade of Labor officials and representatives of the supposed mighty trade union movement were each given two minutes to declare that only a Labor government could and would protect working people from the mass unemployment, under-employment and tearing up of working conditions that has intensified throughout the pandemic.

A hint of the reality came when shadow finance minister Katie Gallagher spoke of the need to provide business with the confidence to invest. That essentially means working with the unions to suppress workers struggles against cuts to wages and conditions, while slashing social spending. Gallagher attacked the Morrison government from the right, denouncing it for running eight budget deficits in a row, pushing up the public debt level.

The incessantly repeated new slogan was Labor is on your side. Deliberately vague, it junks the discredited 2019 election rhetoric of a fair go. Precisely because of decades of bitter experiences with the pro-business Labor Party and its affiliated unions, that fair go sloganeering failed to cut any ice with increasingly disaffected working class voters.

Albaneses leadership remains in doubt. He admitted that he had come under criticism for collaborating too openly with the Coalition government as it exploited the pandemic to hand hundreds of billions of dollars to big business while deepening the assault on jobs and wages. In a bid to shore up his position, at least for now, he closed the conference yesterday by saying we are in the home straight to an election and therefore had to pull together.

Labors commitment to the Biden administrations ramped-up offensive against China was displayed most starkly in the session on foreign policy. Significantly, the draft platform was amended to hail the US-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, which brings Australia, Japan and India into a quasi-military alliance with Washington to encircle and prepare for war against China.

The first-ever Quad leaders summit convened by President Biden on March 12 took to a new level the drive by US governments to prevent China from economically or strategically challenging the global hegemony asserted by US imperialism following its victories in World War II.

Even more provocatively, the Labor conference unanimously passed no less than six resolutions denouncing China, accusing it of territorial aggression in the South China Sea, threatening Taiwan, denying basic rights in Hong Kong and Tibet, and committing human rights violations against Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjiang province.

These accusations hypocritically exploit the Beijing regimes police-state repressionwhich is directed above all against the working classto justify intervention by the US and its allies. Of course, there were no such condemnations of the military invasions, occupations, coups, mass killings of civilians and war crimes perpetrated by these powers, including Australia, for decades, including in Afghanistan and Iraq.

To underscore Labors commitment to preparations for war, Albanese used media interviews during the conference to support the Morrison governments announcement of a $1 billion sovereign guided weapons enterprise to manufacture missiles and other guided weapons. This a bipartisan issue, Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporations breakfast television show. Australia does need to be more resilient when it comes to our defence.


AMP Partner Operations, Program Manager - Austin Austin , Texas , United States Software and Services Summary

Posted: Mar 30, 2021 Role Number: 200234957 Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job, and there's no telling what you could accomplish. Key Qualifications 5+ years experience in project management, operations, or relevant experience

Comfortable navigating new situations and challenges

Previous experience leading projects in a fast-paced, results-driven environment

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Strong work ethic with a high degree of flexibility

Enthusiastic and professional approach

Self-motivated and proactive with demonstrated creative and critical thinking capabilities Description In this role, you will be a part of one of the fastest growing businesses at Apple as we scale Apple's first party services (Apple Music, iCloud, TV+, News+, Arcade, Fitness+ etc.) through carrier, retail, and financial service partners. Apple Media Product's (AMP) Partner Operations team is seeking a Program Manager to support our Sustaining Operations team. Join the team and you will have a first-hand role in shaping scalable solutions that will help grow services in the years to come! Do you enjoy creating solutions for complex problems? Do you thrive working in fast-moving, dynamic environments? Through the development of vendor strategy, process optimization, tool and reporting development, our team plays a key role in helping to create consistent and scalable solutions that will support the expansion of services like Apple Music, TV+, Fitness+ and Arcade. In this role you will: Play a key role in managing the relationship between Apple and external partners through: Helping run weekly meetings and manage partner deliverables Identifying areas for program improvement and working with partners to implement Managing team financials including vendor budgets, FY forecasting and reporting Create tools and processes for AMP Partner Ops Programs Work with cross-functional partners to understand tool and reporting needs Collaborate with tools team scope, develop and test new tool functionalities Define timelines for projects with internal and external partners Overseeing program status, priorities, and timelines Identifying risks or challenges and working with partners to resolve Education & Experience BA/BS and / or 5+ years of relevant experience


A new Phase 1 clinical trial has started in the to evaluate Moderna's investigational vaccine which is designed to protect against the B.1.351 variant, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced.

The trial, led and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine, known as mRNA-1273.351, in adult volunteers, Xinhua news agency quoted the announcement as saying on Wednesday.

The trial will enrol approximately 210 healthy adult volunteers at four clinical research sites in the US, according to the NIH.

"The B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant, first identified in South Africa, has been detected in at least nine states in the US," NIAID Director Anthony Fauci was quoted as saying.

"Preliminary data show that the Covid-19 vaccines currently available in the should provide an adequate degree of protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

"However, out of an abundance of caution, NIAID has continued its partnership with Moderna to evaluate this variant vaccine candidate should there be a need for an updated vaccine," the top infectious diseases expert added.

The variant vaccine candidate differs from the currently-authorised Moderna jab in that it delivers instructions for making the SARS-CoV-2 spike that incorporates key mutations in the B.1.351 virus variant, according to the NIH.

In addition to the Phase 1 clinical trial, investigators at NIAID's Vaccine Research Center are collaborating with Moderna to evaluate mRNA-1273.351 in animal models.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Flavio Briatore is critical of Red Bull's strategy during the Bahrain GP. The former team boss thinks Verstappen should have gone in immediately after Lewis Hamilton went for the undercut, which worked out perfectly for the Brit.

The tactics of Mercedes and Red Bull have been much discussed after Hamilton's win. For now, Mercedes are being credited with the win in this tactical joust and former team boss Briatore agrees.

Read more Honda thinks it can use more aggressive engine modes in the future

"The mistake was that they (Red Bull) didn't call him (Verstappen) back to the pits earlier because he had used up his tyres and Hamilton kept taking 3-4 tenths a lap off him."

Verstappen didn't stop until several laps later, at the point when Hamilton was well within the 20 seconds, the approximate time required for a stop.

Giving the spot back

At the end of the race, Verstappen gave his first spot back to Hamilton to the displeasure of the Dutchman. According to Briatore it was the right decision: "The request to give back the position in the final? It was a correct decision of the team because they noticed it and then they get a phone call, that's normal."

The Italian expects a good fight between Verstappen and Hamilton and focuses mainly on the Dutchman: "There will be dominance in the Mercedes GP's, but Red Bull can certainly play along for the championship given the performance of Verstappen," the businessman told Adnkronos.
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has presented forty (40) armoured personnel carriers to the Ghana Armed Forces, as part of Government's efforts to retool and equip the military.

Addressing a ceremony at Burma Camp on Wednesday, 31st March 2021, President Akufo-Addo stated that since taking office in 2017, his Government has been working to satisfy the logistical and personnel needs of the Armed Forces.

Indeed, on Thursday, 5th December 2019, at Burma Camp, the President presented thirty-three (33) Armoured Personnel Carriers, forty-one (41) assorted Toyota vehicles, three (3) water tankers, one (1) self-loading recovery truck, one (1) refrigeration van, and five (5) utility vehicles for waste disposal and management.

"I did indicate in my address on that day that there was more to come. As you know by now, a Government of the New Patriotic Party is a promise-keeping one, and I am here to redeem that pledge," he said.

The President continued, "Today, I am here to present forty (40) Cobra II Armoured Personnel Carriers, which, according to military standards, are very strong and versatile armoured vehicles, and which will help us contain even better the security threats posed at our northern borders, as well as provide the necessary protection for our western and eastern frontiers."

He commended the Armed Forces for their continued commitment to the on-going Operations CONQUERED FIST and MOTHERLAND, which is intended to create a secure, peaceful atmosphere at the northwestern, northern and northeastern borders of the country.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Ghana Arms and Armies By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

President Akufo-Addo urged the Armed Forces to continue to collaborate with the Ministries of National Security, Interior, Foreign Affairs and the Ghana Revenue Authority, as well as all relevant ministries and agencies, to ensure that the country maintains a robust disposition that will deter potential aggressors, who may attempt to derail the political and socio-economic gains chalked so far.

"We all know that the rapid economic transformation and accelerated growth that we seek can only be realized in an atmosphere of peace, tranquility and security. I assure you that Government will continue to address your logistical needs, and we will work to provide resources through our re-equipment programme, and help ensure that you are properly equipped to perform your roles effectively and efficiently," he added.

As an institution noted for its discipline, the President urged them to pay particular attention to the maintenance of the vehicles, "and to use them for the benefit of our country and its people."
and for other purposes seems to be included in the titles of so many bills these days that its always enlightening to dig a little deeper, past a bills obvious provisions. In the case of H.R. 1 -- the 2021 Omnibus Federal Electoral Fraud Enhancement Act -- the revelations are pretty scary. Theyre intended to drive from politics people Democrats dont like and to consolidate in Congressional hands information that violates the Separation of Powers doctrine or the Bill of Rights.

Others have spoken forcefully about the bills proposed unjust and ruinous changes to the Federal Election Commission, campaign finance reforms, and general election processes. Today, lets see what the last 100 or so pages of this nearly 900-page bill bring us. This is where all the other purposes are hiding and theyre as bad as the rest of the bill.

Section 10001, calls for Presidential and Vice Presidential tax transparency. What it really does is suppress candidate turnout by requiring that the last ten years of income tax returns be submitted to the Federal Election Commission within 15 days of becoming a partys nominee.

Those records, with certain limited redactions, then become public just like any report filed with the FEC. Opposition research is complete and available to China, Russia, new or former relatives, all of Congress, the media, the whole world, in fact. For the candidates who are not elected, those records stay public forever. This will discourage private citizens like Trump  as opposed to lifelong political hacks  from running for high office.

This requirement seems to be a clear violation of the 4th Amendment which protects an individuals papers against unreasonable seizure. This is a taking if there ever was one. Surprise! The IRS already has possession. If these documents are required by Congress for any purpose, a simple warrant based upon probable cause is all thats necessary to obtain them.

Section 9101 also results in candidate suppression as it prohibits Members from serving on the boards of any for-profit organizations. This may have a chilling effect on any potential Congressional candidates who are also successful business owners, family farmers, managers of family trustsor the adult children of former 45th Presidents of these United States.

Section 9401 requires supervisors (not employers, mind you) of people who are also employed by Congress to submit quarterly reports on those persons and their income to the House and Senate Ethics Committees.

Under the guise of ethics, Congress critters will be spying on their own staff. Most private companies have rules that prohibit the release of such information to others. And I see there is no requirement for translation from the Chinese for the handler of Senator Feinsteins driver.

Nevertheless and again, this is a highly unwarranted intrusion into the private lives of individuals who have already completed the SF-86 proctological Questionnaire for National Security and undergone an FBI interview, as have their friends and family members. Again, that information is already in the federal governments possession of the federal government. One must just have a valid reason to retrieve it from the FBI.

Section 9102 is worded strangely. It seems members of Congress will be prohibited from introducing or impacting legislation that serves only the Members financial interest or that of a Members family or small group. The word only appears three times in two lines of one sentence. However, it does not appear to prohibit the same activities for Members who are part of a larger group such as shareholders in a company.

Section 9001, which requires much painful flipping back and forth between H.R.1s proposed text and the existing text of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 amends the obligation that Members of Congress have to reimburse taxpayers for settlements based upon allegations that the member engaged in unlawful intimidation, reprisal, or discrimination. And guess what? This amendment is backdated to effective from the date the initial (1995) version of this section was enacted. Maybe some members who had to pay out of pocket for their sins want their money back. And maybe the author of this section thinks We the People should pay for their criminal indiscretions.

Section 8052 requires that, if a presidential transition team wants security clearance for any member of that team, the team must submit to Congress the names, employment history, financial history, roles and issues to be worked on, and recusals for each of those members. And if that information is not submitted, the individual is denied access to all non-public information from governmental agencies. This is a clear breach of the constitutional separation of powers, and a violation of the Privacy Act.

If Congress needs this information, which, again, is already in the hands of the FBI, a simple warrant supported by probable cause is all that is required. Someone sure has their knickers in a twist. And its too bad for them, but We the People like the separation of powers.

Buried in Section 8034 is the insertion of Congress into the enforcement of ethics for executive branch employees. This occurs when the Office of the Inspector General (which reports directly to Congress) is added to the Attorney Generals role in developing a reporting system for violations. This section also takes away from each agency its authority to deal internally with ethics issues and violations and puts that authority in the hands of one individual. Again, this sure looks like a separation of powers violation.

Section 7001, which falls under a section titled Supreme Court Ethics, requires that the Judicial Conference (led by the Chief Justice and comprised of representatives of federal courts) develop a code of conduct. Funny thing is, the Supreme Court did that in 1973, and it has been updated periodically since. Appears that this bill is the first step in codifying that code of conduct, very much Congressional overreach. Wonder if the House has its nose out of joint because it has no say in judicial confirmations.

Section 6201, regarding disposal of campaign contributions, should be titled the Bloomberg Skates Around Campaign Contribution Limitations Act. It appears to codify making multi-million-dollar donations from personal funds to campaign committees, as long as one pretends to run for office for some unspecified period of time using ones own funds in the process.

Finally, let us note that there are nine separate sections regarding severability. Basically, that means that each section of this bill stands alone and must be attacked individually for its unconstitutionality. Its going to take a lot more work to dismantle this bill, if enacted, when seemingly the whole thing is fraught with violations of the basic rights of We the People.

And just for fun, here's a bonus poster (concept by Anony Mee; execution by Andrea Widburg):

Anony Mee is a retired public servant.

IMAGE: Democrats shill the For The People Act (with added commentary by ARW) by ForThePeople_cam2_032719 (54 of 54). CC BY 2.0.
WESTFALL  A man who was visiting his friend in Westfall in eastern Oregon on March 12 ended up seeing his friend and another man die as the result of being crushed by heavy machinery. Because the accident happened on a work site, Oregon OSHA is involved in the investigation, which could take as long as three or four months, according to an email from spokesman Aaron Corvin.

Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe, who was among those who responded to the call at about 8:45 a.m. that Friday, said the caller indicated that two people were possibly trapped under the tracks of an excavator.

The sheriff and deputies responded to the scene, arriving simultaneously with Vale Fire and Ambulance and Life Flight, however, the men were already dead, and it appeared they had died immediately.

According to Wolfe, Greg Quant, 57, of Burns was operating the excavator. He had just finished up some work for Roger Wheeler, of Westfall, who went down to the area to talk to him after the job was finished.

When Quant was standing on the tracks either getting out or back in, that part is unclear, it appears as if he hit the safety lever and the excavator engaged into gear, Wolfe said.

When it engaged it was in gear and threw him to the ground, according to the sheriff, who said the witness believed that Wheeler had jumped down in an effort to save Quant when the machine ran over both of them.

The heavy equipment was a John Deere 225D excavator, weighing 25 tons, Wolfe said.

It was a very, very unfortunate incident, Wolfe said. Both men were well-known in their respective communities. They were both good, hard-working men, just doing their jobs and it appears as if a mistake was made.

OSHA investigators came out from Bend that day, Wolfe said.

The last time someone died in a heavy equipment accident in Malheur County was when Gary Kamo, of Vale, died in April 22, 2020, after he was crushed while operating a track-hoe while working on a property in Ontario. In that instance, it was believed Kamo may have bumped a lever, accidentally engaging the machinery.

--Leslie Thompson/Argus Observer
When Dominic Ongwen ended up at the International Criminal Court in January 2015, after emerging from hiding in the bush of the Central Africa Republic, the issue on many people's minds was whether it was fair to try a victim-turned-suspected perpetrator.

As the case of Ongwen, a former commander in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), progressed to trial, other equally important issues shaped the arguments lawyers made in court and in written submissions, and made up the evidence they submitted. These issues included the systemic sexual violence against girls and women in the LRA; the group's brutal initiation rituals for newly abducted boys and girls; the constant threat of violence against anyone who attempted to escape the group; and mental health in northern Uganda.

The judges of Trial Chamber IX have pronounced themselves on these and other issues in their February 4 judgment in which they found Ongwen was guilty of 61 of the 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity he had been charged with. Ongwen was convicted for his role as a battalion commander then brigade commander in LRA's Sinia brigade between July 2002 and December 2005.

He was convicted for attacks during that period on four camps for internally displaced people in northern Uganda. He was also convicted for sex crimes against several women and conscripting and using children as soldiers.

During the course of the proceedings against him, it became clear that Ongwen's age would be one of the issues the judges would make a pronouncement on. This is because there was a discrepancy between what Ongwen said was his age on the day he first appeared before the ICC and what witnesses who knew him said his age was. These witnesses were either relatives or people the LRA abducted from the same place and on the same day as Ongwen was. And Ongwen's lawyers made his age an issue in their questioning of witnesses and submissions.

In their judgment, the judges concluded that Ongwen was born in or around 1978 and was abducted in 1987. This meant he was nine years old when he was abducted and between 24 and 27 years when the crimes he was convicted of occurred.

During his trial, Ongwen was not the only person who was not clear about when he was born or when exactly the LRA abducted him. Many witnesses faced the same issue because if they had birth certificates, they were destroyed during the northern Uganda conflict; or their parents, who would have known such details, were killed during the conflict.

With the help of government officials, these witnesses were able to get the birth certificates and other identity documents they needed, particularly those who testified in person at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands. This was just one example of the kind of cooperation the Ugandan government provided the ICC during the course of Ongwen's trial.

Other forms of cooperation included Uganda's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) committing in writing not to prosecute any witness who testified at the ICC and gave self-incriminatory evidence about actions they carried out when they were 18 years or younger while they were with the LRA. The DPP made this commitment in March 2017, three months after the first witness testified in Ongwen's trial. The evidentiary part of the trial concluded in December 2019.

The government's cooperation with the ICC also took the form of different ranks of Ugandan military and intelligence personnel testifying, including the director of legal services at the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence.

This range and level of government cooperation in a case at the ICC is not typical.

Perhaps typical of any criminal trial, Ongwen's case had its share of dramatic moments. Such as when a witness, who was a member of the Uganda People's Defence Forces, became combative when he was cross-examined by Ongwen's lawyer.

Another dramatic moment in the trial occurred on March 19, 2018 when Ongwen disrupted the testimony of a prosecution mental health expert, forcing the judges to order him to be removed from the court for the rest of that day's hearing.

But Ongwen's trial also had its moments of humdrum painstaking presentation of evidence. This was when the prosecution was laying the foundation for the evidence of intercepts of LRA radio communications the Ugandan government had provided. The intercepts were of communications that took place over two-way radio over long distances between LRA commanders. Ugandan government interceptors recorded these communications on cassettes.

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For several weeks, the courtroom was filled with the crackle commonly heard over two-way radio as the prosecution played multiple excerpts of the intercepts for the intelligence and military men who had recorded those intercepts to authenticate them. As the sound was not of high quality, at times the same excerpt had to be replayed for a witness to be able to respond to questions he had been asked.

After 117 witnesses (prosecution, defence and victims') testified, the hearings in the Ongwen trial concluded in December 2019. The trial is now in the sentencing phase, with hearings scheduled for next month.

Ongwen's trial directly involved only a few thousand victims of LRA atrocities and it obviously cannot include all the victims of LRA atrocities committed over a span of two decades between 1986 and 2006. But for those hundreds of thousands of victims there is little else to look forward to for the foreseeable future. Apart from the trial of another LRA commander, Thomas Kwoyelo before the Ugandan High Court, there is no other active judicial process against other former LRA commanders.
When vicar Dan Cant saved a man's life on a boat holiday despite only having one arm, his son Aaron said admiringly: 'Imagine what you could do with two arms.'

Now the youngster's dreams have come true after he searched online for 'hero arm for dad' and found a company that makes bionic arms.

Mr Cant, 42, is the first vicar to receive one of the prosthetic arms  which he put to good use by giving his seven-year-old son his first ever 'proper hug'.

Vicar Dan Cant, 42, from Colchester, Essex, who lost his right forearm in a car crash in 2005, is the first vicar to receive one of the prosthetic arms made by Open Bionics

'I was able to hold him in two arms and pull him in tight for the first time ever. He was so emotional,' he said.

Trainee cleric Mr Cant lost his right forearm in a horrific car crash in 2005 when he survived a head-on collision with a motorcyclist that killed his fiancee and the biker.

He now lives in Colchester, Essex, with his wife Leanne, a 42-year-old teacher, whom he married in 2017, Aaron, and two teenage step-children.

Last year Mr Cant helped pull an injured man from a canal and haul him on to a passing boat.

Aaron dubbed his father 'a real-life hero' and later searched online for bionic arms  and was jubilant when he found the firm Open Bionics.

His son Aaron, 7, dubbed his father 'a real-life hero' and searched online for bionic arms when he found the firm

Mr Cant (pictured during rehab) lost his right forearm in a horrific car crash in 2005 when he survived a head-on collision with a motorcyclist

The firm uses 3D technology to design custom-made prosthetics which give the wearer specialised hand control.

They work by detecting contractions in muscles which are amplified and converted to movements.

Since getting the arm Mr Cant says he's been dubbed the 'Bionic Rev'.

Charitable body The Worshipful Company of Glovers of London helped fund the 10,000 cost of the limb.
Incarcerated persons in a Utah correctional facility were likely exposed to SARS-COV-2 by community-associated sources of introduction, including a visiting dental health care provider. An outbreak in the facility was first detected in the residential block where two residents received treatment; the outbreak spread rapidly, eventually affecting 1,368 (52%) of 2,632 residents (with 31 hospitalizations and 12 deaths) and an estimated 88 (16%) of 550 staff members.

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is common in congregate settings such as correctional and detention facilities (13). On September 17, 2020, a Utah correctional facility (facility A) received a report of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in a dental health care provider (DHCP) who had treated incarcerated persons at facility A on September 14, 2020 while asymptomatic. On September 21, 2020, the roommate of an incarcerated person who had received dental treatment experienced COVID-19compatible symptoms*; both were housed in block 1 of facility A (one of 16 occupied blocks across eight residential units). Two days later, the roommate received a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result, becoming the first person with a start highlightknown community-associated end highlight case of COVID-19 at facility A. During September 2324, 2020, screening of 10 incarcerated persons who had received treatment from the DHCP identified another two persons with COVID-19, prompting isolation of all three patients in an unoccupied block at the facility. Within block 1, group activities were stopped to limit interaction among staff members and incarcerated persons and prevent further spread. During September 1424, 2020, six facility A staff members, one of whom had previous close contact with one of the patients, also reported symptoms. On September 27, 2020, an outbreak was confirmed after specimens from all remaining incarcerated persons in block 1 were tested; an additional 46 cases of COVID-19 were identified, which were reported to the Salt Lake County Health Department and the Utah Department of Health. On September 30, 2020, CDC, in collaboration with both health departments and the correctional facility, initiated an investigation to identify factors associated with the outbreak and implement control measures. As of January 31, 2021, a total of 1,368 cases among 2,632 incarcerated persons (attack rate = 52%) and 88 cases among 550 staff members (attack rate = 16%) were reported in facility A. Among 33 hospitalized incarcerated persons, 11 died. Quarantine and monitoring of potentially exposed persons and implementation of available prevention measures, including vaccination, are important in preventing introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2 in correctional facilities and other congregate settings (4).

In Utah, the 7-day average daily incidence of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased from 12 cases per 100,000 population on September 1, 2020 to a peak of 106 on November 22, 2020.** On March 6, 2020, facility A had implemented symptom and temperature screening at entry for all staff members and SARS-CoV-2 testing at intake for incarcerated persons. Staff members were required to wear a surgical mask or cloth face covering at work; incarcerated persons were issued cloth face coverings and directed to always wear them. On March 27, 2020, personal protective equipment (PPE) stations were installed, and dedicated nursing staff members were placed on call to supervise PPE use, mostly during intake processing. On May 1, 2020, nonessential visits were stopped.

Before September 14, 2020, no known COVID-19 cases had been diagnosed among incarcerated persons at facility A other than 15 cases among incarcerated persons screened at intake and identified by reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing while isolated. On September 14, 2020, a visiting DHCP treated 10 incarcerated persons in a dental clinic at facility A (Table 1). At entry screening, the DHCP had a normal temperature and reported no COVID-19compatible symptoms but experienced symptoms later that evening. On September 15, 2020, the DHCP received SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing and notified the facility of a positive result 2 days later (September 17, 2020). The DHCP was classified as patient DHCP1 (the index patient). By September 24, 2020, COVID-19 was confirmed in three incarcerated persons, and the outbreak subsequently expanded to include 198 incarcerated persons and seven staff members by October 3, 2020.

The outbreak investigation started on September 30, 2020. To better understand factors contributing to the outbreak, investigators interviewed facility dental and medical staff members during September 30October 9, 2020. Investigators also reviewed case records of staff members who reported onset of COVID-19compatible symptoms during September 14September 24, 2020 and who worked in block 1 or in other areas where possible exposure to block 1 incarcerated persons or staff members might have occurred. This activity was reviewed by CDC and was conducted consistent with applicable federal law and CDC policy.

On September 14, 2020, DHCP1 wore a valveless N95 respirator face mask at entry to facility A, during temperature and symptom screening, and in transit to the dental clinic. During treatment, DHCP1 wore the N95 as well as a gown, gloves, and goggles, and changed gowns and gloves after each patient. Among 10 incarcerated persons (residents) who received treatment, six (including a resident who subsequently developed COVID-19 [patient R2]) had surgical tooth extractions (a 15-minute procedure), one (patient R3) had a combined evaluation and biopsy (12-minute procedure); and three had 10-minute patient evaluations. All 10 incarcerated persons were interviewed for 5 minutes each by one of five facility dental clinic staff members, all of whom wore recommended PPE. On the day of treatment, none of the incarcerated persons was tested for SARS-CoV-2, screened for fever or symptoms, or wore masks or gloves during treatment.

On September 21, 2020, patient R1 (the roommate of patient R2, who had received dental treatment) experienced symptoms and visited the infirmary the next day. On September 23, 2020, patients R1 and R2 both received positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test results; patient R2 was tested because of his close contact with patient R1, despite being asymptomatic at the time (he retrospectively reported a headache with indeterminate onset) (Supplementary Figure, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/104506). Patients R1 and R2 were moved from block 1 to an unoccupied isolation block, and staff members began wearing N95 respirators and eye protection. On September 24, 2020 the nine remaining incarcerated persons treated by DHCP1 were tested. Patient R3, who also lived in block 1, received a positive result and was isolated.

On September 25, 2020, facility medical staff members tested specimens from the remaining 171 block 1 incarcerated persons with unknown SARS-CoV-2 infection status (Figure); 46 (26%) received positive RT-PCR test results. The incarcerated persons with positive results were isolated, and the remaining persons living in block 1 were quarantined; those with negative test results and no known exposures were placed together in rooms in block 1, and those with known exposure were quarantined in single-occupant rooms in another unoccupied area. On October 1, 2020, specimens collected from incarcerated persons who lived in block 1 and who had received a negative result on September 25, 2020 were tested; 57 (46%) of 127 received a positive result. Among 174 incarcerated persons living in block 1, a cumulative total of 106 (61%) had received a positive result by October 1, 2020; through January 31, 2021, a total of 117 cases occurred among block 1 incarcerated persons. No hospitalizations or deaths among block 1 cases were reported, but several patients (including patient R2) were treated in the facility infirmary. Facility A medical staff members indicated that symptoms of incarcerated persons were not consistently recorded because of workload constraints as well as patients hesitancy to report symptoms to avoid being moved; among 11 patients with data available, six reported symptoms. On October 1, 2020, two additional incarcerated persons with COVID-19compatible symptoms who lived permanently in a long-term care setting within the infirmary, also received positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test results.

Block 2 is connected to block 1 by a corridor (60-ft long, 12-ft wide) through which staff members occasionally travel. Among 174 incarcerated persons in block 2, three with COVID-19compatible symptoms were moved to the isolation area on October 1, 2020 after receiving positive test results. On October 3, 2020, RT-PCR testing of specimens from the 171 remaining block 2 incarcerated persons identified an additional 89 cases (Figure) (Table 2). Among the 92 (53%) incarcerated persons in block 2 with positive results by October 3, 2020 additional information was available for 20 (22%), including five who were symptomatic, one of whom was hospitalized on October 12, 2020 and died on November 14, 2020. As of October 3, 2020, a total of 198 cases among incarcerated persons had been reported in the facility. By January 31, 2021, the outbreak had spread to six of eight residential units (consisting of 14 of 16 blocks); 1,368 cases had been reported and the median attack rate in all affected blocks, including blocks 1 and 2, was 69% (range = 7%96%) and the overall attack rate in facility A was 52%. Among blocks with cases, the attack rate was higher in dormitory-style or open-cell blocks (76%) compared with single or paired closed-door cells (64%).

Investigations of six cases in staff members occurring during the period from the potential introduction of infection into facility A to the detection of COVID-19 cases in the first three incarcerated persons suggested likely acquisition at work for two (Table 1); staff member patient S2 reported close contact with an infected incarcerated person and staff member patient S5 reported ongoing contact with staff member patient S4. Four staff members (patients S3, S4, S6, and S7) reported only community exposures. Epidemiologic data suggest that cases in patients S3S7 contributed to the block 2 outbreak (Table 1); however, SARS-CoV-2 might have been introduced into block 1 by infected but asymptomatic or untested staff members. These six staff members (S2S7) stopped reporting to work after receiving positive test results or learning of their exposure to a person with confirmed COVID-19 (Supplementary Figure, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/104506). Cumulatively, as of January 31, 2020, 88 (16%) cases among 550 staff members were reported in facility A.

After 46 cases were detected with mass testing in block 1 on September 27, 2020, facility A notified the Salt Lake County Health Department and the Utah Department of Health. A team from both departments, with technical assistance from CDC, implemented twice-weekly calls with the facility to review infection control guidance, including protocols for cohorting, quarantine and isolation of incarcerated persons and repeated mass testing to identify new cases. The entire facility was placed under a quarantine restriction to limit mobility of staff members among residential units. The state mobile testing team supported mass testing of incarcerated persons and staff member testing events. As of March 2, 2021, the outbreak was ongoing; 1,545 cases (1,452 [94%] among incarcerated persons) have been reported, as well as 31 hospitalizations and 12 deaths among incarcerated persons with COVID-19.
AMSTERDAM (AP)  Twenty years ago, just after the stroke of midnight on April 1, the mayor of Amsterdam married four couples in City Hall as the Netherlands became the first country in the world with legalized same-sex marriages.

There are two reasons to rejoice, Mayor Job Cohen told the newlyweds before pink champagne and pink cake were served. You are celebrating your marriage, and you are also celebrating your right to be married.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in 28 countries worldwide, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan. That includes most of Western Europe. Yet its spread has been uneven  Taiwan is the only place in Asia to take the step; South Africa is the only African country to do so.

If you had told me 20 years ago that today same-sex marriage would be a reality in 29 countries, I would not have believed you, said Jessica Stern, executive director of the global LGBTQ-rights group OutRight Action International.

But she noted how polarized the world is regarding LGBTQ acceptance, with nearly 70 countries continuing to criminalize same-sex relations.

The progress has been great, no doubt. But we have a long road ahead, Stern said.

In many countries, even outside of Asia and Africa, opposition to marriage equality remains vehement. In Guatemala, some lawmakers have proposed a bill that would explicitly ban same-sex marriage. In Poland, President Andrzej Duda was reelected last year after a campaign depicting the LGBTQ rights movement as more harmful than communism.

Poland is among a solid bloc of Eastern European countries that have resisted same-sex marriage, while 16 countries in Western Europe have legalized it.

Peter Wittebrood-Lemke, from left, Frank Wittebrood, Ton Jansen, Louis Rogmans, Helene Faasen and Anne-Marie Thus cut the wedding cake after exchanging vows at Amsterdam's City Hall early Sunday, April 1, 2001. The pairs were among four couples to get married under a new law which took effect April 1, 2001, the world's first such law allowing same-sex marriages with equal rights. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)AP

Switzerland is on track to become the 17th  its parliament approved legalization of same-sex marriage in December. But the law hasnt taken effect, and opponents are trying to collect enough signatures to require a referendum on whether to overturn it.

Elsewhere, same-sex marriage is legal in the United States, Canada and Costa Rica; five South American countries; a majority of Mexicos 32 states; Australia and New Zealand.

Added together, those countries are home to about 1.2 billion people, roughly 15% of the worlds population. Legalization came in various ways: through court rulings, legislation and  in the case of Ireland  a resounding endorsement by voters in a 2015 national referendum.

Several countries in Europe  including Italy, Greece and the Czech Republic  provide civil unions for same-sex couples. But even if these arrangements offer many of the protections of marriage, many LGBTQ activists consider them a demeaning second-tier status.

Just two weeks ago, the Vaticans orthodoxy office declared that the Catholic Church wont bless same-sex unions since God cannot bless sin.

In the Netherlands, there have been more than 18,000 same-sex marriages since 2001  about 53% of them between two women, according to the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics. Each year about 400 same-sex marriages break up, the bureau says.

Amsterdam will be celebrating the April 1 anniversary with an online symposium and a rainbow walk route along 20 sites considered important in the struggle for LGBTQ rights.

Betty Lynch, left, Carmel, Ind., and Annette Gross of Indianapolis, hug during a press conference in the Indiana Statehouse Rotunda in Indianapolis, Friday, June 26, 2015, after the Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the U.S. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)AP

There are still causes for concern, the city said. Because equal rights dont automatically lead to everybody being treated the same.

One of the couples married 20 years ago, Gert Kasteel and Dolf Pasker, told The Associated Press theyd been warmly accepted by their neighbors and associates, though theyre aware that anti-LGBTQ sentiment persists elsewhere.

For most people, it is no issue any more, Pasker said. Oh happy day.

In contrast to the Netherlands, there was an 11-year gap in the United States between the first legal same-sex marriages in Massachusetts in 2004 and the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that extended legalization nationwide. According to the Williams Institute, a think tank at the UCLA School of Law that specializes in research on LGBTQ issues, there were 513,000 married same-sex couples in the U.S. in 2020.

As in other countries legalizing same-sex marriage, popular support for the concept has risen steadily in the U.S. since 2004. Back then, 42% of Americans thought same-sex marriage should be legalized, according to the Gallup Poll. By last year, that figured had reached 67%.

In Africa, where religious and cultural traditions often frown on homosexuality, no country appears on track to soon join South Africa in legalizing same-sex marriage.

The situation is more fluid in Asia. A same-sex partnership bill has been proposed in Thailands parliament. In Japan, where some local governments recognize same-sex unions, a court recently ruled that same-sex marriage should be allowed under the constitution. The ruling has no immediate legal effect, but activists say it could influence other court cases and boost their quest for parliamentary debate on allowing same-sex marriage.

India struck down a colonial-era law in 2018 that made gay sex punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and there are some openly gay celebrities. But same-sex marriage remains illegal; the government says gay and lesbian couples dont warrant the status of family unit.

As the marriage equality movement took shape in Europe and the Americas over the past 20 years, opponents worldwide offered some basic counter-arguments.

One common warning related to religious freedom, with some faith leaders predicting repercussions for religions that disapprove of same-sex relationships.

Ann Sorrell, 78, left, and Marge Eide, 77, of Ann Arbor, a couple for 43 years, embrace after exchanging vows in Ann Arbor, Mich., following a ruling by the US Supreme Court that struck down bans on same sex marriage nationwide Friday, June 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)AP

For the most part, faiths in the same-sex marriage countries have been able to maintain their own rites of marriage. There have been some highly publicized legal cases, however, such as one that reached the U.S. Supreme Court involving in a conservative Christian baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.

Another argument was that legalizing same-sex marriage would undermine the institution of marriage itself.

Lawyer Evan Wolfson, who helped orchestrate the U.S. marriage equality movement as head of the advocacy group Freedom to Marry, assessed this argument in a recent article in the European Human Rights Law Review.

The history of marriage is a history of change and expanding inclusion. ... The sky has not fallen when marriage has embraced same-sex couples, he wrote. There is enough marriage to share.
Maputo  The trial began on Tuesday, on corruption charges, of Jorselio Pinto, the 41 year old commander of the Macossa district police command, in the central Mozambican province of Manica, reports the independent daily "O Pais".

At the trial, held in the Barue district court, the Public Prosecutor's Office accuses Pinto, who holds the rank of police superintendent, of taking a bribe of 6,000 meticais (88 US dollars at current exchange rates) from a woman named Otilia Mapupane, in exchange for releasing her daughter, Brain Chiquinho.

Chiquinho was being held in the cells of the Macossa police command, because of her alleged involvement in a traffic accident.

The prosecution added that Pinto was assisted in his crime by the head of the police internal information section in Macossa, Fernando Tomussene.

Pinto's lawyer denied the charge and said the money Pinto received was to buy food for the son of a detainee held in the Macossa cells.

Next week, Pinto will return to the Barue court for a second case in which he is accused of trafficking in rhinoceros horns.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has said that almost 700 doses of COVID-19 vaccines intended for health-care workers and the critically vulnerable have instead been diverted to public officials and family members, including employees of the Defense Ministry and regional authorities,



"A first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech has been given to 688 people in the 'relatives' category," Sandu told Moldova's Jurnal TV on March 31.



Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, has lagged behind the rest of the continent in the vaccination campaign and welcomed donations from friendly governments.



The first batch of 14,400 doses of Pfizer vaccines from the global COVAX scheme arrived in Moldova last month. So far, the country of 4.5 million has received 110,970 doses of various vaccines.



Sandu said Health Ministry data showed that doses went to hundreds of ineligible people from the Defense Ministry, regional officials' relatives, and even doctors' families.



"This is shameful and it discourages our efforts to obtain more vaccine donations from abroad," Sandu said.

The Defense Ministry in a statement on April 1 rejected the accusation, calling it an "erroneous data interpretation," and arguing that the people inoculated under the "other personnel" category in the Health Ministry records are actually health workers from military units.



Moldova's Health Ministry said on April 1 that it would check information that regional authorities and their relatives were jumping the queue.



Ninel Revenco, an official at the national vaccination campaign, said the health ministry had established a commission to investigate possible violations.



"The Health Ministry launched an investigation to determine if there were irregularities in the vaccination process. For this, the lists of all vaccinated will be checked," Revenco told a news conference, without providing details of violations.



Local media reported that out-of-order vaccinations occurred in the northern town of Edinet and in Cantemir in the southern part of Moldova.



Moldova started vaccinations on March 2 and so far around 40,000 medical workers and doctors have received a first shot.



The country sandwiched between EU member Romania and Ukraine has reported 230,241 coronavirus cases and 4,960 deaths so far.

With reporting by Reuters, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, unimedia.md, and news.yam.md
The Nigerian Army says it adheres to the principle of federal character in recruiting personnel.

The Nigerian Army has said it complies strictly with the federal character principles in its recruitments.

The army stated this on Wednesday in a statement by its spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, a brigadier general.

The statement was in reaction to a publication by an online newspaper which alleged that the north was always favoured against the south during recruitments.

Mr Yerima said all the 36 states were given the same number of slots except for states whose candidates did not meet the requirements.

He however explained that in such cases, the slots are given to other states from the same zone.

Read the full statement below:

RE- NORTH DOMINATES NIGERIAN ARMY RECRUITMENT

The attention of the Directorate of Army Public Relations has been drawn to an ill-informed publication of the referenced story on 29 March, 2021 by an online newspaper, Global Sentinel via its weblink

The publication alleged that the list of successful candidates for Short Service Commission 47 Selection Board which was published on 26 Mar 21 was dominated by the North while the South East had the fewest candidates. It is pertinent to state that the Nigerian Army strictly complies with the Federal Character policy.

Accordingly, an equal number of 8 candidates were selected from each state of the federation except in rare instances where a state did not have the required number of eligible candidates to fill its 8 vacancies. In such instance, the vacancy will be filled by a contiguous state from the same Geopolitical Zone.

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Following this number allocated per state, the South East which is made up of 5 States was entitled to 40 candidates. However, 2 extra vacancies were allocated to the geopolitical zone thereby making a total 42 candidates instead of 40. North Central for instance has 7 states (FCT inclusive). Taking 8 candidates from each state in geopolitical zone gives a total of 56 in addition to 2 extra vacancies as was also allocated to the South East gave the total of 58 candidates.

It is therefore quite uncharitable and blatantly divisive for any media organisation to whip up sentiments from such a straight forward exercise conducted by the Nigerian Army in the best interest of the Nation. The General public including media practitioners are encouraged to always seek clarification from Army Headquarters whenever in doubt on any issue rather than rushing to publish reports that would be defamatory to the image of the Nigerian Army and injurious to Nigeria's unity.

Thank you.

Mohammed Yerima

Brigadier General

Director Army Public Relations

31 March, 2021
Five women from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been learning fine embroidery skills in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and will share their skills with others when they go back to their hometowns. [For chinadaily.com.cn]

Five women from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been learning fine embroidery skills in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, since late March.

All from Xinjiang's Xinyuan County, the five became interested in embroidery after Mo Yuanhua, a famous embroiderer, went to the county in January to teach 30 local women new skills with which they can earn money.

"It was extremely cold in Xinyuan County this winter," she said. "But I could feel the local people's friendship and their enthusiasm for learning the skills for making a better life."

Mo has taught the skills to more than 3,000 women in Luduo Township in Yangzhou's Baoying County and managed to help them shake off poverty.

"The five students will share the skills with other women when they go back to their hometowns in a month," Mo said. "We can also send teachers there and cooperate with them upon request."

Guo Jun contributed to this story.

Five women from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been learning fine embroidery skills in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and will share their skills with others when they go back to their hometowns. [For chinadaily.com.cn]

Five women from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been learning fine embroidery skills in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and will share their skills with others when they go back to their hometowns. [For chinadaily.com.cn]

Five women from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been learning fine embroidery skills in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and will share their skills with others when they go back to their hometowns. [For chinadaily.com.cn]

Five women from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been learning fine embroidery skills in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and will share their skills with others when they go back to their hometowns. [For chinadaily.com.cn]

Five women from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been learning fine embroidery skills in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and will share their skills with others when they go back to their hometowns. [For chinadaily.com.cn]

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
Limited (HAL) has denied having any business links with the military forces in

The statement came after a UNHRC report on and Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute Arms Transfers Database claimed that HAL supplied equipment to Myanmar's military from 2017-19.

"The report is factually incorrect. HAL has had no business dealings with Defence Forces from 2017-2019. In fact, HAL did not have any business dealing even after 2019 with Myanmar till date," said a spokesperson from HAL on Wednesday.

The intense scrutiny on arms transfers to Myanmar's military comes after it overthrew the democratically-elected government on February 1, brutally cracking down on peaceful protests that have killed over 500 people.

Several children and women are also among those who have been killed by the junta's offensive against anti-coup protests.

The US and the UK have imposed sanctions against multiple individuals and entities affiliated with Myanmar's military, as well as some of Myanmar's conglomerates. The international community has broadly condemned the violence in Myanmar.

(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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Pfizer has slammed the extended powers allowing the EU to block exports of its vaccines and claims the move has 'caused a significant administrative burden' to the rollout of the vaccine.

The drug company's vice-president for global supply, Danny Hendrikse, described how the EU's export controls, which were introduced in February, had affected the production of its vaccine and created 'some uncertainty' on the free movement of its goods.

The US company, which supplies more than 70 countries with the injections including the UK, must now seek approval from the European Commission before exporting its jabs and must notify the Belgian government in advance about every parcel.

The increasing uncertainty surrounding the movement of the vaccines comes after Boris Johnson last week warned Brussels that companies could pull investment in the EU if it follows through on threats of an 'arbitrary' blockade on vaccine exports to the UK.

The PM said businesses would 'draw conclusions' about the bloc's commitment to the law and free trade after Brussels unveiled draconian new rules seemingly targeting Britain's rollout.

Pfizer's vice-president for global supply, Danny Hendrikse, described how the EU's export controls had affected the production of its vaccine and created 'some uncertainty'

The US company must now seek approval from the European Commission before exporting its jabs and must notify the Belgian government in advance

Mr Hendrikse told The Times: 'It has caused a significant administrative burden and some uncertainty.

'Ultimately what we would like our colleagues to do is to focus on making and distributing the vaccine.'

It comes as Europe's medical watchdog yesterday slapped down Germany for suspending AstraZeneca's coronavirus jab for people under 60 after a small number of vaccinated people developed deadly brain clots.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said there was 'no evidence' to support Berlin halting the jab for people under 60, adding that the benefits of protecting against Covid outweigh the risk of the extremely rare condition.

Analysis by the regulator found just 62 out of 9.1million people vaccinated with the British-made jab worldwide had developed the brain clot, known as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis  a rate of about five per million. Forty-four of them were in Europe.

Emer Cooke, the EMA's executive director, told a press conference yesterday afternoon there was no proof the vaccine had caused CSVT in any of the cases and admitted those people might have developed the condition regardless.

The EMA's ruling puts the watchdog at odds with many other major EU member states which have also restricted the jab's rollout in certain age groups, including France, Spain and Norway.

Reports of CSVT have been most common in Germany, where 31 out of 2.7million vaccinated people suffered the deadly brain clot - a rate of one in 90,000. It led to the nation banning the vaccine in under-60s.

Ms Cooke said the rate of the blood clots could be one in 100,000 for people under 60 and that this did appear higher than the normal population risk, although there was still no solid link to the jab, only a 'possible' one.

While the reasons for the higher prevalence in Germany aren't at all clear, the EMA revealed twice as many women had received AstraZenca's jab in Europe than men, before adding that the people normally most at risk of CSVT are females aged 35 to 45.

Until recently Germany had suspended the AZ jab for over-60s due to initial fears about blood clots. It raises the possibility that the rates of CSVT among vaccinated people Germany can be explained by more women who are susceptible to the condition being targeted by the rollout.

Ms Cooke said: 'At present, the experts have advised us that they have not been able to identify specific risk factors, including age, gender or previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events.

'And, as I mentioned previously, a causal link of the vaccine has not yet been proven but it is possible, and further analysis is still ongoing. According to the current scientific knowledge, there is no evidence to support restricting the use of this vaccine in any population.'

Germany has reported significantly more cases of cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) than other major European countries and the reasons for it are unclear. The UK has vaccinated five times as many people but seen just one sixth as many CSVT cases, while France, Italy and Spain used the AstraZeneca jab on similar age groups but also had much lower rates of CSVT. There is still no evidence the vaccine is causing the condition, experts say

Emer Cooke, the EMA's executive director, told a press conference there was no proof the vaccine had caused CSVT in any of the cases and admitted those people might have developed the condition anyway

Several member states have paused rollouts of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a tiny number of inoculated people, predominantly women under 55, suffered deadly brain clots

Europe's suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine will erode public confidence in the jab and lead to more coronavirus deaths, experts warned

This chart shows how Britain is still racing ahead of the EU in vaccinating its population against Covid-19, more than three months after the continent started its jab programme

Ms Cooke said the rate of the blood clots could be one in 100,000 for people under 60 and that this did appear higher than the normal population risk, although there was still no solid link to the jab, only a 'possible' one.

While the reasons for the higher prevalence in Germany aren't at all clear, the EMA revealed twice as many women had received AstraZenca's jab in Europe than men, before adding that the people normally most at risk of CSVT are females aged 35 to 45.

Until recently Germany had suspended the AZ jab for over-60s due to initial fears about blood clots. It raises the possibility that the rates of CSVT among vaccinated people Germany can be explained by more women who are susceptible to the condition being targeted by the rollout.

Ms Cooke said: 'At present, the experts have advised us that they have not been able to identify specific risk factors, including age, gender or previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events.

'And, as I mentioned previously, a causal link of the vaccine has not yet been proven but it is possible, and further analysis is still ongoing. According to the current scientific knowledge, there is no evidence to support restricting the use of this vaccine in any population.'

What IS the truth about AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine and blood clots? Germany reported far more brain blood clots after the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine than other major European countries before banning the jab for under-60s yesterday, raising questions about why there are differences between countries. And some experts suggest the 'play of chance' has resulted in more cases of the blood clot being found in Germany than other nations because 'if you look for excesses of cases in a wide range of rare conditions, you will find some'. Health officials in Frankfurt say the country has seen 31 cases of the condition cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) out of 2.7million people vaccinated. This suggests 0.0011 per cent of people who got the jab later developed the clot  around one in 90,000 people  although there is still no proof the jab causes them. Other major European countries have seen significantly fewer CSVT cases despite vaccinating more people, prompting questions about why Germany is different. If the same rate in Germany had appeared in the UK, which has vaccinated far more people, 150 people would have been diagnosed with it already because five times as many jabs have been used. But in reality only five people have been found to have it after a jab, which experts say is not more common than usual. Tenuous links between the vaccine and CSVT are still mired in confusion because experts in some countries claim the condition is most common in women but all the UK's cases have been among men, and the frequency of cases does not appear to rise in proportion as more vaccines are carried out. And one expert points out it is unusual that the vaccine could make one ultra-specific type of blood clot more likely but not blood clots in general. In the UK, there were just five cases on record after nearly 14million vaccines  if an illness was being triggered by the vaccine, experts would expect to see more of it where more vaccines are being given. Meanwhile Spain, France and Italy have recorded, at most, one case per million patients despite using the jab on similar age groups to Germany. Advertisement

Asked if a link between the rare cases of blood clots and the vaccine is likely, Ms Cooke told the briefing: 'At the moment at this stage of our investigations the link is possible and we cannot say any more than that at this point.'

The EMA said vaccinated people should be aware of 'the remote possibility of these very rare types of blood clots occurring'.

And it suggested that rates appeared higher in AstraZeneca patients than others, with 4.8 cases per million compared to 0.2 for Pfizer and none for Moderna. But this may be due to the fact that younger adult women have received the jab more than other groups in Germany and they also have a higher risk of CSVT.

The EMA said: 'If they have symptoms suggestive of clotting problems as described in the product information, they should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare professionals of their recent vaccination.'

Ms Cooke said the EMA was aiming to reach a 'scientific conclusion' next week after consulting with experts from across the medical field and looking at all the evidence.

She added that the board would continue following up side effect reports long into the future while the vaccine is used, not just drop it when the current saga is over.

In yesterday's briefing Ms Cooke said: 'Two weeks ago, on the 18th of March, we gave an interim update of the assessment and we concluded at the time that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risk of side effects  and our position has not changed.'

She described the blood clot patients as 'very rare and unusual cases' and added: 'At present, the experts have advised us that they have not been able to identify specific risk factors, including age, gender or previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events.

'And, as I mentioned previously, a causal link of the vaccine has not yet been proven but it is possible, and further analysis is still ongoing.

'According to the current scientific knowledge, there is no evidence to support restricting the use of this vaccine in any population.

'Our committee, PRAC, continues to review all the data available and will aim to reach a scientific conclusion on the signal next week.'

It comes as British scientists warned that Europe's suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine will erode public confidence in the jab and cause more coronavirus deaths.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline it 'seems likely' there will be some 'avoidable deaths' in the UK because fewer people will come forward for their appointment.

His comments were echoed by Dr Peter English, a former British Medical Association chief, who slammed EU nations for stoking fears about the vaccine.

He said there was 'no evidence' vaccination was behind the clotting, adding: 'Any decision to withhold the vaccine will directly cause excess, avoidable Covid deaths.'

Meanwhile, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick today pleaded with Brits to keep their faith in the AZ jab, pointing out that 'study after study' had shown it was safe.

When concerns were first raised about the vaccine's link to clots earlier this month, GPs in England warned as many as one in 10 patients were either not showing up, asking to cancel or double-checking which jab they were getting before attending their appointment.

There are fears the problem will become more widespread as countries on the continent continue to revolt against the jab.

The EU is currently battling a third Covid wave which has sent several countries back into national lockdowns and is struggling to get its vaccination programme up to speed.

The World Health Organization said today it continues to monitor the jab's safety but the benefit-risk assessment 'weighs heavily in favour of its use'.

Alejandro Cravioto, chair of the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization, told a briefing the panel was 'comfortable' with the vaccine's use, since many of the countries using it have safety warning signal systems in place and are not reporting problems.

Germany became the latest country to stop giving the jab to people under the age of 60 last night. France and Norway are not allowing under-55s to get AstraZeneca's vaccine, while Spain has banned its use in under-65s.

Earlier in the week Canada also halted its use in people under the age of 55 over the same clotting fears.

AstraZeneca still maintains the clots are not occurring any more frequently than they would in the general population, a claim which has been echoed repeatedly by medical regulators in the UK and EU.

When asked about the effect of the EU's suspensions on Britain's vaccine rollout, Dr Clarke told MailOnline: 'I think it's fair to say any anti-vaccine worries people here have could be bolstered by attitudes of some European regulators and governments.

Meanwhile, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick today pleaded with Britons to keep coming for the vaccine amid fears that suspensions on the continent will fuel vaccine hesitancy at home

'That could lead to avoidable deaths if, as seems likely, that means they don't get vaccinated.'

DANISH STUDY SAYS BLOOD CLOTS NOT MORE LIKELY AFTER VACCINE A Danish study says general blood clots are not more likely to develop are people have had the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. Research published in The Lancet medical journal found that the numbers of clots being reported in vaccinated people do not seem to outstrip what would be expected in the general population. Experts at Aarhus University Hospital did the study and calculated the average rates of blood clots in Denmark's population before Covid. It found that doctors could expect to see around 169 cases of vein blood clots per week or 736 per month in an average group of five million people if none of them were getting vaccinated. This was based on the country's medical records, looking at the number of people who developed clots in adulthood and calculating how often this happened in any given year, month or week. They noted that only 30 cases were reported to the European Medicines Agency by March 10, by which time around five million people had been given the AstraZeneca vaccine over a period of around two months. Professor Sren Dinesen stergaard and colleagues wrote: 'Based on pre-pandemic incidence rates from the entire Danish population, we report that the number of venous thromboembolisms reported in relation to the OxfordAstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine does not seem to be increased beyond the expected incidence rate.' But they added that the brain blood clots being reported were 'concerning and are receiving due attention from health authorities.' Advertisement

It comes after German health minister Jens Spahn and state officials agreed unanimously last night to only give the vaccine to people aged 60 or older, unless they belonged to a high-risk category for serious illness from Covid and had agreed with their doctor to take the vaccine.

Dr English, former chair of the BMA's Public Health Medicine Committee, said there was no proof the vaccine was linked to the clotting, or that prevalence was more common in inoculated groups than in the general population.

He added: 'There is no evidence that these cases are caused by vaccination, rather than simply associated with it, in people who would have had such conditions anyway.

'Right now, in the middle of a pandemic, with case numbers rising alarmingly, any risk from vaccination has to be set against the risk of disease.

'A decision may be thought of as 'precautionary'; but if people are not vaccinated, because use of the vaccine is suspended, or because of a drop in confidence in the vaccine caused by the decision, some of them will get ill from Covid-19; and some of them will die. Any decision to withhold the vaccine will directly cause excess, avoidable Covid-19 deaths.'

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick said today he was '100 per cent confident' in the AZ jab, adding that 'study after study' had shown it is safe and is saving thousands of lives.

He told Sky News: 'People should continue to go forward, get the vaccine, I certainly will when my time comes, it is a safe vaccine and the UK's vaccine rollout is saving people's lives right across the country every day.'

A review by Germany's medical regulator found a total of 31 unusual blood clots, including nine deaths, were reported by March 29 out of some 2.7million doses of AstraZeneca administered in Germany.

Twenty-nine of the cases were in women aged 20 to 63 and two in men aged 39 and 56.

In a statement, AstraZeneca said that tens of millions of people worldwide have received its vaccines and noted the European Medicines Agency's conclusion that the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks.

The company said it would continue to work with German authorities to address any questions they might have, while also analysing its own records to understand whether the rare blood clots reported occur more commonly 'than would be expected naturally in a population of millions of people'.

Scientists insist the risk of blood clots is no higher than in the general population.

The 31 clots spotted by German officials are cases of cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT).

Regulatory reports show that blood clot diagnoses are about equally likely after either the two jabs being used in the UK  slightly higher for Pfizer  and scientists insist the risk is no higher than a random person in the population could expect, meaning the vaccine remains safe. Rates of death soon after vaccination appear higher for AstraZeneca's vaccine but this is likely because it is used in care homes and the people receiving it are naturally more likely to die of any reason

Figures from AstraZeneca and the European Medicines Agency show the number of blood clot-related conditions from 17million doses dished out in the UK and Europe up to March 13

CSVT is a rare clot in a vein draining blood from the brain that, left untreated, can cause a life-threatening brain haemorrhage or stroke.

It was this condition that panicked European drug regulators earlier in March but the European Medicines Agency found no proof the jab was causing it. Scientists and politicians slammed Germany's move as a backwards step going over old ground.

Most of the cases were in younger women but the AstraZeneca vaccinations have been stopped for both men and women. People can still get the Pfizer and Moderna jabs that are being used on the continent.

Dr Clarke told MailOnline: 'Whenever you do these things you need to have a reason to do them. It's all a balance of risk.

'There is no evidence that there is a problem but, even if there was, then you're reducing what, at worst, is a tiny risk and imposing a bigger one by not giving people the protection of a vaccine.

'People still get on airplanes and we know that there is a real risk of blood clotting if you're sat on a plane for hours, but people still do it because they want to go on holiday.

'So if people are more concerned about blood clots than they are Covid, I'd say they have their priorities all wrong.

'You have to wonder what the thinking is. Are they being entirely up front? Because it just doesn't make sense as it is presented. Maybe they know something they're not letting on.'

RESEARCHERS CLAIM IMMUNE SYSTEM REACTION TRIGGERS CLOTS Research teams in Germany and Norway claim the blood clotting issue may be caused by the jab, in very rare cases, causing the body to attack its own blood platelets. Platelets are tiny chunks of cells that the body uses to build blood clots when someone is injured, to stop them losing too much blood. But they are also components of unwanted clots. Experts from Oslo and Greifswald University believe the jab could cause the body to produce antibodies normally used to fight off viruses  which mistake platelets in the blood for foreign invaders and attack them. To compensate, the body then overproduces platelets, causing the blood to thicken and raising the risk of clotting. They admitted they 'don't know why this is happening'. But the researchers say the phenomenon is similar to one that can occur in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), when sufferers take a drug called heparin. Experts say the condition has not been proven to be caused by the jab and may simply be showing up just because millions of people are being vaccinated and reporting their health conditions. They added that, if spotted early, it could be diagnosed with a simple blood test and quickly treated with blood-thinners. They stressed that even if the clots do turn out to be caused by the vaccine they are still extremely rare. Advertisement

What IS the truth about AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine and blood clots? NHS should have seen 150 cases if problem was as common in England as in Germany  but there have been just FIVE

Germany reported far more brain blood clots after the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine than other major European countries before banning the jab for under-60s yesterday, raising questions about why there are differences between countries.

And some experts suggest the 'play of chance' has resulted in more cases of the blood clot being found in Germany than other nations because 'if you look for excesses of cases in a wide range of rare conditions, you will find some'.

Health officials in Frankfurt say the country has seen 31 cases of the condition cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) out of 2.7million people vaccinated.

This suggests 0.0011 per cent of people who got the jab later developed the clot  around one in 90,000 people  although there is still no proof the jab causes them.

Other major European countries have seen significantly fewer CSVT cases despite vaccinating more people, prompting questions about why Germany is different.

If the same rate in Germany had appeared in the UK, which has vaccinated far more people, 150 people would have been diagnosed with it already because five times as many jabs have been used. But in reality only five people have been found to have it after a jab, which experts say is not more common than usual.

Tenuous links between the vaccine and CSVT are still mired in confusion because experts in some countries claim the condition is most common in women but all the UK's cases have been among men, and the frequency of cases does not appear to rise in proportion as more vaccines are carried out.

And one expert points out it is unusual that the vaccine could make one ultra-specific type of blood clot more likely but not blood clots in general.

In the UK, there were just five cases on record after nearly 14million vaccines  if an illness was being triggered by the vaccine, experts would expect to see more of it where more vaccines are being given.

Meanwhile Spain, France and Italy have recorded, at most, one case per million patients despite using the jab on similar age groups to Germany.

Germany last night became the latest of at least 10 countries in Europe to have put some kind of restriction on the use of AstraZenena's jab, most of them opting to give it only to over-60s because the CSVT cases seem to be happening in younger adults.

But scientists and regulators insist there's still no evidence the vaccine is causing blood clots or any other severe side effects and that the risk of Covid is greater.

Germany has vaccinated more people against coronavirus, but not by a big enough margin to account for the difference in CSVT cases compared to France, Italy and Spain. Britain, which has vaccinated the most of all the countries, has the lowest rate of CSVT

Germany is now at the forefront of the row which has pitted regulators in Europe against other global health chiefs about the safety of the vaccine.

Its rate of cerebral sinus venous thrombosis  blood clots that form in the vein leading out of the brain and can trigger strokes  is much higher than other countries', based on data published so far. Officials claim there's a link to the jab.

But the UK's rate of the same condition is significantly lower even though it has done significantly more vaccinations.

Britain's MHRA had recorded only five cases of CSVT after 13.7million vaccinations with the AstraZeneca jab by March 22  a miniscule rate of 0.000036 per cent.

This rate is equal to fewer than one case for every two million people vaccinated.

Other comparable countries also saw rates much lower than Germany's  in Italy just one case was recorded out of 1.1million vaccines given by March 28.

In Spain there was one case after the first million doses, the health ministry said, and in France there were two cases from 1.43million vaccinations by March 16.

One of the biggest differences in the way the vaccine has been used across Europe is between age groups.

While the UK has used AstraZeneca's jab as a mainstay for older adults and care home residents because it is so easy to transport, Germany refused to approve its use among people over the age of 65.

This was the subject of a blazing argument about the jab earlier in the year and foreign governments claimed trials did not include enough elderly people to give confidence that the vaccine worked for them.

The cases of CSVT now emerging are mostly among young women, officials say.

In Germany, 29 of the 31 cases were in women aged 20 to 63 and two in men, aged 39 and 56.

All of the UK's five cases by mid-March, however, had been among men.

And in another blow that weakens the connection to the jab, Germany's neighbours also refused to give the AstraZeneca vaccine to young people and have not seen the same elevated rate of CSVT cases.

France and Italy originally only approved the jab for under-65s because of the trial data, and Spain used it for under-55s. None of these countries have seen the same level of CSVT as Germany.

Germany has vaccinated more people, but not by a big enough margin to account for the difference in CSVT cases.

The UK's MHRA regulator, the World Health Organization, and independent scientists still insist there's no proof the jab is a direct cause of these blood clots.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline: 'Whenever you do these things you need to have a reason to do them. It's all a balance of risk.

'There is no evidence that there is a problem but, even if there was, then you're reducing what, at worst, is a tiny risk and imposing a bigger one by not giving people the protection of a vaccine.

'People still get on airplanes and we know that there is a real risk of blood clotting if you're sat on a plane for hours, but people still do it because they want to go on holiday.

'So if people are more concerned about blood clots than they are Covid, I'd say they have their priorities all wrong.'

A UK Government spokesperson said yesterday: 'The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, effective and has already saved thousands of lives in this country.

'As the UK's independent regulator has said, when people are called forward, they should get the jab.'

Although scientists say there isn't any evidence that the blood clots are developing because of vaccinations, some have a theory that it is the immune reaction making it happen.

Research teams in Germany and Norway claim the blood clotting issue may be caused by the jab, in very rare cases, making the body attack its own platelets.

Platelets are tiny chunks of cells inside blood that the body uses to build clots to stop bleeding when someone is injured. But they can also make unwanted clots.

Experts from Oslo and Greifswald University believe the jab could cause the body to produce antibodies  normally used to fight off viruses  which mistake platelets in the blood for foreign invaders and attack them.

To compensate, the body then overproduces platelets to replace those that are being attacked, causing the blood to thicken and raising the risk of clotting.

They admitted they 'don't know why this is happening'.

But the researchers say the phenomenon is similar to one that can occur in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), when sufferers take a drug called heparin.

Experts say the condition has not been proven to be caused by the jab and may simply be showing up just because millions of people are being vaccinated and reporting their health conditions.

They added that, if spotted early, it could be diagnosed with a simple blood test and quickly treated with blood-thinners.

They stressed that even if the clots do turn out to be caused by the vaccine they are still extremely rare.

And one expert said it would be strange for the vaccine to cause one very specific type of clot to be more likely but not others.

While regulators have raised alarm about cases of CSVT, most other types of blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis, don't seem to be any more common.

Dr Peter English, former chairman at the British Medical Association, said: 'There is no evidence that these cases are caused by vaccination, rather than simply associated with it, in people who would have had such conditions anyway.

'And it is hard to postulate a biological reason mechanism which could explain how a clotting disorder in which clots form in a particular part of the body could be more common, when clotting, in general, is not more common.'

He added: 'The way to tell if cases are caused by vaccination is to look to see if there is an excess of cases in people who have been vaccinated.

'If you look for excesses of cases in a wide range of rare conditions, you will find some, due to the play of chance.

'The cases are uncommon enough that the number of excess cases will be small, which can easily happen by chance; and if you look at multiple conditions, then of course one or more of them will have an excess, just by chance.'

Investigating whether and why cases appear to be more common among women, experts in Europe are looking to the contraceptive pill and smoking to see whether they could be linked to a higher risk of developing CSVT.

The risk of developing any type of blood clot while taking the contraceptive pill is significantly higher than the apparent risk of being diagnosed with CSVT after a vaccine.

Around one in 1,600 women are affected each year, although it's not clear how many of these clots affect the brain, which is a rare occurrence.

The Pill can raise the blood clot risk because it increases oestrogen levels which also increase proteins linked to clotting, thickening the blood.

Smoking is also known to pose a greater risk of blood clots, because it can make platelets in the veins and arteries - which trigger clots - stick together.

These may both put people who take the Pill or smoke at a higher baseline risk of developing a blood clot, meaning it would take less of a push for one to develop.
Chief constables have been branded 'bonkers' and accused of censorship after telling officers to stop using their personal Twitter accounts to engage with the public.

Officers will close their social media profiles and instead work from corporate accounts in North Yorkshire following concerns that crimes reported to individuals could be missed.

But critics have claimed the move is a 'backwards step,' with one ex-policeman saying the decision could 'suppress the human side of policing.'

North Yorkshire Police was criticised on Twitter after it announced it would close a number of personal accounts in line with recommendations from the National Police Chief's Council.

Policing teams will instead mange eight district accounts over the region, which includes Harrogate, Richmondshire, Scarborough, Craven and York.

The decision was criticised heavily by locals during a Q&A session held by North Yorkshire Police yesterday, with many worried policing will not seem as 'personal.'

Chief constables have been accused of censorship after telling officers to stop using their personal Twitter accounts to engage with the public. Pictured: Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police Lisa Winward

Critics have claimed the move is a 'backwards step,' with one ex-policeman (above) saying the decision could 'suppress the human side of policing'

Chief constable of Northamptonshire Police Nick Adderley described the move as 'bonkers,' while confirming his own officers would not be asked to close their accounts.

Mike Pannett, a former North Yorkshire police officer, told the Times: 'I think it's about controlling what is put out to the public.

'But people love the human side of policing - hearing from dog handlers, firearms experts and road policing individually.'

He added the move is the 'biggest PR failure in recent years,' saying that 'years of building trust and confidence' has now gone 'down the pan.'

Announcing the decision on Tuesday, North Yorkshire Police said there is a need to ensure the force is 'in a position to identify any crimes reported on social media in the near future.'

A statement added: 'Currently, our officers, staff and volunteers are at risk of missing such reports if they are not able to monitor their North Yorkshire Police social media accounts on a daily basis.

Chief constable of Northamptonshire Police Nick Adderley (above) described the move as 'bonkers,' while confirming his own officers would not be asked to close their accounts

The decision was criticised heavily by locals during a Q&A session held by North Yorkshire Police yesterday, with many worried policing will not seem as 'personal'

'This could also place vulnerable members of the public at risk should they reach out via a North Yorkshire Police social media accounts and their concerns not be seen for several days or weeks.'

It was added that the streamlined accounts will make it easier for residents to stay updated with what is happening in their area.

'This will also enable us to respond to the issues that matter to our communities more quickly and effectively,' the force said.

The statement also claimed the approach is not unique to North Yorkshire Police, adding: 'Other forces are already following this approach and have condensed their accounts resulting in an improvement in public satisfaction and feedback.'

Accounts run by North Yorkshire officers began announcing their closure this week, with the Police Dog Section tweeting: 'Folks - it's time to bid our farewell on this site.

Accounts run by North Yorkshire officers began announcing their closure this week, with the Police Dog Section tweeting: 'Folks - it's time to bid our farewell on this site'

'Thanks for your support over the years and watch out for guest appearances on the local police channels.'

Others shared the announcement by North Yorkshire Police on March 30 and have not engaged with the public since.

Following criticism on social media, Gavin Stephens, who sits on the National Police Chief's Council, shared a blog post today detailing how the recommendation was made.

He said surveys from Twitter and Facebook showed people were much more interested in updates on live incidents than insights into police work.

Mr Stephens added: 'Official accounts will need to be able to take calls for assistance over social media, and contact centres need to be able to triage contact based on threat, harm and risk.

'Operationally we know this is necessary, as practitioners around the country have examples of at risk or vulnerable people making contact on social, and we now have a protocol with Facebook around notification of life at risk events into 999.'

Policing teams will instead mange eight district accounts over the region, which includes Harrogate, Richmondshire, Scarborough, Craven and York. Pictured: Accounts which may face closure

He insisted that police have not been 'banned' from using social media, adding: 'The model supports individually named accounts being taken under the wing of the new structure to make sure it is all properly accountable and auditable using the right software.

'Forces that have consolidated the number of accounts have seen more engagement not less, and in my own force we now have more contributors to the accounts creating a wider range of interesting content.'

The decision to close several individual accounts is a far cry from the attitude of five years ago, when officers were urged to 'engage' with the public online.

The safer neighbourhoods team for Borough and Bankside posted the image of two battering rams in an appeal to catch drug dealers. The image has since been deleted

The decision to close several individual accounts is a far cry from the attitude of five years ago, when officers were urged to 'engage' with the public online

The previous directive resulted in some questionable 'humourous' content', with those in charge sharing memes in a bid to connect with their audience.

An awards ceremony was also set up in 2016 for officers who garnered the most followers, with a huge section in the College of Policing's guidelines given over to 'engagement and communication' through social media.

The guidelines even quote Assistant Chief Constable Gordon Scobbie, who has the title of 'lead for digital and social media engagement'.
Santa Ana Man Arrested for Allegedly Receiving Kickbacks From Corrupt Sober Living Homes

The FBI arrested a Santa Ana man March 30 after he was suspected of accepting kickbacks from sober living homes in a process known as body brokering.

Darius Jarell Moore, 27, was charged with one count of solicitation and receipt of payment, a federal charge, for referring a patient into a recovery home or clinical treatment facility.

According to the criminal complaint filed with the U.S. District Court, Moore received hundreds of thousands of dollars from various Orange County sober living facilities using a shell company called Moore Recovery Solutions LLC in Santa Ana.

The affidavit outlines the process Moore allegedly took to rake in money.

Moore is alleged to have found substance abusers and referred them to corrupt sober living facilities, where the facilities received an insurance check for each new patient. The homes would then share part of their profit with Moore for allegedly referring the patient.

Last October, Moore allegedly accepted a $16,000 kickback from a corrupt sober living home that was sent to a bank account under the name of Moore Recovery Solutions.

The affidavit said Moore received more than $350,000 in illegal kickbacks for his patient recruiting scheme.

To cover the fraud up from authorities, Moore used his shell company to disguise the payments as consulting services, the affidavit detailed.

The facilities and the patient brokers understand that it is illegal to pay patient brokers on a per-patient basis, so they have devised structures to disguise the payments, including making the payments in cash, or by creating sham contracts and invoices that allege the patient broker is providing hourly services, such as consulting or counseling, to prospective patients and their families, the affidavit said.

Moore was also consensually recorded during a phone call with a sober living home employee, where he allegedly discussed receiving kickback payments for the brokered patients.

Investigators issued a search warrant on Moores residence, vehicle, and cell phone last December, where they said they found marketing agreements between two sober living facilities and Moores shell business.

No evidence has yet to be found to suggest Moores company was a legitimate marketing service.

Patients getting placed into the homes were also getting paidand some asked Moore to be put in the programs, the affidavit said.

Given that the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, a federal statute, was only passed by Congress in 2018, Moore is the second person in Southern California to face charges for violating the law.

He faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted on all charges.

So far, the sober living homes that allegedly gave kickbacks to Moore are not being prosecuted.

Ciaran McEvoy, spokesperson for the United States Attorneys Office, would not comment to The Epoch Times on why the sober living homes were not being prosecuted.
An NHS nurse who set up a skincare business after getting cracked hands at work had all five dragons vying for a share in her company on Dragons' Den.

In tonight's episode of the brand new series, which aired on BBC One, UK-based husband and wife Jonny and Antonia Philip - co-founders of skincare brand called Nursem - offered a benevolent pitch which put compassion before cash.

Speaking to all five dragons, Jonny explained that they were pitching for 75,000 in return for 1.5 per cent equity - before ending up with a full house of dragons fighting for a share in their business.

And viewers were left more than impressed when the couple secured the money they were asking for after negotiating one of the most impressive equity climb-downs in Dragons' Den history.

One gobsmacked viewer deemed it the best 'hustle' they had ever seen on the BBC show, while another described it as a 'cut throat negotiation'.

On Dragon's Den, UK-based husband and wife Jonny and Antonia Philip (above) - co-founders of skincare brand Nursem - offered a benevolent pitch which put compassion before cash

Appearing on the programme, Antonia explained: 'The idea behind Nursem happened a number of years ago when I was working as a busy pediatric nurse.

'On average, I'd be washing my hands up to 50-60 times a day. It was during this time, my hands became cracked, dry, and at times bled and resulted in me taking two weeks off work for them to recover.'

Jonny continued: 'While Antonia was off work, we discovered there was a real lack in the market place for a natural, yet effective product targeted towards people with hard-working hands.

'So working with some expert cosmetic laboratories, this is the product we've developed which is available today. Nursem is available in Boots, Lloyds pharmacy and many other prominent UK retailers.'

Viewers were left more than impressed when the couple secured the money they were asking for after negotiating one of the most impressive equity climb-downs in Dragons' Den history

During the show, Jonny explained to the dragons that not wanting to lose sight of the reason they set Nursem up in the first place, they created something call the Nursem promise.

'For every product we sell at retail, we then provide a month-worth of free handcare back to a nurse, midwife or other healthcare professional in the NHS,' explained Jonny.

Deborah was the first dragon up, and after pointing out that the range already seemed like a success story before Covid-19, she then homed straight in on the couple's valuation.

'75,000 for 1.5 per cent of the business sounds quite racy, so I'm hoping you're going to be able to give me some pretty good numbers to back that up,' she said.

One gobsmacked viewer deemed it the best 'hustle' they had ever seen on the BBC show, while another described it as a 'cut throat negotiation'

A knowledgeable Jonny responded: 'So last year's turnover for 2019 was 142,000 with a loss of 18,000, year to date so far we've turned over 800,000 with a net of 200,00 and our full year forecast for the whole of 2020 is 1.5million with a net of 312,000.'

Spectacular sales have helped support the company's 5million valuation, usually a red flag to a dragon, but Touker Suleyman expressed long-term concerns for the business.

'Call it what you want, but at the end of the day it's a hand cream,' he said. 'You've got that little bit of what I call "Covid magic" going in your favour, but without the Covid, where would this business balance out at?'

Jonny replied: 'I don't think the way people view hand washing will change any time soon - not just in the UK but internationally too.'

Speaking to all five dragons, Jonny said they were pitching for 75,000 in return for 1.5% equity - before ending up with a full house of dragons fighting for a share in their business

Jonny and Antonia's acumen and ethos proved to be a potent formula in the den - and even seemed to win over Peter Jones who initially offered all of the money - but in return for 10 per cent of the company due to concerns over the couple's valuation.

Competing with the offer Peter Jones put on the table, Touker Suleyman asked for the same 10 per cent share of equity, but upped the cash offer to 100,000.

Also keen to place an offer, Sara Davies explained to the couple that their biggest potential with the skincare range would be in the US market.

'And that's a journey that I've been on personally and I think that's something I can really help and support with,' she continued. 'Honestly, I think that's where you need the help and support more than here in the UK because you seem to have everything sorted out.

With all dragons deadlocked at 5 per cent, and agreeing it'll go down to 3 per cent once they get their money back, Jonny finally announced the winning dragon, Tej Lalvani (pictured)

So I'd like to make you an offer. I'd like to offer you all of the money, for 8% of the business.'

Deborah Meaden and Touker Suleyman then swooped in with the same matching undercutting bid - offering the couple all of the money, but for 5% of the business.

In response to the offers, Jonny circled back to Peter Jones and asked whether he'd be willing to match Deborah and Touker's offer, to which he and the other dragons all agreed they would.

With all dragons deadlocked at 5%, and agreeing it'll go down to 3% once they get their money back, Jonny finally announced the winning dragon and said: 'We've decided to accept Tej Lalvani's offer.'

Many of those watching were left stunned by the negotiation, with one writing: ''The nurses on Dragon's den! What a pair of professional hustlers. Well done #DragonsDen.

A second penned: 'Most amazing negotiation that Ive ever seen on Dragons Den. Well done and good luck!'
Gov. Nasir El-Rufai has said that the state government will leave no stone unturned in its support for the ongoing community-level peace pro...





Gov. Nasir El-Rufai has said that the state government will leave no stone unturned in its support for the ongoing community-level peace process in Zangon-Kataf and Jemaa local government areas.

The governor made the assurance when he hosted the Agwatyap, Chief Dominic Gambo-Yahaya, on Wednesday in Kaduna.

The Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, explained in a statement that the Agwatyap visited the governor to brief him on the recent challenges confronting the peaceful coexistence in Zangon-Kataf.

Gov. El-Rufai enjoined traditional and community leaders involved in promoting peace to do all they could and not allow themselves to be discouraged by the disruptions of the peace process by those who prefer to perpetrate conflicts.

The governor hailed the Agwatyap for his courage to ensure the sustenance of peace across the communities in his chiefdom, assuring him that the state government and the security agencies would continue to support the quest for peace and security.

Gov. El-Rufai expressed concern over the resurgence of attacks that have resulted in the loss of lives and property in the area.

The governor assured the traditional ruler that troops of Operation Safe Haven and other security agencies are working hard to contain the recent upsurge in the conflict.

He enjoined community leaders to remain steadfast in maintaining peace and expose those who prefer the continuation of the tragic cycle of attacks and reprisals.

Earlier, the Agwatyap, Sir Dominic Gambo Yahaya, stated that leaders across communities in the area are working together to stop the renewed instances of violent attacks on some villages.

He told governor El-Rufai that the traditional council is also working to clarify and resolve the circumstances of the recent disappearance of three community leaders involved in the peace-building process.

Gambo-Yahaya explained to the governor that Ardo Pate Usman-Kurmi, the Wakilin Fulani Atyap, Ardo Muhammadu Anchau, and Yakubu Muhammadu have been missing since joining a team of community leaders to resolve a dispute involving a farmer whose crops were destroyed by cattle.
Moodys Analytics today announced that Credito Agricola Vida (CA Vida), the life insurance arm of Portuguese financial group Credito Agricola, will use the RiskIntegrity for IFRS 17 solution to address the new IFRS 17 accounting standard.

CA Vida selected Moody's Analytics for our combined actuarial and financial reporting capabilities, the flexibility of our software-as-a-service deployment model, and our experience advising firms implementing new standards.

"There are many considerations when selecting a software vendor to address a new regulatory or reporting regime. Moody's Analytics delivers the capabilities, expertise, and experience we will need at each step of our IFRS 17 project," said Antonio Castanho, Chief Executive Officer at CA Vida.

IFRS 17 brings fundamental changes across insurers organizations. Meeting the new reporting deadline means implementing systems through which different teams can easily access all of the data required for their IFRS 17 calculations and reporting requirements. The RiskIntegrity for IFRS 17 solution comes with the capabilities required for an efficient implementation of the standard. It integrates seamlessly with an insurers existing infrastructureconnecting data, models, systems, and processes between actuarial and finance functionsand supports the needs of actuaries, finance, and IT professionals.

"We continue to see demand from insurers across Europe for our RiskIntegrity for IFRS 17 solution, which reflects the depth and the breadth of our IFRS 17 offering," said Christophe Burckbuchler, Managing Director at Moodys Analytics. "We are pleased that CA Vida recognized our history helping insurance companies manage their risk, actuarial, and reporting needs, and we look forward to helping the firm prepare for the new standard."

About Moodys Analytics

Moodys Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moodys Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Story continues

Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moodys Corporation reported revenue of $5.4 billion in 2020, employs approximately 11,400 people worldwide and maintains a presence in more than 40 countries.

About Credito Agricola Vida (CA Vida)

CA Vida was established in 1998 as the life insurance company of Credito Agricola Group, a Portuguese-based cooperative financial group which owns the largest branch network in Portugal and has more than 1.2 million customers. CA Vida is incorporated and domiciled in Portugal. It provides life insurance products and pension funds through the Groups retail network. Over the years CA Vida has introduced several innovative work methodologies, ensuring that the company remains at the forefront of the life business in Portugal, both in terms of modernity and in the quality of the service provided.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005312/en/

Contacts

TRACEY SCOTT

Moodys Analytics Communications

+44.207.772.5207

Moodys Analytics Media Relations



moodysanalytics.com

twitter.com/moodysanalytics

linkedin.com/company/moodysanalytics
A giant huntsman has been found standing guard over hundreds of its babies on an Australian home's electricity meter.

The huntsman's tiny offspring were seen crawling underneath her as she built a web on the front of the meter at the home in central Queensland.

'Found this dutiful mother standing guard over her children,' the person who found the intimidating spider wrote online as they shared a photo of their discovery.

A giant huntsman has been found standing guard over hundreds of its babies on an Australian home's electricity meter.

A giant huntsman has been found standing guard over hundreds of its babies on an Australian home's electricity meter

Other users on Reddit were stunned at how the giant spider was nurturing so many of its young on the cover of the meter box.

One commenter joked images like the one shared were the reason overseas travellers 'never put Australia on their travel bucket list'.

'This is why foreigners are scared to visit Australia,' one person wrote.

'This is why foreigners are scared to visit Australia,' one person wrote

One commenter joked images like the one shared were the reason overseas travellers 'never put Australia on their travel bucket list'

'Nightmare fuel,' another said.

The photo was shared just days after a massive huntsman was filmed jumping onto an unsuspecting father while his young daughter watched on in horror.

Metui Tongatua, was driving a quad bike down a deserted road in North Queensland with his two dogs and daughter in a trailer on Sunday when he spotted the large spider crawling down the vehicle's handlebars.

He had only just started filming when it suddenly launched itself at him.

Metui from Maningrida in the Northern Territory, jumped backwards in surprise and began to yell as he tried to brush off the spider.

A massive huntsman has jumped onto a father during a holiday in Northern QLD (pictured)

Queensland Museum arachnologist Dr Robert Raven said the vibrations from the quad bike attract spiders at a 'rocket speed'.

'We don't know why but spiders will cover your tyres and become stirred up from the engine creating the deep vibrations,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

He said spiders will gather and behave erratically if the vehicle is an older model and runs on diesel.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1)  The national security advisers of the United States and the Philippines shared a phone call on Wednesday to discuss the presence of Chinese vessels at Julian Felipe Reef amid reports that more of Beijing's maritime militia are scattered across the West Philippine Sea.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Philippine counterpart Hermogenes Esperon talked about their "shared concerns regarding the recent massing" of China at Julian Felipe Reef, located some 175 nautical miles east of Bataraza, Palawan and well within the countrys exclusive economic zone.

According to a statement released by Sullivan's spokesperson Emily Horne, the foreign official said the US continues to be an ally of the Philippines in its fight against China's illegal activities in the country's waters. He assured that the Mutual Defense Treaty between the two countries is "applicable" amid the ongoing tensions.

The 1951 agreement between the Philippines and the US guarantees that the two countries will provide military aid to each other in case their territories are attacked by a foreign force.

Sullivan and Esperon vowed that the two countries will continue to "coordinate closely" in responding to challenges in the West Philippine Sea.

The Chinese Embassy previously called out foreign diplomats who have raised concerns over developments in the contested waters.

Increased presence in PH waters

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea reported the presence of over 200 Chinese ships at Julian Felipe Reef, also known as Whitsun, last March 20. It stood by its observation that these are part of Chinas maritime militia despite Beijings denial.

In seeming defiance of the formal protest, some 44 Chinese vessels are still stationed at Julian Felipe Reef, while more than 200 others were reported to have moved to different areas in the Kalayaan Island Group.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday also reported spotting "illegal" man-made structures built on Pagkakaisa Banks or Union Banks, a group of features that are within the Kalayaan Island Group under the municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan.

"These structures are illegal. The Laws of the Sea gives the Philippines indisputable and exclusive rights over the area. These constructions and other activities, economic or otherwise, are prejudicial to peace, good order, and security of our territorial waters," AFP chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said in a statement.

An arbitral tribunal in 2016 ruled that Chinas island-building activities on these reefs and four others constitute violations to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS and have caused devastating and long-lasting damage to the marine environment.

China rejects the ruling, which also recognized the Philippines sovereign rights to parts of its EEZ which Beijing contests. The East Asian giant insists on owning almost the entire South China Sea, including areas Manila claims as the West Philippine Sea.

The task force said it has increased the deployment of Navy, Coast Guard, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels in the Kalayaan Island Group to augment routine patrols and assert the countrys sovereignty.
EF Education First (EF) has announced the second phase of an ambitious English language and service skills training program, which aims to upskill workers in the tourism and hospitality industry value chain in Rwanda.

Kigali, Rwanda  EF Education First (EF) announced today the second phase of an ambitious English language and service skills training program, which aims to upskill workers in the tourism and hospitality industry value chain. After the encouraging progress of 2,000 learners in the first phase, the second phase will see the program scale to 6,500 learners with the aim of employing a total of 30,000 workers by 2022.

A recent survey shows that 94% of participants in the EF program believe that the skills they learned will increase their work opportunities. Christian Herve, a 33-year-old Rwandan entrepreneur/student who is one of the programs top learners and ambassador stated, Studying with Education First is important to me because I want to improve my abilities to speak, write, and read in English. As a Food and Beverages Director, improving my English proficiency and my communication skills will allow me to better manage and lead my teams, express myself more effectively in meetings, and provide a higher level of customer service to our guests.

Halfway through the 12-month program, 16% of the survey respondents reported having received a promotion or a new job offer, while another 19% attained an increase in salary. These achievements are particularly significant in a period of economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am now confident interacting with clients, which will help me to perform well at work. My motivation to achieve my goal has increased tremendously, said Vanessa Kanyabutembo, Front Office Staff & University of Tourism, Business and Technology student.

EF learners also report an extraordinary improvement in their confidence and a positive outlook on their future careers thanks to the program.

The expected impact of the initiative is significant, as learners are building critical transferable skills (e.g., English proficiency, service mindedness, communication skills, and business acumen) as well as the confidence to express themselves. This will inevitably improve their ability to perform well in interviews, increase their employability, and enhance their social mobility by being able to apply these skills, across a multitude of industries, particularly if the tourism sector takes a longer time to recover.

We are excited about the positive impact the training program is having on workers in the tourism and hospitality industry. Having skilled personnel remains critical in the service sector. The growing interest of learners in the program is proof that it is of benefit to them, said Belise Kariza, RDB Chief Tourism Officer .  We look forward to a sustained partnership to ensure that more people are well equipped with the much-needed transferable skills in the ever-evolving tourism and hospitality sector.

The program is part of the larger Mastercard Foundations Hanga Ahazaza initiative (which means Create the Future in Kinyarwanda) . It aims to equip 30,000 young people with the skills needed to find and/or create jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector and beyond.

This program comes at a time when the tourism and hospitality industry has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and when employees and economic actors in the sector are going to need additional skills to recover faster. This initiative will provide local youth with the right skills and competencies to effectively compete in the marketplace,  sa id Rica Rwigamba, Country Head, Mastercard Foundation, Rwanda.

Delivered mainly through EF s online platforms and mobile apps , the program helps learners build critical language and communication skills. As a result, workers in the industry will be better prepared to deliver high-profile, global events such as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will be hosted in Rwanda in June 2021.

To ensure the successful delivery of the program, Education First is working with critical private sector partners such as Mara Phones and Airtel in a bid to increase equality and learner engagement. Mara Phones, the producer of the first high specification, affordable smartphone to be manufactured in Africa, has donated a smartphone to each EF Learner of the Month, while, Airtel, a leading provider of telecommunications services in Rwanda, is supporting participants by zero-rating the use of EFs online language school.

The partners are proud to extend the program as part of Rwandas recovery efforts, focusing on building the critical skills that employees need and businesses require to innovate, grow, and thrive in the 21 st century globalized economy.

The success of this program is the result of a public-private partnership between the Rwanda Development Board, the Mastercard Foundation, and EF. We are grateful for the support of all the partners involved and we are humbled by the trust given to us to expand our program in Rwanda to provide career opportunities for young people seeking dignified work in the tourism and hospitality sector. Ultimately, we want to ensure sustainable economic growth and a better future for Rwanda, said Oriane Ruzibiza, Country Head at EF in Rwanda.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Education First

Oriane Ruzibiza

Program Manager, Rwanda Telephone +250784950569

Email: ext.oriane.ruzibiza@ef.com

Mastercard Foundation

Nicolas Emane

Partner, Program Communications, Rwanda Telephone +250783720809

Email: nemane@mastercardfdn.org

Rwanda Development Board

Doreen Ingabire

Head of Communications Telephone +2507895255598 Email: doreen.ingabire@rdb.rw



About EF Education First (www.ef.com)

Established in 1965 in Sweden with the mission to open the world through education, EF is the worlds leading international education company. With a network of more than 52,000 teachers, researchers, and staff in over 600 offices and schools in more than 50 countries, EF is a trusted partner of the leading companies of the world and governments on all continents. EF engages in public-private partnerships globally to create significant positive impact on human capital development as well as the competitiveness of entire industries and countries.

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest, private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management. For more information on the Foundation, please visit: www.mastercardfdn.org

About Rwanda Development Board ( www.rdb.rw)

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is a government agency in Rwanda with a vision to transform Rwanda into a dynamic global hub for business, investment, and innovation. Its mission is to fast-track economic development in Rwanda by enabling private sector growth.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Cielo Waste Solutions (CSE:CMC)(OTCQB:CWSFF) ("Cielo" or the "Company") announces that it has elected to accelerate the expiry date of an aggregate 28,620,075 warrants (the "Warrants") previously issued pursuant to three (3) separate private placement offerings (the "Offerings") of units.

The Warrants consist of the following:

Issue Date(s) Number of Warrants Exercise Price Term Acceleration Trigger Between December 17, 2018 and April 4, 2019 7,618,200 (including 231,000 broker warrants) $0.20 36 months $0.40 or higher for at least 20 consecutive trading days Between May 6, 2019 and February 28, 2020 1,480,875 $0.25 48 months $0.25 or higher for at least 5 consecutive trading days Between May 6, 2019 and February 28, 2020 369,000 broker warrants $0.10 48 months $0.25 or higher for at least 5 consecutive trading days Between November 20, 2020 and December 7, 2020 19,521,000 (including 1,645,000 broker warrants and include warrants that are subject to a 4 month hold expiring on April 5 or April 8th, 2021, as applicable) $0.12 36 months $0.20 or higher for at least consecutive trading days

Pursuant to the terms of the respective Warrants, as the common shares of Cielo have traded at or above the prices indicated above for greater than the minimum days required pursuant to the terms of the Warrants, Cielo is entitled and has elected to provide a minimum 30 day notice to the holders of the Warrants, accelerating the expiry of the term of the Warrants. All of the Warrants set out above will expire on May 6, 2021. Cielo intends to deliver notice to holders of the Warrants in accordance with the terms of the warrant certificates representing the Warrants in the coming days.

In the event that all the remaining Warrants are exercised, Cielo will receive combined gross proceeds of CDN$4,181,029.

Don Allan, President and CEO of Cielo Waste Solutions stated, "We are pleased to report that Cielo's recent record volumes of trading and strong stock performance allowed us to accelerate the expiry date of these Warrants. Cielo would like to point out, these Warrants are not diluting the company as these Warrants have already been taken into consideration with the total outstanding shares and the exercising of these Warrants further strengthens our finances. We would like to thank those shareholders that continue to believe and support in Cielo and welcome all the new shareholders that have recently bought shares in Cielo."

About Investor Cubed:

Investor Cubed provides specialized services to small cap & mid cap private & public companies. With over 20 years experience Investor Cubed has built relationships with Canada's top advisors, dealers, institutions and investors. As a trusted partner to our clients, our objective is to help take them to the next level of development and recognition in the capital markets. We provide multiple services including Investor relations, financial consulting, dealer intros, research, going public assistance and access to capital. Through accomplishing this, we help create value for our clients shareholders. For more information go to www.investor3.ca. Investor Cubed can trace its success to our core values: I ntegrity + I nsight + I ntelligence = I3

About Cielo Waste Solutions Corp.

Cielo Waste Solutions Corp. is a publicly traded company with its shares listed to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") under the symbol "CMC", the OTC Markets Group, on the OTCQB, under the symbol "CWSFF" and the Frankfurt Securities Exchange under the symbol WKN:C36. Cielo is a waste to renewable fuel company with a game changing technology engineered to help solve the world's garbage crisis. Cielo's technology transforms landfill garbage into renewable high-grade diesel, kerosene (aviation jet and marine fuel) and naphtha. Cielo's proven and patented technology is currently being deployed in the Company's Aldersyde, AB facility, where wood waste is currently being converted into renewable fuels.

Cielo is headquartered in Alberta, Canada with plans to build and operate green facilities across North America as well as globally.

Cielo has already begun expanding its footprint into a 100% Cielo owned facility in Edmonton, AB and also by signing multiple Memorandums of Understanding pursuant to which third parties are in negotiation with Cielo to build, at no cost to Cielo, joint venture renewable fuel facilities in Grande Prairie, Calgary, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, Alberta, as well as in Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Kamloops B.C., Toronto ON and at a location to be determined in the U.S. Each JV facility is projected to cost, depending on throughput, approximately $50 million to build, commission and place on production. Cielo will be the general contractor and operator of all the proposed JV facilities. The feedstock that will be used in the Company's green facilities is the world's most available and inexpensive feedstock - garbage; including household, commercial/ construction/demolition garbage, used tires, railway ties, and telephone poles as well as, all types of plastic that currently cannot be recycled.

On behalf of the board of directors

Company Contact:

Lionel Robins, COO

Email: lionelrobins@cielows.com

Telephone: 1-(403)-348-2972 ext:106

Website: https://www.cielows.com

For further information please contact:

Investor Cubed Inc. (Canada):

Neil Simon, CEO

Email: info@investor3.ca

Telephone: 1-(647) 258-3310

RB Milestone Group LLC (USA):

Trevor Brucato, Managing Director

Email: cielo@rbmilestone.com

New York, NY & Stamford, CT

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This News Release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should" or similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes.

Forward-looking statements are subject to both known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. CIELO is making forward looking statements related to the MOUs and all matters related thereto, including the joint ventures to be entered into as a result thereof. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are described herein. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual performance and results to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, neither the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise. The CSE, OTCQB and, WKN, have not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this News Release.

SOURCE: Cielo Waste Solutions Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638697/Cielo-Announces-Acceleration-of-Warrant-Terms
Pent-up demand and savings built up through lockdown mean the short-term outlook for the consumer economy is 'healthier than many presume', retail giant Next said today.

Chief executive Lord Wolfson said it appeared likely that a 'combination of pent-up demand along with a healthy overall increase in personal savings' would help buoy spending in shops once they reopen amid the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Having been forced to shut its stores for hefty chunks of the last year, Next saw its profits slide 54 per cent to 342million in the year to January.

Impact: Next saw its profits slide 54% to 342million in the year to January

But, the group also hiked its profit forecast for the current year, as it hailed soaring online sales in the past eight weeks. Online sales have been around 60 per cent higher in the last couple of months than they were at the same time a year ago.

Next said online sales across the group increased by 13 per cent the last year, adding that Its fastest-growing groups of customers included under-20s and over-60s.

Homeware, kids clothes, sportswear and stay-at-home basics like sweatshirts and jogging bottoms, also helped mitigate lower demand for formal clothes including dresses or suits, it said.

The retailer is now expecting to post a pre-tax profit of 700million for the current financial year, up from its previous target of 670million. This on the basis stores are able to stay open for the rest of the year and the mass vaccine rollout continues at pace.

The group said it had been 'following the money' to prosper, rather than design anything like a 'Ten Year Plan' to help it grow. It said it has done this by extending 'new product ranges, new businesses, new distribution channels, services, partnerships and markets.'

Chairman Michael Roney said: 'I believe that in difficult times there is a clearer separation between the stronger corporate performers and the weaker ones.

'This result is due to the formation of a good management team and the establishment of robust processes during less volatile periods.'

The retailer closed 18 stores last year and over the past two years has reduced its in-store staff numbers from 24,700 to 21,600. During lockdowns almost all of the company's retail store staff and support teams were furloughed.

The retailer received 95.1million under the UK Government's Job Retention Scheme. Next added that the business rates holiday has helped it save 82million during the pandemic.

Amid prolonged store closures, the fashion and homeware chain's sales dropped 17 per cent to 3.6billion in the last year.

Action: The retailer closed 18 stores last year and over the past two years has reduced its in-store staff numbers from 24,700 to 21,600

Optimistic: Next's boss Lord Wolfson is upbeat about pent-up demand among shoppers

In recent years, the company has been selling a growing number of products from third parties via its website and online, something which the likes of Marks & Spencer is now looking to do of across its operations.

Explaining the reasoning behind this strategy, Next said: 'Our view is simple: there is nowhere to hide on the internet, and we are better to collaborate with other brands to our mutual benefit, than cling on to past advantages in the vain hope our customers will not find the competition.'

The group splashed out 121million on system upgrades and its warehouses to help it keep up with demand as customers shifted their spending online.

Shares in FTSE 100-listed Next have jumped sharply today and are currently up 3.23 per cent or 254.00p to 8,120.00p. A year ago the share price was 3,702.00p.

Next has decided not to pay a dividend for the period and to maintain its suspension of buybacks, which could come as a disappointed for some investors.

Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: 'Next is often an unsung hero among investors, but these results again show the resilience and the openness in the way the company operates.'

He added: 'The sharp decline in the share price as the initial full lockdown kicked in flatters the recent performance, with the shares having surged 93% over the last year as compared to a rise of 23% for the wider FTSE100. Even so, the direction of travel has been restored and by way of comparison the shares are up by 41% over the last two years.

'Follow the money': Next said it had been 'following the money' to help it prosper

'Next has attracted high expectations for some considerable time and regardless of its performance and progress, the market remains a tough nut to crack. Although the financial resilience of the company has been demonstrated during an extraordinary time and despite an upbeat outlook, the general view of the shares as no more than a strong hold is likely to remain intact.'

Julie Palmer, a partner at Begbies Traynor, said Next 'has frequently under promised and over delivered.'

She added: 'Its previous investment in online has been a strength and this has helped keep profits strong. However, its relative success does not mean it won't be desperate to open its doors in retail parks and on High Streets across the UK,' she said.

'When non-essential retail does reopen, brands that have been a success without the High Street will want to be able to flex their muscles on it and hoover up talented brands off it.

'In the coming year, as some competitors either perish or drastically reduce their physical presence, the likes of Next will have bargaining power over retail landlords.'
Nilam Sawhney takes over as new SEC for Andhra Pradesh Image Source: IANS News

Nilam Sawhney takes over as new SEC for Andhra Pradesh Image Source: IANS News

Amaravati, April 1 : Nilam Sawhney, former Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday took over as the new State Election Commissioner (SEC), ending a tumultuous chapter with former SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar.

Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan selected her name from a panel of three names proposed by the state government, clearing the way for the retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer to assume the Constitutional role.

Sawhney is a 1984 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre and made history as the first woman Chief Secretary of the state and also the first woman SEC now.

On Thursday, the new election commissioner paid a courtesy call to the Raj Bhavan and visited the Governor.

Meanwhile, the superannuation of Kumar is a major relief for the state government as he was constantly at loggerheads with it.

The Andhra government even tried to sack him midway but his Constitutional immunity protected his seat.

There were major disagreements over the timing of elections between Kumar and Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Not just elections but a long chain of back and forth accusations also ensued between the state government and the outgoing SEC.

In the end, Reddy emerged victorious by sweeping the rural and urban local bodies polls with landslide victories.
Emergency COVID-19 orders issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services carry the same authority as laws passed by the state Legislature.

After Marlena Pavlos-Hackney, the owner of a Holland restaurant, spent four nights in jail for defying multiple court orders to close her restaurant, some Republican lawmakers cast doubt on the legitimacy of COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the state health department. The legality of the health orders, which restrict capacity and gatherings and require masks in public, has become a talking point among those who oppose the orders.

But legal experts say the state health director has the legal authority to establish emergency procedures to protect the public during an epidemic. The powers come from laws enacted by the Michigan Legislature.

Gerald Fisher, a professor emeritus at the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, said the MDHHS orders have not been determined by any court to be unconstitutional.

Those are valid laws; Theres no doubt about that, he said.

Michigan law provides the state health director with the power to create rules to safeguard public health and prevent the spread of diseases and sources of contamination. MDHHS can also impose emergency rules during an epidemic.

The law, created in the wake of the Spanish flu pandemic 100 years ago, specifically states emergency orders can prohibit people from gathering. Violating health orders issued by MDHHS is punishable by a misdemeanor.

Knowing that the Legislature is a deliberative body in enacting laws meant to last years, the Legislature granted MDHHS specific authority to quickly respond with temporary orders to address the severe, widespread harm caused by epidemics, MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said in a statement.

MDHHS health orders have already survived one legal challenge. The Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association tried to overturn an MDHHS order banning indoor dining, but a federal judge dismissed the complaint.

Lawyers representing Michigan restaurants argued MDHHS data hasnt justified closing their businesses. U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney, in a written ruling denying the MRLAs request for a preliminary injunction, said there is a plausible explanation for the emergency order.

Protesters who held a demonstration outside Marlenas Bistro and Pizzeria last weekend claimed COVID-19 restrictions are unconstitutional, citing a Michigan Supreme Court ruling.

The court ruled 4-3 that a state law allowing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to extend emergencies without legislative input is unconstitutional. The court unanimously ruled that a separate law did not give Whitmer authority after April 30, 2020 to issue or renew any executive orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the Supreme Court did not offer any opinion on the validity of MDHHS orders, which draw their authority from the public health code.

Michigan law does not put specific limits on how long the emergency can last, or how it should determine what constitutes an epidemic.

Critics say the MDHHS orders are a way for Whitmer to continue issuing orders while bypassing the Legislature.

Whitmer vetoed a bill that would limit orders issued by DHHS to manage a pandemic to 28 days unless extended by the Legislature. The time limit would have matched the duration of a state of emergency, which also cant be extended without the approval of the Legislature.

This bill would create a 28-day limit on epidemic orders, Whitmer wrote in her veto message. Unfortunately, epidemics are not limited to 28 days. We should not so limit our ability to respond to them.

Fisher said the long emergency raises important questions about the balance of power in Michigan. Emergency powers are meant to take swift action in a crisis, but the Legislature has had a full year to act.

You want to give the health department a lot of authority to act quickly before the legislature can go into session and pass something, but now its been a year and the legislature has been clamoring to do it, Fisher said. I think thats a very valid issue.

Supporters of Marlenas Bistro also claimed MDHHS hasnt shown the science to prove restaurants post a higher risk of spreading COVID-19. However, MDHHS cited four separate studies to back the restrictions on restaurants.

Related: 4 studies Michigan used to explain COVID-19 spread in restaurants

Fisher said it would be difficult for a judge to determine there isnt justification to maintain emergency orders if MDHHS provided health data.

If there is actually science of some sort, in a real emergency the judge is probably not going to do something, Fisher said.

In a press conference last week, State Rep. Steven Johnson, R-Wayland, tried to draw a distinction between state law and public health orders.

Marlena did not violate a law that the legislature passed, Marlena violated an order issued by an unelected bureaucrat, Johnson said. No one should be in a jail because one unelected bureaucrat makes an order.

State Rep. Mary Whiteford, R-Casco Township, said there was no process involved in shutting down Marlenas Bistro. Whiteford is a member of the House Health Policy Committee.

Fisher noted that Pavlos-Hackney was jailed for contempt of court, not for ignoring COVID-19 restrictions. Pavlos-Hackney was arrested after receiving several warnings from the state and local health departments, licensing officials and the court.

Maybe the legislators didnt know that this is really a violation of a court order rather than a violation of an administrative order, Fisher said. Putting people in jail is the last resort.

The indoor dining ban took effect Nov. 18, 2020. This is where the trouble between Marlenas and the state government started. Pavlos-Hackney continued to keep her dining room open for customers, even after the Allegan County Health Department ordered the restaurant closed for 72 hours.

In late December, the Michigan Department of Agrictulture and Rural Developement issued a cease and desist order to Marlenas and on Jan. 20 temporarily suspended the restaurants food license.

MDARDs Director has determined that Marlenas continued offering of indoor dining, failure to require social distancing, and failure to require staff and customers to wear facial coverings creates an imminent threat to the public health, safety, and welfare, the suspension order read.

Marlenas restaurant continued operating without a food establishment license, a violation of the Michigan Food Law. An administrative hearing was held and the suspension was upheld.

They indicated in their testimony a view that the COVID-19 pandemic has not been proven to exist, that COVID-19 mitigation measures are a fraud, and that (MDARDs) actions are unconstitutional, the Feb. 11 decision read.

In late February, Ingham County Circuit Judge issued a temporary restraining order against Marlenas Bistro, but the restaurant stayed open. In March, Stokes issued a bench warrant for Pavlos-Hackneys arrest and fined the business for continued violations of the court orders. Pavlos-Hackney was arrested on March 19.

The restaurant continued serving breakfast that morning. Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemary Aquilina ordered Pavlos-Hackney to remain in jail until she can prove that her restaurant is closed. Pavlos-Hackney was released Monday and paid a $15,000 fine.

Aquilina noted that instead of trying to challenge the courts orders, Pavlos-Hackney has simply decided not to follow them.

She has no intention of complying with the law, Aquilina said. The valid court order was meant to compel you, maam, to follow the law and partner with society.

Fisher said Pavlos-Hackneys defiance of the court was doomed to fail.

When you violate a judicial order, then the theory is that youre calling into question the veracity of our court system, and that is treated very seriously, Fisher said. What you need to do in that case, rather than just violate, youve got to challenge the order (in court).

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

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ROSEBURG, Ore.  A man accused of crimes spanning four states that culminated with an attempted murder in Oregon has been sentenced to 30 years in prison and will be extradited to Colorado to face a murder charge there, authorities said.

Matthew Anthony Fanelli, 32, was sentenced Monday for a 2019 attack in which officials say he shot a former fire chief multiple times and pistol-whipped the mans girlfriend in a bid to steal their car.

RELATED: POLICE: TWO MEN ARRESTED AFTER VIOLENT, MULTI-STATE CRIME SPREE

Fanelli has been held in a county jail in rural southern Oregon since his arrest two years ago. Authorities said he is accused of crimes in other states including the slaying of an Uber driver in Denver, Colorado, robberies in Wyoming and Utah and a gun battle on Interstate 5 in southern Oregon after leading police on a high-speed chase.

During the car chase, a bullet lodged in a car seat occupied by a 10-month-old infant, who wasnt harmed, the Daily Courier reported.

Former Rogue River Fire Chief Mike Hannan, who was shot multiple times at close range, spoke at the sentencing hearing. He required several surgeries and still has a bullet lodged in his pelvis, the newspaper reported.

I dont believe this person is going to do anything differently than hes been doing. He shows utter disregard for life, Hannan said. "I call on you to do whatever you can to keep this person in custody.

Authorities said Fanellis crimes began two days before he shot Hannan in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was accused of firing shots inside a club.

Fanelli, his girlfriend Cynthia Sena and his half-brother, Jose Lopez-Jovel, then headed to Denver, where Fanelli is charged with killing an Uber driver named David Rosenthal in a botched carjacking, according to police and court records. The three drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Authorities said a convenience store was robbed in Wyoming, and a bank in Park City, Utah, on the way to Oregon.

Sena either escaped the men or was dropped off in Salem, Oregon, where she was arrested, the newspaper said.

Fanelli and Lopez-Jovel bought a used Toyota Camry in Eugene with proceeds from one of the robberies and then tried to carjack Hannan, according to authorities.

Officials said Fanelli abandoned Lopez-Jovel and then led police on a car chase on I-5, firing randomly at sheriffs deputies, state troopers and other drivers. Authorities said stray bullets struck a semi-truck and the child safety seat in an SUV holding the 10-month-old child.

Sena and Lopez-Jovel both face bank robbery charges in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City.
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Britons are pushing back foreign holiday plans for a long-haul 'blow out' in 2022 as they go on staycations this year instead - with UK accommodation already 85 per cent full for this summer, travel experts have revealed.

Others are focusing on this Christmas and New Year for a multi-generational big family holiday abroad - with Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, the Caribbean and even Antarctica proving popular destinations for UK tourists.

Extravagant holidays to Kenya and the Caribbean are also getting booked up for next summer along with Australia, with luxury cruise lines also said to be having a 'bumper booking period' for 2022 at the moment.

But while people remain nervous about travelling abroad due to the ongoing pandemic, UK holiday bookings are 'very strong' for this summer  especially in Devon, Cornwall, Cotswolds, the Lake District and Northumbria.

There has also been a package holidays revival as Abta found tourists are now nearly a third more likely to book them than before the pandemic, primarily for better protection in case something goes wrong.

Paul Charles, chief executive of the travel consultancy PC Agency, told MailOnline: 'Britain is already 85 per cent full in terms of accommodation this summer. It's hard to find really good places left in the UK to be honest.

'There are a lot of people booking long-haul in December this year, they're confident. From the Caribbean, to Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa. There are even people booking luxury accommodation in Antarctica.

'People are wanting to get out to the middle of nowhere. There are people booking multi-generational big family holidays over the Christmas and New Year period in Antarctica because they think that's a safe place to be.'

Mr Charles added: 'There are a lot of bookings for 2022 already. So 2022 will undoubtedly be the comeback year for travel, because the majority of people are very confident by then that we will be in a better place.'

David Child from Thomas Cook also reported that the firm was 'seeing groups of couples and friends and large family groups booking blow out trips for 2022', with four and five-star all-inclusive hotels proving popular.

Under Boris Johnsons post-lockdown roadmap, May 17 is the earliest possible time for foreign holidays to take place - but the third wave of the virus across Europe makes it increasingly likely that trips could be delayed.

A Government taskforce will give its view on April 12 whether foreign holidays will be safe this summer. Malta yesterday became the latest country to say it will allow in UK tourists who have had both jabs from June 1.

This will heap pressure on the Prime Minister to sanction foreign holidays after Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal also said they would open their borders to Britons  and Spain is set to follow suit in the coming weeks.

Here, MailOnline looks at the top places for staycations this summer - and luxury foreign holidays next year:

Five foreign destinations proving popular for this winter or next summer

KENYA (late 2021 and summer 2022)

Flight time : Nine hours from London to Nairobi

: Nine hours from London to Nairobi Covid-19 impact : 134,000 cases and 2,153 deaths

Kenya is a popular destination for Britons - with about 100,000 of its 1.3million annual visitors from the UK.

And it looks like safari tours are drawing people back later this year and next summer. Among the options for package holidays is a 'taste of Kenya' tour with Kuoni.

This sees tourists travel to the Eastern Rift Valley's lakes to see birds and rhino herbs, and the Massai Mara to watch the Big Five. It is available for 2,149 per person with flights from Heathrow to Nairobi in late 2021.

SOUTH AFRICA (late 2021)

Flight time : 12 hours from London to Cape Town

: 12 hours from London to Cape Town Covid-19 impact : 1,550,000 cases and 52,846 deaths

British tourists visit South Africa for a variety of reasons, such as a safari in the Kruger National Park from Johannesburg, a cultural trip to Cape Town or travelling on the wine routes in the Cape Province.

Riviera Travel is offering a 16-day tour for 2,850 per person in late 2021, which includes a Kruger guided safari, tour of the Zulu War battlefields, a stay at the Western Cape's Winelands and a visit to the Blyde River canyon, along with a drive through Swaziland.

ANTARCTICA (late 2021)

Flight time : 12 hours from London to Cape Town, then 5 hours to Wolfs Fang Runway

: 12 hours from London to Cape Town, then 5 hours to Wolfs Fang Runway Covid-19 impact : 58 cases and 0 deaths

For an unusual adventure this winter some British tourists are looking at Antarctica, where the most exclusive trip with luxury firm White Desert costs an eye-watering $96,000 per person for eight days.

Daily activities on the once-in-a-lifetime tour - during which you are transported by private jet - include trips to ice tunnels, climbing a mountain, abseiling, ice climbing and visiting the geographic South Pole as well as a site where 6,000 penguins and their chicks live.

CARIBBEAN (late 2021 and summer 2022)

Flight time : Nine hours from London to Barbados

: Nine hours from London to Barbados Covid-19 impact : 100,000 cases and 2,000 deaths

The Caribbean offers a huge range of holidays, from scuba diving in Trinidad and Tobago to relaxing on the sand in Antigua, known as the 'Land of 365 Beaches'.

One example of a trip with Tui is an all-inclusive week at the five-star Riu Palace Tropical Bay in Jamaica next summer with return flights for 1,045 per person.

Another option is an all-inclusive week at the five-star Rendezvous in St Lucia next May for 1,400 per person.

CRUISE HOLIDAYS (summer 2022)

The cruise industry has been devastated over the past year but bookings have surged for trips in 2022 on the ships, which are popular among older holidaymakers.

Saga, which specialises in holidays for the over-50s, has already said that passengers on its cruises must be fully vaccinated. Virgin Voyages and Royal Caribbean have said all passengers and crew will need to have the jab.

P&O cruises also said unvaccinated tourists will be banned. Among the options for next summer are a Celebrity Cruises ten-night tour of Italy, Croatia and Montenegro from 1,200 per person in June 2022.

Five staycation destinations in Britain proving popular for this summer

CORNWALL

Cornwall will once again be hugely popular with Britons hoping for a sunny staycation this summer, with Padstow and St Ives set to be busy again.

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said that forward bookings were 'very strong', but pointed out April and May were good options to find a place.

He told MailOnline: 'There is accommodation in April and May because a lot of people are plumping for June and July in case there's a slippage in the timetable.'

Mr Bell said that lots of accommodation is not being advertised on the likes of Booking.com because there is so much demand that owners think they can sell weeks at their property without paying commission charges.

He also recommended people looked at the likes of Penzance, Bude and the Roseland or Lizard peninsula.

DEVON

Devon is hugely popular with those looking for a countryside and coastal combination holiday, especially along the Jurassic Coast, while others go for the rough landscapes of Exmoor and Dartmoor.

Some like to sit on beaches along the English Riverira, while watersports are also popular in the county.

One other option is that cruise liners anchored off the Devon coast could become 'pop-up' hotels after the suggestion was made by Torbay Council this week.

Ahead of the influx, Devon and Cornwall Police said this week it was putting in place plans to deal with a 'busy summer' amid the uncertainty over foreign travel.

LAKE DISTRICT

Tourism is normally worth 3billion to the economy in Cumbria, and Britons will be flocking to the Lake District for their holidays once again this summer.

The county features more than 100 miles of rugged coastline as well as castles, lakes and mountains - with adventurers heading there for its famous offerings of watersports, hiking and climbing.

However locals will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last summer which saw an rise in anti-social behaviour, wild campers and country lanes blocked by parked cars.

COTSWOLDS

The Cotswolds covers an area of almost 800 square miles across five counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Often popular with those looking for a quiet getaway, it features picture postcard villages, castles and country houses along with a major arts and culture scene. It is also famous for gastro pubs and upmarket restaurants.

Popular spots include market towns such as Stroud and Tewkesbury, while others opt for quintessentially English villages including Snowshill and Painswick.

NORTHUMBERLAND

Northumberland was once the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire, and is home to part of the famous Hadrian's Wall which stretches for 73 miles.

The county is popular with wildlife lovers and birdwatchers, with the Farne Islands just off the coast featuring 23 varieties of birds including puffins.

Visitors aiming for a summer staycation there may also be hoping to see a castle, with Northumberland home to more of them than any other county in England  including Bamburgh Castle and Alnwick Castle.
Ms. Mitchell brings to Palladium a unique combination of finance, legal, and corporate policy experience, having regularly counseled private equity clients over her 34-year career as a lawyer and investment banker. She also had leadership roles in building premier professional practices at major law firms and establishing and enhancing processes to support and accelerate partnerships in their growth.

Marcos Rodriguez, Chairman and CEO of Palladium Equity Partners, LLC, said, "Nancy had been a trusted advisor to the Firm for many years. My partners and I are extremely pleased that Nancy will be joining us as Palladium's first Chief Administrative Officer. Having worked on the investment side and built world-class practices at two national law firms, Nancy brings to Palladium a depth of experience and breadth of unique skills as we continue our growth."

Prior to joining O'Melveny as a Partner in 2018, Ms. Mitchell co-chaired the restructuring practice of Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Previously, she served as an executive director for CIBC World Markets Corp., where she was a member of the restructuring/leveraged finance team that handled negotiation and development of financial models for complex restructuring transactions.

Ms. Mitchell added, "I am thrilled to be joining Palladium, one of the private equity industry's oldest minority-owned firms. I know Palladium well and have a great deal of respect for their exceptionally talented team. I look forward to assisting the firm in implementing and achieving its growth plans."

Additional Background

Over the course of her career, Ms. Mitchell received numerous honors and awards including being named: one of the "2021 Dealmakers of the Year" by The American Lawyer; "USA: Top Women Dealmakers" by Global M&A Network; "Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers," by Turnarounds & Workouts; and one of the "Leading Women Lawyers in New York City" by Crain's New York Business. Moreover, she has accumulated an extensive list of professional accolades and has been recognized consistently by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 United States, and Leading Lawyers Network.

Ms. Mitchell is a member of the New York and Illinois Bar Associations. She earned her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan, where she was a Contributing Editor of the Michigan Law Review and received a bachelor's degree from Indiana University, Bloomington.

About Palladium Equity Partners, LLC

Palladium is a middle market private equity firm with nearly $3 billion in assets under management. The firm seeks to acquire and grow companies in partnership with founders and experienced management teams by providing capital, strategic guidance and operational oversight. Since its founding in 1997, Palladium has made 36 platform investments and 140 add-on acquisitions. For more information on Palladium, please visit www.palladiumequity.com.

Palladium has a long history of supporting organizations committed to the promotion of diversity and inclusion, and the firm and its partners are members, supporters, or on the board of directors of The Robert Toigo Foundation, New America Alliance (NAA), National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), The Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM), Sponsors For Educational Opportunity (SEO), Thirty Percent Coalition, The Investment Diversity Exchange (TIDE), Women's Association of Venture and Equity (WAVE), and "I Have a Dream" Foundation, among others.

Media Contacts

Jeffrey Taufield or Todd Fogarty of Kekst CNC

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Calloway Artist Helps Restore Veterans Memorial

By Tim Brockwell

MURRAY - Repairs have been completed on the recently vandalized Veterans Memorial in Murray's Chestnut Park, and a Calloway County artist says she was happy to play a part in making the memorial whole again.The Murray-Calloway County Parks Department said repairs on the memorial, which included replacing and painting two eagle statues, were completed on Tuesday.Gail McKinzie is a professional tattoo artist who specializes in permanent cosmetics and restorative services for breast cancer survivors. She says she also enjoys painting concrete and stone sculptures, so when she heard the new eagles for the monument needed to be painted she decided to reach out to Murray-Calloway County Parks and Recreation and offer to help."I actually saw a post on Facebook about it. I commented about it and offered my services to paint it. I also decided that I would send them a private message and let them know I do this as a hobby as well." She said.McKinzie's husband and grandfather are both combat veterans. She says that made the project all the more significant for her."My grandfather was in the Navy in World War II, and my husband is a 22 year Air Force combat veteran," She said. "It was a sad thing that happened. I just wanted to help out with thanking everybody for their service, and seeing what I could do to help them get [the statues] replaced."Murray Police officers arrested 27-year-old Robert Kare last Tuesday evening and charged him with first-degree criminal mischief, after officers say he knocked over and broke two eagle statues at the memorial.You can watch footage below of the eagle statues being raised and put into place.
YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia Artak Davtyan held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov, ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the Russian Defense Ministry.

The sides discussed issues referring to ensuring regional security and peace, as well as the current stage and future opportunities of military and military-technical cooperation between the two countries.
Among the Hong Kong activists facing jail on Thursday is an octogenarian barrister dubbed the "Father of Democracy" who Beijing once asked to help draft the city's mini-constitution and was often dismissed by younger activists for being too moderate.

In the broad spectrum of Hong Kong's democracy advocates, 82-year-old Martin Lee would not be considered a firebrand.

For decades he has campaigned in vain to see democracy in Hong Kong but always advocated working alongside authorities in Beijing, even as they branded him a traitor.

He was critical of younger generations that favoured a more confrontational approach and remained a vocal opponent of political violence.

Now he faces up to five years in jail for helping to organise a huge, but peaceful, rally during the months of political unrest that convulsed Hong Kong in 2019.

"Finally I've become a defendant," he quipped after his arrest last year.

"How do I feel? I'm very much relieved. For so many years, so many months, so many good youngsters were arrested and charged, while I was not arrested. I feel sorry about it."

That a figure like Lee could be going to jail illustrates how the space for dissent has been all but squeezed out of Hong Kong, even for more moderate voices.

- Son of a general -

Lee's career mirrors Hong Kong's recent history and political pragmatism runs in his family.

His father Lee Yin-wo was a general in the Kuomintang forces that lost the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong's Communists.

Despite their differences, the general-turned-teacher remained in touch with top Communist party leaders, including Zhou Enlai.

The younger Lee was a typical product of Hong Kong's local elite under colonial rule.

He studied law in Britain and flitted comfortably between English, Cantonese and Mandarin. When Hong Kong was convulsed by leftist riots in 1967 during the Cultural Revolution, Lee went to defend people charged with spearheading the unrest.

Story continues

In the run-up to Hong Kong's 1997 handover to China he was one of the lawyers picked by Beijing to draft the Basic Law.

That document grants Hong Kong certain freedoms and autonomy unseen on the authoritarian mainland under a model dubbed "one country, two systems", including the eventual promise of universal suffrage.

Critics say Beijing's has demolished that promise in recent years and Lee was among the first to sound the alarm over China's assurances that Hong Kongers could keep their way of life.

After Beijing sent tanks to crush the Tiananmen Square student protests in 1989, Lee started criticising Beijing.

He was turfed out of the Basic Law committee and soon branded a traitor by state media.

- 'Things will explode' -

He went on to found the city's first pro-democracy party and joined the post handover Beijing opposition after handover.

But he always maintained support for "one country, two systems" and the idea that Hong Kong was part of China.

After the handover, Britain's Prince Charles wrote in a diary entry: "Thus we left Hong Kong to her fate and the hope that Martin Lee, the leader of the Democrats, would not be arrested."

As opposition to Beijing's rule among many Hong Kongers hardened, Lee was often criticised by those who felt his generation's tactics had failed to achieve anything close to suffrage.

Student-led democracy protest erupted in 2014 and a new generation of firebrand activsts like Nathan Law and Joshua Wong came to the fore -- a precursor to the even larger and sometimes violent rallies of 2019.

Lee was aware that his calls for a more patient approach had become less popular.

"I'm a public enemy from China's point of view. And the kids don't like me, either, because I am not agreeing with their objects," he told the New York Times last year.

But he said he recognised why so many younger Hong Kongers were frustrated and accused Beijing of failing to live up to its own commitments.

"Now China doesn't even want to follow the rules of its own book," he told The Guardian last year as the city was blanketed by a sweeping new national security law.

"But if you continue to suppress people like this, things will explode."

He remained defiant.

"Even if you jail me, kill me, I will still point out it's their fault. Democracy will come to China one day."

jta/je
An aircraft of Vietnam Airlines prepares to take off from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Airlines.

Vietnam Airlines will reopen international commercial flights connecting Hanoi and HCMC with several Asian destinations including South Korea, Japan and Australia, starting this Saturday.

The national flag carrier said flights from Hanoi to South Korea's Incheon City will depart every Thursday while there will have seven flights from Hanoi to Japan's Narita City in April, with the first scheduled to depart on April 3.

The carrier will also operate one flight from Hanoi to Australia's Sydney every Saturday, while flights from HCMC to Sydney would depart every Thursday and Sunday.

On return trips, the carrier would only carry Vietnamese citizens being repatriated or foreign experts with permission to enter the country. Vietnam is yet to open its doors to foreign tourists.

A representative of the carrier said the resumption of these international routes are meant to meet growing travel demand of Vietnamese citizens wishing to study and work abroad as well as stranded foreigners longing to return home.

In addition to these routes, the national flag carrier is planning to operate inbound commercial flights to carry passengers from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, but is awaiting the government's approval for this move.

Vietnam closed national borders and canceled all international flights in March last year. Since then, only Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts and highly-skilled workers are being allowed in with stringent conditions.

Vietnam Airlines had said earlier that it is awaiting approval from the U.S. government to launch regular direct flights to that country.

Vietnamese aviation authorities Wednesday proposed allowing vaccinated foreign passengers into the country from September without requiring centralized quarantine.
A protester gets her points across last month, outside the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, regarding proposed voting legislation in the state.

ALYSSA POINTER ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boao Forum expected to be largest onsite intl forum since outbreak

Chinadaily.com.cn) 09:05, April 01, 2021

(Xinhua Photo)

China will hold the largest onsite international forum in mid-April since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, as the virus has been controlled domestically. The event is expected to call on cooperation of Asian countries and reshape global growth in the post-pandemic era.

The 2021 Annual Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia is to be held from April 18 to 21 in Boao, a coastal county in South China's Hainan province. The theme of the annual conference is set as " A World in Change: Join Hands to Strengthen Global Governance and Advance Belt and Road Cooperation", its organizers said at a media conference on Tuesday.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the forum. As the organizers expect, it will be the world's first large-scale, onsite international conference with about 2,000 participants, thanks to the effective prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic by the host country.

According to Li Baodong, the forum's secretary-general, two Chinese state leaders will attend the conference and one will address the opening ceremony online. The other leader will participate onsite in a series of events, including a symposium for entrepreneurs from China and the United States.

Many other state leaders of foreign countries, former politicians and heads of international organizations, as well as a large number of guests from politics, business and academia, can join the conference online or onsite.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Bianji)
Subscriber content preview

Photo by MKA [enlarge] Amazons Seattle operations include these glass-and-steel spheres.





On its company blog Tuesday, Amazon said informally that office workers may begin returning to their desks later this year. Like most other tech companies and office tenants, its employees have mostly been in work-from-home mode since the pandemic struck. The WFH policy had previously been extended through June of this year.





. . .
Leading biotech firm will increase lab operations and manufacturing of real-time PCR testing solutions in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Netrality Data Centers announced today that Biomeme, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of portable, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing solutions, has selected Netralitys 401 North Broad Street for its new corporate headquarters. Situated in Philadelphias growing North Broad Street corridor, the 44,000 square foot space will house Biomemes laboratory, testing, manufacturing, fulfillment and office operations.



Netralitys 401 North Broad is the ideal home for our new headquarters. Were excited to expand our research and development, manufacturing and operations within Center City,  said Max Perelman, Co-Founder and Business Lead of Biomeme. Perelman also explained that Biomeme's expansion of device and assay manufacturing capacity at 401 North Broad will be enabled by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant of Three Million Dollars. This RACP grant will be administered by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget and the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development.

401 North Broad meets or exceeds all of the key requirements for our lab and manufacturing use, including heavy floor loading, wide column spacing, high ceilings, redundant electric utility feeds, ample available backup power, excellent mechanical systems including supply and exhaust air ventilation, secure loading docks and robust network connectivity," added Karen Griffith Gryga, Operations Lead of Biomeme.

The new facility will expand Biomemes production capacity for mobile RT-PCR devices, lyophilized and shelf-stable real-time PCR tests including their FDA emergency use authorized SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) test, and sample preparation products  which extract and purify DNA/RNA from a variety of different sample types.

Netrality is proud to bring Biomeme into our robust ecosystem of life science, digital health and tech-enabled companies that are uncovering cutting edge solutions, said Gerald M. Marshall, CEO of Netrality Data Centers. As the epicenter of connectivity in Philadelphia, Netrality provides the foundational elements for life sciences and biotech companies like Biomeme to access mission critical infrastructure and continuous uptime as they continue advancing healthcare technology, including the fight against COVID-19.

401 North Broad spans 11 stories and 1.3 million square feet. Amenities include an event space and conference rooms, large and modernized freight elevators, secure on-site parking, and a bike room with direct access to the bike lanes on 13th street.

CBREs Christian Dyer represented Netrality during the negotiations. Biomeme was represented by Gary Lozoff of Tactix Real Estate Advisors. To learn more about leasing opportunities at 401 North Broad, visit netrality.com.

About Biomeme

Biomeme was conceived and created to make the world a better place through the democratization of healthcare diagnostics. To that end, the company has created technology that empowers anyone, anywhere (including low-resource settings with minimal space, electricity, and equipment) with the capabilities of a molecular lab in the palm of their hands. Over the last nine years, Biomeme has grown a vertically integrated organization spanning specimen collection, sample prep, assay, and instrumentation R&D, PCR reagent lyophilization, hardware, and consumable manufacturing, as well as molecular diagnostic testing services. With the low cost, ease-of-use, and unparalleled field portability of the company's proprietary platform, Biomeme is uniquely poised to rapidly advance initiatives in emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19, as well as emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. For more information, including updates about the company's growing local workforce requirements, visit biomeme.com.

About Netrality Data Centers

Netrality owns and operates strategic interconnected data centers and meet me rooms, providing a mix of colocation, powered shell and wholesale data center solutions driven by fiber-dense, network-rich interconnection environments. Netrality today has six strategic data centers in five markets: 210 North Tucker and 900 Walnut in St. Louis, 1102 Grand in Kansas City, 1301 Fannin in Houston, 401 North Broad in Philadelphia, and 717 South Wells in Chicago. For more information: www.netrality.com, LinkedIn, Twitter.

Media contact:

Kelsey Dielman

Scratch M+M

484-883-8207

kelsey@scratchmm.com
Gangtok, April 1 : The army has rescued 450 tourists, including women and children, stuck near the India-China border in northern Sikkim, following a severe snowstorm, defence officials said on Thursday.

Defence spokesman Lt Col P. Khongsai said that in prompt action, soldiers rescued the tourists in 120 vehicles stuck amid sub-zero temperatures in the high reaches of Yongdi.

The tourists were rescued and vehicles evacuated by creating vehicle safe lane by clearing the snow, he added. The rescued people were provided medical support, though there were no major injuries among them.
Addition of Zade Zalatimo expands HPC's global coverage capabilities

Hunter Point Capital ("HPC"), an independent investment firm focused on taking minority stakes in middle-market alternative asset managers, announced today the appointment of Zade Zalatimo as an Operating Partner. Based in Dubai, Mr. Zalatimo will lead HPC's capital formation and institutional investor relations across the Middle East.

Mr. Zalatimo was previously a Senior Executive Officer of Carlyle MENA, responsible for leading The Carlyle Group's fundraising efforts in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, and oversaw the firm's relationships with family offices, endowments, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds in the region.

"We are pleased to welcome Zade to Hunter Point Capital's growing team of experienced professionals," said Avi Kalichstein, CEO of Hunter Point Capital. "Zade's established network of relationships and capital formation experience across the Middle East will deepen HPC's global investor relations and fundraising capabilities."

Mr. Zalatimo added, "It is a privilege to join the Hunter Point Capital team during this period of rapid strategic growth. I am excited to help expand the firm's presence across the Middle East and help educate regional institutions about Hunter Point's unique offering of value-added services for GPs."

Prior to his time at The Carlyle Group, Mr. Zalatimo was a partner with Investcorp and CEO of Investcorp Saudi Arabia, responsible for the strategic direction and deliverables of the business. Mr. Zalatimo started his career in finance at Lehman Brothers as an associate in the Capital Markets Program. He holds a B.A. in Political Economy from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

For more information, please visit https://www.hunterpointcapital.com/ and for inquiries, please contact info@hunterpointcapital.com.

About Hunter Point Capital, LLC

Hunter Point Capital (HPC) is an independent investment firm seeking minority stakes in middle-market alternative asset managers in private equity, credit, real estate and infrastructure strategies around the world. Launched in 2020 and headquartered in New York, HPC provides its partners with value-added capabilities, including strategic advice, LP capital formation, and other enterprise-enhancing services. For more information, visit https://www.hunterpointcapital.com/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006069/en/

Contacts:

David Wells Catherine Johnson

Prosek Partners

212.279.3115

dwells@prosek.com /cjohnson@prosek.com
Two weeks ago, TPG's Rise Fund invested $200 million in Airtel Mobile Commerce BV (AMC BV) -- the mobile money business of telecom Airtel Africa. After closing the deal, the Bharti Airtel subsidiary noted that it was still in discussions to sell additional minority stake (25% of the issued share capital) to more potential investors.

Today, it has announced a new investor -- global payments provider Mastercard -- in a deal that will see Airtel Africa receive an additional $100 million for its mobile money business. AMC BV -- which operates one of the largest financial services in the continent, giving users access to mobile wallet, support for international money transfer, loan and virtual credit card -- is valued at $2.65 billion.

The two firms are no stranger to one another. In 2019, they inked a deal that enabled Airtel Africa's 100 million subscribers in 14 nations access to Mastercard's global network. (That partnership didn't see any money exchange between Mastercard and Airtel Africa.)

Airtel Africa and Mastercard said today they have "extended commercial agreements and signed a new commercial framework which will deepen their partnerships across numerous geographies and areas including card issuance, payment gateway, payment processing, merchant acceptance and remittance solutions, amongst others."

AMC BV's $2.65 billion valuation on a cash and debt-free basis remains unchanged from the last time. This means TPG's Rise Fund and Mastercard will own 7.55% and 3.775.% stake respectively upon the completion of their deals. For Mastercard, the transaction will close in two tranches  $75 million invested at first close (which will be finalized in the next four months), and $50 million to be invested at the second close.

By selling off a minority stake in the mobile money business to The Rise Fund, Mastercard and other potential investors, the telecom operator believes it can raise enough cash to monetize its mobile money business and pursue a possible listing in four years.

Story continues

In addition to receiving investments from TPG's Rise Fund and Mastercard, Airtel Africa has begun selling off some assets as well. Last week, the company sold 1,424 telecommunications towers in Madagascar and Malawi to Helios Towers for $119 million. Both Helios and Airtel Africa also agreed to trade tower assets in Chad and Gabon, although the details remain undisclosed.

These efforts are geared toward the company's pursuit of strategic asset monetisation, investment opportunities and, ultimately, debt reduction.

"With today's announcement, we are pleased to welcome Mastercard as an investor in our mobile money business, joining The Rise Fund, which we announced two weeks ago," CEO of Airtel Africa, Raghunath Mandava said of the investment.

"This is a continuation of our strategy to increase the minority shareholding in our mobile money business with the further intention to list this business within four years. We are significantly strengthening our existing strategic relationship with Mastercard to help us realise the full potential from the substantial opportunity to improve financial inclusion across our countries of operation."
LOnion Rouge touts discretion (despite the new signage) and intimate gathering sizes as a newly (re)opened bordello  which better accommodates restrictive public health orders, anyway, the new ownership says.
By Yun Byung-se





"It is peace for our time, peace with honor," British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared to jubilant crowds in London upon his return from Munich on Sept. 30, 1938. Early that morning, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy had signed an agreement in Munich. It allowed Hitler's Germany to annex Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia.



Czechoslovakia had no choice but to swallow it. This agreement fell apart in less than a year, when Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939. As Winston Churchill had warned Chamberlain, it ended up with a "war and dishonor." For this reason, the Munich Agreement became a byword for the futility of unprincipled appeasement policies ever since.



History repeated itself when the Paris Peace Accords were signed on Jan. 27, 1973, by representatives of North and South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, and the U.S. Reunification "through peaceful means" was a key element of the accords.



It took only two months before hostilities resumed. Just two years later, the deal collapsed along with South Vietnam under North Vietnam's offensives in April 1975. President Nixon's promise for "peace with honor" ended up with "armed conflicts and dishonor." April 30 became the "Day of Infamy" as well as the reunification day.



In both occasions, even bogus peace was short-lived, to put it mildly. It was anything but genuine and lasting, and far from peace.



The Korean Peninsula has accumulated its own archive of fleeting peace deals and nuclear deals between South and North Korea as well as among the regional parties.



As to the nuclear deals, more than seven deals were signed but fell apart each time due to non-compliance by North Korea. Their life-cycles range from about two months to eight years with some in indefinite hibernation. The latest deal, the Singapore Joint Statement between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in June 2018, is awaiting the verdict of the Biden administration.



Other preceding peace deals between the two Koreas, as well as between Washington and Pyongyang, are mostly things of the past. Some of them, including the most praised Basic Agreement between the two Koreas of 1992, are defunct, while recent ones have little or no prospect of progress in the foreseeable future.



Paradoxically, the longest serving agreement in this regard is the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, which has maintained the semblance of peace for the last seven decades despite countless violations by North Korea, leaving the prospect of any permanent peace agreement with a big question mark.



Very soon, the Biden administration will announce the final outcome of its policy review. During his press conference in Seoul, Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked that both pressure options and the potential for future diplomacy would be included in the review.



Regarding future diplomacy, some U.S. opinion makers are now suggesting interim deals of some kind. The Biden team may not rush to take such suggestions, especially when North Korea is testing U.S. resolve again with new rounds of missile provocations. Nevertheless, diplomacy is expected to be one tool for North Korea policy.



As to whether to push for another deal with North Korea or not, however, there is a big divide both in South Korea and the U.S. in light of the endless non-compliance and cheating by North Korea. It begs a key question. Do we have the resolve and commitment to make a sustainable good deal to match our principles of denuclearized peace? Or should we be resigned to a bad deal that may bring transient peace but legitimize a nuclearized North Korea?



In close consultation with the U.S. in 1994, South Korea finally went along with the Geneva Agreed Framework signed by the U.S. and North Korea. But then-President Kim Young-sam, rightly or wrongly, criticized this deal as naive and half-baked until the last minute and predicted it would "bring more danger and peril." The collapse of the framework in 2002 and the ensuing second North Korean nuclear crisis proved his instinct right, though not necessarily his reasoning.



The fateful "Leap Day Deal" of 2012 set a new record as the shortest-ever U.S.-North Korea deal with a life of just two months. U.S. trauma therefrom lingered for quite a long while with the so-called negotiation fatigue, prolonging its policy of strategic patience, until another controversial joint statement in Singapore in June 2018.



Fortunately, President Trump was saved from winning another disgraceful title of becoming a signatory to a small deal of "no peace and dishonor," that could have almost decoupled the security of decades-long allies. His negotiators' tough demands for a more comprehensive bargain led to no deal, to the shock of Chairman Kim.



If President Biden sticks to his principled position of denuclearization of North Korea and if Kim does not change his course, Kim might not ever meet his new U.S. counterpart and have to be content with reminiscing on the good old days of the "Last Tango in Singapore" with Trump.



After the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975, President Gerald Ford issued a regretful statement: "History must be the final judge of that which we have done or left undone, in Vietnam and elsewhere. Let us calmly await its verdict."

South Korea, allied to the U.S., is no comparison for South Vietnam of the 1970s or Czechoslovakia of the 1930s. However, both South Korea and the U.S. should learn from the lessons of history to avoid policy mistakes, especially in the second nuclear age with the possibility of a nuclear conflict.



What the Biden administration will have done or left undone in the coming months and years together with its allies, including through a new North Korea policy, will also be given a verdict by history. I am sure that his team will be on the right side of history, keeping the "peace and honor."





Yun Byung-se is former foreign minister of South Korea. He is now a board member of the Korea Peace Foundation and a member of several ex-global leaders' forums and task forces, including the Astana Forum and its Consultative Council as well as the Task Force on U.S. Allies and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation sponsored by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.


DUBLIN, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Specialty Fertilizers Market by Type (UAN, CAN, MAP, Potassium Sulfate, and Potassium Nitrate), Application Method (Soil, Foliar, and Fertigation), Form (Dry and Liquid), Crop Type, Technology, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global specialty fertilizers market is estimated to be valued at USD37.6 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 51.3 billion by 2025, recording a CAGR of 6.4%.

Factors such as the growing demand for high-efficiency fertilizers, the adoption of precision farming and protected agriculture, increasing environmental concerns, and rapid growth in greenhouse vegetable production are projected to drive the growth of this market.



The urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN)segment is projected to be the largest segment, by type, in the specialty fertilizers market during the forecast period.



UAN is gaining more popularity among liquid fertilizers, as it can be mixed with pesticides, herbicides, growth regulators, and other nutrients, thereby allowing farmers to reduce costs. Solutions of UAN are widely used as a source of nitrogen for plant nutrition. These solutions are extremely versatile as a source of plant nutrition. Due to its chemical properties, UAN is compatible with many other nutrients and agricultural chemicals and is frequently mixed with solutions containing phosphorus, potassium, and other essential plant nutrients.



The cereals & grains segment is projected to account for the largest market during the forecast period.



By crop type, the specialty fertilizer market is segmented into cereals & grains, oilseeds & pulses, fruits & vegetables, turf & ornamentals, and other segments. The dominance of the cereals & grains segment is attributed to the increasing consumption of liquid fertilizers for these crops, particularly in the Asian and North American countries.

In addition, due to the increasing demand for crops, such as corn, wheat, rice, and sorghum, across various industries, the consumption of crop protection chemicals is projected to increase for improving the yield of these cereals.

Due to these factors, the segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share in the specialty fertilizer market for the cereals & grains segment, majorly due to the high production of crops, including corn, wheat, and rice, in the US, China, India, and Japan.



The coated & encapsulated segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



By technology, the specialty fertilizer market is segmented into slow-release, N-stabilizers, coated & encapsulated, and chelated. Coated & encapsulated specialty fertilizers are conventional soluble fertilizer materials with increasingly available nutrients, which after granulation, prilling, or crystallization, are given a protective (water-insoluble) coating to control the water penetration, thereby affecting the rate of dissolution and the nutrient release.

The adoption of these fertilizers is increasing in the global market, particularly in China, the US, Japan, Canada, and Western Europe, due to the growing awareness about the benefits associated with coated fertilizers and government support provided by the nation, in terms of subsidies and policy amendments. Due to these factors, the segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



The Asia Pacific market is estimated to account for the largest market share due to the rapid adoption of advanced technologies for improving the yield of crops in the region.



According to the FAOSTAT, the Asia Pacific region contributed to more than 60% of the global population in 2017, with China and India being two of the most populous countries in the world. Hence, the increase in food demand from this region has led to a surge in the use of specialty fertilizers.

The growth rate of the Japanese market is also projected to be high as compared to that of the other regions, due to the adoption of precise and advanced systems for farming, as well as controlled-environment agriculture. There are more global players in the market that are focusing on entering the Asia Pacific region through the adoption of strategies, such as mergers & acquisitions or partnerships.

The Asia Pacific market is projected to grow at the highest rate due to the increase in demand from countries, such as India and China. The high cost of these fertilizers is a key factor inhibiting the growth of the Asia Pacific market.

Market Overview

Macroindicators

Rising Market Demand for High-Value Crops

Limited Availability of Arable Land

Market Dynamics

Drivers

The Need for High-Efficiency Fertilizers

Uniform Nutrient Application

Rising Environmental Concerns to Encourage the Adoption of Specialty Fertilizers

Increasing Adoption of Precision Farming Technology

Restraints

Growth of the Organic Fertilizers Industry

Cost Ineffectiveness

Opportunities

Strong Growth in Emerging Economies

Growing Nutrient Deficiency and Rising Importance of Specialty Nutrients

Challenges

Lack of Awareness Among Farmers

Limited Adoption of Controlled-Release Technology

COVID-19 Impact Analysis of Specialty Fertilizers Market

Leading players profiled in this report

Nutrien, Ltd. ( Canada )

) Yara International ASA ( Norway )

) Israel Chemical Ltd. ( Israel )

) K+S Aktiengesellschaft ( Germany )

) Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM) ( Chile )

(SQM) ( ) The Mosaic Company (US)

EuroChem Group ( Switzerland )

) CF Industries Holdings, Inc.(US)

OCP Group ( Morocco )

) OCI Nitrogen ( Netherlands )

) Wilbur-Ellis (US), Compass Minerals (US)

Kugler (US), Haifa Group ( Israel )

) COMPO Expert GmbH ( Germany )

) AgroLiquid (US)

Plant Food Company, Inc. (US)

Coromandel International Ltd ( India )

) Deepak Fertilizers & Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd. ( India )

) Nufarm ( Australia ), and Brandt (US)

), and Brandt (US) ZuariAgro Chemicals Ltd ( India )

) Valagro spa ( Italy )

) AgrozonAgro ( India )

) Koch Industries (US)

Kingenta ( China )

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fv89ck

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Despite being more than halfway through the experiment, Married At First Sight's Jake Edwards confessed on Tuesday's episode that he and 'wife' Beck Zemek had yet to consummate their relationship.

Jake, 33, told his fellow grooms the pair hadn't been intimate at all, and had only starting 'kissing and making out' a week earlier.

In November, around the time these scenes were being filmed, Daily Mail Australia spotted the newlyweds at a cafe in Sydney's CBD.

Scroll down for video

Sighting: Married At First Sight's Jake Edwards and Beck Zemek looked tense on a coffee run during filming in November, after he admitted on the show they were yet to consummate their relationship. Pictured at a cafe in Sydney's CBD

The pair didn't hold hands while making the brief trip from their inner-city apartment for some takeaway coffee.

Beck, 27, put on a leggy display in a short T-shirt dress and white hotel slippers.

The couple, who are no longer together since filming the show, appeared to share a tense conversation inside the cafe.

Beck pursed her lips and furrowed her brow at times, while Jake looked agitated as he took off his cap and ran his fingers through his hair.

Is everything okay? The couple, who are no longer together since filming the show, appeared to share a tense conversation inside the cafe

Legs eleven: Beck, 27, put on a leggy display in a short T-shirt dress and white hotel slippers

They later left the venue with coffees and some baked goods in brown paper bags.

Jake, who was wearing camouflage pants and a band T-shirt, followed Beck out of the precinct as they headed back to their nearby apartment.

Despite having just had a rather tense exchange, Jake and Beck shared a few smiles as they walked side by side.

Distant: The pair didn't hold hands while making the brief trip from their inner-city apartment for some takeaway coffee

Jake was chatting to the boys during a drinking session on Tuesday's episode when he admitted he and Beck had not yet consummated their marriage.

A shocked Johnny Balbuziente asked: 'So you haven't had sex yet?' Jake replied: 'Nothing. We just started, like, kissing a week ago, mate.'

He added that he hoped it would happen soon, telling the group: 'I have to say to her, "Look, you're gonna have to take the lead." I wanna take the next step. I will have that chat - the sooner, the better.'

While the men were surprised by Jake's revelation, fans watching at home weren't, with many saying it was obvious Beck was just not that into him.

Feeling better? Despite having just had a rather tense exchange, Jake and Beck shared a few smiles as they left the venue

Will they? Jake was chatting to the boys during a drinking session on Tuesday's episode when he admitted he and Beck had not yet consummated their marriage

Meanwhile, it seems Jake is well and truly over trying to hide his post-show relationship with Gold Coast personal trainer Sophie Guidolin.

Despite the fact he's still with Beck on the Nine show - which was filmed months ago - Jake was spotted enjoying a breakfast date with Sophie in Brisbane on Saturday.

Married At First Sight continues Monday from 7.30pm on Channel Nine
Western Australias mining industry was staring down the barrel of what it thought could be annihilation in March last year.

But fast forward 12 months and the sector is rocketing, officially hiring more people than at the peak of the mining boom in 2013.

Iron ore has been a major driver in the resources sectors success. Credit: FMG

Figures for 2020 released by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety on Thursday reveal the extraordinary resilience of the mining sector, which has been boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic rather than hindered by it.

After a shaky March and April miners hit their straps by July, resulting in average employment of 113,056 full-time jobs for the year  and 141,000 total people employed  and blowing past the previous record of just under 110,000 full-time equivalents set in 2013.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent a note of protest to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a call to investigate the anti-Ukrainian action near the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow on March 30 and 31.

The relevant statement by Ukrainian diplomats was made public on Thursday.

"On March 30 and 31 in Moscow, unknown persons pasted posters with photographs of the embassy's diplomats and offensive comments on the fences in front of the building of the Ukrainian Embassy in the Russian Federation. Damage was also caused to the official car of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission, which was parked in the city," the ministry said in the statement.

It also said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers this provocation as another gross violation by Russia of the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which contains the obligations of the receiving party to prevent any disturbance to the peace of diplomatic missions or insult their dignity, to provide guarantees of security, immunity and respect for the diplomatic agent.

"We demand that the Russian side take urgent measures to conduct a thorough investigation of what happened, bring those responsible to justice, prevent such actions in the future and ensure conditions for the personal safety and immunity of Ukrainian diplomats in the Russian Federation," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
Infamous Brothers 4 Life founder Bassam Hamzy has been charged over the murder of a 15-year-old boy.

The convicted killer, 42, was arrested by NSW Police Strike Force Raptor detectives in his jail cell at the Goulburn's Supermax Prison on Wednesday morning.

Brayden Dillon was shot in an 'execution-style' killing while sleeping in his home in Glenfield, in Sydney's south-west, on Good Friday 2017.

Brayden Dillon (pictured) was shot in an 'execution-style' killing while sleeping in his Glenfield home, in Sydney's southwest on Good Friday in 2017

Police were called to the home at 6.10am on April 14 after intruders forced their way into the teenager's bedroom room and shot him in the head.

The triggerman Conrad Craig was jailed for at least 30 years for the shocking and callous murder.

Brothers 4 Life associate Abdul Abu-Mahmoud was also found guilty of murder for organising and financing the shooting.

The NSW Supreme Court heard the notorious underworld figure masterminded the hit as payback for the death of his nephew Adam Abu-Mahmoud.

Brayden's brother Joshua was ruled to have knifed Adam in self defence during a 2016 street brawl in Panania, southwest Sydney.

Craig was originally set to testify against Abu-Mahmoud during the trial but sensationally changed his testimony on the witness stand alleging Bassam Hamzy plotted the killing from behind bars.

Infamous Brothers 4 Life founder Bassam Hamzy (pictured) has been charged over the murder of a 15-year-old boy

The convicted killer, 42, was arrested by NSW Police Strike Force Raptor detectives in his jail cell at the Goulburn's Supermax Prison (pictured) on Wednesday morning

Hamzy was questioned by police about the case in 2019.

'From day one, Mr Hamzy has disputed any involvement in the Brayden Dillon murder,' Hamzy's lawyer Mohammad Khan told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'He maintains that position and the charges will be defended.'

The underworld figure is currently serving a 40-year sentence for a litany of serious crimes.

He will appear in Goulburn Local Court via video link on May 19.

Hamzy, is charged with acting with intent to pervert the course of justice and participating in a criminal group.

The gangland kingpin is now the eighth person charged in relation to Brayden's death.

Conrad Craig (pictured) admitted to being the triggerman in the murder of Brayden and was jailed for at least 30 years for the shocking and callous murder

Police said his arrest comes as part of a wider police operation targeting organised crime figures in correctional facilities.

'A number of inmates cells were searched with the assistance Corrective Services NSW,' police said.

'During the Raptor Squad operation, which was carried out with the assistance of Corrective Services NSW, officers located contraband items including a prohibited drug, found in a cell at a correctional facility at Parklea.

'Police are speaking with a 26-year-old male inmate and charges are expected to be laid later today.

Inquiries are continuing into the case.
A probe into the murder of National Lands Commission (NLC) official Jennifer Wambua has taken a new twist after detectives established money was withdrawn from her bank account prior to her death.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) discovered that Sh2 million was withdrawn from her account two days before she went missing.

The money was part of some Sh2.7 million that NLC had wired to Wambuas account to pay for supplies of goods and services offered during the launch of the 2021-2026 strategic plan for the commission.

Wambua, who was the deputy director of communication at NLC, was in charge of the launch which was commissioned on March 5.

Detectives handling the case say suppliers claimed that they have not been paid.

The investigators are now trying to establish whether Wambuas death was linked to the money.

Officers are also looking into the 58 calls that were made to Wambuas mobile phone days and hours before her death.

Among those who called her on the day of her death was her pastor who police say talked to her for long.

Wambuas husband Joseph Komu, who was questioned for two days, told police that the pastor in question was close to Wambua and had been praying for her.

No arrests have been made as Wambuas family said it was losing hope of getting justice due to a lack of substantial progress in the first two weeks of the investigation.
Memories of a meditative Easter in Bratislava

The deep silence of Christs death night made me want to forget history, writes former Fulbright scholar and author Andrew Giarelli.

I returned to Bratislava from Prague on Palm Sunday with a cold and was not fully well on Zeleny stvrtok, Green Thursday. Still, I walked to the university to tape English words for two hours with Rado, my phoneticist office mate.

When I returned home, I resumed reading Patrick Leigh Fermors A Time of Gifts, his memoir of a 1934 walk across Europe. I had meant to follow him along the Danube during my first week in Vienna back in January and arrive with him in Bratislava by February, but I had abandoned him somewhere between Munich and Salzburg.

Related article: Looking for hidden Easter eggs is not the Slovaks cup of tea Read more

I joined him again as I stretched on the bed under the light Tesco polyester comforter, doubling up the pillow for a headrest. What luxury! I reached Linz, Hitlers hometown, with Fermor and drifted asleep, waking to struggle through his description of the Danube School of artists, imagining paintings I had never seen.

1. Apr 2021 at 17:43 | Andrew Giarelli
opinion

My 11-year-old son, Habakkuk, was at it yet again--talking beyond his age. "Dad, this road is so fresh and beautiful. Is it [President] George Weah who built it?" he quipped, eyes apparently still marveling at the deep black tarmac road running fast beneath us as we drove on. Like many kids and most Liberians, he called him, simply, George Weah.

I was concentrating on something else as we drove on the newly built Johnsonville pavement. He did not get an answer. But Habakkuk knew the condition of the route on which we were riding. We had plied that same route before. At that time, the road was then worse than any Southeastern road or any provincial road in the raining season. Johnsonville road was a complete and clear catastrophe. It was a total disgrace to modern man.

When I could not respond to him immediately, Habakkuk, as his nature is, pestered me more: "I was asking whether it is [President] George Weah who built this road."

At this point, the answer came smoothly and calmly--perhaps proudly. "Yes, it's President Weah who built it," I said with a smile as our eyes caught up briefly. And he returned a smile.

"Why did you ask?" I asked.

"He must be crazy for development, dad," Habakkuk said firmly.

Chills ran through my spine hearing this very young, innocent mind say that. But acting like I did not hear him again, I almost yelled, "What? Say that again!"

Perhaps feeling that I had a problem, like I was uncomfortable with his use of the word 'crazy', he almost recoiled. "Sorry for the use of the word crazy, but I meant to say George Weah likes to make things look fine too much."

He continued: "I am saying so because I also saw a video on mom's phone the other day with new street lights in the night and a lot of people were dancing, saying it was [President] George Weah who provided it. The areas I saw in the video were looking very fine in the night. And someone said the President will soon bring street lights to Johnsonville, too."

To assure the lad that he was not rude in the use of "crazy" in talking about President Weah's passion for development", I hastened to tell him this: "You are not wrong at all, my son, in using the word 'crazy'. In fact, I am thinking about the craziest word to use because the President we have now in this country is more than crazy for development. In fact, he is mad for development.

How can a Liberian President, who has not gone four years in office, be so anxious, so intentional, so speedy, so sleepless, and so restless about making this long backward country move forward like other countries and making people so happy, so peaceful and so relaxing?

Give him the US$15billion that came into the country shortly after the civil conflict. Make him President of the 'Growth without Development' epoch when Liberia's per capital income toppled the wild world. Can anyone imagine what would happen to this country if we had a 'development crazy" president, a leader who says what he does and does what he says; a president who feels instantly itchy and attracted to cries and woes of indigent people and communities? Can anyone imagine how Liberia--from Cape Mount to Cape Palmas, from Montserrado to Lofa would look like in three years, not to mention six years?

Watching President Weah closely interact with rural Liberians, from Bong to Grand Kru through Nimba, Grand Gedeh, River Gee and Maryland, then from Bomi to Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount unequivocally confirms that Liberia has had no such president like President Weah who's so exceedingly passionate, enflamed and crazy, to borrow from Habakkuk, for tangible, speedy transformation of Liberia.

And the problem with President Weah's itchiness about development is that he's not just obsessive with building roads all over the place, as one would see in Johnsonville, Duahn Town and Tusa Field and Pipe Line.

The President is at the same time building market buildings here and there, almost every community now feeling the impact of modern, state-of-the-art market halls. Everywhere one turns, the noises of hammers, zincs and cement mixers are heard.

Sleepless nights actually is about how the impoverished majority of Liberians are feeling the pains and discomfort of living in dilapidated homes, homes that resemble those of Stone Age people--leaking roofs, mud and bamboo walls, ceiling-less houses--the President moves with deliberate speed to build concrete houses replete with bathrooms, kitchens and living-rooms for poor Liberians who have not known decent homes all their lives before.

Not only is he moving with deliberate speed, he is also spreading the benefit of good, modern homes to every nook and corner of Liberia. Slum communities are seeing finished, painted and colorful houses cropping up before their eyes.

And lest one forgets, as roads are being built connecting communities and cities, with ambitious plans for many including inter-country superhighways, WAEC/WASSCE fees are also being paid yearly for all Liberian students facing those public exams, including private school students. Special tutorial classes are being fully funded for the beneficiary of students.

At the same time, millions of dollars have been spent to make public universities and colleges free, not to mention the first ever electronic registration portal for students at the University of Liberia. Amid cheers and celebrations in nine rural counties already visited, the President plans to build vocation and technical schools in communities distant from those facilities.

At the same time, while street lights are being installed at break neck speed, costing millions, and vibrant electricity grid is being commisioned reaching more homes and communities in Monrovia and its environs, there also is the President going crazy again planting solar lights in almost every community so far visited.

And he is moving with utmost speed re-budding and expanding the long-forgotten agriculture sector. Concretizing this, a big agriculture fair will take place soon this year besides the one held recently in Gbarnga, Bong County. The President has just issued orders to Heads of line ministries and agencies to begin communal mechanized farming this year in nearly all counties.

Indeed, the President hardly goes to bed comfortably, as he's preoccupied with pressing donors and other stakeholders to hasten with ongoing bidding processes for the Southeastern corridor roads to start this year.

With all these also comes restless anxiousness to improve the health sector. While John F. Kennedy Hospital has got ample facelift in terms of rehabilitation works, pushing dozens of doctors for specialized training amongst many other things, including the recent installation of the country's first dialysis. Liberia's first ever state-of-the-art hospital for the armed forces and paramilitary is already complete.

Another huge hospital complex, the new Redemption Hospital, is nearly complete, while groundbreaking has already taken place for a similar modern facility on the Western flank of Liberia, in Gbarpolu. Meanwhile, there is also restlessness to contain COVID-19, as the country is widely praised internationally for its incredible handling of the pandemic.

The list of development initiatives, both completed and ongoing within three years and earmarked to be completed in six years, and a litany of projects broken ground for during the first two nationwide tours, is long for a single commentary. It calls for a 300-page yearbook.

But the point being made here is that Liberians and friends of Liberia did not see this level of intentional craziness for development in the past. Yes, there were attempts, or say efforts in the past, by one administration or the other to undertake some aspects of development or another and at one time or the other.

Absolutely, there is no reason to discredit any one or the other on this. But the undisputed true is what is currently ongoing in this country, and under the watch of the 24th President of this Republic, in terms of development and transformation strides in just three years, is utterly stunning and crazy. Bundling up all and every development need at once, and doing so in a measured, deliberate, hasty and skillful way, and for all counties and communities, is stunningly rare and unprecedented in history.

What makes this President's courage for rapid development more inconceivable and crazy is this--toting the responsibility of building more paved roads, more decent housing units for the poor, many huge hospitals, countless decent market halls, driving away long time darkness away with lightening of streets, expanding electricity, providing free college education and free public examinations, etc.-is not only because everything is being done at the same time and with unusual speed. It is also because this is happening when the country's breadbasket or revenue regime is now at its lowest.

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The economists will admit, and say all this is happening when the value and taste for Liberia's traditional sources of revenue such as iron ore, rubber, timber, etc. on the international market have grossly diminished. They will say, for instance, that what has got things a bit buoyant during the decade and half that followed the end of civil war--the period between 2003 and 2017--was the huge presence of foreign forces on the ground, the massive international goodwill and the excuse of 'we are just from war'.

But with all the advantages and opportunities of yesteryears nearly dried up--former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai would say "squandered"--it is expected that the Liberian economy would emaciate and get malnourished. And it would also be expected that the Government which bumped into the raging drought would decide to pick and choose, and even downplay some development needs and just simply shrug full commitment towards speedy national transformative developments.

Let it be made clear, The President and his people are not saints. They are not blameless. Can they do even better? Yes? But something is however indisputable: For this Government, and mainly for this President, and under the prevailing famine-shrouded social, economic and political circumstances, bundling up and toting on his chest all the critical development needs of this 173-year-old nation in just a short time, and with few available resources, and meeting those needs concretely and speedily without complaining and without making excuses is totally insanely, crazily humane, patriotic and presidentially called for.

One can understand why kids like Habakkuk would say rather divinely that the President is crazy for development.

The big question is, if all this is happening in just two or three years, can one guess what can possibly happen in six or 12 years?
About 24 hours after it was declared missing, the Nigerian Air Force Alpha Jet is yet to be found.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the fighter jet went missing on Wednesday in the insurgency-ravaged Borno State in North-east Nigeria.

The spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet, said the fighter jet lost contact with the radar in Borno State earlier that day.

Mr Gabkwet, an air commodore, said the plane disappeared while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops. He said the mission was part of the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in the North-east.

The loss of radar contact occurred at about 5:08 pm on 31 March 2021, he said.

Details of the whereabouts of the aircraft or likely cause of contact loss are still sketchy but will be relayed to the general public as soon as they become clear. Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

No update

More than 24 hours after it was declared missing, the Nigerian Air Force is yet to give an update on the whereabouts of the aircraft.

Efforts by this newspaper to reach Mr Gabkwet for an update on the incident were unsuccessful as he neither responded to telephone calls nor text messages.

An intelligence source who told PR Nigeria, an online newspaper, which reports mainly security issues, that bad weather could be blamed for the missing jet.

Though no trace of the wreckage has been found, bad and hazy weather has been a stumbling block lately in the military operation. The trained combat pilots have always responded to distress calls and emergency situations in the protection of troops and the citizens from activities of terrorists in the North-east.

We are still investigating and trying to find out what actually happened to the missing Alpha jet. Search and rescue operations have been intensified. But unfortunately, we are yet to see any trace of the jet in the forest areas we have combed, across Borno State.

The newspaper also reported that the Chief of Air Staff, Oladayo Amao, arrived Maiduguri Thursday morning over the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

He was quoted to have told the officers and men to remain undeterred and resolute in their commitment to ensuring that peace returns to the North-east.

The latest aircraft incident comes weeks after another Air Force aircraft, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i, crashed after reporting engine failure on its way to Minna, Niger State.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the plane was heading to that destination to conduct surveillance missions over Niger State and its environs in connection with the efforts to secure the release of the students/staff abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State.

That February 21 crash led to the death of Haruna Gadzama, a flight lieutenant, (Captain), Henry Piyo, a flight liutenant (Co-Pilot), Micheal Okpara, a flying officer (Airborne Tactical Observation System (ATOS) Specialist), Bassey Etim, a warrant officer (ATOS Specialist), Olasunkanmi Olawunmi, a flight sergeant (ATOS Specialist), Ugochukwu Oluka a sergeant (ATOS Specialist) and Adewale Johnson, an aircraftman (Onboard Technician).

The Nigerian Air Force is involved in the anti-insurgency operation in the North-east as well as in the onslaught against bandits in the North-west and North-central geopolitical zones, providing reconnaissance intelligence and aerial covers for ground troops.

The Force also engages in bombardment of terrorists enclaves from time to time.

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Two states, and the Covid race

The United States is in a perilous race between vaccinating residents as quickly as possible and succumbing to a new wave of infections driven by the faster-spreading variants.

Nationally, the number of cases has begun to tick up again, even as the vaccination campaign has quickened and the country is approaching universal eligibility for all adults. Two states  Michigan and Maryland  show the issues on both sides of the struggle.

Michigan is giving the country a glimpse at the threat of the new surge, as the state is facing one of the most alarming outbreaks in the country. Cases have soared to more than 5,600 a day from about 1,000 in late February. The nations top five metro areas in recent cases per capita are all in Michigan: Jackson, Detroit, Flint, Lansing and Monroe. The states hospital system is being stretched thin as the number of coronavirus patients has doubled in the last month, to more than 2,200.

Health officials attribute the rise in cases in part to the B.1.1.7 variant, which is widespread in Michigan. But they also say that relaxing virus regulations, mask-wearing and social distancing has played a role. Restaurants are busy, and crowds of people gather unmasked in hotel lobbies and bars.
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) jumped 4.24% to Rs 1037 after the company said it recorded revenue in excess of Rs 22,700 crore for the financial year ended on 31 March 2021, in spite of the COVID-19 disruptions.

The corresponding figure for the previous year stood at Rs 21,438 crore. The company has posted a revenue growth of around 6% in FY 2020-21 thanks to the improved productivity after suspending the operations for one month in the beginning of the year.

R. Madhavan, CMD, HAL, said that the year 2020-21 was significant in terms of securing the largest ever defence contract of 83 LCA MK-IA by an Indian company. This helped the company surpass the order book position in excess of Rs 80,000 crore. The record revenue was achieved with the help of production of 41 new helicopters/aircraft, 102 new engines, overhaul of 198 aircraft/helicopters and 506 engines, he added.

The company's cash flow position has improved significantly with improved budget allocation from defence customers and it stands in excess of Rs 34,000 crore including advance payment of around Rs 5,400 crore for 83 LCA MK1A contract. This helped HAL to liquidate all its borrowings availed from the banks.

The company has ended the year with a positive cash balance of around Rs 6,700 crore as against borrowings of Rs. 5,775 crore as on 31 March 2020.

HAL has taken various cost cutting and austerity measures during the year that include indigenisation of various components, increasing outsourcing efforts and rationalisation of manpower which is expected to facilitate the Company to register a double digit growth in the Profit After Tax (PAT).

Considering the anticipated growth in profits, HAL paid an interim dividend of Rs 30 per share during the current financial year representing 300% on the face value of Rs 10 per share.

HAL is engaged in carrying out design, development, manufacture, repair and overhaul of aircraft, helicopter, engines and related systems like avionics, instruments and accessories primarily serving Indian defence programme.

On a consolidated basis, the company reported 85.3% jump in net profit to Rs 853.46 crore on 21.8% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 5,425.46 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Joe Biden held his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday, where he announced Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and four others will take the lead to selling his $2 trillion infrastructure plan to Congress and the American people.

Biden was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and his 23 Cabinet-level officials at a socially distanced meeting in the East Room of the White House. The officials were spread out around long tables that made a square formation in the room.

The meeting lasted two hours.

The focus of the president's remarks was his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, which includes proposals to spend $174 billion on electric vehicles and inject huge funds into projects that prevent community violence, improve bike and pedestrian safety, and create a 'Civilian Climate Corps.'

Joining Buttigieg in selling the plan will be Energy Secretary Jennifer Grandholm Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

President Joe Biden held his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday with officials socially distanced in the East Room of the White House

Biden spoke about his $2 trillion infrastructure plan

Biden announced Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (right) and four others will take the lead to selling his infrastructure plan

Biden said the five Cabinet officials will 'represent me in dealing with Congress, engage the public in selling the plan, and help work out the details.'

Participants in President Biden's first Cabinet Meeting - Vice President Kamala Harris - Secretary of State Antony Blinken - Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin - Attorney General Merrick Garland - Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland - Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack - Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo - Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh - Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge - Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg - Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm - Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough - Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas - Environmental Protection Administrator Michael Regan - U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai - Administrator of the Small Business Administration Isabel Guzman - Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines - Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Cecilia Rouse - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield - Acting Director Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young - Chief of Staff Ron Klain Advertisement

White House press secretary Jen Psaki expanded on their roles in her press briefing.

'They will be in charge of communicating with the public, communicating with Congress, communicating with mayors and governors, having discussions about different components of the bill, whether it's broadband or different infrastructure components,' she said.

She said the administration would like to see Congress pass the infrastructure plan by summer although she declined to get into the specifics of how that should happen.

Most Republican critics of the plan have focused on its tax hikes, while singling out its push for green infrastructure.

To pay for the plan, Biden is calling for tax hikes like an increase in the corporate rate, although even after a period of 15 years they would not pay for all of the plan, leaving about $1 trillion not paid for.

Meanwhile, some progressive Democrats are already attacking the plan for not being big enough  and fretting that health care and other 'social infrastructure' components might die if they all get included in a second package that might be less politically popular.

Biden's Cabinet meeting on Thursday was in sharp contrast to those run by former President Donald Trump.

Biden's sit-down resembled those run by former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Only Biden spoke and the media was only allowed in the room for a few minutes before the press were ushered out

Then the conversation with Biden and his team continued behind closed doors.

All attendees, including the president, wore face masks, which did not happen in the Trump era.

In contrast, Trump would allow the press into his Cabinet meetings for over an hour, in which he would invite every Cabinet secretary to speak.

Those conversations would typically consist of the officials praising the job Trump was doing as president, filled with 'Dear Leader'-like praise.

'It is the greatest privilege of my life to serve as the vice president to a president who is keeping his word to the American people,' Vice President Mike Pence said in the Trump administration's first Cabinet meeting.

'I'm deeply honored and I want to thank you for keeping your commitment to the American workers,' Labor Secretary Alex Acosta said.

Trump's first Cabinet meeting, held on June 12, 2017, took place in the Cabinet Room of the West Wing, where the sit-downs traditionally take place.

In his final Cabinet meetings, Trump, like Biden, held them in the East Room where socially distance measures could be put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Donald Trump's first Cabinet meeting on June 12, 2017; Trump usually let all his Cabinet secretaries speak, where they would spend their time praising Trump

President Biden had the last of his Cabinet secretaries confirmed by the Senate last week

During his first Cabinet meeting, Biden also said he's directing the entire cabinet to make sure their agencies follow his requirement to 'buy American.'

'I mean sincerely, every one, to take a hard look at their agency spending and make sure it follows my Buy American standard,' the president said. 'The plan were putting forward to make sure that when the government is spending taxpayers money, that theyre spending it on American-made goods of American corporations and American employees.'

Biden's full Cabinet was confirmed by the Senate last week. Presidents typically wait to have their first meeting until all the secretaries have been confirmed.
On March 25, 2020, all 259 aircraft of India's largest airline by market share, IndiGo, were grounded as the government suspended commercial flights - domestic and international -indefinitely due to rising Covid cases. While Indian aviation has seen numerous ups and downs, the March-May 2020 period was the worst-ever.

As the market leader and the country's largest low-cost carrier (LCC), the scale of damage for IndiGo was bigger than the rest. While revenues stopped coming, fixed costs started eating into profits, and in turn, cash reserves. In April, agencies such as CAPA India predicted a loss of $1.5 billion for IndiGo and SpiceJet over the next six months. The impact was so brutal that some brokerages stopped tracking the sector, and IndiGo in particular. "We believe the impact on aviation sector will be severe and the ability to forecast financial consequence is difficult today, given the evolving nature of the situation. We are dropping the stock (IndiGo) from our coverage in the short-to-medium term," Geojit Financial Services said in a note issued in May.

Not surprisingly, during the nine months between April and December 2020, IndiGo reported net losses of Rs 4,659 crore (against a net profit of Rs 698 crore a year ago), while revenues shrank 67.5 per cent year-on-year.

Yet, CEO Ronojoy Dutta remains confident. In the March 2020-quarter earnings call, he told a bunch of harried investors that IndiGo wants to emerge from this crisis stronger than ever. "In that context we are paying particular attention to our product, our costs, our brand and our employee culture," Dutta had said.

In February 2021, the airline registered a 54.2 per cent market share in an 11-player market - up from 48 per cent in February 2020. Costs are going down, and revenues are rising quarter after quarter. But even though it is making a strong comeback from its low, it needs to tackle challenges such as subdued international travel demand, permanent loss of some business traffic, rising crude prices, and high cost to make the revival sustainable.

What Next?

Going by monthly data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), it seems the worst is over for the aviation sector. There is gradual improvement in all parameters - number of flights, number of passengers flying, and as a result, number of passengers per flight. In May, when scheduled airline services resumed, domestic airlines flew 8,554 passengers across 109 flights in a month. In January, this has shot up substantially to 7.6 million passengers across 2,190 flights. Yet, it is still about a third lower than the 3,080 average daily departures in January 2020.

IndiGo expects to reach pre-Covid levels by 2021-end. "We have different trajectories for domestic and international. In domestic, the only thing holding us back is government restrictions. As soon as they go to 100 per cent, we will be 100 per cent. International is difficult because every country has its own rules. Hopefully, the vaccine should make a change. But right now, everyone has got quarantine restrictions, and there are pre-testing (conditions)in some countries. That's holding international back. I would hope that by end of 2021, we should be back - all international and domestic - to pre-Covid levels, and higher. 2022 will become a year of growth again," says Dutta.

Since May, domestic carriers are operating under capacity restrictions, which have been slowly eased from 33 per cent (pre-Covid) to 45 per cent in June, 60 per cent in September, 70 per cent in November, and 80 per cent in December.

In January, IndiGo was doing around 1,100 departures a day. Its domestic and international capacity deployment was 70 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively, of pre-Covid levels. At its peak, IndiGo was doing 1,750 departures a day, which it aims to achieve again by 2021-end.

Industry experts believe once air traffic comes back fully, IndiGo will benefit the most. In an October report, investment banking firm BOB Capital Markets said IndiGo will outperform the entire sector during FY20 to FY23 with 11 per cent growth in passenger traffic share, against 7 per cent for the sector. Its market share is also likely to be 58 per cent in FY21 and 56 per cent in FY22 and FY23, significantly higher than 48 per cent in FY20.

"We believe IndiGo is in a sweet spot for growth over the next two years given a benign dollar-rupee exchange rate, the vulnerability of its peers (in terms of negative networth and massive cash burn), and a strong balance sheet. Nevertheless, the sharp jump in crude prices is expected to severely erode profitability in the near-to-mid-term," said another BOB Capital Markets report published in January.

But as the recovery happens, experts predict a bloodbath. That's because once fare caps are lifted, airlines will in all likelihood bring down ticket prices to fill up planes. "As soon as capacity restrictions are lifted, everybody would want to pack their domestic flights because international flights are not coming back soon. To do that, they would offer deep discounts. I believe two Tata airlines (AirAsia India and Vistara), and IndiGo can offer such discounts because they are either funded well or have strong liquidity," says Vinamra Longani, head of operations at Sarin & Co, a law firm specialising in aviation.

There's additional concern in Jet Airways making a comeback as the winning bidder Kalrock Capital-Murari Jalan consortium is planning to resume services shortly. The expected sale of Air India and its LCC subsidiary Air India Express will further intensify competition, and take away some market share from IndiGo.

Dutta, however, is not worried. "There's no correlation between market share and profitability. It's not that having more market share gives any pricing leverage. It's not been proven anywhere in the world. Our goal is not market share but to connect India," he says.

Dealing With The Pandemic

When Covid struck, IndiGo was at the peak of its game. It was sitting on free cash reserves of Rs 8,928 crore, significantly higher than its peers. But, Covid-19 acted as a dampener. Still, it was in the best situation to overcome a large-scale event like the pandemic. "We didn't fly for two months. We have lost a lot of money, and we have been losing money. Fortunately, we had a healthy balance sheet, and were able to sustain those losses. We started off with Rs 40 crore of cash burn a day. It's coming down gradually," says Dutta.

"It didn't fly for two months, and that had a major impact on financials. The airline is still losing money but macros have improved," says an aviation analyst with a leading brokerage.

Also, right from March 2020, IndiGo took many initiatives to reduce expenses. Cost reduction was needed for two reasons. One, the airline could not do much on revenues since the government put a capacity limit on each airline along with fare caps. Then, although demand is picking up gradually, it will still take a few quarters before it reaches pre-Covid levels, especially internationally. In short, the airline was badly squeezed between high fixed costs (about 30 per cent of its overall costs) and low traffic.

IndiGo tinkered with costs in the form of paycuts, furloughs, layoffs, renegotiating contracts with suppliers and drop in maintenance costs. That helped reduce cash burn to Rs 15 crore per day in the December quarter. Payroll costs alone have been curtailed by some 30 per cent, and will remain in the current range for the foreseeable future.

"We really focus on unit costs. It's a question of total costs divided by how many seats flown. Because we are not flying enough seats, our unit costs are still elevated. But they are coming down sharply. If we get to pre-Covid level capacity, our unit cost will be down significantly. We have to wait for that to happen," says Dutta.

The low-cost structure has been IndiGo's core strength from the beginning. Take the case of ATF (aviation turbine fuel). The airline is replacing older version A320ceos with A320neos and A321neo, leading to about 15 per cent fuel savings. IndiGo plans to get rid of all A320ceos by 2023 by returning 30-40 aircraft per year. The management also reviews fuel-savings programme every quarter based on initiatives taken by the flight operations department. The department's main job is to look for ways to save fuel. Small changes like how the aircraft climbs/descends or taxis with single-engine in use save a lot of fuel.

"Within the fleet, IndiGo seems to be using more A320neos than A320ceos. A320neos are not just fuel efficient, they don't need to make shop visits for checks as much as A320ceos," says Longani of Sarin & Co. In the year to December, IndiGo reduced its fleet size by 30 planes.

"Despite flying 40.8 per cent lower capacity, our CASK (cost per available seat-kilometre) during the December quarter remained flat at Rs 3.68 on a year-over-year basis. This was largely due to lower fuel prices combined by our cost reduction efforts, higher utilisation of our A320neo fleet and positive movement in the value of the rupee. Sequentially, CASK has reduced by almost 20 per cent," says Jiten Chopra, CFO at IndiGo. CASK is an industry metric to measure an airline's unit cost.

Besides cost measures, the airline embarked on an asset monetisation plan and converted some of its owned aircraft into sale-and-leaseback structure that generated liquidity. The airline owns about 29 planes (combination of ATR and A320s), and had ramped up the purchase of aircraft through free cash from 2017 onwards. During the peak of the pandemic, the airline sold some of these planes - to generate liquidity - and took them back on lease.

"We would like to own some of our airplanes. In good times, that's a good strategy. In bad times, when liquidity is important, we need to do sale and leaseback. As our cash flow improves, we will look at owning a few airplanes. The extreme example is Irish LCC, Ryanair, which owns all its planes. We have no goals of getting there. But we would like to own a small percentage of the fleet," says Dutta.

Not just old ones, every aircraft delivery that IndiGo takes creates liquidity for the airline. That's because it orders aircraft in bulk - 100 in 2005, 180 in 2011, 250 in 2015 and 300 in 2019 - which gives it a favourable pricing with manufacturers such as Airbus. So when these new planes are sold to lessors, IndiGo earns a decent amount.

"The average number of domestic passengers per flight improved from 98 in September to 112 in December, depicting rising consumer confidence... We believe IndiGo continues to remain better placed than peers and is likely to emerge stronger from the current crisis given strong balance sheet, industry leading cost structure (to improve further after replacing older A320ceos with A320neo family) and strong management team," brokerage Prabhudas Lilladher said in its January report.

IndiGo's management believes they are just scratching the surface, and when it comes to growth, the sky is the limit. "In the long term, we think there's going to be big growth in air traffic. There are a couple of things that are driving this (growth). Air travel in India is lowest in terms of penetration across the world. Only 5 per cent of Indians travel by air. But India is a big country. We should at least get to the level of Indonesia and Thailand in terms of penetration, yields, and frequency of flights. Every forecast we see, there's a big growth coming in middle-class income levels. As that happen, 5 per cent should go to 10 per cent or 15 per cent. One can imagine the volumes in that," says Dutta.

Blessing In Disguise

The pandemic also caused an unintended gain for domestic carriers. Take IndiGo's example. The airline used to move 100,000 tonnes of cargo on a monthly basis domestically. It used the plane belly to ferry this cargo. But when passenger flights were shut, cargo still had to move. Suddenly, there was demand for cargo freighters, and that's when IndiGo converted 10 planes into freighters with dedicated cargo operations.

"Cargo charters emerged as a big opportunity for the industry. When other transportation systems were down (railways, ground support), the easiest way to ship goods is through air cargo. The airline industry turned some planes for cargo operations. Our team has done a fabulous job to make sure our cargo tonnage is at an all-time high," says Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer at IndiGo. The airline is now exploring options to induct dedicated freighters, and a decision is expected soon.

The other discovery is private charters. It started in May when a family in Bhopal asked IndiGo to arrange for a Bhopal to Delhi flight for four members. IndiGo ferried the aircraft from Delhi to Bhopal and back, and started exploring this as a new business stream.

"We did both domestic and international charters. Students stuck in Tblisi or Moscow, wanted to fly back to India. We saw huge requirement in CIS countries, Middle East, and parts of Europe. Suddenly, we had this new market because commercial flights were not available," says Kumar.

This is expected to become a regular revenue stream going forward. The airline, for instance, has tied up with hotels, and has introduced products around wedding charters. "We can do destination weddings. We have done charters to Male, Goa, Trivandrum, Udaipur, and Jodhpur for this purpose. These people are seeking safe travel for families, and they can afford it. As long as people don't find foreign destinations opening up, domestic destination weddings charter will remain a strong business," adds Kumar.

The pandemic has led to a shift in travel patterns favouring domestic airlines. Despite a geographically and strategically sound location, India was losing the international game to aggressive competitors in hubs such as Dubai (Emirates), Doha (Qatar), Abu Dhabi (Etihad) and Singapore (Singapore Airlines). The Dubai hub, for instance, was providing connectivity to passengers from India to Europe and Americas with a one-stop flight. In 2021, the demand for one-stop (or two-stop) flights has shifted to direct flights because of Covid fears. Due to these overbuilt hubs around India, domestic carriers were hesitant to launch direct flights between Indian cities and Europe/US - Seattle to Bangalore or San Francisco to Hyderabad. The fact that Air India has launched a direct non-stop service between Chicago and Hyderabad in January, and United is planning to start non-stop service between San Francisco and Bengaluru in May shows the preference for one-stop has diminished quite a lot.

It also means there will be fewer wide-bodies of hub carriers coming into India, and hence local traffic to these hubs - whether Singapore, Doha or Dubai - will do better with narrow bodies of Indian carriers.

"Regional airlines like Emirates and Qatar have mostly wide-body planes. They would struggle to fill planes due to lack of demand, and economic slowdown. At this point, a LCC is well placed to cash in on international demand as and when it returns. People may ditch the frills but they still want to travel. They don't want to splurge on full-service economy tickets especially for short flights to Dubai or Thailand. IndiGo can take on any FSC (full-service carrier) like Emirates on pricing, network and frequency for regional travel," says Sarin & Co's Longani.

IndiGo also hopes to take away some traffic from the railways for two reasons - There's a more perceived safety inside an aircraft, and affordability. At this point, social distancing norms are similar in trains and planes. But mask compliance is enforced stricter in airplanes as there's no authority onboard a train to do that. Also, the Indian travel market is highly price-sensitive, and customers are ready to shift loyalty for even Rs 100. Nothing matters except fares and on-time travel. As long as consumers get airfares they can afford, they will switch to air travel.

"Train travellers are 100 times more than air travellers. If we can scratch the surface by creating the network that provides connectivity across the length and breadth of the country, and ensuring the fares, I think there's a huge opportunity for airlines," says Kumar.

Mark Martin, CEO of Martin Consulting, calls it a fanciful thinking. "The last entity who thought of competing with railways is Air Deccan, and railways gave them a tough time. Air never competes with rail, and rail never competes with road. It's an adversary that can kill you at any cost and instance. Railway networks are slated for privatisation over the next five years. It's not possible for IndiGo to compete with the mass inventory railways offers," says Martin, adding, tinkering with domestic network is a waste of time for IndiGo, and the airline should rather focus on long-haul flights (by inducting wide bodies like A330neo or A350) along with building a second hub outside of India.

"Our plans continue to be (operating flights within the range of) seven hours. That's a huge and high-growth geography. Although we have been studying wide bodies for some time, we have our hands full right now with the opportunities ahead of us," says Dutta.

The Headwinds

Many of IndiGo's plans could derail if crude oil prices continue to rise as they have been since November. Ratings agency ICRA's recent report suggests strong recovery in oil and gas volumes in 2021/22. ATF price, which accounts for 35-40 per cent of the airline's running cost, has nearly trebled since May 2020 to Rs 48,208.93 per kilolitre (in Delhi).

IndiGo's Chopra is sanguine though. "The domestic demand for petroleum products is expected to increase at 8-10 per cent annually in FY22. However, ATF demand is expected to lag due to the discretionary nature and the perceived risk of air travel. Given this projection, we believe we will be able to tide over the situation," he says.

One of the biggest side impacts of the pandemic on aviation is the destruction of business travel as corporate travel budgets have been vastly reduced. Second, the corporate world has realised they can manage the same amount of business using tech. This is a big hit especially because corporate business travel accounted for 50 per cent of overall air traffic. In the long term, the business travel won't disappear but it's going to take a significant step down, experts say. "What percentage of business travel is lost forever - nobody knows. It all depends on how the virus behaves," says an aviation consultant.

The airlines have been partially saved as essential business travel by SMEs has come back, and there's some improvement in demand from infra, heavy industries, construction, paints, and pharma sectors. "Corporate travel may take six months before we see large companies like TCS, Infosys and Wipro start travelling. But, due to less (business) travel and more disposable income (because of working from hometowns), people will travel more for personal reasons. Leisure travel will be the new way," says Kumar.

Less than two years ago, IndiGo was grappling with a bitter fight between its promoters Rakesh Gangwal and Rahul Bhatia. Within a breather of just few months, Covid-19 struck. For an airline lurching from one issue to another, laser-like focus on its basics of providing hassle-free connectivity with low fares makes IndiGo the most promising story in the Indian aviation.

@rmanukaushik
Editor

Zaldy Dandan is the recipient of the Best Editorial Writer Award of the Society of Professional Journalists, and the CNMI Humanities Award for Outstanding Contributions to Journalism. His three books are available on amazon.com
There were some mixed messages about advantages and disadvantages of starting tech companies in Western Canada at the National Angel Capital Organizations West Summit, held virtually this week.

There were some mixed messages about advantages and disadvantages of starting tech companies in Western Canada at the National Angel Capital Organizations West Summit, held virtually this week.

According to some of the speakers on Wednesday, the age-old concern about accessing capital  whether it is from angel investors or venture capital  is still clearly a hot-button issue.

But some said that since face-to-face investment pitches are not even a thing these days because of travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, maybe it means being in Winnipeg or Saskatoon rather than Toronto or New York is not as much of an obstacle to landing capital to grow businesses on the Prairies.

Chris Simair, one of the founders of SkipTheDishes, spoke about that companys early days as a startup, recalling the grinding, long hours and incessant capital raising, first from friends and family and then flying regularly to Toronto and New York and elsewhere pitching to investors.

He said, "One of the fallacies about being an entrepreneur is that it is sexy."

Simair, who now runs Harvest Builders, a Calgary-based incubator focused on helping startups across the Prairies, is a poster child for the Prairie success story.

He said compared to the tough realities they faced launching SkipTheDishes in 2013, maybe the pandemic "does allow us (on the Prairies) to have a little more of an equal playing field."

He remembered how the company founders sometimes had to be responsible to do deliveries themselves and then hop on a plane to Toronto to meet with potential investors.

He said the original idea for the business came from a British company that had built technology to allow restaurant meals to be ordered online but the delivery was the responsibility of the restaurants.

"We innovated to add the delivery component and expanded, maybe not rapidly, but it felt like it was rapid growth," he said.

It was that same British company, Just Eat, that acquired SkipTheDishes in 2016 for about $200 million.

That year the Winnipeg company did about $24 million in sales and had about 300 employees.

The current owners, now called Just Eat Takeaway.com (Just Eat and the Dutch company Takeaway.com merged shortly after Skip was acquired and the company is in the final stage of closing on its acquisition of Grubhub), just reported 2020 financial results with its SkipTheDishes Canadian brand recording revenue of $757 million, up 59 per cent from 2019 and has about 3,000 employees, the majority of them in Winnipeg.

Simair believes strongly that the Prairies are a place that technology companies can get built and thrive and he is using the "scaffolding" of how they did it at SkipTheDishes in his work at Harvest Builders. One of Harvests first successful launches is Calgary-based Neo Financial (which also has an office and staff in Winnipeg), a fintech company that is innovating the credit card/savings account banking business.

Simair and his partners effectively did build a billion-dollar business (or, just shy of that), but the question was put to Charles Plant, founder of The Narwhal Project  which provides all sorts of assistance to companies looking to grow rapidly  about whether or not the Canadian economy and its startup ecosystem has what it takes to build billion-dollar tech companies.

Plant does not believe conditions are ideal. He said because of the current makeup of the Canadian venture capital industry  they are not large enough and there are too many of them  for Canadian companies to grow that large: They need better access to American or offshore venture capital.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
After leading the launch of Credit Union Trust over the past two years, Robert Sajdak has chosen to retire from his CEO and president position. Jordan Summers has been appointed to replace Sajdak as the trust banks new CEO and president.

Summers most recently served as chief fiduciary officer and Midland market president for TCF National Bank (formerly Chemical Bank).

Im excited about the foundation that Bob and the team have built and look forward to contributing to Credit Union Trusts exponential growth in the coming years, stated Summers in a news release. We are uniquely positioned to assist individuals and families by delivering a full suite of trust solutions. With the teams expertise, our credit union partnerships, and relationships with legal, accounting, and other practitioners across our footprint, we have the perfect opportunity to help people improve their lives and increase their peace of mind.

It was an honor to lead this effort for the past two years, stated Sajdak. I look forward to working with Jordan in the transition and continuing to support the success of Credit Union Trust.

Bob did a terrific job of getting this unique organization up and running, and we appreciate that he came out of retirement to guide the way, stated Ron Lauren, board chair of Credit Union Trust. Jordans enthusiasm and expertise will broaden the impact even further.

Summers is actively involved in both estate planning and community organizations. A licensed attorney, he currently serves on the board of the Northeastern Michigan Estate Planning Council, the Midland Business Alliance, the Midland County Educational Services Agency, and the Chippewa Nature Center. Summers received his BBA from Northwood University, MBA from the DeVos Graduate School at Northwood University and JD from Wayne State University.

Credit Union Trust is a limited purpose trust bank established in 2019 by seven Michigan credit unions.
Washington, April 1 : US President Joe Biden has announced a massive plan to modernise infrastructure, including the largest jobs programme the country has seen since World War II.

The approximately $2-trillion package is a "once-in-a-generation investment in America, unlike anything we've seen or done," Biden said on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, in the state of Pennsylvania, DPA news agency reported.

The plan is expected to "create millions of good jobs," with the White House comparing the size of the investment to when America "won the space race." Biden said the plan was necessary to position the US to "out-compete China," emphasizing that "we have to do it." The package includes the modernization of around 32,000 km of roads, 10,000 bridges, more airports, and electric mobility.

Part of the programme is also dedicated to improving the quality of "crumbling" water systems, electrical grids, high-speed Internet and to quality housing.

"Put simply, these are investments we have to make," Biden said. "Put another way, we can't afford not to." Biden will need to push the plan through the US Congress. During the election, the Democrats had spoken in favour of a large package to improve infrastructure.

However, for the adoption of such a package, the president will need the approval of around 10 Republicans.

Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell immediately rejected the plan.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
 Flash

The first batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines and the first batch of CanSino COVID-19 vaccines that the Pakistani government purchased were officially handed over to the Pakistani side with a ceremony held at the Noor Khan Air Base near the country's capital Islamabad on Wednesday.

Special Assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan and Pang Chunxue, minister counselor of the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, attended the handover ceremony. The Sinopharm vaccines arrived at the Noor Khan Air Base on Wednesday while the CanSino vaccines arrived in Islamabad Tuesday night.

Addressing the ceremony, Sultan said that the two batches of Chinese vaccines that the Pakistani government purchased will greatly bolster Pakistan's nationwide vaccination drive.

Pakistan has confidence in the efficacy and safety of both the Sinopharm and CanSino COVID-19 vaccines, he said, adding that Pakistan plans to buy more vaccines from China.

Pang told Xinhua that China has always made Pakistan a priority in both COVID-19 vaccine aid and export, which is a manifestation of the ironclad friendship between the two countries, adding that China will continue to stand firmly with Pakistan to combat the pandemic.

Earlier in the year, China has donated three batches of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan.
Ray LaHood, who served as transportation secretary for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, took $50,000 from an associate of a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire in 2012 and failed to disclose it, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Mr. LaHood, a former Republican congressman from Illinois, paid a $40,000 fine, according to the announcement from the U.S. attorneys office in Los Angeles. He also repaid the $50,000 he had received.

The office said that Mr. LaHood, who was suffering financial difficulties at the time, admitted to accepting a $50,000 check from an associate of the billionaire, Gilbert Chagoury. The memo of the check said Loan, the office said.

Mr. LaHood did not disclose the check on two government ethics forms because he did not want to be associated with Chagoury, and he later made misleading statements to F.B.I. agents, the office said.
Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 82F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
For two weeks, Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola had been under pressure from activists and Black executives who wanted the companies to publicly oppose a new law in Georgia that makes it harder for people to vote. On Wednesday, six days after the law was passed, both companies stated their crystal clear opposition to it.

Now Republicans are mad at the companies for speaking out. Hours after the companies made their statements, Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, took aim at Ed Bastian, the chief executive of Delta, accusing him of spreading the same false attacks being repeated by partisan activists. And Republicans in the Georgia state legislature floated the idea of increasing taxes on Delta as retribution.

On Thursday, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida posted a video in which he called Delta and Coca-Cola woke corporate hypocrites. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi said Coca-Cola was caving to the woke left. And Stephen Miller, an adviser to former President Donald J. Trump, said on Twitter, Unelected, multinational corporations are now openly attacking sovereign U.S. states & the right of their citizens to secure their own elections. This is a corporate ambush on Democracy.

It was another illustration of just how fraught it is for big companies to wade in to partisan politics, where any support for the left draws the ire of the right, and vice versa.
Russia's prison authority on April 1 rejected accusations of mistreatment of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, one day after the anti-corruption campaigner and frequent Kremlin critic announced a hunger strike to protest alleged abuses in custody.

The 44-year-old Navalny has complained of medical care being withheld for serious ailments and near constant interruptions by prison guards at night to deny him sleep.

Navalny was quickly taken into custody at a Moscow airport in January after recovering abroad from a nerve-agent poisoning in Russia that Western countries and international rights groups have linked to the Russian state.

Now, the prison service for Correctional Colony No. 2 outside Moscow where Navalny is serving a sentence widely viewed as politically motivated has been quoted as saying guards were following guidelines to respect inmates' sleep and that Navalny was getting medical care.

"Correction facility officers strictly respect the right of all inmates to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep," Reuters quoted prison authorities as saying late on March 31. It said safeguards included visual checks at night.

"These measures do not interfere with convicts resting," it added. "...Navalny is being provided with all necessary medical care in accordance with his current medical conditions."

But doctors who are trusted by Navalny's close associates have been standing by helplessly, urging authorities to respond to appeals for Navalny's care.

Navalny this week declared a hunger strike in a handwritten note to lawyers, saying he was being deprived of proper medical treatment as fear among his associates mounted over his state of health just months after being in a coma following the poison attack.

Last week, he said he had received nothing more from prison doctors than ibuprofen, despite being in acute pain from leg and back ailments.

In an Instagram post on March 31, he said the pain had worsened and that he had lost some sensitivity in both legs. He also said he was being awakened up to eight times a night.

I have the right to call a doctor and get medicine. They don't give me either one or the other, he said in the post, which was published through his lawyers.

"I have declared a hunger strike demanding that the law be upheld and a doctor of my choice be allowed to visit me.... So I'm lying here, hungry, but still with two legs.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said on March 31 that the United States and its allies and partners have continually called for Navalnys release and will continue to seek to hold accountable those who are responsible for his detention and attempts on his life.

Weve been very clear that Aleksei Navalny is a political prisoner, Price said at a briefing. His detention is politically motivated.

Hundreds of Russian physicians on March 29 demanded authorities provide immediate medical assistance to Navalny amid the growing concerns.

Navalny's incarceration after his return from Berlin in mid-January despite clear warnings from Russian officials sparked major protests around the country.

Navalny has said the assassination attempt by poisoning that forced doctors to put him into a medically induced coma for several weeks was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin -- an allegation rejected by the Kremlin.

A Moscow court in February ruled that while in Germany after his medical evacuation, Navalny had violated the terms of parole from an older embezzlement case that is widely considered to be politically motivated.

His suspended 3 1/2-year sentence was converted into jail time, though the court reduced that amount to 2 1/2 years for time already served in detention.

With reporting by Reuters
President Joe Biden answers questions during the first news conference of his presidency in the East Room of the White House in Washington on March 25, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House Democrats Ask Biden to Take Executive Action on Concealable Assault-Style Firearms

A group of House Democrats has asked President Joe Biden to take executive action on concealable assault-style firearms, citing two mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado, last month.

Concealable assault-style firearms that fire rifle rounds pose an unreasonable threat to our communities and should be fully regulated under the National Firearms Act consistent with the intent and history of the law. The recent tragedy in Boulder, Colorado where 10 people including a police officer were killed is one in a string of deadly incidents involving this style of weapon, Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Val Demings (D-Fla.), and Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) said in a letter to Biden.

They said that because alleged Boulder gunman Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa used a semi-automatic Ruger AR-556 pistol, which is a smaller variant of an AR-15-style rifle, either Congress or Biden should take action.

The term assault weapon is considered controversial as the definition of what an assault weapon actually is has varied over the years. Some states and jurisdictions have bans on such a class of weapons but have different definitions.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last week that Biden is considering using an executive order on some form of gun control. The Democrat-controlled House last month passed two gun background check measures.

While that is moving, while there are discussions on that frontand the president will certainly be engaged in thosewe are also continuing to review and consider what the options are for executive actions, Psaki said Tuesday.

A separate group of House Democrats have called on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to bring the two House background check measures to the Senate floor.

In honor of those who have been murdered in their workplaces, grocery stores, and neighborhoods since March 11 and the generations of Americans lost to gun violence, the Senate must act and bring H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 for a vote, their letter read.

Amid the gun control push, gun sales have been booming. The FBI on Thursday reported that federal background checks totaled about 4.69 million in March 2021, which is about a 10 percent increase over March 2020.

Several prominent Republicans, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), meanwhile, accused Democratic lawmakers and officials of having little knowledge of firearms. In a video released by the National Rifle Association (NRA) this week, Cruz said that Democrats want to disarm you. Not because youre violent. Not because youre a criminal. But because you are a free and independent American.
By Alex Lawler, Ahmad Ghaddar and Rania El Gamal

LONDON/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States said in call with that energy should be kept affordable for consumers, as the administration of President Joe Biden resumed the practice of his predecessor Donald Trump who contacted OPEC's leader before key meetings.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Twitter she had a call with Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz Bin Salman.

"We reaffirmed the importance of cooperation to ensure affordable and reliable sources of energy for consumers," Granholm said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied producers, a group known as OPEC+, have been cutting output by almost 7 million barrels per day (bpd) to support prices and reduce oversupply. In addition, has made an extra 1 million bpd voluntary cut.

Heading into the meeting, OPEC+ delegates had said the producers would likely keep most of those cuts in place.

But the mood has changed in the past 24 hours and the group is now deliberating whether to roll over current cuts or raise output, three OPEC+ sources said. The increase could amount to 0.5 million bpd, two sources said.

It was not immediately clear if the change was linked to a call by Granholm.

Trump repeatedly used his influence to force to adjust its output policy, threatening to reduce or pull back U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia if the kingdom didn't listen.

Trump insisted raise production to prevent prices from spiking too high and, when prices collapsed last year, he called Saudi Arabia and Russia to help clinch record output cuts to protect the U.S. shale oil industry.

Biden's administration has so far refrained from taking such an approach.

When OPEC+ decided to keep output steady on March 4 and rose, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made no direct comment on the decision and said Washington was focused on helping Americans via a U.S. stimulus package.

Thursday's virtual meeting of OPEC+ is scheduled to start at 1300 GMT. "The picture is still not clear," one source said.

Reuters reported last month that no member of Biden's team until then had reached out to about rising

Adding to factors that could affect Thursday's deliberations, some members have expressed frustration that non-OPEC Russia and Kazakhstan supported a broad rollover of existing cuts while also requesting small output increases for themselves for a third month running, OPEC+ sources said.

(Reporting by Alex Lawler and Ahmad Ghaddar in London, and Rania El Gamal in Dubai, Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by David Goodman)

(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.)
Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Wednesday night that she will get the COVID-19 vaccine Thursday morning at a northwest Houston park.

She said the vaccination will be part of a grassroots event hosted by the Spring Branch Community Health Center at Pitner Pocket Park, located at 8500 Pitner Road.
[April 01, 2021] Telecom Power System Market Revenue to Cross USD 9 Bn by 2027: Global Market Insights Inc.

SELBYVILLE, Del., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest report "Telecom Power System Market by Type (Indoor Telecom Power System, Outdoor Telecom Power System), Technology (AC Power, DC Power, Digital Electricity), Application (Macro/Outdoor BTS, Data Centers, Indoor DAS), Regional Outlook, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2027", by Global Market Insights Inc., the market valuation of telecom power systems will cross $9 billion by 2027. The market growth is attributed to the rapid development of telecommunication infrastructure in developing countries such as China and India along with the large-scale investments in developing the 5G network infrastructure worldwide. The major countries investing significantly in 5G network infrastructure deployment include China, Japan, U.S., and South Korea along with key European members. Request a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/4585 The outdoor telecom power system market dominated more than 70.1% of revenue share in 2020 led by their extensive deployment for powering macro telecom towers and small cell sites. Also, the increasing demand for power by data centers and telecom central offices has pressurized equipment manufacturers to improve their existing product portfolio and meet customer requirements. The AC power segment in the telecom power system market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 9.5% till 2027 due to their better voltage control systems and easy power distribution. AC powered systems are suited for applications that require large input power such as data centers, internet hosting servers, and cooling equipment. These are typically used for powering outdoor DAS remote access units. AC powered telecom systems make use of alternating current through inverters that convert direct current into uninterruptable AC power. AC powered systems are majorly used in applications with heavy input power requirements such as data centers and telecom equipment thermal management systems. These systems are beneficial compared to DC systems as controlling voltage levels is easier & less expensive through AC power distribution systems. The telecom power system market for indoor DAS power solutions are poised to reach over USD 1 billion by 2027. Indoor DAS units are typically AC powered. The remote access units can consume power up to 450W depending on the individual configuration. Telecom power system vendors are focusing on offering rectifier systems or batteries for deployment in enterprise applications as well as indoor large venues.



The extensive initiatives and investments by European companies to develop telecom infrastructure in Europe are supporting the telecom power system market expansion. German telecommunication companies are emphasizing the use of various renewable energy sources to power telecommunication cell sites after slowly recovering from the pandemic outbreak. The major telecommunication service providers in Germany are focusing on strategic partnerships with other telecom companies to use solar energy in telecommunication cell sites. Request customization of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/roc/4585

Some of the prominent companies operating in the market are Alpha Technologies (EnerSys), Ascot Industrial S.r.l., Corning Incorporated, Cummins Inc., Beijing Dynamic Power Co., Ltd. (DPC), Eaton Corporation, Eltek (Delta Electronics, Inc.), General Electric Company (GE), Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, JMA Wireless (John Mezzalingua Associates, LLC), Myers Power Products, Schneider Electric, Staticon Ltd., Unipower LLC, Vertiv Group Corporation, VoltServer Inc., ZhongHeng Power Energy Co., Ltd, and ZTE Corporation. These industry leaders are emphasizing on new product development initiatives to secure a competitive edge over other market players. Some major findings of the telecom power system market report include: The government initiatives for rapid development of smart city projects are fueling the demand for telecom power systems to provide uninterrupted connectivity to large number of IoT devices.

The increasing demand for cloud data centers is enabling power system providers to develop innovative telecom power systems to match the demand of their data center customers.

The rising demand for providing coverage to remote places such as rural areas and long highways is supporting the adoption of digital electricity solutions.

The growing demand for cloud data centers on account of growing internet traffic in supporting the adoption of telecom power systems across the data centers. Table of Contents (ToC) of the report: Chapter 3 Telecom Power System Market Insights 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Industry segmentation 3.3 Impact of COVID-19 outbreak 3.3.1 By region 3.3.2 Impact by value chain 3.3.3 Impact by competitive landscape 3.4 Telecom power systems ecosystem analysis 3.4.1 Power supply equipment providers 3.4.2 Telecom power system manufacturers 3.4.3 Government authorities 3.4.4 Distributors 3.5 Technological & innovation landscape 3.5.1 Digital electricity 3.5.2 Power systems for 5G small cells 3.6 Regulatory landscape 3.7 Industry impact forces 3.7.1 Growth drivers 3.7.2 Industry pitfall & challenges 3.8 Porter's analysis 3.9 PESTEL analysis 3.10 Growth potential Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/telecom-power-systems-market About Global Market Insights Inc.

Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology. Contact Us:

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Corporate Sales, USA

Global Market Insights Inc.

Phone: 1-302-846-7766

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Telecom Power System Market Growth Predicted at 8% Through 2027: GMI

The telecom power system market for indoor DAS power solutions are poised to reach over USD 1 billion by 2027 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/telecom-power-system-market-revenue-to-cross-usd-9-bn-by-2027-global-market-insights-inc-301260394.html SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc.

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World leading HIV vaccinologist now Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research at Wits

Professor Lynn Morris takes the reins today for five years as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at Wits University.

Morris has demonstrable experience in research management and leadership and will drive the research agenda as the University approaches its centenary in 2022.

Her appointment acknowledges her extensive research leadership and management experience, as well as her impressive research record and globally recognised scholarship.

With her collaborative leadership style and ability to create an enabling research environment, Morris is ideally positioned to strengthen the Universitys research position on the continent.

A legacy of research leadership

Morris has served in leadership roles on various national and international bodies including the International Scientific Advisory Committee of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town, the Poliomyelitis Research Foundation, and the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise based in New York.

Morris joins Wits in the role of Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), where she recently completed a three-year term as the interim Executive Director. Here she led the NICD through two major health crises, namely the listeria outbreak of 2017/8 and the current Covid-19 pandemic.

A Wits alumna, Morris held joint appointments as a Research Professor in the School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits, Head of the HIV Virology Lab in the Centre for HIV & STIs at the National Health Laboratory Service, and the NICD. She is also an Honorary Senior Scientist at CAPRISA (Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa).

A lifetime of HIV research excellence

A National Research Foundation A-rated scientist, Morris is one of a handful of the most highly cited scientists in the world. She is internationally recognised for her work in understanding the antibody response to HIV and is responsible for conducting validated end-point assays for HIV vaccine clinical trials.

[WATCH: Lynn Morris an HIV vaccine is what the world needs now, a TEDxJohannesburgSalon independent event]

Globally critically acclaimed, Morris won the Wits Vice-Chancellors Research Award in 2014, the South African Medical Research Councils Gold Medal in 2015, the prestigious Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award (arguably equivalent to the Nobel Prize) in 2017, and the World Academy of Sciences Prize in Medical Sciences in 2018.
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the attempted coup in Niger Republic, saying any illegal effort to depose a democratically-elected government is not only despicable, but also unacceptable to democratic governments around the world
The United States climate tsar John Kerry has told a conference that coal use must be immediately abandoned if the world is to have any chance of meeting Paris agreement targets.

Were heading for over four degrees [global warming], were not on course and the time for discussion is over, Mr Kerry told a net zero conference hosted by the International Energy Agency and the British government and attended by world energy leaders including Australian Energy and Emissions Minister Angus Taylor.

Joe Biden has appointed former US secretary of state John Kerry, pictured, as his special presidential envoy for climate change. Credit:AP

I dont want to be the scold, said Mr Kerry, the US Presidential Special Envoy for Climate. But were here because of science. This is not politics. This is not ideology. This is not some political goal. This is not a pet project of one, or two, or three countries. This is a reality.

He was speaking only hours after the Australian Academy of Science issued a report saying the lower Paris goal of keeping warming to 1.5 degrees was now virtually unattainable.
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trace Alliance is pleased to announce the new Joint Working Group on Supply Chain Interoperability and Semantic Web. This working group brings together global companies, technology providers, government agencies, and academics to collaborate on creating a commons-based (open source) framework and recommendations that will contribute to seamless communication between disparate information technology systems in the public and private sectors.

Trace Alliance is excited to welcome and announce John G. Keogh as the chair of the Working Group. Previously the Trace Alliance's inaugural chair , John is the managing principal of Toronto-based niche advisory and research firm Shantalla Inc. He previously held executive leadership positions at GS1 Canada and GS1 Global Office. John also held executive global leadership roles as a VP/CIO of Information Technology and VP of Supply Chain. He led consulting organizations at Digital Equipment Corp in the Netherlands, Compaq Canada, and Hewlett-Packard, Canada. John was recently appointed to a 3-year visiting Professor of Practice role at McGill University, Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics (MCCHE) of the Desautels Faculty of Management where he will focus on the digital transformation of interoperable ecosystems in the agri-food sector.

The Working Group on Supply Chain Data Interoperability and Semantic Web will collaborate by using globally recognized data standards (such as GS1 and W3C ) and semantic web technologies. The initiative's overarching goal is to advance interoperability and positively impact sustainability in supply ecosystems by enabling trusted data exchanges beyond organizational and institutional silos. An essential aspect of the working group is the addition of academic researchers who will explore the state-of-the-art in academic research and empirical evidence on interoperability and identify gaps in knowledge. They will identify areas where research gaps exist and suggest pilots where the commons-based frameworks can enable seamless communications between disparate information technology systems in the public and private sectors. This is based on the principles of open data standards interoperability and semantic web to exchange, interpret, and use data in supply ecosystems.

The working group is organized on the principles of antitrust and inclusiveness to facilitate collaboration between diverse stakeholders with equal rights to exploit the workgroup's outputs. There will be a strong emphasis on open data models and commons-based (opensource) software.

Some organizations that have so far joined the Working Group include large blockchain ecosystem builders, standardization organizations, global industry solution providers, renowned academic institutions, and researchers.

"We often think of product supply chains as linear and simple. But they are often complex supply ecosystems where data and information about products and related services are created and need to be shared. The way to do this is through a neutral and open approach to interoperability to leverage all the benefits of the semantic web and make opaque, untrusted, and unsafe supply ecosystems a thing of the past. We have gathered a remarkable group of organizations and experts to take part in the co-creation process of the working group which will result in actionable, commons-based deliverables aiding all supply ecosystems globally and helping them to enhance transparency, improve trust, and aid sustainability."

John G. Keogh, Working Group Chair

The group is expected to hold regular meetings to discuss learnings and potential opportunities. Members will be able to participate in webinars, joint project bids, best practices documentation, and yellow paper documentation of interoperability initiatives.

The joint working group is now open for new members. Interested parties can register their interest by applying for membership on the Trace Alliance partnership hub website .

About Trace Alliance

Based in the European Union, the Trace Alliance is a non-profit association within the OriginTrail ecosystem. It functions as an inclusive, collaborative hub to connect all organizations aiming to work together to solve complex supply chain challenges using distributed ledger technology (DLT). The Trace Alliance acts as a platform for sharing knowledge and experience from real-world blockchain implementations, allowing members to connect and pursue joint projects, creating new expertise and facilitating the adoption of blockchain technology on a global level.

For more information about Trace Alliance, please visit https://alliance.origintrail.io .

For more information about OriginTrail, please visit https://origintrail.io .

SOURCE Trace Alliance
ZURICH and MOSCOW, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Acino announced today the completion of the acquisition of select portfolio of brands from the IlmixGroup group of companies in Russia. The transaction includes eight prescription pharmaceutical assets and food supplements in the areas of gynaecology, gynaecologic oncology, urology and dermatology. The parties also entered into manufacturing and supply agreements under which MiraxBioPharma, an IlmixGroup company, will continue to manufacture the products in Russia on behalf of Acino, providing uninterrupted access to patients. This acquisition further increases Acino's market share in Russia, reaching over 10% in its addressable market segments, and making the Top-65 list of pharmaceutical companies.

The acquired portfolio includes Indinol Forto, Cervicon-DIM, Indinol, Epigallate, Promisan, Indigal, and other clinical assets that are currently under development. These products are mainly used for prevention and treatment of endometriosis, myoma, cervical dysplasia and prostate adenoma, and other disorders affecting the human reproductive system.

"In line with Acino's global growth strategy, this agreement further strengthens our presence in emerging markets where we have established ourselves as a leading provider of high quality pharmaceuticals and a trusted partner. Just one year ago, we have acquired and successfully integrated over 30 brands from Takeda's primary care portfolio," said Steffen Saltofte, CEO of Acino. "With the enhanced portfolio in Russia, we will have a stronger market footprint, providing a more powerful and comprehensive offer for healthcare professionals and patients."

"Through this acquisition, patients will have the opportunity to benefit from the experience, expertise and the outreach Acino brings to ensure access to our highly innovative portfolio of brands. Developed by a group of accomplished Russian scientists, these products have demonstrated their effectiveness in the treatment and management of women's and men's health disorders in Russia. And I am convinced that Acino is the right partner to increase the value of these assets even further," said Sergey Zhdanov, Chairman of the Board of the IlmixGroup.

About Acino

Acino is a Swiss pharmaceutical company headquartered in Zurich with a clear focus on selected markets in the Middle East, Africa, Russia, the CIS Region, and Latin America. The company is backed by Nordic Capital and Avista Capital Partners. We deliver quality pharmaceuticals to promote affordable healthcare in these emerging markets, and leverage our high-quality pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and network to supply leading companies through contract manufacturing and out-licensing. For more information, visit www.acino.swiss .

About IlmixGroup

IlmixGroup JSC is a Russian pharmaceutical full-cycle company focused on world quality standards and unique competencies in the field of scientific research, development, production and promotion of innovative drugs. The company is one of the leaders on the Russian pharmaceutical market in the commercial segment of non-hormonal drugs for women's and men's reproductive health and cancer prevention, with primary specialization in therapy of benign breast diseases and cervical dysplasia. The company was founded in 2003 with the aim of developing, manufacturing and marketing innovative drugs based on natural compounds studied at the Sechenov Research Institute of Molecular Medicine of the Moscow State Medical University by Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor V. Kiselev.

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(Photo : NASA Official Blog) (Photo : NASA Official Blog)

NASA's SpaceX Crew is set to go on their shortest spaceflight mission yet, as they prepare to relocate the Crew Dragon spacecraft in preparation for the arrival of the new crewmembers launching in late April 2021.

According to Space Online Policy's report published on Monday, March 29, Expedition 64 astronauts will jump inside SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience to change docking ports.

The SpaceX Crew-1 comprises NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Soichi Noguchi.

This mission will last less than an hour.

How to watch the SpaceX Crew-1's shortest interstellar mission?

Digital Trends' report on Monday, March 29, said that NASA would be broadcasting the event live online.

Those who wish to watch the monumental event may do so by going to NASA TV's Official Stream through this link.

The report also recommends following NASA's Official Twitter account, should there be any adjustments on the schedule of the event.

Also Read: NASA: SpaceX Dragon Crew-1 Set to Launch Astronauts to Orbit After Engine Failure Finally Sorted

NASA's First US Commercial Crew Port Relocation: Timeline and Mission Details

On Monday, April 5, at 6:29 a.m., SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts have been tasked to undock the Crew Dragon Resilience from the forward port of the International Space Station's (ISS) Harmony Node 2 and dock the spacecraft at the space-facing port at 7:15 a.m.

The relocation aims to free up Harmony module's forward port for the incoming Crew Dragon Endeavour to dock when they arrive in late April, according to NASA's official blog published on Monday, March 29.

The Crew Dragon Endeavour is scheduled to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Thursday, April 22.

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will head the SpaceX Crew-2 as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively.

Meanwhile, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will join the team as mission specialists.

The SpaceX Crew-2's arrival will allow the SpaceX Crew-1 to prepare to return home, and if mission priorities and weather cooperate, will be scheduled five days after Crew-2's arrival.

The incoming crew will be the first mission of NASA's Commercial Crew Program to include two international partner crewmembers.

Meanwhile, the departure of SpaceX Crew-1 will leave the ISS' space-facing port, allowing another Dragon cargo spacecraft to dock in its place.

The said Dragon cargo spacecraft, which remains unknown at this time, will be carrying NASA's first set of new solar arrays for the space station along with several tons of supplies.

The spacecraft is scheduled to launch sometime between June and August 2021 and will require the freed up space-facing port to enable robotic extraction of the solar arrays.

Canadarm2, a Remote Manipulator System used to perform Station maintenance and perform "cosmic catches," will be used to obtain the solar arrays from the trunk of the Dragon cargo spacecraft.

Related Article: NASA, SpaceX to Share Secrets With Each Other to Avoid Space Crash

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Lee Mercado

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
If you have a broken phone that you want to replace, you might consider going to Verizon for a trade-in. The company offered up to $1,000 credits if you want to have another phone, and this is not an April Fool's joke--since its availability is on Apr. 1, people might think this offer is a prank.

Considering that your cracked devices are not going anywhere, you might want to check other important details for this trade-in.

Verizon Broken Phone Trade-In Details That You Should Know

On Wednesday, Mar. 31, Verizon said that its trade-in promo will consider all customers regardless if they are new or old to the shop. Through this broken phone trade-in, users can save a lot of money for as much as $1,000 credits in exchanging their worn-out handhelds.

Trade-in programs often require the phones to be in good shape to pass the trade-in screening.

However, Verizon made sure that everyone can participate this time by signing up in the Unlimited Plan, which is also a requirement for the trade-in, Gizmodo reported.

Moreover, savings will not be considered as cashback or saving perks to having a new smartphone. The savings will count as bill credits, which could be used for 24 months, together with the e-gift cards that the customers will receive within eight weeks after the transaction.

If you cannot open your phone, do not worry as Verizon can accept them even with the defect. Nevertheless, the value of the trade-in will also depend on the degree of the phone's condition.

For instance, if you have a broken iPhone 8 with an issue in its screen being traded-in for an iPhone 12, you can access the Unlimited plan that will give you $700 bill credits and $300 worth of e-gift card for a total of $1000 savings.

If you are a current customer, you can get a total of $440 of the new 5G flagship phone.

Verizon reminded its customers to sign up for the company's 5G plans, so they could receive a great deal for the trade-in.

There are no losing customers in this offer, as your cracked phone will transform into a more usable phone, together with big giveaways.

The iPhone 8 is only an example used by the company, but the trade-in applies to other smartphones as well.

While the trade-in did not provide the complete list of other devices and their values in the offer, Android phones could yield up to $800 trade-in credits and a $200 e-gift card, and users could also enjoy an unlimited 5G plan.

Read Also: Nokia Stock Surges 8% on Premarket Trade, Thanks to Ericsson: Is it a Buy or Sell?

Verizon Broken Phone Trade-In Additional Perks

In a report by BGR, Verizon will also throw some great rewards for those who will buy the Unlimited plans for Get More or Play More.

Those who subscribed for the package can enjoy up to one year of a special bundle from The Disney, which includes Hulu, Disney+ (with ads provided), and ESPN+. There will also be 12-month access to Discovery+, and Apple Music, as well as a free 600 GB storage.

At the moment, almost all Verizon stores are now open, but the company stated that it will still observe proper social distancing, and other safety and health protocols for the sake of its customers.

Related Article: Verizon Will No Longer Shut Down Its 3G, Here's Why They Changed Their Mind



This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joen Coronel

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on resolving the situation in Donbas Leonid Kravchuk said that during the regular TCG meeting, which is scheduled for April 14, the sides will discuss demining of the territory by Easter holidays and the return to compliance with the ceasefire.

"We will have a meeting on April 14, and we will raise this issue [demining], as it should be, because Easter is ahead and people will go to cemeteries more and move around the territory more. It is necessary to think about demining and its control. If you think about people, putting a human and his life in the center of attention. It will be. But I also want to say that Easter is passing and the war continues again. I am talking about the fact that we need to take such steps and decisions that will ensure the ceasefire is the first step. When this is resolved, political, security and other issues will be resolved. Thus, we will move forward towards peace," Kravchuk said on the air of the Ukraine 24 television channel.
Third-year UNAM student, Teopolina Shingenge is passionate about education and in her free time provides leadership training to learners in rural areas.

Shingenge who is busy with an honours degree in education, started the programme in February this year because she felt rural learners often do not understand the significance of leadership.

She kick-started the programme in the Omusati region's Okahao circuit.

"Most of the time, these learners have low self-esteem, fear and are usually shy to speak up for themselves and others hence, this training is to uplift, empower them and create awareness for them," she told Youth Corner recently.

Shingenge is also an author of a yet to be released children's book, a businesswoman who runs a day care centre, a laundry mat and food delivery service in the capital.

The 24-year-old stated that when she was in high school, most learners never understood what leadership was and they felt that they could do anything they feel because there are leaders already.

"Seeing this, I decided to do something to help the learners as I have also schooled in rural areas," recalled Shingenge.

With the permission of the education ministry and schools' principals, Shingenge gave leadership training and motivational talks to learners at the Niilo Taapopi Senior Secondary School and Nangombe Combined School, impacting more than 50 learners. "The training has impacted their reasoning skills and thinking as they now understand that leadership is more of influence, inspiring and advocacy," she noted.

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Although there was a barrier in terms of language and communication, she said it helped them understand concepts using more visual materials than theory.

Shingenge offers this leadership training sessions mostly to learners in LRC positions while the motivational talks are held with everyone at the schools.

This programme expects the learners to explore ways on how they can manage their personality, behaviour and preferences as leaders and also advance their skills and confidence in leading the school to achieve the goals, mission, vision and values of the school.

The learners receive certificates of recognition that consist of the basic modules including a depth understanding of emotional intelligence, self-esteem, financial awareness, conflict resolution and team building.

Shingenge said more schools have shown interest.

Education ministry executive director Sanet Steenkamp said the ministry believes in engagement from out-of-school youth with in-school youth.

She said, in general, they make an assessment of the material and an engagement with the particular person who wants to offer that specific training, and once it is found that it is positive and uplifting and empowering, only then permission is granted.

"We are cautious, however, of the time that such events are to be conducted. When it is exam time, we do not allow any visitors to a school. Usually because of Covid-19 we do not allow visits although they practice strict regulations," added Steenkamp.
Incoming Namibian police Deputy Inspector General for operations Joseph Shikongo has pledged to focus on joint operations, including patrols and investigations with neighbouring countries to curb cross-border crimes.

Shikongo, who served as Khomas commander, was yesterday promoted to the rank major general, replacing Major General Oscar Embubulu who went on retirement.

Police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga promoted Shikongo and also elevated Ismael Basson to the rank of Khomas police regional commander, with the rank of commissioner.

In his acceptance speech, Shikongo said: "I must accept that the shining sword I have just received from my predecessor is a great symbol of substance and a sign of high responsibility. I will keep it visibly displayed, not as a decoration, but a constant reminder of the heavy responsibilities bestowed upon the office of deputy inspector-general for operations that is to guide the police operations for the duration of my tenure of office".

Shikongo said he is aware of the limited resources affecting the operations of the force, but the team will try by all means to maximise their output to achieve more with limited resources. He joined the force on 27 November 2000 with the rank of an inspector and was deployed at the criminal investigations directorate as a staff officer to the commissioner.

He rose through the ranks of the police until he was appointed Khomas commander in 2019.

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On his part, Ndeitunga praised Embubulu who served the force with honour and dedication for 25 years in various capacities and portfolios.

In 1990, Embubulu was inducted into the Namibian Defence Force with the rank of lieutenant. He then served for six years in various capacities and portfolios, such as instructor, staff officer, team member of the Namibian Defence Force tactical manual drafters.

During his stay with the defence ministry, he was later promoted to the rank of captain responsible for policy and training under the Directorate of Operations, before he was transferred and appointed to the police force in 1996 with the rank of deputy commissioner responsible for personnel and administration at the Special Field Force Directorate.

In 2013, he was appointed as chief of security to former President Hifikepunye Pohamba, and was thereafter appointed as head of very important persons protection directorate in 2015.

He was the first-ever police attache, based in Pretoria, South Africa, but also covered Botswana, Mozambique and the kingdoms of Lesotho and eSwatini.

Embubulu was promoted to the rank of major general and appointed deputy inspector-general responsible for operations on 1 April 2018 to replace Major General Desiderius Shilunga who retired that year.
A military unit attempted to seize the presidential palace in Niger's capital, according to the government, just days before the country's new president Mohamed Bazoum takes office.

A military unit made a failed coup attempt in Niger's capital Niamey on Wednesday, a government spokesman said, coming just two days before the country's first ever democratic transition of power.

President-elect Mohamed Bazoum is due to be sworn in on Friday -- taking over from President Mahamane Ousmane, who disputed the election results.

Spokesman Abdourahamane Zakaria said the coup attempt was intended to "imperil democracy."

The government claimed the security situation was under control after the militants attempted to seize Niamey's presidential palace, with several arrests having been made.

What we know so far

Gunfire reportedly began around 3 a.m. local time (0400 CET) and lasted for around 30 minutes.

Local residents told news agency AFP that there was "intense shooting, with heavy and light weapons."

The United States Embassy in Niamey issued a security alert saying it would not open its doors on Wednesday "due to gunshots heard near our neighborhood."

The situation is 'calm'

DW correspondent Abdoulkarim Mahamadou said Niger's state broadcaster initially began its program as usual at 6:30 a.m. with no mention to the reported shooting.

"The situation here is calm and seems to be under control [of security forces]. Traffic is dense, officials are going to work, cabs are running normally and people are going about their business," Mahamadou said.

Violence escalated after elections

Attacks by militants have grown since Bazoum's victory in February presidential election.

Niger's former president, Ousmane, has deemed the election fraudulent after he lost in the runoff against Bazoum.

Ousmane served as president for three years until a military coup toppled him in 1996. He has since tried to regain power, most recently through the February election.

Niger has had four coups since its independence from France in 1960.

The spread of deadly extremist violence has long plagued the West African country, after Islamist insurgencies spilled over from Mali and Nigeria.

Bachirou Amadou Adamou, a legal scholar based in Niamey, told DW Wednesday the coup attempt was a message "aimed not only at the new government, but also the international community."

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Adamou said electoral disputes in Niger are often taken up by international bodies rather than local mediators.

"This coup attempt shows the weaknesses of the Nigerien democratic system and the necessity to strengthen democratic institutions in Niger, including the army," he added.

How do Nigeriens view their new president?

Thomas Schiller, a Mali-based Africa expert for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, told DW Wednesday that Bazoum is seen as a close follower of Niger's last president, Mahamadou Issafou.

"The transition from Bazoum to Issafou is regarded by the vast majority of people in Niger as a continuation, and not seen as a real change of power," Schiller said.

Schiller claimed that the many Nigeriens feel Issafou did not do enough to improve Niger's precarious security situation, with the Defense Ministry also facing an embezzlement scandal under his leadership.

(AFP, AP, Reuters)
Former US first lady Michelle Obama has reconnected virtually with a group of resilient and determined London schoolgirls she first met in 2009.

Mrs Obama spent an hour speaking by video call to current and former pupils from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (EGA) School in Islington and Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets to promote the publication of two new versions of her 2018 memoir, Becoming.

She discussed topics including mentorship, sisterhood and leadership as well as the impact of Covid-19 on the girls lives.

She told them: Conversations like these keep me optimistic. Meeting all of you, watching your growth.

You all give me hope. Listening to how thoughtful and insightful you are, how resilient and determined youve been, how strong and capable you are.

Expand Close Michelle Obama meets pupils and staff at the Mulberry School for Girls in 2015 (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Michelle Obama meets pupils and staff at the Mulberry School for Girls in 2015 (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

She first visited EGA School in 2009 and in 2011 took a group of pupils to Oxford University when she gave a talk to Christ Church College.

In 2018, she returned for another event at EGA School when she visited the UK for the publication of her memoir.

Mrs Obama first visited Mulberry School for Girls in 2015 to launch her Let Girls Learn campaign and later that year welcomed a group of pupils to the White House.

The lawyer and author, 57, reconnected with the girls on Wednesday afternoon to mark the launch of paperback and younger reader editions of Becoming.

Sarah Beagley, headteacher at EGA School, said: Mrs Obama has been a part of EGA since her first visit 12 years ago, before our year seven students today were born.

Since 2009 she has stayed true to her word, continuing to connect with us in multiple ways and remains a truly inspirational figure for generations of EGA students.

Her story, her passion and her determination to make a difference to the lives of others resonates completely with the values of EGA and we are proud and delighted that she values her relationship with us as much as we do with her.

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Dr Vanessa Ogden, chief executive and headteacher of Mulberry School for Girls, said: Students past and present are so excited about the launch of Michelle Obamas book Becoming, especially adapted for young readers.

Childhood and adolescence are such a formative period. Learning from Mrs Obama  one of the greatest, most inspiring women of our time  could not be more important.

Her use of her platform to drive change for girls is critical, breaking down barriers to education and building a sisterhood of young women advocating for each other.

Mulberry is deeply grateful to Mrs Obama for her generosity and support for our girls, providing many opportunities for them to have a voice and inspiring them to found Global Girl Leading as a legacy of her relationship with us.

BBC Ones The One Show will air a film about the event from 7pm on Thursday evening, with a video of the full conversation released by Penguin on its YouTube Channel at 7.30pm.
Midland County will have a new burn ban in place from March 28 through June 26, according to a report from Justin Bunch, Emergency Management coordinator.

This burn ban does have a few changes. County residents are able to burn household trash as long as they follow the listed criteria:
Manhattan district Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. speaks at a news conference announcing charges against Brandon Elliot, following his arrest for attacking an elderly Asian woman, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, March 31. Reuters



A New York man previously convicted of murdering his mother has been arrested and charged with assaulting a 65-year-old Asian woman in a hate crime, an attack captured on a video that went viral amid a rise in anti-Asian incidents in the United States.



Police identified Brandon Elliot, 38, as the man seen in the video kicking the woman to the ground and then kicking her several more times on Monday near Times Square in midtown Manhattan.



Elliot was due to be arraigned later on Wednesday on two charges of second-degree assault as a hate crime and one count of first-degree attempted assault as a hate crime, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said at a news briefing.



"Mr. Elliot is accused of brutally shoving, kicking and stomping a 65-year-old mother to the ground after telling her that she didn't belong here," Vance said. "There is no place for these atrocious acts of anti-Asian violence in New York."



Vance added that his office has more than a dozen open cases and ongoing investigations into apparent hate incidents against members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community since the start of this year.



The New York Police Department said its Hate Crimes Task Force had been looking for the assailant since Monday afternoon and found Elliot through an investigation that included social media and community tips. Elliot, who was on lifetime parole after serving a prison term for murdering his mother, was arrested without incident at his residence in New York City on Tuesday, police said.





In this March 30 file photo, pedestrians walk in the Flushing neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York. AP
Police in Mallorca will use drones to spy on tourists sunbathing on beaches to make sure they are not breaking coronavirus regulations.

The devices will be used in the busiest areas to keep track of whether people are social distancing - and if they detect crowds, the police will be notified.

A government minister confirmed checks are being stepped up in the main tourist areas, with inspectors launching a 'special device' with police.

A number of families have already received warnings about breaking the two-household limit when sharing tables in bars and restaurants.

Police in Mallorca will use drones to spy on tourists sunbathing on beaches to make sure they are not breaking coronavirus regulations

Police and government inspectors in Calvia, Mallorca's party hotspot before the pandemic, are also carrying out a 'thorough inspection' of hotels to make sure people are following the rules.

They warned the spot checks will continue - particularly over Easter - and may become the norm in the summer if Britons are allowed to travel to the island.

It comes as Spain's government backtracked on their plans to fine tourists if they did not wear face masks on the beach.

Minister of the Presidency of the Balearic Government, Mercedes Garrido said the checks will be focusing on hotels and restaurants.

Open-air terraces will be one of the main targets as this is where restriction numbers are being regularly breached.

The devices will be used in the busiest areas to keep a track of whether people are social distancing - and if they detect crowds, the police will be notified

Mr Garrido made it clear that tourists were not being picked upon as the checks would also be carried out in areas frequented by local people.

However, there will be checks in hotels to make sure members of different families were not sharing the same rooms.

There will also be a reinforcement with drones from the air in the busiest areas such as beaches and recreational areas and the most difficult to control on the ground.

If the drones detect crowds, the police are notified. Urban beaches will also be subject to special surveillance.

The Balearic government says that since sanctions were introduced, around 33,000 penalty cases have been drawn up and complaints are coming in at a rate of around 600 to 800 a week. Most of the penalties are for not wearing masks.

It comes as Spain's government faced controversy over their plans for tourists to be fined 100 (85) if they flouted new rules making masks obligatory everywhere.

They bowed to pressure from regional health chiefs after the plans had caused uproar in tourist areas such as the Balearic Islands and the Costa del Sol.

Spain's health minister Carolina Darias announced today that further discussions will now take place to try to find a solution that will appease critics.

pain's government faced controversy over their plans for tourists to be fined 100 (85) if they flouted new rules making masks obligatory everywhere (file photo)

Less strict rules will remain in place for now on islands such as Ibiza and Mallorca under which people can take their masks off while sunbathing alone or with their household.

Balearic Islands health secretary Patricia Gomez confirmed the new policy was being put on hold following a meeting between regional health chiefs and Spain's health minister Carolina Darias at a meeting in Valladolid.

Further discussion is now expected to take place on the exemptions each region wants to put in place within the framework of national legislation.

Overnight, leading epidemiologists had laid into the Spanish government as the Balearic Islands said it would lead the way into getting Madrid to rethink its new law.

Spanish beaches re-opened for tourists last summer, including this one in Barcelona, but prospects for foreign holidays this year remain unclear

Epidemiologist Alex Arenas, a professor at Rovira i Virgili University in the Catalan city of Tarragona, told local media: 'Life outdoors, where the risk of contagion is 20 times less, should be encouraged.

'Spain's health ministry lost its way months ago and scientifically they are very mediocre.

'This is what happens when you dismiss scientific advice from the best and only listen to those you want to listen to.

'Fresh air and social distancing, that's how you deal with coroanvirus

In Tenerife, hoteliers said to enforce a blanket regulation of mask-wearing in all circumstances on the beach would be detrimental to the island's tourist image.

'Making the use of masks compulsory now in areas where the few tourists we have, such as the beaches of the Canary Islands, seems to us something untimely, which makes no sense, unless it is shown that it is in these places where the greatest infections occur,' said president of the hotel association, Jorge Marichal.

'This measure is a disincentive for the next few months, in which the tourism sector has placed its hopes for the comeback, once all of Europe is leaving little by little. vaccinating.'

Huge parts of Spain are currently experiencing a new upsurge in coronavirus cases with fears that a fourth wave will cause devastating effects on the tourism industry.

But in the Balearics, there has been a slight fall in the incidence rate, with the Balearic government warning that only sticking to the rules will head off further infections and prevent new deaths.

There are still extensive coronaviruss regulations in force across all the islands, including in Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca, with limits on the number of people who can share tables and various restrictions in hotels, especially in common areas.
The guests have been revealed for this week's Late Late Show on RTE One.

Adrian Dunbar, Enda Kenny, Sarah McInerney, and Paul Howard are among guests on The Late Late Show, with musical performances from John Spillane and Wild Youth.

On tomorrow night's Late Late Show, Ryan will chat all things Line of Duty with an Irishman who's leading the charge at AC-12, Adrian Dunbar. Adrian will discuss how it feels to become watercooler famous more than 40 years after leaving the island to become an actor, and why his wife finds it hilarious that the show has turned him into a sex symbol.

Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny joins Ryan to speak about life after politics and his new series that starts next week on RTE, sees him rediscovering Ireland's railway routes.

Broadcaster Sarah McInerney, recently announced alongside Fran McNulty to join Miriam O'Callaghan as new presenters of Prime Time, will speak with Ryan about her new role, taking those in power to task and how she ended up presenting a whole radio show on her mobile phone!

Paul Howard, journalist and author of 23 books featuring Ross O' Carroll Kelly, will be on the show to discuss everything from class privilege in Ireland, to how ROCK is surviving the pandemic.

To mark World Autism Awareness Day, we will meet with a group of parents and children who are living with autism and the everyday challenges they face.

Hotelier John Fitzpatrick will chat about New York opening up and the vaccine rollout and whether well see the Irish in the Big Apple anytime soon.

The music line-up includes Wild Youth exclusively performing their new single 'Can't Say No' and, on the day of its release, John Spillane performs a song from his critically acclaimed album '100 Snow White Horses'.

The Late Late Show, RTE One, Friday, April 2nd at 9.35pm.
In the interest of customer convenience and safety in the use of recurring online payments, the framework mandated use of AFA during registration and first transaction.  Representational image

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday extended the timeline for lenders, financial institutions and payment gateways to comply with its guidelines related to recurring online transactions with Additional Factor of Authentication by six months till September 30. This is the second time that regulator has extended the deadline as several players have failed to implement the framework which could have impacted recurring payments of customers such as of utility bills, recharge of phone, DTH among others, post March 31 and led to large scale defaults.

To make digital payments in India "safe and secure", the banking regulator introduced Additional Factor of Authentication (AFA) and directed all banks including Regional Rural Banks, Non Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) and payment gateways to comply with AFA for automatic recurring payment by March 31, 2021, in order to make digital transaction safe and protect customers from fraudulent transactions.However, some of the players failed to meet the deadline and approached the RBI seeking extension of the deadline.

"It is, however, noted that the framework has not been fully implemented even after the extended timeline. This non-compliance is noted with serious concern and will be dealt with separately. The delay in implementation by some stakeholders has given rise to a situation of possible large-scale customer inconvenience and default," RBI said in its statement.

"To prevent any inconvenience to the customers, Reserve Bank of India has decided to extend the timeline for the stakeholders to migrate to the framework by six months, i.e., till September 30, 2021," it said.

"Any further delay in ensuring complete adherence to the framework beyond the extended timeline will attract stringent supervisory action," the RBI warned.

In August 2019, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had issued a framework for processing of e-mandates on recurring online transactions. Initially applicable to cards and wallets, the framework was extended in January 2020 to cover Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions as well.

In the interest of customer convenience and safety in the use of recurring online payments, the framework mandated use of AFA during registration and first transaction (with relaxation for subsequent transactions up to a limit of Rs 2,000, since enhanced to Rs 5,000), as well as pre-transaction notification, facility to withdraw the mandate, etc, it said.

"The primary objective of the framework was to protect customers from fraudulent transactions and enhance customer convenience. Based on a request from Indian Banks' Association (IBA) for an extension of time till March 31, 2021, to enable the banks to complete the migration, Reserve Bank had advised the

stakeholders in December 2020 to migrate to the framework by March 31, 2021. Thus, adequate time was given to the stakeholders to comply with the framework," it said.
The Pitch shares propaganda transcribed from marketers . . . The reality is that the funds tomorrow are one component of federal funding but not the whole enchilada. However, nobody is challenging the press releases.



So we'll share the hype for now . . .


This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Radio Africa Group has threatened to sue its former presenter Shaffie Weru for breach of contract and negligence.

This comes after the former Homeboyz Radio presenter threatened to sue Radio Africa for unfair and unlawful termination of his employment and demanded Sh21 million in damages.

Weru and his co-hosts, Joseph Munoru (DJ Joe Mfalme) and Neville Musya, were fired for demeaning a woman who was thrown off a building after she declined sexual advances from a man he met on Facebook.

In its countersuit to Weru's, Radio Africa Group and its subsidiary Homeboyz Radio 2017 Limited said it will be asking the court to award it damages of Sh150 million for loss of business and reputational damage to the companies' 15-year-old and 20-year-old brands.

Radio Africa further said Weru contravened its policies and his employment contract, and as per the terms of his contract such action led to the "forthwith" termination of his services.

"His actions were unconscionable and amount to severe gross misconduct. He should have known better having been in the media industry for 18 years and receiving continuous training on media regulators' programming codes, broadcasting regulations and codes of conduct and ethics. Including a very recent training by the Media Council of Kenya in February 2021 which covered: Ethics and Code of Conduct, fake news and Fact checking, interview skills, Conflict Sensitive Journalism, Hate Speech Dilemma in media, On-air presentation skills," Radio Africa said.

In the letter, the company has also refuted claims that the presenter learnt of his dismissal from social media.

"Prior to him given his letter of dismissal he was called on phone by the company HR department to be informed of the same. Thereafter, the letter was sent to him via email with instructions of when and where to collect the hard copy. The Company has records of this. He is put to strict proof on any other claims he is making regarding his letter of dismissal," read part of the letter from Radio Africa.

Radio Africa Group took a massive hit on its revenue after EABL publicly announced it was pausing all forms of advertising on Radio Africa programmes hosted by the three presenters.
A POPULAR Limerick shoe shop has welcomed the governments announcement that childrens shoes will be designated as essential retail.

Manager of Young Gleeson Shoes on William Street, Dervla Gleeson, expressed her delight at the announcement, which was confirmed in the Dail by An Taoiseach Micheal Martin.

Weve been hoping this would happen for a long time. Ive been bombarded with phone calls for the last couple of weeks with parents begging for shoes for their kids.

Dervla didnt wait one moment longer and she is already open for parents to book appointments, which will be commencing from next week, Tuesday April 6.

The phone has been ringing non-stop all morning and even since yesterday, which is great! Our customers are so happy, its like theyve won the lotto when we call them back, she told the Leader.

Dervla explained that the need for kids shoes is absolutely essential and is glad the government has finally acted on it. To me, kids shoes are essential. Its not easy to buy footwear online. All shoes fit differently. Kids feet are so sensitive and its so important that their feet are fit into the right shoes.

Young Gleeson Shoes will follow all guidelines which includes mandatory face masks and hand sanitizer. They will also operate on an appointment-basis only so Dervla recommends that parents call or text them if they need an appointment.

All children will have to wear socks during a fitting as well due to regulations, even during the summer.

Dervla also recommends browsing their website beforehand so parents and child can get an idea on what they would like before they come in.

Guidelines aside, Dervla is extremely excited to open for business. Were just delighted to be able to give a fitting service again.

To book an appointment call 061 467 796 or visit younggleesonshoes.com.
Raine Squares major tenant has issued an expression of interest for commercial leasing properties as it eyes moving its head office from the struggling CBD retail precinct.

Bankwest was the drawcard tenant at the $200 million development owned by billion-dollar Sydney fund manager Charter Hall but a spokesperson told WAtoday last Friday the bank was exploring other city-based leasing options for its flagship branch and head office.

Bankwest is Raine Squares major tenant but could be on the move from the troubled retail precinct. Credit:David Prestipino

Our priority is to provide a workplace environment that enables our colleagues to deliver the best possible experiences for our customers, the Bankwest spokesperson said.

As a major WA employer, Bankwest remains committed to its head office being in Perth and the call for expressions of interest for commercial leased premises is part of a normal review process to identify potential workplace options.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny makes a point in a recorded message, in an image taken from a video released on Jan. 13, 2021. (Associated Press)

The long-running confrontation between the Kremlin and Alexei Navalny took a darker turn this week as Russia's best-known opposition figure launched a hunger strike to demand proper medical attention and protest his prison treatment.

Now his allies are openly voicing fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin once again wants him dead.

Navalny, 44, barely survived a poisoning seven months ago with a military-grade nerve agent, an attack Western governments blamed on the Russian security services. Now he is serving a 2-year sentence in a harsh penal colony east of Moscow, after returning to Russia in January from Germany, where he spent months convalescing from his poisoning ordeal.

The Kremlin denied any responsibility for Navalny's poisoning, but his case has worsened Moscows already tense relations with the United States and the 27-nation European Union. It also triggered one of the broadest and most sustained outpourings of domestic anger yet against Putin, who has been in power for more than two decades.

But analysts say that despite a groundswell of street protests this year to demand Navalnys freedom  with more such mass demonstrations potentially in the works  neither the West nor his supporters at home have much real leverage against the state machinery presided over by Putin.

Even so, Navalny appears to have gotten under the Russian leaders skin in a way that few opponents have managed to do, daring to mock Putin personally and highlighting the issue of official corruption, a key driver of discontent. Support for Navalny also taps a youthful demographic that could be a harbinger of longer-term gains for his political movement.

Here is some background about Navalny and where the latest confrontation might lead.

How serious is the danger to Navalny?

By all appearances, it is considerable. Supporters were alarmed when he was sent to a maximum-security facility known as Pokrov IK-2, about 60 miles east of Moscow, which is notorious for harsh conditions. This week, his Instagram account said he had been denied painkillers or access to a doctor to treat debilitating back and leg pain. He also told of sleep deprivation due to guards shining a light on his face every hour, ostensibly to ensure he had not escaped.

Story continues

On Wednesday, the account maintained in his name by aides posted a handwritten letter from Navalny announcing the start of his hunger strike, in which he asked: What else could I do? A series of Twitter posts on Thursday said he had lost 18 pounds even before his hunger strike commenced.

Russian democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, speaking at an online panel Wednesday organized by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, cited a grave, dangerous and deteriorating situation for Navalny. American-born British businessman Bill Browder, who has championed legislation on sanctions against Russia, likened Navalny's case to that of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in Russian prison in 2009. Putin is trying to kill him in slow motion, Browder wrote on Twitter this week.

The Kremlin has declined to comment on Navalny's condition, and prison authorities say his treatment has been in accordance with the law.

How is Putin playing this?

Analysts say the Russian leader runs a degree of political risk by allowing Navalnys condition to deteriorate to the point that his life is endangered. If Navalny were to die in custody, theres a danger of him becoming a martyr and delivering a boost to his supporters as well, said Elina Treyger, a political scientist with the Rand Corp.

In launching his hunger strike, Navalny just upped the ante, she said. Anticipating the dangers he faced in custody, the activist previously told supporters that if anything happened to him while he was imprisoned, no one should believe any official claim that he killed himself.

U.S. and European governments have repeatedly called for Navalnys release, citing his previous conviction on fraud charges, and the parole violation for which he is currently imprisoned, as politically motivated. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron raised fresh concerns over Navalny's health and rights in a video call with Putin this week. But a Kremlin readout on the call said Putin responded with an objective explanation of Navalnys situation, suggesting he rebuffed their appeals.

Western pressure can sometimes backfire, analysts say, because Putin is so skilled at using Navalnys plight to portray himself as a bulwark against outside meddling in Russian affairs. State media routinely describe Navalny as a foreign agent and his supporters as dupes of the West, a message that often plays well with the Russian public.

To outside eyes, the official Russian media offensive against Navalny can seem crude and heavy-handed, especially compared with the skilled use of online outlets by the jailed activist and his team.

Postings in his name frequently employ sly humor and feature investigative blockbusters such as the Putins Palace video this year  detailing an opulent Black Sea compound purportedly paid for by the presidents cronies  which has garnered more than 115 million views on YouTube.

On Thursday, in what appeared to be classic trolling by the Kremlin, former Russian agent Maria Butina, who became a cause celebre at home when she served jail time in the United States, was dispatched to Navalny's penal colony by the pro-government channel RT to report on his case.

Navalnys Twitter account, describing her as a wretched propagandist, said Butina was shouting that this is the best and most comfortable prison.

What comes next?

Navalnys associates have said he may revive street protests that were called off this year after authorities responded with tens of thousands of arrests. To gauge support, his team has set up on online tool, with a goal of half a million backers expressing willingness to take part. By Thursday, about 370,000 people had signed up.

But surveys suggest there is probably a numerical ceiling on such backing, in part because even many Russians who dislike Putin see him as a source of stability. Opinion polls about Navalny are very mixed, said Kadri Liik, a senior policy fellow and Russia expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Some people support him, some are indifferent, and some believe he might be a Western agent, she said.

In the meantime, Russian authorities have a variety of potent means to exert pressure not only on Navalny but also on his associates and supporters.

Many members of Navalnys team live in exile, but Putins government has shown willingness to use a familiar Soviet-era tactic of retaliation against family members. The father of Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, was detained over the weekend, a move Zhdanov said was aimed at him.

Special correspondent Vasiliy Kolotilov in Moscow contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Minister's Lawsuit Against Speaker Pelosi and Vice-President Harris will be Heard Today, Thursday, April 1, in the District Federal Court for Washington, D.C. NEWS PROVIDED BY

Christian Defense Coalition

April 1, 2021



WASHINGTON, April 1, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- The case will be argued before Federal Judge, James E. Boasberg, at 3:30 PM EST by attorney Brian Chavez-Ochoa represented Rev. Patrick Mahoney.



Rev. Mahoney will be seeking federal injunction relief to conduct his Good Friday Service and prayer vigil at the Capitol after his permit request was denied.



Rev. Mahoney was told last week by the US Capitol Police the Good Friday Service would not be allowed because it was in a "restricted area."



Below is a picture from the lower western terrace of the Capitol where last years service was held. It is the same location where Rev. Mahoney intended to have this year's Good Friday Vigil.







While peaceful First Amendment activities are being prohibited at the US Capitol, other business is going on as usual. For example, members of Congress and their staff are entering and using the Capitol. Vendors, the media and their crews, invited guests, lobbyists and so many more are also allowed to enter and use the Capitol grounds.



However, American citizens who want to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights at the "People's House," are being prohibited from the Capitol.



Brian Chavez-Ochoa, of Chavez-Ochoa Law Offices and a attorney for Rev. Mahoney, comments; "The systematic trampling of our First Amendment Rights must come to an end and the Capitol must be reopened to the people. The right sought by Rev. Mahoney to pray at the lower western terrace of the Capitol on Good Friday, asking God to heal this nation and bless our leaders with wisdom, should and must be honored." Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Director of the Washington, D.C. based Christian Defense Coalition, states; "The 'People's House,' as the US Capitol Building is so rightly called, must be a place where all Americans should be afforded the right to come and peacefully celebrate and express their First Amendment Rights. Tragically, those rights and freedoms are being denied and prohibited.



"Business is going on as usual at the Capitol. Members of Congress and their staff are entering and using the Capitol. Vendors, the media and their crews, invited guests, lobbyists and so many more are also allowed to enter and use the Capitol grounds.



"Yet, I am being prohibiting from holding a Good Friday Service to pray for God to heal our nation from division and bring hope and comfort to all those struggling during the pandemic. I am filing this federal lawsuit to ensure the 'People's House' is returned to the people and the First Amendment is once again celebrated and honored at the United States Capitol." For more information or interviews call:



Brian Chavez-Ochoa at: 209.772.3013

Rev. Patrick Mahoney at: 540.538.4741



SOURCE Christian Defense Coalition



CONTACT: Brian Chavez-Ochoa, 209-772-3013;

Rev. Patrick Mahoney, 540-538-4741



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It is probably for the first time many in the US and outside the country are witnessing court proceedings that are broadcasted live around the world.

The murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is facing second, third-degree murder and manslaughter charged for the death of George Floyd last year has been going on for three days now.

Over the past three days, the prosecution has produced several witnesses, who were at the spot when Chauvin knelt down on Floyd's neck on May 25, 2020, for nearly nine minutes while arresting him, resulting in his death.

Jena Scurry, Minneapolis 911 emergency dispatcher

The first witness called by the prosecutors was Jena Scurry, a Minneapolis 911 emergency dispatcher who sent police to the Cup Foods store and watched live surveillance video footage showing a police car rock back and forth outside the store as four officers struggled to get Floyd to stay in the back seat.

She said she watched the video, which was played to jurors, with growing alarm.

AP

"I first asked if the screen had frozen," she said. Each time she looked up, she testified, the officers were still on top of Floyd.

"My instinct is telling me something is wrong," said Scurry, who called a supervising police sergeant. Jurors heard her say she did not mean to be a "snitch" but she wondered if the officers needed more help.

Donald Williams, MMA fighter

The second prosecution witness was Donald Williams, a 33-year-old MMA fighter and security officer, who called 911 on the cops to report a "murder." Williams who was at the spot when Floyd was being held down by the cop, described the scene and also gave his expertise on chokeholds as a fighter.

According to Williams, what Chauvin did to Floyd was a blood choke.

AFP

Williams said he was a wrestler in high school who has been practicing mixed martial arts since 2009. He has worked in private security for much of the past 10 years, he said. With Frank asking questions, he discussed his experience with chokeholds and the practice of "tapping out" when a fighter submits.

He also said he saw Chauvin use a "shimmy" hold on Floyd, to restrict his motions.

He said he grew emotional because of the situation  and also because of how police were behaving. They were "nonresponsive" to his and other onlookers' concerns, he said.

He added that after the ambulance arrived, Chauvin did not take his knee off Floyd's neck. After Floyd was loaded onto a gurney and taken away in an ambulance, Williams lingered.

He was nervous, he said, and didn't know what to do. He saw the officers move across the front of the store, away from the scene. Williams then pulled up his cellphone, called 911  and reported to the dispatcher he had just seen a murder.

Genevieve Hansen, off-duty firefighter

Genevieve Hansen, an off-duty firefighter and paramedic who was near the scene of the arrest, can be heard on the video screaming at the police to check Floyd's pulse.

"I pled and was desperate," she testified on Tuesday, dressed in her Minneapolis Fire Department uniform of a white shirt with a badge and black tie. A water bottle shook in her hand as she sipped it to calm her tears.

"It's what I would have done for anybody," she said.

AFP

She said another officer at the scene told her: "If you really are a Minneapolis firefighter, you would know better than to get involved."

After her increasingly combative exchanges with Eric Nelson, Chauvin's lead lawyer, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill sent out the jury and chastised Hansen, warning her not to argue with the court or with lawyers and to return the following day.

On Wednesday, she was on the stand for only a few minutes. Nelson asked her if she showed the police her firefighter identification. She said no. Matthew Frank, a prosecutor, then asked her if she even had her identification with her. She said she did not, because she was off-duty.

Juveniles who shot the video

Two people who were juveniles at the time of the incent, including one of them who shot the now infamous videos also testified in court against the ex-cop.

She wept as she said Floyd was "begging for his life" while Derek Chauvin was digging into his neck as onlookers pleaded with him to stop.

Reuters

Asked how Chauvin, 45, reacted to their pleas, she said: "If anything, he actually was kneeling harder, looked like he was shoving his knee in his neck.

"I feel like he was feeding off our energy. He just stared at us...He had this cold look, heartless. It seemed like he didn't care what we were thinking. It didn't change anything he was doing."

Giving evidence on the second day of Chauvin's trial, she said Floyd "knew it was all over for him. He was terrified".

The girl, now 18, was just 17 years old when she filmed the scene in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, on May 25 last year.

Christopher Martin, cashier at Cup foods

Christopher Martin, a cashier at Cup foods, where Floyd gave the counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes testified Wednesday that he watched Floyd's arrest outside with "disbelief -- and guilt.''

"If I would've just not taken the bill, this could've been avoided,'' Martin lamented, joining the burgeoning list of witnesses who expressed a sense of helplessness and lingering guilt over Floyd's death.

Martin said he immediately believed the $20 bill was fake. But he said he accepted it, despite believing the amount would be taken out of his paycheck by his employer, because he didn't think Floyd knew it was counterfeit and "I thought I'd be doing him a favor.''

AFP

Martin then second-guessed his decision and told a manager, who sent Martin outside to ask Floyd to return to the store. But Floyd and a passenger in his SUV twice refused to go back into the store to resolve the issue, and the manager had a co-worker call police, Martin testified.

Martin said that when Floyd was inside the store buying cigarettes, he spoke so slowly "it would appear that he was high.'' But he described Floyd as friendly and talkative.

After police arrived, Martin went outside as people were gathering on the curb and yelling at officers. He said he saw Officer Tou Thao push one of his co-workers. Martin said he also held back another man who was trying to defend himself after being pushed by Thao.

For the first time, a body cam video from the ex-cop showing the arrest was also made public.

It showed Floyd's struggle with three police officers trying to arrest him, included Floyd's panicky cries of I'm sorry, I'm sorry and I'm claustrophobic! as the officers tried to push Floyd into the back of a police SUV.

At one point, Floyd bucks forward, throwing his upper body out of the car. Officers eventually give up, and Floyd thanks them  and then is taken to the ground, facedown and handcuffed. Officer Derek Chauvin's knee pins his neck, another officer's knee his back and a third officer holds his legs, with the officers talking calmly about whether he might be on drugs.

He wouldn't get out of the car. He just wasn't following instructions, Officer Thomas Lane was recorded saying. The officer also asked twice if the officers should roll Floyd on his side, and later said he thinks Floyd is passing out. Another officer checked Floyd's wrist for a pulse and said he couldn't find one.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Soldera Mining Corp. (CSE:SOLD)(OTC PINK:SLDMF) ("Soldera" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its news releases dated February 26, 2021 and March 22, 2021, it has completed the acquisition (the "Transaction") of all of the shares of AmTek Inc. ("AmTek") in consideration for the issuance of 12,000,000 common shares of the Company (the "Consideration Shares").

AmTek is the owner of the Whabouchi South lithium exploration property located in the James Bay/Eeyou Istche region of Quebec and is working on the development of a proprietary technology to produce "green ammonia", a potential carbon-free energy source.

The Consideration Shares are subject to resale restrictions expiring as follows: (i) 1/6 four (4) months from closing; (ii) 1/6 eight (8) months from closing; (iii) 1/6 twelve (12) months from closing; (iv) 1/6 sixteen (16) months from closing; (v) 1/6 twenty (20) months from closing; and (vi) 1/6 twenty-four (24) months from closing.

The Company also issued 960,000 common shares of the Company to a finder in consideration for the finder introducing the parties to the Transaction. Such shares are subject to a hold period of four months and one day.

About the Company

The company is a resource exploration company with an increasing focus on clean energy. The company is based in Vancouver, BC and also holds an option over the Titan Gold Property located in the Klotz Lake area in Northwestern Ontario.

For more information, investors should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release.

Contact Information

Faizaan Lalani

Director, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer

Telephone: 778 233 3537

Email: flalani@solderamining.com

SOURCE: Soldera Mining Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638517/Soldera-Mining-Acquires-Amtek-Inc
Brian Teare, conference alumnus and returning faculty member, is the author of six critically-acclaimed books, the most recent of which, Doomstead Days, was longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award. His honors include Lambda Literary and Publishing Triangle Awards and a fellowship from the NEA, among others. He teaches at the University of Virginia and heads the micropress Albion Books.

Returning faculty member Matthew Zapruder is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently Fathers Day, as well as Why Poetry, a book of prose. He is editor at large at Wave Books, where he edits contemporary poetry, prose, and translations. He teaches at Saint Marys College of California.

Fiction

Returning faculty member Charles Baxter is the author of seven works of fiction, most recently Theres Something I Want You to Do. His new novel, The Sun Collective, is forthcoming in early 2021. He has received the Award of Merit in the Short Story and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Rea Award in the Short Story. He teaches at the University of Minnesota.
Regulatory News:

Tikehau Capital (Paris:TKO), the global alternative asset management group, today announces that the French version of its Universal Registration Document (Document d'enregistrement universel) is available to the public and has been filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des marches financiers) under number D.21-0246.

Copies of this Universal Registration Document are available free of charge in accordance with applicable regulations. In particular, it is available on and can be downloaded from the Company's website (www.tikehaucapital.com, under the heading: Shareholders/Regulatory Information/Annual Financial Reports).

The following documents are included in the Universal Registration Document:

the 2020 annual financial report,

the report of the Supervisory Board on corporate governance required under Article L.226-10-1 of the French Commercial Code,

the reports of the Statutory Auditors (including the report required under Article L.22-10-71 of the French Commercial Code) and information concerning the Statutory Auditors' fees,

the Statement of non-financial performance, and

the description of the share buyback program.

ABOUT TIKEHAU CAPITAL

Tikehau Capital is a global alternative asset management group with 28.5 billion of assets under management (at 31 December 2020).

Tikehau Capital has developed a wide range of expertise across four asset classes (private debt, real assets, private equity and capital markets strategies) as well as multi-asset and special opportunities strategies.

Tikehau Capital is a founder-led team with a differentiated business model, a strong balance sheet, proprietary global deal flow and a track record of backing high quality companies and executives.

Deeply rooted in the real economy, Tikehau Capital provides bespoke and innovative alternative financing solutions to companies it invests in and seeks to create long-term value for its investors. Leveraging its strong equity base (2.8 billion of shareholders' equity at 31 December 2020), the firm invests its own capital alongside its investor-clients within each of its strategies.

Controlled by its managers alongside leading institutional partners, Tikehau Capital is guided by a strong entrepreneurial spirit and DNA, shared by its 594 employees (at 31 December 2020) across its 12 offices in Europe, Asia and North America.

Tikehau Capital is listed in compartment A of the regulated Euronext Paris market (ISIN code: FR0013230612; Ticker: TKO.FP).

For more information, please visit: www.tikehaucapital.com

DISCLAIMER:

This document does not constitute an offer of securities for sale or investment advisory services. It contains general information only and is not intended to provide general or specific investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future earnings and profit, and targets are not guaranteed.

Certain statements and forecasted data are based on current forecasts, prevailing market and economic conditions, estimates, projections and opinions of Tikehau Capital and/or its affiliates. Due to various risks and uncertainties. actual results may differ materially from those reflected or expected in such forward-looking statements or in any of the case studies or forecasts. All references to Tikehau Capital's advisory activities in the US or with respect to US persons relate to Tikehau Capital North America.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005644/en/

Contacts:

PRESS:

Tikehau Capital: Valerie Sueur +33 1 40 06 39 30

UK Prosek Partners: Henrietta Dehn +44 7717 281 665

USA Prosek Partners: Trevor Gibbons +1 646 818 9238

press@tikehaucapital.com

SHAREHOLDER AND INVESTOR:

Louis Igonet +33 1 40 06 11 11

shareholders@tikehaucapital.com
DALLAS, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prospera Financial Services, Inc. (Prospera) is pleased to announce the affiliation of Johnson Wealth Management to the firm, adding wealth managers David Johnson and Brandon Stockman to the list of recent partnerships in the Southwest. Serving clients in Arizona and California, the wealth management group adds $85M in AUM. Prospera, a privately held company, is a Texas-based financial firm founded in 1982 as a full-service, boutique broker-dealer and support organization for successful independent financial professionals across the country.

David Johnson, who manages the location in Buckeye, Arizona, has been assisting clients with financial needs for nearly 30 years. As a California native, he founded the firm in 1994, building it to be a robust financial resource for clients seeking to both live and leave a legacy. David married his high school sweetheart, Lisa, in 1986 and they proudly share the roles of parents to three children and nine grandchildren. Outside of the office, he and his family maintain active roles in their local church, Rotary, and several boards and foundations.

Wealth manager Brandon Stockman leads the firm's operations in Fortuna, California. He has served clients in the financial industry for over a decade. Prior to wealth management, he was a director of a non-profit organization. Brandon's time away from the office is spent with his wife and four children serving at their local church and being active in their community.

"We operate on a strict set of values to help meet the needs of our clients. The fundamental values integrated into the culture of Prospera really spoke to us when choosing a broker-dealer. We are thankful to have access to a leading platform supported by a boutique service model that is in line with the structure of our business," said David Johnson, President of Johnson Wealth Management.

About Prospera Financial Services

Founded in 1982, Prospera Financial Services, Member FINRA, SIPC and a registered investment advisory, offers the flexibility and resources only found at some of the nation's largest broker-dealers. Headquartered in Dallas, TX, Prospera was named Broker-Dealer of the Year by Investment Advisor Magazine in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019. The firm supports independent financial advisors nationwide. For more information about Prospera, visit www.joinprospera.com.

SOURCE Prospera Financial Services

Related Links

http://www.prosperafinancial.com


Campus News

Make commitment to righting racial injustice in health, Jacobs School lecturer urges

A contingent from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences took part in a "White Coats 4 Black Lives" march on June 5 from the Jacobs School to Niagara Square. Photo: Sandra Kicman



By ELLEN GOLDBAUM

I had encounters with so many elderly people who had never seen a lady with a white jacket. They knew I was a student and they said, come back, we need our doctors to be people who really care about us, and that put a burning piece in my heart.  Maxine Hayes, clinical professor emerita of pediatrics University of Washington School of Medicine

The title of Maxine Hayes virtual talk last Tuesday as part of the Celebration of Inclusiveness in Medicine and Science Distinguished Lecture Series was Righting the Wrong of Racial Injustice in Health. It was a title she chose with care. I didnt say health care,  she pointed out at the start of her talk, I said health. Health is one of our most precious attributes. If we dont have health, there is very little we can do in this life. Thats why Martin Luther King Jr. said that of all the injustices, it is the worst. A nationally recognized expert in maternal and child health, Hayes is clinical professor emerita of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and professor emerita of health services in the University of Washington School of Public Health. A 1973 graduate of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, she gave the talk at UB last week as the recipient of the Medical School Alumni Associations 2021 Distinguished Alumna Award. Hayes extraordinary career includes serving the Washington State Department of Health for 25 years, from 1988 to 2013, 16 of them as state health officer. As the states top public health doctor, her role included advising the governor and secretary of health on issues ranging from health promotion and chronic disease prevention to emergency response. After graduation from UB, she did postgraduate training at Vanderbilt University Hospital and the Childrens Hospital Medical Center in Boston. She earned a Master of Public Health degree at Harvard University and took a teaching position at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She joined the faculty of the University of Washington School of Medicine in 1985 and was medical director of the Odessa Crown Childrens Clinic, delivering primary care to underserved populations. Hayes is the recipient of many awards and honors for her work in maternal and child health, including the American Medical Associations Dr. Nathan Davis Award, the Heroes in Health Care Lifetime Achievement Award through the Washington Health Foundation, the American Public Health Associations Helen Rodriguez-Trias Social Justice Award and the Martha May Eliot Award from the American Public Health Association. She grew up in Mississippi in the Jim Crow South, she noted, and attended the Jacobs School after graduating with a degree in biology from Spelman College, an historically black college or university (HBCU). While an undergraduate, she spent 1968 in Vienna through a study abroad program. That was the year that Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated.

Country in an uproar

I got into medical school on the quota system, she said during her talk. After the 1968 riots and the deaths of King and Bobby Kennedy, the country was in an uproar. If I had graduated from Spelman on time, I would not be here as a physician. Things had changed and doors were opened by force. The schools had to let us in. That year, Hayes was one of 10 women and five African Americans in her class in the UB medical school. Coming to Buffalo from the south as a young African American woman meant Hayes had to deal with multiple challenges. My biggest challenge in going to Buffalo was trying to find housing, she recalled. I would find places near the school and then when I showed up, theyd say oh there must be some mistake. So Hayes took a flat, as she put it, in the ghetto that required three buses to get to UB. She was also the only student from out of state. I had lots of formidable types of challenges, she said, but I was very focused on my studies. I didnt let any of that deter me. Originally interested in becoming a cancer scientist, Hayes chose to attend the Jacobs School over Harvard, where she was accepted, because of the proximity to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. But her plans changed after her first year in medical school when she worked in the Mississippi delta, in Mt. Bayou, through a UB externship. Even though she, too, had grown up in poverty in the same state, the experience served as a powerful wake-up call. I saw the tremendous amount of suffering, she said, adding that the community had none of the basic environmental protections that other communities took for granted. I was building privies to keep waste away from drinking water, we were putting screens on houses so mosquito bites didnt lead to impetigo, said Hayes. I was learning about poverty and neglect. That experience changed Hayes mind about becoming a cancer scientist. I had encounters with so many elderly people who had never seen a lady with a white jacket, she said. They knew I was a student and they said, come back, we need our doctors to be people who really care about us, and that put a burning piece in my heart. The experience instilled in her the passion to be a physician for the underserved and to become an activist for public health, a passion that she works hard to instill in others. Community activism shines a light on what needs to be corrected and thats what the Mt. Bayou experience did for me, she said. We didnt have the vocabulary of the social determinants of health then, but in fact, thats what we were practicing. During her talk, Hayes fielded questions from Jacobs School faculty, students and medical residents about how to recruit and retain more physicians of color, how to encourage physicians of color to serve their communities and about her switch from clinical care to public policy. I realized that there was a lot more that could be done working with communities and advocates on the policy side, she said, that there were a lot of things that affect health, not necessarily on the medical side.

Putting Joe Camel to sleep
(Photo : Microsoft Official Blog) (Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Microsoft finally wins a multibillion-dollar deal to build and supply customized HoloLens goggles for the U.S. Army after the Senate almost halted half the contract.

On Wednesday, Mar. 31, the U.S. Army announced the $21.88 billion contract and said that Microsoft would manufacture the augmented reality headset for them in a span of 10 years.

The announcement resulted in Microsoft's shares jumping to as much as 3.1 percent, ending at $235.77 per share in Wednesday's trading session.

Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) Contract: What Is Known So Far?

According to Bloomberg's report on Wednesday, Mar. 31, the multibillion-dollar contract is a fixed price production agreement wherein Microsoft would manufacture 120,000 units of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) for the Army.

The goal of the IVAS program is to develop a "heads-up display" for the U.S. ground force that would let commanders project information onto a visor in front of a soldier's face.

The system, which is similar to what the fighter pilots use in the cockpit, would also have other features like night vision.

Microsoft Technical Fellow Alex Kipman explains that the augmented reality headset "delivers a platform that will keep soldiers safer and make them more effective."

"The program delivers enhanced situational awareness, enabling information sharing and decision-making in a variety of scenarios," he added.

In an official Microsoft blog post published on Wednesday, Mar. 31, the IVAS headset will be based on HoloLens and will be augmented by Microsoft Azure cloud services.

The project gave birth to the Soldier Centered Design, which enables rapid prototyping that provides soldiers with tools and capabilities they will need to achieve their mission.

The augmented reality headsets Microsoft will manufacture for the U.S. Army will be used by the Close Combat Force (CCF).

Also Read: Microsoft's Second Hololens are For Businesses, Not Consumers

How Will the Army Use Microsoft's Customized Hololens Goggles?

CNBC weighed on this question in an article published on Apr. 6 and said that soldiers refer to IVAS as a "combat multiplier," allowing them to be more deadly in combat.

The IVAS prototype tested by CNBC correspondent Todd Haselton allowed him to see a map that shows exactly where he is and the bird's eye view of the building where he was standing.

"But as I turned my head, a small arrow icon representing my location also turned," Haselton shared. "I could also see several other dots representing my other "squad members" who were also wearing the headsets."

The prototype is also pegged to replace the night vision goggles, which emit a green glow when used, allowing the enemy to see the wearer.

Unlike the night vision goggles being used today, IVAS does not emit much light but still allows the wearer to see other people in the dark.

Ryan McCarthy, Under Secretary of the Army, further explained that IVAS let soldiers see through smoke, unlike the current night-vision goggles.

The augmented-reality headset also shows a reticle through the visor to aid the soldier in aiming a weapon.

Related Article: Microsoft Workers Demand Tech Giant End US Army Contract To Use HoloLens AR Technology In Warfare

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Lee Mercado

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Rome, April 1 : Italian authorities have granted the rescue vessel, Open Arms, permission to bring more than 200 rescued migrants to Sicily, the non-profit organization announced on Thursday.

The migrants had been rescued in several operations from small boats in the Mediterranean, dpa news agency reported.

Italian authorities already took some of them in for medical reasons, Open Arms said.

Now the remaining 209 people are to be taken to Pozzallo, near the city of Ragusa.

Private organisations regularly rescue migrants from distress in the Mediterranean Sea, as they try to reach Europe with small boats, usually departing from Libya.

The crossing is considered dangerous.

The rescue operations are however viewed critically in some countries.
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement was released in response to the Biden administration's impending decision to let a guestworker pause expire in the middle of an ongoing economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement should be attributed to Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

"President Biden loves to portray himself as a champion of the working class and a tireless defender of unemployed Americans, but today he showed his true colors. By restoring unfettered access to cheap foreign labor in the middle of an economic downturn, it shows how incredibly disconnected and uncaring he really is.

"Sadly, many of the jobs that were lost after COVID-19 first struck will never return. Now the very workers who held them will be competing toe-to-toe with foreign guestworkers, many of whom are willing to be paid less than their American counterparts. This move not only undermines the American worker but underscores President Biden's thoughtless disregard for the American worker and his failure to understand that first and foremost, immigration policy must serve the national interest.

"Millions of Americans still remain out of work. Even worse, the unemployment rate for the bottom quartile of Americans  many who compete with guestworkers and illegal aliens for jobs  is a staggering 23 percent. In a couple months, millions of American college students will graduate facing dim job prospects, and many will struggle to find meaningful employment. They too will now compete for limited openings with tens of thousands of guestworkers. This is unconscionable and devoid of common sense. Allowing this pause to expire reveals that President Biden is more interested in protecting access to cheap foreign labor at the expense of struggling Americans.

"President Biden inherited a country that was in the middle of two of the biggest crises our nation has ever faced: A global pandemic that has killed over 550,000 Americans coupled with an economic crisis that has caused millions to lose their jobs and life savings. Blindly, his administration dismantled nearly every facet of border enforcement this nation had in place, causing the biggest rush of illegal aliens to the border in two decades. Many of these illegal aliens will be seeking jobs right along with their foreign guestworker counterparts. We hope the American people are watching."

Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 or [email protected]

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

Related Links

http://fairus.org


March 30, 2021

With the growing interest of users in 3D printing, there has been quite a considerate increase in mobile apps too. Yes, additive manufacturing technology is getting mobile. As exciting as it sounds, the selection of the right app could still turn out to be the most daunting job. With varying difficulty levels and every app with its own set of features, finding the one for your specific needs isnt a cakewalk.







That is why we have curated a list of the most popular mobile apps that could help master 3D printing in no time. Either you are a professional or someone who is completely naive, these apps could help create an amazing design with ease.

3DC.io

Mostly vouched by students and young 3D printing users, 3DC.io happens to be one of the friendliest apps on the list. Most importantly, the application also has a free version apart from the paid ones. So, if you like to try the app without paying a penny, go for it. To make the app more accessible, 3DC.io is available in a variety of languages. For instance, it supports English, Japanese, Spanish and more.

A product by a new Estonian start-up that has made life easier for those seeking first-hand experience with 3D designing. What makes this app so peculiar, is the design. Offering a very simple interface, it suits young users including children and newcomers. Hence, making 3D designing accessible to the freshest group of users.

In addition to its easy learning graph, 3DC aims to reach out to young students. Hence, the company also offers schools discounts to avail of the app at a cheaper rate.

Using the 3D Mobile app, users can upgrade export designs to OBJ for further editing. Or, one can even export the design too. STL for printing right away. Just export the file and upload it on the i.materialise for printing. As easy as it sounds. If youre looking to buy an affordable 3D printer to print your designs, Pick3DPrinter has a list of the best cheap 3D Printers in the $200 -$300 range worth checking out.

Umake





Sometimes, our need not just revolves around learning. And for those users who wish to apply 3D printing skills to work, Umake presents the most astonishing features. Apart from being highly easy to learn and operate, the app also has a number of amazing features to suit designers and professionals with their intricate work.

However, the app is not available for any other platform apart from iOS. So, Android (News - Alert) users may have to wait for a little. We expect the company to soon release the Umake version for Android mobiles.

Talking about the features, you can consider this app one of the most colorful options available currently. It offers great designing tools helping you convert your doodles as well as sketches into 3D designs effortlessly.

When it comes to 3D Printing, Umake can help export files to different formats. You can get the OBJ, STEP, and IGES formats of your 3D designs in no time. With a free version, the app lets you explore the various features with ease. In addition, the paid version is also affordable and comes packed with exciting extra features, difficult to overlook.

Once again, the app is available in different languages, 11 to be precise including English, Korean, Russian, and more.

Shapr3D





Next on the list is the app that is specifically designed for experts. Either you are an industrial engineer or creative designer, Shapr3D could help you gain access to an array of advanced features to designing intricate files. Just one concern when opting for this app, the app is only available for iPad Pro. You can definitely browse your 3D files from this app on other iOS devices. However, the editing function is only available with iPad Pro.

Once again, the app has a free version and the complete feature is available with its Pro version which is affordable too.

Thingiverse





Everything is possible when you have an app as smart as Thingiverse. You heard it right. Thingiverse is for those who do not wish to design a 3D file from scratch. There are times when users just want to twig some part of the design and 3D print the model without working entirely on the same.

In such cases, you can make use of Thingiverse. The app is available for Android devices and allows users to choose from the different free.STL files directly. If you wish, you can make minor changes to these files, as needed, and print those directly.

Isnt that the smart thing to do? We thought so too!

OnShape





What makes this app so unique is its access? Surprising or confusing? Well! Different from other choices in the list, OnShape is a cloud-based 3D design software. Hence, teams and various different designers can come together to work on a single model simultaneously. This is the reason why the app is so pronounced within businesses and professionals working together.

The app is available with Android, iOS, and of course, the web. And, if you wish to use the app for educational purposes, you may request it for free. The professionals must pay a $125 monthly fee to access the complete feature.

However, there is a free trial available to provide hands-on experience with OnShape. It is difficult not to like the app though. You can use OnShape in different languages including English, Traditional Chinese, German and more.

The Conclusion

3D printing is becoming mainstream. Without any doubt, the technology will soon be available in most houses, and schools. That sounds like a far-fetched dream for now. But the world is changing and shifting towards creative applications. More users are showing interest in making things at home, specific to their needs. And, customization certainly demands a technology that can be easily accessible and simple to use, without putting many dents on the wallet.

And, to instill that belief further, we can witness how 3D printing applications are moving to mobile phones. Making easier for end-users and beginners to work on 3D designs and experience the perks that the technology offers. So, if you wish to learn 3D printing, and perfect your skills, just choose a mobile app and get started.
LAND prices have remained relatively stable over the past two to three years.

This is according to the latest issue of the Namibia Agricultural Union newsletter which quoted Maans Dreyer of Aqua Real Estate who said for the past two to three years, prices have remained constant in certain areas, especially around Windhoek and in the north-east of the country.

"It will probably remain like this for the next two to three years while farmers recover and herds re-stock after the 2018-2019 drought," Dreyer said

Due to the drought and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, prices in the south and north-west of Windhoek fell.

As a result, the bailiff put many farms up for auction for 50% below the market value, which led to poor valuations. It resulted in comparable transactions by the government that caused a drop in land prices.

In the areas around Windhoek, Gobabis, and Otjiwarongo, there is still a reasonable exchange of land. However, in the rest of the country, farms are difficult to sell.

The market does remain constant with between 120 and 150 farms over the past few years, of which 30% are actually for sale. Most farms on the market are cases where the government grants a waiver of its pre-emptive right.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform will announce the government's new budget for land purchases within the next month or two. This will determine how many farms will be purchased.

The expectation is that enough funds will be made available for between eight and 10 farms.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has discussed green initiatives recently announced in the Kingdom with the presidents of Russia and France, Arab News reports.

Prince Mohammed and Vladimir Putin discussed the Middle East Green initiative, which aims to raise vegetation cover and enhance the efficiency of oil production processes in order to reduce global carbon emissions.

Putin welcomed the Saudi plan and expressed his support.

During the call with Macron, the two leaders discussed environmental challenges facing the world as well as the economic, social and health effects of these challenges.

They discussed the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative and how they will combat these challenges through afforestation and clean energy programs that use innovative methods and new technologies.

Macron welcomed the initiatives and his country's interest in exerting all possible efforts to support them and achieve their goals.
Good morning, North State. Here's what you need to know to start your day on Thursday, April 1.

Gunshots fired in north Chico, no suspect or victim identified

A car-to-car shooting happened Wednesday night in Chico. Investigators said they found shell casings on the ground. Chico police blocked the intersection of Godman and East Lassen Avenues for about 30 minutes Wednesday night. Police have not named a suspect or victim in this case. Currently, police said that two cars were involved in this shooting.

Everyone 50+ in California can now get vaccinated

Starting Thursday, everyone 50 and older can now get the vaccine in California. People do not have to have a medical condition that makes them vulnerable, and you can sign up for the appointment through the state's MyTurn system. Click here to sign up.

COVID-19 vaccinations expand to people 16+ who live or work in Butte County

In Butte County, anyone over the age of 16 can get a coronavirus vaccine. However, this only applies to county-led vaccine clinics like the one at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds. If you are under 50, when you sign up, you still need to mark that you are 50 years or older because the county is ahead of the state and its website for scheduling appointments. If you are under 16 you need to be accompanied by a parent.

Chico City Plaza closing for repairs

The Chico City Plaza is set to close for repairs from Friday, April 2, to Thursday, April 22. Public Works will repair the fountain area. Foot traffic will be closed in the coming shut down but public restrooms with remain open.

Mendocino National Forest to host land management strategy meeting

Staff with the Mendocino National Forest are set to discuss the land management strategy following the 2020 August Complex. The virtual public meeting is set for 4 p.m. meeting attendees can ask questions about the service's strategy. Click here to watch the meeting live.

DWR to conduct fourth snow survey

The Department of Water Resources is conducting the fourth snow survey at the Sierra Nevada Phillips station. The DWR said the April snowpack is traditionally the year's deepest. The survey data is important for water managers to allocate water resources to various regions across the state.

George Floyd's girlfriend describes what kind of person he was on fourth day of Derek Chauvin trial

Day four of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has begun. Experts said Thursday, prosecutors are expected to start calling expert and medical witnesses to the stand to make their case. Chauvins defense has tried to argue that George Floyd resisted arrest, and died of causes other than the neck hold.
An Australian farmer has shared a horrifying video of thousands of mice inside his barn as the country struggles with a rodent plague.

Brody Roche filmed swarms of mice scurrying across the ground and over machinery on his New South Wales farm on Tuesday.

He watched on helplessly as hundreds of the creatures ran across two tractors and covered the bags of grain.

Thousands of mice have inundated a farm in New South Wales after a farmer discovered the rodents inside his barn

The shocking footage comes after torrential downpour and dangerous flooding across New South Wales and southern Queensland created perfect breeding conditions for the out-of-control mice infestation to spread across the country.

An explosion of mice in recent months has seen rodents invading homes, fields and some residents spotting the rodents in their water supplies.

NSW Farmers are now seeking urgent action from the government as the mice plague continues to destroy crops.

President of NSW Farmers, James Jackson, said: 'Farmers need some more control options. We are requesting that an Emergency Use Permit be issued for Zinc Phosphide to treat seed.

Mice infestation comes after torrential downpour and dangerous flooding created the perfect climate for the rodents in across New South Wales

'This will allow farmers to have their own grain professionally treated, removing the biosecurity risks posed by using foreign seed.

'It will also reduce the cost of sourcing sterilised or de-vitalised grain by farmers using their own treated seed to be sown for winter cropping.'

The farmers organisation is also seeking some financial assistance through a small grants program.

'Mouse control is very costly. The severity of the current plague has resulted in the need for multiple aerial and ground bait applications in cropping regions,' Mr Jackson added.

'Potential options we are putting up include a rebate on rodenticide products or a subsidy for ground and aerial baiting. Action is needed now. This mice situation is only getting worse.'

The mouse plague also saw three hospital patients bitten by the creatures at facilities in Tottenham, Walgett and Gulargambone, NSW Health confirmed.

A plague of mice are infesting towns in New South Wales and southern Queensland in Australia after the recent heavy summer rains

Shocking images shows bags filled with mice as the country continues to battle its out-of-control rodent plague

In once scenes, hundreds of mice were captures scurrying around a farm that belonged to the Moeris family in Gilgandra

The current mouse infestation across western NSW is a natural occurrence,' a spokeswoman said.

'NSW Health staff are responding with appropriate control measures.'

NSW Western Area Health Service has also reported a case of leptospirosis - a rare disease which can cause kidney failure and meningitis - as a result of mice in domestic dwellings.

Earlier in March Melanie Moeris, from Gilgandra, shared footage of hundreds of mice scurrying over machinery on her family's farm.

She later took to Facebook to write: 'This is exactly what nightmares are made of! I can't even watch the videos.'

One resident, Lisa Gore, from Toowoomba, said her friend had found a nest of baby mice in her armchair while another person Karen Fox, from Dubbo, said she found a mouse in the ceiling vent of her home, The Guardian reported.

Meanwhile shopkeeper Naav Singh who works at 5Star supermarket in Gulargambone, said he was now arriving to his store five hours before opening to clean up after the mice and sweep their droppings.

Mice were spotted scurrying around the family farm in Gilgandra, New South Wales, earlier this month

Another resident was shocked to discover dead mice floating in the filter for her water tank and asked others to check their water supplies

Mr Singh, who had now reduced his stock to prevent items being destroyed by the rodents, claimed on some nights staff were catching 'over 4000 or 500' rodents.

He told The Guardian: 'We don't want to go inside in the morning sometimes. It stinks, they will die and it's impossible to find all the bodies  Some nights we are catching over 400 or 500.'

He added: 'We have got five or six bins every week just filled with groceries that we are throwing out.'

This month Louise Hennessy discovered dozens of rodents in her water tank filter at her property at Elong Elong in the New South Wales central west - a region where mice have been ravaging crops - and shared an image of the rodents on social media.

It came amid fears that the rodents could infect the drinking water being supplied to local residents.

Residents have been capturing hundreds of mice after the area saw an explosion in the rodent population

Mice run across machinery after they invade a farm in Gilgandra, New South Wales, following a boom in the rodent population

Melanie Moeris, from Gilgandra, shared footage of hundreds of mice scurrying around on her family's farm

It also came as health official urged locals to take precautions to protect themselves against the potentially fatal disease leptospirosis

Rodent numbers have exploded just as rural communities across New South Wales and Queensland were recovering from droughts and fields were beginning to return to green.

Favourable crop-growing conditions in recent months have provided the rodents with the ideal environment for eating and breeding.

In Coonamble, about two hours north of Dubbo, resident Anne Cullen said mice were running rampant across the town - and she even woke up with one in her hair.

'It's terrible. It's unbelievable. I came home after a couple of nights away staying down in Dubbo with my daughter, and I went into the house, there were just mice running everywhere,' she told the Today show.

'They have eaten my clothes. They have gotten into my wardrobe. There are holes in the couches. They are eating everything.'
ASTORIA  The Oregon Court of Appeals has overturned the convictions of an Oregon Coast man who was found guilty of several charges tied to peeping Tom incidents in his neighborhood.

Kirk Cazee was sentenced to more than 35 years in prison in 2018 after a Circuit Court jury found him guilty of peering through bedroom windows and recording videos of residents. The Surf Pines man was convicted on six counts of using a child in a display of sexual conduct, eight counts of invasion of personal privacy, five counts of stalking and four counts of criminal trespass.

The appeals court found there was not probable cause to obtain a search warrant for Cazees cellphone because no one saw him with one during his crimes. The appeals court also found the judge should have granted a motion for acquittal on the counts of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct.

District Attorney Ron Brown said without the cellphone evidence, the prosecution is unable to corroborate victims statements to find Cazee guilty. Brown plans to move to dismiss the case.

I still think it was a good prosecution, and Im just astounded by the outcome, Brown said.

Cazees attorney, Andy Simrin, chose not to comment.

Cazee still faces federal charges. He was indicted in U.S. District Court in Portland on charges including production of child pornography, transportation of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

--The Associated Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. businessman Alexander Zingman was released Wednesday without any charges, along with Italian businessman Paolo Persico and Zingman's colleague Oleg Vodchits. The three businessmen had been detained in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the past 12 days. At a press conference held in neighbouring Zimbabwe after their release, Zingman made it clear they were the victims of misinformation.

"We were targeted by allegations made in the local media on the day of our arrival, claiming that we were 'arms dealers' coming to start a coup. The security agencies took us into custody upon our arrival to check our identities," Zingman told the international media.

54-year-old Zingman - who is also the Honorary Consul from Zimbabwe to Belarus and holds a diplomatic passport - owns AFTRADE, a company that distributes agricultural and mining equipment in Africa. He had business meetings planned with the Moisee Kapende Foundation in Lubumbashi, when they were detained on arrival, prompting concerns for their welfare from their families and colleagues.

"I wish to thank my family and friends for their support during this time, and for the professionalism of the security agencies of the Democratic Republic of Congo," he said.

According to Zingman and Persico, they were taken to a detention centre in Kinshasa, where they were questioned by four different security agencies. It was eventually established that they were indeed bona fide executives on a legitimate business visit.

During the past two weeks, their detention had triggered a rumour mill among local internet sites, which made allegations on the reasons for their visit to the DRC. These rumours have now all been laid to rest, according to Zingman.

"We were not visiting the DRC to meet any politicians or former presidents. We had a half-day visit planned to meet the Moisee Kapende Foundation and make a proposal to supply it with agricultural equipment. The head of the Foundation was there at the airport to receive us. He was also detained and taken to Kinshasa for questioning. He has now been released as well, as the security agencies have verified our business meetings," Zingman said.

He said the recent ordeal would not stop him from pursuing his business deals, and that he looked forward to returning to the DRC.

"Now that we have been vetted and cleared by no less than four security agencies of the DRC, they said we are welcome back anytime to complete the agricultural deals that we have planned," Zingman told the journalists.

AFTRADE has agricultural deals with several African countries to provide tractors and other farming machinery, as well as to provide training in modern farming techniques.

http://aftradedmcc.com
Olorunnimbe Mamora, minister of state for health, has asked members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to be patient w...

Olorunnimbe Mamora, minister of state for health, has asked members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to be patient with the government while it works to meet their demands.

The doctors had embarked on a nationwide strike on Thursday over failure of the government to meet its demands.

According to a communique signed by Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, Jerry Isogun, and Dotun Osikoya, president, secretary-general, and social secretary, respectively, the association said the government has refused to address issues on salary arrears, owed allowances, among other matters raised in an earlier ultimatum issued in January.

Speaking on Thursday at the inauguration of the modular theatre complex and amenity ward at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, the minister said the government will look into the demands of the doctors within the shortest time possible.





I want to appeal to our colleagues, the resident doctors, to please bear with the government. We appreciate what they have been doing, he said.

We are going to support them and resolve their issues, and we will continue to work together for the good of Nigerians.

I can say with all modesty that government is truly concerned about the welfare of the striking doctors, and we are doing all within our powers to see to their welfare.





The government team has been having meetings with them up till 12am today, and Im sure that all their demands will be looked into by the government in the shortest time possible.

The present-day government will continue to do its best in the provision of adequate healthcare infrastructure and personnel.
Scenario #2 - Computer scammer remotes into woman's account

"Hello, this is Kathy Jackson. I am calling you from the Microsoft Refund Department. Please do not hang up. You paid for your computer technical support a few months ago, and we are calling to refund your $400 as the company has been ordered to close down. Please call us on our toll-free number, 855-789-0307. Repeating again: 855-789-0307. Thank you."



Jim and I watched live as a woman named Betty, 78, called the phone number after getting such a call. The man on the phone told her she was eligible for the $400 refund, but he would have to remote-access into her computer to confirm it. He started by walking her through the steps for how to give him access using  you guessed it TeamViewer.

After gaining access to her computer, the scammer told Betty that to get her refund, she needed to log in to her bank account so he could deposit the money directly. What she didn't realize was that the scammer could see everything she was doing. And so could we. We watched as she entered her bank account username and password. Within seconds, we could see the scammer himself logging in to her bank account.

"What he will do next is look at how much the victim has in her savings account, Jim told me, having observed many of these transactions. You see thereshe has $180,035.74 in savings. The scammer will love that.

Once he saw her sizable stash, the scammer pushed the Blank Guest Monitor button on the software to blacken Betty's screen so she couldn't see what he would do next: transfer $40,000 from her savings account into her checking account. The scammer then went into the HTML code on her computer (which determines what Betty would see on her screen) and changed the savings balance back to $180,035.74. He did this so when she looked, it would appear that nothing had been transferred but that her checking account had gone from $4,657 to $44,657.

Why do this? To set up the story he was about to feed her: that he had made a horrid mistake and transferred $40,000 of his firm's money into her account instead of $400.

If Betty had known to refresh her screen, or log out and log back in, she would have been able to see that the scammer had simply transferred her own money from one account to another. Absent those actions, the story seemed believable. So it wasn't hard for the bad guy to convince her that she needed to send the difference between $40,000 and $400  $39,600  to a bank in China to pay him back or else he will lose his job.

Because we were literally inside the scammer's computer, we could see him logging in to his Bank of China Hong Kong branch account to get the right account numbers to give the victim.

As he continues on with Betty, he tells her she would need to physically go to her bank and wire the money (that way, it would be untraceable). She should not, under any circumstances, mention what she is doing to anyone. Jim says scammers typically will coach the victim on what to tell the bank: Say you are sending money to a sick relative."

It seemed pretty obvious to both Jim and me that unless someone intervened, Betty would comply with this request. While I listened, Jim called her bank to warn someone that Betty might be coming in soon to transfer funds and that it was a scam. Then Jim tried calling Betty, pretending to be a representative from her bank (any other explanation would have been too hard to explain), but she hung up on hima good sign because it meant she was growing suspicious.

A few days later, I called Betty, a longtime AARP member, to make sure she never sent the funds. She confirmed that she had been contacted about a software refund, but told me that she figured out it was a fraud and never sent them any money.

"Don't worry, honey, I'm fine. But thanks for checking on me, she said.
Hotel functions manager Katherine Pullos stacks bar stools as more than two million people in the city entered a three-day lockdown in Brisbane, Australia on March 29, 2021. (Patrick Hamilton/AFP via Getty Images)

Queensland Mandates Pubs, Cafes, Restaurants Use Govts Check-In App

The Queensland government will mandate its new COVID-Safe check-in app for most pubs, restaurants, and cafes across the state from May 1 to help contact tracing during outbreaks of the CCP virus.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the check-in app would provide relevant, legible and timely information to help respond to an outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

She named testing and contact tracing as her governments best tools in fighting the pandemic.

Over the past 12 months, we have relied on our team of contact tracers to quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to the virus, Palaszczuk said.

Thats why, from Saturday 1 May 2021, were making Check In Qld mandatory for most hospitality businesses in Queensland, she said.

Businesses are seen shutting down early after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palazczuk announced a three-day lockdown for the Greater Brisbane area in Brisbane, Australia, on March 29, 2021. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The announcement came the night before the Palaszczuk government lifted a three-day snap lockdown of Greater Brisbane after two clusters of the UK variant of COVID-19 emerged in southeast Queensland, forcing many businesses, especially hospitality venues, to close.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) said its own survey revealed that small to medium enterprises expected to lose between $12,000 and $65,000 due to loss of stock and trade as a result of the Greater Brisbane lockdown over the last few days.

Going forward, the government is encouraging all Queenslanders with a smartphone to download the Check In Qld app from Google Play or Apple App Stores.

The premier noted that one benefit of the app was that users only enter their details once for all future check-ins at participating businesses.

When we work together and do our part to comply with Public Health Directions, we can look forward to better days ahead, with eased restrictions and greater confidence while visiting venues, she said.

Chief Health Officer Dr. Jeannette Young said the mandate was necessary after dozens of restaurants and cafes were named during contact tracing efforts.

We all understand the threat the virus poses in confined, enclosed spaceseven when people are practising social distancing and hand hygieneand as we work to contain the highly-contagious UK variant, we must do everything possible to assist our health authorities, Young said.

Queensland chief health officer Dr. Jeannette Young speaks at a press conference at Parliament House in Brisbane, Australia, on April 1, 2021. (Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Businesses in the Brisbane CBD are seen shutdown early after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palazczuk announced a three-day lockdown for the Greater Brisbane area in Brisbane, Australia, on March 29, 2021. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The government said more than 13,500 businesses have already registered to use the app since it was launched one month ago.

The new mandate will ensure that wherever Queenslanders drink or dine, their records will be kept securely, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said. I hope this move will bring customers greater peace of mind when choosing to dine-in at Queenslands great pubs, restaurants and cafes.

Health Minister Yvette DAth said the app would remove the burden of electronic record-keeping, and she encouraged businesses to register before May 1.

Microsoft Azure hosts the back end of the system, and the government says that the apps data will be stored for 56 days and will only be accessed for contact tracing purposes.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny stands in a cage in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 20, 2021. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo File)

Russia: Navalny on Hunger Strike to Protest Prison Treatment

MOSCOWImprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Wednesday he has started a hunger strike to protest authorities failure to provide proper treatment for his back and leg pains.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Navalny complained about prison officials refusal to give him the right medicines and to allow his doctor to visit him behind bars.

He also protested the hourly checks a guard makes on him at night, saying they amount to sleep deprivation torture.

The 44-year-old Navalny, who is an outspoken opponent of President Vladimir Putin, was arrested in January upon his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have rejected the accusation.

Navalnys poisoning and conviction have further strained Russias ties with the United States and the European Union, which sank to post-Cold War lows after Moscows 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea, its meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, hacking attacks and other actions.

His arrest fueled a series of protests that drew tens of thousands across Russia. Authorities detained about 11,000 people, many of whom were fined or given jail terms of up to two weeks.

Navalny said the August poisoning made him wonder about the cause of his current ailments. He said he had no choice but to start a hunger strike because his physical condition has worsened, with back pains having spread to his right leg and numbness in his left leg.

What else could I do? he wrote. I have declared a hunger strike demanding that they allow a visit by an invited doctor in compliance with the law. So Im lying here, hungry, but still with two legs.

Last month, Navalny was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for violating the terms of his probation during convalescence in Germany. The sentence stems from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has rejected as fabricatedand which the European ourt of Human Rights has ruled to be unlawful.

Navalny was moved this month from a Moscow jail to a penal colony in Pokrov in the Vladimir region, 85 kilometers (53 miles) east of the Russian capital. The facility called IK-2 stands out among Russian penitentiaries for its particularly strict inmate routines, which include standing to attention for hours.

Navalnys Instagram also had a picture of a letter to the prison chief, dated Wednesday, in which he announced the hunger strike.

Every convict has the right to invite a specialist for a check and consultation, he wrote. So I demand to let a doctor see me and declare a hunger strike until it happens.

In a sarcastic reference to the nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on Russias top security agency, the FSB, Navalny wrote to the prison chief that given a recent attempt by the FSB operatives to kill me with chemical weapons, which state-controlled medics cast as a metaboli problem, Im haunted by vague doubts about the cause of my illness and recovery prospects.

Russias prison service said last week that Navalny had undergone medical check-ups and described his condition as stable and satisfactory. In a statement that followed his declaration of a hunger strike, it claimed that Navalny is being given all the necessary medical assistance in accordance with his current health indicators.

But Navalny has complained that authorities only gave him basic painkiller pills and ointment for his back and legs while refusing to accept medications prescribed earlier by his doctor or to share the diagnosis from his examination.

In a note earlier this month, Navalny described his prison as a friendly concentration camp. He said he hadnt seen even a hint of violence there but lived under controls that he compared to those described in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny is escorted out of a police station on January 18, 2021, in Khimki, outside Moscow, following the court ruling that ordered him jailed for 30 days. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this week, he said he already had received six reprimandswarnings that could lead to solitary confinementfor offenses such as getting up 10 minutes before the wake-up call and refusing to watch a video lecture that he called idiotic.

Navalny, whom prison authorities had earlier marked as a flight risk, said he was subject to particularly close oversight, including a guard waking him up every hour at night and filming him to demonstrate he is in the required place.

Instead of medical assistance, Im subjected to sleep deprivation torture, being woken up eight times every night, he said in Wednesdays statement.

The prison service insisted that Navalny has been treated in strict conformity with the law and the night checks are part of a regular routine that dont disrupt convicts rest.

During a video call with Putin on Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the need for Russia to protect Navalnys health and to respect his rights in compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights, according to Macrons office.

The Kremlin said in its readout of the call that Putin offered an objective explanation in response to questions Merkel and Macron asked about Navalny.

Russian officials have rejected U.S. and EU demands to free Navalny and to stop a police crackdown on his supporters. Moscow also has rebuffed a European Court of Human Rights ruling in favor of his release as inadmissible meddling in Russias home affairs.

Navalnys associates have urged Russians to sign up for the next protest to demand his release, promising to set a date for the demonstration when the number of people willing to take part reaches at least 500,000 nationwide.

More than 360,000 have registered since a dedicated website opened on March 23.

By Vladimir Isachenkov
Biden Commits USA To Obvious But Wrong Future Automotive Fuel







Editor's Note: Now I now understand why the "insiders", investment bankers and market makers were falling allover themselves to invest so heavily in unprofitable EV makers and startups, they knew something that we didn't know, talk about insider trading. With our treasury's $174 billion or so to be used to underwrite the electric vehicle industry so much so that it will never have to rely on EV acceptance based on product merit, but will be guaranteed tax breaks to earn enough to payback those in-the-know who supported the Biden Harris ticket with cash and in-kind donations...

See Also Electric Vehicles Solution Or Diversion?

See Also Electric Vehicles The Only Vehicles Built On Wall Street

Biden's $2T Infrastructure and Jobs Package Proposes To Make EVs The Winner With Billions for Electrification

President Joe Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs proposal would include $174 billion to "win" the global electric vehicle race against China and Europe, reflecting a growing symbiosis between Democratic policy goals and the bottom lines of Detroit automakers.

The plan, detailed Wednesday, dovetails with the administration's hopes to make the U.S. economy carbon neutral by 2050  in part by cutting pollution from the transportation sector, which still makes up the lion's share of greenhouse gas emissions in the country.

Biden proposes subsidizing domestic supply chains for electric vehicles, providing grant programs to state and local governments to install 500,000 charging stations nationwide by 2030, increasing tax incentives and point-of-sale rebates for people who buy electric vehicles, and replacing tens of thousands of federal vehicles and school buses with electric ones. Read more here (Source: The Detroit News).
Prince Philip's cousin Lady Pamela Hicks has claimed the queen 'looked frail and utterly alone' during her coronation as she shares fascinating never-before-seen journal entries from her time as the monarch's lady-in-waiting in a new documentary.

The 91-year-old, who is a childhood friend and confidante of the Her Majesty, 94, was by her side for some of her most defining moments, and has praised her 'inner strength'.

In ITV's My Years With The Queen, which airs on Thursday at 9pm, Lady Pamela shares her intimate memories with her daughter India Hicks, 53, in the first of a series of programmes to mark Her Majesty's 95th birthday on April 21.

She discussed attending the Queen's coronation with her family - including her father Lord Mountbatten - and admitted wondering how 'a young woman of 27, would have the strength to undertake this duty all her life'.

But Lady Pamela, who praised the monarch's sense of duty and her loyalty, added: 'I think one knew she would, because there's such inner strength there.'

Prince Philip's cousin Lady Pamela Hicks has claimed the Queen 'looked frail and utterly alone' during her coronation (pictured) as she shares fascinating never-before-seen journal entries from her time as the monarch's lady-in-waiting in a new documentary

Recalling the coronation in 1953, Lady Pamela said: '[The Queen] looked so frail, just this one young woman.

'Seeing her, this young woman of 27, utterly alone, I wondered how she'd have the strength to undertake this duty all her life. I think one knew she would, because there's such inner strength there.'

She also reveals her uncle Lord Brabourne wore robes borrowed from a film costume department for the occasion.

Lady Pamela says the Queen's life has been 'entirely dictated by her sense of duty' and describes her as an 'amazing person'.

'Theres such inner strength there. And she has just remained like that throughout her life,' she says. '[Duty is] a word thats barely used and certainly not understood but duty was good. It gave you a goal.'

The 91-year-old, who is a childhood friend and confidante of the Her Majesty, 94, was by her side for some of her most defining moments, and has praised her 'inner strength'. Pictured left to right: India Hicks with her mother Lady Pamela Hicks

Lady Pamela tells how her father, Lord Mountbatten, urged her to keep a diary after being asked to accompany the Queen on the Commonwealth tour she undertook on behalf of her ailing father King George VI in February 1952.

Days after landing in Nairobi, where they were greeted by 'men wearing swords and decorations', the tour came to an abrupt halt when news broke the king had died.

The Queen and her party were staying at the Treetops hotel in Kenya, and Lady Pamela describes how she 'climbed up that ladder as a Princess and then, in the morning, she came down the ladder as Queen'.

After being informed by his 'stunned' equerry, the Duke of Edinburgh suggested he and 'Lillibet' go for a walk by a trout stream.

Lady Pamela shares her intimate memories with her daughter India Hicks, 53, in My Years With The Queen (pictured: the Queen and Prince Philip waving in New Zealand on the coronation world tour in December 1953)

Lady Pamela recalls: 'You could see the moment shes been told, the body language. She stopped walking and slumped a bit. And one thought, how awful for her.'

During the Queen's six-month tour of the Commonwealth following her coronation, Lady Pamela was by her side yet again and discusses the gruelling schedule and being endlessly hounded by royal fans.

Reading a journal entry from Australia, she recounts: 'I sat with Lillibet under a tree, listening to her holding forth about being marooned on a desert island.

The Queen and her party were staying at the Treetops hotel in Kenya (pictured at a polo match days earlier), and Lady Pamela describes how she 'climbed up that ladder as a Princess and then, in the morning, she came down the ladder as Queen'

'But she cheered up considerably, when a boatload of trippers appeared shouting whether we had seen the Queen, where is she?

'Lillibet, in slacks, tore down to the beach, pointed to the other side of the island and yelled, "She went that-a-way" and jumped up and down with joy as the boat disappeared around the corner.'

In another entry she tells how the Queen and Philip were required to wave non-stop, remarking: '[Her Majesty has] developed tremendous muscles in her arms. Sitting still in a car, being yelled at and having to wave is part of the tour that Philip loathes.'

Lady Pamela Hicks, Queen Victoria's great-great-granddaughter and former lady-in-waiting to the Queen, regularly shares stories of her life and regal encounters on her daughter India's Instagram

She goes on to explain Philip's bewilderment at constantly waking up with a cold hand, before realising he was waving 'in his sleep'.

Lady Pamela reveals how the Queen used to keep chocolates in her room to stop her 'greedy' family from stealing them, and also once riled her mother for querying why she needed so many new dresses.

The Queen's 'thrifty' nature is further highlighted when India Hicks, who is Prince Charles' goddaughter and was a bridesmaid at his wedding, recalls being handed down Princess Anne's thermal underwear.

My Years with The Queen, Thursday 9pm ITV
Several local businesses and organizations got into he April Fools spirit and took to social media Thursday to have some fun with their followers.

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office told its followers it nabbed a unicorn during a drug bust, while Taco Cabana touted a "new" giant margarita.
New Delhi, April 1 : In a move to boost the ongoing protest against the new agricultural laws, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has announced that farmers will block the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) expressway on April 10 for 24 hours and also hold a march to Parliament in May.

Unveiling its plan for the next two months, the SKM, an umbrella body of 32 farmer groups, said that it will organise the 'FCI (Food Corporation of India) Bachao Diwas' on April 5 that will be marked by the 'gherao of FCI offices across the country'.

The foot march will be joined not just by farmers, but also by women, unemployed individuals and labourers who have been supporting the protest, the SKM has said.

It further said that the farmers will celebrate the Baisakhi festival at the Delhi borders on April 13, and on the next day, which is the birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Samvidan Bachao Divas (Save Constitution Day) will be observed.

Thousands of farmers have been camping at the Delhi's borders since November last year, seeking a repeal of the new farm laws.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hong Kong: Seven pro-democracy advocates were convicted on Thursday for organising and participating in an unlawful assembly during massive anti-government protests in 2019 as Hong Kong continues its crackdown on dissent.

The seven activists include media tycoon and Apple Daily chief Jimmy Lai, as well as 82-year-old Martin Lee, a veteran of the citys democracy movement. Lai had already been held without bail on other charges.

Lee, who helped lead the pro-democracy camp during the former British colonys transition to Chinese rule, was convicted in a court in the West Kowloon area along with Lai and fellow activists Albert Ho, Leung Long Hair Kwok-hung, Lee Cheuk-yan, Cyd Ho and Margaret Ng. It was unclear when they would be sentenced.

Pro-democracy lawmaker Martin Lee, left, and Albert Ho arrive at a court in Hong Kong on Thursday, April 1, 2021. Credit:AP/Vincent Yu

The activists were convicted for their involvement in a protest held on August 18, 2019. Organisers of the protest say that 1.7 million people marched that day in protest of a proposed bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial.
The campus of Chapman University in Orange, Calif., on Oct. 14, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Chapman University is Growing in More Ways Than One

Chapman Universitys efforts to revamp its campuses appear to be paying off with a record number of applications.

More than 15,000 incoming freshmen applied for enrollment this year, up from the 14,000 applications the school received in 2020.

The boost in applicants comes as Chapman moves forward with new developments its officials say will benefit the greater Orange County community.

During an April 1 event hosted by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, Chapman University President Daniele Struppa shared updates on the schools new facilities.

The school broke ground on its Fowler School of Engineering, Swenson Family Hall at the Keck Center last June, and expects construction on the 40,000 square-foot facility to be complete in July.

The $19 million facility features an open space where faculty and students can interact in labs.

This is going to be a spectacular institution, Struppa said. There is no great school in the nation that doesnt have a strength in the science and engineering.

New Art Museum and Dance Facility

Chapmans Hilbert Museum and dance studio are being relocated to the forefront of the campus as part of an artistic gateway to the city of Orange, Struppa said.

As you arrive in Orange, the first thing youre going to see is this beautiful mural here, historical, preserve, and then this beautiful museum.

The donor-funded museum will triple in size, and feature figurative art.

The Sandi Simon Center for Dance in downtown Orange is expected to double in size.

The project has a $21.2 million budget and is expected to be completed by June 2022.

Rinker Campus in Irvine

Chapmans Rinker campus in Irvine is expected to begin renovations and construction of a new student center and Brain Institute expansion.

We are completely redesigning it. Right now, its a bunch of buildings, Struppa said. We are really turning into a real campus.

The university will add a parking structure that connects to the campus via a bridge above the main street, to provide students a safe walkway to campus.

A large running track will be built on top of the parking structure.

A tower with the Chapman symbol will be constructed to greet students as they cross the bridge.

Its not just about being beautiful, but its about trying to create an environment that is energizing, Struppa said.

Construction is expected to begin in August and be completed by next March.

Struppa also mentioned plans for the future construction of a new residence hall to be built at the intersection between Chapman Avenue and Route 5.

Were committed to the city, and we want to honor that were going to house as many students as possible. Right now we are housing about half of our students.

Rising in Rank

Chapman University was recently ranked 124 in the nation, landing the best spot its ever had.

Keep in mind, there are about 3,000 institutions in the country, so number 124 is really good, Struppa said.

My board knows that my goal is to put us in that top 100.
When we're looking for a fun night outhot tip: fun nights out are back againRed Window in North Beach will be a no-brainer.

A block from Washington Square in the middle of all the action, the Spanish-inspired restaurant is an instant attention-grabber thanks to its brightly muraled facade and two parklets that flank its oblong locale at the corner of Columbus and Stockton.

Helmed by two partners who know their stuff when it comes to food and drinkbar manager Elmer Mejicanos hails from nearby Capo's and Tony's; chef Adam Rosenblum is a Causwells alumRed Window is a departure from the area's usual pizza-and-pasta establishments.

"I have worked in North Beach for over 15 years and saw a need for a different offering in the neighborhood," Mejicanos says. "We are excited to expand on the European perspective seen in SF's Little Italy and bring this celebration of Spanish traditions in imbibing culture, tapas, and pintxos with a modern twist."

Red Window provides a serious pop of color at the corner of Columbus and Stockton in North Beach. (Photography by Sarah Chorey)

The new eatery breathes life back into the old Caffe DeLucchi space, which closed in 2018. The first thing you'll notice: the vibrant exterior, which has been hand-painted with an abstract motif of flowers and SF Victorians in tropical hues. Two parklets, painted in bright peach and aqua tones, are ready to seat 100 guests for outdoor dining in an energetic atmosphere.



Food at Red Window is as spirited as the place would suggest, with Spanish-style tapas designed for sharing and no fewer than a dozen pintxos for mix-and-match snacking. Among our favorites are the fried salt cod fritters, oxtail crostinis, and Basque classics including tortilla Espanola, patatas bravas, aged jamon Iberico and, you guessed, Red Window's own take on the Basque-style cheesecake that has been making local foodies crazy with cravings of late.



"Those coming to Red Window will find an array of dishes that celebrate Spanish tradition," says Rosenblum. "We wanted the flavors to be true to their origin while pairing interesting touches of flavor and technique that give it a unique Red Window touch."

Mejicanos' cocktails are a key part of the festive vibes here, and you'll find an extensive menu of creative low-proof drinks centered around aperitivos such as vermouth, amaro, and sherry. "I have always had a love for the complex flavor of sherry cobblers," says Mejicanos. "If it's on a craft cocktail menu, that is the drink I'm always getting."

So what's a cobbler? Obviously we're not talking about the peach dessert your twangy Southern aunts used to make.

The specialty Red Window Cobbler, for example, is made of a house blend of three different styles of sherry, tangelo cordial, angostura bitters, and locally sourced peaches, figs, and black walnuts. "We took immense care in the creation of our cobblers, really focusing on the process and quality of ingredients. The Red Window Cobbler is built off of fruits picked at the height of their season, then saved and frozen for our special house-made sherry blend."

By creating a cocktail menu with low alcohol content, Mejicanos hopes to serve up a progressive drinking experience that you could think of as a boozy tasting that offers a range of flavors without the heavy hangover.

Adding to the party vibe is an interactive bar cart that makes the rounds among the parklets and highlights three different drinks at a time. These cocktails are then prepared tableside by a Red Window bartender.

"The goal for the bar cart is to bring something to people that was taken away during the pandemic," Mejicanos says. "We miss that interaction that happens when you're seated at the bar and interacting with someone making you something delicious. Since we can't seat you at the bar, we are bringing the bar to you in a safe manner."

Eventually, Red Window's dining room will welcome guests for meals inside a space inspired by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill's La Muralla Roja. Still a work in progress, the interior remodel is under the care of Auspice Design creative director Nicholas Roberto, whose firm has worked with SF's True Laurel and Shakewell in Oakland. Expect the bar to be framed with madrone trunks fashioned by Roberto and bright splashes of purple on the walls painted by Mejicanos himself.

Photography by Sarah Chorey The menu features several bite-and-a-half-sized pinxtos, incuding this crostini topped with housemade blood sausage, hard-boiled egg crumbles, and red peppers.

// Red Window opens at 4pm Wednesday and Thursday and at noon Friday through Sunday; 500 Columbus Avenue (North Beach), theredwindow.com
The U.S. Attorneys Office in Harrisburg is asking a federal judge to approve the forfeiture of nearly $346,000 in cash that was discovered during a traffic stop by a state trooper on Interstate 81 that turned out to be anything but routine.

The stop for a moving violation occurred on Nov. 17, 2020, in Lebanon County. Prosecutors claim in their filing with U.S. Middle District Judge Christopher C. Conner that the money was tied to drug dealing.

The feds say the vehicle, a rental car from New York, was driven by a woman who had no drivers license, only a Kuwaiti passport and identification card that the trooper couldnt decipher. Both she and her male passenger were visibly nervous and couldnt get their stories straight, the court filing states.

It states that the man first told the trooper the two were going to Los Angeles and stopping to visit his family in Ohio on the way. He later became increasingly confused and ultimately stated that they were not stopping in Ohio and suggested he knew nothing about Ohio, the filing states.

The trooper reported the man appeared visibly uncomfortable and nervous, dropping his head and licking his lips. The woman explained that she didnt know anything about their planned road trip and suggested it was a surprise for her.

The man, who had rented the car, refused to consent to a search of the vehicle, so the trooper called in a police dog that alerted on the car, prosecutors say. The money - $345,950 - was found in plastic bags and a backpack along with two Tasers and some brass knuckles, the court filing states.

Testing showed a high presence of narcotics on the cash, prosecutors claim.

Court filings show the 30-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., man who rented the car is awaiting trial in Lebanon County Court on criminal charges filed from the stop.
Art Dubai, currently hosting its 14th edition in a new location under the iconic Gate Building at Dubai International Financial, is open to the public from today (April 1).

Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and hosted by Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Art Dubai has returned as one of the first in-person art international fairs of 2021, featuring 50 leading Contemporary and Modern galleries from 31 countries.

The show, which opened on March 29 will run till April 3 and is produced in accordance with the highest safety protocols including new innovations to ensure a safe and secure environment.

Reaffirming the fairs commitment to providing a physical platform and marketplace for artists and galleries from across the Global South, visitors will encounter galleries from across the Middle East and South and East Asia, including from Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India, Vietnam and Philippines. There is also strong representation from across the African continent including galleries from Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco and Tunisia. The fair will feature nine of Dubais top galleries as well as galleries from major and emerging international art centres.

Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, said: Dubais inspiring status as a regional business and cultural hub is driven by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to strengthen opportunities for all in every sector. At DIFC, we have delivered on this vision by creating an iconic centre of finance that also encourages arts and culture through our commissioned works of art, ongoing cultural events and now hosting Art Dubai. The event will further shine the spotlight on the city and add to its reputation globally.

Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, said: Art has always been an important part of Dubai and DIFCs cultural offering. This years Art Dubai reinforces this message with the global art community especially because it provides one of the first opportunities following the pandemic for artists from around the world to collaborate, network and meet prospective buyers. The event also adds to the recently announced Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan given it enhances the quality of life of residents and reinforces the citys appeal as a preferred place to live in, work and thrive. Hosting the fair contributes to DIFCs reputation as one of Dubais leading lifestyle destinations and complements our ongoing art programme.

Pablo del Val, Artistic Director of Art Dubai, said: The arts sector has  like so many others  been significantly impacted by the events of the last 12 months and the central role that Art Dubai plays within both the cultural ecosystem of the UAE and the wider region has become more apparent than ever. By working closely with our community and by adopting Dubais progressive and can-do way of thinking, we are delighted that we have been able to open doors to an in-person art exhibition and again welcome our audiences back to Art Dubai.

In order to support the galleries exhibiting, the fair has introduced a number of new innovations. These include the Remote Participation Programme, which uses digital technologies to connect those participating galleries unable to travel to Dubai in person with fair visitors along with providing video introduction to the artworks on show; and a new payment scheme whereby galleries pay their participation fees based on their success at the fair.

Benedetta Ghione, Executive Director of Art Dubai, said: Our team has been working tirelessly over the past year to innovate and re-think the fair model, which will be apparent throughout Art Dubai 2021. We have a new venue for this year, an innovative payment model for participating galleries and a remote participation programme specially created for those galleries unable to travel to Dubai. Although some of these will be one-off initiatives reflecting the current times, others we expect to enhance for future editions.

The fair air will open to the public from April 1  3 April. Access to the fair will be via the new Art Dubai App where tickets can be purchased for AED25 and children enter for free.  TradeArabia News Service
Female traffic light signals being installed at the intersection of Swanston and Flinders streets in Melbourne, Australia on March 7, 2017. (Stefan Postles/Getty Images)

Australian State Enacts First of Its Kind Gender Equality Act

The Victorian government has implemented Australias first Gender Equality Act that will require public sector employers to promote and advance gender equality in the workplace.

The legislation (pdf), which came into effect on March 31, will see the public sectorincluding local councils and universitiesclose the gender pay gap, improve gender equality at all levels of the workforce and eliminate workplace sexual harassment, Victorias Minister for Women, Gabrielle Williams, said in a statement (pdf).

[T]his Act will help ensure all genders enjoy equal rights, opportunities, responsibilities and outcomes, Williams said.

Furthermore, organisations in the public sector will need to undergo gender impact assessments, a workplace gender audit, and prepare and publish a Gender Equality Action Plan.

Gender inequality in the workplace must be captured as of June 30, with the action plan submitted to the Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner by Oct. 31 in each reporting year. The reporting year cycles every four years, starting from 2021.

Employers must also submit a progress report by Oct. 31 every second year after submitting an action plan.

Additionally, progress reports must demonstrate an organisations progression to achieving workplace gender equality targets and quotas. More than 380,000 Victorians are employed by 300 public sector employees.

Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner, Niki Vincent, said she would work with employers to ensure equality.

One of the strengths of the act is that it takes an intersectional approach to achieving gender equality, Vincent told The Age.

Not only does it encourage workplaces and employers to look at all genders, but also to specifically take into account where other factors might compound this disadvantage, whether it be race, disability or any other number of factors we know can compound disadvantage.

The Act will have far-reaching benefits, not only for public sector workers who make up 11 percent of the Victorian workforce, but for the people they serve.

In response to whether the legislation short-circuits merit, Vincent denied the claim and said the legislation instead short circuits unconscious bias.

The idea that targets or quotas somehow short-circuit merit [is false], she said.

The state government has invested more than $13 million to implement the Gender Equality Act. However, this may not be enough, argues the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV).

In an opinion piece in 2020, Councillor Ruth Gstrein, the MAV Deputy President (Rural), argued that this amount was just a drop in the ocean if the state government wanted to implement the ACT effectively and meaningfully throughout local councils and other organizations.

Key to its success will be adequate funding and resourcing for the public sector, so there is capacity to enact their obligations under the Act, Gstein said.

Its especially critical that smaller councils receive support to ensure people in regional and rural communities are not disadvantaged. No one should miss out on the opportunity for a more equal future simply because of where they live.
Classes in the Wilkes County Schools will start on Aug. 23 and end on May 25 in 2021-22 as a result of a calendar approved by the Wilkes Board of Education on Feb. 1.
Acquisition

Federal buildings, vehicles set to go green in Biden's $2T infrastructure package

President Joe Biden's outlined his administration's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure package in a speech in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. The plan is being billed as a job creation effort and includes a push to leverage the purchasing power of the federal government to drive adoption of green technology.

"It's not a plan that tinkers around the edges," Biden said in his speech. "It's a once in a generation investment in America, unlike anything we've seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago."

For the general public, the promises are big: universal broadband, clean drinking water with lead pipes replaced, roads and bridges repaired and electric vehicle stations from coast to coast.

For federal government operations, the stakes are high as well. The proposal includes $10 billion for modernizing federal buildings. That includes investment into the Federal Capital Revolving Fund for major purchases, construction and renovation of federal facilities. The proposal also includes $18 billion to modernize Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics and an effort to convert the federal vehicle inventory including the Post Office fleet, to electric or hydrogen power.

"The federal government owns an enormous fleet of vehicles, which are going to be transitioned to clean electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles made right here in the United States of America by American workers with American products," Biden said. "When we make all of these investments, we're going to make sure as the executive order I signed early on [mandated] that we buy American."

These federal infrastructure initiatives also connect to the plan's goal of realizing carbon-free electricity by 2035.

"Millions of workers serve the public from outdated, inefficient, and sometimes unsafe working conditions" within the "office buildings, courthouses, and other facilities in every state," says the administration's release on the plan.

Biden's plan also includes a request for a combined $48 billion investment in workforce development initiatives and worker protection. The proposal sets aside part of that money for workforce development infrastructure, like career pathway programs in middle and high schools.

These policies will be accompanied by strengthened labor standards and a focus on equity, the Biden administration says. The White House included a $10 billion ask for funding for labor enforcement, including money for agencies like those that that deal with discrimination, wages and safety standards.

The plan is funded by a proposed hike in the corporate tax rate to 28%.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) slammed the proposal as a "liberal wish-list" and a "major missed opportunity by this administration." McConnell added that the "plan is not about rebuilding America's backbone."

Lobbyists are pleased with the emphasis on the tech sector, but are less thrilled about the proposed tax hike.

"President Biden highlights several of our shared priorities, including ensuring all Americans have access to high-speed broadband, harnessing the power of technology to tackle the climate crisis, and investing in STEM education and workforce training to develop students and workers from all backgrounds and skill levels," said ITI president and CEO Jason Oxman in a statement. "However  they should not come at the expense of weakening the United States' internationally competitive tax policies."
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COLUMBIA, Md., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, directly measured atomic oxygen in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, offering a new way to study one of the least understood regions of Earth's upper atmosphere.

SOFIA, a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR, has been used extensively to look at many objects in the universe, from black holes to galaxies and even the Moon.

A decade ago, German researcher Heinz Hubers led a team to improve one of SOFIA's infrared instruments  the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies, or GREAT  with a new laser technology. He realized that the upgrade would not only help to study the distant cosmos, it could also be used much, much closer to home.

"SOFIA looks right through the Earth's upper atmosphere as it observes the universe beyond, and I thought it would be fascinating to someday collect data from the GREAT instrument that could benefit studies of our own atmosphere," said Hubers, director of DLR's Institute of Optical Sensor Systems and professor at Humboldt University in Berlin. "This is certainly not what you think of using SOFIA's instruments for, but I tucked away the idea until I had an opportunity to test it out."

Now, Hubers has proven it could be done. He recently published a paper based on GREAT data that for the first time directly measured oxygen in one of the least understood regions of Earth's upper atmosphere, the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The results were published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment.

The SOFIA results more completely confirm what theory, direct, and indirect measurements had predicted about the concentration of oxygen in this atmospheric region. This further solidifies some of the basic science around how solar energy is exchanged between the surface and space.

SOFIA observed a particular form of unbonded oxygen, known as atomic oxygen, which is distinct from the life-giving O 2 found at the Earth's surface. Atomic oxygen plays an important role in cooling the upper atmosphere and therefore is used to estimate temperatures in this region. Climate models predict that increasing greenhouse gases will raise temperatures in the lower atmosphere but decrease temperatures in the mesosphere. A more accurate monitoring of the mesosphere's temperature can help researchers better understand the relationship between the lower and upper atmosphere. SOFIA's

The mesosphere and thermosphere begin at 30 miles altitude and have been difficult to study. Ground-based telescopes are hampered by the distortion of measurements due to water vapor in the lower atmosphere. High-flying satellites rely on other substances to infer levels of oxygen but could not make direct measurements. Instruments that flew on rockets and even on the Space Shuttle in the 1990s offered a brief snapshot of these regions.

Flying at about 40,000 feet (or 7 miles high), SOFIA which utilizes a Boeing 747SP soars above 99.9% of the water vapor in the atmosphere and is big enough to carry the infrared instruments needed to directly measure oxygen.

More Than "Noise"

A trove of Earth's atmospheric data from many seasons and locations already exists in SOFIA's raw data archive. Yet, astronomers, interested in the stars, have always treated the atmospheric data as background "noise" and filtered it out from the sought-after celestial data. While Hubers saw that the atmospheric data could itself be valuable, it took several years to develop the right tools and processes to calibrate and analyze these data.

"Given our previous successes, and the strong signal from Earth, it made sense to create the tools necessary to analyze atomic oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere," said Hubers. "Though the atmospheric data is really a byproduct of our astronomical observations, we are very pleased to see that SOFIA can contribute to better understanding our home planet."

The work may prove valuable. This particular result came from data collected in 2015 during a SOFIA science flight that took off from Palmdale, California. As the aircraft headed up the coast toward Canada, it pointed the telescope toward the globular-shaped Jellyfish nebula, 5,000 light years away, collecting the Earth's atmospheric data in the process.

More insights into Earth's atmosphere are to come. Measurements taken during SOFIA's observations from New Zealand, in the Southern Hemisphere's winter months, and during recent flights from Cologne, Germany, will provide more scientific insights about how this region of the atmosphere changes across seasons and locations.

About SOFIA

SOFIA is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley manages the SOFIA program, science, and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft is maintained and operated by NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703, in Palmdale, California.

ABOUT USRA

Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities, and conducts other major research and educational programs, under Federal funding. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise. More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu.

PR Contact:

Suraiya Farukhi, Ph.D.

[email protected]

443-812-6945

SOURCE Universities Space Research Association
Anxiety is growing that the wellspring of special-purpose acquisition companies, a 2020s echo of the dot-com mania of the 1990s, is bumping up against the limits of both Wall Street and Washington.

The pipeline of SPACs rushing to market is getting so clogged that bankers, lawyers and auditors are turning away business as they struggle to keep pace, according to people familiar with the matter. As founders of blank-check companies wait in line, the deep-pocketed investors needed to take them public have grown squeamish.

About 300 SPACs launched this quarter on U.S. exchanges, raising almost $100 billion  more than all of last year.

Yet since the start of last week, four deals have been postponed, and roughly half the SPACs that proceeded are trading below their offering prices. Some financial firms, including Deutsche Bank AG, have halted or slowed new SPAC IPOs, people familiar with the matter said. And in Washington, staff at the Securities and Exchange Commission are said to be contending with a growing pile of incomplete paperwork.

There was maybe an excess of transactions, said Anna Pinedo, a capital markets lawyer at Mayer Brown LLP. That may have raised concerns on the part of investors in terms of having an appropriate opportunity to analyze and vet deals to their satisfaction.

Warnings

SPAC veterans have been warning for months that some new entrants may be overvaluing their targets: closely held entities often lacking the proper governance or operational maturity to hold stock offerings of their own. Tech firms still working on their main products, such as aerospace startup Archer Aviation and electric-vehicle maker Lucid Motors, have merged with SPACs and become public companies based not on their revenue but future projections.

Inside the SEC, the regulators top brass have been privately expressing concerns that the SPAC mania could eventually hurt retail investors. In recent weeks on Wall Street, talk of heightened regulatory scrutiny and tougher feedback on deals has been sending a chill through the market.

The SECs processing of SPAC documentation is taking longer than it previously did. In some cases, agency staff have warned lawyers that it may take a full 30 days to review paperwork and to expect an additional two weeks to hear back on changes or amendments, according to people familiar with the situation.

One problem, another person said, is that more filings are arriving incomplete or containing errors. The agency is also contending with a barrage of phone calls from lawyers asking questions on their deals. To handle the deluge, the SEC expanded the unit that reviews SPAC filings, the people said.

A spokesperson for the SEC declined to comment.

Insurance Rates

Meanwhile, liability insurance rates for SPACs are skyrocketing. Coverage of about $10 million to indemnify a blank-check companys directors and officers now costs more than $1 million on average, according to a lawyer who works on SPAC deals. Thats up from $250,000 to $300,000 a year ago.

This isnt the first time the seemingly insatiable hunger for SPACs has abated. October and November brought IPO fatigue and made it harder for SPACs to raise the additional funds they need to complete acquisitions. Financiers for those injections, known as a private investment in public equity, or PIPE, began writing smaller checks, delaying some transactions. This time, lawyers and bankers say, some deals will fall apart.

PIPE investors are becoming increasingly discerning, said Mitchell Presser, a partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP. In the long run, this will be good for the SPAC market, because strong deals and strong post-announcement trading will drive confidence in SPACs and support continued strength of the marketplace.

With assistance from Michael Hytha.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Carriers
Beginning Thursday, everyone 16 and older can register for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in Connecticut. Gov. Ned Lamont said the state expects to see 100,000 new appointments filled by the end of the day.

Registration for those who are 16 to 44 years old began at 8 a.m. People soon reported that vaccine slots were filling up and difficult to find through a number of providers.

As is always the case when we start a new phase, there will be many more people seeking appointments than doses we are receiving this week we are ask everyone to be patient, said Connecticuts Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe.

As with previous expansions of the states eligibility, vaccines are being offered by appointment only. And state leaders are warning that not everyone who becomes eligible will find an appointment on the first day.

Those who are 16 and 17 years old can only register for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The vaccines developed by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have only been approved for use on those 18 and older.

Residents and workers can find a nearby vaccination site and make an appointment through the states portal or by calling 877-918-2224.

Not sure how to make an appointment? Read our guide with common questions.

Want more news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for our Morning Briefing newsletter.

Here are the latest updates

4:05 p.m.  Angel Hwang, group president of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group, commended Lamont for his leadership during the pandemic. She said the companys Groton research and development site played a crucial role in manufacturing lipids needed to produce the vaccine.

Hwang said Pfizer is looking at the length at which immunity lasts after a person receives the vaccine it developed with BioNTech, along with other age groups that can receive the two-dose innoculation.

She highlighted data released by the company showing the vaccine was 100 percent effective in a study involving adolescents, and showing it was 100 percent effective against a variant that first emerged in South Africa.

4 p.m.  Gov. Ned Lamont said during his afternoon pandemic briefing that the state expects supply of the vaccine to outstrip demand by late April. The governor also said 81 percent of Connecticut residents over the age of 65 have gotten a shot.

Lamont also pointed to the fact the state ranks high in cases per capita, but low on deaths per capita, as evidence the plan to vaccinate those most at risk - meaning the oldest residents - paid off.

The governor said the state made 100,000 appointments on the opening day of the new eligibility.

I know that many of you were there at 12:01 in the morning hitting that refresh button. Be a little bit patient, he said.

1:45 p.m.  Dr. Ohm Deshpande, associate chief clinical officer for Yale New Haven Health, said there was an onslaught of people seeking appointments when the system opened early Thursday and 15,000 appointments were scheduled in a few hours.

11 a.m.  The state Department of Public Health confirmed that the vaccine access hotline was halted for about an hour Thursday morning. A spokesperson said that inbound calls had already stopped at that point because the schedules were already full. The halt put a pause on the hotlines ability to do a callbacks.

10:33 a.m.  Lamont said Thursday morning that the 100,000 appointments were going to be made through the day. Hope is on the way, Lamont said, noting the state has a good supply of vaccine with more coming.

9:50 a.m.  With appointments quickly filling up across the state, officials with Community Health Center Inc., which runs mass vaccination sites in a number of locations including East Hartford and Danbury, said Thursday more appointments will become available and people should be persistent and patient when looking for a slot.

8 a.m.  In a message on social media, Lamont warned there will be a rush for limited appointments. Our supplies are increasing. We will get it to everyone who wants it over these next weeks, Lamont said.

7:50 a.m.  Yale New Haven Health said it was experiencing increased traffic to its external websites and was directing vaccine seekers to its main website to get an appointment.

6:30 a.m.  The CVS Pharmacy website indicates all appointments in Connecticut are fully booked statewide. Walgreens Pharmacy similarly showed no available appointments in much of the state. State officials have said that unlike other sites, pharmacies typically book appointments out for one week.

6:20 a.m.  The VAMS website shows no available first-dose appointments within 100 miles of Danbury, Bridgeport, Norwalk, New Haven or Hartford as of Thursday morning. While some clinics on the VAMS site indicated available appointments this morning for later this month  April 20 and April 26 at a location in Middletown and Waterbury, respectively  once choosing a date, the site indicated there were no available appointments.

6 a.m.  Some individuals in the newly eligible group were able to get appointments shortly after midnight. State officials said providers were advised to have their systems open to people ages 16 to 44 by 8 a.m. Thursday, adding that some might have opted to open sooner. Officials said VAMS and the Vaccine Appointment Assist Line will not open until 8 a.m.

Lamont: CT on track for 16-and-up rollout

Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday afternoon the state is on track to open vaccines to everyone 16 and older.

As we prepare to expand vaccine eligibility to the final group of adults on Thursday morning, there is going to be an initial rush of people who attempt to make appointments during the first couple of days, similar to what we experienced when we expanded to other age groups, Lamont said in a statement.

He also announced Wednesday 104 more pharmacies will begin administering doses throughout the state over the next several days.

The governor urged patience, and reminded people to check for new appointments added each day. The state expects those in the newly eligible group who want the vaccine  estimated at around 600,000 people  should be able to schedule a first dose within the next month.

With cases rising, state Department of Public Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford said its crucial those who want a vaccine should get one.

Through everyones efforts, we are now able to offer vaccine to all adults months earlier than originally planned, Gifford said in a statement. While general availability of vaccines is a cause for celebration, we must also remember to keep up our guard against the spread of COVID-19. Even after you are vaccinated, you should continue to wear masks, social distance, avoid large gatherings and test and isolate if you are sick.

DPH: Bad batch of J&J vaccine will not affect CT

Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday night that a batch of doses did not pass quality controls and could not be used. The company said an ingredient produced by another company did not meet quality control.

Maura Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health, said Connecticut officials are aware of the issue and have been in contact with federal officials. She said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed Connecticut will receive its full shipment of the single-dose vaccine next week.

We anticipate no interruption or delay in (Thursdays) opening of the vaccine program to all Connecticut residents over the age of 16. No doses of J&J that we will receive or have received were impacted by this incident, Fitzgerald said in a statement.

She said no doses have been shipped, or will be shipped from the facility involved, so people should remain confident in the safety of the J&J vaccines administered in Connecticut. We anticipate further information and guidance from the White House and CDC (on Thursday).

Justice department warns of vaccine survey scams

Justice department officials are warning residents to be on guard for scammers presenting post-vaccine surveys.

Consumers receive the surveys via email and text message, and are told that, as a gift for filling out the survey, they can choose from various free prizes, such as an iPad Pro. The messages claim that the consumers need only pay shipping and handling fees to receive their prize, officials said in a release. Victims provide their credit card information and are charged for shipping and handling fees, but never receive the promised prize.

To report messages containing a link to a post-vaccine survey, or contact information, call 866-720-5721 or file a complaint.

Pfizer vaccine shows promise in adolescent trial

A trial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine with adolescents showed the shots had a 100 percent efficacy rate for those between the ages of 12 and 15. Experts say that could pave the way toward fully reopening schools.

But Connecticut public health and school officials have not yet committed to requiring students to be vaccinated. Meanwhile, the vaccine is also being tested on younger children.
New Delhi:

Three civilians were injured after Pakistani troops on Thursday violated ceasefire in Arnia area of RS Pura sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani troops also targeted Indian posts in Samba sector. The BSF is retaliating strongly to the unprovoked firing.

On Wednesday, a soldier was killed after Pakistani troops opened fire at an Army patrol along the Line of Control in Keran sector.

An Army official had said that "necessary and adequate" response was given to the Pakistani firing.

"Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing along the LoC in the early hours today. One soldier was injured in the incident," the Army official had said.

#FLASH: Pakistan violates ceasefire in Arnia Sector of Jammu and Kashmir's RS Pura again; BSF retaliating. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/MRLdioWkCE  ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017

The injured jawan was airlifted to a hospital in Srinagar where he succumbed to injuries. (With PTI inputs)

Also Read | J&K: 1 SSB jawan martyred in terrorist attack near Ramban district

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Amid the high stakes battle in West Bengal, Modi's Paranoia politics is leading to new interpretations of federalism. While Mamata Banerjee has sounded alarm by stating that it is either her or Modi's Bharat, BJP has asserted that vikas can only come by one party rule at the Centre as well as the states.

One of the hotbeds of Indian politics, West Bengal is currently witnessing a one-of-a-kind political power battle between BJP and TMC. Neck-deep into the second phase of assembly elections on Thursday, the power play has brought the Centre and State government at warring ends and the fight doesnt seem to halt anytime soon.

More than the accusations, personal attacks and infightings between the two parties, the West Bengal assembly elections have raised questions over the Centre-State relations and the interpretation of federalism in contemporary India. As the Saffron wave causes a political tsunami across the country, Mamata Banerjee has stood her ground by calling on the people of Bengal to either vote for her or become a part of Modis Bharat.

The BJP, on the other hand, riding on the promise of Sonar Bangla, has asserted that if people want vikas (development), especially quick Vikas, they should vote for BJP. While TMC is grappling with the Modi paranoia, BJP is adamant on having PM and CM belong to one single party.

Also Read: West Bengal, Assam assembly elections phase 2 polling begins: 37.42% and 33.24% voter turnout recorded till 1pm

Expressing this fear of the creation of Modis Bharat, Mamata Banerjee, in a letter to the leaders of 14 opposition parties, on Wednesday wrote that the BJP wants to establish a one party authoritarian rule in India, thereby reducing state governments to mere municipalities. Urging them to come together to counter BJP, she further expressed concern on democracy and constitutional federalism and pressed on the need for a unified and effective struggle.

Addressing a rally in Assams Kokrajhar, PM Modi on Thursday launched a staunch attack against Congress and said the contest is between the BJPs double engine of development and Congresss Mahajhooth. Emphasising that the NDA has been working for the welfare of the people with the mantra of sabka saath sabka vikas sabka vishwas, he claimed that Assam has given its blessings to NDA in the first phase of polling and put a stamp on the grand victory of NDA.

Whether BJP manages to capture power in Assam or not, would only be determined when the votes are counted on May 2.

Also Read: China irked as NASA refers to Taiwan as a country
" " A buchetta del vino, a small 16th-century window through which wine was passed, on a street in Florence, Italy. As Florentines succumbed to the plague, survivors drowned their sorrows in wine, passed to them through these small windows  an early form of social distancing. TIZIANA FABI/Getty Images

Tuscany is so full of history and beauty  you meet wonders of art and architecture on almost every corner. But I love the region's homier aspects: the special sweetness of the tomatoes, the soft mozzarella, the heady scents of basil and garlic everywhere.  Actress and director Trudie Styler

The charming plague wine windows you still find dotting the streets of Italy today are another homey and enchanting Tuscan tradition that has historic roots. Originally created as a way for wine merchants to safely pass their product to customers during the plague, these windows have come back into use during the COVID lockdowns of 2020.

Buchette del vino, which means "little holes for wine" or "wine windows," is apparently a unique Tuscan tradition; there are said to be over 150 wine windows in Florence alone, with another hundred sprinkled under the Tuscan sun throughout the region. There's even an organization that catalogues them, the Associazione Buchette del Vino, which started the project in 2015 before coronavirus and social distancing became the norm.

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" " A beautiful and rustic example of a buchetta del vino, or wine window, on a street in Florence on Aug. 12, 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. TIZIANA FABI/Getty Images

The first wine windows were actually a likely result of a 1559 decree from Florentine Cosimo I de Medici, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. At that time, de Medici stated that families could sell wine directly from their homes instead of through merchants or taverns, which led to the rise in buchette del vino.

Due to the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, some of these charming little wine windows have been reopened, drawing eerie parallels to the plague from centuries ago. But this time around, some of the windows are offering more than just wine. Food & Wine reported that Osteria delle Brache sells an Aperol spritz, another iconic Italian beverage, via the special opening, while Via dell'Isola delle Stinche at the Vivoli ice cream parlor in Florence dispenses coffee and ice cream out of their wine window.

A recurring theme of this ongoing pandemic has been pivoting and resiliency from small businesses, so we send cheers to these Italian purveyors. They've found a remarkable way to honor their viticultural history in a way that works to keep both employees and consumers safe. The next time you're in Florence, be sure to find a buchetta de vino and raise a glass of Chianti. Salute!

Now That's Interesting An oenologist is a person who studies and is an expert in the science of wine and wine making.
We are deeply saddened by the latest reports confirming that six Malian refugees were among 137 people killed on 21 March in Nigers western region of Tahoua, near the town of Tillia.

Most of the victims in this deadly attack by unidentified armed groups were internally displaced people who had already fled horrendous violence, some of them during 2020.

It is clear that the attacks on displaced people and the communities generously hosting them, were targeted and deliberate.

In addition to the unjustifiable violence meted out against civilians, shelters and granaries were also burned to the ground and cattle stolen or killed. Survivors have nothing left.

An estimated 1,400 people from these villages are now on the move, trying to escape from the violence.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and our partners continue to gather information from survivors, many of whom have been left in shock and mourning. Our teams and partners are monitoring the situation and providing humanitarian aid and counselling to survivors.

We reiterate our call for greater protection of civilians and displaced communities. We also call on the international community to seize the sense of urgency and continue supporting regional efforts to address the root causes of this crisis and help us respond to humanitarian needs arising from forced displacement.
The former co-chair of the Lake Oswego School Districts Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access advisory committee was arrested Monday after police said he tried to seek a sexual relationship with a teenager earlier this year.

Lake Oswego police said Manuel Espinoza, 41, turned himself in Monday on an arrest warrant. Hes suspected of luring a minor, second-degree attempted sex abuse and attempting to furnish alcohol to a minor.

The school district acknowledged his arrest in a statement to parents Wednesday night.

Police did not arrest Espinoza in February, when the attempted abuse is alleged to have occurred, because he was hospitalized for a medical issue, according to the Lake Oswego Review.

Espinoza resigned his role as co-chair of the committee in January, according to the newspaper, which first reported his arrest.

The Oregonian/OregonLive
Swimmers and surfers have been the first to sound the warning that there are blooms of jellyfish very close to the Costa del Sol shores and some specimens have also been found washed up on the beaches.

Despite wearing wetsuits, fins and gloves, several surfers have already suffered from stings.

The warning comes at the start of the Easter holiday when higher temperatures and clearer skies will encourage many people to visit the beaches.

Marine biologist Jesus Bellido, at Malagas Aula del Mar acknowledges that they have located specimens along much of the Costa del Sol, from Nerja to Mijas.

The most common jellyfish and the one forming the largest blooms is the stinging pelagia noctiluca. It is usually small, so it is difficult to see it in the water.

Some specimens of the much larger Portuguese Man o War, that may look like a bloated jellyfish, but is actually a siphonophore, have also been spotted. Its sting causes severe pain and sometimes breathing problems.

The biologist explains, "We are receiving notices from all the points where there are people walking, swimming or surfing, it is widespread."

The good news is that the Malaga Meteorological Centre is forecasting a change in wind direction that tends to drive the jellyfish out to sea, although bathers will still have to be vigilant.
This photo taken on March 29, 2021 and received on March 30, 2021 shows Karen villagers, injured during air strikes in the area following the February military coup, resting after receiving medical treatment while taking shelter in a jungle near Day Pu No in Hpa-pun in eastern Myanmar's Karen state.

David Eubank is the director of Free Burma Rangers. Self-described as "a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement working to bring help, hope and love to people in the conflict areas of Burma," the organization trains Ranger teams to work together with pro-democracy groups to deliver emergency medical care, food, shelter and clothing to those in need.

The group also documents the human rights situation in Myanmar. After the military took over the country and ousted the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) party on Feb. 1, it began a brutal crackdown on the resulting nationwide protests and the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).

In southern Myanmars Karen state, the junta escalated its campaign against the Karen National Union with airstrikes on territory controlled by the insurgent group. The airstrikes caused thousands to flee across the Thai border, some of whom were turned away by Thai authorities according to activists and local media reports.

RFA interviewed Eubank to learn more about how the Rangers are providing humanitarian assistance in Karen state. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

This photo taken on March 29, 2021 and received on March 30, 2021 shows Karen villagers taking shelter in a jungle near Day Pu No in Hpa-pun in eastern Myanmar's Karen state, after air strikes in the area following the February military coup. Credit: Free Burma Rangers

RFA: What is the situation on the ground right now?

The latest situation right now is that there are more and more airstrikes. Today there was also another airstrike down in the south-central part of the northern part of Karen state which is on the borders of Mutraw or Hpapun district and Nyaunglebin district and Thaton district.

It killed six people, wounded 11. And there are air strikes every day in northern Karen state now. We have over 12,000 displaced people, and the need is food and medicine and shelter. But we are already sending it in. We have some ways, its not easy, but we may have been able to get food to everyone so far. I don't know about the future. And we need to get more tarps in, though, for shelter, as people are hiding in the jungle.

RFA: How are you helping refugees who are turned away at the Thai border?

In terms of people who can't cross the border that's mostly just the people who are on the Salween River. We today were able to send some help through some quiet ways for them.

The biggest need of the refugees is safety from the Burma Army. They need the Burma Army to stop attacking them. If the Burma Army doesn't attack them, they don't need our help at all. They can grow their own food, live in their own house, do everything. In fact, they can do it much better than us, and they usually help us when we're in there.

This photo taken on March 29, 2021 and received on March 30, 2021 shows Karen villagers taking shelter in a jungle near Day Pu No in Hpa-pun in eastern Myanmar's Karen state, after air strikes in the area following the February military coup. Credit: Free Burma Rangers

RFA: What is it that the refugees urgently need?

So the number one thing is stopping the Burma army, and our request is that the U.S. and international community would provide direct humanitarian assistance to all the armed groups humanitarian wings, as well as to the demonstrators and civil disobedience movement in the cities.

The second is to recognize the ethnic groups and to support working dialogue and unified operations between the Burmans in the cities and plains, and the ethnics in the hills. That will help them work together better. It will also be a signal to the regime that the U.S. and the international community is allying itself not with them but with a shadow government like the CRPH [Committee Representing Pyithu Hluttaw] and the NLD, as well as the ethnics and the CDM, and then the other is intervention, and that is helping the ethnic people and other people defend themselves or directly coming in and having the Burma Army stop attacking so we can negotiate this.

Right now, there's no negotiations, just a full-on attack, so the situation is worse than it's been in 20 years. The airstrikes have increased. Theyre also at nighttime.

I have not seen nighttime airstrikes before. So that means the Burma military has a more deadly capacity. It has more foreign support. I don't know from who. Russia, China I don't know. But it's definitely improved. I haven't seen airstrikes in Karen state for over 20 years, we've seen them in Arakan [Rakine] and in Kachin but not Karen recently, so this is new.

We feel the attacks will continue, and not just in northern Karen state.

We feel the attacks will continue, and not just in northern Karen state there are attacks down in south central Karen state, Dooplaya [Kawkareik] district, south of Mae Sot, [Thailand] southwest of Mae Sot, inside Burma and also in the board of the plains near Kyaukkyi, and in Kachin state there is fighting every day, and displacement also in northern Shan state.
Transportation can move Africa from darkness to light. It is enough to see the reason behind the adage that used to label it as the Dark Continent. The reason is not that there was no light in the continent or because the sun does not shine in Africa. Rather Africa has ever been shiny and beautiful. However, it was called dark because it was not accessible, something far from the sight of those who wish to view it closely.

With the introduction of modern communication access, Africa has become a captivating jewel in the eyes of the whole world. Its rivers, lakes, mountains beautiful rainforests, its diverse people of varying culture became the most enjoyable scenery after people were able to deeply explore into the continent.

Yet Africa needs more roads, railway and other means of transportation to further display to the world its untapped and untouched natural blessings, grow up economically and enable its people to enjoy the width and depth of life.

Hence transportation is everything. To advance in all sectors is the most fundamental priority. Without means of transportation, all other sectors are dull and almost meaningless. First of all advancing in the other sectors like education, health and industry, among others are unthinkable without access to transportation. Secondly, if all these facilities are available, they are not usable without suitable means of transportation. Therefore, the focus made on transportation is highly valuable.

The government of Ethiopia should be lauded for the recent initiative to increase the involvement of the private sector in the development and modernization of the transportation sector.

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Ethiopia needs not only a mere network of transportation facilities. It indeed deserves adequate, modern transportation infrastructure. To realize the need for such infrastructure it is wise to duly involve the private sector investment. In this regard the measures taken by the government of Ethiopia is commendable.

While investment made by the government so far is good there is also a need to further intensify the execution of the projects as the country still lingers in problems that emanate from lack of it. The extent of the infrastructure needed hereafter is very large that the government alone cannot address it. Hence bringing the private sector is a wise decision.

The important issue is the government must correct deadly mistakes committed in the past in handling development projects. It is well known that many of the development projects that started in the country in the last couple of decades suffered from corruption, mismanagement, lack of commitment etc. As a result, many of them were either interrupted, delayed or revised as they faced serious setbacks.

The investment in the transportation sector was not spared from similar drawbacks. Therefore the government needs to show the commitment displayed in the execution of projects like Sheger bakery, Entoto Park ... etc. The leadership should play a proper follow-up and evaluation role to make sure that the projects are well planned, executed and concluded as per the planned budget and time table.
Kolkata, April 1 : Voter turnout for the second phase of polling in West Bengal notched as much as 15.72 per cent in about three hours as over 75 lakh electorate began voting in 30 Assembly seats on Thursday.

Long queues were witnessed outside most of the polling booths till 10 a.m.

The approximate voter turnout trend till 10 a.m. in Bankura district was 16.05 per cent, Paschim Medinipur 17.33, Purbo Medinipur 16.91 and South 24 Parganas 8.69 per cent, according to the Election Commission's voter turnout App.

Voting began at 7 a.m. Thursday amid tight security with all eyes on Nandigram where Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is locked in a fierce battle with confidante-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

Many, including the first-time voters, reached polling stations well before the voting began to decide the fate of 171 candidates, -- 152 male, 19 female -- in the fray in these elections across four districts of South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Bankura.

Polling will continue till 6 p.m.

Hours before the voting began, a Trinamool Congress worker, Uttam Golui, was hacked to death in Keshpur, West Midnapore outside a party office.

The Trinamool has accused the BJP of murdering Golui.

The Election Commission said that 75,94,549 voters -- 38,80,955 men and 37,13,508 women -- are eligible to cast their votes across 10,620 polling stations.

Nearly 700 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies have been almost deployed in all the districts to ensure a completely peaceful and fearless environment for polling.

All eyes are set on the high-profile Nandigram constituency, where the Chief Minister is pitted against Adhikari, her one-time loyalist-turned-rival.

Banerjee is seeking a third term in office from Nandigram Assembly constituency of Purbo Midnipur district.

For her and the BJP the battle for Nandigram is a prestige fight because it was the 2007 agitation against land acquisition in the region which catapulted her to the Chief Minister's post and to the centre stage of politics in the state, paving the way for the Trinamool's victory in the 2011 Assembly polls that ended 34 years of Left Front rule.

In the high stakes poll battle this time, a victory is a must for Banerjee so that she can lead the government and keep together her party, which is faced with exodus.

For Adhikari, it is a battle for political survival as a defeat would be a devastating blow and might also put a question mark on his political graph in his new party. the BJP.

A victory would not only establish him as one of the tallest leaders in Bengal but would also push him a few miles ahead of others in the Chief Ministerial race in case the BJP is voted to power.

Covid-19 protocols for the voters, including social distancing and thermal screening are being maintained.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Obesity rates have increased dramatically in developed countries over the past 40 years -- and many people have assumed that food marketing is at least in part to blame. But are people with obesity really more susceptible to food marketing? And if they are, is that a permanent predisposition, or can it change over time?

According to a new study by UBC Sauder School of Business Assistant Professor Dr. Yann Cornil (he/him/his) and French researchers, people with obesity do tend to be more responsive to food marketing -- but when their weight drops significantly, so does their responsiveness to marketing.

For the study, which was published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the researchers followed three groups: patients with severe obesity before they had gastric bypass or other weight-loss surgeries (collectively known as bariatric surgery), as well as three and 12 months after; people with obesity who were not undergoing bariatric surgery; and people who were not obese.

To measure their responsiveness to food marketing, the researchers evaluated what's called framing effects -- that is, how branding, advertising, and labeling "frame," and thus influence food evaluations and choices. In one study, participants were asked to estimate the calorie content in well-known snacks and drinks including some, which marketers typically framed as healthy (i.e. apple juice, granola bars), and others, which are not framed as healthy (i.e. soft drinks, chocolate bars).

The researchers found that everyone underestimated the calorie content of snacks that were framed as healthy but the effect was more pronounced in people with obesity.

To further test the framing effect, the researchers had participants hypothetically choose a portion of french fries from a fast food restaurant, and gave them the nutritional information they would need to make an informed decision. The three options were always the same in quantity -- 71g, 117g, and 154g -- but in one instance they were labeled small, medium and large, and in another instance the same portions were labeled mini, small and medium: a marketing tactic aimed at making larger portions seem more reasonable.

"We measured how likely people were sensitive to that framing, and whether it would change their choice of fries quantity depending on how the portions are labeled," explains Dr. Cornil, who says the people with obesity were more likely to follow the labeling and not the actual information about quantity -- so they would choose the portion labeled "medium" even though that's quite large.

Overall the researchers, who worked closely with the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, found that the people with obesity tended to be more responsive to food marketing -- but when they lost a significant amount of weight because of bariatric surgery, their level of responsiveness to food marketing dropped substantially.

"People with obesity going through bariatric surgery will become less responsive to marketing over time," says Dr. Cornil. "And after 12 months, their responsiveness to marketing reaches the level of people with more medically-recommended weight."

Dr. Cornil says it's not clear whether people with obesity become less responsive to marketing because of physiological changes following the surgery -- hormonal, neurological shifts or changes to the gut microbiota -- or because of people's desire to change their lifestyles and habits. Another possible reason, he adds, is that people's tastes tend to shift following bariatric surgery.

"The results clearly suggest a bidirectional influence between people's weight status, psychology and responsiveness to the environment -- including marketing," says Dr. Cornil. "So, it's a complex relationship."

However, had the researchers found the responsiveness to marketing remained high even after weight loss, it would have pointed to a deeper-rooted predisposition.

"That would mean people are endowed with unchangeable psychological characteristics that would always make them more responsive to marketing -- which would make it very difficult to sustain a medically-recommended weight," he explains. "But one of the positive things is that after significant weight loss, people become less responsive to marketing, such that it is more sustainable to remain at a lower body mass index."

Dr. Cornil says the findings are especially important because for years, researchers have assumed that marketing messages -- especially for foods that are high-calorie and low in nutrition -- are at least partly responsible for the obesity epidemic, but there wasn't clear empirical evidence.

"Our results provide important insights for policy-makers in charge of regulating food marketing in order to curb obesity," says Dr. Cornil.

###
The experiences of Ethiopian women who are victims of trafficking to the neighboring countries are very saddening. These victims are trapped by a web of traffickers, who control their lives throughout the process. The process includes various forms of exploitations until the point of delivery. These women are subjected to human rights violations at all stages. Studies have found out that these women are pushed out of their residence by poverty and other factors. There is also a pull factor that attracts them with promises of better job opportunities and salary.

The traffickers use false promises and subject the women to numerous violations of human rights throughout the travel to the destination. They are subjected to the conditions of forced labor and prostitution. Young women from all over the country are trafficked to the Gulf States and neighboring countries for domestic bondage. Some Ethiopians including men, women and children are inevitably victimized by human trafficking. The women are particularly vulnerable to inhuman physical and psychological tortures. These include violent death, sexual exploitation and rape, insult and intimidation, and beatings during travel.

Upon arrival at the destination point, most women are exposed to various forms of exploitation. They are forced to work until they cover the debt, they have incurred for the services provided to them by the brokers. It is reported that women become slaves, losing all control over their bodies and lives. They are also forced to become prostitutes by the brokers who collect money on their behalf. Traffickers use several ways to leave Ethiopia. They either take flight from international airports to the destination country or cross the border to neighboring countries using the "desert routes."

Both routes are not risk-free. Traveling on foot through the deserts is dangerous as people, particularly women, perish in the desert due to shortage of water and food. The road is infested with robbers who sexually abuse women. Most of the women are attached to the traffickers as they are falsely promised to have jobs upon arrival at the point of destination. Most women travel to the neighboring countries to engage in domestic work. There are also reports that some women are trafficked for the purposes of marriage to rich persons in the neighboring countries. Mostly, they end up as third or fourth wives to the rich persons.

Some women, men and children are vulnerable to the crimes of trafficking. Nearly all of them are faced with several human rights abuses while crossing the borders to arrive at their destination. Regardless of the means of travel they use, they are determined to reach the country of job opportunities. Their interest is only to have access to jobs after leaving Ethiopia through various routes. These routes are not safe as they are infested with robbers, who are hidden in different places in the desert. Women are the preferred targets for robbery and sexual abuse.

Studies show that various countries are dependent on trafficked workers to fill labor shortages in various sectors of the economy. These sectors are low paying, dangerous, and poorly-regulated. These jobs are dirty and degrading ones. Thus, trafficking is an effort made to place the needy people in these jobs illegally, and make profits out of it.

A major cause of human trafficking is impunity that results from insufficient or inadequate laws, poor enforcement, ineffective penalties, corruption, complacency and invisible operations. Impunity contributes to the spread of women trafficking. The legal inadequacies give criminals in human trafficking ample opportunities to evade the law. Criminals avoid punishment for their offences through bribes to law enforcement agents. Sometimes, there is close cooperation between these agents and the traffickers, the legal and illegal operators.

As indicated earlier, there is a triangle of human trafficking. These are related to the factors of supply, demand and impunity that create condition in which trafficking in women lead to ample wealth. This allows for high profits at low risk for the traffickers, but with grave human rights violations for the victims. Human trafficking is, therefore, a violent form of modern slavery, committed against the fundamental human rights of women in the country of origin, transit as well as destination countries.

As studies indicated, following the oil boom in the Gulf States, the demand for foreign domestic workers, mostly women, to take up jobs less favored by the locals has been on the rise. Migration to the Middle East and to the Gulf States has increased. Now, it is taken as a means of earning a decent income especially among women from urban families. The destinations are favored by women workers for reasons of geographical proximity and the low education qualifications required to secure an entry visa.

Scholars identified three types of modern slavery: "chattel slavery," in which slaves are either captured or born or sold into permanent servitude. "Debt bondage," is servitude that is ensured against the loan of money and where its length and nature is indeterminate. The third is "contract slavery," where contracts are "legal fictions" rather than legally binding employment agreements, and thus conceal what are the real conditions of slavery.

The current situation of Ethiopian women can be safely said to fit to the last category of slavery. They must first secure a visa through a method of sponsorship known as kafala, which legally binds them to their prospective employers. Although both the employees and their employers or sponsors are within their legal rights to break their contracts it is often a trick on paper. This is a system that already puts Ethiopian migrant workers entirely dependent upon the mercy of their employers.

The process is facilitated by legally registered employment agencies based in Addis Ababa. But what is not clearly communicated to many would be migrant workers is that once in their host countries they are immediately required to "surrender" their passports and other travel documents to their employers. Before all things begin, the system of exploitation is already in place and is appallingly "legal," until recently.

A report by Human Rights Watch revealed that several domestic workers have died in the Middle East. Some committed suicides, others threw themselves from high-rise buildings, and a few attempted to escape their employers. These employees are often denied food and medication to reduce cost or to incapacitate and make them docile. Denial of medication can also be used to confine the victims. As a result, a good number of them return to Ethiopia with physical disabilities sustained during abuses. In the worst case, some of them lose parts of their body organs, particularly their kidneys, under discreet circumstances. There are also cases whereby mentally troubled Ethiopian women were found abandoned in and around airports.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Debt Ethiopia By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Human Rights Watch has revealed that women domestic workers have been killed while working. Also, a good number of maids have been incarcerated for crimes they committed in self-defense when attacked by their employers. Some of these maids have been waiting for death sentences, while others have been jailed for life.

Many of the cases that have been presented to the courts have not been supported with evidence by the Middle East police. In the meantime, the immigration office in Ethiopia has been crowded with prospective maids queuing to acquire legal documents to go to these countries of horrors. The majority of the applicants are women who want to go to the Middle East in search of jobs. It's an endless cycle of viciousness. One of the solutions to this problem may be to promote economic development, create jobs and income for the poor in Ethiopia. Also, the ethnic entrepreneurs should be blind to the ill-fated, hapless, wretched, unfortunate and miserable Ethiopian poor.
Pakistan's Cabinet on Thursday rejected the recommendation of the Economic Coordination Committee to import cotton and sugar from India. (Photo: AP)

Islamabad: In a volte-face, Pakistan's Cabinet on Thursday rejected the recommendation of the Economic Coordination Committee to import cotton and sugar from India, with two senior ministers saying there can be no normalisation of ties with New Delhi until it reverses its decision in 2019 to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The somersault came a day after the high-powered committee under newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar on Wednesday decided to import the two key items from India, lifting a nearly two-year-long ban on their import from the neighbouring country.

The issue was under speculation since afternoon but officials kept mum and finally the first confirmation came from Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, who is known for her hawkish stand on Kashmir.

"Today Cabinet stated clearly NO trade with India," Mazari tweeted soon after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday.

Mazari said that Prime Minister Khan, who chaired the first Cabinet meeting after testing COVID-19 positive on March 20, "made (it) clear (that) there can be no normalisation of relations with India until they reverse their actions viz Kashmir of August 5 2019.

Later, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a video message said that the Cabinet discussed the issue of import of cotton and sugar from India.

"An impression is being created that relations with India have become normal and trade has been restored " he said. "On this impression, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet had a consensus opinion that until India reviewed the unilateral actions of Aug 5, 2019, it would not be possible to normalise ties with India."

Ahead of the Cabinet meeting, Mazari had said that all ECC decisions have to be approved by Cabinet and only then can they be seen as "approved" by the government.

"Just for the record - All ECC decisions have to be approved by Cabinet & only then they can be seen as "approved by govt"! So today in Cabinet there will be discussion on ECC decisions incl trade with India & then govt decision will be taken! Media shd be aware of this atleast!" Mazari had tweeted.

Azhar's announcement on Wednesday to import cotton and sugar from India had raised hopes of a partial revival of bilateral trade relations, which were suspended after the August 5, 2019 decision of New Delhi to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

India is the world's biggest producer of cotton and the second biggest sugar manufacturer.

In May 2020, Pakistan had lifted the ban on import of medicines and raw material of essential drugs from India amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in Pakistan. Subsequent attacks, including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relationship.

The ties strained further after India's war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

India's move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August, 2019 angered Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties with India and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pakistan also snapped all air and land links with India and suspended trade and railway services.
The Charger Blog

As part of a recent virtual discussion hosted by the Military Cyber Professionals Association, Ibrahim Baggili, Ph.D., discussed the important work he and his students are doing at the University of New Haven, as well as the innovative ways he has fostered inclusion and hands-on education. By Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications

Ibrahim Baggili, Ph.D., is the founding director of the University's Connecticut Institute of Technology.

Among his many interests and vast expertise, Ibrahim Baggili, Ph.D., is most passionate about cybersecurity education, and he is dedicated to positioning the University of New Haven as a leading technology hub. He recently shared his vision for promoting innovation, diversity, and collaboration in cybersecurity and discussed the Universitys accomplishments with a diverse group of professionals in the field.

The founding director of the University's Connecticut Institute of Technology and Elder Family Chair, he was invited to speak at a recent Lockdown Lunch & Learn (3L) event hosted by the Military Cyber Professionals Association (MCPA), an educational nonprofit. Created in response to the coronavirus global pandemic, the series, which features interactive virtual discussions led by experts in cybersecurity, enables MCPAs members to learn from and connect with each other remotely.

Our mission is to train students who can think differently on the job, explained Dr. Baggili. It is also to foster and embrace diversity and inclusion.

Guests learned more about Dr. Baggilis efforts to expand the Universitys educational outreach to underrepresented populations in the field, including programs such as the Cyber Agent Academy, a rigorous camp offered each summer that enables high school students to explore the world of cybersecurity.

He also discussed the Connecticut Institute of Technologys Cyber Legends web series that has featured some of the worlds cybersecurity leaders, as well as innovative hands-on learning experiences hes created for his students, such as a virtual immersion into a mock crime scene.

Dr. Baggili loves teaching the next generation

Diane Janosek, commandant of the National Cryptologic School at the National Security Agency who recently spoke to the University community as part of its Cyber Legends series, introduced Dr. Baggili, praising the important work the University has been doing in the field of cybersecurity.

Diane Janosek introduced Dr. Baggili.

Dr. Baggili loves teaching the next generation and paying it forward, said Janosek, who attended the dedication of the University's Samuel S. Bergami Jr. Cybersecurity Center last year. He teaches virtual reality, security, and forensics through VR, and its pretty wild how he does it. Were really excited about everything the University is doing for the nations security.

Dr. Baggili is one of many accomplished speakers, among CEOs and authors, as well as veterans and current servicemembers, to be featured as part of the Lockdown Lunch & Learn series. Other speakers included Major General (Ret.) Paul Nielsen, Ph.D., director of the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University; Theresa Payton, former White House chief information officer; and Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, executive director of the U.S. Cyberspace Commission. Speakers also included Janosek and Joe Billingsley, a business plan consultant for the Universitys Tagliatela College of Engineering and director of strategic engagement for the National Defense University College of Information and Cyberspace, who is also a founder of the MCPA.

Dr. Baggili presenting a keynote at this prestigious event puts him alongside many greats in the field of cyberspace-focused research and leadership, said Billingsley, a former Army strategist and cyber officer. Dr. Baggili and the CIT are regional and national assets to addressing cybersecurity challenges.

Dr. Baggili concluded his remarks discussing how the research he and his students have conducted has already addressed a host of challenges. They have uncovered vulnerabilities in virtual reality applications, and they have explored the security of using Zoom through a forensic analysis. Dr. Baggili emphasized the importance of continuing to promote education and innovation.

Ultimately, we need to learn more about how anything digital is being used or misused, he said. Artificial intelligence and virtual reality are going to continue to influence everything from businesses to government missions.
The head of the Childline Foyle office in Derry has shared the challenges the service has faced and overcome in the last year, with staff and volunteers rallying together to be there for worried children and young people.

As keyworkers, Childline staff and volunteers have been supporting children and young people throughout the pandemic  making extraordinary efforts and adjustments to keep the service going, says Georgina McGlinchey.

Childline Foyle had to adapt swiftly, increasing its ability to answer contacts from children and young people online, and delivering some of its counsellor training virtually too.

At the same time, the base suffered a significant drop in volunteer numbers because of volunteers needing to self-isolate to stay safe.

Georgina says: Our staff members and volunteers have been facing the same challenges as everyone else across the country - home schooling their children, caring for dependents, and coping with financial concerns because of family members being furloughed or losing their jobs.

Despite this, and the ongoing challenges, they continue to demand of themselves the best they can possibly be so that children and young people get as much help as we can offer.

Volunteers that have been able to come in to the base have been going above and beyond  going from giving one shift a week to three or four to help make up the numbers.

Foyle is home to one of 12 Childline bases, from which volunteer and staff counsellors answer contacts from children and young people across the UK  listening to them about any worries they may have.

More and more young people are talking about their struggles with mental health generally but also because of COVID-19, says Georgina.

The isolation has gone on far longer than people expected  and a year can seem like a lifetime for children and young people.

They have shown great resilience in the last 12 months, but the impact of the pandemic for many has had a profound effect on their sense of future and wellbeing.

We all have a responsibility to make sure they get the support they need in the weeks, months and years ahead  no matter where in Northern Ireland they live.

For some children and young people, we have heard how home is not a safe place and the last year has been a fearful time where there is little escape from threats of violence and abuse.

Many of the usual outlets for children and young people to seek support such as school, youth clubs and extra-curricular activities ceased to be a part of their life, almost overnight.

Thats why its been so important for Childline to remain available to children and young people at an extreme time of uncertainty. If we didnt have the volunteers that were prepared to give up their time that just wouldnt have been possible.

The impact of the pandemic resulted in a huge depletion in the numbers of volunteers able to give their time, but the response from members of the public to an urgent volunteer appeal has helped the service stay afloat for those who need it.

Volunteers are our lifeblood, says Georgina. They are so important for the service, helping us continue to be there to listen to children and young people at a time when their world has been shaken up.

The response we had to our appeal was amazing and we are so grateful to everyone who responded, however we still dont have enough volunteers to cope with the demand from children and young people, which we know will continue.

So, it is vital that we continue to ask for the support of the public, seeing if giving their time to children and young people is something they could do.

More information about volunteering for Childline Foyle is available on the charitys website, or from amanda.doherty@nspcc.org.uk.

Successful applicants are asked to give a minimum 4.25 hours per week as a Childline counsellor, and receive a comprehensive training package. All training in Foyle is delivered online.

Children can contact Childline every day of the week on 0800 11 11 or childline.org.uk.

Anyone with any concerns about the welfare of a child can call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or visit nspcc.org.uk for advice.
Whataburger thanked its employees with big bonuses during the coronavirus pandemic.

The beloved fast-food chain announced in a news release Wednesday it awarded more than $90 million in bonuses to its employees in thanks for their service during the COVID-19 era and in the severe winter weather storm.

Whataburger employees also received "Extra Mile" bonuses, emergency pay and a doubling of their 401(k) plan matching for 2020, the release added.

RELATED: Texas couple builds 6-foot Whataburger playhouse for 1-year-old's drive-by birthday party

"The past year reshaped how we live, work, and play, with the restaurant and hospitality industry being heavily impacted by the pandemic and this year's crippling winter storms," Ed Nelson, Whataburger CEO, stated in the release. "... We wanted to help ensure that our Family Members (employees) and their families were taken care of, and thank them for continuing to go the extra mile to serve our guests with great Pride, Care, and Love."

The company also announced in its release it is elevating general managers at its chains with a new title, calling them operating partners  business leaders who run multimillion-dollar restaurants, take care of their teams, and serve as the face of Whataburger in their communities, per the release.

"They are the hearts and souls of our brand," Nelson said.
New Delhi, April 1 : At a time when the number of Maoists is reducing, guerrilla militants are increasingly preferring to use 'booby traps' to ensure maximum damage to the security forces without losing even a single comrade.

Booby trap, a mechanism often used during warfare, is a device or setup intended to kill or harm. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to draw the victim towards it.

The trap may be a needle, a stone, branch of a tree lying on road or anything that cannot be expected. It can also be triggered by vehicles driving along a road, as in the case of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). With just a touch to these traps, an IED explosion would happen and kill security personnel.

Intelligence units of different security wings, deployed in Maoist-hit regions, recently shared inputs regarding "frequent use of booby traps". The input was circulated among the top brass as well as in paramilitary forces and state police units deployed in these regions. The input asks them to be very "careful" about these traps.

The input also mentions about the use of remote control IEDs.

"Remote control IEDs and booby traps are becoming a challenging threat for the agencies in the Left-Wing Extremism hit areas," an officer, requesting anonymity, told IANS while citing the inputs shared by intelligence wings of various security forces.

The officer, privy to the developments, said that there have been many instances when such lethal booby traps were recovered from important places through which security forces have to move: particular roads and bridges or near renowned weekly markets in far-flung Maoist areas.

These booby traps have led to the death of various security forces and injuries to many troops in the past.

In Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) averted a similar blast on Thursday afternoon with the recovery of twin IEDs: 15 kgs and 5 kgs.

The personnel of the ITBP's 40th Battalion unearthed and destroyed these IEDs on the spot soon after they detected them near Bakarkatta village in Nawagaon in Rajnandgaon district during a search operation.

"The IEDs were planted probably to target the security forces," said the ITBP, adding "it is seen that in the recent times, many IED attacks have been the main modus operandi of the Naxals in Chhattisgarh".

Apart from regular IEDs, the 95,000-personnel-strong Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), also deployed in some Maoist-affected areas apart from its mandated role to secure 3,488 km India-China border, said "the remote control IEDs and booby traps are becoming a challenging threat for agencies in the LWE hit areas".

An officer in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), deployed in Maoist-hit states, told IANS on condition of anonymity that the frequent use of booby traps is part of Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) by Maoist extremists. The TCOC is a training and area domination tactics which the Maoists conduct during January to May.

"The number of Maoists is decreasing day by day due to multiple operations being conducted by security forces in Maoist-hit areas. To ensure 'Zero damage' to their operation and 'no killing or injury', the Maoists have now changed their attack tactics," said the officer.

Now, the officer said, the Maoists are increasingly preferring "lone wolf" attacks as well as booby traps to ensure maximum damage and zero loss.

This year so far, all the security forces have jointly recovered over 50 such traps which mainly work to trigger a blast in the detonator that explodes the IED.

Another official said that ammonium nitrate is especially used by the Maoists in these IEDs while fixing the booby traps which are deactivated for long until they are touched by anybody.

(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)
Remembering Abraham Feinberg

The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life was established through a generous gift from the late Abraham Feinberg.

During his long relationship with Brandeis University, Feinberg served as a Brandeis fellow and as a member and chairman of the Board of Trustees, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1961. He was a substantial force in shaping the university during its early years. President Jehuda Reinharz called the establishment of the center "the fulfillment of a long-held and cherished dream [for which] his last years were made happier by the thought that he [could] make contributions to  coexistence and ethics around the world."

Feinberg was a successful businessman with investments and businesses in New York and Israel. At the time of his death, he held the position of chief executive of Central Bottling Corp. in Israel. He got his start in business in the Bronx, New York, where he was born and raised. He worked days with his father in a modest clothing business while attending school in the evenings at City College and earning law degrees from Fordham University and New York University.

A supporter of Jewish causes, Feinberg is regarded as having been instrumental in the establishment of the state of Israel. As the president of Haganah, the Zionist military movement, he helped mobilize support for Israel. He offered his home to Zionist leaders who were trying to gain support of the U.S. government and assisted European Jews seeking refuge. He even accompanied Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, to his first meeting with President Harry Truman.

Active in American politics, Feinberg worked informally with the U.S. and Israeli governments during Middle East crises, led many Democratic fundraisers and served as a confidant to Presidents Harry Truman, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. There was hardly a Jewish cause to which he did not contribute.

Feinberg also supported numerous medical causes, including schizophrenia research in New York and in Israel. He endowed the psychiatric wing at Schneider Children's Medical Center for Israel.

The full extent of Abraham Feinberg's generosity may never be known. Described as extremely sincere and modest, most of his philanthropic endeavors were made anonymously, as is illustrated in the remarks made by Harry Truman in 1960 during an event celebrating Feinberg as B'nai B'rith's Man of the Year: "In addition to the good work by Feinberg that has been made public, I could name two or three times as many that he has done anonymously, without personal credit and always at sacrifice to himself."

Feinberg died on Dec. 5, 1998, at age 90.
Kidney development is a balancing act between the self-renewal of stem and progenitor cells to maintain and expand their numbers, and the differentiation of these cells into more specialized cell types. In a new study in the journal eLife from Andy McMahon's laboratory in the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, former graduate student Alex Quiyu Guo and a team of scientists demonstrate the importance of a molecule called -catenin in striking this balance.

-catenin is a key driver at the end of a complex signaling cascade known as the Wnt pathway. Wnt signaling plays critical roles in the embryonic development of multiple organs including the kidneys. By partnering with other Wnt pathway molecules, -catenin controls the activity of hundreds to thousands of genes within the cell.

The new study builds on the McMahon Lab's previous discovery that Wnt/-catenin can initiate progenitor cells to execute a lengthy and highly orchestrated program of forming structures in the kidney called nephrons. A healthy human kidney contains a million nephrons that balance body fluids and remove soluble waste products. Too few nephrons results in kidney disease.

Previous studies from the UT Southwestern Medical Center laboratory of Thomas Carroll, a former postdoctoral trainee in the McMahon Lab, suggested that Wnt/-catenin signaling plays opposing roles in ensuring the proper number of nephrons: promoting progenitor maintenance and self-renewal, and stimulating progenitor cell differentiation.

"It sounded like Wnt/-catenin is doing two things--both maintenance and differentiation--that seem to be opposite operations," said Guo. "Therefore, the hypothesis was that different levels of Wnt/-catenin can dictate different fates of the nephron progenitors: when it's low, it works on maintenance; when it's high, it directs differentiation."

In 2015, it became more possible to test this hypothesis when Leif Oxburgh, a scientist at the Rogosin Institute in New York and a co-author of the eLife study, developed a system for growing large numbers of nephron progenitor cells, or NPCs, in a Petri dish.

Relying on this game-changing new system, Guo and his collaborators grew NPCs, added different levels of a chemical that activates -catenin, and saw their hypothesis play out in the Petri dishes.

They observed that high levels of -catenin triggered a "switch" in part of the Wnt pathway that relies on another family of transcription factors known as TCF/LEF. There are two types of TCF/LEF transcription factors: one type inhibits genes related to differentiation, and the other activates these genes. In response to high levels of -catenin, the "activating" members of TCF/LEF switched places with the "inhibiting" members, effectively taking charge. This "switch" triggered NPCs to differentiate into more specialized types of kidney cells.

When they looked at low levels of -catenin, they saw NPCs self-renewing and maintaining their populations, as expected. However, they were surprised to learn that -catenin was not engaged with any of the known genes related to self-renewal and maintenance.

"-catenin does something," said Guo. "That is for sure. But how it does it is kind of mysterious right now."

After publishing these results in eLife, Guo earned his PhD from USC, and began his postdoctoral training at UCLA. Helena Bugacov, a current PhD student in the McMahon Lab and a co-author of the eLife study, is now taking the lead in continuing the project--which has implications far beyond the kidney field, due to the broad role of Wnt throughout the body.

"Understanding how Wnt regulates these two very distinct cell outcomes of self-renewal and differentiation, which is very important for kidney development, is also important for understanding the development of other organs and adult stem cells, as Wnt signaling plays important roles in almost all developmental systems," said Bugacov. "There is also a lot of attention from cancer researchers, as this process can go awry in cancer. Many therapeutics are trying to target this process."

She added, "The more we know about things, the better we can inform work on developing human kidney organoid cultures, which can be more readily used to understand problems in human health, regeneration and development."

###

Additional co-authors of the eLife study include: Albert Kim, Andrew Ransick, Xi Chen, and Nils Lindstrom from USC; Aaron Brown from the Maine Medical Center Research Institute; and Bin Li and Bing Ren from the University of California, San Diego. The research was supported by federal funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (grant number R01 DK054364).
Saving money on car insurance is not that difficult. Parking the car in a safe place and shopping around for better insurance deals can help you save hundreds of dollars per year, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

All states, except New Hampshire, require drivers to obtain car insurance. For many drivers, car insurance can be an expensive necessity. Luckily, there are plenty of methods and discounts provided by insurers that can help any driver save money on car insurance.

The following methods can help drivers pay lower insurance premiums:



Park the car in a safe place. One of the factors that can affect the cost of car insurance is the place where a car is parked overnight. Drivers who park their vehicles in a safe location where they can monitor it easily, like a garage, will pay lower car insurance premiums. Cars kept in a garage are less likely to be stolen and they are protected against vandalism and the damaging effects of severe weather events.

Maintain a good credit score or try to improve it. Insurance companies consider that policyholders that have a good credit score will pay their insurance bills on time and they are less likely to file insurance claims. There are several ways to improve a credit score. Paying the bills on time and not gathering debt will help drivers have a better credit score.

Graduate a defensive driving course. Besides helping drivers to improve their driving skills, defensive driving courses can also help them save money on car insurance. Drivers who manage to graduate an approved defensive driving course will be rewarded with a consistent discount that is between 10% to 15%.

Collaborate with a good and competent insurance agent. Having a good professional relationship with an insurance agent has multiple benefits. Good insurance agents will keep drivers updated with information regarding the latest insurance changes, insurance offers, and discounts. Furthermore, insurance agents can help drivers when they need to file a claim.

Shop around and compare online quotes. Policyholders should check the insurance market at least two times per year. Brokerage websites are ideal for drivers who want to easily obtain multiple car insurance quotes from different insurance carriers. Online quotes can help drivers obtain the insurance policies they need.

For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org.

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
Scientists have discovered the most mutated variant of the Covid-19 virus in Tanzania, in what could portend trouble for Kenya, given these new variants are highly transmissible, and suspected to be resistant to some of the immune fighters.

This comes as the country risks being added to the United Kingdom's 'red list' of countries, from where travellers are subjected to mandatory quarantine, due to the government's reluctance to close the border with Tanzania.

Tanzania travellers

The discovery of the mutant variant (temporarily named A.VOI.V2), in Tanzania travellers to Angola, not only puts the country's Covid-19 mitigation measures at a crossroads, given that scientists suspect that the variant might be capable of reducing the immunity received from natural infection and vaccination.

A report submitted to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and regional agencies shows the strain is the most mutated, with 10 more mutations than found on any other version, according to Prof Tulio de Oliveira, director of Krisp, a scientific institute that carries out genetic testing for 10 African nations. Krisp also discovered the new strain in South Africa (501Y.V2) last year.

"We decided to report this as a new VOI, given the constellation of mutations with known or suspected biological significance, specifically resistance to neutralising antibodies and potentially increased transmissibility," said Prof de Oliveira.

Some scientists have noted that the number of cases detected is not adequate to give a clear picture of whether the new variant is more transmissible, deadlier, or has the capability to reduce immunity.

In addition, the experts are not sure whether the version of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars-CoV-2), the virus that causes Covid-19, originated from Tanzania or the travellers picked it up from other borders on the way to Angola. Further, given the fact that there is little data and information from Tanzania, it is not easy to pinpoint the exact situation.

"This means that a variant that is newly detected may or may not have emerged in the country where it was detected first," explained Dr Moses Masika, a virologist at the University of Nairobi's department of Medical Microbiology.

More variants

Even so, there is a likelihood that the variant could be circulating in Kenya, some experts believe, given the porous border the country shares with Tanzania. A variant is a form or version of a virus that differs in some respect from the original one.

"The study shows that we shall continue to see more and more variants of the virus for as long as we continue to see new infections. Each country that has active transmission will have known new variants. The only reason that only a handful of countries are reporting new variants is they are actively analysing the virus to detect such variants," said Dr Masika.

When a virus replicates or makes copies of itself, it sometimes changes a bit, a common phenomenon for viruses. These changes are called "mutations". A virus with one or more new mutations is referred to as a "variant" of the original virus. Since its discovery in December 2019, the Sars-CoV-2 virus has undergone multiple changes in its intrinsic nature.

Recently, however, the global scientific community has put the world on alert over the fast pace at which two distinct variants have been spreading. New research published in early March in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found the coronavirus variant originating in the United Kingdom, called B.1.1.7, is substantially more deadly than the original strain of Sars-CoV-2.

The authors say the B.1.1.7 variant, which has become dominant in many parts of the world, has been found to be up to 70 per cent more transmissible and between 32 and 104 per cent deadlier. In some cases, some of the variants (B.1.351 first identified in South Africa) have been found to lower vaccine efficacy.

Vaccination

According to experts, one reason Sars-CoV-2 virus is developing variants is that relatively few people globally have been vaccinated.

However, Dr Ahmed Ogwell, the deputy director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (AfricaCDC) explained that the mutations that are of concern to scientists are those that make a variant more transmissible or causes more serious illness.

"If a mutation doesn't do any of these, then it's a variant to be observed, but not a variant of concern. For now, we are studying the variant," said Dr Ogwell in a recent interview with NTV.

In Kenya, at least 20 variants have been found to be circulating, with four having been discovered in March last year. Speaking yesterday, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said although the South African and UK variants have been identified in Kenya, the third peak is being fuelled by a dominant lineage known as B.1, which has been the predominant in the country.

The discovery now puts the country on high alert, given the free movement of people across porous borders. Kenya is currently battling a third wave of Covid-19 infections, which has seen the number of cases and fatalities go up sharply.

Lockdown in infected zone

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Last Friday, President Uhuru Kenyatta reintroduced lockdown in five counties -- Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Nakuru and Kajiado. The latter shares a border with Tanzania along with Kwale, Taita Tateva, Narok and Migori counties. The country has also witnessed increased hospitalisations, which President Kenyatta said was alarming.

The discovery of the new variants in Tanzania, coupled with the latest restrictions in Nairobi, now leaves Kenya exposed, with a decision by the UK on a review of its red list expected later this week. The UK took the decision to put countries on the list in a bid to limit the spread of the Covid-19 variants, which it says will "undermine its vaccination campaign".

Last week, UK's Telegraph newspaper, quoting a source at the British High Commission in Nairobi, said Kenya was likely to be added to the red list this week.

The country has been hesitant to restrict movement on the Tanzania border, fearing retaliation by Dar es Salaam. With South Africa, Ethiopia, Qatar, and UAE already on the red list, Nairobi has been the last major hub for connecting flights into the UK. Ethiopia, Oman, Qatar, and Somalia were added to list on Friday March 19, and a review, with possible additions is expected any time this week. Currently, the UK has banned entry from more than 20 countries including Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
To create a sustainable road traffic system, hundreds of thousands of fuel cells will be needed for hydrogen-powered cars in the future. Until now, though, fuel cell production has been complex and too slow. The Fraunhofer team is therefore developing a continuous production line that will be able to process fuel cell components in cycles lasting just seconds. The pilot line is set to be presented at the Hannover Messe Digital Edition from April 12 to April 16, 2021.

Germany and Europe are on their way to a hydrogen future. The German federal government approved its hydrogen strategy in June of last year. The strategy aims to build electrolysis plants for hydrogen production with a total output of 10 gigawatt in Germany by the year 2040. And for Europe, the European Commission is proposing in its Hydrogen Strategy to expand electrolysis output by a further 40 gigawatt. Hydrogen is set to be used in industry and in the future also in road traffic, finally heralding a shift away from petrol and diesel fuel. But the many millions of vehicles will need many millions of fuel cells to convert hydrogen into power. And as yet, Europe has no mass production facility that could cover this demand. What we lack most of all is a closed production chain for making fuel cell components and then assembling them to form the finished item, like on a assembly line production.



Second-long production cycles



We need non-stop production lines that are able to drop and process components in cycles lasting just seconds, says Dr. Christoph Baum, Managing Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen. Industry in Europe is still quite a long way from that point. Right now, various components are manufactured by various producers and then assembled to create the fuel cell. And the production steps such as forming, cleaning, coating or joining the fuel cell components are spatially separated from one another in various machine islands. Christoph Baum: All in all, the logistics within our production facilities are complex. Parts have to be picked up, placed and buffered multiple times  thats a time-consuming business. Therefore, Fraunhofer IPT is developing for the first time in a research environment a non-stop pilot line in which fuel cell components are made and assembled into the finished product in one place.



The heart of the fuel cell



Specifically, this is about producing the heart of the fuel cell, the stack, on which hydrogen is converted to water and the energy is collected. This stack consists of hundreds of bipolar plates arranged on top of one another. The bipolar plates are pulled through an intricate system of millimeter thick channels, the hydrogen being fed in at one end and the water produced by the chemical reaction in the stack being fed out at the other. Producing these bipolar plates is a challenge in itself. The plates are only about a hundred micrometers thick and tend to resemble a film rather than a plate. They have to be moved very carefully to make sure nothing gets creased or worse still wrinkled. First, presses are used to emboss the channel structures onto the plate blanks. They are then coated under vacuum to reduce their electrical resistance and make them more corrosion-proof. A finished bipolar plate consists of a left half and a right half, with the fine channel system between. The two halves therefore need to be welded together with a high degree of precision. There are also various cleaning steps.



Presentation at the Hannover Messe



The team at Fraunhofer IPT has now developed a production line on which special pick-and-place handling devices, hand down all components and the bipolar plates in such a way as to create a fluent process. This pilot line will be presented during the Hannover Messe Digital Edition from April 12 to 16, 2021. In a live stream, Fraunhofer IPT, together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS and the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, will present the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's action plan and initial research results for the cost-effective, automated mass production of fuel cells. The aim of the three institutes, who are specialized in the field of manufacturing, is to accelerate the economic breakthrough of fuel cells and electrolysers both nationally and internationally. Moreover, they plan to transfer the action plan and the individual technologies for the production of fuel cells from research to industrial application.



Because some process steps are faster than others, the challenge is to optimize the flow as a whole so that neither jams nor waiting times occur. The blank pressing process, referred to as deep drawing, is done in just about one second, while the deposition of the protective layer takes much longer. We are predicting that hundreds of thousands of bipolar plates will be needed for the hydrogen economy of the future, says Christoph Baum. For this reason, we are striving to achieve a throughput of at least one bipolar plate per second across all plants.



From the roll to the finished item



In the CoBIP project (continuous roll-to-roll production of bipolar plates for fuel cells), Fraunhofer IPT is currently driving the automation of the pilot line together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, the Julich Research Center and several industrial partners. The researchers are developing a plant for processing the bipolar plates in a film strip off the roll, so-to-speak. The film strip passes through the machine and hence through all process steps  from the blank to the forming, the deposition of the protective coating to the cleaning through the joining process by the laser. Only at the very end are the bipolar plates cut off the strip and isolated. This continuous process from the roll to the finished item will save a number of handling steps. The plant is designed to be so flexible that industrial partners are able to exchange and test individual production modules at will. We are providing manufacturers with a tool they can use to design and optimize a non-stop production line to suit their requirements. A high cycle rate allows several devices to operate in parallel or to be connected in series, lasers for joining the plate halves, for example.



Its true that in Europe we have a good deal of system expertise for manufacturing high-grade fuel cells. But we lack the facilities to produce fuel cells on an industrial scale at competitive prices  production lines like we are already seeing at Hyundai or Toyota, explains Christoph Baum summing up. Baum reminds us that when it comes to fuel cells, the hurdle of industrial production scaling should not be underestimated. Similar to the situation with batteries, transferring systems from the laboratory to mass production is a complex matter. This is where, in the past, our international competitors have built on their expertise in cost-effective mass production with greater determination. Thanks to high-efficiency production lines like the one Fraunhofer IPT is now presenting, we will be able to identify and address the challenges of industrial scale production at an early stage.
TUV leader Jim Allister has said that any "tough talk" against Sinn Fein in the Assembly today over the Bobby Storey funeral is effectively meaningless because the DUP will remain in government with the party.

MLAs will gather at Stormont for an emergency sitting to discuss a motion of censure against Sinn Fein for Michelle O'Neill's and Conor Murphy's attendance at the funeral despite Covid-19 public health guidelines.

The Ulster Unionists and Alliance have called for an unequivocal apology from the Deputy First Minister to restore confidence.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) yesterday announced a review of its controversial decision not to prosecute anyone for alleged coronavirus breaches at the funeral.

While the DUP has not ruled out eventually withdrawing its members from the Policing Board, which meets behind closed doors today, there is no suggestion that the party will pull out of the Executive. Arlene Foster called on the Chief Constable to resign, saying he has lost the confidence of the unionist community, but Simon Byrne rejected her appeal.

DUP MLA Mervyn Storey said he would be "challenging the Chief Constable and his senior command team about the appalling manner in which the Storey funeral was policed" at today's Policing Board meeting.

"The engagement between the police and the funeral organisers was a factor in no prosecution being made," he said.

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"This is inexplicable and fundamentally harms confidence in policing. We are pressing for an investigation by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.

"Any senior officer who approved of or contributed to the decision-making around this policing operation is also in an untenable position."

Speaking ahead of the Assembly emergency meeting, Mr Allister said: "Doubtless there will be tough talk during the debate, but Sinn Fein knows that, at the end of the day, the DUP will be remaining in government with it.

"There will be no follow-up in Stormont after Thursday's discussion. It is an absurd situation that a party which sees itself as above the law is sustained in office by unionists. It is a wholly unacceptable situation.

"I spoke to a man who buried his 33-year-old wife with only 25 mourners present.

"He asked why a terrorist godfather like Bobby Storey was considered more important than his wife."

The TUV leader will be unable to contribute to the debate because he is subject to a three-day ban on speaking in the chamber.

Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong said a sincere apology from Sinn Fein was essential.

"This issue has reopened old wounds for people like myself who lost a loved one during the pandemic and who couldn't attend their funeral," she added.

"Most of us stuck by the rules in order to stop the spread of Covid, but we are angry some flouted those rules.

"It is important that the Assembly has the chance to voice its concerns over this matter and ensure the focus is where it should be - looking for Sinn Fein to unequivocally apologise for their actions in relation to this funeral."

Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken said: "Sinn Fein must acknowledge the damage that their actions have caused to public confidence.

"They have a chance to demonstrate contrition and humility in the Assembly and to give a proper apology.

"It is insulting to plead ignorance of the law when they are a part of the Executive who drew up the regulations.

"Grieving families and communities across Northern Ireland have stuck to the rules.

"Sinn Fein showed no consideration to the hurt they would cause by holding the style of funeral that they did for Bobby Storey. Their actions were a disgrace and a slap in the face to our population, who have endured so much over the last year."

DUP MLA Christopher Stalford said: "Sinn Fein's arrogant disregard for anyone but their own narrow clique will not come as a surprise to anyone, but it must continue to be highlighted and challenged.

"The recall of the Assembly is a small but entirely necessary step in that process.

"It is a very simple principle that everyone should be equal under the law and equally subject to the law."

The PPS said the review of its decision not to prosecute anyone in relation to Bobby Storey's funeral would be carried out by one of its senior lawyers "not involved in taking the original decisions".

The move was welcomed by Health Minister Robin Swann and by UUP MLA Doug Beattie, who had contacted the PPS. He said: "The PPS decision not to prosecute has huge ramifications for those that did adhere faithfully to the regulations.

"Emotionally, many of my constituents have been affected by this decision and many have also been affected financially.

"I believe the original decision was flawed and I will await with interest the findings of this review."

DUP MLA Gordon Lyons also welcomed the move.

"The original decision not to prosecute did not make sense to anyone. The Covid regulations were clear and obvious to virtually every single person in Northern Ireland and there were no issues raised at the time of Bobby Storey's funeral about either clarity or consistency," he said.
The impact of the first Covid-19 lockdown has led to a surge in mental health issues amongst school pupils, according to new reports from the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI).

And there are fears that the impact will be even greater as the report only deals with the period from March to June last year and the school return from August to December in 2020.

Pupils then faced a further three months of remote learning and many pupils only returned to face-to-face teaching in the last two weeks.

Pressures both at home and over schoolwork had left pupils in post-primary schools dealing with a greater number of mental health matters, some of which were directly related to lockdown, the ETI said. Main issues included greater incidences of self-harm, anxiety and depression.

Schools also reported increased cases of domestic violence and more young people taking on the role of carers as the health and social care system was not able to provide respite with some schools urging more in-house support for pupils mental health.

Absence of input on the ground from outside agencies, with support delivered online and longer waiting times for referrals, put pressure on staff in schools across this time period, the ETI said.

The inspectorate said that pupils had missed out on practical work in some subjects, extra-curricular activities, development of social skills and work placements due to restrictions, and that the job of teachers had become more complex and demanding while post-primary school leaders also said pupils, parents and staff said concerns about how qualifications would be awarded in 2021 had had a major impact.

Further concerns were expressed about the mental health of principals in primary, special schools and pre-schools.

Of pre-schools, the report said: While all reported feeling under pressure, a minority reported feeling overwhelmed and stated that the workload had impacted negatively on their work/home life balance and negatively affected their emotional health and wellbeing."

In primary schools there were concerns that some aspects of the curriculum were more difficult online. These included early language and reading skills, phonological awareness, the development of mathematical concepts and the development of gross and fine motor skills.

Primary schools were also aware of a growing number of families who needed emotional or financial help.

In response to a growing number of families in need and in mental health crises, schools have increased communication and engagement with local community partnerships and charities to support the needs of local families, the report added.
Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, commonly known as Hushpuppi is a Nigerian Instagram celebrity who is facing criminal charges in the United States of conspiracy to launder money obtained from business email compromise frauds and other scams.

The court changed the trial date from May 4 to July 27, 2021 following an application by Hushpuppi's defence lawyer.

A United States District Court in California has fixed July 27 as new date for the trial of the Nigerian Instagram celebrity facing fraud charges, Ramon Abass, also addressed as Hushpuppi.

This overruled a previous order from the court that fixed May 4 for the trial.

The recent order given by Judge Otis Wright followed an application for extension sought by Mr Abass' defence counsel, Louis Shapiro.

Application

Mr Shapiro premised the request on the fact that he needed additional time to prepare for trial as he was recently hired by the defendant.

"On February 25, 2021, defendant's current counsel, Louis J. Shapiro, substituted in as counsel of record. Defence counsel represents that he requires additional time to prepare this case for trial.

"Specifically, in light of the foregoing, and the complexity of the discovery and allegations in this case, counsel for defendant also represents that additional time is necessary to confer with defendant, conduct and complete an independent investigation of the case, conduct and complete additional legal research including for potential pre-trial motions, review the discovery and potential evidence in the case, and prepare for trial in the event that a pretrial resolution does not occur.

"Defence counsel represents that failure to grant the continuance would deny him reasonable time necessary for effective preparation, taking into account the exercise of due diligence," Mr Shapiro's application filed March 19, read.

He added that the defendant believed that failure to grant the continuance would deny him "continuity of counsel and adequate representation".

Mr Shapiro also noted that the United States government's attorneys were not opposed to the extension as that was the first time such a request was made.

Also in the application, the defence counsel prayed the court for "the exclusion of the time, starting from when he was due for trial in October, 2020 up till July 27, 2021".

According to the American law, the prosecution has to bring the defendant to trial within one year of the charges being filed.

Ruling

However, on March 22, the judge, Mr Wright, granted the orders of "the continuance of trial and excludable time periods" and fixed July 27, for trial.

The judge ruled, "The court has read and considered the Stipulation Regarding Request for (1) Continuance of Trial Date and (2) Findings of Excludable Time Periods Pursuant to Speedy Trial Act, filed by the parties in this matter on March 19, 2021.

"The court hereby finds that the stipulation, which this court incorporates by reference into this order, demonstrates facts that support a continuance of the trial date in this matter, and provides good cause for a finding of excludable time pursuant to the Speedy Trial Act, 18 U.S.C.  3161.

"The trial in this matter is continued from May 4, 2021 to July 27, 2021 at 9:00 a.m."

He added that the period of October 13, 2020 to July 27, 2021, inclusive, "is excluded in computing the time within which the trial must commence, pursuant to 18 U.S.C.  3161(h)(7)(A), (h)(7)(B)(i), and (B)(iv)."

Background

Earlier in June, 2020, the 38-year-old known for flaunting his opulent lifestyle on social media, was arrested in Dubai by special agents including the Emerati police officers and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operatives.

The FBI stated in an affidavit obtained by PREMIUM TIMES that its investigations revealed that Mr Abbas financed this extravagant lifestyle with proceeds of crime.

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He is alleged to be the leader of a mafia that facilitates computer intrusion, Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud and money laundering. FBI says his targeted victims, majorly in the U.S, have been duped of hundreds of millions of dollars.

In July 2020, Mr Abbas alongside Olalekan Ponle, popularly known as Woodberry, was extradited to Chicago in the United States where he was first arraigned.

However, because the U.S. court in Illinois does not have jurisdiction over the case, he was transferred to Los Angeles, a city in California.

At the pretrial services, he pleaded not guilty to the four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracies, international money laundering and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

If convicted, Mr Abass may spend the next 20 years in the U.S. federal prison.
 2020 FOX MEDIA LLC. Cr: Michael Becker / FOX

San Antonio foodies are getting together to celebrate one of their own and youre invited.

Chef Mary Lou Davis is set to appear on Thursday nights episode of Hells Kitchen as well as be part of a watch party here in San Antonio. Fans and foodies alike can stop by Evil Olive at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, to show their support and take part in a question and answer session with the chef.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Major Taiwan computer chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plans to invest $100 billion in the next three years in expanding its manufacturing capacity and supporting research and development, the company said Thursday.

The worlds biggest contract producer of semiconductors, TSMC said it anticipates faster growth thanks to long-term trends like the introduction of next-generation telecommunications and high-performance computing. The coronavirus pandemic, meanwhile is revving up demand for electronic devices as the world relies increasingly on digitalization.

TSMC is working closely with our customers to address their needs in a sustainable manner, the company said in an emailed statement. It did not give further details about planned investments.

TSMC operates a chip factory in Camas, and design centers in San Jose, California, and Austin, Texas.

It has announced plans to invest $3.5 billion in a second U.S. manufacturing site, in North Phoenix, Arizona, as concern grows over heavy American reliance on sources in Asia for high-tech components. Washington lost out in its bid to lure that factory to Camas.

Last week, Intel announced plans to pour $20 billion into expanding production, building two new factories in Arizona. Intel wants to compete directly with TSMC, contracting to build chips for other companies, but after a succession of manufacturing setbacks Intel is playing catchup in advanced manufacturing technology.

TSMC makes processor chips for major brands like Apple Inc. and Qualcomm Inc. Surging demand pushed its revenue 18% higher in January-February from a year earlier, it reported earlier.

Intel, South Koreas Samsung Electronics and other chip makers also have been boosting investments to meet rising demand and joust for market share in advanced semiconductors.

Most semiconductors used in smartphones, medical equipment, computers and other products are made in Taiwan, South Korea and China.

-- The Associated Press
The first day of April certainly wont feel like it across Alabama.

Temperatures today will be downright chilly compared to earlier this week, with a brisk wind making it feel even colder.

Here are todays forecast high temperatures:

It's going to be chilly today.

And tonight will feel more like February than April. Here are the forecast low temperatures:

Here's a look at low temperatures expected tonight.

The National Weather Service has issued freeze warnings for much of the state that will go into effect late tonight.

Why the freeze warnings now? The weather service issues freeze and frost watches, warnings and advisories during the growing season, when low temperatures could hit the freeze mark or below and damage crops or new plants.

It will also be windy today. There is a wind advisory in effect for all of central Alabama as well as southwest Alabama. Winds will be out of the north and could gust as high as 40 mph through this evening.

Heres a look at the freeze warnings by region:

NORTH ALABAMA

[6 am] Mother nature decided to go all in on the #AprilFoolsDay jokes this year. Winter returns today with highs in the upper 40s, but it will feel much colder with winds gusting 20-25mph



Tonight, a freeze warning has been issued. Low temps drop down into the mid 20s #HUNwx pic.twitter.com/AifoVwTNfe  NWS Huntsville (@NWSHuntsville) April 1, 2021

Freeze warning for Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan, Marshall, Jackson, DeKalb and Cullman counties.

It will be in effect from midnight until 8 a.m. Friday.

Temperatures as low as 27 degrees expected.

CENTRAL ALABAMA

All of central Alabama will be under a freeze warning overnight tonight.

Freeze warning for Marion, Lamar, Fayette, Winston, Walker, Blount, Etowah, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Sumter, Greene, Hale, Perry, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Chambers, Marengo, Dallas, Autauga, Lowndes, Elmore, Montgomery, Macon, Bullock, Lee, Russell, Pike and Barbour counties.

It will be in effect from 1 a.m. until 9 a.m. Friday.

Temperatures are low at 28 degrees are expected.

SOUTH ALABAMA

Here are the forecast lows tonight for southwest Alabama.

Freeze warning for Choctaw, Washington, Clarke, Wilcox, Monroe, Conecuh, Butler and Crenshaw counties.

It will be in effect from 1 a.m. until 8 a.m. Friday.

Temperatures as low as 30 degrees will be possible in the warning area.

There are no freeze warnings for southeast Alabama but it will be chilly there as well.
As some of you may know, Computex is one of the biggest tech exhibitions of the year. The trade show is similar to CES, which showcases a wide variety of new products and technology to the world. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to die down, which means going to Taiwan is a problem.

Due to border control in various countries, it will be difficult for international exhibitors and other visitors to go to Taiwan to attend the event physically. As such, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has decided to cancel the onsite event. Instead, Computex 2021 will be held fully online like last year.

According to the announcement, the virtual event will run from 31 May to 30 June 2021 this time. We're not sure if this is a print error, but the organiser may have decided to go for a more flexible schedule due to a lack of time constraint. As you would expect, keynotes and product reveals will be done via live-streaming and videos.

With that said, what's a product you're hoping to see debut in Computex 2021? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned to TechNave for more news like this.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 16:09:47|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

SEOUL -- Seven more U.S. soldiers and one civilian in South Korea tested positive for COVID-19, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday.

The USFK said in a statement that eight USFK-affiliated individuals were confirmed with the COVID-19 after arriving in South Korea between March 21 and 29.

- - - -

BEIJING -- China's vaccination plan against COVID-19 is forecast by Oxford Economics to pave the way for the country's economic growth rate to reach 9.3 percent this year, according to media.

China aims to vaccinate 40 percent of its 1.4-billion population against the coronavirus by the end of this June, said Zhong Nanshan, a leading expert in China's respiratory disease research, in a forum in March.

- - - -

BANGKOK -- Thailand on Thursday confirmed 26 cases of coronavirus infection, mostly domestic, a report of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) showed.

Of the new cases, 21 were domestic infections while five others referred to imported cases, the CCSA report said.

- - - -

ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia reported 394 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking its nationwide tally to 8,841, the country's health ministry said Thursday.

Meanwhile, 150 more patients have recovered from the disease, raising the total to 5,070, it said. Enditem
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is undertaking a series of sprints to enhance American cybersecurity in the wake of major attacks.

I am announcing today a series of 60-day sprints, each focused on the most important and most urgent priorities needed to achieve our goals, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a virtual event on Wednesday. The initiatives will focus on fighting ransomware, improving the resilience of industrial control systems, protecting transportation and election security and furthering international capacity building.

Mayorkass remarks laid out the departments cyber strategy for the Biden administrations first year. President Joe Biden took office the month after the disclosure of a sprawling cyber-attack by suspected Russian hackers, who compromised popular software from SolarWinds Corp. to hack into nine government agencies and approximately 100 private sector companies.

Our government got hacked last year, and we didnt know about it for months, Mayorkas said of the attack. This incident is one of many that underscores the need for the federal government to modernize cybersecurity defenses and deepen our partnerships.

In addition to its ongoing remediation of the SolarWinds attack, the Biden administration is responding to other digital incidents.

Microsoft Corp. revealed in March that suspected Chinese hackers had exploited vulnerabilities in its email software, which cybersecurity experts say compromised tens of thousands of entities. In February, a hacker breached computer networks at a Florida water treatment plant and briefly boosted the level of a toxic chemical  an incident Mayorkas called a powerful reminder of the substantial risks we need to address.

Beyond the 60-day sprint priorities, Mayorkas also described series of issues that will hold his sustained personal attention. These include securing the digital supply chain, ensuring democracy-related infrastructure remains resilient, and planning for future endeavors such as the adoption of new encryption algorithms as quantum computing advances.

Mayorkas also placed cybersecurity and the work of DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the context of global democracy.

Far too often cybersecurity is used as a pretext to infringe on civil liberties and human rights, he said. A free and secure cyberspace is possible and we will champion this vision with our words and our actions.

Funding Down Payment

It could take years for the department to fully implement Mayorkass vision, he said. The $650 million Congress set aside for CISA in a stimulus package enacted earlier this month is a down payment on the work the agency has in store, he added.

CISA  which Mayorkas characterized as the most trusted interlocutor between government and the private sector  will launch an awareness campaign for the private sector about the agencys capabilities, and a grant program for critical industries to take advantage of its services, he said.

Lawmakers are keen to ensure CISA has the tools it needs. Congressman Jim Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat and member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, vowed in a press release after Mayorkass remarks to get CISA a robust allocation of the national defense budget function funding.

Congress must follow up on the investment in federal network resilience we made in the American Rescue Plan Act with sustained funding through the appropriations process, Langevin said.

Top Photo: Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, speaks during a news conference at the White House on March 1, 2021.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics USA Cyber
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has upheld the acquittal of Ivory Coast's former President Laurent Gbagbo, who had been accused of crimes against humanity.



The first head of state to stand trial at the ICC, Mr Gbagbo had been cleared of charges in connection with post-electoral violence in the West African nation more than a decade ago.



But the prosecution had appealed against the decision, arguing that, despite procedural errors, Mr Gbagbo's guilt had been proved beyond reasonable doubt.



This paves the way after a decade for his return to Ivory Coast, where he remains an influential figure.

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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A group of preservationists, armed with passion, history and a determination to preserve the special place they call home, has applied to establish a historic district on the West Side.

It will be the second in that part of town, after the Rinconito de Esperanza Historic District, which is evolving into an arts enclave off Guadalupe Street.

The proposed Buena Vista Historic District, an eastbound corridor that cuts through the West Side, has immense historic value.

Its where refugees from the Mexican Revolution landed at the turn of the last century, changing the course of San Antonios destiny. Its where working-class Mexican Americans began pursuing their American dreams, aspirations they achieved in second and third generations.

Though besieged by poverty, the area has never suffered a poverty of spirit. A wealth of artists, muralists, musicians, public intellectuals, writers, scholars and others began their journeys there.

The proposed district is bounded roughly by Frio and Zarzamora Streets from east to west and by West Commerce and Laredo from north to south.

If the application is successful, by June 2022 the area will become the citys ninth-largest historic district after the King William District, with 498 parcels of land and 400 to 500 homes.

A resident submitted the application to the citys Office of Historic Preservation last June, with the support of his immediate neighbors. The district also has the backing of the Historic Westside Resident Association, which was working on a similar proposal.

Theyll have to convince 51 percent of area residents to vote yes, an effort that may have gotten off to a bad start.

Supporters were caught by surprise when the preservation office sent ballots out earlier than theyd expected. Leticia Sanchez, co-chair of the residents association, said a few naysayers went door to door with inaccurate information before proponents could present their side of the story.

That initial information  claiming that a historic district could cause higher property taxes, loss of property rights and restrictions on exterior paint colors  scared some residents into voting no.

A spokeswoman for the preservation office said Wednesday that ballots will be re-sent to residents, giving more people an opportunity to respond. Residents also will have a chance to reconsider their initial votes.

The residents group has distributed information from the preservation office that punctures claims that a historic district would damage property rights, boost property taxes or limit choices of paint.

A color code for paint? Those are fighting words. West Siders love color, and no entity should get in the way of a turquoise or magenta facade. Period.

Gentrification is the West Sides greatest fear, but higher taxes cant be pinned on creation of a historic district.

In fact, such a designation automatically gives residents a 20 percent reduction in city property taxes for up to 15 years, according to the historic preservation office. Thats city taxes only  not school district or other taxes.

A historic district also can give residents tax breaks for investing in substantial rehabilitation of their homes.

The city wont deprive you of the joy of painting your home periwinkle purple, said resident and artist Roland Mazuca, recalling the colorful fight author Sandra Cisneros had with the King William Historic District when she painted her home in that shade.

But residents will have to apply for a certificate of appropriateness for exterior improvements. Minor repairs and maintenance, including painting, require review, too  but they can be approved within a day, the preservation office said.

Larger, more elaborate improvements may require review by the citys Historic Design and Review Commission. That can scare homeowners, especially those who are low-income, lack experience with city bureaucracy or have language or literacy hurdles.

Sanchez said the residents association is committed to helping residents with that process. It already represents residents before the citys Building Standards Board in regard to demolitions. It also helps with zoning requests and code compliance issues.

The preservation office says a historic district provides protection against demolition of significant structures  and also afford residents a chance to weigh in on proposed new developments.

The push for the Buena Vista district comes at a time when the West Side faces increased pressure from downtown encroachment, house flippers and gentrification.

The time may be right to establish protections that accompany historic designation. It would give the area the recognition it has long deserved for its contributions to San Antonio, its precious Victorian- and Craftsman-style homes and its unique bungalows and shotgun houses.

This will all take a while. The process requires hearings before the Historic and Design Review Commission, the Zoning Commission and the City Council.

The residents fighting to preserve their neighborhood may not live in Monte Vista, an elegant old mansion district near downtown. They live in Buena Vista, a place with its own pride, history and charm.

eayala@express-news.net
The United States and the have raised concerns over the presence of China's maritime militia vessels near the disputed Whitsun Reef in the South Sea, the White House said.

This comes after talks were held between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Philippine counterpart, Hermogenes Esperon on Thursday.

The White House said in a statement the National Security Advisors discussed their shared concerns regarding the recent massing of People's Armed Forces Maritime Militia vessels at Whitsun Reef.

Sullivan underscored that the United States stands with their Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based maritime order, and reaffirmed the applicability of the US- Mutual Defense Treaty in the South Sea.

Last month, the announced the deployment of additional navy ships to the South Sea after over 200 Chinese vessels were spotted in the Whitsun Reef. Later, the Philippines also filed a diplomatic protest over the issue.

On Monday, Secretary Antony Blinken had come out in support of the Philippines after "China's maritime militia" massed Chinese vessels at a boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef in the West Philippine sea.

"The United States stands with our ally, the Philippines, in the face of the PRC's maritime militia amassing at WhitsunReef. We will always stand by our allies and stand up for the rules-based order," Blinken tweeted.

The Whitsun Reef belongs to the Spratly archipelago, the territory of which is claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

China considers the Spratly archipelago to be its territory, despite the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, which said there was no legal basis for China's maritime claims. The arbitration proceeding was initiated by the Philippines in January 2013, Sputnik reported.

(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 Queensland woman has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a man before he was struck by a vehicle on the Sunshine Coast last year.

Police believe the 62-year-old man Tewantin man was with the 29-year-old woman when he was hit by a vehicle on Stringybark Road in Buderim about 2am on Saturday, May 16.

The man died shortly after arriving at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

Following forensic investigations, police have charged the woman.

The driver of the vehicle was not connected with the incident.
Nandigram: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee witnessed ruckus and intense sloganeering when she reached a polling booth in Nandigram as the constituency went to polls on Thursday (April 1).

Allegations of booth capturing were rife even as the chants of "Jai Shree Ram" echoed through the area.

Banerjee, who was visibly angry at the chaos, called up Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar complaining of a total breakdown of law and order at the polling booth. She alleged that non-Bangla speaking "outsiders" were creating ruckus in the area.

"None of the people are speaking in the Bengali language. All of them are outsiders. They are goons sent from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and they are being protected by Central forces," Banerjee said.

"I have lodged 63 poll-related complaints since morning, but no action has been taken by the Election Commission," she added.

Moments after Banerjee's call, the Governor responded through Twitter. He assured that the rule of law will be upheld.

"Issues flagged Mamata Banerjee a while ago on phone have been imparted to the concerned. There is full assurance of the concerned to adherence to rule of law. Am confident all will act in right spirit and earnestness so that democracy flourishes," the Governor said in a tweet.

Issues flagged @MamataOfficial a while ago on phone have been imparted to the concerned. There is full assurance of the concerned to adherence to rule of law. Am confident all will act in right spirit and earnestness so that democracy flourishes.  Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) April 1, 2021

Banerjee, who has been camping in Nandigram for the last few days, had left her residence around 1 pm and reached a polling booth. Voting in Nandigram is underway amid multiple allegations of disruptions.

Live TV
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 18:20:10|Editor: huaxia

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The airport staff unload the China-donated vaccines at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, March 31, 2021. The second batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines has arrived here. Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong were among those present at the hand-over ceremony held at the airport late on Wednesday, on the vaccines' arrival. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

VIENTIANE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The second batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines has arrived here.

Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong were among those present at the hand-over ceremony held at the airport late on Wednesday, on the vaccines' arrival.

Ambassador Jiang recalled Feb. 8, when the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China arrived in Vientiane, saying over one month later, the second batch of donated vaccine well demonstrates China's continuous contribution to the vaccine accessibility in developing countries, and displays the spirits of the China-Laos community with a shared future.

Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh said, when addressing the hand-over ceremony, that his country has achieved greatly in pandemic prevention and control, with the total number of confirmed cases remaining under 50.

China, according to the Lao prime minister, contributed to the achievement.

He expressed gratitude to China, saying the inoculation of the first batch of China-donated vaccines has so far seen no report of severe side effects. Enditem
The Honorable County Mayor Coppinger,

As you may know, opioid-involved overdoses have killed more than half a million people over the past two decades. This public health crisis has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, I believe we lost 165 men and women from drug overdose in Hamilton County. Over 90 of the deaths involved fentanyl. When these deaths are added to our 60 suicides in 2020, we had 225 Deaths of Despair.

There is hope for a better future: the forthcoming state opioid settlements could help turn the tide. This could be a big opportunity to get more science-based treatment and prevention programs into our communitiesand to save countless lives.

In many states, legislators and other elected officials are meeting about this issue now. You can help make sure these discussions start off strong.

Opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies will pay out nearly $26 billion in settlements for their role in the opioid crisis. We urgently need your support to oversee that this money will be used to fund youth prevention efforts, harm reduction programs, and communications campaigns that address stigmaand not for something else.

There is no shortage of cautionary tales. Only a small fraction of the Big Tobacco settlement was used for smoking prevention and cessation programs. Most of the money was used for public works projects like fixing potholes, not the anti-smoking public health initiatives it was intended for. We cant let that happen again.

These funds could go a long way toward creating a world where individuals and families get the help they needbut only if we make sure the money is used the right way.

We have an important opportunity to get more science-based treatment and prevention programs into our communitiesand save countless lives. Please fight for transparency in using settlement funds to sponsor evidence-based addiction treatment and invest in youth prevention.

Here are three ways you can help:

1. Funding - I urge you to help establish a dedicated fund for settlement dollars to ensure the moneys spent on evidence-based programs for addiction.

2. Accountability - I urge you to support:

a. Better oversight of the 68 in patient/outpatient treatment centers licensed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. (More than 2 audits should be scheduled each year.)

b. A mandate that all treatment centers be required to use rapid Fentanyl tests and Fentanyl screening as Standards of Practice in drug testing.

3. Communications - I urge you to support the timely communication of real time data and statistics about patients deaths in our hospitals, treatment centers and the over 400 Oxford Sober Living Houses.

With gratitude for your continued support,

Brenda & Mike Purcell

Parents who lost their son to an accidental Fentanyl overdose in 2019 while he was a patient inside a 130 bed treatment center in Nashville. (This center is licensed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse)






IMPORTATION of second-hand vehicles that are 10 years old and more will now require import licences from the Industry and Commerce ministry as part of efforts to discourage imports of defective vehicles and promote local car manufacturers.

This was announced by government yesterday through Statutory Instrument (SI) 89 of 2021, Control of Goods (Import and Export) (Commerce) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021 (No. 9).

Part of the SI read: Second-hand motor vehicles aged ten (10) years and above, from the date of manufacture at the time of importation shall require an import licence from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Government, however, said commercial vehicles and other specialised vehicles used in agriculture and mining would not be affected by the new requirements.

Commercial vehicles (tractors, haulage trucks, earth-moving equipment) and other specialised vehicles used in mining and construction sectors shall be exempted, the notice read.

Zimbabwes vehicle market has over the past decade been flooded by imported used cars to the detriment of the local industry.

According to Auditor-General Mildred Chiri, statistics from the Central Vehicle Registry indicated that the nation imported 239 042 second-hand vehicles for the period January 2015 to September 2018. Newsday
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The drugs worth 12m are examined at a haulage yard in Newry

The PSNI seized a 12m haul of drugs in an operation linked to an international crime gang based in Northern Ireland.

The biggest cache of suspected herbal cannabis ever seized here was found in a haulage yard in Newry on Tuesday.

One man, aged 34, was arrested.

The Organised Crime Taskforce, working with the National Crime Agency, Revenue and Customs and Belgian police, was involved in Tuesday's operation following a significant seizure of cocaine in Belgium last Friday.

Police believe the seizure is linked to a locally based organised crime group.

On Friday Belgian authorities conducted a search of a vehicle and seized the significant haul of cocaine.

The following morning two men were arrested and quizzed by police in Belfast in connection with the cocaine.

They were released on police bail pending further investigation.

Head of Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Chief Superintendent John McVea said: "The cannabis seizure in Newry is the largest seizure to date in Northern Ireland.

"There is no doubt that by taking these drugs off the streets of Northern Ireland we have significantly impacted the funding stream of this organised crime gang."

He added: "We will continue to work in partnership with our colleagues in the Organised Crime Taskforce to identify, disrupt, dismantle and frustrate organised crime gangs, not only in Northern Ireland, but across Europe."
Flagship Storefront With Veterans Eleven years to the day, the Western New York Community showed its support for the first brick & mortar store to sell only 100% American made products. Today, we are the largest store of its kind in the U.S.

Made in America Store-- founded by Mark Andol, owner of General Welding & Fabricating based in Elma, NY - will mark another milestone on Saturday April 3rd, the before Easter Sunday.

"Eleven years to the day, the Western New York Community showed its support for the first brick & mortar store to sell only 100% American made products. Today, we are the largest store of its kind in the U.S.," Andol stated. "More than 600 persons stood in line on an unseasonably warm spring day in Buffalo to see what products were still made in the U.S."

"Back in 2010, many people thought the days of American factories making consumer products was over," Andol continued. "Cheap imports flooded our shores thanks to currency manipulation and unfair trade practices.

Andol noted that what started as a statement - "for country, for soldier, for American worker and for our children's future" - turned into the spark for a national movement to start making things again in America. American manufacturing was coming back!

Since many Americans just received stimulus funds through the American Rescue Act recently signed into law, the time is right to make our dollars go farther by buying American and buying local. Consumers have the ultimate power in our economy.

"Our customers turned our dream into a reality, thereby helping American workers live their American dream. To thank them, we are holding a 20% off one-day sale on Saturday, April 3rd at our brick & mortar stores in Erie County - our flagship in Elma, McKinley Mall in Blasdell, and 6041 Transit Road in Depew. Our online customers can enjoy this one-day savings (ending at 11:59 p.m. on April 3rd), at MadeInAmericaStore.com by using coupon code Celebrate11," Andol concluded.

Based on COVID restrictions that will be in place in May, Made in America Store is planning to host a scaled-down event at its flagship location at 1000 West Maple Court. That event, if allowed, would take place on Armed Forces Day, Saturday May 15th, 2021, following CDC, New York State and Erie County guidelines for public events.


Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 31, 2021) - Nextleaf Solutions Ltd. (CSE: OILS) (OTCQB: OILFF) (FSE: L0MA) ("Nextleaf" or the "Company"), the world's most innovative cannabis processor, is pleased to announce that it has closed a private placement with an institutional investor (the "Investor") for aggregate gross proceeds of $3,000,000 (the "Offering").

The Offering was completed pursuant to the terms of securities purchase agreement dated as of the date hereof between the Company and the Investor which provided for the issuance of a senior secured convertible note of the Company in the principal amount of $3,300,000 (the "Note") and a warrant (the "Warrant") to purchase up to 6,875,000 common shares in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares").

"Since commercializing our automated proprietary closed-loop refinery in mid 2020, Nextleaf has been highly focused on building our Commercial Partners Program and expanding our intellectual property portfolio," said Charles Ackerman, Chief Financial Officer of Nextleaf. "We are pleased our focused and measured approach continues to attract significant investment interest, despite challenges and variability in the market."

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to enhance efficiencies through automation and additional manufacturing capabilities in 2021 and for general corporate and working capital purposes.

The Note was issued for an original issue discount of 10%, will mature on the date that is 18 months from the date of issuance (the "Maturity Date") and will bear guaranteed interest at a rate of 5% per annum. The principal amount of the Note is convertible, at the option of the Investor, into Common Shares at a price of $0.288 per share at any time prior to the close of business on the last day immediately preceding the Maturity Date, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances.

The Warrant is exercisable into Common Shares at a price of $0.288 per share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

As part of the fees related to the Offering, the Company issued 250,000 Common Shares at a deemed price of $0.24 per share.

Kronos Capital Partners acted as strategic advisor to the Company in connection with the Offering.

All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws.

About Nextleaf

Nextleaf Solutions is an innovative cannabis processor that owns one of the largest portfolios of U.S. patents for the extraction, distillation, and delivery of cannabinoids. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Nextleaf Labs Ltd, a licensed processor, the Company is a low-cost producer of cannabis distillate and private label THC & CBD oils. Nextleaf's proprietary closed-loop automated extraction plant in Metro Vancouver has a design capacity to process 600 kilos of dried cannabis into oil per day. The Company owns 12 U.S. patents and has been issued over 70 patents globally. Nextleaf is developing delivery technology through its Health Canada research licence with sensory evaluation of cannabis via human testing. The Company's patent pending Rapid Emulsion Technology by OILS" powers differentiated ingestible cannabis products. Nextleaf is commercializing its issued and pending patents through licensing of intellectual property, extraction services, and supplying cannabis oils to qualified Canadian and international business-to-business partners under their own brand.

Follow Nextleaf across social media platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram and on www.nextleafsolutions.com

For more information please contact:

Paul Pedersen, CEO

604-283-2301 (ext. 219)

investors@nextleafsolutions.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, those regarding the Company's intended use of proceeds from the Offering, its ability to capitalize on its IP portfolio. the Company's strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to the risk factors discussed in the Company's management's discussion and analysis for the most recent fiscal period. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed or approved the contents of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79141
World champion kayaker Nathan Baggaley and his brother have been found guilty of trying to import 650kg of cocaine - worth up to $200 million - into Australia.

Olympic silver medallist Nathan Baggaley, 45, and his younger brother Dru Baggaley, 39, were accused of trying to import the illegal drug on a boat.

After about eight hours of deliberating a Brisbane Supreme Court jury found both men guilty on Thursday.

Nathan Baggaley's career was tarnished with drug scandals like testing positive for banned steroids in 2005 and then being jailed, with brother Dru, 10 years later for his role in a drug manufacturing syndicate.

Dru Baggaley and another man Anthony Draper - who earlier pleaded guilty to his involvement - got the cocaine from a foreign boat hundreds of kilometres off the NSW coast in 2018.

Australian Nathan Baggaley celebrating receiving a silver medal in the K1 500 kayak men's event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens

World champion kayaker Nathan Baggaley and his brother Dru have been found guilty of trying to import 650kg of cocaine - worth up to $200 million - into Australia

The pair left the mainland about 9.30pm on July 31 travelling about 11 hours on a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) bought months before by Nathan Baggaley.

During a brief rendezvous, black bundles of cocaine - valued at between $100 million and $200 million - were tossed from the large foreign vessel and loaded onto the RHIB.

They were arrested before reaching the shore, but after being chased by a navy patrol boat that had ordered them to stop.

Footage viewed during the trial showed Draper behind the wheel of the RHIB trying to outrun authorities, while Dru Baggaley ditched packages of cocaine into the ocean.

The jury rejected Dru Baggaley's claims that Draper asked him to buy and prepare a RHIB to meet a ship from Indonesia that would bring tobacco to be sold in Australia.

Dru Baggaley told the court Draper insisted he get on the boat when the pair were at the Brunswick Heads boat ramp on July 31.

'(Draper's) basically said ... I'm going to be held responsible for all this s*** and people are going to come after my family and me if I don't come on board,' Dru Baggaley said.

But Draper told the jury he was the one recruited by Dru Baggaley for a voyage to pick up 'smoko', which he thought was cannabis.

The 56-year-old NSW man was testifying as part of an undertaking made when he admitted his involvement in the bungled smuggling attempt.

Nathan Baggaley also played a key role in the smuggling attempt by buying the $100,000 RHIB, equipping it with a navigation system and a satellite phone and taking it to the Brunswick Heads boat ramp.

Olympian canoeist Nathan Baggaley leaves Central Local Court in Sydney after pleading guilty to drugs charges in 2015

Dru Baggaley and his brother Nathan will be sentenced at a later date for their latest drug bust

The prosecution also argued Nathan Baggaley covered the RHIB's registration number in heavy duty black tape and planned to meet the cocaine-laden boat on its return.

The Crown claimed Nathan Baggaley communicated or tried to communicate with his brother at sea using the pseudonym 'Thunderbutt' saying: 'I'm on standby, ready'.

The jurors rejected Nathan Baggaley's claim that he wasn't Thunderbutt and had 'no suspicions it (the RHIB) would be used for anything like this'.

The bungled smuggling attempt resulted in 587kg of cocaine being recovered by the navy ship, while bundles continued to be recovered on Queensland's coast as far north as Yeppoon for months afterwards.

The brothers were both found guilty of attempting to import the commercial quantity of a border controlled drug at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast between December 2017 and August 2018.

Draper was sentenced in February last year to 13 years behind bars after pleading guilty to the same charge.

The sentencing judge ordered Draper be eligible for parole after four years and three months in jail.

The Baggaley brothers will be sentenced on a date yet to be decided.
Tata Consumer Products (TCPL) said its step-down subsidiaries in the USA have decided to divest their entire membership interest in Empirical Group and Southern Tea to the joint venture partner, Harris Tea Company, USA.

Empirical Group is engaged in the business of selling primarily white label tea and coffee in the foodservice channel and to contract customers. Southern Tea is a manufacturing entity acting as a supplier to Harris Tea and TCPL (Empirical, Tetley and Good Earth brands).

This move is in line with TCPL's focus on its core branded businesses in International markets. It will help further simplify and streamline the Company's operations to enhance business effectiveness and profitability. Following this transaction, Southern Tea will continue to manufacture for Tetley and Good Earth brands.

Sunil D'Souza, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of TCPL, said: "This divestment is another step towards consolidating and strengthening our presence in International markets and will enhance our focus on the branded tea and coffee businesses in the US market."

Shares of TCPL rose 0.83% to Rs 643.80 on BSE.

On a consolidated basis, TCPL reported a 25.3% rise in net profit to Rs 237.03 crore on 23.1% increase in net sales to Rs 3069.56 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20.

TCPL is a focused consumer products company uniting the principal food and beverage interests of the Tata Group under one umbrella. The company's portfolio of products includes tea, coffee, water, salt, pulses, spices, and ready-to-cook offerings.

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OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing back against Ontario Premier Doug Ford's accusation that the federal government's procurement of COVID-19 vaccines is a joke.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks at a COVID-19 vaccine vial as he tours a vaccination clinic in Montreal, Monday, March 15, 2021. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing back against Ontario Premier Doug Ford's accusation that the federal government's procurement of COVID-19 vaccines is a joke. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing back against Ontario Premier Doug Ford's accusation that the federal government's procurement of COVID-19 vaccines is a joke.

Trudeau took a poke at Ford during a virtual Liberal fundraiser Wednesday night with Procurement Minister Anita Anand, who is in charge of securing vaccines for Canada.

He praised Anand for doing "an incredible job" that has resulted in Canada receiving millions more doses ahead of schedule.

Indeed, Trudeau said the country is on track to have "most Canadians" injected with at least one dose of a vaccine "by the end of June, so we can have a better summer."

Until now, wary of further production interruptions like those that delayed Canada's supply of vaccines in February, Trudeau has been unwilling to go beyond his months-old promise that all Canadians who want a vaccine will get one by the end of September.

Earlier this week, Ford blamed the federal government's inability to secure sufficient doses on a reliable timetable for the fact that Ontario has distributed vaccines unevenly across the province. Some cities, including Ottawa, have complained they're not getting a fair per capita share of available doses.

"We do not have enough vaccines from the federal government and its a joke," Ford complained, accusing Trudeau's government of "dropping the ball majorly."

But Trudeau told Wednesday's fundraiser that "one of the easiest things to do is to try and point fingers and deflect."

While he can take criticism, Trudeau said: "I want to take a moment to defend you, Anita."

He said he promised all premiers "many, many months ago" that Canada would get six million doses by the end of March. That promise was greeted with some skepticism, he added.

"I said, 'No, no, Doug, you can count on that, we're going to get them because Anita has told me we will,'" Trudeau said.

"Well, I guess to a certain point he might have a point that we didn't get six million doses by the end of March. We are ... going to have about 9.5 million doses by the end of this week.

"We're well beyond the six million doses we promised."

Earlier Wednesday, at a joint federal-provincial announcement on funding for a vaccine production facility in Toronto, Ford declined to expand on his criticism of COVID-19 vaccine procurement.

"Are we going to have as a big family a few differences? Sure we are," he said, preferring to concentrate on how collaboratively all three levels of government have been working since the pandemic hit Canada more than a year ago.

By Wednesday evening, however, Ford was tweeting that Ontario received 809,000 fewer vaccine doses in March than it had been promised.

"Thats 809,000 Ontarians who could have received a shot but didnt. We need more vaccines!"

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2021.
Human Rights Watch - April 1, 2021

Afghanistan: Taliban Target Journalists, Women in Media

Attacks Highlight Need to Uphold Press Freedom in Peace Settlement

(New York)  Taliban forces are deliberately targeting journalists and other media workers, including women, in Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said today. Threats and attacks against journalists across the country have increased sharply since talks began between the Afghan government and the Taliban, heightening concerns about preserving freedom of expression and the media in any peace settlement.

Human Rights Watch found that Taliban commanders and fighters have engaged in a pattern of threats, intimidation, and violence against members of the media in areas where the Taliban have significant influence, as well as in Kabul. Those making the threats often have an intimate knowledge of a journalists work, family, and movements and use this information to either compel them to self-censor, leave their work altogether, or face violent consequences. Provincial and district-level Taliban commanders and fighters also make oral and written threats against journalists beyond the areas they control. Journalists say that the widespread nature of the threats has meant that no media workers feel safe.

A wave of threats and killings has sent a chilling message to the Afghan media at a precarious moment as Afghans on all sides get set to negotiate free speech protections in a future Afghanistan, said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director. By silencing critics through threats and violence, the Taliban have undermined hopes for preserving an open society in Afghanistan.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 46 members of the Afghan media between November 2020 and March 2021, seeking information on the conditions under which they work, including threats of physical harm. Those interviewed included 42 journalists in Badghis, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Wardak, and Zabul provinces and four who had left Afghanistan due to threats.

In a number of cases that Human Rights Watch documented, Taliban forces detained journalists for a few hours or overnight. In several cases they or their colleagues were able to contact senior Taliban officials to intercede with provincial and district-level commanders to secure their release, indicating that local commanders are able to take decisions to target journalists on their own without approval from senior Taliban military or political officials.

Taliban officials at their political office in Doha, Qatar, have denied that their forces threaten the media and say that they require only that journalists respect Islamic values. But Taliban commanders throughout Afghanistan have threatened journalists specifically for their reporting. The commanders have considerable autonomy to carry out punishments, including targeted killings.

Women journalists, especially those appearing on television and radio, face particular threats. The recent wave of violent attacks has driven several prominent women journalists to give up their profession or leave Afghanistan altogether. Female reporters may be targeted not only for issues they cover but also for challenging perceived social norms prohibiting women from being in a public role and working outside the home.

Journalists outside the countrys main cities are especially vulnerable to attacks because they are more exposed and lack even the minimal protection that a larger Afghan media, government, and international presence provides. However, as the fighting has increasingly encroached on major cities, these have offered decreasing protection to journalists seeking safety from the violence in their home districts.

A journalist covering the fighting in Helmand province said that one of his sources told him the Taliban were looking for him and he should lie low. The majority of Afghan journalists feel intimidated and threatened, he said. All the journalists are scared because everyone feels like they could be next.

Residents of Taliban-held areas have long expressed fear of retaliation if they complain about the way Taliban forces carry out military operations or enforce restrictions. In a June 2020 report, Human Rights Watch documented severe restrictions in areas under Taliban control, including limits on freedom of expression and the media.

The Taliban leadership should immediately cease intimidation, threats, and attacks against journalists and other media workers, Human Rights Watch said. They should urgently provide clear, public directives to all Taliban members to end all forms of violence against journalists and other media workers, and intimidation, harassment, and punishment of Afghans who have criticized Taliban policies. The Taliban leadership should also explicitly reject violence against women in the media.

The United Nations and governments supporting the Intra-Afghan Negotiations should publicly press the Taliban leadership to adopt these recommendations, and provide increased support, including protection, to independent media organizations and journalists in Afghanistan, especially those facing threats.

Its not enough for Taliban officials in Doha to issue blanket denials that theyre targeting journalists when Taliban forces on the ground continue to intimidate, harass, and attack reporters for doing their jobs, Gossman said. Countries supporting the peace process should press for firm commitments from all parties to protect journalists, including women, and uphold the right to free expression in Afghanistan.

Taliban Threats to Afghan Media

Although the Taliban routinely deny responsibility for attacks on journalists, the Afghan Journalists Security Committee (AJSC) has said:

Since the beginning of the spike in targeted killings in early November [2020], supporters of the group [Taliban] have welcomed the killings of journalists on social media, calling these killings in many cases a religious duty. Taliban supporters accuse journalists of being agents of Western countries, and corrupted by Western values, thereby legitimizing any violence against journalists and the media as not only being permissible but a key part of their war.

Taliban Threats Related to Reporting on the War

Taliban commanders and fighters have long targeted the media, accusing them of being aligned with the Afghan government or international military forces. If journalists report unfavorably about Taliban actions or military operations, the Taliban often accuse them of being spies. District and provincial-level Taliban commanders have also criticized journalists for not reporting incidents such as civilian casualties from government airstrikes. Journalists have said that the role some of them play as influential and prominent figures in many communities has made them targets of the Taliban. By attacking them the Taliban effectively threaten all local media. A journalist in Helmand said:

If the more prominent journalists are targeted first, the other journalists, who might be less influential or prominent, are automatically intimidated and fear for their lives . Pro- Taliban accounts on social media  explicitly issue warnings to other journalists, along the lines of learn something from the death of this journalistyou can be next.

The effect on Afghan media has been profound. The killings and threats have generated fear among journalists and media workers, many of whom have altered their work patterns in an effort to mitigate the danger or try to be less visible.

Taliban pressure on the media is an apparent part of an effort to shape public debate about the war at a time of heightened political tensions surrounding the peace talks.

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Full Text here
The name change would reflect the companys world-class portfolio of potash projects in Germany.

If shareholder approval is achieved, the company will change its code to ASX:SHP.

s ( ) (FRA:D86) board of directors has resolved, subject to shareholder approval at an extraordinary meeting to be held on May 4, to change the company's name to South Harz Potash Limited.

The board believes that a name associated with the region in Germany where the companys assets are situated, together with the intended end-product, will better represent the company.

If approval is achieved, the company will change its code to ASX:SHP.

World-class potash projects

Davenports potash projects in the South Harz region of Thuringia consist of three perpetual mining licences - Ohmgebirge, Muhlhausen-Nohra and Ebeleben - as well as two exploration licences - Kullstedt and Grafentonna  which host an inferred resource of 5.3 billion tonnes.

The company recently completed a A$10 million placement and is now well-financed to move forward with a confirmatory drilling program at Ohmgebirge, with plans to complete a scoping study by the end of this year.

Davenport then intends to progress through to a definitive feasibility study during 2022.
(Quis Est Vetus, Nos Mos Planto Novus Iterum) What Is Old, We Will Make New Again: a didactic tome that brings the readers back to see the old America and gives them an idea on how they can make it anew in todays time. (Quis Est Vetus, Nos Mos Planto Novus Iterum) What Is Old, We Will Make New Again is the creation of published author Peter L. Palmieri, an author who was a Florida licensed security officer in 2013. He joined the Knight of Columbus in 2015 and became a member of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple Jerusalem in 2017.

Palmieri writes, I finally done it. For the longest time, I have felt compelled to share what I have experienced. Some of the experiences were along the lines of political. Some of these experiences were religious.

We are only here for only so long. When we find what is important, when we have seen, and we do know, we are obligated to profess. I have finally done it; here it is.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Peter L. Palmieris new book provides readers with relevant and historical events in America that they should know about and how they are able to develop and turn old things into a new ones.

View a synopsis of (Quis Est Vetus, Nos Mos Planto Novus Iterum) What Is Old, We Will Make New Again on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase (Quis Est Vetus, Nos Mos Planto Novus Iterum) What Is Old, We Will Make New Again at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about (Quis Est Vetus, Nos Mos Planto Novus Iterum) What Is Old, We Will Make New Again, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Its a $7 billion fight with the neighbors as the area surrounding Harris County and the city of Houston voted last week to tell the Texas Department of Transportation to go full steam ahead with a massive, and long desired, expansion of Interstate 45 despite reasonable and strong opposition.

The Transportation Policy Council  which handles federal transportation money as a part of the Houston-Galveston Area Council  voted 14-9 for a resolution expressing support for the project, even as every single member of the regional council representing either the city, Harris County, or Houston METRO voted no.

We shouldnt have to be the ones to say this, but thats no way to run a rodeo. A massive, multi-billion-dollar improvement project mostly centered in the city and county cannot, should not, and were willing to bet, will not be completed.

The lawsuit

Negotiations over the design of the highway improvement have been ongoing for a decade. Mayor Sylvester Turner told the editorial board in May 2020 he supported the massive project, but only if TxDOT made the footprint smaller. He called for redesigns that moved more people, not just more cars, and improved connections across communities.

TxDOT did not reduce the footprint of the project. It also did not reconfigure managed lanes for prioritized transit or improve neighborhood level connections as proposed by the city. TxDOT did pay the Houston Housing Authority for public housing that will be demolished, though the new construction has been stalled by lawsuits and residents have been offered vouchers to move elsewhere.

Harris County had slightly different concerns. The new lanes, expanded frontage roads and other aspects of the project would displace roughly 345 places of businesses and 1,000 residences in all. When repeated requests for adjustments to the design  changes TxDOT has said are so large they could defeat goals of the project set out when the regional council first approved it in 2005  were rebuffed, the county sued.

According to the March 11 complaint, the project must be more carefully considered and designed to meet the diverse needs of the regions future, reflect the changing circumstances of altered work patterns and new transit initiatives, learn from the regions past experience that wider freeways cause more traffic, not less, and without unnecessarily displacing hundreds of families and businesses.

On Wednesday, County Attorney Christian Menefee told the editorial board the suit followed years of frustrating negotiations with TxDOT, and isnt designed to stop the project. We want those federal funds to come here, Menefee said, but added that TxDOT failed to live up to its responsibility to insist that environmental concerns are given a serious look. They need to do their job, he said.

TxDOT response

More Information . See More Collapse

TxDOT argues it has made scores, if not hundreds, of concessions over the years. Indeed, some community advocates have been won over by these changes and now support the project.

Belinda Everette, housing chair for the Houston chapter of the NAACP, says TxDOT has been a great partner in finding ways to offset the impact of the expanded road on residents within the city of Houston who will lose their homes, especially Independence Heights, Fifth Ward and Third Ward.

Ive been involved in discussions with TxDOT for 18 months about this project, Everette said. And our interests have been purely based on how this would impact Black and brown communities.

TXDOTs response has been remarkable, especially compared to her experience in Chicago where the redevelopment of Lakeshore Drive sent hundreds of thousands of residents of color to new housing in the suburbs  far from their transit, work and social connections.

TxDOT Executive Director James Bass declined through a spokeswoman to answer the boards questions about I-45, citing the countys lawsuit. But he did speak on the issue earlier this month when Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, challenged the agencys history of running highways through communities of color. It happens all the time, he told Bass during a committee hearing. I promised as a Texas senator that I wouldnt be party to anything like that. Why is that happening here?

Citing coverage by Houston Chronicle reporter Dug Begley, West also pressed Bass on why TxDOT hasnt agreed to Turners demand that the project do more for transit in Houston, and, finally, why the agency is moving forward without the support of city and county leaders.

Bass blamed decades-old decisions on where highways would be routed. TxDOT can only expand a highway wherever it is already built, he said, adding that displacements are an unfortunate reality with most projects. He said TxDOTs hands are tied with transit because so much of its dedicated funding  some 97 percent of gas tax dollars  must be spent on highways.

He said TxDOT is moving forward on the project because the regional council of governments transportation policy board has voted to encourage it to do so. We take our cue from that regional board, he explained.

A question of philosophy

That brings us back to the current impasse. That regional board is divided. Doug Hecox, a spokesman for the federal highway administration told us he couldnt recall a time when a project of this size would be completed over the opposition of the city and county where its primarily located.

Former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett agreed it was odd, but said he doubted Harris County, at any rate, was truly speaking for the majority of residents who live here.

If this was a project that everyone was up in arms against, if everyone felt that this is a horrible thing, then maybe, he said. But this seems to be the leadership listening to the concerns of a relatively small group of people in a near north side area. They should ask people throughout the county and see what they think ...

Of course, leaders like Hidalgo or Emmett are elected to represent all of the county  including the more than 2 million residents who live within the city. But in framing his concerns the way he has, Emmett has put his finger on one of the issues that has made this whole project so tumultuous. In deciding what to do about I-45, all parties  from the local leaders to the regional council to state officials and the Federal Highway Administration  are being asked to decide fundamental questions.

What primarily is a highway for? Is it to move people through an area as quickly as possible? Or is it designed to help make life better for the residents through whose neighborhoods and cities it passes? Who gets to object? The suburban counties whose fortunes are tied, in part, to their access to the bigger city? Or the people for whom the roads expansion will bring dirtier air, more noise and in all likelihood more traffic?

When the suit was filed, Hidalgo framed it as a chance to think about transportation in a totally new way.

We cannot continue to support transportation policy that prioritizes cars over people, Hidalgo said, citing the regions congestion, lack of transit and high number of roadway fatalities. The way we build should not focus on what is easiest for cars.

Whats next?

At Fridays regional council meeting, Houston METRO Chair Carrin Patman lamented that the region had come so close to an agreement previously. We were so close, she said. Why cant we go back to that agreement and start there?

The answer is that TxDOT sees the changes pushed by Houston and the county as too big. In his testimony, Bass explained TxDOT remains eager to refine the project with input from the city and county. But if the goal is to redefine the project, to change its scope and purposes from the vision approved in 2005, then the project should be sent back to square one, its design changed and new goals agreed on. Then it could start the environmental review over again.

That would take years of course. We urge all parties to keep talking to try to avoid that outcome. As Everette, the housing advocate, told us, the project could be transformative. There is much to like about it, including new green space, new transit-friendly HOV lanes, and in some areas new flood protection.

But it undeniably represents old thinking when it comes to planning a grand citys transportation future. Hidalgo and Turner are right to push for updates. Perhaps the law suit  and a new investigation by federal highway officials into complaints that the projects impact on communities of color violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act  will give all sides time to reconsider.

We dont believe the project needs to be sent back to square one. But we sure as shooting believe that it shouldnt be built, cant be built, wont be built, over the express opposition of Houston and Harris County.
A hot potato: Big tech companies that earn billions yet pay little or no federal income tax has long been a hot-button issue. Amazon, for example, paid $0 in taxes on more than $11 billion in profits in 2018 and even received a $129 million tax rebate from the government. Now, President Biden has called out the firm, saying, "I don't want to punish them, but that's just wrong."

During an address in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, yesterday, Biden mentioned Amazon twice when unveiling his infrastructure spending plan, which increases the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%. It also closes a popular loophole in the tax code that allows companies to move profits overseas.

Biden cited a 2019 report highlighting 91 Fortune 500 companies that use various loopholes to avoid paying any federal income tax in 2018, "including Amazon."

"A fireman, a teacher paying 22%  Amazon and 90 other major corporations paying zero in federal taxes? I'm going to put an end to that," he said.

Amazon broke with tradition when it revealed details of its tax payments last year. The company's federal income tax expenses for 2019 reached over $1 billion, in addition to $2 billion in other types of federal taxes, but that still represented just 6% of its $14.5 billion operating income. As reported by GeekWire, federal tax laws allowed it to delay the bill, letting Amazon pay $162 million straight away and $900 million over time.

Responding to Biden's comments, Amazon pointed to a tweet by Jay Carney, the company's public policy and communications chief and a former White House press secretary under former President Barack Obama. He was also Biden's communications director.

"If the R&D Tax Credit is a 'loophole,' it's certainly one Congress strongly intended. The R&D Tax credit has existed since 1981, was extended 15 times with bi-partisan support and was made permanent in 2015 in a law signed by President Obama," Carney tweeted.

If the R&D Tax Credit is a loophole," it's certainly one Congress strongly intended. The R&D Tax credit has existed since 1981, was extended 15 times with bi-partisan support and was made permanent in 2015 in a law signed by President Obama.  Jay Carney (@JayCarney) March 31, 2021

Prior to that tweet, Carney responded to Sen. Elizabeth Warren's criticism of Amazon's tax strategies. "Changing the law is certainly more productive than faulting companies for following it-and far better than threatening to break up American companies so they can't criticize elected leaders," he wrote.

With great respect, Senator @ewarren, this isnt correct about Amazons tax payments. But changing the law is certainly more productive than faulting companies for following it-and far better than threatening to break up American companies so they can't criticize elected leaders. https://t.co/borLvn5GZu  Jay Carney (@JayCarney) March 31, 2021

Amazon is experiencing a PR nightmare right now. A recent report claimed its delivery workers must agree to AI surveillance or risk losing their jobs. It also tried to refute its poor reputation for workplace conditions by saying employees don't urinate in bottles, and Twitter has been swamped with fake workers defending Amazon amid a unionization push at an Alabama factory.
In a new study published in Conservation Science and Practice, researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) partnered with Indonesian experts to explore the motivations and challenges of women pursuing a career in conservation sciences in Indonesia. Given that Indonesia is one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet but is simultaneously experiencing extreme rates of deforestation, it is an important target country for the conservation of global biodiversity. Conservation work remains male-dominated in Indonesia, especially fieldwork, so gaining a better understanding of the cultural norms and barriers in place for Indonesian women aspiring to a career in conservation represents an important step in supporting women in this field. With more diverse faces and voices representing global conservation, the country and others like it can tap into the full potential of their intellectual and creative resources to help solve grave global challenges like dwindling biodiversity.

"We are facing huge challenges in the conservation of biodiversity globally," says Erin Poor, postdoctoral researcher in Environmental Science and Technology (ENST) at UMD and leader of this work. "Climate change, habitat loss and encroachment, an increasing human population putting stress on natural landscapes, increased agriculture - these are all large, complex, multidisciplinary challenges. The more intelligent minds we have working to identify creative solutions that benefit humans and wildlife, the better. This means enabling and creating space for women and other underrepresented groups to voice their ideas for conservation solutions."

In order to explore this idea while also practically supporting Indonesian women in conservation, Poor developed and facilitated a workshop in Riau Province, central Sumatra, Indonesia due to its importance in global conservation. Working closely with Indonesian leaders at the World Wildlife Fund-Indonesia (WWF) and the Universitas Gadjah Mada, Poor and the UMD team identified a need for culturally appropriate training and mentorship for women wanting to conduct conservation fieldwork. The workshop was held from September 13-15, 2019, with the goal of providing participants with networking opportunities and offering a setting in which more experienced women in conservation could mentor less experienced women and train them on practical fieldwork skills. As a pilot workshop, 11 Indonesian early-career women attended the workshop, with 3 established Indonesian women providing mentorship and instruction.

"The young women in our workshop were excited and passionate about conservation," says Poor. "We seemed to pick up on the lack of technical training for these women (which may also be an issue among men), and the lack of encouragement and support evidenced by discouragement from family members, a lack of female mentors and networks, and societal perceptions about female roles. Women are excited and passionate about conservation work, they just need to be given the support and tools to be effective."

Documenting the motivations and challenges of these women and their unique experiences represents an important step in making sure women in conservation have the support they need, explains Jennifer Mullinax, assistant professor with ENST and co-author.

"It was telling to see the limited information that existed on the paths, support, and limitations of women in STEM in Indonesia. This is one of the first bricks in the wall of knowledge we need to build a more inclusive and diverse conservation discipline in the global south."

Mullinax provided support for the trip to Indonesia, which was in many ways a continuation of work that Poor had started while pursuing her PhD. "I believe strongly in uplifting and supporting women, especially women in STEM," stresses Mullinax. "As Erin was describing her experiences in Sumatra and her intentions of having the training workshop, I suggested this may be an opportunity to survey the participants and start documenting the needs and barriers of women pursuing STEM in Indonesia. Everyone was on board and considered it a great opportunity as well as potential justification for doing more, larger training and surveys in the future."

To assist with the survey development and analysis, Poor and Mullinax reached out to Jen Shaffer, assistant professor in Anthropology with the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS). Shaffer identified a key motivator for the women in this study as a love of nature and a passion for the environment, while challenges were mainly related to gender and cultural norms.

"Although I was unable to participate in the workshop, I really appreciated the opportunity to document the motivations and challenges that established and early career Indonesian women working in conservation science expressed," says Shaffer. "Some of their challenges are unique, and others are experienced by women scientists regardless of where they live and work. Reading their motivation responses to work in conservation was also very uplifting. I saw lots of parallels with discussions I've had with students and colleagues working in conservation science, and it shows our common feelings of passion for, excitement about, and care for nature. We are all working towards a common goal."

"The women in our study expressed some of the same sentiments that I experienced," adds Poor. "First, conservation advertisements often advertise for men - expressing inherent doubt in the physical capabilities of women to do field work. Secondly, Indonesia is extremely diverse in religious, ethnic, and social beliefs, but a belief persists in some geographic regions and in some parts of society that women should be in less physical jobs or be family and household caretakers. Another factor impacting women in the field is that some people also still believe that unmarried men and women should not be alone together."

Poor experienced some of these issues firsthand during her time in Indonesia as a doctoral student. "For me, this was extremely personal," says Poor. "I spent two years in Indonesia doing field work for my PhD research. Almost all of my female friends and I faced sexual harassment and discrimination repeatedly. The field teams I worked with were all male (who were all excellent professionals), and I tried to recruit women to join my team but I only found one woman who actually was able and willing to come to the field. She ended up being hired by WWF as a field team leader (only the second woman in central Sumatra) after my research, and I count that as one of the biggest successes of my research. After experiencing persistent doubt about my abilities as a woman in Indonesia, working to get more women in the field became a personal passion of mine."

Despite these challenges, Poor and the team are hopeful for the future of women in conservation and have plans to expand this work. Poor has been elected as the Vice President of Membership for the Society for Conservation Biology, and she hopes to reach out to young women to increase their involvement in the field. She and the team also hope to continue their research and training efforts on a broader scale.

"I hope this spurs others to take a look at recruitment and retention of women scientists in other areas as well," adds Poor. "By identifying the challenges and motivations women are facing, especially in understudied biodiverse areas in the global south, we can work to remove these challenges and encourage motivations. However, this must be done at the request and with the coordination of scientists in those locations. I am hoping that in Indonesia specifically, those involved with this study will begin thinking about and implementing similar workshops and events specifically geared towards young women conservation biologists."

###

This paper is entitled "Increasing diversity to save biodiversity: Rising to the challenge and supporting Indonesian women in conservation" and is published in Conservation Science and Practice, DOI: 10.1111/csp2.395.
Sister-Author Duo Brings Awareness to Police Brutality and Black History in Young Adult Novel

Ever since they were younger, sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite dreamed of being authors. Now they are living their dreams and bringing more Black female representation into Young Adult literature.

The Moulite sisters recently published their second novel One of the Good Ones, a story that addresses police brutality and race relations in America.

The story centers around Keziah Leah Kezi Smith, a young YouTuber activist, who died in police custody after attending a social justice rally. Her sisters, Jemima Genesis Genny and Keren-Happuch Happi, honor her legacy by going on a road trip directed by their heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book.

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The Moulite sisters started writing the novel in 2018 and were working on One of the Good Ones, when Breonna Taylor and George Floyd were killed by police officers.

To see some of the things that we were writing about manifests in real life, its totally mind boggling, Maika said. I remember when all of the developments are happening around the Breonna Taylor case, I was obsessively checking every second of it.

They chose the title One of the Good Ones to bring to light how media tries to justify the fate of victims of police violence by searching for a criminal history and portraying them negatively. Kezi is a high-achieving student and student body president, a Black person the media would perceive as a good one.

Maika and Maritza aim to challenge the notion that only a Black victim having what is considered a straight-and-narrow lifestyle is worthy to be mourned.

When young Black girls are in school, they are punished at higher rates than their white or non-Black counterparts, Maika said. If youre a young Black girl, youre not quite a girl in peoples eyes because they see your Blackness.

The novel brings Black history to the forefront by making The Negro Motorist Green Book a focal point. The book was a travel guide created by Victor H. Green that was published annually; it was a directory of Black-owned businesses that travelers can patronize to avoid racial harassment.

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Through their research of The Negro Motorist Green Book, the Moulite sisters created a three-part podcast to expand on different topics around the periodical.

Allyship is another topic in the story as Kezi is a closeted lesbian, never telling this to her parents nor her sister Happi. This causes Happi to reflect on ways she could have spoken up for her late sister.

We have so many different identities within ourselves, Maritza said. A lot of times we focus on the parts that are most palatable to the people that are around us, and we wanted to push ourselves in that way of how we can be better allies to other people too.

Through their passion for history, the Moulite sisters show the level of progress America has made towards racial equality through the lenses of their characters who are from the past and present day.

We have a few scenes that are basically a direct juxtaposition, a mirroring of what happened in the 1930s, 40s, 50s and what happens in the modern day, Maika said. It also shows that although weve made a ton of progress, theres still much more work to be done.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 09:24:28|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export posted a double-digit growth last month due to recovery in global demand, a government report showed Thursday.

Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, amounted to 53.83 billion U.S. dollars in March, up 16.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

It was the highest March increase since data began to be compiled, marking the biggest growth in 29 months.

The outbound shipment continued to go up for five straight months with the expansion of 3.9 percent in November, 12.4 percent in December, 11.4 percent in January and 9.5 percent in February respectively.

Global demand mounted as the vaccination campaigns for the COVID-19 pandemic were launched across the world.

The daily average export, which excludes the working-day effect, advanced 16.6 percent last month.

Import climbed 18.8 percent over the year to 49.65 billion dollars in March, sending the trade surplus to 4.18 billion dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for the 11th consecutive month. Enditem
Seven Generations Charter School is planning a $15 million renovation of a former Rodale building in Emmaus that will allow it to again become a K-8 school.

Charter school leaders held a news conference Wednesday at the former Rodale Organic Park headquarters, 33 E. Minor St. in the Lehigh County borough, to announce the project. The aim is to reimagine the building and add on a 3,600-square-foot addition.

The project will bring all Seven Generations students under the same roof for the first time since 2014 and allow it to expand its programming to include sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

Currently, the charter school leases a building at 154 E. Minor St. for K-3 students and part of the Organic Park space for fourth and fifth grades. Seven Generations paid Emmaus Borough $3.4 million for Organic Park in October and hopes to open in the 58,000-square-foot space for the 2022-23 school year.

We are calling this our schools biggest recycle and repurpose project to date, Jen Hersh, the schools curriculum direction, said in a statement.

Stained glass in an office door at the former Rodale Inc. headquarters.Photos Courtesy of Angela Kilburg

The school opened in 2009 and uses a hands on project-based learning and environmental curriculum. The new school will house 552 students and 70 staff. Charter schools are independent public schools funded by taxpayer dollars funneled from each enrolled students home district. East Penn is Seven Generations chartering district.

Organic Park was built in 1959 and expanded several times, including a library wing in 1977 and a 1990 expansion that used local oak and cherry wood from South Mountain. School administrators on Wednesday detailed the history of the former Rodale headquarters and its connections to environmentalist efforts championed by the media company.

Organic Park is the perfect fit for Seven Generations, Hersh said. Like Rodale before use, we are thrilled to see our core values come to life in this beautiful building.

Alloy5's Michelle Calabrese, an architectural interior designer, explains the reuse of existing skylights to Seventh Generation Charter School fifth grade teacher Mandy Suro and Nicole Neagley, director of student services.Photo Courtesy of Angela Kilburg.

Seven Generations previously operated a middle school from 2013 until 2016, which the board of trustees voted to close amid concerns about bullying, low test scores and other issues, according to The Morning Call newspaper.

Emmaus Borough bought the Organic Park building with the intentions of renovating it into a new borough hall and emergency services hub, but then construction costs skyrocketed, The Morning Call reported. It bought the building along with two other properties for $2.9 million in 2015, according to county property records.

In 2017, media giant Hearst Inc. announced it was acquiring the Lehigh Valley-based publishing company Rodale, whose titles included Runners World and Mens Health. Since acquiring the family-owned companys magazine properties, Hearst has decimated the Rodale workforce in the region and New York City, and Rodale has offloaded its real estate. Hearst as of January has begun using its new offices in Easton.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com.
GRANTS PASS, Ore.  An ongoing Oregon State University project monitoring the presence of coronavirus in wastewater samples throughout Oregon detected the presence of the B.1.1.7 strain, known commonly as the UK variant, in Grants Pass earlier this month.

The sample was collected back on March 8, according to OSU researcher Brett Tyler, director of the university's Center for Genome Research & Biocomputing. After genetic sequencing on the sample, researchers found evidence of the mutated strain first identified in the United Kingdom.

According to Tyler, the amount of B.1.1.7 detected in the sample suggests that there is probably a "substantial number" of people in the Grants Pass community carrying the variant  roughly in the range of 1 to 5 people out of every 1,000.

Tyler said that he was not aware of any people in the Grants Pass area who have been confirmed to be infected with the UK variant.

The Oregon Health Authority identified the first known case of the UK variant in the state back in mid-January. According to CDC data, there are presently 16 known cases in Oregon.

Researchers have acknowledged that many variant strains of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have already been detected and will continue to emerge over time. But a few strains  particularly the ones detected in the U.K., South Africa, and Brazil  are believed to be more contagious than common variants, with mutations that allow the virus to more easily infect a person.

The first known case of the Brazil strain was detected in a Douglas County resident in early March. To date, it is still the only known case of that variant in Oregon.

The City of Grants Pass said that they were asked to participate in the OSU study sometime last year, and have been sending samples to the university periodically.

This is a developing story and will be updated with more details as they emerge.
Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins have claimed that some celebrities have been editing their ages to appear younger when searched online.

The comedy duo, who are 52 and 51, didn't name any of the vain stars who they said had been changing their Wikipedia pages to throw fans off their real ages.

And although calling out their showbiz colleagues for the cheeky tweaks, Sue joked she would also be tempted to knock some years off her own page once she 'works out how'.

Revelations: Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins have claimed that some vain celebrities have been editing their ages to appear younger online (pictured on The Generation Game in 2018)

According to The Mirror, Mel said: 'There are certain people on Wikipedia, who shall remain nameless, but are known to us in the profession who've been sort of 41 for the last 15 years.'

Sue also teased that she'd be tempted to tweak her own online age if only it wasn't so well known who she went to university with.

She told her pal: 'I know and it's very Google-able that we were all in the same university, in the same year. The moment I work out how to change my Wikipedia entry it's a game changer and I will.'

Insider knowledge: The comedy duo, who are 52 and 51, didn't name any of the vain stars who they said had been changing their Wikipedia pages (pictured together back in 1999)

The duo first met as members of the Footlights theatre club in the late 1980s while studying at Cambridge.

The comic duo also discussed their hair woes, joking that they'd made a deal to not have any work done or dye their hair as they get older.

Sue told Mel she was shocked by her greys as it meant she'd been 'dyeing', adding that they'd 'made a pact' not to have anything done as the years advance.

While Mel said her hair was 'receding, it's perimenopausal' before joking to her pal that she's been hitting the dye bottle since they became friends.

If only! Sue joked she would be tempted to knock some years off her own Wiki page... once she 'works out how' (pictured with Sue during their stint hosting the Great British Bake Off)

Sue also said that she's grown quite fond of wearing a beanie throughout lockdown as it helps hide her locks, which are overdue a trip to the hairdresser.

She also admitted of her love for Greggs, saying that she's 'existed' on their delicious baked goods over the past year, specifically six vegan sausage rolls a trip.

It comes after Sue reminisced on her time working with Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bake Off - and how the pair would lark around on set together.

The former host of the show told The Sun in March: 'For a while Paul and I only spoke through the medium of violence. Early doors, there were a lot of props, big lifelike plastic baguettes.

'I'd smash a cob into his b******s. I mean, really hard as well, no messing. Like a stab.'

Baguettes at dawn! It comes after Sue reminisced on her time working with Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bake Off - and how the pair would lark around on set together

'If I'd just finished a link that wasn't really going anywhere, he'd appear and uppercut me with a baguette that would knock my teeth together. What I loved was we never formulated a plan to do that, it just emerged.

The star jokingly added that she didn't know if there was 'bristling sexual tension underneath.'

Sue hosted the show with Mel Giedroyc on BBC One from 2010 until it moved to Channel 4 in 2017. Paul, 54, moved with it to the new network, but Mel, Sue and Mary Berry left the series.
STAMFORD  A Bridgeport man was charged with murder Thursday morning for allegedly killing a 35-year-old Stamford mother in September.

Police said an investigation revealed that Ian Easy Evans, 28, is the one who pulled the trigger in the shooting death of Shernetta Dunmore at a block party on the citys East Side.

Evans, who was already facing charges tied to the shooting, was hit with the new felony charge as he attended Stamford Superior Court on Thursday.

The warrant for his arrest, however, has been sealed for a minimum of 14 days.

Evans attended his arraignment remotely from Stamford Courts holding cell Thursday afternoon. He listened on as Judge Bruce Hudock set a $2 million bond  in addition to the $1 million bond on which he was already being held  for his release.

Attorney Phillip Russell, who represents Evans, did not argue against the bond. He only asked that Hudock set the bond without prejudice, so that the topic could be revisited at Evans next court date on April 19.

During the hearing, Russell claimed he still has not seen the warrant for his clients arrest, nor any other documents or discovery related to the case.

But, based off what he does know about the incident, Russell said he isnt convinced about the case against his client.

My understanding is that there was a crowd of people firing at another crowd of people who were firing back. So how there can be a single arrest and 100 percent of the culpability attached to a single individual, who is by sheer coincidence the only human being on the scene that is not from the neighborhood, is something that will be a central theme to this trial, Russell said after the arraignment.

On Sept. 20, Dunmore, who lived on Henry Street, joined a group of city residents celebrating the end of summer at Cummings Park. When the park closed, people moved to a parking lot for the Ursula Place Housing Complex just off Cove Road.

Just after midnight, gunfire erupted at the party. Police said about 30 shots were fired in the incident.

Dunmore was shot numerous times. She was rushed to Stamford Hospital, but died from her injuries.

Two other men, both from Bridgeport, were also injured in the shooting.

Five days after the incident, Evans was arrested on charges of first-degree assault, criminal attempt at first-degree assault, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment.

Police said at the time the arrest was related to the wounding of a man at the party.

In February, Evans pleaded not guilty to those initial charges.

Since her death, Dunmore has been widely mourned by friends and family in Stamford.

Dunmore was born and raised in Stamford. She graduated from Bassick High School in Bridgeport and then went to Maine where she became a Jobs Corps graduate and learned about the culinary arts, her brother Jamal, said.

Before she died, Dunmore was working a security job to make ends meet and create a good life for her son, her brother said, adding his sister will be greatly missed in the Stamford community where she had a ton of friends.
On Valentine's Day 2008, the British chef and author Nigella Lawson appeared on the National Public Radio show "All Things Considered" to discuss chocolate. During the interview, Lawson gave several reasons why she believed chocolate is so thoroughly intertwined with Valentine's Day: "It gives [people] a feeling that's meant to be comparable to the feeling you get when you fall in love," she said. "It's like giddiness, feeling of excitement, feeling of attraction. So, in other words -- perhaps without knowing it -- we're giving people a love drug" [source: Lawson].

Lawson, although lacking any formal training in neurology or molecular biology, is pretty much dead on. Chocolate does, indeed, contain several compounds that have been shown to act on the brain in myriad ways, and most of them induce pleasure. It's also long been believed that chocolate, which is processed from the cocoa plant and is found growing in such far-flung areas of the world as Malaysia, Ghana and Guatemala, bestows heightened feelings of sexuality upon the eater. This would make chocolate an aphrodisiac, a notion that the Aztec ruler Montezuma reportedly bought into. He's said to have drunk goblets full of a chocolate drink called xocolatl ("bitter water") to provide stamina for his sexual conquests [source: Blythman].

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There's also a widely held belief that chocolate can produce a euphoric feeling akin to a runner's high. Our understanding of euphoria-producing compounds, put together with the modern concept of addiction, has even led some to believe that that one can be a chocolate addict.

Is that even possible? Can a person become addicted to chocolate? Before we get ahead of ourselves, perhaps we should answer whether chocolate can even give its eater a high.
Marcus, who grew up in Prospect Heights, always wanted to be a dad. He felt the calling to be a pediatrician early as well, he said. At age 6 or 7, he accompanied his mother, a pediatrician, to the hospital where she worked. There, he watched as she went down the line in the nursery, examining one baby after another.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday for banning a Belarusian band from competing.

Organizers of the contest disqualified Belarus from the competition last week after deeming their songs too political.

Speaking in Thursday's televised comments, Lavrov called the decision "disgusting" and "pure censorship".

The first song submitted to the contest called "I'll teach you" allegedly mocked protesters who disputed the results of the Presidential elections last summer.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said the country would submit another song, but the organizers said the replacement was also breaching the rules and that Belarus would be disqualified.

(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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The day after the mass shooting in Atlanta left six Asian women among the dead, Eunji Kim watched the press conference where a law enforcement official described the gunman as having had a "bad day" when he fired on three Asian-run spas.

The comment reinforced the feeling the 27-year-old art school student said she has had most of her life -- that in the U.S., "they don't see Asian women as human."

When Kim was a teenager, a 60-ish man asked her out at a Starbucks, remarking how her "exotic" look reminded him of a student of his in Shanghai. There were the guys on campus who laughed at her as she walked by, pretending to speak, she assumed, in an Asian language. There was the customer who kissed and groped her during her shift as a server at a sushi restaurant.

Kim rarely spoke of any of it, not wanting to draw attention from the injustice staring down other communities of color and what she saw as the source of systemic racism: white supremacy.

But Kim's memories from the time she emigrated from South Korea at age 7 with her family gnawed at her-- like the way people talked down to her parents, a house painter and restaurant worker -- as did the rise in violence against Asian Americans during a pandemic they were often scapegoated for.

Then Atlanta happened.

"I felt so weak," said Kim, who lives in La Palma. "I couldn't do homework. I couldn't even exercise."

A BREW OF EMOTIONS

That Kim experienced a physical response to the Atlanta mass shooting comes as no surprise to therapists who say stress manifests itself in the form of disorders such as anxiety, migraines, digestive issues and insomnia.

"We're collectively going through this trauma together," said Helen Kim, a therapist based in Sierra Madre. "There's this sense of outrage and anger and numbness and just deep sadness all balled into one."

We spoke with Kim and four other mental health experts about how they're processing the attacks on Asians and what advice they're giving clients.

The therapists report that the impact of the recent events varies greatly from person to person, but for some the attacks are dredging up memories of feeling disempowered -- from being bullied as a child to situations as adults where responding would have been unsafe.

At vigils and rallies, speakers share painful brushes with racism. Helen Kim said she was called "dirty Chinese" in Spanish while growing up in Koreatown.

Rallygoers march through Koreatown for an anti-hate event in March 2021. (Josie Huang/LAist)

"Our bodies are all remembering those moments," Kim said. "And it's those moments that we didn't give justice before, right? We just felt like this is just who we are. And this is how society is. We just accepted it."

But hearing about the current surge in anti-Asian incidents has put racism at the forefront for many, said Jessica ChenFeng, who provides therapy at Loma Linda University Health.

"It's not every single day necessarily, but it's enough where it's like, 'Oh, this happened to my relatives or someone at work.' Or, 'I read about this on the news,' and so then it becomes this collective fear and it translates into my day-to-day living," ChenFeng said.

This has some thinking harder about racial identity and reassessing their place in this country.

"There is a curiosity as an Asian American person where you've always wondered, 'Do I belong?'" said ChenFeng. 'You think, 'Oh, that neighbor or co-worker was so kind and welcoming. It's not so bad.' Then something really bad happens and it reinforces this fear you have."

Ask many Asian Americans about race and they're apt to identify by ethnicity. More than 20 million people of Asian descent live in the U.S., with family roots extending from more than 20 countries.

But racists don't make the distinction, as shown in a grim parade of security camera footage and cell phone video that's been released of attackers raining slurs and fists on Asian Americans.

Perhaps not since the 1982 murder of Chinese American Vincent Chin in Detroit by two autoworkers -- who apparently mistook him for Japanese -- have Asian Americans been so joined in grief and moved to action.

At the same time Asian Americans are grappling with issues of race and racism, the threat of physical danger to them and their loved ones competes for attention.

Attacks have taken place out of the blue and in broad daylight, in busy stores and well-trod sidewalks, targeting everyone from a New York mom taking her daughter to a protest to an older man taking a walk in San Francisco.

And anti-Asian hate does not seem to be abating. AAPI Data released a survey this week in which one in 10 Asian Americans reported a hate incident in just the first few months of 2021.

NEW SURVEY conducted immediately after the mass shooting in Atlanta finds:



1 in 8 #AsianAmerican adults experienced a hate incident in 2020



1 in 10 #AsianAmerican adults have in the first quarter of 2021



Let that sink in.#StopAsianHate #StopAAPIHatehttps://t.co/dJVtWqq8gl  Jennifer Lee  (@JLeeSoc) March 30, 2021

To protect themselves, people are buying pepper spray, Tasers, even guns. Self-defense courses are marketed to Asian American women, with one program donating proceeds to the Atlanta shooting victims.

Suffice to say, it's a lot.

SOME PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

The experts told us there were steps -- some harder than others -- that Asian Americans can take to navigate this heartbreaking time in a way that protects their mental health.

The Basics: Get enough sleep and food. Avoid excessive alcohol and drugs. Remind yourself that the mind and body feed each other, so read your physiological responses.

"If there's like a rock in the pit of our stomach, that can be fear," said Pasadena-based therapist Lance Tango. "Or we might feel an emptiness in our chest, and that can be a sense of loneliness and disconnect."

So, don't push yourself to take that call or Zoom meeting if you're feeling on the verge of burnout.

Find An Outlet For Your Emotions: For some, it will be attending vigils and protests, or donating to or volunteering with organizations that serve the community.

Others may want time to reflect alone, perhaps through writing, art or exercise.

People can also find a mental health professional or trusted friends to share their feelings.

ChenFeng said some people may want to channel their anger and adrenaline into self-defense courses, which she is taking. But she urged them to not neglect their mental health as well.

"While we're taking the self-defense classes, while we're purchasing pepper spray, what is the toll that that energy is taking on us?" ChenFeng said.

Therapists say for others, the most comforting thing is to change nothing in their daily lives. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Monitor Your Media Consumption: It's important to understand the scope of what's happening in the news, but absorbing a steady stream of traumatic stories is taxing.

Consider turning off news alerts on your phone. Avoid scrolling through Twitter before bed. Turn off auto-replay on videos, as many did after this week's release of shocking footage from New York City of a 65-year-old woman kicked repeatedly in the head while bystanders did nothing.

"The problem with the news cycle and social media is that it's endless, and it's incredibly triggering," said UCLA clinical psychology professor Tim Fong. "If you don't handle it properly, there's only so much a human brain can healthily engage."

Get A Jump On Racists: Tango has a potentially discomforting exercise: Prepare in advance for a racist encounter. Think ahead to how you would respond to a racist verbal attack. Tango said many people are left feeling badly after an attack because they were too shocked and caught off guard to fight back the way they wanted to. (Of course, all bets are off should you be in physical danger. Safety first.)

Tango had another piece of advice. Should you experience a hate incident, hold bystanders accountable. Say to them: "Did you see what just happened to me? Did you just see that? That was awful."

Many of the videos of attacks on Asian Americans show bystanders failing to intervene.

"It's a very strange aftereffect to have something happen and then to see the world move on like nothing happened," Tango said.

Addressing bystanders afterwards, Tango said, "leaves us not having to question, 'Did something happen to me?' What we've just now done is we put some of that burden on the bystanders, and now they have to process it, too."

Checking In On Mental Well-Being Of Older Relatives: In Asian American communities, there's stigma about talking about mental health or getting therapy, especially among older people.

L.A. therapist Melissa Matugas has developed a strategy to talk with her older Filipino American relatives who are reluctant to address emotions. She recommends using open-ended questions versus those that will elicit a "yes" or "no."

Matguas said: "That may look like saying something like, 'Mom, did you see that in New York, Asian hate crimes have increased by 1900%? Did you read that? What do you think about that?'"

"I like to focus around ways to bring up discussions without pushing too much of the 'How are you feeling?' on people,'' Matugas said. "Because that can be a very raw question to somebody that's not used to talking about those things."

Again, this is a not a one-size-fits-all issue. In some cases, older Asians are not at all traumatized, Matugas said. Rather, their younger relatives are more worried for them.

UCLA's Fong said he's recently opened conversations about race with his parents and it's been eye-opening to hear about their experiences as immigrants through his lens.

His mom talked about being given extra assignments as an office worker.

"And she took that as a compliment," Fong said. "And I'm like, 'No, that's because they took advantage of you.'"

FINDING HER VOICE

National attention on the anti-Asian attacks has helped to spotlight legislation in Congress to improve the reporting of hate crimes. This week, the White House announced initiatives to tackle anti-Asian violence, such as setting aside funds for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

But Fong said it's also important for Asian Americans to process the anti-Asian climate on an individual level.

"If this national discussion is ripping open a lot of trauma, awakening feelings that were suppressed or buried for the last 30, 40 years, we better do something with those emotions, otherwise any progress is going to be stalled," he said.

For days after the Atlanta attacks, Eunji Kim's body felt drained, but after driving to her mom's and finally allowing herself to sob, her mood began to lift.

Kim attended a vigil in Alhambra to honor the victims of Atlanta, where she surprised herself by getting up to speak about the violence and misogyny that Asian American women face within and outside of their communities.

Kim said she previously felt she didn't have the right to complain about racism because she had bought into the model minority myth that Asian Americans are doing better than other groups. The truth is that the income gap is widest among Asian Americans, and many struggle daily with poverty, wage theft and the threat of deportation.

Kim said she doesn't plan on staying silent any longer.

"Now that I went through this slump and mourning period, I feel stronger now," she said. "No more secrets."
When Stephen Grand was undergoing cancer treatment at UCSF Parnassus in 2006, his wife, Nancy, would curl up in a foldout chair and sleep beside him.

During the night, shed walk down the hall to stretch and see other patients family members sleeping on the floor of the waiting room.

After one of her rounds, she told her husband, when you get better, we are going to do something about this, she recalled. It was so wrong.

Ten years later, he had recovered to witness the opening of the $40 million Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House a few blocks from UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital in Mission Bay. The house provides free lodging and meals to people with children receiving care at the hospital, just four blocks away. Grand was known to drive in from his home in Belvedere to greet families staying there.

For Grand, multiple myeloma was eventually supplanted by pancreatic cancer, which he was able to beat back until he was weakened by chemotherapy and developed leukemia. He died March 21 after a week in home hospice. He was 77.

His heart was really into helping people in a significant and important way, said Alexandra Morgan, CEO of Family House. There is absolutely no way the Family House would have been built without the Grands support as name donor.

Stephen Michael Grand was born Oct. 29, 1943, in Detroit, where his family lived in the Northwest section. His father, Salman Grand, had been born in Constantinople, Turkey, and emigrated from Ukraine to escape pogroms. Once in Detroit, he started Grand Machining Co. to build precision auto components and assemblies for diesel engines to supply the big Detroit manufacturers, Ford and General Motors. His mom, Evelyn, was a homemaker.

Starting at age 12, Steve was in the management training program at Grand Machining, his younger sister, Diana Grand of San Francisco, said jokingly.

After earning his bachelors and masters degrees in engineering, Grand delayed the inevitable of turning his management training into a career by taking a short trip to Israel that turned into a year.

He was totally into the culture, Nancy said. He got a job and learned to speak Hebrew.

Back in Detroit, Grand went to work for the family business, succeeding his father as the companys president. He later veered from auto parts into real estate development by starting Grand/Sakwa Properties, a major builder of residential and retail properties in southeastern Michigan.

In 1983, he met Nancy Spilker, who also grew up in Detroit, on a setup dinner date at a restaurant called Jims Garage.

We just laughed the whole time. We cracked up, Nancy recalled. And we never stopped. Literally every day there was something we both found amusing.

They were married the year they met, and after 20 years in Michigan they moved to San Francisco, where Grands two sisters had already relocated. The Grands lived in Pacific Heights before decamping to a house on the hill in Belvedere.

Grand continued running his businesses through his bout with multiple myeloma, a painful blood cancer that destroys the bones. After three months of treatment at UCSF, he went to Little Rock, Ark., for further treatment at the UAMS Myeloma Center. Checking into their hotel, the Grands noticed everyone was there for the same purpose. There was even a free shuttle bus to the hospital.

On the spot, Nancy started singing Welcome to the Hotel Myeloma, to the tune of the Eagles Hotel California. Grand beat the myeloma, but the Hotel Myeloma joke lived on for 15 years.

Along the way, Grand started giving away his fortune, donating to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in Norwalk, Conn., and a variety of other causes in the interests of renewable energy, arts and culture, and job training for the homeless. In 2013, he made a gift of $50 million to start the Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine at the Weizmann Institute of Science near Tel Aviv.

He was always looking for more philanthropy, but it found him by accident during a couples dinner at Zuni with attorney Sue Diamond, who served on the board of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco with Nancy Grand. During small talk, she happened to mention that she was doing pro bono work to help construct a home for the families of kids getting treatment at UCSF Mission Bay.

I was not thinking this was a pitch, said Diamond, now a San Francisco planning commissioner. It was just friends discussing what we were interested in.

Still, the discussion worked a subliminal magic on the Grands by reminding them of families theyd seen sleeping on the floor at UCSF during Stephens treatments. It also reminded them of their pledge to do something about it.

We know that when cancer hits a family, its the worst time in your life, Nancy said, and when cancer hits children, it rocks the whole family structure. The Grands did their own field research by visiting Koret Family House, a much smaller facility near the Parnassus campus.

A few weeks after that dinner at Zuni, Diamond got a call from Morgan, CEO of Family House.

She was jumping up and down and yelling through the phone about this amazing gift theyd gotten from the Grands, Diamond recalled.

The five-story Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House opened on March 2, 2016, across the street from what is now Chase Center.

Three years later, Grand was hit with his second malignancy and returned to UCSF for treatment, this time at the Mission Bay campus. He was too sick to laugh at much, but he always managed a laugh when Nancy launched into Hotel Myeloma. Hed even sing along. And hed always beam at the mention of the Family House.

He was proud and so happy to be able to touch peoples lives in this way, his wife said. Grand was buried March 23 at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery.

Survivors include his wife of 38 years, Nancy Grand of Belvedere; stepchildren, Russell Maddin of Traverse City, Mich., and Lauren Gaver of Santa Monica; and sisters, Diana Grand and Betsy Marcus, both of San Francisco.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @samwhitingsf
PHAC Ordered to Hand Over Documents on Two Fired Scientists, Viruses Sent to China

OTTAWAA parliamentary committee is ordering the Public Health Agency of Canada to turn over all documents related to the firing of two scientists from Canadas highest-security laboratory and the earlier transfer of viruses to Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The House of Commons special committee on Canada-China relations has given the public health agency 20 calendar days to turn over the documents in an unredacted form.

After that, committee members will meet behind closed doors with the parliamentary law clerk to determine what can be made public without compromising national security or revealing the details of an ongoing RCMP investigation.

Iain Stewart, the president of the federal agency, has refused to explain to the committee why Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, were fired in January.

That was 18 months after they were escorted from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, which is Canadas highest-security laboratory and is designed to deal safely with deadly contagious germs such as Ebola.

It was described at the time as a possible policy breach and administrative matter.

Four months earlier, Qiu had been responsible for a shipment of shipment of Ebola and Henipah viruses to Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology. The public health agency has previously said the escorted exit of the pair was not connected to that issue.

Thats all we know: policy breaches, but we are still being told that the export of viruses aligned with protocols, and we still dont know exactly why the scientists were expelled, Conservative MP Garnett Genuis said at the committee Wednesday.

The five Liberal MPs on the committee voted against ordering PHAC to turn over the documents.

Liberal MP Robert Oliphant said there is a wave of requests for documents coming in many committees.

That appears in my mind to be of a partisan nature, he said.

He argued the committee should give PHAC 30 days to translate and turn over the documents, but the six opposition MPs on the committee voted for a shorter timeline.

Stewart sent the committee a letter last week saying that the Privacy Act does not allow him to share employment or labour-relations matters concerning public servants.

In his letter, Stewart said the pair have had no access to PHAC facilities, infrastructure or assets since July 2019.

By Maan Alhmidi
Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protects children as young as 12. The news may lead to vaccinating that age group before they return to school in the autumn.

Most COVID-19 vaccines available are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Pfizers vaccine is approved for children ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages might be important to stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

In a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15, early results showed there were no cases of COVID-19 among those fully vaccinated. There were 18 cases of coronavirus infection among those given a placebo, Pfizer reported.

The study was small and has not yet been published. However, researchers reported high levels of antibodies, somewhat higher than were seen in studies of young adults.

The children had side effects that were similar to those of young adults, the company said. The main side effects are pain, high temperature, chills and tiredness, especially after the second injection. The study will continue to follow the children for two years for more information about protection and safety.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech plan in the coming weeks to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European regulators to permit emergency use of the vaccine starting at age 12.

We share the urgency to expand the use of our vaccine, Pfizer cheif Albert Bourla said in a statement. He expressed the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year in the United States.

Pfizer is not the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Results also are expected by the middle of this year from a U.S. study of Modernas vaccine in 12 to 17 year olds.

Because the findings were promising, the FDA already permitted both companies to begin U.S. studies on children 11 and younger. They plan to study children as young as 6 months old in the future.

The chief of BioNTech, Ugur Sahin said in a statement: We are longing for a normal life. This is especially true for our children.

AstraZeneca last month began a study of its vaccine on children ages 6 to 17 in Britain. Johnson & Johnson is planning its own studies. In China, Sinovac recently announced it has given new data to Chinese regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3.

One important question is the amount of vaccine: Pfizer gave the 12-and-older children the same amount as adults. It is testing different amounts in younger children.

It is unclear how quickly the FDA would act on Pfizers request to permit vaccination starting at age 12. The agency has taken about three weeks to study and approve each of the vaccines now available for adults.

Children represent about 13 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Children are far less likely than adults to get seriously sick. However, at least 268 children have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 13,500 have been hospitalized, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports. A small number have developed serious swelling linked to the coronavirus.

Caleb Chung, who turns 13 later this week, was one of the volunteers for the vaccine study. He does not know if he received the vaccine or a placebo. He said the study was really somewhere that I could actually help out.

His father, Dr. Richard Chung, a North Carolina doctor, said he is proud of his son.

Im Susan Shand.

The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

placebo n. a substance that is given to a patient in a medical study that has no physical effect

chills n. (pl.) a feeling of being cold

regulator n. an official who works for the part of the government that controls a public activity and enforces rules

swelling n. a condition in which a part or area of the body increases in size
NPP Secretary in the Ashanti Region, Sam Pyne has fired shots at the General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia over his comments on the approval of Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.



Ken Ofori-Atta received a unanimous approval by Parliament's Appointments Committee to head the Finance Ministry after passing his vetting.



Johnson Asiedu Nketia, popularly called General Mosquito, in an interview on Okay FMs morning show 'Ade Akye Abia', disclosed reasons why the Minority Caucus on the Appointments Committee approved Ken Ofori-Atta.



He stated there was a consensus at the NDC hierarchy that the Minority Caucus approves Ken Ofori-Atta because they believe he performed abysmally during President Akufo-Addo's first term, therefore maintaining him in office will inure to the benefit of the NDC in the 2024 general elections.



We have strategies as a political party and some of the NDC leaders sat down and considered the approval of the nominee as to whether passing or failing him, which one will be in the interest of the party. So, we all decided that if we allow him to be the Finance Minister, it will be in the interest of the NDC...



We realised during the vetting of the Finance Minister, he was exposed in all his wrong deeds . . . The banks he collapsed, PDS deal and bad financial decisions he superintended over; we needed him to be there to remind Ghanaians what he has brought on this country.



"Tell Nana Akufo-Addo that if it is this lame-back Finance Minister he wants to still be in control of the countrys finances, so be it, and that is why we told our people to approve him, he revealed.



Responding to Asiedu Nketia during a panel discussion on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Sam Pyne was alarmed by the thoughts of the opposition party for Ghana.



He wondered why a leader and a political party would wish bad things to happen to Ghanaians so they come into power.



He went proverbial on the NDC General Secretary and his party saying "if you're an opposition leader, former flagbearer, General Secretary, party Chairman or a Member of Parliament for the opposition and you refuse to contribute to the development of the country but rather will help to destroy the nation, I say when a fetish Priest wishes his country to collapse, he will suffer too because he lives in the country".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
A woman forced to sell her car after losing her job due to Covid has been left devastated after a man failed to return the vehicle after taking it for a test drive.

Rebecca Silk took to Facebook desperately seeking help after her $21,000 Holden was stolen from Penrith, Sydney's west, last week - only to be met with heavy criticism for not being in the car with the man at the time he took it for a spin.

Ms Silk detailed in her Facebook post how she was forced to sell the car to keep a roof over her head after falling behind in her rent.

Rebecca Silk (pictured) took to Facebook pleading for help to track down a man she says failed to return her car after taking it for a test drive

Ms Silk revealed in her Facebook post she was selling her car because she was falling behind in rent because she lost her job due to Covid

'Due to Covid, I have lost my job and can no longer afford to pay my rent so I decided to sell my car as I am behind in my rent,' Ms Silk wrote on Facebook.

'I let a man on Thursday afternoon test drive my car which he has not given back. The car is priced at $21,000 and I don't know what to do.

'I have reported it to the police but there have been no results so far. Please I need your help as I'm about to be evicted due to my financial situation.'

Ms Silk uploaded a copy of the man's drivers licence and pleaded with anyone who knows the man to come forward.

But when Ms Silk's posted about the theft on the Northern Beaches Mums Facebook group, she was on the receiving end of stinging criticism.

'You let him test drive the car without being in it,' one woman responded.

Ms Silk's $21,000 Holden which she says was taken from her Sydney home last Thursday and never returned

Ms Silk's Facebook post attracted dozens of comments, with one noting 'this isn't right... this is theft and he stole your car'

'You still willingly gave him your keys and let him take the car without being in it. Regardless of knowing who he is now, that was stupid on your behalf, just saying.'

However, not everyone agreed with the criticism and said it was uncalled for.

'I'm sorry this happened to you. This isn't right and it doesn't matter whether you got in the car or not, this is theft and he stole your car. Please report this to police again. Your financial situation is irrelevant,' one person responded.

Another said: 'I hope this gets sorted soon. So sorry you tried so hard to sell your car to make things easier and it didn't work out so far. Keep your chin up and know that it will get better.'

Police said in a statement: 'The vehicle was stolen from Penrith on March 25 and officers from Nepean Police Area Command are investigating.'

Daily Mail Australia contacted Ms Silk for comment.
Editor

Darren Marcy, a journalist since 1992, is the editor of the Manchester Journal. A New Mexico native, he previously worked for newspapers in the Land of Enchantment before moving to Vermont in 2004. He joined the Journal in October 2018.
New Delhi:

NASA' Hubble space telescope has found an unusual object in the asteroid belt, which has comet-like features, including the bright coma and a long tail.

Two asteroids were seen orbiting each other and exhibiting features of comets. The findings were published in Science journal 'Nature' on Wednesday. According to the reports, this is the first known binary asteroid also classified as a comet.

A group of astronomers used the NASA/ESA telescope to observe the system known as 288P in September 2016, just before it made it closest approach to Sun.

The pictures of 288P are located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter explained that it was actually not a single object, but asteroids of almost the same mass and size, orbiting each other at a distance of about 100 Km. This is breakthrough discovery because they orbit each other and the masses of the objects in such systems can be measured.

288P is thus the first known binary asteroid. It is also classified as a "main-belt comet".

Also Read: NASA offering astronaut JOBS: Working at US space agency is no cakewalk because it is SPACEWALK

To understand this unique phenomenon, there is need to know the formation and evolution of the whole Solar System. Main-belt comets could explain how water came to Earth. The objects such as 288P are very rare. This kind of objects is significant for future studies.

She explains that observing 288P could also help in reveal some past information. "Surface ice cannot survive in the asteroid belt for the age of the Solar System but can be protected for billions of years by a refractory dust mantle, only a few meters thick," she is quoted as saying by the website.

For only about 5000 years the 288P has existed as a binary system. "The most probable formation scenario of 288P is a breakup due to fast rotation. After that, the two fragments may have been moved further apart by sublimation torques," the astronomer explained.

Also Read: Six NASA scientists return from Mars-like habitat after 8 months of isolation

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, reiterated his position that Nigerians are better and stronger as one nation, asking that they should not allow mischief makers to divide the country
HAMPDEN  Detective Scott Trombly has changed his title to police chief after being sworn in Wednesday morning.

Friends, family, members of the community as well as the greater policing community gathered on the front lawn of the Hampden Police Department to witness the ceremony.

Trombly replaces longtime Police Chief Jeff Farnsworth, who resigned Dec. 17. Following Farnsworths resignation, retired Longmeadow Police Chief Richard Marchese was named interim chief while the Select Board searched for a permanent replacement.

The Select Board opted to search for qualified candidates within the department and received applications from Trombly and Sgts. Thomas Yvon and Tawrin Seega.

Public interviews were held Feb. 22 and a decision was reached March 8. The Select Board unanimously voted to name Trombly  who has nearly three decades in law enforcement under his belt  as the towns new police chief.

Select Board Chairman Don Davenport said he was pleased with all three candidates, but felt Tromblys education, experience and interview answers  particularly regarding the new state law on police reform, as well as community-police interactions  are what made him decide that Trombly was the right person for the job.

It was a unanimous decision and one not made lightly, board members wrote in a March 9 offer letter to Trombly. Given your many years of experience, your well-known history of your approach to community policing, and your dedication to the department for these many years, we feel confident in your abilities to lead the Hampden Police Department into the future and to be an even better department.

Trombly has been employed with the Hampden Police Department since 1993, serving as its detective since 2013. In addition to this role as detective, Trombly has served as the court liaison officer.

The Palmer native previously worked for the Hadley Police Department as a patrolman, Warren police as a part-time officer and Monson police as a special police officer.

A current resident of Warren, Trombly has attended a number of trainings and has several certifications, including as a sexual assault investigator, civil rights officer, and crime prevention and drug task force agent. Trombly has a bachelors degree in criminal justice from Anna Maria College in Paxton and an associate degree in law enforcement from Springfield Technical Community College.

Trombly said one of his focuses will be officer retainment. He said he will be looking into a process to allow auxiliary officers to move into full-time roles by receiving additional training.

I think the state of Massachusetts has the best training, which has been given to our officers already, but I think that once that same training has been given across the top, you know that were all getting that same training, and getting trained by the best, he said.

The Hampden Police Department has a staff of nine full-time officers, with one vacancy left by Trombly. There are 10 reserve officers and four auxiliary officers. Eventually the department will hire another officer and name a new detective and court liaison officer.

Trombly will receive a base salary of $100,000 for 15 months, according to interim Town Administrator Robert Markel. There will be a 2.5% increase on July 1, 2022, and a 3% boost on July 1, 2023. Trombly will also receive a 20% increase in the base salary as an educational incentive.

Correction: An earlier version of this article provided an incorrect staffing figure for the Hampden Police Department. The department has 10 reserve officers and four auxiliary officers.

Related content:
Gardai in Cork have launched an investigation after two firearms after they were discovered in a ditch yesterday.

At around 5pm on Wednesday, gardai from Watercourse Road received a report from a member of the public that they had found two suspected handguns at Ballycollie Road, Whitescross.

When detective gardai arrived at the scene, they discovered a suspected revolver and a semi-automatic pistol that were uncovered in a ditch.

The scene is currently preserved for a technical examination and the Divisional Search Team and the Southern Region Dog Unit are in the process of conducting a search of the area.

Both of the suspected firearms will now be sent for analysis.

No arrests have been made and the investigation into the matter remains ongoing.
At the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Secretary of State Tre Hargett wants to remind Tennesseans about Safe at Home, the free statewide address confidentiality program for victims of sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking or domestic abuse.



In the two years since we launched Safe at Home, we have helped hundreds of individuals and families protect themselves from becoming victims again by protecting their address, said Sec. Hargett. I encourage Tennesseans of any age or gender who have experienced stalking, human trafficking, domestic abuse or any sexual offense to take advantage of this free program.



Safe at Home prevents abusers from locating their victims through public records by providing approved applicants a substitute address that may be used for legal purposes, including voter registration and government services, such as a drivers license and access to assistance programs.

Under current Tennessee law, most state and local government records are available for public review. These public records, which include identifying information, make it easy for abusers to track and find their victims.



Officials said, "The first step to participate in Safe at Home is to complete an application with one of our partner agencies. Safe at Home has partner agencies serving all 95 counties in Tennessee. Safe at Home partner agencies include state and local agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide counseling and shelter services to victims of domestic abuse and other crimes.



"Each partner agency has certified application assistants to guide participants through enrollment. A list of partnering agencies can be found on our website, SafeAtHomeTN.com."



For more information about the Safe at Home program, participant eligibility or becoming a partner agency, visit SafeAtHomeTN.com or call 615-253-3043.


Kilkenny student Kate Minogue was presented with a Memorial Scholarship award by DCU at a virtual ceremony recently, where 22 students received awards named in honour of 14 individuals who have played a key role in the life of Dublin City University and in Irish society.

Kate Minogue, a former student of Presentation Secondary School and a current MSc in Digital Marketing student at DCU, was presented with the John Thompson Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship honours the memory of John Thompson, former Chief Executive of Associated Newspapers Ireland and Managing Director of The Star. The Masters level scholarship aims to foster the connection between journalism and marketing.

This year we have awarded scholarships to 22 students whose talent and dedication are a tribute to those remembered through memorial scholarships at DCU, said Joe Quinsey, CEO of DCU Educational Trust.

SHONE BRIGHTLY

John Thompson shone brightly in his own life and made a significant mark on society, so it is fitting that his legacy will be honoured and live on in a bright and gifted scholarship recipient like Kate Mingoue.

The 22 scholarship recipients were selected based on their talent and dedication but also according to specific criteria set by scholarship donors.

Sixteen scholarships were presented to undergraduate students supported by DCUs Access Programme which makes third level education accessible to students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds and provides financial, academic and personal supports to help students succeed in their studies.

A further six scholarships were awarded to support students engaged in postgraduate research or study in fields as diverse as Law, Biotechnology, Marketing, Journalism, Music and Sport.
A commander at an airlift wing at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, has been removed from his post amid an ongoing investigation into allegations he had an unprofessional relationship with another service member.

Col. Jaron Roux, the 437th Airlift Wing Commander, was relieved Thursday by Maj. Gen. Kenneth T. Bibb Jr., head of the 18th Air Force, for lack of confidence in his ability to lead, and for an alleged unprofessional relationship and fraternization, according to a release. In the military, fraternization typically refers to an inappropriate peer relationship between an officer and a subordinate.

An investigation into Roux began March 11, Capt. Alexis Burdon, spokeswoman for the 18th, said. The investigation into allegations of misconduct is ongoing, she told Military.com.

Read Next: Soldiers Can Now Wear Awards on Class B Version of Army Green Uniform

"There have currently been no charges preferred against him," Burdon said.

Burdon could not comment further on details into the pending investigation.

Roux, who assumed command of the 437th in August, has been reassigned to Air Mobility Command headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

"Commanders are placed in a special position of trust and are expected to exemplify the highest standards of conduct personally and professionally," Bibb said in the release. "I must have complete confidence in our wing commanders to lead airmen, maintain good order and discipline, and execute the mission in an environment where professional relationships and the Air Force core values serve as the foundation for our actions."

Col. Christopher Robinson, the 437th vice commander, will serve as the wing's top officer for the time being, officials said.

According to his official biography, Roux graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in 2000. Following pilot training, he was assigned to the Charleston base to fly the C-17 Globemaster III. He returned to the academy as the executive officer to the Commandant of Cadets in 2009.

Prior to his role at the 437th, Roux was the vice commander of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.

Roux has more than 4,100 hours, including 900 combat hours, in the C-17, KC-10 Extender, T-37B Tweet, T-1A Jayhawk and T-52A trainer, his bio states. His staff tours include assignments at the Academy, the Joint Staff at the Pentagon and at Air Mobility Command.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: For the 2nd Time in 10 Months, the Commander of Utah AFB Maintenance Group Is Fired
MONTREALAdult performer August Alexander teams with gay Mile High Media banner Noir Male by becoming its second Brand Ambassador. In the role, Alexander will assist with brand outreach and represent the studio at events this Spring.

Commenting on the new partnership, August says, Im beyond thrilled to be Noir Males Spring Brand Ambassador, to me its a chance to show people a different side of me.

He continues, My usual brand is class clown and equal parts being awkward and accidentally sexy, this lets my more serious, thoughtful side shine through. But, with plenty of sexy fun too!

As Noir Males new Brand Ambassador, Alexander continues the work of the studios first ambassador Dillon Diaz. August will perform in new scenes for the studio, while also becoming more involved in brand outreach, encouraging dialog with fans, keeping Noir Male connected to its audience. Alexander lends his unique voice and fun-loving perspective to the studio, authentically engaging with the Noir Male audience and bringing his joy of sex and excitement for life front and center.

Commented Mile High vice president Jon Blitt, We are honored to have August as our Spring Brand Ambassador. He brings a new perspective to our brand. His positivity is contagious, so fans will enjoy spending more time with him as our ambassador. We are pleased to offer August this platform to champion causes, enact positive change and celebrate sexuality.

August Alexander made his Noir Male debut in June 2020 opposite Mason Lear, and recently stared in Dillon Diaz's directorial debut "The Gayborhood." The on-the-rise star has more new scenes slated for release this Spring on noirmale.com , with plenty to follow.
FORMER MDC-T vice-president Obert Gutu, who has since defected to the ruling Zanu PF party, on Tuesday claimed that none of the opposition parties stood a chance against Zanu PF in the 2023 elections.

Gutu, who was recently paraded by President Emmerson Mnangagwa when he crossed the floor to Zanu PF together with former MDC Alliance senator James Makore, made the utterances during an interview with Alpha Media Holdings Heart and Soul TV (HStv).

I put my money on Zanu PF. There is no political party in this country that can beat Zanu PF in any free and fair election. I have done my studies, I have done my analysis and I have looked at the numbers, Gutu said.

On human rights abuses, Gutu said they should not be tolerated in Zimbabwe, adding that people should rally behind Mnangagwas new dispensation.

We should learn to be tolerant to divergent views and even opposing views, but the problem that we have in this country is if I say I am anti-sanctions, I am not necessarily saying all the people that are responsible for human rights violations are good people. No! What I am saying is lets open a new chapter, he said.

Things change in politics, I think the second republic is one of the governments which have been unfairly treated both internally and externally because if we take a look at President Mnangagwa, he has gone out of his way to say we are doing things differently.

However, Mnangagwas government was this week adjudged by the United States as one of the worst human rights abusers in the world.

I believe that this direction, he (Mnangagwa) is taking to fight corruption even if people are saying he is not doing enough, catching and releasing (corrupt people), but that effort I can call it an incremental gain.

On his defection to Zanu PF, Gutu said: I want to associate myself with a party that is nationalistic and does not play to the whims of imperialism, a party that wants to push the agenda of the African people.

He took a dig at the fights in the opposition MDC camp and its various factions.The insults that the two factions exchange on social media, you might fear that if they see each other on the streets they will kill each other. Its bad politics, he said. Newsday
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of "heartwarming fiction," Marie Bostwick, will be the next South Bound Lecture author for Southern Lit Alliance.

Ms. Bostwick will join Southern Lit Alliance on April 13 at 6 p.m. on Zoom to discuss her craft and her latest book, The Restoration of Celia Fairchild, to be published in April. This event is free to the public, but donations are suggested.

For more information and to register for the event, visit southernlitalliance.org/virtual-south-bound-marie-bostwick.



About The Restoration of Celia Fairchild



Celia Fairchild, former writer of the popular Dear Calpurnia advice column, and hopeful adoptee, has just learned that she has inherited her aunt's estate in Charleston. With nothing left for her in New York, Celia decides to head back South. When she arrives, she finds the grand house she once remembered in disrepair, but the community of Charleston is more than ready to welcome her home. With their help, Celia begins to restore the historic house to its stately prime. With it, she dares to imagine a different future for herself, her newfound family, and the child she so desperately wants.





About Marie Bostwick



Marie Bostwick is a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller of heartwarming fiction for women. Her first novel, Fields of Gold, was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award. Her novels Second Sister and Between Heaven and Texas were both USA Today bestsellers, and Second Sister was made into a Hallmark Channel film adaptation, Christmas Everlasting, in 2018 and starred Patti Labelle. Her latest endeavor is a lifestyle blog titled Fiercely Marie, in which she encourages women to live every minute and love every moment. Ms. Bostwick lives in Oregon with her husband, Brad. When not writing, she enjoys quilting, reading, cooking and spending time with family and friends. Learn more at mariebostwick.com.








VICTORIA, BC, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American families are still waiting for government help to lower the cost of medications. Two months into the new administration, President Joe Biden delivered his first solo press conference without addressing spiraling medication costs. Until there is coordinated relief for high drug costs, Canada Drugs Direct remains one of the only safe and affordable ways people can dramatically cut prescription costs.

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Lack of Plan to Combat Prescription Drug Prices

Despite the previous administration's efforts to ease drug costs, no final agreements have been put in place between the government and drug makers to lower prices. Observers are curious as to when there will be some headway made on this important issue.

For people who regularly depend on life-saving medication, endlessly waiting is the one thing they don't have time for. Data from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) shows the average annual costs for many popular prescriptions jumped in price over 200%. Between 2006 and 2016 the average annual price skyrocketed from $4,202 to $12,951. Individuals and families that don't have health insurance are more at risk.

Canada Drugs Direct is able to provide name brand and generic medications from our licensed, regulated pharmacies to those in need. Ordering medication from Canada delivers the same protection and same brands consumers get from pharmacies in America.

The Americans Hit Hardest by High Prescription Drug Prices

Americans looking for ways to lower their drugs costs, like using Canada Drugs Direct, shows there is already a financial need to find savings where possible. From those with chronic conditions, fixed incomes, retirement savings, or uninsured - there are millions of Americans who are under financial pressure when it comes to treating their health.

As the White House looks to help lower the costs of medication, the solution isn't in sight. The new Health and Human Services secretary, Xavier Becerra, has expressed support in the past for importing safe, affordable medication from Canada Some states are pursuing cheaper medications from Canada, but the remaining ones have to source it themselves.

While programs like increased drug cost transparency and a deal with Congress should happen at some point, no one knows when. With more than 150 million Americans with at least one chronic condition, it can be a lifetime using medications and creates a need for relief from the high costs of drugs.

About the Company

Canada Drugs Direct is a Canadian online pharmacy recommended for Americans who want to shop at a pharmacy in Canada to save money on medications. Canada Drugs Direct is able to ensure the best prices on Rx drugs from Canada. All orders require a prescription and are dispensed by a licensed pharmacist like any pharmacy in America. Pay less for medication ordered online from Canada.

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The removal of stock by liquidators for Debenhams from its Blanchardstown store in the early hours of this morning has been criticised by workers union and shop stewards as being clandestine and allegedly in contravention of Covid-19 restrictions.

They say that just before 5am on Thursday, after a four-and-a-half hour stand-off, the Gardai forcibly removed former Debenhams workers and supporters from the path of trucks to load up the stock in the store and remove it.

Former staff of the collapsed retailer have been picketing multiple stores for nearly a year, accusing the British group of leaving them with derisory redundancy terms.

The Mandate trade union said it only received formal notice late on Wednesday of the liquidator KPMGs intentions to clear stock.

This notice from the liquidators was issued via an email to Mandates solicitors just prior to midnight last night with the obvious intention of keeping the union uninformed of their plans at Blanchardstown, said general secretary, Gerry Light.

As late as yesterday I wrote requesting that KPMG or any of its agents should desist from attempting to remove stock from any Debenhams location on the basis that it was clearly in contravention of existing Covid-19 regulations in that it could not reasonably be considered to be essential work, he said.

Gardai were present during the operation.

Our members are understandably upset and very angry, especially considering the provocative timing of this early morning operation and the clandestine nature of it. Therefore, we totally condemn the actions of KPMG in Blanchardstown last night in the strongest possible terms, Mr Light added.

The ex-Debenhams National Shop Steward Group were planning to meet with representatives from Solas and the Department of Education today to further discuss a 3m fund that has been made available by the government.

Debenhams shop stewards said this mornings events occurred just over a week short of the first anniversary of their struggle.

From the outset of the second wave Level 5 lockdown last year we and supportive public representatives repeatedly asked the Taoiseach and Tainiste to explicitly state that the removal of clothing stock from the Debenhams stores was non essential economic activity.

While it is patently obvious to most people that it is non-essential economic activity at odds with Level 5 we nonetheless felt unable to trust KPMG not to try to take advantage of our reduced pickets during the lockdown to try to remove stock, a spokeswoman said.

We fully anticipate that they will attempt the same at other branches of Debenhams in the coming days and weeks obliging us and our supporters to again make a stand, she added.

KPMG declined to comment on this mornings operation and the criticism from the union and shop stewards when approached by the Irish Independent.

Gardai issued the following statement: "An Garda Siochana attended at a premises at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre as required in the execution of a High Court Order.

An Garda Siochana has no further comment at this time.
22-year-old TV presenter starts new life after enlisting into military

People's Daily Online) 13:34, April 01, 2021

After working as a news anchor in Hengxian county, south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Su Weimin eventually realized her lifelong wish when she cut off her long hair and became a soldier of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force.

Combo photo shows Su Weimin as a TV presenter (L) and a military recruit (R). (Photo/WeChat account: rmwj001)

Combo photo shows Su Weimin. (Photo/WeChat account: rmwj001)

"Cutting my hair short to embrace a new life, I will dedicate my youth to safeguarding the prosperity of the motherland," Su wrote on social media the day she joined the military.

The woman was more determined to join the military than ever after she was turned down last year when she failed the physical exam.

But instead of giving up, she physically and mentally prepared herself until she was eventually enlisted in the recruitment drive for the first half of 2021.

Photo shows Su Weimin hosting a news program. (Photo/Courtesy of the Media Convergence Center of Hengxian county)

Photo shows a screenshot of a post on Su Weimin's social media on the day she was formally enlisted in the army. (Photo/WeChat account: rmwj001)

The 22-year-old entered the media industry in June 2020 after she graduated from the Communication College of Guangxi University for Nationalities. She has hosted several programs over the past year. "She is highly professional, and has always worked hard without complaint, so we all speak very favorably of her," said one of her colleagues at the Media Convergence Center of Hengxian county.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)




Every day at 9:30am, Shanghainese woman Ling Aiwen, 35, opens the door of her cafe 100FFEE on Yongjia Road in Xuhui District. The three-year-old coffee house also has a Chinese name Baifei Daixing,  a well-known phrase that translates roughly as a thousand things wait to be done.

The charm of coffee has entranced Shanghainese for more than a century and become a part of the citys culture.

Records show the earliest import of coffee in Shanghai can be traced back to 1844. China now has its own famous coffee  from southwestern Yunnan Province.

The citys first coffee room in 1860 was in Astor House, the renovated and rebranded Richards Hotel and Restaurant near the Bund.

The popularity of coffee can be found in Chinese literature and movies in 1920s and 1930s, which depicted the emergence of cafes as a trend. Drinking a cup of coffee then became a fashion of the Shanghainese and the smell of coffee accompanied many grandpas and grandmas in Shanghai during their childhood.

The latest report by local business media Yicai on coffee consumption shows that the city now has nearly 7,000 coffee shops, ranking it No. 1 in the world.

The two most popular streets are Huaihai Road M. and Nanjing Road W. with dozens of coffee shops.

Almost 56 percent of the cafes in Shanghai are boutique or independent, while 43 percent are chains. Lings 100FFEE is one of these independent cafes.

People come to a cafe not just for a drink, but enjoy a time with their friends and family.

A cafe provides them a room of comfort, Ling says.

This cafe has inside and outdoor space. White-collar workers do their work on laptops inside, while people walking their dogs sit in the yard.

She told Shanghai Daily that when she was younger, she travelled a lot and once visited Indonesia, the largest producer of Mandheling coffee from the island of Sumatra, bordering Malaysia.

Before that, Im a person who drinks milk coffee from Starbucks. But at that time, after I drank a cup of Mandheling, I fell in love with the pure taste.

In 2016, she resigned from her company and opened a cafe. And her love of coffee changed her relationship with her father.

My father likes drinking tea but I like coffee. In the past, we didnt get along very well and did not have much to share when talking with each other, said Ling.

But now I have some special blend coffee at the cafe with tea being mixed in. So I often consult him about which kind of tea is better to be used in it.

Her father loves Harley Davidson motorcycles and found the young riders like drinking coffee.

He felt out of date and ask Ling to teach him how to make and taste coffee. Since then, the father and daughter started to have something in common. For myself, coffee eliminates the generation gap between my father and me, Ling said.

At the Shanghai Coffee and Food Festival held in the National Exhibition and Convention Center, Ling brings three kinds of special blend coffee: Early Summer, Not a Fruit Juice and Hops Nitro Coffee.

The three use different coffees as the base and mix in things such as soda, juice, hops or jasmine.

Pawer Point Coffee is a local pet-friendly cafe on Jiashan Road in Xuhui District. It also promotes the adoption of strays and cooperates with an animal charity  there will be a special event on April 10.

Second home

Claire Huang, owner of a Golden Retriever called Seven, is a frequent customer at Pawer Point.

Every morning when she walks Seven, the first stop is the cafe, where people there often have fruits and snacks for the fur kids.

The cafe is out second home, said Huang.

I love drinking coffee and have visited lots of cafes. Although some of them accept pets, there are still problems, like not enough room for the dog and some customers are reluctant to drink coffee with dog nearby.

But at Pawer Point Coffee, all the people there like pets and Seven and I always have a good time there.

Jojo Tang with Pawer Point Coffee said that they entertained hope they can provide pet owners a place for drinking coffee in a free manner and make more animal lover friends.

At the booth of local cafe Dan, which operated for a decade in Tianzifang but now has moved online, two Japanese Ojisan (uncles) are making coffee for visitors to the coffee festival.

Niuya Takayuki, 67, said he used to be a clerk working in semiconductors industry in Japan who needed to fly to all over the world. He likes drinking coffee and once he travelled to Shanghai in 2007 and visited Tianzifang, he found its a good place for opening a cafe and living his dream.

In those years, there are not much authentic Japanese coffee in Shanghai. So he decided to bring the taste of traditional Japanese Matsuyashiki hand drip coffee to Shanghai and created his own ways of coffee making to give strong and pure flavor.

His wife told Shanghai Daily that its good to have more and more coffee shops with innovative ideas to have coffee mixed with other drinks.

Visitors at the festival also have their own memories and views.

A 64-year-old Shanghainese visitor surnamed Qian said that Shanghai is famous for its cafes, which sprang up like mushrooms following the reform and opening-up. In recent years, the cafes are increasing, bringing exotica and different tastes, which are popular among the youth, said Qian.

Candice Ding, a young woman who had been living overseas for more than 10 years, is a coffee lover.

Ding said she enjoys ordering coffees like latte and Americano at the office. But here I find many new types which are more to younger tastes. For instance, the blend of coffee with milk tea or beer.

Now coffee is more like a bridge for young people to communicate and exchange new ideas with each other, said Ding. She thought the boom of independent cafes is good for young people to create their own business modes on coffee and introduce more coffee types which are less known to the public in China.

After I returned to China, I noticed that there are more large cafe chains like Starbucks than small individual ones, which can be easy to find in countries like Italy and the US. So I really want to see more special personalized coffee shops and products.

Shanghai is a city embracing different coffee cultures and she hopes there can be more such events.




KEY TAKEAWAYS

Meaning of UCC

Origin of UCC

Objective of UCC

Brief Analysis of Shah Bano Case

Uniform Civil Code: Goa

Advantages of UCC

Disadvantages of UCC

Implementation in other states

Essentials for successful implementation of UCC

Important Case Laws related to it

Which countries follow UCC

WHY IN NEWS



Arvind Bobde, Intellectuals Should See How The Uniform Civil Code Works In Goa.

Haha, caught you!

Happy April Fools Day!

Tell us in the comments if this took you by a shock! Honestly!

However, this is not it. Let us know a little more about what is UCC all about!

INTRODUCTION

Uniform Civil Code is the one that offer for one law for the whole nation that would be applicable to all the religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, adoption, inheritance, etc. It is mentioned under Article 44 of the constitution which states that: The state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India. In other words, It is the duty of the state to secure the uniform civil code for the citizens throughout the territory of India. Article 44 is one of the Directive Principles of the State Policy, that are not enforceable in nature by the court but the principles mentioned therein are fundamental in governance according to Article 37 of the constitution.

ORIGIN OF UCC

The origin of the UCC dates back to colonial Republic of India once a British government submitted its report in 1835 stressing the requirement for uniformity within the codification of Indian law about crimes, evidence, and contracts, specifically recommending that private laws of Hindus and Muslims be held outside such codification. Constituent Assembly was got wind of to setup the Constitution in 1946 in independent Republic of India that consists of both kinds of members: people who wished to reform the society by adopting the Uniform Civil Code like Dr. B. R Ambedkar and different was primarily Muslim representatives who carry on personal laws. Also, the proponents of the Uniform Civil Code were opposed by the minority communities within the Constituent Assembly. As a result, Article 44 in IV of DPSP (Directive Principles of State Policy) was added in the Constitution.

OBJECTIVE OF UCC

The UCC aims to provide protection to vulnerable sections of the society including women, religious minorities, etc. while also promoting the gender equality. Enacted the code to simplify the laws that are segregated at present on the basis of religious beliefs. The UCC also aims to replace the fragmented laws and to simplify the complex laws around marriage ceremonies, succession, inheritance, adoptions making them one for all. The same civil law will then be applicable to all the citizens no matter of their faith.



LANDMARK JUDGEMENT WHICH FRAMED UCC

The case of Mohd. Ahmad Khan vs. Shah Bano Begum & Ors1 also known as the Shah Bano case. In the case of Shah Bano, she proceed to Supreme Court for seeking maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure once her husband divorced her after 40 years of wedding by giving triple talaq and denied her regular maintenance. The Supreme Court gave the decision in favour of Shah Bano by applying Section 125 of the Indian Criminal Code and it's applied to all citizens irrespective of religion. Justice Y.V Chandrachud, determined that a common civil code would facilitate the reason behind national integration by removing disparate loyalties to law and so, the court directed Parliament to frame a Uniform Civil Code. After this historic judgement, nationwide agitation occurred due to which government under stress passed the Muslim Womens (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 which nullified the judgement and made Section 125 of the CrPC inapplicable to Muslim women.

SHINING EXAMPLE OF UCC: GOA CIVIL CODE

The Supreme Court hailed the State of Goa as a shining example where Uniform Civil Code applicable to all, in spite of religion except while protecting certain limited rights. Goa is the only state where a uniform civil code is followed. The Goa Civil Code is also known as the Goa Family Law. After India annexed Goa in the year 1961, the existing Portuguese Civil Code, 1867 was not changed. It applies to all the people of Goa living in the state irrespective of their religion. This is an only exception as no other state has adopted a common civil code.

FEATURES OF GOA CIVIL CODE

The Uniform Civil Code in Goa would be a progressive law that enables equal division of financial gain and property between spouse and additionally between children regardless of their gender.

Every birth, wedding and death must be registered. For divorce, there are many other provisions.

During the course of a wedding, all the property as well as wealth owned or acquired by each spouse can commonly held by the couple.

Each spouse in the matter of divorce is entitled to half of the property and in case of death, the ownership of the property is halved for the surviving member.

The parents cannot disinherit their children entirely. This genetic property should be shared equally among children.

Muslims who have their marriages registered in Goa cannot do polygamy or cannot give triple talaq.

ADVANTAGES OF UCC

1. Provide equal status to all the citizens

2. Promote the gender equality

3. Promote Secularism

4. Promote the National Integration

5. Bypass the issue of reform of existing personal laws

6. Inspire the aspirations of the young generation

DISADVANTAGES OF UCC

1. Difficulty in implementation due to diversity in India

2. Interference of state in personal matters

3. Many communities believe especially minorities that it is an encroachment on the religious freedom

SHOULD OTHER STATES OF THE COUNTRY IMPLEMENT UCC

The Supreme Court has declared the state of Goa as a shining example  for uniform civil code. The founders of the constitution visualized a homogenous code that shall govern the entire of the Republic of India. The other states may also try to adopt a homogenous code like Goa which can make sure the basic principles like equality and gender justice. This may ensure that the historical personal laws that are discriminatory towards the women is no more existing. The application of UCC promotes Secularism by separating religion from the matters like wedding, succession, adoption, etc. The UCC can bring simplification and uniformity of laws in all the states which can result in sleek functioning and administration of the judiciary. The other states that are much larger as well as diverse in terms of customs than Goa must ensure the interests of minorities while implementing the UCC in their respective states.



ESSENTIAL PARAMETERS FOR THE SUCESSFULL IMPLEMENTATION OF UCC

In order to promote the spirit of uniformity of laws and accomplish the objectives enshrined in the Article 44 of the Indian Constitution the following essentials are needed for the successful implementation of UCC:

 A progressive and broadminded outlook is needed among the people to understand the spirit of the Uniform Civil Code

 Education, Awareness and Sensitization campaigns must be organized

 The Uniform Civil Code should act in the best interest of all the religions without carrying any biasness

 A committee of eminent jurists should be considered to bring uniformity and care should be taken not to hurt the sentiments of any particular community.

IMPORTANT CASE LAWS RELATED TO IT

In the case of Sarla Mudgal v. Union of India2 also known as Sarla Mudgal Case (1995), which dealt with issue of bigamy and conflict between the personal laws existing on matters of marriage, the court highlighted the necessity for a UCC in this case. The court underlined that until UCC was enacted for all the citizens of the country, there will be always a loophole as a result of completely different faiths having different beliefs, and naturally due to different beliefs and practices of communities, there will always be a reason of conflict. It also requested the Prime Minister of India to have a fresh look at Article 44 and endeavour to secure for the citizens a UCC throughout the territory of India and wanted the court to be informed about the steps taken.

In the case of of Shabnam Hashmi v. UOI3, the petition was filed to ask the Supreme Court for optional guidelines for the adoption of children irrespective of religion. The petition was filed under Article 32 of the Constitution by a Muslim. He filed the petition for recognizing him as a parent of her adopted daughter. The Apex Court held that the adoption to be legalized and upheld the applicability of the JJ Act on the Muslims. The Court recognized the Act as a secular Act and thus liable to be applied to every citizen of India, irrespective of religion. Adoption was also held as the Fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Constitution. The issue of the Uniform Civil Code on personal law matters like adoption was raised by the Court as the need.

In the case of Ms Jorden Diengdeh v. S.S. Chopra4, the question of uniformity in personal marriage laws was raised. The Apex Court analysed that the laws related to marriage such as judicial separation or divorce are not uniform at all. It also emphasized the need for the uniform provisions like an irretrievable breakdown of marriage and mutual consent for divorce to be applied in all cases irrespective of religion. The need for framing the Uniform Code for marriage and divorce was raised by the Honourable Court as the Court.

WHICH COUNTRIES FOLLOW UCC?

The European nations and the USA have a secular law that applies equally and uniformly to all citizens irrespective of the difference in religion. Islamic countries follow a singular law based on Sharia that applies even to the Non-Muslims in the country like Bangladesh, Indonesia, etc where the law is secular but in few cases, it follows sharia law. Canada is named one of the few countries that follow UCC and implement the Personal Property Protection Act. These ideals or philosophies have been adopted in all provinces except Quebec. In India, there is only one state that follows a singular law which is the state of Goa.

WHY IN NEWS?

Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde on March 27 touched upon the controversial issue while inaugurating the new building of Bombay High Court in Goa and praised Goas Uniform Civil Code and encouraged intellectuals indulging in academic talk to visit the state to learn more about the code and its implementation in the state as well as talked about how great privilege he received while administering justice under the Uniform Civil Code because he came from Bombay High Court only under which Goa has has its jurisdiction.
President George Weah on Wednesday declared a dust to dawn curfew in Maryland County due to violent activities which have led to the destruction of properties.

The president made the statement on state radio. He said, the Curfew has been imposed from April 1, 2021 from 6am to 6pm until further notice.

"I am concerned about the recent development in Maryland country. I have been informed about the gruesome killing of a young man in Harper city, Maryland recently. Although the suspect was apprehended by the police and incarcerated pending subsequent investigator in accordance with due process of the law," he said.

He condemned the action which led to the burring down of police station and osier public buildings in the city.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Dr. Bhofal Chambers house was set ablaze by angry protesters.

They are protesting over the gruesome murder of a student-Medical Nyemah.

The Political officer for the Speaker , Solomon Wakings earlier said his boss was broken down by the sad news from his county. " We are getting the information, but the Speaker is not happy with the report." According to Wakings rumors received by the citizens was the Speaker was sending police to the county to beat those who have gone in the streets with the protect.

President Weah said, Any grievances should and must be channeled through the legal process as government will not Condon any lawlessness and violence at any time and form on anyone.

"In order to keep the peace and ensure that law and order prevails, a curfew is hereby imposed thought out the Maryland county from tomorrow April 1, 2021 from 6pm until 6am until order wise ordered. This curfew will be straightly enforced by the police who will be supported by joint security. All residents of Maryland county are advised to take heed and govern themselves accordingly."
Some religions teach you will go to hell if you reject this gift. Others teach that you must respond according to their doctrines or you are out. I am convinced neither are true. Jesus did not go to all this trouble to promote religion. He did it because He is the embodiment of love and His deepest desire is a mutually loving relationship with each one of us.

I know God is real and alive, He loves you, no matter who you are, what you look like, or how you live your life, and He wants to have a relationship with you. If you have not already, this Easter you could take a leap of faith and say something like, God, my heart is open, and I would like to get to know you. If you continue reaching out to Him by communicating with Him and ask Him to open your eyes of faith, you can expect to start feeling His presence and recognizing His involvement in your life.

If you do not believe this message, or you are offended by it and have no interest in pursuing God, His love for you will remain undiminished. He will always be there ready to embrace you should you someday change your mind, with no grudge or penalty.
AMHERST  At request of town manager on behalf of Jones Library Trustees, the Town Council on Monday is expected to consider borrowing $36,279,700 to expand and renovate the library.

The towns actual share would total $15.75 million, should the Council approve the spending plan.

The budgeted plan is contingent on other revenue sources coming into play; but for this to happen, the council must agree to borrowing the total amount.

In a letter to Amherst Town Council, Town Manager Paul Bockelman wrote: At its meeting on April 5, 2021, the Town Council will review a proposal to fund expansion and renovations to the Jones Library.

He said $1 million of community preservation act [CPA] money to be borrowed is part of the funding equation.

Specifically, the Town Council will take three actions, Bockelman wrote, that also include: Approval of borrowing authorization for $35,279,700 which equals the total cost of the project less CPA borrowing. This action will include authorization for the Town Manager to enter into a contract with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

The state library board is promising a $13.87 million grant, according to the Jones Trustees, that would cover nearly 40% of the borrowing costs.

Trustees say they will come up with $5,656,576 via fundraising and the like, to offset nearly 16% of total.

Related:
Insurance companies have made a U-turn on their claim that they would not settle motor insurance claims resulting from accidents that occur during curfew hours, now stating that the time of accident cannot invalidate a claim.

The move follows public pressure on the legality of the refusal to pay claims for incidents that happen during curfew hours, which would have been against the existing insurance contracts.

"Any motor insurance claim that arises during curfew hours cannot be dismissed on the basis of the time of accident. If you violate curfew hours, then the police will charge you with that violation," the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) stated on Tuesday.

The association said claims will only be dismissed if it is proven that there are other circumstances that are excluded from the motor insurance policy.

Get review

"We advise customers whose claims were denied on the basis of getting an accident during curfew hours to visit their insurer for review," the association said in a statement.

AKI made the statement a day after indicating that it was holding discussions with the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) on Monday, before communicating its position on the matter.

This was after the Association of Kenya Professional Insurance Agents (AKPIA) on Sunday made the controversial disclaimer that insurers would not pay motor vehicle insurance claims for accidents that occur during curfew hours.

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"Driving past curfew hours without essential services authorisation or valid emergency reasons could render your motor insurance claim invalid," AKPIA had stated in the Sunday public notice.

In the "Important industry notice", AKPIA warned the insured against driving past curfew hours if they are not listed as essential service providers, since if anything happens, they will be on their own.

Currently, curfew hours run from 8pm to 4am for five zoned counties that have high rates of Covid-19 in the country, and 10pm to 4am for the remaining 42 counties.

Public fury

The notice by AKPIA attracted fury from the public.

"This is a breach of contract. There is nowhere in the policy that the policy holder is advised to drive a car during certain times. A vehicle is insured inside and outside the curfew hours unless the insurer refunds premiums and states that the car is insured excluding curfew hours," argued Kaluki Kyallo in response to the notice shared by the association on its Twitter handle.

Others questioned the association's move, wondering whether the insurers are also ready to refund their clients' premiums covering for the curfew hours and amend contracts with their clients.
ZAPU has suspended one of its top officials, Derek Katsenga for allegedly denigrating the party's leadership as well as fanning tribalism and regionalism within the opposition.

Katsenga is party secretary for mobilisation and organisation.

According to a letter of suspension dated 31 March 2021 and signed by party secretary general Strike Mkandla, the under-fire politician is also accused of participating in an unsanctioned Mashonaland Central provincial conference.

"The Presidency has been observing the manner in which you have recently tarnished the work for which you were getting good reviews and support throughout the party," read the letter in part.

"We have no choice but to uphold discipline and defend the integrity of the party by instituting disciplinary action, starting with your immediate suspension and interdiction from carrying on with your functions as ZAPU Secretary for Mobilization and Organization.

"After being furnished with the relevant information and charges, the Council of Elders will commence on a disciplinary process where you will be summoned and given an opportunity to defend yourself."

Mkandla also accused Katsenga of fanning tribalism and regionalism within the party.

"Instead of providing objective support to provincial processes in northern region, you have incited or been associated with denigration of party leadership and promotion of regionalism and tribalism, in contravention of your position as principal coordinator of national mobilization and organization.

"You have sown division and discord among senior party leaders in northern region, thereby weakening collective follow-up of party decisions and channels, in the face of express directives from the Office of the Secretary General," further read the letter.

Katsenga also stands accused of "proceeding to hold or to associate yourself with the provincial conference in Mashonaland Central after being cautioned by the SG that the use of regalia from a candidate was not permissible and would nullify the process".

However, sources within the party said Katsenga's suspension was an attempt by party rivals to soil his name ahead of the party's forthcoming elective congress month-end.

Katsenga could not be reached for comment.
jeopardy \ je-pr-de \ noun

: a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

_________

The word jeopardy has appeared in 342 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on March 24 in Miami Beach Opened Up and the Revelers Flocked In. Then Came the Crackdown. by Michael Majchrowicz and Audra D. S. Burch:

After driving two hours from his home in Montgomery, Ala., to Atlanta to catch a flight to Miami with friends, TJ Ray, 32, learned their vacation trip to South Beach was suddenly in jeopardy. News had reached them that city officials were cracking down  and hard  on large groups of tourists. They had shelled out hundreds on flights and an Airbnb, and now city officials were on national newscasts announcing they would be imposing a mandatory curfew.

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word jeopardy in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using todays Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the words definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the Recommend button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how jeopardy can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.
New Delhi: Veteran actor Anupam Kher took to social media and confirmed the news of his wife and actress-politician Kirron Kher battling blood cancer. In a note, he wrote that 'Kirron has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer '.

Further, he wrote: 'She is currently undergoing treatment and we are sure she will come out of this stronger than before. We are very blessed that she is being looked after by a phenomenal set of doctors. She's always been a fighter and takes things heads on.

She's all heart and that's why she has so many people that love her. So keep sending your love to her in your prayers and in your heart.

She is well on her way to recovery and we thank everyone for their support and love.

Anupam and Sikander.

Husband Anupam Kher and son Sikander's undersigned note reassured fans that Kirron Kher will bounce back soon. Several fans and celeb friends dropped their messages online wishing she gets better.

The veteran actress was first seen in Aasra Pyaar Da - a Punjabi film in 1983. She then went on to star in the 1988 release Pestonjee. She went on to star in several hit films such as Sardari Begum, Devdas, Khamosh Pani, Hum-Tum, Veer Zaara, Rang De Basanti, Khoobsurat amongst several others.

Kirron Kher left behind Congress candidate Pawan Bansal in 2014 and was elected to power for the first time. Later in 2019, she again defeated him and retained her seat in Chandigarh.

Earlier, reports of Kirron Kher suffering from the deadly c-word surfaced after Chandigarh BJP president Arun Sood disclosed about the veteran actress-politician's health in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

Here's wishing her a speedy recovery!
Like many people, Margo Anderson likes to donate to charitable causes every December.

At the end of 2020, the Morris Plains woman wrote a $50 donation check to her high school alma mater, Packer Collegiate Institute, in Brooklyn.

But on Dec. 14, she noticed a problem with her TD Bank checking account.

I noticed a big discrepancy between what I said it had and what the bank said it had, she said. It turned out, because I saw the check image, someone had somehow removed all my check information and written herself  the name is Sharine Gomez, which is likely made up  a check for $4,860, which was withdrawn from my account.

My house has never been robbed, thank goodness, but that is how I felt, she said.

Anderson uses the kind of check register that makes a carbon copy, so she could see the check as she wrote it. She knew this was fraud.

She said she immediately called the high school to see if someone named Sharine Gomez worked there. The answer was no.

Later, the school put out a general email warning people that several checks never made it there  stressing no school employees were involved, Anderson said. When I wrote the head of the alumni association, who put out the alert, he told me the stolen checks were apparently cashed at Bank of America, according to a postal service investigation.

She contacted TD Bank, which had her fill out a fraud complaint, closed out the account and opened a new one.

TD opened an investigation, documents show, and it reached out to Bank of America for help on its end.

Anderson also tried to file a police report but the local station was shut down because of COVID.

In late December, Anderson said she gave TD a copy of her check register so it could share it with Bank of America.

The TD fraud department sent her a late December message that made no promises on the investigations timing.

The Uniform Commercial Code that governs the check claim process does not require claims to be resolved within specified timeframes by the other financial institution, the letter said. In most instances, it takes 90 to 120 business days for the other financial institution to research and respond to the claim.

TD Bank has no control over the time period or review by another financial institution and accordingly the claim process may take longer, it said.

Then, silence, Anderson said. When I learned about the postal investigation, I asked that this information be sent to the TD investigator to pass on to Bank of America.

Over the next several months, Anderson tried to get information about the investigation and to see when the money would be returned to her account. She said no one contacted her with updates, but she did get responses when she reached out first.

She asked for an update on Feb. 1 by email, and in late February the bank responded, repeating the 90 to 120 day estimated timeframe.

On March 13, three months after the incident, Anderson called Bank of America, she said, and she asked for an update. She was referred to the fraud department.

(The representative) went looking and found no record of my claim. My TD Bank reference number meant nothing to her, she said. I was told TD Bank has to pay me back. Bank of America cant do anything.

She asked Bamboozled for help.

After reviewing her paperwork, the check register and the altered check, we asked TD Bank and Bank of America for an update. Both banks said they would review the case.

The Postal Inspection Service didnt immediately respond to a request for comment, but a day later, Bank of America had an update.

We have been working with TD Bank to resolve this issue and have provided full reimbursement for the bank to provide their customer, a spokesman said.

That was great news.

We asked TD Bank for a status update.

Due to privacy concerns, we cannot discuss the account activity of particular customers, spokeswoman Paige Wilkins said. However, we can tell you that in this situation, TD took steps to help achieve a positive resolution for the customer.

We asked why the bank doesnt give fraud victims a provisional credit while an investigation takes place. Wilkins didnt comment, but said the security of customer accounts is a top priority.

We investigate fraud complaints to determine the facts and take appropriate action, Wilkins said. When the fraud complaint involves a check stolen in the mail and deposited at another bank, we work with the other bank to recover the funds.

In any case, were glad this customer is getting her money back.

Anderson got a call from TD Bank the next day, and it said her money was coming.

I asked when. If you can believe it, she said 7 to 10 days once TD gets a check from Bank of America. Not electronic payment, a paper check, Anderson said. I did not point out the irony of waiting for BofA to mail TD a paper check to repay me for having had a paper check stolen out of the mail. I hope theirs get to where it is intended.

She said shes relieved this long, agonizing process will soon be finished.

It has been like being robbed twice - the first time by the person who stole the check out of the mail, the second time by an apparently antiquated process in investigating the fraud and repaying me, Anderson said.

And to protect herself, Anderson has switched over to online banking.

Now, unless I can put a paper check into someones hand, I pay online. I am not crazy about that either but I dont want a repeat, she said.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.
By Center for International Programs

Go for it even if you're not completely sold on the idea...because it will be an incredible experience. Joel Howe, International Studies major, reflects on his study abroad experience in Madrid, Spain, in the early months of the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020: It was both stressful and a little traumatizing because I didn't know the seriousness of the virus and whether I would be able to return safely.

Joel was one of the thousands of US students whose study abroad program was cut short in early in 2020. He had only just begun to learn about his host country, to make friends, and to experience the vibrant Spanish culture through the Comillas exchange program in Madrid. I specifically chose Madrid because I wanted to continue learning and practicing Spanish. I have been to Central and South America, but never Europe, and saw Spain as the perfect opportunity to travel throughout Europe.

Safely bringing students home became the top priority of the UD Education Abroad office in the early months of the pandemic, and Joel had all the support he needed for a quick and safe trip back home. Obviously returning home early was a major disappointment, he says, I was extremely sad to hear the news to immediately return to the US, like most UD students abroad.

While the interruption was unwelcome, Joel still enthusiastically recommends study abroad for any student who wants to expand their horizons. In his case, it was a requirement as part of his coursework in International Studies, but he talks up study abroad with other students, and even joined the Inclusion and Diversity in Education Abroad (IDEA) committee at UD upon his return, to support diverse students in their study abroad goals. I would say talk it over with your advisor, parents, and friends, he says, If there is an obstacle in the way, seek help to ensure you can have this opportunity.

One important consideration for Joel (like many students) was meeting the financial burden of study abroad. UDs Education Abroad Office offers a wide variety of programs, including budget-friendly options, and works with students to find ways to support these important student experiences. Many times it is support from friends, family, and alumni that make all the difference. In Joels case, it became obvious to him that financial concerns could significantly impact the ability of more students to study overseas. I know there are many challenges that prevent someone from going abroad, so by eliminating these barriers hopefully more students can have this experience, he says.

Joel hopes one day to travel more broadly, and even live and work abroad someday. His experience, though short, changed his life in ways hes still processing. I love learning from others...and feel study abroad is the perfect opportunity to learn from people in another culture and country.
OHIO: Amid rising incident of rising hate crimes in the United States, a video of an Asian-American former military veteran showing his battle scars and asking if this was enough proof of his "patriotism" in a town hall meeting in Ohio has gone viral on the social media.

69-year-old Lee Wong, who has served the US military for nearly 20 years, has been receiving arm applauds from all over the world for making a bold statement and raising the problem of racial discrimination being faced by Asian-Americans recently. It may be recalled that six Asian women were killed in Atlanta alongside two other victims in rising hate crimes last week.

In the United States, thousands of Asian-Americans have reported violent attacks or hate crimes in recent months, often linked to rhetoric that blames Asian people for the spread of Covid-19.

Wong, who is an elected official in West Chester, Ohio, unbutton his shirt to show his battle scars and asked, "I'm going to show you what questions about patriotism look like."

He did this while addressing a meeting about the racism he has faced as an Asian person. According to the viral video, Wong stood up and lifted his vest, showing large scars on his chest to colleagues in the hall.
When we first see the little African American boy, he is standing on the side of the police vehicle, stretching his arms and pulling the sleeve of his white jersey the way children often do when they know they are in trouble. Two African American police officers  a man and a woman  are chastising him with menacing voices.
Experts Weigh In on Supreme Court Carbon Tax Ruling

The matter of carbon taxes and whether Ottawa retained ultimate authority to impose them on recalcitrant provinces under the auspices of fighting climate change finally had its day in Canadas highest court, and the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act was deemed constitutionally sound.

Proponents of the federal policy lauded the 63 split decision, but University of Saskatchewan professor Dwight Newman, the Canada research chair in indigenous rights in constitutional and international law, says it could have profound effects on the Federation.

I think that the majority has actually changed parts of the Peace, Order, and Good Government national concern test. They ended up saying there can be a double aspect in matters that are under the national concern test, he told The Epoch Times.

Newman suspects that the very design of the carbon pricing act to exempt provinces with their own schemes was an admission that the provinces were constitutionally capable in regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

There was a lot of case law that hadnt suggested otherwise, before this, he said. So putting that more simply, the case law used to say that if the federal government had authority on the national concern test, the provinces couldnt really be part of the same subject matter. And now the court is saying that that has changed.

Dissenting justices Malcolm Rowe and Russell Brown argued that the Liberal carbon tax law as written opens the door to greater incursions by Ottawa into provincial affairs, with Brown saying the law is bound to lead to serious tensions in the Federation.

The federal carbon levy came into effect on April 1, 2019, beginning at $20 per tonne of CO2 emissions and imposed on provinces that either didnt have their own greenhouse gas pricing schemes or had one that didnt completely meet Ottawas requirements, namely New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.

While the latter two provinces lost constitutional challenges of the tax in their respective appeals courts, Alberta won its challenge in February 2020, setting the stage for the Supreme Court of Canadas decision on March 25.

Long-time critic of anything goes climate policy Ross McKitrick, professor of economics at the University of Guelph and a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute, says that for opponents of the tax, politics is the only way out of an already politicized situation.

Its unfortunate the provinces allowed the federal government to enter numerous overly alarmist claims about climate change being an existential threat into the evidentiary record without challenge. They could have rebutted these simply by referring to past [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] reports, he said.

But I doubt they put any effort into understanding the scientific or economic complexities, so they werent equipped to make their own case very effectively. The end result is that if people dont want to pay a carbon tax, there wont be any help from the courts. Theyll have to vote against it.

McKitrickss most recent analysis of the Liberal governments plan to increase the federal carbon tax to $170 per tonne by 2030 indicates that raising the carbon tax would not reduce Canadas emissions to pre-2005 levels and would fail to meet the Paris Accord commitmentsthe taxs raison detre.

According to a recent report he co-authored titled Estimated Impacts of a $170 Carbon Tax in Canada, even this 467 percent increase from $30/tonne would not cut enough emissions, would kill 184,000 jobs, and would diminish Canadas gross domestic product by 1.8 percent, or around $1,540 in current dollars per employed person.

University of Victoria economics professor G. Cornelis van Kooten, the Canada research chair in environmental studies and climate, was a proponent of carbon taxes and even signed a letter with fellow academics in 2007 urging the B.C. government to implement the scheme.

But Im not very happy with what B.C. has done. Theyre taxing like crazy and theyre regulating like crazy, he said in an interview.

A 2020 Canadian Energy Research Institute report on the effectiveness of B.C.s carbon taximplemented in 2008 and set to rise from $40 to $45 per tonne on April 1, 2021found that the tax didnt reduce emissions and failed to achieve its goal.

I just see the carbon tax as a money grab that appeases the environmentalists  but doesnt take account for the leakage, said van Kooten of the inherent problem with carbon tax rebates, which he says acts at cross purposes in containing or mitigating energy use.

So if we pay, say $100 carbon tax, we reduce our CO2 emissions. But at the same time, my daughter is getting lets say a $100 [rebate], giving her money to spend that she would not otherwise spend, and some of that spending will be on activities like driving their car, which emits CO2 into the atmosphere, he said.

My view is you cannot simply have a tax based on increases in CO2  which also benefits vegetation and reduces food insecurity, van Kooten adds.

It needs to be tied to damages, and damages are a direct function of global temperatures. Thus, if the temperature rises, the tax should rise; if temperature falls, the tax should fall. You cannot simply base a tax on the social cost of carbon.

The history of how carbon dioxide ended up as pollutant in Canadian environmental law dates back to 2005, when then-environment minister Stephane Dion implemented the federal governments UNs 1992 framework on climate change, and had carbon dioxide declared a toxic substance by cabinet directive.
[April 01, 2021] Member Driven Technologies Recognized as a 2021 Best Fintech to Work for by Arizent

Member Driven Technologies (MDT), a CUSO that hosts the Episys core platform from Symitar to provide a private cloud alternative for core processing and IT needs, has been named a 2021 Best Places to Work in Financial Technology by Arizent and Best Companies Group. This is the second consecutive year that the CUSO made the list; this year, MDT ranked 13 out of 49 companies. Arizent and Best Companies Group annually compile a list of top financial technology employers based on responses from a two-part survey. Companies are evaluated based on factors such as workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, demographics and the overall employee experience. MDT offers its employees many benefits, such as optional pet insurance and a 4-week paternity leave, which demonstrates how the company values its team members and their loved ones. The "family first" CUSO provides a healthy work-life balance with flexible work-from-home schedules and has supported employees in the midst of the pandemic. MDT fosters a collaborative, dynamic environment where employees are encouraged to share their ideas and opinions. The company hosts a recurring innovation challenge where employees present ideas for internal improvement and innovative new products and winning ideas are implemented to give the team members a real voice and opportunity to create change. MDT also has a commitment to equality for all; in 2020, the CUSO launched a social justice committee to clebrate and promote diversity and inclusion. Through this committee, the company has already committed $15,000 to scholarships for African-American high school seniors who are in the pursuit of higher education. In addition to this, in the last year, MDT has raised proceeds for United Way Organization in Montana and #FeedtheFrontLine in Detroit, helping to provide meals to essential hospital workers by hosting a company virtual talent show. Overall, the CUSO places an importance on taking care of its people and providing for its community.



"At MDT, we care deeply about our employees' professional success and their physical, mental and emotional health," said Larry Nichols, CEO and president of MDT. "We encourage and help our team members to reach their full potential but also want them to feel comfortable and valued within our work environment. It is an honor to be recognized once again by Arizent and Best Companies Group for these efforts and our commitment to providing a positive company culture." For more information on Arizent's Best Places to Work in Financial Technology program, including full eligibility criteria, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkFinTech.com.

About Member Driven Technologies Member Driven Technologies (MDT) provides a private cloud alternative for core processing and IT needs. The CUSO hosts the Episys core platform from Symitar, as well as dozens of complementary solutions and supporting services to help run the entire institution, such as digital banking, payments, lending, security, continuity and regulatory solutions as well as imaging, consulting and hardware purchasing services. MDT's open platform allows credit unions to seamlessly integrate with virtually any technology provider of their choosing. By alleviating the technology burden, MDT frees credit unions to focus more on member service. With the CUSO's hybrid approach to outsourcing, credit unions across the country are boosting efficiencies, enhancing cybersecurity and business continuity and reducing costs. MDT serves credit unions representing more than $22 billion in assets and approximately two million members. Visit mdtmi.com or follow @memberdriven for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005539/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
The companys flagship Kvanefjeld Project is shaping to be a large-scale, low-cost, long-term supplier of the rare earth materials required to fuel the green energy revolution.

The company is well-funded following a $34 million capital raising in 2020.

( ) ( ) (FRA:G7P) has its sights set on the booming magnet metals market, as it seeks to become a world-renowned provider of rare earth materials.

The companys 2020 annual report highlights the progress made at the flagship Kvanefjeld Project and the potential it has to be a key plank in the global supply of rare earth materials.

GGG shares rose 9% on the news to A$0.19 while the market cap sits at around A$234.7 million.

EIA ticked off, consultation underway

Greenland Minerals chairman Anthony Ho told investors the company was in a strong position ahead of the remaining three quarters of 2021.

Substantial progress was achieved during the year in advancing our Kvanefjeld project with the completion of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and the acceptance of the EIA by the Greenland Government, he said.

The public consultation will provide an opportunity for us to present the project to the Greenland community and stakeholders and to explain the project and its benefits to the present and future citizens of Greenland.

Magnet metals opportunity

Rare earth materials are crucial to the green energy revolution, as they form part of the motors, batteries and generators that power things like electric vehicles, wind turbines, portable electronics and much more.

Rare earth magnets are made from alloys of rare earth elements, which include neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium and 13 other lustrous, silvery-white, soft but heavy metals.

Kvanefjeld is centred on the globally unique Ilimaussaq Alkaline Complex in southern Greenland, and to date more than 1 billion tonnes of mineral resources have been delineated in the project area.

Mineralisation is hosted by a rock-type called lujavrite and is enriched in rare earths, uranium, and zinc.

Ho said Greenland Minerals had a terrific opportunity to capitalise on the rising rare earth magnet metal prices.

The global geopolitical shifts during the year have refocused the world on the importance of reductions of global carbon emissions and this will continue to drive strong increasing demand for rare earths, particularly in magnet metals, he said.

The drive to a low carbon global economy and specifically to the demand for high-powered permanent magnets will see demand for magnet metals reach 40% of the total demand for rare earths by the end of the decade.

As a result of increasing demand, the prices of magnet rare earths surged strongly toward the end of 2020 with this trend continuing into 2021.

Looking ahead

With the environmental aspect of the project now signed off, Greenland Minerals will now focus on explaining the benefits of Kvanefjeld to the Greenland economy, with strong interest from the European green energy industry exciting the company.

In 2021 we will be into the final stages of the permitting process and working with the Greenland Government to ensure the project meets the Greenland communitys expectations, Ho said.

We will also continue to work with European industrials with a focus on commercial outcomes and final engineering design and work programs will also commence with the aim to bring the Kvanefjeld project into production expeditiously.

The company is well-funded following a $34 million capital raising in 2020, and it is continuing optimisation programs designed to increase recoveries, reduce future operating costs and reduce the environmental impact of the project.

- Daniel Paproth
The Indian American CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google LLC, Sundar Pichai, appears on a monitor as he testifies remotely during the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing 'Does Section 230's Sweeping Immunity Enable Big Tech Bad Behavior?' on Capitol Hill, Oct. 28, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)
A tourist from Pittsburgh has been charged with manslaughter after a deadly fight in a Hawaii vacation rental, police said.

A second tourist from Boston who had been arrested was released with no charges filed, police on the Big Island said Wednesday.

Police were called to a Kailua-Kona vacation rental early Monday where a 30-year-old man wasnt breathing.

An autopsy showed that Abhishek Gupta of Pittsburgh was strangled, police said.

A preliminary investigation found that an argument between the men turned physical, police said.

Benjamin Fleming, 37, of Pittsburgh and Alexander Germany-Wald, 31, of Boston were arrested. Fleming was later charged while Germany-Wald was released after police conferred with prosecutors.

A judge on Wednesday declined a request by Flemings attorney to release him or lower his bail. Fleming has a plane ticket to return to Pennsylvania Sunday and pandemic-related restrictions on travel will make it unfeasible for him to return for court hearings, the judge said in keeping his bail at $250,000.

Defense attorney Christopher Eggert also asked to postpone Flemings preliminary hearing to next week and noted that his client doesnt have a criminal history.

A man who answered at a phone number for Germany-Wald declined to comment.
editorial

The fiscal discipline of the Second Republic is now being exhibited in the critical and major area of agricultural financing, the determination of ensuring that only those who can use the finance actually get the money in the first place and the determination that they pay back.

Besides the schemes in place to ensure inputs on Government-sponsored schemes are used properly by the farmers who are allocated these inputs, we have, as evidence given to a Parliamentary committee recently shows, a determination that even when things do not go well the farmers still have to repay the debts.

For Command Agriculture, the scheme for serious commercial farmers with the larger farms, basically the A2 farmers, Government roped in CBZ, a major commercial bank. There was a Government guarantee, but CBZ had to put in some of its own money.

Using a commercial bank meant, for a start, that bankers' rules applied. That is some bank manager had to look at each application and make a considered decision. This removed many of the chancers from the list, plus those who had zero record of using previous loans, basically selling off the inputs for instant cash, or who had not delivered their produce to the Grain Marketing Board or other designated agencies.

Then, last season, we had a second successive year of drought. That was bad news for farmers and many had significantly reduced yields and quite simply did not have enough grain to sell to repay their loans.

But CBZ has acted fairly and responsibly. Responsibly in refusing to write off the debts and call on the Government to find the cash in terms of its guarantee, and fairly in giving farmers time to pay. The farmers now get three years, starting with this season, to repay the loans for last season, or at least that portion of the loan they still owe. So the debt is not forgiven, but farmers are not being bankrupted and can still stay in business.

There might still be the odd farmer who cannot meet the payments, but any farmers who cannot make a decent profit this season needs to seriously consider their future. They should not be farming if they cannot get excellent yields in a near perfect rainy season and this is probably a good time to sell out and try something else where they can be successful.

This upgrade of Command Agriculture is important. Obviously the Government needs to budget each year for agriculture-related items, but this should not include bad loans. Treasury should be looking at finding money each year to build up the infrastructure, build more dams for example, rather than providing a guaranteed income for deadbeats.

This is especially important because both the banks and Government borrow short-term funds, as we saw from the report of last week's meeting of the new Monetary Policy Committee that approved the required financing for the winter wheat crop and CBZ's evidence that its agriculture unit raises an overdraft with the mother bank for its share of the Command Agriculture scheme.

This should not be a problem since the money comes back when the farmers deliver their crops, and have the loans taken off the top with those stop-order facilities, and all the money the Government and banks have borrowed is then repaid.

In other words, no one is printing money to finance farmers, but rather going through commercial deals with the main security being the crops, and that puts even more pressure on input providers to ensure that they lend to farmers who can grow these crops.

Tobacco operates exactly the same, although there is no Government money or guarantees involved. We now know, from a recent directive of the Reserve Bank designed to make sure the system is both simple and transparent, that many of the merchants have to arrange off-shore financing for at least part of the money they need to buy the leaf delivered by the farmers they have contracted, or to buy the small percentage of the crop still sold on auction.

The RBZ rules simply make sure that all the money, both the cash the merchants have in their own nostro accounts and the money they borrow, are kept separate and are out there where any bank inspector can see the funds.

Unless someone was planning on making money from muddle, and steps are taken to licence only those merchants who are honest, this is just an accounting procedure, not an imposition.

Merchants repay their off-shore funders from their own value added profits. Even the requirement to give good details of the farmers they have contracted and the cost of inputs and the like wanted by the Reserve Bank should not be a problem, nothing more than a print out or even a soft copy of part of the stuff every merchant must be keeping, for commercial purposes, in their own finance systems.

Even the small-scale growers, those in the Presidential Inputs Scheme, commonly called after the upgrade Pfumvudza-Intwasa, were checked out first.

They had to undergo training in conservation agriculture, and be signed off by Agritex, and this was after their local Agritex officer had already certified they physically existed and had a farm. There are a couple of handfuls of people on remand after being caught cheating, another example of enforcement, but basically the system worked well.

The system also carefully split the inputs between three plots with at least half of what is grown designated for sale to the GMB. This means that these farmers will have the cash to repay their small loans. Government, rightly, picks up the bill for all those Agritex services, but the farmers in the communal lands and the A1 farms are being pulled into the real commercial world and are being turned into businesses, small businesses, but real businesses.

And, as they now realise, this system will make them money. They have been keeping proper records, and someone checks to prevent the lazy putting that off, and can now start calculating what they need to keep to feed the farming family and what they can sell to make money, along with the standard commercial farmer's scowl over the debt that will be deducted.

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This is something new, and there are bound to be some teething problems, and some deadbeats, but the transformation of hundreds of thousands of subsistence farmers into real business-orientated farmers has got off to a flying start.

And those newly empowered farmers will no doubt be figuring out how they can expand production, try new crops and generally turn their little businesses into better and bigger businesses.

Farm financing should be an automatic business operation. Farmers borrow inputs, grow the crops, sell the crops, pay back the loans and keep the rest in their bank accounts to start buying all the things their farms and families need.

And the rest of the economy wins as those profits start circulating through the economy and other make money by making and selling the things farmers buy.

Government, Reserve Bank, commercial banks and contractors need to keep the disciplined and business-like approach, but the farmers are responding and as they become richer will drive the country forward, basically by becoming creators of wealth rather than a drain for others. The bits are all in place and we now just need to make them better.
It seems Line of Duty has boosted the number of those applying to join the MET Police's anti-corruption teams.

The super-popular BBC cop drama - which returned to screens last month for its sixth series - follows AC-12, a fictional department investigating internal police corruption.

And the real-life equivalent - the Directorate of Professional Standards - has seen triple the number of applicants since 2018 - according to The Sun.

Signing up: It seems Line Of Duty has boosted the number of those applying to join the MET Police's anti-corruption teams

In 2017, 96 people applied to join the hunt for 'bent coppers'. The same year saw the fourth season of the show aired on the BBC, with it gaining traction as a fan-favourite.

While season three averaged 5.42 million viewers, season four climbed to 9.55 million.

Season five climbed further, to 12.85. Season six's premiere episode alone raked in 13.36 million.

Meanwhile the Directorate of Professional Standards received 387 applicants in 2018, with 340 applications made in 2019.

Join us: The super-popular BBC cop drama - which returned to screens last month for its sixth series - follows AC-12, a fictional department investigating internal police corruption

A further 354 people applied following season five.

The stats have been acquired by The Sun, via a Freedom of Information request - who also report that more than 1300 officers were investigated between 2015-2017.

This has dropped slightly since. MailOnline has approached the Met for comment.

Police chief Dame Cressida Dick has been known to slam the show, saying: 'Its so far from that. The standards and the professionalism are so high.'

She also slated BBC series Bodyguard, also created by Line Of Duty scribe Jed Mercurio.

On the up: The real-life equivalent - the Directorate of Professional Standards - has seen triple the number of applicants since 2018

In 2019, Dame Cressida said she sat next to Line Of Duty star Vicky McClure at an awards show and was inspired to give the drama a try.

Clearly unimpressed by both programmes, the police chief told the Radio Times: 'I found myself sitting next to the lead actor [McClure] at an event and I thought she was quite interesting and so I thought, "I'd better watch a bit of this".

'But I was absolutely outraged by the level of casual and extreme corruption that was being portrayed as the way the police is in 2018-19.

Not a fan: Met Police chief Dame Cressida Dick has slammed Line Of Duty, saying 'the standards and the professionalism [in the police] are so high'

'It's so far from that. The standards and the professionalism are so high. But I could see that it was good drama.'

But she admitted that she was far more irritated by Bodyguard, which starred Richard Madden as an officer protecting the Home Secretary, played by Keeley Hawes.

'It drove everybody round here absolutely up the wall!' Dame Cressida said. 'I actually did have to switch it off after about 20 minutes - the moment when the Home Secretary made a pass at the Protection Officer was just beyond me, I'm afraid.

'But both series actually make us look a bit cool and interesting - a net positive, probably. They bring in interest and applications. Even though it's all completely ludicrous.'

Unimpressed: She admitted that she was far more irritated by Bodyguard, which starred Richard Madden as an officer protecting the Home Secretary, played by Keeley Hawes, who are both pictured above

She also explained at the time that BBC One's police documentary, The Met: Policing London, had also helped to increase recruitment to the service.

While her number one operational priority is to reduce violence, she explained she also wanted to increase public confidence in the police.

'I do believe that the more people know, the better it is', Dame Cressida said of having a documentary made. 'So we've nothing to hide. These are good documentary-makers, and we get lots of interest from people as a consequence of it. People wanting to volunteer with us and get involved.'

Of course, there has since been much outrage in recent weeks aimed at the force, with calls for Dame Cressida to resign, after a vigil for Sarah Everard - a woman murdered by a policeman last month - was met with aggressive handling by the Met police.
Zac Efron's girlfriend Vanessa Valladares has been accompanying the actor on his travels around Australia as he films Netflix docu-series Down to Earth.

And the part-time model, 26, enjoyed some retail therapy on Wednesday during a trip to Leura, a suburb of the Blue Mountains, 100km west of Sydney.

Vanessa bought a leather bag at a local boutique, and was spotted walking along a quiet street holding the tote in the crook of her arm.

Beaming: Zac Efron's girlfriend Vanessa Valladares enjoyed some retail therapy on Wednesday during a trip to Leura, a suburb of the Blue Mountains, 100km west of Sydney

She may have purchased the $430 travel bag from Teddy Sinclair in preparation for her upcoming trip to Canada with her boyfriend.

The former Byron Bay waitress dressed for the shopping trip in a laid-back ensemble consisting of a white T-shirt and ripped jeans.

She completed her look with black Chelsea boots and held a checkered blazer.

Sighting: The part-time model, 26, has been accompanying the Hollywood actor on his travels around Australia as he films Netflix docu-series Down to Earth

Entourage: Vanessa chatted to a male friend as they made their way down the street

Baggage: Vanessa bought a leather bag at a local boutique, and was spotted walking along a quiet street holding the tote in the crook of her arm

Vanessa chatted to a male friend as they made their way down the street.

She had her hands full carrying a paper shopping bag and a coffee cup, and kept her essentials in a small cross-body handbag.

At one stage, she flagged down someone, possibly from Zac's filming crew.

Preparation: She may have purchased the $430 travel bag from Teddy Sinclair in preparation for her upcoming trip to Canada with her boyfriend

Stylish: The former Byron Bay waitress dressed for the shopping trip in a laid-back ensemble consisting of a white T-shirt and ripped jeans

Vanessa, who appeared to be wearing a light application of makeup, beamed as she headed inside a building.

She was also spotted typing on her iPhone, likely updating Zac on her whereabouts.

Zac met Vanessa in July last year when she was working as a waitress at Byron Bay's General Store & Cafe.

Hey, stranger! At one stage, she flagged down someone, possibly from Zac's filming crew

Taking a load off: She had her hands full carrying a paper shopping bag and a coffee cup, and kept her essentials in a small cross-body handbag

They were apparently introduced by her boss.

Vanessa has since fitted seamlessly into the Hollywood star's entourage of high-profile friends, and regularly visits him on set of Down to Earth.

Zac is travelling around Australia with wellness expert Darin Olien as they film the highly anticipated Netflix docu-series.

Love story: Zac met Vanessa in July last year when she was working as a waitress in Byron Bay

Checking in: She was spotted typing on her iPhone, likely updating Zac on her whereabouts

The program will follow their search for healthy and sustainable ways to live.

During his travels, he also embraces local food, culture and customs while exploring the land Down Under.

Zac's brother Dylan, who is part of the Down to Earth crew, caused a stir last month when he was granted an exemption to fly to Australia during the Covid pandemic.

Searching for alternatives: Zac (right) is travelling around Australia with wellness expert Darin Olien (left) as they film the highly anticipated Netflix docu-series Down to Earth

On the move! It comes after a well-placed source revealed Zac (right) was preparing to fly to North America in May with Vanessa (left). He will shoot the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel Firestarter in Canada

He was allowed to travel to Australia from the U.S. to help produce Zac's TV series - even though thousands of Aussies are stranded overseas and unable to come home.

The New South Wales government approved his entry because Down to Earth is expected to inject $2million into the local film industry.

It comes after a well-placed source revealed Zac was preparing to fly to North America in May with his girlfriend.

Romance: Zac and Vanessa were apparently introduced by her boss

He will shoot the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel Firestarter in Canada.

The actor signed on for the horror flick in September last year, and will spend about eight weeks filming in Canada before returning to Australia.

Zac relocated to Byron Bay in March last year in an attempt to escape the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S., and now reportedly plans to make the move permanent.
TANAISTE Leo Varadkar challenged his TDs to provide evidence that gardai or teachers are more at risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19 after coming under fire over changes to the vaccination schedule.

At Fine Gael's and Fianna Fail's parliamentary party meetings last night, Coalition ministers, TDs and senators criticised changes to the vaccination programme that will see people prioritised on the basis of age and not occupation.

The move has sparked anger among gardai and teachers, who had expected to be vaccinated sooner.

In a significant intervention at the Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting, Education Minister Norma Foley said the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) must provide "a detailed rationale" for their recommendation to change the vaccination sequence.

Mr Varadkar told Fine Gael colleagues that if they had data that gardai and teachers are more likely to become seriously ill from the virus, they should give it to him and he would present it to the NIAC.

He said it would have been better if ministers had got the NIAC advice on changes to the programme earlier so they could have consulted unions, and noted that the advice had leaked as the Cabinet was meeting on Tuesday.

He strongly defended the science behind the changes, insisting it could not be scientifically shown that a 35-year-old teacher is more at risk of dying than a 55-year-old retail worker.

Mr Varadkar also told the meeting it was "notable" that no contributor had mentioned retail, meat plant or childcare workers.

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He said there was a reason why people champion gardai and teachers but not those other workers. He said it was not a good reason, and the party needed to be honest about that.

Mr Varadkar's comments led to accusations from Carlow-Kilkenny TD John Paul Phelan of "very disingenuous answers" on the issue.

In written exchanges over the chat feature during Wednesday's online meeting, Mr Phelan said that "teachers and gardai and childcare workers were slated for specific positions on [the] vaccination schedule" and that had now been changed.

Mr Varadkar responded that the "list of workers/professions was never defined" and that "assumptions were made and expectations created, but that is a different thing".

But Mr Phelan said those categories knew where they were on the list, and "now we've scrapped the list".

Mr Varadkar asked: "Who told them that they were? Send me the link/statement or circular.

"Education was in there but was very low on the list 13th or 14th and they objected to that."

Mr Phelan responded: "Yep. And we've scrapped the list. Answers are tone deaf and there's an underlying tone about colleagues raising issues which is utterly unacceptable."

Earlier, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said gardai were disappointed by the decision and had expected to be prioritised. She said she would meet garda unions to explain the logic.

Former education minister Joe McHugh warned that TDs would face a campaign from teachers over the issue.

Junior minister Patrick O'Donovan said that up to 35 gardai in one district in his constituency had contracted Covid and had been left "bitterly disappointed" by the decision.

Senator Jerry Buttimer said the Government had "missed a trick" by not prioritising gardai.

At the Fianna Fail meeting, Taoiseach Micheal Martin heard complaints that vital segments of society - and party support - were being alienated by being told they would not be prioritised as a group for vaccination.

TDs Cathal Crowe, Cormac Devlin and Barry Cowen raised changes to the vaccination roll-out, asking for teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) to be granted further consideration because of their work and conditions.

Former agriculture minister Mr Cowen said he would reluctantly accept the change, but that a timeline for the vaccination programme must now be published.

The Taoiseach told the meeting the "strong clinical advice" was that age is the key factor in Covid-19 hospitalisations, which justified the changes.

He said older teachers and SNAs will get the vaccine sooner.

The new system will allow for a faster roll-out.

Brendan O'Connor, of the Garda Representative Association, feels like the "door has been slammed in our faces".

"Since the start of the pandemic, the Government has appreciated the effort the guards have made," he said

"The public attitude surveys show we policed the pandemic well. We enforced laws that were very restrictive but did it in a fashion that maintained public support for those measures.

"We feel very let down. Gardai aren't entitled to take industrial action, so we're asking if the Government is taking advantage of that. It's a question that needs to be answered."
TORONTO - Canadian Pacific Railway is facing scant opposition so far over its US$25-billion bid for Kansas City Southern in a turn of events from prior takeover efforts.

Canadian Pacific Rail locomotives sit idle at the company's Port Coquitlam yard east of Vancouver, B.C., on May 23, 2012. Canadian Pacific Railway is facing scant opposition so far over its bid for Kansas City Southern, a turn of events from prior takeover efforts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

TORONTO - Canadian Pacific Railway is facing scant opposition so far over its US$25-billion bid for Kansas City Southern in a turn of events from prior takeover efforts.

Wasatch Railroad Contractors, a rail-oriented business in Wyoming, made the initial filing with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board arguing against the deal.

Chairman and CEO John Rimmasch wrote that the merger would allow a Canadian-based railroad a dominating monopoly in the United States and create the only rail system with direct ownership of track and trackage rights to Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

"This merger goes against everything that maintains a good and strong economy in the United States of America and places Canada and Mexico in a stronger position to dominate what should be United States transportation matters," said the filing from last week.

Global food corporation Cargill Inc. urged the regulator to apply current merger rules when evaluating the proposal, saying the industry has changed significantly since 2001 when Kansas City was granted a waiver.

"While these two carriers state that they are the smallest of the Class Is, they are still Class I carriers and each exert market power over their shippers," stated vice-president Brad Hildebrand.

"Cargill believes that any merger of these two should rise to the highest level of scrutiny as provided by the board to properly evaluate the long-term impact on competition in the marketplace."

The American Chemistry Council, National Grain and Feed and the National Industrial Transportation League made a similar submission about the waiver.

"Whatever logic did exist for the KCS waiver 20 years ago has been eroded by the significant increase in the size of KCS and the significant changes in the rail marketplace since then," it wrote.

The groups said the transaction will have significant impacts on competition and rail service that current merger rules are designed to address, including the preservation of gateways and changeable bottleneck rates.

Norfolk Southern Railway Co. also called on the regulator to apply current merger guidelines but said it was not taking any position on the merits of the proposal.

"Winding back the clock to antiquated guidelines would deny the agency the suite of modern tools to gauge and address the broad implications of any major rail merger in the current economic and operational environment," it wrote, adding that current guidelines require applicants to submit plans in case of service disruptions.

"As the board knows, service disruptions are not confined to the applicants and would ripple throughout the nations freight rail network."

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and Transportation Communications Union say they plan to participate in the proceedings but haven't taken a position on the deal.

Meanwhile, Calgary-based CP Rail demonstrated support for its takeover bid by filing nearly 260 statements from shippers and supporters, including those seeking a swift review of the transaction.

"The CP-KCS combination is expected to provide an enhanced competitive alternative to existing rail service providers and is expected to result in improved service to customers of all sizes," the proponents said in a news release.

CP Rail says the filing of support was "a collaborative process" with Kansas City because of similar benefits across shippers and industries.

In 2014, CP Rail abandoned a push to acquire CSX Corp. in the face of opposition. It dropped a bid for Norfolk Southern two years later.

Canada's largest private-sector union says it also supports the transaction.

"This new North American single-line will drive growth not only in Canada, but across the continent," said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president.

"This powerful combination will be good for Unifor members in rail, and allows CP and KCS to fully utilize the USMCA to serve customers in all three countries."

Unifor represents 1,400 workers at CP in Canada, and 9,200 rail workers across the country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CP)
Michael Boatman, 41, has been charged with indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, marijuana possession and resisting police

A South Carolina man has been arrested after deputies say he was caught doing a drug-fueled 'walk of shame' in the nude, with only a clear plastic bag covering his genitals.

Michael Boatman, 41, was observed just after 1am on Thursday ambling down New Cut Road in Spartanburg in his birthday suit, with a marijuana cigarette clutched in his hand.

When questioned by Spartanburg sheriff's deputies at the scene, Boatman said he was doing a 'walk of shame' as a 'penance for cheating on his wife, according to an arrest report cited by The Smoking Gun.

Boatman asked the deputies if he could complete his walk, and was told that he could not.

The bare-naked suspect 'referenced Adam and Eve from the bible, stating that he was willing to go to jail for his acts,' according to the arrest documents.

Boatman also allegedly admitted to using methamphetamine prior to embarking on his walk.

Boatman is accused of walking naked with a blunt in his hand along New Cut Road (pictured) Spartanburg, South Carolina, early Thursday

At one point during his encounter with the deputies, Boatman allegedly made an attempt to flee on foot, but the officers quickly grabbed him, took him to the ground and placed him in handcuffs.

Boatman's criminal record includes multiple domestic violence convictions

After he was bundled into the back of a patrol vehicle, the penitent husband allegedly said he would try to break out of jail, lamented that 'he did not have tomorrow' and asked a deputy to shoot him.

Boatman was booked into the county jail on charges of indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, marijuana possession and resisting police.

Boatman remained behind bars as of Thursday evening, despite his earlier boasts.

Records indicate that he has a lengthy criminal history, which includes three separate domestic violence convictions.
GEORGETOWN  Just over a year after closing its offices due to the pandemic, Georgetown County will reopen its facilities April 1 without residents having to make an appointment. Masks will still be required and residents must adhere to social distancing guidelines while in county facilities.

This decision comes as vaccination efforts are under way in the county, and South Carolinians ages 16 and up are now eligible for vaccination as of March 31.

Its not quite back to normal, and it wont be for some time. This pandemic is not over, said Angela Christian, county administrator. But we are moving in that direction as more people, including our staff, receive their COVID-19 vaccinations.

In May 2020, the county reopened its facilities from the original shock of the pandemic, but required residents to make an appointment, which county spokesperson Jackie Broach said was helpful for limiting the number of people in the facility, but frustrated some residents.

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Meeting rooms at the five libraries are pending approval by the Library Board and scheduled to reopen May 31. The Parks and Recreation Department will resume rental of outdoor facilities for events on April 1, but indoor rentals will not offered again until September, according to the county.

More than 36 percent of county residents have been vaccinated, according to the county, with more than 63 percent of those residents being 65 and older. The county said it is working to give more vaccine information to its rural and minority-populated areas to ensure more people have access to them.

A full, department-by-department plan on reopening is available on the county's website.
The FTSE 100 closed up 0.35 per cent, or 24 points, at 6,737.3 ahead of the Easter break.

Fashion chain Next saw its pre-tax profits halve to 342million last year as Covid-19 lockdowns closed its stores for a significant portion, but has forecast a big bounce back this year.

Shares in Deliveroo failed to see any bounce back from their plunge yesterday, slipping 1.9 per cent.
The Jazz Standard closed its location on East 27th Street in December, becoming the first major New York club to permanently shutter amid the coronavirus pandemic. But its leadership insists thats not the end of the story: Simmering tensions with the landlord were largely to blame, and the club is on the hunt for a new, post-Covid location.

In the meantime, its artistic team has started a six-week online series under the Jazz Standard banner, with world-class artists in performances recorded at the South Orange Performing Arts Center. This weeks presentation features the storied pianist Fred Hersch, whose lucid and harmonically lush playing often graced the stage at the Standard, and his trio.

The stream begins at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on Friday. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased at jazzstandard.com; the performance will be available for ticket holders to view for 48 hours. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Jazz Foundation of America, which helps provide housing and health care to musicians in need.

GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO
OTTAWA, TRADITIONAL UNCEDED ALGONQUIN TERRITORY, ON, March 31, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is closely monitoring the number of COVID-19 cases reported in First Nations communities across the country. Overall, active case counts continue to decline, with 860 active cases reported as of March 30, 2021, which is the lowest number of active cases reported since last November.

Even after being vaccinated, everyone must continue to follow public health measures, including minimizing in-person interactions with people from outside your immediate household, avoiding closed spaces and crowded places, wearing a mask, and washing your hands frequently.

In First Nations communities, as of March 30, ISC is aware of:

24,768 confirmed positive COVID-19

860 active cases

23,625 recovered cases

283 deaths

There are currently no active cases in Nunavik, Quebec. As of March 30 the Government of Nunavut is also reporting no active cases of COVID-19.

As of March 25, 2021, more than 6.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed across the country. As of March 30, 246, 675 vaccine doses have been administered in 612 communities. This represents over 50 per cent of adults living on First Nations Reserve, in Inuit Nunangat and the Territories who have received at least one dose, at a rate over 4 times that of the overall Canadian adult population. As well, over 70 per cent of the adult population have been vaccinated in the Territories, based on the 2017 census.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has been providing vital assistance to Indigenous communities across Canada, to minimize the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of Operation LASER  which is the CAF response to the worldwide pandemic  this week, the CAF completed its deployment to the community of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, Manitoba. Approximately 40 CAF members were deployed to assist ISC in their response to the COVID-19 situation in the community from March 10 to 29. CAF soldiers, medical specialists and support personnel worked alongside community members and partner organizations to help residents overcome a COVID-19 resurgence in the community.

As part of Operation VECTOR  which is the CAF support to the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial governments for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines  the CAF continues to assist provincial vaccination authorities with tasks associated with vaccine administration in more than 25 communities of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation in Northern Ontario. This week CAF will be assisting two communities with the second dose, Pikangikum First Nation and Sandy Lake First Nation. The province of Manitoba is beginning mass vaccination efforts in the northern region of the province. ISC continues to work closely with Public Safety and CAF along with First Nations partners and other service providers to expand on and accelerate the vaccine roll-out in the province.

Pimicikamak, also known as Cross Lake, and Peguis First Nation began their COVID-19 vaccination effort on March 22, 2021. Approximately 600 vaccines were administered among citizens in Pimicikamak Cree Nation, and about 400 doses were given to residents in Peguis First Nation. According to data collected by Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin Inc. (KIM) uptake for the vaccination has been going well. As of March 25, Manitoba First Nations Pandemic Response Coordination Team reported that 4,855 First Nations people received one single dose while 5,452 First Nations people received 2 doses. Starting March 29, the CAF began the vaccination efforts in Mathias Colomb (Pukatawagan) and Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation communities, in Manitoba.

In Nova Scotia, the province announced that any Nova Scotian who wants a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to get their first shot by the end of June. Phase one of the province's vaccination plan, which included First Nations people, is already 50 per cent complete and on track to be complete by the end of April.

In Alberta, the Metis Nation of Alberta launched the first Metis-led vaccine clinic in Canada in Edmonton this week, in collaboration with the provincial government.

In addition, last week, ISC and the province of Saskatchewan signed a COVID-19 vaccination program provider agreement to help accelerate vaccine roll-out in First Nations communities in the province.

In British Columbia, by the end of this week, we expect that all First Nations 18+ living on reserve will have been offered at least one dose of the vaccine. A number of second doses have also been administered.

In Quebec, all First Nations communities have started vaccination clinics, and four communities have started their second doses, with the rest to begin in the coming weeks. Vaccines are also continuing to roll out to urban Indigenous adults, and planning is underway to administer second doses to the homeless population who received their first doses in early 2021.

Associated links

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Join the conversation about Indigenous peoples in Canada:

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Facebook: @GCIndigenous

Instagram: @gcindigenous

Facebook: @GCIndigenousHealth

Twitter: @Min_IndServ

You can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.isc.gc.ca/RSS.

SOURCE Indigenous Services Canada

For further information: For more information, media may contact: Adrienne Vaupshas, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, [email protected]; Media Relations, Indigenous Services Canada, [email protected]

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Armenia received on Monday the first 24,000 doses of the vaccine from COVAX Facility, the World Health Organizations global vaccine-sharing scheme. The Ministry of Health said they will be made available to medical workers, care home personnel, persons aged 65 and older as well as younger people suffering from chronic diseases.

More than a dozen European countries halted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine last month after reports linked it to a rare blood clotting disorder in a very small number of people. Some of them, including Germany and France, resumed inoculations after the European Unions drug regulator said it is safe.

Avanesian said that there has been no scientific evidence of grave side effects caused by the vaccine.

We will use AstraZeneca and all other vaccines which are effective and meet all safety requirements, according to the findings of international expert bodies, she told journalists.

Some countries have temporarily stopped using a certain amount [of vaccine shots] while others have again started doing that. There are also countries that never refused [the AstraZeneca vaccine,] she said.

Avanesian said the Armenian health authorities will therefore start distributing the vaccine to policlinics across the country on Monday. Policlinic medics are already being trained to properly inoculate individuals eligible for the first shots, added the minister.

The authorities are launching their first vaccination campaign amid what they describe as a third wave of coronavirus infections that has overwhelmed Armenian hospitals.

The Ministry of Health reported earlier on Thursday that 28 more people infected with COVID-19 have died in the past 24 hours. It registered almost 1,100 single-day coronavirus cases.

Avanesian said that the hospitals will set up this week an additional 300 beds for COVID-19 patients in need of intensive therapy. Hospital beds are not unlimited, she warned.

So far only several hundred people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in the country of about 3 million.

The Armenian government reportedly plans to buy 15,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. It is also understood to expect more vaccine deliveries through the COVAX scheme.

But the government has given no indications that it is planning to inoculate most Armenians this year. Avanesian implied in February that people not included in high risk categories of the population will have to pay for their vaccination at private medical centers.
PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Alpine 4 Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:ALPP), a leading operator and owner of small market businesses, is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Excel Fabrication (Excel) was awarded $1.3M in new contracts during the month of March to close out the first quarter.

These new projects in the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington are for clients in the food processing industry, a major discount retailer and a state government agency, to name a few. This new work has led to the company hiring in several areas to fulfill the exponential growth currently being experienced.

Excel received its General Contractors license in the state of Washington, making this 4 of the 8 targeted states so far. The company believes it will benefit from an insurgence of American made, built and maintained.

Jeff Hail, COO of Alpine 4, had this to say: "As seen throughout many parts of the country where Alpine 4 has a presence, Excel is also seeing demand spikes in Idaho and the NW region as Covid restrictions are lifting. The ample positive feedback from various, recently built relationships between regional and national contractors, has resulted in more diversified construction services opportunities. We will continue to acquire General Contractor licenses, expanding our footprint as we move into Q2."

Excel Fabrication has been providing fabrication, design-build, installation, repairs, service, maintenance and turn arounds for its customers since 2008.

About Alpine 4 Holdings: Alpine 4 Holdings, Inc. (ALPP) is a publicly traded conglomerate that acquires businesses that fit into its disruptive DSF business model of Drivers, Stabilizers, and Facilitators. At Alpine 4, we understand the nature of how technology and innovation can accentuate a business. Our focus is on how the adaptation of new technologies, even in brick-and-mortar businesses, can drive innovation. We also believe that our holdings should benefit synergistically from each other, have the ability to collaborate across varying industries, spawn new ideas and create fertile ground for competitive advantages.

Four principles at the core of our business are Synergy. Innovation. Drive. Excellence. At Alpine 4, we believe synergistic innovation drives excellence. By anchoring these words to our combined experience and capabilities, we can aggressively pursue opportunities within and across vertical markets. We deliver solutions that not only drive industry standards, but also increase value for our shareholders.

Contact: Investor Relations

investorrelations@alpine4.com

www.alpine4.com

Forward-Looking Statements: The information disclosed in this press release is made as of the date hereof and reflects Alpine 4 most current assessment of its historical financial performance. Actual financial results filed with the SEC may differ from those contained herein due to timing delays between the date of this release and confirmation of final audit results. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, the risks, uncertainties, including the uncertainties surrounding the current market volatility, and other factors the Company identifies from time to time in its filings with the SEC. Although Alpine 4 believes that the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate and, as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those assumptions also could be incorrect. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are made as of the date hereof, and Alpine 4 disclaims any intention or obligation to update the forward-looking statements for subsequent events.

SOURCE: Alpine 4 Holdings, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638581/Alpine-4-Holdings-ALPP-Subsidiary-Excel-Fabrication-Awarded-13M-in-New-Contracts-in-March-to-Close-Out-Q1
OTTAWA  Federal officials say they'll help to avoid letting unused Moderna doses expire on Manitoba reserves, and ensure Metis people are included in the campaign to inoculate the most remote corners of the province from COVID-19.

OTTAWA  Federal officials say they'll help to avoid letting unused Moderna doses expire on Manitoba reserves, and ensure Metis people are included in the campaign to inoculate the most remote corners of the province from COVID-19.

The First Nations Pandemic Co-ordination Response Team is overseeing a campaign to administer 100,000 vaccine doses by June 30 in all 63 reserves, as well as 21 remote communities that sit adjacent to First Nations.

The idea is to inoculate communities that have the worst access to medical care and the highest risk of a disastrous COVID-19 outbreak, particularly those facing the risk of a flood or wildfire evacuation that would likely spread the novel coronavirus.

Some of the first bands to get large shipments have started offering door prizes to coax people to roll up their sleeves before the doses expire. Chiefs say theyre dealing with issues such as vaccine hesitancy, a lack of firsthand exposure to how bad COVID-19 can get, and logistical challenges.

"You wont find me giving any particular positions on door prizes," said Marc Miller, minister overseeing Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).

"There are many incentives, and people are smart to get vaccines into arms; people are using some really original methods."

ISC officials said Wednesday they will help move around doses if a community is struggling to get people to sign up before they expire. But they noted uptake could dramatically rise a few days after vaccines are made available.

"All of the partners are working together to ensure that doses can be reallocated, where they could be utilized, and then a community could always have future doses if they require them," said Valerie Gideon, a senior ISC official.

She said broadcasting information on radio shows and Facebook have helped increase uptake elsewhere, including highlighting the importance of protecting children from infection.

ISC medical director Dr. Tom Wong added providing child care and transportation or home visits have helped parents get shots.

Meanwhile, there appear to be some hiccups in including Metis people in the vaccine rollout.

The 100,000-dose campaign is meant to include remote communities that neighbour Manitoba reserves, such as Hollow Water, which sits near three small municipalities on the east shore of Lake Winnipeg.

Residents of the town of Manigotagan who work on the Hollow Water reserve say they were present at a meeting where band officials said they would not welcome people onto the reserve for shots, due to an unspecified liability issue.

The chiefs office did not respond to a voicemail Wednesday. In any case, the province said Wednesday it will roll out a separate clinic for those three remote communities, starting April 20.

Manigotagan deputy mayor Helen Thomas said shes relieved elderly locals will get their shots without having to travel to Selkirk. But the Metis woman is disheartened by the confusion and not allowing people onto the reserve.

"It's hurtful that the First Nations wouldn't help the surrounding communities, because a lot of the families are intertwined; the cousins and aunts and uncles in these neighbouring communities are all related," she said.

"Why cant (the province) let the Metis government look after their own communities?"

The Manitoba Metis Federation said the province is creating confusion by not having the MMF at the central planning table. The province has said instead invoiced the MMF to side committees on vaccine logistics, but the MMF are demanding parity with First Nations.

In any case, federal officials said Wednesday they have asked for statistics to make sure the Metis arent overlooked.

"We are working on being able to obtain some more information about access to the vaccine for Manitoba Metis Federation members," Gideon said.

"We are mapping those community sites as well, to look at where there might be access gaps, and able to build on our existing partnerships."

Miller said Ottawa will continue to advocate that provinces include all Indigenous people as a priority for vaccination, no matter where they live.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Critical care services facing punishing pressures in third wave of pandemic

TORONTO, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - "The Ontario Hospital Association welcomes the enhanced public health measures announced today by the Government of Ontario which are intended to staunch the third wave of the pandemic. Ontario's hospitals are grappling with an historic crisis and their situation is the most perilous it's been since the pandemic began.

Ontario hospitals are now caring for the highest number of patients with COVID-19 in critical care beds at one time, putting unprecedented strain on hospitals and their health care professionals and workers. Over the past two weeks, there has been a 41.7 per cent increase in hospitalizations, driven largely by new variants of concern. There are now 430 patients in intensive care units (ICUs) with 43 new admissions yesterday alone. In contrast to the first two waves, many of these patients are younger, and many do not have any prior health care concerns. Provincial modelling projects that a scenario of 700 patients in ICU is possible by April 18. Should that occur, the cost to human health and to the ability of hospitals to provide equitable access to critical care and all other health services will be devastating.

Ontario's critical care health system is not designed nor is it intended to operate at 100 per cent base capacity/mass casualty status for an extended period. Current ICU occupancy is 1,821 beds. Baseline capacity is 2,319 and hospitals have been directed to establish an additional 350 ICU beds as a surge contingency for the current crisis. It will not be possible for Ontario's hospitals to staff their 74 critical care programs at normal levels on a sustained basis at these occupancy levels. Even with best efforts, very significant disruption to other surgical and diagnostic services is certain. Given the severity of the situation, the OHA strongly recommends that the Government of Ontario and local public health units monitor the situation closely and take additional, immediate action to enhance public health measures as circumstances warrant.

Throughout the last year, Ontario hospitals have stood ready to do whatever it takes to fight the pandemic and they remain on state-of-emergency footing. At this moment, the OHA makes three health policy recommendations.

First, it's imperative that we get vaccines into the arms of those in the hardest-hit and most vulnerable communities. The focus of provincial vaccination efforts must shift to prioritize hotspots where COVID-19 is out of control and the population is most vulnerable to infection, while shifting away from mass vaccination clinics to community-based programs that bring access to vaccines right to the front door of people most at risk. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Retail Council of Canada and Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses have also stepped forward to offer volunteers and resources and specialized expertise from their respective members to help strengthen mass vaccination efforts. The OHA encourages a stronger partnership between the health sector and business and industry to enhance mass vaccination capacity.

Second, a provincial campaign is needed as soon as possible to improve vaccine confidence and increase uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.

Third, sick pay for essential workers is needed immediately to help stop community spread of COVID-19, particularly among essential workers.

These targeted strategies and strict adherence to public health measures will help curb the impact of the third wave. We implore every Ontarian to continue to stay home if you can, wear a mask indoors and outdoors, and physical distance when in close quarters. The situation at present is extremely serious but the end of this public health crisis is in sight. As vaccination rollout accelerates across the province, more and more people will gain protection from COVID-19. If we all come together as a province one final time we will prevail in the fight against the pandemic and before long, life will start to return to normal."

- Anthony Dale, President and CEO, Ontario Hospital Association

Ontario Hospital Association

The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) is the voice of Ontario's public hospitals. Founded in 1924, the OHA uses advocacy, education and partnerships to build a strong, innovative and sustainable health care system for all Ontarians.

SOURCE Ontario Hospital Association

For further information: Amanda Philp, Director, Public Affairs, [email protected]

Related Links

www.oha.com


YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. The recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh has put new tasks before the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) The organization is engaged in different activities, starting from the search operations for the bodies of the dead up to the visiting of the conflict-related detainees on the sides, as well as ensuring communication between the detained and their families.

Thierry Ribaux, Head of the ICRC Delegation in Armenia, gave an interview to ARMENPRESS, talking about the aforementioned.

- Dear Mr. Ribaux, the 2020 war in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone put major tasks before the International Committee of Red Cross. Can you, please, present the priority directions of your activities in past months? What activities the Mission is mainly engaged in?

-The ICRC has been present in the region since 1992, we have delegations in Yerevan and Baku and the mission in Nagorno-Karabakh. Weve had an uninterrupted presence all these years. Of course, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict escalation in September-October triggered quite a surge in our response across the region, in particular, in Nagorno-Karabakh it was mostly an emergency response, supporting the hospital facilities, helping the population with food and non-food items. Here in Armenia, as many people fled the fighting, together with the Armenian Red Cross Society we also developed a response to help them cope with this situation, and we supported the health facilities and schools, etc. So, at the first phase, it was very much an emergency humanitarian response. We have been working for many years in Tavush region on resilience programs with the communities. This is something we would like to strengthen and further develop also in Syunik, Vayots Dzor and possibly Gegharkunik regions.

One of the key elements of our work is the support to host families and the displaced. And this support will be organized in cooperation with the Armenian Red Cross Society, aimed at helping the host families to cope with the additional burden of hosting those displaced following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict escalation. Together with the Armenian Red Cross Society we are also looking at ways to support the displaced people or host families elsewhere in the country. One of the other key directions is connected with those who are still missing. The ICRC has been participating in the search and retrieval operations almost on a daily basis since November 2020. We are present at the retrieval and handover of human remains, but also provide technical support to the process of identification of these remains so that they can be handed over to their families. This process is not over yet. Its also important to support the families of those missing, including with psychological support if necessary, or economic support if possible. We understand that the identification issue is important also from the perspective of legal framework. We are ready to assist the Armenian authorities in improving the legal framework, which will contribute to these families benefitting from relevant services and assistance.

-After the war, Artsakh is facing a number of humanitarian problems: this has been recorded by the top officials of the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia. What kind of humanitarian problems did the ICRC employees record and what actions is the Committee taking for addressing all these issues and ensuring living conditions for the local population?

-I think firstly we have to realize that in the course of the conflict all the sides are affected, especially the civilian population. There are people who went missing on the sides as they didnt return from the battlefield. Initially, we were very much in an emergency mode in connection with our humanitarian response to the escalation, including during the active hostilities,. And now we are moving towards a more sustainable response, also in terms of livelihoods, food security and other issues. We are looking at ways of developing such schemes so that affected people can recover their dignity and restart their life wherever they are.

- Have there been visits to the prisoners of war after the end of the war? What problems did the ICRC staffers record after visiting the Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan? What are their detention conditions? Can you release their total number based on the facts you have?

-We certainly do much more than we can communicate publicly. Its a very sensitive issue. As a matter of principle, the ICRC engages in a discrete conversation with the relevant authorities when dealing with such issues. This is a normal practice for the ICRC, and as we visit the places of detention across the world, we communicate of that part of work in a very modest way. Across the region the ICRC has been visiting detainees for decades, and this has not stopped during and after the recent escalation of the conflict, either. We continue visiting the conflict-related Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan and engage with the authorities on a variety of dimensions. This way, we act as a neutral intermediary. We facilitate the exchange of family news between the detainees and their families. Now many things are said about their numbers and the conditions of detention, but it would not be appropriate for the ICRC to comment on this, this is the part of the bilateral dialogue we have in full discretion with the relevant authorities. We are visiting those detained, assessing their treatment and conditions of detention, and making sure they can communicate with their families. For family members, who do not know where their loved ones are, to receive a Red Cross message, a call or an oral message through the ICRC saying that their beloved are okay has an incredible value.

-Azerbaijans President repeatedly announces that Azerbaijan has returned all Armenian POWs. He claims that the other Armenians who are currently detained in Azerbaijan have another status and are accused of crimes. According to the ICRC, what is the status of detained Armenians in Azerbaijan?

-As the ICRC, we do not enter a public discussion on the status of detained people. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have expressed their positions. We certainly have our own view which we keep for our bilateral and confidential dialogue with the authorities. The status determination is something that indeed does matter, and the issue is also highly sensitive. There has been a certain number of detainees who have been returned from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The ICRC has not been involved in the actual release, with the recent exception of a lady who was returned to Lebanon. It was organized at the respective levels under the auspices of Russia.

We also visit the detainees once they are back home to assess their situation and see how and if we can provide support to them and their families.

-Since the establishment of the ceasefire on November 9, search operations for the bodies of the dead are underway in the battle zones. Azerbaijan sometimes is delaying these operations for unknown reasons for several days or a week, thus obstructing the process of finding the bodies. Isnt this a violation of humanitarian obligations in case when the specialists note that the later the bodies are found, the harder their identification will be?

-You are perfectly right, the later the human remains are found, the harder the identification will be. We have to consider conditions in which these operations are taking place. The operations started almost immediately after the signing of the ceasefire. They have not really been discontinued, though sometimes they stopped for several days. We are talking about searching for human remains at the former battlefields that are heavily polluted with unexploded weapons, so its an extremely dangerous environment. The territory is very large as well. There is also the issue of information on where to search. At the initial phases it was probably easier, but now as the time passes, it gets more complicated to identify search areas. Now these operations sometimes lead to little success as the teams that go on the search mission may not find any human remains during the day.

We need to take everything into account  the conditions, the need for exchange of information and cooperation between the sides and with the Russian peacekeepers. It may seem very simple, and I understand the families who are so anxious about the news about their loved ones. However, we also have to understand the complexity of such operations. I think there have been delays in these operations also for some logistical reasons, sometimes the weather conditions did not allow the search operations to go on as planned. On the ICRC side, we involve our forensic and other specialists in these operations, such as demining experts, who advise the teams on the ground how to properly and safely retrieve and evacuate the human remains.

-During the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War many videos were posted on private Telegram accounts and groups showing Azerbaijani military servicemen humiliating, executing and committing other acts of inhumane treatment against numerous Armenian prisoners of war, including both servicemen and civilians. This is a clear violation of the third Geneva Convention which states that prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treatedMeasures of reprisal against prisoners of war are prohibited. In your opinion, how should the international community and human rights organizations react to this kind of conduct of the Azerbaijani military?

-I would let the human rights organizations and the international community decide what they want to do on that. As the ICRC we did follow the conduct of hostilities by the sides. And this is the topic that we discuss, again bilaterally and confidentially, with the respective authorities. One of the roles of the ICRC is to promote the respect for international humanitarian law. We had this kind of discussions with the authorities in the region for almost three decades. The recent escalation of the conflict will feed our further dialogue with them. As we promote the implementation of the international humanitarian law on the national level, we also promote the principles of justice. However, to preserve our capacity as a neutral and impartial humanitarian organization to operate in all the sensitive environments we work in across the globe, we do not contribute to any judicial processes or public reporting. It is not our role while it is certainly the role of other entities. If we were to do that, the consequences would be immediate, and we would lose our access to the affected people.

Interview by Anna Grigoryan

Photos by Hayk Manukyan

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
The arrest this week of an Humble mother who allegedly left her three young children alone at home while she worked sparked online debate, with many comments critical of the law enforcement agencys actions.

Breanna Davis, 25, was charged on Monday with abandoning or endangering children with intent to return after a witness called police to report seeing the womans kids playing alone at a park near their home, according to Harris County Constables Office Precinct 4.

The children  ages 5, 7 and 9  were left alone while their mother worked a 12-hour shift at a prison, deputies said. Davis was taken into custody and later released on $1,000 bond, court records show. Her children were placed with a family member, Child Protective Services officials said. Davis was ordered by the court to not have contact with two of the children, her bond order says.

The social media post filed by the constables office detailing Davis arrest drew more than 1,800 comments, many of which criticized the constables office. The post has been removed.

Such a broken system, one person wrote. She should have been provided with help and resources before blasting a mom in a bind on social media. She was trying to provide for her children.

Many of the comments expressed the same concerns and criticized the witness who reported seeing the children alone in a park near the womans home.

It isnt exactly easy to find a babysitter in a (pandemic), let alone afford one, said another.

The post was taken down partly in response to the publics reaction, a spokesperson for the constables office said. The agency did not respond to a request for comment on the arrest.

Davis attorney has not responded to requests for comment.

Texas law does not specify how old a child must be in order to be allowed to be left alone, but states that "adequate supervision" is critical and offers guidelines on ensuring proper supervision.

Its important for us ask what circumstance or situation made this mom make that decision, said Sophie Phillips, CEO of TexProtects, a nonprofit that advocates for child safety. Its sad that a parent going to work felt like she had no other option than to leave children unattended.

The number of these cases has increased over the past year, Phillips said, due to the stressors brought on by the pandemic.

Seventy-five percent of all confirmed abuse and neglect cases in 2020 involved neglectful supervision, said Phillips.

Every parent at some point in time makes the decision to leave kids alone, said Phillips. The vast majority of parents likely struggle with that at some point. Theres very little guidance out there and parents have to make a call based on whats in the best interest of the family.

Neglectful supervision can mean leaving a child in a situation that requires judgment beyond their maturity level or mental capacity and results in injury or substantial risk of immediate harm. Its also defined by the law as putting a child in an environment with risk of sexual abuse.

In determining whether its safe to leave a child at home alone, CPS recommends considering their age, the number of children and how long they are unsupervised. The safety of the home and the neighborhood also play a factor in CPS consideration of safety.

It can be very subjective, said Phillips. The child welfare system has historically disproportionately impacted children of color and lesser economic status and this situation is no different.

Phillips said TexProtecs is advocating this legislative session to invest in solutions and resources for families who are struggling to provide for their children.

The pandemic has demonstrated the need for these services more so, she said. Most abuse and neglect is not of ill intent, but because the family has inadequate support. Were never going to reduce the child welfare system if we don't make an investment on the front end.

hannah.dellinger@chron.com
When Noelle Melody moved to Kingston in 2012, nobody in the region knew about her. Now, shes impossible to miss.

If you frequent the market scene, youll see Noelle and her sister, Joy Buran, at nearly every creators market in the Hudson Valley. If you stroll down Broadway in Kingston, youll see the mural Noelle created for The Yoga House. If you attend the Woodstock Film Festival, youll catch her and her sisters name on every festival program and perhaps watch them host an audience Q & A.

Noelle and Joy are illustrators, animators, and, as it happens, twins. The duo, who work together, have an impressive resume creating for brands such as Anthropologie, Netflix, A+E Digital, NBC, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Amazon Studios and Sesame Studios.

But their favorite client just may be smaller regional businesses in Ulster County.

Noelle Melody and Joy Buran

When they arent working for big-name brands, Joy and Noelle are commissioned by local musicians like Matt Pond to animate music videos, and the Kingston Waterfront Business Association to illustrate social media posts that encourage local shopping. For every big job they get, the twins make sure to sprinkle in work for a smaller one.

I dont want to choose favorites, says Noelle on working with regional businesses. But I do feel more joyful when I am working with someone locally. Joy feels similarly. The smaller jobs ... feed our creativity, she adds.

Amplifying regional businesses through art

The regions businesses are just as thankful for Joy and Noelles commitment. They do such quality work, and they are heavily involved in the community and so friendly when they couldve easily stayed to themselves, says Hadas Liebermann, co-owner of Jay Tseke Leather Co and member of Kingston Waterfront Business Association. Liebermann hired Joy and Noelle to animate an Instagram post of the Kingston Waterfront, encouraging people to shop locally over the holidays.

Meira Blaustein, filmmaker and co-founder of the Woodstock Film Festival, says that having Joy and Noelle involved in the annual event is an honor. The twins curate the Animation Program, and coincidentally were the successors of one of their idols, Academy Award-nominee Bill Plympton, who managed it alongside Signe Baumane from 2000 to 2015.

In addition to having their names on the program masthead, Joy and Noelle have also animated the trailers and promotional posters for the film festival each year. In 2020, the festival was hosted at various Hudson Valley drive-ins as well as online. As of right now, thats also the plan for the festival in 2021.

The sisters, who grew up on Long Island, were introduced to the artistic process at an early age. Their grandfather was an artist who taught them to paint and draw. When their father wasnt running his restaurant (named Gemellis, meaning twins in Italian), he also drew with the duo. Without knowing precisely what they wanted to do but knowing they wanted to be artists, Joy and Noelle packed their bags and attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where they studied Media Arts.

Watching the aforementioned Bill Plympton films and taking animation classes helped the sisters discover a shared love for their craft. A senior thesis project cemented the notion of making it a business. And it was a professor who encouraged them to fine-tune their collaboration skills, citing it as an integral skill needed in filmmaking.

Noelle Melody and Joy Buran

A handful of arguments in their dorm room, some disagreements around the dining table and a few years later, Joy and Noelle are a well-oiled machine. Even with Noelle in Kingston, Joy in the NYC borough of Queens and a global pandemic still transpiring, the sisters manage to work together on a daily basis via Google Hangouts.

The field of animation has proven to be somewhat pandemic-proof. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the economic impact of the film and television industry reached a record-high in the Hudson Valley, generating more than $46 million in spending in 2019, according to the Hudson Valley Film Commission.

Although the rest of the television and film industry was hit hard by the pandemic, animation  a trade that is usually done in solitude  has largely been able to continue. Joy and Noelle had to slightly pivot but for the most part, theyre managing business  with big and small clients  as usual.

Drawing inspiration from other Hudson Valley creatives

What has changed is their ability to connect with other makers in the region. In the pre-pandemic world, youd most likely find the twins at the Hudson River Exchange or the Hudson Valley Hullabaloo or the Kingston Night Market. In fact, working the regional market scene is how Joy and Noelle met all of their friends and collaborators.

Those markets are integral to where we are now, says Noelle. Without making those connections to other local makers we wouldnt have made our friends or built up our business to what it is.

Noelle Melody and Joy Buran

Their admiration of other regional makers is palpable. Joy and Noelle are quick to highlight the creatives theyve collaborated with, making it clear its more about camaraderie than competition. Were a small business and collaborating with people locally has a special place in our hearts, says Joy. We can help each other reach a wider audience than we could going at it alone. The makers and businesses that we work with are what makes our community different than anywhere else.

From her Queens apartment during our interview, Joy picks up small objects decorating her desk and holds them up to her laptop camera, showing what shes collected from local makers in the Hudson Valley. There's a felt creature from PetitFelts in Kingston, and a ceramic from Shop Little House in Woodstock.

About a hundred miles north, Noelle holds up a Silke Jacobs bag to show to the camera during our interview. I met Silke Jacobs one year at the Hudson River Exchange and bought one of her bags, reminisces Noelle, now I have a ton of them!

The undeniable support is refreshing and reflective of how much the Hudson Valley creators benefit from each others abilities and resources. We havent needed a resume in years, laughs Noelle. A lot of work has come from other local artists and creators recommending us. Were a small community so we all vouch for one another.

When the twins arent getting inspiration from other local creators, folklore or mythology, they are getting it from the surrounding Hudson Valley landscape.

We go on these meditation retreats with Pumpkin Hollow Retreat Center, says Joy, and everything from the mountain views to the meditation practices have really taken our art to the next level.

The twins started attending the meditation retreats up in Craryville after Noelle was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkins lymphoma in 2018, as a way to deal with the trauma. Rather than escape all of those feelings of fear, we decided to pour our creativity into it, explains Noelle. As a result, their art became more personal.

Being in the mountains and in nature, surrounded by themes of acceptance and letting go, along with the imagery, symbolism and colors of Pumpkin Hollow, really helped push us to where we are today. Currently, Noelle is cancer-free.

Noelle Melody and Joy Buran

As they wait for markets to resume and in-person collaborations to pick back up, Joy and Noelle are working on pitching films to bigger studios and writing a childrens book. In the meantime, Noelle is trying to persuade Joy to make the move upstate.

Noelle is doing a really great job of convincing me to come live in Kingston, says Joy. Between the people and the mountains and the culture, its really tempting.
Four areas on have seen increased restrictions but rest of state to remain same

Only case in NSW is man who was in close proximity to hen's party

NSW records no new cases of coronavirus overnight after Byron Bay outbreak

New South Wales has recorded no new coronavirus cases overnight despite man testing positive from close proximity to the Byron Bay hen's party as the majority state looks to enter the Easter long weekend without increased restrictions.

More than 20,000 tests were conducted over the past 24 hours after yesterday's announcement that a community transfer had been recorded in the state's north.

NSW Health confirmed the only active case in the state was a man in close proximity to a hen's party that included a Queensland nurse and her sister who were both infected.

Four areas in the NSW north corth coast - Tweed Shire Council, Ballina Shire Council, Byron Shire Council and Lismore City Council - have seen increased restrictions including masks on public transport and indoor settings that will last until at least Monday.

The rest of the state have avoided any further rules and will head into the Easter long weekend without further disruption.

NSW record no new cases of coronavirus overnight meaning majority of the state will head into the Easter long weekend without added restrictions

NSW Health confirmed the only case in the state was a man in close proximity to a hen's party that included a Queensland nurse and her sister who were both infected

New South Wales has recorded no new coronavirus cases overnight despite man testing positive from close proximity to the Byron Bay hen's party at the Byron Beach Hotel

The northern NSW man aged in his 20s tested positive on Tuesday night after sitting within close proximity to an infected hen's party from Queensland at the Byron Beach Hotel last Friday. He is now in isolation.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced new rules for the far northern NSW holiday hotspot and the surrounding Ballina, Tweed and Lismore local government areas, which come into effect 5pm Wednesday and continue over the Easter long weekend until midnight April 5.

Gatherings in homes, including holiday rental properties have been restricted to a maximum 30 people in the four northern NSW local government areas.

Public indoor settings including hospitality venues must revert back to the one person per four square metre rule while the wearing of masks in shops, public transport and taxis will be mandatory.

Byron Bay's Bluesfest has been cancelled thanks to the Queensland Covid outbreak that has spread to the idyllic coastal town

The Farm has also been put on alert after the infected nurse visited the popular cafe

Event organisers are looking for a new date for Bluesfest rather than cancelling the iconic annual event altogether

More venues in Byron Bay have also been added to NSW Health's COVID-19 exposure site list, including a burger bar, surf shop and women's clothes store.

Two Ballina venues have also been added after the NSW case attended a tavern and golf course while unknowingly infectious on Sunday March 28.

Anyone who attended the Henry Rous Tavern on Sunday between 1.20pm- 2.20pm or the Ballina Golf and Sports Club pro shop 2:25pm-2:35pm must immediately get tested and self-isolate until further advice is provided by NSW Health.

NSW Health has adopted a cautious approach to minimise the risk of further transmission.

'We want you to limit the number of people that come to your home to 30 and, as we know, during this time of year, there may be house parties or other events,' Ms Berejiklian said on Wednesday.

'We want all of those limited to 30 and please make sure you have a list of everyone who attended or is attending your home.'

Festival goers leave the Bluesfest site after it was cancelled on Wednesday

Tash Sultana (left) and Jimmy Barnes (right) were due to headline Bluesfest over the weekend

All public indoor settings, including hospitality venues must revert back to the four square metre rule, where customers must stay seated at all times.

'The positive news in all of this is we're not saying to businesses shut your doors, quite the opposite,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'We are saying you can keep your doors open but because of the risk that is there, we want you to be extra cautious.

'Until the end of Easter, you are able to keep your doors open but make sure you revert to the four square metre rule and make sure that all of your patrons are seated and not standing up and mingling.'

'Given what has been identified since 8pm last night, the community and our citizens would understand why we are taking these measures.'
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has seen his fair share of ugly things. His alcohol and drug addiction sent him spiraling for years and led him to cook his own crack cocaine. But he's seen a lot of beautiful things, too  namely the love he shares with his father and brother Beau Biden, who died of glioblastoma in 2015.

Biden wrote about all of it in in his new memoir, "Beautiful Things" (Gallery Books, 255 pp.), out April 6. His candid chronicle of his drug- and alcohol-fueled binges and relationship with Beau's widow, Hallie Biden, are sure to shock  but don't let all the tabloid fodder fool you. Biden has found love again with new wife Melissa, whom he credits for getting him back on the winding path to sobriety.

"Where's Hunter?" was a rallying cry from former President Donald Trump to try and smear Joe Biden. "I'm not going anywhere," Biden writes. "I'm not a curio or sideshow to a moment in history, as all the cartoonish attacks try to paint me."

Yes, the book touches on Trump and Biden's Ukraine business, but more compelling are the vulnerable, human details of Biden's personal life. Here's what we learned about Biden by reading his devastating memoir.

In case you missed: Merrick Garland, Joe Biden haven't spoken about Hunter Biden investigation

Hunter Biden has seen his fair share of ugly things. But he's seen a lot of beautiful things, too.

Hunter talks trauma, addiction: 'Why I feel the way I do'

Biden has been through more than most would dare to imagine. He and Beau were in the 1972 car accident that killed his baby sister and mother. It's a moment that defined not only Joe, but his sons too. Biden doesn't think he ever fully came to terms with the violence of it.

"I don't see that tragic moment as necessarily resulting in behaviors that lent themselves to addiction," he writes. "But I do have a better understanding of why I feel the way I do sometimes."

He took his first drink  a glass of champagne the night his father was reelected to the Senate in 1978  when he was 8 years old. He drank more when he was 14, even though he knew he shouldn't be doing it. He went to Mass with a hangover and threw up outside during the service.

Story continues

His drinking followed him into adulthood (he attended Georgetown University and later Yale Law School). After his third daughter, Maisy, was born in 2000 to then-wife Kathleen, he started to drink more heavily after work at his law firm. He ultimately went to rehab in Antigua and remained sober  for a time.

'I would not have survived'

In November 2010, Biden relapsed and had three Bloody Marys on a plane; when his father joined Obama's campaign ticket in 2008, he had to upend his career because of his lobbying work (i.e., it would be a conflict of interest). He "had huge expenses and no savings, and now I had to bust my (expletive) to build another career from scratch."

After Beau's death, everything Biden did "for the next four years, resulted in me stumbling, then sliding, then racing downhill." As his marriage to Kathleen fell apart, he returned to rehab and tried to stay on the straight and narrow. His drinking, however, only worsened. "I was drowning myself in alcohol," he says.

With the encouragement of his father, he again went to get clean. "Left on my own, I'm certain I would not have survived," he writes.

By Memorial Day 2016, however, someone offered Biden cocaine. He took it.

This led to his buying crack cocaine in Washington from Rhea  a homeless, middle-aged woman he met while he was at Georgetown. Rhea is a pseudonym, Biden writes.

"I spent a couple of thousand dollars on crack in those first two weeks, with Rhea serving as my conduit," he writes. She even moved into his apartment and stayed there for approximately five months. When he's strong enough, he says he hopes to see her again and help "get her in a position where she wants to be saved."

From the book announcement: Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, to release memoir 'Beautiful Things' this spring

'I was smoking crack every 15 minutes'

In the spring of 2018, he used his "superpower  finding crack anytime, anywhere"  in Los Angeles. At one point, a dealer pointed a gun at his head before he realized Biden was looking for drugs.

He later learned how to cook drugs and spent a lot of time with thieves, addicts and con artists. "I never slept. There was no clock. Day bled into night and night into day," he writes.

The situation grew out of control. "I was smoking crack every 15 minutes," he writes.

Biden returned to the East Coast in the fall of 2018, again wanting to get better, though that didn't happen.

Eventually, his family tried to stage an intervention. "I don't know what else to do," Joe Biden told him. "I'm so scared. Tell me what to do." His son replied: "Not (expletive) this."

It wasn't until he met now-wife Melissa Cohen in Los Angeles  whom he married after only a week of knowing  that he got sober again. They told each other they loved each other on their first date; she had the same eyes as Beau, he writes. She championed his sobriety and dumped out his crack.

Did you see? Demi Lovato says she is 'California sober' today following 2018 overdose, watch her sing live

Hunter's relationship with Hallie doomed from the start: 'A failure of epic proportions'

Hallie and Biden connected  romantically  in the wake of Beau's death, between their grief and Biden's addiction. His then-wife Kathleen discovered texts between them on an old iPad. "That gave her the gift of justification: I was the sicko sleeping with my brother's wife," he writes.

But once they tried living together full-time, it didn't work.

"It was a giant miscalculation on both our parts, errors in judgment born of a uniquely tragic time," he writes. And later, when they tried to rekindle their romance after he got sober (again) in January 2018, it didn't work. "It felt like a failure of epic proportions," he writes.

Meet the Bidens: A who's who of the new first family

The title 'Beautiful Things' comes from Beau

Beau's mantra to his brother during his illness was "beautiful things." He wanted them to "dedicate our lives to appreciating and cultivating the world's boundless beauty"  referencing relationships, places and moments.

"It was our code for a renewed outlook on life," he writes. Shortly before Beau died, Biden promised him he would stay strong and sober. Beau had gone with him to his first AA meetings, found him his first sponsor and taken him to rehab plenty of times.

"I had no idea then how many dead-end detours I'd take before I could finally keep those promises," he writes.

Still, "Beautiful Things" serves as a fitting title, considering the book closes with a letter to Beau.

"I've survived, buddy," the letter reads. "I know you were with me through it all."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) any time of day or night.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hunter Biden memoir: He opens up about Hallie Biden, crack addiction
Defence Attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste alluded other anomalies, i.e. strange things, about the evidence that is supposed to inform the case.

Corporal Andy James, the investigator in the murder case of 36-year-old Denzil Sam of Ottley Hall, claims that he lost all his notes in relation to the matter.





Up to press time Tuesday, Sam was being tried at the Criminal Assizes for the murder of Dexter Rodney, who was shot in the stomach and arm just outside the plant shop of Head of the Cannabis Revival Committee (CRC) Junior Spirit Cottle, around midday on October 1, 2015.





Rodney was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital where he was warded for about three weeks and discharged.





He as re-admitted to the hospital around April or May 2016, and died on July 14, 2016.





Sam was originally charged with attempted murder but after Rodney died, that charge was substituted for that of murder.





Under cross-examination by Sams attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste on Monday, Corporal James admitted to the Court that he had lost all his notes, which contained everything he did during the investigations which spanned a period of about nine months.





The notes included a statement James said he took from Rodney before he died.





James was asked about the first statement he said he (James) made. He told the Court that it should be on the case file.





However, Bacchus-Baptiste said she looked at the case file, and the only statement she saw from James was the one he made in August 2016. The one purportedly made before was not there.





However, Prosecutor Rose-Ann Richardson indicated that the first statement from James was not meant for the file, as it was a report James had made to his superiors.





Speaking with THE VINCENTIAN shortly after the adjournment on Monday, Bacchus-Baptiste said that never before in her 25 years of trials, had she heard of a criminal matter in which the Prosecution lost so many critical records.





But Bacchus-Baptiste added that there are other things which are strange about this trial. She noted that hospital Administrator Grace Walters testified that she could not trace any record of Dr. Alisha Melissa Bonadie having dealt with Rodney at the hospital, yet Dr. Bonadie is on record as saying she witnessed the statement Rodney gave to the police before he died.





The Prosecution rested its case on Tuesday, and is relying on the statement Rodney is alleged to have given to the police before he died, in which he said Sam shot him.





Sam, in his evidence from the dock, denied that he shot Rodney, saying that Rodney was his friend.





He accused the police of beating him when they arrested him in 2016. He also accused them of not informing him of his rights before doing the first electronic interview with him, and that they told him to say something to save himself.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 00:57:46|Editor: huaxia

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-- The Communist Party of China has always put the interests of people at the forefront, which is key to China's achievements over the past decades.



-- The merit of the CPC is that it has been pursuing a socialist path of development and always been trying to solve problems.

-- The CPC has offered a new governance approach to building a more just society. It allows the country to use the accumulated capital to satisfy more social needs, so as to not only bake a bigger cake but divide it in a much fairer way.

-- The CPC is from the people and wholeheartedly serves the people, he said the party knows and cares all the aspirations of the people, as they are an integral part of it.

NUR-SULTAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has always put its people's interests at the forefront, which is key to China's stunning achievements in the past decades, a Kazakh politician has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Olzhas Syzdykov, secretary of the Central Committee of the People's Party of Kazakhstan, praised China's achievement in eradicating extreme poverty, which has made tens of millions of people live better lives and develop themselves.

"The Chinese miracle in the fight against poverty offers an example for the whole world. And our party took the experience of China as a model," he said. "We believe that to tackle poverty, the most important investment should go to human capital. And China is a perfect example."

It has been under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, that the CPC has achieved its goal of eradicating extreme poverty before the party's 100th founding anniversary this year, the Kazakh politician said, adding that China has also secured economic growth and cracked down on corruption over the past years.

Syzdykov said the CPC has offered a new governance approach to building a more just society. It allows the country to use the accumulated capital to satisfy more social needs, so as to not only bake a bigger cake but divide it in a much fairer way, he noted.

Thanks to the cohesion and leadership of the CPC, China has been able to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, while most developed countries continue to struggle, he said.

"The Chinese people are united under the leadership of the CPC. They have been able to accomplish what those developed countries cannot do," said Syzdykov.

Stressing that the CPC is from the people and wholeheartedly serves the people, he said the party knows and cares all the aspirations of the people, as they are an integral part of it.

The merit of the CPC is that it has been pursuing a socialist path of development and always been trying to solve problems, he noted. (Video reporters: Ren Jun, Zhang Jiye; video editors: Wu Yao)
Gbarnga  Mr. Caimon Joe Kollie, a native of Bong County and resident in the United States of America, has announced his intentions to contest the presidency of the United Bong County Association in the Americas (UBCAA) in the upcoming general elections, slated for July this year.

Kollie promised to build a robust organization that will consolidate the vast human and material resources that are available in the community to benefit natives of Bong at home and in America.

"Together, we can work to build a strong organization that will enhance our diversity and strengthen our union," Kollie said in a dispatch.

Born November 12, 1972, in Gbamokollieta, Sanoyea District, Bong County, Liberia, unto the union of Yoquelleh Warnpeh and Chief Sumo Gbamokollie, Kollie said his desire to contest the presidency of UBCAA is work in building a robust and well-structural organization to strengthen the union and mobilize the much-needed human and material resources to serve UBCAA's membership, youth, elderly, and those with special needs in the Diaspora as well as in Bong County, Liberia.

Kollie also hopes to create a collaborative partnership with Bong County citizens, stakeholders, Bong County affiliated organizations, and community partners to address the needs in our community. Kollie states, "that he has a team of professionals and community leaders that are ready to put in place robust administrative and practical operations to mobilize our rich human and material resources to bring to bear in providing the much-needed support to our people." Bong County's citizens, former residents, and friends of Bong in the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world individually have done well in many cases, and are willing to give back to their communities, but there must be a well-structured organization for our people to channel their goodwill. We want to build UBCAA to be that organization that people can trust to direct their support to help our people.

Kollie stated that his team has what it takes to build to strengthen and revitalize existing UBCAA local chapters and establish new ones," he said, adding "develop a national directory of Bong County citizens in the U.S.A. and Canada to know where our people are and their interests, and create a collaborative partnership in addressing our needs.

Realizing the importance of interacting with people of the County both at home and in the diaspora, Kollie said as president of UBCCA he will build an interactive professional website and other social media network that will highlight programs, operations, and activities of UBCAA, including a section, wherein members can share their suggestions and/or comments for the betterment of our UBCAA community.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Liberia Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"I will establish a framework for civil engagement, partnership, and accountability between UBCAA and citizens of Bong County, political leaders, civil society, community organizations, investors, small businesses, and stakeholders," he said. Continuing, he added. "I will also establish a fully staffed UBCAA operational service in Bong County, responsible for identifying and engaging in community development projects."

Kollie maintained that Bong is a rich mineral county that previously boosted having more than five mining companies operating in the county, but the citizens are not adequately benefiting from their natural resources.

Kollie stated that if he is given the opportunity to serve the Bong County community in the USA, he will work hard to create a collaborative partnership with international investors doing business in the county, county leaders, and civil society to find better strategy for the people of Bong County to benefit from the corporate social responsibility benefits.

Speaking about the County's education system, Kollie stated that according to the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services, "Bong County has about 367 schools that include 14 high schools, 1 University (Cuttington University) and one Technical College (Bong County Technical College)," but its citizens are struggling to gain access to quality education.

Kollie stated that if residents of the county want to build a productive society, access to quality education should be the rights of every child.
We understand that this will not be enough to repay them for their hard work and the millions of lives they've touched, but we want to honor them with these tokens of appreciation.

Congregations from The Light of the World (La Luz del Mundo) delivered gift baskets to doctors around the country on this National Doctor's Day to show appreciation for their hard work. The events took place in different locations throughout California, Georgia, New Jersey, Texas, among others.

"Doctors are constantly fighting the good fight, helping keep us safe and healthy when we may fall ill, which has been the case for many in this past year," said Jack Freeman, spokesperson for The Light of the World. "We understand that this will not be enough to repay them for their hard work and the millions of lives they've touched, but we want to honor them with these tokens of appreciation."

Throughout 2020 and the start of this year, healthcare physicians have been battling at the forefront of this fight against COVID-19, risking their well-being and giving up time with their families, with the goal of providing the community an opportunity to survive this global pandemic. As a gesture of appreciation, members from congregations of the Light of the World took gift baskets and other items to the doctors located in local healthcare facilities.

"These types of gestures are especially meaningful and touching during a difficult time for many of our colleagues in the medical field," said Christina Bishop-Feeny, Vice President of Jersey City Medical Center. "It lets us know that we're not forgotten and to know that you are praying for us every day means a lot."

Members from the Light of the World congregations continue to recognize the dedication and sacrifice of physicians around the world and will continue to support them throughout this time.

For more information on The Light of the World faith and activities in the community, please visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or website at http://www.tlotw.org
Aselsan radios will equip Territorial Defense units, while Harris systems will be geared to active military units in the field, Security Talks has reported in its issue titled "State-of-the-art radios for the Ukrainian military."

According to Defense Express, L3Harris was selected in 2020 to be a major supplier of encrypted radios to Ukrainian armed services.

Now that L3Harris radios have been officially adopted as core radio systems in Ukrainian military service, these radios are being prepared for installation into Army combat vehicles. Here the talk is about UHF systems deployed at the tactical edge.

In the Ukrainian Armed Forces, modern narrow-band, extended-range HF radios for brigade-to-battalion and higher echelons are no longer in shortage after the Defense Ministry had funded and bought sufficient inventories over the previous years.

In Ukraines military, the intention is to use Turkish-produced radios from Aselsan for Territorial Defense units, while L3Harris systems would equip almost all active in-service units in the field. Exceptions may be individual units of the Air Force (especially combat aircraft units) that require capabilities that are more mission-specific.

The U.S. Government has committed to catalyze the modernization of Ukraines armed services with U.S.-produced radios. According to preliminary projections for 2021 to 2025, the U.S. Foreign Military Funding (FMF) program budgets would fund $300 million worth of procurement of L3Harris radios for the Ukrainian military over the said period. This would come as a complement to the $300 million worth of earlier shipments of L3Harris radios, enabled through funding from the FMF program budgets over the years since the 2014 onset of Russia's military aggression in eastern Ukraine.

However, despite ongoing procurements and past and future assistance coming from the U.S., Ukraines military is still 80 percent below establishment in this type of radio equipment.

op
A new fund has been launched to invite local authorities and creative practitioners to put their skills of engagement to the cultural challenge of climate change.

Kilkenny Minister of State Malcolm Noonan has welcomed the launch of Creative Climate Action by his colleague Minister Catherine Martin on behalf of the Creative Ireland Programme in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

The 2 million fund over two years will be administered by the Creative Ireland Programme and supports the Programme for Government. Creative Climate Action is for creative projects that engage the public on the urgent need for climate-related lifestyle and behaviour change.

The Carlow Kilkenny constituency is rich in creativity, arts and culture and creative practitioners can play a vital role in bringing the urgency of this challenge to the forefront and encouraging and facilitating change at community to national level said Minister of State Noonan.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin said she was extremely proud to support Creative Climate Action.

"This unique fund is a call to arms for the arts, culture, heritage and wider creative communities to engage the public on the climate crisis. If climate change is essentially all about cultural change, then who better than the cultural and creative world to take this on," she said.

Collaborative proposals which bring together creative makers from across the arts and creative industries, climate change and environmental NGOs, education, science and civil society sectors, and offer creative, innovative and interdisciplinary solutions will be encouraged.

Applications are now open and all explanatory materials are available on https://creativeireland.submit.com and www.creativeireland.gov.ie.

The deadline for applications is May 21, 2021 and successful applications will be announced in June.
Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - ScoZinc Mining Ltd. (TSXV: SZM) ("ScoZinc" or the "Company") reminds holders of its common shares, options, warrants and RSUs (the "ScoZinc Securityholders") of the extraordinary general meeting of ScoZinc Securityholders to be held on April 12, 2021 (the "EGM"), at which the ScoZinc Securityholders will be asked to consider and, if thought advisable, pass a special resolution approving a plan of arrangement under Section 288 of the BC Business Corporations Act (the "Arrangement") which will result in ScoZinc becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Fancamp Exploration Ltd. ("Fancamp") by amalgamating with an existing wholly owned subsidiary of Fancamp (the "Transaction"). The Transaction was announced by ScoZinc in a news release dated February 18, 2021, and full particulars of the EGM and the Transaction are contained in a Notice of Meeting and Management Information Circular (the "Circular") filed under ScoZinc's profile at www.sedar.com and which was mailed to ScoZinc Securityholders of record as of March 10, 2021.

ScoZinc's President and CEO, Mr. Mark Haywood, commented: "We believe the Transaction will facilitate financing of the Scotia Mine, and we are excited to join with Fancamp in bringing the Scotia Mine into production in the near-term. The Board and Management of ScoZinc look forward to receiving ScoZinc Securityholders' approval for the Transaction, at the upcoming EGM on April 12, 2021."

The Transaction

Under the Transaction, the ScoZinc shareholders will receive 6.0 common shares of Fancamp (each whole share a "Fancamp Share") for every ScoZinc common share held (the "Exchange Ratio"). Upon the closing of the Transaction, former shareholders of ScoZinc will hold 33.7% of the Fancamp's common shares outstanding. The Exchange Ratio represents a premium of 5.9% based on the 30-day volume weighted average price of ScoZinc and Fancamp's shares traded on the TSX Venture Exchange for the period ended February 12, 2021. Upon closing of the Transaction: (i) all outstanding stock options of ScoZinc will be exchanged for options to purchase Fancamp Shares based on the Exchange Ratio and will expire twelve months after the closing of the Arrangement and (ii) all unexercised ScoZinc share purchase warrants will be exchanged for warrants to purchase Fancamp Shares based on the Exchange Ratio and will expire in accordance with the current expiry dates of the ScoZinc share purchase warrants.

Particulars of the Transaction and ScoZinc's rationale for undertaking it are set out in the Circular, and the ScoZinc Securityholders are encouraged to read this document carefully, including all of its attachments. Instructions to ScoZinc Securityholders as to how to vote their securities are provided in the Circular, and ScoZinc Securityholders are encouraged to contact the Company if they have any questions about how to ensure their votes are counted. As per the Board of Directors' recommendation, ScoZinc Securityholders are encouraged to vote FOR the Transaction.

Additional Information

Mark Haywood, ScoZinc's President & Chief Executive Officer, held preliminary discussions with the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Fancamp and presented draft terms to the ScoZinc's Board of Directors (the "Board") on December 7, 2020. Mr. Haywood, as the President & Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for bringing funding opportunities and potential transactions to the Board of Directors for consideration.

To ensure the independent review and supervision of management in regard to ScoZinc's consideration of the Transaction and the negotiation of its terms, on December 7, 2020, the Board established a special committee (the "Special Committee"), the sole member of which was the independent director, Mr. Christopher Hopkins. The Special Committee held numerous informal meetings with management to obtain updates on the progress of the Transaction, to discuss the consideration proposed to be paid to the ScoZinc Securityholders, and to discuss other financing options potentially available to ScoZinc and the consequences of not undertaking a transaction and maintaining the status quo. As the Transaction progressed, the Special Committee was kept informed of its status and management's activities and the negotiation of the Arrangement Agreement, and had an opportunity to direct management and provide input on the negotiations. The Special Committee concluded its work by holding a formal meeting with advisers and management on January 21, 2021, at the conclusion of which it resolved to recommend the Transaction to the Board. The Board (with directors Mr. Mark Haywood and Mr. Ashwath Mehra abstaining) approved the Transaction and the Arrangement Agreement on January 22, 2021 after receiving the Special Committee's recommendation.

An important factor in the Special Committee's decision-making process was the fairness opinion of Devon Capital Inc. ("Devon Capital"), which is attached to the Circular (the "Fairness Opinion"). At its January 21, 2021 meeting, the Special Committee met with the author of the Fairness Opinion, received a presentation on the Fairness Opinion contents, and had the opportunity to ask questions regarding the Fairness Opinion, the methodologies applied by Devon Capital and its conclusions as to the fairness of the Transaction. In reaching its conclusions that the consideration to be paid under the Arrangement is fair from a financial point of view to the Scozinc Securityholders, Devon principally considered and relied upon (a) a resource multiple analysis, considering the trading value of ScoZinc, compared to a basket of peers on an EV/Resource basis; (b) a capital markets analysis, including share price analysis and trading volume review; the premium or discount to the implied Exchange Ratio and consideration of the ability of ScoZinc shareholders to receive greater than the value implied by the Exchange Ratio in the market; and (c) a cost benefit analysis considering the implications of a private placement versus merger alternatives. The Special Committee relied on the Fairness Opinion in concluding that the consideration offered in the Transaction was fair to the ScoZinc Securityholders.

In addition to abstaining from voting as Board members regarding the approval of the Transaction, each of Mr. Haywood and Mr. Mehra will not vote the shares held by them in the majority of the minority vote required at the EGM to approve the Transaction under MI 61-101 Protection of Minority Shareholders in Special Transactions. Mr. Mehra holds 1,538,334 shares (representing 10.67% of ScoZinc's outstanding shares) and Mr. Haywood holds 507,452 shares (representing 3.52% of ScoZinc's outstanding shares).

About ScoZinc Mining Ltd.

ScoZinc is a Canadian exploration and mining company that has full ownership of the Scotia Mine and related facilities near Halifax, Nova Scotia. ScoZinc also holds several prospective exploration licenses nearby its Scotia Mine and in surrounding regions of Nova Scotia.

The Company's common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "SZM".

For more information, please contact:

Mark Haywood

President & Chief Executive Officer

Robert Suttie

Chief Financial Officer

Simion Candrea

VP Investor Relations

Head Office Purdy's Wharf, 1959 Upper Water Street, Suite 1301, Nova Scotia, B3J 3N2, Canada

Telephone +1 (902) 482 4481

Facsimile +1 (902) 422 2388

Email & Web info@ScoZinc.com & www.ScoZinc.com

The Company's corporate filings and technical reports can be viewed on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Further information on ScoZinc is also available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ScoZinc, Twitter at www.twitter.com/ScoZincMining, and LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/scozinc-mining-ltd.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, potential mineralization, exploration and development results, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from ScoZinc's expectations include, among others, the degree to which mineral resource and reserve estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources and reserves, the degree to which factors which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable are present, the price of zinc and lead, uncertainties relating to availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, risks related to international operations, the actual results of current exploration activities, delays in the development of projects, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of metals, ability to predict or counteract potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Company's business, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in ScoZinc's management's discussion and analysis of the Company's financial statements for the period ended September 30, 2020. Although ScoZinc has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79266
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Meredith Corporation's (NYSE: MDP) PARENTS announces that its first-ever America's Kindest Families contest launches today, with entries now being accepted at parents.com/kindcontest. In a year that has challenged all families, PARENTS wants to celebrate the moms, dads, and children who lifted up their friends and neighbors, gave back to their communities, advocated for those without a voice, and showed the world what it truly means to be kind. The winning family will be featured on a 2021 cover of PARENTS and will receive a cash prize of $10K. Three runners-up will also be highlighted in an upcoming issue of PARENTS and receive $1,000 each.

Julia Edelstein, Editor in Chief of PARENTS, said, "Moms, dads and kids have been nothing short of heroes in the last year, and at PARENTS, we want to make sure the world knows that fact. We are looking forward to honoring the generosity, altruism and kindness of families today with a special cover, along with an entire issue packed with insight into raising a kinder generation. We hope this contest inspires families to continue do good and to share their stories. It's the best way to inspire others! We are also thrilled to have an amazing panel of judgesall moms and dads who are fierce advocates for kindness and inclusivityon board to help us choose our finalists and winning family, and to spread the message that kindness matters."

Contest winners will be selected by an esteemed panel of judges, along with PARENTS Editor in Chief Julia Edelstein and PARENTS LATINA Editor in Chief Grace Bastidas. The PARENTS America's Kindest Families 2021 contest judges include:

+ NBC News' 3rd Hour of TODAY co-hosts Dylan Dreyer, Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin and Al Roker

+ Actor and producer Kristen Bell and creative director Benjamin Hart, co-authors of the #1 New York Times bestselling children's picture book The World Needs More Purple People

+ Angela C. Santomero, creator of the Emmy award winning kid's show Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, co-creator of Blues Clues and Blues Clues and You, and author of Radical Kindness: The Life-Changing Power of Giving and Receiving

According to the recent PARENTS Values Study 2020, parents in America say that raising kind children is the most important value they can instill. In the study, half of moms (50%) said that showing their child how to be compassionate and kind is the most important task of parenthood and 28% said that helping their child learn to be his/her most authentic self is most importantmore important than raising a successful high achiever or a person of high intelligence. Seven in ten moms feel that modeling kindness themselves is the key to raising kind kids.

Tyson brand is the presenting partner of the PARENTS America's Kindest Families 2021 contest. In honor of the winning family, Tyson brand will make a product donation valued at $15K to a 501c3 charity in the winner's hometown or nearby area.

Contest entries may be submitted starting today through 11:59 p.m. ET on May 31, 2021. Contest entries may be submitted on behalf of one's own family or on behalf of another kind family they know. To enter the contest and see the full contest rules, visit: parents.com/kindcontest.

About PARENTS

PARENTS, the leading source for busy, millennial moms, reaches 8.3 million readers monthly through an award-winning magazine and over 19 million readers on its digital and social platforms. With an understanding that raising good people is the most important job, PARENTS serves up trusted advice that empowers moms and dads to care for their kids with confidence and find ways to enjoy the ride. PARENTS is produced by Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP).

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The offer made by KI Phoenix is substantially less than book value, which, based on independent expert advice, sits at $59.28 million.

The company is focused on monetising its forest assets and preserving land value after the devastating fires of 2019-2020.

( ) board has considered and rejected a conditional offer made by KI Phoenix Pty Ltd to purchase the company's land assets on Kangaroo Island for $20 million.

The company considers that this offer is well below the book value of the land.

Managing director Keith Lamb said: KPT periodically receives approaches from interested parties seeking to acquire land located in high rainfall productive regions such as ours on Kangaroo Island.

Following the bushfires of 2019-20, there was an increase in interest by those seeking to opportunistically acquire land at distressed prices.

These approaches were not fully formed and certainly not capable of acceptance by the board.

Land value at $59.28 million

Lamb said that while the company was open-minded to approaches it received, the board was squarely focused on maximising shareholder wealth and with this in mind, offers were considered on merit.

He said: The land value recorded on KPTs balance sheet is $59.28 million, based on independent expert advice provided by leading rural valuers.

The latest valuation was set at June 2020, following the fires of 2019-20 and is benchmarked below equivalent land value on mainland South Australia.

Since June 2020 land values around the country have risen.

The conditional offer made by KI Phoenix is substantially less than book value.

This demonstrates the bidder does not understand the value proposition available to the company, through salvaging its forest produce by careful extraction and clever marketing, and the consequential benefit for shareholders in preserving underlying land value.

Business recovery plan progresses

Forestry is the highest and best use of KPT land and complements agriculture in providing regional economic diversification to Kangaroo Island.

While KPT continues to promote its proposed Seaport at Smith Bay as an investment towards future prosperity, the company has achieved recent success in placing product with mainland sawmill customers, and developing new export markets, via existing facilities at Kingscote and Penneshaw.

Market conditions are favourable and KPT reports that feedback from customers has been positive, recognising the intrinsic value of the companys products, despite the impact of fire on the forests from which they arise.

Looking forward

The company is well on its way to achieving its goal to monetise forest assets and preserve land value.

Lamb said: We have already started to re-establish the next forest crop.

We have assembled a highly competent team with skills and experience in forest management, timber production and supply-chain logistics.

If KI Phoenix has access to skills and a strategy to complement our own, it is welcome to return with a proposition that recognises the full value of the land and the company strategy which will see the treecrop harvested while preserving land value.

Our foremost motivation is to preserve and enhance shareholder wealth, not accept opportunistic offers for productive land.
Evangelical billionaire benefactor Bill Hwang's wealth wiped out in Wall Street disaster

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The evangelical community could lose one of their biggest benefactors after Bill Hwang, a devout Christian and founder of the more than $10 billion Archegos Capital Management investment firm, triggered the liquidation of positions approaching $30 billion in value, and tanked the shares of two major investment banks.

When the facts come out, my sense is the Bill Hwang blow up will be the most spectacular personal loss of wealth in history, former hedge fund manager and current CEO of Galaxy Investment Partners, Michael Novogratz, noted in a tweet Monday.

Through mainly complex financial instruments known as market derivatives, Hwangs firm made "bets with Wall Street trading desks about where stock prices will go, without having to buy the actual shares," The New York Times reported.

Using derivatives is a risky business, however, as it allows investors total exposure to a stock to greatly exceed the amount of cash they can put up. One light buffer to that risk is a requirement that investors post margin  cash or cashlike securities  to cover a share of the trade with banks, which are adjusted daily depending on how trading goes.

Hwang used derivatives known as swaps, to bet that the prices of specific stocks, including ViacomCBS, would rise. Four people familiar with the situation told The New York Times that in addition to ViacomCBS, Hwang had also recently built large holdings in Discovery, which operates the cable channels TLC and the Food Network, and the Chinese companies RLX Technology and GSX Techedu.

Trading did not go in Hwangs favor, resulting last week in some of the stock prices, including ViacomCBS, to start falling, sparking massive selloffs of those stocks. Banks including Japans Nomura, Credit Suisse of Switzerland, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group, which held shares to offset the risk of Hwangs trading, began selling off the stocks as well when Hwang couldnt put up sufficient collateral to meet the margin required to offset his losses.

On Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a member of the Senate banking and finance committees, raised concern about how the hedge-fund industry is regulated as markets continued to reel from the fallout of Hwangs failed bet.

Archegos meltdown had all the makings of a dangerous situation  largely unregulated hedge fund, opaque derivatives, trading in private dark pools, high leverage, and a trader who wriggled out of the SECs enforcement, Warren tweeted.

Karen Kessler, a spokeswoman for Hwang, who sees investing as his calling, and believes God "loves" when he backs companies that contribute to humanity's progress, told The New York Times Monday evening that they were now trying to figure out the best path forward.

This is a challenging time for the family office of Archegos Capital Management, our partners and employees, Kessler said. All plans are being discussed as Mr. Hwang and the team determine the best path forward.

This isnt the first time that Hwang, 57, whose, father was a pastor and mother served as a missionary in Mexico, has faced a job-related challenge.

He previously ran a successful fund called Tiger Asia Management until he was forced to shutter it in 2012 after pleading guilty to insider trading in federal court. He paid $60 million to settle civil and criminal charges of manipulating Chinese stocks. His fund also forfeited about $16 million in related profits.

In recent years, Hwang, who co-founded the Grace and Mercy Foundation, has been a contributor to Focus on the Family and a trustee of the Fuller Theology Seminary, and was one of the evangelical worlds biggest benefactors.

I cannot think of another foundation or individual that has given significant donations to as many Christian organizations as he has, Warren Cole Smith, who leads an organization called MinistryWatch, which monitors the finances of Christian ministries, told The Washington Post.

Through his Grace & Mercy Foundation started in 2006, which he leads with his wife, Becky, and funds almost entirely, Hwang has given some $79.1 million in grants to dozens of primarily Christian organizations, IRS Form 990s filed through the end of 2018 show. In total he has given some $591 million to the foundation, Forbes reported.

The Fuller Foundation and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where Hwang serves on the board of trustees, received a total of $14 million, making it one of the biggest beneficiaries of the foundation. Since 2016, the Museum of the Bible, in Washington, D.C., has been awarded $2.4 million while millions went to Christian humanitarian charities, such as Hope for New York and the Bowery Mission.

Tim Kellers Redeemer Presbyterian Church, the Brooklyn Tabernacle megachurch, Christian liberal arts school The Kings College, along with other churches and missionary organizations nationwide have also been blessed by Hwangs philanthropy.

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, whose disgraced late founder Ravi Zacharias has been accused of multiples cases of sexual assault, also received $3.3 million.
(Newser)  For the second year in a row, Google has decided that this is not the right time for jokes or stunts like "Google Tulip." According to an internal email seen by Business Insider, the company told managers to "pause the jokes" for another year because the pandemic is still raging in many countries. "In 2020, we made the decision to pause our longstanding Google tradition of celebrating April Fool's Day, out of respect for all those fighting COVID-19," and it will be paused again this year, "with much of the world still grappling with serious challenges," Google said to the Verge. Newsweek rounds up some of Google's best jokes from previous years, including 2013's "Google Nose," which the company claimed could search for smells using its vast "Aromabase." (Read more Google stories.)
It was one in a litany of cases in which Burge and his midnight crew of detectives who worked under him have been accused of torturing or abusing dozens of mostly African American men into confessing to killings in the 1970s and 80s. The scandal has stained the citys reputation and cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in settlements, legal fees and other compensation to victims.
Employees in the Aiken County Public School District can sign up for their second COVID-19 vaccine shot starting Thursday.

In March, Rural Health Services administered first doses of the Moderna vaccine to school district employees at six clinics scheduled throughout the month.

According to the district's website, employees will need to sign up at the same clinic location as the one where they received their first vaccine.

Here are the dates and locations for this month's vaccine clinics:

 April 13: Silver Bluff High School

 April 14: Midland Valley High School

 April 16: Aiken High School

 April 21: North Augusta High School

 April 23: Wagener-Salley High School

 April 27: Ridge Spring-Monetta High School

For more information, visit acpsd.net.

COVID-19 cases

The Aiken County Public School District reported 21 new COVID-19 cases among students and employees from March 21-27, marking the fifth week in a row that cases have been under 50.

Out of the 18 students with new COVID-19 cases, just one is an all-virtual student, according to the school district. All three employees with COVID-19 are teachers.

This brings the cumulative number of coronavirus cases during the 2020-2021 school year to 1,480, according to the school district.

Not counting the one virtual student from Midland Valley High School, the school district reported coronavirus cases at the following schools:

 Aiken High School

 Aiken Intermediate School

 Jackson Middle School

 JD Lever Elementary School

 Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle School

 North Augusta High School

 North Augusta Middle School

 Oakwood Windsor Elementary School

 Paul Knox Middle School

 Redcliffe Elementary School

 Ridge Spring-Monetta High School

 Schofield Middle School

 Silver Bluff High School

 South Aiken High School

Quarantines

From March 21-27, 267 students and employees were quarantined, a decrease from the previous week. Ninety percent of them are students.

More middle and high school students were quarantined after being exposed to COVID-19 in school than elsewhere, according to the school district. Elementary students and employees at all levels had more out-of-school exposures.

Fourteen symptom-free employees continued working under critical infrastructure after being exposed to the virus, according to the school district. Most of them are teachers or aides.

To view the school district's weekly COVID-19 reports, visit acpsd.net/Page/48564.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 15:10:01|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China's recent improvement to Hong Kong's electoral system serves as a guardrail for the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, observers from various countries have said.

In a bid to ensure that Hong Kong is administered by the "patriots," China's top legislature on Tuesday unanimously passed two amended annexes to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) which concern the method for the selection of the HKSAR chief executive and the method for the formation of the HKSAR Legislative Council and its voting procedures, respectively.

"Every government has the obligation to defend the sovereignty, stability, and internal order of the state," said Eduardo Regalado, senior researcher at the International Policy Research Center of Cuba.

Guaranteeing that Hong Kong is administered by the patriots, the amended annexes develop the democratic exercise in the region and enhance the "one country, two systems" policy, noted the researcher.

These legislative changes were made in accordance with the needs of the time, said Afrasiab Khattak, president of Pakistan's Roshan Democratic Institute, adding that these necessary amendments would fill up the loopholes in Hong Kong's electoral system and ensure the implementation of the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle.

Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said that the improvement to Hong Kong's electoral system shows "the firm will" of the Chinese government to preserve the stability of the region.

Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs, in which other countries should not interfere, said Azamat Seitov, a professor at the National University of Uzbekistan.

Head of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Tehran Hamed Vafaei believes that China's adoption of the amended annexes provides an institutional guarantee for Hong Kong's enduring peace and stability.

The newly adopted annexes would inject new vitality into the "one country, two systems" policy, said Ivona Ladjevac, head of the center for the Belt and Road Initiative at the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Serbia.

Ladjevac added that the legislative changes also help create an environment which would benefit economic development of the region.

Wilson Lee Flores, a columnist for the English-language daily The Philippine Star, said China's amendments to the HKSAR Basic Law would ensure long-term stability of the region, guarantee that only patriots administer Hong Kong, and help cement Hong Kong's status as a global financial and trade center.

"Chinese lawmakers have done the right thing," said Sheriff Ibrahim Ghali, director of the Institute of Legislative Studies at the University of Abuja, Nigeria. "This is because it is a matter of the sovereignty of China."

These amendments would bring peace and harmony to Hong Kong and ensure that the interests of the Chinese people is well protected, noted the scholar. Enditem
WASHINGTON - The act of filling President Joe Bidens cabinet is nearly done, and Texas two Republican senators have taken divergent approaches to their roles in the confirmation process.

Of the 21 cabinet-level positions that have been voted on and approved by the Senate so far, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has voted to confirm 15 of Bidens nominees. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has voted to confirm only three.

READ MORE: Texas Senate advances bill limiting how and when voters can cast ballots, receive mail-in voting

Their different strategies may shed some light on each senators role in a Democratic presidential administration and how they see their futures in GOP politics. But their strategies have also left the senators open to criticism of their consistency  and whether theyre opposing some nominees for things they excused or even encouraged during the Trump administration.

Cornyn, the states senior senator, has largely taken a more cooperative approach. In a conference call with reporters earlier this month, he said he thought a new president should be able to pick, within the limits, the people he wants in his Cabinet.

Im not going to take a position of opposition to all the presidents nominees, he said. Im going to pick the ones that I think are objectionable and I will assert myself in opposition to them. But Im not going just to across-the-board oppose the presidents nominees.

Still, he has spoken out on a small number of high-profile appointees. His six "no" votes were against Bidens nominees for the secretaries of homeland security, energy, housing and urban development, the interior and health and human services, and for the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Perhaps his most vociferous objection was for Alejandro Mayorkas, who was tapped to head the Department of Homeland Security. In his position, Mayorkas oversees the Biden administrations immigration strategy and national security concerns. Cruz and Cornyn were united in their opposition in that case.

In a letter to colleagues, Cruz slammed Mayorkas, who previously served as deputy secretary of homeland security and director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under former President Barack Obama, for a DHS inspector general report in 2015 that said Mayorkas created the appearance of favoritism by intervening in the process of reviewing three visa applications.

READ MORE: Texas Senate approves bill to stop social media companies from blocking political views

Furthermore, Cruz criticized Mayorkas involvement in administering the brazenly unlawful Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans programs under Obama.Those programs delayed deportations of children brought into the country illegally or parents of Americans or permanent residents. DACA in particular has some support among Republicans, but many conservatives argue that both programs are an overreach of executive power. Texas is suing the federal government in an attempt to get DACA overturned. The courts prevented DAPA from going into effect.

Even apart from this pattern of unethical conduct, Mr. Mayorkas has shown a repeated disregard for the rule of law, Cruz said.

Cornyn, meanwhile, told reporters on Capitol Hill that theres a number of problems with the nomination. He led a group of senators, including Cruz, in an attempt to stall Mayorkas nomination by having him face the Senate Judiciary Committee for extra scrutiny.

That effort failed and Mayorkas was narrowly confirmed by the Senate. Six Republicans voted in favor of his nomination.

Cornyn and Cruz were also united in their opposition to Neera Tanden as the pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

Tandens nomination ran into trouble due to a series of critical tweets she wrote about current senators prior to her selection. She reportedly deleted hundreds of tweets in November, including one in which she wrote vampires have more heart than Ted Cruz.

Cornyn described her comments as combative and insulting, according to The Washington Post, and said they created a problematic path to confirmation.

That sentiment brought charges of hypocrisy, given the viciousness of former President Donald Trumps engagement with Twitter. Trump routinely insulted political adversaries on social media, sometimes using sexist or racist language. At times Cornyn pushed back on Trump's coarseness, but critics were quick to note the times Cornyn did not amid the Tanden criticism.

After it became clear that she didnt have the votes to be confirmed, the Biden administration withdrew Tandens nomination before it reached the Senate floor.

Texas Democrats, as expected, were quick to point out the senators scrutiny this time around compared to four years ago.

Cruz and Cornyn approved unqualified judicial candidates and many other Trump appointees that were unqualified, both professionally and morally, even after their deficiencies were brought to their attention. It is undisputed that all of Bidens appointments have the highest level of qualifications as we have ever seen in recent history, and we should be proud of them," Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, told The Texas Tribune in a statement. But Cruz and Cornyn persist in putting party and politics over country and the welfare of all Americans. But this comes as no surprise. Their shameless partisanship has come to identify their character and Texans are be embarrassed to have them as their U.S. senators.

In many other cases, Cornyn and Cruz diverged with their votes. This year, Cruz has returned to his more resistant posture that he frequently took during the Obama administration. In a statement to the Tribune, Cruz said he scrutinized each nominee on their qualifications, but also criticized the appearance of Biden pandering to the left wing of the Democratic Party through his nominations.

President Biden is unwilling or unable to stand up to the radical left, and theyre running the show, he said. This is a boring but radical administration and the nominations weve seen reflect that radicalism.

I considered each nominee on their qualifications, and I believe the ones I voted against did not merit their appointments, he added.

Lingering over Cruzs approach is that he is considered a possible candidate for the 2024 presidency. His handling of the confirmation process resembles that of several senators who caucused as Democrats in 2017 and would eventually run for president in 2020. U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren made a habit of voting against Trump nominees. That enabled them to take no political ownership of any of those future cabinet members while making their cases against Trump in the 2020 Democratic primary.

Cruzs three votes to confirm were for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, which is charged with advising the president on economic policy, and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, who develops the countrys trade policy and negotiates trade agreements.

Perhaps the two senators most notable divergence was on the nomination of Merrick Garland, Bidens attorney general. Garland was notably nominated to a vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, but the Republican-controlled senate at the time blocked his nomination entirely.

Cornyn voted to confirm Garland based in part on his confidence that Garland will take an apolitical approach to running the Justice department.

Merrick Garland has served with distinction in the Department of Justice for a long, long time before he became a judge. Hes got a good reputation as a judge, Cornyn said in a conference call with reporters. And I told him I had one criterion: I wanted to see politics excised from the Department of Justice, and I wanted to see the law enforced as Congress has written it and not pick favorites. And he said he agreed with that.

Cruz didnt express that same confidence in Garland, ultimately voting against his confirmation. He said in a news release that Garland refused to make clear that he would stand against the politicization of the Department, which we saw during the Obama-Biden years.

This prompted more charges of hypocrisy and disingenuousness against Cruz. Trump on multiple occasions attempted to use the Department of Justice for his personal or political benefit, such as when he asked for loyalty from the FBI director days into his presidency or when he reportedly plotted to install a loyalist as the acting attorney general who could fight to overturn the election results in his final days as president.

It is nevertheless my hope [that] as the new attorney general, Merrick Garland will lead the Department of Justice with a commitment to integrity and fidelity to the rule of law, Cruz said. We have a real humanitarian crisis at our Southern border, one that has been created by the Biden administrations radical, open borders agenda. I hope to see Judge Garland enforce all our laws fairly, including our immigration laws, and stop the crisis that is unfolding.

The sharply-divided Senate has not rejected any of the 21 cabinet-level nominees that have faced a full Senate vote. There are no Texans serving in cabinet-level positions.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/30/cruz-cornyn-biden-cabinet/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

"Ted Cruz has rejected most of Biden's cabinet picks so far. John Cornyn has taken a different approach" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Stacey Solomon has reportedly landed a six-figure deal with online clothing brand In The Style.

The Loose Women star, 31, could be set to earn millions according to reports, after signing on the dotted line to launch her very own fashion range with the popular company.

Stacey will follow in the footsteps of a number of big names who already work with the brand including Jacqueline Jossa, Billie Faiers and Dani Dyer.

Great news! Stacey Solomon has reportedly landed a six-figure deal with online clothing brand In The Style

And it's said that the mum-of-three could earn up over six figures in the first three months alone due to her incredible popularity.

A source told The Sun: 'Stacey is the ideal In The Style girl and getting her on board is massive for them. She has previously been approached but the time wasnt right. However now Stacey has signed on the dotted line and will be releasing her first collection with them this weekend.'

They added: 'Its being predicted she will be one of their most successful ever ranges. Stacey has been told she could make over 1million the first quarter because of her huge popularity.

The insider went on: 'She has a huge reach and people trust her fashion and lifestyle choices. Stacey is like the ultimate girl next door - and she couldnt be more excited about this project.'

Exciting: The Loose Women star, 31, could be set to earn millions according to reports, after signing on the dotted line to launch her very own fashion range with the popular company

MailOnline have contacted representatives of Stacey and In The Style for comment.

Stacey soared to fame on the sixth season of The X Factor in 2009 and since then, her career has gone from strength-to-strength, seeing her become a household name.

And Stacey has enjoyed a stint career-wise recently, having landed a book deal to publish her very own Tap To Tidy book.

While she's also set to front her very own home improvement show, Sort Your Life Out, on BBC.

Fashionista: Stacey will follow in the footsteps of a number of big names who already work with the brand including Jacqueline Jossa (pictured), Billie Faiers and Dani Dyer

Over in her personal life, she's recently became engaged to beau Joe Swash following a romantic Christmas Eve proposal, with the couple set to tie the knot this July.

Meanwhile, the pair moved into their 'dream' countryside home in Essex last month, alongside their boys Zachary, 12, Leighton, eight and 21-month-old Rex.

Stacey has been keeping her fans up-to-date with her home improvements in the Tudor-style house, using her famous Tap To Tidy transformations.

Popular: 'Stacey is the ideal In The Style girl and getting her on board is massive for them. She has previously been approached but the time wasnt right'

Exciting: 'She has a huge reach and people trust her fashion and lifestyle choices. Stacey is like the ultimate girl next door - and she couldnt be more excited about this project'

Last week, Stacey fought back tears as she discussed moving into her 'forever home' on Loose Women.

Reflecting on the decision to move house, Stacey admitted even she can't believe how far she's come from being a teen mum, after giving birth to her son Zachary when she was just 17.

In her first appearance on the panel since moving she admitted it was a last-minute decision by herself and Joe to buy the house and move in with her children.

Happy couple: Over in her personal life, she's recently became engaged to beau Joe Swash following a romantic Christmas Eve proposal, with the couple set to tie the knot this July

Book deal: Stacey has enjoyed a stint career-wise recently, having landed a book deal to publish her very own Tap To Tidy book

She said: 'We always thought we'd love to move away from London and find somewhere we could afford that had more greenery.

'A house came up and it cost as much as it would cost the same as our house to sell and we thought should we go for it, and things happened really quickly and fell into place and actually we rushed in there because we exchanged and completed super quick.

'We all feel like we're in an Airbnb and someone is going to come in and say you have to check out tomorrow.'
An English teacher, 28, has been arrested after allegedly striking up a sexual relationship with a child.

Thomas Ackland, who taught at Kadina Memorial School, was arrested on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia on Monday after a lengthy police investigation.

Police allege he made a child amenable to sexual activity and maintained an unlawful sexual relationship with a child.

Thomas Ackland was arrested on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia on Monday after a lengthy police investigation

Ackland appeared in the Kadina Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where he was granted bail

Ackland appeared in the Kadina Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where he was granted bail.

He has been banned from going anywhere near the K-12 school, where he taught secondary classes.

Principal Alistair Williams sent a letter to parents urging them to contact SA Police if they had 'any information that may assist the police investigation'.

Mr Williams said Ackland 'was not permitted to attend the school pending the outcome of the police investigation and prosecution,' The Adelaide Advertiser reports.

'You may have seen or heard media reporting of this matter and I confirm the teacher can be named as Mr Thomas Ackland. I understand this is distressing information.'

Ackland will return to court in September.
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Two persons who appeared before a Circuit Court at Jasikan, in the Oti Region, for unlawful possession of narcotics and ammunitions, have been granted bail to a sum of GH50,000 with three sureties each.

Godwin Kpodo Agbevitor,43, also known as (aka) landlord, and Samuel Agbeshi,39,alias Adah, pleaded not guilty,and the court presided over by Mr Alfred Kwabena Asiedu, adjourned the case to April 13, 2021.

The acting Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Oti Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) John Nchor, disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times, in Accra,yesterday.

He said the court ordered the accused to report to the police at Kwamekrom, in the Biakoye District, on every Friday, effective April 2, 2021.

ASP Nchor stated that the police at Worawora also in district, arrested the two for allegedly buying suspected G-3 ammunition and possessing wraps of dried leaves, suspected to be Indian hemp, at Kwame Abulkordzi, a suburb of Worawora.

He said 16 wraps of dried leaves, suspected to be Indian hemp, and 181 rounds of suspected G-3 ammunition, have so far been retrieved from two suspects.

As at the time of going to press, the accused were yet to meet the bail conditions and in police custody.
Moonrise over the Amazon

MOSS, the world's largest environmental platform, has taken an important step towards making carbon credits accessible to millions of people. Today, it begins offering its carbon token, MCO2, through token sales platform ProBit, an Exchange that ranks among the top three in the world in web traffic. The pre-sale to ProBit subscribers launching now offers benefits, such as a 10% bonus on the purchase of MCO2, which until April 7 when the sale will open wider and tokens will be sold for $15.00. This is the first time that Probit opens its platform for the sale of carbon credits.

The partnership between Moss and Probit allows more people to contribute to the neutralization of carbon emissions and environmental protection projects that are partners of MOSS, but also allows access to an asset with high global demand. Last year alone, the supply of quality carbon credits was less than demand and, according to a survey by Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM) - a group composed of more than 40 leaders from six continents with experience in the carbon market - and the Mckinsey consultancy, it is possible that the size of the carbon credit market will exceed $50 billion in 2030. In addition, several global institutions such as the European Central Bank, the IMF (International Monetary Fund), the World Bank, and the London School of Economics point out that the price of one carbon credit is expected to rise above $100 in the coming years.

A carbon credit is an immaterial asset that is equivalent to avoiding the emission of 1 ton of CO2 (carbon dioxide) in a given year through forest conservation projects, reforestation of devastated areas, clean energy, biomass, among others. The MCO2 Token is already listed on platforms such as Bitcoin Market and FlowBTC. In a year of existence, Moss and its customers have already sent over 13 million dollars to the Amazon, which served to preserve 780 million trees.

The projects that Moss is spearheading include Agrocortex that benefits the Brazilian rainforest city of Manoel Urbano with the work of sustainable management, generating jobs, and significantly reducing deforestation in that region in a sustainable way; the Fortaleza Ituxi project an initiative that aims to protect forests located in one of the most affected regions of the Amazon with actions aimed at the sustainability of the area in the fight against burning and deforestation; and the Amazon Rio 1 project has as a main objective the preservation of the forest for the riverside population who live and work in the preservation of subsistence culture and management of the production of chestnut, flour, and acai.

About MOSS and the MCO2 Token

Moss is the largest environmental platform in the world. With global operations and headquartered in Brazil, it started operating in early 2020, when it launched the first carbon credit-backed token, MCO2, used to offset carbon footprints. MCO2 is audited by international institutions and registered with Verra, a foundation that regulates the global registration of voluntary credits, following a strict global protocol.

About Probit Exchange

ProBit Exchange is a top 20 global cryptocurrency exchange in real daily trading volume that has successfully completed more than 200 rounds of IEO. The broker also has more than 900 trading pairs - one of the highest in the market.

Key Features of Probit Exchange:



More than 800,000 active monthly users;

2,500,000 monthly web visitors;

40,000,000 users in partnerships with aggregators and portfolios such as CoinMarketCap;

Global reach in 8 key languages and markets.

Join our active programs and get a multitude of benefits!

Trading fee discount: Buy PROB, pay trading fees with PROB & get values as low as 0.03% on trading fees.

Trade Mining: Stake 100,000 PROB and recover 100% of PROB trading fees when trading BTC, ETH and XRP.

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Referral Program: Earn 10-30% of trading fees for referring friends to the ProBit Exchange.

ProBit Global: http://www.probit.com

ProBit Korea: http://www.probit.kr

ProBit Telegram: https://t.me/ProbitPortuguese

http://www.probit.com/ieo (for IEOs)
Airtel Africa announces the signing of an agreement under which Mastercard will invest $100m in Airtel Mobile Commerce BV (AMC BV), a wholly owned subsidiary of Airtel Africa plc (the Transaction). AMC BV is currently the holding company for several of Airtel Africas mobile money operations and is intended to own and operate the mobile money businesses across all of Airtel Africas fourteen operating countries.

The Transaction values Airtel Africas mobile money business at $2.65bn on a cash and debt free basis.

Mastercard will hold a minority stake in AMC BV upon completion of the Transaction, with Airtel Africa continuing to hold the majority stake. The Transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including necessary regulatory filings and approvals, and the transfer of specified mobile money business assets and contracts into AMC BV.

Alongside the investment, the Group and Mastercard have extended commercial agreements and signed a new commercial framework which will deepen their partnerships across numerous geographies and areas including card issuance, payment gateway, payment processing, merchant acceptance and remittance solutions, amongst others.

Following the announcement on 18 March 2021 of $200m investment in AMC BV by TPGs The Rise Fund, and the sale of the Groups telecommunication towers companies in Madagascar and Malawi on 23 March 2021, the Transaction is a continuation of the Groups pursuit of strategic asset monetisation and investment opportunities. As previously announced, Airtel Africa aims to continue to monetise its mobile money business with minority investments up to a total of 25% of the issued share capital of AMC BV, and to explore the potential listing of the mobile money business within four years.

The proceeds from the Transaction will be used to reduce Group debt and invest in network and sales infrastructure in the respective operating countries.
analysis

ZIMBABWEANS will on April 18 celebrate 41 years of Independence from colonial rule that came after a protracted liberation struggle waged by gallant sons and daughters, some of whom lost their lives in the process.

Some of these gallant sons and daughters have been declared national heroes and heroines and are interred at the National Heroes Acre, while others are buried at provincial and district heroes' shrines.

One of the country's most eminent sons and hero who died in the war and whose remains are at the National Shrine is the Chairman of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), Cde Herbert Wiltshire Pfumandini Chitepo.

Cde Chitepo died on March 18, 1975 in Lusaka, Zambia, when a bomb planted on his car shattered the morning at 150 Muramba Road in Chilenje South.

This was after his fiery language and his role in developing Zanu's new military strategy inevitably made him a target for assassination by the Rhodesian regime. Cde Chitepo and Silas Shamiso, one of his bodyguards, were killed instantly. Sadat Kufamadzuba, his other bodyguard, was injured. Although his murderer remains unidentified, Rhodesian author Peter Stiff says that a former British SAS soldier, Hugh Hind, was responsible.

Cde Chitepo was born in Mutasa District, Manicaland Province on June 15, 1923 -- the year that the British South Africa Company, a legacy of Cecil John Rhodes, lost its grip on the country they called Southern Rhodesia.

Cde Chitepo was the first black citizen of Rhodesia to become a barrister. He was educated at St David's Mission School, Bonda, St Augustine's School, Penhalonga, and then at Adams College, Natal, South Africa, where he qualified as a teacher in 1945.

This was where he met his wife Victoria a heroine who was also interred at the national shrine. After teaching for a year, he resumed his studies to graduate with a BA degree from Fort Hare University College in 1949. In 1954, Cde Chitepo became the then Rhodesia's first black lawyer. On returning to Rhodesia in 1954, he practised as a lawyer and defended African nationalists such as Ndabaningi Sithole.

In 1961, he served as legal adviser to the late Father Zimbabwe, Dr Joshua Nkomo, founder of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), at the Southern Rhodesia Constitutional Conference in London.

During the same year (1961) he was also appointed to the Board of Governors of Bernard Mizeki College along with Sir W.C.R. Honey and Sir Robert Tredgold.

In May 1962, ZAPU was banned because of militarism and Cde Chitepo was persuaded to go into voluntary exile to escape possible detention. He became Tanzania's first African Director of Public Prosecutions. The Sithole and Nkomo factions of ZAPU split apart in July 1963. Dr Nkomo's supporters founded the PCC-ZAPU and favoured a more militaristic approach. At Zanu's first congress in Gweru in 1964, Cde Chitepo was elected in absentia as national chairman. He held this post until December 7, 1974 when the Lusaka Accord was signed.

In 1966, Cde Chitepo decided to leave his prestigious job in Tanzania and move to Zambia to devote himself full-time to reorganising the party and beginning the armed struggle in earnest. It was a decision that separated him from some of his contemporaries in academic institutions and in comfortable jobs who had decided not join nationalistic politics. It was also a role that radicalised his views.

Under the guidance of Cde Chitepo as Zanu's most senior leader, the party shaped its military wing, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), under the command of national hero Cde Josiah Magama Tongogara. Both Zanu and Zapu chose to leave the country and reorganise and form military armies outside Rhodesia, although they chose different countries to set up their base.

ZAPU based itself in Zambia where it organised ZIPRA (the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army.) They allied with the Soviet Union and organised a vanguard of highly trained soldiers.

ZANU, however, moved into Tanzania and then to Mozambique and set up ZANLA, which concentrated more on mobilising the masses in the countryside in a guerrilla warfare method that was pioneered by the Chinese.

In January 1966 Cde Chitepo resigned as Director of Public Prosecutions and moved to Zambia to concentrate on the armed struggle. He toured world capitals canvassing for support for ZANU and for the enforcement of total economic sanctions against Rhodesia.

With his friendly disposition, he was very effective and earned international recognition and respect for ZANU.

Rev Sithole and others prepared a comprehensive document giving powers to Cde Chitepo to lead ZANU while Rev Sithole was in detention and specifically authorising him to carry out the armed struggle. Accordingly, Cde Chitepo with assistance from the military supremo Cde Tongogara, organised and planned successful guerrilla warfare attacks and underground activities in Rhodesia from 1966 onwards.

In 1972, he co-ordinated war operations with FRELIMO and opened up the north-eastern region of Zimbabwe as a new and effective war frontier.

Cde Chitepo was reburied at the National Heroes Acre on August 11, 1981.

In the country's history of the liberation struggle, Cde Chitepo is known for insisting that the only language the Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith would understand was violence. "Zimbabwe was taken from us through bloodshed. Only bloodshed -- a bloody Chimurenga, involving four and half million of us can restore Zimbabwe to its owners.

Full article on herald.co.zw

"We have tried to correct this tragic error by politicising and mobilising the people before mounting any attacks against the enemy. After politicising our people, it became easier for them to co-operate with us and to identify with our programme," Chitepo was quoted as saying in one of his speeches.

When he addressed the Sixth Pan-African Congress in Dar es Salaam in 1974, he proposed a global strategy against imperialism: "By cutting off the tentacles of imperialism to the periphery, we will deprive the white working class in capitalist countries of their high standards of living they have enjoyed because of the super profits that the multi-national corporations reaped in under-developed countries.

"It is only when the exploited working class of both black and white realise that they have a common enemy, a common oppressor and a common exploiter that they will unite and jointly seek to overthrow the capitalist system. This is our global strategy against capitalism, racism and imperialism," Chitepo was also quoted as saying.

Such was the fearless, intelligent man that the country lost. He will forever be remembered for his revolutionary ethos. He did not have to, especially with his professional qualifications and oratory skills. He could have worked in different countries, living a lavish lifestyle with his family, but he chose the ultimate -- to sacrifice his all for Zimbabwe's independence and self-determination.

Cde Chitepo was a strong proponent of the distribution of land and on his return from a trip to Australia in 1973, he put it succinctly: "I could go into the whole theories of discrimination in legislation, in residency, in economic opportunities, in education. I could go into that, but I will restrict myself to the question of land because I think this is very basic. To us the essence of exploitation, the essence of white domination, is domination over land. That is the real issue."

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zimbabwe By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

In recognition for the important role that Cde Chitepo played, the Great Zimbabwe University in Masvingo named its law school after the eminent nationalist, the Herbert Chitepo Law School.

According to information on the GZU website, "the Herbert Chitepo Law School offers state of the art teaching and learning facilities. Besides a unique and stunning Moot Court theatre, the School has lecture rooms that are adorned with air conditioners, chalk-less white boards and projector screens. Students at the School have access to Wi-Fi.

"Graduates from the Herbert Chitepo Law School are expected to uphold the basic principles of human justice, democracy and rule of law which Advocate Chitepo stood for."

Zanu-PF also runs the Herbert Chitepo Ideological College in his honour. The college teaches members about the party's ideology. It is also meant to educate its members on party policy and the route that the party should take.

Cde Chitepo's immense contribution in the nationalistic movement and the liberation struggle is unquestionable. Have they been honoured well enough? Do the gestures done so far capture the vision he had for a better Zimbabwe when he left the good life to concentrate on the armed struggle?

It is time that conversations about our heroes shift focus and delve into the major issues that led them to take up arms and fight the settler colonialists. One of those issues is wealth creation and sharing.

They are our heroes and our legacy!
Chinese, Japanese defense departments hold meeting under liaison mechanism

Xinhua) 10:21, April 01, 2021

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- During a recent video meeting under their liaison mechanism, Chinese and Japanese defense departments recognized the mechanism's positive role in reducing misunderstandings and miscalculations, and safeguarding maritime and aerial security.

Both sides also spoke about opening a direct telephone line under the mechanism at an early date, said Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, on Tuesday.

The meeting on Monday saw both sides exchange views on the maritime and air security policies of the two countries, the regional security situation, the operation of the maritime and aerial liaison mechanism, and defense exchanges, said Wu.

It was the third annual meeting under the maritime and aerial liaison mechanism, and the fifth working-level consultation between the two countries' defense departments, he noted.

The Chinese side emphasized at the event that the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are China's inherent territories, and that Japan should cease all its provocative actions against China over the Diaoyu Islands, said Wu.

The Chinese side also expressed strong dissatisfaction and grave concern over Japan's recent negative actions concerning China, and urged Japan to stop slandering China.

Wu said the Chinese side stressed that the adoption of China's coast guard law is commonplace legislation from the country and entirely in line with international law and practice.

Both sides stated their intention to further the construction of the mechanism, advance defense exchanges and enhance mutual trust, so as to contribute to the building of constructive bilateral security relations, he added.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Liang Jun)
BETHESDA, Md., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hull Street Energy announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the ownership interests in the Waterbury Generation facility from a subsidiary of ENGIE North America. The facility is in Waterbury, Connecticut and provides 96 megawatts of flexible, fast start natural gas power generation capacity to the New England region.

The Waterbury facility and employees will be high-quality additions to Hull Street Energy's portfolio of critical power infrastructure. Through this acquisition, the firm will be able to help support the state, local community and other stakeholders integrate new variable renewable energy resources and meet regional reliability standards, as New England states work to achieve their climate and renewable energy goals.

Upon closing this transaction, Hull Street Energy affiliates will own 53 power generation stations providing over 1,000 MW of renewable, gas-fired, and dual-fueled generation capacity to support grid operations throughout the United States.

Troutman Pepper LLP acted as legal counsel to Hull Street Energy.

About Hull Street Energy, LLC

Hull Street Energy is a private equity firm that specializes in deploying capital into the power sector as it decarbonizes. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the team leverages its decades of experience and unique knowledge of North American electricity infrastructure, fundamentals and grid operations, including fuel inputs, commodity contract structuring, renewable and fossil powered generation assets, energy storage, transmission and distribution systems, and electricity demand-side businesses to build value for stakeholders. For further information about Hull Street Energy please see www.hullstreetenergy.com.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Hull Street Energy, LLC

Related Links

https://www.hullstreetenergy.com


Photo: (Photo : Photo by @TreWardWBAL from Twitter )

In three related incidents on Sunday in Baltimore County, Maryland, a man kills five people, including his parents, the police said.

The Maryland man was identified as Joshua Green, 27 years old, by police, and he was responsible for the shootings. Green died in a parking lot at an Essex building on Sunday by suicide.

At around 7 a.m., county police responded to Royal Farms, an Essex convenience store and gas station in Maryland. Speaker Det. Robert Reason said that there were three people injured, two of whom died. A customer in a parked car was one of those killed, according to the investigation.

Police confirmed that the other person was recovering in a local hospital in a press release held late Sunday.

READ: Talking To Your Kids About Gun Violence



Detectives said Green left the store and return to his apartment in the Hartland Ridge building and set fire to it. Around 15 minutes after the shooting, the police came to the complex and found Green in the parking and said that he had shot himself. It was less than a mile away from the gas station.

At the interchange of Manor and Eland roads the late Sunday afternoon, the detectives headed to the home of Green's parents in Baldwin and found two bodies. Both of them seemed shot. They were identified as Green's parents.

Amid heavy weather, the researcher looked into the estate and crowed into the house's garage. A neighbor said they heard nothing strange but refused to speak further. By 6:40 p.m., officials withdrew investigators with red shutters from the driveway of the idyllic brick house.

Late Sunday, the police reported no additional suspects being searched for and said that all three incidents were related.

ALSO READ: Texas Baby Killed, Brother Wounded in the Shooting of a Teenager

Royal Farms in Maryland shooting spree

Meanwhile, the Royal Farms employees gathered outside of the rear entrance to the store facing the River Neck Road on Sunday morning while the rain was rushing. Out front, investigators clustered around a parked car, covered with a sheet and tent, where one body was found. The other one was in the shop.

Breahna Brown, Royal Farms spokesperson, said the firm had no immediate statement on the shooting at its store. Jodie Oxenrider, 33, and Suzanne Hamilton, 36, scanned the scene anxiously across the street.

In an interview, Hamilton said, "All of us know the people in here. It's all the same employees all the time."

READ MORE: 3-Year-Old Oregon Boy Dies After Accidentally Shooting Himself with Gun



After waking up at about 6 a.m., Oxenrider said she stayed at the Hartland Ridge where the fire was taking place and heard fire alarm and sirens. She wanted to go nearby for a pack of cigarettes at Royal Farms. When she arrived, the shop was cautiously roped off, and police cars packed the parking lot.

Brandon Thompson, 31, lives in the complex opposite the Royal Farms apartment building. He said he went to the grocery store to witness his neighbor warming her car and went to work.

Thompson heard the shots and saw his window on the scene on the ground floor. He saw a guy out of the store and threw away a rifle, said Thompson.

Thompson said in an interview, "She never got out of her car. She only goes to the Royal Farms to get a soda."
Police officers and agents stand outside an office building where multiple people were killed in a shooting in Orange, Calif., on March 31, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Shooting in Orange That Killed Child and Three Others Was Isolated, Police Say

Orange, Calif. The man who killed four peopleincluding a nine-year-old boyat an Orange business complex March 31 knew his victims, the Orange County Sheriffs Department said.

The preliminary motive is believed to be related to a business and personal relationship, which existed between the suspect and all of the victims, Lt. Jennifer Amat told reporters during an April 1 press briefing.

It appears all of the adults were connected either by business or a personal relationship, and this was not a random act of violence. The child is believed to be the son of one of the victims who worked at the business.

Four people, including a nine-year-old boy, were killed and a fifth wounded in a shooting at an office building in Orange March 31, and the suspected shooter was taken into custody.

Police released this photo of Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, their prime suspect in a fatal shooting in Orange, Calif. (Courtesy of the Orange County Sheriffs Department)

Police have identified their suspect as 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, whose last known address was Fullerton.

Police were called to the scene at 202 W. Lincoln Avenue around 5:30 p.m. When they arrived, they were met with gunfire.

Amat previously told The Epoch Times the incident was the citys worst mass shooting in over two decades.

Orange is a very safe city, so we dont have incidents like this that happen very often. We have not had anything like this happen since the 1997 Caltrans shooting, so this is very unusual, Amat said.

Five people were killed and two others wounded in that 1997 shooting after former a state employee, Arturo Reyes Torres, 41, of Huntington Beach, opened fire at the Caltrans facility near Batavia Street and Taft Avenue. Torres was shot and killed by police a short distance away from the maintenance yard.

Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to those victims, their families. Our community really is impacted, as well as our department, so itll be a long process to get through this for many people, Amat said.

The shooting took place on the buildings second floor. The incident drew a heavy law enforcement presence with more than a dozen police cars and a SWAT vehicle at the building, including fire engines from multiple fire departments.

Julio, who lives in the Georgian Apartments across the street from the office building, told The Epoch Times he returned home from work around 8 p.m., after receiving messages about the shooting.

I was at work the whole time it happened. I had a little time to check my phone at work, and I had a whole bunch of messages saying theres a shooting, Julio said. I thought it was crazy, cause you see it all over the news and  it happened literally right here.
School district officials in Paterson reversed course Wednesday night and announced that all-remote learning will continue until further notice.

The school board had scheduled a special meeting to act on a recommendation, by Superintendent Eileen Shafer, to return to classrooms May 3.

However, following a hour-long executive session, Shafer cited rising coronavirus numbers in the region and a statewide surge in COVID-19 cases attributed to in-school transmission in asking the board not to proceed with reopening.

The school board immediately accepted her recommendation.

We want to make sure that, when we return, we do so as safely as possible, said school board president Kenneth L. Simmons.

Approximately 28,000 students in Paterson, the states third-largest city, have been relying on virtual instruction from home since schools across the state first closed in mid-March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.

It is not clear whether students will return to classrooms in Paterson before the school year ends in June. Shafer told the board that a followup assessment of pandemic data will be made in either late April or early May. She did not specify a target reopening date.

I cant give you a date, but what I can tell you is that if it is safe, it will open, Shafer said.

New Jersey is in the midst of the pandemics third wave, with statewide hospitalizations for COVID-19 up 28% over the last two weeks. State officials are warning that the latest surge may not peak until mid-May and could extend into the summer, though more than 1 in 5 adults who live, work or study in New Jersey have been fully vaccinated.

Wednesdays meeting began at 5:30 p.m. and was conducted via video conference, with those wishing to address the board given one minute apiece to speak.

A parent, Mary Overbay, said she accepts the ongoing delay in returning to classes, but told the board that schools should find a way to accommodate in-person graduation ceremonies in June.

I feel as though its unfair to the parents ... Thats a moment you dont get to take back, Overbay said.

Ive been dealing with my children home for the past year. I dont complain because, like I said, its a pandemic, but thats one moment that I feel like, as a parent, I deserve to see my child graduate and walk across the grass, added Overbay.

In response, Shafer said that, while Paterson is awaiting guidance from the state, she is hopeful that in-person graduation ceremonies will occur.

The outcome on Wednesday was an apparent victory for the local teachers union, the Paterson Education Association. It had asked the board to hold off on approving the plan until members of the union could be given a tour of school buildings, which Shafer has said will not happen until April 21.

The board had originally scheduled to approve the reopening date April 14, but moved up the timeframe after Gov. Phil Murphy  who has been urging more New Jersey schools to return to classroom instruction  made phone calls to Shafer and union president John McEntee.

Mary Demoor, a 25-year teacher at John F. Kennedy High School, told the school board she remains concerned about building conditions, though Shafer has said all are being retrofitted with various, COVID-19-related safety precautions.

While nothing would make me happier than returning to my classroom and speaking directly to my students, Im afraid that its not safe, Demoor said, adding that while the extended remote experience has been challenging, rushing to stop at the expense of the safety is a poor choice.

Paterson is among several urban school districts that have been unable to resume in-person instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic. Officials in Trenton said last month that students will not return to classrooms before May 3.

Newark and Jersey City have extended all-remote learning until April 12 and April 21, respectively. In Hillside, the school district announced in January that students will continue learning from home for the remainder of the school year.

Rosie Grant, executive director of the Paterson Education Fund, offered support for the decision made by Shafer and the school board.

There is so much about this COVID-19 virus and infection that is outside of our control. Its important that we minimize the risk to our children and the adults who serve them, Grant told the board.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
Makurdi  Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom has condemned the killing of Reverend Father Ferdinand Ngugban of St. Paul's Catholic Church, Aye-Twar village in Katsina-Ala local government area of the state by unknown gunmen.

The governor who described the attack as "mindless", wondered why a harmless priest would become the target of armed men, even as he urged security operatives to ensure that those behind the dastardly act are apprehended.

He reassured the people of Katsina-Ala and Sankera in general that the state government will not relent until those responsible for the killing and other attacks in that part of the state are brought to justice.

The governor reaffirmed his government's resolve not to handover the state to criminals, urging the people to continue supporting security operatives with timely and useful information about the hideout of the bandits.

Speaking through his chief press secretary, Tarver Akase, Ortom sympathised with the Catholic Diocese of Kastina-Ala and the bereaved family, praying God to grant the soul of Reverend Father Ngugban eternal rest.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 15:03:16|Editor: huaxia

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LOS ANGELES, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A shooting occurred Wednesday evening in the city of Orange, 55 km southeast of Los Angeles downtown, leaving at least four people dead and two others injured, local NBC news channel reported.

The Orange Police Department was quoted as saying that they responded to reports of a shooting around local time 5:30 p.m. (0030 GMT) and then found "multiple victims at the scene including fatalities" where shots were being fired.

"The situation has been stabilized and there is no threat to the public. More details to follow." the twitter read.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene and two others were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the Metro City Fire Authority Dispatch, an emergency organization providing fire and emergency medical services to over 1.2 million residents in Southern California, including the city of Orange.

Video clips posted by local ABC 7 news channel online showed the fatal incident occurred around a business complex, where at least two bodies lay down outside the building, one on a second floor walkway and the other in a courtyard.

At the scene there were also bloody clothes and what appeared to be a weapon as officers investigated.

A young woman told ABC 7 that she heard two distinct sets of shots, one apparently the initial shooting and the other the gunfire exchange between the suspect and police.

"I was just in my room hanging out. All of a sudden I heard five to seven gun shots go off," the witness said. "And then I waited a couple minutes and the police came. And I heard a few more gunshots go off. It was a lot, quickly. Then the helicopter showed up and it was silent after that."

Orange police said it was that city's deadliest shooting since 1997.

However, Wednesday's killings were the latest mass shooting nationwide in the last two weeks.

On March 22, ten people, including one police officer, were killed in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. On March 16, a series of mass shootings occurred at three spas or massage parlors in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, which killed eight people including six Asian women. Enditem
TORONTO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Count Me In announced today that Shane Feldman, who established the organization 13 years ago, will be stepping down as CEO, while continuing to serve as Founder and Executive Chairman. Feldman plans to focus on Count Me In's creative strategy and direction through the remainder of his tenure on the board, while advocating for the organization's mission of inspiring the next generation of community minded leaders.

Feldman believes that new inspired leadership will allow the organization to sustain and build upon the growth it has demonstrated since 2008, while strengthening Count Me In's core programs which have collectively supported students in 104 countries. "I made the decision to transition from Founder & CEO to Founder so that I can continue to prioritize growth and impact at Count Me In while pursuing new meaningful adventures myself. I'm grateful to our organization's remarkable team of leaders who will usher in this next chapter of impact with enthusiasm and purpose," Feldman said.

Feldman will be taking on a new role as Chief of Staff at Chapter 2 Ventures, a Washington DC based company founded by Keller Williams veteran, Brandon Green. Chapter 2 Ventures is on a mission to help real estate entrepreneurs build sustainable wealth through learning experiences and impact investments. The robust holding company operates several high-impact businesses in the United States, including a financial literacy initiative, investment fund, and luxury hotel brand.

In addition to his role with Chapter 2 Ventures, Feldman continues to be a sought after keynote speaker at conferences around the world. As a celebrated thought leader, he has helped Fortune 100 companies optimize team culture, leadership, and engagement, with a notable client list including Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Disney. Feldman has been recognized by the White House, Prime Minister of Canada, and the United Nations for his achievements in community leadership.

Media contact: Molly Schoneveld, 213-289-5553, molly@thestoriedgroup.com
- First Purchase of a Ticket Offering Priced in Cryptocurrency in MLB History -

- Bitcoin Suite to be shared with Voyager's Customer Community -

CSE: VYGR

OTCQB: VYGVF

Borse Frankfurt: UCD2

NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Voyager Digital Ltd. ("Voyager" or the "Company") (CSE: VYGR) (OTCQB: VYGVF) (FRA: UCD2), a publicly-traded, licensed crypto-asset platform that provides investors with a turnkey solution to invest in and trade crypto assets has purchased a full season Oakland A's suite at the Oakland Coliseum for one Bitcoin, becoming the first purchase of a ticket offering priced in cryptocurrency in MLB.

"Voyager is proud to make history with this crypto purchase. More and more digital assets are becoming sought-after forms of payment as businesses and consumers embrace cryptocurrencies," said Steve Ehrlich, CEO and Co-founder of Voyager. "We've enjoyed a strong relationship with A's right fielder Stephen Piscotty and look forward to growing our relationship within the A's organization. Voyager intends to share the suite with our customer community in the Bay Area and beyond."

"We're eager to welcome Voyager to the Coliseum when the 2021 season starts today," said Oakland A's President Dave Kaval. "Cryptocurrency is a viable and tangible currency model, and we know other forward-thinking companies and individuals will join Voyager in using this payment for ticket purchases."

Stephen Piscotty noted, "Just like MLB and the Oakland A's, Voyager has a commitment to excellence. Voyager makes it easy for anyone to invest in different crypto assets, with zero commissions, and earn interest on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many more."

Current state health guidelines limit general stadium seating to pods of two or four, and suites up to six guests. Suites provide an option for groups larger than four to enjoy an A's game together. All suites include six tickets, a private restroom, and Coliseum snacks. Six-person private suites for individual games are also on sale now for just $594 for select April games. For more information, visit athletics.com/suites.

Fans can purchase a full season six-person suite for one Bitcoin until April 1. The suite is priced in cryptocurrency, not U.S. dollars, meaning the final suite price may fluctuate depending on when it's purchased.

For more information on Voyager Digital, please visit https://www.investvoyager.com . The Voyager App is available for Android and iPhone .

About Voyager Digital Ltd.

Voyager Digital Ltd. is a crypto-asset platform that provides retail and institutional investors with a turnkey solution to trade crypto assets. Voyager offers customers best execution and safe custody on a wide choice of popular crypto-assets. Voyager was founded by established Wall Street and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who teamed to bring a better, more transparent, and cost-efficient alternative for trading crypto-assets to the marketplace. Please visit us at https://www.investvoyager.com for more information and to review the latest Corporate Presentation.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release.

SOURCE Voyager Digital (Canada) Ltd.
Gaborone  Authorities in Botswana say the elephant hunting season will go ahead as planned, despite a world conservation body listing African elephants as endangered. Botswana's government argues its elephant population - the world's largest - is growing too fast and leading to human-wildlife conflict.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) this month listed Africa's Savannah elephants as endangered and its forest elephants as critically endangered.

But Botswana's Director of Wildlife and National Paks, Kabelo Senyatso said the authorized elephant hunts will begin on April 6 as planned.

Senyatso said his government uses IUCN's red list as one of the tools to implement conservation programs.

However, he said IUCN's latest report notes Botswana's elephant population is growing, not declining. The country has an estimated 130,000 elephants within its borders.

Senyatso said Botswana lifted a hunting ban in 2019, mainly to generate sustainable income for communities, and not as a way to control the elephant population.

The co-chairperson of the IUCN's Elephant Specialist Group, Ben Okita-Ouma, said the red list is meant to guide authorities as to the status of various species.

He said the organization's report acknowledges there are some countries where elephant populations are thriving.

"The entire African population has declined significantly. When it comes to specifics there are places that are probably doing ok than others. There are places that require much more intervention. Places like KAZA, we are seeing that population of savanna elephants are doing ok," he said.

KAZA is shorthand for Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, home to the world's largest elephant populations.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Botswana Wildlife By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Conservationist Neil Fitt said the move to declare the two elephant species as under extreme threat is long overdue.

The IUCN blames poaching and habitat fragmentation for the decline in populations.

However, Fitt argues Botswana has a stable elephant population which means the country can continue with its elephant management programs.

"The ones in Botswana and KAZA are still extremely stable if not increasing over the geographically area. I am not too sure how that will affect the hunting in Botswana and Namibia. Usually IUCN allows the countries to manage their own populations as long as they have scientific facts and if the population is increasing or stable," he said.

The IUCN's African Elephant Specialist Group found that in the past 50 years, savanna elephants have declined by more than 60 percent, while forest elephants are down by an alarming 86 percent in just three decades.
MPs Give PHAC 20 Days to Submit Documents About Removal of 2 Scientists From Winnipeg Lab

A House of Commons committee has passed a motion rejecting the reason the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) gave for refusing to disclose critical documents that would help explain why two scientists were fired from Canadas highest-security Level 4 laboratory.

On Wednesday, the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations passed a motion giving PHAC 20 days to submit all information and documents related to its shipment of live Ebola and Henipah viruses from the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg to Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology in March 2019.

In July 2019, Xiangguo Qiu, who was responsible for the virus shipment, was escorted by police from the laboratory, along with her husband, Keding Cheng and her students from China, and were stripped of security clearance due to policy breach and administrative reasons.

A PHAC spokesperson later confirmed that the two had been fired from the NML as of Jan. 20.

The connection between their removal from the lab and the shipment of viruses to Wuhan prompted the Canada-China Relations Committee to summon PHAC president Iain Stewart to testify.

During questioning by committee members on March 22, Stewart said he was not at liberty to disclose why Qiu and her husband were fired. He was given a deadline of March 26 to provide an explanation.

Instead, Stewart sent a letter to the committee saying Canadas Privacy Act prevents him from releasing personal information under the control of a government institution.

The Privacy Act does not expressly contemplate the provision of personal information to parliamentarians about employment or labour relations matters concerning public servants, he wrote.

Conservative MP Michael Chong said Wednesday that Stewarts reason doesnt hold water. Citing article 8.2.c of the Privacy Act, Chong said the legislation stipulates that personal information held by PHAC can be disclosed when ordered by a body with jurisdiction to compel the production of information, such as a House of Commons committee.

He said PHAC must comply with the Canada-China committee order, citing the House of Commons Procedure and Practice that standing committees have the power to order the production of papers and records, another privilege that is rooted in the Constitution and which is delegated by the House.

In a vote, the motion to refuse Stewarts reason was supported by the Conservatives, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois, while the Liberals opposed it.

Liberal MP Robert Oliphant said that while Parliament has the power to demand information, he suggested the committee step back from such powers in this case, because the two scientists are currently under RCMP investigation.

Is there a limitation to our access to information as parliamentarians from a police force while a current investigation is underway? Oliphant asked the parliamentary law clerk, to whom the PHAC documents would be submitted.

Oliphant also questioned whether the law clerk has the competency and knowledge to determine the potential national security impacts in disclosing certain information.

I, as an individual MP, do not feel that I have the full base of knowledge to fully understand national security impact of actions, he said.

I like the idea that we have this right, but I would be voting against this motion if I feel that there is public interest not being guarded, because sometimes there are interests more important than our right to get information.

Bloc Quebecois MP Stephane Bergeron said he was concerned by Oliphants position.

He seems to be saying that, deep down, if we bring forth this motion, its not because we are against some civil servants decision, but against the government in power, as if the government in power right now is supporting the decisions made by this public servant (Iain Stewart), Bergeron said.

I never thought that the government in power was sanctioning the position of this public servant not to answer parliamentarians questions.

Bergeron also stressed that the motion includes safeguards that would prevent MPs from violating public interest by disclosing sensitive details.

In June 2020, CBC News obtained documents through an Access to Information request revealing that on March 31, 2019, four months before Qiu and her husband were escorted from the NML, she had shipped live samples of the deadly Ebola virus and other viruses to Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Qiu made at least five visits to China between 2017 and 2018, including one trip to train Chinese scientists and technicians at a newly certified Level 4 lab.
Hong Kong: New inspection regime balanced

The new inspection regime for the Companies Register has struck a reasonable balance between continuing to allow public access to the necessary personal information to ascertain the identity of directors and other major officers of companies, and protecting personal privacy.

The Financial Services & the Treasury Bureau made the statement today in response to news reports on the implementation of the registers inspection arrangements.

It said upon the new inspection regimes implementation, all searchers, including the media, will continue to be able to access the information of directors on the register.

Such information includes directors personal correspondence addresses and partial identification numbers (IDN). The availability of other information currently available for inspection on the register will not be hindered in any way.

Together with the name of a director, such information should be sufficient to enable searchers to ascertain the identity of the director concerned.

The new inspection arrangements are comparable to those adopted in other overseas common law jurisdictions.

The bureau explained that it consulted the public on the relevant new arrangements in 2009 and made reference to the practices of the UK and Australia where no personal identification numbers are required to be filed on their respective public registers.

The Companies Ordinance stipulates that post office box numbers are not allowed to be used as the correspondence addresses by company directors. The correspondence addresses filed by company directors must be specific addresses that can be used for service of documents.

In case there is a situation where service of documents to a director by way of the correspondence address is not possible, the ordinance also provides that the court has the authority to make an order instructing the Companies Registry to disclose the residential addresses of the directors concerned for communication purpose.

The Registrar of Companies may also make available a directors residential address for public inspection if the correspondence address is no longer valid. Therefore, the new inspection regime will not impede the necessary service of documents.

On conducting customer due diligence, searchers will have access to the correspondence address and partial IDN of a director, and they may also apply to the registry for inspecting the residential address and full IDN after obtaining authorisation from that director.

Implementation of the new inspection regime would involve substantial modifications of the Companies Registrys information system. The bureau therefore proposes bringing the provisions into operation by phases to enhance personal data protection.

The bureau said it respects that the community will take time to understand how the new inspection regime will work in practice.

It added that it will consult the Legislative Council Panel on Financial Affairs on April 9 on the entire plan to implement the regime by phases to enable LegCo members and the public to better understand the proposed arrangements.

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has vehemently jabbed the Council of Elders of the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) over recent comments made by the party's General Secretary regarding Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.



The NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia in an interview with Kwame Nkrumah Tikese on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' morning show, revealed reasons why the Minority Caucus on the Appointments Committee approved Ken Ofori-Atta.



He disclosed that there was a consensus at the NDC hierarchy that the Minority Caucus approves Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister, because in their estimation, he performed abysmally in President Akufo-Addo's first term; hence maintaining him in office will inure to the benefit of the opposition party in the 2024 general elections.



Mr. Asiedu Nketia expounded that keeping the Finance Minister is a strategic plan by the NDC intended to show Ghanaians his lousy deals and deeds.



We have strategies as a political party and some of the NDC leaders sat down and considered the approval of the nominee as to whether passing or failing him, which one will be in the interest of the party. So, we all decided that if we allow him to be the Finance Minister, it will be in the interest of the NDC . . .



We realised during the vetting of the Finance Minister, he was exposed in all his wrong deeds . . . The banks he collapsed, PDS deal and bad financial decisions he superintended over; we needed him to be there to remind Ghanaians what he has brought on this country.



"Tell Nana Akufo-Addo that if it is this lame-back Finance Minister he wants to still be in control of the countrys finances, so be it, and that is why we told our people to approve him, he stated.



Kwamena Duncan reproved the Council of Elders of the NDC saying instead of them to give good counsel to the party, they are rather haboring ill-motives for Ghanaians.



He asked what sort of Council of Elders would advise for their party to make Ghanaians suffer, so they come into power.



"The National Council of Elders, they must take a second look at themselves because my understanding of Council of Elders that you must have had a certain experience private and public. You must have had a certain gravitas of a certain standard by way of knowledge and your judgement to be part of a Council of Elders.



"It is because that party is in disarray. I cannot for the likes of me that Council of Elders will sit in counsel and advise Members of Parliament that, look, this man, he is incapable; this man is incompetent, yet if you approve him, it will mean that we will have more mess. The Ghanaian people will suffer for the next four years but that should not be a problem for us because, in the end, the Ghanaian people will go to the polls and cast their ballot for us. Amazing! That is the party that holds itself as the main opposition party," he said on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo''.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the security sector due to the escalation of the military conflict in Donbas and Crimea.

"I held a productive and focused call with Antony Blinken as Russia continues to systemically aggravate the security situation in the east of Ukraine and in Crimea. Discussed ways of strengthening security cooperation," Kuleba wrote on his Twitter microblog on Wednesday evening.

In turn, Blinken said "The United States unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We continue to support Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration in the face of Russia's ongoing aggression in Donbas and Crimea."

The sides also discussed specific areas for enhancing interaction in the political sphere.
"Repairing roads before they are allowed to deteriorate is a win-win proposition: it saves governments money and it saves drivers money," says Ian Jack, vice-president of public affairs, CAA National.
 Flash

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday refuted a U.S. annual report on human rights, saying the so-called "genocide" in Xinjiang is purely smearing China's ethnic policy and Xinjiang's achievements in development.

The so-called "genocide" is a ludicrous fabrication that violates international laws, spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press briefing in response to a relevant question.

Hua said confirmation of committing genocide must go through authoritative and strict legal procedures, as well as stand the test of facts and history.

"No country, organization, or individual is qualified or has the power to wantonly decide whether a country is guilty of genocide," said Hua, adding that no country could use this accusation to label others in terms of international relations.

Plenty of facts have already proven that the so-called "report" constantly cited by the U.S. side is full of fake information fabricated by Adrian Zenz, and the so-called "witnesses" are merely trained "actors," said Hua, adding that some media outlets played the role of "amplifier" and "rumor-broadcaster" during this process.

"Their awkward farce is full of loopholes and has been exposed and refuted via many means by not only China's Xinjiang but also foreign persons, including some from the United States," she said.

Hua said ethnic minority groups in China live happier and more equal lives with dignity, which is much better than the lives of ethnic minorities in the United States.

The United States is not qualified to condemn China's human rights, said the spokesperson, adding that it's time to put an end to the show written, directed, and acted by some U.S. politicians.
Daniel Rossen joins ICW Group as VP, Commercial Multi-Peril Insurance. Adding commercial multi-peril to our suite of products gives us an opportunity to bring even more value to our policyholder customers and agent partners," said Kevin Prior, ICW Group president and CEO. "Were excited to have Daniel, along with his extensive expertise, on our team.

Expanding its product offering to include commercial multi-peril insurance, ICW Group Insurance Companies, a leading group of property and casualty carriers, taps industry veteran Daniel Rossen as Vice President to lead the development and execution of these new lines of business.

Rossen brings more than 30 years of insurance industry experience to ICW Group and is charged with establishing all underwriting direction, appetite and strategy for the new commercial multi-peril unit. Rossen will leverage the companys top expertise in many classes of business, A.M. Best A Rated status and its highly successful workers compensation business to build and promote the line, which is targeted for launch in 2021.

Adding commercial multi-peril to our suite of products gives us an opportunity to bring even more value to our policyholder customers and agent partners," said Kevin Prior, ICW Group president and CEO. By bundling together several property and casualty coverages, we can offer all-in-one packages to policyholders, while helping our agents further grow their business by servicing their clients more efficiently. Were excited to have Daniel, along with his extensive expertise, on our team.

Prior to joining ICW Group, Rossen served as a vice president at The Hartford in Chicago leading the Maxum Special Property and E&S binding business. Rossen has a long history of experience leading the strategic direction and deployment of new product lines in the various positions he has held within the insurance sector.

Commercial multi-peril is a tremendous fit for ICW Group and will further support our mission to create the best insurance experience possible for our customers, said Rossen. Im proud to be a part of the ICW Group team and look forward to contributing to its already strong business performance.

Rossen has a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Cincinnati.

About ICW Group

Based in San Diego, ICW Group Insurance Companies is the largest privately held insurance company domiciled in California. Quoting more than $3 billion annually, ICW Group represents a group of Workers Compensation, Assumed Reinsurance and Catastrophe insurance carriers, including Insurance Company of the West and Explorer Insurance Company. ICW Group is recognized nationally as an industry leader in helping policyholders achieve fewer and less costly claims while elevating the trusted agents who advise them. More information is available at http://www.icwgroup.com, http://www.twitter.com/ICWGroup, http://www.linkedin.com/companies/icw-group and http://www.facebook.com/ICWGroup.


SK says ITC decision shows firm's technological capabilities

LG claims latest ruling is separate from trade secret case



By Kim Bo-eun





LG and SK groups' corporate logos / Korea Times file

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) ruled in favor of SK Innovation (SKI), Wednesday (local time), in a battery patent lawsuit with LG Energy Solution (LGES).



In a preliminary decision in the patent suit filed by LGES, the commission stated that it could find no evidence that the nation's No. 2 battery maker, SKI, infringed on the stated patents. The pre-ruling comes as a deadline approaches for a decision by the White House on whether to veto a separate USITC ruling over SKI illegally obtaining LGES' trade secrets that was made in February.



"It is my initial determination in this investigation that there is no violation of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, in the importation into the U.S., the sale for importation, and/or the sale within the U.S. after importation of certain lithium battery cells, battery modules, battery packs, components thereof and products containing the same, with respect to the alleged infringement of asserted claims (of the four patents)," the notice signed by Administrative Law Judge Dee Lord stated.



LG Chem, which owns LGES, filed the battery patent suit against SKI in September 2019, claiming the SK affiliate infringed on its patents in the U.S. involving separators and cathode materials.



This is a preliminary determination and the final ruling is due Aug. 2.



SKI welcomed the ITC's decision, saying, "We have been developing advanced battery technology over an extended period of time, and therefore anticipated that the ITC would rule that no infringements were made (on LGES' patents). The preliminary ruling shows SKI's technological capabilities."



In a statement, LGES, said, "We plan to look into the details of the initial determination and take measures according to procedures of the suit so that the infringements and validity of our patents are recognized."



Noting that the ITC's patent suit is separate from its trade secret case with SKI, an LGES official said that it will make further efforts to prove SKI infringed on its battery technology patents.





The U.S. International Trade Commission's headquarters in Washington D.C. / Korea Times file
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor America reported total March sales of 75,403 units, a 115% increase compared with March 2020 and the all-time best month in Hyundai history. Palisade and Kona had their best month ever, while Santa Fe and Tucson set new March highs. Hyundai fleet sales were down 58%, representing 4% of total volume.

"It was a historic U.S. sales performance in March and Q1 for Hyundai," said Randy Parker, senior vice president, National Sales, Hyundai Motor America. "Strong consumer confidence, stable inventory, a compelling lineup, attention-grabbing advertising and the efforts of our dealer partners all came together to deliver these results. With the all-new Tucson, our highest-volume model, arriving at dealerships, we will build on this momentum and continue to gain market share."

March Retail Highlights

March was also the best retail month ever, with 72,740 retail sales, up 153%. Retail sales rose for the entire lineup with SUVs (+173%), cars (+120%) and eco-friendly vehicles (+235%), all up triple digits.

Q1 Highlights

For the quarter, Hyundai had its highest Q1 retail sales ever at 157,470 units, an increase of 38% compared with Q1 2020. Total Q1 sales were up 28% with significant growth across the lineup.

March Total Sales Summary



Mar-21 Mar-20 % Chg 2021 YTD (Q1) 2020 YTD (Q1) % Chg Hyundai 75,403 35,118 115% 167,130 130,875 28%

March Product and Corporate Activities

All-New 2022 Tucson : For the soon-to-be arriving all-new Tucson , Hyundai released pricing, launched a reservation program and provided details for the N Line and Plug-in Hybrid models

: For the soon-to-be arriving all-new , Hyundai released pricing, launched a reservation program and provided details for the N Line and Plug-in Hybrid models Santa Cruz Teaser: Hyundai released the first teaser sketch of its highly-anticipated Santa Cruz Sport Adventure Vehicle

Hyundai released the first teaser sketch of its highly-anticipated Santa Cruz Sport Adventure Vehicle Complimentary EV Charging: Hyundai is providing 250 kilowatt-hours of complimentary charging on Electrify America's ultra-fast charging network for owners of 2021 Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric models

Hyundai is providing 250 kilowatt-hours of complimentary charging on Electrify America's ultra-fast charging network for owners of 2021 Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric models Elantra Honors: The Hispanic Motor Press Awards named Elantra its 2021 Car of the Year and Autotrader selected Elantra to its 10 Best Interiors Under $50,000 list

The Hispanic Motor Press Awards named Elantra its 2021 Car of the Year and Autotrader selected Elantra to its 10 Best Interiors Under list Usage-Based Insurance: Hyundai introduced its Usage Based Insurance (UBI) program to help owners potentially save hundreds of dollars on their auto insurance

Model Total Sales

Vehicle Mar-21 Mar-20 % Chg 2021 YTD (Q1) 2020 YTD (Q1) %Chg Accent 1,788 1,196 50% 4,272 4,807 -11% Elantra 12,598 7,430 70% 26,093 25,745 1% Ioniq 1,930 763 153% 4,125 3,522 17% Kona 10,416 3,874 169% 22,610 15,174 49% Nexo 30 7 329% 78 51 53% Palisade 9,184 3,934 133% 21,207 17,089 24% Santa Fe 11,538 6,358 82% 28,570 19,902 44% Sonata 9,335 3,957 136% 20,557 15,602 32% Tucson 15,744 6,073 159% 33,147 23,735 40% Veloster 272 575 -53% 687 2,082 -67% Venue 2,568 951 170% 5,784 3,166 83%

Hyundai Motor America

At Hyundai Motor America, we believe everyone deserves better. From the way we design and build our cars to the way we treat the people who drive them, making things better is at the heart of everything we do. Hyundai's technology-rich product lineup of cars, SUVs and alternative-powered electric and fuel cell vehicles is backed by Hyundai Assuranceour promise to create a better experience for customers. Hyundai vehicles are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide and nearly half of those sold in the U.S. are built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea.

Please visit our media website at www.HyundaiNews.com

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America

Related Links

www.hyundainews.com


Last year, a businessman from Rajkot, Gujarat, declared an income of less than Rs 5 lakh in his tax return. However, information collated by the Income Tax (I-T) Department showed he had deposited Rs 10 crore - and withdrawn Rs 7.5 crore - in cash during the year. The department sent him six notices, a dozen SMS alerts and tried every means to contact him. He remained elusive, forcing it to raid the business premises mentioned in the I-T return. It was a wrong address. I-T officials took the home address from his bank, but he was missing from there. It is now in the process of attaching his bank account and other assets.

Far away, in Alwar, Rajasthan, another businessman deposited Rs 27 crore cash in his bank account in 2017/18 and Rs 22 crore in 2019/20. His declared income was Rs 3-5 lakh. The department is after his case too.

Tax evaders, beware! Technology, especially its tools such as data analytics and artificial intelligence, is ending the heydays of exploiting information gaps to hide income from the taxman.

On the flip side, the nationwide drive to find evaders has also given a free hand to corrupt officials to exploit the system with arbitrary notices and demands. Businesses - small and large - remain at the receiving end of taxman's hounding, threats and - at times - even violence.

Tax authorities, though, are detecting mismatches in tax returns using tonnes of information about large transactions from banks, mutual funds, companies issuing shares, stamp and registration departments of states, etc, and sounding alerts about possible tax evasion. Different wings of the revenue department - direct tax, indirect tax and customs - are also sharing data. Last year, the I-T Department also signed information-sharing MoUs with markets regulator Sebi and the MSME ministry. More such arrangements are in the offing. It may sound alarmist, but the revenue department is making no bones about it. In fact, it wants people to know it has more information than they think it has. "Those who earlier used to think how will the tax department know (about the transactions), would now know that tax authorities have details of those taxable transactions, and it is better to disclose them in the returns to avoid complications later," former Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey told Business Today just before he superannuated in February 2021.

Finding Tax Payers

Indias tax-to-GDP ratio is low compared to many of its peers in Asia and West - as low as 17.7 per cent in FY21, according to the 15th Finance Commission Report. This is way less than Brazil (36 per cent), Japan (33 per cent), UK (33 per cent), Korea (27 per cent), US (25 per cent) and China (20 per cent). The report says "distinct improvements are possible in collections from GST, direct taxes of the Union and non-GST taxes of states with institutional and administrative reforms and use of IT-based solutions".

The Centre is going the whole hog on that path. Take the Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management (DGARM), an arm of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) set up in July 2017 to analyse data and share results with different departments. It became functional in June 2018. In September 2020, DGARM shared a RED FLAG report alerting tax authorities about 38 lakh taxpayers (registered with the GST Network or GSTN) who had not filed GSTR-3B returns for at least six months. The report identified 1,850 'Stop Filers' with substantial tax liabilities at the time of their last return. GST authorities issued cancellation notices. Registrations of 1.63 lakh non-filers were cancelled in October-November 2020. GSTR 3B returns are a monthly summary of sales and purchases, input tax credit available and tax paid.

Around the time DGARM was being set up, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) launched 'Project Insight' with L&T Infotech to provide comprehensive big data analytics and surveillance solutions. The aim was to mine the loads of data it gets through Annual Information Returns (AIR) filed by banks and other financial institutions as well as TDS (tax deducted at source) and other information sharing arrangements.

The results are showing. Number of income tax returns filed rose from 4.04 crore in FY15 to 6.93 crore in FY21. In the latest three years, the numbers rose by 20 per cent per annum compared to 13 per cent in the three years before that. The I-T Department added 1.1 crore new filers in FY19, and around 1.3 crore in FY20, according to CBDTs Action Plan 2019-20.

Direct tax collections (which include income and corporate taxes) rose from Rs 7.4 lakh crore in FY16 to Rs 11.4 lakh crore in FY19. In FY17, FY18 and FY19, they increased 14.53 per cent, 18 per cent and 13.54 per cent, respectively. The average in previous three years was around 10 per cent. In FY20, though, direct tax collections dropped to Rs 10.5 lakh crore, primarily due to drastic fall in GDP growth. Direct tax buoyancy (tax growth/GDP growth) has been above one since FY17, touching a high of 1.6 times in FY18 (1.21 in FY19).

DGARM came to prominence in November 2020 when the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) launched a data analytics-driven crackdown on fake invoices. Thanks to that, despite a shrinking economy, GST collections, which averaged Rs 82,300 crore a month in FY18 and rose to Rs 93,000 crore a month in FY19, have regularly crossed Rs 1.10 lakh crore since December 2020, never seen before in its three-and-a-half year history (see The Pressure Pays Off).

Compliance has also improved. The number of GSTR 3B returns filed in January 2021 was 90 lakh compared to 83 lakh in the same month of the previous year. In February, 87 lakh returns were filed compared to 83 lakh in the same month a year ago.

Casting the Net Wider: Income Tax

"With Project Insight, I-T can now create any taxpayer's 360-degree profile. If your PAN is linked to your Aadhaar and that is linked to your mobile phone, wherever you mention your mobile number, say while booking a flight, shopping in a retail outlet or purchasing an insurance policy, the tax department knows what you spent," says Avinash Gupta, a Delhi-based chartered accountant. The initiative was started with three goals in mind - promoting voluntary compliance and deterring non-compliance; imparting confidence so that all eligible persons pay appropriate tax; and promoting fair and judicious tax administration.

The tax department creates the profile by analysing information in AIR, Statement of Financial Transactions, TDS/TCS statements and securities transactions. It then matches the income disclosed with the profile. Project Insight has helped the income tax department not only identify non-filers but also those who are paying less than what they are supposed to.

Shailesh Kumar, Partner, Nangia & Co, says when the tax department gets to know about any high-value transaction, it sends an SMS to the taxpayer and asks him/her to pay appropriate advance tax (if required). "This is a way to also make the taxpayer aware that the department is watching him," he says. A typical alert asks the taxpayer to log on to the compliance portal and take the steps mentioned there.

That is not all. Under Project Insight, the I-T department has rolled out an integrated data warehousing and a business intelligence platform: Income Tax Transaction Analysis Centre (INTRAC) and Compliance Management Centralised Processing Centre (CMCPC). INTRAC not just finds large inconsistencies and anomalies in taxpayers' disclosed income and expense patterns but also enforces compliance, identifies patterns and makes predictions for future revenue collections. The CMCPC uses emails, SMSes, reminders, outbound calls, letters to encourage voluntary compliance and resolution of compliance issues. A dedicated compliance portal has also been created. It's a two-way communication platform where a taxpayer and tax officers can interact.

On a Mountain of Data: Indirect Tax

The indirect tax department, which collects taxes such as GST and excise duty, hit a jackpot with the implementation of GST. In 2019, the GSTN - which has data of 1.27 crore registered taxpayers, 63 crore returns filed, 1,165 core invoices and 174 crore e-way bills (as on March 7, 2021) - set up Business Intelligence and Fraud Analytics (BIFA) in partnership with Infosys. BIFA uses this and data from other sources such as Customs and CBDT to come up with usable intelligence for tax officers. Explaining BIFA in a letter to principal chief commissioners and chief commissioners of the CGST zone in September last year, GST Commissioner Sanjay Mangal said the tool has been designed to help officers detect, unearth and investigate cases of potential tax evasion and frauds by using data analytics, ratio analysis, trend analysis and network analysis.

Not surprisingly, data analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning were behind the recent revenue department and DGGI crackdown on fake invoicing and input tax credit. GST authorities booked about 3,500 cases, unearthed 10,400 fake GSTIN entities and recovered Rs 1,200 crore.

In another initiative, the indirect tax department is creating profiles of tax-payers through ADVAIT (Advanced Analytics in Indirect Taxation), a tool which uses invoice-level data from GSTN and information from MoUs signed by CBIC. In February, 2021, CBIC signed an MoU with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) for exchange of data. According to a press release issued by the MCA, the two will get access to each other's databases, which include details of import-export transactions and consolidated financial statements of companies registered in the country. In July 2020, CBIC had signed a similar MoU with CBDT.

DGGI and Central GST Commissionerates have so far arrested 357 people, including 12 chartered accountants, one company secretary and an advocate in the ongoing drive against GST invoice frauds since mid-November 2020. The arrested include operators of fake entities and their beneficiaries. The crackdown is a result of an August 2020 letter from additional director general, DGARM, to GST field officers that there were 802 taxpayers in FY19, FY20 and FY21 who, according to the supply chain analysis by the department, were likely involved in availing fraudulent input tax credit against GST paid on export of goods and services. The analytics arm of CBIC identified these cases after noticing that some of the entities have filed a significant number of shipping bills through risky Customs Brokers whose database the department has.

The crackdown found some large entities claiming input tax credit against fake invoices. Recently, GST officials in Delhi unearthed a massive network of fictitious firms created by two ex-employees of Essel (Zee) Group. These firms allegedly helped Essel Group avail around Rs 400 crore input tax credit by issuing fake bills. The drive even landed at the doors of Larsen & Toubro. DGGI arrested two brothers, Ankur and Mukul Mittal, for providing fake invoices through various firms - floated/managed either directly or through "convenient" people - without any corresponding supply of goods and services. According to DGGI, the petitioner and his brother Ankur Mittal created around 400 such fake firms and issued invoices. Among those who allegedly claimed input tax credit against fake bills issued by these firms included companies such as L&T. DGGI sources say these fake entities were unearthed following data-sharing along BIFA and NETRA tools. NETRA, or Network Exploration Tool for Revenue Augmentation, is a tool used for network analysis of risky suppliers developed by DGRAM, the data analysis arm of CBIC. In an internal letter in December 2020, CBIC Chairman Ajit Kumar said NETRA empowered field officers to "conduct precise strikes against tax evaders, with great success".

(Un)ease of doing business

The crackdown, however, has its flipside. The tax department has no way to figure out where the outreach to find tax evaders turns into an over-reach by corrupt department officials using the opportunity to slap random notices, extort money and threaten taxpayers and exploit it to their advantage.

All this is raising concerns of regulatory overreach. Vivek Jalan, a Kolkata-based chartered accountant, says inspections, search and seizures have become the new normal. Worse, taxpayers are asked to submit bulk documents on the same day as the inspection/ search, he says. "In case the taxpayer is not able to do so, he is required to deposit an arbitrary amount," he says.

Experts say if tax authorities have intelligence about tax evasion, why do they need to go for search and seizure? Why can't they simply confront tax evaders with proof and ask them to explain? Kamal Agarwal, Partner and Governing Council member of SARC & Associates, says: "If you are using AI and have data, you issue a notice based on the data. Why are you using search and seizure as a tool to harass people? Send notices if you have data/ information (of tax evasion), and ask them to explain the anomaly. If they cannot explain, then raise the (tax) demand."

Technology has given tax authorities superlative powers, causing enormous unease among taxpayers. With greater access to data and information, while the tax administration has become more effective, it has led to harassment of taxpayers and substantially higher compliance burden (with tax officials seeking all kinds of data and information). "The government is on steroids when it comes to use of technology - especially tax authorities. While it is good for the government, it is creating an unprecedented compliance burden," says a tax expert on condition of anonymity. For instance, far from reducing processes, Budget'21 added new ones: businesses with annual turnover of Rs 10 crore or more will have to deduct TDS on purchase of goods exceeding Rs 50 lakh in a financial year. The TDS would be 0.1 per cent of the sum exceeding Rs 50 lakh.

"In the compliance portal, they are using advanced analytics at the backend and publishing high-value transactions which require explanation. You have to respond to queries that could be related to your data or that of your customers or vendors. So, it's not like you have done something wrong and have to explain. Sometimes they ask you to verify information/data about your vendors or customers," says Rahul Patni, Partner, Tax, EY India, with reference to the I-T Department's Project Insight.

Patni points out that under a new provision, if a company is making a payment to any vendor, it is its responsibility to check if the vendor has a valid PAN and has filed returns in the last two years. If not, it will have to deduct higher TDS. "This is an unprecedented burden for a company since, at times, companies have tens of thousands of vendors on its database. To do something like this is not easy," he says.

There has been a rise in harassment cases by DGGI. In some cases, GST officers have used violence against taxpayers. Recently, Praveen Khandelwal, National Secretary General, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), sent a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pointing out harassment and violence by GST officials against traders in Gujarat. "We invoke your kind and immediate attention to an ugly incident of physical assault and mental torture of traders of Vapi in Gujarat by high officials of the GST Department which needs strong condemnation. We urge you to take immediate cognisance of this grave matter and order a thorough probe of the unwarranted and undue harassment and physical violence with traders and their mental torture," Khandelwal said.

CAIT had even called for a Bharat Bandh against harassment of traders by GST officials. Gujarat and Telangana high courts have taken cognisance of such matters and asked DGGI officials to refrain from using coercive methods against taxpayers.

Armed with technology, Indian tax authorities are clearly smarter than before with data analytics tools and technologies like AI/ML at their disposal. But the over-reach has also left taxpayers high and dry. Finding the right balance between tracking evasion and over-reach and harassment remains an unaddressed challenge.

@dipak_journo
My mom, Patricia Ann Geddis, had me when she was 17. By the time I turned 17, she had been taken by gun violence.

My three younger sisters and I grew up watching the impact that domestic violence had on her. I tried to shield my sisters from it, but they knew. And they saw when our mothers boyfriend took an illegal, sawed-off shotgun and murdered her right in front of them. They were 10, 11 and 12 years old.

In an instant, the course of all our lives was changed forever. I was a student, and a good one at that. I had planned to become the first person in our family to go to college. But my grandmother and I had to raise my three sisters together, and I knew that I had to help put food on the table.

So I signed up for the Army, and on my first day, I was able to send a check home to support my motherless sisters. I served for seven years  at Fort McClellan, Fort Ord and NATO headquarters in Belgium. I raised my right hand and was willing to give my life to support the Constitution and all  yes, all  of its amendments. I have a son who served in the Army, and a son who is active-duty Navy and did a tour in Iraq.

We believe. We protect. We defend. We serve.

We all served a more fundamental freedom, though, and its a service I carried through my time in the Army, through my work as a counselor and as a pastor, and through my advocacy for gun-violence prevention. That most fundamental freedom is the one that was stolen from my mother: the freedom to live.

Gun violence steals that freedom from more than 100 people every day. Its been 25 years since the federal government took significant steps to protect that freedom, but the U.S. Senate now has a chance to take a key step forward by acting on background checks.

Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email

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In those 25 years, my family was devastated again by gun violence. My middle sisters only daughter, Sandy PaTrice Geddis Barnwell, was shot and killed. I helped raise her and was extremely proud of the young woman she had become. But on a day trip with her cousins and friends to Myrtle Beach in 2014 during Black Bikers Week, Sandy and two young men, DeVonte Dantzler and Jaime Williams, were shot and killed. Another young man, Keith Williams, was shot five times but survived.

Seeing the news these past few weeks of eight people killed and one wounded in the Atlanta area broke my heart as I grieved from an old familiar place for their children, families and friends.

I had not even caught my breath before another mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado sent me reeling and broke my heart all over again for 10 more families that have joined this club that we dont want new members to join.

Its past time that we shut the doors on that club. The Senate must take action on background checks  a policy with overwhelming support among Democrats, Republicans and gun owners  to keep guns out of the hands of people who aren't legally allowed to have them. And our lawmakers in South Carolina must stop their push for dangerous permitless carry and open carry laws that would make gun violence in our state worse.

I have presided over too many funerals for those taken in senseless gun violence. I have consoled too many friends who dont know how theyll go on. Ive buried too many family members who have left empty chairs at our tables and gaping holes in our hearts.

As gun owners, as veterans, as people of faith and as South Carolinians, it is on all of us to remind our senators that they have a responsibility to protect us and keep our communities safe. If they join with Democrats and Republicans alike in taking action to expand background checks, U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott will be able to look in the mirror and know theyve honored that responsibility and honored Patricia, Sandy and all those taken by gun violence.

Melody Geddis McFadden is a gun owner, pastor and veteran from Greenville and senior fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced a total of 11 grants totaling $13,146,304 in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration to improve airports throughout Louisiana. These projects will reconstruct taxiways, rehabilitate taxiway lighting and runways, conduct airport wildlife hazard assessment/management plan, update airport master plans, construct terminal buildings, and improve airport drainage and erosion control.

Airports are the gateway to a city and are one of the first things employers look to when making decisions as to where to invest, said Dr. Cassidy. These projects make it cheaper and more efficient for freight and passenger to travel. This make Louisiana a more attractive place to invest.

More information on the 11 grants can be found below.

$54,000

Ascension-St. James Airport and Transportation Authority

This grant will provide federal funding for the Louisiana Regional Airport associated with Gonzales, Louisiana. This project reconstructs 7,112 square yards of the existing terminal apron pavement that has reached the end of its useful life.

$54,564

Iberia Parish Airport Authority

This grant will provide federal funding for the Acadiana Regional Airport associated with New Iberia, Louisiana. This project replaces 109 concrete panels of the existing North General Aviation Taxiway needed to extend the useful life of the pavement.

$71,100

Acadia Parish Police Jury

This grant will provide federal funding for the Le Gros Memorial Airport associated with Crowley, Louisiana. This project improves 6,000 feet of the airport's existing drainage system to eliminate ponding on airfield surfaces to meet Federal Aviation Administration design standards.

$135,000

St. Marys Parish Council

This grant will provide federal funding for the Harry P Williams Memorial Airport associated with Patterson, Louisiana. This project updates the airport master plan narrative report and airport layout plan to address key issues, objectives and goals pertinent to the airport's future development.

$150,000

Greater Lafourche Port Commission

This grant will provide federal funding for the South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr Airport associated with Galliano, Louisiana. This project conducts an airport wildlife hazard assessment and develops a wildlife hazard management plan.

$154,928

Greater Lafourche Port Commission

This grant will provide federal funding for the South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr Airport associated with Galliano, Louisiana. This project removes Runway 18 Approach non-hazard tree obstructions to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards.

$180,000

Union Parish Policy Jury

This grant will provide federal funding for the Union Parish Airport associated with Farmerville, Louisiana. This project removes non-hazard tree obstructions to meet Federal Aviation Administration design standards.

$1,765,000

City of Bogalusa

This grant will provide federal funding for the George R Carr Memorial Air Field Airport associated with Bogalusa, Louisiana. This project rehabilitates 5,002 feet of the existing Runway 18/36 pavement to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris.

$2,000,000

Lafayette Airport Commission

This grant will provide federal funding for the Lafayette Regional/Paul Fournet Field Airport associated with Lafayette, Louisiana. This project constructs a 114,500 square foot terminal building to meet design standards.

$5,143,712

Shreveport Airport Authority

This grant will provide federal funding for the Shreveport Downtown Airport associated with Shreveport, Louisiana. This project rehabilitates 5,016 feet of Runway 14/32 to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris.

$3,438,000

Chennault Industrial Airport Authority

This grant will provide federal funding for the Chennault International Airport associated with Lake Charles, Louisiana. This project reconstructs 350 feet of the existing Taxiway D pavement that has reached the end of its useful life.
Apples smartphones and wearable devices might be some of the most coveted devices across the world, but that doesnt mean one can simply steal them from another user, as a thief in Brazil recently discovered. The police arrested him after the Apple Watch he stole helped them track him down.

According to AppleInsider, the Apple Watch was stolen from a mans home in Santa Maria last Saturday. However, the assailants who attacked him did not just steal his Apple Watch, they also took his BMW X4, according to a Brazilian website MacMagazine.

Also read: Apple's Find My will alert users of unknown trackers moving with you

When the owner of the device went to the Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sol, they tracked the Apple Watch, probably using the built-in Find My app that is preloaded on to every iOS and macOS device. The victim would presumably have logged into another Apple device in order to be able to track the lost Apple Watch.

MacMagazine says that one of the thieves were tracked down within one day, to a house where he was staying with his sister. The man had reported that he was assaulted by men wearing Brazilian army uniforms, which were found at the thieves residence. However, the report does not confirm whether the man was a member of the army or not.

Read more: Biker used Googles location data for tracking rides and that turned him into a burglary suspect

Apples capable Find My app is about to get a lot smarter with the arrival of a new feature that can help you stop a stalker, family member or possessive partner from using a simple tracking device to keep tabs on you and your location. Called Item Safety Alerts, the feature informs an iPhone or iPad user if there is an unknown device that has been added to the Find My app which is also moving along with you, and should arrive with the upcoming iOS 145 update for iPhones and iPads.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The jailed political leader wants a medical examination for pain in various parts of the body, a likely consequence of last year's poisoning. Putin's adversary, who has been placed in isolation, has also complained of sleep torture. For external doctors, without proper care, he could lose a leg.

Moscow (AsiaNews)  Alexey Navalny began a hunger strike yesterday to protest the conditions of his detention.

Russias opposition leader is being held in penal colony IK-2 in Pokrov. Over the past week, he has asked to see a doctor for back and leg pain, a likely consequence of last year's Novichok poisoning. So far, the prison doctor has simply given him a few painkillers.

He has also reported being subjected to a form of sleep torture: at night he is woken every hour with loud calls from a loudspeaker to ensure that he is present in his cell. As a result, he cannot sleep normally.

After repeatedly reprimanding and punishing him for breaking the rules, most notably for refusing to sleep the regular eight hours, prison authorities have designated him as a high risk for escape, and placed him in isolation.

After his first complaints about pains in various parts of his body, a group of observers, appointed by Vladimir's regional administration, examined Navalny on 27 March.

The head of the delegation, Vyacheslav Kulikov, noted that the prisoner complains, but is able to walk alone. However, we have asked the prison doctors to pay more attention to him.

Navalnys lawyers have made several requests for assistance, which have been ignored so far. On Tuesday, The Insider website reported that some 20 prominent Russian doctors from various cities signed an appeal, urging Russian authorities to provide the prisoner with medical care.

The doctors are asking for test results to be released, and made available to civilian and German doctors, in order to be able to effectively assess the prisoners pain and the possible consequences of last years events.

From Germany, Navalny went back to Russia before fully completing his treatment programme; at worst, doctors warn, he could lose a leg.

On Monday, media reported the death of another doctor from the Omsk hospital where Navalny was initially treated after he was poisoned. Dr Rustam Agishev, 63, the deputy chief of the Department of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, died of a sudden heart attack, the Tajga.info reported.

For Dr Yevgeny Osipov, chief physician at the Omsk hospital, this is an immeasurable loss for the entire medical community, after 30 years of indefatigable service.

This death comes after Sergey Maximishin, deputy chief physician of the same medical facility, also suddenly died in February. In October 2020, another deputy chief physician at the hospital, Anatoly Kalinichenko, quit his job.

The two physicians were among the medical staff who first treated Navalny, initially reporting poisoning as the cause of his condition, a diagnosis quickly denied by the hospital, but later confirmed by testing carried out in Germany.
A 19-year-old man has surrendered to police after he was accused of shooting and killing an 11-year-old boy who was riding a motorized bike in Philadelphia.

Khaleek Cooper-Baldwin turned himself in Wednesday and will be charged with murder and related offenses, NBC 10 is reporting.

Harley Belance, 11, was shot and killed while riding his bike on the 1500 block of McKinley Street in the citys Oxford Circle neighborhood Friday, reports indicate. A 14-year-old boy was injured in the shooting.

Police say a man, later identified as Cooper-Baldwin, was spotted firing shots across McKinley Street, according to reports.

Police say its unclear if the boys were the intended targets, Action News 6 ABC is reporting.

Harleys grieving parents told 6 ABC they just want answers.

I cannot imagine why at 11 years old he gets killed, the boys mother, Cerette Belance, told the station.

I just asked justice. Justice for my boo boo. I need justice for my son, his father, Louilor Belance, told 6 ABC.

The shooting is part of a recent wave of gun violence in Philadelphia with 120 homicides in 2021 as of Tuesday, NBC 10 reports. That is up 26% from this time last year.
Mumbai, April 1 : In the contention of creating a mega retail giant, despite several legal and arbitration battles, Reliance Retail Ventures extended the timeline for its acquisition of Future Retail.

In financial parlance, the RRVL extended the 'long stop date' for the acquisition till September 30, 2021.

Besides, the development showed Reliance Retail's confidence in clinching the deal amid the legal tussle going on with Amazon.

Notably, the previous long stop date to complete the transaction was March 31, 2021.

In a regulatory filing on Thursday, Future Retail said: "Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) has in exercise of the right provided thereunder, extended the timeline for Long Stop Date from March 31, 2021 to September 30, 2021 which has been duly acknowledged by Reliance Retail and Fashion Lifestyle Limited, wholly owned subsidiary of RRVL." August last year, Reliance Industries' subsidiary Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd announced to buy the retail assets of Future Group for nearly Rs 25,000 crore.

The deal has faced legal hurdles as e-commerce giant Amazon, which owns a 49 per cent stake in Future Coupons Pvt Ltd, a Future Group holding company, objected to the deal and approached the arbitration court in Singapore.

The arbitration court directed a temporary stay on the deal till its final decision.

The Delhi High Court last month stayed a recent single bench order upholding the Singapore Emergency Award (EA) and stalling Future Retail from going ahead with the Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail.
God never viewed women as second-class citizens, Fox News anchor Shannon Bream declares

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Fox News anchor Shannon Bream released her new book, Women of the Bible Speak, just in time for Easter and shared how God empowered many inspiring women of the Bible whose testimonies are still relevant to women today.

The problems they had centuries ago are still the same ones many women face today: chronic illness, family squabbles, infertility, widowhood, feeling forgotten, Bream told The Christian Post about her book, which is already ranked No. 5 on Amazon's Best Sellers list and ranked No. 1 in Christian Womens Issues.

The book delves into the lives of 16 biblical women. She arranges them into pairs and compares and contrasts their journeys while pulling out the overarching theme of each womans individual story.

By looking at these stories, we see God has never viewed women as second-class citizens or bit players. They are respected and included, she said.

The book was released Tuesday by FOX News Books in collaboration with HarperCollins Publishers. The popular anchor hosted a one-hour Fox News special Sunday  a five-part series that can be seen on the streaming platform, Fox Nation. The series included Kathie Lee Gifford, Sara Evans, Alveda King, and others.

The Florida native wants readers to see that God was working through each of our lives just as He did with those highlighted in the Bible.

The following is an edited transcript of Breams interview with The Christian Post, where she shared which woman of the Bible she identifies with most due to her own personal struggles. The former beauty-pageant winner also detailed her personal faith journey and what she hopes readers gain from reading her book.

CP: What inspired you to write Women of the Bible Speak?

Bream: The Bible is full of incredible stories about all kinds of women. Some were highly esteemed, others were outcasts  but all of them were important to God. I was encouraged and inspired by all of them and challenged in different ways with regard to my own faith.

Ive known these stories my whole life, but by studying them in a more in-depth way, I saw them with fresh eyes. My hope is that by going along on their journeys, flaws and all, readers will see that God was working through each of their lives, just as He is in ours today.

CP: Can you briefly share your own story of coming to faith in Christ?

Bream: From a young age, I was surrounded by faith  at home, at school and at church  which was the center of our lives. It wasnt until I was in middle school that I truly got that my relationship with Christ needed to be a personal one, that I needed to make my own commitment to Him and accept what He did on the cross as the way to salvation.

I have been a work in progress ever since, had questions and struggles along the way, but God has been faithful. I pray each day Ill have the wisdom and discernment I need to follow His plan, and have the grace and courage to say, Your will, not mine.

CP: How did you determine the women you decided to highlight in the book?

Bream: We decided to pair them up, to look for common lessons and truths. Some of them were easy to include because they knew each other, like Rachel and Leah or Mary and Martha. Others may have lived in completely different times and circumstances, but we found a common thread, like Queen Esther and Rahab. Both were divinely guided to be exactly where God wanted them to be in a position to give the Jewish people a great victory.

I also wanted to make sure to include women who made mistakes, got off track and made a mess of things. Weve all done that, and I wanted to highlight how the Lord can redeem all of that. I also decided to do the final chapter on Jesus and several additional women to show His compassion for them, regardless of their circumstances or lack of status. Some of them were faithful from the beginning, others had to find their strength and courage in the Lord. In every case, I came away from these stories feeling inspired and encouraged.

CP: Why is it important for the Church to highlight the women of the Bible as well as the men?

Bream: What I love is that Christ broke a lot of norms of the day through His relationships with women. By looking at these stories, we see God has never viewed women as second-class citizens or bit players. They are respected and included.

Deborah is a wonderful example of leadership in the Old Testament, revered for her knowledge and wisdom as a judge, she also fearlessly followed Gods direction. She also defies the notion that women werent leaders in Scripture. Some of the stories show us the heart of women in areas that are incredibly tender, like Hannahs tearful prayers over her infertility. Others, like Martha and Mary, give us insights into how we should view service and our personal relationship with Christ.

What I love about the book is the opportunity to look at challenges from a womans perspective.

CP: Although these women were from Bible times, you said they share relevant topics for 2021. Can you share some examples?

Bream: The problems they had centuries ago are still the same ones many women face today: chronic illness, family squabbles, infertility, widowhood, feeling forgotten. I think those things are universal. The times and customs were certainly different, but not the sense of being overwhelmed or met with moments that demanded great courage or faithfulness.

CP: Which woman featured in the book is your favorite?

Bream: My answer will depend on the day you ask because they all feel like such treasures to me!

I love the leadership and courage of Deborah, but I most identify with the woman who had the issue of bleeding for 12 years. I lived with chronic illness and pain for several years, so Ive always felt some connection to her. She had gone from doctor to doctor, spent all she had and was left without hope or a cure. She had so much faith that she thought if she could just get to Jesus and touch the hem of His garment she would be healed.

What I learned in studying her story is that she probably would have been considered unclean in those days, meaning she wouldnt be allowed in the temple or market or in a crowd. She must have felt so isolated, yet she risked everything to get to Christ. The Scriptures tell us she was immediately healed by touching His garment. He knew what had happened and turned around asking who had touched Him. Theres no doubt He knew.

The Bible tells us she fell down before Him trembling, but He didnt condemn her. Instead, he called her Daughter and told her her faith had made her whole. I love everything about that story, what it says about the power of faith and about Christs compassion for us.

CP: If there was a message from these women to us now, what do you think that would be?

Bream: God is faithful, whether we are or not. He is always working in every circumstance, and He hears our prayers. He is the same God now as He was centuries ago when He guided these women through their trials.

CP: Are there modern-day heroes you look to today?

Bream: My mom is a true prayer warrior. She is selfless and lives out the command to love your neighbor as yourself better than anyone else I know. She has faced some frightening trials but is so grounded in her faith that she doesnt waver.

CP: Is there something else you would like to share with us?

Bream: We included study questions at the end of each chapter so that readers can dig in and find the personal applications for their own lives. I love study questions! Theyre set up to do alone or as part of a group, and Im excited so many people have told me they plan to go through the book as a group Bible study.

Women of the Bible Speakis now available everywhere books are sold.
Burma Hospitals, Clinics Not Spared Myanmar Regime Forces Violence

A bullet hole in a window at the SSC Womens Center.

YANGONMyanmar military regime forces raided and opened fire on a number of private hospitals and clinics in Yangon last month.

Soldiers and police raided the Tet Lann Hospital in South Okkalapa Township on Tuesday, and the Asia Royal Hospital in Sanchaung Township on Sunday. On March 18, they fired shots at the SSC Womens Center in Bahan Township.

Military personnel and police broke into the Tet Lann Hospital at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday and beat security guards and cleaners working there. They also threatened doctors at gunpoint and searched patient wards before deleting CCTV records.

They were in white vests and cargo pants. One of them kicked us in the faces and heads with their military boots, saying they would kick our jaws out if we didnt answer their questions, a witness said.

A hospital maintenance engineer was shot in the leg when junta forces chased anti-regime protesters into the Asia Royal Hospital and fired shots inside the hospital on Sunday.

Hospital authorities took us to a safe place to hide. In fact, we were in a place where shooting is supposed to be forbidden. Relatives who were visiting patients in fact shouldnt have needed to hide because they were not there to stage a protest. But, because we were faced with such callous creatures, we had to hide as if we were criminals, a witness wrote on social media.

Regime forces blocked access to the hospital for around half an hour.

On March 18, regime forces fired shots at the SSC Womens Center in Bahan, breaking a number of glass windows. The same day, they also raided the Academy Hospital in Ahlone Township and searched its patient wards.

In early March, regime forces also fired rubber bullets at the Shwe La Min Hospital in North Okkalapa Township. They also attempted to deploy personnel in public hospitals.

You may also like these stories:

Kachin Independence Army Attacks a Myanmar Regime Police Station

They hit my chest and back with rifle butts: Myanmar Teenage Detainee

Here Are the Children Killed by the Myanmar Regimes Forces Since Feb. 1
The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) says only Accra and Winneba will experience power outages in the coming days following construction works at the main Pokuase sub station.



This, according to the Director of System Operations of GRIDCo, Mr Mark Baah is to allow the company facilitate some key projects to ensure power supply reliability in the Greater Accra Region.



There have been power outages in some parts of the country, which has led to people claiming Ghana has returned to Dumsor and thereby requiring a load shedding timetable.



But Mr Baah assured that there is no nationwide Dumsor coming.



Mr Baah said this at a press briefing on Thursday, April 1, 2021.



He mentioned some of these projects as the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) funded Pokuase substation and Kasoa Bulk Supply Point installations and the French Development Agency (AFD) funded Tema - Accra transmission line reinforcement project.



He explained that with the major transmission line project from Tema to Accra and to Mallam, Tema is now a major generation hub with more than 1000 megawatts being generated at Tema, "so we need massive transmission capacity to bring that out.



Pokuase is in the northern part of Accra and Pokuase is now going to be a hub, where the power that is being evacuated from Aboadze on the 330 KV will now come to Pokuase, before being sent to Tema, he elaborated.



He added that Pokuase will now allow the ECG the flexibility to meet demand in to northern part of Accra and in case there are challenges elsewhere in Accra, load can easily be moved to that area. So Pokuase will improve supply reliability in that area.



He further stated that the demand for electricity is very high in Kasoa, hence, a substation is being built in Kasoa.



Kasoa currently is being supplied from Mallam and Winneba. And that is accompanied by a lot of outages and so much loss within the distribution network. So Kasoa is being constructed and will be completed in August or September. Pokuase will be completed by June, July



All these projects according to him, can only be completed on time when there is a planned power outage in the area.

















Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
At the invitation of the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov participated as a guest of honor in the informal summit of the Cooperation Council of the Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) via video link.

The summit was attended by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev; the first President of Kazakhstan, Honorary Chair of the Turkic Council Nursultan Nazarbayev; President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev; President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov; President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan; President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev; Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; and Secretary General of the Turkic Council Baghdad Amreev.

The forum participants discussed issues related to expanding multifaceted interstate partnership in the trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian fields.

Speaking at the summit, the President of Turkmenistan noted that Ashgabat put forward important initiatives on the topical issues on the international agenda. In this regard, the head of state emphasized three areas, such as ensuring global energy security, developing the transport sector and protecting the environment. The Turkmen leader spoke about measures taken by the country's leadership to address energy, transport and environmental issues, including their discussion through international platforms, primarily the UN.

The Cooperation Council of the Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) is an international organization established in October 2009. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey are the members of the Turkic Council. Hungary has an observer status in this organization.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
Two people died as an Indian state notorious for political violence went to the polls Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi battling to oust a bitter rival from power.

Clashes were reported across West Bengal and election officials said that voters were being "intimidated" on the second day of polling in the key state.

Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking to end a decade of rule by the state's firebrand leader Mamata Banerjee.

West Bengal is the Indian state with the highest levels of political killings, according to police records which showed there were about 50 political murders last year.

A worker for Banerjee's Trinamool Congress party (TMC) was "hacked to death" early Thursday and three BJP supporters were detained, police said.

A BJP worker allegedly killed himself after he was threatened by TMC supporters, police added, citing a complaint filed by his family.

Defying a ban on gatherings of more than four people, hundreds of Banerjee supporters clashed with BJP rivals outside polling stations in Nandigram, where Bannerjee is contesting her seat.

Both parties accused each other of staging raids on local offices and the homes of party officials and supporters.

One group attacked a television channel truck, raining down bricks, rocks and iron bars on the vehicle before the journalists escaped.

"Voters are being intimidated," one national Election Commission official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Many are too scared to leave their homes."

Police staged baton charges to disperse gatherings outside polling stations in several towns, the official added.

Despite the violence, thousands still queued outside polling stations to cast votes.

The West Bengal polls are being held over eight days until April 29, with Thursday's second phase involving 30 constituencies.

The results will be announced on May 2, alongside several other polls in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Story continues

The BJP has spent years preparing to mount its biggest challenge yet in West Bengal, home to 90 million people, and expand its state-level power beyond its Hindi-speaking northern heartlands.

The party won landslides in national elections in 2014 and 2019, but much of the southern half of India remains outside its local control.

Modi has condemned corruption in West Bengal while Banerjee, who has campaigned in a wheelchair after an accident in her car last month, has accused the prime minister of seeking to impose a hostile rule by "outsiders".

The second of three phases of polling in the northeastern state of Assam -- where the BJP is looking to hold on to power -- was also held on Thursday.

str-grk/tw/oho
Looking for genetic clues in the coloring of wild brook and brown trout across Pennsylvania, Penn State researchers are asking anglers to share photos of the trout they catch.

They want anglers to submit photographs of their wild trout next to a gray card through the Survey123 app.

Any angler can request a gray card and instructions on how to download the app by completing a Google form.

The Survey 123 app will ask anglers questions about their catches, noted Sara Mueller, doctoral candidate in wildlife and fisheries science, adding that researchers promise that fishing locations will remain confidential and never be published as exact points.

This research is open to all anglers who complete survey forms and are at least 18 years of age.

The presence, absence, characteristics and timing of trout color  such as parr marks, halos around spots and breeding colors  can be noted, she said. We think that color and pigment patterns are very important in identifying genetic diversity in trout and charr.

The pictures, along with their locations, will answer questions about the differences in patterning and color, including intensity, variation and seasonal changes.

Mueller also will be able to look at the approximate size, and therefore age, of the fish in the pictures with the gray cards included and estimate the timing of breeding condition as pictures are collected throughout the year.

She will use computer software to quantify the color and pattern variations in wild brook and brown trout, comparing elements of interest shown in photos such as the red and yellow spots along the sides of brook trout or the red and brown spots along the sides of brown trout.

Mueller, who has been involved in wild brook trout research for a decade, noted, with a warming climate its important to learn all we can about the eastern brook trout genome because the fish is threatened and mostly confined to small, mountain streams.

As important as the work may be, Mueller cautioned anglers participating in the study may want to take a step away from the stream bank to snap their photos.

While we want wild trout quickly photographed and released, Ive already received emails in which people commented that they dropped their phone in the stream, she said. We really appreciate anglers contributing to our study. We dont want it to be costly for them.

For more information, contact Mueller at sjm5467@psu.edu.

The project began with Eamonn Powers, a junior majoring in wildlife and fisheries science and an avid fly fisherman, who won a grant through the College of Agricultural Sciences for his undergraduate research to begin analyzing angler photo submissions.

Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
WASHINGTON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Furthering its commitment to accelerate vaccination for frontline meat and poultry workers and assist vaccination efforts for all Americans, the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today (Thursday) became a founding member of the national COVID-19 Community Corps , a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiative.

Meat and poultry workers are eligible to receive vaccines in 44 states (source: Food and Environment Reporting Network ), but increased supplies and distribution are urgently needed to build on comprehensive measures instituted since spring 2020 that have brought case rates nearly 90% lower than in the general population.

Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts commented:

"As a founding member of the national COVID-19 Community Corps, the Meat Institute is proud to partner with HHS and leaders across America to support vaccine information and access for the 500,000 meat and poultry workers who keep food on Americans' tables and our farm economy working."

Through March 28, 2021 (latest data available), reported daily cases averaged 2.21 per 100,000 meat and poultry workers (data source: FERN), compared to 18.07 per 100,000 people in the U.S. population (data source: New York Times). To learn more about the meat and poultry sector's COVID-19 prevention and support measures, click here .

To learn more about the national COVID-19 Community Corps, click here .

The North American Meat Institute is the leading voice for the meat and poultry industry. The Meat Institute's members process the vast majority of U.S. beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, as well as manufacture the equipment and ingredients needed to produce the safest and highest quality meat and poultry products.

SOURCE North American Meat Institute
It isnt totally official yet, but it looks like LG is very likely going to shutter its smartphone business. According to Mashable , the company has been considering selling, downsizing or shuttering its smartphone operations since January. Now,reports that a decision will be officially announced at the companys board meeting on April 5.There have reportedly been some parties interested in purchasing LGs mobile phone division, but the company was unable to reach any agreements. It shouldnt come as a surprise that the company is looking to offload this aspect of its business, as the division hasnt turned a profit since 2014. The company has also seen a significant decline in its share of the global smartphone market in the last few years.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  Filipino senior citizens and those with comorbidities are now getting their COVID-19 shots alongside health workers amid the surge in cases.

Since the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine, local government units in Metro Manila scheduled the simultaneous vaccination of the A1, A2, and A3 sectors. A1 refers to medical frontliners, A2 to senior citizens, while A3 covers persons with comorbidities.

READ: Metro Manila LGUs kick off vaccination of elderly vs. COVID-19

Aside from the vaccine by British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca, those aged 60 and above also now have the option to get doses from China's Sinovac Biotech, after the Food and Drug Administration approved on Tuesday its use for the group. The FDA and the Department of Health noted that the health status of senior citizens must be evaluated first before getting inoculated with the Sinovac's CoronaVac.

Inoculation for people with comorbidities is also ongoing. The DOH said those under 65 years old with chronic respiratory disease, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, malignancy, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and chronic kidney disease are also eligible to get CoronaVac.

Here are the links to the pre-registration websites for the vaccine drive in the Greater Manila area:

Bulacan

Pulilan

Laguna

Los Banos

Metro Manila

- Caloocan (updated link)

- Las Pinas (valid email required)

- Makati

- Marikina

- Malabon

- Mandaluyong

- Manila (site temporarily down as of March 29)

- Muntinlupa

- Navotas

- Paranaque

- Pasay

- Pasig (Pasig Pass app)

- Pateros

- Quezon City

- San Juan

- Taguig (Taguig Trace app)

- Valenzuela

Rizal

- Antipolo

- Taytay

In a briefing on March 30, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said local government units have simplified their pre-registration process for those with comorbidities to help fast-track the rollout for them.

He noted that the simultaneous vaccination for the first three priority groups will be done with the help of the LGUs and the private sector.

The goverment is allocating 3.4 million doses for the country's 1.7 million health workers. It will also distribute doses for 9.4 million senior citizens and 14 million people with comorbidities. Vaccines will then be provided for 11 million economic frontliners and 17.7 million indigents.

A massive rollout for the other priority groups can be expected between May and June as more vaccines will be shipped to the country, Galvez added.

RELATED: TIMELINE: COVID-19 vaccine deliveries and rollout in the Philippines
Daniel Hale has admitted leaking classified documents about military drone strikes against al-Qaeda and other terrorist targets

A former Air Force intelligence analyst has pleaded guilty to leaking classified documents to a reporter about military drone strikes against al-Qaeda and other terrorist targets.

The guilty plea from Daniel Everette Hale, 33, of Nashville, Tennessee, comes just days before he was slated to go on trial in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, for violating the World War I-era Espionage Act.

Hale admitted leaking roughly a dozen secret and top-secret documents to a reporter in 2014 and 2015, when he was working for a contractor as an analyst at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).

Prosecutors didn't specify the recipient of the leak, but details about the case make it clear the documents were given to Jeremy Scahill, a reporter at The Intercept, who used the documents as part of a series of critical reports on how the military conducted drone strikes on foreign targets.

Hale faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing scheduled for July 13.

The original indictment against Hale states that he contacted the reporter in April 2013 while still enlisted in the Air Force and assigned to the National Security Agency.

The leaks continued after Hale became a private contractor and was assigned to NGA.

Hale's lawyers sought unsuccessfully last year to have the case tossed on First Amendment grounds. They also argued that the case was a selective and vindictive prosecution.

Defense lawyers said that while Hale was being punished for leaking information about negative aspects of the drone program, the government seemed unconcerned about anonymous leaks by government officials about successful strikes.

More broadly, they said use of the Espionage Act against whistleblowers has a chilling effect on free speech and a free press. The law has been used by multiple presidential administrations in recent years against multiple whistleblowers. It also allows for prosecution of journalists who receive and publish the information.

Daniel Hale, a former Air Force intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to leaking classified documents to a reporter about military drone strikes against al-Qaeda and other terrorist targets (undated photo)

Hale's leaks led to a series of damaging articles about the US drone program in The Intercept. This file picture from 2015 shows an MQ-1B Predator drone, right, flying past a MQ-9 Reaper as it taxis during a training mission at Creech Air Force Base, Indian Springs, Nevada, in 2015

The Eastern District of Virginia, where Hale pleaded guilty, has been a frequent location over the years for cases involving leaks and whistleblowers.

Prosecutors there have filed criminal charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and against former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Both remain overseas despite U.S. efforts to obtain their extradition.

In 2015, a judge imposed a 3 -year sentence on former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, who was convicted of exposing government secrets to a New York Times reporter. In 2013, another former CIA man, John Kiriakou, was sentenced to 2  years in prison after pleading guilty to leaking a covert officers identity to a reporter.

Kiriakous indictment in 2012 prompted then-CIA Director David Petraeus to issue a statement reminding his agencys employees of the need for secrecy in their work. In 2015, Petraeus pleaded guilty in federal court in North Carolina to a charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified information. He was sentenced to probation.

Hale pleaded guilty to a single count of illegally retaining and transmitting national defense information, part of the Espionage Act. The other four counts against him were not dropped as part of the plea deal, as would be typical, but were placed in abeyance, giving the government at least the theoretical opportunity to bring the other counts to trial.

Press and whistleblower advocates have urged President Joe Biden's administration to reverse course in prosecuting leak cases, particularly under the Espionage Act.

Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the Espionage Act makes no distinction between someone who discloses secrets to benefit a foreign adversary or to get paid, as opposed to someone who feels a moral obligation to disclose problems inside of government.

Jaffer is a former American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who spent years filing lawsuits under the Freedom of Information Act seeking information about the drone program. He said those lawsuits ultimately yielded little information and credited whistleblowers like Hale for many of the disclosures that showed the drone program was not as precise in its strikes as the government portrayed.

He said theres bipartisan awareness that the law poses problems and hes optimistic it will eventually be revised.

"Theres a recognition that the governments interest in protecting national security secrets is important, but its not the only important thing," Jaffer said.

But Raj Parekh, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement that those entrusted with government secrets don't get to decide for themselves whether to keep them.

"Those who are entrusted with classified information have a duty to safeguard that information in order to protect our Nations security," he said. "As an analyst for the Intelligence Community, Daniel Hale knowingly took highly classified documents and disclosed them without authorization, thereby violating his solemn obligations to our country."
More than one human life has been saved, more than one dangerous criminal caught thanks to the animals in service, he said.
Saira Khan claims her Pakistani culture has been more restrictive to her progression than any racism she has encountered as an Asian woman in the United Kingdom.

The Loose Women panellist was born and raised in Derbyshire to working class immigrant parents from Pakistan administered Kashmir.

But University of Brighton educated Saira, 50, insists she encountered no significant social boundaries while growing up on a council estate and credited British society for helping her make something of herself.

Speaking out: Saira Khan claims her Pakistani culture has been more restrictive to her progression than any racism she has encountered as an Asian woman in the United Kingdom

Divisive opinion: Divisive opinion: Sharing a lengthy Instagram post on Thursday afternoon, the presenter insisted she has encountered no significant external boundaries as an Asian woman

Sharing a lengthy Instagram post on Thursday afternoon, the presenter, who was raised a Muslim, insisted her biggest obstacles have come from within the Asian community itself.

She wrote: 'As an Asian woman born in this country to immigrant parents, I am proud to be British, grateful for this country helping my parents to help me to recognise and realise my potential.

'If I'm honest, as an Asian woman it's my Asian culture that has tried to hold me back more than any racism I have faced. That's my truth.'

Humble start: The Loose Women panellist was born and raised in Derbyshire to working class immigrant parents from Pakistan administered Kashmir

Saira also insisted racism is not the one-way street it has been portrayed through the spate of recent protests and marches conducted in major cities across the world.

Using her mixed her mixed heritage marriage to husband Steven Hyde - with whom she raises two children - as an example, she added: 'We all have to play our part in tackling racism, so many of us are ignorant of each others cultural background and religious beliefs which leads to misunderstandings and division.

'As a woman in a mixed marriage with a mixed race child, I can say from first hand experience, there is prejudice on both sides - it is not just White people hating on those of colour.

Happy family: The presenter shares son Zac, 12, and daughter Amara, nine, with businessman husband of over 15 years, Steve Hyde

'The colour of my skin has not hindered my progress in this country. In fact right now, the world we live in, its an advantage to be a woman of colour, because there is a need from all institutions for better representation of our society.

'The focus on white people and their unconscious bias has been documented well.'

The presenter also urged minority groups to examine their own feelings towards other cultures, religions and skin colours.

Both ways: 'As a woman in a mixed marriage with a mixed race child, I can say from first hand experience, there is prejudice on both sides - it is not just White people hating on those of colour,' she wrote on Thursday

She wrote: 'I think it is also time for many Asian and Black communities to look deep at their own prejudices and admit that they too need to make changes in order to take advantage of all the opportunities this country had to offer.

'I grew up on a council estate. I know the socio /economic barriers- but this country does help those who want to help themselves.

It was the British culture not the Asian one that was more encouraging for me to make the most of myself. Its hard to admit that, I know the backlash I will get. But thats my truth.

'Name and shame time!' Saira has been trolled for sharing topless selfies to Instagram in the past (pictured above in 2018)

'Being a victim is easy. Getting off your a**e and making it happen with the right attitude is bloody hard. But thats what it takes.'

She added: I am not an academic, Im not in denial of racism, Im in a fortunate position to see both sides and I know that what has worked for me is to treat everyone the way I would want them to treat me, regardless of my colour, religion, race sexual orientation, gender , education or class.

'If you harbour any prejudice, discrimination of any kind - youre a loser - thats a fact - regardless of the colour of your skin.'

All change: Saira previously announced she's no longer a practising Muslim after years of feeling 'guilty, caged and unhappy'

Saira previously announced she's no longer a practising Muslim after years of feeling 'guilty, caged and unhappy'.

The former Loose Women panellist revealed she was led to share her life update after receiving a 'disgusting message from a troll' as she declared: 'This was the last taboo to overcome before I could live my best life.'

The journalist confessed she doesn't want to 'inadvertently confuse, represent or unintentionally hurt others' of the Muslim faith after being met with assumptions about fasting for Ramadan, not drinking and abstaining from sex before marriage.

She told The Mirror: 'Saying I'm Muslim and then having a boyfriend, wearing clothes that go against the Muslim dress code, having a drink and living a non-Muslim life only brings guilt, self-loathing, loneliness and a feeling of being caged.'

Open and honest: The former Loose Women panellist revealed she was led to share her life update after receiving a 'disgusting message from a troll'

Saira also clarified that while some Muslims 'are the most humble people I know' and most of her values are based on the 'spiritual aspect of the faith', she's influenced by other teachings and has only been 'hurting' herself by 'living a lie' for her loved ones.

She added: 'It has taken me till the age of 50 to find the courage to say it. I'm doing it now for my own wellbeing. I want to be honest and feel free to live my life by my own rules. I have found a huge relief in being honest.

'I know that one of the reasons I have been so angry and unhappy in my life is because of the many contradictions I've had to live with. I've not dared to share these feelings before because the very few Muslim women who have are called sinful and some have even been targeted with death threats.'

Saira, who shares son Zac, 12, and daughter Amara, nine, with businessman husband Steve Hyde, was nominated for the Services to Media award at the British Muslim Awards in 2013 and 2015.

The host left long-running lunchtime staple Loose Women in December 2020, shortly after Andrea McClean announced her resignation.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Qatar gathered in Doha today, the first trilateral meeting of its kind in which the parties stressed the importance of preserving Syrias territorial integrity. Their message appeared to be targeting the United States, which is defending the Syrian Kurds autonomous government in the energy-rich northeast of the country with hundreds of special forces and has no plans to leave.

Turkey will continue to defend Syrias territorial integrity, protect civilians and fight terror groups, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint news conference. He was referring in particular to the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), which is the US-led coalitions top partner in the fight against the Islamic State but are also linked to Kurdish militants waging an armed insurgency against Turkey.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov concurred that separatism posed a threat to Syrias neighbors. Our common goals  of Russia, Turkey [and] Qatar  are reflected in the joint statement that we have just approved, which confirms our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, to counter separatist plans that undermine the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, which threaten the security of neighboring countries, he said.

Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said a mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid across the whole of Syria needed to be established. There is a crucial need to lessen the suffering of the Syrians, he said.

The so-called Doha process, with the next meeting scheduled to be held in Ankara, seems pretty incongruous. Qatar and Turkey back Syrian rebels who unsuccessfully sought to unseat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has helped keep Assad in power through its military intervention in Syria in 2015. That is when Ankara made a dramatic U-turn and began working with Russia in exchange for its support in grabbing territory from the YPG Kurds. However, Ankara remains opposed to engaging with Assad, a point Cavusoglu reiterated in Doha. Thani backed the Turkish diplomat, saying the reasons for Syrias suspension from the Arab League in 2011 remain. Russia is pushing to end Assads isolation and has found an ally in Turkey and Qatars regional bugbear, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Lavrov was in Saudi Arabia a day earlier lobbying on behalf of Assad. Russian and Chinese vetoes at the UN Security Council severely hamper the flow of humanitarian supplies to Syria and heightened the misery of Syrians, which Thani said needed to be eased.

So where do the trios common interests lie?

Opinions vary. There are a lot of moving parts involved in this joint statement, all relating to the individual interests and capabilities of each of the signatories, noted Charles Lister, a senior fellow and director for the Middle East Institutes Syria program, in emailed comments to Al-Monitor. For Qatar, this presents another opportunity to act as mediator and facilitator for resolving a major conflict, just like its doing on Afghanistan and attempting to do between the US and Iran. Its also an opportunity for the Qataris to push back against Emirati positioning on Syria by facilitating a negotiated settlement rather than a full embrace of the Assad regime as Abu Dhabi seems to want.

Lister continued, For the Turks, engaging in a trilateral process alongside Qatar offers an opportunity to heighten leverage against their peer rival Russia, with whom Ankara maintains a delicate relationship based on balance and deterrence.

For Russia, meanwhile, this trilateral group could feasibly offer a more realistic platform with which to bring a potential resolution to Syria to the Americans without the complicating factor of initial Iranian involvement, Lister added.

Dareen Khalifa, senior Syria analyst for the International Crisis Group, argues, however, that Qatars role in the conflict has receded significantly in recent years as it grappled with economic sanctions slapped on by the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia over its support for the Muslim Brotherhood. These were lifted in January and diplomatic ties between the fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members were restored, but tensions remain. Qatars involvement in Syria has been mostly confined to limited assistance to [the rebel-held province of] Idlib and part of the Syrian opposition, Khalifa told Al-Monitor.

Galip Dalay, a Richard von Weizsacker fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy and associate fellow at Chatham House, said the Qatar meeting was essentially between Turkey and Russians, who remain the principal foreign military actors in Syria. The Russians provide access to the Turks to pursue their Syrian Kurdish foes. Turkey, through its mentorship of the notionally non-extremist Sunni rebel opposition, allows Russia to position itself as a good-faith actor as it pushes  albeit it fruitlessly  for a deal between the two sides at UN-sponsored talks in Geneva. The Qataris are more window dressing, financial actors, who add a layer of Arab legitimacy to the mix, Dalay contended.

Turkey is nervous about getting sidelined as the push to rehabilitate Assad accelerates even though the United States is pressuring the Emiratis to ditch such plans. Turkey has gone from a position of seeking regime change to one of accepting change within the regime, he said.

Whether Turkey bites the bullet and goes beyond sporadic assignations with Syrian intelligence and begins normalizing relations Damascus will very much depend on how its rocky relations with Washington evolve, Dalay added. These have grown notably frostier under the Joe Biden administration, which is signaling that things could get worse unless Turkey permanently mothballs S-400 missiles it recently bought from Russia. Cavusoglu, however, repeated Ankaras line in Doha, saying it would do nothing of the sort. He blamed the United States for the impasse, saying it had refused to sell its own Patriot missile system to Turkey.

Should this remain unresolved, the likely outcome is that Turkey will move further into Russias orbit, Dalay predicted, and a gradual thaw with Damascus might ensue.
Sebastian Vettel is still struggling with pressure, according to his first Formula 1 team boss Gerhard Berger.

The quadruple world champion was ousted by Ferrari but switched to Aston Martin for 2021 and beyond - and had a dire pre-season test and first race in Bahrain.

"At Ferrari it was the same thing," F1 legend Berger told the official Australian GP podcast.

"I just feel he is not free, not relaxed," said the former Toro Rosso co-owner. "He maybe wants to prove things, but at this moment it is not possible because the car is not good enough, or his own form is not good enough."

Berger said Vettel remains one of F1's "outstanding drivers", but thinks he struggles when the pressure ramps up.

"He never reacts very well under pressure," he said. "Remember when Daniel (Ricciardo) came to Red Bull and was very strong, he put pressure onto Sebastian."

Vettel is only 33, but Berger thinks the German is clearly "at the end of his career".

"When you have done so many races, there comes a point where you're not in the situation anymore where you'd like to take all the risks, where you fight like you would fight before you won any races," he said.

"In some ways, it just hasn't worked out well for him. He starts to do mistakes, people then start to question him. Step by step there's more and more pressure, and he doesn't like pressure."

(GMM)
Rain, rain go away.

Wet weather is in the forecast Thursday at Yankee Stadium, but the skies should dry in time for the Opening Day first pitch between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.

Heres the latest report from the National Weather Service:

Thursday

Rain, mainly before 9am. High near 49. Northwest wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Northwest wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

Below is the schedule of events for Thursday, per Yankees PR:

10:10-11:10 a.m. - Yankees batting practice

11:00 a.m. - All gates open to ticket holders

11:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. - Blue Jays batting practice

12:42-12:52 p.m. - Baseline introductions

12:52 p.m. - Moments of Silence: Hank Steinbrenner and Dr. Bobby Brown

12:53 p.m. - Virtual Performance of O Canada: Paul Alexander Nolan

12:56 p.m. - Virtual Color Guard: The West Point Cadet Color Guard and Virtual National Anthem: West Point Band Vocalist, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Katherine Walsh

12:59 p.m. - Virtual ceremonial first pitch: Bernie Williams

1:03 p.m. - Umpires and managers to home plate

1:06 p.m. - Yankees take the field

1:08 p.m. - First pitch

Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 16:57:23|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong, July 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

"Chinese lawmakers have done the right thing," said Sheriff Ibrahim Ghali, director of the Institute of Legislative Studies at the University of Abuja, Nigeria. "This is because it is a matter of the sovereignty of China."

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China's recent improvement to Hong Kong's electoral system serves as a guardrail for the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, observers from various countries have said.

In a bid to ensure that Hong Kong is administered by the "patriots," China's top legislature on Tuesday unanimously passed two amended annexes to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) which concern the method for the selection of the HKSAR chief executive and the method for the formation of the HKSAR Legislative Council and its voting procedures, respectively.

"Every government has the obligation to defend the sovereignty, stability, and internal order of the state," said Eduardo Regalado, senior researcher at the International Policy Research Center of Cuba.

Guaranteeing that Hong Kong is administered by the patriots, the amended annexes develop the democratic exercise in the region and enhance the "one country, two systems" policy, noted the researcher.

Taxis hanging Chinese national flags participate in a peace rally in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 23, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

These legislative changes were made in accordance with the needs of the time, said Afrasiab Khattak, president of Pakistan's Roshan Democratic Institute, adding that these necessary amendments would fill up the loopholes in Hong Kong's electoral system and ensure the implementation of the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle.

Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said that the improvement to Hong Kong's electoral system shows "the firm will" of the Chinese government to preserve the stability of the region.

Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs, in which other countries should not interfere, said Azamat Seitov, a professor at the National University of Uzbekistan.

Head of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Tehran Hamed Vafaei believes that China's adoption of the amended annexes provides an institutional guarantee for Hong Kong's enduring peace and stability.

A pedestrian walks past a poster on improving electoral system and ensuring patriots administering Hong Kong in south China's Hong Kong, March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

The newly adopted annexes would inject new vitality into the "one country, two systems" policy, said Ivona Ladjevac, head of the center for the Belt and Road Initiative at the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Serbia.

Ladjevac added that the legislative changes also help create an environment that would benefit economic development of the region.

Wilson Lee Flores, a columnist for the English-language daily The Philippine Star, said China's amendments to the HKSAR Basic Law would ensure long-term stability of the region, guarantee that only patriots administer Hong Kong, and help cement Hong Kong's status as a global financial and trade center.

"Chinese lawmakers have done the right thing," said Sheriff Ibrahim Ghali, director of the Institute of Legislative Studies at the University of Abuja, Nigeria. "This is because it is a matter of the sovereignty of China."

These amendments would bring peace and harmony to Hong Kong and ensure that the interests of the Chinese people are well protected, noted the scholar. 
(JTA)  Matt Gaetz, the Republican congressman under federal investigation for an alleged sexual relationship with a minor, has brought into the increasingly complex scandal an alleged bid to free Robert Levinson, the Jewish former FBI agent who went missing in Iran more than a dozen years ago.

On Wednesday, Gaetz and his father produced documents that suggest a trio of figures associated with the search for Levinson solicited $25 million from Gaetzs father that would free the agent and get the congressman off the hook on charges from the relationship. The Gaetzes and Levinson are from Florida.

According to the purported plan, Matt Gaetz would be depicted as the man who freed Levinson, which would earn him good will from the U.S. government and possibly a pardon for his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gaetz and his father, Don, who is said to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, say they alerted federal authorities to the alleged extortion scheme.

The three men in the alleged scheme are David McGee, a lawyer who has represented the Levinson family in their quest to uncover information about Levinson; Bob Kent, a retired military official who has searched for Levinson for years; and Stephen Alford, a convicted fraudster whom McGee has represented in the past.

There is no evidence that Levinsons family was involved or that any of the three men were involved in the investigation into the accusations of Gaetzs illicit affair. McGee has said he met the elder Gaetz, but has denied any extortion scheme.

Levinsons family has accepted that he is dead based on evidence presented to them by the FBI. Levinson was in Iran on contract for the CIA when he disappeared in 2007. U.S. officials say Iran is responsible for Levinsons disappearance. Irans government has denied any involvement.

The investigation into Gaetz reportedly arose out of the probe of his friend Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax official who has been indicted for sex trafficking a minor, as well as identity theft and myriad other charges.

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing. Until now he has been known for his associations with former President Donald Trump and the Republican Partys far-right wing.
Patna, April 1 : Bihar DGP Sanjeev Kumar Singhal's wife is more richer then him, according to the detail of their assets uploaded on the official website on Thursday.

The Bihar government has revealed the movable and immovable assets and cash amount of IAS, IPS and grade 2 officers working in its various departments for 2020-21.

As per the financial details given by Singhal to the state government, he has Rs 18.33 lakh in SBI's Secretariat Branch in Patna and Rs 43,700 in SBI's main branch, Rs 31,000 in SBI Sambhal account, Rs 5.43 lakh in Delhi's RK Puram branch, and Rs 37.47 lakh in his PF account.

He also has two LIC policies having premiums of Rs 10,000 and Rs 56,000 per year.

His wife Sumita Singhal, however, has Rs 83 lakh deposited in various bank accounts in Patna and Delhi and in provident funds, apart from 470 grams gold, 2 kg silver and 40 grams of diamond ornaments.

This includes Rs 92,000 in SBI's main branch in Delhi, Rs 2,800 in SBI Raj Bhawan Patna branch, Rs 3.19 lakh in ICICI's Patna branch, Rs 3,800 in the capital gain account, Rs 31.60 lakh in her PF account and fixed deposits of Rs 48 lakh.

She has four insurance policies - two of LIC having premium of Rs 22,000 and Rs 86,000 per year, Kotak Mahindra insurance policy with Rs 15,000 premium, and an ICICI Lombard insurance policy with Rs 50,000 premium.

The couple have two residential flats in Gurugram and Delhi, while a commercial plot is also registered in her name.

The DGP has also taken a loan of Rs 1.38 crore for the MBBS course of his son.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 12:19:13|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government has decided to inoculate the COVID-19 vaccine donated by China among people aged 40-59 years, a senior official of Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population said.

A batch of Chinese vaccines arrived in Nepal on March 29 in a major boost to the Himalayan country's vaccination drive against the pandemic.

"The government has decided to inoculate the Chinese vaccine among people aged 40-59 years from the hospitals and health institutions with appropriate infrastructure," Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the health ministry said at a press conference on Wednesday. "A different vaccination identity card will be distributed to the people who are inoculated with the Chinese vaccine."

He said that additional preparation for vaccination with the Chinese vaccine would be based on the recommendation of the National Immunization Advisory Committee, a government body, responsible for making necessary recommendations regarding the use of vaccines.

Dr. Jhalak Sharma Gautam, chief of National Immunization Programme under the health ministry, told Xinhua on Monday that the committee under the health ministry had recommended for the use of the Chinese vaccine among the people living in a certain geographic area or a certain occupational group.

He however said that nothing has been decided regarding when the Nepali government would start inoculating the Chinese vaccine.

Earlier, on February 17, the Nepali drug regulator Department of Drug Administration had granted approval to the vero cell vaccine developed by China's Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd, under Sinopharm, for the emergency use in Nepal.

The Chinese vaccine has arrived in Nepal at a time when the Himalayan country is struggling to get enough vaccines to continue its vaccination drive.

Nepal started the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 on Jan. 27 and has so far inoculated over 1.7 million people in two phases, according to the health ministry.

In the first phase, health workers, sanitation workers, staff of diplomatic offices and journalists were inoculated first doses of COVID-19 vaccine. In the second phase, people aged 65 years and above were vaccinated, according to the health ministry.

These vaccination campaigns were run with Covishield vaccine, developed by the Oxford University and AstraZeneca and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. Enditem
Holy Week services

Agawam - Sacred Heart Parish, 1061 Springfield St. in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, Holy Week services are as follows: Holy Saturday  3 April: Blessing of the Easter Food and Childrens Easter Baskets at noon in front of the parish center. The Great Vigil of Easter at 7:30 p.m.; Easter Sunday  4 April: (including the renewal of Baptismal Promises) at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Covid seating capacity and regulations are still in force.

UCC HOLYOKE honors those lost to COVID-19

Holyoke - United Congregational Church of Holyoke will remember those lost to Covid-19, Good Friday through Easter Sunday. On Good Friday, 500 white flags will be placed on the church lawn, one for each life lost to Covid-19 in the greater Holyoke, South Hadley and surrounding areas. The flags will remain in place through Easter Sunday. On Saturday, April 3 at noon, the church will hold a short service commemorating those whove passed. The new chimes will play in memoriam, followed by short silences and two hymns. The service will be live streamed on Facebook and video will be posted to the UCC Holyoke YouTube Channel and website after the service. The church is located at 300 Appleton St.

Chicken parmesan dinner

Granby - Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, located at 256 State Street, will be holding Chicken Parmesan Dinner, put on by The Men & Womens Club, Sunday, April 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. This meal is take out only. Cost is $10.

Polish plate dinners to go

Chicopee - St. Stanislaus School will be having a Polish Plate Dinners-to-Go on Saturday, April 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. behind the school at 534 Front St. This is a Drive-thru event. Please stay in your car. Volunteers will be glad to serve you. The Polish Plate Dinner will have: 2 cabbage pierogi, 2 cheese and potato pierogi, 1 golumbki, a side of kapusta, 5 slices of kielbasa, and rye bread. Tickets are $ 15 each and can be purchased in the following manner: at the School Office (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.), the Parish Office (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or by reserving using the April 24 Drive-thru Dinner Link on the School Website at www.saintstansschool.org (click the News tab) or the Parish Website at www.ststansbasilica.org. Reserved orders must be paid for at pick up on April 24. Deadline to purchase or reserve tickets is Friday, April 16. Only 600 tickets will be sold! For more information, please call Cindy Conklin at (413)592-7211. They will also be selling the following frozen items: cabbage pierogi at $8/dz., cheese & potato pierogi at $9/dz., Golumbki $10/4pk., Kapusta $5/Qt. Limit of 5 of each item, while supplies last. We also have a limited supply of Domins White and Beet Horseradish at $3 a jar. There will be Homemade Chrust for $5 per container, and Homemade Cookies 6 for $3, or 12 for $5. A raffle will be held, with tickets available for purchase at $5 each, when you buy your dinner tickets and at the event. The Prize is a Basket with Polish items and includes $75 of MA Lottery scratch tickets and $25 cash.

Faithwaze invites all to join Lenten journey

Holyoke - Youre invited to join Faithwaze for the Lenten journey, from the comfort of your own home. Faithwaze is a community-driven Christian service that gathers virtually on Sunday mornings at 11 am on Zoom and Facebook. Everyone is welcome, anytime, no questions asked. Faithwaze services draw participants from all corners of the United States.

If youre looking for a spiritual home for Lent, Easter or beyond, please look towards Faithwaze. If youd like to join a virtual service for the first time, please email lancehumphrey@mac.com. If youre interested in learning more, please visit Faithwaze on Facebook at @faithwaze, online at cathedralinthelight.org, or call 413-246-8854.

Online Devotions

Easthampton - The Bahai Community of Western Mass./Southern Vt. invites everyone to its regular, online devotional programs as follows: Weekly Sunday Devotions via Zoom at 11:30 a.m. each Sunday morning, hosted by local Bahai communities and individuals on an alternating basis. In addition, our monthly Zoom programs include the Springfield Spiritual Conversations Gathering offered each third Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Prayers for the Earth on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.; and the Easthampton Tuesday Devotions on the fourth Tuesday of each month. For complete details, call 413-570-3019, or see https://pvbc.local.bahai.us/activities/devotional-gatherings.

Virtual Fire of Hope Catholic Charismatic Rally

Agawam - Due to Covid19, the eighth annual Faith on Fire Catholic Charismatic Rally at Sacred Heart Feeding Hills had to be cancelled. The committee has worked together to bring you the Fire of Hope Virtual Catholic Charismatic Rally. Featuring Fr. David Aufiero from Holy Name Parish in Springfield as our main speaker along with Fr. Stan Achu, Deacon Andrew Hogan from Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish, Westfield and Lay witnesses Wally and Barbara Daigneau from Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Southwick. There will be four Music Ministries to provide uplifting songs of praise; Jack Yourous and His Guitar from Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Carolee McGrath with Saint Cecelias Praise and Worship Youth Band from Saint Cecilia Parish, Psalm 33 and Tom Fucci both from Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish. Please access this rally now through Aug. 31 of 2021 at 6 p.m. on www.youtube.com and do a search or www.SacredHeartFeedingHills.org , there will be a link.

Vine and Branches Gift Shop is opened

Agawam -Bees Wax Candles are now in. The Vine and Branches Gift Shop at Sacred Heart Parish at 1061 Springfield Street, Feeding Hills will continue to be open on Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. You may contact the Pastoral Minister Deb Briancesco RN at 786.8200 ext.3 with any questions or concerns.

Safe Sunday services

Southwick - Southwick Congregational Church has now opened its sanctuary for safe worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. for a quick service. Coffee Hour, continues via Zoom at 11 a.m. The worship safety protocols require everyone to wear a mask, practice social distancing, and follow a well-marked traffic flow. If you do not feel well, stay home.

Online worship

Chicopee - Trinity Episcopal Church, 27 Streiber Drive, invites the community to the weekly online 9 a.m. Sunday worship service via Zoom. Weekly worship via Zoom is also available at noon Monday through Friday. For complete details, call 413-533-7872.

Online worship

Westfield - First United Methodist Church, 16 Court St., holds their Sunday worship on their Facebook page, every Sunday at 10 a.m. For more information visit www.umcwestfield.org.

Holyoke - St. Peters Lutheran Church, 34 Jarvis Ave., welcomes you to join them for their online worship services via Zoom on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. There will be a virtual coffee hour afterwards and welcome you to stay on and introduce yourself.

Holyoke -United Congregational Church of Holyoke, has created their very own YouTube channel, which airs live worship services every Sunday at 10 am. The video of each worship service is saved to the YouTube channel after the initial broadcast, and a link is posted on the churchs Facebook page each Sunday evening. The UCC Holyoke YouTube Channel can be easily found by searching for UCC Holyoke on YouTube, or by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWCy2c10RQgIvIzXHOQEoDA. Viewers are encouraged to subscribe to the channel so they can be notified of every live stream.

Online services

Springfield - South Congregational Church, Maple Street, invites the community for Sunday services at 10 a.m. via Zoom. More information on their Facebook page.

Listings should be mailed two weeks in advance to The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103; email pmastriano@repub.com
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  A South Lake Tahoe man who was convicted of fatally beating his female roommate with a piece of firewood in 2019 has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

James Cleveland, who was 71 at the time, has been jailed since he was found guilty of first-degree murder in January in the killing of 65-year-old Valorie Turley.

El Dorado County Judge Suzanne Kingsbury sentenced him March 19 and added an additional year to the sentence for a weapons enhancement, the Tahoe Daily Tribune reported on Wednesday.

Cleveland admitted during the trial that after Turley said something to upset him, he snapped and lost control, the newspaper reported.

South Lake Tahoe police officers responded to reports of a man hitting a female with a large object at a residence on Jan. 13, 2019.

They found Turley in the driveway with significant head injuries. She was taken to a local hospital then flown to Renown Medical Center in Reno where she was pronounced dead.

Witnesses testified they saw Cleveland repeatedly beat her over the head with a fireplace log.
Suspects Arrested in Graves, Calloway Burglaries

By West Kentucky Star Staff

GRAVES COUNTY - The Graves County Sheriff's Office says suspects have been arrested and evidence has been seized in a storage unit burglary investigation.Sheriff Jon Hayden says the suspects broke into numerous storage units on KY Highway 80 East Tuesday night, just south of Mayfield. Deputies say the suspects caused substantial damage across 30 storage units between midnight and 7 a.m.The thefts involve a large number of victims and items exceeding $33,000 in value. Some of the stolen items include ammunition, firearms, tools, electronics, and liquor.Deputies also seized a vehicle believed to have been used in the thefts, and it was found to have been stolen from the St. Louis area in January.The suspects, who are St. Louis residents, are also believed to have been involved in another attempted burglary of a home early Thursday morning in Calloway County during which shots were fired by the homeowner.Names and charges of the suspects have not yet been released.
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Geneva N. Powell, 25, of 302 N. Clay Court was arrested on a domestic battery charge at 1:49 p.m. Wednesday after being accused of being in a physical altercation with a family member, whom she then dragged with her vehicle.

ACCIDENTS

 Danielle R. Pollard, 36, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of disobeying a stop sign after the car she was driving and one being driven by Robert N. Caldwell, 64, of Jacksonville collided at 3:47 p.m. Wednesday at Hardin and East College avenues.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 A red Schwinn tricycle worth $160 was stolen between 11 p.m. Monday and 8 a.m. Tuesday from the backyard of a residence in the first block of Shiloh Drive.



Calhoun County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Jonathan E. Enright, 42, of St. Louis was booked into Greene County Jail at 5:48 p.m. March 13 on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

 Mary E. Church, 46, of Hardin was booked into Greene County Jail at 6:53 p.m. March 9 on a Calhoun County warrant accusing her of violating probation.



Greene County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 David N. Crane, 30, of Brighton was booked into Greene County Jail at 3:18 p.m. Monday on a Greene County arrest warrant accusing him of aggravated battery involving great bodily harm.

 Amber C. Herder, 32, of White Hall was booked into Greene County Jail at 8:43 p.m. March 22 on charges of disorderly conduct, fleeing or attempting to elude police, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, disregarding a traffic control device and having a defective side/rear/windshield window.

 Milanne T. Bell-Fox, 22, of Belleville was booked into Greene County Jail at 7:35 p.m. March 15 on charges of driving while license is suspended, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle and having no valid registration.

 Adrintus L. Bell, 22, of Memphis, Tennessee, was booked into Greene County Jail at 3:06 a.m. March 14 on charges of speeding and having no valid drivers license.

Carrollton Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Sunceree S. Shaw, 25, of Kane was booked into Greene County Jail at 4:12 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of possession of methamphetamine and on a Jersey County warrant accusing her of failing to appear in court.

 Gregory D. Williams, 28, of Carrollton was booked into Greene County Jail at 10 a.m. Friday on a charge of defrauding a drug or alcohol screen.

 Ryan C.D. Large, 31, of Carrollton was booked into Greene County Jail at 12:09 a.m. March 25 on a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

 Amanda M. Kuhn, 31, of Carrollton was booked into Greene County Jail at 11:29 p.m. March 24 on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a narcotic instrument.

 Brandy J. Newingham, 37, of Roodhouse was booked into Greene County Jail at 1:54 a.m. March 21 on charges of possession of a narcotic instrument and improper use of registration or title and on a Greene County warrant accusing her of failing to appear in court.

 Sarah M. Weber, 33, of Carrollton was booked into Greene County Jail at 1:21 p.m. March 16 on a charge of obstructing justice.

 Owen J. Dilks, 31, of Carrollton was booked into Greene County Jail at 6:26 a.m. March 13 on a charge of aggravated domestic battery.

Greenfield Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Wanda L. Pryor, 64, of Litchfield was booked into Greene County Jail at 12:13 a.m. Sunday on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Heather N. Chapman, 36, of Carrollton was booked into Greene County Jail at 8:57 p.m. Saturday on a retail theft charge.

 Allyssa R. Nicholson, 22, of Jerseyville was booked into Greene County Jail at 4:29 p.m. Saturday on a retail theft charge.

 Christopher J. Ballard, 33, of Chesterfield was booked into Greene County Jail at 12:20 a.m. March 23 on a charge of possession of a narcotic instrument.

 Michael S. Butler, 36, of Wood River was booked into Greene County Jail at 4:55 a.m. March 13 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Saddie N. Robinson, 28, of Cottage Hills was booked into Greene County Jail at 3:48 a.m. March 13 on a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

Roodhouse Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Matthew T. Farris, 26, of Roodhouse was booked into Greene County Jail at 7:57 p.m. March 22 on a domestic battery charge.

 Jeremy R. Cox, 33, of Roodhouse was booked into Greene County Jail at 12:25 p.m. March 20 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

State police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Michael B. Johnson, 26, of Florissant, Missouri, was booked into Greene County Jail at 7:34 p.m. March 21 on a charge of driving while license is suspended and on a Macoupin County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court.

White Hall Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Mardy K. Newingham, 35, of Roodhouse was booked into Greene County Jail at 2:31 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Seth M. Snyder, 19, of Jacksonville was booked into Greene County Jail at 1:57 a.m. March 24 on charges of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude police, speeding, consumption of liquor by a minor and improper use of a turn signal.

 Quenton M. Bingeman, 30, of Roodhouse was booked into Greene County Jail at 7:43 p.m. March 19 on a charge of criminal trespass to a residence.

 Loretta F. Little, 59, of White Hall was booked into Greene County Jail at 4:26 p.m. March 19 on charges of driving under the influence and driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Travis A. Winningham, 41, of White Hall was booked into Greene County Jail at 9:05 a.m. March 16 on a Greene County arrest warrant accusing him of delivery of methamphetamine, manufacturing or delivering a Schedule IV drug and possession of methamphetamine.



Jersey County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Cody L. Wells, 28, of Colfax was arrested Friday on charges of theft and unlawful use of a credit card.

 Jayden M. Harper, 26, of Jerseyville was arrested March 22 on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer
A woman has been travelling to Sydney's most popular bakeries in search of the city's best hot cross bun - but her top choice might surprise you.

The foodie - who does not wish to be identified - recently created a Facebook group to document her taste testing, which has taken her around the Harbour City's edgy inner-west.

Her favourite to date is an unusually flavoured bun from Raffael's Bakery in Haberfield, 6.5km west of the CBD.

Instead of the traditional crisscross made from shortcrust pastry or a paste of flour and water, Raffael's bakers decorate the sweet with a strip of lemon zest.

Scroll down for video

A woman has been travelling to Sydney's most popular bakeries in search of the city's best hot cross bun - but her top choice might surprise you

Her favourite to date is an lemon flavoured bun (pictured) from Raffael's Bakery in Haberfield, 6.5km west of the CBD

Sydney's best hot cross buns 1. Raffael's Bakery and Cakes (6/6) 2. Cherry Moon General Store (5.5/6) 3. Cafe Melia (5/6) - Brickfields Bakery (5/6) 4. Bourke Street Bakery (4/6) 5. Baker's Delight (3/6) Advertisement

'Who'd have thought a strip of zesty lemon would complement a hot cross bun so well?' the woman wrote in her review, branding the flavour combination 'amazing'.

'They are in the winners position (for now). The lemon is sticky and rich, and they have been generous with the fruit and spice. You won't be disappointed with these.'

Hot on the heels of Raffael's lemon creation were cherry-stuffed buns from Cherry Moon, a bakery and general store in Annandale.

The woman called them 'exquisite' before lavishing praise on the light texture of the traditional sourdough which was only improved with the addition of the cherries.

'Not overly sweet they really added a lovely natural extra dimension. Definitely recommend a try if you're in the area,' she said.

Next was a classic 'HCB' from Melia, a Parisian-style bakery in Balmain.

The woman said she was 'pleasantly surprised' after buying the last two in stock and sampling them untoasted with a 'generous amount' of butter.

Hot on the heels of Raffael's lemon creation were these cherry-stuffed buns from Cherry Moon, a bakery and general store in Annandale

The woman's hunt for the perfect hot cross bun has taken her from the Harbour City's leafy north to its edgier inner-west

'Super fresh, the bread is undeniably the star in this hot cross bun. Not overly spiced or fruited, just the right amount. It is simple which is what makes it so very good,' she wrote.

A bun from Brickfields Bakery was placed on equal footing, with the woman describing them as the 'fruitiest of them all'.

'This HCB is somewhat reflective of a good fruit cake, so if thats your jam this is a must,' she said.

'Had it fresh and toasted - my preference on this one is the latter with lashes of melted butter.'

The woman found buns from Bourke Street Bakery (left) and Baker's Delight (right) could have contained more fruit and spices

Then came a traditional style bun from Bourke Street Bakery, an iconic chain with stores in Surry Hills, North Sydney, Alexandria and Barangaroo.

While the woman said she enjoyed the inclusion of some orange rind, she felt the bakers could have been 'a bit more generous' with fruit and spices.

'But they did have a massive hot cross loaf, which in my book counts as one serve,' she added.

Bottom of the table was a hot cross bun from Baker's Delight, which the woman admitted 'didn't tickle' her taste buds as much as she expected.

'A bit light on the spices and sultanas,' she explained.
As companies continue to adapt to COVID-19, it is evident that one of the long-lasting effects of the novel coronavirus will be the increased number of permanent work from home accommodations.

According to a recent Gallup poll, 33% of U.S. workers are always working remotely, while 25% are now sometimes working remotely. The accessibility and ease of communicating with co-workers has made telecommuting a viable and potentially cost-saving option for companies. That said, with an increased number of employees in Florida and around the country working from home, we can inevitably expect that the number of at-home work accidents will subsequently rise.

While telecommuting accommodations may be beneficial for Florida employers and employees alike in the long run, it is important to note that certain work from home set-ups come with their own set of potential workers compensation liabilities.

In a situation where the employee is working from home, the employee typically has the burden of proving that an injury is work related. Specifically, the employee would have to evidence that the activity that he or she was engaging in at the time of injury was in the interest of the employer. If, at the time of the injury, the employee was engaging in an activity for a personal benefit or was not furthering the business of the employer in some way, then the alleged accident would not be compensable as it did not occur within the course and scope of employment.

Any accident that occurs after the employee returns from the deviation to their employment may be compensable. This includes matters related to the employees personal comfort. For example, an employee who goes into the breakroom to prepare a cup of coffee in the morning would still reasonably be within the course and scope of his or her employment. Although this distinction can be cut and dry in a traditional office setting, there is significant nuance when an employee is working from home and the lines may become blurred.

Take, for instance, the Florida matter of Sedgwick CMS v. Valcourt-Williams. In 2016, the claimant (a workers compensation adjuster) was working from home on the date of accident. While the claimant reached for a coffee cup, she tripped over her dog during work hours. The issue went before a Judge of Compensation Claims (JCC), who ultimately opined that the claimant was partaking in personal comfort and was still in the course and scope of the employment.

Further, given the approved work from home scenario, the JCC held that the accident was compensable as the claimants work environment was imported into her home. Sedgwick subsequently appealed the ruling.

Floridas First DCA opined that it was immaterial whether the claimant was at home or in the office at the time of the accident. The question that must be addressed was whether the employment would have necessarily expose[d] an employee to conditions which substantially contribute to the risk of injury.

Based on these facts, the relevant risk was that the claimant might trip over her dog while reaching for coffee in her kitchen. This risk exists regardless of whether the claimant is working or not and will exist after her employment. As the risk did not arise out of the course and scope of her employment, naturally, the First DCA held that the claimants injury was not compensable.

As evidenced in the above scenario, it can be difficult or even impossible for an employer to control the environment of a remote employee. After several months of navigating through this virus, it seems probable that litigation surrounding work from home accidents will be a more common occurrence. In an effort to potentially minimize the number of such claims, Florida employers should ensure that clear risk mitigation strategies are implemented for those remote employees.

Topics Trends Claims Florida Workers' Compensation
The State Bank of India's net banking, mobile apps YONO and YONO Lite were hit on Thursday due to maintenance activities being carried out by the largest lender of the country. Customers also faced issues in doing transactions through Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

In a tweet, SBI informed that it would be undertaking maintenance activities for its digital platform between 2:10 pm to 5:40 pm on Thursday. "During this period, INB/ YONO /YONO Lite /UPI will be unavailable. We regret the inconvenience caused and request you to bear with us"

We request our esteemed customers to bear with us as we upgrade our digital banking platforms to provide a better online banking experience. #SBI #StateBankOfIndia #ImportantNotice #InternetBanking #OnlineSBIpic.twitter.com/4bad0EnRnw - State Bank of India (@TheOfficialSBI) April 1, 2021

However, many customers complained on Twitter that they were facing issues even before the scheduled maintenance time.

Why yono is down at 1:50 pm. Timing is of 2:10 pm - Vivek Kumar Gautam (@politicsofindia) April 1, 2021

It's been down from 10am itself!! - Sagar Dhavali (@PointBlankSnipe) April 1, 2021

Not sure why you carry out upgrade during daytime hours. All major IT upgrades/maintenance activities across globe are done post midnight/early morning hours for all major banks, e-commerce, healthcare and other domains. - kumar varun (@kvarunsachdeva) April 1, 2021
The City of Culture celebrations in 2013 helped people from a Protestant background feel more welcome in Derry, a local DUP politician has said.

The party's Foyle MLA Gary Middleton was speaking this week at the launch of a new report into the views of Protestants living in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.

The study, which was carried out on behalf of the Londonderry Bands Forum, interviewed more than 400 people in the council area to find out their views on a wide range of issues.

A similar study was carried out in 2005 in conjunction with Queen's University and the University of Ulster.

When compared to the 2005 findings, the new study shows a 49% increase in the number of Protestants under the age of 24 who 'feel welcome throughout the city/town in which they live'.

The study also shows that members of the local Protestant community now feel more comfortable visiting Derry's city centre.

In 2005, 26% of respondents said that they would not go to Guildhall Square. In the new study, this figure has fallen to 4%.

The percentage of people who say they feel comfortable visiting Foyle Street has witnessed a similar decline from 34% to 9%.

The new study highlights that the Peace Bridge and the bringing of Protestant cultural events to the cityside has 'had an evident impact on cross-city mobility'.

The new report was launched on Monday.

Speaking during a discussion to mark the launch, Mr Middleton welcomed the new report and said initiatives such as the construction of the Peace Bridge and the 2013 City of Culture celebrations had helped make the local Protestant community feel more welcome in the city.

That (City of Culture) played a huge role in getting people across to various events right across the city where they felt, you know what, it doesn't matter if I am Protestant or Catholic or whatever background I come from I can feel part of this and I am welcome, he said.

Mr Middleton praised ongoing cross-community projects but said it was important that they had an impact and were not just 'tokenism'.

There needs to be a feeling that if we are going to be involved in this, then there is going to be a genuine partnership, it is not tick box exercise. We want a lasting legacy from some of the projects we are going to be involved in.

Sinn Fein Foyle MLA Martina Anderson also spoke at this week's event and said there were some 'very positives' from the new report.

She also praised the cross-community work of local groups and said that efforts must continue to make people from a Protestant background feel welcome in the local area.

As someone who had felt that I was born into a state that did not want me or welcome me, I do not want people in the Protestant/unionist/loyalist community that they are in a city which doesn't want them or welcome them, she said.

The fact that the research has said that a significant number of them feel that they are not wanted or that they feel that the other community wants them to leave.

I certainly do not want people from the Protestant/unionist/loyalist community to leave.

I think the research is a great foundation stone on which we can build to outreach and engage respectfully and have conversations going forward, she added.
The plan comes on the heels of Biden gaining congressional approval of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief deal solely on the strength of the votes of Democratic lawmakers over unified Republican opposition. To pay for the infrastructure plan, Biden, in part, is proposing raising the corporate tax rate from 21 pecent to 28 percent, reversing tax cuts made by then-President Donald Trump four years ago. "No one should be able to complain about that," Biden said during his Pittsburgh speech. Republicans in Congress, however, are raising objections, arguing this would hurt American workers, slow economic growth and make U.S. companies less competitive in the world market.

"Our infrastructure is crumbling," the president said during a speech in Pittsburgh, the second most-populated city in the state of Pennsylvania, which has emerged from the downfall of the domestic steel industry. "It's going to create the strongest, most resilient, innovative economy in the world," Biden predicted of his American Jobs Plan, which emphasizes union-backed employment. The plan is intended to put the United States in a position to out-compete China, which Biden said, along with other countries, "are eating our lunch." "Our adversaries are worried about us building this critical infrastructure," he said, noting that the decline in America's gross domestic product means "the rest of the world is closing in, and closing in fast." The U.S. economy shrank by 3.5 percent in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to government figures. The president's plan envisions, over a span of eight years, repairing 32,000 kilometers of roadways, 10 economically significant bridges and 10,000 smaller ones, getting rid of dangerous lead pipes in water systems and significantly upgrading the country's electrical grid, computer broadband and transit systems. Speaking for more than half an hour at the Carpenters Pittsburgh Training Center, Biden said, "I'm convinced that if we act now, in 50 years people are going to look back and say, 'This was the moment that America won the future.'"

Biden wants the support of Republicans for the plan, White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One during the flight to Pittsburgh. "He knows how to reach to the other side and make good things happen," she said of the president.

"It's like a Trojan horse," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in Erlanger, Kentucky, earlier Wednesday. "It's called infrastructure, but inside the Trojan horse, it's going to be more borrowed money and massive tax increases on all the productive parts of our economy."

While Congress has already begun a bipartisan process to reauthorize federal surface transportation and water programs, there is no guarantee the decadeslong history of such cooperation will continue for the overall infrastructure package.



"We need to be able to enact investments in infrastructure to provide safe drinking water, broadband access and safer roads, and doing so requires both parties' buy-in. We hope the president will support the congressional committees working together to produce bipartisan legislation," Michele Nellenbach, vice president of strategic initiatives at the Bipartisan Policy Center, told VOA.



"Investments in infrastructure have long been bipartisan, and in that spirit, we hope to craft and pass an historic package to Build Back Better -- creating jobs, justice and opportunity for all," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.



The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among the most powerful business groups in Washington, is calling Biden's proposal "dangerously misguided when it comes to how to pay for infrastructure." In a statement, the organization's executive vice president and chief policy officer, Neil Bradley, said, "We strongly oppose the general tax increases proposed by the administration, which will slow the economic recovery and make the U.S. less competitive globally -- the exact opposite of the goals of the infrastructure plan."



"Raising taxes on manufacturers would fundamentally undermine our ability to lead this recovery," Jay Timmons, National Association of Manufacturers president and CEO, said in a statement.

"To gain bipartisan trust, this giant spending proposal needs an oversight body such as a National Infrastructure Board that will safeguard against partisan pork and waste and help cut through red tape delays," Philip K. Howard, chair of Common Good and one of the authors of Trump's infrastructure bill, told VOA.

A coalition of dozens of unions, religious, policy and advocacy organizations (including the AFL-CIO and the National Organization for Women), however, is supportive of the overall plan and how to pay for it. In a letter to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the groups stated that "public opinion polls show raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations is very popular even among rank-and-file Republicans."



For some progressive and environmental groups, the Biden package is insufficient. Some have suggested spending five times what the president proposes -- up to $10 trillion. "The funding levels outlined in the White House plan are simply inadequate to meet the essential task of replacing our nation's crumbling water infrastructure, while assuring clean, safe and affordable water for all," Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch executive director, said.



Much of Biden's package focuses on green infrastructure to respond to climate change. Part of the plan is aimed at research and development in such sectors as batteries. "The U.S. market share of plug-in electric vehicle sales is only one-third the size of the Chinese EV market. The president believes that must change," according to the White House.



A second economic package is expected to be announced by Biden in about two weeks. It is to focus on health insurance coverage, child care subsidies and free access to community colleges.
Whether shes wearing a T-shirt and jeans or a peasant dress, her chocolate tresses cascading beneath a floral bandana as she kneads Sicilian brioche or stirs an Abruzzo soup, actress, opera singer and food presenter Silvia Colloca cant help but embody the domestic goddess ideal. Her fourth television series is returning for a second season  filmed in her home kitchen, her three children with husband actor Richard Roxburgh hovering for a lick of the spoon  and it is a joyous and practical guide to treasured dishes from across Italy.

You dont have to be an Italian to cook like one. You can shop and stock your pantry like one, you can think about food like one, and then you can cook like one. I dont think its really about the food. Its about the moment it creates. I hope that people can select a few recipes from this season to become their personal favourites that they do over and over again.

While Roxburgh never appears on his wifes cooking shows (We try to keep our professional lives separate), this season includes bittersweet Zoom appearances by her parents and brother in Italy.

This time last year all the Italians were singing from the balconies and having coffee with the neighbours. Its not happening this time around. Theyre just so exhausted.

Traditional dishes such as chicken diavolo, a spicy roast spatchcock that can be put straight on the table for everyone to demolish; zupetta di pesce; risotto; calzone; and breakfast focaccia are lovingly prepared, with nifty Nonna tips thrown in. Theres an episode devoted to cooking with children (its a bit messy but it encourages a good relationship with food); and one for the gluten intolerant: There are Italian recipes that just so happen to be gluten free.

Cook Like an Italian is a long way from Collocas second, and perhaps her most unintentionally well-known series, made for the ABC in 2016, five years after she migrated to Australia after meeting Roxburgh on the set of vampire movie, Van Helsing. Infused with celebrities and filmed on location in a glistening North Sydney beachfront apartment, Silvias Italian Table was lambasted by online critic Helen Razer as fatuous property porn and a misuse of taxpayers money. To that unfortunate chapter, Colloca assumes Mariah Careys infamous I dont know her response.
BRIDGEPORT  Police task forces patrolling the citys North End as part of an effort to stem gun violence in the city said they arrested five convicted felons in a car Tuesday and recovered a loaded handgun.

Messiah Carrasquillo, 35, of Union Avenue; William Carrasquillo, 28, of Trumbull Avenue; Joel Marcano, 38, of Putnam Street; Nester Rivera, 39, of Yale Street and Iris Aponte, 34, of Lakeside Street, were charged with criminal possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle.

On Wednesday, during their arraignments, Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton ordered Messiah Carrasquillo and Rivera held in lieu of $150,000 bonds and the others on $50,000 bonds.

According to police, on Tuesday members of the state police gang task force and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force were patrolling the citys North End when they received information that several people were headed to a business on Lake Street for a rendezvous and they were armed.

The task forces staked out the building and a short time later police said they spotted a Nissan sedan with what turned out to be fake Texas license plates pull into the parking lot.

Police said officers converged on the car and took the people inside into custody. The officers then searched the car and found a loaded .22-caliber handgun and a gun that fires pepper canisters, police said.

The five men in the car were convicted felons.

In January 2020, Messiah Carrasquillo was convicted of criminal possession of a pistol and reckless endangerment and sentenced to three years in prison, according to court records. William Carrasquillo was sentenced to two years in prison in November 2018 on larceny, escape and violation of probation convictions. The year before, records show, he was sentenced to five years in prison on drug charges.
Successful Operations in LATAM, South East Asia, and Europe Have Enabled Company Growth

Global Upside the leading provider of incorporation, global PEO/EOR, accounting, HR, payroll, and compliance services in 170+ countries has announced new office openings in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Manila, the Philippines; and Frankfurt, Germany.

The Philippines, Brazil, and Germany openings significantly boost the company's presence in the APAC, LATAM, and Europe regions alongside international offices in India, Australia, France, Spain and the United Kingdom. Global Upside now has over 20 offices spread over 9 countries. Global Upside is looking to increase staff by at least 30% across all offices in the next year.

The company is in its 13th consecutive year of revenue growth, solidifying its position as an industry leader and underscoring the importance of back-office solutions for companies looking to cross borders.

Driving Global Upside's continued success is the result of the company's relentless focus on Client satisfaction. Global Upside is a catalyst for companies to scale and accelerate their growth, providing a 360-degree solution to companies as they grow at home and overseas through a mix of professional services and technology.

Global Upside's Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Gita Bhargava states, "These offices represent our strategic operations growth across the regions of LATAM and South East Asia that are trending in response to various growth factors. Together, these offices will enable us to establish a stronger, more cohesive service network and further strengthen our client service delivery."

Today, Global Upside supports Clients in 170+ countries and has pioneered an industry-first Global Human Capital Management (HCM) technology that significantly reduces compliance risks for global employers. Whether companies are making their first venture into international markets or looking to continue the growth of its international enterprise, Global Upside provides companies with options to keep them compliant every step of the way.

About Global Upside Making Growth Happen. Any Industry. Any Location.

Services to Simplify Business Expansion.

Global Upside supports companies throughout the business lifecycle, offering incorporation, PEO/Employer of Record, accounting, HR, payroll, compliance, and M&A services. For over two decades, we have provided integrated expansion solutions in 170+ countries. Whether you are expanding your existing domestic enterprise, or making your first venture into international markets, Global Upside's services simplify your day-to-day operations so you can free up time and resources to focus on growth.

Learn more at www.globalupside.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005674/en/

Contacts:

Ritu Bhargava

408-913-9130

Ritu.bhargava@globalupside.com
Vaccination against COVID-19 kicked off in Uzbekistan, one of the last in the region to begin inoculating its population.

Authorities hope to immunize 4 million people, or nearly 12% of the 34.6-million population, between April and June, Uzbekistans Health Minister Abdukhakim Khadzhibayev told local media.

Uzbekistan has received 660,000 doses of the AstraZeneca shot through the COVAX global vaccine sharing program and 1 million doses of a vaccine developed by the Chinese drug maker Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical.

The Chinese jab is still undergoing large studies to prove it is safe and effective.

Uzbekistans authorities is in talks with Russia over importing 1 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.

Uzbekistan has reported more than 83,000 coronavirus cases and 643 confirmed deaths during the pandemic.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The recent killing of eight Asian women in Atlanta raised the customary hue and cry about prosecuting so-called hate crimes. Since 1968, there has been federal legislation making it a separate crime, above and beyond the underlying criminal act, to threaten to use or use force based, in the initial legislation, on the victim's race, color, religion, or national origin and because the victim is engaged in federally protected activity such as public education, employment, jury duty, travel, using public accommodations or exercising housing rights. In 1988, protections were added based on a person's familial status and disability. Religious worship was added to the protected categories in 1996. In 2009, additional protections were added for crimes based on sex, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation. The 2009 legislation eliminated the requirement that the victim be engaged in federally protected activity.

Virtually all states have their own version of hate crime legislation. In addition to the categories covered under federal law, several states have added transgender, homelessness, and political affiliation to the category of persons against whom hate crimes can be committed.

The key difference between hate crimes and other crimes is that they punish motive. With all of these legislative amendments, the litany of protected categories now covers virtually every conceivable basis of a person's identity. Ironically, however, the one category excluded, at least from federal law, is the category which more than any other has during recent years increasingly become the motivating factor  the victim's age. A 2019 report by AARP shows that nonfatal assaults against men over sixty increased by just over seventy-five percent between 2002 and 2016.

Age aside, every victim of a violent crime falls into at least one of the protected categories under federal hate crime law. If the crime was against a woman, it likely was, at least to some degree, motivated by the victim's sex, or at least her perceived vulnerability as a member  God forgive me  of the weaker sex. A violent crime committed in New York City against Caucasians by Blacks who, while representing twenty-three percent of the population, commit two thirds of all violent crime in the city, could easily be viewed as a crime based on racial animus. The same argument could be made about violent crime perpetrated against Orthodox Jews (particularly since it would be near impossible to find a perpetrator within the sect, thus making religious antipathy always a possible motive) or any other person with discernible characteristics, since all such characteristics apart from age are covered under federal hate crime law.

The point is that all violent crime could be viewed as a hate crime, given the ridiculously broad list of protected categories. At the end of the day, however, proving motive in a criminal trial can be a difficult matter. Unless the perpetrator has ranted on social media or written his own version of Mein Kampf, how can motive be shown? And, given that often overwhelming difficulty, especially in mixed motive cases, why even try? Is there evidence that hate crime legislation reduces the incidence of hate crimes  even accepting the all-embracing nature of the term? Recent data compiled by the FBI indicates that "hate-motivated killings" are on the rise. Data from New York City and Los Angeles police departments suggest that anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150 percent in 2020. That certainly suggests that the legislation is not having a prophylactic effect. That is hardly surprising. How many criminals are willing to commit a violent crime but pause and reconsider if they conclude that it may constitute a hate crime?

In reality, as Michael Bronski, Harvard professor and co-author of Considering Hate: Violence, Goodness, and Justice in American Culture and Politics wrote, "they essentially come down to feel-good laws. ... I think part of what they do is that they actually misdirect us from looking at much deeper issues. Racism is a problem, homophobia is a problem, violence against immigrants is a problem ... so we end up passing these laws and saying 'look at this, we're actually doing something.'"

While communities are understandably up in arms over the spike in crime, the answer isn't to legislate further to ensure that all possible categories of human beings are protected by hate crime legislation. Nor is the answer to overcharge and prosecute both the crime itself and, if committed against a person in a protected category, particularly a racial minority, prosecute the case as a hate crime as well. No  the answer is "undefund" the police, ensure that the bail system doesn't work like border checks on illegals, and make certain that violent criminals actually serve their sentences irrespective of the criminal justice system's disparate impact on minorities.

Moreover, if we obsess about motivation, we can easily characterize every violent crime as a hate crime for another obvious reason. No violent crime, at least as far as I understand it, is motivated by friendship, altruism, love, or similar feelings. It doesn't take Sigmund Freud to recognize that a violent assault is an act of hate.

Our obsession with hate crimes is part and parcel of the far left (another tautology)'s effort to dismantle our social cohesion. We are like free floating atoms that aren't part of a structural whole. If we do not see ourselves as part of that whole but only as disconnected parts, we then look to validate our separateness and lose sight of the fact that any violent crime against a person is both a per se hateful act and a crime against society as a whole, of which we are all integral parts.

Image via Pixy.
A man was stabbed to death as people gathered for a vigil to remember another recent knife attack victim.

Police were called at 9.10pm on Tuesday to reports of three men fighting in Alpha Road, Croydon, south London.

A man who had been stabbed was pronounced dead at the scene, and detectives are confident the victim is 23-year-old Reece Young.

The Metropolitan Police said his family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

Two men had left the scene in a vehicle before police arrived, and later presented themselves at a south London hospital with stab wounds that are believed to have been sustained in the same incident.

The Met said officers went to the hospital and arrested both men on suspicion of murder.

The first man, aged 33, remains in hospital where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

After his arrest, the second man, believed to be in his 30s, assaulted police officers and NHS staff before forcing his way out of the hospital, according to the Met.

An urgent search was carried out and he was returned to custody on Wednesday evening.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Vandenbergh, who is leading the investigation, said: We believe this incident was witnessed by a number of people.

They had gathered for a small vigil in remembrance of another recent fatal stabbing victim when an altercation began.

Some of those people have already spoken to police, but I believe there are others who captured images and video of what happened. I need those people to contact us immediately.

The information they have could prove vital in establishing the chain of events that has led to a young man losing his life.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 7449/30MAR.
The government has moved to restore peace at Kom on the border of Isiolo and Samburu counties following the killing of two people after herders from the two counties clashed over pastures last weekend.

Although police officers have been deployed, officials fear the rising tension in the area could affect the ongoing KCSE exams in the schools nearby.

Herders from the three counties converge in the area in search of water and pastures for the livestock during drought igniting conflicts between them that result in loss of lives and theft of livestock.

Eastern region coordinator Isaiah Nakoru on Tuesday held a series of meetings with security teams from Isiolo, Meru, Samburu and Marsabit and more than 100 elders from the four counties in efforts to come up with lasting solutions to conflicts witnessed in the region.

Illegal firearms

Mr Nakoru blamed the proliferation of illegal firearms among the pastoralist communities for the ongoing flare-ups at Kom where tension continues to build up, and insecurity in the region.

He ordered herders at Kom area to surrender the illegal guns in a week or risk forceful disarmament.

Isiolo County Commissioner Herman Shambi and his Samburu counterpart Abdirizack Jaldesa are today expected to meet residents in the affected area in efforts to ensure calm returns for people to go on with their businesses uninterrupted.

"We have enough officers to protect our people and their properties and therefore should not hold any firearm but surrender it to authorities," Mr Nakoru said while appealing to the four counties to follow suit.

Empowering of the grazing committees to ensure sobriety in sharing of resources when drought strikes was fronted at the meeting among the ways to ensure peaceful coexistence among the pastoral counties.

Isiolo and Marsabit counties last December surrendered 318 illegal guns to police following a three-month government's amnesty.

The Kenya National Council of Elders chairman Phares Rutere and treasurer Ahmed Sett supported calls for illegal gun holders to hand them over to authorities and for camel herders from Isiolo side to desist from grazing in farming areas in Meru County to prevent more conflicts.

"The illegal firearms are a big threat to the region's security. Many of those in possession of the guns do not even know how to use them and should surrender them to the State," Mr Rutere added.

Peace keeping

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He said elders will continue championing peace among communities in Northern Kenya to avert loss of lives and destruction of properties.

"We will continue reaching out to communities regularly so that we ensure peace and end the rampant cattle rustling that results in loss of lives and destruction of properties," said Mr Rutere.

The elders' officials also appealed to herders from the four counties to always involve the grazing committees so that they get consent to graze their animals on the neighbouring land.

Mr Sett said they will reach out to youths and educate them on the need to willingly hand over the guns to police as forceful disarmament would subject other innocent people to a lot of suffering.

"We want them (youth) to be agents of change in the community and to work with the government in peace-building initiatives," said Mr Sett.

Mr Rutere asked elders across the country to preach peace in their respective communities particularly now that we are approaching the electioneering time.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) welcomed European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas to Madrid for a meeting focused on the joined-up response to the ongoing crisis, and on advancing plans for tourisms vital restart.



As the latest data shows an 85% fall in tourist arrivals across Europe at the start of 2021, UNWTO has noted Europe can set a global example by restarting the sector. Given tourisms huge socio-economic importance, the benefits that will accompany the return of tourism in time for the peak European season will be felt well outside of the sector itself.



This heightened relevance of tourism was reflected in the visit of the highest-level European Union delegation to UNWTO headquarters to date. Meeting with the Vice-President, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili further emphasised the need for harmonized protocols and digital solutions to make safe international travel possible.



UNWTO has congratulated the European Commission for taking the lead and advancing plans to launch its Digital Green Pass, recognizing its potential to restart tourism in a number of destinations. At the same time, the UNWTO leadership also credited the Commissions intentions to support national recovery and resilience plans, as well as the recent launch of the Re-Open EU website and mobile app, both of which effectively complement UNWTOs own global #RestartTourism campaign.  TradeArabia News Service
The smartest thing to do when a blame game starts is watch the players who do not join in. At the very moment everyone else runs towards the fight, throwing punches in the middle of the field, there is usually someone wise enough to stay out of the fray.

That someone was Jeannette Young this week. The Queensland Chief Health Officer tried to cool the argument between Canberra and the states over the vaccine rollout before there were too many bloody noses.

Speaking the truth: Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young. Credit:Getty Image

Young was so calm, in fact, she came close to contradicting Deputy Premier Steven Miles after he spent minutes flaying the federal government for not telling him enough about the vaccine supply.

She said she spoke to her Commonwealth counterparts nearly every single day. And she pointed out what all sides should admit: that it all comes down to the twin problem caused by Europes decision to stop Australias access to 3.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, along with the long wait for CSL to reach full production at its Melbourne labs.
A struggling businessman who plotted to fake his own kidnapping on the Turkey/Syria border ended up being kidnapped for real and spending three years as a prisoner of a jihadist group, says an Italian investigation.

Alessandro Sandrini was told by the gang who cooked up the scam that they would fake his kidnapping and install him in a luxury villa where he would have everything he needed  women, alcohol and drugs.

The gang, consisting of an Italian, two Albanians and a collection of unidentified Turks, Moroccans and Egyptians, hoped to con millions of euros in ransom money out of the Italian government.

Italy denies ever paying for the release of captives, but it is suspected that the authorities do pay ransoms occasionally.

However, in Mr Sandrinis case, the gamble did not pay off. After reaching Adana on the Turkish border in October 2016 he was sold to extremist Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

His kidnappers later issued a grimly familiar image of him in an orange jump suit, on his knees, flanked by two jihadis with black balaclavas and automatic weapons. He was finally freed in May 2019 amid suspicion that the Italian government paid for his release, but was charged this week with simulating a crime and committing fraud after investigators raised doubts about the account of his kidnapping.

In a second case, Sergio Zanotti, another businessman who was down on his luck, was lured to the Turkish city of Antioch in April 2016 with the promise of a lucrative black market currency trading deal.

He was also sold to terrorists and held for three years. His release in April 2019 was brokered by the Italian intelligence services and celebrated as a triumph by then prime minister Giuseppe Conte.

There were reports at the time that the Italians had paid ransom money to secure his liberty. Mr Zanotti is under investigation for aiding and abetting the kidnap plot.

The affair, which oscillates between farce and tragedy as one Italian paper put it, came to light after a lengthy investigation by Italian anti-terrorism police and an elite unit of the Carabinieri paramilitary force.

On Tuesday they arrested three alleged members of the gang: Alberto Zanini (54), an Italian, and two Albanians  Fredi Frrokaj (43) and Olsi Mitraj (41)  all of whom lived around the northern city of Brescia.

Police said they had cooked up the plan with unknown associates in Turkey and Syria.

They were accused of having tried to involve a third businessman in another fake kidnapping plot, but he got cold feet at the last minute and refused to board a plane that was bound for Turkey.



The leader of the scam was Fredi Frrokaj, who personally persuaded Mr Zanotti to go to Turkey on the pretext of buying Iraqi dinars on the black market, the police alleged.

An ex-girlfriend of Mr Sandrini was in on the plot. During the drive to the airport he kept telling me that I should stay calm, because when he got home wed have loads of money that would come from the foreign ministry as ransom for his release, she told the media. Before he left, he assured me that if I kept up the charade with his family, the newspapers and the police, 100,000 would be mine, she said.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
WASHINGTON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Golden Peabody and Emmy-winning Comedian and Actor Amy Schumer is coming out in support of the For the People Act, and so is her toddler son. The mother-son duo show their enthusiasm for the landmark voting rights bill that helps every American--babies and adults alike--in a new PSA from fiercely non-partisan anti-corruption organization RepresentUs. The video launches today as Congress prepares for a battle over the landmark legislation, with over 250 laws that restrict voting rights having already been introduced this year in almost all 50 states.

You can watch the PSA here.

The For the People Act is so important that Schumer bribes viewers to watch the whole video, promising to show them her 'little baby', at the end. She tells viewers that the For the People Act will mandate that 'politicians don't steal our goddamn elections' and 'is awesome unless you hate democracy." She also implores them to help her make sure it passes Congress--by rallying enthusiasm for the bill and encouraging their friends to do the same.

Schumer then introduces a more unexpected supporter of the bill, her toddler, who makes the bold political statement 'Opa fi cow brie tea thing really, how' before responding 'Yeah!' when asked if he likes the For the People Act. Schumer previously starred in RepresentUs' viral video Naked Ballots, released during the 2020 election season.

"With all of the efforts we are seeing from politicians trying to steal our votes--hello Georgia--there is nothing more important right now than the For the People Act," says Amy Schumer. "This bill will save our elections. It is also how we finally stick it to political corruption so that billionaires will be stopped from buying elections and so that Congress pays attention to the issues that matter in this country. I support it, my baby supports it, and we both need you to support it too. Are you really going to disappoint a baby?"

The For the People Act is the most impactful anti-corruption act in over 47 years--since Watergate. It is a sweeping upgrade of voting rights, ethics, presidential powers, and election security, even mandating that all voting machines are USA-made. It also restores political power to the people, which is critical to tackling political corruption and addressing the most important issues that this nation faces. Everything that Americans care about is determined by its passage, from free speech to climate change.

"If we don't pass the For the People Act, Congress and state houses will be hopelessly gerrymandered this year. Voter purges and onerous voting requirements will further prevent participation by marginalized Americans and our elections will remain vulnerable to foreign threats. This is the biggest opportunity to reform our elections in nearly fifty years," said RepresentUs Co-Founder and CEO Josh Silver.

The For the People Act is not a partisan issue. The bill is widely popular among the American people, with 67% approval and majority support from voters across the political spectrum, including 59% percent of Republicans. It passed the House on March 3rd and had its first-ever hearings in the Senate on March 23rd. However, it faces opposition from special interests and establishment politicians. The National Republican Senatorial Committee just launched a seven-figure campaign to oppose the act.

RepresentUs, which has paved the way for the For the People Act since 2012, securing over 120 groundbreaking democracy reforms, is unifying conservatives, moderates, and progressives to ensure its passage. It has created an online resource hub to help volunteers. It is also launching a multi-million dollar campaign to counter misinformation around the act and efforts to block its passage, such as the one launched by Ken Cuccinelli .

###

RepresentUs is the nation's largest grassroots anti-corruption campaign, bringing together conservatives, progressives, and everyone in between to pass anti-corruption laws in cities and states to stop political bribery, end secret money, and fix our broken elections.

For more information on RepresentUs and the strategy to unrig the system, visit represent.us .

Media Contact:

Dini von Mueffling Communications

Rajasri Narasimhan | [email protected]

SOURCE RepresentUs
News 10 has reached out to higher learning institutions in the Wabash Valley to learn more about their plans for the COVID-19 vaccine. Here's what they told us.

Indiana State University

Indiana State University is working with the Indiana State Department of Health and will have COVID-19 vaccines available on campus next week for students and employees.

Some details are still being finalized.

Only students and employees can get the vaccine on campus. Students will be prioritized, based on guidance from the State Department of Health. Students will have 48 hours to make an appointment online before employees can sign up for a vaccination.

There will be about 120 doses available per day. Second doses will also be available on campus, but students and employees can get their second dose at another location if desired. The second dose should be administered no sooner than 21 days after the first dose and no later than 45 days.

There is no charge for the vaccine and the university strongly encourages everyone to get the vaccine.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) will offer students, faculty and staff the opportunity to receive the Pfizer COVID vaccine. The Indiana Department of Health is partnering with local colleges and universities, and SMWC will open its own clinic in the Oakley Student Center in the lower level of Le Fer Hall. This will allow students to receive the two-dose vaccine before the term ends in early May.

The first dose will be administered on April 7, 8 and 9 from noon to 6 p.m. The second dose will be available April 28, 29 and 30 from noon to 6 p.m. An appointment will be made for the second dose at the time the first shot is administered. Vaccines will be administered by trained healthcare providers who are registered with the state of Indiana.

Janet Clark, Ph.D., vice president for academic and student affairs, says SMWC encourages all individuals who are able to do their part to end the pandemic by participating in the vaccine.

Our ability to return to pre-COVID-19 activities and operations through the summer and next fall is dependent on the number of individuals who choose to be vaccinated, Clark stated. I am pleased with the efforts of the SMWC community to continue to make health and safety a priority and how well the protocols have been followed. I applaud everyone for doing their part!

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Rose-Hulman did not have any specific information to pass along but directed us to this link for further updates.

Vincennes University

In another significant step forward in returning to a more traditional 2021 Fall Semester, Vincennes University is partnering with the Knox County Health Department to begin administering the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine to the VU community.

The safety of our faculty, staff, students is the highest priority for Vincennes University, and we will take every measure to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Weve done amazingly well in keeping all of our sites safe despite the challenges caused by the pandemic. By offering vaccinations to students, faculty, staff, and eligible immediate family members of faculty and staff, this represents a step forward on the path to normalcy. We greatly appreciate the partnership with Dr. Alan Stewart and the Knox County Health Department in providing this resource. I have been vaccinated and I encourage others to do the same. We must all do our part to help stop COVID-19, VU President Dr. Chuck Johnson said.

All VU students, faculty, staff, and immediate family members of faculty and staff 18 and older are eligible. The clinic is not open to the general public. There is no charge to receive the vaccine. Vaccination is not mandatory for VU students, faculty, and staff.

VU will host its first COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic on Thursday, April 8, from 2-6 p.m. at Green Activities Center, 120 W. Harrison St. on the Vincennes Campus. The vaccine will be administered in two separate doses. Second vaccines will be administered on Thursday, May 6 from 2-6 p.m. at the same location.

Registration is not required. Individuals should bring an ID and an insurance card. Individuals can still receive the vaccine without insurance.

Please direct questions to Vincennes University COVID-19 Liaison and Team Lead Cindy Beaman at cbeaman@vinu.edu.

For more information on how VU is Safely Blazing Forward and the Universitys efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, go to https://www.vinu.edu/covid-19-information-resources.

Both Lincoln Trail and Ivy Tech did not share any specific information on vaccine plans, but both said they will not require the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to campus.
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The Federal Government says it has directed two PayTv platforms  GoTv and Startimes  to migrate their signals from self-carrying to any of the two licensed FreeTv signal distributors.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, said the directive was in line with the Digital Switch Over (DSO) process.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that DSO is the process of transiting from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting. The country has set April 29 for the resumption of the roll-out of the second phase in the remaining 31 states.

The first phase of the rollout had covered the Federal Capital Territory and the five states of Plateau, Kaduna, Kwara, Osun and Enugu.

According to the minister, the laws of the land recognises a single frequency network that is being operated by two licensed signal distributors  Integrated Television Services (ITS) and Pinnacle Communications.

He said the two PayTv  Startimes and GoTv  which are currently carrying their respective signals, are in negation of the law and must migrate to any of the licensed signal distributors of their choice.

We have directed National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to ask Gotv and Startimes to go to either Pinnacle of ITS.

They cannot carry their signals and that is the only way the licensed signal distributors can survive, he said

The minister gave an assurance that with the approval of N9.4 billion by the Federal Government and the setting up of a 14-member ministerial task force to drive the DSO process the remaining 31 states would be successfully and effectively covered.

He said the DSO would enable Nigerians have the opportunity to have choices of many TV stations as well as have access to quality pictures and programmes with little annual cost and no monthly subscription.

Mr Mohammed said the plan for every state the DSO is being rolled out is to cover at least 70 per cent of population coverage with Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTT) while the remaining areas would be covered by Direct To Home (DTH).

He pledged that no part of the country would be left out without DSO signal before the final Analogue Switch Off

Speaking on contents on the FreeTv platform, the minister said the government would set up Local Content Development Fund to assist talented young artists and content developers as well as enable budding stations to thrive.

He said part of the fund would also be used to assist veteran actors and notable celebrities to procure special licenses to either have their own channels or programmes.

(NAN)
Chips by Tsinghua Unigroup are seen at the 2020 World Semiconductor Conference in Nanjing in China's eastern Jiangsu Province on Aug. 26, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Industrial Development Is Constrained by Shortage of Specialty Gases and Lack of Talents

Commentary

Chinese media outlets reported on March 29 that Chinas Ministry of Science and Technology and other government departments have recently issued successive policies in an attempt to solve what they call bottleneck issues, including the shortage of chips and key technologies. However, the shortage of industrial gases, especially electron specialty gases, is a big problem and the situation is exacerbated by recent market price fluctuations. They are essential raw materials for manufacturing chips and for many other sectors, including national defense and aerospace.

Recent public reports indicate that the overall market prices of industrial gases have continued to rise rapidly, with the average weekly price of liquid gases in China rising by 16 percent by the end of the third week of March. The main reason is that the global shortage of semiconductor chips is transmitted to the semiconductor materials side and industrial gases, especially electron specialty gases that are essential raw materials in the manufacturing process of chips.

China Imports Most Specialty Gases

One Chinese analytical article listed some figures, claiming that specialty gases and consumables account for up to 14 percent of the cost of a chip as variable costs. Electron specialty gases are the second-largest core materials for semiconductors after silicon, and ultimately determine the yield and reliability of the finished chip. In addition, the downstream applications of electron specialty gases in China mainly involve four major industries, including the Integrated Circuit (IC) industry, which accounts for the largest share of applications, reaching 42 percent, the report said.

According to China Industrial Gases Industry Association Executive Deputy Director Fu Chungan, the majority of electronic specialty gases as raw materials for chip production are still dependent on imports, and there is an urgent need to solve the shortage problem of industrial gases, as only a few varieties can be produced domestically.

A chemical plant in the city of Dalian, in northeast Chinas Liaoning Province, on Jan. 18, 2013. Journalists in China say that some chemical plants in China are polluting the groundwater by pumping waste into wells. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

The US Takes Up a Quarter of Chinas Industrial Gas Market

According to public data, the market distribution of the industrial gas industry in China is as follows: U.S. company Air Products and Chemicals accounts for 25 percent; Germany company Linde Group accounts for 23 percent (after it merged with U.S. Praxair in 2018); French company Air Liquide accounts for 23 percent; and Japanese company Taiyo Nippon Sanso accounts for 17 percent. This shows that 88 percent of the current market share is highly dependent on these four suppliers.

On March 10, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held a closed-door meeting to discuss the shortage of industrial gases, according to Chinese media reports. The State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense was reportedly among the departments that joined the discussions.

The Bottleneck Issue of Helium

Helium is the rarest of all the industrial gases, and the military is a major consumer of this gas. Advanced weapons of national defense will not be able to do without helium. If Chinas helium supply is cut off, then its manned spaceflights, lunar probe programs, space stations, and other major aerospace science projects will be halted instantly.

Public information shows that the worlds explored helium reserves are about 51.9 billion cubic meters, of which the United States accounts for nearly 40 percent and China only accounts for about 2 percent. About 95 percent of Chinas helium is imported, and the United States was one of the main helium suppliers.

However, China has adjusted its sources of helium imports as tensions between Beijing and Washington have continued in recent years, as noted in an analysis published on NetEase, a popular Chinese news website, in early March.

Qatar became the number one source of helium for China in 2019, providing around 60 percent of the total of Chinas imports of helium, according to the NetEase article. However, helium imported from Qatar is more expensive than from the United States. For example, the import price of helium from Qatar in 2019 is between $53 to $60 per kilogram, compared to $47 to $56 per kilogram from the United States, the report said. Qatar is rich in natural resources, but it does not have its own technology and is heavily dependent on the United States.

China imports 25 percent of helium from the United States and 10 percent from Australia, according to the report. The United States and Australia, being the second and third largest exporters of helium to China, together can control more than one-third of Chinas heliumso the situation looks bleak for the Chinese regime.

Talent Shortage Caused by the Cultural Revolution

From the point of view of Chinese industrial professionals, China lacks talent and technology in the development of its industrial gas industry. Some experts believe that the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976) has caused this problem.

In an article published in Study Times in 2008, titled, The Historical Origins of Chinas Reform and Opening Up, the author, Cao Pu, mentioned the devastation caused by the Cultural Revolution, including the brutal persecution of a large number of intellectuals. By the end of 1968, there were 171 senior researchers in the Beijing branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), but 131 of them had been purged, removed from their jobs, and placed under investigation, Cao wrote. Around 229 CAS members had been persecuted to death.

Although the article was originally published in Study Times, an official newspaper run by the Party School of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it has been removed from its website, as it didnt glorify the CCP. However, the article is available on the website of Phoenix, the CCPs Hong Kong mouthpiece.

According to the Chinese-language Epoch Times editorial series, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, scientists who suffered persecution during the Cultural Revolution included a large number of chemists who either committed suicide because they could no longer endure the torture, or were persecuted to death. I will mention just two of them: Zeng Zhaolun, a professor at Peking University, was one of the founders of chemistry in China; Wang Jiliang, a professor at Hangzhou University, was one of the pioneers of modern chemistry and of the study of analytical chemistry in China. If they had not been persecuted to death, then they would have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of Chinas chemical industry and research today.

At present, China has bottleneck issues in many key areas. To know the root cause of these problems, one has to review the history of the persecution of numerous Chinese scientists by the CCP during the Cultural Revolution.

Chen Simin is a freelance writer who often analyzes Chinas current affairs. She has contributed to The Epoch Times since 2011.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- White Oak Healthcare Finance, LLC (White Oak) announced today that it acted as sole lender and administrative agent on the funding of a senior credit facility for ViaQuest Holdings, Ltd. and affiliates (ViaQuest) to support the acquisition by Council Capital, a Nashville based private equity fund. ViaQuest is a provider of services for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities (I/DD), hospice services, and other behavioral health services to individuals.

The market for residential and community-based care has steadily grown as individuals are directed to the lowest cost and least restrictive care settings and payors continue to direct people with I/DD away from institutions and into home and community settings, said Ross Eldridge, EVP and Chief Originations Officer at White Oak. We very much believe in the continuum of care the company provides and are excited to partner with Council Capital given their depth of experience in the space.

Founded in 1999, ViaQuest provides community-based services and support to individuals with I/DD, hospice care, behavioral and mental health services and home health services. ViaQuest delivers care tailored to patients and their familys individual needs and circumstances. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, ViaQuest provides services in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.

In addition to providing us with a compelling financing package, White Oaks flexibility and knowledge of I/DD and healthcare services were unique and helpful, said Eric Keen, General Partner at Council Capital. White Oak did an exceptional job creating a facility that will provide ViaQuest flexibility to support its continued expansion.

About ViaQuest

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, ViaQuest offers quality, highly-personalized, specialized and cost-effective care, solutions and services in I/DD, hospice care and behavioral and mental health. More information can be found at www.viaquestinc.com.

About White Oak Healthcare Finance

White Oak Healthcare Finance, LLC, an affiliate of White Oak Global Advisors, LLC, is a lender to all subsectors within the healthcare industry including healthcare services, pharma and life sciences, medical devices, healthcare technology, healthcare real estate, hospitals and SNFs. WOHCF has deep domain expertise with a sole focus on healthcare which enables it to provide flexible and creative solutions with certainty of execution. WOHCF offers a differentiated product set including cash flow term loans, asset based loans and ABL Stretch facilities, unitranche facilities, last out financings, real estate financings, equipment financings and opportunistic investments. As a lender with large pools of capital to deploy, WOHCF generally holds its full loan positions to maturity.

About White Oak Global Advisors

White Oak Global Advisors, LLC (WOGA) is a leading alternative debt manager specializing in originating and providing financing solutions to facilitate the growth, refinancing and recapitalization of small and medium enterprises. Together with its financing affiliates, WOGA provides over twenty lending products to the market, including term, asset-based, and equipment loans, to all sectors of the economy. Since its inception in 2007, WOGA has deployed over $8 billion across its product lines, utilizing a disciplined investment process that focuses on delivering risk-adjusted investment returns to investors while establishing long term partnerships with our borrowers. More information can be found at www.whiteoaksf.com.

About Council Capital

Council Capital is a healthcare-focused private equity firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. Council Capital invests in lower middle market healthcare-related companies where it can drive growth by applying its Council Model, which draws upon the resources and experience of its CEO Council (experienced industry executives), Strategic Healthcare Investors, and Value Creation Team. Council Capital leverages its Council Model to attract and support leading management teams and portfolio companies on the right side of change in the healthcare industry  where growth will accelerate as cost pressure and quality demands increase. Council Capital targets control and minority investments with enterprise values between $10 million and $75 million. More information can be found at www.councilcapital.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210330005115/en/

Jonathan Setiabrata

Investor Relations

jsetiabrata@whiteoaksf.com

Source: White Oak Healthcare Finance, LLC
VANCOUVER, Wash., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Energy Concepts is excited to announce the promotion of Jay Davis to company President. Officially assuming the position change (from VP of Business Development) on April 1st 2021, Davis has already been taking on the day-to-day management and oversight of this growing & national energy-efficiency provider for the past several months.

"Since day one Jay has continually stepped up fueling our growth and evolution over the years. " - Keith Scott, CEO Tweet this Jay Davis, President, Pacific Energy Concepts

On promoting Davis to the role of President, current CEO and founder Keith Scott advised, "this has not been an overnight thing, we've been slowly and continually up-levelling from within, this has allowed me to let go of a lot of those day-to-day responsibilities and ensures I can make a bigger impact for this company, our customers, and this team."

Jay Davis has been with PEC for almost ten years, joining the company in 2011 as the third team member following founder Keith Scott and Sales Director Tommy Allen. He began in sales, designing, selling, and implementing custom energy solutions for C&I facilities. "Since day one, Jay has continually stepped up, fueling our growth and evolution over the years" states Scott.

While reflecting on his time at PEC Davis recalls one of his first projects, "I remember I could just see what we had done mattered to the customer, it mattered to their workforce, and added positive value to their business. I could see that delivering good impact translates benefits from our customers to our own families, and the world, we're doing a good thing and it matters that we keep expanding on that."

Early in 2020, like many businesses, the company had to get creative, generating a survival strategy that forced innovation and a willingness to take risks and experiment. The results of which, proved to be beneficial, finishing 2020 with a record year that has positioned PEC to grow and expand thoughtfully in 2021.

Functionally, the company describes itself as having a flat structure emphasizing the merits of trust and collaboration. Both Scott and Davis state that giving team members "freedom and responsibility" is a business norm they've seen great success from and will continue to foster.

While Davis takes the reins on the daily operations, CEO, Keith Scott, isn't pulling back but rather refocusing his attention, "my goal is to get back to helping our team deliver more impact." Scott states his focus is on maintaining and expanding the team culture, which he sees as pivotal to the success and capabilities of the company.

Crediting the fundamental tracks laid by founder, Keith Scott, Davis explains that PEC has always been focused on harnessing opportunity through disruptive innovation, problem-solving outside the confines of the status quo, "we have an ongoing opportunity to disrupt an entire industry, it's how we win consistently, even in the face of really fierce competition."

About PEC

Pacific Energy Concepts (PEC) is North America's most innovative energy optimization company. We deliver customized energy-efficiency solutions (like LED, advanced controls, and Smart Motor systems) that go beyond energy savings, helping our partners "run efficient, save money and work happy" all while reducing their carbon footprint.

With deep knowledge of the energy-efficiency industry, we are experts in designing, developing, and deploying targeted solutions in complex and specialized environments. This is why brands like Costco, IKEA, Jeld-Wen and Alaska Airlines (to name a few of the 5000+ companies we work with) put their trust in us. View case studies at www.pecnw.com

Media Contact:

Rose Southwell

360-703-1207

[email protected]

SOURCE Pacific Energy Concepts

Related Links

http://www.pecnw.com


Two girls, aged three and five, were dropped over the US-Mexico border wall by smugglers in the middle of the night, the American authorities have said.

Releasing infrared video of the incident in an appeal to catch the people smugglers, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency said the two Ecuadoran toddlers were hoisted up to the top of the 14ft border wall and then dropped over the other side.

After locating the girls on Tuesday evening, CBP officers at Santa Teresa in New Mexico took them for a medical evaluation and then to a hospital. The girls are still in CBP custody.

Gloria I Chavez, the chief patrol agent at the time, said in a statement: Im appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night. She said that US officials are working with the Mexican authorities to identify those responsible for the act.

Ms Chavez said: If not for the vigilance of our agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of the desert environment for hours.

The toddlers were dropped and then abandoned just west of Mount Cristo Rey, where a border patrol camera operator spotted the smugglers using infrared camera technology. The agency made the 29-second video public the next day, warning that some viewers may find the footage disturbing.

Local media reports said that the two toddlers were alert when the CBP agents located them. Ms Chavez, of Border Patrols El Paso sector  which includes parts of Texas and New Mexico  said: We are currently working with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and attempting to identify these ruthless human smugglers so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Speaking with the website Border Report, Oscar Misael Hernandez, an expert investigator at Mexicos Northern Border College said: The smuggler men that dropped and abandoned the two minor girls in the desert toppling them off the wall near the Sunland Park, New Mexico shows that the Mexican smugglers have started to look at the migrant women and children as merchandise. He said drug cartels are now directly getting involved in human smuggling and especially the exploitation of minor girls and kids.

Victor M Manjarrez, a former US border patrol chief in El Paso and Tucson, Arizona said that he had witnessed children being smuggled for prices as much as $5,000 and $6,000. It is a lucrative business, he told reporters.

The US Department of Health and Human Services had 12,918 migrant children in their care as of Tuesday, while CBP was responsible for the care of another 5,285. On average, there are at least 500 unaccompanied children crossing the border every day.

The Biden administration has come in for criticism recently over its management of the detention centres. On Tuesday, for the first time journalists were allowed inside the main border detention facility for migrant children. An Associated Press report described the facility as a severely overcrowded tent structure with more than 4,000 people, including children and families, crammed into a space intended for 250. The youngest were kept in a large playpen where they slept on the floor.
Watson said that while COVID has taken away so much from people's lives, it did create this unique opportunity to open students' eyes to relationships beyond their own.

Part of the beauty of being able to use Zoom to conduct these sessions is that the students not only get to hear what the lives of these older adults are like, but they also get to see that older adults can use tech, too, she said. In many ways, they are not that different. It's two different generations, but both are working for the benefit of each other.

The students submit their observations about the inter-generational communication sessions in journals, and Faulkner said those accounts have been very informative.

I'm finding out that they are developing a greater appreciation for the life experiences of older adults, and they've been able to dispel some of the myths about older adults, she said. Some of my students indicated they didn't know what to expect going into these conversations, but clearly one of the benefits of this will be having them now thinking about ageism.

That is precisely what the interaction with the residents of Worthington Christian Village has provided for Gavin Friedrichsen, a junior majoring in communication.

I feel like I don't often get to interact with older people because when you're in college you mostly interact with people your same age, so this has been an interesting experience, he said. The man we meet with  some of the events I learned about as history, he has lived those first-person. And it turns out that despite the age difference, his outlook on life turns out to be very similar to mine. This class has broken down some of the barriers and notions I had held toward older people.

Watson said there have been multiple benefits from the program that go well beyond the curriculum.

This not only benefits the students as they get to see how this plays out in other people's lives, but also for the residents since they have someone to listen to their stories and relate to them, letting them know they are important, she said.

Glass said she has been meeting with a resident named Carol, who as a retired educator knows how to communicate as a grandmother, a teacher and a friend.

I am very lucky to have Carol  she is an open book, and she is so enthusiastic about this opportunity, she said. She's had very little communication due to COVID, and she has been wonderful. This definitely brightens up her day.

Faulkner said the program's ambitious goal of providing meaningful inter-generational conversation and dialogue has produced the desired community-based learning and more.

I've taught other places, but I love BGSU students because they are so engaged in projects like this, and that level of engagement allows us to do good things, on campus and in the community, she said. I can tell from the journals and the discussions that they are really interested in learning from older adults, and the lives of these older adults are being enriched by the experience.
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Markle Foundation is pleased to announce today that Margaret Hoover has been elected to its Board of Directors. Hoover is the host of Firing Line with Margaret Hoover on PBS, a revival of William F. Buckley Jr.'s long running public affairs television program.

"Margaret is an astute observer who will bring a broad perspective to Markle's work. She examines issues and communities from a deeply thoughtful perspective," said Zoe Baird, CEO and President of Markle. "We are delighted to have Margaret join our Board and look forward to working together to drive an equitable economic recovery that opens opportunities to good jobs for all workers."

"Markle recognizes that it will take broad, cross-sector collaboration to address the current economic challenges and enable an even-handed economic recovery for all Americans," said Margaret Hoover. "Through the Rework America Alliance, Markle has a vision for making opportunity available for everyone. I look forward to working with Markle's leadership to advance these solutions."

Suzanne Nora Johnson, Chair, Markle Board of Directors, added, "Margaret's unique set of experiences and accomplishments make her an excellent addition to the Markle Board. I am so pleased she will be joining us as we pursue our important work."

The Markle Foundation has formed the Rework America Alliance, a unique coalition of more than 30 partners, including civil rights organizations, nonprofits, private sector employers, labor unions and educators. The Alliance is working to advance opportunities for millions of unemployed and low wage workers to move into good jobs, particularly people of color who have been disproportionately affected by the current economic and health crisis.

Hoover is a political commentator for CNN and President of American Unity Fund, a political organization focused on achieving full freedom and equality for LGBT Americans. A best selling author, Ms. Hoover served in The White House under President George W. Bush, in the Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill and on two presidential campaigns.

Ms. Hoover serves on the boards of Stanford University's Hoover Institution, the Hoover Presidential Foundation, the Belgian American Educational Foundation, and The 19th* a non-profit newsroom. Raised in Colorado, Hoover has lived in China, Mexico, Bolivia and Taiwan, speaks fluent Spanish fluently and has studied Mandarin Chinese. Ms. Hoover lives in New York City with her husband and their two children.

About The Markle Foundation

The Markle Foundation challenges itself and diverse partners to deploy their varied expertise to identify solutions to critical public problems and achieve systemic change. Today as advanced technology and automation change the very nature of work, Markle's priority is advancing solutions toward a labor market that will enable workers in America to move into good jobs in the digital economy. Markle's workforce initiatives include the Rework America Alliance, which draws on Markle's Skillful and Rework America initiatives. This work follows Markle's success in creating the policy and technology architecture that has enabled improvements in healthcare, national security, and access to the Internet. For more information, visit markle.org, follow @MarkleFdn and @ReworkAmerica on Twitter, and read our book, America's Moment.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Markle Foundation

Related Links

www.markle.org


The outspoken Neno Evangelism Centre preacher James Nganga has opposed the recent govt directive suspending gatherings at places of worship to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The famous preacher faulted the government for likening churches to bars. He argued that church-goers are more disciplined compared to drunk revelers.

Pastor Nganga also noted that the church is the first place people seek refuge in times of need.

In 2007, people ran to church to seek for comfort. But right now, naona wameanza kushikanisha bar na kanisa. Kanisa sio walevi wako huko. They are people who can control themselves, he said.

At the same time, pastor Nganga said the government has allowed matatus to continue operating yet churches are more spacious and orderly.

My message is that people should not forget God. Empty you came and empty you will go. No matter how rich you are.

Since COVID-19 struck, Nganga has been in Kajiado where he is building a megachurch.

I have started building another church in Kajiado, which will look like Jerusalem city. The pandemic has not affected me as I am still serving God and building Gods house, not a kiosk. It is the house of the Lord and it is built by the few appointed, he said.
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SALEM, Ore.  Oregon state welfare officials say that two foster children have gone missing and may be traveling together. Both 13-year-old Jaxon Palm and 14-year-old Corban Cory went missing from Albany, Oregon on March 30.

According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, Palm may be traveling to the areas of Toledo or Newport, and could be in Cory's company. Cory, the agency said, may be trying to get to Grants Pass.

ODHS asked the public for help in finding both boys. Call 911, local law enforcement, or contact the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233) with information.

Palm is described as being five-foot, five-inches tall, 155 pounds, with bright blue eyes and red hair. He has freckles on his face and arms. Cory is five-foot, eight-inches tall, 160 pounds, with dark green/hazel eyes, and short dark blonde hair. Cory often wears beanies or other hats  he reportedly has a bald spot on the top of his head.
Europe's leading consumer electronics brand Thomson, unveils its big plans to capture Indias growing home appliance market, pegged to grow at USD 1,534 million this year. Launching its first ever range of Air Coolers both Window and Desert Air Coolers; the brand is targeting to capture 15% of Indias online home appliance category in next 2 years.

Bringing home happiness Thomson will go LIVE with the launch from  1st April Only on Flipkart!

Offering consumers best in class and leading global technology Thomson will be rolling its first-ever range of Air-Coolers in Desert and Window category with starting price point of INR 5999/- only.

In its semi-automatic Washing Machine category, the brand will be launching a -7 kgs variant with starting price of INR 7499/- only.

Tapping into, the growing e-commerce market and rising shopping trends, Thomson has been constantly sprucing offers in its Home Appliance category in India.

The brand has taken a centre-stage in e-commerce and D2C market and steadily established its leadership in its smart TVs category, and has recently notched up to No. 2 position , as the best online selling brands of the country. Always luring the shoppers on its Friendly Technology at Affordable Prices proposition; the brand is single-mindedly driven to capture 15% of the Indian online home appliance market in coming years.
Heavy rains have resulted in high water levels at Smith Lake.

Lake operator Alabama Power said spillway operation plans are ready in the event the lake approaches the spillway crest elevation of 522 feet. Currently, the lake is at 520 feet and 10 inches; its expected to rise to around 521.7 feet by Thursday night.

Smith Dam does not have spillway gates or floodgates but does have a natural, geological spillway designed to allow the lake the lake to overflow safely when it reaches an elevation of 522 feet.

The National Weather Service said it has received notification of fast-rising water on the lake, which spans Cullman, Walker and Winston counties.

This heavy rainfall is leading to additional rises along some rivers/lakes. We're getting reports that the water levels at Smith lake are rising rapidly. Seek higher ground! #alwx  NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) March 31, 2021

Alabama Power said it is working closely with local officials and law enforcement on safety plans and residents that could be impacted by flooding began receiving safety notifications today. Also, the company notified residents who could be affected if a localized area of County Road 43 to the Mill Creek bridge directly south of the dam site becomes impassable due to spillway activation.

Residents are also asked to download the SmartLake app or visit www.apcshorelines.com for the latest alerts on lake conditions. Individuals can also call 1-800-LAKES11 (1-800-525-3711) for lake condition updates.

Updated April 1 at 8 a.m. to show new lake level.
The number of devices (PCs (laptops and deskbased), tablets and mobile phones) in use globally will total 6.2 billion units in 2021, according to Gartner. In 2021, 125 million more laptops and tablets are expected to be in use than in 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic has permanently changed device usage patterns of employees and consumers, said Ranjit Atwal, senior research director at Gartner. With remote work turning into hybrid work, home education changing into digital education and interactive gaming moving to the cloud, both the types and number of devices people need, have and use will continue to rise.

In 2022, global devices installed base is on pace to reach 6.4 billion units, up 3.2% from 2021. While the shift to remote work exacerbated the decline of desktop PCs, it boosted the use of tablets and laptops. In 2021, the number of laptops and tablets in use will increase 8.8% and 11.7%, respectively, while the number of deskbased PCs in use is expected to decline from 522 million in use in 2020 to a forecasted 470 million in use in 2022.

Users confidence is returning in the smartphone market. Although the number of smartphones in use declined 2.6% in 2020, smartphone installed base is on pace to return to growth with a 1% increase in 2021. With more variety and choice, and lower-priced 5G smartphones to choose from, consumers have begun to either upgrade their smartphones or upgrade from feature phones, said Atwal.

The smartphone is also a key tool that people use to communicate and share moments during social distancing and social isolation.

The integration of personal and business lives, together with a much more dispersed workforce requires flexibility of device choice. Workers are increasingly using a mix of company-owned devices and their own personal devices running on Chrome, iOS and Android, which is increasing the complexity of IT service and support.

Connectivity is already a pain-point for many users who are working remotely. But as mobility returns to the workforce, the need to equip employees able to work anywhere with the right tools, will be crucial, said Atwal. Demand for connected 4G/5G laptops and other devices will rise as business justification increases. -- Tradearabia News Service
QAnon Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene met with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday, proclaiming that his America First policies 'will lead our party to victory in '22 AND in '24.'

Greene shared a video on Twitter of the two of them meeting and complimenting each other.

'It's great to be with Marjorie, she's really a very special person, she's out there fighting hard and the people of Georgia love her,' Trump said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (right) shared a video of her meeting Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago with former President Donald Trump (left)

Greene tweeted the video and called Trump the 'leader of the R party' and said his America First policies 'will lead our party to victory in '22 AND in '24'

Greene, in turn, told Trump 'the people love you,' and thanked the former president for his positive words.

'Great to spend time with the greatest (& my President), Donald J. Trump at Mar a Lago today!' she tweeted, calling him the 'leader of the R Party.'

Greene has been boasting about plans to go to Mar-a-Lago and meet Trump since February 1.

'I'm excited to go visit him soon and continue to give him a call and talk to him frequently. Great news is, he supports me 100 per cent and I've always supported him,' she said then.

At the time, she was taking heat from a handful of Republicans and swaths of Democrats for controversial social media postings and beliefs.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, without saying Greene's name, called her 'loony lies' a 'cancer for the Republican Party.'

'Somebody who's suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.'s airplane is not living in reality,' McConnell said.

Greene has also pushed the conspiracy theory QAnon.

In social media posts she indicated support for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's execution, infuriating Democrats.

Since the, the House Demoratic majority has thrown Greene out of the committees the freshman congresswoman was assigned to be on.

She's spent her time trolling Democratic lawmakers in the halls of Congress and on social media and making motions for the House to adjourn in advance of partisan bills.

Those votes, which can delay proceedings for as much as an hour, have annoyed Republican lawmakers as well.

Still, Greene hasn't done anything to shake the support of Trump, who's been hosting a parade of Republicans at his Florida resort since leaving office in January.
A war memorial has been vandalised after thousands of revellers descended on a park to enjoy the hottest day of the year so far as lockdown restrictions eased.

Pensioner Tony Foulds, 83, who has tended the memorial for seven decades, made a desperate plea for vandals to stay away from the monument in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield, after it was targeted on Tuesday.

US flags were torn down from the memorial which is dedicated to ten American soldiers who died when the B-17 Flying Fortress, known as Mi Amigo, crashed in the park on February 22 1944.

Mr Foulds was eight when the badly-damaged bomber limped over the roofs of nearby houses and crashed into a wooded area, apparently to avoid him and his friends who were fighting on the grass.

In a video posted to Twitter by Sheffield councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, Mr Foulds said: 'I've had a lot of damage done and my flags torn off and chucked onto the floor.

'Please, whatever happens don't come near the memorial. For my sake, as well as these lads.'

Mr Foulds has dedicated his life to the memory of the airmen he never met, spending up to six days a week tending the memorial since it was established in 1969.

Mr Foulds, who lives in Lowedges, Sheffield, said: 'It's more than bravery, what they did. They saved me.'

He discovered the damage when he made his visit to the memorial on Wednesday and 'sat down on the floor and had a cry', he told The Star.

The memorial's two largest flags had been damaged beyond repair after being ripped off their poles, Mr Foulds said.

Pensioner Tony Foulds beside the war memorial to the victims of the B-17 Flying Fortress, which crashed in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield, on February 22 1944

Mr Foulds was eight when the badly-damaged bomber limped over the roofs of nearby houses and crashed into a wooded area, apparently to avoid him and his friends who were on the grass

The ten airmen who died, from back row: Robert Mayfield, Vito Ambrosio, Harry Estabrooks, George Williams, Charles Tuttle, Maurice Robbins Front Row: John Kriegshauser, Lyle Curtis, Melchor Hernandez, John Humphrey

Police said it had been vandalised on Tuesday, when an estimated 7,000 revellers descended on Endcliffe Park in Sheffield to enjoy the warm weather

The ten US airmen killed in February 1944 crash Pilot : Lieutenant John G. Kriegshause, 23, from St. Louis, Missouri Co-pilot : 2nd Lieutenant Lyle Curtis of Idaho Falls Navigator : 2nd Lieutenant John W. Humphrey of Wyoming, Illinois Bombardier : 2nd Lieutenant Melchor Hernandez of Los Angeles, California Radio operator : Staff Sergeant Robert Mayfield of Raymond, Illinois Waist gunner : Sergeant Vito Ambrosio of Brooklyn, New York Flight engineer and top turret gunner : Staff Sergeant Harry Estabrooks of Mound Valley, Kansas Waist gunner : Sergeant George M. Williams of Faxon, Oklahoma Ball turret gunner : Sergeant Charles Tuttle of Raceland, Kentucky Rear gunner : Sergeant Maurice Robbins of Manor, Texas Advertisement

He told The Star: 'I don't know if they are people who don't like America but I am really upset about it. First the council pulled one of the trees down and now someone has done this.'

The 83-year-old told the publication that he will not be beaten by the mindless vandals and plans to fly new flags today.

Police said it had been vandalised on Tuesday, when an estimated 7,000 revellers descended on the park as temperatures soared beyond 75F (24C) and socialising was permitted under the rule of six in England.

CCTV footage from the park is being reviewed by South Yorkshire Police.

In response to councillor Mohammed sharing a video of Mr Foulds plea one social media user kindly offered to send the pensioner replacement flags from the U.S.

The Twitter user, by the name of Geoff, wrote: 'Any idea how I can get a hold of Tony? I'm English living in the states and i'd love to send him some replacement flags including a US Air Force one.'

It comes two years after thousands attended a flypast arranged to mark the 75th anniversary of the crash, following a campaign by BBC Breakfast's Dan Walker, who bumped into Mr Foulds while walking his dog in the park in 2019.

Walker used the hashtag #GetTonyAFlyPast, which also caught the attention of the Americans - and soon after Mr Foulds was told on live TV that his dream would come true - changing the hashtag to #TonyGotHisFlyPast.

The pensioner broke down in tears as huge crowds applauded and cheered for him as they gathered at Endcliffe Park in Sheffield to watch the aircraft - including F-15E Strike Eagles from the USAF and an RAF Typhoon - pay tribute to the American crew.

South Yorkshire Police superintendent Simon Verrall said in a statement: 'Throughout the afternoon and evening of March 30, officers were required to respond to a number of reports of anti-social behaviour and damage being caused to the park.

'Sadly, one of the park's memorials was also damaged during the evening, which has left volunteers deeply distressed.

'This activity is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in our open spaces.

'We are currently reviewing CCTV and mobile phone footage to identify those involved with a view to taking further action.'

Speaking following the flypast at Endcliffe Park, Mr Foulds said of the airmen: 'They've done this, and they're as happy as anything now.'

Mr Foulds has spent much of his life treating a memorial to the airmen whose plane crashed in front of him in 1944

An emotional Tony Foulds wipes away tears from his eyes as the military flypast comes over Endcliffe Park in Sheffield

Mr Foulds watches from Endcliffe Park in Sheffield, as warplanes from Britain and the US stage a flypast tribute on February 22 2019

Thousands of people turned out at Endcliffe Park in Sheffield for the pensioner to see his lifelong dream fulfilled in February 2019

He added: 'It's taken 75 years for them to be remembered and what a day, what a day to remember them.'

Mr Foulds said that his only wish now is to travel to the United States to meet some of the crew's families.

Three of the ten crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress, Mi Amigo, are interred at Cambridge American Cemetery. The seven other crew members who died have been repatriated.

Tony Foulds, 82, is pictured on Wednesday ahead of the Mi Amigo memorial flypast over Endcliffe Park in Sheffield, February 13, 2019

The pilot apparently tried to avoid Mr Foulds and his friends when he crashed in Sheffield in February 1944

How US pilot saved Tony and his friends from death Lieutenant John Kriegshauser, a 23-year-old pilot from St Louis, Missouri, was on his 15th mission on February 22, 1944 - and on board with him were nine young men from every corner of America. The mission was a daring daylight raid on the Aalborg airfield in occupied Denmark, a key fighter base that protected Germany from Allied bombers. Mi Amigo was hit in the attack and limped back across the North Sea, trying to get to a base in Chelveston, Northamptonshire. But the weather was poor. When the plane broke through the clouds looking for somewhere to land, it was over Sheffield, 80 miles north west. Tony Foulds was eight years old and had gathered with other children for a schoolyard brawl at Endcliffe Park, an oasis of green surrounded by terraced houses. After five years of war, including German attacks on Sheffield's steel and armaments plants, the boys were accustomed to hearing planes. But the sound of this aircraft wasn't right - with one engine working, spitting oil and daylight visible through the tail. The pilot circled when he saw the stretch of green, and waved his arms at the children. They waved back. Years later, Mr Foulds realised he was trying to get them to run out of the way. The plane circled three times, the last time coming in so low it was just above the houses' chimneys. The pilot could have tried to land on the green, but he didn't. He turned his plane into the nearby woods, tried to rev up his only working engine and failed to gain altitude. The plane crashed and there were no survivors. Mr Foulds has been wracked by guilt ever since, over why he could go on with his life, to have children and grandchildren, when the men on that plane were not. Advertisement
This wrap-up of International People Moves details recent appointments at Guy Carpenter, Chord Re, and Everest Re. A summary of these new hires follows.

Guy Carpenter

Reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter & Co. announced the appointment of Sebastian Cook as managing director and head of London Europe, with immediate effect.

Cook will lead the London-based teams focusing on European business (London Europe) and the newly formed European Broking Solutions team, focused on working with the local European offices to build and execute customized reinsurance strategies for the continent.

In addition to leading the London-based team and European Broking Solutions team, he will further develop the firms catastrophe strategy across the European region and its approach to European reinsurer management. Cook will also play a key role in directing Guy Carpenters international request for proposal (RFP) initiative.* He will report to Massimo Reina, CEO, Europe at Guy Carpenter.

Most recently, Cook was head of EMEA London and deputy CEO, Nordic and Baltic Region at Aon with responsibility for the production and servicing of large accounts across Continental Europe. He joined the company in 2007.

* RFPs have become a common feature in some countries or lines of business, explained Carpenter in an email, when asked about its RFP initiative. We believe this represents an opportunity to clearly articulate the value we are capable to deliver to clients, using quantifiable metrics informed by clients key performance indicators.

Chord Reinsurance Ltd.

Chord Reinsurance Ltd., a London-based specialty reinsurer today announced that chief underwriting officer Tom Meyer is moving to the role of chief executive officer, replacing Stefan Long who will transition to executive director ahead of stepping down from the company in 2022.

Meyer joined Chord Re at its inception in 2017 as CUO, joining from Aspen Holdings Ltd., where he served as CUO at Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Ltd. He has had a 25-year insurance career, starting as a broker before joining Aspen to lead their specialty reinsurance underwriting.

John Cavanagh, chairman of both Chord Re and its parent company, Beat Capital Partners Ltd., said, We are thrilled to announce Toms appointment and view this as a natural progression for a very talented and well-known specialty reinsurance leader. We would also like to thank Stefan for his contribution to Chord Re from its inception and wish him all the best for the future.

Everest Re

Everest Re Group Ltd. announced the appointment of Anne Rocco as senior vice president and group chief transformation and shared services leader. She will serve on the Everest executive leadership committee and report directly to President and Chief Executive Officer Juan C. Andrade.

Rocco joins Everest from Chubb, where she most recently served as executive vice president and head of International Operations and Technology for Chubb Overseas General. She began her career with Chubb 28 years ago and has held significant leadership roles in its North American and International businesses, leading global teams to reengineer processes, improve operational performance and transform businesses in dynamic and rapidly changing environments.

Rocco has extensive experience delivering complex, large scale strategic and transformational global initiatives. She is widely recognized for her passion and success in driving results, improving customer experience, and enhancing operational performance, said Bermuda-based Everest in a statement.

[Rocco] will be instrumental in driving our strategy to transform our company and support our growth ambitions for the future, said Andrade. I am excited to work with her and the rest of our executive management team to build upon our strong foundation and deliver our strategic objectives in the next chapter of Everests journey.

Topics Aon
MEDFORD, Ore.  As the City of Medford considers an ordinance to restrict camping and sleeping in public places, a group of local attorneys has said that they will sue the City on behalf of homeless people who could be punished or displaced by the new policies.

According to a statement from attorney Justin Rosas, a team of local lawyers plans to hold a press conference at Alba Park on Thursday to unveil the lawsuit "on behalf of a number of our unhoused neighbors."

"Lawyers for Justice, a team of local attorneys dedicated to providing a voice to those too often unspoken for in our society, has commissioned a crew of volunteers led by the wonderful Jim Yarbrough who have been walking the greenway, meeting with the unhoused, hearing their experiences and then incorporating those into declarations. We have walked alongside them," Rosas wrote.

"It is clear that the City has failed to meet the standards enunciated in Boise v. Martin and that often the reports of space at Rogue Retreat, who does wonderful work, are overstated and exaggerated," Rosas continued. "A few minutes along the greenway and anyone would be able to tell that we do not have sufficient low barrier housing or services in our city."

Boise v. Martin is one of several court cases, including Blake v. Grants Pass, that Medford has attempted to take into account within the proposed ordinance. In the former case, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that homeless people cannot be punished for sleeping outside on public property in the absence of adequate alternatives.

Medford's original proposal would ban tent camping on public property year-round, but allow sleeping without a tent in some areas. During the summer months, sleeping along the Greenway or in Prescott Park would also be prohibited. Opponents of the proposal have sharply criticized the blanket ban on tent camping and the steep penalties that would accompany violations.

Supporters of the ordinance argue that stiffer penalties are needed to discourage violations, and that the bans on sleeping and tent camping on public property  particularly during the summer  are needed to help prevent wildfires and other safety hazards.

Rosas said that Lawyers for Justice encourages the Medford city council to vote down the ordinance, send back previous ordinances for repeal, and start a Boise commission to examine the "City's failure to provide adequate care or treatment to our unhoused."

RELATED: Group claims Medford used 'unconstitutional and inhumane' treatment in clearning of Hawthorne Park

The City Attorney's office issued a statement later on Wednesday, saying that it "respectfully disagrees" with Rosas' characterization.

"The proposed amendment is not a city-wide ban on sleeping on public property, but instead the proposed ordinance spells out when, where and how people may rest/sleep on public property," the City Attorney's office said. "The Martin v. Boise and the Blake v. Grants Pass cases drew distinctions between city-wide bans on sleeping outside, which are only permissible if there are shelter beds available for all unhoused individuals, and time-place-manner regulations."

The City Attorney's office cited part of the Blake opinion, which stated that Grants Pass could "implement time and place restrictions" and ban tents in public parks without banning sleeping in public places. A bill in the Oregon House would also allow cities to implement "reasonable time-place-manner regulations" for sleeping on public property.

The City of Medford said that the city council it will consider changes to the city's prohibited camping ordinance on Thursday evening and during a special meeting the next day at noon.

EDIT: This story was updated Wednesday evening with comment from the City of Medford.
This article appears in the April 2, 2021 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

[Print version of this article]

Panel 4

The Challenge of Famine and Pandemics

The Coincidence of Opposites, or Mass Extinction?

Dennis Speed

Moderators Introductory Remarks

Dennis Speed is Coordinator for Lyndon LaRouches Manhattan Project.

View full size

Schiller Institute Dennis Speed

Hello, and welcome to the 4th and final panel of our two-day Schiller Institute conference, World at a CrossroadTwo Months into the New Administration. Todays panel is called The Challenge of Famine and PandemicsThe Coincidence of Opposites, or Mass Extinction.

The Coincidence of Opposites is an idea and an initiative that was created by Helga Zepp-LaRouche to address a series of crises that erupted last year, most notably, of course the Covid-19 crisis. But more than that, a kind of crisis of multiple plagues, not merely the plagues that are generally associated with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypsethe Plague of War, of Pestilence, of Disease, and Famine. But also a sort of cultural plague, an emotional or psychological plague, in which the actual future of the human race seemed to be in doubt, not because of nuclear weapons, or not because of even the pandemic, but because of the confluence of indifference, moral indifference that were seeing in the lack of response to the conditions of the crisis of the last year.

Now, the capabilities of the human race have never been greater. You can see that expressed in the dance being done around the planet Mars by the United Arab Emirates, China, and the United States. The forms of cooperation that are possible for the human race have never been, in fact, more auspicious. And with nearly eight billion people on the planet, inaction, or action to defend humanity, has never carried a greater consequence.

Today, our first presenter will be Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General of the United States, and a co-initiator with Helga Zepp-LaRouche of this Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites.
Voting rights groups say the measures would disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minority voters. In Texas, which already has some of the strictest voting laws in the U.S., the proposed legislation grants more power to partisan poll watchers and eliminates the option to cast a ballot via drive-thru. The bill also includes a provision requiring a doctors note for people with disabilities who want to vote by mail, although Republicans signaled during the debate that language could change.
CLEVELAND, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL), a leading independent investment banking and financial advisory firm, has released a new industry report from its Industrials investment banking team on M&A trends in the Building Products sector. Companies are navigating the reverberations of a global pandemic, the silver lining of which has been the acceleration of home investment. Strong underlying fundamentals for new construction, repair and remodeling, and investing in the home environment are propelling deal flow in the Building Products industry.

Access the

The Commercial market is strengthening, with a full recovery in sight for 2022. Tweet this Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL), a leading independent investment banking and financial advisory firm, has released a new industry report from its Industrials investment banking team on M&A trends in the Building Products sector. Companies are navigating the reverberations of a global pandemic, the silver lining of which has been the acceleration of home investment. (PRNewsfoto/Brown Gibbons Lang & Company)

BGL Industrials Insider: http://bit.ly/BGLbpinsider

The Housing market rebounded sharply in mid-2020 with strong fundamentals serving to anchor the Residential market. The Commercial market is strengthening with a full recovery in sight for 2022. Challenges borne from COVID-19 have reemphasized the need for portfolio diversification, supply chain control, and technology to increase scale and operational efficiencies, which will benefit the broader marketplace and drive mergers and acquisitions.

Building Products is seeing M&A activity gain momentum. COVID-19 has been an accelerator as consumers increase investments in home repairs, upgrades, and renovations during the pandemic. The announcement of several headline transactions illustrates broad-based investor appetite and pent-up demand for high-quality assets to accelerate growth. Among the notable buyers to announce transactions over the last three months are Fortune Brands Home & Security (LARSON Manufacturing), Builders FirstSource (BMC Stock Holdings), The Home Depot (HD Supply Holdings), American Securities (Foundation Building Materials), and LafargeHolcim (Firestone Building Products). Acquisitions reflect full multiples and have been termed "transformational" or establish new platforms to build scale and efficiencies, access new growth markets, and bolster the top and bottom lines.

About Brown Gibbons Lang & Company

Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. The firm advises private and public corporations and private equity groups on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, capital markets, financial restructurings, valuations and opinions, and other strategic matters. BGL has investment banking offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, and real estate offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and San Antonio. The firm is also a founding member of Global M&A Partners, enabling BGL to service clients in more than 30 countries around the world. Securities transactions are conducted through Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company Securities, Inc., an affiliate of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company LLC and a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com.

SOURCE Brown Gibbons Lang & Company

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JTA )  Matt Gaetz, the Trump-boosting Florida congressman known for his firebomb rhetoric, is in big trouble  in part because of the alleged foibles of a Jewish buddy, Joel Greenberg, who has earned criticism previously from his local Jewish community.

The U.S. Justice Department reportedly is investigating Gaetzs alleged sexual relationship with a girl who was 17 years old when the affair took place about two years ago.

The investigation, anonymous officials told The New York Times, stemmed from a federal probe of Greenberg, a friend and political ally of Gaetz. Among an array of charges, Greenberg has been indicted for stalking a political rival, sex trafficking of a child, illegally obtaining information from Florida state databases and identity theft.

So Greenberg has made plenty of headlines considering his sole public role has been tax collector for Seminole County from 2017 until last year, when he resigned because of the indictments.

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Scott Maxwell, a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, said on Twitter after The Times story broke that Greenberg has kept the paper busy, posting a long list of headlines related to his escapades alleged and otherwise. (Sample: Editorial: Good riddance to Joel Greenberg, Central Floridas worst politician.)

Here (from the Orlando Sentinel and others) is a sampling:

Gaetz and Greenberg are close  but just how close?

The Times said its not clear how Greenberg, 35, got to know Gaetz, 38. Gaetz represents the Panhandle in northwest Florida, while Greenbergs Seminole County is in the states center.

Greenberg has posted at least two selfies on Twitter with Gaetz. One is from 2017 with Roger Stone, the adviser to President Donald Trump who has his own history of legal imbroglios. The other, from 2019, is at the White House with Chris Dorworth, a former Florida state representative. The same day, Greenberg posted a photo of Gaetz, Trump and first lady Melania Trump with Gaetz holding Greenbergs daughter.

In 2018, Gaetz predicted that Greenberg would one day be a great member of Congress, The Times said. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Gaetz gave $1,000 to Greenbergs reelection campaign last year.

That same year, the Republican Jewish Coalition called on Gaetz to acknowledge his gaffe in inviting a Holocaust denier to attend Trumps State of the Union address.

But then, Greenberg knows the risks of keeping controversial company. Another selfie he posted in 2017 is with Milo Yiannopoulos, the far-right activist infamous for a long article in Breitbart whitewashing white supremacists.

Friday the 13th with Milo Yiannopoulos, he wrote. What could go wrong?

Greenberg has angered Orlandos Jews.

Greenberg drew fire in 2018 when he peddled Islamophobia on Facebook.

Name just ONE society in the developed world that has benefited in ANY WAY from the introduction of more Muslims, Greenberg said. Just one.

Ben Friedman, the director of community relations for Orlandos Jewish federation, said Greenbergs question was disgraceful and that Greenberg was, basically, a shanda.

I am frequently called on to speak on behalf of the Jewish community, Friedman wrote in a Sentinel op-ed. Its tough  consensus can be difficult to find  but in this case, I can confidently say that Greenbergs hateful rhetoric does not represent the Jewish community. The vast majority of Jews in Central Florida appreciate our Muslim brothers and sisters and value our shared American experience.

Friedman made it clear the sooner he didnt have to deal with Greenberg the better.

The people of Seminole County deserve better than this. Greenbergs actions are an embarrassment to the office he holds, and his attitude reflects poorly on the people who elected him and pay his $150,000 per year salary, the Jewish leader said.

Greenberg comes from dental money 

Greenberg is the son of Andrew Greenberg, who in the 1980s founded an empire, Greenberg Dental, which now has over 90 practices across Florida. Joel Greenberg is a millionaire, mostly because of his stake in the dental practice.

Defending himself in 2018 against the Islamophobia charge, Greenberg said that one of his brothers is Black.

One of my best friends is Muslim, and I have a Black brother, Greenberg told the Orlando Weekly. Im Jewish, which is probably one of the most hated groups. I dont go out there to be a demagogue against anyone else. I think its fun to have a discussion.

His Facebook page features an undated photo of himself at the Western Wall.

And he has expensive tastes.

Audits show that Greenberg used public funds to pay for $384,000 in body armor, unspecified weapons, ammunition, as well as a drone with thermal imaging capabilities, News13, a local broadcaster, reported. He spent at least $2.65 million on a security force and for consultants; staffers could not say what the consultants did. Three of the people on the payroll were in his wedding party.

He spent $90,000 of agency money to set up cryptocurrency mining devices, and $15,000 on a sprinkler system that was calibrated to drive away petitioners.

On separate occasions, Greenberg used his tax collector badge to stop a woman he said was speeding and to try and persuade a traffic cop not to ticket him for speeding.

He has mother-in-law issues.

Greenberg broke parole this month when he figured out his wife had decamped from their home to her mothers house 2 1/2 hours away. Greenbergs mother-in-law emphatically told police he was unwelcome. Hes back in jail as a result.

He employs the Roger Stone method.

In 2016, then 31, Greenberg used his own money to run a successful Republican primary challenge that accused the 28-year incumbent, Ray Valdes, then 78, of being out of touch.

Greenberg got support in both his campaigns from a Facebook page, Central Florida Post, founded by Jacob Engels, who has been named as an associate of Roger Stone. The page has promoted among others the Proud Boys, a far-right group also associated with Stone.

Engels, according to the Sentinel, engaged in the same political dirty tricks that has been Stones specialty since the Nixon presidency: In 2016 he filed a report accusing Valdes of assault, but the prosecutor said Engels was only seeking a confrontation.

Last year, the page posted an attack on Greenbergs primary opponent itled Creepy Brian Beute. (Facebook has taken down the page.)

The stalking charge against Greenberg alleges that he used a pseudonym to send letters to the middle school where Beute is a teacher, falsely claiming that Beute had a sexual relationship with a student. Greenberg allegedly set up a fake Facebook page making the same charge and set up a fake Twitter account in Beutes name promoting white supremacy.

The second indictment against Greenberg alleges that he trafficked a minor female aged between 14 and 18, and used state databases to illegally obtain information about her and others. It also alleges that he produced a fake drivers license.

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The founder of Liberty Steel has revealed that the company owes 'many billions' to collapsed financial backer Greensill Capital but insisted none of its plants will shut down 'under my watch'.

Labour has called on ministers to provide clarity on the future of Liberty Steel's UK plants amid fears that thousands of jobs could be lost if the firm goes under.

This week, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng refused to rule out the prospect that the company could be taken into public ownership, saying 'all options are on the table'.

It comes as the Government has also been facing questions over David Cameron's links with Greensill when he was prime minister and subsequent lobbying on its behalf after he left office.

Today, speaking in Middlesbrough, Boris Johnson has said that he is 'very hopeful' that a solution can be found to save the Liberty Steel plants in the UK.

Liberty Steel CEO Sanjeev Gupta has said he no plans to close any of his metal plants

Mr Gupta, pictured in Newport, South Wales, said Liberty Steel is 'currently enjoying one of the best markets in steel and aluminium'

Thousands of jobs are at risk at Liberty Steel's plants in areas such as Rochdale, pictured

Appearing on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday morning, Liberty Steel boss Sanjeev Gupta was asked how much money was owed to Greensill.

He said that 'given the legal disputes we have with them, I can't talk specifics', but added 'it is in many billions'.

Mr Gupta said Liberty Steel is 'currently enjoying one of the best markets in steel and aluminium', and its recent efforts to make 'efficiency gains' are paying 'good results'.

'So, as a result, actually, we have a huge amount of interest from new financiers who are willing to back us,' he said.

He added: 'Of course, given the situation, this sort of thing takes time and hence we need to find short-term solutions. But we're not waiting for anybody. We've taken matters into our own hands.'

Mr Gupta said he has launched a project connected to 'cash measures' plants are taking 'to optimise and conserve and be careful'.

He acknowledged there are some challenges in the steel sector, such as 'high energy prices', but said the business has built its own plants to supply renewable energy to its operations.

Mr Gupta added: 'Our overall global operations are profitable, we have refinancing offers, we will refinance and we will support our UK business also.

'None of my steel plants under my watch will be shut down.'

Kwasi Kwarteng, pictured, said the government could consider taking Liberty Steel into public ownership although he has previously ruled out giving the firm a 170m bailout

Mr Gupta said his firm owes 'billions' to the collapsed finance firm Greensill Capital, whose CEO Lex Greensill, pictured, was an advisor to former PM David Cameron

He accepted that 'the UK has been a tough journey' and 'labour of love', but added that he is 'committed to my UK steel plants'.

'I believe in them, they have a great future. We've saved thousands of jobs here. We've shown that economically those businesses can work,' he said.

Questioned about reports that he faces 'winding-up petitions' against some of his UK companies and that 'you can't afford to pay', he replied: 'It is natural to some degree that lenders want to protect their own position.

'But we also have our position. We have committed facilities from Greensill for three years. According to us, these debts are not due.'

Mr Gupta said there have been 'positive discussions' with the administrator for Greensill.

He added: 'It makes no sense for them or any of the creditors to destroy jobs, but, more importantly, to destroy value, because that is the value which will give them the recovery.

'I'm very confident that we will find short-term solutions through our own efforts and will find long-term solutions through refinancing.'

Mr Kwarteng previously confirmed that ministers had turned down a request by Liberty's parent company, GFG Alliance, for a 170 million bailout.

The company turned to the Government for support following the collapse of its main financial backer, Greensill.

The Government has also been facing questions over David Cameron's links with Greensill when he was prime minister and subsequent lobbying on its behalf after he left office.

The firm has since filed for insolvency after failing to secure support through the Government's Covid Corporate Financing Facility, with its collapse threatening thousands of jobs in Liberty Steel.

Asked why he had dealings with Greensill in the first place, Mr Gupta said his business's approach of buying plants that were either shut or closing meant it could not access 'normal conventional funding'.

He said Greensill's support was 'a breath of fresh air', but added that it had been time to 'move on' and 'refinance away'.

Mr Gupta added that 'without their help, if I'm very honest, we would not be where we are, we would not have been able to build this business which we've had.'

Asked if Mr Cameron did any lobbying work for him, Mr Gupta replied: 'I have not had any interactions with him.'

Boris Johnson has said that he is 'very hopeful' that a solution can be found to save the Liberty Steel plants in the UK.

Speaking during a visit to Middlesbrough, the Prime Minister said that Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was in 'daily contact' with the firm's owners.

'I think British steel is a very important national asset. I think the fact that we make steel in this country is of strategic long-term importance,' he said.

'We have learned during the pandemic that it is not a good idea to be excessively reliant in times of trouble on imports of critical things.

'We need a strong steel industry. I am very hopeful that we will get a solution.

'It would be crazy if we were not to use this post-Brexit moment not to use the flexibility we have to buy British steel. So that's want we want to do.'

Shameless: David Cameron 'camped in the desert with killer Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman' to woo him for finance firm Greensill in pursuit of '$60m' pay day

David Cameron and billionaire financier Lex Greensill went on a desert camping trip with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman - months after the Saudi leader was accused of ordering Jamal Khashoggi's assassination, it has been claimed

The lobbying trip to Saudi Arabia in early 2020 for now collapsed Greensill Capital took place following global condemnation of Bin Salman for Khashoggi's murder, according to the Financial Times.

A UN report had months before found 'credible links' between the Crown Prince and the murder in 2018- and the US has since formally announced that Bin Salman approved the killing.

It will add to questions over the former Prime Minister's lobbying for the Australian financier - which has already sparked calls for a public inquiry after Greensill collapsed last month when insurers refused to underwrite its loans and Credit Suisse froze the firm's $10bn in funds.

More than 50,000 people could lose their jobs as a result of the Greensill collapse, which has also forced steel giant Liberty Steel to ask for a taxpayer-funded 170m bailout.

Mr Cameron is alleged to have been expecting to make $60m through share options from his advisory position at Greensill - had the company been floated - and questions are now growing over whether he improperly used his knowledge and contacts as Prime Minister to secure the role.

Jamal Khashoggi: The Saudi Arabian journalist assassinated and dismembered on Crown Prince's orders' Khashoggi (pictured) was killed inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate in 2018 Jamal Khashoggi was a prominent Saudi Arabian journalist and dissident who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. The US declassified a CIA report early this year that concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman approved the murder of Khashoggi, who was critical of the kingdom. The 59-year-old Washington Post journalist was living in Turkey and visited the Saudi embassy in Istanbul for a visa appointment on October 2. There, a 15 -strong Saudi government death squad was waiting for him. An audio recording of Khashoggi's murder was made by the Turkish secret services. It showed how he was choked to death while struggling with the assassins. He was then dismembered, and authorities believe his remains were then dissolved in acid. Advertisement

Cameron was Prime Minister when Greensill was pitching his financial products across government, and Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood introduced the pair.

And it has since emerged that Lex Greensill was given a desk in the Cabinet Office and assisted in pitching his business across 11 government departments.

Years later, the company was given accreditation to lend money under the Government's Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS).

Cameron also faced criticism for his unsuccessfully lobbying of Government officials - including Chancellor Rishi Sunak - to increase Greensill's role in the Government-backed loan scheme.

This week he was cleared by a lobbying watchdog over his work for the company.

The watchdog looked at whether he should have registered his lobbying work for Greensill - which took place years after he had stepped down as PM.

But they cleared him of any wrongdoing as he was officially an employee of the company and therefore he did not need to make a declaration.

While PM, Cameron ordered Conservative peers to vote down a Labour amendment to new lobbying laws, which would have added extra transparency.

Had the amendment passed, the work he later completed for Greensill would have needed to be registered.

Labour now is calling for the standards watchdog to look into government links to Greensill.

And the Committee on Standards in Public Life, an independent advisory body that advises Number 10 on ethical standards, has privately indicated it would consider Labour's submissions, according to the Financial Times.

Today Labour's Shadow Chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, called for a through investigation.

She said: 'Rishi Sunak is the guardian of public money. We need to know that he's being careful with it.

'That's why we've called for a full, transparent and thorough investigation into the decision to accredit Greensill to the CLBILS scheme. We need answers.'

Labour's Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rachel Reeves echoed the calls, demanding 'urgent answers from Cameron and from the Government'.

However business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today defended Mr Cameron over his links to Greensill Capital.

Mr Kwarteng told Sky News that former Prime Minister did 'absolutely nothing wrong' in his work with the fiance firm.

Defending Cameron, Kwarteng today told Sky News said: 'As far as I know David Cameron did absolutely nothing wrong.

'He was a public servant for a long time, he has now gone into public life and was working for Greensill Capital.

'People have looked into his role. People have looked into the fact that he may or may not have contacted officials in the Treasury.

'As far as I know everything was above board. He has been largely exonerated and I think we should just move on.'

MailOnline has contacted Greensill Capital, the Saudi Embassy and the office of David Cameron for comment. Administrators for Greensill declined to comment.

David Cameron (pictured left) and billionaire banker Lex Greensill (pictured right) went on a desert camping trip with Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman as part of a business charm offensive, it has been claimed

The Crown Prince (pictured) is ruler of the middle eastern nation with a reported personal wealth of more than 3billion

The camping trip reportedly took place around January or February last year - before Covid restrictions were put in place in the UK. Pictured: Saudi's Crown Prince meets with Japan's Prime Minister in Riyadh in January last year

The camping trip and flights allegedly took place in the months after a forensic UN report found 'credible links' between the Crown Prince and murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi

What was Greensill Capital and what did it do? Greensill Capital was an Anglo-Australian finance company set up by billionaire banker Lex Greensill in 2011. The company focused on supply chain funding and made its money by acting as a middle-man in large business transactions - taking a cut during the process. It paid suppliers up-front on behalf of purchasing companies, and then recouped the money from the customer at a later date plus its fee. In essence, if a company wanted to buy raw product to make another product, it could go to Greensill to secure the funding. In theory, the purchasing company could guarantee a profit because it knew it could make the raw product into a more expensive product, But the company might not have the 'capital' to afford its raw materials up front, and they would go to a supply company such as Greensill to front the cash - taking a cut in the process when the debt was repaid. Mr Greensill added an extra layer to this, by allowing investors to buy the invoices as short-term assets which could be sold and traded. This process - which isn't usually practices in supply chain funding - pulled in money from investors and helped to pay back suppliers. This process was done through Swiss lender Credit Suisse and asset management firm GAM. It was a move which helped rocketed Greensill up the financial ladder. But, ultimately, the system runs on debt. And as the company rapidly expanded, so did the debt piles. However the company looked a solid bet, with Japanese funding giant SoftBank investing 800million. Warning flags began to appear in 2019 however. An audit in 2019 found Greensill Bank was overly exposed to companies owned by Sanjeev Gupta, owner of British steel producer Liberty Steel. Then, in a decisive blow, insurance company Tokio Marine, which provided cover for around 4.6billion of Greensill's capital, said it would no longer extend two policies that were underwriting Greensill's clients, the buyers in the supply chain and protecting investors. Spooked by the move, Credit Suisse then froze 10billion of funds it had invested in Greensill. Greensill Capital filed for insolvency earlier this month and has been taken over by administrators - who say they have a potential buyer to take over the company's assets. Around 500 jobs are at risk at Greensill, while 50,000 could be at risk due to the knock on impact of the company's collapse. This includes Liberty Steel - which had Greensill as one of its key backers. The steel firm employs 3,000 staff across 12 UK sites, which include Rotherham, Motherwell and Newport. The company requested 170million in financial support from the UK Government this month, but the request was rejected. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today said that ministers could step in to protect plants and jobs - but said the money would not be used to help out owners the Gupta Family Group. Advertisement

Reports Cameron and Mr Greensill took a trip to Saudi Arabia last year today emerged in the Financial Times.

During the Saudi trip Mr Greensill and the Saudi Crown Prince are said to have 'bonded under the night sky' over their law degrees.

The Crown Prince, sometimes refered to as MBS, is the de facto ruler of the middle eastern nation.

He has a reported personal wealth of more than 3billion and a family worth estimated to be around 1.5trillion.

The camping trip allegedly took place around January or February last year - before Covid restrictions were put in place in the UK.

It also took place in the months after a forensic UN report found 'credible links' between the Crown Prince and murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Flight records for four private planes belonging to the banker's finance business also show a series of trips to Saudi Arabia were made early last year, according to the Financial Times.

The paper says Cameron, on occasion, used the corporate jets to travel around the world on business.

It also claims to have seen a photograph of the former PM on one of the four jet - which it says were decked out in plush furniture.

The paper reports that several trips were made from Newquay airport - a short drive from Cameron's holiday home in Cornwall.

The Saudi Arabia claims come amid a lobbying scandal engulfing Mr Cameron about his relationship with Mr Greensill - whose Greensill Capital business filed for insolvency earlier this month.

It is claimed the businessman, through his relationship with Mr Cameron, was given extraordinary access to No10 and struck a controversial NHS deal reportedly rejected by civil servants which profited banks.

Mr Greensill was allegedly granted a security pass and a team of civil servants during the former Conservative leader's time in Downing Street so he could promote a financial product he specialised in across Whitehall.

The banker hired the former prime minister as an adviser at his financial services company Greensill Capital in 2018, with share options worth tens of millions of pounds.

Mr Cameron told friends he was in line to make $60million from the listing of Greensill, it was previously claimed.

The finance company, which went bust earlier this month, was previously valued at $7billion and a friend of Mr Cameron told The Times he had been 'candid' about the potential windfall resulting from his shareholdings in the firm.

However the company was never floated on the stock market.

The company's collapse means that Mr Cameron's share options have been left worthless.

It also threatens 500 jobs at Greensill, and up to 50,000 jobs as a knock on of companies which were backed by the finance firm.

Administrators say they are in discussions with an 'interest party' to buy the company's assets.

It was previously reported that the former prime minister directly lobbied Chancellor Rishi Sunak through texts to help Mr Greensill's stricken finance firm Greensill Capital through the Treasury's coronavirus loan scheme.

An investigation by the Sunday Times has now alleged that Mr Greensill, a married father-of-two who lives in Cheshire, 'seduced' the British establishment and embedded himself into the heart of government.

The businessman, the son of Australian sugar cane farmers, left school during a harvest so bad it dried up his parents' cash flow.

He studied law by correspondence, receiving cassette tapes in the post because he could not afford university.

Australian financier Lex Greensill was allegedly granted a security pass and team of civil servants during Mr Cameron's time in Downing Street so he could promote a financial product he specialised in across Whitehall. Pictured receiving his CBE at Buckingham Palace in 2017

The Greensill saga: How Australian banker 'gained access to No10 and Whitehall' May 2010 - David Cameron becomes prime minister. Jeremy Heywood is appointed No10's top civil servant. July 2011 - Heywood starts pushing for Lex Greensill to become an adviser on 'supply chain finance' - a method of speeding up payments between a company and its suppliers using the finance of a third party (ie. bank). The Government has claimed his position as adviser was unpaid. November 2011 - Greensill creates his own finance firm, Greensill Capital. January 2012 - Greensill tours Whitehall, pitching his proposals to 11 departments or agencies including the Department of Health. He is given a team of officials, security pass and a desk in the Cabinet Office. Summer 2012 - Greensill's proposal to pay NHS-affiliated pharmacies using private finance make their way to David Cameron, who signs it off. An official alleges the report was edited and that the first draft did not support Greensill's idea. Greenshill has reportedly denied that he had any part to play in this if found to be true. October 2012 - Cameron announces the scheme, first run by Greensill's ex-employer, Citibank. Six years later it is taken on by Greensill Capital. December 2013 - Greensill is appointed as a Crown Representative, an official adviser from the private sector to the government. August 2016 - Greensill is bailed out by trader Sanjeev Gupta, who temporarily takes a stake in the finance firm. June 2017 - Greensill is awarded a CBE for 'services to the economy'. November 2018 - Cameron joins Greensill as an adviser, acquiring share options worth tens of millions. May 2019 - Japan's Softbank pumps 580million into Greensill. March 2021 - Greensill collapses, exposing years of complex finance deals and threatening 50,000 jobs. Advertisement

David Cameron (left) and Jeremy Heywood (right) allegedly gave Mr Greensill unprecedented access to No10 and 11 Whitehall departments and agencies

Ministers could bail out Liberty Steel jobs and plant, says business secretary Ministers could bail out Liberty Steel jobs and plants, according to the business secretary. Kwasi Kwarteng described Liberty Steel, which employs more than 3,000 people across 12 UK plants, as a 'really important national asset'. But he said while ministers could bail out the steel business, the money would not be used to support the Gupta Family Group - whose empire run Liberty Steel. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme today, Mr Kwarteng said: 'We are custodians of taxpayers' money, and there were concerns over the very opaque structure of the GFG Group and we feel that if we gave the money, there is no guarantee that that money would stay in the UK and protect British jobs. It's a multinational enterprise.' He added that 'all options are on the table', when asked about the possibility of the government taking Liberty Steel into public ownership. He added: 'Only two weeks ago my department published an industrial decarbonisation strategy. We want to see clean steel  of the kind Liberty Steel makes.' Advertisement

The financier arrived in Britain aged 24, and joined American banking giant Morgan Stanley in 2005 as the bank was expanding into supply chain finance - a tool to help businesses left vulnerable by late payments.

David Cameron 'told friends he would make $60million from Greensill stock market flotation' amid lobbying furore over collapsed lender By Jack Maidment for MailOnline David Cameron told friends he was in line to make $60million from the listing of Greensill, it was claimed today, amid a growing row over the former PM's involvement with the financial firm. The finance company, which went bust earlier this month, was previously valued at $7billion and a friend of Mr Cameron told The Times he had been 'candid' about the potential windfall resulting from his shareholdings in the firm. But the company's collapse means that Mr Cameron's share options have been left worthless. The Times said sources close to Mr Cameron yesterday denied the claim that he had told friends about the potential value of his share options. It comes amid calls for an inquiry into Mr Cameron's involvement with the firm after allegations surfaced that Lex Greensill was given privileged access to Whitehall departments. It also emerged today that the firm is being investigated by French authorities over an 18million euro (15million) loan to a smelting plant. Bloomberg reported that they will examine claims the payment was made to Liberty Aluminium Poitou in December last year before being recalled after a two-month waiting period, and not paid out again. He founded Greensill Capital, the firm that went on to employ Mr Cameron but later collapsed, causing uncertainty for thousands of jobs at Liberty Steel, having been its main financial backer. Labour and Sir Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, have called for a full inquiry into the 'scandal'. The allegations surfaced after the former Conservative leader faced scrutiny for reportedly trying to persuade government figures to grant emergency loans to Greensill Capital, where he was an adviser. The Sunday Times report alleged the Australian financier was given access to the departments while Mr Cameron was in Number 10 so he could promote a financial product he specialised in. The Pharmacy Early Payment Scheme, announced in 2012, saw banks swiftly reimburse pharmacists for providing NHS prescriptions, for a fee, before recovering the money from the government. Greensill Capital went on to provide funds for the scheme. Mr Greensill could not be reached for comment, but the newspaper said he was understood to deny making large returns from a pharmacy deal. Sir Alistair said: 'There clearly should be a full inquiry because it sounds like a genuine scandal in which the public purse was put at risk without proper political authority.' Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden defended his long-term ally, saying Mr Cameron is a 'man of utmost integrity and I've no doubt at all he would have behaved properly'. A Government spokesman said: 'Lex Greensill acted as a supply chain finance adviser from 2012 to 2015 and as a crown representative for three years from 2013. His appointment was approved in the normal manner and he was not paid for either role.' Advertisement

Under the scheme, a bank wedges itself between and company or small business and its suppliers and pays immediately for a fee. It was this model that he would later pitch to officials across Whitehall.

While at Morgan Stanley, Mr Greensill met Jeremy Heywood, Mr Cameron's later chief of the civil service who was on a break from Whitehall at the time. The Cabinet Secretary died of cancer aged 56 in 2018.

The paper reported that Mr Cameron and Mr Heywood gave Mr Greensill unprecedented access to No10 and 11 Whitehall departments and agencies.

Citing leaked documents and minutes, it said Mr Cameron, who resigned as prime minister in 2016 after his Remain campaign lost the EU referendum, signed off on a multi-billion-pound loans scheme in 2012 for NHS-linked pharmacies.

Under Mr Greensill's plan to get small businesses paid on time, a bank would quickly reimbursing pharmacies for the cost of providing prescription drugs instead of making them wait weeks for the NHS to repay them.

Praised at a Downing Street reception by Mr Cameron as an 'innovative scheme', its beneficiaries were Mr Greensill's former bosses at Wall Street giant Citibank and, eventually, his own financial services company.

Civil servants and officials told the Sunday Times that Mr Greensill's ascent rested on Mr Heywood, Mr Cameron's then Cabinet Secretary who had 'discovered' the Australian tycoon while working in the private sector.

Mr Heywood is said to have brought the banker on board in 2011 and tasked him with spending six months exploring whether supply chain financing could help the Government to pay suppliers more quickly.

Mr Greensill was reportedly given a security pass and four civil servants who were told to explore his ideas, write a report and submit it to ministers. He was later given a desk in the economic and domestic affairs secretariat of the Cabinet Office.

In January 2012, the banker apparently began a whistle-stop tour of Whitehall, pitching his proposals to 11 departments or agencies including the Department of Health, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Transport.

His undisclosed meetings also included pitches to finance Britain's fleet of Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager refuelling planes and to fund the upgrade of the country's biggest motorways, including the M62, M4 and M5.

Over the summer, Mr Greensill's proposal to pay NHS-affiliated pharmacies using private finance made their way to Mr Cameron, who signed it off.

However, a leading official alleged that the report was handed directly to Mr Cameron, bypassing Francis Maude, the Minister for the Cabinet Office Paymaster General, entirely - and had been edited.

They told the paper that the main author's name had been removed and replaced with Mr Greensill's, and that the initial draft did not support the banker's proposal.

Officials are understood to have instead warned that supply chain finance was not the most effective way of helping thousands of small businesses which supply prescription drugs secure reimbursement by the NHS.

The report is said to have suggested that there were were 'better and simpler routes' to pay suppliers, some of which were already in place in Whitehall.

It is understood that Mr Heywood was copied in via email. Mr Greensill is understood to deny any involvement in changing the report.

No10 awarded the contract to Citibank, Mr Greensill's former employer which he had left before entering Whitehall, which ran the scheme for six years.

In 2018, Greensill Capital won the contract, and provided 1.2billion in loans to pharmacies, taking a fee for every loan, from July 2018 until last month.

Mr Greensill was made a crown representative, one of a selected cadre of businesspeople advising the Government. In 2017, he was made a Commander of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

The Australian financier then hired Mr Cameron as an adviser in 2018, giving him share options which could be worth tens of millions of pounds.

The revelation comes as Mr Cameron faces pressure over his efforts last year to lobby Mr Sunak and Government officials to help Mr Greensill's stricken finance firm Greensill Capital through the Treasury's coronavirus loan scheme.

Mr Cameron was last week cleared of breaking lobbying rules by Harry Rich, the registrar of consultant lobbyists, who ruled that Mr Cameron's role with Greensill's firm was not that of a lobbyist and therefore no rules had been broken.

However, questions over his activities with Greensill Capital persist.

Mr Greensill's business model was to provide quick loans to companies that did not want to wait until they received payment from their customers.

Two years ago, the company said it had provided financing worth more than 100billion to ten million customers in 175 countries.

But Greensill Capital sunk into administration this month when it emerged that many of its loans were unlikely to ever be repaid.

One casualty of its spectacular collapse has been one of its clients, Liberty Steel, which employs 3,000 across Britain.

This weekend it was seeking an emergency 170million Government bailout to stay afloat.

The banker hired Mr Cameron as an adviser at Greensill Capital in 2018, with share options worth tens of millions of pounds and whose collapse now threatens 50,000 jobs

Sir Alastair Graham, the former chairman of the committee for standards in public life, called for a full inquiry because 'it sounds like a genuine scandal in which the public purse was put at risk without proper political authority'.

Mr Greensill and Mr Cameron declined to comment to the Sunday Times.

Suzanne Heywood, Mr Heywood's wife, told the paper that the civil service chief 'took no personal benefit of any sort from Lex's company'.

The Government said Mr Greensill 'acted as a supply chain finance adviser from 2012 to 2015 and as a crown representative for three years from 2013. His appointment was approved in the normal manner and he was not paid for either role'.
An intersection of the Lo Te-Rach Soi expressway in the Mekong Delta. Photo by VnExpress/Cuu Long.

Vietnam plans to borrow around $2 billion to develop the Mekong Delta, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said.

The money, to come from the World Bank, Germany and France, would be used for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta in the face of climate change, he said at a government meeting Wednesday.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment has been instructed to make plans for specific projects, and the Ministry of Finance has been tasked with amending a decree on providing poor localities, including those in the delta, with funds from ODA and foreign concessional loans.

Phuc, who chaired a conference on sustainably developing the delta last month, said his government would invest in infrastructure in the delta, including to facilitate air, land, sea, and rail transport.

A 2017 resolution on sustainable and climate-resilient development of the region seeks to make the delta better socially organized, increase its per capita income and ensure its peoples livelihood. It also aims to increase the rate of ecological farming and farming using modern technologies to over 80 percent, and to increase forest coverage in the region to over 9 percent.

For long the delta has been Vietnam's rice granary and aquaculture hub, but has in recent years suffered from lack of freshwater, erosion and floods.

Several studies in the last decade predicted it would sink soon due to rising sea levels caused by the climate crisis.

The 40,577-square-kilometer delta is home to 21.49 million people.
Bilateral trade with India was earlier suspended by Pakistan in August 2019, soon after New Delhi had revoked Article 370 pertaining to J&K

Media reports said this is also likely to bring considerable relief to the Pakistani textile industry that wants cheap raw materials and also to ease the supply of sugar and reduce its prices in Pakistans domestic market. (Representational image: PTI file photo)

New Delhi: In a huge step towards the normalisation of India-Pakistan bilateral relations, Pakistan on Wednesday approved the resumption of bilateral trade between the two countries and decided to import cotton from India at least till June 30 this year, according to reports from Islamabad. Also, Pakistan is expected to soon import white sugar from India.

Reports from Islamabad said this was decided by the Pakistan Cabinets Economic Coordination Committee and the note put up before that body by the commerce ministry there included proposals to import cotton and cotton yarn from India as well as white sugar.

Media reports said this is also likely to bring considerable relief to the Pakistani textile industry that wants cheap raw materials and also to ease the supply of sugar and reduce its prices in Pakistans domestic market. More importantly, however, the decision will be seen as a demonstration of goodwill by Islamabad towards New Delhi, thereby setting the tone for the rapid improvement of bilateral ties.

It may be recalled that bilateral trade with India was earlier suspended by Pakistan in August 2019, soon after New Delhi had revoked Article 370 pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir. The developments come in the wake of a sudden perceptible improvement in India-Pakistan ties in the past five weeks following implementation of the ceasefire on the Line of Control by the armies of both countries. These developments further highlight a tangible thaw in ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours who have seen ties go from bad to worse in the past five years.

This also comes just a couple of days after Pakistan PM Imran Khan told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter that Pakistan is convinced that durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, in particular the Kashmir issue. He further said Pakistan desires peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India. The creation of an enabling environment is imperative for a constructive and result-oriented dialogue, the Pakistan PM had added. The letter dated March 29 was a reply to Mr Modis letter last week to wish Mr Khan on Pakistan National Day on March 23, in which he had said that India wanted cordial relations with its neighbour, but for that an environment of trust devoid of terror and hostility was imperative.
During a conference hosted by Rep. Henry Cuellar, leaders in the region gathered to discuss the current situation regarding the pandemic and also to receive millions in funding through American Rescue Plan allocations.

According to Cuellar, millions will be allocated to local school districts, Webb County, Laredo, El Cenizo and Rio Bravo. According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, there will be guidelines detailed and relayed to recipients regarding the use of funds and its deadline.

A total of $394,309,000 will be allocated to Webb County, its cities and school districts. Corresponding leaders will be expected to use the funds to help, preserve and maintain the community, as well as respond to the pandemics impact. This includes assisting households, small businesses, non-profits and/or aid to impacted industries.

Split between the county, cities and school districts, the allocation looks like:

Webb County  $53,650,000. City of Laredo  $95,980,000. City of El Cenizo  $690,000. City of Rio Bravo $1,010,000. LISD  $115,268,000. UISD  $126,222,000. Webb Consolidated ISD  $1,489,000.

The funds will come with a deadline that receiving counties, cities and districts will need to be aware of, Cuellar said. The deadline was said to be 60 days, and in the case of school districts, the money will be sent to the Texas Education Agency with guidelines in place. Within the allotted time frame, school districts could then expect the TEA to release the funds.

The state will still see a 10% commission, but 90% of funds will be expected to be received by the cities and counties. The guidelines and deadlines placed by the American Rescue Plan were attributed to the states handling of the CARES Act relief fund, in which school districts like LISD and UISD received almost nothing, according to UISD superintendent Roberto Santos.

Really it was more supplanting and taking the state funds from our budgets and putting in the federal funds in there, so we really didnt benefit, Santos said.

In response, officials and states were advised that they would be prohibited from depositing the allocated funds into a pension fund and that states would be prohibited from using the funds to offset  directly or indirectly  a tax cut made since March 3.

Members of the community who took part in accepting the funds provided some comments and stated that plans were in development regarding the usage of the allocations. Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz said that once the funds are received, a plan will be pitched to city council to discuss the best way to allocate the funds and spend every penny appropriately.

This is going to kick start some of the sectors and businesses that are frankly are at the brink of closing, at dire straits, Saenz said.

For cities and counties, the ARP outlined that the funds can be used to make necessary investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. Furthermore, city recipients can use the funds to supplement the reduction of revenue amidst the pandemic, relative to the money collected during the most recent full fiscal year prior to the emergency.

There have been so many families and businesses that have been affected by this pandemic, and this money will really make a huge difference, Precinct 4 Commissioner Cindy Liendo said. I have no doubt that we are going to be able to spend this money wisely. Theres a lot of different ways in how we can allocate these funds, and I know its going to help a lot of people.

Aside from the local government funding, Cuellar and community leaders also discussed the pandemics impact and how the partnerships have resulted in a response that sees thousands of eligible vaccine candidates through the county.

According to Elmo Lopez, the CEO of Gateway Community Health Center, receiving vaccines from the federal government was a boon in the efforts of vaccinating the county. As one of the first community health centers to be selected as a recipient of federal vaccine doses, Gateway received approximately 3,300 doses compared to the state-provided 100 this past week.

We have now been able to help vaccinate UISD, Mr. Santos, Dr. Rios, LISD, TAMIU, and our next vaccination efforts will be with Laredo College, Lopez said.

Between Laredo, Zapata and Hebbronville, Gateway plans to vaccinate their registered patients numbering at approximately 30,000. Currently 5,000 have been vaccinated, with plans to increase the efforts in vaccinating the community and provide doses to the newly eligible 18 year olds throughout the communities.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 09:32:12|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia registered 2,068 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 206,589 as of Wednesday evening, the country's Ministry of Health said.

The ministry said 24 new deaths from the coronavirus were reported across the country during the same period, bringing the national death toll to 2,865.

The East African country reported 1,484 more recoveries from the disease, taking the national count to 158,109, it said.

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation, has so far reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the East African region, and the fourth most COVID-19-affected country in Africa in terms of positive cases.

The latest figures from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that Ethiopia's COVID-19 cases accounted for about 5 percent of the African continent's total confirmed cases.

Ethiopia started COVID-19 vaccine jabs recently after the country received its first 2.2 million COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX, which is said to play a crucial role in the east African country's fight against the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Ethiopia received a batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines, donated by the Chinese government to the East African country. Enditem
Rwanda Finance Limited (RFL) on Wednesday, March 31 unveiled the new brand for the Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC).

The KIFC is poised to become one of the leading international nancial centres on the continent, and has developed a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework, robust infrastructure, and a skilled and dynamic workforce that will help investors develop their interests across Africa.

Rwanda Finance is the agency mandated to promote the Centre.

Nick Barigye, CEO of Rwanda Finance, noted: "our brand launch today brings bold ambitions to life and signals an important step in the journey of Kigali International Financial Centre.

We want KIFC to be a new destination for pan-African investment. We want to be the jurisdiction of choice for consolidating capital eciently and deploying it eectively across the continent. We want to connect international investors with opportunities across Africa, we want to connect African entrepreneurs with global capital, we want to connect the people of Rwanda with the world".

A brand is a promise, and this launch marks a pivotal moment in KIFC's journey. The new brand intends to represent KIFC to the world, highlighting its authentic identity and strengthening its image regionally and internationally.

It reects the values of the people of Rwanda: a culture of integrity and innovation, an economy that drives development and inclusion, and infrastructure that unleashes creativity. It also underpins KIFC's mission to connect investors and entrepreneurs with opportunities across Africa and beyond.

KIFC has already attracted a number of high prole companies, investors and service providers and is already a member of the World Alliance of International Financial Centres (WAIFC), as well as an Associate Centre in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI).

KIFC has also counts on its Board of Directors with extensive global expertise in both the public and private spheres, including the recently appointed Chair, Tidjane Thiam, Executive Chairman of Freedom Acquisition I Corp and African Union Special Envoy for Covid-19.

The new brand reects the vision of KIFC which is to build a bright future for Rwanda and for Africa, by creating jobs, education and professional opportunities for the Rwandan people and by transforming the investment landscape across the continent.
The National Company Appellate Law Tribunal (NCLAT) has granted a stay on the Kolkata Bench of National Company Law Tribunals (NCLTs) order that barred the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from taking any coercive step against group.

The had moved against the NCLTs order. And, in an ad-interim order, the said, We are of the view that if the operation of the aforesaid direction is stayed it will not prejudice the proceedings pending before the tribunal. Therefore, we deem it appropriate to pass ad-interim order. In Paragraph 34 of the impugned order following direction is stayed till the pendency of this appeal.



Paragraph 34 of the impugned order of Kolkata Bench of the NCLT read, All governmental or regulatory authorities shall be stopped from taking any coercive steps, including reporting in any form and/or changing the account status of the firm



The had argued that the tribunal has exceeded its jurisdiction while passing such an order and prevented the statutory body to act as regulatory authority.

The observed that the scope of RBIs appeal is limited to the extent that whether the tribunal while exercising the jurisdiction under Section 230 of the Act, can pass aforesaid directions against the

The NCLTs Kolkata Bench had granted group a moratorium on repayments. The order said, .....in the meantime till further orders, the creditors (including representative security or debenture trustees) of the applicant company covered under the scheme shall maintain status quo with respect to their respective contractual terms dues claims and rights and the creditors (including security or debenture trustees).
Back in 2019, Samsung released the curious Galaxy A80 on the scene with its unique flip-up camera that allowed you to have a full-screen experience and great quality selfies. As time went by we never quite got a true successor but the last few months weve seen several reports on the Galaxy A82 and now we get a Google Play Console listing revealing its alleged appearance and key specs.



Samsung Galaxy Quantum2 listing on Google Play Console

The device is codenamed Galaxy A Quantum 2 and bears the a82xq model number. The attached image reveals a centered punch hole cutout on the screen. Back to the Galaxy A Quantum 2 naming, last year Samsung released its first Quantum series phone in South Korea with the Quantum A  a re-branded Galaxy A71 5G with quantum encryption. It seems were in for a similar rebranding this time around for the Quantum 2, likely based on the Galaxy A72 5G albeit with some alterations.

As for the rest of the specs in the listing, we can see the phone runs Android 11 and comes with the Snapdragon 855+ paired with 6GB RAM. The display resolution comes in at 1080 x 2400 pixels with a DPI of 450. The phone is also rumored to bring Sonys 64MP IMX686 sensor for its main camera.

Via
Kano  Kano State Public Complaints and Anticorruption Commission said it has received 2,256 complaints in the year 2020.

The commission had in the year under review also recovered more than N521million.

The executive chairman of the commission, Barrister Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado disclosed this during a joint press briefing held at the commission's headquarters in the state.

He noted that the commission was able to clamp down on hoarders of essential commodities where billions of Naira worth of products were confiscated but later reached an agreement with the traders to sell them to the public, which was the target of the commission.

While narrating other achievements of the Kano Anti-graft body the executive chairman added that in 2020 "the commission clamp down and arraigned diverters of COVID-19 palliatives."

"Recovered and returned to the rightful owners over 400 plots of land of different density across the state," he added.

He also revealed that the commission settled more than 60 sensitive security cases involving farmers and herders mostly on encroachment of cattle route. He said in the process many people were charged to court and crisis was averted.
[April 01, 2021] dvm360 Adds Five New Partners to its Strategic Alliance Partnership (SAP) Program

dvm360 today announced that it has teamed up with five new partners in the veterinary industry IGNITE Veterinary Solutions, LLC., Mission Veterinary Partners, PetConnections Magazine, LLC., Veterinary Hospitals Association, and VerticalVet, which have all joined its Strategic Alliance Partnership ( SAP (News - Alert) ) program. "We are pleased to be able to welcome these new exceptional partners to our SAP family," said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences, the parent company to dvm360. "Our newest partnerships with these highly acclaimed businesses ultimately strengthen our position in the veterinary space, and we are excited to work together and expand their reach through our extensive digital and print publications." dvm360's new partners include the following: IGNITE Veterinary Solutions, LLC., is a global veterinary learning community of over 9,000 veterinary staff members founded in Austin, Texas by Dr. Jill Clark in 2016. IGNITE offers job role-specific training, resources, along with access to boarded specialists and expert moderators, all in one place. IGNITE recognizes that veterinarians, practice managers, and owners of single-doctor practices to mid-size hospital consolidators groups lack solutionized staff training and often feel alone in their challenges. The IGNITE community and customizable training methodology nurture each hospital's specific communication, accountability, and staff training goal.

is a global veterinary learning community of over 9,000 veterinary staff members founded in Austin, Texas by Dr. Jill Clark in 2016. IGNITE offers job role-specific training, resources, along with access to boarded specialists and expert moderators, all in one place. IGNITE recognizes that veterinarians, practice managers, and owners of single-doctor practices to mid-size hospital consolidators groups lack solutionized staff training and often feel alone in their challenges. The IGNITE community and customizable training methodology nurture each hospital's specific communication, accountability, and staff training goal. Mission Veterinary Partners (MVP) is a veterinarian-founded network of over 125 animal hospitals based in Novi, Michigan. MVP's mission is to be the employer of choice in veterinary medicine. MVP takes the very best care of their clinical teams so they can take care of their clients and patients.

is a veterinarian-founded network of over 125 animal hospitals based in Novi, Michigan. MVP's mission is to be the employer of choice in veterinary medicine. MVP takes the very best care of their clinical teams so they can take care of their clients and patients. PetConnections Magazine, LLC., is a complimentary quarterly print and digital magazine dedicated to Human-Animal Bond. Published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PetConnections features articles and expert information on pet and people wellness.

is a complimentary quarterly print and digital magazine dedicated to Human-Animal Bond. Published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PetConnections features articles and expert information on pet and people wellness. Veterinary Hospitals Association (VHA), was established in 1984 and is a proud not-for-profit association dedicated to supporting veterinary professionals and practices by offering solutions that enable them to grow, learn, and succeed. They provide their growing membership with services that include veterinary-experienced business solutions, group purchasing power, low- to no-cost continuing education, and reliable cremation services.

was established in 1984 and is a proud not-for-profit association dedicated to supporting veterinary professionals and practices by offering solutions that enable them to grow, learn, and succeed. They provide their growing membership with services that include veterinary-experienced business solutions, group purchasing power, low- to no-cost continuing education, and reliable cremation services. VerticalVet is a group resource community that provides independent veterinary owners and their practice managers access to customized best practices and education with unique, real-time data insights proven to build trust with clients. VerticalVet is part of a diverse and inclusive community that is focused on building a better normal together, allowing its members to stay focused on what matters most to them: serving excellent patient care.



. "We know that innovation comes from collaboration and we look forward towards advancing the veterinary profession together." The SAP program provides partnering advocacy organizations, medical associations and veterinary schools international and national reach and visibility, using the breadth of the MJH Life Sciences veterinary platforms to showcase cutting-edge initiatives, content, research and thought leadership. Through the SAP program, dvm360 fosters collaboration and an open exchange of information among trusted veterinary professionals for the benefit of the profession. As part of this joint effort, dvm360 will work with the affiliated partners to share information and highlight the different veterinary communities they support.

For more information about the dvm360 SAP program, click here. About dvm360 The leading media-content provider in the veterinary market, dvm360 has been in operation for more than 50 years. It provides readers with top-of-the-line digital and print content that focuses on every aspect of a veterinary professional's life. In addition, dvm360 hosts continuing education (CE) conferences that provide a 360-degree educational engagement experience for veterinary professionals. These conferences include several Fetch dvm360 conferences and the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference, CE events that have been a staple in the veterinary community for decades. dvm360 is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America. MJH Life Sciences is dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005730/en/

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The Minister of finance, Mrs Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed has said the federal government is committed to funding child spacing and the health sector to improve human capital development.

According to a statement, the minister disclosed this when she hosted a delegation of the Medical Women's Association of Nigeria (MWAN) under the Partnership for Advocacy in Family and Child Health at Scale, in her office yesterday.

She assured that her ministry will always prioritize the health sector's funding, especially on issues bordering on the multilateral agreement and other commitments Nigeria has entered into.

"Despite the failure to meet the 15 percent commitment, Nigeria has progressively funded the health sector with incremental funding," she said.

She also noted that regardless of competing priorities, the federal government will prioritize funding for health and family planning therein noting that effective utilization of funds has been an issue across the government agencies as well as competing priorities.

Head of the delegation and president of MWAN, Dr. Minnie Oseji, said the association is holding its international conference and called on the federal government to support the funding of the health sector.
Republican Party parliamentarian Herlinde Tjiveze has proposed life sentences for rape offenders guilty of sexual assaults on young girls.

Tjiveze made this proposal in parliament on Tuesday. Referring to rapists as monsters, Tjiveze said in order to make men think twice before even considering raping a woman or a child, the sentence needs to be harsh. "My proposal is that men raping women over the age of 16 must be sent to jail for not less than 25 years, without the option of parole and those who rape a person below the age of 16 should be sentenced to life imprisonment, again without the option of parole," said the lawmaker.

"A monster raping a child must be removed from society forever. Can you imagine the damage that is done to an innocent child being raped? They are scarred for life and that is not because of their own doing."

Justice minister Yvonne Dausab last month tabled amendments to the Combating Rape Act of 2000 in the National Assembly. The amendments include an additional definition of what constitutes a coercive circumstance for rape, changes in the sentencing for a rape conviction, and extends the scope of individuals considered exceptionally vulnerable. The minister also proposed a new definition pertaining to the use of power or authority to coerce participation in a sexual act.

"The Bill provides additional grounds for coercive circumstances for rape and states that 'coercive circumstances' include the abuse of power or authority to such an extent that the person in respect of whom the sexual act is committed is inhibited from indicating his or her resistance to that act or his or her unwillingness to participate in that act," Dausab said when tabling the Bill.

The Bill proposes that the minimum sentence for a first conviction of rape be increased from five to 10 years, while the sentence for rape committed under coercive circumstances be increased from 10 to 15 years.

It also proposes an increased sentence for conviction of rape of people recognised as exceptionally vulnerable, including persons with mental or physical disabilities, from a minimum of 15 years to 20 years.
On February 8, 2021, Finantsinspektsioon (FSA) forwarded a decision to Admiral Markets AS notifying the company about an imposed fine. According to the regulator Admiral Markets AS had not acted entirely in accordance with the Securities Market Act, following the crash of Future crude oil prices in April 2020. Admiral Markets AS did not agree with the decision of the FSA and confirmed that it had always acted in the best interests of its clients. The company was confident that regardless of the opinions in the FSA announcement, it operated in accordance with the regulatory framework even when faced with unusual circumstances. Taken all that into concideration, Admiral Markets AS filed an appeal to Harju County Court on 23.02.2021 to challenge the FSAs decision.

According to the Harju County Court order on 31.03.2021, the complaint of Admiral Markets AS was satisfied and the decision of Finantsinspektsioon (FSA) was annulled in full.

The order of Harju County Court has not yet entered into force.

Additional information:

Kaia Gil

Communication manager of Admiral Markets AS

kaia.gil@admiralmarkets.com

+372 53 413 764




Instagram 'snark' account Celeb Spellcheck has built up a huge following by correcting the bad spelling of stars, and holding them accountable for their 'lies'.

And in true form on Thursday, the page, which is run by an anonymous user believed to be a Melbourne PR worker in her twenties, took aim at top beauty influencers.

Natasha Oakley and designer and fashion stylist Lana Wilkinson were absolutely roasted for pretending to apply product to their skin in sponsored posts, particularly having presumably been paid a significant amount to spruik the brand.

'I can't cope with this nonsense!' Top influencers including Natasha Oakley (pictured), 30, were absolutely ROASTED by Instagram 'snark' account Celeb Spellcheck on Thursday, for PRETENDING to apply skincare product in sponsored posts

'We all know that influencers don't always use the products they promote - but not even using them in the ad is next level,' Celeb Spellcheck captioned their latest post, alongside a laughing face emoji.

The account ran a clip of Lana inside her home pretending to 'dab' a skincare product onto her face and decolletage.

'I'm just going to put it on my face and then I will be ready,' she told her followers, before pretending to squeeze product out of the tube.

Taking aim: 'We all know that influencers don't always use the products they promote - but not even using them in the ad is next level,' Celeb Spellcheck captioned the post, alongside a laughing face emoji. Pictured is designer and fashion stylist Lana Wilkinson

Going through the motions: The account ran a clip of Lana inside her home pretending to squeeze out skincare product and 'dabbing' it onto her face and decolletage

'And then I'm also going to put a little bit here because I'm a bit dry,' she added, pointing to her decolletage.

'Just constant [dabbing]' she said, tapping a bare hand over her skin.

The second clip in the post featured none other than bikini model and entrepreneur Natasha Oakley, 30, who appeared to dab the tiniest amount of a pricey Lancome serum onto her cheekbones.

Expensive product: The second clip in the post featured none other than bikini model and entrepreneur Natasha, who appeared to dab the tiniest amount of a pricey Lancome serum onto her cheekbones

Followers of Celeb Spellcheck were quick to comment underneath the post, with one writing: 'I can't cope with this nonsense'.

Another suggested they deserve an 'Oscar for best fake applying of products'.

One suggested it 'would literally take the same amount of effort to just actually use the product in the video', while another was annoyed at influencers in general being paid thousands to not even use the products.

Criticism: Followers of Celeb Spellcheck were quick to comment underneath the post, with one writing: 'I can't cope with this nonsense'. Another suggested they deserve an 'Oscar for best fake applying of products'

However it wasn't all negative, with one describing Celeb Spellcheck as the 'saltiest page' on Instagram.

Influencing, including sponsored posts on Instagram, can be a very lucrative gig.

Since starring on the 2019 season of Married At First Sight, Martha Kalifatidis has become a full-time influencer and brand ambassador.

Celeb Spellcheck explained Celeb Spellcheck began a few years ago as an account making fun of Instagram models' poor spelling, but has since become a platform for holding influencers to account for their lies and irresponsible behaviour. The profile is also a hub for user-submitted gossip about influencers. Celeb Spellcheck has attracted criticism in recent months, with the likes of Tayla Damir accusing the page of 'bullying'. Advertisement

Online presence: Influencing, including sponsored posts on Instagram, can be a very lucrative gig. Since starring on the 2019 season of Married At First Sight, Martha Kalifatidis (pictured), 32, has become a full-time influencer and brand ambassador

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Martha or any other celebrities are pretending to use product in their sponsored posts.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia last year, Martha, 32, said 'never in her wildest dreams' did she believe that creating sponsored posts at home would become her full-time job, and expressed her surprise at how financially viable it is.

Although Martha did not reveal the exact figure she charges for branded content, it's estimated she makes anything up to $3,000 for a single sponsored selfie.

Cashing in: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia last year, Martha said 'never in her wildest dreams' did she believe that creating sponsored posts at home would become her full-time job. It's estimated she makes anything up to $3,000 for a single sponsored selfie

When asked how she's spending her impressive earnings, Martha explained that she's investing it all into her own top secret business venture.

'I'm working on something of my own. It's going to take a while. This is a stepping stone right now. It's opened so many doors for me,' said the aspiring entrepreneur.

'Obviously I have this big platform now. It just sort of catapults your brand or whatever it is you're going to start. It's like a nice head start. I imagine that the hardest thing for most new brands is getting a platform.'
Rural Development Minister KS Eshwarappa, an loyalist-turned-rival within the BJP faction for Yediyurappa has come out with a detailed letter addressed to Governor Vajubhai Vala which cited serious allegations against the CM.

In a bigger political development coming in from Karnataka, a sitting minister lodged a serious corruption complaint against current Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa with Governor Vajubhai Vala on Wednesday alleging undue interference by the CM in department matters to favour his kin. Rural Development Minister KS Eshwarappa, an loyalist-turned-rival within the BJP faction for Yediyurappa has come out with a detailed letter addressed to Governor Vajubhai Vala which cited serious allegations against the CM. Yediyurappa is accused of violating several rules on more than one occasion in sanctioning department funds.

NewsX got exclusive ground information on how the BJP was pitted against Siddaramaiah and how it saw the fractured mandate between JDS in fact from the government and Kumaraswamy from within the Congress Party. Now ever since BSY came to power he has been facing one after the other. As far as the allegations are concerned this time one has to wait and see how or what the governor will do in the days to come. Eshwarappa is in fact very close to the top brass of BJP in Delhi and if sources are to believed without the blessing of the top leaders he wouldnt be doing something like this which will in fact put the government and his CM in embarrassment.

Eshwarappa has passed a very serious allegation in this letter which signals that there might be possibility of a political turmoil in the state in the days to come. Former CMO of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has hit out at the Chief Minister of Karnataka and has spoken out in detail on each proposed charges. As per the cabinet of BSY is concerned these allegations didnt go well with the BJP top brass. Towards the end, Eshwarappa also mentioned that he has written the same thing to the Home Minister and party president JP Nadda as well the Prime Minister. The matter has been escalated and many speculated in fact during February that something similar was going to happen in Karnataka just before the budget.

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Eshwarappa in his complaint also mentioned how he tried to address this matter internally with the CM regarding allocation of funds and had in previous instances requested the Governor to advice the CM to adopt a policy of non-interference.
Nowadays, the number of girls attending schools is increasing remarkably from year to year. However, there are still wider gaps in terms of benefitting from an education of their choice and completing their education.

As studies indicate, too many girls and women are held back by biases, social norms and expectations influencing the quality of the education they receive and the subjects they study. They are particularly under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, and consequently in STEM careers.

According to the UNESCO's report entitled 'Cracking the code: Girls' and women's education in STEM', only 35 percent of STEM students in higher education globally are women, and differences are observed within STEM disciplines.

For example, only 3 percent of female students in higher education choose information and communication technologies (ICT) studies. This gender disparity is alarming, especially as STEM careers are often referred to as the jobs of the future, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development.

As to the report, women make up only 28 percent of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering.

Giving women equal opportunities to pursue -- and thrive in -- STEM careers helps narrow the gender pay gap, enhances women's economic security and ensures a diverse and talented STEM workforce and prevents biases in these fields and the products and services they produce.

Thus, countries are working to increase the number of girls in STEM education, enhance their capability and make them leaders in the area.

With this same purpose, recently, a workshop of that focuses on the role of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was organized by Institute of Technology and Innovation.

Speaking on the occasion, Teshome Sahlemariam, Deputy Director General of the Institute said that few decades ago it was very challenging for women to attend schools let alone to participate in areas such as science, technology, engineering or mathematics. However, these days things are changed for the better and a number of female scientists are coming forward and are trying to make a difference.

Science and technology can make a big difference in both peace and non-peace environments. Thus, women who constitute half of the population should work hard in the sector.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Ethiopia Education Women By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Professor Yalemtsehay Mekonnen, Cell and Human Physiologist at Addis Ababa University and Gender Head at the College of Natural Sciences, on her part said that human beings have been exploring, observing and experimenting their surrounding for thousands of years so as to make their life more agreeable with the environment. Women, have had significant contributions in this regard.

Professor Yalemtsehay also elaborated the contribution of successful, pioneer and celebrated Ethiopian women at local and international level.

She also underscored the importance of educating and encouraging girls in science, technology, engineering and math at early age from the lowest level of education.

Students drawn from seven different schools, researchers and scholars from the Institute attended the workshop.
Last winter, Judith Stokes held a two-day smash burger pop-up at her upcoming North Portland restaurant, Derby, hoping to introduce the Kenton neighborhood to the new space.

The only problem? After shed closed her original restaurant in the old Cup & Saucer space, Derby 2.0 had yet to be built.

It was a nightmare, Stokes said. I only had one outlet, so we had to run a power strip and borrow all these pancake griddles. We had an employee whose job was to kick on the power supply every time it would trip. One day we did 68 burgers in two and a half hours. There was grease going everywhere.

The next time neighbors get a chance to visit, Stokes will be ready. The new Derby has already passed its electrical and plumbing inspections, and the back patio is primed to host socially distanced guests. Half the space will be reserved for a much-needed neighborhood market. The summer could bring the return of live jazz and Peachy Springs popular Drag Queen Bingo. When it opens  target date: April  Derby will lead the way among Portland smash burger superstars getting a 2021 glow up.

After a decade obsessed with sky-high bistro burgers topped with onion rings, pork belly and even foie gras, a new burger age is upon us. Over the past five years, more than 25 new Portland-area pop-ups, carts and restaurants have started serving smash burgers  literally, burgers made with beef smashed hard on the grill. Last month, we went out and tried them all, or at least all the ones that were open (see you soon, Derby). Now, several of those restaurants are poised to expand.

Here are some of the smash burger savants preparing to grow this year:

Derby 2.0 is looking to debut in mid-April in Terrell Brandons old building , 8212 N. Denver Ave. In addition to smash burgers, Stokes will continue to focus on her Filipino-inspired brunch fare, while upping the restaurants ramen game at night.

In Carlton, former Holdfast chef Will Preisch will host a second smash burger pop-up on April 4 at Abbey Road Farm, 10280 N.E. Oak Springs Farm Road, adding 150 burgers on top of the first sold-out event.

Beavertons popular Wolfs Head Smokehouse will open a new cart at Forest Groves Zesti food cart pod, 2131 Yew St., in June, this one devoted entirely to its tasty burgers.

Portlands roving Yes Please smash burger pop-up is working on opening a new food cart in front of the old Third Eye head shop, 3950 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.

Shake Shack, restaurateur Danny Meyers global smash burger chain, is racing In-N-Out to open the first metro area location in Beavertons Cedar Hills Crossing development in April.

And two of Portlands best-known smash burger purveyors, Don Salamone of Burger Stevens and Justin Hintze of Jojo, are opening full restaurants this year (though only one will serve a smash burger).

The sky-blue Jojo food cart at its original Sellwood-Moreland location in 2019.Mark Graves

Like Derby, Jojo is known for more than just smash burgers. Hintze estimates his baby blue cart next to the new Johns Marketplace at 3560 S.E. Powell Blvd. sells roughly two fried-chicken sandwiches for each burger and patty melt, not to mention those tasty fried jojos and more sandwich specials than a casual fan can keep track of.

With plans to open by the summer in the Pearl Districts former Daily Cafe space, 902 N.W. 13th Ave., the new Jojo will build off the carts familiar menu. As first reported by Eater PDX, new additions include a cocktail program from Eem bartender Ashelee Wells that threads the needle between fancier drinks and boozy slushies, milkshakes and other things that go well with a burger. And Hintze has whipped up a handful of new vegetarian and vegan dishes, including a smashed Impossible Foods burger on a vegan butter roll, sauce tossed tofu nuggets and a fried Ota Tofu sandwich  Oh My God, Im so happy with that sandwich, Hintze said.

Opening a restaurant has always been part of Hintzes plans, but COVID definitely accelerated my timeline, he said.

Commercial space is way cheaper right now. Its a great time to walk in and lock in a longer lease. And were doing a ton of business out of that cart  right now were running over an hour wait times on weekends, he said. COVID has been an absolute wrecking ball for the industry, but if youre flexible enough to make a move, its a great time.

Hintze looks forward to having a place with comfortable, year-round covered seating, and being able to sell his own alcohol. Once the current restrictions on late-night dining are lifted, he plans to keep Jojo open into the wee hours both as a welcome delivery option and as a new cocktail hangout filled with velvet, dark wood and an almost Hey Love-level of plants, referring to the lush East Burnside bar.

The bar burger at Don Salamone's upcoming restaurant will be more "gussied up" than the signature smash at his Burger Stevens carts. Dave Killen/Staff

Well-made cocktails will play a role at Salamones new restaurant as well, though beyond that, details remain under wraps. Two things we do know: There will be a burger (though not a smash burger), and it wont be a brick-and-mortar Burger Stevens.

So far, the former fine-dining chef can divulge the following:

After five years of sniffing around commercial leases in Portland and Beaverton, Salamone and his wife, Kate Laurents, finally decided to make the plunge  by buying their own building. A few weeks ago, the couple purchased a super cool and weird and cute 800-square-foot building that looks more like a shipping container at 12055 S.W. First St.. The couple had inquired about renting the space, formerly home to Waba Korean Grill, last year, enamored with the little city-owned strip of land next door that could be used for outdoor seating. But when the pandemic hit, they decided to wait.

Weve had lots of opportunities to go into a brick-and-mortar over the years, and the entire time, my wife and I were like, We have to put in this exhaust system that costs $50 grand, we have to change this change that, then at the end of the lease were losing most of it to the landlord? So we held out.

Burger Stevens is also opening a third food cart at the upcoming Hinterland food cart pod, 2220 S.E. 50th Ave., joining the existing carts at Prost in North Portland and BGs Food Cartel in Beaverton.

The duo are in no rush to open the restaurant, but when they do, Salamone promises a menu that dips into his cooking experience at celebrated restaurants such as Guy Savoy in Las Vegas, Robuchon in New York and Michael Mina in San Francisco, only more casual and approachable, more of an everyday restaurant. Think table service, good cocktails, fresh-shucked oysters and a gussied up bar burger made with a luxurious Revel Meat brisket blend that you can throw a slab of foie gras on if you so choose.

This is something weve wanted to do our whole lives, Salamone said of opening a restaurant with Laurents, who used to work at reservations website OpenTable. We want to take our time and make it proper. Everyone says were crazy for doing table service. You need to simplify things, order at the counter. No. If its going to be the roaring 21s, people want to go out and be taken care of. I want someone to come over and bring me a drink. I dont want to stand in line to get another beer.

-- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell
By Cheng Xizhong

Recently Ive noticed positive signs in the India-Pakistan relation after years of fierce confrontation. This would be good news if they could lead to substantive improvement in bilateral relations, which will be conducive to the peace and stability in the South Asian Subcontinent and to the wellbeing of the people in the region.

India and Pakistan had three wars in history. Still, they have managed to keep the general situation stable for the next 50 years after the third India-Pakistan war in 1971, despite the constant tension, the approaching of a flashpoint of conflict, and the frequent armed skirmishes along Kashmirs Line of Control.

An important reason for the overall stability that has lasted half a century is that both India and Pakistan are no longer what they were 50 years ago  they have matured, and their leaders are very capable of controlling the situation.

In the past 20 years and more, the US-launched Afghan war has caused terrorism to spread amuck in the South Asian region, with constant terrorist attacks happening in India and Pakistan, which has made bilateral relations more complicated. Their relationship seems to have fallen into a vicious cycle  terrorist attacks cause tension, both parties accuse the other of supporting terrorism. They cool down and improve the relation, but new terrorist attacks create tension again.

Both China and Pakistan are peace-loving countries and two important forces to safeguard peace and stability of the region and beyond. Especially since Imran Khan came into office in August 2018, he has been making great efforts to improve the relationship with India, and the positive responses from New Delhi have proved that Islamabads diplomatic efforts have taken positive effects.

China has also actively and properly handled the relationship with Pakistan, and the situation in their border areas has been mitigated lately. This, coupled with the beginning of strategic dialogues between China and the US after Biden took office, has created a regional environment for the amelioration of India-Pakistan relations. Whether this relationship will turn for the better from now on mainly rests with New Delhis sincerity, and two issues are critical here.

First, the Kashmir dispute lies at the heart of India-Pakistan relations. Pakistan has been supporting the Kashmir peoples fight for national autonomy morally, politically, and diplomatically as that concerns its core interests. India must create a favorable environment to resume dialogues, respect the Kashmir peoples right to national autonomy, and stop military suppression in the Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Second, terrorism is a common threat to both India and Pakistan as well as to all regional countries. For years New Delhi and Islamabad have been accusing each other of supporting terrorism, which is the most important reason for the drastic fluctuations of bilateral ties. The only way to eliminate terrorism is for the two countries to work together and crack down on violent terrorist activities. Any attempt by either party to harm the other partys social stability and economic development through a proxy war will end up hurting the initiator itself rather than the target. This has been proved in history repeatedly.

(The author is a visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law and also a senior fellow of the Charhar Institute in Beijing.)

Editor's note: This article is originally published on haiwainet.cn, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article are solely the author's personal views.
Education Minister Norma Foley knew about the possibility of an overhaul to the Covid vaccination roll-out before Tuesdays Cabinet meeting, the Department of Education has confirmed.

The clear impression after Tuesdays meeting was that Ms Foley and was caught unawares by the move to change the vaccine allocation strategy.

The effect of the change - to an age-based system - is to remove the prioritisation for certain occupational groups, including teachers and special needs assistants (SNA), which is sparking outrage.

While the minister may have been in the dark about the final recommendation brought to Cabinet, she was clearly aware of the potential for change.

In reply to a query, the Department of Education stated that its secretary general, Sean O Foghlu, who is a member of the Covid-19 Oversight Committee, was told at a meeting on Wednesday March 24, that changes were being considered by the National Immunisation Advisory Council (NIAC).

A Department confirmed that Ms Foley was made aware that the NIAC was in the process of considering changes to the vaccine allocation strategy.

The Minister became aware of the output of that process when the Minister for Health brought a memo to cabinet.

It is not known when Mr O Foghlu advised the minister that changes were being considered.

The changes were flagged at meeting of a Cabinet sub-committee on Monday, but Ms Foley was not at that meeting.

Unions representing teacher and SNAs are furious at their members being pushed down the vaccination list and want the decision reversed

Apart from the decision to deprioritise school staff, unions are angry that there was no warning or consultation about the move.

Now that it is confirmed that the minister and her secretary general knew of the potential for change before Tuesday, unions will want to know why that wasnt shared and discussed with them.

Representatives of teacher unions met with deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn and Dr Kevin Kelleher of NIAC this evening where the rationale for the changes was outlined.

Vaccination is a highly sensitive issue for school staff and their original placing on the prioritisation list put them among the first 30pc of the population to be innoculated.

In the difficult negotiations about re-opening schools last term, assurances were given that they would be vaccinated as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, a new report shows that , up to this week, Ireland was among 19 of 30 countries in a global survey where teachers were prioritised for Covid vaccinations.

The analysis from the international think-tank, the OECD, explores impact of the pandemic on school education and includes a section on teacher vaccinations.

It notes that the innoculation of teachers, together with measures such as social distancing and strict hygiene practices, can contribute to making in-person teachingsafer.

It also points to the difficult decisions facing Government with a limited initial supply of vaccines and competing health objectives, such as relieving the healthcare system and protecting the most vulnerable

OECD researchers gathered data up to last Monday, March 29, the day before the Cabinet announced a change in the vaccination roll-out schedule.

At that point Ireland was listed as among 19 of 30 countries where teachers were on a priority list. The others were Austria, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey.

In Germany, staff in early childhood settings and primary schools were in second priority group, along with 70-80 year olds and people with particular diseases .

In countries such as Belgium, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, teachers were either subject to the same vaccination schedule as the general population, or the schedule for teachers vaccination had not been defined.
The City of Birmingham is looking for feedback from businesses to help complete a disparity study.

Consulting firm Griffin & Strong is looking into whether minority- and woman-owned businesses are getting a fair share of contracts from the city of Birmingham. To ensure accurate results, the firm is seeking more input from the local business community. The survey is set to close Monday.

The city is encouraging all businesses, whether minority-owned or not, to participate in the survey, which can be found here. Officials say more responses will ensure that findings and recommendations are based on complete, accurate information.

Griffin & Strong partnered with Creative Research Solutions to create the Survey of Business Owners.

Part of the study includes a survey of businesses to capture demographic and anecdotal information about companies, their capacity, and their impressions about doing business with the city of Birmingham.

The first step in solving any problem is to gather the facts, and this is a key part of that process, said Cornell Wesley, director of the Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity at the city of Birmingham. The more businesses we get involved, the better picture well have and the better path we will have going forward.

When complete, the disparity study, with results expected in August, will compare the availability of diverse firms with their success in receiving city contracts. The study will also recommend strategy to create a level playing field for minority- and woman-owned businesses.

This could really shape the economy of Birmingham and how we engage minority vendors, Coreata Houser, deputy director of the citys Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, said.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Ambassador of Pakistan to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg, Zaheer A. Janjua, on Wednesday held the 3rd monthly Khuli Katchery in virtual format with Pakistani Diaspora in Belgium and Luxembourg

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Mar, 2021 ) :Ambassador of Pakistan to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg, Zaheer A. Janjua, on Wednesday held the 3rd monthly Khuli Katchery in virtual format with Pakistani Diaspora in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The event was organized by the Embassy of Pakistan, Brussels, in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, to maintain close engagement with Pakistani Diaspora and to provide seamless services.

The virtual interaction was attended by Diaspora members from different walks of life, including academia, professionals, business, social services and media, a press release issued by the Embassy of Pakistan in Brussels said. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Janjua informed the participants that the suggestions and inputs received from the community members during the previous two Khuli Katchery sessions have been implemented.

He underlined that the Embassy will continue to remain closely engaged with the community to extend best possible services and incorporate their inputs to improve service delivery.

The Ambassador appreciated the community members for participating in the webinar on Roshan Digital Account on 6th March 2021, and urged them to take full benefit of the scheme.

The Ambassador also thanked the Diaspora for the record increase in flow of remittances and hoped that this trend would continue in future.

In order to overcome the challenges posed by the 3rd wave of COVID-19, the Ambassador urged the community members to exercise extreme caution and comply with the instructions of the Belgium and Luxembourg governments.

He also encouraged them to avoid all unnecessary travel and get vaccinated as soon as their turn comes up.

The community members appreciated the Embassy's outreach efforts and provision of efficient consular services.
analysis

This was meant to be an interview. A few weeks ago, I arranged to talk with Joana Mamombe, Zimbabwe's youngest Member of Parliament, about her recent experiences of state violence. Mamombe is only 27 years old and her parliamentary career began in 2018 when she was elected as the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance representative for Harare West. In these few years, though, she has experienced more hardship than most seasoned politicians ever know. When I asked if she was comfortable talking about these experiences on the record, she said, 'it's important for me to put my story out there ... it hasn't been easy.' On the day of our interview, however, Mamombe and two other MDC-A female activists - Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova - who are collectively known as 'The Trio', were arrested. Mamombe and Chimbiri were then sent to Chikurubi Maximum Security prison where they are still currently being held.

ZANU(PF)'s lockdown lawfare

The Trio's story is about how Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU(PF) attempts to brutally silence their rivals and critics and, in particular, attacks the femininity of young women who speak out. Their experience is not atypical. Since the start of the Covid pandemic, ZANU(PF) has wholeheartedly embraced the use of Covid emergency laws to target their high-profile opponents. This shattered the new government's pretence of institutional reforms prior to the pandemic, when they began a process to repeal and replace some of the country's most repressive laws. Instead, it signalled a return to the grim, well-established trend of using the law as a political tool. Under these Covid laws, 23-year-old student leader Allan Moyo spent 74 days in prison for leading a protest against the government. Last Friday (26 March), the 22-year-old student leader Takudzwa Ngadziore was released after 28 days in jail for similar offences. Another young leader, Makomborero Haruzivishe, remains in jail. Zimbabwe's extensive Covid laws not only police public space by prohibiting public gatherings but also criminalise public criticism of ZANU(PF)'s version of events. A person can be imprisoned for up to 20 years if they 'communicate false news' on the basis of these laws, which lawyers have argued is unconstitutional. The journalist Hopewell Chin'ono was arrested under these laws last July after he exposed a Ministry of Health corruption scandal over a $60m purchase of Personal Protective Equipment. Although the Health Minister was ultimately fired, the regime targeted Chin'ono in the months that followed. On 9 January, Chin'ono was arrested for the third time in six months. The following day, his lawyer and an MDC-A leader, Job Sikhala, was arrested using the same law. Then on the Monday, Fadzayi Mahere, the MDC-A's spokesperson, was, she said, placed 'under arrest for my tweets.' Through the arrests, re-arrests, denials of bail, and time in prison, these activists were made to suffer ignominy. Despite the pandemic, they were imprisoned in overcrowded cells, where they would typically sleep on dirty, lice-infested blankets and walk barefoot on urine-soaked floors. In defiance of court orders, police brought Sikhala to court in handcuffs and leg-irons - a humiliating punishment usually reserved for hardened criminals.

A country for old men

So what is the point of these campaigns? In part, they seem to be yet another example of ZANU(PF)'s long-standing belief that only it can rule Zimbabwe - one of the few Maoist ideas, perhaps, that the party took to heart in the 1970s liberation war. Since the early 1980s, party leaders have attempted to make this belief into a political fact, through a series of brutally violent campaigns and constitutional initiatives against their political rivals. Didymus Mutasa, a ZANU(PF) stalwart, put it bluntly in 2001, when he said of MDC supporters, 'those who do not understand must be beaten until they do understand'. This logic has historically held whoever their opponents were, whether the MDC, ZAPU, ZUM or ZANU(Ndonga). It is this apparent political fact that explains the reason why today the state punishes critical journalists and MDC activists for contravening Covid laws but ignores ZANU(PF)'s own blatant disregard for them, for instance, at their recent well-attended rural rallies.

But there is more to this than just ZANU(PF) supremacy. As with many liberation parties in Southern Africa, ZANU(PF)'s political legitimacy is rooted in its historical struggle against white minority rule and those 'heroes' who prosecuted the struggle are granted a rarefied authority. This narrative was central to the 'patriotic history' that the party used to justify its rule in the 2000s. But it is also true in what Mnangagwa calls Zimbabwe's 'Second Republic' following the 2017 coup, which the country's new leaders justified in order to 'rescue the values and the ethos of the liberation struggle.'[1] These liberation discourses inscribed a form of political gerontocracy into Zimbabwe's politics. The nation was cast within a narrow set of strictly controlled patriarchal metaphors that associated male age with political authority. As Kizito Muchemwa argues, ZANU(PF) used 'fatherhood to foreclose political debate'. This rhetoric shaped the party's leadership composition. When ZANU(PF) lost the 2008 Parliamentary elections, Mugabe and his second Vice-President, Joseph Msika, had a combined age of 167 and the Party's Youth League leader, Absolom Sikhosana, was in his late 50s. Yet such generational entitlement has serious risks, particularly in a country where over half of the population is estimated to be under 25 and where the party's ageing stalwarts point-blank refused to use social media until 2013. These risks were recognised by some ZANU(PF) leaders and particularly Mnangagwa's unsuccessful rivals in the 'G40' faction' for whom 'generational renewal' was a key slogan.

ZANU(PF)'s gerontocracy has also become central to MDC politics. Since the 2018 election campaign, Tsvangarai's successor, Nelson Chamisa has repeatedly shown that his youthful, charismatic message of change and preacher-like style is hugely popular among Zimbabweans. Under Mnangagwa's leadership, ZANU(PF) has sought to supress the MDC-A's popularity through promises of development, a militarised crack-down on activism, some high-profile young appointments and a dirty tricks campaign. These steps highlight the hostility ZANU(PF) has toward Chamisa's brand of exuberant, youthful, populist politics and their determination to stamp it out.

State hostility to young MDC activists takes particular forms towards women. As many brilliant scholars have shown, including Glanis Changachirere here on Debating Ideas and Sandra Bhatasara and Manase Chiweshe in their recent research, Zimbabwe's politics has always been intensely patriarchal. To be a young woman who drives political change - in the ruling party, in the opposition, or in the unions - takes so much more skill and guile than it does for men who can saddle into the various forms of politically acceptable masculinity. 'The fate of all political women', Rudo Mudiwa has argued, is to be 'read as wantonly, irredeemably, sexual'. To get things done as a woman in politics means manoeuvring around the misogynist attacks, including, for instance, the threat of being labelled a prostitute. Use of this label is one of the most common tactics used to push women out of public life and was precisely the tactic used by the leaders of the Second Republic to attack Grace Mugabe during the succession battles that led to the 2017 coup. Taken together, these powerful ruling discourses make political life in Zimbabwe's 'Second Republic' into a country for ZANU(PF)'s old men and helps explain the logics that have underpinned the Trio's experience over the last year.

Dangerous dreams for political futures

I first met Joana Mamombe in 2014, when she was a leader in Zimbabwe's National Students' Union, ZINASU. At the union meetings I attended, she spoke with a deep, resonant voice and earnest conviction that gave her a charismatic hold over her audiences. She had shrewd political instincts too. During the 2000s, ZINASU had become increasingly dependent on the MDC in response to the country's economic collapse and ZANU(PF)'s persecution of the union. Whilst ensuring their continued survival, dependencies between the party and the union created serious tensions within the student movement. In 2014, following the MDC's election defeat and further political in-fighting, Joana and the ZINASU Secretary General, Obey Sithole, publicly showed their loyalty to Morgan Tsvangirai. The move paid off and in the years that followed, their political careers took off like helicopters: Sithole became the party's influential Youth Assembly chairperson and Mamombe became an MP in 2018. In Chamisa's MDC-A, these two former student leaders were exactly on brand as energetic, loyal, young party representatives. Their place in the MDC-A's political project, however, led them to face Mnangagwa's ZANU(PF).

In late afternoon on 13 May 2020, the MDC-A tweeted that 'the whereabouts of Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri & Netsai Marova are presently unknown.' A few hours earlier, the three women had been arrested at a police roadblock in Harare. Despite their lawyers visiting all of the local police stations they were nowhere to be found. Two days later, the women staggered into a shopping arcade 60 miles away having been beaten, tortured and sexually assaulted. Instead of investigating, ZANU(PF) responded with contempt and ridicule. Whilst the women were recovering in hospital, court officials paid them a visit to charge them with 'inciting public violence' and once they were discharged the police arrested and charged them with faking their abductions. They were imprisoned in Chikurubi for two weeks - where Mamombe had her 27th birthday - during which time ZANU(PF) officials took to the airwaves to pour scorn on the women's account of events. Deputy Information Minister, Energy Matondi, described them as 'comedians' who had 'put bruises on their bodies.' Nick Mangwana, the party Secretary of Information, said he had 'irrefutable evidence that there was no abduction.'

The attack on these women and the public gas-lighting that followed was a demonstration of the power that ZANU(PF)'s old men could exercise over women in the 'Second Republic'. And it was not the end of the ordeal. In September, Mamombe was reported to have had a nervous breakdown and was admitted into a mental health clinic, where she missed a court bail hearing. In response, the presiding magistrate issued an arrest warrant and she was sent to Chikurubi, again, for 14 days. Just as with the initial attack, ZANU(PF) responded with contempt. In November, when Mamombe asked a question in Parliament about violence against young women, the ZANU(PF) legislator Joseph Chinotimba dismissed her as 'mentally-ill'- a statement he was forced to withdraw. This lawfare campaign of arrest and imprisonment against these women has continued since the start of the year. Mamombe and Chimbiri were arrested again in February - allegedly for insulting a police officer - and imprisoned for eight days. Then, the day of her interview with me, they were arrested again - and face a maximum sentence of ten years if convicted.

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ZANU(PF)'s campaign against these women during the pandemic is part of a wider shift in Zimbabwean politics. The leaders of the 'Second Republic' have revived ZANU(PF)'s talk of a one-party state and they seem determined to eliminate Chamisa's MDC alternative. The Trio's abduction, assault, humiliation, dismissal as hysterical, re-arrest, and denial of bail - is a story of ZANU(PF)'s political gerontocracy punishing those young women who represent political rivalry and who speak out against them. Yet against this brutal project are those who refuse to accept that political affiliation should determine justice, that youth should sit in deference, and that femininity should mean silence.

End Note:

[1] 'Operation Restore Legacy is a Miracle', The Herald, Harare, 13 April 2018.

Dan Hodgkinson is an historian who works on youth protests, the politics of storytelling and visual culture. He is the co-author of a forthcoming African Arguments book on student activism and decolonization and the author of Zimbabwe's Student Activists: An Oral History from Colonial Rule to the Coup. He is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Oxford's Department of International Development.

Debating Ideas is a new section that aims to reflect the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing from within the African continent and beyond. It will offer debates and engagements, contexts and controversies, and reviews and responses flowing from the African Arguments books.
The Alabama Department of Transportation is closing Alabama 117 between Mentone and Valley Head in DeKalb County as a precaution, pending further investigation and repair of a landslide below the roadway on the side of Lookout Mountain.

Seth Burkett, ALDOT spokesman, said these are the official detours for commercial traffic:

Collapse on AL 117 in Mentone (Image from Seth Burkett/ALDOT) Collapse on AL 117 in Mentone (Image from Seth Burkett/ALDOT)

Northbound AL 117 traffic (traveling toward Valley Head):

AL 117 SB to GA 48 EB (at state line) GA 48 EB to US 27 SB (in Summerville, Ga.)

US 27 SB to GA 114 WB (in Summerville, Ga.)

GA 114 WB to AL 68 WB (at state line)

AL 68 WB to AL 35 NB (at Gaylesville)

AL 35 NB to US 11 NB (at Fort Payne)

US 11 NB to AL 117 (at Hammondville)

Southbound AL 117 traffic (traveling toward Mentone):

AL 117 NB to US 11 SB (at Hammondville)

US 11 SB to AL 35 SB (at Fort Payne)

AL 35 SB to AL 68 EB (at Gaylesville)

AL 68 EB to GA 114 EB (at state line)

GA 114 EB to US 27 NB (in Summerville, Ga.)

US 27 NB to GA 48 WB (in Summerville, Ga.)

GA 48 WB to AL 117 NB (at state line)

Local passenger traffic may use other alternates.

Alabama 117 will be completely closed between Tutwiler Gap and Cool Street in Mentone.

Commercial drivers are strongly advised to use the brake check area on Alabama 35 to ensure safety before proceeding down the mountain into Fort Payne.

Alabama state troopers will assist with traffic control.

ALDOT is reviewing potential solutions to determine a safe repair.
Reporter

Heather Bellow, a member of the investigations team, joined The Eagle in 2017. She is based in the South Berkshire County bureau in Great Barrington. Her work has appeared in newspapers across the U.S.
Boston, MA, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital Twin Consortium and Global Mining Guidelines Group have entered into a liaison agreement to help solve mining industry challenges by enabling the development and adoption of digital twin technologies.

Both consortia have agreed to the following:

Identifying and sharing use cases and applications of digital twins in mining

Identifying and sharing best practices across natural resource industries

Collaborating on guidelines for the development and adoption of digital twin in mining

Identifying testbed opportunities and innovation platforms for collaboration on the development of prioritized digital twin use cases for case study analysis

Applying lessons from other industry sectors to mining and driving consistency across industries

Digital Twin Consortium will support the alignment of GMG workstreams such as Interoperability and Data Access and Usage; Cybersecurity; Asset Management; AI; Electric Mine; and Autonomous Mining

GMG work streams will support the alignment of Digital Twin Consortiums workstreams such as Technology, Terminology, and Taxonomy; Security and Trustworthiness; Conceptual, Informational, Structural, and Behavioral Models; Enabling Technologies such as Simulation and AI

Mining is an increasingly technology-driven industry, and there are opportunities for improved processes and equipment, including digital twins and new mining practices for improved safety, automation, energy efficiency, environmental stewardship, and cost management, said Dr. Prith Banerjee, Chief Technology Officer, Ansys, and Digital Twin Consortium Steering Committee member. We look forward to working with Global Mining Guidelines to further the use of digital twins in the mining industry to improve processes and best practices.

We are excited about our collaboration with Global Mining Guidelines Group, said Dan Isaacs, Chief Technical Officer, Digital Twin Consortium. Together, we will work together to bring innovative digital twin technologies to the mining industry.

The mining industry has benefitted significantly from digital transformation initiatives to increase performance in real-time, enhance safety, and improve resource knowledge for better extraction and supply chain effectiveness, said Heather Ednie, Managing Director, Global Mining Guidelines Group. As part of this transformation, digital twins are emerging as a critical topic. In support of industry progress, GMG is pleased to work alongside Digital Twin Consortium to facilitate education, alignment and adoption of digital twin technologies within mining.

Both consortia will exchange information through regular consultations, seminars, and more.

About Global Mining Guidelines Group

The Global Mining Guidelines Group (GMG) accelerates the implementation of innovative technologies into the mining industry by bringing together all mining stakeholders to create guidelines that respond to common challenges. Working Groups address topics such as interoperability, data access and usage, artificial intelligence, autonomous equipment, underground communication, battery-electric vehicles, and comminution efficiency in mining.

About Digital Twin Consortium

Digital Twin Consortium is The Authority in Digital Twin. It coalesces industry, government, and academia to drive consistency in vocabulary, architecture, security, and interoperability of digital twin technology. It advances the use of digital twin technology in many industries from aerospace to natural resources. Digital Twin Consortium is a program of Object Management Group.

Attachment
Authorities in China are detaining Christians in secretive, mobile "transformation" facilities to make them renounce their faith, RFA has

learned.



A member of a Christian "house church" in the southwestern province of Sichuan who asked to be identified by a pseudonym Li Yuese said he was held in a facility run by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United Front Work Department, working in tandem with the state security police, for 10 months after a raid on his church in 2018.



"It was a mobile facility, that could just set up in some basement somewhere," Li said. "It was staffed by people from several different government departments."



"It had its own (CCP) political and legal affairs committee working group, and they mainly target Christians who are members of house churches," he said.



The Chinese Communist Party, which embraces atheism, exercises tight controls over any form of religious practice among its citizens.



State security police and religious affairs bureau officials frequently raid unofficial "house churches" that aren't members of the CCP-backed Three-Self Patriotic Association, although member churches have also been targeted at times.



The CCP under Xi Jinping regards Christianity as a dangerous foreign import, with party documents warning against the "infiltration of Western hostile forces" in the form of religion.



Li said he was held in a windowless room for nearly 10 months, during which time he was beaten, verbally abused and "mentally tortured" by staff, eventually resorting to self-harm by throwing himself against a wall.



His account is chillingly similar to those of former inmates of "transformation" camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.



"They use really underhand methods," Li said.



"They threaten, insult and intimidate you. These were United Front officials, men, women, sometimes unidentified, usually in plain clothes. The police turn a blind eye to this," he said.



"You have to accept the statement they prepare for you," he said. "If you refuse, you will be seen as having a bad attitude and they will keep you in detention and keep on beating you."



Basement brainwashing sessions

Li said most of his fellow inmates were also people who had been released on bail during criminal detention for taking part in church-related activities.



Most hadn't done anything that could trigger any criminal prosecution, so police sent them to the "transformation" facilities instead, Li said.



"They were using brainwashing methods on those of us who were on bail from the detention center," he said. "It was in a secret location, in a basement."



"There were two plainclothes officers in my room, and a uniformed officer was in another room," Li said.



"There were no windows, no ventilation and no time allowed outside," he said. "I was given just two meals a day, which were brought to the room by a designated person."



Inmates who refused to "admit their mistakes" were held in solitary confinement for prolonged periods.



"There is no time limit for the brainwashing process," he said. "I dont know the longest time anyone has been held there, but I was detained for eight or nine months."



"You can't see the sun, so you lose all no concept of time."



He said suicidal ideation and self-harm was commonplace.



"I couldn't sleep; after you've been in there a week, death starts to look better than staying there," Li said. "I bashed myself against the wall to self-harm."



"One time in there, I was groggy and was trying to open my eyes but I couldn't," he said. "Four or five of them grabbed me by the arms and legs and pinned me to the ground."



"They they injected me with some drug, and brought me back to consciousness."



Haunted by experience

Li said he was in very poor health on his release, with edema all over his body and a weight gain of 10 kilograms.



He remains haunted by the experience to this day, he told RFA.



Another Christian who asked to remain anonymous told RFA that similar facilities are being used across China, not just for Protestants, but also for members of the underground Catholic church, and of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, a target of authorities since 1999.



A lawyer surnamed Zhang from the northern province of Hebei said he had represented a number of former detainees, who are Catholics.



"I was asked to go to Baoding by underground Catholics in 2013," Zhang said. "These brainwashing places were similar to the ones used on the Falun Gong."



"I saw several of their priests at that time, and they told me what was happening there in Baoding."



"After the religious affairs officials had arrested the bishops and priests, they didn't pursue criminal charges -- they just disappeared them, sometimes for five, six or even 10 years at a stretch."



"Some were sent back home after five or six years, and that was how people learned about the brainwashing centers -- from their accounts," Zhang said.



Zhang said he suspects the "transformation" facilities have been running for a long time around China, and that the operations in Baoding were likely just the tip of the iceberg.



According to a report in the overseas magazine Bitter Winter in November 2020, which interviewed a former brainwashing victim, methods used in the centers vary from beatings to torture, including cold showers in sub-zero temperatures, and forcing inmates to carry large buckets of water around their necks.



China is home to an estimated 68 million Protestants, of whom 23 million worship in state-affiliated churches under the aegis of the Three-Self Patriotic Association, and some nine million Catholics, the majority of whom are in state-sponsored organizations.



Reported by Li Nuo for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Debt-laden Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) on Thursday announced completion of a 49 per cent in its Chinese road asset, Chongqing Yuhe Expressway Co. (CYEC).

has duly received Rs 1,035 crore (or $141.3 million) in Singapore as part of this transaction.

The stake is sold to China Merchants & PingAn Infrastructure Phase 1 Equity Investment Fund (Tianjin) Co. (PingAn), a fund jointly owned by PingAn Insurance and China Merchants, stated the release from Group.

The transaction will help the group address Rs 2,600-crore (of its overall debt of close to Rs 99,000 crore as of October 2018). It further maintains its estimates of addressing aggregate debt of over Rs 56,000 crore by 2021-22.

The management and new board of IL&FS, as part of its quarterly update on the progress of ongoing group resolution process in January 2021, had said it had addressed Rs 32,000 crore of aggregate debt of the group.

The company claimed it was the largest transaction for since the sale of its wind energy assets to ORIX Corporation. The consideration will be used to pay $88 million of Bank of Baroda loans; the balance to meet ITNL International (IIPL) liabilities, including bondholders under ITNL Offshore (IOPL), an official statement said.

The group, through its step-down Singapore-based subsidiary, IIPL, was holding 49 per cent stake in CYEC. The balance 51 per cent stake in CYEC is held by Chongqing Expressway Group (CEG).

PingAn had bid at an aggregate equity valuation of $281 million for 100 per cent stake. This valued IIPLs 49 per cent stake at $140 million and PingAn had agreed to take over the Rs 1,600-crore debt in CYEC (as of December 2018).

The transaction was completed after receipt of approval from retired Supreme Court Justice D K Jain  overseeing the resolution process of the group  and the National Company Law Tribunal.

IOPL and IIPL are two Singapore-based subsidiaries of IL&FS Transportation Networks (ITNL), a majority owned subsidiary of IL&FS.

CYEC holds and operates a concession for a toll-based expressway of approximately 58.72 km in China Mainland till 2032.

The company has the right to collect toll from users and concessions from the Chinese government for the remaining period of the concession term.
Dar es Salaam  The High Court in Dar es Salaam has on March 31, 2021 sentenced a couple to life in jail after they were found guilty of drug trafficking.

The couple Shamim Mwasha and Abdul Nsembo all residents of the commercial capital will also lose their Landrover Discovery 4 which has been nationalized by the court.

The sentence was handed by Judge Elinaza Luvanda after listening to the defence and the state, saying that the court had found the defendants guilty on two counts.

The two allegedly committed the crime on May 1, 2019 at their residence in Mbezi Beach, Kinondoni District.

The couple was allegedly found in possession of heroin weighing more than 400 grams at their home in Mbezi Beach, Dar es Salaam.

Speaking to Mwananchi then, DCEA Operations Commissioner, Lieutenant Colonel Fredrick Milanzi said DCEA officers went to the couple's home after receiving information and conducted a search and found the bag containing the drugs and others were found in the back seat of the car.

"We conducted a search from 2:00 am to 7:00 am and found the drugs hidden and preliminary results from the Chief Government Chemist showed that they were heroin."

"Other items we found with them were five phones, bank cards, passports and various documents," said Lieutenant Colonel Milanzi.
Opportunities and challenges in parallel

Previously, despite being favoured by Europeans, the amount of Vietnamese rice sold in this market was negligible. The reason was that Vietnam's rice was heavily taxed (40-50%), and some European countries even imposed a tax rate of 100%, pushing the price of rice up and making it difficult to compete.

However, since the EVFTA officially came into effect from August 1, 2020, bringing Vietnam's rice export tax rate to the EU to zero percent, the amount of rice exports to this market has increased continuously.

Similarly, in the first eight months of 2020, Vietnam's leather and footwear export turnover decreased by more than 10% due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, then quickly regained growth momentum after the EVFTA took effect.

In January alone, the country's leather and footwear export turnover increased by more than 26% over the same period in 2020, a positive signal, creating good development; conditions for the industry in 2021.

In addition, seafood has been one of the typical products benefiting from EVFTA. Seafood export turnover to the EU in the first two months of the year reached US$ 63.97 million, an increase of more than 16% over the same period in 2020.

According to general statistics, the total export turnover of Vietnam to the EU in the first two months of the year reached US$6.73 billion, up 22.7% over the same period last year.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Vietnamese enterprises have quickly approached and taken advantage of opportunities arising from EVFTA, bringing the trade surplus to US$ 4 billion in first two months of 2021, up 36.3% over the same period last year.

The EVFTA is an opportunity to improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods through tariff cuts as well as the simplification of import and export procedures. Obviously, with the current tariff reductions in the EVFTA, Vietnam now has a great advantage to compete more effectively, moving towards a larger market share, as well as a higher added value in the EU market.

However, the EVFTA is an opportunity to help businesses recover from the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, but not a "universal key" for Vietnamese goods to be increasingly exported to the EU.

According to experts, entering this large playground also means Vietnamese goods must cope with new difficulties and challenges. For example, for agricultural products, the EU is promoting the "farm-to-table" programme with much stricter requirements on product quality, origin or even factors relating to the protection of the environment.

More worryingly, according to Nguyen Van Than, Chairman of the Vietnam Small and Medium sized Enterprise Association (Vinasme), most Vietnamese enterprises currently lack information on the EU market as well as regulations on goods imported into this market. This situation is caused by several reasons, but is mainly due to a lack of a coordinated business approach.

Many solutions to support businesses

The EVFTA is often considered a Western highway, connecting Vietnam with the world in terms of finance, technology and the market. Therefore, over recent times, the Government has implemented strong and drastic action programmes to effectively implement the EVFTA, bringing many benefits to both people and businesses.

These are groups of solutions for the communication and dissemination of knowledge about international economic integration in general and the EVFTA in particular; removing barriers to production and the business activities of enterprises through further promoting administrative reform, issuing policies towards achieving the highest favourable conditions for enterprises, transparency and ensuring fairness; improving competitiveness for businesses.

Most recently, the MoIT's E-Commerce and Digital Economy Department has also cooperated with the Vietnam Institute of Business Management Science and Digital Economy (VIDEM) and the Kim Nam Group to organise a programme to help businesses optimise advantages from the EVFTA through the Vietnam-EU e-commerce platform. In particular, an e-commerce floor has been built to help Vietnamese enterprises, EU enterprises as well as other international partners easily connect and carry out commercial activities.

Notably, the floor is connected with the existing trading floors of cities and provinces, helping build a national database facilitating transparency in origin of products, and providing information to the business community of Vietnam and other countries on trade deals and the relevant policies. The Vietnam-EU e-commerce floor was expected to help realise the goal of connecting relevant digital solutions to build a complete digital ecosystem, helping businesses trade on a single platform.

In the coming time, in order to continue taking advantage of the "golden opportunities" from the EVFTA, experts have noted some of the following key tasks: Firstly, the business community should work closely with Government agencies in their EVFTA implementation efforts.

Both the State and enterprises need to carefully understand the commitments, challenges and opportunities in relation to their industries and sectors and reposition themselves and act immediately; restructure markets, partners, and supply sources; to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the agreement.

Second, it is necessary to continue to make efforts to reform institutions and strengthen transparent and fair competition platforms; sustainable development, ensure the harmonious assurance of economic, social and environmental goals; support small and medium enterprises; promote associations, develop supporting industries and create a symbiotic ecosystem for mutual benefits between FDIs and domestic enterprises.

Third, businesses themselves must invest to improve their competitiveness, make efforts to renovate business models and strategies towards a long-term vision as well as sustainable development.

By doing this, Vietnamese enterprises can build a solid interaction with the EU market in particular and the world market in general in the new context.
[April 01, 2021] TMEIC Announces Leadership Changes

ROANOKE, Va., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TMEIC Corporation Americas, a subsidiary of Tokyo, Japan headquartered Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (TMEIC) is pleased to announce that Manmeet S. Bhatia has been named President & CEO effective April 1, 2021. Mr. Bhatia has been with TMEIC since its inception in 2003. Immediately preceding his promotion to President & CEO, beginning in 2019, Mr. Bhatia served as the company's COO. In addition, Mr. Bhatia served as the General Manager for the Global Drives Business Unit at TMEIC Corporation. In this role, Mr. Bhatia led business unit operations and held complete fiscal responsibility for orders, sales, and earnings of TMEIC's MV motors and drives business in the Americas. Since joining TMEIC, Mr. Bhatia has focused on bolstering TMEIC's global presence through several concurrent leadership positions that included Managing Director of TMEIC Europe Limited in 2007, where he led the integration and expansion of sales and engineering branch offices in Italy, Germany, and Poland; served as a Director on the Board of TMEIC Industrial Systems India Private Limited from 2010 to 2013, where he guided the establishment and growth of TMEIC's operations in India; and served as the Co-Leader for TMEIC's Global General Industries Business Unit. Earlier in his career, he held a variety of engineering and commercial leadership positions with General Electric Company's Industrial Drives and Control System Business in North America, Europe, and Asia including at GE's operations in Salem, Virginia which was one of TMEIC Corporation Americas predecessor companies.



Mr. Bhatia is replacing Dale Guidry as TMEIC Corporation Americas President & CEO. Mr. Guidry, who has led the company since 2007 and oversaw its entry into the solar power industry and significant growth in other areas, will remain with the company as Executive Advisor to the business's senior staff. In his new role, Mr. Guidry will support the integration of TMEIC's North American manufacturing operation, TMEIC Power Electronics Products Corporation, into TMEIC Corporation Americas, as well as other executive consulting responsibilities.

According to Masahiko Yamawaki, TMEIC Group President & CEO, "Mr. Bhatia's promotion is representative of TMEIC's ongoing global structural change as the company looks to a new generation of leaders to continue its expansion into the new markets and technologies which will drive TMEIC's business worldwide throughout the 21st century. He will carry on the work for which his predecessor, Mr. Dale Guidry, laid the foundation in his over twenty years of leadership in the business." Media Inquiries: Michael Cooper, Marketing Vice President, Michael.Cooper@tmeic.com About Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (TMEIC)

Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (TMEIC) was formed in 2003 following the merger of the industrial systems departments of Toshiba Corporation and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. TMEIC manufactures and sells variable frequency drives, motors, photovoltaic inverters, and advanced automation systems for a range of industrial applications. We drive industry. The North American operation 

TMEIC Corporation Americas, headquartered in Roanoke, VA, designs, develops and engineers advanced automation, large AC and DC motors, photovoltaic inverters, and variable frequency drive systems with manufacturing facilities in Katy, Texas. TMEIC Corporation Americas specializes in Renewable Energy, Metals, Material Handling, Oil & Gas, Mining, Paper, Testing and other industrial markets worldwide. We drive industry. www.tmeic.com TMEIC Corporation Americas, 2060 Cook Dr., Salem, VA 24153, USA

Tel: +1 540 283-2000

www.tmeic.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tmeic-announces-leadership-changes-301260897.html SOURCE TMEIC

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It is safe to say that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been resolved, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said, making a speech at the informal Summit of the Cooperation Council of the Turkic-Speaking States (Turkic Council) held in a video conference format.

"In the early hours of November 10, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia and the prime minister of Armenia signed a statement. Based on this statement, our other districts were returned to Azerbaijan through political means. So issue was resolved by both military and political means. Azerbaijan has resolved this issue, achieved a historic victory and started restoration work," the president said.
The world climate summit might not be able to go ahead face to face in the UK because of the pandemic.

Glasgow is due to host the COP26 gathering later this year and organisers are determined that it should proceed.

But despite plans for strict testing and vaccination of attendees, there are fears some sessions may have to be virtual.

Government sources sought to play down reports it could even be delayed a second time.

But many countries are struggling to vaccinate their citizens and another wave of Covid-19 looks certain.

There are too many uncertainties, a Government insider told Sky News

Covid uncertainty has led to fears the world climate summit should be held virtually this year. Pictured: Summit president Alok Sharma has told MPs summit needs to be a physical event

It will depend on what public health rules are brought in between now and then, and what happens with vaccinations of delegates.

More than 20,000 delegates have attended the last two COP summits, including heads of state, ministers and officials.

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley insisted the summit should go ahead.

Its about peoples security, about peoples wellbeing, this is a climate emergency, he added.

A decision on the summit would be made by Downing Street, the United Nations and the Scottish Government. Last year, it was agreed to delay in May, meaning leaders are likely to have only weeks to decide about this years event.

Summit president Alok Sharma has told MPs it needs to be a physical event where participants sit around the table, although there will also be online attendees.

The Scottish Government will decide about any restrictions in place in Glasgow when the summit is due to be held.

The chairman of the House of Commons business select committee warned that scaling back the conference could marginalise the voices that need to be heard the most.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is determined to hold the summit in person, said Downing Street

Labour MP Darren Jones said: Some of the smaller countries, more vulnerable countries, rely on NGOs [non-governmental organisations] to amplify their voice.

'So if we end up with just national delegations and not other interested stakeholders, there is a risk to securing the right kind of agreement.

He said he understood the attraction of an all-bells-and-whistles British leadership conference, but climate change isnt about our countrys ego, its about saving the planet.

Boris Johnson is determined to hold the summit in person, said Downing Street, and a UK Government spokesman said health issues were being considered, adding: We are working on the basis of COP26 being held in person this November, while monitoring the Covid situation. We are not looking to postpone the summit.

Asked about parts of the summit being held virtually, a Government source said: Thats not our expectation.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment wishes to inform the general public especially the importers of essential commodities that the essential commodity Act, enacted in 2015 is being brought into force. The Act aims to regulate importation, distribution and retailing of essential commodities to ensure availability at fair and reasonable prices.

The Act requires importers of essential commodities to obtain an import license from the Ministry to be able to import these commodities. The essential commodities in question are rice, sugar, Edible oil, Flour, chicken thighs, whole chicken, Onions and potatoes.

In this regards, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment is reintroducing the licensing system and hereby inform all importers of the above commodities to obtain an import license from the Ministry with immediate effect. The enforcement of the import license will commence by 1st May 2021. No importer would be allowed to import the above commodities without an import license. The application form and the guidelines can be collected from the Ministry from Monday to Thursday during working hours (8:00 am -4:00 pm) and all completed application forms should be submitted to the same Ministry.

This Ministry requests the understanding and cooperation of the general public particularly the importers in this exercise.
Monrovia  President George Manneh Weah has declared a curfew in Maryland County from 6am to 6pm following violent protest by women and motorcyclists over the alleged death of a motorcyclist by four unknown men.

President Weah condemned the violent attacks and warned that his government will not in any way condoned any act of lawlessness.

Citizens of the county reportedly cut one of those allegedly linked to the murder allegation. On Wednesday, scores of women and motorcyclists took to the street of Pleebo, demanding justice in the death of the motorcyclist, Modacious Nyemah, who is said to be a senior student of the Pleebo Central High School.

Their action reportedly resulted to led to the burning of House Speaker Dr. Bhofal Chambers' residence in Pleebo, Maryland County.

Speaker Chambers upon series of calls and text messages to his orange number did not respond up to press time.

Liberia National Police Spokesman Moses Carter confirmed the situation, stating that one arrest has been made in connection to the situation.
The payments giant will invest US$100mln in subsidiary Airtel Mobile Commerce BV and retain a stake

( ) said payments giant will invest US$100mln in its subsidiary Airtel Mobile Commerce BV (AMC BV).

AMC BV is the holding company for several of Airtel Africa's mobile money operations and is intended to own and operate the mobile money businesses across all of Airtel Africa's 14 operating countries.

The transaction values Airtel Africa's mobile money arm at US$2.65bn on a cash and debt free basis, the telecoms provider said.

will hold a minority stake in AMC BV once the deal is completed.

Alongside this investment, Airtel Africa and have extended commercial agreements and signed a new commercial framework covering several countries and business areas including card issuance, payment gateway, payment processing, merchant acceptance and remittance solutions.

As previously announced, Airtel Africa aims to continue to monetise AMC BV with minority investments up to a total of 25% of its issued share capital, and to explore the potential listing of the mobile money business within four years.

The proceeds from the deal with Mastercard will be used to reduce debt and invest in network and sales infrastructure in the respective operating countries.

Shares rose 3% to 81.35p on Thursday morning.

--Adds shares--
Calling all Texas nature lovers who also want some master-planned community amenities.

Launched in late March, there's a newly planned section of the Bridgeland master-planned experience poetically dubbed "Prairieland Village" under construction near West Houston, opening up to the wide open spaces of the Katy prairie land.

For first-time homebuyers, the allure of Prairieland Village is the abundant natural space. This community will feature canoe and kayak launches, hiking and biking trails, birdwatching locations, catch-and-release fishing and a series of lakes.

Bridgeland Corporation

BEST CITY TO LIVE: This booming Houston suburb was crowned the best city to live in America

Prairieland Village was created as a development "painted by nature," blending the prairie-like feel into the design of the homes. The development will ultimately feature 7,000 residences which will be the future homes of approximately 26,000 residents, according to Howard Hughes Corporation who launched Prairieland Village. Offering a walkable community is one of the draws to this newly launched development.

Prairieland Village is our next step forward, combining innovative, sustainable and resilient features with inspiration drawn from the beauty and native ecosystem of the surrounding natural setting," Howard Hughes Corporation Executive Vice President Heath Melton explained in a press release.

Bridgeland Corporation

Further luring new homeowners might be the price point for these master-planned homesites. Homes in Prairieland Village start with a pricetag of $220,000 and go up to $1 million.

Beyond the vast park appeal of the community, a future 900-acre town center called Bridgeland Center will be designed to service Bridgeland and the other areas east Prairieland Village.

Bridgeland Corporation

So, what are the schools like in this master-planned nature enclave (the key question on every parent's mind)?

According to Bridgeland, residents will be zoned to Waller Independent School District, Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District and Katy Independent Schools. A state-of-the-art-elementary school is slated to be constructed as the first campus in Prairieland Village near Bridgeland.

"Prairieland will continue in Bridgelands tradition as a walkable, interconnected village that encourages a healthy and active lifestyle, providing sought-after amenities and a variety of Houstons top builders and model homes," Melton added.

Prairieland Village ushers in the third of Bridgeland's four villages, adjacent to Parkland and Lakeland.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the growing burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases across the globe will require governments across the world, including that of Uganda, to ensure access to healthcare is never compromised, considering that it is a critical pillar for resilient health systems.

According to some global medical experts, as the world continues to find a permanent prescription to the pandemic by way of a vaccine which is already underway, governments and stakeholders need to continue exploring new ways of improving access to healthcare and creating more resilient health systems.

"In this effort, public-private partnerships have strengthened their position as one of the solutions to removing barriers and creating affordable and sustainable healthcare solutions," reads a joint statement issued earlier this week by AstraZeneca, Access to Medicine Index, Healthy Heart Africa, Young Health Programme and Phakamisa

Partnerships with pharmaceutical companies are contributing to access to health products and their availability, especially in middle and low income countries (LMICs), according to the 2021 Access to Medicine Index.

The most recent Access to Medicine Index results recognise the role that 18 out of 20 companies have played in strengthening health systems by working with national or regional health authorities and governments to integrate various programmes into health services in LMICs.

Companies such as AstraZeneca, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Takeda have been especially recognised for having initiatives that meet all Good Practice Standards as set by the Access to Medicine Foundation.

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AstraZeneca has for example, received recognition for its multi-country initiatives, the Young Health Programme (YHP) and the Healthy Heart Africa programme (HHA), which were mentioned as a best practice in helping to equip health systems for the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), NCDs are steadily increasing in prevalence in the African region, and they are predicted to overtake communicable diseases by the year 2030. Over time, they have grown to become the leading cause of death worldwide and sharpened the focus on the growing need to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

During the ongoing pandemic, NCDs and their risk factors are aggravating the susceptibility to COVID-19 infection and increasing the likelihood of worse outcomes for patients.

In East and West Africa, AstraZeneca's Healthy Hert Africa programme is addressing hypertension and the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
NEW YORK and BERLIN, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Automatic processing of drone photos according to AASHTO standards while finding and prioritizing relevant defects in just several hours is a technological breakthrough that immediately enables bridge engineers to dramatically increase the benefits and value of each drone inspection.

Dynamic Infrastructure, automated drone detection Dynamic Infrastructure, automated drone detection

Dynamic Infrastructure's image processing and AI platform automatically analyzes drone photos collected during bridge inspections. The goal is clear  providing inspection engineers a quick and accurate analysis of the captured drone visuals for approval and maintenance recommendations.

The use of drones (UAS) for infrastructure inspection is dramatically increasing in states, counties and PPPs. This saves costs spent on special equipment and reduces traffic restrictions that can result when inspecting challenging locations. However, when the drone lands and the aerial inspection is over, the inspector engineer faces a 21st century problem  a big data problem.

Asset inspections can yield between 2000-7000 photos, ranging from a few to dozens of GBs, with extensive overlaps between the photos. The inspection engineer still faces the key problem of "separating the wheat from the chaff"  how to find the all the defects and then identify the relevant ones. It can take days and days to analyze each and every photo to find all the defects and then summarize them in the proper template.

Dynamic Infrastructure, which specializes in analyzing digital information of civil infrastructure, is taking its analysis and comparison capabilities one step further.

Dynamic Infrastructure is a market leader for multiple-source visual analysis in the civil-infrastructure world.

The amount of digital information captured throughout the lifetime of an asset is becoming a huge burden, instead of an opportunity, when decisions need to be made concerning asset inventories. With decades of engineering experience working for PPPs and DOTs, and with the power of artificial intelligence, Dynamic Infrastructure offers a fast, accurate and trusted services platform to execute small or large digital tasks.

Headquartered in New York, NY, with offices in Germany and Israel, Dynamic Infrastructure facilitates the execution of digital jobs for bridges, dams, tunnels, walls and large civil infrastructures around the globe while meeting international and local standards and regulation.

Media Contact:

PR Dynamic Infrastructure

[email protected]

Tel: +1(646) 233-1481

www.diglobal.tech

SOURCE Dynamic Infrastructure




Mandated by the Solutions 30 Supervisory Board to shed light on all the allegations made against the Company, Deloitte, with the support of Didier Kling Expertise & Conseil for the accounting part, has delivered the findings of their work.

They confirm the unfounded and erroneous nature of the accusations. The independent auditors also made recommendations to simplify and strengthen some of the Company's internal procedures for greater transparency and transaction security.

Alexander Sator, Chairman of the Solutions 30 Supervisory Board said, "Solutions 30 and its leaders have been the subject of very serious accusations that the independent audit has fully rejected. We renew our full confidence in management which will continue to accelerate the transformation undertaken since 2019 to meet Solutions 30's strong growth journey and align the Group with the best standards of the industry and the SBF120 index."

Since its creation, Solutions 30 has been a fast-growing Company and has structured itself at each major stage of its development around very solid fundamentals. Since 2019, the Group has initiated major restructuring projects related to its governance, operational excellence, financial reporting, and compliance, which in particular resulted in its listing on the Euronext regulated market in 2020. Today, the appointment of a Chief Transformation Officer1 at the highest level of the management will accelerate these changes with the launch of a new phase in its transformation.

Gianbeppi Fortis, Chief Executive Officer, underlined: "Over the past few months, in the face of repeated attacks, Solutions 30 has been able to count on the support of its employees, its customers, and a large part of its long-term shareholders. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to them. Solutions 30 is built on strong fundamentals and has grown extremely fast since its creation. Today, our ambitions remain intact. We will accelerate our transformation efforts and strengthen our internal processes to support our long-term growth."

Investigation Scope and Objectives

On December 14, 2020, the Solutions 30 Supervisory Board announced that it had retained two independent auditors to carry out investigative work in relation to the allegations made against the Company. The Supervisory Board selected Deloitte and Didier Kling Expertise & Conseil to conduct all necessary investigations and analyses, and provide an independent opinion.

Deloitte was mandated to coordinate the investigation and carry out so-called forensic work on the allegations. Didier Kling Expertise & Conseil was hired to meticulously analyze the allegations related to accounting.

Investigation Methodology

The independent auditors reviewed the anonymous reports and letters in detail to come up with a list of the various allegations and to identify the main items.

On this basis, a specific work plan was drawn up for each of the allegations. This plan was refined as the work progressed, drawing on the respective areas of expertise and skills of both firms.

The scope of the investigations was particularly broad and required more than 3,000 hours of work and support from Deloitte's international offices and teams experienced in this type of investigation, namely in the context of judicial investigations of an economic and financial nature.

The investigations and analyses were based on extensive interviews with both internal and external contacts to put the allegations into context, background checks on several legal and natural persons, an analysis of the Group's accounting and legal documentation, forensic data collection, and the review of a very large number of electronic documents.

The work was monitored by the Chairman of the Audit Committee, Yves Kerveillant, and an ad hoc steering committee comprising members, all independent, of the Supervisory Board.

Investigation Findings

With reference to the most serious allegations, the independent auditors state very clearly and unequivocally, according to the rules of their profession:

"We have not identified any evidence to corroborate the allegations of money laundering, in connection with organized crime."

The findings of the independent auditors are available on the Company's website: www.solutions30.com/transparency . The Supervisory Board has chosen to publicly disclose the findings of Deloitte, as well as those of Didier Kling Expertise & Conseil. All findings are summarized below and grouped according to five main themes.

No connection with the mafia or criminal organizations

After a thorough review of the various claims against Solutions 30 and after the investigations into the individuals cited in the various allegations, no evidence has been found to confirm any suspicious link between Solutions 30, or the natural and legal persons linked to the Group, and any mafia or other criminal organization.

Integrity of Solutions 30's management and rotation of members of the Management Board or Supervisory Board

The work carried out by the auditors revealed no link between the members of Solutions 30's Supervisory Board or Management Board, and the financial scandals that the allegations unfairly attempted to link them to.

On the Group's establishment in Luxembourg

The investigations negated the allegations, especially those claiming that shell companies or microstructures were used for money laundering, fraud, and embezzlement.

On activities in non-European or unconsolidated subsidiaries

All the activities presented by the Group in its financial statements and its financial communication are based on contracts signed between Solutions 30 and its customers, or Solutions 30 and its suppliers. Changes in shareholdings noted in several microstructures, subsidiaries of the Group or close to the Group, or its managers have been traced and show no evidence of fraudulent practices but call for greater legibility.

On the Group's accounting

In the course of their work, the independent auditors did not find any elements likely to call into question the sincerity of the Group's accounting.

A thorough review of the financial information provided by the Company on its level of growth, its margins, and its cash flows under IFRS did not reveal any misstatements. The same is true for all items that were the subject of specific allegations, in particular the level and nature of bank debts, the accounting treatment and the number of invoices to be issued, software development costs, badwill, and non-operating income.

The Group's consolidation scope was also analyzed and the accounting for the main acquisitions under IFRS was validated, as was the nature and accounting treatment of outsourcing contracts signed in Italy and Belgium. Analysis of the Group's minority stakes revealed that Worldlink, a subsidiary in which the Group increased its stake from 20% in 2019 to 100% on December 1, 2020, and Autronic, a subsidiary in which the Group lowered its stake in 2018 before increasing it to 100% in October 2019, could have been fully consolidated earlier. The impact on the Group's accounts would have been limited. These two subsidiaries have since been consolidated: Worldlink in December 2020 and Autronic in October 2019.

Continuation and Acceleration of the Group's Transformation Started in 2019

While confirming the integrity of the Company and its management, the independent auditors did point out the relative complexity of certain transactions and the use of third parties, calling for better control and greater legibility.

The Supervisory Board has called on Solutions 30 to pursue its efforts to strengthen governance, risk management, and controls within the Company. This is the work that has been underway since 2019 and that the Group intends to continue and accelerate by working on five fundamental areas:

Strengthening risk control and compliance

Strengthening governance and governing bodies

Simplification and legibility of the organization

Strengthening procedures for selecting partners and monitoring transactions with related parties

Strengthening corporate social responsibility commitments

Robert Ziegler's appointment to the Management Board (cf. appointment press release) will accelerate these developments with the launch of a new phase in the transformation of the Group, which will be presented in the annual report.

About Solutions 30 SE

The Solutions 30 group is the European leader in solutions for new technologies. Its mission is to make the technological developments that are transforming our daily lives accessible to everyone, individuals and businesses alike. Yesterday, it was computers and the Internet. Today, it's digital technology. Tomorrow, it will be technologies that make the world even more interconnected in real time. With more than 30 million call-outs carried out since it was founded and a network of more than 15,000 local technicians, Solutions 30 currently covers all of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Iberian Peninsula, the United Kingdom, and Poland. The share capital of Solutions 30 SE consists of 107,127,984 shares, equal to the number of theoretical votes that can be exercised.

Solutions 30 SE is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange



Contact

Analysts/Investors Nathalie Boumendil | Tel: +33 6 85 82 41 95 | nathalie.boumendil@solutions30.com



Press - Image 7: Leslie Jung | Tel: +44 7818 641803 | ljung@image7.fr

Flore Larger | Tel: +33 6 33 13 41 50 | flarger@image7.fr

Charlotte Le Barbier | Tel: +33 6 78 37 27 60 | clebarbier@image7.fr







1 Please see the press release dated April 1st, 2021 "Robert Ziegler joins the Solutions 30 Management Board as Chief Transformation Officer"

Attachment
A man charged with attempted murder after a shooting left a Dublin mother with catastrophic injuries has been further remanded in custody.

Sinead Connolly, 30, was shot multiple times in the hallway of her second floor flat at Bernard Curtis House, in Bluebell, in the south of the city, on the afternoon of March 6 last.

She was rushed to St Jamess Hospital and has remained in a critical condition.

Joseph Byrne, 32, of La Touche Road, Bluebell, was remanded in custody after he appeared at Dublin District Court on Tuesday charged with attempted murder of the mother-of-one.

He also faces an additional firearms charge for possessing a G9A Grand Power semi-automatic handgun, at Bluebell Road, with intent to enable another person to endanger life on the same date.

Mr Byrne faced his third hearing at Cloverhill District Court. Judge Victor Blake remanded him in continuing custody to appear again on April 28 next for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions to be obtained.

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Detective Garda Colm Reynolds had earlier said Ms Connolly suffered life threatening injuries to her upper body which were unlikely to be reversible and will change her life from here on in.

It was alleged Mr Byrne entered a nearby flat brandishing a black handgun. He came out with a second male who was now carrying the gun.

They allegedly went to Sinead Connollys home and the second man went in followed by Mr Byrne.

Detective Garda Reynolds has said when they exited Mr Byrne was helping the other man who was nursing an injury. The gun was left on the stairwell and picked up by a third man, the court was told.

Mr Byrne brought the injured man to St Jamess A&E, it was alleged.

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Whatsapp Sinead Connolly tried to help relative and was targetted.

Paul Mooney, 32, with an address in Dublins south inner city was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. He is also accused of acting to impede the apprehension or prosecution of a person, knowing or believing them to have committed an offence.

The district court heard he arrived after the shooting.

His solicitor had said he innocently went there to pay someone 50. The court also heard it was alleged he picked up the firearm from the scene and put it in his pocket. He allegedly returned to his own home, wrapped it in two bags and disposed of it in a communal bin area.

It was later recovered.

He has been further remanded in custody to appear again on April 27 at Cloverhill District Court.

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As part of the American Rescue Plan Act that was passed earlier this month, $65.1 billion in federal money was designated for aid to every county in the county.

For the three Upper Thumb counties, Tuscola is due to get $10.13 million, Sanilac will get $7.98 million, and Huron will get $6.01 million. They are getting the 34th, 40th, and 47th most amounts for Michigan counties, respectively.

The three Detroit-area counties of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb got the most in COVID relief in the state with a combined $752.67 million.

According to the National Association of Counties, the U.S. Department of the Treasury will distribute the funds with the deadline to spend them being Dec. 31, 2024. The Treasury is required to pay the first payment to counties no later than 60 days after enactment, with the second no earlier than 12 months after the first payment.

The allowable uses for recovery funds given to each county include responding to or mitigating the public health emergency with respect to COVID-19 or its negative impacts, provide government services, make investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure, and providing premium pay to eligible workers.

States are not allowed to use the funds to offset a reduction in net tax revenue or deposit them into employees pension funds. State and local governments are required to report how funds are used and how their tax revenue was modified during the time the funds were spent during the covered period, with local governments required to provide periodic reports detailing the use of funds

Any local governments that fail to comply with federal law and related guidelines are required to repay their amounts to the federal Treasury.

A separate list details the amount of aid for cities and townships. For Huron County, the funding is as follows:

 The City of Bad Axe receiving $287,724.

 Sebewaing Township receiving $249,413.

 Colfax Township receiving $178,322.

 Winsor Township receiving $174,767.

 Caseville Township receiving $165,189.

 Bingham Township receiving $157,982.

 The City of Harbor Beach receiving $156,698.

 Oliver Township receiving $136,753.

 Port Austin Township receiving $131,816.

 Verona Township receiving $117,203.

 Sand Beach Township receiving $112,068.

 Fairhaven Township receiving $103,182.

 Sherman Township receiving $99,825.

 Grant Township receiving $85,014.

 Lake Township receiving $78,991.

 Lincoln Township receiving $74,449.

 The City of Caseville receiving $72,573.

 Brookfield Township receiving $69,709.

 Dwight Township receiving $69,709.

 Hume Township receiving $69,413.

 Rubicon Township receiving $67,735.

 Meade Township receiving $66,352.

 Sheridan Township receiving $66,254.

 Paris Township receiving $44,136.

 Chandler Township receiving $43,050.

 Sigel Township receiving $42,852.

 Bloomfield Township receiving $41,766.

 McKinley Township receiving $40,878.

 Huron Township receiving $40,680.

 Gore Township receiving $13,626.

 Pointe Aux Barques Township receiving $889.

For Tuscola County, the funds cities and townships received are as follows:

 Millington Township receiving $401,471.

 The City of Caro receiving $393,769.

 Vassar Township receiving $383,599.

 Elkland Township receiving $326,232.

 Fremont Township receiving $306,682.

 Arbela Township receiving $288,415.

 Denmark Township receiving $284,268.

 The City of Vassar receiving $250,993.

 Indianfields Township receiving $248,722.

 Watertown Township receiving $203,500.

 Almer Township receiving $194,416.

 Tuscola Township receiving $191,059.

 Dayton Township receiving $173,187.

 Wells Township receiving $166,671.

 Koylton Township receiving $146,528.

 Juniata Township receiving $146,034.

 Fairgrove Township receiving $145,639.

 Kingston Township receiving $145,540.

 Akron Township receiving $138,135.

 Novesta Township receiving $137,543.

 Ellington Township receiving $124,312.

 Columbia Township receiving $117,795.

 Elmwood Township receiving $112,167.

 Gilford Township receiving $68,031.

 Wisner Township receiving $63,884.

For Sanilac County, the funds cities and townships received are as follows:

 Worth Township receiving $358,618.

 Lexington Township receiving $343,906.

 The City of Sandusky receiving $248,821.

 Sanilac Township receiving $227,395.

 The City of Croswell receiving $225,716.

 Washington Township receiving $206,363.

 The City of Marlette receiving $174,471.

 Marlette Township receiving $163,116.

 Marion Township receiving $154,624.

 Elk Township receiving $141,591.

 Speaker Township receiving $138,826.

 Watertown Township receiving $122,929.

 Brown City receiving $122,732.

 Buel Township receiving $119,967.

 Maple Valley Township receiving $112,957.

 Moore Township receiving $111,476.

 Flynn Township receiving $97,850.

 Fremont Township receiving $97,060.

 Custer Township receiving $94,888.

 Forester Township receiving $94,493.

 Evergreen Township receiving $86,890.

 Lamotte Township receiving $85,409.

 Delaware Township receiving $79,484.

 Bridgehampton Township receiving $79,386.

 Elmer Township receiving $74,745.

 Greenleaf Township receiving $72,474.

 Argyle Township receiving $70,499.

 Austin Township receiving $62,106.

 Minden Township receiving $50,850.

 Wheatland Township receiving $45,420.
Mr. NGUYEN MANH HA, Chairman of Vietnam Real Estate Brokerage Association, spoke with Saigon Investment on the current unreal boom of the real estate market, which is largely the result of such unrealistic information.

JOURNALIST: - Sir, from the beginning of this year, the real estate market has seen an abnormal increase in prices in many segments. Is this an unreal boom phenomenon?

Mr. NGUYEN MANH HA: - The unrealistic price increase in the real estate market in recent days has spread to many places and localities. This situation does not only happen in terms of land, but also for houses, resort real estates, and apartments. In theory, when the demand is higher than the supply, the need to buy real estate increases but if there is insufficient supply, then there will be an extraordinary increase in prices.

The fact that the real estate price is too high compared to the real value does not come from real demand but because of speculation. As noted by the Ministry of Construction, the land plots in many localities have experienced a strong increase in prices. In addition to infrastructure development in some specific cities and projects, there are also a number of speculators taking advantage of factors such as urban planning preparation and construction of infrastructure projects and urban expansions to blow up prices. This has a negative impact not only on the management and use of land locally, but also on the sustainable development of the real estate market.

- Sir, what is the main reason leading to the current unreal real estate price boom?

- The real estate market always fluctuates according to the macro policies of the State, the participation of more or less investors, the direction of capital flow, and the investment trend. Among these, planning is always the most important factor that strongly affects land transactions and investors. Therefore, the State moves on planning or any information about planning of infrastructure, can be used by speculators to spread news, blow up land prices, and create unreal land fever. I think the main reason leading to the current unreal real estate price fever is spreading of unrealistic information on planning.

In essence, in the process of planning, the State does not trigger an increase in land prices, but the impact of urban planning on the real estate market is huge. To this extent, the impact is positive, and of course, housing prices will increase when the urban infrastructure is built more spacious and monumental than before.

The corollary is that many people invest in real estate according to the psychology of the crowd, especially in society with much idle money. Many people have the desire to get rich quickly, so they race to pour money into real estate, even though they have no knowledge of the market, no need for investment, but because they are eager to make profits. It should also be added, that our planning information issue has not been transparent for a long time, and people cannot know that planning information is right or wrong, or when the implementation will begin. This has pushed the investors into a conflicting situation on land prices.

- Sir, in the past, there were consequences for both investors and the economy from the real estate bubble. What effective measures do you think are necessary to prevent such a situation?

- As I said, information must be made public and transparent by the State. Transparency must be provided on both planning and land prices. In the past, there were many valuable lessons learnt from the unreal price increase of the real estate market, which does not reflect the true nature of the market. As a result, it has led to extremely heavy losses not only for inexperienced small investors, but also for the entire society. The bursts of real estate bubbles, such as during 2000 to 2001 and again from 2007 to 2008, are lessons that still remain valid. They also started from unclear planning information and investor illusions.

In the revised Land Law 2013, there is a provision on state management of land, under Clause 9, Article 22. Unfortunately, the data on land prices nationwide has not been formed so far. Consequently, pricing companies, buyers and sellers only have to rely on the land price list of the provinces for reference and as a basis for price increase. Therefore, the solution is to develop a national data on land prices. Only then can the State control and regulate the real estate market, bringing back true values.

- Sir, what are your recommendations for current real estate investors?

- I think that investors need to be careful before investing money in any project. Clients need to consider many factors such as the location, the reputation of the investor, the potential for development, as well as the profitability of similar projects that already exist and come into operation. From there on, it is possible to set a specific strategic direction when investing in real estate.

In my opinion, land value is not really high due to lack of synchronous investment in infrastructure. Land prices surged in recent years mainly due to land price blowing up, and real estate brokers pushed prices to disturb the market. Therefore, if investors are inexperienced and do not carefully study the market situation, they will lose money. At the same time, the State management agencies also need to be more active in market management, and it should give open and transparent information to help the real estate market develop in a sustainable way.

- Thank you very much.

Luu Thuy
Gaborone  The President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has requested Parliament to approve an extension of the State of Public Emergency by six months from April 1 to September 30, 2021 as the challenges to combat COVID -19 pandemic remain.

Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, President Masisi said given the achievements the country had attained during the State of Emergency and the dangers that remained, it would be premature to let the guard down.

Dr Masisi first declared the State of Public Emergency for six months on April 2 last year, using Section 17 of the Constitution, and the state of emergency was subsequently extended by a further six months.

"The State of Emergency was the strongest legal tool availed in our laws to provide sufficient legal leverage in disease containment and control," he said.

President Masisi said, 'our domestic pandemic scenario does not proffer respite from continued strict adherence to disease containment. It is way too premature, and it would be remiss for any responsible government to abandon the strategies that have so far saved the nation from peril."

He also stated that the state of emergency would run from April 1 to September 30, 2021, adding that during the same period, there would be a curfew from 8 pm to 4 am.

"During this period, government may impose localised lockdowns to mitigate the rapid spread of the disease," he said.

President Masisi said regulations introduced during the SOE could not be done under the Public Health Act as it was inadequate to enforce them.

He noted that during this period, he had the power to lockdown the whole country and to impose curfews to control the spread of the disease by limiting the movement of people.

Dr Masisi also pointed out that the state of emergency prohibited retrenchments where businesses were unable to pay salaries.

Mandatory testing of all people at all points of entry were introduced and people were also required to wear face masks and have inter-zonal movement permits.

Furthermore, he said the state of emergency provided for the suspension of transport permits and limitation of trading hours, and the number of people at social gatherings such as weddings, churches and funerals was restricted or banned completely such as workshops.

He also said government was able to fast track construction of ablution facilities in all public schools.

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The government has also strengthened and expanded its COVID -19 testing to include high output laboratory based Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing at six strategic locations across the country.

"Government has also deployed point of entry rapid antigen testing at clinic level, and we are able to conduct our own COVID-19 genomic surveillance to better understand the variants that keep emerging," he said.

The President said Botswana had been able to secure COVID-19 vaccines and warned that they 'do not prevent against contracting the virus.'

He said the acceptance of the vaccines was based on their safety, quality and efficacy.

He however said 'the country continues to face challenges and as at 26 March 2021, there were 37 452 local cases and 568 deaths recorded.'

President Masisi also pleaded with the nation to minimise travelling especially during the upcoming Easter Holidays.

He noted that it was unfortunate that there were people who continued to defy the health protocols with some spreading false information about the pandemic and proposed mitigation interventions by government.

The loss of lives, he said, should not be perceived as a sign of ineptitude and inefficiencies by government, adding that the emergence of COVID-19 variants remained a grave concern for Botswana and the world and they were highly transmissible, making prevention more complicated and unpredictable.

He urged MPs to put their political differences aside and act as a collective unit to help the nation through the pandemic.

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
French President has extended light lockdown from 19 areas to all over the country for the next four weeks amid the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lockdown would be imposed from April 3, Macron announced at a televised address on Wednesday (local time). On Tuesday, the country reported 30,702 new COVID-19 cases and over 1000 fatalities due to the pandemic. Confirmed Covid-19 cases per day in have doubled since February to nearly 40,000.

Macron widened the light lockdown measures currently imposed on a third of the French population - including the Paris region - to all of mainland France, 24 reported. "We don't have to lock ourselves in but we need to limit our contacts," he said.

From Saturday evening and for a period of four weeks, travel will be limited everywhere in to a radius of 10 km from home for daily outings. During curfew hours from 7 pm to 6 am, or for trips exceeding 10 kilometres, a certificate will be required, said Macron in a televised address to the nation.

"We tried to push back this day for as long as possible - but unfortunately it has now arrived," the president continued.

France has reported over 45 lakh cases so far. The country has also reported over 95,000 deaths.

Macron also announced a closure of all schools and daycare centres for three weeks until April 26. Yet he also justified his policy of keeping them open since the end of the first lockdown in spring 2020, which has received intensifying criticism over recent weeks: "School is non-negotiable," he said.

Macron emphasised that jabs are the route out of the nightmare: "Thanks to vaccines, the end of the crisis is on the horizon."

France had given out a vaccine dose to just 11.75 per cent of its population by March 29 - compared to 45.19 per cent in the UK, where the vaccine programme has raced ahead.

(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.)
Dodoma  MEMBERS of Parliament have expressed confidence in the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, pledging to support the government to realise its development objectives.

They said that President Samia has taken over the position from the right person, thus they believe that she will lead the nation into the right path.

The lawmakers were contributing on resolutions to recognise valuable contribution of the late fifth President Dr John Magufuli and his outstanding service and to congratulate Ms Samia. The resolutions were passed by 100 per cent in Parliament.

Nyamagana MP Stanslaus Mabula said that President Samia has greatly contributed to the achievements attained during the administration of the departed president Dr Magufuli.

"We cannot separate the achievements attained during the leadership of Dr Magufuli with President Samia, who was his Vice-President, so we have no doubt that she will take the nation into the right path," he said.

Mabula added that it is high time the government works on issues which will be beneficial to Tanzanians, especially the poor.

Special Seats MP, Ms Tauhida Nyimbo (CCM) said that when President Samia was sworn in, she gave an uplifting message to Tanzanians.

Ms Nyimbo quoted President Samia saying "It is not the time to look forward with doubt, rather with hope and confidence ... It is not the time to look for the past, rather the future in order to build a new Tanzania".

The legislator said that it is high time Tanzanians unite and work hard for the development of the country.

She, however, said that Dr Magufuli showed the light and a right path which enabled youths to learn from him, saying he was courageous and brought hope to poor Tanzanians, women, and expectant mothers, therefore we should honour him by implementing all what he wanted us to do.

Ubungo MP Prof Kitila Mkumbo (CCM) said that the qualities used by the late third phase president Benjamin Mkapa to obtain his Vice -President, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein resembles those of President Samia and her Vice-President Dr Philip Mpango.

He said that the late President Mkapa described Dr Shein as a person with integrity, love and respect to all people, who worked for the people.

On President Magufuli, he said he has left an indelible mark in the country due to his huge contribution to the development of the country.

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Special Seats legislator Asia Halamga (CCM) said youths in the country will honour Dr Magufuli because he had showed them the right path of being patriotic to their country.

"We will honour him for being in the forefront to defend the right of our country and protect our resources," she said.

Mbogwe MP, Nicodemus Maganga (CCM) said that the message given by President Samia during the state funeral for Dr Magufuli has created confidence among Tanzanians that she is going to do a good job.

Simanjiro legislator, Christopher Ole Sendeka (CCM) said Dr Magufuli's administration has left a legacy not only in Tanzania and Africa but the world in general, which is why his funeral was attended by at least ten presidents and more than 50 envoys.

Presenting a resolution to honour the departed president's legacy in Parliament, Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitution and Legal Affairs, Ms Najma Giga said during his administration, Dr Magufuli worked hard and sacrificed to raise livelihoods of many Tanzanians.

"During his leadership, Dr Magufuli managed to fulfill the dreams championed by the late Father of the Nation by shifting the country's capital from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma and building modern government offices and implementing Nyerere Hydropower project," she pointed out.
[April 01, 2021] Mitsubishi Electric to Provide Integrated Power Protection and IT Cooling Solutions for US Data Center Applications

Mitsubishi (News - Alert) Electric is pleased to announce the strategic alliance between US-based Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. (MEPPI) Uninterruptible Power Supplies Division and Mitsubishi Electric (News - Alert) Hydronics and IT Cooling Systems S.p.A. (MEHITS) headquartered in Italy. This strategic alliance will integrate MEHITS and MEPPI IT Cooling Solutions and Uninterruptible Power Supplies and offer turnkey solutions and services for data center applications in North American markets. Mitsubishi Electric Uninterruptible Power Supplies enjoy an expanding presence in the North American market, particularly within cloud and colocation data centers. The newly announced collaboration combines MEPPI's outstanding reputation for Uninterruptible Power Supplies in the mission critical market with MEHITS' 50-year experience in innovative data center cooling solutions throughout Europe and Asia. By leveraging each business' unique strengths and capabilities, the enhanced product, system, and service offerings will deliver effective and reliable solutions in the critical areas of power protection and cooling. Additional system efficiencies are attained by reducing extraneous interactions with third party products from multiple sources. Mitsubishi Electric s a global brand synonymous with quality and is well known for manufacturing precision-engineered, highly reliable Uninterruptible Power Supplies to protect customers' mission critical equipment against the damage and expenses resulting from power fluctuations and outages.



Based in the center of Europe's HVAC industry and highly regarded in the EMEA regions, MEHITS integrated IT Cooling Systems draws upon years of experience to deliver premier solutions for data center applications. Together, this union of quality, history and advanced technological products and systems offers an unparalleled, packaged solution for data centers in the North American market.

About Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. (MEPPI) Headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. is a U.S. affiliate of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and serves the North American power systems, rail transportation, and large visual display markets with electrical and electronic products, systems and services. Mitsubishi Electric UPS systems are highly regarded for their unsurpassed quality, reliability, and efficiency and set the benchmark for technical excellence. About Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics & IT Cooling Systems S.p.A. (MEHITS) Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics & IT Cooling Systems S.p.A. is an Italian affiliate of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan specializing in hydronic systems for Air conditioning and IT Cooling solutions. By combining the broad experience of its historical brands Climaveneta and RC, with Mitsubishi Electric care for quality and innovation capability, it designs, manufactures, and markets high efficiency, reliable, economically viable, eco-sustainable solutions and value adding services worldwide, in particular by embracing renewable energy sources. Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics & IT Cooling Systems S.p.A is headquartered in Italy and has a production network in twelve operations throughout Europe, China, and India. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005223/en/

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Using two quarantine centers, one in Majuro (pictured) and the other at the U.S. Army base at Kwajalein, the Marshall Islands has repatriated over 1,000 people since June 2020 using strict Covid border controls.

Photo by Giff Johnson
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The police in Anambra State said they have arrested one suspect over Wednesdays deadly attack on a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo.

Three police officers attached to Mr Soludo were killed during the attack which occurred at Mr Soludos hometown of Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, the police have confirmed.

The police also confirmed the abduction of the Commissioner for Public Utilities in the state, Emeka Ezenwanne, by the unknown gunmen.

Mr Soludo, a professor of econometrics, is an aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

One person has been arrested in connection with the act, a spokesperson for the police in Anambra, Ikenga Tochukwu, said in a statement on Thursday.

Mr Tochukwu, a deputy superintendent of the police, said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Bala Kuryas, visited the scene of the attack, as well as met with the former CBN governor.

The commissioner has ordered that security be strengthened around Mr Soludo, the statement said.

The CP, while condemning the act, commiserate with the family and friends of the officers who paid the supreme price.

(He) has ordered the immediate launch of a tacit investigation to unravel the mystery behind the incidence as well as bring perpetrators of the barbaric act to book, the police spokesperson said.

It is not clear, for now, if the attack was politically motivated.

The slain police officers add to the increasing number of security operatives killed in deadly attacks lately around Nigeria, especially in the countrys South-east and South-south regions.

Three police officers, for instance, were brutally killed on Tuesday in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigerias South-south, while four officers are still missing.
New Delhi, April 1 : The Indian Army will participate in a military exercise in Bangladesh to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, and 50 years of its Liberation movement.

The multi-nation military exercise called 'Shantir Ogroshena' (Frontrunner of Peace) will be held in Bangladesh from April 4 to April 12. The Royal Bhutan Army and the Sri Lankan Army will also participate in the drill along with the Indian Army.

The Indian Army contingent will comprise 30 personnel from the Dogra Regiment, including officers, junior commissioned officers and jawans.

"The theme of the exercise is Robust Peacekeeping Operations, the Defence Ministry said.

Military observers from the US, the UK, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise.

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Bangladesh and met his counterpart Sheikh Hasina and discussed the progress achieved in areas like connectivity, energy, trade, health and developmental cooperation, among others. The two countries had also signed five MoUs covering a number of areas of bilateral cooperation.

Modi, whose visit to Bangladesh was his first foreign trip since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, held one-on-one talks with Hasina which was followed by a delegation-level meeting that continued for over an hour.

"Relationship going from strength to strength! Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina discussed the progress achieved in areas of health, trade, connectivity, energy, developmental cooperation and many more," the spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, had tweeted after the talks.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The federal government is projected to spend $17,091 per Canadian in 2020/21, which is more than double what the government spent per person during the peak of the Second World War ($7,769) and nearly twice what was spent during the 2009 recession ($8,993), according to new research released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.



And even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Ottawa was already spending at record per person levels.

While emergency spending to deal with the fallout from COVID-19 and the recession was necessary, this additional spending adds to already record-high spending levels that existed prior to the pandemic which is going to make it much harder for government finances to recover in any reasonable time period, said Jake Fuss, a senior economist at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Prime Ministers and Government Spending, 2021 Edition.

Current projections indicate federal program spending in 2021/22 will reach $11,370 per person, an increase of roughly 20 per cent from $9,500 in 2019, the year before the pandemic and already the highest level of per person spending (inflation-adjusted) in Canadian history.

Whats more, this level of spending doesnt include new stimulus spending or new programs such as national daycare or national pharmacare, both of which have been suggested as potential big-ticket items in the upcoming federal budget.

Crucially, this marked increase in per person spending began well before the COVID pandemic. Between the last budget of the Harper government in 2015 and fiscal year 2018/19, inflation-adjusted federal program spending (total spending minus interest costs) grew from $8,063 per person to $9,061 per person, which at that point was the highest level in Canadian history.

The federal government was already spending at record levelslargely with borrowed moneybefore the COVID pandemic, said Fuss.

Story continues

As we look to recover from the pandemic and recession, policymakers should address Ottawas pre-existing spending problem or else Canadians will likely face higher taxes in the future to cover the resulting debt accumulation and interest costs.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jake Fuss, Senior Economist

Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:

Drue MacPherson, Fraser Institute

Tel: (604) 688-0221 Ext. 721

E-mail: drue.macpherson@fraserinstitute.org

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter and Facebook

The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institutes independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org




Mike Nguyen, owner of Noodle Tree, is once again taking a break from his restaurant.

Nguyen announced Monday that he will be closing the Northwest restaurant until Thursday, April 8. In a Facebook post, he noted that the continued hate, harassment, threats, [and] social media hacks prompted the much needed break.

Between the hate, harassment, threats, social media hacks this is a much needed break yall Posted by Noodle Tree on Tuesday, March 30, 2021

The temporary closure comes after weeks of online attacks and a serious case of vandalism. Nguyen was the target of racist comments after he denounced Gov. Greg Abbotts decision to no longer require Texans to wear masks in a CNN appearance earlier this month. He also said masks would still be required in his restaurant given that he has lymphoma and is at-risk.

Since then, Nguyen said hes received backlash on social media. It wasnt until Noodle Tree was vandalized with racist graffiti that he realized why the hate  which eventually included death threats  was so bad.

I think my interview with CNN was a contributing factor, but the fact that Im Asian-American makes it easier, Nguyen, who has Vietnamese and French ancestry, told MySA earlier this month. Somehow, this whole pandemic is Asian-Americans fault.

RELATED: San Antonio shields Noodle Tree owner with support after racist attack spurred by masks

Through the ongoing harassment and threats, city leaders, restaurant owners, and good-spirited San Antonians have stepped up to support Noodle Tree both in-person and online. In Mondays post, Nguyen received well-wishes from both San Antonians eager to stop by the business when it reopens as well as supportive Facebook users from across the U.S.

While I hate the reason behind your need for this, I totally support you and your staff, one woman commented. I hope this time will bring you all some peace and rest and fill your cup with renewal.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 31, 2021) - Steppe Gold Ltd (TSX: STGO) ("Steppe Gold" or the "Company") today announces the filing of a technical report (the "Technical Report") on its 100% owned Altan Tsagaan Ovoo Project located in Mongolia for the updated mineral resource estimate announced on February 24, 2021.

The Technical Report titled "Altan Tsagaan Ovoo Project (ATO) 2021 Mineral Resources Technical Report (NI 43-101)" was authored for the Company by Robin A Rankin, MAusIMM CP(Geo), Principal Consulting Geologist at GeoRes and Ochirkhuyag Baatar, MSc, CPG. Each of the authors is a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and independent of the Company. The Technical Report is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.steppegold.com.

Steppe Gold is Mongolia's premier precious metals company.

For Further information, please contact:

Bataa Tumur-Ochir, CEO and President

Shangri-La office, Suite 1201, Olympic Street

19A, Sukhbaatar District 1,

Ulaanbaatar 14241, Mongolia

Tel: +976 7732 1914

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the future financial or operating performance of the Company and its projects. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances, management's estimates or opinions should change, except as required by securities legislation. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79174
Beautiful Things: A Memoir

By Hunter Biden

Gallery. 255 pp. $28

- - -

In September 2020, during the tumultuous first presidential debate between then-President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden, Trump seized on the opportunity to attack a target with a very large bull's eye: Biden's son, Hunter. Not only is Biden known to be deeply protective of his family, but Hunter - with his history of substance abuse and service on the board of Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that played a significant role in Trump's first impeachment several months earlier - became shorthand for something fishy about the Democratic nominee's otherwise admirable life. "Hunter got thrown out of the military. He was thrown out, dishonorably discharged for cocaine use," Trump said, misrepresenting what had, in fact, happened. Hunter had enlisted in the Navy Reserves, but after a urine test revealed drugs in his system, he was discharged - not dishonorably.

Biden turned these low blows into an opportunity. "My son, my son, my son - like a lot of people, like a lot of people you know at home - had a drug problem," Biden said. "He's overtaken it, he's fixed it, he's worked on it. And I'm proud of him. I'm proud of my son."

Now the son who inspired that impassioned expression of paternal pride has written "Beautiful Things," a memoir at once harrowing, relentless and a determined exercise in trying to seize his own narrative from the clutches of the Republicans and the press. The title refers to what he described as his adored older brother's "mantra" after he had been diagnosed with the deadliest form of brain cancer, glioblastoma. " 'Beautiful things' became a catchall for relationships and places and moments," Hunter writes, "We would rock on the porch of our parents' house and look out at the 'beautiful things' spread before us." But given the trajectory of alcoholism, crack addiction and relationship shredding contained in the next 250 pages, it's impossible not to see the title burdened by the weight of unintended irony.

The story of the Biden family tragedies are so well known, so woven into the fabric of American political mythology, that one could almost imagine them appearing in a future citizenship test. Which president lost his beautiful young wife and infant daughter in a terrible car accident shortly after he won a long-shot Senate race? What happened to the two sons who were also in that car and miraculously survived? Which one of those sons died when he was only 46? Hunter was the Goofus to his older brother's Gallant. Beau embodied the decency, rectitude and an impressive public service record comparable to his father's. Hunter? An apparent hive of dysfunction.

We bring this operatic backstory to the reading of "Beautiful Things," with Hunter playing the thankless role of a supporting cast member, eclipsed by the greatness of the family's other men. Addiction was a problem in the Biden family, and Joe and Beau avoided alcohol because of it. Not so for Hunter. There is a special purgatory reserved for the earnest-but-less-talented younger brothers of a superstar - forever admiring, forever inferior and forever judged inadequate, until, sometimes, they go off a cliff and become dismal object lessons.

"Beautiful Things" is organized around two parallel narratives: pervasive grief over Beau's absence and the unvarnished confessional of an addict. Page after page features assertions of the brothers' closeness juxtaposed with gallons of vodka, bowls of crack, dissolute characters parading in and out of trashed hotel rooms - both five-star and no-star - and repeated failed treatment efforts. And then there is the almost Shakespearean specter of Joe Biden, the agonized father grieving the loss of one son and terrified at his inability to prevent the slow suicidal decline of the other. Hunter addresses the political strain he caused his father, notably by the public drubbing the son endured for his role with Burisma. Hunter calls that faux scandal cooked up by Trump and his cronies "the decade's biggest political fable . . . most remarkable for its epic banality."

The first eight pages of the book dispense with cinematic efficiency the facts of Hunter's life: the attacks by Trump and his Republican surrogates, the death of his mother and baby sister, his fatherhood and degrees from Georgetown University and Yale Law School, his professional life as a lobbyist and his service on various boards of directors, the death of his brother, the special love among the three Biden men, his children, his addiction and his recovered life with a new wife and son. "I've bought crack cocaine on the streets of Washington, DC, and cooked up my own inside a hotel bungalow in Los Angeles. I've been so desperate for a drink that I couldn't make the one-block walk between a liquor store and my apartment without uncapping the bottle to take a swig. . . . My two-decades-long marriage has dissolved, guns have been put in my face, and at one point I dropped clean off the grid, living in $59-a night Super 8 motels off I-95 while scaring my family even more than myself."

The addiction memoir is complicated to pull off. The narrative arc is grimly predictable: the first drink, the first crack pipe, the first lie, rinse, repeat, over and over and over again. The gratifying moments of getting high interspersed with violence, physical illness, demolished families and the complete surrender of a life to whatever is contained in the pipe, or syringe or bottle. Then there are the attempts at recovery: frequent, frustrating, briefly successful but then doomed, until one of them works, and a book contract follows. The modifiers inevitably attached to these works are "brave," "unflinching" and "honest" with an occasional "devastating" thrown in for good measure. But as the late New York Times writer David Carr noted in his brilliant version of the genre, "The Night of the Gun," "Beyond the grime that is bound to accrue from a trip through the gutters of one's past, what is the value in one more addiction memoir to me or anyone else?"

Biden's story is indeed singular. Not many addicts spend time as children with U.S. senators as babysitters, or scamper freely through the halls of Congress, or enjoy as fiercely loving a sprawling family as the Biden boys did. His was a childhood in the public eye, but also the classic American boyhood of bike rides in the neighborhood, fishing trips with his deceased mother's brother, his Uncle Mike, and leaps into swimming holes. There's also the undertow of being bullied in school, a sense of "not being understood or fitting in" and his utter dependence on his older brother for maintaining any sense of equilibrium.

Those who might turn to this book for effective rehabilitation strategies will be disappointed. Biden spun in and out of recovery options: Alcoholics Anonymous and the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a lurid treatment in Mexico of 5-MeO-DMT therapy (made from gland secretions of the Sonoran Desert toad, in case you're interested) and ketamine infusions in Massachusetts, and a host of other facilities too numerous to count. Repeatedly Biden relapsed and repeatedly he would reassure his family that he was in treatment, not to get clean but for the sole purpose of getting them off his back. What finally worked was falling in love with Melissa Cohen, a multilingual South African "aspiring documentary film maker" whom he married a week after they met and who was determined to clean him up. And finally, he succeeded. But this is hardly a replicable treatment modality.

How to answer David Carr's question? Clearly, this addiction memoir mattered a lot to Biden, to tell his story and to present himself to the world as the writer he always knew he was. And yet, to make these stories rise to a different level, they require not just the candid chronicling of how-bad-it-got, but also compelling writing that delivers a measure of insight and empathy for others - such as worried family members and hotel maids who are left to clean up his messes. Near the end of his memoir, Biden describes the moment of looking into the eyes of the woman who would become his new wife, and seeing a "reflective gaze," by which he means one that not only truly sees him, but in which he fills up the entire field of vision. From her deep blue eyes to what was contained in them, he was struck by the similarities to the brother he lost. And somehow that provided a reason to recover for good.

"My dad has often said that Beau was his soul and I am his heart," Biden writes. There's a lot of pain in that observation. A soul is eternal, soaring, the purest and most invulnerable part of our being. The heart? A fragile organ, and one that can be broken.

- - -

Marianne Szegedy-Maszak is the editorial operations director of the D.C. bureau of Mother Jones, a ghostwriter and the author of "I Kiss Your Hands Many Times: Hearts, Souls, and Wars in Hungary."
A 15-year-old is accused of getting behind the wheel of a stolen car before crashing head-on into another vehicle on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta, according to Georgia authorities.

A 4-year-old is dead, and the childs father is fighting for his life.

Atlanta police said the crash happened just after 4:30 p.m. when officers were notified about a stolen Honda Pilot nearby, according to a news release.

Officers spotted the vehicle a short time later, and the suspects sped off in the SUV, according to police.

The SUV was driving on Lakewood Avenue when it slammed into another car carrying a father and his son. Both were rushed to a hospital, where the 4-year-old died from his injuries.

Atlanta police said the father remained in critical condition on Thursday.

Officers told WSB-TV there were at least six people inside the stolen SUV. Two  a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old  were arrested at the scene, police said.

The 17-year-old was cited for possession of a firearm under the age of 18. The 15-year-old was charged with theft by receiving stolen property, police said, and released to his parents.

The incident remains under investigation, and authorities said additional charges are pending.
STORY LINK Pound US Dollar Exchange Rate Steady: USD Rises as Joe Biden Announces Infrastructure Stimulus Package

GBP/USD Exchange Rate Rangebound as Greenback is Buoyed by Safe-Haven Demand

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rate Struggles Despite Strong UK Manufacturing PMI

Pound US Dollar Exchange Rate Forecast: US NonFarm Payrolls Data in Focus

Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues:

The Pound US Dollar exchange rate held steady today following President Joe Bidens announcement of a $2 trillion infrastructure stimulus package. The pairing is currently fluctuating around $1.37.Mr. Biden commented on the stimulus plan:It is not a plan that tinkers around the edges. It is a once-in-a-generation investment in America.He also added:The divisions of the moment shouldnt stop us from doing the right thing for the future. Im convinced that if we act now, in 50 years people are going to look back and say this is the moment when America won the future.As a result, the outlook for the US economy has improved, buoying market confidence in the worlds largest economy.However, the Greenback has benefited from its safe-haven status as Covid-19 cases continue to rise throughout Europe.In US economic news, today will see the latest ISM Manufacturing PMI.Any improvement in the US manufacturing sector would further prove USD-positive.The Pound (GBP) failed to rise against the US Dollar (USD) despite the latest UK Manufacturing PMI for March beating forecasts and rising to 58.9.Duncan Brock, the Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, commented on the data:The floodgates to new business, rising confidence and more jobs were opened in March with the highest index level since the last recession and green shoots of recovery popped up across the UK as the global marketplace improved.However, UK markets are remaining cautious as Covid-19 infection rates continue to soar throughout Europe.Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously warned about rising coronavirus cases in the UK, saying they could wash-up in Britain, potentially threatening to planned easing of lockdown measures this month.Sentiment in Sterling remains relatively high, however, with the outlook for the UK economy brightening as we head towards further easing of lockdown restrictions this month.US Dollar (USD) investors will be looking ahead to tomorrows release of the latest US Nonfarm Payrolls for March.Any improvement in the US economy could further boost the USD/GBP exchange rate.Tomorrow will also see the publication of the latest US Unemployment Rate report for March.If unemployment continues to rise, however, then we could see the Greenback begin to suffer.UK markets are closed tomorrow for Good Friday.However, we could see the Pound US Dollar exchange rate head higher if the outlook for the British economy continues to improve as Covid-19 infection rates continue to drop.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

TAGS: American Dollar Forecasts Pound Dollar Forecasts
OTTAWA, ON, March 31, 2021 /CNW/ - A well-functioning justice system is one that serves all Canadians, protects the vulnerable, and builds a safer and better Canada. That is why the Government of Canada is taking steps to establish an independent Criminal Case Review Commission to ensure that potentially wrongfully convicted people can have their applications reviewed expeditiously and by an independent body.

Today, the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, took an important step forward by appointing the Honourable Harry LaForme, former justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal, to lead public-facing consultations on the creation of an independent Criminal Case Review Commission. He will be joined in conducting these consultations by the Honourable Juanita Westmoreland-Traore, former judge of the Court of Quebec.

Mr. LaForme and Ms. Westmoreland-Traore will conduct consultations with a wide range of stakeholders on the potential structure and mandate of the new commission. Those being consulted will include provincial and territorial partners, criminal law professionals, victims of crime, Indigenous peoples, Black Canadians and other racialized communities, and organizations that advocate for the wrongfully convicted.

Consultations on the appropriate structure and mandate of the new commission are a critical next step in the process of establishing the commission. Details of the consultations will be made available at a later date. Following the consultations, a report will be submitted to the Minister of Justice summarizing the input received, and providing advice and recommendations.

Quote

"Wrongful convictions are a matter of deep concern to me, and to many Canadians. I am pleased to appoint two distinguished former justices, the Honourable Harry LaForme and the Honourable Juanita Westmoreland-Traore, to hold public-facing consultations on the creation of an independent Criminal Case Review Commission. These consultations will capture a wide array of perspectives and will help inform a comprehensive, made-in-Canada approach to this issue. This represents an important step forward in the establishment of an independent Criminal Case Review Commission in Canada."

The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., Q.C., M.P.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Quick Facts

Once consultations are completed by Mr. LaForme and Ms. Westmoreland-Traore, a report will be submitted to the Minister of Justice detailing the findings and recommendations and it will inform next steps.

detailing the findings and recommendations and it will inform next steps. The current criminal conviction review process is set out in sections 696.1 to 696.6 of the Criminal Code and accompanying Regulations.

and accompanying Regulations. The criminal conviction review process was reformed in 2002 following public consultations, which resulted in changes that clarified the criteria for making an application, provided for subpoena powers, and expanded the reach of the regime to summary conviction offences.

Models for independent commissions exist in the UK ( England , Wales , Northern Ireland ), Scotland , New Zealand , and elsewhere.

Associated Links

Stay Connected

Follow the Department of Justice Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Follow Minister Lametti on Twitter: @MinJusticeEn.

Subscribe to receive our news releases and more via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/news-nouv/rss.html.

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

For further information: media may contact: Rachel Rappaport, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-6568; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.justice.gc.ca


Amaravati, April 1 : Andhra Pradesh registered 1,271 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, while its active case tally breached the 8,000-mark to reach 8,142.

After reporting less than 50 cases a day not very long ago, the southern state transitioned into logged more than 1,000 cases a day.

The new cases raised its overall tally to more than 9.03 lakh, even as 464 persons recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours to raise the total number of recoveries over 8.87 lakh in the state so far.

Chittoor district reported the highest number of cases at 285 on Thursday, followed by Guntur (279), Visakhapatnam (189), Krishna (161), Kadapa and Prakasam (63 each).

Among other places, Anantapur (61), Kurnool (52), Nellore (43), East Godavari (27), Srikakulam (21), Vizianagaram (15) and West Godavari (12).

East Godavari's tally has crossed 1.25 lakh, the highest among all Andhra districts, while the state's positive rate fell to 5.9 per cent, which is still higher than the national average of 4.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, three more persons succumbed to the virus in the past 24 hours, raising the state's Covid death toll to 7,220.

With 31,809 more tests, the total number of tests conducted in Andhra Pradesh has crossed the 1.51 crore-mark.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The companies said the vaccine was 91% effective against symptomatic disease and was even more protective in preventing severe disease. Of 927 confirmed COVID-19 cases detected through March 13, 77 were among people who received the vaccine and 850 were among people who got dummy shots.
Overview

April 20

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Watch Now

Data is the lifeblood of any modern state or local government, but its increasingly sophisticated use prompts important questions:

How do we keep residents personal data information secure in an age of evolving security threats?

What policies should we have in place to protect data privacy?

How can we be sure we have the right data and use it at the right time?

Are we prepared to integrate our data into emerging technologies like artificial intelligence  and what are the implications?

Get answers to these questions and more by joining Governing and Government Technology on April 20 at 10 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Eastern for our second conversation as part of our Cybersecurity Resilience Initiative, Dealing with Data: The Challenges of Security and Privacy of Governments Greatest Asset.
This is the embarrassing moment the wife of a South African traditional leader walks into the frame completely naked during a parliamentary Zoom meeting.

Xolile Ndevu, a member of the National House of Traditional Leaders, a body of 23 traditional leaders in South Africa, was talking about deaths from Covid-19 in the province of Eastern Cape during a meeting on Tuesday.

During the cooperative governance and traditional affairs meeting, Ndevu was explaining how Eastern Cape is working with local doctors when his wife suddenly appeared behind him wearing no clothes.

Faith Muthambi, the committee's chairperson, cuts across Ndebua as he is speaking to point out the mistake.

Xolile Ndevu, a traditional leader in South Africa, was speaking during a parliamentary Zoom meeting when his wife walked into view behind him completely naked

During the cooperative governance and traditional affairs meeting, Ndevu was explaining how Eastern Cape is working with local doctors when his wife suddenly appeared behind him wearing no clothes

She tells Ndevu: 'Inkosi, people behind you are not properly dressed. We are seeing everything.

'Please, Inkosi, did you tell them you are in a meeting. It is very disturbing what we are seeing.'

Muthambi then tells Inkosi Sipho Mahlangu, chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, that it is not the first time such an incident has taken place during a Zoom meeting.

She adds: 'Whenever we are meeting with you, we see these unruly pictures. You are live on TV.'

A shocked colleague on the Zoom call an be heard crying out: 'Inkosi, people behind you are not properly dressed. We are seeing everything'

Xolile Ndevu (pictured), a member of the National House of Traditional Leaders, a body of 23 traditional leaders in South Africa, was talking about deaths from Covid-19 in the province of Eastern Cape during a meeting on Tuesday

Ndevu covers his face with his hands and apologises: 'I'm very sorry. I was focusing on the camera and not behind me. I'm so embarrassed.'

He explained the following day: 'This Zoom technology is new to us and we were never trained. Our houses are not built so we can have privacy for these meetings.

Ndevu added that the meeting began at around 7pm and was due to finish by 10pm, but overran so he moved to the bedroom.

He said: 'As the meeting continued after 10pm, my wife came in to use the bathroom and was unaware I had the video feed on. I apologise.'
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong speaking at the Australian Labor Party (ALP) National Conference at the Revesby Workers Club in Sydney, on March 30, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Australian Labor Party to Recognise Palestine If Elected

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has pledged to recognise Palestine as a sovereign state if it wins the next federal election and forms government.

Arthur Tane of The Council of Middle East Relations says the move is sudden and suspects Labor leader Anthony Albanese may be working to appease the left-leaning factions of his Party.

On Tuesday, Opposition Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong told the ALPs national party conference, It reflects our belief that Israelis and Palestinians deserve to prosper in peace behind secure and recognised borders.

A true friend of Israel is a true friend of the rights of Palestinians to statehood, she told the online conference. Any lasting resolution to the Middle East conflict cannot be at the expense of either Palestinians or Israelis.

Wong stressed that the ALP position remained the same since the last election. The adoption of the policy was the result of extensive internal discussions between different factions within the Party.

Australian Labor Party members (L-R) Senator Penny Wong, Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese, Federal Members of Parliament Tanya Plibersek and Kristina Keneally celebrate International Womens Day at Parliament House on February 24, 2021 in Canberra. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

The ALP said it would also take a firm position on the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) human rights abuses of the Uyghur minority in Chinas Xinjiang region.

Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching said, These atrocities include modern slavery, crimes against humanity and what various jurisdictions around the world have determined constitute genocide.

The international community can no longer be idle in the face of this brutal oppression, AAP noted.

Dr Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia-Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) said the move to recognise Palestine as a state was misguided and counterproductive.

Given that the Palestinians have been refusing all negotiations with Israel for more than half a decade, offering unilateral recognition of statehood to the Palestinians without suggesting any obligations on the Palestinian side clearly rewards Palestinian intransigence, Rubenstein said in a statement.

Furthermore, adopting such an outdated stance appears particularly difficult to understand in the wake of last years landmark Abraham Accords, he added.

One major challenge to normalising relations in the Middle East has been the refusal of certain Arab leaders to entertain the possibility of Israel being a sovereign nation.

This stance has underpinned decades-long aggression, conflict, and instability in the region.

The Abraham Accords negotiated under the U.S. Trump administration last year, is credited with partially breaking this stalemate and laying a foundation for peace.

(L-R) Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, Foreign Affairs Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan wave from the Truman Balcony of the White House after the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Sept. 15, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The Accords normalised relations between Israel and four Arab states, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, while sidelining the extremist elements of the region.

Arthur Tane, executive director of The Council of Middle East Relations in Canberra said the Labor Party decision came out of nowhere.

The state of Palestine is not known for its democracy. You have a limited number of parties, all with the same kind of platform. They are very anti-Israeli, and very much in support of the destruction of Israel, he told The Epoch Times.

We havent seen any real discussion on this issue, and then this announcement is made, he added.

So, I just wonder if there are some leadership issues behind this? Is Albanese trying to strengthen his position among the left? Is a challenge coming his way? Because it is really unusual that it should have occurred at this time.

Tane said the left-leaning factions of the Labor Party have traditionally supported recognition of sovereignty for Palestine.

During the 1990s it was a common occurrence to see prominent people in the Labor Party marching for Palestinian issues throughout Australia, he said.
Federal Labor encourages us to get electric vehicles instead of using polluting, dirty, fossil fuel ones (The Age, 31/3), while its Victorian colleagues will slap a 2.5 cent per kilometre tax on the non-polluting EVs from July.

John Merory, Ivanhoe No, climate change will not magically disappear Jessica Irvines discussion of carbon pricing was like a trip down memory lane. It was a reminder of Julia Gillard patiently explaining to the nation that carbon pricing could be likened to the need to pay for dumping your rubbish at the local tip. All the efforts made by governments, economists and environmental experts to educate the public on the need for a carbon price have been wasted. Instead, we have been lulled by the power of technology to make the problem of climate change magically go away. As Irvine warns, we might have to learn a new term: carbon tariffs. Our new carbon price.

Rod Wise, Surrey Hills Dangerous policy to gouge solar panel owners I condemn the Australian Energy Market Commissions proposal to allow energy distributors to charge owners of solar panels for exporting our clean energy into their private networks (The Age, 25/3). The Coalition needs to realise that more than 2 million angry solar panel owners may express their anger at the next election.

Labor has announced a $200 million package to install 400 community batteries across the country to store this increasing amount of excess clean energy for use by other locals (The Age, 31/3). The Energy Minister must decide whether allowing energy companies to gouge money from solar panel owners makes political sense when there is a far better alternative for us to vote for.

David Dean, Caulfield North THE FORUM Act now to save our reef It is impossible not to feel anger at politicians on both sides of the Parliament for their complacency on the climate-related destruction of the Great Barrier Reef. Warnings and dire predictions have been circulating for more than a decade, and still the lack of motivation is glaringly obvious. We need elected representatives who are willing to act decisively to introduce changes to laws that compel all sectors of the economy to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and adopt more environmentally benign practices.

Your article should unite all Australians to apply political pressure to force this issue to the forefront of our thinking. Without commitment to change, there is a likelihood that my two-year-old grandson will never see the reef as I have been fortunate to see it.

Lynda Graf, Mount Eliza Cruelty of tinted windows On Palm Sunday, marking the start of Holy Week, I was in the street outside the Park Hotel in Carlton. I saw some faint lights moving back and forth from inside the hotel. They were mobile phones held by the men rendered invisible by tinted windows. Small arcs of light were silently communicating with those below who had come to protest at the continued detention of these refugees and asylum seekers. Seven years imprisoned in distant places by our government, and now confined in hotels for over a year. While others have been released, these men are despairing and struggling to comprehend the reason why. When will it end? Recently the windows were tinted. Who did this deed just so we cannot see these men? One small act among countless acts of cruelty, symbolising the banality of evil. I shall forever remember those faint lights moving back and forth, symbolising the fragility of hope. What would Jesus of Nazareth have us do?

Dorothy Scott, Macclesfield

Good Samaritan buried I was impressed with Chris Uhlmanns article (Opinion, 31/3). He is quite right to say that wisdom has taken a back seat and that the nihilists are given too much credence. Justice and truth are now bystanders. The presumption of innocence is crucial and has been fought for over many years. However, as Christians we cannot hide behind this presumption and then vilify the victims.

Untruths and hypocrisy permeate our political rhetoric and our First Nations people, women and asylum seekers have taken the brunt of these failings. John Howard used the lie of children overboard and failed to say sorry to the stolen generations, thus causing grievous bodily harm to the Good Samaritan. Scott Morrison, in his over zealous pursuit of stopping the boats and his more recent handling of the scandals involving the treatment of women, has buried the Good Samaritan.

As Uhlmann says, there is little wisdom being shown by our elected leaders and Christianity has taken a back seat.

Erik Vahl Meyer, Geelong Contesting first principles

An implication of Chris Uhlmanns thesis of a divided Australia is that growing godlessness threatens the survival of our democracy. As one of the 30per cent of no religion at the 2016 census, I beg to differ. Rather, the authoritarianism he fears is fundamental to much formal religion, women traditionally being doubly disempowered and ineligible for equal participation. First principles are contestable in a vibrant democracy  a matter for celebration, not doomsaying.

Angela Munro, Carlton North Why is it so difficult? My sister is 81 and her husband is 91 and they cannot get an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccination at any local medical practice. I heard that the Convention Centre was accepting walk ins, so I volunteered to drive them there as I considered it critical that older Australians are vaccinated as soon as possible. On arrival, we were informed that walk ins had been suspended one hour prior and they would have to make an appointment via the government website. This is not as easy for seniors as it is for the younger generations. Why is it so difficult for older people to access a vaccine when younger people are already being vaccinated? The government needs to get its act together.

Carole Nicholls, Surrey Hills Utilise GPs experience

I am a GP attending about 20 aged care homes, of whom none have received COVID-19 vaccinations for residents or staff. Normally each patients GP gives them all their vaccines (influenza etc) and that is accomplished each year as soon as the vaccines are available. This year the federal government tried to reinvent the wheel and has given the vaccines to the Primary Care Networks, which have sub-contracted the vaccination program to private contractors such as Aspen Medical. One nursing home I go to has given up on receiving its COVID-19 vaccines and has asked its attending GPs to give their patients their flu injections. Nearly all the patients (170) received their flu injections in one week. This is how the COVID-19 vaccines should have been rolled out in aged care. The GPs have been doing this very successfully for about 30 years.

Dr James Hare, Mont Albert Behave yourselves, kids As parents, if our young children were bickering and squabbling the way our politicians are at the moment about the vaccine roll out, we would have sent them to their bedrooms for some quiet time. As voters, we deserve some quiet time too. Do not let our politicians out until they promise some better, less child-like, behaviour.

Antony Swain, Highett Dangerous duties

One of the first principles of occupational health and safety is if you think it is unsafe, do not do it and check with your manager. Why then do unvaccinated employees agree to care for COVID-19 patients, and why do their managers allocate such work to them?

Sue Tresider, Prahran Lets stick to the science If the problem with the vaccine roll out is due to supply issues, as the federal government says, why didnt this lead to stage 1b being delayed until stage 1a was completed? After all, we were told stage 1a was a higher priority. It is hard not to conclude there were other reasons for the early activation of stage 1b, like providing a political distraction. And now politics intervenes again, with a senior minister bucketing the states as a deflection of responsibility. Can we just have a science-driven, vaccine roll out.

Denny Meadows, Hawthorn You couldnt make it up So our tram and train operators got huge bonuses for exceeding their performance targets during the pandemic despite there being almost no passengers (The Age, 31/3). Shades of Monty Python and we could run a good hospital if it wasnt for the patients?

Ian Greenshields, Malvern East

A state of disrespect Recently, the Prime Minister spoke of his deep respect for women; we hear this respect echoed by Australian men. In reality this is not backed up by statistics. On most measures, women are doing badly. The appallingly high numbers experiencing homelessness, domestic violence/murder, sexual assault, poverty, and casualised employment with low to nil superannuation, combined with the alarmingly low levels of female representation at senior levels of businesses and institutions is a shameful statement of how women are regarded  i.e., they are actually disrespected. Until men acknowledge and redress the structural, institutional and cultural power imbalance  i.e., start to share power in all aspects of life  then their claims of respecting women cannot be believed. Not all men disrespect women, but all men can call out the misogyny, discrimination, abuse, and all men need to work towards making our nation egalitarian and civilised.

Patricia ODowd, Elsternwick Striving to be better

If Scott Morrison wanted to be a bloke, he should have pursued a career outside of politics. There are certain professions that (should) mean you are held to higher standards and accountability than the rest of society, not make you exempt.

Anna Bakogianis, Richmond PM must act on his words Scott Morrison, if you are sincere with your belief that social media is a big part of the toxic treatment of women, shouldnt it follow that you demand Andrew Laming resign from the Liberal National Party?

Anne Fitzpatrick, Abbotsford Our MPs vested interests Does anyone else believe that any politician who has a personal or family interest in negatively geared property investments should recuse themselves from any decisions, votes and legislation that even remotely affect house prices? Every time they open their mouths, create a new scheme to help first home buyers or manipulate the market by supposedly supporting jobs, house prices soar. A coincidence? If my suggestion were taken up, it would leave about half a dozen politicians who were able to vote.

Lou Piscopo, Ascot Vale

Welcome back, Bob It was great to read another article by Bob Murphy extolling the talents of Western Bulldogs player Marcus Bontempelli (Sport, 1/4). A very skilled player and a very skilled wordsmith.

Libby Chanter, Glen Waverley Growth out of control Robbert Veerman  Growth the real monster (Letters, 31/3)  restates the obvious. By the time the actuality he describes is acknowledged by governments and commerce worldwide, let alone acted upon, it will be far too late for this earth.

Michael Tollis, Croydon Still loyal to the PM

What does it say about the mentality of male Liberal Party supporters when, according to a Guardian Essential Poll, their support for Scott Morrison has not changed despite his dreadful handling of affairs recently?

Struan Leeson, Doncaster East AND ANOTHER THING Politics Trains with no passengers (31/3)? Sir Humphrey Appleby would regard that as ideal.

Tim Brown, Ascot Vale Truman: The buck stops here. Morrison: Buck, what buck?

Chris Young, Surrey Hills

The PM may know how to rule (ie, hold power) but he shows no sign of being able to govern.

Bill Cleveland, Kew I hope Scotty from marketing and his minister are booked for the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Doug Steley, Heyfield What better time for Labor to have a female at the helm? Sorry, Albo, youre just another middle-aged man in a suit.

Muriel Hutchinson, Nar Nar Goon Morrisons claim that Laming is walking away from a career in politics is false. Hes still the federal member for Bowman.

Russell Castley, Creswick On which prime ministers watch will the Great Barrier Reefs demise (1/4) occur?

Roger East, Balwyn North

Queenslands tourism industry seems headed for a fatal blow, but it might enjoy a short-term boost as visitors rush to see what will be gone.

Robert Yates, Rosanna Coronavirus It would be better for Australians if the PM fast-tracked the vaccine rollout rather than missile systems.

Geoff McNamara, Newry The governments target for April 1 was 4 million vaccinations but only 600,000 people have had it. Did the other 3.4 million say no?

Mel Green, Glen Waverley Public transport is seen as high-risk, given that masks are compulsory. There should also be QR codes on each train carriage and in trams for passengers to check in.

Neale Meagher, Malvern
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Ben Hannan's journey from neo-Nazi group member to police officer Here is PC Benjamin Hannam's progress from schoolboy, to neo-Nazi, to Metropolitan Police officer: 2011-2017 : The neo-Nazi online forum Iron March is active.

: The neo-Nazi online forum Iron March is active. August 2013 : National Action (NA) emerges from Iron March with stickers and flash demonstrations. Its neo-Nazi ideology includes a belief in 'Aryan purity' and hatred of non-white groups, particularly Jews; it venerates Hitler as 'divine' and celebrates war and genocide.

: National Action (NA) emerges from Iron March with stickers and flash demonstrations. Its neo-Nazi ideology includes a belief in 'Aryan purity' and hatred of non-white groups, particularly Jews; it venerates Hitler as 'divine' and celebrates war and genocide. 2014 : Hannam says he first became interested in fascism around the age of 16. He also began a three-and-a-half year secret relationship with his Muslim girlfriend.

: Hannam says he first became interested in fascism around the age of 16. He also began a three-and-a-half year secret relationship with his Muslim girlfriend. May 24, 2014 : In a Skype conversation, Hannam says: 'I'm not racist, I just don't like people who's skin is darker than mine'.

: In a Skype conversation, Hannam says: 'I'm not racist, I just don't like people who's skin is darker than mine'. December 29, 2014 : An electronic copy of Anders Behring Breivik's manifesto is downloaded by Hannam and later opened twice.

: An electronic copy of Anders Behring Breivik's manifesto is downloaded by Hannam and later opened twice. March 6, 2016 : Hannam attends a National Action meeting in a pub at Paddington in London, which is his first known direct contact with the group. He writes in his diary afterwards they are 'a good bunch of lads' and he 'can't wait to get more involved'.

: Hannam attends a National Action meeting in a pub at Paddington in London, which is his first known direct contact with the group. He writes in his diary afterwards they are 'a good bunch of lads' and he 'can't wait to get more involved'. March 7, 2016 - May 15, 2017 : Hannam is an occasional user and poster on Iron March.

- : Hannam is an occasional user and poster on Iron March. March 8, 2016 : Hannam posts that he was 'completely swayed' after watching a video featuring an NA member.

: Hannam posts that he was 'completely swayed' after watching a video featuring an NA member. March 18 2016 : Hannam posts a link to a newspaper article about a Muslim shooting a white man in London and described his ideology as 'fascist'.

: Hannam posts a link to a newspaper article about a Muslim shooting a white man in London and described his ideology as 'fascist'. April 2016 : Hannam appears on a database of NA members.

: Hannam appears on a database of NA members. April 17, 2016 : Iron March user 'Schmiss' asks about NA London, and Hannam responds saying it is 'pretty good' and asks if he's thinking of joining.

: Iron March user 'Schmiss' asks about NA London, and Hannam responds saying it is 'pretty good' and asks if he's thinking of joining. April 23, 2016 : Hannam attends the NA National Conference in Liverpool. He posed for an official photograph with five other men holding the NA flag on Crosby Beach. NA co-founder Alex Davies was a speaker and Mark Jones an attendee.

: Hannam attends the NA National Conference in Liverpool. He posed for an official photograph with five other men holding the NA flag on Crosby Beach. NA co-founder Alex Davies was a speaker and Mark Jones an attendee. May 2, 2016 : Asked by another Iron March user if he had joined NA yet, Hannam says: 'Mmm why mate?'

: Asked by another Iron March user if he had joined NA yet, Hannam says: 'Mmm why mate?' May 9, 2016: Hannam says he hopes to meet 'Schmiss' as a new recruit in the summer, and focus on recruiting 16-plus members into 'our group'.

Hannam says he hopes to meet 'Schmiss' as a new recruit in the summer, and focus on recruiting 16-plus members into 'our group'. Early June : Hannam pushes further, saying: 'You still going to join in the summer? London's been hanging out quite a bit and it'd be a shame not to see a new face.' He tells Schmiss that the slogan 'Hitler was right' was a 'bit too edgy', adding: 'Then again it is pretty funny and we all know our stance on the big man.'

: Hannam pushes further, saying: 'You still going to join in the summer? London's been hanging out quite a bit and it'd be a shame not to see a new face.' He tells Schmiss that the slogan 'Hitler was right' was a 'bit too edgy', adding: 'Then again it is pretty funny and we all know our stance on the big man.' June 10, 2016 : A 'knife combat' document and the Anders Behring Breivik manifesto are transferred to a USB stick by Hannam.

: A 'knife combat' document and the Anders Behring Breivik manifesto are transferred to a USB stick by Hannam. December 11, 2016 : Hannam searches online for an article about the up-coming ban on NA.

: Hannam searches online for an article about the up-coming ban on NA. December 16, 2016 : National Action, an extreme neo-Nazi organisation, is proscribed by the Government. Hannam closes his tutanota email account used to register with NA. He also creates a new folder on a USB stick containing NA-related files, including the knife combat document.

: National Action, an extreme neo-Nazi organisation, is proscribed by the Government. Hannam closes his tutanota email account used to register with NA. He also creates a new folder on a USB stick containing NA-related files, including the knife combat document. January 15, 2017: Hannam joins NA associates at two pubs in Swindon, including Alex Davies, Mark Jones, and Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski.

Hannam joins NA associates at two pubs in Swindon, including Alex Davies, Mark Jones, and Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski. February 26, 2017 : Hannam purchases coach tickets ahead of an indoor boxing event in Swindon at which Alex Davies, Mark Jones, and Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski were present. He did not go.

: Hannam purchases coach tickets ahead of an indoor boxing event in Swindon at which Alex Davies, Mark Jones, and Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski were present. He did not go. April 10, 2017 : Hannam attends an outdoor boxing event, said to be 'classic NA training activity'. Videos found by police on Alex Davies' camera, show Hannam taking an active role in the activities. Alex Davies and Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski were also present.

: Hannam attends an outdoor boxing event, said to be 'classic NA training activity'. Videos found by police on Alex Davies' camera, show Hannam taking an active role in the activities. Alex Davies and Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski were also present. July 2, 2017 : Hannam spray paints a NS131 symbol on to a storm drain on the outskirts of Swindon and is picture holding a Celtic Cross flag associated with extreme fascist groups. Alex Davies, Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski and Elliott Richards-Good are present.

: Hannam spray paints a NS131 symbol on to a storm drain on the outskirts of Swindon and is picture holding a Celtic Cross flag associated with extreme fascist groups. Alex Davies, Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski and Elliott Richards-Good are present. July 19, 2017 : Hannam applies to join the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), and denies ever having been a member of the BNP 'or similar organisation'.

: Hannam applies to join the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), and denies ever having been a member of the BNP 'or similar organisation'. July 28, 2017 : Hannam's activities at the graffiti event feature in NS131 promotional videos. In it he says: 'Do you mind if throw my hood up, thanks. My hair, my hair identifies me.'

: Hannam's activities at the graffiti event feature in NS131 promotional videos. In it he says: 'Do you mind if throw my hood up, thanks. My hair, my hair identifies me.' September 2017 to January 2018 : Hannam is a student at St Mary's University, Twickenham studying for BA (Hons) in Theology and Religious Studies. A reference through the university for his application to the Met raises no concerns.

: Hannam is a student at St Mary's University, Twickenham studying for BA (Hons) in Theology and Religious Studies. A reference through the university for his application to the Met raises no concerns. October 24, 2017 : Hannam denies ever being a 'member of the BNP or similar organisation' on his vetting form for the MPS.

: Hannam denies ever being a 'member of the BNP or similar organisation' on his vetting form for the MPS. March 26, 2018 : Hannam starts as a trainee police officer.

: Hannam starts as a trainee police officer. J une 18, 2019 : Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski is sentenced at the Old Bailey for two counts of publishing statements to encourage terrorism in 2018.

: Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski is sentenced at the Old Bailey for two counts of publishing statements to encourage terrorism in 2018. December 2, 2019 : Elliott Richards-Good is sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court for a string of offences, including stirring up racial hatred, racially aggravated criminal damage. They relate to racist posters and graffiti and posters commemorating Adolf Hitler's birthday.

: Elliott Richards-Good is sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court for a string of offences, including stirring up racial hatred, racially aggravated criminal damage. They relate to racist posters and graffiti and posters commemorating Adolf Hitler's birthday. N ovember 2019 : A database leak from Iron March listing a number of users and subscribers to the group is made publicly available on the internet.

: A database leak from Iron March listing a number of users and subscribers to the group is made publicly available on the internet. March 5, 2020 : Hannam is arrested at his home in Edmonton, London after being identified on Iron March.

: Hannam is arrested at his home in Edmonton, London after being identified on Iron March. March 19, 2020 : London organiser Mark Jones is sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court for belonging to NA. He is also co-founder of NS131, a recognised alias of NA post-proscription.

: London organiser Mark Jones is sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court for belonging to NA. He is also co-founder of NS131, a recognised alias of NA post-proscription. Today : Hannam become the first British police officer to be convicted of belonging to a neo-Nazi terrorist organisation. Advertisement

A Metropolitan Police constable today became the first British officer to be convicted of a terror offence after he joined the banned far-Right group National Action when he was rejected by his Muslim girlfriend's family.

Ben Hannam, 22, of Enfield, North London, who has autism and is said to be socially awkward, became a member of the terrorist organisation in 2016 but failed to declare his extremist beliefs during the vetting process when he applied to the force in July 2017.

He was arrested in his bedroom in March 2020, where officers found his walls covered in Nazi propaganda and Star Wars posters he liked because he said they reminded him of fascist art, with manuals detailing the production of biological weapons and knife combat hidden on a USB stick among the mess.

Hannam later told the court about difficulties faced in his three-and-a-half-year secret relationship with his Muslim girlfriend, which began in 2014. He said his girlfriend's parents were 'really strict' and 'hated' him, even though he tried to study Islam.

Hannam, who lives with his mother after his father left them, was today found guilty of being a member of National Action, a proscribed terrorist organisation, along with two counts of possessing documents useful for terrorism and for fraud. The defendant, who was suspended from the Met upon his arrest, was released on conditional bail ahead of sentencing on April 23. The conditions of his bail were that he must not apply for travel documents or leave Britain ahead of sentencing.

A judge previously ruled the three-week trial could not be reported because Hannam was also facing charges of possessing prohibited images of underage girls, but he pleaded guilty to the charges last week.

The Old Bailey heard Hannam joined National Action in March 2016, but it was said his association with the far-right group ended before he began working for the Metropolitan Police in March 2018. However, the defendant appeared in a recruitment video for a group called NS131 - an off-shoot of National Action - just days before making an application to the Met in July 2017.

His activity was discovered when an anonymous hacker using the name 'antifa-data' [anti-fascist data] hacked into a neo-Nazi forum called Iron March and published details of its 1,185 users online.

The court heard Hannam joined National Action's London branch in March 2016 after being rejected by his Muslim girlfriend's family. He was seduced by free stickers, outdoor activities and the friendship of a 'cool' big brother-type figure.

Even after the far-right group was banned in December 2016, Hannam - who is autistic - continued to associate with some of the same people, and was filmed spray painting fascist graffiti weeks before he applied to join the Metropolitan Police in July 2017.

Hannam, who was brought up by a single mother and has two sisters and a younger brother, ended his association with NA before he began working for the Met as a probationary officer.

The court was told counter-terrorism officers acted 'swiftly' once he had been identified as a suspect, with commander Richard Smith insisting Hannam was a 'unique' case.

He said: 'Ben Hannam obviously lied on his application form to join the Met. He would never have been able to join had we known then of his interest in the extreme right wing and his previous membership of National Action. Once we identified his involvement with that organisation we took immediate steps to arrest him and put him before the court.'

He stressed there was no evidence Hannam abused his position 'to further his extremist views'.

After Hannam's arrest, detectives found an image on his iPhone showing him in police uniform, with a Hitler-style moustache superimposed on his face added, he said, by a schoolfriend.

They also found he had downloaded a knife-fighting manual and a copy of the 'manifesto' of the rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who murdered 77 people, mostly children, in bomb and gun attacks in Norway on July 22 2011.

Dan Pawson-Pounds, prosecuting, said the Breivik document included bomb making instructions and 'exhaustive justifications for his mass-casualty attacks.'

The ideology of NA was described in court as based on 'Aryan purity' and hatred of non-white groups, particularly Jews. Members venerated Adolf Hitler as a 'divine figure' and celebrated violence, including war and genocide, the court heard.

Hannam told the court his interest in fascism started because he liked the 'bold look' of Nazi propaganda posters and his autism made him obsessive about downloading material.

His school, Winchmore School in Enfield, had raised concerns internally over his extremist views after comments about immigration during a debate on Brexit and an A-level project on extremist ideology which could not be submitted because of the content.

However, when Hannam applied to the police in July 2017, he gave his university as a reference, despite dropping out of his theology course after only one term, and no school reference was sought.

As part of the police application process he was asked if he had ever been a member of the British National Party 'or a similar organisation, whose constitution, aims, objectives, or pronouncements may contradict police officers' duty to promote race equality.'

In answering no, he was said to have defrauded the police out of the 66,000 they spent employing him between March 26 2018, when he started as a trainee, and his arrest in March last year.

After his arrest, Hannam's stop and search records, crime reports and case files were all reviewed and police found there was 'no evidence that Hannam targeted individuals as a result of any right-wing views.'

The Old Bailey heard that on March 6 2016 Hannam had attended a National Action meeting in a pub in Paddington and that until the summer of 2017, he had continued to attend activities organised by the group.

It was said he appeared to foster 'intolerant' views as a student at Winchmore School in Enfield, with history teacher Lisa Hughes saying he made 'inappropriate' anti-immigration comments during a Brexit debate in 2016.

In May 2017, she refused to submit an A-level politics dissertation because of his 'intolerant' view of Islam.

Hannam was referred to guidance adviser Hafida Zitouni, who described him as 'respectful' and 'polite' even though he avoided the issue.

Ben Hannam, 22, a probationary officer at the force, has been found guilty of membership of right-wing extremist group National Action following a trial at the Old Bailey. Pictured: An image found on Hannam's iPhone showing him in a police uniform with a Hitler-style moustache superimposed on his face

When officers searched his bedroom last year, they found neo-Nazi posters, notes detailing his membership of NA, as well as NA badges and business cards. Nazi propaganda can be seen on the wall by his bed alongside Star Wars posters, which the court heard he likened to the artwork and imagery of fascism

Hannam (circled) is seen at a Yates Bar in Swindon on January 15, 2017, where he met NA co-founder Alex Davies and others

Hannam pictured leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court in London in August ahead of the three-week trial

A diary belonging to Hannam in which he detailed 'possible group activities' and his 'life in recent years'

Hannam (circled) joined the Metropolitan Police in March 2018, making an application weeks after he was filmed spray painting fascist graffiti

The defendant is seen doing a Nazi salute and holding a National Action flag during a meeting of the neo-Nazi group

Over the course of around 15 sessions, he spoke instead about his frustrations that his Mauritian Muslim girlfriend's parents did not accept him.

Ms Zitouni also noted he appeared to lack self-confidence around Valentine's Day and exams.

Pictured: Hannam, whose activities were discovered after an anonymous hacker using the name 'antifa-data' [anti-fascist data] hacked into a neo-Nazi forum called Iron March

Giving evidence, Hannam described the difficulties in his three-and-a-half-year secret relationship, which began in 2014. He said his girlfriend's parents were 'really strict' and 'hated' him, even though he tried to study Islam.

At the time, his interests ranged from Japanese anime, Dungeons and Dragons and languages - including the Lord of the Rings' Elvish.

From the age of around 16, he also developed a darker fascination with fascism, which he was exposed to online through 4Chan, an anonymous bulletin board.

He said he was drawn into it through the artwork and imagery of fascism, which he likened to Star Wars Stormtroopers.

Hannam told the court: 'It was the look and aesthetic of fascism that started it. The bold look of the images.'

The defendant said he went in search of friends he could talk about politics with, because he 'struggled socially'.

He told jurors: 'It makes sense now I know I'm autistic. I struggle reading people's faces. As I've grown older, I've become better at communication skills. My interests were always vastly different from everyone else's.

'When I was at secondary school, after my dad left I got stuck with a behavioural team.

Hannam seen in his bedroom upon his arrest in footage released by the Metropolitan Police

Hannam seen during an outdoor boxing event in footage shown to the jury during his trial

Hannam (seen above) told jurors he had been attracted to fascism aged 16 because of its bold artwork and contacted NA after seeing propaganda online

Hannam (above) was convicted of lying on his application and vetting forms to join the Met and having terror documents detailing knife combat and making explosive devices

'At secondary school my interests were fantasy and Dungeons and Dragons. It's really Big Bang Theory-esque. I could not discuss politics with anyone. I felt very lonely.'

How young, socially awkward teenager with a Jewish step-grandfather joined National Action after being rejected by Muslim girlfriend's family Young, white and socially-awkward, Benjamin Hannam was a prime target for neo-Nazi group National Action. Frustrated at being rejected by his Muslim girlfriend's family, Hannam was swallowed up by a dangerous online world. It led him to join NA's London branch, seduced by free stickers, outdoor activities and the friendship of a 'cool' big brother-type figure. Even after it was banned in December 2016, Hannam - who has autism - continued to associate with some of the same people. He was filmed spray painting fascist graffiti just weeks before he applied to join the Metropolitan Police in July 2017. Hannam, now aged 22, of Enfield in north London, was brought up by his single parent mother along with two sisters and a younger bother. Since his father left, he referred to himself as having 'control of the house', the Old Bailey heard. Hannam said his 'gay' grandfather tried to provide a 'fatherly' role, but he had more recently suffered from cancer. During the pandemic, it was his Jewish step-grandfather 'pops' who was the 'pillar' of the family, he said. Despite purporting to have friends with different ethnic backgrounds, Hannam appeared to foster 'intolerant' views at Winchmore School in Enfield. History teacher Lisa Hughes told the court that during a Brexit debate in 2016, in which he spoke for leaving the European Union, Hannam made 'inappropriate' anti-immigration comments and 'came across as offensive to students'. In May 2017, she refused to submit an A-level politics dissertation because of his 'intolerant' view of Islam. Hannam was referred to guidance adviser Hafida Zitouni, who described him as 'respectful' and 'polite' even though he avoided the issue. Over the course of around 15 sessions, he spoke instead about his frustrations that his Mauritian Muslim girlfriend's parents did not accept him. Ms Zitouni also noted he appeared to lack self-confidence around Valentine's Day and exams. Giving evidence, Hannam described the difficulties in his three-and-a-half-year secret relationship, which began in 2014. He said his girlfriend's parents were 'really strict' and 'hated' him, even though he tried to study Islam. At the time, his interests ranged from Japanese anime, Dungeons and Dragons and languages - including the Lord of the Rings' Elvish. From the age of around 16, he also developed a darker fascination with fascism, which he was exposed to online through 4Chan, an anonymous bulletin board. He said he was drawn into it through the artwork and imagery of fascism, which he likened to Star Wars Stormtroopers. Hannam told jurors: 'It was the look and aesthetic of fascism that started it. The bold look of the images.' The defendant said he went in search of friends he could talk about politics with, because he 'struggled socially'. He told jurors: 'It makes sense now I know I'm autistic. I struggle reading people's faces. As I've grown older, I've become better at communication skills. My interests were always vastly different from everyone else's. When I was at secondary school, after my dad left I got stuck with a behavioural team. At secondary school my interests were fantasy and Dungeons and Dragons. It's really Big Bang Theory-esque. I could not discuss politics with anyone. I felt very lonely.' In 2014, he said he downloaded mass killer Anders Breivik's extreme right wing manifesto because it was 'free'. He claimed only to have read the first 20 pages, finding it 'boring', although he kept the copy. Hannam, who had Nazi-style posters by his bed, said he first became aware of NA through discussions on 4Chan. He said: 'Originally the long-term thing was the social isolation and the short-term thing I was on 4Chan and they were pumping out these good quality pictures and I thought these are really professional.' He emailed the London branch of NA after watching co-founder Benjamin Raymond saying he wanted 'university educated young men' on the television, he said. During his first meeting at a pub in Paddington, Hannam was impressed by the organiser Ivan, who handed out free stickers and NA badges. Afterwards, he wrote in his diary they were a 'good bunch of lads' and that he 'cannot wait to get more involved'. Hannam said he was instructed to join fascist web forum Iron March, where he found more extremist literature and images. He went on to attend the NA conference in Liverpool and went to boxing and graffiti events even after NA was banned. But he insisted he had never been a member of NA because he did not go to demonstrations or banner drops. Towards the end of his association with NA, Hannam said he had been beaten up and the last straw was hearing a 'Satanist' talk about the rape of women, he claimed. Describing the alleged incident, he said: 'One guy had a machete, literally frothing from the mouth talking about raping women and I said 'how can you say that, you have a mum, how would you feel if your mum heard you say this'. I was sick of hate. I was fed up. They kept giving me things for free. I just wanted to hang out with them. In the end it got too sick. That was it. I left.' Hannam denied he had ever been a member either before or after NA was proscribed. Advertisement

In 2014, Hannam said he downloaded mass killer Anders Breivik's extreme right wing manifesto because it was 'free'.

He claimed only to have read the first 20 pages, finding it 'boring', although he kept the copy.

Hannam, who had Nazi-style posters by his bed, said he first became aware of NA through discussions on 4Chan.

He said: 'Originally the long-term thing was the social isolation and the short-term thing I was on 4Chan and they were pumping out these good quality pictures and I thought these are really professional.'

He emailed the London branch of NA after watching co-founder Benjamin Raymond saying he wanted 'university educated young men' on the television, he said.

During his first meeting at a pub in Paddington, Hannam was impressed by the organiser Ivan, who handed out free stickers and NA badges.

Afterwards, he wrote in his diary they were a 'good bunch of lads' and that he 'cannot wait to get more involved'.

Hannam said he was instructed to join fascist web forum Iron March, where he found more extremist literature and images.

He said: 'I had not heard of Iron March until Ivan told me. At the meeting I was really really impressed by Ivan. Handsome, confident, intelligent. He seemed really happy I showed up. He was giving me free stuff.

'He said if you want to come and hang again you have to make a post on Iron March, a right wing website.

'The purpose was to increase the clout. At the time I do things without questioning them and that's really obvious when you ask my sergeant in the police.

'Ivan just told me to do it. I thought he was really cool. I said OK. He said mention (NA co-founder) Alex Davies and mention some Nazi stuff and I thought it was just an introductory post.

'He said after you've been approved you have to keep posting otherwise your profile is closed.

'You've got to say things in the website that fit in with the ideology. I was desperate for his approval. I just felt he was a much cooler older guy.'

Hannam went on to attend the NA conference in Liverpool and went to boxing and graffiti events even after NA was banned. But he insisted he had never been a member of NA because he did not go to demonstrations or banner drops.

He said: 'I stuck to social activities. Most of the time was going to the pub and going for walks. Other times camping or going boxing. Often it was just young men meeting up getting some snacks and some food and going for a walk.'

Towards the end of his association with NA, Hannam said he had been beaten up and the last straw was hearing a 'Satanist' talk about the rape of women, he claimed.

Describing the alleged incident, he said: 'One guy had a machete, literally frothing from the mouth talking about raping women and I said 'how can you say that, you have a mum, how would you feel if your mum heard you say this'.

'I was sick of hate. I was fed up. They kept giving me things for free. I just wanted to hang out with them. In the end it got too sick. That was it. I left.'

Hannam denied he had ever been a member either before or after NA was proscribed. He also claimed that NA was 'not similar to the BNP' as it was not a political party.

But when he launched the organisation, Mr Davies was quoted as saying: 'We are like the BNP but more radical.'

Professor Matthew Feldman, of Teesside University, was asked for his assessment of how far Hannam had been radicalised.

The expert on post-war right wing extremism said: 'The physical and digital items possessed or communicated by Mr Hannam is consistent with engagement with right-wing extremism, in particular adherence to fascist ideology and potentially veiled but none-the-less evident neo-Nazi mindset.'

Hannam's activities with the NA can be tracked from March 2016 to July 2017, when the defendant spray painted the symbol for an NA alias - NS131 - in a storm drain on the outskirts of Swindon, which was filmed for a promotional video.

In the film, Hannam is heard to say: 'Do you mind if I throw my hood up, thanks. My hair, my hair identifies me.'

Days later, on July 19, Hannam applied to join Scotland Yard, fraudulently denying he had ever been a member of the British National Party 'or similar organisation'.

Throughout his activity with the NA, he posed in an official photograph on Crosby Beach at a conference in Liverpool in April 2016, and continued to meet with high-profile people linked to the group after it was proscribed that December.

In January 2017, he travelled to Swindon pubs where he met NA co-founder Alex Davies and others. And in April of the same year, he took part in outdoor boxing in woodland which was filmed on Mr Davies' camera.

As early as May 2014, Hannam had expressed intolerant views, writing: 'I'm not racist, I just don't like people who's skin is darker than mine! (sic)'

He had stored on a USB stick two documents said to be useful to a terrorist.

Mass murderer Anders Breivik's manifesto contained guidance on making radiological, chemical and biological weapons, and improvised explosive devices while the second document detailed how to carry out a fatal knife attack.

Several posters were found on the wall of Hannam's bedroom wall following his arrest

Hannam's association with NA ended before he began working for the Met and counter-terrorism officers acted 'swiftly' once he had been identified as a suspect

In his defence, Hannam denied he had ever been a member of NA before or after it was banned.

Checks found 'nothing of concern' in his work at the Metropolitan Police and no complaints from colleagues or members of the public about his behaviour.

Fooling Met Police 'vetting system' was as easy as 'ticking a box' Ben Hannam made an application to join the Metropolitan Police in July 2017, weeks after he was later found to be involved in neo-Nazi activities. On his application form, the 22-year-old was asked if he had ever been in the far-right British National Party or any groups whose aims 'may contradict the duty to promote race equality'. He ticked 'no', and worked for the Metropolitan Police for two years from March 2018 until his activity with National Action was found due to a leaked database. The Metropolitan Police says it is 'committed to maintaining high levels of honesty and integrity and the prevention and disruption of dishonest, unethical and unprofessional behaviour.' Scotland Yard's counter terrorism chief Commander Richard Smith has moved to reassure the public after it emerged that Hannam joined the Met after lying about his association with NA. He said: 'The processes we have to vet potential members of the police service are proportionate, that's not to say they cannot be absolutely exhaustive.' He declined to 'speculate' on whether a face-to-face interview, rather than a vetting form, would have exposed Hannam's views. The officer said a reference from the university Hannam attended in the autumn of 2017 did not raise any issues. The College of Policing's Vetting Authorised Professional Practice (APP), which is national guidance and sets the standards for police forces in England and Wales on vetting, is being updated but not as a result of any specific case. The national application form previously contained a question specifically about BNP membership, according to a spokesman for the College of Policing. It was updated in December last year and now asks candidates whether they are or have been a member of a proscribed terrorist organisation or group. This includes organisations which are 'politically, religiously, racially or environmentally disruptive'. Advertisement

Before his arrest, Hannam had an 'unremarkable career', apart from receiving a final warning for gross misconduct in 2018 for using his brother's Oyster card.

Before his trial, Hannam had requested an indication from Judge Anthony Leonard QC of the likely sentence if he pleaded guilty. The judge declined to give a formal indication, but said conviction would lead to a jail sentence.

The defendant, who was suspended from duty with the Met upon his arrest, will be sentenced on Friday, April 23.

Some of Hannam's former associates have been convicted over their activities.

In 2019, Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski, then 18, from west London, was given an 18-month detention and training order for encouraging an attack on Prince Harry, calling him a 'race traitor'.

The same year, Elliott Richards-Good, 20, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was convicted of stirring up racial hatred and sentenced to 16 months in a young offender institution.

London branch organiser Mark Jones, 25, Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax in West Yorkshire, was convicted of belonging to NA and jailed for five-and-a-half years in 2020.

Today, Commander Richard Smith moved to reassure the public after it emerged that Hannam joined the Metropolitan Police after lying about his association with NA.

Mr Smith, who is head of the Met's counter terrorism command, said: 'We were investigating individuals linked to the Iron March forum, which carries extreme right-wing material.

'We were shocked to find one of the individuals we were seeking to identify turned out to be a serving probationary police officer. Ben Hannam obviously lied on his application form to join the Met.

'He would never have been able to join had we known then of his interest in the extreme right wing and his previous membership of National Action.

'Once we identified his involvement with that organisation, we took immediate steps to arrest him and put him before the court.'

He said there was no evidence that Hannam was part of a 'deliberate' attempt by the extreme right to infiltrate the force. A review of his work has not revealed any sign that he tried to draw others into his extreme ideology.

Mr Smith said: 'We found no evidence that he used his position as a police officer to further his extremist views.'

During his time in the force, Hannam had no direct access to the Police National Computer, although he could have asked others to do checks on cases he was dealing with.

The Met's vetting process for new recruits is 'proportionate', Mr Smith said. 'The processes we have to vet potential members of the police service are proportionate, that's not to say they cannot be absolutely exhaustive.'

The ideology of NA was described in court as based on 'Aryan purity' and hatred of non-white groups, particularly Jews. Pictured: Hannam spray painting graffiti

A notebook found in the bedroom of Hannam contained a sticker for National Action

Hannam poses next to a National Action flag in images shown to jurors at the Old Bailey

He declined to 'speculate' on whether a face-to-face interview, rather than a vetting form, would have exposed Hannam's views.

Hannam in his own words 'I'm not racist, I just don't like people who's skin is darker than mine' (written in Skype conversation)

'It was the look and aesthetic of fascism that started it. The bold look of the images' (Old Bailey evidence)

'You look in my room, I like bold pictures propaganda-style pictures which is why I had some fascist propaganda stuff, it's something about the bold colours. It's the same as my Star Wars poster and I've got a Minecraft poster' (Old Bailey evidence)

'It does sound really obnoxious but I was interested in these different types of politics and I can discuss them. Before National Action I met up with Marxists and Leninists, people on the far left. I met people all across the political spectrum. I had discussions with people on the left.' (Old Bailey evidence)

'I would say we agree that the 'Hitler was right stuff' is a bit too edgy, but then again it's pretty funny and we all know our stance on the big man' (conversation with a student from Surrey he was trying to recruit) Advertisement

The officer said a reference from the university Hannam attended in the autumn of 2017 did not raise any issues. Mr Smith added: 'To the best of my knowledge this is a unique case.

'I'm not aware of any other police officer ever facing prosecution for membership of a terrorist group.

'I would reassure the public by pointing out how swiftly we acted, as soon as he was identified, to arrest and prosecute him.

'Ben Hannam had been in the Metropolitan Police less than two years when we got this information and we acted immediately.

'People join the Met Police Service with the intent of keeping people safe from harm.

'The views Ben Hannam expressed online and was interested in online are totally incompatible with being a police officer.'

The court had heard that Hannam was radicalised online and joined National Action's London branch before it was banned.

On the threat posed to vulnerable people, Mr Smith said: 'Radicalisation can take place through many routes. We have a clear concern about extremist material available online and we act robustly when we find it.

'I would urge anyone with concerns about somebody vulnerable to radicalisation who may be accessing this abhorrent material online to report the matter to the police there is specialist help available.'

The College of Policing's Vetting Authorised Professional Practice (APP), which is national guidance and sets the standards for police forces in England and Wales on vetting, is being updated but not as a result of any specific case.

Police found business cards for National Action reading 'Young Radical Nationalist'

Pictured: Notebooks found in the home of Hannam, which was raided by police last year

Hannam (second right) seen during a neo-Nazi gathering in images shown to jurors

Following his arrest last March, officers seized a USB stick from his home which contained manuals detailing the production of biological weapons. Pictured: His bedroom

The bedroom also contained piles of clutter and rubbish, alongside a guitar and keyboard

Also found in his bedroom was a notebook with a sticker of Rudolf Hess, a prominent leader of the Nazi regime

Books are seen scattered on the window ledge of Hannam's bedroom in Edmonton, London

Another notebook found in Hannam's home, which contained details of his student finace

The national application form previously contained a question specifically about BNP membership, according to a spokesman for the College of Policing.

It was updated in December last year and now asks candidates whether they are or have been a member of a proscribed terrorist organisation or group.

This includes organisations which are 'politically, religiously, racially or environmentally disruptive'.
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The trial of another Nigerian professor charged with election fraud could not continue on Thursday in a state High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, because of the judges absence.

Ignatius Uduk, a professor of Human Kinetics in the Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Uyo, is being prosecuted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on a three-count charge which includes unlawful generation of election results and lying under oath.

Mr Uduk was an ad-hoc official of INEC and the returning officer for the Essien Udim State Constituency election in 2019, in Akwa Ibom State.

The professor and his lawyers, the prosecution counsels, and other litigants, were in court for the days proceedings, when a court clerk announced that the court was not going to sit.

No reason was given for the judges absence.

A recent mass transfer of judges in the Akwa Ibom State judiciary may have probably affected the courts sitting, as some judges alternate between their new court and the old one to dispense of cases that have reached advanced stages.

The case, which was last heard on January 19, 2021, was adjourned to April 13.

Mr Uduk was remanded in prison in December on the order of the judge, Archibong Archibong, after a warrant of arrest was issued on him for refusing to present himself for trial.

Another professor, Peter Ogban, was last week sentenced to three years imprisonment for fraudulent manipulation of election results, publishing and announcing of false results in two local government areas  Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo  during the Akwa Ibom North-West District 2019 election.

Mr Ogban, a professor of Soil Science at the University of Calabar, was a returning officer in the election.

This is the first time INEC is prosecuting professors for electoral fraud.
MIAMI, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pipe , creators of the world's first trading platform for recurring revenues today announced that it has been named one of the 2021 Best Places to Work in Financial Technology. The awards program was created in 2017 and is a project of Arizent and Best Companies Group, publishers of American Banker , National Mortgage News , PaymentsSource , Financial Planning and Digital Insurance . Pipe ranked number six on the list of 49 companies.

Pipe provides SaaS companies with access to their annual cashflow upfront, without debt or dilution. (PRNewsfoto/Pipe Technologies Inc.)

This annual survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in the financial technology industry. Companies recognized on this year's list operate in and serve companies and consumers in a wide range of financial services including banking and mortgages, insurance, payments and financial advisory.

Pipe's trading platform for recurring revenues is the latest innovation in financial services. On one side, companies can trade their contracts that generate predictable recurring revenues for upfront capital. Each company is rated on their own merits so they can access the best possible bid price based on their level of risk. The healthier a company becomes, the more their contracts will trade for on the Pipe platform. The other side of the platform is made up of institutional investors, all eager to purchase these recurring revenue-generating assets, which have a similar profile to fixed-income products.

"We have made a conscious effort from day one to build a great workplace environment, and being chosen as a Best Place to Work in Financial Technology by Arizent is enormously gratifying," said Harry Hurst, co-founder and co-CEO, Pipe. "In the last 12 months, in the middle of a very challenging global environment, we relocated our headquarters to Miami, developed microhubs in New York, Atlanta, and Europe where employees have chosen to live, and made all of our people owners of Pipe. To further expand recurring revenue as a new asset class for growing businesses, we will continue to invest in our people to make Pipe an even better place to work."

Story continues

"This year, the fintech industry became a larger and more important sector of our economy," said David Evans, chief content officer at Arizent. "This ranking helps highlight companies that have generous employee policies and positive cultures, and can help serve as a guide to job seekers in this competitive industry."

To be considered for participation, companies must provide technology products, services or solutions that enable the delivery of financial services. Companies must also have been in business for at least one full year and employ at least 15 people in the U.S.

Companies from across the United States entered a two-part survey process to determine Arizent's Best Places to Work in Financial Technology. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process, analyzed the data and determined the final ranking.

For more information on Arizent's Best Places to Work in Financial Technology program, including full eligibility criteria, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkFinTech.com .

About Pipe

Pipe is a trading platform that enables entrepreneurs to grow their businesses on their terms. By treating recurring revenue streams as an asset, Pipe allows companies to transform their recurring revenue into upfront capital, instantly. For entrepreneurs, that means more cash flow for scaling their business without debt or dilution. For investors, Pipe has unlocked the largest untapped asset class, revenue. Whether you're an entrepreneur or an investor - Pipe is growth on your terms. To learn more visit www.pipe.com or follow us on Twitter @pipe.

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SOURCE Pipe
Cellnex will formally assume control over 7000 telecom tower sites formerly owned by Polands Play (Polkomtel).

After receiving the approval of Polish competition authorities, Cellnex has finalised an agreement first announced in October 2020 which will see it pay 800 million for a 60% controlling in a new infrastructure company that will control the towers.

In September 2020, Iliad Group announced that it had acquired Play. The parent firm will retain control of the remaining 40% in the venture, in line with the model agreed between Cellnex and Iliad for the sites formerly operated by Iliads French subsidiary Free.

Through the new Polish infrastructure venture, Cellnex has pledged to invest as much as 1.3 billion to deploy up to 5000 new sites in Poland before 2030. The firm has also signed 20-year service contracts with Play, with an option to extend for further successive periods of 10 years.

This deal marks Cellnexs second major acquisition in Poland this year following its purchase of Polkomtel Infrastruktura for 1.6 billion. The group now has a presence in 12 European markets.
Economic activities at Maasai Mara game reserve are feeling the heat of President Uhuru Kenyatta's measures aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19.

Cessation of movement into and out of Nakuru, Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado and Nairobi counties has placed hotel and camp owners on the edge.

Lodges, tented camps, bars and transport operators are the hardest hit by the restrictions announced on Friday.

Local and international tourists have cancelled hotel bookings.

Meetings and other events that were to take place at the hotels this week have been postponed abruptly.

Full bookings

Sarova Mara Camp, Serena Mara Lodge, Keekorok Lodge, Sopa Lodge, Kichwa Tembo and Kempinski Olare Mara, Mara Intrepids, Angama, Mara Simba and Fig tree are some of the establishments that expected full Easter bookings.

Maasai Mara Hotel Managers Forum chairman James ole Pere expressed disappointment at the decision to put the five counties on lockdown.

He said hotel owners expected visitors to compensate for the losses made last year when international travel was put on hold by most countries.

"Keekorok Lodge looked forward to 212 visitors on April 2 and 219 the following day.

Almost 90 per cent have cancelled their travel and events," Mr Pere said.

He said more than 80 per cent of active tourist facility investors are contemplating sending their employees home, adding that the employees were recalled just months ago when the hospitality industry began picking up.

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Huge losses

Mr Pere said the lodges and camps did massive shopping for Easter as they expected a huge number of domestic and foreign visitors.

"Imagine buying eggs, bacon, sausages and other perishable items for more than 1,000 visitors who would be around for at least five days.

We also ordered diesel for the generators.

The losses investors are staring at are unimaginable," Mr Pere said.

He added that a lot of expenses have gone to Covid-19 precautionary measures.

These include buying soap, sanitiser, free label masks signage and creating extra space as dining halls.

Oldarpoi Camp chief executive Nelson ole Reyia said most workers have been given leave.

Narok Tourism executive Joseph ole Koila said measures had been put in place to ensure the safety of visitors before the President made the announcement.

"We expected thousands of visitors during Easter. We had taken precaution and were monitoring hotels to ensure they follow the Ministry of Health guidelines," the executive said.

East Africa Tour Drivers and Guides Association secretary Felix Migoya said bookings to Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Mombasa, Mt Kenya and other destinations during Easter were full.

"All our savings had gone into repairing the vans. It is a disaster," Mr Migoya said.
DUSHANBE -- A deputy health minister in Tajikistan has been dismissed after confusing North and South Korea and forgetting the names of UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) representatives alongside him at a press conference in Dushanbe.

President Emomali Rahmon reportedly relieved Samariddin Alizoda of his duties on March 31, less than two weeks after the gaffes were caught on video, going viral and spawning online mockery.

Multiple sources at the Health Ministry told RFE/RL that Alizoda was fired as a result of his performance at the March 18 press conference, where he announced plans by authorities to roll out the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine against COVID-19.

Commenters on the Internet used words like "disastrous" to describe Alizoda's inability to recall or pronounce the names of WHO representative Viktor Arshavsky and UN children's fund envoy Osama Makkawi.

"AstraZeneca vaccine was developed in England [and] is being produced in Belgium, also in India and North Korea," Alizoda also announced.

After journalists corrected him to say it was South Korea, Alizoda replied: "Yes, South, South Korea," adding, "Well, what's the difference? Korea is Korea."

Many of those in attendance broke into laughter.

Alizoda did not react to the swarm of jokes, memes, and criticism on social networks and publicly got the AstraZeneca injection as part of the official rollout on March 23.

The 55-year-old doctor of medical science was appointed to the post in May 2020 as coronavirus infections were surging in Tajikistan.

Before the appointment, Alizoda had stints in the Health Ministry and served as chief of the Tajik State Sanitary and Epidemiological Control Service.
19 of the 22 people killed by a French airstrike at a Mali wedding earlier this year were unarmed civilians who were "protected against attacks under international humanitarian law," a new United Nations report has found.

Why it matters: The findings that only three of those killed were suspected militants contradict France's claims that the targets in the Jan. 3 strike near the village of Bounti, central Mali, were militants  an assertion French officials stood by after the UN report's release Tuesday.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali's report recommends that Malian and French authorities conduct "an independent, credible and transparent investigation" into the strike and "possible violations of international humanitarian and human rights law," per a UN statement.

"This strike raises serious concerns about respect for the principles of the conduct of hostilities."

 Excerpt from UN report

What they're saying: France's Defense Ministry insisted in a statement issued in response to the UN that the strike targeted an "armed terrorist group."

The ministry accused the UN fact-finding mission of failing to "distinguish credible sources from false testimonies of possible terrorist sympathizers or individuals under the influence of jihadist groups."

For the record: Officials in France have been debating the issue of the country's 5,100-strong troop presence in the West Africa nation, which was under French colonial rule from 1892 until 1960, Bloomberg notes.
On A cold and windy night in 1968, in what was then considered a tough black ghetto in Indianapolis, Senator Robert Kennedy stood on the back of a truck in a parking lot under a crop of oak trees and addressed the crowd.

Not as fine an orator as his brother Jack had been, Bobby Kennedy rarely improvised when it came to his speeches, generally speaking from his prepared script. But not this time.

There were many that night who believed that he shouldnt be making a speech at all; shouldnt, in fact, be going anywhere near that black neighbourhood. The Indianapolis mayor said that it was too dangerous. The chief of police, meanwhile, instructed Kennedy and his team not to enter the neighbourhood, saying that his officers couldnt protect them.

Bobby Kennedy didnt falter. Finally persuading his wife Ethel  normally fearless in volatile situations  to wait for him at their hotel, Kennedy carried on. In an often overlooked detail about that historic night, Norman Mailer later documented the fact that the moment the senators car entered the ghetto, the police escort withdrew.

On his flight to Indianapolis earlier that evening, the news had reached Bobby Kennedy that Martin Luther King had been shot. By the time the plane touched down, the Reverend King was dead. Those onboard with Kennedy witnessed his immediate reaction to the news. Oh, God, he said, burying his face in his hands, when is this violence going to stop?

On the back of that truck in the ghetto some time later, he composed himself, knowing that he was going to be the one to break the news of Kings death to the assembled crowd. One of the television journalists present described Bobby Kennedy as being hunched in his black overcoat, his face gaunt and distressed and full of anguish.

And then he spoke for over four minutes, unscripted and unprepared.

I have bad news for you, he said, for all our fellow citizens and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight. There was a huge gasp from the crowd, but Kennedy carried on  speaking of how it was time to ask what kind of a nation America was and what direction it was moving in, how the answer was not violence and division but compassion and understanding. Surprising even his own political handlers, he also referenced his own brothers murder  by a white man.

For Bobby Kennedy, it was the speech of his life, made 53 years ago this weekend after Kings assassination in Memphis on April 4,1968.

More than half a century on from Kennedys heartfelt plea for a better America, for racial harmony, for justice for all human beings who abide in our land, youd have to ask yourself: what happened?

This week saw former policeman Derek Chauvin brought to trial for the killing of George Floyd, the African American who had the breath squeezed out of him as he lay on a Minneapolis street in May of last year.

This week RTEs Liveline also brought a tsunami of stories of racial abuse on the streets of our own country.

Bobby Kennedys favourite writer was the Greek scholar Aeschylus. He often quoted him, not least on that fateful night in Indianapolis when he urged everyone listening to dedicate themselves to what Aeschylus had urged for humanity so many centuries before: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.

Have we really learned nothing at all in the past 50 years?
Group Corp.s visited Indonesia, offering to invest billions of dollars toward the development of a new capital city. Lex Greensill, at the time a favorite of Sons, was part of the entourage.

had invested $1.5 billion in Greensills eponymous finance company, but in a meeting with Indonesian president Joko Widodo, Son introduced Greensill as the money guy, according to local TV footage.

One year later, the money guy has become a money pit. Greensill Capital collapsed in March in one of the most spectacular financial blow-ups of recent years, sending shock waves through a Swiss banking giant, two of Japans largest firms and a British tycoons industrial empire.

Son has had to write down his investment, making it among the worst in the history of his Vision Fund, alongside the implosion of WeWork Cos., another portfolio company. Thats unlikely to prevent SoftBank from posting its strongest quarter on record, including a profit of more than $30 billion at the Vision Fund, thanks to the IPO of South Korean e-commerce firm Coupang Inc. and a soaring valuation of Chinese ride-hailing startup Didi Chuxing Technology Co., according to people with knowledge of the matter. Still, the episode underscores the risks of Sons strategy of taking big equity stakes in startups and then encouraging those portfolio to collaborate with each other.

Spokespersons for in Tokyo and Greensill Capital in London declined to comment.

Sons relationship with Greensill began haphazardly: A junior executive at the Vision Fund reached out seeking an introduction, people with knowledge of the matter said. By May 2019, SoftBank had invested $800 million in Greensill. It put in an additional $655 million that October.

Soon the two were talking regularly, even though SoftBank had investments in more than 80 startups and Greensill was far from the biggest, according to people close to the executives. Son touted Greensill at SoftBank events as an example of the cooperation he expected from his portfolio companies, the people said.

Greensill got the same star treatment as former WeWork Chief Executive Officer Adam Neumann before him and, more recently, Ritesh Agarwal, head of Indias Oyo Hotels, which has since had to retrench. A presentation at a 2019 SoftBank shareholders meeting featured photos of the three men, identifying them as artificial intelligence entrepreneurs in the biggest revolution in human history.

Greensill, in turn, basked in the attention, boasting about his conversations with the SoftBank founder, executives at his company said.

One of the great things about joining the SoftBank Vision Fund family hasnt just been the network, the capital and the advice, its actually been having Masa as a partner and a mentor, Greensill was quoted as saying on a now-deleted Vision Fund web page. He has worked with us, and particularly with me, to think about our core business and how we can actually take that core business and tackle other inequalities and other challenges that exist in the global market.

Greensill was a key part of what Son dubbed his Cluster of No. 1s strategy, taking non-controlling stakes in the worlds leading tech and encouraging them to cooperate. In theory, startups would tap WeWorks network of co-working spaces or use Uber Technologies Inc. drivers for deliveries. Greensills role was to offer struggling SoftBank startups easy access to financing without having to pledge onerous collateral.

A former Morgan Stanley banker, Greensill, 44, founded his firm in 2011, focusing on extending short-term loans secured against invoices. But some of the financing provided to SoftBank was based on predicted future sales, not on actual invoices, people with knowledge of the practice said.

The loans, securitized and turned into bond-like instruments known as notes, were presented to some investors as backed by transactions, according to marketing documents and people familiar with the matter. Investors thought they were getting short-term debt, the people said.

Many of the loans were made through supply-chain funds at Credit Suisse Group AG that attracted $10 billion from investors. Among the borrowers were SoftBank portfolio companies Oyo, mobile software firm Fair Financial Corp. and modular construction startup Katerra Inc.

SoftBank was also an investor in the Credit Suisse funds, leading to conflict-of-interest accusations against the Japanese firm. That sparked an internal review at the Swiss bank, and SoftBank pulled $700 million out of the funds.

Having a company within Vision Fund that makes it easy for startups to get liquidity may not be a good idea, Kirk Boodry, an analyst at Redex Research in Tokyo, told Bloomberg News. Easy money can confuse things because the feedback gets muddled, and you dont know if you are doing things right. He called the Greensill loans an example of negative synergies.

At the end, whatever positive synergies they get are probably going to be irrelevant, he said. But the negative one will come back to haunt them.

It was in search of such synergies that Son had offered to invest in Indonesias new capital on the island of Borneo and a new city Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is building on Saudi Arabias Red Sea coast.

It was Sons dream that portfolio companies such as Katerra, Oyo, ride-haling startups Ola and Grab and facial-recognition firm SenseTime Group, would win contracts. Greensill would help provide financing.

Greensills name kept cropping up in Vision Fund meetings and presentations, according to people familiar with the matter. When managing partners challenged investment ideas presented by deal teams, the questions would often focus on liquidity, a common problem for startups. Those discussions often led to Greensill, the people said.

But by March 2020, a month after the trip to Indonesia, the relationship between Son and Greensill began to sour. The pandemic was squeezing supply chains, and investors pulled billions of dollars from the Credit Suisse funds, Greensills largest source of funding.

Greensill turned to Son for capital, saying he might have to call in the financing he had provided to SoftBank portfolio companies, according to people with knowledge of the conversations. Suddenly, the weekly phone calls came to an end.

Colin Fan, the former Deutsche Bank AG executive who managed the investment for the Vision Fund, stopped attending Greensill board meetings at the Savoy Hotel across the street from its London office.

Fan needed to focus on other investments, according to a person familiar with the matter, and a spokesperson for the Vision Fund said other SoftBank representatives remained active and shared their concerns with Greensill management. But the two fund executives who continued to attend Greensill board meetings as observers mostly took notes and didnt ask many questions, according to two people familiar with the matter.

That was the case even as Greensills troubles escalated and one of its insurers, an Australian unit of Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., told the firm it wouldnt renew coverage on notes sold to investors including Credit Suisse.

In December 2020, with Greensill increasingly desperate for cash, SoftBank invested an additional $400 million in the finance company, in exchange for canceling Katerras debt, so Greensill could redeem notes in the Credit Suisse funds. It also put $200 million more into the construction company.

After WeWork, SoftBank promised not to throw good money after the bad, but here we are again, said Boodry, the analyst. They knew there were problems with Greensill, and they still put more money in. Its almost like they take the failure of these companies personally.

SoftBank owned about 25% of Greensill at the end of last year, according to people familiar with the matter. It is now seeking $1.15 billion as a creditor of Greensill, which filed for insolvency in the U. K. on March 8.

Fan, who also managed Vision Fund investments in Alibaba Local Services, Flexport Inc. and Fair, stepped away from his role as a managing partner at the Vision Fund in January to become a senior adviser. The company didnt give a reason.

Meanwhile, Credit Suisse is examining the role of executive board members including CEO Thomas Gottstein as part of its probe into dealings with the defunct lender. And, in Germany, regulators have asked prosecutors to examine how Greensills Bremen-based bank booked assets tied to British industrialist Sanjeev Gupta. Greensill has said it sought the advice of law firms before classifying its assets and has complied with requests from German regulators.

As for Indonesia, Son has yet to follow through on his promise to invest in the new capital. He has backed the merger of e-commerce provider Tokopedia, a SoftBank portfolio company, with another Indonesian startup, ride-hailing giant Gojek, potentially booking a healthy profit.
AICC spokesperson Shama Mohamed demanded that Chief Minister should apologise for the derogatory remark of LDF's former MP Joyce George against leader

She termed the statement as shameful. Speaking to ANI at Kochi, she said, "It is a shameful statement. In this case, should apologise for this person. is a man who was gone to different kinds of colleges, spoken to different types of people whether they are women or men. Is Joyce George saying that bachelors are not supposed to meet women? Or not supposed to speak in front of women? What is he trying to say? For this sort of cheap talk, should apologise. Nothing more than that or nothing less."

She also attacked BJP for their Assembly elections manifesto. She said that the manifesto talks only about terrorism. She said, "Did you see their manifesto? The manifesto talks only about terrorism. is a very peaceful state. Most minorities were Christians, Hindus and Muslims living side by side. No ghettoisation. We do not want anybody to come and split us. We do not want any riots here. We are peaceful people. BJP has no stake."

She criticised 'Metroman' E Sreedharan, who is the candidate of BJP in the Palakkad constituency. She said that, "We all respect him. But his respect is gone. Love Jihad, washing my feet is the right thing. These are the things he is talking about. Why can't he talk about the development of Kerala? That is what we should talk about. If a riot can happen in Delhi when a President of America had come there for five days, just imagine what will happen when the BJP comes to Kerala."

She also talked about the elections in other states. She further said that, "in Assam, we will form the govt. In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry with the alliance partner DMK, we will form the govt. I can say this for sure."

She criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for saying that BJP will be touching 200 in West Bengal. "That is called psychology. What is happens that keep saying that they are winning, then the people think that, they are saying that they are winning, so let's vote for them. That is just psychological warfare by Amit Shah. We saw that in Chhattisgarh, it fell flat. Jharkhand, it fell flat. You remember Delhi, he said the same thing, it fell flat.

(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.)
SAN FRANCISCO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bioverge, Inc. ("Bioverge"), an investment platform that funds visionary entrepreneurs who are transforming healthcare and bringing science fiction to life, today announced it has launched an equity crowdfunding platform called Bioverge Portal. The purpose of the platform is to create multiple paths for everyoneaccredited and non-accredited individuals, family offices, registered investment advisors, private wealth managers, and institutional investors to invest in new treatments for the causes they care most about by providing access to highly vetted private healthcare startups that have already attracted validation via professional healthcare investors. The Company also announced that it plans to launch a 4(a)(6) regulation crowdfunding offering, the proceeds of which will be used to further develop the funding portal and investment platform.

The newly launched Bioverge Portal subsidiary will differentiate itself from generalist equity crowdfunding portals by embracing a network model comprised of a team of healthcare specific resources and specialists to support scientific and technical founders. For companies, Bioverge provides value-added support by discerning companies' specific needs, providing guidance, and leveraging the Bioverge Network to connect them with strategic partners, advisors, subject matter experts, sources of non-dilutive funding, and institutional investors. Before being listed on the platform, every company must undergo Bioverge's rigorous screening processDynamic Diligenceto assess the potential returns on a risk-adjusted basis.

Neil J. Littman, MS, Founder, CEO and General Partner of Bioverge said, "While working at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), I got to see first-hand how R&D funding can change and save lives. There, I met a little girl named Evie who was born with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, a disease that is usually fatal, and forces children to have limited physical contact with family and friends. After participating in a CIRM-funded clinical trial, Evie was cured and she now lives the normal life of an 8-year-old; she loves to surf, has a dog, and goes to schoolall things that would have been impossible for Evie without the CIRM-funded treatment. Realizing that 95% of people in the U.S. have never invested in the private markets, even though they are permitted to do so and even though doing so may make sense to achieve property diversification, I decided that more investors should have access to the emotional and financial returns made possible through early-stage healthcare investing that I witnessed first-hand during my tenure at CIRM."

"Rules recently coming into effect now allow companies raising capital under Reg CF to raise up to $5 million at a time when public interest in healthcare breakthroughs have never been higher," continued Mr. Littman. "Our confidence that Reg CF is a powerful tool for companies to raise capital is reflected in our choice of pursuing this avenue with our own upcoming equity crowdfunding campaign."

Rick Gibb, Co-founder of Bioverge commented, "Even though including alternative assets in a diversified portfolio of investments is a smart way to decrease your overall portfolio volatility and potentially enhance returns, smaller professional and individual investors have had limited access. Over the last two decades, alternative assets have become a growing presence in the portfolios of professional investors, pension funds, foundations, endowments, insurance funds, sovereign wealth funds, etc. Private investment in healthcare provides an opportunity to not just diversify, but also help support companies that are pushing the boundaries of human healthcare and tackling diseases that affect us all."

About Bioverge

Bioverge is an investment platform that funds visionary entrepreneurs with the aim of transforming healthcare and bringing science fiction to life. The firm was founded in 2016 by Neil J. Littman and Rick Gibblongtime industry and investment professionals with deep domain expertise who grasp the complexities of operating within a highly regulated and complex industry. Bioverge's investment thesis spans the intersection of Health + Tech has built a portfolio of 23 companies and has participated in 11 follow-on rounds for its portfolio companies, many of which are supported by some of the world's top-performing venture capital firms.

Key among the Company's offerings is access to the Bioverge Network, a consortium of functional specialists capable of supporting scientific and technical founders alongside experts to source and conduct diligence on new investment opportunities. Bioverge is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif. For more information, visit www.bioverge.com.

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Investing in Regulation CF offerings involves a high degree of risk. Securities sold through Regulation CF Offerings are typically not publicly traded and, therefore, are less liquid. Additionally, investors will receive restricted stock that is subject to holding period requirements. Companies seeking capital through Regulation CF Offerings tend to be in earlier stages of development and have not yet been fully tested in the public marketplace. Investing in Regulation CF Offerings requires a tolerance for high risk, low liquidity, and a long-term commitment. Investors must be able to afford to lose their entire investment. Such investment products are not FDIC insured, may lose value, and have no bank guarantee.

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Almere, The Netherlands

April 1, 2021

ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) will report operating results for the 2021 first quarter (which ended on March 31, 2021) at approximately:

18:00 p.m. Continental European Time - Tuesday, April 20, 2021

12:00 p.m. US Eastern Time - Tuesday, April 20, 2021



ASM International will furthermore host an investor conference call and webcast on Wednesday,

April 21, 2021, at 14:00 p.m. Continental European Time ( 8: 00 a.m . - US Eastern Time).

The teleconference dial-in numbers are as follows:

United States: +1 646 7413 167 International +44 (0) 8444 819 752 The Netherlands: +31 (0)20 79 566 14 Access Code: 6352838



A simultaneous audio webcast, and replay will be accessible at www.asm.com .



About ASM International

ASM International NV, headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, its subsidiaries and participations design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International, its subsidiaries and participations provide production solutions for wafer processing.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability,changes in import/export regulations, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's reports and financial statements. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances.



CONTACT

Investor and media contact:

Victor Bareno

T: +31 88 100 8500

E: victor.bareno@asm.com

Attachment
Xi's article on Party history learning to be published

Xinhua) 08:37, April 01, 2021

Photo taken on Oct. 27, 2020 shows the replica of a boat, now referred to as the Red Boat, on which the founders of the Communist Party of China convened a historic meeting in 1921, on Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- An article by Chinese President Xi Jinping on learning the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will be published Thursday.

The article by Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year's seventh issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.

The article calls on all CPC members to study the Party's history, understand the thoughts, do practical work and make new advances, so as to embark on a new journey in high spirit to fully build a modern socialist China and welcome the Party's centenary with outstanding achievements.

Highlighting the significance of a campaign on Party history learning and education, the article says it is the right time to launch such a campaign when the Party marks its 100th anniversary of the founding.

The campaign is also imperative as China stands at the crucial juncture where the timeframes of the two centenary goals converge, it says.

The article outlines the focuses of the campaign, including equipping the whole Party with the latest achievements in the Party's theoretical innovation, further grasping the general trend of the history, and deepening the understanding of the Party's nature and purpose.

The article also stresses efforts to sum up experience from the past, carry forward the revolutionary traditions, and strengthen the Party's unity through the campaign.

The article calls for pursuing substantial results in the campaign.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Bianji)
MASON CITY, Iowa  75 percent of Cerro Gordo County senior citizens have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Public Health Director Brian Hanft says the county has gotten over 20,000 doses, enough to get nearly half the countys population at least one dose. 87 percent of Mason Citys police force has also been vaccinated.

Hanft says demand for the vaccine has dropped off as Cerro Gordo County has seen a slight increase in COVID-19 test positivity and hospitalizations. Hanft says thats why theyre encouraging people to still get tested if they feel any coronavirus symptoms and get that second dose of vaccine. He says its critically important and says anyone worried about side effects should be reassured that if you do experience any, they fade quickly and are much less harmful than the effects of COVID-19.

Hanft is also encouraging people to get the vaccine, especially the second dose, anywhere they can but asks if they sign up for a county vaccine appointment and then get it somewhere else, please let CG Public Health know so they can open that appointment up for someone else.
If you are looking for an affordable tablet during this pandemic, Lenovo Malaysia just announced a new tablet for the Malaysian market. Dubbed as the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus (2nd Gen) with Google Assistant, it's now available at all Lenovo Exclusive Stores and authorized sellers on Lazada and Shopee for RM999. Good price, eh? Read on below on the tech specs and features.

For starters, the Smart Tab M10 comes with a 10.3-inch Full HD screen with TDDI (Touch and Display Driver Integration) wide viewing angle display and dual speakers with Dolby Atmos. It's also powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P22T mobile processor with up to 2.3 GHz main frequency, alongside 4GB + 64GB (eMMC) and an expandable microSD card up to 256GB. It's also running on Android Pie out of the box.

As for other specs, it features a simple 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. It has a pair of Dolby Atmos speakers and the battery pack is 5000mAh but without any fast charging support. For connectivity, it supports WLAN 11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, 4G LTE, and even comes bundled with a Smart Charging Station dock for a hands-free experience.

The Lenovo tablet is not exactly up yet on the official website at the time of posting but we were told that it also has an RM84 monthly instalment for customers. So do check local listings or visit the nearest Lenovo shop on that. Stay tuned for more local trending tech deals at TechNave.com.
Sharon Stone has candidly reflected on her past miscarriages and praised the 'global sisterhood' for now speaking out about 'issues of loss and heartache'.

The Basic Instinct actress, 63, explained that she went through '36 hours of labour alone' after losing a baby at five and a half months pregnant, revealing that nurses stayed with her and she felt a 'strong sense of understanding'.

While elsewhere in her Radio 4 Women's Hour and BBC Sounds interview, Sharon spoke about the Me Too movement and said she believes people have been left 'scared of making a mistake'.

Candid: Sharon Stone has reflected on her past miscarriages while appearing on Radio 4 Women's Hour and BBC Sounds (pictured in February 2020)

Speaking about her own experiences after the publication of her autobiography, The Beauty of Living Twice, Sharon said she felt a 'strong sense of sisterhood' from the nurses helping her through a 'fifth and a half month miscarriage'.

She said: 'It's a devastating experience and I have to say I was really grateful to Chrissy Teigen for allowing us to publicly share what she went through.

'When I lost my last baby, and then went back to the hospital and had 36 hours of labour on my own to, of course, birth nothing - and the nurses that had been in the hospital with me two days before when they removed the last baby came in and sat with me on their day off.

'I really felt such a strong sense of sisterhood and understanding. Because I would have been alone. And that's such an alone feeling anyway.'

Autobiography: The actress, 63, has recently revealed a book about her life with details her career and upbringing (pictured in 1985)

The actress went on to praise Vanessa Kirby, who portrayed character Martha who lost her baby in a tragic home birth in Netflix film Pieces of a Woman.

Sharon added: 'I was so grateful to Vanessa Kirby for making Pieces of a Woman.

'I think we're finally reaching a point in our global sisterhood, where we speak to the issues of loss and heartache and rape and brutalisation and all of the things that happened to us and to our bodies, and that our minds and heart have to go through and we're not carrying the water anymore.

'We are not carrying shame that doesn't belong to us. We are letting it out.

'This is that time that everyone feared would come and we would be who we really are meant to be which is the great sisterhood'.

Opinions: Sharon also spoke about the Me Too movement and said she believes people have been left 'stiff' and 'scared of making a mistake' (pictured in February 2020)

Sharon had several miscarriages while married to ex-husband Phil Bronstein and told Women's Hour she has the 'rheumatoid factor' that made it difficult for her to carry a pregnancy to term.

Since then, Sharon has adopted three sons, Roan, Laird and Quinn. The star has previously revealed to AARP that she was approved to adopt her first son Roan, who was born in 2000, while on the way home from having a miscarriage.

Elsewhere in her Women's Hour interview, Sharon also reflected on the Me Too movement and said she thinks things have gone 'a little too far'.

She said: 'I think we're going to have to re-find a balance because it is a business where we all need to be friends and family.

The Beauty Of Living Twice: The Basic Instinct star's candid memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, which hit shelves on Tuesday, is filled with bombshells about the star's colorful life

'We're a little bit stiff right now because everybody's scared of making a mistake or saying something that someone will be offended by because there's just so much "oh he touched my arm", or "he said I was pretty".'

'There's so much now that I personally think is a little too far, people just have gone completely berserk with what they're saying is offensive to them'

Sharon also chatted about the film industry giving her a label of a 'difficult woman', saying that it comes from her inability to lie.

She said: 'What it really is, is that I don't have the capacity to lie. And I think that people find that quite off putting.

'I don't know if that's really grit, or just a compulsion. And I think people find that kind of shocking and unsettling.

'And when I tell the truth, that can seem quite offensive, or the favourite Hollywood word - difficult.'

It comes after Sharon revealed that she got an abortion after falling pregnant by 'her first serious boyfriend' at the age of 18.

The actress recalls the incident in the pages of her memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, blaming her 'extreme country background' and 'sexual inexperience' for her teen pregnancy.

Stone was driven by her then-boyfriend to Ohio because she was 'too young' to get an abortion in her home state of Pennsylvania, as per an excerpt published by The Sun on Wednesday.

After the procedure, Sharon 'stayed in [her] room and bled for days' because she was 'too afraid to tell anyone.'

Working hard: It comes after Sharon revealed that she got an abortion after falling pregnant by 'her first serious boyfriend' at the age of 18 (pictured writing)

'When she finally came out, she burned her bloody sheets and clothes before going straight back to school,' the outlet summarized of the traumatic incident.

The Basic Instinct star's candid memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, which hit shelves on Tuesday, is filled with bombshells about the star's colorful life.

She also delves into her marriages to producer Michael Greenburg, 69, and journalist Phil Bronstein, 70, whom she lost custody of their adopted three-year-old son Roan to when they divorced in 2004.

'I couldn't function,' wrote Sharon of losing primary custody of her son, which she believes caused her to have a prolapsed valve that led her developing anorexia.

After a 'very long, very difficult game of custody chess' - 13 years to be exact - a now 20-year-old Roan lives with his mother, as well as his adopted siblings Laird, 15, and Quinn, 14.

If you have been affected by this story, you can seek advice at www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk or by calling 01924 200 799
From April 1 to June 30, Vietnam Airlines will expand the operation of four international air routes: Hanoi - Narita (Tokyo, Japan), Hanoi - Incheon (Seoul, South Korea), Hanoi - Sydney and Ho Chi Minh City - Sydney (Australia).

Vietnam expects to operate 24 flights a week carrying 6,000-7,000 passengers from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to Vietnam.

The flights from Hanoi to Seoul will depart every Thursday while flights from Hanoi to Tokyo will depart on April 3rd, 8th, 11th, 16th, 23rd, 27th, and 29th. In May and June, the operation frequency will be two flights per week on Thursday and Saturday.

Flights from Hanoi to Sydney will depart every Saturday. Flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney will be on Thursdays and Sundays.

Currently, international flights will only serve Vietnamese people studying, working, or visiting relatives abroad who want to return home and foreigners returning home from Vietnam. They all must meet immigration regulations of other countries.

Passengers should learn about the immigration regulations announced by the related embassies to prepare necessary documents and procedures. The carrier will not be responsible if passengers are refused entry.

Vietnam Airlines also plans to launch package flights from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan (China).

Three stages for resuming international commercial flights

In order to resume international commercial flights under the direction of the Prime Minister, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) has submitted a written report to the Ministry of Transport, proposing three phases for the resumption of international flights.

In the first stage, Vietnam will resume whole-package flights for Vietnamese passengers. Vietnamese airlines will collaborate with travel companies, Vietnams foreign commissions and local authorities to operate the flights and quarantine the passengers at hotels after they arrive in Vietnam.

The airfare will comprise the air ticket, the Covid-19 testing fee, the room rates and meals for 15 days and bus services between the airports and the hotels.

Combo flights will be operated together with the Governments repatriation flights. For repatriation flights, the passengers will be quarantined at quarantine centers instead of hotels.

In the second stage, Vietnam will operate regular flights for both Vietnamese and foreign passengers from July 2021. The passengers will have to be quarantined upon arrival but they are not required to have a Covid-19 testing certificate.

Vietnam expects to operate 24 flights a week carrying 6,000-7,000 passengers from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to Vietnam. Passengers from each flight will be quarantined in two or three different hotels.

The airfare will comprise the air ticket, the Covid-19 testing fee, the quarantine fee and meals for 15 days and bus services between the airports and the hotels.

In the third stage, Vietnam will operate regular flights for both Vietnamese and foreign passengers holding a vaccine passport from September 2021.

The flights will be for people from countries that use the same Covid-19 vaccines as Vietnam. The airlines of each side will be allowed to operate seven flights a week.

People who have a certificate proving that they tested negative for Covid-19 three to five days before arriving in Vietnam and an international Covid-19 vaccination certificate will self-isolate at home for seven to 14 days, according to the Ministry of Healths guidance. People who dont have these certificates will have to undergo a 14-day paid quarantine period.

Vu Diep  Ngoc Ha

Vietnam Airlines announces plan for direct flights to the US The Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines has unexpectedly approved a plan to resume direct flights from Vietnam to the US.
GREENVILLE  Joey Goodrich is halfway through the retraining and reentry program, and the Boston native already is thinking about staying here after he finishes later this year.

He came to Soteria Community Development Corp. with some vocational experience as a plasterer. Now hes reclaiming wood from construction sites and transforming it into furniture. Hes learning to use his hands in new ways, along with other valuable skills: how to run a business, understand basic finance, manage government bureaucracy, collaborate with others.

About three years ago, Goodrich lost everything: his family, his job, his autonomy. He fell in with the wrong people, he said. He agreed to cash a forged check for somebody and split the proceeds. He got caught and sentenced to prison, where he spent 2 years coping with his claustrophobia.

It made me appreciate things so much more, he said.

He decided to reach out for help. He wrote letters of inquiry to 13 organizations, but only one responded: Soteria.

The first day out of prison, Goodrich was handed a care package filled with food, clothes and boots. Then he moved into Soterias transitional housing. Then he began his rehabilitation. Here was a place he could feel safe and whole, a place of solidarity and uplift, of faith and hope.

You can feel it, he said. Its not fake.

Soteria was founded in 1999 on little more than a prayer. Jerry Blassingame knew he wanted to start a ministry that helped the formerly incarcerated get back on their feet, though he had no money, no property and no experience in the nonprofit world.

What he had was a criminal record and a strong faith.

Today, Soteria boasts a 16-bed transitional facility, with a new eight-unit project in the works, and 14 low-income rentals. The carpentry shop is getting HVAC and insulation installed. The ministry includes mentoring, financial literacy training, money management assistance, resume preparation, mental health referrals and hands-on labor opportunities.

Participants earn a living wage, much of which they save while staying in Soterias provided housing.

After a while, the men can move into the low-cost rentals. This generates earned income for the organization. More comes from the sale of the handmade furniture and from Blassingames consulting. Grants and donations round out the annual budget.

No path

South Carolina prisons contain around 15,000 people, according to the Department of Corrections. All but 1,000 are men. More than 60 percent are Black. It costs taxpayers $24,500 a year per inmate, based on state funds spent.

The prison population increased each year until 2001, with the biggest jumps of more than 30 percent in the mid-1970s. Since 2005, the total prison population has seen modest annual declines.

The Corrections Department's Division of Programs, Reentry and Rehabilitative Services helps inmates learn new job skills, obtain their GED, earn vocational certificates, receive substance abuse treatment, learn about how crimes affect victims and help dissuade young people from a life of crime.

But Blassingame said its hardly enough. Men and women leaving prison receive an ID card issued by Corrections, not a regular South Carolina ID. That makes it difficult for people with a criminal record to open a bank account, rebuild credit, get a driver's license, find employment and secure housing, he said.

And without a clear path to recovery, too often they end up back in the hole.

There are many collateral consequences of incarceration, some official and legal, others merely prejudicial, Blassingame said. Depending in part on the kind of felony conviction, these consequences can include fines and fees, loss of SNAP benefits, prohibitions regarding housing and employment, restrictions imposed on securing or maintaining various occupational licenses, voting limitations, child custody prohibitions, disqualifications on gun possession and jury duty and travel bans.

Allie Menegakis, founder and director of SC4CJR and a criminal defense attorney with Adams & Bischoff, said the best solution is to incarcerate fewer people in the first place, especially since studies show that imprisonment is not effective in curbing crime.

If we reduce the amount of people in prison, our state would be able to fund reentry, probably for everyone, she said.

U.S. prisons still include large numbers of nonviolent criminals, some serving years for drug possession and small-scale dealing. Only a small percentage of the incarcerated gain access to reentry programs, and those who do often are selected on the basis of how likely they are to succeed, Menegakis said.

Nonprofits such as Root and Rebound and Turning Leaf Project do great work but can find it difficult to scale up to meet the need, she said.

If were going to be jailing people for the foreseeable future, then we also need to be investing in what happens to them while theyre in prison, and what happens when they reenter society, she said.

Two lives

One day at home, when he was 5 years old, Blassingame was warned by his mother's boyfriend, "You better leave before you see something you don't want to see." Then the man shot Blassingame's mother to death in the next room. His grandfather was shot when he tried to intervene. He died two years later of complications. For the rest of his childhood, Blassingame and his five siblings lived with their grandmother, who struggled with alcoholism.

He found refuge at a mostly White school across town, where he thrived. But he was leading two distinct lives, one of academic promise, the other of urban blight and danger, he said.

Blassingame was determined to become an architect, and he did so well in school he earned a full college scholarship.

Back in the neighborhood I saw bling, he said. He started as a lookout for a drug dealer, making $100 a day. He graduated to driver status, making $200 a day. Then, when the dealer hed been working for got hooked on crack, Blassingame was handed 9 ounces of cocaine and told by the boss, Youre the man now.

He didnt disappoint.

I came home from school one day and a guy dropped a bag of money on me, he recalled. "It was $20,000 cash money. That was my profit that I made in one day from selling crack. An architect could never make this much money. So I dropped out of school and became a drug dealer.

The lifestyle granted him the fame and attention hed been craving. After about a decade of drugs and fast wealth, it all came crumbling down.

Blassingame was arrested, sentenced to 15 years, which was suspended to nine months and five years probation. He served four months, lost his Pell grant and couldnt find a regular job when he was out.

So guess what I did?

Six months later, in November 1995, he was arrested again, charged with 11 counts, then struck a plea bargain in exchange for dismissal of a violent charge. He was sentenced to 20 years but soon became eligible for parole. He was in prison for 3 years.

His sister had become a Christian after overcoming her own struggles and she pestered Blassingame about the Bible. Soon, he was hooked.

He kept a journal and dreamed about starting his own nonprofit ministry. He also corresponded with members of Clemson United Methodist Church, a predominantly White congregation that took a genuine interest in Blassingame and his goals, providing essential support.

After 22 years, Soteria is setting an example for others. Blassingame has worked with people in other states and abroad to set up similar ministries. The formerly incarcerated should have opportunities to influence policy and contribute ideas to reform-minded civic leaders and agencies, he said. After all, those who have served time know best how the system works  and fails to work.

The devotion is absolute. Blassingame has found his calling.

This is me, he said. Soteria is who I am.

On faith

Wallace Justice graduated from the program in 2017, and stayed on. Today he is shop manager, mentoring others, and he runs his own home remodeling business. He attributes the success of Soteria to God and love, and to Blassingames extraordinary efforts.

I see how hard Jerry works to keep this place going, Justice said.

Bob Norwood is among the older veterans of the program. He came in November 2019, totally on faith, he said. I had no idea what I was getting into.

But he knew he had to start over from scratch. He had enjoyed a long career as a manager in the airline industry before an auto accident rattled his brain and sent him into a depression. Living in the Myrtle Beach area, he was charged with armed robbery and spent 8 years in prison, he said. He, too, lost everything. Now he's Soteria's director of operations.

Jonathan Thompson also graduated from the program but chose to stick around to help others. He came to South Carolina from California, got in trouble in Georgetown and woke up one day in the county jail after a belligerent encounter with a sheriffs deputy that Thompson said he cant remember.

He wasnt in jail long, though, and an uncle who knew of Soteria told his nephew about it. Thompson jumped at the opportunity to reclaim his life and his relationships with family, he said. Hed had enough with drugs and destitution.

I knew I wanted to work here right away, he said. I learned life skills I never learned growing up.

And now he can think about the future.

The cool thing is when youre done with the program you know what youre doing and know where to go, he said.

Goodrich still is amazed at Blassingames generosity and the ministrys impacts.

Where else can you go to save money and work on you? he wondered aloud.
BAY CITY, MI - A second variant of the COVID-19 virus has been identified in Bay County, according to local health authorities.

The Bay County Health Department issued a press release on Thursday April 1 stating that the P.1 Brazilian variant of the COVID-19 virus was recently identified in the county. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) notified the Bay County Health Department that the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories identified the P.1 Brazilian variant in a Bay County resident and it is the first known case in the State of Michigan.

We are concerned about the discovery of another variant in Michigan, said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS Director. It is now even more important that Michiganders continue to do what works to slow the spread of the virus by wearing their masks properly, socially distancing, avoiding crowds, washing their hands often and making a plan to get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine once it is their turn. We all have a personal responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19 and end this pandemic as quickly as possible.

The P.1 variant was first identified in travelers from Brazil, who were tested during routine screening at an airport in Japan, in early January. It was first detected in the US at the end of January 2021, said the health department, and this variant contains a set of additional mutations that may affect its ability to be recognized by antibodies from previous infections and may increase the chance of reinfection.

The confirmed case is a female and the persons travel history is not known at this time. The case was originally diagnosed in early March and has subsequently recovered said the health department. Samples from the original diagnosis were sent to the Bureau of Laboratories in Lansing for genotyping and the results identifying the variant were reported yesterday, according to the health department.

This is the second new variant of COVID-19 to be identified in Bay County since last week, and the rise of these new variants definitely impact the progress we have made this year with vaccinations, said Joel Strasz, Public Health Officer of the Bay County Health Department.

The Bay County Health Department stated that it has investigated three cases of the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant identified since the first case was identified in the county on March 26. No cases of the 1.351 (South African) variant have been identified in Bay County as of April 1.

With the high transmission rate of the variants and with Spring Break and the Easter holiday quickly coming up, the health department is stressing the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. At this time, the COVID-19 vaccines appear to be effective against the variant, said the health department.

The Bay County Health Department is continuing to prioritize registrants 50 years of age and older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but it will accept as many of the current age categories as allowed by the State of Michigan. All Bay County residents, aged 16 and older are encouraged to register and will be sent appointment invitations for other BCHD sponsored clinics in the future.

More from MLive

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United Kingdom variant of COVID-19 virus found in Bay County

Please get a vaccine when it is offered to you, urges health department as Saginaw County COVID-19 cases rise

Bay County sees an increase in COVID-19 cases among young adults
I.T. Works Recruitment's niche service offerings are a natural complement to the Enterprise practice of our Planet Technology company. We look forward to collaborating with them to further develop their markets and bring enhanced services to all our clients across the Planet platform.

The Planet Group (Planet), a portfolio company of MidOcean Partners and leading provider of outsourced human capital and consulting solutions, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire I.T. Works Recruitment, Inc., a niche Tech recruitment firm that places candidates in permanent and contract positions across North America. Michael Stomberg, CEO of Planet, said this acquisition will further expand Planets current Technology portfolio through enhanced staffing and consulting services, which align with the Companys strategic human capital initiatives.

Originally founded in the U.K. in 2004, I.T. Works Recruitment expanded into the U.S. in 2013 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The dedicated staff and management team at I.T. Works Recruitment specializes in sourcing and placing hard-to-find expert candidates into Tier 2 software system assignments for implementations, upgrades, and customizations in niche markets including enterprise resource planning (ERP), human capital management (HCM), and healthcare electronic medical records (EMR) applications. I.T. Works Recruitment offers an extensive network of highly vetted candidates for both permanent and contract positions to a diversified client base.

I.T. Works Recruitment is led by Founder and CEO Gary Dytor who said: We have had an amazing journey so far and that can only be a testament to everyone involved with I.T. Works. When it came time to explore acquisition partners, The Planet Group was a clear choice because of our aligned visions and cultures. Our partnership will benefit our team, clients, and candidates immensely and allow us to reach even greater heights as we accelerate toward our goal of being the company of choice for the supply of niche IT business systems experts."

Widely known in the industry as a firm of excellence, I.T. Works Recruitment has won several prestigious awards, including the National Association for Business Resources Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing for Talent and Clients, and the Atlanta Business Chronicles Best Place to Work. They have also been recognized as the second fastest growing staffing firm in the U.S. by Staffing Industry Analysts, as an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing privately-held company, and as one of the Financial Times Fastest Growing Companies in the Americas.

"We are excited to join forces with I.T. Works Recruitment," said Stomberg. "Their niche ERP service offerings are a natural complement to the Enterprise practice of our Planet Technology staffing and consulting company. We look forward to collaborating with I.T. Works Recruitment to further develop their EMR, ERP, and HCM markets and bring enhanced services to all our clients across the Planet platform."

MidOcean Partners, a premier middle market private equity firm, made a majority investment in Planet in January 2018 to escalate the companys strategic initiatives and drive continued growth. Planet will look to continue accelerating its expansion through future M&A activity.

Neal England at Oaklins Member Firm Capital Alliance served as the exclusive financial adviser to IT Works Recruitment.

ABOUT THE PLANET GROUP

The Planet Group consists of nine related entities, including five renowned staffing brands, and has been purposefully built to address the professional services needs of leading companies in the Accounting & Finance, Technology, Life Sciences, Human Resources, Diversified Energy & Engineering, and Healthcare areas. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices throughout the US and Europe. Learn more at https://theplanetgroup.com.

ABOUT I.T. WORKS RECRUITMENT, INC.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, I.T. Works Recruitment, Inc. is an industry-leading niche recruitment consultancy firm that places expert technology candidates in contract and permanent positions nationwide. The company specializes in sourcing and recruiting hard-to-find information technology (IT) professionals to place into dynamic Tier 2 enterprise software providers and corporate end-users requiring implementations, upgrades, and integrations. Dominant markets include enterprise resource planning (ERP), human capital management (HCM), and healthcare electronic medical records (EMR) applications. Learn more at https://www.itworksrec.com.

ABOUT MIDOCEAN PARTNERS

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A week after four soldiers were killed in eastern Ukraine, the US has pledged its support to the country in what it called the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

The US secretary of state Anthony Blinken, in a phone call to Ukraines foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, on Wednesday offered his condolences for the soldiers deaths and expressed support to the minister for Ukraines territorial integrity, a statement from the US Department of State said.

Blinkens comments come after Ukraines commander-in-chief, Ruslan Khomchak, had claimed Russia was trying to build up armed forces near Ukraines border in a threat to the countrys security. It comes after a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists was violated repeatedly.

According to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), there have been hundreds of ceasefire violations in the past few days including, it said, 493 in a single day on 26 March.

In a daily report dated 31 March, OSCEs special monitoring mission to Ukraine reported that they saw anti-tank mines, some for the first time, near Betmanove, Vasylivka, Spartak and Kruta Balka in Donetsk region.

Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in Donbass in shelling by Russian forces, Ukraines army said last week. The ceasefire agreement between the two was finalised in July last year. So far. in fighting that started in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea, at least 14,000 people have been killed.

Read more:

Russia has denied supporting the eastern Ukrainian rebels and has also rejected claims that it has any military presence in the Donbass region.

James Cher OBE, in an opinion piece in the International Centre for Defense and Security, said that hot information war, creeping escalation and other warnings and developments indicate that Russia is moving towards another attack on Ukraine.

Mr Blinken has assured Ukraine of the USs support in the wake of Russias destabilising actions in the region, the statement said.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, said it was concerned by the increasing tension in eastern Ukraine and that it feared Kyivs government forces could do something to restart a conflict with pro-Russian separatists.

General Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also got in touch with his counterparts in Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday, according to US media reports, but the content of the phone calls was not disclosed.

Meanwhile, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby has said that they will reach out to Russia to discuss the escalation and also consult with Nato allies.

Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said on Tuesday that he sincerely hoped that the fighting would not escalate. The fighting, he told media, is cancelling out the modest achievements made earlier.
The Regulatory Compliance Spring Series 2021 will be held virtually.

The IBA classes will address the complex regulatory requirements for consumer lending, consumer deposits, and BSA/AML compliance.

The content is geared to new compliance officers looking to build skills and those with industry experience who want to refresh their knowledge.

Programs like this one help to keep bankers informed and allow them to learn from missteps in the industry, comments Brian Crow, CAMS, TCA Compliances Managing Partner/Co-President.

CREDIT COMPLIANCE

TCAs Michelle Strickland, CRCM, Managing Partner/Co-President, and Monique Reyna, CRCM, Compliance Consultant, will present three days of credit compliance education.

Lending to consumers is always a risky business. Balancing consumers needs and requests and staying compliant with the various consumer regulations can be challenging, says Strickland. This lending section will provide clarification of the regulations and common-sense solutions for keeping your compliance program on track.

Attendees will better understand consumer lending compliance regulations and assessment methods and know how to effectively audit, train, and manage a banks compliance lending risk.

DEPOSIT COMPLIANCE

Consumer deposit products, services, and delivery methods have changed dramatically because of the Dodd-Frank Act, and regulatory amendments and new interpretations have created a more complex deposit compliance environment.

Using real-world examples and his own experience, Crow will discuss critical deposit account rules and the implications of UDAAP and the subjectivity of enforcement. Compliance officers and personal bankers will be prepared to identify solutions in deposit account front-line sales and operations areas.

BSA/AML COMPLIANCE & REGULATORS' FORUM

Crows BSA/AML section will examine legal and regulatory requirements in areas that affect customer relationships throughout the bank.

He will focus on recent changes, evolving BSA/AML developments, and the importance of establishing comprehensive bank-wide programs.

During the Regulators Forum, attendees will have a chance to ask questions and learn about current challenges, trends, and findings.

The Regulatory Compliance Series has been approved for 8 CAFP and 40 CRCM credits.

To learn more and register for the series, see https://www.ilbanker.com/Portals/1/education/Regulatory_Comp_Series.pdf

For additional information about the individual sessions, contact:

Brian Crow

800-934-REGS

b_crow@tcaregs.com
New Delhi, April 1 : The Supreme Court has held that a version of a dying declaration cannot be rejected due to another in a case of multiple dying declarations, and instead, each version has to be examined independently based on merit for its evidentiary value.

The verdict came on an appeal filed by Nagabhushan, who was convicted for burning his wife to death for inadequate dowry. The Karnataka High Court had reversed his acquittal by the trial court and held him guilty under Section 302 of the IPC.

Upholding the the life term sentence handed down by the high court, a bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah relied upon the second dying statement of the petitioner's wife, noting that one dying declaration cannot be rejected because of the contents of the other.

The court has to consider each of them in its correct perspective and satisfy itself which one of them reflects the true state of affairs, it added.

"When there are multiple dying declarations, each dying declaration has to be separately assessed and evaluated on its own merits," said the bench.

The top court did not entertain the argument of the petitioner's counsel that in the first dying declaration, the wife termed the incident as accidental fire.

However, in the second dying declaration, she explained her first statement, categorically stating that in her first statement she said that it was a case of accident due to threats by Nagabhushan that he will kill her and also their children. She also stated in the second dying declaration that she got the courage to tell the truth after her parents came.

The High Court had also noted the second dying declaration was reliable and it is supported by the circumstances, namely, the injuries sustained by the deceased, and the fact that no stove was found at the place of occurrence.

The top court also said the dying declaration of the victim reflects the true state of affairs and the contents are supported by the medical evidence and the injuries sustained by her.

As the petitioner's counsel submitted that while filling the stove with kerosene, the woman had dropped the fuel on the floor and on her clothes, and when the candle fell down, she caught fire, the top court observed that no burn injuries were found on victim's feet, and also no stove was found at the place of incident.

"The defence came out with a false case of accidental fire, which, as such, is not supported by any other reliable evidence. On the contrary, this evidence speaks otherwise," the bench said, upholding the High Court decision.
3 1 of 3 Contributed /Hamden Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed /Hamden Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3





HAMDEN  Police are asking for the publics help to identify a man suspected of a bank robbery Thursday morning.

Police were called to the TD Bank on Dixwell Avenue near the Wilbur Cross Parkway around 10 a.m. for a reported robbery, police spokesman Capt. Ronald Smith said.
Sydneys median house price has risen $100,000 since the new year began as property values defy a global pandemic, leaving investors and first-home buyers battling it out at auctions.

Property prices are surging in capital cities across the nation led by houses in Sydney, which jumped in value by 4.3 per cent last month on CoreLogic data to a new median of $1,112,671. At the start of the year the median Sydney house price was $1,015,354 and about half of the six-figure price growth recorded for the first quarter of the year happened in March.

Sydney house prices have been red hot in 2021 as new homes are built across the country. Credit:Getty Images

Sydney dwelling prices were up 3.7 per cent overall for March, with apartments rising 2.1 per cent. Property prices nationally increased 2.8 per cent over the month.

Over the past 12 months the northern beaches have seen a $167,156 rise in the median property value to about $1.9 million. Even relatively affordable areas, such as the Central Coast, have seen the median price rise 13.6 per cent, or $88,561, to above $740,000. Baulkham Hills and the Hawkesbury recorded a $111,610 price rise.
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BIG WELLS, Texas  A South Texas deputy was expected to make a full recovery after he was shot during a traffic stop, according to authorities.

Dimmit County Sheriffs Department Deputy Joshua Garcia was questioning Rocky Carrizales during a traffic stop near Big Wells Tuesday evening when the suspect began firing at the officer, Sheriff Marion Boyd said in a Facebook post.

Boyd said the deputy was hit in the lower abdomen but was in stable condition at a hospital in San Antonio, which is located about 100 miles northeast of Big Wells.

Authorities later learned Carrizales was wanted on a federal warrant.

Carrizales was arrested after he tried to flee the scene and crashed his vehicle. He was taken to a hospital, but his condition was not immediately known. Jail records did not list an attorney for Carrizales.

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On March 10, a week after Kenya received the first consignment of the AstraZeneca vaccine, a statement appeared on the Sputnik V's Russian website saying that Kenya had also approved the use of the Russian vaccine.

"With the authorisation of Sputnik V in Kenya," said Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russia fund seeking new markets for it, "there are now 10 African nations that have registered the Russian vaccine."

It took another two weeks before the Pharmacy and Poisons Board posted a notice on its official Twitter handle, admitting that it had "authorised" the Russian vaccine for emergency use - but had not "registered" it.

And that only came after Nanyuki Cottage Hospital announced that it had received the Sputnik V vaccine - sparking queries on when the government allowed the creation of a private market vaccine channel away from its official distribution.

The Ministry of Health then said no vaccine had been approved "for sale" in the country, as fears emerged that at Sh8,000, the Sputnik V, was going to be the preserve of the rich, who were eager to jump the prioritised vaccination queue. More so, some profiteers appeared to have, once again, taken advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Commercialisation of Sputnik V

And now, Kenya has become the second country where the attempted commercialisation of Sputnik V by profiteers appears to have hit a snag, after a similar row emerged in Pakistan.

This week, there was outcry in Pakistan after lobby groups criticised the private importation of Covid-19 vaccines, with Transparency International citing concerns with pricing and the potential for corruption.

"Pakistan is one of the first countries to allow the private sector to import and sell Covid-19 vaccines and [this] will provide a window of corruption, as there are possibilities some of the government vaccines may be sold to ... private hospital[s]," Transparency International stated in a letter to the Prime Minister's office.

The private importation of the vaccine to Kenya is spearheaded by Russian Direct Investment Fund and its CEO, Mr Dmitriev - a man who had been criticised by The Times newspaper for his continued reference to the Oxford University product as a "monkey vaccine" - but has faced criticism over the pricing, and for sidestepping importation and administration of the vaccine through government channels.

In Pakistan, the government has been forced to fix the price of Sputnik V at around $55 (Sh6,033) for the two doses, with Transparency International believing the price is still too high. The Pakistani importer has this week been threatening to re-export the cargo if the government did not fix the price.

Designed for poor countries

The emergence of Covid-19 vaccines as the next frontier for big business had been overlooked since the distribution channels involved not-for-profit organisations and government-to-government deals.

While Sputnik had been hailed as designed for poor countries and priced at $10 (Sh1,100), the pricing in Kenya and Pakistan rose to over $70 (Sh7,680) a dose.

Another fear has been on the emergence of a grey market, where extra vaccine doses not meant for export find their way into the commercial market. At the moment, Kenya has no rules on inoculations by the private sector.

In Pakistan, the local chapter of Transparency International has said the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines by private sector for commercial sale was "at high inflated price".

The only other country where commercial sale has taken place is Lebanon, where media reports say the vaccine is being offered at a cost of $38 (Sh4,170) for the required two doses by Mr Jacques Sarraf, a local businessman and owner of a large pharmaceutical company, Pharmaline. He is also the honorary consul of the Russian Federation in Lebanon and he is distributing the vaccine through government channels.

'Very cheap' price

That means that Kenyans are going to pay double for a similar dose, if the Nanyuki price prevails.

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"The vaccine will be offered at a 'very cheap' price of $38 for the two doses and that the money will be paid by companies seeking to vaccinate their employees," said Mr Sarraf.

He told the local press that he asked the Russians for the vaccine: "I pressed through all the contacts that I have and I told them to let me help my country at the current time, since I'm serving Russia's interests in Lebanon," Mr Sarraf was quoted.

While there is transparency on the people involved in the private importation of Sputnik in other countries where it is being commercialised, the identity of the Kenyan importers is shrouded in mystery.

While the Ministry of Health says that the vaccine is not in the country, the importers -- Dinlas Pharmaceuticals, claim the vaccine was imported with the full knowledge of the ministry.

And now, with an MP challenging the board to come clean over the importation, it seems we have not heard the last on Sputnik V, sold globally by a company whose vision is "to change the face of Russian capitalism".
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she has no doubt her government will lose an upcoming byelection in the marginal seat of Upper Hunter sparked by allegations that former Coalition MP Michael Johnsen raped a sex worker.

Ms Berejiklian said that her government required a miracle to keep the seat which it holds with a margin of just over 2 per cent.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is confident her government wont win the upcoming byelection. Credit:Kate Geraghty

I have no doubt we wont retain the seat, Ms Berejiklian said on Thursday, a day after Mr Johnsen resigned from NSW Parliament over the alleged attack on a woman at a Blue Mountains lookout in 2019.

Mr Johnsen, who vehemently denies the accusation, also allegedly sent lewd messages to the same sex worker from Parliament.
Research shows current mitigation methods utilized by school districts to limit the spread of COVID-19 provide the greatest protection to students and staff from contracting the disease. While there is considerable research supporting the benefits to students for full in-person learning, research has largely compared distance learning with full in-person education.

Currently, Stamford high school students are in the hybrid model. Issues regarding full in-person learning need to be addressed when comparing the models. Several studies reach similar conclusions; that in-person learning is best for students. However, many districts returning to full in-person learning are not challenged by the same issues. Westhill High School has a myriad of issues affecting full in-person learning. Overcrowding and poor ventilation have serious implications.

Teacher objections should not be mistaken for perceptions that teachers care more about themselves than students. Hybrid and distance learning student learning have made teaching more complicated. Teachers care about their students and want what is best for them. According to the CDC, the vast majority of cases involving teens are generally considered community acquired transmission. Less than 10 percent of cases are thought to be school-acquired. And the majority of these cases generally occur following a holiday or break, when students were visiting friends and family. The proportion of COVID-19 cases within a school district closely match that of the community. Community rates must factor into this decision.

The CDC advises schools to stay in a remote learning model if community levels of COVID-19 are high. Given the likely association between levels of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in schools, a first step in determining when and how to reopen safely involves assessing the level of community transmission. And If community transmission is high, students and staff are more likely to come to school while infectious, and COVID-19 can spread more easily in schools. Levels of the COVID-19 virus in Stamford are 35.7 per 100,000 people which exceeds the recommended level for in-person instruction according to CDC guidance. The CDC has not mandated schools move to a remote learning model and Stamford has only done so on one occasion. Currently, Fairfield County is seeing another surge in cases.

Current changes to CDC guidelines for schools now recommend social distancing of at least 3 feet. In the case of overcrowded schools such as Westhill High School, maintaining that distance in hallways and classrooms is nearly impossible. The Freshmen Building is a good example. The classrooms were designed to hold 25 students. As the need arose to increase class size, capacity was increased to 30. Best practices for COVID-19 mitigation procedures emphasize the need for well ventilated rooms with open windows. Many rooms at Westhill have no, or few windows, that are effective at creating proper air flow. Also, the ventilation system at Westhill has been a source of mold exposure. The ventilation system air handlers in the summer of 2020 was equipped with filters that have a MERV rating of 8, not the CDC recommended rating of 13. Only filters with a MERV factor of 13 or greater can stop the spread of the micron size virus. The role of airborne transmission of the virus was determined to play a strong role in the spread of COVID-19.

With warmer weather approaching, air flow and room temperature will have an impact on mitigation measures as well. Students in classrooms with poor ventilation and elevated temperature will face more difficulties while wearing masks. Studies show that room ambient temperature and humidity has implications for the very important, and as yet unresolved, questions regarding seasonal and geographic variations in transmission rates.

Research concluded that elementary school children are at low risk with regard to spreading of the virus. High school students are a different story. Teens are relatively asymptomatic for the disease while remaining infectious.

Some studies demonstrate that older children carry as much viral load as adults. Further, the prevalence and disease transmission of the virus goes largely undetected in adolescents who are asymptomatic or have such mild symptoms that they are not even tested. Teens are not being tested and there is a large discrepancy between detected cases and true infections in schools due to the combination of high asymptomatic rates in children coupled with delays in seeking testing and receiving results from diagnostic tests. Furthermore, the same study concluded that reopening schools without surveillance testing and contact tracing measures in place will lead to spread within the schools and within the communities that eventually forces a return to remote learning and leaves a trail of infection in its wake.

While most students are at low risk, others are at heightened risk due to a higher than average BMI and pre-existing conditions. These students are also more likely to spread the virus to others. Connecticut currently has 28.7 percent of students qualifying as overweight or obese.

Another area of concern would be the resulting need for many students to quarantine after a COVID-19 exposure. According to the current CDC guidelines, the number of students who will need to be quarantined will increase with full in-person learning. Students currently are experiencing low-mood, high anxiety and deficient coping skills. They have frequent feelings of fear and apprehension about the virus and what may happen next.

Other events have contributed to this. Students with high stakes testing  AP students and students who are college-bound, we must also determine if the potential quarantining of students would impact their ability to take these tests. Students have been affected personally by the virus as family members are stricken, have become unemployed and social connections with friends have been impacted

Westhill High School last week had seven people test positive while 33 were quarantined. These numbers will increase substantially as the social distancing parameters set forth of 3 feet cannot be maintained. The emotional disconnection that students are facing is challenging at best. There have been many reports of the mental toll that this pandemic has had on our youth. High levels of stress and anxiety caused an increase level of emotional distress. Some studies suggest this impact could have a long-term impact on their mental health.

The only logical course of action is to remain in the hybrid model. From a mental health perspective, students are struggling personally to deal with the pandemic, the impact it has had on their family and friends and their real fear of uncertainty in their future. While learning has been impacted, what we are teaching our children right now, how to persevere and overcome tragedy. We are demonstrating to them that through collective reasoning and use of medical information we can come together. Further, a great deal of learning has taken place while going hybrid. Students are in class every other day, exchanging ideas with others and connect with classmates. Right now, they are at low risk because proper mitigation methods can be employed, such as social distancing, mask-wearing and use of hand-sanitizer. Opening up the school to overcrowding may create yet another situation where fear and anxiety can impact any current sense of safety and security that they have. With only eight weeks remaining in the school year for our high school students, do we really want our teens to endure more stress and uncertainty?

Susan Cutolo, RN, MA, is a health teacher at Westhill High School in Stamford.
April 01, 2021 "America Is Back" Collides With A Multipolar Reality The World Health Organization recently published its report on the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which has caused the Covid-19 pandemic. Most scientist agree that the virus is of zoonotic origin and not a human construct or an accidental laboratory escape. But the U.S. wants to put pressure on China and advised the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom, to keep the focus on China potential culpability. He acted accordingly when he remarked on his agency's report: Although the team has concluded that a laboratory leak is the least likely hypothesis, this requires further investigation, potentially with additional missions involving specialist experts, which I am ready to deploy. The U.S. State Department fetched the pass and ran with it. It asked its allies to sign on to its Joint Statement on the WHO-Convened COVID-19 Origins Study which requests more unhindered access in China: The Governments of Australia, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America remain steadfast in our commitment to working with the World Health Organization (WHO), international experts who have a vital mission, and the global community to understand the origins of this pandemic in order to improve our collective global health security and response. Together, we support a transparent and independent analysis and evaluation, free from interference and undue influence, of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, we join in expressing shared concerns regarding the recent WHO-convened study in China, while at the same time reinforcing the importance of working together toward the development and use of a swift, effective, transparent, science-based, and independent process for international evaluations of such outbreaks of unknown origin in the future. The most interesting with the above statement is the list of U.S. allied countries which declined to support it, Most core EU countries, especially France, Spain, Italy and Germany, are missing from it. As is the Five-Eyes member New Zealand. India, a U.S. ally in the anti-Chinese Quad initiative, also did not sign. This list of signatories of the Joint Statement is an astonishingly meager result for a U.S. 'joint' initiative. It is unprecedented. It is a sign that something has cracked and that the world will never be the same. The first months of he Biden administration saw a rupture in the global system. First Russia admonished the EU for its hypocritical criticism of internal Russian issues. Biden followed up by calling Putin a 'killer'. Then the Chinese foreign minister told the Biden administration to shut the fuck up about internal Chinese issues. Soon thereafter Russia's and China's foreign ministers met and agreed to deepen their alliance and to shun the U.S. dollar. Then China's foreign minister went on a wider Middle East tour. There he reminded U.S. allies of their sovereignty: Wang said that expected goals had been achieved with regard to a five-point initiative on achieving security and stability in the Middle East, which was proposed during the visit. "China supports countries in the region to stay impervious to external pressure and interference, to independently explore development paths suited to its regional realities," Wang said, adding that the countries should "break free from the shadows of big-power geopolitical rivalry and resolve regional conflicts and differences as masters of the region." Wang's tour was topped off with the signing of a game changing agreement with Iran: Suffice to say, the China-Iran pact deeply is embedded within a new matrix Beijing hopes to create with the Arab states of the Persian Gulf and Iran. The pact forms part of a new narrative on regional security and stability. The "U.S. led rules based international order" is finally finished. Russia and China buried it: Countries in Asia and further afield are closely watching the development of this alternative international order, led by Moscow and Beijing. And they can also recognise the signs of increasing US economic and political decline. It is a new kind of Cold War, but not one based on ideology like the first incarnation. It is a war for international legitimacy, a struggle for hearts and minds and money in the very large part of the world not aligned to the US or NATO. The US and its allies will continue to operate under their narrative, while Russia and China will push their competing narrative. This was made crystal clear over these past few dramatic days of major power diplomacy. The global balance of power is shifting, and for many nations, the smart money might be on Russia and China now. The obvious U.S. countermove to the Russian-Chinese initiative is to unite its allies in a new Cold War against Russia and China. But as the Joint Statement above shows most of those allies do not want to follow that path. China is a too good customer to be shunned. Talk of human rights in other countries might play well with the local electorate but what counts in the end is the business. Even some U.S. companies can see that the hostile path the Biden administration has followed will only be to their detriment. Some are asking the Biden gang to tone it down: [Boeing] Chief Executive Dave Calhoun told an online business forum he believed a major aircraft subsidy dispute with Europe could be resolved after 16 years of wrangling at the World Trade Organization, but contrasted this with the outlook on China. I think politically (China) is more difficult for this administration and it was for the last administration. But we still have to trade with our largest partner in the world: China, he told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Aviation Summit. Noting multiple disputes, he added: I am hoping we can sort of separate intellectual property, human rights and other things from trade and continue to encourage a free trade environment between these two economic juggernauts. ... We cannot afford to be locked out of that market. Our competitor will jump right in. Before its 737 MAX debacle Boeing was the biggest U.S. exporter and China was its biggest customer. The MAX has yet to be re-certified in China. If Washington keeps the hostile tone against China Boeing will lose out and Europe's Airbus will make a killing. Biden announced that "America is back only to be told that it is no longer needed in the oversized role that it played before. Should Washington not be able to accept that it can no play 'unilateral' but will have to follow the real rules of international law we might be in for some interesting times: Question: Finally, are you concerned that deteriorating international tensions could lead to war? Glenn Diesen: Yes, we should all be concerned. Tensions keep escalating and there are increasing conflicts that could spark a major war. A war could break out over Syria, Ukraine, the Black Sea, the Arctic, the South China Sea and other regions. What makes all of these conflicts dangerous is that they are informed by a winner-takes-all logic. Wishful thinking or active push towards a collapse of Russia, China, the EU or the U.S. is also an indication of the winner-takes-all mentality. Under these conditions, the large powers are more prepared to accept greater risks at a time when the international system is transforming. The rhetoric of upholding liberal democratic values also has clear zero-sum undertones as it implies that Russia and China must accept the moral authority of the West and commit to unilateral concessions. The rapidly shifting international distribution of power creates problems that can only be resolved with real diplomacy. The great powers must recognize competing national interests, followed by efforts to reach compromises and find common solutions. Russia's president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly asked for a summit of leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Putin argued that the countries that created a new global order after World War II should cooperate to solve today's problems. "The founder countries of the United Nations, the five states that hold special responsibility to save civilisation, can and must be an example," he said at the sombre memorial ceremony. The meeting would "play a great role in searching for collective answers to modern challenges and threats," Putin said, adding that Russia was "ready for such a serious conversation." Such a summit would be a chance to work on a new global system that avoids unilateralism and block mentality. As the U.S. is now learning that its allies are not willing to follow its anti-China and anti-Russia policies it might be willing to negotiate over a new international system. But as long as Washington is unable to recognize its own decline a violent attempt to solve the issue once and for all will become more likely. Posted by b on April 1, 2021 at 17:52 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
Mothers bear the cost of the pandemic shift to remote work

For many parents, the COVID-19 pandemic has made life's everyday juggling act--managing work, school, extracurricular, and household responsibilities--much, much harder. And according to a new study led by Penn sociologists, those extra burdens have fallen disproportionately on mothers.

The research, shared in the April issue of the journal Gender and Society, investigated how shifts in work and school that arose due to the pandemic triggered changes in the division of labor in families. Using data on two-parent households from a nationwide survey conducted in April 2020, the researchers found that gender disparities in unpaid labor were most apparent when a mother was the only parent working from home, or when neither parent was able to work remotely.

"It turns out that when the mother is working remotely and her partner isn't, she ends up taking on a ton more responsibilities," says Jerry Jacobs, a sociology professor in Penn's School of Arts & Sciences and one of the paper's authors. "When a father is working remotely and his partner isn't, somehow he doesn't take on as much extra work. This seems to be a deeply gendered issue."

As the pandemic has worn on, the toll on women has been hard to ignore. Each month, hundreds of thousands of women lost their jobs or dropped out of the workforce to meet new demands at home.

Yet remote work also seemed to open the possibility of greater equity between the genders in domestic responsibility, as two parents would be at home and accessible.

To tease out the effects of a shift to remote work on domestic labor during the pandemic, Jacobs, Penn doctoral student Allison Dunatchik, and colleagues turned to data from a New York Times survey, conducted by marketing research firm Morning Consult. Of 2,200 respondents, 478 were partnered parents, and 151 were single parents.

While the gender of each survey respondent's partner was unknown, the gender of the respondents themselves played a key role in how the pandemic affected their domestic responsibilities, which, with children largely at home, increased across the board.

Families where both partners worked remotely had the most egalitarian split of household and parenting duties, the researchers found. Both mothers and fathers reported similar increases in housework and childcare responsibilities, as well as in the pressure they felt about managing their children's schooling. Yet even this best-case-scenario was imbued with gender disparity, as pre-pandemic disparities endured. Mothers working remotely whose partners were also were more than twice as likely as fathers to report being the partner primarily responsible for housework and child care.

When only one parent worked remotely and the other worked out of the home, the gender disparity in domestic labor was far more evident. Mothers who worked from home essentially absorbed the extra labor, while fathers who worked remotely reported less uptake of the extra housework and child care than either mothers working from home alone or fathers who worked at home along with their partner.

"The disparity, how this affected remote dads versus remote moms, was just so stark," says Jacobs. "Even for a hard-boiled, data-driven sociologist like me, I was surprised."

"I had a similar reaction," Dunatchik says. "It's interesting when you compare the fathers working remotely alone to the fathers whose partners are also working from home. There's something interesting about the partner dynamics, it seems, that makes fathers more likely to pitch in in the presence of a partner."

When neither partner was able to work remotely, again mothers bore the brunt of the extra labor. In these couples, mothers were twice as likely as fathers to report increases in time spent on household labor and were seven times as likely to say they were the person responsible for the majority of children's home learning.

While the survey data had only 151 responses from single parents, most of which were women, the researchers found that, perhaps unsurprisingly, single mothers were spending more time on domestic labor, though they were less likely to have increased their time spent on housework during the pandemic than partnered mothers. "They were also less likely to report feeling significant pressure about their children's home learning compared to partnered mothers," says Dunatchik.

The survey was conducted about one month into the pandemic, so the researchers can only speculate about the lingering impact on gendered division of labor. Yet the researchers' findings provide a window into the pressures that may have driven some women's voluntary exit from the labor market. As more children return to in-person school, "some of that pressure will be reduced," Jacobs says. The longer-term impacts on women's seniority and loss of wages, however, could be significant and enduring, he says even if they do eventually return to full-time work.

One silver lining of the pandemic's "natural experiment" on remote work, the researchers say, may be increased work flexibility. With more opportunities for all parents to work from home, there may be more opportunities to move toward a more egalitarian division of responsibilities. "That's something that scholars have been pushing for a long time," Jacobs says.

###

Allison Dunatchik is a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology in the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts & Sciences.

Jerry Jacobs is a professor of sociology in the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts & Sciences.

In addition to Dunatchik and Jacobs, coauthors of the study were Kathleen Gerson of New York University and Jennifer Glass and Haley Strizel of the University of Texas at Austin.

The research was supported in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Grant CHD042849).

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
TICKERS: CXB; CXBMF

Source: Streetwise Reports (4/1/21)

BMO Capital Markets advised that it has raised its rating on Calibre Mining Corp. to an Outperform after the firm successfully increased its mineral reserves and thereby considerably extended the projected mine life at two of its Nicaraguan gold projects.



In a March 29 research note, BMO Capital Markets research analyst Brian Quast reported that the firm is upgrading gold exploration and development company Calibre Mining Corp. (CXB:TSX; CXBMF:OTCQX) to "Outperform." The analyst stated that the upgrade was based upon a significant increase in mineral reserves and resources as of FY/20 at its Libertad and Limon projects located in Nicaragua.

Quast explained that the increase in reserves form the basis to extend the mine life at the properties and thus raises BMO Capital's NAV/share estimates by 7% to US$1.73, or CA$2.32.

The analyst reported that Calibre had delivered on expectations for increasing its underlying reserve base. The analyst stated that Calibre now reports probable reserves of 864 Koz Au and 1.1 Moz Ag. These amounts were said to include 568 Koz Au from Limon and 296 Koz Au from Libertad with the bulk of the resources at each location coming from open pit sources.

"Enlarging the reserve base is a milestone for Calibre, enhancing the mine life of Limon and Libertad," Quast wrote.

The analyst pointed out further that Calibre reported Measured and Indicated resources of 1.5 Moz Au grading 4.74 g/t and Inferred resources of 1.3 Moz Au grading 4.72 g/t.

BMO noted that two new discoveries by Calibre, identified as Atravesada and Panteon, along with the potential offered by the Pavon open pit gold mine, contributed to the higher Inferred gold grades.

The analyst highlighted that ultimately the inclusion of Limon's 462 Koz of open pit gold reserves serves to extend the Limon's mine-life considerably.

The analyst's report noted that key catalysts to watch for in Q1/21 are when the company is expected to release "the Pavon Pre-feasibility study, Rio Tinto Calibre exploration results and updated reserve and resource statements."

BMO Capital Markets advised that it has raised its rating on Calibre Mining to an "Outperform" from "Market Perform" and is reiterating its CA$2.50 per share price target. The stock is currently trading at around CA$1.71.

[NLINSERT]

Disclosure:

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Disclosures from BMO Capital Markets, Calibre Mining Corp., March 29, 2021

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

Analyst's Certification

I, Brian Quast, hereby certify that the views expressed in this report accurately reflect my personal views about the subject securities or issuers. I also certify that no part of my compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed in this report.

Analysts who prepared this report are compensated based upon (among other factors) the overall profitability of BMO Capital Markets and their affiliates, which includes the overall profitability of investment banking services. Compensation for research is based on effectiveness in generating new ideas and in communication of ideas to clients, performance of recommendations, accuracy of earnings estimates, and service to clients.

Analysts employed by BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. and/or BMO Capital Markets Limited are not registered as research analysts with FINRA. These analysts may not be associated persons of BMO Capital Markets Corp. and therefore may not be subject to the FINRA Rule 2241 restrictions on communications with a subject company, public appearances and trading securities held by a research analyst account.

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For Important Disclosures on the stocks discussed in this report, please click here
The United States will soon make ambitious new commitments to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, US climate envoy John Kerry said Wednesday.

"In a few weeks at our summit the president will annonce our NDC which will be strong," Kerry said at a Paris meeting organised by the International Energy Agency.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) are the measures that countries plan to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement's goal of limiting the increase in global temperatures to around 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Kerry said that the US would take action to accelerate its reduction of emissions instead of making promises.

President Joe Biden "will announce several trillions of dollars of investments, we're going to build up our grid, we're going to reduce our emissions, we're going to step up in a very significant way so it's not talk by the United States," said Kerry, a former US secretary of state.

Biden has announced plans to hold a climate summit on Earth Day on April 22.

His predecessor Donald Trump took the United States out of the Paris Agreement, but Biden immediately rejoined on taking office.

The United States, the world's top economy, is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases which cause global warming.

"The United States is really anxious to get this done, and to collaborate to help bring finance to the table, to help with the transition technologically, work in partnerships all across the world," Kerry said.

The Paris Agreement left countries in charge of making their own promises and measurements of their emission reductions, but requires them to regularly revise their NDCs to achieve the 1.5 degree target.

Kerry urged countries to step up their commitments as the pledges made at Paris will likely lead to a 4 degree rise in global temperatures.

The next major UN climate summit, COP26, will be held in Glasgow in November.

While a number of countries have announced plans to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century, the COP 26 head Alok Sharma said "we must do much more now to turn remote targets into immediate actions."

"We simply cannot afford another decade of deliberations," he added.

He cited the need to abandon coal as a source of electricity production, develop zero-emission cars and combat deforestation.

"We call on all countries to commit to a net zero world," he added.
The programme features the participation of nearly 100 people from 14 ethnic groups, including the Dao, Mong, La Chi, and Thai ethnic groups from Ha Giang and Son La provinces, along with artists and actors from the Vietnam Puppet Theater.

The activities in April are being implemented with two options: if the Covid-19 pandemic has not ended, they will be organized on weekends and the scale of activities will be reduced. If there is an end to the Covid-19 epidemic in April, activities will return to normal, especially highlighted activities to attract tourists during the holidays.

The programme includes activities celebrating the 46th anniversary of the Liberation of South Vietnam and National Reunification Day', a highland fair, reenacting the custom and festivals, and a folk dance programme.

In addition, every day at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, there are also cultural, culinary introduction activities, experiential activities to meet the needs of groups, introduce indigenous culture and handicraft products, and play the folk games of ethnic groups.

The highlight of the programme is activities commemorating the death anniversary of the Hung King.

In addition, on this occasion, coming to the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, visitors can also enjoy folk dance and puppet shows performed by artists from the Vietnam Puppet Theater
A North Korean government-backed campaign targeting cybersecurity researchers with malware has re-emerged with new tactics in their arsenal as part of a fresh social engineering attack.

In an update shared on Wednesday, Google's Threat Analysis Group said the attackers behind the operation set up a fake security company called SecuriElite and a slew of social media accounts across Twitter and LinkedIn in an attempt to trick unsuspecting researchers into visiting the company's booby-trapped website "where a browser exploit was waiting to be triggered."

"The new website claims the company is an offensive security company located in Turkey that offers pentests, software security assessments and exploits," TAG's Adam Weidemann said. The website is said to have gone live on March 17.

A total of eight Twitter profiles and seven LinkedIn profiles, who claimed to be vulnerability researchers and human resources personnel at different security firms (including Trend Macro, inspired by Trend Micro), were created for this purpose, with a few others posing as the chief executive officer and employees at the fictitious company. All the accounts have since been suspended.

As a precaution, Google has added the website's URL to its Safebrowsing blocklist service to prevent accidental visits, even though the site hasn't been found to serve any malicious content.

The campaign was initially flagged by TAG in January 2021, when it came to light that the adversary had created a research blog and multiple profiles on various social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, Discord, and Keybase in a bid to communicate with the researchers and build trust, only to deploy a Windows backdoor that came in the form of a trojanized Visual Studio Project.

Following the disclosure, researchers from South Korean cybersecurity firm ENKI revealed a zero-day in Internet Explorer that it said allowed the hackers to access the devices managed by its security team with malicious MHTML files. Microsoft later addressed the issue in its Patch Tuesday update for March 2021.

If anything, the latest development is yet another example of attackers quickly shifting gears when their methods are discovered and exposed publicly.

The real motive behind the attacks remains unclear as yet, although it's being suspected that the threat actor may be attempting to stealthily gain a foothold on systems in order to get hold of zero-day research, and in the process, use those unpatched vulnerabilities to stage further attacks on vulnerable targets of their choice.
Three police officers were brutally killed on Tuesday in Akwa Ibom State, while four officers are still missing.

Unknown gunmen on Wednesday killed three police officers attached to former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo adding to an already worrisome trend.

Mr Soludo, a professor of econometrics, is an aspirant under the All Progressives Grand Alliance for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

The incident, it was gathered occurred around 5.30 p.m., at the Civic Centre in his hometown of Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, during a political gathering.

Others were injured during the attack. But Mr Soludo, who was said to be the convener of the political meeting, escaped unhurt.

However, a commissioner for Public Utilities in the state, Emeka Ezenwanne, who attended the meeting, was kidnapped by the gunmen, a witness said.

The witness told PREMIUM TIMES, Wednesday, "a couple of minutes ago, unknown gunmen disrupted an interactive session between Isuofia youths and a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof Chukwuma Soludo at the town's civic centre.

"Three policemen were shot dead in the meeting."

He said Mr Soludo had left the state immediately after the incident took place. "Nobody is safe here again," he added.

The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the incident.

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He, however, said he was not aware of the number of casualties.

"The incident happened at a political gathering at Isuofia. But as at (of) this night (Wednesday), I'm still gathering information about the incident," the police spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Mr Soludo's aide, Pauly Onyeka, said the former CBN governor was safe.

According to him, Mr Soludo was safely whisked out of the event venue.

He confirmed that the former CBN chief was holding an interactive session with youths of his community in Isuofia when the gunmen struck.

Mr Onyeka, a former House of Assembly member, did not disclose Mr Soludo's current location, after the attack.

It is not clear, for now, if the attack was politically motivated.

The slain police officers add to the increasing number of security operatives killed in deadly attacks lately around Nigeria, especially in the country's South-east and South-south regions.

Three police officers, for instance, were brutally killed on Tuesday in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria's South-south, while four officers are still missing.
NEW DELHI : India remains committed to further building the momentum of regional cooperation under the framework of BIMSTEC and make it a stronger, vibrant and result-oriented grouping, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.

In an address at a virtual meeting of the regional grouping, he also mentioned that the BIMSTEC convention on cooperation in combating international terrorism, transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking has come into force last month.

He noted that the member states have finalised the 'BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity' which is expected to be adopted at the fifth BIMSTEC summit.

"It would be an important step towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people of our region for better connectivity and integration," Jaishankar said at the ministerial meeting.

Besides India, BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) comprises Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.

India has been making concerted efforts to make BIMSTEC a vibrant forum for regional cooperation as initiatives under SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) were not moving forward for a variety of reasons.

"I am glad to learn that Sri Lanka plans to hold the fifth BIMSTEC Summit soon, which shall take important decisions to make the organization more focused and also more result-oriented," he said.

Laying emphasis on improving connectivity, Jaishankar said there was a need to put in place legal framework for smooth connectivity in the region by finalising the BIMSTEC coastal shipping agreement and the motor vehicles agreement at an early date.

Observing that development and prosperity go hand in hand with peace and security, he said the region is facing both traditional and non-traditional security challenges.

"Our NSAs have met thrice since 2017. They have been working closely and have moved forward in several aspects of security cooperation including counter terrorism, intelligence sharing, coastal security, cyber security, etc in a tangible manner," he said.

BIMSTEC over the years, Jaishankar said, has emerged as a promising sub-regional grouping with growing strategic and economic interests of the member states as well as of the international community in the Bay of Bengal region.

"India remains committed to further building the momentum of regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC framework and make the organisation stronger, vibrant, more effective and result-oriented," he said.

"I am confident that BIMSTEC would scale new heights in the times to come with our collective efforts and spirit of cooperation," Jaishankar added.

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A man and his niece have landed behind bars for attempting to smuggle more than $91,000 via the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge, according to an arrest affidavit.

Julian Raul Gonzalez Jr., 30, and Ashlee Trevino, 19, are facing bulk cash smuggling charges.

CBP conducts outbound enforcement operations to protect against unreported exportations of bulk U.S. currency, which often can be proceeds from alleged illicit activity, or currency that funds transnational criminal organizations, said Acting Port Director Eugene Crawford, Laredo Port of Entry. This currency seizure exemplifies our commitment to enforcing U.S. laws and federal currency reporting requirements.

Gonzalez and Trevino were traveling outbound to Mexico in a 2017 Chevy Equinox via the Juarez-Lincoln International Boulevard. Authorities identified the driver as Gonzalez and Trevino as the passenger.

They gave a negative declaration for weapons, ammo and money to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting outbound inspections. Gonzalez stated that they were traveling in his vehicle from his home in Laredo to Nuevo Laredo to drop off his niece, Trevino.

Further inspection of Gonzalez resulted in the discovery of several bundles of currency concealed in his waist area and boots. Further inspection of Trevino resulted in the discovery of several bundles of currency concealed in the girdle she was wearing, states the affidavit.

During the inspection of the vehicle, CBP officers discovered a hair dryer box that contained cash. CBP officers seized a total of $91,116. Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration responded to investigate the money smuggling attempt.

Gonzalez requested an attorney. He further stated he requested an attorney because he was on probation, according to court documents. Trevino did provide a post-arrest statement. She stated she was traveling with her uncle, Gonzalez, from his home in Laredo to Nuevo Laredo.

She stated Gonzalez asked her to transport the currency to Mexico and told her to conceal it in the girdle. Trevino stated she did not know the exact amount of the currency but knew that it was a large amount of currency. Trevino stated she had knowledge that she had to declare currency over $10,000, states the affidavit.

CBP said individuals are permitted to carry any amount of currency or monetary instruments into or out of the United States. However, if the quantity is more than $10,000, they will need to report it to CBP. Money means monetary instruments and includes U.S. or foreign coins currently in circulation, currency, travelers checks in any form, money orders and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form. Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest, authorities said.
By Reito Kaneko, KYODO NEWS - Apr 1, 2021 - 23:51 | All, World, Japan

A panel of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on maritime security and defense issues approved on Thursday a draft proposal for the government to strengthen its coast guard and Self-Defense Forces in the face of increased security threats posed by China around the Senkaku Islands.

The LDP will urge the government "to take measures to increase the pace of acquisition of SDF vessels, aircraft and other equipment," and also for the Japan Coast Guard to fill the gap in security capabilities between Japan and China, according to the draft proposal observed by Kyodo News.

The proposal to be submitted as early as next week also asks that legislative measures be considered, including revising laws to enable the use of weapons, if necessary, to deal with so-called gray-zone incidents, which fall short of a military attack.

LDP policymakers of the panel drew up the proposal as countermeasures against China's new law implemented in February that allows its coast guard to use weapons against foreign ships the country sees as illegally entering its waters.

The legislation has raised concerns in the party that China could target the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.

In previous meetings, government officials told LDP lawmakers that Japan Coast Guard ships could directly fire a weapon against a foreign vessel they believe is aiming to land people on the islands according to an interpretation of existing laws.

"It has been reported that Taiwan is reviewing its maritime security organization. There are also serious threats to the Philippines and Vietnam, and of course, Japan cannot leave (our security capabilities) as they are and would need a review," said Taku Otsuka, one of the two co-leaders of the panel.

A focus in compiling the proposal was whether to amend the SDF and Japan Coast Guard laws to deal with gray-zone incidents.

Some lawmakers, backed by the Japan Coast Guard, said the current law is capable of dealing with such incidents and the revision is unnecessary.

The primary responsibility for security of the area currently rests with the Japan Coast Guard and the police. But if the situation gets out of control, the Cabinet can order the SDF to start maritime patrols or mobilize security forces.

The paper proposes that exercises be conducted between the SDF and the coast guard so they can act against potential adversaries seamlessly.

It also urges inclusion of the Japan Coast Guard when the SDF and the U.S. forces hold joint drills.
[April 01, 2021] Sobriety tag program launched in England

DENVER, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Colorado-based SCRAM Systems has been working with the Ministry of Justice in England and Wales toward the effort of curbing alcohol-related crime. Courts in Wales have had the power to impose a compulsory drinking ban on people convicted of alcohol-related crime since late last year. This sobriety requirement is called the Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring Requirement (AAMR) and the Ministry of Justice is now rolling out the innovative new sentencing power to England effective this week. Compliance with the sentencing requirement is monitored with the use of SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring bracelets. Compliance with the new sentencing requirement is monitored with the use of SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring bracelets (SCRAM CAM), known abroad as "sobriety tags." SCRAM CAM tags rely on transdermal ("through the skin") science to test for the presence of alcohol found in perspiration, and tests every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day. The device has been used in various locations around the world since 2003. During that time, SCRAM Systems has successfully monitored over 800,000 individuals and performed 3.8 billion alcohol tests.



Probation officer Laura Harrison has been working on the Welsh rollout and appeared on a recent episode of BBC's Crimewatch to discuss the program. On the show she discussed one client who had been required to wear the device for 90 days, during which time he engaged in other interventions such as relapse prevention work, rehabilitation programs, and mental health support. Harrison quoted the client as saying that he attributed the sobriety tag to "saving his life." Alcohol misuse can affect all regions of society and is found to be a contributing factor to various crimes including serious assaults, drink driving, and criminal damage. According to Public Health England, alcohol-related crime costs the UK economy more than 21.5bn a year and the Ministry of Justice has taken an innovative step to directly address the issue.

"We are thrilled to see this day arrive, with this sentencing option becoming available to courts across England and Wales," said Amit Sethi, Head of European Operations at SCRAM Systems. "We believe that it will have a positive impact on perpetrators of alcohol-related crimes and prove extremely valuable to those conducting the challenging job of managing criminal caseloads." Notes to editors

The Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Requirement (AAMR) allows courts to impose a requirement that individuals charged with alcohol-related crimes abstain from alcohol for a fixed time period of up to 120 days and be regularly tested, via a transdermal alcohol monitoring device in the form of a 'tag' fitted around the ankle, as part of a Community or Suspended Sentence Order. The technology was piloted in London between 2014 and 2018. It was also made available in Humberside, Lincolnshire, and North Yorkshire between 2017 and 2019. About SCRAM Systems

SCRAM Systems is a leading provider of electronic monitoring and software solutions for the criminal justice industry. The company's flagship Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) technology, launched in 2003, revolutionized the way courts, agencies, and treatment providers monitor and manage alcohol-involved individuals. In 2013 the company launched the industry's most comprehensive suite of electronic monitoring technologies, which includes SCRAM Remote Breath, SCRAM GPS and SCRAM House Arrest. The company has since launched software solutions including SCRAM Nexus to support the adoption and deployment of Evidence-Based Practices, a mobile client engagement tool called SCRAM TouchPoint, and the first license-based software platform, SCRAM 24/7, to support probation and sobriety programs. SCRAM Systems employs 280 people worldwide and is a privately held company, with headquarters in Littleton, Colorado. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sobriety-tag-program-launched-in-england-301260745.html SOURCE SCRAM Systems

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U.S. Army General Stephen Townsend, commander of U.S. Africa Command, meets with Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on November 26, 2020. Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Omar Abu Ubaidah accuses the Djibouti government of "turning the country into a military base from where every war against the Muslims in East Africa is planned".

The long-time president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, has launched his re-election campaign in the run-up to national elections on 9 April.

With the exception of Zakaria Ismael Jafar, an "anti-system" independent candidate, Guelleh is set to run for his fifth term unopposed. His challengers in the 2016 election have all called for a boycott of the ballot.

The fact that Guelleh is comfortably settling into his third decade in office hints at the state of affairs in this strategically important country.

Though Djibouti is a tiny nation of less than one million inhabitants, it's perched right at the mouth of the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, the maritime corridor for 40% of the world's oil and entry point to the Suez and Panama canals.

The waterway teems with activity, and is known as one of the most sensitive regions for world trade.

It is unsurprising, then, that many Western countries have been quick to establish a military presence in the area, including the construction of a number of military bases under the obliging purview of Guelleh.

Djibouti is now home to the most extensive permanent US military base in Africa, Camp Lemonnier, which acts as the launchpad for fighter planes, helicopters and US Special Forces alike.

Smaller military bases from France, Germany and others similarly populate the peninsula.

Helpfully, Djibouti places zero restrictions on the type or target of military actions launched from bases within its borders, allowing for a host of controversial operations.

Beijing's interests

The West's main geopolitical rival, China, has also been quick to set up shop along Djibouti's coastline.

In fact, Guelleh has proven particularly beholden to Beijing's interests, banking on Chinese investments to such a degree that Djibouti is not only dependent on Beijing but highly indebted to it as well: in recent years, the country's debt to China has reportedly ballooned to 70 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).

Guelleh's efforts to turn the country into a commercial hub for Africa have, ultimately, led to him selling out Djibouti to Beijing's interests.

Most grotesquely, the rapid growth of Chinese investment in Djibouti has all but failed to benefit the general population, serving instead to line the pockets of the country's political elite.

Despite a flurry of financial pledges and project launches, evidence of rampant corruption, reports of worker exploitation and persistent trade deficits have raised serious doubts about how well African leaders are protecting national interests in their dealings with Beijing - and Guelleh's open door policy is no exception.

So bad is the corruption of Guelleh's government that its activities have been described as a violation of human rights on their own.

Fiscal irresponsibility is arguably the most egregious issue, with Djibouti receiving $40 million in yearly profits from its port - none of which appears in the official records for Djibouti's national budget.

Given that almost 80 percent of the country's population live in poverty, the question arises what is being done with these millions, apart from enriching the political elites.

Conversely, Chinese government and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have made a big show of prioritising Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but inadequate oversight from Beijing has only encouraged enterprises on the ground to follow host-government guidelines and practices - many of which wholly inadequate for the twenty-first century.

Reliance on China

In fact, many official documents regulating overseas investments lack "legally enforceable obligations and effective monitoring mechanisms" from the outset, meaning Chinese organisations tend to adapt instead to regulatory gaps in their host countries, with tragic consequences beyond just Djibouti.

An investigation in Nigeria, for example, revealed allegations that a Chinese company locked up Nigerian workers and refused to let them return home. On top of this, workers say they were expected to work non-stop shifts of more than 11 hours, with inadequate breaks: "Chinese MASTERS [sic] will boast of killing you and getting away with it," slammed one whistleblower.

At the same time, the Covid pandemic has only exacerbated Djibouti's reliance on China via Beijing's so-called "mask diplomacy": a concerted campaign of all-strings-attached vaccine deliveries, medical equipment and personnel in an effort to boost China's image on a continent where calls for the deportation of its nationals was trending online at the height of the pandemic.

While high-income economies are being charged with hoarding precious vaccine reserves, China has promised low-income economies a spot at the front of the queue in the distribution of its own, domestically-produced inoculation.

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"I don't think it's completely altruistic," argues Imogen Page-Jarrett of the Economist Intelligence Unit, "[distribution of the vaccine is] a means to expand China's influence and soft power" in line with Beijing's commercial and strategic interests.

Chinese leaders are adamant that vaccines are a "global public good," and reject any implication that the distribution of medical supplies amounts to the wielding of a geopolitical or diplomatic tool.

Even so, emerging allegations of diplomatic coercion tied to Beijing-led COVID assistance in South America, such as in the case of Paraguayan relations with Taiwan, Beijing's magnanimous assurances of neutrality ring hollow for any state unlucky enough to be on the receiving end.

Between gigantic state-backed loans with opaque clauses, flashy investment projects and an exploding military industrial complex, China's plans for Africa should not be underestimated.

With just over a week until Djibouti's presidential elections, voters beware: Guelleh may tout vast successes with China's eager help, but they assuredly come at the expense of the entire country who in any case, does not see it necessary to follow international laws.
Police stand guard as plain clothes officers arrive outside an office complex in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Orange, Calif., March 31. EPA



A child was among four people killed Wednesday in a shooting at a Southern California office building that left a fifth victim and the gunman critically wounded, police said.



The violence in the city of Orange southeast of Los Angeles was the nation's third mass shooting in just over two weeks.



When police arrived at the two-story structure around 5:30 p.m. shots were being fired, Orange Police Lt. Jennifer Amat said. Officers opened fire and the suspect was taken to a hospital, Amat said.



It's unclear if the suspect suffered a self-inflicted wound or was shot by police. Police provided no details on the victims other than to say one was a child and a woman was critically wounded.



In a tweet, Gov. Gavin Newsom called the killings ''horrifying and heartbreaking.''



''Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight,'' he wrote.



U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, a California Democrat whose district includes the city of Orange, said on Twitter that she was ''deeply saddened.''



Amat had no information about what may have prompted the attack. She said the shooting occurred on both levels of the building. Signs outside indicated a handful of businesses were located there, including an insurance office, a financial consulting firm, a legal services business and a phone repair store.



People gathered outside the building after the shooting hoping to get word about loved ones.



Paul Tovar told KTLA-TV that his brother owns a business there, Unified Homes, a mobile home broker. ''He's not answering his phone, neither's my niece,'' Tovar said. ''I'm pretty scared and worried ... right now I'm just praying really hard.''



Charlie Espinoza also was outside the building and told The Orange County Register that he couldn't reach his fiance, who works for a medical billing company.



Cody Lev, who lives across the street from the office building, told the newspaper he heard three loud pops that were spaced out, then three more. There was silence, then he heard numerous shots, followed by sirens and then more shots.



A Facebook livestream posted by a resident who lives near the office appeared to show officers carrying a motionless person from the building and officers providing aid to another person. (AP)




New Delhi: Late actor Kader Khan's son Abdul Quddus passed away in Canada on Thursday (April 1). The cause of death was not immediately known.

Quddus was the eldest son of Khan with his first wife. He worked as a security officer at an airport in Canada.

He stayed away from films and the limelight and chose to lead a simpler life. In an interview, Khan had revealed that the decision to keep Quddus out of the showbiz was mutual and that he was happy with his job in Canada.

The veteran actor himself passed away on December 31, 2018, after complaining of "breathlessness". He was suffering from supranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease. His funeral ceremony was held at ISNA mosque in Mississauga.

Khan has two other sons, Sarfaraz Khan and Shah Nawaz Khan. Sarfaraz Khan is an actor who has worked in several Bollywood films.

Live TV
Burma Ammunition and Grenades Destined for Myanmar Seized on Thai Border

Thai Police seized thousands of rounds of ammunition and over 100 grenades in Mae Sai in March. / MRG

Police in the northern Thai border town of Mae Sai have seized thousands of rounds of ammunition and over 100 grenades thought to be headed for Tachileik, the Myanmar town opposite Mae Sai.

On March 28, police and Thai military found 6,000 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition for M16 assault rifles and 52 K75 anti-personnel grenades, according to the Thai newspaper Matichon.

It was reported that the Mae Sai police were alerted by a courier company after their Mae Sai shop received four suspicious boxes from Thailands Chon Buri Province. Workers at the shop questioned why the boxes were so heavy and called the police to investigate them.

The following day the police were also alerted to check four more boxes intended for delivery to Myanmar. Police found another 15 K-75 grenades in each box, 60 in total.

Thai newspapers reported that the total seizure amounted to 6,000 rounds of ammunition for M16 and M4- series assault rifles and 112 K75 anti-personnel grenades.

Security officials in Thailand presume that all were bound for Tachileik in Myanmar.

The grenades were made in South Korea, according to Thai army sources in Chiang Rai. All the ammunition and grenades are thought to have been imported from abroad.

Several Thai people, including the driver of the van that transported the boxes to Mae Sai, are now under investigation.

You may also like these stories:

Pathein Teenager Shot Dead by Myanmar Military Regime

Simultaneous Blazes at Two Myanmar Military-Owned Malls Raise Suspicions of Regime Plot

Myanmar Doctor Condemns Security Forces Attack on Yangon Hospital
Authorities in New Mexico have released body camera footage showing a seemingly disoriented intruder being discovered sleeping in a woman's bedroom.

The home invasion took place in Albuquerque back in January, but the local police department released footage documenting the incident only this week.

Police responded to a residence off of I-25 in southeast Albuquerque just before 1am on January 12 after receiving a report about a burglary in progress.

Scroll down for video

Martin Copeland, 48, has been charged with breaking and entering in New Mexico after being caught sleeping in a homeowner's bed

Albuquerque Police Department released body camera footage from the January arrest this week

Video shows a police officer waking Copeland up from his slumber. The 48-year-old, seen wearing a mask, appears disoriented

The homeowner said she had returned to the house to find a stranger in her bedroom, reported KRQE.

'I came in and they were just sitting there,' she tells an officer. 'They were just sitting there in one of my bedrooms.'

Newly released body camera video shows the intruder, identified as 48-year-old Martin Copeland, soundly asleep, despite a bright light shining on him.

'Hey, police, get up!' an officer yells at the unwelcome guest. 'Let me see your hands.'

Video shows a groggy-looking Copeland in a face mask sitting on the homeowner's bed, before he is escorted out of the house and ordered to sit on the curb.

Copeland was arrested after the homeowner told police she wished to press charges

Just a few months prior, Copeland was accused of bursting into another person's home and falling asleep in her bed

Copeland was said to have a difficult time communicating with the police, but at one point he falsely claimed that he lived at the home.

Out on the sidewalk, the officer asks the homeowner if she wants to press charges against Copeland.

After a long pause, the woman opts to hold the intruder accountable, leading to his arrest on a count of breaking and entering.

He was later booked into the city jail and photographed for a mugshot, which shows him with a blank stare and his mouth agape.

According to police, just months prior he was arrested for breaking intro another woman's home and falling asleep in her bed.

Copeland has been given a mental health evaluation that found him competent to stand trial.
Easter is still a few days away, but one event this weekend helped to make the coming holiday a little bit better for those in need.

A local woman hosted a large event  one of the first where large numbers of people have been allowed to gather since the lifting of COVID restrictions  for locals to take Easter baskets to be later donated to families around the city who are most in need.

The event was hosted by Juanita Mimi Espinoza and her 7-year-old daughter, Katie Melendez, as part of Mimi Helping the Less Fortunate. The duo had a plan to collect close to 200 baskets for the local children of the community to later be donated on Friday at 6 p.m. at the BBVA Compass Bank by Guadalupe.

According to Espinoza, the event helped gather a total of 140 Easter baskets, including 90 on the day of. She states that it was a success as numerous children will be able to get an Easter basket that previously may not have been able to.

I do events like these so I can help all the people who do not have anything or are limited in resources like I was when I was a child, Espinoza said. I also do it for the children that right now do not have the luxury to ask for one to their parents.

According to Espinoza, one of the greatest joys behind the event aside from the fun of organizing and hosting is to also see a smile in many of the children the family provides baskets to.

Once you see their smiles when they get their baskets and you know you brought that child some happiness to his or her life -- even if it is just for about 10 minutes -- then you know you have done something good and you feel good inside, Espinoza said.

During the event, people would either pay a $5 ticket to enter or provide a basket. The day featured various dance groups, live music, a car show and a wrestling event. Some even stopped by just to drop off baskets.

These are hard times right now, and if one toy and a few candies can make a childs life better -- even if it is for a short time -- then it is worthwhile, said attendee Vanessa Rueda, who donated a pair of baskets.

Espinoza stated that the support was great even though the event had smaller attendance than previous years as the pandemic is still ongoing. She hopes that those most in need locally enjoy their baskets while also hoping others make sure to help out the needy during these times.

Although unrelated to this event, several local political leaders were seen around town donating and providing Easter baskets for the children of the community. As for Espinoza, she states that this is only but one of the many events she does this year as she hopes to continue her weekly food donation events and also to plan something for the next upcoming holidays as well.

The event is not the last one Espinoza will do this year as she is also planning many others to provide food items and even gifts to the most vulnerable of the community. The mother and daughter duo's next event will focus on Mother's Day in which they plan to bake various cakes and hold various activities for the mothers of the city.

We make many flavored cakes such as strawberry shortcake and put them in the little boxes donated by sponsors such as Casa Juarez, and then take them to the mothers who are already living alone and might not have their families and also the needy, Espinoza said.

She states that events like the ones on Mothers Day and Easter are needed as many mothers tend to live alone or do not have the resources to celebrate these occasions. She hopes that this is not the case and wishes to provide her help during these difficult times. For Mothers Day, Espinoza also helps mothers do FaceTime with their families just in case they live far away.

As long as the children and any others in need have Mimi I would like to let them know that I am here to assist and help them have a good time no matter their socioeconomic status, Espinoza said. I hope that these children and people with time learn, and they soon also engage in providing gifts and things to the most vulnerable in the community as well.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
That petition prompted an extraordinary series of events that elevated Denny Avenue from a daily nuisance for commuters to political hot potato. As a young reporter working at the Examiner Newspapers (just down the road from Denny Avenue) it was an easy source of stories. If a car wasnt being flipped on its roof after being struck trying to navigate the confusing level crossing traffic lights, a Kelmscott Senior High School student was counting their luck after another near miss. Residents were eager to vent their fury about being stuck at the level crossing, waiting for upwards of four trains to pass during peak hour. Community members voted Denny Avenue WAs riskiest road. The closure of the level crossing and construction of an underpass at nearby Davis Road had been recommended as the best solution for growing congestion in the Kelmscott CBD since 2002, but the Gallop, Carpenter and Barnett governments failed to progress those plans. The congestion and safety issues only got worse.

It wasnt until the Canning by-election in the middle of 2015 that the major parties began to realise what a vote winner Denny could be. Loading Labors candidate, now member for Burt, Matt Keogh and then opposition leader Bill Shorten pledged $25 million in federal funding for the $70 million project. This was not matched by his opponent Andrew Hastie, but famously during the campaign former Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the road as a shemozzle after his motorcade was stuck at the boomgates for several minutes while travelling through Kelmscott. The Barnett government continued to resist any action on the project but by 2017 the state Labor party was all aboard the Denny Avenue level crossing removal train following lobbying from Armadale MP Tony Buti, who was receiving endless complaints from his constituents.

Labor pledged $70 million for the project, which fit neatly in its efforts to expand the Metronet plan beyond just new rail lines, and its completion makes it the first of seven planned removals on the level crossing-ridden Armadale line. After Labor's 2017 win they scrapped the Perth Freight Link and eventually the Liberal federal government agreed to redirect some funds from it to the level crossing removal. WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti. Credit:Hamish Hastie As a former Kelmscott Senior High School student, the project is also close to Transport Minister Rita Saffiotis heart. Going to and from Kelmscott Senior High School, I spent my fair share of time stuck at this level crossing waiting for multiple trains to go past, she said.

With the boom gates down an average of one minute and 44 seconds at a time  a total average closure of three hours and seven minutes a day  it was becoming a real safety risk, along with causing congestion and leading to a lot of frustration for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. If the level crossing were to remain open, by 2031 the total down-time would increase to three hours and 34 minutes per day. I am very glad that we are saying bye bye to these boom gates. Not all smooth sailing Some of that earlier political reluctance was a result of the technical difficulties that the Davis Road underpass presented and its design wasnt easy.

Since Labors commitment the total cost of the entire project has blown out to more than $100 million but Ms Saffioti argues the contract for the level crossing removal was $65 million, with the extra $35 million coming from additional works in the broader Kelmscott CBD. These include removing and replacing a 100-year-old water main on Albany Highway, which supplies the Perth CBD, replacing Albany Highways surface and updating drainage and revitalising Kelmscott town centre with landscaping and public art in collaboration with the City of Armadale. While most residents are excited to see the underpass finally open and the CBD given a good spruce up, businesses along Albany Highway have been heavily impacted because of months roadworks to replace the water main. But as the boom gates close for the final time tonight, so too will the angst. It is time for that small group of fed up residents to take a bow, knowing that theyve beaten the dunderheads and bureaucrats and maybe saved a couple of lives along the way.
Imagine a parent telling his six kids they can come out of their rooms after a week of studying, doing chores and taking care of kid family business, just dont share blocks, play the same video games and, please, dont tussle. You have to stay away from each other.

Imagine telling a city of strongly social people that they can flock to the bars and restaurants without capacity limits, just dont get too close and stay at the tables like the nice, cooperative kids we know you are.

In both cases, leadership matters. At home, whether we like it or not, we count on parents to tell us right from wrong, to establish boundaries and to help us understand why rules are necessary. The same is true with government. Governing is different from politics. We expect politicians to tell us what theyve done and what theyll do. We expect government leaders to tell us the truth and guide us.

Tuesday afternoon Gov. John Bel Edwards lifted capacity restrictions on bars, restaurants, retail stores and performance venues, justifying the move because were doing so much better now that COVID cases and hospitalizations are declining. So, why not? While were at it, well start prepping for late spring and summer by casting aside an 11 p.m. last call in favor of normal closing hours after midnight.

Weve flattened the curve, several times actually, so its cool, right? Plus, well give some hospitality workers more hours, more chances to earn more tips and well save more jobs. Why not? Let the party people party.

Well, the day before Edwards made his move, Dr. Rochelle Walensky cried out with concern, saying she is scared that we could be facing an impending doom if were not careful. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director  and the White House  said new data shows we need more precautions, not fewer restrictions because not enough people have been vaccinated and the number of COVID cases are rising across the nation. In particular, the United Kingdom, or U.K., variant is far more contagious than the coronavirus weve seen the past year and its reach is broadening, not contracting.

Edwards isnt alone. Hes one of about a dozen governors who recently lifted restrictions. Some went for the full open the economy path without regard to public health, deciding to take the risk. At least Edwards kept in place a statewide mask mandate and state guidance to social distance.

One of my favorite coffee and cocktail friends, Tim McNally, has been diplomatically suggesting that we get together again, though he knows I've been in my Sutton Slow Phase until recently. He's elated that I moved into Sutton Phase 1. It means I'm up for a short, and sparse, tour by the author of "The Sazerac." But he knows I'm not going to be elbow to elbow at any of his famous haunts, not even with full vaccination. I'm too concerned about the rest of the people, just like our CDC director.

The problem is that we now know how long and where the virus spreads most frequently, and were inviting Rudy Rona to come in. No need to lurk, Rudy. Were unlocking the doors and saying its OK to take a seat; youll be served.

The problem is who is Rudy sitting next to, for how and what is Rudy leaving behind after a departure. Oh, I know.

A dead body.
TEALEAVES x Fran's Chocolates x PNB Mother's Day Tasting Package

Guests will delight in a curated assortment of truffles and caramels, expertly paired with a series of custom-blended teas. As well, a special guest from PNB will make an appearance and share some exciting behind-the-scenes knowledge about their spectacular ballet performance, Coppelia. Before or after the event, guests can also hit play to watch the Pacific Northwest Ballets (PNB) virtual performance of Coppelia, through an exclusive event link.

On May 8th 2021, between 2-3pm PST, this 60-minute family friendly event will include:

TEALEAVES Pantone Collection Sampler and Pantone Color of the Year loose leaf herbal from TEALEAVES

Assorted truffles, caramels and 4 Pure Bars from Frans Chocolates

An exclusive address from a special guest from Pacific Northwest Ballet

Exclusive digital access to the Pacific Northwest Ballets Performance of Coppelia

This event is suitable for groups of 2-4, with each product package including two sets of 6 chocolates, and a small teapot-sized tea bag of each tea pairing, as well as additional teas and chocolates to enjoy after the event.

Pre-order sales for this special event package will be available on Frans website as of April 9, 2021. The total event price before shipping is $115.00 USD, inclusive of the package listed.

Similar to a ballet, the virtual tasting session menu will be comprised of 3 acts:

Act I: English Breakfast + Gray Salt Caramels & Smoked Salt Caramels

Act II: Imperial Oolong + Oolong Tea Truffle & Orange Truffle

Act III: Organic Vanilla Rooibos + Pure Milk Truffle & Raspberry Truffle

This unique collaboration has come to life from an ongoing friendship between TEALEAVES, Frans Chocolates, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, who share the same values of quality, craftsmanship, and attention to detail, to provide the best possible experience for their guests.

As one of the few remaining master-blenders in the world, TEALEAVES has earned its unmatched reputation in blending by creating innovative blends for some of the worlds top chefs, such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Alain Ducasse, Guy Savoy, and hotels like the Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental. The company has deep-rooted values in design principles, and has been featured on Hypebeast, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, and Forbes Travel Guide for its innovative product design and brand collaborations, such as being the bespoke tea blender for the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year. As a Vancouver-based luxury tea company with deep-rooted values in craftsmanship, innovation, sustainability, and art & beauty; the TEALEAVES mantra is to blend techniques, stories, people, companies, and ideas.

Frans Chocolates is a family-owned, Seattle-based company celebrating over 38 years of premium chocolate creation. Chocolatier Fran Bigelow has cultivated an experience of craftsmanship and pure luxury with a long history of sourcing local and certified organic and Fairtrade ingredients. Recognized as a pioneer of the artisanal chocolate industry, Fran was named Outstanding Fine Chocolatier - North American 2009 by the Fine Chocolate Industry Association.

PNB is one of the largest arts employers in the Puget Sound region and one of the top training institutions in the country. Serving 200,000 constituents each year through all their activities, the PNB aspires to engage citizens and to ensure that all paths into PNB are welcoming and inclusive.
Panaji, April 1 : Till April 6, 1986, O'Coqueiro, a highway restaurant in Porvorim, Panaji's then up and coming suburb, was known for two things.

One was its signature chicken cafreal, a roasted and gravy soaked poultry-based dish and the restaurant's other prized possession; a phone which one could use to call long distance and international, a rare commodity in the days when most homes could not even boast of a humble landline.

It all changed on April 6 in 1986, when a team of Mumbai Police officials led by police inspector Madhukar Zende confronted a slim man with a scraggy beard and a black cap who alighted from a Premier Padmini car and walked into O'Coqueiro', taking a seat at his favourite table.

Minutes later, Zende, who was dressed in mufti, confronted and later arrested the man known as Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj alias Charles Sobhraj, alias the Bikini killer, alias the Serpent, after whom Netflix's awaited series 'The Serpent' has been produced.

Before his arrest in Goa, Sobhraj had escaped a month ago from New Delhi's Tihar prison, after feeding guards with drug-laced goodies during a 'party' in the heavily guarded prison complex.

Zende's icebreaking overture to 'The Serpent' at O'Coqueiro 'Hello Charles, how are you...' became an instant sensation after the stories of Sobhraj's arrest lit the headlines and the television screen the next day.

"The Houdini spell so coolly cast by alleged "bikini-killer", Charles Sobhraj, one of Asia's most wanted criminals, has been broken," declared 'The Times', one of UK's top daily newspapers soon after the sensational arrest.

During his stay in Goa, Sobhraj had made efforts to alter his appearance. He had shed his spectacles and played around with his hairdo. But Zende could not miss him. After all, the Crime Branch sleuth had arrested Sobhraj once before in Mumbai, in a carjacking case.

The operation was a brisk one, with Zende and co. bundling Sobhraj in their car soon after the crossed paths.

"We heard that some major criminal had been arrested at O'Coqueiro. We rushed to see who it was. But the Mumbai Police officials had already whisked him away. We then interviewed other guests, the owner of the restaurant, identified his favourite table and sent the visuals to Doordarshan," Sunil Naik, a former Goa and Sindhudurg correspondent of DD News said.

A Portuguese word, O'Coqueiro in English translates to 'The coconut tree'.

"O'Coqueiro was a small restaurant then spread over perhaps 20 covers. It was very well-known for its chicken cafreal and for its phone. People, especially travellers and foreigners from all over Goa used to use the phone at the restaurant to both make and receive calls," Trajano D'Mello, who worked at the restaurant as an accountant some time before Sobraj's arrest, told IANS.

Born to a Vietnamese mother and an Indian father, Sobhraj needed ready access to the phone, because had a reason to keep in touch with the world. His footprint around the world, especially South East Asia, was a bloody one, with around ten kills to his credit, most of them foreign backpackers. Sobhraj has also had a brush with law in France, where he was been booked for burglary as well as car theft.

The arrest of Sobhraj, a smooth-talking sophisticated criminal with an exotic lineage was as sensational as it could get back in the 1980s. While his escape from Tihar, with a bunch of other inmates had caused furore in the national capital's power corridors, his arrest a month later managed to tone down the criticism a little.

After serving nearly a decade in prison, Sobhraj was released in 1997, after which he left for France. He was arrested once again in Nepal in 2003, for his role in the twin murders of North American tourists Laurent CarriAre and Connie Bronzich. Sobhraj continues to be in a Nepalese prison, where he has also been charged with other murders.

But 'The Serpent' continues to show up and inspire curiosities among patrons of the 0'Coqueiro' restaurant.

Under new management now, the restaurant has erected a statue of the master criminal sitting in his favourite chair, complete with a cap (Sobhraj was wearing a cap when he was arrested). Only this time, the stony hands of 'The Serpent Killer' are tucked away in handcuffs.
Vehicles carrying the North Korean military's weapons presumed to be cruise missiles are unveiled a military parade in Pyongyang on Jan.14 to mark the eighth congress of the country's ruling Workers' Party of Korea in this photo released by the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



The belated confirmation from the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on North Korea's firing of two cruise missiles last Sunday has brought criticism that the South Korean government is failing to gain public confidence in its national security policy.



The JCS said Wednesday that North Korea fired two cruise missiles off the west coast from the country's western port county of Onchon early Sunday, confirming related reports made hours earlier in the U.S. media, which citied two senior officials with the Joe Biden administration.



A JCS official told reporters that South Korean and U.S. authorities have been analyzing the situation and closely monitoring related moves but refused to disclose other details such as type, flight range or apogee of the missiles.



Defense watchers said the government's silence on the North Korea missiles is seen as its efforts to keep the momentum for dialogue with North Korea by not provoking the reclusive regime. They said it was likely that the South Korean and U.S. authorities had agreed earlier not to announce Sunday's missile launches by the North, but with different intentions.



"While it is widely believed that the South Korean government did not want to give a North Korea an excuse to engage in a hostility toward the South, the Biden administration had been intentionally ignoring the North as part of a negotiation strategy," said Park Won-gon, a professor with the Ewha Womans University's Department of North Korea Studies.



"Many members of the Biden administration had worked previously for the Barack Obama administration and have experienced negotiations with the North. They have a strong idea that they should not be dragged into the North's pace and this has led to the Biden administration's intended silence over North Korea issues until this time."



Following the reports on Sunday's missile launches by Pyongyang, Biden told reporters Tuesday local time that "nothing much has changed" despite the firing of rockets and it was not considered to be a provocation.



Park said while the Biden administration has been avoiding publicly discussing its North Korea policy, it has instead been sending its messages to the reclusive regime indirectly through media reports.



"The message from the Biden administration to the reclusive regime this time was that Pyongyang should not conduct further provocations, although it would not take the cruise missile tests as a provocation," Park said.



But defense watchers said the South Korean government should have announced the North's latest missile launches regardless of diplomatic reasons. They said the government could have avoided unnecessary controversy if it had made an announcement once after detecting the missile launches and said the cruise missile launches were not in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.



"The government made the situation worse by not announcing the North's missile launches when it first detected them as it has offered a reason for the country's opposition bloc to attack the Moon Jae-in government's security policy," said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher with the Korea Defense and Security Forum.



Shin said the event could not be a "secret" in the first place when many officials with South Korean and U.S. authorities have been informed of it.



Meanwhile, the Biden administration is expected to present outline for its North Korea policy soon, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin holding meetings recently with their East Asian counterparts. According to a Reuters report citing U.S. officials, the Biden administration is close to completing its review of North Korea policies and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan will hold a meeting with his counterparts in South Korea and Japan next week to discuss them.


She has metastatic breast cancer and in November, she had surgery for thyroid cancer.

The New Jersey woman, who didnt want to be named, is a patient of Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Centers facilities in New Jersey. But MSKs three New Jersey facilities  Middlesex, Montvale and Basking Ridge  dont have vaccines, she said, and its a big problem for her.

In my world of treatment, I cannot take a random vaccine appointment somewhere, she said.

My Sloan doctor would like me to be vaccinated on an `off week from my meds. Sounds simple to schedule, she said. But last week I had an infection that meant I needed to delay that drug. The local CVS or other super-site will not be able to deal with this.

The woman, and several other readers who shared similar concerns with NJ Advance Media, questioned why MSK hasnt received vaccines.

She said she wrote a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy, to which she hasnt received a response, but at her urging, state lawmakers also contacted the governor about the issue.

Senator Tom Kean, Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz and Assemblyman Jon Bramnick sent a letter to Murphy. And 12 other lawmakers who represent the districts where the MSK facilities are located sent a second letter to the governor.

We find it troubling that these facilities, currently treating nearly 14,000 vulnerable cancer patients, have not been granted access to any vaccine supply, the letter said. As we do our best to understand the complexity of the rollout, we cannot ignore the fact that these patients are simply being forgotten while those much younger and much healthier have been able to secure appointments.

MSK didnt respond to a request for comment, but the facility told patients in a February email that it cannot vaccinate patients in New Jersey and that its working to try to get doses.

The Department of Health told NJ Advance Media that all of MSKs patients are currently eligible and can be vaccinated at any of the states more than 750 vaccination sites, which includes acute care hospitals, pharmacies, large physician practices, local and county-operated sites, and mega sites.

MSK is one of many worthy organizations  specialty hospitals, renal dialysis centers, senior housing centers, physician offices  that are in line to become a point of dispensing when our vaccine supply increases, spokeswoman Donna Leusner said. We encourage MSK to help their patients register and take advantage of our current system.

But MSK patients are frustrated.

One reader, who is undergoing chemotherapy at MSK Monmouth, said the infusion rooms are filled with patients who need wheelchairs and walkers.

It remains astounding to me that anyone would deny such patients the chance to be vaccinated by expert nurses at one of worlds leading hospitals, he said. Why should thousands of cancer patients, most of them elderly and many of them extremely weak, be required to enter the Hunger Games-like search for vaccine appointments?

Another reader who is being treated for Stage 4 prostate cancer at MSK also expressed his frustration.

I am determined to survive the COVID pandemic no matter how incompetent and ridiculously mismanaged the process (has been handled by) the State of New Jersey, he said.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.
The union representing the teacher who allegedly showed a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad had donated money to the charity that went on to oust him.

The National Education Union's (NEU) Kirklees branch, in West Yorkshire, which represents the Batley Grammar School teacher, had donated 3,000 to the charity Purpose of Life who went on to publish the teacher's name online.

The Islamic charity, which has now removed the teacher's name from its online post, has since been accused of 'endangering his safety' and acting in a 'reckless' manner and have been reported to the Charity Commission.

The National Education Union's (NEU) in Kirklees, which is representing the Batley Grammar School teacher, donated 3,000 to Purpose of Life who went on to publish the teacher's name online

Protesters stand outside Batley Grammar School in West Yorkshire after pupils were shown a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad

After receiving a donation from the teaching union, Purpose of Life, which provides aid to the homeless in West Yorkshire as well as those in the Rohingya refugee crisis, shared a video on YouTube thanking the teaching union for their 'kind donation'.

However the organisation later put the teacher's name in the public domain after pupils were shown a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad - which was reportedly taken from the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo - during a religious studies lesson.

Dr Paul Stott, associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society think-tank, told The Telegraph: 'There is now a real question mark about the ability of the NEU to represent its members at Batley Grammar School.

'That the Kirklees branch of the NEU has funded an organisation that calls for the sacking of a schoolteacher for doing his job is lamentable.

'The NEU now needs to review the organisations it funds and works with, to avoid a repetition of this farce.'

Last week Mohammed Hussain of the Purpose of Life group admitted sharing the teacher's name on social media with a letter condemning him.

He said: 'His name was already widely available in Internet posts and it was going around. I didn't make public his name first.

'It was not our intention to cause any danger to him. In fact we asked for only peaceful protest. We don't want people breaking the law. But we do feel that if this had been something that offended the LGBT community or something that was anti-Semitic, he would've been sacked on the spot.

'His resignation should be forthcoming immediately. He has insulted two billion Muslims on the planet. We cannot stand for that. We have to make our voices heard on it.'

It came as the Free Speech Union said they were concerned that the actions of the local charity had exposed the teacher to 'serious disrepute and physical harm', in a letter to the Charity Commission.

Purpose of Life has since removed the teacher's name from its online post and was reported to the Charity Commission. Pictured: Chained gates at Batley Grammar School in West Yorkshire

Last week dozens of furious parents protested outside the historic school and called for the teacher to be sacked

An independent investigation will probe how pupils at the school were shown the cartoon

In their letter they said: 'It should have been clear to the trustee who signed the letter  and indeed to any reasonable person  that merely naming the teacher could endanger his personal safety.

'Naming him as a sadistic abuser of Islam, in the wake of the murder of Samuel Paty in Paris, was unforgivably reckless.'

The letter added: 'As a free speech organisation, we are concerned that the actions of Purpose of Life could expose the teacher to serious disrepute and physical harm as a result of teaching his students about a controversial topic.

'The exercise and promotion of the right to free expression should not have such potentially dire consequences in this country.'

An NEU spokesperson said: 'The NEU is fully supporting its members at Batley school, and has been since the start.'

They added: 'While the National Education Union is extremely disappointed that this organisation published the statement, it has now withdrawn the name and apologised.

'We would ask all organisations including those on social media to allow the school to conduct its investigations out of the media spotlight and for our member to be given the privacy that they should be entitled to.'

Last week dozens of furious Muslim parents protested outside the historic Batley Grammar School as they called for the teacher to be sacked.

The teacher, who has been defended by free speech campaigners, has been suspended and gone into hiding for fear of his own safety.

It comes as an independent investigation prepares to probe how pupils at the school were shown a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

Batley Multi Academy Trust said that an inquiry panel would begin work within a fortnight to drill down into the 'context' of the episode.

It said in a statement: 'We understand everyone will want clarity as soon as possible.'

It added: 'We're grateful for the constructive engagement with all our stakeholders over the last few days with regard to Batley Grammar, one of the schools within our trust.

Crowds of people gather outside the school gates after the teacher was suspended for showing an image of the Prophet Muhammad

'We believe the right way forward is for an independent investigation to review the context in which the materials (which caused offence) were used, and to make recommendations in relation to the Religious Studies curriculum so that the appropriate lessons can be learned and action taken, where necessary.

The statement added: 'We will continue to support the whole school community as the investigation progresses, including all school staff and students.

'We understand everyone will want clarity as soon as possible, so can confirm we expect to be able to announce that we have appointed an independent investigation panel over the next two weeks, with the investigation commencing on the April 12, and anticipate the investigation outcomes towards the end of May.'
President Joe Bidens $2 trillion, decadelong infrastructure plan has been likened to the massive spending programs of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. But in selling the idea, Biden has taken a page from a less flamboyant predecessorand a Republican, at thatDwight Eisenhower.

Although widely (and, for the most part, correctly) considered a tightwad when it came to spending taxpayers dollars, Eisenhower put forth two major initiativesto spur science education and to build the interstate highway system.

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The highway program, passed in 1956, was particularly massive, the largest public works project up to that point in U.S. history, totaling $27 billion (the equivalent of $260 billion today) to cover the initial construction. (The year before, the entire federal budget totaled just $56 billion.)

Eisenhowers pitch for these ambitious plans was the key to his success in getting them approved. He called the bills the National Defense Education Act and the National Defense Highway Act (italics added). The education act, passed in 1958, soon after the Soviets launched Sputnikthe first Earth-orbiting satellite, at a time when our own space program was falteringwas necessary, in the words of the bill, to insure trained manpower of sufficient quality and quantity to meet the national defense needs of the United States. Some of the money went to boost the humanities as well, in response to the Soviets image as a cultural superpower. (As a high school student in the early 1970s, I took a course on the modern novel, which had originally been funded by the NDEA.)

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The 40,000 miles of new highways were said to allow military vehicles to mobilize across the nation, and for citizens to evacuate their cities in the event of war, which would likely escalate to nuclear war.

At the time, defense spending amounted to 80 percent of the federal budget. Without this rhetorical emphasis on national security, the education and highway actswhich dramatically changed American lifemight not have passed.

Biden is doing something similar with his infrastructure program. In his speech on Wednesday outlining the programs goals, Biden referred five times to Americas main rival today: China.

He said that the bill, the largest American jobs investment since World War II, would grow the economy, make us more competitive around the world, promote our national security interests, and put us in a position to win the global competition with China in the upcoming years.

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Later: Its going to boost Americas innovative edge in markets where global leadership is up for grabsmarkets like battery technology, biotechnology, computer chips, clean energy, the competition with China in particular.

And: I dont think youll find a Republican today in the House or Senate  who doesnt think we have to improve our infrastructure. They know China and other countries are eating our lunch.

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He also mentioned the two-hour phone conversation he had a few months ago with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which they discussed their mutual competition and Bidens one-word definition of America: possibilities.

Finally: Thats what competition between America and China and the rest of the world is all about. Its a basic question: Can democracies still deliver for their people? Can they get a majority?

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This was a major theme in Bidens first press conference as president on March 25, and its been a major theme in Secretary of State Antony Blinkens speeches: global politics, especially when it comes to relations with China, as a competition between democracy and autocracyand as a test of whether democracy can survive and thrive.

Both sets of programs, Bidens and Eisenhowers, share an urgency that goes way beyond a national security rationale. In the 1950s, American roads were primitive; an interstate network of highways was nonexistent. Science was taught poorly, if at all, at a time when enrollment in high schools and colleges was soaring. In our own time, the disrepair of bridges and roads is legion; railway networks are sparse away from the coasts (ditto for Wi-Fi connections away from cities); and the dangers of climate change are cataclysmic.

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But there isand back in Ikes day, there wasresistance to paying for monumental projects, except for one area of the budget: national defense. The Pentagon proposes and gets annual budgets of $700-plus billion with scant debate or scrutiny.

Bidens emphasis on China in selling his infrastructure package isnt entirely PR. (Nor was Eisenhowers emphasis in selling his education and highway bills.) He has said many times that American leadership in the world will depend not only on the example of its power but the power of its example. But in selling a program that costs much more than many in Congress can stomach, a national security pitch helps.
Rep. Matt Gaetz has claimed he's had 'many conversations' with right-wing TV networks about a career after Congress as a scandal involving allegations of sex trafficking and an apparent extortion plot.

The Florida lawmaker and close ally of Donald Trump told the Daily Beast Wednesday he had spoken with 'executives, producers or hosts' at all conservative TV stations including Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business and Real America's Voice.

Fox News instantly denied the claims saying it had 'no interest in hiring him' and denying the congressman had spoken with anyone with authority on the matter.

'No one with any level of authority has had conversations with Matt Gaetz for any of our platforms and we have no interest in hiring him,' the outlet said.

The network, which was a longtime favorite of Trump's before it fell out of favor when it was first to call Arizona for Joe Biden on election night, sought to distance itself from Gaetz after he appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night.

In the bizarre interview he denied he had sex trafficked a 17-year-old girl and claimed he was the victim of an extortion plot by a former DOJ official, as he appeared to try to rope Carlson into the saga.

Carlson later said the segment was 'one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.'

Rep. Matt Gaetz has claimed he's had 'many conversations' with right-wing TV networks about a career after Congress as a scandal involving allegations of sex trafficking and an apparent extortion plot

It emerged Tuesday that Gaetz is under investigation by the Department of Justice over claims that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him across state lines.

The New York Times first reported it, citing three unnamed sources who said the alleged relationship happened two years ago and that a probe was launched in Trump's final months in office.

Gaetz fired back in a tweet storm and in interviews with Axios and Fox Tuesday denying all of the allegations and accusing former Justice Department official David McGee of trying to extort him and his family for $25 million over the probe.

Gaetz claimed he and his father - former Florida State Senator Don Gaetz - contacted authorities and were working with the FBI, with Don backing up his son's claims Wednesday that he wore a wire to try to expose McGee's apparent plot.

McGee denied he was extorting Gaetz and said he had no involvement in the DOJ sex trafficking probe into Gaetz other than being one of 'a thousand people who have heard the rumors' about the congressman's alleged actions with underage girls.

On Wednesday, yet another twist emerged in the complex saga as bombshell text message screenshots, an email and a printout with the heading 'Project Homecoming' purporting to show the alleged extortion plot surfaced.

The documents, which were in the possession of Gaetz and shared with the Washington Examiner, claim to show the congressman was being extorted by d McGee and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran.

The alleged plot tries to enlist Gaetz's financial backing - to the sum of $25 million - to pay to free Levinson, who was captured 14 years ago in Iran and whose family said they were told he was dead.

Fox News instantly denied the claims saying it had 'no interest in hiring him' and denying the congressman had spoken with anyone with authority on the matter

The Florida lawmaker and close ally of Donald Trump told the Daily Beast Wednesday he had spoken with 'executives, producers or hosts' at all conservative TV stations including Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business and Real America's Voice

In exchange, Gaetz would be given credit for Levinson's release and would be given a presidential pardon, with investigations into his alleged sex trafficking being dropped, the documents say.

The documents also claim to provide greater detail into the allegations against Gaetz, describing 'compromising pictures' showing the congressman in a sex orgy with underage prostitutes and the testimony of at least one underage girl who says she was paid for sex with the 38-year-old.

They claim that Gaetz, who has not been charged with any crime, is about to be indicted on undisclosed charges.

Just hours before the allegations of both sex trafficking and extortion surfaced, a report from Axios had revealed Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and taking a media job at Newsmax.

Gaetz had reportedly told friends he was considering not seeking re-election in 2022 and could even leave Congress before the end of his term as he was in early conversations about a job at the outlet.

Gaetz told The Daily Beast Wednesday he had inquired with many networks about a possible foray into media including One America News Network and Fox News.

'Yes. I've had many conversations with many people about life after Congress. These conversations have been very general in nature and have never included me soliciting or receiving an offer of employment,' he said.

The network, which was a longtime favorite of Trump's before it fell out of favor when it was first to call Arizona for Joe Biden on election night, sought to distance itself from Gaetz after he appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night (above)

Gaetz claimed to have had discussions with every right-wing TV station about 'life after Congress.'

'There is not a single conservative television station I haven't had a passing conversation with about life after Congress. I have neither received nor solicited offers from any of them,' he said.

'But yes, I've talked to either executives, producers or hosts at Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business, Real America's Voice and probably others I'm forgetting in this moment as I focus intently on refuting false accusations against me.'

OAN's founder and CEO Robert Herring confirmed to The Daily Beast that Gaetz had been inquiring about a gig on a conservative TV station but said he thinks the congressman should 'stay' in politics.

'Somebody did call me and say that Congressman Gaetz might be looking for a job, possibly at Newsmax,' he said.

'Right now, I'm not really hiring anybody for talk shows. I think he is a great congressman, and I told [that 'somebody'] to tell him to stay there.

'That's what I want Congressman Gaetz to do.'

Herring did not say when he had received the call or who from.

Two sources also told the Beast Gaetz had made it known to OAN that he was interested in a TV gig when paid a visit to the right-wing network's HQ in San Diego back in February for an interview with Dan Ball.

Gaetz denied he had sex trafficked a 17-year-old girl and claimed he was the victim of an extortion plot by former DOJ official David McGee (above)

On Wednesday, documents claimed to show the congressman was being extorted to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson (pictured) from Iran

But the sources offered different opinions over whether Gaetz's chances of bagging a job with the network are likely to be dashed following the revelation of the DOJ probe.

While one said he would 'probably not' be considered for a job at the network now, the other said the network could look past it, the Beast reported - instead painting Gaetz 'as a victim of the so-called deep state.'

Gaetz's future with Newsmax, the first outlet linked to a potential job offer for Gaetz, is unclear with several insiders telling the Beast they 'highly doubt' he could get a job in light of the scandal.

A Newsmax spokesperson told the outlet: 'We don't comment on talent discussions or future programming plans.'

Fox, meanwhile, took a tougher stance in trying to distance itself from the congressman.

Gaetz regularly appears on the network reportedly racking up on average 90 minutes of screen time a month in the last year.

He appeared on Carlson's show Tuesday night within hours of news of the DOJ sex trafficking probe surfacing where he tried to drag the host into the saga.

Gaetz brought up a previous allegation of sexual misconduct against Carlson, which he has denied, saying he was 'not the only person on screen right now who's been falsely accused of a terrible sex act.'

He then went on to suggest Carlson and his wife had met a woman involved in the allegations.

When Carlson asked about his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'.

Trump and Gaetz together. Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and even proposed to his now-fiancee at Mar-a-Lago in December

'The person doesn't exist. I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false,' he said.

However, Gaetz then recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme.'

'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said.

'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.'

Carlson said he didn't remember what Gaetz was talking about: 'I don't remember the women you're speaking of or the context at all honestly.'

Following the segment, Carlson told his viewers: 'You just saw our Matt Gaetz interview. That was one of the weirdest interviews Ive ever conducted.'

A source familiar with the matter told CNN Wednesday Carlson was 'p**sed' off about the exchange which may have made him a witness in the DoJ investigation into sex trafficking.

Florida State Attorney for Palm Beach County Dave Aronberg said on Morning Joe on Wednesday morning: 'He may have made Tucker Carlson a witness because on his show, he said 'Hey, you remember the woman I was with. She was overage.'

Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and even proposed to his now-fiancee at Mar-a-Lago in December.
Photo: (Photo : Screenshot from Facebook)

A baby was rescued from the Rio Grande by troopers after being thrown there by smugglers who crossed the Mexico-U.S. border.

In a post on the official Facebook page of the Texas Department of Public Safety - South Texas Region, the story of how Texas Rangers rescued a 6-month old baby was recently shared. Netizens applauded the work of authorities who saved the baby.

ALSO READ: Baby Is Possibly Sole-Survivor in the Collapse of a Building in Egypt

Smugglers Assault Mother and Baby

According to an article from KWTX, the 6-month-old baby girl was thrown from a raft into the Rio Grande River by smugglers.

Reports also show that the mother of the baby got injured after they were assaulted in Mexico. The Department of Public Safety said that the mom got a broken leg because of the incident.

Reportedly, the mom was trying to cross the border by paying smugglers. According to one official from the Department of Public Safety, Lt. Christopher Olivarez, the mom, who remains unidentified, paid the smugglers 3,500 US Dollars to cross the border. Since December, the mother and her baby have been waiting to cross the border from Mexico into the United States.

Reports also disclosed more than 60 adults and around 150 children crossed the Rio Grande River and went to Roma.

ALSO READ: New York Man Stops Baby Snatcher, Incident Caught on Video

Authorities rescue the baby girl

The South Texas Special Operations Group, Texas Rangers Division, is in charge of keeping things in order on Roma's border.

However, aside from facilitating the U.S. Border Patrol in Roma, the Texas Rangers Division became integral in the rescue of the 6-month-old baby girl thrown out of a raft in the Rio Grande River last March 16.

The Texas Rangers are the tactical team that carries out special missions along the Texas-Mexico border. According to the Facebook post of the Texas Department of Public Safety - South Texas Region, "The team's focus is to gather intelligence, conduct interdiction, and disruption of criminal activity usually associated with drug cartels."

ALSO READ: 10-month-old Baby Who Was in the Back Seat When the Car Was Stolen, Found Safe and Unharmed

Mom and baby are reunited

After the horrible incident that the mom and baby had to go through, reports say that the two have reunited already. According to Valley Central, despite the incident, the baby is now safe. Also, the mom and baby are now together but are in the U.S. Border Patrol custody.

Netizens applaud the work of authorities

After sharing the story of how the rangers rescued the 6-month-old baby girl, netizens admired authorities' work in saving the little girl.

One netizen said, "Completely heroic acts every single day!! Thank you ALL for your brave service."

Many netizens also hoped that the mom and baby are in good condition, "I hope they saved the baby and the mom. This is every day and every night down here."

ALSO READ: Heartwarming Dad and Son Reunion After Utah Amber Alert
The National Elections Board (NEB) of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has confirmed the presidential candidature of the party's leader Raila Odinga and his two deputies - Hassan Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya.

NEB chairperson Catherine Mumma in a statement on Thursday said the trio submitted their applications by close of business on Wednesday, which was the deadline.

"The NEB will scrutinise the three applications, vet the candidates as required by the ODM elections and nomination rules and subsequent thereto announce the next processes and time table in accordance with the ODM Constitution," Ms Mumma said.

The board had on January 21 sent out a notice declaring the commencement of the process of nomination for ODM presidential candidate.

Interested politicians were required to meet the criteria spelt in both the Constitution of Kenya and that f the ODM Party and submit their applications not later than February 26, 2021 before the deadline was extended to March 31.

The unveiling of Mr Odinga as one of the aspirants for the party's ticket now means that he will be making his fifth stab at the top seat should the party settle on him as its candidate.

Mr Odinga first ran for the country's top seat in 1997 on the National Development Party (NDP) and came third after the late President Daniel Arap Moi (Kanu) who emerged the winner and Mwai Kibaki (Democratic Party) who became second.

He got 667,866 votes against Mr Kibaki's 1,911,742 and Mr Moi's 2,500,865 votes.

Former vice president Michael Kijana Wamalwa of Ford Kenya came forth with 505,704 while Kitui Governor Charity Kaluki Ngilu, then running on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) emerged fifth with a total of 488,600 votes.

In 2002, Mr Odinga teamed up with Wamalwa, Ms Ngilu and a host of other Kanu stalwarts and rallied behind Mr Kibaki who flew the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (Narc) flag, ending Kanu's 40-year rule.

In 2007, Mr Odinga, running on an ODM ticket made his second stab at the top seat and was declared first runners up to Mr Kibaki of the Party of National Unity (PNU), in one of the country's most controversial elections.

The declaration of Mr Kibaki as the winner against Mr Odinga who was backed by several top leaders including incumbent Deputy President William Ruto was followed by spontaneous violence and protests across the country leading to the month long negotiations hence the formation of the Grand Coalition Government with the ODM boss as the Prime Minister.

The defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) Chairman Samuel Kivuitu declared Mr Kibaki winner with 4,584,721 votes against Mr Odinga's 4,352,993 while Orange Democratic Movement - Kenya (ODM-K) candidate Kalonzo Musyoka managed 8,79,903 votes.

Come 2013, Mr Odinga again joined forced with other politicians including Mr Musyoka and formed the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) in whose ticket he vied for the top seat, coming second to President Uhuru Kenyatta, then of The National Alliance Party (TNA).

Mr Odinga got 5,340,546 votes against Mr Kenyatta's 6,173,433 while, the then United Democratic Forum party (UDF) leader Musalia Mudavadi managed 483,981 votes.

In his fourth stab at the top seat in 2017, the ODM leader once again came second to President Kenyatta of Jubilee party, an election he successfully challenged at the Supreme Court.

He had received 6,822,812 votes against President Kenyatta's 8,223,369, results which were annulled by retired Chief Justice David Maraga-led apex court on grounds that the election was marred by "massive irregularities and illegalities in the transmission of results which affected the integrity of the poll."

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The court then ordered a new vote to be held within 60 days but Mr Odinga and his National Super Alliance (Nasa) brigade pulled out on ground of lack of electoral reforms ahead of the fresh vote.

He said he would not participate in an election "whose results have been pre-determined."

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna last Week announced that the party was working on a "broader, better and bolder alliance" that will shake the country and shape the politics of the land for years to come.

"As an avowed centre-left movement, our ideals of social democracy and desire to empower the masses and fight poverty hold supreme above all else."

"The new alliance will have younger and fresh blood with clear ideological positions on the issues of the day," said Mr Sifuna.
Bakhshinderpal Singh Mann, who fled the U.S. after his newborn son was found buried in Bakersfield, California, has been arrested. The childs Indian American grandmother, Beant Dhillon, was sentenced earlier this year to a life term in prison for drowning the baby. (Bakersfield Police Department photo)
Downing Street today frantically played down the resignation of the PM's most senior black aide as ministers faced backlash over a 'whitewash' race report.

Boris Johnson heaped praise on Samuel Kasumu's 'great' work in encouraging vaccine take-up among ethnic minorities after it emerged he is leaving No10.

The news surfaced after the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published a controversial study on inequality in Britain.

But a spokesman for the PM said Mr Kasumu had planned to go for 'months', and will be staying until May.

'Any suggestion that this decision has been made this week or that this is linked to the CRED report is completely inaccurate,' the spokesman said.

Mr Kasumu had tendered his resignation in February, penning a letter warning that ministers were pursuing a 'politics steeped in division' and voicing 'concern' about how equalities minister Kemi Badenoch handled a spat with a journalist. At that stage he was talked out of going, even though the letter was leaked.

The 33-year-old informed No10 colleagues yesterday that he was leaving, according to Politico.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi is believed to have tried unsuccessfully to persuade Mr Kasumu to change his mind again.

During a visit to Middlesbrough, Mr Johnson told reporters: 'I worked very closely with Samuel in the last year or so and he's done some great stuff.

'I thank him very much, particularly on helping to encourage vaccine take-up amongst more hesitant groups and communities. And, actually, we're seeing some real success there.

'It is true that different groups have been coming forward at different paces, everybody is increasing their take-ups, so I thank him very much for that.'

The race report, which was months in the making and produced by a group of 12 experts  only one of whom was white  concluded that there was no evidence of institutional racism in this country.

Overseen by chair Dr Tony Sewell, its findings were branded a 'whitewash' by the Left, but welcomed by other campaigners.

Samuel Kasumu, who advised Boris Johnson on ethnic minorities is understood to have handed in his resignation after long-running tensions

Boris Johnson (pictured on a visit to Middlesbrough today) heaped praise on Mr Kasumu's 'great' work in encouraging vaccine take-up among ethnic minorities after it emerged he is leaving No10

Overseen by chair Dr Tony Sewell, the findings from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities were branded a 'whitewash' by the Left, but welcomed by other campaigners

Samuel Kasumu: From Tory activist and HuffPost writer to advising the PM on ethnic minorities Samuel Kasumu, originally from Barnet but now living in St Albans, studied business and management accounting at Brunel University - where he was student President and Vice President and left with a 2:1 - and a postgraduate degree in Ethnicity, Migration, & Policy from Birkbeck, University of London. While at Brunel, in 2006, he was also the President of the largest African and Caribbean Society on a university campus in the country, the HuffPost says. Samuel Kasumu: From Tory activist and HuffPost writer to advising the PM on ethnic minorities He is married to Barbara Kasumu, who held an advisory position at the Cabinet Office in 2018. The couple ran Elevation Networks until 2018, which was setup to help young and under-represented people in the job market. Mrs Kasumu has worked for similar social enterprises including The Kids Network and The Foyer Federation. During the 2011 London riots he acted as a community representative calling for peace, particularly in the Tottenham area in the north of the capital. That same year the political adviser also featured in a campaign called Operation Black Vote, where he was presented as a leading entrepreneur and future political figure. Since leaving university the Liverpool football fan has worked as a councillor, with faith groups and started out in politics at a local level. He was a contributor for the HuffPost and is still described on its website as a 'young political commentator'. He has also written for the Guardian, New Statesman and was a columnist for Nigerian Watch. In 2012 he wrote his first book called Winning the Race, which criticised what he saw as a lack of action by the Tories in appealing to ethnic minorities. But he was best known for being the founder of Elevation Networks - a student level social enterprise in Euston which tries to give underrepresented young people a more competitive stance in the labour market. During the 2010 general election he campaigned for Theresa Villiars MP, David Borrowes MP, and Philipa Stroud. He has worked as a special adviser in Downing Street for the past year and a half. Advertisement

The report, commissioned by the Prime Minister after last year's Black Lives Matter protests, said Britain was no longer a country where the 'system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities'.

The report said factors such as geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion all impacted life chances more than racism, and concluded the UK was a 'beacon' to the world as a successful multi-ethnic nation which displayed much more tolerance than its neighbours.

But unions said the report denied the experiences of black and minority ethnic workers.

Labour justice spokesman David Lammy said black Britons were being 'gaslighted' and called the report an insult to anyone in Britain who had experienced structural racism.

The report's authors were also accused of trying to put a 'positive spin on slavery' after they called on schools to use history lessons to 'tell the multiple, nuanced stories of the contributions made by different groups that have made this country the one it is today'.

In his foreword, Dr Sewell said there was a new story to be told about the 'slave period' and about how 'culturally African people transformed themselves into a remodelled African/Britain'.

But Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think-tank, said: 'I'm absolutely flabbergasted to see the slave trade apparently redefined as 'the Caribbean Experience'; as though it's something Thomas Cook should be selling  a one-way shackled cruise to purgatory.

'The cultural deafness of this report is only going to become clearer in the coming days and weeks.'

But Dr Sewell said it was 'absurd to suggest that the commission is trying to downplay the evil of the slave trade'.

Mr Johnson insisted today there are 'serious issues that our society faces to do with racism' and that work needed to be done to 'fix it'.

And he suggested the government will not agree with 'everything' in the report's conclusions.

'Look, this is a very interesting piece of work,' he said.

'I don't say the Government is going to agree with absolutely everything in it, but it has some original and stimulating work in it that I think people need to read and to consider.

'There are very serious issues that our society faces to do with racism that we need to address.

'We've got to do more to fix it, we need to understand the severity of the problem, and we're going to be looking at all the ideas that they have put forward, and we'll be making our response.'

Duwayne Brooks, a friend of Stephen Lawrence, said he agreed that not all disparities in the UK were caused by racism.

The activist told Times Radio: 'What the report is doing is comparing life for the ethnic minorities in Britain, in comparison to the European countries, where life would be much, much worse than how it is today.'

He added: 'It's not as simple to just say that the black people of Britain cannot get jobs because they're black.

'And that's what people want the report to say.'

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, added: 'This report rightly identifies the varied causes of disparities and by making recommendations to address them gives the Government the opportunity to design policy targeting the sources of inequality.'

Mr Kasumu wrote a resignation letter from his job, paid up to 75,000 a year, in February.

Although he later retracted it, the BBC obtained a copy.

In it, Mr Kasumu accused the Conservative Party of pursuing 'a politics steeped in division' and suggested Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch may have broken the ministerial code in her public spat with a journalist.

He wrote: 'I fear for what may become of the party in the future by choosing to pursue a politics steeped in division.'

The former Conservative activist and councillor who grew up in Barnet, north London, said 'the damage that is often caused by our actions is not much considered', adding: 'As someone that has spent his whole adult life serving others, that tension has been at times unbearable.'

He reportedly described the actions of Ms Badenoch as 'concerning'.

Ms Badenoch accused HuffPost reporter Nadine White of 'creepy and bizarre' behaviour after the journalist contacted her requesting a comment for a story.

The minister posted screenshots of Ms White's emails online sparking a backlash against the reporter.

Mr Kasumu apparently notified the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Dan Rosenfield, that he will be leaving last week, and told colleagues yesterday.

Shadow equalities secretary Marsha de Cordova said: 'To have your most senior advisor on ethnic minorities quit as you publish a so-called landmark report on race in the UK is telling of how far removed the Tories are from the everyday lived experiences of Black, Asian and ethnic minority people.

'Their divisive report appears to glorify slavery and suggests that institutional racism does not exist despite the evidence to the contrary.

In a resignation letter leaked to the BBC in February but later retracted, Mr Kasumu voiced 'concern' about the actions of equalities minister Kemi Badenoch (left), who launched an online tirade against HuffPost reporter Nadine White (right)

'It is no wonder they are losing the expertise from their team.'

Yesterday Dr Sewell, who insisted that the commission simply hadn't found evidence of institutional racism in Britain, said some communities were haunted by historic racism and there was a 'reluctance to acknowledge that the UK had become open and fairer'.

He said the review found some evidence of bias, but often it was a perception that the wider society could not be trusted.

NHS Providers said it disagreed with the report's conclusions and said there was 'clear and unmistakable' evidence that NHS ethnic minority staff had worse experiences and faced more barriers than white counterparts.

Sabby Dhalu, of Stand Up To Racism, said: 'Suggesting Britain should be regarded as a 'model for other white-majority countries' is an insult to all those who lost their lives due to racism.'

But Chancellor Rishi Sunak said progress had been made in tackling racism, telling ITV's Peston: 'If I think about the things that happened to me when I was a kid, I can't imagine those things happening to me now.'

The 264-page report also called on ministers to tackle online abuse, lengthen the school day to help disadvantaged pupils, force police to switch on body cameras during stop-and-search encounters, and establish an independent body to target health disparities.

The Prime Minister said the Government will consider the recommendations.

The landmark review found children from many ethnic minorities do as well or better at school than white pupils
[April 01, 2021] Excision BioTherapeutics Appoints Biotechnology Industry Research & Development Veteran, William Kennedy, M.D., as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development

SAN FRANCISCO, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Excision BioTherapeutics (Excision), a leading developer of potentially curative CRISPR anti-viral therapies to improve patient lives, today announced the appointment of biotechnology industry research and development veteran, William Kennedy, M.D., as Senior Vice President, Clinical, effective Thursday, April 1.

Dr. Kennedys extensive experience in clinical development is a timely addition to the Excision team as we are about to embark on clinical trials employing our CRISPR platform to treat serious viral diseases, said Daniel Dornbusch, Chief Executive Officer of Excision. Excisions unique approach leverages CRISPRs natural evolution in bacteria to target and deactivate viral genes, which promises to maximize both the safety and efficacy of its development programs. We look forward to William joining our rapidly growing team and his contributions to our first clinical rial of EBT-101, our HIV therapeutic. Dr. Kennedy has more than 15 years of experience in biopharmaceutical clinical research & development across several therapeutic areas including infectious disease, immunology, and vaccine development. Prior to joining Excision, Dr. Kennedy served as Vice President, Development at Calcilytix, which is developing treatments to manage calcium homeostasis. He was Vice President, Clinical Development at Audentes Therapeutics where he was Clinical Leader in the Companys AAV-directed gene replacement therapy for two clinical programs using AAV vectors for Crigler Najjar Syndrome and Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia. Prior to that, Dr. Kennedy was Senior Director, Clinical Development at Alios BioPharma/Janssen Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for managing early clinical trials in cronic hepatitis B, including small molecules and therapeutic vaccines for functional cure. He was a Medical Director and Senior Medical Director for more than five years at Genentech, where he was responsible for early clinical development of treatments for autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus. Prior to that, he served as Associate Medical Director and Medical Director at Merck & Co., where he was responsible for early clinical trials of treatments to treat neurological conditions including the development of the FDA approved sedative, suvorexant. Dr. Kennedy earned is M.D. at Stanford University School of Medicine and was a fellow and attending physician at Yale University School of Medicine focused on pediatric infectious diseases.



CRISPR has emerged during the last few years as a highly accurate gene editing tool with significant therapeutic potential, said Dr. Kennedy. Although in vivo gene editing of human genes has been controversial, Excision is applying the technology in a safe and unprecedented way by employing CRISPR to treat viral infections. With the lead asset soon to begin clinical development and several others in in vivo preclinical studies, Excision has the potential to be a leader in CRISPR-based therapeutics in the coming years. About Excision BioTherapeutics, Inc.

Excision BioTherapeutics, Inc., is a biotechnology company developing CRISPR-based therapies to cure viral infectious diseases. Excision is focused on improving the lives of chronically ill patients by eliminating viral genomes from infected individuals. By using CRISPR in unique ways, the Company has already demonstrated the first functional cure for HIV in animals. Excision is developing technologies and IP developed at Temple University and U.C. Berkeley. Excision is located in San Francisco, California and is supported by ARTIS Ventures, GreatPoint Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Adjuvant Capital, Cota Capital, WRVI Capital, IndusAge Partners, Loreda Holdings, Olive Tree, Anzu Partners, SilverRidge Venture Partners, Oakhouse Ventures, and Gaingels. For more information, please visit www.excision.bio. Contacts:

Investors Eric Ando

Burns McClellan, Inc.

212-213-0006

eando@burnsmc.com Media

Ryo Imai / Robert Flamm, Ph.D.

Burns McClellan, Inc.

212-213-0006

Rimai@burnsmc.com / rflamm@burnsmc.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
ROME, APR 1 - The wife of an Italian Navy officer accused of passing classified military documents to Russian officials has said he was "desperate" because of the family's economic situation. She also said that any material he handed over would not have compromised national security. Italy on Wednesday expelled two Russian officials after frigate captain Walter Biot was allegedly caught handing over documents for 5,000 euros to an official late on Tuesday. They were named Thursday as Alexey Nemudrov, Russian embassy naval and aeronautical attache, and Dmitri Ostroukhov, an employee in the same office at the Rome embassy, who was the man caught with Biot in a Rome car park Tuesday night. Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio described the espionage as a "hostile act of extreme gravity" on Moscow's part. "He had truly been in (a state of) crisis for some time because he was afraid that he would not be able to face up to the all spending we have," Biot's wife Claudia Carbonara told Thursday's Corriere della Sera. "We have been impoverished by COVID. "My husband did not want to screw the country, if you will excuse my language. "And he did not this time either. "I assure you that he gave the minimum he could give to the Russians. Nothing compromising. "He is not stupid or irresponsible. "He was just desperate. Desperate about our future and that of our children". Carbonraa told Corriere that Biot's salary of 3,000 euros was not enough to cover mortgage payments of 1,200 euros plus paying for the four children's after-school activities - one of whom has a serious handicap - as well as the family's four dogs. Biot exercised his right to remain silent during questioning by a preliminary investigations judge on Thursday. Explaining his decision, he said "I'm stunned and disoriented but ready to clear up my position". Biot was remanded in custody Thursday. The custodial warrant said so far 181 photos of classified documents had been found on the memory stick Biot allegedly gave Ostroukhov, including nine 'top secret' documents and 47 'NATO Secret'. The warrant said Biot was involved in the projection of Italian defence assets into foreign operational theatres and also in NATO, EU and UN operations. (ANSA).
This micrograph of brain tissue reveals the cytoarchitectural histopathologic changes found in bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The presence of vacuoles, i.e. microscopic holes in the gray matter, gives the brain of BSE-affected cows a sponge-like appearance when tissue sections are examined in the lab. Credit: Dr. Al Jenny - Public Health Image Library, APHIS: Public domain

A "cluster" of patients experiencing hallucinations and memory loss has doctors in northeast Canada concerned that they're seeing a new kind of brain disease.

The Guardian reports that for over the course of more than a year, public health officials in New Brunswick have encountered 43 cases of suspected neurological disorders with no known cause. Officials have told the public not to panic over the smattering of cases, though politicians are pressuring the medical community for answers.

A leaked memo last week from province officials reportedly asked medical workers to report symptoms like those associated with the rare and deadly Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is thought to be a prion disease. Johns Hopkins University defines a prion as "a type of protein that can trigger normal proteins in the brain to fold abnormally."

Such diseases are said to affect humans and animals and can spread to people through infected meat products.

Neurologist Dr. Alier Marrero, who is leading the New Brunswick investigation, told The Guardian there is no reason so far to believe what his team is seeing now is a prion disease.

While researchers are exploring whether or not they're looking at a neurological mystery, Marrero says some symptoms listed by patients early on were consistent with anxiety and depression. But further observation reportedly revealed cognitive decline, drooling and teeth chattering, with some patients experiencing hallucinatory sensations akin to bugs crawling on skin.

University of Alberta researcher Valerie Sim told The Guardian there isn't yet enough information for medical experts to know what these recent cases indicate.

"We see odd neurological syndromes from time to time," Sim said. "Sometimes we figure them out. Sometimes we don't."

Explore further Researchers find new potential treatment for prion diseases

2021 New York Daily News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
State House, Freetown, Tuesday 30 March 2021 - A cross section of representatives and Members of Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has called at State House to pay a courtesy call on His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio and to congratulate him on his efforts at developing the country.

The First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Honourable Ahmed Idris Wase, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, said that they were honoured by the gesture of the President to host the 2021 Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Freetown.

He added that their visit was also in appreciation of his leadership in the ECOWAS region, noting that the humility they saw in the first family of Sierra Leone was very impressive.

"Your Excellency sir, the progress made at the ECOWAS Parliament under the leadership of Rt. Honourable Mohamed Sidi Tunis is reflective of the development we have seen in Sierra Leone. He is a leader of excellence and a team player," he noted.

In his brief statement to the visiting ECOWAS lawmakers, President Bio welcomed the delegation to Freetown, noting that the country and its people were very beautiful and hospitable.

"The unity in ECOWAS is a demonstration or manifestation of our intention to work together for the benefit of our region. We have gone through so many challenges. The ECOWAS Parliament is also an intentional structure meant to consolidate our integration. The more we are together, the more we understand one another and feel the pains and needs of others the better it will be for all of us," he noted.

President Julius Maada Bio said humility was the hallmark of great leaders, adding that people in the sub-region were the same and that quite a lot needed to be done to gain economic freedom for member states of ECOWAS.

"Although we celebrate independence, but we are still not independent. We need to do quite a lot on the continent in the true spirit of African brotherhood to be able to have the independence we need and to realise the many things that we have. That is why we need to come together, share knowledge and compare notes to gain economic freedom," President Bio asserted.

nit
Abuja  Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, yesterday disclosed that the federal government has succeeded in recovering N49.7billion out of its N5.2trillion debt.

She also informed that the federal government will spend N296 billion on COVID-19 vaccinations in 2021 and 2022.

She also confirmed that the supplementary budget for procurement of security equipment and COVID-19 vaccines being prepared by the federal government is not ready yet.

Ahmed disclosed this to State House correspondents after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

She was speaking on the council's approval for the second phase of Project Lighthouse, which is a component that is meant to expand the debt recovery capability of the project.

Project Lighthouse, according to the minister, is a data engine that collects, integrates and analyses data from revenue generating agencies in order to create insightful information for improved decision making.

She said Messrs Carter House Consulting, a Nigerian technology company, who has worked with the ministry for three years, won the first phase of the contract in May 2019 and the second phase that was approved on Wednesday was in the sum of N316.5 million.

She said, "One major area that we have witnessed remarkable progress is in terms of recovery of debts owed to government. Generally, revenue loopholes have been aided by poor information sharing enforcement.

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"So, this Protect Lighthouse shows us that many companies and individuals who owe government agencies have refused to honour their obligations yet are still being engaged and transacted with, and even being paid on government payment platforms like Treasury Single Account.

"In 2019, the ministry issued a directive to all ministries, departments and agencies to aggregate and send to the ministry a list of all debtors and their outstanding amounts that are owed to government agencies. This we have put together in one central fund that we call Project Lighthouse.

"Since that time, we have been able to aggregate N5.2 trillion worth of debts that are being owed government by third parties and as at today, we have been able to recover N49.7 billion of this amount through the efforts of works we have been carrying out through Project Lighthouse and we are still compiling.

"Project Lighthouse has brought together data from the FIRS, the Nigerian Customs Service, the Corporate Affairs Commission, as well as data from BVN in one central pool.

"Also, we are hoping we get data from three states; land registry data from the FCT, from Kaduna State, as well as from Lagos State and other states will also be joining in the second phase."
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President Joe Biden said Monday that states should pause their reopening efforts amid a new surge in coronavirus cases, creating a potential political liability for Gov. Gavin Newsom as he ushers California into its fastest reopening yet.

Biden's comments came the same day that Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed a sense of "impending doom" about a fourth coronavirus wave. Over the past two weeks, positive cases have skyrocketed 133% in Michigan, 62% in Connecticut and 42% in New York, according to a New York Times database. Although California's seven-day case rate is at a low of 1.8%, health experts warn transmission levels could increase as people gather for Passover and Easter and travel for spring break.

Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer: "We do not yet have enough vaccine protection ... to prevent more transmission if we're not extraordinarily careful in these next few weeks."

Meanwhile, new coronavirus variants continue to pop up throughout California. The Brazilian variant, which appears to be more infectious and to reduce the effectiveness of some antibody treatments, showed up last week in San Diego and the Bay Area for the first time. The state Department of Public Health is tracking five "known variants of concern" and three "known variants of interest," which together account for more than 9,000 cases statewide.
Wipro has signed an agreement to acquire Ampion, an Australia-based provider of cyber security, DevOps and quality engineering services.

Ampion was formed through the merger of IT services providers 'Revolution IT' and 'Shelde'. Revolution IT was an IT services company in Australia founded in 2004 and Shelde was a digital IT security company founded in 2010 in Australia. The merged entity, Ampion is headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, and a zone 3 facility in Canberra.

The Australian market is undergoing significant disruption through the adoption of cloud, DevOps, analytics and resilience related digital capabilities, across enterprises and public sector entities.

Wipro and Ampion's combined offerings, powered by engineering transformation, DevOps and security consulting services will bring scale and market agility to respond to the growing demands of customers.

Wipro's new operating model emphasises strategic investments in focus geographies, proximity to customers, agility, scale and localisation. The acquisition of Ampion is an important step for Wipro in this direction, and strengthens the commitment towards clients and stakeholders in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Wipro has been present in the ANZ market for over two decades with deep client relationships across industry sectors and localised domain and delivery capabilities. Today, Wipro is well known for its differentiated technology solutions, and has also been recognized as a 'Top Employer' in Australia for two consecutive years.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Panama-flagged MV 'Ever Given' container ship is seen after being fully dislodged from the banks of the Suez Canal, near Suez city, on March 29, 2021. (Ahmad Hassan/AFP via Getty Images)

Investigation Begins Into How Ship Got Stuck on Suez Canal

Formal investigations into how the giant container ship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal, shutting down shipping in the major global waterway for almost a week, began on Wednesday, a canal official told Reuters.

Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie has suggested weather conditions, including high winds, and human error could have played a role in the grounding on March 23.

The investigation will include examining the seaworthiness of the ship and its captains actions to help determine the causes, Rabie advisor Captain Sayed Sheasha told Reuters.

The Ever Givens captain was committed to fully complying with the probe, Sheasha said.

A ship is seen after sailing through Suez Canal as traffic resumes after the Ever Given container ship that blocked the waterway was refloated, in Ismailia, Egypt, on March 30, 2021. (Hanaa Habib/Reuters)

The six-day blockage threw global supply chains into disarray after the 400-metre-long (430-yard) ship became jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

The incident is expected to give rise to a flurry of insurance claims, with Lloyds of London expecting a large loss, possibly amounting to $100 million or more, according to its chairman.

The Japanese owner of the Ever Given said it had not received any claims or lawsuits over the blockage.

Investigators had already boarded the ship, which is in a lake that separates two sections of the canal, on Tuesday, a canal source and a shipping agent said.

The SCA has scheduled accelerated shipping convoys to clear a backlog of more than 400 ships that built up at either end of the canal and along its course after the Ever Given became stranded.

It has said it hopes the queues can be cleared by the end of the week.

By Yusri Mohamed
Live concerts might be one of the last things to return in the wake of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. However, this has not stopped Afro-pop and Dance hall artist, Don Kamati, from hitting the road on his 'Collaboration Tour'.

Real name, Lazarus Ashipala, Don Kamati announced to VIBEZ! that he is kicking of his first tour tomorrow in Rundu.

The main aim of the trip is to record collaboration songs with different musicians and producers and other creatives in different towns across the country. "With this tour, I intend to extend my brand and influence to the rest of Namibia. Due to the demand of artists requesting to collaborate with me, we decided to kick off this tour," he explained, adding that he wishes to join forces with, especially upcoming artists. Asked why he specifically wants to work with emerging artists, the award-winning Afro Dancehall said: "I have had some unpleasant experience working with some established artists; that is why I opted to work with those who are up-and-coming.

Also, I understand the struggle of being an upcoming or independent artist. That's why I want to assist these artists to get on their feet". "You never know that might be your breakthrough," he added confidently. Don Kamati noted that the 'Collaboration tour' is more than just recording with other artists - he will also host live shows, do charity work, and scout for talented musicians. "It is really is a tenuous time for a lot of artists right now and hosting shows has become the primary source of income for most of us, but we still got to make a living regardless," he answered when asked how he is going to host concerts despite large gatherings of people reduced.

The tour is expected to end in September. As a way of giving back to the community, Don Kamati, in partnership with a local manufacturing company 'Daniel Investments', will donate toilet paper to low-income households in townships.

"Toilet paper is a necessity to everyone and we believe we have to assist people who cannot afford it," he ended.
Scientists from The University of Western Australia have examined peoples thought patterns when their mind wanders and found a link to their level of optimism and happiness.

Dr Julie Ji UWA School of Psychological Science. Image Credit: UWA

It is estimated that our minds can spend up to half of our waking life wandering away from the present moment, particularly when we are bored or when a thought is prioritized by the brain to be more important than what we are currently doing.

In a study led by Dr Julie Ji from UWAs School of Psychological Science, and published in the journal Psychological Research, more than 40 participants were asked to complete a simple 45-minute sustained attention task on the computer, designed to be boring in order to encourage minds to wander.

The computer task also allowed participants to record the occurrence of mind wandering each time it happened, including whether their minds had wandered to the future or past, whether their thoughts involved mental pictures or words only, and how negative or positive the thoughts were.

Dr Ji said people who were less likely to imagine positive aspects of the future when mind wandering were also less optimistic about the future, which was in turn linked to higher levels of negative mood (sadness, anxiety, unhappiness).

These findings are important because although we know that being optimistic about the future is really important for our mental and physical health, we dont know much about what contributes to our day-to-day levels of optimism. This study is unique in delving into this question, which is particularly crucial to understand in the current pandemic context, when pessimism about the future is taking its emotional toll on many. Dr Julie Ji, UWAs School of Psychological Science

Dr Ji said previous research tended to treat optimism as something fixed  either you are an optimistic person or you are not.

But this study suggests that our spontaneous thoughts about the future, particularly those involving mental pictures, may influence our current levels of optimism and mood, she said.

Dr Ji said of more than 900 mind-wandering thoughts recorded in the study, 15 per cent were about the future, 36 per cent were about the past, 31 per cent were about the present, and the remaining 18 per cent were abstract thoughts.

What is really interesting is not only do we spend a lot of time thinking about the past and future, but the vast majority of these thoughts involve mental pictures, whereas we dont see this for thoughts that arent about the past or future, she said.

Dr Ji said the study increased understanding of the cognitive factors shaping our gut feelings about how the future would turn out, which may have implications for addressing mood and anxiety problems.

People may not realize that their mind wandering contributes to their mental health and can contribute to vicious cycles of negative thought patterns that are difficult to break." Dr Julie Ji

Dr Ji hopes the results will help boost clinical research into mental imagery-based future thinking and provide new avenues for developing interventions to alleviate depression and anxiety in individuals.
The New Earth Christian Church Sponsors Seven Last Words

The New Earth Christian Church (TNECC) will host a Seven Last Words service on Good Friday, April 2, at 12 noon via Zoom, announced Pastor Larry Dozier.

During the Resurrection Season (Easter), many houses of worship hold services to commemorate the Seven Last Words of Jesus on the cross. They are seven sentences really, but normally referred to as the Seven Last Words, he said .

The service usually features seven speakers, often pastors or church leaders, who elaborate for 7 to 10 minutes on the comments that Jesus made as he hang on the cross.

ADVERTISEMENT

The featured speakers for the TNECC service are:

THE FIRST WORD  Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.  Luke 23:34  The Reverend Cassandra Mmabatho Hawkins  Los Angeles/South Africa

THE SECOND WORD  Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.  Luke 23:43  Minister Raymond Kimbro, Atlanta

THE THIRD WORD  Jesus said to his mother, Woman, this is your son. Then he said to the disciple: This is your mother.  John 19:26-27  The Rev. Joel Hortiales, Los Angeles

THE FOURTH WORD  Pastor Rhonda Holbert  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34  Pastor and Celebrate Life Cancer Ministry CEO Rhonda Holbert

THE FIFTH WORD  I thirst.  John 19:28  The Rev. Albert Anderson, Atlanta

ADVERTISEMENT

THE SIXTH WORD  When Jesus had received the wine, he said, It is finished  John 19:30  The Rev. Patrick Smith, Dothan, Alabama

THE SEVENTH WORD  Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.  Luke 23:46  TNECC Senior Pastor Larry Dozier

TNECC and Seven Last Words log on link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84711497735?pwd=cWlPT1k2MWFCaWorQVk5MU9TZHBidz09

Meeting ID Number: 847 1149 7735 Passcode: 148839

TNECC services are held on Sunday at 10 a.m. Pastor Larry facilitates a mens fellowship/rap session on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 and on Wednesday morning, teaches a Bible at 10:30. First Lady Erma Dozier teaches Sunday school at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

The New Earth Christian Church is a Zoom-based, non-denominational, Christian church that believes that Jesus is the son of the one true God, who lived 2000 plus years ago and sacrificed His life for our sins, so that we might have eternal life. We believe that He rose again on the third day and now sits at the right hand of His Father, where He intercedes for all who accept, believe, and receive Him. To contact TNECC, call (424) 340-9007, email [email protected] or visit www.newearthchristian.org.
Mark Webber says it's clear that Sergio Perez is the second man at Red Bull Racing, but despite that role Webber does expect the 31-year-old veteran to score plenty of points and be important to the Milton Keynes-based stable. A strong Perez will give Red Bull more options in the races.

"I think hes going to do well. I think that hes in a bit of a win-win situation to be honest," Webber revealed in the podcast On The Marbles podcast. The former Red Bull Racing driver thinks Perez is a better choice than Pierre Gasly or Alexander Albon. Hes clearly there to do the best support role for Max, I think hell do better than the previous two guys."

Tyre Whisperer Perez

Perez's great strength is always on Sunday. This is because the Mexican's tyre management is of an exceptionally high standard. "He's a magician on the tyres," explains Webber. Last weekend in Bahrain Perez managed to work his way up from last position to fifth.

For Red Bull it is in any case good that they have an extra trump card in their hands which they can play (strategically) in the next 22 Grands Prix this season. If the Austrian racing team wants to break Mercedes' hegemony it will certainly be necessary.

"Hes got to be there to put pressure on Mercedes around pit-stops for example. If theres only one dog in the fight, its harder with strategy and putting heat on Mercedes as Red Bull would like to do. Thats what Perez has to be there for."
On Wednesday, the University of Georgia College Republicans hosted House Rep. Jody Hice for their first in-person meeting since March 2020.

Hice gave a warm welcome to the audience of about 30 people as he traveled through the auditorium, shaking hands with audience members. COVID-19 guidelines were enforced by advising people to wear masks and socially distance throughout the event.

Currently, Hice represents Georgias 10th Congressional District, which includes parts of Athens-Clarke County. Earlier this month, Hice announced his campaign for Georgia Secretary of State.

Hice began the event by touching on issues pertaining to his position in Washington. Among them were his campaign plans and a meeting with former President Donald Trump. He also shared his thoughts on issues, such as the rise of cancel culture and the southern border.

Election integrity

Hice discussed HR 1, a bill introduced earlier this year which would expand access to voting, limit partisan gerrymandering and change campaign finance laws.

The push for HR 1 is a devastating push. It has things like universal mail-in ballots, which in essence means that every state, all 50 states, would be required to send out live ballots to everyone on their voter registration files, Hice said.

Georgia was a critical state for elections in the past year. Current Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified the presidential election three times as Republicans, including Hice and Trump, continued to deny the validity of the results.

Hice said that this is the very reason he launched his campaign  to try and fix the horrible disaster that was created in Georgia elections.

On March 25, Gov. Brian Kemp signed SB 202, which revises elections and voting procedures. Among the sections, Section 5 removes the secretary of state from the position of chair of the election board. Instead, the State Election Board would be composed of a chairperson elected by the General Assembly, an elector elected by the Georgia Senate, an elector elected by the Georgia House of Representatives and a member from each political party to be appointed. Hice said he does not approve of that part of the bill and wishes they hadnt done that.

Election integrity is a huge thing and I believe that every citizen of America should have their voices heard, but also in an eligible and legal way as well, said Madilyn Cox, social media director for College Republicans.

Rise of cancel culture

On Tuesday night, Hice met with Trump in Mar-a-Lago, a resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump almost immediately endorsed Hice after announcing his campaign for Georgia Secretary of State.

This was basically a meeting for some individuals to meet with the president to say, Where do we go from here? Hice said. The group spoke about how the Democrats are pushing this thing too far.

Hice praised Trump, calling him extremely funny, remarkable, extremely sharp and extremely intelligent. He said this was just an initial conversation that will be ongoing.

Hice believes Trump is another victim of cancel culture. On Wednesday, Trumps daughter-in-law uploaded a video interview with him onto Facebook. The video was then taken down as part of Trumps ban on their platforms. Facebook decided to ban Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

It doesn't matter if it's good content or bad content, they are eliminating the person, Hice said.

Hice feels as if Republicans are being left out of the debates both on the congressional floor and in committees. Democrats have taken a majority in both chambers of Congress, leaving Republicans with little space to voice opinions.

We need to continue being a country where ideas are welcome. We're able to debate those ideas and work things out and discuss them. That type of thing really is not the world in which we're living, at least in Washington D.C. anymore, and that's very disturbing, Hice said.

Hice said Georgias U.S. House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has been another victim of cancel culture. After several antisemitic, racist and xenophobic comments, Greene was removed from her assigned congressional committees.

Southern border

Under President Joe Bidens administration, Hice said the southern border has gotten worse. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol have released new information regarding the amount of unaccompanied children at the border and the media has compared it to the peak during Trumps administration. As of February 2021, approximately 9,300 unaccompanied children were detained at the border. While in May 2019, approximately 11,500 unaccompanied children were detained.

We're watching very concerning things happening on our border right now. I've made multiple trips to our southern border. I've seen it in very, very, very bad conditions, Hice said.

An audience member asked if a compromise regarding the southern border could be arrived between Democrats and Republicans. Hice said he didnt know whether or not a deal could be made.

We do know that there's a ton of human smuggling taking place. We know there's a ton of drug smuggling coming across our border. We know these types of things  they're criminals that are coming across, Hice said.

Following in Trumps footsteps, Hice has strong opinions about the southern border. A recent research study has found that undocumented immigrants have a considerably lower felony arrest rate than documented immigrants and native-born US citizens. The report also found no evidence that undocumented immigrant crime rates have increased in recent years. The research report pulled data from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Former College Republican Chairman Ethan Pender said, It's good to know that we have people like the Congressman fighting to secure the border while still allowing legal immigration.

Hice voted against the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, which would provide undocumented immigrants with path to receive permanent resident status.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, today announced the availability of sponsored genetic testing for patients in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Brazil who are suspected of having or are at risk for developing some of the most common adult neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). The new program will make genetic testing available at no charge to individuals at risk for or suspected of having these difficult-to-diagnose conditions. Sponsored testing programs have been shown to increase access to genetic testing, which can help confirm a diagnosis, inform treatment and enable participation in clinical trials for patients.

"As a researcher and clinician working to provide patients and their families access to the genetic testing needed to get clear answers with actionable results, I've seen first-hand how important it is to continue expanding access to genetic testing for these devastating disorders," said Robert Nussbaum, M.D., chief medical officer of Invitae. "Early access to genetic testing has been shown to significantly speed time to diagnosis in neurological conditions. By offering no-charge, sponsored testing we are removing another barrier to testing, helping more patients benefit from genetic-informed care. As I have seen before for many other conditions, there is a virtuous cycle in which increased access to testing leads to earlier and better diagnoses that spurs the development of new therapies and in turn drives increased access to testing and better care."

There are strong genetic links to many neurodegenerative conditions, but in the past diagnosing these conditions relied only on clinical criteria and presenting symptoms alone, prolonging diagnosis. Genetic testing is emerging as an important tool in the early detection of neurodegenerative disorders. Earlier detection of a neurodegenerative condition can provide patients with the opportunity to receive early treatment that may help delay further progression of the disease.

Through the program, individuals aged 18 and over who are suspected of having or are at risk for developing ALS, PD or AD with onset under age 65 or hereditary prion disease may be eligible for no-charge testing. In addition to patients exhibiting symptoms, individuals who have a family history of early-onset disease (under the age of 65) are eligible for testing, as are family members of those with a known disease-causing variant covered by the program's testing. All testing is ordered through a clinician.

The program also includes clinical support. Genetic counseling will be available to patients in the U.S. and Canada who receive positive test results. Cost of the testing will be underwritten by program sponsors and no patient-identifiable information will be shared with program sponsors.

Learn more about the Adult Neurodegenerative Disorders Sponsored Testing program .

About Invitae

Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA) is a leading medical genetics company, whose mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people. Invitae's goal is to aggregate the world's genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower prices. For more information, visit the company's website at invitae.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the benefits of genetics testing; the importance of expanded access to genetic testing; the design and expected outcomes of the company's new sponsored testing program; and the benefits of the company's sponsored testing programs. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the company's history of losses; the company's ability to compete; the company's failure to manage growth effectively; the company's need to scale its infrastructure in advance of demand for its tests and to increase demand for its tests; the company's ability to use rapidly changing genetic data to interpret test results accurately and consistently; security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions; laws and regulations applicable to the company's business; and the other risks set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Invitae Corporation disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Laura D'Angelo

[email protected]

(628) 213-3283

SOURCE Invitae Corporation

Related Links

www.invitae.com


Consumer NZ is warning Kiwis about the risks involved in buying certain eyelash serums.

Some eyelash serums contain ingredients called prostaglandins, which have the potential to cause nasty side effects.

Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said the European Commission recently launched an investigation into the safety of prostaglandins in cosmetics after reports of serious undesirable effects, including swollen eyelids and burning eyes.

The use of prostaglandins in over-the-counter serums became popular after the discovery that glaucoma medication containing these ingredients could make eyelashes longer and darker.

Ads for lash serums promise luscious-looking lashes in a matter of weeks and claim products are 'non-irritating' and 'physician formulated', says Jon.

'Guaranteed happiness' is also on offer on the box of Flash Eyelash Serum. However, information on the risks of using these products is much harder to find.

Consumer NZ reviewed the ingredients in and labelling of several popular serums. There were no warnings on the packs of Flash Eyelash Serum or LiLash about the side effects of using the products. The only information about the risks was in small print on leaflets inside the sealed boxes.

Another product, Revitalash, claims on its website there is no potential for the serum to have a significant effect on those breastfeeding, pregnant or undergoing chemotherapy. The company didnt provide evidence to Consumer NZ to support these claims.

"These products arent cheap and consumers may be forking out for them unaware of the risks, Jon continues. Companies selling lash serums with prostaglandins should be putting clear warnings on the boxes."

Since 2009, the Ministry of Health has received three complaints about LiLash and one about Revitalash growth serums.

Prostaglandins are a prescription medicine but theres an exception for lash serums, and other products, that contain 10mg per litre or less of the drug. They can be sold over-the-counter, provided they dont make therapeutic claims.

Any moves to further restrict sales of these products are likely to depend on the results of the investigation being done by European regulators. The Ministry of Health said Medsafe will consider any European recommendation for application in New Zealand.
If you live in the UK, it's likely you remember 2018 as one of the coldest winters on record, thanks to the famous 'Beast from the East' storm.

The storm wreaked havoc on Britain, causing temperatures to plunge to 12F (-11C) in some areas, along with up to 20 inches (50cm) of snow.

Now, scientists have revealed that the Beast from the East was fuelled by Arctic sea-ice loss from the Barents Sea.

Worryingly, the experts warn that by 2080, an ice-free Barents Sea will be a major source of winter moisture for Europe, meaning further extreme weather events are likely to occur.

If you live in the UK, it's likely you remember 2018 as one of the coldest winters on record, thanks to the famous 'Beast from the East' storm. Pictured is Yorkshire's Goit waterfall during the storm

In the study, researchers from Oulu University in Finland set out to understand the source of the Beast from the East.

Their analysis suggests that sea-ice loss in the Barents Sea in the Arctic potentially supplied up to 88 per cent of the corresponding fresh snow over Europe.

This occurs because as the Arctic warms, the polar vortex - an area of cold air and low pressure - is displaced southward, causing outbreaks of low temperatures over Eurasia and North America.

Hannah Bailey, lead author of the study, said: 'What we're finding is that sea ice is effectively a lid on the ocean.

In the study, researchers from Oulu University in Finland set out to understand the source of the Beast from the East. Pictured are daily composited near-surface (2 m) air temperature and sea-level pressure anomalies over the period 19 February to 28 March 2018

Their analysis suggests that sea-ice loss in the Barents Sea in the Arctic potentially supplied up to 88 per cent of the corresponding fresh snow over Europe

'And with its long-term removal across the Arctic since the 1970's, we're seeing increasing amounts of moisture enter the atmosphere during winter, which directly impacts our weather further south, causing extreme heavy snowfalls.'

Worryingly, the study suggests that by 2080, the Barents Sea could be ice-free, serving as a major source of winter moisture for Europe.

Ms Bailey aded: 'It might seem counter-intuitive, but nature is complex and what happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic.'

Rod Downie, Chief Polar Advisor at WWF said: 'The Arctic is "ground zero" for climate change and as its closest neighbour, its no surprise were seeing the impacts here in the UK, with extreme weather events such as the Beast from the East.

THE BEAST FROM THE EAST Severe conditions that hit Britain in February 2018 have been described by the Met Office as a 'cocktail of weather events'. The cold spell dubbed the 'the Beast from the East', was caused by a jump in temperatures high over the Arctic, known by meteorologists as 'sudden stratospheric warming'. Temperatures of minus 5C (23F) hit parts of Britain in late February 2018, the lowest recorded in the week leading up to March 1 - the first day of spring - since 1986. Wind chill saw parts of the UK feel as cold as minus 15C (5F), rivalling temperatures that hit parts of northern Norway and Iceland. The cold weather were so severe in the Brecon Beacons that an entire waterfall froze solid. Walkers in the Welsh national park looked on in fascination as the waterfall near Pen Y Fan mountain was turned into ice amid the cold snap. The wintry blast of freezing temperatures, which also hit France, Italy, Spain and Croatia, claimed a number of lives across Europe and put the homeless at particular risk. Advertisement

'The natural world is our life support system and as this important study shows, if we disturb one part of that system, there will be knock-on effects elsewhere.

'If we are to safeguard the future of the planet  our one shared home  its vital that we work together globally to limit warming to 1.5 degrees.'

The cold spell dubbed the 'the Beast from the East', was caused by a jump in temperatures high over the Arctic, which is known by meteorologists as 'sudden stratospheric warming'.

Temperatures of 12F (-11C) hit parts of Britain, which were the lowest recorded since 1986.

The wind chill, which saw parts of the UK feel as cold as minus 5F (-15C), rivalled the temperatures for parts of northern Norway and Iceland.

The cold weather was so severe in the Brecon Beacons that an entire waterfall froze solid!
Thousands of Australian companies are at risk of going under now that JobKeeper has finished, economists have warned.

Up to 5,000 businesses are likely to collapse into administration in the next few months as the end of the wage subsidy also coincides with the temporary moratorium on trading while insolvent being lifted.

Accommodation, food and beverage businesses are most at risk of going under after being hit hard by Covid restrictions, with commercial credit agency CreditorWatch putting the probability of default in the industry at 5.82 per cent.

The transport, postal and warehousing industry is the next most likely to be severely impacted, with the probability of default estimated at 5.17 per cent, followed by public administration and safety (4.88 per cent).

The end of the federal government's JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme and the lifting of a temporary moratorium on trading while insolvent is expected to see 3000 companies collapse into administration (stock image)

Businesses in the accommodation, food and beverage services industry are most at risk of going under after being hit hard by Covid restrictions (stock image of an Australian cafe)

Across Australia each year 8,000 companies haul in the administrators but government support measures during the Covid pandemic saw that figure fall to just 5,000 businesses.

'From a basic arithmetic perspective, we've got around 3,000-odd businesses that didn't go into administration that normally would have in a regular trading year, and then on top of that we have businesses that have been affected by Covid that simply won't survive as a result of the conditions they've battled,' CreditorWatch CEO, Patrick Coghlan, told news.com.au.

'And the current Brisbane lockdown is just going to put more pressure on those already affected, so there will be 3,000 to 5,000 minimum.'

Mr Coghlan said while up to 5,000 companies going into administration may seem like a large number, there were dire warnings '200,000 businesses could potentially go under and now we find ourselves in the best-case scenario'.

He said the end of JobKeeper was necessary for Australia to move into its next stage of economic recovery, adding consumer and business confidence is on the rise.

'We're in a fantastic position, and these closures just have to happen,' he said.

An estimated 150,000 people are expected to lose their jobs now JobKeeper has ended (stock image)

INDUSTRIES AT RISK - Accommodation, Food and Beverage Services (5.82 per cent probability of default) - Transport, Postal and Warehousing (5.17 per cent) - Public Administration and Safety (4.88 per cent) - Administrative and Support Services (4.77 per cent) - Information Media and Telecommunications (4.64 per cent) - Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (4.62 per cent) - Retail Trade (4.51 per cent) Source: CreditorWatch Advertisement

JobKeeper was brought in to help struggling workers and businesses during the brunt of the Covid crisis and became a saving grace for more than a million Australians.

The government extended the program twice before finally deciding it would end on March 28.

Data from the Australian Taxation Office shows 980,000 workers still rely on the program with NSW and Victoria the most dependent of the states.

Treasury officials have also added 150,000 workers will most likely lose their jobs and be forced onto the dole.

In spite of this, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the economic recovery in Australia has been stronger than almost anywhere else in the world.

'JobKeeper was an economic lifeline which helped keep around a million businesses and 3.8 million Australians in a job at the height of the pandemic,' he said.

'It has achieved its objectives of supporting businesses and saving jobs, preserving employment relationships and delivering much needed income support across the country.'

More than 2.8 million workers and 680,000 businesses left JobKeeper over the duration of the scheme.

Victoria still has 369,000 people dependent on the scheme while NSW had 327,000 people relying on it last month.

'Just because JobKeeper has come to an end does not mean the government's support has,' Mr Frydenberg said.

'Our Economic Recovery Plan will continue to support the economy through targeted support measures as well as tax cuts, business incentives and a record investment in skills and training, and infrastructure.'

With the recession at an end, the number of people on the dole dropped from 1,319,268 at the start of 2021 to 1,166,611 a week ago.

The unemployment rate sits at 5.8 per cent.

It is expected to rise once JobKeeper ends but it is unclear how many people will shift from it to the dole, now known as JobSeeker, which is also scheduled to be less generous later in the week as the coronavirus supplement ends.

Official estimates put the employment losses at between 100,000 and 150,000.
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Wednesday rejected a request from the government to import doses of Covaxin, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Indian laboratory Bharat Biotech, citing a lack of safety data and documentation.

"The importer did not present all the documents required by law," said Anvisa board member Alex Machado Campos.

The Brazilian government signed a contract last month to buy 20 million doses of Covaxin and Bharat Biotech applied for emergency use of the vaccine in Brazil on March 8.

However, Anvisa said the vaccine did not meet its manufacturing standards.

Bharat and its Brazilian partner, Precisa Medicamentos, said they will provide the Health Ministry with all the documentation required by Anvisa, and it would then be up to ministry to decide whether to file a new request with the regulator.

The pair also said they were making "every effort to comply with Anvisa's determinations and adapt the procedures and techniques" necessary to receive approval. They said that around 20 million doses of Covaxin have been produced and released "with no serious events reported to date."

(Reporting by Eduardo Simoes; editing by Jane Wardell)
A 63-year-old New Yorker has been charged with killing his pregnant girlfriend, 44 years after her remains were found in three suitcases dumped in a Pennsylvania river.

Luis Sierra, who was 19 when the killing took place, was charged with homicide on Wednesday in the death of Evelyn Colon, a 15-year-old Jersey City girl.

Evelyn's remains were found in three suitcases along the Lehigh River in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, on December 20, 1976, along with her nearly full-term fetus.

The cases were found beneath an interstate overpass, and cops believe it is likely that they were thrown from a moving vehicle off a bridge, LehighValleyLive.com reports.

The remains went unidentified for more than four decades, and were buried in a grave marked 'Beth Doe.'

The remains were exhumed in 2007, and DNA tests last year finally helped identify her body, according to 69 News.

A GoFundMe page set up by the Colon family says that DNA from Evelyn's nephew eventually provided the breakthrough that investigators needed.

Pictured: A reconstruction of what Evelyn Colon - formerly 'Beth Doe' - looked like. Her remains were recently identified, likely through DNA evidence, leading to a break in her murder

Sierra, who was 15-year-old Evelyn's boyfriend in 1976, was identified as a suspect.

'Numerous interviews and investigational processes were conducted following her identification which led to the development of a suspect,' said state police.

A press conference on the case is expected to be held at some point next week.

'The Pennsylvania State Police, in consultation with the Carbon County District Attorneys Office, will provide detailed information regarding this case in the near future,' the state police said.

Colon, who was never technically reported missing, was strangled, shot, and dismembered, with her ears and nose cut off.

In 2020, Colon's femur was sent to a lab in Texas, which helped create a DNA profile that may have linked to a living relative.

Colon was 15 and carrying a child at the time of her murder (reconstruction pictured)

According to PAHomepage, Evelyn's sister Migdalia was interview by investigators and said the apartment shared by Evelyn and Luis was empty when her mother went to bring Evelyn soup in mid-December of 1976.

Migdalia said Luis was abusive and jealous, once locking Evelyn in their apartment.

The family received a letter in 1977 claiming in Spanish that Evelyn and the baby were well, but Evelyn likely didn't pen it, as she was unable to write.

Sierra initially declined knowing Evelyn when approached by investigators, only to change his tune and say he last saw her in their apartment before he left for work in 1976.

He was unable to explain his lack of effort to contact Evelyn, however, or the letter the family received.

Pictured: The Lehigh River, which is where Colon's remains were first found (stock)

Evelyn's identification has now led to a GoFundMe page for a proper memorial for her and her baby.

'After 45 years of desperate searching, our beloved Evelyn and her baby girl have been found through her nephew's DNA match,' the page reads.

'The hopes of one day reuniting with her were long etched in our hearts. She was taken from a family who loved her and a family longing to meet her and her child for the first time.

'We never could have imagined this would be the way we would see her again. The gruesome brutality of Evelyn and her baby's murder have deeply broken us.'

The page says there are plans to pick a name for the baby and reunite its remains with Colon ahead of a proper memorial.

Sierra is set to be extradited to Carbon County, according to the New York Post.
National Assembly to elect vice chairpersons on April 1 morning

The National Assembly will elect some new vice chairpersons of the legislature on April 1 morning, in line with the working programme of the 14th NAs 11th sitting.









Newly-elected National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (right), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (second from left), and former NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (second from right) cast their votes on relieving vice NA chairpersons on March 31. (Photo: VNA)

The voting will be held after the NA approves a list of candidates for the posts.



After the votings results were announced, the NA deputies will then adopt a resolution on the election of NA vice chairpersons.



Later in the morning, lawmakers will debate the State Audit of Vietnam (SAV)s report on its performance in the 2016-2020 tenure.



In the afternoon, a plenary session will be held for the lawmakers to discuss a proposal on the number of full-time deputies to the Hanoi Peoples Council in the 2021  2026 tenure.



At around 4:30pm, State President Nguyen Phu Trong will deliver a proposal on relieving the Prime Minister and the proposal will then be discussed in groups of legislators.
[April 01, 2021] VizyPay Launches VizyPOS, an All-in-One Payment Processing App Available on PAX POS Systems to Streamline Transactions and Provide Data-Driven Insights

DES MOINES, Iowa, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VizyPay, the leading payment processing company for small businesses, today announced the launch of the VizyPOS App for PAX Technology point-of-sales (POS) systems, available now on the PAX App Market. The app offers robust capabilities that allow merchants to manage all sales aspects within their business and addresses major industry pain points, including the lack of data analytics and split tender options for cash discounting.

Until now, merchants have been forced to purchase costly POS stations that require monthly software subscriptions, leading to added fees which can take a major toll on small to medium sized businesses. VizyPays new VizyPOS app is built for merchants looking for more flexibility and completely eliminates the need for cash registers and traditional payment terminals, ultimately reducing monthly overhead costs. When designing the app, we took a close look at the current pain points merchants have and worked to create a solution for them, said Dang Saengchanpheng, Director of Fintech Development and Data Analytics. We wanted a holistic solution right out of the gate that provided well-rounded capabilities for our partners. While the PAX App Market currently offers other payment processing options, we built our solution to offer more advanced capabilties. In particular, we wanted to go above and beyond with the reporting features. Merchants can now easily see key insights including their top revenue generating products and services, real-time batch reporting and more which has never been readily available before.



The VizyPOS app helps merchants streamline and manage all aspects of the payments process. Once a merchant downloads the app, they will begin inputting their entire inventory of products or services, which can also be managed through the VizyPOS Portal, a supplementary website for the app. From there, they are able to tap into the deep capabilities of the platform. Key features include: Cash Discount Program (CDP) split tender a highly sought out feature within the industry, merchants can now split CDP payments with ease

a highly sought out feature within the industry, merchants can now split CDP payments with ease Merchant inventory ranking system the VizyPOS Portal will strategically inform merchants of what products are the strongest for their business by ranking each item based on profit margin, volume and amount of transactions

the VizyPOS Portal will strategically inform merchants of what products are the strongest for their business by ranking each item based on profit margin, volume and amount of transactions Transaction analytics in addition to the inventory ranking system, the app offers real-time data of transactions, allowing the merchant to pull out strategic insights to help drive their business forward

in addition to the inventory ranking system, the app offers real-time data of transactions, allowing the merchant to pull out strategic insights to help drive their business forward Cash Discount Program implementationmerchants signed on to use VizyPays unique CDP can easily implement it with just a few taps within the app after products or services have been uploaded This is just the tip of the iceberg for the VizyPOS app, said Kyle McCann, Director of Business Development at VizyPay. We intentionally built the app to be scalable, and the team has big plans to expand on its capabilities. In the future, we want to make the app a one-stop-shop for our merchants to be able to manage all aspects of their business with ease. Our long-term goal is to create an ecosystem, where everything can be managed from payment processing to employee payroll.

The VizyPOS app is free for any VizyPay customer and is currently optimized for merchants operating in the retail space and is compatible with the A80 and A920 PAX terminals. For more information, visit https://www.vizypay.com/. To download the app, click here. About VizyPay

VizyPay was founded in West Des Moines, Iowa, by three entrepreneurs who each had either significant credit card processing experience or were previously small business owners. Their combined understanding of these different industries created the perfect cocktail for a credit card processing company that could truly look out for the business owner. VizyPay is growing rapidly by being honest and simple in an industry that is known for being complicated and deceitful. Their business model is unique and making a huge splash nationwide. Media Contact

Laurel Pierce

Uproar PR for VizyPay

lpierce@uproarpr.com

312-878-4575 x246



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Havas Formula sets up shop in Denver, its sixth U.S. location. The Denver office will be headed up by senior vice president Alexis Anderson, who manages many of the agencys high-profile public relations clients, and Amy MacFarlane, account director in its experiential and activation division, Havas Street. While the agency is currently operating virtually, Havas Formula CEO Michael Olguin says that it will be looking to settle on a physical location later this year. The Rocky Mountain states provide a tremendous opportunity in the food, technology, health and wellness industries, said Olguin. In addition, there is a tremendous amount of talent currently residing in the area. Headquartered in New York, Havas Formula also operates offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and San Diego.

The Center for Public Interest Communications at the University of Florida receives funding for two projects aimed at offering science-informed tools to combat COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. In November, the Center released the Guide to COVID-19 vaccine communications: a practitioner's guide to the principles of COVID-19 vaccine communications for the United Nations Verified initiative, and the principles outlined in that plan will serve as the foundation for the two new projects. The Center will work with the Manufacturing Institute on its This Is Our Shot project to create a strategy for U.S. manufacturers to help answer the questions and concerns that their workers have about the vaccines. It will partner with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on an evidence-based guide will help people talk to skeptical family members, friends, church members or colleagues.

Jon Goldberg

PRSA names Jon Goldberg, founder and chief reputation architect of New Jersey-based Reputation Architects, to serve as 2021 chair of its Counselors Academy. Goldberg has served on the executive committee of Counselors Academy since 2014 and he is also a director-at-large of PRSAs New Jersey chapter and co-chair of the societys National Civility Task Force. The opportunity to collaborate with and learn from other highly successful professionals with a shared commitment to the PR profession and our collective business success has been nothing short of transformational, said Goldberg. PRSA has also named four new members the executive committee: Curley Company president and CEO Jennifer Curley, RENEWPR president Ben Finzel, Inspire PR Group founder and president Hinda Mitchell, and Precise Communications president and CEO Alexis Davis Smith.
Molepolole  March 30 marked one year since the first case of COVID-19 was registered in Botswana. Ever since then positive cases kept rising.

However, although positive cases rose steadily especially for the better part of 2020, registered deaths due to COVID-19 rose but not in an alarming rate compared to the beginning of 2021.

Every COVID-19 update on television or radio bears the sad news of increasing numbers of those who have succumbed to the deadly virus.

The deadly disease has torn families apart. People are not able to bury loved ones and more than ever, everyone is eagerly waiting for a permanent solution and get back to their normal lives and families back together.

With much anticipation for the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, local residents have expressed mixed reactions about the vaccine.

Reactions gathered from the public randomly indicate that the elderly cannot wait any longer to receive the jab. This group could not hide their fears and uncertainties of what the future behold.

One such elder is 71-year-old Ms Shale Gaosegelwe of Kgope village. She is anxiously waiting to get vaccinated. She said when it was announced that the first batch of the vaccines that were donated by India had arrived she was optimistic that lives would be sparred.

She dismissed unconfirmed statements that some COVID-19 vaccines had negative side effects such as clotting of blood, saying that all she needed right now was to get a jab as well as for her children because she could not afford to die and leave her children alone.

The delay of getting the vaccination rolling, she said brought fears that perhaps the elderly population was being decreased deliberately.

Ms Kadimo Molepo aged 50 of Lentsweletau is among those who could not wait for the vaccination to be rolled out. She dismissed those casting aspersions and rumours over vaccines safety. She said some people did not have a stand and that there was no government that could deliberately inject people with unsafe vaccines.

She warned those who spread such rumours to desist from making blanket statements without first verifying the information because doing such could send others into panic mode in these difficult times. "We are fearful and anxious at this present moment," she said, stating that with increasing numbers of people who die from this disease government should respond quickly.

Ms Molepo further stated that government should consider tagging those who would received the vaccine for identification purposes.

However, there are some that are hesitant especially the youth and people in the middle age perhaps because of information in various platforms such as social media and other news sources. A group of young girls from Motswakhumo Junior Secondary School in Lentsweletau also expressed their skepticism over the vaccines fearing the negative side effects that can prevail after inoculation.

One of them, a 14-year- old Nancy Selwana, a form three pupil at Motswakhumo JSS said that her fears about getting immunisation bordered around the side effects of the vaccine and also questioned the manufacturers' credibility.

Thirty four year-old Mr Ofentse Kgotlhang also from Lentsweletau said if one was not sick they should not be vaccinated but rather priority should be given to those who were sick. He also said that some people were confused because vaccines that were said to be rolled out had different names and from different suppliers therefore the confusion stemmed from their safety because they were different.

However, some said they were concerned that according to the vaccination plan, they would not be able to choose vaccines because they did not know the implications of their effects later in their lives.

They also pleaded with government to make it a point that people were not vaccinated according to any class be it social, political or economic status but rather people should be treated equally because they needed each other to move the country forward .

Meanwhile in an interview, Kweneng District Commissioner, Ms Berenice Berman-Mosime said the district was gearing up for vaccination rollout campaign.

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She said committees from the district down to village level had been formed for the coordination of the vaccine rollout campaign as well as sensitizing the public of the vaccination programme.

She further said the committees would also involve village leadership such as Dikgosi as well as village extension teams to help disseminate information.

These committees, she said would have daily updates through virtual meetings and physical meetings in areas with network challenges.

Despite limited resources such as transport, the District Commissioner said departments would pledge vehicles for the campaign to run out smoothly.

However, the targeted number to receive the jab in the district is estimated at over 17 000 people above the age of 18. In addition, there will 135 vaccination points in the entire district that will be manned by about 80 teams subject to availability of staff.

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
An Idaho court heard the horrific testimony about the death of a young a boy after he was allegedly starved and tortured to death including trauma to his penis by his stepmom who worked from home during lockdown.

Erik and Monique Osuna appeared in court on Wednesday for a hearing in which prosecutors presented witnesses to try to convince the judge that first-degree murder charges were warranted, KTVB reported.

Emrik Osuna, 9, died in September after paramedics arrived at his parents' residence in Meridian and found him not breathing with vomit crusted in his hair.

The court was shown photos taken at their apartment the night he died in which he is seen lying naked and unconscious on the floor with bruises covering his body, the outlet reported.

An Idaho court heard the horrific testimony about the death of a young a boy, Emrik Osuna, after he was allegedly tortured, beaten and starved to death

Stepmom Monique Osuna, 27, (left), and the boy's father, Erik Osuna-Gutierrez, 29 (right), have been charged with murder for the boy's horrific death

Osuna allegedly locked Emrik in a closet at night, fed him nothing but rice and water and subjected him to strenuous physical exercise

A prosecutor previously said Erik Osuna is a flight risk because he is in the US illegally

Monique Osuna's former friend Hannah Berry, who had worked with her at Blue Cross, testified that the stepmom often whined about the boy's behavioral problems - complaints which had increased in the months before his death.

Berry told Osuna that she believed he might have Reactive Attachment Disorder.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the rare but serious condition happens when infants and young children do not establish 'healthy attachments with parents or caregivers.'

'Reactive attachment disorder may develop if the child's basic needs for comfort, affection and nurturing aren't met and loving, caring, stable attachments with others are not established,' according to the Mayo Clinic.

Berry said that Osuna took her stepson to doctors who told her 'he was a fine kid' and it was not immediately clear if Emrik was every formally diagnosed with the mental health disorder.

The friend suggested that Osuna should install nanny cameras to monitor his behavior and told her friend to punish Emrik with exercises like running, push-ups and wall-sits, KTVB reported.

Osuna texted Berry the night that her stepson died and told her friend that something was wrong with him.

Berry found Emrik lying motionless on the floor in the living room when she arrived and held his hand - which she said felt cold.

'He was laying down and he was covered in blankets - I mean, it looked like he was sleeping,' she told the court.

Emrik Osuna died in September after paramedics arrived at his parents' home and found him vomit crusted in his hair

Berry eventually told the parents to squirt Pedialyte into Emrik's mouth with a syringe and suggested they trying to stand him up to see if he would wake up, KTVB reported.

Emrik took his 'last breath' as they tried to stand him up and Erik Osuna allegedly called 911 around 9.40pm, Berry testified.

'It was a deep breath, and then it was just silent,' she told the court.

Berry said Osuna then performed CPR which caused Emrik to 'spew a milky liquid from his nose and mouth,' KTVB reported.

The boy's father then allegedly handed Berry the nannycams and told her to put them in her car - which prompted his attorney Edwina Elcox to question why that statement was not picked up on the speakerphone call to dispatch.

Erik Osuna was speaking quietly, Berry said, and she had agreed to put the cameras in the car because she thought it was his marijuana or drug paraphernalia.

Meridian Police Officer Scott Frazier then testified he saw Emrik lying on the carpet when he arrived at the apartment.

Frazier said Monique Osuna was 'frantic' and in tears while characterizing Erik Osuna as more 'stoic,' KTVB reported.

A police officer who responded to the apartment the night Emrik died told the court that his penis appeared to have horrific trauma

Emrik Osuna is pictured in an Iron Man costume, left, and eating a hearty Thanksgiving meal, right

He told the court that he initially thought Emrik had a serious long-term illness and asked Monique Osuna what the boy was diagnosed with.

'He was very emaciated, he appeared ill, his eyes were sunk into his head. He was pale,' he said.

Monique allegedly replied that Emrik was diagnosed with ADHD, Frazier said.

He said he traded off performing CPR with another officer until paramedics arrived and took over - taking off the boy's clothes as they treated him and revealing dark bruises that stretched from his inner thighs up to his lower back.

Frazier told the court that Emrik's penis appeared to have horrific trauma and described it looking like someone 'had left a tightened rubber band around it,' KTVB reported.

Ada County Paramedic Jana Reed told the court that Emrik was wearing a diaper and asked his parents why.

'I was told 'he kept wetting himself so I put a diaper on him',' she testified, though it was not immediately clear who she claimed made the comment.

The abused child is pictured happily holding snow before his tragic death last year

Paramedics got Emrik's heart beating again after about 20 minutes and hurried him to a local hospital in a desperate bid to save his young life but he later died

Reed testified that Emrik had no pulse and was not breathing with vomit 'caked in his hair and around his face,' KTVB reported.

Paramedics got Emrik's heart beating again after about 20 minutes and hurried him to a local hospital in a desperate bid to save his young life, Reed said.

Doctors transferred Emrik to the pediatric ICU at St. Luke's Children's Hospital in downtown Boise - where he died weighing just 44 pounds.

Joseph Miller, a detective with Meridian Police, testified that Monique Osuna initially claimed that Emrik was injured while 'playing rough' with neighborhood boys who she allegedly claimed had hit him with a dog leash.

But Miller testified that Osuna later caved in under questioning and admitted that she violently abused her stepson since the beginning of 2020 after the birth of her infant daughter.

Osuna allegedly confessed to Miller that she had whipped the child with numerous items including: a belt, leash, backscratcher, wooden spoon, and frying pan.

Emrik lived with three siblings, ages nine, four and four months. Two of his brothers are pictured above with him

A judge previously ordered the couple held on $2million bond each and barred them from having contact with their remaining children

She sometimes would kick Emrik in the crotch and beat him with the pan 'every other day' for months, Miller testified.

Miller added that Osuna also allegedly forced Emrik to sleep in the hall closet without bedding and would prevent him from escaping by blocking it with chairs.

Osuna allegedly claimed she put Emrik in the closet because he had threatened her other children, Miller said.

Prosecutor John Dinger asked Miller if Emrik had spent 'his last night alive in the closet.'

'He did,' Miller responded, according to KTVB.

Osuna allegedly told Miller that she treated Emrik differently from her other three children who medical professionals said were found with no signs of abuse.

The couple's three other children, ages nine, four and four months, were placed into protective custody with Idaho Health and Welfare.



Prosecutors previously said that the abuse happened while Monique Osuna worked from home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

'Due to COVID, she's been working from home and since [Emrik] was not in school, she essentially had access to him all day long,' prosecutor Tamara Kelly had said in court.

Miller testified: 'She said she was harder on him. She said she lashed out at him - hitting him with a pan and making him exercise while she worked, and that he only took a break when she took a break.'

The boy's father allegedly was aware of the abuse but failed to stop it and he has also been charged with first-degree murder as well as injury to a child and concealing evidence, court records show.

Miller said that Emrik was forced to do push-ups, jumping jacks and 'inchworms' for hours at a time, and that Emrik was punished further if he got tired and that food was withheld for five days before he died.

'He was always in trouble for something,' Miller said.

A judge previously ordered the couple held on $2million bond each and barred them from having contact with their remaining children.

Emriks birth mother is currently in a California jail in connection with alleged abuse of Emrik's younger siblings, WBIR reported.

Emrik's maternal aunt, Irene Zepeda, told the outlet that his birth mother is suffering for not being there for Emrik and participated in nightly vigils held after his death.
ADVERTISEMENT

The UK government through its UK-Nigeria Tech Hub has launched an open-source business intelligence platform aimed at providing transparent and reliable data about the Nigerian tech sector.

The UK High Commission in Nigeria announced this Thursday through a statement by Ndidiamaka Eze, Press & Public Affairs Officer at the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos.

The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub is an initiative of the UK Government Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport established with the aim to support Nigerias Tech- ecosystem by promoting high-end digital skills and fostering partnerships between the UK and the Nigeria Tech-ecosystem.

The business intelligence platform which can be accessed here will allow users access to a comprehensive database of startups, tech hubs, and investors operating in Nigeria and access to a live investment tracker showcasing all deals happening in the country.

It will also allow users to crowdsource new entities/players in the Nigerian tech ecosystem.

People with profiles on the platform will also be able to update and edit their profiles as it pertains to their startups, companies, etc, and gather digestible information on an interactive, real-time data visualisation dashboard.

Funded by the UK Governments Africa Technology and Innovation Partnership (ATIP) programme, the business intelligence platform aims at reducing the informational barriers to entry for companies, investors, and researchers interested in doing business in the country.

Nigeria remains a leader across Sub-Saharan Africa for vibrancy and volumes when it comes to the tech landscape and there is an increasing need to provide reliable and legible points of reference.

The new business intelligence platform draws directly on data from Briter Bridges and leverages the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub brand and network to maximise inclusion and access to information about the state of tech in the country.

As part of this commitment, The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub and Briter Bridges (delivery partners for this platform) will be joining forces and leveraging their dual positioning as local-based, globally-focused organisations to bring the ecosystem together via initiatives, research content, and unlocking future funding opportunities.

Speaking on the Launch, the British Deputy High Commissioner- Ben Llewellyn-Jones said: The launch of this open-source business intelligence platform will enhance access to valuable information and data necessary for fostering partnership across the UK and the Nigerian tech ecosystems. This is a testament to the role the UK Government can play in supporting the tech ecosystem in Nigeria.

Speaking on the importance of the platform and the UKs support, Leanne Jones, Team Lead, West Africa Research and Innovation said: We are glad that the UK Governments Africa Technology and Innovation Partnership (ATIP) programme can support the development of this open-source Business Intelligence Platform for the Nigerian technology sector. Access to this kind of information by all industry players will go a long way in addressing information gaps, identifying opportunities for collaboration and increasing access to funding.

The Interim- Country Director of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub-Lamide Johnson stated: We are excited to have partnered with Briter Bridges to co-develop and launch the Open-Source Business Intelligence Platform, aimed at the providing tech- stakeholders across the board easy access to information required to promote high-end digital tech opportunities.
[April 01, 2021] Holler Announces $36 Million Series B To Set The Stage For Next-Generation Messaging

NEW YORK, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the age of social distancing, messaging has become an inextricable part of everyday life. To continue to help bring these online conversations to life, Holler today announced a $36 million Series B round co-led by CityRock Venture Partners and New General Market Partners LLC founded by billionaire entrepreneur, Richelieu Dennis. Additional investors in the round include Gaingels , Interplay Ventures , Relevance Ventures , Towerview Ventures , and WorldQuant Ventures . The investment will help the company continue to enhance digital messaging experiences and accelerate the development of its conversational media products, and a new model of advertising that directly and organically connects brands with consumers within peer-to-peer messaging environments.

CityRock Venture Partners invests in companies at the nexus of growth, impact, and diversity - an ethos that falls in line with Hollers vision to create new standards for next-generation technology companies. Holler believes young companies havea responsibility to prioritize diversity in product, people, and impact, and to set higher ethical guidelines for emerging tech and how we use it.



Holler is more than simply a groundbreaking technology company, says Oliver Libby, co-founder and Managing Partner of CityRock Venture Partners. Under Travis Montaques visionary leadership, Holler boldly stands for a new era of ethics in social media, and also deeply reflects the values of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Along with what we believe is huge market potential, this is why Holler aligns so strongly with CityRocks purpose-driven investment strategy. Our team is honored to be a part of Hollers extraordinary journey. Holler will use its latest funding round to invest in the research, engineering and development around conversational media, and the original creative content intended to drive its use. Hollers sophisticated Suggestion AI Technology is now capable of more accurately understanding context and nuance in messaging, leading to better content suggestions, and improved conversations. The technology is being adopted by major platform partners via Holler Kit 5, the companys latest SDK. With Holler Kit 5, developers can seamlessly bring engaging content and features such as GIFs, stickers and advanced Suggestion AI Technology into their platform - all with one integration. Most recently, The Meet Group, a portfolio of popular dating apps, updated its platform with this technology, and a strong pipeline of new partners are lined up to integrate Holler Kit 5 throughout the next three quarters.

Having meaningful conversations online is more important now than ever, said Travis Montaque, CEO and Founder of Holler. We knew that conversational media would be essential to everyday life so weve spent the last few years finessing our technology and building the foundation to take advantage of the moment when the market was ready to embrace it on a broader scale. In 2020, that work has started to pay dividends as the influence and potential of conversational media gained momentum with both investors and brands. The brand and advertising community in particular has taken note of the opportunities within messaging. In 2020, Holler launched new conversational media campaigns on behalf of industry leaders including HBO Max, Orbit, and Vita Coco. Major corporations such as AB InBev, Diageo, IKEA, Mars, Molson Coors, and Starbucks have scaled their programs on Hollers platform after successful trials. A suite of Molson Coors brands including Vizzy, Blue Moon, Coors Light, and Miller Light achieved significant levels of reach with their campaigns. 2020 was Hollers first revenue growth year, and revenue booked in Q1 2021 has already hit 226% of total revenue in 2020 and remains on a positive growth trajectory. The company is bullish on the continued importance of messaging as a communication tool, and believes that stickers, GIFs, and other content within messaging is only the beginning.



To learn more about how Holler is revolutionizing the messaging world through conversational media, visit holler.io. About Holler

Holler is a Conversational Media company, focused on the creation and delivery of content that helps peer-to-peer messages be more engaging and effective. Powered by the companys Suggestion AI Technology, relevant content is provided to users at just the right moment in time. With a diverse team of technologists, digital animators, and media industry veterans, Holler services upwards of 1 billion messages each day. For more information on Holler, please visit holler.io. Press Contact

LaunchSquad for Holler

holler@launchsquad.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Freeze Warning Until 9 AM

By National Weather Service

PADUCAH - The National Weather Service in Paducah has another freeze warning until 9 a.m. this morning.Sub-freezing temperatures are expected for up to eight hours Friday morning, cold enough to challenge some records across the region.Paducah bottomed out at 27 degrees this morning. Its record low for today is 26 degrees, set 50 years ago today in 1961.This is definitely late in the season for a hard freeze. The average date for Paducah to see a freeze of 28 or colder is March 25.But, even on April 6 there's still a 50-50 chance that Paducah could see a 32-degree freeze.Paducah's latest freeze ever was on May 7, 1944.Temperatures will quickly recover to the mid-50s on Friday afternoon, the mid-60s on Saturday, and 70 on Easter Sunday.On the Net:
GREENFIELD  Like other colleges throughout the nation and in Western Massachusetts, Greenfield Community College is restoring campus activity this fall, but also offering alternative learning methods.

The two-year college will offer more than 100 class sections in a face-to-face or hybrid format, meeting at least once a week on campus with some possible online instruction as well, according to a statement released Wednesday.

The Greenfield model is similar to that at other schools that shut down or severely restricted campus activity during the coronavirus pandemic. With vaccines available, schools are beginning to reopen campuses while keeping some of the remote or hybrid options the pandemic brought to prominence.

Greenfield Community Colleges blended curriculum strategy is similar to that of Holyoke Community College, which has announced a similar fall 2021 strategy. Other institutions are following similar versions. Springfield Technical Community College is expected to reveal its fall plan in the coming days.

At both two-year and four-year colleges, administrators acknowledged students desire to return to campus, while also recognizing the value of remote learning programs and the need to step carefully back into the world of hands-on learning that was largely abandoned more than a year ago.

Students in the GCC health career programs  including the nursing, medical assistant, and paramedic programs  will meet on campus in hands-on courses. Those in other professional programs, such as business and education, will also have on-campus options.

The college will also offer many math, science and other general education courses in a hybrid format. Students will complete some coursework online and will participate in weekly experiential learning opportunities, including lab activities and field trips.

The GCC art, music, and theater programs will also return to campus. Students interested in other courses in the humanities, including history, English and human development, will be offered some courses on campus and some in a hybrid format.

A set of fully online courses, including some asynchronous classes that students may access at a time convenient for them, will be scheduled.

We understand that our students are eager to come back in person to campus. We are equally enthusiastic about getting them back on campus, college President Yves Salomon-Fernandez said. However, we must do so in a safe manner, and in a way that preserves the health and safety of not only the students and our employees, but also of our entire community.

The fall course schedule is available online. Returning students can already register, and new students can do so beginning April 6.

Related content:
COVID-19 testing information for west-central Illinois counties:

Morgan County

Jacksonville

Days and times: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Location: Drive-through testing site located at Dunlap Court and Morgan Street.

Details: No appointment necessary. Photo ID and insurance card requested but not required.



Brown County

Mount Sterling

Days and times: By appointment.

Location: Brown County Health Department, 120 E. Main St. 217-773-2714

Details: Testing eligibility determined by telephone screening.



Cass County

Beardstown

Days and times: Monday-Friday 9-11:20 a.m.

Location: Cass County Health Department, 8590 St. Lukes Drive. 217-323-2182

Virginia

Days and times: Monday-Friday 1-3 p.m.

Location: Cass County Health Department, 331 S. Main St. 217-452-3057

Details: Testing by appointment only and is limited to those who live or work in Cass County. Schedules subject to change.



Greene County

Carrollton

Days and times: By appointment. Open seven days a week.

Location: Boyd Rural Health Clinic, 800 School St. 217-942-3600

Details: Testing performed if medically indicated, pre-op with doctors order, or return to work. Must call and leave message with name and callback number.



Jersey County

Jerseyville

Days and times: By appointment.

Location: Jerseyville Community Hospital Walk-in Clinic, 903 S. State St. 618-498-2273

Details: Testing performed if medically indicated.



Macoupin County

Gillespie

Days and times: By appointment.

Location: Maple Street Clinic, 109 E. Maple St. 217-313-5078

Details: Drive-through free testing. Register by phone or online at mcphd.net.



Pike County

Pittsfield

Days and times: By appointment.

Location: Quincy Medical Group, 320 N. Madison St. 217-277-4001

Details: Testing performed if medically indicated.

.

Days and times: Monday-Saturday 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Location: Illini Express Clinic, 101 E. Washington St. 217-277-3504

Details: Testing performed if medically indicated. Register upon arrival.



Scott County

Winchester:

Days and times: Mondays and Fridays 9-11 a.m.

Location: Scott County Health Department, 335 W. Cherry St.

Details: Schedule subject to change. See Facebook page for updates.
opinion

The controversy stirred by two books, History of Ghana, Text book 3, and Golden English Base and authored by Badu Nkansah and Nelly Martison Anim, and Okyre Baafi Alexander respectively, cannot peter out soon. The more one tries to empty one's memory of it, the more refreshing it becomes with the existing number of questions increasing.

A cousin rang me from Tema and requested for the books in Accra for archival purposes. I went to the book shops but did not get any. Vendors could not tell what accounted for the early shortage; either they deliberately withdrew them on orders or curious readers rushed for them.

Consequently, my analyses of them will be based on what has been in circulation on the media; new and old. From all indications, the authors did not conduct any research on the subject areas on Ewes before reinforcing the misleading labelling. They just sought to perpetuate the hearsay stereotypes. To write on a culture, one must conduct ethnography and make palpable references to authorities for data gathering. But characteristic of the books, the authors just wrote whatever they might have heard either in jokes or arguments and described it as history.

Starting from my headline, I refer to what the authors described as a 'song': 'A song that shows the Ewes identity.' (Ewes or Ewes' identity?). A few stanzas from the song say: 'I am an Ewe. If you can speak my language and you step on my toe, I am not bothered. People say I am inward looking but that is what they think. I am very good especially to my people'.

They did not tell us who composed the song, when and source. Granted without admitting that they spoke to some Ewes, the claim cannot be generalised to cover a whole ethnic group. This obviously fits into pigeonholing that has gone on untamed. They chose to write without seeking contrary views. Would you be surprised if they got rebuttal but chose to do otherwise?

They continued: 'The Ewe people still live in villages and choose their chiefs by voting.' They created the impression that only Volta Region has villages. In their eyes, Ho is a village. They failed to name any of the Ewe 'villages' where chiefs are elected, and who they are. I am surprised they used the word 'chief' for Ewe 'villages'. What an irony!

The book went on: 'The chief must never be seen drinking and must cover his head in public.' (He must not drink what?) How many times did the authors see Togbe Afede, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli Traditional Area cover his head (with what?) at the National House of Chiefs' meetings or Togbega Patamia Dzekle VII of Battor at the Volta Region House of Chiefs?

'The traditional Ewe people's religion is called voodoo. Voodoo followers believe that Mawu is their creator,' they wrote, adding, 'they also believe in other lower gods.'

First of all, if the book interprets voodoo to mean animism or Traditional African Religion, then, of course, it was wrong to have targeted Ewes only. Voodoo worship transcends ethnic boundaries in Ghana and even beyond.

If these books were really meant to be objective without deliberately offending the sensibilities of Ewes, then the authors ought to have admitted that Traditional African Religion predates colonialism and is practised by all ethnic groups in the country.

Take, for instance, Antoa in Ashanti Region, Akonedi at Larteh, Tigari from the north, and Esio Koffi around Prestea. In the Nzemaland, we have Nana Borbo Ayisi, (Nzema Island), Nana Brawula at the Victoria Park, and Nana Eluku Tayiba, both at Axim. Techiman-Buokyerewa, Nsuatre-buotwene (stone gods) and Apape. All are some of the gods found outside Volta Region.

The African Faith is not exclusive to Ewes. Were the authors unaware of the numerous non-Ewe priests and priestesses who have been advertising the potency of their gods on the airwaves? It is strange how they projected Ewes as owners of all shrines in the country, if not to denigrate us as the only voodoo worshippers.

It is widely rumoured that human sacrifice and money rituals are practiced by some ethnic groups in the country. Much as there could be an iota of truth in these, they cannot be said to be authentic because there is no evidence of them. It will, therefore, be wrong for anyone to attempt to document them for schools. Is it not strange how these fascinating rumours were denied space in the so-called history book?

God as Mawu in Ewe

Just like Akans and Ga-Adangbes who call God Nyame and Mawu, respectively, so do Ewes refer to Him as Mawu. 'Mawu' is, therefore, not limited to the lexicon of voodoo worshipers. In acknowledging the supremacy of God, Ewes have names such as Mawunyega (God is the greatest), Mawufemor (God's way), Mawudem (God has rescued me), Mawuena (God gives), Mawuko (only God), Mawusi (in the hands of God), Mawutor (God's own), Mawuta (because of God), Mawudor (God's work), Mawulorm (simply written and pronounced as 'Elorm, meaning God loves me), Mawulawoe (God will pave way), Mawulolo (God is great) etc.

With these, how could anyone create the misconception that it is voodoo worshippers who call God 'Mawu'? The deficiencies in the books are obvious. If we should allow sleeping dog to lie especially as Mrs Badu Nakansah is mourning the sad passing of her husband, the misinformation will stay and bearers of these uniquely lovely names will be associated with voodoo.

There is a group picture of young boys and girls sitting down in one of the books and adorned with big dangling bead necklaces. The book erroneously labelled them, thus: 'women celebrating voodoo festival.' One can clearly see boys in the picture, but the fact that the authors decided to describe them as women speaks volumes of the mentality being unleashed on our children. Traditional priests are noted for vigorous dancing. How can those children be voodoo celebrants dancing in those flying bead necklaces?

At the festivals of Hogbe celebrated by the people of Battor Traditional Area in the North Tongu District, Apenorto of Mepe, Tortsogbe of Sokpoe, Hogbetsotso of Anlo, Agadevi of Have etc, boys and girls are elegantly dressed in this fashion and sit in front of the chiefs. By this false portrayal, the book is telling the pupils that whenever they come across people dressed like this, even during the Ngmayem and Kloyosikplemi festivals of Krobos and Asafotufiame of Ada respectively, they must see them as voodoo practitioners.

Then under the heading: 'The Ewe ethnic group,' are pictures of two girls, one laughing and the other smiling. While one seems to be having a bright face, the other has broad nose and dark colour. Can these features be tribe specific? I tried in vain to identify anything peculiar about them as Ewes.

The framing reminds me of beautiful Rwanda where I spent nine months in 1995 and moved from Mulindi, Rukira, Rwantero, Nyaribuye, Kibungu to Majewa in Kigali and saw the debilitating effects of stereotyping that culminated in the genocide when one tribe was described as cockroaches.

Amazingly, Rwanda is monolithic; citizens speak one language, Kinyarwanda, besides French and English. They, however, have ethnic groups; Twa, Tutsi and Hutu. What distinguish individuals of these tribes are mere natural features; height, shape of nose, forehead, height etc. Things that man has no control over were principally used to attack one another, besides predominantly Hutu names; Habiyaremana (remember their president whose plane was downed?), Hachizimana, Nzeimana etc. which are about God.

I, therefore, became alarmed when I saw pictures of girls being depicted as Ewes when Ghana does not have distinct natural features. What did the book seek to achieve by labelling those pictures? Does it mean that all dark-skinned people are Ewes? Is it the hairdo, earing or eye colour? How can these features be unique to one ethnic group? But for tribal marks, there is no ethnic distinction among Ghanaians.

Origin of 'Kete'

The most deceptive of all is the statement that Ewes copied the 'kete' (kente) weaving from Ashantis in slavery. I have never read from anywhere that Ewes have ever been taken slaves by Ashantis. Why did the writers not educate the children the very battle from which Ewes became slaves to Ashantis? They wrote 'weaving' cloth instead of 'woven.'

I was watching TV in the 1990s when the then First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, after touring parts of the Volta Region, revealed that 'kete' originated from Kpetoe near Ho. Her disclosure did not go down well with some ppeople. Though no written account has come out yet to challenge her, the kinds of explanations being offered about the name, 'kete,' vis-a-vis weaving process (open and close), make a lot of sense that 'kete' truly originated from Kpetoe.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Ghana Entertainment Books By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Intellectual failure

The problem of Ewes is that, the intellectuals from the region have not been able to document our history well enough. At a funeral at Leklebi-Duga, an Ewe scholar bemoaned the practice by some chiefs using non-Ewe titles, and the lack of distinction between paramount chiefs and the sub ones. He advised that 'Torgbega' and 'Togbe' be used for paramount and sub chiefs respectively. There have since been some positive developments, but who is documenting them? It is said that a hunting dog cannot be effective if its owner lacks the techniques. So, if the Ewe scholars fail to define themselves, others will define them. Use your education to emancipate your people.

Our scholars must write books and those that meet the standards must be taught at the appropriate levels. There have been agitations by Ga-Adangbes that the Ga Language is not being taught in schools within the region to their satisfaction. In one instance, they averred that Ga-Adangbe natives who had gone to learn Ga at the universities were being transferred outside the region. In late March, 2021, a Ga chief raised an identical issue, all of which ought to be addressed by the government.

Ewe books such as 'Torko Atorlia', 'Agbezuge', 'Fia Tsatsa la' 'Hlorbiabia', etc contain lessons on honesty, altruism, truthfulness, forgiveness, hard work, patriotism and other virtues that make citizens selflessly useful. There is a need to encourage the teaching and learning of not just Ewe but other languages in their respective regions. We must not allow the stoking of tribal sentiments which breed hatred and divisiveness. Ghana needs unity and peace for conducive atmosphere to enable the government to comfortably discharge its mandate to the citizenry.

EX WOI BRIGHT SEGBEFIA

The writer is the public Relations Officer of the Veterans Administration, Ghana.

Emal: re.shuffle@yahoo.com
Ministering to Mongolia's 1,300 Catholics is challenging amid the closures caused by Covid-19 restrictions, says Bishop Giorgio, Prefect Apostolic of Ulaanbaatar.

By Robin Gomes

The tiny Catholic community in Mongolia is living a strong spiritual communion as it approaches Easter despite the restrictions of the Covid -19 pandemic.

There is sadness but also a lot of hope. The people are united and ready to face difficulties, said Italian Bishop Giorgio Marengo, the Prefect Apostolic of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of the vast central Asian country. In order to catechize and be in close contact with his flock, he and his missionaries resort to social media.

Innovating to stay in contact

Although the pandemic has forced the closure of places of worship and the total suspension of religious meetings, the 46-year old bishop said the faithful will still experience an Easter full of love and hope.

This was clearly noticeable in the tone of his voice when he explained to Vatican News that there is a bit of sadness among the faithful but at the same time, they understand well the emergency and know how to be united and face the difficulties with a spirit of cohesion.

The Consolata missionary bishop said they have been streaming Holy Masses live to offset the difficulties caused by the restrictions. Besides, we go to visit families in their homes and sometimes we celebrate the Eucharist there. It becomes a domestic Mass, Bishop Marengo said.

The Catholic Church of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar is made up of only 1,300 Catholics, who live in 8 parishes, 5 of which are in the capital and the rest outside.

The vast nation, five times the size of Italy, is inhabited by only a little over 3 million people. Despite the small number, Bishop Marengo said it is not easy for priests and missionaries to look after the little flock. With creativity, he said, new systems have been put in place to stay close to every faithful.

We have given life to some catecheses that are better suited to emergency situations such as the current one. The prefecture apostolic has organized groups of five people, the maximum number permitted under the Covid-19 restrictions. Catechists equipped with literature and videos go out and minister to these groups.

Like the early Christian community

It is only 29 years ago that the Church in Mongolia has been able to resume its evangelization openly. Prior to that, the country was under a harsh communist regime for 7 decades.

The first Catholics who came into contact with the new missionaries literally founded the first Catholic communities.

Bishop Marengo said, We feel like we are in the situations described by the Acts of the Apostles precisely because we are still at the beginning, at the stage of the first proclamation of the Gospel, in a social structure that has other religious references.

Despite the challenges, he said, they are fascinating. Given the small numbers, it is truly fascinating to be able to personally accompany these faithful in the discovery of the Gospel, of the Lord. It is the immense joy of being able to discover oneself as brothers in Christ, he said.

Catholicism was reportedly introduced in Mongolia in the 13th century during the Mongol empire but died out with the fall of the Yuan dynasty in 1368. New missionary activity started after the Second Opium War in the mid-19th century. A mission was founded for Outer Mongolia, giving Mongolia its first Catholic jurisdiction, but it ceased to function within a year when a Communist regime came to power.

A resurging Church

With the introduction of democracy in 1991, Catholic missionaries began returning to rebuild the Church from scratch.

With the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Mongolia on April 4, 1992, Archbishop John Bulaitis was appointed the first Apostolic Nuncio to the country on 8 September that year.

The Vatican entrusted the new mission of Mongolia to the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM, popularly known as 'Scheut Missionaries'). Filipino priest Father Wenceslao Padilla led 2 fellow missionaries to start the mission in 1992.

By 1996, Father Padilla and 150 parishioners were present at the dedication of the first Catholic church in Mongolia. He was consecrated as the first Bishop of Mongolia on 29 August 2003 in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar.

Bishop Padilla died on September 25, 2018. On April 2, 2020, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Marengo to head the Prefecture Apostolic of Ulaanbaatar. On April 26, 2018, Pope Francis appointed Maltese Archbishop Alfred Xuereb as Apostolic Nuncio to Mongolia and South Korea.
To sell tens of thousands of Girl Scout cookies in just two months is an incredible feat  and one made even more special when it's done during a pandemic.

Lilly Bumpus, 8, made it her mission to sell as many cookies as she could this season, within the restrictions. She wasn't able to go door-to-door or set up a table outside of a grocery store, but she could sell online  either dropping off or mailing boxes to customers  and Bumpus was also able to have a booth in the front yard of her San Bernardino, California, home.

"She sold her freaking heart out til the last day of Girl Scout cookie season," Bumpus' mom, Trish Bauer, told the San Bernardino Sun. "We boothed 11 hours straight outside our house and sold 500 boxes in one day. It's Lilly being Lilly. She does not like somebody telling her something is not possible."

Bumpus is a cancer survivor, and her troop is mostly comprised of other kids who have either battled cancer, are still fighting it, or lost a loved one to the disease. Last week, her fellow scouts showed up at her house to surprise Bumpus, and share some good news: She sold 32,484 boxes of cookies, breaking the record for most boxes sold in a season. About 5,000 of the boxes are being donated to pediatric cancer patients, homeless individuals, and soldiers serving overseas.

"It feels like the world believes in me and it feels really good," Bumpus told the Sun. "It means so much to me that people are coming to support me by buying cookies."

More stories from theweek.com

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Lawyer Ren Quanniu (C), representing Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan who reported on the virus outbreak, arrives at the Shanghai Pudong New District People's Court where Zhang is set for trial in Shanghai on Dec. 28, 2020. (Leo Ramirez/AFP via Getty Images)

Lawyers of Hong Kong Activists Punished: One Firm Forced to Dissolve, One Lawyer Barred From Travel

Two Chinese lawyers have been punished by Chinese authoritiesone lawyer barred from traveling abroad, ones company facing dissolutionboth have had their licenses revoked for crossing Beijings red line by representing politically sensitive high-profile cases.

Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei and Ren Quanniu represented two of the 12 Hong Kong youth, who were intercepted by the China Coast Guard while trying to flee to Taiwan by boat on Aug. 23, 2020. Ten of them will be jailed for seven months to three years.

Lus legal license was formally revoked on Jan. 15 due to his negative impacts on society.

Maybe its inevitable, Lu said in a public response.

On March 28, Lu planned to take a 7 p.m. flight to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to attend an interview for a visa application, before domestic security officers barred his way in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, at around 1 p.m.

My cell phone is being monitored. Therefore, all my information, such as ticket booking, is transparent, Lu told The Epoch Times.

An officer warned that Lu would not make it to the Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, no matter how. We will definitely not let you leave the country.

Do not be impulsive, the officer said.

Lu had been offered the chance to join a visiting scholar program in the United States, commencing in August. He has to arrive four months earlier for language training. This [request] is completely illegal, he said.

He said he learned that national security, police, judicial bureau, and the legal association had been working together to prevent him from fleeing overseas.

They are panic-stricken, said Lu.

Law Firm Forced to Dissolve

On the same day, Chinas Justice Ministry gave a notice to the Henan Railway Law Firm to voluntarily dissolve.

Ren, one of three copartners in the firm said it is actually forced.

He had his legal license stripped on Feb. 2, which he believed to be the result of defending the rights of the 12. However, the justice department of Henan Province accused him of violating the lawyers code by representing Falun Gong practitioners, a spiritual group that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999. He had defended Falun Gong practitioners since 2018.

Families and members of the Save12HKers campaign group prepare to fly balloons in Hong Kong on Nov. 21, 2020. (Peter Parks / AFP)

The revocation of Rens license disqualified the company from meeting the quorum of partners. The law firm offered to add an additional partner, which was turned down by authorities.

They dont give any explanation, he said.

On Sunday, Ren said on Twitter that all lawyers were asked to transfer to different legal firms, and the Henan Railway Law Firm would dissolve on its own initiative. This was the direction from the Zhengzhou Lawyers Association, on behalf of the local justice bureau.

The authorities threatened to cancel several lawyers licenses if they fail to do so by the deadline.

Ren confirmed on Monday that the company had announced that it would shut down, according to Radio Free Asia.

The judicial environment has been regressing in the past few years, he told The Epoch Times. Lawyers did not dare to intervene in sensitive cases, because once the judicial bureau intervened, they would be immediately silenced, not allowed a voice online, and asked to withdraw from the case.

He said that Chinese authorities had been trying to dissolve his law firm since 2016 because its lawyers take cases that go against the authorities suppression of freedom of belief.

[The authorities] found an opportunity this time, said Ren, which he called judicial censorship.

Ren was also the defense lawyer for citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who reported on the virus outbreak in Wuhan and was sentenced to four years in prison for picking quarrels and provoking trouble.

Early in February, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price publicly expressed concern over the suspension of the licenses of Ren and Lu, urging Beijing to respect human rights and the rule of law and to reinstate their legal credentials at once.
Experienced senior leader joins executive team to lead the global marketing organization

Software AG (Frankfurt MDAX: SOW), a leader in IoT, integration, API management and business transformation software, today announced the appointment of Dawn Colossi as Chief Marketing Officer. With over 25 years of digital marketing experience, Colossi brings a wealth of experience in driving award-winning digital marketing programs for high-growth companies.

Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of Software AG, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Dawn at this exciting time as we step into the acceleration phase of our transformation journey. Dawn's proven track record in leading major digital transformations will be an asset to bolster our shift to a subscription and SaaS business growth. We are confident that under her leadership, we will further our goals to build brand equity in North America."

Colossi recently held the Chief Marketing Officer position at FocusVision, a private equity-owned software company that provides market research technology. She has also held a number of senior-level positions at various technology companies, including Commvault as Senior Director of Worldwide Digital Marketing and Brand Strategy as well as other technology companies such as Veritas, Quest Software and Infragistics.

Dawn Colossi said: "I am delighted to be joining Software AG at this phase of its transformation journey. I am looking forward to helping the business continue to reach a new client base of digitally savvy customers. With a visionary leadership team dedicated to customers and growing the company, I cannot wait to join Software AG and tell our story."

Based outside of New York City, Colossi will report directly to the CEO.

About Software AG

Software AG is the software pioneer of a truly connected world. Since 1969, it has helped 10,000+ organizations use software to connect people, departments, systems and devices. Software AG empowers truly connected enterprises using integration APIs, IoT analytics and business IT transformation. Software AG's products establish a fluid flow of data that allows everything and everyone to work together. The company has more than 4,700 employees across more than 70 countries and annual revenue of over 800m, with the aim of exceeding 1bn by 2023.

For more information, visit www.softwareag.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005129/en/

Contacts:

Software AG Media

Lisa Coulouris

E: lisa.coulouris@softwareag.com

T: 617.413.7062
In 2010, the late John W. Keller, told Patriot-News reporter Matt Miller about his experiences during the Battle of Okinawa during World War II.

Miller wrote then, For the sailors aboard the USS Chilton, mere inches were about to spell the difference between life and a watery or fiery death on that dangerous morning of April 2, 1945.

Their Navy attack transport was in a convoy supporting the U.S. invasion of Okinawa in the final climactic battle of World War II in the Pacific.

As soon as I got on deck I heard a loud explosion, the Lower Allen Twp. man recalled. Water and flames and pieces of the plane were all over the place.

The kamikaze missed the Chilton, but just barely.

Keller said the plane came so close it tore off some of the ships rigging, which sheered the wings from the aircraft. The fuselage plunged into the sea alongside the Chilton and exploded, causing only superficial damage to the ship.

Three other ships in the convoy were hit hard by kamikazes and one, the USS Dickerson, was sunk.

On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, more than 180,000 U.S. Army and Marine Corps troops descended on the island of Okinawa.

The goal of Operation Iceberg was to occupy the Ryukyu Islands in Japan.

On April 10, 1945, the Associated Press reported, On the southern Okinawa front where Naha, the capital, and its airfields are the objective, a flaming duel of big guns was under way.

The Japanese were throwing concentrated artillery and mortar fire into Doughboys positions. Answering salvos came from Yank Naval guns and field artillery. Carrier-based airmen added thunder of their bombs to the din of the battle.

The Battle of Okinawa in World War II lasted until June 22, 1945.

According to history.com, the battle was the last major battle of World War II and one of the bloodiest.

On April 1, 1945  Easter Sunday  the Navys Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops descended on the Pacific island of Okinawa for a final push towards Japan. The invasion was part of Operation Iceberg, a complex plan to invade and occupy the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa.

The war in Europe was coming to an end but in the Pacific, American forces were still painstakingly conquering Japans Home Islands, one after another. After obliterating Japanese troops in the brutal Battle of Iwo Jima, they set their sights on the isolated island of Okinawa, their last stop before reaching Japan.

American soldiers had expected the beach landing at Okinawa to be worse than D-Day but they encountered little to no resistance. As troops moved inland they wondered when and where they would encounter the enemy. Japanese forces, according to history.com, had set up a triangle of defensive positions known as the Shuri Defense Line.

The line included heavily-defended hills loaded with firmly-entrenched Japanese troops.

The battles were fierce and casualties mounted. The Japanese fought to the death. Kamikaze pilots dove into the Fifth Fleet causing catastrophic damage.

On April 26, Americans attacked on Hacksaw Ridge, where much of the fighting was hand-to-hand and particularly ruthless. The Americans finally took Hacksaw Ridge on May 6.

Many Japanese soldiers killed themselves rather than be captured. The battle ended on June 22, 1945, when the Japanese commander and chief of staff, committed ritual suicide.

According to history.com, American casualties were 49,000, with 12,520 of them killed. Japanese losses were 110,000 soldiers killed and from 40,000 to 150,000 Okinawa residents killed.

After victory at Okinawa, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9. On Aug. 14, 1945, Japan surrendered.

READ MORE
Texas moved one step closer to making it easier for neighborhoods to remove racist language that lingers  no longer enforceable but difficult to remove  in real estate documents that restrict to whom a home can be sold.

The state Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to pass a bill that would allow a property owner to file a form with the county clerk to remove the language, which is found in the governing documents of many Houston neighborhoods, including Eastwood and Oak Forest.

None of (the lots) should be conveyed to, owned, used, or occupied by Negros, Eastwoods reads, noting that the restriction is no longer enforceable.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Race limits are banned, but language lives on in subdivision documents

Removing the racist language found on many deeds in Texas is the right thing to do, and I am proud that the Senate has taken action to correct this offensive language, said Lt. Gov Dan Patrick in a statement, praising Democratic state Senator Royce West of Dallas, who introduced the bill.

The bill was sent Thursday to the House, where it would have to be passed before being signed into law.

Deed restrictions are common in planned developments across the country, but they have special prominence in Houston, where, in a city famous for its lack of zoning, they have been the only way to regulate a neighborhoods character.

Restrictions drafted by developers establish guidelines on topics ranging from a subdivisions hedge heights to permitted uses; they often fend off denser, less expensive housing by limiting neighborhoods to single-family homes of a certain size. And before 1948, they frequently restricted the race of a communitys homeowners and occupants.

Though race-based restrictions have been unenforceable since they were struck down in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling 70 years ago, they contributed to housing disparities affecting the city today and still remain in many older associations documents, putting those neighborhoods in a bind. While most want to remove the language from neighborhood rules known as deed restrictions, doing so is an arduous process entailing hiring a lawyer and gathering signatures from the majority of homeowners.

When Old Braeswood successfully removed in 2019 vestigial language banning any person not of the white race, it cost upward of $6,000 in attorney and filing fees and took four months to collect all the necessary signatures. That cost created some anxiety among members who worried there may be more pressing matters for the neighborhood associations limited funds, according to Julie Cohn, president of the Old Braeswood Property Owners Association at the time. This would take that out of the equation, she said.

Cohn said it was terrific that the bill to fix the process received such bipartisan support in the state Senate.

That tells you have valuable it is, she said. Im thrilled it finally broke through the noise and became a clear and easy thing to do. And I have no doubt that the events of this past year that shone a light on racial disparities and challenges put it on the map for some of the legislators.

This story has been corrected; Woodland Heights went through the arduous process in 1988 of replacing its deed restrictions, which no longer contain racist language.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com;

twitter.com/raschuetz
Zimbabwean women are set to be among the biggest beneficiaries of an ambitious scheme launched by rabbit breeders to fight poverty and improve livelihoods.

More than two decades of an economic embargo imposed by some Western countries have chocked the Zimbabwean economy, induced poverty and unleashed untold suffering among the majority of the country's 15 million people.

Women and youths who form the majority of the country's 1,8 million households, have over the years borne the brunt of the economic embargo.

The Zimbabwe Commercial Rabbit Breeders Association (ZICORBA) president Regis Nyamakanga, told The Herald Finance & Business yesterday that the organisation had launched an initiative to catapult women into the cash economy and improve their livelihoods.

"We are in the process of recruiting women to go into commercial rabbit production, which is a low hanging fruit in terms of turning our economy around.

"We will support them with high quality breeds, feed, hutches, medicines and technical assistance to ensure that their production is unencumbered and that they start earning money as soon as possible," he said.

"Introducing rabbit rearing to women and helping those already in rabbit production with good breeds, is central to helping them to earn more from selling their produce and is a key way to fighting poverty at household and national level.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zimbabwe Women Food and Agriculture By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"Unlike in some sectors where women farmers are routinely paid less than their male counterparts, ZICORBA offers opportunities, support and equal representation of women in rabbit production.

"ZICORBA is inspired by the vital roles that women play in small - holder agriculture in meeting the food needs of their households in particular and the nation, in general," he said.

Mr Nyamakanga said ZICORBA had secured a niche for rabbit meat on the local market where demand is expected to soar to more than 25 tonnes per month worth more than US $1 million. The farm-gate price for rabbit meat is estimated at between $4 and $4,50 per kg.

In addition, Zimbabwe's export approved rabbit abattoir with a capacity to handle one tonne of rabbit meat per day is currently under construction in Harare, and is due to be completed at the end of April 2021.

Mr Nyamakanga said due to the fact that rabbits are fed on organic food, the meat lends itself to being organic food, making the benefits of eating rabbit meat even greater.

"ZICORBA also believes that rabbit production among the women and youths will generate income and create employment. This has a direct benefit to the country as it improves the country's gross domestic product and improves livelihoods."
Today Google informed employees that it is planning to allow some employees back into offices next month. Axios and The New York Times reported on an email that said "it is likely well begin to welcome Googlers back to some of our U.S. offices on a voluntary basis."

The company told The Verge that specifics of reopening will depend on "specific criteria that include increases in vaccine availability and downward trends in COVID-19 cases." However, it is not requiring employees to get vaccinated. Last spring Google was notable among companies that sent employees home, providing an allowance to buy necessary equipment. At one point it considered reopening offices as early as last July, but the spreading pandemic quickly changed that; offices have since remained mostly shuttered.

Google's return strategy is still timed for September, with obvious hopes that by then widespread vaccinations will make it safe to have more people in the same space. CNBC has more details on what happens after that, with policies detailed in another memo. That report says employees who want to work remotely will have to apply in order to receive more than 14 days per year, with up to 12 months allowed in "the most exceptional circumstances."
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's diplomatic mission to North Korea complained on Thursday of acute shortages of essential goods such as medicine, problems getting healthcare and pandemic restrictions that it said were unprecedented in their severity.

Foreign diplomats have been leaving North Korea in droves, it said in a statement on Facebook, describing it as an exodus that had left behind fewer than 290 foreign nationals in the country.

"Those leaving the Korean capital can be understood," it said.

"Far from everyone can endure the total restrictions that are unprecedented in their severity, the acute shortage of essential goods, including medicine, the lack of opportunities to resolve health problems," it said.

North Korea has imposed crippling border closures to combat the pandemic, banned most international travel, and severely restricted movement inside the country.

Only nine foreign ambassadors and four charges d'affaires were still representing their nations, with most embassies having cut staff to a minimum, Russia's diplomatic mission said.

Britain, Brazil, Germany and several other countries have already locked up the gates to their missions, while all foreign staff at international humanitarian organisations have left, it said.

"One thing is clear - unfortunately (the latest group to leave) will not be the last; the exodus of foreigners will continue," it said.

Last month, a group of Russian diplomats and family members used a hand-pushed rail trolley to leave North Korea amid tough restrictions including the blocking of most forms of passenger transport across the border.

Photos and video released by Russia's foreign ministry at the time showed the trolley, laden with brightly coloured bags and suitcases, being pushed across a wintry landscape.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Alex Richardson)
Brandonites endured the cold on Wednesday afternoon to protest the provinces planned education reform through Bill 64, the Education Modernization Act.

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Brandonites endured the cold on Wednesday afternoon to protest the provinces planned education reform through Bill 64, the Education Modernization Act.

Around 40 teachers, parents and education advocates lined up across 18th Street, between Rosser Avenue and Richmond Avenue, to rally support from passing motorists.

One of the largest concentrations of protesters gathered around the busy intersection of 18th Street and Victoria Avenue, brandishing signs stating "Kids Not Cuts" and "Bill 64 Gets an F."

Brandon School Division board chair Linda Ross waves to local motorists during Wednesday's protest against Bill 64, which would dissolve every school board across Manitoba if passed. (Kyle Darbyson/The Brandon Sun)

This group included several members of the Brandon School Divisions board of trustees, alongside representatives from the Brandon Teachers Association and CUPE Local 727.

BSD trustee Delvina Kejick told the Sun that she chose to brave these chilly spring temperatures to raise awareness for Bill 64, which, if passed, will completely restructure the provinces education system.

Not only will Manitobas 37 school divisions be merged into 15 regional catchment areas, but elected school boards will also be dissolved in favour of a single provincial authority.

Even though Education Minister Cliff Cullen said that this move is designed to redirect $40 million worth of unnecessary administrative costs to the classroom, Kejick believes that this new top-down governance structure will inevitably affect student learning in a negative way.

Brandon Teachers' Association president Cale Dunbar takes part in Wednesday's protest against Bill 64, the Education Modernization Act. Outside of the BTA, members of CUPE Local 737 and the Brandon School Division also made their presence known at the intersection of 18th Street and Victoria Avenue on Wednesday afternoon. (Kyle Darbyson/The Brandon Sun)

"Thats why were standing against this bill, and were really trying to get the people to recognize that they have time and they have an opportunity to find out what it is all about," she said.

On that same corner, local teacher Grace Masse shared Kejicks concerns about the lack of accountability from this new provincial authority.

While the province is planning to install a school community council at every institution to represent local issues, Masse believes that her concerns, and the concerns of her fellow teachers, will become lost in all this new bureaucracy.

"Me and a bunch of parents are trying to make an Indigenous parent council, and I dont think that will happen after this bill goes through," Masse said.

CUPE Local 747 president Jamie Rose, left, shows his support for Brandon educators and trustees during Wednesdays local protest against Bill 64. (Kyle Darbyson/The Brandon Sun)

CUPE Local 747 president Jamie Rose also chimed in on the lack of accountability through this new system, which swaps out elected officials in favour of provincial appointees.

"When you appoint somebody, they usually do whatever the persons paying them wants," he said. "When you elect somebody, they look after your city and your local autonomy. So were here in support of our trustees."

Across the street, BTA president Cale Dunbar highlighted what he sees as Bill 64s biggest failing, which is the fact that it doesnt address some of the underlying problems that are causing Manitoba students to struggle.

"Poverty is not addressed anywhere in Bill 64, and thats a huge issue in Manitoba," he said. "We need to make sure our kids are supported and have what they need to be successful."

Brandon School Division trustee Calistus Ekenna displays his displeasure for Bill 64, the Education Modernization Act, during Wednesday's protest. (Kyle Darbyson/The Brandon Sun)

Plus, Dunbar mentioned how the province isnt even following the recommendations laid out in its own K-12 education review, which officials like Cullen are using to justify these sweeping education reforms in the first place.

"Elected school boards, it was quite clear from the review, that was the way to go and they decided to go against that with this bill," he said. "Were sure hopeful that they will look at this and make some amendments before it is passed."

Wednesdays protest in Brandon was organized in conjunction with a sister event in Winnipeg, where more than 1,200 people looped around the Manitoba Legislative Building to raise awareness about Bill 64.

These two protests were put together by Manitobans Against Pallisters Education Reform, a self-described grassroots movement made up of "a diverse group of Manitobans united against the sweeping education reforms proposed in Bill 64."

According to a Wednesday news release, the group is calling on the members of the Progressive Conservative government to take Bill 64 off the table and "cease compromising Manitobas future."

"If they continue to forge ahead, we are encouraging every Manitoban to join us and voice their opposition to Bill 64," the statement read. "Manitobans are encouraged to register to present at the legislative committee and do not delay in calling your MLAs."

In late March, the Manitoba NDP used their legislative power as the official opposition party to delay the vote on Bill 64 until at least the fall.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @KyleDarbyson
Gaborone  Few cases of common cold or influenza are anticipated yet again this year.

As the winter season approaches, Dr Tawanda Mashinya of Zeta Clinic predicted fewer flu virus cases as was the case last year, compared to the same period in the past years.

Dr Mashinya indicated that preventive health measures such as frequent hand-washing, physical distancing and wearing of masks when going out in public, have helped to reduce the chances of contracting flu.

He said patchwork of responses intended to fight the COVID-19 pandemic have had a huge impact on other common respiratory illnesses such as the common cold.

Meanwhile, Dr Mashinya has advised members of the public to take the flu shot as it could reduce the severity of flu and common cold.

He specifically encouraged vulnerable age groups such as the elderly, people with underlying conditions and children under the age of five, to be vaccinated.

"The combination of COVID-19 safe practices as well as receiving the annual flu vaccination has both proven to be very beneficial in slowing the spread of flu," he said.

He further advised people to seek medical attention if they had any flu-like symptoms, since they could also indicate COVID-19.

"COVID-19 and influenza viruses have a similar disease presentation and are both transmitted by contact, droplets and fomites," he said.

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
Associated Press

Former Vice President Mike Pence says that he isnt sure that he and former President Donald Trump will ever see eye to eye over what happened on Jan. 6 but that he would always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years. Pence, speaking at a Republican dinner Thursday in the early-voting state of New Hampshire, gave his most extensive comments to date on the events of Jan. 6, when angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanting Hang Mike Pence! after the vice president said he did not have the power to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens election victory. And that same day, we reconvened the Congress and did our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States," Pence continued.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner speaks with Vatican Media on Pope Francis recent visit to the tortured country, the hope for a peaceful future and the Yazidi peoples struggle for survival.

With her immense courage she became a symbol for her people, the Yazidis, and for all women who are victims of violence, whether or not in war. In 2014, Nadia Murad was enslaved by men of isis who either exterminated or imprisoned thousands of Yazidis in northern Iraq, including many of her family members. A victim of unspeakable acts of violence, Nadia did not let evil defeat her, and today her voice is that of a Nobel Peace Prize winner that speaks out against all forms of violence. In December 2018 she met Pope Francis to whom she gave a copy of her autobiographical book The Last Girl. Reading it, the Pontiff confided to journalists on the Papal flight, deeply touched him. In this interview with Vatican Media, Nadia Murad speaks about the fruits expected from Francis visit to Iraq, and she makes a pressing appeal to the international community to work to liberate the many Yazidi women who remain in the hands of Jihadists.

The media worldwide have unanimously described Pope Francis visit to Iraq as historic. In your opinion, what remains in the hearts of the Iraqi people from this journey?

Not only is Pope Francis visit to Iraq historic in itself, but it also comes at a historic time for the Iraqi people, as they rebuild from genocide, religious persecution, and decades of conflict. The Popes visit shone a light on the potential for peace and religious freedom. It symbolized that all Iraqis  no matter their faith  are equally deserving of dignity and human rights. His Holiness also sent a clear message that restoring the interfaith fabric of Iraqi society must start with support for the healing of minority communities, like the Yazidis, who have been the target of violence and marginalization.

Speaking to reporters on the plane, Pope Francis said that one of the reasons he visited Iraq was after reading your book, The Last Girl. In his first speech, which he addressed to the countrys authorities, he recalled the suffering of the Yazidis. How important is it to have the Pope offering this advocacy for you?

During my audience with Pope Francis back in 2018, we had an in-depth discussion about the Yazidi communitys experience of genocide, particularly the violence endured by women and children. I am glad that my story stayed with him and that he felt called to bring this message to Iraq. His advocacy for the Yazidi cause is an example for other religious leaders in the region to amplify the message of tolerance of religious minorities like the Yazidis.

Today you are a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, and you have founded an organization (Nadias Initiative) to help women victims of violence. Where did you find the strength to turn all the pain you have suffered into this force for good?

All Yazidis have shown great strength in their survival and resilience. The entire community has withstood immense trauma. We will not be able to recover and rebuild our lives on our own. The community is in dire need of support and resources. Nadias Initiative is striving to empower the community in their recovery by providing tangible and sustainable support.

ISIS lost the war in 2017 but you remind us that there are still thousands of women, even young girls, in slavery who have not yet been freed. Why cant this tragedy be ended and what should the international community do?

The fact that 2,800 Yazidi women and children remain missing in captivity after nearly seven years exposes the lack of political will to protect womens basic human rights and safety. It shows that sexual violence and slavery are not taken seriously by the international community. A multilateral task force must be established immediately with the sole purpose of locating and rescuing these women and children.

You have said: I want to be the last woman on earth with a story like mine. What would you say today to the many women suffering from war and terrible violence?

To them, I say: It is not your fault. Global patriarchal systems have been designed to subjugate us, profit from our oppression, and wage war on our bodies. But surviving and fighting for recognition of these injustices is an act of resistance. I would also say: You are not alone. Over one-third of women around the globe experience sexual violence. That does not mean we must accept it. There are women in every community who are surviving, standing up, and speaking out. When we unite to fight for our rights, change will be unstoppable.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (April 1) targetted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee syaing that her frustation has grown after the fisrt phase of the ongoing assembly polls.

That is why she has reached out to other opposition leaders for support, Modi said.

"Didi's (Banerjee) frustration has grown after the first phase of polling. She wrote a letter to many leaders of the country for help. Didi is seeking support from those whom she considers as outsiders and tourists and didn't give time for a meeting," PM said addressing a rally in West Bengal's Jaynagar.

PM Modi also hit out at Banerjee over her party's complaint to the Election Commission seeking action against him for visiting Jeshoreshwari temple in Bangladesh. Modi asked if visiting a temple was wrong.

"Some days ago, I visited Bangladesh where I offered prayers at Jeshoreshwari temple. Didi objected to it. In Orakandi, I sought blessing for the country during my visit to the sacred land of Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur. She got very angry. Is visiting a temple wrong?" asked Modi.

On his two-day visit to Bangladesh, the prime minister spent time with the family of Harichand Thakur, founder of the Matua community. The Matua community of Bangladesh is a Scheduled Caste group with a presence in at least six parliamentary seats of West Bengal.

PM Modi further accused Banerjee of harbouring hostility towards 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan and having problems with immersion of Durga idols.

"Mamata didi has a problem with slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram'. She also had a problem with immersion of Durga idols, people of Bengal know this. Now Didi has a problem with 'tilak' and saffron clothes too. Didi's people are now calling people with 'chotis' as 'rakshas'," said Modi.

The prime minister asserted that there is a BJP wave in the state and that the party will win more than 200 seats in the ongoing elections.

Live TV
FOREST CITY, Iowa  A man is facing seven felonies after authorities say a search turned up a variety of illegal narcotics.

Draven Ray Monson, 20 of Forest City, is accused of seven controlled substance violations. Law enforcement says it searched Monsons home in the 100 block of College Drive in Forest City on March 30. Investigators say they found methamphetamine, marijuana, MDMA (also known as molly), three hits of LSD, shroom brownies, a large tote being used to grow mushrooms, and an AR-15 style rifle.

Monson has been booked into the Winnebago County Jail on $90,000 bond.
As we focus their collective talents and insights on the many new initiatives and strategic opportunities on the horizon, I look forward to our continued achievement and advancement as a leader in our industry.

Smith, a global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces the appointment of four new trading directors. These employees bring with them years of experience and industry leadership, positioning Smith for success and exponential growth.

Smiths ability to evolve and innovate stems from the deep market knowledge and thriving ingenuity of our employees, said Todd Burke, President, Americas at Smith. This expansion of our leadership team will help drive Smith forward and push us to new heights.

Jennifer Kabbara, Director of Global Sales: In this role, Jennifer will support the trading team in developing key opportunities and collaborating across Smiths 16 offices worldwide. Jennifer joined Smith in 1994 and most recently served as Trader Development Manager, a position she has held since 2007.

Juline Longo, Director of Commodity Program Services: Juline will manage the companys commodity-procurement services. Prior to this role, he served as Smiths CPU/Commodities Manager since 2012 and has been with the company since 1993.

Megan Pedigo, Director of Purchasing  Service/Peripherals: Megan will oversee peripheral procurement for Smiths supply chain services. Megan has been with the company for more than 20 years and most recently held the position of Assistant Director of Purchasing  Service/Peripherals.

Lindsey Garland, Director of Corporate Strategy: Lindsey will assist the trading department in identifying new opportunities for Smith to expand and develop. Lindsey joined ONTILITY, now Smiths solar division, in 2011 before taking on her most recent role of Senior Financial Analyst at Smith in 2016.

Jennifer, Juline, Megan, and Lindsey have been invaluable to Smiths business for many years, said Marc Barnhill, Chief Trading Officer at Smith. As we focus their collective talents and insights on the many new initiatives and strategic opportunities on the horizon, I look forward to our continued achievement and advancement as a leader in our industry.

About Smith

Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and directional drilling systems. In 16 cities around the world, Smiths legion of employees communicates in 50 languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, with global annual sales in excess of $1.35 billion. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. The support of Smiths flexible Intelligent Distribution model optimizes customers supply chains from beginning to end, including offering customized options for IT asset disposition that deliver maximum ROI, sustainability, and security. Smiths testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam cover critical areas like quality management, counterfeit prevention, and environmental safety. Smiths operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the companys global IT infrastructure, offering real-time, global inventory and logistics visibility. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number nine among all global distributors. For more information, please visit https://www.smithweb.com or reach out to a Smith representative any time of day at +1 713.430.3000.

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Mumbai, April 1 : Actor Namit Das, who played the role of Jawahar in the first season of popular web series "Aarya", uploaded a long post on Thursday reminiscing his shoot for the Sushmita Sen-starrer show.

The actor recalled a particular day when he had to shoot in the February cold near Jaipur.

He uploaded two pictures from the day, and captioned: "This was when we were shooting the first scene of Aarya season 1. A day long drive from Jaipur to this god forsaken place close to Kumbhalgarh. Getting up at an unearthly hour, on a cold wintry morning we passed a lake that looked more gigantic than ever. The cold vapour mystifying everything that we could see. A full moon shining and reflecting its grandeur. We got into our cars and drove for a good one and a half hours to a place which was in the middle of nowhere." The actor added: "The vanity van was cold. My feet were cold. The costume that I wore was cold. My skin felt that it was going to burst open any moment. The makeup man and my spot boy were trying to keep me warm by rubbing my feet and hands. But the first glimpse of the opium field made me immediately forget the cold. It was me, the opium flowers & a sense of power this landscape holds for humanity. Wars have been fought for these flowers. They have been the bane of humanity as long as anyone can remember. And here I was in the middle of an open opium field which made me feel unguarded." He continued: "The sun peaked through the horizon and the whole field was glistening. Some parts were golden. Some were different shades of green and in this chaos of colours popped out these white flowers. They were like dots painted across a green and a golden palette. The whole of it making a mesmerising visual. I remember bits of the scene that we shot. I remember Ram telling me that it was this image that he was chasing. Totally worth it for all of us to take this long & tedious journey. I also remember people telling me continuously that each of these flowers would cost you a lakh or maybe a lakh and a half. But all of that aside I still sometimes see myself in that field. The sun peeping through, the cold breeze of a February morning and these flowers flowing across the field. No one could have guessed that these have created so much blood shed throughout human history. After all what is it with us humans that we make everything bloody. Something inherent I guess." The series, which also featured Chandrachur Singh and Ankur Bhatia, was directed by Ram Madhvani. The second season of the series is currently being shot in Jaipur.
WWII German Luftwaffe ace fighter pilot, Franz Stigler, risked his own life and spared a wounded American bumber and the enemy crews.

The Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident occurred on 20 December 1943, when, after a successful bomb run on Bremen, 2nd Lt Charles "Charlie" Brown's B-17 Flying Fortress (named "Ye Olde Pub") was severely damaged by German fighters. Luftwaffe pilot Franz Stigler had the opportunity to shoot down the crippled bomber but did not do so, and instead escorted it over and past German-occupied territory so as to protect it. After an extensive search by Brown, the two pilots met each other 50 years later and developed a friendship that lasted until Stigler's death in March 2008. Brown died only a few months later, in November of the same year.

Bomb run

Brown's B-17 began its ten-minute bomb run at 8,320 m (27,300 ft) with an outside air temperature of 60 C (76 F). Before the bomber released its bomb load, accurate flak shattered the Plexiglas nose, knocked out the #2 engine and further damaged the #4 engine, which was already in questionable condition and had to be throttled back to prevent overspeeding. The damage slowed the bomber, Brown was unable to remain with his formation and fell back as a straggler, a position from which he came under sustained enemy attacks.

Franz Stigler

Brown's damaged bomber was spotted by Germans on the ground, including Franz Stigler (then an ace with 27 victories), who was refueling and rearming at an airfield. He soon took off in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (which had a .50-cal. Browning machine gun bullet embedded in the radiator, which risked the engine overheating) and quickly caught up with Brown's plane. Through the damaged bomber's airframe Stigler was able to see the injured and incapacitated crew. To the American pilot's surprise, Stigler did not open fire on the crippled bomber. He recalled the words of one of his commanding officers from Jagdgeschwader 27, Gustav Rodel, during his time fighting in North Africa, "If I ever see or hear of you shooting at a man in a parachute, I will shoot you myself." Stigler later commented, "To me, it was just like they were in a parachute. I saw them and I couldn't shoot them down."

Twice Stigler tried to get Brown to land his plane at a German airfield and surrender, or divert to nearby neutral Sweden, where he and his crew would receive medical treatment and be interned the remainder of the war. Brown and the crew of the B-17 did not understand what Stigler was trying to mouth and gesture to them and so flew on. Stigler later told Brown he was trying to get them to fly to Sweden. He then flew near Brown's plane in a formation on the bomber's port side wing, so German antiaircraft units would not target it; he then escorted the damaged B-17 over the coast until they reached open water. Brown, unsure of Stigler's intentions at the time, ordered his dorsal turret gunner to point at Stigler but not open fire to warn him off. Understanding the message and certain that the bomber was out of German airspace, Stigler departed with a salute.

Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler's video footage

Stigler's life risks are from several aspects:

If the incident was spotted from the ground and reported to German officals, he would be excuted for his act.

American Beoing B-17 Flying Fortess bomber could be equiped up to 13 defence machine guns, without knowing his intention, they could fire to him, luckily they all jammed, but Stigler did know that.

A wounded defenseless bomber to an average fighter pilot was a free meal, and Stigler was no average, he was an Ace, he did not take the free; FYI, shot down a bumber would count 3 three victories, which would increase his air combat victories from 27 to 30, and he did not take it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Brown_and_Franz_Stigler_incident

I just ordered the book A Higher Call which is based on this true story as a gift to my best friend Richard, who is retiring next week. He is a Canadian British, we share many common hobbies.




BEIJING (PTI): The US space agency NASA has exchanged data of its current Mars mission with its counterparts in China, India, the UAE and the European Space Agency to lower the risk of a collision as their spacecraft were also currently hovering the Red Planet, a media report said on Wednesday.



The purpose of exchanges was to lower the risk of a collision, as their spacecraft are orbiting the Red Planet, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, quoting a NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) statement as saying.



To assure the safety of our respective missions, NASA is coordinating with the UAE, European Space Agency (ESA), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA), all of which have spacecraft in orbit around Mars, to exchange information on our respective Mars missions to ensure the safety of our respective spacecraft, NASA's statement said.



This limited exchange of information is consistent with customary good practices used to ensure effective communication among satellite operators and spacecraft safety in orbit, the report said.



ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission (MoM) Mangalyaan spacecraft has remained in Mars orbit since it entered there in 2014.



India is the first Asian country to successfully send a spacecraft to Mars.



NASA's Perseverance has landed on Mars last month and its rover is currently exploring its surface, while China's Tianwen-1 consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, entered the parking lot of orbit around Mars on February 24 and expected to land there in the next few months.



United Arab Emirates (UAE) spacecraft, Hope, is also orbiting the Mars. There are two spacecraft from the European Space Agency in the Martian orbit, the report said.



For information exchange cooperation with China, NASA had sought approval from US Congress and spoke to CNSA, the US space agency confirmed on Monday, the news report said.



Previously, the US, Russia, EU besides India have succeeded in sending spacecraft to Mars  regarded as the most complex space mission.


A senior LNP source, who would only speak on background, said Dr Laming was known as a bit of a loose cannon whose behaviour had been tolerated for years. People would say oh that is just Andrew, but I think his behaviour has become increasingly worse, they said. Some of the things he has done, others would have been crucified for. Loading Former LNP branch members say Dr Laming was seen as a liability ahead of the 2019 election and Queensland party headquarters initially backed a cabal of LNP branch executive members who staged an attempted coup against his preselection. They planned in 2018 to replace Dr Laming as the candidate for Bowman with Wellington Point businessman Paul Branagan. Former branch chair Shaun Edwards said he was first approached by party headquarters to oust the erratic MP ahead of the 2016 federal election.

[They] said words to the effect of, You guys have got to get rid of this idiot Lammo, Mr Edwards said. It was headquarters that started it, they wanted him gone because he is an idiot, he was uncontrollable, an embarrassment to the party and unpredictable. A spokesman for the LNP refuted claims party leadership tried to engineer a preselection result. All members have a right to nominate for preselection, and would not be discouraged if that is what they wanted to do, the spokesman said. Mr Edwards claims the partys appetite for change vanished ahead of the 2019 election, which the Coalition entered with a notional 73 seats after byelections and redistributions  three fewer than it won at the previous election. They had to protect those seats at all costs, Mr Edwards said.

He said he tried to warn a senior member of the Queensland state executive about Dr Laming long before the preselection. We took a two-page document in and said we have a major problem with this bloke. He popped it in the safe and said leave it with me. I never followed it up and we never heard anything more about it. Mr Edwards was one of three branch executive members suspended from the LNP in 2018 after a letter to party members calling for Dr Laming to be disendorsed was leaked. Mr Branagan, who challenged Dr Laming for the Bowman preselection, said party headquarters had been pushing us as local members to bring about change. I guess because there was only a one-seat majority at the time, and in Canberra they were worried about the repercussions, he said. Even if you do not win preselection, you are still the sitting MP until the next election and then I think they were just worried about what his reaction would be.  For whatever reason after very openly pushing for change, they decided to back him in.

Mr Branagan did not renew his party membership when it lapsed shortly after the failed preselection challenge and ran as an independent at the last state election. After Mr Morrison counselled Dr Laming about his behaviour towards women, two academics contacted this masthead separately to share what they described as very strange experiences with the MP. Both asked to remain anonymous to protect their privacy. One of the women, a neuroscientist, came to Canberra in early 2007 for the Science Meets Parliament initiative that aims to improve politicians understanding of research. She was assigned with a small group to have meetings with Dr Laming and then-defence minister Brendan Nelson. She researched their interests before writing a one-page briefing for each. Doctors in the House of Representatives: David Gillespie, Katie Allen, Andrew Laming and Mike Freelander. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen It was tailored and it had my mobile number on it in a really professional way, which was okayed by my media officer, the woman said.

Dr Laming rang her after the meeting and asked to meet one-on-one. As they walked around Parliament House, the MP asked her about her husband and whether he travelled much. It was kind of like a wink-wink conversation, it was very weird. And nothing else to do with the research at all. Afterwards, she says Dr Laming insisted on taking her to Parliaments gift shop. I really didnt need to go to the gift shop and I thought gosh, is he going to buy me something, thats really strange. He started picking up these ugly coasters so I bought them just to get out of there, she said.Then he said let me get you a government car, let me get you a car, I can get you a car. I was horrified because I just thought I didnt need that fuss. He was quite insistent. She said the whole interaction made her feel nervous, and then stranger still when he rang her again the next day after she had returned home.

The second woman encountered Dr Laming when she was seated next to him on a flight from Canberra to Sydney in March 2015. He spent the entire plane ride  and youre trapped, right  basically trying to get me to go out drinking with him, lots of comments on my physical appearance, she said. Those little planes that go from Canberra, youre really jammed in next to the person and theres nowhere to go so youve got a bad 45 minutes of having them crack on to you. She describes him boasting about a stunt he had pulled in Parliament that week of pouring oil over a desk in the chamber in protest about cruise ship pollution. The incident got him banned from Parliament for 24 hours. When they arrived in Sydney, the woman collected her bags then found Dr Laming and his driver waiting for her, unasked, at the airport exit. He again insisted the woman come out with him and, when she refused, said he was going to give you a lift in my government car, she says. Eventually, she relented. Retrospectively [that] was a terrible idea but you just get into a situation where youre like fine, just get off my back, youre blocking me from exiting the airport to get me into your government car.

He spent that whole drive trying to get me to come out and have drinks with him. And I just kept saying no, no, no and was dropped off at the hotel and thankfully nothing else happened, but it was all very weird. But it was really the positioning himself and his driver at the doors of the airport to stop me as I tried to leave after collecting my luggage that made me go, this is really getting creepy. Its creepy from anyone, let alone a sitting politician. Labor MP Kim Richards, whose state electorate of Redlands overlaps with Bowman, described Dr Laming as an absolute misogynist who she alleges has been subjecting her to sustained online bullying for years. Facebook post created by Queensland Liberal MP Andrew Laming. He offered a $100 to a charity of the community members choice if they could say who I left my electorate office with on Valentines Day, she said.

Another time he offered up a coast holiday and champers on the rooftop if they could get me to answer questions. He has Photoshopped my head on pirates, on the Queen, on Kim Jong-un...just crazy stuff. Ms Richards believes people had become apathetic about raising complaints relating to Dr Laming because they werent acted on in the past. Because he has gotten away with it for so long, they think nobody is going to do anything about it so it just keeps going. It is embarrassing for our community to have someone representing us in that way. Another senior LNP member said social media slinging matches between state Labor MPs and Dr Laming had become aggressive on both sides.
The partners will deliver a new system for Aboriginal rock art and cultural heritage management in the sandstone country of southeast Cape York.

The joint project aims to record unique rock art so that its testimony remains for future generations.

( ) is part of a new partnership formed to deliver a new system for Aboriginal rock art and cultural heritage management in the sandstone country of southeast Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland.

The company has contracted with Griffith University and its project stakeholders and will work with its long-term cultural heritage partner The Keeping Place, to deliver the solution.

Rich body of rock art

This new cultural heritage solution will include mapping ancient rock art on Cape York Peninsula where the Laura Sandstone Basin hosts one of the richest bodies of rock art in Australia and the world.

It documents the lifeways of generations of Aboriginal Australians from their original settlement, through major environmental changes, to European invasion.

This vast area, much of which is now jointly managed as National Parks by Traditional Owners, remains virtually unexplored archaeologically.

The joint project aims to record this unique rock art so that its testimony remains for future generations.

This work will provide a framework for the areas sustainable management and findings will have profound implications for understanding of the cultural behaviour and dispersal of the earliest modern humans to colonise Australia.

Cloud-based solution

The Keeping Place, an Indigenous-owned social enterprise and not for profit company, was created for native title organisations, Indigenous ranger programs and organisations operating within the Indigenous information and land management sector within Australia.

It is a cloud-based solution to digitally protect and share cultural knowledge and is also a complete business tool, helping Traditional Owner groups protect their rights and interests in land.

All data deriving from this project will have varying levels of permission.

The project is set up so that these permissions will be negotiated up front as part of the consultation process.

This will include ways and forms in which communities (including the different Aboriginal groups) would like their cultural information to be managed, used, and returned to them.

Steering Committee to meet

The inaugural Steering Committee meeting for the project will be held this month and the project will run for five years.

It will involve six universities, working with eight industry partners, which include six discrete Aboriginal corporations, a State Government agency and a private business.

The K2fly Board acknowledges its importance to traditional owners and stakeholder groups in cultural heritage.

READ: K2fly general meeting backs companys ESG growth plans with green light for Decipher acquisition

Earlier this week, K2fly shareholders gave the green light at a general meeting to acquire the Decipher for Mining business from CSBP Limited, a subsidiary of ( ) (OTCMKTS:WFAFF) (FRA:WF3).

This acquisition will support the companys ESG strategy, which also incorporates the work of The Keeping Place.
Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, are in the fourth week of an open-ended strike, demanding safe staffing ratios. Having walked out on March 8, 10 days after issuing management a strike notice, they have sacrificed nearly four weeks of pay.

The Dallas, Texas-based corporate owner, Tenet Healthcare, has so far spent $22 million for strikebreakers, public relations, and police details, and recently installed surveillance towers, in what has become a one-sided war of attrition, as the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) union seeks to isolate and wear down nurses, depriving them of strike pay.

Nurses on the picket line at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts (Credit: MNA Facebook)

Staffing ratios have long been the main concern for nurses and ancillary staff at St. Vincent, and indeed for health care workers across the country. For the St. Vincent nurses, the medical-surgical nurse-to-patient ratio is of critical concern. Among their main demands, St. Vincent nurses are seeking a fixed maximum ratio of four-to-one, and the creation of two floating units of nurses to be able to respond to crises. The reduction from a ratio of five-to-one to four-to-one has been demonstrated to result in lower patient mortality.

Mandated ratios and adequate staffing are anathema to a health care model built on profit. Well before the arrival of the novel coronavirus, hospital administrators, business degrees in hand, honed the art of flexing staff off to maximize profit, optimally providing the least amount of care possible.

Even during the initial surge of COVID-19, when intensive care units (ICUs) were being overrun by a flood of patients succumbing to the highly contagious respiratory disease, St. Vincent, like so many other hospital systems, furloughed staff because profitable elective procedures had to be cancelled. In a rational health care system, a highly contagious and deadly respiratory disease would call for all hands on deck.

Facing a less profitable outlook from the lack of the initial decline in elective procedures, Tenet Healthcare nevertheless received hundreds of millions of dollars from the CARES Act. Meanwhile, nurses had to furnish personal protective equipment (PPE) for themselves, stocking up on garbage bags and raincoats as makeshift gowns. In one Dickensian episode, nurses who provided their own bonnets were confronted by angry administrators who demanded they be removed because other nurses would want their own.

With ancillary staff furloughed, nurses were given portable phones and expected to act as unit secretaries. Even as they were setting up an extra ICU for overflow on their own initiative, they were expected to take on the cleaning duties of housekeepers. The burdensome work, additional duties, austere conditions, and callous management, all in the midst of the worst public health crisis they had ever faced, pushed medical surgical nurses and their colleagues, some of whom were recent graduates, to the breaking point. They demanded a strike.

Health care is the largest industry in Massachusetts, and collectively, nurses and their colleagues can be a powerful force. However, as demonstrated by the health care worker struggles in New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and California in the past year alone, the St. Vincent nurses, who are compassionate and selfless professionals, can place no confidence in the union that purportedly represents them.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association counts 23,000 nurses as members and has 77 bargaining units. While dozens of MNA officials make six-figure salaries, the union does not maintain a dedicated strike fund to compensate members. For roughly $100 in monthly dues, nurses are left with an Emergency Relief Strike Fund, to which they must apply to receive funds. In a wholly inadequate move, the MNA has set up a Venmo account to help younger nurses with children to purchase items such as baby formula and diapers. While their adversary can fall back on hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars, the nurses of St. Vincent will have soon given up a month of their annual salary.

Rather than mobilizing their tens of thousands of other members in Massachusetts or appealing for support from around the country, the MNA has predictably sought to promote illusions in the Democrats, this party of Wall Street and big business. Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and Representative Jim McGovern were brought by the MNA to the picket line earlier in March, allowed to posture as the friends of striking nurses. However, the reality is that the Democratic Party has been no less complicit in the attacks on health care in the US than their Republican counterparts.

For the nurses to be successful, they must take the struggle out of the hands of the MNA, and should organize a rank-and-file strike committee independent of both the union and the Democratic Party. Such a committee would appeal for the broadest possible mobilization of workersincluding striking steelworkers in Pennsylvania and grad student workers in New York City, educators, Amazon workers, and othersin a fight for decent working conditions, fully funded and high-quality universal health care, and more.
Juba, April 1 : The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has blamed 78 per cent of killings and injuries to civilians in 2020 on community-based militias.

A report released in Juba on Wednesday by the Human Rights Division of UNMISS documents the killing of 2,421 civilians by militias in 2020, more than double the previous year, reports Xinhua news agency.

Over 1,500 people were injured last year, up from 866 in 2019.

The report also disclosed that the violence includes abductions and conflict-related sexual violence during attacks.

"Many of the victims of violence were killed or injured during a wave of attacks by armed community-based militias across Jonglei and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, as well as in Warrap and Lakes.

"In some cases, these groups were supported by local and national elites driven by political and economic interests," the UNMISS said.

The clashes were concentrated in 13 per cent of the country's 540 administrative areas (payams) and largely involved community-based militias rather than conventional parties to the conflict, according to the report.

It also noted a sharp rise in abductions by more than 300 per cent with the majority of victims being children stolen from their families during militia-led raids.

UNMISS has already deployed peacekeepers to the affected areas ahead of the dry season when conflict traditionally erupts due to tensions between communities over scarce resources.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 20:25:46|Editor: huaxia

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-- Construction of Xiong'an New Area has been forging ahead at full throttle over the past four years, with over 160,000 people currently engaged in implementing more than 120 major projects such as infrastructure construction and ecological restoration.



-- Xiong'an has been designed to become an intelligent city featuring high-tech and innovation as well as a magnet for global talent.

-- "Green" is another buzzword in Xiong'an's grand development plan. It aspires to become a green city with harmonious human-environment interaction.

by Xinhua writers Liu Xinyu, Gao Bo and Cao Guochang

SHIJIAZHUANG, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Wang Shasha begins her day in the wee hours of the morning, as she climbs up a 50-meter-tall tower crane and starts operating the big machine to move building materials at a construction site in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province.





For the 30-year-old crane operator, the most fulfilling moment of her challenging daily job is when she looks out from the crane cab and sees hundreds of high-rise buildings stand tall in the construction site forming a beautiful skyline against the backdrop of the rising sun.

Having worked in Xiong'an for well over a year, Wang said she always feels proud that she is helping to turn the blueprint of the new area, dubbed China's "city of future," into a tangible reality.

Aerial photo taken on March 31, 2021 shows the construction site of Rongdong area in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an new area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

On April 1, 2017, China announced plans to establish Xiong'an New Area, located about 100 km southwest of Beijing, aiming to build the 1,770-sq-km area into a green city featuring innovation and a national model of high-quality development.

Construction of Xiong'an has been forging ahead at full throttle over the past four years, with over 160,000 people currently engaged in implementing more than 120 major projects such as infrastructure construction and ecological restoration.

In Xiong'an's Rongdong area, a major residential space where Wang works, over 85 percent of the nearly 1,000 buildings planned had been roofed by the end of March and will be ready for handover by June. The area is designed to accommodate about 170,000 people.

An intercity railway linking Xiong'an and Beijing started operation in December last year, slashing the commuting time between the two cities from one and a half hours to about 50 minutes. Meanwhile, the construction of three express lines linking Xiong'an, Beijing and the neighboring Tianjin Municipality is scheduled to open to traffic in May.

Aerial photo taken on March 31, 2021 shows the Beijing-Xiong'an expressway under construction in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an new area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

Infrastructure construction is also proceeding smoothly at Xiong'an's start-up area, which will be part of the Xiong'an city proper. Designed to take over Beijing's functions nonessential to its role as the national capital, the start-up area will serve as a new home for Beijing's colleges, hospitals, business headquarters, and financial and public institutions.

INNOVATION HIGHLAND

Since its inception, Xiong'an has been designed to become an intelligent city featuring high-tech and innovation as well as a magnet for global talented people.

As of February, more than 3,700 enterprises had registered in Xiong'an, of which more than 2,000 firms are in fields of scientific research, software development, information technology and technological services, according to official data.

Leading Chinese tech firms such as Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu are also on the list, as the tech giants are tapping into the area's great potential in developing frontier technologies including autonomous driving, cloud computing, blockchain and big data.

Eye Cool, a company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI), moved its headquarters from Beijing to Xiong'an in 2018, in view of the area's ideal environment for tech start-ups.

"Xiong'an has been billed as the 'city of innovation' since its establishment, and we couldn't wait to grab the opportunities it brought," said Wang Shuqi, the company's marketing director. "We're honored to have grown alongside Xiong'an's development."

Wang said her company's AI-based facial recognition technology has been used in industrial parks, railway stations, service centers and schools in Xiong'an for security purposes and prevention and control of COVID-19.

Aerial photo taken on March 17, 2021 shows the Xiong'an Railway Station of the Beijing-Xiong'an intercity railway in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an new area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

"With artificial intelligence to be widely adopted in every aspect of life in Xiong'an, I believe our company will have a brighter future here," she added.

According to Wu Hequan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an expert advisor to the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of Xiong'an's high-tech and high-end industries will help optimize the region's industrial structure.

Such industries are expected to account for 70 to 80 percent of Xiong'an's economy, Wu noted.

GREEN CITY

"Green" is another buzzword in Xiong'an's grand development plan. It aspires to become a green city with harmonious human-environment interaction.

Aerial photo taken on March 19, 2021 shows a forestation project in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an New Area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

Between 2017 and 2020, Xiong'an added more than 27,000 hectares of trees, raising its forest coverage to 30 percent.

"More trees have helped achieve cleaner air and a better environment," said Wang Zhi, a local forest ranger.

All-out efforts have also been made to restore the ecological environment of Baiyangdian Lake, an important wetland in the region. Over the past four years, local authorities have regulated more than 13,000 heavy-polluting enterprises, built new sewage treatment facilities and reduced fishery areas on the lake.

Aerial photo taken on March 16, 2021 shows the scenery of Baiyangdian Lake in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an New Area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

Thanks to the restoration efforts, the lake has expanded to about 290 sq km and the water quality of its central area has improved from Class V, the worst level in China's water quality grading system, to Class IV, according to Cheng Gang, a researcher with Xiong'an's ecology and environment bureau.

It is Baiyangdian's best water quality in the past decade, Cheng said.

According to the Xiong'an development plan, forests, greenery and water bodies will make up 70 percent of the city's total area.

"Environmental protection has always been a priority in the construction of Xiong'an," Cheng said, adding that a liveable environment will help Xiong'an attract more talented people. 

(Xinhua reporters Wang Wenhua, Zhang Tao, Qin Jing and Du Yifang contributed to this story; video editor: Hong Yan; video reporter: Zhang Shuo.)
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 77F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
After leftists intent on making election fraud permanent threatened Georgia's big companies with a boycott if they didn't condemn Georgia's election integrity law, Delta was one of the first to cave.

According to the Washington Post:

Some of Georgia's biggest companies  including Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines  and Atlanta sports teams the Falcons and the Hawks came out strongly against the state's new voting law Wednesday amid growing backlash against the business world for failing to do enough to stop the measure from becoming law. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian condemned the legislation as "unacceptable" and contrary to the company's values. "Last week, the Georgia legislature passed a sweeping voting reform act that could make it harder for many Georgians, particularly those in our Black and Brown communities, to exercise their right to vote," Bastian said in a Wednesday memo to employees. "The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections. This is simply not true. Unfortunately, that excuse is being used in states across the nation that are attempting to pass similar legislation to restrict voting rights.

This is amazing garbage from the CEO of one of America's best and most loved companies. The Washington Post's writer was careful to leave off any information about just why he might be doing that, which was that he was under threat of a far-left boycott. Apparently an editor, or maybe even a bot, had to insert a related item link near the bottom about that boycott threat, which the current Post piece had conveniently ignored. They just wanted you to think he said this garbage because he actually believed it and wasn't in a sort of hostage situation, mouthing what his captors wanted him to say  and there is evidence of this, but more about that later.

The Hill had a far more objective piece describing what was going on, though its writer failed to explain what was going on with making it a "crime" for electioneering activists in Biden t-shirts to hand out free water and other goodies to voters waiting in election lines. All the same, the piece was far more serious as journalism:

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian on Wednesday called Georgia's controversial voting law "unacceptable" in what appears to be a reversal of the company's previous position. In a memo to employees that the company made public, Bastian said that Delta worked with other Atlanta-based corporations to try to remove "some of the most egregious measures" from S.B. 202, which Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed into law on Thursday. Bastian had faced backlash after he appeared to defend the law, which among other restrictions limits the use of ballot drop boxes, requires photo ID for absentee voting and makes it a crime to provide food and water to those waiting in line to vote. He said in a statement on Friday that it "improved considerably during the legislative process, and expands weekend voting, codifies Sunday voting and protects a voter's ability to cast an absentee ballot without providing a reason." The apparent reversal on Wednesday comes as Delta faces boycott calls over its failure to speak out about the law.

Much better. The reader can understand what is going on now.

The content of Bastian's statement is appalling. He's telling us, as a guy whose airline rides require ID to get on, that voters should not be required to show any identification to vote?

Or that the word of that Democrat sleazebag operative with 99 people residing in a single residence is sufficient for handing him 99 ballots? Or that Black people are incapable of getting ID even though every last government service, every last airline ride, every last entry to buy a sports event ticket, every last hospital admission, every last drive of the car somehow requires ID to partake? What planet does this soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations guy live on? His claim is flamin' hot dishonest.

And that unattended ballot drop boxes, easily stuffed by...Democrat election cheats...should continue to go unattended with zero chain of custody? How convenient for them. Why not create a common pit for all election votes, a big dry toilet? The effect would be the same. Yes, they call them "secured," but any election cheat with knowledge of the works can get around those supposed safeguards. What they can't get around is a disinterested, nonpartisan public official watching, with witnesses all around, as the ballots are dropped off. That's what he doesn't want.

Worst of all was his howling about handing out free water and food to those waiting in line. How emotional. After all, who would deny water to the thirsty?

Handing out freebies to voters waiting in line, whether free bags of beans; washing machines, as Hugo Chavez used to do; or other free stuff, is fourth-world politics. The law was enacted to prevent electioneering and campaigning in voter lines, which need to be places of privacy. He's really saying that far-left activists in Biden t-shirts, handing out free bottles of water to voters in line, couldn't possibly be campaigning in those election lines, pressuring voters, wheedling, cajoling, and promising ever more goodies. They couldn't possibly influence voters with all their goodwill water? Does a voter standing in line have a right to tell these electioneers to get the hell away from him, 500 feet, as ordinary laws require, too? Is he saying they can campaign and campaign, handing out free water and who knows what else, maybe little envelopes full of money, to voters standing in line? Up until now, this has always been illegal in first-rate democracies. Fourth-world hellholes have always been comfortable with pols from one-party states (such as "perfect dictatorship" PRI Mexico a few decades ago) handing out bags of beans for votes.

It's so dishonest that it's disgusting.

What's more, the WaPo (as well as The Hill) did report that it was a hell of a difference from what Bastian had been saying in private when he himself (yep) actually helped craft the new law. Wow.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) hit back at Bastian, saying that the airline executive had worked closely with state officials in drafting the law. Today's statement by Delta CEO Ed Bastian stands in stark contrast to our conversations with the company, ignores the content of the new law, and unfortunately continues to spread the same false attacks being repeated by partisan activists," the governor said in an emailed statement. "Throughout the legislative process, we spoke directly with Delta representatives numerous times. We worked alongside legislative leadership to expand voting opportunities for Georgians, while also taking steps to further secure the ballot box," Kemp said Wednesday. "At no point did Delta share any opposition to expanding early voting, strengthening voter ID measures, increasing the use of secure drop boxes statewide, and making it easier for local election officials to administer elections  which is exactly what this bill does."

Kemp, a little surprisingly, acquitted himself well here, unexpectedly borrowing a what-he-said-in-private-earlier tactic from President Trump.

The sad thing here is that it didn't need to happen. The law is immensely popular with the public; plugs terrible holes in Georgia's election system; and, as voters have more confidence that their votes will count, will likely raise turnout, which is what happens any time fair election laws are enacted. Even Stacey Abrams, the eminence grise of Georgia politics whom everyone is afraid of, did not call openly for a boycott of Georgia businesses over this, citing the unequal burden of boycotts, implying that the little guy who gets laid off is the one who gets it in the teeth. It's possible her organization said something different in private, making shakedowns or threats, but this is what she said in public. Actually, scratch that: she did leave open the threat of boycotts by saying "not yet," which had the same effect as a boycott threat, despite her silken words.

It's sad stuff. Delta is a wonderful airline full of wonderful employees and isn't the sort of company that deserves a boycott despite alienating half its customer base. Perhaps some shareholder activism to oust this weakling CEO is the answer. America needs more CEOs like the chief of Goya who can defy threats of boycotts, snickering as celebrity lifestyle social media star Chrissie Teigen, who made a loud show of boycotting Goya, went right back to using Goya products on in her cooking Instagrams. That guy saw his company's profits soar after that one, and even nonpartisan shareholders should care about that. Get woke, go broke. That should be an easy one to understand, and this guy doesn't.

Image: Logo, public domain.
(Natural News) The number of Americans who have died after getting the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine has soared to 2,050 as of March 19. This is according to data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a federal database that tracks injuries and deaths after vaccination.

The death toll is a subset of 44,606 total adverse events, which also include 7,485 visits to the emergency room or emergency medicine doctors, 4,450 hospitalizations and 826 permanent disabilities. These events were reported after vaccination with any of the three coronavirus shots approved for emergency use in the United States  the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Even healthy people die after receiving coronavirus vaccine

Many of those who died after taking the COVID-19 shot had a pre-existing condition, but some of the deceased were healthy before getting vaccinated. Last January, a doctor from Miami died of stroke over two weeks after getting vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Dr. Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, was perfectly healthy before taking the jab on Dec. 18 last year, according to Michaels wife Heidi Neckelmann.

He was in very good health. He didnt smoke, he drank alcohol once in a while but only socially. He worked out, we had kayaks, he was a deep sea fisherman, she said.

Physicians determined that an extremely low number of platelets induced Michaels stroke, which Neckelmann believed was triggered by the vaccine. In my mind his death was 100 percent linked to the vaccine. There is no other explanation, she bared. (Related: Compilation of recent stories and videos covering covid vaccine injuries, side effects and DEATHS.)

Michael did not experience any immediate adverse reaction to the shot. But three days after vaccination, he noticed multiple petechiae or small red spots caused by bleeding under the skin, on his hands and feet. When he checked himself into his hospital, medics discovered he was suffering from an acute lack of platelets.

According to Neckelmann, all of Michaels blood results came back normal except for his platelet count, which came back as zero. A normal platelet number ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Platelets help blood clot and prevent excessive bleeding.

At first they thought it must be a mistake. So they did the test again and this time did a manual count which is supposed to be more accurate. This time it showed just one platelet, Neckelmann added.

Michael was eventually diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), or immune thrombocytopenia. In people with ITP, the immune system mistakes platelets for foreign objects and instructs the spleen to remove them, which then lowers platelet numbers.

ITP can strike on its own or occur alongside other autoimmune conditions and certain cancers. Children can develop ITP after a viral infection such as the flu and mumps while adults can develop the disease due to HIV, hepatitis or an infection caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori.

But Neckelmann said that Michael had none of these conditions. They tested him for everything you can imagine afterwards, even cancer, and there was absolutely nothing else wrong with him, she said.

My husband had conversations with the doctors who said it was highly probable that the vaccine was the cause, Neckelmann went on to state. It seems possible to me that somehow it instructed his body to attack the wrong thing, the platelets.

Pfizer issued a statement in January saying that it was unlikely that its vaccine caused Michaels death. There have been no related safety signals identified in our clinical trials, the post-marketing experience thus far or with the mRNA vaccine platform, the pharmaceuticals giant said.

Learn more about the dangers of the unproven COVID-19 vaccine at VaccineInjuryNews.com.

Sources include:

MedicalKidnap.com

DailyMail.co.uk

HopkinsMedicine.org
Nay Pyi Taw, April 1 : Ousted democratic leaders of Myanmar have said that they were rescinding the country's 2008 constitution, which gave significant power to the armed forces.

The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), or Parliament, on Wednesday announced the Constitution would be invalid from March 31, reports dpa news agency.

It is however unclear whether this move will have any consequences on the ground due to the February 1 military takeover of the country.

CRPH is an underground cabinet founded by members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The constitution brought an end to almost 50 years of military dictatorship, but it still gave the army automatically 25 per cent of parliamentary seats and several important ministries.

It was introduced by the military and changes to it are not possible without the consent of the armed forces.

Due to a constitutional clause, Suu Kyi was never able to become President, but as de facto leader she led the country as State Counsellor.

On Thursday, many people in Myanmar celebrated the CRPH announcement, with protesters burning the Constitution on the street.

"We must win and the junta must fail. They have pay for what they have done to civilians," Kyi Min, an entrepreneur, told dpa in Yangon.

After Suu Kyi's NLD won a clear majority in elections last November, the military staged the coup, arguing the election had been rigged.

Suu Kyi was arrested and has since then been under house arrest.

The military has violently cracked down on the ensuing protests.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a non-profit, at least 536 people have been killed by military forces since the coup.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Cinema, retail, and shopping industries won't be able to bear another lockdown, industry associations said on Thursday, urging Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to not impose a in where COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

Multiplex Association of India (MAI), Retail Association of India (RAI), and Shopping Centres Association of India said they were following all the safety protocols of the government but a will hit the business, which was in the recovery process.

Maharashtra, whose capital Mumbai is home to Hindi cinema, on Wednesday reported as many as 39,544 new cases, its second-highest single-day rise in infection tally since the pandemic began, a health official said.

With this, the state's cumulative caseload mounted to 28,12,980.

Health Minister Rajesh Tope recently said people should be ready for stringent measures in the coming days to curb the spread of COVID-19 and that imposing a is the last option for the state government.

Kamal Gianchandani, CEO PVR Pictures and president of MAI, said the cinema industry is mentally reconciled with the fact that they will have to "co-exist with the virus for some time".

"There's a sensor deja vu for sure because we all have painful memories of the lockdown," he told PTI in an interview, emphasising the need for stricter enforcement of safety protocols and faster vaccination of people.

Gianchandani said businesses should be permitted to function because that's the only way for them to sustain.

"If we can't function, the whole cycle comes to a stop and then we cannot sustain ourselves. So, if at all, they're thinking of a second lockdown, we would urge them to reconsider their decision and take a much more long-term and pragmatic approach.

"Businesses, the economy and the virus have to co-exist. You can't manage and contain one at the cost of the other. It's not an either-or situation anymore. It has to be an 'and' situation," he added.

Several films like "Haathi Mere Saathi" (Hindi version), "Bunty Aur Babli 2", and "Chehre" that were up for release in March and April have been pulled by the makers from the calendar due to uncertainty amid the pandemic.

Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, RAI, told PTI that a lockdown would be a non-analytical and knee-jerk reaction.

"Because it means we have given up hope that we can control the situation, that in the last one year, we have not learnt anything new. So, this is a really non-tenable situation and who can survive.

"If retail does not get money, then the suppliers do not get money and if suppliers do not get money, then the factories cannot operate. And if the factories do not operate, then it has an overall effect all across the system. The government does not get taxes and the employment will also go down," Rajagopalan said.

Mukesh Kumar, chairman and director on board, Shopping Centres Association of India, said the industry is already suffering because of the previous government decisions such as mandatory testing for the mall and reducing the timings.

"We are just recovering. We have reached almost 60 per cent of the footfall and 90 per cent of sales in March but then it started going downhill once the notification came about checking people coming to the mall and that they must have a negative RT PCR report... Then the second news came about reducing the timings, so these were all bad news.

"Let's hope that this doesn't happen because we will not be able to take another lockdown. Another shut down will be discriminatory only for the malls, theatres and F&B," Kumar told PTI.

According to SCAI, they cater to just one per cent of the population and follow stringent safety protocols with malls ensuring that they don't have more than one person per square foot.

"If you look at the number of people in the mall, it is very limited. They are being monitored and you can't get a safer place than the mall where everything is controlled, monitored, reviewed and audited. You can't have this in markets, railway stations, airports or any other crowded place. In the event, any action is taken, the first casualty is the mall, theatres and the F&B," Kumar claimed.

Despite the rising COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, setting the alarm bells in the business community, Gianchandani is cautiously optimistic about the future provided theatres are allowed to operate in Maharastra, a crucial state for business.

"I remain confident as at this point, there is no change of dates as we speak. 'Sooryavanshi' is coming on April 30 and 'Radhe' is scheduled for May 12 or 13, depending on the Eid. So as we speak, these films are releasing on the dates that they have announced, but at the same time, the cases continue to worsen, there would be concerns.

"But firstly, I remain optimistic. I do think that government machinery and administration in districts are doing everything possible to contain the spike in cases. And my sense is they would be able to show results fairly quickly. So we remain quite optimistic that these films will release on time," Gianchandani noted.

Unlike other countries where businesses were given subsidies on wages, soft loans and other such initiatives, businesses in India have been left to fend for themselves, which he said was understandable given India's resource crunch, but the cycle of recovery must not stop.

(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 man has been accused of stabbing his neighbour in the back as the alleged victim made his way home.

Trevor Greene (70) allegedly produced a short-bladed knife and stabbed the man outside his house, leaving him with a single puncture wound.

He is facing trial on an assault charge after a judge ruled the allegation was too serious to be dealt with at district court level.

The case was adjourned by Judge Brian O'Shea for further directions of the DPP.

Mr Greene, of Thomond Road, Ballyfermot, is charged with causing harm to a man.

The offence is alleged to have happened at Thomond Road last August 15.

A garda sergeant said the DPP consented to the case being dealt with summarily in the district court subject to the judge considering the issue of jurisdiction.

Outlining the prosecution's case, the sergeant said it was reported to gardai that a man had been assaulted outside his home.

It was alleged the man had been walking towards his home when he was approached by Mr Greene, a neighbour.

According to the complainant, the accused had produced a small knife and stabbed him once in the lower back, causing a puncture wound.

The alleged victim made his way home before attending St James's Hospital for treatment for his injury. The court heard this was found to be one wound resulting from being stabbed with a short-bladed knife.

CT and MRI scans showed no major penetration of the abdominal cavity or spine.

The alleged victim had discharged himself from hospital against the advice of medical staff, the garda sergeant added.

The accused was later arrested and questioned.

Judge O'Shea said he was refusing jurisdiction having heard the summary of the proposed evidence.

He adjourned the case to next month for the DPP to give formal consent for the accused to be sent forward for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

A book of evidence will then need to be prepared before Mr Greene can be sent forward.

The accused was not required to be present in court and was remanded on continuing bail in his absence.

The charge is under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.
A Rowan University-affiliated startup whose innovation could dramatically improve the detection of brain tumors recently earned new grant funding from the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology (CSIT).

MRIMath, LLC, was among 14 technology and life sciences companies to win a $25,000 grant through New Jerseys Small Business Innovation Research Direct Financial Assistance Program. The grants are designed to help early-stage companies that have already earned awards from certain federal programs meant to bring U.S. innovations to the marketplace.

Co-founded by Dr. Nidhal C. Bouaynaya, associate dean for research and graduate studies and professor of electrical and computer engineering with Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, MRIMath uses artificial intelligence to help physicians detect brain tumor growth using an MRI about three years earlier than the standard of care.

Everything is done by eye-balling nowadays with doctors, or by hand, said Bouaynaya, who co-founded the company in 2017 with Dr. Hassan Fathallah-Shaykh, a neuro-oncologist and mathematician at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. We have an AI agent that actually has pixel-level accuracy and delineates the tumor, computes volume and plots it for you.

In one example, Bouaynaya said MRIMath detected tumor growth in a patient whose doctors believed had been stabilized.

We showed them that, according to our AI, the tumor was growing and they had better do something about it, Bouaynaya said. They went back, revised their reading and agreed. The pathologist confirmed that the tumor had become more aggressive and the patient underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

The company earlier received support from the National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Now in the testing phase of development, MRIMath is working to get its AI program into commercial use. Its employees include three Rowan University engineering students: two undergraduates and a former graduate student who now works full time with MRIMath.

The CSIT grant will help the company bridge the gap between the federal funding phases, Bouaynaya noted.

Established in 2018, the state commission is charged with promoting New Jersey as a home for academic and technological research, development and commercialization. To date, CSIT has awarded $825,000 to 29 New Jersey companies during the programs two funding rounds.

CSIT is pleased to be able to support this important work at an early stage N.J. company that leverages federal funding and the capabilities of researchers at Rowan University, said Judith Sheft, CSITs executive director. It is an example of an innovation from New Jersey that can have lasting economic and societal impact.

MRIMath is the first Rowan spinoff to win funding through the state commission, said Dr. Yatin Karpe, director of Rowan Universitys Office of Technology Commercialization.

A growing number of Rowan University researchers are winning federal funding to develop their innovations for the marketplace, especially in the biotech fields, Karpe said. New Jerseys investment in their ideas will help get these new companies out of the development phases and into commercial use where they can improve lives and create jobs.
National nonprofit Genesys Works, which pairs students from under-served communities with paid STEM internships, has completed one year working with Fort Bend ISD.

The organization aims to set high school students on course for college degrees and careers in technology-related fields.

Students go through a pretty intense summer training program that teaches soft skills or employability skills, as well as technical skills, said Katherine Taylor, Genesys Works Houston executive director. We really focus on business technology and make sure students have the skills needed for any kind of an entry level position, whether its on the business side or the IT department of a company.

Genesys Works 14-month program consists of eight weeks of skills training followed by a paid, year-long internship with partner companies. Despite COVID-induced disruptions, 15 Fort Bend ISD students completed a Genesys Works program during the 2020-21 academic year.

The organization was founded in 2002 by Rafael Alvarez, who wanted to introduce underprivileged high school students to the idea of a career in STEM. The students Alvarez sought to help did not know any real-life STEM role models and had never imagined themselves working in technology-related fields.

I think the group that stands to be the most dispirited by the pandemic are young adults ages 16-24, because there arent any jobs, and opportunities to acquire the skills necessary to successfully enter the workforce are limited, said Mona Tolbert, public relations manager for Genesys Works. The pandemic has also widened inequality gaps.

Partnership with Fort Bend ISD

Students seeking a place in Genesys Works program must be cleared by a school counselor or a school champion as eligible and on track to graduate. The applicants fill out a career interest questionnaire and go through a two-step interview process during which they are asked about general interests and past challenges.

Most high school students dont really know what they want, said Taylor. The applicants have to be motivated to learn new skills. We want to make sure if they enter the training, theyre completing it and then they will persist through a year-long internship. So, its really that grit and motivation that were looking for.

The nonprofit has been active in Houston for 18 years and currently partners with more than 50 companies in the area, including Accenture, CenterPoint Energy and Texas Childrens Hospital. In February 2020, Genesys Works received a grant of $400,000 from The George Foundation to support its expansion into Fort Bend ISD.

Around three years ago, the Career and Technical Education director of Fort Bend reached out (to us), said Taylor. We're seeing many school districts really ramping up their CTE departments.

Genesys Works and Fprt Bend ISD assessed potential high schools and worked on forming partnerships with companies located in the school district.

Its important for us to make sure that our corporate partners and opportunities are within close proximity to students, said Taylor. Bringing Fort Bend students into our Greater Houston area was challenging from a transportation standpoint.

Within a month of Genesys Works arrival in Fort Bend ISD, the lockdown happened. Paid positions were especially hard to come by.

Finding students opportunities can be challenging in a normal year, said Taylor. And then you layer in COVID  its hard to build relationships with our business partners as were doing right now over Zoom.

Even so, Genesys Works managed to secure paid internships for 86 students in the Houston and Fort Bend area this year.

This years interns received their summer training virtually and are doing much of their internship work from home.

It removed transportation barriers, said Taylor. What it illuminated  something we expected but didnt truly understand  is how many of our students do not have access to internet at home, or a computer or webcam.

Fort Bend ISD was able to provide internships in many of their departments.

Makiah Holliman, a 17-year-old senior at Willowridge High School, secured an internship at Fort Bend ISDs charitable organization Shared Dreams. She has a hybrid work schedule and travels once a week to the facility, which is 10 minutes from her Missouri City home.

Ive learned about things that are acceptable in a workplace, how you portray yourself, she said. The skills Ive learned at my new job will help me when I go off to college. With the help of Genesys Works Ive applied to over seven colleges and Ive been accepted to all of them.

Makiah takes Career Prep at the James Reese Career and Technical Center, which gives her school credits towards graduation. She is graduating this June and her goal is to become criminal defense lawyer.

What can the teenager do?

The first question asked by prospective corporate partners is inevitably some variation of what can the teenager do?, Taylor said.

Genesys Works interns work in organizations HR departments, putting together videos and materials sent out to employees, in accounting departments processing invoices, as well as in IT departments where they handle the helpdesk and support deployment.

The teenagers offer a fresh lens and often come up with creative approaches and solutions, Taylor said, because they havent developed the mental barriers of why things dont work.

Often you think this is a great opportunity for the intern, but its also a wonderful opportunity for the supervisor, said Taylor. The supervisor gets a chance to mentor in a way they maybe dont get to mentor full-time employees.

The interns are currently paid $9.50 per hour. Taylor said that an unpaid internship would be a barrier for many students.

What we find is many of our students have one or two jobs, she said. Because we're working with students specifically from under resourced backgrounds, many of them are contributors to their family, even at the age of 16 or 17.

Taylor said Genesys Works was currently working on finding additional corporate partners to expand opportunities for more students.

Find out more about Genesys Works at genesysworks.org.

juhi.varma@hcnonline.com
Combining intelligent solutions for optimal vehicle management

The ConMet PreSet Plus SmartHub is the first connected health monitoring system integrated into hub assemblies. SmartHub monitors in real-time, the condition of the hub, brake, and tire health to assist fleet managers in making informed maintenance decisions.

The combined solution integrates data from the SmartHub into Fleet Complete dashboards to help customers optimize vehicle care and performance. This can help fleets and their drivers improve safety, minimize costly roadside maintenance events, and maximize uptime.

Paul Washicko, VP & General Manager of the Digital Business Unit at ConMet states, "SmartHub provides a comprehensive connected solution for fleets, giving them access to critical vehicle data. The technology is also backed by more than 50 years of ConMet advanced wheel-end expertise and the latest in data analytics, resulting in reliable insights that customers can depend upon. Together with Fleet Complete, we will be able to offer this extended visibility to our joint customers. We're excited to see the positive impact our partnership will have for the commercial vehicle industry as a whole."

Tony Lourakis, Chief Executive Officer at Fleet Complete shares, "The wheel-end is a critical component of any commercial vehicle. With ConMet as a partner, we will be able to offer our customers greater insights and better visibility into the vehicle's entire ecosystem. This collaboration is helping us achieve our most important goalhelping fleets thrive by solving their unique problems through smart technologies."

About Fleet Complete:

Fleet Complete is a leading global provider of connected vehicle technology, delivering mission-critical fleet, asset, and mobile workforce management solutions. The company is servicing approximately 600,000 subscribers and over 40,000 businesses and government organizations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Australia, and across Europe. It maintains key distribution partnerships with AT&T in the U.S. and Mexico, TELUS and Rogers in Canada, Telstra in Australia, Telia in Denmark, COSMOTE in Greece, and Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) in multiple European countries. Fleet Complete cultivates strong OEM partnerships with global market leaders, such as Cummins, Ford, General Motors, Mitsubishi Australia, and Toyota, among others. It remains one of the fastest-growing companies globally, having won numerous awards for innovation and growth.

For more information, please visit www.fleetcomplete.com

Twitter: @FleetComplete

LinkedIn: Fleet Complete

Facebook: Fleet Complete



About ConMet:

ConMet, a division of Amsted Industries, is a leading global supplier of wheel hubs, aluminum castings, and structural plastics to original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket channels in the commercial vehicle industry. Founded in 1964, ConMet innovation has been critical in designing, engineering, and manufacturing revolutionary technologies for trucks and trailers. Today, ConMet products are standard equipment on most heavy-duty vehicles in North America and have a growing footprint worldwide.

ConMet is committed to creating products and services that align with critical customer needs. The development of more efficient products, processes, and technology that transform the way customers run and maintain their vehicles is central to ConMet's vision.

SOURCE Fleet Complete
Colorado town refuses to take down veterans memorial after groups complain about its Christian message

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A Colorado town has refused to take down a veterans' memorial following complaints from a church-and-state watchdog group that's opposed to the monument because it includes a Christian message.

Last year, the Town of Monument had a veterans memorial erected in its official cemetery, which was designed by teenager Michael Carlson, an Eagle Scout, who raised some $46,000 in private donations for the project.

The memorial included a plaque that read, Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American soldier. One died for your soul, the other died for your freedom. We honor those who made freedom a reality.

The project recently garnered the attention of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which argued that the memorial was a violation of the separation of church and state.

The First Liberty Institute, which is representing the Town of Monument, sent a letter to MRFF President Mikey Weinstein on Monday, explaining that the town refuses to remove the memorial.

Signed by First Liberty Senior Counsel Stephanie N. Taub and Town of Monument attorney Andrew Richey, the letter explained the background of the veterans memorial.

Eagle Scout Michael Carlson spent almost two years raising private donations for a memorial to honor veterans like his father, reads the letter, in part.

Your letters and public communications to the media seek to disparage his efforts and the private speech of this 16-year-old resident of the Town of Monument.

The attorneys labeled Weinsteins rhetoric against the memorial as an attack on a minor and profoundly disrespectful, adding that the memorial was privately designed, privately maintained, and located on private burial plots in Monument Cemetery.

The Town of Monument appreciates all efforts by members of our community, including the Boy Scouts, to honor our veterans. We respectfully request that you issue an immediate apology to Michael Carlson and his family, stated the letter.

In response to the First Liberty letter, Weinstein told the Colorado Springs Indy that he considered the letter preposterous, adding that he and his organization have no issue with the Boy Scout.

We have issues with the Boy Scout troop and the town of Monument, and government dollars being used to place it and maintain it, said Weinstein, as reported by the Indy.

Weinstein also took issue with the memorial using the logos of various military branches, questioning whether they were legally used, given they are trademarked images.

The veterans memorial was completed last September, with a ceremony being held Oct. 3 that featured other scouts and leaders of Boy Scout Troop 8 of St. Matthias Episcopal Church.

In addition to the religious statement, the memorial features a crescent stonewall, a flagpole, a marker thanking donors to the project, and a Battlefield Cross sculpture.

Also called the Fallen Soldier Battle Cross, the sculpture features a pair of combat boots, a rifle placed upright and a combat helmet on the end of the barrel.

A story by the Tribune at the time of the October ceremony said Monument helped to clear out and dig up the space for the memorial, with it being considered gifted to the Town.

Michael saw veterans were underrepresented here. He didnt go to the government and say Fix this. He decided to fix it himself and asked the government to help, Mayor Don Wilson told the Tribune at the time. His leadership and patriotism has bettered our community.

Some local residents took issue with the memorial's religious content and contacted the MRFF, which sent a letter of complaint to the mayor.

Days later, Americans United for Separation of Church & State joined the MRFF in denouncing the memorial, sending its own letter to local officials.

Displaying a message that indicates that the Town is affiliated with a Christian belief unmistakably sends the message that the Town favors those who follow its preferred religion and that members of other faiths and nonbelievers will be treated differently, stated Americans United.

It is also profoundly disrespectful to the Towns fallen non-Christian veterans and a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
New Delhi: Superstar Aamir Khan's daughter Ira Khan, who has been very vocal about her battle with clinical depression, dropped the latest video on Wednesday (March 31) on Instagram to talk about her mental health.

Ira shared that currently she is doing fine but had a burnout recently from which she took two months to recover. I start to pile up stuff then it gets too much and then I crash but then it gets better, shared Ira.

The Lagaan actor's daughter is a big advocate of promoting mental health and wellbeing. Ira shared she tries to counsel herself that her depression is not bad enough but breaks down when people in authority like her parents - Aamir Khan and Reena Dutta recognize her battle.

Ira revealed it is like someone validating the side of me that is vulnerable and accepts it she also said she is trying to be nicer to herself.

Watch the full video of Ira talking about her mental health struggles.

Ira Khan is very active on Instagram and apart from breaking the taboo around mental health, she also keeps sharing sneak-peeks from her personal life.

Ira Khan is Aamir Khan and first wife Reena Duttas daughter. The actor also shares son Junaid Khan with Reena. Both the kids are close to their superstar father.

While Ira first rose to fame with her directorial debut in 2019 with the stage production 'Euripides' Medea', her brother Junaid is all set to make his Bollywood debut soon.

Ira Khan confirmed the news with a sweet post for her brother, in which she showered praises on him and wished him the best.

Aamir Khan also has a 9-year-old-son Azad Rao Khan with his current wife Kiran Rao.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  After a two-day trial, a Rochester man has been convicted of raping a woman.

The jury returned guilty verdicts Wednesday afternoon against Scott Wade Ramey, 57, for first-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 13.

Ramey was arrested after a woman told Rochester police she had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by Ramey. According to court documents, the woman told police she was homeless and living in Cooke Park in mid-November 2020 when she was approached by Ramey. The victim said Ramey invited her back to his shed near Cooke Park and produced a pistol, a knife, and a can of mace and set them on a bench. The woman told police she was afraid Ramey would hurt her and followed him to his shed, where Ramey sexually assaulted her.

The woman told police Ramey sexually assaulted her seven times over the next few weeks and that at one point Ramey pointed a gun directly at her head. The victim says he was finally able to escape from Ramey in December 2020.

Rochester police say they searched the shed on January 7, 2021, and found evidence there that fit the womans story. Ramey was arrested later than day and police say he denied have a sexual relationship with the woman.
Texas Senate Advances Election Integrity Bill Focused on Mail-In Ballots

The Republican-led Texas state Senate approved legislation on April 1 that would ban mail-in ballot drop boxes and most drive-thru voting, a measure that Republicans say ensures election integrity, while Democrats say its voter suppression and makes it harder for people with disabilities and ethnic minorities to vote.

The bill, which passed 1813 along party lines, will now head to the states House of Representatives. Committee hearings are slated to start when the lawmakers convene on April 6.

The measure, according to state Sen. Bryan Hughes, a Republican, is designed to address areas through process where bad actors can take advantage because we want the people of Texas to be confident their elections are fair, honest, and open. The legislation standardizes and clarifies voting rules so every Texan has a fair and equal opportunity to vote, regardless of where they live in the state.

It also will require voters who have disabilities to prove that they cant access polls in person in order to qualify for a mail-in ballot, and would also require authorization from top state leaders to be alerted about any private funding of more than $1,000 that is given to election departments, according to KXAN.

The state already required that a voter provide a reason to vote by mail, including being age 65 or older, having an illness or disability, or those confined to jail or who are out of the United States during the election.

Democrats and voter rights activists accused Senate Republicans of engaging in voter suppression.

Every eligible Texan deserves to have their voice heard at the ballot boxregardless of their race, ethnicity, disability, gender, age, income, or party. SB 7 makes it harder for every Texan to vote, a statement from the state Democratic Party said. We aggressively fought this bill because we know it will disenfranchise racial and ethnic minority voters and voters with disabilities, including veterans.

State Sen. Borris Miles, a Democrat, said: As I see this bill, its a pure case of suppression. There are some things in here that are really offensive. Other Democrats likened the legislation to the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation in the southern United States.

The Texas Democratic Party had attempted to expand mail-in voting in the midst of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic and filed lawsuits against the state. They argued that a lack of immunity to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, was a condition that threatened voters health.

But the Texas Supreme Court ultimately rejected Democrats arguments and said that a lack of immunity didnt constitute a physical disability.
DUBLIN, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "High Net Worth (HNW) Asset Allocation Trends 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report analyzes HNW asset allocation strategies in 19 key markets. In particular, it examines the drivers behind investment choices now and over the next 12 months.



While most major markets have bounced back after COVID-19-induced turbulence, uncertainty remains - which is benefitting cash and near-cash investments. Meanwhile, HNW allocations to equities have dropped significantly. Capital appreciation opportunities remain an important investment driver, but our data shows that other drivers are moving further into the foreground.

Next to diversification benefits, investors are placing increased importance on a regular income stream - be it in the form of regular interest income or dividends. In fact, the search for yield has shifted to other corners of financial markets, such as commodities and alternative investments.



Scope

The proportion of HNW wealth allocated to equities dropped from 40.8% in 2018 to 20.9% in 2020.

With the exception of alternative investments, investors' focus has shifted to fund products in order to further diversify their holdings.

While HNW bond allocations have fallen notably, there has been an internal reshuffle within the average HNW fixed-income portfolio. This has benefitted high-yield bonds, which now constitute 3.2% of HNW bond holdings.

Reasons to Buy

Learn how COVID-19 and resulting market upheaval has affected investment behavior in the HNW space.

Discover investment trends and adjust your service proposition based on a detailed understanding of HNW investors' investment preferences.

Identify how to best promote investment products by learning what is driving investment choices.

Learn how and why investment preferences will change over the next 12 months.

Understand the effect increased volatility can have on investor behavior and how to minimize the risk of customers changing providers.

Give your marketing strategies the edge required to capture new clients using insights from our data on HNW investment drivers.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

1.2 Key findings

1.3 Critical success factors



2. Asset Allocation Preferences

2.1 Increased volatility has shaved roughly a fifth off the size of HNW equity holdings since 2018

2.2 Detailed analysis shows increased reliance on fund products

2.3 HNW investors expect ESG products - be it basic fund products or more sophisticated alternatives

2.4 COVID-19 had a major effect on investor behavior, but there are significant segmental differences



3. HNW Investment Drivers

3.1 Following the pandemic, uncertainty is the core issue to address in 2021 investment strategies

3.2 Future investment opportunities: A wait-and-see-attitude and liquidity concerns are driving cash and investments

3.3 A regular income stream: HNW investors are looking for stable returns amid volatile market conditions

3.4 Diversification: Risk management is becoming more important as the VIX impresses with decade-

3.5 ROI: Alternatives have become more than a diversifier as investors bet on returns that exceed traditional

3.6 Risk aversion: COVID-19 had a major impact on investors' willingness to take risk and their investment



4. Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/b373nz

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


The Kremlin said on Thursday the West should not 'worry' about Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border, as Kiev raised concerns that the conflict in the country's east could once again escalate.

This week Ukraine and the United States reported a movement of Russian troops in annexed Crimea and on the Russian-Ukrainian border, near territories controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.

The war in eastern Ukraine broke out in 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula following a bloody uprising that ousted Ukraine's Kremlin-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych.

Russia has repeatedly denied sending its troops and arms to buttress the separatists.

The Kremlin said Thursday Ukraine and the West should not 'worry' about Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border (pictured, a tank of pro-Russian militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic)

While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not directly confirm a troop buildup on the Ukrainian border, he stressed on Thursday that Moscow is at liberty to move troops across its territory.

'The Russian Federation moves its armed forces within its territory at its discretion,' Peskov told reporters.

He added that 'it should not worry anyone and does not pose a threat to anyone'.

'As for the participation of Russian troops in the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, Russian troops have never taken part in it,' he said. 'And (they) are not doing it now'.

This week, Moscow and Kiev blamed each other for a rise in violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which has undermined a ceasefire brokered last year.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not directly confirm to reporters a troop buildup on the Ukrainian border (pictured, Putin attends meeting by video conference)

This week, Moscow and Kiev blamed each other for a rise in violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine (pictured, volunteers take an oath of allegiance before they leave for Donbass to fight pro-Russian separatists)

According to Kiev, at least 19 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed since the start of the year.

The Pentagon on Wednesday told journalists that US forces in Europe have raised their alert status following the 'recent escalations of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine'.

Also on Wednesday, Mark Milley, chairman the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov and Ukraine's Commander in Chief Ruslan Khomchak.

Khomchak said this week that 28,000 separatist fighters and 'more than 2,000 Russian military instructors and advisers' are currently stationed in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was elected in 2019 on promises to end the seven-year conflict, but critics say that the shaky ceasefire is his only tangible achievement.

Talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Paris in December 2019 brought the sides no closer to a lasting settlement.

The fighting has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014, according to the United Nations.

According to Kiev, at least 19 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed since the start of the year
Patriot Broadband Awards Franchise to Military Family in Oklahoma

Oklahoma Patriots seek to improve internet services in underserved communities

April 01, 2021 // Franchising.com // Oklahoma City - Patriot Broadband, is on a mission to bring reliable and affordable internet connections to underserved communities. The franchisor has recently awarded a new territory in Southern Oklahoma to a military family with previous telecommunications experience. This new franchise territory will advance Patriot Broadbands mission by providing access to high-speed internet in communities seeking better service. This will be Patriot Broadbands third franchise awarded, with current franchises in Missouri and Texas.

Franchisees, Leanne and Aaron Koonce, are eager to serve their community. With the support of the franchisor, they will bring fast, reliable and affordable internet services. The Koonce Family served in the United States Military deploying telecommunications solutions. These Patriots are equipped to lead the new territory and continue to give back to their community.

Our family is more than ready to serve our community, said Leanne and Aaron Koonce, Franchise Owners of Patriot Broadband in Southern Oklahoma. We are thrilled to provide residents better access to internet services that will improve their daily lives tremendously.

The need for fast and reliable internet access is a priority nationwide. As a result of the COVID pandemic, internet communications have been heavily impacted. The increased number of children attending school online and adults working from home has further exacerbated existing cellular infrastructure shortcomings. Major telecommunications companies and utilities have historically overlooked these under resourced pockets of the country because the economics are not favorable to them. The Federal Communications Commission states that 19 million Americans are left without high-speed internet and one-fourth of the population in rural communities lack access to these services. Private research institutes estimate the actual number is far greater.

Patriot Broadband seeks out areas with limited internet service access that the big corporations underserve, stated Stewart Newman, chief financial officer of Franchise Founders Group. We know the Southern Oklahoma community and surrounding areas will be well-served by Leanne and Aaron Koonce and have confidence in their ability to carry out our mission.

We are excited to improve the internet service in communities that have been neglected for far too long, said Newman. Patriot Broadband brings unique competitive advantages to the industry which empowers investors with the tools needed to be community champions.

SOURCE Patriot Broadband

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[April 01, 2021] Riverbed Honored With 5-Star Rating in the 2021 CRN Partner Program Guide

Riverbed (News - Alert) today is being acknowledged by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, on its 2021 Partner Program Guide. This annual guide provides a conclusive list of the most distinguished partner programs from leading technology companies that provide products and services through the IT Channel. The 5-Star rating is awarded to an exclusive group of companies that offer solution providers the best of the best, going above and beyond in their partner programs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005177/en/ LinkedIn (News - Alert) : Riverbed's innovative partner program once again awarded a 5-Star rating in 2021 CRN Partner Program Guide: https://rvbd.ly/39ubXZn Given the importance of IT vendor channel programs, each year CRN develops its Partner Program Guide to provide the channel community with a detailed look at the partner programs offered by IT manufacturers, software developers, service companies, and distributors. Vendors are scored based on investments in program offerings, partner profitability, partner training, education and support, marketing programs and resources, sales support, and communication. During the past year, Riverbed's channel program enabled partners to help customers shift toward hybrid and modern work-from-anywhere environments, and embrace new digital business models. Riverbed Rise will continue to support this trend as it was developed to support a changing IT industry, with a performance-based program designed to reward all types of partners, business models and customer consumption preferences. Built on simplicity, flexibility and profitability for partners, Riverbed Rise makes it easy for partners to understand how to achieve and continue to maintain their status, and provides flexibility as it uniquely adapts to how customers consume technology. "We are thrilled that Riverbed Rise was once again given a 5-star designation. More importantly, we are pleased that the benefits of our program allowed partners to grow their business as we worked together to solve critical customer issues," said Dan Smoot, Chief Operating Officer at Riverbed. "Our partner community delivered innovative solutions during a very challenging year, and used Riverbed's technology to provide greater visibility and performance into networks and applications, helped address IT complexity and root cause analysis for security attacks, and ultimately resulted in better user experiences and overall business performance." "As innovation continues to fuel the speed and intricacy o technology, solution providers need partners that can keep up and support their developing business," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "CRN's 2021 Partner Program Guide gives insight into the strengths of each organization's program to recognize those that continually support and push positive change inside the IT channel."



The 2021 Partner Program Guide will be featured in the April 2021 issue of CRN and online at www.CRN.com/PPG. About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by nearly 40 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook (News - Alert) .

 2021. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved About Riverbed Riverbed enables organizations to maximize performance and visibility for networks and applications, so they can overcome complexity and fully capitalize on their digital and cloud investments. The Riverbed Network and Application Performance Platform enables organizations to visualize, optimize, remediate and accelerate the performance of any network for any application. The platform addresses performance and visibility holistically with best-in-class WAN optimization, network performance management (NPM), application acceleration (including Office 365, SaaS (News - Alert) , client and cloud acceleration), and enterprise-grade SD-WAN. Riverbed's 30,000+ customers include 99% of the Fortune 100. Learn more at riverbed.com. Riverbed and any Riverbed product or service name or logo used herein are trademarks of Riverbed Technology, Inc. All other trademarks used herein belong to their respective owners. Connect with Riverbed Facebook

LinkedIn

Riverbed Blog

Riverbed Partner Blog

Riverbed Community

Twitter (@Riverbed) (@RiverbedPartner)

YouTube

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China pledges vigorous efforts for high-quality development of education

Xinhua) 10:19, April 01, 2021

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China is committed to ensuring high-quality development throughout various stages and the entire process of education during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), a senior official with the Ministry of Education (MOE) said Wednesday.

Robust efforts will be made to ensure equal access to basic public education, said Song Demin, vice minister of education, noting that the right to education of those living in difficulties will be safeguarded.

Other items on the agenda include advancing industry-education integration in vocational education, making higher education accessible to more people and providing more resources for life-long learning, Song told a press conference.

The vice minister also vowed to narrow urban-rural and regional gaps in education as China pushes for rural vitalization and regional integrated development.

China aims to increase the average years of schooling for the working-age population, or those aged 16 to 59, to 11.3 years by 2025 from the 2020 level of 10.8 years, said Liu Changya, an official with the MOE. "It is of great significance to building China into a modernized country and a powerful nation in terms of education."

To meet the target, China will continue to increase people's educational attainment, improve education in rural areas, boost vocational education and create an enabling environment for lifelong learning, Liu added.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Liang Jun)
Just when you thought that our pervasive nanny culture couldn't get any worse, the wet and woke brigade have turned their attention to my favourite place on earth - the English (and Welsh) countryside, with a new edition of the Countryside Code.

Issued in time for the Great Easter Exodus, the most rage-inducing advice it offers is 'be nice, say hello'.

I want to scream! People are finally escaping from their claustrophic living quarters after a year in lockdown, desperate to experience silence, chill out to the sound of the wind, cows mooing and soft birdsong. Now, they're going to be pestered with endless greetings from well-meaning total strangers in bobble-hats.

The impact of Covid isn't just confined to our mental and physical health. This pandemic has spawned a culture of patronising slogans along with a stream of confusing and contradictory advice - giving the undeniable feeling that we (the public) can't be trusted to get on with our lives without a catchphrase and a lot of rules to 'help' us on our way.

JANET STREET-PORTER: Just when you thought that our pervasive nanny culture couldn't get any worse, the wet and woke brigade have turned their attention to my favourite place on earth - the English (and Welsh) countryside, with a new edition of the Countryside Code. Pictured: Two people on a walk in Kent

After a ten-year period during which nobody bothered to revise the advice for visitors to the Great British Outdoors, the government has finally spent a bit of money on an online poll completed by 4,000 'stakeholders' (I think that's anyone ticking a box) to construct these new guidelines.

Please remember, the notion that a Tory Government could be interested in non-landowners and plebs using the countryside for recreation and enjoyment is a bit of a joke.

I write as an expert, having served as President of the largest walking club in Britain - the Ramblers - who fight endless battles on behalf of walkers.

The traditional Tory view of the countryside is that you either inherit or buy it and own it. You use land to make money, claiming as many grants and subsidies as possible, erecting fences and unwelcoming signs designed to deter any downmarket intruders.

Hikers, visitors from towns and their dogs are a horrible inconvenience, unless they are paying you money to park their cars and view a bit of your posh castle or stately home.

A pile of litter in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield, after Tuesday's warm weather sent Britons rushing to green spaces

Please remember that Boris wanted to stick an airport in the Thames Estuary, a wonderfully unspoilt haven for wildlife conveniently close to London. When that got the heave-ho, developers came up with plans to turn the Swanscombe peninsula near Gravesend into a theme park, run by PY Gerbeau, the bloke formerly in charge of the Millenium Dome.

Currently, Boris is trumpeting a billion-pound bridge connecting Ireland to the UK mainland (sod the marine life that would be disrupted). He sees nature as a receptacle for huge ego-promoting projects, nothing more.

The British countryside is our single biggest asset - the most diverse and wonderful environment in the world. It needs love and protection (not just from the public, but from rapacious landowners and commercial interests), not feeble slogans like 'smile and say hello'.

JANET STREET-PORTER: You could argue that the Countryside Code and Nature England have been ineffectual, since littering and fly-tipping have increased hugely since lockdown, along with incidents of dogs bothering livestock. Pictured: Litter in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield, yesterday

The Countryside Code was first issued in 1951 and has changed very little since. But in the meantime, the countryside itself has become increasingly vulnerable, under threat from housing developments, mining and other industrial developments. Online shopping has spawned massive warehouses covering acres and acres that used to be home to hedgehogs and wildlife.

You could argue that the Countryside Code and Nature England have been ineffectual, since littering and fly-tipping have increased hugely since lockdown, along with incidents of dogs bothering livestock.

Saying hello isn't going to magic away the beer cans, sandwich wrappers, discarded underwear and worse that I encounter on my daily walks around Britain.

Instead of talking to us as if we're at primary school, any rural Code should have more bite. It should ban disposable barbecues outright and insist dogs must be on leads anywhere near cattle.

The government should finance countryside wardens (exactly like traffic wardens) to issue on-the-spot fines for littering and bad parking, for flytipping and leaving dog poo bags hanging in trees and bushes like exotic fruit.

Instead, they plan to splash out just 50,000 promoting this new friendly Countryside Code. I suppose that's a slight improvement on the pitiful 2,000 a year that's been spent since 2010, but it seems paltry compared to the 46 million spent on the 'Get Ready for Brexit' campaign.

We're constantly told that exercise is good for us, that we must get outdoors as much as possible. But where's the joined-up thinking?

When thousands rush to our parks, the police move in and shut them down. Or patrol our beaches telling people not to swim.

Sun-seekers have been seizing upon the recent heatwave and cramming at parks and beaches since 'stay at home' orders were dropped on Monday

This weekend - with restrictions lifted a little - hundreds of thousands of us will explore our new freedom. OK, we're supposed to stay 'local' according to Nanny-In-Chief Matt Hancock, but most people will be heading for the countryside. Easter outings are a wonderful British tradition, along with freezing cold picnics, chilly swims and a spot of paddling.

Most sensible people don't need a booklet or a leaflet telling them to 'drive carefully on rural roads' or 'stay alert when a right of way crosses a railway line'.

Ninety-nine per cent of motorists know not to block a driveway or a gate - so why employ consultants and experts to produce a booklet telling us the bleeding obvious. Sadly, Nanny culture means advice is geared to the lowest level of intelligence or capability.

Telling us to 'have fun, make a memory' begs the question; why else would anyone get in a car, navigate through London's ghastly traffic-free neighbourhoods onto a jam-packed motorway full of potholes and decorated with miles of cones, to eventually arrive at a beauty spot and NOT HAVE FUN?

Why would they wait hours for a train on a freezing platform with no toilet, hoping to get a lovely walk at the end of their journey  and NOT HAVE FUN?

Soon, we will be receiving a leaflet from Hancock, Whitty and Co telling us exactly how to have fun - because it will help protect the NHS and save lives.

But first, they'll probably spend a fortune consulting 'stakeholders' and commissioning a survey to come up with some guidelines about how to return to normal life, go back to work, eat indoors and go for a walk without making a plan first.

This weekend, as we walk along the South Downs Way, through Sherwood Forest or around the Norfolk coastal path, ordering us to 'stay safe' in the countryside is planting another virus in our heads; that our harmless outing could be dangerous.

No it isn't.
(@FahadShabbir)

It is dangerous for Russian citizens to travel to Georgia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, commenting on protests that emerged in Tbilisi in light of Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner's visit

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) It is dangerous for Russian citizens to travel to Georgia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, commenting on protests that emerged in Tbilisi in light of Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner's visit.

On Wednesday, activists, angered by Pozner's past comments in support of the independence of the partially-recognized Republic of Abkhazia, surrounded the hotel where the journalist stayed, forcing him and his friends to leave for another hotel with police escort. The protests soon erupted near the second hotel, with the activists throwing eggs at the building and clashing with police. On Thursday, Pozner, who had arrived in the Georgian capital to celebrate his birthday, told Sputnik he had left Tbilisi in the wake of the protests and was already in Moscow.

"It is dangerous for Russian citizens to be in Georgia. It is just dangerous to travel there, this should be clear for Russians," Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin spokesman condemned "aggressive actions of extremism-leaning nationalists against Russian citizens in Tbilisi."

Following the incident, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili condemned ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement for staging provocations during Pozner's visit.

"We saw today's statement of the Georgian prime minister who also condemned this, and we welcome this statement," Peskov went on to say.

Peskov also thanked the Georgian police for ensuring Russians' safety in Tbilisi.
From holy script to Huroufiyah  the sweep of Islamic calligraphy through the centuries

Beginning with the angular scripts of a thousand years ago and evolving into abstraction in the 20th century, the Arabic written word has been used to create some of the most beautiful and sophisticated artworks in the world

When the prophet Muhammad died in 632 AD, he left behind the religion of Islam, flourishing among a few nomadic tribes in the Arabian desert. These communities were small, ideologically divided and surrounded by the powerful Byzantine and Sasanian empires. Within a few decades, however, Arab armies had conquered and converted a territory so vast it extended from southern Iran to the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of the most significant events in world history, says Frances Keyworth, Christies cataloguer in Islamic and Indian Art. As the armies spread out across the continents, they introduced Islamic ideas to the societies they encountered, ushering in what Keyworth describes as a golden age of Islamic art and architecture.

Calligraphy is transmitting the voice of the Divine. No other art form is so exalted  specialist Frances Keyworth

This rich culture was forged from a combination of classical influences, religious laws and scientific concepts, with the written word at its centre. One Arabic proverb proclaims that purity of writing is purity of soul, says Keyworth. Calligraphy: Art in Writing brings together an extraordinary collection of artefacts from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe to celebrate the thousand-year-old art of Arabic, Persian and Ottoman calligraphy. It also shows how the written word has been used across a range of materials to create some of the worlds most beautiful and mathematically sophisticated artworks. The three key elements of Islamic art Arabic calligraphy primarily developed as a way of delivering the Word of God through the holy scripture of the Quran, says Keyworth.

A calligraphic composition In Square Kufic, Qur'an CXIV, sura al-nas, the word Allah picked out and illuminated in gold, green and red. Signed and dated lower left, the reverse plain, mounted. Signed Mati, dated AH 1431/2009-10 AD. 28 x 28 in (71.5 x 71.5 cm) including margins. Offered on 17 March-7 April 2021, Online

There are three key elements in Islamic art: geometry, arabesque and calligraphy, and they are used separately or together to create intricate designs. Calligraphy is at the top of the hierarchy, says Keyworth, because it is transmitting the voice of the Divine. No other art form is so exalted. The origins of Arabic calligraphy One of the earliest known forms of calligraphy is Kufic, named after the city of Kufah in Iraq. Offered in the sale is a 9th-century Quran folio (below), which shows the angularity of the style. The Quran was still an oral tradition at the time, says Keyworth, so this text, written on vellum, would merely have served as a reading prompt for the speaker.

A Kufic Quran folio, North Africa or Near East, 9th-10th century. Arabic manuscript on vellum. Folio: 5 x 8 in (14 x 21.8 cm). Offered on 17 March-7 April 2021, Online

From the 11th century, scripts became more cursive thanks to the availability of paper, which was smoother, enabling the pen to glide over the surface with greater ease. Scribes began experimenting with different-sized nibs, and precise rules were devised prescribing the size and length of each letter. This resulted in a series of proportional scripts, among them Naskh, Thuluth and Muhaqqaq, which used a sophisticated system of measurements based on a specific number of diamond-shaped dots for each letter. Other scripts, notably the Maghribi that developed in Spain and North Africa, were characterised by deep swooping curves.

Arabesque motifs, geometrical designs and luminous gold As calligraphy developed, artists began framing their scripts with arabesque motifs and geometrical designs. Geometric patterns can form letters and vice versa, says Keyworth, revealing that the three primary elements of Islamic art are to some extent mutable and can tessellate into one another. You begin to see scripts such as Kufic and Thuluth decorating glazed ceramics and metalwork and appearing on the walls of secular and religious places, says Keyworth. Great attention was given to the aesthetic appeal and ornamental quality of the writing. The sale includes a 19th-century pair of wooden doors (below) that are intricately carved in a complex pattern using the Kufic script.

A pair of carved wooden doors, Qajar Iran, 19th century (detail). 76 x 20 in (194 x 53 cm); 76 x 18 in (193 x 47.5 cm). Sold for 12,500 on 7 April 2021, Online

As calligraphic techniques became more sophisticated, artists were sought out by rulers to create opulent commissions. One of the most famous scribes of the 16th century was the Persian calligrapher Sultan Ali Mashadi (1453-1520), who served at the court of Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara (1438-1506) in Herat. His calligraphy is surrounded with beautiful scrolling arabesques on gold, says Keyworth, adding that his work is instantly recognisable on account of its luminous clarity.

A calligraphic panel signed Sultan Ali (Mashhadi), Herat, early 16th century. Text panel: 10 x 6 in (25.5 x 16 cm). Folio 12 x 8 in (30 x 21cm). Sold for 3,250 on 7 April 2021, Online

The move towards abstraction By the late 19th century, manuscripts had become so resplendent that they sparked a desire in some to find a purer aesthetic. The female artist Ruqiyah Banu was a pioneer of the spare nakhuni style, using only a sheet of white paper and a fingernail to create impressions. Such technical innovation had a profound impact on modern artists in the Middle East and North Africa, who recognised in these radical techniques the elements of abstraction. A revolutionary new art was on the horizon.

The birth of a new visual language: Huroufiyah In the early 20th century, Islamic artists, aware of the innovations in the West, invented a new visual language, liberating the Arabic letter from its religious context and using it in a purely abstract way. The movement came to be known as Huroufiyah, from the word hurouf, meaning letter. One of the major exponents of the movement was the painter Madiha Umar (1908-2005), whose 1949 text, Arabic Calligraphy: An Inspiring Element in Abstract Art, outlined the possibilities for the medium. The letter still stands out, so magnificently colourful, fascinating, intricate, and ornamental The idea dawned on me that Arabic calligraphy, which is abstract and yet so symbolic in its essence, need not be limited any more to the space-filling of geometrical design.

Ismail Gulgee, Untitled (Abstract Forms), 1966. Mixed media on canvas. 61 x 40 in (154.9 x 101.6 cm). Offered on 17 March-7 April 2021, Online

Soon artists were exploring the potential of the letter in all aspects of modern art. The Pakistani painter Ismail Gulgee (1926-2007) revealed the dynamism of Huroufiyah in his action paintings, the Modernist Jamil Hamoudi (1924-2003) recognised its potential for Surrealist wordplay and Cubist abstraction, and the Iraqi artist Dia al-Azzawi (b. 1939) experimented with the graphic possibilities of calligraphy in poster design.

Dia al-Azzawi, Hommage to Baghdad, 1982. 10 screen prints on Arches Velin handmade paper. Sheets 21 x 19 in each. Sold for 16,250 on 7 April 2021, Online

Some saw Huroufiyah as a pan-Arabist art movement that could unite the Islamic world in the wake of colonialism; others, notably the painter Shakir Hassan Al Said (1925-2004), still held onto the spiritual, meditative qualities of calligraphy. Al Said wrote in his 1973 manifesto One Dimension that the act of calligraphy was an almost existential experience that brought the creator closer to God. Such ideas continue to be explored in the harmonious paintings of the young, contemporary artists Muzzumil Ruheel (b. 1985) and Mohammad Ali Talpur (b. 1976).

Muzzumil Ruheel, Holding on to the Sky, 2020. Ink and acrylic lacquer on wasli. 26 x 20 in ( 67.3 x 50.8 cm). Sold for 3,000 on 7 April 2021, Online

Many of these artists are also on show in Abstraction and Calligraphy  Towards a Universal Language, an exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi (until 12 June) that charts the history of Arabic calligraphy over the past 100 years, as well as exploring the idea that painters in the West were influenced by artistic innovations in calligraphy in the East.

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YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Newly-appointed Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Armenia John Patrick Gallagher presented his credentials to President Armen Sarkissian, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The Ambassador said he is happy to represent the United Kingdom in Armenia, adding that he and his team are expecting close cooperation for the benefit of strengthening and deepening the UK-Armenia relations.

The Ambassador conveyed the greetings of Queen Elizabeth II to the Armenian President.

President Sarkissian congratulated the Ambassador on assuming office and expressed confidence that he will invest all his efforts for further enriching and promoting the Armenian-British inter-state agenda.

Highlighting the complete use of the cooperation potential, the Armenian President and the UK Ambassador highlighted economy, science, education, artificial intelligence as prospective sectors for cooperation. They said both countries can work jointly in the fight against the international challenges, including the coronavirus pandemic and the climate change.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Lisa Peterson, the acting assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, said in a press briefing, "In terms of the anti-leaflet bill, increasing the free flow of information into North Korea is a U.S. priority."

The 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices published Tuesday warns that "criminalizing the act of disseminating or moving leaflets and other materials across the inter-Korean border to North Korea" restricts freedom of expression.

The U.S. State Department has expressed concern about a South Korean ban on floating propaganda leaflets across the border to North Korea.

Seoul was flustered. A Unification Ministry spokesman vehemently defended the ban, though she said, "We won't comment on the U.S. report."

"The government is also clearly aware of the importance of, and is making efforts for North Korean people's rights to know and the increasing of the free flow of information," she added. "But it's not desirable to make such efforts in a way that infringes on the rights of residents near the inter-Korean border, including their lives, bodies and peace."

Seoul has justified the ban with the tortuous logic that sending the leaflets across the border endangers local residents by exposing them to North Korean ire.

The U.S. report also takes issue with the ministry's audits of North Korean defector-led NGOs last year, which resulted in some of them being stripped of their charitable status.

"The administrative inspections were aimed at finding out whether they were performing in accordance with their stated purpose," the ministry spokesman said. "It's improper to call them suppression and coercion."

The country report also cites the case of a man who was fined W500,000 "for trespassing after he placed posters critical of President Moon [Jae-in]" in a building at Dankook University (US$1=W1,130). "A university official called to testify against the man stated the poster had caused no physical damage and that he did not want him to be punished, noting that the law guarantees the freedom of expression," it adds.

Meanwhile, Peterson warned that the U.S. is keeping a close eye on North Korea's "egregious human rights record, which remains among the worst in the world."
ode is aiming for a change of tone to create a guide, rather than a list of rules

Update is being launched on 70th anniversary of code's first publication in 1951

Visitors to the outdoors are being urged to say hello, smile more, stay on footpaths and always bin their dog's poo in a new-look Countryside Code.

A refreshed version of the code, which provides advice on how visitors to natural places should behave, is being launched on the 70th anniversary of the booklet's first publication in 1951.

It is the first time the code has been updated in a decade, although there were some updates last summer in response to issues raised during lockdown, such as an increase in litter and dogs worrying livestock.

Officials said the new version, which comes as more people are using green spaces, aims to help the public be safe, look after the natural environment and protect the livelihoods of people who live in the countryside.

A refreshed version of the Countryside Code is being launched on the 70th anniversary of the booklet's first publication. It is the first time the code has been updated in a decade (file photo)

The updated version includes clearer rules for dog walkers to bag up their pet's poo and take it home to their own bin if there are no public waste bins (file photo)

It is being launched ahead of the Easter weekend as the easing of lockdown restrictions is expected to lead to large numbers of people visiting rural areas.

Changes to the code include advice on creating a welcoming environment for other people by being nice and saying hello, and reminders not to feed livestock, horses or wild animals and to stay on marked footpaths, even if they are muddy, to protect crops and wildlife.

There are also clearer rules for dog walkers to bag up their pet's poo and take it home to their own bin if there are no public waste bins, and information on permission for certain activities such as wild swimming.

The code is aiming for a change of tone to create a guide for the public, rather than a list of rules, as it recognises the benefits for people of spending time in nature and encourages people to 'enjoy your visit, have fun, make a memory'.

It also makes clear that the guidance applies to all natural places, including parks and waterways, coast and countryside.

The new version, launched by government agencies Natural England and Natural Resources Wales, has been drawn up following an online survey that garnered nearly 4,000 responses, and has been welcomed by rural and farming groups.

Tony Juniper, Natural England chairman, said: 'With more people than ever before seeking solace in nature, this refresh could not come at a more crucial time'

What are the changes to the Countryside Code? Changes to the code include: Advice on creating a welcoming environment for other people by being nice and saying hello;

Reminders not to feed livestock, horses or wild animals;

To stay on marked footpaths, even if they are muddy, to protect crops and wildlife;

Clearer rules for dog walkers to bag up their pet's poo and take it home to their own bin if there are no public waste bins;

Information on permission for certain activities such as wild swimming. Advertisement

Natural England chairman Tony Juniper said: 'The Countryside Code has been providing an excellent guide for people on how to get out and enjoy the outdoors safely for over 70 years.

'With more people than ever before seeking solace in nature, this refresh could not come at a more crucial time.

'We want everyone to be aware of the Code, so people of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy the invaluable health and wellbeing benefits that nature offers, while giving it the respect it deserves.'

Rural affairs minister Lord Gardiner said: 'With so many people visiting the countryside, the Countryside Code has never felt more relevant.

'Crucially it now covers all green spaces, waterways, the coast and even parks in towns and cities, so that everyone, as we lift restrictions, can enjoy a greener future.'

Mark Bridgeman, president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents 28,000 rural businesses owners across England and Wales, said: 'With more people expected to explore rural areas over Easter it's imperative that the Code is well-read, respected and followed.

'Although there have not been significant changes to the Code, the messaging is clear - Respect, Protect and Enjoy the outdoors.

'By closing gates behind you and sticking to footpaths, to keeping your dog under control and picking up rubbish, there is no reason why we cannot work together to keep the countryside beautiful for everyone to enjoy.'
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - 3i Infrastructure plc (3IN.L), on Thursday, said it has agreed to invest about 182 million to acquire a 60% stake in DNS:NET and to provide additional funding for the future growth of the business. 3i Infrastructure is buying its stake from Deutsche Beteiligungs AG, DBAG ECF, a private equity fund managed by DBAG, and Founder and CEO Alexander Lucke, with the latter reinvesting alongside 3i Infrastructure to retain a 40% stake. The deal is expected to be completed in June 2021. Richard Laing, Chair of 3i Infrastructure, said, 'DNS:NET is an asset-intensive business delivering an essential service in a sector with strong underlying demand trends. It is a high growth asset which will further diversify our portfolio, giving 3i Infrastructure sizeable exposure to the German infrastructure market for the first time.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Residents of two city slums who for years have suffered acute water shortage have lauded the government for sinking boreholes which have come as a relief to them.

The boreholes project by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) will benefit over 40,000 residents of Mukuru slums. Already, two boreholes are complete.

One bore hole was sank at the South B divisional headquarters located within the chief's camp in Mukuru-Hazina slum in Starehe Sub-County.

Another borehole was sunk at Santa Maria-Mukuru Primary School in Kayaba slum.

Those who are benefiting from the Hazina borehole are residents of Hazina slum as well as the Hazina police camp.

Residents of Kayaba slum are now drawing water from Santa Maria-Mukuru Primary School. The borehole is also being used by more than 1,500 learners at the school.

Speaking to the Nation today Wednesday, South B Assistant County Commissioner Michael Aswani Were said over half of Nairobi residents live in informal settlements.

Major challenges

Mr Were said water and electricity in the slums are major challenges.

"The government's intention is to provide residents of slums with free water as it fights to end cartels who oppress the poor by using resources such as water and electricity. This is the right time to use this water as locals embrace the Covid-19 protocols," Mr Were remarked.

For a long time, residents have been buying water from vendors, which puts their health at risk as they do not know where it comes from.

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Kayaba slum chairman Jacob Ibrahim said residents had been buying water for Sh5 for a 20-litre jerrican.

Mr Ibrahim added that when there is water shortage, residents walk long distances in search of the commodity from other areas, where they buy it at a high price.

"It is at this point that the price of water rises to between Sh10 and Sh20 per 20-litre jerrican," Mr Ibrahim remarked.

Two years ago, the World Bank donated money for a water project in some of the city slums.

Among the slums intended to benefit was Kayaba and Hazina.

Massive corruption

But the project failed following what is said to be massive corruption. There were also allegations that government officials colluded with water vendors to scuttle the project.

But residents now have a reason to smile as water flows from taps at water kiosks. They get the water between 8.30am and 4pm every day.

"It is pure water that we draw without paying any money. We use it for cooking, bathing and also washing clothes among other household chores. We also drink it because it is not salty," said Mrs Penninah Ndunge Nzioka, a charcoal seller in Kayaba slum.

Given the benefits of the project, Mr Were urged residents to take care of all the water equipment so that the project can help them in the long run.

A similar project is located at St Bakhita Primary School where it is intended to benefit more than 1,300 pupils and more than 300 learners at St Michael's Secondary School. It will use benefit more than 100 students of Mukuru Vocational Skills Training Centre.
Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, R-IA, speaks as FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol, in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 2, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Grassley, Johnson Seek Intel Records on Hunter Bidens Chinese Business Associates

Two Republican senators are asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) and intelligence community for any and all intelligence records tied to foreign nationals with links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who had business dealings with Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden.

In their letter (pdf) to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and DOJ Attorney General, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the HSGAC Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, noted that they have been reviewing financial transactions and connections between and among members of the Biden family and foreign nationals connected to the CCP, including its military and intelligence services.

On Sept. 23, 2020, the senators released a report (pdf) that revealed millions of dollars in questionable financial transactions between Hunter Biden and his associates and foreign individuals, including the wife of the former mayor of Moscow and individuals with ties to the CCP.

Of particular concern, the GOP senators wrote in their letter, Hunter Biden had a close and personal relationship with Ye Jianming, a Chinese oil tycoon whose company, CEFC China Energy Co. (CEFC), sought oil drilling rights in Chad and Uganda. Ye reportedly had links to the communist regimes Peoples Liberation Army.

The presidents son also had a close association with Yes business associates, Gongwen Dong and Chi Ping Patrick Ho, the senators wrote.

Its imperative that Congress better understand the relationship Ye Jianming, Gongwen Dong, and Patrick Ho had between and among themselves, with the communist Chinese government, CEFC China Energy, and their activities in the United States, including those relating to the Biden family. Accordingly, please produce all intelligence records, including but not limited to, all FISA-derived information relating to these three individuals no later than April 14, 2021.

Former Vice President Joe Biden kisses his grandson held by son Hunter Biden after delivering remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, on Nov. 7, 2020. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Hunter Biden attracted scrutiny during last years election season after a former business partner disclosed to media outlets a trove of text messages, some of which demonstrated his close ties to Ye. Other messages suggested the president was aware of his sons business activity, although then-candidate Biden denied knowledge of his sons dealings.

The revelations prompted concern about foreign influence on U.S. policy.

Federal investigators are currently probing Hunter Bidens tax affairs, including reportedly his business dealings with China. While he also holds a stake in a Chinese private equity firm, the White House press secretary said earlier this month that the younger Biden has been working to unwind his investment.

When Patrick Ho was charged by the DOJ in 2017, he reportedly phoned Joe Bidens brother, James, who has said that he believed the call was for Hunter Biden.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, New York, found (pdf) that Ho was properly convicted by a federal jury in December 2018 of paying bribes to the presidents of Chad and Uganda in a United Nations-linked conspiracy.

Chi Ping Patrick Ho sentenced in a bribery trial by District Judge Loretta Preska in New York, on March 25, 2019. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)

Ye, meanwhile, hasnt been seen since being taken into custody by Chinese authorities in early 2018.

Grassley and Johnson asked the DOJ and the Office of the DNI to send all unclassified material directly to the Committees.

If any of the responsive documents do contain classified information, please segregate all unclassified material within the classified documents, provide all unclassified information directly to the Committees, and provide a classified addendum to the Office of Senate Security, the senators added.

The president has said that he wont interfere in any of the DOJ probes.

Cathy He and Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
The CCB says it will not grant access to public officers' assets information until the National Assembly prescribes the guidelines for such disclosure as provided by the Nigerian Constitution.

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) on Wednesday explained why it denies Nigerians access to the details of the assets declared by public officers.

The chair person of the bureau, Muhammad Isah, also disclosed that assets declaration would soon become online-based.

Mr Isah, represented by his special assistant, Mustapha Musa, spoke in Lagos at a meeting on 'Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Asset Declaration by High-Ranking Public Officers'.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was organised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

On access to public officers' assets information, the CCB chair said the bureau never honoured citizens' requests for such information because the National Assembly had yet to give the guidelines for such public disclosure.

He said the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act concerning assets declaration forms were subject to the conditions which the Constitution prescribes should be set by the National Assembly.

He noted that the rule is subject to the provisions of Paragraph 3 (c) Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said, "This is a specific provision that is exclusive to the CCB.

"The provisions of the FoI Act are general, general on all agencies, ministries, departments and bodies of government but this paragraph is specific on the Code of Conduct Bureau.

"It is not that the CCB is not willing to give information to applicants.

"The constitution states that we can only give such information subject to some conditions or guidelines to be given by the National Assembly.

"The National Assembly is yet to give any guidelines; therefore, the hands of the CCB are tied regarding this position."

Debate on access

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Tayo Oyetibo, noted at the event that whether members of the public should have access to information on assets of a public officer had been debated nationally for years.

The SAN, who was represented by Mobisola Odimegwu, the managing associate of Tayo Oyetibo and Co., said the courts could intervene in situations where a citizen's request for information was denied by CCB.

He argued that based on a court decision, the failure of the National Assembly to prescribe the guidelines for access to the information about assets declared by public officers could not take away the citizens' right to have access to such information.

He said, "The Court of Appeal, in the case of Code of Conduct Bureau versus Nwankwo, noted that there is a restriction, that the National Assembly has to provide terms and conditions.

"However, it said, that these terms and conditions had not been provided, does not obliterate the fact that citizens have the right to access this information.

"The court noted that the asset declaration of a public servant is a public document.

"Paragraph 3 (c) of the Third Schedule of the Constitution deems any citizen of the country right to inspect asset declaration of any public servant.

"Since the right to inspect the asset declaration of public officers is a constitutional right, failure of the National Assembly to prescribe the terms and conditions does not obliterate or take away that right."

Mr Oyetibo said asset declaration of public officers engendered public confidence in the governance process and served as a means of checks and balances.

"Public officers are not accountable to the CCB, they are accountable to the citizens of the country.

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"Public office comes with the burden of public scrutiny.

"Anyone who cannot stand scrutiny should not hold public office," he said.

'Website for online assets declaration to be available soon'

The CCB chair also said at the event that the website for submission of asset declaration forms was ready and would be available for use for all stakeholders.

He said the online declaration system was being put in place in an effort to make the exercise easier.

He said, "Our asset declaration website is live and online with all security features and certification necessary for its takeoff.

"The website will be launched very soon. Our staff that will be responsible for its operation will soon be receiving documents.

"Information on the website regarding asset declaration can only be accessed by the CCB, and the site is available at https://assetdeclaration@ccb.gov.ng."

(NAN)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 23:18:24|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on March 3, 2021 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority have devised new tricks in collusion as NASA listed Taiwan as a "country" on its official website.

As an agency of the U.S. federal government, NASA can not be unaware of the three China-U.S. joint communiques and the history of successive U.S. administrations' adherence to the one-China policy since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.

Therefore, the move of listing Taiwan as a "country" is naive and ridiculous, and has tainted the nature of popular science activities.

Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to Palau joined the Palau president's delegation in a visit to Taiwan, strutting around all over the place. This latest stunt by the United States -- putting on an air of overstepping to test China's red lines -- is nothing new.

China firmly opposes official exchanges in any form between the United States and Taiwan -- a stance that is evident to all.

The DPP is nothing but a mere pawn for the United States in its anti-China chorus.

Acknowledging that "the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government of China" and "Taiwan is part of China" constitutes the political foundation of the China-U.S. relations and has been upheld by successive U.S. administrations since the two countries established diplomatic ties. The current U.S. government is well aware of this.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China. This can never be changed by any force or individual.

China is always firm in its resolve to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposes any attempts at provoking "Taiwan independence." It is determined to thwart any interference in its internal affairs by external forces.

Listing Taiwan as a "country" or supporting separatists seeking "Taiwan independence" are acts of futility that are doomed to fail. 
Warrior Met Coal says it continues to work in good faith toward an agreement with union workers ahead of a called strike tonight.

The United Mine Workers of America have issued a strike notice against Warrior Met Coal, set to begin at 10:30 p.m. tonight. The notice covers more than 1,100 workers at all of the companys operations, including the No. 4 mine, the No. 5 preparation plant, the No. 7 mine and its central shop.

In a statement, Warrior Met Coal says it has been working in good faith to reach an agreement.

At Warrior Met Coal, we value and appreciate our employees hard work. Simply put, we are only as good as our team. Our priorities have always been keeping people employed with long-lasting careers and ensuring Warrior Met Coal remains financially stable in a particularly volatile coal market, the company said in a statement.

Throughout negotiations, our sight has remained on the future  to provide our employees with a competitive package while protecting jobs and the longevity of the Company and its workforce.

The UMWA said yesterday that it has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board relating to Warrior Mets conduct during negotiations. The current agreement with the union was negotiated as Warrior Met emerged from the bankruptcy proceedings of the former Walter Energy, which declared bankruptcy in 2016.

The company said it will continue to work toward a resolution.

While we are disappointed that the UMWA has taken this extreme step to declare a strike while we continue to negotiate in good faith, we have continuity plans in place to continue meeting the demands of our key customers, the company said in a statement.
recorded a voter turnout of 38.08 per cent till 1.10 pm across 39 constituencies in 13 districts during the second phase of the state assembly polls, according to the Election Commission (EC).

The Nowgowg constituency in the state has witnessed the highest voting percentage with a voter turnout of 54.10 per cent till 1.10 pm, while the Jagiroad constituency witnessed the lowest voting percentage with a voter turnout of just 18.20 per cent.

The second phase of polling for in the states of West Bengal and began at 7 am on Thursday and is currently underway.

leader Sushmita Dev voted at a polling station in Silchar. After casting her vote, she interacted with the media and said, "Mahajot (grand alliance) is an inclusive alliance while is a communal alliance."

The All India United Democratic Front President Badruddin Ajmal also voted at polling station number 21 in Hojai. While interacting with the media after casting his vote, Ajmal asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to show a record of illegal Bangladeshis immigrants living in the country who were sent back as promised by the ruling party.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have said they will send Bangladeshi infiltrators back. I want to ask them how many Bangladeshis sent back till now? I challenge them to tell if even 100 Bangladeshis have been sent back in the last five years. They are the ones who get them here," he said.

Earlier, former Minister of State (MoS) for Railways Rajen Gohain after casting his vote at a polling booth in Nagaon, said will form government in by winning more than 75 seats in the state.

" will get over 35 seats out of the total 47 in the first phase. In the second phase too, we will get many seats. BJP will undoubtedly form the government in the state with more than 75 seats," BJP leader Gohain had said.

Polling is underway in Assam for the second phase of and COVID-19 safety protocols are being followed at various polling booths.

Voting for the second and penultimate phase of Assam was temporarily stopped at polling stations at Silchar and Nagaon due to EVM malfunctions.

Over 73.44 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in the second phase of the elections. Of them, 37,34,537 are male voters and 36,09,959 are female voters, while 135 are third gender voters. The voting will be held on 8,998 polling stations and 556 of them are all-women polling stations.

A total of 345 candidates in 39 constituencies across 13 districts are in the fray in this phase of voting. Polling for the third and last phase will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

The main contest is seen to be between the alliances led by BJP and

The BJP-led alliance includes the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL). has stitched a broad alliance that includes All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, the Anchalik Gana Marcha (AGM) and the Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF).

The election in the second phase includes 15 assembly seats in the Barak Valley. In the 2016 polls, BJP had bagged eight seats - six from Cachar district and two from bordering Karimganj district, which shares a boundary with Bangladesh.
In order to boost the countrywide anti-coronavirus inoculation drive, the Centre on Thursday notified all state governments to keep all public and private sector COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) operational throughout April, including on gazetted holidays. Additionally, the Centre has also ordered states and union territories to make necessary arrangements to encourage the vaccination process.

The union health ministry informed that the move has been taken after detailed deliberations with states and union territories on March 31.

"This decision is in line with the graded and pro-active approach employed by the government of India along with the states and UTs for COVID-19 vaccination," the ministry added.

The ministry also said the move will help to optimally utilise all COVID-19 Vaccination Centres across the public and private sectors and will ensure the pace and coverage of COVID vaccination.

The government opened up the COVID-19 vaccination drive to include everybody above 45 years of age on April 1 based on a recommendation of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration (NEGVAC).

Currently, the rapid increase in daily active cases in the country has triggered a fear of a new wave. On Thursday, India reported 72,330 fresh infections. It is the biggest daily surge in Covid cases since early October. Several major states, including Maharashtra and Karnataka, have continued to witness an exponential rise in coronavirus cases in the past 20 days.

Five states -- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, and Chhattisgarh -- have cumulatively accounted for over 79 per cent of the total COVId-19 active cases in the country, according to the health ministry. Therefore, to contain the further threat of virus, the ministry has taken the decision to stimulate the vaccination facility throughout April month without any hindrances.

More than 6.5 crore (6,51,17,896) vaccine doses have been administered through 10,86,241 sessions across the country so far.

Also read: COVID-19 phase 3 vaccination begins today for all above 45 years; key points

Also read: COVID-19: CMIE bats for higher vaccination, says lockdown leads to job losses
A year after the pandemic turned the nations digital divide into an education emergency, President Biden, inheriting the problem, is making affordable broadband a top priority, comparing it to the effort to spread electricity across the country. His $2 trillion infrastructure plan, announced on Wednesday, includes $100 billion to extend fast internet access to every home.

The money is meant to improve the economy by enabling all Americans to work, get medical care and take classes from wherever they live. Although the government has spent billions on the digital divide in the past, the efforts have failed to close it partly because people in different areas have different problems. Affordability is the main culprit in urban and suburban areas. In many rural areas, internet service isnt available at all because of the high costs of installation.

Well make sure every single American has access to high-quality, affordable, high speed internet, Mr. Biden said in a speech on Wednesday. And when I say affordable, I mean it. Americans pay too much for internet. We will drive down the price for families who have service now. We will make it easier for families who dont have affordable service to be able to get it now.

Longtime advocates of universal broadband say the plan, which requires congressional approval, may finally come close to fixing the digital divide, a stubborn problem first identified and named by regulators during the Clinton administration. The plight of unconnected students during the pandemic added urgency.
The Los Angeles specialist Hardcore Gang unit has been disbanded because it is 'offensive to the community' in a move branded a 'suicide pact' amid rising homicide rates in the city.

For over four decades the Hardcore Gang Investigation Unit has been tasked with prosecuting the city's most serious and violent gang-related crimes.

But the County District Attorney's Office has decided to downsize and rename the unit which has been praised by BLM activists but criticized by prosecutors.

The office will be 'decentralized' under plans by DA George Gascon with specialist officers transferred to other units despite its 700 active cases.

Branch offices will now have a 'specialist trial lawyer/gang coordinator' to help prosecutors with the existing cases, according to Fox 11.

Critics fear it will lead to more gang violence, with Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva branding it a 'suicide pact'.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon (pictured) has disbanded his office's Hardcore Gang unit in a divisive move critics say spells disaster for the city

The County District Attorney's Office has decided to downsize and rename the unit which has been praised by BLM activists but criticized by prosecutors

He said: 'While gang members are busy driving up LA County's homicide rate, DA Gascon is now dismantling the Hardcore Gang Unit that works with local law enforcement.

'This can only serve to add gasoline to a raging fire of gang violence that threatens the safety of all.

'This is not reform, this is beginning to look more like a suicide pact.'

One prosecutor said the unit is being renamed only because Gascon doesn't like it, adding: 'So there isnt going to be a hardcore gang unit anymore, because I guess the DA, George Gascon, finds that term offensive to the community.'

But Black Lives Matter activists praised the idea of disbanding a unit they branded 'abusive' toward people of color and low-income communities.

For over four decades the Hardcore Gang Investigation Unit has been tasked with prosecuting the city's most serious and violent gang-related crimes (file photo)

There were 349 killings last year, the first time the number surpassed 300 since 2009 and an increase of 38 per cent on the previous year

The move comes after an increase in homicides and shootings in 2020 which the LAPD said was caused by gang feuds.

There were 349 killings last year, the first time the number surpassed 300 since 2009 and an increase of 38 per cent on the previous year.

Gascon, who was elected to DA in November, has already made major changes in the way Los Angeles prosecutes crimes in his first three months in office, including by eliminating cash bail and the 'three strikes' rule.

He also banned sentencing enhancements for guns and gang involvement, which previously allowed prosecutors to seek longer sentences for criminals deemed especially dangerous.

The prosecutors who spoke to FOX 11 said Gascon's prior changes have already made their jobs more difficult, and things will only get worse if he goes through with an overhaul to the Hardcore Gangs unit.

Black Lives Matter activists praised the idea of disbanding a unit they branded 'abusive' toward people of color. Pictured: Crip gang members are detained by cops

'We can already hear in jail calls and interviews with officers on the street telling us that the gang members are laughing at them,' one of the prosecutors said.

'It's undermined the credibility of law enforcement in its entirety.'

But Gregory Akili, a prominent civil rights activist and member of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles' Action Committee, lauded Gascon for listening to the people who elected him.

'He is simply doing what the people have been asking for. That's why he was elected,' Akili told FOX 11.

'We have called for the disbandment of that unit because we saw how it was abusive, how it was used to criminalize people in neighborhoods, and we saw that it was ineffective.

'Now he's simply saying, let's just swing it back to where it should be.'

However the prosecutors said marginalized communities will suffer the most without a strong Hardcore Gang unit.

Gregory Akili, a member of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles' Action Committee, lauded Gascon for listening to the people who elected him in an interview with FOX 11 (pictured)

'The misnomer with my cases, because I do all gang violence cases, gang murder particularly, is that all of my victims are rival gang members, and that's not true,' one prosecutor said.

'They miss their targets and they get their enemies wrong fully because of the way they look, whether that's a Hispanic male with a shaved head or a Black male standing on the corner at the wrong place at the wrong time.'

Akili said BLM activists had called for Gascon to disband the Hardcore Gang unit. Pictured: Protesters at a BLM demonstration in Los Angeles last year

Critics sounding off on social media slammed the proposed changes to the Hardcore Gang unit.

'[Gascon is] just taking away tools from law enforcement they need,' one person tweeted.

'This will end well... considering all the gang-related shootings we've had in LA to date,' another person wrote.

A third critic called Gascon a 'pro-crime DA'.

Gascon, a former San Francisco district attorney and assistant Los Angeles police chief, ran for office with a promise to enact sweeping criminal justice reforms.

In remarks after he was sworn in last December, he called Los Angeles 'a poster child for the failed tough-on-crime approach' and said: 'The status quo hasn't made us safer.'

His first major meeting upon winning his race was with Black Lives Matter organizers, who were critical of outgoing District Attorney Jackie Lacey.

Gascon beat Lacey, the first woman and black person to run the office, in a fraught election as part of a wave of progressive prosecutors elected nationwide.

Early in his term Gascon drew the ire of the Los Angeles Police Department and prosecutors in his own office who said he was taking to his position, among the most powerful in California and the US, as a politician rather than as a prosecutor.

The reports about his plans for the Hardcore Gang unit emerged just as the Beverly Hills City Council announced that it is considering filing a 'no confidence' resolution against Gascon.
Bridenstine will provide Viasat's Board of Directors with extensive experience in space technology, innovation and safety based on his leadership role at NASA, as well as defense and aerospace expertise based on his public service in the United States Navy and Congress.

Bridenstine joins Viasat's Board as the Company is preparing for the impending launch of its ViaSat-3 network, a global geostationary (GEO) system using three state-of-the-art adaptive beam-forming satellites to safely and securely deliver broadband connectivity around the globe. The ViaSat-3 payload and ground network technology use a new system architecture intended to deliver much more bandwidth, in the highest demand places, than any other broadband space system, in GEO or non-geostationary orbits. The ViaSat-3 architecture is highly-scalable, a critical element in keeping pace with constantly growing per-capita bandwidth demand.

Mark Dankberg, Viasat's co-founder and executive chairman commented, "Jim is a welcome addition to Viasat's Board of Directors. His insight into all aspects of advanced space programs can help ensure Viasat remains at the forefront of space system and network technology globally. And, because of the pivotal role he's played in expanding the U.S. manned space program, Jim is also an ardent proponent of preserving safe access to space via proactive measures to protect the space environment and contain orbital debris."

Bridenstine added, "My professional career reflects both my passion for space and national defense, as well as my intentions to make a meaningful contribution to each of those areas. Joining the Viasat Board of Directors is an opportunity for me to stay at the leading edge of technology, and apply my experience and insights to critical global and national priorities. Viasat's missions, rapid entrepreneurial growth and culture of innovation  sustained over decades  presents a very attractive, mutually-beneficial opportunity to continue to contribute in private industry."

Bridenstine served as NASA's 13th Administrator from April 2018 until January 2021. Under his leadership, NASA launched a new human lunar exploration mission, the Artemis program; continued the commercial re-supply of the International Space Station; led partnering efforts with American commercial enterprises on the Commercial Crew Program, which again launched American astronauts on American rockets from American soil, something not done since the end of the Shuttle program in 2011; helped established the Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program to partner with private enterprise in landing rovers on the lunar surface; backed the development of the X-59, a quiet supersonic aircraft and the X-57 Maxwell, NASA's first all-electric airplane; and supported the development of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management initiatives to facilitate the safe use of drones for commercial use.

Since January 2021, Bridenstine has worked as a senior advisor to Acorn Growth Companies, a private equity firm. Prior, from 2013 to 2018, Bridenstine was a member of Congress where he represented Oklahoma's First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and served on the Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. Bridenstine's career in federal service began in 1998 as a pilot in the United States Navy. Bridenstine earned a B.A. degree with three majors  Economics, Business and Psychology  from Rice University and an M.B.A. degree from Cornell University.

About Viasat

Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. For more than 30 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people's lives anywhere they areon the ground, in the air or at sea. To learn more about Viasat, visit: www.viasat.com, go to Viasat's Corporate Blog, or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.

Copyright  2021 Viasat, Inc. All rights reserved. Viasat, the Viasat logo and the Viasat signal are registered trademarks of Viasat, Inc. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Viasat, Inc.

Related Links

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Looking to adopt a dog or know someone who could benefit from a new best friend? The Animal Defense League of Texas has announced their April Adopt-A-Thon with an ambitious goal to find 150 dogs new homes, according to their Facebook page.

From April 1-30, the organization will waive adoption costs for dogs older than six months. Instead of the standard fee, the Animal Defense League is asking for a monetary donation in support of its medical program.
In this Jan. 19, 2021 file photo, House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, left, asks questions during a meeting of Louisiana's income forecasting panel, the Revenue Estimating Conference, while Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, listens. Louisianas chapter of the NAACP has filed a federal complaint against the organization that state Republican legislative leaders have created to promote their agenda. The complaint filed Thursday, March 11 argues the nonprofit launched by Cortez and Schexnayder is violating its tax-exempt status by regularly engaging in political activity.
ALBANY  When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo sought approval to publish a book last July, his government counsel wrote a letter to New Yorks ethics oversight agency. In that letter, Cuomos special counsel, Judith Mogul, noted past state ethics opinions laying out guardrails a state employee must follow when seeking to earn outside income from writing a book.

Among the nine longstanding rules cited by Mogul: No state property, personnel or other resources may be utilized.

"The governor will abide by all nine of the established requirements discussed above," Mogul wrote to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics on July 10. "Specifically, he will write the book entirely on his own time, without the use of state resources or personnel."

On Wednesday evening, however, the New York Times reported that Cuomo did use a number of state personnel to work on the book, "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic, which was published in October 2020.

Cuomo reportedly used more junior aides for duties like helping with the manuscript. Also involved were more seniors aides including Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, who was involved in pitching and editing the book, the Times reported.

State ethics watchdog no stranger to controversy, criticism Inspector general probed ethics panel's alleged leak to Cuomo: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was allegedly briefed on the details of a closed-door JCOPE vote around the time the panel voted on whether to investigate Joseph Percoco, a former top aide to the governor. Uncertain future for JCOPE reform push: Cuomo shows little interest in offering proposals to fix ethics watchdog. Editorial: The no-bite watchdog: The state ethics watchdog shows yet again that it's not up to its assignment, the Times Union editorial board writes. With forced vote on Percoco probe looming, JCOPE files appeal: Ethics panel fights court ruling that mandated a vote on whether to investigate the activities of Joe Percoco, a former top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Ethics panel under fire: A scandal involving lawmaker Vito Lopez and the Assembly's handling of sexual harassment allegations against him appears to be on the verge of undoing the state's newest ethics enforcement panel. Ethics overhaul nearing reality: Cuomo prepares to sign ethics overhaul package into law, starting a 120-day clock for the creation of the new Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

In her July letter to the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics, Mogul had noted that dating back to 1989, five "critical ethics opinions have defined a nine-factor test that JCOPE deploys to analyze situations where a state employee wishes to write a book."

Among those is the provision that state personnel cannot be used. And in his letter approving Cuomo's book deal on July 17, JCOPE deputy general counsel Martin Levine himself noted the rule, writing that no state "property, personnel or other resources may be utilized for activities associated with the book."

A Cuomo senior advisor, Richard Azzopardi, said state employees could work on Cuomo's book because they were volunteering their time. In a brief call on Wednesday evening, Azzopardi compared the situation to rules allowing state employees to volunteer for political campaigns.

As is permissible and consistent with ethical requirements, people who volunteered on this project did so on their own time, Azzopardi said in a statement.

On Thursday, Azzopardi added that there is "nothing in law or regulation that speaks to a ban on state workers volunteering for a for-profit venture  this simply is not legally a 'thing.'"

While state workers need outside activity approval for several specified compensated and uncompensated outside activities (such as board service), there is nothing in any of the laws or regulations that requires approval for, or in any way limits, how a public officer spends his or her free time," he said in a statement. "In fact, many public officers do engage in for profit activities for themselves or others, and it is entirely OK to volunteer to do work for a for-profit project."

Its not clear what legal precedent the Cuomo administrations position is based upon. Five past state ethics opinions concerning book royalties, dating back to 1989, never mention anything about volunteering for one's boss. But the opinions do list the prohibition against utilizing state personnel.

All of the opinions were written by the New York State Ethics Commission, a predecessor agency to JCOPE. In 1989, when the Ethics Commission published an initial opinion allowing a state employee to earn book royalties, the commission noted in making the approval that staff at the employees agency was not involved in any way in the writing or production of the book.

The rules laid out in the 1989 opinion, including the prohibition against using state personnel, were repeated in subsequent opinions in 1995, 1996, and 1998.

Details in the New York Times story also raise the question of whether more junior aides were "volunteering." One aide to Cuomo told the Times that she and others were asked to assist in typing or transferring notes for Cuomos book, which the governor composed in part by dictating into a cellphone.

Sorry lady can u print this too and put in a binder, Stephanie Benton, Director of the Governor's Offices, wrote to another female staffer on Sunday, July 5, the Times reported. And drop at mansion.

Moguls letter, obtained through an open records request Wednesday evening after a five-month delay  and arriving shortly before the Times story was posted online  also does not address the schedule Cuomo planned to keep working on the book, which was written amidst the rigors of managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here's Mogul's letter:

Mogul Letter by cseiler8597 on Scribd

And here's the response from JCOPE's Levine:

JCOPE_CuomoBook by cseiler8597 on Scribd

According to JCOPEs website, any state employee seeking to earn outside income must submit information about the "number of hours of work per week" they will spend on the outside activity and "the times and days when the work will be performed." Although quantifying the hours spent crafting a book can be tricky  Cuomo's latest work was largely the product of a diary  there is precedent in the prior opinions for the information to be listed. And JCOPEs website says that the additional information MUST be included when a state employee seeks to earn outside income.

Azzopardi told the Times Union in February that before the publication of "American Crisis," all information "required and requested was provided and approval was granted.

When Cuomo sought approval for a first book in 2012, Cuomos counsel also did not submit any information concerning Cuomos work hours on the project. Nonetheless, in both 2012 and 2020, JCOPE quickly approved Cuomos requests.

In both instances, the decisions were made by JCOPE staff alone and without a vote by JCOPEs commissioners. Some of those commissioners, appointed by the state Legislature, since the publication of Cuomos book have argued that staff illegally assumed the authority to approve high-level state officials income requests.
(Newser)  The leaders of Coca Cola and Delta Air Lines, two of Georgia's largest corporations, are speaking out about the state's new voting law, along with the president of Microsoft, which has plans to create a hub in Atlanta. In a Wednesday memo to employees, Delta CEO Ed Bastian wrote that the company had worked behind the scenes "to try and remove some of the most egregious measures" from the "unacceptable" law, which he says is "based on a lie" of widespread voter fraud, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bastian said the law would make it "harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters" to vote. Hours later, Coca Cola CEO James Quincey urged lawmakers to revisit the law, telling CNBC that the company had "always opposed" it. Microsoft President Brad Smith criticized the law in a company blog, noting "we voiced concern about this legislation even before it was passed."

story continues below

More than 70 top Black executives urged corporate America to "publicly oppose ... all measures designed to limit Americans' ability to vote" in a full-page ad in the New York Times on Wednesday. There had also been calls for boycotts against Coke and other Georgia companies. Gov. Brian Kemp, meanwhile, said Delta had at "no point" raised concerns with his office, per the Journal-Constitution and Politico. He also said that he would not "be bullied by these people" and that President Biden's suggestion that the MLB All-Star Game be moved out of Atlanta was "ridiculous." In a slight to Delta, the Georgia House voted to end a tax break on jet fuel Wednesday, the last day of the legislative session, though the measure didn't come to a vote in the Senate. (A similar thing happened after Delta ended a group discount for the NRA.)
Moody's Analytics today announced that Credito Agricola Vida (CA Vida), the life insurance arm of Portuguese financial group Credito Agricola, will use the RiskIntegrity for IFRS 17 solution to address the new IFRS 17 accounting standard.

CA Vida selected Moody's Analytics for our combined actuarial and financial reporting capabilities, the flexibility of our software-as-a-service deployment model, and our experience advising firms implementing new standards.

"There are many considerations when selecting a software vendor to address a new regulatory or reporting regime. Moody's Analytics delivers the capabilities, expertise, and experience we will need at each step of our IFRS 17 project," said Antonio Castanho, Chief Executive Officer at CA Vida.

IFRS 17 brings fundamental changes across insurers' organizations. Meeting the new reporting deadline means implementing systems through which different teams can easily access all of the data required for their IFRS 17 calculations and reporting requirements. The RiskIntegrity for IFRS 17 solution comes with the capabilities required for an efficient implementation of the standard. It integrates seamlessly with an insurer's existing infrastructure-connecting data, models, systems, and processes between actuarial and finance functions-and supports the needs of actuaries, finance, and IT professionals.

"We continue to see demand from insurers across Europe for our RiskIntegrity for IFRS 17 solution, which reflects the depth and the breadth of our IFRS 17 offering," said Christophe Burckbuchler, Managing Director at Moody's Analytics. "We are pleased that CA Vida recognized our history helping insurance companies manage their risk, actuarial, and reporting needs, and we look forward to helping the firm prepare for the new standard."

About Moody's Analytics

Moody's Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moody's Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moody's Corporation reported revenue of $5.4 billion in 2020, employs approximately 11,400 people worldwide and maintains a presence in more than 40 countries.

About Credito Agricola Vida (CA Vida)

CA Vida was established in 1998 as the life insurance company of Credito Agricola Group, a Portuguese-based cooperative financial group which owns the largest branch network in Portugal and has more than 1.2 million customers. CA Vida is incorporated and domiciled in Portugal. It provides life insurance products and pension funds through the Group's retail network. Over the years CA Vida has introduced several innovative work methodologies, ensuring that the company remains at the forefront of the life business in Portugal, both in terms of modernity and in the quality of the service provided.

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The grounds of a stately mansion in a beautiful but remote corner of the Scottish Highlands, and a tall, genial young man with a moustache and the tattoo of a fish on his left arm  hes nicknamed Fish for John Fisher  is creeping through the dark.

In his hand is a double-bladed dagger, designed for silent killing: a sharp thrust to the throat and the victim slumps dead in a pool of blood.

He is a master of close, unarmed combat and fieldcraft  how to stalk an enemy unseen and how to survive in the wild  as well as how to use explosives, a Sten gun and pistol.

He had been sent to Arisaig House on the west coast of Scotland to learn what wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the art of ungentlemanly warfare.

The SOEs network of training schools was considered fearsome. Among them were SOE agents Violette Szabo (pictured), who was dropped into France, captured by the Gestapo and died in Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany

John Fisher was my great-uncle  one of around 3,000 agents trained in northern Scotland by the Special Operations Executive, SOE. Churchill had launched SOE in 1940 to set Europe ablaze, using sabotage and guerrilla warfare and working with local resistance groups to disrupt and undermine the enemys operations.

But in time it was not just Germany they had to take on but Japan, too. And John  whose peacetime role was as a colonial administrator in Sarawak, Borneo  had been recruited in 1944 by SOE to return to the country to fight the Japanese occupiers.

Audaciously, the plan was that he, together with operatives from Australia, Malaya and other countries, would work alongside local Dayak tribes, wreaking havoc behind enemy lines in preparation for an Allied landing on Borneo.

Arisaig had been requisitioned during the war as one of SOEs Special Training Schools around the country and it specialised in commando skills for agents destined for the field.

The grounds of a stately mansion in a beautiful but remote corner of the Scottish Highlands, and a tall, genial young man with a moustache and the tattoo of a fish on his left arm  hes nicknamed Fish for John Fisher  is creeping through the dark. Pictured: Arisaig House

This week, the forbidding grey stone mansion  now a guest house  was placed on the market for 2.25 million. It comes with 12 bedrooms, several other estate houses, 18 acres stretching down to the sea, woodlands and a private jetty  and a breathtaking secret history linked to death, destruction and, on occasion, peculiarly British mayhem.

A pier on a nearby loch was all but destroyed, for instance, when some trainees used too much explosive during one exercise. Limpet mines were stuck to the sides of the wrong boats, to the fury of local fishermen. Another time, one SOE student used explosives to dynamite a salmon pool  the locals all enjoyed eating the results. Only a few years ago a bomb disposal team was called to deal with five unexploded bombs.

Arisaig had been chosen by the SOE because it had a railway line, a coastline to practise amphibious landings, rugged terrain for survival exercises, and above all because it was remote.

The entire area including the village of Arisaig was sealed off as a Special Protected Area, far from prying eyes.

A story of Violette Szabo was told in the book Carve Her Name With Pride and film of the same name, starring Virginia McKenna (pictured)

The SOEs network of training schools was considered so fearsome that the Germans referred to it as the International Gangster School. And Arisaigs alumni were extraordinary not only in their bravery and skill  but also their ruthlessness.

Among them were SOE agents Violette Szabo, who was dropped into France, captured by the Gestapo and died in Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany  a story told in the book Carve Her Name With Pride and film of the same name, starring Virginia McKenna. Another was Nancy Wake, who is credited with saving the lives of hundreds of Allied soldiers and downed airmen between 1940 and 1943 by escorting them through occupied France to safety in Spain.

There was French-born Odette Hallowes, whose heart-stopping experiences also caught the worlds imagination on celluloid. She worked undercover in France during the war, but was captured, interrogated and tortured, and in July 1944, sent to Ravensbruck. There, she endured months of solitary confinement and death threats, but she survived, never revealing her secrets to the Nazis.

Tom Harrisson, an anthropologist in peacetime, emerged from Arisaig awestruck by the many dark arts he learnt: Coding, disguise, hiding, searching, tailing, passing on syphilis, resisting pain, firing from the hip, forgery and the interception of mail . . . the acquisition of so much criminal and lethal knowledge gave a kick of self-confidence, he wrote.

Harrisson would go to to fight the Japanese with my great-uncle John Fisher.

Then there were the fieldcraft instructors. They included poachers and gamekeepers who taught the recruits how to live off the land, to move silently and stalk their prey  animal or human.

One of the more colourful was Gavin Maxwell, an Army officer and highly skilled sniper who would go on to write Ring Of Bright Water, the iconic account of his life with his pet otter. He taught his charges how to eat mussels and limpets off the rocks, to kill and eat birds, cooked or raw, and the art of basic butchery.

He also taught weapons training  how to strip, reassemble, load and fire firearms in the dark. He was an extraordinary sharp-shooter himself. In her book Our Uninvited Guests: The Secret Life Of Britains Country Houses 1939-45, the author and historian Julie Summers tells how Maxwell would shock students playing ping-pong in rare moments of relaxation by bursting into the room and shooting the ball mid-air.

But perhaps the most notorious instructors were the pair known as the Heavenly Twins because their specialist subject was despatching people to the afterlife. With their spectacles, William Dan Fairbairn and Eric Bill Sykes looked like dear old gentlemen according to one trainee  but were in fact lethal killers.

They had served as policemen in the violent, febrile city of Shanghai before the war and had developed a form of self-defence for imperial policemen, a combination of ju-jitsu and karate. Fairbairn had many techniques to impart to the trainees but each of them, one drily recalled, ended with the phrase and then kick him in the testicles .

Sykes, who had the benevolent air of a vicar, possessed enormous hands with which he demonstrated the skill of strangulation. It was these two who had designed the famed SOE double-bladed dagger, named after them, carried by John Fisher that night. Its primary purpose was silent killing, despatching an enemy with a thrust to the carotid artery in the neck.

Another instructor was a safe breaker, released from prison and installed at Arisaig to teach students how to break locks and set small charges, while trainees were taught how to board and leave a train travelling at speed and to blow up railway tracks. If the students were deployed in the field there would be no room for mistakes. They faced torture, imprisonment and often execution if they were caught. Little wonder that they wanted to live life to the full while they could.

We used to drink like fish in the evenings after the days work and talk about everything under the sun, recalled one instructor.

Fisher survived the course. He and Harrisson were both dropped into Sarawak where the Dayak tribes they joined up with had little need for instruction in the art of silent killing since they were experts with blowpipes and poison darts, which they used with brutal accuracy against the Japanese in the jungle, removing their heads with a sharp knife afterwards.

Silent, effective  the instructors at Arisaig might have approved.

Annabel Venning is author of To War With The Walkers: One Familys Extraordinary Story Of The Second World War, published by Hodder & Stoughton at 10.99.


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The euro spiked up against its major counterparts in the European session on Thursday, as optimism over U.S. government spending plan and strong euro area manufacturing PMI reports lifted European shares.



U.S. President Joe Biden announced a $2.3 trillion infrastructure spending plan on Wednesday, which includes investments in roads, railways, broadband, clean energy and semiconductor manufacture.



The plan will reshape the world's largest economy and counter the rise of China.



Positive manufacturing data also boosted hopes for a speedy economic recovery.



Final data from IHS Markit showed that the euro area manufacturing sector grew at the strongest pace in nearly 24 years of data collection, underpinned by strong production and orders.



The final factory Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 62.5 in March from 57.9 in February. The flash reading was 62.4.



The euro climbed to a 2-week high of 130.17 against the yen and more than a 3-week high of 1.1118 against the franc, off its early lows of 129.65 and 1.1058, respectively. The euro may challenge resistance around 132.00 against the yen and 1.12 against the franc.



The euro gained to 1.1751 against the greenback and 0.8534 against the pound, reversing from its early lows of 1.1713 and 0.8503, respectively. The euro is poised to find resistance around 1.20 against the greenback and 0.88 against the pound.



The euro was up against the kiwi, at a 3-day high of 1.6867. Against the aussie, the euro hit a 1-week high of 1.5553 and held steady thereafter. The next possible resistance for the euro is seen around 1.70 against the kiwi and 1.58 against the aussie.



The euro rose to 1.4788 against the loonie, from more than a 1-year low of 1.4725 hit at 6:00 pm ET. If the euro rises further, 1.49 is likely seen as its next resistance level.



Looking ahead, Canada building permits for February, U.S. weekly jobless claims for the week ended March 27, ISM manufacturing PMI for March and construction spending for February are set for release in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. The opposition Bright Armenia (LHK) party continues to insist that an open-list proportional electoral system is the best for Armenia and it is wrong to abolish the preferential (ranked) voting method and hold early elections with the closed-list system.

Speaking at parliamentary hearings on the parliament majority-backed bill seeking to amend the electoral code, LHK lawmaker Gevorg Gorgisyan disapproved the initiative and said they propose an open proportional electoral system instead.

He admitted that the ranked voting system, the separations into districts potentially enable those having resources to exploit it to gain votes. But depriving citizens from electing members of parliament, their representatives in parliament is fraught with even worse consequences. Wed have a parliament of button pushers, he argued.

Gorgisyan insisted that an open proportional electoral system is the right system for Armenia and that it would contribute to strengthening democracy. He warned that otherwise the changes could lead to the political systems degradation.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Biometric iris scanners in place at Involtas high-performance data centers are but one of the many safeguards in place to ensure the security of its customers data.

Purpose-built and company owned, Involtas 11 data centers are typically the most robust and reliable facilities available to customers in markets throughout Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

We recently caught up with Josh Holst, director of cloud services, to learn more about the companys cloud services, its data centers, and what hes seeing in the move tothe hybrid cloud. We also asked Holst about Involtas brand promise: superior infrastructure and services, operational excellence, and people who deliver.

Involtas promise begins with the foundation  our superior data center infrastructure, says Holst. Our facilities host VMware Cloud Verified private cloud services, and they are all interconnected with a vast network of inter-facility communications. And our Hyperscale Connect service delivers software-defined networking to three major public cloud providers and enables hybrid IT delivery with flexible access to private and public cloud instances.

Notably, Involtas data centers feature some of the latest advances and approaches to everything from power generation, including lithium-ion batteries for backup UPS systems, to innovative cooling technologies. The companys recently expanded data center in Pittsburgh is but one example. The 39,000 square-foot facility was recently outfitted with 500kW of new power availability and is served by redundant fiber optic connections featuring 24/7/365 critical monitoring and secure access, environmental systems and controls, and fully redundant power sources.

Accelerating the need to drive innovation

Holst notes that recent events, including the pandemic, have only accelerated the need to think differently and drive innovation with speed and scale, a development he feels aligns perfectly with the shifts he sees driving companies to adopt the cloud.

The pandemic has forced IT leaders to adapt or develop plans when presented with a remote workforce and a shift in customer interaction, he says. Economic uncertainty has also put an emphasis on operational efficiencies that lower costs and drive digital business. All of these developments are accelerating the move to the cloud.

Holst indicates these issues are not limited to a specific industry, although specific sectors still require vertical market expertise to ensure that their IT assets and practices align with unique compliance requirements and other demands.

Fundamentally, businesses across all verticals are faced with a similar challenge in how to accelerate and, in many cases, justify the cost of their digital transformation, he adds. Regardless of which industry a customer serves, security, cost, and optimization are critical drivers IT leaders need to consider. In addition, most organizations face human and time resource constraints.

Involtas VMware Cloud Verified private cloud and Infrastructure-as-a-Service offerings are commonly among the core steps customers take to address these challenges. Both are complemented by Involtas extensive suite of services that includes Backup and Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service, Security Operations Center services, and Desktop-as-a-Service.

The company also offers extensive vertical market expertise driven by the input from advisory boards for healthcare, finance and manufacturing industries. The insights gleaned helps the company ensure industry IT trends and best practices are deployed to meet the needs of each specific vertical.

Holst explains that Involtas partnership with VMware is important in all of these efforts and in each vertical market.

To be recognized as a VMware Cloud Verified partner demonstrates our commitment to best-in-class strategic partnerships, and highlights our understanding that IT solutions must continue to evolve, he says. Internal IT teams are being challenged to move faster and become the driver of innovation for their organizations now more than ever. Achieving VMware partner status helps IT leaders feel confident they can partner with Involta to manage their VMware footprint, and provides the freedom to focus on their core business. It also helps the internal team maintain a focus on innovation.

This is also true of hybrid cloud. Holst stresses the need to place the right workloads in the right cloud environment is critical to service delivery and cost containment. To this end, Involta offers hybrid cloud services and an easy-to-use cloud management interface through which customers can quickly gain insights into their public, private, and on-premises deployments.

While cloud has enabled speed, innovation, and scale compared to traditional IT stacks, it has also introduced additional complexities, he says. Our proprietary Involta Cloud Platform, powered by Morpheus, helps IT leaders manage and overcome this challenge. We enable our customers to govern, optimize, automate, consume, and build the network they need within a single platform covering the entire hybrid cloud footprint.

Learn more about Involta and its partnership with VMware here.
BJP's heavyweight



Nandigram candidate Suvendu Adhikary cast his vote soon after polling began on Thursday morning.

Riding a bike, Adhikari went to the Nandanayak Bar Primary School around 7.30 to cast his vote.

Speaking to reporters, he said that he was confident that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is contesting the elections against him from the Nandigram seat, will lose the polls.

"I have a very old relationship with the people of the area. I have a personal relationship with almost every person in Nandigram. Pretty confident that I will win the election," Adhikari said.

"Entire villages have come out to vote in favour of the BJP," he added.

Adhikari said that he went to the polling booth on a bike as the road was too narrow for a car.

"I will urge the people to come out early and cast their votes. There were reports of problems at some booths but those have now been solved. The polling is happening peacefully," he said.

He said that he will try to visit all the booths in the constituency.

Further, the BJP leader claimed that the TMC has failed to depute agents in all the booths.

"It shows that will not be able to win the elections," he said.

Adhikari exercised his franchise for the first time in Nandigram after becoming a voter of the constituency ahead of the elections.

(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.)
This is the shocking moment a man spits at a bus driver during the height of the third coronavirus lockdown as he is jailed for more than four months.

Michael Aidoo, 44, refused to pay a fare when boarding the bus on Queens Road in Peckham, south London, on February 13, a court heard.

He tried to walk past the driver and, when challenged, became abusive. CCTV footage captures him pulling down his mask and spitting towards the key worker before getting back off the bus.

Aidoo appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court today and pleaded guilty to common assault. He was handed an 18-week prison sentence.

Michael Aidoo (pictured above), 44, refused to pay a fare when boarding the bus on Queens Road in Peckham, south London, on February 13, a court heard

A protective screen stopped the spit from reaching the driver, who used a swab to collect a sample which he handed to officers at Lewisham Police Station.

The DNA was found to be a direct match to that of Aidoo and he was arrested by Safer Transport Teams officers at Vauxhall Railway Station on March 24.

At court Aidoo, of no fixed address, was also ordered to pay a 128 victim surcharge.

Detective Sergeant Ian Beattie said: 'This was a disgusting act against a key worker who was providing an essential service during the lockdown.

'To be spat is completely unacceptable and it is right that Aidoo has been given a custodial sentence to reflect the seriousness of this offence.

'Spitting is disgraceful at any time, but it is even more shocking in the middle of a pandemic. We will not tolerate such behaviour.'

Aidoo seen boarding the bus (left) before pulling down his face mask and spitting at the driver (right). He pleaded guilty to common assault at Croydon Magistrates' Court

Aidoo got back off the bus after spitting at the driver, who was protected by a screen and used a swab to collect a sample which he handed to officers at Lewisham Police Station
Los Angeles Sentinel Proudly Endorses Heather Hutt for the 54th Assembly District

Heather Hutt has worked tirelessly within the Black community for years. She was born and raised in this community, where as a single mother, she raised her three sons; she empathizes with the challenges that single mothers (and fathers) deal with on a daily basis. She is the candidate with the best grasp of the vital issues that need to be addressed within the 54th Assembly District and throughout the state.

Hutt has the experience required to step into the 54th Assembly Seat and go to work on day one. The issues facing District 54 are serious; homelessness and a need for affordable housing needs an experienced voice to address these issues. Environmental justice issues, as well as the need to create good paying jobs and wages within this community must be addressed, and is critical to public help and a better quality of life.

Hutt is also dedicated to creating real justice reform. As a mother of three Black men, she has first-hand experience in dealing with the fears and concerns of gang violence, police brutality and systemic discrimination. All of these factors will play a critical role in bringing this much-needed voice to the halls of Sacramento.

As the first Black women to serve as the State Director for former California U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, and as District Director for State Senator and Assemblymember Isadore Hall, Hutt understands the job. She has the experience to fulfill and the quality of character to represent every person of every background throughout the district.

ADVERTISEMENT

With the devastation that COVID-19 has had on the 54th Assembly District, the issues that Heather Hutt has focused on her entire life are more critical than ever. Universal healthcare for everyone, the need for support and funding to help support our local and small businesses cannot be ignored. Improving the support systems that are provided to our teachers and students in our schools and a need to ensure that our community has the access to vaccines is desperately needed.

One only had to visit the Urban League, and Mothers In Actions vaccination site last weekend and you would have found Heather there volunteering to help seniors and others getting vaccinated. This commitment was not a part of her campaign for the 54th but a demonstration of her lifelong commitment to serving the people of her community. This commitment that has been a part of her lifes work and a dedication we desperately need in the leaders we elect to represent us in Sacramento.

It is for these reasons and so many more that the Los Angeles Sentinel proudly endorses Heather Hutt for the 54th Assembly District.
NEW YORK  A 66-year-old woman with a hoarding habit was found dead under a pile of debris inside her Queens home after family and friends spent months searching for her, officials said Wednesday.

Evelyn Sakash was discovered dead under a pile of rubbish in her kitchen about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday after a cleaner had been called in to fix up her home on 123rd Street in College Point, officials said.
Note: In anticipation of increased Easter holiday travel, TDOT crews and contractors will stop all road construction work that requires lane closures beginning Thursday, April 1 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, April 5 at 6:00 a.m.

DISTRICT 27

CLAY COUNTY SR-53 bridge repair over Dry Fork Creek (LM 1.3) and Mill Creek (LM 2.5): The contractor has moved traffic to Phase 2 and the southbound lane will remain open. The northbound lane will be closed, and a temporary signal system will be used to facilitate the flow of traffic through the work zone. Motorists are encouraged to use caution and be prepared to stop while approaching the work zones located at LM 1.35 and 2.50. RESTRICTIONS: Loads wider than 11' should seek alternate route.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Moore/CNU198]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY I-40 repair of the bridges over SR-1 (US-70) at MM 328.5: The contractor will have night time lane closures Monday through Thursday for milling and paving on both the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-40 near MM 328 at the bridge over SR-1 (US-70). Currently, there is a lane shift on eastbound I-40 near MM 328. Motorists should use caution while driving through the area.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Bradley/CNU145]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY TDOT Bridge Maintenance on SR-101 (LANTANA RD.) both directions at LM 5.69: TDOT Bridge Maintenance will be performing routine deck maintenance at the bridge on Lantana road over Laurel Creek on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, from 8AM to 2PM. One lane will be closed at this time with traffic control in place.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY Utility Work on SR-1 (LANTANA RD.) northbound from LM 3.03 to LM 3.75: Shoulder and single lane closure between the intersection of SR101 and Turkey Blind and the intersection SR101 and Midway Road. Signage, and flaggers will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 AM and 2 PM beginning 03/15/21 through 05/15/21. [2021-138]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-101 (Peavine Road) grading, drainage, and paving from Firetower Road to Westchester/Catoosa Boulevard: Motorists should use caution while driving along Peavine Road and be alert for changes in traffic patterns. The posted speed limit has been reduced from 45 MPH to 35 MPH within the work zone. The existing speed limit within Fairfield Glade remains at 30 MPH. Temporary lane closures and/or traffic stoppages may be needed as paving, traffic signal work, and other construction activities continue. Motorists should reduce speed on Peavine Road and be alert for construction personnel/equipment entering and exiting the roadway.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Bradley/CNQ921]

DEKALB AND WARREN COUNTY SR-56 construction of bridges and paving from south of Warren-Dekalb county line (LM 24.5) to East Bryant St. (LM 2.9): The contractor will continue installing concrete box culverts and drainage structures. Grade work, bridge work, paving operations, and utility work on the new roadway alignment are ongoing. Traffic is still using the existing SR-56; however, motorists are advised to use caution and watch for construction equipment adjacent to roadway. Flaggers may be present to move equipment across roadway, unload equipment, or complete utility work. The contractor currently performing grade work inside Smithville City Limits between Dearman Street and East Bryant Street. A traffic shift in this area will remain to allow contractor to complete work. A diversion remains in place for Williams Road to allow contractor to construct new alignment. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 mph in the construction zone. Motorists should use caution in this area and watch for flaggers and construction equipment.

[Jones Bros. Contractors, LLC/Harris/CNT011]

FENTRESS COUNTY SR-85 rock fall mitigation at LM 3.8: The contractor continues working on the rock fall mitigation located at LM 3.8. During this work, a signed detour route will remain in place to allow traffic to bypass the work area. The closure will remain in effect during the entire project; the estimated completion date is 05/30/21.

[J and M Grading Division, LLC/Moore/CNU276]

FENTRESS AND OVERTON COUNTY SR-85 emergency slide repairs at various locations: The contractor continues work near LM 21.0 in Overton County on SR 85. During this work, the roadway will be completely closed, and a signed detour route will be in place to allow motorists to bypass the work zone. The estimated project completion date is 05/28/21.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Moore/CNT154]

JACKSON COUNTY TDOT Maintenance on SR-262 (GLADDICE HWY.) eastbound from LM 8.0 to LM 8.6: SR-262 in Jackson Co. is reduced to one lane with temporary signals from LM 8.0 to LM 8.6 due to multiple slope failures which have damaged the eastbound lane and shoulder.

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-135 (Burgess Falls Road) grading, drainage, signals and paving at the intersection of West Cemetery Road (LM 6.6): Signal Safety improvement at the intersection of West Cemetery Rd and SR135. Contractor will continue clearing and grubbing operations and begin grade work preparations. Motorists are advised to use caution and be alert to all construction signage while traveling through the work zone.

[Rogers Group, Inc./James/CNU270]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-24 (US-70N) slide repair near LM 30.1: The contractor will be installing barrier rail and beginning excavation work. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and controlled by temporary traffic signals at each end of the project. Be prepared to stop when traveling through the work zone.

[Rogers Group, Inc./James/CNU359]

WHITE COUNTY TDOT Maintenance on SR-1 (E. BOCKMAN WAY) both directions from LM 13.2 to LM 14.7: SR-1 eastbound is reduced to one lane from LM 13.2 to 14.7. The westbound lane is shifted from LM 14.4 to 14.7. This will remain in effect until slope stabilization work completion, which is anticipated to be 4/6/21. Sunset Rock will be closed for the duration.

DISTRICT 28

BLEDSOE COUNTY SR-30 slope stabilization at LM 12.5: Roadway is reduced to one lane. Traffic is controlled by signals.

[TDOT/Miner/MAINT]

BLEDSOE COUNTY Utility Work on SR-30 (STATE HWY. 30) both directions from LM 0.05 to LM 10.32: Mobile lane closure along SR-30 between SR-30 and SR-127 intersection and the Bledsoe County line. Signage, flaggers, and cones will be present, motorists should be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 AM and 2 PM between 03/15/21 through 06/15/21. [2020-408]

COFFEE COUNTY TDOT Maintenance on I-24 eastbound from MM 97 to MM 127: Daily lane reduction to one lane eastbound only will start after 12 noon 5 April through Thursday 8 April 2021 for pothole patching operations. traffic control will be in place

COFFEE COUNTY Utility Work on SR-2 (US-41) both directions from LM 0 to LM 28.55: Mobile lane closure along SR-2 between Holly Court and Henley Lane. Signage, flaggers, and cones will be present, motorists should be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 AM and 2 PM between 11/30/20 through 04/15/21. [2020-658]

COFFEE COUNTY SR-2 (US-41) resurfacing from near I-24 (LM16.8) to near Old Hillsboro Highway (LM 21.5): Weather permitting the contractor will continue the asphalt removal process and paving. Work will progress each day 7AM to 7PM. Motorists are advised to use caution while traveling through the work zone and be alert of all signage, traffic control devices, personnel, and equipment. The road will be reduced to one lane to accommodate the work being performed; safety personnel will be present. Due to Holiday restrictions there will be no lane closures or progress work from 6 PM on Thursday, 04/01/21 until 6 AM on Monday, 04/05/21

[Select Contractor/Hussein/CNV008]

GRUNDY COUNTY Utility Work on SR-2 (US-41) both directions from LM 1.95 to LM 0: Mobile lane closure along SR-2 between Holly Court and Henley Lane. Signage, flaggers, and cones will be present, motorists should be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 AM and 2 PM between 11/30/20 through 04/15/21. [2020-658]

GRUNDY COUNTY Utility Work on SR-56 both directions from LM 20.19 to LM 25.69: Mobile lane closures along SR-56 from the intersection of SR-56 and SR-108 to the intersection of SR-56 and Store Door Road. Motorists should use caution and be aware of personnel and equipment when traveling through the work zones. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present between 7 AM to 4 PM starting 08/31/20 through 04/30/21. [2020-440]

GRUNDY COUNTY SR-56 slide repair between LM 26.3 and LM 26.6: The road will remain one lane controlled by a temporary traffic signal while contractor completes slide repairs in the area. Motorists should use caution in the area and watch for flaggers and equipment.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Harris/CNU355]

MARION COUNTY I-24 westbound MM 166 to MM 167 slope stabilization: Right Shoulder closure from mile 167 to 166.4 West bound direction of I-24. Traffic Control signs are installed notifying of the shoulder closure

[GeoStabilization International, LLC /Miner/MAINT]

MARION COUNTY Utility Work on SR-108 (STATE HWY. 108) both directions from LM 7.05 to LM 4.21: Mobile lane closures along SR-108 from the intersection of SR-108 and Floyd Road to the intersection of SR-108 and Fish Branch Road. Motorists should use caution and be aware of personnel and equipment when traveling through the work zones. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present between 8 AM to 4 PM starting 01/18/21 through 04/30/21. [2020-540]

SEQUATCHIE COUNTY SR-8 (US-127) repair of bridge over the Sequatchie River (LM 12.7): The contractor will be working on SR-8 on the bridge over the Sequatchie River. The road will be reduced to one lane controlled by a traffic signal while repairs are made. Please use caution when traveling through the area.

[Southern Constructors, Inc./Voiles/CNU148]

DISTRICT 29

BRADLEY COUNTY Utility Work on SR-2 (S. LEE HWY.) northbound from LM 8.21 to LM 8.44: Lane closures between Grove Ave NW and Harrison Pike. Signage, flaggers, and cones will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment for nighttime and daytime work between 8 PM and 6 AM and 9 am to 2 pm Monday- Friday with an estimated completion 04/30/21. [2020-423/424]

BRADLEY COUNTY Utility Work on SR-74 (OCOEE ST. N.E.) both directions from LM 16.26 to LM 16.88: Shoulder and single lane closure between Westview Drive NW and Keith Street NW. Signage and cones will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 AM and 3 PM with an estimated completion 04/30/21. [2020-193]

BRADLEY COUNTY Utility Work on SR-74 (SPRING PLACE RD.) southbound at LM 10.63: Shoulder and single lane closure between Wildwood Drive and Dowdy Road. Flaggers, signage, and cones will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 AM and 2 PM starting 04/01/21 through 04/16/21. [2021-135]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-153 resurfacing from north of SR-58 (LM 4.8) to the Tennessee River Bridge (LM 6.5): On Sunday night - Thursday night of this reporting period, the contractor could have lane closures on the Southbound lanes from 8 PM-6 AM as the contractor Finishes the striping and snowplowable markers

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Curtis/CNU196]

HAMILTON COUNTY I-24 interchange improvement at SR-2 (US-11, US-41, US-72, Broad Street) and SR-58 (Market Street): During this reporting period, the contractor will be performing utility relocation work throughout the project limits, installing new drainage structures, and performing initial grading work for retaining wall construction. A traffic shift on I-24 eastbound has been implemented near MM 178 to allow for new construction on the right shoulder of the interstate. Brief intermittent lane closures are possible during daylight hours on SR-2 (Broad St.) and SR-58 (Market St.) to allow for moving equipment and utility relocation.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Wagner/CNU011]

HAMILTON COUNTY I-24 Replacement of Belvoir Ave. bridge over I-24 and I-24 bridges over Germantown Road near MM 183: Lane shifts and single lane closures are in place at North and South Terrace approaching the Belvoir Avenue Bridge. Single and double alternating lane closures on I-24 EB and WB will be used between 04/05/21 and 04/07/21 from 9 PM and 6 AM. Additionally, there will be single lane closures in the north and south directions of Germantown Road under the I-24 Bridge and at the intersections of Germantown with North and South Terrace. These closures will occur between 04/05/21 and 04/07/21 from 9 AM to 6 AM the following morning. Motorists should be aware of the Belvoir Avenue Bridge closure and detour that was put into place on 04/20/20. The Belvoir Avenue Bridge closure is scheduled to open on 03/31/2021 with the associated detour removed. There is a 45 MPH speed limit reduction throughout the project corridor on I-24.

[Bell and Associates Construction, LP/Blevins/CMGC03]

HAMILTON COUNTY I-75 at I-24 Interchange Reconstruction: Phase 2 traffic alignments have been implemented. Watch for trucks entering and exiting project. Traffic should expect multiple lane shifts traveling through the interchange. Lane closures will occur Sunday nights through Thursday nights between 9 PM and 6 AM at the following locations: I-75 NB MM 1, I-75 SB MM 3 and I-24 EB MM 184.0 Traffic pacing may occur throughout interchange Sunday nights through Thursday nights between 9 PM and 6 AM. Additionally, there may intermittent shoulder closures at various locations for access to the median and roadside areas. I-75 NB to I-24 WB split has been moved back 1500 feet from its previous location. Welcome Center traffic intending to use I-24 WB now, will have to detour on I-75 NB to Exit 3. Detailed detour information will be available at the Welcome Center. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 MPH throughout the interchange.

[C.W. Matthews Contracting Company, Inc./Blevins/DB1801]

HAMILTON COUNTY US-27 (I-124) widening from I-24/US-27 interchange to north of the Olgiati Bridge over the Tennessee River, including widening the Olgiati Bridge: Weather Permitting, the contractor will implement a lane/shoulder closures daily between the hours of 7:00 pm and 6:00 am. Note: Monday thru Friday from 6AM to 7PM a minimum of two lanes will remain open both Northbound and Southbound on US-27. Monday thru Friday from 7PM to 6AM and Saturday and Sunday from 6AM to 7PM a minimum of one lane will remain open both Northbound and Southbound on US-27. Thursday 04/01/21 thru Wednesday 04/07/21  7AM to 6PM Temporary lane/shoulder closures will be in place for southbound and northbound US-27 from the Olgiati Bridge to I-24 for punch list items. State Troopers are requested for the lane closures during this time.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Curtis/CNP230]

HAMILTON COUNTY TDOT Contractor on I-75 both directions from MM 5.2 to MM 6.5: TDOT contractors will intermittently close the outside shoulder on NB and SB I-75 between MM 5.2 and MM 6.5 This work will take place between 9PM and 6AM starting Wednesday 04/07/21 and finishing Friday morning 04/09/21 Contractors will also intermittently close the right hand lane on I-75 SB at MM 6.5 between 9PM and 6AM starting Wednesday 04/07/21 and finishing Friday morning 04/09/21. [Wiser and Associates / Ford (R2 Survey)]

HAMILTON COUNTY TDOT Maintenance on SR-320 (E. BRAINERD RD.) both directions from LM 7.2 to LM 7.3: From 8 AM- 4 PM on Monday of this reporting period, there will be lane closures at this location. This lane closure will affect the traffic signal at the intersection of East Brainerd and Ooltewah-Ringgold Road. Expect possible delays at this location.

HAMILTON COUNTY TDOT Maintenance on SR-58 (HWY. 58) both directions from LM 17.4 to LM 25: On Tuesday and Wednesday of this reporting period, expect intermittent lane closures in this area. There is a possibility of long delays.

HAMILTON COUNTY Utility Work on SR-17 (S. WILLOW ST.) southbound at LM 2.92: South Willow Street will be reduced to one lane with southbound traffic detour for utility work between Vance Avenue and Kirby Avenue. Motorists should proceed with caution and be aware of signage, personnel, and equipment between the hours of 9 am - 3 pm starting 4/5/21 with an estimated completion date of 4/21/21 [2021-020].

HAMILTON COUNTY Utility Work on SR-2 (BRAINERD RD.) westbound at LM 12.36: Shoulder and single lane closure between Vista Drive and Tunnel Blvd. Arrow board, signage and cones will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 AM and 2 PM starting 04/05/21 through 04/09/21. [2021-221]

HAMILTON COUNTY Utility Work on SR-319 (HIXSON PK.) both directions at LM 10.62: Multiple lane closures between Port Drive and Crabtree Road. Arrow Boards, signage, barrels, and barricades will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 AM and 2 PM starting 04/06/21 through 04/16/21. [2021-076]

HAMILTON COUNTY Utility Work on SR-8 (MARKET ST.) southbound at LM 8.95: Single lane closure at SW corner intersection of Market Street and E. Martin Luther King Blvd. Signage barricades, and cones will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 10 AM and 3:30 PM starting 03/25/21 through 04/07/21. [2021-162]

HAMILTON COUNTY Utility Work on SR-8 (RINGGOLD RD.) both directions at LM 2.65: Shoulder, bike lane and single lane closure between Karwill Lane and Rebecca Drive. Signage and barrels will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 AM and 2 PM starting 04/05/21 through 04/09/21. [2021-218]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-29 (US-27) repair of the bridge over Big Soddy Creek (LM 20.6): The contractor will be performing bridge & roadway repair on the SR-29 bridge over Big Soddy Creek. Southbound will be open completely with no lane restrictions. Northbound will have two lanes open and one lane closed. There is the potential for temporary closures at times.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNU046]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-2 (US-64, US-11) improvement of the intersection at Edgmon Road in Collegedale (LM 22.7), including grading, drainage, and paving: Extra care should be taken while trucks are entering and exiting the roadway. One lane might be intermittently closed while work is ongoing. Additional flaggers will be onsite as needed.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNU012]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-317 (Apison Pike) improvement project from SR-321 (Ooltewah-Ringgold Road) to east of Layton Lane: Lane closures and flagging operations will be required on SR-317, Apison Pike, to install power poles and transfer lines. The flagging operations will be performed on 04/01/21, 04/02/21, 04/05/21, 04/06/21, and 04/07/21 from 7 AM to 1 PM and 3 PM to 7 PM. Closures will last about 2 hours per location. The contractor will have intermittent flagging operations during daytime non-peak hours for utility work, delivery of materials and equipment.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNT336]

HAMILTON COUNTY The construction of an S.I.A. to VW: The contractor will be grading, paving, constructing retaining wall(s) and installing signals & lighting on S.I.A. route connecting Ferdinand Piech Way & Volkswagen Dr. The roadway is not open to traffic. The traveling public should be alert to the entrance and exit of construction vehicles from the jobsite onto the connecting roadways. Flaggers may be onsite directing traffic.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNU221]

MCMINN COUNTY I-75 at SR-30 (Exit 49) and SR-305 (Exit 52) interchange improvements: During this reporting period the contractor will have crews mobilizing to the project site to install construction signs. This work will occur between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM Monday through Friday and will require temporary closures of the shoulders of the interstate ramps at Exit 49. Temporary shoulder closures are also possible on SR30 during these hours as crews work to install construction signs. Motorists are advised to reduce speed and watch for workers on the interstate ramps.

[APAC - Atlantic, Inc./Wagner/CNU352]

MCMINN COUNTY TDOT Bridge Inspection on SR-310 (MECCA PK.) both directions at LM 4.36: TDOT Bridge Maintenance will be assisting a contractor inspecting the bridge on SR-310 over the Conasauga River on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, from 9AM to 2PM. One lane will be closed at this time with traffic control in place.

MEIGS COUNTY TDOT Bridge Inspection on SR-304 (RIVER RD.) both directions at LM 4.77: TDOT Bridge Maintenance will be assisting a contractor inspecting the bridge on SR-304 over Big Sewee Creek on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, from 9AM to 2PM. One lane will be closed at this time with traffic control in place.

POLK COUNTY Utility Work on SR-33 (HWY. 411) both directions from LM 9.9 to LM 14: Mobile lane closures SR-40 junction to Ocoee River Bridge as crews transition work zone. Motorists should use caution and be aware of personnel and equipment when traveling through the work zones. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present between 9 AM to 3 PM with an estimated completion of 05/06/21. [2019-245]

POLK COUNTY SR-40 (US-64) bridge over the Ocoee River: During this reporting period, the contractor will be working on foundations for the new bridge and installation of drainage structures on the west side of the project. The right shoulder of SR-40 (US-64) is closed for the duration of this work. Motorists are advised to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for trucks entering/leaving the highway.

[Charles Blalock and Sons, Inc./Wagner/DB1802]

POLK COUNTY SR-40 (US-64) emergency slope stabilization near LM 20.5: During this reporting period the contractor will have intermittent lane closures in place on SR-40 in (US-64) in both directions Monday through Friday from 8AM to 6PM to place permanent pavement markings, snowplowable pavement markers, and to perform work on the punchlist.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Wagner/CNU909]

RHEA COUNTY The grading, drainage, construction of bridges, paving and signals on a S.I.A. route serving Nokian Tyres: Construction activity at the Nokian Tyres SIA project continues just North of Dayton, TN. The traveling public should be alert to construction vehicles entering and exiting the site. SR-29 traffic will continue to experience slight lane shifts with no shoulders at the entrance to the SIA roadway but there will be no lane closures on SR29.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Curtis/CNU014]

REGION WIDE

REGION 2 The random on-call signing on various Interstate and State Routes: The contractor will be setting up lane closures to install signs on I-75 SB in Bradley County. During the night from 03/29/21 to 04/01/21, from 9 PM - 6 AM, left and right lane closures will be setup on I-75 SB from MM 18 to MM 16 in Bradley County. Only one lane closure will be setup at a time. A truck mounted attenuator and Tennessee Highway Patrol will be on site during the nighttime lane closures.

[Superior Traffic Control, LLC/Inc./Voiles/CNU178]

REGION 2 on-call guardrail repair and new guardrail installation on various Interstate and State Routes: The contractor may have short term shoulder and/or lane closures to perform guardrail repair. These closures will take place on the interstate nightly from 7 PM to 6 AM Sundays through Thursdays and daily on state routes. At least one travel lane will always remain open to traffic on the interstate, and flaggers will be present on state routes during any work that is performed.

[Cumberland Guardrail, Inc./Harris/CNU107]

REGION 2 preventative and unscheduled maintenance of Chattanooga SmartWay Intelligent Transportation System: The contractor may have short term shoulder and/or lane closures to perform preventative or unscheduled maintenance to the local SmartWay Intelligent Transportation System. At least one travel lane will always remain open to traffic. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed.

[NABCO Electric Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNT354]

REGION 2 TDOT Maintenance drainage work: There will be possible short-term lane and shoulder closures at various locations in Region 2 to clean rock and debris from ditches on an as-needed basis. One lane will always be maintained.

[TDOT Operations/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

REGION 2 TDOT Maintenance pothole repair and pavement patching: There will be possible short-term emergency lane closures at various locations in Region 2 to repair potholes and patch pavement on an as-needed basis. Depending on location and severity these repairs may be done during the day or at night. In addition to performing the work, regional Operations crews will also provide traffic control.

[TDOT Operations/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

REGION 2 TDOT mowing operations: There will be possible short-term lane closures at various locations on interstates and state routes in Region 2 to perform mowing activities on an as-needed basis. In addition to performing the work, regional Operations crews will also provide traffic control.

[TDOT/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

REGION 2 The random on-call cable barrier repair on various Interstate and State Routes: The contractor may have short term shoulder closures to perform cable rail repair. Both travel lanes will always remain open to traffic on the interstate during any work that is performed.

[LU, Inc./Harris/CNU303]

REGION 2 The sweeping and drain cleaning on various Interstate and State Routes: There will be an area wide sweeping operation on selected regional state routes and interstates. This activity will be supported by a mobile lane closure. Hours of activity are Sunday through Thursday night between 8 PM and 6 AM during this reporting period. The drain cleaning operation will be starting Monday night of this reporting period. They will be having an intermittent lane closures on I75 SB from Starting from MM17 to MM 10. The lane closures will from 8 PM-6 AM Monday thru Wednesday of this reporting period.

[Sweeping Corporation of America, Inc./Curtis/CNU328]

RESTRICTIONS

CLAY COUNTY - CNU198: Loads wider than 11' should seek alternate route.

Motorists are encouraged to use caution and obey reduced speed limits in all TDOT work zones, regardless of lane closure activity.

Information in this report is provided to the Department of Transportation by the contractors. Most work is weather dependent and subject to change due to inclement weather. All times are local.

From your desktop or mobile device, get the latest construction activity and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras at www.TNSmartWay.com/Traffic. Travelers can also dial 511 from any land-line or cellular phone for travel information, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TN511 for statewide travel or Chattanooga area alerts @Chattanooga511 or any of TDOT's other Twitter pages. As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and Know Before You Go! by checking travel conditions before leaving for your destination. Drivers should never tweet, text, or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel.

In 2016, the Tennessee Department of Transportation lost three workers in the line of duty. All three were struck by passing motorists. Those tragedies bring the total number of TDOT lives lost to 112. We don't want to lose another member of our TDOT family. We're asking you to WORK WITH US. To learn more, go to the website at https://www.tn.gov/tdot/work-with-us/.

###
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A shooting at a Southern California office building on Wednesday has left four people dead, including a child, and a fifth victim and the gunman critically wounded, police said.

Orange Police Department arrived at the office block to live gunfire at around 5.30pm at 202 W. Lincoln Avenue - a small two-story building that houses a number of small businesses.

At least one cop fired at the suspect who has been wounded and taken to hospital and a firearm was recovered from the scene, police said. Its unclear if the suspect suffered a self-inflicted wound or was shot by police.

Footage taken by one witness shows the moment a bloodied man believed to be the suspect in the shooting was dragged by police from the office complex.

Signs outside indicated a handful of businesses were located there, including an insurance office, a financial consulting firm, a legal services business and a phone repair store.

Lt. Jennifer Amat, a spokeswoman for the Orange Police Department, said the shooting spree took place upstairs and downstairs inside the complex before moving to an outside courtyard. Police have not released the motive for the attack or the office affected.

Hector Gomez works in the building. He told The New York Times that the woman who ran a real estate office - where the windows were shot out Wednesday - would often bring her son to work.

Paul Tovar told KTLA-TV that his brother owns United Homes, a mobile home broker in the office complex. 'He's not answering his phone, neither's my niece,' Mr Tovar said. 'I'm pretty scared and worried - right now I'm just praying really hard.'

Charlie Espinoza told The Orange County Register that he could not reach his fiance, who works for a medical billing company at the site.

It is the third mass shooting in the United States in two weeks after a shooting at Atlanta spas killed eight people, including six Asian women, and 10 people were killed at a Boulder, Colorado grocery store.

The attack is also the city's deadliest shooting since the 1997 Caltrans attack which also left four people dead when a disgruntled employee gunned down his colleagues.

Scroll down for video

Police officers stand outside a business building where a shooting occurred in Orange, California on Wednesday

Police surround someone at the scene in a video shared online by a witness who said it showed the gunman being detained by cops

Locals gathered near the crime scene after the attack on Wednesday which has left four people, including a child, dead

An object believed to have been involved with the shooting is pictured on the blood spattered ground alongside a tactical vest or some sort of bag with straps

The shooting took place at around 5.30pm at 202 W. Lincoln Avenue in Orange at a small, two-story office building that houses a number of small businesses

Investigators arrived at the scene on Wednesday evening after the shooting which took place in an office suite at the complex, police said

An armored police vehicle was on the scene as investigators tried to determine the motive and victims of the savage attack

Police officers stand outside a building where multiple people were killed in a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday

Police officers stand outside a business building where a shooting occurred in Orange, California on Wednesday after four people, including a child, were killed

A police officer stands in a building were multiple people were killed in a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday

Police officers are seen in a building were multiple people were killed in a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday

A police officer stands outside a building were multiple people were killed in a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday

Investigators survey the scene in an office building after a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday night

A police officer keeps watch at an office building after the massacre on Wednesday evening at the office block in Orange

Investigators survey the scene in an office building after a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday night

California Gov Gavin Newsom said the shooting was 'horrifying and heartbreaking' as he paid tribute to the victims' families

City of Orange Police Department's Lt. Jennifer Amat said a female victim and the suspected male shooter were in critical condition at an area hospital

Carnage as 22 killed in mass shootings in 15 days Wednesday's shooting was the third mass shooting in the US in two weeks, leaving 22 people dead. On March 16, Robert Aaron Long, 21, gunned down eight people in a series of attacks at three Atlanta spas. Six of the victims were Asian women and police said he carried out the massacre in retaliation for his sex addiction. Long was arrested and has been charged with eight counts of murder. The following Tuesday, gunman Ahmad Alissa shot dead ten people including a police officer, in a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. His motive remains unclear and he is being held on 10 counts of murder, one count of attempted murder. Friends and family say the shooter was a 'paranoid loner' who had never had a girlfriend and was bullied in school over his Syrian heritage. Wednesday's latest attack adds four more fatalities to the growing list of America's mass shooting victims as the gun reform debate continues to rage. Advertisement

'Officers arrived as shots were being fired and located multiple victims at the scene including fatalities. An officer involved shooting occurred,' said the police post, which was filed shortly after 7pm.

'The situation has been stabilized and there is no threat to the public.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Orange Police Department for more information and additional comment, as well as clarification about the manner of the shooting and possible victims.

A SWAT vehicle and dozens of police cars responded to the shooting as well as fire engines from multiple area fire departments, the Orange County Register reported.

A video appears to show officers as they 'captured the suspect alive,' according to @skkboz who posted it to Twitter.

It has not been confirmed if the person in the video is the gunman.

The Twitter user said: 'Officers seen removing two handguns from an individual who lie motionless on the ground. Officers could be seen leading two others away in handcuffs.'

A Facebook livestream, posted by a resident who lives near the office building, showed officers carrying a motionless person out and providing aid to someone else, the Orange County Register reported.

It also showed officers taking two handguns from someone who was lying on the ground and providing help to another person. Two other people were led away in handcuffs, the paper said.

KABC-TV reported that at least two bodies could be seen outside the building with one on a second floor walkway and one in a courtyard after the deadly attack, as well as bloody clothes and what appeared to be a weapon.

At Least 4 Killed in Shooting in City of Orange California, police have "captured the suspect alive" pic.twitter.com/dpFsdzEdzQ  Sk Boz (@skkboz) April 1, 2021

An Orange Police Department SWAT vehicle is seen with Orange City Fire Department firefighters on Wednesday after a deadly mass shooting

Police are seen investigating a deadly mass shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday that killed four people

Bloody clothes and what appeared to be wallet are seen after the deadly mass shooting a California office building on Wednesday

A police officer stands outside a building were multiple people were killed in a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday

An aerial view shows the large police response after a deadly shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday

Fire trucks and an armored vehicle are seen at the two-story office building where a deadly shooting happened on Wednesday

City of Orange police cars block the road in the aftermath of America's latest mass shooting after a bloody two weeks which has seen 22 people killed

People gathered by the police cordon after the attack which police said was the worst in Orange since the 1997 Caltrans shooting

Witnesses told the outlet that they heard two distinct sets of shots with the first being the initial rampage and the second being the shootout with cops.

'I was just in my room hanging out. All of a sudden I heard five to seven gun shots go off,' a neighbor told KABC-TV.

'And then I waited a couple minutes and the police came. And I heard a few more gunshots go off. It was a lot, quickly. Then the helicopter showed up and it was silent after that.'

The neighbor added: 'We thought it was a car backfiring at first. Then it became louder and quicker and we knew it was not. It was quick gunfire shots.'

Cody Lev, who lives across the street from the office building, told the Orange County Register that he was sitting on a couch with headphones on when he heard the gunfire begin.

Cops were seen in a video posted to Facebook running to the scene of the shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday

A video showed officers at the scene interacting with a person on the ground outside of the office building on Wednesday

A video showed officers at the scene interacting with a person on the ground outside of the office building on Wednesday

Officers and paramedics load a person on a gurney into an ambulance after the deadly attack in Orange, California

He said he saw police swarm the office building and paramedics carry a person away on a stretcher when he looked outside from his home.

Politicians started to react to the news of yet another mass shooting on Wednesday evening.

In a tweet, Gov. Gavin Newsom called the killings 'horrifying and heartbreaking.'

'Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight,' he wrote.

Congresswoman Katie Porter said on Twitter that she was 'deeply saddened' by reports of the mass shooting.

'I'm continuing to keep victims and their loved ones in my thoughts as we continue to learn more,' she tweeted.

'Obviously this is something shocking for the city of Orange, for something of this magnitude to happen,' Orange Councilwoman Arianna Barrios said, according to the Orange County Register.

'Perhaps in this day and age, no community should be unprepared for something like this to happen.'

The Orange Police Department said that it was that city's deadliest shooting since 1997

Politicians including State Assembly member Rob Bonta, a pick for California Attorney General, have started to respond to the shooting

State Assembly member Rob Bonta called gun violence 'America's disease.'

'No one should have to fear for their lives at work, in school, or in prayer,' Bonta wrote in tweet.

Bonta is Gov. Gavin Newsom's nominee for California attorney general.

'I am truly heartbroken for the victims' families and everyone impacted by this shooting in Orange. We don't have to live like this. We need #MoreThanThoughtsAndPrayers to stop these preventable tragedies. We must ensure that our communities are safe,' wrote State Assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva on Twitter.

The Orange Police Department said that it was that city's deadliest shooting since 1997 when a 43-year-old former Caltrans worker who had been fired shot and killed four of his former coworkers before he was killed by police.

Arturo Reyes Torres, 41, an equipment operator who had been fired six weeks earlier, killed four people and wounded others, including a police officer, before police killed him.

The city of Orange is about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles and home to about 140,000 people. It is six miles from Disneyland, California.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 23:30:58|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior adviser on race is to resign amid the intense debate over Downing Street's controversial report on racial disparities in Britain, local media reported Thursday.

Samuel Kasumu, Johnson's special adviser for civil society and communities, will leave his role in May and has informed colleagues of his decision on Wednesday, sources confirmed to British media. (UK-Adviser-Quit)

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korean capital Seoul on Thursday sent a proposal to the IOC to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics with Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Seoul's metropolitan government said in a statement that it submitted the proposal to the future host commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after having been in "continuous dialogue" with the IOC since January 2020. (Sports-Olympics-Korea)

- - - -

TEHRAN -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday criticized Washington for the delay in re-embracing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, commonly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

As Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said, if the United States returns to the JCPOA, Iran will also return to its commitments, Rouhani was quoted as saying by the state TV. (Iran-JCPOA-US)

- - - -

BENI, DR Congo -- At least 29 people were killed in a new attack by Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) near Beni, in the Congolese province of North Kivu (east), local authorities confirmed Thursday.

According to the municipal government of Beni, at least 25 bodies of civilians were found in a village targeted by the attack carried out Wednesday, as well as those of four rebels killed by the army in the fighting. (DRC-Ugandan Rebels Attack-Casualty)

- - - -

MOSCOW -- Recent movements by Russian soldiers within the country's territory were aimed at safeguarding Russia's borders and pose no threat to others, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

In response to a question on Russia's military build-up near its borders with Ukraine, Peskov told a daily briefing that "this should not concern anyone." (Russia-Ukraine-Tensions) Enditem
With no fanfare or celebratory music, nearly 6 million more Californians became eligible for coronavirus vaccinations on Thursday when the state opened the door to people ages 50 to 64  and the first thing many did was search for an appointment.

Got one in Oakland on Saturday May 1, texted Tina Valentine, 57, of San Francisco, who kept switching monitor views during her online dance class to try and sign up, before she finally landed her Kaiser appointment. I booked it but Im still going to try for earlier if I can do that! But at least I have an appointment! I feel relieved!

Yet many discovered what Bay Area health officials have been warning about for days: The demand for COVID protection still exceeds the available doses, and appointments are hard to come by. These vaccine hunters included many who learned that some counties and clinics let the 50-64 age group sign up earlier in the week for appointments that began Thursday. California has 7.2 million people ages 50 to 64, and nearly 6 million of them still need one or both shots.

It seems like its an odd April Fools joke, said Scott Steinberg, 56, a retired tech employee in San Francisco who at 8 a.m. began checking every pharmacy and vaccination site he could think of to snag an appointment for himself and his wife. He refreshed the sites all morning, concluding, It looks pretty bleak at the moment.

Yet many persistent vaccine seekers hit the jackpot, either on Thursday or in the few preceding days, finding appointments near or far from home, on dates within a few days, or weeks. Others, like Valentine, made a game of the hunt, betting friends on who could find an appointment  and the best date and location  the fastest.

Courtesy Scott Steinberg

Were just thrilled, so happy. Glad that its behind us, said Jennifer Miller of Mountain View, 50, after getting her shot Thursday morning. She and her husband, Adin Miller, 51, had been prepared to drive as far as Stockton for shots, but managed to land slots right in Mountain View after a friend texted her on Tuesday that she should immediately call Santa Clara County for an appointment.

The couple waited more than half an hour at the Mountain View Community Center in a line that swelled to what seemed like 500 people winding around the building and through a park by the time they left.

Buoyed by her success, Miller shared her tip in a 20,000-person Facebook group called Bay Area Vaccine Hunters, and got 113 comments and many thanks from others around her age who also managed to schedule appointments.

Opening day for vaccinating people as young as 50 against the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 59,000 in California and almost 10 times as many across the country, came as Bay Area counties warned that they still have far too little vaccine to accommodate every eligible person, despite expected supply increases.

Santa Clara County is about to receive 24% more doses next week  71,900, up from about 58,000. However, its still not enough, Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, the countys vaccine coordinator, said at a Thursday news briefing. With 370,000 county residents in the newly eligible age group, and most of them unvaccinated, thats adding a lot of people that we dont have vaccine for now, he said.

So people, everyone be patient.

Contra Costa County reported this week that 30,000 people jumped online to request appointments when the county said Tuesday that all residents 16 and over were now eligible for shots. County officials said it would be days before they could respond to all the requests.

Kaiser announced this week that demand will continue to be greater than supply for weeks to come, especially when those as young as 16 become eligible statewide on April 15. Sonoma County officials wrote the state begging for more vaccine. And UCSFs mass vaccination site at City College of San Francisco remained shuttered Thursday for lack of doses.

Yet anecdotally, at least, Thursdays rollout seemed smooth as thousands of tenacious people spent enough time online to land a prized appointment. To win a slot at the Oakland Coliseum site required doggedness after the frustration of a repeated no appointments message. That was also true of the UCSF site, where some Friday appointments were available through myturn.ca.gov, Californias appointment site.

Among the newly eligible was Californias top 53-year-old, Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sat for a single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot in the arm administered by the state health secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, at a vaccination clinic in Los Angeles.

Newsom called it an important day, obviously, with the opportunity now for people my age, who have been waiting.

On Thursday morning, a diverse crowd snaked down Armstrong Avenue at the Southeast Health Center in San Franciscos Bayview neighborhood to await their jabs. About 70% had made appointments and 30% were walk-ins, S.F. health officials said.

Its just an amazing feeling, said David Johns, 60, smiling behind his mask as he waited in a tent after receiving his first shot of a two-dose regimen. He said his twin sister made his appointment because he, like many people, had trouble navigating the computer system.

Thanks to his newfound immunity, Johns plans to hop a flight to Nairobi for a vacation in Kenya  but will make sure hes back in three weeks for his second dose.

Alvin Chong, 58, said that with his first dose in his veins Thursday he felt a weight lifted off my mind. The thought of protection eases you.

During the required 15 minutes post-shot observation, Chong marveled at how people older than he is ever managed navigating the online booking system that he had found confusing.

If they didnt have a walk-in site like this, he said, Id still be online.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Alexei Koseff, Catherine Ho and Erin Allday contributed to this report.

Meghan Bobrowsky, Michael Williams and Nanette Asimov are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: meghan.bobrowsky@sfchronicle.com, michael.williams@sfchronicle.com, nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MeghanBobrowsky, @michaeldamianw, @NanetteAsimov
Alison Collins is seen during an editorial board meeting, in San Francisco, Calif., on Sept. 26, 2018. (Liz Hafalia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

California School Board VP Sues School District, Commissioners Over Anti-Asian Tweets

A former vice president and member of the San Francisco School Board has filed a lawsuit on Wednesday accusing the school district and five board members of violating her First Amendment rights in the form of silencing her free speech.

Alison Collins is seeking $12 million in damages from the school district, along with $3 million in punitive damages from each of the five members who stripped her from her position as vice president and involvement in the committee, the lawsuit alleges, which was made public on Twitter by reporter Gabriel Lorenzo Greschler of Jewish news agency KQED.

Last week, Collins was removed from her role as vice president in a 52 passing no-confidence vote after the board drafted a resolution seeking to strip her from her role over a series of anti-Asian tweets she posted in 2016.

Collins alleges that the actions against her are in violation of her free speech and falsely labeled her a racist, adding that she was a private, non-governmental employee, at the time of the posts, according to the plaintiff.

She also claims that the vote for her removal caused her to suffer financial losses, significant loss of reputation, severe mental and emotional distress, and humiliation.

The members Collins is suing have been identified as commissioners of the San Francisco School Board (SFSB), named Jenny Lam; Faauuga Moliga; Kevin Boggess; Mark Sanchez; and Matt Alexander.

Collins string of 2016 posts is still available for everyone to see on Twitter.

Many Asian Ss and Ts I know wont engage in critical race convos unless they see how they are impacted by white supremacy.  Alison Collins  (@AliMCollins) December 4, 2016

Talk to many @thelowell parents and you will hear praise of Tiger Moms and disparagement of Black/Brown culture.  Alison Collins  (@AliMCollins) December 4, 2016

The messages resurfaced, and caused widespread indignation, at a time when multiple communities across the nation reported a sharp increase in hate crimes and racist interactions against Asian-Americans.

On March 20, Collins apologized to everyone who felt hurt by her tweets, saying the posts were taken out of context. Critics have called it a non-apology.

A number of tweets and social media posts I made in 2016 have recently been highlighted, she wrote in a statement. They have been taken out of context, both of that specific moment and the nuance of the conversation that took place.

California State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat, criticized Collins on Twitter and called for her to resign.

If Allison Collins even vaguely cares about educating San Franciscos kids, shell stop suing the school district and her colleagues for $100M and instead resign, he wrote.

Wiener accusing her of suing the school district and her colleagues for $100 million is unclear, which the senator also said in a follow-up post.

According to the plaintiff, she filed a lawsuit seeking $27 million in total, $12 million in damages from the school district, along with $3 million in punitive damages from each of the five members.

Two members of the school board, Lam and Moliga have also called on Collins to resign. The two members are the boards only Asian-American or Pacific-Islander members.

From NTD News
PHILIPSBURG:--- As of March 31st, there were seven (7) persons who tested positive for COVID-19; however two (2) persons have recovered; bringing the total active cases to forty-two (42). The total number of confirmed cases is now two thousand one hundred forty-seven (2147).

The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) are monitoring forty-one (41) people in home isolation. One (1) patient remains hospitalized at the St. Maarten Medical Center. The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at twenty-seven (27).

The number of people recovered since the first case surfaced on St. Maarten has increased to two thousand seventy-eight (2078). Seventy-four (74) people are in quarantine based on contact tracing investigations carried out by CPS.



The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA) Airport Health Team in collaboration with Health Care Laboratory Sint Maarten (HCLS) have tested 2614 travelers arriving at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), while CPS tested 23, 608 people throughout the community. As the numbers continue to fluctuate, CPS will continue to actively execute its contact tracing measures.

Please remain vigilant and practice all sanitary measures set for the general public by wearing your face masks, practicing social distancing and sanitizing your hands frequently.

Minister Panneflek encourages you to be apart of the solution and register to be vaccinated.

To register for the COVID-19 vaccine via the online registration form which is available in English, Spanish, and Creole, and can be found via this link: https://forms.sintmaartengov.org/form.aspx?v=OGtn05kNmb or by paper registration which can be found at Collective Prevention Services (CPS) at the Vineyard Office Park Building, the Division of Labour Affairs at the Simpson Bay Public Service Center in Simpson Bay, doctors offices, the Government Administration Building, and select pharmacies.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 01:55:40|Editor: huaxia

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Tunisian President Kais Saied (C) meets with Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabri Boukadoum (3rd L) in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2021. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)

TUNIS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied received on Thursday visiting Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabri Boukadoum and the two discussed bilateral ties, said a statement released by the presidency.

The meeting focused on "the historical relations that unite the two countries and the means to further promote them," the statement said.

Saied said that the development of cooperation and partnership between the two countries and the strengthening of consultation on bilateral, regional and international issues are "a sustainable choice."

He asked the Algerian foreign minister to convey his sincere greetings to the Algerian president as well as his strong determination to continue working together to achieve the aspirations of the two brotherly peoples.

For his part, the Algerian minister highlighted the distinguished relations uniting the two countries and the two peoples, considering that "Tunisia and Algeria share a glorious past, face common challenges and have the same expectations for further progress, prosperity, peace and stability." Enditem
Commentary: Rampant racial injustice in U.S. reveals double standards when it comes to human rights

Xinhua) 15:27, April 01, 2021

A protester holds a sign near the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

After examining America's staggering racial disparity, one cannot help but wonder whether those politicians' accusation is just another tactic of diverting blame from themselves. No one would be surprised if that assumption is true.

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Despite billing itself as a champion of universal human rights, Washington has habitually pointed fingers at others when it comes to this issue. However, its practice of finger-pointing is ironic and smacks of a double standard.

As the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin charged with killing African American George Floyd in late May last year officially gets underway, the world is again reminded of the rampant racial injustice in the country.

"I can't breathe," were Floyd's words as he was begging the police officer who was kneeling on his neck to give him some air. Unfortunately, such basic human rights as the life and health of the minority groups in the United States have long been either neglected or violated.

Numbers tell the truth. After having examined 5,494 police-related deaths in the United States between 2013 and 2017, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that black Americans are 3.23 times more likely than white Americans to be killed by police.

The problem of police brutality and racial profiling is so severe that a group of United Nations human rights experts issued a report in February to call on Washington to "initiate far-reaching reforms to address police brutality and systemic racism."

Protestors are seen outside the Hennepin County courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, March 9, 2021. (Photo by Matthew Mcintosh/Xinhua)

Irresponsible U.S. politicians' downplaying of the threat of the coronavirus and endless scapegoating have also made the world's most powerful country the country hardest hit by COVID-19 around the globe.

A report published in February by the Lancet pointed out that around 200,000 Americans would not have died if proper measures had been taken.

Even more tragic, the country's ethnic minorities have suffered the most from the pandemic. According to a report by the National Urban League, African Americans are three times as likely as whites to be infected with the virus, and twice as likely to die from it.

The deep-rooted racial and gender inequality in the United States is also revealed in the surging number of hate crimes across the country. A report by U.S. nonpartisan research and policy organization the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism said anti-Asian hate crimes rocketed by nearly 150 percent in 2020 in the 16 largest cities in the United States.

People take part in a protest against Asian hate in San Jose, California, the United States, on March 21, 2021. (Photo by Dong Xudong/Xinhua)

The sad truth is that the mass shooting in mid-March in Atlanta which killed eight people, including six Asian women, is not, and will not be, the only tragedy.

While ignoring their own obligations in protecting Americans' human rights at home, U.S. politicians are quite eager to play the human rights card to criticize other countries.

After examining America's staggering racial disparity, one cannot help but wonder whether those politicians' accusation is just another tactic of diverting blame from themselves. No one would be surprised if that assumption is true.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
DUBLIN, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Digital Health Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth and Change" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Digital Health Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth and Change provides the strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global digital health market.

Major players in the digital health market are Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., BioTelemetry Inc., eClinicalWorks, iHealth Lab Inc, McKesson Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V, AT & T, Cisco Systems, Athenahealth Inc., General Electric Company, Qualcomm Incorporated, Apple Inc., AirStrip Technologies, Google Inc., Mqure, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Telefonica S.A., Vodafone Group, Philips Healthcare, and Siemens Healthineers.

The global digital health market is expected to grow from $183.30 billion in 2020 to $201.24 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.79%. The slow growth trend is mainly due to the companies stabilizing their output after catering to the demand that grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The market is expected to reach $483.75 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 24.52%.

The digital health market consists of sales of digital health services by entities (organizations, sole traders, and partnerships) that are engaged in providing digital health services for the smooth functioning of healthcare-related services. Digital health refers to the use of information technology/electronic communication tools, services, and procedures to provide healthcare services or to promote improved health care. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The main types of digital technologies are mobile health (mHealth), health information technology, telehealth and telemedicine, and health analytics. Mobile health is the medicine and public health service supported by mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets, personal digital assistants and the wireless infrastructure.

Health analytics manage, measure or analyze healthcare data. Telehealth services provide information regarding health-related services, medical care, patient education and digital communication technologies. These are used by healthcare providers, healthcare payers, pharmaceutical companies in the areas of cardiology, diabetes, neurology, sleep apnea, and oncology.



North America was the largest region in the digital health market in 2020. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, and Africa.



The data security concern associated with the potential mishandling of patient data is expected to hamper the growth of the digital health market in the coming years. The healthcare sector is digitizing business management and data management systems and is introducing new technologies to increase performance and minimize costs, but many weaknesses have been identified in this technology in several cases.

The healthcare sector is regularly targeted by cyber-criminals who are searching for some tool in their armor to carry out their hacks, and several of these attacks have been successful. According to the Healthcare Protection Vision Study from CyberMDX released in February 2020, nearly 30% of healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) have suffered a data breach in the last 12 months. Therefore, the security concerns regarding patient data restrain the growth of the digital health market.



The favorable government initiatives in response to COVID-19 are expected to propel the growth of the digital health market in the coming years. Governments around the world have rapidly brought health policies and extra advantages on linked health tools, such as digital health and remote patient monitoring, in response to COVID-19.



Major companies operating in the digital health sector are focusing on developing technologically advanced solutions for digital health.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Digital Health Market Characteristics



3. Digital Health Market Trends and Strategies



4. Impact of COVID-19 on Digital Health



5. Digital Health Market Size and Growth

5.1. Global Digital Health Historic Market, 2015-2020, $ Billion

5.1.1. Drivers of the Market

5.1.2. Restraints on the Market

5.2. Global Digital Health Forecast Market, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

5.2.1. Drivers of the Market

5.2.2. Restraints on the Market



6. Digital Health Market Segmentation

6.1. Global Digital Health Market, Segmentation by Technology, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Mobile Health (mhealth)

Health Information Technology

Telehealth and Telemedicine

Health Analytics

Others

6.2. Global Digital Health Market, Segmentation by Application, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Cardiology

Diabetes

Neurology

Sleep Apnea

Oncology

Others

6.3. Global Digital Health Market, Segmentation by End User, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Healthcare Providers

Healthcare Payers

Pharmaceutical Companies

Others

7. Digital Health Market Regional and Country Analysis

7.1. Global Digital Health Market, Split by Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

7.2. Global Digital Health Market, Split by Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion



Companies Mentioned

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.

BioTelemetry Inc.

eClinicalWorks

iHealth Lab Inc

McKesson Corporation

Koninklijke Philips N.V

AT & T

Cisco Systems

Athenahealth Inc.

General Electric Company

Qualcomm Incorporated

Apple Inc.

AirStrip Technologies

Google Inc.

Mqure

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Telefonica S.A.

Vodafone Group

Philips Healthcare

Siemens Healthineers

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vso4ai

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


Apr. 1Porum School officials seek passage of a $260,000 bond issue on Tuesday to repair roofs.

Porum School Superintendent Landon Berry said the high school roof dates to 1987 and has not been replaced in 34 years.

He said replacing and recovering the flat roof could cost around $210,000.

"We have this high school building that we use every day," he said. "This is one of our bigger buildings."

He said there are leaks in the ceiling.

"We've done numerous repairs on the building," he said. "We're not going to be able to keep up with the repairs. The repairs keep growing. The roofing people say you can't repair it anymore, you need more covering."

Additional money could pay for roof repairs at the junior high, which Berry said is a small building. Or it could pay for roof repairs over the foyer and dressing room at an old school gym, Berry said. He said all of the money will be used for roof repairs.

"No bigger than that bond is, that's going to take care of it," he said.

The bond issue will not result in a tax increase, Berry said.

"Our current bond is set to be paid off in June," he said. "This bond is for five years at the same projected current rate that a taxpayer is paying now."

If the bond issue is approved, the school plans to recover the high school roof with a more protective covering, Berry said.

"The building has numerous air conditioners on it," he said.

YOUR VOTE COUNTS

Key Dates

Early voting, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.Election Day, Tuesday: Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
(CNN)  Just eight months ago, Huawei reached its longtime goal of becoming the world's biggest smartphone maker. Now, it is not even in the top three.

On Wednesday, the Chinese tech giant acknowledged that its smartphone business was suffering as US sanctions continue to stifle its growth, cutting off the company's ability to obtain critical components for its devices.

"Because of the unfair sanctions placed on us by the US, our mobile phone business saw a revenue decline," Huawei chairman Ken Hu said at a press conference in Shenzhen following the release of the company's latest earnings report.

The private company declined to specify how much revenue the unit lost last year, but the admission came as little surprise. According to data from Gartner and Counterpoint, Huawei is no longer the market leader in China, let alone globally.

Sales of Huawei's other consumer electronics  including laptops, tablets and wearable devices - jumped 65% last year compared to 2019. Huawei has expanded its lineup of connected devices in recent years, and the latest results gives "us more confidence in our strategy," Hu said.

Despite dismal results in the handset business, overall revenue rose to 891.4 billion yuan ($136 billion) in 2020. And the company posted 64.6 billion yuan ($9.9 billion) in net profit  the highest level it has ever seen, according to a Huawei spokesperson.

But revenue only ticked up 3.8%, while profits rose 3.2%, much weaker than the growth seen in previous years.

"It's fair to say that in 2020, we saw a slowdown in the growth rate, and yes, life was not easy for us," Hu told reporters. Huawei was able to maintain growth because of a range of measures it took to shore up its business, including diversifying its supply chain, he added.

An early upswing in mainland China, which led the global economic recovery, also helped. Revenue in Huawei's home market jumped 15.4%, compared to declines in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa.

In recent months, local rivals Oppo and Xiaomi have unseated Huawei, both as the top smartphone maker in China and the most popular Chinese vendor globally, respectively.

Given the continued uncertainty at the smartphone business, "it's very difficult for us to make a forecast," Hu noted.

And Huawei isn't expected to make a roaring comeback anytime soon, according to Varun Mishra, an analyst of mobile devices and ecosystems at Counterpoint Research.

"Dynamics are changing within China, as well as overseas," he told CNN Business.

It doesn't help matters that Huawei recently sold off its budget brand, Honor, which had made up as much as 40% of its total shipments in 2020. Founder Ren Zhengfei said that the November sale "was a forced decision, made in response to the changes in the external environment."

Looking ahead, improving the company's standing in the United States will be crucial to its future in smartphones.

But the signs aren't promising, despite the new US administration. The US Federal Communications Commission earlier this month echoed previous claims from Washington that Huawei poses "a threat to national security," dashing hopes of a reset in relations anytime soon.

"If the sanctions are not lifted, I don't see there's any way they're able to resurrect their smartphone [business]," said Mishra.
Meghan Markle's childhood boyfriend has said he does not believe that she ever bullied members of staff, saying that his guess was she refused to 'fall in line' and spoke out against being disrespected.

Joshua Silverstein, a Los Angeles-based actor, told Us Weekly on Wednesday that he does not 'personally see her' mistreating employees of the royal family.

In a report on March 2, days before Markle and Prince Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, The Times reported that members of their household in London were left traumatized by working with the former actress, and senior members of their team were deeply troubled at the 'bullying' of junior staff members.

Silverstein, who was Markle's first kiss, aged 13, and dated her throughout that summer, said he could not believe the allegations.

Joshua Silverstein met Meghan Markle at summer camp when they were both 13

Silverstein said he could not believe allegations that Markle bullied members of staff

'I see her doing whatever it is she feels like she should do in order to be happy and coexist within a system that has probably not been very welcoming to who she is and where she comes from,' he told the magazine.

'When you find women of color  particularly black women  standing up for themselves and speaking out and speaking against what they feel [is] disrespect or oppression, often times whiteness tends to classify that in negative ways because they don't want that to happen.

'It's almost like people are expected to know their place and whenever they don't fall in line with that, then people say it's a problem.'

The Times was told that staffers were reduced to tears and couldn't 'stop shaking' following a confrontation with Markle - claims she vehemently denied.

Markle, 39, was said to be '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.'

Buckingham Palace is currently investigating the claims.

Silverstein, now a married father of two who will be conducting a summer session at Cazadero Performing Arts Family Camp, said he doubted the 'scrutiny' and 'negative criticism' will disappear with the Sussexes settled in California.

Silverstein (as a child, left), met Markle (as a teenager, right) when they were both 13

A 15-year-old Markle poses in front of Buckingham Palace during a European trip in 1996

But he said that her happiness was all that mattered.

'She's probably having to make hard decisions and uncomfortable ones for the sake of just being able to smile the next day,' he said.

'That's what life is about  making tough decisions so that you can live the life that allows you to thrive as the person you want to thrive as.

'As long as she's happy and he's happy, that's all that matters.'

Silverstein and Markle's teenage romance began after the pair met at a drama-focused summer camp organized by the Agape International Spiritual Center in California.

Founded in 1986, adherents, who include Meghan's mother Doria and Winfrey, believe that God is everywhere, that sickness starts in the mind and that positive thinking has a healing effect.

As a result, Silverstein says, participants in the camp were encouraged to take part in meditation sessions as well as in acting and dance workshops  the latter much loved by Meghan, then a budding actress.

He says the pair initially bonded over their mixed race heritage, telling DailyMailTV in 2018 that they found themselves thrown together because of their 'intimate' class of 15.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's engagement photo

Silverstein told Us Weekly that Markle and her father Thomas had a 'challenging' relationship.

'I knew her dad growing up as kids,' he said.

'I didn't see him often, but I did know that Meghan's relationship with her dad was complicated and I understood that as most teenager-to-parent relationships are.

'Being there when Meghan's parents were divorced at that time - it's hard raising your kids without the secondary parent.

'It's all challenging. I don't think there was anything specifically surprising to find out at that time because there were a lot of people that I knew [who] had challenging relationships with their parents. But I did know about it.'

He said that he 'couldn't speak to the specificity of what Meghan went through' with her father, but said that he remembered having 'very cordial' interactions him.

Their relationship as father and daughter 'might have been strained' at the time as a result of the divorce, Silverstein said.

Meghan's father moved to Mexico, living south of Tijuana, and the pair have been estranged since he began speaking to the tabloid press shortly before her wedding.

They are no longer in contact.

'I think at the end of the day, we're all human beings and we all have to create boundaries with people that we may not want to create boundaries with,' said Silverstein.

'But at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you and your family.

'If that means creating a boundary with your parents, sometimes that's what you have to do.'

Silverstein describes the 13-year-old Meghan as being 'very sweet', charming and 'quirky' but already displaying the determined streak that took her to success in Suits.

Silverstein described Markle, aged 13, as very sweet, kind, talented and ambitious

'Meghan as a 13-year-old was very kind, very sweet, very talented, very interested in the theater camp  it was then that we saw how impressive she was on stage,' he said.

'She was charming and quirky. She wasn't a stereotypical 13-year-old girl; she wasn't decked out in pink every single day, she wasn't flaunting make-up or anything.

'She was her own person, very authentic to who she was at the time. She was curious, I think she was serious about her craft.'

In true teen fashion, the pair realized they liked each other after telling friends about their respective crushes.

'I found out from our friends that she liked me and I liked her and I just think we decided it would be a good idea to become boyfriend and girlfriend,' Silverstein said.

The relationship wasn't his first: he had previously kissed girls at kindergarten and had a 'girlfriend' in first grade.

And it certainly wasn't to be his last: the pair splitting up at the end of the summer before starting high school because neither wanted to let it put a 'dampener' on their interactions with others.

After that, Silverstein says, he saw Meghan only 'three or four more times'  all during their high school years  and always at church.

The pair then lost touch, although he says he was kept up-to-date on her exploits via her mother Doria until four years ago, when he stopped attending services at the Agape church.

'After high school, I hadn't seen her,' Silverstein said. 'But her mom still went to Agape so I saw her mom often and I was friendly with her mom.

'Her mom would always fill me in  'oh Meghan's overseas modeling or Meghan's acting now'. I think the last check in I had with Meghan's mom was Meghan was getting married [to ex-husband Trevor Engleson].

'Or it might have been Meghan's on a show  I can't remember the show details. But I think that there was always a sense of pride from Meghan's mom  whatever Meghan was doing, she's proud of Meg. Proud and happy for her.'
GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Amentum, a leading contractor to U.S. federal and allied governments, has been awarded a $57 million task order under the Contract Field Teams (CFT) contract to provide maintenance and sustainment services for the Commander, Electronic Attack WING U.S. Pacific Fleet at VAQ-129 Whidbey Island, Wash.

We look forward to returning to Whidbey Island and providing these essential maintenance services in support of our U.S. Navy customer, said Dr. Karl Spinnenweber, President of Amentums Mission Readiness Group. "As a premier provider of maintenance services for the Navy, we are proud to bring our unparalleled experience, having sustained mission critical platforms for our military customers at sites worldwide."

Amentum will provide a wide range of services to support the U.S. Navys platforms at Whidbey Island. These include Flight Line, Corrosion Control, Organizational(O), Intermediate/Field (I) and Depot/Sustainment(D) level maintenance support.

This task order consists of a base year and two one-year options.

ABOUT AMENTUM

Amentum is a premier global technical and engineering services partner supporting critical programs of national significance across defense, security, intelligence, energy, and environment. We draw from a century-old heritage of operational excellence, mission focus, and successful execution underpinned by a strong culture of safety and ethics. Headquartered in Germantown, Md., we employ more than 34,000 people in all 50 states and perform work in 105 foreign countries and territories. Visit us at amentum.com to explore how we deliver excellence for our customers most vital missions.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210330005071/en/

For Amentum:

Christine Fuentes

+1 (540) 935-9597

christine.fuentes@amentum.com

Follow @Amentum_corp on Twitter

Source: Amentum
BALTIMORE, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association (AUA) and Urology Care Foundation today announced the launch of a program aimed at fostering diversity and inclusion in urology research, supported by a generous $2 million donation from Urovant Sciences (Urovant). A comprehensive award program, the Leadership in Education, Achievement and Diversity (LEAD) program will support three urology residents, per year, from racial and ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in urologic research, to conduct mentored research, engage in research education and be championed through networking, as they develop successful research careers and better serve the urology patient community.

The AUA and Urology Care Foundation Unveil New Leadership in Education, Achievement and Diversity (LEAD) program supported by $2 Million Donation from Urovant Sciences. This new research program focuses on supporting young scientists underrepresented in the field of urology. Urology Care Foundation

This new program will leverage both the Urology Care Foundation Residency Research Award and the AUA's existing Urology Scientific Mentoring and Research Training (USMART) Academy to engage each young surgeon-scientist in additional mentoring and career development with established urology investigators who are leaders in their field.

Research training during urology residency provides residents with exposure to a research career path and experience to enable them to develop toward becoming independent investigators. Importantly, by fostering a commitment to research early in the new physician's training, strong research training during residency has the potential to address the critical and increasing shortfall of urology surgeon-scientists, especially from underrepresented backgrounds, and to play a key role in improving patients' lives.

"We are so proud of this innovative new program, which was conceived as a means for developing talented researchers of diverse backgrounds so they can be part of our next generation of urology researchers," said Harris M. Nagler, MD, president, Urology Care Foundation. "Diversity and inclusion enrich our organization, our research, our society and our ability to eliminate disparities in health care. Through the generous support of Urovant, the Urology Care Foundation will be able to provide these individuals an opportunity to build a career in research while learning from some of the most distinguished leaders in the field."

In addition to research training and mentoring opportunities, the LEAD program will:

Support the participation of its urology residents for two years in the AUA Research Honors Program.

Support the participation of its urology residents in two scientific meetings during their funding year, including the AUA Annual Meeting and another meeting of their choice, based on scientific relevance.

Support the participation of its urology residents in two AUA Early Career Investigator Workshops, one during their residency and one during the research year of their clinical fellowship.

"Urology researchers are at the threshold of discovering new and better treatments, as well as cures for many urologic conditions, including those related to bladder health," said Jim Robinson, president and chief executive officer, Urovant Sciences. "As a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for a range of urologic conditions, Urovant is honored to support the Urology Care Foundation's LEAD program to help enhance the diversity and intercultural relevance of urologic research by engaging residency students who reflect the racial, cultural and socioeconomic diversity of the communities they aim to serve. Our donation to the Urology Care Foundation for this initiative will support improvements toward diverse and inclusive representation in clinical research and contribute to the positive impact new discoveries will have on urology patients."

Applications for the LEAD program will be accepted starting October 2021, with more information available on the AUA and Urology Care Foundation websites. Award recipients will be announced in March 2022 and recognized at the AUA Annual Meeting in May 2022.

Learn more at: AUAnet.org/LEAD

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 24,000 members worldwide. 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. www.AUAnet.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 Urovant Sciences: Urovant Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for urologic conditions. The Company's lead product, GEMTESA (vibegron), is an oral, once-daily (75 mg) small molecule beta-3 agonist approved by the U.S. FDA in December 2020 for the treatment of adult patients with overactive bladder (OAB) with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency and urinary frequency. GEMTESA is also being evaluated for the treatment of OAB in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (OAB+BPH). The Company's second product candidate, URO-902, is a novel gene therapy being developed for patients with OAB who have failed oral pharmacologic therapy. Urovant Sciences, a subsidiary of Sumitovant Biopharma Ltd., intends to develop novel treatments for additional urologic diseases. Learn more about us at www.urovant.com.

Contact: Christine Frey, Senior Corporate Communications and Media Relations Manager, 443-909-0839; [email protected]

SOURCE American Urological Association and Urology Care Foundation
Keeping it fresh: New AI-based strategy can assess the freshness of beef samples

Although beef is one of the most consumed foods around the world, eating it when it's past its prime is not only unsavory, but also poses some serious health risks. Unfortunately, available methods to check for beef freshness have various disadvantages that keep them from being useful to the public. For example, chemical analysis or microbial population evaluations take too much time and require the skills of a professional. On the other hand, non-destructive approaches based on near-infrared spectroscopy require expensive and sophisticated equipment. Could artificial intelligence be the key to a more cost-effective way to assess the freshness of beef?

At Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Korea, a team of scientists led by Associate Processors Kyoobin Lee and Jae Gwan Kim have developed a new strategy that combines deep learning with diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), a relatively inexpensive optical technique. "Unlike other types of spectroscopy, DRS does not require complex calibration; instead, it can be used to quantify part of the molecular composition of a sample using just an affordable and easily configurable spectrometer," explains Lee. The findings of their study are now published in Food Chemistry.

To determine the freshness of beef samples, they relied on DRS measurements to estimate the proportions of different forms of myoglobin in the meat. Myoglobin and its derivatives are the proteins mainly responsible for the color of meat and its changes during the decomposition process. However, manually converting DRS measurements into myoglobin concentrations to finally decide upon the freshness of a sample is not a very accurate strategy--and this is where deep learning comes into play.

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) are widely used artificial intelligence algorithms that can learn from a pre-classified dataset, referred to as 'training set,' and find hidden patterns in the data to classify new inputs. To train the CNN, the researchers gathered data on 78 beef samples during their spoilage process by regularly measuring their pH (acidity) alongside their DRS profiles. After manually classifying the DRS data based on the pH values as 'fresh,' 'normal,' or 'spoiled,' they fed the algorithm the labelled DRS dataset and also fused this information with myoglobin estimations. "By providing both myoglobin and spectral information, our trained deep learning algorithm could correctly classify the freshness of beef samples in a matter of seconds in about 92% of cases," highlights Kim.

Besides its accuracy, the strengths of this novel strategy lie in its speed, low cost, and non-destructive nature. The team believes it may be possible to develop small, portable spectroscopic devices so that everyone can easily assess the freshness of their beef, even at home. Moreover, similar spectroscopy and CNN-based techniques could also be extended to other products, such as fish or pork. In the future, with any luck, it will be easier and more accessible to identify and avoid questionable meat.

###

About Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented university situated in Gwangju, South Korea. One of the most prestigious schools in South Korea, it was founded in 1993. The university aims to create a strong research environment to spur advancements in science and technology and to promote collaboration between foreign and domestic research programs. With its motto, "A Proud Creator of Future Science and Technology," the university has consistently received one of the highest university rankings in Korea.

Website: http://www. gist. ac. kr/

About the authors

Kyoobin Lee is an Associate Professor and Director of the AI laboratory at GIST. His group is developing AI-based robot vision and deep learning-based bio-medical analysis methods. Before joining GIST, he obtained a PhD in Mechatronics from KAIST and completed a postdoctoral training program at Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

Jae Gwan Kim is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering at GIST since 2011. His current research topics include brain stimulation by transcranial ultrasound, anesthesia depth monitoring, and screening the stage of Alzheimer's disease via brain functional connectivity measurements. Before joining GIST, he completed a postdoctoral training program at the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic at UC Irvine, USA. In 2005, he received a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from a joint program between the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, USA.

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
On April 30, 2020, he took to Twitter to describe the COVID-19 vaccine as an "evil" that would "result in millions of deaths."

A former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has explained why he received a shot of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after running a spurious campaign against vaccines for almost a year.

Mr Fani-Kayode is among notable vaccine critics such as Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello, and former senator Dino Melaye who have used various media platforms to tell Nigerians not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Public condemnation of COVID-19 vaccines by such personalities, despite no scientific backing, has been linked to an increase in vaccine hesitancy, a situation health experts fear could scuttle Nigeria's plan to vaccinate more than half of its population before the end of next year.

Mr Fani-Kayode began his campaign against vaccines as early as the trial period of COVID-19 vaccine.

On April 30, 2020, he took to Twitter to describe the COVID-19 vaccine as an "evil" that would "result in millions of deaths".

In a subsequent tweet about one month later, the former minister accused the World Health Organization (WHO) and Billionaire philanthropist, Bill Gates, of planning to use Nigerians as "Guinea pigs" for a vaccine trial that will lead to deaths.

"WHO are set to begin Covid19 vaccine trials in our country. EVIL! Not only have our people been turned into Guinea pigs to test Gates' killer vaccine but our leaders are also passing a law which will make the use of that evil vaccine compulsory. What a mess! I weep for Nigeria," he had written.

On Monday however, the controversial politician took to his Twitter account to announce his vaccination with the AstraZeneca jab, drawing the criticism of many Nigerians who apparently had been following his campaign against vaccines.

Bowing to sound logic

Following the backlash, the former minister, who is on trial for corruption, on Tuesday, credited his decision to make a U-turn to sound logic and superior reasoning.

"Despite my initially strong reservations I bowed to sound logic and superior reasoning and took my Covid-19 vaccine today. This is thanks to my sister the distinguished Senator Grace Bent who convinced me to take it and who emphasised that we must set an example to others," he wrote on Twitter.

"If anyone had told me that I would take this vaccine up until one month ago, I would have said 'no way'. I am glad that I changed my mind... ", he said, recommending the AstraZeneca vaccines to hesitant Nigerians.

According to him, Astrazeneca is safe and has no connection with Bill Gates and his foundation.

"The COVID vaccines we are taking in Nigeria are not Bill Gates' vaccines and neither are we being used as Guinea pigs. These ones are tried & tested, have already been approved & have been administered successfully throughout the world.

"There is a world of difference between what we are being given in Nigeria & the exploratory vaccines that @WHO had wanted to test Africans with which we spoke against & resisted last year.

"Most importantly Bill Gates & his foundation has no connection with Oxford Azrazeneca. I would not touch anything Bill Gates with a barge pole for obvious reasons. Mark it."

COVAX arrangement, WHO and Bill Gates

Contrary to Mr Kayode's claims, WHO and Bill Gates foundation are strong proponents of the COVAX arrangement through which Nigeria received almost four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines.

On March 3, the COVAX arrangement - a UN-backed effort that promises access to vaccines for up to 20 per cent of participating countries' population - shipped 3.94 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine to Nigeria.

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COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and is working in partnership with UNICEF, the World Bank among others.

The Bill Gates Foundation is among the funders of this arrangement.

COVAX is on track to meet its goal of delivering at least 2 billion doses of vaccines to participating countries around the globe in 2021, including at least 1.3 billion donor-funded doses to the 92 lower-income COVAX facility participants.

Because it is cheap, easy to make, and store, the AstraZeneca vaccine is regarded as the most suitable for developing countries like Nigeria.

Nigeria has since vaccinated over 600,000 people, including Mr Fani-Kayode.
Breathe easier Mets fans.

Youve finally got your shortstop locked up for the next decade-plus. And, no, its not an April Fools joke.

Francisco Lindor, who came to the Amazins during a off-season trade with the Indians, received a $16 million increase from the Mets original offer when he agreed to a massive, 10-year, $341 million contract late Wednesday night, according to multiple reports.

The switch-hitting Lindor is now the highest paid shortstop in MLB. His pact is the third biggest signing of all-time and, by far, the biggest by the Mets in franchise history.

His deal includes a partial no-trade clause, not to mention a $21 million signing bonus.

By agreeing to the contact extension, new Mets owner Steve Cohen was able to avoid Lindors declaration that he would not negotiate a new contract after the 2021 season commenced. New York is slated to kickoff its new season at Washington on Thursday (7:09 p.m.).

Although the terms were agreed upon by both parties, it is not yet official.

The 27-year-old Lindor is a four-time All Star who met Cohen for dinner in Florida on Sunday. The Mets initially offered the slick-fielding shortstop a 10-year, $325 million contract. Although he didnt turn it down, Lindor did not agree to the offer and it was believed he was seeking a whopping 12-year, $385 million deal.

Lindor is scheduled to make $22.1 million in 2021. However, when the new pact kicks in after this season, hell be averaging approximately $34 million a year.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 16:15:17|Editor: huaxia

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File photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows migrants attempting to cross the Rio Bravo river on the border between Mexico and the United States, from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. A large increase in migrants pouring over the U.S. southern border has sparked yet another political fight in Washington between Republicans and Democrats. (Photo by David Peinado/Xinhua)

by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A large increase in migrants pouring over the U.S. southern border has sparked yet another political fight in Washington between Republicans and Democrats.

In February, over 100,000 migrants entered the country from the Mexican border, an increase of 28 percent from January, according to U.S. government figures.

Republicans are seizing the chance to pounce on U.S. President Joe Biden, labeling him soft on illegal immigration and naive about what the GOP says is a crisis of Biden's own creation.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a former candidate for president, has blasted the administration in recent days, and on Wednesday told "Fox and Friends" that he and other GOP lawmakers witnessed a "humanitarian disaster" on a recent trip to the border.

"Its capacity with COVID constraints is 250 people. There are over 4,000 people crammed into Donna. They are not six feet apart or three feet apart, they're not even six inches apart," Cruz said, describing a facility housing migrants in Donna, in the state of Texas.

"You had children side-by-side lying on the floor, no beds, cots, lying on the floor ... Ten percent of the population there is testing positive for COVID. Joe Biden caused this with political decisions made in the opening weeks of this administration," Cruz said, reflecting the criticisms of other GOP lawmakers.

Vice President Kamala Harris recently told CBS This Morning that the issue at the border is a "big problem" but fell short of calling it a full-on crisis, amid criticisms that she has not yet held a press conference on the problem.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that Republicans are "slamming Biden for opening the borders ... The GOP wants to make hay in terms of how the administration is handling border issues," but added that the United States is running ads in Central America asking people not to come.

"The border is a challenge for Biden because immigration is controversial within the United States. Republicans are taking pot shots at the president and liberal Democrats worry about young, unaccompanied children who are coming across the border. It likely will take awhile before the issue gets resolved," West said.

Immigration over the U.S. southern border has long been a point of contention between Democrats and Republicans, as well as liberals and conservatives in the United States.

Conservatives take a law and order approach, and argue, among other things, that migrants illegally crossing into the United States push wages down in certain industries. Democrats also espouse a number of arguments, such as that migrants are needed to keep certain industries humming.

A press pool was allowed into the temporary facility center in Donna, after U.S. media have complained for weeks of a news blackout.

CNN's Pamela Brown recently blasted the Biden administration, saying "as the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border gets worse, the media is being kept from it."

Republican strategist and TV news personality Ford O'Connell told Xinhua that the media blackout is "appalling."

"There hasn't been a president since Clinton that didn't allow media in," he said, referring to former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who left office in 2001.

Jessica Bolter, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told Xinhua the rise in border crossings is caused by multiple factors, including the perception of the new administration's policies, violence, and natural disasters, among other factors.

Biden has made some changes to policies at the U.S.-Mexico border, such as permitting unaccompanied children and some families to ask for asylum, that smugglers are eager to promote and exaggerate to try to convince people to migrate, Bolter said.

But this is not the only reason that people are deciding to migrate. Conditions on the ground in the main countries of origin of these migrants have deteriorated over the past year, Bolter said.

Two hurricanes ruined people's crops and displaced them from their homes in Guatemala and Honduras in November 2020. And the economic effects of COVID-19 have included spiking unemployment and economic contraction in the region, Bolter said.

Additionally, there are long-standing push and pull factors that have not gone away. The push factors include violence and insecurity. The pull factors include the inefficiencies in the U.S. asylum system, Bolter said. Enditem
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has appointed Lasha Khutsishvili Minister of Finance and Rati Bregadze Minister of Justice at today's government meeting.

Khutsishvili previously held the position of Deputy Finance Minister, while Bregadze was the Deputy Minister of Defence.

Khutsishvili will replace Ivane Matchavariani, who announced his resignation yesterday, Agenmda.ge reported.

He did not say the reason for his resignation but said that he was planning to leave the post at the end of last year but decided to wait for several months until the 2021 'crisis budget' was approved and the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund was concluded.
Japanese big manufacturers sentiment improved to pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter and companies stepped up capital spending plans, suggesting the export-reliant economy was benefiting from a solid recovery in global demand.

Confidence among big non-manufacturers also recovered from three months ago, underscoring the fading strains from the coronavirus pandemic, a central bank survey showed on Thursday.

The headline index for big manufacturers sentiment rose to plus 5 in March from minus 10 in December, the Bank of Japans closely-watched tankan survey showed, marking the third straight quarter of improvement and hitting the highest level since September 2019.

It compared with market forecasts of a flat reading.

The further strong rebound in the Q1 Tankan supports our view that the economys recovery from the pandemic will gather pace again soon, said Tom Learmouth, Japan economist at Capital Economics.

The data offers some relief for policymakers striving to revitalise the pandemic-hit economy as a fourth wave of infections raises uncertainty about the outlook.

Big non-manufacturers sentiment improved to minus 1 in the March survey from minus 5 in December, the survey showed.

While hotels and restaurants continued to suffer from the pandemics blow, other service-sector firms saw business conditions improve thanks to a rebound in manufacturing activity, a BOJ official told a briefing.

Big firms expect to increase capital expenditure by 3.0% in the year that began in April, compared with a median forecast for a 1.4% increase, the survey showed.

Like many countries, Japan deployed massive monetary and fiscal stimulus over the past year to lift the economy back from a record postwar slump.

Many analysts expect the economy to have contracted in the first quarter but see it gradually emerging from the doldrums as solid exports offset some of the weakness in consumption.

The BOJ tankan indexes are derived by subtracting the percentage of pessimistic respondents from optimistic ones. A negative figure means pessimists outnumber optimists.
Kolkata, April 1 : Amid reports of violence during the second phase of polling in West Bengal, about 80.43 per cent of voters exercised their franchise on Thursday, as per the Election Commission's voter turnout app.

At the end of polling on Thursday evening, both the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress expressed confidence of sweeping the polls, including in high stakes Nandigram, from where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting against her once close aide turned adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

As per the EC's voter turnout app, the constituency wise voter turnout on Thursday was: Gosaba (79.85 per cent), Patharpratima (86.39 per cent), Kakdwip (76.17 per cent), Sagar (76.20 per cent), Tamluk (80.23 per cent), Panskura Purba (80.94 per cent), Panskura Paschim (81.67 per cent), Moyna (81.56 per cent), Nandakumar ( 82.36 per cent), Mahisadal (81.93 per cent), Haldia (80.45 per cent), Nandigram (80.79 per cent), Chandipur (81.15 per cent) and Kharagpur Sada (68.33 per cent).

Narayangarh (74 per cent), Sabang (81.23 per cent), Pingla (79.50 per cent), Debra (83.10 per cent), Daspur (71.20 per cent), Ghatal (76.29 per cent), Chandrakona (86.28 per cent), Keshpur (82.24 per cent), Taldangra (83.20 per cent), Bankura (72.86 per cent), Barjora (82 per cent), Onda (83.47 per cent), Bishnupur (82.95 per cent), Katulpur (87.21 per cent), Indus (86.57 per cent) and Sonamukhi (85.09 per cent).

Hours before the voting began, a Trinamool Congress worker, Uttam Golui, was hacked to death in Keshpur in West Medinipur outside a party office. The Trinamool has accused the BJP of murdering Golui.

Violence was also reported from some other parts of the districts. A woman polling agent of BJP at booth number 173 in Keshpur was allegedly beaten up by Trinamool workers.

BJP leader Tanmay Ghosh's car was vandalised in the Keshpur assembly constituency, which was placed under heavy security after stones were thrown at the BJP candidate's car.

Earlier, some CPI-M workers agitated at Ghatal after they were allegedly stopped by Trinamool workers when they were on their way to cast their vote.

The Election Commission of India has sought a detailed report from the district administration over the reported incident of violence in Boyal area in Nandigram where Mamata Banerjee paid a visit.

BJP supporters started chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans when Banerjee reached Boyal.

Meanwhile, After casting his vote, Suvendu Adhikari said, "I have a personal relationship with every person in Nandigram. I am pretty confident to win the elections." Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien tweeted: "BJP and their mind games! Won't work. Trinamool booth agents rock solid in 354 booths in Nandigram. We have registered complaints for 10 booths. All attempts by CRPF to influence/intimidate voters not working. People determined to have Mamata Banerjee as their MLA." His tweet followed his complaint to the EC: "Huge mob of BJP workers have entered booth nos 6, 7, 49, 27, 162, 21, 26, 13, 262, 256, 163, 20. BJP workers attempting to take control of EVM & rigging the booth." Banerjee is seeking a third term in office from Nandigram. In her first two terms as the Chief Minister, Banerjee had represented Bhowanipore in Kolkata.

For her and the BJP, the battle for Nandigram is a prestige fight because it was the 2007 agitation against land acquisition in the region which catapulted her to the Chief Minister's post and to the centre stage of politics in the state, paving the way for the Trinamool's victory in the 2011 Assembly polls that ended 34 years of Left Front rule in the state.

In the high stakes poll battle this time, a victory is a must for Banerjee so that she can lead the government and keep together her party, which is faced with exodus.

For Adhikari, it is a battle for political survival as a defeat would be a devastating blow and might also put a question mark on his political graph in his new party, the BJP.

A victory would not only establish him as one of the tallest leaders in West Bengal, but would also push him a few miles ahead of the others in the Chief Ministerial race in case the BJP is voted to power.

Polling took place amid strict Covid-19 guidelines in nine seats of West Medinipur, eight in Bankura, four in South 24 Parganas and nine seats in East Medinipur.

Of the 171 candidates in the fray in the second phase, 152 are male, 19 are female. Of the 75,94,549 voters, 38,80,955 were men and 37,13,508 were women, who cast their votes across 10,620 polling stations.

Nearly 700 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies were deployed in all the districts to ensure peaceful and fearless environment for polling.
LONDON and BELGRADE, Serbia, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Frontier Pharma and Baystone Group today announced the completion of its acquisition of Zdravlje A.D from Teva Pharmaceuticals. Zdravlje currently supplies high quality pharmaceuticals to more than 35 international markets including those in Western & Eastern Europe, U.K., Asia-Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

"We are incredibly pleased to complete this transaction and support Zdravlje as a leading independent pharmaceutical company. We look forward to working together with the exceptionally talented team at Zdravlje to further develop the Company into a leading international pharmaceutical company." said M. Levent Selamoglu, Chairman of Frontier Pharma.

Established in 1953, Zdravlje has a 67 year track record in the manufacture and supply of high quality pharmaceutical products. The Company currently employs more than 250 people and manufactures a large portfolio of oral solid and liquid products to treat a range of serious and chronic diseases including cardiovascular, central nervous system and respiratory disorders, amongst others. Zdravlje also brings a portfolio of complementary branded generic pharmaceutical products which forms the foundation of an independent commercial strategy under the "Zdravlje" brand.

"We look forward to leveraging Zdravlje's extensive track record as a premium global supplier to create an industry-leading, fully integrated pharma platform." said Kiren Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Pharma.

"This is a key milestone in Zdravlje's history and we are delighted to continue our successful business in the pharmaceutical industry by providing our high quality products to more than 35 countries around the world and to support the local community in which we have successfully operated in for more than 67 years" said Bojan Jovic, Zdravlje's General Manager.

About Frontier Pharma and Baystone Group

Frontier Pharma is a U.K.-based specialist pharmaceutical investor and operator founded by M. Levent Selamoglu and Kiren Naidoo. The company has several decades of industry experience across Europe, Middle East and Africa ("EMEA"). The group is well-known for its capabilities across oral solids, injectables and topical pharmaceutical forms, API production and experience as a contract manufacturer for a range of multinationals.

The Baystone Group comprises U.K. and U.S.-based specialist pharma investors closely associated with the growth of SICOR, Inc. and of the IVAX Corp, two industry-leading specialty pharmaceutical companies with advanced capabilities across injectables and respiratory technologies, amongst others. The Group is a major shareholder in Flynn Pharma (comprising operations across the U.K., Ireland and Germany) and has a portfolio of pharmaceutical investments spanning biotechnology and advanced drug delivery.

SOURCE Frontier Pharma

Related Links

http://www.frontierpharma.co.uk


The modern cargo port, to include the lower portion of the Kingstown Bay, is expected to bring significant changes to Kingstown.

Activity as it relates to the construction of the modern cargo port at Rose Place, Kingstown, is expected to pick up beginning in the middle of April, this after a launch of the project in the said month.





According to Senator Julian Francis, Minister of Urban Development, Energy, Airports, Seaports, Grenadines Affairs and Local Government, as he spoke on radio on March 28, the project is expected to be launched by the middle of April 2021.





"We are at the stage where the priority is the relocation of those persons living in Rose Place, Francis said.





Rose Place, located at the western end of the Kingstown Bay, is described as a fishing community. It provided, before the advent of containerized cargo, the greater percentage of stevedores/longshoremen for the Kingstown Port.





Those persons so affected will be relocated to Lowmans Bay, beginning later this year.





According to Francis, four duplexes were already complete and contractors were starting construction on some of the other houses.





"So, they are progressing nicely, Francis said, although he admitted that he thought that construction work could have progressed at a faster pace.





The minister in charge of sea and airports added that the project manager was already on the ground, and that there was already a site office in place on Bay Street, in close proximity to the construction site.





"And I see things picking up after the launch in the middle of April, he said.





In his 2021 Budget Presentation in January, Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves said that physical works on the site were expected to begin later this year.





The 2021 Budget also provided for the construction of 47 homes to facilitate the relocation of families affected.





A sum of EC$41.1 million was allocated to advance the Port Redevelopment Project Gonsalves said.





The project is being funded by a USD110 million loan from CDB; a GBP25. 6 million (about USD32 million) grant from the CDB-administered United Kingdom Infrastructure Fund, and a USD43 million contribution from the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.




The Security Council is concerned about the growing violence and the intervention of ethnic armed militias. However, the Chinese representative excludes the use of sanctions. The junta declares a unilateral ceasefire, but excludes democracy demonstrations and civil disobedience operations.

New York (AsiaNews) - The special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has asked the UN Security Council to intervene as soon as possible in Myanmar to avoid the risk of a civil war and an imminent bloodbath.

The urgency is dictated above all by the violent repression of democracy protests by the junta and by the growing declarations of ethnic armed groups that they want to intervene against the army that kills defenseless civilians.

The emergency meeting held yesterday was requested by Great Britain, whose representative, Barbara Woodward, told the media that the Council was "united in its condemnation" and that it was studying "a series of measures available to us".

But the Chinese representative, Zhang Jun, ruled out the use of sanctions, which he considers counterproductive because "they aggravate tension and conflict ... and are not constructive".

China is considered to be the junta's closest ally; for decades and even recently it has intervened in the UN to defend its work and protect it from sanctions.

Schraner Burgener stressed that "the cruelty of the military is too bitter and many [armed ethnic fighters] are declaring themselves in opposition, increasing the possibility of a civil war of unprecedented intensity."

"The militarys cruelty is too severe and many (armed ethnic fighters) are taking clear stances of opposition, increasing the possibility of civil war at an unprecedented scale, Burgener said. Failure to prevent further escalation of atrocities will cost the world so much more in the longer term than investing now in prevention, especially by Myanmars neighbors and the wider region.

Schraner Burgener said she remained open for dialogue with the junta but added: If we wait only for when they are ready to talk, the ground situation will only worsen. A bloodbath is imminent.

Perhaps fearing the involvement of armed ethnic groups, the junta announced last night its intention to apply a unilateral ceasefire. But it specified that it would make an exception for actions that jeopardize the security of the government and administrative operations: a clear reference to democracy demonstrations and the strike of civil disobedience that is creating problems for state offices and the country's economy.

Until yesterday, the death toll from security forces in demonstrations or homes was 521 dead.
An Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo says Ghanaians deserve an explanation from the Minority Group in Parliament following the unanimous approval of Mr Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.



In a Facebook post, Professor Gyampo said through the incessant bastardization of his policies by the minority group, Ghanaians were made to believe that Mr Ofori-Atta was the most corrupt and incompetent Minister in the previous administration only for him to receive a unanimous recommendation by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.



According to him, the Minority Group owes Ghanaians an apology for demonizing Mr Ofori-Atta, and henceforth, they must not be taken seriously on their criticisms of the government.



"The minority group, especially, their members who pontificate on finance and the economy, owe us an explanation on the unanimous approval of KOA (Ken Ofori-Atta) as FM (Finance Minister)," the statement said.



"I personally do not have problems with the FM, but we were, through the incessant bastardization of his policies by the minority group, made to believe that he was the most greedy, insensitive, corrupt and incompetent Minister in the previous administration.



"Was the Minister that good in his first term to warrant such a unanimous approval? What was the basis of the critical stance against some of his policies by the minority group? Was it just propaganda against him or it was sheer ignorance on their part? Were they criticizing the man, just to look good in the sight of the populace? Does it mean their criticisms werent well-founded? What?".



Prof Gyampo also urged politicians to refrain from the "kind of nauseating politics of convenience being practised in Ghana" where baseless allegations are made against individuals just for political gains.



"We cannot be taken for granted all the time by politicians. We arent always that gullible. The kind of nauseating politics of convenience being practised in Ghana is a needless sale of the soul of human conscience and this must stop".



Toothless Parliament



Prof Gyampo also expressed concern that the Eighth Parliament appeared to be even more of a rubber-stamp in approving the decisions of the Executive than previous Parliaments.



He said the Minority Group which was expected to countervail the Executive was rather singing the praises of the ruling government even louder than the Majority Group.



"The minority group would only bark and hypnotize us into thinking they would assert the role of parliament as countervailing authority. But they would sing the praises of the ruling government even louder than members of the government when they are required to assert parliamentary sovereignty. The evidence is their contradictory conducts at the Appointment Committee and the Plenary Session of 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.

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A mass vaccination campaign against the coronavirus is set to begin in Uzbekistan on April 1. About 3,200 vaccination centers have been set up across the country and nearly 1,000 mobile vaccination teams have been formed. At-risk groups are prioritized for vaccination.

"People from the so-called at-risk groups, including those over the age of 65, health workers involved in the treatment of coronavirus patients, teachers and law enforcement officers, will be prioritized for vaccination," deputy head of the countrys health watchdog Nurmat Otabekov said. He pointed out that vaccination would be voluntary.

The vaccination effort currently involves the AstraZeneca vaccine and a vaccine developed by Chinas Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical. Phase three trials of the vaccine were conducted in Uzbekistan, which is why the Chinese company recognized Uzbek experts as co-developers, TASS reported.

On March 17, 660,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were delivered in Uzbekistan through the COVAX platform. The country expects to receive 2.64 mln vaccine doses through the platform. The Uzbek authorities also expect that the deliveries of Russias Sputnik V vaccine will begin in the near future. The country is in talks on vaccine purchases with 12 companies from various countries.

Uzbekistan has so far recorded 82,869 coronavirus cases, 80,983 recoveries and 642 deaths.
New Delhi: In a shocking incident, the female students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have reportedly registered a complaint against a parade taken out by students, in a semi-naked state, outside the girls hostel during the Holi festival on Monday (March 29).

As per a report in Hindustan, JNU students have formally complained against the parade to the Gender Sensitization Committee against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH). However, the university administration recognises the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) instead of GSCASH.

The students union has demanded strict action against the culprits. Meanwhile, there has been no official response on the issue from the administration so far, the report further stated.

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MIAMI, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Two of the industry's most accomplished entrepreneurs, Kim Perell and James Brennan, today launched 100.co, an Artificial Intelligence-powered company that is reinventing the product creation and go-to-market processes legacy consumer brands have relied on for the past century. 100.co has already accelerated new product development by more than 30 percent compared to traditional CPGs, and is launching two new consumer brands in 2021.

With consumers abandoning traditional brick-and-mortar retail channels and loyalty to traditional brands declining, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are losing market share. Eighty percent of new CPG products fail in their first year, according to a 2018 Nielsen study .

This points to a failure of CPG companies to keep pace with the flight of consumers to alternative retail channels and fragmenting digital and social media platforms. 100.co founders Perell and Brennan believe this failure rate shows that traditional CPGs are out of touch with consumers, particularly the Millennials and Gen Z, and they are betting big on the massive opportunity to address this gap.

"We are now in 2021, yet most CPGs are still using outdated market research, advertising, distribution, and selling techniques. These approaches are slow, and they struggle to keep pace with the digital-first and social media-savvy consumer," said Perell, CEO and Co-Founder of 100.co. "Our platform combines powerful data with the right influential partnerships, to give us the recipe to build brands with a purpose that we know consumers want and need today."

At the heart of 100.co is an AI platform named CLAIRE, which analyzes tens of thousands of data points and suggests market viability, product attributes and creative decisions even before a product investment is made. Combined with collaboration with influential celebrities at the start of the brand development journey, 100.co is bringing new brands to life in months vs. years.

The company currently has two consumer brands in development, launching with two influential personalities in the health & wellness, and beauty sectors. Both co-founding celebrities have a commitment to purpose and giving back, which is integrated into the business model from day one. Unlike traditional brand partnerships, each brand's celebrity co-founder plays a key role in the innovation process with 100.co, developing products and driving consumer engagement.

Brennan, Chairman and Co-Founder of 100.co, adds, "After nearly two decades of building brands across multiple categories, I know firsthand the enormous role that passionate and influential co-founders play in brand success. I strongly believe that creating brands with today's most influential individuals and leaders backed by data-driven insights is the modern, improved way to brand creation."

Perell concluded, "James and I have built a company that has diversity, innovation, and purpose, built into its DNA. If 2020 taught us anything, it is that everything is ripe for disruption."

About 100.co

100.co is an AI-powered consumer brand group that is disrupting the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market, with purpose-driven products co-created with the world's most influential founders. With insights from digital-first consumers and direct-to-consumer e-commerce distribution, the Company is reinventing the product development process that legacy CPG brands have relied on for decades. 100.co's proprietary AI platform CLAIRE uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data to predict product needs and market fit, reduce risk, and influence product attributes. To learn more please visit 100.co .

SOURCE 100.co

Related Links

http://www.100.co


Bindi Irwin has shared adorable photos of her newborn daughter Grace.

In an Instagram post on Thursday, the wildlife warrior, 22, was seen beaming for the camera as she cradled Grace, next to husband Chandler Powell, 24.

Bindi told fans in the caption that the past week since her birth has been 'filled with sweet snuggles and infinite love'.

Precious: Bindi Irwin, 22, shared adorable photos of herself with husband Chandler Powell, 24, and their newborn daughter Grace to Instagram on Thursday. In the caption, Bindi said the past week 'has been filled with sweet snuggles and infinite love'

'Our perfect Grace Warrior is one week old. This week has been filled with sweet snuggles and infinite love,' Bindi told her millions of followers.

In one photo, Bindi and Chandler, who wore matching black ensembles, cradled the newborn.

Little Grace looked cute as a button in a onesie, blanket and beanie, as she slept soundly on her mother's chest.

So sweet: The wildlife warrior also posted this sweet photo of little Grace. Bindi cradled her and added a celebratory plaque with the text 'one week old'

Another photo in the post saw Bindi once again cradling Grace, adding a celebratory plaque with the text 'one week old'.

On Friday, Bindi announced Grace's birth in a lengthy Instagram post that has garnered more than a million likes.

She explained that the baby's two middle names, Warrior and Irwin, were inspired by her late father, wildlife warrior Steve Irwin.

'March 25, 2021. Celebrating the two loves of my life. Happy first wedding anniversary to my sweetheart husband and day of birth to our beautiful daughter,' Bindi wrote.

Baby joy: On Friday, Bindi announced Grace's birth in a lengthy Instagram post that has garnered more than a million likes

'Our graceful warrior is the most beautiful light. Grace is named after my great-grandmother, and relatives in Chandler's family dating back to the 1700s,' she continued.

'Her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to my dad and his legacy as the most incredible Wildlife Warrior. Her last name is Powell and she already has such a kind soul just like her dad.'

She accompanied the caption with a sweet image of herself and Chandler cradling Grace in a baby blanket.

Their bundle of joy: 'There are no words to describe the infinite amount of love in our hearts for our sweet baby girl,' Bindi wrote, after sharing an image of the baby's face

'Her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to my dad and his legacy': Bindi paid tribute to her late father Steve by referencing him in Grace's middle names

'There are no words to describe the infinite amount of love in our hearts for our sweet baby girl. She chose the perfect day to be born and we feel tremendously blessed,' Bindi added.

She also posted an image of Grace's first onesie, which had an Australian koala printed on the chest.

Steve, known to millions around the world as 'the Crocodile Hunter', was filming a documentary when he was fatally stabbed in the heart by a stingray barb on September 4, 2006 in Batt Reef, Queensland. He was 44 years old.

Bindi runs Australia Zoo's operations, alongside mother Terri Irwin and brother Robert Irwin.

Flashback: A young Bindi is pictured with her mother Terri Irwin and late father Steve in 2002
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The play opens to the beloved co-stars from The Crown, Claire Foy and Matt Smith, staring at one another incredulously across the stage.

The play opens to the beloved co-stars from The Crown, Claire Foy and Matt Smith, staring at one another incredulously across the stage.

This time in Lungs, instead of playing a royal couple, they take on the role of a couple debating a basic, fundamental question: should they have kids?

"Theres, what  theres seven billion people or so, theres too many people and theres not enough of everything. So really, the right thing to do, the ethical thing to do is to not contribute to that. Particularly people like us," Foys character says.

"People like?" Smith responds.

"Car-driving, plastic-bag using, aerosol-spraying, avocado-importing," she says.

"But were good people," he retorts.

"Exactly. We are, we are, we are good people. Yes, we are. Good. Are we?"

"You cant think about that stuff," Smiths character says.

But people are thinking about it at a time where our species is facing the existential threat of climate change and news headlines constantly reveal new, often devastating ways that a persons actions here can have ripple effects around the globe.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Elizabeth Holl (left), Indira Beilfuss (nine months), Zeke Beilfuss (five), and Rodrigo Beilfuss

Rodrigo Beilfuss, the artistic director of Winnipegs Shakespeare in the Ruins, connected deeply with the debates going on between these two characters, as hed had many of the same conversations with his wife before they decided to have their two children.

"It's pretty hard, because you really imagine your child in the future and the future doesn't seem very promising right now," said Beilfuss, 37.

Research published in the academic journal Climatic Change last year showed that of surveyed Americans between the age of 27 and 45, 96.5 per cent of people are either very or extremely worried about "existing, expected, or hypothetical children in a climate-changed world."

For Allison Kendall, a 39-year-old Winnipegger, this isnt a new conversation, but it is one she is happy to see out in the public. Kendall and her husband decided against having children years ago.

So, by the time I met my husband I had kind of reached that point of feeling like, on a very personal level, it may not be for me.  Allison Kendall

"In my mid-30s I looked around and saw that the bigger picture, to me, wasn't looking very good, and climate change in particular just didn't feel like it was being addressed," she said.

"So, by the time I met my husband I had kind of reached that point of feeling like, on a very personal level, it may not be for me."

Kendall said she is happy to have grown up with parents who emphasized that a woman didnt need to have kids to live a fulfilled life, even though she knows her mom struggles with the idea of not having grandchildren. Shes had support from close friends and family, but shes been called selfish by others who've told her why shes wrong.

"There's so much cultural pressure. And people who might think of it as a selfish choice, don't realize that I've spent years thinking about this and weighing the pros and cons, and accepting what I might miss out on. I think that's worth recognizing," she said.

It is undeniable that children born today will grow up in a different world. Evidence-based projections show that even if warming is successfully limited to 2 C (the planet is currently on track for something closer to 4 C of warming), 13 per cent of the world will have transformed from one ecosystem into something else. Its estimated that by 2050 there will be an additional 143 million displaced people from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia alone. The Arctic is expected to warm by 6 C.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dominique Levin is completing his masters degree in climate studies.

Dominique Levin is completing his masters degree in climate studies. He knows about the projections and struggles with the prospect of raising someone to live through that. Levin, 25, said if he met the right person and they decided to have children he would want to limit their number.

A study in 2017 suggested not having children is the single greatest thing someone can do to lower their carbon emissions. That is a consideration for Levin, but it is fear for the hypothetical childs future that wins out.

"Now that we live in a global world, it doesn't matter where you live. Climate change will impact your life," he said.

Beilfuss and his wife fought through the anxiety and decided to have kids. When he catches the sparkle of his childs eye, all of those worries boil over in a split-second.

"The only certainty you have when you decide to have a child is that the child will also die one day," he said.

"The hope is that it will be after you are gone. But it is a fact we kind of push away from our mind, that life that you will create with your partner is terminal as well, and it's a heartbreaking reality."

...It is a fact we kind of push away from our mind, that life that you will create with your partner is terminal as well, and it's a heartbreaking reality.  Rodrigo Beilfuss

Beilfuss said his choice is the ultimate show of faith that humans will step up to address the climate crisis and spare future generations the worst of its effects.

"It's about giving the present a chance. It's about really being in the moment with this life you created, and the future is all about hope," he said.

Kendall, however, is filled with certainty that the future will be bleak.

"Our niece, she's 2 1/2 now, and we really wrestled with, how can we best prepare her? And how can we be there for her, because none of us really know what to expect, but we know it probably won't be good," she said.

sarah.lawrynuik@freepress.mb.ca
United Methodist relief group grants $1.1M to help asylum seekers amid border crisis

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The United Methodist Committee on Relief has awarded a $1.1 million grant to Church World Service to help asylum seekers on the southern border and elsewhere in the United States.

At its spring meeting held in March, the UMCOR leadership approved the grant to support CWS Leading with Welcome program, which aids asylum seekers with case management.

Erol Kekic, senior vice president for the Immigration and Refugee Program at Church World Service, told The Christian Post in an interview on Wednesday that the funding will help expand the program to meet a growing need.

The grant comes at a time when thousands of unaccompanied children are in U.S. custody amid an upswing in immigration in recent months.

The program already operates in the surrounding metropolitan areas of Jersey City, New Jersey; Miami, Florida; and Houston, Texas, according to Kekic, who said that it provides case management for asylum seekers as well as access to either free or low-cost legal services.

As the situation escalated at this point in time with the numbers at the border becoming more pronounced than it has been in the past, the need was clearly there to continue to expand this program, to serve more people that are coming across, Kekic stated.

Without access to some sort of a system that is inclusive of legal support and some representation, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for asylum seekers to get the legal relief they need.

Kekic said that the plan is to expand the number of slots that we have available for case management and try to offer services even outside of these three areas through our network of local affiliate offices.

We hope that people will follow suit and join us in this endeavor to try to create a more welcoming community in the United States after years of mistreatment and failed immigration policies implemented by Stephen Miller and the Trump administration, he stated.

Roland Fernandes, general secretary of United Methodist Global Ministries and UMCOR, explained in comments emailed to CP on Wednesday that they were originally planning to offer a grant of $100,000 but changed course when an additional request came in.

In addition to the expanded case management, the approved grant will also provide Leading with Welcome with the means to hire additional staff to help at United Methodist Church-affiliated border shelters. The additional staff will help improve shelter operations, infrastructure, transportation and bed capacity.

UMCOR is one of the member communions of CWS and has a long-standing relationship with the organization. We have worked together on several programs, and in recent years we both have been working to help asylum seekers on the border, explained Fernandes.

Its part of our DNA since we were both founded during World War II to help people dealing with similar circumstances. We are helping restore the infrastructure needed to help people crossing the border and are glad to move forward in a way that will have such an impact.

In the aftermath of World War II, 17 denominations formed CWS to do in partnership what none of us could hope to do as well alone." Those things include feeding the hungry, clothing the poor and sheltering the homeless, among other things.

Fernandes also told CP that he was hopeful that things will get better after what happened the past four years as his organization seeks to rebuild a humane immigration system so that no matter who is president, the situation at the border does not worsen.

While liberals and humanitarian groups that advocate for refugees and immigrants have been critical of the Trump administrations strict immigration policies aimed at thwarting smuggling and illegal immigration through the southern border, conservatives have argued that the Biden administrations reversal of Trump policies has not helped when it comes to the recent spike in immigration at the southern border.

In February, more than 100,000 people were detained at the southern border. By comparison, there were 36,687 immigration enforcement encounters on the southern border in February 2020.

During a March 25 press conference, Biden said that the spike in border crossings tends to happen in the winter months of January, February and March. He claimed that nothing has changed.
Pratapgarh: Six people were killed due to the consumption of spurious liquor in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh, state police said on Thursday.

Five people including the main accused Dabbu Singh have been arrested, while liquor mafia Pavan Singh, who is the pradhan and owner of rice mill and brick kiln, is absconding.

A commercial truck containing around 700 kg illicit 'ganja' has been recovered from Pavan Singh in PS Kohdaur in Pratapgarh.

Dilip Kori (48), his brother Pradeep Kori (35), maternal uncle Siddhanath (65) and Ram Kumar Prajapati (35) died after consuming the liquor on Tuesday.

Three of the deceased were from the same family and were residents of Katariya village. The fourth was from Aahar Bihar village.

Ram Pal Saroj (50) and Ram Milan Kori (35) died on Thursday during treatment, according to police.

A sub-inspector and a constable were suspended for alleged laxity in checking the sale of illicit liquor.

Earlier, Superintendent of Police Akash Tomar suspended Station House Officer (Udaypur) Rakesh Kumar Prajapati.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 00:45:33|Editor: huaxia

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Workers transport Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, March 31, 2021. A batch of Sinopharm vaccines arrived in Sri Lanka from China on Wednesday as part of a donation by the Chinese government to the island nation. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)

COLOMBO, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A batch of Sinopharm vaccines arrived in Sri Lanka from China on Wednesday as part of a donation by the Chinese government to the island nation.

The vaccines arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Wednesday where it was officially handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by China's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong.

Several Ministers including Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga were present at the occasion.

An official certificate signing ceremony took place between the Chinese Ambassador and Sri Lanka's State Minister of Pharmaceutical Production, Supply and Regulation Channa Jayasumana, after which the vaccines were handed over to President Rajapaksa.

Speaking at the ceremony, Jayasumana thanked the Chinese government and its people for the donation and said this was a very important milestone in the friendship between Sri Lanka and China.

Ambassador Qi, at the ceremony, said the arrival of the vaccines once again demonstrated the brotherhood between Sri Lanka and China and once again implemented the commitment of China in making the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines a global public good.

"It also once again declared that solidarity is the only right way for the international community to defeat the pandemic at an early date and build a global community of health for mankind," the ambassador said.

He further added that Sri Lanka was among the first countries to which China donated the vaccines.

"It is particularly worth mentioning that the Sri Lanka government has decided to include Chinese nationals in its vaccination plan. In this regard, on behalf of China, I would like to extend our highest appreciation for this most friendly gesture," Qi said.

Withstanding the test of the pandemic, the ambassador said, he firmly believed the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership based on sincere, mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship would elevate to a new level.

Later the day, the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) said the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines are safe and effective after the panel's data reviewing. Enditem
A volunteer has been given a 200 fine for allegedly breaching the Covid-19 lockdown two months after hand-delivering gifts and letters to villagers stuck indoors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

John Bradshaw said he adhered to social distancing rules and wore a mask while walking from his home in Leek, Staffordshire to deliver parcels including a book and a DVD to around 20 residents in Endon in January.

The 59-year-old was visited by police the next day who had received a complaint from a local that he had allegedly breached Covid-19 regulations.

After receiving police advice, he believed the matter had been resolved. But two months later, Mr Bradshaw received a 200 fixed-penalty notice in the post.

The volunteer was delivering the letters and parcels as part of the Leek-based Survive Together community group praised by Boris Johnson in a letter to the organisation's founder Grace Buckley.

Mr Bradshaw, who walks to Endon as part of his daily exercise, has 'categorically' denied posing a risk to public health and said he felt 'intimidated' by police. He intends to fight the 'ridiculous' fine in court.

John Bradshaw said he adhered to social distancing rules and wore a mask while walking from his home in Leek, Staffordshire to deliver parcels in Endon in January

The volunteer walked just over five miles to deliver the gifts to villagers in Endon stuck indoors

What is the Survive Together group? The Survive Together group was founded by Grace Buckley from Staffordshire during the lockdowns. It is a community platform connecting those in need in Leek and the Staffordshire Moorlands, to local people able to help. Tasks range from collecting prescriptions, to delivering essential food items, providing both practical and emotional support, particularly for those who are isolating and feeling lonely, while promoting positive change locally. Advertisement

'I dropped off the gift, I was fully socially-distanced and I was wearing a mask,' he told the Stoke Sentinel. 'I was categorically not posing a risk.

'The next day police came to my house and said they had received a complaint. I felt intimidated, to be honest. I didn't think that giving a gift was breaching the rules.

'I was surprised, then I felt angry. I did what I did in good faith, this is ridiculous. To take this action is a waste of time and money.

'By paying the notice it is implying that I have done something wrong and I don't believe I have. I intend to go to court. I want to warn other people about this and also see if other people have been in the same situation.'

According to its website, the Survive Together group offers 'practical and emotional support' to the people of Leek during the coronavirus lockdowns.

The group says the Prime Minister wrote to Ms Buckley, the founder of the scheme, personally after hearing about her initiative.

'One of the most uplifting aspects of our country's response to Coronavirus has been the upswell in solidarity and kindness towards one another,' he wrote.

'So I was thrilled to hear of the success of your initiative which connects people with the desire to help with those most in need.

The volunteer was delivering letters and parcels as part of the Leek-based Survive Together community group praised by Boris Johnson in a letter to the organisation's founder

On Wednesday, another 43 deaths and 4,052 cases were recorded. Deaths are now averaging 50 a day, down from a peak of 1,284 deaths on January 19

Boris Johnson's letter to Surviving Together 'One of the most uplifting aspects of our country's response to Coronavirus has been the upswell in solidarity and kindness towards one another. 'So I was thrilled to hear of the success of your initiative which connects people with the desire to help with those most in need. 'It is thanks to the brilliance of people like yourself that we really will defeat this virus and we will 'Survive Together'.' Advertisement

'It is thanks to the brilliance of people like yourself that we really will defeat this virus and we will 'Survive Together'.'

Staffordshire Police claimed Mr Bradshaw could have delivered the letters or parcels in a 'safer' way and said one of the recipients had lodged the initial complaint because they had family who were shielding.

A spokesman for the force said: 'We can confirm a fixed penalty notice was issued to a man who admitted delivering letters and parcels by hand to more than 20 people, on their doorsteps, on the same day despite the national Stay at Home coronavirus restrictions.

'This involved knocking on doors and handing over letters and parcels directly to the recipient, without the required social distancing.

'We received complaints about this - in one case from a recipient who had relatives who were shielding.

'When officers spoke to the man, he agreed that this was not a necessary journey and parcels could have been delivered more safely in an alternative way.

'He was therefore issued with a 200 fixed penalty notice.'
Radio Ulster host Connor Phillips had some listeners scratching their heads today after allegedly changing his name by deed poll, to include that of his wifes.

Connor, who is married to fellow BBC presenter Holly Hamilton, introduced himself at the start of his mid-morning slot as Im Connor Phillamilton but didnt elaborate on the amalgamated name.

The shows jingles and voice-overs were also adapted, to reveal his new name, which he had unveiled on Twitter the night before.

In a late night post, the father-of-one announced that he was changing his name by deed poll, but later deleted the tweet. His profile name on the social media platform remained changed, however, to his new, combined one.

Read More

As the show continued in the normal fashion  save for the jingles and voice-overs  many listeners caught on to the fact he was playing an April Fools Day prank.

But others fell for the joke.

It started out with me changing my name on Twitter, to reflect a very progressive, 21st century couple, Connor said.

I had a screenshot from the Government websites change your name by deed poll page and included that.

There was a mixed response, but a few people on Twitter caught on to what I was at so I took it down.

Then on Thursday mornings show, when I normally say Hi, Im Connor Phillips, I introduced myself instead as Connor Phillamilton, and said nothing more. I have to admit though, it was a mouthful to say.

Texts started coming in from listeners, with some saying: My God, what have you done? and What the heck is going on?.

The funny thing is, a few people commented on the jingle having changed but didnt even mention the name thing!

Halfway through the show, Connor slipped up and said his real name but quickly corrected himself. Then, just as the show was about to end, he reminded the audience that it was April Fools Day.

We have a segment in the show where people can ask our producer random things, so we asked why do penguins live in the wild in Lough Neagh?. We got people texting in to tell us this wasnt true.

Because the nature of the show is light and you dont have to think too hard, I suspect a lot of people knew what we were at. But going by the texts, plenty others fell for our April Fool.
Several aspects of the Governments plan to reopen the country are coming under greater scrutiny, with doubts emerging over quarantining plans and vaccination projections.

The scrutiny comes in the wake of the Governments embarrassing U-turn on the sale of childrens shoes, and growing anger over continued restrictions imposed on maternity hospitals.

While the Government bowed to growing pressure to reopen shoe shops for children who need to be fitted in-store to get footwear of the correct size, a decision not to ease the restrictions on partners' visits to maternity hospitals was last night described as incomprehensible, and lacking compassion.

The HSE confirmed that the current restrictions will remain in place beyond April 5.

Maternity ward restrictions

Hitting out at the decision, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said the restrictions had been introduced to protect doctors, midwives, and other staff working in maternity hospitals  but that this group has now been vaccinated.

Ms Murphy said expectant mothers were being told that they had lost a child without the support of a partner.

Mandatory quarantine

There are now also further questions over the mandatory quarantine scheme, as plans to more than double the number of countries on the list are in doubt after the Attorney General flagged concerns with the health minister that the move could potentially be in breach of EU citizens rights.

It is understood that Paul Gallagher wrote to Stephen Donnelly on foot of a recommendation from the Travel Expert Advisory Group. Mr Gallagher is believed to have raised concerns over the legality of requiring EU citizens to pay for the 12-day quarantine.

Vaccine rollout

Meanwhile, last night the Taoiseach and the health minister told a meeting of Fianna Fails parliamentary party that Ireland would not receive 1m doses of Covid-19 vaccines in April as had been expected. Instead, the country is to receive 860,000 doses, meaning it will not be possible to meet the target of 250,000 doses per week mapped out during Tuesdays announcement of plans to reopen the country.

The vaccine plan was reviewed due to evidence that age is a determining factor for severe incidence of Covid-19, according to Prof Karina Butler, chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee. Picture: Colin Keegan

Senior figures have also been forced to defend changes to the vaccine sequencing order, with Tanaiste Leo Varadkar admitting that there should have been consultation ahead of changes to the vaccination priority list. After teachers, gardai, and family carers voiced anger over changes to the rollout of the vaccine, Mr Varadkar said it could have been handled better.

However, speaking at a private meeting of his party last night, Mr Varadkar said those working in supermarkets deserve to be prioritised just as much as any teacher.

Revised priorities

Under the revised vaccine rollout list, people will be prioritised by age and not occupation after the current cohorts of over-70s, frontline healthcare workers, and extremely vulnerable people have been vaccinated.

Prof Karina Butler, chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, said the vaccine programme had been reviewed in light of the evidence, which showed that age is the determining factor for severe incidence of the disease, hospitalisation and death.

She said that, if you compared a healthy 20- to 34-year-old with someone aged between 55 and 65, the older person is 70 times more likely to die due to Covid-19, more than 20 times more likely to be admitted to intensive care, and five times more likely to be hospitalised with the virus.

The risk that goes along with each five-year or 10-year increment is much more differential ... than occupation, she added.

Teachers not prioritised

Cohort nine of the programme refers to those living or working in crowded settings, which teaching unions had hoped would include them. However, both Prof Butler and Mr Donnelly said teachers would not be included in this category.

The public has been warned that any significant increase in social contacts over the next four to eight weeks was highly likely to result in a fourth wave of Covid-19.

Philip Nolan, chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, warned that we could see 1,000 cases a day into May, June and early July, before the vaccination programme would begin to suppress the virus.
It was starting to feel like spring around southeast Louisiana, complete with sunnier days that encouraged swapping slacks for shorts. But here to interrupt that warmer weather: a cold front.

National Weather Service forecasters said Wednesday that those 80-degree temperatures in southeast Louisiana could drop by 20 degrees Thursday. Some parts of the region might even see some light frost.

"Its going to be a chilly day," said Gavin Phillips, a forecaster at the agency's Slidell regional office.

Heres a quick time lapse of the cold front swinging through our office localized in Slidell, LA. Not bad! Say goodbye to the 80 degree temperatures for a while! #lawx #mswx pic.twitter.com/ipwhR6K05A  NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) March 31, 2021

Much of the region, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, will see high temperatures of only about 60 degrees Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning. The lows will vary, Phillips said: New Orleans as low as 47, and Baton Rouge and Acadiana in the upper 30s. North shore lows could reach 34 degrees, even to the point of freezing or frost in a few areas.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Wind gusts between 30 mph and 40 mph are expected to make it feel even colder. Thursday could be exceptionally breezy.

Friday is forecast to have similar temperatures as Thursday. By late Saturday morning, Phillips said, he expects the warmer weather to return.

"Is it wild to do this? No. Does it happen every year? No," Phillips said. But you get these [cold fronts] in the spring."
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 22:20:23|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian Ambassador to China Edward Boateng has called for enhanced cooperation with the Asian country to derive maximum benefits from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) scheme.

Speaking with Xinhua, he said the hosting of the AfCFTA Secretariat in the Ghanaian capital Accra presents an opportunity which the country can use to turn Ghana into an industrial hub through cooperation with China, which has cordial and excellent relations with the West African country.

"I think we can work with the Chinese to make Ghana a manufacturing hub so that from Ghana, we can send a lot of products to the African continent. The opportunities and the doors that have been opened are immense and it is up to us to also take advantage of it," he said.

The Ghanaian ambassador recounted the excellent relations between the two countries and expressed optimism the relationship will be extended to the African continent for win-win development.

"Today, the relationship is broader, is more commercial and there are a lot of people-to-people exchanges. The last three years have been fantastic. We've taken it to a much higher level and I'm hoping that they can continue to be like that so that the relationship is not only about Ghana but also about the West African region and about the African continent," he said.

Boateng said that upon assumption of office three years ago, he has been working towards strengthening mutual respect and understanding between Ghana and China.

"It is when you have an understanding when you respect each other, everything is possible and I think that is what we were able to achieve. Today, the highest number of Ghanaian students outside the country are in China. During my time, we increased it from 4,000 plus to over 6,750," he said. Enditem
Two groups at the University of South Alabama recently released open letters to members of the administration, including President Tony Waldrop and the Board of Trustees, regarding Marchs Halloween photo controversy.

Nearly 275 faculty of color at USA signed an open letter calling for the university to put out a statement saying that the university is anti-racist, institute term appointments for department chairs and college deans and more.

The university administrations failure to address the problem and to clearly communicate with the university community upon first learning about the situation demonstrates a lack of integrity, transparency, and participation in decision-making, a portion of the letter reads.

The letter, signed by a variety of professors, directors and graduate students and released on March 22, came more than two weeks after the professors seen in the photos were placed on administrative leave.

Then-Dean of the Mitchell College of Business and current USA finance professor Bob Wood was dressed in a Confederate soldiers uniform. Professors Alex Sharland and Teresa Weldy held nooses.

Wood, Sharland and Weldy were posted on the business schools Facebook page shortly after the party, but the pictures have since been removed.

Along with the faculty members, graduate students of the Clinical-Counseling Psychology (CCP) program at USA sent school administration a letter as well.

We believe that the message the University administration is sending to faculty, staff, and students of color is that they would rather protect White tenured faculty than maintain campus safety, a portion of the letter read.

Graduate students of the program want the university to take action by investing in ways to promote diversity and equity, change the University structures that perpetuate inequalities by race and sex and more. The graduate students also want a response to the following statements by April 30:

Please provide specific examples of how the University is mitigating the racist actions that were perpetrated and directly violated the Universitys proposed values of Diversity, Integrity, and Transparency and Participation in Decision-Making.

Please provide the University community with an update on the investigation into these racist actions by the faculty members who have been put on administrative leave.

All three faculty members are still on administrative leave as of April 1. In March, Tony Waldrop, announced that an independent investigation into the incident would be conducted by attorney, Suntrease Williams-Maynard.
No facts or significant analysis supported a finding by Springfield Police Chief Richard Lewis that justified a sergeants 2019 fatal shooting of an unarmed woman with schizophrenia, outside consultants found in a highly critical report released Wednesday.

The California-based OIR Group blasted the police review of the shooting and highlighted the failure by police to access the 33-year-old womans mental health information, which had been provided to the department by her family eight months earlier.

The consultants review of the police shooting and tactics was required as a part of the citys $4.5 million settlement agreement in the wrongful death suit brought by Stacy Kennys family. The amount marked the largest payout ever granted in an Oregon police use-of-force case, according to the familys lawyers.

Former Sgt. R.A. Lewis shot Kenny March 31, 2019, after a traffic stop that went bad from the start. He is not related to Chief Lewis.

Another officer had started to follow Kennys car and Kenny immediately pulled over. The other officer stopped but never approached Kennys car and so she drove off. The officer followed Kenny, pulled her over a second time and immediately drew his gun and yelled at her to put her hands out the window.

She asked why she was being followed and then drove away again before a third stop. This time, police approached her car as she was on the line with a 911 dispatcher. Police barely talked to her, ratcheted up the encounter by suddenly breaking out the windows of her car to try to pull her out without warning.

The sergeants fatal shots came after one officer tried unsuccessfully to pull Kenny from the car by her hair and then punched her seven to 13 times in the face, the OIR Group report said. Another officer who arrived also struck Kenny with what police called focused blows, while a third attempted to pull Kenny out of the car but then fired a stun gun at her after pulling her sweatshirt off, the report said.

Sgt. Lewis, standing on the passenger side, broke the passenger window, unlocked the door and entered the car, according to the report. He struck Kenny several times in the face and tried to search for and grab the car keys but couldnt because it was an electric car.

While searching for the keys, the car lurched forward, struck the sergeants patrol car and continued around his car. Lewis said he had one of his legs outside the car but placed his leg entirely within the car as it accelerated.

He said he struggled to grab the steering wheel but couldnt, pleaded with Kenny to stop the car and then fired three shots at her side and one at her head. The car hit trees, crossed the road, struck a fence and crashed into a van.

Sgt. Lewis said he had fired four rounds, but he actually fired six, striking Kenny three times in the torso and once in the head, the consultants said.

The consultants said investigators didnt set up a crime scene log to manage who entered or exited the area and when and failed to separate the officers involved in the shooting or the officers who witnessed the shooting -- typical steps taken after a police shooting.

That allowed the officers to share accounts before their formal interviews, the OIR Group report noted. Sgt. Lewis wasnt interviewed until five days after the shooting.

The consultants found that Springfield police have no protocols requiring basic protocol to preserve the integrity of an investigation.

They also noted that Springfield police did no internal administrative investigation of the officers involved after the criminal investigation was completed.

Stacy Kenny, on right, with sister. Stacy Kenny was in the process of changing her gender and had officially changed her name at the time she was killed, said her family's lawyer David D. Park.

The consultants issued 38 recommendations, including urging the Springfield department to revamp and possibly ban the use of closed-fist punches and to direct officers not to reach into or enter cars unless theres certainty the car cant move.

They also recommended barring simultaneous Taser activations by multiple officers and limiting Taser firings to three cycles at a time.

Michael Gennaco, head of the OIR Group, wrote that an initial investigation by a multi-agency team had significant deficiencies and that Springfields Use of Force Review Board then failed to consider the approach, tactics or decision-making by the three officers who tried to get Kenny out of the car or evaluate the force they used.

Although the police chief asked the board to do such reviews and analysis, when Lewis received the meager report back from the board, he did not return it or ask the board to address the gaps, Gennaco wrote.

The board, led by a Springfield police lieutenant, included the departments use-of-force instructor, firearms instructor and another officer selected by Sgt. Lewis. It found Sgt. Lewis actions consistent with the departments use-of-force policy.

The police chief signed off on the finding.

The consultants pointed out that an officers peer advocate shouldnt be reviewing the officers deadly force. The boards memo, slightly over one page, provided no insight whatsoever into the analysis that led the board to support the deadly use of force.

The board should have recognized that the closed-fist punches to Kennys head werent effective or advisable and instead made it more likely that Kenny would take action to flee the continued pummeling of her face and head.

The mental health information that the Kenny family presented to Springfield police was in the departments law enforcement management system but no officer took the time to look it up via their dashboard computers or inquire with dispatch for the information, the consultants found.

These shortcomings in SPDs review process cast doubt on both the substantive legitimacy and the lasting value of the Departments internal outcomes, the consultants report said. In short, they create skepticism as whether any accountability , learning or remediation actually resulted from the agencys review of the Kenny shooting.

The consultants also slammed Chief Lewis for standing beside the Lane County district attorney when the countys top prosecutor announced no criminal wrongdoing by the officer who fired the deadly shots.

The optics of the Chief of Police at the table of the District Attorney when she closed the case significantly undercut any belief that the investigation and review was independent, the consultants wrote.

Chief Lewis also offered no condolences to Kennys family, the OIR Group report noted.

Lane County District Attorney Patty Perlow at the time announced that she had ruled the police shooting lawful. She said the sergeant who shot Kenny did so after he couldnt get control of the steering wheel in Kennys car as Kenny took off and the car traveled about 70 mph.

The chief said then that the sergeant truly believed he was going to die in that crash. The sergeant didnt want to use deadly force, but under the circumstances, and in the nanoseconds, he had to make those decisions to do that, the chief said.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian
Vietnam received 811,200 COVID-19 vaccine doses via the COVAX Facility on Thursday, one week later than scheduled because of production issues.

The shipment that arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi was provided free of charge, the government said.

An additional shipment of 3,364,800 doses is expected to be delivered to Vietnam by the end of May, followed by more later in the year, UNICEF, which led the procurement and delivery of this supply, said in a statement on Thursday.

According to previous plans, Vietnam would be supplied with 1.37 million doses on March 25 and 2.8 million shots in April by the COVAX scheme.

But the Vietnamese Ministry of Health said on March 25 that it had received a letter from the COVAX Facility, which informed that the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses would be slower than planned, as the producer was expanding and optimizing their production process.

The COVAX scheme is a facility co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF, to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines as well as ensure fair and equitable access for every country.

The vaccine procured for Vietnam is developed jointly by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford and is manufactured under a license by SK Bioscience in South Korea, according to the UNICEF statement.

COVAX will ensure critical vaccination support for 20 percent of the Vietnamese population, the UN body said, adding that effective vaccines must reach 75 percent of the global population if the world is to stem the spread of COVID-19 and urgently stop further dangerous variants from occurring.

Vietnam received the first-ever batch of 117,600 AstraZeneca shots on February 24. This is part of 30 million jabs it bought from AstraZeneca.

The Southeast Asian country has approved two vaccines, AstraZeneca and Russias Sputnik V, for emergency use.

The Vietnamese government has said it already secured 60 million AstraZeneca jabs via direct purchases and the COVAX scheme.

Vietnam expects to acquire 150 million vaccine doses from various producers, including those from the U.S., India, Russia, and China, this year.

Nearly 50,000 people have been given the first jab of AstraZeneca vaccine since Vietnam started inoculation on March 8, according to statistics.

Those vaccinated were medical staff and other frontline workers.

Vietnam reported zero local coronavirus infections and 14 imported cases on Thursday, when the national caseload stood at 2,617 patients, according to the Ministry of Health.

Health authorities have recorded 910 domestic cases since January 27.

They have registered 2,359 recoveries and 35 virus-related fatalities so far.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Wesley Belisle, 4, died in April 2018 when he was swept into the Atlantic Ocean while on a vacation in North Carolinas Outer Banks with his parents, Lindsey and Derek Belisle. At the time, authorities said Wesley was walking along a beach with his mother when he was pulled out to sea by a rogue wave.
TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The manufacturing sector in Japan continued to expand in March, and at a faster pace, the latest survey from Jibun Bank showed on Thursday with a seasonally adjusted manufacturing PMI score of 52.7. That's up from 51.4 in February, and it moves further above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. Individually, there were faster increases in output and new orders, while employment levels finally stabilized. Businesses remain optimistic regarding future output. Supply chain disruption continued to build during March with average lead times lengthening to the most marked extent since May 2020. Delays in receiving shipments led Japanese manufacturers to increase purchasing activity for the first time since December 2018. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The S&P 500 has topped 4,000 points for the first time ever as investors kick off the second quarter with optimism about the coronavirus recovery.

The index rose nearly 1.2% to close at a record high of 4,019 points on Thursday. The Dow was up 171 points, or 0.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.8%.

The advances come after the Institute for Supply Management said that US manufacturing activity grew for the 10th straight month in March. Growing demand helped offset the impact of snarled supply chains and rising commodity prices.

"Consumers have become more optimistic in recent months, as expanding vaccine distribution and a marked decline in new Covid-19 cases have provided tangible evidence of progress and a growing sense that better days are coming, perhaps sooner than expected," said Jim Baird, chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors. "Unsurprisingly, that upbeat mood has translated to a greater willingness to spend."

They also follow a solid, if turbulent, first quarter, which closed out on Wednesday. During the first three months of the year, the S&P 500 gained 5.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 7.8%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, which has come under pressure in recent months, climbed a more modest 2.8%.

April has historically been a strong month for US stocks. They've closed higher during the month 14 out of the past 15 years, according to LPL Financial market strategist Ryan Detrick.
Floridas DeSantis Calls on Biden to Resume Trump Immigration Policies

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said hes sending a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to continue the previous administrations policy that allowed authorities to deport illegal immigrants in custody who had committed crimes.

DeSantis told reporters on April 1 that the Biden administration is removing detainers from illegal immigrants. Detainers are critical for ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to be able to identify and ultimately remove criminal aliens who are currently in federal, state or local custody.

Weve already had in Florida a handful of criminal aliens that had finished their sentences and the detainers were removed by the Biden administration, DeSantis said. Normally, they would have been transferred to federal custody and removed, and now, the federal government is effectively releasing them into our communities.

Speaking at the American Police Hall of Fame and Museum backed by a group of sheriffs, DeSantis announced that he is directing the states Department of Corrections to identity all inmates with detainer agreements who ICE is refusing to pick up and develop a process for transferring them to an ICE detention center.

He also ordered the corrections department to notify the states Department of Law Enforcement and local law enforcement of all instances in which ICE refuses to detain criminal aliens. He said he wants everything to be documented.

If ICE is not willing to take custody and remove  and ICE wants them released into our society, then any additional crime that is committed is by definition one that should have been prevented, DeSantis told reporters.

Its a reckless policy  these are convicted felons. If you cant remove them, then what do you have? Just a complete lawless system? I dont think any of us want that.

An immigration policy tracker by the Heritage Foundation has found that Biden has rolled back almost all of former President Donald Trumps immigration policies.

Under Bidens immigration agenda, construction on the U.S.Mexico border wall was shut down and ICE agents are now limited by narrower guidelines. The Department of Homeland Security had suspended deportations of illegal aliens for 100 days with the exception of those who have either engaged in or are suspected of terrorism or espionage, although a district judge has indefinitely banned enforcement of the pause in response to a lawsuit from Texas.

Over the next 30 days, as many as 50 criminal aliens are set to complete their Florida prison terms subject to detainers by immigration and customs enforcement, DeSantis said. That number could rise to over 200 felons within six months. The issue is if those detainers continue to be removedlike they aretheres going to be no basis for the state to hold them at that point.

It would effectively be the federal government releasing these convicted criminals back into the society.

During a question and answer portion of the conference, The Epoch Times asked DeSantis why the detainers were not being honored.

Theyre not honoring the detainers, why would you not do that?  And I think its just whatever the previous administration did, they want to do the opposite, he responded. I think it is ideological, I dont think it was well thought out. I think this is way, way overshooting.

This has been a problem that is not new, he added. I think we had a good handle on it on the first two years I was governor working with the feds but now we are in a different posture.  I think that you need to act appropriately.

DeSantis also invited two families to speak. The first was Jamiel Shaw Sr. whose son was shot by an illegal immigrant in 2008.

Shaws son, also named Jamiel, or Jas was shot in Los Angeles by gang member and Mexican national Pedro Espinoza, who had been released from jail a day earlier. Espinoza, a Mexican national, had previously been booked five times as a juvenile but hadnt been referred to ICE for deportation.

He was 17 years old, he knew he had a future, and he was trying to secure it, the father said at the conference.

Its very important that you get them out of here the very first time they commit a crime, he said, referring to illegal immigrants.

The second family that spoke at the conference was Kiyan and Bobby Michael. Their son was killed in a car crash by a twice-deported illegal immigrant.

Jan Jekielek and Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 12:40:15|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Thursday that the country will adopt a so-called "vaccine passport" this month to verify people's COVID-19 vaccination status via smartphone application.

Chung told an interagency meeting for the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic that people who get vaccinated will be able to feel a sense of return to normality only when the "vaccine passport or green card" systems are introduced.

- - - -

KATHMANDU -- The Nepali government has decided to inoculate the COVID-19 vaccine donated by China among people aged 40-59 years, a senior official of Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population said.

A batch of Chinese vaccines arrived in Nepal on March 29 in a major boost to the Himalayan country's vaccination drive against the pandemic.

- - - -

SAO PAULO -- A patient was identified for the first time in Brazil with a coronavirus variant similar to the one first detected in South Africa, and it could also be a mutation of the variant first seen in Brazil's Amazonas state, local authorities said Wednesday.

This new variant was detected in a patient hospitalized in the city of Sorocaba, 97 km west of Sao Paulo, said Dimas Covas, director of the state laboratory Butantan Institute, at a press conference.

- - - -

ADDIS ABABA -- Ethiopia registered 2,068 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 206,589 as of Wednesday evening, the country's Ministry of Health said.

The ministry said 24 new deaths from the coronavirus were reported across the country during the same period, bringing the national death toll to 2,865. Enditem
A tourist of Polish origin was Wednesday arraigned at the Milimani law courts over a drone that strayed into the private residence of Deputy President William Ruto in Karen on Monday night, March 29.

Piotr Lukasz Litwiniuk was charged with four counts: importation of unmanned aircraft without a permit issued by the authority, operating an unmanned aircraft system without authorisation, operating an unmanned aircraft system without a pilot licence, and failing to register an unmanned aircraft.

According to the charge sheet, Piotr Lukasz imported the Mavic Air2 drone model number MA2UE3W through the Moi International Airport on January 7, 2021 without a permit from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority(KCAA).

He was also charged with operating an unmanned aircraft system without authorisation from KCAA on March 29.

The court heard that GSU officers manning Rutos residence spotted the drone flying over the home and monitored it as it retreated to a neighbours compound.

The incident was reported to Hardy Police Station before it was referred to the DCIOs office who later visited the scene together with the OCS for Hardy police station.

They discovered the drone in the neighbours residence. The suspect, who is the owner of the drone, told police he is in Kenya for holiday.

Appearing before Milimani chief magistrate Martha Mutuku, Litwiniuk denied the charges.

The court released the accused on a cash bail of Sh200, 000 or a bond of Sh500, 000.

The matter will be mentioned after two weeks.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 20:09:00|Editor: huaxia

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A health worker prepares to give a COVID-19 vaccine to a man during the phase 3 vaccination drive at a primary health centre in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, April 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)
The great lesson of the biblical account of the liberation and exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt centers on the concept of freedom. There is a biblical verse that clearly defines it. At the end of his days, Moses summons the younger generation to renew the covenant with God that had been made by their ancestors. As presented in the Book of Deuteronomy, his listeners were the people who were to overcome Canaan, settle there, and establish a society in which the rules and laws they had received in the desert should be implemented. They were a generation who had been born in freedom and who, unlike their parents, had not been traumatized by enslavement. Moses admonishes them to fulfill the precepts that God had commanded them, proclaiming very significantly that they have become the people of the One and Only God, who maintains covenantal fidelity with those who love God and keep the commandments of God (Deuteronomy 27:9). Freedom is not merely leaving the condition of enslavement. This is necessary but is insufficient for a fully dignified existence. There must also be a commitment to transcendent values that enable former slaves from remaining enslaved to their own passions and selfishness.

These values include serving God by caring for Creation and by respecting and loving the other human beings with whom life is shared. The covenanted people must also not idolize the deified projections of human instincts, or consecrate themselves to the ways of deified human dictators such as Pharaoh or Caesar or the despots of the last century or today. This is the challenge presented by God to those freed from the Egyptian yoke.

Among other commands, Chapter 25 of Leviticus presents laws about how resources and goods should be distributed in ancient Israel. Ownership of the ancestral family land had to be preserved. When someone fell into poverty and had to serve another for their livelihood, his relatives and friends had to rescue him from such a situation. The basis for all such laws is found in the last verse of the chapter: Because the Children of Israel are servants to Me, My servants whom I have freed from the land out of Egypt. I the Lord am your God.

The Bible recounts that after Moses received the commandments on Mount Sinai, he returned to the people only to find that they had built a golden calf to worship. Their minds were still shackled to slavish thoughts. Barely forty days had passed since God had been revealed to them on Mount Sinai, amid magnificent manifestations of nature. With the loud thunder of the shofar announcing the majestic presence of the Creator, the commandments were bestowed upon the people. Yet their returning to mindless servitude through the golden calf shows us the fragility of the human mind and spirit. What was awe-inspiring and transformative at one point can quickly fade away. Even today, after many liberation processes throughout human history, human slavery still continues to lacerate people in many places.

The prophet Elijah, who lived during the reign of Ahab king of Israel (8th century bce ), posed the following pointed question to the people gathered around him on Mount Carmel: How long will you keep hopping between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow the Lord; if you are with idols, then follow them! (1 Kings 18:21). This verse portrays the swings and vacillations of human behavior. There are times when the standards of liberty, equality, and fraternity are raised, and others when they are trampled on in the most heinous way. The same Europe that raised those values in the 18th century in the times of the Enlightenment, ignored them and tried to erase them in the 20th century. This explains the biblical insistence on remembering every day of life the story of the departure from Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:3).

The Argentine poet Arturo Capdevila understood the importance of Passover for both Jews and Christians. He includes in his 1965 book, Dios otra vez (God Again) a poem called Canto al sitial de Elias (Song to the Seat of Elijah), in which he describes a gloomy Passover dinner at the home of a Jewish friend while Europe was embroiled in the Shoah:

The world that believed in Good has expired, / and for Love and Justice it was thirsty! / Secrets of the Abyss. . . Zion is worthless. / And neither is Bethlehem. "

At the end, the poet puts these words into the mouth of the prophet Elijah:

Faithful hope will have its feast! / Almost there. My Passover will come: / my clear Jerusalem Passover / The wind will pass singing loves / over the waters of Gennesaret. / The whole Holy Land in those days / will be like an orchard.

The hope raised by the poet affirms the deep common spirituality between Jews and Christians. He yearns that the three-millennial Jewish message of Pesach and the two-millennial Christian message of Easter will not fail, despite the horrors and lapses that constantly occur. It is this same hope and commitment that Jews and Christians take up year after year at this time. May we all choose the path that God desires and may God bless our shared hopes speedily and in our days!
Brazils government celebrates military coup anniversary View Photo

SAO PAULO (AP)  Key members of Brazils government on Wednesday celebrated the anniversary of the countrys 1964 military coup, which launched a 21-year dictatorship that saw hundreds of people killed and thousands tortured.

President Jair Bolsonaro, a former army captain who has often expressed nostalgia for the dictatorship, was granted approval from a federal court earlier this month to commemorate March 31, 1964  a date supporters contend saved Brazil from communism. Analysts said the celebrations have deflected public attention away from the countrys 320,000 dead in the COVID-19 pandemic.

On this day, 57 years ago, the Brazilian people with the support of the armed forces stopped the international communist movement from sticking its tongs in Brazil, Vice President Hamilton Mourao, a retired army general, said on Twitter. Strength and honor!

Eduardo Bolsonaro, the presidents son and also a lawmaker, said the armed forces lawfully secured a free Brazil on March 31, 1964.

A crowd of about 200 people nostalgic for the dictatorship, some wearing military attire, gathered in Rio de Janeiros Copacabana neighborhood to celebrate the coup. In Sao Paulo, a small crowd prayed in front of an army headquarters, some calling for another military intervention that would give Bolsonaro more power.

We are here to celebrate the expulsion of communists from the Brazilian government, 32-year-old business owner Ronan Guimaraes said in Rio. Some people talk about military dictatorship, but we dont see it that way. We believe that we were freed from a dictatorship of the proletariat.

The anniversary came a day after the leaders of all three branches of Brazils armed forces jointly left their positions after a meeting with the countrys new defense minister. Bolsonaros replacement of the previous defense minister had caused widespread apprehension of a military shakeup to serve the presidents political interests.

On Tuesday night, the countrys new defense minister, Gen. Walter Braga Netto, said the coups anniversary should be celebrated.

The armed forces ended up assuming the responsibility of pacifying the country, facing the challenges of reorganizing it and securing the democratic liberties that we enjoy today, said Braga Netto.

On Wednesday, as he swore in Brazils new commanders, Braga Netto called it a historic day, without mentioning the coup. The military did not hide in the past and they will not hide whenever the country needed them.

Marcos Nobre, a political science professor at the University of Campinas, said Bolsonaros decision to celebrate the military coup goes beyond ideology and is a way of changing the narrative to make him seem as a cornered and anti-system president so he can move his hard-right agenda forward.

This week, Bolsonaro lost his foreign minister, Ernesto Araujo, who is an ideologue and beloved by the presidents base. At the same time he secured his position with a group of centrists, pragmatic lawmakers. How could he explain that to his base? Nobre told The Associated Press. After his move with the military no one is talking about those things. He is fighting, celebrating the coup, creating a gap between generals and soldiers that support him. He is the anti-system man again.

During his 28 years in Congress, Bolsonaro repeatedly expressed support and admiration for the dictatorship. His decision to commemorate the coup had put an end to a 2011 request by then-President Dilma Rousseff that the armed forces suspend such events.

It was during Rousseffs administration that a truth commission on crimes of the dictatorship was formed. The commission concluded in 2014 that at least 434 people were killed or disappeared during the dictatorship, with thousands more tortured.

Bolsonaro did not speak publicly Wednesday about the coup anniversary or military shake-up.

Brazilian media reported that the three military chiefs had entered a high-level meeting to resign, but were summarily fired. The replacements announced on Wednesday are among the oldest serving generals in active duty, which preserves military traditions and hierarchy.

Former Justice Minister Jose Carlos Dias, who coordinated the truth commission on the dictatorship, said the celebration of the coup could influence younger Brazilians, with many members of the military still embracing the narrative of their predecessors.

Brazil is sick because of the pandemic, and its state has been aggravated by this military crisis and todays celebration by our government, Dias said. I am scared. At 82 years of age, more than 50 as a lawyer, I feel frightened again. I want to live in a democracy. Those like me who lived at that time need to tell our children and grandchildren we cant go back to that.

-

Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese reported this story in Sao Paulo and AP writer Diane Jeantet reported from Rio de Janeiro. AP video journalist Lucas Dumphreys in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.

By MAURICIO SAVARESE and DIANE JEANTET

Associated Press
This is the second time in 2021 that Mr Oyakhilome 's church will be found guilty of breaching the UK's COVID-19 broadcasting rules.

Nigerian pastor, Chris Oyakhilome's religious TV channel, Loveworld, has been sanctioned by The Office of Communications in the United Kingdom (Ofcom) for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19.

Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.

Ofcom, in a statement on its official Twitter page, said the station was fined 125,000 (N65.6m) for breaching the country's broadcasting code by disseminating misinformation on COVID-19.

Today we have fined Loveworld 125,000 for this breach of the broadcasting code.

This was the second time in a year that the broadcaster breached our rules on accuracy in news and harm in its coverage of the coronavirus.

More detail: https://t.co/4y6dJ08DT3 https://t.co/PGosakSzyk

- Ofcom (@Ofcom) March 31, 2021

The statement read in part, "Today we have fined Loveworld 125,000 for this breach of the broadcasting code. This was the second time in a year that the broadcaster breached our rules on accuracy in news and harm in its coverage of the coronavirus."

On December 1 2020, Loveworld aired a 29-hour programme called the Global Day of Prayer, during which claims were made about the COVID-19, which has so far killed thousands across the globe.

According to the agency, "these claims included the notion that the outbreak was 'planned', that the 'sinister' vaccine can be used to implant 'nanochips' that can control and cause harm to members of the public and the debunked theory that the virus was somehow caused by 5G".

The agency said it was unfortunate that the station could continue to spread such information despite previous warnings.

Mr Oyakhilome, who heads Christ Embassy church headquartered in Lagos, has in the last one year encouraged his members to ignore COVID-19 protocols.

The statement further read, "Ofcom stresses that legitimate debate about the official response to the coronavirus pandemic is fundamental to holding public authorities to account during a global health crisis - particularly when public freedoms are curtailed and complex policy decisions are being taken.

"However, the inaccurate and potentially harmful claims made during this programme were unsupported by any factual evidence and went entirely without challenge."

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Controversies

The agency added that it was particularly concerned that this breach followed previous, similar breaches in 2020 during the investigation of which, Loveworld Limited, gave Ofcom a number of assurances as to how it would improve its compliance procedures.

A year ago, the controversial preacher shot a viral video wherein he established a link between the "5G network, Coronavirus, and anti-Christ".

In the video, Mr Oyakhilome also stated that the lockdown was to enable the Federal Government to install 5G in Abuja and Lagos.

He told his members in a sermon that "5G was part of the new world order where some figures of authority in the world were trying to build a religion, economy, and government for the entire universe."

But three clerics, Poju Oyemade, Sam Adeyemi and Matthew Ashimolowo, would later debunk Oyakhilome's claims at separate fora.

He recently asked his members not to take COVID-19 vaccines and berated Nigerian pastors who complied with the government's ban on large gatherings because of coronavirus.
Pawel Klosowski (pictured) pleaded guilty to killing his son and the teenager's girlfriend

A self-professed 'monster' who shot his son and the teenager's girlfriend in front of his young step-children has been jailed for at least 34 years.

Pawel Klosowski shot and killed Lukasz Klosowski and Chelsea Ireland, both 19, on his property at Mount McIntyre, south-east South Australia, in August last year.

The 46-year-old pleaded guilty to both their murders in November, before he faced the Supreme Court on Thursday where Justice Anne Bampton handed him the sentence.

He will be 80 years old by the time he is eligible for parole.

In recent submissions, Klosowski admitted he could not explain his actions amid an alcohol-fuelled argument over the dinner table, during which time he drank a carton of beer and reduced his teenage son to tears.

Pictured: Lukasz Klosowski and Chelsea Ireland, both 19, before they were shot dead at a family home

Before she was gunned down in a double murder at a rural farm in southeast South Australia, Chelsea Ireland lived her life putting others before herself

The court heard that Ms Ireland did not want to go to the family barbecue at Klosowski's home on the ill-fated evening, but went to support her boyfriend.

She messaged friends at one stage to say the evening had 'gone to s**t and that her boyfriend had been crying, according to news.com.au.

Klosowskis wife Magda Pearce told the teenage girl that her husband was 'pi**ed as f**k', which was a weekly occurrence.

After the father and son got into an argument, the Klosowski asked for his gun.

Lukasz was shot first in a bedroom, before Klosowski reloaded his gun and fired at the locked bathroom door where Ms Ireland had hidden and called triple zero.

A second shot, delivered at close range, killed her with her body found in the bath.

Chelsea Ireland and Lukasz Kosowski, both 19, were shot dead at a property in southeast South Australia

Pictured: Magda Pearce, mother of Lukasz Klosowski, leaves the Adelaide Supreme Court in Adelaide on April 1

Pictured: Friends of the victims arrive at the Adelaide Supreme Court in Adelaide on April 1

In a short apology read to the court, he said he thought about what he had done every day.

'I acted like a monster. The world would be a better place if I had shot myself instead,' he said.

'They were two wonderful people who were clearly destined to live happy  I destroyed the lives of their family and many other people.'

But prosecutor Kos Lesses said the apology was 'too little, too late'.

Mr Lesses said the shootings followed a row between Klosowski and his son after the teenager had indicated his intention to move out of his mother's house.

Pictured: Chelsea Ireland's sister Maddie (left) and Lukasz Klosowski's mother Magda Pearce outside the Adelaide Supreme Court in Adelaide on April 1

Pictured: Lukasz was farewelled at an intimate funeral as flowers and a photograph of him was laid on his coffin

The Ireland family previously described Chelsea and Lukasz (pictured) as great mates who had 'just bonded'

'The offending came about due to the insulting of the defendant's pride,' the prosecutor said.

'And it was fuelled by the combination of two fatal causes, anger and alcohol.'

Justice Brampton detailed how the argument had escalated with the killer berating his son at one stage for crying like a 'little baby'.

She said affronted by perceived disrespect from his son and Ms Ireland, Klosowski's behaviour escalated becoming irrational, reactive and ultimately violent.

'Your conduct was deliberate and purposeful,' she told him.

Pictured: Lukasz Klosowski, Maddie Ireland and Chelsea Ireland. Maddie posted the image on Facebook with the caption 'my guardian angels'

Because of his early guilty pleas, Klosowski was entitled to up to a 40 per cent discount on his non-parole period but Mr Lesses asked for any reduction to be significantly curtailed.

In September, Ms Ireland's family revealed she was passionate about the environment and determined to 'change the world' after learning of her death.

They remembered the mechanical engineering student as someone who left a lasting impression on everyone she met.

'Chelsea was compassionate, strong, selfless and fearless and continues to make us proud every day,' her father Greg Ireland said.

'We haven't just lost a daughter, we've lost a best friend. Our hearts will forever remain broken.'

Greg and Debra Ireland, who treated Lukasz like a member of the family, recalled the final moment they shared with their daughter - the morning before the tragedy

Pictured front, left to right: Chelsea Ireland's sister Maddie, Lukasz Klosowski's mother Magda Pearce and her partner, Chelsea Ireland's father Greg and mother Debra

Debra Ireland said her daughter was passionate about environmental care and making changes to save the planet.

'She was going to change the world,' Mrs Ireland said.

'She not only talked about it, she lived it.'

The family said Chelsea and Lukasz were great mates and had 'just bonded'.

Her devastated parents previously recalled the final moment they shared with their daughter - the morning before the tragedy.

'I went in and kissed her goodbye and said''be careful on that road'' and she said ''what do you think Lukasz is going to do? He's not stupid'',' Mrs Ireland previously told The Advertiser.

When she was just 15 years old, Chelsea watched a YouTube video that inspired her to donate her waist-length brown locks to cancer patients

Mr Ireland also gave his daughter a hug and said he loved her.

'From an early age, I've always said to the girls ''dads always need hugs'' so I go up, give them a hug and tell them I love them so I did that with Chelsea,' he said.

Chelsea's 21-year-old sister Maddie sent her a message about a double rainbow the day before her death, which she will forever remember as their final conversation.

Mrs Ireland said her daughter had only met the accused killer four times - twice when he took the couple for dinner in Adelaide, and twice in Mount Gambier, near his property.

'I just keep wishing I could have said to her don't go but she was 19, she had travelled Europe on her own. She was street-smart, independent, strong-willed  there was no way I could have held her home, but I just wish I could have,' the mother-of-two said.

Kosowski had barely seen his son since his relationship with Lukasz's mother Magdalena broke down in 2005.

Lukasz was studying journalism at the University of South Australia while working at KFC

Chelsea and Lukasz dated for several years and had travelled the world together, exploring his Polish heritage

Photos of Lukasz about that time show him with his mother, and another clutching a decoration reading 'Sto Lat (Happy Birthday) Lukasz'.

Family friends said Magdalena limited contact between her ex-husband and her son, and later started dating a woman she is still in a relationship with.

Kosowski and Lukasz only occasionally crossed paths until recent years when he tried to mend fences after marrying his wife Monica.

However, Kosowski noted his son's absence from numerous family photos with his three stepchildren and called him 'stubborn'.

The Ireland family told the publication they never thought 'tragedies you see in the paper' would happen to them.

Despite her violent death, the family remembered Chelsea's sense of adventure and kind heart.

Chelsea and Lukasz dated for several years and had travelled the world together, exploring his Polish heritage.

They attended different Adelaide high schools - Lukasz at Christian Brothers College and Chelsea at St Mary's College.

The house on the expansive property off Mount McIntyre Road in Mount McIntyre where Kosowski and his wife live and the shooting took place

Lukasz was studying journalism at the University of South Australia while working at KFC.

His girlfriend was enrolled in mechanical engineering at Adelaide University and working at Baker's Delight.

In an assessment for Adelaide University, the student shared an experience she had visiting an indigenous community on the outskirts of The Great Victoria Desert.

She said it empowered her to want to improve the quality of life for those living in remote communities.

Defence counsel Nick Vadasz told the court that while Klosowski could not explain his actions on the night he accepted that his intention was to kill.

'The prisoner accepts the horror of his behaviour,' Mr Vadasz said.

Justice Bamptom imposed the mandatory head sentence of life in jail with a non-parole period of 34 years.
In a boost to the Indian Air Force's (IAF) combat capability, the fourth batch of three Rafale fighter jets landed in Gujarat's Jamnagar on Wednesday, March 31, evening after flying non-stop from the Istres Air Base in France.

The jets were refuelled mid-air by UAE Air Force tankers. "The 4th batch of three IAF Rafales landed on Indian soil after a direct ferry from Istres Air Base France," the IAF tweeted.

It also thanked the UAE Air Force for refuelling the fighter jets mid-air, describing it as yet another milestone in the strong relationship between the two Air Forces.





Rafales were refueled in-flight by UAE Air Force tankers. This marks yet another milestone in the strong relationship between the two Air Forces.

Thank You UAE AF.@IndembAbuDhabi@Indian_Embassypic.twitter.com/6gFwh0AnjR  Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 31, 2021

The Indian Embassy in France shared an image of the Rafale fighter jet and the pilots on the mission and tweeted, "Another batch of Rafale take to the skies on non-stop flight to India with mid-air refuelling by UAE. Indian Air power grows further."

The Indian Embassy in France also shared a video of the Rafale taking off from the Istres Air Base with the caption, "Glimpses of another batch of Rafale which took off to the skies!"

The aircraft was stationed in Ambala and then sent to Hashimara in West Bengal, where the process of raising a second squadron has already begun. With this, the count of Rafale jets reaches 14 as India already has 11 such flying planes with 17 Squadron based at Ambala airbase.

Also read: Big boost! Indian Air Force to get 10 Rafale jets soon

These planes were utilised for patrolling at the Indo-China border in eastern Ladakh during the peak of the confrontation between the Indian and Chinese militaries.

India received the first batch of five Rafale aircraft on July 29, 2020, almost four years after it signed the inter-governmental with France to purchase 36 jets at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.

Following this, the second batch of three Rafale jets landed in India on November 3, 2020, and the third batch of another batch of three jets joined the IAF on January 27, 2021. The delivery of all 36 aircraft is likely to be completed by 2022-end.

Also read: Rafale induction ceremony at Ambala Airbase cost exchequer Rs 41 lakh, says Rajnath Singh

Rafale fighter capabilities

Twin-engine Rafale jets can carry out a range of missions like ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance, and nuclear strike deterrence. The weapons package of the Rafale jets comprises Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system.

These planes have given an edge to Indian planes over their Chinese and Pakistani rivals due to the long-range Meteor air to air missiles. The jets, which are India's first major fighter plane acquisition since the Sukhoi planes, are also equipped with Hammer missiles, which enhanced the plane's abilities to carry out air to ground mission like the Balakot airstrike.
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) President and CEO Lise Grande and Sudanese Ambassador to the United States H.E. Nureldin Satti signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tuesday pledging to support Sudan's historic transition.

"Sudanese peacebuilders are an inspiration to the world," said Grande. "They have advanced peace, justice and freedom under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable."

USIP has been working in Sudan for more than 30 years helping Sudanese peacebuilders who promote nonviolent action, justice and security.

As part of its new engagement, USIP will expand and accelerate its efforts to promote citizen engagement, facilitate women's leadership, and deepen dialogue on national security policies. In the months ahead, USIP will work closely with public institutions, civil society, the private sector, experts and practitioners to establish and strengthen genuine partnerships and through these, to inform U.S. policies.

"Sudan's Transitional Government is ready to build on its recent progress on peace and reform together with USIP. We value this partnership and look forward to sustained engagement," said Satti.

"All of us have a responsibility to support and stand in solidarity with Sudan at this historic time," said Grande. "We are proud to be part of this and fully committed to doing everything we can to help make peace sustainable in Sudan."

For information on USIP, visit: https://www.usip.org/about

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1274028/United_States_Institute_of_Peace_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.usip.org



SOURCE United States Institute of Peace
The Countryside Code has been updated to ensure visitors to the countryside respect the farmed landscape ahead of an anticipated rise in walkers as lockdown rules ease.

The Countryside Code, first published in 1951, has been given a revamp for the first time in over a decade.

Changes include clearer rules to underline the importance of clearing away dog mess and staying on footpaths to protect crops and wildlife.

With lockdowns curtailing other activities, footfall has rapidly increased on farm paths, throwing up new problems for farmers and landowners.

In February new figures from NFU Mutual showed that the cost of dog attacks on livestock had increased by over 10%, whilst the new year brought wet weather that led to concerns from arable farmers regarding the strain their footpaths were under.

The new refreshed Countryside Code also urges visitors to the countryside not to feed livestock and horses.

It has been shaped by nearly 4,000 stakeholder responses to an online survey, which sought views on best practices for visiting rural areas.

It comes ahead of the Easter weekend and the easing of some lockdown restrictions, which will bring a bumper period for visitors to the countryside.

In the summer of 2020, the Countryside Code was updated to respond to issues that were being raised during lockdown, such as sheep worrying by dogs.

The NFU has welcomed the update, adding that it was important for people to follow the rules and respect the countryside around them.

The union helped address the recent increase in access-related issues such as keeping to public rights of way, ensuring dogs are under control and dog waste is binned.

Deputy president Stuart Roberts said: "We are pleased that many of our recommendations have been included.

It is important that rural access and engagement is recognised and respected and that the modern-day rights of way network benefits both farmers and the public."

NFU Cymru said the update was 'especially crucial' for the issue of access to land and the rights of way network.

"[It] is an active working environment where farmers and growers carry out their daily job of producing food," President John Davies said.

As part of todays announcement, Natural England is also setting up a long-term Countryside Code campaign to increase awareness of the Code through 2021.

It will focus on encouraging behavioural change amongst the public to act responsibly when visiting outdoors and by respecting those who manage the land.
A group of men who spent time in the 1950s and '60s as prisoners at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna lobbied state lawmakers on Wednesday for restitution they say they deserve for the torture they endured in state custody.

Details: The men, who call themselves White House Boys, called on the state to pay up after decades of sexual and physical abuse claims at the state-run reformatory, open from 1900 to 2011.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

A bill approved in January by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee would allow the former Dozier inmates to receive state certification that they were victims of physical, mental or sexual abuse.

The Legislature formally apologized for abuse at the facilities in 2017 and claims bills are pending in the House and Senate.

"They told us they're trying to get this thing moving forward, but hope is just a hard word to say. It's just gone on so long that it's wearing us down."

Jim Abigando, 80, who was confined at the facility in the 1950s

This story first appeared in the Axios Tampa Bay newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard.

More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
by Liu Ning

The bishops must assimilate the "blood, toil, tears, courage, wisdom and strength" that led to the "success" of the Party and its leadership.

Rome (AsiaNews) - On March 29, AsiaNews received an article from a certain Liu Ning, taken from the official publication "Zhongguo Tianzhujiao (Catholic Church in China)". With great passion, the article describes the way in which the official Chinese bishops (recognized by the government), aided by the Patriotic Association, are assimilating the directives imposed on the Church and religions, regarding the 100 years since the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, so they may understand its "success", after so much "blood, fatigue, tears, courage, wisdom and strength".

The text highlights and publishes the notes of a meeting of 25 March, the first in a year-long series of study sessions. We propose reading the article, which suffices as an example of how the official Church is - forced? - to live as a "State Church".

The article raises at least two questions. The first brings a smile to our lips: How is it possible that in the time of Lent and Easter and after, the history of the Party is the most important thing for a Christian community?

The second brings bitter tears to our eyes: will a revision of the Party history also be permitted? One that reveals the cruelty and evil that, in the name of an ideology, was wrought on the Catholic Church of the time? Or will an Orwellian story emerge, in which the painful facts and injustices are "white-washed" to enhance the "successes" alone?

To celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party and welcome this great moment of glory, the Patriotic Association and the Council of Chinese Bishops[i] have organized a series of events. On March 25, the training seminar for the study of the history of the Party began, organized by the Patriotic Association and the Council of Chinese Bishops. Bishop Shen Bin, vice-president of the Patriotic Association and the Council of Chinese Bishops, chaired the seminar, while Tian Yueyang, the director of the Patriotic Association Research Center and party branch secretary, was the moderator.

Tian Yueyang articulated his speech under the title "Glories over 100 years of vicissitudes: Celebrating the birth of the Party, study its history, be grateful for it, remain faithful to the mission - The Centenary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party", and presented the great historical process through texts, images and videos, marking the following main stages, namely: the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, the difficulties faced, research and development, the flourishing and prosperity of the Party.

Through explanation and synthesis, Tian helped us understand that these 100 years faced by the Chinese Communist Party were shaped by blood, fatigue, tears, courage, wisdom and strength; that these 100 years brought many difficulties and trials, endured with perseverance and enriched with so many miracles; that these 100 years have been a process that created glories in suffering, rising with determination after the fall, achieving success in research, repairing past errors, opening new avenues in transition phases, and finally earning the future after the struggle.

This seminar respectively answered the questions of why the Chinese Communist Party can and does succeed.

At the end of the conference, Tian Yueyang briefly reviewed and summarized the work carried out by the Patriotic Association Party branch in 2020. Thanks to this conference, the members of the Patriotic Association and the Council of Chinese Bishops were able to deepen their knowledge about the history of the Party, further consolidating the theoretical foundations to learn, strengthen confidence and morals and draw strength through the study of history.

Bishop Shen Bin commented on the conference. He said that this year marks the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and this formation conference is part of a series of events organized by the Patriotic Association and the Council of Chinese Bishops to celebrate the centenary of the foundation. This meeting is linked to current political affairs and boasts a great preparation, richness of content and a massive amount of information; it was truly a meeting that benefited everyone.

The bishop expressed the hope that this conference will foster passion and initiative of the members in the study of the history of the Party, in the study of the history of the nation. Moreover, he would like the various offices the members of the Patriotic Association and the Council of Chinese Bishops to continue to study and discover ways and means to carry forward the line of sinicization of Catholicism in China, making their own contribution to the sinicization process.

He would like the members of the Patriotic Association and the Council of Chinese Bishops to strengthen awareness of the need to maintain political integrity, think broadly, follow the core of the leadership and keep in line with the central leadership of the Party, carry on all commitments within the field of Catholicism, struggling to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the nation. Association leaders Liu Yuanlong, Guo Jincai[ii] and all members attended the conference.

[i] We prefer to use the term "Council" and not "Conference" because the group of bishops referred to is exclusively composed of official bishops, recognized by the government; there are no "underground" bishops, that is, those recognized by the Holy See and not by the Party. In this sense, the official group of bishops, which does not include all the bishops of the country, is not an "episcopal conference" and is not recognized by the Holy See (ed).

[ii] The bishop of Chengde, Msgr. Giuseppe Guo Jincai, is one of the bishops whose excommunication Pope Francis lifted in 2018, in conjunction with the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops. Msgr.Guo was also at the Synod on Youth in Rome in 2018 for a short time, together with Msgr. Giovanni Battista Yang Xiaoting (see photo). Mgr. Guo is vice-president of the National Patriotic Association (ed).
It was April Fools Day at the U.S. Department of Labor, where weekly initial claims for unemployment assistance by Connecticut residents reached more than 9,700 in a single week  including roughly 330 from those identifying themselves as independent workers.

Whether or not a handful of those claimants actually reside in Lagos or Moscow, rather than Lyme or Monroe, remains to be seen, as fraudulent claims over the past year were fairly common.

The Connecticut Department of Labor disclosed last month that roughly 100,000 of the 1.1 million unemployment applications received since the start of the pandemic were deemed fraudulent, without making any estimate as to how many more it may have missed. Until DOL brings a new unemployment system online in 2022, unemployment fraud remains a weekly threat.

In upgrading its system over the past year, the DOL has developed new ways of flagging cases, it said, but would not reveal those systems to avoid giving con artists a leg up. The Department did state that staff members review each one individually, and that no part of the process is automated.

Over a three-year period ending in June 2020, Connecticut was among the 10 worst states in the country for fraudulent payouts, with an improper payment rate hovering around 15 percent, as estimated in January by the Employment and Training Administration.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts had slightly elevated levels. At 35 percent of unemployment claims deemed fraudulent, Michigan sank to the bottom.

Connecticut received $1.8 million last September from the Trump administration to improve DOLs defenses, as part of $100 million distributed nationally.

The scope of this problem is at least $200 billion nationally, said Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions Group, which sells software safeguards to help labor departments defeat fraud. Its not a Connecticut problem, its not a Massachusetts problem, it is a problem that has infected the entire system.

A serious challenge

In addition to run-of-the-mill identity theft, DOL indicated there was a new variety of unemployment fraud in the past year: individuals identifying themselves as independent entrepreneurs, a back channel that allowed them to tap weekly benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which was created as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

PUA marked the first time that solo workers could get unemployment benefits despite not paying taxes footed by regular employers to fund unemployment trusts funds. As of mid-March, the Connecticut Dept. of Labor had paid out more than 81,000 PUA claims.

Kurt Westby, Connecticuts labor commissioner, said that organized crime remains a serious challenge heading into spring.

As it patched together a decades-old database system to deal with overwhelming claims last spring and summer during the COVID-19 pandemic, the DOL had to ferret out fraud, even as its workers obeyed a state mandate to work from home.

With many claimants enduring weeks of delays to get their initial check, the DOL was working in a pressure cooker, which fraudsters parlayed into phony claims.

You want to get them all out as quickly as you can, and thats the generalized frustration: trying to meet the needs of everyone, because theres a lot of people out there hurting, Westby said.

In addition to investigating new claims that may be suspect, the DOL is hoping to catch existing claims being paid out to identity thieves by having people report online or by calling 1-800-894-3490, particularly if they receive DOL or tax forms requesting information on benefits for which they never filed.

The U.S. Department of Labor also launched a new website  www.dol.gov/fraud  last month for people to report if they believe they are victims of identity theft.

MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images

Last week, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies kicked off a round of seminars to help state agencies learn what emerging tools are out there to ward off fraud.

LexisNexis Risk Solutions Group is among the vendors providing such tools, with parent company RELX itself a significant employer in Connecticut through its Reed Exhibitions division, which has its main U.S. office in Norwalk.

Talcove said heading off fraudulent claims before they can be filed is a relatively easy fix, one that the finance and e-commerce sectors solved more than a decade ago with varying techniques.

Those include analytics on devices being used to access systems and firewalls that require ID verification by asking questions only filers would know  a vehicle they have driven in the distant past, for example, or information about a relative.

Most states focused on what they call program integrity fraud: an individual ... who may have a job and not report it in order to get [unemployment] benefits, or claim to have a higher salary, Talcove said. They left the front door wide open. They didnt check for impostor fraud. ... Once that digital lock has been put in place, it goes away.

Talcove estimated it would cost a state the size of Connecticut less than $2 million to create an upgrade. The ETA study in January estimated Connecticut paid out more than $51 million in improper payments last year, of $7.5 billion disbursed in all under enhanced benefits authorized by the CARES Act.

Talcove said the evidence suggests the rackets are being run from Russia, China and Nigeria, with a ring in the latter country clipping more than $600 million from the state of Washington alone. Ohio, Tennessee and Kansas are among the states using systems from LexisNexis Risk Solutions to combat unemployment fraud, as is the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Talcove said many states have tried to defeat fraud by requiring extra documentation from claimants, which he said creates unnecessary hassles during the claims process compared to the newest tools.

Its like bringing a sledgehammer to tap in a nail to hang a picture, Talcove said. Ninety-nine percent of the time when you use [the tools], it catches virtually all of the fraud. It gets the recipients paid faster and it stops the fraudsters cold in their path.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
It is hard to see COVID-19 here, in the small village of KaMatsamo. Goats pick their way through a path that runs from the highway, the main thoroughfare in this South African town of some 23,000 people.

On a recent day, most residents were not diligently wearing masks outdoors, as is the law. About half were.

Africas megacities will bear deep scars from this coronavirus pandemic. But 59% of the continents population lives in rural areas, according to the World Bank, and large-scale lockdowns have effectively sealed off these rural areas  for better and for worse, residents say.

On a recent fall day, VOA spoke to a group of residents who had gathered by the side of the road in this town just 12 square kilometers in size. Several said they knew of someone who had contracted COVID-19  but most said that they did not think the virus itself has penetrated their community to the extent that it has urban areas.

But the pandemic is deeply felt here, say residents  who point not to death tolls, but to economic and social devastation. South Africa is the continents epicenter, with more than 1.5 million confirmed cases and more than 52,000 deaths.

Phakade Sambo is a bright 22-year-old with a dream  one that she said the pandemic has slashed.

It's been a problem  like, a really problem, a big problem  to me, she said.

She wants to learn a trade and, eventually, set up her own carpentry shop.

I can't continue with my carpentry studies, she said, after re-adjusting an already neat row of avocados at her roadside stall. I just stopped, and I can't even start my own business because the money is too low. People are complaining they can't even buy this fruit, they are complaining They say it's too much money, I'm being expensive or something. They say that.

Data about COVIDs impact on Africas urban-rural divide is still being gathered. But one recent study from a group of Nigerian and British researchers warns that rural African communities risk being left behind in the pandemic because of the lack of amenities like good road networks, clinics and hospitals.

Freddy Nkosi, Congo country director at VillageReach, an NGO that focuses on remote, rural low-income countries, says the big efforts like, say, vaccination, are that much more difficult in rural settings.

You need to keep the vaccines in the cold-chain environments and you need to train the people who will transport the vaccines, he said. You need to train the people who will be using the vaccines, I mean the health workers. So getting all these different pieces of puzzles in the very short period of time, that's very, very challenging.

For a town like KaMatsamo, which is less than a days drive from Johannesburg, that is doable. And for that reason, residents say they feel safer here than in the city.

It's better to stay in a small place because we have small [number of] people, than in big cities, said supermarket worker Sam Limana. Because in the big cities, because theres a lot of people, some of them, they don't know about COVID, theyre stubborn, they dont know about this, they dont care about this.

I think around the rural area, it's much better than the city, because there's not a lot of people, said security guard Zama Changela, who said he lost a colleague to the virus. I think it's safe to be in a rural area.



But VillageReach South Africa director Nkosi says his experience in the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa is concerning.

I travel in over five provinces so far, where I see a disparity between what is happening in the urban area, or in Kinshasa, and what is happening in most of the rural areas, where, for example, if I have to start with the health workers and commit to health workers in the rural areas, they have limited access to personal protective equipment compared to those who are in the urban areas, he said.

But here is the thing: rural African life has always been rich, complex and  perhaps above all  resilient. For hundreds of years, this area was a settlement of the Shongwe Matsamo people, a brave society who valiantly defended the Swazi king against attacks.

And then, in the late 1800s: catastrophe. Within a few years, this whole village was wiped out by smallpox.

This pandemic, too, could end up being another blip in its long history.
Iran's single-day COVID-19 cases top 10,000; Palestine receives another batch of vaccines

Xinhua) 10:15, April 01, 2021

CAIRO, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran reported 10,330 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking its nationwide caseload to 1,885,564. Meanwhile, Palestine received another batch of COVID-19 vaccines.

The pandemic has so far claimed 62,665 lives in Iran, up by 96 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

A total of 1,617,333 people have recovered from the disease, while 3,970 remain in intensive care units, she noted.

Meanwhile, Iran has vaccinated roughly 80 percent of its medical staff dealing with the COVID-19 patients, the official news agency IRNA reported on Wednesday, citing Maryam Hazrati, the country's deputy health minister.

Palestine on Wednesday received 25,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which is the first batch of 2 million vaccines purchased by the government from vaccine manufacturers, Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said.

The vaccination campaign against coronavirus is proceeding at a positive pace, especially after Palestine received a batch of the Sinopharm vaccine donated by China, al-Kaila said.

So far, 78,379 people have received COVID-19 vaccines, including 8,687 people who received the second dose of the vaccines, according to al-Kaila.

On Wednesday, Palestine recorded 2,288 new COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths, according to the Health Ministry.

The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported 6,664 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the pandemic, raising the total nationwide infections to 850,924.

The ministry said that 37 new deaths were recorded during the day, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 14,323, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 4,210 to 759,560.

It said that 17,180 people were vaccinated during the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number of doses received to 56,985.

Turkey on Wednesday confirmed 39,302 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,401 symptomatic patients, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 3,317,182, according to its health ministry.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 152 to 31,537, while the total recoveries climbed to 3,014,226 after 19,193 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours.

The country started mass vaccination for COVID-19 on Jan. 14 after the authorities approved the emergency use of the Chinese CoronaVac vaccine. More than 9,140,000 people were vaccinated so far.

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 466 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed tally in the country to 833,040.

The death toll from the virus rose to 6,203, with 14 new fatalities. The total recoveries in Israel rose to 819,564, with 1,058 newly recovered cases.

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel has surpassed 5.24 million, or 56.3 percent of its total population, since the vaccination campaign began on Dec. 20, 2020.

Algeria reported 131 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the North African country to 117,192.

The death toll from the virus rose to 3,093 after four new fatalities were added. Meanwhile, 96 more patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 81,538.

Lebanon registered 3,393 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 468,400. Meanwhile, death toll from the virus went up 50 to 6,234.

The Qatari Health Ministry announced 780 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 179,964. Meanwhile, 437 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 164,121, while the fatalities increased by two to 291.

The Omani Health Ministry announced 1,162 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 159,218.

Meanwhile, 568 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall recoveries to 143,966 while nine deaths were reported, pushing the tally up to 1,678.

The Kuwaiti Health Ministry reported 1,282 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 232,103. The ministry also announced five more fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,313, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,330 to 216,580.

Morocco announced 676 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the North African country to 496,097. The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 483,363 after 198 more were added.

The death toll rose to 8,818 with five new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 411 people are in intensive care units.

Meanwhile, 4,320,349 people have received the first vaccine shot against COVID-19 in the country so far, and 3,674,251 people have received the second dose.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
[April 01, 2021] Mesa Public Schools and S.A.V.E. Members Select Istation Reading and Istation Math

Istation, a leader in educational technology, has been vetted and selected as a supplemental educational resource by Mesa Public Schools and the Strategic Alliance for Volume Expenditures (S.A.V.E.) consortium. Mesa Public Schools and S.A.V.E. were tasked with researching and selecting instructional programs and materials that support students in enrichment and remediation interventions. As research-based solutions with proven results in accelerating student progress in understanding and comprehension, Istation Reading and Math were selected. Powered by the science of reading, Istation's reading assessments and instructional resources for pre-K through 8th grade cover the National Reading Panel's "Big Five" foundational essentials: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehensin and vocabulary. Schools get the support they need to improve foundational reading and growth with assessments that provide actionable and insightful data that measure these skills and many others.



Istation's math curriculum (pre-K through 5th grade) and assessments (pre-K through 8th grade) teach and assess foundational skills to help students master mathematical concepts, gain fluency in critical thinking and develop problem-solving skills. The program includes individualized online instruction, diagnostic and progress-monitoring tools, immediate reporting for growth analysis and thousands of teacher resources, including intervention lessons. "Driven by scientific evidence and comprehensive research, Istation has been helping educators improve students' core reading and math skills for many years," said Istation CEO Richard Collins. "We are honored to be selected by Mesa Public Schools and S.A.V.E. and look forward to serving as a collaborative partner to educators, helping to support and enrich students across the state."

Students take a computer-adaptive assessment, known as Istation's Indicators of Progress (ISIP), which measures overall proficiency and abilities. Istation uses student progress and assessment data to create personalized data profiles with relevant information on students' progress. These instantaneous and customizable reports include both graphic and contextual analyses for each student. Teachers can use this data to plan and differentiate instruction, provide necessary interventions and discover students who may be at risk for learning disabilities. About Istation Founded in 1998 and based in Dallas, Texas, Istation (Imagination Station) has become one of the nation's leading providers of richly animated, game-like educational technology. Winner of several national educational technology awards, the Istation program puts more instructional time in the classroom through small-group and collaborative instruction. Istation's innovative reading, math and Spanish programs immerse students in an engaging and interactive environment and inspire them to learn. Additionally, administrators and educators can use Istation to easily track the progress of their students, schools and classrooms. Istation now serves over 4 million students throughout the United States and in several other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005808/en/

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TAMPA  The son of a retired U.S. Marine lieutenant colonel will not face criminal charges in the fathers shooting death at the familys Lithia home last year.

A review by the Hillsborough State Attorneys Office released Tuesday found that evidence supported the account 23-year-old Brody Missler gave to investigators after shooting his father Timothy two days before Thanksgiving. Brody Missler said he feared for his safety because his father reached for a gun during an argument at their home in FishHawk Ranch.

Our review determined that the evidence is consistent with the victims assertion that Timothy Missler moved to arm himself with a firearm while intoxicated, emotionally disturbed, and having recently been both verbally and physically aggressive toward the victim, said a summary of the review by the office of Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren.

Brody Missler told his father not to arm himself but the man ignored the warnings and picked up the firearm, the review said. In response, the victim shot Missler, which caused Missler to fall to the floor with his arm underneath his body.

Uncertain whether Missler was still armed, the review said, Brody Missler fired again, causing the fatal wound.

The review did not name Brody Missler because of Marsys Law, a voter-approved amendment to the state Constitution that was meant to protect crime victims but that deprives the public of information long available under Floridas public records law.

Warrens office said the shooter was the victim of an aggravated assault. The Tampa Bay Times previously identified Brody Missler as the shooter based on a search warrant affidavit filed by the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office.

The Sheriffs Office and State Attorneys Office made the right decision after a thorough investigation, said Anthony Rickman, Brody Misslers attorney.

This was a tragic situation where my client had to act in self-defense, Rickman said. Brody had to make a split-second decision. Its not something he wanted to do, its not something he ever envisioned doing. Its something he had to do.

Rickman said investigators considered the shooting in the context of escalating family tension.

Investigators learned that a family argument began the day before the shooting between Timothy Missler and his brother Andrew Missler, who was visiting from out of town for the holidays, according to the state attorneys review. Timothy worked as a military contractor and had returned from Afghanistan about a week before the shooting after having been gone for about four months.

The two brothers had been drinking before the argument and it carried into the next day, Nov. 24, according to the review. Timothy Missler left the family home in the 15000 block of Starling Water Dr. to continue drinking with a friend. His wife Colleen drove Andrew Missler to a hotel.

Timothy Missler returned to the house and found Brody Missler home by himself. The father became hostile and argumentative toward his son and continued drinking, the review said. Missler made statements about his marriage and his relationship with his brother being over and also told his son, Youre dead to me, the review said.

Timothy Missler then went to a kitchen cabinet where Brody Missler knew his father kept a loaded gun.

The victim told (Timothy) Missler to not grab the gun, but Missler ignored him, picked up the gun and began to remove it from its holster, the review said. In fear for his safety, the victim then drew the firearm he carried in a holster on his own hip and shot Missler.

The shot caused Timothy Missler to fall to the right, face down on the ground, with his arm under his body. The gun fell to ground in the opposite direction. From his vantage point, Brody Missler could see his father but the kitchen island blocked his view of the gun, according to the review.

Uncertain of the guns location, and with Missler still moving and his arm concealed under his body, the victim remained fearful, the review said. He approached Missler and fired multiple shots at him as he lay on the ground.

The State Attorneys Office released the 911 call Brody Missler made to report he had shot his father.

The operator asked if the shooting was an accident or on purpose.

On purpose, maam, a panting Missler replied. He was getting his gun, maam. Hes been aggressive.

Missler told a second operator during the call that his father returned to the house and was belligerent and he was shoving me. He said his father told him his marriage was over and went to a cabinet where a gun was kept.

I wasnt sure what he was going to do with it, maam, so I shot him, Missler said. I shot him and he went down and he was still moving and I wasnt sure if he had his gun so I shot him when he was down there, maam.

Missler died from a gunshot wound to the back of his head near the base of the skull, an autopsy found.

According to his Facebook and LinkedIn pages, Timothy Missler served in the Marines for 22 years, retired as a lieutenant colonel and went to work as an instructor pilot for L3 Technologies.

From 2014 to 2016, he worked in Tampa at Marine Corps Central Command, or MARCENT, according to his LinkedIn profile. Among his duties, the profile said, was to supervise three top secret and secret operational and concept supporting plans to Central Commands ... series campaign plans. The command is located at Tampas MacDill Air Force Base

Misslers Facebook page, which appears to have been deactivated, described him as a happily married father of two wonderful boys.

Rickman, the attorney, previously told the Times that the family lived in a number of cities and countries around the world and came to Hillsborough after Timothy Misslers deployment in Okinawa, Japan, ended.

At Newsome High, Brody Missler excelled as a student and participated in the JROTC program, Rickman said. He graduated from USF with a degree in biomedical science and a minor in psychology. Hes working to get his EMT certification and has plans to join either the Army or Marines.

The family is completely supportive of Brody and has stood behind him from day one, Rickman said Tuesday. Friends of the family understand Brody is a great kid and its such a horrible thing that he had to do, what he did to save himself, and unfortunately it was his father who put him in that position.

This article is written by Tony Marrero from Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla. and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
Britain's Secretary of State of International Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss is seen outside Downing Street, in London, Britain, on March 17, 2020. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

Get Tough on China or Risk Losing Control of Global Trade, UK Tells G7

LONDONBritain will on Wednesday push G7 allies to get tough on China over pernicious practices that undermine the international trading system, calling for an overhaul of outdated and ineffective World Trade Organization rules.

Trade minister Liz Truss will host her G7 counterparts and the new head of the WTO, using Britains platform as current president of the group of rich countries to promote post-Brexit Britain as a leading free trade advocate.

This is the time to get tough on China and their behavior in the global trading system, but also modernize the WTO. In many ways its stuck in the 1990s, she told the Financial Times in an interview.

Since leaving the European Union and pinning its economic future on global trade, Britain has stepped up criticism of Chinas trade practices.

People cannot believe in free trade if it is not fair, Truss said in a statement before the meeting.

Public trust has been corroded by pernicious practices, from the use of forced labor to environmental degradation and the stealing of intellectual property.

Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai, China, on Oct. 19, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Wider relations between London and Beijing have soured in recent months, with tit-for-tat sanctions over Chinas human rights record and a bitter row over reforms to the governance of former British colony Hong Kong.

Britain and other WTO members argue that China benefits from exceptions to the rules which were made decades ago and no longer reflect its status as an economic power.

The WTO was established when China was 10 percent the size of the U.S. economy, Truss told the FT. It is ludicrous that it is still self-designating as a developing countryand those rules need to change.

Other G7 allies, including U.S. President Joe Biden, agree on the need to reform the WTO and to address the need to push back against communist Chinas ambitions for global dominance. The problem is finding a solution that all sides agree on.

Echoing the fear of many Western nations that they will lose their grip on control of the post World War Two international order to the Chinese regime, Truss said that unless WTO can be reformed, countries will find other frameworks to trade within.

A strategic review of British foreign policy this month focused on the need to gain more influence in the Indo-Pacific to balance against the Chinese regime, describing its authoritarian leadership and economic might as the biggest state-based threat to Britains economic security.

The ministers will be joined on the call by recently-elected WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who inherited an organization that has struggled to enforce and modernize its rule book.

By William James
The business of refinery is both a national pride and wise economic venture in serious climates, but as usual, Nigeria is a peculiar state where political interest takes prominence over economics.

T he debate over the appropriateness or otherwise of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) decision to approve $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery Company Ltd has dominated the media space in recent times.

Huge opposition has risen from some quarters, with key opposition party members such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Gov Nyesom Wike, Senator Dino Melaye, and former Gov Peter Obi as well as activist Aisha Yesufu, among others opposing the rehabilitation cum contract award.

While they are truly entitled to their opinion and rightly so in democratic dispensation, it is also important to take a holistic view of issues at stake.

From all indication, the ongoing debate in some cases seems to be more political than facing the economics.

In all sincerity, nobody seems to have captured the reason for the strong opposition to the project than the group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Mallam Mele Kyari when he acknowledged that the challenge is more of lack of trust.

Owing up on the trust deficit while answering question on a national television Kyari said, "We agree that we have not done well in maintaining our refineries in the past 25 years because the last turnaround maintenance of Port Harcourt refinery was 21 years ago and it wasn't done well and it has shown in the performance of the refinery."

He stated that the situation today was caused by failure in the past to do what is right, stressing that it has led to a huge cost of rebuilding.

Kyari then went ahead to assure of his administration's commitment to ensuring that things are done properly hence forth.

Meanwhile, those who have been following the leadership style of Mallam Kyari since he assumed office while agree that much has changed in the activities of the Corporation in terms of openness to the public, accountability and transparency.

The right question therefore should be what are the benefits of rehabilitating the moribund refineries. First, the fact remains that the three refineries in Warri, Kaduna and Port Harcourt with a combined capacity of 445,000b/d capacity were established to ensure energy security for the country. Of these refineries, the most strategic is the Port-Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) with a capacity of 210,000 b/d and can produce 10.4 million liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) per day. This refinery had its last TAM in the year 2000 (21 years ago).

It is gladdening therefore to see that there is finally a move on the part of government to rehabilitate the Port Harcourt refinery and restore all the numerous advantages that operating the refinery will bring to the Country.

According to available information, this rehabilitation, unlike TAM (which should normally be carried out every two years but was neglected for many years), will involve comprehensive repairs of the plant with significant replacement of critical equipment to ensure the plant integrity is maintained for a minimum of ten years.

Of course, some critics have argued that it is more economical to build a new refinery than "just waste $1.5bn" to rehabilitate the PHRC. However, reality checks prove that view wrong. Global review brand new refineries built across the world will reveal the following: the Aramco Oil Refinery (250,000-300,000 bpd) in Pakistan cost $10bn. The Abrue Lima Refinery Project (230,000 bpd) in Brazil is estimated to cost $12bn. The Pengerang Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development, RAPID (300,000 b/d + 3 mtpa) naptha steam cracker) in Indonesia is budgeted to cost US$27bn. Back home, Dangote Refinery (650,000bpd) in Nigeria will cost US$19bn. No doubt there is a huge difference between this figures and the US$1.5bn budgeted for the rehabilitation of the PHRC.

On the source of funding, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) which agreed to raise up to $1billion towards the rehabilitation project is the reliable lender. There is no doubt that a credible and capable lender like Afreximbank would put such huge amount of money where there will be no value, even as government is expected to raise the sum of $550m.

On its part, Tecnimont SpA, representative of the Original Refinery Builder (ORB) which is one of the top ten global Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation and Commissioning (EPCIC) Contractor in refineries, is globally reputable and capable, with requisite experience of similar jobs across the globe.

On a more serious note, despite the abundance of hydrocarbon resources, Nigeria is, sadly, the only oil gas producer in the world that does not refine petroleum products. Instead, the country relies heavily on importation for most of its PMS needs locally.

Obviously, there are huge benefits in bringing the nation's refineries back on stream. From satisfying local energy demand, growing the nation's GDP, to strengthening the Naira by reducing the demand for Forex to creating thousands of jobs across the value chain (crude supply, operating and maintaining the refinery, product supply etc) including several third-party contractors that will supply outsourced services or goods, the advantages are huge.

The refined products also serve as feedstock for small scale local manufacturing. The most significant and visible benefit is energy security for the country. Imagine if COVID-19 lockdown became global and Nigeria couldn't import, it would have been a disaster as there was no capacity to refine crude in-country and as such, there would have been no products at all.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Petroleum By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Having learnt from the experiences of previous models, NNPC is now adopting the Operate & Maintain (O&M) Model as a strategy in the execution of the rehabilitation project, which is also one of the key lender requirements.

Finally, a new approach is being adopted in the rehabilitation program. Unlike what is obtained in the past, the current refineries rehabilitation project is different for the following reasons: It consists of a governance structure that includes key independent external stakeholders: Ministry of Finance, NEITI, ICRC, PENGASSAN and NUPENG; Unlike the regular TAM, this rehabilitation will involve comprehensive repairs of the plant with significant replacement of critical equipment to ensure that the plant's integrity is maintained for a minimum of ten years; It is funded through part-loan and part-government, with the financiers actively monitoring the execution of the project; and KBR and NETCO are acting as NNPC Engineers who will be supervising the EPC contract to ensure that the project is delivered on schedule, within budget and at the right quality.
The State Department on Wednesday reaffirmed a determination made last year by the Trump administration that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous and remains undeserving of special treatment by the United States.

In a notice sent to Congress, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China had continued to dismantle Hong Kongs autonomy and the former British colony does not warrant U.S. trade and financial perks it had enjoyed since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 with a pledge from Beijing that it would enjoy significant autonomy for 50 years.

The decision is yet another indication that President Joe Biden's administration has not strayed from the hard line that was taken by President Donald Trump on China.

The certification to Congress is required by the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which passed overwhelmingly with bipartisan support in 2019 and was signed into law by Trump.

The law requires the U.S. to impose sanctions against officials held responsible for human rights abuses in Hong Kong as well as determine whether the city continues to warrant special status. Both the Biden and the Trump administrations have imposed sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials as a result of the determinations.

Under the terms of a China-Britain agreement, Hong Kong was to have enjoyed significant autonomy from the communist government in Beijing for 50 years starting in 1997.

That autonomy was to have included protections for free speech and self-rule under what China has termed a one country, two systems policy.

Blinken's decision also comes a day after China sharply reduced the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kongs legislature in a setback for the territory's already beleaguered democracy movement.

The changes were announced Tuesday after a two-day meeting of Chinas top legislature.

The legislature will be expanded to 90 seats, and only 20 will be elected by the public. Currently, half of the 70-seat legislature - 35 seats - is directly elected.

"The United States stands united with our allies and partners in speaking out... for the human rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers," said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price.

"We call on the PRC to uphold its international obligations and commitments under the Sino British Joint Declaration. The voices of the people in Hong Kong must be heard, and the Legislative Council elections should proceed in a free and fair manner that allows candidates to run for election irrespective of their political views."

Price also answered questions on Iran and China signing a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement addressing economic issues amid crippling U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The agreement dubbed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reportedly covers a variety of economic activity from oil and mining to promoting industrial activity in Iran, as well as transportation and agricultural collaborations.

The deal marked the first time Iran has signed such a lengthy agreement with a major world power. In 2001, Iran and Russia singed a 10-year cooperation agreement, mainly in the nuclear field, that was lengthened to 20 years through two five-year extensions.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The US ambassador to Palau, John Hennessey-Niland, visited Taiwan on Sunday, becoming the first ambassador to visit the island since Washington cut formal diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979. Hennessey-Niland is traveling with Palaus President Surangel Whipps, who leads one of only 15 countries that diplomatically recognize Taiwan rather than Beijing.

Whipps is ostensibly on a five-day trip to Taiwan to launch a new Taiwan-Palau travel bubble, which will allow people to take trips between the two, with reduced COVID-19 restrictions. However, Hennessey-Nilands presence is a deliberate breach of long-standing diplomatic protocols, limiting contact between the US and Taiwan, and is aimed at further stoking tensions with Beijing. As part of establishing diplomatic ties with China in 1979, the US recognized the One China policy: that Beijing was the legitimate government of all China, including Taiwan.

US Ambassador John Hennessey-Niland (Source: Twitter)

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which serves as Washingtons de facto embassy on the island, released a statement on the trip Tuesday, claiming, The United States, Taiwan, and Palau share a strong commitment to democracy, to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and to advancing the peace and prosperity of the region. While not addressing Beijing by name, Washington regularly alleges that China is a threat to the free and open Indo-Pacific.

While a small island nation in Micronesia, Palau is a major part of Washingtons war plans against China. In 2017, the US Defense Department called Palau indispensable to our national security. Currently, the US has exclusive rights under its 1982 Compact of Free Association with Palau to use the island nation, which is strategically located near the Philippines and Indonesia, as a military base. Last year, Palau requested that the US build bases, which would allow the US to permanently station its military there.

The visit is another in a string of provocations aimed at Beijing, as the Biden administration continues and deepens the dangerous, pro-war policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump. In the final day of the Trump administration, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ended all restrictions on contact between US and Taiwanese officials, both military and civilian. The Biden administration is following suit, preparing guidelines that would encourage US officials to meet with their Taiwanese counterparts. This would essentially cause most restrictions on such meetings to disappear, in the words of an official to the Financial Times.

Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denounced Hennessey-Nilands visit, saying on Monday, The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations. China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the US and the island of Taiwan. This position is consistent and clear... We urge the US not to try to breach China's bottom line, to avoid serious damage to ChinaUS relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

Beijing also responded by dispatching 10 warplanes on Monday, through Taiwans Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) to the southwest of the island. These maneuvers are often presented in the establishment media as violations of Taiwanese airspace, but ADIZs are declared unilaterally and have no standing in international law. As such, Beijings flights have been through international airspace.

The hypocrisy is evident. Washington has already sent warships through the Taiwan Straitthousands of kilometres from the American mainlandon three separate occasions since Biden took office, claiming the voyages were in accordance with international law. Beijing, however, is accused of being aggressive and menacing, when passing through airspace close to the Chinese mainland, and moreover of territory recognized by Washington as being part of China.

The US is playing a dangerous and reckless game. Under Trump and now Biden, the US is deliberately inflaming the most explosive flashpoint for war with China. While a slew of articles in the American press warn of the dangers of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, it is the US that is deliberately undermining the One China policy, and establishing closer ties with Taiwan, which constitute a strategic threat to Beijing.

The New York Times wrote last August, citing unnamed officials in Washington: Those officials, as well as Republican and Democratic lawmakers, aim to do as much as possible to show explicit US support for Taiwan. They want to send military signals to China and to make relations with Taiwan as close to nation-to-nation as possible, short of recognizing sovereignty.

The Biden administration is continuing the policy. In addition to the provocations already mentioned, the US is now engaged in a further militarization of the region, including plans to dispatch missiles to Taiwan over the next six years. Doing so could lead to the outbreak of war; Beijing will not allow Taiwan to be turned into a platform for military aggression against the mainland, less than 200 kilometres away across the Taiwan Strait.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken went so far as to refer to Taiwan as a country on March 10, calling the island, a country that can contribute to the world, not just its own people. COVID is a very good example of that. Beijing has made clear that if Taipei ever declares independence in violation of the One China policy, it would use military force to reunite with Taiwan. Blinkens remarks cannot be excused as a slip of the tongue.

The US ultimately bears responsibility for the destabilization of the region. After World War II, the Republic of China, the formal name of Taiwan today, regained control of the island, which had been a Japanese colony since 1895. After the 1949 Chinese revolution, the defeated Kuomintang fled to Taiwan where it was protected by the US Navy. It was then allowed to posture as the legitimate government of all of China, including sitting as a permanent member with veto powers on the UN Security Council.

During the latter half of the 20th century, the US launched devastating wars against countries in Asia, including North Korea and Vietnam, while threatening China with nuclear annihilation. Washington made a tactical decision to formally recognize Beijing in 1979, aimed at undercutting the Soviet Union, while at the same time continuing to supply Taipei with weaponry and unofficial political support.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Washington has carried out a series of regime change operations from the Balkans to Iraq, Libya and Ukraine, that have left entire societies in ruin. Within this context, as part of the Obama administrations pivot to Asia, Washington began inflaming regional territorial disputes in the East and South China Sea to bring pressure on Beijing.

For all the talk of democracy and human rights, Washingtons fundamental aim is to offset its economic decline, deflect domestic tensions outwards, and prevent China from overtaking it as the leading economic power in the world. In doing so, US imperialism is recklessly engaged in the drive to a war that threatens the annihilation of the entire planet.
ROME - The ship Open Arms docked in Pozzallo on Thursday with 209 migrants aboard, of whom 56 were minors, including a seven-year-old girl.



Six siblings were evacuated from the Spanish NGO ship and taken to suitable facilities.



The other migrants will undergo a period of quarantine aboard the ship Snav Adriatico, which reached the port of Pozzallo on Thursday morning from Porto Empedocle.



The migrants, almost all of whom departed from Libya, declared Libyan, Moroccan, and Egyptian nationalities.
BERLIN  What a difference a year makes.

In late March 2020, Chancellor Angela Merkel was winning praise the world over for her ability to explain the science behind the coronavirus pandemic and galvanize Germanys state leaders to line up behind a nationwide strategy founded in testing and contact-tracing that held the number of deaths at bay.

Today, Ms. Merkel finds herself apologizing to the public for a confusing, ever-changing set of regulations and pitted against state leaders eager to give a lockdown-weary public a break, even as a dangerous third wave of the virus sweeps the country. Making matters worse, the national vaccination campaign remains bogged down in bureaucracy and hampered by a lack of supply.

With only months left until Ms. Merkels fourth and final term ends  Germans vote on a new government on Sept. 26  the woman who became known as the crisis chancellor for her ability to remain coolheaded and solution-oriented under pressure appears to have met her greatest challenge yet: governing as a lame duck.

The highly analytical style of politics that has served her well in the past  reading the polls and plotting a strategy centered on what will win support in the next round of voting  has been stymied as a result. That weakness has not only left a vacuum in the chancellery, but also set the country adrift at a time when it needs strong leadership and clear communication, analysts say.
Courteney Ross, a former girlfriend of George Floyd, was called on by the prosecution to testify on Thursday.

Ms. Ross told local news outlets last year that she had met Mr. Floyd at the Salvation Army. He had begun working as a security guard at the Salvation Armys Harbor Light Center, a homeless shelter and transitional housing facility in downtown Minneapolis, in 2017.

Alvin Manago, a former friend and roommate of Mr. Floyd, said Mr. Floyd had spent the final weeks of his life recovering from the coronavirus, which he learned he had in early April. After he was better, he started spending more time with his girlfriend, and he had not seen his roommates in a few weeks, Mr. Manago said.

When Derek Chauvin was arrested days after Mr. Floyds death, Ms. Ross told CBS Minnesota, It was a relief.
Sugarcane farmers will from tomorrow earn more for their sweat after the Sugar Cane Pricing Committee increased the price of the raw material by eight percent.

From April 1, millers will be required to pay growers Sh4,040 per tonne of sugarcane from the current Sh3,700 that has been prevailing since 2018 coming as a boost to growers who have for long been under the whims of factory managers.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya on Tuesday said millers will have to adhere to the new price failure to which they will face Sh500,000 fine or one year imprisonment.

"Having considered that the prevailing sugar ex-factory prices over the past three months was Kenya shillings 4,659, the committee approved an increase in the price of cane from the current Sh3,700 per tonne to Sh4,040 effective April 1, 2021 in line with the industry cane pricing formula," said Mr Munya in Nairobi at a press conference.

"The ministry directs the millers to adhere to the new prices while making payments to the farmers. Any farmer being paid less should report to the authority," he said.

The CS said the Sugarcane Pricing Committee uses a simplified formula to ensure that farmers benefit directly from improved sugar prices in the market.

Cut down sugar imports

The formula is calculated using the sugar's net price in the market times a farmer's share (which is 50 percent) divided by tonnes of cane used to produce the sweetener.

Mr Munya said an increase in production has cut down sugar imports in the country with the volumes to be shipped in this year capped at 210,000 tonnes from 300,000 tonnes, which is the limit that Kenya is allowed to bring in from Comesa countries.

The sugar industry reported average sugarcane yields of 61.64 tonnes per hectare in 2020 compared to 51.26 tonnes per hectare in 2019 representing a 20 percent increase.

The total cane deliveries in the period January to December 2020 was 6,799,923 tonnes against 4,605,102 tonnes recorded during the same period in 2019. This represents a significant increase of 48 percent.

The increase, said Mr Munya, is partially attributed to favorable weather conditions and optimal operations of the private mills.
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Europe's vaccine roll-out has been condemned for being 'unacceptably slow' and blamed for 'prolonging the pandemic' by the World Health Organisation.

'Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic ... However, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow' and is 'prolonging the pandemic', WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge said today.

He added that Europe's outbreak was 'more worrying than we have seen in several months' and urged leaders to speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and 'using every single vial we have in stock, now.'

The EU is facing soaring infections - France yesterday imposed its third national lockdown and there are similar calls in Germany - as countries face a lack of vaccine doses which are being centrally allocated by Brussels.

The Bloc failed to order enough doses or grant vaccines swift approval and is now facing a crisis of confidence in the AstraZeneca jab - which leaders like Emmanuel Macron helped fuel during the EU's bitter row with Britain over supplies.

Only 10 per cent of Europe's population have received a first dose, compared to nearly 60 per cent of Britons.

Europe's medicines regulator yesterday slapped down fresh doubts raised in Germany after hospitals in Berlin and Munich banned the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over sporadic cases of deadly blood clots.

But as Germany joined other states like France in banning use of AstraZeneca, EU officials today continued their rancorous threats to block exports of the vaccine to Britain until they get the doses they believe they are owed.

Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the Continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe.

He shot down hopes that Brussels and London could split doses made at the firm's two major factories in Belgium and the Netherlands, saying 'there is nothing to negotiate' between the two parties.

FRANCE: Medics tend to a patient in Amiens, northern France, on Tuesday amid soaring infections that have seen Macron forced to impose another national lockdown. Health Minister Olivier Veran said today: 'We could reach a peak of the epidemic in seven to 10 days if all goes according to plan ... Then we need two extra weeks to reach a peak in intensive care units (ICUs) that could occur at the end of April'

This chart shows how Britain is still racing ahead of the EU in vaccinating its population against Covid-19. The UK has administered more than 50 doses per 100 people in its population, while Germany has managed just 16.09 doses per 100 people, Italy 16.03 and France 15.72. Europe as a whole is averaging only 16.48 vaccine doses per 100 people in the population.

GERMANY: Amid soaring infections, Berliners flocked to the city's parks on Wednesday evening to enjoy sunny weather

ITALY: Policeman escort a sunbather off the beach in Livorno, Tuscany, after the province was plunged into tough 'red zone' lockdown restrictions amid a third wave of Covid-19

Breton told The Financial Times that EU-made doses must be reserved for the Bloc to make up for the shortfall, adding: 'If [AstraZeneca] does more, we don't have any issue, but as long as it doesn't deliver its commitment to us, the doses stay in Europe  except for Covax.'

EU chiefs are furious that AstraZeneca has missed its delivery targets by tens of millions of doses, accusing the Anglo-Swedish firm of breaching its contract.

Downing Street claims its deal with the drug giant for 100million doses means the UK gets first access to supplies from European plants, but has suggested sharing them as part of a peace offering to the EU.

The UK has administered more than 50 doses per 100 people in its population, while Germany has managed just 16.09 doses per 100 people, Italy 16.03 and France 15.72. Europe as a whole is averaging only 16.48 vaccine doses per 100 people in the population.

British government sources last night described Breton's comments as 'disappointing' and accused him of 'not respecting lawful contracts'. They claimed the only way to get through the pandemic was to find a 'win-win'.

Countries in Europe reporting the most cases and deaths CASES: FRANCE: 38,902 POLAND: 28,721 ITALY: 20,577 GERMANY: 16,344 UKRAINE: 13,466 DEATHS: ITALY: 430 POLAND: 386 RUSSIA: 376 FRANCE: 347 UKRAINE: 293 *Latest 7-day average reported Advertisement

Pfizer last week warned that Europe's embargo threats would only create a 'lose-lose' situation for everyone.

In a last ditched attempt to calm cross-Channel tensions night, the EU's former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier urged a ceasefire in the vaccine war.

Barnier, speaking at the University of Zurich, said that the fight against Covid was 'more than the speed of the vaccination' and that there was 'no place, in such a serious situation, for polemics and competition. There are so many more reasons to cooperate, in the short and the long term.'

It comes after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Wednesday said once again there was 'no evidence' to support banning the jab for people under 60, amid bans imposed by countries including France, Germany, Norway and Spain.

Analysis by the regulator found just 62 out of 9.1 million people vaccinated with the British-made jab worldwide had developed the rare brain clot, known as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT)  a rate of about five per million. Forty-four of them were in Europe.

In an effort to curb 'no-vax' sentiment, Italy today announced it will make Covid vaccines mandatory for all health workers.

Italy has an entrenched anti-vaccination movement and the recent discovery of clusters in hospitals after staff refused to have shots has sparked outcry in a country where more than 109,000 people have died of the disease.

Wednesday's decree approved by Prime Minister Mario Draghi's cabinet says health workers, including pharmacists, 'are required to undergo vaccination'.

Those who refuse could be suspended without pay for the rest of the year in a move that is bound to be controversial and could be open to legal challenge.

Italy, whose vaccine campaign has been hampered by supply delays hampering the rest of the EU, has pledged to reach 500,000 daily inoculations in April from around 230,000 at present.

Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe

Emer Cooke, the EMA's executive director, told a press conference there was no proof the vaccine had caused CSVT in any of the cases and admitted those people might have developed the condition anyway

EU's new threats to Britain over AstraZeneca supplies Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe. He shot down hopes that Brussels and London could split doses made at the firm's two major factories in Belgium and the Netherlands, saying 'there is nothing to negotiate' between the two parties. EU chiefs are furious that AstraZeneca has missed its delivery targets by tens of millions of doses, accusing the Anglo-Swedish firm of breaching its contract. Downing Street claims its deal with the drug giant for 100million doses means the UK gets first access to supplies from the Seneffe and Halix plants, but has suggested sharing them as part of a peace offering to the EU. Mr Breton told the FT EU-made doses must be reserved for the bloc to make up for the shortfall, adding: If [AstraZeneca] does more, we don't have any issue, but as long as it doesn't deliver its commitment to us, the doses stay in Europe  except for Covax.' UK Government sources described his comments as 'disappointing' and accused him of 'not respecting lawful contracts'. They claimed the only way to get through the pandemic was to find a 'win-win'. In a last ditched attempt to calm cross-Channel tensions, the EU's former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier urged his colleagues to end the vaccine war last night. In his last speech representing the European Commission, Mr Barnier said the fight against Covid was 'more than speed of vaccination'. Advertisement

Some 10 million doses have been administered here since late December, with around 3.1 million of Italy's 60-million-strong population receiving the recommended two shots.

Italy has seen a resurgence in coronavirus infections and deaths over the last month and the government has tightened restrictions on businesses and movements to contain the virus.

Curbs are calibrated in the country's 20 regions according to a four-tier, colour-coded system (white, yellow, orange and red) and are normally based on local infection levels.

Wednesday's decree said everywhere would remain a tougher red or orange zone until April 30, giving time for the vaccines to work. This means that restaurants, bars and gyms will remain closed and much regional travel will be banned.

French president Macron, who earlier this year described the AstraZeneca jab as only 'quasi-effective,' was forced to order his entire population into its third lockdown on Wednesday.

In a televised address, Macron insisted: 'We will lose control if we do not move now.'

The lockdown includes sending all school children home for three weeks, the closure of non-essential shops and a ban on travel more than 6 miles from home.

Macron also defended his decision not to lockdown earlier, saying that unlike in Italy and Germany, the French had enjoyed 'precious days of freedom.'

'We have opted since the beginning of 2021 for a response that aimed to curb the epidemic without locking down,' he said.

'We have won precious days of freedom, weeks of education for our children, without ever losing control of the epidemic. I think it was the right thing to do.'

Daily new COVID-19 infections in France have doubled since February to average nearly 40,000.

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care breached 5,000 this week, exceeding the peak hit during the six-week second lockdown enforced late last year.

Health Minister Olivier Veran said today: 'We could reach a peak of the epidemic in seven to 10 days if all goes according to plan ... Then we need two extra weeks to reach a peak in intensive care units (ICUs) that could occur at the end of April.'

France, along with Norway, has stopped giving AstraZeneca jabs to under-55s, while people under the age of 65 are banned from having the vaccine in Spain.

Earlier in the week Canada also halted its use in people under the age of 55 over the same clotting fears.

Germany has reported significantly more cases of cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) than other major European countries and the reasons for it are unclear. The UK has vaccinated five times as many people but seen just one sixth as many CSVT cases, while France, Italy and Spain used the AstraZeneca jab on similar age groups but also had much lower rates of CSVT. There is still no evidence the vaccine is causing the condition, experts say

Several member states have paused rollouts of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a tiny number of inoculated people, predominantly women under 55, suffered deadly brain clots

Italy mandates Covid jabs for all health workers All health workers in Italy must have coronavirus jabs, the government said on Wednesday. Italy has an entrenched anti-vaccination movement and the recent discovery of clusters in hospitals after staff refused to have shots has sparked outcry in a country where more than 109,000 people have died of the disease. However government critics have questioned the legality of forcing only some categories of workers into having a vaccine. Wednesday's decree approved by Prime Minister Mario Draghi's cabinet says health workers, including pharmacists, 'are required to undergo vaccination'. Those who refuse could be suspended without pay for the rest of the year. 'The aim of the measure is to protect as much as possible both medical and paramedical staff and those who are in environments that may be more exposed to the risk of infection,' the government said in a statement. The decree also introduces legal protection for those who administer the shots, a measure doctors and nurses had demanded after medics were placed under investigation for manslaughter following the death of a vaccinated man in Sicily. Italy, whose vaccine campaign has been hampered by supply delays which have also hit other European Union countries, has pledged to reach 500,000 daily inoculations in April from around 230,000 at present. Some 10 million doses have been administered here since late December, with around 3.1 million of Italy's 60-million-strong population receiving the recommended two shots. Advertisement

Amid faltering confidence in AstraZeneca in Germany and a rising caseload, the country's association of intensive care doctors today called on Angela Merkel to impose another national lockdown.

Christian Karagiannidis, the DIVI's scientific head, said about 1,000 additional patients had ended up in intensive care since the middle of March. On Wednesday, 3,680 people were in intensive care in Germany, DIVI data show.

'If this rate continues, we will reach the regular capacity limit in less than four weeks,' he said. 'We are not overexaggerating. Our warnings are driven by the figures.'

Merkel is facing growing criticism for failing to spell out a plan to reverse rising infections and blaming uncooperative state leaders for an increasingly chaotic management of the crisis.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose 24,300 to 2.833 million on Thursday, the biggest increase since January 14. The reported death toll rose by 201 to 76,543.

It was against this backdrop that Emer Cooke, the head of Europe's medicines agency, the EMA, yesterday had to again reassure member states that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe and effective.

It comes after cases of a rare type of blood clotting in the brain known as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) which emerged in Germany and other countries.

The EMA's ruling puts the watchdog at odds with many other major EU member states which have also restricted the jab's rollout in certain age groups, including France, Spain and Norway.

Reports of CSVT have been most common in Germany, where 31 out of 2.7million vaccinated people suffered the deadly brain clot - a rate of one in 90,000. It led to the nation banning the vaccine in under-60s last night.

Ms Cooke said the rate of the blood clots could be one in 100,000 for people under 60 and that this did appear higher than the normal population risk, although there was still no solid link to the jab, only a 'possible' one.

While the reasons for the higher prevalence in Germany aren't at all clear, the EMA revealed twice as many women had received AstraZenca's jab in Europe than men, before adding that the people normally most at risk of CSVT are females aged 35 to 45.

Until recently Germany had suspended the AZ jab for over-60s due to initial fears about blood clots. It raises the possibility that the rates of CSVT among vaccinated people Germany can be explained by more women who are susceptible to the condition being targeted by the rollout.

Ms Cooke said: 'At present, the experts have advised us that they have not been able to identify specific risk factors, including age, gender or previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events.

'And, as I mentioned previously, a causal link of the vaccine has not yet been proven but it is possible, and further analysis is still ongoing. According to the current scientific knowledge, there is no evidence to support restricting the use of this vaccine in any population.'
This week, Protestants and Catholics around the world will celebrate Easter, once again in the midst of a global pandemic. At least 2.8 million people have died from COVID-19 and while many affluent countries have begun to vaccinate their people in earnest, this illness still defines most of public life.

Because of Lent, many Christians have already been grappling with death in the context of their faith. But this week, the church will be once again sitting with the reality of Jesus death and his astonishing resurrection. Of course, for us believers, this astounding turn of events has life-changing ramifications for what comes after our physical deaths. But what does it mean for physical bodies as we inhabit them today? Does the Cross have any meaning for our physical health in this life?

Stephen Ko is senior pastor at New York Chinese Alliance Church and formerly a professor of global health and pediatrics at Boston University and a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. He is the co-author of the forthcoming All Creation Groans (Wipf & Stock) and the author of the also forthcoming Incarnational Health .

What is Quick to Listen? Read more

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Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen

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Music by Sweeps

Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder

The transcript is edited by Yvonne Su and Bunmi Ishola

Highlights from Quick to Listen: Episode #258

As someone who is preaching this Easter weekend, what connections are you drawing between the coronavirus and the work of Jesus?

Ko: Theres real power in the Resurrection. In fact, in John 11, Jesus says I'm the resurrection and the life. And the one who believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives by believing me will never die. This is an extraordinary statement and it's important to understand not only the death and resurrection of Jesus but how that impacts our lives daily, especially through a pandemic like COVID in the last year.

What is the context when Jesus is making that statement?

Ko: Jesus foretells his death and resurrection at least three times in the Synoptic Gospels. In addition to John, in Matthew 16, Mark 8, and Luke 9, we read from the time Jesus began to show his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things--from the elders, chief priests, and scribes--and be killed. On the third day, He is to be raised.

Initially, during that prediction, Peter immediately rebukes Him. Jesus knows that His sacrifice is necessary for the salvation of humankind, even though Peter and the disciples may be appalled by this prospect.

I love the way CS Lewis paints a beautiful picture of the scene in the line in which Susan and Lucy walked through the woods with their friend, Azlan, only to find out that they're escorting him to be sacrificed at the stone table. A second instance occurs in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9 where Jesus says the son of man is about to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him. And he will be raised on the third day.

This time, the disciples had just witnessed the glorious transfiguration of Christ while hearing the words of the Father: This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased. I can imagine their confusion believing the kingdom of God is near with such a glorious encounter and for Jesus to reveal His sheer motivation to submit to the will of His father, even when it leads to Calgary.

And then a final time, Jesus predicts his death and resurrection in Matthew 20. In the former Matthew 20, verses 17 through 19, He says the son of man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles and be mocked, flogged, and crucified. And He'll be raised on the third day.

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At that time, Jesus shares His fate with the disciples as they approached Jerusalem, that the Scriptures tell us that they do not understand his words since their meaning is hidden from them. John notably predicts the death of Jesus and His gospel not only in chapter 11 but in chapters 12 and 14. In chapter 12, He says, Leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial, for the poor you always have with me. But you do not always have me.

As Jesus dies on the cross, He drinks the cup of sin for all humanity, as blood departs his arteries and veins. Satan is revealed in the fullness of evil and wickedness, the weight of the world, sin, and the depths of human depravity descend simultaneously upon His body.

In that moment of darkness, we see Jesus for who He is, the Son of God. In His death, we find radical liberation from sin and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ becomes the light of men. It's in His death that we receive life. Yet with the Resurrection, death is not the final answer. It, too, is conquered by Jesus Christ.

The resurrection of Jesus foreshadows the hope of future resurrection for all believers in which our bodies will be made whole, untainted by sin, immune to disease or sickness, and free to worship God for all eternity.

Can you speak to the physicality of suffering around Jesuss death and his resurrection?

Ko: What strikes me most about the gospel are the scorge of Jesus, the physical weight of the cross, and of course, the act of crucifixion. you know, after Pilate acquiesce to the crowds of wishes, he condemned Jesus to death and ordered Him to be scorched and to inflict great pain by whipping or beating.

In the Roman context, the whip was made of iron balls or sheep bones tied several inches from the end of each leather thong. These extra weights result in severe lacerations, deep bruising, and often tearing of soft tissue and muscle.

In medical school, I accidentally severed the tip of my left middle finger while lifting weights. I vividly recall the immense and throbbing pain in my hand, while others watched in horror as blood spewed all over the gym. The side of my detached finger and concomitant distress were enough for a nearby bystander to faint.

But for Jesus, it was only at the beginning. The physical scorge left him in exquisite pain from mangled skin, flesh, and tissue. The loss of blood likely began to eviscerate His energy while weighing on His body and mental acuity, with His body covered in open wounds. He was then tasked to carry the cross.

Crosses weighed about a hundred pounds in antiquity. I can only imagine having to carry that weight upon my shoulders after a brutal night in prison, being condemned by the mob, and being grotesquely scorged.

Are the details of Jesuss crucifixion consistent with how the Romans meted punishment?

Ko: I think it was consistent with Roman crucifixion, which in the time was gruesome and humiliating. Seven-inch iron spikes tore through the wrists and attach to the cross beams. Since they could not support His weight, Jesus' feet were then nailed to the vertical beam. With a crown of thorns, He was also losing blood from the scalp.

I've seen many individuals dying in the hospital from severe trauma and unsustainable blood loss. It's never easy to witness. Jesus likely died from a combination of trauma and in His weakened state, He needed to take shallow breaths while gasping for air until He could breathe no more.

These gruesome details of the crucifixion are repulsive to our senses and objectionable to our minds, yet they're necessary to provide a deeper appreciation for the remarkable sacrifice of the Cross. They spur a deep sense of gratitude and thanksgiving, especially on Good Friday. We remember in part because the Crucifixion is etched in our memories.

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What connection do you see between the loss of breath from COVID and Jesus being the one who breathed life into us and also having the breath squeezed out of Him?

Ko: Theologically, breath has different meanings in the Hebrew and Greek. The breath from the Hebrew is hovering over the world at creation. This aspect of the Greek, pneuma, or spirit, pervades through the New Testament.

The breath of life is a gift of God that we all receive in the fullness of time, not only at birth when we are born. Parents are often afraid to hear the frailty of cries of babies, but as a pediatrician, I'm looking for that cry because what it means is that the breath of life is alive and well, that the lungs are working within a baby. Pneuma, that breath from the Holy Spirit, gives us the power of resurrection and allows us to live sanctified lives.

How did you start to read the account of the Crucifixion differently when you entered the medical field?

Ko: I want to start by defining miracle. Merriam-Webster defines it as an extraordinary event, manifesting divine intervention in human affairs. CS Lewis explains it as something unique that breaks a pattern so accepted and established, we hardly consider the possibility that it could be broken.

Eric Metaxas says it is when something outside time and space enters time and space, whether to wink at us or poke at us briefly or to come in and dwell among us for three decades. In light of these definitions, it's so fitting to me that Jesus carries the scars from the crucifixion in his resurrected body.

Visible--the pierced hands and puncture wounds--signs confirm to the faithful that the miracle of resurrection is real. Jesus demonstrates that the same body, which bore the shame of crucifixion, stands alive before the disciples. Interestingly enough, the Greek word for resurrection is Anastasis, which means to stand again.

By prevailing over flesh, there is continuity in life, death, and resurrection. Through it, we marvel at the manifestation of the divine within the Resurrection. Healing occurs sometimes through prayer, but sometimes it's through miracles. If you watch the movie Contagion, you probably would have laughed to see that by the end of the movie, a vaccination was developed in record time, yet that's the reality of how COVID vaccinations were developed and disseminated within a year of a disease being diagnosed. Thats a modern miracle of medicine and science.

Jesuss resurrected body bears wounds. There are different types of wounds  psychological and physical  and therefore, different resurrection stories. What does that mean for us as believers?

Ko: Some would wonder why scars are visible in Christ, glorified body. I've often wondered, Are they not a sign of evil, depravity, and sin? As I recall, Augustine offers the following: in that kingdom, we shall see on the bodies of the martyrs, the traces of the wounds, which they bore for Christ's name. It will not be a deformity, but dignity in them.

A certain kind of beauty will shine in them. They're not of the body. Certainly, we can go to the passages on resurrection and what our resurrected bodies will look like. I would take Augustine's view that we will carry some of these scars and they will be a sign of dignity rather than deformity.

Are there things about death that we should expect to change us before our ultimate resurrection?

Ko: We must first look at the theology of disease and illness. The forthcoming book, All Creation Groans is a collection of authors that are elucidating a theology of illness and healing beginning from Creation. I had a chance to pen the chapter on public health approaches to disease and editor Daniel Neal characterized historical, contemporary, and globalized theologies of disease.

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The patristics believe that demons were among many causes of disease, but they extol this virtual benefit of illness: seeing God. , not as an author, but one who permits disease Gregory of Nazianzus sums up the patristic view by saying do not admire every form of health, but do not condemn every illness either.

Later, Martin Luther recognized the pervasive power of Satan and his demons. He promoted the power of Christ over evil while advocating individual engagement towards liberation. For him, the contribution of illness towards refinement was apparent. Afflictions, when sanctified, make us grateful for mercies, which before we treated with indifference.

In contrast, John Calvin de-emphasized demonic influence within disease causation. He focused on divine will and the spiritual value of suffering within the saints. His durable teaching on God's Providence among others would arguably lead to the development of modern medicine.

Suffering could have a purifying effect by awakening our compassion towards others. The ultimate restoration is not necessarily good physical health on earth but includes fitting ourselves into the context of the Creator's world. The power of the resurrection allows this to occur. There's general agreement that the work of atonement heals us from the curse of sin. Paul etches this on our minds in Romans 6:23: for the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. We're reminded that different categories of sin do exist, whether celestial, original, individual, generational, or systemic.

In Romans 8, Paul builds an argument for the effects of sin, that the Creation was subjected to frustration by the will of the One who subjected it and hope. And though subjection to frustration can be seen as discouragement, there's hope beyond measure. The body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness.

The book I'm working on is about incarnational health and the extra-biblical meaning of incarnation denotes the hypostatic union between divinity and humanity. Therefore, incarnational health decisions allow us to identify with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus while embodying that, which we believe as Christians, ultimately with the Resurrection, our resurrected bodies will not be subject to disease, illness, or aging.

The resurrection of Jesus ensures that. But what about the healing of present illness within our daily lives? Diseases are destructive and even sinister. The world has experienced COVID-19 for many months and it can be invasive and crippling, isolating, undignified, and even fatal for some.

I believe that the answer lies in the incarnation of Christ. He spent the majority of His times with sinners, tax collectors, and the sick. He healed the blind, the lame, the mute, the bleeding, and the demon-possessed. Jesus tells us in Luke 5:31, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repent and see through miracle signs and wonders. Christ demonstrated hope for physical healing in this lifetime. But the true hope of glory is beyond our earth and vessels. In 2 Samuel 14, the wise woman sums up this reality to King David.

We're like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again.

When your congregants are sick, do you talk about the gift of sanctification or do you pray strictly for physical healing?

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Ko: Throughout the centuries, the church has always practiced divine healing. It began in the New Testament. Paul mentions healing as among spiritual gifts in that first letter to the Corinthians.

During the Reformation, some preachers such as Martin Luther believed, taught, and practiced divine healing. Among Methodists, Anglican John Wesley's incorporation of medical practices was standard for pastors. Wesley advocated for exercise, hygiene, and a healthy diet, all essential for good health and preventive medicine.

On the other hand, his brother, Charles, incorporated healing and many of his beloved hymns. As to John Wesley's doctrine of sanctification, it was one of the most important beliefs but often misunderstood today. He describes the experience of sanctification in terms of a crisis and as an experience that's not instantaneous.

In 1881, AB Simpson heard the message of divine healing from Charles Cullis at a summer faith conference. Upon praying for supernatural healing, God healed both his heart and a disease of his nervous system. He would then become the father of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Divine healing is the third part of Alliance's fourfold gospel: Christ as savior, Christ as sanctifier, Christ as healer, and Christ as coming king.

I lean into healing whether it is spiritual healing, physical healing, or mental healing just as Jesus did throughout His earthly ministry.

How do you pray for people who are sick? Where do you get the language in those prayers?

Ko: We all need healing personally, collectively, and globally, especially in 2020 and 2021. God meets us in our grief and the desolation of isolation, Jesus heals our brokenness.

He had compassion on the crowns and crowds and He has mercy on us. Just as He healed every disease and affliction during His earthly ministry, Jesus desires to heal every sickness and infirmity affecting us. How do we experience the healing touch of Jesus? James instructs us to confess our sins, to pray in faith, to call the elders, and anoint the sick with oil in the name of the Lord.

The power of healing comes from Jesus alone for He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and by His wounds were healed. We pray for healing for the sake of the gospel, for the glory of the risen King. Healing, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, is always meant to point towards Christ.

The only reason I want to be healed is because I want to bring You glory. If something else brings you more glory, that's okay with me. For, it's not about me. It's about Jesus.

Do you have a moment when you have prayed with someone at church or as a doctor that youd like to share?

Ko: While working one night in the pediatric ICU, there's a teenage girl who was born without a functional left side of the heart returning from a minor surgical procedure. She had just endured multiple complex surgeries throughout her life. Each allowed her to live, to laugh, and to love. The hindrance of suffering likely cultivated a polite, courteous nature, yet also a sense of humor.

After rounding on my patients that evening, I noticed an increasingly pale complexion in her skin. Her capillary refill was delayed and her countenance was increasingly subdued. We gave her a transfusion of blood and watched life slowly returned to her body. But after the transfusion, her blood pressure began to drop precipitously.

She turned white as a ghost while her hands and feet were cold and clammy; cardiogenic shock was setting. Something had gone terribly wrong with her surgical procedure. I called the cardiothoracic surgeons but feared that it would be too late. As we injected numerous life-saving drugs to sustain her, my heart races.

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Surely, she was bleeding out from her surgical site. After what seemed like days, the heart surgeons finally arrived, but without time to transfer her to the operating room, they reopened her chest in the middle of that ICU. You could see her heart beating inside her chest wall.

Though I felt a sense of impending doom, I said a prayer at that moment asking God to heal this young girl. Despite the grimmest of hope, she survived the bleeding, the risk of infection outside the sterile environment of an operating room, and open-heart surgery in the middle of an ICU. As I think back on that day, it was truly an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention.

I only believed it because I saw it, but in retrospect, it was nothing compared to the miracle of Resurrection. Because in that extraordinary act lies the promise of Revelation 21:4, that one day He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain anymore for the former things have passed away.

That's the hope of healing and the hope of Easter.
LUCKNOW: The Election Commission on Thursday reprimanded DMK leader A Raja for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct and barred him from campaigning for the next 48 hours in poll-bound Tamil Nadu.

The poll panel took action against A Raja over his alleged derogatory remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his mother during an election campaign.

EC reprimands DMK leader A Raja for violation of model code of conduct, delists his name from list of star campaigner of DMK & debars him from campaigning for 48 hrs with immediate effect upon not finding his reply regarding his remarks over Tamil Nadu CM&his mother,satisfactory. pic.twitter.com/6gosJewxUm  ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021

The Election Commission had earlier issued a show-cause notice to DMK leader A Raja for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Edappadi K Palaniswami and his mother during an election campaign.

The former Union minister and DMK's "star campaigner" was asked to respond to the EC notice by 6 PM on Wednesday.

In its notice to A Raja, the poll body said, based on ground reports, it is of the view that the contents of the speech made by you are not only derogatory but also obscene and lower the dignity of motherhood of women, which seems to be a serious violation of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct."

"A Raja was given an opportunity to explain his position in this regard on or before 6.00 PM on March 31, failing which the Commission shall take a decision without any further reference to you," the poll panel said.

The notice said the EC received a complaint through the state chief electoral officer from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which alleged that Raja had made a derogatory and scandalous speech against Palaniswami during an election campaign on March 26 at Thousand Lights assembly constituency.

The notice pointed out that the Central Crime Branch has registered a case under the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 against the DMK MP.

The EC noted that A Raja had allegedly said that (DMK leader MK) "Stalin is a child of good relationship and good birth while Palaniswami is a child of a bad relationship and a premature born child".

The EC also referred to some other remarks made by Raja against the chief minister.

Though Raja had clarified in a public meeting in Gudalur on Sunday that he did not intend to defame Palaniswami or his late mother, but was making a comparison between the leadership qualities of his party chief M K Stalin and the CM, using a children's analogy.

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Polestar is part of a five-partner project in Sweden to accelerate the development of Vehicle-to-X (V2X) technology, including Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H). Supported by the Swedish Energy Agency, Polestar is joined by Chalmers University of Technology, the Gothenburg energy grid supplier Goteborg Energi, charging solution provider CTEK and energy solution provider Ferroamp, in the study which spans 2 years and 9 months.

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The independent Swedish premium electric performance car brand founded by Volvo Cars and Geely is helping to develop V2X technology, which allows electric vehicles to act as power sources when they are plugged in to the grid. Having ideally charged an EV with green energy  wind or solar, for example  the vehicle can then supply its stored energy back to the grid, much like advanced off-grid power solutions that currently utilize battery packs with relatively small capacities to store energy for later use.

V2X will really revolutionize the future of power grids all over the world, said Polestars Head of Research and Development, Hans Pehrson. I can imagine a world where thousands of electric vehicles, all plugged in to the grid, act as an important part of a fully renewable energy system. For example a V2H solution could maximize the storage of local green energy and provide back-up capacity for peak periods. This is a step towards a world without the need for coal or nuclear power plants.

Part of the project will see the construction of two V2X demonstration charging stations in Gothenburg  one at the Polestar global headquarters and one on the Chalmers University campus.

This is exciting for us  we have been exploring this bidirectional technology for some time now and we want to bring it to life in our future products, continued Pehrson. It gives our R&D team great pleasure to be involved in this project with such fantastic future potential.
Rules mostly banning transgender and non-binary individuals from serving in the military were reversed by the United States on Wednesday.

In announcing the reversal, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the rules allowed the US to avail ourselves of the best possible talent that America has to offer, regardless of gender identity.

It means transgender individuals will no longer be barred from actively serving in another gender to that assigned from birth, or from enlisting in the military.

It also allows individuals to transition during their service in the military, and introduces the availability of related medical care.

It comes after Mr Austin called for a review of the Trump-era transgender ban and any cases of discrimination or dismissal that were caused by it.

Read more:

In a statement, the defence secretary said "The United States military is the greatest fighting force on the planet because we are composed of an all-volunteer team willing to step up and defend the rights and freedoms of all Americans.

"We will remain the best and most capable team because we avail ourselves of the best possible talent that America has to offer, regardless of gender identity," Mr Austin added.

The release of the regulations on coincided with International Transgender Day of Visibility on Wednesday, and will take effect in 30 days.

It follows the signing an executive order to undo the military transgender ban in during US president Joe Bidens first days in office in January.

Mr Biden said after the signing: "This is reinstating a position that the previous commanders and, as well as the secretaries, have supported. And what I'm doing is enabling all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform.

Transgender individuals were allowed to serve in the military for the first under former US president Barack Obama, until that was undone by Donald Trump in 2017.

Democratic congresswoman Jackie Speier was among those to welcome the regulations, and said on Wednesday that "the Pentagon absolutely did the right thing today by re-establishing a policy of inclusion for transgender service members.

Ms Speier, who leads the House subcommittee on military personnel, added that transgender individuals will be able to serve openly and proudly in their self-identified gender.

It is estimated that between 1,000 and 8,000 members of the US military are transgender, or identify as a gender different to that assigned from birth  although the real number could be higher.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
On Saturday, 36-year-old Victoria Esperanza Salazar Arriaza, a Salvadoran immigrant and mother of two, died a brutal and painful death at the hands of police in the Mexican tourist city of Tulum. Her murder was caught on a video which has gone viral on social media.

Police in Tulum, Mexico killed Victoria Esperanza Salazar Arriaza by kneeling on her neck. (Source: Twitter)

The horrific footage shows Salazar handcuffed and pinned facedown into the asphalt and screaming as a female police officer forces her knee into Salazars back as three male officers stand around her. It is unclear how much time Salazar spent in this position. The video cuts to Salazars limp body. She is still handcuffed, and the unaffected officers pick up and heave her limp body onto the bed of their police truck. No resuscitation or medical services whatsoever were attempted on Salazar by the officers.

Police detained Salazar after getting a call from a convenience store that she was acting aggressively and potentially under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It has since come to light that the stores owner, Manuel Barradas, barred her entry because he said she appeared off.

Salazars autopsy revealed she died from a rupture of her first and second vertebrae, according to a statement Monday from Oscar Montes de Oca of the Quintana Roo state prosecutors office. No mention has been made that any substance was found in her system.

Salazar leaves behind two daughters, aged 15 and 16. They had initially moved to Mexico in 2018 on a humanitarian visa to escape the violence in El Salvador. Salazar supported them with work she had found as a housekeeper in a local hotel resort. Rosibel Arriaza, Salazars mother told reporters, She did not deserve to die like this. I feel indignation, I feel powerless, I feel frustrated. I would have wanted to be there as a mother.

Victoria Esperanza Salazar Arriaza: Police in Tulum, Mexico broke her neck (Source: Twitter)

Outrage has boiled over to the point that the four officers involved in Salazars death have been fired and taken into custody. They are accused of using disproportionate force in committing femicidea formal charge under Mexican law. A statement from the Quintana Roo state prosecutors office declared that the The law will be applied rigorously so this crime doesnt go unpunished.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) responded to the killing, declaring that Salazar had been brutally treated and murdered.

Her death at the hands of police, held face down on the ground with a knee in her back outside a convenience store is nearly identical to the brutal murder of George Floyd in the United States, who was killed by police May 5. The now-former officer who pressed his knee into Floyds neck for more than 9 minutes, Derek Chauvin, is currently on trial for murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each are among the hundreds killed by the police in the United States and in Mexico every year, however their deaths were clearly caught on video, sparking widespread outrage.

The killing of the young mother has sparked protests from Tulum to Mexico City and also in El Salvador. Hundreds have taken to the streets, hosting vigils and demanding justice. People held signs that read The system killed Victoria and chanted paradise reeks of blood, in reference to the towns tourist industry.

The primary focus in the media and among protesters has been on the fact that she is a woman, but more significantly Salazar has been added to the growing list of immigrants in Mexico who face daily brutalization, theft, rape and murder as they seek a better life in the country or on their way north to the United States. Migrants are regularly targeted by both criminal gangs and Mexican police and government officials who often work in tandem with the gangs.

The nightmare of abuses continues into the US, where overcrowded detention centers hold children and adults, and tens of thousands are pushed back into Mexico within hours of arrival and denied a chance to apply for asylum under international law. The Biden administration has carried forward the attacks on asylum spearheaded by Obama and Trump.

The cynical campaign of AMLO for hugs not bullets has proven a slap in the face to the more than 30,000 who have been killed this past year alone. While the Mexican state attempts to pin all violence on the drug cartels, the police themselves are widely known for partaking in extrajudicial killings, carrying out torture, abuse, and rape.

The last decade alone contained one of the most gruesome and horrific mass killings when 43 protesting students were killed in the town of Iguala in Guerrero State. All evidence pointed to a coordinated police and military attack on the buses of students, but unsurprisingly no official has been charged, revealing the impunity with which Mexican police forces regularly operate.

Earlier this month, a dozen police officers were arrested for the massacre in February of 19 people, primarily migrants in the border state of Tamaulipas. Their charred remains were found inside a burned pickup truck riddled with bullet holes 40 miles south of McAllen, Texas and the United States border. No bullet casings were found on the scene, pointing to a concerted coverup. Luis Alberto Rodriguez Juarez, spokesperson for the Tamaulipas state government said that video surveillance footage and discrepancies between police reports, shaped the probability that at least 12 state police officers participated in this situation.

Carlos, a supporter and student in Mexico told the WSWS, The death of Victoria Esperanza Salazar as a result of police brutality in Tulum, Mexico is a tragic event showcasing the realities of class antagonisms in the nation. Once again, the class character of the police is clearly shown, they are the strong-arm of the bourgeois state, they are the enforcers of the norm.

There has been a widespread dissemination of this story under the label of femicide and under the flag of pseudo-progressive reactionary identity politics, Carlos noted. To label this tragic incident as a femicide is to mischaracterize the entire situation, the term femicide refers a sex-based hate crime; its the intentional killing of a woman or a girl because theyre female. Victoria wasnt killed because shes a woman, shes a victim of the societal conditions that expose the international working class to the apparatuses of repression of the bourgeois state.

It is of no surprise that Salazars tragic killing has been added to the growing list of attacks on immigrants in Mexico. The fault lies not only with AMLO, but the Biden administration which is carrying forward the brutal anti-immigrant and imperialist policies of the prior Trump administration.

Most recently, some 2.7 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine were held out by Biden as an offering to Mexico City in exchange for promises that AMLO will increase his deployment of National Guard and Army troops to its southern border with Guatemala to halt the influx of Central American migrants.

Furthermore, AMLOs denunciation of Salazars killing could not be emptier with his government overseeing the rise of COVID-19 cases and deaths throughout the country.

On the same day Salazar was killed, the Mexican health ministry published a report which showed the real COVID-19 death toll is at least 60 percent higher than its current official count of 201,623 deaths. A count of excess deaths in the country between the period of December 20, 2019 and February 13, 2021 shows that the number of additional deaths is 417,002 and put the total much closer to the United States. The majority of the Mexican population has continued working throughout the pandemic and no government assistance has been offered to keep the population at home to stop the spread of COVID-19.

El Salvadors President Nayib Bukele made similar empty statements, urging AMLO to apply the full force of the law and declaring that his country would care for Salazars daughters once repatriated to El Salvador.

Left out of the cynical indignation from Bukele and AMLO is the fact that Salazar and millions of other migrants have fled the poverty, destitution and gang violence which both of their governments oversee. Salazar and her family are from Sonsonate, El Salvador. In 2017, the city had a 43 percent poverty rate, higher than the average in the country. The countrys long and violent history was the product US-backed fascist regime.

The indifference of the ruling elite to lives of workers is international. The defense of immigrants and the defense of human life can only be carried out through an international struggle for socialism that unites the working class across all borders.
We will continue our work to further improve the health of our communities, recognizing that not all residents enjoy the same access or outcomes. This is particularly important as we face the challenges further revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ayala said.
Pakistani leaders have spent decades touting their role in shaping the various phases of war in Afghanistan that saw Islamabad gain influence in Afghan politics despite its often-acrimonious relationship with Kabul.

Leaders in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, home to Pakistans powerful military, once again see themselves on the cusp of a historic opportunity to shape Afghanistans future and fend off threats from ethno-nationalists and the influence of regional archrival India.

But observers say the prospect of Pakistans Taliban allies assuming power or becoming major powerbrokers is likely to be a hollow victory for Islamabad reminiscent of the 1990s, when a civil war followed the April 1992 demise of Afghanistans socialist government. The ensuing chaos forced millions of Afghans to seek shelter in Pakistan, which faced international isolation in a post-Cold War world defined by cooperation and freedom.

Islamabads obsession with molding the Afghan state has come at the cost of regional rivalries, sluggish economic growth, and a domestic blowback from the Islamist groups it supported to bolster the Afghan Taliban and keep India tied up in a counterinsurgency campaign in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

This glee of the security establishment over an imaginary victory is misplaced because it is a pyrrhic victory, former lawmaker Farhatullah Babar told Gandhara. Our policy toward Afghanistan really should be that it is a sovereign country and not Pakistans backyard.

Babar, a senior leader of the secular Pakistan Peoples Party, has followed Islamabads involvement in Afghanistan since the early 1980s, when Pakistani military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq hosted Islamist Afghan mujahedin to fight Afghanistans Soviet occupation with American and Saudi largesse. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, General Pervez Musharraf, another military ruler, crafted a dual approach toward Afghanistan. After becoming a U.S. ally, Musharraf turned a blind eye to the Talibans regrouping inside Pakistan, which helped the group stage a comeback in Afghanistan.

It was this approach, Babar emphasizes, that proved instrumental in giving Islamabad a leading role in facilitating the Talibans negotiations with Washington, which culminated in an agreement between the two last year and reinforced notions that Islamabad will once again have a say in who rules Kabul.

The dilemma of Pakistans security establishment is that its an economically impoverished country seeking to project its powers beyond borders through nonstate actors under the umbrella of nuclear capability, he said, alluding to Islamabads ties with the Afghan Taliban.

Babar says he wants his country to first address its domestic crises, including the dire economic straits it has landed in. The reality of Pakistan today is that it is a politically fragmented and ethnically divided country, he said. A country with so many fault lines must first put its own house in order before looking across the border.

The head of Pakistans military, the countrys most powerful leader, echoed this sentiment in a speech earlier this month. Pakistani military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said Pakistan has realized that unless our own house is in order, nothing good could be expected from outside.

He told a conference in Islamabad that his countrys role in the Afghan peace process is evidence of Pakistans goodwill and understanding of it global and moral obligations.

Bajwa pledged his commitment to a lasting and enduring peace both domestically and regionally, outlining an economic roadmap to boost regional trade and connectivity path based on noninterference of any kind in the internal affairs of our neighboring and regional countries.

Resilient Taliban Ties

Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist, says that despite Bajwas promises Islamabad still makes a show of supporting the international community while helping the Taliban gain an upper hand.

We have heard a lot about Pakistan being active in helping the U.S. end this war. But we dont know what it is exactly that Pakistan has been doing, he asked. There has been no transparency at all.

Rashid, the author of several books about Afghanistans wars, says Islamabads most meaningful contribution toward Afghan peace would be to push the Taliban back across the border. They should end the Talibans safe sanctuary in Pakistan because it is creating a lot of problems for Pakistan and its policy, he told Gandhara.

Pakistan has mostly denied sheltering the Taliban, but after the 2016 killing of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur in a U.S. drone attack in the southwestern province of Balochistan in May 2016, Islamabad grudgingly acknowledged the Talibans presence in the country.

Ayesha Siddiqa, an author and expert on the Pakistani military, says Islamabad wants to oust Afghan President Ashraf Ghani but isnt entirely on board with the Taliban gaining power. Earlier this month, Pakistan joined the United States, Russia, and China to declare they do not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate as the Talibans hard-line regime was called, which is still the formal name of the group.

Siddiqa says Islamabad risks becoming increasingly dependent on the militants. The military believes the Taliban are the only Pashtuns it can rely on, she told Gandhara. It has not invested in modern Afghan civil society and, therefore, there is this increased dependence, she added, suggesting the Taliban and smaller Islamist groups are Islamabads only allies within the Afghan political spectrum.

She argues Islamabad will face a domestic blowback. You cant escape the crosscurrents, she noted. In the past, this has meant increased religious intolerance in Pakistan. Once the Taliban dominate politics, there is a possibility they will have an influence on Pakistani society, as well.

Pakistan has already paid a high price for supporting the Taliban. The regimes demise in late 2001 pushed Afghan Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Central Asian, and Pakistani militants to seek shelter in Pakistans western borderlands. Many of these militants eventually turned on Islamabad, and some, like Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan, gained control of large swathes of territories. Tens of thousands of Pakistani soldiers and civilians were killed and maimed in attacks claimed by these groups. Thousands more were killed in counterterrorist operations, which also displaced millions for years.

Regional Rivalries

Siddiqa says Islamabad is likely to push the Taliban toward a power-sharing agreement in order to moderate its influence. Pakistan doesnt want to see Afghanistan turn into a pariah state like in the 1990s. And it wants Western powers and China to invest in the country to minimizes Pakistans burden if it does support the Taliban, she noted.

Other neighbors of Afghanistan want a say, too, Siddiqa adds. Iran is going to contest, she said. As the Americans get ready to leave, Iran will engage with the Taliban and other forces, so Pakistans position will be challenged.

In an interview with Afghan TV in December, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said it would offer the help of its

Division, an Iranian militia comprising mainly Haraza Shiite fighters from Afghanistan, in fighting the Islamic State militants. Hundreds if not thousands of Fatemiyoun members have died fighting in Syria on Irans behalf in the past decade. To some, Zarifs statement was a reminder that just like Islamabad, Tehran also has armed allies inside Afghanistan.

For Islamabad, New Delhi is always the main competitor. Pakistan bristled at the United States recent proposal to invite India to a U.N.-sponsored meeting in Turkey to adopt a unified approach in regional backing for a possible power-sharing agreement among Afghans.

Pakistan maintains that New Delhi uses Afghan soil to foment unrest in Pakistan  claims that India rejects and counters by saying Pakistan sponsors terrorism.

India does not have any interest in peace in Afghanistan, Moeed Yousaf, a special adviser to the Pakistani prime minister, said recently. If there is peace in Afghanistan, India will lose its influence there.

Rashid argues that India cannot match Pakistans influence or the lengths to which Islamabad is prepared to go to secure its interests in Afghanistan. Certainly, no regional peace settlement can happen without Indias involvement, and its far better that Pakistan goes along with it, he noted.

Babar agrees. He says Islamabads paranoia about New Delhis influence is misplaced. The commonalities and the bonds between Afghanistan and Pakistan are so deep-rooted that India cannot replace Pakistan in Afghanistan.

Given Pakistans deep-seated involvement in Afghanistan, Islamabad is unlikely to leave what it views as its core security and strategic interests to the goodwill of regional rivals.
A Cambridge academic has been slammed for comparing the chairman of a race report to the Nazi Joseph Goebbels.

Dr Priyamvada Gopal, 53, likened Dr Tony Sewell - who oversaw the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities - to Adolf Hitler's propaganda chief.

The postcolonial studies professor had earlier asked if she was right to think the 62-year-old was 'not in fact Dr'.

She continued her attack on him by questioning where his degree was from and what research he undertook for it.

She later conceded he did hold a doctorate - a PhD from Nottingham University - but made the bizarre reference to Goebbels.

Dr Gopal wrote: 'Okay, established. It is, in fact, Dr Sewell. Fair enough. Even Dr Goebbels had a research PhD. (University of Heidelberg, 1921).'

Social media users were shocked by the comment and asked why she would make the comparison.

Former ITV News presenter Alastair Stewart OBE said: 'This is obscene and devalues anything and everything you have to say.'

Researcher and analyst Kyle Orton wrote: 'To introduce the Nazi insinuation in a tweet admitting that your previous accusation was a lie is quite special.

'Also revolting and contemptible. But it is Gopal and it is Thursday, so has to be expected.'

LBC journalist Matthew Thompson added: 'Honestly. Whatever criticisms you might have of the report, what an utterly disgraceful thing to tweet.'

Cambridge distanced itself from Dr Gopal's post, saying it 'profoundly disagreed with the gratuitous comment' but said it supported staff expressing their views.

Dr Priyamvada Gopal (pictured), 53, asked whether she was right to think Dr Tony Sewell - who oversaw the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities - was 'not in fact Dr'

She continued her attack on the 62-year-old (pictured) asking where his doctorate was from and what research he undertook for it

Dr Sewell was chair of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which was released yesterday.

The long-awaited study was branded a 'whitewash' by some because it concluded there is little evidence of institutional racism in Britain.

Factors such as geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion were found to have more impact on life chances than racism.

Overseen by chair Dr Tony Sewell, the findings from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities were branded a 'whitewash' by the Left, but welcomed by other campaigners

Dr Sewell has a PhD in education from Nottingham University.

He also has honorary doctorates from Exeter and Essex universities and is a 'a much-acclaimed fellow of UCL'.

He gained an English literature degree from Essex University when he was younger.

And Dr Sewell was a lecturer in education at Leeds University and chair of the mayor of London's inquiry of education.

But in a thread of tweets today, Dr Gopal railed against him saying: 'Am I correct in thinking that it's not, in fact, ''Dr'' Tony Sewell?

'I mean, if we are doing to pander to the establishment, then surely the establishment's rules matter.'

She continued: 'Where is the doctorate from and what is the research that provided it?

'Okay, established. It is, in fact, Dr Sewell. Fair enough. Even Dr Goebbels had a research PhD. (University of Heidelberg, 1921).'

She added: 'This matters because faux research credentials are being waved around in giving this ludicrous report gravitas.

'And the title, Dr, I'm afraid to say, has to be earned by hard work, monarchy can't confer it on you.'

The landmark review found children from many ethnic minorities do as well or better at school than white pupils

The review highlighted the different fortunes of ethnic groups, pointing out that white British boys from poorer backgrounds are among the most disadvantaged. These figures show the difference between the mean score for the group and the grand mean score across all pupils - which is equivalent to zero

No10 plays down resignation of PM's adviser on ethnic minorities amid race report backlash Downing Street has played down the resignation of the PM's most senior black aide as ministers faced backlash over a 'whitewash' race report. Boris Johnson heaped praise on Samuel Kasumu's 'great' work in encouraging vaccine take-up among ethnic minorities after it emerged he is leaving No10. The news surfaced after the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published a controversial study on inequality in Britain. But a spokesman for the PM said Mr Kasumu had planned to go for 'months', and will be staying until May. They added: 'Any suggestion that this decision has been made this week or that this is linked to the CRED report is completely inaccurate.' Advertisement

Her comments were surprising given in 2018 she accused King's College porters of racism when they refused her access and called her 'madam' instead of doctor.

The Cambridge College quickly hit back and said there was 'no wrongdoing or discrimination' from its staff.

Last year the university backed Dr Gopel after she tweeted 'White Lives Don't Matter'.

Social media users were shocked by Dr Gopal's latest comments, branding them 'vile' and called for her to apologise.

Professor Petro Nicolaides, visiting professor at Birmingham City University, wrote: 'Check someone's credentials before you tweet such nonsense.

'And when you do get it so wrong (see thread), either apologise or delete. The link to a monster like Goebbels is abhorrent.'

Marcus Walker, a clergyman in the Church of England, put: 'I suppose it's lucky Professor Gopal is not a humble porter or there would be hell to pay.'

Former newspaper editor Neil Wallis said: 'That is a genuinely, stunningly, vile thing to say.

'You must constantly boil inside with hatred for anyone who dares to think other than you.'

Doctoral Candidate Oxford University Brooks Newmark posted: 'What an utterly vile tweet from this so called academic from @Cambridge_Uni - I hope the University look into this.'

Mail on Sunday commentator Dan Hodges added: 'And the critics of Sewell accuse him of a lack of academic and intellectual rigour.'

Dr Rakib Ehsan from the Henry Jackson Society said: 'Another truly toxic and divisive voice in Britain's race relations debate.

'Looking to discredit the achievements of a respected Black British academic, by bringing the Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany into the discussion. Dreadful behaviour.'

Architect Chris Rose wrote: 'The black author of the race report is being compared to an actual Nazi by an academic at Cambridge University.

'Not sure why anyone would employ someone so determined to tarnish their reputation.'

Graeme Bunker said online: 'What a disgusting thing to say. It should be retracted and those who fund such hate should stop.'

Rebecca Lowe posted: 'Always sad to see people casually using Nazi analogies to win arguments.

'This kind of instrumentalising entrenches a dangerous and deeply wrong dilution of the horrors of that regime.

'What an embarrassingly poor example to set to your students, to whom you owe so much more.'

A spokesman for Cambridge University told MailOnline: 'We profoundly disagree with the gratuitous comment made by Professor Gopal on social media.

'However, as clearly stated in our policy on freedom of speech, we support the right of all Cambridge staff and students to express their views, however disagreeable or controversial.'

The commissioners behind the race report: Dr Tony Sewell (chairman): Brixton-born son of Jamaican immigrants who has previously questioned claims of institutional racism in Britain. The 62-year-old was raised in London and worked as a teacher, first in London and then for two years in Jamaica. He gained a PhD for a thesis called 'Black masculinities and schooling'. Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock: Space scientist and presenter of The Sky At Night since 2014, when she replaced Sir Patrick Moore. Born in London to Nigerian parents. The married mother-of-one, 53, is a physicist and mechanical engineer once helped create a hand-held landmine detector. Works to inspire schoolchildren to work in science and technology. Aftab Chughtai: A retail businessman who runs Aftabs in Alum Rock, Birmingham. A member of the Grenfell taskforce he was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to business and the community. chairman of the West Midlands Police Independent Advisory Group and co-founder of Brexiteer group Muslims for Britain. Keith Fraser: A former police officer who worked for the Met and West Midlands police in a career spanning 32 years, rising to the rank of superintendent. Currently chairman of the Youth Justice Board. Birmingham-born son of Jamaican immigrants who became a bus driver and secretary respectively. Last year he spoke of being a victim of stop and search when a serving officer and accused forces of 'unconscious bias'. Naureen Khalid: Experienced school governor and educatuion blogger who set up @ukgovchat, an online forum for school governors. Mother of three who originally trained as a geneticist before moving into education. Dr Dambisa Moyo: Economist and author who was previously on the board of Barclays Bank. Born in Zamia and educated at Oxford and Harvard she was one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2009. Author of 'How Boards Work' and 'Dead Aid', which criticised post-war economic support for African countries. Her website described her as 'a pre-eminent thinker, who influences key decision-makers in strategic investment and public policy'. Mercy Muroki: Oxford-educated social policy researcher at the Centre for Social Justice, commentator and columnist. Born in Kenya to parents who moved the family to Northampton. Became a single mother at the age of 18 to daughter Rosalind and has spoken about surviving on Universal Credit. Brexiteer Tory who introduced Sajid Javid at the 2019 Conservative Party Conference. This month she told the Sun: 'I just don't subscribe to woke, academic culture.' Martyn Oliver: Teacher, chief executive of Outwood Grange Academies Trust which runs more than 30 schools and runs a zero-tolerance discipline regime. He backs moves to extend the school day, especially in deprived areas. He told Schools Week today: 'The evidence is clear: give schools the resources to extend the school day and they will enrich the social and cultural capital of every child while boosting their academic performance.' Dr Samir Shah: TV producer, a former deputy chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum and a non-executive Director on the BBC Board. His firm Juniper TV produced Boris: The London Years and Theresa Vs Boris: How May Became PM for the BBC in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Kunle Olulode: Director of the Voice4Change England charity which has more than 400 organisations as members. A member of the Government's Windrush Working Group in 2018 he co-curated the Black And Banned season at London's South Bank which 'considered the impact of censorship in black film, literature and music'. Blondel Cluff: Chairman of the National Lottery Community Fund, which hands out money to charity, since February. Solicitor and former diplomat for the British Overseas Territory (BOT) of Anguilla, who is chief executive of the West India Committee charity Advertisement

Dr Sewell today defended the report and dismissed 'ridiculous and offensive' claims it downplayed the 'evil' of the slave trade.

In his foreword he said there was a new story to be told about the 'slave period' and about how 'culturally African people transformed themselves into a remodelled African/Britain'.

But Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think-tank, disagreed.

She said: 'I'm absolutely flabbergasted to see the slave trade apparently redefined as ''the Caribbean Experience''; as though it's something Thomas Cook should be selling  a one-way shackled cruise to purgatory.

'The cultural deafness of this report is only going to become clearer in the coming days and weeks.'

Dr Sewell said: 'It is absurd to suggest that the commission is trying to downplay the evil of the slave trade. It is both ridiculous and offensive to each and every commissioner.

'The report merely says that, in the face of the inhumanity of slavery, African people preserved their humanity and culture.'

The race report was months in the making and produced by a group of 12 experts  only one of whom was white.

The report, commissioned by the PM after last year's Black Lives Matter protests, said Britain was no longer a country where the 'system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities'.

In a foreword, Dr Sewell rebuked 'negative calls for ''decolonising'' the curriculum'.

He said a Making Of Modern Britain teaching resource should focus on the influence of the UK during its Empire period, how 'Britishness influenced the Commonwealth' and how local communities influenced 'modern Britain'.

He added: 'There is a new story about the Caribbean experience which speaks to the slave period not only being about profit and suffering but how culturally African people transformed themselves into a remodelled African/Britain.'

Mr Johnson insisted today there are 'serious issues that our society faces to do with racism' and that work needed to be done to 'fix it'.

And he suggested the government will not agree with 'everything' in the report's conclusions. 'Look, this is a very interesting piece of work,' he said.

'I don't say the Government is going to agree with absolutely everything in it, but it has some original and stimulating work in it that I think people need to read and to consider.

'There are very serious issues that our society faces to do with racism that we need to address.

'We've got to do more to fix it, we need to understand the severity of the problem, and we're going to be looking at all the ideas that they have put forward, and we'll be making our response.'

Although the study came under heavy fire, many campaigners voiced support.

Duwayne Brooks, a friend of Stephen Lawrence, said he agreed not all disparities in the UK were caused by racism.

He told Times Radio: 'What the report is doing is comparing life for the ethnic minorities in Britain, in comparison to the European countries, where life would be much, much worse than how it is today.'

He added: 'It's not as simple to just say that the black people of Britain cannot get jobs because they're black. And that's what people want the report to say.'

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, added: 'This report rightly identifies the varied causes of disparities and by making recommendations to address them gives the Government the opportunity to design policy targeting the sources of inequality.'

'It is no wonder they are losing the expertise from their team.'

Yesterday Dr Sewell said some communities were haunted by historic racism and there was a 'reluctance to acknowledge that the UK had become open and fairer'.

He said the review found some evidence of bias, but often it was a perception that the wider society could not be trusted.

NHS Providers said it disagreed with the report's conclusions and said there was 'clear and unmistakable' evidence that NHS ethnic minority staff had worse experiences and faced more barriers than white counterparts.

Sabby Dhalu, of Stand Up To Racism, said: 'Suggesting Britain should be regarded as a 'model for other white-majority countries' is an insult to all those who lost their lives due to racism.'

But Chancellor Rishi Sunak said progress had been made in tackling racism during an interview.

He told ITV's Peston: 'If I think about the things that happened to me when I was a kid, I can't imagine those things happening to me now.'

The 264-page report also called on ministers to tackle online abuse, lengthen the school day to help disadvantaged pupils, force police to switch on body cameras during stop-and-search encounters, and establish an independent body to target health disparities.

The report said: 'The evidence shows that geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion have more significant impact on life chances than the existence of racism.

'That said, we take the reality of racism seriously and we do not deny that it is a real force in the UK.'

It added: 'We have argued for the use of the term 'institutional racism' to be applied only when deep-seated racism can be proven on a systemic level and not be used as a general catch-all phrase for any microaggression, witting or unwitting.'

The report said: 'The life chances of the child of a Harrow-raised British Indian accountant and the child of a Bradford-raised British Pakistani taxi-driver are as wide apart as they are, partly because of the UK's economic geography.

'Meanwhile, the numerically largest disadvantaged group is low income White boys, especially those from former industrial and coastal towns, who are failing at secondary school and are the people least likely to go to university.

'Unlike many other reports on race and ethnicity we have included the White group in our deliberations.

'For a range of outcomes, White working class children trail behind their peers in almost all ethnic minority groups, although the extent of these disparities vary by area.'

So who are the distinguished panel of experts who produced landmark race report and now stand accused of 'ignoring realities of racism in Britain'?

A landmark report that celebrates Britain as a beacon for other white-majority countries in race relations was never going to satisfy those on the Left who insist we are a racist hellhole where privileged whites oppress ethnic minorities if not overtly, then through 'unconscious bias'.

Predictably, when the Commission On Race And Ethnic Disparities published its conclusions yesterday, its members were attacked for being government stooges.

On Radio 4's Today programme, Nick Robinson went so far as to seem to suggest that Commission chairman Tony Sewell had been appointed only because he could be relied upon to deny there was a problem with racism in Britain.

So who are the members of the Commission who stand accused of ignoring the realities of racism in Britain? ROSS CLARK provides the answers.

Champion of underdogs

Dr Tony Sewell CBE, 62

No one is better qualified to speak on education and the black community than Sewell. Born in Brixton in 1959 to Jamaican parents of the Windrush generation, he studied English literature at Essex University before becoming a teacher in some of London's toughest secondary schools.

He was part of the team which opened Mossbourne Community Academy in 2004 on the site of Hackney Downs School, which was described as the 'worst school in Britain'.

In 2011/12 Mossbourne achieved the distinction of getting seven per cent of its leavers into Oxford or Cambridge universities.

No one is better qualified to speak on education and the black community than Dr Tony Sewell

Sewell went on to found Generating Genius, a charity which helps children from minority ethnic backgrounds study and follow careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.

Police gangs reformer

Keith Fraser, 54

The former police superintendent and chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, knows what it is like to be on the receiving end of racism.

Born to Jamaican parents  a bus driver and a secretary  in Birmingham in the 1960s, he has recalled being stopped and searched frequently as a teenager.

He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1985 aged 18, but was still stopped by fellow officers when driving off-duty.

Keith Fraser, 54, the former police superintendent and chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, knows what it is like to be on the receiving end of racism

Over his 32 years of police service, Fraser rose to become a Superintendent in the West Midlands force, before becoming the first black chairman of the Youth Justice Board and chairman of Employability UK.

He developed West Midlands Police strategy on deterring young people from joining gangs.

Muslim campaigner

Aftab Chughtai MBE, 62

Unlike many academics who pontificate on racial issues, Chughtai has experience of running a business in the heart of one of Britain's most ethnically diverse cities.

Born to Kashmiri parents, Chughtai took over running the family's babywear shop in Birmingham, and now sits on the board of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce.

He is also chair of the West Midlands Police Independent Advisory Group, a trustee of Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust, and was a co-founder of the campaign group Muslims for Britain, which engages with British Muslims on key national issues.

Unlike many academics who pontificate on racial issues, Aftab Chughtai MBE, 62, has experience of running a business in the heart of one of Britain's most ethnically diverse cities

In 2017, he was appointed to the Grenfell Tower taskforce, charged with scrutinising Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council's efforts to help the community recover from the tragedy.

Kenya-born researcher

Mercy Muroki, 25

Born in Kenya, Muroki attended a school with no electricity and a pit latrine for a toilet. Aged five, she arrived in West London with her parents and sister.

Shortly after, her parents split  and her mother and the two children were homeless for a period.

Muroki became a mother herself, aged 18, but went on to read politics at Queen Mary University of London and study for a MSc at Oxford, where she won several academic prizes.

Born in Kenya, Mercy Muroki, 25, attended a school with no electricity and a pit latrine for a toilet. Aged five, she arrived in West London with her parents and sister

She became a senior researcher at the Centre for Social Justice, and is also a national newspaper columnist.

Race equality leader

Dr Samir Shah CBE, 78

Born in India, Dr Shah came to England in 1960 and attended Latymer Upper School in West London, before reading geography and maths at the University of Hull. He has a DPhil from St Catherine's College, Oxford.

He began his career at London Weekend Television in 1979, before moving to the BBC, where he held senior positions overseeing political journalism.

Now CEO of his own TV and radio production company, Dr Shah was awarded a CBE in 2019 for services to Television and Heritage.

Born in India, Dr Samir Shah CBE, 78, came to England in 1960 and attended Latymer Upper School in West London, before reading geography and maths at the University of Hull. He has a DPhil from St Catherine's College, Oxford

He has served as chair of the V&A and as a visiting professor of creative media at Oxford University.

He is also member of the Nuffield Foundation Steering Group, working on reviews into inequality.

He was chairman of the race equality think-tank the Runnymede Trust  which said yesterday it felt 'let down' by yesterday's report  for two decades and has been a member of the Holocaust Commission.

Peerless surgeon

Lord Kakkar, 56

Ajay Kakkar is a prime example of the success many families of Indian origin have enjoyed in supposedly racist Britain.

He followed his father into medicine, studying at King's College, London, followed by a PhD at Imperial College. He is now Professor of Surgery at University College, London.

He is the director of the Thrombosis Research Institute, and has worked with the NHS on its strategy to prevent dangerous blood clotting.

Lord Kakkar, 56, is a prime example of the success many families of Indian origin have enjoyed in supposedly racist Britain

He was made a life peer in 2010 before being appointed as a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council in 2014. He serves as Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission.

Lord Kakkar chairs medical research charity the King's Fund, sits as a school governor and is also a commissioner of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.

TV space scientist

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE, 53

Born and brought up in London, Aderin-Pocock moved between 13 schools, struggling with dyslexia, to eventually win a place to read physics at Imperial College London.

She completed a PhD in mechanical engineering, in the course of which she developed a novel instrument to measure materials just microns thick  a device which was later marketed commercially by the university.

Born and brought up in London, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE, 53, moved between 13 schools, struggling with dyslexia, to eventually win a place at Imperial College London

Now a distinguished space scientist, she has presented the BBC's Sky At Night for the past eight years.

Much of her time is devoted to inspiring new generations of astronauts, engineers and scientists, and visiting inner-city schools to tell their students how she became a scientist  busting myths about careers, class and gender in the process.

Child safety expert

Naureen Khalid, 59

From a British Pakistani background, Khalid achieved a Masters in Genetics at Karachi University, and later a MPhil at the University of East Anglia.

She is now an educational specialist who has sat for more than a decade on the governing boards of several schools and academies.

She also serves as an expert for National Online Safety, an organisation which helps to protect children online by providing safety training to schools.

From a British Pakistani background, Naureen Khalid, 59, achieved a Masters in Genetics at Karachi University, and later a MPhil at the University of East Anglia

She presents at education events, and has co-founded a national forum which helps support school governors and provides them with a space to exchange ideas and experiences.

Globally feted academic

Dambisa Moyo, 52

Moyo was born in Lusaka, Zambia, but spent some of her childhood in the U.S. She took a chemistry degree at the University of Zambia, followed by a DPhil in economics at Oxford University and a Masters in Public Administration at Harvard.

She worked at Goldman Sachs as a research economist for seven years, advising developing countries on international finances, and served as head of Economic Research and Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Moyo has sat on the boards of brewing company SABMiller, Barclays Bank, Barrick Gold and U.S. oil giant Chevron.

Dambisa Moyo, 52, was born in Lusaka, Zambia, but spent some of her childhood in the U.S. She took a chemistry degree at the University of Zambia, followed by a DPhil in economics at Oxford University and a Masters in Public Administration at Harvard

She has published many books, with her 2009 work Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working And How There Is A Better Way For Africa, becoming a bestseller  while upsetting those on the Left who believe that ever-increasing quantities of aid is the best way to help the developing world.

In 2009 she was named as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and one of Time magazine's top 100 most influential people in the world.

Schools stalwart

Martyn Oliver, 49

The only white member of the commission, Oliver started teaching in 1995 and went on to become chief executive of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which oversees 34 academies in the North, many of which were failing schools when the trust took them over.

The only white member of the commission, Martyn Oliver, 49, started teaching in 1995 and went on to become chief executive of Outwood Grange Academies Trust

Oliver serves as a board member of the Department for Education's Opportunity North-East, which aims to improve results in secondary schools in that region.

Co-opted members

Kunle Olulode, 59

Olulode, is a former trade union activist on Camden Council who led the 500-strong Camden black workers' staff group.

He has also served as a board member of English Heritage and is director of Voice4Change, which represents charities working with ethnic minorities.

Blondel Cluff, 60

Cluff's parents arrived in Britain from Anguilla with the Windrush generation. A lawyer and former head of legal at Lazard Brothers (a financial and asset management firm), Cluff is a fellow of King's College London, and has also served as a diplomat.
A court has acceded to the request of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who is sought for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, to file an additional reply against his extradition to

The in-person extradition hearing of 59-year-old Rana, who has been declared a fugitive by India, is scheduled for April 12.

The United States has supported India's request for his extradition to

District Court Judge in Los Angeles Jacqueline Chooljian, in his brief order on Wednesday, said: Rana shall file a surreply of no more than 20 pages by not later than April 5.

The government may, but is not required to file any surrebuttal to the surreply, which may not exceed 20 pages, by not later than April 12, the judge said.

In a separate order, the judge asked both Rana and the government representatives to confer and submit a status report within a week regarding the scheduling of the in-person extradition hearing, which is currently set for April 22.

Under the existing law, hearings in cases of extradition under treaty stipulation or convention shall be held on land, publicly, and in a room or office easily accessible to the public, the judge said.

However, an in-person hearing is not currently authorised due to the pandemic, the federal judge said.

Nor is it clear to the Court on the current record, that Mr. Rana may waive an in-person extradition hearing and consent to proceed by video/telephonic conference, even if he wished to do so, the judge said.

As such, the judge ordered the two parties to confer and file a status report within a week.

Last week Rana, who is being sought in connection with his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, approached the court that it wanted to file an additional reply in opposition to the motion of the government that supported his extradition to

The US government quickly reached out to the court arguing that there was no med for Rana to file an additional motion.

On Wednesday, the court ruled in favour of Rana.

Rana, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Headley was involved in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack.

(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.)
OTT has swiftly made growth and today it is the most booming digital consumption platform in the country. In the past year especially, we witnessed a stark shift in the viewing habits of consumers from TV to OTT. Simply put OTT is now the new TV. The surge in OTT consumption has created an undeniable need for marketers to utilise the OTT medium to actualise their business goals and has also amounted to a stark increase in the volume of advertisement insertions on these platforms.

The growth of OTT has given marketers ample opportunity to reach their relevant users effectively. To enable all brands to reach their target consumers, Vserv introduced its OTT advertising solutions in early 2020. Vserv with its 5 leading OTT platform partners: Hotstar, Zee5, Sony LIV, MX Player, and Voot has delivered 35+ success stories in less than 9 months of introducing its end-to-end campaign activation and delivery solutions. Vserv has been consistently delivering success stories for customers and brands across industry categories like Citibank, iD Fresh Foods, Jockey, Clinique, Manyavar, Pulse, Sandisk, Oberoi Realty and many more.

While a lot of brands are aiming to reach a massive audience, the challenge lies for brands who are looking to target and reach niche but highly relevant audience segments ranging from as low as 4-5MN users to 10-15MN users. With Vserv Authentic Audience Data segments, brands can not only reach relevant audiences but can also enjoy unduplicated reach across various OTT platforms for their campaigns

Highly niche and debutant brand RIO Pads, wanted to reach out to its precise set of audience to create awareness and purchase consideration. By utilising popular women-centric OTT platforms: Zee5 & Hotstar, and by targeting audience cohorts like E-comm Shoppers, Beauty Enthusiasts, Pharmacy Visitors, Online medical buyers and Young Parents, Vserv enabled the brand to increase its product purchase consideration by 1.62X amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its smart solution, Vserv helped the brand to garner an unduplicated user reach of 3.15MN across the OTT platforms. This same set of users were then tapped on Social Media Platforms: Facebook and Instagram to drive website visits.

It has never been more crucial for brands to drive the e-commerce business than in Corona times. Vserv helped us in hyper-targeting and reaching out to the most ideal TG which gave a boost to our e-commerce business. We were also able to get higher engagement from the awareness campaigns., says Kartik Johari, VP Marketing & Commerce, Rio Pads.

Another major benefit of OTT as a marketing channel is its viability and accessibility for brands with conservative marketing budgets. Unlike TV, the entry point of OTT is low and customizable making it an economically smart choice. Dippak Khurana, CEO & CO-founder of Vserv says, Brands with tighter annual marketing budgets often find it challenging to incorporate Television in their media plan, But in this new digital age, brands can now leverage OTT as the new TV to connect with their audiences effectively with a smaller marketing budget.



Over the course of the last year, brands from the FMCG category have also shown a major adoption of OTT as their key digital advertising channel. iD Fresh Foods, a ready-to-cook FMCG brand leveraged Vserv Authentic Audience Data on Hotstar and SonyLIV along with Facebook to garner an unduplicated reach. The campaign for the brand targeted Females over 25 years living in Mumbai & Pune who were Interested in Cooking, Health & Fitness and helped minimize ad fatigue while reaching 3.4MN+ unique users and garnering a VTR of 78%+.

Shailendra T, iD Fresh Food says, In a pandemic-hit market where trust-deficit among consumers was beginning to rise, Vserv enabled us to amplify awareness for our safe and home-like ready to eat food in the right proportion and scale customer adoption for iD Fresh food manifold. Vservs OTT advertising solution was rightly placed when brands like ours were seeking alternative and effective ways to keep the consumer-trust stable.

With Vservs truly intelligent OTT solution, brands like Manyavar and Mohey were able to choose how and when to air their campaigns in specific markets during a pandemic-hit economy. By leveraging Vserv Authentic Audience Data on popular OTT platforms: Hotstar, Zee5 and SonyLIV, the brand was able to reach over 9.5MN unique consumers during the wedding season 2020 and garner a high View-Through Rate (VTR) of 95%.

Another successful example of niche category marketing on OTT would be premium perfume brand Issey Miyake. Hotstar with Vserv Authentic Audience Data enabled the brand to engage with 1.5MN+ Affluent male consumers across top metros, for its new perfume Wood & Wood amongst affluent consumers. Tech brands like Sandisk too have realized the impact of OTT advertising with Vserv and have been able to reach out to nearly 2.5MN+ users to drive purchase in states like Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai and other cities.

Dippak Khurana, CEO & CO-founder, Vserv concludes, We have over time built a leading DMP in India, with a massive range of audience segments, and have helped 100s of brands successfully execute both brand and performance campaigns. Our audience cohorts are constantly evolving as we add more data partners, and deliver campaigns to advertisers across industry verticals. We have seen a great uptake of Vserv Audience Segments from advertisers for their OTT campaigns in the last year and we look forward to working with many brands in the near future.
GOP Runs 7 Figure Campaign on Dems Partisan Election Reform Push in Congress

The Republican National Committee (RNC) and National Republican Senatorial Committees (NRSC) are beginning ad campaigns this week and early next week to have their say on the Democrats election reform bill S.1, which they are calling a power grab.

The RNC has designated a six-figure sum to an ad campaign that will run in states with Democrat-held Senate seats that are up for reelection in 2022, including Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire. Senate Republicans key fundraising arm, the NRSC, will devote seven figures to ad campaigns in the same states to tell their view of the S. 1 senate bill.

The Republican campaign blitz comes after the majority-Democrat House passed the Democrats election reform bill H.R. 1, which they called the For the People Act, in early March.

Some provisions, like ensuring that all voting machines used in U.S. elections are manufactured in the United States and increasing access for voters with disabilities, are supported by both parties. But most other provisions in the partisan bill are highly contentious.

The package is celebrated by Democrats as an effort to expand voting rights, while Republicans say the bill is an overreach of federal authority over states rights and an attempt by Democrats to gain ultimate control over all future elections.

After the 2020 presidential elections, irregularities were witnessed with unlawful changes to voting procedures in many key states made in the name of ensuring voter access during the pandemic. To counter the issues that arose, many states have since introduced election reform bills to require things like voter ID and limits on when mail-in ballots can be returned.

Republican-majority Georgia is one of the states that has recently signed such election reforms into law. The 95-page law adds a slew of changes to the way Georgians will vote, including requiring photo or state-approved identification to vote absentee by mail. The law also mandates that secure drop boxes be placed inside early voting locations, with constant surveillance, while addressing Democrat concerns by expanding early voting across the state.

Democrats have criticized Georgia for most of these voting reforms, calling it an attempt by Republicans to suppress votes.

Newly elected U.S. senator from Georgia, Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), said from the Senate floor in mid-March that his state legislatures efforts to change voting rules is a new version of Jim Crow laws.

Since the January election, some 250 voter suppression bills have been introduced by state legislatures, all across the country from Georgia to Arizona, from New Hampshire to Florida, Warnock said. Using the big lie, voter fraud as a pretext for voter suppression.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), a lead sponsor of H.R. 1, called the Republican-led efforts anti-democratic.

Theres an explosion of Republican activity, governors, and legislatures across the country, working to pass bills to keep people from voting, Merkley said. To me, this is entirely anti-democratic.

The Republican ads will present a counter to Warnocks voter supression narrative, saying that Republicans are working to secure expanded voting right but with rules to secure fairness of one person, one vote.

Democrats are peddling a false narrative in order to dismantle our elections processes, and the Georgia election reforms expose that lie because the bill actually EXPANDS voting opportunities, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a March 25 press statement.

In one of the NRSC-funded ads titled Power Grab, which has aired in Georgia, a female narrator says, The Washington power grab. Youve seen it before. But Democrats are planning the biggest one yet. Pelosi Schumer and Warnock want to use your tax dollars to fund their political ads, and they let people register and vote without showing any form of ID. Its political corruption. Stop the grab. Stop the fraud. Stop the Warnock-Pelosi plan now.

Chairman of the NRSC, Sen. Rick Scott, said in a March 29 memo, Any time you hear a Democrat talking about voter suppression and racist Republican election reforms, you are hearing a person lie.

Meanwhile, Fox News reported that the Republican add campaign will target specific aspects of the Democrats federal alternative in the For the People Act, including messages like, Stop Ballot TraffickingRadical Democrats are trying to take over our elections! Fight back, Democrats want to spend your tax dollars to fund liberal candidates elections. We cant let this happen! Stop them, and Stop H.R. 1  Democrats are trying to use your hard-earned money to elect radical liberals. Take action.

The fate of the Democrats S. 1 will be decided over April and May, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, told MSNBC on March 25. She said her committee will markup the bill in April after which it will move to the senate floor for consideration.

Of course, we have nine bipartisan provisions in there, we do try to build support, but barring that, we already have Senator Manchin, talking about the fact that was some version of this bill or any bill, hes willing to move to a talking filibuster, Klobuchar said.

In a talking filibuster, Republicans be able to debate the bill and voice their objections. If Democrats cannot get 10 Republicans to support S. 1, they have indicated that they are open to eliminating the filibuster requirement in hopes of passing the election reform bill with 50 votes and a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris.

However, Manchin (D. W.Va), a moderate Democrat who is open to working with Republicans on passing bipartisan legislation and was the only senator in his party not to co-sponsored the legislation, will hold significant sway over what the leading Democrats pushing the bill will be able to include.

So far, he has been critical of the Democrat bill, saying that many of the provisions included might divide us even further on a partisan basis and do not have broad bipartisan support. He suggested on March 24 that bill could get Republican support if all the provisions were focused only on voting rightsspecifically on making voting more secure and accessible.

Currently, it ends a states right to ask for voter ID, which Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) argued was not about race but was a sensible requirement that Americans already have to show for common activities every day.
There was a mild drama at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) when a suspect arrested with 7.1 kg of methamphetamine worth over N2bn became unruly.

Aniede Chimezie Bright was arrested on Sunday March 28, 2021, during the outward clearance of passengers on Royal Air Maroc heading to Spain.

The illicit drugs were neatly concealed in food spices stuffed in a suitcase.

The suspect was said to have lived in Spain for 18 years and possessed a residency permit.

However, drama ensued when he was paraded before journalists yesterday and he became aggressive, refusing to answer questions on what led him into drug dealings.

He flared up, asking if the politicians accused of corruption have been arrested or charged to court.

"There is no road, there is no common water. Nobody is saying anything. You people are not doing your work.

"Where are the politicians? Look at the country we are living in, you guys are not doing your work. Have you gone to Aso Rock?"

Asked what led him into carrying the substance, he said, "I don't know about it. I was just tricked into it. When I get to the court, I will explain to the judge."

The Commander, MMIA Command of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Garba, said, "Unarguably, the closure of borders occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for the surge in the price of these drugs. For instance, the price of meth in Australia has increased from 200 dollars to 600 dollars per gramme due to supply cut, hence the desperation by the traffickers and barons alike."

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In a related development, the command equally arrested one Asonye Christian, a trader at Ladipo market in Lagos, who sent a package containing 800 grammes of cannabis sativa cleverly concealed in foodstuff. The package was to be delivered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The NDLEA operatives had initially arrested a cargo agent working at the SAHCO export shed inside the airport before Christian, who was said to have delivered the bag, was later arrested.

Speaking with journalists, the 30-year-old Christian said the bag was handed over to him by a friend but did not tell him the content of the bag. He said he is confused and seriously regrets accepting the bag without verifying what was inside.
Under the scheme, insurance amount for accidental death and total permanent disability for people aged between 1850 years is Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 3 lakh for those between 5170 years.  ANI file photo

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday released Rs. 254.72 crore under YSR Bima to families of 12,039 deceased persons eligible for the scheme but did not enrol themselves with banks.

Speaking at an event organised on the occasion, the Chief Minister asserted that the state government will not back out from providing financial assistance to families who have lost their sole breadwinner. That is the reason why the government has come forward to also pay premium for those sole breadwinners who failed to enrol under YSR Bima but passed away.

The CM pointed out that the government came forward to pay premiums for all 12,039 claims.

Jagan Mohan Reddy explained that there are 1.4 crore ration card holders across the state. The government started YSR Bima in October 2020 by paying a premium of Rs 510 crore to banks and continued it, despite central government, which was paying 50 percent of the premium, withdrawing from the scheme.

The Chief Minister underlined that now, the entire premium is being paid by the state government on humanitarian grounds to provide security for families in need. He pointed out that 62 lakh accounts have been opened so far and remaining 70 lakh accounts are yet to be opened. The CM directed officials to come up with practical solutions to sort out issues for better implementation of YSR Bima.

Further, Jagan Mohan Reddy said any eligible person who has been left out from YSR Bima can call toll free number 155214 for getting registered. He assured that the government will take steps to ensure that they too get benefitted.

Under the scheme, insurance amount for accidental death and total permanent disability for people aged between 1850 years is Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 3 lakh for those between 5170 years. Similarly, in case of natural death, those between 1850 years are paid Rs. 2 lakh and for partial, permanent disability in an accident case (1870 years), an assistance of Rs. 1.5 is provided.

Deputy Chief Minister Dharmana Krishnadas, labour minister Gummanur Jayaram, special chief secretary (Housing) Ajay Jain, principal secretary (Labour) B. Udaya Lakshmi, panchayati raj commissioner M. Girija Shankar, AP Dairy Development Cooperative Federation managing director Babu A., APSHCL MD Narayana Bharat Gupta, SERP CEO P. Rajababu, MEPMA MD V. Vijayalakshmi and other senior officials attended the meeting.
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The package announced Wednesday isn't actually ready for prime time yet; most of the bills haven't been drafted, and there's the small matter of the 2021-22 budget, which is still being crafted by the six members of the Joint Budget Committee and is due to be introduced in the state Senate on April 8.
Boston and Randolph police arrested two Randolph men wanted in connection with a fatal Dorchester shooting that occurred in September.

Jarrid Campbell, 18 of Randolph, and Christ Daphnis, 19, of Randolph were located and arrested Thursday morning on warrants issued out of Suffolk Superior Court. The pair are charged with murder, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm without an FID card and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, according to the Boston Police Department.

The charges stem from a fatal shooting that took place at roughly 1:17 a.m. on Sept. 27. Officers responded to a radio call for a person shot in the area of 16 Hubbardston Road in Dorchester.

Officers found a man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victim, Keenan Ritter, 28, of Dorchester, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
An Italian autopsy has found that COVID-19 complications caused the January death of a U.S. airman stationed at Aviano Air Base, military officials said Wednesday.

Tech. Sgt. Michael W. Morris, 36, died alone in his off-base home Jan. 12, hours after calling his wife and children in Minnesota to wish his youngest daughter a happy fifth birthday. He had tested positive for the coronavirus a week earlier, and his family immediately suspected it caused his death, even though the military has yet to make its own determination.

A separate Defense Department autopsy under Armed Forces Medical Examiner Systems standards remains open, said Staff Sgt. Valeria A. Halbert, a spokesperson for the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano.

"Those results are still under investigation," Halbert said in an email Wednesday that also confirmed the Italian authorities had released their findings.

The service had not yet listed Morris' death in its statistics as of Monday. It's unusual for a coronavirus death in the military to take so long to confirm -- most of the 24 service-member deaths attributed to the disease as of Monday were announced within four days, an analysis shows.

Morris would be the first coronavirus-related fatality for the active-duty component of the Air Force, and the second U.S. service member to die of the disease while stationed in Europe. Army Staff Sgt. Setariki Korovakaturaga, 43, died in Germany while being rushed to a hospital in December.

Morris had tested positive for the virus Jan. 4. On the day he died, he was on the phone with someone from his command while awaiting an ambulance at his home, a few miles from the northern Italian base. He was unresponsive by the time it arrived, and efforts to revive him failed.

His wife, two daughters and son were some 7,400 miles away visiting family in Minnesota and wouldn't learn of his death until the following day.

Morris hadn't been able to go with them because of travel restrictions, his wife of 14 years told Stars and Stripes shortly after his death.

They'd spoken to him earlier that day and he seemed fine, except for what sounded like congestion, Amanda Morris said. Hours later, difficulty breathing prompted his call for medical help, which she said was his third time complaining to medical personnel of that symptom while in quarantine at home.

He'd previously been advised to stay home, and his symptoms had appeared to improve before declining again, she said. His symptoms were mild on earlier calls when he was told to call for an ambulance if they worsened, base officials have said.

Symptoms of the disease can wax and wane, but often worsen in the second week, said Dr. (Col.) Joshua Hawley-Molloy, an infectious disease specialist at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

New or worsening shortness of breath can be a troubling sign of the disease's "most feared" complications, a blockage of arteries in the lungs known as a pulmonary embolism, which can come suddenly and quickly turn fatal, Hawley-Molloy said.

The base held a ceremony Feb. 19 to honor Morris, a member of the Leech Lake Ojibwe tribe, who had joined the Air Force in 2006 and deployed three times to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan. He was posthumously awarded his fifth Air Force Commendation Medal.

His family, including a 12-year-old and 10-year-old, had left Europe in July to spend time with relatives, leaving Morris with their cat in Italy to await orders for his next assignment. They spoke regularly and expected to be reunited in May.

He was laid to rest Feb. 2 at a small private ceremony at a veterans cemetery in his hometown of Cass Lake, Minnesota.
Brazil's coronavirus death toll spiralled out of control in March with more than 66,500 fatalities, doubling the country's previous monthly record, officials said.

In a sign of the devastation the virus is still causing in Brazil, daily deaths rose to a staggering 3,869 fatalities - the highest figure since the pandemic began.

Health experts say the explosion of coronavirus infections is partly driven by a local variant called P1, which can re-infect people who have had the original strain and is believed to be more contagious.

The country reported 66,573 people died of Covid-19 in March, which is more than twice as many fatalities as Brazil's second-deadliest month of the pandemic in July last year.

In a sign of the devastation the virus is still causing in Brazil, daily deaths rose to a staggering 3,869 fatalities - the highest figure since the pandemic began

Brazil's coronavirus death toll spiralled out of control in March with more than 66,500 fatalities, doubling the country's previous monthly record. Pictured: Cemetery workers lower the coffin of a Covid-19 victim in Sao Paulo, Brazil last night

Cemetery workers lower a coffin in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday night as the country is ravaged by coronavirus

'Never in Brazilian history have we seen a single event kill so many people [in one month],' said doctor Miguel Nicolelis, former pandemic response coordinator for Brazil's impoverished northeast.

With the southern hemisphere winter approaching and the virus spreading fast, Brazil is facing 'a perfect storm,' Dr Nicolelis said.

'That's a threat not just for Brazil but for the entire world.'

The P1 variant has spread to more than two dozen countries, including the US, UK and Japan.

As long as the pandemic continues to rage unchecked in Brazil, there is a risk that more variants could emerge in the country, researchers say.

The surge in Brazil has overwhelmed hospitals and forced doctors to make agonizing decisions over whom to give life-saving care - prioritizing those most likely to survive.

'We're at the worst moment of the pandemic, and indications are that April will be very bad, too,' said epidemiologist Ethel Maciel of Espirito Santo Federal University.

'The worst is yet to come,' she said.

Covid-19 beds in intensive care units are more than 90 per cent full in 18 of Brazil's 27 states, and another seven states are approaching that level.

At least 230 patients with suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 died waiting for a bed in intensive care in Sao Paulo this month, according to TV Globo.

Several states have begun implementing protocols to decide which patients get ICU care, prioritizing those most likely to survive.

'We're in a very tragic situation,' said Maciel.

The surge in Brazil has overwhelmed hospitals and forced doctors to make agonizing decisions over whom to give life-saving care - prioritizing those most likely to survive. Pictured: A man in hospital in Baaru, Sao Paulo

Earlier this month, Piaui state chief Wellington Dias described hospitals where infected patients could not even get a bed, let alone the intensive care they required.

'We have reached the limit across Brazil; rare are the exceptions,' Dias, who leads the governors' Covid forum, said. 'The chance of dying without assistance is real.'

Full hospitals are known to have worse survival rates because people can't get the same level of attention and medical care that they would if there were fewer other patients.

The country has ranked among those with the worst Covid outbreaks in the world  it has recorded 12.7million cases and 322,000 deaths, second only to the US on both counts.

Wednesday saw more than 90,600 new coronavirus cases being recorded in the country.

President Jair Bolsonaro has been constantly dismissive of the virus and allowed it to run rampant, comparing Covid to flu and publicly spreading anti-vaccine myths, hampering the country's pandemic response.

President Jair Bolsonaro has been constantly dismissive of the virus and allowed it to run rampant

Under pressure from allies in Congress and the business world, Bolsonaro installed his fourth health minister of the pandemic last week, replacing Eduardo Pazuello - an army general with no medical experience - with cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga.

The president sought to show he was taking the pandemic seriously, launching a crisis committee.

However, he reverted to his anti-lockdown message at the committee's first meeting Wednesday.

'We're not going to solve the problem by staying at home,' he said - contradicting his new health minister, who had just urged Brazilians to 'respect social distancing.'

Bolsonaro argues the economic damage of lockdowns is worse than the virus itself, a stance that has left state and local governments to implement a messy patchwork of pandemic policies.

Brazil is meanwhile struggling to secure enough vaccine doses, and is far off pace to meet the health ministry's target of immunizing the entire adult population by the end of the year.

Brazil is currently using two vaccines, Oxford/AstraZeneca's and Chinese-developed CoronaVac, both of which require two doses.

About 8% of the population has received a first dose and 2.3% a second.

Health regulators granted emergency approval Wednesday for Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine, but the 38 million doses Brazil has purchased will only start arriving in August.
New Delhi, April 1 : As the third phase of coronavirus vaccination for those above 45 years and above, irrespective of comorbidities, commenced on Thursday, people turned out in large numbers in the national capital to receive the jab.

India kicked off the third phase of its nationwide inoculation drive against coronavirus on Thursday. More than six crore people have received the jab in the country till now.

The Central government said that it is important to vaccinate people above the age group of 45 years as they are most vulnerable and form 88 per cent of the total Covid-19 deaths in India.

Serpentine queues formed outside various vaccination centres on the first day of the phase. People either pre-booked their slots or walked in after 3 p.m. There are about 34 crore people above 45 years of age.

Asked about their experience with getting the life-saving vaccine, beneficiaries said that they were satisfied. People also got their photos clicked in the photo-booths in the centres.

At Delhi's Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, more than 200 people were vaccinated from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, while around 500 people got vaccinated by 3 p.m., including those taking the second dose.

RML Hospital's Medical Superintendent Dr Rana A.K. Singh told IANS that "people are very excited to get vaccinated. The hospital had already made complete preparations for the vaccination." "We have also installed an ICU bed at the vaccination centre to deal with any emergency. RML Hospital has so far vaccinated about 16,000 people." Dr Rishi, working at RML Hospital, told IANS that: "According to my knowledge, more than 400 people have been vaccinated till 2.30 pm. This includes those who had the second dose." " "No one has faced any problem so far, there has been no problem in any kind of registration. People are already coming by registering," he said.

Delhi resident Ashok Jain, who arrived to get a second dose at the RML hospital, told IANS that "the arrangement in the hospital is very good, compared to other private hospitals. Preventive norms are also being followed in the hospital".

The four Marwaha brothers above the age of 70 came to get themselves vaccinated. Two brothers received the second doses, while the others got the first jab.

"Getting the vaccine is a big relief. I would appeal every one to get it," one of the brothers said.

This vaccination phase comes at a time when the country is seeing a surge in the number of daily infections after cases went down in December and January.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 for healthcare workers and vaccination of the frontline workers started from February 2.

The next phase of Covid-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for those who are over 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with specific comorbid conditions.

In a significant step to exponentially expand the countrywide vaccination drive, the Centre has decided to operationalise both public and private sector Covid Vaccination Centres (CVCs) on all days of April, including gazetted holidays.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Through two transactions, Dream Advisors has recently added two recently built logistics assets to its growing German portfolio.

Dream acquired a state-of-the-art distribution center in the established commercial area of Ulm-Nord with direct access to motorway A8. The asset consists of approximately 5,000 m2 warehouse, office and training areas and is long-term let to a single tenant. Dream also acquired a high quality 4,100 m2 long-term let warehouse and production asset in Herbrechtingen through a sale and lease back transaction. The asset is located along motorway A7 and includes extra lands for future expansion potential. "

"Both modern high spec logistics assets are strategically located at one of the most frequented motorway crosses in Germany and provides the occupants with a clear competitive edge. The assets are ideally situated in Dream's growing cluster in the vicinity of Ulm and Augsburg", stated Matthias Femes, Director Investments at Dream Advisors.

About Dream Advisors

Dream Advisors is affiliated with the Toronto-listed Dream Industrial REIT (TSX: DIR.UN). DIR currently owns a 2.2 billion diversified industrial real estate portfolio comprising 182 assets totaling approximately 2.6 million square meters of gross leasable area in key markets across Canada, U.S., and Europe.

In addition, over the past several years Toronto and Frankfurt listed Dream Global REIT assembled a portfolio of 4.3 billion in Europe and is well known in many local European markets.

During 2020, the REIT acquired 42 industrial and logistics properties in the Netherlands and Germany totaling about 300 million through 13 separate transactions. In 2021, including these two transactions, we have acquired four more properties totaling about 100 million.

Dream Advisors expects to continue to actively acquire European assets in 2021. Dream Advisors has been assisted in these German deals by Greenberg Traurig (legal) and Duff Phelps REAG (technical).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005357/en/

Contacts:

Matthias Femes

mfemes@dreamadvisors.com
Montreal's mayor says she wants the Canadian GP to proceed in June.

At present, the race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is among the most endangered on the 2021 calendar due to the government's mandatory quarantine rules.

"For us, Formula 1 is important," Montreal mayor Valerie Plante told Canadian media.

"So the important message we want to send to all the partners is that we have great interest in this event. We want it to be held on the same date as planned.

"There are still a lot of details to work out, but I really want our government partners to join us in making this event happen this summer," she added.

"While we are still facing a few critical weeks, we are already preparing for the summer and the revival of tourism in Montreal.

"If there is one event that traditionally marks the launch of the summer festivities, it is Formula 1," said mayor Plante. "We therefore support the promoter Francois Dumontier and his team in organising the grand prix."

(GMM)
THE owner of a boat restaurant on the Grand Canal has said he is "utterly broken" after being ordered to stop doing takeaway service less than three hours after opening.

La Peniche in Dublin has been operating for 22 years and recently decided to do takeaway coffee to generate some income.

In normal times, diners can enjoy a meal while sailing down the canal - but this came to a halt due to lockdown restrictions.

Owner Shiful Islam spent 5,000 to prepare his business for takeaway service.

"I didn't even get the chance to sell one coffee," Mr Shiful said.

Gardai entered the boat a week ago to carry out an inspection on foot of a request from State agency Waterways Ireland - which is claiming La Peniche is carrying out unlicensed trading as it does not have planning permission.

The Government changed the law to allow restaurants to operate as takeaways without planning permission during the pandemic. Dublin City Council confirmed restaurants are still exempt.

However, Waterways Ireland said it "believes stationary restaurant or take-away business trading from a boat at a fixed location would require planning permission from Dublin City Council".

It said: "There is a significant difference between a cruising passenger boat providing meals to a limited number of passengers in the course of cruises along the Grand Canal or Royal Canal, and a stationary boat moored at a specific location on the Grand Canal or Royal Canal for the purpose of selling takeaway food to members of the public."

Mr Shiful said it is difficult for him to watch food stalls set up outside his restaurant every week when he is not allowed to trade.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland chief executive Adrian Cummins has described the Waterways Ireland decision as "a joke" and said the agency is "out of touch with reality".

Read More

"We're definitely not all in this together," he said. "The same rules should be applied to all restaurants, whether you're on a river or land."

Waterways Ireland added while it "empathises with commercial traders during this difficult period" it is unable to support commercial activity in breach of legislation dealing with canals.

"Waterways Ireland are working with An Garda Siochana to mitigate against the pressure created by the large numbers of people congregating along the banks of the Circular Line along the Grand Canal during this period of restriction.

"This is leading to increases in anti-social behaviour, littering and impacting on the physical integrity of the banks.

"And it is placing demands on the gardai, particularly at weekends."
It was a week wherein oil prices finished lower but natural gas futures logged a small gain.



On the news front, Equinor EQNR made a significant oil discovery in the Norwegian North Sea, while independent energy producer Ovintiv OVV divested its Eagle Ford assets for $880 million.



Overall, it was a mixed week for the sector. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures edged down 0.8% to close at $60.97 per barrel, while natural gas prices inched up 0.9% in the week to end at $2.55 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). In particular, the oil market extended its decline from the previous weeks and fell into correction territory.



Coming back to the week ended Mar 26, oil prices fell, as concerns over the reimposition of lockdowns in Europe and a slow rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine dented the outlook for the commoditys demand recovery. Prices were also dragged down by the U.S. government data showing another weekly build in crude, gasoline and distillate supplies. The obstruction of oil traffic along the strategic Suez Canal following the grounding of a massive container ship (which has since been freed) stoked further uncertainty about the market.



Meanwhile, natural gas finished higher on the back of growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) export and robust industrial consumption, which offset bearish weather changes at the onset of mild spring weather.

Recap of the Weeks Most-Important Stories

1. Equinor recently announced the biggest hydrocarbon discovery in the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) year to date. The discovery at the Blasto prospect was made through exploration wells 31/2-22 S and 31/2-22 A. It is located 3 kilometers southwest of the famous Fram field.



The location of the Blasto discovery is close to Equinors existing infrastructure, making it suitable for tied-back options. This means the development of the prospect in Norway will fall in line with the companys climate ambitions. It intends to decrease emissions from the Equinor operated fields and onshore plants in the country by 40% by the end of this decade.



The new discovery can enable the company to boost production while keeping carbon-intensity low. It plans to become a net-zero greenhouse gas emitter by 2050. The integrated firms key strategy is to capitalize on the renewable energy space and align its operations with the Paris Climate Agreement. Thus, to combat climate change, the company is investing actively in renewable energy projects, comprising power generation from solar and wind energy. (Equinor Discovers New Oil in NCS, Offshore Norway)



2. Ovintiv recently inked a deal with Validus Energy for the sale of its Eagle Ford acreage at a deal value of $880 million.



This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) companys CEO Doug Suttles believes that this divestment continues its proven record of optimizing non-core asset value. He further added, "Proceeds will significantly accelerate the achievement of our debt reduction target and allow us to pay off near-term debt maturities with cash on hand. Our 2021 outlook is strong and we expect to generate significant free cash flow for the fourth consecutive year."



You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



In the last reported quarter, the company set a target to trim its total debt to $4.5 billion by 2022 end, indicating a 35% reduction from the current levels. Also, the plan included generating $1 billion from asset divestments. However, with the recent divestiture of Eagle Ford asset, the company now expects year-end debt for 2021 to be less than $5 billion, assuming $50 per barrel of crude oil and $2.75 per MMBtu of natural gas for the rest of the year. It also aims to reach its debt decreasing goal of $4.5 billion by the first part of next year rather than the end of 2022 as was previously forecast. (Ovintiv to Sell Eagle Ford Asset to Validus Energy for $880M)



3. Oasis Petroleum OAS reported that it entered a contribution and simplification agreement with Oasis Midstream Partners LP OMP, wherein the latter will purchase all remaining interests of Oasis Petroleum in Bobcat DevCo LLC and Beartooth DevCo LLC. Via simplification, the midstream partnership (formed by Oasis Petroleum) will expand its interest in Bobcat DevCo from 35% to 100% and in Beartooth DevCo from 70% to 100%.



Further, in an effort to simplify its corporate structure, Oasis Petroleum decided that in exchange for around $510 million ($229 million in cash and 14.8 million Oasis Midstream common units), it will withdraw its incentive-distribution rights under the MLP.



Finally, in addition to its previously announced dividend of $1.50 per share annually, Oasis Petroleum announced that its board of directors approved a new $100-million share-repurchase program. The stock repurchase policy will run out on Dec 31, 2022. (Oasis to Sell Its Midstream Assets to Simplify Structure)



4. Eni S.p.A. E recently agreed to acquire FRI-EL Biogas Holding to boost its carbon footprint reduction efforts. Ecofuel, a subsidiary of Eni and FRI-EL Greenpower, an electricity producer from renewables, struck the deal.



The acquiree has 21 biogas-to-electricity plants along with an OFMSW processing facility that processes organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Eni is planning to convert the plants to produce biomethane. Once the process concludes, the facilities are expected to supply more than 50 million cubic meters of biomethane per annum to the network.



Financial details of the deal, which can make Eni a major biomethane producer in Italy, are yet to be disclosed. The move is expected to boost the energy majors growth in the circular economy, a regenerative concept that focuses on utilizing waste to create final products for consumption. The acquisition of FRI-EL Biogas Holding will be a noteworthy milestone in Enis strong focus on a greener future, abiding by the Paris Agreement. The integrated energy player is on track with the plan of full decarbonization of products and processes by 2050. (Can Eni's FRI-EL Biogas Acquisition be a Game Changer?)



5. Schlumberger SLB recently got a contract to drill 96 oil wells in southern Iraq. The contract has been valued at $480 million and the leading oilfield service provider will be working for ExxonMobil XOM and Basra Oil Company  a national Iraqi company. The news is as per Iraqs cabinet announcement.



Notably, the authorities of the country have not disclosed specifically the site where the operations related to new drilling activities will take place. Importantly, in southern Iraq, this is not the first time that Schlumberger will be operating. In 2018, the company was awarded a contract by ExxonMobil to drill 30 wells at West Qurna-1 oil field, situated in the southern part of Iraq. The integrated drilling services contract was for a span of 42 months.



It is to be noted that the West Qurna-1 oil field, with its 20 billion barrels of expected recoverable reserves, is among the largest oil fields in the world. (Schlumberger Secures Deal to Drill Wells in Southern Iraq)

Story continues

Price Performance

The following table shows the price movement of some the major oil and gas players over past week and during the last six months.



Company Last Week Last 6 Months

XOM +2.2% +67.2%

CVX +4% +48.5%

COP +4.6% +64%

OXY -1.2% +169.7%

SLB +4.7% +78%

RIG -10.8% +317.3%

VLO -0.8% +65.9%.

MPC +2.3% +82.5%



The Energy Select Sector SPDR  a popular way to track energy companies  was up 2.9% last week. The best performer was oilfield service biggie Schlumberger whose stock rose 4.7%.



Over the past six months, the sector tracker has gained 66.4%. Offshore driller Transocean was the major gainer during the period, experiencing a 317.3% price appreciation.

Whats Next in the Energy World?

As global oil consumption gradually ticks up from the depths of coronavirus amid the OPEC+-led supply cuts, market participants will be closely tracking the regular releases to watch for signs that could further validate a rebound. In this context, the U.S. governments statistics on oil and natural gas  one of the few solid indicators that comes out regularly  will be on energy traders' radar. Data on rig count from energy service firm Baker Hughes, which is a pointer to trends in U.S. crude production, is closely followed too. The outcome of this weeks key OPEC+ meeting will also be in the spotlight. Finally, news related to coronavirus vaccine approval/rollout/distribution will be of utmost importance.

More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!

It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 77 billion devices by 2025, creating a $1.3 trillion market.



Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 4 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2022.



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Schlumberger Limited (SLB) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Eni SpA (E) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate has warned that Russia is ready for large-scale provocations against Ukraine.

"According to the Main Intelligence Director of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Russian Federation is completing preparations for a set of measures aimed at encouraging our state to respond militarily to hostile actions of the occupiers on the contact line in eastern Ukraine, expanding Russia's military presence in the so-called DPR and LPR by using regular units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, citing the need to protect Russian citizens in the self-proclaimed republics (in fact, they are citizens of Ukraine who have been forcibly issued Russian passports in recent years). In addition, an attempt to advance the Russian occupation forces deep into the territory of Ukraine is not ruled out," the Main Intelligence Directorate reported.

According to the report, Russian diplomatic missions abroad and media outlets have been tasked to be ready to cover and explain to the world community information about the allegedly aggressive actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Russian "peacekeeping" measures in response.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak said at an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on March 30 that Russia had deployed 28 battalion tactical groups to the border with Ukraine.

op
An elderly couple who went missing for two days after failing to turn up to a medical appointment have been found.

Otto and Gerda, both 87, from Bentleigh in Melbourne's south-east were last seen leaving a car park on Kings Way about 6.30pm on Tuesday in their gold Lexus.

Victoria Police said the pair were spotted at least twice on Wednesday night but responding officers found no sign of them.

However police said in a statement on Thursday morning the couple 'were located safely in Woomelang' - 380km from their home - and will be seen to by paramedics.

'Its understood the couple, both 87-years-old, were located inside their vehicle by a member of the public in the township of Woomelang about 8am.'

Bentleigh couple Gerda (left) and Otto (right) have been 'located safely' after going missing for two days

The couple's sedan was first seen bogged near a lake north of Rainbow in Victoria about 5pm on Wednesday.

Police believe they were assisted by a truck driver and were seen driving north on Henty Highway towards Hopetoun.

The car was then spotted again on Sealake-Birchip Road in Birchip at about 9.10pm by a passer-by who drove past a parked gold sedan with two people inside.

But when police arrived the vehicle was gone.

Concerned family members had raised the alarm on Wednesday morning after the couple failed to attend a prearranged medical appointment.

Police have thanked the public for their assistance in finding the missing couple.
Sony is known to dominate the mirrorless, full-frame, and digital camera market which comes from its long line of "Alpha" variants that have been available for a long time. The Sony a7 III and Sony a7R IV were both old releases from the company, but it still serves as one of the most reliable and top quality devices among its variants.

Sure these two aforementioned cameras are nothing unlike the latest drop from the company, the Sony a1, also known as "The One," which has beat most of its competitors in terms of specifications and performance. However, not everyone can afford that one, as it costs more than $6,000 for its kit package from the company.

Read Also: PS5 Restock April 2021: Where to Buy; Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and More! [GUIDE]

Sony a7 III Specs

First off, the Sony a7 III is the eldest camera in this comparison, as the Japanese technology company released this last April 2018, which marks its third year in the industry. It may be an old camera, but it still packs a punch and performance quality that makes other cameras have a run for their money.

The Sony a7 III debuted a 24.2-megapixel, a full-frame 4K HDR video quality, 100 to 51,200 ISO, and also brought a low FPS setting for slow-motion and 10fps continuous shutter. The camera also packs the 4D Focus, along with a top-performing Exmor R CMOS Sensor that is paired with BIONZ X, which completes this camera's package.

The Sony a7 III has a price tag of $1,999.99 for body only, and $2,198 for its 28--70mm kit lens package.

Sony a7R IV Specs

On the other hand, the Sony a7R IV is a camera that was released a year later, and it is meant to be better compared to the a7 III, marking its almost second year in the industry. However, as much as the a7 III, it may be an old device but it still packs one of the heftiest specifications in the mirrorless camera industry.

The Sony a7R IV packs a massive 61.0-megapixel quality with a full-frame 4K HDR photo and video quality, which is mostly marketed to DLSR cameras for shooting clips and films. The device has 100 to 32,000 ISO, 10fps continuous shooting, 4D Focus, 5-axis image stabilization, an Exmor R CMOS Sensor with 61mp and BIONZ X, along with the 5.76 million-dot UXGA OLED Tru Finder to improve image quality.

The Sony a7R IV has a price tag of $3,499.99 for its body-only package, and a $4,896 starting price for its 24-105mm kit lens package from B&H Photo.

Sony a7 III vs. Sony a7R IV: Which is Better?

Several factors play out when choosing the right camera, and that includes its use, number of applicable accessories, affordability, and the like. In terms of performance, the a7R IV beats the a7 III solely because of its 61mp quality, twice the capabilities of the 24.2mp of the older device.

However, it is a massive letdown for a7R IV's ISO range which is significantly lower compared to a7 III which can go up to 51,200. Additionally, a7R IV still packs a hefty price tag, making it $1,500 more expensive than the a7 III.

For image quality, age, and overall usage, the Sony a7R IV is a great purchase for one's first DSLR or upgrade, but in terms of beginners and coming from low-quality DSLRs, the Sony a7 III would suffice.

Related Article: Sony A1 vs. Canon EOS R5: Specs, Price, Features Comparison

This article is owned by Tech Times





Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TORONTO - An Ontario-wide "shutdown" will be put in place to combat an "alarming" surge in COVID-19 infections, Premier Doug Ford said Thursday as intensive care admissions related to the virus surpassed those of the second wave of the pandemic.

TORONTO - An Ontario-wide "shutdown" will be put in place to combat an "alarming" surge in COVID-19 infections, Premier Doug Ford said Thursday as intensive care admissions related to the virus surpassed those of the second wave of the pandemic.

Citing the need for drastic action, Ford said the change will take effect Saturday and continue for at least four weeks.

The government is asking Ontarians to limit trips outside the home to necessities such as food, medication and other essential services, but stopped short of imposing a stay-at-home order like it did in January.

Retail stores will see limits on capacity while restaurants will be restricted to takeout, delivery and drive-through service, the premier said.

The government has said schools will also remain open because they are crucial to students' mental health.

"The decision was not made lightly," Ford said in announcing the new measures. "I know the toll these restrictions continue to take on people's mental health and well-being."

The announcement came hours after the province's science advisers said stay-at-home orders are needed to control the third wave driven by more contagious and deadly COVID-19 variants.

The Ontario Science Advisory Table said that otherwise, the province could see up to 6,000 new infection cases by mid-April. With the restrictions in place, the modelling data shows there will still be about 800 people in ICUs by the end of April.

Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the group, said short-term case projections will depend entirely on the public health measures implemented by the government and vaccination rates.

Brown said the province's vaccine rollout is not reaching the highest risk communities, hampering its impact as an effective strategy to fight the pandemic.

He also said that 40 per cent of Ontario residents aged 75-79 and 72 per cent of those aged 70-74 still have not received their first dose of the vaccine.

"We are expanding first dose coverage, but it remains incomplete," Brown said.

The science advisory table also suggested Thursday that limiting inter-provincial movement - similar to what was imposed in January and expired starting in mid-February - would help bring the number of new cases down.

Ontario's decision came as British Columbia moved to enact a three-week "circuit breaker'' on some activities, set to take effect at midnight and continue until April 19.

During that time, indoor dining and activities at fitness centres will be halted and the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort will be closed. The province is also reinstating tougher restrictions on religious services that had been loosened just last week.

Also on Thursday, three Quebec cities, including the provincial capital, moved into a lockdown in an effort to rein in surging infections.

The lockdown in Quebec City, Levis and Gatineau will see schools and non-essential businesses close for at least 10 days, Premier Francois Legault announced Wednesday. There will also be an earlier curfew -- 8 p.m. instead of 9:30 p.m. -- to further discourage social gatherings.

Another four regions where cases counts are on the rise are switching Thursday to a more restrictive level of Quebec's colour-coded pandemic system.

Legault has said the increase in infections in the affected regions isn't due to inadequate health measures but rather to people violating those rules.

In Ontario, the official Opposition slammed the Ford government for ignoring experts' early warnings about the third wave.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the new restrictions fall short of whats needed, pointing to the lack of paid sick leave, workplace protections and smaller class sizes in schools.

"Its a too little, too late response by this government to what we knew was coming," she said. "Im worried that this failed approach is going to fail us again."

Experts have been saying for months that COVID-19 infections are happening mostly in workplaces, while warehouses and distribution centers in some hot spots have reported massive outbreaks.

Ashleigh Tuite, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, said she supports measures such as paid sick leave and giving essential workers paid time off to get vaccinated.

Both are "hugely important" to controlling the pandemic and could help avoid continued reliance on strict measures to control cases, she said.

"The way that we actually have an appreciable impact on the pandemic is by providing these additional supports," she said.

Earlier Thursday, more than 150 intensive care unit doctors signed an open letter to Ford, calling for stricter measures.

"The current measures and framework are not working to contain the spread of this virus," reads the letter. "Even if we had unlimited ICU capacity, allowing these (variants of concern) to spread exponentially is unethical."

The CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario called the new measures "disappointing".

"They're taking a calculated risk with the lives of people," Doris Grinspun said. "These are people in the ICU that are in their 40s or 50s ... and some will not make it."

The chair of the Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health said that while the changes announced Thursday were needed, the province could do more.

"We strongly believe that a stay-at-home order is also required to successfully prevent further cases and strain on Ontario's acute care system as we continue to vaccinate more Ontarians," Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said in a statement.

Nearly one in six Canadians have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 5.1 million people vaccinated as of Thursday morning, according to Health Canada, which noted about 690,000 of those have received both doses.

Close to three out of four Canadians over the age of 80 have obtained at least one dose, and one in three people between 70 and 79, it said.

Quebec is leading the country in terms of vaccinations, with 17.5 per cent of adults having at least one dose, Health Canada said. Saskatchewan is the runner up with 14.9 per cent, followed by Alberta with 14.6 and Ontario with 13.9.

Manitoba is next at 11 per cent, with Nova Scotia lagging behind at 5.6 per cent.

-with files from Holly McKenzie-Sutter.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 1, 2021.
ANN ARBOR, MI  When Jen Eyer ran for Ann Arbor City Council last year and was elected to represent the 4th Ward, she campaigned as a small business owner.

She referred to herself as such when she announced her campaign in August 2019, again in a February 2020 press release, on her website and in literature sent to voters.

Small business owner who advocates for public education, labor and civil rights, one of her mailers stated, describing her role at Vanguard Public Affairs.

When Eyer made the claim of being a small-business owner, she was not actually an equity-stake owner at that time, but used it in her campaign based on her expectation that it would come to pass.

With the Lansing-based political consulting firm now embroiled in scandal  with former female employees accusing owner TJ Bucholz of sexual harassment and Central Michigan University launching a legal probe into the pipeline of students sent to work there  Eyer is distancing herself from Vanguard.

She quit her job last week and issued a public statement saying she was never an owner, officer or manager. She was an employee who did most of her work remotely and was stunned by the allegations against Bucholz, she said.

Ann Arbor council member resigns from political consulting firm amid controversy

Eyer blames Bucholz for the fact that she never became an owner, saying he failed to follow through on promises to make her a partner with an equity stake in the company.

Promises were made and they werent kept, she said, adding she never intended to deceive Ann Arbor voters.

Bucholz has not responded to requests for comment in the past week.

Eyer left her job at The Ann Arbor News/MLive in 2016 to join Vanguard, doing strategic communications and public relations work for political, labor and corporate clients.

In 2017, Eyer worked as communications director for Gretchen Whitmers campaign for Michigan governor.

In December 2018, Vanguard announced Eyer, the companys senior vice president, was named a partner with an equity stake, with her partnership to begin Jan. 2, 2019.

Eyer said this past week they never came to terms on the equity partnership, so she became a non-equity partner.

She and Bucholz went back and forth on terms of her becoming an equity partner well into when I started my campaign for City Council, Eyer said, adding she always believed she was on the verge of becoming an owner of Vanguard.

At the time of my campaign, I was still being led to believe that we were going to come to agreement over the terms of an equity partnership. However, it never came to fruition, she said. At the time I didnt realize it, but now it begs the question: Was this part of a pattern of how he treats women?

Eyer said her issue with Bucholz over partnership terms pales in comparison to how he allegedly treated other women and she has empathy for them.

CMU hires former U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider to investigate pipeline of students to Lansing firm

Derrick George, Bucholzs attorney, said in a statement last week his client is confused why sexual harassment allegations are being shared years after they allegedly occurred.

No complaints were ever filed formally as per the company policies outlined in Vanguards handbook, he said. Any other allegations of misconduct outside of Vanguard have not been disclosed to Mr. Bucholz until now, and no formal complaint or documentation exists to support these allegations either.

In an attempt to stop the reputational ruin that my client has experienced in the last 48 hours, he issued a statement and apology for anything that he has said that may have hurt someone. That apology is in no way an admission of guilt of alleged actions that were churned up in Facebook posts.

Some former Vanguard employees claim Eyer knew about and brushed off complaints about Bucholzs behavior, an allegation Eyer denies with the exception of one employee years ago who Eyer said reported receiving an inappropriate text message from Bucholz. Eyer said she encouraged the employee to report it to management, she thought it was resolved, and when the same employee complained about another inappropriate text about a year later, she notified management and told Bucholz she would quit if she heard about another incident.

As for her claims of being a small business owner, Eyer said she wrote her campaign materials in the summer of 2019. Her negotiations with Bucholz were active then and she was led to believe the equity partnership was imminent, she said.

They discussed it into 2020, but negotiations were put on hold after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Eyer said, adding she eventually decided to stop pursuing it.

Negotiations were ongoing and it wasnt until after I was elected that I decided to just abandon the issue, she said.

Vanguards most recent corporate records available on the state website with a listing of officers is from 2018 showing Bucholz as the sole officer.

Eyer ousted 4th Ward incumbent Jack Eaton in the August 2020 Democratic primary and was officially elected to a four-year term running unopposed in November.

Eaton declined to comment on Eyers claim of being a small business owner, saying she won the election and nothing he could say now would undo that.

Eyer won the three-way primary with 3,883 votes (61%), compared to 1,863 for Eaton (29%) and 651 for Mozhgan Savabieasfahani (10%).

Savabieasfahani said she takes issue with Eyer blasting that false message of being a small business owner. She pointed out Eyer signed a fair campaign practices pledge in which she made a commitment to truthfulness and said how a person campaigns is indicative of how they will govern.

If voters had known what a blatant lie that was, Eyer could not have been elected dogcatcher, Savabieasfahani said.

As for whether she regrets campaigning as a small business owner when she wasnt, Eyer said hindsight is 20/20.

The intent all along was to get there, to finalize all those details, she said.

With Vanguard now in turmoil, Eyer is thankful her quest to become an owner didnt pan out.

Im very glad to have been in a position where I could resign immediately and sever all ties, she said.

Eyer said shes now getting organized to launch her own consulting firm doing work similar to what she did at Vanguard, independently managing projects and campaigns from her home, so she will be a small business owner shortly.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

DTE Energy pulls out of downtown Ann Arbor, leaving big void to fill on Main Street

See historical photos of Ann Arbors parks going back to the 1930s

How they voted: Ann Arbor City Council vote breakdown for March 2021

City withheld police records about Ann Arbor official and ex-senator, citing privacy

Dozens of new maintenance, resurfacing projects scheduled for Ann Arbor roads in 2021
Savor Limited, is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed its fully underwritten capital raise to shareholders. The rights issue was soundly supported by shareholders with 20,585,293 shares taken up by shareholders, totalling $3.6 million, and 13,370,560 shares to be subscribed for by underwriters, to raise a total of $6 million. The capital raised will be used to fund the recently announced acquisition of the Amano, Ortolana and The Store venues from Hipgroup and to add strength to the Groups balance sheet. The Group is expected to have approximately $7 million cash on hand to support growth and a total debt ratio of approximately 2 times operating earnings.

The Board also announces that it has appointed Kiwibank as the Groups new banking partner. It would like to thank its incumbent, Bank of New Zealand, for their work and support, particularly through the divestment of Moa Brewing. Bank of New Zealand has also expressed interest in a co-banking relationship with Kiwibank on future growth aspirations in the hospitality sector, which the Board will explore with both institutions once the integration has been completed.

Geoff Ross, Chairman of Savor, said: 'It has been pleasing to receive support from shareholders through the capital raise, and it is a clear signal of the markets confidence in the Groups strategy to focus on its hospitality business, which was envisioned by the Board two years ago.

The Non-Solo Pizza acquisition demonstrated the Groups ability to successfully integrate iconic venues. The award-winning venues, Amano, Ortolana and The Store, located in Aucklands premier hospitality precinct, Britomart, strategically expand Savors footprint in the flagship area and cement Savor Groups position as a leader in the hospitality industry, he concluded. Savor expects that the new shares will be allotted, and statements sent out to shareholders on or about 8 April 2021.

Please see the link below for details:

Savor rights issue closes

Source: Savor Limited

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"Guided by the future-focused vision of our nation's leadership to develop a resilient and sustainable economy, Masdar continues to innovate and build on its strong history of driving commercially viable, renewable energy solutions for the UAE and around the world," said His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman of Masdar.

"Importantly, Masdar's 15 year track record of contributing to the growth of the renewable energy sector reflects the UAE's commitment, as a responsible global citizen, to progressive climate action," H.E. Dr. Al Jaber added. " We, in the UAE, have always viewed the climate challenge as an opportunity to diversify our economy, building knowledge, skills and jobs. As we prepare to celebrate Masdar's 15th anniversary, 'For A Sustainable Future' will celebrate our many achievements, which have positioned Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a global renewable energy leader."

Despite the global economic challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, Masdar has maintained its growth trajectory. The capacity of the renewable energy projects that the company is a partner in has more than doubled over the past two years, from 4 gigawatts (GW) to 11 GW  enough electricity to power more than 4 million homes  with a combined value of US$19.9 billion.

"Our success in exceeding our own capacity growth targets both reflects the commitment of our shareholder, Mubadala Investment Company, and our dedicated employees around the world. It also demonstrates that the pace of the energy transition is accelerating, as visionary nations like the UAE continue to drive sustainable development and as clean energy technologies become more economically compelling," said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar. "Masdar today is supporting communities in more than 30 countries across the world, and we look forward to extending our global footprint and delivering a more sustainable future for all."

Global impact

Key projects in which Masdar is currently involved include the largest wind farm in the Middle East, Dumat Al-Jandal, Saudi Arabia's first utility-scale wind-power source. It is being developed by a consortium led by France's EDF Renewables and once operational will displace 885,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year and generate enough electricity to power 70,000 homes.

Expanding its global influence and impact, Masdar also made its first investment in Australia last year, acquiring a 40 percent stake in the country's second utility-scale waste-to-energy facility. When completed, it will process 300,000 tonnes per year of non-recyclable municipal, commercial and industrial waste and up to 30,000 tonnes of biosolids each year.

Building on its renewables capacity in the United States, Masdar acquired a 50 percent stake in a 1.6 GW clean-energy portfolio in a deal with EDF Renewables North America. In total, the eight projects in the portfolio have already created more than 2,000 jobs, and will displace more than 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Masdar also entered Southeast Asia in 2020, with an agreement to develop Indonesia's first floating solar PV plant. The 145 MW (ac) plant, the largest of its kind in the region, will be located in the West Java region of Indonesia.

Masdar has continued its expansion into new markets this year. In January, the company announced its first project in Poland, with the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in two wind farms in the country. Masdar also announced in January that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EDF Renewables to explore renewable energy opportunities in Israel and support the country's clean-energy objectives.

In March, Masdar signed an MoU with the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to explore the development of solar power projects with a total capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) and related grid infrastructure across the country.

Innovating for sustainable urban development

Masdar City, Masdar's sustainable urban development project, has reinforced its position as a hub for innovation and technology, as it welcomed the first students to the Mohammed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in January 2021. The Masdar City Free Zone has continued to attract new businesses, with more than 900 companies now located at the City.

Additionally, Abu Dhabi Holdings (ADQ) launched last year an AED 1.1 billion venture fund to support early stage businesses to set up their global or regional headquarters in Masdar City, enabling them to benefit from the City's exceptional digital infrastructure, as well as an advanced regulatory framework and other R&D initiatives.

Further evidence of Masdar City's growing business ecosystem is the success of The Catalyst, the anchor tenant of Masdar City's Tech Park. A joint venture between Masdar and BP, the Catalyst is the first start-up accelerator in the MENA region dedicated to sustainability.

Empowering the future

Masdar also champions sustainability through a range of strategic CSR initiatives. These include the Women in Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy (WiSER) platform, which has a mandate to promote female inclusion in sustainability through partnerships, thought leadership, and sharing the achievements and experiences of inspirational women around the world.

Masdar also leads the Youth 4 Sustainability (Y4S) platform, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Y4S supports students and young professionals hoping to pursue a career in the sustainability sector with training, work experience and career advice. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UAE's National Strategy and the UAE Centennial Plan, Y4S conducts a series of programs throughout the year, including the Sustainability Ambassadors and Future Sustainability Leaders, aimed at inspiring students and young entrepreneurs.

Promoting community engagement on sustainability issues is a focus of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), hosted annually by Masdar. Attracting heads of state, world-renowned speakers, tens of thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibiting companies, ADSW is today the world's leading platform for accelerating sustainable development. ADSW achieved another landmark in January 2021 when it hosted one of the world's largest virtual sustainability gatherings.

ADSW is also synonymous with the Zayed Sustainability Prize, the UAE's pioneering global sustainability award, whose recipients have positively impacted over 352 million people through their projects and solutions since the Prize's first presentation ceremony in 2009.

Inspired by the legacy of the UAE's founding founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has launched this year Beyond2020, a continuation and expansion of the pioneering UAE-led humanitarian initiative 20by2020, which was launched in partnership with several leading local and international organisations in December 2019. Beyond2020 represents Phase 2 of the initiative, having reached 8 countries, and impacted approximately 110,000 people during its first phase and debut year.

About For A Sustainable Future:

Masdar's For A Sustainable Future campaign showcases Masdar's pioneering innovation in sustainability across renewable energy, sustainable urban development and clean technologies, ahead of the company's 15th anniversary in 2021. The campaign will highlight Masdar's leadership initiatives in gender equality with WiSER and youth empowerment via Y4S, both key to Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. For more information on For A Sustainable Future visit Masdar.ae/ForASustainableFuture

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479521/Masdar_Infographic.jpg

PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479549/Masdar_For_A_Sustainable_Future.pdf

SOURCE Masdar
Editor: I do not support the Scranton School Boards proposal to close George Bancroft Elementary School.

Closing the school would not be safe and not be compatible with childrens learning. It would lessen the ability of students to socially distance, increase the likelihood of truancy and make it harder for parents without cars to participate in school activities. This would set up these students to fail in the long term.

At a recent school board meeting, Scranton School District Chief Recovery Officer Candis Finan, Ed.D., and Superintendent Melissa McTiernan really pushed the closure of the school, claiming it needs upgraded ventilation and electrical work. However, most schools in the district need repairs and upgrades.

The American Rescue Plan has passed Congress and been signed into law. It will provide millions of dollars to the Scranton School District to reopen schools safely. The school board needs to use this funding to keep our schools open. This will be a decision that best serves the needs of our community.

ANDY MORGAN

SCRANTON

Editor: Imagine a natural disaster in Pennsylvania  a forest fire, a superstorm or a natural gas explosion.

These events require quick action, not partisan fighting in the state House. Republicans have proposed, through ballot questions, that the Legislature, not the executive branch, should have the ability to declare a disaster, which would then allow for further action.

Not only would this slow down the process considerably, but these proposed changes to the Pennsylvania Constitution would blur the lines between the branches of government and the need to be thoughtfully considered by the entire electorate. Republicans want to slide this past voters in an off-year election when many independents, who cannot vote for candidates in the primaries, will likely not turn out to vote on these important issues.

Thats why its important for all voters, including independents, to vote no on the disaster emergency declaration ballot questions in the upcoming primary election.

ANNE LEWIS

BALA CYNWYD, MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Editor: Donald Trumps latest assault on Republican fundraising efforts should be a wake-up call and remove all doubt as to where his loyalties lie.

He delayed the first COVID-19 stimulus checks until his name could be printed on them. He used baseless claims of election fraud as the catalyst for his stop the steal fundraising appeal, from which it has been reported that 75% went to his personal PAC, netting him millions.

His latest get-richer scheme is to convince supporters to direct donations through his political apparatus, rather than funding traditional Republican Party campaign committees.

A narcissistic, vindictive and self-absorbed ex-president has created a cult of personality designed to enrich his personal coffers, keep him relevant and potentially return him to power while endangering fundamental institutions that have sustained our republic for more than two centuries.

Republicans who reject Trumps fantasies and conspiracy-laced views of the world, those who trust facts, believe in the values their party has historically embraced, are willing to take moral, if unpopular, stands and care deeply about the future of our country must beware. Trump labels them as fools and Republicans-in-name-only.

Trump is dangerous and the ultimate RINO who cares not one iota about anyone or anything except himself.

DICK NEWBERT

LANGHORNE,

BUCKS COUNTY

Editor: Years ago, my husband and I registered as Republicans.

Party affiliation was not as divisive. We became Democrats merely to vote for a friend in a primary election. Democrats are not radical left, rioting socialists ready to destroy America, as proclaimed by some letters to the editor, politicians and news outlets. To the contrary, we are caring problem-solvers who love our country, as evidenced by the passage of a historic, wide-ranging stimulus bill passed by Democratic congressional leaders, with no Republican support.

It helps 85% of struggling American families, cities like Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, schools and small businesses in Northeast Pennsylvania. It is projected to reduce child poverty by 50%.

In the 21st century Americans should try to help society progress, weighing facts and scientific evidence from reputable sources when voting or making major life decisions like mask-wearing or receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. President Biden has prioritized vaccine availability for all adults. We must learn from our failure to coordinate an early national response with our heartbreaking, world-leading 550,000 coronavirus deaths.

In spite of our need for healing and unity, it is nonsensical that many citizens, fueled by reactionary news networks and social media sources, continue to support a regressive political party with legislators still controlled by the former president. They ignore his 30,000 lies in office, leadership failures, scandals and two impeachments.

Our former party is now defined by cancel culture outrage  think Dr. Seuss and Potato Head  along with fake theories about stolen elections and demagoguery to ensnare and infuriate their base. Members of the party who hold office divide and obstruct rather than support bipartisan actions to make our society better. Republicans, it is time to reset the platform.

KAREN BARANOSKI

WILKES-BARRE

Editor: Jim Crow has reared its ugly head once again in a stunningly anti-democratic way in many Republican-controlled states.

Having lost a clearly honest election, which was certified by countless Republican leaders and judges, Republicans resort to laws such as making it a crime to render water or food to voters waiting in voting lines. Some people wait six hours or more to vote, and early voting would be restricted.

This is a bold attack on our cherished right to vote, which many have died to preserve and for which I served honorably. We need to raise our peaceful voices to uphold our democracy. Let your government representatives know.

MIKE MAESTRI

WYOMING
Photo: The Canadian Press Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves her home to attend her extradition hearing at B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A lawyer for Meng Wanzhou says payments between a Huawei affiliate and an HSBC client that were cleared in American dollars do not give the United States jurisdiction to charge the executive.

American authorities are seeking the extradition of the Huawei chief financial officer on fraud charges linked to a 2013 meeting in which they allege she lied to the bank about a company affiliated with hers.

The company, Skycom, was doing business in Iran, which authorities allege put HSBC at risk of violating American sanctions, and they also point to payments that were cleared through the United States.

However, defence lawyer Gib van Ert told a British Columbia Supreme Court judge on Wednesday that the practice of "dollar clearing" is not sufficient under international law to allow the U.S. to charge Meng.

He said Meng is a Chinese national, HSBC is an English-Chinese bank, their meeting happened in Hong Kong, and the payments that were cleared through the American system were still foreign.

The lawyer read from expert reports that concluded the sheer volume of dollar clearing through the United States every day means the country cannot assert jurisdiction over Meng on that basis.

The court has heard that more than US$4.5 trillion is cleared through the American system daily and the transactions in question amount to just over US$2 million over a 13-month period.

He also said Mengs alleged conduct did not cause the U.S. dollar clearing. HSBC decided to use its American subsidiary to clear the payments, which had nothing to do with Huawei, van Ert said.

"That can't possibly be a basis for the requesting state's claim to regulate Ms. Meng's conduct and to have her extradited to the U.S.," he said.

"Why would the United States have any greater claim to regulate Ms. Meng's conduct in those circumstances than any other state in the world? Aside, of course, from China."

The Attorney General of Canada, on behalf of the United States, has argued that Meng's alleged misrepresentations to HSBC put the bank at risk of violating a deferred prosecution agreement for previously breaching sanctions against Iran.

But van Ert told Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes that this risk does not give rise to American criminal law jurisdiction.

"To find otherwise, milady would be to allow the United States to take jurisdiction over people and events anywhere in the world so long as it has criminalized the conduct," he told the judge.

He argued that if HSBC's American subsidiary broke the law in the United States, then the country could prosecute the bank, which in turn could pursue Huawei in civil court for any losses it suffered.

Meng and Huawei have denied the allegations.

William Smart, another lawyer for Meng, said there is a connection between maintaining the rule of law, the integrity of the court's process and public confidence in the administration of justice.

"We submit that the requesting state is using the process of this court in violation of customary international law and if Canada accedes to the committal, it will become effectively a party to that violation," he said.

"This conduct is an affront to the rule of law and amounts to an abuse of this court's process."

The case is exceptional in that the abuse of the court's process is the very request itself, which violates international law because the alleged crime has no "genuine or substantial connection" to the U.S., he said.

"The respect for the rule of law, as you know, is the bedrock of any democracy," Smart added.

"In our justice system, no one is above the law, not the head of government, not the head of law enforcement and not a foreign government seeking Canada's assistance."

Meng was arrested while passing through Vancouver's airport in December 2018 and is out on bail, living in one of her two multimillion-dollar homes in the city with her husband and children.

Her lawyers are arguing that the extradition case should be tossed because of an abuse of process.

Lawyers for the Attorney General of Canada are expected to respond to their arguments about the alleged international-law breaches on Thursday.

The final phase of the B.C. Supreme Court case, an extradition hearing, is to begin in late April.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2021.
The company recently signed an agreement to exclusively distribute and support Virolens in Australia and New Zealand and late last year secured a $1 million contract for the next phase of the C4 EDGE Program for the Australian Army.

Uwe Boettcher now holds a total of 5,740,408 shares in the company and Chris Fullerton holds 200,000.

( ) directors have displayed confidence in the companys growth strategy through on-market share purchases.

Non-executive director and chairman Uwe Boettcher has today purchased 70,000 shares in a direct interest at $0.55 per share.

In addition, non-executive director Chris Fullerton also made an on-market purchase today, acquiring 56,521 shares at $0.56 each in a direct interest.

Boettcher now holds a total of 5,740,408 shares in the company and Fullerton holds 200,000.

Virolens distribution agreement

The company recently signed an agreement with KeyOptions Pty Ltd to exclusively distribute and support Virolens in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific independent states.

The Virolens system is a COVID-19 screening device based on microscopic holographic imaging and artificial intelligence (AI) software technology.

Under the two-year agreement, XTEK will be the exclusive distributor of Virolens products, consumables, training and maintenance to end-users, third-party service providers and others who will carry out testing at sites.

$1 million C4 EDGE contract

Late last year the company secured a $1 million contract for the next phase of the Command Control Communications and Computers - Evolutionary Digital Ground Environment (C4 EDGE) Program, as part of a $34.4 million Commonwealth contract awarded to the programs prime contractor.

The C4 EDGE Program for the Australian Army is an all-Australian industry consortium demonstrating a sovereign Battlegroup and Below Battlefield Command System (BG-BCS).
A YOUNG man accused of punching a woman in the face and threatening to "burn her house down" has been given more time to decide on a plea.

Cain Hutch (22) is alleged to have assaulted the woman and made the threat after kicking her front door in.

His case was adjourned after a judge accepted jurisdiction to allow it to remain in Dublin District Court.

Mr Hutch, of Berryfield Road, Finglas, is charged with assault causing harm on June 26, 2020.

He is also charged with public intoxication, threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour and resisting gardai, all at Sean O'Casey Avenue in the north inner city.

On the latest court date, Judge Bryan Smyth read a medical report that said the woman had made a recovery.

When he accepted jurisdiction, defence solicitor Michele Finan said she had received disclosure of prosecution statements and needed time to take instructions from the accused.

Mr Hutch was remanded on continuing bail, to appear in court again on a date later this month.

Previously, it was alleged he forced his way into the property by kicking the door.

It was alleged the door hit the woman in the face and she then tried to defend herself but the accused punched her in the face and threatened to burn the house down.

The woman suffered concussion, migraines, problems with her vision and severe bruising to the face and head.

A criminal damage charge was withdrawn.
UK true crime documentary The Case of Sally Challen will screen on C+I.

This is a two hour special.

Jailed for life in 2011 for killing her husband, Sally Challen was convicted on the unanimous decision of the jury. The result provoked little surprise among her friends and family, yet evidence later revealed that Challen was the victim of coercive control from her husband, who would manage her social life and spending. With fewer than 10% of appeals ever quashing a conviction, this documentary is a compelling case for the need for greater nuance in the law and its reporting.

Saturday April 17 at 9.30pm on Crime + Investigation.

Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36

Related
Nadya Catherine Swartz, 21, of Crandall, Ga., has entered a guilty plea to the murder of Kenneth Eugene Bunn and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Co-defendant Justin Payton Hooker, 21, of Dalton, had entered his guilty plea to the same crime on March 10 and received the same sentence.

Swartz was represented by Dalton attorney Jerry Moncus and sentenced by Superior Court Judge Cindy Morris. Hooker was represented by Ringgold attorney McCracken Poston and sentenced by Superior Court Judge William Boyett.

Both were sentenced to life with the possibility of parole and will have to serve a minimum of 30 years in confinement from their original arrests dates approximately one year ago before becoming eligible for parole consideration.

The murder took place on the evening of March 16, 2020, off Carlton Petty Road near the bridge where the road crosses the Conasauga River on the Murray County side. Swartz had, in 2019, been in a relationship with Kenny Bunn, who was 27 at the time of his death but had broken up with the victim and began a relationship with her co-defendant, Justin Hooker.

In early 2020 there had been friction between Bunn and Hooker over Ms.

Swartz and on at least one occasion Hooker had threatened to kill Bunn. Days prior to the murder, Ms. Swartz suggested that they kill Bunn and Hooker went along and on March 14 purchased a .22 caliber revolver from a family member.

On the night of the murder, Ms. Swartz made contact with Bunn and led him to believe that she might want to renew their prior relationship. She persuaded him to go with her to what would soon become the crime scene. The two had visited the location in the past, which is less than a mile from Bunns mothers residence. Once at that location, Ms. Swartz began a verbal argument with Bunn during which Hooker shot Bunn four times with the revolver, including once in the head.

Prosecutor Bert Poston said it is not entirely clear from the evidence whether Hooker traveled to the location with Ms. Swartz and Bunn or was already there waiting. It is also unclear if Bunn knew that Hooker would be there. Statements made by Hooker and Ms. Swartz before and after arrest and by Hooker during his guilty plea are inconsistent on these and other details.

Early the next morning, Bunns body was discovered by four young men from across the border in Tennessee who had come to the location to fish. The discovery was reported to the Murray County Sheriffs Office who requested assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.

Detective Brad Hall was the lead investigator for Murray County working alongside Special Agent Adam Jones of the GBI.

At the onset of the investigation, the victims identity was not known. He did not have any ID on his person and Hooker and Ms. Swartz had taken his cell phone. Four days later Hall and Jones had not only identified Bunn but had arrested Hooker and Ms. Swartz for the murder. Members of Bunns family had known that Kenny had gone with Ms. Swartz that night and the relative of Hooker who had sold him the handgun became aware of Bunns murder and contacted police concerned that Hooker may have been involved.

The gun itself was never recovered although investigators did recover video from a convenience store showing where Hooker had disposed of the empty shell casings after the shooting.

Prior to their arrests, both Hooker and Ms. Swartz denied any knowledge of the killing and denied having had any recent contact with Bunn. Ms. Swartz however, after her arrest, confessed to having come up with the idea to kill Bunn and to helping Hooker commit the crime by getting Bunn to the secluded location where he could be killed without there being any witnesses.

Under Georgia law, any person who encourages, advises or otherwise assists a person to commit a crime is guilty of the same crime and subject to the same sentencing provisions as the person who directly committed the crime. For his part, Hooker continued to deny any involvement after his arrest although he later made statements to a fellow inmate claiming the shooting was in self-defense.

At his guilty plea on March 10, Hooker admitted that he had obtained the firearm after Swartz suggested that they kill Bunn. He claimed that he was using drugs at the time and that he gave Swartz the bullets for the gun because he did not trust himself carrying a loaded gun while under the influence. Prior to picking Bunn up the night of the murder, Ms. Swartz returned the bullets so that Hooker could load the revolver. Hooker described to the court how they traveled to the crime scene and how Swartz escalated the situation into a verbal argument until he shot Bunn.

While he had earlier told the fellow inmate that Bunn was attempting to strangle Ms. Swartz, he acknowledged at his plea that this was not true and that Bunn did not physically assault anyone.

At the time of her arrest, Ms. Swartz did not exhibit any injuries that would suggest she had been strangled or otherwise attacked. Hooker further described how they left the scene but then returned to collect Bunns cell phone because Ms. Swartz had selected music to play on the phone earlier and thought her fingerprints might be on it. The phone was never recovered. Hooker also told the court that the murder weapon was thrown into a garbage dumpster behind Big Lots in Dalton after the crime. Ms. Swartz made no statements at her sentencing.

At both guilty pleas, members off Bunns family, including his parents, sister and an aunt, spoke on the victim's behalf relating to Judges Boyett and Morris what sort of young man Kenneth Bunn was before his death and how his murder had devastated the family. Other family members submitted written victim impact statements.

Under Georgia law and the Georgia Constitution, victims of crime, including the family members of homicide victims, have a right to be heard at certain stages of a criminal prosecution including at sentencing. This includes the right to be present and speak and also to submit a written statement to the court. Both judges had read the statements prior to the pleas and were also provided photographs of Kenny Bunn taken before his death.
The Indian government is reportedly offering more than a billion dollars each to semiconductor companies in a bid to encourage them to set shop in India. As per a report by Reuters, the Narendra Modi-led central government is giving this major cash incentive to chip makers in order to improve the country's smartphone assembly industry and also strengthen its electronics supply chain.

While India has already emerged as the world's second-biggest mobile phone market, the government now appears to be using cash incentives as a means to further enhance the country's position as a hub for manufacturing phones and other gadgets.

Citing unnamed government officials, the report goes on to add, "The government will give cash incentives of more than $1 billion to each company which will set up chip fabrication units... Were assuring them that the government will be a buyer and there will also be mandates in the private market (for companies to buy locally made chips).

It goes on to add that there's been no decision on how to disburse cash incentives to participating companies. However, the government has asked the industry for feedback to quickly find a solution.

Ensuring a reliable supply of chips for the country

The government's move to encourage the setting up chip fabrication units in the country appears to be in-line with what we've seen from other countries across the globe in the recent past. The idea here appears to be to reduce dependence on countries like China and ensure a reliable supply of semiconductors for the needs of the country -- across various markets like electronics, smartphones and even electric vehicles in the future.

With the telecom industry swiftly moving towards newer generation technologies, this move by the government to encourage the manufacturing of chips within the country will also enable it to create trusted sources for the manufacturing of equipment such as CCTV cameras and even 5G equipment. Further, the manufacturing of processors will also help bring down the price of certain products such as smartphones and gadgets.

Helping with the global chip shortage

Interestingly, this also comes at a time when the global market is suffering from an acute shortage of semiconductors -- a problem that is only expected to grow worse going forward. And with semiconductors being used to create chips that are now used in pretty much everything -- from phones to consoles, cars, and even secure military-grade equipment -- markets across the globe are reaching a stage where they will have to curtail production owing to the shortages in the supply of semiconductors.

If the government manages to convince chip makers to set up manufacturing units in the country, it will also help establish India as a major exporter of semiconductors, thereby not only helping the world with its chip shortage but also helping the government create new jobs and work towards achieving its goals under the Make In India initiative.
Former Bachelorette Georgia Love says she was allegedly sent an unsolicited 'd**k pic' from a man on Instagram.

The TV journalist, 32, decided to 'name and shame' the individual after opening the unwanted message on Wednesday.

She shared a screenshot of the message, including the man's name, and wrote: 'No. Enough. Name and shame. I am so f**king sick of disgusting men thinking this kind of s**t is acceptable.'

'This kind of s**t is acceptable': Former Bachelorette Georgia Love says she was allegedly sent an unsolicited 'd**k pic' from a man on Instagram. Pictured with her husband Lee Elliott

Georgia reported the message to Instagram, but was apparently told it did not breach the platform's community guidelines.

'Sorry, are you f**king kidding me?' she wrote alongside a screenshot of Instagram's automated response to her complaint.

Georgia then claimed her Instagram post about the obscene photo had violated community guidelines, even though the man's message did not.

'My story of the guy's censored f**king d**k pic is against community guidelines, but the creep himself doesn't?!' she wrote.

Furious: Georgia reported the message to Instagram, but was apparently told it did not breach the platform's community guidelines. However, her Instagram post about the unsolicited message was apparently in violation of the rules and was removed (pictured)

Newlyweds! Meanwhile, the Seven newsreader is settling into married life after tying the knot with Lee Elliott, 40, in Tasmania last month. The couple are pictured with two wedding guests

Meanwhile, the Seven newsreader is settling into married life after tying the knot with Lee Elliott, 40, in Tasmania early last month.

They exchanged vows at Frogmore Creek Winery, just 20 minutes outside of Hobart's city centre,

Their outdoor reception was held at the Shene Distillery, 25 kilometres away.

The bride stunned in a custom-made gown by Australian designer Jason Grech, while the groom wore a white tuxedo by YSG Tailors.

They were originally due to marry in Italy last year, but their plans for a destination wedding were scrapped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Skills light up the world of Autistic teens

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-04-01 08:54

What coffee would you like? asked a uniformed teenager on the Skills Experience Day for Autistic Teens. Though with autism spectrum disorder, Xiaoxu is deemed as a genius who can memorize things very clearly. He therefore learned coffee making very quickly.









The Experience Day was organized by the WorldSkills Shanghai 2021 Executive Bureau, to welcome World Autism Awareness Day which falls on April 2 each year. Participants in the WorldSkills program were invited to give lessons on floristry, bakery, and coffee making to autistic teenagers.

The autistic teenagers, including Xiaoxu, are from A Coffee, a social practice base founded by maestro Cao Peng and his daughter in Shanghai for autistic children and teenagers. At A Coffee, autistic teens become coffee makers and provide services for different customers. While talking with different people, they learn to become more open and brave. At first, they were afraid in front of strangers. Then they were willing to speak but uttered improper words. Now they are able to say hello to you voluntarily, Cao Xiaoxia, daughter of Cao Peng, said with delight.

As the co-founder of the NGO Shanghai Caopeng Music Center, Cao Peng and Cao Xiaoxia have been committed to helping autistic kids since 13 years ago. With their devotion and the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, those kids opened their hearts and minds through the experience of learning and playing musical instruments. At the same time, the father-daughter duo contacted a training school to prepare the children with vocational skills. As Cao Xiaoxia said, If they had no skills and knowledge, how would they live by themselves when they grow up?

On the Skills Experience Day for Autistic Teens, the Shanghai Caopeng Music Center was conferred with a certificate by the WorldSkills Shanghai 2021 Executive Bureau, for its contribution to helping autistic teenagers integrate into society through skills training.
The Porsche driver who filmed dying police officers in the aftermath of last years horror Eastern Freeway crash was admonished by a magistrate and had his livestream muted after he continued to interrupt court proceedings during a hearing on Thursday.

Richard Pusey referred to himself as Australias most hated man at the beginning of the hearing in the Neighbourhood Justice Centre, in reference to comments made by a County Court judge during a plea hearing on Wednesday.

Pusey, 42, has pleaded guilty to outraging public decency and other charges after using his phone to film four dying police officers on April 22 last year after a truck crashed into them in Kew. The hatred and condemnation directed towards him prompted a judge to describe him on Wednesday as probably the most hated man in Australia.

On Thursday, Pusey faced court charged with theft and unlawful assault after he allegedly stole the car keys of a man on October 20, 2018 when they got into a dispute about a parking spot in the Melbourne CBD.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 22:48:07|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Iraqi Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi said on Thursday that his country agreed with Lebanon to form a joint team in the health field, according to a statement by Lebanon's Presidency.

"Work already began at the level of experts, benefiting from the experience of Lebanese brothers in managing hospitals, logistical support, nursing, and medical services," al-Tamimi said after his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace.

There are a large number of Lebanese medical teams in private and public sectors in Iraq, in addition to Lebanese workers in the fields of oil and tourism, he noted.

Meanwhile, Aoun thanked Iraq for agreeing to supply Lebanon with crude oil in exchange for Lebanon's expertise in the medical field.

"I hope this cooperation paves the way for long-term agreements between the two countries in different areas," the Lebanese president said.

Al-Tamimi arrived on Wednesday evening in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, with medical aid for the country. The donations include ventilators and necessary materials for the fight against COVID-19. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 00:24:00|Editor: huaxia

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A second batch of vaccines developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm arrived in the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba on Tuesday to advance the country's mass immunization campaign against COVID-19.

Bolivian Foreign Affairs Minister Rogelio Mayta, Health Minister Jeyson Auza and Chinese Ambassador to Bolivia Huang Yazhong were on hand to receive the shipment.

Auza thanked China's support for making the procurement possible, saying that the doses will help beef up a vaccination drive launched 12 days ago at border areas to prevent the spread of the virus variant initially found in Brazil.

Mayta noted that once again China has demonstrated cooperation with the South American country.

"These vaccines are of paramount importance ... they contribute to the largest immunization campaign carried out by Bolivia, and to fighting the pandemic. These vaccines signify life," Mayta said.

For his part, Huang expressed his satisfaction with the strengthening of health cooperation between the two countries in fighting the pandemic.

China's embassy is willing to continue working together with the Bolivian Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Health in pursuit of greater cooperation that benefits the Bolivian people, he said.

Bolivia launched the mass vaccination campaign when the first batch arrived in February.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
As an indie author, publisher and young entrepreneur, Im grateful to lean on the community of independent bookstores who want to create spaces for new, inclusive, and independent voices. - Kai Adia, Bee Infinite Publishing Co-Founder

Author and poet, Kai Adia, is honored to have her books in independent bookshops across her city of Los Angeles including the historic, Black-owned bookstore, Eso Won Books. As a fixture in the community, nestled in Leimert Park, Eso Won Books has a long history of hosting author events from President Barack Obama to literary icon, Toni Morrison. In time for National Poetry Month, readers can go in-store and find Kai Adias poetry collection, The Depths of Anima, on the hallowed bookshelves at Eso Won Books, in the chic woman-owned bookstore Reparations Club, as well as online at many more local bookstores.

Inspired by poets like Nikki Giovanni, Tracy K. Smith, and Elizabeth Acevedo, Kai Adia writes prose poetry that takes you into the deep world of Black women introverts. The Depths of Anima is an introspective look at Black girlhood and the transition into womanhood. It challenges Carl Jung's concept of "Anima" being the feminine aspect of the male psyche by introducing an interpretation of the feminine-spirit living in allof us. Youll find the authors illustrations of Anima throughout the collection as the poems take a look at our inner worlds, reminding readers that your inner sanctum is worthy of protection and your place in the world is no accident.

Kai Adia is an alum of WriteGirl, the Los Angeles-based writing mentorship program that has helped develop voices like fellow alumna and inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman. She has recently shared her poetry through author discussions at Antioch University Los Angeles. Her book has also made it to the library shelves of notable local schools like the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica. Recently, she has spoken about her work and influences on The Chills At Will podcast and in Voyage LA Magazine. Additionally, Kai created a poem in honor of International Womens Day for human rights organization, Breakthrough.

Readers of The Depths of Anima have shared their praise for the collection, saying:

"Rooted in nature, heritage, and spirituality, Kai Adia's writing is a dynamic journey through time and space. This collection breathes life into memory, reflecting upon the deepest elements of our mind and imagination. This poet is summoning the literary ancestors with her words and we all are called to listen."  Nia McAllister, Poet & Founder of the MoAD Open Mic Night.

"The Depths of Anima invites you to take a closer look at the often unexamined, walking you through the interior life of a young Black woman navigating a world not intended for her joy, but committed to the journey of claiming it. There is doubt, there is fear - there are warnings and reflections on what the two can birth. Many poems double as mirrors. Kais meditative prose strings together much of what goes unsaid, reminding readers of the power of speaking deep truths to yourself and others."  Asha Grant, Founder of The Salt Eaters Bookshop.

The Depths of Anima is published by Los Angeles-based, Black-women-owned publisher, Bee Infinite Publishing. Bee Infinite is co-founded by mother-daughter duo Kai Adia, and educational consultant and publisher, Angela Benson.

Author Kai Adia, says, Being an indie author and publisher takes a lot of hustle and relationship building to get people interested in reading and supporting your projects. As a young entrepreneur, I love the freedom and empowerment of this challenge, it has pushed me to write poetry, illustrate the art within my poetry collection, and, ultimately, start a business. Im grateful to lean on the community of independent bookstores who want to create spaces for new, inclusive, and independent voices.

Everyday, people invest with their dollars. A recent study by the American Independent Business Alliance concluded that choosing [to purchase at] a locally owned business generates almost three times as much economic benefit for the local region as shopping at a chain. Shopping local directly impacts and supports entrepreneurs like independent authors, independent publishing houses, bookstore owners as well as the local community.

April is a powerful month to support independent bookstores and poetry as its National Poetry Month and Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, April 24th. This month, and every month, support local authors like Kai Adia by purchasing her poetry collection in-store at Black-owned bookstores like Eso Won Books and Reparations Club in Los Angeles, as well as by ordering online at http://www.beeinfinite.org and at local bookstores near you via http://www.indiebound.org and http://www.bookshop.org.

About Kai Adia:

Kai Adia is a Los Angeles-based writer of poetry, short stories, and prose. She focuses on science fiction and fantasy. Additionally, she often incorporates themes of nature and environmental concerns into her writing which you can read in her debut poetry collection, The Depths of Anima. In 2018, Kai graduated from Pitzer College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Analysis and English & World Literature. In 2017, she was awarded the Bea Matas Hollfelder 87 Award by the English Department at Pitzer College for exceptional work in creative writing and literature. Currently, Kai is the co-founder of Bee Infinite Publishing, a women-owned, independent publisher where she shares her stories and helps other creatives produce their work.

About Bee Infinite Publishing:

Bee Infinite Publishing is an emerging, Black-owned and women-owned equitable publishing house for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color creatives. The Depths of Animais their flagship poetry book. The independent publishing house also has a noir graphic novel, Khinsu and the Trial of Swordsavailable online at local bookstores through http://www.indiebound.org. Their upcoming projects include a childrens book titled Princess Nile and the Lotus Fairy, and a BIPOC anthology titled Future Splendor: Celebrating A New Renaissance.
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Recently, David William McBride was nominated for four international human rights awards: 2021 Distinguished Services to Humanism Award, 2021 FrontLine Defenders Award, 2021 Sydney Peace Prize, and 2021 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize. These four awards have all made outstanding contributions to the development of international human rights and have a good reputation and recognition. The "Distinguished Services to Humanism Award" was established in 1952. The award aims to recognize people who have made outstanding achievements and contributions in the advancement and defense of humanism, and is committed to establishing and supporting the global humanism movement and defending human rights to the world. Humanistic values. The "FrontLine Defenders Award" was established in 2005. The original intention of the award was to recognize people who are at high risk but who continue to promote human rights. The "Sydney Peace Prize" was established in 1998 to encourage people to think about peace and recognize peace leaders who promote peace, justice, and non-violence. The Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize is sponsored by the parliamentary assembly assemblee parlementaire of the Council of Europe. It is committed to safeguarding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The Havel Human Rights Prize is established to recognize individuals or individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of human rights in Europe and other regions. Non-governmental organization.

From 2014 to 2016, McBride successively provided the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) with information about the war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, and reported the details in 2017. The following year, he was charged with five crimes related to national security, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He was not guilty of every charge at the preliminary hearing in May 2019 and is still awaiting trial. In the same year, the "Brereton report" was released. The report found that the Australian Special Forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan, and 2 of them were even tortured and killed. Severe condemnation of the incident was issued around the world. After the fact verification was announced, the Australian people and politicians began to call for the revocation of the prosecution against McBride. Previously, McBride stated that my duty is to "stand up and be counted", and I did it. What has happened from now on is irrelevant in many ways. I did what I thought was necessary. My main enemy is not the command system, or even the police, but myself. When the reporter asked what he thought of the upcoming charges, McBride said, "They keep threatening me to go to jail. If I am afraid of going to jail, why would I become a soldier?"

When talking about the finalists of the 2021 FrontLine Defenders Award, the staff member said: "David William McBride took a huge personal risk to expose the Australian Defence Force's war crimes in Afghanistan and was a brave whistleblower. His heroic actions advanced. An investigation into the facts about the war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. Fully transparently showed the things as they were to the public. As a whistleblower, he effectively promoted the progress of human rights work. His actions allowed us to see the brilliance and glory of humanity. Hopefully, he is a true hero and deserves to be commended, and he is the most suitable candidate for the award."

The winners of the four awards nominated by McBride will be announced in April. People can continue to track the progress of the awards on the awards official website and social media to express their support and opinions.

Contact:

Global News Online

Sam Roberts

info@globalnewsonline.info

https://www.globalnewsonline.info/david-william-mcbride-is-nominated-for-four-international-human-rights-awards/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79192
Alexei Navalny, the jailed Russian opposition leader, has said he is going on hunger strike in protest at the lack of medical assistance he is being given in a notorious Russian penal colony.

Mr Navalny, who was arrested in January upon his return to Russia, said in a letter addressed to the head of his prison colony yesterday that persistent refusals to let him see a civilian doctor or receive medication from his family leave him with no choice but to go on hunger strike.

I demand that a doctor be allowed to see me and until that happens I will be on hunger strike, he said in a hand-written letter published by his team.

The opposition leader said he had been seeking medical help daily for the past three weeks and asked for a doctor to examine him in prison, which is allowed under Russian law.

Mr Navalnys team revealed his deteriorating health last week, saying they were scared for the life of the man who last summer survived a near-fatal poisoning. Mr Navalny claims the Kremlin authorised the attack, which it denies.

Mr Navalny said in his letter that severe pain in his back has spread to his right leg and that he is now losing sensation in his left leg.

He joked: I mean, to hell with the right leg. I would have done with the left one somehow. But losing two legs at once is where I cross the line.

The 44-year-old has been a thorn in the Kremlins side for years, spearheading anti-government protests and shedding light on official corruption.

Authorities had harassed him with constant criminal inquiries and brief arrests but it was not until he returned in January from Germany, where he had been convalescing from the nerve agent poisoning, that a court locked him up.

Mr Navalny has complained of near-torturous conditions in the jail. Guards wake him up every hour at night to make sure he has not escaped.

Maria Pevchikh, a close associate of Mr Navalny, tweeted yesterday that the politician used to describe a hunger strike as a radical political gesture that can be done only if youre ready to go all the way.

She added: Clearly that moment has come for him.

Read More

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
JACKSON, Wyo., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CLB Architects , an innovative and refined multi-disciplinary architecture and design firm based in the Rocky Mountain West is pleased to announce the release of their first monograph, Inspired by Place. Published by ORO Editions and written by Chase Reynolds Ewald with forwards by Ian Volner, Tom Kundig, and Agnes Bourne, the monograph highlights eleven timeless spaces by CLB Architects. The book is now available for purchase on the ORO Editions' website , Amazon , Barnes & Noble bookstores, and other retailers.

Inspired by Place

Since its founding in 1992, CLB Architects has been guided by the philosophy "inspired by place." The book's showcased designs are modern-day archetypes that tread softly on the land while engaging in a dialogue with some of the world's most iconic landscapes. Inspired by Place introduces readers to artful design and living, while also exhibiting the impressive landscapes of the west.

"This monograph captures our vision of timeless design," says Eric Logan, principal at CLB Architects. "We believe that architecture is inseparable from the land on which it rests, and we have always used the principle 'inspired by place' as the driving force for our practice. Presenting our work in this monograph is a venue for bringing an extension of the American West into the homes of architects and design lovers alike."

Inspired by Place celebrates the new approach to architecture and interior that CLB Architects has crafted. The homes presented are designed with modern lines combined with rustic influences, which create the ideal backdrop for today's western living. Inspired by Place also highlights the firm's interior design work, which strikes a balance between sophistication and comfort  a natural extension of CLB Architects' architecture.

Inspired by Place features images by Matthew Millman Photography, Audrey Hall Photography, Gibeon Photography, Warchol Photography, Krafty Photos, and Tom Harris Photography.

For more information about CLB Architects, please visit https://clbarchitects.com/products/monograph/ .

About CLB Architects

CLB Architects is an innovative, multi-disciplinary design firm, with a global reach, operating from studios located in the inspiring landscape of the Rocky Mountain West in Jackson, Wyoming, and Bozeman Montana. More than two decades since the firm's founding in Jackson, Wyoming, the work has evolved but the essentials remain unchanged. The studio approaches each project with strong leadership, collaboration, and diligence. A rigorous process and dedication to craft informs original design solutions that respond to context and client aspirations. As a result, the projects are recognizable: thoughtful, innovative, and refined in their details. Each endeavor is guided with the firm's philosophy in mindInspired by Place.

Since its inception in 1992, the firm has grown to accommodate a staff of more than 40 led by principals Eric Logan, Kevin Burke, and Andy Ankeny. With studios in Jackson, Wyoming and Bozeman, Montana, the firm maintains an informal and collegial atmosphere that encourages individual creativity and teamwork in an open, collaborative environment.

About ORO Editions

ORO editions publishes highly acclaimed award winning illustrated books specializing in architecture, urban planning, landscape, art photography, academia and a growing list of culturally stimulating disciplines and topics.

Creating and collaborating with a diverse range of talented authors and designers, from small projects to multi-title programs for global design practices, ORO has published 400+ titles over the last 12+ years while establishing a global distribution program which brings each book to the world market through a carefully articulated marketing program.

MEDIA CONTACT

Caroline Saba

Associate Vice President

UpSpring PR

(646) 722-8146

[email protected]

SOURCE ORO Editions
Burma Simultaneous Blazes at Two Myanmar Military-Owned Malls Raise Suspicions of Regime Plot

Ruby Mart in downtown Yangon burns on Thursday morning.

Two military-owned shopping malls in Yangonone downtown and another in the northern part of the cityburned down early on Thursday morning. Photos that went viral online show the charred remains of Ruby Mart in the city center, burned beyond recognition. The Gandamar Wholesale center in Mayangone Township was seriously damaged in a separate blaze that was still smoldering after sunrise.

So far, the causes of the fires remain unknown, as does the extent of the financial losses.

On Myanmars most popular social media platform, Facebook, people reacted to the news with jubilation, as everyone knows that the malls are run by the military. But many also pointed out that the timing and locations of the blazes raise a number of questions.

According to Yangons Fire Services Department, both fires broke out at around 2 in the morningduring the curfew hours (8 p.m. to 4 a.m.) when civilians are not allowed outdoors. The department said the causes of the fires are not yet known. Facebook users pointed out that whatever the causes, and whoever was responsible, it is the malls insurers, not the military, who will foot the bill.

Many people have expressed suspicions that the regime torched the malls as a pretext to crack down on rioters trying to destabilize the country under the influence of Western countries. Such speculation is fueled by the nightly claims by newscasters on state-run TV that government offices, local level administration offices and police stations have come under attack by riotersthe militarys euphemism for anti-regime protesters.

It should be noted that Thursdays fires coincided with a visit to Myanmar by CNN reporter Clarissa Ward. On Thursday morning, the networks chief international correspondent was seen at Gandamar Wholesale after the fire was put out, accompanied by authorities; many fear she has been fed the regimes official narrative. She was also seen in some Yangon neighborhoods on Wednesday with an army escort, apparently being given a guided tour by the regime. Many people are concerned that restrictions on her access will give her a distorted view of what is actually happening on the ground.

The malls locations and surroundings would appear to make them difficult targets for anti-military arsonists.

Ruby Mart is on Bogyoke Aung San Road, partially ensconced in a densely populated neighborhood. Any residents staging such an attack would put their own lives at risk. Furthermore, several meters away from the mall, columns of soldiers have been camped in the City Hall since February. The Central Fire Station is in the vicinity as well.

Given the huge scale of the devastation at Ruby Mart, it seems unlikely it was caused by the Molotov cocktails or homemade bombs the regime has long claimed protesters are using to commit arson. The ground floor was sealed off with roller shutters, making it impossible for inflammable projectiles thrown from the road to penetrate the building.

Gandamar Wholesale enjoys a more spacious location. It is separated by a large compound from the nearest residential area, and the main road outside provides a natural defense against projectiles. Right across the road, a branch of military-owned Myawaddy Bank, protected by a heavy security force, is located.

It is likely that the regime will break its silence on the incidents soon. Any claims by the junta that both were the result of arson attacks by rioters are unlikely to be met with surprise from the public.

You may also like these stories:

Myanmar Doctor Condemns Security Forces Attack on Yangon Hospital

Third NLD Member Dies While Being Detained by Myanmar Military Regime

Hospitals, Clinics Not Spared Myanmar Regime Forces Violence
DETROIT, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ -- Gage Growth Corp. ("Gage" or the "Company"), a leading high-quality craft cannabis brand and operator in Michigan, is pleased to provide the following corporate update:

Gage Cannabis Co.

Gage Growth Corp. to Commence Trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange

Gage is pleased to announce that the Company's subordinate voting shares (the "Shares") will commence trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "GAGE" on Tuesday, April 6th, 2021 (the "Listing Date").

"We are humbled by all the support we have received from our shareholders, customers, strategic partners, and those that have cheered us on from the sidelines in anticipation of our public listing," said Fabian Monaco, CEO of Gage. "As a publicly traded entity, this milestone will increase our visibility, allow us to attract new investors, increase our brand awareness, and open doors to exciting new business opportunities."

As part of the Company's disclosure obligations as a reporting issuer, ongoing financial and disclosure documents can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile.

Operational Update

Gage is pleased to provide the following operational update:

1. Michigan Market

The Michigan market is one of the fastest growing cannabis markets and has a robust history of being a strong market due to its medical program which has been online for over a decade. In December 2019, the first month of legal adult-use sales were $7M vs. $67.4M more recently (864% increase over 14 months). In 2020, the MI market posted almost $1B in total sales (250% increase YoY) and coming into 2021, the MI market posted $108M in January 2021 which is $1.3B annualized.

Given the continued growth trajectory, we believe Michigan can be a top five cannabis market in the US in 2021.

2. Exponential Cultivation Ramp

One of the Company's main constraints to growth historically has been its cultivation capacity as our in-house grown products often sell out within a week, sometimes within 48-72 hours of the product launch. In response, Gage is expanding its own facilities while arranging with other growers to supply Gage/Cookies strains on a contract basis (50%+ gross margins is the arrangement).

Gage expects its cultivation capacity to increase substantially, from 400lbs in November 2020 to 1,250lbs in March 2021 to 3,000lbs in June 2021 to 5,000lbs/month by year end. These numbers are de-risked, as they are spread across 7 different cultivation facilities currently in production, moving to 9 facilities at the end of Q2 2021, and 13 cultivation facilities by year end.

3. Cookies Exclusive

Story continues

Gage is the exclusive partner for Cookies in Michigan. This means Gage has the exclusive rights to cultivate, process, and retail all Cookies branded products in addition to operating Cookies branded dispensaries in Michigan.

Gage currently operates two Cookies-branded provisioning centers (dispensaries). The Detroit (8 Mile) Cookies location and the Cookies dispensary in Kalamazoo, as the state's first Cookies adult-use location and first in the Midwest, with plans to open two more adult-use Cookies stores in Q2/Q3 2021.

4. Quick Retail Expansion

Gage currently operates 7 dispensaries with a plan to open an average of one store per month this year. With 12 licenses in the portfolio, in addition to acquisition opportunities in the pipeline, Gage aims to open 20 dispensaries by year end.

5. Industry Leading Retail Metrics

Gage boasts some of the highest dispensary metrics in the industry. The company's average basket size in 2020 was $164 compared to the estimated state average basket size of $85. Average basket size calculations are based on dividing the total retail sales by the total number of transactions.

Additionally, Gage is targeting $1M average in sales per month for each dispensary it operates. Currently, Gage's recent average monthly sales per dispensary is in excess of $1M.

6. Completion of Oversubscribed Reg A+ Financing

This past January, Gage announced the closing of its Regulation A, Tier 2, equity financing for gross proceeds of US$50 million.

The oversubscribed offering included demand from both institutional and retail investors, and significantly expanded the Company's ownership base through the addition of over 1,000 new shareholders.

As part of this offering, funds controlled by Jason Wild and JW Asset Management invested more than US$40 million, comprising 80%+ of the financing.

Lock-up Agreements

In conjunction with the listing of the Shares, the Company's founders, insiders, directors, and officers (the "Locked-up Holders") have entered into a voluntary lock-up agreement (each a "Lock-up Agreement"), effective March 30, 2021. Parties that have entered into this Lock-up Agreement represent approximately 67% and 72% of the voting rights of the Company on a basic and fully diluted basis, respectively.

The voluntary Lock-up Agreements stipulate that the Locked-up Holders will not offer to sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of any of their currently owned securities of the Company (the "Locked-up Securities"), or enter into any transaction to such effect, directly or indirectly, in addition to other restrictions. Subject to the provisions of the Lock-up Agreement, the Locked-up Securities will be released and not be subject to the Lock-Up Agreements as follows: (a) 10% of the Locked-up Securities shall be released on the Listing Date; (b) 15% of the Locked-up Securities shall be released on the date that is three (3) months following the Listing Date; and (c) 75% of the Locked-up Securities shall be released on the date that is six (6) months following the Listing Date.

About Gage

Gage Growth Corp. is innovating and curating the highest quality cannabis experiences possible for cannabis consumers in the state of Michigan and bringing internationally renowned brands to market. Through years of progressive industry experience, the firm's founding partners have successfully built and grown operations with federal and state licenses, including cultivation, processing and retail locations. Gage's portfolio includes city and state approvals for 19 "Class C" cultivation licenses, three processing licenses and 12 provisioning centers (dispensaries).

For more information about Gage Growth Corp., visit www.gagecannabis.com

Instagram: @gagecannabis

Facebook: @gageusa

Twitter: @gagecannabisco

Gage Contact:

1-(833)-455-GAGE (4243)

IR@gageusa.com

Sources: Gage Growth Corp., Detroit Metro Times, Marijuana Regulatory Agency.

Explanatory Note Regarding the Company's Operations

References in this news release to the Company and its operations and assets are inclusive of the operations and assets of certain licensed cannabis operators that operate under the Gage brand pursuant to contractual arrangements with the Company. For additional information, please refer to the Company's long form prospectus dated March 26, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com .

Caution Regarding Cannabis Operations in the United States

Investors should note that there are significant legal restrictions and regulations that govern the cannabis industry in the United States. While legal in certain states, cannabis remains a Schedule I drug under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, making it illegal under federal law in the United States to, among other things, cultivate, distribute or possess cannabis. Financial transactions involving proceeds generated by, or intended to promote, cannabis-related business activities in the United States may form the basis for prosecution under applicable U.S. federal money laundering legislation. Investors should carefully read the risk factors and disclosures contained in the Company's long form prospectus dated March 26, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Gage's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Gage's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, statements about the trading of the Shares on the CSE, Gage's prospects in Michigan and Gage's proposed retail and cultivation expansions.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Gage is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Gage believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Among others, the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: unexpected costs or delays in the completion of the Company's proposed dispensaries and other operations; negative results experienced by the Company as a result of general economic conditions or the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; delays in the ability of the Company to obtain certain regulatory approvals; unforeseen delays or costs in the completion of the Company's construction projects; adverse changes to demand for cannabis products; ongoing projects by competitors that may impact the relative size of the Company's operations; adverse changes in applicable laws; adverse changes in the application or enforcement of current laws, including those related to taxation; increasing costs of compliance with extensive government regulation; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and the other risks disclosed in the Company's long form prospectus dated March 26, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Gage does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Third Party Information

This press release includes market and industry data that has been obtained from third party sources, including industry publications. The Company believes that the industry data is accurate and that its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of this data. Third party sources generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of included information. Although the data is believed to be reliable, the Company has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this press release or ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon by such sources.

(PRNewsfoto/Gage Cannabis Co.)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gage-growth-corp-to-commence-trading-on-the-canadian-securities-exchange-on-april-6th-2021-301260263.html

SOURCE Gage Cannabis Co.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2021/01/c0916.html
CLAYTON, Mo., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Perimeter Solutions announced that it has acquired its long-time Australian distributor PHOS-CHEK Australasia. The PHOS-CHEK Australasia business has supported the long-term fire retardant aerial program across Australia and New Zealand for over 20 years. Joining Perimeter Solutions will be Helen Barker, Jim Gillie and Rob Mayne, who have worked in operations, mixmaster, supply and customer management positions. The acquisition is effective immediately.

According to Shannon Horn, Business Director, North America Retardant and Services for Perimeter Solutions, the effect of the acquisition will be to provide enhanced direct product support along with added equipment and personnel resources to fire safety agencies throughout the region. "PHOS-CHEK Australasia personnel have worked side-by-side with the Perimeter Solutions Asia-Pacific team in providing fire retardant solutions to fire safety agencies throughout Australia and New Zealand for years," he said.

James Perriss, General Manager  Asia-Pacific for Perimeter Solutions, said: "This acquisition is a natural step toward solidifying Perimeter Solutions as the premier fire safety technology supplier in the area. We're excited about having Helen, Jim and Rob joining our team and look forward to taking the next step in providing our customers with the best technology and best support."

Perimeter Solutions offers the most comprehensive set of fire retardant solutions on the market today  featuring technology development, products, services, training and equipment. Perimeter Solutions' PHOS-CHEK and FIRE-TROL fire retardants help slow, stop and prevent the start of wildfires by making wildland fuels non-flammable. Aerial retardants are applied by air  via fixed or rotor wing aircraft. They are also applied on the ground using standard engines or one of Perimeter Solutions' dedicated ground-applied retardant units. All products have a high level of fire retardant effectiveness, with differences in visibility, viscosity, adherence to vegetation and persistence through weathering.

Perimeter Solutions supports its long-term fire retardants with a broad range of service and equipment solutions. These include a complete line of mixing systems for all PHOS-CHEK products. Systems range from small scale hopper mixer systems designed to use pails of powder to large-scale eductors, batch mixers and liquid blender systems. Systems can be fabricated and customized for a particular need. In support of firefighting operations, PHOS-CHEK personnel are fully National Wildland Coordinating Group (NWCG) trained and fire ground certified.

For more information, visit www.perimeter-solutions.com.

About Perimeter Solutions

Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Perimeter Solutions is a premier global solutions provider, producing high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives. The company develops products that impact critically important issues of life  issues where there often is no room for error and the job doesn't offer second chances. At Perimeter, we characterize the solutions we develop as 'Solutions that Save'  because it helps underscore what we are trying to accomplish for our customers and the world at large, across all of our business segments. Perimeter Solutions produces major brands known throughout the world like PHOS-CHEK and FIRE-TROL retardant, foam and gel products; AUXQUIMIA and SOLBERG foam products; and BIOGEMA extinguishing agents and retardants. More info: www.perimeter-solutions.com.

Media Contact

Resource Advantage

Dan Green

[email protected]

SOURCE Perimeter Solutions

Related Links

http://www.perimeter-solutions.com


A court in south-central Vietnams Binh Dinh province on Wednesday sentenced a Facebook user to four years in prison for sharing his grievances online about how the local government had handled a dispute over his familys land, Vietnamese sources said.

Le Van Hai, 54, had slandered local leaders and Communist Party members, prosecutors said, and was charged with abusing freedom and democratic rights to infringe upon the interests of the state under Article 33 of Vietnams 2015 Penal Code.

Taken into custody in September 2020, Le had complained to Binh Dinh authorities and other government departments to ask for compensation payments because his familys house and land had been confiscated to make way for construction of a wastewater plant, state media said.

Frustrated by officials refusal of his requests, Le then shared his frustrations on Facebook, leading to his arrest.

While all land in Vietnam is ultimately held by the state, land confiscations have become a flashpoint for protests as resident accuse the government of pushing small landholders aside in favor of lucrative real estate projects, and of paying too little in compensation to farming families displaced by development.

Another Facebook user, Vu Tien Chi, was meanwhile sentenced Tuesday in a one-day trial the central highlands province of Lam Dong to a prison term of 10 years, with three years of probation to be served after his release, state media said.

Vu, 55, was convicted under Article 117 of the 2015 Criminal Code for defaming the peoples government and senior leaders of the Party in 338 posted stories and 181 livestream videos calling for the establishment of a National Congress set up to replace the current National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Prosecutors said Vus postings had aimed at creating conflicts and undermining the peoples trust in their form of government.

Also on March 30, a court in south-central Vietnams Khanh Hoa province brought to trial Nguyen Thi Cam Thuy, a former math teacher, and two other peopleNgo Thi Ha Phuong and Le Viet Hoaon charges of creating, storing, and disseminating information, materials and items opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Thuy, who was arrested on June 24, 2020, had burned the Vietnamese national flag and Communist Party flag, hanging the flag of the former South Vietnamese government in their place, in livestream broadcasts on social media, according to reports in the provinces Khanh Hoa newspaper.

Crowded, smoke-filled ward

On Monday, Tran Thanh Phuonga member of the opposition Hien Phap, or Constitution Group, serving a three-year prison term and suffering from asthmareported to family members he had been transferred from a room for political prisoners to a crowded and cigarette smoke-filled criminal ward, his wife told RFA.

Tran had been disciplined after trying to mediate a conflict between two other inmates, and was kept in handcuffs and leg irons in an isolation cell from March 2 to March 12, after which he was transferred to the criminal ward, Le Thinh Khanh said.

Since my husband was transferred to the new ward, he has had to work outdoors, and he asked prison officials to allow him not to work as he has high blood pressure and cant stand working under the sun, Le said.

But the officers then sent him to a room for patients suffering from various diseases, and being afraid of getting ill himself, he now wants to work outdoors again instead of staying in that room, she said.

The Hien Phap Group, a network of activists formed in 2017 to call for the rights to freedom of speech and assembly guaranteed by Vietnams own Constitution, had played a major role in calling for protests that rocked Vietnamese cities in June 2018 in opposition to a proposed cybersecurity law and a law granting concessions of land to Chinese businesses.

Seven of its members are still in prison serving sentences of from five to eight years on charges of disturbing security under Article 118 of Vietnams Penal Code.

In its Freedom in the World 2021 report, Washington D.C.-based Freedom House gave Vietnam an overall score of 19 out of a possible 100, a one-point drop from last years rating. Vietnam scored three out of 40 in political rights, and 16 out of 60 in civil liberties.

Freedom of expression, religious freedom, and civil society activism are tightly restricted [and the] authorities have increasingly cracked down on citizens use of social media and the internet, Freedom House said.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Panic buttons help keep staff and guests safe with instant alerts to security staff Our panic buttons and cloud-based systems use all wireless methods in unison to pinpoint the exact location of the threat.  Jeff Engel, CEO. Location Tech.

Its not news to say that the hospitality industry has been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hotels, resorts, and casinos across the United States have been struggling to stay afloat, hoping the vaccination roll-out will enable guests to feel comfortable returning to their travel and vacation plans. When guests do return to their vacation and travel plans, the industry still has to dig out of the deficit the pandemic created, while still providing a greater sense of safety and security for guests and employees. Essentially, they have to do more with less. Enter Location Tech and its commitment to help the hospitality industry increase safety for guests and employees for free. Now thats news.

Location Tech is a San Diego-based technology company that harnesses the power of wireless networks to deliver an Internet-of-Things (IoT) solution in the form of free panic buttons, among other solutions. Location Tech enables hotels, resorts, and casinos to meet their 5-Star Promise commitment to the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) for enhanced guest and employee safety. In September of 2018, the AHLA announced the 5-Star Promise program. This voluntary commitment by AHLA members is comprised of policies, trainings, and resources aimed to strengthen the safety and security offered to guests and employees in many areas. Since its inception, nearly 60 member companies that represent an estimated 20,000 hotel properties have made the pledge. Now, with the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, member companies face an even greater challenge to meeting their commitment with revenues down due to average capacities hovering near 20% compared to the normal 80%+ they experienced in the pre-pandemic world.

Location Techs CEO, Jeff Engel, explains how this commitment of free panic buttons that operate through its on-premises wireless network is a way to give back to the industry it serves.

Every hotel, resort, and casino I talk to say basically the same thing. We know we need to do more with less, but we just dont know how. So, Location Tech is committed to providing free panic buttons to our partners to help them do just that. Properties can keep their people safe while opening new channels for revenue growth in the process.  Jeff Engel, CEO. Location Tech.

Location Techs panic buttons are small mobile devices the size of a credit card that are distributed to hotel staff, especially in the guest services department where harassment of employees is a significant issue. If an employee feels endangered or needs help, a quick activation of their panic button immediately alerts hotel security with their exact location, including floor and room number. The system is so accurate that it can pinpoint the persons location, with no blind spots, a problem that other similar systems face. Jeff Engel explains why Location Techs on-site networks are superior to other solutions.

Other panic button systems rely on the available Wi-Fi networks on site or cellular focused for their connection and location. The problem is, these are notorious for blind-spots, spotty coverage, and limits on their ability to locate the problem area accurately in 3 dimensions, not just from a top-down view, but height and floor with specific room detail. Our networks use multi-mode wireless networks that blend the coverage of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 900 MHz, and Cellular/4G/LTE together. Our cloud-based systems use all these methods in unison to find the exact location quickly so the right people can respond quickly to the right place.  Jeff Engel, CEO. Location Tech.

Whats the value of this kind of security? Its hard to put a price on it. Location Techs panic buttons would normally cost around $50 per unit (not including the wireless network). With an average of 50 needed for a hotel, that is a $2500 cost per property. Location Techs free offer to partners may be a modest drop in the bucket compared to the loss of revenue from the pandemic, but its a way to help climb out of the hole and offer greater safety that the industry has committed to provide.

Location Techs on-premises wireless network is a view into the future of IoT solutions that are coming quickly. Once a network is established, it opens a floodgate of new opportunities for services that can boost revenues, reduce costs, and increase the level of services across many aspects of the hotel, resort, and casino industry. The future is here, and its wireless.

Ocean Park Inn in San Diego, CA adopted Location Techs network and panic button solutions to support their commitment to AHLAs 5-Star Promise and Safe Stay. Elvin Lai, CEO and President at Ocean Park Inn explains.

Ocean Park Inn is committed to improving the safety and security of our guests and employees, but the challenge becomes figuring out how to do that with little or no budget to support it. For me to add something that is just an expense right now is near impossible. Location Techs solution is smart because once their wireless network is installed, not only did we get the panic buttons for free, but we also now have new ways to reduce costs and increase revenue through location-specific product alerts, hand sanitizer dispenser monitoring, leak detection, and lots of other things where they have proven they are best in class. - Elvin Lai, CEO and President. Ocean Park Inn.

For more information on Location Techs program to support AHLA member commitments, and details on the free offer, contact Location Tech and visit locationtech.com.
Joan Laporta has a clear plan to make Barcelona what they once, and recently, were. He wants the Catalans to retain Lionel Messi's services, and to become European champions again.

As well as that, he wants those attending at the Camp Nou post-pandemic to have something on the pitch that excites them.

All three of those desires are connected to his desire to beat the competition in pursuit of Erling Haaland's services this summer. The Norwegian forward is Laporta's top priority in the transfer window, and he met with the player's father Alf-Inge Haaland and agent Mino Raiola on Thursday in Catalonia.

During the meeting, Laporta make his intentions to sign the Borussia Dortmund forward clear, but he knows that there is stiff competition facing him. After the meeting in Barcelona, Raiola and the senior Haaland went to meet with Real Madrid, and they'll chat to other clubs in the coming days as well.

Laporta is going to make a big signing this summer, and he wants it to be Haaland. He and Mateu Alemany that, despite their financial troubles, they will be in a position to give the striker a good contract that will leave him feeling valued.

Despite the president's efforts, it won't be easy to sign him. Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Juventus are all in healthier positions financially, and they're all interested. He's valued at around 180 million euros, but Laporta is convinced that he'll be able to fund the deal.

Good feelings

Barcelona will do everything they possibly can to sign Haaland, but they'll need to be sure of his desire to play at the Camp Nou before going all-in.

Laporta ended the meeting feeling relatively happy, and his good relationship with Mino Raiola could benefit him in these negotiations as they advance.
MOSCOW -- Milana Magomedova is a 22-year-old woman who, until recently, lived with her parents and younger brother and sister in the Siberian oil city of Tyumen.



Since December, Magomedova has been trying to escape her parents, natives of the North Caucasus region of Daghestan who ran their family life according to a strict interpretation of their region's traditional Islamic values.



Magomedova was not allowed to have a job or to leave the house without permission. Her parents were avidly attempting to arrange a marriage for her. Last year, she decided to leave the dental institute where her parents had sent her to study, she told RFE/RL. She knew there would be a scandal when she got home, and she was right. Her father struck her, she recalled, and threatened to send her back to his native village in Daghestan to live with relatives, who, he assured her, would see to it that she got no education at all.



"I just wanted to get a job as a cashier or something, but they wouldn't let me," she said. "Because of the whole situation, I had no friends except for one girlfriend. Who would want to be friends with someone who can't leave the house? I started to understand that there was no point in sitting there any longer. I had to run away."



The Russian authorities have long turned a blind eye to the human rights issues presented by many of the customs of the North Caucasus.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya, adjacent to Daghestan, has been frequently accused by domestic and international rights groups of overseeing massive human rights abuses including abductions, torture, extrajudicial killings, the persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, and political and personal assassinations. Kadyrov himself routinely berates and humiliates critics in the media, compelling them from fear to apologize.

'Tip Of The Iceberg'



According to a 2018 report by the Dutch NGO Stichting Justice Initiative, there were at least 33 cases of so-called honor killings in the Russian North Caucasus between 2008 and 2017. Of the 39 victims, 36 were female.



"Most of the victims were daughters, sisters, wives, cousins or stepdaughters of their killers," the report said. Only 14 of the incidents led to criminal prosecutions, producing 13 convictions and prison sentences ranging between six and 15 years.

"But this is just the tip of the iceberg," the report added. "In reality, only a small portion of such crimes ever become known and are taken up by law enforcement and the media." Most cases are dismissed by local authorities as "accidents."

Toward the end of last year, Magomedova became acquainted via the Internet with Vladislav Khorev, a 32-year-old man from Ufa in the Bashkortostan region. After hearing of her plight, Khorev decided to help her escape, and he flew to Tyumen at the end of December. Shortly after New Year's, Magomedova gathered a few belongings and the pair flew off, first to Moscow and then on to Turkey, which was one of the few countries open to Russians because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a few days in Istanbul, the pair traveled to St. Petersburg, where Khorev helped Magomedova rent an apartment. She was almost immediately contacted by the police, who informed her that her parents had filed a missing person report about her in Tyumen. As Magomedova later found out, a police source in Tyumen gave her address to her parents and, on January 18, her mother, Gyulliser Magomedova, appeared at her door. Later that night, her father, Musa Magomedov, showed up, and the couple tried to take her away by force. RFE/RL has heard an audio recording of the encounter, during which Magomedov struck his daughter.



During the conflict, Magomedova was able to contact Khorev, who called the police. When they arrived, they supposedly found nothing out of order. Khorev watched from the street as Magomedova was put into a waiting car (he photographed the car and shared the photo with RFE/RL). He followed them to another address and again called the police. When they arrived, they took everyone, including Khorev, to a police station.



"At the police station, they first listened to my father because he refused to leave me alone," Magomedova said. "Then they spoke to me. I told them my side of the story and they said, 'OK, so you are so independent, but you don't understand that [Khorev] is a human trafficker.'"



Passport Seized



She said that they asked in detail about her relationship with Khorev. She told them that she had looked through his phone and his computer, that she had taken photocopies of his identification documents. She assured them that she did not owe Khorev any money.



"Finally, I added that even if he is a human trafficker, I didn't want to go back with my parents," she said. "I asked them to accept my complaint that they were trying to take me away by force. And one of them said to me, 'Milana, don't you understand that is your custom?'"

Khorev told RFE/RL that he was questioned by an officer of the Interior Ministry's Center E, which combats extremism and terrorism. Khorev had been holding Magomedova's passport at her request, he said, to prevent her parents from taking it.

The police, however, found this suspicious and ordered him to give it to them.



In the end, the St. Petersburg police gave turned Magomedova and her documents over to her parents and allowed them to take her back to Tyumen.



"When I arrived home, I thought we would have some sort of conversation, that they would ask me what had happened," Magomedova recalled. "But they started immediately threatening me, saying that if I ran away again, they would send me to Daghestan and there I would have no education or anything else. They said I had shamed them and had deprived myselfof any future."



"My aunt, my father's sister, told me that if they take me to Daghestan, I could easily be killed," Magomedova said. "That no one there would remember anything about me, that everything would be dismissed as an accident, that no one would look into anything. She said that there are special cemeteries there for my type. I thought I knew my parents, but I never imagined that they would threaten to kill me or have me committed to a mental hospital."



In order to calm her parents, Magomedova acted contrite, promised that she wouldn't run away again, and began seeing a therapist to "calm her nerves." But on February 10, she ran away a second time, in her pajamas and without her telephone or any money. Khorev was able to help her travel to Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, where she contacted human rights lawyer Fyodor Akchermyshev. He applied to the regional office of the Interior Ministry and was able to have Magomedova removed from the missing person's list.



Her parents, however, did not give up. They filed complaint after complaint with the police in Tyumen. Somehow, her file from Yekaterinburg ended up with the police in Tyumen, who passed the information on to Magomedova's parents. They began calling Akchermyshev and urging him to stop helping their daughter, saying that she was mentally ill. They also began calling Khorev.



Magomedova said she has a distant relative named Shamil Radzhabov who works for the Interior Ministry in Tyumen. Some of her acquaintances told her that they had been questioned by Radzhabov about her disappearance. She suspects he could be leaking her personal information to her parents.



She told RFE/RL that when she and Akchermyshev went to the police in Yekaterinburg to file a second complaint, they were told that her mother had visited the address that Magomedova had written on the first complaint and found no one there. Magomedova had written an incorrect address because she did not want to reveal her whereabouts.



'Physical Force'



Magomedova's parents filed a complaint saying that Khorev had kidnapped their daughter. But when police searched his apartment and questioned him, they found nothing incriminating. Her parents then filed a similar complaint about Akchermyshev.



In an interview with RFE/RL, Magomedova's mother repeated her unsubstantiated allegations, saying that her daughter had been kidnapped, first by Khorev and then by Akchermyshev, in order to be sold as a prostitute to the militant group Islamic State, which is classified in Russia as a terrorist organization.



On March 23, Magomedova and Akchermyshev arrived at the office of the migration service to pick up her replacement passport. Although everyone else in line simply waited and then was handed the prepared document, Magomedova was told that she would have to wait longer because a stamp was missing.



"We understood that they were calling the police," she said. When the police arrived, the two were taken to a a precinct house and questioned again about the accusation that Akchermyshev had kidnapped her.

During the questioning, a man Magomedova did not know entered the room. The officers did nothing while the man ushered Akchermyshev out and continued questioning Magomedova. Meanwhile, Akchermyshev was able to telephone journalists, telling them that the unknown man had used "physical force" against him in front of police officers.

Local journalists arrived at the station and found cars parked outside with license plates from Daghestan and Tyumen. Police informed Magomedova that her mother wanted to talk to her, but she refused.



After the journalists began photographing the cars and the people in them, they drove away. Magomedova and Akchermyshev were released after spending five hours at the police station.



Two days later, Akchermyshev said that he was able to identify the man who accosted him at the police station as a senior officer of the Sverdlovsk Oblast Interior Ministry named Magomedimin Kurbanov. He told RFE/RL that he has filed a complaint against Kurbanov with the Sverdlovsk police and the Investigative Committee.



"I never did get my passport," Magomedova told RFE/RL. "I don't know what will happen next. I think I'll just lay low  it is terrifying just to go outside."

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson based on reporting from Moscow by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Sergei Khazov-Cassia
Before heading off to search for signs of long ago Martian microbes, NASAs Perseverance rover will first undertake what may be the most technologically exciting part of its mission: flying a helicopter.

Packed under the belly of Perseverance, a car-size robotic vehicle that landed on Mars in February, is Ingenuity, a 4-pound minihelicopter intended to demonstrate that flying on another planet is possible.

NASA officials announced in late March that they had selected the site for this demonstration of extraterrestrial hovering  just north of where it landed.

That area naturally needs to be flat, Havard Grip, the NASA engineer who serves as the chief pilot for Ingenuitys flights, said during a news conference, and it needs to have few obstacles  rocks and the like  that could pose a danger to the helicopter on landing.

The rover has already driven past that location and will now head back. Perseverance will carefully drop off Ingenuity and then back away to observe the flights from about 200 feet away. Ingenuity is scheduled to take off no earlier than April 8, although Bob Balaram, the chief engineer of Ingenuity, said that could move up or back by a few days.

It will have 31 Earth days to attempt to be the first helicopter to fly on another planet, said Lori Glaze, director of NASAs planetary science division. It isnt intended to collect science, but because its mission is so focused, it is, at its core, innovative.

NASA officials have described this as a Wright brothers moment for space exploration, and the agency revealed that Ingenuity includes an artifact from the first Wright airplane that took off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903.

We are very proud to honor that experimental aircraft from long ago by carrying a small piece of fabric, Balaram said. The fabric is about the size of a postage stamp and attached to a cable on the underside of the solar panel, Balaram said.

Until 1997, all of the spacecraft sent to the surface of Mars had been stationary landers. But that year, the Pathfinder mission included something revolutionary for NASA: a wheeled robot. That rover, Sojourner, was roughly the size of a short filing cabinet, and planetary scientists quickly realized the benefits of being able to move around the Martian landscape. Four more NASA rovers including Perseverance have since followed to the red planet.

Ingenuity is in essence the aerial counterpart of Sojourner, a demonstration of a novel technology that may be used more extensively on later missions. The body of Ingenuity is about the size of a softball with four spindly legs sticking out. Two sets of blades, each about 4 feet from tip to tip, will spin in opposite directions to generate lift.

Flying on Mars is not a trivial endeavor. There is not much air to push against to generate lift. At the surface of Mars, the atmosphere is just 1/100th as dense as Earths. The lesser gravity  one-third of what you feel here  helps with getting airborne. But taking off from the surface of Mars is comparable to flying at an altitude of 100,000 feet on Earth. No helicopter on our planet has flown that high, and its more than twice the typical flying altitude of jetliners.

Using a processing chip that is comparable to what was found in cellphones a few years ago, Ingenuity has about 150 times the computing power available to the much larger Perseverance rover.

It provides the computing, which is necessary for a lot of the navigation and image-processing functions, Balaram said.

The first flight is to be a modest up-and-down, rising up to an altitude of just 10 feet. And then we will hover in place for about 30 seconds and make a turn with the helicopter while were hovering, Grip said. And then come down and land again.

Ingenuity will make up to five flights. The first three are designed to test basic capabilities of the helicopter. The final two flights could travel farther, but NASA officials did not want to speculate how much farther.

Since Perseverances flawless arrival at Mars on Feb. 18 within a 30-mile-wide crater named Jezero, engineers have been checking out the spacecraft and its instruments. That includes the first few short drives and firing a laser that vaporizes rock and soil to identify chemical elements.

Two microphones on Perseverance have been recording some of the sounds of the red planet, including the rustling of winds, the clicking of the laser as it zapped a rock about 10 feet away and the metallic clanking and scratching noises of the rovers six wheels as they rolled across the terrain.

Everything is going great so far, Kenneth Farley, the missions project scientist, said last week during a virtual presentation at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. But this is mostly the checkout phase. Were not actually doing full-bore science yet.

Farley said the scientists have already spotted signs of wind erosion on some rocks. Other rocks looked as if they had been shaped by the flow of water. This is quite promising for our study, he said. The scientists also saw rocks with holes with them, which might be volcanic rocks that trapped bubbles of gas in them as they cooled.

The main science exploration will begin in early summer after the end of the Ingenuity tests.

Perseverance cannot take a direct route to a river delta at the rim of Jezero because of a treacherous field of sand dunes that lies between. Instead it will drive around the sand dunes.

The team members are still deciding whether to go to the north, a faster route, or to the south, which looks more geologically intriguing because it includes sites with mineral deposits that might be remnants of the river delta.

Scientists working with other NASA spacecraft at Mars have also announced new discoveries. Data from InSight and its sensitive seismometer, tracking the path of seismic vibrations through Mars, suggest that the planets core is between 1,125 and 1,155 miles in radius. That is larger than some earlier estimates.

Such a large core implies a relatively low mean density of the core, Simon Stahler, a seismologist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, said in a presentation for a planetary science conference last week.

That points to lighter elements like oxygen mixed in with the iron and sulfur that make up most of the core, Stahler said. This finding could further understanding of how Mars and other rocky planets formed.
A surge in COVID-19 deaths in Hungary showed no sign of abating Wednesday as daily new cases hit a record 302 fatalities.

Hungary continues to have the highest weekly death rate per 1 million inhabitants in the world.

The Central European country is in its fourth week of a new round of lockdown measures aimed at reducing infections, hospitalisations and deaths, even as an ambitious vaccination program has given Hungary the highest vaccination rate in the European Union.

The number of vaccinated people broke the 2 million mark on Tuesday, more than 20% of the population, and the foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, announced Wednesday that a quarter million doses of Russias Sputnik V vaccine had arrived overnight in the capital, Budapest.

But mass vaccinations have been unable to turn around pandemic indicators, and Hungarys hospitals are under unprecedented strain.

As a proportion of the population, more COVID-19 patients are being treated in hospitals in Hungary than in any other EU country except Bulgaria.

On Wednesday, 28 news outlets signed an open letter to the government demanding more transparency concerning the pandemic, writing, The lack of information has serious consequences.

The outlets asked for journalists to be allowed into hospitals to report on COVID-19 wards, and for medical staff, who are prohibited by ministerial decree from speaking to the media, to be permitted to give interviews.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 01.04.2021 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) will visit Iraq, Oman and Lebanon from 3 to 8 April 2021. The trips main purpose is to hold talks on the priorities of the MENA Strategy 202124, with a particular focus on promoting dialogue, reducing regional tensions, sustainable development and humanitarian activities.

The upcoming visit falls within the framework of the implementation plan for the Federal Council's Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Strategy. It will be Mr Cassis' fourth trip to the region after his visits to Iran, Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory, the United Arab Emirates and Algeria in 2020 and 2021. The MENA Strategy aims to ensure coherence in Switzerland's activities in the region and better coordinate its diplomatic, economic, humanitarian, and peace and development foreign policy instruments.

Support for dialogue and regional stability

Mr Cassis will first visit Iraq, which has been especially hard hit by regional tensions and terrorism in recent years. It will also be the first time a federal councillor has visited Iraq since 1979. Mr Cassis is scheduled to discuss Switzerland's commitment to dialogue and regional stability with the authorities in Baghdad, including Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. He is also expected to sign a memorandum of understanding establishing bilateral political consultations, a testimony to the two countries' commitment to strengthening relations.

In Oman, which like Switzerland is well known for its neutrality and mediation efforts, Mr Cassis will meet with Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi. Switzerland is keen to develop a closer relationship with Oman in order to advance dialogue and conflict resolution in the region.

Humanitarian aid in Lebanon

Switzerland has been supporting the Lebanese people since the explosion in Beirut on 4 August 2020. The country is facing a grave economic and political crisis. During his stay, Mr Cassis will pay a visit to a hospital that was destroyed in the explosion and rehabilitated by Switzerland, as well as visiting other Swiss humanitarian projects in the country. He will also travel to an informal settlement for Syrian refugees. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the crisis in Syria. Lebanon host to 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

Young people and innovation

The MENA region has a young population full of potential, but a number of countries are affected by high unemployment. In its MENA Strategy, the Federal Council has prioritised activities that support young people through the development of vocational education and training and facilitating access to the job market. In this connection, Mr Cassis is planning to meet young entrepreneurs in Iraq's nascent start-up sector in order to discuss innovation and what prospects there are for young people in this still fragile country. Mr Cassis will also address the subject of vocational education and training with Oman's foreign minister and young professionals in the country. One area of particular interest is what opportunities there are for Swiss companies to operate in Oman in view of the country's efforts to diversify its oil-based economy.

Mr Cassis will be accompanied on his trip by members of the Council of States Damian Muller (president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States) and Andrea Gmur-Schonenberger (member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States).

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html




Border Patrol K-9 Sniffs Out $60,000 Worth of Fentanyl Inside Burritos

A Border Patrol canine sniffed out several packages of fentanyl pills that were hidden inside burritos this week in Arizona, officials said.

A canine handler referred the male driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe to the checkpoints secondary inspection area at approximately 3 p.m., after his canine partner alerted to the vehicle, according to the agency. While in secondary, the canine alerted to a black backpack that was located inside the vehicle. Agents searched the backpack and discovered several small packages containing fentanyl pills that were stuffed inside breakfast burritos.

Inside, they found about $60,000 worth of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has been singled out by federal officials as causing a drug epidemic leading to hundreds of thousands of overdoses across the United States in recent years.

According to the Department of Justice (pdf), the vast majority of illicit fentanyl-class substances and hundreds of synthetic drugs from at least eight different drug classes is manufactured in China.

It comes after a video released by a Border Patrol official in New Mexico shows human smugglers dropping two young girls over a 14-foot-tall border barrier before abandoning them.

The smugglers were seen via night-vision cameras leaving the children, who are aged 3 and 5, in the middle of the New Mexico desert miles from the nearest residence, said Border Patrol sector chief Gloria Chavez.

According to a news release from Border Patrol, the two girls were sisters from Ecuador. When agents came upon them, they rendered aid, officials said, before they were taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and were later medically cleared. The young girls were then put in a temporary holding facility.

In recent months, human traffickers known as coyotes have been getting paid exorbitant sums of money to transport would-be illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border, according to officials. Some have taken to using social media websites like Facebook to advertise their services.

Smugglers, under cover of night, scaled a 14 ft. border barrier and cruelly dropped 2 young children in the middle of the New Mexico desert. The girls, ages 3 & 5, were left miles from the nearest residence. Thank you STN Agents for rescuing these children! @CBP @CBPWestTexas pic.twitter.com/U91y2g8Lk1  Gloria I. Chavez (@USBPChiefEPT) March 31, 2021

Im appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night. If not for the vigilance of our Agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours, Chavez said in a statement. We are currently working with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and attempting to identify these ruthless human smugglers so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Meanwhile, the massive influx in illegal immigration has drawn criticism by Republicans and a growing number of Democratic lawmakers, who have accused the Biden administration of taking a lax approach to immigration after President Joe Biden took executive action to rescind key Trump-era asylum policies. Biden and other White House officials have blamed Trumps policies for the mass housing of children and people who crossed the border illegally while describing such surges in immigration as seasonal.
Two more teachers have been suspended over a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad being shown to pupils at Batley Grammar School, MailOnline can reveal.

It brings to three the total number of teachers being investigated for the incident in which the controversial cartoon was shown during an RE lesson.

All three staff at the school in West Yorkshire were suspended at the same time when a pupil complained to their parents.

Furious protesters rallied outside the school gates for two days last week after a teacher produced the cartoon as part of a lesson on blasphemy.

The Batley Grammar School teacher sparked fury by allegedly showing pupils cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a RE lesson. Pictured: Protesters outside the school on Friday

It prompted a wave of protests last week with those taking part in a prayer outside the school in Batley, West Yorkshire. The school was shut down and the unnamed teacher was suspended

The teacher, in his late 20s, who is not being named, has gone into hiding with his partner and their four children after receiving death threats with head teacher Gary Kibble quick to announce that he had been suspended pending an investigation.

But the school has attempted to keep the involvement of two other teachers quiet to fend off criticisms of a wider failure in the way the controversial lesson was delivered. Both are described as being experienced in the teaching profession.

A school source told MailOnline that the blasphemy row had been part of the curriculum, but that Mr Kibble and the school hierarchy had not authorised showing of the cartoon. A Muslim pupil was offended by the lesson and their parents complained.

A source confirmed to MailOnline: 'Two other teachers are also being investigated but the school has been trying to keep it secret because they don't want attention being drawn to the fact that this went beyond the actions of one person.

'They were not in the class at time but were aware that offensive material was going to be used, it is claimed.'

The source also confirmed that the cartoon shown to pupils which led to the row was from the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo depicting the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb instead of a turban on his head.

The source added: 'Blasphemy features on the school curriculum and images have been used before by teachers. But not this one. This was the first time that this particular image was shown during a lesson.

Protesters spoke to the Press during demonstrations at the school gates during the furore

The French teacher beheaded for showing pupils Prophet cartoon The family of the Batley Grammar School teacher at the centre of the Prophet Muhammad picture row fear that he may meet the same fate as French man Samuel Paty, who was beheaded close to a school where he taught outside Paris. Mr Paty, 47, a history and geography teacher was targeted for showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his students and was killed in October 2020 outside the gates of the school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, north of the French capital. His killing stunned France and led to an outpouring of support at memorial ceremonies and marches around the country with President Emmanuel Macron hailing him as 'a quiet hero' and 'the face of the Republic.' He also posthumously granted the teacher France's highest civilian award, the Legion d'Honneur. Mr Paty's killer, Abdullakh Anzorov, 18 was shot dead by police shortly after the attack. But seven people, including two students and a parent of one of Mr Paty's pupils, were detained in the days following the killing. Prosecutors later revealed that said six of the suspects had been charged with complicity in a terrorist murder and placed under judicial investigation, which is continuing. As he had done in similar lessons on free speech in previous years, Mr Paty warned students that he was about to show a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. He said anyone who thought they might be offended could close their eyes. Two teenage students, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were allegedly paid around 300 (270; $355) by the killer to identify Mr Paty outside the school. The killer told the students he wanted to 'hit' and 'humiliate' Mr Paty and 'make him apologise for the cartoon of the Prophet [Muhammad].' Mr Paty's funeral was attended by some 400 guests, including senior political figures while thousands attended rallies in his honour around the country. Last December, Anzorov was buried in his native Chechnya with around 200 mourners attending the service and hailing him as a 'lion of Islam.' Advertisement

'This picture was not part of the approved teaching materials and we do not know why the teacher chose it. It appears, there were no proper checks in place.

'There is nothing to suggest that either of them used this particular image themselves in lessons, but they knew what was going on and it points to a breakdown in the system.'

The source added that in previous years, depictions of the Prophet Muhammad have been shown during lessons on blasphemy, but teachers often forewarn their pupils about it and allow those who may be offended to leave the class.

The source added: 'It's an important subject but it's been handled far more sensitively until now. Clearly something has gone horribly wrong on this occasion and this is what the investigation will attempt to establish so that it does not happen again.'

For Muslims, any depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, or any of the other prophets of the faith is strictly forbidden.

Pictures - as well as statues - are thought to encourage the worship of idols, which is strictly prohibited. But there is no specific ruling in the Koran explicitly against depicting the Prophet with many experts claiming that it stems from the Hadiths, the book about his life and sayings.

Batley Multi Academy Trust, which runs Batley Grammar School has announced an independent investigation, which is set to begin on April 12 and aims to conclude by the end of May.

An inquiry panel is being established to drill down into the 'context' of the episode.

All three suspended teachers will be grilled about their role in the affair and could face possible dismissal, if it finds that they broke rules on how lessons should be delivered.

The names of teaching staff have been removed from the schools website to prevent the three teachers from being identified and other teachers being targeted by those angry at recent events.

The Trust said in a statement: 'We understand everyone will want clarity as soon as possible.'

It added: 'We're grateful for the constructive engagement with all our stakeholders over the last few days with regard to Batley Grammar, one of the schools within our trust.

'We believe the right way forward is for an independent investigation to review the context in which the materials (which caused offence) were used, and to make recommendations in relation to the Religious Studies curriculum so that the appropriate lessons can be learned, and action taken, where necessary.'

The father of the RE teacher who showed the cartoon told MailOnline earlier this week how his son fears he will be murdered - and feels that he can never go back to his old life.

The father said: 'He is worried that he and his family are all going to be killed.

'He knows that he's not going to be able to return to work or live in Batley. It's just going to be too dangerous for him and his family.

'Look what happened to the teacher in France who was killed for doing the same thing. Eventually they will get my son and he knows this. His whole world has been turned upside down. He's devastated and crushed.

'When he starts speaking, he just breaks down and cries. He's become an emotional wreck.'
Premier Brian Pallister faces intense and widespread disapproval from Manitobans  even among a significant number who supported his Progressive Conservative party in the 2019 election.

Premier Brian Pallister faces intense and widespread disapproval from Manitobans  even among a significant number who supported his Progressive Conservative party in the 2019 election.

According to a new Probe Research/Winnipeg Free Press poll, 62 per cent of Manitobans disapprove of Pallister's performance as leader, including 46 per cent who are strongly critical.

In Winnipeg, that disapproval rating jumps to 68 per cent, with a whopping 53 per cent who strongly disapprove of the premier's job performance.

"I don't recall really ever seeing numbers that high for disapproval," Probe Research president Scott MacKay said of the results. "This is intense disapproval, and that's huge."

MacKay and others believe the premier's personal unpopularity with voters is one of the key reasons the New Democratic Party has vaulted into the lead in party popularity in the past two quarters.

Fifty-three per cent of Manitobans approve of NDP Leader Wab Kinew's performance, including 17 per cent who strongly approve. Thirty-six per cent of those surveyed expressed disapproval of Kinew.

A little over one-third of voters approve the job Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont is doing, while almost equal numbers either disapprove of his performance or are unsure about it.

Manitobans are not all undecided about the Tory premier, however. Asked to rate Pallister's performance, only four per cent surveyed said they were unsure.

Click to Expand The Probe Research Inc. survey of a random and representative sampling of 1,000 adults in Manitoba was conducted March 10-26. The survey results are plus or minus 3.1 percentage points of what they would've been if the entire adult population had been surveyed, with 95 per cent certainty. On the leadership question, respondents were asked: "How much do you approve the job performance of each of the following provincial party leaders?"

Among the most critical of the premier are women, younger voters, renters, university-educated persons and Indigenous persons.

As the Free Press reported Tuesday, the NDP has now expanded its province-wide lead over the Progressive Conservatives to six percentage points (42 per cent to 36 per cent, respectively) among decided voters.

Kelly Saunders, a Brandon University political scientist, links Pallister's unpopularity to his government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Manitoba government was criticized early on for failing to provide sufficient assistance to those most affected by COVID-19.

Last summer, it appeared more concerned with reopening the economy than preparing for a second wave of the novel coronavirus. The virus exacted a great toll on personal care home residents, and the speed of the vaccine rollout has also been a concern.

While other provincial leaders have faced similar issues, Pallister's demeanour and personal response to events likely caused him to fall out of favour with many voters, Saunders said.

In public, the premier has been abrasive and critical of others, lashing out at the federal government over vaccine supplies and at some Manitobans for failing to observe public health guidelines.

Pallister has demonstrated "a lack of empathy and a lack of willingness to take responsibility" and "be that calm and steady hand that we look to our leaders to display in times of crisis," Saunders said.

Premier Brian Pallister's demeanour and personal response to pandemic events likely caused him to fall out of favour with many voters. In public, the premier has been abrasive and critical of others, lashing out at the federal government over vaccine supplies and at some Manitobans for failing to observe public health guidelines. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

"He wasn't able to rise to the occasion."

Pallister is now weighing down his party's fortunes, Saunders said. "If he is serious about... the well-being of his party... he would step down sooner rather than later and give the party a chance to regroup."

Of those who voted PC in the 2019 provincial election, 34 per cent expressed disapproval for Pallister's performance as leader, according to the poll. Eighteen per cent said they strongly disapproved.

Some 66 per cent of women polled expressed criticism of the job the premier is doing (51 per cent strongly disapproving), while 61 per cent of women either approved or strongly approved (20 per cent) of Kinew's job performance.

Seventy-three per cent of 18-to-34-year-old Manitobans disapproved of Pallister's performance, including 53 per cent who strongly disapproved.

In Winnipeg, where provincial elections are won or lost, Pallister had the approval of only 30 per cent of respondents (68 per cent disapproved), while Kinew's performance was given a thumbs up by 61 per cent of those polled (30 per cent disapproved).

Outside the capital city, 41 per cent of Manitobans approved the premier's performance, while 54 per cent disapproved. Kinew had a 40 per cent approval rate and a 45 disapproval rate outside the city.

MacKay said if Pallister had a more collegial or collaborative leadership style, the public may not be as inclined to place the blame for problems with the province's pandemic response squarely on his shoulders.

Asked Wednesday what the PCs needed to do to attract voters back to his party, Pallister said they must "fight COVID effectively" and work with Manitobans to restore economic growth and "social betterment."

Asked if he personally took responsibility for his party's declining popularity, he said: "I don't know. I didn't get any credit when we won the biggest back-to-back majority governments in the province's history, so I don't know how much you want to blame me for this."

Pallister added he's focused on the pandemic right now, and not on an election.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Several people have been arrested as Extinction Rebellions Fossil Fool protesters sprayed the Bank of England with fake oil to highlight the societal collapse the activist group say global financial institutions are driving the planet towards.

XRs latest theatrical protest saw suit-clad activists descend on the heart of Londons financial district, demanding the Bank of England regulate the banks which continue to fund fossil fuel companies.

The biodegradable fake oil, a mixture of black pond dye and guar gum extracted from beans, was sprayed from fire extinguishers onto the grand entrance to the bank. A sign reading No More Fossil Fools has since been removed.

The worlds 60 largest banks have funded the fossil fuel industry to the tune of $3.8 trillion since 2016, XR said.

The action today highlights the Bank of Englands failure to regulate these banks and points to the fact that it still holds investments consistent with 3.5C of warming by the end of the century.

Read more:

Fake windows were also placed against the building by protesters, the panes depicting images of ecological crises, meant to symbolise the impacts of the Banks activities on our environment, according to XR.

The Bank of England has failed utterly in its duty to regulate giant funders of fossil fuels. The climate crisis will never be averted if big banks, whose only concern is profit, are left to their own devices, XR member Robert Wheeldon said in a statement.

The Bank of England needs to make it impossible for UK banks to keep funding the fossil fuel industry and nature destruction, he added.

(AFP via Getty Images)

The multiple crises that we face  climate change, inequality, overconsumption of the planets resources  cannot be addressed without changing the system that drives them.

City of London police said four arrests were made relating to criminal damage, and one for criminal trespass.

Fridays Money Rebellion protest is part of a series of actions from XR following a recent report from several NGOs that 60 banks have continued to fund fossil fuel companies since the Paris Climate Agreement was reached in 2015.

Elsewhere, local XR groups in Glasgow, Brighton, Cambridge and Cornwall, are also targeting private banks, while in Paris, Brussels and Melbourne, protesters are marching against the economic institutions XR say are killing us.

Earlier this week, a performance was held outside Barclays Bank headquarters in Canary Wharf, as the XR activists adorned in aprons and washing-up gloves, calling on the bank clean up its act.

The same morning, Dr Gail Bradbrook, co-founder of XR, was filmed breaking the windows of Barclays Bank in Stroud to throw down the gauntlet for their new wave of action against the banks.

We are on a path towards the collapse of our civilizations, and with billions dying in our childrens lifetime. Those who are failing to lead adequate action on the climate and ecological crisis are committing crimes against humanity, she said in a promotional video for the Money Rebellion.

This is about an economic system that functions like a cancer.

In October 2019, eight members of XR were arrested after protesters dressed in mourning clothes attempted to spray fake blood from a fire engine over the Treasury in Westminster.
Verizon has announced a new hard-to-believe offer, which seems more like an April Fools day joke than an actual offer, but the company says its not. The company even added the #NoJoke hashtag to its press release.

Verizons latest offer does seem like a joke, but the company strongly denies that

What did the company announce? Well, Verizon will allow you to trade in a cracked or water-damaged smartphone, and get up to $1,000 off its best 5G phones. There is a catch, though.

A customer that does that has to port over his existing phone number, and select Verizons Unlimited data plan. Even with that caveat, this still sounds like it could be a joke but the company did deny that, which is why were reporting on it.

Advertisement

If this is real, its quite odd Verizon decided to start offering this deal on April 1. Verizon did say that this is a limited time offer, but it did not state until when will it be active.

Now, what makes this offer seem real, except the caveat we mentioned, is the way Verizon will give you up to $1,000. Do note that were talking about $1,000 credit here, so Verizon wont exactly hand you the cash.

The up to $1,000 credit will actually be split between monthly invoice credits, and a $300 Verizon gift card. Based on the provided information, a cracked iPhone 8 will be valued at $1,000 when being traded in for an iPhone 12 model. The iPhone 7 will be valued at $700, for example.

Advertisement

The company now offers appointments to shop in its stores

Verizon now also offers appointments to shop in its stores. You can make an appointment by navigating to Verizon.com/stores. Alternatively, you can use the My Verizon app, or go to the store directly.

So, at first, Verizons new offer may seem like a joke for April Fools day. There are some caveats included, and Verizon claims this is not a joke, so it may not be. Navigate to Verizons website for more information.
The Scandinavian region of Northern Europe comprises Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Mainland Sweden and Norway are located on the Scandinavian Peninsula, which also includes Finlands northwestern portion and part of northwestern Russia.

The peninsula derives its name from the term Scandinavia, derived from Scania, a region previously considered part of Denmark but now a portion of Sweden. It is the largest peninsula in Europe by area, larger than the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas. During the Ice Age, the Scandinavian Peninsula was joined directly by land due to the significant drop in the Atlantic Oceans sea level, which caused the surrounding water bodies to disappear.

Where Is The Scandinavian Peninsula?

The Scandinavian Peninsula.

The Scandinavian Peninsula is located in Northern Europe and joined to the continental mainland (Russia) to the north. It is bordered to the east by southern Finland across the Gulf of Bothnia, southeast by the Baltic Sea, south by Denmark with the resund Strait in between, northwest by the Kola Peninsula, and west by Iceland across the Norwegian Sea. The North Sea separates the peninsula from the Shetland Islands to the southwest, and it is bordered to the north by the Barents Sea.

Geography

The Scandinavian Mountain Range, Norway.

The Scandinavian Peninsula is about 1,850 km long, with varying widths of 370-805 km. The peninsula covers about 750,000 km2 and is shared mainly by two countries, Sweden and Norway, with Finlands and Russias northwestern portions also extending into the peninsula. Sweden and Norway share the eastern and western sides respectively and are separated by the Scandinavian Mountain Range.

The Scandinavian Peninsula is dominated mainly by mountain masses that slope towards the Baltic Sea. Glittertinden was previously the highest elevation on the peninsula at 2,470 m above sea level. However, the summit's partial glacier melting reduced its height by 5 m, making it the region's second-highest elevation. At 2,469 meters, Galdhpiggen is currently the highest elevation on the peninsula. Jostedal Glacier, mainland Europes largest glacier, is located on these mountains.

Human Settlement

A Sami woman in traditional dress with a reindeer in Tromso, Lapland, Norway.

The peninsulas northern portion lies within or near the Arctic Circle, making it one of the coldest places in Europe. Thus, the northern region may have been uninhabited until later on in human history. The southern areas, including Denmark, may have been inhabited as early as 12,000 years ago, mainly by reindeer hunters. Later, the Sami people, also known as Laplanders or Lapps, occupied the central and northern parts. The Norwegians were the first people to inhabit the peninsula, followed by the Danes, who mainly occupied southeastern Norway and western and southern Sweden.

The Scandinavian Peninsula countries have existed as distinct nations for close to 1,000 years, but the boundaries between them were only formalized later on. The Norwegian and Swedish boundaries were defined in 1751, and the Swedish-Finnish border was marked in 1809 after intense negotiations. The Norwegian-Russian districts were partitioned in 1826 and Finland ceded its territory of the Barents Seas coast to Russia in 1944. Between 1940 and 1945, Nazi Germany (through Wehrmacht) had occupied much of the peninsula, especially Norway, and, jointly with the Finnish Army, invaded the Soviet Union.
Sydney, April 1 : Rainfall that resulted in last month's flood crisis across the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) was more than double the average, making it the second-wettest March on record, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said on Thursday.

Extensive areas of flooding resulted from the torrential rain, killing one person and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes, dpa news agency reported.

The disaster is estimated to have caused A$2 billion ($1.5 billion) in damage, according to the Australian Financial Review.

While the rain had eased and flood waters were receding, last week some 20,000 residents were still unable to return to their homes.

Since the floods began, the state's emergency services received more than 23,000 calls for help from the public, and volunteers have attended more than 13,000 jobs, AAP news agency reported.

At the peak of the crisis, communities on the NSW mid-north coast, faced the worst flooding conditions since 1929.
[April 01, 2021] Catcha Investment Corp Announces the Separate Trading of its Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants Commencing April 5, 2021

Catcha Investment Corp (NYSE: CHAA.U) (the "Company") announced today that, commencing April 5, 2021, holders of the units sold in the Company's initial public offering of 30,000,000 units, completed on February 17, 2021, may elect to separately trade the Class A ordinary shares and warrants included in the units. Those units not separated will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "CHAA.U", and the Class A ordinary shares and warrants that are separated will trade on the NYSE under the symbols "CHAA" and "CHAA WS", respectively. Holders of units will need to have their brokers contact Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the Company's transfer agent, in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. The units were initially offered by the Company in an underwritten offering. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as the sole book-running manager for the offering. A registration statement relating to the units and the underlying securities was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert) ") on February 11, 2021. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of the Company, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state orjurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.



About Catcha Investment Corp Led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Grove and President Luke Elliott, Catcha Investment Corp intends to focus its search on a target with operations or prospective operations in the technology, digital media, financial technology, or digital services sectors, which it refers to as the "new economy sectors," across Asia Pacific, in particular Southeast Asia and Australia.

Forward-Looking Statements This press release may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management team, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company's management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in the Company's filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph. Forward- looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's registration statement and prospectus relating to the Company's initial public offering filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005706/en/

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Seems the media's rush to judgment on the matter of Rep. Matt Gaetz, a popular conservative Florida Republican, who was smeared in the New York Times as someone in a relationship with a 17-year-old girl, might just leave them with egg all over their faces.

Again.

There's no doubt about it, the press came down hard on Gaetz, whose defense of himself on the Tucker Carlson show, following the Times hit piece, included describing an extortion plot, was broadly ridiculed as "improbable," "QAnon" and "bizarre," "bizarre," and "bizarre." Even some on the right called it "bizarre."

Sure, if he's making it up. Turns out he wasn't.

According to the National Pulse:

A statement from Assistant U.S. Attorney David Goldberg confirms Rep. Matt Gaetzs claim that the Federal Bureau of Investigations was investigating extortion claims in response to a New York Times article accusing the congressman of sex trafficking. In an email between Rep. Gaetzs fathers lawyer and Goldberg, the Assistant U.S. Attorney confirms the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) involvement: I can confirm that your client is working with my office as well as the FBI at the governments request in order to determine if a federal crime has been committed. This has been discussed with, and approved by, the FBI as well as the leadership of my office and components of Main Justice. The response followed a Gaetz family lawyer sending the following in a March 25th email: My client, Don Gaetz, was approached by two individuals to make a sizable payment in what I would call a scheme to defraud. The FBI is not asking Don to voluntarily and proactively assist in their investigation, which Don is willing to do. Please confirm that your Office and the FBI would like Dons assistance in this matter and that he will be working at the Governments request. The emails follow The New York Times publishing an article  Matt Gaetz Is Said to Face Justice Dept. Inquiry Over Sex With an Underage Girl  that accused the congressman of being in a sexual relationship with an underage girl and appear to confirm the story outlined by Rep. Gaetzs on Tucker Carlson Tonight.

The case illustrates just how vulnerable to blackmail many congresspeople are. I was always struck by how Gaetz defended Rep. Katie Hill, the far-left throuples enthusiast and exploiter of youthful interns, who said she was being blackmailed by her bitter underachieving ex-husband, and resigned because she wanted no more of whatever it was he had on her, or perhaps one step ahead of a congressional investigation on the intern issue which broke House rules. She certainly was, based on what she did, but most people have some sympathy for her for having such a vile ex, as well.

It also raises more questions about Eric Swalwell, who had a too-close, probably sleeparound relationship with a likely Chinese spy named Fang Fang, yet remains on the House intelligence committee. Blackmail seems all too real, given the power that congresspeople wield and the competitiveness of House races. No, it not a "bizarre" thing to hear that Gaetz could be in the midst of a blackmail investigation. Apparently, it happens all too often. And in the last few years, it seems to be accelerating, the cases I cited were just the most recent in the news.

How many others in high profile posts, not just in Congress, but on the Supreme Court, in governorships, and other places of high public service, are being similarly blackmailed, except out of the eyes of the press? It gives one pause. And it certainly discredits the press, which is quick to jump on its bogus narratives and do the bidding of blackmailers.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
TORONTO, March 31, 2021 /CNW/ - Golden Star Resources Ltd. (NYSE American: GSS) (TSX: GSC) (GSE: GSR) ("Golden Star" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Karen Akiwumi-Tanoh and Gerard De Hert will be put forward for election as directors of the Company at the forthcoming annual general meeting of Golden Star shareholders on 6 May, 2021 (the "AGM"). In further changes to the Company's board of directors (the "Board"), Robert Doyle will not be standing for re-election at the AGM. Mr. Doyle's retirement is in line with Golden Star's Board mandate of a maximum term limit of 10 years for directors. Current board member, Mona Quartey, will replace Mr. Doyle as chair of the audit committee of the Board.

Ms. Akiwumi-Tanoh is a chartered accountant and experienced non-executive director ("NED"), with an extensive career in the African banking sector, predominately with Ecobank Transnational Inc. Her current board roles include NED and audit committee chair of First Atlantic Bank, Ghana and NED and audit committee chair of Prudential Life, Ghana. Previous NED roles include chair of the board of directors of First Atlantic Bank, Ghana and NED of Beneficial Life Insurance, Togo. Previous executive roles included managing director of Ecobank, Sierra Leone and member of the advisory board of Spencer Stuart, South Africa. She holds an MBA from the University of Ghana.

Mr. De Hert is Managing Director, Technical Services for La Mancha Holding, a privately held company specialized in gold mining investments, where he oversees technical diligence work in new and existing investments. Prior to joining La Mancha, he was senior vice president of exploration at Endeavour Mining. He was also a member of Endeavour Mining's ESG committee between 2018 and 2020. Prior to that, he spent several years working as general manager at Vale-ARM, managing the Lupoto Copper project. Other prior roles include chief geologist at Teal Mining, regional exploration geologist at IAMGOLD and chief mine geologist at AngloGold Ashanti. He holds a Masters Degree in mineralogy and geology from the Catholic University of Louvain and a Masters Degree in mineral exploration from the University of Leicester. Mr De Hert will stand as a nominee of La Mancha Holding, replacing Ani Markova who has been invited by the Board to continue to serve as a director of the Company and will stand for re-election at the AGM.

Tim Baker, Chairman of Golden Star, commented:

"We would like to thank Rob Doyle for his many contributions to the Company. As part of the on-going board renewal process at Golden Star, after 10 years he will not be standing for re-election. In his place, we are delighted that Karen Akiwumi-Tanoh, who is Ghanaian and who has extensive experience in the financial sector in Africa, has agreed to stand for election. In addition, La Mancha have nominated Gerard De Hert to stand for election to the Board, and his extensive experience in the African gold mining sector and technical expertise will be a great addition. I am also pleased that Ani Markova has agreed to stand for re-election as a director at the AGM. While this will mean an increase in the size of the Board to 10 directors, it will allow for a proper transition over the coming year prior to further rotation in accordance with our policies next year when I envisage the Board will go back to nine members.

As a result of these changes, the female representation on our Board will increase to 40%, reflecting our continued commitment to inclusion and diversity throughout the Company."

Company Profile:

Golden Star is an established gold mining company that owns and operates the Wassa underground mine in the Western Region of Ghana, West Africa. Listed on the NYSE American, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Ghanaian Stock Exchange, Golden Star is focused on delivering strong margins and free cash flow from the Wassa mine. As the winner of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada 2018 Environmental and Social Responsibility Award, Golden Star remains committed to leaving a positive and sustainable legacy in its areas of operation.

SOURCE Golden Star Resources Ltd.

For further information: please visit www.gsr.com or contact: Michael Stoner, Investor Relations and Business Development, +44 020 8167 7000, [email protected]

Related Links

www.gsr.com


~ The two companies to combine ingredients to create the line of delicious, artisan plant-based specialty vegan foods ~

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Plant&Co. Brands Ltd. (CSE: VEGN) (FSE: VGP) (OTC PINK: VGANF) ("Plant&Co" or the "Company"), a modern health and wellness company curating delicious plant-based foods, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Grande Cheese, a privately-owned grocery chain and artisanal cheese manufacturer based in Toronto, Ontario, to collaborate and create a tasty line of plant-based vegan cheeses, dough, bread, and other specialty food products.





Figure 1: Grande Cheese



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/79178_plant2.jpg

"Grande Cheese is a well known and respected brand when it comes to creating delicious artisan Italian foods," said Shawn Moniz, CEO of Plant&Co. "We are combining our culinary expertise to create a new and exciting line of plant-based of specialty vegan foods which will be sold in our respective retail locations. As new products are introduced to our customers, they will also be available online through our e-commerce platform."

For over 60 years, Grande Cheese has been producing handcrafted award-winning Italian cheeses using traditional recipes that have been passed down for generations. Each Grande Cheese location boasts an in-house kitchen and bakery that produces freshly baked bread, artisanal pizzas, and ready-to-enjoy Italian meals, plus a deli-counter serving over 500 varieties of cheese and fine cured meats sourced from Canada and Italy.

To produce specialty vegan products, Plant&Co and Grande Cheese will eliminate eggs and dairy-based ingredients such as milk, butter, buttermilk, from the new line of vegan specialty foods. It is no easy task to produce delicious vegan specialty products without these ingredients, but the combined kitchens of Plant&Co and Grande Cheese will bring their culture of cooking excellence and commitment to authenticity to successfully launch this new line of vegan foods.

About Grande Cheese

Grande Cheese is renowned for its commitment to authenticity, importing only the finest traditional Italian staples such as rich olive oils and vinegars, roasted red peppers and spicy pickled eggplant, and artisanal pasta and delightful panettone. We carefully source our premium Italian brands to ensure fresh and simple ingredients local to Italy are featured heavily, honouring our country's culture of cooking excellence. For more information visit: www.grandecheese.ca.

About Plant&Co

Plant&Co. Brands Ltd. (CSE: VEGN) (FSE: VGP) (OTCPK: VGANF) is modern health and wellness company curating delicious plant-based foods. For more information please visit: www.PlantandCo.com.

About Holy Crap Foods Inc.

At Holy Crap Foods Inc. our mission is to create products that create a healthy gut through simple, quality ingredients that ultimately feed the connection between gut and mind. Holy Crap is an organic breakfast cereal for today's consumer that expects their food to work hard for them. Our great tasting cereal helps maintain a healthy gut which creates a happy mind. For more information on the healthy and high-quality breakfast cereals visit: www.HolyCrap.com.

About YamChops

YamChops is a plant-based butcher shop based in Toronto, Ontario. Vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and even meat enthusiasts love visiting the beautifully curated shop located in the heart of Toronto's food district. Whether customers sample YamChops' Tunaless "Tuna", Chick*n Schnitzel, Szechuan "Beef", Montreal Style "Steak", or browse their vegan grocery market assisted by its knowledgeable staff, customers will have an unforgettable experience at YamChops vegan butcher shop. YamChops' mission is to provide extraordinary plant-based foods and provide extraordinary service to its customers, with a vision to expand its plant based culinary experience and make YamChops the destination of choice for all consumers. For more product information please visit: www.YamChops.com. Interested entrepreneurs can find more information regarding YamChops franchising opportunities by visiting: https://yamchops.com/pages/franchise.

For additional information, please contact:

Shawn Moniz

Chief Executive Officer

Plant & Co. Brands Ltd.

ir@plantandco.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Plant&Co. Brands described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79178
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 05:25:35|Editor: huaxia

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AMMAN -- Jordan said on Thursday it has sent an official note of protest through diplomatic channels, calling on Israel to stop violations and provocations against Al-Aqsa Mosque and respect its legal and historical status quo.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Deifallah Fayez said the Israeli acts against Al-Aqsa Mosque are rejected and represent a clear violation of the legal and historical status quo, international law, and Israel's commitments as an occupying force, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. (Jordan-Israel-Aqsa)

- - - -

TUNIS -- Tunisian President Kais Saied received on Thursday visiting Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabri Boukadoum and the two discussed bilateral ties, said a statement released by the presidency.

The meeting focused on "the historical relations that unite the two countries and the means to further promote them," the statement said. (Tunisia-Algeria-Ties)

- - - -

CAIRO -- Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) will seek over 1 billion U.S. dollars in compensation for the losses caused by the container ship Ever Given that was stuck in the waterway and blocking navigation for six days, SCA chairman Osama Rabie has said.

The compensation for the losses and damages "will reach over 1 billion dollars," Rabie told a local TV channel on Wednesday. "This is the right of the state and we will not give it up." (Egypt-Suez Canal-Compensation)

- - - -

TRIPOLI -- Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush on Wednesday met with Chinese Charge d'Affaires to Libya Wang Qimin in the capital Tripoli and discussed cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, al-Mangoush hailed the importance of China and its global role, its close friendship and cooperation with Libya, and its execution of major projects in Libya in the fields of infrastructure, transportation and communications, according to a statement issued by the Libyan Foreign Ministry. (Libya-China-Cooperation) Enditem
MASON CITY, Iowa - Investigators spent the day Thursday looking for additional human remains after some were found on March 11 on the shore of the Winnebago River.

"We went back today to try to do further investigation there, doing more digging to see if there's anything else there to putting together any more of the picture as we work on identification and those sort of things," Chief Jeff Brinkley said.

Authorities were on scene near the Winnebago River on Thursday, March 11, just off Illinois Ave. KIMT photo. Authorities were on scene near the Winnebago River on Thursday, March 11, just off Illinois Ave. KIMT photo.

Officers with the Mason City Police Department, along with assistance from the Iowa DCI, the State Patrol, the DNR, the State Medical Examiners Office, the Cerro Gordo County EMA the CERT team and the city of Mason City, combed through the grass, trees and the river bank looking for additional evidence.

The identification of the remains will take several weeks. At this time, law enforcement has yet to say if the discoveries from last summer and in March are related.
The Los Angeles Police Department have opened an investigation into the altercation that took place last year between Quavo and his now ex-girlfriend Saweetie.

Police officers want to meet with Quavo and Saweetie separately after LAPD detectives watched the shocking surveillance camera video showing the former couple tussling over a Call Of Duty box, according to TMZ.

The incident could be considered an act of domestic violence where both Saweetie, 27, and Quavo, 29, are in the wrong, according to sources. Police officers want to learn what occurred before and after the incidents captured on camera.

Under investigation: The Los Angeles Police Department have opened an investigation into the physical altercation that took place last year between Quavo and his now ex-girlfriend Saweetie

The My Type singer has since broken her silence on the matter, telling TMZ they had already moved past this particular incident.

'This unfortunate incident happened a year ago, while we have reconciled since then and moved past this particular disagreement, there were simply too many other hurdles to overcome in our relationship and we have both since moved on,' she told the site.

The video was taken at a North Hollywood apartment complex where Saweetie was living, and begins with Saweetie - birth name Diamonte Quiava Valentin Harper - swinging at Quavo.

Before he dodges her blows the Bad And Boujee rapper drops the orange video game case, which she grabs before he charges at her and pulls her into the elevator.

The pair scramble over the box and Quavo - full name Quavious Keyate Marshall - yanks on Saweetie's arm, pulling her to the ground.

At fault: The incident could be considered an act of domestic violence where both Saweetie, 27, and Quavo, 29, are in the wrong, according to sources

He gets up while the 5foot7 songstress appears to remain on the floor of the elevator, perhaps injured.

Quavo - who is 6foot2 - stands by, readjusting his bag while refusing to offer the still grounded Saweetie a hand.

The elevator door opens on another floor, revealing the legs of someone waiting who then decides not to get inside.

Quavo gathers his backpack and the box as the doors close and they go up another floor, where he gets off as she tries to pull herself off the ground via a nearby handrail.

He then looks back at the rapper and sets down the orange box to block the elevator door from closing as he appears to talk to Saweetie, who after several more moments finally steadies herself and limps off, clearly shaken.

Getting to the bottom of things: Police officers want to learn what occurred before and after the incidents captured on camera

Sources on both sides say that the altercation happened last year, months before their breakup was revealed earlier this month.

Saweetie confirmed the pair had split on March 19th via social media, suggesting the Motorsport rapper cheated as she told fans she's 'endured too much betrayal.'

'I'm single. I've endured too much betrayal and hurt behind the scenes for a false narrative to be circulating that degrades my character.' The Icy Girl hitmaker wrote.

'Presents don't band aid scars and the love isn't real when the intimacy is given to other women.'

'I emotionally checked out a long time ago and have walked away with a deep sense of peace and freedom,' she went on in another post.

'Excited for this new chapter of elevation [Folded hands.]'

'Too much betrayal': She hinted that the Migos star had been unfaithful in tweets

Tense: Quavo responded to Saweetie's posts by going on the offensive as he took to Twitter later Friday

High road: Saweetie took the high road as she quote retweeted the post with 'Take care'

Quavo responded to Saweeties posts by going on the offensive as he took to Twitter later Friday to post: 'I had love for you and disappointed you did all that. You are not the woman I thought you were. I wish you nothing but the best [prayer hands emoji]'

Saweetie took the high road as she quote retweeted the post with: 'Take care.'

The duo sparked breakup rumors when they unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed the brunette beauty unfollowed the Hannah Montana rapper first, before Quavo returned the favor.

Adding fuel to the fire, Saweetie later gave an interview in which she declared 'I don't like liars' but refused to confirm who she was referring to.

Unfollowed: The couple are no longer following one another on Instagram

During an interview with Justin LaBoy on the Respectfully Justin YouTube channel, Saweetie was asked about the most disrespectful thing a man had done to her.

She responded: 'He break your heart... it's the last straw...' but would not be drawn on who the man was.

'I think it's lying. It's the principle, I don't like liars.' she added.

The pair's romance began on Instagram in 2018 when he DM-ed her a snowflake emoji referencing her 2017 hit, ICY GRL.

I told her, "You an icy girl, you need a glacier boy,"' Quavo (born Quavious Marshall) said in the August edition of GQ.

Saweetie replied: 'And I sent him the stir-fry [emoji] back' referencing Migos' 2017 hit song.
MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI  If last weekends walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Muskegon is any indication, demand will rise dramatically as eligibility opens to everyone beginning Monday.

The clinic held at Muskegon Community College on Saturday, March 27, initially was targeted at those age 60 and over. But when that age group didnt show up in numbers expected, the clinic was opened to all age groups.

And that was when the rush began, according to Kathy Moore, public health director for Muskegon County.

So many people flocked to the clinic, that it had to stop letting anyone else in nearly three hours before it was scheduled to end, Moore said. More than 1,200 doses were administered that day.

Starting Monday, April 5, anyone age 16 and older is officially eligible for the vaccinations, for which only those age 50 and over or with health conditions have been eligible.

And while the Muskegon County health department isnt planning any walk-in clinics in the coming week, any future ones will still fast track those who are age 60 and older with separate waiting lines, Moore said.

The vaccines effectiveness in preventing the coronavirus is evident in the numbers of new cases in Muskegon County. Just 10 of the 279 new cases that were reported in the last week were among people age 70 and older, who have been able to register for the vaccine for weeks.

Nearly 75 percent of Muskegon County residents age 65 and older had at least one dose of vaccine as of Tuesday, March 30, according to state figures.

Most new cases in the past week were among individuals under age 20, with 55 new cases, and those in their 40s, also with 55 new cases, according to Public Health  Muskegon County figures.

There were 48 new cases among those in their 20s and an equal number of new cases among those in their 30s, the figures show. Another 53 were reported among those in their 50s and 24 cases among those in their 60s.

The test positivity rate has crept up to an average of 13.4 percent between March 23-29, according to state figures. That compares to 6.9 percent the prior week.

Moore said she believes much of that higher rate is due to fewer people being tested  and when they are, its because they have symptoms or have been in contact with someone infected with the virus.

Hospitalizations at Mercy Health in Muskegon have been stable. There were 17 hospitalized, three of them in intensive care, on Monday, March 29, according to state figures. That compares with 16 hospitalized and three in intensive care a week earlier.

Overall, 36 percent of Muskegon County residents age 16 and older, or 50,122 people, had received at least one dose of vaccine as of Tuesday, according to state figures. Statewide, that figure was 34 percent.

Those who are interested in receiving a vaccine should register at multiple sites by visiting vaccinatewestmi.org.

A West Michigan vaccine clinic hosted by Spectrum Health at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids has been vaccinating thousands of people  as many as 12,000 -- per day. The clinic operates by appointment only. Patients can now self-schedule online at www.spectrumhealth.org/wmvaccineclinic. To set up an appointment for someone ages 16 or 17 or for people who need special assistance, please call 833-755-0696. A parent or guardian must accompany minors.

RELATED: DeVos Place vaccine clinic opening eligibility to everyone 16 and older

The Muskegon County health department is planning to bring vaccination clinics to local manufacturing facilities in the next week, Moore said.

As of Wednesday, March 31, the county has had a total of 10,997 cases of COVID-19, according to health department figures. Its total deaths are 299, with one death reported in March.

Ottawa County had 24,880 total cases and 357 deaths as of Wednesday, according to the Ottawa County Health Department.

Oceana County had 1,935 total cases and 48 deaths as of Wednesday, according to the District Health Department No. 10. It had 136 active cases on Wednesday.

Experiencing a surge in cases are Newaygo County with 415 active cases and a cumulative total of 3,119, and Wexford County, with 509 active cases and a cumulative total of 1,863, the District 10 health department reported.

Also on MLive:

States of emergency in Muskegon being called so virtual meetings can continue

Michigan casino offers $20 in free slot play to guests vaccinated against COVID-19

Racist or cancel culture satire? Muskegon County commissioners Facebook posts create debate
OTTAWA, ON, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - On April 1, 2021, the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council (CAPC) met for its 20th time, this time virtually. CAPC members were joined by the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Honourable Vic Fedeli, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and M. Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec's Minister of Economy and Innovation. This occasion also marked the transition to the new co-chairs Rob Wildeboer, Executive Chairman of Martinrea and Jean Marc Leclerc, President and CEO of Honda Canada. Mr. Wildeboer and Mr. Leclerc replace Don Walker following his well-deserved retirement from Magna. We would like to thank Mr. Walker for his leadership and dedication to Canada's automotive manufacturing sector and to CAPC.

Much has changed since CAPC last met in April 2020 which was focused on the proper response to the pandemic. The global pandemic has impacted all facets of our day-to-day lives, and just like many other meetings CAPC has gone virtual for 2021. While the forum has changed, the meeting still provided CAPC the opportunity to discuss the challenges encountered over the past year, and look forward to embracing the transformation toward electrification in Canada's automotive manufacturing sector. During the meeting, members took stock of the impacts of COVID-19, the response to date and discussed how to move forward during uncertain times. The committee also discussed the transition to electrification, including developing a battery supply chain in Canada.

"While this year has been challenging on many fronts, the automotive sector is strong and resilient and we continue working with our members towards the common goal of strengthening the Canadian automotive sector, I believe our industry has been a leader in rebounding the economy, in workplace safety and in working with public policy makers," noted Rob Wildeboer, CAPC Co-Chair. CAPC's new Co-Chair, Jean Marc Leclerc had this to say: "I look forward to working with my fellow CAPC members as we work to build on Canada's strengths in innovation to bolster the Canadian auto manufacturing footprint while working towards our shared goals of environmental friendliness and trade with our continental colleagues."

"As Canadians are facing a challenging time, it is important for the Government of Canada, in partnership with the automotive industry, to look to the future. The Government is committed to helping the automotive industry transition towards cleaner and electrified vehicles by providing the tools, support and conditions necessary to become world leaders and advance Canada's climate change objectives," said Minister Champagne. "I look forward to working with CAPC members to continue supporting this important sector in Canada's economy."

"Our Government values the partnerships that we have with industry stakeholders like CAPC members to deliver key Ontario programs for the automotive sector," said Minister Fedeli. "Together, we can ensure long-term success and growth for our province's world-class automotive sector."

Background

The Canadian Automotive Partnership Council (CAPC) is an industry-led organization whose mandate is to address the key competitiveness issues facing the Canadian automotive industry. Membership comprises the CEOs of Canada's five automotive assemblers, leaders of Canada's leading parts suppliers, representatives from labour, academia, and aftermarket and dealer associations, as well as federal, Ontario and Quebec industry ministers. Yesterday's meeting was chaired by the Co-Chairs of CAPC, Rob Wildeboer, the Executive Chairman of Martinrea International Inc., and Jean- Marc Leclerc, President and CEO of Honda Canada Inc.

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

For further information: Canadian Automotive Partnership Council: Mr. Neil Forster, Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Development, Martinrea International Inc., [email protected]; John Bordignon, Brand Communications, Honda Canada, 905-888-4297; Government of Canada: Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]; Government of Ontario: Rebecca Bozzato, Minister Fedeli's Office, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/icgc.nsf/eng/home


A woman receives the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Seoul, April 1. AP



South Korea on Thursday began administering COVID-19 vaccines to members of the general public aged 75 or above and other virus-vulnerable groups as the country accelerates its nationwide inoculation campaign.



Some 3.5 million people aged 75 and older began getting vaccinated with U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. products, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.



It marks the first time that non-medical personnel and those who are not at long-term care facilities have been included in the country's nationwide vaccination campaign that began in late February.



The elderly population will first be given 500,000 Pfizer vaccines that are provided under a direct contract for 13 million people between the company and the Seoul government, the KDCA said.






 Up first: Anti-Semitism. Everyone knows the great historical riddle: how could Germany, the most educated nation in Europe, fall into such a vicious anti-Semitic frenzy? Thank goodness it could never happen here. Oh, waitturns out the more education you have in the U.S., the more likely you are to support authoritarian measures against faithful Jews. But BLM? Riot on, man!

Pretty sure we should be closing down graduate schools if were worried about bigotry and extremism. More at Tablet magazine.

 While were on the subject of religion this Easter week, were told that the country is becoming more secular, and shown this Gallup time series.

But heres the thing: the decline in church attendance is heavily skewed to so-called mainline denominations that have one big thing in common: theyve been overrun by the left in most cases. The Catholic church and evangelical denominations have seen much less decline in attendance over the last 50 years:

 Zach Goldberg strikes again. What these two charts show is that support for increased immigration has soared among liberals in recent yearsespecially white liberal Democrats.

 What happened in 1971? As you probably know, the left has been hopped up for a while now on income inequality, along with the related claim that middle class wages have stagnated since the early 1970s, after having risen steadily in the first two post-war decades. The left likes to blame this on tax cuts, but the supply-side revolution doesnt get going until the late 1970s and early 1980s. Yet 1971 appears to be the inflection point. Why? Investor John Mauldin has a nice slide deck going through aspects of the date; here are a few highlights from it:

One thing we know that happened in 1971 is that the U.S. went off the gold standard. Might that have anything to do with trends? The before and after charts sure look it meant something:

Are these inflections occurring after we abandoned the gold link purely coincidental? Maybe. Because there are other factors that also coincide roughly with 1971. Like the explosion in regulation, which increased the capital cost for each new job generated, which in turn put downward pressure on basic labor wages:

What else happened around 1970? Women started entering the workforce in much larger numbers. Compare these next two charts, which show a considerable gender gap in wage trends:

Black income was also rising steadily until about 1970, then stopped. Is there any relationship between this and the changing overall composition of the labor force, not with more women, but also higher rates of immigration that started in the late 1960s? These are questions that labor economists resolutely avoid exploring. Gee, I wonder why?

Meanwhile, Mark Perry strikes again:

 Lastly, a few stray charts for you to interpret on your own.

And finally. . .
Phuket Airport prepares for international visitors

PHUKET: Phuket International Airport has begun preparations to receive overseas visitors as the island strives to reinvigorate its tourism industry following the governments confirmation of relaxed quarantine conditions, effective today (Apr 1).

CoronavirusCOVID-19tourismVaccinetransport

By The Phuket News

Thursday 1 April 2021, 05:38PM

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew and Vice Governor Pichet Pananpong visited the X terminal today to oversee the extensive vaccination process of all staff, mandatory to install confidence to all overseas visitors.

Additionally, it was confirmed yesterday (Mar 31) that two flights from Germany will be arriving on the island this and next month as part of the international terminals reopening.

Non Klintha, Executive Vice President of Thai Airways International, revealed that the airline is opening two direct flights from Frankfurt to Phuket in April and May.

The flights are TG921 which will depart Frankfurt at 2:45pm local time on April 2 and arrive in Phuket at 7:10am the following day. The other flight, with identical timings, will be on May 7, arriving in Phuket on May 8. No details were released about the return flights from Phuket to Frankfurt at the time of the announcement.

It is hoped this will see the start of many other international flights coming into Phuket after the government officially reduced and modified the requirements for foreign visitors coming into the Kingdom.

The CCSA has now approved relaxed quarantine conditions for tourists who have been vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19 to visit Thailand from April 1, Phuket Airport General Manager Thanee Chuangchoo said yesterday.

We hope this will signal the start of tourists starting to return to Phuket and we are delighted to announce the international terminal at Phuket International Airport is now open as of 00:01am on April 1, he added.
[April 01, 2021] Berdon's Long Island Office Moves to 100 Jericho Quadrangle

NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to enhance its commitment to the Long Island market and its employees in the area, Berdon announced that they have moved their Jericho location to 100 Jericho Quadrangle, effective March 29, 2021. The new space will continue to complement the Firm's existing location in Manhattan and has been designed to adapt to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines as well as the future needs of the workforce  all workspaces are spaced 6 feet apart and collaboration centers, such as the conference rooms and huddle room, provide the ability to social distance while working together. "We are eager to welcome employees and clients to our new office. Our Long Island location has always been essential for many of the Firm's clients and staff who call Long Island home. Halfway between New York City and the Hamptons, and just two minutes off the Long Island Expressway, it's also the perfect location for clients to stop and meet with us, either on their way out to the Hamptons or back to the city," said Co-Managing Partner, Mark Bosswick, CPA, J.D., LL.M. "As we look to continue to enhance our service to clients and the Long Island market in general, our new space includes features that will result in efficiency and innovation to improve our client service and help attract and retain the best talent on Long Island and in the New York Metro market." The conference rooms are Wi-Fi-accessible and Zoom ready, so professionals can meet with clients as a team, wherever they are located. Incorporating these technology features will not only provide convenience and flexibility to the Firm's clients, but will also enhance Berdon's robust education and learning programsallowing teams to e-learn together, whether they are working in the same room, remotely, or in different offices. "It was crucial to include spaces in our new office that would provide opportunities for innovation and collaboration in the training of our people" said Stuart Kotler, CPA, J.D., Co-Managing Partner. "Continuing education has always been a top priority for the Firm, and as times change, we are committed to providing the technology and resources necessary to support our Education and Learning programs and maintain our reputation for technical excellence."



As the needs of employees and clients continue to evolve and become more complex, the addition of a huddle room, which features a high-top table around a computer monitor, provides Berdon's professionals the ability to develop innovative solutions in a collaborative and tech-friendly space. Additionally, the incorporation of modular workspaces provides the opportunity for COVID-safe collaboration in the office as more employees continue to return on a regular basis. "Although we are a 104-year-old firm in a historically traditional industry, we strive to always anticipate the current and future needs of our clients and personnel. As such, we worked diligently to incorporate design and technology features that will enhance the office experience for our team as well as facilitate superior service for our clients," says Chief Operating Officer, Rebecca Goodman-Stephens.

To support the expectation that more employees will have a hybrid work schedulepart remote and part in officeeach workstation has been equipped with a locker for employees to store individual items. This feature provides safety for the employees' personal items, while also supporting Berdon's clean desk policy. The lockers also serve as modulable seating and come with a seat cushion on top to allow for additional in-office collaboration with colleagues. The importance of work-life balance was also factored into Berdon's design of their new space, evidenced by the inclusion of a wellness room for employees to take time for their mental and physical health. The room contains a first-class massage chair in addition to an exercise bike and yoga equipment, which complements the fitness center already located in the building. This room also serves the needs of working moms by providing a comfortable and private space for nursing mothers. Mindful of the fact that the needs of employees have changed as a result of the pandemic, Berdon intentionally designed the space to be welcoming and inviting by incorporating glass walls in the offices to ensure the natural light from the floor to ceiling windows provides a bright and optimistic space for all employees throughout the office. The windows also have solar shades to reduce heat absorption and save energy in the warmer months. Additionally, the Firm utilized LEVEL 3 certified workstations, LED lighting, as well as appliances and materials qualifying for LEED credit to maximize air quality and reduce the office's environmental footprint. Lastly, Berdon will carry over its New York City office's employee inclusive decor by showcasing photographs from the Greater New York City area taken by employees themselves. The selected photographs are custom-framed and will hang throughout the office, with each photo accompanied by a brass plaque that identifies the local landmark as well as the employee photographer. About Berdon LLP Contact:

Bridget Doidge

212-699-6708

bdoidge@berdonllp.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/berdons-long-island-office-moves-to-100-jericho-quadrangle-301260593.html SOURCE Berdon LLP

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The official trailer for the upcoming Netflix film Things Heard And Seen was released on the streaming service's YouTube channel on Thursday.

The film, which stars Amanda Seyfried, centers around her character as she unleashes the sinister past of her family home.

The supernatural thriller was co-directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini and based on the 2017 novel All Things Cease To Appear by Elizabeth Brundage.

Big reveal: On Thursday, the official trailer for the upcoming horror-thriller Things Heard & Seen was posted to Netflix's YouTube account

The trailer begins with Seyfried, who portrays Catherine Clare, working on a painting in a church when she is suddenly interrupted by her husband George, played by James Norton.

Her spouse mentions that he has 'found the perfect house for us,' before the scene changes to a going-away party, where Seyfried's character expresses that she is unsure about the move but is willing to try for her husband.

The couple then takes up residence in a large house in upstate New York, and after a realtor notes that the place needs work, George forebodingly mentions that the 'bones' of the house are something to behold.

A series of shots are played in which the two are shown to have added a daughter to their family, and the pair are seen embracing in the house's barn, with Catherine telling her husband, 'I love it so much!'

Moving out: The trailer begins with the couple leaving New York City to move to an old house in the upper portion of the state

Leading roles: The upcoming feature stars Amanda Seyfried and James Norton, who portray Catherine and George Clare, respectively

Little piece of heaven: Although Catherine appears to be wary of the move, she eventually grows to like her new residence and tells her husband, 'I love it so much!'

After a tender moment is shown where the couple refers to each other as 'exceptional,' Seyfried's character comes across an old book and finds a page that reads 'damned,' which she reacts to with interest.

The next morning, Catherine visits the town's historical society and asks for information about the 'older homes in the area,' intending to find out more about the mystery she has just happened upon.

George is then shown at the local public library, where he shares a look of interest with Willis, portrayed by Natalia Dyer, although he later asks to keep a tense moment between himself and Eddy Lucks, played by Alex Neustaedter, private.

Afterward, Catherine is suddenly awoken by a dark bird crashing into her bedroom window, and on the following day George pays a visit to Floyd DeBeers, the role of which was filled by F. Murray Abraham.

Unfaithful: At one point, George is seen visiting a public library where he shares a look of romantic interest with Willis, portrayed by Natalia Dyer

Paranormal overtones: Norton's character is then seen paying a visit to Floyd DeBeers, played by F. Murray Abraham, who tells him, 'everything in the natural world has a counterpart in the spiritual realm'

The academic notes, 'everything in the natural world has a counterpart in the spiritual realm,' and Seyfried's character is shown reading a book entitled Heaven And Hell.

DeBeers pays a visit to the Clare residence, where George remarks that 'my wife is the true believer of the family,' and speaking with reference to her supernatural interests, 'you do not want to get her started on all of that stuff.'

The family is then shown experiencing what appears to be a paranormal occurrence, and when their radio does not cease playing static after Norton's character unplugs it, he smashes it on the ground.

Getting to the bottom of it: Catherine slowly becomes more invested in her paranormal interests as the trailer progresses, and her husband refers to her as 'the true believer of the family'

More and more: Seyfried's character begins to experience further supernatural occurrences in her house, which she struggles to deal with during the trailer's latter half

After Catherine is locked in her bathroom by an unseen force, she remarks, 'I'm starting to see things, and I'm scared to tell George about it.'

Her husband is then seen spending time at Willis' house, and while giving him a sultry look, she says, 'if you're coming in, shut the door behind you,' to which he gives an eager nonverbal response.

Seyfried's character speaks to what she believes is a ghost and asks it what it wants before Eddy is shown angrily chopping a log in half, after which a bloody axe is seen lying on a wooden floor.

Foreboding: At one point during the trailer, Eddy Lucks is seen chopping a log in half, after which a bloody axe is seen lying on a wooden floor

Emotionally wrecking: George's attraction to Willis becomes more apparent as the video moves along, and at one point they are seen getting close in her bedroom

While looking at a gold ring in her kitchen, Catherine is pushed back by what appears to be a hazy cloud, and she watches it slowly pass by her.

A rapid-fire montage of scenes is then shown, during which she screams in a snow-dusted field, kisses Eddy passionately, and is scared when George approaches her from behind.

The trailer's final scene shows Norton's character asking Catherine if anything is troubling her, to which she responds by looking straight at the camera and covering her mouth while slowly stepping backward.

Things Heard & Seen is currently set to be released on Netflix on April 29th.

Disorienting: The trailer's final portion includes a fast montage of scenes during which Catherine is seen screaming while kneeling alone in a field

Source material: The upcoming film is based on the 2017 novel Things Cease To Appear, written by Elizabeth Brundage
First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar took part in the 12th UNESCO information meeting on the situation in the occupied Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

"Emine Dzheppar spoke about the continuing deterioration of the situation on the occupied peninsula. She drew attention to the destruction of the World Heritage sites, human rights violations and oppression of national minorities, restrictions on freedom of religion, suppression of independent media, violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian-occupation administration," the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs.

The First Deputy Minister pointed out the demographic changes carried out by the Russian occupation-administration through the resettlement of Russian citizens to the Crimean Peninsula, discrimination against Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar communities, and the systematic violation of their linguistic and cultural rights.

The meeting was also attended by UNESCO Assistant Director-General Firmin Edouard Matoko, representatives of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the OSCE, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Amnesty International and UNESCO member states.

During the event, Permanent Delegate of Poland to UNESCO Magdalena Marcinkowska issued a joint statement on behalf of 30 UNESCO member states.

The statement condemns Russia's systemic repressive policies against media freedom, persecution of journalists, restrictions on access to religious institutions, and the militarization of educational, scientific, and cultural institutions. Delegations are concerned about reports of illegal archeological excavations, harmful conservation works and the illegal transfer of cultural property.

UNESCO member states call on Russia to ensure unhindered access of international human rights mechanisms to the territory of Crimea.

In addition, the statement emphasizes that UNESCO should continue to be guided by the provisions of UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/262 Territorial Integrity of Ukraine of 27 March 2014.

Dzheppar thanked the countries that supported the decision of the 210th session of the UNESCO Executive Board in January this year to continue UNESCO's monitoring of the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

The First Deputy Minister invited UNESCO member states to participate in the Crimean Platform summit and called on the organization to make a practical contribution to the implementation of the objectives of this international coordination mechanism.

As reported, the Crimean Platform is a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to improve the efficiency of the international response to the occupation of Crimea, respond to growing security challenges, step up international pressure on Russia, prevent further human rights violations, protect victims of the occupying power and to achieve the de-occupation of Crimea and its return to Ukraine.

The Crimean Platform is expected to operate at the level of heads of state and government, foreign ministers, in the dimension of inter-parliamentary cooperation and expert network.

The Crimean Platform is to be launched officially at an inaugural summit in Kyiv in 2021.

ol
A volunteer is injected with Vietnamese Covid-19 vaccine Covivac as part of its human trials, March 30, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

Vietnam wants to cooperate with India and Russia to develop Covid-19 vaccines and needs China's help to inoculate prioritized groups, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said.

He made the request at a Thursday meeting with Chinese ambassador Xiong Bo, Indian ambassador Pranay Verna, and minister counselor of the Russian embassy, Bublikov Vadim.

Long requested China to help with inoculating prioritized groups against Covid-19, including Vietnamese citizens who need to travel, work and study in China.

"We hope to receive documents from China to seek approval for its Covid-19 vaccine soon. Once the documents are properly received, the approval process should be done quickly within two weeks," he said.

Vietnam has reviewed its foreign vaccine approval process during emergencies, said Long, adding that it would help shorten administrative procedures for approval. The Vaccine and Biological Production Company No. 1 (Vabiotech) under the Ministry of Health is responsible for evaluating foreign production as well as Vietnam's own need for Covid-19 vaccines, said Long.

Pranay Verma said India was producing two types of Covid-19 vaccines, one for British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca, that is called Covishield, and the other produced by Indian biotech firm Bharat Biotech, called Covaxin. The registration documents for the latter have been submitted to the Vietnam's health ministry by medical company Duc Minh for approval, Verna said.

Long requested India to support Vietnam in the third phase human trials for its own Covid-19 vaccines. Currently, two Vietnamese Covid-19 vaccines, Nanocovax by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC and Covivac by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals, are undergoing human trials. Nanocovax entered the second phase last month, while Covivac began its first phase earlier this month.

Bublikov Vadim said Russia was willing to provide as well as cooperate with Vietnam in the production of Sputnik V, a Russian Covid-19 vaccine. Last week, Vietnam has approved Sputnik V for emergency use, with the Center for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals (Polyvac) negotiating to bring it into Vietnam.

Vietnam has received around 117,600 Covid-19 vaccine doses by AstraZeneca so far for its mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign, and over 48,000 Vietnamese have already received their first shots, mainly frontline workers in the pandemic fight. The country aims to secure around 150 million vaccine doses this year to cover 70 percent of its population.
As for the junior aides participation in tasks related to the book, he said, Every effort was made to ensure that no state resources were used in connection with this project.

To the extent an aide printed out a document, he said, it appears incidental.

Ms. DeRosa also had significant input on the July 6 report issued by the Department of Health, which basically cleared Mr. Cuomos administration of fault in its handling of nursing homes  discounting the impact of a March 2020 state memo that had asked such facilities to take in or readmit residents who had tested positive for the disease.

Critical changes had been made to the final version of the Health Department report, after concerns were raised about the data by Ms. DeRosa and a second Cuomo aide, Linda Lacewell, according to interviews and documents.

In two earlier drafts of the report, which were both reviewed by The Times, the second sentence said that from March 1, 2020, through June 10, 2020, there were 9,844 fatalities among NYS nursing home residents with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

The earlier drafts were written by Eleanor Adams, a top state epidemiologist, and Jim Malatras, a former Cuomo aide who now serves as chancellor of the State University of New York system. The 9,844 death total was far higher than the 6,432 nursing home deaths used in the states final report, which continued the states practices of omitting the deaths of nursing home residents who died at the hospital.

Mr. Azzopardi said the July 6 report was intended to examine whether the administrations policies contributed to increased deaths, and not be a full accounting of all nursing home residents who died. He added that the report had since been updated to include most out of facility deaths. It did not change the overall conclusions of the report, he said.

Mr. Cuomo, 63, has declined to confirm exactly how much he was paid for American Crisis, which was published by Crown Publishing Group in mid-October, just as a second wave of the coronavirus began to swell in New York.
Seeing is believing, especially when it comes to booking a meeting venue. Thats why Ventura County Coast in partnership with the California Hotel & Lodging Association launched a Clean + Safe Meeting and Event Guidelines virtual tour, turning real-life meeting and event space at the Ventura Beach Marriott into an immersive digital environment to show potential planners and travel industry professionals suggested safety protocols for future meetings and events. The 360-degree tour is available to view at http://venturacountycoast.com/safemeetings, along with a digital toolkit of resources.

California is the only state that is still limiting hotels and lodging properties from hosting meetings. Business meetings, trade shows and conventions are a major driver of California's broader tourism industry accounting for $66.1 billion in direct spending and 457,000 jobs in 2019, according to two October 2020 studies by Oxford Economics. The same studies also found California is losing $4.1 billion each month the state continues to delay safely reopening for meetings and events.

The demonstration is to garner support for the adoption of statewide meetings and events guidelines in order to get employees back to work and to boost the economic recovery of the region. Visitor spending brought $1.8 billion to Ventura County in 2019. Those revenues are now down more than 45 percent due to the pandemic.

We need to do everything possible to protect the 17,000 jobs and $57 million in local tax revenues that travel generated for our county prior to the pandemic, said Brian Tucker, Executive Director of the Ventura County Lodging Association (https://venturacountycoast.com/). With nearly half of spending coming from visitors who stay in hotels and other paid accommodations, functional meeting operations are essential to the economy.

Hotels are safe and prepared to resume individual meetings that will return thousands of employees to work, boost the economic recovery for the hospitality industry and replenish empty public coffers with much-needed tax revenues, said Lynn S. Mohrfeld, President and CEO of the California Hotel & Lodging Association (https://calodging.com/). California is the only state in the nation preventing business meetings at hotels, which harms our communities, our employees and our industry. Its time to safely reopen.

This interactive experience is the result of an industry collaboration made possible by the California Hotel & Lodging Association, the Ventura County Lodging Association and its city partners, Visit Camarillo, Visit Oxnard, Visit Ventura and Discover Port Hueneme.
A man died early Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle into a creek bed in Southeast Portland, police say.

Portland police responded about 1 a.m. to reports of a crash near Barbara Welch Road and 144th Avenue, where they found a motorcycle that had gone off the road and into a creek. Medics tried to save the motorcyclists life, but he died at the scene.

Investigators have not detailed the cause of the crash, though police said they dont believe any other vehicles were involved.

The motorcyclist has not been publicly identified.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
President Joe Biden's massive infrastructure package would be sure to buoy U.S. green tech and construction companies in a big way--but businesses may chafe at how he wants to pay for it all.

The proposal spans a range of infrastructure projects, including an expansion of broadband access, a boost for R&D funding on the order of $180 billion, and fixing the nation's crumbling roadways and bridges. It also calls for $2 trillion in corporate tax increases over 15 years to pay for it. Biden unveiled the proposal, dubbed the American Jobs Plan, at a trade school in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Democrats want to pass it by July 4.

"Two years ago, I began my campaign here in Pittsburgh, saying I was running to rebuild the backbone of America," said Biden. "And today, I return as your President to lay out the vision of how I believe we do that--rebuild the backbone of America."

Construction, Broadband, R&D.

That vision includes plenty of inducements for small businesses: Obvious beneficiaries include construction firms, which would be deployed to repair and modernize 20,000 miles of highways, roads, and main streets. And they would fix what the White House deems the 10 "most economically significant" bridges in the country.

The plan also calls for expanding broadband access across America--particularly in rural and underserved communities--which may help improve the efficacy of companies' ability to work outside of the nation's three main tech hubs: Boston, New York, and San Francisco. While Biden says he'll offer broadband subsidies for low-income households, he notes that the solution is only temporary. He'd also work with Congress to reduce internet-access prices for all Americans.

The biggest benefit for startups includes the establishment of grant and incentive programs for state and local governments and the private sector to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2030. The president would also invest $180 billion in research and development. Among other things, the R&D effort would beef up America's research infrastructure, which would be allocated across the federal agencies, including the Department of Energy. The plan also notes that half of those funds will, importantly, be reserved for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions, including the creation of a new national lab focused on climate that will be affiliated with an HBCU.

The Tax Bill.

Of course, paying for all of these projects is another story--and one that remains unclear. On Wednesday, Biden noted that this infrastructure plan would work alongside his still-forthcoming Made in America Tax Plan, which is expected to hew closely with his campaign proposals.

On the campaign trail, Biden called for rolling back many of the tax cuts authorized under Donald Trump's key legislative achievement: the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. Specifically, Biden would revise the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent. Prior to the TCJA, the top corporate tax rate was 35 percent. And he'd reset the top individual bracket to 39.6 percent, from 37 percent, for those with incomes above $400,000. That could directly affect pass-through entities like limited liability companies and S Corps.

Biden may also favor letting various tax incentives for businesses expire. To name two: The research-and-development tax credit, which in 2022 requires businesses to amortize expenses over five years rather than doing so immediately, as is the current case. And full expensing for short-term business investments will begin phasing out in 2023.

There's also the section 199A qualified business income deduction, which Biden has said he'd want to phase out for taxpayers with incomes over $400,000. That provision, oft referred to as the "pass-through deduction," allows certain types of businesses to deduct up to 20 percent of their qualified business income--that is, money generated through the normal course of running an active business.

Altogether, the tax hits will be painful for many businesses, says Karen Kerrigan, president of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, a nonpartisan advocacy group in Vienna, Virginia. "Raising taxes on corporations may have some appeal with the public, but SBE Council will remind Biden Administration officials that most C Corps are small businesses--84.8 percent having fewer than 20 employees."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Promising news from Pfizer and BioNTech about coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine trials in adolescents may lead to really big and important changes in New York City schools this fall, one of the citys top doctors said in a recent report.

To be quite frank, I literally almost dropped my phone when I saw how impressive the data was, Dr. Jay Varma, the mayors senior health adviser, told Chalkbeat. Its amazing and incredibly important news.

The makers of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine recently announced results of a Phase 3 trial in children aged 12 to 15 that showed the shot produced antibody responses and did not cause serious side effects. None of those who received the vaccine tested positive for COVID-19. In the placebo group, there were 18 cases. The trial included 2,260 young people, the announcement said.

Its probably too late to count on a vaccine for children for the rest of this school year, Varma told Chalkbeat, blaming the timeline required for getting the shot approved, and the lags between the necessary two doses needed to reach full vaccine efficacy.

Varma cautioned that it will still take time to get full results from the trials and to understand what they will mean for returning to classrooms, but said the preliminary findings open the possibility of a much different school year, come September.

We are looking, I think, probably more at the summer for us to really accrue the benefits, kind of as a whole society and then, of course, as it relates to our schools, he told Chalkbeat. But absolutely, this is really tremendous news, and it may have a really important impact on what happens with school protocols in the fall.

Currently, New York City is working to bring back more full-time remote learners into school buildings during a new opt-in period amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the president of the citys largest teachers union said he has concerns about the new social distancing guidelines for schools released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The citys new opt-in period began after recent CDC guidelines were changed to allow for students to be spaced more closely in classrooms, so long as everyone is wearing masks.
MARCH 31, 2021

MY FELLOW CITIZENS:

I am concerned about the recent developments in Maryland County. I have been informed of the gruesome killing of a young man in Harper City, Maryland County recently. Although a suspect was apprehended by the police and incarcerated pending subsequent investigation in accordance with due process of law, we have seen residents of Harper City, as well as Pleebo City, take to the streets to protest the killing. Some of them have engaged in wanton acts of destruction against private property and public facilities, including the burning down of police stations and other Government buildings.

I would like to assure the people of Maryland County that this killing has claimed the urgent attention of the Government, and will be thoroughly, promptly and fully investigated. The perpetrators will face the full weight of the law.

Meanwhile, I admonish the residents of Maryland County not to take the law into their own hands, but to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding, so that the criminal justice system can take its course. Any grievances should and must be channeled through the legal process, as Government will not condone lawlessness and violence at any time and from anyone.

In order to keep the peace, and to ensure that law and order prevails, a curfew is hereby imposed throughout Maryland County from tomorrow, April 1, 2021, from 6:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. until otherwise ordered. This curfew will be strictly enforced by the police, who will be supported by the Joint Security Forces. All residents of Maryland County are advised to take heed and govern themselves accordingly.

I thank you.

May God Bless Liberia.
India's technology services industry could accelerate growth by 2-4 per cent over the next five years, reaching $300-350 billion in annual revenues, said a Nasscom report on Wednesday.

This will require closer collaboration among stakeholders across the private sector, academia, and the government, said the report titled "Future of Technology Services -- Winning in this decade."

The technology services sector now produces about 27 per cent of India's exports and provides livelihoods to about 44 lakh people, Nasscom said.

Fuelling over 50 digital initiatives across sectors like banking and finance, healthcare, governance, etc, the technology services industry continues to be a prime driver of India's digital dream with a contribution of 8 per cent to the overall economy.

With the ongoing pandemic and the pace at which almost every sector has accelerated their digital transformation journeys, the increasing cloud consumption and other digital services like Artificial Learning (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are making way for the digital and cloud services.

Coupled with cybersecurity and IoT digital spending, the technology services are expected to reach $300-350 billion in revenue by 2025, according to the report.

"The Indian Technology services sector can utilise the potential of deep technologies like cloud, artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, etc., through effective transformational practices, thereby contributing to the overall economy in the coming decade," Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh said in a statement.

"The government needs to encourage and support digital literacy and skilling to ensure its talent, energy, imagination, knowledge, and unmatched commitment unites to address the customers' surging needs."

The next decade will continue to witness growth in technology spend -- primarily driven by the rise of technology natives and digital reinventors, new tech-enabled business models like ecosystems, direct-to-stakeholder channels and a rise in demand for Digital 2.0 accelerated by the industrialisation of cloud, AI and cybersecurity, Nasscom said.
JinkoSolar PV Vietnam will be the first smart factory in JinkoSolar's global network

The certificates for JinkoSolar PV Vietnam were handed over at a ceremony attended by Quang Ninh dignitaries and representatives of the investor and the industrial park (IP).

JinkoSolar Hongkong invests in photovoltaic cell technology project in Quang Ninh

JinkoSolar PV Vietnam will be constructed on a 32-hectare plot in Song Khoai IP in Quang Yen Economic Zone, Quang Ninh. It is projected to create employment for 2,244 local employees.

Huang Xin Jing, project director of JinkoSolar Hong Kong, said at the ceremony that the new facility will be the third factory in JinkoSolars global operations and will be its very first smart factory, using all-new imported production lines, machinery, and equipment.

"To continue expanding production, JinkoSolar's survey panel has visited Vietnam twice since October 2020 and conducted surveys in more than 20 provinces and 30 industrial zones. Eventually, we chose Song Khoai IP for our new production facility in Vietnam, he said.

He also lauded the swift and efficient support of Quang Ninh authorities even during the Lunar New Year holiday. Thanks to these efforts, the project is on schedule to break ground by the end of April and officially start commercial operations at the end of October.

Meanwhile, Bui Van Khang, Vice Chairman of Quang Ninh People's Committee, expressed pride that the JinkoSolar project was the fastest project to receive an investment and business registration certificate. The application documents were approved within 48 hours after submission.

Once operational, JinkoSolar PV Vietnam will generate VND29.7 trillion ($1.3 billion) in annual revenue and contribute VND873 billion ($37.96 million) to the state coffers after tax incentives, resulting in an annual after-tax profit of VND3.93 trillion ($170.87 million).

JinkoSolar Hong Kong is one of the largest manufacturers of solar panels in the world, with a leading global market share of 12.6 per cent in 2019.

With the expected production capacity of 1.2 billion USD / year, this FDI project will contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Quang Ninh province in the near future. Amata Group will work closely with Jinko Solar investor to put all the efforts to fulfill the proposed plan and look forward to receive the support of Quang Ninh province continously in the process of building and bringing the factory into operation. Amata Group committed to continue to keep looking and introduce more FDI investors into Song Khoai Industrial Park in Quang Ninh.
St. Georges Technical High School in southern New Castle County, Delaware is the first high school in the United States to use ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute's innovative CRISPR in a Box Educational Toolkit in a science class.

CRISPR in a Box brings to life the much-heralded CRISPR gene editing technology - the "genetic scissors" that allow scientists to edit DNA. The toolkit is designed for educational sessions in secondary and post-secondary schools and is suitable for remote learning.

"Gene editing is the future of medicine," said Eric Kmiec, Ph.D., director of ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute. "Our partnership with the Delaware Department of Education will help cultivate the next generation of genetic scientists and enhance Delaware's position as a leader in the biosciences."

"We are thrilled that students at St. Georges Technical High School will be the first In the United States to experience a live demonstration of CRISPR gene editing using our Innovative CRISPR in a Box educational toolkit," said Siobhan Hawthorne, Education and Community Outreach leader at ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute. "This toolkit will provide STEM students with a visual understanding of how the exciting CRISPR technology can unlock medical treatments to improve lives."

Delaware Secretary of Education Susan Bunting praised her department's partnership with ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute to develop the "Seeds of STEM" course that teaches high school students about gene editing.

"Gene editing approaches diseases in new ways and will have significant impact in the health care and agriscience fields," Bunting said. "This is a great example of an industry and education partnership investing in youth by providing hands-on knowledge and skills around emerging technology."

"We are so fortunate that ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute reached out to our program to plan a high school 'first' opportunity with this new CRISPR experiment," said Danya Espadas, one of the St. Georges biotech teachers. "Giving students the chance to use a cutting-edge, 21st century tool for medicine in their own high school lab - to have that technology at their fingertips - transcends what they see in a textbook or a video. By being able to do it themselves, it makes it real for them."

Espadas said the experiment focuses on editing a gene of a non-infectious E.coli bacteria to become resistant to an antibiotic, thereby allowing researchers to create a new class of antibiotics that cannot be overcome by bacteria that are gene resistant.

"We're talking about eventually saving lives, here," she said. "What can be more important than that?"

The tools in CRISPR in a Box have been designed based on the pioneering discoveries of the Gene Editing Institute that are currently being used to explore next-generation medical therapies and diagnostics for diseases, including lung cancer and sickle-cell anemia. Component items in the toolkit include the CRISPR/Cas complex, a target DNA molecule, a mammalian cell free extract and a synthetic DNA molecule.

All materials in the kit are safe, synthetic materials. There are no live cultures or viruses involved. The kit is meant to provide a hands-on demonstration of CRISPR's capabilities, and not allow for manipulations of living organisms.

"The kit is easy and fun to use," said Kristen Pisarcik, research assistant at the Gene Editing Institute who has taught students at Delaware Technical Community College which first used the toolkit. "In a short period of time students will reliably and successfully complete the laboratory activity and be able to see the results of gene editing," she said.

Since the foundations of the kit touch upon key themes in biology, it can be readily incorporated into practically any science or biology course with a laboratory component,

"One of the beauties of CRISPR in a Box is that there is no need to purchase specialized equipment. If a teaching lab can support bacterial cultivation, it can perform the in vitro gene editing lab activity," Pisarcik said.

CRISPR in a Box is the evolution of a partnership between the Gene Editing Institute, Delaware Technical Community College and Rockland Immunochemicals that began in 2017 with a National Science Foundation grant to develop the first-ever gene editing curriculum for community college students.

###

About ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute

The Gene Editing Institute, a worldwide leader in CRISPR gene editing technology and the only institute of its kind based within a community health care system, takes a patient-first approach in all its research to improve the lives of people with life-threatening disease. Since 2015, researchers at the Gene Editing Institute have been involved in several ground-breaking firsts in the field, including the development of the first CRISPR gene editing tool to allow DNA repairs outside the human cell which will rapidly speed therapies to patients and a unique version of CRISPR called EXACT that reduces the number of off-target edits to other areas of the genome, which is vital for further research and patient applications. Its researchers are currently developing a patient trial for lung cancer using CRISPR and employing the technology to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

About the biotech program St. Georges Technical High School

The Biotech career program of study at St. Georges Technical High School is the first such program offered in a Delaware high school. With two teachers and approximately 100 students in grades 10-12, the program presents advanced content in biology and chemistry with opportunities for students to learn basic laboratory techniques and procedures and to maintain and operate common instruments and equipment used in a biotechnology laboratory. St. Georges is a comprehensive career and technical high school with 1,100 students who study in one of 16 different career pathways.
(Natural News) The United States met with communist China for a diplomatic talk in Anchorage beginning on March 18, and Zhao Lijian, Chinas foreign ministry, says there was a strong smell of gunpowder during the event.

Gunpowder, in case you are unfamiliar with the term, is a word used by Beijing to indicate that war is on its mind. It is also a propaganda term that China has been known to use to rile up its own population into a nationalist fervor.

By all appearances, China is readying for war with plans to divide the world along racial lines. The target, as usual, is white people, which China apparently hates and wants to extinguish.

China has apparently had the capabilities to wage war against its targets for quite some time, but is only now readying to use them because, according to Gordon G. Chang from the Gatestone Institute, America is in terminal decline.

Xi is serious, Chang writes, referring to Xi Jinping. In January, he told his fast-expanding military it must be ready to fight at any second.'

That month, the Partys Central Military Commission took from the civilian state Council the power to mobilize all of society for war. Militant states rarely prepare for conflict and then back down, Chang adds.

At the meeting, Chinas representatives showed aggression towards U.S. representatives. On the surface, the focus centered around speaking times and the Americans alleged breaches of their allotments. Underneath, the Chinese side appears to have been showing its card.

What this writer means by that is China basically signaled its intent to wage war against America. In many ways, the communist dictatorship already has with the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic which, despite what the media says, IS a product of China.

China also demonstrated aggression against American and Western culture, which maintains strong European influence. Western freedom cannot coexist with Chinese communism, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made that abundantly clear.

CCP behind white supremacy, Black Lives Matter propaganda

One of the latest Chinese assaults against the U.S. came in the form of a phony stop Asian hate campaign, which hinged upon the recent false flag shooting in Atlanta.

The alleged deaths of multiple Asian massage parlor workers triggered yet another media onslaught of anti-white racism, with some outlets calling for genocide against white people as the cure. This strong anti-white rhetoric is believed by some to stem from CCP influence as this enemy regime advances its war agenda against our nation.

China has also, in the past, railed against Western egotism and white supremacy, calling out the Trump administration for cutting ties with Huawei Technologies, the corrupt microchip maker that had been manufacturing parts for Americas 5G rollout.

President Donald Trump put a stop to that, which upset the Chinese communists so much that they ensured he lost the 2020 election. The CCP has also been stirring the pot of racial animosity throughout the country, recognizing that a divide-and-conquer approach to war has been successful all throughout history.

 Xi Jinping is in fact trying to remake the world order by leading the East in a civilizational struggle with the West,' Chang warns.

Xis conception of the world is abhorrent and wrong, but Americans do not have the luxury of ignoring him. They and others must recognize that in Xis mind, race defines civilization and civilization is the worlds new dividing line.

Chang is right: The communist Chinese threat against our country and way of life cannot be ignored, unless of course Americans are okay with committing cultural suicide. Once the culture is destroyed, it will become actual suicide as the CCP will certainly have its way with whatever remains after the fallout.

More of the latest news about CCP aggression against the U.S. can be found at Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

GatestoneInstitute.org

NaturalNews.com
ADVERTISEMENT

The police in Kano State have arrested a 40-year old man, Awaisu Auwalu, for allegedly beating his 19-year-old son, Auwalu Awaisu, to death with a stick.

The police spokesperson in the state, Abdullahi Haruna, said this in a video message he sent to journalists on Wednesday.

He said the incident happened on Saturday at Samegu Quarters in the Kano metropolis.

Mr Haruna said on receiving a report, the police had moved to the area and taken the youth to Murtala Muhammad Specialists Hospital where he died on Sunday morning.

He said the father accused his son of stealing in his shop.

The suspect is now under police custody. The commissioner of police, Samaila Shuaaibu Dikko, has directed the transfer of this case to CID at command headquarters, for further investigation.

He will be prosecuted as soon as investigation is completed.
An overstuffed closet is a daily frustration: sweaters falling off shelves, shoes that seem to disappear into a black hole, closets rods cluttered with so many hangers that squeezing even one more in requires herculean strength. So we force the door shut and try to ignore the problem, even as we accumulate more stuff.

But there is a solution  and it isnt just about getting rid of clothing. If you design your closet to suit your needs, you can maximize space and make your storage more functional.

A closet should never be an afterthought, said Jessica Schuster, an interior designer in New York. Your clothes are an important of your identity and how you present yourself to the world, so I always try to create a space that feels like its an extension of the home.

Of course, thats easier said than done. Maximizing closet space can be so challenging that even professional interior designers like Ms. Schuster sometimes call on specialized closet designers or organization experts to help. There are some amazing systems and organization tips and tricks these people can teach you, she said. Ive learned a lot.
DENVER (AP)  Cody Bellinger hit a homer  and was called out before he could finish his trot.

An honest mistake on a bizarre play for Bellinger, Justin Turner and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in their season opener Thursday against the Colorado Rockies.

Bellinger lined what appeared to be a two-run homer to left-center in the third inning  a ball that hit off the glove of outfielder Raimel Tapia and bounded over the fence.

Turner was on first base at the time and believed the ball was caught. He retreated back to the bag, and Bellinger passed him in the confusion, prompting umpires to call him out. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts briefly came out of the dugout to discuss the call.

Turner was allowed to jog home, and Bellinger was officially credited with a single and an RBI  but no home run. The 2019 NL MVP remains at 123 career homers.

Rockies second baseman Chris Owings was given a putout because he was closest to the play.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
By Kang Seung-woo



Amid declining approval ratings for President Moon Jae-in especially following public anger over property speculation scandals involving public officials, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and its candidates running in next week's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections are keeping the Moon administration at arm's length, with some even criticizing its policy failures including its real estate drive.





Park Young-sun, right, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul's mayoral by-election, poses for a selfie with a voter while campaigning at Hapjeong Station on Seoul Metro lines 2 and 6, Thursday. Yonhap

This trend of erasing any vestiges of an unpopular state leader among the ruling side is raising speculation that they would accelerate Moon's descent into a "lame-duck" presidency after the April 7 by-elections. Moon's term is scheduled to end in May 2022.



According to a Gallup Korea survey last week, Moon's approval rating dropped to its lowest point at 34 percent, along with the highest disapproval rating at 59 percent, due mainly to his administration's poor real estate policy that has failed to curb skyrocketing housing prices across the nation.



As a result, the so-called "Moon Jae-in marketing," an election strategy used by the ruling camp in previous elections on the back of his high approval ratings, has vanished into thin air.



"We will look back on whether the government and the ruling party lived up to the public's hopes of building a better country and establishing justice and fairness in our society," Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the DPK said during a press conference, Wednesday. Lee, the first prime minister of the Moon administration, is currently co-chairing the party's election committee for the by-elections.





Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, center, bows after a press conference at the National Assembly, Seoul, Wednesday. He said his party would look back on their policies and activities that may have failed to meet public desire to build a better country. Yonhap
Meet the auxiliary police officer in E China's Zhejiang who can speak eight languages

People's Daily Online) 15:45, April 01, 2021

Shasha knocks on residents doors while speaking various foreign languages during her visits to their homes. (Photo/Xinhua)

Tursunnisa Rozimet, an Uyghur woman with the Chinese name Shasha, has a side hustle as an interpreter while working as an auxiliary police officer in Jiangdong neighborhood of Yiwu city, east China's Zhejiang province.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in English from Minzu University of China, Shasha worked as a factory worker, a teacher, an interpreter and a narcotics crimes investigator. Three years ago, she became an auxiliary police officer in the Jiangdong neighborhood.

With a registered population of over 300,000, a mobile population of about 600,000, over 10,000 residents from minority ethnic groups and 3,000 foreign businessmen, the neighborhood needs people like Shasha, who can speak eight foreign languages including Arabic, English, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Turkmen and Uzbek, to communicate with foreigners and ethnic minority residents.

In April 2019, the Jiangdong police station opened an office for Shasha so that she could better serve residents in need. Besides running errands on behalf of the residents and resolving neighborhood disputes, Shasha also serves as an interpreter for foreign investors.

She likens herself to a bridge linking together residents in the neighborhood who come from all across the globe. "I feel so blessed when I see people of different colors and from different countries communicating with each other without any barriers," she said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Joe Biden said that he was going to pay, partially, for his $2 trillion ten-year slush fund, supposedly for infrastructure, with $1 trillion in new taxes on corporations which will be collected over fifteen years.

According to CNBC:

President Joe Biden on Wednesday is unveiling his latest plan to boost the post-coronavirus economy  a $2 trillion infrastructure package called the American Jobs Plan. In it, the president calls for billions of dollars for transportation infrastructure, the care of elderly and disabled Americans, drinking water infrastructure, housing, manufacturing and job development and training. To raise the money to pay for it, Biden is proposing raising the corporate tax rate, cracking down on companies offshoring profits and eliminating tax breaks for some industries. With the tax increases, the measure would pay for itself in 15 years, and thereafter reduce deficits, according to the White House.

Does anyone have trouble recognizing that ten years doesn't match fifteen years?

Politicians of both parties throughout the country have paid current bills with borrowed funds, sometimes for very long periods. Then states and localities say they balanced their budgets. I wonder why there are so many budget problems! The solution is to always raise taxes higher.

That is like an individual or family who makes $50,000 spending $60,000 every year and running up credit card debt of $10,000 and saying his checkbook is balanced.

Economics isn't that tough. When you continually take a greater share of money from the private sector, they have less to spend throughout the economy. Hence the economy slows.

Why do we pay politicians and bureaucrats in D.C. such high salaries and benefits when they have the common sense and intelligence of a rock?

Jack Hellner is a certified public accountant.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the smugglers who dropped two toddlers over a border fence 'morally reprehensible', but declined to say what the administration is doing to combat the migrant surge.

Psaki said anyone who saw the video from US Customs Border and Protection of two children being dropped over the 14-foot high fence would be alarmed by it.

'Any of us who saw the video, were incredibly alarmed by the steps of smugglers ones that we have been quite familiar with that we've spoken out about our concerns, she said.

She went on to say 'the inhumane way smugglers abused children while profiting off parents' desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible. The president certainly agrees with that and these kids, I believe were rescued from by individuals who are working at the border.'

The girls were rescued by agents and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation.

But Psaki didn't say what the administration was doing to discourage such actions other than to reiterate the message that the border is closed.

Mexican smugglers have been caught on camera dropping two toddlers over a 14-foot-high border barrier into the US (pictured)

'I will say that our concern and our focus is on sending a clear message to smugglers, to the region, that this is not the time to come,' she said at her daily White House press briefing. 'You should not send your kids on this treacherous journey that these smugglers are preying on vulnerabilities in these communities.'

'There's a lot of issues and steps we need to address root causes, so of course our concern is for the safety of these kids, these border patrol agents who save these kids deserve our thanks and our gratitude,' she added.

The disturbing footage released by CBP Wednesday captures the moment two female toddlers from Ecuador, aged three and five, were dumped over the wall just west of Mt. Cristo Rey, near El Paso, Texas, Tuesday evening.

The CBP said the young children, who are sisters, had been mistreated and abandoned by human smugglers.

The girls are just two of the record 16,000 children who crossed the US-Mexico border in March.

Thousands of families and unaccompanied children have entered the US along its southern border since Joe Biden took office and vowed to make immigration rules more 'humane'.

However, the influx has led to a bottleneck at custody centers with migrants penned in to facilities that are at around 1,700 percent capacity while smugglers in Mexico are making a living off exploiting migrants heading north to the US.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the smugglers caught on camera dropping two toddlers over a fence at the border 'morally reprehensible'

Cameras set up along the border caught the moment two smugglers dropped the children from the roughly 14-foot high border barrier under the cover of darkness.

An adult was seen on the Mexico side dangling the first child over the US side before letting go, leaving her to fall to the ground below.

The smuggler repeats this with the second child before they are seen instantly running away from the area with another smuggler back into Mexico.

The CBP said the children were left vulnerable to the desert elements on the ground but were luckily spotted by the camera operator who alerted Santa Teresa agents.

The agents hunted for the children and found them, taking them to a local hospital for 'precautionary reasons and further evaluation', the CBP said.

The two sisters were then medically cleared and taken to a temporary Border Patrol facility.

El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said she was 'appalled' seeing the way the smugglers 'viciously dropped' the toddlers.

'I'm appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night.

Disturbing footage released by US Customs Border and Protection Wednesday captures the moment two female toddlers from Ecuador, aged three and five, were dumped over the wall just west of Mt. Cristo Rey, near El Paso, Texas, Tuesday evening

The girls, who were rescued by agents and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation, while the two smugglers ran away

'If not for the vigilance of our Agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours,' said Chavez.

'We are currently working with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and attempting to identify these ruthless human smugglers so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.'

The shocking incident came just two weeks after a Texas rangers and Border Patrol agents were forced to rescue a six-month-old baby from the Rio Grande river after smugglers threw the infant to die in the waters.

The horrific incident unfolded back on March 16 in Roma, Texas, after the infant's mom was assaulted and left with a broken leg by a group of smugglers in Mexico, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The mother had paid smugglers $3,500 to take her and her baby across the Rio Grande river that borders Mexico and the US, reported KVEO.

Texas DPS Lt. Christopher Olivarez said she had been waiting to cross from Mexico to the US since December and was finally placed on a raft with 67 other adults and 150 children on March 16.

During the journey, one of the smugglers then threw her baby from the raft into the water.

Meanwhile a mom was assaulted and her six-month-old baby was tossed off a raft into the Rio Grande river where six other migrants drowned. Pictured a member of the South Texas Special Operations Group of the Texas Rangers holding the child after it was pulled from the water

The South Texas Special Operations Group, Texas Rangers Division was assisting US border patrol agents at the time.

They spotted the incident and managed to save the infant from the water.

The baby survived and its mother was also rescued from the smugglers.

Olivarez said they were reunited and are now 'safe' in Border Patrol custody.

Authorities shared a photo of a member of the South Texas Special Operations Group of the Texas Rangers holding the child after it was pulled from the water.

This week, at least six migrants reportedly found drowned in the Rio Grande river after trying to make the perilous journey toward the US.

The bodies of six migrants were found in a shallow, narrow part of the river by Eagle Pass Tuesday night, according to Newsmax.

Eagle Pass, Texas. Another shallow, narrow part of the Rio Grande. An Eagle Pass police officer tells me they found 6 bodies right around here earlier tonight pic.twitter.com/Nto1hD8Z3s  Logan Ratick (@Logan_Ratick) March 31, 2021

The bodies of six migrants were found in a shallow, narrow part of the river by Eagle Pass Tuesday night, according to Newsmax

A family of migrants cross the Rio Bravo river in El Paso, Texas, from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday

Thousands of families and unaccompanied children have entered the US along its southern border in recent weeks

Central American migrants cross the Rio Bravo in an attempt to get from Ciudad Juarez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, to El Paso, Texas, Tuesday

Migrants are detained by a US Border Patrol agent after crossing the Rio Bravo river from Mexico

The horrifying incidents reveal the dangers facing migrants as they try to make their way into the US from Mexico, given both the perilous conditions crossing the rivers on cramped rafts and the dangers of trusting smugglers.

The Mexican government last week vowed it was limiting nonessential travel on the Guatemala border, shutting down migrant crossings and deploying security forces to clampdown on the flow of migrants from Guatemala into the country before people head north into the US.

But the reality is smugglers make a living off passing migrants entering Mexico, passing through the country and crossing into the US.

Around 16,000 minors have crossed the US-Mexico border in March, with 5,767 children in CBP custody on Sunday, according to CBP data.

Additionally, there are 11,886 children in the custody of Health and Human Services, meaning the Biden administration has more than 17,500 children in custody.

On Tuesday, the Biden administration finally allowed journalists inside the Donna facility in Texas for the first time, after weeks of shutting the media out and releasing their own photos.

It revealed more than 4,000 migrants, including children and families, crammed into pods with the facility now at 1,700 percent capacity.

Media were allowed in to see the border facilities on Texas this week, with shocking scenes like the one above at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility (file photo)

Children are being crammed into the at the shelters like the one above, the Donna Department of Homeland Security, for weeks on end after a huge increase in March in the number of unaccompanied migrants

Border guards say 14 per cent - roughly one in seven - of the migrant children have tested positive for COVID while photos also show detainees being treated for lice, amid fears of an outbreak.

Two thousand children have already overstayed their 72-hour legal limit and at least 39 have been stuck in the cramped quarters for two weeks.

US border officials estimate that up to 184,000 unaccompanied migrant children could arrive at the US-Mexico border this year, according to internal government data reviewed by Reuters.

If accurate, it would be higher than any other year on record since 2010, when CBP began to fully track apprehensions of unaccompanied children.

The next-highest annual total occurred during a spike in 2019 under Donald Trump when around 76,000 unaccompanied children were taken into custody at the border.
Members of Women In Business smile for a photo at the San Marcos River Clean-Up, Saturday, March 6 2021.
BURTON, MI  The pastor of a local church in Genesee County is on a mission to help those experiencing hard times such as homelessness.

A bus might be the solution.

In Vero Beach, Florida, theres a 45-foot overnight emergency shelter on wheels that features 20 sleep pods with curtains and a bathroom. Its called the Dignity Bus.

The bus has been an effort over several years, spearheaded by Anthony Zorbaugh, executive director for The Source, a Christian outreach ministry based in Florida, but the bus officially opened its doors to people of Indian River County in mid-March.

Zorbaugh touts the bus as the first mobile emergency center in the country, which was originally a Greyhound bus.

Affordable housing where were at in South Florida is just nonexistent, Zorbaugh said, noting it was one of the main factors that compelled him to find a solution for those experiencing homelessness.

In June 2020, Kyle Bailey, senior pastor of CenterPoint Church, formerly Faith Tabernacle, in Burton, had just moved to the area from Florida with his wife Amanda and their children.

Bailey and Zorbaugh have been friends for quite some time. Before the pastor left Florida he sat on the board for The Source.

About a month ago, Zorbaugh visited the church to give a presentation about the bus and how it operates.

Bailey is now considering implementing a mobile emergency shelter for the Flint area.

He said hes really sensitive to the type of ministry that Jesus did where he was often trying to help with people that had gone through a tremendous amount of pain.

The pastor added he and his wife, Amanda, who is the worship pastor for the church, see Flint and other areas throughout Genesee County as a place that has been through a lot but has not been forgotten about by God.

The Dignity Bus seems to be really a feasible solution for providing more space for people who dont have a way to get out of the elements, Bailey said.

He added the bus transformed by his friend cost about $80,000. In comparison to a facility housing those experiencing homelessness, theres a couple hundred thousand dollars difference.

I think its an economical way, but I also think that its unique and catches peoples eye when they see it, Bailey said.

There are almost no requirements to get a nights rest on the bus, according to Zorbaugh. Those interested in staying the night in the shelter are required to pay $2 per night for their pod or $50 for a months stay.

The Source also has a program called Dignity Market where people can come do work around the building and earn Dignity bucks to purchase things such as new bicycle, gas or a one night stay on the bus, which equals $40 Source dollars.

A safe place for someone to sleep at night - when you look at the hierarchy of human needs, I mean, having a place to sleep is at the very basic level and we just want to make that available to people, Bailey said.

Those experiencing homelessness goes across the board and isnt limited to one specific type of people, he added.

Over the winter months, Bailey held a blanket drive at the church to accommodate people who had to sleep in the cold.

He added some of the warming shelters in the area that would normally help more people could not because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Its just not acceptable for us, Bailey said. We really want to see more and more solutions provided to meet that basic human need.

The pastor said hes at an early stage of planning that involves exploring the logistical and administrative aspects of the bus.

Read more on MLive:

Flint announces program to help homeless resolve traffic fines, warrants and more

Flint hotel could be emergency quarantine for homeless with coronavirus

Mid-Michigan homeless say shelters still a blessing amid coronavirus crisis

Tiny Homes Initiative coming to Flint with help from singer Rihanna
KY 2151 Closure Today in Graves County

By West Kentucky Star Staff

GRAVES COUNTY - Starting today, drivers in northern Graves County are advised of a two-week closure of KY 2151 between KY 139 and White Mountain Road.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says the road will be closed at 8 a.m. to allow a culvert that carries a branch of Mayfield Creek to be replaced.The roadway is expected to reopen to traffic on Friday, April 16.
[April 01, 2021] Tag Americas Introduces Tag Canada, Toronto-based Creative Production Hub

NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ -- Tag Americas, the global creative production partner to brands and agencies, announces today the complete integration of THP into the Tag brand. With this integration, THP formally becomes Tag Canada, offering on-demand, custom social media content and community management solutions at scale for brands across vertical markets, along with niche test kitchen and recipe development capabilities for culinary brands. "We are thrilled to have Tag Canada, located in Toronto, as a creative production hub for Tag Americas, joining our New York, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Mexico City operations to offer our clients expanded content creation, production and social media marketing solutions in the Americas," explains Ajit Kara, CEO Tag Americas. "The strategic acquisition of THP in 2018 supports our business objective to continually evolve to meet client and market needs, and right now, brands are highly focused on the digital and social media marketing that we provide." Tag Canada's social media content creation and community management offering complements Tag'screative production and sourcing solutions, providing brands and agencies with exceptional creative, and efficient, on-demand delivery models. Content includes campaign creation, photography, graphic design and video, along with social media strategy development, community management and social listening and analytics. The test kitchen, also located in the Toronto production hub, is the pillar of Tag Canada's F&B marketing division, a niche creative offering to help food and beverage companies create, test and market recipe-based content.



"THP revolutionized the way brands were able to purchase creative content and social media solutions. With our full integration into the Tag family, THP is now a part of a true end-to-end creative production offering on a global scale," says Andrea Flanders, General Manager for Tag Canada. "We couldn't be more excited to bring our two incredible teams and offerings under the Tag name, as we continue together as leaders in the marketing industry." Ask how Tag can help with your marketing production needs.

About Tag Tag is a leading end-to-end global creative production and sourcing partner. As production and sourcing specialists, we offer a complementary skillset to in-house teams and advertising agencies to bring to life, extend and deploy creative ideas. Media Contact: Ann Jonas, ann.jonas@tagww.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tag-americas-introduces-tag-canada-toronto-based-creative-production-hub-301256579.html SOURCE Tag

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The details on COVID-19 at-home testing are changing, and in a way that could have a major impact on our ability to deal with the pandemic. The FDA has now authorized multiple rapid tests for over the counter use (meaning, without a prescription or doctor pre-approval) to screen people who don't have symptoms of the disease. According to the FDA, "The addition of the OTC and POC tests for screening will give schools, workplaces, communities and others several options for serial screening tests that are accurate and reliable."

The first tests cleared for at-home screening are the Quidel QuickVue and Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test. They had already received authorization for testing of people who already show symptoms, but now they're approved to do routine screening on a regular basis of people who don't show any symptoms. They can also be used to get negative results before people return to school or work and are around others.

And this today too!!!!https://t.co/VFuRJxBzOG  Michael Mina (@michaelmina_lab) April 1, 2021

The idea is that by enabling rapid testing at a mass scale that includes people who don't show symptoms of infection, we can catch cases of COVID-19 sooner, and slow down its spread. Everything people need to perform the test comes in the box, and they can be used on children as young as two years old. Abbott says its BinaxNOW test can return results in 15 minutes, and will be available online or on shelves at major retailers within the next few weeks.

Other tests gaining approval include the Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card 2 test that's available for use at home with help from a telehealth proctor or at a point-of-care location, but now does not require a prescription from a doctor to administer. The BD Veritor System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 is also approved for use at point-of-care locations.

Separately, the CDC and the National Institute of Health are trying out a rapid at-home test initiative in two communities where thousands of residents will receive kits they can use on themselves three times a week for a month. They're attempting to find out if frequent self-tests can help cut down on the spread of COVID-19, and see this as a way to gather important data in North Carolina and Tennessee. NIH Director Francis S. Collins said in a statement that "This testing initiative is the first of this scale to attempt to make free, rapid, self-administered tests available community-wide in order to determine their effectiveness in our nations comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic."
Appointment

1 April 2021

Commonwealth Hotels announced today the promotion of Nathan Lipps to the position of general manager of the Courtyard Dayton Beavercreek, a Marriott hotel. Mr. Lipps brings over 25 years of hospitality experience to his new role as general manager having previously served as the assistant general manager of the Courtyard Cincinnati Airport.

Prior to joining Commonwealth Hotels in 2020, Lipps built his career at premier hotels including The Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World, as well as hotels in Columbus, Orlando, Austin, and Cincinnati. Mr. Lipps holds a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University.
A 29-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder for the fatal road-rage shooting of a Manheim woman while she and her husband were headed to the beach last week for vacation, authorities announced Thursday.

Dejywan R. Floyd was driving down Interstate 95 in Lumberton, North Carolina, around 11:40 a.m. March 25 when Ryan and Julie Eberlys GMC Yukon came close to Floyds Chevrolet Malibu as they merged lanes, according to the Robeson County Sheriffs Office.

Authorities said Floyd pulled alongside the Yukons passenger side and fired several shots through the window, then got off the highway at an upcoming exit.

Ryan Eberly pulled off the highway and waited for medical assistance, but 47-year-old Julie Eberly, whod been sitting in the passenger seat, died.

Authorities said the couples six children werent along on the trip. Ryan Eberly said in a statement he and his wife were planning to celebrate their wedding anniversary with friends who got married at the same time.

READ: Her distinctive laugh still echoes, husband of central Pa. woman killed in cowardly road rage shooting says

Floyd was arrested at about 12:38 a.m. Thursday at the Parkview Apartments in Lumberton.

In addition to the murder charge, Floyd is charged with discharging a weapon into an occupied property. He is being held at the Robeson County Detention Center without bond and has a first-appearance hearing Thursday morning, authorities said.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Robeson County Sheriffs Office at 910-671-3170 or email sheriff@robesoncoso.org.
Hospitality jobs in Illinois have declined nearly 52% since the pandemic began, according to new data, as lawsuits continue against the governors orders to close non-essential businesses.

While leisure and hospitality jobs were hit the hardest, the number of small businesses open in Illinois overall has fallen by about 36.5% as of March 20, compared to January 2020, based on data compiled by Opportunity Insights, a nonprofit group at Harvard University.

Opportunity Insights data show a significant number of closures following the governors stay-at-home order, which took effect in March 2020 and continued to the end of May. The percentage of small-business closures in Illinois was about 5% in early March 2020 and reached more than 42% on Monday, according to the data.

The decline in Illinois small businesses is similar to the national trend for the same time period. Nationally, the number of small businesses decreased by about 34%, with about a 51% decline in leisure and hospitality jobs, according to the data.

The data are based on small-business transactions and revenue from Womply, a company that aggregates data from several credit card processors to provide analytical insights to small businesses and other clients, according to the study.

The data also shows that small-business revenue overall in Illinois fell by nearly 28% from January 2020 to March 20. The amount of total revenue from hospitality and leisure businesses specifically saw a 57.9% decrease in that time period.

Nationwide, small businesses overall experienced a 24% decrease in revenue, with revenue for leisure and hospitality businesses falling roughly 53.4% from January 2020 to March 20.

As the first COVID-19 cases were reported in March 2020, Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his first stay at home order March 20, 2020, ordering non-essential businesses  such as restaurants and some retail stores  to close. The order was extended through the end of May, with some restrictions on in-person dining in bars and restaurants lifted in June.

In mid-May, a group of individuals and businesses  including a car repair shop, restaurant and pet groomer  sued Pritzker in federal district court in Chicago. They argued Pritzkers executive orders violated the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment and violated their rights to due process.

The takings clause states the government is prohibited from taking private property for public use without just compensation.

Based on these claims, they asked the court to award them monetary damages for lost revenue and profits.

Last week, a federal judge dismissed the case. Judge Franklin U. Valderrama found the businesses claims were barred by the 11th Amendment, which provides general immunity to states from lawsuits by individuals.

Because state officials, like Pritzker, who are sued in their official capacities are considered the state, Valderrama ruled that Pritzker is protected from the lawsuits claims under the 11th Amendment.

A separate group of lawsuits were filed by restaurants and bars that were forced to close following Pritzkers reinstatement of the indoor dining ban in November. The businesses argued that Pritzker lacked the authority under state law to impose an order forcing restaurants to close indoor dining.

One Kane County restaurant, FoxFire, has continued to pursue its lawsuit in Sangamon County court and even appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court, which has not accepted the case.

Lawyers for FoxFire, which has remained open to indoor service despite the order, have asked the governor to produce discovery, or evidence, to support his ban on indoor dining.

The governors lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss to FoxFires lawsuit. A judge in Sangamon County heard arguments Tuesday on that motion. The judge said she expects to issue a ruling in that case within two weeks.

.

Total cases in west-central Illinois counties as of Wednesday, according to individual county health departments, and vaccination rates, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, were:

Brown County

680 total, 670 recovered, seven deaths

Fully vaccinated: 16.69%; 65 or older: 66.16%

Cass County

1,932 total, 1,876 recovered, 33 deaths

Fully vaccinated: 23.08%; 65 or older: 68.37%

Greene County

1,384 total, 1,322 recovered, 47 deaths

Fully vaccinated: 19.37%; 65 or older: 54.72%

Jersey County

2,525 total, 2,464 recovered, 48 deaths

Fully vaccinated: 20.25%; 65 or older: 73.36%

Macoupin County

4,649 total, 4,322 recovered, 110 deaths

Seven new cases.

Fully vaccinated: 19.01%; 65 or older: 71.03%

Morgan County

3,776 total, 3,643 released from restrictions, 101 deaths

Three new cases.

Fully vaccinated: 21.37%; 65 or older: 70.88%

Pike County

1,717 total, 1,662 recovered, 47 deaths

Fully vaccinated: 19.45%; 65 or older: 62.09%

Sangamon County

16,973 total, 228 deaths

30 new cases.

Fully vaccinated: 24.82%; 65 or older: 77.43%

Schuyler County

663 total, 645 recovered, 16 deaths

One new case.

Fully vaccinated: 24.11%; 65 or older: 63.79%

Scott County

458 total, 454 recovered, one death

Fully vaccinated: 19.89%; 65 or older: 60.16%

Statewide, 2,592 new cases of coronavirus disease and 28 deaths were reported Wednesday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

There have been 1,244,585 cases and 21,301 deaths in Illinois.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 00:16:43|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Namibian President Hage Geingob on Wednesday thanked China and India for their vaccine donations, stating that "it is in the hour of need that one discovers who your true friends are."

Namibia received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines on March 17 from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac and received Covishield vaccine from India on March 20.

Geingob highlighted this when he addressed the nation during the 26th COVID-19 public briefing over national response measures, which have been extended for further 30 days up until April 30.

The president announced in the speech that the sale of alcohol at restaurants and bars has been extended to 22:00 from Monday to Saturday, while the sale of alcohol on Sunday remains prohibited. And the number of people at gatherings has been increased from 50 to 100 people for both indoor and outdoor gatherings.

Meanwhile, during the briefing, Namibia's Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula stressed that the number of infections remains high, with cases still being reported from across the country on a daily basis and urged the nation to take caution. Enditem
Jeannie Mai and Jeezy are using their upcoming wedding as a way to support Stop Asian Hate, a nonprofit organization that tracks incidents of discrimination, hate and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, as well as provides funds across Asian-owned businesses and foundations.

The Asian communities in the U.S. and around the world have faced escalated discrimination and violence during the past year, a troubling development that hits close to home for the interracial couple. (Mai is of Vietnamese and Chinese descent, and Jeezy is Black.) Through The Knot Registry, the pair launched a charity wedding registry with the goal of raising $50,000 that will be distributed to verified fundraisers supporting the AAPI community.

"What bonded Jeezy and I most is our passion to serve and take care of our communities," the Real co-host, 42, told The Knot. "We will spend the rest of our lives continuing to stand up against injustice, racism and hate."

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

She continued, "It's not just the recent events that make me mindful about our distinct culture. For Jeezy, everything  from his upbringing, experiences, struggles and his position in this white-centric country  is a learning curve for me; and, vice versa. Part of the foundation of our love is constantly discovering our respective identities and gaining an understanding from our experiences."

RELATED: Violence Against Asian Americans Continues  How You Can Help the AAPI Community

On their registry's GoFundMe page, the soon-to-be-married stars encourage fans to join in and support the cause.

"The foundation of our relationship is based on a constant discovery of our respective experiences and individual identities," they wrote. "We want our wedding guests and loved ones to not only feel a connection to our unique backgrounds, but also to give back to a cause that is near and dear to our hearts as individuals and, together, as a couple."

Story continues

Courtesy Jeannie Mai Jeezy and Jeannie Mai

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Dancing with the Stars alum and the "Soul Survivor" rapper, 43, began quietly dating in 2018 after meeting on set of The Real. Nearly one week after PEOPLE confirmed their romance in August 2019, the twosome went Instagram official. They got engaged last March.

PEOPLE confirmed on Wednesday that Mai and Jeezy had applied to obtain a marriage license with the Fulton County Court Clerk in Georgia. The document would expire six months after being issued.

The couple has stood by each other through thick and thin, including last November when Jeezy encouraged his fiancee to seek medical attention before she was diagnosed with epiglottitis and underwent emergency throat surgery. "I am very thankful for J, my fiance, because it was his firmness in, 'No, you're going to the ER. We're not turning the other way,' where I was like okay, I obliged," she recalled to PEOPLE the time.

Among the qualities Mai treasures most about Jeezy are his leadership abilities.

"The things I appreciate about Jeezy are endless on the list. I love his smile, his tenderness. He's so generous and serving," she told The Knot. "He's a great servant to his community and such a leader in his own life and in his business. What I mean by leader: it's not that he tells people what to do, he follows and listens to people and tends to people's needs. Nothing is a basic 'yes' or 'no.' Everything has a deeper layer to it."

If you've been attacked or have witnessed an attack, please contact your local authorities. You can also report your incident here. To learn more and to report crimes, go to: Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Stop the AAPI Hate, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, and Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council.
Isla Fisher couldn't contain her laughter after being asked if her father, Brian, was the real-life inspiration for Borat during an interview on The Project on Thursday.

The 45-year-old actress was asked by panelist Tommy Little if her dad, who she affectionately calls 'Poppa Fish', inspired her husband, Sacha Baron Cohen's iconic character.

It comes after Isla shared a photo of her father on Instagram on Wednesday, in which he bears a striking resemblance to Borat.

Very nice: Isla Fisher couldn't contain her laughter after being asked if her father, Brian, was the real-life inspiration for Borat during an interview on The Project on Thursday

'My father has also dabbled in many types of facial hair. He's grown a long beard, a short beard, you know, sideburns, no sideburns, a handlebar moustache, pencil thin moustache,' she explained.

'He's definitely rocked many looks over the ages, but you're right, in that photo it does seem like it's a nod to that character. But no, he's just a very dapper gent expressing himself.'

The black-and-white photo showed a dark-haired Brian with a Borat-style moustache and thick wavy hair.

Same but different: The 45-year-old actress was asked by panelist Tommy Little if her dad (left), who she affectionately calls 'Poppa Fish', inspired her husband, Sacha Baron Cohen's iconic character, Borat (right)

'This is my dad, Poppa Fish. I love him, he's the greatest and I am so thankful to have him in my life,' Isla captioned the photo.

Fans were quick to point out the similarities between Poppa Fish and Borat, commenting on the post.

'The original Borat,' wrote one fan, while another commented, 'Looks like Sasha [sic] in prosthetic makeup'.

Making a comeback: Following the success of 2006's mockumentary, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Sacha reprised the iconic role in last year's Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (pictured)

So happy together: Isla married Sacha, 49, in 2010 after they met at a party in Sydney back in 2002, and they now share three young children together

Others compared him to notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, who died in 1993.

Meanwhile, Isla married Sacha, 49, in 2010 after they met at a party in Sydney back in 2002, and they now share three young children together.

Following the success of 2006's mockumentary, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Sacha reprised the iconic role in last year's Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
A crushing financial blow to Channel 10's U.S. parent company has cast a dark cloud over the Australian broadcaster's future.

ViacomCBS stock fell by a whopping 55 per cent in the space of a week last month, throwing the media conglomerate into turmoil.

And a beleaguered Channel 10 could pay a price for the losses, with 'devastating cuts' on the horizon, according to industry website TV Blackbox.

Let go: A crushing blow to its U.S. parent company has cast a dark cloud over the future of Australia's Channel 10. Pictured: former network stars Tim Bailey (left) and Kerri-Anne Kennerley (right), who were made redundant last year as a cost-saving measure

When the U.S. media giant's share price dipped in 2020, it was followed by a series of savage cuts to Channel 10 that claimed the scalps of beloved network stars Kerri-Anne Kennerley and weatherman Tim Bailey.

ViacomCBS share prices went into freefall in recent weeks, plummeting from a record US$100.34 on March 22 to a Thursday price of US$44.60.

The corporation had 'been beset by a confluence of factors that... crashed its stock price' reported Yahoo! Finance on Tuesday.

Those factors included a recent stock offering designed to help fund investment in streaming content that diluted the share price, and several analyst downgrades on the company.

Troubled: ViacomCBS stock fell by a whopping 55 per cent in the space of a week last month, throwing the media conglomerate into turmoil

Bright spot: The network has struggled in the ratings in recent years, with Sunday's finale of The Amazing Race being a rare example of a Channel 10 show breaking the night's top five. Pictured: The Amazing Race host Beau Ryan

Following a sharp dip in ViacomCBS' share price last June, Channel 10 wielded the axe and several on-air personalities were made redundant.

Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Natarsha Belling and Tim Bailey were just three of the stars let go by the station in early August.

Then, in September, the network changed the way it produced its news and started airing its Brisbane bulletins out of Sydney and its Adelaide bulletins out of Melbourne to cut costs.

At the time, Chief Content Officer Beverley McGarvey said the decisions were 'essential to future-proofing our business'.

Channel 10 declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

Underwhelming: Meanwhile, new offerings like game show The Cube, hosted by Andy Lee, have underperformed, barely cracking the top 20 on Wednesday

CBS (later ViacomCBS) purchased Channel 10 in 2017.

The network has struggled in the ratings in recent years, with Sunday's finale of The Amazing Race being a rare example of a 10 show breaking the night's top five.

The episode was watched by 691,000 people in the five major cities.

Meanwhile, new offerings like game show The Cube, hosted by Andy Lee, have underperformed, barely cracking the top 20 on Wednesday.
Ay, caramba, Dr. Biden!

First Lady Jill Biden became the butt of jokes on social media after she butchered the pronunciation of the Spanish term 'Si, se puede' (Yes, we can) during an event in California on Wednesday honoring the late labor leader Cesar Chavez.

Biden spoke to a crowd of about 100 farm workers while standing alongside California Governor Gavin Newsom in Delano on Wednesday.

The event was staged to honor Chavez on his birthday.

During her remarks, she mispronounced the term 'Si, se puede!' - which was popularized in the 1970s when Chavez led the movement to allow farm workers in Arizona to unionize.

She appeared to be saying: 'Si, se pwodway!', prompting much mockery on Twitter.

'Cesar Chavez understood that no matter the obstacles, when people come together united in a cause, anything is possible. Yes we can. Si se puede!,' Biden said.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden became the butt of jokes on Twitter after she mispronounced the Spanish term for 'Yes, we can' - 'Si, se puede' - during a speech in Delano, California on Wednesday

Jorge Bonilla tweeted: 'What better way to wrap #CesarChavezDay than with Co-President Dr. Jill Biden butchering 'Si Se Puede' while standing in front of Chavez' black eagle.'

Giancarlo Sopo tweeted: 'Jill Biden tried #Hispandering and ended up saying 'Yes, we father!' (Si se padre) instead of 'Yes, we can!' (Si se puede).

'Not a big deal, but I'm old enough to remember when President Trump's mispronunciations would consume news cycles.'

Steve Cortes compared the gaffe to an episode of the hit HBO show Veep.

Hugo Dante tweeted: 'You have to be kidding me, LMAOOOOOOO.'

Dante added: 'To be clear, this is Jill Biden saying 'see se pwadre' which took me a hot minute to figure was intended to be 'si se puede' lmfao.'

Dania Alexandrino tweeted: 'Si se what???? I'm sure some one will surely tell Jill Biden 'puadray' is NOT a word in the Spanish dictionary.

'For those who are celebrating her effort, yeah NO! Very far from 'Si se Puede' which means 'Yes (we) can.'

'We in parenthesis because it can also be yes you can!'

Biden touted her and President Joe Biden's union ties on Wednesday during her trip to California to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day.

'He is a union person. I am a member of the teachers union,' the first lady told a group of female farm workers. 'We are a union couple.'

Biden, who teaches at a Northern Virginia Community College, is a member of the National Education Association.

The first lady has been dispatched around the country to sell the Biden administration's agenda. During her California trip, she touted the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and the $1,400 stimulus checks.

She said the country needs to heal.

'I think the country needs to heal,' she said, adding that people have been hurting from the coronavirus pandemic. 'I'm hoping you and your family's life get better.'

Jill Biden hands out vaccination cards at a vaccination site at The Forty Acres

Jill Biden said it was great to see people get vaccinated during her visit to the clinic

Cesar Chavez's checkered history Cesar Chavez took a hard line on immigration, calling undocumented migrants 'wetbacks' Though Cesar Chavez is remembered as a hero of the labor rights movement today, it is little known that he was also a staunch opposition of illegal immigration. Cesar Chavez took a hard line on undocumented migrants from 1962, when he co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) union that he is known for today. He stridently opposed the arrival of undocumented migrants and ran a campaign to root out illegal immigrants, who he called 'wetbacks' and 'illegals'. Chavez believed immigration agents on the border were allowing undocumented migrants into the country in order to undermine Latino farmworkers efforts to unionize the industry. Much of this effort included non-violent strikes, such as the 1965-66 Delano grape strike, to protest for higher wages and human working conditions. He wrote in a letter in 1974: 'If there were no illegals being used to break our strikes, we could win those strikes overnight and then be in a position to improve the living and working conditions of all farm workers.' Chavez believed employers would hire undocumented migrants rather than Mexican-American residents because they would be able to pay lower wages. In 1974, he launched the 'Illegals Campaign' with the help of the United Farm Workers (UFW). As part of the scheme, Chavez asked members to root out undocumented migrants and report them to the Immigration and Naturalization Service so they could be deported. He also encouraged members to join UFW 'wet-lines' along the border between Arizona and Mexico to prevent illegal migrants crossing into the US. These lines consisted of UFW members who brutally prevented would-be border crossers from reaching the US, beating them and stealing their possessions. In one case, fervent UFW members allegedly castrated a man who tried to illegally enter the US. Later in this campaign, Chavez did recognise the plight of illegal immigrants, but he maintained their presence was still negatively affecting wages and conditions for US workers. Where does Si, se puede come from? 'Si, se puede' is a Spanish phrase roughly translated as 'Yes, we can', but the more literal translation, often used by the UFW, is 'Yes, it can be done'. The meaning of the phrase had long been a guiding mantra of the UFW when it was formally adopted in 1972. It is now a federally registered trademark of the UFW but several other activists groups have adopted the phrase. Most famously, Barack Obama used the English slogan 'Yes, we can' during the 2004 Illinois Democratic primary race for US senate. He later adopted the phrase during his first campaign for the presidency in 2008. Advertisement

During her two hours at the historic Forty Acres, where she took part in a Day of Action alongside the Cesar Chavez Foundation and the United Farmworkers Foundation, Biden met with workers and visited a COVID vaccine clinic on site.

At the clinic, she handed out vaccination cards to people about to get the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

As a worker called out names, the first lady handed out the cards and a small pin that read 'I got my COVID-19 vaccination at Kern Medical.'

She also posed with people as they were about to get vaccinated.

'It's great to see all these people being vaccinated,' she said.

Biden was joined by Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom at the site. The Forty Acres is the former headquarters of the United Farm Workers union, which was founded by Chavez.

Members of the Chavez family, including his son Paul, greeted the first lady when she arrived.

Julie Rodriguez, the Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and the granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, traveled with Jill Biden to California and led the introductions.

Mariachi music played as farm workers waited for the first lady to make her remarks outside on a beautiful, sunny, California day. The crowd was friendly, shouting 'We love you governor' and 'we love you FLOTUS' when Biden and Newsom came out to speak.

In her remarks, Jill Biden praised farm workers as essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

'As millions of Americans were isolated at home, we depended on those who kept going in to work, every single day,' she said.

'Without the farm workers who kept harvesting our food, or the factory workers who packaged it, the grocery store clerks who stocked shelves, no one would have made it through this year,' she noted.

She also touted her husband's work for labor and his immigration policy.

'He believes that our work must always be guided by justice and humanity,' she said of President Biden. 'And that's exactly the kind of immigration policy he's working to buildone that treats children and families with dignity and creates fair pathways to citizenship, including for essential workers.'

The first lady will also meet with farm workers and tour a COVID vaccination site during her visit.

The White House has been deploying Jill Biden to help with its agenda  whether she's touting the benefits of the $1.9 trillion America Rescue Plan or, as she did on Wednesday, paying homage to an important Democratic voting bloc with her visit to union workers.

Cesar Chavez was a civil rights activist that fought for equality, fair treatment and fair wages for many farmworkers. He remains a hero to many in the labor movement.

President Joe Biden, who has strong ties to the labor movement, has a bust of Chavez in the Oval Office, visible on the table behind the Resolute Desk.

'I was proud to place a bust of Cesar Chavez in the Oval Office, so that no one who enters that historic room may forget the powerful truths his farm worker hands imparted,' he said in a statement on Wednesday. 'On Cesar Chavez Day, let us recommit ourselves to the duty we have in service to one another to work toward equity and justice across our communities.'

As the first lady was on the West Coast, President Joe Biden was in Pittsburgh, where he announced his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, which will be paid for by a tax on the wealthy.

'No one making under $400,000 will see their federal taxes go up, period,' Biden said, reiterating a campaign promise and creating his own 'read my lips' moment.

Jill Biden arrived in California on Wednesday to tout the White House's ties with labor

Jill Biden is celebrating Cesar Chavez Day at the historic Forty Acres

Jill Biden praised farm workers as 'essential workers' during the coronavirus pandemic.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined the first lady during her visit to Forty Acres

'This is not penalizing people. I have nothing against millionaires and billionaires. I believe in American capitalism. I want everyone to do well,' he added.

President Barack Obama made Cesar Chavez Day a federal holiday in 2014.

The labor movement rallied behind Joe Biden early in the presidential primary process. The president often stresses his blue-collar roots and his birthplace of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

President Joe Biden has long ties to labor and placed a bronze bust of Cesar Chavez in the Oval Office, visible on the table behind him

Jill Biden speaks with members from the Cesar Chavez family upon arrival at The Forty Acres, the first headquarters of the United Farm Workers labor union

The White House has been deploying Jill Biden to help with its agenda  whether she's touting the benefits of the $1.9 trillion America Rescue Plan or, as she is on Wednesday, paying homage to an important Democratic voting bloc with her visit to union workers

Unions supported Joe Biden during the 2020 campaign and he repaid their loyalty by hosting labor leaders in the Oval Office in February

Labor groups gave $27.5 million to Biden's campaign, according to OpenSecrets, a non-profit that tracks campaign spending.

And labor leaders have called Biden the most union-friendly president of their lifetime.

The president has repaid their loyalty. One of the first groups he hosted in the Oval Office as labor leaders, who he brought in to discuss his COVID relief plan in February.

And Biden picked Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a former top union leader, to be his labor secretary.

It is Jill Biden's second visit to California this month. She visited with military spouses and children based in Twentynine Palms Marine base three weeks ago as she prepares to relaunch Joining Forces, her military initiative with Michelle Obama.
Border Patrol agents arrest seven illegal immigrants who tried to evade capture near Penitas, Texas, on March 15. 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Senate Republicans Call for Hearing on Border Crisis

Top Senate Republicans on April 1 called for Democrats to hold a public hearing on the border crisis and question Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

While we may not agree on the causes of or the solutions to this crisis, we believe it is vitally important for the Senate Judiciary Committee to exercise its oversight authority and seek testimony from Secretary Mayorkas and relevant officials at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the situation at the border and the Biden Administrations response to it, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) wrote in a letter.

Our recent visit to the Rio Grande Valley Sector of the southern border only served to reaffirm our view that the situation has gotten exponentially worse in the last three months, becoming a crisis, and that the Judiciary Committee should hold hearings on this topic.

Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Cornyn, the top Republican on the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, wrote to Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Immigration Chairman Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

Spokespersons for Durbin and Padilla didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Grassley and Cornyn, when they chaired the committee and subcommittee, held at least 15 hearings related to oversight of DHS during the Trump administration.

The United States is facing a surge in illegal border crossings in recent weeks. More than 100,000 apprehensions of illegal crossers were made in February, President Joe Bidens first month in office, and another 26,000 people evaded capture, according to internal data reviewed by The Epoch Times.

Border Patrol agents detained more than 150,000 immigrants in March, former Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said on March 30, citing internal data he was provided by sources.

Immigrant children rest inside a pod in a Department of Homeland Security holding facility in Donna, Texas, on March 30, 2021. (Dario Lopez-Mills/Pool via Reuters)

Morgan said the border is wide open and not secure.

Drugs are pouring in, and criminal aliens are pouring in right now, he told reporters by the Rio Grande in Texas on March 30.

While the Biden administration has said the border isnt open, Biden reversed or altered a number of key Trump era provisions, which contributed to the surge, experts have told The Epoch Times.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on March 31, White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration is seeing progress on the situation, but its going to take time.

But let me be clear: We are putting out the message, The border is not open. People should not make the dangerous journey. And we will continue to expel individuals and families,' she said.

More families who cross the border are being released into the United States than are being expelled, a senior Border Patrol official told reporters last week.

The majority of single adults are being expelled under Title 42, which gives authorities the power to expel immigrants because of concern they may be infected with the CCP virus.

Practically all unaccompanied minors are being allowed to remain in the United States. As of March 30, Border Patrol and Department of Health facilities were holding more than 18,000 minors, or children who cross the border without an adult.

Border agents have been overwhelmed, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) told The Epoch Times this week.

All our good intentions are being overwhelmed by the pure numbers of people coming in, he said.

Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report.
[April 01, 2021] 'Bizarre' Sanxingdui Ruins: A tale of cultural integration

BEIJING, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on China's Sanxingdui ruins: Over the past few days, a half-faced gold mask has caused a sensation. It has sparked creativity among China's internet users and spawned a wide range of popular memes. What you may not know is that this shiny, uniquely-shaped broken gold mask was forged several thousand years ago, and recently excavated at the Sanxingdui Ruins site. In total, over 500 relics, including a kneeling human figure with a sacrificial vessel "Zun" on the head and bird-shaped gold decoration pieces, were also unearthed during the latest round of excavations. Located in Guanghan, southwest China's Sichuan province, the Sanxingdui Ruins site dates back some 3,000 to 5,000 years ago. Back in 1986, archaeologists discovered two sacrificial pits here and unearthed a treasure trove of relics, which left the world in astonishment. The bizarre style of the artefacts was the main reason behind such shock. For example, a 2.62-m upright bronze figure and a 3.95-m bronze tree were unearthed here. There are also human figures with large noses and bulging eyes, a clay pig figurine which reminds people of the piggy villains from the Angry Birds game, as well as a god scepter with mysterious symbols on it. Such an outlandish style goes beyond people's normal ideas of traditional Chinese civilization, while the artefacts also speak volumes about its diversity and deep-rooted history.



Archeological studies show that the bronzewares from the Sanxingdui Ruins incorporate techniques and handicrafts from the Central Plains, such as typical Chinese "Zun" and "Lei" bronze sacrificial vessels. Meanwhile, the unearthed bronze tree and human figures are unique and extremely innovative. The gold scepter, gold masks, and some jade wares at the Sanxingdui Ruins site have similarities with relics found in West, Central, and Southeast Asia, whereas the thousands of seashells excavated here are highly likely to have come from India and other regions via maritime routes. This brings to light the possibility of interactions and communication between Sanxingdui and other ancient Asian civilizations. Archeologists also recently unearthed residues of silk from the site. This significant discovery suggests that the ancient Shu civilization could be one of the key origins of ancient Chinese silk. It also provides evidence for Sanxingdui as a hub on the Silk Road over 2,000 years ago, providing sufficient stocks of silk for trade in ancient times.

These rare relics present a picture of an open and inclusive ancient civilization in Sanxingdui. Meanwhile, they also bear witness to the inclusive ancient Chinese civilization which gained prosperity from diversity and integration. The Sanxingdui Ruins are so mysterious that many questions still remain unsolved today. While seeking the truth behind these mysteries, continuous archeological studies also help integrate Chinese civilization into the world and inspire people to find the essence of human civilization and better understand the world which gains prosperity through equality and mutual learning. China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm 'Bizarre' Sanxingdui Ruins: A tale of cultural integration

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2021-04/01/content_77367887.htm View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bizarre-sanxingdui-ruins-a-tale-of-cultural-integration-301260276.html SOURCE China.org.cn

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ADDIS ABABA - Nia Foundation Joy Center for Children with Autism has called on the public and other stakeholders to contribute share to enhance the participation of individuals on the autism in social and economic arenas.

Center Managing Director and Founder, Zemi Yenus, told journalist yesterday that despite all the efforts, the awareness of the society towards autistic individuals is still unchanged. Much effort is needed from the society, the government and other actors to improve the situation, she added. According to her, parents are still taking the burden of their autistic children. Lack of awareness coupled with limited availability of autism rehabilitation centers in the country forcing parents either to lock or hide their children in the house.

"Absence of awareness among society, harmful beliefs and assumptions, deprivation of attention to autistic children and blaming mothers for the cause is still a challenge." Zemi stressed that full acceptance of the right of children with no discrimination is key.

Studies indicated that males are four times vulnerable to autism than females. Recently, it is discovered that out of 57 people, one person is victim of autism. Globally, there are hundred thousand people on autism whilst it is estimated that half-a-million Ethiopians are affected by the disorder. Since establishment, the foundation has been striving to support children with special needs and it has employed local technologies and facilities with a view to integrating autistic children with the society, Zemi elaborated. Noting that the foundation has been working to establish an autistic center in a 5,000 hectare of received from the city government, she has called on the active involvement from scores of the society to the materialization of the project.

The whole April will be observed as autism awareness month. Autism will be marked globally by creating awareness with a theme "Inclusion in work place: Challenges and Opportunities in a post pandemic world," it was learnt.

The Ethiopian Herald 1 April 2021
Following the cancellation of the 2020 Nonprofit Summit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Frederick Nonprofit Summit will be held virtually this year. The event features a nationally recognized speaker, a diverse group of panelists, and an enhanced virtual experience for the local nonprofit community. The virtual event takes place Thursday, April 8, 2021, and nearly 300 nonprofit leaders, staff members, volunteers, current and potential board members, and those interested in learning more about nonprofits are already registered to attend. Registration is still open.

Vu Le, a nationally recognized speaker and blogger, will present the 2021 keynote address focusing on the future of the nonprofit sector. He is the former executive director of Rainier Valley Corps, a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice, and is the founder of NonprofitAF. The 2021 event also includes a robust afternoon panel session that will examine equity, governance, and leadership.

The Frederick Nonprofit Summit was born out of a desire to provide the Frederick County nonprofit sector with quality educational opportunities. Annually, the event presents dynamic speakers and workshops focusing on trends and best practices to increase effectiveness and efficiencies with programs. The event brings together Frederick County nonprofits to collaborate and streamline services to achieve the greatest potential collective impact.

The 2021 Frederick Nonprofit Summit is sponsored by Ausherman Family Foundation and Delaplaine Foundation, Inc. with support from The Community Foundation of Frederick County, United Way of Frederick County, Helen J. Serini Foundation, Downtown Frederick Partnership, Association of Fundraising Professionals Western Maryland Chapter, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and PNC Foundation.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.nonprofitsummitfrederick.org.
New research, led by scientists at the University of Nottingham, suggests that the environment in which men live may affect their reproductive health.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, looked at the effects of geographical location on polluting chemicals found in dog testes, some of which are known to affect reproductive health. The unique research focused on dogs because, as a popular pet, they share the same environment as people and are effectively exposed to the same household chemicals as their owners.

The team also looked for signs of abnormalities in the testes. The findings showed that both the chemicals present and the extent of abnormalities in the testes were different depending on where the dog's had been living.

The researchers analyzed the testes of dogs, which had been removed for routine clinical reasons, to see what polluting chemicals were present in the tissue. Samples were taken from across the UK, in the East and West Midlands, and the South East, as well as from Denmark and Finland.

For the first time, we have shown that the profile of chemical pollutants found in dog testes depends on where they are from. We have also shown that the same cohorts of dog testes also show geographic differences in testicular pathology and evidence of an imbalance in cells that are important for sperm production." Dr Rebecca Sumner, Study Lead Author, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham

Dr Richard Lea, lead of the team, said: "Although this study suggests that there are fewer pathologies in dog testes from Finland compared to other locations, relating this to the chemicals detected is difficult, particularly as many other pollutants may also be present.

"We believe, that this study is of pivotal importance since our strategy to use the dog as a sentinel species for the human has allowed us to focus directly on the testis, where detected chemicals are likely to influence male reproductive function." Professor Gary England, Dean of School of Veterinary Medicine & Science, said "This work is significant since collectively, these findings indicate that environmental exposures are determined by location and this may underpin regional differences in male reproductive health."
Concerned citizens are planning to protest outside the Dauphin County Prison Saturday morning in the wake of a 19-year-old inmates sudden death this week.

Kejuan Cooke was pronounced dead at Holy Spirit Hospital after midnight Wednesday after his cellmate found him unresponsive in his cell the night before, county officials said. He had been incarcerated since June on drug possession charges, which violated his parole.

Coroner Graham Hetrick told PennLive Thursday that Cooke had an extensive medical history, but he couldnt say for sure how he died because of pending tests.

Kevin Maxson, who has been advocating for better conditions at the prison, posted on Facebook that he was planning a protest for 10 a.m. Saturday outside the prison. Maxson told PennLive he wants to see better medical care provided to Dauphin Countys inmates, a population that includes many people awaiting trial.

Its a community issue, its not just a family issue. It affects everybody, he said. Anytime a 19-year-old child loses their life it should be a wake-up call to many people.

Sixty-two percent of U.S. prisons have privatized their healthcare services, according to a Reuters investigation studying data from 2008-2019. The report said prisons who hired one of the five jail dominant healthcare companies had 1858% higher inmate deaths from illness, suicide, or drug or alcohol-related problems.

A series of protests have been held at the prison since the spring of 2020 because of allegations of mistreatment, unhealthy living conditions and poor planning to protect inmates from getting the coronavirus.

John Hargreaves, volunteer director of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, said Dauphin County Prison  like others in Pennsylvania  has struggled with overcrowding. Day rooms that once held ping pong tables or other recreational activities are now crammed with extra beds. County inmates havent had the opportunity to go outside in years, Hargreaves said.

He said it is rare for prisons to not offer at least an hour or two of outdoor time per day.

This overcrowding leads to fewer services and a lack of attention in all prisons, Hargreaves said.

Dauphin Countys inmate population was cut roughly 12% during the coronavirus pandemic; however, Hargreaves said that number is creeping back up. As of April 2021, he said the prison houses 943 inmates in 720 cells.

Cookes death is the latest in a series at the prison, leading community members to voice concern about the intake process and medical care.

Two Dauphin County inmates died last year while in custody, one reportedly from complications from a duodenal ulcer, and another from a brain injury after a fight with his cellmate.

The deaths were in addition to at least 12 other prisoners who have died since 2014 including five suicides.

Dauphin County had the most deaths per 1,000 inmates in 2019, according to the Reuters investigation, which concluded that year. According to the report, seven people died in custody at the Dauphin County prison between 2009 and 2013, making a grand total of 22 deaths since 2009 between PennLives research and Reuters data.

One particular death prompted significant public outcry, the death of 18-year-old Tyrique Riley. His death was ruled by the coroner to have been due to natural causes, but it prompted protests and questions about conditions at the prison.

People need to stop looking at what a person went to jail for, Maxson said. Everyone deserves the right to come home safely and not in a box.

Here are the deaths of inmates in custody since 2014:

1) James E. Bolton, 83, died Nov. 30, 2014 of natural causes, which prison officials described as cardiovascular.

2) Michelle Rutter, 57, died Feb. 5, 2015 of natural causes, which prison officials described as hemorrhagic gastritis.

3) Robert W. Goshorn, 45, died Jan. 1, 2017 of suicide.

4) Christopher S. Wehr, 46, died June 4, 2017 of natural causes, which prison officials described as metastasized cancer.

5) Sarah E. Quinn, 29, died Sept. 17, 2017 of suicide.

6) Ronald L. Gentry, 55, died Oct. 6, 2017 of natural causes, which prison officials described as labored breathing.

7) Maliaka Evans, 53, died Feb. 2, 2019 of natural causes, which prison officials described as a pulmonary embolism.

8) Emily E. Endrizzi, 39, died March 11, 2019 of suicide.

9) James Macaulay, 45, died March 21, 2019 of suicide.

10) Tyrique Riley, 21, died July 1, 2019, and his death was attributed to natural causes by the coroner.

11) Christian J. Brown, 49, died Sept. 18, 2019, four days after he was found hanging in his single-person cell.

12) Terelle Thomas, 31, died Dec. 17, 2019, from cocaine and fentanyl toxicity, after he swallowed a large amount of cocaine and was booked into prison instead of being taken to hospital.

13) Herbert Tilghman, 46, died Aug. 20 while receiving medical treatment. Autopsy results show Tilghman died of natural causes after complications from a duodenal ulcer,

14) Jimmy King Jr., 50, died Aug. 29, 2020 a few days after a fist fight with his cell mate.

15) Kejuan Cooke, 19, died March 31, 2021, after reportedly being found unresponsive in his cell by his cell mate. Autopsy results pending

READ MORE: Harrisburg man charged with killing truck driver over stupid argument
The nations leading research universities have played down calls to ramp up their presence in the crowded field of online education, saying studying in Australia is the main drawcard for many international students.

Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson said the coronavirus pandemic had given universities a proof of concept that online course delivery was possible but questioned whether this model would play a significant role in the sectors long-term recovery post-pandemic.

Universities will have to decide whether they want to compete in the crowded field of online education as part of a federal government review of Australias international education strategy. Credit:Fairfax Media

We are delivering largely online to our international students now. Weve got 30,000 students studying offshore. We do want to diversify our market but the attraction for many students is that they can come to Australia and study, not that they will continue to study in their home countries, Ms Thomson said.

The capacity and willingness of universities to invest more heavily in online education will be a key focus in the development of a new 10-year strategy for the $30 billion-plus international education sector aimed at driving its recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Students who have identified a career path for themselves feel twice as prepared for their futures as those who are unsure of their path.

DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Uplift Education is excited to have their 1st ever virtual JUMP (Junior to Undergrad Master Plan) event April 6th and 8th, which is dedicated to preparing junior-level high school students for their path towards college and career. JUMP will virtually bring together over 1,000 Uplift Juniors and more than 30 higher education and career development professionals from across the nation to join students for two days of uniquely curated sessions and workshops.

VIDEO AVAILABLE HERE

Each external guest is paired with an Uplift Road To College and Career (RTCC) counselor to teach one of the various topics. Students will have the opportunity to attend sessions about the college search, college essays, career assessments, LGBTQ resources, health and wellness, how to navigate daily college life, how to secure financial assistance, what colleges truly look for in applications, and much more. The days are segmented into multiple sessions, and the students have the freedom to choose the individual courses they would like to attend for each session.?JUMP provides a unique opportunity for students to get personalized advice and guidance straight from experts. Uplift's goal is to have our junior students leave the virtual event feeling empowered and ready to jump-start their road to college and career process.

Uplift students will also be able to participate in a unique game called Get A Life, where students learn the true reality of life with a college degree vs. without a college degree. Students are given a career and education assignment and must navigate through life's expenses while staying within the budget that is associated with their assigned career and education level.

A benefit of the virtual space has been the capacity to add an evening family program with sessions tailored to the scholar's families and their supportive network. The family sessions will take place on the same days in English and Spanish and cover topics like senior year overview, financial preparation for college, career preparation, and self-advocacy during the transition from high school to college.

Increasing college opportunity is not just an economic imperative but a reflection of Uplift Education's values. Uplift needs to reach, inspire, and empower every scholar, regardless of background, to ensure that opportunities to excel and advance exist for individuals of all backgrounds.

Uplift is dedicated to closing the opportunity gap for students, regardless of their ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds, by providing equitable access to high-quality education, programs, and experiences that empower students to reach their highest potential. Uplift's unique Road To College & Career program is unparalleled in how it prepares students for life after high school. Through events like JUMP, Uplift helps students discover their strengths and passions and learn how those might translate into a college major or future career that will help them reach their long-term personal goals.

Uplift is ahead of the curve with a robust Road to College & Career program that supports students and families as they prepare to apply for, enroll in, and graduate from college. This program has a track record of 100% college acceptance and has two main goals: (1) 70% of alumni graduating college within 6 years and (2) 90% of Uplift graduates earning an economically viable post-secondary credential and career pathway.

Uplift Education

Uplift Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of teachers, families, and, most importantly, students. With a network of 46 college-preparatory public charter schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Uplift offers students of any background the powerful chance to study within a multidisciplinary curriculum and prepare for the college career they deserve. Uplift is the largest International Baccalaureate district in Texas and the #2 IB district in the nation because of the number of holistic extracurricular and educational programs. The incredible educators in the Uplift network guide and teach over 21,000 students in Pre-K- 12th?grades, with the majority being low-income and minority students who will be the first in their family to attend college. For more information, Uplift's mission and their blind lottery selection system, visit?uplifteducation.org?or?facebook.com/uplifteducation

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Deekay Fox

Senior Marketing and Communications Director

dfox@uplifteducation.org

661-378-2353

SOURCE: Uplift Education

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638524/Uplift-Educations-10th-Annual-JUMP-Junior-to-Undergrad-Master-Plan-Event-Goes-Virtual
Longford will benefit greatly from the newly published Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 - Our Rural Future, which was announced on Monday.

The five year strategy was launched by government officials in Croke Park on Monday and sets out a blueprint for the development of rural Ireland over the next five years.

It is supported by 150 commitments across Government, which will address the challenges facing communities and deliver new opportunities for people living in rural areas. The policy will help rural Ireland to recover from the impacts of Covid-19, enable long-term development of rural areas, and create more resilient rural economies and communities for the future.

Fianna Fail TD for Longford/Westmeath, Joe Flaherty has particularly welcomed the new remote working actions announced as part of the plan.

Deputy Flaherty commented, We need to enable more people to live and work in rural communities. Part of making this happen is the setting up of remote working hubs across the country. Investing in the best broadband, tech and office infrastructure in local areas is vital for this to work.

Targeting investment in towns and villages will ensure that they are vibrant places with the right amenities to support community activity and improve the local economy.

Incentivising the reuse of shuttered and derelict retail units and buildings on our main streets is part of this strategy.

Longford Senator Micheal Carrigy also welcomed the remote working actions: For decades, we have seen global trends where young people leave their local communities in Longford to live and work in larger cities. As we emerge from Covid-19 we will never have a better opportunity to reverse that long-standing trend, he said.

The move to remote working, underpinned by the rollout of the National Broadband Plan, has the potential to transform rural Ireland like never before.

With remote working becoming more and more common, Cllr Gerard Farrell has re-emphasised the need for a digital hub in Lanesboro, with hopes that the town will not be left behind with the new plan.

Lanesboro has lost its main industry, he said, and a digital hub would be perfect. Were perfectly situated on the border of two counties and its just a matter of acquiring land and looking for funding to either build or renovate a vacant building.

The announcement is good news for the county and I hope that Lanesboro wont be left behind.
There was hope for summer holidays last night after it emerged that a traffic-light system could allow flights abroad to resume.

Trips to Bahrain, the US, the Maldives, Israel and Malta could be the first available for Britons desperate to get abroad due to their high vaccination rates.

The scheme to enable quarantine-free travel to 'green' destinations is likely to be unveiled within days, Whitehall sources said.

Boris Johnson is expected to reveal plans on Monday for a staged lifting of the ban on foreign holidays.

A second announcement setting out more detail of how the system would work could come within a week.

Trips to Bahrain, the US, the Maldives, Israel and Malta could be the first available for Britons desperate to get abroad due to their high vaccination rates

Preparing for take-off: Transatlantic businesses and airport chiefs want flights to resume. The scheme to enable quarantine-free travel to 'green' destinations is likely to be unveiled within days, Whitehall sources said (file photo)

May 17 has been pencilled in as the earliest date when foreign travel might resume.

But a source suggested it was 'too early' to release a list of destinations given how quickly Covid data can change.

The scheme is likely to have at least three tiers, with only those travelling from 'green' countries exempt from quarantine, perhaps with a 15-minute lateral-flow test on return.

Those from 'amber' nations would need a negative result from a more stringent PCR test before boarding a UK-bound flight, in addition to some quarantine and post-arrival tests.

Travel to 'red' countries would effectively still be banned, with ten-day hotel quarantine at a cost of 1,750 continuing for arrivals.

A passenger exits a Covid-19 testing centre at Terminal 5 of London's Heathrow Airport on February 9. Only a few countries are expected to be safe enough to allow quarantine-free holidays by early summer

Vaccination rates in other countries will be a key factor for whether destinations are designated 'green', as will the prevalence of mutant variants and a nation's ability to detect them.

Only a few countries are expected to be safe enough to allow quarantine-free holidays by early summer.

However, Heathrow Airport chief John Holland-Kaye said he believed holidays would be possible to many countries within four months as vaccination rates catch up with the UK's.

He told Times Radio: 'I would expect that by the time we get to July, when people are thinking about their summer holidays, a lot of countries to have opened up.'

He said the US 'should be at the front of the queue' for relaxed border restrictions, and cited Israel as another contender due to its low infection and high vaccination rates.

Vaccination rates in other countries will be a key factor for whether destinations are designated 'green', as will the prevalence of mutant variants and a nation's ability to detect them (file photo)

More than 100 UK and US business chiefs have pleaded with Mr Johnson to prioritise a transatlantic holiday corridor by harnessing both countries' successful vaccination schemes.

In a letter, they said thousands of UK tourism, hospitality and retail firms relied on the 4billion spent here annually by US visitors.

They warned that the economy would continue to take a 32million hit for every day of delay in lifting travel restrictions between the nations.

They said: 'Each year, 4.5million US citizens visit the UK. Similarly, 4.8million UK residents visit the US, including a million visits to see friends and family.

'We know there remains significant demand in the USA for a return to travel to the UK.

'The reopening travel between the US and the UK needs to be a priority to support the recovery of our economies.'

Boris Johnson, pictured giving an update on the Covid pandemic on March 29, is expected to reveal plans on Monday for a staged lifting of the ban on foreign holidays

Tory MP Henry Smith, chairman of the all-party Future of Aviation Group, said: 'Across the UK, we have strong ties with the US, from businesses who trade with the US to those travelling for leisure and those looking to visit family and friends.

'These cultural, economic and social bonds will be vital to our economic and social recovery from the pandemic and there is little reason to continue keeping transatlantic travel grounded.

'These vital routes have been shut for too long.'

America aims to have all adults vaccinated at least once by mid-May. Its infection rates are lower than in most of Europe.

But British nationals are still banned from entering for holidays.
At 8:04 p.m. Tuesday, phones and TV screens were buzzing across Manitoba when Winnipeg police issued its first Amber Alert.

At 8:04 p.m. Tuesday, phones and TV screens were buzzing across Manitoba when Winnipeg police issued its first Amber Alert.

"Winnipeg Police Service has issued an Amber Alert for Theodore James Parenteau. The whereabouts of two-year-old Theodore is unknown," it read.

One of the recipients of the emergency message was 20-year-old Harlee Precious Wilson-Parenteau  the subject of the Amber Alert and Theodores mother.

"The Amber Alert... caused her to make the decision to head to the Amaranth (RCMP) detachment," said Winnipeg police Const. Rob Carver.

"It was basically the Amber Alert that did resolve this."

On Wednesday, Wilson-Parenteau was charged with "abduction where no custody order," an offence under the Criminal Code.

Police said the woman was released on an undertaking to appear in court. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison.

On social media, Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smyth thanked Manitobans for their quick response.

"This was the first time (Winnipeg police) has activated a full Amber Alert. Your response was tremendous, and the outcome was positive.

"We also discovered how important social media was to spread information."

Amber Alerts were put in place by the province a few years ago as part of the same system that allows it to broadcast emergencies including forest fires and large industrial fires.

There are basic requirements for an Amber Alert: it must involve a child, there must be the belief the child has been abducted and is in grave danger, there has to be information to help locate the child, including a description of the child or suspect or the vehicle the child is in, and the incident must have occurred within a reasonable amount of time from when the alert is sent out.

Carver said before Tuesdays alert went out, there was an in-depth  but swift  process to determine whether it was needed and if the case met the criteria for sending it.

He said investigators quickly fanned out to get as much information as they could, including finding out about custody arrangements. They got information from family members, including the type of vehicle involved and where the woman might be headed.

Then, Carver said, there was a meeting between investigators and partner agencies, including Emergency Management Organization, RCMP, and Child Find, to determine how the matter would be handled. The decision was made  through a collaborative process between investigators, the head of the missing persons unit, the duty inspector, and the public information officer  that an Amber Alert was needed.

Then, Carver said, there was a meeting between investigators and partner agencies, including Emergency Management Organization, RCMP, and Child Find, to determine how the matter should be dealt with. They concluded an Amber Alert was needed.

The Amber Alert described the woman and the child, gave a description of the vehicle they were in, and added that police believed they were heading to the Ebb and Flow First Nation, about 180 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. Amaranth, where the woman turned herself in to RCMP, is south of the reserve.

"It was not taken lightly," said Carver.

"Thats why there is a delay... it was a complex process."

Carver said just because an Amber Alert was used doesnt mean criminal charges are automatically laid.

"Custody disputes are one of the most highly charged and sensitive issues our officers deal with," he said.

But Carver admitted: "There was a collective sigh of relief from all my colleagues when we got the information (the child was safe)."

Manitoba RCMP last used an Amber Alert on Dec. 2, 2016.

At that time, an eight-year-old girl had been taken from a home in Portage la Prairie by her biological mother at about 11 a.m. During an RCMP news conference about the incident, at about 6 p.m., word came that the girl and mother had been safely found in Winnipeg due to a tip from the public.

After Tuesdays Amber Alert, a few people took to social media and said they never received the Alert.

Carver said he knows the Alert was sent to his two phones  a work phone and a personal one  but police will check with the province to make sure there are no problems with the system.

A spokeswoman for the province said "some Manitobans may not receive the test Alert on their devices for a variety of reasons including device compatibility, availability of an LTE network, cell tower coverage and individual device software and settings. For additional information or questions contact or visit the Alert Ready site at www.Alertready.ca."

The Alert Ready system is operated by Pelmorex Media Inc., which also owns the Weather Network, and was developed in partnership with federal, provincial and territorial emergency management officials.

Amber Alerts were created after the abduction and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman in Texas in 1996. In the wake of her death, an emergency Alert system, named in the childs honour, was created to quickly distribute information to the public about child abductions.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Manitoba property owners will receive a cheque from the provincial government later this year, rebating them for a portion of their education taxes, Premier Brian Pallister said Thursday.

Manitoba property owners will receive a cheque from the provincial government later this year, rebating them for a portion of their education taxes, Premier Brian Pallister said Thursday.

Some 658,000 residential, farm, commercial and other properties are affected.

Pallister told a news conference that details of the rebate program, including its cost, will be made available in Wednesday's provincial budget.

More information is expected in the budget on the timetable for phasing out education property taxes altogether. The Progressive Conservatives promised the education property tax phase-out during the 2019 election campaign.

"The government is keeping its promise to relieve ratepayers and leave more money on their kitchen tables," the premier said, speaking from a podium in the legislative building. To emphasize the point, officials had placed a small wooden table and three chairs nearby.

The government will remove the provincial sales tax this year on personal care services, such as haircuts and salon services, Pallister said.

During the last election, the PCs promised a number of tax cuts that would save the average Manitoba taxpayer $2,020 over a four-year period. Included among them were the education property tax phase-out and several tax cuts. The Tories counted their percentage point reduction in the PST, which took effect a few months before the election, in their tax savings calculation.

Pallister said Manitoba is the only Canadian jurisdiction that determines school taxes at the local level, which, he said, creates "an uneven playing field across the province."

School divisions have been ordered to freeze their education property taxes this year. The province has said it will provide grants to divisions to maintain education funding levels.

The PC government is moving ahead with its planned tax cuts even as it projects a $1.6 billion deficit for the 2021-22 fiscal year.

"We believe that more tax relief sooner is better in the face of the realities of COVID," the premier told reporters.

Reacting to the premier's announcement, NDP Leader Wab Kinew said Pallister's main priority should be to ensure all Manitobans are vaccinated for COVID-19 in a timely manner.

"(Pallister) should be talking about improvements to the vaccine program so that we can all again gather safely around our kitchen tables with our loved ones as soon as possible," he said. "That's what everyone wants to see."

While the PCs are patting themselves on the back for some of their tax cuts, they also unilaterally jacked up hydro rates, bypassing the Public Utilities Board hearing process, late last year, Kinew noted.

"Mr. Pallister may try and look generous... but we know that he's actually making life way more expensive in some other ways too," the NDP leader said.

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont decried the property tax rebate at a time when the government is running up huge deficits.

Likening the decision to running a business, Lamont said Pallister is "borrowing money to lower prices for the richest customers" permanently.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Oswego, N.Y.  Oswegos mayor is taking the rare step of using police to build a case to move residents out of Pontiac Nursing Home which has a long history of abuse and neglect.

Oswego police are expanding an investigation into Pontiac by seeking information from employees, residents and others familiar with the facility.

Oswego Mayor William Barlow has also asked state officials to revoke the 80-bed homes license and offered to help transfer its residents to other homes.

This facility has long been considered a stain on our community, with a notorious reputation for inflicting pain and suffering on residents, family members and employees, Barlow said in a letter to state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.

Barlow announced Oswego police will accept confidential testimony, photos, videos and other information from past and present employees and residents, and family members. That information will be added to an investigation already underway by Oswego police and the state Attorney General into a sexual abuse incident that happened last summer at Pontiac.

We have to be a voice for the voiceless, stand up for the vulnerable and I cant allow this situation to continue in our community without trying to do something about it, Barlow said in news release.

Oswego Police Investigator Derek Jansson is leading the investigation. Employees, residents, families and others with information can contact him at (315) 342-8212 or djansson@oswegony.org. Jansson will conduct in-person or phone interviews. Barlow said all the information will be kept confidential and eventually turned over to state authorities.

If we can collect and compile information from the public on their personal experiences with this facility, and turn it over to authorities, we will significantly increase the likelihood that the state regulatory agencies will step up and take the appropriate actions that are so desperately needed, but I need the help of the public who have direct experiences with this facility, Barlow said.

His action comes in the wake of a series of Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard stories revealing numerous cases of horrific abuse and neglect at the nursing home.

Pontiac has been cited for a litany of problems such as failing to protect residents from sexual abuse, not sending two gravely ill residents to the hospital for emergency care and letting water from a leaky roof drip into residents rooms for years. It was cited last year for failing to protect residents from a registered sex offender who lives in the facility.

Government regulators recently added Pontiac to a list of the nations worst nursing homes that could lose federal funding unless they improve care. Pontiac was put on the list because of its persistent record of poor care, a state health department official said. Nursing homes on the special focus facility list are subject to more frequent inspections.

But Barlow said regulators need to do more than that.

He asked Zucker to temporarily revoke Pontiacs license until management demonstrates it can properly care for residents or bring in a third-party manager. Barlow said there is enough room in other area facilities to absorb Pontiacs residents. Barlow said all the residents could be safely placed in nearby facilities within 30 days.

I am willing to assist with the relocation process utilizing local licensed health care partners and I am confident, with a thirty-day notice, all residents would be placed safely in nearby facilities, Barlow wrote.

Only 31 of Pontiacs 80 beds were occupied as of March 14, according to the latest data available from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The mayors action comes a week after Pontiacs lawyer threatened to sue Barlow if he continued to publicly criticize the nursing home. The lawyer sent a letter to Barlow demanding he cease and desist making negative and defamatory comments about Pontiac. Barlow denied his comments were defamatory and vowed to keep speaking out about problems at the nursing home.

In a statement issued today, Langston McFadden, Pontiacs attorney, said the nursing home is saddened by Barlows attempt to score cheap political points.

He said Barlows investigation is a violation of state law that prohibits local governments from regulating or setting standards for hospitals and nursing homes.

James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com
The best thing about Senate Bill 7  the attack on voting access in the Texas Senate  is that it doesnt criminalize giving someone water to drink.

Texas Republicans may want some voters to stand in long lines for unconscionable periods of time for no good reason, but, hey, unlike Georgia Republicans, they dont want them to go thirsty.

Call it voter suppression with compassion (or hydration) if you want, but make sure to call it voter suppression because the goal is to reduce the number of people who vote or register to vote  or, to be even more blunt, to discourage people who probably arent inclined to vote for these Republican legislators.

As SB 7 moves forward, passed in the Senate along partisan lines early Thursday, we know this drill. On March 25, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a package of restrictive voting bills less than two hours after it was passed by the states General Assembly.

The new Georgia law reduces the time people can request an absentee ballot and limits where drop boxes can be placed and when they can be used.

The partisan dynamics are painfully obvious. There were no problems with drop boxes or more time requesting absentee ballots before Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in the November presidential election in Georgia. There were no problems before Jan. 5 when two Democrats, the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, won the states U.S. Senate races.

More than 1.3 million Georgians voted by mail in last years elections; from henceforth, they must have a voter ID to cast a ballot.

Most ominously, the elected secretary of state will be replaced as chair of Georgias election board by an appointee of the Legislature.

There was no problem with Republican Brad Raffensperger chairing the state election board until he resisted Trumps begging and bullying to overturn Georgias election results.

This new arrangement makes it possible for the partisan chair of the state election board to meddle with the election results, say, in Fulton County, whose Democratic and African American base propelled Biden, Warnock and Ossoff to their wins.

And, of course, the new law makes it illegal for outside groups to offer water or food to voters standing in line. This wasnt an issue until Democrats won.

Georgia officials best brace themselves in 2022 for a massive civil disobedience campaign in which thousands of outsiders risk going to jail for handing out food and water to people sweltering in long lines to vote.

People will swelter in Texas, too. Senate Bill 7 heads to the House, having been approved along partisan lines. The bill limits early voting hours, ends drive-thru voting, prevents local elections officials from encouraging qualified voters to fill out applications to vote by mail and raises the risk of voter intimidation by allowing partisan poll watchers to record voters receiving help with their ballots.

State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Tyler, said the legislation is an effort to strike a balance between maintaining fair and honest elections with the opportunity to exercise ones right to vote.

But SB 7 is unnecessary because in 2020, in Texas and across the nation, we not only had fair and honest elections but the most secure elections in history. Voting fraud is virtually nonexistent in the United States, leading critics of these voting suppression measures to call them solutions in search of problems.

Lets not forget, Republicans fared very well in Texas last election with record turnout and no measurable voter fraud (the Big Lie). Is the issue that races are  gasp!  becoming competitive as Texas population grows, demographics change and more Democrats vote? Is the fear that one day Texas will go purple or blue as has Georgia?

Voting shouldnt be a Hunger Games competition or a test of endurance and strength like the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Politicians discouraging citizens from exercising their right to vote instead of encouraging their participation are a threat to democracy, especially when they are claiming to protect it.
Liberia's Central Bank Governor J. AloysiusTarlue did more talking than his guests. He tries to project himself that he knows more about banking than the Americans. Thank you Ambassador Michael McCarthy and the USAID Director. You can take a horse to the river but you can't force the horse to drink.

You just don't print money because you are out of money. People don't trust the banking system in Liberia to put their money in the banks. So they keep it at home in their mattresses. When depositors can't get their money when they so desire and are told there is no money, then you have serious problems, or that you don't know how to run a country's Central Bank, period.

But Mr. Tarlue was speaking to the very American government ambassadors whose money plus that of eight other western embassies the Weah regime took from the very Central Bank without their prior consent and refused to return to them despite a public statement that all nine ambassadors signed requesting for their millions$. Did Mr. Tarlue address that issue or does he simply think the Americans have forgotten or forgiven Liberia for such an international diplomatic crime?

Maritime Commissioner, Len Eugene Nagbe who was then Information Minister when asked to comment on the illegal withdrawal of the western ambassadors' funds said then: "we had to dig one hole to cover one hole because our government needed money to pay civil servants" or government workers, Nagbe sought to justify the crime. Really?? Are the western ambassadors responsible to pay unpaid Liberian government workers? But then this is Liberia where old ways of doing things become the new norm.

Mr. Tarlue failed to request for American banking experts to work in the Central Bank to teach the Central Bank of Liberia how to run a Central Bank and what it takes/requires to print new money. How much foreign reserves do we have for Liberia?

You would also think Mr. Tarlue would ask for American help to move away from two currencies to a single currency, be it to the Liberian or US dollar only for our country. The Liberian dollar is as worthless as the paper on which it is printed because it has no value or exchange rate outside of Liberia in any other country in the world.

But blame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who lied her way into the presidency and told gullible Liberians that she graduated from the world's prestigious Harvard University as an economist but left behind a great mess after 12 years as President of Liberia. She drove away the Americans with GEMAP who were there to countersign or approve every dollar we were to spend because she wanted to rob our people, She never put out yearly economic data on jobs creation and national unemployment figures.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Liberia Banking By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

But what is Mr. Tarlue's educational background in banking and international finance and economics? I have been suggesting to President George Manneh Weah "not to eat crab meat with shame" and to hire his uncle from Grand Kru County, internationally acclaimed economist Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh to head either the Central Bank of Liberia or appoint him Minister of Finance and Economic Planning or still, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs to make President Weah "look good."

Many Liberians don't know that Dr. Tipoteh while in his 20s and fresh out of college with his Ph.D. in Economics from Ohio State University in the 1960s worked in the White House as a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers to the President of the United States of America. If your house doesn't sell you the streets will not buy you. Just a thought and not a sermon.

Jerry Wehtee Wion

Washington, DC, USA
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (L) answers questions during a briefing as the White House press secretary Jay Carney looks on in Washington on Feb. 22, 2013. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Former Obama Cabinet Official Took Undisclosed Foreign Cash

Former Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood took $50,000 from a foreigner without disclosing the funds, violating government ethics rules, the Department of Justice said March 31.

LaHood, 75, was a Cabinet member during the Obama administration from 2009 to 2013. Before that, he was a Republican member of Congress.

LaHood was suffering significant financial difficulties due to issues with his house and sought a loan to cover repairs needed, according to a non-prosecution agreement he reached with the government.

In 2012, he received a $50,000 personal check from Toufic Joseph Baaklini, an associate of Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury.

LaHood understood that the money came from Chagoury but, in violation of ethics rules, didnt disclose the check on government ethics forms because he did not want to be associated with Chagoury, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

LaHood in 2017 made misleading statements to FBI agents investigating Chagoury about the check and its source. He initially claimed he didnt receive a check from Baaklini. When shown the check, he acknowledged receiving it.

LaHood acknowledged that he had not repaid Baaklini any amount of the money and Baaklini had not asked to be repaid in the five years since Baaklini provided the $50,000 check, the agreement states.

LaHood admitted to wrongdoing.

He cooperated with the investigation, repaid the $50,000 to Baaklini, and paid a fine of $40,000, according to the agreement.

The agreement was made public as the government announced it resolved a probe into Chagoury and two associates, Baaklini of Washington and Joseph Arsan of Paris.

All three reached deferred prosecution agreements.

Chagoury agreed to pay $1.8 million to resolve the allegations that he, with help from others, gave some $180,000 to people in the United States that was ultimately sent to four different federal political candidates.

The candidates were not named.

Chagoury is a longtime associate of the Clinton family and donated at least $1 million to the Clinton Foundation, the Los Angeles Times reported. Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state during the Obama administration.

Arsan agreed to pay $1.7 million, and Baaklini agreed to pay $90,000.

Baaklini has donated to former President Donald Trumps campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records. All but one of the 16 donations, which totaled nearly $4,000, were made in 2020, the same year his deferred prosecution agreement took effect.
It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to you, Midland. I am on to the next chapter of my life and Friday, April 2, will be my last day as a staff reporter at the Daily News.

The last two-plus years Ive spent in Midland have been instrumental to my personal and professional growth and I am grateful for the opportunity to have called it home. I do believe Midland will forever fascinate me with its rich history, extensive resources, and collaborative community.

As a young journalist, it was the ideal place to begin my career. One of the things that made it so grand was the excellent community leaders who were always willing to help provide information for articles, as well as the endless developments and happenings. Ive said time and time again how lucky I was to be a small town reporter covering big-city news.

Ive enjoyed existing on the fringe of the citys unique and controversial issues and meeting dozens of people who are making serious waves in this community and beyond. Ive had the chance to fly in a hot air balloon, interview top executives of global corporations, cover a presidential rally and peer into the hearts of many people who suffered flood damage and pandemic-related hardships. I learned how to read a lawsuit and sift through earning reports for fortune 500 companies, and Ive learned more about hydroelectric dams and how sewer systems work than I ever imagined I would.

I am humbled by the opportunity to immerse myself in this community and make an impact through my work. I hope that I am leaving behind a positive legacy  one that historians might glance back on and find useful. I am grateful to have gotten to know many of you and tell your stories. Thank you.

Id be remised to not mention the team I am leaving behind. My coworkers at the Daily News are the most caring, dedicated, and hard-working people and Im grateful to have learned from them. I could not have asked for a better work environment. The news industry continues to face its own unique challenges, but I am confident the Midland Daily News is in very good hands.

As I know the itch of curiosity all too well, Im sure many of you might wonder then why I am leaving and where Im off to next. But, the only immediate plan I have is to enjoy my summer in Northern Michigan with family. I am stepping away from reporting for the moment to re-evaluate my personal goals and seek the next platform for my work. I am a natural writer and my passion for storytelling will undoubtedly carry me to new opportunities.

Deciding to quit my full-time job, which provided me security during a very uncertain 2020, was not an easy decision to make. And, it might come as a surprise since I was just beginning to gain state-wide recognition for my work through awards. But, I am honoring the voice within myself telling me it's time to move on and I am stepping into the unknown with a fearless heart and the right intentions.

I hope that if you take anything away from this announcement  and perhaps this is truly a reminder to myself  it is that inevitable change should not be resisted but rather, fearlessly ushered in, and it is always possible to start anew. Even  especially  during a global pandemic. We are ephemeral beings made of divine, universal energy and our existence is too short to not wake up every day infatuated with our own lives.

So, heres to new beginnings in life. Thank you, Midland, for being a beautiful chapter in mine.

Ashley Schafer can be reached at ashley.schafer@hearstnp.com
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched an innovative community health initiative called "Say Yes! COVID Test" starting in Pitt County, North Carolina, and coming soon to Chattanooga/Hamilton County Tennessee. As many as 160,000 residents across the two communities will have access to free, rapid antigen tests that they can administer themselves to use three times a week for one month. NIH will provide the tests (also called a home-test or at-home test) and evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative, which aims to determine if frequent self-administered COVID-19 testing helps residents reduce community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease.

"Reliable and widely available testing is a critical part of our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. Regular screening with at-home COVID-19 tests can strengthen our prevention efforts," said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H. "Combined with efforts to increase vaccinations, this important initiative will help us understand how best to utilize these new at-home tests to reduce viral transmission rates in communities."

The opportunity to participate in the testing program will be offered by local health departments. Participants will be able to order their test kits online for home delivery or pick them up at a local distribution site. A free online tool that also is available as a phone app will be offered to provide testing instructions, information to help understand test results and text message reminders about testing. Strong community engagement efforts are underway to ensure that vulnerable and underserved populations are aware and able to benefit from the opportunity.

This testing initiative is the first of this scale to attempt to make free, rapid, self-administered tests available community-wide in order to determine their effectiveness in our nation's comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope to gain foundational data that can guide how communities can use self-administered tests to mitigate viral transmission during this and future pandemics." Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., NIH Director

Participants in the "Say Yes! COVID Test" initiative will also have the option to volunteer in an NIH-supported research study that will collect additional data through surveys. The survey questions are designed to determine whether frequent self-administered testing has made a difference in behavior, knowledge on preventing spread of the virus and thoughts about COVID-19 vaccination.

Selection of the two communities was based on local infection rates, public availability of accurate COVID-19 tracking data, existing community relationships through the NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) and local infrastructure to support the project.

NIH-supported University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Duke University and the Duke Clinical Research Institute, both in Durham, North Carolina, will work with the CDC and NIH to use publicly available COVID-19 case surveillance data on test positivity rates, COVID-19-related illness and hospitalizations and measurements of viral particles in sewage wastewater to evaluate viral transmission in the community. At the same time, publicly available data will be reviewed from other communities of similar size that have not received widespread self-administered tests to evaluate the impact of frequent self-administered testing.

"If self-testing is shown to effectively reduce viral spread in the selected communities, the hope is that it will lead to wider distribution and acceptance of frequent home testing across the country-;ultimately providing an easy and accessible new means of stemming the spread of the virus," said Elizabeth A. DiNenno, Ph.D., an associate deputy director for surveillance, epidemiology, and laboratory sciences at the CDC.

The test being supplied through the NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADxSM) initiative is the QuickVue test developed by San Diego-based diagnostic company Quidel. The test received emergency use authorization for at-home use with a prescription by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 1, 2021. The test is performed with a nasal swab and detects the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 viral antigen within 10 minutes. The companion online tool was developed by CareEvolution, LLC, Ann Arbor, Michigan, with funding support from NIH and is customized to be used with the QuickVue test.

In a recent study conducted by the NIH RADx initiative, researchers found that rapid antigen testing at least three times per week achieves a viral detection level on par with PCR-based COVID-19 testing processed in a lab. However, a self-administered rapid test produces confidential results at home in minutes, while laboratory processing takes longer and increases cost. The hope is that easier access to tests and faster test results will make frequent testing more desirable and encourage people to protect themselves and others in the community.

"COVID-19 testing has undergone a transformation over the past year to provide optimal approaches for varied circumstances, including self-testing within people's homes," said Bruce J. Tromberg, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the NIH, and leader of the RADx Tech program. "These advances allow more accessible screening and surveillance testing, a powerful approach that complements vaccination and helps prevent infection as the virus mutates."

"Say Yes! COVID Test" is being conducted in a collaboration with the CDC, state and local public health departments in North Carolina and Tennessee, NIH, research institutions including Duke University, the University of North Carolina, North Carolina Central University, test manufacturer Quidel, healthcare technology company CareEvolution, community engagement partners from RADx-UP, and Community-Campus Partnerships for Health.
Kirron Kher was recently called out for her absence from major political events. And to put an end to rumours about her, her husband Anupam Kher took to social media to reveal that his wife, actor-politician Kirron, has been battling multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. He said that she is undergoing treatment and reassured fans and well-wishers that she is well on her way to recovery.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Kher wrote, Just so that rumours don't get the better of a situation Sikandar and I would like to inform everyone that Kirron has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. She is currently undergoing treatment and we are sure she will come out of this stronger than before. We are very blessed that she is being looked after by a phenomenal set of doctors.

He also added that she was a fighter and thanked all the fans for wishing the best for her. She's always been a fighter and takes things head-on. She's all heart and that's why she has so many people that love her. so keep sending your love to her in your prayers and in your heart. She is well on her way to recovery and we thank everyone for their support and love. Anupam and Sikandar, the note added.

After his statement came out in public, people started to wish for her speedy recovery.

 Instagram/Anupam Kher

 Instagram/Anupam Kher

On Wednesday, Chandigarh BJP president Arun Sood said in a press conference that Kirron has been battling cancer since last year. She had suffered a broken left arm at her Chandigarh house on November 11 last year. After her medical tests at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The disease had spread to her left arm and right shoulder. For treatment, she had to go to Mumbai on December 4, he said.



In her toughest days, Anupam Kher has been with her supporting her through her lows. The couple tied the knot in 1985 and even after three decades of togetherness, they still manage to give us major couple goals. On their wedding anniversary last year, Anupam Kher had wished Kirron Kher in the most romantic way possible, saying how he will always be by her side despite their hectic schedules. Dearest #Kirron!! Happy 35th Anniversary. We have known each other for almost 45years. It is almost a lifetime. We have grown up together as two strong individuals. We dont get to spend much time together. You are busy being a parliamentarian and I am busy being an actor. But I am and will always be there for you. You are a great girl. Stay safe. Love and prayers always! Saalgirah mubarak!! @kirronkhermp #MarriageAnniversary, he had written.

We wish the actor and MP a speedy recovery.
They've both been in Sydney for work, and on Thursday, Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky returned home to Byron Bay ahead of the Easter holidays.

The couple, who married in 2010, were spotted disembarking a private jet at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport.

Chris, 37, has been largely based in Sydney since January as he films the latest installment in the Avengers franchise, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Touching down: They've both been in Sydney for work, and on Thursday, Chris Hemsworth (far right) and Elsa Pataky returned home to Byron Bay ahead of the Easter holidays

In an interview with GQ Australia last month, Chris spoke about feeling nervous about picking up Thor's hammer again.

'There's that same - if not more - pressure now to do that again,' he confessed.

'So there's a little bit of exciting nervous energy that is motivating all of us to reach a little further and make sure we're covering all bases and approaching the scene from every angle.'

Incoming: The couple, who married in 2010, were spotted disembarking a private jet at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport. Pictured, Elsa Pataky

Acting up: Elsa, 44, has also been working in Sydney, after landing a starring role in Benjamin Millepied's upcoming film, Carmen

Meanwhile, Elsa, 44, has also been working in Sydney, after landing a starring role in Benjamin Millepied's upcoming film, Carmen.

They were joined by Chris' stunt double in the upcoming Thor blockbuster, Bobby Holland Hanton.

Chris and Bobby, 37, have become firm friends after working on every Thor movie in the franchise together.

Home and away: Chris, 37, has been largely based in Sydney since January as he films the latest installment in the Avengers franchise, Thor: Love and Thunder

Covered up: Both Chris and Elsa wore face masks as they stepped off the plane in their hometown

'I love my job and love working with my close friend Hemsworth. I am very fortunate to be in this position so it's a lot of fun,' Bobby told Centr.

He revealed that he and Chris even train together when they need to bulk up for the Thor films.

'We purely motivate each other. It's great training with him, but he is a beast so it's not easy,' he added.

Famous friends: They were joined by Chris' stunt double in the upcoming Thor blockbuster, Bobby Holland Hanton (left)

Colleagues: Chris and Bobby, 37, have become firm friends after working on every Thor movie in the franchise together

Byron Bay was put on high alert earlier in the week after a local man tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday.

The popular Byron Bay Bluesfest music festival was later cancelled amid fears it could turn into a superspreader event.

Both Chris and Elsa wore face masks as they stepped off the plane in their hometown.

Danger zone: Byron Bay was put on high alert earlier in the week after a local man tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday

High flyers: They were greeted on the tarmac by private jet tycoon Paul O'Brien (far left), who's a friend of the superstar couple

Elsa stepped out in a pale pink top, which she paired with a pink cardigan, and she carried a tan brown handbag on one shoulder.

Her dyed brunette hair was worn loose and tousled, and she appeared makeup free.

Meanwhile, her Hollywood hunk husband wore a white T-shirt, sunglasses and a camel-coloured trucker hat.

Pretty in pink: Elsa stepped out in a pale pink top, which she paired with a pink cardigan, and she carried a tan brown handbag on one shoulder

He also carried a black and tan brown carry-on luggage bag.

They were greeted on the tarmac by private jet tycoon Paul O'Brien, who's a friend of the superstar couple.

Chris was seen grabbing Paul's hand as he fondly greeted him hello after touching down.
Four days after getting his shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Richard Terrell, 76, from Goochland County, Virginia started feeling bodily discomfort.

"I began to feel a little discomfort in my armpit and then a few days later I began to get an itchy rash, and then after that I began to swell and my skin turned red," he told WRIC-TV.

He said he received the vaccine jab on March 6 in Ashland and all looked fine. Four days later, the symptoms started showing. Seeing that it's not getting any better but worse as days passed, Terrell decided to consult a dermatologist. He ended up getting admitted at the emergency room because his skin rashes did not look good.

8News reported that "his legs and hands were almost unrecognizable from swelling and his skin was red and patchy."

Dr. FNU Nutan , the Dermatology Hospitalist at VCU Health, confirmed from a biopsy that Terrell's condition was a drug reaction and that it could have been life-threatening if left untreated.

"Skin is the largest organ in the body, and when it gets inflamed like his was, you can lose a lot of fluids and electrolytes," she said.

Terrell described the pain as "stinging, burning and itching."

"Whenever I bent my arms or legs, like the inside of my knee, it was very painful where the skin was swollen and was rubbing against itself," he added.

Dr. Nutan, as well as her colleagues around the world, determined during their consultation that it's the vaccine that has triggered the adverse reaction in Terrell. They explained that the patient's genetic make-up and the vaccine type were contributing factors.

"We ruled out all the viral infections, we ruled out COVID-19 itself, we made sure that his kidneys and liver was okay, and finally we came to the conclusion that it was the vaccine that he had received that was the cause," said Dr. Nutan.

Explaining further that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA's while Johnson & Johnson is a vector viral, Dr. Nutan still affirms the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

"If you look at the risk for adverse reaction for the vaccine it's really, really low. We haven't seen a great concern at all. I am a big proponent of the vaccine," she said.

After Terrell's story reached the news, a commentary in The Western Journal suggested that this case should be taken in consideration over the plan of implementing "vaccine passports."

An earlier report indicated that the Biden administration, in partnership with certain companies, is developing a "vaccine passport" that will serve as a person's proof that he has been vaccinated against COVID-19.

This credential determines who gets to enter certain facilities and locations, and thereby enjoy living life normally. Those who don't get inoculated against COVID-19 won't get this "passport" - implying that those who reject the vaccine will not be allowed access to some things like restaurants and stores.

"The whole idea of a free society is that citizens can make risk assessments for themselves and act accordingly. If Americans decide that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks, they should get it. If not, they should be free to reject it," commented the Journal contributor.

On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki tried told reporters that there would be "no federal mandate requiring every American to obtain a vaccination credential."

"Federal mandate or not, encouraging businesses to determine whether or not their employees and/or customers have been vaccinated is a clear overreach," said the Journal, adding that "while Terrell's reaction is a rare one, it demonstrates that there are still risks to getting the COVID-19 vaccine."
IVAS is short for Integrated Visual Augmentation System, and it basically stands for a set of goggles soldiers can pull over their eyes and get instant access to a wealth of data provided by their unit's sensors. For instance, the technology could allow soldiers to see through the vehicle that carries them to the location of their mission, thanks to the sensors feeding data to the goggles from outside of the vehicle.This changes how we operate honestly, said in a statement for the Army 's official website SGT Philip Bartel with the 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), who tested the technology.Now guys aren't hanging out of vehicles in dangerous situations trying to get views on what's going on. Leadership will be able to maneuver their elements and get view-on-target without having to leave the safety of their armored vehicles.The hardware tested by the Army is based on Microsofts HoloLens , and it was so successful that the tech company was awarded a contract estimated at $21.9 billion over ten years to make them.According to CNN , the Army plans to first deploy the headset for its Close Combat Force (CCF) soldiers, and Microsoft would have to supply 120,000 such units.We appreciate the partnership with the U.S. Army, and are thankful for their continued trust in transitioning IVAS from rapid prototyping to rapid fielding, Microsoft said in a statement.We look forward to building on this successful partnership with the men and women of the U.S. Army Close Combat Force."
FRESNO, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lozano Smith, LLP is pleased to announce that eight attorneys have been promoted to Partner, effective April 1, 2021.

"We are thrilled to recognize our newest partners," said Karen Rezendes, Managing Partner of Lozano Smith. "These talented attorneys have served as thought leaders and champions for our colleagues and clients. They represent Lozano Smith's commitment to a collaborative culture where people can grow and thrive, while delivering meaningful work that contributes to the success of our clients and the students and communities that our clients serve."

The group's diverse range of expertise continues to bring cutting-edge, sound counsel to public agency clients throughout California.

Meet the Newest Partners:

Los Angeles

Desiree Serrano joined the firm's Los Angeles office in 2014. She has extensive experience as general legal counsel for school districts. She provides legal advice to administrators on personnel matters such as discipline, layoffs, discrimination complaints, disability accommodations, and leaves, in addition to preparing responses to DFEH and EEOC complaints and negotiating settlement agreements. She also has substantial experience with student issues including records, discipline, searches, and constitutional issues.

Sacramento

Erin Hamor , co-chair of Lozano Smith's Charter Schools Practice Group, joined the firm's Sacramento office in 2016. She advises clients on certificated and classified discipline and terminations, grievance processing, contract interpretation, and employee leaves. She also advises clients on all aspects of the Charter Schools Act, including charter oversight, location, petition review and revocation. Additionally, she advises on governance matters including the Brown Act and the Public Records Act.



, co-chair of Charter Schools Practice Group, joined the firm's office in 2016. She advises clients on certificated and classified discipline and terminations, grievance processing, contract interpretation, and employee leaves. She also advises clients on all aspects of the Charter Schools Act, including charter oversight, location, petition review and revocation. Additionally, she advises on governance matters including the Brown Act and the Public Records Act. Roman Munoz joined Lozano Smith's Sacramento office in 2020. His areas of practice include labor and employment, litigation, and governance. He regularly advises governing boards and public agencies on a variety of legal matters, including labor relations, employee discipline and dismissal, employment litigation, contract administration, employee benefits, reductions in force, grievance arbitration, unfair labor practice proceedings, and board policies.



joined office in 2020. His areas of practice include labor and employment, litigation, and governance. He regularly advises governing boards and public agencies on a variety of legal matters, including labor relations, employee discipline and dismissal, employment litigation, contract administration, employee benefits, reductions in force, grievance arbitration, unfair labor practice proceedings, and board policies. Travis Lindsey rejoined Lozano Smith and the firm's Sacramento office in 2019. He primarily provides advice and representation in labor and employment matters to school districts, community colleges, county offices of education and other public agencies. He regularly represents clients during labor negotiations, arbitration of grievances and other personnel matters. Prior to Lozano Smith , Mr. Lindsey served as an executive HR leader at University of California, Davis , where he primarily supported the Health campus.

Walnut Creek

Jennifer Baldassari has practiced out of Lozano Smith's Walnut Creek office since 2015. She represents school districts in civil rights litigation before California administrative courts in issues regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. She also regularly represents her clients at IEP meetings, resolution sessions, mediation, due process hearings, and OCR investigations.



has practiced out of office since 2015. She represents school districts in civil rights litigation before administrative courts in issues regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. She also regularly represents her clients at IEP meetings, resolution sessions, mediation, due process hearings, and OCR investigations. Ryan Tung , co-chair of the firm's Governance Practice Group, practices primarily out of the Lozano Smith's Walnut Creek office. He joined Lozano Smith in 2014. Ryan is experienced in all aspects of charter school law, and he assists clients with a wide variety of special education and student-related issues. He also advises clients on school district reorganization issues including school district unifications and territory transfers. Additionally, he also assists clients in a broad range of school board election issues.

Fresno

Wiley Driskill joined Lozano Smith's Fresno office in 2016. He has more than a decade of litigation experience focused in the areas of civil litigation, business litigation, public agency and entity law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, defending public entities, and defending employment discrimination and FEHA claims. In addition to numerous administrative hearings and arbitrations, Mr. Driskill has successfully tried court and jury trials to decision and verdict in state and federal court.

San Luis Obispo

Chelsea Olson Murphy joined Lozano Smith's San Luis Obispo office in 2020. Ms. Olson Murphy advises school districts and county offices of education on a variety of legal matters including employee discipline and dismissal, benefits, leaves of absence and the interactive process, contract administration, conflicts of interest, the Brown Act, and the California Public Records Act. Ms. Olson Murphy is an experienced workplace investigator who is skilled in investigating complaints of sexual harassment, discrimination, and hostile work environment.

About Lozano Smith

Lozano Smith is a full-service education and public agency law firm serving hundreds of California's K-12 and community college districts, and numerous cities, counties, and special districts. Lozano Smith has offices in eight California locations: Sacramento, Walnut Creek, Fresno, Monterey, Bakersfield, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, and San Diego. For more information, visit www.LozanoSmith.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter . You can also subscribe to our podcast or download the Lozano Smith App .

Contact: Andy Garcia

Executive Director

559.431.5600

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Senior BJP leader on Thursday said supremo Mamata Banerjee's letter to non-BJP leaders symbolises her "despair" as she knows that not only is she losing from the seat but her party is also going to be dislodged from power in

In a letter to the non-BJP leaders including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi released by the Trinamool Congress(TMC) on Wednesday, Banerjee said the time has come for a "united and effective" struggle against the BJP's alleged attacks on democracy and the Constitution, and that opposition leaders should try present a "credible alternative" to the people of the country.

Asked about the letter at a press conference where he announced the Dadasaheb Phalke award for Rajinikanth, Javadekar said, "Mamata Banerjee's letter sybolises her despair. She has understood that she is losing, not just herself in Nandigram, but the is also going to be dislodged from power, and because of that she is even urging the Congress, which is fighting against her, to unite with her."



This letter is about her survival, the Information and Broadcasting Minister added.

He refused to answer another question on polls, saying the press meet was for the Dadasaheb Phalke award.

The letter by Banerjee came on the eve of the second phase of the Assembly polls in in which she is locked in a fierce fight in constituency against her protege turned adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

Besides Sonia Gandhi, the letter has been sent to chief ministers Uddhav Thackeray(Maharashtra-Shiv Sena), Hemant Soren(Jharkhand-JMM), Arvind Kejriwal(Delh-AAP), Naveen Patnaik(Odisha-BJD) and Jagan Reddy(Andhra Pradesh--YSR Congress), NCP's Sharad Pawar, DMK's MK Stalin, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, NC's Farooq Abdullah, PDP's Mehbooba Mufti and CPI(ML)'s Dipankar Bhattacharya.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The electric-car makers net orders reportedly fell by nearly 50% in May in what is considered to be one of the most important markets for the industry

Jun 04, 2021 02:27 PM
I'm Winston Gieseke, philanthropy and special sections editor for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, bringing you the latest news of the goings-on here in the Golden State.

In California brings you top Golden State stories and commentary from across the USA TODAY Network and beyond. Get it free, straight to your inbox.

First lady visits Delano alongside Newsom

First lady Jill Biden speaks during a visit at The Forty Acres, the first headquarters of the United Farm Workers labor union, in Delano, Calif., Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP)

First lady Jill Biden landed at Meadows Airport in Bakersfield on Wednesday afternoon and made her way to Delano, a farming community of 52,000 people in northern Kern County, along with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife, first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. (If the term "first partner" is new to you, you're not alone.)

In a speech on the grounds of The Forty Acres monument, Biden honored the memory of civil rights and labor leader Cesar Chavez, praised the contributions of essential workers, stressed the importance of the COVID-19 vaccination drive and advocated for her husband's immigration reform proposals.

Since the pandemic started in March 2020, 106,155 people in Kern County have been infected with COVID-19 and 1,247 have died. According to data from the California Department of Health, 8,500 people from Delano have been infected with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

"As millions of Americans were isolated at home, we depended on those who kept going in to work, every single day," Biden said. "Without the farmworkers who kept harvesting our food, or the factory workers who packaged it, the grocery store clerks who stocked shelves, no one would have made it through this year."

If you're not familiar with The Forty Acres, it was the headquarters of the United Farm Workers of America, the country's first permanent agricultural labor union. It was there that Chavez held his first public fast, which brought national attention to the farmworkers movement. Read more at nps.gov.

Will failed Johnson & Johnson vaccine batch affect California?

Story continues

A vile of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine sits on a table at a Palm Springs Unified School District vaccine clinic on Wednesday, March 10, 2021.

A batch of Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine failed quality standards and has been rendered unusable, the drug giant said late Wednesday. Johnson & Johnson didnt say how many doses were lost, and it wasnt clear how the problem would impact future deliveries.

What does this mean for California? The state is expanding vaccine eligibility on Thursday, opening up appointments to all residents age 50 and older, largely because it had been expecting a greater supply of vaccine.

Maintaining the highest standards during vaccine production to ensure safe and effective vaccines is a paramount concern," a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health said in an email to The Desert Sun. "We are working with the federal government to learn more about potential impacts.

As for what caused the batch to fail, a vaccine ingredient made by Emergent BioSolutions  one of about 10 companies Johnson & Johnson is using to speed up the manufacturing of its recently approved vaccine  did not meet quality standards, J&J said.

Man charged in deadly US-Mexico border crash

Investigators work the scene of a two vehicle crash that killed at least 13 people on Highway 115 near Holtville, Ca., March 2, 2021.

A U.S. resident has been charged in connection with the smuggling operation that led to 13 deaths after a semi-truck slammed into an SUV packed with 25 people  many of them Mexican and Guatemalan nationals  on March 2 in Imperial County, near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Jose Cruz Noguez, of Mexicali, Mexico, was arrested Monday night as he crossed into the U.S. from Mexico, according to an FBI announcement. Cruz, 47, is a legal permanent resident in the United States who has spent time in San Jose, officials said.

The SUV, driven by a 28-year-old resident of Mexico, entered the intersection directly before a big rig smashed into the side of the SUV. The crash occurred in Holtville, about 10 miles east of El Centro. The driver and 12 passengers packed into the SUV died.

Cruz has been charged with conspiracy to bring migrants to the U.S. causing serious bodily injury and bringing them in without presentation for financial gain, according to officials.

Cramming dozens of people into eight-passenger vehicles and driving recklessly to avoid detection shows an utter disregard for human life," said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman in a statement. "We will find and prosecute smugglers who use these methods and cause such tragic and avoidable deaths.

Study: Desert Sun Opinion page experiment curbed polarization

The Desert Sun's print opinion pages.

Here's an interesting story from our local newsroom here in Palm Springs: In summer 2019, The Desert Suns Opinion pages took a vacation from discussing national politics.

Executive Editor Julie Makinen (who also writes this newsletter from time to time) was inspired by the work of three university researchers who published a study finding that the ongoing extinction of local newspapers across the country contributed to political polarization.

As an experiment, Makinen, along with then-Opinion Editor Al Franco, decided that for the month of July 2019, the paper's Opinion section would only cover news in the Greater Palm Springs area or elsewhere in California. They wondered if such a focus shift would have any impact.

Interestingly enough, the above-mentioned researchers heard about the experiment and decided to study it. And on Wednesday, Cambridge University Press published a book about The Desert Sun's summer vacation from national politics. Their fascinating conclusion? Read about it here.

California redwood tree falls on car, kills parents of 5

A 175-foot-tall California redwood tree fell on a car, killing the parents of five children as they drove along a scenic highway on the state's northern coast.

As reported by sfgate.com on Monday, Jessica and Jake Woodruff were taking the drive to celebrate her 45th birthday when the tree fell on March 25.

It's not clear why the tree fell, California Highway Patrol Officer Brandy Gonzalez told sfgate.com. "This is a very forested area," he said. "We have trees everywhere. It's in the middle of the redwoods. It's just old growth and we have no idea why the tree fell. It was Mother Nature."

A GoFundMe page was set up to support the family, who live in the city of Yreka. As of Wednesday, more than $240,000 had been raised.

"This was a shocking and unexpected event, and the tragedy of this accident makes it difficult to accept as real," the page said. "These five children are now left without parents and are facing a lifetime of expenses."

In California is a roundup of news from across USA Today Network newsrooms. Also contributing: nps.gov, sfgate.com. We'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with the latest headlines.

As the philanthropy and special sections editor at The Desert Sun, Winston Gieseke writes about nonprofits, fundraising and people who give back in the Coachella Valley. Reach him at winston.gieseke@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: First Lady Jill Biden visits California farmworkers on Cesar Chavez Day
Tripoli, Libya (PANA)  The Libyan minister of foreign affairs and International cooperation, Najla al-Mangouch, says it is essential that the Chinese embassy returns to Tripoli with a new consulate in Benghazi, after the improvement of the security conditions and the formation of a Government of National Unity
The adorable moment a joey tried to get into his aunt's pouch after mistaken her for his mother has been captured on camera.

Jelly Bean was captured happily jumping around with his mother Aunty Uber and his aunt named Winky when he attempted to hop into her pouch at Red Box Wildlife Shelter in Victoria.

The short clip shows his mother push his aunt out of the way before bundling up her joey and sticking him in her pouch.

Baby Jelly Bean gave his aunty Winky quite the fright when he tried to jump in her pouch

'Wrong pouch, that's aunty Winky!' she says during the video, filmed by Nikki Medwell, a director at the shelter.

Jelly Bean was recently born inside the shelter after his grandmother was rescued, Ms Medwell told Storyful.

'The mother of the little one is the daughter of a kangaroo we rehabilitated here. Jelly Bean is a second generation from a rescued kangaroo,' Ms Medwell told Storyful.

The video that was originally posted by Red Box Wildlife Shelter on Facebook was flooded with adoring comments for the baby joey.

'Awww love this video. How funny is jelly bean. Such a lovely roomy pouch for him,' one wrote.

'I just love this video, such a cute little Jelly Bean' another commented.

'So adorable!' wrote a third.

Red Box Wildlife Shelter is situated in Elphinstone, Victoria on a 60 acre property that helps to protect and rehabilitate native Australian animals.

Ms Medwell told Storyful the kangaroos live happily without boundaries.

'They are all free. No enclosures. Our shelter is 60 acres of native Australian bushland where they are safe to live in peace,' she told Storyful.



Jelly Bean's mother Aunty Uber quickly came over to give the joey a drink

Aunty Uber and Jelly Bean live at Red Box Wildlife Shelter in Elphinstone, Victoria

This was the first picture taken of Jelly Bean by Ms Medwell on Feburary 10, 2021
Democratic Party founder and barrister Martin Lee and Albert Ho arrive at the West Kowloon Courts for verdicts in the city's landmark unlawful assembly case, in Hong Kong on April 1, 2021. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Veteran Hong Kong Democracy Leaders Found Guilty in Unlawful Assembly Case

A Hong Kong court found seven prominent democrats, including 82-year-old barrister Martin Lee and media tycoon Jimmy Lai, 72, guilty of unauthorized assembly charges in the latest blow to the citys beleaguered democracy movement.

Lee, who helped launch the citys largest opposition Democratic Party in the 1990s and is often called the former British colonys father of democracy, was accused of taking part in an unauthorized assembly on Aug. 18, 2019.

The silver-haired Lee and the others, all in their 60s or older, sat impassively as district court judge Amanda Woodcock handed down her decision.

I have found after trial the prosecution able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that all of the defendants together organized what amounted to an unauthorized assembly, the district court judge said in the full written judgment.

They were also found guilty of knowingly participating in an unauthorized assembly.

Although Hong Kongs mini-constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly, Woodcock added, restrictions are imposed, including those for preserving public safety and public order, and protecting the rights of others.

Sentencing will come on April 16, with some legal experts expecting jail terms of 12 to 18 months; the maximum possible sentence is five years.

The other defendants included prominent barrister Margaret Ng, 73; and veteran democrats Lee Cheuk-yan, 64; Albert Ho, 69; Leung Kwok-hung, 65; and Cyd Ho, 66. Two others, Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung, 67, had earlier pleaded guilty.

A small group of supporters displayed banners outside the West Kowloon court building, including one that read Oppose Political Persecution.

If we are sentenced to jail in the future for this case  its our badge of honor to be jailed for walking with the people of Hong Kong, said Lee Cheuk-yan, a former lawmaker who has been a pro-democracy activist since the late 1970s.

The judge rejected a request by the prosecution to keep the nine in custody, and granted them bail pending sentencing.

During the trial, defense lawyers argued that freedom of assembly is a constitutional right in Hong Kong, and noted that police had approved the peaceful demonstration in the citys downtown Victoria Park, which grew into an unauthorized march as numbers swelled into the hundreds of thousands.

The prosecution argued that the freedom of assembly isnt absolute in Hong Kong.

Critics, including Western governments, have condemned the arrests of Lee and other democrats amid the ongoing crackdown. Forty-seven other high-profile democratic campaigners are facing subversion charges under the national security law, and have mostly been denied bail, and are being held in detention.

The European Union office in Hong Kong said the ongoing prosecutions of democrats are of great concern and it would continue to monitor developments.

The United States said on March 31 that Hong Kong doesnt warrant preferential treatment under the Hong Kong Policy Act, a law that had allowed Washington to maintain a special relationship with the city.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that China had severely undermined the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong through arbitrary arrests and politically motivated prosecutions as well as pressure on judicial independence and academic and press freedoms.

The 2019 pro-democracy protests were spurred by Beijings tightening squeeze on wide-ranging freedoms promised to Hong Kong upon its return to Chinese rule in 1997, and plunged the semi-autonomous city into its biggest crisis since the handover.

Beijing has since imposed a sweeping national security law, punishing anything it deems as secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

Since the laws promulgation, the government has sought to crush the opposition movement, barred protests and curbed political expression, and overhauled the citys electoral system to ensure that only pro-China patriots govern Hong Kong.

By Jessie Pang and James Pomfret
To The Eagle:

There was a puzzling dearth of letters in last weeks Eagle. Expectations were high that the merry band of critics who dedicated so much time warning us of the perils of the Trump tyranny would be out in full force to celebrate the spectacular successes of the Biden regime, accomplished in a dazzling 60 day performance: 57 executive orders, notices, administrative orders and security memos, saving us from Trumps dastardly plots.

The child cages on our southern border are humming along at 1500% of their capacity. Weve welcomed over 100,000 undocumented migrants with open arms, and many have been transported to hotels and care facilities in several states with the enthusiastic support of American taxpayers. Americans have also been relieved of the onerous responsibilities of energy independence, and 18,000 unemployed pipeline workers are excited about their new future as computer coders. The Little Rocket Man has gone back to playing with his missile toys in North Korea, Irans mullahs are getting their benevolent nuclear program back on track, and Russias Putin is back to enjoying his oil monopoly in eastern Europe. The House of Representatives has passed HR1, which codifies the advanced voting techniques that got Mr. Biden elected, which many of us mistakenly considered illegal.

Even in the absence of the pro-Biden chorus, The Eagle came through with articles describing progress in defunding and disarming police, getting ethnic studies included in school graduation requirements, passage of a 1.9 trillion dollar Covid relief bill (9% of which actually went toward fighting Covid-19), and reassurances that our kids will be protected from Native American imagery in school. We also learned that suicides will be reduced by taxing our phones, and that our local law enforcement will enforce the law for the protected groups we were all so worried about.

Our benign president has overcome Trumps mishandling of the pandemic (nearly nine months to develop vaccines) and has announced that if we all behave obediently and correctly, he may allow us to gather with a few friends and relatives for July 4th. Hooray!

Howard Brawn

Puget Island
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Laboratory control of Chinese vaccine Coronavac from COVID-19 may last until April 9, Deputy Minister of Health, Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Viktor Liashko said.

"The vaccine was transferred for laboratory control to the State Expert Center on March 19. The approximate date for the completion of laboratory control is April 9. If there are no comments on this vaccine, we are ready to deliver it on the same day when the laboratory control is completed, and start vaccination the next day," he said at a meeting of the parliamentary committee of the public health, medical assistance and medical insurance on Wednesday.

Liashko said that the State Expert Center started to carry out laboratory control of the Coronavac vaccine "over the weekend, and continues to do it."

"This vaccine was purchased not according to the procedures of international organizations, but through the state enterprise Medical Procurement of Ukraine, so it must undergo laboratory control," he said.

Liashko said that the Ministry of Health expects the delivery of the first batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX mechanism, as well as 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine.

"I will tell you the exact date as soon as the vaccine is loaded onto the plane," he said.

Liashko said that in April the Ministry of Health expects the delivery of the rest of the batch of the Chinese vaccine Coronavac and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield), "for which money has been paid."

In addition, Liashko said that on Tuesday the Ministry of Health received confirmation from the COVAX mechanism for the supply of Pfizer vaccine in the amount of 1.57 million doses, which will be delivered by the end of June "upon condition there will be no global disruptions."
The .380-caliber handgun that police recovered from Michael Reinoehl after officers shot and killed him outside a Washington apartment complex in September was the same gun used in the fatal downtown Portland shooting of a right-wing activist after a pro-Trump rally, forensic tests confirmed.

Thurston County Sheriffs Lt. Cameron Simper said Wednesday that investigators seized the gun, test-fired it and sent a casing from it to the Oregon State Police crime lab.

The lab ruled that the casing came from the same handgun that killed Aaron Jay Danielson on Aug. 29, Simper said.

Reinoehl, 48, a self-described anti-fascist, was wanted in Danielsons killing. Danielson, 38, a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, was gunned down after a pro-Trump car caravan wound through the city.

Reinoehl died Sept. 3 when officers from the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force cornered him outside the apartment where he was staying near Lacey, Washington, in an effort to arrest him on a Multnomah County warrant for second-degree murder.

Thurston County investigators also announced Wednesday that they found it highly likely that Reinoehl fired a single shot at officers before they fired more than 30 rounds at Reinoehl from two handguns and two rifles.

They cant say conclusively that Reinoehl fired his gun because investigators never recovered the bullet, Simper said.

It didnt impact a person. It didnt impact a vehicle. It didnt impact a structure, Simper said. But based on witness statements and officers accounts, its highly likely that weapon was fired.

Investigators suspect Reinoehl fired the shot from the drivers seat of his car out the front passenger window, Simper said.

A single .380-caliber casing was found in the back seat of Reinoehls Volkswagen, a location consistent with the casing ejecting to the right of the gun when fired, Simper said. The right front passenger window also was broken, he said.

Reinoehl was wounded in his car but then got out and ran behind it and collapsed in the street beside a set of mailboxes, the Sheriffs Office has said. As Reinoehl ran, officers continued to fire at him. He died from gunshot wounds to the head and upper torso, an autopsy found.

After he had collapsed, he still had his hand on his gun partially withdrawn from his pocket, according to the investigation. Officers removed Reinoehls hand from the gun so they could handcuff him before pumping his chest and doing CPR, according to the investigation.

The gun was loaded, consistent with one round being gone, Simper said.

Four officers from the Pierce County Sheriffs Office, Lakewood Police Department and the Washington Department of Corrections fired at Reinoehl. They were part of the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force.

The Thurston County Sheriffs Office led the Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team in examining the police shooting of Reinoehl. The team completed its investigation Tuesday and turned over its reports to the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review, Simper said.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian
A group of Karnataka ministers on Thursday strongly backed Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa a day after senior Minister KS Eshwarappa accused him of running an authoritarian administration and interfering with the affairs of his Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department.

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Revenue Minister R Ashoka, Health Minister K Sudhakar and Agriculture Minister BC Patil came out in support of Yediyurappa, who is yet to break his silence on the issue.

On Wednesday, RDPR Minister KS Eshwarappa met Governor Vajubhai R Vala with a 5-page complaint against Yediyurappa for direct interference, serious lapses and authoritarian way of running the administration, which caused ripples in the ruling BJP.

Read: Eshwarappa alleges 'serious lapses' by B S Yediyurappa, approaches Governor

Apparently, Yediyurappa told Bommai and others that he was disappointed with Eshwarappa for having gone to the Governor.

If Eshwarappa has objections, he should have discussed them with the CM. The Governor merely works on the advice of the Council of Ministers. What (Eshwarappa) has raised is an administrative matter that should be resolved internally and taking it to the Governor is not appropriate, Bommai said.

In his complaint, Eshwarappa pointed at at least three instances where Yediyurappa sanctioned funds without taking him into confidence.

Bommai defended this and explained, Weve had Covid-19 for the past one year and no works happened, especially in rural areas due to the difficult financial situation. Since October-November, the finances have improved and MLAs requested the CM for funds. The CM took a decision and sanctioned funds. He added that the CM has all the powers as per the Karnataka (Transaction of Business) Rules, which Eshwarappa said was violated.

Read: Congress has a field day with Eshwarappa's complaint against B S Yediyurappa

While I agree that the minister concerned is also equally responsible, Yediyurappa is also the finance minister and it is he who sanctions funds, Bommai said.

Urging Eshwarappa to hold talks with the CM soon, Bommai said, This has created a deadlock. Its been over a month since the CM sanctioned the funds, but orders have not been issued. MLAs are again mounting pressure on the CM.

According to Ashoka, Yediyurappa as CM has supreme power to make decisions. When 70-80 MLAs requested him for funds, the CM, who is also the finance minister, exercised his power. Its not good to find fault with that, he said.

Sudhakar said the CM can summon any file and take decisions. Eshwarappa is senior enough. He could have sorted it out in five minutes with talks. But the current situation is certainly an embarrassment to the government, the party and even Eshwarappa. It couldve been avoided, he said.

Patil, a cop-turned-actor-turned-politician, said the episode saddened him. Its not right to accused Yediyurappa of having done something wrong when he didnt, he said.

MLAs loyal to Yediyurappa - Madal Virupakshappa, MP Renukacharya, Mahesh Kumtahalli and others - also hit out at Eshwarappa.
The information of the Armenian side that the positions of the Armenian Armed Forces in Khnatsakh village of Goris district on the border with Lachin district of Azerbaijan are allegedly surrounded by the Azerbaijani servicemen, that the Armenians may lose their post at any moment is groundless, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said.

"The units of the Azerbaijani troops are in the positions in Lachin district of Azerbaijan bordering Goris district of Armenia and carry out daily service in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, which does not pose any threat," the statement reads.

"We recommend the circles disseminating this kind of information in Armenia not to create groundless panic, not to mislead the Armenian public and to forever get used to the Azerbaijani servicemen who serve on the state border of the two countries along Zangilan, Gubadli, Lachin and Kalbajar districts of Azerbaijan liberated from the Armenian occupation," the ministry said.
ALTON  Charges have been filed against an Alton teen related to the theft of a van last week containing a 3-month-old child.

The 15-year-old suspect, who has not been named by authorities, has been charged by the Madison County States Attorneys office with attempted murder, kidnapping and offenses related to motor vehicle theft, according to Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido.

At about 7:27 p.m. Friday, March 26, Alton Police responded to the 700 block of Spring Street for the report of a stolen gold 2001 Chevrolet Venture van. Pulido said the driver of the van told police she briefly entered a residence on Spring Street while her 3-month-old son, Ghyadi Jaber, was strapped into a car seat inside the van.

Police said that when the woman walked back out of residence she discovered her van and her son were gone. She immediately called Alton Police who alerted surrounding law enforcement agencies and an AMBER alert was issued.

Several police officers and detectives with the Alton Police Department Criminal Investigations Division began investigating the case, attempting to locate the infant and stolen van. Pulido said that, during their investigation, police found items from the stolen van behind a house in the 1100 block of Highland Avenue in Alton.

As the search continued, the van was located in the area of Wescott Street and Central Avenue, Pulido said. Officers continued to search for the child and, at about 11:37 p.m., were alerted that a woman had found an infant in the area of Common and Elliott streets.

Pulido said the woman was aware of the AMBER alert and had been driving around the area seeking the vehicle and infant. The woman heard a sound which was determined to be crying, Pulido said, and found the infant in a ditch.

Police arrived and assessed the infant who was very cold to the touch, Pulido said. Alton Fire Department paramedics were summoned and the infant was transported to a local hospital where he was found not to have any severe injuries.

Alton Police Detectives, despite having minimal leads, passionately worked this case throughout the weekend, Pulido said. After several days and nights of work  through interviews and obtaining additional evidence which included forensic evidence  a suspect was able to be identified.

Pulido said the suspect was taken into custody at about 4:09 p.m. Tuesday, March 30, in the first block of West Delmar Avenue in Alton. According to Pulido, the suspect was determined to be in a vehicle and, when it was stopped, tried to flee on foot from officers. After a pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody by Alton Police.

Additional physical evidence was located during the arrest that linked the suspect to the investigation, Pulido said. He added the investigation revealed the Alton teen alone stole the van containing the child.

I am extremely thankful for the community member who located the infant and ensured he had to suffer no further harm, said Pulido. Her actions were truly lifesaving.

I am extremely proud of my detectives whose tireless, extraordinary efforts were able to identify a suspect, secure criminal charges, and ensure that justice is sought for the infant and his family, he said.

Pulido also thanked all everyone who shared the AMBER alert information on Friday.
Malaysian Prime Minister Muyhiddin Yasin can breathe a sigh of relief after convincing ministers from a key coalition partner not to quit his cabinet, and as a significant Islamic party said Wednesday that it would work with his party for the next general election.

Muhyiddins announcement Wednesday about an agreement with the nine ministers from the United Malays National Organization, the largest party in the ruling bloc, came days after UMNO leaders said they may quit before the election and ask their ministers to resign.

I advised them to remain in the cabinet, Muhyiddin said in a statement, adding that he had reached an agreement with the UMNO ministers on Monday.

This is in the name of the people and the country, as I feel that the governments focus should now be on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, carrying out the national immunization program, and fixing the countrys economy, said the unelected prime minister who came to power 13 months ago after the collapse of the previous Pakatan Harapan government.

God willing, on my advice, an agreement was reached that all UMNO ministers will remain in the cabinet.

Neither Muhyiddin nor any of the UMNO ministers said how long the agreement would be in place.

The PM said that several UMNO lawmakers currently held important portfolios in the government and their resignations would affect the governments plan to combat the pandemic and revive the economy.

At least three of the nine UMNO ministers confirmed to local media that they would not be resigning from the posts in the cabinet when the country is still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said at the partys general assembly over the weekend that the rank-and-file had approved withdrawing from the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition whenever the top leaders of the party decided it was time to go.

And that included the partys ministers quitting the government.

UMNO leaders had earlier pledged to back Muhyiddins government until the national polls. The election date has not been announced, but the PM has promised polls will be held when the pandemic subsides.

UMNO and several other opposition parties have criticized Muhyiddin for advising the king in January to impose a national emergency over the pandemic. The PM suspended parliament after the king declared the emergency.

Besides, UMNOs alliance with Muhyiddins Bersatu has been rocky for months. UMNO feels it has not reaped the rewards of holding the most parliamentary seats in the ruling coalition, observers had noted.

Muhyiddin needs supports and he got it

Meanwhile, the joint statement issued Wednesday by the conservative Pan-Islamic Malaysian Party (PAS) alongside Bersatu also came after UMNO leaders over the weekend appeared to prod the faith-based party into declaring which side it would be on.

Without mentioning Muhyiddins Perikatan coalition, UMNOs Zahid had said that his party and PAS  who are part of another alliance called Muafakat Nasional  had agreed not to hastily join other pacts, local media reported.

Being with the other side doesnt bring any gain, let alone getting more seats, Zahid said at the general assembly, in the presence of top PAS leaders who attended the event.

PAS seemed to disagree with Zahid, based on its joint announcement with Bersatu that the two parties would cooperate for the next election.

Bersatu and PAS will work closely together in the PN coalition to prepare for the general election; and the two parties, as the pioneers of the PN coalition, will set up a committee at the central level to discuss matters including seat distribution, the statement by the two parties said.

Until now, PAS had been trying to play peacemaker between Bersatu and UMNO, as it believed that the three parties together had a solid chance of winning the next election. And analysts had said both Muhyiddin and Zahid were vying for PASs support.

Muhyiddin scored with this alliance with PAS, said political analyst Tunku Mohar Mokhtar.

Muhyiddin needs support and he got it. He got PAS to side with him, Mokhtar, who teaches at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, told BenarNews.

Still, the PM and his Perikatan coalition would be in trouble if they dont advise the king to call elections when the emergency  scheduled to end Aug. 1  is lifted, Mokhtar said.

UMNO had agreed to support the Muhyiddin government until August, Mohamad Hasan, the partys deputy president, said over the weekend.

Lets say the emergency is lifted in August but theres no definite date for elections, and when UMNO ministers resign as per the general assemblys resolution, the PN coalition will fall, Mokhtar said.

But anything may happen in Malaysian politics. There may even be a mutiny in UMNO.
ATLANTA  The Georgia Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation that would have taught Georgia drivers how to interact with police during a traffic stop.

As filed, Senate Bill 115 would have required the Department of Public Safety to create a course to educate drivers about interacting with police during traffic stops, including their discretion on use of force.

The bill failed after the House amended it to include a provision that would have allowed local governments to put speed cameras in school zones. Senators voted 26-23 against the new version of the measure.

The most important thing to me is always to protect people and save lives, said state Sen. Randy Robertson, a Cataula Republican and former police officer who sponsored the measure. This is about saving lives.

The legislation was being considered less than a year after Rayshard Brooks, a Black man, was killed by an Atlanta police officer who had questioned him for being asleep and intoxicated in his car. And in Minneapolis, the nationally watched trial is underway of an officer accused of killing George Floyd.

Members of the House approved the measure 98-72 earlier in the day before sending it back to the Senate for its consideration.

Supporters of the measure said it was commonsense that drivers should know to pull over in a well-lit area, turn on their cars dome light and put their hands on the steering wheel as an officer approaches.

This bill recognizes the fact that we have to develop expectations for officer conduct, said state Rep. Martin Momtahan, a Republican from Dallas. The sole purpose of Senate Bill 115 is to protect our families, our citizens and our officers through education, to teach them what those expectations should be.

The curriculum would have been part of the instruction given to new drivers and those who need to take driver improvement courses. Instruction would also include an explanation of consequences when someone is a habitual offender and convey that officers can request ID, choose to use force and detain drivers.

This bill simply seeks to absolve law enforcement of their own responsibility, said state Rep. Erica Thomas, a Democrat from Mableton. Dictating solutions and assigning blame to motorists is not a productive way to engage with our communities that have been on the receiving end of state-sponsored violence for generations.

___

Mark Niesse and Maya T. Prabhu of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote this story.

(c)2021 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.)

Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The White House on Thursday cranked up its effort to sell a hike in the corporate tax rate as a top way to bring in cash to fund President Biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure package, with chief of staff Ron Klain calling it 'just good policy' and 'common sense.'

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki brandished a video chart at her press briefing Thursday, saying the 28 per cent corporate rate being proposed by Biden was 'lower than it has been in the past several decade for most of that period of time.'

'We think that's an incredibly reasonable proposal,' she said.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain called Biden's proposed hike in the corporate tax rate to 28 per cent 'just good policy'

Psaki characterized the 2017 Donald Trump tax cuts, which brought the rate down to 21 per cent, as a 'tax giveaway to corporate America.' The rate had previously been at 35 per cent, and spiked during and after World War II.

Klain pitched the hike in an interview with Politico Playbook.

'These are things this country has been talking about for decades,' he said. 'The question is are we going to stop talking about them and actually do them, and if we are going to do them, how are we going to pay for them?'

'We put a proposal on the table to pay for them,' he said. While he said he was open to alternatives, he tried to put the burden on skeptics to come up with ways to pay for Biden's plan.

'If people have other ideas on how to pay for this investment, then they should put those on the table,' he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki brandished a chart to show how the corporate rate would remain below its historic level even with a hike of 7 percentage points

Psaki noted that 91 corporations paid no income taxes in 2018, although a change in rates wouldn't impact firms who find other ways to avoid taxation through deductions, credits, and offshoring.

Klain also promised a political effort to sell the plan to lawmakers  although top Republican leaders Mitch McConnell in the Senate and Kevin McCarthy in the House have already blasted the plan.

Democrats may seek to get the plan through the Senate using a procedure that would allow it to get through with only 50 votes to get a round a likely Republican filibuster.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), offered only partial support for the pay-fors proposed by the White House.

'Congress will offer some suggestions. We will accept some of what he is proposing,' he said, calling for expanding certain tax credits.

'If we can improve upon the president's proposal, we want to do that,' Neal said.
CHICO, Calif. - Fall semester could look a lot more normal at Chico State.

University officials announced a possible full, in-person return to campus.

The university said in a letter to faculty and staff that with increasing vaccinations inching towards herd immunity, they say it could be possible for the entire campus to return as soon as next semester, and some students are ready for it

"To me? It's major," said Elijah Palomino. "That's major."

He's a senior at Chico State, and for him, online classes weren't cutting it.

"Personally, last semester I took a break," he said. "It took a toll on me, I felt very disconnected from not only the campus but from myself, and the other students."

And in his pursuit at a career being a therapist.

"I want to work with people one on one," said Palomino. "I want to be able to have these personal interactions and if I want to attend, which I do, graduate school here at Chico," he said. "I don't want to spend three more years going more in debt online."

Right now, Chico State is in Phase Two of it's reopening plan which allows limited in-person student facilities, and some employees on campus. Phase Four is a complete in-person campus.

"I think it goes to kind of, the mental health of the students," said Palomino.

But what about the economic impact bringing students back fully could have on the community?

Just across the street from the university, within walking distance, is Celestino's Pizza, and the owner Enzo Perri says it would be a huge help for his business and his work force, especially after the pandemic

"We were in survival mode, it's been a year and we're in survival mode," said Perri.

And even in survival mode.

"It's still down about 30%," he said. "From our normal numbers this time of year."

Do you hire normally some Chico State students?

"I'd say about 50% to 60% of my staff, they are students," he said. "So it's important to get that labor pool back that's been missing for sure."

"I hope the worst is behind us but yes it would be a boost," said Perri about the students returning.

"For people like me," said Palomino. "It means the world if we can go back to being 100% in-person, because it just lifts my spirits that much more."

If a full student return isn't possible next semester for whatever reason, Chico State is hoping to at least have full in-person staffing by January 2022.

Chico State plans to increase the amount of employees on campus by June 7th, all part of the campus' reopening plan.
Lakhs of farmers, protesting against the three farm laws passed by the union government last year, will march towards the on foot sometime in the middle of the month of May, said All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) General Secretary Hannan Mollah on Thursday.

Mollah told ANI that the march is being organised because "the government is not listening to the voices of the farmers".

"Modi Government and are not listening to the then it is our right to go in front of and raise our demand and we will decide sometime between the middle in the month of May. Thousands of will come to the border first, then march to Delhi on foot," he said.

The AIKS General Secretary said that the farmers' march will be peaceful and they will head for the Parliament to express their "grief and pain before countrymen". He added that the exact date of the march has not been decided yet.

"We have decided to organise the program because the movement of has become longer than four months. When the movement has become longer, the protests have to be organised continuously and therefore we have announced that we will encircle Food Corporation of India's offices on April 5 because the government is planning to abolish the public distribution system," said Mollah.

He said his organisation will "siege Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) outer ring road for 24 hours" on April 10, and will organise nationwide protests on Baisakhi and May day to raise their demands.

Protestors broke barricades to enter Delhi and indulged in vandalism across several parts of the capital during their tractor rally organised to protest against the Centre's three new farm laws on Republic day.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting on three borders of Delhi -- Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur -- since November last year demanding repeal of the three contentious farm laws enacted last year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Singapore: Australian economist Sean Turnell has been charged along with Myanmars ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi with breaching the countrys official secrets act and faces a prison term if found guilty.

Khin Maung Zaw, the senior lawyer representing Suu Kyi, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Thursday night that Turnell, an adviser to Suu Kyi, was charged on March 25 in East Yangon District Court. Suu Kyi and three of the ministers from her government were also charged under the colonial-era act, he said.

Sean Turnell, left, has long provided advice to Myanmars elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, right.

The lawyer said Turnell and Suu Kyi were charged under section 3.1C of the Burma Official Secrets Act. It refers to the collecting, publishing or distributing against the interests of the state of any secret official code or password, or any sketch, plan, model, article or note or other document or information which is calculated to be or might be or is intended to be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy.

It is punishable with a prison term of up to three years or, in the case of naval, military or air force affairs of the state, up to 14 years.
What just happened? Microsoft has won a contract to build mixed reality headsets for the US Army based on its own HoloLens technology. The Redmond firm will supply 120,000 Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) devices in a deal that could be worth up to $21.88 billion over the next ten years.

Microsoft began prototyping the system in 2018 after being awarded a $480 million contract. The new deal involves creating finalized production versions for soldiers.

The system combines high-resolution night, thermal, and soldier-borne sensors into a heads-up display. "The system also leverages augmented reality and machine learning to enable a life-like mixed reality training environment so the CCF can rehearse before engaging any adversaries," writes the US Army.

Tech companies working with branches of government and military is often a contentious issue, especially among their employees. In 2018, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella responded to an open letter co-signed by more than 100 Microsoft workers protesting the firm's work with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Microsoft ran into a similar controversy after signing the initial contract with the Army for the IVAS prototypes. Employees once again expressed their disapproval in an open letter, forcing Nadella to defend the move. The CEO emphasized that Microsoft and the DoD would continue to work together.

"We made a principled decision that we're not going to withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy," said Nadella. "We were very transparent about that decision, and we'll continue to have that dialogue [with employees]."

Last April saw the DoD's Inspector General clear Microsoft's $10 billion JEDI contract after no evidence of wrongdoing was found. Amazon had disputed the decision to award its cloud rival the contract, claiming it is "uniquely experienced and qualified to provide the critical technology the US military needs, and remains committed to supporting the DoD's modernization efforts." The company alleged animosity between Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump led to the president ensuring Microsoft was chosen over Amazon.
Low Emission Slurry Spreading is one of the tasks in GLAS

A total of 6,629 farmers opted out of the Governments Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) this year, it has emerged.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue confirmed the drop-off in participation in response to questions from independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice at this weeks Oireachtas Agriculture Committee meeting which focused on revised estimates for Department expenditure this year.

The latest GLAS data shows that while 42,000 farmers applied to extend their contract under the scheme for 2021  this marks a substantial decline from 48,629 applicants in 2020.

When pressed on the reasons behind this fall-off by the Roscommon-Galway representative, Minister McConalogue said: "I provided for GLAS to be continued for this year for the transition period and it has had full participation levels up to that.

"Some farmers decided not to extend their GLAS by one year and that accounts for the 6,000 farmers less  they chose not to renew it for this year.

"Obviously, the opportunity was there and I worked to ensure that the extension would be practical and hassle free for farmers to continue to participate in GLAS, but having said that we did see about 6,000 decide not to continue on.

Unfair

Deputy Fitzmaurice challenged the minister on this response: Its very unfair to say that farmers basically didnt bother themselves.

"The reality is, the way the schemes are set up  and GLAS especially  it has made it not worth their while.

"I know a lot of farmers who, because they didnt get priority access and the five or six year lease was up on the land with their main GLAS project, some of the payments coming back for around 1,500 wasnt worth filling out the application.

"Thats why we have lost 6,000 farmers and thats less money in the economy, he said.

The GLAS scheme is structured to give priority to farmers with vulnerable lands, for example areas that include sensitive landscapes, water areas or are the habitat of specific wild birds.

Specific payment rates depend on land and actions taken, but in general the maximum payment is 5,000/year.

Farmers who had entered contracts under Tranches 1 and 2 of the scheme, which were due to expire on December 31 2020, could apply to extend their contracts for one additional year.
ROSH HA'AYIN, Israel, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aquarius Engines (TASE: AQUA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese auto-parts manufacturer TPR, focused on cooperation between TPR and Aquarius's soon-to-be established Japanese subsidiary.

Aquarius Engines is in the process of establishing a sister company in Japan with the aim of promoting and strengthening ties with existing Japanese partners, which include Honda-affiliate Musashi Seimitsu and TPR.

The 10kg super efficient Aquarius Engine (Credit: David Katz) (PRNewsfoto/AQUARIUS ENGINES)

Aquarius Japan will work to create strategic partnerships across Asia and promote more business opportunities in the Japanese market. In addition to research and development to adapt the patented Aquarius linear engine to operate on hydrogen and penetrate the Japanese automobile market.

TPR is a Japanese publicly traded manufacturer of components for the global automotive industry, and is a non-material shareholder in Aquarius Engines.

According to the memorandum of understanding, which is still subject to a number of conditions, the two companies will cooperate in multiple areas that include development production and supply of parts that Aquarius Engines will use to manufacture its products. The manufacture and assembly of the Aquarius Engine and generator by TPR. The sale of the Aquarius Engines and generators by TPR in certain areas and their subsequent maintenance. In addition, TPR expressed its willingness to invest in the Aquarius's Japanese subsidiary, and both parties agreed that TPR would be given an option to invest at least $5M in Aquarius Japan, with the opportunity to participate in the company's management.

Aquarius Engines estimates that the new business partnership with TPR, a leading player in the automotive industry, with significant commercial experience, could have a positive impact on demand for products developed by Aquarius Engines and give significant advantage in terms of quality and turnaround.

Aquarius Engines looks to Japan as a key destination for strategic collaboration, which are expected to advance the company's research and development in international markets. The new collaboration is also expected to propel Aquarius Engines towards its entry into the automotive market through a strategic partnership with a leading player in the industry.

It should also be noted that the Government of Japan continues to encourage the development of technological innovations in the field of hydrogen as an energy source and allocates significant resources for this purpose, a move that serves as a fertile ground for the Aquarius Engines plans to revolutionize green energy.

"We are pleased to be partnering with TPR, which is a dominant and central force in the Japanese automotive industry. Bringing together our subsidiary Aquarius Japan with TPR, we will be able to create long-term relationships with leading manufacturers in the Japanese market and establish Aquarius' status as a key player in manufacturing the cars of the future. This is thanks to our innovative products, which will contribute to the green revolution that has already begun in the global automotive industry," said Gal Fridman, Chairman of Aquarius Engines.

Aquarius Engines has developed and produced a tiny 10kg linear engine for generating electricity, with an internal combustion mechanism designed primarily for use in generators. Unlike large traditional engines, the Aquarius Engine has only one moving part and converts fuel into electricity without the use of oil. Due to its size and light weight, the engine has high mechanical efficiency that allows for low emissions and low pollution.

In addition to its partnerships with the Japanese Musashi Seimitsu and TPR, Aquarius Engines has a partnership with Nokia in the field of remote communication and energy equipment management.

The Aquarius Engines technology currently has around 20 patents registered worldwide. The technology has additional applications in the fields of aviation, marine and range extenders for the automotive market. Aquarius has manufacturing and development centers in Israel, Germany and Poland. https://www.aquariusengines.com/

For more information or to arrange an interview contact [email protected]

SOURCE AQUARIUS ENGINES

Related Links

https://www.aquariusengines.com/


all of this is proceeding with a sickening and confusing haste. Tecnimont, the Italian consultant/contractor that estimated the cost of repair at $290 million nine years ago, revised the cost to $1.78 billion in its fresh bid. The government has neither publicly disclosed details of the first technical report in 2012 nor details of the current one.

Brazil has proved a disaster in the management of COVID-19, but there are other areas where we can use their examples.

Like what to do about failing refineries. This hot-button topic returned to the front burner after the Nigerian government recently announced plans to repair the Port Harcourt Refinery.

That refinery and the ones in Warri and Kaduna have a combined refining capacity of 410,000 bpd, an output far less than the local daily demand, but which all three refineries have only struggled to meet since they were installed.

According to a recent report in The Guardian, Nigeria has spent $26.5 billion in fake maintenance in the last three decades or so. Yet, the decision by the government of President Muhammadu to shell out another $1.5billion to flog the dying refinery horse indicates that Abuja is clearly not in the mood to curtail corruption or rein in its appetite for waste.

Its not money the government has. The government is cash-strapped and had, in fact, listed the Port Harcourt refinery among other assets for sale. In a dramatic U-turn, however, the government seems happy to compound its current debt misery of nearly $86 billion, by borrowing more to keep an asset it no longer needs.

Governments main argument is that if the refineries are sold in their current state, theyll be flung for less than their scrap value. Officials are also saying that with Dangotes refinery (650,000 bpd) coming on stream soon, exiting now would leave petrol supply completely in the hands of the private sector.

Theres no need to wonder why this discovery is coming after the fact. Chaos is the gift of Buharis government, except that sometimes, this gift is in oversupply. Or how else can anyone explain why these concerns did not come up during due diligence, supposed to precede the listing?

Lets leave that for a moment and examine how Brazil, famous for state-controlled refineries, is dealing with a similar problem. Petrobras, which manages the refineries for the state, recently decided to sell off Landulpho Alves refinery (RLAM), among other state-owned assets. Brazil could have made the lazy baby-and-bath-water argument, the trope for the Nigerian authorities.

But the writing on the wall is clear. Faced with a tightening global oil market and an increasing number of nimble producers in many parts of the world, Petrobras, Brazils equivalent of Nigerias NNPC, decided that the smart thing to do was to sell off the asset and cut its loss.

In a competitive global bid, Mubadala, Abu Dhabis state-owned investment fund recently offered to buy the 333,000 bpd RLAM for $1.65 billion, a value higher than what the Nigerian government intends to invest in a repair guaranteed to produce a worse outcome.

Petrobras is planning to sell seven other refineries by the end of this year. According to some reports, the company could realise about $25 billion-$35 billion from the sale of its non-core assets in the next four years. Which means, by re-evaluating its assets, Brazil could get, in four years, what Nigeria used in 30 to fix its own rickety assets.

The lazy, worn-out arguments for the catastrophic reversal over a decade ago, have not changed: Why sell cheap when you can fix and manage cheaply to reduce petrol imports? Why divest from the refineries and leave such a vital national resource in the hands of the private sector?

Weve been here before, and didnt need a lesson from Brazil at the time. The same argument that government is making for hugging the refineries could have been made to prevent the sale of the Eleme Petrochemical Company in 2006, for example.

Just like the refineries, the company was sinking in the mire of corruption and producing far less than its installed capacity of 1.2 million metric tons of polymer-based products. The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo sold 80 per cent of the governments stake, held by NNPC, to Indorama at $250 million  the sort of money that managers of todays NNPC would consider less than scrap value.

Within two years of the sale, Indorama was in profit and sending dividend to NNPC. It still does, not only to NNPC, but also to the Onne Community where it is located and the Rivers State government, who are also part owners.

The company has expanded its production capacity to 2 million metric tons of polymer, built a fertiliser plant for export and also expanded the Onne Port, which had almost collapsed into a narrow wedge on governments watch.

About 500 staff members were on payroll, most them leeching off the system, while Abuja fat cats were milking the company in the name of preserving our collective patrimony. Today, there are 1,500 employees in Indorama Eleme, doing valuable work and earning wages they could only have dreamed off under government management.

It was a lesson which the Obasanjo government almost replicated with the refineries in 2007, before vested interests, who use the refineries as private oil blocks, regardless of their pretentious nationalism, decided to subvert the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries to Blue Star, with labour goading them on.

The lazy, worn-out arguments for the catastrophic reversal over a decade ago, have not changed: Why sell cheap when you can fix and manage cheaply to reduce petrol imports? Why divest from the refineries and leave such a vital national resource in the hands of the private sector? Why, in short, throw away the baby with the bath water?

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Well, this baby has been thrashed and abused by a derelict parent that seems determined to drown it in the bath water.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned last week that, The plans to repair and relaunch the countrys three existing refineries that have not been operating in recent years are unlikely to materialise.

The government is not listening. Or, to put it more correctly, it is listening to itself and instead of using best examples from elsewhere, and even from its own past, it is behaving like effigies from Chilubas Zambia.

If the government is prepared to spend three times what it would have earned from the sale to repair it, your guess is as good as mine what the current market value of the refinery would be today. But it would be worse by the time government finishes the $1.5 billion window-dressing.

Its a story worth repeating  that of Zambias copper mines. At their peak, Zambias copper mines produced 12 per cent of the worlds copper. They were the pride of Zambia and the glory of southern Africa.

And then it happened. A combination of steep crashes in commodity prices, coupled with corruption, global politics, internal incompetence and mismanagement  all present in todays Nigerian refineries  put the future of the mines in grave danger.

In response to the economic crisis facing Zambia at the time, President Frederick Chiluba listed 287 state companies for sale and managed to sell 251. The jewel in the crown, also listed, was Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), the countrys largest.

Zambia was offered $165 million but Chiluba, like his cousins in Nigerias government today, said the offer was insultingly low. He haggled for nine years. When the price of copper finally collapsed in 2000, the best he could get for KCM was $90 million, the true and deserving scrap value.

Its 14 years since President Umaru YarAduas government reversed the sale of the Port Harcourt Refinery for $500 million to Blue Star set up by Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola.

If the government is prepared to spend three times what it would have earned from the sale to repair it, your guess is as good as mine what the current market value of the refinery would be today. But it would be worse by the time government finishes the $1.5 billion window-dressing.

And all of this is proceeding with a sickening and confusing haste. Tecnimont, the Italian consultant/contractor that estimated the cost of repair at $290 million nine years ago, revised the cost to $1.78 billion in its fresh bid. The government has neither publicly disclosed details of the first technical report in 2012 nor details of the current one.

All we are hearing from a government that is supposed to be deregulating, is that after the repair, Port Harcourt Refinery would refine enough petrol to flood the Suez Canal. Caution.

The deeper issues of NNPCs importation monopoly, poor seaport infrastructure to admit and process larger vessels, the waste pipe that is the Petroleum Equalisation Fund, the changing refinery landscape in the world, and sheer corruption that overwhelms the system, are not even being mentioned.

It would take more than one more repair to cover the developing scandal that Nigerias refineries have become. The writing, in grease, is all over the wall.

Azu Ishiekwene editor-in-chief of LEADERSHIP.
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NEW YORK  Fed up with the incessant attacks on Asian Americans, Stan Lee recently started voluntarily patrolling San Franciscos Chinatown. So when the 53-year-old fire lieutenant saw a video of a New York City woman getting brutally beaten, he didnt have to guess how his fellow volunteers  other Asian American firefighters  were taking it.

Im pretty sure theyre all steamed, like I am, said Lee, who is Chinese American. Its personal. It could have been our aunt or our mom or our grandma.

The vicious assault of a 65-year-old woman while walking to church this week near New York Citys Times Square has heightened already palpable levels of outrage over anti-Asian attacks that escalated with the pandemic.

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New York police say the assailant yelled racial slurs at the Filipina American woman and told her, You dont belong here! The video quickly drew millions of views along with widespread condemnation, not just for its heinous nature but the seemingly indifferent bystanders. The assailant was arrested and charged Wednesday with hate crimes.

Asian American groups from coast to coast, already doing more than digital activism  patrolling, escorting, chaperoning  are trying not to let this latest hate crime discourage those efforts.

I think that gives us more motive to take care of our own, Lee said. We see everyone in our community as our own. It doesnt have to be just Asians.

In New York City, Teresa Ting, a 29-year-old Chinese American, started what has become the Main Street Patrol following an attack on another older Asian American woman in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens in February.

It literally could have been my mother had it been the wrong place, wrong time, Ting said of that attack.

She wanted to do something more than posting messages on social media and was happily surprised when people showed up to volunteer. The group has since organized volunteers to go out in parts of Flushing, a heavily Asian neighborhood, on weekend afternoons.

Volunteers travel in groups of three, and have an app to communicate with each other. Ting, who wants to expand to offer a chaperone service, said she wanted people to know how to get involved and tactics they could use.

I think its very necessary, especially in the Asian community right now, just because a lot of the elders have a language barrier. They cant speak or understand English, she said. Thats why I feel a lot of hate crimes have been unreported.

Bystander training has also been on the rise and the need was only reinforced by the video of this weeks attack. Emily May, co-founder of Hollaback!, which offers training on how to respond when witnessing harassment, said it was disturbing that the video showed several witnesses who didnt seem to render aid to the woman, who has been identified as Vilma Kari.

In a post on a fundraising page Thursday, Karis daughter, Elizabeth, said a bystander not seen on the video yelled at the attacker and drew him away from her mother. THANK YOU for stepping in and doing the right thing, she wrote.

Two onlookers have been identified as lobby workers in a building in front of where the attack took place. Neither intervened or called 911, the police said. One of them was even seen closing the door during the assault.

May said there were things they could have done, even if they were worried about harm coming to themselves, like shouting or otherwise creating a distraction.

There are ways that they could have intervened without compromising their own safety, she said.

Marita Etcubanez, senior director of strategic initiatives for Asian Americans Advancing Justice AAJC, said the organization partnered with Hollaback! last year to offer free online bystander training that focused on Asian Americans.

Its clear that the training was responding to a need and a lot of concerns within the community because we had over 1,000 people register for the first two trainings, she said.

Interest has cycled up and down since, but demand has increased as anti-Asian attacks have gotten more coverage.

The New York assault came just two weeks after a white gunman opened fire inside three Asian-owned massage businesses in metro Atlanta. Eight people, including six women of Asian descent, died. The shooter has not been charged with any hate crimes, and authorities received intense backlash when they cited the suspect blaming a sex addiction. Critics say the victims race is inextricably tied to the motive.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday ordered a review of how the Justice Department can best deploy its resources to combat hate crimes during a surge in incidents targeting Asian Americans.

Garland issued a department-wide memo announcing the 30-day review, citing the recent rise in hate crimes and hate incidents, particularly the disturbing trend in reports of violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community since the start of the pandemic.

Asian American activists say former President Donald Trump is partly to blame because of his rhetoric around COVID-19, which he frequently referred to as the Chinese virus. They say he gave license for people to show racism that was already rooted in decades of anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S.

According to a report from Stop AAPI Hate, more than 3,800 anti-Asian incidents were reported to the organization between March 2020 through February. The group, which tracks incidents of discrimination, hate and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S., said that number is only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur.

According to the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, hate crimes targeting Asians ballooned by 150% last year, while hate crimes overall during the pandemic went down 7%.

Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, lauded the volunteer efforts that have sprung up in San Francisco and elsewhere, but emphasized the need for training.

I really appreciate the interest in protecting our elders, Choi said. My concern is without proper training  well have a situation where there are interventions that arent helpful, that might escalate the situation.

Lee, the San Francisco firefighter, said he was willing to keep volunteering for however long it feels necessary, adding that he often bumps into volunteers from other citizen patrols, a sign of how much attention the issue is getting. Asian American seniors hes met still want to maintain their routines.

If they are scared theyre not showing it, because they still have to go about their daily lives, he said.

____

Tang reported from Phoenix. Hajela and Tang are members of The Associated Press Race and Ethnicity team. Follow Tang on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ttangAP. Follow Hajela on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dhajela.
Los Angeles, April 1 : Hollywood actress Jodie Foster, who has taken a step back from films, says she misses the environment on the sets.

"The thing that I miss the most, strangely, is just being on sets, hanging out with all the people and making a movie together," she said, reports contactmusic.com.

However, she adds that when it comes to acting, she is still keen only on doing roles that matter to her.

"The acting, I'm happy to do less often and only really do it when it's something that really feels meaningful to me, where I feel like I can make a major contribution," said Jodie, who was recently seen in the film "The Mauritanian".

Meanwhile, Foster said that she is shocked by how long her career has stretched.

"I never thought I would be an actor when I grew up. My mum would say, are you going to be a lawyer or a doctor? It was never assumed I was going to be an actor. I'm always surprised I'm still doing the same job I did when I was three years old!" she said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A Rosebank man faces a slew of weapons charges after authorities allege he attempted to flee officers while being in possession of a loaded pistol.

William Stevenson, 34, a resident of the 300 block of Virginia Avenue, was charged with counts of second-, third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of criminal possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, possession of pistol ammunition and multiple other charges.

Police officers observed Stevenson late Tuesday night sitting in the drivers seat of an idling 2020 Mitsubishi parked in front of a fire hydrant near his home, according to a criminal complaint.

Officers approached the vehicle, the complaint alleges, and found Stevenson rolling marijuana in his lap. He was asked to exit the car, but soon began flailing his arms and attempted to run away from officers, said authorities.

During the incident, authorities allege Stevenson removed a loaded .380 caliber Taurus PT 738 pistol from his left pocket.

The NYPD posted a photo of the gun on the 120th Precinct Twitter page.

While you were sleeping our Public Safety Team was keeping our community safe by getting #Onelessgun off the street. Great Job! pic.twitter.com/tLgIctpktZ  NYPD 120th Precinct (@NYPD120Pct) March 31, 2021

When NYPD officers moved to arrest him, Stevenson refused to be handcuffed by putting his arms under his body, according to the criminal complaint.

Police found methamphetamine in the form of three green pills in the face of a teardrop, two round red pills and two red pills with a joker face in Stevensons jacket in the back seat of the car, the complaint alleges.

While officers were arresting Stevenson, Zanayah Rainey, 20, who was initially in the passengers seat of the vehicle, attempted to get into the drivers seat and drive from the scene, authorities allege.

She was stopped by officers and charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Stevensons attorney did not immediately return an emailed request for comment. Raineys attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Stevenson has several prior arrests, according to police and Advance/SILive.com records. He was most recently convicted of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance in October of 2020.



RELATED COVERAGE: Crime news on Staten Island
Workers at a Baltimore plant manufacturing two coronavirus vaccines accidentally conflated the vaccines ingredients several weeks ago, ruining about 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine and forcing regulators to delay authorization of the plants production lines.

The plant is run by Emergent BioSolutions, a manufacturing partner to both Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. Federal officials attributed the mistake to human error.

The mix-up has halted future shipments of Johnson & Johnson doses in the United States while the Food and Drug Administration investigates. Johnson & Johnson has moved to strengthen its control over Emergent BioSolutions work to avoid further quality lapses.

The mistake is a major embarrassment for Johnson & Johnson, whose one-dose vaccine has been credited with speeding up the national immunization program.

It does not affect Johnson & Johnson doses that are currently being delivered and used nationwide. All those doses were produced in the Netherlands, where operations have been fully approved by federal regulators.

But all further shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine  projected to total tens of millions of doses in the next month  were supposed to come from the massive Baltimore plant.

Those shipments are now in question while the quality control issues are sorted out, according to people familiar with the matter.

Federal officials still expect to have enough doses to meet President Joe Bidens commitment to provide enough vaccine by the end of May to immunize every adult. The two other federally authorized manufacturers, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are continuing to deliver as expected.

Pfizer is shipping its doses ahead of schedule, and Moderna is on the verge of winning approval to deliver vials of vaccine packed with up to 15 doses instead of 10, further boosting the nations stock.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Senators have trained their sights on the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) board as investigations into the multibillion-shilling Covid-19 scandal gather pace.

The taxpayer lost money in irregular procurement of personal protective equipment (PPEs) in bizarre deals that shocked the nation.

Sh7.6 billion loss

The House Committee of the Senate has now accused the Kemsa board chaired by Mr Kembi Gitura of incompetence, leading to the loss of nearly Sh7.6 billion.

In a report tabled in the house by Kisumu's Fred Outa on Tuesday, senators said the board failed to exercise effective oversight over suspended Kemsa CEO Jonah Manjari and the management.

"Mr Gitura and the board of directors ought to have known about the violation of procurement processes that had been carried out by the CEO and the board of management," states the report.

The committee said Mr Gitura was aware of the problems at the agency but did nothing to address them, citing a letter he wrote to Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, complaining that the management had spent funds meant for the Universal Health Care (UHC) programme to buy PPEs.

"By failing to take the necessary administrative action against the CEO and the board of management, Mr Gitura and the board failed (in their oversight role)," states the report. It wants the State Corporation Advisory Committee to undertake an audit into the conduct of the board and the management and advise the President and the CS actions to take to avoid a repeat.

Senators have also asked the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate Mr Manjari and the board of management for violation of procurement laws.

One-man show

Other Kemsa directors set for investigations are Mr Charles E. Juma (procurement), Mr Eliud Mureithi (commercial services), Mr Fredrick Wanyonyi (legal services), Mr Edward Njoroge Njuguna (operations,) and Mr Waiganjo Karanja (finance and strategy).

The report accuses Mr Manjari of having run a one-man show at the agency, claiming he took advantage of the weak oversight by the board "to make nonsense of all procurement laws", leading to loss of taxpayers' money amounting to Sh2 billion. He allegedly ignored the ministry, bypassed the board and ignored his juniors' advice.

"The CEO took advantage of the disconnect and lack of an effective mechanism (between the board and Kemsa headquarters) to undertake procurement of Covid-19-related items without an existing budget and beyond the Kemsa capital budget," states the report.

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"Kemsa is a critical component in the health sector. The CS and the principal secretary need to ensure there is in place an effective reporting and feedback mechanism between Afya House and Kemsa."

The report details the CEO's lack of timely financial reporting with respect to the procurement of Covid-19-related supplies.

Dish out tenders

"The fact that the ministry and the board were only engaged after the irregularities had taken place meant that any measures taken were only reactive as opposed to preventive or pro-active resolutions. This put the realisation of the objectives of Kemsa and its programmes into jeopardy," states the report.

The report also alleges that the CEO could have colluded with some private companies to dish out tenders without due diligence.

"The committee recommends that the ODPP and DCI investigate the CEO and the board of management for contravening the law," states the report.
Police Chief Michael Wynn has been selected to serve on the new state commission on police training.

Pittsfield Police Chief Named to State Commission on Police Training

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Police Chief Michael Wynn has been selected to serve on the new state commission on police training.

The appointment was announced on Thursday by Gov. Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey.

Wynn, a governor's appointee, will join the commission's chair retired Judge Margaret R. Hinkle, victim witness advocate Charlene D. Luma, Massachusetts Law Enforcement Policy Group President Lawrence Calderone, Boston Police Detective Larry Ellison, trial attorney Marsha V. Kazarosian, psychologist Hanya H. Bluestone, attorney Kimberly P. West, and Clementina M. Chery, co-founder & CEO of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute in Boston.

The nine inaugural members of the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission will create a mandatory certification process for police officers, as well as processes for decertification, suspension of certification, or reprimand in the event of certain misconduct.

"By establishing a Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, the commonwealth is taking an important step to improve public safety and increase trust between members of law enforcement and the communities they serve," said Gov. Charlie Baker. "We are pleased to appoint a diverse range of experts to the POST Commission, and look forward to their work to create a more effective, just and accountable law enforcement system in Massachusetts."

The independent agency, with appointees from the governor and attorney general, was established by Chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020, signed by the governor in December 2020. Part of the police reform bill, its role is to create conduct standards and be responsible for investigating and adjudicating claims of misconduct, maintaining databases of training, certification, employment and internal affairs records for all officers, and certifying law enforcement agencies. By creating a central entity to oversee officer certification, the commission will ensure that those officers' training and misconduct records are available both to the Commission and to those officers' current and future employers, improving accountability.

The statute requires the governor to appoint a police chief, a retired justice of the Superior Court, and a social worker nominated by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. The attorney general is required to appoint a law enforcement officer below the rank of sergeant, who is a labor union representative nominated by the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Policy Group, an officer nominated by the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers, and an attorney nominated by the Civil Rights and Social Justice Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association. The governor and attorney general are required to jointly appoint three members, one of whom must be nominated by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the other two are to be civilian appointees. After the initial appointments, each member is eligible to serve five years. The governor designates the chair of the commission.

Wynn has been police chief since 2007 and has been with the department since 1995. He has also served as both a subject matter instructor and drill instructor at multiple police academies, including as an adjunct instructor for the Justice System Training and Research Institute at Roger Williams University since 2006, an instructor for the Municipal Police Training Committee in Randolph since 2001, and as a staff instructor for the Municipal Police Training Committee in Springfield from 2001 until 2007. From 2003 until 2004, Wynn was a Leadership Fellow with the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Leadership Development Unit, where he earned certification as a DEA Tactical Instructor. He also has served since last year on the National Leadership Council of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a nonprofit that promotes bipartisan solutions to reduce crime and help children succeed, after serving as a local member for the previous 10 years, and has served as an Adjunct Professor at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts since 2018. He earned a master's in criminal justice from Anna Maria College, and his bachelor's degree from Williams College.

Hinkle served from 1993 until 2011 as a justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts. Since her retirement in 2011, Hinkle has worked as a case manager for JAMS, a private alternative dispute resolution provider, serving as an arbitrator, mediator and discovery master.

Luma is a licensed social worker who has served since 2019 as the chief of the Victim Witness Assistance Program for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, overseeing victim witness advocates to provide crisis assessment and intervention, supportive counseling, information, referrals and advocacy services to victims, witnesses and their families throughout the criminal justice system.

Calderone is also president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association. He has served as a Boston Police Officer since 1994, working in the communities of Roxbury and Mattapan, and with the Special Operations Motorcycle Unit & SWAT Team. He is currently assigned to the station in West Roxbury, where he previously focused on motor vehicle and pedestrian safety and traffic reconstruction.

Ellison is a detective in the Boston Police Department's School Unit, a position he has held since 2005. He has served in the department since 1983, including as a detective in the Narcotics Division and in the Brighton district, and as an officer with years of experience across districts and communities.

Kazarosian is an experienced trial attorney who has been practicing in Massachusetts since 1982, handling multiple high-profile cases that have gained her recognition in New England and across the country. She is currently a partner at Kazarosian Costello LLP, where her practice areas include civil rights law, discrimination cases, and police misconduct cases. She is a past president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Bluestone is a licensed psychologist who has served since 2016 as CEO of Labyrinth Psychological Services, PC, in Holden, providing specialized trauma and behavioral medicine treatments to patients of all ages. Prior to her current role, Bluestone served from 2007 until 2016 as a Psychologist IV for the Department of Mental Health, where her responsibilities included conducting mental health and substance abuse evaluations, testifying in the District and Superior Courts, and providing clinical consultations to families, probation and judges.

Chery is an ordained senior chaplain. The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is a center of healing, teaching and learning for families and communities impacted by homicide, trauma, grief and loss. The center was named for her son, Louis, who was killed in the crossfire of a shootout in 1993. Chaplain Chery is a recognized expert on best practices in the field of homicide response, and has extensive experience training public health professionals and law enforcement officials to better serve families impacted by murder and interrupt cycles of retaliatory violence.

West has served since 2019 as a partner of Ashcroft Law Firm in Boston, where she represents clients in investigations involving federal and state agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice and Department of the Treasury. Prior to entering private practice, West served from 2015 until 2019 as chief of the Criminal Bureau of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General.

"Each of these appointees brings unique expertise and experience to this commission as we institute meaningful reform in our state and local law enforcement departments," said Healey. "This new commission will help enhance accountability and transparency, build public trust, bolster public safety, and provide enhanced training, guidance and support to police officers across our state."
James K. Reiley

POTTSVILLE  A Pottsville man arrested by the state attorney generals office on charges of child pornography recently waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley.

Jason T. Minnich, 21, of 559 Laurel Terrace, was arrested by Special Agent Eric Barlow and charged with 50 felony counts of child pornography, two felony counts of dissemination of photos of film of child sex acts and one felony count of criminal use of a communications facility.

By waiving his right to a hearing, Minnich will now have to answer to all 53 charges in Schuylkill County Court where he can plead guilty or plead not guilty and request a trial.

Barlow charged Minnich with incidents that happened beginning on Sept. 3 when a Cybertip was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding explicit images that were accessed, viewed and/or uploaded to Twitter containing pictures of pre-pubescent girls, six of which were child pornography.

The agent said Minnichs telephone number was identified as the one associated with the account and during a Feb. 10 interview, the man said he used his phone primarily for adult porn and that he hated people who looked at child pornography.

A preliminary forensic review of the telephone led to the discovery of 111 photos and 49 videos of apparent child pornography, Barlow said. He added one of the images on Minnichs phone was one reported by the Cybertip.

Other court cases included:

Scott M. Bowers, 40, of 105 Gordon St., Box 87, Gordon; held for court: theft of property lost, mislaid or delivered by mistake, possession of a controlled substance, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked, driving without insurance, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving a vehicle without a valid inspection and display plate known to be fake or stolen.

Brandon M. Wallace, 26, of 420 E. Race St., Pottsville; held for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jimmy M. Smith, 42, of 19 Macomb St., New Philadelphia; held for court: possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Virginia D. Peters, 36, of 409 Columbia St., Elmira, New York; waived for court: possession of a controlled substance and hindering apprehension or prosecution.

Joshua M. Wentzel, 28, of 246 N. 10th St., Pottsville; held for court: defiant trespass.

Eugene N. Rountree, 22, of 418 Fairview St., Apt. 2, Pottsville; withdrawn: possession of drug paraphernalia and disorderly conduct.

Andrew J. Sweyko, 43, of 2261 W, Market St., Pottsville; withdrawn: criminal trespass.

Amanda E. Schoener, 38, of 2261 W. Market St., Pottsville; withdrawn: criminal trespass.

Dylan J. Eckert, 26, of 102 Westwood St., Minersville; waived for court: possession of a firearm prohibited, firearms not to be carried without a license, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kevin J. Emery, 43, of 305 S. Second St., Pottsville; held for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Warren K. Ewen, 38, of 506 Peacock St., Pottsville; waived for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sergio D. Rivera Jr., 39, of 1822 W. Norwegian St., Pottsville; waived for court: public drunkenness, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Miguel A. Vazquez, 58, of 728 Fairview St., Pottsville; waived for court: DUI and DUI-highest rate.

John H. Flory Jr., 64, of 1846 River Road, Middletown; dismissed: criminal mischief.

Byron B. Cuenca, 22, of 413 E. Market St., Pottsville; held for court: aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possessing instruments of crime, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Ladell L. Snowden, 45, of 722 Mahantongo St., Suite 2A, Pottsville; waived for court: indecent assault, simple assault, indecent assault without the consent of another, harassment, aggravated assault, aggravated assault of another person and recklessly endangering another person.

Kevin J. Schwalm, 49, of 525 Laurel Terrace, Pottsville; waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communications facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Lance R. Christman, 56, of 515 Chestnut St., Reading; held for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Joshua C. Schreiber, 21, of 157 Ridge Road, Pitman; waived for court: criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

Megan R. Hohohan, 40, of 512 N. Centre St., Apt. 3D, Pottsville; withdrawn because the alleged victim did not appear: simple assault and harassment.

Michael J. Bealshka, 47, LKA 513 Howard Ave., Pottsville; waived for court: arson, risking a catastrophe, criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance.

Caitlyn R. Pelachick, 22, of 220 New Philadelphia Road, Kaska; waived for court: aggravated assault, strangulation and simple assault.

Edward J. Polusky III, 32, of 400 W. Mahantongo St., Apt. 7, Pottsville; waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal use of a communications facility.

Jennifer M. Abdo, 47, of 406 Market Square, Apt. D06, Pottsville; dismissed because the alleged victim did not appear: theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

Justin T. Kanezo, 27, of 521 E. Arch St., Pottsville; waived for court: bad checks.

Brandon T. Hollywood, 39, of 1207 W. Market St., Pottsville; waived for court: DUI, disregard for single traffic lane, exceeding the speed limit and careless driving.

Devin Green, 34, of 217 Morgan Ave., Pottsville; waived for court: false identification to law enforcement and possession of a controlled substance.

Aaron W. Herrera, 22, of 208 Dock St., No. 13, Schuylkill Haven; dismissed: simple assault.

Robert D. Hoy, 50, of 336 N. 12th St., Pottsville; waived for court: simple assault.

Anthony J. Brobst, 23, of 434 1/2 Hanover Ave., Allentown; dismissed: simple assault and harassment.
Flaming Gorge Days will be postponed for the second year in a row and local businesses are anticipating reduced traffic as a result.

Downtown business owners interviewed by the Star have said they anticipate less business as a result of the move, but understand the reasoning behind it. For Ken Dickinson, co-owner of the Ponderosa Bar, said he generally sees an increase in revenue during the weekend. He said other bars near his on Railroad Avenue usually get permission to close a section of the street off and host an outdoor party with live music.

We wish we could have it, but if (the postponement) is for the betterment of the community, he said.

Mike Frink, owner of Sweetwater Trophies also said he anticipates reduced business this June because of the postponement. Frink, a longtime business owner on Flaming Gorge Way, said the increase in visitors is easily seen the week prior to the weekend event.

You can just feel the traffic picking up, he said.

Gay Collar, a customer at Sweetwater Trophies, was understanding of why the decision was made. She said people are still nervous about the spread of COVID-19 at large events and believes the committee was placed in a tough position.

The city issued a statement from the Flaming Gorge Days committee last week announcing the events postponement due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its continued effects in Sweetwater County. With Sweetwater County being in a red zone of transmission, joining Teton County as the two with the highest rates in Wyoming, the committees release states the event could not be hosted while working to limit the coronavirus spread and keep participants safe.

It would be irresponsible to hold an event where all appropriate safety measures could not be implemented, and would be incompatible with the state health orders and the CDC guidance regarding gatherings, the press release states.

The 2022 Flaming Gorge Days celebration, marking its 65th year, is scheduled to take place June 23-25, 2022.
Facts are facts. You can't argue with facts. And the facts say the Capital Region is a Yankees town.

In anticipation of MLB's 2021 Opening Day, the team at Flourish, a popular data visualization tool, used Google Trends data to put together an interactive map showing which major league baseball team every county in the U.S. searched for the most.

Here's where those facts kick in. According to the map, the New York Yankees came out on top in every county in the Capital Region with only one exceptionColumbia Countywhere the New York Mets were the most searched. In fact, the Yankees were the most searched MLB team in every New York county north of New York City with only two exceptions. The New York Mets claimed the top spot in Columbia County and Sullivan counties.

The Flourish map also reveals a few other interesting geographical tidbits. Major pockets of support for the Yankees in Florida should come as no surprise, although the panhandle appears to be solid Atlanta Braves territory. The Yankees also appear to have ex-pat fans in North Carolina, New Mexico, Virginia and Connecticut.

Also of notethe complete erasure of the White Sox in Chicago, where the Cubs swept nearly every county in Illinois, as well as the majority of counties in neighboring Iowa and Indiana.

According to the map, not every state is so decisive. Allegiances in Oklahoma, Utah and Montana appear to be particularly uncertain, with multiple teams vying for support on a county-by-county basis.

What do you think? Does the Google search data match up with what you expected? Is the Capital Region a Yankees Town?
After only a month of language lessons, Samer Alkhamran can already say this in German: I will open my own cellphone repair shop.

He speaks with an accent, and his syntax is a little shaky. But its music to the ears of officials in Germany who see Alkhamran, a 30-year-old who fled the civil war in distant Syria, as part of the solution to a looming problem right here at home.

International leaders and human rights organizations have lined up to praise Germany for its magnanimous response to Europes overwhelming migrant crisis. Calling it a moral duty, the government in Berlin has pledged to accept as many as 800,000 refugees this year from violence-racked countries, and potentially half a million more annually for several years to come.

Besides altruism, theres a starkly practical reason for Germany to put out the welcome mat: The nations population is shrinking at an alarming rate, and it desperately needs skilled, motivated and industrious folks like Alkhamran to replenish its workforce and keep its powerhouse economy humming.

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In other words, helping to alleviate Europes refugee crisis could help defuse Germanys demographic one.

We need people. We need young people. We need immigrants, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere declared recently. All of you know that, because we have too few children.

Germanys birthrate is the lowest in the world, with 8.2 babies born each year per 1,000 people, according to a study released by a German think tank this year. When it comes to reproducing, Germans now even underperform the Japanese, whose notoriously low fertility rate has long been the source of official hand-wringing.

By 2060, Germanys population could drop from about 81 million today to as low as 68 million, and would most likely be surpassed by Britain and France, potentially changing the balance of power in Europe.

More ominously, the proportion of working-age residents here in Europes biggest economy is on track to decline from 61% to 54% of the population within the next 15 years, meaning fewer workers contributing to the generous social-security benefits, such as pensions and healthcare, enjoyed by the fast-growing pool of retirees.

Admitting vast numbers of asylum seekers could offset some of these trends, though it could also fuel others, such as the disturbing rise recently in attacks on foreigners. The governments forecast of 800,000 refugees equals 1% of the population.

You can look at this as Germany pursuing a national interest in the sense that Germany has a long-term demographic problem, said Hans Kundnani of the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Berlin. Often refugees are young, smart energetic people who make an economic contribution to the country they come to.

Many of those flocking to Germany are Syrians from middle-class households who have the gumption to leave their homes and the wherewithal to fund the costly, often perilous trip to Europe.

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Alkhamran, a soft-spoken man who ran his own electronics repair shop in Damascus, decided to quit Syria around the end of 2012 after spending what he said were four horrific days in prison. Authorities had stopped him at a checkpoint, found that he was carrying several gadgets -- which he was taking home to fix -- and took him for a spy.

He said he flew to Lebanon soon afterward, staying there and in Turkey for a time before shelling out about $6,600 to traffickers to take him by sea to Greece and then to Italy.

From there, it was easy to rent a car and drive to Berlin, where he arrived in February of last year. He applied for asylum and was granted it two months later.

I want to work in Europe, and Italy is not really a place where you can have a lot of work opportunities, Alkhamran said, speaking in Arabic through an interpreter. The economy here is very strong. I know a lot of people who came here and found jobs.

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Alkhamran receives a government stipend of about $435 a month, which he supplements by working two hours a day in a repair shop. The state also pays for his small, one-bedroom apartment near the airport and for intensive German lessons.

Its a difficult language. ... You need to have the will to really want to learn it, and you need the time, said Alkhamran, who hopes to bring his parents and other family members to Germany. My main aim is to have my own shop, and I dont just want Arabic-speaking customers. I want to serve everybody.

Although taking in millions of refugees might help Germany stave off one demographic crisis, it could create another: A change in the countrys ethnic and cultural makeup that not everyone is prepared to accept.

Refugee shelters have already become the target of arson attacks across the country, which authorities blame on far-right groups with neo-Nazi views. The outbreaks of violence have been concentrated in the east, which still lags behind western Germany economically and which has seen villages and towns hollowed out by the lack of jobs.

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Thousands of protesters regularly march in the city of Dresden to express their opposition to letting more Muslims into Germany. The vast majority of Syrian refugees are Muslim.

There will be conflicts, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel warned recently. The more openly we talk about the fact that people are worried, that theres fear in the country and that there may be conflicts, will ... help us deal with this realistically.

Christoph Rass, a professor at the University of Osnabruecks Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies, said that as recently as the 1990s, outright xenophobia in Germany was socially and politically acceptable.

After having urged millions of people from countries such as Turkey and Yugoslavia to come help build the economy in the 1960s and 70s -- guest workers who were offered virtually zero integration programs or pathways to citizenship -- Germany severely tightened its immigration rules.

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But attitudes toward foreigners began to shift as a result of new governments and the bedrock European Union principle of free movement, which brought in settlers from other EU countries whose entry couldnt be denied. The situation has changed so much that Chancellor Angela Merkel now describes Germany -- approvingly -- as a country of immigration, an unthinkable statement just a few years ago.

Weve changed in a way that we cant deny anymore, and were developing sympathies for the kind of society we are, which is a very diverse society, Rass said. We have politicians with a migrant history. We have teachers with a migrant history. Its visible; its not marginalized anymore.

Yasser Almaamoun is exactly the kind of person whom German officials would like to see come help reverse the countrys rapid population decline.

A dynamic, diligent 29-year-old, hes already remarkably fluent in German after less than three years of living in Berlin, and has a job at a firm specializing in his chosen field of architectural preservation. He feels so comfortable in his adopted home that, a few years from now, he plans to give up his Syrian nationality and become a German citizen.

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Almaamoun said Germanys system for receiving and processing asylum seekers is far from perfect. There are communication and cultural gaps he could see his mother struggling with after she arrived last year.

But he said he has generally felt welcome, and has some advice for the refugees and migrants who are pouring into Germany by the thousands each day.

Reach out to people, because theyre eager to get to know you and hear your stories, Almaamoun said. They want you to feel good in this country. Doing this alone would make you busy for the first two years.

Follow @HenryHChu on Twitter for news out of Europe
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A Nigerian Air Force fighter jet has gone missing in the insurgency ravaged Borno State in North-East Nigeria, authorities said Thursday morning.

The spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet, said the alpha jet lost contact with the radar in Borno State Wednesday.

Mr Gabkwet, an air commodore, said the plane disappeared while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops. The mission was part of the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in the North East.

The loss of radar contact occurred at about 5:08 pm on 31 March 2021.

Mr Gabkwet added, Details of the whereabout of the aircraft or likely cause of contact loss are still sketchy but will be relayed to the general public as soon as they become clear. Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

This development came weeks after another Air Force aircraft, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i, crashed after reporting engine failure on its way to Minna, Niger State.

The plane was heading to that destination to conduct surveillance missions over Niger State and its environs in connection with the efforts to secure the release of the students/staff abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State.

That February 21 crash led to the death of Flight Lieutenant Haruna Gadzama (Captain), Flight Lieutenant Henry Piyo (Co-Pilot), Flying Officer Micheal Okpara (Airborne Tactical Observation System (ATOS) Specialist), Warrant Officer Bassey Etim (ATOS Specialist), Flight Sergeant Olasunkanmi Olawunmi (ATOS Specialist), Sergeant Ugochukwu Oluka (ATOS Specialist), and Aircraftman Adewale Johnson (Onboard Technician).

The Nigerian Air Force is deeply involved in the anti-insurgency operation in the North-East as well as in the onslaught against bandits in the North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones, providing reconnaissance intelligence and aerial covers for ground troops.

The Force also engages in bombardment of terrorists enclaves from time to time.
UNHCR notes with concern the article published in Sinar Harian dated 23 March 2021, entitled UNHCR has deviated from its function written by columnist Norman Fernandez. The article presented numerous misinformation regarding the refugee situation in Malaysia which we fear, adds to the confusion on the ground regarding this issue.

We would like to provide a Factcheck in response to that:

Fact 1: Refugees and undocumented migrants are different

Refugees are people who had no choice but to flee their country because of war and human rights abuses. They cannot return home safely. These are the people that UNHCR is mandated to protect.

Undocumented migrants entered the country without proper documents, usually in order to seek work. They still enjoy the protection of their own Governments, and their lives or freedoms will not be at risk if they are deported.

Fact 2: Yearly new arrivals of asylum-seekers have actually decreased since 2013

According to data obtained from refugees, total numbers of overall new arrivals have declined significantly since 2013 until now. In 2013, the number of new arrivals peaked with 28,434 newly arriving asylum-seekers. Numbers in later years have shown a decline.

UNHCR statistics do not reflect new arrivals into the country. The statistics show how many people UNHCR is able to register, and not if those people had newly arrived.

As of end January 2021, there are some 178,710 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia. This includes refugees who have been in Malaysia for decades.

UNHCR shares statistical data with various Government Ministries and Agencies on a monthly basis.

Fact 3: The UNHCR card confirms a persons need for international protection

UNHCR documentation serves only one purpose, which is to recognize a refugee and asylum-seekers need for international protection.

The UNHCR documentation helps protect refugees and asylum-seekers from deportation to their country of origin where their freedom or lives may be at risk. This is known as the customary international law principle of non-refoulement which is binding for all states, regardless of whether they have signed the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or not

The UNHCR card is not a driving license, a legal document, a travel document, or a residency permit. It does not give the person immunity from the law.

Fact 4: Refugees are subject to the countrys laws

UNHCR card holders are not above the law. Refugees are required to respect the laws and regulations of their country of refuge.

However, they will not automatically lose their refugee card if they commit a crime. There are reasons when a person can be excluded from international protection, such as if they have committed a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity, or other serious reasons.

But if they commit crimes not of a serious nature, and have been found guilty through a legal proceeding, then a refugee who commits such a crime is expected to undergo due process of law, like any other person living in the country.

Fact 5: UNHCR seeks to prevent forced deportation of refugees, not illegal immigrants

Every country has the sovereign right to manage illegal immigration on its territory, including deporting those who violate immigration laws. But under customary international law, every country  regardless of whether or not they are party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its associated 1967 Protocol  has a responsibility to not forcibly return refugees to a situation where their lives or freedoms may be at risk.

UNHCR seeks access to immigration detention centres so that we can help separate refugees from illegal immigrants. Once we have determined who is in need of international protection and should not be returned, authorities can proceed with immigration formalities for illegal immigrants, while remaining confident that Malaysia is upholding international human rights principles with respect to refugees and asylum seekers

Fact 6: Resettlement departures decreased in 2020 largely because of COVID-19

Resettlement departures to third countries decreased dramatically in 2020 largely because all over the world, international travel was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it is important to understand that resettlement depends on the available number of places for resettlement offered by third countries. It is prioritised for highly vulnerable refugees and those in need of urgent protection. Less than 5% of the worlds refugees will receive a place in a third country each year.

From 2008  June 2020, over 88,500 refugees, including Rohingya refugees, have been resettled from Malaysia to third countries.

Fact 7: The Malaysian Government has a responsibility to protect refugees. As do we all.

Refugee protection is a shared responsibility. It is the primary responsibility of Governments to protect the human rights of all people on their territory, including refugees  even if that country is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its associated 1967 Protocol.

Governments are supported in this effort by the international community, civil society, private sector, and refugee communities. This shared responsibility includes in helping refugees access healthcare, obtain skills and education, and be self-reliant, and assisting in the welfare needs of most vulnerable refugees.

Fact 8: UNHCR supports Governments efforts in protecting and assisting refugees

UNHCRs primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee. We do not do this alone. Wherever we are present in the world, we support Governments and work with partners and communities to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country.

In Malaysia, for over four decades, UNHCR has supported the Government of Malaysia in managing the complex challenges of refugee protection. This is done through close engagement with Ministries and Agencies in a variety of areas. One example is of engagement is through the ongoing joint task force where we explore a framework to manage refugees, including how the Government can be involved in issuance of documentation for refugees.

Another excellent example of close cooperation is in healthcare, where UNHCR and the Government of Malaysia worked together in supporting the countrys Covid-19 response in preventing infection from spreading among the communities. As Malaysia begins the implementation of its national immunisation programme, UNHCR stands ready to continue providing support where it affects refugees and asylum-seekers.

UNHCR is fully committed in our on-going cooperation with the Government to find ways that better

protect refugees which, at the same time, address any legitimate national concerns. We are in a constructive dialogue with the Malaysian government in this respect.

Fact 9: Refugees want to go home when it is safe

Refugee protection does not mean refugees will stay here permanently. A person ceases to be a refugee when the conditions that forced them to be a refugee no longer exist. For most refugees, this means being able to return home when it is safe to do so. But until they can, they have no choice but to remain temporarily in a country of asylum.

Giving refugees protection does not mean giving them land or shelter or handouts. In all of UNHCRs experience, we have seen that when refugees are empowered to be self-reliant, they take care of themselves and they are able to contribute to local communities where they live. Refugee protection means giving the space for the private sector, NGOs, civil society, international organisations and refugee communities themselves to work together in helping refugees access healthcare, education, and skills so that they are not a burden to anyone.

Refugee protection means allowing them a place to live in safety and dignity until long term solutions are found for their plight.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin sits in front of a picture of George Floyd displayed during Chauvins trial for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)

The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, last May, is nearing its end.

Closing arguments are set for Monday following three weeks of testimony, from which point the jury can begin deliberating.

The jurors will then be sequestered away from the outside world to decide on a verdict, which could take just a few hours or up to several weeks.

There is a large amount of witness testimony and evidence for the jurors to consider and it is unclear how long it will take the jury to announce a decision. Predicting the length of jury deliberations is difficult.

Last week, Judge Peter Cahill turned to the jurors and warned them to pack a bag when they returned on Monday. If I were you, I would plan for long [deliberations] and hope for short, he told them.

Mr Chauvin, facing three charges of murder, told the court he was invoking the Fifth Amendment right not to testify in the trial, as the defence started to conclude. He has been in court every day of the trial so far, although remained silent.

The charges against him  of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter  could carry 40 and 25-year sentences, respectively. He has pleaded not guilty to all three charges. A guilty verdict for each charge must be unanimous.

Mr Chauvins defence team is being paid for by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, as although he and three other officers were fired after Mr Floyds death, the Minneapolis Police Department still has a membership.

The defence argument centres on there being more factors to consider beyond video footage of Mr Chauvin kneeling on Mr Floyds neck during the incident on 25 May 2020.

There is no political or social cause in this courtroom, Mr Nelson told the court during the first week of the trial. But the evidence is far greater than nine minutes and 29 seconds.

Four officers were called to the scene on reports that George Floyd was using a counterfeit $20 bill. As Mr Chauvin detained Mr Floyd, he was filmed kneeling on the mans neck while Mr Floyd pleaded for air and eventually lost consciousness.

Story continues

Derek Chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do over his 19-year career, Mr Nelson added. The use of force is not attractive, but it is a necessary part of policing.

The defence brought attention to Mr Floyds size, that he resisted arrest, and that he had drugs in his system at the time  which they argue were the cause of death when combined with his pre-existing health conditions.

The first medical expert called by the defence, Dr David Fowler. told the court on Wednesday that Mr Floyd died of combination of factors  including disease of the heart.

Forensic medical specialist Dr Bill Smock, arguing for the prosecution, told the court last week that Mr Floyd died of positional asphyxia, which is a fancy way of saying he died because he had no oxygen in his body.

Off-duty Minneapolis firefighter Genevieve Hansen said on day two of the trial that she pleaded with officers to check Mr Floyds pulse and was not permitted to give him medical attention.

There is extensive footage of her interaction with the officers, in addition to those of the other witnesses. Ms Hansen resorting to calling 911 to report the incident.

Another bystander, Donald Williams, also shouted at the police to get off Mr Floyd, but rejected claims by the defence team that he grew angrier and angrier. Mr Williams also called the police after the incident to report that officers had murdered Mr Floyd.

Darnella Frazier, the teenage girl who filmed the video in which Mr Floyd can be heard saying that he couldnt breathe, said that the group of bystanders had become loud and called Mr Chauvin names, but no one threatened him and he did not seem scared by them.

The protests and unrest that followed the events of that day last summer renewed a nationwide reckoning around racism, policing, and civil rights that continues to this day.

Read More

Watch live as murder trial of Derek Chauvin continues

Kimberly Guilfoyle to chair Eric Greitens Senate campaign

Prosecutor in Derek Chauvin trial says officer abandoned his values

Catch up on the key moments in the Derek Chauvin trial
CALGARY, Alberta, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canoe Financial LP (Canoe) today announced Marc Goldfried, Head of Fixed Income and Chief Investment Officer is retiring from the mutual fund industry to spend more time with his family. Robert (Rob) Taylor, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager, and Head of Equities for the past eight years, will assume the role of Interim Chief Investment Officer. Marc will continue as an advisor to the firm working in close collaboration with Rob to assist in the transition.



Marc joined Canoe in 2015 and has been an important contributor to the firms growth. His team leadership and strategic contributions helped to position Canoe for future success. Together, Marc and Rob have built a strong investment team to advance the firms efforts to deliver innovative products and active asset management to meet the evolving needs of Canadian investors.

I want to give special thanks to Marc for his contribution over the past six years, and for his efforts to help ensure a smooth transition for the firm and most importantly, our clients. He has helped foster collaborative relationships within our firm and with our clients. Marc is a friend, and I wish him every happiness in retirement, said Darcy Hulston, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Rob Taylor is a multi award-winning portfolio manager whose investment career spans more than two decades. Since joining Canoe in 2013, he has been lead manager of Canoe EIT Income Fund (TSX: EIT.UN), Canoe Equity Portfolio Class, Canoe Asset Allocation Portfolio Class and Canoe North American Income Portfolio Class. He currently manages $2.7 billion in assets for the firm. Rob is a senior partner and leads the firms Asset Allocation Committee. As Interim Chief Investment Officer, Rob will be responsible for managing Canoes overall investment strategy, and will oversee the investment team, all sub-advisory relationships and performance of the firms 20 mandates.

Rob has been a valued senior partner of the firm for eight years. Through his mentoring and leadership as head of equities, he has been instrumental in constructing and developing an investment team that sets us up well for our next phase of growth, said Darcy Hulston.

Rohan Thiru, co-manager of Canoes fixed income funds, will become lead manager of the funds. Rohan has worked closely with Marc over the past several years, and has been instrumental in the strong performance the Canoe fixed income lineup has achieved for its clients. Aegon USA will continue to sub-advise the firms global fixed income strategies.

Canoe has been my family for six years and has been supportive of my decision to retire. Im proud of the team, and my confidence in Rob, Rohan and the investment team couldnt be higher, said Marc Goldfried.

Canoe recently celebrated its ten year anniversary. Canoe has a national presence and manages over $9 billion in assets across a diverse line-up of actively managed investment solutions. Most recently, the firm launched Canoe Global Private Equity Fund, a unique innovative opportunity for individual investors to participate in the highly sought-after private equity market.

Portfolio management changes effective April 1, 2021:

Canoe Bond Advantage Fund and Canoe Bond Advantage Portfolio Class currently co-managed by Rohan Thiru and Marc Goldfried will be managed by Rohan Thiru.

Canoe Enhanced Income Fund and Canoe Enhanced Income Portfolio Class currently co-managed by Marc Goldfried and Rohan Thiru will be co-managed by Rob Taylor and Rohan Thiru.

Canoe Defensive Global Balanced Fund currently managed by Marc Goldfried will be managed by Rob Taylor.

About Canoe Financial

Canoe Financial is one of Canadas fastest growing independent mutual fund companies managing over $9 billion in assets across a diversified range of award-winning investment solutions. Founded in 2008, Canoe Financial is an employee-owned investment management firm focused on building financial wealth for Canadians. Canoe Financial has a significant presence across Canada, including offices in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.


Klo; a Haitian artist based out of Orlando, Florida, has joined forces with Simplicity 26 Records; a label based out of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, to distribute her newest album. KLO is an acronym for Kreyols Latest Obsession, also an affectionate and intimate nickname for Clonide; which infectiously transcends in KLOs new sound and music concept. Born Clonide Telfort, she is native to the beautiful island of Haiti. Klo is 
Vietnam receives over 800,000 more doses of Covid-19 vaccines

Vietnam on Thursday received 811,200 doses of Covid-19 vaccines from COVAX Facillity through UNICEF.









The second batch of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Hanoi on April 1. (Photo by Dantri/Dtinews)

This is the first Covid-19 vaccine batch sent to the country following COVAX Facility's commitment to sponsor the vaccine for Vietnam and 92 other countries.

Deputy Minister of Health, Do Xuan Tuyen, chief representative of UNICEF, Rana Flowers, and representative of the WHO, Kidong Park, were present at the Noi Bai International Airport on Thursday morning to receive the vaccines which were then transferred to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for storage.

According to chief representative of UNICEF, Rana Flowers, due to production delays of the AstraZeneca AZD1222 vaccine produced by SK Bio and distributed through COVAX, the projected deliveries to many countries including Vietnam have been delayed, and the amounts sent have been adjusted.

COVAX has pledged to provide Vietnam with 30 million AstraZeneca vaccines and the first batch of 1.37 million doses was earlier planned to arrive in the country on March 25 but then faced the delay.

COVAX will continue to deliver a total of 4,176,000 more doses to Vietnam by the end of May.

Vietnam has also bought a total of 60 million doses of AstraZeneca. The country will continue to negotiate to buy 31 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and 60 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said they aimed to ensure about 150 million doses of vaccine for all residents in 2021.


A two-year-old girl found dead beside her mother three weeks after they were last seen has been pictured for the first time today.

Bennylyn Burke, 25, and her two children were last seen on February 17 and reported missing from their south Gloucestershire home on March 1.

More than two weeks later, officers found human remains concealed in a home in Dundee on March 18.

Ms Burke and her two-year-old daughter Jellica's bodies have now been formally identified and their family is being supported by police family liaisons.

A seven-year-old girl was found alive in the Dundee property and is being supported by police.

Bennylyn Burke and her two-year-old daughter Jellica's (pictured) bodies have now been formally identified and their family is being supported by police family liaisons

Officers in Dundee went to a house at 3.20pm on Friday March 5, as part of an enquiry into the disappearance of Bennylyn and two children.

Andrew Innes, 50, from Dundee, appeared at sheriff court on March 8 accused of murder. He made no plea and was remanded in custody.

Software engineer Innes is alleged to have bludgeoned Ms Burke to death with a hammer at his home in Dundee.

He is also alleged to have murdered the child by unknown means between February 17 and March 5 this year.

Ms Burke, Jellica and another child were reported missing to Avon and Somerset Police on March 1, having last been seen at her first floor flat in Kingswood.

Ms Burke, 25, and her two children were last seen on February 17 and reported missing from their south Gloucestershire home on March 1. Pictured, Jellica with her mother

Officers found human remains concealed in a home in Dundee during the search for Ms Burke (pictured) and two-year-old Jellica

A resident who stays on the ground floor of the block said police had been going door-to-door to inquire about the mother's disappearance.

Ms Burke (pictured), a mother of two, is believed to have moved from the Philippines to Bristol around two years ago

The neighbour said: 'The police were here to ask about Bennylyn and what I knew about flat number seven. I didn't know them.'

Other residents in the block had also been questioned by police about the disappearance of Ms Burke.

Neighbours in nearby streets were also questioned and suggested the block, which they understood to be social housing, was no stranger to the emergency services.

One said: 'I was watching on the news on Sunday evening and they said a South Gloucestershire woman had been murdered and I thought that's near me.

'Then they said Kingswood and then Court Road and the next thing, a police detective knocked on my door to ask if we had seen or knew anything.

'I didn't know her or recognise her. The first I heard of it was on the news. I had heard people shouting at the flats in the middle of February and I think it was reported to the police.'

Neighbours of Ms Burke in Bristol were being quizzed by police as officers in Dundee conducted inquiries

A police officer stands at the police corden in Dundee as the search for Ms Burke continued on March 9

A 50-year-old man was arrested at a property in Dundee, in connection with the disappearance of Ms Burke and her two-year-old daughter Jellica. Picture date: March 9

Local residents were also asked if they had seen a blue Renault car, like one seized by investigators in Ardler for further examination.

Neighbours admitted recognising the vehicle would be difficult given the road is a busy thoroughfare.

Innes allegedly used a hammer to murder Bennylyn and is accused of killing pre-schooler Jellica through 'unknown means.'

Innes made no plea at Dundee Sheriff Court.

It is understood Ms Burke originally hailed from the Philippines and travelled to live in Bristol around two years ago.

Flowers and a teddy bear left in Dundee as the search for Ms Burke continued last month

She is understood to have had family members living in the United Kingdom and they have been informed as her next-of-kin.

Door-to-door inquiries have been carried out in the Ardler area of Dundee, where Innes lives in a 250,000 five-bedroom house.

Detectives are trying to establish the full extent of Ms Burke's movements in the period since she was last seen until Innes' arrest.

Post mortem examinations will take place to establish the identities of the bodies and cause of death.
The Georgia Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation that would have taught Georgia drivers how to interact with police during a traffic stop.

As filed, Senate Bill 115 would have required the Department of Public Safety to create a course to educate drivers about interacting with police during traffic stops, including their discretion on use of force.

The bill failed after the House amended it to include a provision that would have allowed local governments to put speed cameras in school zones. Senators voted 26-23 against the new version of the measure.

The most important thing to me is always to protect people and save lives, said state Sen. Randy Robertson, a Cataula Republican and former police officer who sponsored the measure. This is about saving lives.

The legislation was being considered less than a year after Rayshard Brooks, a Black man, was killed by an Atlanta police officer who had questioned him for being asleep and intoxicated in his car. And in Minneapolis, the nationally watched trial is underway of an officer accused of killing George Floyd.

Members of the House approved the measure 98-72 earlier in the day before sending it back to the Senate for its consideration.

Supporters of the measure said it was commonsense that drivers should know to pull over in a well-lit area, turn on their cars dome light and put their hands on the steering wheel as an officer approaches.

This bill recognizes the fact that we have to develop expectations for officer conduct, said state Rep. Martin Momtahan, a Republican from Dallas. The sole purpose of Senate Bill 115 is to protect our families, our citizens and our officers through education, to teach them what those expectations should be.

The curriculum would have been part of the instruction given to new drivers and those who need to take driver improvement courses. Instruction would also include an explanation of consequences when someone is a habitual offender and convey that officers can request ID, choose to use force and detain drivers.

This bill simply seeks to absolve law enforcement of their own responsibility, said state Rep. Erica Thomas, a Democrat from Mableton. Dictating solutions and assigning blame to motorists is not a productive way to engage with our communities that have been on the receiving end of state-sponsored violence for generations.

___

Mark Niesse and Maya T. Prabhu of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote this story.

(c)2021 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.)

Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Hoa Nguyen was startled awake earlier this month at 6 a.m. by her dog growling followed by an unexpected knock on her Southeast Portland door.

The 37-year-old said that when she answered the door, she discovered a racist two-word note targeting Asians, written in Sharpie, sitting on her doorstep.

Nguyen, who is Vietnamese American, said she first tried to plow through her workday March 19  juggling her duties as a Portland Public Schools staffer focused on curbing chronic absenteeism while also working on her campaign as a candidate for the David Douglas School board. Four board seats are up for election May 18.

As she started discussing the racist note with friends and coworkers, Nguyen said she realized she had to report the incident.

Its sad to say that its not a new experience for me, she said of experiencing racism.

She filed official reports with the community coalition Portland United Against Hate and the Oregon Department of Justice and eventually filed a formal report with the Portland Police Bureau.

The anonymous note used a phrase popularized by former President Trump. It came three days after a white gunman killed eight people, including six Asian women, in Atlanta, a traumatizing moment Nguyen said she was still processing when the note was dropped at her door.

Lt. Greg Pashley, a Portland police spokesperson, confirmed Nguyen filed a report. This is a terrible thing for a person to have to experience, Pashley said in an email, and while I hope this never happens again, given the same circumstances I would encourage the person to call in and report it again.

Nguyen was born and raised in New Orleans before her family moved to Gonzales, a town just southeast of Baton Rouge. Nguyen said she was frequently isolated and made to feel like an outsider there due to overt racism. As a high school student, she moved to Portland and lived with a relative while attending St. Marys Academy on scholarships and through financial aid. Shes lived here ever since.

Nguyen said while racism is alive and well here, the March 19 note was the most direct act shes experienced in Oregon.

After the note, she checked in with neighbors, including a Chinese immigrant who said he didnt receive a note.

Nguyen believes she received the note in part due to her running for public office.

It was a really super anonymous unknown racist attack, she said. Thats what made me feel unsafe, the unknown part of that.

Women of color in elected office are frequently the target of racist attacks online and in person, something that Nguyen said she knew and already experienced just starting her campaign for the volunteer unpaid board position.

After posting campaign ads or videos online, shes received misogynistic and racist notes.

Nguyen said she hopes that telling her story helps raise awareness.

I hope that it benefits the greater good, she said. That maybe Im not the only one.

She noted she has received a sizable amount of community support since filing for the board seat and since reporting the racist act.

Twenty-five elected officials from across Oregon on Wednesday issued a statement condemning racist attacks on Asian Americans.

Racism, hate, xenophobia, and gender-based violence are unacceptable, said the coalition, which included Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley as well as Gov. Kate Brown and others. We stand with our Asian American community members. We recognize the pain, trauma, and fear that many are feeling in the aftermath of the Atlanta shootings. And we condemn the racism that has led to acts of hate, including violent attacks, against people of Asian descent.

Kristina Edmunson, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Justice, said the office doesnt confirm individual calls or reports through its Bias Crime Hotline. We have definitely seen an increase in the number of reports this month from the AAPI community, she said, referring to the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

Edmunson said the office has received 182 total reports via its hotline in the month of March, with 36 reports related to anti-Asian bias (15 were bias incidents and 21 were reported hate crimes). The hotline also received three reports of three anti-Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander bias.

Thats a marked increase from February, when 33 such reports were called in. In January, the state received 10 such reports.

People can report a hate or bias incident to the Justice Department at StandAgainstHate.Oregon.Gov or by calling 1-844-924-BIAS (2427).

-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen
Biden's judicial nominees prove 'liberal dark money groups' control his administration: legal expert

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A former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas has alleged that President Joe Bidens newly released list of judicial nominees proves that he's letting liberal dark money groups control his administration.

Carrie Severino, president of the think-tank Judicial Crisis Network, which advocates for the appointment of originalist U.S. Supreme Court justices, expressed concern about Bidens first list of judicial nominees. The nominees on the list, released Tuesday, would fill 11 vacancies on the federal courts. Severino wrote about Judge Katenji Brown Jackson, Bidens pick to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in an op-ed for National Review.

Jackson has been on the Supreme Court shortlist of Demand Justice, to which prospects do not make the cut unless they are far to the left, she said. Others on the liberal groups shortlist include employees of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, as well as a visiting professor of social justice at Union Theological Seminary and a former Planned Parenthood attorney.

Severino noted that prior to becoming a federal judge, Jackson represented indigent criminal appellants before the D.C. Circuit and submitted amicus briefs on behalf of accused enemy combatants in military detention. In a Twitter thread Tuesday, Severino explained that the context in which the judicial nominations are occurring should concern conservatives: As Politico playbook noted this morning, President Biden has been working overtime to appease the far left, and we can expect his judges to rubber-stamp their extreme radical agenda.

One of these appeasement tactics is paying back the liberal dark-money groups that spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect him and Senate Democrats. This includes myriad dark money groups propped up by the vast Arabella Advisors Network, she continued. Severino mentioned in her op-ed that Demand Justice, which has included Jackson on their list of favored Supreme Court candidates, is part of the Arabella Advisors Network.

Severino elaborated on the implications of dark money groups support for Bidens nominees in an interview with The Christian Post: I think what  we can see are the groups that are very happy with these nominees, which again is the same laundry list of the  dark money organizations  we know that they are very satisfied by that list of nominees and I think thats  enough to raise my concern.

According to Severino, the list of judicial nominees is the latest example of how Bidens priorities and agenda are largely dictated at this point by the liberal dark money forces that helped put him in office, and were seeing that play out in the administration appointments, and now were seeing that play out in the judicial appointments as well. In addition to Demand Justice, Severino cited the Alliance for Justice, People for the American Way, and the American Constitution Society as examples of liberal dark money groups.

We have seen those groups on the left insisting on some of the most radical positions  on both abortion, on religious freedom, etc. And the fact that they are all very happy with these nominees tells you all you need to know about their positions on those cases. Because when  these groups talk about judges and the importance of nominating judges, they dont talk about  the importance of their judicial philosophy, for example, they talk about (judges) in terms of the policy goals that those judges are going to help them achieve, she added.

And so, if you wonder how  theyre going to be deciding cases, it is pretty clear  because of the support theyre getting from groups who do view judges just as a means to achieve policy ends, they obviously consider them completely reliable to deliver those policy goals.

As Severino told CP, a lot of Bidens judicial picks arent even judges yet, making it difficult to determine what their judicial philosophy would be.

Bidens nominees include attorneys working in the private sector: Tiffany Cunningham, the presidents nominee to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, his nominee to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Margaret Strickland, who he nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

One of Bidens picks to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Julien Neals, works as a county counsel in Bergen County. Biden also nominated Judges Deborah Boardman and Lydia Griggsby to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Judge Zahid Quraishi to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, as well as Judges Florence Pan and Rupa Ranga Puttagunta to serve on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

For his part, Biden seemed enthusiastic about his candidates, whom he described as trailblazing and the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession. He maintained that Each is deeply qualified and prepared to deliver justice faithfully under our Constitution and impartially to the American people  and together they represent the broad diversity of background, experience, and perspective that makes our nation strong.

The White House announcement about Bidens nominees touted the groundbreaking racial diversity of the picks, which include: three African American women chosen for Circuit Court vacancies, as well as candidates who, if confirmed, would be the first Muslim American federal judge in U.S. history, the first (Asian American Pacific Islander) woman to ever serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of D.C., and the first woman of color to ever serve as a federal judge for the District of Maryland.

While the list of judicial nominees provides information about the candidates experience and education, it doesn't include information about their philosophies and past rulings, if applicable.

Overall, liberal groups, including Demand Justice, have praised Bidens list of judicial nominees. In a statement, Demand Justice Executive Director Brian Fallon highlighted the public defenders and civil rights lawyers in this group as exactly the kind of judges we need to rebalance our courts. However, he also took a veiled swipe at the nomination of corporate attorney Regina Rodriguez, who the president has nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

Subtly referring to the recommendation by Colorados two Democratic senators that Rodriguez serve on the bench, which Demand Justice criticized, Fallon lamented that old habits die hard for some senators who are used to recommending corporate lawyers and prosecutors for federal judgeships. Fallon expressed a preference for public defenders and civil rights lawyers, whom he described as underrepresented professional backgrounds.

Current Senate rules allow judicial nominees to be confirmed with a simple majority, as opposed to the 60 votes required to pass most legislation. With a 50-50 split in the Senate and Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote for the Democrats, Biden should be able to get all of his candidates confirmed without Republican support if all Democrats vote in favor of them.

Severino acknowledged that opponents of Bidens judicial nominees will have a difficult time blocking their confirmations, but she contended that a Senate Democrat representing a very red state, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and another Senate Democrat representing a purple state, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, could be open to persuasion.

Are they going to stand with the citizens of their states, the  many Americans who dont want the courts turned into politics by other means, or are they going to go along with the demands of the Democratic Party and  just toe the line? she asked.
Nextleaf fulfills initial order in new supply partnership with Atlantic Canada partner and provides update on its Health Canada sales licence amendment.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Nextleaf Solutions Ltd. (CSE: OILS) (OTCQB: OILFF) ("Nextleaf", "OILS", or the "Company"), the world's most innovative cannabis processor, is pleased to announce that it has commenced human trials of cannabis vapes.

Under its amended Cannabis Research Licence from Health Canada, Nextleaf is collecting sensory evaluation data from qualified volunteers completing organoleptic assessments of a wide variety of formulated cannabis vape products. The Company is comprehensively testing a range of cannabinoid and terpene formulations, including how various vape hardware interacts with different formulations. Nextleaf expects to accelerate product development and drastically shorten design cycles for launching new cannabis vape products by validating formulations and delivery technologies more efficiently.

Forbes wrote a feature around Nextleaf's human trial program on March 30, 2021, and the article can be read here.

"The amended Cannabis Research Licence allows Nextleaf to rapidly formulate a wide variety of cannabis products and administer samples to volunteer research participants," said Nextleaf Solutions R&D Lead, Dr. David Novitski. "The ability to provide commercial partners with data-based consumer insights around taste and overall user experience is a true game changer for product development."





To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5347/79191_e1e9deb064cdd924_001full.jpg

The data collected from the human trials program is being used by the Company and its commercial partners to launch vape products into adult-use markets across Canada.

Since becoming legal in Canada, vapes have emerged as the clear leader of all cannabis 2.0 products. According to the most recent data from the Ontario Cannabis Store, the vape category ranks second only to dried flower with 15.7% of all Ontario cannabis sales. In more mature adult-use markets like Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, the market share for cannabis vapes reached as high as 22.3%, according to data from Headset. As Canada continues to roll out brick and mortar cannabis retail stores, the vape segment is expected to continue to increase in overall size and market share. The Company believes the CBD vape subcategory could see significant growth should Health Canada regulations change to allow for increased legal access to CBD products. Nextleaf plans to validate its proprietary CBD vape technology under its amended Cannabis Research Licence.

Collecting data-based consumer insights is particularly important in an increasingly competitive market in which initial product launches can dictate the long-term success of a brand.

"There are a lot of subpar vape products available in the market today that have not gone through rigorous testing and human trials," said Nextleaf Solutions CEO Paul Pedersen. "Issues such as poor taste, clogging, leaking, and crystallization in CBD vapes are well documented throughout the industry. Collecting consumer feedback during product development is key to launching differentiated cannabis 2.0 products that provide consumers with a positive experience and value."

Considering the recent cannabis investments by large pharmaceutical and tobacco companies, it is apparent that generating and protecting intellectual property is becoming more important in the next phase of the industry's maturation. Management believes Nextleaf is well positioned with its product innovation pipeline, and success securing issued patents in the United States. Nextleaf owns 12 U.S. patents and has been issued over 70 patents globally. Innovation is core to Nextleaf's value proposition, and its ability to differentiate with its patented and patent pending cannabinoid delivery technologies and formulations. The amended Cannabis Research Licence allows Nextleaf to continue to develop, validate, and strengthen its R&D within a federally legal market.

Nextleaf Supplies Cannabis Distillate to Power the Vape Launch of its Atlantic Canadian Partner

The Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Nextleaf Labs Ltd. ("Nextleaf Labs"), is pleased to announce the addition of an Atlantic Canada based producer (the "Partner") to the OILS Commercial Partners Program. The Company has executed an initial bulk sale of high purity cannabis distillate to support its partner's commercial launch of large format vape products. Nextleaf expects this commercial supply transaction to lead to a long-term white label supply partnership, with Nextleaf powering its partner's vape brand distribution strategy in Atlantic Canada and other future provincial markets.

Update on Health Canada Sales Licence Amendment

In January 2021, Nextleaf Labs filed an amendment to its Health Canada standard processing licence that upon receipt, will allow direct sale of finished product to provincially authorized distributors and retailers nationwide. The Company expects licensing to be imminent. The licence will allow Nextleaf Labs to offer additional value-added services to its partners and it affords Nextleaf dynamic flexibility should the Company deem it accretive to launch branded consumer products directly into provincially authorized retailers across the country.

About Nextleaf

Nextleaf Solutions is an innovative cannabis processor that owns one of the largest portfolios of U.S. patents for the extraction, distillation, and delivery of cannabinoids. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Nextleaf Labs Ltd, a licensed processor, the Company is a low-cost producer of cannabis distillate and private label THC & CBD oils. Nextleaf's proprietary closed-loop automated extraction plant in Metro Vancouver has a design capacity to process 600 kilos of dried cannabis into oil per day. The Company owns 12 U.S. patents and has been issued over 70 patents globally. Nextleaf is developing delivery technology through its Health Canada research licence with sensory evaluation of cannabis via human testing. The Company's patent pending Rapid Emulsion Technology by OILS powers differentiated ingestible cannabis products. Nextleaf is commercializing its issued and pending patents through licensing of intellectual property, extraction services, and supplying cannabis oils to qualified Canadian and international business-to-business partners under their own brand.

Nextleaf Solutions trades as OILS on the Canadian Securities Exchange, OILFF on the OTCQB Market in the United States, and L0MA on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Follow OILS across social media platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

www.nextleafsolutions.com

For more information please contact:

Jason McBride

604-283-2301 (ext. 219)

investors@nextleafsolutions.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

Paul Pedersen, CEO

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding the Company's ability to capitalize on its IP portfolio, the Company's strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "believe", "expect", "aim", "intend", "plan", "continue", "will", "may", "would", "anticipate", "estimate", "forecast", "predict", "project", "seek", "should" or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to the risk factors discussed in the Company's MD&A for the most recent fiscal period. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. The CSE has not reviewed or approved the contents of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79191
German Chancellor Angela Merkels Sunday evening appearance on Anne Will, the political talk show, confirmed that there can be no way out of the coronavirus crisis without mobilizing a broad movement of the working class.

Merkel at the Chancellor's Office last month (AP photo/Markus Schreiber, pool).

The hour-long television programme consisted of a string of excuses, reassurances and attempts to divert blame for the current crisis to Germanys 16 different states. Television journalist Anne Will submissively delivered the appropriate cues to the chancellor, who was the only guest. In the course of the programme, Will refrained from touching the key questionwhich economic and social interests stood to benefit from the chancellors pandemic policies?

At every stage of the crisis, the policies of Germanys federal and state governments have been characterised by one principle: profits take precedence over lives, economic interests are more important than the health of the population. Merkel (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) is sticking to this principle under conditions where the crisis is escalating dramatically.

Even the chancellors closest advisers are now warning of a catastrophe. There are very clear signals that this wave could be even worse than the first two waves, said Lothar Wieler, the president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German government agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention. Wieler considers an increase in new infections of up to 100,000 per day to be possible. Other forecasts predict 200,000 infections a day. That would require a hard lockdown, he said. We had a lockdown worthy of the name in the spring of last year.

Social Democratic Party (SPD) health expert Karl Lauterbach has warned of a rise in COVID-19 deaths from the current 76,000 to more than 100,000 in the absence of immediate countermeasures. It will not work without a sharp lockdown, Lauterbach stressed to the Tagesspiegel newspaper. He also criticised the fact that too little attention was paid by political circles in Berlin to the long-term consequences of the virus. This affects up to ten per cent of those infected, i.e., currently up to 250,000 people. The third wave is being underestimated politically and medically, he added.

For her part, Merkel was playing for time. Im still thinking about it; I have not finished thinking it through to the end; Well look at it now, and then, if necessary, well have to balance all the options for action; if something doesnt happen in the very foreseeable future, she would have to consider how it could perhaps be regulated on a nationwide basisthis was the mantra she repeated.

Merkel promised businesses, which have never been subject to a lockdown and can decide for themselves if they test employees or not, that she would evaluate their conduct for a few more days. If she were still not satisfied, she would contemplate revising the countrys labour protection regulations.

Delivering workers like lambs to the slaughterthis is the pattern that has determined the coronavirus policy of the German government from the beginning. The government only really changed gear after it pumped hundreds of billions into big business and the financial markets. Countless workers lost their jobs and incomes, self-employed persons, artists and small businesses were ruined while stock markets recorded historic highs. Major German corporations such as Daimler, VW and BMW have paid out billions in dividends.

In order for the companies to make profits, schools and day-care centres were kept open to enable parents to go to work. For almost a year, the media, politicians and a few dubious academics spread the myth that children and young people could not spread the virus, although serious scientists have long since proven the opposite. The Bild newspaper organised a vicious smear campaign against the Charite hospital virologist Christian Drosten, who had published a study to this effect.

In the meantime, it can no longer be denied that schools and day-care centres are among the most important virus spreaders. An article in the latest issue of Der Spiegel magazine begins with the words: When the history of the coronavirus pandemic is written, one of the worst omissions to go down in the annals will be what we did to childrenand their parentsby failing to make schools and day-care centres secure places.

Although now the much more contagious and dangerous mutant B.1.1.7 was sweeping the country, the Spiegel article continued, instead of drastically restricting contacts, especially at schools, there was a relaxation of protective measures. In fact, the incidence of infection among children up to the age of 14 years is exploding. The number of cases has almost tripled in the past five weeks.

The consequences of this rapid spread are already becoming apparent, some in horrific ways, the magazine observed. The virus is affecting some children violently due to a false reaction of their immune system The children in turn infect their parents, who become ill, with some becoming very ill.

This, however, has not prevented Germanys federal and state governments from continuing to reopen schools. Merkel made a transparent attempt on the Anne Will show to shift responsibility onto state premiers, whom she accused of not applying the emergency shutdown brake decided on March 3. This provides for certain measures to automatically come into force again once a certain incidence value of infections is reached.

However, this is just a smokescreen. In reality, Merkel and the state premiers from all of Germanys main partiesthe Left Partys Bodo Ramelow, the Green Partys Winfried Kretschmann, the SPDs Michael Muller and Malu Dreyer, the CDUs Armin Laschet and Volker Bouffier and the Christian Social Unions Markus Soderall agree in principle on the need to subordinate COVID-19 policy to the interests of big business and finance. They jointly decided on this policy at the start of the pandemic and have implemented it consequently ever since.

Only a few days ago, after all, Merkel publicly apologized for the fact that in a meeting with the state premiers they had decided on one additional day off work over Easter in order to reduce infections. In her humiliating apology, she reversed the decision. She did not apologise to the relatives of the 76,000 coronavirus dead, nor to the teachers and nurses who have risked their lives, but to the business representatives who unleashed a storm of protest against this utterly inadequate and pathetic measure.

Merkels appearance on Anne Will is only the latest link in a long chain of events that confirm that the federal and state governments and the parties behind them are completely incapable of meeting the most elementary needs of the population.

The current vaccination debacle is also a result of their complete indifference to human lives. Experts advised of the importance of establishing sufficient production capacities at a very early stage when the first vaccines had been developed but not yet tested.

Lauterbach, who is himself an immunologist, called for the establishment of mass production as early as May 2020. His proposal was rejected. If the government had followed his proposal, Lauterbach said, it would have cost 24 billion euros [US$28.1 billion] and the population could have been fully vaccinated by the end of April. Instead, the government, in which the SPD fills the post of finance minister, preferred to give away many times this amount to the big corporations and banks.

The failure of the ruling elites in the face of the pandemic is an international phenomenon. In France, where President Macron has ignored all warnings from experts, the seven-day incidence has surpassed 400. In the Paris region, the capacity of intensive care units has already been exceeded. The US has the highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world at 564,000, while the UK leads in Europe with 127,000 deaths.

This huge number of largely avoidable deaths is the result of a bankrupt social system. After decades of income redistribution that has resulted in princely wealth for a tiny minority and an endless series of wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, which has devastated entire societies, human lives are of little value in the eyes of the ruling elites.

While the electorate is told that there is no money to fund a full lockdown and provide necessary vaccines, billions are being poured into military rearmament and preparations for nuclear war.

At the very start of the pandemic the World Socialist Web Site warned that it would exacerbate all the contradictions of capitalist society. The Socialist Equality Party and its affiliated organisations in the International Committee of the Fourth International have undertaken the initiative of building Rank-and-File Action Committees for Safe Workplaces and Safe Education, advocating the immediate closure of all non-essential production and schools and the mobilisation for a general strike across Europe and internationally.

Opposition to the governments coronavirus policies is enormous. Poll after poll shows that the vast majority demand tougher protective measures or approve of the existing ones. But they find no support for their demands from the main political parties or the trade unions, all of which support the policy of opening up society in the interests of profit.

The fight against the pandemic requires an international, socialist programme that places lives above profits, human needs before the wealth of billionaires. The defence of the lives, health and incomes of the vast majority of the population necessitates the expropriation of the financial oligarchy and ending the private ownership of the means of production. It requires a scientifically guided, rationally organised and democratically controlled world economy.

The Socialist Equality Party (Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, SGP) is contesting the federal election to build a new socialist party in the working class. We call on all readers of the WSWS: Support our electoral participation with your signature! Study the SGP programme and join the party!
Aus4Innovation, an Australian development assistance program, is offering grants worth AUD1.5 million (US$1.13 million) to fund innovation in Vietnam.

Tom Wood, Aus4Innovation Program Director, speaks about the assistance provided to Vietnam's innovation development.

- What is Australias standing in the partnership with Vietnam? Why was innovation chosen to be a focus in Australias support to Vietnam?

Bilateral links between Australia and Vietnam have developed significantly since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973. In 2017 Australia and Vietnam announced that the bilateral relationship would be elevated to a strategic partnership, and on March 15, 2018, signed a Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between Australia and Vietnam.

Acknowledging the diverse bilateral relationship, encompassing wide-ranging cooperation on different issues, the two countries agreed that the Plan of Action for the Strategic Partnership for the period of 2020-23 would focus on three priority areas: enhancing economic engagement, deepening strategic, defense and security cooperation and building knowledge and innovation partnerships.

Innovation is therefore clearly articulated as a priority for the governments of Australia and Vietnam as a means to increase our trade and economic links, but also to accelerate inclusive economic growth in Vietnam.

This shared aspiration to become innovation-led nations is reflected in the Australia-Vietnam Innovation Partnership, chaired by Australias ambassador to Vietnam and Vietnams minister of science and technology, and Aus4Innovation (A4I), our flagship development program in the sector.

- As a flagship program, how is Aus4Innovation designed to create a lasting impact on Vietnams innovation ecosystem?

Aus4Innovation is a four-year collaboration between Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and National Science Agency (CSIRO) and Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). In 2018-22 Australia and Vietnam are together exploring emerging areas of technology and digital transformation, trialing new models for partnerships between public and private sector institutions, and strengthening Vietnamese capability in digital foresight, scenario planning, commercialization, and innovation policies. This wide range of support activities and flexible approaches allows for rapid iteration of programming to ensure it will deliver lasting impact at the system level.

Originally open across all sectors, A4I has narrowed the focus in the first phase of work to two areas: future digital economy, and resilient agriculture and food systems.

Steady progress was made through the first half of the program, building relationships and testing collaborative models to scale up. In 2020 MOST and DFAT agreed to plan for a second phase of work (to 2025) and to fund transitional initiatives in 2021 and 2022 that respond to Covid-19 recovery priorities. Artificial intelligence activities, under the future digital economy theme, were the first to be supported.

A water treatment system using Rapido model from the University of Technology Sydney is installed at a school in Ha Nam Province in northern Vietnam.

- What is the purpose of the Aus4Innovation partnership grants and how can they foster innovation initiatives in Vietnam?

The innovation partnership grants are a critical feature of the Aus4Innovation program. The purpose of the grants is to provide targeted funds to scale up already tested activities that address emerging challenges or opportunities in any sector of Vietnam's innovation system.

Experiences from past development assistance programs for start-ups showed there were brilliant initiatives with potential widespread socioeconomic impact that were tested for feasibility but not scaled up due to the lack of access to funding. Public funding for innovation in Vietnam is still modest while private funds and investors are not interested in initiatives that are for public interest and cannot be commercialized. Therefore, the innovation partnership grants help bridge that gap to give innovators the chance to turn their tested ideas into scaled-up reality.

- What was funded in the previous two rounds? What did the grantees achieve using the grant from Aus4Innovation? Are there any highlights you want to share?

Eight projects were chosen for funding in the previous rounds with a total budget allocation of approximately AUD3.6 million. The most competitive were selected from 190 applications. Projects from the first round have nearly completed all activities, while second round teams are half way through implementation. Each team has utilized technologies and experiences from Australia, combined with local know-how and need, to build on existing proven results and scale up ideas. Highlights include:

Round 1 highlights include:

- Bringing a novel university technology development model, Rapido, to Vietnam and demonstrating its effectiveness by delivering water treatment and monitoring solutions to farmers in Phu Yen, communities in the Red River Delta, and flood-affected areas in central Vietnam.

- Producing 20,000 fingerling white teatfish sea cucumbers (a high-value species) by inducing spawning with a novel hormone. These sea cucumbers are a valuable export item, their production complements other aquaculture operations, and captive breeding reduces pressure on wild stocks.

- Demonstrating the use of artificial intelligence and new training techniques to improve breast cancer screening accuracy.

Round 2 projects in sectors including agriculture, aquaculture, environmental monitoring, and flood management.

A man holds a white teatfish sea cucumber grown with a novel hormone, a project between Australia's University of the Sunshine Coast and Vietnam's Research Institute for Aquaculture 3, and a grantee of Aus4Innovation. Photo by Hoai Linh.

- Why did you decide to fund Round 3?

2020 has been challenging, with the Covid-19 pandemic infecting millions and bringing many traditional channels of economic activity to a near standstill as countries imposed tight restrictions on movement to halt the transmission of the virus. In this context, however, our Round 2 and 3 grantees have continued to work well together  going digital has been a primary focus of efforts to minimize the disruption caused by the pandemic, and adapt to the new normal.

When considering program activities for 2021, it was natural to extend our successful partnership grants program and target it toward enabling Vietnam's future digital economy. While digitization had been a priority for MOST even before Covid-19, the pandemic has accelerated the transformation, increasing both speed and scale. In June this year the Vietnamese prime minister approved the National Digital Transformation Program to transform Vietnam into a digital country, where government management, business operations, and people's lives are enabled in a secure digital environment.

In this backdrop, the third round of innovation partnership grants forms an integral component of MOSTs efforts to enable digital transformation in support of economic recovery from the pandemic. Grants will fund initiatives that have the potential to enhance the digital transformation in the economy and deliver inclusive social impacts.

- With its theme of Enhancing digital transformation, what do you expect from this round of funding?

This time our grants have a specific theme. Initiatives should aim to deliver innovative products, services or business models and solutions that build on emerging digital technologies like AI, blockchain, the Internet of Things, and deep tech and cloud-based services, for example. Solutions should help improve efficiency, agility and productivity in a specific sector or across the economy. While there is no restriction on the sectors that applicants select, suggestions include smart manufacturing, smart agriculture, digital health, smart education, smart cities, finance and banking, natural resources and environment, and e-government.
Richard Hutsell, Founder and President of Premier, is a recognized leader in housing management and development; having managed cumulative portfolios of over 200 properties located throughout the Midwest with assets of more than two billion dollars and annual operating budgets of over $200 million. Mr. Hutsell set out in 2010 to build the best, full-service property management and development company the industry has ever seen.

"When I founded Premier, my goal was to build a different kind of company  focusing on our mission cornerstones of Integrity, Business results, and Responsiveness," said Mr. Hutsell. "I wanted our culture, our values and our commitment to results to differentiate us from our competitors. Over the last ten years we've tried to do that and so much more!"

Premier Management and Development has won numerous awards both locally and nationally, most recently earning several awards at the 25th annual Multi Housing Achievement Design Advertising and Community Support (MADACS) award ceremony. In just ten years Premier has won over 16 MADACS. Premier has also been recognized among the largest senior living providers in the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal.

"What differentiates us is our commitment to the community," said Stacey Busta, Vice President of Human Resources. "We get up every day thinking about how we can give back to our residents, while building a culture our employees want to be a part of." Many staff members have won Minnesota Multi Housing awards for their accomplishments.

Over the past decade, Premier has partnered with several non-profit organizations in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and Wisconsin. In 2018, Premier was named one of six Qualified Rental Housing Administrators by the Family Housing Fund (FHF), and in 2020 Premier partnered with Twin Cities Rise (TC RISE) and the Minnesota Multi Housing Association (MHA) to help build a pipeline of underemployed and unemployed individuals for careers in multifamily housing. Premier is also an initial lead sponsor in the Hamline University management program for persons of color, a program designed by Lyn Burton of affordable Housing Connections.

"We see ourselves not only as an affordable or multi-family housing provider, but also as a backbone of the community," said Lisa Fischer, Chief Financial Officer, "We've been partnering with local governments throughout the COVID-19 crisis to ensure our renters have safe and affordable places to live  and in 2020 we ran a campaign, partnering with Second Harvest Heartland, to encourage over 4,200 people to donate to Second Harvest's food banks."

Premier Management and Development's diverse and multidisciplinary Executive Advisory Committee includes industry leaders and executives with broad experience across numerous business sectors, including construction and development (Marv Kotek), finance (Jerry Baack), government (Housing and Urban Development  Joseph Galvan, Shawn Huckleby and Stan Quy), affordable housing development (Carol Bower, Loren Brueggemann) and national healthcare (Hans Hage).

Media Inquiries about this Press Release should be directed to Zong Lee; [email protected].

SOURCE Premier Management and Development
Elon Musk recently reposted an advertisement for Tesla for Gigafactory Texas openings that are now accepting jobs until 2022, with over 10,000 openings and spots to fill. This would be the first job offer from Tesla after it moved its base to Texas which is now on the verge of its Gigafactory, and the openings do not require a college degree to apply with.

Elon Musk Announces Job Openings for Tesla Gigafactory Texas

In April, a tweet by Tesla Owners Austin (@AustinTeslaClub), a screenshot from Tesla's careers website explains that the clean energy company is not requiring any college degree for people to apply and work there. Candidates and interested applicants may opt for a job within the company straight after graduating from high school and having a diploma.

Tesla's statement does not necessarily discourage high school fresh graduates to be exclusive as they work for the company but gives an opportunity to work for them while taking up their desired college program.

High School Grads: You do not have to have a college degree to work for Tesla. You can work for Tesla straight out of high school. Chris Reilly of recruiting explains:https://t.co/K37yYNOidZ pic.twitter.com/CgC7QJtSvN  Tesla Owners Austin (@AustinTeslaClub) March 31, 2021

On Wednesday, March 31, the Tesla CEO retweeted the club's statement and according to Musk via Twitter (@elonmusk), there are currently more than 10,000 job openings within the company that would be accepted through 2022. Musk also reiterated that Gigafactory Texas is accessible and close to nearby establishments such as the nearby airport and downtown area of Austin.

Over 10,000 people are needed for Giga Texas just through 2022!

- 5 mins from airport

-15 mins from downtown

- Right on Colorado river https://t.co/w454iXedxB  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2021

Musk also added that its location is just five to 15 minutes away from these establishments and that it is widely convenient for people to reach and work from. The CEO also added that the Gigafactory Texas is also near the Colorado River, and stands near its banks and body.

Read Also: PS5 Restock April 2021: Where to Buy; Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and More! [GUIDE]

Elon Musk: Opening Opportunities for New Base in Texas

The popular electric vehicle manufacturer and clean energy company in the world, Tesla, has brought a lot of opportunities to Texas after the move and relocation of its base to the Lone Star state from California. Elon Musk's move has already opened up opportunities for SpaceX, along with a supposed venture for The Boring Company in Austin.

Apart from that, Musk has also pledged to help in energy sources throughout the state, mostly focusing on public and government properties to help the area and state in which he stays. After the massive winter storm that hit Texas earlier this year, Tesla's Solar Roof and Powerwall have effectively proven themselves to always keep the power on, despite outages in the area.

Elon Musk and his companies have already made the transition to Texas and have been a partner to the state in terms of opportunities and being a prominent entity. Apart from these, Musk also plans to build the Starbase, which is a residential area that would be created by his companies along with having renewable sources for power and energy.

Related Article: Elon Musk's SpaceX Engineers Hiring; Starbase Relocation to Have Renewable Energy Sources & Boring Loop Tunnel Coming?

This article is owned by Tech Times





Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Ferrari is "still behind" in the Formula 1 horsepower department, team boss Mattia Binotto admits.

It is clear that, compared with the performance crisis of 2020, the Maranello team has managed to produce a better engine for the new season.

"We don't have all the details yet to analyse, but I think we are still lacking in every area," Binotto told the Spanish newspaper AS.

"We still lack in the engine, although less than before. But we are still behind so I hope we get even closer next year with another new engine," the Italian added.

Binotto said Ferrari's car has been improved in every way but "I will not divide it by area - in general, everything is better".

"Yes, I am relieved, there is no doubt, because we are in a more appropriate condition which is healthier for the team to work in calmly," he added.

Most of that work is being put into the all-new 2022 project.

"We know that we will not work much on the development of this car - we are focused on 2022 and I imagine it is the same with our competitors," said Binotto.

(GMM)
-World Bank

Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to have contracted by 2.0% in 2020, closer to the lower bound of the forecast in April 2020, and prospects for recovery are strengthening amid actions to contain new waves of the pandemic and speed up vaccine rollouts, according to the World Bank's biannual economic analysis for the region.

The latest Africa's Pulse, The Future of Work in Africa: Emerging Trends in Digital Technology Adoption, notes that a slower spread of the virus and lower COVID-19-related mortality, strong agricultural growth and a faster-than expected recovery in commodity prices has helped many African economies weather the economic storm induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report notes that economic recovery hinges on countries deepening reforms that create jobs, encourage investment, and enhance competitiveness. The resurgence of the pandemic in late 2020 and limited additional fiscal support will pose an uphill battle for policy makers as they continue to work toward stronger growth and improved livelihoods for their people.

"African countries have made tremendous investments over the last year to keep their economies afloat and protect the lives and livelihoods of their people," said Albert G. Zeufack, World Bank Chief Economist for Africa. "Ambitious reforms that support job creation, strengthen equitable growth, protect the vulnerable and contribute to environmental sustainability will be key to bolstering those efforts going forward toward a stronger recovery across the African continent."

Growth in the region is forecast to rise between 2.3 and 3.4% in 2021, depending on the policies adopted by countries and the international community. A second wave of COVID-19 infections is partly dragging down the 2021 growth projections, with daily infections about 40% higher than during the first wave. While some countries had a significant drop in COVID-19 infections due to containment measures adopted by the government, other countries are facing an upward trend in infections. Real GDP growth for 2022 is estimated at 3.1%. For most countries in the region, activity will remain well below the pre-COVID-19 projections at the end of 2021, increasing the risk of long-lasting damage from the pandemic on people's living standards.

Sub-Saharan Africa's recovery is expected to vary across countries. Non-resource-intensive countries, such as Cote d'Ivoire and Kenya, and mining-dependent economies, such as Botswana and Guinea, are expected to see robust growth in 2021, driven by a rebound in private consumption and investment as confidence strengthens and exports increase.

In the Eastern and Southern Africa subregion, the growth contraction for 2020 is estimated at -3.0%, mostly driven by South Africa and Angola, the subregion's largest economies. Excluding Angola and South Africa, economic activity in the subregion is projected to expand by 2.6% in 2021, and 4.0% in 2022,

Growth in the Western and Central Africa subregion contracted by 1.1% in 2020, less than projected in October 2020 partly due to a less severe contraction in Nigeria, the subregion's largest economy, in the second half of the year. Real gross domestic product in the Western and Central Africa subregion is projected to grow 2.1% in 2021 and 3.0% in 2022.

The Pulse also notes that African countries can speed up their recovery by ramping up their existing efforts to support the economy and people in the near term, especially women, youth and other vulnerable groups. Africa's Pulse recommends those policies be complemented by reforms that fosters the country's inclusive productivity growth and competitiveness. Reducing countries' debt burdens will release resources for public investment, in areas such as education, health, and infrastructure.

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Investments in human capital will help lower the risk of long-lasting damage from the pandemic which may become apparent over the longer term, and can enhance competitiveness and productivity. The next twelve months will be a critical period for leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area in order to deepen African countries' integration into regional and global value chains. The report also notes that reforms that address digital infrastructure gaps and make the digital economy more inclusive-ensuring affordability but also building skills for all segments of society- are essential to improve connectivity, boost digital technology adoption, and generate more and better jobs for men and women.
The Easter long weekend is set to see plenty of sunshine across parts of the nation - but torrential rain could engulf Darwin, and a cyclone may hit Western Australia.

Brisbane residents, who have endured a three-day lockdown, should brace themselves for more bad news - a coastal trough is expected to move towards the east coast, which will bring more downpour.

Heavier falls are also forecast in the Wide BayBurnett and Capricornia regions and possibly in Queensland's south-east.

Matt Marshall, from the Queensland Bureau of Meteorology, confirmed rainfall of up to 50mm in some parts due to a deepening low pressure trough.

Heavy rainfall in predicted across parts of Queensland over the Easter break

Sunshine is forecast in Sydney, with maximum temperatures of up to 27 degrees

The mercury could rise to as high as 30 degrees in Melbourne on Friday and Saturday

'This low will increase rainfall along the Capricorn and Fraser coasts this weekend, followed by rapid deterioration of conditions in the southeast from Sunday to Tuesday,' he said.

'The main impacts are expected along the coastal fringe and elevated terrain with daily rainfall totals of 50 to 150mm possible.'

The outlook is much brighter for Australias south east coast, with Victoria, South Australia and western NSW all expected to have temperatures in the low to mid 30s.

Some parts of Tasmania and eastern areas of the NSW and ACT should see the mercury rise to around at least 25 degrees, according to The Australian.

Victoria could see temperatures as high as 33 degrees on Good Friday, with sunny conditions also expected on Easter Sunday.

In Adelaide, temperatures will peak on Friday and Saturday, reaching close to 30 degrees before dropping back down to 24 degrees on Sunday and Monday with plenty of cloud cover.

Hobart could see rain on Friday and Saturday, before a maximum of 19 degrees on Sunday.

The Top End will likely see showers on Good Friday, but Sunday is tipped to see a maximum of 33 degrees in Darwin.

There is also an outside chance of a cyclone in Western Australia leading into Monday - but it is not tipped to hit the mainland in Perth.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Catherine Schelfout said rain will fall in some parts of the west, but clear skies are predicted until at least Monday.

'This time of year is quite a common time for what we call 'warm season' thunderstorms,' she said.

'There is a chance of some thunderstorms inland the next few days, and in terms of the cyclone... it should stay off-shore.'

Heavy rainfall has been predicted for residents in Darwin and Brisbane over the Easter break

A cyclone has been predicted in Western Australia - but it is unlikely to hit Perth

South Australia could see temperatures as high as 33 degrees on Good Friday
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us

We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.
The commander of the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base has been relieved.

Eighteenth Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Kenneth T. Bibb Jr. removed Col. Jaron Roux on April 1 for "lack of confidence in his ability to command" following what was termed a substantiated investigation into allegations Roux "engaged in unprofessional relationships and fraternization."

Roux has been reassigned to the headquarters of the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

The announcement was made in a media release.

No charges are associated with the case, Capt. Alexis D. Burdon, an Air Force spokeswoman, told The Post and Courier.

Commanders are placed in a special position of trust and are expected to exemplify the highest standards of conduct personally and professionally," Bibb said.

I must have complete confidence in our wing commanders to lead Airmen, maintain good order and discipline, and execute the mission in an environment where professional relationships and the Air Force core values serve as the foundation for our actions," he said.

Col. Christopher M. Robinson, the 437th Airlift Wing vice commander, will serve as the interim commander, the Air Force said.

Roux graduated from the Air Force Academy in May 2000, according to his biography. After completing pilot training, he was assigned to Joint Base Charleston, where he flew the C-17A Globemaster III.

His staff tours include duty at the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Joint Staff and the headquarters of Air Mobility Command, his biography lists. He became a full colonel in March 2019.
But they can also be like a dog that always chases cars and then, one day, catches one. Often, it turns out that politicians who ran on agendas of grievances are short on solutions. Many seem more interested in making names for themselves and leveraging connections than being humble public servants.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. High 78F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
David Arthur: No new faces in cabinet, and no one dropped. The same group, very comfortable with each other, all nodding and winking after Scottys cleverness. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Gds Gds: None of this is addressing the core problem of male behaviour. Bring in people who actually merit jobs instead of asking people to believe the current ones have seen the light. If they really respected women they wouldnt have found themselves in this position in the first place. EMG: A vapid marketing exercise. Nothing meaningful about shifting the chairs. In fact it only highlights his lack of understanding and willingness to hold on to power at any cost. Doofus: No changes to LNP culture, no suggested changes to attitudes. The media should call this out for what it is, instead we have headlines saying its federal policy push to improve the treatment of women. Its not.

Loading BH: This should not be about winning back women, it is about doing the right thing and making everyone safe. Hmmmmm: Too late for me, Scotty. You and your minister for womens absence and dismissal in recent weeks has been contemptuous in extreme. Expect the same at the ballot box. Crowe says he cant remember a cabinet reshuffle that has provoked as much reaction as this one - and he understands the almost unrelenting scepticism from readers. The changes were made under pressure, after weeks of scandal, and they mostly assigned different jobs to the same people, he says. I see the reshuffle as a change to the structure rather than an outcome.

All it does is set up the conditions for the Prime Minister to come up with policies. Its the policies that count and voters will judge Morrison on whether he delivers on the issues he named: womens equality, womens safety, womens economic security, womens health and well-being. Morrisons description of Payne as effectively the Prime Minister for Women wasnt well received either. Mozza: I guess you appoint a PM for Women when you have failed to fulfil that role yourself PETER CRAIG: So appointing Payne as prime minister for women, Morrison can then resume the mantle of prime minister for men. Now he can go to the footy, chug a beer, down a pie and clamber all over heavy machinery without having to worry about dealing with those pesky women. Mal: I wonder if the PM for women is allowed to say or do anything? History would say no!! Look how smirk and mirrors treated Ann Ruston when a journalist asked Ruston to share her own perspective of Parliaments culture, as an actual woman in government. Morrison interjected before she was able to get so much as two words out and answered for her.

Minister for Women Marise Payne and Prime Minister Scott Morrison will co-chair the new taskforce. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Crowe says while the new taskforce has a flavour of Yes, Minister about it - in the way it looks like action when the real outcomes are pending - it will be up to the men, not only the women, on the taskforce to prove whats achieved. The net effect of the reshuffle was that more women gained more influence in the cabinet, and that is a good thing, he says. It is up to Morrison to listen to them, of course. I think he knows that his fate as prime minister depends on whether he does. Some readers acknowledged that despite the Prime Ministers efforts he was seemingly in a no-win situation. Nixon: It seems Morrison can do nothing to appease his detractors. Less women = more abuse: more women = more abuse.

Loading Malcolm: Good on Mr Morrison for acting promptly and decisively again. Many readers werent prepared to overlook the fact that government MP Andrew Laming, who has been accused of taking photos of a woman while she bent over, would stay on the government benches until the next election rather than depart immediately. Shirl: Morrison can talk all he wants but as long as he allows Laming to remain in the Liberal Party no one will believe him. Scotty from Stationery: If Morrison was genuine about his intent hed sack Laming immediately.
CALHOUN COUNTY, MI  The search recently for the body of a woman missing since 2005 did not reveal any evidence.

Police were searching for the body of Ashely Parlier who was last seen in Battle Creek in June 2005, the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office said. A cadaver dog assisted with the search in a wooded area of 6  Mile Road in Newton Township.

Police searching for body of Battle Creek woman missing since 2005

Investigators were on scene Wednesday, March 31, from 8 a.m. until after 4 p.m., Calhoun County Communications Manager Lucy Blair said. The area was also searched for a day during the week of March 22. Its unclear if they will search there in the future, Blair said.

Police previously said there is a person of interest in the crime. The search is one part of a larger investigation, Blair said.

Anyone who knew Parlier or anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call the sheriffs office at 269-781-0880.

Read more from MLive:

Two people charged in double homicide in Kalamazoo County

Helicopter to fly around Portage in search for missing man

Two Michigan National Guard members seriously injured by falling tree at Fort Custer
Download Free sample report

Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries; however, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. COVID-19 will have a high impact on the small mammal and reptile food market.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the major trends in the market?

Growing demand for dry small and reptile food is a major trend driving the growth of the market.

Growing demand for dry small and reptile food is a major trend driving the growth of the market. At what rate is the market projected to grow?

The market will accelerate at a CAGR of almost 9% and the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be $ 986.40 mn .

The market will accelerate at a CAGR of almost 9% and the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be . Who are the top players in the market?

Burgess Group PLC, Cargill Inc., Hartz Mountain Corp., Kaytee Products, Inc, Land O Lakes Inc., Mr Johnsons, Oxbow Animal Health, Rolf C. Hagen Inc., Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc., and VITAKRAFT SUN SEED INC, are some of the major market participants.

Burgess Group PLC, Cargill Inc., Hartz Mountain Corp., Kaytee Products, Inc, Land O Lakes Inc., Mr Johnsons, Oxbow Animal Health, Rolf C. Hagen Inc., Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc., and VITAKRAFT SUN SEED INC, are some of the major market participants. What is the key market driver?

The new product launches is one of the major factors driving the market.

The new product launches is one of the major factors driving the market. How big is the Europe market?

The Europe region will contribute to 46% of the market share.

Related Reports on Consumer Staples Include:

Wealth Management Market by Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025- The wealth management market size has the potential to grow by USD 318.95 billion during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 7.61%. Get FREE sample report in minutes

The wealth management market size has the potential to grow by during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 7.61%. Education Market in UAE by Ownership and End-user - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025- The education market size in UAE has the potential to grow by USD 97.12 thousand during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 1.58%. Get FREE sample report in minutes

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The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Burgess Group PLC, Cargill Inc., Hartz Mountain Corp., Kaytee Products, Inc, Land O Lakes Inc., Mr Johnsons, Oxbow Animal Health, Rolf C. Hagen Inc., Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc., and VITAKRAFT SUN SEED INC. are some of the major market participants. Small mammal and reptile food manufacturers have started focusing on launching new products to enhance their customer base. Hence, the new product launches will offer immense growth opportunities.



Get Free sample report in MINUTES



However, diseases associated with small mammals and reptiles and low awareness of small mammal and reptile food among pet owners likely to pose a challenge for the market vendors.



In a bid to help players strengthen their market foothold, this small mammal and reptile food market forecast report provides a detailed analysis of the leading market vendors. The report also empowers industry honchos with information on the competitive landscape and insights into the different product offerings offered by various companies.

Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct & indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations.

Small Mammal and Reptile Food Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

Small Mammal and Reptile Food Market is segmented as below:

Type

Rabbits



Rodents



Others

Geography

Europe



North America



APAC



South America



MEA

Distribution channel

Pet Specialty Stores



Supermarkets And Hypermarkets



Others

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR70302

Small Mammal and Reptile Food Market 2021-2025: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The small mammal and reptile food market report covers the following areas:

Small Mammal and Reptile Food Market Size

Small Mammal and Reptile Food Market Trends

Small Mammal and Reptile Food Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies the growing demand for dry small and reptile food as one of the prime reasons driving the small mammal and reptile food market growth during the next few years. Also, the limitations of keeping large pets in urban areas will lead to a sizeable demand for the market.

Small Mammal and Reptile Food Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist small mammal and reptile food market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the small mammal and reptile food market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the small mammal and reptile food market across Europe , North America , APAC, South America , and MEA

, , APAC, , and MEA Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of small mammal and reptile food market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Five Forces Analysis

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Animal type

Market segments

Comparison by Animal type

Rabbits - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Rodents - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Impact of COVID-19 and recovery from pandemic

Market opportunity by Animal type

Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel

Pet specialty stores

Supermarkets and hypermarkets

Others

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor Landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Burgess Group PLC

Cargill Inc.

Hartz Mountain Corp.

Land O Lakes Inc.

Mr Johnsons

Oxbow Animal Health

Rolf C. Hagen Inc.

Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc.

VITAKRAFT SUN SEED INC.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

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Arsenal are set to rekindle their interest in Leipzig winger Chrisopher Nkunku this summer, according to reports.

The Gunners have been fans of the Frenchman for many years - going back to his time at Paris Saint-Germain - and are now ready to return to the table for the 23-year-old to add some firepower to Mikel Arteta's options on the wing, as reported by Sky in Germany.

Nkunku continues to go from strength to strength in his early career and has impressed this season with seven goals and six assists in all competitions.

Arsenal are set to revive interest in Christopher Nkunku (R), with Mikel Arteta (L) keen to add to his options in midfield

His displays are said to be attracting interest from a host of elite sides in Europe, with Real Madrid reportedly in the running too.

Earlier this year French media reported that Los Blancos were quoted 27million for Nkunku with Zinedine Zidane believed to be tracking his progress with a handful of his players ageing and facing uncertain futures.

Nkunku had a season to remember in the last campaign too - notching five goals and 13 assists in the Bundesliga - and Leipzig will be facing a battle to keep hold of him, along with a number of their top stars.

Having lost star forward Timo Werner to Chelsea for 53m last summer, the German outfit are expected to receive bids for midfielder Marcel Sabitzer - with Tottenham interested - and centre-back Ibrahima Konate closing in on a move to Liverpool.

Nkunku has impressed for the Bundesliga side and is attracting interest from across Europe

The club have already sold star defender Dayot Upamecano to rival Bayern Munich, so they will be desperate not to lose another big name in Nkunku.

While he is making a name for himself at club level, he is yet to receive his first cap for France - although he has represented his country at U19, U20 and U21.

He came through the ranks at PSG before making his senior debut for his boyhood side in 2015. He made a total of 78 appearances for the Parisiens - scoring 11 goals - before opting to join Leipzig in 2019.

He has notched six goals and seven assists this term, with Real Madrid said to be keen on him

The Gunners were said to be mulling over a move before he left for Germany, but at the time Nkunku was happy he had made the right decision - admitting he wasn't getting enough minutes in Paris.

'I wouldn't say it was easy for me to leave PSG,' he told Kicker. 'But I had to go for the sake of my development. I wasn't playing enough in Paris. I made the right decision.

'The package here in Leipzig is perfect: the structures, the philosophy, the sporting objectives, the opportunities which young players have to grow at this club.'
Miss Marianas 2021 Savannah Delos Santos, eighth left, Stellar Marianas president Michelle Sablan, right, and the competitions other winners and candidates present a plaque of appreciation to TanHoldings chief executive officer Jerry Tan, seventh left, for the company and Tan Siu Lin Foundations support to the pageant. Joining Tan in the presentation were TSL Foundation executive director Merlie Tolentino, sixth left, and administrative officer Mel Naputi, fourth left.

TSLF photo
In its continued efforts to make housing affordable for Nigerians, T Pumpy Concept Limited, developers of T Pumpy Estates Abuja, has announced a 40 per cent slash promo as Easter gift for Nigerians.

This was made known by the MD/CEO of the real estate firm, Akintayo Adaralegbe, while unveiling the new package on Wednesday at the head office of the company in Abuja.

According to him, the ongoing promo is available for T Pumpy Estates across Abuja such as Lugbe, Kpyegi/Jikwoyi, Kurudu, among others.

He said any realtor who brings a buyer is entitled to 10 per cent commission while anyone who brings ten buyers is entitled to a government-approved plot of land within the nations capital

According to him, In Lugbe, 300sqm tagged Diamond is going for N1.4m as against the N4m market value while the Platinum package, 600sqm is going for N2.7m as against the N4.5m market value.

In category two, Diamond is going for N1.2m while Platinum would be sold for N2.4m.

In Jikwoyi/Kpeyegyi, Diamond (300sqm) is going for N540,000 while Platinum (600sqm) would go for N900,000.

We decided to slash the price as part of our efforts to make housing affordable for every Nigerian.

We want to see a nation where at least, 60 per cent of her citizens are house owners.

This is also an employment opportunity for people out there, especially the youths. Bring a buyer and get 10 per cent commission and if you can bring 10 buyers, you will be given a plot of land.

All our lands have C-of-Os. They are authentic, verifiable and government-approved, Mr Adaralegbe assured.

T. Pumpy Concept LTD, is one of the leading estate developers in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, with no fewer than 28 estates units spread across the Federal Capital City and is ensuring that thousands of Nigerian residents have access to houses of their own.

Call us today: Corporate Office address: No. 12, Monrovia Street, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II district, Abuja.

Annex House 23, (F) Road, Beside RCCG Resurrection Parish, FHA Lugbe, Abuja.

Follow us on our social media platforms.

Instagram: T.pumpy_estates

Facebook: Tpumpy Estates

YouTube: T.pumpy Estates

ADVERTISEMENT

Website: http://tpumpyconcept.com

WhatsApp/call: 09054545468 or 09023333380
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 07:40:10|Editor: huaxia

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A teacher receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a health center in Kampala, capital of Uganda, March 31, 2021. Uganda launched the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination campaign on March 10, targeting high risk groups in the east African country. The ministry of health targets to vaccinate more than 21.9 million people who face the highest risk of the infection, which include health workers, teachers, security personnel, elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. (Photo by Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua)
Thicker-leaved tropical plants may flourish as CO2 rises, which could be good for climate

How plants will fare as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise is a tricky problem and, researchers say, especially vexing in the tropics. Some aspects of plants' survival may get easier, some parts will get harder, and there will be species winners and losers. The resulting shifts in vegetation will help determine the future direction of climate change.

To explore the question, a study led by the University of Washington looked at how tropical forests, which absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, might adjust as CO2 continues to climb. Their results show that multiple changes occurring in plants' leaves and competition between species could preserve these ecosystems' ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The resulting paper was published Jan. 16 in Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

"Our findings suggest that plants with some types of responses, like making their leaves thicker, will ultimately grow better in tropical forests than their competitors," said senior author Abigail Swann, a UW associate professor of atmospheric sciences and of biology. "If these better-growing plants become more common in the forest, the total rates of water and carbon exchange could stay closer to what they are now."

A previous study by Swann's group showed that tropical plants leaves' becoming thicker as CO2 climbs would worsen climate change, because thicker leaves might also be smaller. Plants would then capture less sunlight for photosynthesis, absorb less carbon dioxide from the air and emit less water vapor, all exacerbating the heating due to climate change.

The new work expands the scope of this question to include competition between plant species, and the ratio of carbon and nitrogen in their leaves. Higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes it a bit easier for plants to photosynthesize. But if nitrogen can't keep up, the plant becomes less efficient at producing energy.

"Although it is observed to happen, the verdict is still out on why exactly plants grow thicker leaves under high CO2," Swann said. The new modeling study suggests an explanation: "Thicker leaves can concentrate the nitrogen so that photosynthesis rates per area of leaf are high."

The authors ran simulations for Barro Colorado Island, a forested tropical island in Panama where the model had been well tested against conditions on the ground. The simulations included one or two species of broad-leaf evergreen tropical trees, such as wild cashew and Ecuador laurel. The trees were programmed to have various responses to the higher carbon dioxide and could compete with one another for space.

Trees that were programmed to have more carbon relative to nitrogen in their leaves became less efficient at photosynthesis, which helps them to grow, and emitted less water vapor, which helps trees stay cool. But tree species whose leaves also thickened were better at absorbing carbon and producing water vapor, helping them to grow tall and stay cool, and could also outcompete their neighbors.

"Our work suggests that by shifting which plants are growing in the forest there may be less dire consequences of higher CO2 than other studies have suggested," Swann said. "There is a lot we still don't know about how plants are responding to climate change -- this work really sets up some best guesses about which plants will grow best in future tropical forests that we can test with more observations."

###

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. Lead author was UW graduate student Marlies Kovenock; co-authors are Charles Koven and Ryan Knox at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and Rosie Fisher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

For more information, contact Swann at aswann@uw.edu.

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A United States District Court in California has fixed July 27 as new date for the trial of the Nigerian Instagram celebrity facing fraud charges, Ramon Abass, also addressed as Hushpuppi.

This overruled a previous order from the court that fixed May 4 for the trial.

The recent order given by Judge Otis Wright followed an application for extension sought by Mr Abass defence counsel, Louis Shapiro.

Application

Mr Shapiro premised the request on the fact that he needed additional time to prepare for trial as he was recently hired by the defendant.

On February 25, 2021, defendants current counsel, Louis J. Shapiro, substituted in as counsel of record. Defence counsel represents that he requires additional time to prepare this case for trial.

Specifically, in light of the foregoing, and the complexity of the discovery and allegations in this case, counsel for defendant also represents that additional time is necessary to confer with defendant, conduct and complete an independent investigation of the case, conduct and complete additional legal research including for potential pre-trial motions, review the discovery and potential evidence in the case, and prepare for trial in the event that a pretrial resolution does not occur.

Defence counsel represents that failure to grant the continuance would deny him reasonable time necessary for effective preparation, taking into account the exercise of due diligence, Mr Shapiros application filed March 19, read.

He added that the defendant believed that failure to grant the continuance would deny him continuity of counsel and adequate representation.

Mr Shapiro also noted that the United States governments attorneys were not opposed to the extension as that was the first time such a request was made.

Also in the application, the defence counsel prayed the court for the exclusion of the time, starting from when he was due for trial in October, 2020 up till July 27, 2021.

According to the American law, the prosecution has to bring the defendant to trial within one year of the charges being filed.

Ruling

However, on March 22, the judge, Mr Wright, granted the orders of the continuance of trial and excludable time periods and fixed July 27, for trial.

The judge ruled, The court has read and considered the Stipulation Regarding Request for (1) Continuance of Trial Date and (2) Findings of Excludable Time Periods Pursuant to Speedy Trial Act, filed by the parties in this matter on March 19, 2021.

The court hereby finds that the stipulation, which this court incorporates by reference into this order, demonstrates facts that support a continuance of the trial date in this matter, and provides good cause for a finding of excludable time pursuant to the Speedy Trial Act, 18 U.S.C.  3161.

The trial in this matter is continued from May 4, 2021 to July 27, 2021 at 9:00 a.m.

He added that the period of October 13, 2020 to July 27, 2021, inclusive, is excluded in computing the time within which the trial must commence, pursuant to 18 U.S.C.  3161(h)(7)(A), (h)(7)(B)(i), and (B)(iv).

Background

Earlier in June, 2020, the 38-year-old known for flaunting his opulent lifestyle on social media, was arrested in Dubai by special agents including the Emerati police officers and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operatives.

The FBI stated in an affidavit obtained by PREMIUM TIMES that its investigations revealed that Mr Abbas financed this extravagant lifestyle with proceeds of crime.

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He is alleged to be the leader of a mafia that facilitates computer intrusion, Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud and money laundering. FBI says his targeted victims, majorly in the U.S, have been duped of hundreds of millions of dollars.

In July 2020, Mr Abbas alongside Olalekan Ponle, popularly known as Woodberry, was extradited to Chicago in the United States where he was first arraigned.

However, because the U.S. court in Illinois does not have jurisdiction over the case, he was transferred to Los Angeles, a city in California.

At the pretrial services, he pleaded not guilty to the four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracies, international money laundering and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

If convicted, Mr Abass may spend the next 20 years in the U.S. federal prison.
(CNN)  US President Joe Biden's vision for a clean energy future isn't just about spending billions on solar panels and wind farms. The White House also wants to hire hundreds of thousands of workers to clean up the relics of the nation's fossil fuels past.

The American Jobs Plan, which Biden is pitching Wednesday in a major speech in Pittsburgh, calls for a $16 billion investment to plug countless defunct oil and gas wells as well as reclaim abandoned coal mines.

The Biden administration says this program alone will put hundreds of thousands of people to work in union jobs, including many skilled workers whose livelihoods have been derailed (or soon will be) by the rise of clean energy. At the same time, this investment would address the serious safety and environmental threats posed by these facilities to the air, soil and water supply.

Crucially, many of these mines and wells exist in Appalachia and other communities decimated by the demise of coal and the rise of renewable energy.

"This is a win-win. We can address dangerous issues, while also putting people back to work  with dignity," said Andrew Logan, director of the oil-and-gas program at sustainability nonprofit Ceres.

Cleaning up coal country

West Virginia in particular would benefit from this federal investment. Not only has the collapse of the coal industry left countless West Virginians out of work, the state also has a significant number of uncapped wells.

"This is like an economic gift being presented to West Virginia, in a positive way," said Logan.

This $16 billion proposal could have the added political benefit of making the overall $2 trillion package more palatable to West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat who holds enormous power over the fate of the legislation.

"I can't think of anything better to put money into that is potentially shovel-ready to create thousands of good-paying jobs in the region," said Ted Boettner, a senior researcher at the Ohio River Valley Institute.

Unlike efforts to teach coal miners how to code, offering positions cleaning up mines and orphan wells would allow the industry's former workers to put their existing skills to work.

"This is not a train-and-pray program," said Boettner. "This funding will provide a true path for many people in the fossil fuel industry to have good-paying jobs in the places they want to live, work and raise a family."

The scale of the problem is both massive and alarming because much remains a mystery.

The fact sheet from the White House notes that there are "hundreds of thousands" of former wells and abandoned mines that pose "serious safety hazards, while also causing ongoing air, water and other environmental damage."

The federal Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement categorizes roughly 43,000 abandoned mines as "high priority."

Millions of orphan wells?

The Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission estimates there are about 56,600 verified orphan oil wells in the United States, with Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Texas, Kansas and West Virginia topping the list.

But the commission notes that these estimates "do not convey a reliable picture of the actual number" of orphan wells, warning that that undocumented wells "often go undetected for years or decades." Some of these sites date back to the 19th century  a time when there was little or no regulatory oversight.

Orphan wells are those that have been abandoned by oil-and-gas companies that can't pay to plug them. Although companies today are required to post bonds to cover the cost of plugging abandoned wells, this is often insufficient. That leaves state programs and taxpayers on the hook to plug the wells.

"This is a boom-and-bust sector and when there's a bust, sometimes it's cheaper for companies to just walk away," Logan said.

Other estimates put the total number of orphaned wells much higher. An April 2018 report from the EPA says data on the total US count of abandoned onshore wells ranges between 2.3 million and 3 million.

Research published last year by Environmental Science & Technology estimates there are "at least" 4 million abandoned wells in the United States and finds that they "remain the most uncertain methane source" in the country.

None of these estimates account for the currently active wells that may eventually become uneconomical. The nation's 2.6 million onshore oil and gas wells will cost another $280 billion to retire, according to estimates from the Carbon Tracker Initiative.

Dangerous methane leaks

These wells have serious environmental impacts, including groundwater contamination, methane leakage and surface environment contamination. Methane is a particular concern because over a 20-year period the greenhouse gas is 84 times more potent than CO2.

These wells can also be dangerous. Methane leaks from abandoned wells have reportedly caused explosions in Colorado and Pennsylvania.

"There is no redeemable value in these orphan wells, but there are economic benefits to cleaning them up," said Logan.

In a statement to CNN Business, the American Petroleum Institute said the industry shares the Biden administration's goals of safety and environmental stewardship.

"Our industry is fully committed to complying with existing state and federal requirements for abandoned wells and reclaiming wells sites, and we will continue to support efforts to plug these wells and further reduce methane emissions," the API said.

Although Biden's promise to create hundreds of thousands of jobs may sound high, it is supported by recent research.

A significant program to plug orphan wells could create as many as 120,000 jobs, according to a paper published last year by Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy and Resources for the Future.

"This is not a short-term gimmick," said Logan. "It will take years, if not decades, to reclaim these mines and wells."

This story was first published on CNN.com "How Biden's infrastructure plan could create a jobs boom  in fossil fuels".
She's set to welcome her third child with husband Tristan MacManus this month.

And Tahyna MacManus (nee Tozzi) looked absolutely radiant when she stepped out in Sydney on Wednesday night to attend the launch of a new Magnum ice cream.

The 34-year-old filmmaker, who shares daughter Echo, four, and son Oison, two, with her Studio 10 host husband, cradled her baby bump while posing on the media wall.

She's glowing! Tristan MacManus' pregnant wife Tahyna Tozzi, 34, looked radiant in a chic black ensemble as she cradled her baby bump while out in Sydney on Wednesday (pictured)

Tahyna cut an incredibly chic figure in a black blouse and a tailored blazer, which she teamed with black leggings and peep toe heels.

Her glossy brunette locks were styled out and straight, and her skin was glowing.

She wore minimal makeup, allowing her natural beauty to shine through.

Gorgeous: The filmmaker donned a blouse, a tailored blazer, leggings and peep-toe heels at the launch of a new Magnum ice cream

Beautiful: Tahyna styled her glossy brunette locks out and straight, and her skin was glowing

Bling: Tahyna added touches of bling to her chic outfit, including her dazzling wedding rings

Tristan, 38, looked to have caught up with his wife after the event, sharing a photo to Instagram.

The Irishman and his wife have been through their fare share of emotional turmoil, having suffered three miscarriages in four years.

They addressed their devastating losses in Tahyna's debut documentary MuM (Misunderstandings of Miscarriage), released last year, in a bid to help normalise miscarriage and unpack the stigma.

Husband and wife: Tahyna is married to Studio 10 host Tristan MacManus (pictured), 38

Family: The couple share daughter Echo, four, and son Oison, two (both pictured)

Tahyna told Daily Mail Australia in October, that upon reflection, she wished she 'acknowledged' Tristan's 'grief more'.

'He was my rock and was incredibly supportive. Looking back, I wish I acknowledged his pain and grief more,' she said.

'Tristan also experienced a loss and that is one of the themes I wanted to showcase in MuM, that it (miscarriage) can affect partners and family members and we should acknowledge their process.'

For confidential support following a miscarriage, please contact SANDS on 1300 072 637, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Heartache: The Irishman and his wife have been through their fare share of emotional turmoil, having suffered three miscarriages in four years
The cost of blocking shipping for almost a week through one of the most crucial waterways on earth apparently comes in at right around $1 billion.

And that's just the bill Egypt could soon be trying to collect. It does not include damages for the owners of more than 400 boats delayed by the calamity on the Suez Canal, nor compensation that could be sought by companies whose materials or products were on those boats.

Lt. Gen. Ossama Rabei, head of Suez Canal Authority, told Egypt's Sada ElBalad news that Egypt will likely seek $1 billion in compensation for physical and financial damages resulting from the grounding of the massive cargo ship Ever Given. Rabei said the compensation would cover losses from transit fees, the cost of six days of dredging and tugboat activity  and damage to the canal from the dredging.

This is the right of the country," Rabie said. "It should get its due."

Rabei said the ship's captain has yet to respond to several demands by the canal authority, including surrender of the black box and documents sought for the investigation.

Grounded cargo ship Ever Given freed in Suez Canal: 'We pulled it off!'

Ever Given will not be allowed to continue on it journey to the Dutch city of Rotterdam until the probe is completed, Rabei added.

The Panamanian-flagged, Japanese-owned, Taiwanese-operated ship became caught in high winds and a sandstorm as it navigated a narrow stretch of the canal March 23. The 1,300-foot-long, 220,000-ton ship's bow went aground on the canal's eastern bank, the stern on the western bank.

Workers dredged 30,000 cubic meters of sand  enough to fill about a dozen Olympic-size swimming pools  before more than a dozen tugboats finally wrenched the ship free Monday.

Dislodging the Ever Given was a moment of triumph and pride for the salvage team and the nation. The workers danced, hugged and wept. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi lauded his countrymen, saying they "succeeded in ending the crisis of the delinquent ship in the Suez Canal despite the tremendous technical complexity that surrounded this process from every side."

Story continues

We saw it on television, and it is completely different than when you see it in front of you, said Mostafa Mohamed, one of the workers.

Aly Awamy, a mechanic on the a dredger, told NBC News the work was dangerous.

The most difficult thing was the fear, he said. We were working under something the size of a 10-story building that could have fallen on us.

Rabei said the investigation will try to determine what part, if any, human error or mechanical failure played in the incident, which halted more than 400 ships and closed the canal for six days.

'Rush to judgment'?: Suez Canal calamity fuels support for Ever Given crew

Sayed Sheisha, a canal authority consultant, told Egypt's Extra News the authority's investigation will determine whether the ship's captain followed the instructions of the Suez Canal guide. He said the ship has been involved in two previous accidents but provided no details.

Sheisha said that if the captain and others don't cooperate, the ship will be temporarily confiscated and a civil lawsuit filed that could drag on for years.

Sheisha, however, speculated that a solution such as agreeing on compensations could be reached within days. The fate of the ship's 25-person Indian crew had not been determined.

The ship's owner, Japan's Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd., has said it will aid in the investigation. Taiwans Evergreen Marine Corp., which operates the ship, said its not responsible for cargo delays.

The canal carries more than 10% of world trade, and the global cost of the closure was estimated at up to $10 billion a day.

Egypt is disinclined to have a similar accident occur again. Rabei told Egypt Today the canal will be upgraded to allow 95 ships through per day. The canal currently handles about 50 ships daily. More waiting areas outside the canal and observation points inside will also be added, and the fleet of support boats will be enlarged, he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press

A cargo ship sails through the town of Ismailia, Egypt, Tuesday, March 30, 2021 as traffic resumed through the Suez canal after it was blocked by a massive ship that had been stuck sideways for nearly a week.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suez Canal blockage: Egypt could seek $1 billion from ship Ever Given
The Queen has personally thanked community stalwarts for their work to enrich the life of their neighbours in a letter honouring Maundy money recipients.

The monarch has written to those she would have presented with symbolic coins during the annual Royal Maundy service, but who instead have received the gift by post after the event was cancelled for the second year running due to coronavirus restrictions.

I am delighted to send you the Maundy gift which I hope you will accept as an expression of my personal thanks to you for all that you have done to enrich the life of your community, the Queen said in her letter.

Each year, at the Royal Maundy Service, we have an opportunity to recognise, and give thanks for, work done by countless people for the wellbeing of their neighbours; work that has often been taken for granted or hidden.

George Stewart holds his gift of Maundy money. (Buckingham Palace)

Among those who received Maundy money was one of the countrys oldest skiers, 101-year-old George Stewart, who has been a permanent fixture at his local Perthshire church in Scotland for almost 30 years, and was due to attend the cancelled service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.

Mr Stewart, a widower and retired forester from the town of Scone, said: Im very honoured to be given this money as part of a very venerable and ancient occasion. I think its a great thing and Im very honoured to receive the letter the Queen sent with it.

Retired pensioners who have supported the church and their local communities, are recommended by clergy of all denominations to receive Maundy money.

The 101-year-old, who has eight great grandchildren, added: I have a close association with my local church which is Scone and St Martins Parish Church, and it plays a notable part in the activities of the community.

Sue Ward said she was astonished and delighted to receive Maundy money from the Queen. (Buckingham Palace)

He joked: Im 101 so theres a limited amount I can do but I support the churchs activities as best I can.

I learnt to ski after the war in Italy where I was stationed, and Ive skied virtually every year since then, both in Scotland and the Alps.

Story continues

Also recognised was Sue Ward from Portsmouth, who is a church warden at the citys cathedral and supports a number of organisations including Christian Aid through fundraising and awareness raising events.

She said: Im astonished and delighted to receive Maundy money from the Queen. I dont really feel as though I deserve it, but it is an honour and Im very grateful.

Ive found being a churchwarden a joy, and a wonderful introduction to the whole of diocesan life, not just the local community. In a cathedral, you are very much a logistics person, making sure that everyone is being looked after.

The Queen distributes Maundy money during the 2019 service at St Georges Chapel in Castle Windsor. (Arthur Edwards/The Sun)

Malcolm Cloutt, from Princes Risborough, a former Second World War RAF pilot who served in Europe and Burma and turned 100 last year, has given out 1,000 Bibles during his lifetime, listing each recipient by name and praying for them regularly.

The retired accountant said: Its a great honour of course, but I didnt really think anything of my work.

Agnes Slocombe, who served as the first black Mayor of Barnet, described receiving the Maundy coins as wonderful.

She has been an active member of St Johns Church in West Hendon, London for many decades, since she first came to the UK from Barbados as a young woman.

Its wonderful to receive such an honour from the Queen. Even though we are not able to have the service this year, its appreciated as it shows we are still thought of, she said.

During the service, the Queen would have distributed Maundy money to 95 men and 95 women  as she will be 95 this year, celebrating her birthday on April 21.

But the money was posted instead, due to the Covid-19 lockdown and social distancing instructions, with recipients receiving two purses, one red and one white.

The white purse is filled with uniquely minted Maundy money  silver one, two, three and four penny pieces  to the value of 95 pence.

In the red pouch is a 5 coin, this year commemorating the Queens 95th birthday, and a 50p which portrays the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day in 1971.

Historically, this sum of 5.50 in the red purse is made up of 3 for clothing, 1.50 in lieu of provisions and 1 which represents a piece of the sovereigns gown which, before Tudor times, used to be divided between the recipients.

The Royal Maundy is an ancient ceremony which originated in the commandment Christ gave after washing the feet of his disciples the day before Good Friday.
(Natural News) Nearly 11 years ago, AstraZeneca, a British drug manufacturer that today is pushing Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injections, agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing the company of illegally marketing the anti-psychotic drug Seroquel to both children and seniors.

The company allegedly paid off doctors to illicitly prescribe the drug outside the bounds of what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows. While the agreed-upon settlement was not an official admission of guilt, it does suggest that AstraZeneca knew it would lose the case and thus decided to cut its losses.

This type of thing happens all the time with Big Pharma, which is notorious for pushing the off-label prescription of its drugs to boost profits. AstraZeneca is no different, and even went a step further by fraudulently stealing millions of taxpayer dollars from Medicare and Medicaid.

The FDA had only approved Seroquel as a treatment for psychotic disorders, specifically short-term treatments of schizophrenia, bipolar mania, and bipolar depression. AstraZeneca went beyond this, according to the government, by lobbing kickbacks at doctors to prescribe the drug for many other conditions.

These off-label conditions included aggression, Alzheimers disease, anger management, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dementia, depression, mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and sleeplessness.

AstraZeneca also treated the elderly, children, veterans, and prison inmates as human guinea pigs, stated the then-acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, pharmaceutical firms must specify the intended uses of a medicine in its new drug application, reported ABC News at the time.

Before a drug is approved, the FDA determines that it is safe and effective for the use proposed by the company. Once approved, the drug may not be marketed or promoted for off-label uses.

Letting corrupt drug companies inject you with poison is utter foolishness

Just like the company is doing with Chinese virus jabs, AstraZeneca made false claims about the safety and effectiveness of Seroquel for uses other than those for which the FDA issued approval. Consequently, the company was forced to pay out $520 million in damages, $302 million of which went directly to the federal government.

This is nothing compared to what AstraZeneca raked in from the illegal sales of Seroquel, meaning the federal government basically received a $320 million kickback from the company in exchange for this mere slap on the wrist.

These were not victimless crimes  illegal acts by pharmaceutical companies and false claims against Medicare and Medicaid can put the public health at risk, corrupt medical decisions by health care providers, and take billions of dollars directly out of taxpayers pockets, stated then-Attorney General Eric Holder at a news conference.

AstraZeneca officially denied the allegations, though Glenn Engelmann, the companys general counsel, stated that AstraZeneca takes its obligations very seriously under its agreements with the government.

The company is committed to meeting the expectations and obligations of a leading biopharmaceutical company, while continuing to provide valuable medicines to millions of patients, Engelmann added.

Harvard Medical School clinical instructor John Abramson authored a book at that time called Overdo$ed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine that talked all about how fines like this one are chump change for big pharmaceutical firms, which make billions illegally marketing and selling drugs.

Still, one would think that because all this is routine practice people would reconsider trusting the drug industry to treat them for illness  especially when the treatment is experimental and injected straight into the body, which is the case for Wuhan flu shots.

More related news about the endless corruption of Big Pharma can be found at Corruption.news.

Sources for this article include:

ABCNews.go.com

NaturalNews.com
India's top diplomat held a virtual meeting with Alabama Governor during which they discussed expanding the economic and commercial partnership with

"Wonderful interaction with" Governor Kay Ivey on the opportunities to expand India's partnership with Alabama, Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu tweeted. "From education to manufacturing to trade, our engagements continue to grow in the South-East United States."



There are a number of Indian companies invested in Alabama in pharmaceuticals, plastics, automobile parts, and IT, including Polyplex, Therachem, Samvardhana Mothers, and ITC Infotech. Similarly, a number of Alabama based companies have also set up shop in

During the virtual interaction, Ivey and Sandhu discussed expanding the economic and commercial partnership. Ivey in his remarks lauded the contributions of the Indian-American community who are active in different walks of life.

Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, Sandhu has interacted with more than governors of 20 states over the last six months from different parts of the country. Prominent among these include Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Texas Governor Greg Abbot.

In March, the Indian ambassador had done a special event with Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland, highlighting the economic partnerships in pharma, cybersecurity and IT, and aerospace and defence.

Notably, and Maryland trade crossed USD 1 billion in 2019 and Indian companies have a strong presence in the state. India's bilateral trade with southeast where Alabama comes is about USD 10 billion.

Sandhu's meeting with the governor is part of his sustained outreach at the state level and an acknowledgement of the fact that states are an important partner on economic and commercial engagement with India.

State Governments routinely undertake commercial delegations to India and provide a key source of Foreign Direct Investments. Similarly, the embassy is also facilitating Indian state engagements -- investment conferences for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab have been held in the

(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.)
EDWARDSVILLE  The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing (SON) and Carl Sandburg College (Sandburg) have agreed to offer an accelerated path to a bachelors in nursing (BS) that would allow students to complete their general education courses at Sandburg, earning an associate degree in nursing, and complete their baccalaureate nursing coursework online through SIUE.

Students can take classes at Sandburg and begin a job in their profession, while working online to obtain their BS from SIUE.
Last May, Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest nonprofit hospital system in Texas, laid off 1,200 employees and furloughed others as it braced for the then-novel coronavirus to spread. The cancellation of lucrative elective procedures as the hospital pivoted to treat a new and less profitable infectious disease presaged financial distress, if not ruin. The federal government rushed $454 million in relief funds to help shore up its operations.

But Baylor not only weathered the crisis, it thrived. By the end of 2020, Baylor had accumulated an $815 million surplus, $20 million more than it had in 2019, creating a 7.5 percent operating margin that would be higher than most hospitals' profits in the flushest of eras, a KHN examination of financial statements shows.

Like Baylor, some of the nation's richest hospitals and health systems recorded hundreds of millions of dollars in surpluses after accepting a substantial share of the federal health-care bailout grants, their records show. Those included the Mayo Clinic, Pittsburgh's UPMC and NYU Langone Health. But poorer hospitals - many serving rural and minority populations - got a tinier slice of the pie and limped through the year with deficits, downgrades of their bond ratings and bleak fiscal futures.

"A lot of the funding helped the wealthy hospitals at a time, especially in New York, when safety-net hospitals were hemorrhaging," said Colleen Grogan, a health policy professor at the University of Chicago. "We could have tailored it to hospitals we knew were really suffering and taking on a disproportionate amount of the burden."

In Baylor's case, the system, which runs Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and 51 other hospitals, said it spent $257 million last year on pandemic-related costs, including protective clothing for employees and patients and creating isolation rooms. Baylor has $197 million in unspent federal relief funds to use this year to cover costs of battling the virus and refrigerating vaccines, it said.

"Our covid-19-related expenses and lost revenue continue to exceed the funding we have received to date," Baylor said in a statement to KHN.

Other well-heeled hospitals or large systems faced bigger problems. Both NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and CommonSpirit Health, a 140-hospital Catholic system that operates in 21 states, lost money despite federal grants in the vicinity of a billion dollars each. A few systems, including the for-profit chain HCA Healthcare, returned federal funds when they saw they had skirted their worst-case scenarios. But most spent the aid and held onto any leftover money and new grants to cover anticipated pandemic costs this year because hospital executives fear more case spikes.

Much of the lopsided distribution was caused by the way the Department of Health and Human Services based the allotment of the initial bailout funds on hospitals' past revenue. That favored institutions with well-off patients who have private health plans over those that rely on lower-paying government insurance, which is what many poor people use.

HHS distribution formulas did not take into account which hospitals had enough assets to survive.

Baylor, for instance, began 2020 with $5.4 billion in cash and investments, enough to keep it running for 238 days, the financial disclosures show.

Hospitals that ended the year with profits were entitled to federal aid because of the extraordinary latitude Congress and HHS set in how hospitals could classify their pandemic costs.

Last fall, when HHS attempted to limit how much aid hospitals could keep based on their profits - so the money could be redirected to struggling hospitals - the effort was swiftly beaten back by the industry and Congress. HHS officials declined requests for an interview but noted in a statement that Congress had ordered it to revert to its "broader definition of permissible use of PRF funds."

"The Biden Administration continues to review programs and policies including considerations for the unallocated funding under the PRF program and the $8.5 billion recently appropriated under the recently signed American Rescue Plan Act," the statement said.

Avoiding a drawdown of reserves

The bailouts were initiated last spring to help health-care providers ride out a once-in-a-century public health calamity. The money designated to hospitals and other health-care providers from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (Cares) Act and subsequent legislation totaled $178 billion.

It was intended to offset all costs of treating infected patients, including purchasing ventilators, masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment. Congress further authorized hospitals to use the money to compensate for a drop in revenue when they shut down elective surgeries and non-emergency treatments to prepare for the anticipated deluge of covid-19 patients.

The money, referred to as the Provider Relief Fund, helped many poorer hospitals avert cash crunches, layoffs and bond rating downgrades. A survey by Kaufman Hall, a consulting firm hired by the American Hospital Association, found that the median hospital gain during 2020 would have been 0.3 percent without the federal support. With it, half of hospitals posted gains of 2.7 percent or more, below the 2019 median margin of 3.1 percent.

In February, the association urged Congress to replenish the nearly empty relief fund, saying, "hospitals have never experienced such a widespread, national health crisis."

Some hospitals' finances deteriorated significantly during the pandemic. From the end of March through December, the rating agency Moody's downgraded 28 hospitals, primarily because of weaknesses such as higher debt or more competition, said Lisa Goldstein, associate managing director at Moody's.

Others suffered worse fates, such as Williamson Memorial Hospital, which shut down last April. The hospital, in West Virginia's coal country, had been trying to climb out of bankruptcy protection, but "unfortunately, the decline in volumes experienced from the current pandemic were to[o] sudden and severe for us to sustain operations," its CEO wrote on Facebook.

Conversely, many prosperous health systems emerged unscathed from the moratoriums of last spring, often due to the federal aid. "It gave them an ability to not have to draw down on their reserves to make up for the loss in revenue," said Suzie Desai, a senior director at S&P Global Ratings.

Systems saw patient visits return to near normal as the year wore on. In some cases, business in the latter half of 2020 was even higher than in the same period in 2019 because of pent-up demand for treatments postponed from the spring, financial records show.

"We saw volumes spring back" in every area except emergency room visits, said Kevin Holloran, a senior director at Fitch Ratings. Major hospital systems also reported that cases tended to be more complex than normal, leading to higher insurance payments.

UPMC accepted $460 million in bailout funds while collecting $2.5 billion more in revenue in 2020 than in 2019. The nonprofit system ended the year with an $836 million operating surplus - providing a 3.6 percent margin that was triple the prior year's - in part due to the growth of the health insurance plan the system owns.

Other hospitals that sold insurance, including Baylor, persevered because the cause of their financial troubles - fewer surgeries and doctors' visits - meant the health plans paid fewer claims.

UPMC's strong finances went unmentioned in a recent fundraising pitch announcing the launch of its "Health Care Heroes" campaign. "During the past year, health care workers have carried the weight of the world on their shoulders, risking their own health and safety to ensure ours as we navigated the covid-19 pandemic," the email said. "Now it's our turn to recognize their hard work. . . . By making a donation, you will help provide training, recognition, and support for our staff initiatives."

Donald Yealy, senior vice president, UPMC and chief medical officer, UPMC Health Services, said the fundraising appeal was a way to allow people in the community to show their appreciation.

"The intent of the request and the letter were clear. People are free to ignore or to have an opinion. I don't begrudge that at all. I respect people having a different opinion," he said.

Hospitals can hold on to unspent relief funds until the end of July to defray any further pandemic-related costs. After that, any unspent money must be returned to the U.S. Treasury. UPMC retains $80 million in unspent relief funds, which the health system said it expects to use. "We're still in the process of incurring significant costs related to covid," said Edward Karlovich, UPMC executive vice president and chief financial officer.

'A shot in the arm' sometimes unneeded

In April 2020, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., forecast up to $3 billion in lost revenue because of the pandemic. Instead, Mayo, which received $338 million in federal relief funds, ended the year with revenue that was $202 million higher than in 2019. Mayo recorded a $728 million surplus, which equaled a 5.2 percent margin.

"It gave us a shot in the arm when we needed it," said Dennis Dahlen, Mayo's chief financial officer. Later, when it seemed likely Mayo would run a surplus, executives debated what to do with the federal funds.

"Honestly, we considered dropping the margin," Dahlen said. After weighing its options, Mayo "landed in a middle-of-the-road decision" by returning $156 million to the federal government.

"We considered it with what everyone else was doing . . . and we thought about what was good for society," Dahlen said. "Nonprofit doesn't really mean no profit. It means tax-exempt. We still have to create earnings so we can reinvest in ourselves."

Mayo ended the year with $14 billion in investments, $3 billion more than it had in 2019, a 29 percent increase.

The funds were, indeed, a lifesaver for some. Marvin O'Quinn, president and chief operating officer of CommonSpirit Health, said "there was never a thought of turning back the money."

Despite receiving $1.3 billion in relief funds, CommonSpirit, based in Chicago, ended last year with a $75 million deficit, which translated to a 0.2 percent loss.

"We have been set back by a year," O'Quinn said. "All the things we wanted to do - to renovate, to building new facilities, to expand our service - we've had to slow up to get through the crisis."

Scattershot relief

The first $50 billion in relief funds "was sent out indiscriminately as a life support," said Ge Bai, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. HHS tried to target subsequent distributions. It sent $22 billion to 1,090 hospitals with large numbers of covid-19 patients. It sprinkled an additional $16 billion among hospitals that serve poor populations, Native American tribes, people in rural areas and children.

But even with the targeted aid, recipients included well-endowed academic medical centers and major urban hospitals. Only $14 billion took profitability into consideration, HHS documents show. HHS restricted those payments to hospitals with 3 percent or lower profit margins.

Wealthy hospitals also benefited because HHS used a broad definition of lost revenue. If a hospital earned less than in the year before, or simply less revenue than it had budgeted for, it could chalk up that difference to the pandemic and apply the relief funds to it. The implications garnered little attention at the time as they were overshadowed by the concerns about how HHS was doling out the money rather than how it could be used.

In September, HHS attempted to tighten its overall limits on how much money the hospitals could keep by basing it on the difference from the previous year's net income rather than overall revenue - a number that in many cases would be much lower. The goal, the department said, was to "prohibit most providers from using PRF [Provider Relief Fund] payments to become more profitable than they were pre-pandemic, to conserve resources to allocate to providers who were less profitable."

The American Hospital Association complained that would punish hospitals that had behaved responsibly by cutting costs and be an "administrative and accounting disaster," as many hospitals had already spent the grant money.

HHS backed down a month later, citing "significant attention and opposition from many stakeholders and Members of Congress." Not fully satisfied, Congress cemented the rollback in a December law.

Some hospital executives attributed their surpluses to their aggressive cost-cutting measures.

NYU Langone Health, for instance, received $461 million in relief funds, which covered about a third of its pandemic-related losses, said Daniel Widawsky, chief financial officer. Another third of Langone's losses were absorbed by the record-high financial performance in the months before the pandemic, he said, and prompt cost control addressed the rest.

Widawsky said that at the beginning of March Langone canceled travel, froze hiring, paused construction and stopped discretionary purchases. "The first three days in March, we locked down spending," he said. "If they wanted to buy a pencil, they had to call me." Langone ended its fiscal year in August with $208 million in net income, and recorded a $136 million surplus in the final quarter of 2020, or 5.5 percent. Earlier this year, two credit agencies upgraded their outlook on Langone from stable to positive.

Despite accepting $942 million in bailout funds, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital had a $457 million operating deficit, a 7 percent loss, at the end of September. It was a sharp turn from September 2019, when the system recorded a $166 million surplus, a 2.5 percent gain.

The system, which declined to comment, has not yet released its financial metrics for the final three months of 2020, but Fitch projected it would remain in the red. Still, NewYork-Presbyterian remains fiscally solid: Its most recent disclosure reported $3.8 billion in cash and short-term investments, enough to keep operating for more than a year.

- - -

This report is a product of Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
The recent publication of the book, The Woman Who Stole Vermeer by Anthony M. Armor, chronicles the story of a highly educated English heiress who turned revolutionary for the IRA. This story of Bridget Dugdale is about the mastermind behind one of the most valuable art heists in history, the private collection of Sir Alfred Beit. Nineteen works were stolen from this collection of master artists Gainsborough, Goya, Hals, Rubens, Valequez and Vermeer. Motivation to steal these works was to have ransom for the IRA cause. Fortunately, these masterpieces were recovered and subsequently, Dogdale was convicted.

As the title suggests, out of the nineteen works, the works of Johannes Vermeer, The Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid gained the most attention. With only 34 paintings attributed to Vermeer, this was a theft of major proportions and an indicator of the worth of these stolen paintings.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 21:08:09|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese government spokesperson on Thursday urged the United States to take a good look at its own serious internal human rights issues.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a query about the U.S. annual report on human rights which said that the mainland has tried to influence Taiwan media outlets "through pressure on the business interests."

Ma said that the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had refuted the report, pointing out that the accusation was maliciously concocted without any regard for the truth.

For self-interest, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority has long been manipulating media outlets, keeping bots, cracking down on dissidents, suppressing opinions and fooling people with fabricated lies, Ma said.

However, the United States, for the purpose of manipulating the DPP authority, has turned a blind eye to the widespread suspicion and strong condemnation of the DPP's vile acts from all walks of life of the Taiwan society, he added.

Moreover, the U.S. side has distorted facts and smeared China, which laid bare its clumsy tactics and vicious attempts, as well as the dirty political deal behind its collusion with Taiwan, Ma said. Enditem
Pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine continues to be effective up to six months after its administered.

On Thursday, April 1, Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, announced updated results from their ongoing study of more than 44,000 volunteers.

The vaccine, which was the first in the U.S. to receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, is 91% effective against symptomatic disease and was even more effective at preventing severe disease, Pfizer reported.

In the latest report from the clinical trial, there were 927 volunteers out of more than 44,000 who were diagnosed with COVID-19. Of that group, 77 received the vaccine and 850 were given a placebo shot.

There were 32 cases of severe COVID-19 illness, all of which were in the placebo group.

Pfizer also noted no serious safety concerns up to six months after receiving the second dose, and 100% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 cases in South Africa, where the B.1.351 variant is prevalent.

These data confirm the favorable efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine and position us to submit a Biologics License Application to the U.S. FDA, said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer. The high vaccine efficacy observed through up to six months following a second dose and against the variant prevalent in South Africa provides further confidence in our vaccines overall effectiveness.

Michigan has administered more than 2.2 million doses of Pfizers vaccine, which recommends two doses given three weeks apart for maximum efficiency.

In total, the state has administered 4,296,395 doses of vaccine to more than 2.75 million Michiganders, as of Tuesday, March 30. Of the 16 and older population, 33.8% have received at least one dose, and 20.1% have completed the recommended dosage, according to health department data.

Earlier this week, Pfizer reported that its vaccine was 100% effective in 12 to 15 year olds during clinical trials. The trials included 2,260 participants. Pfizer is also studying the vaccine in children 11 years to 6 months old, and hopes to have authorization to begin vaccinating youth by early 2022.

Read more on MLive:

Pfizer begins studying use of COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months to 11 years old

15 things the pandemic changed for now -- and maybe forever

Michigans first case of Brazilian COVID-19 variant in found in Bay County

Michigans COVID-19 surge is the worst in the nation. Whitmer is focused on vaccines, not restrictions.
Olympian Nathan Baggaley has been found guilty of taking part in a failed plot to smuggle 650 kilograms of cocaine into Australia, a scheme that led to a high-seas chase involving the navy, the air force and police.

His younger brother Dru Baggaley was found guilty of the same offence - attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug - related to the same 2018 attempt.

Thursdays verdict ended the two-week trial in Brisbanes Supreme Court of Olympic silver medallist kayaker Nathan Baggaley, 45, and oyster farmer Dru, 39. Both had pleaded not guilty.

The jury retired to decide its verdict on Wednesday and returned at 4pm on Thursday to seal the fate of the brothers, who would be sentenced during the week beginning April 19.
(Alliance News) - John Laing Group PLC on Thursday offered an update on recent investments and sales, as the investor continues to offload of its renewables portfolio.

The infrastructure project investor said it has completed the sale of its Irish wind farm, Glencarbry, to Greencoat Renewables PLC for EUR31.2 million.

This sale value represents a 6% premium to John Laing's book value for the asset at December 31, and is equivalent to a money multiple on its investment of 1.3 times.

Located in County Tipperary in the Republic of Ireland, Glencarbry wind farm has a total capacity of 35.6MW. Glencarbry was acquired by John Laing in 2015 and brought into operation in 2017.

"This divestment is in line with the group's strategy to reduce its exposure to renewable energy generation assets," John Laing said.

It continued: "Glencarbry is a mature operational project within the group's secondary portfolio, and this sale is also consistent with the group's strategy to realise these types of secondary assets and re-invest the proceeds in new opportunities in greenfield projects and in economic infrastructure businesses and platforms."

At the end of 2019, the total value of John Laing's renewable energy portfolio was GBP607 million. Following the divestments of 10 renewable energy assets during 2020, including the sale of its entire Australia wind farm portfolio, as well as the recent sales of the Rammeldalsberget and Glencarbry wind farms, the total value of the company's renewable energy portfolio has been reduced to GBP234 million.

As a result, the company's PPP & Projects business line now representing around 80% of total portfolio value.

John Laing Chief Executive Ben Loomes said: "Following on from the completion of the sales of our wind farm assets in Australia and Sweden earlier this month, the sale of Glencarbry represents a further important step in our strategy to realise fully our Renewable Energy generation assets over the next two years.

"Importantly, recent renewable energy divestments, including Glencarbry, Rammeldalsberget and the Australian portfolio, have all been at values representing premia to book value, further underpinning our portfolio valuation as well as crystallising value for our shareholders."

Greencoat Renewables said the deal brings its total installed capacity to 685.6MW

The wind farm's revenue is contracted under the REFIT 2 scheme, providing a long-term guaranteed minimum floor price for the electricity generated until July 2032, Greencoat noted.

Greencoat Renewables funded the deal through its existing credit facility. Following the acquisition, total borrowings will represent 49% of gross asset value, in the middle of the company's target gearing range.

Separately, John Laing went on a spending spree in Germany, snapping up two regional telecommunications businesses, in order to create a single platform to invest in fibre-to-the-premises.

The deal comprises the acquisition of 100% shareholdings in two regional and complementary telecommunications firms in southern and western Germany for a total investment up to EUR30 million.

John Laing added: "These businesses are EFN eifel-net Internet-Provider GmbH and Jobst NET GmbH, and each is in the early stages of FTTP roll-out programmes, focusing on delivering connectivity to under-served suburban and rural communities in Germany."

John Laing will fund the initial investment in fibre roll-out programmes over the next 12 months.

"Given the potential growth of the roll-out strategy, this platform represents a material opportunity for further investment by John Laing over time, and which could represent a total equity investment in excess of EUR100 million over the next three years," the company added.

It continued: "This investment fits with John Laing's strategy of investing in businesses and platforms with growth potential, and which are asset intensive and provide essential infrastructure."

Shares in John Laing were 0.6% higher in London on Thursday morning at 315.40 pence each. Greencoat Renewables shares were up 2.6% at EUR1.18.

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Italy has mandated Covid-19 vaccines for all health workers in a move aimed at crushing anti-vax sentiment.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who stands at the vanguard in the EU's jabs battle with Britain, said health workers, including pharmacists, who refused the vaccine could be struck off until the end of the year.

Italy's vaccine roll-out, dented by the EU's failure to secure AstraZeneca doses, is faltering with just 16.03 people per 100 of its population inoculated, compared to more than 50 people per 100 in Britain, amid soaring infections.

The country's entrenched anti-vaccination movement came into sharp focus after the recent discovery of clusters of hospital staff refusing the jab despite the Italy having Europe's highest death toll.

A school teacher has an AstraZeneca vaccine in Turin on Wednesday

Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who has stood at the vanguard of the EU's embargo battle with Britain, said health workers, including pharmacists, must take the vaccine and threatened those who refuse with being struck off until the end of the year

Another 23,904 infections were recorded on Wednesday

Another 467 deaths were reported yesterday

This chart shows how Britain is still racing ahead of the EU in vaccinating its population against Covid-19. The UK has administered more than 50 doses per 100 people in its population, while Germany has managed just 16.09 doses per 100 people, Italy 16.03 and France 15.72. Europe as a whole is averaging only 16.48 vaccine doses per 100 people in the population.

Downing Street has floated similar proposals which have been met with backlash from medical unions who claim it sends a 'sinister and worrying message.'

But NHS workers are already required to take vaccines in many cases - raising the question of why there is push back against the Covid jab specifically.

NHS staff who carry out exposure prone procedures - that is anything which involves a risk of exposure to a patient's blood - must be vaccinated against Hepatitis B.

Countries in Europe reporting the most cases and deaths CASES: FRANCE: 38,902 POLAND: 28,721 ITALY: 20,577 GERMANY: 16,344 UKRAINE: 13,466 DEATHS: ITALY: 430 POLAND: 386 RUSSIA: 376 FRANCE: 347 UKRAINE: 293 *Latest 7-day average reported Advertisement

Those who carry out such procedures make up a sizeable proportion of the workforce including all surgeons and dentists.

Italy's government said today: 'The aim of the measure is to protect as much as possible both medical and paramedical staff and those who are in environments that may be more exposed to the risk of infection.'

The decree also introduces legal protection for those who administer the jabs, a measure doctors and nurses had demanded after medics were placed under investigation for manslaughter following the death of a vaccinated man in Sicily.

Italy, whose vaccine campaign has been hampered by supply delays which have also hit other European Union countries, has pledged to reach 500,000 daily inoculations in April from around 230,000 at present.

Some 10 million doses have been administered here since late December, with around 3.1 million of Italy's 60-million-strong population receiving the recommended two shots.

Italy has seen a resurgence in coronavirus infections and deaths over the last month and the government has tightened restrictions on businesses and movements to contain the virus.

Curbs are calibrated in the country's 20 regions according to a four-tier, colour-coded system (white, yellow, orange and red) and are normally based on local infection levels.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and his wife Maria Serenella Cappello speak in a waiting room after receiving their first doses of the AstraZeneca jab by Termini train station in Rome

Wednesday's decree said everywhere would remain a tougher red or orange zone until April 30, giving time for the vaccines to work.

In a red zone, residents have to stay home except for work, health or other essential reasons.

Between April 7 through April 30, all of Italy's regions will be considered either 'red' or 'orange' zones, with the latter having slightly looser restrictions.

For the moment, no regions are considered 'yellow', which would allow seated dining in restaurants until 6pm and more mobility for residents.

However, in a concession to coalition parties that have complained about the lengthy restrictions, the decree said it will be possible to loosen some curbs in those areas which have a high vaccination rate and low infections.

Another 467 deaths and 23,904 new infections were recorded on Wednesday.
Piers Morgan posted a sarcastic April Fool's Day tweet on Thursday as he made a dig at Good Morning Britain days after his exit from the show.

Morgan, 55, famously left ITV's GMB after saying he 'didn't believe a word' of Meghan Markle's account of experiencing racism and other charges against her husband Prince Harry's Royal Family during her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, which is April Fool's Day, the broadcaster sarcastically quipped that the 'nation's prayers have been answered' as he has been offered his old job back and he has decided to accept it.

Funny: Piers Morgan posted a sarcastic 'April Fool's Day' tweet on Thursday as he made a dig at Good Morning Britain days after his exit from the show (pictured on the show in November)

Tweet: Morgan also joked about the Archbishop of Canterbury after he recently said that Meghan and Harry did not get married three days before their wedding - in contradiction of the Duchess's claim in their bombshell Oprah interview

Morgan also joked about the Archbishop of Canterbury after he recently said that Meghan and Harry did not get married three days before their wedding - in contradiction of the Duchess's claim in their bombshell Oprah interview.

Taking to Twitter, the broadcaster quipped: 'UPDATE: Following the Archbishop of Canterbury's confirmation that Meghan Markle was talking a load of old flannel in her Oprah interview ITV just offered me my @GMB job back & I've decided to accept.'

Morgan added: 'The nation's prayers have been answered. See you Monday!', he also posted a throwback screengrab of himself interviewing the Archbishop of Canterbury on GMB.

His 7.9million followers were quick to react to the tweet as they joked his 'April Fool's' would actually increase ratings on Monday's show - as fans would tune in just to watch his return.

Interview: Morgan, 55, famously left ITV's GMB after saying he 'didn't believe a word' of Meghan Markle's account of experiencing racism and other charges against her husband Prince Harry's Royal Family during her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey

One person said: 'Obviously an April Fool joke but @piersmorgan has just increased @GMB ratings on Monday morning with people tuning in expecting to see him!'

A different account put: 'I hope this is true but more likely to be April Fools.'

Another follower commented: 'Aw piers I hope this isn't a April's fool you really made my day with that announcement you were returning to gmb it's not the same without you on there you made the show.'

While a different account added: 'Piers is this true or is it an April fool???? I certainly hope you will be back. Best wishes.'

As the chatter reached fever pitch on Friday afternoon, Morgan returned to Twitter to share a video in which he confirmed that his tweet was, in fact, an April Fool's joke.

'April Fool's Day': Taking to Twitter on Thursday, which is April Fool's Day, the broadcaster sarcastically quipped that the 'nation's prayers have been answered' as he has been offered his old job back and he has decided to accept it (pictured in March)

He said: 'OK, it's gone midday, so i can tell you now that I'm not actually going back to Good Morning Britain. That was just a little April Fool's joke. But oh, did I catch some big fish with this one! Most of them amusing.

'It's also the publication day for my book, Wake Up, which is a call for the defence of freedom of speech and the right to have an opinion, and an end to this ridiculous cancel culture that is currently wrecking our society.

'Let's get back to what made Britain great  the ability to disagree with each other and then go and have a pint in the pub, not try and wreck each other's lives for a difference of opinion.'

He concluded: 'I can't think of a better way to stick it to the cancel culture mob than to take the paperback of my book to number one as well.'

Fun and games: As the chatter reached fever pitch on Friday afternoon, Morgan returned to Twitter to share a video in which he confirmed that his tweet was, in fact, an April Fool's joke

It comes after Morgan quipped that the Archbishop of Canterbury should be sacked after he said Meghan and Harry did not get married three days before their wedding - in contradiction of the Duchess's claim in their bombshell Oprah interview.

The senior clergyman rejected their on-screen insistence that he had married them at a secret ceremony before their Windsor Castle wedding.

Breaking his silence, Justin Welby said he signed Harry and Meghan's wedding certificate on the day millions watched them marry.

Morgan, who left his Good Morning Britain job after refusing to apologise for saying he did not believe parts of Meghan's interview, made the joke on Twitter on Wednesday.

Hilarious: The broadcaster's 7.9million followers were quick to react to the tweet as they joked his 'April Fool's' would actually increase ratings on Monday's show - as fans would tune in just to watch his return

He said: 'The Archbishop of Canterbury should either apologise for disbelieving Meghan Markles secret wedding claims - or lose his job.'

Mr Welby's explanation of what happened does not tally with Meghan and Harry's claim of a secret marriage to Oprah.

Their legal wedding was on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at St George's Chapel, he said.

In her interview, Meghan raised eyebrows when she told Miss Winfrey that she and Harry were married 'just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury'.

But the 65-year-old priest told an Italian newspaper this week: 'The legal wedding was on the Saturday.'

He was asked 'what happened with Meghan and Harry? Did you really marry them three days before the official wedding?'

Claims: It comes after Morgan quipped that the Archbishop of Canterbury should be sacked after he said Meghan and Harry did not get married three days before their wedding - in contradiction of the Duchess's claim in their bombshell Oprah interview (pictured during their legal wedding on May 19, 2018)

Joke: The tongue-in-cheek quip was made on Piers' Twitter feed after the interview

But then he added: 'I had a number of private and pastoral meetings with the duke and duchess before the wedding.

'The legal wedding was on the Saturday. I signed the wedding certificate, which is a legal document, and I would have committed a serious criminal offence if I signed it knowing it was false.

'So you can make what you like about it. But the legal wedding was on the Saturday. But I won't say what happened at any other meetings.'

Harry and Meghan, who have now been completely relieved of their royal duties, backtracked on their private ceremony claim in a statement last week.

It had drawn heavy suspicion, partly because a legal marriage in the UK requires two witnesses.

A spokesman for the couple told US website the Daily Beast: 'The couple exchanged personal vows a few days before their official/legal wedding on May 19.'

A backyard exchange of vows is not a marriage. Despite this, Harry chipped in during the Oprah interview, adding it was 'just the three of us'.

The Archbishop's comments, while not categorically denying a private ceremony, quash any doubts about when and where the couple legally tied the knot.

Previously, he had declined to speak out as pressure grew on him to debunk the claim.

Last month, Morgan announced he had quit GMB after co-star Alex Beresford challenged his comments about Meghan and her interview with Oprah.

Clash: Last month, Morgan announced he had quit GMB after co-star Alex Beresford challenged his comments about Meghan and her interview with Oprah

The outspoken GMB host left the daytime series after he insisted he 'didn't believe a word' of Meghan's account of suffering suicidal thoughts and experiencing racism at the hands of the royal family.

Piers then walked off set after a fierce debate with Alex, in which the weather presenter accused Piers of unfairly 'trashing' Meghan, and branded him 'diabolical'.

When Piers walked off screen, Alex continued: 'I'm sorry but Piers just spouts off on a regular basis and we have to sit there and listen.'

Piers, who refused to apologise, later announced his resignation and tweeted his thanks to the GMB team, praising them for their 'hard work and dedication' that led to them beating their main breakfast TV rival.

And the presenter shared his own reflections on the events of that fateful week in a piece for the Mail On Sunday last weekend.

Piers called Alex 'GMB's occasional stand-in weatherman' and 'uptight' in the telling account, adding that the presenter hasn't messaged him since his exit unlike others on the show.

Reflecting on their now infamous encounter on GMB, which ended in Piers leaving the studio, Piers said he wasn't going to sit there and be 'whacked' by one of his own team.

He wrote: 'I don't mind outside guests trying to make a name for themselves by whacking me like this, but I wasn't going to sit there and take it from one of my own team, especially someone who I've gone out of my way to help whenever he's asked me for advice about his career.

'Realising I might say something I'd regret, I decided to leave the studio to cool down.

'As I walked off, Alex doubled down: "This is pathetic. Absolutely diabolical behaviour. I'm sorry but Piers spouts off on a regular basis and we all have to sit here and listen. From 6.30 to 7am yesterday, it was incredibly hard to watch.

His side: Reflecting on storming out of the studio in his own account for the Mail On Sunday, Piers said he wasn't going to sit there and be 'whacked' by one of his own team

"He has the ability to come in here and talk from a position that he doesn't fully understand"'

Piers continued: 'I didn't hear any more of his diatribe, as I was out the door and heading for my dressing room.

'I knew it wasn't a good look, the great snowflake-basher running away from confrontation. And on reflection, I shouldn't have done it. But in the heat of the moment, in my rather strained state of mind, this seemed the less worse option.'

Since Piers' exit from the show he has received messages from several stars, naming Jeremy Clarkson and Bear Grylls, who have said he had a 'right' to say his mind.

Sharon Osbourne also voiced her support for Piers during an appearance on The Talk, though she has since parted ways with the CBS show.
MASON CITY, Iowa - On Wednesday, President Biden unveiled a more than $2 trillion infrastructure package titled the American Jobs Plan, as his administration shifts its focus to bolstering the post-pandemic economy. The package invests $621 billion into road, bridge, public transit, port, and airports projects, as well as electric vehicle development.

This package is being viewed differently in Iowa than it is in Minnesota, as the condition of many Hawkeye State bridges are not in good shape. According to the Federal Highway Administration, Iowa has the highest number of bridges deemed to be in poor condition out of any state in the U.S. (including Washington, D.C.), and the second worst percentage of bridges in poor condition, at 19.1%. On the other hand, 4.91% (661) of the Minnesota's bridges are in poor shape.

Pete Hjelmstad with Iowa DOT is focused on the bridge report.

"The state, as a whole, has 4,571 bridges that are listed as poor. 35 of them are on the state system. The other 4,536 are on the city and county system."

He notes of the state's rigorous inspection system to ensure all bridges remain safe.

"All our bridges get inspected every two years, and some of the older bridges get inspected yearly."

Hjelmstad adds that the bridges that are under state control and are listed in poor shape experience much less traffic than busier bridges, and also have weight restrictions.

Iowa DOT's Director of Strategic Communications & Policy Andrea Henry issued this statement regarding the proposal:

"The Iowa DOT is closely tracking infrastructure proposals and discussions going on at the federal level. Were pleased there are specific proposals that would provide significant additional funding to help meet the needs that exist across all modes of transportation like our highways/streets, bridges, airports, public transit, trails, and Mississippi River locks and dams.

Were reviewing the proposal released by the administration today and will continue to provide input to Iowas congressional delegation as they consider these and other proposals. Iowa DOT, along with our city, county, public transit, and airport partners, has demonstrated in the past the ability to quickly put additional funding to work to meet Iowas infrastructure needs should an bill be passed."
The Black Lives Matter movement has roiled the U.K., just as it has the U.S. In response, Boris Johnsons British government established a Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which issued its report today. One can only imagine what such a report, commissioned by the Biden administration, would look like. Happily, Britains commission, staffed mostly by minorities, has gone in a more sensible direction. I havent yet seen the complete report online, but the London Times describes it:

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which was created by Boris Johnson after the Black Lives Matter protests last summer, publishes its 264-page findings on Wednesday. The report concludes that while Britain is not a post-racial society, the success of ethnic minorities in education and the economy should be a beacon for other white-majority countries.

I think that is probably true.

The Commission finds that factors such as social class and family structures often explain differences in outcomes for individual ethnic groups rather than racial discrimination. It says that the term institutional racism is being used too liberally to describe different outcomes, at times without sufficient data. The Commission warns there are consequences to the misapplication of the term racism, as it can falsely give the perception society is set against people from ethnic minorities.

This finding is importantsomething that everyone knows but too few are bold enough to say:

One key line reads: We found that most of the disparities we examined, which some attribute to racial discrimination, often do not have their origins in racism.

This is a recommendation we can get behind:

The Commission gives 24 recommendations for the Government. One is to move away from funding unconscious bias training, with other ideas such as a mentoring programme suggested.

This is an interesting data point:

The report also says Britain has become a more open society where children from many ethnic communities do at least as well or better than white pupils in compulsory education.

That is also true in the U.S., of course. More:

New analysis commissioned for CRED found that in 2019 GCSE exams, the Black Caribbean group was the only ethnic group who performed lower than White British pupils. Black African pupils performed above the White British average. The percentage of those from a Black Caribbean background achieving GCSE A*-C in both English and maths is 50.3 per cent, whereas it is 61.8 per cent for White British pupils and 62.7 per cent for Black African pupils.

I will finish with this excerpt from the report:

The part of the report goes on to question whether the term institutional racism is used too widely in public discourse, a suggestion sure to be much debated in the coming weeks. The term is now being liberally used, and often to describe any circumstances in which differences in outcomes between racial and ethnic groups exist in an institution, without evidence to support such claims, the report reads. The Commission therefore feels that misapplying the term racism has diluted its credibility, and thus undermined the seriousness of racism, where it does exist, in contemporary Britain. Where institutional racism is used too casually as an explanatory tool, it can also lead to insufficient consideration of other factors which are also known to drive such differences in outcomes. It adds that when accusations of institutional racism are levelled against institutions they should be subject to robust assessment and evidence.

That is, of course, only common sense. But it is light years ahead of what a similar commission in the U.S. could be expected to come up with.
A COMPULSIVE fraudster who conned a prominent horse trainer into loaning him a horsebox which he then stole has been jailed for six months.

Pat Sheedy, aged 51, of Cliona Park, Moyross phoned Michael Hourigan on May 25, 2017 claiming to be a representative of RTE and Horse Racing Ireland.

Detective Garda Emer OSullivan told Limerick Circuit Court Mr Sheedy informed the trainer he was working on a TV project and asked if he could borrow a horsebox while filming around Ireland.

A small fee was agreed and arrangements were made for the horse box to be dropped off and collected at a location in the city.

Mr Hourigan told gardai he believed the caller was genuine and that he only became concerned when the horsebox, which was worth 5,800, was not returned.

Mr Sheedy, who has a large number of previous convictions, was identified as a suspect from CCTV and he made full admissions following his arrest  telling gardai he had taken it to repay a debt he owed.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told the horsebox was subsequently located and returned to its owner.

Barrister Brian McInerney said his client has a chronic gambling addiction but is doing tremendously well in prison and wants to draw a line under his offending.

As the offence occurred while Mr Sheedy was on bail, the six- month prison sentence must be served consecutively to the three-year sentence which he is currently serving.
Rob Bonta stood before reporters in San Franciscos International Hotel on March 24 and drew a breath. The nominee for state attorney general had just been asked what he would do to address a stunning rise in violence against Asian Americans.

The setting was freighted with history. Behind Bonta, a painting on the wall depicted an older Filipino tenant evicted from the hotel in 1977  a symbolic forebear to the 48-year-old Filipino American Assembly member now in line to be Californias top prosecutor.

If confirmed, Bonta may steer a statewide effort to quell crimes against Asians by potentially running a domestic terrorism task force and hate incident hot line, overseeing law enforcement training and releasing monthly reports.

With a faint smile, Bonta turned to the scrum of journalists.

One of the most painful things about the hate crimes against the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community is that they had seemed to be swept under the rug. That no one cared. That those lives and those people werent valued, he said March 24. I value them. I see them. Ill say that. Ill say it loud, and Ill say it clear. And will take action too. It wont just stop with denunciations and condemnation.

The statement reflected the quandary in which legislators now find themselves, under pressure to act and searching for an effective strategy.

Bonta is among several lawmakers who introduced a flurry of bills and resolutions this session. His proposal, which would make victims eligible for compensation even if they dont cooperate with law enforcement, represents an unusual stance for a politician seeking the highest law enforcement office in the state: It acknowledges that many immigrants might not trust police or courts to help them.

Traditionally, a high-profile crime wave such as this one would prompt bills for harsher sentencing. Yet the state has steadily departed from the aggressive policies of the 1990s, as policymakers carefully weigh the consequences of their decisions. They also have to confront the raw emotions unleashed by a mass shooting near Atlanta that killed eight people  including six women of Asian descent  and by videos of robberies and assaults that ricocheted around social media.

Looming over everything is the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man pinned beneath the knee of the former police officer whose trial began this week. It set off a national uprising and forced lawmakers to rethink every aspect of the justice system.

Many politicians are taking a more nuanced approach than in past decades, emphasizing the need to improve the reporting and investigation of attacks that may target a particular group. Some are still pressing for tougher penalties. Others have a clear-eyed view of the constraints. They note that hate crimes are difficult to charge and prosecute in a justice system that generally punishes behavior rather than thoughts.

The incidents that have received recent attention have been difficult for the criminal justice system to grapple with, said Assembly Member David Chiu, who has co-written two bills intended to make it easier for people to report hate crimes.

The onus should not be on a few Asian American nonprofits to track this information, said Chiu, a San Francisco Democrat. It should be on the state.

He added that the statistics published by organizations, though illuminating, still reflect a massive undercount of whats actually happening throughout America.

Even those numbers are stark. In a year of pandemic-induced stress and radioactive coronavirus rhetoric, the national coalition Stop AAPI Hate documented 3,785 anti-Asian hate incidents from the onset of the shutdown through Feb. 28, including 1,691 in California alone.

Records from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino, found six anti-Asian hate incidents reported to San Francisco police in 2019, out of a total of 65 hate incidents. In 2020, the number of anti-Asian incidents rose to nine while total hate incidents fell to 52.

State lawmakers have overwhelmingly decried hateful rhetoric and violence. A February resolution to condemn attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, by Democratic Assembly Member Evan Low of San Jose, drew 66 co-authors out of 80 Assembly members.

Nonetheless, legislators appear divided on how to tackle crimes that incite so much public outcry in an era of racial reconciliation.

Of the 13 bills and resolutions introduced this session, only one proposes expanding the definition of a hate crime, by adding a victims actual or perceived immigration status to the scope of criteria. Three bills would pursue stiffer penalties for the accused. One of them would enable prosecutors to charge a felony any time someone makes terrorist threats against a protected group.

Under current law, a person convicted of a felony that is also deemed a hate crime could receive a sentencing enhancement of up to three years.

It certainly makes the crime more likely to be punished by prison, and if the person does go to prison, hes likely to go prison for longer, said Daniel Barton, a criminal defense attorney in Palo Alto.

Assembly Member Jim Cooper, a Democrat from Elk Grove (Sacramento County), is pushing one of the bills that could increase punishment for people convicted of hate crimes. His proposal, AB 266, would reclassify certain felony hate crimes as violent hate crimes, making early release from prison more difficult.

Its one of two bills that hark back to a more hard-line era of law enforcement: AB282, by Assembly Member Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale (Los Angeles County), would bar judges from offering diversion programs if someone is charged with a misdemeanor hate crime.

Cooper said he has attracted little support from fellow Democrats, and doubts his bill will get a hearing. He accused his colleagues of promoting fluff rather than substance.

Everybody is saying theyre upset, theyre angry, they want to fight back, they want to stand up  but what does that mean? Cooper asked. With some people in the California Legislature right now, that means sitting on your hands.

Nikki Jones, a professor of African American studies at UC Berkeley, said that whenever crime becomes a pressing political issue, she worries about how policymakers will react.

Punitive ideas, like harsher sentencing, can seem like a response, Jones said, though they fail to address the root causes of abuse and discrimination. Jones believes it will take more than legislation to undo a troubling legacy of violence against Asian Americans, who throughout history have become scapegoats during periods of social or economic upheaval.

As bills churn through Sacramentos legislative chambers, residents of San Francisco have become more galvanized.

Activist Leanna Louie saw enthusiasm grow between the two rallies she organized outside the Hall of Justice last month, to show solidarity with family members of an 84-year-old Thai homicide victim.

The first event, held March 4, lured a small crowd and coverage from the Chinese-language media. The second, on March 22, was so large that hundreds of people spilled down the courthouse steps, along the sidewalk and into the street. Louie and other community organizers spoke before a throng of television news cameras.

I was pleasantly shocked and surprised, Louie said.

Later that week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the nomination of Bonta.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
A communique released by the DR Congo military on March 30 indicates that the Congolese army is more than ready to welcome and work with regional countries' armies in a bid to neutralise the various armed militia groups on its territory.

The statement signed by Maj Gen Leon-Richard Kasonga Cibangu, the Spokesperson of the Congolese army (FARDC), indicates that terrorist militia groups of Rwandan origin including FDLR "and all the other external and local negative forces which disturb the peace in our sub-regions" are on target.

The Congolese military added that they had contacted all armies of neighbouring countries so as "to adopt appropriate strategies to resolve once and for all the thorny issue of insecurity in the sub-region" as recommended in the spirit and letter of the Arusha agreement.

Terror suspects in the MRCD-FLN trial that is underway at the High Court Chamber for International and Cross-Border Crimes in Kigali on March 24. Photo: Sam Ngendahimana.

This, according to the statement, is in consideration of the threat posed by the armed groups, and in accordance with the political will of the Heads of State of the countries of the sub-region.

"In this perspective, the FARDC privileges the strengthening of military cooperation, regular consultations between regional armies as well as the pooling of efforts and intelligence to fight effectively and definitively neutralize all armed groups," reads part of the statement.

"The efforts thus combined by everyone are aimed at regional economic integration in a secure environment."

The statement stressed that this military cooperation which already exists between the FARDC and the Rwandan military as well as between the former and the armies of Uganda, Angola and the Central Africa Republic (CAR) will be extended, in the near future, to other neighbouring countries.

This is, it is noted, with a view to definitively eradicating the threat posed by the armed groups because "the solution to this problem must be at the same time sub-regional, regional and international."

In 2019, the DR Congo army stepped up an offensive against Rwandan terror groups, capturing hundreds of fighters.

In February, senior security officials from Rwanda and DR Congo met in Kigali and agreed on "a series" of recommendations and a plan of action on how to deal with security threats affecting both countries. A follow-up meeting is reported to have been held mid-March, in Kinshasa.

The Congolese army also recalls that in September 2019, meetings held in its eastern Provincial capital of Goma between the Ugandan, Rwandan, Burundian and Tanzanian armies, had an objective sharing information to allow each country concerned by cross-border terrorism to track down all outlaws, and perpetrators of insecurity in the sub-region.

The meeting was also attended by commanders of the UN Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) and those from the US Africa Command (US AFRICOM). During the 2019 meetings, regional countries reportedly agreed on a joint plan to track and eradicate armed groups in the country.

At the time, it was noted that the final plan did not involve joint military operations on Congolese soil as has happened in the past.

It is not yet clear how the Congolese army will handle the complexity of military operations involving its neighbours. Some, including Uganda, are known to harbour and support rebel forces intent on destabilising Rwanda.

More about FDLR, FLN and others

The negative forces of Rwandan origin based in eastern DR Congo are a complex web characterised by infighting, splinters and shifting alliances.

They primarily sprouted from the forces and militia groups that fled Rwanda after participating in the slaughter of more than a million people during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Soon after fleeing into eastern DR Congo, then Zaire, the genocidal army and its militia network regrouped. They formed, in the late 1990s, what was then called the Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (ALiR).

Ever since fleeing into eastern DR Congo, besides their propagation of the genocide ideology, they plundered, killed, raped, forcefully recruited children into their ranks and commiited other war crimes, with impunity.

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In March 1999, ALIR militiamen killed eight Western tourists - four Britons, two Americans and two from New Zealand - in a park along the Uganda-DR Congo border.

In May 2000, ALiR merged with another extremist group then based in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, and formed FDLR. Its armed wing, the Forces Combattantes Abacunguzi (FOCA), still exists. But its former longtime supremo, 'Gen' Sylvestre Mudacumura, alias Bernard Mupenzi, was killed by the Congolese army in September 2019.

One of the FDLR splinters is RUD-Urunana, reportedly supported by Uganda specifically to destabilize Rwanda.

Another splinter was the CNRD which parted ways with FDLR in 2016 and later also joined forces with Paul Rusesabagina under his MRCD/FLN terror group. The latter are responsible for the terror attacks in south-western Rwanda between 2018 and 2019 that claimed nine lives.

Of late, their new setup - MRCD - is made up of the likes of CNRD, PDR-Ihumure and Rwandese Revolution Movement (RRM) which was formed by Callixte Nsabimana, who is on trial along with Rusesabagina and a dozen others in Rwanda.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 15:35:20|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Over recent weeks, some Western groups are clamoring about "forced labor" claims in the cotton industry in China's Xinjiang region. But their hype sounds like a conspiracy all too familiar.

Chinese netizens found of late that H&M and other members of the so-called "Better Cotton Initiative" (BCI) had cited "forced labor" allegations to slap a ban on the use of Xinjiang cotton and even the employment of Uygurs, which followed a similar decision by the United States last year.

The Chinese public is incensed, and rightly so. For starters, that ban was built on fabrications, not on facts. And one of the basic facts is that Xinjiang's cotton industry is already highly mechanized. Now about 70 percent of the crop in the northwestern Chinese region is harvested by machines.

Even the BCI's own Shanghai branch has said it found no single incident related to "forced labor" in Xinjiang in the past eight years. But the conclusion was overruled by the BCI's headquarters in Geneva.

Beneath the outright denial of facts lies a plot not so hard to decipher.

By banning Xinjiang cotton, some Western forces are trying to strangle cotton businesses and damage people's livelihoods in the Uygur autonomous region. In word, they claim they are concerned about the Uygurs; in deed, they are just making life difficult for them.

Then those anti-China elements would take advantage of the resultant social unrest in Xinjiang to make trouble for China and hold back China's development.

Now the true agenda behind the Xinjiang Cotton plot has become as clear as the double-dealing of those Western groups. Actually, Lawrence Wilkerson, the chief of staff to former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, once publicly confessed that the best way for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to destabilize China would be "to form unrest" in Xinjiang.

And as a matter of fact, that ploy comes directly from Washington's old playbook. The world has seen similar tactics being used on Iran, Iraq and Libya.

But China is China. The Xinjiang plot is doomed to failure. Just like what has happened over Hong Kong and South China Sea issues, China and the Chinese people, including the Uygurs, have the capacity and resilience to foil all sinister foreign plots.

Ironically, if there is anything helpful coming from all the rumor-mongering about Xinjiang, it is that it has once again reminded the world of America's dark history of slavery and racial prejudice, as well as the human rights abuses happening in the United States all along.

Given all the pandemic deaths, hate crimes, mass shootings and violent protests, isn't it high time that Washington retracted its meddling hands and started focusing on protecting and improving the human rights of the American people? Enditem
Ben Miller is the associate editor of data and business for Government Technology. His reporting experience includes breaking news, business, community features and technical subjects. He holds a Bachelors degree in journalism from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, and lives in Sacramento, Calif.
A Week Away," the first faith-based musical ever available on Netflix, debuted in the streaming services Top 5 over the weekend, while the film soundtrack ranked No. 1 on the iTunes Christian album chart.

Starring Bailee Madison and Kevin Quinn, A Week Away reached No. 4 on Netflixs list for most popular titles in the U.S. over the weekend and No. 4 on Netflixs list for most-popular movies, according to Whats-On-Netflix.com. The film also saw global success, ranking No. 4 in Australia, No. 3 in Brazil, No. 5 in Spain, and No. 3 in Germany as of Wednesday.

On Twitter, co-writer and co-producer Alan Powell celebrated the news, writing: This is incredible.. thank you guys for all the support.. it means so much!

Released on March 28, A Week Away follows troubled teen Will Hawkins (Quinn), who chooses a Christian camp over juvenile detention after a kind foster family offers to take him in. Feeling out-of-place, Kevin lies about his background to fit in  and impress his newfound camp crush, Avery (Madison). Over the course of the week, Kevin finds hope and healing through music and his newfound friendships.

Source:The Christian Post
The University of Miami will host the Sub-Tropical and Tropical Coastal Resilience: Social, Economic, and Physical Adaptations in South Florida and the Caribbean forum on Wednesday, April 7. The virtual webinar will discuss research from the South Florida and Caribbean region about how climate change directly impacts people and the economy.

We should think of climate change as similar to a prism, which must be observed, analyzed, and addressed from a variety of angles in order to best appreciate its characteristics and flaws, and each of those vantage points has associated methods of investigation, said Sonia Chao, the event chair and a research associate professor in the School of Architecture.

The symposium is a collaboration between the School of Architecture, the University Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, the Graduate School, the Center for Urban and Community Design, the Master of Professional Science in Urban Sustainability and Resilience, and the Master of Science in Sustainable Business.

Sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. focusing in three areas: mobility, metabolism, and resilience. The morning kicks off with welcoming remarks from Jeffrey L. Duerk, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, and Rodolphe el-Khoury, dean of the School of Architecture, followed by a keynote presentation by Jim Murley, the chief resilience officer of Miami-Dade County. Throughout the day, there will be presentations with more than 60 speakers, many of which will be led by University faculty leaders from across the three campuses. The day will close with remarks by Guillermo Willy Prado, vice provost for faculty affairs and dean of the Graduate School, and President Julio Frenk.

Chao presented the idea of an interdisciplinary symposium focused on the social, physical, and economic aspects related to climate change in our region in the fall of 2019, when she was named a Climate, Environment, and Resilience Lead Faculty Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas. She and the rest of the team have been planning ever since.

The most rewarding part has been interacting with so many faculty and staff members from various divisions at UM, said Chao. Perhaps best of all is that weve been able to engage various students from the new interdisciplinary Master of Professional Science in Urban Sustainability and Resilience program and the School of Architecture programs as session producers for most of the events throughout the day.

This symposium is the first of what Chao said will be an event offered every other year and followed each time by a publication of the symposium findings. The need for events and discussions like these, she said, is twofold.

The majority of South Floridas population lives within three miles of a shoreline, and this represents a high number of people and of properties at risk, said Chao, which is partially why the area is often referred to as the Achilles heel of sea level rise along the eastern seaboard. Being perched along the Gulf Stream, a conveyor belt for hurricanes and tropical storms, adds to the equation of risk as well. Climate factors simply expedite or aggravate their manifestations and consequences, she said. This means time is of the essence and the tasks ahead are significant and complex. There is no silver bullet.

According to Chao, there are conversations being had about climate changes impact on everyday society, but they tend to occur only in professional or academic environments. Generally, there is little cross-pollination. By breaking siloes and working across academic units and with community partners, we all become more well-informed of the whole picture, of our interdependent realities and needs, she said. This in turn nourishes our thinking and can propagate our collective success. That is why this event is useful, relevant, and warranted.

The dean of the School of Architecture said that although a virtual event means less opportunity for direct networking and informal conversation spaces, they have benefited from the expanded reach that the virtual symposium has provided. Presenters and audience members will be able to log in from anywhere, el-Khoury said. As we are featuring a number of speakers and panelists from the Caribbean, the virtual format allows these individuals to conveniently join the event.

Maddie Li, the logistics manager organizing the events technical team, agreed. Through this event, we really sought to foster relationships and continue to strengthen the dialogue with the whole regionSouth Florida and the Caribbean. The virtual nature of the event, while bringing its own technical and logistical challenges, helped to make it possible for so many people from the region to participate and contribute their research and ideas to the symposium.

There are currently about 400 professionals, academics, and students registered for the event. And interest comes from all over the world.

We are happy to see that we have participants who have registered from as far north as York University in Canada and as far south as Honduras in Latin America, with many planning to log in from the Caribbean as well, said Chao.

Prado said he is looking forward to how the event will engage and prepare the future leaders on the climate front. What better way of finding our way out of or rising above challenges than by collaborating, intersecting concerns and solutions, broadening the discussions, understanding aspects of inclusivity?

You can follow the symposium on Instagram @umcoastalresilience and find event and registration information at www.resilience.miami.edu. Registrants can return to the website within two weeks after the symposium, using their access code, to review sessions they may have missed.
Debra Fazio-Rutt

The New York Womens Foundation names Debra Fazio-Rutt VP of strategic communications. Rutt joins the foundation from ViacomCBS, where she most recently served as VP of corporate communications for Paramount Network. Before joining ViacomCBS, she was manager of publicity for The History Channel and a senior account supervisor at Trylon Communications. In her new post, Rutt will be responsible for developing, incorporating and implementing a broad range of public relations, media relations, social and digital activities. Debra has a demonstrated track record in driving strategic communications during times of growth and transformation, said NYWF president and CEO Ana Oliveira. The foundation invests in women-led, community-based solutions that promote economic security, safety, and health for the most vulnerable women.

Colleen Lerro Gallagher

OnWrd & UpWrd, which recently launched in Alexandria, VA, brings on Colleen Lerro Gallagher as a founding partner. Gallagher joins the agency from Curley Company, where she was a vice president. She was previously vice president of communications & research for the Global Business Travel Association, and has worked on the communications teams at the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Consumer Technology Organization. Gallagher will work with OnWrd & UpWrd founder Meghan Henning to manage the firm and handle client service. Colleen brings a wealth of experience in advocacy communications, media relations, digital media and video and podcast production, said Henning.

Lori Rhodes

Berns Communications Group appoints Lori Rhodes global director, effective April 9. At BCG, she will serve as the agencys anchor in the Middle East, working with its Europe-based clients. Rhodes has been based in Dubai since 2015, and has most recently served as principal, head of luxury and retail, for Red Letter MENA/OneCMG. Prior to relocating to the Middle East, Rhodes served as partner and managing Director at Lividini & Co. in New York, and vice president, media relations and special events at Saks Fifth Avenue. Loris expertise in brand development, digital content creation, and retail marketing and communications will be invaluable to us as we expand our international footprint, said BCG president Stacy Berns.
An analysis by the Department of Education found that, in 2019, about 18 percent of the children across the country enrolled in some kind of day care arrangement were cared for in residential-based centers, like Ms. Lopezs. While that seems like a small slice of the industry, it is a crucial segment that provides a safe space for parents who work nontraditional hours, are in low-income jobs or live in rural communities, according to the National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance.

Ms. Lopez used to charge up to $250 per week for children aged zero to 2. She had three other women on her payroll  a cleaner and two assistants  and, because she didnt have to rent a space, used to make a healthy profit of about $8,500 a month.

Now, a year into the pandemic, she has burned through her savings to stay afloat and is about two months away from shutting down her child-care center permanently.

At the outset of the pandemic, seven families pulled their children out of Ms. Lopezs center, leaving her with just three  an 18-month-old and two 3-year-olds. Most of her client families had lost their jobs and could no longer afford to pay for child care. But closing down on the three other children, when their parents needed her most, was not an option. I cant shut my doors on them. Theyre a part of me as much as Im a part of them, she said. I dont see it just as a paycheck.

So to keep things running, she applied for a P.P.P. loan and a grant from the Small Businesses Administration. She got a total of $3,800, which helped her cover payroll through April. Then she had to let go of her staff and do everything herself.

Every day since, she has been waking up at 4 a.m. to prepare breakfast and lunch for the children, and lay out her teaching plan before the three children arrive at around 7.30 a.m. After a packed day of activities  exercise, story time, play time, snack time, nap time  their parents start picking them up at 5 p.m. Then Ms. Lopez goes through and disinfects everything in her house to reset for the next day.
To look inside Oaklands Sobre Mesa is like peeking into a time capsule: to catch a glimpse of an aesthetic optimism that is hard to find in the restaurant world of today, when dolling up the dining room is generally low on the long list of pandemic-era priorities. Its interior is lush with tropical greenery and lit with vivacious pink and green lighting; just from a glance, its easy to imagine how it must feel to sink into one of the tall, upholstered booths as the rum starts to hit you.

The highly anticipated Afro-Latino lounge, one of the few bars in downtown Oakland owned by people of color, opened on March 5, 2020. Then, as quick as a California poppy closes at sunset, it shut its doors; shelter-in-place orders hit the Bay Area a week later. Now, chef and owner Nelson German is redoing the restaurants debut, just as hes set to be introduced to a national audience this week through Top Chef: Portland. Nearly a year after its initial opening, the lounge is poised to become the neighborhood hot spot it was meant to be.

Stephen Lam / The Chronicle

It starts with the vibe: To use an easy reference point, Sobre Mesa feels very tiki-like, from the monstera and palm leaf-patterned art motifs to the potent, citrus-balanced cocktail menu originated by Susan Eggett of Last Rites in San Francisco. Its a more luxurious kind of hangout spot than Germans first venture, the fast-casual seafood restaurant Alamar Kitchen & Bar. While tiki as most know it has a tendency to be as reality-based as an Old Navy Hawaiian shirt, German plays with the tried-and-true format to create a welcoming space that reflects his African and Dominican ancestry: in traditional ingredients like cassava and plantain that proliferate on the menu, the bars Dominican Republic-sourced liquors, and the many people of color that staff the front-of-house. Its a format that, similar to newer bars like Low Bar, Oeste and Viridian, was aimed toward a demographic that has historically been left out of high-end cocktail culture.

Stephen Lam / The Chronicle

An old-fashioned goes tropical with doses of ginger- and lime-scented falernum and a caramelly mango-brown sugar syrup ($12), while an eye-catching riff on the Sea Breeze, called Lake Breeze, adds smoky mezcal, lime, hibiscus and an edible marigold bloom ($12). For those who dont drink alcohol, there are three nonalcoholic or low-alcohol cocktails that are just as carefully composed as their stiffer brethren. The low-ABV Cities of Gold ($6) is all sunshine, featuring pineapple cordial with demerara syrup and citrus; a turmeric tincture balances it with the spices earthy and subtly bitter notes.

The bright drinks pair well with the interior, which is open with limited capacity. Im not quite ready to dine indoors yet, but sitting outside during Sunday brunch, soaking in those famous East Bay rays, is also an ideal way to experience the restaurant. The semi-enclosed parklet (which has a wheelchair ramp) is decked out with colorful furniture and tropical plants and offers a clear view of the vibrant murals on the buildings exterior, meant to decorate boarded-up windows. In March, live funk and jazz bands performed for outdoor diners, bringing a fresh liveliness to the neighborhood.

Stephen Lam / The Chronicle

The food menu also sparks motion and delight, and like the best of the bar food genre, Germans small plates quietly prompt you to swallow drink after drink to follow your unconscious cravings. They present the ingredients of the African diaspora with some very Californian touches that feel unforced. German stuffs roasted ripe plantains ($13) with a long-cooked ragu of Impossible Meat; during crab season, sweet Dungeness crabmeat comes with salsa criolla (vinegared onion, chiles, tomatoes and garlic).

Stephen Lam / The Chronicle

There are also spins on classic American bar foods. Tostones (three for $10), in which green plantains are smashed and fried up like chips, are a grown-up take on cheese and crackers: Theyre topped with salty layers of spicy nduja sausage, aged cheddar and a silvery cured anchovy fillet. I could have gotten a few plates. Chicken wings ($12) are slow-cooked and slick with duck fat. In December, they were served with a bright chimichurri; now, a peppery Nigerian red sauce. Either way, these are the most tender chicken wings Ive ever had, requiring little more than a nibble to get the meat to separate from the bone.

The true god-king of the table is the bone marrow ($17), a large, split beef bone slathered with a chile-spiked red-and-green chimichurri. The bone is roasted until the marrow takes on the unctuous, semi-gelatinous texture of high-fat, room temperature butter, while the chimichurri keeps each bite from feeling overwhelmingly rich. It leans on a simple mound of young arugula and is accompanied by crostini and refreshing cubes of pickled cassava that bear a striking resemblance to the pickled radish you might get with your Korean fried chicken takeout.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

When I talk about a place feeling like a hot spot, I mean that there is so much about the experience that feels engineered to bring you back to life: after a hard day at work, after a breakup, after a year of never hearing a stranger sing in your presence.

The bone, for instance, begs to be turned into a vehicle for shots. While COVID consciousness prevents this, I hope Sobre Mesa will be the site of many marrow luges in the bright, post-pandemic future. I could see this space as being one of the funnest places to eat in Oakland, and Im glad its back on track.

Sobre Mesa. In-person dining, takeout and delivery. 5-10 p.m. Thursday; 5 p.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday; noon-4 p.m. Sunday. 1618 Franklin St., Oakland. 510-858-7544 or www.sobremesaoak.com

Soleil Ho is The San Francisco Chronicles restaurant critic. Email: soleil@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hooleil
JACKSON, MI  COVID-19 cases have been increasing for several weeks, but Jackson County is not home to the greatest surge of recent cases in Michigan, or the United States, health officials said.

Recent claims that Jackson is the countrys hottest spot for the virus come from the New York Times database Monitoring the Coronavirus Outbreak in Metro Areas Across the U.S., which features the Jackson metro area as having the greatest number of recent new cases in the U.S. (1,625), relative to its population, in the last two weeks.

But that data doesnt actually add up, said Lynn Sutfin, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman, and Rhonda Rudolph, Jackson County Health Department health educator.

The health department is working very diligently to provide accurate information and guidance to the residents of Jackson County, as well as continuing our vaccination efforts, Rudolph said in a statement. We continue to work with our community partners, including the hospital, schools and others, to reduce the risk, and reduce the cases that our community is seeing.

The New York Times uses the Census Bureau definitions for metropolitan areas. For Jackson, the metro area is the same as the county. The New York Times data, however, includes cases in Jacksons prisons, which are reported separately by the Michigan Department of Corrections and are not part of county or state data.

But Jackson County is seeing a spike in cases as the health department does report 1,161 overall active COVID-19 cases countywide since March 18.

Current trends in Jackson show an increase in cases among school-age residents, as well as those age 30-50, Rudolph said. People between age 20-29 remain the group with the highest rate of positive cases, at 16.7%, while people between age 50-59 makeup 16.3% of positive cases, the data shows.

The next group with the highest positivity rate is people between age 0-19, with a 13.8% rate, followed by people age 60-69, who account for a positivity rate at 13.4%.

Health officials urge Jackson County residents to continue to use preventative measures, like mask wearing and social distancing, to quell the recent surge in COVID-19 cases throughout the county.

The presence of more infectious variants, such as the B 1.1.7 variant that originated in the United Kingdom, threatens progress made in certain communities, and MDHHS say they are monitoring data closely.

Michigans first case of the B.1.351 COVID-19 variant that originated in South Africa was identified in a boy living in Jackson County by MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories on March 8. There is an active case investigation happening at the health department to determine whether the case came from travel or community spread, officials said.

As of March 31, Michigans seven-day average case rate per 100,000 cases is the highest in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michigans COVID-19 surge is the worst in the nation. Whitmer is focused on vaccines, not restrictions

We express the same concerns as the governor, and MDHHS with regard to the current trends, and are hoping that the numbers begin to decline very quickly, Rudolph said.

READ MORE FROM THE JACKSON CITIZEN PATRIOT:

City of Jackson most affected by surging COVID-19 cases throughout Jackson County

First Michigan case of South African COVID-19 variant identified in Jackson County boy

41% of Jackson County households earn less than the cost of living, report says

Tens of millions in coronavirus relief aid expected for Jackson County communities

Driver crashes into historic building, millions in aid coming to county: Top Jackson headlines March 20-25
John McGahern reminded us that everything interesting begins with one person and one place. What makes the barracks unique is that it was a home as well as a police station, in which gardai were family members, and in which a young boy developed a love of reading and went on to become one of Irelands finest writers.

Through video, storyboards, photos and artefacts, a new permanent exhibition in the John McGahern barracks, Cootehall, Co. Roscommon, celebrates the contribution of McGahern to Irish literature. The exhibition also provides an insight into the nature of policing and an appreciation of village life in Ireland in the middle of the last century.

The Exhibition will be launched via a short video by former President Mary McAleese at 11.30 a.m. on 9th April 2021 on www.mcgahernbarracks.ie (The exhibition will open daily once Covid restrictions are lifted).

A 64 page illustrated booklet The John McGahern Barracks, written by Tom Inglis, which introduces readers to the life and works of McGahern, has been produced to accompany the exhibition. It can be purchased from 9th April at www.mcgahernbarracks.ie

The late author John McGahern

The Barracks restoration, and the exhibition itself, would not have been possible without the financial help and support of Creative Ireland, Galway 2020, Roscommon County Council Arts Office, Roscommon Leader Partnership, OPW and the local community.

Cootehall Community Development Group is a local voluntary group, formed in 2004, with a key objective to enhance the riverside village of Cootehall, for visitors and residents alike to enjoy.

Since the Garda Station closed in 2012, the groups flagship project is the renovation of the old Garda Station for the dual purposes of a permanent exhibition to commemorate one of Ireland's greatest writers John McGahern, and as a location for meetings, seminars, and education courses for interested parties, as well as a remote working space.

For further information contact:

www.mcgahernbarracks.ie

info@mcgahernbarracks.ie
(Alliance News) - Marshalls PLC on Thursday confirmed that Group Finance Director & Executive Director Jack Clarke will step down today following the initial announcement last month.

The FTSE 250-listed hard landscaping products company said Clarke will remain with the group until March 31, 2022 to ensure a "smooth and orderly" handover.

Additionally, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director Janet Ashdown will be retiring from the board after six years at the end of the company's annual general meeting in May. Chair of the Audit Committee Graham Prothero, who has been with the company for nearly four years, will take on the role after Ashdown retires.

"The board would like to thank Janet for her significant contribution to the success of the company, particularly in her capacity as senior independent non-executive director, chair of the remuneration committee and designated non-executive director for workforce engagement," said Marshalls.

Shares in Marshalls were up 1.1% at 692.00 pence in London on Thursday.

By Zoe Wickens; zoewickens@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled in favor of five of the worlds biggest oil companies in an appeal over a climate lawsuit that New York City was seeking re-opened.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that New York City cant hold the five firmsExxon, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP, and Shellresponsible for damages caused by global warming under New York tort law.

The city sued the five companies in 2018, and then a federal district judge also dismissed NYCs lawsuit arguing that problems pertaining to climate change should be tackled by Congress and the executive branch.

In todays ruling, in which NYCs appeal was dismissed again, the court judges said We affirm for substantially the same reasons as those articulated in the district courts opinion.

Global warming presents a uniquely international problem of national concern. It is therefore not well-suited to the application of state law, U.S. Circuit Court Judge Richard J. Sullivan wrote in Thursdays ruling.

The City of New York has sidestepped those procedures and instead instituted a state-law tort suit against five oil companies to recover damages caused by those companies admittedly legal commercial conduct in producing and selling fossil fuels around the world. In so doing, the City effectively seeks to replace these carefully crafted frameworks  which are the product of the political process  with a patchwork of claims under state nuisance law, Judge Sullivan noted.

The appeals court dismissing the case of New York City is a setback for communities and other cities looking to hold the biggest oil corporations accountable for damages related to climate change. The court today said in no uncertain terms that states and cities do not have jurisdiction to sue oil companies for their contribution to global warming because emissions are under federal regulation.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greeting letter on the occasion of Pakistan Day, PM Imran Khan thanked his Indian counterpart in a letter on Tuesday. Maintaining that Islamabad desires 'peaceful & cooperative' relations with India, PM Imran Khan asserted that resolving outstanding issues between India and Pakistan is a pre-requisite to stability and peace in South Asia.

Pointing out specifically at the Jammu & Kashmir 'dispute', PM Khan stated that the creation of an enabling environment is imperative for constructive and result-oriented dialogue. Significantly, New Delhi has sternly and categorically maintained that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India and shall remain so, countering any discussions on the claimed territorial-dispute of the Union Territory.

"The people of Pakistan also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India. We are convinced that durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, in particular the Jammu & Kashmir dispute," Imran Khan wrote.

"I also take this opportunity to convey our best wishes for the people of India in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," PM Khan added in his letter to PM Modi.

'Talks & terror cannot go together'

On the occasion of Pakistan's National Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 23 had extended his greetings to the people of the neighbouring country. In a letter to his counterpart Imran Khan, PM Modi expressed that India desires cordial relations with Pakistan. However, he emphasized that to achieve it, an environment of trust, 'devoid of terror and hostility' is imperative.

"Excellence, at this difficult time for humanity, I would like to convey my best wishes to you and the people of Pakistan for dealing with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic," PM Modi wrote in his letter to Imran Khan.

PM Modi's emphasis on an environment devoid of terror comes at a time Imran Khan has been attempting to push the onus of progressing peace talks on India. Earlier this month, Khan had acknowledged India's tough stance on no talks without an environment stance free of terror, hostility and violence. Addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue, PM Khan noted, "India has told Pakistan that talks and terror cannot go together."

In the same address, he discussed Pakistan's vision of comprehensive national security and spoke at length on the issue of peace in the region, including peace between his country and India. "The unresolved Kashmir issue was the biggest hurdle between the two countries," Khan added.

Notably, in February this year, India and Pakistan had issued a joint statement agreeing to strictly observe the 2003 Ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC). The move which has been welcomed by global leaders came in the aftermath of repeated LoC violations by Pakistan including multiple infiltration attempts foiled by the Indian Army.

India-Pak hold Brigade Commander level meet

In a follow-up to India-Pakistan DGsMO meet in February 2021, a Brigade Commander Level Flag meeting was held between the two countries on Friday. The Commander level meeting between the Indian and Pakistan Army was held at Poonch Rawalkot crossing point to discuss the implementation mechanism of the 2003 ceasefire agreement across the Line of Control (LoC), which was affirmed by the DGsMO in February.

Despite the affirmation, the Indian Army has maintained that there will be 'no let-up' in counter-terror operations as a result of the agreement reached which has been lauded by global leaders. The Indian Army has asserted that the agreement with Pakistan is an attempt to bring down the 'violence' however, the Army retained its 'right to respond' in case of any unfortunate events.
International

Bdesh bans air travellers from Europe, 12 nations

DHAKA, APR 1 (IANS) | Publish Date: 4/1/2021 1:25:06 PM IST

Bangladesh has imposed a temporary ban on travellers from Europe and 12 other countries after reporting a surge in coronavirus infections. The two-week ban will come into effect on Saturday and last until April 18, dpa news agency reported on Friday citing a statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) as saying.

CAAB said air passengers from the UK, where infection rates are generally lower than on mainland Europe, would still be allowed to enter the country.

Along with European nations, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey, and Uruguay are also among the banned nations.

Airlines operating scheduled passenger flights from all those countries will be allowed to carry only transit passengers.

Passengers from other countries must still adhere to a 14-day home quarantine.

Bangladesh has so far reported 611,295 coronavirus cases, with 9,046 deaths since the South Asian country registered the first cases in March 2020.

With many flouting the current health guidelines, the government on Tuesday issued a new set of rules, including the mandatory use of face masks and limiting passengers on local transport.

The country reported a single-day record number of infections, 5,358, on Wednesday.
Retired Professor of Sociology Lynda Lytle Holmstrom, a pioneering researcher in rape counseling and trauma whose interests also extended to other compelling social issuessuch as the challenges faced by two-career families and controversies surrounding intensive care for newbornsdied on February 6. She was 81.



The Sociology Departments first tenured female faculty member, Dr. Holmstromwho served as department chair for six yearstaught at Boston College for four decades.

In 1972, Dr. Holmstrom, along with Connell School of Nursing faculty member Ann W. Burgess, founded a rape victim counseling program at Boston City Hospitalamong the first to be based in a hospitalthat, in addition to offering therapeutic services, provided the two with insights into the plight of women who endured sexual violence. They spoke with victims at the hospital, did follow-up work, and took some cases to court; they also trained the BCH nurses to continue the counseling, remaining as supervisory consultants for the program.



Burgess, who praised Dr. Holmstrom as a visionary scholar, a trailblazer for interdisciplinary collaboration before it was popular in academia, recalled that the two had met through interdisciplinary teaching on health care. Dr. Holmstrom was aware of the gathering revelations about the trauma of rape through feminist literature and womens consciousness-raising groups, Burgess recalled, but it was not yet a widespread research topic.



The two discussed a study of rape victims in the context of institutional processing, and when Burgess suggested adding a counseling dimension, Lynda asked, Can a sociologist and a psychiatric nurse work together? We decided to try. We had to learn the language, concepts and methods of the other and basically taught each other the relevant aspects of our respective fields.



Two years later, Dr. Holmstrom and Burgess published a study, Rape: Victim of Crisis, that drew upon their experiences and observations through the BCH program. Discussing their research in an interview with BC's student newspaper The Heights, the pair described the persistent trauma felt by rape victims and the harmful impact on their day-to-day lives and relationships with family membersthe kind of details that, at the time, were largely absent from the general public understanding of rape. Rape: Victim of Crisis also remarked on the many misperceptions and stereotypes perpetrated about rape victims.



"Many people see the victim as being the pretty, short-skirted woman who walks alone at night, said Dr. Holmstrom, noting that victims in the study ranged in age from three to 73 years old. Rape victims can be anyone."



These findings formed part of the basis for Dr. Holmstrom and Burgesss 1977 book The Victims of Rape: Institutional Reactions, the first empirical study to detail the encounters of rape victims with three major institutions: police, hospital, and court. The co-authors tracked 115 victims, 113 of them female, and detailed their emergency room experiences, interactions with police, and odyssey through the legal process. As reviewers noted, the book made clear that rape does not end after the attacker leaves: The victims suffering can be heightened or diminished based on the response of the three institutions.



Among other things, The Victims of Rape noted that hospital personnel tended to be professionally polite in dealing with rape cases, since in addition to providing medical care their task also was to gather evidence for potential court cases, and thus did not express sympathy toward victims. Dr. Holmstrom and Burgess stressed the importance of training nurses to help address victims emotional needs.



The book pointed out that of the 113 cases involving rape of females, nine led to convictions, with most sentences ranging from six to 15 years; the maximum sentence was life in prison, the minimum three years of probation. Interviewed by The Heights, Dr. Holmstrom explained the reasons why a rape victim chooses to drop charges against an assailantthe major one being fear that even if convicted and jailed, her rapist would gain freedom at some point and seek revenge.



The second reason is that they [the victims] don't want to go through the hassle of court. They know it's going to be hard, and they just feel that they can't cope with it, she added.



Said Burgess, Lynda was a born teacher and taught me methods of participant-observation fieldwork and how to record raw data in the fantastically detailed and meticulous way good field notes require. Through countless discussions, we made analytic sense out of our 2,900 pages of field notes with one important result being a new conceptualization of sexual victimization.



Prior to embarking on the groundbreaking research project with Burgess, Dr. Holmstrom had scrutinized another then less-explored aspect of contemporary American society: how married couples tried to balance professional ambitions and family relationships while both trying to pursue high-level careers. She interviewed 20 such coupleswives and husbands separatelyand a comparison group of seven couples where wives had given up careers.



In her 1972 book, The Two-Career Family, Dr. Holmstrom explained that the interdependencies of family and occupational structure lay in the woman performing domestic duties and so allowing her husband to devote himself single-mindedly to his career. This was especially true for child-rearing16 of the 20 couples interviewed had childrenbecause the couples tended to lack easy access to adult relatives, household help, or child care centers; women would modify their career plans, usually putting them in jeopardy in doing so by being unable to keep current with professional developments while caring for children. She proposed flexible work schedules, among other ideas, to help couples deal with such situations.



In the 1980s, Dr. Holmstrom and Sociology colleague Professor Jeanne Guillemin tackled an emerging dilemma in medical science. Advances in intensive care technology had increased the survival rate for premature babies, but also created a host of quality-of-life issues: Some babies would face a future of health challenges, severe retardation, or early death. The two sociologists undertook the first in-depth study of the approximately 300,000 babies in the 500-600 neonatal intensive care units in the United States.



Their 1986 book, Mixed Blessings: Intensive Care for Newborns, addressed such questions as who should be the guardian for these babies interests, what constitutes good treatment, and how parents of premature babies should approach such an emotionally fraught scenario. The authors included examples of cases that demonstrated the range of outcomes: a toddler who endured hydrocephalus and three brain operations and was able to walk; a severely premature baby with severe neurological problems who went through three heart surgeries and was given cardiac medications, but died.



We dont offer answers, but try to show both sides, said Dr. Holmstrom in an interview with the Boston College Biweekly. While medical science might have the means to possibly prolong life, she said, inevitably difficult, moral questions need to be addressed: When you keep intervening aggressively in a hopeless case, at what point does it become a latent experiment, which follows no protocols?



Lynda was ahead of her time: Her research projects were at the cutting edge of her field and were often interdisciplinary, said Professor of Sociology Sharlene Hesse-Biber. She was an outstanding colleague and friend. When I was an assistant professor, Lynda always found time to mentor and encourage me along my academic journey. She fostered a deep sense of community within our department, had a wonderful sense of humor and a great smile. She was always deeply interested in what scholarly activities her colleagues were working on. Even in her retirement years, she remained deeply connected to our department.



The Sociology Department recognized the contributions of Dr. Holmstrom, who retired as a full-time faculty member in 2009, by naming an award after her. The Lynda Lytle Holmstrom Award recognizes the best class paper on the topic of gender with sociological implications submitted to an undergraduate course in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences each calendar year. [Holmstroms colleague William Gamson, who died March 23, was similarly honored with a namesake award by the department.]



A native of Seattle, Dr. Holmstrom earned a bachelors degree from Stanford University, a master of arts degree from Boston University, and a doctorate from Brandeis University. Prior to joining BC, she worked as a research assistant at Stanford University and at a research institute in Virginia.



She is survived by her husband, Ross, and children Bret and Cary.



Condolences may be sent to: Ross Holmstrom, 66 Sacramento St., Cambridge, MA 02138.



University Communications | April 2021
In her childhood, Shyam Badan Shrestha, with her mother, used to wake up at 2 am and knit caps under the light of a kerosene lamp every day. Little did Shrestha know that she was not only knitting the caps but also weaving her pathway to success.

As she has been told, Shrestha shares, My father died before my birth, when my mother was still pregnant, and as a single woman in a deeply patriarchal society, my mom raised me by weaving.

Years later, Shrestha also turned to handicrafts to earn and support her mother and children, after she lost her teaching job in the early 1980s. Decades down the road further capitalising on her childhood skill, at the age of 74, she still runs a company that has set an example of indigenous, locally resourced enterprise in Nepal.

Quest for identity

In 1983, with Rs 200, two workers and some yarn, Shrestha, in her late thirties, started Nepal Knotcraft Centre (NKC) in one room in the house she was born in, which she registered a year later.

I learned about macrame (knotted handicraft) from books. Therefore, I started making knotted handicrafts.

A hammock by Nepal Knotcraft Centre. Photo: Nepal Knotcraft Centre/Facebook page

Also, there is another story about the establishment of this company, which is closely related to her search for identity amid a dark reality about the judgemental Nepali society. After I lost my job, I realised that no matter how hard and perfectly I work, my work will not be valued as there is no proper evaluation system in Nepal. Then, I decided to work for myself and started this venture.

According to Shrestha, her business went well till 1990 as nobody in Nepal had practised knitting and weaving as a business till that time. She used to import raw materials such as cotton threads from India. However, its import stopped after Nepal suffered a blockade in 1989 for about 13 months.

At that time, Nepal Knotcraft Centre already had about 10 staff and over 30 women working from home for us, she remembers, The blockade made times hard for the company, as a result, all of those working for it were affected financially.

Turning hurdles into hopes

Although the border blockade appeared as a huge barrier to her work at that time, Nepal Knotcraft turned this hurdle into a golden opportunity to get out from the dependence on India for the import of raw materials.

Shrestha recalls, At that point, I felt this business is not sustainable. Therefore, I decided to make it so and began searching for alternative raw materials that are locally available. Then, she experimented with many plant fibres and found maize husk can be used as a raw material for making various products.

Ethnic dolls made by maize husk by Nepal Knotcraft Centre. Photo: Nepal Knotcraft Centre/ Facebook page

Then, Nepal Knotcraft Centre started making dolls out of maize husk that reflected the features of different ethnic groups of Nepal. During the research, Shrestha informs, I came across many ethnic communities and found that these communities are a mine of many handicraft skills.

Gradually, Nepal Knotcraft Centre expanded its products horizon incorporating those indigenous skills and handicrafts like bamboo products, sukuls (a mat made by weaving rice straws), and Tharu basketry. She, of course, modified them to meet modern needs.

Struggle continues

However, to reach this height, this company had to go through a lot of hardships and challenges, says Shrestha.

Initially, I went through a lot of hurdles, be it finding raw materials or skill development or marketing or anything, she says, I feel not only me but a lot of entrepreneurs have to go through all these hurdles in Nepal.

As her business was completely new at that time, she says she did not have any idea about what kind of products would sell, what raw materials could be used, and where they could be found. Over half of our time went on experiments during the early years.

Shrestha marketed her products through her friends. As she was involved in various forms of social work, she had earned a significant amount of goodwill, which she says helped her in promoting the market for her products.

But, with her intense study, dedication and time, Shrestha successfully overcame all these barriers. As the founder member of WEAN (Womens Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal) as well as the founder of Nepal Knotcraft Centre, Shrestha also has been giving training on handicrafts and entrepreneurship skills to women of different districts in order to empower them.

Shrestha giving training to women in Kapilvastu. Photo: Nepal Knotcraft Centre

Shrestha shares, Now, over 200 women in 16 districts work with me. I help them upgrade their skills and design marketable products and make entrepreneurs out of them.

Her company owns a showroom in the Patan industrial estate. We offer varieties of products for interior designing made of agro-based by-products like knotted pot hangers, belts, purse, ethnic dolls, sukul, placemat, basket and many more. Our products are mainly targeted for the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Not only does the company sell its handicrafts in Nepal but also exports to countries like the United States, Denmark, Japan. The price of the products ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 100,000. In the last fiscal year, Shrestha says the company did a business of nearly Rs 10 million.

However, Shrestha is determined to expand its sales in the future along with preserving inter-generation skills, contributing to indigenous skills, environmental sustainability and women empowerment.

.
CINCINNATI, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Institute & University now offers a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree, with the potential for completion in a two-year period under the university's unique new 24-25-26 Advantage program. The Ed.D. offers majors in Educational Leadership (pre-K  12) and Higher Education. Two embedded certificates, including a certificate in Social Justice, add an extra level of value and distinction.

In addition to a world-class doctoral education, Union offers the 24-25-26 Advantage. The 24-25-26 Advantage allows students to complete their Ed.D. in as little as 24 months when they transfer 25 credits of graduate course work and pay only $26,568 in tuition. Even without the transfer of credits, the degree can be completed in three years or less.

Union's President, Dr. Karen Schuster Webb, said, "Union is pleased to add the Doctor of Education degree program to our doctoral-level offerings. The Ed.D. has a comprehensive professional practice focus, and prepares its graduates for executive leadership career paths."

Provost, Dr. Nelson Soto, added, "Positions that may require a Doctor of Education degree include school district superintendent, higher education leaders at a university, curriculum specialist and many more. With 100 percent online classes and three online residencies per academic year, Union's Ed.D. offers the flexibility that busy adults require. It also offers the personal attention, high-quality instruction and social justice emphasis that are integral to the Union experience."

To learn more about the Union Ed.D. and the 24-25-26 Advantage, visit myunion.edu or call 800.861.6400.

About Union Institute & University

Union Institute & University offers educational programs for busy adults who want to achieve their professional goals and pursue a lifetime of learning, service and social responsibility. Since its founding in 1964, Union has been a leader in the development and delivery of outstanding distance education undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs, in addition to a variety of new certificate programs. Students can choose to complete their studies online, through low residency, or site-based, depending on the program and location.

A private nonprofit university, with international outreach, Union Institute & University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and has satellite centers located in Ohio, Florida and California.

To learn more about Union Institute & University, visit www.myunion.edu or call 1-800-861-6400.

SOURCE Union Institute & University

Related Links

https://myunion.edu


-As CDC Sets To Launch L$30, M Students Tuition Aid In Bong Tomorrow

Ahead of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Bong County chapter thirty million Liberian Dollars 'Students Tuition Aid Program' launch in Gbarnga, Bong County with funding from its chairman emeritus and Minister of States for Presidential Affairs, Nathanael F. McGill, the party has begun the distribution of food and cash to the nine educational School Districts in the County.

The pending activity of the Party in the County which was to be launch on March 26, 2021 was postponed to April 2, 2021 due to the second County tour of President Dr. George M. Weah.

Addressing the Press in Gbarnga, Bong County recently the desk writer of the CDC Bong chapter now chairman of the Party, Sayblee Menebai Varyao Weyea and District#3 Representative J. Marvin Cole said the food distribution and cash donations are intended to feed the students who are to attend the scholarship launching program.

The CDC Bong County chapter donated over three hundred bags of 25 kg rice and four hundred thousand Liberian Dollars to the nine educational School Districts in Bong County.

The nine educational Districts in Bong County are Zota School District, Salala School District, Suakoko District, Panta School District, Kokoyah School District.

Other are Gbarnga School District one, Sanoyea School District, Fuamah School District and Gbarnga School District two.

The Zota School District received 40 bags of 25kg rice, Salala School District received 50 bags of 25kg rice, Suakoko District received 50 bags of 25kg rice, Panta School District received 40 bags of 25kg rice, Kokoyah School District received 20 bags of 25kg rice, Gbarnga School District#1 received 60 bags of 25 kg rice, Gbarnga School District#2 received 60 bags of 25 kg rice among others.

According to the two officials of the Bong County CDC, the thirty million Liberian Dollars students tuition aid program will benefit students from 7th to 12th grade across the County.

They revealed that the tuition aid will be held under the name 'CDC Bong County Students Tuition Aid Program'.

The ruling CDC Bong County chapter leaders said the students tuition aid program is intended to ease some of the difficulties parents are going through in the County in paying their child or children school fees at various campuses in the County.

Furthermore, the CDC leaders said the Secretarial of the Party in the County have been changed with the authority to create a database relevant to the pending tuition aid program.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Liberia Education Aid and Assistance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Additionally, the CDC leaders said after the launch of the thirty million Liberian Dollars in the County, by April 10, 2021 they will become the payment of school going kids' tuitions in the County.

Rep. Cole furthered that the government of President George M. Weah is interested ensuring that the masses are lifted from poverty to prosperity, something he said is the agenda of CDC government.

He assured citizens that as Representative of Bong County Electoral District#3 and very close to President Weah, he will continue to advocate for the benefits of the people in the County.

Speaking at the donation ceremony in the County, the County Educational Officer for Bong County, Armah N. Varfee lauded officials of the CDC Bong chapter for their farsightedness in helping struggling students in the County.

He said they as academicians are happy for the donation, noting that parents of the beneficiaries' schools are happy for the pending payment of their children school fees in the County.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 31, 2021 / CT Developers Ltd. (TSXV:DEV.H) ("CT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received conditional approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") for the closing of its qualifying transaction (the "Qualifying Transaction") pursuant to Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies of the Exchange. The Company has filed a filing statement dated March 31, 2021, under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) disclosing details of the Qualifying Transaction (the "Filing Statement").

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has filed an independent technical report (the "Technical Report") for the Shakespeare Project in connection with the Qualifying Transaction. The Technical Report was prepared in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. A copy of the Technical Report is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

Further to its comprehensive press release dated February 11, 2021, the Company will acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of Magna Mining Corp. ("Magna") by way of a three-cornered amalgamation (the "Amalgamation"), whereby Magna will amalgamate with a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and, pursuant thereto, all of the common shares of Magna (the "Magna Shares") will be cancelled and the Company will issue 1.625 common shares of the Company (the "CT Shares") in consideration for each such Magna Share so cancelled (the "Exchange Ratio"). In addition, each convertible, exchangeable, or exercisable security of Magna shall be exchanged for a convertible exchangeable, or exercisable security, as applicable, of the Company on substantially the same economic terms and conditions as the original convertible, exchangeable or exercisable security of Magna based on the Exchange Ratio. Immediately prior to the Amalgamation, the Company expects to complete a consolidation (the "Consolidation") on the basis of 4 pre-Consolidation CT Shares for each post-Consolidation CT Share and change its name to "Magna Mining Inc." Upon completion of the Qualifying Transaction, the Company will carry on the mineral exploration business of Magna with Magna as its wholly-owned, operating subsidiary. It is expected that that the Company will meet all of the minimum listing requirements of the Exchange for a Tier 1 mining issuer and that the CT Shares will resume trading under the symbol "NICU". Additional information regarding the Qualifying Transaction can be obtained from the Filing Statement.

The Qualifying Transaction is scheduled to close at the end of April 2021, but remains subject to various closing conditions, including, but not limited to, approval of the Exchange. In accordance with the policies of the Exchange, the CT Shares are currently halted from trading and will remain halted until further notice. The Company will issue a further comprehensive press release announcing closing of the Qualifying Transaction and the date on which trading in the CT Shares will resume in due course.

For further information, please contact:

CT Developers Ltd.

Norm Eyolfson, CEO

416.884.8601

n.eyolfson@gmail.com

Magna Mining Corp.

Jason Jessup, CEO

Jason.jessup@magnamining.com

All information contained in this news release with respect to CT and Magna was supplied by the parties, respectively, for inclusion herein, and CT and its directors and officers have relied on Magna for any information concerning such party.

Completion of the Qualifying Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable pursuant to Exchange requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Qualifying Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Qualifying Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative.

The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the timing and completion of the Qualifying Transaction, the future operations of the Company and Magna and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Qualifying Transaction and the future plans and objectives of the Company and Magna are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations of the Company and Magna include the failure to satisfy the conditions to completion of the Qualifying Transaction set forth above and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company and Magna with securities regulations.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company and Magna. As a result, the Company and Magna cannot guarantee that the Qualifying Transaction will be completed on the terms and within the time disclosed herein or at all. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company and Magna will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.

SOURCE: CT Developers Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638572/CT-Developers-Ltd-Announces-Receipt-of-Conditional-Approval-and-Files-Filing-Statement-and-Technical-Report-in-Connection-With-Qualifying-Transaction-With-Magna-Mining-Corp
Maputo  The Mozambican health authorities on Wednesday reported that a further 758 people have made a complete recovery from the Covid-19 respiratory disease.

According to a press release from the Health Ministry, 565 of these recoveries were declared in Maputo city, 147 in Maputo province, 21 in Sofala, 23 in Inhambane and 12 in Manica. This brings the total number of recoveries to 56,409, which is 83.5 per cent of all those diagnosed with Covid-19 in Mozambique.

The release added that, since the start of the pandemic, 480,898 people have been tested for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, 1,549 of them in the previous 24 hours. Of the samples tested, 660 were from Maputo city, 183 from Nampula, 166 from Zambezia, 118 from Maputo province, 111 from Manica, 95 from Gaza, 81 from Cabo Delgado, 68 from Inhambane, 34 from Sofala, 32 from Tete, and one from Niassa.

1,436 of the tests gave negative results and 113 people tested positive for the coronavirus. Thus the number of recoveries declared on Wednesday greatly exceeds the number of new cases.

The positivity rate (the proportion of those tested found to be carrying the virus) was 7.3 per cent on Wednesday. The positivity rates over the last few days have been: Tuesday 11.2 per cent Monday 7.7 per cent Sunday 11.5 per cent Saturday 5.4 per cent Friday 7.4 per cent Thursday 7.1 per cent

Thus for five days in the past week the positivity rate has been lower than ten per cent. It has never reached 12 per cent, let alone the 20 per cent that was common in February.

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Of the new cases diagnosed on Wednesday, 109 were Mozambicans, three were foreigners (but the Ministry release did not indicate their nationalities), and in one case nationality has not yet been confirmed. 63 were men or boys and 50 were women or girls. Eight were children under the age of 15, and seven were over 65 years old, No age information was available in three cases.

46 of the new cases were from Maputo city and 11 were from Maputo province. Thus between them, Maputo city and province accounted for just over half of Wednesday's cases (50.4 per cent). There were also 18 cases from Nampula, 14 from Zambezia, eight from Manica, six from Gaza, four from Tete, three from Cabo Delgado, two from Inhambane, and one from Sofala.

Over the same 24 hour period, 12 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospital (11 in Maputo and one in Sofala), and five new cases were admitted (two in Maputo, two in Matola and one in Sofala).

There are now 92 patients in the Covid-19 wards, a decline from 102 on Tuesday. 57 of these patients (62 per cent) were in Maputo. There were also 12 patients in Zambezia, eight in Nampula, six in Matola, four in Sofala, three in Inhambane and two in Tete. The Covid-19 facilities in Niassa, Cabo Delgado, Manica and Gaza remained empty.

The Ministry also reported three more Covid-19 deaths. These victims were all Mozambican men, aged 34, 50 and 78. Two died in Maputo city and one in Zambezia. This brings the total Covid-19 death toll in Mozambique to 775.

The number of active Covid-19 cases has now fallen to 10,391 (down from 11,039 on Tuesday). The geographical distribution of these cases is as follows: Maputo city, 8,025 (77.2 per cent of the total); Maputo province, 1,155; Sofala, 293; Nampula, 225; Niassa, 198; Inhambane, 176; Cabo Delgado, 107; Zambezia, 89; Tete, 51; Gaza, 47; and Manica, 25.
Kanpur, April 1 : A charitable trust founded by IIT Kanpur (IIT-K) alumnus Muktesh Pant and his wife Vinita, have announced signing of an MoU with the alma mater to support the establishment of the School of Medical Research and Technology (SMRT).

The MoU with the Micky and Vinita Pant Charitable Fund, amounting to 2.5 million dollars, is the first such donation towards the development of the educational institute, according to a press statement.

"The vision of a world-class medical school at IIT Kanpur is extremely exciting. The current team, under the able leadership of Professor Abhay Karandikar, inspires great confidence," said Muktesh Pant, adding that "IIT Kanpur has always been renowned for leading the way in engineering education and this focus on bringing engineering excellence to medical technology has the potential to create many healthcare miracles in future." Pant, also known as Micky, is an Indian American alumnus of IIT Kanpur, where he received a B.Tech degree in chemical engineering in 1976.

According to the press statement, SMRT is an initiative by IIT Kanpur that aims to revolutionise medical education in India by bridging the gap between medical and technology disciplines.

The first phase of the project would include setting up of various Centres of Excellence (CoE), oriented towards cutting-edge medical research and innovation along with a 500-bed super specialty hospital.

The CoE are expected to work in confluence with the core clinical departments of the hospital and biomedical expertise of various engineering departments of IIT Kanpur.

Additionally, SMRT will also contribute towards meeting the healthcare needs of the population in Kanpur as well as provide benefits pan-India.

"SMRT will bring together the expertise of engineering technologies, biomedical research and clinical set-up under a single umbrella to create a one-of-its-kind world-class medical school in the country," Prof Abhay Karandikar, director of IIT Kanpur, said.

"SMRT will produce outstanding medical professionals trained in state-of-art engineering technologies who can meet the future healthcare needs of our country. We hope that this contribution will motivate others also to contribute to create a legacy," he stated.

Meanwhile, in a career spanning over 35 years, Pant has held various senior positions in premier multinational companies such as Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo, Reebok and Yum Brands.

He is widely acclaimed for the phenomenal growth of Yum Brands' flagship labels such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in international markets including the UK, USA, China and India.

According to his profile on the IIT-K alumni page, the 65-year-old is known for his success in managing companies through social awareness, human understanding and human relationships.

His mother, Shivani, is a famous Hindi novelist and his two sisters, Mrinal Pande and Ira Pande, are also well-known writers.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 21:32:28|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- About 1.1 million people in Britain have reported having long COVID symptoms over a four-week period ending March 6, figures from the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Thursday.

Of the 1.1 million from private households, 674,000 people were thought to have symptoms that affected their daily life, with 196,000 estimated to have their ability to undertake everyday tasks limited a lot, said the ONS.

The ONS survey asked people if they had such symptoms as fatigue, muscle pain, and difficulty concentrating over a four-week period. The latest data include those who were self-reported, rather than clinically diagnosed.

Ben Humberstone, head of Health and Life Events at the ONS, told Sky News that the ONS was "surprised" by the numbers, adding that "this isn't like other diseases".

"Two thirds of those with self-reported long COVID told us its limiting their day-to-day activities so they're not able to do the things they would've been able to do before," Humberstone said.

"And when you think this is most prevalent in people of working ages, that's going to have a real impact on the world of work, childcare and things day to day we take for granted."

Another 4,052 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,345,788, according to official figures released Wednesday.

The country also reported another 43 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain stood at 126,713. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Nearly 31 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the official figures.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem
Dar es Salaam  If you thought Dr Philip Mpango's humbleness translates into a weak leader, you are far off the mark. History will judge Tanza-nia's new Vice President as a humble and media-shy, but a firm individual who cannot be easily swayed when it comes to defending what he believes to be right.

During the past five years that he served as Finance min- ister, Dr Mpango has seen it all, but he stood firm in defence of what be believed was in the public interest.

'You either pay tax or I resign'

Those who pay little attention to how Dr Mpango had always been firm in defending the government's development plans in Parliament will recall how in August 2018 he became the only Cabinet minister to have openly castigated the then powerful Dar es Salaam regional commissioner, Mr Paul Makonda.

That was during the time of the late former President John Magufuli when Mr Makonda was considered untouchable.

Until that time, memories of how costly it could have been to lock horns with Mr Makonda were still vivid among Cabi- net ministers and other Tanzanians.

The point in focus then was how Dr Magufuli fired the then Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Nape Nnauye, over an alleged night raid on the Clouds Media station in Dar es Salaam.

Mr Nnauye was sacked just days after he ordered an inves- tigation into allegations that Mr Makonda had overstepped his mandate by entering the facility at night with armed security men in tow.

Against that background however, Dr Mpango, stuck to his guns when it was his turn to confront Mr Makonda. The bone of contention between the two presidential appointees started with a public notice which Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) issued in May 2018 regarding goods that had overstayed at Dar es Salaam Port without the rel- evant taxes being paid.

The taxman listed Mr Makonda's shipping containers as among items that would be auctioned.

But that did not go down well with the former RC, who vented his anger at TRA, and warned that anyone who purchased the goods would be "cursed by God".

But Dr Mpango said Mr Makonda's remarks were "unfortunate", and insisted that the overstayed furniture would be auctioned to recover unpaid taxes in accordance with the country's tax laws.

"It is not right whatsoever to interfere with legal procedure. I would like to urge fellow leaders to observe the law and not overstep the boundaries of their authority... .Our country must continue to be guided by the rule of law. The government's instruction is that this furniture must be auctioned," Dr Mpango said.

He roundly criticised Mr Makonda for trying to get a shipment of 20 containers of furniture cleared at Dar es Salaam Port paying about Sh1.2 billion in taxes.

"I took an oath to enforce tax laws, and I will not waver ... on this. I'm ready to inform the President that 'that's it'. It's enough. We will not victimise anyone nor will we fear anyone when it comes to enforcement of tax laws... we must uphold our laws ...we can't play around with taxes," he said after inspecting the containers.

Mr Makonda's claims were that he received the furniture as a donation from Tanzanians living in the United States as part of his efforts to build modern offices for teachers in Dar es Salaam's public schools.

Dr Mpango finally won President Magufuli's support when the former head of state said while in Chato that Mr Makonda should pay the tax.

"There is this issue of the Dar es Salaam regional commissioner who has imported containers, and there is the contentious issue of taxes. Who is he that he can't pay taxes?" he queried as he addressed councillors in his home council of Chato, Geita Region, in August 2018.

Taxing petroleum In June of that year (2018), Dr Mpango found himself facing a number of other challenges, but this time it was with MPs.

It emerged that it was probably only Dr Mpango and some few politicians-turned-technocrats who were aware that the government was already collecting up to 35 percent of what consumers pay for a litre of petroleum products.

Debating the Sh32.5 trillion budget for the financial year 2018/19, MPs unanimously agreed that it was about time the government added another Sh50 tax on every litre of petroleum products and channel it to the ring-fenced Water Development Fund.

But Dr Mpango stood firm and trashed the idea, saying accepting it would have had a devastating impact on eco- nomic stability plans.

"The government under- stands the water challenges facing the country... .we ana- lysed the proposal and realised that this is not the right time to do so due to rising global prices of petroleum products... .. Doing so would have dire con- sequences on microeconomic stability and result in second round effects," said Dr Mpango.

The sector, Dr Mpango said, was also heavily taxed already, with a total of up to 19 fees and taxes of different government agencies already slapped on every litre of petroleum products that a consumer buys.

'I will go to Mtwara' During the same period, Dr Mpango also scoffed at threats by some MPs, and said he would go to Lindi and Mtwara ,and that nobody had the right to bar him from going there.

"I have no plans to sabotage the people of Mtwara and Lindi... . It is my right to go to Mtwara, and I will go to visit my friends, colleagues and relatives there... . I will go there in the process of undertaking my usual ministerial duties," he said.

Dr Mpango's remarks were in apparent response to MPs from Lindi and Mtwara, who had earlier warned him against visiting the regions if the government proceeded with its plans to change the law governing cashew nut funds.

That was after MPs fronted by their colleagues from cashew nut growing regions vehemently opposed the government's proposal to change the Cashewnut Industry Act (Cap 203), through the Finance Bill 2018, with a view to ensuring that export levies were col- lected in the consolidated fund.

But Dr Mpango said on June 26, 2018 that he was ready to die for the country, saying he had always worked for all Tanzanians irrespective of where they come from.

"I swore to defend the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania... when I was lecturing at the university, I taught all students irrespective of where they come from...when I was the head of the Planning Commission, I advised the government about a number of projects in the southern regions. If there is anyone against me on person- al reasons, I can only pray for them," he said.

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People want development Speaking shortly before he received Parliament's approval to become Tanzania's Vice President yesterday, Dr Mpango said people want development. He said people want their standard gauge railway (SGR) to be completed. They want the Nyerere Hydropower Dam to be completed.

They want roads, especially in rural areas. They want water and security so they can keep on conducting their projects. They hate corruption.

"If this Parliament approves me as proposed by the President, this is what I will work for. That way, we will achieve the aspirations of our people as portrayed when they bid fare- well to former President John Magufuli," he said.

Parliament, he said, was sup- posed to advise the government, and asked the legislative body to keep on doing what it had been doing all along.

"I'm not humble as some people say. I'm not humble to corrupt people. I'm not humble to those who swindle public funds. I'm not humble to those who sleep on the job," he said.

All 363 MPs who cast their votes yesterday endorsed President Hassan's choice of Dr Mpango as Vice President.

According to Article 71 of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Mpango now ceases to be MP
SAN DIEGO and GAINESVILLE, Fla., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CUSO Financial Services, L.P. ("CFS") today announced a multi-year agreement with Florida Credit Union ("FCU") to oversee and develop its investment services program. Established in 1954, FCU provides financial services to North and Central Florida with approximately $1.4 billion in assets and nearly 120,000 members. The partnership is attributed to CFS's commitment to delivering a customizable investment program with an expanding suite of products and services to meet FCU's growth goals and its community and members' evolving expectations.

FCU is deeply committed to its Florida community and is always looking for new and optimal ways to serve its members. In recent years, the credit union has upgraded its member experience with more technological and digital innovation. With this and a growing member sentiment for greater technology solutions in mind, FCU sought out the most beneficial managed program relationship. In 2020, after a robust request-for-proposal process, FCU determined that CFS would be the ideal partner for its members and their expanding financial needs.

"FCU was looking for a trusted partner, one who understands the importance of facilitating stronger relationships with members, stays ahead of industry trends, maintains a continuous investment in technology, and provides unparalleled service," said David Eckhardt, Chief Operating Officer at Florida Credit Union. "It has become increasingly important for our members to see their investments and finances in one place and have the ability to easily contact their financial professional in numerous ways, including secure and compliant business texting. CFS makes this easy with its integrated portals for both financial professionals and members. Additionally, CFS provides a series of educational opportunities dedicated to our memberswhich further strengthens our commitment to the ongoing enhancement of financial literacy within our community."

CFS and its parent firm, Atria Wealth Solutions, maintain an unwavering commitment to technology as a means to solidify and enrich relationships. Using its integrated advisor platform, Unio, and intuitive client portal, Clear1, CFS can develop, customize, and support investment programsenabling credit unions to provide an exceptional experience to their members.

"CFS believes in deepening the relationships between the credit union and its members, which sets us apart from other managed programs in the industry," said Valorie Seyfert, President at CUSO Financial Services. "We are committed to delivering the best tools, technology, investment solutions, and quality service to make it easier for credit unions to have more meaningful interactions with their members and develop lasting relationships. We are excited to begin this partnership with FCU and look forward to expanding and customizing its investment program to meet the unique needs of FCU's members."

About CUSO Financial Services, L.P.

CUSO Financial Services, L.P. (CFS) and Sorrento Pacific Financial, LLC (SPF) are full-service broker-dealers and subsidiaries of Atria Wealth Solutions. Each broker-dealer is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as both a broker-dealer and as an investment adviser, and are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Established in 1997, CFS and SPF specialize in placing and supporting investment programs within financial institutions. From their headquarters in San Diego, the companies provide customized investment and insurance solutions to over 200 banks and credit unions across the country with more than $37 billion in assets under administration with expertise in key areas, including retirement services, wealth management, advisory solutions and insurance products for individuals and business customers.

For more information, visit cusonet.com, or LinkedIn at CUSO and SPF.

About Florida Credit Union

Florida Credit Union is a full-service financial institution. Founded in 1954 as the Alachua County Teacher's Credit Union, FCU now services over nearly 120,000 consumer and business members in 45 counties throughout North and Central Florida with a wide range of products and services.

SOURCE CUSO Financial Services, L.P.

Related Links

http://cusonet.com


The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday dismissed a review application in which the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) are challenging the gazette of John Peter Amewu, Member of Parliament (MP), for Hohoe Constituency.

The apex court had earlier set aside an order of injunction by the Ho High Court directed at Mr Amenu from holding himself out as the MP for Hohoe.

In the ruling that set aside the High Court order, a seven-member panel of judges presided over by Justice Yaw Apau held that the ruling of the High Court was in the nature of election petition, which can only be entertained by the SC.

Not satisfied with the decision of the apex court, counsel for the applicants, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, filed a review motion, seeking the court to set aside its earlier ruling in the matter.

At proceedings yesterday, a seven-member panel presided over by Justice Apau dismissed the motion and said the reasons for dismissal would be ready by the close of day yesterday.

In moving his application two weeks ago, Mr Tsikata argued that the court committed fundamental errors in law, which occasioned a miscarriage of justice against his clients.

He contended that the court misunderstood the issue when it held that Mr Amewu was only a participant in the election organised by the Electoral Commission (EC) on December 7, 2020.

Mr Tsikata said the denial of more than 17, 000 voters from the SALL area undermined the election in the Hohoe Constituency.

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He posited that, the court's ruling that Mr Amewu had nothing to do with the case that was then before the Ho High Court was a fundamental error, and urged the court to annul the Hohoe Constituency Parliamentary election.

Mr Tsikata argued that his clients were seeking the enforcement of their fundamental rights to vote under Article 33 of the 1992 Constitution and not an election petition.

He said the court did not take into account it own binding principles.

In opposing the motion for review, Chief State Attorney, Grace Awol, said that SC had already dealt with by the case.

She argued that the motion did not meet the requirements of Rule 54 of the Court Act.

On December 23, last year, the High Court in Ho, presided over by Justice George Boadi, granted an injunction application after some residents of SALL argued that their inability to vote in the December 7, 2020, parliamentary election, amounted to a breach of their constitutional rights.

But, the apex court in the Certiorari application filed by the Attorney General's Department ruled that, the said injunction order elapsed before Mr Amewu was gazetted.
A controversial law enacted by the Armenian government last year allows prosecutors to seek asset forfeiture in case of having sufficient grounds to suspect that the market value of an individuals properties exceeds their legal income by at least 50 million drams ($95,000).

Courts can allow the confiscation of such assets even if their owners are not found guilty of corruption or other criminal offenses. The latter will have to prove the legality of their holdings if they are to retain them.

The politically sensitive process is handled by a special division formed within Armenias Office of the Prosecutor-General last September.

The head of the division, Siro Amirkhanian, told RFE/RLs Armenian Service that it has investigated more than 200 individuals and believes that at least five of them had illegally enriched themselves or their families.

There is already enough evidence to file lawsuits [against them] in courts, said Amirkhanian. He refused to name any of those individuals, saying only that they are well-known figures.

Amirkhanian said his team is planning to appeal to new Armenian courts that will deal only with corruption cases. The special courts are due to be established by the end of this year.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly portrayed the law on asset forfeiture as a major anti-corruption measure that will help his administration recover wealth stolen from the people. Pashinian has indicated his intention to use it against the countrys former rulers and their cronies.

Opposition groups and figures, among them supporters of former President Serzh Sarkisian, have condemned the law as unconstitutional and accused Pashinian of planning a far-reaching redistribution of assets to cement his hold on power.

Sarkisian, several other former senior officials and their relatives are already facing corruption or fraud charges rejected by them as politically motivated. None of them has been convicted so far.

One former official, who used to run the Armenian customs service, decided to donate a luxury hotel belonging to his family to the government in late 2018 to avoid prosecution on charges of illegal entrepreneurship and money laundering. The government has repeatedly failed to auction off the property which was valued at $15.8 million before the coronavirus pandemic.
Emirates has announced it will resume its direct service between Milan Malpensa and New York John F Kennedy International Airport from June 1, re-opening year round connectivity between Europe and the US.

The Milan-New York JFK flight will be an extension to Emirates existing flights to Milan EK205, operated by the Boeing 777-300 ER, offering eight seats in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business and 304 ergonomically designed seats in Economy class. The airlines service to and from New York JFK will increase to three times daily to support the newly resumed link, facilitating trade and tourism while providing customers worldwide with more connectivity, convenience and choice.

Emirates flight EK205 will depart Dubai (DXB) at 09:45hrs, arriving in Milan (MXP) at 14:20hrs before departing again at 16:10hrs and arriving into New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) at 19:00hrs the same day. The return flight EK206 will depart JFK at 22:20 hrs, arriving in Milan at 12:15hrs the next day. EK206 will depart once again from Milan the next day at 14:05hrs bound for Dubai where it will arrive at 22:10 hrs (all times are local).

Emirates has recently reaffirmed its commitment to the US with the resumption of services to 11 gateways (including Orlando and Newark in June). The resumed service between Dubai-Milan-JFK will offer more choice to travellers heading from Europe, the Middle East, West Asia, and Africa via Dubai or Milan as well as give seamless access to other US cities beyond New York via the airlines codeshare agreement with Jetblue.

The airline has safely and gradually restarted operations across its network. Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July, Dubai remains one of the worlds most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world's first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)  which endorses Dubai's comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

Customers are encouraged to check the latest government travel restrictions in their country of origin and ensure they meet the travel requirements of their final destination. - TradeArabia News Service
Work continues on the Interstate 25 Gap project between Colorado Springs and Castle Rock in Larkspur on Tuesday. The 18-mile corridor is Colorados longest construction zone.
TSX SYMBOL: FCU

OTCQX SYMBOL: FCUUF

FRANKFURT SYMBOL: 2FU

KELOWNA, BC, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - FISSION URANIUM CORP. ("Fission" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mr. Chris Sammartino, CPA, CGA, to the position of Chief Financial Officer "CFO". Mr. Sammartino is a Chartered Professional Accountant with 20 years of experience in the mining industry. Prior to joining Fission in 2018 as financial controller, he held a variety of accounting and management roles with both private and exchange listed companies. Mr. Sammartino replaces Mr. Ryan Cheung, CPA. Fission wishes to thank Mr. Cheung for his work as Interim CFO and wishes him the best in his future endeavours.

Fission Uranium CORP. Logo (CNW Group/Fission Uranium Corp.)

The Company also announces that Mr. Fei He and Mr. Shiming Ma have stepped down as directors, and Fission wishes to thank both for their services. The two directors are replaced by Mr. Jun Zhou and Mr. Felix Wang.

Mr. Zhou is currently the Chief Executive Officer of China Uranium Development Company Limited and has more than 20 years' experience in finance and corporate management. He earned a Master of Economics in 1999 and has worked as a senior financial manager for CGNPC URC since 2008. Mr. Zhou is a Certified Public Accountant.

Mr. Wang has extensive experience in fundraising and investor relations field. Before joining CGN Mining, he served in the Corporate Finance and Investor Relations team of a leading global electric vehicle startup in China, and successfully raised more than US$740 million for the company. Prior to that, Mr. Wang served in the Investor Relations & Corporate Communication department in CITIC Pacific, a subsidiary of China's largest conglomerate CITIC Group. He obtained double Bachelor degrees in Economics and Business Administration from McDaniel College, USA, and Master of Science in Accounting from Boston College, USA.

Ross McElroy, President and CEO for Fission, commented, "I'm delighted that Mr. Sammartino has accepted the role as Fission's CFO. The company has entered a very active period as we continue to make strong progress towards the feasibility and environmental assessment phases. Mr. Sammartino's experience in the mining sector will be of great benefit to the team and to shareholders. I would also like to welcome our new directors, Mr. Jun Zhou and Mr. Felix Wang, to the Board, and to thank our outgoing directors, Mr. He and Mr. Ma, for their services."

Story continues

About Fission Uranium Corp.

Fission Uranium Corp. is a Canadian based resource company specializing in the strategic exploration and development of the Patterson Lake South uranium property - host to the class-leading Triple R uranium deposit - and is headquartered in Kelowna, British Columbia. Fission's common shares are listed on the TSX Exchange under the symbol "FCU" and trade on the OTCQX marketplace in the U.S. under the symbol "FCUUF."

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Ross McElroy"

_____________________

Ross McElroy, President and CEO

Cautionary Statement:

Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Fission and Fission Uranium which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company and Fission Uranium disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE Fission Uranium Corp.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2021/01/c5739.html
An Italian businessman who orchestrated his own kidnapping in Syria was snatched by jihadists for real and held for three years, an investigation has found.

Alessandro Sandrini, 34, had been told a gang would take him to a posh villa where he could enjoy 'everything he needed' including 'women, alcohol and drugs'.

He thought the kidnappers planned to make millions in ransom from the Italian government.

Mr Sandrini was taken to Adana in Turkey but was sold to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham - a Syrian terrorist group - in October 2016.

The jihadists sent out a sickening picture of the businessman on his knees in an orange jumpsuit as two Islamists stood behind him with guns.

He was set free nearly three years later in May 2019 amid claims his government paid the ransom.

Alessandro Sandrini (pictured) had been told a gang would take him to a posh villa where he could enjoy 'everything he needed' including 'women, alcohol and drugs'

He thought the kidnappers planned to make millions in ransom from the Italian government. he is pictured just after his release

On his release two years ago, Mr Sandrini claimed he had been on holiday in Turkey when he was snatched.

He said at the time: 'I lost my way to the hotel and found myself walking around the streets of Adana.

'I felt someone putting something on my face. I felt drugged and I fell asleep. I woke up in a room where there were two people who were armed and hooded.'

At the time of the kidnap Mr Sandrini was faced an arrest warrant for handling stolen goods and another for a burglary.



And he was this week charged for fraud and simulating a crime after an investigation was launched into his disappearance.

On his release two years ago (pictured), Mr Sandrini claimed he had been on holiday in Turkey when he was snatched

Sergio Zanotti tried a similar trick as he was taken to Antioch in April 2016 - expecting money from a black market Iraqi currency trading deal.

But he was also sold to terrorists and was held until April 2019 when the Italian secret service negotiated his release - reportedly paying a ransom. He is under investigation in Italy.

Police said a third businessman was approached about making the trip to Turkey, but pulled out at the last minute when he refused to board a plane.

The bizarre story emerged after Italian anti-terrorism police and the Carabinieri launched a probe into the kidnappings.

They arrested three alleged members of the kidnap gang - Italian Alberto Zanini, 54, and Albanians Fredi Frrokaj, 43, and Olsi Mitraj, 41 - in Brescia, northern Italy.

Sergio Zanotti (pictured) tried a similar trick as he was taken to Antioch in April 2016 expecting money from a black market Iraqi currency trading deal

The three men - with Frrokaj as their leader - had associates in Turkey who carried out the kidnapping and handed the two Italians over to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

One of Mr Sandrini's ex-girlfriends was also in on his original money-making scheme.

She told local media: 'During the drive to the airport he kept telling me that I should stay calm, because when he got home we'd have loads of money that would come from the foreign ministry as ransom for his release.'

She added: 'Before he left, he assured me that if I kept up the charade with his family, the newspapers and the police, 100,000 (85,000) would be mine.'
column

Following the 5th December 2020 Imo North Senatorial by-election to replace the late Benjamin Uwajumogu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared victory in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) without proclaiming a winner. This was due to a multiplicity of cases by APC members claming to be the party's candidate and the various reliefs they were able to procure from different courts. But in a recent petition signed by the party's acting National Chairman and governor of Yobe, Mai Mala Buni, APC accused Supreme Court Justices Mohammed Dattijo, Abdu Aboki and Helen Ogunwumiju of conspiring with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to deliver the senate seat. This grave allegation has already elicited a response from the apex court with dire implications for the people of Imo North and democracy in Nigeria.

Announcing the suspension of proceedings in the appeal by Chukwuemeka Ibezim regarding his dispute with Ifeanyi Ararume, Justice Mohammed Dattijo--who led a five-member panel of the apex court--said APC has called to question his integrity and that of two colleagues. "Let me confirm to all counsel in this matter that the Interim National Chairman of APC had written a petition against me and two other Justices of this court, namely Helen Ogunwumiju and Abdu Aboki" said Dattijo. "They alleged that my humble self had led my two brothers to attend a meeting with members of the PDP to strategize on how to subvert the outcome of this case. I must say that this is most unfortunate and my heart bleeds for this country. This is a reckless and irresponsible statement. If they have honour, let them substantiate their allegations and I will not stay a day longer in this court. So, this matter is adjourned sine die," meaning indefinitely.

The problem began on 5th September last year when factions emerged from the seven-man committee established by the APC to conduct primaries for Imo North senatorial election. Chaired by Senator Ajibola Bashiru with Samuel Ogbuku as Secretary, other committee members included Jibrin Gada, Bello Kumo, Umar Gana, Mohammed Saba and Godfrey Ejim. At the end of the exercise, two APC senatorial candidates emerged. While Bashiru led the secretary and two other members to declare Ibezim winner, the remaining three committee members gave victory to Ifeanyi Ararume. The party headquarters threw its weight behind Ibezim and submitted his name to INEC. But several politicians, including those from parties that ordinarily had no dog in the fight, went to court with all manner of cases. That was how the judiciary became a pawn in the political chess game.

In the Nigerian legal system, there is only ONE Federal High Court. There is also only ONE Court of Appeal. That has not stopped our politicians from instituting cases involving same parties at different locations of the same court. On 6th November 2020, the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri disqualified Ibezim and declared Ararume the APC candidate in a case filed by Lady Uchenna Ubah. This case proceeded to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and both overturned the verdict which then left the coast clear for Ibezim. But in a case filed by Tony Elebeke on 4th December 2020, another Federal High Court sitting in Abuja disqualified Ibezim, thus technically giving the ticket to Ararume 24 hours to the election. This judgement was affirmed by the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja. However, we must remember that the Owerri panel of the Court of Appeal (in the case filed against APC by Lady Ubah) had earlier upheld the election of the same Ibezim. Were different facts presented before the two panels? Similarly, the Supreme Court that had earlier validated the election of Ibezim in the Ubah case against APC disqualified him on this latter case thus effectively giving the ticket to Ararume. Were different facts presented before the Supreme Court too?

That of course was not the end of the court drama. On 8th March 2021, an interim order was sought at the FCT High Court to compel INEC to recognize Chief Emmanuel Okewulonu, the PDP candidate, winner of the election. This is forum shopping by another politician who had actually filed a similar case at the Election Petition Tribunal that is still pending. However, the Judge was also clever. Apparently in a bid to buy time for the matter to be decided either by the Supreme Court or the Election Tribunal, he adjourned the case. On 18th March, 2021, without waiting for the appeal pending at the Supreme Court, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja declared Ararume winner of the election. On the same day, an Interim Injunction was obtained from the High Court of Imo State, restraining INEC from recognizing Ararume as the candidate for the election. Curiously, the case was filed by a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). What is APGA's interest in APC internal issues? Obviously a case of hand of Esau, voice of Jacob!

Interestingly, before the Imo North Senatorial contest became enmeshed in litigation, the APC screening committee had disqualified Ibezim and the decision was upheld by the party's appeal panel. Somehow, somehow as we say in Nigeria, it was the name of this same disqualified aspirant that the party sent to INEC as APC candidate. With that, the commission is helpless because by design, our politicians have protected themselves, regardless of how they circumvent their own internal processes. Section 31 of the Electoral Act says that once a party submits the list of candidates, INEC has no power to reject or disqualify "for any reason whatsoever".

As sordid as the foregoing may appear, nobody should imagine this is only an APC problem. Internal democracy is alien to all our political parties as can be glimpsed from a similar problem in Cross River State involving the PDP. In a split decision of four to three, the supreme court on 17th February dismissed the appeal filed by Stephen Odey challenging the judgement of the Court of Appeal which declared Agom Jarigbe the validly-nominated candidate for Cross River Senatorial District. But the role played by the judiciary was, to put it mildly, very suspicious. Why, for instance, was Jarigbe's case filed before the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, rather than in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State where the contentious PDP primary was held and the venue of the by-election? Then there is a glaring abuse of court processes by the use of interim exparte orders.

As its name implies, an 'interim' order is a temporary order but has long become a potent tool in the hands of Nigerian politicians to checkmate being denied justice or compel compliance with a ruse. As absurd as it may sound, however, we should not blame Jarigbe. He evidently won the primaries but the PDP panel gave victory to his opponent, apparently to appease a powerful man in the state. Jarigbe may therefore have reasoned that those behind his travail were in control of the judicial arm in Calabar, including the Federal High Court. So, at the end, what saved the day for him was the curious judgement he got from Port Harcourt. In a dramatic development on 17th December last year, just 24 hours after the Clerk of the National Assembly had sworn-in Odey as a Senator, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja declared Jarigbe the duly nominated PDP candidate for the electon. And that has been affirmed by the apex court. How do you run a country like that?

The challenge at hand is the absence of internal party democracy. In fact, the most lucrative enterprise for party members is to be saddled with the assignment of primaries in the states. This explains why most election cases are those that challenge the conduct/management of the nomination of candidates. Party primaries are replete with manipulation of membership registers, total disregard for their own constitutions and guidelines as well as blatant corruption and imposition of candidates, especially by governors.

That Nigerian politicians refuse to see the danger of subverting democracy is very clear. Where they don't resort to litigation, they disrupt well organized elections by INEC, using thugs as it happened in Ekiti State two weeke ago. What is sad about Ekiti is not just that lives were lost but also that the constituency (Ekiti East 1 State Constituency) is one of the smallest in Nigeria. It covers half of just one local government with only five Wards, 39 polling units and 23,670 registered voters. If this trend continues unchecked, one can only imagine what will happen during the governorship election next year or in the 2023 general election involving the entire country.

Meanwhile, INEC has been statutorily restrained by the provision of Section 31(1) of the Electoral Act from exercising any discretion on the candidates being sponsored by a party. This is to ensure that INEC is apolitical. Fine. But the spurious court verdicts don't help the commission either. Sadly, the Supreme Court which ordinarily has the duty to hammer against judicial rascality in lower courts has been dragged into the mess by its own internal contradictions. We now have a situation where people who come fourth in elections are able to become governors by the benevolence of judicial officers. Or as it is the case with Imo North Senatorial District, thousands of people will turn out to vote yet four months after, they would have no representation at the National Assembly. It is getting to a point in which Nigerians will begin to ask themselves, why bother to vote?

In the course of interrogating this same vexatious issue last year, I made allusion to why democracy, according to Ross Feingold, is considered the most legitimate form of government, essentially because the power of choice rests with the people. "But when this power dynamic is altered and citizens lose their influence, the legitimacy of the system is threatened." In a situation where politicians no longer campaign but rely on the court to get to power, that is no longer democracy. Both the National Judicial Commission (NJC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) as well as other critical stakeholders should work together to save our judiciary from this shameful conduct. To file frivolous cases, lawyers after filthy lucre will breach civil procedural demands and get such cases assigned to and heard by their accomplices on the bench. While we must put an end to such unholy alliances, there is also an urgent need to bring post-party primaries litigations under the electoral law. This will eliminate forum shopping and also deal with the issue of proliferation of orders and judgments emanating from different courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

While political parties must wean themselves of bad behaviour in the conduct of their primaries to nominate candidates for elections, both the Constitution and the Electoral Act require amendment. We cannot continue with a situation in which Judges veto the choices of the electorate on the basis of technicalities such as how names are written on certificates. If this democracy is to survive, it is imperative that the judiciary as an institution and judges as individuals are not only impartial to those who appear before them but also that the wider public have the confidence that cases affecting their well-being will be decided fairly and in accordance with the law.

As a cornerstone of democracy, any judiciary that doesn't serve constitutional goals is a problem for the society. It's worse when Judges are perceived as not acting fairly, reasonably, and in preservation of public trust in the rule of law. That sadly is the state we are in Nigeria today and it calls for a lot of soul searching by judicial officers. Proliferation of court cases with similar cause of action at different locations of courts of coordinate jurisdiction indicates forum shopping and may point to the fact that justice is now cash and carry. This can only encourage jungle justice. However, the greater responsibility lies with the political class. Which is why the APC, as the ruling party, should be restrained in making claims it cannot substantiate against judicial officers at the apex court. In their own enlightened interest, they must begin to accord the judiciary the respect and dignity necessary for judges to do their work without being dragged into partisan politics or having their reputation sullied.

Amatala and Other 'Unforgotten' Children

Despite protestation from my friend, Waziri Adio who has been her greatest supporter and encourager right from the beginning, I had warned my wife when this whole idea started three years ago that on no account should it get to the media. I promised financial support and when necessary rally close friends but it should always be our own way of giving back to the society in a quiet way. When Ms Tolu Salami, a Masters degree holder and job seeker, joined to assist in managing the 'school', I should have seen a red flag with the opening of a Twitter account. But with a followership of just 75 comprising family and friends, I never thought much of it. Then the photograph of Amatala, a two-year old who was in the habit of loitering around the 'school' premises with book in hand, changed everything!

Meet the tenacious little Amatala Musa! Amatala is not our student, her siblings are but every now and again we would notice her hang around school premises under the sun with a book, we have spoken to her mom about this. Please note; We are not currently admitting students. pic.twitter.com/7eeMiLF5SL

- nfischool (@nfischool) March 26, 2021

Within a few hours, the Twitter account had attracted more than a thousand followers with many people asking how they could support the initiative. When Waziri told me he was going to blow my cover about the project as a follow up to the tweet, I really couldn't care anymore. But I have so many people to thank for the way my wife is gradually transforming the lives of 54 children, 17 young adults and their parents through an informal project she was compelled to register and now goes by the name Not Forgotten Initiative (NFI).

It's a long story but let me share the key points. There were many ramshackle shanties around our house in Asokoro with inhabitants whose children were just roaming the area. On a particular day in 2018, a pregnant woman flagged down my wife as she drove past, asking for help. Her husband had asked her to move her things from their abode and she needed someone to intervene. Upon investigation, the conflict stemmed from her refusal to give him the N5,000 she had saved from her petty trading to send Haruna, her first son whose father is late, to school. She was looking to get the savings to N15,000 to register the boy in school and here she was, about to be kicked out of her matrimonial home.

When my wife discussed the matter with me, she followed up with a proposition: Why don't we take up Haruna's education? I agreed instantly. Then she added, 'What about the other kids? We need to do something about them as well.' She told me she had discussed with parents and they expressed willingness to have their children (14 at the time) in school but had no money. I told her to go ahead with whatever she planned, promising to provide the financial resources. I know I have good friends I can always count on.

My wife took my word as a license to construct two classrooms in a make-shift structure on an empty land within the area. But the moment the 14 pupils were enrolled and one teacher employed, we had many children showing up, looking all scruffy and tattered. And we could not turn them back. We hired two more teacers. Just as I was getting worried by the financial implications as the number of pupils kept increasing, my friend, Folorunsho (Foli) Coker, added a new idea. Following his appointment as Director General of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Coker arrived Abuja in 2017 to take accommodation beside the 'school'. He fell in love with the children and inquired about people behind the idea. When he got to know I was involved, Foli called me to suggest, "Segun, your wife has to go beyond teaching those children. They deserve at least one meal a day. I will support you." That was how meal became part of the project.

We soon introduced the 'extension school' with the sole purpose of providing after school support to struggling students from government owned secondary schools, particularly in Mathematics, English and basic science. We also serve them lunch and the number grew from the initial eight to 17. One of them emerged the president of his school's mathematics club, another became the best overall student in mathematics. It was like a dream come true when we offered a full boarding scholarship to two of them who recently completed their junior WAEC and others are working so hard to benefit from this opportunity. We have since extended the 'school' from two to seven classrooms, five teachers, several volunteers. And from the beginning, we promised that we would give those kids the best education so they undertake excursion visits, have movie days and many professionals come in from time to time to fire their imaginations. But the most fulfilling for me is that our three children love the idea and treat those NFI children, all of whose names they know (I know only a few) like siblings.

For proper documentation, my wife was advised to register the 'school'. It was at the point of registration that she was told that if we were providing uniforms, bags, shoes, socks, stationary, one meal a day and everything, we couldn't register it as a school. They said it had to be registered as an NGO. That was how the Not Forgotten Initiative (NFI) came to be. There are currently 54 registered pupils but there are 83 more on the 'Waiting List' (those that could not be accommodated) and 17 'extension school' students.

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During the pandemic, it was impossible to transition to digital learning, so my wife and children dropped off homework and relief materials to their houses for the children and families. A young lady named Mariam joined our evening tutorial programme for secondary school students. Then the story emerged that her mother was planning to give her away in marriage. After investigation, we realised that the mother wanted to take advantage of an offer of 150,000 Naira from a suitor to marry her off. My wife spoke to the mother, auntie and the brother in law, and they agreed to cancel the marriage if NFI would cater for Mariam's education. We gladly accepted the deal. Another young lady, Nana Usman was brought to us to be a cleaner because the family could no longer cater for her education. We also accepted responsibility for her education. She has just completed her junior WAEC as well.

But not all stories are pleasant. Very recently, two NFI pupils, ages 8 and 5, witnessed the rape of their two-year-old sibling in their home. We sought help from the good people of Cece-yara foundation and all three kids are getting therapy and the culprit is currently in police custody, because he was actually caught in the act. The story of Amatala has resonated but there is still trouble in her home. Her father, who had abandoned their mother since last year, walked into NFI two weeks ago and asked to withdraw his four children and take them to the village. We thought by putting Haruna (whose father is late) in boarding school, the man would relent but he is fighting back through the children enrolled in NFI, including Amatala! Incodentally, part of the programme include persuading difficult parents like him and building a support system that can pressurise them into pursuing the best interests of their children.

The NFI experience has been an exciting journey and hopefully, one day I will tell the complete story. The aim is to help these children and young adults to become the best they can possibly be and break the cycle of poverty in heir families. My wife is a chartered insurer (ACIIN) and a chartered accountant (with both ICAN and ACCA). But she stopped her business to devote all her attention to running the 'school'. We started with a 6/6 feet structure in December 2018. Then expanded the structure to 12/12 feet in March 2019. And built another in January this year. All these structures are on a land whose owner we still don't know and from whom we never secured any permission in the first place. I suspect that the owner is aware of what we are doing and is probably watching.

It is interesting that we have become like foster parents to these children whose parents are also to us almost like families. To all of them, I am daddy and my wife, mummy. But we could not have come this far without the support of very good people. Waziri and Sandra Adio as well as Mustapha and 'Sweetheart' Onoyiveta have been wonderful and so have been Mrs Sylvia Garuba (I will tell her story one day) and Mrs Ibilola Essien. We appreciate the many people who have supported us either in cash or in kind. To Mr Nduka Obaigbena, Ms Jacqueline Farris, Father George Ehusani, Pastor Tunde Olorunwunmi, Mrs Maryam Uwais, Mrs Mosunmola Jegede, Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Azodoh, Mrs Yoyinsola Makanjuola, Mr Ferdinand Agu, Mr Olawale Banmore, Pastor Martins, Mrs Funke Abegunde, Mrs Ebere Ihedioha, Pastor Niyi Ajibola, Mrs Tinuke Kuti, Malam Musa Bello, Ms Liz Ekpenyong, Mrs Chinwe Umeh-Ujobuona, Dr (Mrs) Rosemary Nwokorie, Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, Dr Iko Ibanga, Mr Kayode Komolafe, Mrs Koyinsola Dickson, Mrs Maria Uwalla, Mrs Tosin Dokpesi, Mr Ubile Lawson, Mrs Florence Egopija, Mr Simon Kolawole, Mrs Toyosi Ahmadu, Mr Ola Awoniyi, Mrs Aisha Coker, Mrs Obiageli Obianozie, Mr Bamidele Okunowo, Mrs Taiwo Ojo, Pastor Dayo Kayode, Pastor (Mrs) Elsie Otegbade, Mr Ismaila Lawal, Mr Bunmi Thomas and several others who support the project without any solicitation from us, I say a very big thank you.

I am of the firm conviction that the issue of millions of out-of-school children is something that should concern not only the government but the larger society. Together, we can collectively tackle this menace.

You can follow me on my Twitter handle, @Olusegunverdict and on www.olusegunadeniyi.com
Washington, April 1 : Private companies in the US added 517,000 jobs in March, indicating continued laboUr market recovery, payroll data company Automatic Data Processing (ADP) said in a report.

The employment growth was mainly in the service-providing sectors, which added 437,000 jobs in the month, according to Wednesday's report, which was produced by the ADP Research Institute in collaboration with Moody's Analytics.

"Job growth in the service sector significantly outpaced its recent monthly average, led with notable increase by the leisure and hospitality industry," Xinhua news agency quoted Nela Richardson, chief economist of ADP, as saying.

"We are continuing to keep a close watch on the hardest hit sectors but the groundwork is being laid for a further boost in the monthly pace of hiring in the months ahead," Richardson said.

Large firms and medium-sized businesses hired 155,000 and 188,000 workers respectively, while small companies added 174,000 employees, the ADP report showed, indicating a balanced recovery across different company sizes.

Private companies slashed roughly 20 million jobs in March and April last year amid Covid-19 shutdowns.

Amid reopening efforts, the private sector saw a revised job gain of over 3 million in May, followed by a revised growth of over 4 million in June.

In recent months, however, job growth has been slowing down.

In December, the trend was even reversed, with private companies shedding a revised 75,000 jobs amid Covid-19 spikes.

The ADP report came two days before the crucial monthly employment report released by the BLS, which will include employment data from both the private sector and the government.
The Syrian Civil war is now ten years old. The conflict has created over 5 million refugees many of whom are still living in camps. VOAs Anchal Vohra traveled to the Beqaa valley in Lebanon for this report.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office. [Photo/Xinhua]

A Chinese mainland Taiwan affairs spokeswoman condemned on Wednesday a series of recent actions by the United States to strengthen its exchanges with the island.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said under the complex and difficult situation in the Taiwan Straits, the US, with sinister intentions, was continuing to send wrong signals to "Taiwan independence "forces.

"It fuels the separatist activities for 'independence' and brings burdens and disasters to the people on the island. In the end, it will only be Taiwan that suffers the most," she said.

A large-scale People's Liberation Army exercise was conducted near the island last week after an agreement was reached between the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US.

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Coast Guard Working Group on March 25, the representative office said in a news release posted on its website on Friday.

On Friday, 20 PLA aircraft entered Taiwan's self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone, the most in one day since the PLA started routine exercises in the region last year, the island's defense authority said.

Zhu said Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory and the PLA is fully justified in carrying out exercises and training activities to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

She voiced opposition to official exchanges in any form between the US and Taiwan after the US ambassador to Palau joined a delegation led by Palau's president that visited Taiwan on Sunday.

US lawmakers put forward the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act last week, which seeks to update US policy toward Taiwan. If passed, it would update the status of the head of the AIT to the level of "ambassador".

Zhu urged the US to abide by the one-China principle and stipulations in the three Sino-US joint communiques.

She also condemned Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party for relying on the US to seek independence and said it will fail.

Bao Chengke, a professor of cross-Straits relations at the Institute for East Asian Studies in Shanghai, said the Biden administration was continuing to play the "Taiwan card" to challenge Beijing.

The US is trying to move beyond the one-China framework by upgrading Taiwan's status, including allowing US officials to visit Taiwan, he said.

"The mainland's attitude is firm and clear," Bao said. "The military aircraft exercise near the island is sending a warning to the island authorities and shows national sovereignty. If necessary, more measures should be taken to make it clear that Taiwan is a part of China."
Biblical apologist Ken Ham explains why he thinks the Washington University researcher's op-ed, despite subtleties in the word choices, means the same as "attacking Creationist Colleges."

In his column for Answers in Genesis, Ken Ham addressed Dr. S. Joshua Swamidass' propositions in his commentary titled "A Compromise on Creationism" published on the Wall Street Journal. Ham, likewise, acknowledged Swamidass' claim that he's also a Christian, but that he supports the evolutionist's view.

Following the previous report on the professor's argument that "creationist institutions" must be held to the same standards as that of other academic institutions, the apologist pointed out the contradiction between that and Swamidass' belief on Adam and Eve as real people.

"He claims that he's for Christian schools and 'academic freedom' but that's not really what he means," said Ham who also read Swamidass' commentary in full.

The "National Norm" Means "Teaching Evolution"

Conclusively, that's what the scientist was getting at in his opinion piece, Ham said.

In his commentary, he's ultimately saying that Christians can have the "academic freedom" to believe what they want but, really, they should be required to teach evolution as fact," observes Ham. "And, if they're going to teach creation (he specifically singles out young earth creation) to students, those classes should be "prominently disclosed, tracked and reported," including on students' transcripts."

Evidently, this approach will nullify the hard-earned credits of those students who studied from Christian Colleges. They will need to take more classes should they want to transfer to secular schools. For these reasons, Ham declared that the professor was "not really 'for' Christian colleges or academic freedom."

What the "Christian" Researcher Missed

Ham broke down two fundamentals that Swamidass missed in his writing. First, is that if you're a Christian, there's no "neutrality." A Christian worldview covers everything including science.

"If you don't have the foundation of God's Word, you explain everything without God. That's the foundation of naturalism which is based on atheism. Evolution is a religion grounded in naturalism and atheism!" said Ham.

Second, is the nature of science in which Ham explains that there are two kinds of science-observational and historical.

"Observational science is directly testable, observable, and repeatable. It is what drives medical and technological innovation. Historical science deals with the past. It's not directly testable, observable, or repeatable," he said.

"Evidence must be interpreted," he continued. "And what you believe about the past (evolution and millions of years vs. the history given to us in God's Word) provides the framework, the worldview, through which you interpret the evidence."

Beware of Deceptions

Ham confessed that he agreed that Swamidass' ideas are dangerous when he was asked during an interview for a Christian radio program.

"...Because he's hiding what he's really trying to do behind academic-sounding words, and people who are Christians will think he's on side with these colleges. But he's not at all. It's all deceptive," he explained.

Ham added that the secular majority could also use his "critique" against "creationism" as taught by Christian schools as an added stimulant to their attacks to these Colleges.

"Yes, this is a dangerous and deceptive way of thinking and it's very sad to see it coming from someone who professes Christ-someone who should start his thinking with the Word of God, from the very first verse, and not with outside ideas," sighed the defender of the Biblical Creation model.

(Update: Edited text to accurately present Mr. Ken Ham as an apologist and Dr. Swamidass as professor and scientist.)
Adams leadership, work ethic and character are emblematic of Payrocs core values. He leads by example, listens first, and believes our people are essential to the success and future of our business.

Payroc WorldAccess, LLC (Payroc), a leading merchant acquirer and global payment processing organization, announced today the promotion of Adam Oberman from Chief Revenue Officer to President.

Adams leadership, work ethic and character are emblematic of Payrocs core values, said Payroc CEO, Jim Oberman. He leads by example, listens first, and believes our people are essential to the success and future of our business. These qualities, plus his knowledge of every aspect of the business makes this role as President a perfect fit for Adam.

Adam brings over 20 years of experience to Payrocs executive team and is one of the original founders of Payroc in 2003. Since that time, he has operated in multiple capacities to serve the company. From 2004 through 2011, Adams role was focused on the development of larger and more complex eCommerce merchants, which remains one of the cornerstones of Payrocs core capabilities. Then in 2012-2017, Adam became Chief Financial Officer, and was responsible for all financial, risk, and compliance matters of the company, ensuring Payrocs partners are paid accurately and on-time.

In 2019, after the merger of Payroc, Payscape, NXGEN & BluePay Canada under Parthenon Capital Partners, he moved into the role of Chief Revenue Officer. In this capacity, Adam oversaw Payrocs sales channels and distribution strategy, both domestically and abroad. In addition to his most recent promotion to President, Oberman also serves on Payrocs Board of Directors.

I have had the pleasure of working in several different capacities in my years at Payroc. I am extremely proud to now serve as President, said Oberman. Our organization is unique and focused on growth while investing in the incredible team we have built. I am excited to continue to serve our company, our dedicated team, and our customers to help fuel positive growth for years to come.

In his new role, Adams primary focus is to become a technology disruptor, and apply Payrocs streamlined innovations across all reseller and merchant channels. In addition, he will work to bridge the gap across borders, better aligning teams across the US, Canada, Mexico, and especially in Payrocs new engineering & innovation hub in the United Kingdom, where Payroc announced it would create 75 new jobs. Oberman iterates, Transparent communication and clarity on Payrocs vision & goals are key to my leadership focus going into this new role.

About Payroc

Payroc is a high-growth merchant acquirer, processor and payment facilitation powerhouse processing $26.4 billion in annual charge volume in over 40 countries, for more than 66,000 merchants. The company offers best-in-class sales enablement and payment processing technology on a global basis, delivering proprietary, innovative and full-service merchant acquiring solutions together with key card brand network payment sponsorship registrations.

Payroc, and its affiliate companies under Payroc WorldAccess LLC, is a registered Visa third party processor, Mastercard third party servicer and a registered independent sales organization and merchant services provider (ISO/MSP), payment facilitator and encryption support organization for Fifth Third Bank, National Association (Fifth Third).. To learn more, visit http://www.payroc.com.


TUCSON, Ariz., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vets 4 Child Rescue (V4CR), a non-profit organization formed in 2017 and dedicated to fighting child rape trafficking, announced today that they have adopted the industry leading investigation case management system from Austin, TX based Case Closed Software.

According to a V4CR spokesperson, their non-profit's mission is 3-fold:

Case Closed Software develops inexpensive case management software to help battle Human Trafficking, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC), Animal Abuse, Drug Trafficking, and other criminal activities

Nationwide alert : Provide nationwide attention to the prevalence of child rape trafficking that is rampant in all 50 states. This is done through traditional media, social media and our Nationwide Volunteer program.

Arrest child predators : An investigative team uses their military and law enforcement experience to run operations in conjunction with local/federal law enforcement and district attorneys to arrest predators that prey on children and to ensure that they will see the cases through to conviction.

Protect our children : The V4CR Nationwide Volunteer program provides educational outreach programs to arm citizens with the necessary tools to protect their children and maintain safe communities.

"V4CR is fully committed to the rescue of children, and we're investing in the best technologies possible to assist us. Case Closed Software is a huge part of that strategy," says V4CR Founder and Veteran Navy SEAL Craig "Sawman" Sawyer. "With these leading-edge tools, we can ensure the evidence will be processed optimally and the predators brought to legal account behind bars where they can harm no more."

Craig grew up near Houston, TX, got his tactical start in the U.S. Marine Corps, and quickly transitioned to the U.S. Navy to pursue high-level Special Operations as a U.S. Navy SEAL. As an Operator on the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), Craig gained critical combat experience that is now being utilized to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Because of his experience as a federal criminal investigator, Craig is uniquely qualified to run joint sting operations with law enforcement agencies and allied Non-Governmental Organizations.

Case Closed Software, founded in 2016 by Austin TX entrepreneur Douglas Wood, provides V4CR with robust software designed to assist in their fight against human trafficking and child rape. The software helps V4CR track the entire case lifecycle from tips to post-prosecution, and has revolutionized their ability to work more cases, arrest more perpetrators, and most importantly rescue more children.

"With all of our law enforcement connections and investigators, we needed a platform that will allow us to better our operations and use our resources to their full capacity," added Pete McCarthy, the director of investigations at V4CR. "Case Closed Software gives us end-to-end case management with a configurable workflow, tips and leads management, evidence tracking, operations planning, multi-language support, and a host of other powerful features including entity deconfliction and visualization."

Media Contact:

Jeanette Carlisle

520-210-7499

[email protected]

SOURCE Veterans 4 Child Rescue
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.
Niger says it thwarted an attempted coup just days before the inauguration of the next president.



Armed attackers tried to seize the presidential palace in the early hours of Wednesday but were fought off by the presidential guard, sources said.



President-elect Mohamed Bazoum is due to be sworn in on Friday.



It will be the first transfer of power between two democratically elected presidents in Niger since the country became independent in 1960.



Niger is the world's poorest nation, according to the UN's development rankings for 189 countries. It has seen four military coups, most recently in 2010.



Residents in the capital Niamey reported hearing bursts of gunfire at around 03:00 local time (02:00 GMT) early on Wednesday.



The attackers, reportedly from a nearby airbase, fled after being met with gunfire and shelling.



A government spokesman said a number of arrests have been made and investigators are working to identify who was responsible.



"The government condemns this cowardly and retrograde act which seeks to jeopardise the democracy and the rule of law to which our country is resolutely committed," he said.



The current President, Mahamadou Issoufou, is stepping down after two five-year terms. His successor, Mr Bazoum, is a former interior minister from the governing party.



The democratic transfer of power in a country prone to coups has won international praise, but Mr Bazoum's rival Mahamane Ousmane rejected the result of the election.



There have been increasing attacks by jihadist groups as well as political tensions in the country following Mr Bazoum's victory.

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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and Manufacturing Company Ltd on Thursday said its Managing Director Jeh Wadia has stepped down and as an interim measure its day-to-day management would be looked after by the CEO and CFO of the company.

Jeh Wadia, whose term expired on March 31, has held the position since April 2011.

"In keeping with the objective of professionalisation of the management, Jeh Wadia, MD of The and Manufacturing Company Ltd has stepped down and will not be renewing his contract as Managing Director of the company which has expired on March 31, 2021, the company said in a regulatory filing.

It further said CEO Suresh Khurana and CFO Hitesh Vora would look after the day-to-day management and work under the supervision of Minnie Bodhanwala, a Director of the company.

Besides, the Strategic Committee' of the board of directors of the company comprising its Chairman Nusli N Wadia and independent directors



Vinesh Jairath and Sunil Lalbhai, will continue to provide suitable guidance as done hitherto, it added.

Jeh Wadia, son of Chairman Nusli Wadia, had earlier in March this year, stepped down as the Managing Director of Wadia Group-controlled airlines GoAir.

At the time of his stepping down, the airlines had said the key element of the plan was to strengthen the management of the company by bringing on-board proven industry professionals, a strategy that has worked well for the group in its other ventures including Britannia.
Thiruvananthapuram: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is on a two-day visit to the poll-bound states, attacked UDF and LDF governments while addressing an election rally in Kerala. The BJP leader accused the previous governments in the state of betraying the people of Kerala.

People of Kerala have supported UDF & LDF from time to time. But both alliances have only betrayed people. It's time to take revenge for that betrayal via ballots & make NDA candidates victorious, said UP CM and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath in Pathanamthitta.

The UP Chief minister also attacked the LDF for not being able to ensure national security in the state. "We shouldn't forget that PFI & SDPI's activities are becoming a threat to national security. LDF's soft corner for such elements indicate a serious threat to the security of Kerala & the future of the youth," he said.

People of Kerala have supported UDF & LDF from time to time. But both alliances have only betrayed people. It's time to take revenge for that betrayal via ballots & make NDA candidates victorious: UP CM & BJP leader Yogi Adityanath in Pathanamthitta#KeralaAssemblyElection2021 pic.twitter.com/yQ7v02uUSb  ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021

"Muslim League-Congress alliance is a betrayal to Kerala's safety. Along with PFI-SDPI, LDF is betraying Kerala. The kind of activities occurring in Kerala draws our attention to a dangerous tomorrow," Yogi Adityanath added.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to address numerous election rallies and roadshows in the poll-bound state.

The Uttar Pradesh CM started his campaign for BJP in the poll-bound state in the morning from Haripad Assembly in Kayamkulam. The Kayamkulams public rally was followed by massive roadshows in Kazhakkoottam and Parassala in the afternoon.

Additionally, BJP National President JP Nadda is also scheduled to hold numerous public rallies and roadshows in Kerala. The BJP chief will commence his campaigning in the poll-bound state with a roadshow in Attingal constituency in the morning, followed by a public meeting in Karunagappally constituency at noon.

The election for the 140-member Kerala Assembly will be held on April 6 in over 40,771 polling stations. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

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At long last, the Liberian Senate has welcomed another female Legislator after months of legal wrangling which followed the December 8, 2020 Special Senatorial Elections (SSE).

This comes after the National Elections Commission (NEC) declared Madam Botoe Kanneh winner in the Gbarpolu County senatorial race with 4, 955 constituting 26.20% over her male counterparts including her major contender, Representative Alfred Koiwood of the ruling CDC who obtained 4, 498 amounting to 23.78%.

The NEC board of commissioners after reading the Supreme Court opinion on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 immediately proceeded to announce the winner from the December 8, 2020 following the Special Senatorial Election held on January 8, 2021 in Nomadatuon Town, Gbarma District Gbarpolu County.

Following the pronouncement of madam Kanneh as winner in Gbarpolu County, the NEC immediately proceeded to certificate her to ensure that the county is represented at the National Legislature as was mandated in the Supreme Court March 24, 2021 decision.

Prior to her pronouncement and subsequent certification by NEC, Botoe topped the election in Gbarpolu County with 449 votes to be the first female senator of the county since its formation, but she was not declared winner due to a complain of elections violence and irregularities filed against her by the ruling party Senatorial candidate, Alfred Koiwood.

Koiwood's December 27, 2020 complain was dismissed by the NEC Magistrate in Gbarpolu County on the basis that the Commission lacks jurisdiction to preside over said matter as it borders on issue of criminality, but Koiwood again took an appeal to the Board of Commission after which the Board of Commissioners(BOC) ruled reversing its Magistrate's decision by ordering that a full scale investigation be conducted to establish facts and circumstances leading to the December 8,2020 violence in Nomadatuon Town since according to the board an individual cannot cause election violence.

Madam Kanneh excepted to the BOC February 24, 2021 verdict and took an appeal to the Honorable Supreme Court who ruled in her favor on Wednesday March 24, 2021 mandating the Commission to proceed with immediate effect to pronounce the results from the December 8 election in Gbarma District Gbarpolu County.

The court in its ruling agreed with the female Senator-elect that the election house does not have the authority to probe into issue of violence rather the Ministry of Justice and that the board committed revisable error when it ordered her Magistrate to conduct an investigation into the December 8 violence in the county.

"NEC having invited the Ministry of Justice to take cease of the matter, it should have dismissed the case in keeping with section 2.9(g) of the new election law especially where it borders on criminality," the ruling added.

The court verdict maintains that only the Ministry of Justice had authority to probe into issues of violence and that the MOJ is yet to make any pronouncement of those suspected of the December 8 violence in Nomadatuon Town, Gbarma District.

"With the exception of Nomadatuon Town in Gbarma District, there is no complain by the CDC Senatorial candidate Alfred Koiwood of electoral violence and irregularities in other areas within the district where the election was held," it stated.

The high Court furthered that the dismissal of Koiwood complains by the NEC Magistrate does not in no way violate his right as claimed.

On the other hand, the Supreme Court, ruled that there is no record of the Town Chief of Gbarma District filing a complaint with the election Magistrate in the district and that assuming the Town Chief had filed a formal complaint, Alfred Koiwood is not in the position to raise any issue to that effect.

In the same vain, Willington Geevon Smith had been certificated and has officially taken his seat at the Liberian Senate following months of contentions over his win as senator of Rivercess County.

According to NEC Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah said Geevon Smith was duly elected as senator of Rivercess County in the special Senatorial election.

Commissioner Lansanah appealed with the two lawmakers not to forget the NEC on grounds that the commission has numerous challenges and that they could be a great help.

Both senators Kanneh and Smith vowed to be NEC Ambassadors in the Liberian Senate to help reduce the many challenges the election house is faced with.

They further pledged to lobby with their colleagues to support the commission to deliver to the Liberian people as per its mandate. With the certification of Madam Kanneh, it means that the number of women at the Liberian Senate has increased to two with a ratio of two women to 38 men. Meanwhile,... ... NEC is reported to owe Over US$3 Million

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The National Elections Commission (NEC) is said to be indebted to partners for the conduct of the just ended 'Special Senatorial Election' (SSE) and two By-elections.

Through Commissioner Lansanah did not state how much balance the central government has for the Commission for the conduct of the December 8, 2020 elections, she holds that the Commission is indebted to partners over three million United States dollars.

Making the disclosure Tuesday, March 30, 2021 during the certification of additional two winners from the SSE, NEC Chairperson, and Davidetta Browne Lansanah called on the Government of Liberia to speedily make available the balance funds so as to enable the Commission meet up with their obligations to partners.

At the same time Madam Lansanah said the NEC had disposed of all the cases before it emanating from the Special Senatorial Elections and By-elections across the country.

According to the Chairperson, while it is true that the NEC has disposed of all cases before it, two other cases are on appeal at the level of the supreme court of Liberia.
Tier system revamped for high-tech strategy, illustration photo

The prime minister on March 16 issued Decision No.10/2021/QD-TTg on the criteria for high-tech business recognition, announcing higher standards for smaller scales of capital and facilitating other factors to pick up a wave of investment in one of the most-sought after sectors.

Under the new decision, high-tech businesses must meet the criteria as ruled in Article 75 of the Law on Investment 2014 and the following criteria on revenue, research and development (R&D) expenditures, and their workforce. As such, revenues from high-tech products must make up at least 70 per cent of the total annual net revenue.

Moreover, spending on R&D by a high-tech business must account for 0.5-2 per cent of annual net revenue depending on corporate scale and total capital. These investments must be at least 0.5 per cent for a top-tier high-tech business with total capital of VND6 trillion ($260.87 million) and higher, and 3,000 labourers or more. The threshold is 1 per cent for second-tier businesses with total capital of VND100 billion ($4.35 million) and higher, and a workforce of at least 200 people. Meanwhile, the rate is at least 2 per cent for third-tier businesses.

In regard to the criterion on workers involved in R&D activities, their rate must be at least 1 per cent for top-tier businesses, 2.5 per cent for second-tier ones, and 5 per cent for the remainder. They must have qualifications of at least a college degree.

Le Bich Loan, deputy director of the Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP), told VIR, The new decision marks an important adjustment, which renders the criteria more suitable with the reality, and encourages mammoth high-tech groups to make investments in Vietnam.

Some domestic and foreign-invested enterprises located in the SHTP have received recognition as high-tech ones, such as Samsung and Nanogen.

With the new decision, there are requirements for high-tech businesses with the total capital of VND6 trillion ($260.87 million) and more, thus separating them from the group of second-tier ones. In the previous decision there were requirements for just two kinds of high-tech businesses  which are now the second- and third-tier ones.

With the new rules, second- and third-tier businesses must meet higher criteria than those in the past, except for high-tech revenues.

A representative of Bosch Vietnam said, We are now looking through the new decision to see how the changes will impact our operations. Bosch Vietnam has been recognised as a high-tech company for years and enjoys the incentive policies.

As shown in Decree No.12/VBHN-BTC from 2015 guiding the implementation of the Law on Corporate Income Tax, high-tech businesses enjoy 10 per cent of the tax (CIT) within 15 years, a four-year exemption of CIT, and a reduction of 50 per cent of CIT in the following nine years dating from the recognition.

The requirements could prove more challenging for newcomers of second- and third-tier businesses, but more favourable for top-tier ones. Moreover, they may ignite a race for recognition before April 30 to gain the incentives.

The decision states that high-tech businesses that already submitted documents seeking the high-tech recognition before April 30 must satisfy the new regulations.

Vietnam now has 58,000 digital technology businesses, and the country targets to increase the number to 100,000 by 2030. The Ministry of Information and Communications believed that with the strong establishment of digital technology companies thus far, the number can be reached by 2025.

The change in the criteria is seen as inevitable during the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and Vietnam is accelerating its digital transformation to develop a digital government, economy, and society. In this trend, the attraction of high-tech investment is among the top priorities.

As shown in the Politburos issuance of Resolution No.50-NQ-TW, giving directions to complete the legal framework on foreign direct investment attraction by 2030 with an aim to further increase the quality, priority is given to projects with advanced and new technologies offering high added value and advantages for global supply and production chains.

With a young population and a strong high-tech investment attraction strategy, Vietnam has endeared itself to high-tech companies looking to establish a long-term hub for software development and hardware manufacturing.
As vaccine appointments open to everyone 16 and over in Connecticut Thursday, state officials said more than 100 new pharmacies across the state will start administering the vaccine within the next several days.

With Connecticut officials estimating about half the 1.3 million people age 16 to 44 will rush out for the vaccine, the new pharmacy locations may ease efforts to find appointments as the state works to quickly vaccinate this new group.

As we prepare to expand vaccine eligibility to the final group of adults on Thursday morning, there is going to be an initial rush of people who attempt to make appointments during the first couple of days, similar to what we experienced when we expanded to other age groups, Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday.

Josh Geballe, Lamonts chief operating officer, said Wednesday the state has asked providers to update their registration platforms no later than 8 a.m. Thursday as the wave of newly eligible people come online.

Lamont and Geballe urged people who are not initially successful to keep checking back for appointments as providers frequently update schedules.

This last phase of the program comes as Connecticut received about 240,000 first doses of the vaccine this week. Its the most the state has received in a single week and a significant increase from previous weeks.

We are confident we will be receiving enough vaccine over the next four weeks that everyone will be able to get vaccinated, Geballe said, repeating an assurance that he and Lamont have been offering since the state sped up eligibility last week.

Geballe said the federal government has given early indications that next weeks supply of vaccines will also be very strong.

While the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply has lagged in recent weeks, Geballe said there was an increase in the states allotment this week.

As state officials estimate about 600,000 people in the newly eligible group will immediately seek appointments, Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply is expected to quickly ramp up.

We are going to see a significant increase in Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week, Geballe said.

Wednesday evening, the pharmaceutical company said a batch of doses did not pass quality controls and could not be used. The company said an ingredient produced by another company did not meet quality control.

Maura Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for Connecticuts Department of Public Health, said the state is aware of the issue and has been in contact with federal officials. She said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the state will receive its full shipment of the single-dose vaccine next week.

We anticipate no interruption or delay in tomorrows opening of the vaccine program to all Connecticut residents over the age of 16. No doses of J&J that we will receive or have received were impacted by this incident, she said in a statement.

She said no doses have been shipped, or will be shipped from the facility involved, so people should remain confident in the safety of the J&J vaccines administered in Connecticut. We anticipate further information and guidance from the White House and CDC tomorrow.

At Yale New Haven Health, one of the largest vaccine providers in Connecticut, last week was a record for the amount of doses administered. But with 22,000 first doses received this week, officials said the record will be broken.

And we still think we can continue to ramp that up if we get access to more vaccine, said Dr. Tom Balcezak, YNHHs chief clinical officer.

In addition to hospitals, community health organizations and local health departments, pharmacies, which receive an independent allotment from the federal government, have been a crucial part of the states efforts to reach vulnerable populations.

The new pharmacy vaccine locations announced Wednesday include nearly two dozen Rite Aid stores, and as well as ShopRite, Big Y and Price Chopper supermarkets. Smaller, locally run pharmacies are also among those that will start administering the vaccine.

The broad expansion and bump in supply comes as Connecticut is grappling with a recent uptick in infections. Quickly moving through this final age group is seen by state officials as a way to stave off any potential surge in new cases.

With the recent increase in cases in Connecticut, it is crucial that everyone who wants a vaccine, gets one as quickly as possible, Connecticut Acting Public Health Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford said.

On Wednesday, the state reported a daily positivity rate of 3.74 percent for new COVID-19 tests. Hospitalizations dropped by five net cases to a total of 513 statewide. The state reported a single death from COVID-19 for the first time since early September.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions data showed Wednesday that Connecticut remains third in the nation for COVID-19 cases per capita over a seven-day period, behind New Jersey and Michigan.

While general availability of vaccines is a cause for celebration, we must also remember to keep up our guard against the spread of COVID-19, Gifford said. Even after you are vaccinated, you should continue to wear masks, social distance, avoid large gatherings and test and isolate if you are sick.

Connecticut officials touted this week that 41 percent of all people 16 and older had already received at least a first dose of the vaccine. That ranked Connecticut second in the nation for percentage of population to receive a dose, according to CDC data.

As of Monday, nearly 1.2 million first doses of the vaccine had been administered in Connecticut and a total of 684,400 people were fully vaccinated.

Connecticuts health care providers have been doing a tremendous job getting the vaccine to our residents, and the reason why our state is among the most vaccinated in the country is because of the remarkable work they have been doing, Lamont said.
Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation awards $1 million grant to CWRU School o

The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation--continuing Mt. Sinai Medical Center's century-old tradition of caring for Northeast Ohio--has expanded its commitment to the region through a $1 million challenge grant to the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. With this grant, the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation has provided over $31 million in lifetime support for Case Western Reserve.

The grant will benefit the Dean's Catalytic Fund, designed to provide resources for the school's leader to invest in new opportunities to advance medicine, such as emergency student scholarship support, bridge funding to advance promising early-stage research, and recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty.

In this instance, Interim Dean Stan Gerson will use Mt. Sinai's support to inspire additional philanthropic commitments for recruitment of the next chair of the school's department of pharmacology.

Within the school, the Department of Pharmacology is a core basic science department which historically and currently houses some of the schools most accomplished scientists, investigators, and educators of both graduate students and medical students. Expertise within the department ranges from basic pathway discovery of physiologic, organelle and disease processes to the discovery of interventions in diseases, from drugs to peptides to gene correction strategies, and across a wide spectrum of diseases. Technology expertise from structural biology, CRYOEM, imaging technologies, DNA and energy metabolism, cell biology and drug metabolism all reflect the wide range of capabilities that will be expanded with the recruitment of the new department chair.

"Funds generated through this new challenge will help us expand on existing strengths in pharmacology," Gerson said, "and help ensure our continued success as a leader in research, medical and graduate education. Expansion of the department will enhance coordination with our hospital affiliates, to improving the health of our community."

That dedication to improving care for the people of Cleveland and beyond is a core principle of the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation. It's the same commitment to people and partnerships that earned the former medical center a national reputation.

"For 25 years, the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine has been among Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation's highest-performing grantee partners," said Mitchell Balk, president of The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, the philanthropic legacy of the former nonprofit health care center. "We know that when we invest in the School of Medicine, our investments will increase many fold and that the dividends paid will benefit not only Case Western Reserve, not only Cleveland's bioscience sector, but indeed, all of humankind."

Gerson is grateful to the foundation and its shared vision for bolstering Northeast Ohio's reputation as a global biomedical leader. "On behalf of the School of Medicine," he said, "I cannot thank Mitch and the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation enough for their incredible support."

###

Case Western Reserve University is one of the country's leading private research institutions. Located in Cleveland, we offer a unique combination of forward-thinking educational opportunities in an inspiring cultural setting. Our leading-edge faculty engage in teaching and research in a collaborative, hands-on environment. Our nationally recognized programs include arts and sciences, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing and social work. About 5,100 undergraduate and 6,700 graduate students comprise our student body. Visit case.edu to see how Case Western Reserve thinks beyond the possible.

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A petition calling for amendments to the Sioux Valley Dakota Oyate constitution is currently in circulation.

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A petition calling for amendments to the Sioux Valley Dakota Oyate constitution is currently in circulation.

The petition calls for the elected chief to have fewer powers.

The petition that is being circulated calling for fewer powers for the elected chief. (Submitted)

"We will not give the chief of the community sole authority and vetoing power over operational decisions made by elected council members," the petition states.

"The current climate has raised an awareness of how the constitution was originally passed and we need legal interpretation on how valid the constitution was, when band members were paid $20 to vote and there are no voting records on file."

The petition comes after four council members at Sioux Valley Dakota Nation took issue with Chief Jennifer Bones leadership, accusing her of running a dictatorship at the reserve.

"For those of us who believed you and voted for you to be chief on the promises you would be a leader, not a dictator! Shame on you!" states the Feb. 11 letter, signed by four councillors.

"For you to utilize the constitution and exercise your power and authority under what you yourself agreed was a greatly flawed document not truly representative of how the community wanted elected leadership to operate is undermining the intent of the self-government agreement."

The four councillors are Jamie Hall, Elton Taylor, Evelyn Pratt and Tony Tacan. None wanted to speak on the record about the matter. Bone also declined to speak with The Brandon Sun, saying the matter is internal. A second attempt to reach her went unanswered.

This matter came to a head when Bone, according to several sources, reinstated her aunt, Margaret Roscelli, as health director, despite a group letter from staff that had her removed from the position.

The Sun is also in possession of legal advice from lawyer Harold (Sonny) Cochrane, in response to an email request from Pratt. That document references correspondence between the councillors and Bone.

Pratt asked for clarification on the roles and responsibilities of chief and council, specifically with regard to the powers of a quorum of council versus powers of the chief.

"What is important at this point is to determine whether there is any substance to Jennifers position that as chief she can veto decisions made by a quorum of council," Pratt said.

Cochrane, who is the counsel for the First Nation, states in his advice that it depends on the nature of the decision  whether operational or about governance. Operational decisions can be vetoed by the chief, while governance decisions with a chief and council quorum cannot.

While Sioux Valley is now self-governing, the band does remain connected to the Indian Act in matters of governance  specifically that chief and council must make their governmental decisions by a majority vote.

"It may be the current dispute between chief and five councillors is more nuanced than we appreciate. As indicated, we are not fully apprised of all the objective facts," Cochrane states.

Cochrane recommends a traditional form of mediation. He could not be reached for comment.

"If mediation does not work or is not acceptable to both sides (both sides need to want to resolve the matter for a mediation to work), it is our view that both sides have raised issues that need to be thoroughly investigated in an impartial manner, only then can a final legal opinion be formulated," Cochrane states.

The band members who provided the documents to the Sun asked that their names be withheld, for fear of reprisal. But their greatest concern has to do with an election promise of a forensic audit into the bands financials. That hasnt happened, they said.

Meanwhile, band member Misty Wasteste is deeply concerned. Shes the one who is circulating the petition, supported by roughly a dozen other band members gathering signatures.

Two new and complex laws are up for a vote  the Citizenship Law and the Election Law.

Wasteste says the vote for the laws is being pushed through too fast, mostly because an election is scheduled to be held in the fall.

Wastestes position is that the community has not been adequately consulted, especially regarding the new laws being formulated. She tried to hold a limited community meeting, with physical distancing and other health-related protocols. She invited the leadership, as well as elders.

That meeting did not go exactly as planned, she said.

Wasteste said the meeting was to help resolve the issues raised by council members and Cochrane, issues several other members have raised with the Sun.

She referred to Manitoba NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine.

"She challenges (Premier Brian) Pallister. And she does a good job with it. She says hes trying to pass these laws in a pandemic when there hasnt been any community engagement. This is where Im saying to people, look, the chief and council are allowing these laws to be voted on in a pandemic," Wasteste said.

"Lets stop. How can we get community engagement? If I could do that, going to different elders, meeting with them, and talking with them  these committee members can do that."

The petition she is circulating is intended to amend the constitution to ensure an elected chief cannot make decisions on their own, Wasteste said.

Shes not alone in that sentiment. Wasteste also said many of the membership are not reading the material and those who dont really have any way to get their questions answered. The membership does not have access to how decisions are made.

Wasteste said it would be easy enough to have chief and council meetings televised, such as the City of Brandon does.

"I get COVID. I get that. But there are buildings we have with the community where you can sit six feet apart. We can sit six feet apart and have a discussion. What do you think? What do you want in here? I want to hear what you have to say. Do you understand this part of this law? Do you understand that? If not, its OK. Its OK. You dont have to know. But Ill explain that to you the best way that I can," she said.

Wasteste wants transparency and accountability in the leadership, but she also wants each Sioux Valley member to know they have rights.

"People fear, right? Theyll agree with you because they dont want to admit that they dont understand what youre saying. And because of judgment. But I want people to know its OK if they dont understand. Its OK to ask questions, give their opinion."

 mletourneau@brandonsun.com

 Michele LeTourneau covers Indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism.
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More than a million British companies employing three million workers could move to a four-day working week after the Covid crisis, a study has found.

A survey by the charity Be The Business said 18 per cent of firms were considering the idea to boost employees' productivity.

And five per cent of small and medium-sized businesses - some 300,000 - have already brought in the change, analyses by the Autonomy think tank said.

It comes as around 22,000 staff at PwC were told they can spend around half their working hours at home and end shifts early on Fridays in the summer.

The company said the 'Deal' would allow workers to spend on average 40 per cent to 60 per cent of their time on remote working, if they choose.

PwC's lead is likely to be closely watched by other chief executives. Nationwide has told staff in offices they can work wherever they want, but Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon rejected remote working as a 'new normal' and labelled it an 'aberration'.

BP has said it is introducing a hybrid model where workers typically do a 60:40 split between home and office.

Clockwise, from top left: PwC's building on London's Southbank; Nationwide has told staff in offices they can work wherever they want; BP is introducing a hybrid model where workers typically do a 60:40 split between home and office; Canary Wharf-based KPMG said the 'vast majority' will continue to work from home at this stage; NatWest Group confirmed they will move their workforces to hybrid working; JP Morgan also suggested they may move to a hybrid model

The staff will be expected to spend the rest of the time around their colleagues, either in the PwC offices, or alongside clients (file photo)

Chairman Kevin Ellis (pictured) said: 'We've long promoted flexible working, and we hope today's announcements make it much more the norm rather than the exception. We want our people to feel trusted and empowered'

'WFH is here to stay - and cities will change forever': Ex-bank deputy on the future of the City Home working is here to stay and the end of the five-day-a-week office commute will change the shape of cities dramatically, according to former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Charlie Bean. Sir Charlie has become the latest prominent figure to declare that the traditional, office-based working week is over as he predicted firms will adopt a permanent flexible model after the pandemic. Tthe former deputy governor for monetary policy at the Bank said the switch will impact the economy 'in ways we don't fully foresee'. 'Not everyone will be working a nine to five, five days a week and that, in effect, will change the way metropolises like London operate,' he said. 'We won't have rigid commuting times... we'll see an evolution of the city to reflect that.' Sir Charlie - now a member of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and professor at the London School of Economics - said while few firms will stay with a completely remote working model, most will take a hybrid approach combining home and office. Bank Governor Andrew Bailey said recently that he believes pandemic habits, such as flexible remote working, will become permanent after the crisis. Many businesses have said they plan to allow hybrid working, with Nationwide Building Society last week announcing it will give its 13,000 office employees control to decide where they work. Banking giant Santander unveiled a ground-breaking deal that will allow around 5,000 staff impacted by its latest round of branch closures to stay on by combining working from home with access to local collaboration spaces. Other corporate giants - including British Gas owner Centrica, NatWest Group and outsourcer Capita - have also confirmed they will move their workforces to hybrid working. A recent London Chamber of Commerce survey found that half of the capital's businesses would support some form of remote working when the coronavirus crisis ends. A third also said they expected to cut down on office space in a further sign of the effect on central London. Sir Charlie said the economic impacts would be far reaching as fewer people use city-centre transport and as demand plunges for retailers, coffee and sandwich shops near office blocks. Advertisement

PWC told its 22,000 staff they will be expected to spend just 40 per cent to 60 per cent of their time face-to-face with their colleagues when lockdown ends.

That will translate as two to three days a week in the office for the Big Four accountancy group's employees.

The auditor has also given staff a half-day on Fridays in July and August on the assumption that most will finish at lunchtime.

It is part of a series of measures PwC chief Kevin Ellis is calling 'the Deal'.

PwC will also introduce a 'empowered day' when staff can have the choice on any given day what the most effective working pattern might be  such as an earlier start and finish time.

Most major employers are trying to figure out how to bring staff back to the office as vaccine rollouts ease the stipulations on people to work from home.

Director of Research at Autonomy Will Stronge said: 'All the evidence shows that moving to a four-day week is a win-win for both employers and workers - and this is why we're seeing increasing adoption across sectors.

'The best way to create a better world of work after Covid is by addressing how we work at the shop floor level.

'Going for a four-day working week would bring huge benefits to workers' mental health, which directly feeds into firm performance.'

Microsoft and Unilever are some of the big firms to have trialled cutting working hours.

Joe Ryle, a campaigner with the 4 Day Week Campaign, said: 'In the same way that the weekend and the 40 hour week was won nearly a century ago, the time has now come for a four-day, 32 hour working week for all.

He added: 'The Covid pandemic has effectively killed off the 9-5, 5 day working week.'

PwC staff will be expected to spend the rest of the time around their colleagues, either in the offices, or alongside clients.

In July and August, a majority of staff will also be able to go home, or power down if they are already at home, at lunchtime on Fridays.

Chairman Kevin Ellis said: 'We've long promoted flexible working, and we hope today's announcements make it much more the norm rather than the exception. We want our people to feel trusted and empowered.

'These changes are in direct response to soundings from our people, who've said they value a mix of working from home and in the office.'

He continued: 'We want to help enshrine new working patterns so they outlast the pandemic.

'Without conscious planning now there's a risk we lose the best bits of these new ways of working when the economy opens up again.'

Companies around the UK are being forced to consider how they will return their staff to work when restrictions end.

Under the current schedule, office workers will be able to return to their places of work in June, however this could change if the pandemic shifts.

Other companies which have embraced a hybrid model or full-time home working include BP and Nationwide.

Laura Hinton, chief people officer at PwC, said: 'The policies will be phased in as lockdown restrictions ease and more people return to the office over the coming months.'

Last week it was revealed Nationwide had given its 13,000 office workers the choice of deciding where they want to work in order to give them more control over their lives under a huge work from home plan.

The lending giant said it would put office staff in control of deciding where they are based according to their job once Covid-19 restrictions end, after more than half  57 per cent  said they wanted to work from home full-time. More than a third  36 per cent  said they preferred a mix of home and office-based work.

Under the plan, Nationwide is leaving three offices in Swindon, with 3,000 staff either moving to the nearby HQ, working from home, or mixing the two. All three offices are based just outside Swindon town centre, in Aspect Park and Windmill Business Park.

Other UK staff may be able to work from their local High Street branch if they prefer, rather than travel to offices.

Also last week the London Chamber of Commerce said a study revealed that almost two-thirds of employers have allowed staff to work from home at least two days a week as a result of the pandemic.

Just over half of respondents said they will continue remote working in some form each week when the pandemic is over.

'Surge' in demand for office space in the City of London reveals bosses ARE planning the end of WFH - but experts predict new 'hybrid' model will see staff continuing to log-in at home but travel in for training and meetings

The City of London is seeing a 'real surge' in planning applications for office space despite the Government's work-from-home guidance being set to remain in place for some months, officials revealed earlier this week.

Bosses said the Corporation has so far received 80 per cent of all the applications submitted last year, although firms are looking at using their offices on different hours and days compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Corporation's planning committee has already approved more than two million square feet of office floor space within Square Mile developments this year, which compares to 2.6million sq ft approved in all of last year.

Three towers have been cleared for construction this year - the 30-storey 55 Gracechurch Street (366,000 sq ft), the nearby 33-storey 70 Gracechurch Street (786,000 sq ft) and the 38-storey 2 Finsbury Avenue (897,000 sq ft).

The Corporation has also reported around 818 new start-ups appearing across the Square Mile in 2020. Some 48 per cent were in financial, professional and associated business services, while 9 per cent were in technology.

It comes as rush-hour traffic congestion levels in London remained down on last week, while Underground usage is at just a quarter of normal levels and bus usage is at half - with both also down on the previous week.

TomTom traffic data for London showed congestion levels on the roads were at 52 per cent Tuesday morning, which was slightly up on 50 per cent on Monday, but significantly down on 66 per cent at the same time last week.

It was also far below the 2019 average of 67 per cent, but roughly in line with the 2020 average of 53 per cent. The congestion level represents the extra travel time for drivers on average compared to baseline uncongested conditions - so a 52 per cent figure means a 30-minute trip will take about 15 minutes more than with no traffic.

Transport for London said there were 600,000 entries and exits on the Tube on Monday, which was 3 per cent down from the previous Monday and represented just 27 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

On the buses there were 870,000 boarding taps on Oyster or contactless cards on Monday, which was down 4 per cent from the previous Monday - but at 52 per cent of normal demand; much higher than on the Tubes.

The Government's 'stay at home' order ended on Monday, with messaging now moving to 'stay local', but people are still being asked to continue to work from home where possible and most overseas travel remains banned.

Catherine McGuinness, policy chair of the City of London Corporation, said: 'We really are expecting people to come back, but in a different way, to use their offices in a different way, different hours, different days.'

Three City of London towers have been cleared for construction this year - including the 33-storey 70 Gracechurch Street

The 38-storey 2 Finsbury Avenue covers 897,000 sq ft of office space and has also been approved in the City of London

The 30-storey 55 Gracechurch Street (centre) has also been approved in the City, covering 786,000 sq ft of office space

TomTom traffic data for London showed congestion levels on the roads were at 52 per cent Tuesday morning, down on last week

Transport for London data shows how bus usage has returned closer to pre-pandemic levels faster than Underground usage

How will lockdown be eased in Britain by June? Step One Part One: March 8 From March 8, all pupils and students returned to schools and colleges across England. So-called wrap-around childcare was also allowed to resume, paving the way for after and before school clubs to reopen. People were allowed to meet one other person outside for recreation, for example, to have a picnic or to meet for coffee. Care home residents were be able to have one regular named visitor. The Government's stay at home order remained in place, with travel for non-essential purposes still banned. Step One Part Two: March 29 From March 29, outdoor gatherings of up to six people or a larger group from up to two households were allowed. These gatherings are now allowed to happen in private gardens. Outdoor sports like tennis and basketball are now allowed to reopen and people are also able to take part in formally organised outdoor sports. The Government's stay at home guidance has ended and replaced by ministers encouraging people to 'stay local'. People are still being told to work from home wherever possible while international travel is still banned unless it is for essential purposes. Step Two: April 12 Non-essential retail will be allowed to reopen as well as personal care premises like hairdressers, barbers and nail salons. Public buildings like libraries, museums and art galleries will be allowed to welcome back customers. Meanwhile, hospitality venues and outdoor attractions like theme parks will be given the green light to reopen in some form. However, there will still be rules on household mixing: Essentially any activity which involves being indoors will be restricted to members of the same household. Gyms and swimming pools will also reopen from April 12 but only on the basis that people go on their own or with their own household. Pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen but at this point they will only be able to have customers outdoors. The Government will not be bringing back the old requirement for people to order a substantial meal with alcohol while the old 10pm curfew will be ditched. All customers at hospitality venues will also have to be seated when they order food or drink, with ordering at the bar prohibited. Campsites and holiday lets where indoor facilities are not shared with other households can also reopen but trips must be restricted a single household. Funerals will be allowed to continue with up to 30 people, while the rules on wedding receptions will be eased to allow the number of guests to increase from six to 15. Step Three: May 17 The two household and rule of six requirements for outdoor gatherings will be ditched but gatherings of more than 30 people in places like parks will still be banned. Crucially, mixing indoors will be allowed again. The rule of six or a larger group from up to two households will be allowed to meet. However, this will be kept under review by ministers to see if rules could be relaxed still further. This is also the point at which pubs and restaurants and other hospitality venues will be able to open indoors, with the rule of six and two household limit in place. But groups meeting outdoors at pubs will be allowed to be bigger. Entertainment venues like cinemas and children's play areas will be able to reopen, as will hotels and B&Bs. Indoor adult sports groups and exercise classes can also reopen. Changes will also be made to sporting and performance events in indoor venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or half full. Step Four: June 21 All legal restrictions on social contact are due to be removed. Advertisement

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, she added: 'But we're expecting that buzz and vitality definitely to return and indeed can't wait to see it. Certainly the people who are servicing the office workers - the shops, the cafes and so on - if the footfall changes dramatically, that's going to be a challenge for them.

'But what people are telling us is that they are expecting their central office base to remain at the core of the business with people coming in three or four days, working different hours.

'So we are expecting the bulk of the return. What it will mean in terms of the overall footfall we're not yet quite clear, but we really are expecting life and excitement and people on the streets using those services as soon as they can get there.'

Asked about the idea of vaccine passports meaning offices could operate with no social distancing, Ms McGuinness said: 'It's too early, obviously if that proposal does come out people would look at it closely but they'd have to speak to their workforce. I think it's too early to say whether that would actually take hold.

'But whatever happens people are telling us at the moment that they want to build on what they've learnt through this period, that - as you've heard from Nationwide - they are expecting some degree of hybridity, they are expecting people to want to work from home for some days, but then to come into the office for collaboration, for training, whatever, on other days.'

And speaking about why she is confident of a return to the office, she said: 'We are already seeing in our planning applications a real surge in interest in getting office space in the City.

'I think so far this year 80 per cent of all the applications we saw last year. So continued interest, continued commitment to that office space but a different way of using it.'

Work-from-home guidance is set to remain in place for some months, despite outdoor gatherings and sport resuming across England.

Asked if it was still the plan that the work-from-home guidance was going to stay in force until June 21, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said on Monday: 'From the road map, it remains the case that people must continue to only go to work if it's not reasonable for them to work from home.

'Business and workers have made huge efforts throughout the past year or so to support that.'

He added: 'The work-from-home guidance remains that we continue to ask people to only go to work if they can't reasonably work from home.'

Asked about the Government's long-term plan for civil servants, the spokesman said: 'We've committed to consulting on making flexible working the default unless employers have good reasons not to. That consultation will be launched in due course.'

Companies across the UK are looking at how to tackle the issue of remote versus office working once lockdown ends, with many backing a hybrid model.

The work from home initiative has also seen footfall in the country's town and city centres drop dramatically.

Office for National Statistics data shows that people who worked exclusively from home decreased in the week ending March 14 by six percentage points from the previous week, to 30 per cent.

The number of people who travelled to work - either exclusively or in combination with working from home - increased by five percentage points from the previous week, to 53 per cent.

The High Street has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic as people were told to stay inside for several national lockdowns.

Last month analysis from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) showed 27,096 jobs have been shed and 1,023 stores have been earmarked for closure so far in 2021.

Earlier this year, economists KPMG estimated that even after lockdown restrictions are lifted, shopper numbers could be a third below pre-pandemic levels as fewer people travel to work  and ecommerce booms.

Businesses based at Canary Wharf and in the City of London have said they will follow Government guidance in deciding when to send staff back to the office.

Some, including JP Morgan and HSBC, have suggested they may move to a hybrid model of working - a combination of working from home and the office - as the Covid restrictions are eased.

Canary Wharf-based KPMG said the 'vast majority' will continue to work from home at this stage.

The Prime Minister urged people to remain cautious as the relaxation of lockdown measures in England coincides with an ongoing 'exceptionally warm' spell of weather.

Across the country on Monday, people made the most of sunny conditions and the easing of rules which means groups of up to six, or two households, are now able to socialise in parks and gardens while outdoor sports facilities can reopen.

Boris Johnson acknowledged Monday was a 'big day' for many people as they could reunite in socially-distanced friend and family groups outdoors for the first time in weeks.

The Prime Minister said he hoped people would take advantage of the 'beautiful weather' to play sport or exercise, while also emphasising the country should still 'proceed with caution'.

'I know how much Government has asked of the people in the last year, but I also know how magnificently - incredible patience and fortitude - people have responded,' he told a Downing Street press conference on Monday.

'It's my view, overwhelmingly, people are determined to continue to do that and they do understand the need for caution.'

Separately, Mr Johnson, along with 23 world leaders including Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, wrote in The Daily Telegraph and other papers across the world about the need to form a 'new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response', adding: 'The Covid-19 pandemic has been a stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe.'

Amid fears of a new wave of coronavirus spreading from Europe, Mr Johnson highlighted that it was still not clear how 'robust' the defences provided by the Covid-19 vaccination programme would prove if such a rise in infections hits the UK.

'What we don't know is exactly how strong our fortifications now are, how robust our defences are against another wave,' he said.

'We have seen what is happening with our European friends. Historically, at least there has been a time lag and then we have had a wave ourselves.

'That's why I stress the importance of everybody maintaining the discipline people have shown for so long.'

Commuters cross London Bridge in the sunshine as the Government's work-from-home guidance remains in place

Commuters cross London Bridge in the morning sunshine with the Shard visible in the background

Catherine McGuinness, policy chair of the City of London Corporation, said it has so far received 80 per cent of all the planning applications submitted last year, although businesses are now looking at using their offices on different days

An Ipsos Mori poll suggested Britons are much less concerned about Covid-19 than they were a month ago.

The survey of 1,009 adults in early March found 49 per cent of people felt the pandemic was a big issue for the UK, down from 72 per cent in February.

Mike Clemence, associate research director at the polling firm, said: 'Concern is notably lower among older age groups, which may suggest the vaccination campaign is having an impact on public perceptions - although worries are also lower among the youngest Britons who will not yet have been vaccinated.'

England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said there was a 'high likelihood' cases would rise as lockdown restrictions were steadily lifted under the Government's road map.

He added, however, that the impact should be 'modest' if people continued to follow social-distancing guidelines.

'If people stick to social distancing rules and they are outside, the risk of transmission is massively lower than if they are very close together and inside,' Mr Whitty said.

'Provided people stick to outdoors and at a distance if it's people who are not in their households, the impact in terms of an uptick should be modest.'

Temperatures in March have not gone above 75F (24C) since March 29, 1968, when 78.1F (25.6C) was recorded in Mepal in Cambridgeshire.

Steven Keates, a Met Office meteorologist, said: 'If we do get above 24C it will be the highest UK March temperature in 53 years. It seems a reasonable chance that's going to happen.'

He added: 'It's an exceptionally warm spell of weather with potential for some records to be challenged.'

Mr Keates said conditions would turn 'cooler' through Thursday ahead of the arrival of the Easter weekend.

He said Scotland's highest temperature of the year was equalled by the 66.7F (19.3C) at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire on Monday and a new top temperature for 2021 so far in Northern Ireland was set by the 63.1F (17.3C) recorded at Helen's Bay in County Down.

In Wales, the stay local order ended on Saturday and people were allowed to stay in self-contained holiday accommodation. The stay home order in Scotland is to end on Friday, while in Northern Ireland up to six people, or two households, will be able to meet outdoors from Thursday.
Aissata, who arrived from Djibo, holding her baby boy. She joins other Malian refugees returning to a reopened Goudoubo camp.  UNHCR/Moussa Bougma

Ouagadougou, BURKINA FASO  When Aissata, a 29-year-old mother of three, fled violence in her home country of Mali two years ago, she sought safety in neighbouring Burkina Faso, moving into the Mentao refugee camp with her extended family. But in the Sahel region  a swathe of land that encompasses several countries south of the Sahara  violence easily crosses borders.

We were forced to flee once again, said Aissata, who took her family to the nearby town of Djibo after a series of violent attacks by armed groups and reprisals by the security forces made the Mentao refugee camp unlivable.

Aissata thinks she finally may have found refuge.

Malian refugees are given a chance to start a new home (Moussa Bougma, Camera; producer, Edith Champagne, editor, Insa Diatta, Marion Viguier)

Last month, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency relocated 1,200 Malian refugees, including Aissata and her family, from Djibo to another camp, Goudoubo, roughly 200 kilometres away. There, they will have access again to schools, health centres and shops. Government authorities have increased security around the camp and promised to keep it safe.

I am happy to be here. I think that here we will be in peace, said Aissata, upon arriving to her new home.

Burkina Faso hosts roughly 20,000 Malian refugees who have fled their homes since 2012, when an uprising there sparked violence that flowed out of Mali across borders. Jihadists and terror groups, organized crime organizations and ordinary thugs terrorized people across the region, exploiting ethnic tension and weak governance.

"I think that here we will be in peace."

The violence in the greater Sahel  which includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger  has continued unabated, causing one of the largest displacement crises in the world. Nearly 3 million people are displaced in the region, including 2.1 million who have fled home but remain inside their country. Burkina Faso, once a model for peace in the region, now has 1.1 million internally displaced people, but continues to host refugees even as its own population of 19 million struggles to protect itself.

See also: Sahel internal displacement tops 2 million as violence surges

The Malian refugees in Burkina Faso had lived mostly in the Mentao and Goudoubo camps until violence forced both to empty. Around 4,460 Malian refugees made the difficult choice to return home to a country still in turmoil, where UNHCR assisted them on arrival. The remaining Malians fled, some to Djibo and many others to Dori town in the northeast, where a host community already grappling with inadequate shelter, a lack of clean water and a shortage of health centres welcomed them.

See also: Climate change and conflict pursue displaced Burkinabes

The refugees returning to the camp say they feel safe again, said Paul Ali-Pauni Shelubale, UNHCR acting Representative in the country. We commend the generosity of the communities hosting them, and the commitment from the national government to ensure their safety. We urge all governments in the region and the international community to continue working toward peace, so people can rebuild their lives.

UNHCR and partners has helped 6,571 refugees return to Goudoubo since December. Among those who returned from nearby Dori, some have already reopened small businesses, including grocery shops and butchers. Together with partners, UNHCR has rehabilitated shelters, water and sanitations systems.

We are very excited to be in Goudoubo camp, said Fatimata, 70, a Malian refugee, as she sat surrounded by her family, including children and grandchildren, We are happy to be together.
Whats new: China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to mutually recognize health codes tracking residents exposure to the coronavirus as part of a series of cooperative measures to boost bilateral ties.

The two countries reached an agreement in principle on mutual recognition of health codes during a two-day visit by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the Mideast country, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

The nations will also work together to promote international recognition of health QR codes as part of efforts to revive cross-border travel amid the pandemic, Xinhua said.

More to know: During the visit, Wang and top UAE officials pledged to step up cooperation in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and explore cooperation on vaccines as well as other areas such as energy, finance and high-tech.

Under an agreement signed during Wangs visit, a UAE factory will start producing the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinas Sinopharm in April, the first deal to produce the Chinese inoculation abroad. The UAE was the first country to approve the Sinopharm vaccine for general use in December.

Wangs trip to the UAE, part of a regional tour, is seen as Chinas latest effort to strengthen strategic ties in the Middle East.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com).

Support quality journalism in China. Subscribe to Caixin Global starting at $0.99.

Follow the Chinese markets in real time with Caixin Globals new stock database.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 22:32:16|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member unloads the newly-arrived vaccines, manufactured by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, at the airport in Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1, 2021. Azerbaijan on Thursday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines it has purchased from China as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Tofik Babayev/Xinhua)

BAKU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan on Thursday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines it has purchased from China as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The newly-arrived vaccines, manufactured by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, have been introduced by the Azerbaijani authorities for mass vaccination against COVID-19.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Guo Min said China and Azerbaijan have been supporting each other in the COVID-19 pandemic, expressing hope that the Chinese vaccines would help Azerbaijan beat the virus at an early date, and restore economic and social development.

The Chinese ambassador added that China will donate another batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Azerbaijan soon, reaffirming Beijing's readiness to strengthen cooperation with Baku in the fight against the pandemic.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Ramiz Hasanov and Deputy Health Minister Viktor Gasimov thanked China for its help to Azerbaijan amid the pandemic, speaking highly of China's adherence to multilateralism.

The Azerbaijani government and its people trust Chinese vaccines, they said, adding that the country is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the global fight against the pandemic, raising bilateral relations to a new level.

In the past 24 hours, Azerbaijan has registered 2,237 new cases, bringing its total to 261,713, according to the country's Operational Headquarters for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Enditem
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop announced his nominations for a pair of open positions on the municipal court. The mayor said Rahat Chatha would serve as a part-time municipal court judge - allowing current Judge Karen DeSoto to fill a full-time vacancy - and Paul Scalia would serve as a full-time judge, in a press release.

If confirmed at the next City Council meeting on April 15, this would fill the vacancies created by the recent confirmations of Judge Carlo Abad and Judge Margaret Marley to the Hudson County Superior Court.

The appointment of our two esteemed judges to the Superior Court speaks to the fact that we have only the best judges in our courts, and I know these new judges will expand upon those efforts to cultivate a court system the community can trust, Fulop said in the press release. Jersey City has one of the busiest municipal court vicinages in New Jersey, and these three new judges bring with them a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience to help best serve the local community with a diverse and fair judicial system.

Scalia has served as a Jersey City assistant municipal prosecutor the past 20 years, and Chatha has spent her entire legal career working in Jersey City. Judge DeSoto has served part-time on the Jersey City municipal court bench since 2018.
As San Antonio author Shea Serrano says on Twitter about once a week, the Black-Mexican alliance is real. That much is definitely true after seeing a clip of rapper Megan Thee Stallion talking about her grandma.

The clip, which has been making the rounds across social media recently, is actually from a 2019 interview with Los Angeles radio program "The Cruz Show."
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 3.45 am ET, IHS Markit is set to release Italy's manufacturing PMI data. Thereafter, manufacturing PMI reports are due from France and Germany at 3.50 am and 3.55 am ET, respectively. At 4.00 am ET, Eurozone final factory PMI is due. Ahead of the data, the euro rose against its major rivals. The euro was worth 129.92 against the yen, 1.1739 against the greenback, 0.8524 against the pound and 1.1095 against the franc as of 3:40 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Oppo is launching the F19 in India on April 6. The phone comes to India after the launch of the OPPO F19( 18990 at amazon) Pro and OPPO F19 Pro+ in the country earlier last month. This third model in the series will focus heavily on design and is also being claimed to be the slimmest phone with a 5,000mAh battery. Additionally, the phone will also focus on cameras as it will feature a triple-rear camera set-up and a punch-hole display design.

The company has announced that the Oppo F19 will be launched at a virtual event, which will be hosted live on the company's social media channels. The event will go live at 12PM on April 6. For now, there's no information on the pricing of the device. However, Amazon has listed the Oppo F19 suggesting the device will be available exclusively through the platform once it's launched.

Oppo F19: Expected specifications

In terms of the specs, the company hasn't revealed everything. The company has only announced that the Oppo F19 will come to India with a Full-HD+ AMOLED display and a 6000mAh battery. There's also information that the phone will support 33W Flash Charge fast charging technology, which will charge the phone in 72 minutes. Apart from this, the company has claimed that the phone will deliver 5.55 hours of voice calls and about two hours of YouTube use with just five minutes of charge.

The other details about the device have been shared through a listing on Amazon. The listing confirms the handset has a punch-hole design on the front for the selfie camera and an in-screen fingerprint sensor for security. Further, the teaser page also confirms the Oppo F19 will come with a volume rocker and SIM tray on the left with the power button placed on the right. It is also shown to be sporting triple cameras at the back of which the primary would be a 48-megapixel sensor. The phone is also shown in Purple colour option.

Apart from this, reports suggest the phone will be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC, paired with Adreno 610 GPU and 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, while the connectivity options on the device will include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-F, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
[April 01, 2021] High Point Financial Services, Inc. to Acquire Durand Bancorp Inc.

High Point Financial Services, Inc., parent company of Solutions Bank, announced today that it has entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement") whereby it will acquire Durand Bancorp Inc., parent company of Durand State Bank, in an all-cash transaction. The proposed transaction will expand Solutions Bank's branch footprint to Winnebago County with the addition of offices in Durand and Davis, Illinois. The combination will result in an increase in Solutions Bank's asset base to approximately $470 million based on financial data as of December 31, 2020. Jeff Snyder, President of High Point Financial Services, Inc., commented, "We are very excited about the proposed merger with Durand State Bank. Our companies share similar values and our partnership will reinforce the foundation for an extraordinary community bank that puts our customers, employees, and communities first. We look forward to entering attractive new markets that are a logical extension of our existing operations." "We are excited to partner with Solutions Bank, and believe the merger is an excellent fit," said Kathy Sutherland, President & CEO of Durand Bancorp Inc. "We believe this combination will better align our resources, enhance our financial strength, and expand our product oferings and technology solutions, all of which will allow us to even better-serve our customers and communities."



The proposed transaction, which has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies but remains subject to customary closing conditions as well as approval by Durand Bancorp Inc.'s stockholders and by applicable bank regulatory authorities, is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2021. Olsen Palmer LLC served as financial advisor and Godfrey Kahn S.C. served as legal advisor to Durand Bancorp Inc. Wipfli LLP served as financial advisor and Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC served as legal counsel to High Point Financial Services, Inc.

About High Point Financial Services, Inc. Solutions Bank is the wholly-owned subsidiary of High Point Financial Services, Inc. Originally founded in 1887 as Forreston State Bank in Forreston, Illinois, Solutions Bank now has five locations across three Illinois counties, total assets of $349 million, loans of $155 million, and deposits of $272 million based on financial information as of December 31, 2020. More information about Solutions Bank can be found on its website: www.solutions.bank. About Durand Bancorp Inc. Durand State Bank, founded in 1957, is based in Durand, Illinois with an additional office in Davis, Illinois. As of December 31, 2020, Durand State Bank had total assets of $120 million, loans of $57 million, and deposits of $107 million. For more information on Durand State Bank, please visit www.durandstatebank.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005354/en/

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Hundreds of people, with flags and placards, arrived in Victoriei Square on Wednesday evening to protest against the restrictions imposed by the authorities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the fourth evening in a row, people gathered in the University Square, after which they marched on the route University - Calea Mosilor - Stefan cel Mare Boulevard - Victoriei Square, where they met with a smaller group of protesters, in front Government's seat.

"Don't sit in the balconies, you will starve!", "Freedom!", "Resignation", people shouted in the street, one of the main demands being the resignation of the Executive.Most demonstrators did not wear a face mask and did not observe physical distancing.
ATLANTA and WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Parallel, one of the largest privately-held multi-state cannabis operators in the United States (U.S.), today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire, in a cash and stock transaction, certain operations of Windy City Cannabis, comprised of Posen Dispensary Holding Company, LLC, Homewood Holding Company, LLC, Homewood 2nd Site Holding Company, LLC, Posen 2nd Site Holding Company, LLC and Compass Dispensary Holdings, LLC (collectively, "Windy City"). Windy City is a leading operator of adult use and medical cannabis dispensaries in the state of Illinois. This follows Parallel's announcement in February that it intends to become a public company through a definitive business combination agreement with Ceres Acquisition Corp. ("Ceres") (NEO: CERE.U, CERE.WT;OTCQX: CERAF), a special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC).

Subject to regulatory approval as discussed below, Parallel is expected to own six Illinois dispensary locations, which will expand Parallel's active operations to six high-growth, limited license states (Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Illinois).

"The acquisition of Windy City enables Parallel's entry into Illinois, one of the best performing cannabis markets in the U.S. to date. This transaction gives Parallel the chance to build upon Windy City's neighborhood retail brand presence to bring customers well-being through cannabis products. We also intend to continue to have a positive impact in Windy City's local communities by creating jobs and investing in employees," said William "Beau" Wrigley Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Parallel. "We have been closely following the successful launch of adult use cannabis in Illinois since January 2020 and believe that Windy City has assembled a highly attractive footprint, including four dispensary locations in the greater Chicago region. Inclusive of Windy City's additional site locations opening later this month, Parallel is expected to have one of the largest retail footprints in Illinois among U.S. cannabis operators."

Illinois cannabis market and Windy City highlights include:

Illinois is the 5 th most populous state in the U.S. with approximately 13 million residents.

is the 5 most populous state in the U.S. with approximately 13 million residents. Total Illinois cannabis market (adult use and medical) is generating approximately $1.4 billion in annualized retail sales based on the February year-to-date period with approximately 100 dispensaries open as of March 2021 1 .

cannabis market (adult use and medical) is generating approximately in annualized retail sales based on the February year-to-date period with approximately 100 dispensaries open as of . Windy City currently operates four strategically-located dispensaries in Homewood , Highwood , Posen and Litchfield, Illinois .

, , and . Windy City is expected to open an additional two adult use dispensaries in Carpentersville and Macomb, Illinois later this month.

"The Windy City retail brand provides a welcoming, neighborly ambiance and a dynamic dispensary experience to customers ranging from the cannabis connoisseurs to the newly curious. Parallel was the right choice to partner with because they share our focus on what cannabis can do to help improve the well-being of people's lives and our commitment to investing in the communities we serve. They also share our passion for customer service, high compliance standards and operational excellence," said Steve Weisman, Chief Executive Officer of Windy City. "I'm confident that they will continue to drive equitable, diverse growth opportunities within our communities by creating jobs and supporting positive change."

The Transaction

Parallel has agreed to acquire Windy City for consideration of $100 million, comprised of $60 million in cash and $40 million in Parallel stock, with total potential consideration of up to $155 million inclusive of certain performance-based earn-out payments payable through 2023. Consideration offered in Parallel stock will be issued following the expected closing of its business combination with Ceres and resulting public listing. Windy City is expected to generate in excess of $75 million of annualized net revenue in 2021. Subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, the Windy City transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2021. The closing of the Windy City transaction is contingent on, among other things, the approval by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the state of Illinois' cannabis authority, to transfer the equity of the licensed entities from Windy City to Parallel.

Social Equity

Parallel supports Illinois' intention to diversify the industry through social equity applicants for new licenses to alleviate some of the negative effects of years of cannabis prohibition. Parallel is committed to advancing social equity through meaningful actions and partnerships that positively impact the communities in which its employees live and work, as well as the industry at large. Parallel has partnered with many industry advocacy organizations, including Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), Cannaclusive, CultivatED, and CannabisLAB to drive their shared missions forward. To date, Parallel has focused efforts across its markets in economic and job empowerment, diversity and inclusion in the industry and in Parallel's communities including job fairs, skills-building training and seminars, fellowships, and social equity grants, among other actions. Parallel's increasingly diverse 1,700-person workforce is comprised of 38% minority and 42% female-identifying employees, and 40% of Parallel's leadership team consists of female and minority representation. Parallel's proposed slate of seven independent candidates to its public company board of directors, post-closing of the transaction with Ceres, is expected to include two female and three BIPOC directors.

Advisors

Perella Weinberg Partners LP is serving as financial advisor and Wargo & French LLP is serving as legal advisor to Parallel. Solidum Capital Advisors LLC and Stoic Advisory Inc. are serving as financial advisors, Fox Rothschild LLP is acting as regulatory counsel and Honigman LLP is serving as legal advisor to Windy City.

Additional Information

In connection with the proposed transaction with Ceres, that, if completed, would result in Parallel becoming a public company (the "Transaction"), Ceres is expected to file a Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and a preliminary and final non-offering prospectus with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Ceres and Parallel urge investors, stockholders and other interested persons to read, when available, the Form S-4, preliminary and final non-offering prospectus, including any amendments thereto, the Ceres special meeting circular, as well as other documents to be filed with the SEC and documents to be filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities in connection with the Transaction, as these materials will contain important information about Ceres, Parallel, the combined public company and the Transaction. Ceres also has, and will, file other documents regarding the Transaction with the SEC and applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the registration statement and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by Ceres through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov, and free copies of the prospectus and other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities through www.sedar.com. In addition, the documents filed by Ceres may be obtained free of charge from Ceres' website at www.ceresacquisition.com or by written request to Ceres at Ceres Acquisition Corp., 1925 Century Park East, Suite 1700, Los Angeles, California, United States 90067.

The financial information and data contained in this press release is unaudited and does not conform to Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC. Accordingly, such information and data may not be included in, may be adjusted in, or may be presented differently in, any proxy statement, prospectus or registration statement or other report or document to be filed or furnished by Ceres, Parallel or any other entity with the SEC.

About Parallel

Parallel is one of the largest privately-held, vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis companies in the United States with a mission to pioneer well-being and improve the quality of life through cannabinoids. Parallel recently announced that it intends to become a public company through a definitive business combination agreement with Ceres Acquisition Corp. (Ceres), (NEO: CERE.U, CERE.WT;OTCQX: CERAF), a special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC). Parallel has ongoing operations in four medical and adult-use markets under the retail brands of Surterra Wellness in Florida and Texas; New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Massachusetts, and The Apothecary Shoppe in Nevada. Parallel also has a license under its Goodblend retail brand in Pennsylvania for vertically integrated operations and up to six retail locations, in addition to a medical cannabis research partnership with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Parallel has a diverse portfolio of high quality, proprietary and licensed consumer brands and products including Surterra Wellness, Coral Reefer, Float and Heights. Parallel operates approximately 50 locations nationwide, including 42 retail stores, and cultivation and manufacturing sites. Through its wholly-owned Parallel Biosciences subsidiary, it conducts advanced cannabis science and R&D for new product development in its facilities in Massachusetts, Florida, Texas and a facility in Budapest, Hungary through an exclusive license and partnership. Parallel follows rigorous operations and business practices to ensure the quality, safety, consistency and efficacy of its products and is building its business by following strong values and putting the well-being of its customers and employees first. Find more information at www.liveparallel.com, or on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information in this press release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and U.S. securities law (referred to herein as forward-looking statements), including statements regarding the Transaction and expected future growth. Except for statements of historical fact, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements, which include, but are not limited to, statements related to activities, events or developments that Parallel or Ceres expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, statements related to Parallel's business strategy objectives and goals, and Parallel's management's assessment of future plans and operations which are based on current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs, which may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "could", "would", "should", "anticipate", 'believe", expect ", "intend", "potential ", "estimate", "budget", "scheduled", "plans", "planned", "forecasts", "goals" and similar expressions or the negatives thereof. Such statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on Parallel's management's belief or interpretation of information currently available. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Forward-looking statements in this press release includes statements regarding: the Transaction; the consummation of the acquisition of Windy City; Parallel's expansion strategy and plans to grow its market share in existing and new markets, including Illinois; Parallel's investment in new technologies and products; the development and expansion of Parallel's brands; and strategic acquisition opportunities. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of factors and assumptions made by management and considered reasonable at the time such information is provided, and forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that the transactions described herein will be completed or that, if completed, the combined public company will be successful.

Risk factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievement to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to the following: (i) the risk that the Transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of Ceres' securities, (ii) the risk that the Transaction may not be completed by Ceres' qualifying transaction deadline and the potential failure to obtain an extension of the qualifying transaction deadline if sought by Ceres, (iii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the Transaction, including the approval of the Transaction by the stockholders of Ceres and Parallel, as applicable (iv), the receipt of certain governmental and regulatory approvals, (v) the lack of a third party valuation in determining whether or not to pursue the proposed Transaction, (vi) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the business combination agreement, (vii) the impact of COVID-19 on Parallel's business and/or the ability of the parties to complete the proposed Transaction, (viii) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the Transaction on Parallel's business relationships, performance, and business generally, (ix) risks that the proposed Transaction disrupts current plans and operations of Parallel and potential difficulties in Parallel employee retention as a result of the proposed Transaction, (x) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Parallel or Ceres or their respective, directors, officers and affiliates related to the proposed Transaction, (xi) the risk that the combined public company's securities will not be approved for listing on the NEO Exchange or, if approved, that the combined public company will be able to maintain the listing, (xii) the price of Ceres' and the combined public company's securities may be volatile due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Parallel operates, variations in performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting Parallel's business and changes in the combined capital structure and a return on securities of the combined public company is not guaranteed, (xiii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after the completion of the proposed Transaction, and identify and realize additional opportunities, (xiv) the risk of downturns and the possibility of rapid change in the highly competitive industry in which Parallel operates, (xv) the risk that Parallel and its current and future collaborators are unable to successfully develop and commercialize Parallel's products, brands or services, or experience significant delays in doing so, (xvi) the risk that the combined public company may never sustain profitability, (xvii) the risk that the combined public company will need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all, (xviii) the risk that the combined public company experiences difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations, (xix) the risk that the pharmaceutical industry may attempt to dominate the cannabis industry, and in particular, legal marijuana, through the development and distribution of synthetic products which emulate the effects and treatment of organic marijuana, (xx) the agricultural risks related to insects, plant diseases, unstable growing conditions, water and electricity availability and cost, (xxi) the risk that may arise because cannabis continues to be a controlled substance under the United States Federal Controlled Substances Act, (xxii) the risk of product liability or regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to Parallel's products and services, (xixii) the risk that the combined public company is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property, (xxiv) tax risks, including U.S. federal income tax treatment, (xxv) risks relating to the reliance of Parallel on key members of management, (xxvi) risks inherent in businesses related to the agricultural industry, (xxvii) risks relating to potentially unfavorable publicity or consumer perception, (xxviii) Parallel may be subject to the risk of competition from synthetic production and technological advances, (xxix) investors in the combined public company and its directors, officers and employees who are not U.S. citizens may be denied entry into the United States, (xxx) product recalls, (xxxi) results of future clinical research, (xxxii) difficulty attracting and retaining personnel, (xxxiii) fraudulent or illegal activity by employees, contractors and consultants; information technology systems and cyber-attacks, (xxxiv) security breaches, (xxxv) natural disasters and terrorism risk, (xxxvi) restricted access to banking, (xxxvii) risks related to the lending facilities, (xxxviii) risks of leverage, (xxxix) heightened scrutiny by regulatory authorities, (xI) risk of legal, regulatory or political change, (xli) general regulatory and licensing risks, (xlii) Parallel and the combined public company may be subject to the risk of changes in Canadian as well as U.S. federal, state and local laws or regulations, (xliii) limitations on ownership of licenses, (xliv) Nevada regulatory regime and transfer and grant of licenses, (xIv) regulatory action and approvals from the FDA, (xlvi) constraints on marketing products, (xlvii) anti-money laundering laws and regulation, (xlviii) the combined public company's status as an "Emerging Growth Company" under United States securities laws, (xlix) discretion in the use of proceeds, (l) subsequent offerings will result in dilution to shareholders of the combined public company, (li) voting control, and (lii) unpredictability caused by capital structure and voting control. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive.

Parallel and Ceres undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws.

U.S. Disclaimer

Neither the securities of Ceres nor of Parallel have been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered and sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.

Any securities of either Ceres or Parallel sold in the United States will be "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144 under the U.S. Securities Act. Such securities may be resold, pledged or otherwise transferred only pursuant to an effective registration statement under the U.S. Securities Act or pursuant to an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.

Media Contact:

Taylor Foxman-Weiner

[email protected]

Investors:

[email protected]

1 Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and Illinois Department of Public Health

SOURCE Parallel
Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell welcomed their first child together last week, a baby daughter named Grace Warrior Irwin Powell.

And the couple have now shared never-before-seen photos of their newborn, ahead of their one-hour TV special for Animal Planet, Crikey! It's a Baby!

One of the images shows Bindi, 22, gazing affectionately at her little girl while cradling her in her arms.

So sweet! Bindi Irwin cradles her newborn daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell in never-before-seen family photos released ahead of the Animal Planet special Crikey! It's a Baby!

Grace is wearing a beige printed onesie and a pink beanie.

In another heart-melting photo, new parents Bindi and Chandler can't stop staring at their tiny tot, who is fast asleep in their arms.

Crikey! It's a Baby! premieres on Animal Planet next month, and follows the couple's journey into parenthood, with the help of Bindi's mother Terri and brother Robert.

Baby bubble: In one heart-melting photo, new parents Bindi and Chandler can't stop staring at their tiny tot, who is fast asleep in their arms

The program will include footage of the moment Bindi and Chandler, 24, take their newborn girl back to Australia Zoo for the first time.

The lovebirds welcomed their daughter on March 25, which coincidentally was also their one-year wedding anniversary.

'Happy first wedding anniversary to my sweetheart husband and day of birth to our beautiful daughter,' Bindi wrote on Instagram, announcing the child's arrival.

'Grace Warrior Irwin Powell. Our graceful warrior is the most beautiful light.'

New addition: The lovebirds welcomed their daughter on March 25, which coincidentally was also their one-year wedding anniversary

Double celebration: 'Happy first wedding anniversary to my sweetheart husband and day of birth to our beautiful daughter,' Bindi wrote on Instagram, announcing the child's arrival

Grace is a popular name in both Bindi and Chandler's families. 'Warrior' is inspired by Bindi's late father Steve Irwin, who coined the term 'wildlife warrior'.

Steve died in September 2006 after being stabbed in the chest by a stingray barb as he was filming a documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland. He was 44.

At the time, his son Robert was two years old and his daughter Bindi was eight.

Crikey! It's a Baby! is available to stream or watch on Saturday, May 22, at 6:30pm AEST on Animal Planet in Australia
The Actors Fund is teaming up with Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers and Christine Baranski for "Stage & Screen," an online auction event to benefit the national human services organization for members of the performing arts community. The auction will take place on Wednesday, April 28, beginning at 10am ET.

The auction will feature a diverse array of memorabilia from theater, Hollywood, opera, and dance, including original drawings, scenic and costume designs, photographs, and wardrobes. Among the highlights so far are a Wolverine jacket from Hugh Jackman's closet; a David Dalrymple gown worn by Bette Midler; a dress from Dolly Parton; coat and shoes from Cher; the leather suit Alan Cumming wore to the Tony Awards in 1998, when he won Best Actor for Cabaret; a collection of signed books from Julie Andrews; and more. New highlights will be announced each week leading up to the event.

While a portion of proceeds from every item sold will benefit the Actors Fund, Baranski is curating a collection of donated lots for which 100 percent of the hammer price goes entirely to the organization. She is also donating three gowns that she wore for appearances at the Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, and Kennedy Center Honors.

The current selection of items can be viewed here. The interactive auction catalogue will be published online at Doyle.com on Thursday, April 15.
Viability to Address Underserved Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Malaria market, forecast to be worth $6 Billion USD by 2027*, Company to investigate Spin Out of Asset

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Codebase Ventures Inc. ("Codebase" or the "Company") (CSE:CODE)(FSE:C5B)(OTCQB:BKLLF) is pleased to provide an update on the continued development of the Company's proposed transdermal delivery technology for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), as first announced in April 2020.

The Company engaged TRPL (Transdermal Research Pharm Laboratories) of Long Island City of New York, to conduct a feasibility study which indicates that HCQ has all the required parameters to be a transdermal candidate.

In recognition of the potential value of this legacy asset, and in light of the Company's current focus upon the blockchain and related emerging technology ecosystem, Code is investigating spinning out its interest in the transdermal delivery technology for HCQ. Details on any such spin out will be provided in the coming weeks as the Company explores deal structures with its partners to ensure Code shareholders benefit.

Code has a 49% interest in Glanis Pharmaceuticals Inc., an arms-length private company which holds provisional US patents for transdermal and oral mucosal delivery of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine (CQ). The drug is FDA approved as a treatment against malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. On the basis of positive results from the feasibility study, the parties are beginning the process from provisional to full patent.

Highlights

Market for HCQ forecast to reach $6 billion by 2027* as FDA approved treatment for malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis

Code receives positive technical feasibility study results indicating HCQ has all the required parameters to be delivered transdermally

HCQ transdermal treatment for malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis patients likely to resolve oral tablet side effects as it would bypass the first pass metabolism

Code has received interest in the application of HCQ in a transdermal patch for the underserved patients with malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Current oral tablet delivery of HCQ comes with side effects that transdermal delivery is likely to resolve.

Transdermal delivery can provide a drug plasma concentration at predetermined rate for a predetermined period of time. Safe, consistent doses will make the drug much more effective at reduced dosages required because the GI system is avoided with transdermal delivery. This new delivery method should eliminate or reduce a number of the common side effects of the oral tablet treatment, including nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, dizziness, or headache, by providing controlled constant delivery.

TRPL has a combined 75 years of expertise in transdermal delivery systems and provides the capacity, equipment and capabilities to advance the development program for a hydroxychloroquine molecule for oral mucosal delivery from research, testing, regulatory approvals through to launch of the hydroxychloroquine oral mucosal delivery system.

The Company also announced that it has engaged Ahead of the Herd for $70,000 as a consultant to provide marketing services over a 6-month period.

*https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hydroxychloroquine-market-size-worth-around-us-6-bn-by-2027-301058526.html

About Codebase Ventures Inc.

Codebase Ventures Inc. seeks early-stage investments in sectors that have significant upside. We seek innovators who are establishing tomorrow's standards. We support those innovators and help take their ideas to market.

For further information, please contact:

George Tsafalas - Ivy Lu

Investor Relations

Telephone: Toll-Free (877) 806-CODE (2633) or 1 (778) 806-5150

E-mail: IR@codebase.ventures

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

SOURCE: Codebase Ventures Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638539/Codebase-Receives-Positive-Technical-Study-Results-for-HCQ-Transdermal-Patch-Technology
More than a fifth of Covid victims in some English hospitals contracted the disease while being treated for something else.

A total of 3,264 people who contracted the infection in hospital have passed away since March last year, reports The Telegraph.

Nine hospital trusts across England reported the deaths of over 100 patients who picked up Covid while under their supervision, according to freedom of information requests.

Out of the trusts that responded, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust recorded the highest number of fatalities at 222 (probable and definite cases).

Meanwhile, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust reported 128 deaths (suspected and definite).

More than a fifth of Covid victims in some English hospitals contracted the disease while being treated for something else (file photo of a hospital ward)

This was followed by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust, where contracting the virus in hospital made up 21 and 20 per cent of the trust's Covid deaths, respectively.

The data refers to deaths among patients who tested positive for Covid from eight to 14 days after they were admitted to hospital - 'probable' cases - and those who received a positive test after being admitted for 15 days or more - 'definite' cases.

The spread of the virus on wards has been a problem for the NHS throughout the crisis, with hospitals that have more infected patients finding it harder to manage.

Although staff must wear protective equipment at all times and Covid and non-Covid patients are segregated, the virus still spreads from people who have no symptoms or who get false negative test results.

A spokesperson for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust told the paper that patient and staff safety was a 'top priority' in the pandemic and that community transmission levels in their region had been 'consistently higher' than the national average.

An NHS England spokesperson added that hospitals 'implement robust infection control measures' in accordance with PHE and other UK-wide guidance.

It follows scientists claiming in evidence presented to No10's top advisers that up to 40 per cent of coronavirus infections in hospital patients during the first wave of the pandemic could have been caught on NHS wards.

On February 12, SAGE released a document submitted to the panel that claimed stopping the spread of the virus in hospitals may have led to a 'substantial' reduction in the number of deaths in the first wave because the patients were often old or frail.

It follows scientists claiming in evidence presented to No10's top advisers that up to 40 per cent of coronavirus infections in hospital patients during the first wave of the pandemic could have been caught on NHS wards.

The paper showed that even people who didn't obviously catch the virus in hospital may have done so if they developed symptoms shortly after being admitted and then ended up back in hospital with Covid-19

And this transmission meant the first phase of the UK's coronavirus crisis was 'prolonged, potentially by several weeks', they said.

The SAGE paper suggested that as many as 36,152 of around 90,000 people who were diagnosed with the virus in hospital between February and July 2020 had caught it in hospital. It makes assumptions about cases from a time when coronavirus testing was often limited.

The paper estimated at least 8.8 per cent of Covid hospital cases in England over the first wave of the pandemic may have been what are known as nosocomial, or hospital-acquired, infections.

These include people who became ill while an inpatient for another condition, or who developed Covid shortly after being discharged and then ended up back in hospital.

Some of the cases were only suspected, while others were confirmed by process of elimination.

The 8.8 per cent figure was for people who tested positive 15 or more days after being admitted, who were certain to have caught the virus in hospital.
[April 01, 2021] BIGtoken to Host Webinar on April 8, 2021 to Discuss Digital Identity and the Big Question: "How Much Are You Worth?"

BIGtoken Inc., the first privacy focused, opt-in data marketplace where people own and monetize their data, will host a webinar on Thursday, April 8, 2021 to discuss digital identity and the big question: "How much are you worth?" Consumers are finally speaking up and taking control. According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study, more than 80% of Americans feel they have very little to no control over the data that is collected on them. This isn't exactly a new finding. Every day, more people are discovering how much of their day-to-day lives is shared with external parties without their consent. But people are now fighting back. When WhatsApp users started freaking out about Facebook's (News - Alert) new privacy policies, it resulted in millions switching to Telegram and Signal-a huge loss for the Facebook conglomerate. This is just one example of how much more aware and cautious people are about their data and digital identity. We've already seen what changes we can make when we all come together. So, what will happen next? Join BIGtoken and data privacy experts for a discussion on digital identity and ownership. Who: Lou Kerner, Gilbert Hill, Avishai Ostrin, Enoch Liang What: How Much Are You Worth? A Look Into Digital Identity & Ownership What does your data footprint look like? How does it compare across platforms?

How can we alleviate consumer confusion about data collection and usage?

How can emerging technology, like blockchain, help with data transparency and ownership?

What can consumrs do now to take more control of their data?



When: April 8, 2021, 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT Where: Sign up for the webinar via Zoom HERE!

Gilbert Hill Gilbert is a Privacy Technologist, Entrepreneur and Blockchain CEO. After founding, growing and successfully exiting companies in the PrivTech and New Data Economy sectors, he is currently Head of Strategy at Tapmydata, Senior Tutor and Fellow of the Institute of Direct & Digital Marketing in the UK. Avishai Ostrin Avishai Ostrin is a Senior Privacy Consultant at PrivacyTeam, a global privacy consulting & DPO service provider. Avishai is a dual qualified Israel and UK solicitor and works with some of Israel's most exciting tech companies on all areas of data protection and privacy, advising clients on global, current and emerging privacy frameworks. Enoch Liang Enoch is a California-based lawyer and entrepreneur, first founding the law firm, LTL Attorneys, and then helping start artificial intelligence software company, LegalMation. Inspired by Andrew Yang, Enoch started The Data Dividend Project to help consumers collectively exercise their data rights (opt-out, deletion, and access) and to collectively bargain with tech companies and data brokers. About BIGtoken BIGtoken believes that data privacy is a human right. BIGtoken is the first privacy focused, opt-in data marketplace where people own and monetize their data. Through a transparent platform and consumer reward system, BIG offers users choice, transparency, and compensation for their anonymized data. Participating consumers earn rewards and advertisers and media companies get access to insights from compliant first-party data for marketing and media activation. For more information on BIGtoken, visit bigtoken.com. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains "forward-looking statements'' made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate to future, not past, events and may often be identified by words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek" or "will." Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Specific risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include risks inherent in our business, and our need for future capital. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in BIGtoken's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC (News - Alert) ). We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005779/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
The G7 Ambassadors and Ukroboronprom CEO Yuriy Husyev discussed the corporatization of the state concern and the reform of the country's defense and industrial complex.

"During today's meeting with Ukroboronprom CEO Yuriy Husyev, G7 Ambassadors were updated on Ukroboronprom's progress towards corporatization and wider reform of the defense-industrial complex. A reformed Ukroboronprom can contribute positively to Ukraine's security and prosperity," the G7 Ambassadors said in a statement on the Twitter page on Thursday.

The ambassadors said that legislation and government decisions on Ukroboronprom's future should ensure its timely corporatization and improvement of corporate governance in line with OECD guidelines.
LONDON  In the comedian Nish Kumars study hangs a poster of his face superimposed onto the famous Guerrillero Heroico photograph of Che Guevara, the communist revolutionary.

The tongue-in-cheek image was created as a nod to how Kumar, 35, is perceived by much of the British right-wing press, the comedian said in a recent video interview, and was a set dressing for the most recent season of his satirical BBC news show The Mash Report.

In recent years the show, and more specifically Kumar, have become lightning rods in the very public grappling with British values known as the countrys culture war.

Earlier this month, the BBC announced it was canceling The Mash Report after four seasons. In a statement, the broadcaster said that the decision was made in order to make room for new comedy shows.
To develop the potential of startups driving the internet economy, Telecel Group has opened applications for the ASIP Accelerator Programme powered by Startupbootcamp AfriTech.

The programme helps startups achieve 18-24 months of growth in just three months. Now, the next generation of early-stage African tech startups disrupting a wide range of industry sectors are being sought.

Technology sectors such as FinTech, InsureTech, AgriTech, eCommerce, HealthTech, and CleanTech are not only solving some of Africa's most pressing problems, they are also contributing significantly to the continent's economy. The programme initiative is expected to further boost the Internet economy that is set to reach 5.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, contributing about $180 billion to the African economy.

According to Telecel Group, 10 startups would be selected to participate in the program that would give them access to expert-led masterclasses covering scaling fundamentals, from the business model canvas, and lean methodology, to fundraising. They will also receive tailored mentorship from carefully selected mentors who will provide hands-on support and valuable introductions. Plus, they will be connected with venture capitalists and angel investors from around the world and get to meet the leading corporates in their industries for pilot projects and partnership opportunities.

"Over and above all these, the successful startups will receive 15,000 in cash and have access to over 500,000 in exclusive partner deals from leading technology providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, HubSpot, and SendGrid, amongst others.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Africa Nigeria ICT By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"The three-month programme will conclude with a digital Demo Day during which startups will present their newly scaled up solutions to hundreds of investors, corporates, mentors and press attendees. Notably, the participants will continue to receive support long after the Program ends via the Alumni Growth Program which offers access to alumni-only events, deals and tailored introductions," Telecel Group said in a statement.

Twenty-nine startups completed the first Startupbootcamp AfriTech Programme and 90 per cent of participating startups are still operating and scaling at impressive rates. It is expected that 40 per cent must have raised follow-on rounds of funding, with the average increase in valuation being 10 times since their demo day.

In addition to corporate partner, Telecel Group, Programme sponsors include Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services, Hubspot, VC4A and Cloudworx. There are a limited number of slots for additional corporate Founding Partners to join the consortium. These partners will have the rare opportunity to help determine the key challenge areas that will be the focus of the programme's startup scouting and sit on the exclusive selection committee that will choose the top 10 startups to participate in the programme.
VANCOUVER, BC, March 31, 2021 /CNW/ - Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. The COVID-19 crisis has made it clear that affordable housing is key to Canada's recovery, as communities across the country are dealing with the devastating impacts of rising levels of homelessness and housing need.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) (CNW Group/Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced that the $1 billion Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), launched in October 2020, is investing over $205.6 million to support the construction of 700 permanent affordable housing units for individuals and families in British Columbia, with nearly 55% of the units committed to Indigenous peoples and 17% to women and children.

This funding is providing 419 safe and affordable new homes for vulnerable populations across the province under the Projects Stream, and 281 units across Vancouver, Surrey and the CRD which will address severe housing needs and high rates of homelessness under the Major Cities Stream.

Minister Hussen also provided details of approximately $53.1 million in federal funding under the Projects Stream for the creation of up to 188 units/beds of supportive housing through three separate projects in Vancouver, in partnership with BC Housing. The projects will be located at 435 W Pender St, 1025 Granville St, and 103 E Hastings St.

Delivered by CMHC, under the National Housing Strategy (NHS), RHI provides capital contributions to develop new, permanent affordable housing by covering costs associated with modular multi-unit rental construction; conversion of non-residential to affordable multi-residential homes; and, rehabilitation of buildings in disrepair and/or abandoned to affordable multi-residential homes. Investments made under the RHI are expected to support thousands of construction-related jobs for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Story continues

Quotes:

"Our Government wants to ensure that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home. The Rapid Housing Initiative will go a long way to supporting those who need it most by quickly providing 700 new affordable housing units to vulnerable individuals and families in British Columbia to keep them safe. This is one of the ways our Government's National Housing Strategy continues to provide housing for Canadians from coast to coast to coast."  The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

"Vancouver's critical shortage of safe, secure and affordable housing is all too well known. The Rapid Housing Initiative delivers the kind of bold innovative action the challenge demands. It not only finds permanent shelter for people in urgent need - it is a crucial public health measure to keep people and communities safe during the pandemic and beyond. There is more to do, and there is more to come. This is the National Housing Strategy at work."  The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick facts:

Nationally, at 4,700 units, the RHI has exceeded its initial target of 3,000 permanent affordable housing units.

The RHI has received significant interest from Indigenous groups, which resulted in nearly 40% of all units being created under the program to be targeted to Indigenous peoples.

The RHI takes a human rights-based approach to housing, serving people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and others who are among the most vulnerable, including: women and children fleeing domestic violence, seniors, young adults, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people dealing with mental health and addiction issues, veterans, LGBTQ2+, racialized groups, Black Canadians, and recent immigrants or refugees.

As a part of the Rapid Housing Initiative's Projects Stream, three projects in Vancouver will receive funding. The three projects total $53.1M in federal funding. The first project located at 435 W Pender Street will receive $28.7 million in funding for 80 beds. The second project at 1025 Granville Street will received $19.3 million in funding for 75 beds. The last project located at 103 E Hastings Street received $5.1 million for 33 beds.

Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $70+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call homethis includes more than $13 billion committed through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.

Associated links:

As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2021/31/c2418.html
The first farm business has been successfully connected under the National Broadband Plan, it has been announced.

National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company delivering the new, high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home network on behalf of the Government said

Agricultural consultant Tom Canning, located in Crossdoney, Co Cavan, is the first farm business to be connected.

Under the National Broadband Plan, over 544,000 premises nationwide are included in the "intervention area", which was established by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to identify areas where commercial operators are not currently providing access to high-speed broadband or do not intend to.

The project sees NBI delivering minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to farms, homes, businesses and schools.

As the president of the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) and managing director of Canning Consultants, a farm consultancy business, Mr Canning says he expects to benefit hugely from a high-speed fibre connection.

"We are delighted to be the first farm business to be connected under the National Broadband Plan.

"The need for the farming community to be connected to a high-speed network is vital as administration and the day-to-day running of a farm has moved online.

"For the purpose of my farm consultancy business, I also need a reliable network connection so I can effectively operate business from a rural base and I am already seeing the benefits from this connection. From speaking with others in the farming community, the NBP will benefit them hugely.

National Broadband Ireland said a reliable, high-speed broadband connection "has never been so important" for Irelands farming community, as the agricultural sector has experienced an accelerated adoption of technological advances in recent years.

"Not only are essential business operations increasingly moving online, but farmers are utilising new technologies such as smart-farming devices to maximise production and realise significant efficiencies.

"The Covid-19 pandemic also gave rise to the growing trend of virtual mart auctions, allowing farmers to trade livestock effectively online.

"As an industry with a heritage of innovation, farmers have embraced the benefits of technology to achieve cost savings, reduce administration and access information in order to improve livestock management; all making reliable, high-speed broadband essential to their future success," a spokesperson stated.

Farmers, along with residents and businesses will be able to order their connections through a number of retail service providers (RSPs) who will offer services over the network.

As a wholesale provider, NBI has said it will make the new Fibre-to-the-Home network available to all RSPs operating in the intervention area.

Some 42 RSPs have already signed up to sell services on the NBI network and 17 are certified as ready to start providing connections as of today.

Environment, Climate and Communications Minister Eamon Ryan said: "Today marks another major milestone in the rollout of the National Broadband Plan as we see one of the first farms connected.

"Reliable access to high speed broadband will help farmers as they use agricultural technology to maximise efficiencies, diversify into more sustainable forms of farming, produce energy and run their day-to-day business operations."




A brief overview of Eds choices from Outreach Magazines Resource of the Year.

Image: Outreach Magazine

Every year, Outreach Magazine publishes their list of Resources of the Year . Below you will find Eds highlighted picks from this compilation.

Each of the last few years, our team and I partner with Outreach Magazine to look through many resources on evangelism and apologetics. Once they have announced, I like to share a bit more here at The Exchange.

This year, I commended the following two books:

1.How to Talk About Jesus Without Being That Guy: Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan.

Sam Chan offers wise and practical advice on sharing Christ in our ever-changing, post-Christian world. Using pertinent biblical texts, encouraging real-life examples, and sociological and cultural information, Chan offers the reader a helpful way both to think about evangelism today and how to practice it. He writes with confidence in the gospel and personal humility. Building his content around eight "tips," Chan's approach is applicable for a pastor or layperson, for a church or individual, and for global contexts (his is Australia) and for the United States.

For example, tip 2, "Go to their things and they will come to your things," Chan describes being supportive of events that matter to unchurched friends. He shares a number of examples where friends and neighbors of he and his wife attended church after they attended events of their friends. This is a book a person can read and immediately begin to implement the ideas.

2. SENT: Living a Life That Invites Others to Jesusby Heather Holleman and Ashley Holleman.

The Holleman's work with Cru in Pennsylvania, where Heather teaches English at Penn State. This book offers numerous examples of how to make the shift to living as a sent person or family. A particularly helpful aspect of this book flows out of the married couple who wrote it: husband Ashley is the introvert, whereas wife Heather is the extrovert. Readers from either personality can gain immediate and useful wisdom from their honest retelling of their strengths and weaknesses.

As practical and helpful as Sent is, it's really not fundamentally about how to practice evangelism but understanding one's identity as a sent person. A number of accounts of people being won to Christ in the context of the Holleman's sent lives brings the reality of this important idea to life.

Also, we suggested two "Additional Recommendations."

1. Reclaimed: How Jesus Restores Our Humanity in a Dehumanized World by Andy Steiger with Sherry Hiebert.

Steiger offers a fascinating and helpful look at how dehumanizing people contributes to the outrage and division in our world, while seeing people as humans made in God's image totally reshapes how we see others.

2.Telling a Better Story: How to Talk About God in a Skeptical Age by Joshua D. Chatraw.

Chatraw's book brings together apologetics and the biblical story in a way that helps give the believer confidence and assists in witnessing and defending the faith to others.
"This is an important day for the Army. It is critical that we take care of the men and women who have selflessly taken care of our country," said Colonel Stuart James, garrison commander at Fort Bliss. "We need to take care of the soldiers not only when they are in the Army but when they leave, to have partners like Premier Truck Group and Universal Technical Institute help our transitioning service members succeed in their next career is wonderful."

The service members who completed the program were honored at a ceremony today at Fort Bliss. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-El Paso) addressed the graduates, thanking them for their tremendous service to the country and noting they will continue to serve society in their new careers. Executives from Premier Truck Group and UTI were in attendance.

"It's a privilege to be here, to congratulate these eight graduates in person and to thank you for the service you've provided our country. You are truly our nation's greatest assets," said Congresswoman Escobar (D-El Paso). "When service members leave the military after they have given their all to our nation, we haven't done enough as a country to provide these tremendous men and women the opportunity to use their incredible skills in the private sector and in our economy, so I am so grateful for collaborations like this that provide solutions to challenges we can't solve on our own."

The Premier Truck Group Technician Skills Program is tuition-free to military service members and features an on-base curriculum with hands-on technical training that meets CDC and health authority COVID-19 prevention guidelines. The training focuses on diagnostic paths and service technologies unique to Premier Truck Group. The recurring program's next session begins April 19, 2021.

"It is our honor to hire our nation's heroes," said Rich Shearing, president of Premier Truck Group. "Our partnership with UTI and the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss gives us the opportunity to support service members in learning the skills to transition directly into rewarding civilian careers. We are pleased to offer immediate employment to these and future graduates from the Premier Truck Group Technician Skills Program."

The following service members earned a Systems Certified Daimler Truck North America credential and will be going to work at Premier Truck Group:

Fort Bliss, Texas - Cameron Champraya, who will work in Salt Lake City, Utah

- Cameron Champraya, who will work in Marine Corps Base Hawaii - Donald Ford , who will work in Twin Falls, Idaho

, who will work in Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Hannah McMullin , who will work in Fort Worth, Texas

, who will work in Fort Bliss, Texas - Hien Tran , who will work in Chattanooga, Tenn.

- , who will work in Fort Bliss, Texas - Ivan Perez , who will work in St George, Utah

- , who will work in Fort Bliss, Texas - Mark Lopez , who will work in Amarillo, Texas

- , who will work in Tucson, Ariz. - Timothy Phillips , who will work in North Dallas, Texas

- , who will work in Fort Bliss, Texas - Tyler Walker , who will work in Ardmore , Okla.

"We are excited to celebrate the first graduating class of the Premier Truck Group Technician Skills Program," said Jerome Grant, CEO of UTI. "This program is part of UTI's deep and longstanding commitment to serve and support our country's veterans through quality education in partnership with industry."

The eight graduating students from the Premier Truck Group Technician Skills Program at Fort Bliss will join the ranks of Premier Truck Group's nearly 1,800 employees, including some 600 technicians. The company spans 25 commercial truck dealerships across the United States and Canada.

Service members interested in applying for the next program or learning more may send an email to [email protected] or call 915-471-6351.

For more information about Universal Technical Institute, visit https://www.uti.edu/.

For more information about Premier Truck Group, visit https://www.premiertruck.com/.

For more information about Ft. Bliss, visit https://home.army.mil/bliss/index.php.

About Premier Truck Group:

Premier Truck Group is an international medium-duty and heavy-duty commercial truck dealership group headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company has locations throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Idaho and Georgia in the United States and in Ontario, Canada, and offers a premium selection of new Freightliner, Western Star and Isuzu commercial vehicles, a large selection of previously owned commercial trucks and a full suite of maintenance and repair services with several of its locations open 24 hours every day, seven days per week. Premier Truck Group also offers a wide selection of retail parts and accessories.

About Ft. Bliss:

Fort Bliss is an Army post in El Paso, Texas. It is the third-largest U.S. Army installation and is the home of the 1st Armored Division and numerous resident units that train, sustain, mobilize and deploy to conduct global, full-spectrum operations in support of the national military strategy, while providing for the well-being of the regional military community.

About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.:

With more than 220,000 graduates in its 55-year history, Universal Technical Institute Inc. (NYSE: UTI) is the nation's leading provider of technical training for automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, and offers welding technology and computer numerical control (CNC) machining programs. The company has built partnerships with industry leaders, outfits its state-of-the-industry facilities with current technology and delivers training aligned with employer needs. Through its network of 12 campuses nationwide, UTI offers post-secondary programs under the banner of several well-known brands, including Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI) and NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech). The company is based in Phoenix.

For more information, visit https://www.uti.edu/. Like UTI on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UTI or follow UTI on Twitter @UTITweet, @MMITweet, and @NASCARTechUTI.

SOURCE Universal Technical Institute, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.uti.edu


An Australian beer giant plans to help power its operations with extra energy from household rooftop solar systems - and will pay home owners with liquid gold.

Carlton and United Breweries says its new 'solar exchange' program will let households exchange $30 worth of extra solar credit on their power bill for a slab of VB, which the brewery will deliver quarterly.

'We believe the average customer will get a slab a month,' Brian Phan from CUB told AAP.

He said the company's Victoria Bitter was already brewed using offset solar power, and the extra rooftop solar would be used to power the company's head office, and to produce its other beers.

Carlton and United Breweries says its new 'solar exchange' program will let households exchange $30 worth of extra solar credit on their power bill for a slab of VB

The company has allowed for 500 households to join the program, and the beer payments will be limited to 30 slabs a year.

The program is open to households in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

More than two million, or 21 per cent, of Australian households have rooftop solar, but many only produce just enough energy for home use.

CUB is using the energy technology company Power Ledger to facilitate the solar power transactions, which will rely on blockchain technology.

'Beer companies around the world are starting to place greater emphasis on renewables,' Dr Gemma Green from Power Ledger told AAP.

The company has allowed for 500 households to join the program, and the beer payments will be limited to 30 slabs a year

She says blockchain can enable hundreds of secure transactions every second, which allows energy trades from thousands of different sources - in this case, households.

'Using Power Ledger, households are providing solar to Carlton, and they are being paid for that energy in beer,' she said.

Last year, CUB began powering its operations with offset solar, from Victoria's Karadoc solar farm.

It also installed solar panels on the roof of the Abbotsford Brewery in Melbourne, and Yatala Brewery in Queensland.
Searches are currently being carried out at the premises of the National Agency of Ukraine for the Asset Recovery and Management (ARMA), as well as at the department's leadership, MP of the Servant of the People faction Halyna Yanchenko said.

"Searches are inderway in ARMA. The same searches continue at the homes of acting head of ARMA Vitaliy Syhydin, his deputy for asset management Volodymyr Pavlenko and head of the asset management department Vakhtang Bochorishvili. Searches are being held by the SBI together with SBU," Yanchenko wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

Later, the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) and the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) confirmed the information about the searches.

"It was established that during November-December 2020, members of an organized group, which included officials of the National Agency and lawyers, took possession of funds totaling more than $400,000, which were transferred to the management of ARMA. These persons, on the basis of forged court decisions, unreasonably transferred money to the bank accounts of persons who had nothing to do with them. On April 1, 2021, investigators of the SBI conducted a series of searches in the premises of ARMA and at the addresses of residence of its leaders," the SBI website says.

The preliminary qualification of the offense, according to the department, is the seizure of funds on an especially large scale by an organized group, as well as the use of forged documents and the receipt of unlawful benefits by an official (Part 3 of Article 28, Part 5 of Article 191, Part 4 of Article 358 ,Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The PGO reports that more than 50 simultaneous searches were carried out in Kyiv and Kyiv region in this case and the seizure of funds in the amount of more than $500,000.

"According to the investigation, the members of the organized group ... during November-December 2020 took possession of funds recognized as material evidence in a number of criminal proceedings and transferred to the management of ARMA, totaling more than $500,000 by transferring them on the basis of fake court decisions to the bank accounts of individuals who are not participants in criminal proceedings," the department said.

According to Yanchenko, a number of episodes of "corruption machinations" by ARMA are being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

"Over the past year, I have systematically drawn attention to the abuses of ARMA and called for an immediate restart of management, and also made such a proposal to the President of Ukraine. In addition, to change the situation, I registered two bills on restoring order in ARMA and reforming the management of seized assets. These bills were signed by another 70 MPs. I hope that today's events will be a clear signal that changes in ARMA are needed now, and sufficient motivation for the prepared bills to be finally put to the vote in the hall," she wrote.

Yanchenko expressed conviction that legislative changes can become a safeguard "from lawlessness and muddy stories of ARMA" in the future.
Police officers in New York City are no longer allowed to search a vehicle simply because there is a smell of marijuana coming from it, now that the state has legalized the recreational use of the drug.

The NYPD on Wednesday circulated a memo to all of its commands, explaining the new laws governing the possession, sale and use of marijuana, and laying out 'the sweeping changes to the department's enforcement of marihuana [sic]'.

The memo was sent after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana into law, making New York the 16th state in the US to take that step.

After the legalization of recreational marijuana in New York, police can no longer search a vehicle simply because there is a smell of marijuana coming from it (file photo)

Under the new laws, adults cannot be criminally charged for smoking marijuana in the street. Pictured: Eliana Miss Illi, general manager of Weed World in Midtown Manhattan, smokes a joint on Wednesday

People aged 21 and over can legally possess up to 3 ounces of pot outside of the home, and also grow up to three mature cannabis plants in their home

New Yorkers aged 21 and over can now legally possess up to three ounces of marijuana outside of the home and purchase cannabis from authorized retailers.

Adults also can legally have up to 5lbs pounds of marijuana in their home as well as grow up to three mature and three immature cannabis plants in their home.

'Effective immediately, the smell of marihuana [sic] alone no longer establishes probable cause of a crime to search a vehicle,' the police memo states. 'This change applies to both burnt and unburnt marijuana [sic].'

Smoking marijuana while driving is still illegal, as is operating a vehicle while high.

If an officer smells burnt marijuana from a car, it can be considered probable cause to search the passenger compartment, but not the trunk.

Police can only search the trunk if they develop 'separate probable cause' to believe there is evidence of a crime inside.

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana into law Wednesday

Sales of recreational-use marijuana won't become legal for an estimated 18 months pending state regulations

The memo notes that under the new law, anyone over the age of 21 is allowed to smoke marijuana 'almost anywhere that cigarette smoking is allowed including on sidewalks, on front stoops and other public places. As a result, smoking marihuana [sic] in any of these locations is not a basis for an approach, stop, summons, arrest or search.'

According to the revised guidelines, street sales of marijuana are still against the law, but police witnessing a 'hand-to-hand' exchange of 3oz or less of marijuana cannot make an arrest or issue a summons, unless they see money changing hands.

Police officers also have been made aware that people on parole are now allowed to use marijuana, unless the terms of their parole specifically prohibit it.

Anyone previously convicted of possessing marijuana under the new legal limit will automatically be eligible to resentencing. The bill will also lead to reduced penalties for possession and sale.

'This is a historic day in New York  one that rights the wrongs of the past by putting an end to harsh prison sentences, embraces an industry that will grow the Empire State's economy, and prioritizes marginalized communities so those that have suffered the most will be the first to reap the benefits,' Cuomo said in a statement.
Luanda  Brazilian ambassador to Angola Rafael de Mello Vidal announced Wednesday plans to re-launch bilateral strategic partnership, which contains new ideas in the commercial relationship and in the investments.

The diplomat announced this to the press at the end of an audience granted by National Assembly Speaker, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, in Luanda.

He said that after some constraints due to the international situation, Brazil's investments in Angola are beginning to show signs of recovery.

He mentioned the areas of infrastructure, energy and agriculture.

Mello Vidal said that the guidelines of the strategic partnership between the two countries include joint work around the Community of the Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), trade, investments and the cooperation field.

"We give priority to Angola. We have more than 70 cooperation projects, some already concluded and others in progress", he emphasized.

He said that there is very strong bilateral cooperation in the health sector, with stress to HIV control, agriculture and training of Angolan staff in Brazil.

As for defence and security, another pillar of the strategic partnership between the two countries, the diplomat highlighted the cooperation that involves joint naval exercises, exchange of equipment and training of officers in the field of aeronautics and navy.

The strategic partnership also involves careful action to defend the interests of Brazilians in Angola and Angolans based in Brazil, he said.

"We have, on a monthly basis, a consular activity that involves more than 400 visas to Angolan students and others, including businessmen, granted by the Embassy of Brazil in Angola," he said.

He revealed that about 20,000 Brazilians currently live in Angola, being the largest community in his country in Africa.

CPLP Summit

Brazilian diplomat addressed the possible coming to Angola of the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, to attend the CPLP Summit this year in the Angolan capital, Luanda.

Meanwhile, Rafael de Mello Vidal praised Angola saying that the country started a cycle of economic growth and, at the same time, dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic with excellence.

" Brazil was the first country to recognise Angola's independence, on November 11, 1975. Cooperative relations between the two states have increased significantly in recent years.

The diplomat announced this to the press at the end of an audience granted by National Assembly Speaker, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, in Luanda.

He said that after some constraints due to the international situation, Brazil's investments in Angola are beginning to show signs of recovery.

He mentioned the areas of infrastructure, energy and agriculture.

Mello Vidal said that the guidelines of the strategic partnership between the two countries include joint work around the Community of the Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), trade, investments and the cooperation field.

"We give priority to Angola. We have more than 70 cooperation projects, some already concluded and others in progress", he emphasized.

He said that there is very strong bilateral cooperation in the health sector, with stress to HIV control, agriculture and training of Angolan staff in Brazil.

As for defence and security, another pillar of the strategic partnership between the two countries, the diplomat highlighted the cooperation that involves joint naval exercises, exchange of equipment and training of officers in the field of aeronautics and navy.

The strategic partnership also involves careful action to defend the interests of Brazilians in Angola and Angolans based in Brazil, he said.

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"We have, on a monthly basis, a consular activity that involves more than 400 visas to Angolan students and others, including businessmen, granted by the Embassy of Brazil in Angola," he said.

He revealed that about 20,000 Brazilians currently live in Angola, being the largest community in his country in Africa.

CPLP Summit

Brazilian diplomat addressed the possible coming to Angola of the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, to attend the CPLP Summit this year in the Angolan capital, Luanda.

Meanwhile, Rafael de Mello Vidal praised Angola saying that the country started a cycle of economic growth and, at the same time, dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic with excellence.

" Brazil was the first country to recognise Angola's independence, on November 11, 1975. Cooperative relations between the two states have increased significantly in recent years.
Los Angeles:

Jaime King has been roped in to star along side Sylvester Stallone in "Escape Plan 3". The actor is returning to Lionsgates "Escape Plan" action series, joining the cast of the third installment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.



King will reprise the role of the franchises female lead, a woman named Abigail Ross, who is kidnapped and held in an (almost) impenetrable prison facility.



WWE wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista is also back in the thriller, which is co-written and being directed by John Herzfeld. Production began earlier this week.

Also Read : Sylvester Stallone joins team of 'This Is Us', begins shooting

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
H.E. Mr. Yevhen Korniychuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the State of Israel is negotiating the possibility of establishing a joint production of defense products in Ukraine. The Embassy reported this at Facebook.

The ambassador got acquainted with the process of defense production at the Israeli high-tech enterprise EMTAN. It was demonstrated the full production cycle - from the moment of receiving raw materials to the final quality control and production of various types of finished products, - the statement says.

The Embassy emphasizes that during the visit to the enterprise the issues of possible cooperation with the Ukrainian enterprises of the defense-industrial complex in the direction of creation of the corresponding joint production in Ukraine were discussed.
These leaders bring tremendous experience and expertise as we build on the strong momentum for our payments solutions. They share Transcards unwavering commitment to innovation and to the success of our customers and business partners.

Driven by strong growth in revenues and profitability, global payments technology provider Transcard announced that the company expanded its staff by more than 15 employees this quarter, including five individuals who are serving in leadership roles.

During the quarter, Transcard achieved over 90 percent year-over-year (YOY) growth. This tremendous growth in revenues and profitability were the direct result of steady demand for the companys business-to-consumer (B2C) payments solution and greater adoption of the companys business-to-business (B2B) payments solutions. The company also successfully launched its account-to-account (A2A) payments solution, an innovative cloud-enabled platform that digitally connects buyers and suppliers through their enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications and banks, eliminating friction across the commerce lifecycle.

Transcard hired more than 15 employees during the quarter, including five senior managers:



Rick Barkley, Executive Vice President of Engineering

Barkley is a seasoned software engineer and entrepreneur. He comes to Transcard from Cloudsnap, an Integration Platform-as-a-Service (iPaaS) company that he founded to integrate ERPs and other applications. Barkley previously worked for Dell and Hewlett-Packard (HP). Barkely will lead Transcards efforts to deliver hyper-connected solutions that eliminate payments and information silos as well as friction in the commerce lifecycle.

Alton Ingram, Senior Vice President of IT Infrastructure

Ingram previously served five years in the United States Marine Corps, where his occupational specialty was cyber networks, and he achieved the rank of sergeant/E-5. Ingram is leading Transcards efforts to fully leverage the cloud in its solutions.

Jennifer Wang, Executive Vice President of Product & Innovation

Wang has extensive experience in payments, blockchain and Fintech. She previously worked at Mastercard. Prior to Mastercard, Wang assisted the digital transformation and growth acceleration initiatives of clients and partners in private equity and innovation strategy.

Mac Goeltz, Director of Enterprise Audit

Goeltz brings more than 12 years of audit experience to his role at Transcard. Prior to working at Transcard, Goeltz spent 15 years at Unum Group, a Fortune 500 insurance company. He also has experience in the accounting and mortgage industries.

Kevin Beavers, Senior Vice President of Operations

A proven team leader, Beavers was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the United States Army upon graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Beavers earned his Combat Action Badge during his second tour in Operation Enduring Freedom, where he directed soldiers on a split-based deployment operating in three countries.

These leaders bring tremendous experience and expertise as we build on the strong momentum for our payments solutions, said Transcard President Chris Fuller. They share Transcards unwavering commitment to innovation and to the success of our customers and business partners. I am confident that they will play a crucial role in helping Transcard shape the future of payments technology.

About Transcard

Transcard makes frictionless payments a reality with comprehensive global payment solutions designed for banks, fintechs, and businesses of any size and in any industry. Transcard delivers solutions for business-to-business (B2B) payments, consumer-to-business (C2B) payments, business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) payments, account-to-account automation, and Banking as a Service (BaaS). Our solutions combine unmatched multi-rail capabilities, embedded workflows, best-in-class integration, effortless reconciliation, and bank-grade security. These are some of the reasons that 550 businesses and more than 200 banks trust Transcard with their payments.

Learn more at http://www.transcard.com.
Kolkata, April 1 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday once again questioned Anup Majhi aka Lala, alleged kingpin of the illegal coal smuggling racket, along with Shyam Singh, the then Superintendent of Police (SP) of Birbhum.

A CBI source related to the probe told IANS, "The agency is questioning Majhi for the second time in connection with the case about his businesses, financial transactions and his links with several people in connection with the case." The source also said that besides Majhi, the CBI is also questioning Singh.

The source said that Majhi and Singh can be confronted with each other during the questioning.

The CBI has earlier questioned Majhi on March 30 for more than eight hours.

The action comes in the wake of a case registered in November last year involving alleged illegal coal pilferage.

The CBI last week questioned former Asanol Commissioner, Laxmi Narayan Meena for more than three and half hours in connection with the case.

It had registered a case against the alleged kingpin of the pilferage racket Majhi, Eastern Coalfield Ltd General Managers Amit Kumar Dhar and Jayesh Chandra Rai, ECL chief of security Tan Das, area security inspector Kunustoria Dhananjay Rai, and SSI and security in-charge Kajora area Debashish Mukherjee last year.

The CBI also recorded the statement of Rujira Banerjee, wife of Trinamool Congress MP and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee and his sister-in-law Menka Gambhir in the last week of February.

The agency has recently carried out searches at several locations in the state, including at the premises of Amit Agarwal, a close aide of Majhi, raising the heat in poll-bound West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool and the BJP are engaged in a bitter battle.

Polling to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases, with the first from March 27 to April 29. Results will be declared on May 2.

Polling for the second phase is going on in the state on Thursday.
Broadway Barks has announced that it will once again take its dog and cat adoption event "Across America" for a second time. The 23rd installment will take place on Sunday, May 23, at 7pm ET.

The streamed event will be hosted by the organization's co-founder Bernadette Peters and will feature adoptable pets in shelters and presented by animal loving celebrities from across the country.

Broadway Barks help hundreds of New York City's shelter animals find permanent homes by informing New Yorkers about the plight of the thousands of homeless dogs and cats in the metropolitan area. The event features Broadway celebrities who use their star power to find loving homes for animals in need from participating NYC area animal shelters. The organization was founded by Peters and the late Mary Tyler Moore.

Celebrity and shelter participants will be announced at a later date.
A woman living on Grove Street told police that a black male wearing a blue jacket, brown jacket and red beanie had broken a TV at her residence. She said the man fled the location and was located under I-27 on W. MLK Boulevard. Police located a man matching his description who identified himself to police. Police detained and transported the man back to the Grove Street address to be identified as the suspect. Police spoke with the woman who had made the call and she immediately identified the man as the correct suspect and said she wished to press charges.

The woman told police she and her friend had left the man, who is not a resident, in the apartment by himself to go for a walk. Upon return she said she found the TV damaged. The woman said she did not witness the man damage the TV. When police asked the woman what motive the man would have to vandalize her property, she said she did not know. She told police that prior to her walk no verbal disagreement or disorder had taken place, leading police to further believe the man had not intentionally vandalized any property inside the residence. Police spoke with the friend, who also said the man was left alone in the apartment as she and the woman went for a walk. The friend said she did not have any reason to believe the man would intentionally vandalize the woman's TV. Police spoke with the man who said he did not in any way cause damage to any of the woman's property. Police released the man and instructed him to not return to the address to avoid future disorders.* * *Police observed a black Mercedes C320 that matched the description of a vehicle that had been reported stolen by a woman from a residence on Water Street. Police identified a man exiting the vehicle, who fit the description of the suspect of the vehicle theft. Police confirmed the vehicle was still listed as stolen and spoke with the woman who is the registered owner of the vehicle. The woman said she no longer wanted to press charges. The man was released without incident. The woman reported no new damages to the vehicle. The vehicle and keys were returned to the woman and the vehicle was removed from NCIC.* * *While working an extra job at City Cafe, 901 Carter St., an officer caught a customer leaving with a drink cup. The officer told the man he could not leave with it as he was walking away from City Cafe across MLK Boulevard. The officer told the man several times to return the cup and he eventually threw the cup behind him causing it to hit the roadway and shatter. Police detained the man and identified him. The man was found to have no local warrants and only had a no extradition out of Georgia. The man was told he was banned from City Cafe and if he returned he would be arrested for criminal trespassing. City Cafe did not wish to file any charges for the damaged property.* * *A disorder was reported to police at American Tow Company, 1625 Shepherd Road. An employee told police that he towed a person's car from a nearby establishment. The person was transported to the tow company to retrieve his vehicle, however he did not have the funds. The man refused to leave the lot, resulting in an argument. The employee wanted the man to leave the lot until he had the proper funds to redeem the car. Police spoke with the man who said that he was trying to buy his car back from the tow lot, however he was short on money. He was waiting for his father and brother to arrive with the rest. Police told the man that he could wait for them to arrive as long as he was not on the property. The man relocated approximately one block away to wait for his relatives.* * *A suspicious person was reported at the Chatt Inn, 2000 E 23rd St. Police were told a black male, wearing yellow boots and a blue jacket, was having outbursts. An employee told police they wanted the man off of the property. Police located and identified the man, who told police he was trying to get change for the vending machine. Police told the man that he could not go back to the Chatt Inn. The man left the property without incident.* * *A woman who works at Massage Heights on Gunbarrel Road, told police that her ex-husband and his new girlfriend were observed pulling up in the back parking lot of her work and were also observed hanging around her vehicle and her co-workers' vehicles. She said she went to the lot to ask her ex-husband what he was doing there, and he and his girlfriend got back into their vehicle and drove away. The woman wanted to document that they were acting strange and were at her work for no reason.* * *Police were called to the Exxon, 2304 Shallowford Village Dr., about a couple walking down the road. People passing by were concerned because the man had fallen several times while walking along the roadway. Police transported the couple to the SureStay, where they said they had a room.* * *An employee reported a shoplifting at Bath & Body Works, 311 Northgate Mall Dr. She said a black female had entered the store and stolen $841 worth of merchandise, and she had it on video. She said she would send an email to police with the video when a manager could access the system. She described the woman as 5'2" and 280 pounds with braided hair that was black and red. When video is received, attempts will be made to identify the woman.* * *Police responded to a verbal disorder between a woman and a man at Fabric Care Coin Laundry, 2411 Market St. The woman told police that a black male got into her face. She said he was causing a scene and getting loud with people. Witnesses said the argument was over a pack of cigarettes. Police then spoke with the man who everyone was complaining about. He said that the woman tried to steal his cigarettes. Police spoke with the woman, who said that the cigarettes were sitting on the counter with no one around them, so she tried to take them. She said that is when they began to argue. The man was given his cigarettes back and both of them went their separate ways.* * *Police observed three males riding bikes northbound at 4600 Amnicola Hwy. without lights on their bicycles. Police spoke with the three and they said they were going towards Highway 153 from the Riverwalk. Police explained to them that they were very hard to see since they did not have lights on their bicycles. They told police they were unaware they needed them and would be putting them on tomorrow.* * *A caller reported a female who appeared to be unconscious in the parking lot at Outback, 520 Northgate Mall Dr. Police spoke with the woman who said she drank too much at Outback and was trying to sleep in the truck until the rest of her group came out to leave. Another woman came out and said that she was the designated driver and would be taking the woman home. Police left the scene without incident.* * *Police observed a black SUV with a man standing by the driver's side door at the park at 2886 Harrison Pike after dark. Police spoke with the driver who said that his car would not start and that he was just waiting for someone to come by and jump start his car. While talking to the man, police observed what looked like some sort of lubricant and a used condom next to his vehicle on the side where he was standing, but when asked about the items, the man denied ownership. Police informed him that the park closed after dark and that he needed to leave the area. Police jumped his car off and he left without incident.* * *A noise complaint was called in to police about an apartment on Douglas Street. Police spoke with the resident and her boyfriend, who said they have not been very loud and were not having a party. The woman said she was playing music prior to police arrival, but will make sure it is turned down. The man said he "does not (mess) with police." He later told the officer that sometimes someone points "lasers and guns" down on their balcony from an adjacent balcony that is higher in elevation. When asked why he has never contacted police for this, he repeated that he "does not (mess) with police."* * *A disorder was reported at the Circle K, 4026 Brainerd Road. Police spoke to the store clerk, who said that a woman became very verbally combative with her over a recent purchase. The clerk said she attempted to explain the purchase issue, but the woman didn't want to hear it and just became argumentative. The clerk asked police to please remove the woman from the property. Police told the woman and her boyfriend to leave the area. Both left with no further issue.* * *A man told police he observed a suspicious man walking along the parking garage at 807 Chestnut St., peering into vehicle windows and twitching in an unusual manner. Police patrolled the area and made contact with the man, who identified himself to police. The man was fidgeting in a sporadic manner and appeared to have a difficult time standing still in one place. His actions and rapid speech were consistent with the use of controlled substances. Police asked the man his reason for wandering the parking garage. He said he was attempting to locate discarded cigarette butts. With the man's permission, police searched him and did not find any weapons or illegal items on him. Police did find handfuls of cigarette butts in multiple pockets. Police told him to vacate the location, due to having received calls on his suspicious activity, as well as a history of vehicle break-ins at the location. The man left without incident.* * *A woman called police and said she had been involved in a road rage incident. She said she was traveling on Bony Oaks close to Preservation Drive when a white male driver cussed at her and almost ran her off the road. She said she pulled into the parking lot on Preservation Drive and confronted the man. She said the man and another man then cursed at her to get off the property. The woman said she just wanted the incident to be on record.* * *A woman at a residence on Hughes Avenue told police that a man broke her window trying to get her attention (wake her up) to open a door. A disorder ensued due to the breaking of the window. The man agreed to give the woman a sum of money because it was an accident, and she agreed not to press charges. The man then left the scene.* * *A woman on W. 37th Street and her daughter were in a verbal disorder over cleaning duties. After speaking with police, the daughter agreed to leave until she calmed down.* * *A resident on Allin Street told police she had an altercation with her neighbor who lives at a residence on Taylor Street. She said that most of the time he leaves his vehicle parked on the street next to his mailbox and it poses a hazard because some of vehicles cannot drive through. She said that this past weekend, for example, CFD trucks had to respond to Allin Street and the trucks had a hard time getting through the road because the neighbor's vehicle was parked on the street. Police attempted to contact anyone from the residence on Taylor Street, but got no answer. Police recommended that she avoid any confrontation with her neighbor, and to call police if the issue continues.* * *A woman on Chestnut Street told police that someone broke into her vehicle sometime over the weekend. She said someone broke the front passenger window and items were scattered around. She said nothing that she knows of was taken.

* * *



The manager of Avis Budget Rental, 1705 Shepherd Road, told police that upon arriving to work that morning he located two vehicles stuck just outside the property fence. He said that apparently someone attempted to steal two vehicles and got them stuck in the mud. He said the vehicles had the keys in them. He said the suspect/suspects drove the vehicles through the fence located at the back of the property and got them stuck. Police observed the VW and the Jeep at the back of the

property stuck in the mud. Neither vehicle had the keys inside them. The man said they do not have video surveillance or suspect information. Police were unable to find evidence or suspect information. The manager said that he does not know how the suspect/suspects accessed the property. No fence was observed cut or unsecured. Due to the vehicles' being stolen and recovered at the time of the report, the vehicles were not entered into NCIC.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIFL) has announced an investment of Rs 2,100 crore in multi-speciality healthcare providers Manipal Hospitals, through Strategic Opportunities Fund (SOF), the direct private equity fund of Business Standard had on Wednesday reported that the two parties are in final stage talks to close the fund raise.

This investment marks SOFs first investment in the Indian healthcare sector and will support Manipal Hospitals journey of growth, said The transaction is subject to receipt of certain approvals.

SOF focuses on sectors which are closely linked to Indias growth and benefit from the countrys demographics, consumption, investment, and policy trends.

The strong governance, processes and track record of resonate well with NIIFs investment philosophy. It is exciting to partner with a highly capable management team that has created one of the most efficient healthcare delivery platforms in the country, said Sujoy Bose, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of

Headquartered in Bengaluru, billionaire Rajnan Pai-controlled had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the India business of for Rs 2,100 crore last year. The combined entity will have a presence of 27 hospitals across 15 cities with over 7,300 beds and over 4,000 doctors and 10,000 employees.

We are pleased to join hands with NIIF as continues on its path to reach many more geographies and under-served communities to provide both access and superlative clinical outcomes. Investing in the healthcare sector requires a long-term outlook as well as a sensitivity to social responsibilities, and I am glad that in NIIF we have a partner who shares these perspectives, said Pai, Chairman of Manipal Education and Medical Group.
(Alliance News) - Shares in Wey Education PLC shot up in Thursday afternoon after Inspired Education Holdings Ltd launched a bid for the online education services provider.

Inspired has offered 47.5 pence per Wey share, with the company's board unanimously backing the deal. The offer values Wey at GBP70.4 million.

Shares in Wey were 41% higher in afternoon trade at 45.86p each.

Wey believes the offer will be "positive for students, staff and teachers that remain with the business".

"Inspired has made an all-cash offer at a price per share that the Wey Education board feels it can support and a premium to the current share price that allows shareholders to realise a gain fairly reflecting Wey Education's future growth opportunities," Wey added.

The offer represents a 46% premium to Wey's closing price on Wednesday of 32.5p and a 37% premium to the volume weighted average price of 34.6p over the last month.

Inspired owns and operates over 60 private-pay K-12 schools with 48,000 students enrolled across 20 countries.

Inspired needs approval from 75% of Wey shareholders for the scheme to become effective.

Wey Chair Barrie Whipp said: "Wey Education has grown to be a leader in online education, with the goal of providing a personal learning experience for all its students. We now educate approximately 4,000 students across our two brands, InterHigh and Academy21.

"We have, in recent years, become aware of Inspired, and fully believe the Inspired team have a deep understanding of the market, and a strong commitment to online education and it has an understanding of the history and importantly, legacy of Wey Education."

Founder, Chair & Chief Executive of Inspired Nadim Nsouli said: "We are pleased to receive the recommendation from the board of directors for the acquisition of Wey Education, a long-term leader in online education with a strong reputation in the UK and international markets. We believe this represents an exciting development for both Inspired and Wey Education, which will support the combined group's growth nationally and internationally.

"Wey Education, which is providing a British curriculum education through its online live teaching and learning platform, will now be able to benefit from the support of a global schools group with leading educational experts, strong brand recognition, and premium physical facilities across the globe."

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Over the last year, fast-food employees have dealt with a deadly pandemic, customer resistance to mask mandates and long lines during Februarys winter storm.

To show appreciation, San Antonio-based Whataburger is awarding more than $90 million in bonuses to its 46,000 employees  an average of nearly $2,000 each.

Employees helped set record company performance numbers since last March, Whataburger said in announcing the bonuses.

The company said it also gave workers extra mile bonuses and emergency pay and doubled their 401(k) match for 2020 in thanks for their extraordinary service.

The past year reshaped how we live, work and play, with the restaurant and hospitality industry being heavily impacted by the pandemic and this years crippling winter storms, Whataburger CEO Ed Nelson said in a statement. We wanted to help ensure that our family members and their families were taken care of and thank them for continuing to go the extra mile to serve our guests with great pride, care and love.

On ExpressNews.com: Just over a year since BDT deal, Whataburger prepares new look, pushes into new turf

The pandemic put food service and retail workers on the front lines, and Whataburger is not alone in sweetening the pot for its employees after a year of hardship.

H-E-B gave employees a temporary $2 per hour pay bump early in the pandemic. The San Antonio-based company ended the program in June but said it would make permanent investments in its workforce, including accelerated and enhanced pay increases.

For the typical H-E-B employee, the raise will be more than double the temporary bump, a spokesperson said.

Walmart last year awarded more than $2.8 billion in quarterly and special cash bonuses.

McDonalds gave employees of corporate-owned restaurants bonsues equal to 10 percent of their wages for May.

Darden Restaurants, which owns Olive Garden and other chains, announced last month it would give $17 million in bonuses to nearly 90,000 hourly restaurant workers and ensure that they are paid at least $10 an hour.

Plenty of chains survived and, in some instances, saw sales surge during the pandemic, in part because of drive-thru, take-out and delivery sales, said David Henkes, a senior principal at food service consultancy Technomic.

The firm ranked Whataburger the 26th-largest U.S. restaurant chain by sales, which rose 5.6 percent to $2.7 billion last year.

It makes sense to reward your employees who put up with a lot during the pandemic, Henkes said.

Restaurant operators are struggling to find, hire and keep employees, which was a challenge before the pandemic.

The more you can increase pay, make employees feel valued ... the easier it will be to retain workers, Henkes said.

Whataburger also is changing general managers titles to operating partners and said they can earn six figures annually, including bonuses of up to 150 percent of their target incentives.

Whataburger began as a roadside burger stand that Harmon Dobson opened in 1950 in Corpus Christi. Today it has more than 840 restaurants in 10 states. Most of its locations are in Texas.

The Dobson family announced in 2019 that Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners had acquired a majority stake in the company and planned to expand it. Whataburger is opening restaurants in new markets, including cities in Missouri and Tennessee. It also is granting franchises for the first time in nearly two decades and is introducing new restaurant models.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
MINNEAPOLIS  Through tears, George Floyds girlfriend on Thursday described to jurors in Derek Chauvins murder trial her relationship of nearly three years with him leading up to his death, acknowledging that they both struggled with opioid addiction.

Courteney Ross, 45, began sobbing as she described how she met her boyfriend, whom she called Floyd, in August 2017 while he was working security at the Salvation Army Harbor Light shelter in downtown Minneapolis.

Ross said she was at the shelter to meet her sons father.

I started fussin in the corner of the lobby because the father wasnt coming to the lobby, she said. Thats when the two met, she said, dabbing tears.

You OK, sis? she recalled him saying in his great, deep Southern voice, raspy.

They met again soon and had their first kiss in that lobby, she said.

After describing her life with Floyd, prosecutor Matthew Frank shifted his questioning to their opioid addiction, which she said was triggered by chronic pain. Both had prescriptions and became addicted, then obtaining the drugs off the street. She said he typically used oxycodone. They obtained them through other peoples prescriptions to ensure that they were safe.

Both Floyd and I, our story is a classic story is of how we both get addicted to opioids, she testified. " ... We got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times.

She said that off and on they were able to kick the addiction, by May 2020 she believed he was using again, based on changes in his behavior.

Questioning by defense attorney Eric Nelson focused on Floyds drug use starting in March 2020 and closer to his death in May. The defense has contended that illicit drug use played a role in Floyd dying and not anything Chauvin did to him on May 25.

Ross said she and Floyd got pills in May that reminded her of the same feeling she had from similar pills she took in March, a stimulant that kept her up all night and left her jittery.

And by similar experience, do you recall telling the FBI that when you had them that you felt like you were going to die? Nelson asked.

Ross said she didnt recall saying that, but that it was in her FBI transcript.

Nelson asked whether those pills came from Morries Hall, who was with Floyd outside Cup Foods on the night he was arrested and died.

I believe so, Im not sure, said Ross, who did acknowledge having told the FBI that those pills left Floyd bouncing around and unintelligible.

George Floyd, standing at right, can be seen in this May 25, 2020, image from security cameras at Cup Foods in Minneapolis. The security video was entered into evidence Wednesday, March 31, 2021, in the trial of Chauvin. (Pool Video Via Court Tv/Ny Times/ZUMA Wire/TNS)TNS

Under questioning by Nelson, she also recounted that in March she took Floyd to the hospital after he was doubled over in pain because his stomach hurt. He was hospitalized for several days.

You later learned that was due to an overdose? Nelson asked.

Yes, Ross said.

Did you learn what caused the overdose?

No.

You did not know that he had taken heroin at that time? Nelson asked.

Ross responded that she did not.

Ross was followed by Hennepin EMS paramedic Seth Bravinder, who walked jurors through their attempts to resuscitate Floyd, who was in full cardiac arrest and never regenerated a pulse.

Upon arriving to the scene, Bravinder said there were multiple officers on top of the patient, we assumed  I assumed  there was potentially some struggle still because they were still on top of him.

Bystander footage showed Bravinder and his partner, and the officers lift Floyd onto a stretcher while Bravinder protected his head from hitting the pavement. Asked why, Bravinder said, He was, I guess, limp was the best description; he was unresponsive and not holding his head up or anything like that.

Bravinder and his partner loaded Floyd into the ambulance and began working on him. He said full cardiac arrest is not a good sign for successful resuscitation. Basically, just because your heart isnt doing anything at that moment, its not pumping blood. Its not a good sign for a good outcome.

Nelsons questions addressed in part the gathering crowd at 38th and Chicago and noted that Floyd was moved quickly in the ambulance to a different location before continuing on to HCMC. The defense earlier in the trial has touched on how bystanders might have created an atmosphere that was potentially threatening to the officers at the scene.

Bravinder agreed with Nelson that Floyd needed to be moved in what is called a load and go to a spot a few blocks away, where Fire Department personnel joined in the resuscitation effort. From there, the trip resumed to HCMC.

Prosecutor Erin Eldridge countered and asked what other reasons are there for leaving an active police scene swiftly, and Bravinder said its prudent to get the patient in the ambulance with the [medical] equipment [and to be] in a good environment to concentrate.

Bravinder confirmed under questioning that medics carried ketamine to sedate agitated patients, but that it was not used on Floyd.

New police bodycam footage of the arrest of GEORGE FLOYD is shown to the court on the third day of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin. (Pool Video Via Court Tv/Ny Times/ZUMA Wire/TNS)TNS

Wednesdays testimony before Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill was dominated by two witnesses who gave emotional accounts of being at a south Minneapolis intersection seeing Floyd detained by the neck under Chauvins knee until lapsing into unconsciousness.

Until Wednesdays proceedings in Minneapolis, the public had not heard Chauvin explain what motivated him to restrain Floyd in the way he did outside Cup Foods, a popular neighborhood convenience store.

Weve gotta control this guy because hes a sizable guy; looks like hes probably on something, Chauvin is heard saying from the officers body-worn camera video that was put into evidence by the prosecution.

Chauvin was speaking to Charles McMillian, a 61-year-old man who started watching when officers arrested Floyd on suspicion of passing fake currency at a corner store and then struggled to get Floyd into the back of a squad car.

McMillian stayed at the scene throughout, and he is heard on various videos played in the courtroom pleading with Floyd as officers strained to push him into the squad car at E. 38th Street and S. Chicago Avenue.

Im trying to get him to understand that when you make a mistake, once they get you in handcuffs, theres no such thing as being claustrophobic, you have to go, McMillian testified. Ive had interactions with officers myself and I realize once you get in the cuffs, you cant win.

McMillian kept up his pleas even while Chauvin and two other officers had Floyd pinned to the pavement. They got up once paramedics arrived. Chauvin soon made his way to his squad car, and thats where McMillian provoked the officer into explaining himself.

Why did you feel the need to talk to Mr. Chauvin? prosecutor Erin Eldridge asked McMillian, who earlier needed a break to push aside to tearful grief recounting that night.

He replied: Because what I watched was wrong.

Chauvin is on trial for second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter. Fired Minneapolis police officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are scheduled for trial in August on charges of aiding and abetting Chauvin.

Earlier Wednesday, surveillance video was shown from inside the store where Floyd bought cigarettes with the suspected counterfeit currency before his encounter with police.

In the footage disclosed publicly for the first time, Floyd ambled about Cup Foods for several minutes and appeared fidgety at times while chatting with others inside as Christopher Martin, a clerk in the store back then, explained in testimony what was being shown.

On the third day of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, prosecution shows the jury and the witness on the stand the split screen of security footage (left) and bystander video of the arrest of George Floyd. (Pool Video Via Court Tv/Ny Times/ZUMA Wire/TNS)TNS

Martin, who lived above the store, said Floyd eventually bought cigarettes with a $20 bill. Martin said the color of the bill made him suspicious that it was fake, and he went outside to talk to Floyd twice about it. Eventually, someone called police and that set off the sequence of events that led to Floyds arrest and death later that night.

Martin, 19, said store policy meant that he would have to pay for any counterfeit currency he and his co-workers accepted. I took it anyway and was willing to put it on my tab, and then I second guessed myself, he said.

Martin said he saw Floyd as he went motionless, limp under Chauvins knee. Looking back now, a somber Martin testified that he is left now with disbelief and guilt.

Why guilt? Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked.

Martin replied: If I would have just not taken the bill, this could have been avoided.



Paul Walsh of the Star Tribune wrote this story.

(Star Tribune staff writers Rochelle Olson and Chao Xiong contributed to this report.)

2021 StarTribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
MINNEAPOLIS, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vireo Health International Inc. ("Vireo" or the "Company") (CNSX: VREO;OTCQX: VREOF), a leading physician-led, science-focused, multi-state cannabis company, today announced that it has entered into a mutual release (the "Mutual Release") with Bruce Linton, a globally recognized authority in cannabinoid policy and business and the Company's former Executive Chairman, relating to all outstanding matters between them.

Mr. Linton joined Vireo in November of 2019. On June 8, 2020, the Company elected to terminate its employment agreement with Mr. Linton as Executive Chairman, on an entirely without-cause basis. In connection with Mr. Linton's employment agreement, Mr. Linton received warrants (the "Warrants") to acquire up to 15 million subordinate voting shares (each, a "Share") in the Company. 10 million of the Warrants (the "First Tranche Warrants") have an exercise price of US$1.02 per Share.

As part of the Mutual Release, Vireo has issued 8,000,000 Shares to Mr. Linton. 7,110,381 Shares were issued to Mr. Linton pursuant to the exercise of the First Tranche Warrants on a cashless basis. The remaining 889,519 Shares were issued to Mr. Linton pursuant to a private placement exemption resulting in no cash consideration being paid to Vireo. The Shares issued pursuant to the First Tranche Warrants are free of trading restrictions and the 889,519 Shares are subject to a hold period expiring on August 1, 2021. In addition, as part of the Mutual Release, Mr. Linton has surrendered all right, title and interest in all other Warrants for cancellation.

The issuance of Shares pursuant to the Debt Settlement constitutes a "related party transaction" as this term is defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). All of the independent directors of the Company, acting in good faith, determined that the fair market value of the Shares being issued pursuant to the Debt Settlement and the consideration being paid is reasonable. The Company intends to rely on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of the Shares nor the debt exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The Company did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing of the Debt Settlement as the details and amounts of debts settled under the transaction were not finalized until closer to the closing and the Company wished to close the Debt Settlement as soon as practicable. All Shares issued to pursuant to the Debt Settlement will be subject to a four (4) month hold period.

About Vireo Health International, Inc.

Vireo Health International, Inc. is a physician-led cannabis company focused on bringing the best of technology, science, and engineering to the cannabis industry. Vireo manufactures proprietary, branded cannabis products in environmentally friendly facilities, state-of-the-art cultivation sites and distributes its products through its growing network of Green Goods and other retail locations and third-party dispensaries. Vireo's team of more than 400 employees, led by scientists, engineers, and cultivation experts, is focused on efficiency and the creation of best-in-class products, while driving scientific innovation within the cannabis industry and developing meaningful intellectual property. Today, Vireo is licensed to grow and/or process cannabis in nine markets and operates 16 dispensaries nationwide. Vireo holds additional retail licenses in four markets. For more information about Vireo Health, please visit www.vireohealth.com . The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its "regulation services provider" (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact Information

Media Inquiries

Albe Zakes

Vice President, Corporate Communications

[email protected]

(267) 221-4800

Investor Inquiries

Sam Gibbons

Vice President, Investor Relations

[email protected]

(612) 314-8995

SOURCE Vireo Health International, Inc.

Related Links

www.vireohealth.com


[March 31, 2021]

SHAREHOLDER ALERT: CLAIMSFILER REMINDS CYDY, RIDE, ROOT, VRM INVESTORS of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuits

NEW ORLEANS, March 31, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors of pending deadlines in the following securities class action lawsuits:

Lordstown Motors Corp. (RIDE)

Class Period: 8/3/2020 - 3/17/2021

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: May 17, 2021

SECURITIES FRAUD

To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-lordstown-motors-corp-securities-litigation

CytoDyn, Inc. (CYDY)

Class Period: 3/27/2020 - 3/9/2021

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: May 17, 2021

SECURITIES FRAUD

To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-cyodyn-inc-securities-litigation







Root, Inc. (ROOT)

Class Period: 10/28/2020 - 3/8/2021, or shares issued pursuant and/or traceable to the October 2020 Initial Public Offering

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: May 18, 2021

SECURITIES FRAUD, MISLEADING PROSPECTUS

To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-root-inc-securities-litigation

Vroom, Inc. (VRM)

Class Period: 6/9/2020 - 3/3/2021

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: May 21, 2021

SECURITIES FRAUD

To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-vroom-inc-securities-litigation

If you purchased shares of the above companies and would like to discuss your legal rights and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact us toll-free (844) 367-9658 or visit the case links above.

If you wish to serve as a Lead Plaintiff in the class action, you must petition the Court on or before the Lead Plaintiff Motion deadline.

About ClaimsFiler

ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.

To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com
The work was part of the ongoing pre-feasibility study for the asset, which is set to become the South American country's next copper mine

Samples from the project were selected to best represent the composition of the geological features that would be mined over the first 12 years

( ) (OTCMKTS:LSANF) (FRA:L41A) has welcomed the final results of metallurgical testing on ore from its Vizcachitas porphyry project in Chile, which confirmed that a future mine could produce "clean and high-quality" copper concentrate.

The work was part of the ongoing pre-feasibility study (PFS) for the asset, which is set to become the South American country's next copper mine, and showed copper recovery of 91.4% and that a high-quality clean copper concentrate at 24.5% could be generated.

"This testwork validates the flotation performance when the operating parameters are applied to the more complex areas of the mine," noted Los Andes' executive chairman Fernando Porcile in a statement.

"These results are encouraging and give us confidence as we continue to progress the development of the project, focusing on delivering sustainable mining, including a reduction in both its water and energy consumption."

Samples from the project were selected to best represent the composition of the geological features that would be mined over the first 12 years of the mine plan.

This is also the period in which the most complex mineralogy and alteration would be exploited, and thus present the toughest conditions for the flotation circuit.

The Vizcachitas deposit sits in a huge land package, spanning 308 square kilometres (sq km), of which only a small portion has so far been explored, and is currently at PFS.

A positive 2019 preliminary economic assessment (PEA) assumed an overall life of mine copper recovery of 91.0% and using a copper price of US$3.50 a pound, the after-tax net present value (NPV) was pegged at US$2.7 billion, while the internal rate of return (IRR) was 26.7%.

Initial capex was put at US$1.88 billion for a project with 3.4 year pay-back time and a mine life of 45 years.

Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com
South African gospel musician Benjamin Dube is jetting in on Saturday morning ahead of the long awaited concert dubbed the "Worship Experience".

The show, which is being hosted by Kayse Connect, was scheduled to take place early last year, but postponed due to Covid-19 and moved to a later date which was also affected by lockdown restrictions which barred travellers.

The gospel concert will be held on Saturday from 12pm to 8pm at Rainbow Towers, Harare, under the "pay per view" slot courtesy of Gateway Streams Music.

Local artistes who are to share the stage with Benjamin Dube at the "virtual family concert" include Zimpraise Choir, Takesure Zamar, Takudzwa Chihambakwe, Baba naAmai Charamba, Mathias Mhere and Gospel DJ Fungai.

In an interview, show organiser Elton Kurima said due to coronavirus restrictions, the virtual platform was the way to go.

He said all was set for the show.

"Finally, the show is here and we are happy that Benjamin Dube is coming for the event.No attendees are allowed as it is only the artistes performing and technical team present. Each musician has an hourlong slot."

Kurima said fans can pay once off for the pay per view virtual show which will enable them to watch all performances.

"Once you have made your payment, it will then allow you to enjoy the whole show for nine hours after you log in. The log in details are for one person, once you have registered you can't pass the details to other parties.

"The system is more or the same like 'America's Got Talent' where people can still enjoy the show in the comfort of their home," he said.

Kurima said that comedian Prosper Ngomashi, affectionately known as Comic Pastor, and radio personality Yvonne Karichero have been roped in as the hosts.

According to the programme line up, journalist and gospel reggae musician Takudzwa Chihambakwe will warm up the stage for some local acts and Benjamin Dube.

Contacted for comment, Chihambakwe, who is affectionately known as "Taku" in the gospel fraternity, said he was excited to be on the line-up and promised surprises.

"Well, it is a very humbling occasion and I had not seen it coming. When the promoter of the event told me I would be part of the show I thought he was just joking. In fact, he had come across a video of the Harvest House Super Choir, which I am a member of. I performed at one show and the clip went viral on social media. That is how he got in touch with me.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zimbabwe Entertainment By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"Some time last year, as I was going on about my business I then was notified by a friend that I was on the Pastor Benjamin Dube poster, I couldn't believe it. I was shocked., said Chihambakwe

This is not the first time Taku has shared the stage with Dube.

"The first time I shared the stage with Pastor Benjamin Dube was about nine years ago in Bulawayo at one of the ZITF halls during one of the annual Harvest House International conferences," said Taku. "I was still finding my way in the music space.

The hall was packed. It was raining and I remember going on stage with the Worship Addicts under the stewardship of Minister Takesure Zamar and boy I felt the heaviness on my shoulders as it was my first time standing in front of such a big crowd."

Taku said sharing the stage with both Dube and Minister Zamar was due to God's grace.

"People can look out for a feel of a project I am passionate about called the gospel according to reggae, where we spread the message of God's love through the genre of reggae," he said. "It can only be God for me to share the stage with such giants."
RICHMOND, Va., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy is inviting nonprofit organizations across the company's footprint to apply for grants of up to $25,000 each to meet critical needs in communities. For the sixth consecutive year, the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation has pledged $1 million to help meet urgent human needs such as housing and shelter, access to medicine and medical services, and food security.

"There is great need in our communities as our neighbors struggle to meet the challenges of the pandemic," said Hunter A. Applewhite, President of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. "We're seeking to support organizations that are working directly in these communities to help those in need."

Last year's Critical Community Needs Grants helped more than 200 nonprofits provide services such as dental care for uninsured public school students, essential medication for the uninsured, home repairs for the elderly and disabled, crisis care for children, eviction diversions and supplies for food pantries. Additionally, Dominion Energy committed $4 million in COVID-19 relief in 2020. You can watch a video here about how one of last year's grants helped Community Touch, a nonprofit in Fauquier County, Va., put a new roof on a family's home. And in this video you can see how a grant and Dominion volunteers helped Sea Island Habitat for Humanity in South Carolina construct a house for their 20th Annual "Women Build" event.

For this year's grants, eligible organizations in targeted areas of Connecticut, Idaho, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming and other areas within Dominion Energy's service area are encouraged to apply. Online applications will be accepted until May 31, 2021, at 5 p.m. ET.

For more complete details or to apply, go to www.dominionenergy.com/communityneedsgrants.

About the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation

More than 7 million customers in 16 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D). Through its Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation , as well as EnergyShare and other programs, Dominion Energy contributed more than $58 million in 2020 to community causes. The Foundation supports nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, promote education, and encourage community vitality. Please visit www.DominionEnergy.com to learn more.

SOURCE Dominion Energy

Related Links

http://www.dominionenergy.com


Georgian Finance Minister and deputy Prime Minister Ivane Matchavariani has announced on social media his resignation.

"I have to say that after almost three years of working as the Minister of Finance, I was planning to resign at the end of last year, but due to the 2021 crisis budget approval procedure and important negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, I decided to wait for several months... It was an honour and at the same time a great responsibility to work with the Georgian Dream political team, with government leaders, with my colleagues in the Cabinet of Ministers, with members of parliament," Matchavariani wrote on his Facebook page.

Matchavariani said that the Ministry of Finance had successfully completed negotiations with the International Monetary Fund on the Extended Fund Facility programme and said that once the fund concludes the eighth review Georgia will receive additional financial resources, Agenda.ge reported.

"Georgia is one of the first countries to receive significant support from partners (World Bank, International Monetary Fund, EU) shortly after the start of the global pandemic. I am especially proud that I had the opportunity to take an active part in these negotiations," he added.

Matchavariani has been the Minister of Finance of Georgia since July 2018.
Democrats and Republicans alike are demanding President Joe Biden address the border situation with a pair of bipartisan lawmakers joining forces to demand a billion-dollar fix to the migrant surge.

The mounting pressure comes as a new video shows migrants crammed into makeshift shelters under a Texas bridge and a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol video showed two toddlers being dropped over a 14-foot-high section of the border wall.

Meanwhile, border Patrol agents are on pace for more than 1 million migrant encounters this year, more than double the 458,088 total encounters in 2020.

'Based upon what we've already apprehended and looking at what's remaining in the fiscal year, that we will have approximately about a million apprehensions or encounters this year,' Deputy Chief of U.S. Border Patrol Raul Ortiz told CBS' 'Evening News.'

The border situation has become a public relations nightmare for President Joe Biden's administration. Officials continue to refuse to call it a 'crisis' even as some Democrats are speaking up about their concerns.

A new video from Project Veritas shows migrants crammed into makeshift shelters under a Texas bridge

family from Haiti crosses the Rio Grande near Juarez, Mexico, as they head to the U.S.

Action is being taken on Capitol Hill.

Republican Rep. John Katko and Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar have teamed up to introduce the Border Surge Response and Resilience Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security to make a plan for managing surges at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The legislation also would allow the agency to pull from a $1 billion fund as needed to pay for replenishing food and equipment, expanding temporary facilities, transporting migrants to other agencies and getting additional help from other government agencies, Axios reported.

Cuellar's House district in Texas sits on the U.S.-Mexico border and he released the first tranche of photos from one of the overcrowded facilities holding children, sparking a wave of criticism of the Biden administration for the conditions the unaccompanied minors are being held in.

Katko joined a group of House Republican lawmakers who toured the border earlier this month and was critical of the administration's handling of the situation.

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala on Tuesday but there have not been other agenda items tied to the border on her public schedule

Additionally, an inspector general report from DHS showed staffing shortages at the La Palma Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz., where detainees are being held.

Their unannounced inspection of the facility found 'that the medical unit was critically understaffed, took an average of 3.35 days to respond to detainee sick call requests, and neglected to refill some prescription medications.'

The facility holds illegal aliens already in the United States. It held an average daily population of 978 detainees (all male) in fiscal year 2020 and a maximum capacity of 3,240.

But the report indicates the shortage in staff and resources the government is facing as it deals with the border crisis.

President Biden tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to deal with the 'diplomatic' aspect, working with the leaders of Mexico and the three Northern Triangle Countries - El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. - to help stem the migrant tide.

Harris spoke with President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala on Tuesday but there have not been other agenda items tied to the border on her public schedule.

'They agreed to explore innovative opportunities to create jobs and to improve the conditions for all people in Guatemala and the region, including by promoting transparency and combating crime,' according to a readout of the call from Harris' office.

The vice president has said she will visit the border but no trip has been publicly announced.

Republicans have repeatedly criticized for Biden for the crisis at the border, claiming his rollback of Donald Trump's stricter policies on immigration led to the surge.

And more Democrats are speaking up about the conditions children are being held in, living in crowded shelters and sleeping on floors.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tore into the administration's handling of the border, calling conditions 'barbaric' and 'inhumane' during a town hall Wednesday evening.

'As we've seen there are arrivals and undocumented children  rather unaccompanied children that have come at the border and this had lead to completely inhuman and unacceptable, horrifying conditions of children in CBP custody. And it's unacceptable and it's horrifying,' the New York representative told constituents during the virtual event.

The progressive Democrat from New York didn't go as far as to blame Biden for the crisis, claiming the president is working to fix the problem. Instead she blamed U.S. foreign policy for exacerbating bad situations in Central American countries from where migrants are fleeing.

'I've been in contact with the Biden Administration personally. What is different is they're trying to figure out,' she said. 'How to find the resources to end his problem.'

'I don't want to excuse any of this,' she said of Biden's policies. 'We should be doing better by now.'

Meanwhile, Mexican smugglers have been caught on camera dropping two toddlers over a 14-foot-high border barrier into the US while a mom was assaulted and her six-month-old baby was tossed off a raft into the Rio Grande river where six other migrants drowned.

Disturbing footage released by US Customs Border and Protection Wednesday captures the moment two female toddlers from Ecuador, aged three and five, were dumped over the wall just west of Mt. Cristo Rey, near El Paso, Texas, Tuesday evening.

The CBP said the young children, who are sisters, had been mistreated and abandoned by human smugglers.

The girls, who were rescued by agents and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation, are just two of the record 16,000 children who crossed the US-Mexico border in March.

Thousands of families and unaccompanied children have entered the US along its southern border since Joe Biden took office and vowed to make immigration rules more 'humane'.

However, the influx has led to a bottleneck at custody centers with migrants penned in to facilities that are at around 1,700 percent capacity while smugglers in Mexico are making a living off exploiting migrants heading north to the US.

Mexican smugglers have been caught on camera dropping two toddlers over a 14-foot-high border barrier into the US (pictured)

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Wednesday that the conditions at border facilities under President Joe Biden are 'horrifying,' 'barbaric' and 'unacceptable'

Republican Rep. John Katko and Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar have teamed up to introduce the Border Surge Response and Resilience Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security to make a plan for managing surges at the U.S.-Mexico border

Cameras set up along the border caught the moment two smugglers dropped the children from the roughly 14-foot high border barrier under the cover of darkness.

An adult was seen on the Mexico side dangling the first child over the US side before letting go, leaving her to fall to the ground below.

The smuggler repeats this with the second child before they are seen instantly running away from the area with another smuggler back into Mexico.

The CBP said the children were left vulnerable to the desert elements on the ground but were luckily spotted by the camera operator who alerted Santa Teresa agents.

The agents hunted for the children and found them, taking them to a local hospital for 'precautionary reasons and further evaluation', the CBP said.

The two sisters were then medically cleared and taken to a temporary Border Patrol facility.

El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said she was 'appalled' seeing the way the smugglers 'viciously dropped' the toddlers.

'I'm appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night.

Disturbing footage released by US Customs Border and Protection Wednesday captures the moment two female toddlers from Ecuador, aged three and five, were dumped over the wall just west of Mt. Cristo Rey, near El Paso, Texas, Tuesday evening

The girls, who were rescued by agents and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation, while the two smugglers ran away

'If not for the vigilance of our Agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours,' said Chavez.

'We are currently working with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and attempting to identify these ruthless human smugglers so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.'

The shocking incident came just two weeks after a Texas rangers and Border Patrol agents were forced to rescue a six-month-old baby from the Rio Grande river after smugglers threw the infant to die in the waters.

The horrific incident unfolded back on March 16 in Roma, Texas, after the infant's mom was assaulted and left with a broken leg by a group of smugglers in Mexico, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The mother had paid smugglers $3,500 to take her and her baby across the Rio Grande river that borders Mexico and the US, reported KVEO.
Welcome To SpoilerTV



We bring you a comprehensive and up to date spoiler service on all the major US TV shows and Movies. You can find specific show content by clicking the menu system at the top of the screen. We scour the Internet for spoilers as well as posting our own exclusive spoilers (Scripts, Casting Calls, Set Photos etc) as well as recaps and other fun articles and polls. We hope you enjoy your stay.




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Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
A group of criminal justice reform advocates has created a committee to beat back a well-heeled effort to recall San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, setting the stage for a financial showdown over one of the nations foremost progressive prosecutors.

The committee, San Franciscans Against the Recall of Chesa Boudin, has already won the backing of several high-ranking city officials, including current and former supervisors, BART board directors and various leaders of civil-rights organizations. The committee was created by Real Justice PAC, a national organization dedicated to electing reform-minded prosecutors.

The anti-recall effort comes weeks after the Committee Supporting the Recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin officially began collecting signatures as well as major donations.

The recall groups first and latest financial records show just over $76,000 in its war chest, with nearly one-third of the funds donated by tech investor David Sacks. Richie Greenberg, a former Republican mayoral candidate and spokesman for the recall campaign told The Chronicle last week they have raised tens of thousands more since that figure was recorded.

The recall effort stems from the belief that Boudins policies intended to curb mass incarceration have failed to hold criminal offenders accountable and made San Francisco citizens less safe.

Many of the district attorneys critics cite statistics that show crimes like burglaries and auto thefts rose over the last year, according to police statistics.

But that same police dataset shows crime overall has fallen by 30% since this time last year, including most categories of violent crimes.

Recall supporters must collect 51,325 signatures  10% of the citys registered voters  by Aug. 11 for the campaign to qualify for a special election.

While there are no official finance disclosures for the anti-recall campaign yet, the website is already reporting some sizable donations. The Real Justice PAC, a the group sponsoring the anti-recall effort, contributed $100,000 to the committee. The two largest donors to the Real Justice PAC are Grassroots Law PAC, which works to reform policing and criminal justice, and Patty Quillin, a philanthropist and wife of Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings. The Smart Justice California Action Fund, which supports criminal justice reform policies, pitched in $15,000.

Make no mistake: this effort to overturn an election is Republican-led and fueled by fear-mongering and dangerous misinformation, the anti-recall website standwithchesa.com states. They are pushing this recall at a time when we should be focusing on public health and economic recovery from the pandemics devastating toll on our city.

Boudin told The Chronicle he was honored to have the backing of a diverse group of community members and elected officials who reflect the values of this city. They include supervisors Aaron Peskin, Dean Preston, Gordon Mar, Hillary Ronen, Matt Haney, Shamann Walton; BART board directors Bevan Dufty, Janice Li and Lateefah Simon; Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Patrisse Cullors and Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Executive Director Zachary Norris.

These supporters understand that we cannot afford to return to policies that failed so many in the past, Boudin said. I have no doubt we will beat this recall effort, and Ill continue fighting for all who live in San Francisco every day.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to the media after the Republican leaders' weekly lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 23, 2021. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

McConnell Says Unlikely to Back Bidens Infrastructure Plan, Slams Tax Hikes

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday signaled he is unlikely to support President Joe Bidens $2 trillion infrastructure package, saying he would not back spending or massive tax hikes that could balloon the national debt.

Echoing remarks he made last week, McConnell said in a statement that Bidens infrastructure plan will likely be a Trojan horse that includes other Democratic priorities such as tax hikes to fund the plan.

The administrations non-infrastructure infrastructure bill looks like another Trojan horse for far-left demands. Rolling back Right to Work laws. Imposing the biggest new tax hikes in a generationkilling jobs and slowing wage growth when workers need a fast recovery, he said on Twitter.

Amid growing criticism of Bidens plan by fellow caucus members, McConnell decried the package and the proposals to fund it by increasing the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from the current 21 percent, calling the bill a major missed opportunity for funding serious infrastructure developments.

Our nation could use a serious, targeted infrastructure plan. There would be bipartisan support for a smart proposal. Unfortunately, the latest liberal wish-list the White House has decided to label infrastructure is a major missed opportunity by this Administration, McConnell said.

My advice to the Administration: If you want to do an infrastructure bill, lets do an infrastructure bill. Before the pandemic, we had the best economy in 50 years. We should not raise taxes under the guise of an infrastructure bill and send our economy in the wrong direction.

The president unveiled his infrastructure plan during a speech in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, saying that the core of the package is to modernize transportation infrastructure. The White House earlier released a fact sheet detailing the first of a two-part plan that Biden wants to pass through Congress in the coming months.

Biden is expected to lay out a separate plan later this month that addresses child and health care.

On Wednesday morning, McConnell told reporters in Erlanger, Kentucky, that if Bidens funding plan is going to have massive tax increases and trillions more added to the national debt, its not likely he would back it.

The Republican leader also said that the president called him on Tuesday to discuss the infrastructure plan.

McConnell in a statement on Wednesday criticized the packages spending priorities, accusing Biden of siding with a far-left dogma over American families.

Democrats keep trying to use important issues as smokescreens for unrelated agendas, he said. Unfortunately, less than 6% of this massive White House proposal would go to roads and bridges. It would spend more on electric cars than on roads, bridges, ports, airports, and waterways combined.

It contains sweeping far-left priorities like attacking blue-collar Americans Right to Work protections, a huge factor to Big Labor bosses. Every time that far-left dogma closes with the interests of American families, todays Democrats pick the dogma, he added.

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told NTD News last week that absolute socialism is just around the corner in the United States if the proposed infrastructure bill passes Congress.

Tax hikes imposed by the Biden administration to fund the package would hurt the whole country, Norman said, noting that a recession followed when former President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 created a temporary 10 percent income tax surcharge on both individuals and corporations.

Democrats in Congress have signaled a willingness to go it alone if they are blocked by Republicans on the infrastructure package, given their current majorities in both houses.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said last month that he plans to attempt passing the infrastructure bill by using a budget process to cut out Republicans, even though several Democrat senators have said they wont support utilizing the method to bypass a filibuster.
Palau was scheduled on Thursday to welcome the first flight of more than 100 tourists from Taiwan since the opening of a "sterile travel corridor" between the two destinations on Tuesday, an arrangement both sides have hailed as the first travel bubble between international destinations in Asia.

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. spoke at a reception in Taiwan to launch the travel bubble concept.

"The only reason we can have this sterile corridor bubble is because both of our countries are COVID-safe," said Whipps.

Both sides will take extra precautions to keep COVID-19 out of Taiwan and Palau, Whipps said.

His Facebook account provided live coverage of the ceremony in Taipei.

"This brings us together," said Whipps.

Whipps said traveling to Palau will be like traveling domestically for the Taiwanese because the island nation doesn't have COVID-19 cases.

Whipps said "Palau is a true friend and a good friend of Taiwan," and called Taiwan "a trusted ally of Palau  providing all kinds of assistance."

Taiwan representatives at the ceremony emphasized Palau's ecotourism attributes and mentioned the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon as a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site.

Whipps was accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Palau John Hennessey-Niland which has caused Beijing to voice concern.

The Palau president is the first head of state to visit Taiwan, since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Taiwan side during the launch event.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met President Whipps and first lady Valerie Whipps on Tuesday at the president's office in Taipei.

"I understand that you have a specific goalto increase the number of Taiwanese visiting Palau to 100,000 per year. I believe that with the launch of this travel bubble, we will make a big step toward that goal, while also showing the world that safe travel is possible during this stage of the pandemic," Tsai said, according to her office.

"I can personally recommend Palau as a tourist destination. I visited Palau not long ago, and was deeply impressed by its ocean views, traditional culture, and commitment to environmental protection. I strongly encourage Taiwanese to visit Palau, and look forward to going there again myself."

Following the arrival of the Palau president on his four-day official trip to Taiwan, the South China Morning Post reported Beijing has warned the United States not to cross its red line on Taiwan after the U.S. ambassador arrived on the island as part of the delegation from Palau.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, according to the South China Morning Post, the Chinese side resolutely opposes any form of official contacts between U.S. and Taiwanese officials.

Unfazed, Whipps said "in Palau, we always like to look at ourselves as younger brother or sister to Taiwan" and that Palau has a "shared ancestry" with Taiwan.

He said Palau welcomes Taiwan's people to "our nice beaches and see the beautiful fish and the toothless sharks  friendly sharks."
Experts examine bottom of big ship that was stuck in Suez View Photo

CAIRO (AP)  Divers inspected the underside of a colossal container ship that had blocked the Suez Canal, spotting some damage to the bow but not enough to take it out of service, officials said Wednesday.

The dives were part of a continuing investigation into what caused the Ever Given to crash into the bank of the canal where it remained wedged for six days, blocking a crucial artery of global shipping, before it was dislodged on Monday. The vessel is now anchored in the Great Bitter Lake, a wide stretch of water halfway between the north and south ends of the canal.

The blockage had halted billions of dollars a day in maritime commerce.

Two senior canal officials said the vessels bulbous bow had suffered slight to medium damage. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

One of the officials, a canal pilot, said experts were studying the extent of the damage, but he said it is unlikely it would impede navigation. He said the ships next movements would depend on several legal and procedural measures that the canal authority would discuss with Ever Givens operator.

When blame gets assigned, it will likely lead to years of litigation to recoup the costs of repairing the ship, fixing the canal and reimbursing those who saw their cargo shipments disrupted. The vessel is owned by a Japanese firm, operated by a Taiwanese shipper, flagged in Panama and now stuck in Egypt, so matters could quickly become complicated.

Since the canal reopened for traffic on Monday afternoon, convoys of ships have been moving through the waterway which links the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

A maritime traffic jam had grown on both ends of the canal during the six days of blockage. From the reopening to noon Wednesday, more than 160 vessels had passed through the canal.

Lt. Gen. Ossama Rabei, head of the canal authority, said Wednesday they would work around the clock to clear the backlog on either end of the canal.

Later, Rabei said in televised comments that the vessels captain has yet to respond to demands by the canal authority, which include handing over the Ever Givens black box and other documents to help the investigation. Such a move was expected as the captain is likely waiting for an attorney to attend the probe, he said.

Ever Given will not be allowed to leave the canal until the end of the investigation, Rabei added.

Dislodging the Ever Given was a moment of triumph for the members of the salvage team. Some broke into tears, many hugged each other as the vessels bow was rooted out from the eastern side of the canal.

We saw it on television, and it is completely different than when you see it in front of you, said on of the men, Mostafa Mohamed.

The unprecedented canal shutdown had added to the strain on the shipping industry, already under pressure from the pandemic.

The six-day closure would create a domino effect of delays for goods to be delivered and for the backlog of shipments to be processed through, said Diego Pantoja-Navajas, an expert in supply chain logistics and vice president of WMS Cloud Development, Oracle.

Over 144 hours lost in the supply chain network, said Pantoja-Navajas, will create a domino effect of delays for goods to be delivered and for the backlog of shipments to be processed through.

___

Associated Press video journalist Mohammed Wagdy in Ismailia, Egypt, contributed to this report.

By SAMY MAGDY

Associated Press
Public sector lender on Thursday announced a new vision and mission and set a target of achieving compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5 per cent by financial year 2024-25 (FY25) as it celebrated the first anniversary of the amalgamation of

By FY25 the bank expects to grow its business at a CAGR of 13.5 per cent. In the current financial year, we are targeting a growth of 10-12 per cent, said Padmaja Chunduru, managing director and chief executive officer of Indian Bank, after launching the vision and mission, HR mission, chatbot, and IB smart office initiatives.

In 2019, the government announced the merger of 10 of public sector banks (PSBs) into four, including the amalgamation of with

After the merger, became the seventh largest PSB and it is considered a success story thanks to its seamless merger, growing its business from about Rs 8 trillion to Rs 9.1 trillion in the nine months to December 2020.

Chunduru said despite challenges, the bank has emerged as one of the best on various parameters, including business, profit, customer acquisition. She noted that Indian Bank got the highest capital adequacy with 14.06 per cent and has the best ratings, which would help it raise money at a low rate. We have become atmanirbhar when it comes to capital.

All our vision and mission revolve around customers and employees, said Chunduru, adding that the bank has laid a strong foundation for a sustainable future. The top three priorities are growth, earnings, and asset quality.

The bank is looking to increase its net interest margin (NIM) to 3.21 per cent as against 3.13 per cent at present and reduce net NPA to 1.31 per cent from 2.35 per cent.

V V Shenoy, executive director of the bank, said: Employees are our most important and valuable assets in providing insights into customer experience and act as brand ambassadors. Indian Bank commits to foster excellence through a journey of growth, individual development and robust employee experience and Indian Banks HR Mission aims for this".

K Ramachandran, executive director, while launching the chatbot named ADYA (Automated Dost for your Assistance) said it is an Artificial Intelligence based tool that helps customers access information instantly from the website.

Imran Amin Siddiqui, another executive director, launched the IB smart office platform for the banks employees for processing office notes and letters digitally across all administrative offices and branches.

He added that this is a green initiative and will help the bank save on printing and stationery, improve turnaround time (TAT), increase productivity, and generate reports to ensure better control and compliance.
The Regional Commissioner for economic development, Ghejung Awunti visited the site recently.

The Commissioner for Economic Development at the North West Regional Assembly, Ghejung Awunti on March 26, 2021 went evaluating the economic impact of the unfortunate incident that slowed traffic in the Bambili stretch of the ring road on March 24, 2021. The fact-finding visit featured Ghejung Awunti posing assessment questions to road users, neighbourhood community members and above all, some engineers of the construction company rehabilitating the stretch. It was all about an evaluation exercise to help matters towards non-stop traffic flow while rehabilitation works continue on the highway that connects the Bamenda metropolis to major towns like Bambili, Ndop, Kumbo, Ndu and Nkambe. From the look of things, the ring road needs solid road infrastructure and proper drainage to withstand heavy rains.

That was not the case on March 24, 2021, when heavy rains caused a portion under rehabilitation to sink in the neighbourhood of the University community of Bambili. Some casualties were registered with vehicles stock in gutters while traffic was slowed for long hours. It was against this backdrop that the Regional Commissioner for Economic Development, Ghejung Awunti who doubles as an elected Regional Council member from Tubah Subdivision went sizing up the situation.

It was equally an exercise in proximity leadership because Ghejung Awunti went encouraging and inspiring hope in the community. The ring road is a Regional road under the competence of the Regional Assembly that recently took root on the strength of the Regional Council election of December 6, 2020 and the Commissioning of their pioneer Executive Bureau and members on January 22, 2021 with Prof. Fru Angwafo III as the President and His Majesty, the Fon of Bambalang as the President of the House of Chiefs.
Bahrains fast growing digital mobile-only bank, ila has launched a new digital solution for its customers in the kingdom. The innovative banking service, Jamiyah, automates the entire end-to-end process in seamless and effortless steps.

Unveiling the new product, the Bahrain bank said this comes as part of ilas promise to continuously sense market needs and deploy tailored solutions that enable customers financial goals and aspirations.

It also accelerates the governments vision to facilitate a cashless, digital economy, said ila in its statement.

Launched two years back in Bahrain, ila is a digital, mobile only banking entity in the kingdom powered by Bank ABC, Menas leading international bank.

Aided by artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, the intuitive app is designed to appeal and serve a wide section of users - ranging from millennials and older age groups to blue collar workers, it stated.

Speaking at the launch, Sael Al Waary, Deputy Group CEO, Bank ABC, who spearheaded the creation of ila, said: "We are delighted to deliver on our promise to continue to introduce innovative products and services that better suit our clients and communities. Jamiyah is an example of our vision to combine technological innovation with human behaviour to create new products and services that reflect the needs of our customers."

"From inviting individuals to join custom Jamiyahs, setting collection targets to automatically deducting monthly contributions from members, the digital Jamiyah formalizes this long-standing tradition, while saving valuable time and effort," he noted.

Al Waary said participants can maintain a clear trail of each members' contribution instead of the manual way of book keeping and collecting funds in cash.

CEO Mohamed Almaraj said: "For us at ila Bank, it is all about adapting banking to reflect customer lifestyles, needs and aspirations. This product appeals to all segments of our community and amid the current contactless environment, its launch could not have been timelier."

"We are proud to continue to bring market-first products such as Jamiyah to Bahrain," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Apr. 1Jordan Kawaguchi won't have to trade in his Kelly green.

He'll just wear it in a new state, playing at a new level.

The UND senior captain signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.

Kawaguchi, an undrafted free agent coveted by multiple NHL teams, chose the Stars, who currently have his old teammate, Rhett Gardner, on the roster.

Kawaguchi's deal will begin next season. He will play the remainder of this season with Dallas' American Hockey League affiliate, the Texas Stars, located in Austin. He'll be playing on a professional tryout deal.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound forward led UND in scoring for each of the last three years, becoming the first UND player to do that since Greg Johnson (1990-93). Kawaguchi led all National Collegiate Hockey Conference forwards in points each of the last two seasons.

"You have to go long and far to find guys who have made those types of impacts throughout the course of their careers," UND coach Brad Berry said. "He made impacts and put his fingerprints on the program. He showed our younger group how to be a North Dakota hockey player day in and day out. We look at quantitative things. But what you can't put a price on is the impact he left on younger players of sustaining a culture of what you have to do each and every day."

Berry, who played for the Stars and got his start in coaching with the organization, said his old franchise is getting a coach's dream.

"Ultra-high skill level, exceptionally smart player, very, very competitive and a guy that adds to your locker room," Berry said. "When you look at him and what he does in a very hard and heavy NCHC league, it won't take (Dallas) long, as a coach, to trust this player every time you throw him over the boards. I don't think you can have enough of those players  ultra-high skill level, ultra-competitive people you don't have to beg to play hard."

Story continues

Kawaguchi had an opportunity to sign a pro deal after last season, but opted to come back for his senior year after the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the 2020 postseason.

He started the season by tallying a point in all 10 games in the NCHC Pod in Omaha  the only player to do so. He finished with 36 points in 28 games, leading the Fighting Hawks to the NCHC Penrose Cup as the league's regular-season champion in back-to-back years. Earlier this month, he led UND to its first NCHC playoff title, too.

Kawaguchi played both left wing and right wing for the Fighting Hawks and was clutch on special teams, where he often ran the power play from the right circle.

He was at his best in big moments, setting a school record with five overtime-winning goals.

Now, he'll start the next chapter of his career.

"Very excited for him," Berry said. "When someone goes through your program for four years, brings it every single day in practice and games, I'm just excited and happy. As a staff member, I've been blessed and grateful to be a part of his development. He did it himself here. He played until he maxed out of junior hockey. He came here and played for four years. It's a situation where he added to the tradition. He left our program in a better place."
On Tuesday morning in Dusseldorf, the IG Metall union signed a collective bargaining agreement covering almost four million workers in the metal and electrical industries without any increase in wage rates. Workers will be fobbed off with one-off payments, but payment of these depends on the profits of the corporations.

This provides rising profits for businesses and reductions in real wages for the workers. Above all, it allows IG Metall and its works council representatives to maintain a stranglehold on the workforce. The union has been contractually assured that it will be involved in future decisions on cuts in the factories.

Protest against job cuts at Siemens Berlin in September 2019 (WSWS Media)

The deal had been on the horizon for some time. Last weekend, IG Metall district leader Knut Giesler described a similar result for the 70,000 workers in the north-west German steel industry as a fair compromise. The steelworkers will receive a 500 coronavirus bonus at the end of June and 250 at the end of December 2021 and the end of February 2022. From 2023, these one-off payments are to increase to 600 a year.

Giesler has now concluded a similar pilot agreement in the metal and electrical industries in North Rhine-Westphalia for around 700,000 workers, which covers approximately 3.8 million workers nationwide. The new collective agreement will run for 21 months and includes a no-strike pledge until October 2022.

According to the agreement reached on Tuesday morning, workers will initially receive a one-off coronavirus special payment of 500, as in the steel industry. Apprentices will receive 300.

The centrepiece of the agreement, however, is a new transformation payment. Workers will, theoretically, receive a monthly pay increase of 2.3 percent beginning July this year. However, this wage increase will be retained by the company and paid out only once a year as a lump sum: equating to 18.4 percent of a monthly wage in February 2022 and 27.6 percent in February 2023.

The real key, however, is that the transformation money will not be paid out at all in most companies since it can be used to finance wage compensation for future reductions in working hours. This is essentially a private version of the German Kurzarbeit unemployment insurance program, where employers agree to cut hours rather than carry out layoffs, with the governmentor in this case, the transformation money,paying a portion of lost wages. Companies that the union and the management certify as being in crisis or in transformation can use the money to finance wage compensation for reductions in working hours to as low as 32 hours a week.

In practice, this means that workers pay their own wage compensation by foregoing the agreed wage increasea zero-sum game! No wonder the employers are cheering.

We have achieved our goals in this round of collective bargaining, said Dr Stefan Wolf, the president of the Gesamtmetall employers association. After last years pay freeze approved by IG Metall, there would be no additional burdens on companies this year and no general reduction of working hours, he said.

The president of the North Rhine-Westphalian Metal Industries Federation, Arndt G. Kirchhoff, praised the fair result. After IG Metall had initially demanded a wage increase of four percent, he noted with satisfaction, For us, it is quite important that our companies do not have to cope with an increase in wage rates in 2021, as they did in 2020.

Reductions in working hours are now certain to follow. What company is not either in crisis or transformation? were the initial reactions from steel and auto workers.

IG Metall has long proposed a four-day week (32 hours) as a mechanism to push through job cuts in the transition to electric mobility and autonomous driving and to secure general profit maximisation. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are on the line in the auto industry alone.

IG Metall, like the company owners, believes that this jobs massacre is unavoidable. A reduction in working hours is supposed to string out and realise the cuts without compulsory redundancies. Instead, workers are pressured by the works councils and human resources departments to leave voluntarily by accepting severance pay or early retirement. New workers will not be hired, and relatively well-paid industrial jobs will be irrevocably lost.

The collective agreement allows for a 32-hour week for a period of up to three years. Since the management and the union have to agree at company level, numerous company agreements along these lines are almost pre-programmed.

Collectively agreed supplementary allowances had already been agreed in 2018. Supplementary allowance A could be converted into eight days off with the consent of the works councils. Now, the collectively agreed additional payment (allowance B), which is due in October, can also be waived depending on the companys results. The payment can be postponed if the company achieves a negative result.

In other words, if profits fall, workers finance shareholders yield and dividends with their wages and jobs.

But that is not all. The deal provides for additional future collective agreements at the company level. A works council can demand talks with the company leadershipoptionally, also between the employers association and IG Metallin which, according to IG Metall district leader Giesler, the situation will be analysed and the necessary steps will be laid down in a collective agreement.

If no agreement is reached, the talks go to arbitration. Also, the parties can call in a transformation agency for further consultation.

IG Metall chief Jorg Hofmann praised the deal in the highest terms. In the midst of one of the most serious crises in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, he said, the union had ensured that the consequences of the crisis are fairly distributed and not unilaterally dumped on the workers. Employees incomes had been stabilised and their jobs secured.

The opposite is the caseand the union has been instrumental in pushing this through. It has not only concluded a truce with the corporations but has also agreed on the mechanisms for the coming attacks on wages and jobs.

The union officials and works council leaders, like the millionaire managers and shareholders, agree that production in Germanys factories and plants must become significantly more efficient to outdo the international competition: jobs must be cut, wages reduced.

They fear that an open confrontation with workers could start a conflagration that would escape the control of the unions and challenge capitalist private property. Socialists would gain influence, the lavish remuneration the union bureaucrats receive for their posts on works councils, supervisory boards, etc. would dry upnot to mention the semi-legal perks and illegal bribes.

Corporations are using the pandemic to carry out long-planned attacks. Tens of thousands of jobs have already been cut and wages reduced at plant level. When production started to rise again at the end of last year (even in the steel industry production was higher last December than in the same month the previous year), car manufacturers made billions in profits and passed them on to shareholders. The companies constant talk of crisis, lack of scope for distribution and their calls for moderation were met with growing indignation in the factories, where workers remained on the job despite the coronavirus threat. As a result, 800,000 metalworkers took part in IG Metalls protest strikes earlier last month despite pandemic restrictions.

The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) welcomed the workers willingness to fight but warned against IG Metall selling out. In a statement at the beginning of March, we said: The IG Metall trade union, which called the strikes, is pursuing goals that are totally opposed to those of its members. The union stands firmly on the side of the corporations and is jointly plotting attacks on jobs, wages, workplace benefits, and working conditions. This has now been confirmed.

Although labour costs in the car industry now account for no more than one-fifth of total costs, it is human labour that is the only component of production that produces surplus value.

Workers are not simply confronted with the corporations, their managers, and shareholders, but also with the trade unions, who, with the current deal, are tightening their stranglehold. Workers must organise independently of IG Metall and take the fight against job cuts, for higher wages, health protection and better working conditions into their own hands.

The first step is to build action committees independent of IG Metall. Join our Facebook group Network of Action Committees for Safe Workplaces.
Los Angeles, April 1 : British actor Colin Firth has signed on to play notorious American novelist Michael Peterson in a limited drama web series, "The Staircase".

Peterson was convicted in 2003 of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, in 2001. Although he had claimed to be innocent of the crime at the time, saying his wife had died after falling down the stairs, police investigation hinted at the cause of death being homicidal assault. In 2017, Peterson submitted a plea and was sentenced to time already served in prison and was subsequently freed.

The case was earlier featured in a documentary titled "The Staircase", which came out in 2004.

"With the enormously talented Colin Firth at the centre of this adaptation, the story of 'The Staricase' will continue to captivate audiences with every bizarre twist and turn," said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content for HBO Max, to Variety.com.

The eight-episode series will air on HBO Max.

Firth was last seen on the big screen in the 2020 British drama film, "Supernova".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
When are commuters expecting to head back to the office?

NJ Transits December rider survey said a slim majority of those surveyed are ready to return to the workplace. Commuters also applauded most of their fellow riders for wearing masks and gave the agency decent marks for keeping equipment and facilities sanitized.

Almost 54,000 people took the agencys third coronavirus survey and the results were revealed Wednesday.

Essential workers riding local buses continue to be the backbone of NJ Transits to-and-from work ridership during the pandemic.

Of all the New York bus riders who responded to the survey, 56% said they had taken the bus at least once a week in December. Of rail commuters, only 34% said they had taken the train at least once a week.

Local bus riders saw higher numbers of riders, with 78% in North Jersey and 83% in South Jersey, saying they had taken the bus at least once a week during that time span.

Decreases in light rail and commuter train ridership could be because COVID cases were increasing in December, said Susan ODonnell, NJ Transit Business Analysis and Research Senior Director. But a greater percentage of respondents than in previous surveys said they made at least one work trip per week in December.

The majority of those surveyed, 80%-plus who were interstate commuters, said they werent riding because they were working from home. However, the majority of those working from home said if they return, they probably would ride the same mode of transit they took before the pandemic.

Some workers said theyre ready to go back to the workplace in some fashion.

Of those surveyed, 27% to 36% said theyre ready to return to the workplace now and 18% to 26% of riders said theyd be ready to go back between May to August. A final 16% to 21% percent said they werent comfortable going back.

Most said they expected to be in the workplace fewer than 5 days a week.

This survey builds on two previous ones that have been undertaken to help NJ Transit officials plan bus, rail and light rail service and to measure how the agency is doing sanitizing equipment and facilities. The number of responses was up from the online replies to the April 8-19 survey.

About 90% of those surveyed said almost all riders were wearing masks on transit vehicles. Mask use ranged between 87% and 91%, depending on travel mode, in December.

Most or all of us are wearing face coverings, use increased between June to December, ODonnell said. Social distancing also is high, but lower in spaces with more constraints.

That news came as NJ Transit police issued nine summonses to people who refused to comply with facial covering requirements between February and March 26, said Christopher Trucillo, police chief. Of the 9 cited, four were arrested for other issues including assaulting a train conductor, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting arrest.

NJ Transit police conducted 477 mask compliance details during that time period and received 76 mask complaints.

On a scale of 1 to 10, survey participants gave trains the highest 7.1 rating for cleanliness. Buses got 6.4 and light rail a 6.3, which was a higher ranking than the June survey. The majority of those who ranked cleanliness a 4 or lower identified stains and spills on seats on trains and buses as areas for improvement.

Two board members said it would be helpful to collect this level of data all the time.

Cleanliness, its always a tough area, given the real estate to cover, said Cedrick Fulton, board vice chairman. This information is helpful to have all the time.

Information from the surveys will be sent to NJ Transits various operating departments for rail, bus and light rail to plan service. The next survey will be conducted in the spring, ODonnell said.

NJ Transit ridership continues to be lower than pre-COVID levels, with daily rail averaging 20-25% lower and buses and light rail averaging 50% lower. Incentives have been started, such as Flexpass, a 20-ride pass that has a fare discount and announcement earlier in March of an NJ Transit rewards program that awards points for ticket purchases for discounts at businesses.

The marketplace still is in a state of flux. It makes it a challenge to provide service in the future, said Robert Gordon, board member. I urge we continue to collect data like this in the future.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.
Shares of Reliance Infrastructure Limited rallied 10 per cent on Thursday after the power generation and infrastructure firm said it has sold Reliance Center, the Mumbai headquarter of Anil Ambani's Reliance Group, to YES Bank for Rs 1,200 crore. The private lenderwill convert the building as its corporate headquarters, as per report.

Following the announcement, shares of Anil Ambani-led firm rose as much as 9.98 per cent to hit intraday high of Rs 38.55 on the BSE. The stock opened higher at Rs 35.50 against previous close price of Rs 35.05 on the BSE. Paring some of early gains, Reliance Infrastructure shares were currently trading at Rs 38.20, up 8.89 per cent on the BSE. The market cap of the company surged to Rs 1,007.25.

Reliance Infra shares hit 52-week high of Rs 44.70 on May 3, 2020, and 52-week low of Rs 10.60 on April 1, 2020.

Reliance Infrastructure in an exchange filing on Thursday said that entire proceeds from sale of Reliance Centre, Santacruz will be utilised only to repay the debt of YES Bank. "Reliance Infrastructure Limited (RInfra) and YES Bank Limited (YES Bank) announced a sale transaction of Reliance Centre, Santacruz, Mumbai to YES Bank. The transaction value is Rs.1200 crore," it said.

Reliance Center, which was earlier Crescent House, owned by Kolkata-based ICI, was built on Mumbai Port Trust land. The property came into the Ambani family's fold when the then undivided Reliance Industries took over businesses of ICI in the early 1990s. After the Ambani brothers divided the Reliance empire among themselves in 2005, the Ballard Estate office went to Anil Ambani's Reliance Group. A portion of the Ballard Estate building has been occupied by the Maharashtra government's civil supplies department, which won it through legal battle about a couple of years back.

Reliance Infrastructure has sold as many as three major assets, including this one, since January 2021. The other two includes Delhi-Agra toll road to Cube Highways and Infrastructure for Rs 3,600 crore and 74 per cent equity shares in Parbati Koldam Transmission Company to India Grid Trust for an enterprise value of Rs 900 crore.

Meanwhile, YES bank shares were trading 0.64 per cent higher at Rs 15.70 on the BSE.

Edited by Chitranjan Kumar

Also read: Share Market LIVE Updates: Sensex up 170 pts, Nifty above 14,750; Bajaj Auto, HCL Tech, NTPC top gainers

Also read: Stock in news: Auto shares, SBI, Piramal Enterprises, Indiabulls Housing, Edelweiss Financial
Certainly my entire career has been about promoting equal access and equal justice for all, Judge Feinman responded, alluding to his own experience as a gay man, and I hope I add to the diversity of perspectives that the court considers.

Asked at the time whether he considered himself a judicial activist or a traditionalist, he replied: I decide each case based on the law and the facts. If others want to characterize it, that is up to them.

Judge Feinman was a past president of the Association of Supreme Court Justices of the State of New York. He was the former president of the International Association of L.G.B.T.Q. Judges and a member of the Richard C. Failla L.G.B.T.Q. Commission, which promotes fair treatment of L.G.B.T.Q. people and issues in the court systems. He was sworn in on June 21, 2017, during Gay Pride Month.

In a statement after the death, Governor Cuomo called the judge a friend and role model to countless L.G.B.T.Q. attorneys, helping to shepherd us out of an era where being openly L.G.B.T.Q. could mean disbarment. He added, It was my honor to appoint him to the bench.

Matthew J. Skinner, the Failla commissions executive director, recalled walking past the L.G.B.T.Q. rainbow flag flying from Albanys City Hall on the day of Judge Feinmans swearing in and feeling like such a barrier had been melted away.
After attempting a TikTok challenge that dares people to choke themselves until they lose consciousness, a 12-year-old boy from suburban Denver was in critical condition. Joshua Haileyesus' twin brother discovered him passed out in the bathroom of their family's home in Aurora, Colorado, on March 22. Doctors have announced the boy is brain dead.

Boy, 12, Brain Dead After TikTok Challenge

The Colorado boy is fighting for his life upon participating in TikTok's "Blackout Challenge." According to Haileyesus Zeryihun, his father, the boy used a shoelace to choke himself.

The family stated he was "completely unaware of the risks involved" in the viral game that dares people to see how long they can hold their breath. Aside from the "Choking Challenge," it is also referred to as "Blackout Challenge," "Pass-out Challenge," or "Space Monkey," reported People.

According to Haileyesus' father, "[The doctors] told me the bad news that he's not going to survive, he's not going to make it." He was begging them on the floor. The father pleaded to see if they could give him some time, not give up on his child. He added that he would feel like he was just walking away from his child if he gave up on him and reported Newsweek.

A group on Monday gathered in front of Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora to pray for the 12-year-old on life support. Zeryihun said, "He's a fighter. I can see him fighting. I'm praying for him every day. It's just heartbreaking to see him laying on the bed," reported AP.

According to doctors at the hospital, his chances for survival are "extremely unlikely." His parents say that social media has helped expose Haileyesus to some of his biggest passions, including playing the guitar, cooking, and acting. However, it has also brought the family to this despairing event.

South Korean Social Media Influencer Dropped by Chinese Media Agency for Allegedly Disrespecting China

The father is now hoping that the family's devastation could alert other parents regarding the viral social media game. It has been around for a while and has also been seen on other platforms, including YouTube.

The online challenge is not new in the world of social media. Back in 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributed 82 deaths of young people to a variation of the challenge.

Also, according to the boy's father, a few days before the incident, Haileyesus was bragging to his twin about how he could hold his breath for over a minute.

According to a spokesperson for the TikTok app, the challenge is not trending, and when users search for it, they are redirected to the app's community measures and self-harm resources.

The spokesperson for TikTok wrote in an e-mail that their profound sympathies go out to the victim and his family. At TikTok, he stated, they have no greater priority than protecting their community, and content that patronizes harmful behavior is strictly prohibited and promptly removed to prevent it from trending on the social media platform.

Celebrities Defend Sasha Obama for Viral Twitter Photo, Tiktok Video

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Louisiana's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will ask lawmakers to raise the cost of recreational hunting and fishing licenses and other user fees to close a budget gap that is only projected to worsen in the future, the agency's leader said Wednesday.

Department Secretary Jack Montoucet told the Senate Finance Committee that the license and fee hike proposal, which hasn't been filed yet for public viewing, would raise $17 million a year for the agency.

"We haven't had an adjustment in what the licenses cost in 20 years," Montoucet said. "We are doing 50 more things that have been put on our plate" since then.

LSU study finds Southern flounder are disappearing throughout their habitat, including Louisiana When LSU researchers recently set out to gather data on southern flounder, they ran into a problem: they could hardly find any in Louisiana.

Montoucet proposed a smaller license restructuring two years ago to consolidate licenses, reduce the types of permits and increase some costs, but the House rejected it. Since then, the agency's financial problems have worsened.

"The day of reckoning is here," said state Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, a Lafayette Democrat.

The discussion arose in the Senate committee's ongoing budget hearings about the spending plan that Gov. John Bel Edwards proposed for the financial year that starts July 1.

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries relies on the Conservation Fund as one of its primary sources of financing. But collections for the fund have continued to fall annually since the 2015-16 budget year.

Revenue from oil and gas drilling in wildlife management areas is declining, and the state is seeing fewer dollars each year from licensing fees as more people buy lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, said Bryan McClinton, the department's chief financial officer.

Red snapper counts in Gulf might be triple previous estimates; what that means for fishing limits NEW ORLEANS - There are about three times as many red snapper as previously estimated in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a study released Wed

The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Edwards is proposing a $17 million influx of general state tax dollars to fill a short-term gap in the agency and keep its budget largely standstill at $157 million next year.

But Montoucet said he'd have to keep returning for more state general fund cash each year without licensing and fee hikes, and he suggested that wasn't fair. He said taxpayers who don't use the services shouldn't have to foot the bill for them.

"Our programs are user-pay. If you use the resources, you pay for the resources," Montoucet said.

Senators said they supported the idea of raising charges on people who hunt and fish and use the wildlife management areas.

"Everybody knows that in Louisiana we're known for our wildlife and fisheries. We need to make sure that we keep it at a top priority," said Sen. Mark Abraham, a Lake Charles Republican. "I'll do everything I can to make sure you're made whole."

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries provides text alerts for important news Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is providing text messages for important news from its email newsletters.

Sen. Mike Fesi, a Houma Republican, suggested that in the future the agency should consider incremental fee increases annually, rather than a large increase after 20 years.

It's unclear if House members, many of whom opposed the license and fee hikes two years ago, will be more supportive this time. The proposed increases require a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate to pass in the legislative session that begins April 12.

Lawmakers will craft a final version of next year's budget in that session and likely won't wrap up that work until June.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - EFH Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EFH) (the "Company" or "EFH") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced transaction with Cooke Holdings Inc. ("Cooke") for the acquisition of the remaining 25% ownership of The Insurance Company of Prince Edward Island ("ICPEI") that the Company did not own (the "Acquisition").

Serge Lavoie, CEO for both EFH and ICPEI, said, "We are pleased with the transaction and we will continue to focus on growing ICPEI profitably in the coming years."

Terms of the Acquisition

Under the terms of the Acquisition, the Company acquired from Cooke all of the remaining issued and outstanding shares of ICPEI not already owned by EFH for a total cash consideration of $6,315,000 (the "Purchase Price"). The Acquisition is an arm's length transaction.

Concurrent Private Placement

The Company is also please to announce the closing of the previously announced concurrent non-brokered private placement financing for an aggregate amount of $3,884,552 (the "Private Placement"). The Private Placement consists of the sale of 2,735,600 common shares of the Company ("Shares") at a price of $1.42 per Share. The proceeds of the Private Placement were used to pay the Purchase Price of the Acquisition.

The Private Placement constitutes a "related party transaction" as such term is defined by Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), given that certain insiders of the Company have subscribed for an aggregate of 395,500 Shares. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, given that the fair market value of the participation in the Private Placement by certain insiders does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. The Private Placement has been approved by the independent directors of the Company. The Company filed a material change report in respect of the Private Placement, but was not able to file at least 21 days before the closing date of the Private Placement as the Company required closing the Private Placement on an expedited basis for sound business reasons and in a timeframe consistent with usual market practice for transactions of this nature.

The Shares issued pursuant to the Private Placement are subject to a four month and one day hold period, ending on August 2, 2021, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities legislation. The Acquisition and the Private Placement have received the conditional approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and remain subject to final approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

About The Insurance Company of Prince Edward

Founded in 1987, The Insurance Company of Prince Edward Island offers market-leading home, auto and commercial insurance solutions. Its products are sold exclusively through a network of brokers across all three Maritime Provinces and Quebec. ICPEI has established a longstanding record of underwriting profitability, rooted in its disciplined approach to risk selection. On July 1, 2014, EFH acquired 75% ownership of ICPEI.

About EFH Holdings Inc.

Founded in 1998, EFH Holdings Inc. operates in the property and casualty insurance industry in Canada, providing personal and commercial lines insurance exclusively through the broker channel. The Company distributes insurance products through The Insurance Company of Prince Edward Island. It trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol EFH.

Forward-looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. This information includes, but is not limited to, statements about the targets, ongoing objectives, strategies, timelines with respect to the Acquisition and the Private Placement and outlook of EFH. These statements, which appear in this press release generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "would", "should", "could", "trend", "predict", "likely", "potential" or "continue" or the negative thereof and similar variations.

This information is based upon certain material factors or assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a projection as reflected in the forward-looking information. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific. A variety of material factors, many of which are beyond EFH's control, affect the operations, performance and results of its business and could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in any of this forward-looking information.

For further information: please visit www.efh.ca; Investor Relations, 905-602-2150, ir@efh.ca

Related Links

https://efh.ca/

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79253
Many evangelical churches have grown in diversity, but are they places of true unity and equity? In the March issue of CT, sociologist Korie Little Edwards explains why the multiethnic church movement hasnt lived up to its promisesand how it still could.

Join Little Edwards along with Rich Villodas, Rebecca Y. Kim, Naima Lett, and Curtiss Paul DeYoung for a live discussion on the fruits and challenges of multiethnic congregations.

Our Speakers

Korie Little Edwards

Korie Little Edwards, PhD, is associate professor of sociology at The Ohio State University. She is a leading scholar of race and religion in the United States and past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, an international, interdisciplinary association. She has written several books and articles on multiracial religious organizations. These include The Elusive Dream: The Power of Race in Interracial Churches (Oxford University Press) and Against All Odds: The Struggle for Racial Integration in Religious Organizations (co-author, New York University Press).

Her current scholarship focuses on matters related to race and religious leadership. She has a forthcoming book called Smart Suits, Tattered Boots: Black Ministers Mobilizing the Black Church in the Twenty-First Century that draws upon black religious leaders engagement in the 2012 election to understand their engagement in civic and political activity.

Little Edwards is also principal investigator of a national study of multiracial church pastors called the Religious Leadership and Diversity Project (RLDP). The RLDP is the most in-depth, comprehensive project ever conducted on leaders of multiracial congregations. A special journal issue featuring research from this project was published last year. She and her team continue to develop articles and books out of this study.

Rich Villodas

Rich Villodas is the Brooklyn-born lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large, multiracial church with more than 75 countries represented in Elmhurst, Queens. He is also a key speaker for Emotionally Healthy Discipleshipa movement that has touched hundreds of thousands of people.

Villodas graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in pastoral ministry and theology from Nyack College. He went on to complete his master of divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. His award-winning book, The Deeply Formed Life, was released in September 2020. He and his wife, Rosie, have two beautiful children and reside in Queens.

Rebecca Y. Kim

Rebecca Y. Kim is the Frank R. Seaver Chair of Social Science, a professor of sociology, and the director of the ethnic studies program at Pepperdine University. She specializes in immigration, race, and religion and has published widely on such topics, particularly related to Asian American evangelicals. She is the author of Gods New Whiz Kids? Korean American Evangelicals on Campus (New York University Press 2006) and The Spirit Moves West: Korean Missionaries in America (Oxford University Press 2015).

She has recently conducted research as a co-investigator of the Religious Leadership and Diversity Project, a nationwide study on faith, race, and leadership of multiethnic congregations led by Korie Little Edwards. She is also currently conducting research as part of the Landscape Study of Chaplaincy and Campus Ministry in the United States.

Naima Lett

Naima Lett is a church planter and co-pastor of Hope in the Hills in Beverly Hills. An award-winning actor, producer, and author, she loves helping folks find their purpose and follow their dreams while deepening their faith. Her candid and humorous storytelling make her an in-demand speaker, lecturer, and performer who cares for souls in the City of Angels and across the globe.

She successfully created, produced, and toured several one-woman plays internationally while forming Letts Rise! Productions with her husband, Kevin. Naima graduated top honors with a bachelor of fine arts from Howard University, received Dallas Seminarys first masters in media and communications, and became the first woman to earn a doctor of ministry in preaching from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. Her forthcoming book series is titled Confessions of a Hollywood Christian.

Curtiss Paul DeYoung

Curtiss Paul DeYoung is the CEO of the Minnesota Council of Churches whose 27-member communions include historic Black, mainline Protestant, Pentecostal, and Greek Orthodox denominations, as well as the Dakota (Native American) Presbytery. The council builds ecumenical and interfaith unity through working for racial and social justice. DeYoung previously served as the executive director of the historic faith-based racial justice organization Community Renewal Society in Chicago.

DeYoung was the inaugural professor of reconciliation studies at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Rev. DeYoung served on staff at congregations in Minneapolis, New York City, and Washington, DC. He is an ordained minister in the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana). He consults and speaks internationally with extensive relationships among activists and peacemakers in South Africa and the Holy Land.

DeYoung, PhD, earned degrees from the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), Howard University School of Theology (Washington, DC), and Anderson University (Indiana). He is an author and editor of 12 books on racial justice, reconciliation, and cultural competency. With South African antiapartheid activist Allan Boesak, he co-authored Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism (Orbis).

He was on the editorial team for The Peoples Bible (Fortress). Among his other books are Becoming Like Creoles: Living and Leading at the Intersections of Injustice, Culture, and Religion (Fortress), United by Faith: The Multiracial Congregation as an Answer to the Problem of Race (Oxford), and Reconciliation: Gods Timeless Call to Justice, Healing, and Transformation (Wipf and Stock). DeYoung has been married since 1984 and has three adult children.
Orange: The gunman who killed four people and critically wounded a fifth at a Southern California office building knew all the victims and authorities said that before opening fire he chained shut the gates to two entrances, delaying police from getting inside.

Among the victims of the horrific massacre on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday AEDT) was a 9-year-old boy who was found cradled in the arms of a woman believed to be his mother, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. The woman was the only survivor among those shot. The others killed were a man and two women.

Our hearts today go out to the victims, and Im here to tell you that were going to do everything in our power in the Orange County District Attorneys office to get justice for these families, Spitzer said. He said he will consider seeking the death penalty.

Investigators survey the scene at an office building after a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Credit:AP

The violence in the city of Orange was the third mass shooting in just over two weeks. Last week a gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, and killed 10. A week before that, six Asian women were among eight people killed at three Atlanta-area spas.
Wearing the same diamond wattle brooch she was given during her first visit to Australia in 1954, the 94-year-old held court as she met serving RAAF members following the brief service which included a flypast by the Red Arrows. Speaking to one RAAF officer about Britains Typhoon fighter jets, the Queen asked if they were being sent off to chase the Russians? The officer replied: Thats correct Maam, its a lot of fun for us. The Queen first opened the Runnymede memorial in 1953. Credit:Getty Images In another light moment, the monarch asked Brandis about Australians stranded in the United Kingdom during the pandemic. When Brandis dutifully informed her about efforts to get as many home as possible, the Queen quipped: There are worse places to be stuck. She also beamed when Defence officials presented her with two RAAF-themed dog jackets for her new corgis.

In a formal statement, the Queen said she was delighted to congratulate the RAAF. As one of the oldest Air Forces in the world, it is fitting to pay tribute to the efficiency, skill and sacrifice of the men and women who have served in its ranks, in Australia and overseas, during the past one hundred years, she said. Throughout my reign, the Royal Australian Air Force has shown immense dedication to duty and defended our freedom in many conflicts around the world. High Commissioner George Brandis lays a wreath at the socially-distanced anniversary service. Credit:Getty Images Prince William  who flew for the Royal Air Force  also marked the centenary with a video message that reflected on the service, courage and sacrifice made by generations of Australians.

The Queen  who served as a driver and mechanic during World War II  first opened the Runnymede memorial in 1953. The then-26-year old had succeeded to the throne just one year earlier. Group Captain Adrian Maso, the most senior RAAF officer stationed in the UK, said Defence had been in contact with descendants of the lost Australians the Queen heard about on Wednesday and they are all very humbled by us telling their family story. Her appearance - just two days after restrictions were eased on how many people could gather outdoors in England  points to a more public profile this year as the COVID-19 risk subsides. She has been isolating at home and left Windsor Castle only three times before for public engagements. The first was in October 2020 to meet scientists at a defence facility near Salisbury; the other ventures were for the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey in November, and a service for Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph on Whitehall. The Queen and 99-year-old Prince Philip were given their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in early January and are thought to have since had the second shot. She did not wear a mask on Wednesday and each guest underwent a COVID-19 test before entry.

The Queen is nearly the same age as the RAAF and has reigned for more than two-thirds of its existence. Major Thomas White, Equerry to the Queen, prepares to lay a wreath on her behalf. Credit:Getty Images Under the so-called Imperial Gift of 1920, Britain gave Australia 126 planes which were either surplus to needs or replacements for Australian aircraft lost during battle. One aircraft  a SE5a fighter  was handed to the Australian War Memorial in 1929 and displayed at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne before being moved to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The skies over Europe were by far the most dangerous theatre of operations for Australians during World War II, with more than 4100 RAAF members killed while serving under the umbrella of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command.

More than one in three RAAF members who served in the Bomber Command were killed, amounting to 20 per cent of all Australian combat losses during the war. Flight Lieutenant James Clarke from the Royal Australian Air Force is on a three-year exchange program in the UK and is currently based with 3(F) Squadron Typhoon at Royal Air Force Coningsby Lincolnshire. Credit:Crown Copyright MOD 2021 Flight Lieutenant James Clarke is the only RAAF member flying fast jets in skies over the UK today, via an exchange program. The 32-year-old flies Typhoons - the same aircraft the Queen referred to when joking about chasing off the Russians - at speeds of up to 1500 miles per hour or twice the speed of sound. Life moves at a different pace - youre talking split-second decisions, Clarke told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Its eye-watering. Clarkes base at Coningsby is steeped in World War II history. The stresses we deal with today are nothing compared with the thought of taking off out of rural Lincolnshire in the fog, flying across really cold and dangerous water and then battling your way in to Europe and turning around and coming back, he said. It is awe-inspiring. The skill those men had were absolutely unbelievable.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 16:08:24|Editor: huaxia

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TASHKENT, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan exported 687 tons of gold for the past ten years, Uzbek central bank has said in a recent report, for the first time disclosing 10-year dynamics of its main export commodity.

The report was released earlier this week as the ex-soviet republic opens up its macroeconomic data to bring it in line with international standards.

Uzbekistan's gold export hit the highest point of 110 tons in 2019, compared with the lowest of only 10 tons in 2012, according to the report on the country's investment position and balance of payment.

Uzbek central bank said earlier this year the country will continue to sell gold mostly depending on world prices. Gold constituted almost 40 percent of Uzbekistan's total export volume in July-August last year, but since the beginning of 2021 the central bank did not sell any gold reserves from foreign assets.

The resource-rich Central Asian nation produces around 100 tons of gold annually. The Muruntau gold mine in Navoi region was rated as the world's leading gold mining deposits in 2020, according to a review by Kitco, a Canadian company that buys and sells precious metals.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been opening up the country's economy for foreign investors since he took office in 2016. He ordered more transparent policies for the country's gold reserves and production. Enditem
The busts of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln tower over the Black Hills at Mount Rushmore National Monument near Keystone, S.D., on July 2, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Firefighters Make Progress Containing Black Hills Fires, Mount Rushmore Remains Closed

NEMO, S.D.Firefighters continued to make progress Wednesday on containing wildfires in the Black Hills of South Dakota that earlier forced the evacuation of more than 400 homes.

Fire crews have increased containment of the largest fire near Schroeder Road in the Nemo area to 47 percent, the Pennington County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook post Wednesday. The Schroeder Road fire has burned nearly 3.4 square miles.

Law enforcement officers opened some neighborhoods that had been evacuated, but were only admitting people who live there. Residents were asked to remain on their property and not to call 911 unless there is imminent danger from fire flare-ups.

The Schroeder Road fire has crossed into two neighborhoods near Rapid City, according to the sheriffs office. At least one home has been destroyed, as well as several other structures. No injuries have been reported.

Two smaller blazes were burning southwest of Rapid City, including one inside the grounds of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which remained closed Wednesday.

The fire continued to burn in steep, rough country inaccessible by roads, officials said. Heavy airtankers and helicopters supported ground firefighters as they protected homes and worked to contain the fire.

The wind remained a factor in firefighting efforts, but was not as strong as it was on Monday and Tuesday, fire officials said.

Strong winds and drought conditions also fueled a wildfire in western North Dakota, where a firefighter was injured in a fire truck crash due to low visibility from smoke. The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The fire has burned about 1 square mile north of Richardton in Stark County, officials said.

An abandoned building burned in the blaze, as did fences, power lines and utility poles. Montana-Dakota Utilities spokesman Mark Hanson said the fire damaged five of the companys structures, causing one to collapse.

A downed power line was believed to have started the fire.
CamboJA says in a report that such measures are causing the countrys reporters to self-censor.

Uon Chhin (L) and Yeang Sothearin (R) speak with reporters outside the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh, July 15, 2020.

Journalists in Cambodia are regularly subjected to physical violence and legal action on the job, undermining their role in a democratic society and their ability to cover stories involving powerful officials, according to a new report by Cambodian media watchdog CamboJA.

In its annual Cambodian Journalism Situation Report, CamboJA said it recorded 35 cases of harassment against 72 journalists in 2020, based on news reports, social media posts, court documents and interviews, and that more than 42 of them were detained for questioning or imprisoned.

At least 22 journalists were either attacked or threatened with violence while working, the group said, and one journalist died in what police concluded was a traffic accident without carrying out what it termed a proper investigation.

According to CamboJA, Cambodian authorities continued to use the threat of legal action to intimidate journalists in 2020, particularly the charges of incitement to commit felony or extortion under Articles 495 and 232 of the Criminal Code.

As of December, at least 10 journalists remain in prison in the country, eight of whom are in pre-trial detention for criminal charges, it said.

The ongoing imprisonment, detention and physical threats against journalists undermines the medias role in a democratic society and strikes fear in those who cover stories or cases involving powerful officials, CamboJA said in its report.

Journalists have generally been unsuccessful when turning to the courts for justice or protection, even when they are able to identify perpetrators such as military police, district security guards, timber traders and cock fighters. This impunity for crimes against journalists compounds the sense of fear and futility for those seeking to expose bad actors inside and outside of government.

Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service, CamboJA executive director Nop Vy said that in addition to the threat of harassment and arrest, journalists also lack any support from relevant authorities.

He also called the overall situation of press freedom in Cambodia in 2020 significantly worse than in previous years.

Pending cases involving journalists related to ethics and their profession as journalists should be dropped, he said.

Stop filing lawsuits against them because all these cases create an environment of fear that impacts press freedom.

Reactions to report

Ministry of Information Meas Sophorn responded to the claims in the report by saying that journalists in Cambodia enjoy freedom of the press and suggesting that certain NGOs were not reporting the truth about the situation.

In accordance with the law, they can fulfill the requirements of their profession freely and fully in the Kingdom of Cambodia, he told RFA

There are many journalists working in the profession, and the number is increasing. However, journalists working in Cambodia are held accountable. If a journalist commits a crime, he must be held accountable before the law.

Media director of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), Ith Sothoeut, told RFA that when authorities use the criminal code to arrest journalists it forces them to self-censor.

Ith Sothoeut called on the authorities to apply the countrys Press Law in support of journalists who report on the shortcomings of powerful officials and other problems in society.

As CambodJa mentioned in its report, so far, the Press Law has not been enforced in nearly all cases involving journalists, he said.

On the contrary, the criminal code has been applied, which is unfortunate for journalists.

Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhinwho had worked as an editor, reporter and news anchor, and a photographer and videographer for RFAs Khmer Service, respectivelywere taken into custody in November 2017. They remain out on bail but in legal limbo after a series of appeals have been rejected by courts.

They were charged with illegally collecting information for a foreign source after RFA closed its bureau in the capital in September that year and were slapped with additional charges for illegally produced pornography in March 2018. If convicted of the first charge, they could face a jail term of between seven and 15 years.

Paris-based watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Cambodia 144th out of 180 nations in its 2020 World Press Freedom Index, down from 143rd a year earlier, citing a crackdown on independent media in the lead up to the countrys 2018 general election.

The crackdown on the independent media came amid a wider attack by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition and NGOs that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats up for grab in the ballot.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Swervice. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Statehouse Reporter

Danny Jin is the Eagle's Statehouse reporter. A graduate of Williams College, he previously interned at the Eagle and The Christian Science Monitor. Danny can be reached at djin@berkshireeagle.com or on Twitter at @djinreports.
Google is all set to leave the Third party cookie behind as the initial test of Federated Learning of Cohorts commonly known as FLoC has gone live in selected regions for limited users only.This new FLoC technology will revolutionize how the advertising companies including Google itself tracks the user based on their browsing history to target them with specific ads. Unlike third party cookies, FLoC technology does not track users individually, instead it creates a group of internet users or Cohort with similar browsing interests , and based on that information , the whole Cohort of thousands of users will be subjected to the relevant online ads instead of tracking an individuals browsing history.Google Privacy Sandbox Product Manager, Marshall Vale cleared how Federated Learning of Cohorts actually works, he stated that with the help of FLoC , the browser determines which cohort corresponds most closely to the recent web browsing history, grouping the user with thousands of other people who have similar browsing histories, He further added that the identification number of the cohort is the only thing provided when requested by a site which is different from third party cookies that allow companies to follow the user individually across different sites.This means that previously, the advertising companies were provided with individual data based on their browsing history, but once the FLoC takes over, the advertising companies will only be able to get the Cohort number without having any access to the individual data of any user present in the group.The initial test for this technology is currently live for a limited percentage of users is selected regions which includes Australia, India, Canada, Indonesia, Brazil , New Zealand, Japan, Philippines, Mexico and US itself. Those who have blocked the access of third party cookies in the current Chrome version, will not be entertained to have an access to the test.While Google is claiming that this new development is more user friendly in terms of user's privacy, some advertisers and Antitrust advocates believe that since this technology only works on Chrome under the influence of Google itself, then Google could be using its position of Advertising Giant to push out other advertising companies off the table. Recently Ken Paxton, attorney general Texas has updated his multi state lawsuit against Google, claiming that the Tech Giant did not completely eliminate the doubts raised by the advertisers. Up to 15 states have joined this multistate lawsuit against Google and not just US but even the UK is looking in to this matter and trying to investigate thoroughly on how the new Federated Learning of Cohorts tracking system actually works.Read next: Google is rolling out Stack; an app that can help you digitizes your personal docs, receipts, and other documents lying in your house and you can automatically save these documents into Google Drive
Anil Ambani Groups (RInfra) on Thursday sold its headquarters (HQ) in Mumbais Santacruz to for Rs 1,200 crore. YES Bank, which currently operates from One Indiabulls Centre in central Mumbai, will convert the building into its corporate head office.

Once the HQ of Anil Ambani, Reliance Centre is a high-tech office building with over 695,000 square feet area on a plot of 15,514-square metre land. Ambani shifted to this office after he moved out of Reliances Ballard Estate office. The entire proceeds from the sale of Reliance Centre will be utilised only to service the debt of YES Bank, RInfra said.

The lender had an exposure of Rs 4,000 crore in the company. With this deal, it has reduced its exposure by half.

With this, RInfra has closed three major transactions since January this year. These include the sale of Delhi-Agra toll road to Cube Highways and an electricity transmission asset Parbati Koldam Transmission Company to IndiGrid.

experts said the office enjoys prime location because of its proximity to Mumbais Western Express Highway. It is a 15-minute drive to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal (T2), a 10-minute drive to the domestic airport terminal (T1), and a stones throw from Bandra-Kurla Complex business district.
BlueSky Medical Staffing Software Optimizes Clinical Workforces BlueSkys software tools empower small, medium and enterprise healthcare staffing organizations to manage their contingent workforce efficiently.

BlueSky Medical Staffing Software announces its involvement with the American Staffing Associations groups for the Social Responsibility Committee and the Public Relations and Marketing Committee.

With over twenty-five thousand staffing agencies and companies in the United States, there are a surprising few that volunteer with organizations furthering the socially responsible goals prevalent in todays culture. These types of initiatives are important due to the relationship small businesses have with their industry organizations. Companies look to staffing experts like the American Staffing Association to answer questions and provide advice on sensitive topics, best practices, and more. BlueSky supports the American Staffing Association and their community efforts by contributing to these two highly engaged committees.

For more informative content on the healthcare staffing industry, subscribe to the BlueSky blog.

Providing incredibly informative content to their membership community is one of the shining beacons lighting the way for the staffing industry, especially during the staffing chaos of pandemic times. Hospital staffing relies heavily on contingent workers and a temporary labor workforce. The reasons behind the need vary by health system slightly, yet they all relate to managing the ebb and flow of the annual healthcare needs for their communities. With resources like back-to-work safety procedures, legal advice and research, and internal networking facilitation, organizations like the American Staffing Association are critical to the long-term success of smaller players in the industry, with a domino effect on the success of health systems and hospitals.

BlueSky takes a particularly strong stance when it comes to presenting the staffing industry in a benevolent way. BlueSkys CEO Tim Teague explains, The staffing industry has provided a resource to the American health system during a very difficult time. Empowering those companies and thereby their employees, in this case the healthcare providers themselves, to perform their roles efficiently and effectively is the driving force behind our teams engagement with the ASA. That requires a positive perception from the public, a knowledgeable network to bounce ideas off of, and a software solution that does the heavy lifting.

Check out why Hospitals and Health Systems across the country choose BlueSky Vendor Management Software for their contingent labor workforce needs.

The committee goals that BlueSky is contributing to will demonstrate the value of the staffing industry, in more than just the healthcare vertical. The staffing and recruiting industry has positively impacted the economy and workforce by connecting employees and employers, providing sixteen million people with jobs in 2019. 2020 statistics are likely to demonstrate a massive amount of placements in healthcare and hospital settings as well. Enhancing the public perception of the industry will provide more incentive and social reward for those who work within it, furthering the workforce flexibility that has become common for the United States today.

As a staffing industry software provider, BlueSky Medical Staffing Software does not represent the interests of an individual agency or organization in terms of recruitment and placements. Instead, BlueSkys software tools empower small, medium and enterprise healthcare staffing organizations to manage their contingent workforce efficiently, with automation and integrative capabilities. Providing resources for health systems and hospitals to manage their subcontracting vendors, vendor risk, medical credentialing and compliance without the pervasive too big to fail demeanor of highly visible software providers.



BlueSky Medical Staffing Software is an applicant tracking system, vendor management system, staff/nurse scheduling system and invoice/payroll tool combined into one suite for clinical talent and contingent labor management. It benefits many staffing and healthcare companies, solving a plethora of expensive operational problems in daily business practices.

BlueSky is the only staffing software available on the market today that is healthcare specific, accommodates full lifecycle recruitment, front-to-back office workflows, medical credential management, vendor management, workflow automation, and more.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has ruled out the possibility of reinstating the 188 nurses who were sacked over alleged misconduct.

Ms Waiguru Wednesday explained that the nurses were replaced by new health workers after they were fired by her government after they went on strike.

"At the moment, we have no vacant positions in the health sector and, therefore, we can't absorb the sacked employees," she said.

The Kirinyaga governor stressed that the nurses were laid off following a High Court ruling and they cannot get back their jobs despite directives by the Public Service Commission (PSC).

"The Public Service Commission can't overrule the decision of the court," she said.

Apply for jobs afresh

Speaking at her official residence in Kagio where she was disbursing Sh3 million bursaries to needy secondary school, college and university students from the region, Ms Waiguru, however, said the nurses can apply for jobs afresh when opportunities arise.

"We are planning to expand some of the health facilities in the area and we may require extra health workers. If we advertise for positions, the sacked nurses can apply for consideration," she said.

But Ms Waiguru said it will take time to recruit more health workers as there is no budget for that purpose.

"We have not budgeted for more workers. At the moment we are busy fighting the third wave of Covid-19 which is spreading fast," she said.

PSC directive

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Health Labour By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Recently the PSC ordered that the nurses be given back their jobs after they appealed to it for intervention.

The PSC dismissed the disciplinary action taken against the nurses as irregular, unfair and unlawful and ordered that they be reinstated.

It instructed the county government to implement its directive with immediate effect.

In its ruling dated, March 3, 2021 seen by the Nation, the commission noted that the issues raised by the nurses concerning terms and conditions of employment were justified and they should not have been fired.

The commission observed that the nurses gave the county a 28-day strike notice and they only took industrial action after their grievances were not addressed.

The nurses have vowed to go back to work as directed by PSC.

Cleared of any wrongdoing

Led by the local Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary Wangui Karigi, the health workers said they had been cleared of any wrongdoing and they should get back their jobs and be paid their salaries in full as ordered by the commission.

"We have to report back to work without fail and the county government should cooperate," said Ms Karigi.

The nurses were sent home in 2019 after they went on strike, protesting against poor working conditions.

They complained that Kerugoya Hospital was filthy and lacked adequate facilities, making their work difficult.

Further, they accused Governor Waiguru's administration of failing to promote them and took to the streets in protest.
FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Commerzbank (CRZBY.PK) said Thursday that it has reached an agreement with the Central Works Council to cut 1,700 full-time jobs in Germany by the end of 2021. The company said in January that it would reduce about 10,000 jobs by 2024. In Germany, every third job would be affected. The company would also reduce branches to 450 locations across Germany from the current level of 790, as part of its restructuring. The bank said Thursday that it is making good progress on its roadmap towards the cost reductions targeted in its strategy 2024. Under a voluntary program, entitled employees are to be offered termination agreements from July 2021. Employees who make use of the voluntary program will leave the Bank by the end of the year. The Bank noted that it will book restructuring charges of about 470 million euros in the first quarter of 2021. The Bank had announced that it is spending a total or around 1.8 billion euros for restructuring in the context of its strategy 2024. Including the provisions for the voluntary program, around 1.4 billion euros have already been booked. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
A multi-vehicle crash on a major Melbourne freeway has sparked a huge traffic jam as thousands try to escape the city for a holiday over the Easter long weekend.

The accident on the Eastern Freeway blocked outbound lanes at Middleborough Road on Thursday afternoon.

'We urge motorists heading away from the city to use either Whitehorse Road or Doncaster Road, and to return to the freeway from Middleborough or Springvale roads,' the Victorian Department of Transport said in a statement.

Traffic chaos has erupted after a multi-vehicle crash on a major highway in Melbourne

The accident on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway blocked outbound lanes at Middleborough Road

'Our signals team is monitoring conditions and will adjust traffic lights as needed to minimise congestion in the area.'

A teenager has been taken to the Royal Children's Hospital and a man to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition, reported 7NEWS.

Traffic remains heavy, with delays starting at Burke Road but outbound lanes have been reopened.

More to come.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Euro Asia Pay Holdings Inc. (CSE: EAP) ("EAP" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a binding memorandum of understanding dated March 29, 2021 (the "MOU") with MSH International (Canada) Ltd. (dba StudyInsuredTM) ("StudyInsured") to provide StudyInsured with the ability to access EAP's proprietary payment solution, SideKick. Through SideKick, StudyInsured will now be able to reimburse the insurance claims of its customers directly to a reloadable prepaid card, which includes both a web application for dispersing payments as well as a mobile application for customer use.

StudyInsured specializes in travel health insurance for international students in Canada, the United States and around the world. By making SideKick available as a payment method for customers, StudyInsured is aiming to assist international students without a local bank account in Canada who generally have difficulty depositing cheques or receiving electronic transfers.

Customers who choose to obtain their insurance claim payments onto a SideKick card will have access to a prepaid card issued by a major card company that is accepted almost everywhere. Customers can use their funds for in-store or online purchases in Canada or abroad, wherever SideKick cards are accepted.

"We are thrilled with this new collaborative business relationship with MSH, through their StudyInsured brand," said Charles Newton Price, EAP's Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to helping international students obtain their claim payments in an easier and faster way, eliminating the necessity of receiving cheques or opening a bank account."

StudyInsured customers will be able to upgrade their SideKick cards to receive funds from their overseas parents. "That means EAP will have access to a greater number of students currently enrolled in Canadian institutions that may use SideKick for their living expenses while they are in the country," noted Mr. Newton Price.

"Since the creation of the StudyInsured brand in 2003, we've been modernizing the market of health care plans for international students in Canada and in the world," declared Leon Dreff, Chief Financial Officer at MSH International (Canada) Ltd. "The partnership with Euro Asia Pay will support not only our financial team, but also provide a new option for thousands of students to receive their claims payments on a SideKick card."

Pursuant to the MOU, StudyInsured will initiate a first phase test market for SideKick with its customers in one or more regions of Canada to be determined in consultation with EAP. The test market will continue for a period of six (6) months from the date of the MOU, and is expected to lead to the negotiation of definitive agreement between the parties.

About Euro Asia Pay Holdings Inc.

Euro Asia Pay Holdings Inc. is a developer of innovative financial solutions for the next generation of consumers. Its first product, SideKick, enables parents to transfer, control and monitor payments to their children in a simple, intuitive manner. The product includes a student-facing mobile application, a prepaid student payment card and a parent portal, among other features.

To learn more about EAP's products and services, visit www.euroasiapay.com.

About MSH International (Canada) Ltd.

MSH International, a subsidiary of SIACI SAINT HONORE, is a world leader in the design and management of international healthcare and death & disability insurance solutions for globally-mobile individuals. Its services are intended for employees of multinationals, SMEs and micro-businesses, workers in international organizations, individual expatriates and local high-net-worth individuals in need of international insurance coverage. Thanks to its decentralized structure, 4 regional head offices in Calgary, Paris, Dubai and Shanghai and 14 service offices across the globe, MSH INTERNATIONAL provides 24/7, round-the-clock assistance to its 2,000 corporate clients and over 300,000 insured members across almost 200 countries.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Charles Newton Price

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Charles Newton Price

Chief Executive Officer

(888) 820-1888

info@euroasiapay.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release include forward-looking statements or information (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. The Company is providing cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause its actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "may", "anticipates", "is expected to", "estimates", "intends", "plans", "projection", "could", "vision", "goals", "objective" and "outlook") are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. The Company has based the forward-looking statements largely on its current estimates, assumptions and projections about future events and trends that it believes may affect its business, financial condition and results of operations.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, which contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcomes may not occur or may be delayed. The risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, include, but are not limited to: the ability of the Company to establish a market for its products; competitive conditions in the mobile payments industry which could prevent the Company from becoming profitable; the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising and promotional expenditures to generate interest in the Company's products; dependency on continued growth in the adoption of mobile payment technology; volatility of the market price of the Company's securities; the inability to secure additional financing; the Company's intention not to pay dividends; claims, lawsuits and other legal proceedings and challenges; conflicts of interest with directors and management; and other relevant factors.

Factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements include its history of losses from operations; technology risks; its ability to obtain the additional financing required to meet long-term goals; its dependence on key personnel, including its executive officers; and uninsured risks. These factors are not exhaustive.

Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79229
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 09:24:18|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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WASHINGTON -- COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer, according to a new study of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published on Wednesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused approximately 375,000 deaths in the United States during 2020. The COVID-19 death rate was the highest among Hispanics, according to the study.

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HAVANA -- Cuba's Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday reported 1,051 new COVID-19 infections in one day, the highest number on record, as well as three more deaths, bringing the accumulated totals to 75,263 cases and 424 deaths.

The ministry's national director of hygiene and epidemiology Francisco Duran noted that March has become the month with the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the country, with 24,673 cases and 100 deaths.

- - - -

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jenny Durkan, mayor of the U.S. state of Washington's largest city Seattle, announced on Wednesday that the city is helping to support a new Community Vaccination Hub operated by Seattle Visiting Nurse Association at North Seattle College.

The site will be the fourth city-affiliated fixed vaccination site, in addition to the Lumen Field Event Center, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle.

- - - -

BUCHAREST -- The total number of people vaccinated against the coronavirus exceeded 2 million in Romania on Wednesday, reaching 2,015,307.

Of the inoculated people, 1,072,985 have received both shots of one of the three vaccines -- Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca -- currently approved for use in Romania, according to the National COVID Vaccination Coordination Committee.

- - - -

QUITO -- Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health reported on Wednesday 1,430 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to 328,755, along with 65 more deaths for a total of 11,977.

According to the ministry, the South American country has also recorded another 4,870 "probable deaths" from COVID-19, though these have yet to be confirmed.

- - - -

BUCHAREST -- The parliament of Moldova declared a two-month state of emergency on Wednesday in its latest step to deal with the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.

It came after the Health Ministry reported a surge in new COVID-19 infections during the last few weeks.

- - - -

STOCKHOLM -- The COVID-19 restrictions currently in force in Sweden will not be lifted as early as planned, the government said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

The announcement came as the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections surpassed 800,000 in the country.

- - - -

RAMALLAH -- The Palestinian government on Wednesday received 25,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, according to a cabinet minister.

The batch of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is the first batch of 2 million vaccines purchased by the government from vaccine manufacturers, Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said.

- - - -

ANKARA -- Turkey on Wednesday confirmed 39,302 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,401 symptomatic patients, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 3,317,182, according to its health ministry.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 152 to 31,537, while the total recoveries climbed to 3,014,226 after 19,193 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours.

- - - -

RABAT -- Morocco announced on Wednesday 676 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the North African country to 496,097.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 483,363 after 198 more were added. Enditem
The Australian market finished session higher on Thursday, 01 April 2021, as investor cheered an end to Brisbane lockdown ahead of the long Easter weekend and solid Chinese economic data. At closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 was up 38.03 points, or 0.56%, to 6,828.69. The broader All Ordinaries added 47.21 points, or 0.67%, to 7,064.20. Australian market closed on Friday and Monday for Easter holidays.

Tech and materials helped lift the index, increasing 2.45% and 1.48% respectively. Utilities, and consumer discretionary also surged. Health care fell 0.2%, while consumer staples declined 0.1%. Energy, industrials and property also fell.

Technology stocks closed higher, following a tech-led rally on Wall Street.

Megaport gained 5.7%, while Afterpay added about 4%.

Shares of materials lifted up by higher iron ore prices. BHP Group rose 0.8%, while Rio Tinto gained 1.1%. Gold stocks gained on stronger bullion prices, with West African Resources advancing 7.8%, while De Grey Mining climbed 8.6%.

Financial stocks bolstered by a near 5% gain in AMP Ltd after the embattled wealth manager named its new chief executive officer.

ECONOMIC NEWS: Australia AiG Manufacturing Sector Continues To Expand In March-- Australia manufacturing sector continued to expand in March, with a seasonally adjusted Performance of Manufacturing Index score of 59.9, the latest survey from the Australian Industry Group revealed on Thursday. That's up from 58.8 in February and it moves further above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. All six manufacturing sectors reported positive trading conditions during March, with especially buoyant conditions reported by manufacturers in machinery and equipment and textiles clothing, footwear, paper & printing products. This was the highest monthly result for the index since March 2018 and a sixth consecutive month of strong recovery.

Separately, the latest survey from Markit Economic showed a seasonally adjusted manufacturing PMI continued to expand in March, albeit at a slightly slower pace of 56.8. That's down marginally from 56.9 in February, although it remains well above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.

CURRENCY NEWS: The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7567, having slipped from above $0.765 earlier in the week.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ithaca, NY resident Richard Rivera sits on a committee called "Re-Imagining Public Safety," which is responsible for suggesting reforms to the Ithaca Police Department. Mandated by New York State governor Andrew Cuomo, all 500 police agencies throughout N.Y. were tasked with holding public meetings in order to gather input about how best to operate. The participants in the Ithaca initiative chose to basically disband the police department and replace it with a hybrid group of armed and unarmed de-escalation people who would replace the traditional way of policing.

Fifty-six-year-old Richard Rivera is alive and healthy. He has a girlfriend and a nice job working for a non-profit in Ithaca, and he also sits on the committee called Re-Imagining Public Safety.

Robert Walsh is dead.

Walsh was a decorated, twelve-year veteran police officer in New York City. He had four children and a wife in 1981 when he was murdered, execution-style, by Rivera in a Queens, New York bar robbery gone bad.

Walsh had just finished his 3-11 tour of duty and was having a beer after work at the BVD Bar and Grille on Flushing Avenue when Rivera and several others entered the bar, guns drawn, in the commencement of a robbery. As Walsh moved to thwart the men, Rivera shot him in the shoulder. The impact disarmed Walsh and put him on the floor, writhing in pain and begging for his life. Rivera put the barrel of his gun to Walsh's head and executed him on the barroom floor.

Rivera served 39 years in prison for murdering Robert Walsh.

Walsh was a father of four. They all grew up without their father. This is what one daughter had to say some thirty-plus years later about her dad:

Today is my Dad's Birthday. What memories I have of you are never lost. If I try real hard I can still hear what your voice sounds like. I always think of how better my life would have been if I was lucky enough to still have you in it. I think of what kind of relationship we would have had. I know you have watched over Ella in her times of need. Thank you Daddy! I hope you always watch me and my family and keep us in your embrace. I will talk with you soon. Love you.

This is what the New York City police commissioner had to say about this tragedy in 1981: "It's ironic that a cop can get a death sentence for being a cop, but there are no death penalties for people who kill cops."

Robert Walsh is still dead. By now he has a host of grandchildren whose births he missed, concerts he will not hear, and graduations he will not attend. It's a family of children he will never know, never influence, love, or fawn over because he is gone, only a memory.

The City of Ithaca, NY is Re-Imagining Public Safety with input from a convicted cop-killer. This is my version of re-imagined public safety. I believe that the public would be much safer if Mr. Rivera were dead and Officer Walsh were very much alive as a retired NYPD police officer, perhaps living in retirement in Ithaca and being a member of the Re-Imagining Public Safety Committee, with all of the knowledge and experience he would have brought to that endeavor. But that is not the world in which we live.

The stark reality is that Richard Rivera is alive and healthy. He has a girlfriend and a nice job working for a non-profit in Ithaca, and he also sits on the committee called Re-Imagining Public Safety.

Those in Ithaca who support this, defend it, even celebrate it ought to be recognized for the vile, twisted human beings they are. Instead, Ithaca, ten square miles of insanity surrounded by reality, will forevermore be the crack in their famous gorges that apparently allowed Satan to escape to the Earth's surface, in the form of those who believe that this is a good idea.

Bob Kingsley is a private investigator and writer. Check his blog at bobkingsley.com.

Image via Max Pixel.
Three time African champions, the Super Eagles on Tuesday ended their 2021 AFCON Qualifiers in style after a 3-0 thrashing of the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun stadium in Lagos.

Victor Osimhen's goal in the first half and goal each by Oghenekaro Etebo and Paul Onuachu in the second half ensured the Super Eagles ended the qualifiers unbeaten.

Super Eagles who are returning to their traditional home ground after 20 years and propelled by the enthusiastic fans took the lead in the 22nd minute through Napoli's front man, Victor Osimhen.

However, proceedings were temporarily halted when a fan jumped over the perimeter fence from section G of the stadium, beat the security and ran onto the pitch to celebrate the goal.

He was however arrested and whisked away by security personnel on ground.

When play resumed, the Super Eagles maintained possession for the greater part of the first half, seeking a second goal which didn't come till the end of the half.

On resumption, the Super Eagles continued from where they stopped in the first half as they piled more pressure on their opponents who finally caved in the 50th minute when Oghenekaro Etebo doubled the lead to the excitement of fans.

The home side continued to probe further for more goals and were duly rewarded in the 83rd minute when substitute Paul Onauchu scored his second goal in two games as Nigeria triumphed 3-0.

Following the conclusion of the qualifying series, Nigeria topped Group L with 14 points from six games recording four wins, two draws and no loss.
CHICAGO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to new market research report "IIoT Platform Market by Platforms (Device Management, Application Enablement, & Connectivity Management), Services, Application (Predictive Maintenance, Process Optimization, & Automation Control), Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market size is projected to grow from USD 6.0 billion in 2020 to USD 13.7 billion in 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.8% during the forecast period.

The major factors driving the growth of the IIoT Platform Market include the rising need for centralized monitoring and predictive maintenance of assets, growing demand for automation in industries, proliferation of IoT devices, rise in the number of cost-effective and intelligent connected devices and sensors, increased government initiatives in R&D activities related to IoT, and emergence of IPv6.

Browse in-depth TOC on "IIoT Platform Market"

289 - Tables

44 - Figures

273 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=11186318

Based on offering, the services segment to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period

The services segment of the global IIoT Platform Market comprises consulting services, system integration and deployment services, and support and maintenance services. Several tier-1 vendors offer specialized services that help in keeping regular tabs on the entire ecosystem of an organization and simultaneously driving the productivity and efficiency of business processes. To build a time-efficient and rugged manufacturing system, essential support services are required. These services help in the effective functioning of the entire manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics system, along with specific architectural consulting services for the digital transformation of business processes. The increasing integration of third-party service providers across verticals is expected to be the primary growth driver for the global IIoT Platform Market. These services are focused on improving business operations and reducing unnecessary expenses and overheads.

Based on platform, the device management platform segment is expected to lead the market during the forecast period

With the deployment of IoT ecosystems, a large number of devices are being connected, which ranges from small sensors and single-purpose microcontrollers to powerful gateways that connect the devices from the server. These ecosystems need a single platform that manages the information and applications across various devices. The device management platform provides capabilities, such as provisioning and authentication, configuration and control, monitoring and diagnostics, and software updates and maintenance. Furthermore, the device management platform is instrumental in offering advanced features, such as activation certification, configuration, device monitoring, troubleshooting, and service and device enablement. Device management platforms assist manufacturing enterprises in effectively managing and tracking, and securing devices used in an organization.

Based on services, the support and maintenance segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period

Support and maintenance services assist the installed software within the entire IIoT infrastructure. These services include 24x7 troubleshooting assistance; upgradation of the existing software; problem-solving, repairing, replacing failure components; field maintenance; proactive services; technical support by the technicians; and test scenario management. As organizations are using several connected devices these days, the support and maintenance service providers help them uncover potential issues earlier and offer solutions to address issues before they can turn into bigger problems. These services are widely adopted by organizations to avoid business threats and safeguard their devices.

Based on application area, the supply chain management segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period

Supply chain management is one of the vital processes in any manufacturing industry, as it involves coordinating and integrating the flow of raw materials and finished goods both within and outside the enterprise. Supply chain management activities cover everything-from sourcing, production, and logistics to the coordination of these activities. IIoT platforms play a vital role in supply chain management, as they offer reliable data management and visualization capabilities for manufacturing industries. IIoT platforms-enabled supply chain provides an intelligent, interconnected network that binds together multiple tiers of suppliers, manufacturers, service providers, distributors, and customers physically across the globe.

Based on vertical, the process industry segment is expected to lead the market during the forecast period

The process industry uses formulas or recipes to produce goods by combining raw materials. The process industry is concerned with the processing of bulk resources into other products. The industry focuses on converting raw materials into other products, such as beverages or chemicals. The process industry comprises a variety of verticals, such as energy and utilities, chemicals and materials, food and beverage, water and waste management, and others (pharmaceutical, mining and metals, and pulp and paper).

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North America to hold the highest market size during the forecast period

IIoT platform is a steady-growing market in North America, which includes the US and Canada. These countries are the early adopters of advanced technologies across various verticals, such as healthcare, manufacturing, and smart cities. These countries have sustainable and well-established economies, which empower them to invest in R&D activities, thereby contributing to the development of new technologies strongly. Due to the early adoption of trending technologies, such as IoT, cloud, AI, big data, and mobility, North American organizations are keen to integrate IoT technologies into their processes. Moreover, the increasing adoption of smart, secure, and connected technologies for asset-centric applications is expected to increase the market growth. The advent of SMEs and the adoption of digitization in manufacturing, along with high-speed networks, are expected to drive IIoT Platform Market growth in North America. 5G promises to be the backbone for IoT connectivity due to its high speed and low latency. The improved IoT connectivity through 5G is expected to improve manufacturing processes across the region.

Major vendors operating in the IIoT Platform Market include Software AG (Germany), PTC Inc. (US), Hitachi, Ltd. (Japan), IBM Corporation (US), Microsoft Corporation (US), Cisco Systems, Inc. (US), Intel Corporation (US), SAP SE (Germany), Siemens AG (Germany), Accenture PLC (US), Atos SE (France), Amazon Web Services (US), Oracle Corporation (US), Bosch.IO (US), Schneider Electric SE (France), Davra Networks Ltd. (US), Eurotech (Italy), Altizon (US), QiO Technologies (UK), Litmus Automation (US), ROOTCLOUD (China), Flutura (US), Augury (US), FogHorn (US), and Samsara (US).

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Burma Pathein Teenager Shot Dead by Myanmar Military Regime

Maung Yar Zar Htwe. / CJ.

Junta security forces abducted a teenager after he was shot when police and army fired randomly in the Ayeyarwady Region capital Pathein on Monday, and only returned his dead body the following day.

Maung Yarzar Htwe, 15, also known as Poe Che, was shot in the chest in Patheins Yarmanya Ward.

The security forces removed barricades and fired live rounds in the ward on March 29. Poe Chit was hit by a bullet and they took him away on a vehicle. The next day, his family were told to come and collect his dead body from a military hospital, said a Pathein resident.

His body was cremated on Wednesday. Maung Yarzar Htwe is survived by two brothers and his widowed mother. He worked as a fisherman to support his family.

A striking government employee of the Ayeyarwady Region Parliament Office was shot dead on the evening of March 28, after security forces fired live rounds in residential wards in Pathein.

On March 29, security forces arrested a computer and print shop owner and three employees for allegedly printing anti-regime posters. A poet was also arrested in Pathein on Monday.

Since the militarys Feb.1 coup, eight civilians have been killed in Pathein, the headquarters of the Myanmar militarys South-Western Command. Around 536 people have been killed nationwide since the coup.

You may also like these stories:

Simultaneous Blazes at Two Myanmar Military-Owned Malls Raise Suspicions of Regime Plot

Myanmar Doctor Condemns Security Forces Attack on Yangon Hospital

Third NLD Member Dies While Being Detained by Myanmar Military Regime
[April 01, 2021] Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Calls for New Age of Diversity on Chancery Court Amid President Biden's Nominations

Today, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD) called for a Black justice to be nominated to the Chancery Court following President Biden's first round of historic judicial nominations in the federal courts, including the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. With outgoing Chancellor Andre Bouchard set to retire on April 30th, there is an unprecedented opportunity to restore diversity on the Chancery Court alongside historic federal court nominations of people of color. For years, CPBD has been calling for diversity in Delaware's courts, and has been joined by leaders such as Reverend Al Sharpton and Pastor Blaine Hacket of the historic St. John African Methodist Church.



"President Biden's promise to affirm vacancies with qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds is historic and long-overdue. We are asking Governor Carney to give Delaware the chance to be a part of that history," said Chris Coffey, Campaign Manager for Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware. "Diversity on Delaware's highest courts, starting with outgoing Chancellor Bouchard's replacement, will lead to a more humane and trustworthy judiciary. Change is possible and it lies in the hands of Governor Carney and Chancellor Bouchard."

Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives, and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005209/en/

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Many people, especially elderly people, would just say point-blank: Im not coming to do anything in person. I let them do what they need to do, and I appreciated and respected them letting me know, she said. I would let them know that if they wanted the cremation, all remains come back to my office and Ill hold them for one year. Ill still have people saying Im not coming to pick them up in a year, we do have families that will do that. And for those, we do an indigent burial two or three times a year.
Macron puts France into a third national lockdown

French President Emannuel Macron announced new restrictions, effectively putting the country under a third national lockdown to check the new wave of infections. Schools and non-essential businesses will be closed across the country, travel between regions will be banned, and outdoor activities will be limited to places within six miles of home. University students will still be allowed to attend classes one day a week. For the past one week, France has reported 37,000 cases on an average and for the first time since April last year, more than 5,000 people are currently in intensive care units. Read more here

Let's look at the global statistics Global infections: 128,922,941 Global deaths: 2,816,081 Nations with most cases: US (30,460,342), Brazil (12,748,747), India (12,221,665), France (4,705,068), Russia (4,494,234). Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

Human error: J&J vaccine is delayed as factory workers spoil 15 million doses

Workers at a factory producing Johnson & Johnson vaccine have conflated the ingredients, effectively contaminating up to 15 million doses and forcing regulators to delay authorisation of the plants production lines. The plant is run by Emergent BioSolutions, a manufacturing partner to both Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. Federal officials attributed the mistake to human error. The mistake is a major embarrassment for Johnson & Johnson, whose one-dose vaccine has been credited with speeding up the national immunisation programme. Officials say that vaccine making is a tricky science and human errors are invetiable. However, the mix-up went uncovered for weeks, and thereby putting millions of doses at risk. Read more here

Outdoor mask decree met with dismay by Spain's tourism industry

The Spanish tourist industry has expressed dismay to the governments order that made face masks mandatory in all outdoor spaces, including beaches and swimming pools, even when it is possible to maintain social distancing. Industry representatives complain that they were not consulted over the decision. Reacting to the flak, the Spanish government said that the decree is open to interpretation and that details of its implementation would be worked out between the central government and the country's autonomous regions. Read more here

Pandemic will weigh heaviest on tourism-dependent economies, warns IMF

The Internation Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that scars from the pandemic will prevent the global economy from making a full recovery, though the impact over the rest of the decade will not be as severe as that of the 2008 financial crisis. Tourism-dependent countries in the Pacific Islands and in the Caribbean  such as Barbados  would be among those to suffer the most, the Washington-based organisation said. It expected global output to be about 3 per cent lower in 2024 than projected before the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more here
2021-03-31

Maeci

Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, spoke at the opening of the COP26 Climate and Development Ministerial, organised by the United Kingdom, in virtual mode, in the run up to the COP26.

In his speech, Minister Di Maio pledged Italys full commitment, as G20 President and COP26 co-partner, to fostering a global recovery from the pandemic that shall be green, sustainable and inclusive and based on strengthened multilateral cooperation. This latter objective is also particularly important for developing countries, which, due to COVID-19, will be left with fewer financial resources to combat the consequences of climate change.

In this regard, the Foreign Minister expressed his hope that the international community may come up with a package of measures to support the spending and investment capacities of the most vulnerable countries.

Finally, Minister Di Maio stressed the importance of adopting a strategic perspective that looks to the sustainable development goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, including the achievement of climate neutrality by 2050. All this, the Minister concluded, will require additional green finance instruments to be identified, also through the greater involvement of the private sector.
(TNS) - Apr. 1A giant COVID-19 vaccination site at Cal State Los Angeles itself got an injection of new life on Thursday, April 1, after the city of L.A. stepped up to take it over from the federal government, officials said.The site  which had been run by FEMA  had been set to close on April 11, but L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city will take over operation, which will transition on April 12, officials said."The mayor has taken the baton without hesitation to have seamless transition from the Cal State L.A. now to take over the site at a local level," said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a Thursday briefing at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, where he received his own vaccine.The vaccination site opened in February as an eight-week pilot project by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. By the time that eight-week project ends on April 11, the site will have administered about 300,000 doses. A team of more than 200 soldiers, deployed from Fort Carson in Colorado, were deployed to Southern California to help establish and staff the complex.But its pending closure presented a concern at a time when eligibility for shots is expanding  to everyone 50 and older on Thursday and to everyone 16 and up on April 15. The site's location in East Los Angeles also made it a convenient option for communities hard-hit by the pandemic. FEMA was also conducting mobile clinics in the community to accommodate people unable to make it to the site.Under FEMA, vaccine allocations went directly from the federal government to the site, so with it now under city control allocations will be distributed through the state.Those allocations remain relatively limited, far short of the more than 5 million doses a week the state is capable of administering.Garcetti said, however, he would push for the inflow of federal doses to continue."I still continue to ask the federal government: give us those direct doses to the county and the city," Garcetti said. "We'll get the job done."The city also runs several other sites, including the sprawling Dodger Stadium vaccination POD."So we will take over those operations," he said. "The city, we couldn't be more proud or more ready to get the job done. Together with the county we'll get the doses. Launched by FEMA and Cal OES as a pilot site, it will have administered 300,000 doses in just eight weeks. And now as they prepare to hand the keys over to us, we're getting ready to seize this opportunity to integrate the site into our larger citywide efforts and get more vaccines into arms."On Tuesday, California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla sent a joint letter to acting FEMA Administrator Robert Fenton calling on the agency to work with local officials to ensure the site, and another similar operation in Oakland, "can continue to administer vaccinations and combat the COVID-19 pandemic.""In particular, we ask that you provide the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the counties of Alameda and Los Angeles with financial and logistical support so they can take over operations, and that the federal government continues to send the sites direct shipments of vaccine doses," the letter said.County Health Director Barbara Ferrer said earlier this week the county would work to either replace the site at the same location or open additional slots in nearby sites to make up for the estimated 6,000 doses per day being administered at CSULA. Garcetti confirmed last week that the city was also in negotiations.Garcetti spoke at an event Thursday during which Gov. Newsom provided an update on the state's efforts to spread the vaccine at a swifter pace, at a local vaccination clinic at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza,As part of the event, Newsom also got his own vaccine from California Health & Human Services Agency Secretary Mark Ghaly. Newsom asked the "celebrity vaccinator" if he had even done this before. Ghaly assured the governor he had experience.Newsom's vaccine was a single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, so the governor won't have to make a second appointment.Johnson & Johnson announced Wednesday that workers at a plant in Baltimore manufacturing two coronavirus vaccines accidentally conflated the ingredients several weeks ago, contaminating up to 15 million doses of the vaccine and forcing regulators to delay authorization of the plant's production lines.It's not clear what impact the accident will have on California's supplies.The mix-up will delay future shipments of Johnson & Johnson doses in the United States while the Food and Drug Administration investigates what occurred. The error does not affect any Johnson & Johnson doses that are currently being delivered and used nationwide, including the shipments that states are counting on next week. All those doses were produced in the Netherlands, where operations have been fully approved by federal regulators.Further shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine  expected to total 24 million doses in the next month  were supposed to come from the giant plant in Baltimore. Those deliveries are now in question while the quality control issues are sorted out, according to people familiar with the matter.The New York Times and City News Service contributed to this report___(c)2021 the Daily News (Los Angeles)Visit the Daily News (Los Angeles) at www.dailynews.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The team led by Professor DU Jiangfeng and Professor WANG Ya from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance of the University of Science and Technology of China put forward an innovative spin-to-charge conversion method to achieve high-fidelity readout of qubits, stepping closer towards fault-tolerant quantum computing.

Quantum supremacy over classical computers has been fully exhibited in some specific problems, yet the next milestone, fault-tolerant quantum computing, still requires the accumulated logic gate error and the spin readout fidelity to exceed the fault-tolerant threshold. DU's team has resolved the first requirement in the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center system [Nat. Commun. 6, 8748 (2015)] previously and this work targeted at high-fidelity readout of qubits.

Qubit state, such as spin state, is fragile: a common readout approach may cause the flip between the 0 and 1 states for even a few photons resulting in a reading error. The readout fidelity of traditional resonance fluorescence method is strictly limited by such property. Since the spin state is difficult to measure, researchers blazed a trail to replace it with an easy-to-readout and measurable property: the charge state.

They first compared the optical readout lifetime of the charge state and spin state, finding that charge state is more stable than the spin state by five orders of magnitude. Experiment results showed that the average non-demolition charge readout fidelity reached 99.96%.

Then the team adopted near-infrared (NIR) light (1064 nm) to induce the ionization of the excited spin state, transforming the spin state 0 and 1 to the "electrically neutral" and "negatively charged" charge states respectively. This process converted the spin readout to the charge readout.

The results indicated that the error of traditional resonance fluorescence method reached 20.1%, while the error of this new method can be suppressed to 4.6%.

The article was published in Nature Communications.

This new method is compatible with tradition methods, provisioning a spin readout fidelity exceeding the fault-tolerant threshold in real applications. Thanks to the less damage of NIR light to biological tissues and other samples, this method will also effectively improve the detection efficiency of quantum sensors.

###
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale

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Flag as inappropriate.

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Send your own user report!

Azzaba (16.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s     | 6 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s

Annaba (city centre) / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : I was sitting in my living-room watching TV when my armchair and the table next to me started shaking lightly. I looked up at the chandelier and it was also swinging. I also heard something falling in the kitchen and went to see : it was a plastic bottle that fell from the table to the floor. My wife and two kids who were at home but in different rooms also felt the quake. | 5 users found this interesting. It was stronger than the 2 previous ones last felt in here / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Guelma / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : More than one second of shaking causing some panic to some people. | 3 users found this interesting.

Skikda felfela / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s : Mais pourquoi autant de seismes qu'est ce qui se passe?Skikda felfla | 3 users found this interesting.

Guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Dangerous | 2 users found this interesting.

 / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / complex motion difficult to describe / 20-30 s :  :   .            .     .  :       .         .

Annaba / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : I was shocked it was terrifying everything moved in the house it was like a strong vibration my cat couldnt eat I think hes traumatized

ANNABA SIDI AMMAR / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : I work in the office making a phone call and I felt a slight shake of my chair and a slight vibration of the document cabinet

Guelma / Strong shaking (MMI VI) : That was horrible | One user found this interesting.

Guelma heliopolis (1.4 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

36.5 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating

29.1 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s

30.1 km SE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

23.3 km SE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

32.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s : FINALLY, THEY Were six quakes , the two las one were this night one weant and the se od moderate

24.3 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s It was scary omg (reported through (reported through our app / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

68.3 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt I didn't feel it at all (reported through (reported through our app / not felt

55.6 km WSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Annaba (52.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

61.2 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

130.4 km S of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump

18.4 km SSE of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) : It was strong it was scary, all things were moving around us, accompanied by a strange noise

Jijel cirque, Algeria (126.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Non ressenti. J'etais en voiture.

61.2 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

27.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Daghoussa El taref (58 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Not felt

Guelma (30.6 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) People felt the shaking and were mostly frightened. There was a perceptible panic. (reported through (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Boumerdes.Algeria (332.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

27.3 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Terrain de jeux cite agabi guelma algeria (30.1 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : Sever earthquake at 15h 32mn it was the a first and the second at 17h 51mn moderate.

61.6 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

62.2 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

0 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Sidi achour annaba (63.9 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Mouvement lateral de plusieurs secondes

55.5 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Annaba (62.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

53.1 km WSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Guelma Ville (29.8 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake

12 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : secousse ressentie, avec effets de balancements du lustre au plafond' Ville Constantine Algerie...

El bouni,Annaba (6.8 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

23.5 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

63.6 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) I was scared because it's my first time to feel it (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV)

39.1 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III)

29.3 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

61 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 5-10 s

Taher (115.8 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

32.6 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Constantine (61.4 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Annaba (59.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : I was sleeping nd i waked up sawing the windows moving and my bed also but its weak

113.6 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV)

El khroub, Constantine (56.1 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s

65.6 km SW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

62.5 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Annaba (60.8 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

31.1 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Hammam nbail's guelma (11.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

13.9 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : It was rather a faint vibrational experience

annaba (63.3 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

56.2 km SW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s j'etais assis et j'ai bien senti une secousse laterale pendant 5 a 10 secondes. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

32.5 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s

bouchegouf (53.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

Annaba (60.7 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) / 5-10 s

Jijel (127.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

58.6 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

60.9 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

65.5 km SW of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

60.2 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : j'ai ressentie une legere vibration

Collo City (69.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

17.8 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

57.9 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s

63.6 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Annaba (62.3 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Annaba (58.9 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

61.2 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 5-10 s

Annaba algeria (63.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Annaba plaine ouest (60.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Oscillation legere du corps alors que j'etais assis

58.3 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

62.2 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

49.7 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

constantine (63.1 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Besbes (62 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Severe shaking (MMI VIII)

Annaba (61.7 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

15.2 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) 4.5 earthquake in azzaba (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Annaba. Treat (39 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating

58.4 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

61.4 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) La voiture en arret elle a secoue pandant 4 a 5 seconde (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III)

32.6 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

40.9 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

32.1 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV)

El khroub (56.1 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III)

61.2 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV)

107.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s

Guelma Oasis mall / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Annaba / not felt : J etais dehors au volant de ma voiture et je n ai rien ressenti.

guelma / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) / vibration and rolling / 15-20 s : we was so scared . god bless us

Tamalous / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Annaba / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Guelma / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Plusieurs replique au moins 5 volcan ( hammam dbagh ) fissurer

Guelma / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Ramdan djamel skikda / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Beni Hamidene Constantine / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : i live in constantine, and i felt my bed shaking

   / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Guelma / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

CONSTANTINE / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Guelma-Guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

constantine / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Annaba algeria / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating

Elkhroub constantine / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Heliopolis, Guelma, Algeria / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

Annaba / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Ali Mendjeli / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Annaba / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Une secousse tres legere

Annaba / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Bouchegouf / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Skikda / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Jijel / Very strong shaking (MMI VII)

HLM ancien stade guelma (at home) / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 20-30 s

Bejaia (Vgayet) / not felt

Annaba / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Salah salah salah guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

tizi ouzou / not felt

Guelma, Heliopolise / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Guelma / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Annaba / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 2-5 s

Constantine / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Annaba / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : J'etais sur le lit, j'ai ressenti la secousse, le lit a bouge.

Annaba / not felt

Constantine / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Bouzareah / not felt

annaba les freines / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Annaba cite pleine ouest / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Annaba / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

drean / Light shaking (MMI IV)

constantine / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

Skikda / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s

Annaba / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Light shaking

Guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

annaba / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s

Annaba / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : It can be mostly felt

Constantine / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

skikda town / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 15-20 s : fear

Guelma / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Ain trab / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Jijel / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Jihel

Skikda / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Constantine / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Skikda city center / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Annaba / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short

Guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Constantine / Light shaking (MMI IV)

constantine / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Guelma eastern Algeria territory / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : Heavy lateral shaking during about 10 seconds

Guelma, Algeria / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Sidi Amar Annaba / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

azzaba, skikda, algeria / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Belkheir 4km east of guelma / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : That was short but really strog Belkheir guelma

Annaba , Algeria / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Annaba / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Annaba / Light shaking (MMI IV)

constantine / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Skikda / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Constantine, Algeria / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Guelma / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 2-5 s : Le lustre a oscille pendant plusieurs secondes, quelques objets sont tombes par terre.

Belkheir / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 20-30 s

Skikda / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Constantine / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

constantine / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Costantine / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Ain chouga / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Annaba / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Annaba sidi amar / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Hammam Debagh / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Constantine / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

annaba / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) / 5-10 s

Constantine / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Annaba / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Guelma,Guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Constantine Ali mendjli / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s

Annaba / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s

Bejaia / not felt

Berrahal Annaba / Weak shaking (MMI III)

zerizer / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Annaba / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

constantine / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

annaba / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s

guelma / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake

tamalous / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Annaba / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Annaba / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : I feel it

Constantine / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Annaba / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s

salah bouchaour cityhall / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

Annaba, Algeria / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

annaba / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : les choses sur table sont vibres et bouges

 / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Guelma / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 5-10 s : I was scared

Constantine / Light shaking (MMI IV)

guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Skikda / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Azzaba / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s : So

Constantine cite boussouf / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Besbes, ElTarf / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Annaba / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

constantine / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Constantine / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

azzaba / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Constantine / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Guelma / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s : Suddenly happened it was fast and quick

Skikda / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Constantine / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 5-10 s

Constantine / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 10-15 s

Constantine / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Constantine / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Skikda / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

guelma / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 2-5 s

Beni Hamidene Constantine / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : i live in constantine, and i felt my bed shaking

skikda / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

constantine algeria / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Skikda / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Boumahra Ahmed / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Annaba / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Constantine / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s

el milia / Moderate shaking (MMI V)
A Massachusetts man charged with fatally stabbing a woman studying to become a doctor at a public library  and injuring a man who came to her aid  was found not guilty Wednesday because of his mental illness.

Jeffery Yao, 27, of Winchester, was sent to a state mental health facility by Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kathe Tuttman after a one-day, jury-waived trial.

Yao was evaluated by three experts  two for the defense  who each found that he lacked criminal responsibility because he did not have either substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or the ability to conform his conduct to the requirements of law, according to a statement from the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

Yao approached Deane Stryker, 22, from behind in the Winchester Public Library in February 2018 and stabbed her 20 times with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) hunting knife, prosecutors said. Stryker, who tried to flee the library with the knife lodged in her back, was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

A 77-year-old man who came to Strykers aid was cut on the arm and required treatment at a hospital.

The experts determined that Yao at the time of the attack was suffering from acute symptoms of schizophrenia with paranoid delusions and was hearing voices, his attorney J.W. Carney Jr., said in a statement this week.

All three experts said Yao attacked Stryker because he thought one of the voices threatening him was hers, according to court documents.

Yao had a history of mental illness that dated to 2013 and required hospitalization eight times, according to records.

Stryker was a first-year student at the University of New Englands College of Osteopathic Medicine who hoped to become a doctor, the Portland, Maine-based schools president said shortly after the stabbing. She was an advocate for domestic violence and mental health awareness, served as an orientation leader and was part of a peer support organization.

Yao had faced a first-degree murder charge that would have sent him to prison for life if he was convicted.

Instead he was sent to the states maximum security Bridgewater State Hospital, and could one day be released if he is determined to no longer be mentally ill and poses no danger to the community.

The verdict in the case was compelled by the findings of the medical experts, Ryan said in a statement.

It does not alter our belief that Mr. Yao continues to pose a serious risk to the public and that his long-term civil commitment to Bridgewater State Hospital is required, she said.
Moscow, April 1 : Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the US has shown "encouraging signs" with regards to finding a compromise and returning to the Iran nuclear deal.

Russia supports dialogue where all claims would be addressed and discussed in an "inclusive process," Lavrov said while addressing the Middle East Conference of Valdai Discussion Club, a Russian think tank, on Wednesday.

However, the US still tends to view the region's problems through an "anti-Iranian prism", Xinhua news agency quoted the Foreign Minister as further saying.

The top diplomat of Russia said that Moscow does not support any modifications to the Iran nuclear deal and hopes to adhere to the original version.

"We have proposed an informal roadmap where both the US and Iran would simultaneously and consistently return to fulfilling their obligations," Lavrov said.

The Iran nuclear deal, formally named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was reached in 2015 by China, France, Germany, Russia, the US, and the US, the European Union and Iran.

The US withdrew from the JCPOA on May 8, 2018 and later unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Tehran, despite objections from the international community.

As a result of the US' unilateral exit, Iran has surpassed JCPOA-stipulated limits on its uranium enrichment level and on its stockpiles of heavy water and low-enriched uranium.

The Islamic Republic has also lifted JCPOA limitations on its nuclear research and development activities.

In December 2020, the country's Parliament passed the law of "Iran's Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions" which obliges the government to further reduce the obligations under the nuclear deal unless the US lifts sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
PALO ALTO, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brightline, the first comprehensive behavioral health solution built specifically to care for children, teens, and their families across a range of common challenges, has announced the addition of four new members to their executive leadership team.

The growing pediatric virtual behavioral health care company welcomed Haleigh Tebben as Chief Commercial Officer, Gary Alpert as Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Business Development, Zack Still as Chief Information Officer & Chief Security Officer, and James Fitzpatrick as Vice President, Commercial. The additions to the leadership team come as Brightline plans for expansion this year.

"Throughout the pandemic we saw the need for mental and behavioral health support among kids and teens skyrocket. Our goal at Brightline is to make high-quality, ubiquitous care for families accessible and affordable," said Naomi Allen, Co-Founder and CEO of Brightline. "I am excited to welcome four new exceptional leaders who will each play a pivotal role in bringing Brightline care to families across the country."

New additions to Brightline's executive team include:

Haleigh Tebben joins Brightline as Chief Commercial Officer from Collective Health, where she oversaw all revenue-generating areas of the company, as well as their network, consultant, and program partner teams, which developed and managed all new partnerships and integrations. Through her over 20 years of experience at companies such as Mercer and Gallup, and her background in consulting, she has had the opportunity to build strong relationships at the executive level of a broad range of companies.

joins Brightline as Chief Commercial Officer from Collective Health, where she oversaw all revenue-generating areas of the company, as well as their network, consultant, and program partner teams, which developed and managed all new partnerships and integrations. Through her over 20 years of experience at companies such as Mercer and Gallup, and her background in consulting, she has had the opportunity to build strong relationships at the executive level of a broad range of companies. Gary Alpert , now the Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Business Development at Brightline, has built, led, and grown client-facing teams at the fastest growing digital health companies from start-up to IPO and post-IPO. Prior to Brightline, Gary ran the Client Success team at Livongo, with responsibility for managing, renewing, and expanding revenue across Livongo's enterprise and health system client base. He also led Customer Success and Solutions Consulting and was an early member of the Strategy and Business Development team at Castlight Health.

now the Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Business Development at Brightline, has built, led, and grown client-facing teams at the fastest growing digital health companies from start-up to IPO and post-IPO. Prior to Brightline, Gary ran the Client Success team at Livongo, with responsibility for managing, renewing, and expanding revenue across Livongo's enterprise and health system client base. He also led Customer Success and Solutions Consulting and was an early member of the Strategy and Business Development team at Castlight Health. Zack Still joins Brightline as Chief Information Officer & Chief Security Officer from Socrates AI, where he led IT Operations, Security and Compliance. He has over 15 years of experience delivering and managing critical business systems and security infrastructure in high growth, heavily regulated, SaaS companies. Zack also held senior roles at Foodsmart and Castlight Health prior to joining Brightline.

joins Brightline as Chief Information Officer & Chief Security Officer from Socrates AI, where he led IT Operations, Security and Compliance. He has over 15 years of experience delivering and managing critical business systems and security infrastructure in high growth, heavily regulated, SaaS companies. Zack also held senior roles at Foodsmart and Castlight Health prior to joining Brightline. James Fitzpatrick joins as Vice President, Commercial with over 25 years of experience in healthcare, having begun his career at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey in 1994. He worked there for 20 years holding Senior National Account Sales Executive and Account Executive roles. James also served as a sales leader in population health at Healthways, Vitals where he worked with payers and employers to deploy the SmartShopper incentive program, and most recently as Vice President of Health Plan Sales at 2nd.MD.

Brightline's team growth comes as the healthcare company gears up for nationwide service and product offering expansion throughout this year. For more information on Brightline, visit hellobrightline.com.

About Brightline

Founded in 2019, Brightline is the first full-family behavioral health solution built specifically to care for children, teens, and their families across a range of common challenges. With multidisciplinary care teams, personalized family system care, evidence-based care delivery, and innovative technology, Brightline is able to support families with whatever challenges they're facing and help them thrive long-term. Founded by leading digital health entrepreneurs Naomi Allen and Giovanni Colella, Brightline is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA and expanding nationwide. Learn more at hellobrightline.com

SOURCE Brightline
President Joe Biden unveiled a proposal for rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure of the United States, but the plan is longer on rhetoric than on actions on the scale required to rebuild and modernize roads, bridges, water systems, airports, schools, housing and other physical facilities, as well as the social infrastructureeducation, health care, scientific research.

In a speech at a carpenters union training center in Pittsburgha city that symbolizes the collapse of American industry, not its rejuvenationBiden called his American Jobs Plan the largest public investment since World War II, and compared it to the building of the interstate highways in the 1950s and the space race of the 1960s.

Biden speaks during at The Queen theater, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Wilmington, Del. [Credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum]

He offered no explanation of how American capitalism, after 40 years of stagnation and decay, most noticeable in its physical and social infrastructure, could suddenly summon the resources to revive systems that had been allowed to disintegrate, to the point where tens of thousands of bridges are in imminent danger of collapse.

Biden said nothing about the responsibility of the American financial aristocracy, the Wall Street vampires who have sucked up the resources of the country, amassing fortunes on a scale that puts into shade all previous ruling elites in world history, while the country decayed around them. Instead he made a pledge of loyalty, declaring, I have nothing against millionaires and billionaires. I believe in American capitalism.

While the top-line number of $2.25 trillion is constantly emphasized by the White House and its media supporters, since that might sound like a lot of money, spread out over eight or even ten years, it comes to less than $300 billion a yearabout one-third of the Pentagon budget each year, and less than a quarter of the $1.3 trillion increase in the wealth of Americas billionaires in the course of the pandemic year.

The four main categories of spending include $650 billion for transportation infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, highways and ports, including subsidies for public transit, Amtrak and freight rail; $300 billion for housing infrastructure, mainly for retrofitting and upgrading two million homes, and eliminating lead pipes and lead service lines in water systems; $300 billion to revive US manufacturing (i.e., various subsidies to favored industries); and $400 billion toward home care for the elderly and the disabled.

The $650 billion over eight to ten years should be compared to the $2.6 trillion funding gap found by a report earlier this year from the American Society for Civil Engineers, which accounts for the disastrous condition of American roads, bridges, water systems, airports and other public facilities.

Lesser sums include $100 billion for high-speed broadband across the entire country, $100 billion to upgrade and build new schools, and $100 billion to expand and improve power lines and the electric grid.

Another $180 billion is for expansion of research and development, particularly directed at competition with China in areas like semiconductors, batteries and computer technology. Much of the transportation money has a similar purpose. There is a combined total of $174 billion in spending to boost the electric vehicle market, including building 500,000 electric charging stations across the country, to win the EV market, a campaign directed at Europe and Japan as well, but above all against China.

Bidens Press Secretary Jen Psaki emphasized the anti-China basis of the plan, telling reporters Tuesday, Fundamentally, we dont believe that making a historic investment in American workers and rebuilding our infrastructure across the country to help us compete with China is controversial.

The final outlines of the plan were drafted by two of the most right-wing figures in the White House: National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, a longtime Wall Street hand, and Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice, who was national security advisor in the Obama administration and a fervent advocate of imperialist aggression in the Middle East and confrontation with Russia and China.

White House officials were at pains to emphasize that unlike the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed last month, there was room for major changes and amendments to the American Jobs Plan as it goes through Congress. This suggests that while there is likely to be bipartisan support for much of the brick-and-mortar spendingwhich amounts to subsidies to construction companies and giant corporationsthe money to be spent on programs like home health care for the elderly could well be sacrificed.

Even more significant is how Biden proposes to pay for the spending outlined in the plan. He has rejected calls by Senator Elizabeth Warren and other liberal Democrats for a wealth tax that would target those with more than $50 million. The White House also rejected a proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders to raise the corporate tax from 21 percent back to the 35 percent level that prevailed until the 2017 Trump tax cut.

Instead, Biden will propose raising the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent, in effect leaving the corporations with half of the Trump tax cut (and, of course, far more than that once their tax advisers and lawyers figure out how to evade the new rules). If they were honest, the White House spin doctors should perhaps revise Bidens campaign slogan of Build Back Better to something closer to the reality: Build Back Halfway.

White House officials claimed that there would be a second round of tax hikes on the wealthy to finance a second round of spending on social infrastructure, including education, health care and other services, which will be unveiled next month. This legislation, initially pegged at $1 trillion, would be paid for by an increase in the income tax rate on wealthy households, those making more than $400,000 a year.

Press reports of Democratic Party strategy suggest that Biden and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer regard it as unlikely they can win the ten Republican votes in the Senate required to overcome a filibuster. This means that the infrastructure plan would have to pass under the reconciliation process, requiring only 50 votes plus the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.

There is only one reconciliation vote for each fiscal year, since the arcane procedure is ostensibly tied to the passage of the annual budget. Schumer has been reportedly considering either a second reconciliation bill to amend the bill passed last month for the 2021 fiscal year, or using the budget for fiscal year 2022, which begins October 1, as the basis for the infrastructure bill.

There will be considerable horse-trading and wrangling between the two capitalist parties. In the meantime, the Republicans have rubber-stamped Bidens cabinet, allowing all his nominees to head federal departments to win approval. In return, the Democrats have effectively shelved any investigation into the January 6 coup attempt by Trump and his congressional Republican allies to seize the Capitol and block the certification of Bidens victory.
In a volte-face, Pakistan's Cabinet on Thursday rejected a proposal of its Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to import cotton and sugar from India, according to a Cabinet minister.

"Cabinet stated clearly NO trade with India," Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said in a tweet soon after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday.

"PM made clear there can be no normalisation of relations with India until they reverse" their actions viz Kashmir of August 5 2019, tweeted Mazari, who is known for her hawkish stand on Kashmir.

The Cabinet decision comes a day after Pakistan's new Finance Minister Hammad Azhar on Wednesday announced that the country will lift a nearly-two year long ban on the import of cotton and sugar from India after a meeting of the ECC chaired by him.

Ahead of the Cabinet meeting, Mazari had said that all ECC decisions have to be approved by Cabinet and only then can they be seen as "approved" by the government.

"Just for the record - All ECC decisions have to be approved by Cabinet & only then they can be seen as "approved by govt"! So today in Cabinet there will be discussion on ECC decisions incl trade with India & then govt decision will be taken! Media shd be aware of this atleast!" Mazari tweeted.

Azhar's announcement on Wednesday to import cotton and sugar from India had raised hopes of a partial revival of bilateral trade relations, which were suspended after the August 5, 2019 decision of New Delhi to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

India is the world's biggest producer of cotton and the second biggest sugar manufacturer.

In May 2020, had lifted the ban on import of medicines and raw material of essential drugs from India amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ties between India and nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in Subsequent attacks, including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relationship.



The ties strained further after India's war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

India's move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August, 2019 angered Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties with India and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pakistan also snapped all air and land links with India and suspended trade and railway services.





The nuclear-armed neighbors surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement along a disputed border that has seen wars and regular gunfire. The India-Pakistan cease-fire marked a milestone in secret talks brokered by the United Arab Emirates, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.

(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.)
W.Va. implements nation's 'most expansive' school choice program by helping pay for private, homeschool

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School choice advocates are praising West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice for enacting the most expansive education savings account policy in the country after he signed a bill into law giving parents money to help pay for private or homeschool education if they opt to take their children out of public school.

Justice signed House Bill 2013 into law Saturday. The bill established the Hope Scholarship Program, which will provide the option for a parent to better meet the individual education needs of his or her child. Under the Hope Scholarship Program, which will go into effect on July 1, 2022, eligible recipients can receive funding that is equal to 100 percent of the prior years statewide average net share aid allotted per pupil based on net enrollment adjusted for state purposes.

According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, House Bill 2013 will enable families who withdraw their children from public schools to receive a currently-estimated $4,600 per-student, per-year (scholarship) for private- and home-schooling expenses. The publication reported that Parents could use the vouchers for a nearly unlimited list of educational expenses, including online education programs, tutoring, books and private schooling, whether religious or secular.

The Hope Scholarship is available to all students who were enrolled full-time and attending a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for at least 45 calendar days during an instructional term at the time of application and until an award letter is issued by the board or are eligible to be enrolled in a kindergarten program in the state. The funds for a Hope Scholarship must be placed in a personal education savings account to be used for qualifying education expenses on behalf of the eligible recipient.

EdChoice, a national school choice advocacy group, described House Bill 2013 as the most expansive education savings account policy in the United States. This is an incredible accomplishment for the families of West Virginia, who will now have access to educational options they might never have been able to access before, said Robert Enlow, the CEO and President of EdChoice.

As we reflect on how drastically K-12 education has changed during the pandemic, we look forward to education savings accounts as a way to empower families with the kinds of choices they need moving forward, he continued. House Bill 2013 also received praise from Garrett Ballengee, president of the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy, a conservative think-tank.

With this program becoming law, West Virginia is a national leader in its approach to K-12 education by placing front-and-center whats most important: children, he said. The Hope Scholarship will open up great opportunities to generations of West Virginians who, prior to the Hope Scholarship becoming law, would not have been able to access an education best suited to his or her learning needs.

As of right now, students currently attending non-public schools are not eligible for Hope Scholarship funds. However, if by July 1, 2024, the number of Hope Scholarship students is equal to less than 5% of public school enrollment, the Hope Scholarship Program will become available to all West Virginia students beginning on July 1, 2026.

The passage of House Bill 2013 comes as many public school students in the U.S. have not attended in-person classes in more than a year as a result of the widespread shutdowns implemented because of the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, the enactment of the legislation comes at a time when some public schools have faced criticism for the enactment of controversial sex education programs as well as the adoption of anti-Christian philosophies and the embrace of the Black Lives Matter movement.

While school choice advocates cheered the new legislation, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the West Virginia House of Delegates, urging the states lower chamber to reject it. The group contended that the legislation discriminates against students because schools that discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity, disability, and religion would be eligible to receive funding through the state via the Hope Scholarship accounts.

Although a significant number of Republicans and all Democrats opposed the bill, it managed to pass due to substantial Republican supermajorities in both chambers. The House of Delegates passed House Bill 2013 by a margin of 57-42 on March 4 and the West Virginia Senate passed it by a margin of 20-13 two weeks later.
London, April 1 : For the UK government, vaccination of children will be the "next big ethical debate" as the country seeks to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, local media reported.

The government is currently carrying out a review on the ethical dilemmas around vaccine passports and overseas travel, Xinhua news agency quoted a Sky News report as saying on Wednesday.

The latest development came as US drug company Pfizer announced that trails of its vaccine show 100 per cent efficacy and a strong immune response on 12 to 15-year-olds.

It is understood that children are less likely to be seriously ill with or die of coronavirus, but they can easily spread the disease to adults.

Pfizer has said it will ask for emergency US and European authorization for younger age groups.

It remains unclear what will happen in the UK as the current vaccines are authorised only for adults.

Nearly 31 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the official figures.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 03:32:50|Editor: huaxia

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MONROVIA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Police in Liberia on Thursday confirmed they have begun searching for 90 inmates who escaped following a fire incident at a prison facility in the country's southeast county of Maryland.

National Police spokesperson Moses Carter told reporters in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, that the inmates escaped from the Harper Central correctional facility on Wednesday evening.

"We're seeking the help of residents to have these inmates rearrested," said Carter.

A fire at the prison premises, which was caused by protesters who in large numbers broke into the facility compound in search of an alleged killer of a motorcyclist, has resulted in the jailbreak, said Carter.

According to the local media, many protesters have taken to the streets in Maryland in the past days demanding "the speedy trial" of a suspect accused of murdering a 22-year-old motorcyclist on March 25 in the county.

Reports of local media also said Liberian President George Weah has imposed a night-time curfew on the coastal county with effect from Thursday "until further notice" after the escape of 90 inmates. Enditem
Dealers in second hand clothing in the country have added their voice to current global pandemic wreaking havoc to global economies. It is a fact that many Gambian households largely depend on second hand clothing, as it serves as a perfect enterprise; being cheaper and more durable compared to some 'ready-made' clothes.

With the current pandemic crippling economies, stakeholders in the business shared how the global coronavirus pandemic is hampering their business operations, which they attribute, has led to massive profit loss bringing their business operation to a standstill.

One of their problems has to do with the public concept amid Covid-19, as many people are afraid of buying second hand clothes coming from the hard- hit countries across Europe.

Buba Jabbie, who has been dealing in second- hand clothing at the Serrekunda market since 2007, explained how his business has been operating since the arrival of the pandemic.

"The number of people who come to buy clothes now has also decreased since the advent of pandemic, which is a big hindrance for us. If you follow the social media, you will hear some people saying that the second- hand clothes are contaminated with Covid-19 virus."

Lamin Jammeh, also a dealer in second-hand clothes said, there had been a lot of changes since 2020 and 2021. There have been difficulties due to recent hike in the price of commodities, which is one factor why people are not buying line before."

He added; "The pandemic has stopped almost everything. We hardly sell and as a result, we don't have money to buy new ballots and that is because people aren't buying like before as some people will say food commodities are very expensive now therefore, before buying clothes, food is more of a concern and necessity over the buying of clothes considering the situation of the pandemic." he revealed.
" " The sun shines on vineyards above the village of Viviers sur Artaut in the Champagne region of France. Could global warming impact the types of grapes grown there? Julian Elliott / robertharding/Getty Images

Could global climate change put an end to the centuries-old French wine industry? Affects on the vineyards might not be catastrophic today, but a new study published in Nature Climate Change suggests climate change is definitely making its mark on how French wine is produced.

"The wine industry is so closely connected to what's happening with climate change," says the study's lead author Benjamin Cook, a climate scientist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. "We focused on France because they've been making wine for centuries and have records going back 400 years."

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About that: To really understand the study, you have to understand a little bit about winemaking. So many things affect what make a stellar wine from the type of grape and the soil to the vineyard's microclimate and elevation. This is a concept referred to as the wine's terroir.

In France, this idea of terroirs eventually led to the Appellation d'Origine Controlee system in 1935 (it was replaced with Appellation d'Origine Protegee in 2012), a French certification system that defines geographical regions and regulates agricultural products like wine.

As you can imagine, the climate in each terroir varies greatly. In much of France, harvest records have shown that the best vintages have been those where the weather included lots of spring rain, a hot summer and a late-season drought, which forces the vines to fruit and mature fast.

Winemaking is one of the cornerstones of the French economy. In 2014, 1.22 billion gallons (4.6 billion liters) of wine was produced in France, up 12 percent over 2013. More than 10 million people visit the wine regions of France every year. So it's no surprise the French people consider winemaking a sacred part of their heritage.

In the study, Cook and his coauthor Elizabeth Wolkovich, an ecologist at Harvard University, analyzed climate data, reconstructions of temperature, precipitation and soil moisture, and vineyard records dating back to the 17th century. "What we found was vineyards were harvesting on average 10 days earlier," Cook says. "And higher quality wines are associated with earlier harvest dates in this region and this connection is still holding."

During the 20th century, France warmed about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius), and continues to climb. Up until the 1980s, the climate in France was too cool to force an early harvest without the extra heat added by the late-season drought. That seems to have now changed. "Today, vineyards are achieving these early harvests without the late-season drought," Cook says. "It's not clear what this will mean in the long term, but it's a clear signal of climate change."

Cook says it's not all doom and gloom for the French wine industry, by far. In fact these temperature changes have actually been good for many of the French vineyards, but that might not hold true forever. "We found evidence that there may be an upper limit in how early grapes can be harvested," he says.

In 2003, when a record heat wave hit Western Europe and forced the earliest harvest ever in France, the wines produced should have been exceptional quality, but they weren't. "It's worth noting that [weather] years like 2003 are what we expect in the coming decades with climate change," he says.

" " A map of the wine-growing regions of France Jane Webster/Getty Images

Could we one day see French vineyards start irrigating their grapes? Absolutely. Might we one day see a Burgundy region sans pinot noir or a Bordeaux without cabernets? Possibly. A 2013 study projected that by 2050, two-thirds of today's wine regions might not have climates suitable for the grapes they grow now.

So could France be forced to start growing grape varieties that are adapted to hotter, drier conditions? "I'm not saying anyone should do these things specifically," Cook says. "What our study shows definitively is climate change is having an impact and it might make it very difficult to grow grapes in certain parts of certain regions."

Now That's Cool Two of France's most popular wine regions  Champagne and Burgundy  were named UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015.
Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a lecturer of the Central University, has challenged the Member of Parliament(MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to disclose the principles on which he has resigned from Parliament's Appointments Committee.



Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa participated in the vetting of some Ministers-designate but after the vetting and approval of Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister, he has issued a letter communicating his decision to resign.



Addressing the letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa stated emphatically that his resignation takes immediate effect.



The North Tongu MP explained his decision comes ''after days of careful reflection and thoughtful considerations. I shall like to state that the reasons for this difficult decision is both personal and on principle", which means he will not be part of the Committee to vet President Nana Akufo-Addos Deputy Minister nominees yet to take place.



Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah says the North Tongu MP's resignation is shrouded in ambiguity.



He stated it will be better for him to make public the set of principles or reasons that informed his decision.



"At what point did he say something didn't go right, so it goes against my principles? When you put it that way, you make it so vague and you'll leave people to speculate. What are your principles which have caused your resignation?'' he queried.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Vietnam on Thursday gifted Cambodia $200,000 for its fight against Covid-19, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung ceremonially gave the money to Cambodian ambassador in Vietnam Chay Navuth, saying Vietnam hopes the support would help Cambodia curb the pandemic, stabilize the situation and recover economically.

He said Vietnam highly values the fact that Cambodia has begun its Covid-19 vaccination program for diplomats, including employees of Vietnam's representative entities in Cambodia.

Chay Navuth thanked Vietnam for its help, stressing that the aid is an important asset for the countrys fight against current local Covid-19 outbreaks.

In April last year, Vietnam has provided medical equipment, including protective suits, masks and Covid-19 test kits worth over VND7 billion ($303,574) to Cambodia.

Cambodia has so far recorded over 2,400 Covid-19 cases, with 14 deaths. While it is one of the few countries in Asia to not suffer severely from the pandemic, the number of new cases in Cambodia has risen quickly since the end of February, when outbreaks involving Chinese groups in Phnom Penh were detected.
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In the minor cabinet reshuffle announced by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Wednesday, Ambassador Liberata Mulamula has been appointed as MP as well as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

Ambassador Mulamula has replaced Professor replaced Prof Palamagamba Kabudi who has been shifted to the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

President Samia has also appointed Ambassador Liberata Mulamula as MP as well as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation to replace Prof Palamagamba Kabudi who has been shifted to the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

But who is Ambassador Mulamula?

According to the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), Ambassador Liberata Mulamula is the Associate Director for the Institute for African Studies, and a career diplomat with 35 years of experience having served in various capacities at the Tanzania Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Diplomatic missions in New York (Permanent Mission to the UN), Canada and the USA.

She also served as the first Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region of Africa for Peace, Stability and Development with headquarters in Bujumbura, Burundi. In this position, she oversaw 11 countries from 2006-2011.

Before retirement in April 2016, her other senior posts included the executive ministerial post of Permanent Secretary of the Tanzania Ministry of Foreign Affairs (May to December 2015).

She provided managerial and administrative leadership to the Ministry's staff and Tanzania Diplomatic Envoys abroad. She was also the Tanzania Ambassador to the United States of America and Mexico (July 2013 to May 2015), having served as Special Advisor to His Excellency President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania on all Diplomatic matters (2012-2013).

While at the State House, she successfully coordinated the visits of President Xi Jiping of China and President Barack Obama to Tanzania in July 2013, as well as the visits of other heads of state and high officials. She attended all cabinet meetings and prepared policy briefs for the President, and aided the implementation of cabinet decisions in areas of international partnerships in order to achieve the country's development goals.

During her tenure in Washington as Tanzania Ambassador to the USA, Ambassador Mulamula participated actively in the preparations for the first U.S.-Africa Summit on the partnership for economic growth. This summit also focused on strengthening mutual cooperation between the countries in areas of investment and trade.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Tanzania Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

She also assisted the implementation of various programs that are funded by U.S. development agencies and institutions including the Millennium Challenge Compact, the Power Africa Initiative, the Feed the Future Program, the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement, the U.S President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the President's Malaria Initiative, maternal and child health care initiatives, among numerous others.

She has attended the successive AU Summits, UN General Assembly sessions in New York and other multilateral gatherings, as well as various regional meetings and initiatives on peace and sustainable development. Ambassador Mulamula is a graduate of St. John's University in New York where she obtained an M.A. in Government and Politics, as well as a postgraduate diploma in International Law. She received her B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Dar-es Salaam University of Tanzania. She was adjunct lecturer on the "Art of Negotiations" at the Tanzania-Mozambique Center of Diplomatic Studies.

In addition to her role as Associate Director of IAfS, she is also a Visiting Scholar at the George Washington University, Ell...
President, prime minister of North Macedonia meet Chinese defense chief

Xinhua) 10:12, April 01, 2021

President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe in Skopje, North Macedonia, March 30, 2021. (Photo by Li Xiaowei/Xinhua)

TIRANA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe, respectively, in Skopje on Tuesday.

North Macedonia and China trust each other and enjoy friendly bilateral relations, said Pendarovski, adding that North Macedonia firmly supports the one-China policy and has full confidence in the joint construction of the Belt and Road.

North Macedonia appreciates China's great achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and thanks China for its anti-epidemic assistance, he said, expecting more frequent and in-depth exchanges and cooperation between the two countries after the situation of the pandemic improves.

For his part, Zaev said North Macedonia has received tremendous support and help from China ever since its independence, for which his country is deeply grateful.

The two countries have huge potential for cooperation, he said, adding that North Macedonia hopes to strengthen cooperation with China in such fields as economy and trade, investment, infrastructure construction, defense and security, so as to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.

Wei briefed them on China's epidemic prevention and control, economic and social development and China-U.S. relations, while clarifying China's principled position on the Taiwan question and issues related to Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

China appreciates North Macedonia's firm adherence to the one-China policy and hopes that North Macedonia will continue to support China in issues concerning China's core interests, he said.

China is willing to work with North Macedonia to make full use of the Belt and Road and "17+1" platform to deepen pragmatic cooperation and achieve mutual benefits, win-win results and common development, Wei said.

The Chinese military attaches great importance to developing relations with the military of North Macedonia and is committed to deepening exchanges and cooperation, so as to push for deep and solid relations between the two militaries, he said.

Also on Tuesday, Wei held talks with Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska. They held in-depth exchanges of views on relations between the two countries and two militaries, as well as the situation of the international and regional security.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Liang Jun)
A health worker prepares a dose of the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine at the Puerto Rico Convention Center during the first mass vaccination event in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 31, 2021.(Ricardo ARDUENGO / AFP)

The predicted bounce-back in global merchandise trade by volume is slightly stronger than the WTO's previous 7.2 percent forecast issued in October.

The organisation said global trade shrank by 5.3 percent in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic shocked the world economy.

"The strong rebound in global trade since the middle of last year has helped soften the blow of the pandemic for people, businesses, and economies," said the WTO's new boss Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The global trade body's assessment of the Covid-19's impact on 2020 trade is nowhere near as bad as had been first predicted when the pandemic broke out.

A year ago, the WTO had cautioned that global trade could plummet by a third in 2020 but gradually revised that estimate to an expected 9.2-percent drop.

It said strong monetary and fiscal policies were the main drivers behind the smaller-than-expected contractions in growth and trade.

"Prospects for a quick recovery in world trade have improved as merchandise trade expanded more rapidly than expected in the second half of last year," the Geneva-based organisation said.

While the rebound this year will be stronger than expected, growth is forecast to slow to 4.0 percent in 2022, the WTO said.

It warned that the effects of the Covid-19 crisis "will continue to be felt as this pace of expansion would still leave trade below its pre-pandemic trend".

- Equitable vaccine rollout -

Okonjo-Iweala warned that any rebound in global trade remained vulnerable to the still-raging coronavirus pandemic.

"New waves of infection could easily undermine any hoped-for recovery," she told reporters.

The Nigerian former finance minister said the rapid development of effective vaccines had given the planet a realistic chance of quelling the pandemic and kick-starting the world economy again.

But the opportunity could yet be squandered if large parts of the world are shut out of access to vaccine doses.

"Rapid global and equitable vaccine rollout is the best stimulus plan we have for the strong and sustained economic recovery that we all need," Okonjo-Iweala said.

However, "as long as large numbers of people and countries are excluded from sufficient vaccine access, it will stifle growth, and risk reversing the health and economic recovery worldwide," warned the former World Bank development economist.

Some 52 percent of the Covid-19 vaccine doses administered so far have been in high-income countries accounting for 16 percent of the global population, according to an AFP count.

Just 0.1 percent have been administered in the 29 lowest-income countries, home to nine percent of the world's population.

- Big pharma meeting -

The WTO is planning to host a meeting in April with vaccine manufacturers to see what it can do to help speed up development and smooth out the supply chain.

Okonjo-Iweala said one major Covid-19 vaccine-maker required 280 different components from 19 countries for its jabs, and any restrictions along the way were simply making it harder to ramp up production.

The Middle East was predicted to see the strongest export growth this year, with an anticipated 12.4-percent hike, while South America was expected to see the weakest growth at 3.2 percent.

As for imports, the strongest growth is forecast to be in North America at 11.4 percent, with the weakest in Africa at 5.5 percent.

Okonjo-Iweala reflected on the pricy chaos caused when giant container ship MV Ever Given got stuck for nearly a week in the Suez Canal.

"The fact that the Ever Given was able to cause so much disruption is a sign that global merchandise trade is relatively robust, and that global supply chains have held up through the pandemic," she said.
A leading brain surgeon diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer has said an inquiry into assisted dying is 'absolutely essential'.

Henry Marsh, 71, said he was 'filled with dread' at the thought of dying slowly without the ability to ease his suffering when he was told he had prostate cancer six months ago.

The typical mortality rate for people in stages three and four of the disease is between one and five years.

The retired neurosurgeon has now supported a call by dozens of politicians for the government to hold an inquiry into assisted dying.

A petition by Humanists UK demanding assisted dying legislation be looked at again has been signed by more than 50 MPs and peers.

Leading brain surgeon Henry Marsh, 71, who diagnosed with an advanced stage of prostate cancer, has said an inquiry into assisted dying is 'absolutely essential'

The retired neurosurgeon has now supported a call by dozens of politicians for the government to hold an inquiry into assisted dying

The strongly worded letter to Justice Secretary Robert Buckland says that the UK has fallen behind the rest of the world on assisted dying laws, and that Parliament 'cannot turn a blind eye' to the issue any longer.

Currently, assisting a suicide is a crime in England and Wales and is punishable by up to 14 years in jail.

Campaigners say that assisted dying is different to suicide because it is purely for people suffering from terminal conditions such as cancer.

Speaking about his own cancer diagnosis, Mr Marsh told the BBC he was 'deeply shocked and terribly frightened and upset' as it 'gradually dawned on him how serious the situation was'.

Mr Marsh, who is also a best-selling author, is due to start radiotherapy treatment in a few months' time.

The strongly worded letter to Justice Secretary Robert Buckland says Parliament 'cannot turn a blind eye' to the issue any longer and that the UK has fallen behind the rest of the world

Currently, assisting a suicide is a crime in England and Wales and is punishable by up to 14 years in jail. Pictured: Justice Secretary Robert Buckland

'Having spent a lifetime operating on people with cancer, the prospect of dying slowly from it myself fills me with dread,' he said.

'Despite the best efforts of palliative medicine, I know that dying from cancer can still be a very horrible business  for both patient and family, despite what the opponents of assisted dying claim.

Humanists UK's petition for a public inquiry into assisted dying To the Secretary of State for Justice, It has now been half a decade since Parliament last examined legislation to legalise assisted dying, and fifteen years since it formally scrutinised the evidence. In that time, the number of Britons travelling to Switzerland had rocketed sixfold; successive countries, including Canada, Germany, Italy, and parts of the United States and Australia have legalised assisted dying, demonstrating that such changes can be achieved in a safe and compassionate way. Public opinion has dramatically risen to nearly 90% supporting a change in the law for the terminally ill and incurably suffering; and there has been a significant shift in medical opinion and from within the disability community. The evidence on assisted dying has simply changed, and Parliament cannot afford to turn a blind eye any longer. Please, call a public inquiry so the voices of the terminally and incurably ill can at last be heard on this issue in Parliament. Advertisement

'I fiercely believe that if people in my situation knew they had the ability to choose how, when, and where they would die, it would greatly reduce their suffering. Knowing that I had this choice, if life became unbearable, would certainly give me much greater confidence now in facing whatever the future might hold for me.

'But as the law stands, I am not allowed this comfort, and the law insists instead that I must suffer. Many politicians have shown a striking lack of compassion by ducking this issue for too long, and are inadvertently guilty of great cruelty.'

Mr Marsh was until 2015 the senior consultant neurosurgeon at the Atkinson Morley Wing at St George's Hospital in London, one of the country's largest specialist brain surgery units.

His pioneering work on neurosurgical advances in Ukraine over the last 22 years was the subject of the documentary film The English Surgeon, which won an Emmy in 2010.

His widely acclaimed memoir Do No Harm: Tales of Life, Death and Brain Surgery was published in 2014.

He has been a patron of right to die campaign organisation My Death My Decision, which seeks a more compassionate approach to dying in the UK, including working to give people the legal right to a medically assisted death if that is their persistent wish.

Mr Marsh added that he believed opponents to an inquiry into assisted dying 'fear' that the evidence is so strong 'that their hypothetical arguments against it don't hold water'.

'Irrespective of your view on assisted dying, I would hope everyone could agree that our laws should be based on evidence and informed decisions, not alarmist, unfounded opposition that flies in the face of all the evidence from countries where assisted dying has been legalised.

'It's time for all MPs to start taking this issue seriously and I urgently call upon them to undertake an inquiry into the law.

Parliament last voted on assisted dying when Rob Marris MP's private member's bill for the terminally ill made it to the Commons in 2015, but it was rejected by 330 to 118.

Humanists UK's Chief Executive Andrew Copson said he was 'deeply sorry' to hear of Mr Marsh's diagnosis and praised his 'brave work' on assisted dying reforms.

'The ability to choose how, where, and when we die is a fundamental freedom, which cuts across party political and ideological lines.

Mr Marsh has been a patron of right to die campaign organisation My Death My Decision, which seeks a more compassionate approach to dying in the UK, including working to give people the legal right to a medically assisted death if that is their persistent wish

'In coming together to demand an inquiry, Henry and the lawmakers who have signed this letter have put the voices of the terminally ill and incurably suffering at the centre of the debate.

'We urge the Justice Secretary not to shy away from the difficult questions posed by assisted dying, and to launch an inquiry or call on Parliament to do so, to ensure these voices are given the fair hearing they deserve.'

The Care Not Killing alliance, which opposes assisted dying, has said the current law protects vulnerable elderly people 'from being pressured into ending their lives'.

The group chief executive Dr Gordon Macdonald said: 'Our current laws protect the most vulnerable in our society, the elderly, the sick and disabled from feeling pressured into ending their lives, exactly as we see in the handful of places around the world that allow assisted suicide or euthanasia.

'At a time when we have seen how fragile our NHS is, how underfunding puts pressure on services, and when up to one in four Brits who would benefit from palliative care, but does not currently receive it, to be pushing this ideological policy, seems out of touch, dangerous and desperate.'
Smugglers who were filmed dropping sisters aged three and five over the border wall have been dubbed morally reprehensible by the White House.

The young girls were dropped from the 14ft-high barrier along the US-Mexico border in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and the shocking incident was caught on security camera video.

I have seen the video, and I think that any of us who saw the video were incredibly alarmed by the steps of smugglers, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday.

 White House condemns morally reprehensible smugglers filmed dropping children over border wall

Authorities were able to find and rescue the girls, who are originally from Ecuador, after being directed in to the remote area by the camera operator.

Both girls were described by officials as alert but were taken to a hospital for health checks.

Read more:

Ms Psaki told reporters that the Biden administration condemned the actions of the smugglers.

As Secretary Mayorkas said, the inhumane way that smugglers abuse children while profiting off parents desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible, she added.

Our concern and focus is on sending a clear message to the region that this is not the time to come, you should not send your kids on this treacherous journey, that these smugglers are preying on vulnerabilities in these communities.

There are a lot of issues and steps we need to take to address root causes, so of course our concern is for the safety of these kids.

These Border Patrol agents who saved these kids deserve our thanks and gratitude for ensuring their safety.
Mid Ulster District Council have agreed to write to the office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister to raise concerns over a proposed British government office in Northern Ireland.

Councillors last week held a length discussion in response to a motion brought by Sinn Fein councillor Cora Corry, who branded the move a 'power grab' and an attempt to 'undermine devolution'.

It should be alarming to all elected representatives that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government plans to open an office in Belfast, Cllr Corry told the meeting.

This is a blatant attempt to chip away at power-sharing arrangements here. It treats citizens here with absolute contempt.

It should be for local ministers to decide on local priorities.

The North has been underfunded for decades. Our local infrastructure is crumbling.

We don't need a Tory government to tell us what our priorities are, she added.

DUP councillor Kyle Black said the move to create a UK government office was to be welcomed, and said it had actually been agreed to in the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) agreement.

Surely such an initiative should be welcomed if viewed beyond the narrow scope some appear to be taking in this matter, he said.

The UK government's plan to increase their visibility and involvement in Nothern Ireland is clearly stated within the New Decade New Approach agreement.

Therefore this should come as no real surprise to parties who have signed up to that agreement.

SDLP Councillor Malachy Quinn and UUP Councillor Trevor Wilson also spoke on the issue.

UUP councillor Trevor Wilson accused Sinn Fein of 'cherry-picking' from the NDNA.

Devolution is a partnership with the UK, not an alternative, he said.

Sinn Fein say they support the NDNA. What did they think it meant when it referred to a UK government hub in Northern Ireland?

What we are witnessing is Sinn Fein cherry-picking the NDNA agreement.

They want certain aspects implemented in full, but not it would seem, a UK government hub in Nothern Ireland.

SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn said his party could not accept that London gets to decide how money is spent in Northern Ireland.

The Tory party have no mandate to impose their priorities on the people of the North, he said.

While the SDLP will always welcome addition resources to transform the lives of people here, we do not accept London gets to decide how it is spent.

Devolution must be respected and decisions must be made by local ministers who are elected by and accountable to local people.

Summing up, Cllr Corry reiterated her position that the British government were undermining the devolved institutions.

The peace process ensured devolution. All parties signed up to it and the British government here are undermining devolution, she said.

We elect people here and take forward issues on their behalf.

The Tories don't have a mandate here. I just don't know if I can trust Boris Johnson as much as others here tonight.

The motion to write to OFMDFM expressing concern over the planned British government office was carried by 25 votes to 15.
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GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Forecast: Could Falling UK Covid-19 Cases Further Boost Sterling This Week?

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The Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate rose by 0.2% today after the UKs factory PMI surged and hit a decade-high of 58.9 in March. The pairing is currently fluctuating around AU$1.82.Analysts at Markit commented on the report:Business sentiment was at its most elevated for seven years, hitting unsurpassed levels at both consumer and investment goods producers.Almost two-thirds of manufacturers expect output to rise over the coming year (only 6% expect a contraction). Jobs growth was also at a seven-year high, supported by the sharpest rise in backlogs of work for 11 years.Consequently, UK market optimism has improved now that the nation heads towards further easing of lockdown measures this month.UK Covid-19 infection rates also continue to fall, while hospitalisations are down by over a thousand compared to last week.The Pound Australian Dollar exchange rate has suffered some losses, however, as growing numbers of Covid-19 infections in Europe are a cause for growing concern for the UK, which could be similarly affected in the weeks or months ahead.The risk-sensitive Australian Dollar has also suffered from the news that theres a growing Covid-19 crisis in Europe, with France now heading into a month-long lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.Australias latest retail sales figure for February also left Australian markets dismayed, with the figure falling by -0.8%, slightly above forecasts.Analysts at Westpac argued:The final Feb release will include more granular detail that is likely to highlight the impact of 'mini-lockdowns' during the month in [Victoria] and [Western Australia]  sales up marginally across other states.Today also saw the release of the latest Australian Trade Balance report for February, which fell below forecasts to 7,529 million, leaving some AUD investors concerned for the outlook of the nations economy.However, risk-off trade is limiting the appeal of the risk-sensitive Aussie today, but with the outlook improving for the US economy  the largest in the world  we could see risk sentiment steadily improve. If so, then the AUD/GBP exchange rate could begin to claw back some of its losses.The Australian Dollar (AUD) will remain sensitive to global risk sentiment this week, with any further signs of rising Covid-19 cases in Europe  or further, more stringent lockdown measures on the continent  dampening demand for the risk-correlated currency.The Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate will likely continue to head higher, however, as UK Covid-19 cases continue to fall and, as a result, is adding to growing confidence in the nations economy.

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Monrovia  Liberia is leading the reform efforts within in West Africa to conform to provisions of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) by ensuring the validation to amend the Firearms and Ammunition Control Act of 2015 and the Act creating the National Small Arms Commission of Liberia.

The new Arms Commission Act when enacted by the National Legislature will expand its mandate to regulate all categories of conventional arms including small arms, light weapons their ammunition and related materials.

Liberia Small Arms Commission Chairman Atty. Teklo Maxwell Grigsby II, speaking at a two-day validation session told participants that the proposed laws are very critical to addressing the concerns of proliferation of small arms which continue to pose threat to the sustenance of the peace of Liberia.

The Small Arms Survey report as commissioned by the African Union according to Chairman Grigsby, revealed the alarming rate of small arms proliferation and the danger to the continent.

Chairman Grigsby further that Liberia should be particularly concern considering the nature of its borders with neighboring countries.

Atty. Grigsby provided a broader context of arms control legislation in the Mano River Union basin concentrating on the right to civilian possession in variance with the arms control legislation in Liberia.

Chairman Grigsby in his statement said, though the laws of Liberia prohibit Civilians possession of firearms, the Commission has received countless reports of individuals in illegal possession of Firearms in contravention of laws; an act he considers a threat to peace and stability of Liberia.

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Notwithstanding, Chairman Grigsby noted that his office has contacted the relevant authorities in government to take the necessary actions in conformity with laws of Liberia.

He reemphasized that the Firearm Ammunition and Control Act prohibits civilian possession of firearms and grants exception to hunters to bear shoulder single barrel gun for hunting purposes.

In Chairman Grigsby judgment, Liberia should remain very concern about illegal possession and illicit trade of firearms within and across the borders of Liberia and the sub-region and address all such concerns as national security threat.

The Chairman cautioned stakeholders to meticulously deliberate the firearms laws and the Act creating the Small Arms of Liberia during the two days so as to ensure the domestication of the Arms Trade Treaty and further accelerate the effective management of Small Arms, light Weapons, their ammunition and other related materials.

Liberia Foreign Minister, H.E. D. Maxwell Saah Kamayan, who was represented by Cllr. Deway Gray, Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed best wishes to the Commission and stakeholders attending the validation Session, noting that the validation is important giving the historic nature of the Liberian Civil War.

Cllr. Gray said, Liberia has always conformed to the signing of international treaties and worked towards ratifying and domesticating those treaties.
Is it 'too late' for America to be spared God's judgment? John MacArthur gives warning

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California megachurch Pastor John MacArthur spoke about the possibility that the United States is already under judgment for its acceptance of progressive sexual ethics, among other things, during his Palm Sunday sermon.

MacArthur preached a sermon at Grace Community Church of Sun Valley titled Chosen in Him, mainly focused on Mark 12 and the passage commonly known as the Parable of the Vineyard Owner.

The parable speaks of a vineyard owner who allowed tenants to oversee his vineyard, only to have them take control of it and kill everyone the owner sent to collect on what they grew.

What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Havent you read this passage of Scripture: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes? concluded the parable, as rendered by the New International Version.

MacArthur said in his sermon that the parable was one of judgment, saying that with this parable, Jesus pledges the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation.

Vengeance will come and it must come and it did, said MacArthur, referring to the sacking of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire in AD 70, or about 40 years after Jesus was crucified.

The temple was never rebuilt, the priesthood was never recovered. No sacrifices, no ceremonies, no Sadducees, no Pharisees, no priests, no chief priests to this day. The whole system ended.

Throughout the sermon, MacArthur spoke about the times in the Bible when different figures, including the Prophet Isaiah of the Old Testament and the Apostle Paul of the New Testament, spoke about it being too late for some to be saved.

Go tell them, preached MacArthur, paraphrasing Gods call to Isaiah in Isaiah Chapter 6, its too late. You wouldnt listen, you wouldnt see, you wouldnt believe, and now you cant.

Tell them it is too late. Judgment is already in motion.

Near the end of his sermon, MacArthur addressed how he believed the passages about the parable and the notion of being too late to be saved applied to the modern church.

One lesson he felt was important was that it can be for a generation of people too late. Too late for eighth century [BC] Israel, too late for first century [AD] Israel, but it can be too late for every nation.

How do you know when a nation passes the point where salvation is possible for a people? asked MacArthur, who answered by citing Romans 1.

When you see a nation deep in sexual sin, pervasively affirming of homosexuality, and the insanity of a reprobate mind, where they make laws to criminalize righteousness and to legalize gross evil, you know that nations under judgment, said MacArthur.

MacArthur went on to state that our message to this nation is that its too late for the nation, were under judgment, but added that its not too late for the elect.

Whats our message to this nation? Youre under judgment; its too late. Judgment has been unleashed. You can hear, but not understand. You can see, but not perceive, he said.

But God has His people. So we warn, because we dont know who those people are and we also offer the grace of the Gospel. Thats our calling.

MacArthurs recent sermon echoed past comments by the controversial pastor and prolific author. For example, in 2011 at the Resolved Conference in Palm Springs, California, MacArthur said that the United States was a nation in crisis in divine judgment.

I look at America  people say, 'What is wrong with this country?' That is whats wrong with this country. Right there. They have rejected the Word, the law of the Lord, the Holy One Himself, said MacArthur at the time.

As somebody said a few years ago, if God doesnt destroy America pretty soon, Hes going to have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.
"Our team members and drivers have been on the front lines keeping our travel centers going and the economy moving since the start of the pandemic," said Shameek Konar, Pilot Company CEO. "We are incredibly proud of their dedication to serving our guests and supplying fuel across North America. Now, as the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more available, we hope to make it easier for our team members who choose to get vaccinated."

Pilot Company is not mandating any team members to get the vaccine. On the recommendations of federal and state medical experts, Pilot Company encourages team members to get vaccinated based on the advice of their primary care physician.

As an essential retailer, Pilot Company is committed to keep its team and guest safe, keep its trucks and professional drivers rolling to deliver fuel and keep its travel centers open. Throughout the past year of the pandemic, additional safety, cleaning and sanitizing procedures have been in place.

For more information on the Pilot Company commitment to its guests and team members and its COVID-19 response, please visit pilotflyingj.com/covid-response/.

About Pilot Company

Pilot Company keeps North America's drivers moving as one of the leading suppliers of fuel and the largest operator of travel centers. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Pilot Company has grown its network to more than 1,000 retail and fueling locations and as the third largest tanker fleet in North America, supplies more than 11 billion gallons of fuel per year to the market. Its energy division also supplies DEF, bio and renewables and provides hauling and disposal services. Through the company's vast network of fueling locations, Pilot Company serves 1.5 million guests per day and provides over 30,000 direct fleet customers with bundled solutions for fuel, credit, factoring, services and rewards. Its Pilot Flying J Travel Center network includes over 750 locations in 44 states and six Canadian provinces with more than 680 restaurants, 74,000 truck parking spaces, 5,300 deluxe showers, 6,200 diesel lanes and offers truck maintenance and tire service through Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J. The One9 Fuel Network connects a variety of fuel stops to provide value, convenience and perks to fleets and professional drivers at more than 240 locations across the United States. More information on locations and rewards are available in the myRewards PlusTM app.

Pilot Company is currently ranked No. 10 on Forbes' list of America's Largest Private Companies. For additional information about Pilot Company, its 28,000 team members and commitment to giving back, visit www.pilotcompany.com.

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Founder CEO Dr Jack Regan told investors the firm has built 20 MiQLab systems and has enough parts in-house, or on order to build an additional 70 systems

LexGene's technology is suited for rapid pathogen detection and can be used across a variety of markets, including the detection of the 2019-novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and its variants

LexaGene Holdings Inc ( ) ( ) founder CEO Dr Jack Regan told shareholders on Thursday that the company was ramping up manufacturing of its MiQLab systems.

The Beverly, Massachusetts-based companys MiQLab system delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection, and can test for 27 pathogens and return results in about one hour versus one-to-three days at a lab.

In a letter to shareholders, Regan said LexaGene had scaled up manufacturing in late-2020 and early-2021.

READ: LexaGene successfully configures its MiQLab system to detect mutant sequences unique to UK and South African coronavirus variants

We spent considerable efforts ensuring consistency in microfluidic operations across MiQLab systems. Now that we have reached our expectations for consistency, we are again ramping up manufacturing, said Regan.

As of today, we have built 20 MiQLab systems and have enough parts in-house or on order to build an additional 70 systems. Through a partnership with an FDA-compliant contract manufacturer, we have the capacity to rapidly scale the manufacturing of our consumables to meet demand.

Regan said LexaGene is investing resources in supporting the veterinary diagnostics market, where it is validating new assays that will help veterinarians better detect disease-causing pathogens and antimicrobial resistance markers to make evidence-based treatment decisions.

The molecular diagnostics company, which develops fully automated rapid pathogen detection systems, will be hosting a seminar for a select group of veterinarians on April 14. A key opinion leader, who is using the firms technology, will present on collected data.

The open-access market continues to be a focus for us, specifically contract drug manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), pharmaceutical companies, and cosmetic manufacturers, said Regan.

We are aggressively developing new tests for these industries that will further increase the value of our product as a quality control tool to help keep vaccines, biologics, and consumer products safe.

Over the last three months, LexaGene has made substantial progress on FDA requirements for software and hardware testing which are pre-requisites to complete the COVID-19 EUA application.

On the biology side, our preliminary limit-of-detection (LoD) tests for SARS-CoV-2 suggest the MiQLab sensitivity is competitive with the best point-of-care molecular systems on the market today, said Regan.

We plan to continue the additional work needed for the COVID-19 EUA application as soon as we complete the validation work necessary for the MiQLabs software, signal processing algorithm, and microfluidic scripts.

As is standard practice, until the US Food and Drug Aadministration grants LexaGenes instrument EUA for COVID-19 testing, all work using LexaGene instruments is classified as research use only.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
NEW CANAAN  About 100 people gathered Wednesday evening at Saxe Middle School after a local college student says she was insulted because of her Asian heritage while shopping in town.

While home on spring break last week, Rebecca Serven said a disturbing incident happened when a woman approached her at Walter Stewarts Market.

While shopping in New Canaan, I was faced with a woman who said in addition to other things: go back to where you came from. Go spread COVID-19 somewhere else. I dont need people like you giving me COVID. And, I didnt know that people like you were allowed to shop in New Canaan, the college student wrote in a letter read by her mother, Susan Serven, during the vigil.

In an interview afterward, Susan Serven said Doug Stewart, of Walter Stewarts Market, reached out immediately when he heard about the incident.

Rebecca Serven has returned to school at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts and did not attend the vigil, which was coordinated by the New Canaan Asian American and Pacific Islander and Stand Together Against Racism.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong spoke at the vigil, which was held to raise awareness of the racism against the Asian American community.

Tong said when he walks outside, it feels like you are being hunted. Like all of us have a target on our backs.

It is beyond disconcerting, and scary and disorienting, Tong added.

Susan Serven said she co-founded the nonprofit Chinese Language of Connecticut to help her two adopted daughters of Chinese heritage assimilate.

I continue to hope that more people will treat these cases as learning opportunities where we as people consciously decide to do better, to be better, Rebecca Servens letter read. Where we, as people, decide to show support to extend our compassion, our empathy and treat each others as our neighbors, as many of us are.

Because in times of adversary it is the support of our communities, whether they are comprised of friends, families, peers, colleagues, neighbors or strangers that has the ability to uplift us all, Rebecca Serven wrote.

Fatou Niang Fatou, founder of STAR who organized the event, said when anyone that is affected by the pandemic of racism it affects the whole community, so it is about time we all stop being bystanders.

This vigil was in response to racist violence against Asian American people, including an incident in New York where a man kicked a 65-year-old Filipino woman to the ground while making anti-Asian insults this week. There were also references made to the attacks in Atlanta, where eight people were killed, six of Asian descent, during a series of shooting at three spas on March 16.

This has been a very hard week, Tong said, referring two incidents in New York City where a young man was beaten on the subway and an Asian-American woman was kicked to the ground.

Seventh-grader Frank Hu, whose parents are from Wuhan, China, said he is no less an American than anyone else.

Through unity, we will achieve justice, and justice is something that our country doesnt have right now, Hu said.
Virginia's highest court has ruled that the city of Charlottesville can take down two statues of Confederate generals, including one of Robert E. Lee that became the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017.

The state Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a Circuit Court decision in favor of a group of residents who sued to block the city from taking down the Lee statue and a nearby monument to fellow Gen. Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson.

Charlottesville's city council had voted to remove both.

White supremacist and neo-Nazi organizers of the August 2017 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville said they went to the city to defend the statue of Lee. They clashed with counterprotesters before a man plowed his car into a crowd of people, killing a woman.

The Jackson statue was erected in Jackson Park in 1921 and the Lee statue was erected in Lee Park in 1924. In 1918, the city had accepted a resident's offer to donate land for parks for both statutes.

Virginia's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the city of Charlottesville can take down two statues of Confederate generalss, including one of Robert E. Lee (above) that became the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017

In Thursday's decision, State Supreme Court Justice Bernard Goodwyn said both statues were erected long before the passage of a law regulating the 'disturbance of or interference with' war memorials or monuments.

'In other words, (the law) did not provide the authority for the City to erect the Statues, and it does not prohibit the City from disturbing or interfering with them,' Goodwyn wrote.

S. Braxton Puryear, one of the attorneys for the residents who sued, said he hadn't read the ruling yet and couldn't immediately comment on it. Frederick W. Payne, a Charlottesville lawyer who was listed as the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit seeking to block the statues removal, also declined comment Thursday.

A spokesman for the city of Charlottesville didn't immediately respond to a call and email seeking comment on the court's ruling.

The Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc., and The Monument Fund, Inc., also were plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed against the city in March 2017.

Plaintiffs' attorneys argued that a law enacted by the state's General Assembly in 1997 prevented the city from removing the two Confederate statues. The city argued that the law couldn't be applied retroactively and did not apply to statues that cities erected before 1997.

The state Supreme Court agreed with the city, concluding there is no language in the statute that demonstrates the General Assembly intended for the law to apply to monuments or memorials that cities erected before 1997.

The state Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a Circuit Court decision in favor of a group of residents who sued to block the city from taking down the Lee statue and a nearby monument to fellow Gen. Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson (above)

White supremacist and neo-Nazi organizers of the August 2017 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville said they went to the city to defend the statue of Lee. They clashed with counterprotesters before a man plowed his car into a crowd of people, killing a woman

'The circuit court erred in failing to interpret the statute according to its plain language meaning,' Goodwyn wrote.

The state Supreme Court also ruled that the circuit court erred in ordering the city to pay for the plaintiffs' attorneys' fees and costs.

The 1997 law that barred local governments from removing Confederate statues was repealed in 2020, after Democrats gained control of the General Assembly in the 2019 elections. Since then, local governments across the state have removed statues that stood for a century or more.

The new law does impose some requirements on local governments seeking to remove a statue, like holding a public hearing and offering the statue to a museum or historical society for possible relocation. In Thursday's ruling, the judges indicate in a footnote that they are making their ruling based on the old law.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said he determined nearly four years ago that the law purporting to block removal of Confederate statues did not apply retroactively and 'was not the blanket prohibition that its proponents had made it out to be.' Thursday's ruling 'confirmed that we were right,' Herring added in a statement.

'I have worked hard to help remove poisonous Confederate propaganda from our publicly-owned spaces, because I believe it glorifies a false history and sends a dangerous and divisive message about who and what we value,' he said.

Charlottesville, Virginia Mayor Nikuyah Walker (pictured above in this undated file photo) caused a stir online when she posted a 'poem' in which she compared her city to a rapist

Charlottesville: The beautiful-ugly it is, it reads. It rapes you, comforts you in its c** stained sheet and tells you to keep its secrets.

In Richmond, city officials have removed numerous statues on the citys famed Monument Avenue after they became a focal point of racial justice protests last summer. But a statue of Lee has not yet been removed; a lawsuit is under way to determine whether the statue, which sits on state property and is subject to an 1890 deed that purports to restrict its removal, can be taken down.

It comes after the city's Mayor Nikuyah Walker sparked an angry backlash online last week after posting a graphic, sexually charged poem comparing the college town to a rapist.

The original post was initially removed by Facebook for violating 'community standards.' The mayor posted a longer, edited version in its place.

Nikuyah Walker, a former city council member who was elected as Charlottesville's first ever black mayor in November 2017, posted what she called a 'short poem' to her social media account.

'Charlottesville: The beautiful-ugly it is,' it reads. 'It rapes you, comforts you in its c** stained sheet and tells you to keep its secrets.'

That post prompted complaints to Facebook, which responded by removing the poem because it 'goes against our standards on adult sexual exploitation.'

Walker, who started her public career as a parks and recreation aide, swept into power by riding a wave of anger in response to the August 2017 white nationalist rally, which paraded through the city and left one counter protester dead and dozens injured.

She had gained a reputation as an advocate for racial and social justice, which catapulted her to the mayoralty after city council members voted to install her in the top job following the events of August 2017. She ran as an independent.
This is the incredible moment a sea captain fought off killer whales with a pole and screamed at them to 'p**s off' after they attacked his boat.

Captain Antonio Busse, 40, shouted 'get off the f***ing boat' as a pod of orcas surrounded his vessel in the waters of the Gibraltar Strait.

The predators had attacked the Serena IV sailing boat, leaving it without a working rudder which is used for steering, off the coast of Cape Spartel on Saturday evening.

Video has captured the moment a sailing boat was attacked by a group of orcas, leaving the sea captain to react quickly to save his crew.

The Spanish maritime authorities last year warned boats to keep their distance from killer whales but some sailors claim that the animals chase boats passing through the area

Busse, who said there were four killer whales, then used a small pole to hit the side of the boat to try and scare them away whilst screaming 'mama mia' and 'get off the f***ing boat'.

Other crew members began throwing items into the water to get them to leave - but as they shone a light in the water, they could see they were still surrounded by the orcas.

At one point, a large killer whale can be seen swimming underneath the boat - causing the crew to shout out in fear.

In another video, the orcas can be seen circling the boat and swimming next to the boat and breaching the surface.

At this point, the captain began hitting the water with the pole in attempt to scare the predators away.

The orcas can be seen circling the boat and swimming next to the boat and breaching the surface (right)

The predators had attacked the Serena IV sailing boat, leaving it without a working rudder which is used for steering, off the coast of Cape Spartel, in the Strait of Gibraltar on Saturday evening

Sergio Rodman, the owner of the vessel, said: 'We were coming from Italy and had stopped in Gibraltar in order to go to Lanzarote in the south-western Spanish region of Canary Islands'.

He was on watch duty while the three other crew members were sleeping.

Busse, told Real Press in an exclusive interview that they heard a strange noise and rushed to the top of the ship.

It was firstly thought the vessel had hit a container, but they quickly realised that killer whales were playing around the ship instead, trying to hit it.

According to Busse, there were only four killer whales, which approached the boat. They threw items at the orcas in a bid to make them leave them alone but to no avail.

The killer whales finally managed to break the rudder after they hit it repeatedly.

As a desperate measure, one of the crew lit a flare in order to force them to leave and this strategy worked as the group of orcas finally left them in peace.

As a desperate measure, one of the crew lit a flare in order to force them to leave and this strategy worked as the group of orcas finally left them in peace

Busse said that the situation was scary, adding that in his whole life sailing the seven seas, 'something like this had never happened before, and I have been in Antarctica and I have never seen something like this.'

Busse added that 'killer whales are very smart and we have been told that they even steal the tuna from the fishing boats when they are hungry, but this situation of breaking a rudder is new.'

He also said that the killer whales prefer to play around with sailing boats as the fishing boats have their rudders very close to the propellers, something that is different in sailing boats.

Despite having a partially broken rudder, the vessel was able to finally anchor in the port of Tarifa, in southern Spain, where another boat, flying an American flag and called Aniway, had been attacked two days before by a group of killer whales, but they were in a worse condition as they had a water leak on the boat.

Alfredo Lopez, a biologist and coordinator for the Study of Marine Mammals of Galicia, told Real Press: 'They are not attacks but interactions' as they do not intend to cause any harm.

He added: 'It is not normal, but it has been happening on different parts of the coast of Spain in the last year.'

He said: 'They do not want to do any damage, they have a task, they find boats and try to examine them and those interactions happens, but they do not have the intention of injuring people or attacking them.'

According to the biologist, this group of killer whales, which have not been identified due to a lack of images showing their fins and flippers, might be young individuals because 'the adults have no time as they have specific roles in the group, taking care of the young, but the young individuals are more idle and they are reckless and are the ones with more contact with humans.'

He also explained that the group of killer whales are commonly seen in the Gibraltar Strait looking for food, but they are already in the area in the early months of the year, as May is the most common month to see them.

They commonly travel in groups and they are usually seen in the Strait and then they go up along the Portuguese coast and Galicia (in north-western Spain), until they arrive on the coast of the Basque Country.

Last year, after a spate of similar attacks off Spain and Portugal, scientists identified three killer whale culprits.

Last year, after a spate of similar attacks off Spain and Portugal, scientists identified three killer whale culprits - Black Gladis, White Gladis and Grey Gladis

In the space of just two months, the orcas ripped the rudders off fishing vessels and rammed pleasure yachts in more than 20 separate incidents off the Spanish region of Galicia alone.

By studying footage, the investigating experts implicated Black Gladis, White Gladis and Grey Gladis in 61 percent of all the attacks along the Spanish and Portuguese coast.

The colossal beasts were identified in part by the scars across their bodies which are believed to have been caused by their clashes with boats.

Wounds to two of the whales are recent, dated between June and August of last year.

A killer whale breaks through the surface of the water near A Coruna in northern Spain before attacking a yacht last year

Killer whales are known to be curious about the sterns of boats because of their noise and movement, but the researchers say that the recent aggression recorded against vessels is unheard of.

In one incident, a couple from Scotland were subjected to a 45-minute hounding by orcas near Cape Finisterre, Galicia.

Graeme Walker and his wife Moira first noticed the mammals when one of them rammed into their yacht during an ordeal in which a 1.5 sq ft bite was taken out of their rudder.

A few weeks earlier, a 40ft Spanish naval vessel was encircled by a pod of whales before one of them clipped off a section of the ship's rudder.

And in July, a sailor suffered a dislocated shoulder when a delivery yacht entering Cape Trafalgar was so violently rocked by a whale that the man fell onto the deck.

It was shocking incidents such as these which prompted Spanish maritime officials to ban yachts of less than 50ft from a stretch of the Galician coast for a week at the end of September.

Researchers told The Guardian: 'The trigger for this strange and novel behaviour could have been an aversive incident that the orcas had with a boat, and in which the speed of the boat could have been a critical factor.

'For the moment, we have no clear evidence of when it happened, nor can we say for sure what kind of boat may have been involved, nor whether the incident was accidental or deliberate.'

The experts said that the killer whales may have learned that they could slow down a boat and that they were now in the habit of toying with others 'out of curiosity'.

Graeme Walker and his wife Moira were sailing on their yacht with their friend Stephen Robinson when a trio of killer whales targeted them off the coast of Cape Finisterre

Graeme, from Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, only noticed the killer whales when one of them rammed his 45ft yacht

The marine biologists added that although the orcas had shaken up crews, they had not yet posed a significant danger.

'Rough movements of the wheel and sharp movements have upset crews unfamiliar with orcas and their behaviour,' the experts told the paper.

'[But] in no instance has anyone been harmed by the direct activity of the orcas  although there has been some risk in some of the situations involving long-lasting or nocturnal activity.'

Killer whales are usually seen off Galicia at this time of year as they hunt tuna from the Gulf of Cadiz and into the Bay of Biscay.

Orcas weigh as much as six tonnes  about three times heavier than a car - and can live up to 80 years.

The Spanish and Portuguese organisation studying the whales, CEMMA, hopes to reveal its findings in the next two weeks.
Sam Burgess' personal life has made headlines in recent months.

But on Wednesday, it was back to business for the former NRL star, who was busy promoting his new clothing line that he shares with his footy star brothers.

Sam, 32, posted pictures of himself posing in his label 4B, after recently attempting to turn around his troubled personal life after his split with ex-wife Phoebe.

Back to business! Sam Burgess' personal life has made headlines in recent months, but on Wednesday, it was back to business for the former NRL star, who was busy promoting his new clothing line that he shares with his footy star brothers

In one image, the former Rabbitohs modelled a blue T-shirt by the brand.

On his Instagram stories, he also posed in a beige tee alongside his brother Tom and urged his followers to shop their 'bundles bonanza.'

Last month, Sydney-based Sam was pictured at an evangelical church on the Gold Coast.

Fashion focused: On his Instagram stories, he also posed in a beige tee alongside his brother Tom and urged his followers to shop their 'bundles bonanza'

He was spotted on March 21 in the Metro Church, two days after he was cleared by a judge of intimidating his former father-in-law Mitch Hooke.

'I just met this legend Sam Burgess at Metro Church today,' a fellow worshipper posted on Instagram with a picture of the pair.

'Congrats to Sam on his first step on a new journey.'

Turning his life around: Earlier last month, Sydney-based Sam was pictured at an evangelical church on the Gold Coast. 'I just met this legend Sam Burgess at Metro Church today,' a fellow worshipper posted on Instagram with a picture of the pair

A source close to Sam, who for the past 18 months has been embroiled in a messy break-up with ex-wife Phoebe, said he was 'keeping his head down' and 'making change'.

He was also spotted last month with a bodybuilding pastor from an evangelical church, walking to a Hyundai hatchback registered to Metro Church after getting coffee at a Nobby's Beach cafe.

He has been spending time training with friend and spiritual adviser, Rob Quatro, who has introduced him to the Pentecostal faith, although at this stage Burgess is just an interested observer.

Turning over a new leaf: A source close to Sam, who for the past 18 months has been embroiled in a messy break-up with ex-wife Phoebe, said he was 'keeping his head down' and 'making change'

He was recently cleared on appeal of intimidating his former father-in-law, Mitch Hooke.

A conviction for intimidating Mr Hooke was overturned by a New South Wales District Court judge.

He will face another court in May after allegedly being detected driving with cocaine in his system while on his way to pick up his children from Bowral on February 22.

Cleared: He was recently cleared on appeal of intimidating his former father-in-law, Mitch Hooke. A conviction for intimidating Mr Hooke was overturned by a New South Wales District Court judge

Sam was allegedly unlicensed while behind the wheel of his BMW X5 which was unregistered due to his failure to pay $1,200 in parking and traffic fines.

He has not spoken publicly about his conviction being overturned or how he will deal with the upcoming charges.

Sam's personal life has been in upheaval since his separation from wife Phoebe and his forced retirement due to a chronic shoulder injury in October 2019.

Court date: He will face another court in May after allegedly being detected driving with cocaine in his system while on his way to pick up his children from Bowral on February 22. Pictured playing for the Rabbitohs in April 2012

Upheaval: Sam's personal life has been in upheaval since his separation from wife Phoebe and his forced retirement due to a chronic shoulder injury in October 2019

That same month the former South Sydney captain was accused by Mr Hooke of threatening him while visiting his two children at the Hooke family home in the Southern Highlands.

A year later The Australian newspaper published untested claims against Burgess of wild partying and domestic abuse during his marriage. He has denied the allegations.

Sam watched Judge Mark Williams overturn his intimidation conviction at the District Court in Goulburn via audio visual link, as did Mr Hooke.

'My firm view upon reading the evidence is that the Crown case was not established beyond reasonable doubt,' Judge Williams ruled.

Sam's solicitor Bryan Wrench said outside court his client was relieved by the result.

'This is the judgment he deserves,' Mr Wrench said. 'He never wanted this fight, but he had to fight to clear his name. He is innocent and finally he has been vindicated.'
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah launched an attack on the ruling BJP government after sitting minister Eshwarappa accused CM BS Yediyurappa of 'interfering in the affairs of his (BSY's) cabinet'. Eshwarappa, who was once Yediyurappa's closest aide from Shivamogga, has drifted apart from him since the cabinet expansion. Congress leader Siddaramaiah claimed that Eshwarappa had exposed BJP's involvement in corruption, nepotism & irregularities and hailed the sitting minister for putting the affairs of the state above his political interest for the 'first time in his life'.

.@ikseshwarappa has provided evidences for @BJP4Karnataka's corruption, nepotism & irregularities. We had been saying this since the first day & their own party ministers are repeating now



2/10  Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 1, 2021

The Congress leader further remarked that the BJP should allow their ministers to express themselves more freely and claimed that the 'disease of corruption, nepotism & irregularities' had infected the whole Karnataka govt including the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj ministry. The former Karnataka CM noted that Eshwarappa had addressed his complaint to PM Modi and BJP party president JP Nadda along with Governor Vajubhai Vala and somewhat oxymoronically demanded BJP to respond and uphold 'internal democracy'.

.@ikseshwarappa has written the complaint not just to the Governor but also to the Prime Minister @narendramodi & @BJP4India President.@BJP4India should immediately respond to this & uphold the internal democracy.



5/10  Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 1, 2021

Further, Siddaramaiah asked BJP to change their slogan to 'Mai Bhi Khaunga, Thum Bhi Khao' in order for the world to see 'the true face of the saffron party'. The ex-cM went on to claim that their argument of BJP coming to power using unholy practices had been strengthened after the Karnataka HC gave the go-ahead to investigate 'Operation Kamala'. Siddaramaiah demanded a thorough investigation into 'Operation Kamala' in which the BJP allegedly offered money to lure MLAs to their camp.

A thorough investigation has to be conducted about Operation Kamala incident where @BJP4Karnataka leaders has supposedly tried to lure MLAs by offering crores of money.



10/10  Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 1, 2021

Meanwhile, KPCC president DK Shivakumar demanded Yediyurappa's resignation after Eswarappa's complaint. noting that serious accusations had been levelled against him. Shivakumar asked Yediyurappa to resign or sack Eshwarappa 'if the allegations were not true'. Taking to Twitter, Shivakumar claimed that BJP had become a den of corruption.

A senior BJP Minister has made very serious accusations against CM Yediyurappa in a letter to the Governor.



The CM must either immediately submit his resignation or must sack the Minister if the accusations aren't true.



Karnataka's BJP Government has become a den of corruption.  DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) March 31, 2021

Eshwarappa writes to Governor

Listing three such cabinet allocations pushed by the CM without Eshwarappa's assent, the cabinet minister explained that Rs 65 crores was sanctioned by the CM for Bangalore Urban Zilla panchayat inspite of the allocation being only Rs 1.17 crores - neglecting all other 29 districts. In other instances, the CM had sanctioned Rs 460 crores for civil works ad Rs 774 crores for similar works without Eshwarappa's sanction. The Shivamogga veteran states that all orders have been stayed by his department, but the CM's office is allegedly pressuring the principal secretary to issue the order. Eshwarappa adds that PM Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Arun Kumar, and BL Santosh - the top BJP leadership, have been apprised of this issue.
An institution. One of a kind. Therell never be another.

Take your pick to describe Fred & Petes Deli & Luncheonette, the Hamilton eatery that for six decades grew into more than just a place to eat.

Patrons came to eat, but the narrow deli in a strip mall off Route 33 in Mercerville turned into a hangout, a stump spot for politicians and meeting place for those already elected, as well as numerous government officials. Regulars, many senior citizens and retirees, for years held court in plastic chairs out front to keep the gab going after their meal.

Then, when the New Jersey Lottery started in 1970, the deli, just Fred & Petes to regulars, was one of the first agents to sell tickets and for years after was one of the top-sellers of tickets in the state, as well as the location where big winners had bought their ticket.

When the lottery got big, the lines were out the door with people hoping for a little of Fred & Petes magic. It was where the media flocked for such stories, too. For example, in 2002, when the lottery grew into the hundreds of millions like it often does, a lottery spokesperson sat in the deli to entertain the media the agency knew would come for interviews.

But after all that, this Wednesday, it came to a close for good. Fred & Petes closed.

It lasted a few months shy of 58 years.

Its a sad chapter in the township. I dont think youll ever see anything like it again, and uh, well get through it, said longtime regular Tony Celentano, who used to own a store in the same shopping center. He is also a former member of the township school board.

Celentano was among the steady stream of customers who had their own wake of sorts for Fred & Petes in the past few weeks.

The owner, Tom Armenti, the son of original co-owner Fred Armenti, hung a goodbye sign in the deli, and there were balloons Wednesday, but no major send off. Just customers.

Like Barbara Schleher and her husband, Richard. We met a lot of people here. Made a lot of friends, Barbara said. And Mike Amantia, a retired Trenton firefighter. Weve been coming here for many, many years. This was our hangout and were going to miss them.

Fred Armenti and Peter Catanese opened the deli in in May 1963 in the spot where it had its full run. Tom Armenti has owned it since March of 1981, and both Fred and Pete have since passed away.

Armenti declined to be interviewed, and people who know him well say he is just not a spotlight kind of guy. Maria Ialacci, an employee who said shes been working seven days a week since November, said simply of Armenti: Hes a good guy and he deserves to retire but hes going to be sorely missed.

Celentano rattled off numerous people who worked at the deli - he saw many of them - before they headed off to other pursuits.

A lot of prominent people worked here. They actually sliced bologna. We had the prosecutor (current Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri) we had a business manager, lawyers, eye doctors. They all worked here at one time. We had it all. A hell of a crew, Celentaco said.

This was where you got your street education. A lot of younger ones came through here and wound up with a pretty good career, he said

Onofri agreed.

He started working as a busser just before high school and stayed until he left for college. It was just a great place to work. I learned people skills, customer service and just that hard work ethic, Onofri said Wednesday. A few weeks ago, former employees gathered at the deli for a final trip down memory lane.

Its sad, he said.

The prosecutor said Fred & Petes reputation as a place where power and politics were discussed, while accurate, often was the main story. And the lottery.

But all along, Onofri said, the owners did a lot for the community, donating time, money and energy to many local efforts that often went unnoticed, like organizing the annual Easter egg hunt in town. They did a lot to support the community, always, Onofri said.

Onofri said Tom Arments father, Fred, hired him when he needed help with an egg hunt one year. What are you doing this weekend? Fred asked him. So, Im not doing anything became my job interview, Onofri recalled Wednesday with a chuckle.

Jennifer Stoop, a waitress for six years at Fred & Pete's gets a hug at the end of her shift on the final day, Wednesday, March 31, 2021.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A patron pauses outside after taking a photo of Fred & Pete's on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Patrons and employees take a photo of the clock and a sign at Fred & Pete's in Hamilton on the final day, Wednesday, March 31, 2021.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Customers socialize on the last day of operation for Fred & Pete's in Hamilton, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Tony Celentano, a longtime customer at Fred & Pete's in Hamilton, ruminates of the famed landmark deli & gathering place on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Mike Amantia, left, and his friend Tony Celentano, share a moment inside Fred & Pete's in Hamilton on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Barbara Schleher stands outside Fred & Pete's in Hamilton, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com.

Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com.
Bengaluru, April 2 : In the third phase of Covid vaccination drive, hundreds of citizens above 45 years of age, irrespective of comorbidities, received their first dose amid surging coronavirus cases in Karnataka, an official said on Thursday.

"The vaccination drive gathered momentum in the third phase as citizens above 45 years of age also received their first shot in state-run and private hospitals in cities and towns across the state on Thursday," a health official told IANS.

The southern state has around 1.66 crore people above 45 years of age.

According to the state health bulletin, a total of 39,465 people above 45 years, including senior citizens, people with comorbidities, healthcare workers and frontline warriors were vaccinated during the day across the state.

"Cumulatively, 38,50,572 people have been vaccinated across the state since the drive was launched on January 16 and stepped up on March 1 when senior citizens above 60 years and those with comorbidities in the 45-59 age bracket were also given the jab," the official said.

Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and state Health Minister K. Sudhakar appealed to all the eligible people to take the vaccine and protect themselves from the pandemic.

"As the protective cover against Coronavirus is vaccine, I urge every citizen above 45 years of age to get vaccinated at the earliest and strictly follow the Covid appropriate behaviour to be safe," Yediyurappa said in a statement.

Sudhakar, a medical doctor by profession, said that 5,500 centres have been set up across the state for vaccinating all the citizens above 45 years of age.

"We began vaccinating all citizens aged above 45 years at 5,500 sites, including 650 private centres. About 1.5 lakh doses of vaccine have been supplied to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to inoculate all the eligible people at about 600 centres across the city," said Sudhakar.

As the epicentre of the pandemic, this tech city registered 2,906 new positive cases on Wednesday, taking its Covid tally to 4,37,733, including 21,789 active cases, while 4,11,313 recovered, with 719 getting discharged on Wednesday.

"Vaccination will continue at all primary health centres, community health centres and all government and private hospitals at taluks and district hospitals and medical colleges across the state to inoculate every citizen," the health department said in a statement.

The health department has 13.5 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine and 1.5 lakh doses of Covaxin to vaccinate the eligible people.

"The vaccines have been supplied to all cold-chain points in all the 31 districts across the state," said an official.

The Union Health Ministry has assured the state of supplying additional vaccine does regularly to accelerate the drive to inoculate all citizens above 45 years of age in the coming months.

"No severe or serious Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) cases were reported from any vaccination centre across the state on Thursday. There have been only two serious and 23 AEFI cases in the state since the drive was launched on January 16," asserted the official.

Manipal Hospitals on the Old Airport road in the city's easter suburb began vaccinating citizens above 45 years of age.

"About 800 beneficiaries above 45 years received the first shot on the first day of the third phase drive," said the director of the private hospital, Manish Rai.

The hospital has set up 10 booths in its out-patient department to vaccinate the eligible citizens, as per the safety protocols.

"We see a quick transition in the inoculation drive, as the government has opened up vaccination for all people above 45 years. Given the (pandemic) situation in the country, this is the need of the hour to fight the virus," Rai said in a statement.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, April 1 : Carrying forward its ongoing probe into the SUV planting and a Thane businessman's death cases, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday raided a prominent eatery in south Mumbai, official sources said here.

The action, led by a NIA Superintendent of Police-level officer, came following a specific tip-off pertaining to certain meetings held at the restaurant located in the Girgaum area.

The NIA questioned the restaurant staff and owners on whether the prime accused -- arrested-suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze -- frequented the place, whether he used to be alone or accompanied by anyone else, and other details as it tried to crack the twin cases.

After seizing 7 vehicles till date, including the SUV Scorpio with 20 gelatin sticks and a threat note, which was abandoned near Antilia, the home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, the NIA is now on the trail of yet another luxury vehicle that was reportedly used/driven by Vaze.

The Scorpio found near Antilia on February 25 was owned by a Thane businessman, Mansukh Hiran, who was later found dead in the Thane Creek marshes on March 5.

The other six vehicles seized by NIA include an Innova, two black Mercedes Benz, a LandCruiser Prado, a Volvo bearing a Maharashtra registration but found in the Union Territory of Daman & Diu and on March 30, a Mitsubishi Outlander owned by Vaze.

"We are doing whatever is required for the probe to get at the bottom of the truth," an NIA official linked with the probe told IANS, preferring anonymity.
Risks of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection for long-stay nursing home residents were mainly dependent on factors in their nursing homes and surrounding communities, according to a large study led by a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

By contrast, the study found that the risks of being hospitalized with, and of dying from, COVID-19, depended more on patient-specific characteristics such as age and body mass index--although the mix of factors linked to hospitalization was distinct from the mix of factors linked to mortality.

The study, which appears online March 31 in JAMA Network Open, detailed COVID-19 risk factors among more than 480,000 long-stay nursing home residents in the United States between April 1 and September 30, 2020. The study is thought to be the first national study of long-term nursing home residents in the U.S.

Our findings suggest that the dynamics of the pandemic work differently in a nursing home setting than they do in the wider community. The findings should help community leaders and nursing home administrators in devising better protections for nursing home residents during the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic and in future pandemics." Hemalkumar Mehta, PhD, Study Lead Author, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School

Among the roughly 30 million recorded cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 500,000 deaths. Of those U.S. deaths, about one-third have been in nursing homes. These facilities have been especially vulnerable to COVID-19 due to their concentrations of frail, elderly residents.

Even so, the COVID-19 case, hospitalization, and mortality rates have varied greatly among nursing homes.

For their study, the researchers used Medicare data to identify a cohort of 482,323 long-stay nursing home residents, aged 65 and up, who had not yet been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of April 1 of last year. The cohort included residents at 15,038 nursing homes across the U.S.

A total of 137,119 residents (28.4 percent) were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the period April 1 through September 30. The researchers found that the risk of infection was dependent mainly on which nursing home the resident lived in, and in which county, rather than patient-specific factors.

When accounting for the influence of local factors, the large nominal differences in infection rates between whites and Blacks, whites and Asians, and whites and Latinos went virtually to zero.

Among the personal characteristics examined, only body mass index, a gauge of thinness or obesity, appeared to be important in determining infection risk: Having a BMI greater than 45 ("morbidly obese") was associated with 19 percent more infection risk than having a BMI in the normal range of 18.5 to 25.

The risk of hospitalization varied more with personal factors. A BMI of 40-45 was associated with 24 percent greater risk, and a BMI over 45 with 40 percent greater risk, compared to a BMI in the normal range.

Frailty and poor health appeared to be factors too. Residents with severe functional impairment were 15 percent likelier to be hospitalized when they got COVID-19; and those who had to use a catheter were 21 percent likelier.

Ethnicity/race was a big factor in hospitalization risk, even when adjusting for nursing home facility and geography. Asian nursing home residents, for example, were 46 percent more likely than whites to be hospitalized when diagnosed with COVID-19.

Somewhat surprisingly--and contrary to the results of prior studies outside nursing homes-- factors most associated with hospitalization risk appeared to have a lesser role in mortality risk after controlling for differences among nursing homes. Asians were more likely than whites to die when they got COVID-19, but only 19 percent more likely. Moreover, Blacks and Hispanics had no significant difference in mortality risk compared to whites.

Again surprisingly, BMI was not a significant risk factor for mortality--except for those with a BMI below the normal range, who had a 19 percent greater risk of dying when infected with COVID-19.

Older age was the largest apparent mortality risk factor. For example, being over 90 was associated with 155 percent greater risk, compared to being 65-70, and even being 81-85 brought a 76 percent increase in mortality risk compared to the youngest age bracket of 65-70 years.

Cognitive impairment was another mortality risk factor--severely impaired residents were 79 percent more likely to die of COVID-19 than those with no cognitive impairment. Similarly, severe functional impairment was associated with a 94 percent greater chance of mortality.

Male residents were 57 percent likelier than females to die when they had COVID-19.

On the whole, according to the researchers, the results suggest that hospitalization and mortality risks, which normally go together for people living at home, were somewhat disconnected in the nursing home setting, at least under the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This may represent resident or family preference to avoid hospitalization, triaging decisions when local hospitals were full, or other factors yet to be determined," Mehta says.

One bright spot in the data, the researchers note, is that the mortality rate dropped dramatically during the study period, from 29.9 percent in April to 15.8 percent in September.
A large batch of Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine failed quality standards after ingredients were mixed up at a Baltimore lab, the drug giant said Wednesday.

The drugmaker didnt say how many doses were lost, but the New York Times reported it was 15 million doses.

It remains unclear how the problem will impact future deliveries, and California public health officials are beginning to weigh the local effect.

The Golden State was allotted 572,700 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine for next week, according to Cal Matters, and this shipment will still arrive.

We are working with the federal government to learn more about potential impacts, California Department of Public Health spokesman Darrel Ng told SFGATE on Wednesday. Maintaining the highest standards during vaccine production to ensure safe and effective vaccines is a paramount concern.

Of the vaccine mishap news, Marin County's Public Health Officer Matt Willis said, "Thats a big blow. If it does reduce our access to J&J that is going to set us back. We're seeing increased demand for J&J across all communities."

J&J supply is already low in Marin as the county didn't receive any doses of the vaccine last week, and this week, they received an announcement that they won't be getting any next week. "So that's two weeks without any J&J," said Willis, explaining that it's unclear whether the low supply is related to the mix-up at the lab.

Willis said the county uses the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for its mobile clinics designed to inoculate vulnerable communities because it requires only one dose.

"To be able to go once, 'one and done,' is critical in these communities," he explained. "Weve been eager to utilize those J&J vaccines as much as we can get. Well continue to vaccinate people, but next week, with the delay in J&J, we'll have to answer the question, 'Do we wait for more J&J, or do we go ahead with our mobile operations with a two-dose regimen, knowing that the mobile van will be encumbered three to four weeks from now trying to do the second dose?' Well move less quickly to our hardest-hit communities."

Other Bay Area counties said they weren't aware of the impacts of the Johnson & Johnson situation. "I dont have much to share at this point," Michelle Durand, a spokesperson for San Mateo County, said. "Were still awaiting word on our dose allocation for next week."

Solano County said it was unaware of the situation.

Sonoma County said it will not impact the area. "We have only received one shipment of J&J  1,700 doses in February  and we are not expecting any new shipments of J&J in the near future," said Matt Brown, a spokesperson for Sonoma County.

San Francisco County said they also don't know the impacts. "We received no Johnson & Johnson this week and have not yet learned of our allocation for next week," a statement from the COVID Command Center read.

Contra Costa had a similar message: "At the moment, we don't think this will have a major impact on us in Contra Costa County. Most of our vaccine supply is Pfizer and Moderna. For instance, this week Johnson & Johnson makes up just 12% of our total weekly allocation from the state and feds (11,100 doses out 91,000 total)."

The good news is state officials said the Johnson & Johnson mix-up won't impact the switchover to the vaccine at the Oakland Coliseum, according to KPIX. The California Office of Emergency Services, which operates the site, told the TV station it has enough doses on hand to switch to Johnson & Johnson on Thursday as planned.

A vaccine ingredient made by Emergent BioSolutions  one of about 10 companies that Johnson & Johnson is using to speed up manufacturing of its recently approved vaccine  did not meet quality standards, J&J said.

Johnson & Johnson said the Emergent BioSolutions factory involved had not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make part of the vaccine. Emergent declined to comment.

Johnson & Johnson had pledged to provide 20 million doses of its vaccine to the U.S. government by the end of March, and 80 million more doses by the end of May. Its statement on the manufacturing problem said it was still planning to deliver 100 million doses by the end of June and was aiming to deliver those doses by the end of May.

A Johnson & Johnson spokesman said earlier Wednesday that the company met the end-of-March goal, but did not respond to questions about whether the Emergent plant in Baltimore, known as Bayview, had been cleared by FDA.

As of Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson had provided about 6.8 million doses to the U.S. vaccine effort, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions online vaccine tracker. Some additional doses may not yet have been recorded as delivered, and federal health officials said Wednesday that another 11 million doses of the vaccine would be available for shipments starting on Thursday.

It was not immediately clear where those 11 million doses originated, but J&J has been shipping finished vaccines from its factory in the Netherlands to the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Political forces, non-governmental organizations and circles of experts in Armenia have always criticized the rating electoral system (the system envisages election of a candidate for MP based on district lists-ed.). This is what deputy of the ruling My Step bloc of the National Assembly of Armenia Vahagn Hovakimyan said during todays discussion on the bill on making amendments and supplements to the Electoral Code in parliament, adding that there has been a public demand to change the electoral system ever since it was introduced.

Hovakimyan emphasized that there was initially consensus of political parties over the purely proportional electoral system. He mentioned that the public has always presented the demand to renounce the rating electoral system and that this is what the deputies are proposing to do.

Hovakimyan also said there have been changes made due to the spread of the coronavirus and mentioned that all countries are reviewing their approaches to elections during the pandemic.

The MP added that the ruling party has discussed the bill with the Central Electoral Commission, the Ministry of Justice, as well as international and non-governmental organizations and has forwarded it to the President of Armenia. He also stressed that the authorities are ready to discuss all the amendments that the opposition and the President propose.

All the remaining amendments made to the Electoral Code (granting persons having attained the age of 16 the right to vote and raising the threshold for alliances of political parties to cross) will be considered later, but not during todays session.

On March 18, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan informed that Armenia will hold snap parliamentary elections on June 20.
Boris Johnson has said he is very hopeful a solution can be found to save Liberty Steel as the firms owner insisted none of its plants would be shut under my watch.

Sanjeev Gupta has been urgently seeking to refinance its operations following the collapse of its main financial backer, Greensill Capital, threatening an estimated 5,000 jobs in the UK.

The Government has previously rejected an appeal by Libertys parent company, GFG Alliance, for a 170 million bailout amid concerns its opaque structures meant the funds could disappear into its international operations.

However, the Prime Minister said Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng remained in daily contact with the owners.

Boris Johnson, visiting a B&Q store in Middlesbrough, said steel was an important national asset (Scott Heppell/PA)

I think British steel is a very important national asset. I think the fact that we make steel in this country is of strategic long-term importance, he told reporters during a visit to Middlesbrough.

We need a strong steel industry. I am very hopeful that we will get a solution.

It would be crazy if we were not to use this post-Brexit moment to use the flexibility we have to buy British steel. So thats what we want to do.

Earlier, Mr Gupta said he was continuing efforts to find new sources of finance as he disclosed that they owed many billions to Greensill.

He insisted however that its overall global operations remained profitable and that they had had a huge amount of interest from financiers who were willing to back them.

Of course, given the situation, this sort of thing takes time and hence we need to find short-term solutions. But were not waiting for anybody. Weve taken matters into our own hands, Mr Gupta told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

Our overall global operations are profitable, we have refinancing offers, we will refinance and we will support our UK business also. None of my steel plants under my watch will be shut down.

He accepted that the UK has been a tough journey and labour of love, but added that he was committed to my UK steel plants.

Sanjeev Gupta has said there is a huge amount of interest in financing the company (Danny Lawson/PA)

I believe in them, they have a great future. Weve saved thousands of jobs here. Weve shown that economically those businesses can work, he said.

Mr Gupta said there had been positive discussions with the administrator for Greensill.

They had committed facilities from the financier for three years and that according to us, these debts are not due.

He added: It makes no sense for them or any of the creditors to destroy jobs but, more importantly, to destroy value, because that is the value which will give them the recovery.

Im very confident that we will find short-term solutions through our own efforts and will find long-term solutions through refinancing.

Greensill filed for insolvency earlier this month after failing to secure support through the Governments Covid Corporate Financing Facility.

Ministers have since been facing questions over lobbying by David Cameron on Greensills behalf  including reportedly sending text messages to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

Asked if the former prime minister did any lobbying work for him, Mr Gupta replied: I have not had any interactions with him.
The new measures were met with a mix of resignation and anger in France

The WHO on Thursday slammed Europe's "unacceptably slow" vaccine rollout and warned of a "worrying" surge in cases, as France became the latest country to impose new restrictions to combat soaring coronavirus infections.

In a sign of the devastation the virus is still causing while the world races to roll out vaccines, Brazil reported the country's death toll had spiralled last month.

Officials said more than 66,000 people had died of COVID-19 in Brazil in Marchmore than twice as many fatalities as the country's second-deadliest month of the pandemic, July 2020.

"Never in Brazilian history have we seen a single event kill so many people" in one month, said doctor Miguel Nicolelis, former pandemic response coordinator for Brazil's impoverished northeast.

With the southern hemisphere winter approaching and the virus spreading fast, Brazil is facing "a perfect storm", he told AFP.

The surge in Brazil has overwhelmed hospitals and forced doctors to make agonising decisions over whom to give life-saving careprioritising those most likely to survive.

The virus has killed more than 2.8 million people worldwide since it emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

And though the world is looking to vaccines to end the upheaval the virus has brought, rollouts are off to a sputtering start in many countries, notably in Europe.

"Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic... however, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow," the World Health Organization's director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement.

The surge in cases in France forced President Emmanuel Macron to relent and reimpose nationwide restrictions he rejected in January

'Precious weeks of liberty'

"We must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock," he added.

The organisation said Europe's virus situation was "more worrying than we have seen in several months" and that slow rollouts were "prolonging the pandemic".

Five weeks ago, the number of weekly new cases in the region had dipped to under one million. But last week there were 1.6 million new cases in Europe, the WHO said.

In France alone, daily cases have doubled to around 40,000 and hospitals are overflowing in flashpoints such as Paris.

The surge forced President Emmanuel Macron to relent and reimpose nationwide restrictions he rejected in January.

"We gained precious weeks of liberty," he said in a national address late Wednesday, but the current measures "were too limited at a time when the epidemic is accelerating".

The limited lockdown already in place in regions, including Paris, would be extended to the whole country from Saturday night for the next four weeks, he said.

Brazil recorded a staggering 66,573 Covid deaths in March, with hospitals overwhelmed and doctors forced to make agonising decisions over whom to give life-saving care

Schools will close for three or four weeks depending on age level, he added.

The measures were met with a mix of resignation and anger, despite Macron's suggestion that France could begin envisioning a return to normalcy by mid-May.

"Lockdown, the sequel... and the end?" Le Figaro headlined its front page Thursday.

And Le Parisien said Macron was defending his strategy of "slowing without shutting down" even though "the situation has never been so dangerous or complicated".

Travel bubble

As during the first lockdown last spring, parents are scrambling to make arrangements for another round of distance learning.

"It was absolutely necessary to close the schools, even if it will be complicated for parents, and especially young children, to manage this situation," said Laure, a 44-year-old researcher with two young boys in Paris.

In Italy, Prime Minister Mario Draghi extended restrictions until April 30, including restaurant and business closures.

Toll of coronavirus infections and deaths worldwide and in worst-affected countries based on AFP tallies, as of April 1 at 1000 GMT

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier received the first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine on Thursday, just two days after authorities there recommended use of the jab only for people aged 60 and over.

German officials have been at pains to shore up public confidence in AstraZeneca's vaccine, which has been on a rollercoaster ride in Europe.

Several other countries, including France, Spain and Canada, have also imposed age limits on the AstraZeneca shot over the occurrence of rare but severe blood clots in younger people.

The European medicines regulator said that experts probing links between the vaccine and blood clots have found no specific risk factors, though they are investigating further.

In a setback for another vaccine maker, about 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine were ruined in a factory error, The New York Times reporteda blow to the US company's efforts to quickly boost production.

Meanwhile, Taiwan and Palau launched a rare holiday travel bubble on Thursday as the two diplomatic allies try to kickstart their battered tourist industries after successfully keeping infections at bay.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Some research topics conducted by high school students, such as stroke patient rehabilitation or cancer treatment, could be titles for doctoral dissertations or even in-depth research projects at the ministerial or national level.

Twelve projects win first prizes at the 2020-2021 national science and technology contest for high school students

Dr Le Van Ut, head of the Science and Technology Development Management Department at Ton Duc Thang University, said the essence of scientific research is discovery, or finding new things. This can be new knowledge which contributes to humans' common treasure of knowledge, and does not necessarily have immediate commercial value. This is the result of research published in the form of scientific articles.

Research results can also help solve problems in real life, called applied studies. Or they can be shown via technology transfer projects.

As such, scientific research is a meticulous process which strictly observes rules and has novelty.

Only when becoming a masters degree student can one study the ways of research methodically.

Masters students, in order to finish training courses and receive a degree, have to conduct research and write a thesis.

And postgraduates engage in rigorous research in a process that takes many years to complete a doctoral program.

The fact that high school students can conduct academic research and produce in-depth research products is a matter worth consideration.

In fact, an age limit doesnt exist in scientific research. The crucial issue is whether the research is conducted methodically and produces results.

Ut said it is great to witness the passion for science of high school students who are willing to cope with thorny and very specialized issues, such as working on devices that help rehabilitate post-stroke patients hands; on isolation of compounds that inhibit the proliferation of aortic smooth muscle cells to prevent and treat artery rupture fibrosis; and on cancer treatment and use of artificial intelligence (AI) for early warning about risks in shrimp farming.

Ut said if Vietnam has "prodigies" who can begin conducting scientific research in a professional way when they are at high school, the nation should feel fortunate.

Twelve projects have won first prizes at the 2020-2021 national science and technology contest for high school students. Ninety one prizes were given to projects, including 12 first prizes, 19 second prizes, 26 third prizes and 34 fourth prizes.

The contest was organized in Thua Thien-Hue province on March 25-27.

Le Huyen

Maths students have a lot of career options: experts While a variety of careers are open to maths majors as mathematics is involved in most sectors related to science and technology, students should prepare to adapt to their future jobs, experts have said.
The sweeping rewrite of Georgia's election rules, signed into law last Thursday by Republican Governor Brian Kemp, makes numerous changes to how elections will be administered, including a new photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail.

Republican supporters say the law is needed to restore confidence in Georgia's elections. Democrats say it will restrict voting access, especially for voters of color. Here's a look at some of the top issues:

African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Reginald Jackson announces a boycott of Coca-Cola Co. products outside the Georgia Capitol on Thursday, March 25, 2021 in Atlanta

The State Election Board can now take over local election offices and replace officials

Much of the work administering elections in Georgia is handled by the state's 159 counties. The law gives the State Election Board new powers to intervene in county election offices and to remove and replace local election officials. That has led to concerns that the Republican-controlled state board could exert more influence over the administration of elections, including the certification of county results.

One target for intervention could be Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that contains most of Atlanta. The heavily-populated county has been plagued by problems, including long lines, and it is often singled out by Republican officials. Under the law, the board could intervene in up to four counties at a time and install a temporary superintendent with the ability to hire and fire personnel including elections directors and poll officers.

Demonstrators in Atlanta hold a rally outside of the World Of Coca-Cola museum protesting the Coca-Cola corporation's donations to several politicians who are in support of several voting bills that are an attempt at voter suppression

Anyone handing out snacks or water to voters in line can be prosecuted

The new law makes it a misdemeanor to hand out 'any money or gifts, including, but not limited to, food and drink' to anyone standing in line to vote. The prohibition extends 150 feet from a polling place and 25 feet from any person standing in line.

Advocates of the law say they are attempting to crack down on political organizations or advocacy groups trying to influence voters just before they cast a ballot. Critics say it's cruel and would penalize even nonpartisan groups or individuals for something as simple as giving water to someone waiting in a long line. Democratic state Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler slammed the proposal Thursday before the bill was signed into law, saying: 'They want to make it a crime to bring Grandma some water while she's waiting in line.'

Georgia lawmakers argue that polling places would be able to, but not required to, set up self-serve water dispensers for voters.

Early voting and black-voter drives as Georgia residents attended church were seen as vital in securing Senate run-off victories for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock

Early weekend voting has been expanded, rather than restricted

Republicans had proposed at one time to limit early voting on weekends, a time when many black churches conduct 'souls to the polls' efforts to take congregants to vote. But Republicans reversed themselves, and the measure now expands weekend early voting. Previously, one day of weekend voting was required, with counties given the option of offering more. Now two Saturdays will be required, and counties can offer two Sunday voting days as well. Republicans point to this provision to argue they are actually expanding, rather than restricting, voting access.

'Contrary to the hyper-partisan rhetoric you may have heard inside and outside this gold dome, the facts are that this new law will expand voting access in the Peach State,' Kemp said Thursday.

State Rep. Park Cannon, D-Atlanta, is placed into the back of a Georgia State Capitol patrol car after being arrested by Georgia State Troopers at the Georgia State Capitol Building in Atlanta, Thursday, March 25, 2021

Georgia's runoff races will be shortened

Georgia is the only state in the nation that mandates runoff elections between the top two finishers following general elections in which no candidate achieves a majority. Like some other states, Georgia also mandates runoffs for candidates who do not win a majority in a party primary.

The system came under scrutiny from Republicans after Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won twin runoffs in January.

The new law shortens the time for runoffs from nine weeks to four, with lawmakers saying the current span is 'exhausting' and needs to be shortened to a 'more manageable period.'

Military and overseas voters will use ranked-choice absentee ballots to rank all possible candidates before a primary or general election, allowing their preferences to be determined in any possible runoff. Georgia only had three weeks before runoffs until 2013, when a federal judge ordered a longer gap to give military and overseas voters more time to return ballots.

The shorter period means less time for early and mail voting. Early voting had lasted three weeks before runoffs. Now early voting would begin 'as soon as possible' but no later than the second Monday before the election, possibly leaving as little as five weekdays and no weekend days of early voting. Voters would also have less time to apply for a mail ballot.

No new voters could be registered in the period before a runoff because the registration deadline would be the day before the earlier election.

Protesters opposed to changes in Georgia's voting laws sit on the steps inside the State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga., as the Legislature breaks for lunch Monday, March 8, 2021, in Atlanta

Opponents vow to keep fighting the new laws

Three groups filed a lawsuit late Thursday to try to block the law. The New Georgia Project, Black Voters Matter and Rise Inc. say the law violates the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, as well as parts of the federal Voting Rights Act that say states cannot restrict Black voter participation.

'These unjustified measures will individually and cumulatively operate to impose unconstitutional burdens on the right to vote, to deny or abridge the voting rights of Black Georgians, and to deny Black voters in Georgia an equal opportunity to participate in the electoral process and elect candidates of their choice,' says the lawsuit, which is filed against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia's State Elections Board.

Opponents are also looking to Congress, which is considering nationwide voting standards. A Democratic-backed measure passed the House earlier this month, but faces opposition from Senate Republicans wary of a federal takeover of state elections.

The federal proposal would create automatic voter registration nationwide, allow former felons to vote, and limit the ways states can remove registered voters from their rolls. It would expand voting by mail, promote early voting and give states money to track absentee ballots.




Haiti - Japan : 2 new projects funded by Japan





On Tuesday, the Embassy of Japan in Haiti signed two grant contracts in the areas of Agriculture and Education, at the level of the departments of the Center (Hinche and Lascahobas). The ceremony took place in the presence of the Japanese Ambassador to Haiti, Mr. Mizuno Mitsuaki and representatives of the two local beneficiary organizations. These projects are carried out under the "Aid in the form of Donations to Local Micro-Projects contributing to Human Security (LPA)" program and the total amount of funding for these two projects totals US $ 321,055.00.



The first project "The Project for the Implementation of a Modern Sugar Cane Mill" funded to the tune of 145,421.00 US dollars, was submitted by the Kominote Familyal Peyizan Organization (KFP / Center) intends to strengthen the sugar cane by increasing the performance of the production chain through the construction of a sugar cane processing center equipped with a motor mill, boilers and vats.



The second project "The Lacolline Community School Construction Project" funded to the tune of 175,634.00 US dollars, will be executed by the Training Center for Deprived Children (CFED) in order to facilitate access to basic education and create better learning conditions for children. The construction of 6 classrooms equipped with adequate school furniture, a sanitary block and an administrative block will be carried out within the framework of this project for the benefit of 350 children and 6 teachers. It is expected, according to the CFED, that these figures will be almost doubled after the project by the adoption of the double-shift system.



According to the four main components of Japanese cooperation with Haiti, namely : Improvement of the Sanitary and Hygienic Situation, Promotion of Education, Strengthening of Agriculture and Food Security, Disaster Prevention and Climate Change, these support projects meet Japan's cooperation criteria, whose the main purpose of which is to offer better living conditions to the Haitian population, for the sake of support towards sustainable development to which the Haitian Government is committed to actively engages.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















The West Indies made the perfect start by taking the final two Sri Lankan wickets early on

Sloppy cricket from Sri Lanka allowed the West Indies to build on a 96-run first-innings lead, with the home side extending their overall advantage to 165 at lunch on the fourth day of the second and final Test in Antigua on Thursday.

After Kemar Roach polished off the Sri Lankan first innings by taking the last two wickets in the space of three deliveries in the fourth over of the morning, West Indies went in pursuit of quick runs to consolidate their position and reached 69 for two.

They lost John Campbell early, the left-handed opener again dismissed to a catch by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella off seamer Suranga Lakmal.

New batsman Jermaine Blackwood lived a charmed life immediately on his arrival at the crease, surviving a confident leg-before appeal to Lakmal and then being badly dropped at first slip by Lahiru Thirimanne off the other opening bowler, Vishwa Fernando.

His luck eventually ran out with his score on 18, Dushmantha Chameera, the third pacer in the Sri Lankan bowling attack, inducing an edge for Dickwella to take his seventh catch of the innings.

Blackwood was promoted up the batting order as regular number three Nkrumah Bonner continues to be hampered by whiplash-like symptoms sustained while fielding on the second day of the match.

West Indies captain Brathwaite, who should have been run out in a mix-up with Blackwood, only to be reprieved by Sri Lankan counterpart Dimuth Karunaratne's failure to collect a return to the bowler's end, will resume in the afternoon session on 22 alongside Kyle Mayers (nine not out).

Sri Lanka's efforts to limit West Indies' progress have been hampered by what appears to be a serious leg injury to Lasith Embuldenya, the left-arm spinner being taken off the field on a stretcher when an attempted sliding save in the outfield went badly wrong.

Their day had started badly when Pathum Nissanka could only add two more runs to his overnight 49 before top-edging an attempted pull off Roach for substitute fielder Hayden Walsh Jr to take his second catch of the innings at deep square-leg.

Roach then wrapped up the innings by having last man Fernando caught behind to finish with the best figures of three for 58.

str/jc
Construction for China-aided rural poverty alleviation facilities kicks off in Laos

Xinhua) 10:22, April 01, 2021

VIENTIANE, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China has shared its experiences with Laos on poverty alleviation as construction has begun here for China-aided rural poverty alleviation facilities.

Jiang Zaidong, Chinese ambassador to Laos, introduced the situation of China's poverty alleviation at the groundbreaking ceremony for the project in Lao capital Vientiane on Tuesday, noting that China has been actively participating in global poverty reduction efforts.

China and Laos, watching and helping each, are a community with a shared future, said the Chinese ambassador, adding that Chinese people hope that the brotherly Lao people will live a good life and China will continue to promote bilateral cooperation in poverty alleviation.

Khemmani Pholsena, Lao minister to the Presidential Office, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government for the selfless assistance and precious support in poverty reduction.

As a close neighbor and a community with a shared future, the Lao side is pleased to see the brotherly Chinese people have achieved a comprehensive victory in the fight against poverty and set an example for the whole world, said the Lao minister, extending sincere admiration to the Chinese side for insisting on putting the people at the center, insisting on starting everything from the interests of the people, and insisting on implementing targeted poverty alleviation.

"China's comprehensive victory in the fight against poverty will not only bring a better life to the Chinese people, but also bring tangible benefits to the people of the world," said Khemmani.

"China's successful experience has provided practical and feasible lessons for all countries in the world, especially developing countries, and I believe that Laos-China cooperation in poverty alleviation will definitely make greater contributions to Laos's sustainable development," said the Lao minister.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Liang Jun)
Kolkata, April 1 : A very confident looking Suvendu Adhikari claimed over 80 per cent polling by the day ends, given the fact that he saw serpentine queues outside polling booths in Nandigram starting 5 a.m. -- much ahead the electoral process started on Thursday.

Six hours into polling for the 30 assembly constituencies in the second phase, the Election Commission reported 38.23 per cent voter turnout.

Signalling the high voter turnout as 75,94,549 electorate decide the fate of 171 candidates on the day, Adhikari told the media that it will be landslide of sort as he has watched how enthusiastically the voters have answered to the BJP's call for voting in large numbers.

Polling is taking place amid strict Covid-19 guidelines in nine seats of Paschim Medinipur, eight in Bankura, four in South 24 Parganas and nine seats in Purba Medinipur.

The epicentre of course is the battle in Nandigram -- with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee taking on her protege-turned-bete noire Adhikari.

Hours before the voting began, a Trinamool Congress worker, Uttam Golui, was hacked to death in Keshpur, Paschim Medinipur outside a party office. The Trinamool has accused the BJP of murdering Golui.

Violence have been reported from some parts of districts. A woman polling agent of BJP at booth number 173 in Keshpur was beaten up allegedly by Trinamool workers.

BJP leader Tanmay Ghosh's car was vandalised in Keshpur assembly constituency. Keshpur was placed under massive security after stones were thrown at the BJP candidate's car.

Earlier, some CPI-M workers agitated at Ghatal after they were allegedly stopped by Trinamool workers as they were on their way to cast their vote.

Asked whether there has been a spike in violence at this year's poll, Adhikari told the media that now that there was an opposition to the ruling dispensation, there was bound to be some reaction.

By and large, though the situation was peaceful, poll panel officials said.

Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien tweeted: "BJP and their mind games! Won't work. Trinamool booth agents ROCK SOLID in 354 booths in #Nandigram. We have registered complaints for 10 booths. All attempts by CRPF to influence/intimidate voters not working. People determined to have @MamataOfficial as their MLA." His tweet followed his complaint to the EC: "Huge mob of BJP workers have entered booth no.s 6, 7, 49, 27, 162, 21, 26, 13, 262, 256, 163, 20. BJP workers attempting to take control of EVM & rigging the booth." Till 1 p.m. the voter turnout: in Bankura district was 57.86 per cent, Paschim Medinipur 59.32, Purba Medinipur 60.32 and South 24 Parganas 36.43 per cent, according to the Election Commission's voter turnout App.

Voting began at 7 a.m. Many, including the first-time voters, reached polling stations hours before the voting began. Of the 171 candidates in the fray -- 152 male, 19 female. Polling will continue till 6 p.m.

The Election Commission is on its toes to check any further violence. It has also started air surveillance in many areas with the help of a helicopter. People who are not voters of Nandigram are reportedly not being allowed to enter the constituency in view of the sensitivity. The commission has also deployed a 22-personnel quick response teams (QRTs).

Of the 75,94,549 voters -- 38,80,955 men and 37,13,508 women who will cast their votes across 10,620 polling stations.

Nearly 700 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies have been deployed in all the districts to ensure a completely peaceful and fearless environment for polling.

The entire Nandigram has been placed under Section 144 of the CrPC.

Banerjee is seeking a third term in office from Nandigram Assembly constituency of Purba Medinipur district.

For her and the BJP the battle for Nandigram is a prestige fight because it was the 2007 agitation against land acquisition in the region which catapulted her to the Chief Minister's post and to the centre stage of politics in the state, paving the way for the Trinamool's victory in the 2011 Assembly polls that ended 34 years of Left Front rule.

In the high stakes poll battle this time, a victory is a must for Banerjee so that she can lead the government and keep together her party, which is faced with exodus.

For Adhikari, it is a battle for political survival as a defeat would be a devastating blow and might also put a question mark on his political graph in his new party. the BJP.

A victory would not only establish him as one of the tallest leaders in West Bengal but would also push him a few miles ahead of others in the Chief Ministerial race in case the BJP is voted to power.

Covid-19 protocols for the voters, including social distancing and thermal screening are being maintained.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
BEIJING, Apr. 1 -- Led by the Sector Juba commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), a 13-member multinational evaluation group inspected the barracks of the 7th Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion to South Sudan (Juba) and made an comprehensive evaluation of the troops' war-preparedness on March 26, local time.

Being the only completely-formed combat contingent currently deployed overseas by China, the peacekeeping infantry battalion is stationed in South Sudan, East Africa, one of the poorest countries and one of the most dangerous mission areas in the world.

The Chinese peacekeepers have been highly affirmed by UNMISS and widely praised by local people for their excellent efforts on missions since deployment, including long/short-distance patrol, armed escort, humanitarian aid and all-weather UN House Security Guard, and patrols in weapons exclusion zone.

The two-day comprehensive evaluation focused on nine aspects involving 95 items, including combat, intelligence, personnel management, military-civilian coordination, logistics, communication, etc.

A fast response platoon arrives at the site to carry out anti-explosive tasks in the live-fire drill stage. ( Photo by Cao Zhuang)

Under the background of serious pandemic and political tension in the mission area, the war-preparedness evaluation this time was more rigorous. It was an all-round examination of the battalions ability to fulfill the peacekeeping missions effectively.

In this evaluation, the Chinese peacekeepers were highly spoken of by the UNMISS Sector Juba for its meticulous war-preparedness mechanism, comprehensive strength, and the peacekeepers exceptional emergency handling capability and high vigilance.
HOUSTON  In early March, a delivery truck carrying dozens of bags of live Louisiana crawfish arrived at Crawfish & Noodles. The restaurant, in a district known as Asiatown, is arguably Houstons best-known purveyor of Viet-Cajun crawfish. The style expands the flavor profile of traditional South Louisiana whole boiled crawfish, with modified spice blends and a twist developed by Vietnamese-American chefs: a generous bath in seasoned butter sauce.

While Crawfish & Noodles serves its signature dish year-round, the restaurant is busiest in the spring, when crawfish are in season. Given how much business he lost during the shutdowns at the start of the pandemic last year, Trong Nguyen (below), the restaurants owner and head chef, feared that the winter storms that ravaged Texas in February  and delayed the crawfish harvest in Louisiana  would cause similar harm this spring.

I need the high season to get through the slow season, he said. Last year, we didnt get that.
Jason Bragg McIntosh killed his wife in December 2019. He will spend the next 30 years in prison

An Alabama cop who shot his estranged wife in the head after frog marching her out of an oyster bar in front of her friends has pleaded guilty to her murder.

Jason McIntosh pleaded guilty to murder as part of an agreement that puts him behind bars for 30 years.

The 46-year-old murdered his 31-year-old estranged wife Megan in December 2019 after marching her out of a bar where she was drinking with her friends in Mountain Brook, Alabama, and driving her to a parking lot where he beat her and shot her in the head.

She had complained to police that he was violent and had taken out a restraining order against him.

Nine months before she died, he left his job in the police force after shooting her in the arm.

On Wednesday, a judge accepted the plea deal which had him admit murder but not capital murder. Had he been convicted of capital murder, he would have faced the death penalty. Her family has not yet reacted to the sentencing.

The pair were married on February 2, 2018, and separated a year later on February 23, the same day as police were called to their home to reports that McIntosh  then an officer  had shot Montgomery in the arm.

Police reports show McIntosh told officers he and Montgomery were involved in a domestic incident and were wrestling over a handgun when it fired. He was placed on leave pending the outcome of that investigation but resigned two days later.

Jason and his wife Megan were married briefly between February 2018 and February 2019. She was dead by December that year. They are shown getting engaged

The pair before their relationship turned violent. In February 2019, McIntosh shot his wife in the arm

These are some of the texts he sent his wife before she died. She shared them online to show other women how to recognize abusive behavior

Investigators said they later determined Montgomery had been the aggressor in the dispute, and she declined to press charges against McIntosh.

Megan's family have not yet reacted publicly to the sentencing

The following month Montgomery obtained a restraining order against McIntosh, seeking protection from him harassing, annoying, assaulting, striking, hitting, intimidating, threatening, interfering with, telephoning or in any fashion harming or contacting her.

Montgomery officially began the process of filing for a divorce in May, but court records observed by AL.com show the case was still active at the time of her death.

Two days after the filing, McIntosh was taken into custody once again on a domestic violence charge. Police say interviews with the pair determined that a verbal argument escalated into a physical confrontation in the early hours of the morning.

Montgomery suffered scrapes and red marks all over her body but was said to have refused medical attention. McIntosh, meanwhile, was taken into custody and charged with third-degree domestic violence.

In addition to posting about her passions of fitness and volunteering, Montgomery dedicated a number of Instagram posts and stories to raise awareness about the warnings signs of violent relationships and how difficult it can be to escape them.

She shared a number of disturbing texts he sent her.


Our teams unparalleled creativity in developing innovative marketing and communications strategies has propelled our business forward. Clients love our fresh ideas and attention to detail that help elevate their brand, says Elena Rivera-Cheek, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of Copy & Art.

Inc. Magazine ranked White Plains-based Copy & Art number 116 on its second annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: New York City Metro list, the most prestigious ranking of the New York City area-based private companies. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the New York City Metro Regions most dynamic segment  it's independent small businesses.

"Our teams unparalleled creativity in developing innovative marketing and communications strategies has propelled our business forward. Clients love our fresh ideas and attention to detail that help elevate their brand, says Elena Rivera-Cheek, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of Copy & Art. Our impressive two-year revenue growth that helped us earn this recognition represents the hard work and dedication of our team, and the trust that our clients place in us.

The companies on this list show stunning rates of growth across all industries in the New York City Metro area, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at https://www.inc.com/inc5000/regionals/new-york.

This list proves the power of companies in the New York City area, no matter the industry, says Inc. Editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. The impressive revenues and growth rates prove the insight and diligence of CEOs and that these businesses are here to stay.

About Copy & Art

Copy & Art is a boutique health care communications firm. We are a certified MBE, woman-owned and managed. We offer full creative capabilities including copywriting, design, research, marketing strategy and brand-related meeting strategy. We create customer-facing and internal communications and strive for excellence with every client project and experience.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals Methodology

The 2021 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2017 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent  not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies  as of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $1 million. As always, Inc. Reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media:

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
New Orleans civil rights icon Ruby Bridges will give Tulane's spring commencement address, the university announced this week. It will be virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. on May 22.

At age 6, Bridges became the youngest and most recognized member of a group of Black students to integrate public schools in New Orleans in 1960. She enrolled at William Frantz Elementary School, which is now Akili Academy on North Galvez Street. A statue of her outside the school commemorates her actions.

Her experience was depicted in a now-famous Norman Rockwell painting called "The Problem We All Live With," which shows her being escorted by U.S. Marshals. In the painting, there's a racial slur on the wall behind her along with smashed tomatoes. See the painting.

Tulane will host smaller, in-person ceremonies the same weekend for individual schools and colleges within the university. Attendance will be limited to graduating students and no more than two guests per graduate. The events also will be livestreamed.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Here's the full schedule.

+21 New Orleans students honor Ruby Bridges 60 years after she desegregated William Frantz school Sixty years after Ruby Bridges walked into William Frantz Public School as part of a nascent effort to desegregate New Orleans public schools,

+4 The little girls who desegregated New Orleans schools On Nov. 14, 1960, three little girls made their way up the steps of McDonogh 19 Elementary School in the company of U.S. marshals.
An alleged member of a crime syndicate has been charged after police seized multiple firearms, drugs and cash during a raid.

Jean-Paul Issa, 26, was arrested at a home in Seven Hills in Sydney's west about 5pm on Wednesday, and later charged with three outstanding warrants and 19 offences.

The arrest follows a raid by the anti-bikie Raptor Squad and the Tactical Operations Unit at a Bossley Park home in Western Sydney on Thursday, March 25.

Jean-Paul Issa (pictured), 26, was arrested at a home in Seven Hills in Sydney's west about 5pm on Wednesday, and later charged with three outstanding warrants and 19 offences

A second search in the backyard and granny flat uncovered a 9mm Beretta handgun, .22 revolver, ammunition and $3,250 cash

NSW also seized cocaine, methylamphetamine, cannabis, MDMA, steroids and prescription medication from the Bossley Park home

Police allege they found cocaine, methylamphetamine, cannabis, MDMA, steroids and prescription medication.

An electronic stun device, two ballistic vests, multiple fireworks, a selection of chemicals and electronic devices were also allegedly seized.

A second search in the backyard and granny flat allegedly uncovered a 9mm Beretta handgun, .22 revolver, ammunition and $3,250 cash.

The items have been taken for further forensic investigation.

The Raptor Squad raided a home in Bossley Park on March 25 and seized a 9mm Beretta handgun

NSW police also confiscated cocaine, methylamphetamine, cannabis, MDMA, steroids and prescription medication during a search warrant

During a raid at a Bossley Park home in Western Sydney on Thursday, March 25, police also seized $3,250

Issa was charged with three outstanding warrants and 19 additional offences including possessing an unauthorised pistol and firearm, not keeping a firearm safely and possessing ammunition without holding a license.

He was also charged with supplying prohibited drugs, possessing, supplying or making explosives for unlawful purpose and foods suspected stolen in or in premises.

The 26-year-old was taken to Blacktown Police Station and will appear in Blacktown local court on Thursday.
TOKYO, Apr 1, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - RIKEN and Fujitsu today announced the opening of the "RIKEN RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Center" to promote joint research and development of foundational technologies to put superconducting quantum computers into practical use. More specifically, Riken and Fujitsu will develop hardware and software technologies to realize a quantum computer with as many as 1000 qubits and develop applications using a prototype quantum computer. These efforts will be centered around RIKEN's ongoing work with advanced superconducting quantum computing technologies along with Fujitsu's computing technologies. These capabilities will be integrated with applied knowledge of quantum technologies based on a customer perspective, which has been acquired from application of Fujitsu's Digital Annealer, supporting joint research and development activities to accelerate the practical application of such technologies.The collaboration center is positioned within the "RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing," also established on April 1 for the purpose of driving R&D into quantum computers and related fundamental theories, technologies, hardware, and software.With the establishment of the new collaboration center, RIKEN and Fujitsu will further pursue the joint research on superconducting quantum computers first announced in October 2020, and will clarify the organizational mission and strengthen the R&D structure. Under their joint R&D activities, the two partners aim to develop foundational technologies for realizing fault tolerant superconducting quantum computers that contribute to solving persistent challenges facing society through comprehensive and efficient research at each technology layer.Ultimately, the results of the joint activities conducted at this collaboration center not only offer the potential for real-world applications in areas like drug discovery and material sciences, but will also contribute to the development of science and technology both in Japan and throughout the world by shedding new light on physical phenomena and fundamental scientific theory.About "RIKEN RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Center"1. Name:RIKEN RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Center2. Address:Located within RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing (Wako, Saitama, Japan)3. Period of Activity:April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2025 (scheduled to continue after April 2025)4. Research Overview:1. Research on superconducting quantum computer hardwareWith the aim of increasing the scale of superconducting quantum computers to 1000 qubits, the partners will conduct R&D into foundational technologies, such as improving the dispersion in qubit manufacturing, reducing the size and noise of peripheral components and wiring, and implementing packages and chips at low temperatures. In addition, Fujitsu and RIKEN will integrate the results of research on these hardware technologies, develop a prototype superconducting quantum computer, and verify the usefulness of the related technologies.2. Research on superconducting quantum computer softwareThe partners will develop middleware and cloud computing systems necessary for running quantum computers, and research and develop algorithms for running applications. RIKEN and Fujitsu will verify the usefulness of error mitigation technologies in practical applications by executing quantum algorithms that integrate quantum chemical calculation algorithms and quantum error mitigation technologies (1) on a superconducting quantum computer prototype developed through these research activities. At the same time, the partners will also conduct basic verification experiments, such as quantum error detection, to identify issues and improve technologies for realizing quantum error correction.Future PlansRIKEN and Fujitsu will continue striving to innovate toward the realization of a more sustainable world, creating opportunities for co-creation with various research institutions and companies to develop science and technology using quantum computers.(1) error mitigation technologies:technology for reducing the influence of an error generated during operation of a quantum computer by statistical processing. Joint research conducted with Quantum BenchmarkPress Release: "Fujitsu Commences Joint Research with World-Leading Institutions for Innovations in Quantum Computing"About RIKENRIKEN is Japan's largest comprehensive research institution renowned for high-quality research in a diverse range of scientific disciplines. Founded in 1917 as a private research foundation in Tokyo, RIKEN has grown rapidly in size and scope, today encompassing a network of world-class research centers and institutes across Japan. https://www.riken.jp/en/about/About FujitsuFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 130,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.9 trillion yen (US$35 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed the Ministry of Transport consider the gradual reopening of regular international commercial routes in three stages in the remaining part of this year.

In the first phase, such international commercial flights will be opened to Vietnamese citizens with the approval of competent agencies.

Vietnamese airlines and travel companies must coordinate with local authorities and diplomatic agencies to arrange the reception and quarantine of passengers at hotels.

Air tickets, COVID-19 tests, quarantine costs at hotels, meals for 15 days, and pickup service fees will be charged in the package.

The package flights will be launched along with the repatriation services organized by the national government, whose passengers will be sent to centralized quarantine facilities instead of hotels.

The operation markets of these flights will be decided at the request of Vietnamese carriers.

The flight frequency will depend on the quarantine capacity of each locality.

Permits for these flights can be granted only after local authorities agree to the reception and quarantine plan.

In the second phase, international commercial flights will be opened to both Vietnamese and foreign citizens.

Passengers will be subject to quarantine upon their arrival but they will not be requested to submit COVID-19 test certificates.

These flights are expected to be deployed from July and operated together with the aforementioned package flights carrying stranded Vietnamese citizens home.

The first routes will include those connecting Vietnam with Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The airlines of each side will operate these flights with the frequency of four flights per week per turn.

In total, 24 flights will carry 6,000-7,000 passengers to Vietnam from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan every week.

The airlines must submit a flight plan that includes the quarantine and admission scheme approved by the locality where the airport of landing is located.

Passengers must pay the full package of airfares, cost of 15-day isolation at local hotels, pickup service from the airport to the quarantine hotel, three standard meals a day, and cost of COVID-19 tests to the airline or a designated partner.

Inbound passengers on each flight will be arranged to stay seperately at two to three different hotels.

In the third phase, regular international commercial flights will resume, without passengers being subject to quarantine upon arrival, after the acceptance of vaccination passports in Vietnam.

These flights are expected to be operated from September, depending on the progress of COVID-19 vaccination and the level of herd immunity in Vietnam.

The flights will reconnect Vietnam with the countries and territories that have recognized the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines used in the Southeast Asian country, with the initial frequency of seven flights per week per turn for the airlines of each side.

Passengers with a negative result using the real-time PCR technique within three to five days before entering Vietnam and an international vaccination certificate will be exempted from centralized quarantine.

After making entry into Vietnam, passengers must declare their stays to the local authorities of their place of residence and self-quarantine for seven to 14 days under the guidance of the Ministry of Health.

Passengers who fail to submit the negative test certificate and international vaccination pass must undergo a 14-day paid quarantine period.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has closed its borders to foreign visitors since March last year and only allowed entry to certain people like international experts and diplomats who will be quarantined upon arrival.

The country has recorded 2,603 cases of COVID-19, with 2,359 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths as of Thursday morning, according to the Ministry of Healths data.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Northern region to face hail

The northern region of Vietnam has been forecasted to see a cold spell and widespread rain, even hail, in the days to come.



According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the cold wave would affect the north on April 4-6.





The northern region of Vietnam has been forecasted to see a cold spell





Today, April 1, and tomorrow, the northern region would continue facing hot weather with the highest temperature of 35-37 degrees centigrade. The temperature has even reached over 40 degrees centigrade in mountainous areas.



In the last two weeks of April, the weather in the northern region would be quite cool. Rain, even strong wind and hail, have also been predicted.



The region would see some short cold snaps at the end of April.



Temperatures this summer would be equal to that of previous years.



Meanwhile, the southern region would witness the hot weather from the end of April.
Highlights Realme Narzo 30 launching soon.

It is expected to launch in both 4G and 5G variants.

It is tipped to come with a 5000mAh battery.

Realme's sub-brand Narzo unveiled the Narzo 30 back in February last year. The series brought two devices, namely Narzo 30 Pro 5G and Narzo 30A. A fresh leak has appeared to reveal the specs and live pictures of a new device in the same lineup. This new smartphone, dubbed as Realme Narzo 30, has also been listed on Indonesia Telecom and US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certification sites. This indicates that the smartphone is on the cusp of a launch.

Besides this, Narzo 30 launch was teased by Realme's Europe and India CEO, Madhav Seth, a couple of days ago. The smartphone is expected to arrive in both 4G and 5G variants.

Through a tipster, we know about the design and key specs of the Narzo 30, so let's talk about it in detail.

Tweet detailing the Realme Narzo 30

According to the tipster, the device bears an RMX2156 model number and is powered by 5000mAh. He further says that the Narzo 30 will get an In-display fingerprint scanner too.

The image revealed in the tweet by the same tipster showcases a smartphone dual-tone silver finish seen on a few Realme devices in the past. We can also see a pill-shaped camera module with triple cameras, and a flash stacked. Whereas on the front, the display appears to have a hole-punch camera on the top left of the display.

These details have further been confirmed by another credible tipster who spotted the Realme Narzo 30 on the Indonesian Telecom certification website. According to the listing, the phone packs a 5,000mAh battery and measures 162.35x75.46x9.45mm. It further says that the device will be powered by Realme UI 1.0 out of the box.

Finally, the Narzo 30 listing on the US FCC certification website informs that the device will ship Android 10 with Realme UI 1.0 on top. It will weigh 198 gms and have 30W fast charging support. The RMX2156 model number is presumed to belong to the 4G model. Realme is also expected to launch a 5G variant as well.

But Narzo 30 is not the only device in Realme's launch pipeline, and leaks suggest that Realme 8 5G is also coming soon. The device is tipped to be 8.5mm thick and 185gms heavy. Apart from this, the smartphone is expected to be powered by a 5000mAh battery and Realme UI 2.0.
PITTSFIELD  Michael Polidoro, a former deputy chief of the Pittsfield Fire Department, died Tuesday, after a long battle with Lou Gehrigs disease, according to Pittsfield Fire Chief Thomas Sammons. Polidoro was 63.

Polidoro, who joined the department in 1988, retired in 2017, after contracting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which is a progressive nervous system disease.

He is survived by his wife, three children and three stepchildren.

Ive said this all along: Deputy Polidoro was a firefighters firefighter, Sammons said. He was a guy you would look up to. His dedication to the job was 150 percent every day.

Its kind of a hard day for us here, he said.

In a post on the Pittsfield Fire Departments Facebook page, the Pittsfield members of A.F.F. Local 2647 also praised Polidoro for his service.

Throughout his illness, Mike remained an inspiration to our Department, the post stated. The legacy he leaves in the PFD will last for generations, and we can only hope to continue forward with the strength and determination that Mike displayed. We would like to offer our sincere condolences to Mikes Family. May you Rest in peace Deputy, Well take it from here... .

In 2019, the department dedicated a new vehicle, Pittsfield Fire and Rescue Engine No. 6, in his honor, dubbing it Polys Pride.

Polidoro was a member of the Massachusetts Urban Search & Rescue Task Force, and belonged to the Pittsfield Fire Departments Hazardous Materials and dive rescue teams, Sammons said. In 2001, he was one of three Pittsfield firefighters who were members of the states Federal Emergency Management team that went to New York City after the attack on the World Trade Center.

After returning to Pittsfield, Polidoro paused when an Eagle reporter asked him to describe what he had seen at ground zero.

I wish I could, he finally said. I just dont know how to explain it. Theres just no way. There just isnt any way.

In 2005, Polidoro traveled to New Orleans with the states Urban Search & Rescue Task Force to assist in the cleanup from Hurricane Katrina.

I thought I was prepared for what Id see, but I realized I wasnt, Polidoro told The Eagle after he returned home. There was more destruction than I had envisioned. I had envisioned hurricanes as rooftops blown off or trees down. I didnt expect to see vehicles blown around and being on top of buildings, or brick buildings blown apart.

Sammons said Polidoro always was a welcome and trusted presence at any event.

His knowledge and experience just brought calm to any fire scene, Sammons said. At any emergency scene ... his knowledge and the way he carried himself ... he went above and beyond in everything that he did. It brought a lot of professionalism to the department.

We were really, really lucky to have him here in Pittsfield.

The department is hoping to have a ceremony to honor Polidoros memory, but as of Wednesday those plans were incomplete.

It would be easier if COVID wasnt a thing, Sammons said. There are so many professionals in our field that will want to come to pay respect to him. So, I would love to be able to. I know were limited to having 100 people outside. Its going to make things difficult. ... Were trying to work on the logistics right now.

He certainly will be missed.
Two new pop-up galleries have opened in Devonport Road in Tauranga, with more set to open as an initiative to transform vacant spaces into vibrant spaces adds life to the CBD.

In just the last week, the Laval Collaborative Pop Up Studio and the Pop-Up Art Gallery have opened under the Activate Vacant Spaces programme and spokesperson Sally Cooke says theres more to come.

As we all know theres a number of vacant spaces in the city centre right now, but the good news is that we have a queue of amazing creative talent and ventures waiting to come into these vacant spaces.

If we can add vibrancy and diversity of offerings in these spaces, while our city centre goes through transformational change, we will be achieving our goal.

The Activate Vacant Spaces programme is a collaborative approach by Mainstreet Tauranga with property owners in the city centre and Sally says its quickly gaining momentum.

This programme wouldnt be possible without the amazing generosity of property owners who are open to working with us to host pop-up ventures in their vacant spaces, while we wait for more permanent tenants.

Having said that we have also been able to deliver permanent leases under the programme as pop-ups find their feet, become viable and are able to then take on a lease with the landlord. Its a win, win.

Just open on Devonport Road is the new Laval Collaborative Pop Up Studio in the former Hannahs store site.

Tami Hansen (Flowers by Tami), Jane Ward-Able (Blue Baobab New Zealand), Olivia Schwarz (Spacefully Yours) and me Vanessa Laval-Glad (LAVAL Photo & Video).

Described by instigator Vanessa Laval-Glad as a photography studio reimagined, the space features irresistible home decors by Spacefully Yours, dried flowers by Flowers by Tami, stylish boots from Blue Baobab, exquisite artworks by Re.Work.It, creative prints by Pinch & Punch and studio headshot sessions by Laval Photo & Video.

They also offer fresh flowers on a Friday.

Vanessa says the space is invigorating for the collaborative partnership.

Its great being in the city centre and trying a new collaborative approach. We all work so well together, and our offerings complement each other, says Vanessa.

Being able to trial this new concept under the Activate Vacant Spaces programme is awesome. It feels good to also be contributing to increasing the diversity of offerings and vibrancy in the city centre and we are looking forward to more creative pop ups joining us on the street.

Alongside the Laval Collaborative Pop-Up Studio is the new Pop-Up Art Gallery, in the former Just Jeans store on Devonport Road. Just opened the gallery features works by two well-known abstract artists.

Sue MacDougall is recognised for her bold and colourful work in different mediums that create structure, depth, movement and texture.

An abstract  Acrylic & Encaustic & Cold Wax Artist, Sue has exhibited in Greece, Italy and London, won the Top Tiee Award at Exhibeo  France, exhibited at the Parallax Art Fair, Chelsea, London and represented NZ in the Exhibition for 100years anniversary of WWI Gallipoli in Thessaloniki and Lemnos island where the NZders had their hospital.

Joining Sue in the pop-up gallery space is Shaun McLean.

Well known in the art sector in Australia Shaun now resides here and is exhibiting a collection of his latest abstract expressionism paintings Reef Moments using acrylics and mixed media.

Sue and Shaun replace the paintings on offer with new work every 5-10 days, keeping the gallery constantly changing.

Shaun will also be painting new works within the Pop-Up Art Gallery and Sue will be hosting workshops in the space.

Sue says opening a pop-up gallery in the city centre is a great opportunity for them to bring their works to the public, together.

This simply wouldnt have happened without the support of the Activate Vacant Spaces Programme. They found us the space and are hosting us to be here. Its an exciting opportunity for us to profile our work together and were really grateful for that.

The two new pop ups are just up the road from the Ceramics Gallery which opened as a pop-up gallery under the programme in December last year and is still going strong.

Penny Henderson and artists from The Ceramics Gallery.

Led by artist Penny Henderson the gallery features ceramics by over 14 artists and hosts sold out clay making workshops.

Penny says the initiative has gone from strength to strength.

Like the other pop-ups we are only here because the Activate Vacant Spaces team made it happen. We are so very grateful for that. What started as a one month trial pop-up is just growing and growing and we want to stay, says Penny.

We have been able to invest in the supplies and equipment necessary to operate, and ceramics produced by local artists have an outlet that has been applauded and is generating interest both locally and further afield. We do foresee a business ultimately able to be independent and this programme gave us that opportunity.

With more pop-ups scheduled to open and the curated programme of works promising to continue to excite and surprise Sally Cooke says the Activate Vacant Spaces Programme is vital for the city centre. We need more creative expression in our city centre, we have vacant spaces and we need to support the existing businesses in the cbd by increasing the offerings and encouraging more of the public to come in. This programme allows us to do all of those things and get some great outcomes for all.
Eight men have been arrested in India after two girls, aged 14 and 15, were dragged into a forest and gang-raped.

The two girls, who were friends, had been out celebrating Holi, the Festival of Love, in Khowai, Tripura, and reportedly knew the group of men from the local area.

The group of men, aged between 19 and 22, and the two girls had gone out on Monday to celebrate the festival together, but the then did not return home in the evening, the Times of India reports.

Eight men have been arrested in India after two girls, aged 14 and 15, were dragged into a forest and gang-raped while out celebrating Holi, the Festival of Love, in Khowai, Tripura. pictured: File image of demonstrators in India protesting in support of rape victims in 2018

Their families did not contact the police when the girls did not arrive home on Monday night.

Instead, the eight men allegedly took the girls into a nearby forest and gang-raped them until they passed out.

The victims only returned home on Tuesday morning and were suffering with injuries.

The two girls were admitted to hospital where they continue to be treated for their injuries.

Their families did not contact the police when the girls did not arrive home on Monday night. Instead, the eight men allegedly took the girls into a nearby forest and gang-raped them. Pictured: A general view of Khowai, Tripura, in India

After explaining what had happened to them, the girls' parents contacted the police, leading to the arrests of Bimal Debbarma, Soyel Debbarma, Michael Debbarma, Nishit Debbarma, Biresh Debbarma, Jagu Debbarma, Bikash Debbarma and Hrishit Debbarma.

Speaking about the incident, a police officer said: 'The accused took the girls to a forest and gang-raped them through the night. When they passed out, the men left presuming them to be dead.'

The eight men accused of gang-rape will appear before a magistrate on Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 14:40:49|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Seven more U.S. soldiers and one civilian in South Korea tested positive for COVID-19, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday.

The USFK said in a statement that eight USFK-affiliated individuals were confirmed with the COVID-19 after arriving in South Korea between March 21 and 29.

Five service members arrived at Osan Air Base on U.S. government-chartered flights from the United States on March 24 and 29. The Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.

Two service members and one dependent arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on international commercial flights on March 21, 23 and 25.

The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys and the Osan Air Base, both of which are located in Pyeongtaek.

The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 815, according to Yonhap news agency.

In the latest tally, South Korea reported 551 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 103,639. The daily caseload stayed above 500 for two straight days.

"Despite the recent confirmed cases, USFK remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1 percent of its active-duty service members currently confirmed positive with COVID-19," the USFK said. Enditem
My dad saw this show that he absolutely fell in love with by the playwright Christian OReilly. Then he looked up other shows by Christian OReilly and found Chapatti. As he was thinking about what we can do to help theaters around here, he thought of Chapatti.
Tejas: Kangana Ranaut Wraps Up Rajasthan Schedule Of The Film

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, who was busy shooting for her upcoming outing 'Tejas', recently revealed that she has completed the Rajasthan schedule of the film. Kangana also shared that they shot very close to the Pakistan border. The actor took to Instagram on Friday to share a behind-the-scenes picture from the shoot of her forthcoming film. An elated Kangana wrote, "Team #Tejas successfully completed Rajasthan schedule today, also shot very close to Pakistan border."

She also shared that the crew faced many obstacles like extreme weather conditions while shooting close to the Pakistan border. "It seemed as if our commander in chief @sarveshmewara was driven by otherworldly force. Salutations team #Tejas," she added.

Team #Tejas successfully completed Rajasthan schedule today, also shot very close to Pakistan border the crew faced many obstacles including extreme weather conditions,it seemed as if our commander in chief @sarveshmewara1 was driven by other worldly force.Salutations team Tejas. pic.twitter.com/1tzVPJY7m7  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) March 31, 2021

Kangana will be seen playing an air force pilot in the movie, which has been written and directed by Sarvesh Mewara. The film is being bankrolled by RSVP Movies, the production house that had also produced the blockbuster military drama 'Uri: The Surgical Strike'. The Indian Air Force was the first of the country's defence forces to induct women into combat roles in 2016. The film takes inspiration from this landmark event.

The 'Panga' actor who feels honoured to play the character of a fighter pilot had earlier stated, "Very often the sacrifices made by our brave women in uniform go unnoticed by the nation. Tejas' is a film where I have the honour of playing the role of one such Air Force pilot who puts country before self. I hope we instill a sense of patriotism and pride in the youth of today with this film. I am looking forward to the journey with Sarvesh and Ronnie on this one."

Apart from 'Tejas', Kangana will also be seen in 'Thalaivi', a biopic on actor-turned-politician Jayalalithaa. Apart from this she also has 'Dhaakad' and 'Manikarnika Returns: The Legend Of Didda' in the pipeline. Kangana has also signed up to play the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in an upcoming political drama.
Police have stepped up their search for missing Oxford Brookes student Richard Okorogheye, 19, in Epping Forest after he disappeared 10 days ago and has not used his phone since.

Detectives have moved their search to Essex after a confirmed sighting showed the Oxford Brookes University student, 19, walking alone on Smarts Lane, Loughton, towards the woods at 12.39am on March 23.

Officers were today seen combing through the woodland as they search for the London teenager.

Mr Okorogheye is believed to have left his family home in the Ladbroke Grove area of west London on the evening of March 22 and was reported missing two days later.

Police enquiries have now established that Mr Okorogheye then took a taxi towards the residential street in Loughton.





Last night specialist search teams, horses and dogs began searching Epping Forest as part of the investigation as officers continue to work around the clock to trace the student's steps.





Today marine search times were in the water at Epping Forest searching for any clues, while officers are also carrying out door-to-door enquiries in the area.





Detective Superintendent Danny Gosling, Head of the Met's Central West Public Protection unit, said today: 'Our search for Richard is continuing at pace today - we are doing all that we can to locate him and bring him home to his family, who miss him dearly.

Police investigating the disappearance of Richard Okorogheye from his family home in Ladbroke Grove, London, are now searching parts of Essex

Police officers searching for Richard Okorogheye are combing through parts of Epping Forest in Essex today, after arriving on Wednesday

Parts of the forest have been cordoned off as officers from Metropolitan Police search the area

Mounted units have been patrolling the Essex woods in search of the teenager since last night

Police are searching the water in Epping Forest today. Det Insp Danny Groom said officers do not know why he travelled to Loughton on the night he disappeared

'Officers have been working tirelessly behind the scenes in an effort to trace Richard's movements that evening, with assistance from specialist search teams, the Met's dog and Mounted Branch units and colleagues from other police forces.

'I have a lot of officers who have requested to stay with the investigation over the Easter weekend, I have a teenage son myself and this strikes a chord.

'We all want to carry on and all our hopes are that we can reunite Richard with his family.

'Today's searches are focused mainly in and around the Epping Forest area and local residents will notice an increased police presence while we carry out our enquiries.

'We have also been making door-to-door enquiries and leafletting the Smarts Lane area.

As well as searching the water and woods around Epping Forest, police have been making door-to-door enquiries with locals

Det Supt Gosling said police had detected 'no activity' on Mr Okorogheye's phone since he went missing 10 days ago

Marine search units were deployed today, after specialist horse and canine teams were deployed on Wednesday night

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting 21MIS008134. Pictured: Mounted police officers in Epping Forest earlier today

What is sickle cell disease? Sickle cell disease is the umbrella term for a group of inherited conditions that severely affect red blood cells. Around 15,000 people in the UK are sufferers and it is particularly common in people of African or Caribbean descent. Healthy red blood cells - produced by stem cells within bone marrow - are biconcaved discs that can bend and flex easily. However, in those with sickle cell disease, faulty stem cells produce red blood cells that are crescent shaped. They are rigid, unable to squeeze through smaller blood vessels and prone to causing blockages that deprive parts of the body of oxygen. Sufferers are not expected to live beyond 60 and treatment mainly focuses on alleviating symptoms, such as pain and infections, through blood transfusions and painkillers. Advertisement

'At this stage we don't know why Richard has come to Loughton, there is no clear reason, but we hope our enquiries will help us find out why.

'Again if you can help with any information about this please contact us.'

The search continues today after Det Supt Gosling told the BBC there had been 'no activity on his phone that we are aware of,' since the 19-year-old's disappearance.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicki Beecher, from the from the Met's Area West Public Protection Unit, said: 'It has now been nine days since Richard was last seen in person and we remain as committed as ever to locating him and bringing him home to his family.

'Our officers are working extremely hard to piece together the facts in order to build a picture of Richard's movements on the evening of Monday, 22 March.

'Latest information suggests he was last seen in Loughton in Essex and we are now focusing our attention here with specialist search officers from across the Met brought in to assist.

'Our enquiries also continue in the Ladbroke Grove, W10 area where local officers have been carrying out search patrols and also community patrols to gather information from local residents.

'I would once again like to renew our appeal to the public for any information which may assist with our enquiries. If you may have seen Richard - particularly in the Loughton area - or have any information at all, please contact police.'

The 19-year-old Oxford Brookes University student was spotted on CCTV walking alone on Smarts Lane, Loughton towards Epping Forest at 12.39am on March 23

Following the discovery of CCTV footage showing Richard in Loughton, police descended on Epping Forest yesterday, and remain there today

Det Insp Groom said the search 'strikes a chord' with him, as the officer also has a teenage son

Prior to his disappearance, Richard Okorogheye, who has sickle cell disease, had been shielding during the Covid-19 pandemic and would only leave the house to go to the hospital for his regular blood transfusions. Pictured: Police in Epping Forest searching for the 19-year-old today

Officers are expected to continue their search over the Easter weekend, after arriving at Epping Forest yesterday

Officers remain at the woodland today after specialist horses and dogs were sent to the scene on Wednesday

Officers wearing protective gloves are combing through Epping Forest searching for some sign of Richard, who was last seen on March 22

The Met said Mr Okorogheye, who was in his first year of a business and IT degree at Oxford Brookes, left his home and headed in the direction of Ladbroke Grove on March 22 at approximately 8.30pm.

He was seen boarding the 23 southbound bus in Ladbroke Grove at 8.44pm and CCTV footage showed the student wearing an all-black outfit and carrying across his lower back a black satchel-bag featuring a white Adidas logo.

Police said it was unknown at which stop Mr Okorogheye got off the bus.

Richard's mother last saw her son on March 22 when he told her he was going to a friend's house. Police are searching Epping Forest today

Specialist search teams, horses and dogs began searching Epping Forest on Wednesday night

Mr Okorogheye's mother, Evidence Joel, previously said her son had spoken of 'struggling to cope' with university pressures.

She also said her son, who has sickle cell disease, had been shielding during the Covid-19 pandemic and would only leave the house to go to the hospital for his regular blood transfusions.

In a new statement on Tuesday, she said: 'Richard we love you and miss you very much, please can you come home? We aren't angry at you. We just want to know that you're okay.

'For anyone reading this, we are desperately missing our son. If you know anything or know where he might be, please come forward and speak to the police.'

Officers have been carrying out door-to-door enquiries and searches of the area after the student was spotted on the residential street (GV of the street pictured)

The Metropolitan Police said the 19-year-old (pictured) left his home and headed in the direction of Ladbroke Grove on March 22

Mr Okorogheye was seen boarding the 23 southbound bus in Ladbroke Grove at 8.44pm on March 22

Ms Joel last saw her son on March 22 when he told her he was going to a friend's house.

She had returned home from a nursing shift at around 9pm and assumed her son was in his room.

The alarm was raised after a locksmith helped her gain entry to her son's room where the student's wallet, bus pass and bank card were found.

This week Ms Joel claimed police said 'if you can't find your son, how do you expect us to?' when she went to them for help.

Ms Joel, a nurse, said when she phoned police to report her son missing and suggested they check CCTV near their home she was told they did not have the resources.

CCTV footage showed the student wearing an all-black outfit and carrying across his lower back a black satchel-bag featuring a white Adidas logo

She told Sky News: 'I told a police officer that my son was missing, please help me find him, and she said: 'If you can't find your son, how do you expect police officers to find your son for you?'

Family friend Claudine Rose added: 'We just felt like initially, it wasn't taken seriously enough.

'His mum was going into the police station every day and they hadn't put posters up or anything.'

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting 21MIS008134, or they can call 999 in an emergency.
[April 01, 2021] Discover Financial Services Announces First Quarter 2021 Earnings Release on April 21, 2021 and Conference Call on April 22, 2021

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) plans to report its first quarter 2021 results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. The earnings release will be available through Discover's Investor Relations website at https://investorrelations.discover.com. A conference call to discuss the firm's results, outlook and related matters will be held on Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 7:00 a.m. Central time. The live audio webcast will be accessible to the general public through Discover's Investor Relations website at https://investorrelations.discover.com. An audio replay will be available on the website following the call.



About Discover Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a digital banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking business. It operates the Discover Global Network comprised of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance around the world. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.

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A California prisoner has admitted to strangling the serial killer known as the I-5 Strangler in the cell prison cell that they shared.

Jason Budrow, 40, claimed he murdered the notorious killer Roger Kibbe, 81, in a five-page letter he titled 'Ascension  May Their Souls Go To Heaven' to the local Bay Area News Group.

Kibbe, who strangled and raped at least seven women in the 1970s and 1980s, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Mule Creek State Prison southeast of Sacramento on February 28 while Budrow was standing nearby.

An autopsy showed Kibbe had been manually strangled and officials ruled his death a homicide, the Amador County Sheriff's Office said.

Jason Budrow, 40, (left) claimed he murdered the notorious killer Roger Kibbe, 81, (right) in a five-page letter he titled 'Ascension  May Their Souls Go To Heaven'

An aerial view shows the Mule Creek State Prison where Budrow claims he killed the serial killer. Budrow is now in solitary confinement

Budrow has claimed that he killed his cellmate the night before, according to the outlet. He decided on killing Kibbe as early as November 2020 and spent months 'grooming' him before they were allowed to share a cell.

No charges have been filed in the death of Kibbe and the prisons's Investigative Services Unit is investigating this incident.

Budrow, who was also convicted for murdering a woman, told the Bay Area News Group that he strangled Kibbe 'with a triangle choke hold' the same day they became cellmates.

He originally wanted his own cell but decided he was on a 'mission for avenging' Kibbe's victims once he learned more about him and 'orchestrated' his way into becoming his cellmate.

'My actions were drafted out with specific intent, cognitive complexity, and were generally more nefarious than a haphazard murder-spat,' Budrow wrote.

He added: 'What had started out as my original bare-bones plan of doing a straightforward homicide of a cellmate to obtain my single-cell status evolved into a mission for avenging that youngest girl and all of Roger Kibbe's other victims.'

Budrow claimed that after killing Kibbe he carved 'a crude inverted pentagram (without a circle around it)' into his body.

'I consecrated the inception of the waning lunar cycle with his 'death throws' during a human sacrificial offering in a ceremonial rite of homage to the 'God Most High,' said Budrow, who The Press-Enterprise called a 'Satanist' in a 2011 article.

I-5 STRANGLER'S VICTIMS: Lou Ellen Burleigh (right), Roger Kibbe's first known victim, and Darcie Frackenpohl-(left) a 17-year-old prostitute killed by Kibbe, pictured before her death in 1987

The convicted 'I-5 Strangler' Roger Kibbe was strangled to death inside Mule Street State Prison, according to an autopsy performed by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office

Budrow wrote that he believes the souls of Kibbe's victims 'have been released from the possession of their killer and I pray that they now rest in peace.'

'As for me, I now have my single-cell status,' Budrow wrote.

He was rehoused in the Administrative Segregation Unit, or solitary confinement, pending the investigation, according to a press release from the prison.

Burdrow challenged acting California Attorney General Matthew Rodriquez to seek the death penalty simply to test the theory that no jury would give him the death penalty for allegedly killing his serial killer cellmate.

'Should Amador County and/or the new Attorney General for the State of California elect to seek death penalty prosecution against me for murder-one with special circumstances (lying in wait, execution style, desecrating a corpse, whatever) they can go ahead and 'run that',' Budrow wrote.

Budrow claimed that after killing Kibbe, pictured, he carved 'a crude inverted pentagram (without a circle around it)' into his body

'I am down to test my theory that no jury during a penalty phase of my potential death penalty trial will ever vote to see me executed for murdering Roger Kibbe, the I-5 Stranger.'

Kibbe was initially convicted in 1991 of strangling Darcine Frackenpohl, a 17-year-old who had run away from her home in Seattle. Her nearly nude body was found west of South Lake Tahoe below Echo Summit in September 1987.

Investigators said then that they suspected him in other similar slayings.

But it wasn't until 2009 that a San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office investigator used new developments in evidence to connect him to six additional slayings in multiple Northern California counties.

Several of those victims were found alongside Interstate 5 or other highways in 1986. Kibbe was serving multiple life terms for the slayings when he was killed.

Authorities said they never stopped trying to prove that he was responsible for even more deaths. Investigators secretly took him on multiple field trips from prison with the hope that he would reveal the whereabouts of more victims.

They would buy him an egg McMuffin and a Coke for breakfast, another Coke and a hamburger and fries for lunch, Vito Bertocchini, a retired San Joaquin County sheriff's detective and district attorneys investigator, told The Sacramento Bee.

Bertocchini spent nearly two decades pursuing Kibbe and thinks he must have killed others during the 10-year gap between his first and last known slayings.

Investigators have said they found other women who had been killed and dumped with Kibbe's trademark of cutting his victims clothing in odd patterns.

He was finally captured after Sacramento police said a would-be victim escaped and they recovered a garrote made from a pair of dowels and parachute cord along with scissors and other items.

Investigators said they matched the cord to rope found with Frackenpohls body and at Kibbe's house, all with microscopic dots of red paint.

Inmates at the Mule Creek State Prison interact in a gymnasium that was modified to house prisoners August 28, 2007 in Ione, California

DNA eventually linked him to two other victims, and he agreed to cooperate in exchange for prosecutors taking the death penalty off the table.

Kibbe never admitted to other killings beyond those with which he was charged, but Bertocchini said he never stopped trying to elicit another confession.

Even after he retired in 2012, each year he sent Kibbe birthday and Christmas cards, asking him to speak up if he recalled anything about other victims.

He and his old partner last visited Kibbe in prison in 2019, but still he wouldn't admit to any more victims.

Now it's too late, but Bertocchini called Kibbe's death by strangulation 'some fitting justice.'

'I don't wish ill on anyone,' Bertocchini said. 'But I hope he remembered every one of his victims while he was being killed.'
Pupils in all primary and post-primary schools will return to school after the Easter holidays.

This follows a review during todays Executive meeting when it was agreed that the remaining students in years 8 to 11 could resume face-to-face teaching from April 12.

Education Minister Peter Weir said: A major milestone has been reached today with the Executive agreeing to move ahead as planned to allow pupils in year 8 to 11 to return to school after Easter.

All of our pupils will now be back in school, engaging with teachers and socialising with their friends. We must all keep playing our part in ensuring our schools are safe and remain open.

It is important that staff and students ensure they follow the Departments guidance including social distancing, good hand hygiene and wearing face coverings where required.

The message remains that parents and guardians should wear a mask when they are picking up or dropping off their child and not congregate around the school gates.

The Department will write to schools with any updates or clarifications to the guidance.

Concluding, the Minister said that he would continue to support education settings to help them manage the impact of the pandemic.

He said: It is important that schools, students and parents are confident that our schools are safe. The introduction of testing, which will continue to be rolled out for pupils over the coming months, will help provide significant reassurance.

I will also continue to invest in resources to help pupils who have faced disruption to their learning.
Marilyn Seidenberg always planned to move to Avila, a retirement community in Albany. But, at 77, she was healthy and independent. She wasn't ready.

Then came the pandemic.

Seidenberg could no longer visit her daughter in Maryland and she was afraid to leave her apartment. She reached out to the staff at Avila and within two months, Seidenberg had moved into an apartment in the 192-unit complex off Washington Avenue Extension.

"The only reason Im here is because of the pandemic," Seidenberg, who moved in August, said while chatting with friends in Avila's resort-style lobby Monday.

"Here I dont have to look at four walls, I can come downstairs and go to the library or the bistro or do puzzles. There are amenities," she said.

While move-ins at Avila have dipped during the pandemic, according to CEO Shawn Hall, he is presenting the community as a better alternative for retirees than staying in single-family homes or apartments that lack the type of services Avila provides: security, meals and opportunities to mingle with others in a safe environment.

Hall put protocols in place to keep residents safe during the pandemic but those have been loosened now that all of the residents are fully vaccinated. The dining room, which was closed, is open now at 75 percent capacity. Visits, which were halted, have resumed with stipulations. Visitors must present proof of a negative COVID-19 test or show their vaccination card. Masks are also mandatory.

But Hall said the Avila staff reached out to residents throughout the pandemic to let them know they weren't alone. Small groups of residents visited with each other. A few Avila tenants did contract COVID-19 but the cases were mild, Hall said. When vaccinations arrived, Hall held a clinic at Avila. The average age in the community is 87; 32 percent of the residents are 90 or older.

"I'm thrilled I'm here," Seidenberg said. "This way I'm not isolated and my daughter feels comfortable knowing someone checks on me everyday."

Lois Celeste, executive director of the Saratoga Senior Center, said the pandemic sparked a "million-dollar question": Will the pandemic cause more seniors to sell their homes and move to places designed for older adults? Or will they be more likely to stay put, where they have complete control over their environment  even if it means long stretches with no in-person interaction?

"We're not far enough out to predict the changes," Celeste said. "People are just getting vaccinated and now they're starting to assess their choices. We do a lot of services for people who are aging in place. We're starting to see people coming out, but my biggest concern is people who are isolated will become too comfortable with it and keeping seniors from being isolated is the base mission for what we do."

Kathy DeLaMater, another Avila resident and, like Seidenberg, also a retired teacher, knew it would not be a good idea for her to live alone after her husband, John, died in January 2019. He wanted her to go to Avila, where they had friends. The move was delayed while DeLaMater underwent surgeries and waited for the apartment she wanted.

"I need to be with people and, praise God, John left me with the money to be able to be here," DeLaMater said.

Rent at Avila ranges from $2,600 per month to $4,600.

Diane Conroy-LaCivita, executive director of Colonie Senior Services, saw firsthand the impact of isolation on the population she serves.

"The shutdown was tremendously difficult if they didn't have the socialization they had prior to the pandemic," Conroy-LaCivita said. "We were taking calls from people worried about their self-worth, concerns about suicide. We had people call who would just cry or yell."

Staff at the nonprofit dropped by nearly half, she said, and the people who remained started volunteering on the weekends to grocery shop for people, pick up prescriptions and make well-being calls to let people know they weren't alone and someone was thinking about them.

The experience was eye-opening, Conroy-LaCivita said. "Location matters. Where do you find yourself with socialization and sense of purpose? If you're staying in the place where you raised your kids, is it really the best place for this phase of your life?"

The nonprofit operates three buildings for seniors: the Beltrone Living Center, a middle income 55-plus housing community; King Thiel, classified as affordable housing, and Sheehy Manor, for low-to-moderate income seniors.

"We're going to be slammed by people who were stuck in their homes and now they want to move, people who never thought they would do it," Conroy-LaCivita said.
Kerala: Worry over fish drought, rights over resources

by K. A. Martin

April 01,2021 | Source: The Hindu

The continuing fish drought, proposals that threaten the rights of traditional fishers over the sea and its fish resources, a lack of initiatives for protecting the coast in places such as Chellanam and Fort Kochi, continuous threat of eviction and rising price of kerosene and diesel are giving nightmares to the fishing community, which has slammed the apathy displayed by successive governments to their plight. While the government is sternly denying housing rights to fishers in the coastal areas under the cover of Coastal Regulation Zone, the State has not come forward to tell the people whether it has made a proper survey of the situation. Which is the survey on which the government is denying poor fishers their right to have residences, asks Raju Asrayam, a fisherman. The traditional fishing community must be given the rights they truly deserve. They should have the first rights over sea resources just as Adivasis and other communities have a right over the forests in the country, says Anthony Kurisinkal in Arthunkal. He says the new government should address the issue seriously and not gloss over it as had happened in the past.



All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators' Association general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalapurakkal says that the new government should address the issue of how Kerala fishers, who are extremely talented, are being kept away from deep sea fishing under one excuse or the other. The devastating effect of COVID-19 needs to be addressed as the fishing sector directly employs around three-lakh people, he says. Charles George of Fisheries Coordination Committee says that the new government must first formulate a fish drought package for the community of fishers because they are reeling under an unprecedented fall in fish landings. Besides, the issue of petroleum price hike is so serious that it has turned all fishing expeditions uneconomic. Mr. Asrayam also expresses anxiety about the proposals under the Blue Economy by the Union government, which will, he feels, turn traditional fishers out of the marine economy. There will be several zones and fishers will be restricted to a particular fishing zone and the proposals will have serious impact. The new State government should surely take these worries into serious consideration, he says. Jackson Pollayil, State president, Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, says that while relief measures are needed to ease the lives of fishers, the broader and deeper issue of environmental protection should be taken up for action by the new government. Residents in the coastal areas in the district, stretching from South Chellanam through Fort Kochi and Vypeen say that coastal protection measures have been lagging. A resident of Chellanam, T.A. Dalphin, says that successive governments ignored coastal people. The issue must be addressed now, he says.

 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD.
[April 01, 2021] RenaissanceRe Schedules First Quarter 2021 Financial Results Conference Call

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: RNR) (the "Company" or "RenaissanceRe") will conduct an investment community conference call on Thursday, April 29, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss its financial results for the first quarter of 2021, as well as the Company's outlook. RenaissanceRe will release its results following the close of market on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. A live webcast of the conference call will be available through the Investors section of RenaissanceRe's website at www.renre.com. An archive of the call will be available from approximately 2:00 p.m. ET on April 29, 2021, through midnight ET on May 29, 2021.



About RenaissanceRe RenaissanceRe is a global provider of reinsurance and insurance that specializes in matching well-structured risks with efficient sources of capital. The Company provides property, casualty and specialty reinsurance and certain insurance solutions to customers, principally through intermediaries. Established in 1993, the Company has offices in Bermuda, Australia, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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Words of the Week  The Foolishness of God

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, NIV

Our country is in crisis. American citizens are dealing with a highly contagious deadly disease, COVID-19. Unemployment is at an all-time high. People are experiencing food insecurities and homelessness. Our children cant return to school. They are suering from the eects of isolation and the lack of socialization with their peers. Many American citizens are on the verge of a mental health breakdown.

People mistrust the government, so they attempt to overthrow it. Yet, many of the persons elected to Congress to represent the people have opted to display tomfoolery as oppose to seeing the seriousness of the situation. They have decided to use a filibuster to delay voting on legislation that will provide aid to the American public. These so-called wise men and wise women read childrens books as opposed to release a compromised a bill that would save peoples lives. This is foolishness on display in its worse form!

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The opposite of foolishness is wisdom. I have gained a clear understanding of the meaning of wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge combined with experience. If people act foolishly, they either dont know any better, they are inexperienced or they are just plain fools. Our scripture comes from the book of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Pauls first letter to the church at Corinth. Acts 18 tells the story of how the Corinthian church was established by Paul. Paul lodged and worked with a Jewish couple, Aquila and Pricilla, who lived in Corinth. They were tentmakers like Paul.

Every Sabbath day, Paul went to the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, Paul protested and preached to the Gentiles. The Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, Dont be afraid! Speak out! Dont be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me. So Paul stayed in Corinth for the next year-and-a-half, teaching the Word of God. Then he left for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.

Corinth was the chief city of Greece, both commercially and politically. It was the crossroads for travelers and traders. Corinth contained at least 12 temples. The most famous one was the temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The worship of Aphrodite fostered prostitution in the name of religion. At an earlier time, 1,000 sacred prostitutes served her temple. Corinth was a center for open sexual immorality.

Pauls letter to the Corinthian Christians dealt with several problems in the Corinthian church caused by divisiveness. In chapter one, Paul called for unity among the people  agree with one anotherbe at one in mind and thought (1 Corinthians 1:12).

The people debated about who they followed. One of you says, I follow Paul; another, I follow Apollo; another, I follow Cephas [Peter]; still another, I follow Christ (1 Corinthians 1:12). Paul then asked the question, in verse 13, Is Christ divided? In other words, if all these men whom you came to follow, follow Christ, then what dierence does it make who you follow?

My advice: Follow me as I follow Christ. And if I should stop following Christ, take the path that leads to Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Paul wrote that Christ is one body with many members. All believers in Christ were baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body.

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Pauls God-given mission was not to baptize, but to preach! He wrote that Christ didnt send him to baptize, but to preach the good news. And Christ didnt send him to preach the good news with clever words [human wisdom] so that Christs cross wont be emptied of its meaning [and power] (1 Corinthians 1:17)

Pauls message was not couched in human rhetoric like the Jews. It did not contain philosophy like the Greeks. Paul message was a simple, life saving message  the message of the cross: Jesus Christ crucified, dead buried, and resurrected.

Chokma is the Hebrew word for wisdom. Divine wisdom is an attribute of God. The Lord by wisdom founded the earth (Proverbs 3:19a). Human wisdom is given to people through the fear (reverence) of the Lord. Human wisdom is knowledge guided by understanding. Knowledge is nothing but facts known by a person. A person studies to gain knowledge  the facts.

Jeopardy is a game of knowledge. The contestants are good at recalling facts. When knowledge is combined with experience, wisdom is the result. Experience teaches how to apply the acquired knowledge. However, the wisdom of the world tends to be self-centered.

Leaders should possess both knowledge and wisdom. To be endowed with these attributes allows one to discern when to delegate to subject matter experts. A wise woman knows she does not know everything. So, she surrounds herself with other wise people. The other day, I heard a lady say, If youre not smarter than me, you cant be in my crowd.

The Book of Proverbs is filled with wise sayings attributed to Solomon, Davids son. Proverbs 9:10a summaries the first nine chapters of Proverbs: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.

Sophia is the Greek word for wisdom. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, defined wisdom as understanding why things are a certain way, which is deeper than merely knowing things are a certain way. Reason and philosophy are fundamental to worldly wisdom. The thought process includes rationalization.

Dr. Fauci is a brilliant man in the field of medicine. He is one of the leading experts in infectious diseases. But, the Coronavirus 2019, COVID-19, has him confounded. Now hes advising the American public to get vaccinated and wear two masks. In the words of Mother Avalon, If you cant get people to wear one mask, how can you expect them to wear two masks? Human wisdom is nothing without God, (Jeremiah 8:9).

The Jewish leaders expected a triumphant, political Messiah, not a crucified one. Pauls preaching about a crucified Christ was foolishness to them. Not that the preaching was foolish, but the message (Christ crucified) was viewed by the world (Jews and Greeks) as foolish. Its hard for the so-called highly educated to accept the message of the cross. Their thinking is meaningless because they have a wrong concept of God and Gods revelation. This worlds wisdom is foolishness to God. God catches the wise in their cleverness. The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are silly (1 Cor. 3:19-20). But to those who are saved, the message of the cross is the power of God! Divine wisdom is the knowledge of an omniscient God guided by faith.

When you think you have become smarter than God, God said, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. God is omniscient  all knowing. God possesses universal or complete knowledge. Human wisdom is thwarted in comparison to God. Its like a drop of water from the vast ocean. Who made the universe? Who made the world? Who made the mountains, the ocean, the desert and the seas? Who made the birds of the airs, the lilies of the fields, and all the breasts of the earth? Who made you and me? God! If God did all this, Gods wisdom trumps human wisdom. God is the wisest!

Human wisdom cannot save people. Since the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. So, who needs human wisdom? Who needs a miraculous sign? You dont either. In order to know God, you need Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He gave His life as a ransom for many on Calvary. They hung Him high and stretched Him wide on an old rugged cross. They pierced Him in his side. The blood and water came streaming down. He hung His head. For you and me He died.

They laid Him in a borrowed tomb. But early on Sunday morning, He got up! God raised Him up with all power in His hand! If you believe the message of the cross, you are saved!

The crucified Christ is the power of God. The crucified Christ is the wisdom of God. The resurrected Christ is the one who saves. He is the logos  the word of God. He is the bread of heaven that nourishes your soul. He is shelter in the time of storm. He is order in the midst of chaos.

He is peace in times of trouble. He is medicine  the balm in Gilead  for incurable diseases. He is joy in times of sorrow. He is our hope for a better and brighter tomorrow. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The message is simple: Believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised him from the dead and you are saved. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

The Rev. Dr. Mary S. Minor is the senior pastor of Brookins-Kirkland Community AME Church, 3719 W. Slauson Ave., in Los Angeles, CA.
The first X-rays from Uranus have been captured by Chandra during observations obtained in 2002 and 2017, a discovery that may help scientists learn more about this ice giant planet. Researchers think most of the X-rays come from solar X-rays that scatter off the Uranus's atmosphere as well as its ring system. Some of the X-rays may also be from auroras on Uranus, a phenomenon that has previously been observed at other wavelengths. This Uranus image is a composite of optical light from the Keck telescope in Hawaii (blue and white) and X-ray data from Chandra (pink). CREDIT X-ray: NASA/CXO/University College London/W. Dunn et al; Optical: W.M. Keck Observatory

Astronomers have detected X-rays from Uranus for the first time, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This result may help scientists learn more about this enigmatic ice giant planet in our solar system.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and has two sets of rings around its equator. The planet, which has four times the diameter of Earth, rotates on its side, making it different from all other planets in the solar system. Since Voyager 2 was the only spacecraft to ever fly by Uranus, astronomers currently rely on telescopes much closer to Earth, like Chandra and the Hubble Space Telescope, to learn about this distant and cold planet that is made up almost entirely of hydrogen and helium.

In the new study, researchers used Chandra observations taken in Uranus in 2002 and then again in 2017. They saw a clear detection of X-rays from the first observation, just analyzed recently, and a possible flare of X-rays in those obtained fifteen years later. The main graphic shows a Chandra X-ray image of Uranus from 2002 (in pink) superimposed on an optical image from the Keck-I Telescope obtained in a separate study in 2004. The latter shows the planet at approximately the same orientation as it was during the 2002 Chandra observations.

What could cause Uranus to emit X-rays? The answer: mainly the Sun. Astronomers have observed that both Jupiter and Saturn scatter X-ray light given off by the Sun, similar to how Earth's atmosphere scatters the Sun's light. While the authors of the new Uranus study initially expected that most of the X-rays detected would also be from scattering, there are tantalizing hints that at least one other source of X-rays is present. If further observations confirm this, it could have intriguing implications for understanding Uranus.

One possibility is that the rings of Uranus are producing X-rays themselves, which is the case for Saturn's rings. Uranus is surrounded by charged particles such as electrons and protons in its nearby space environment. If these energetic particles collide with the rings, they could cause the rings to glow in X-rays. Another possibility is that at least some of the X-rays come from auroras on Uranus, a phenomenon that has previously been observed on this planet at other wavelengths.

On Earth, we can see colorful light shows in the sky called auroras, which happen when high-energy particles interact with the atmosphere. X-rays are emitted in Earth's auroras, produced by energetic electrons after they travel down the planet's magnetic field lines to its poles and are slowed down by the atmosphere. Jupiter has auroras, too. The X-rays from auroras on Jupiter come from two sources: electrons traveling down magnetic field lines, as on Earth, and positively charged atoms and molecules raining down at Jupiter's polar regions. However, scientists are less certain about what causes auroras on Uranus. Chandra's observations may help figure out this mystery.

Uranus is an especially interesting target for X-ray observations because of the unusual orientations of its spin axis and its magnetic field. While the rotation and magnetic field axes of the other planets of the solar system are almost perpendicular to the plane of their orbit, the rotation axis of Uranus is nearly parallel to its path around the Sun. Furthermore, while Uranus is tilted on its side, its magnetic field is tilted by a different amount, and offset from the planet's center. This may cause its auroras to be unusually complex and variable. Determining the sources of the X-rays from Uranus could help astronomers better understand how more exotic objects in space, such as growing black holes and neutron stars, emit X-rays.

###

A paper "A Low Signal Detection of XRays From Uranus" describing these results appears in the most recent issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research. The authors are William Dunn (University College London, United Kingdom), Jan-Uwe Ness (University of Marseille, France), Laurent Lamy (Paris Observatory, France), Grant Tremblay (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian), Graziella Branduardi-Raymont (University College London), Bradford Snios (CfA), Ralph Kraft (CfA), Z. Yao (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing), Affelia Wibisono (University College London).

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge Massachusetts and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.

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OTSEGO COUNTY, MI  A previously reported incident in which a woman said she was kidnapped at gunpoint and sexually assaulted in Northern Michigan was fabricated, police said Wednesday.

Police had reported the incident to various media outlets on Tuesday, indicating that a young woman said she was kidnapped in the Lansing area before traveling to the Elmira Township in Otsego County where the alleged assault took place on March 26.

Police said the woman was able to escape a vehicle using a letter opener, but it has been determined that incident did not occur, police said.

The investigation into the alleged attack and the circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing, however there is no danger to the public and troopers are no longer looking for a suspect at large.

The woman has not been identified and no charges have been announced.
New Delhi:

Pledging party support, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to get the womens reservation bill passed at the earliest as his government has clear majority in the Lok Sabha.

The Congress president assured support of her party to the legislation, which she said would be a significant step forward in the empowerment of women.

The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on March 9, 2010.

In the letter dated September 20, Gandhi said I am writing to request you to take advantage of your majority in the Lok Sabha to now get the womens reservation bill passed in the Lower House as well.

ALSO READ: Congress leader Manish Tewari makes abusive remarks against PM, BJP demands apology from Sonia Gandhi

She also recalled that the Congress and its late leader Rajiv Gandhi had first mooted the provision for quota for women in panchayats and municipal bodies through Constitution amendment bills.

She said the bills were thwarted by the opposition in 1989, but were passed by both the Houses of Parliament in 1993.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: Smriti Irani on Rahul Gandhi: 'Failed dynast spoke on his failed political journey in US'

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The mummified remains of 22 ancient Egyptian kings and queens who died more than 3,000 years ago will be honored in an extravagant procession through the streets of Cairo Saturday.

Dubbed the Pharaohs' Golden Parade, the 18 kings and four queens will travel in order, oldest first, each aboard a separate float decorated in ancient Egyptian style.

The mummies are being moved from a decades-long residency at the Egyptian Museum for display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

The new museum, in the south of the capital, opened its doors to limited exhibits from 2017 and will open fully on Sunday, before the mummies go on display to the general public from April 18.

The mummified remains of 22 ancient Egyptian kings and queens who died more than 3,000 years ago will be honored in an extravagant procession through the streets of Cairo Saturday

Upon arrival, the mummies will occupy 'slightly upgraded cases,' said Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo.

'The temperature and humidity control will be even better than it was in the old museum,' added Ikram, a mummification specialist.

The kings and queens reigned during the 17th through 20th dynasties of ancient Egypt, which is 3,500 to 3,100 years ago, and a majority of them were discovered in two archaeological excavations in the late 1880s.

Each gold colored carriage will feature the name of the royal and is designed with shock absorbers to ensure the ancient remains survive the 40-minute journey through the streets of Cairo.

Dubbed the Pharaohs' Golden Parade, the 18 kings and four queens will travel in order, oldest first, each aboard a separate float decorated in ancient Egyptian style. Seqenenre Tao II (pictured), who reigned over southern Egypt some 1,600 years before Christ, will be on the first chariot

Each gold colored carriage (concept image) will feature the name of the royal and is designed with shock absorbers to ensure the ancient remains survive the 40-minute journey through the streets of Cairo

Seqenenre Tao II, 'the Brave', who reigned over southern Egypt some 1,600 years before Christ, will be on the first chariot, while Ramses IX, who reigned in the 12th century BC, will be at the rear.

Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut, the most powerful female pharaoh, will also make the journey.

King Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, was the most powerful and celebrated ruler of ancient Egypt.

Known by his successors as the 'Great Ancestor', he led several military expeditions and expanded the Egyptian Empire to stretch from Syria in the east to Nubia in the south.

Ramses II (pictured) and Queen Hatshepsut, the most powerful female pharaoh, will also make the journey. King Ramesses II, also known as Ramses the Great, was the most powerful and celebrated ruler of ancient Egypt

The kings and queens reigned during the 17th through 20th dynasties of ancient Egypt, which is 3,500 to 3,100 years ago, and a majority of them were discovered in two archaeological excavations in the late 1880s. Pictured is one of the sites in Luxor in the 1880s

King Seti I, who died in 1279 BC, will also join the procession. He is known for bringing prosperity to Egypt during his reign, following his father's two years of ruling

Ramesses was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt and ruled from 1279 to 1213 BCE.

He is remembered principally for the colossal statues he commissioned and for his massive building program.

King Seti I, who died in 1279 BC, will also join the procession.

He is known for bringing prosperity to Egypt during his reign, following his father's two years of ruling, when he opened mines and quarries, dug wells, and rebuilt temples and shrines that had fallen into decay or been damaged.

And the father of infamous Tutankhamen will also make the 40-minute journey.

The father of infamous Tutankhamen will also make the 40-minute journey. Pharaoh Akhenaten who ruled from 1353BC to 1335 BC, is revered as one of ancient Egypt's most hated kings

Beginning at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) on Saturday, the procession will take place under the watchful eyes of hefty deployments of security forces. Pictured is a mummy discovered in the Valley of the Golden Mummies in 1996. Experts found 34 in total while excavating the site

Pharaoh Akhenaten who ruled from 1353BC to 1335 BC, is revered as one of ancient Egypt's most hated kings.

When he came into power he abandoned Egypts traditional of worshiping many deities to monotheism and only pay homage to a sun disc called Aten.

The shift was not widely accepted in ancient Egypt, as their entire culture was focused around many gods.

When Akhenaten died, the people dismantled and hid monuments of the late Pharaoh and his name was erased from the list of rulers.

Beginning at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) on Saturday, the procession will take place under the watchful eyes of hefty deployments of security forces.

The mummies are being moved from a decades-long residency at the Egyptian Museum for display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization

The parade will be spurred on by music and performances from Egyptian artists, all broadcast live on state television.

Ahead of their departure onto Cairo's streets, the mummies will be placed in special containers filled with nitrogen, under conditions similar to their regular exhibition boxes.

In their new home, they will be showcased individually, each next to a sarcophagus -- and in some cases, a statue -- in an environment redolent of underground royal tombs.

'The mummies will be shown for the first time in a beautiful way, for education, not for a thrill,' another Egyptologist, Zahi Hawass, told AFP.

The procession has also caught the attention of social media users who point out news of the event coincided with a number of strange incidents last week that some are blaming on Pharaoh's curse

Egypt made headlines for a number of disasters including a giant ship blocking the Suez Canal (pictured), a fatal train accident and fires across the country.

The procession has also caught the attention of social media users who point out news of the event coincided with a number of strange incidents last week that some are blaming on Pharaoh's curse.

Egypt made headlines for a number of disasters including a giant ship blocking the Suez Canal, a fatal train accident and fires across the country.

Social media users are blaming such events on the curse of the pharaohs that says: 'Death will come on quick wings for those who disturb the king's peace.'

The ancient legend suggests anyone who disturbs mummies of ancient Egypt will be plagued with a curse laid upon the remains by mythical priests during the burial.

Other than the ship in the Suez Canal, the country witnessed a fatal train accident in Sohag, a 10-story building collapsed at Suez Bridge and a massive concrete pillar came tumbling down during construction of a bridge in Mariotia.

The Pharaoh's curse came about following the death of more than 20 people working to uncover the secrets of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.

The Pharaoh's curse came about following the death of more than 20 people working to uncover the secrets of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922

British archaeologist Howard Carter  employed by Lord Carnarvon  discovered the tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamun, sparking a mania for all things Ancient Egyptian.

And it also led to rabid speculation that, in disturbing the resting place of a pharaoh, Carter had unleashed a curse that would follow all associated with the raiding of King Tuts chamber in the Valley of the Kings.

A number of events gave rise to a media frenzy about the so called Curse of the Pharaohs. First, a cobra, the symbol of Egyptian monarchy, broke into Carters bird cage and Carters canary died in its jaws.

Then Lord Carnarvon died: he had been bitten by a mosquito and accidentally cut the bite while shaving. It became infected, and blood poisoning resulted.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, suggested that Lord Carnarvons death had been caused by elementals created by Tutankhamuns priests to guard the royal tomb, and this further fueled the media interest.
Some Australian GPs say they have been set up to fail on the vaccine rollout, with the federal government allowing millions of patients to book appointments while providing few doses to clinics.

While other countries have opted for a mass-clinic vaccine approach, the Australian government chose to roll out its vaccines via a network of thousands of GP clinics nationwide. The decision was made with the support of GPs.

Many clinics signed up expecting to receive hundreds of doses a week and spent money installing expensive vaccine fridges to store them. But some have received as few as 50 doses. Other GPs report shipments arriving late or inconsistently.

General practice does an extraordinary job of dealing with uncertainty. But it feels as though we have been set up to fail, said Associate Professor Jared Dart, a Queensland GP and director of the Australian General Practice Alliance.
A project to increase the health data literacy of youth has received funding through the University of Illinois Extension Collaboration Grant Program. Rachel M. Magee, assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences at Illinois (iSchool), will lead the project, "Health Data Literacy Ambassadors," with iSchool Associate Professors Catherine Blake and Jana Diesner serving as co-investigators. Funded through the Office of the Provost's Investment for Growth Program and University of Illinois Extension, the grant supports research and partnerships that address critical issues in five key areas: food, economy, environment, community, and health.

In the two-year project, iSchool researchers and Extension staff will build on existing 4-H Ambassadors and Advocate models to create a Health Data Literacy Ambassadors program.

"Our interdisciplinary collaboration connects researchers with expertise in health informatics, data analytics, youth services, and youth community engagement with Extension experts deeply experienced with positive youth development, health, nutrition, and wellness," said Magee.

Fifteen teens from across the state of Illinois will participate as program ambassadors. They will conduct needs assessments of health topics in their communities, develop and conduct data analytics projects to address issues that arise from their assessments, and present their findings to University and local audiences. University of Illinois students and faculty will serve as mentors and support the teens in their projects.

"This collaboration has the potential to build a sustainable model for other data literacy ambassador programs for Illinois 4-H, furthering efforts to address critical issue areas across Illinois through the lens of data analytics, continuing to empower youth as change agents, highlighting career pathways, and building connections and new partnerships between local communities and the University," said Magee.

Informed by her background as a public librarian, Magee is a youth advocate who teaches about and researches youth technology and information practices. She holds a PhD in information studies from Drexel University and a master's degree in information resources and library science from the University of Arizona.

###
The Army's website says soldiers tested the gadgets last year at Fort Pickett in Virginia. It said the system could help troops gain an advantage "on battlefields that are increasingly urban, congested, dark and unpredictable."

Microsoft's head-mounted HoloLens displays let people see virtual imagery superimposed over the physical world in front of them -- anything from holograms in virtual game worlds to repair instructions floating over a broken gadget. Users can control what they see using hand gestures or voice commands.

The technology is based on Microsoft's HoloLens headsets, which were originally intended for the video game and entertainment industries. Pentagon officials have described the futuristic technology -- which the Army calls its Integrated Visual Augmentation System -- as a way of boosting soldiers' awareness of their surroundings and their ability to spot targets and dangers.

Microsoft won a nearly $22 billion contract to supply U.S. Army combat troops with its augmented reality headsets. Microsoft and the Army separately announced the deal Wednesday.

The Army first began testing Microsoft's system with a $480 million contract in 2018 and said the headsets could be used for both training and in actual battle. The new contract will enable Microsoft to mass produce units for more than 120,000 soldiers in the Army's Close Combat Lethality Task Force. Microsoft said the contract will amount to up to $21.88 billion over the next decade, with a five-year base agreement that can be extended for another five years.

Microsoft President Brad Smith told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February that the system could integrate thermal night vision and facial recognition to provide soldiers with "real-time analytics" on remote battlefields. He also described how it could help in planning a hostage rescue operation by creating a "digital twin" of the building.

A group of Microsoft workers in 2019 petitioned the company to cancel its initial Army deal, arguing it would turn real-world battlefields into a video game.

Microsoft is among several tech companies that have sought to wow the gaming world with glitzy new virtual reality goggles over the past decade, though the efforts have largely fizzled. Microsoft pivoted away from consumer applications for its second-generation HoloLens 2, introduced in 2019, which is the basis for the Army's new gadgets.

Although Microsoft recently demonstrated a way to use the goggles to play the hit game Pokemon Go, it mostly pitches the devices as work tools to help surgeons, factory crews and others.

The headset deal is part of Microsoft's broader work as a defense contractor. The Pentagon in September reaffirmed Microsoft as winner of a cloud computing contract potentially worth $10 billion, although the work has been delayed by a legal battle over rival Amazon's claim that the bidding process was flawed.
Zanzibar  ZANZIBAR Revenue Board (ZRB) is devising sweeping measures to improve the country's taxation regime and harness alliance between taxpayers and collectors.

"Tax collectors and payers should never allow enmity or hatred amongst themselves; they should always coexist affably," the newly appointed ZRB Commissioner Salum Yusuf Ali told the 'Daily News' in an interview here recently.

Mr Salum, who boasts of vast experience in tax administration, said he is determined to transform the government revenues' collection agency into a highly professional and successful institution.

He described skilled handling of existing and potential taxpayers as key to ZRB success.

"Tax collection is not a policing task; we have to nurture friendly relationships with our key stakeholders-taxpayers," he said.

The ZRB boss reiterated sufficient revenue collection as his office's top priority, arguing: "I have been entrusted with a highly sensitive institution, which attracts attention from every angle. I'm going to work thoughtfully to boost collections and plug all loopholes for any possible (revenue) leakage."

Already, Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Mwinyi has promised a conducive business environment in the country, vowing to reduce taxes and employ efficient measures in collections.

Dr Mwinyi has publicly declared his reservations on multiple and exorbitant taxes, instead preferring low and friendly tax rates that attract many and voluntary taxpayers.

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According to ZRB's Public Relations and Taxpayer Services Manager, Shaaban Yahya Ramadhan, the agency collected 645bn/- in the 2020/2021 fiscal year, with tax and non-tax revenues contributing 516bn/- and 129bn/-, respectively.

The agency's spokesperson appreciated the attractive tourism environment, effective anti-Covid 19 measures and improved collections systems as some of the reasons behind the impressive performance.

He further cited cordial working relationship between ZRB and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) as another catalyst for tax payment.

"Transparency and accountability within the government have boosted compliance in payment of taxes-wananchi today believe that whatever they pay will be appropriately spent on their social and economic development," he said.

However, issuance of sale receipts remains a serious challenge in the Indian Ocean's semi-autonomous archipelago as some dishonest traders attempt to conceal their sales.

But, the agency says through intensified public awareness campaigns all sellers and buyers will appreciate the importance of issuing and demanding receipts for every sale and purchase, respectively.

ZRB envisages rolling out the countrywide uses of Virtual Fiscal Devices (VFDs) in all business transactions in the country, effectively on Friday.
The incidence of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Ukraine will stabilize over the next two weeks, Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) said.

"We can expect stabilization over the next two weeks. The workload of the resources of the medical system continues to increase, but at a slower pace. The growth rate of hospitalizations has fallen by half, to 6% per week. The gap between the number of hospitalized and discharged patients has also halved and is 15%," Head of KSE Center for Health Economics Yuriy Hanychenko said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.

Hanychenko said that according to the number of detected cases per 100,000 population, Ukraine reached the maximum European level, which was observed during the autumn wave.

"Ukraine is traditionally in the five large European countries with the most critical situation with COVID-19 (Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Romania). In Ukraine, the level of testing and case detection rates are among the worst in Europe. This week, Ukraine has already reached the third place in terms of mortality among large European countries," he said.

The expert said the daily number of deaths in the country continues to increase and is already a third higher than the average number of deaths in the previous wave.

"We expect that mortality will continue to grow for about two more weeks. [...] According to the average scenario, by the end of June 2021, we can expect up to 55,000 deaths (in total since the beginning of the pandemic). In the second quarter of 2021, the same number of deaths is expected, as over 2020. If we talk about the range, from the beginning of 2020 to the end of June 2021, we should expect from 40,000 to 75,000 deaths," Hanychenko said.

In addition, KSE recommends imposing tough lockdown in Khmelnytsky region, which has one of the highest hospitalization rates.

"More than 50% of the regions (13) should be included in the 'red' zone in terms of indicators, however, Rivne and Cherkasy regions, according to the decision of the commission on environmental safety, manmade disaster and emergency response, remained in the 'orange' zone, since the workload of oxygen beds there was not too high," he said.

The expert also said that Ukraine had fulfilled the minimum plan of 250,000 vaccinations against COVID-19 by the end of March, but with a delay of six days from the target plan. At the same time, Ukraine has one of the lowest rates of vaccination among large European countries.
MASHONALAND WEST provincial minister, Mary Mliswa-Chikoka has warned councils against diverting government's devolution funds to pay wages.

The minister cited cases in which some local authorities were misusing the funds to buy senior managers and councillors expensive cell phones and laptops.

Devolution seeks to transfer some administrative responsibilities from central government into the hands of the lower rungs of governance.

Speaking during the inaugural 2021 first quarter service delivery review meeting with heads of local authorities in the province Wednesday, Mliswa-Chikoka said the vision was aimed at transforming Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income economy hinged on the success of devolving governance to lower levels in order to catalyse development.

She said 'Vision 2030' was only attainable if resources were channelled towards developmental projects that improved the standards of living for citizens.

"This meeting sets the tone for effective and efficient service delivery.

"His Excellency (President Mnangagwa) is on record to have said that by 2030, Zimbabwe must be an upper middle-income economy.

"You and l are the drivers of this vision in this province. We must, indeed, make Vision 2030 a reality.

"It's not just another talk shop nor rhetoric. Are we all really behind it or some just want to be seen as being politically-correct?" she said.

The provincial minister said central government was prioritising the service delivery agenda which called on councillors and managers to "put all hands on deck" and build infrastructure to grow their respective local gross domestic products (GDP) through devolution monies.

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"Accordingly, in this devolution mode and era, we who are on the ground, have to pull our weight. Devolution funds are no longer something you just sit down and say l want to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that... "

Mliswa-Chikoka said the disbursements from Treasury should be used to finance water augmentation, construction and rehabilitation of health facilities such as clinics and building of schools, projects that change people's well-being.

"Devolution funds are not payroll funds. Don't justify (expenditure of) devolution funds by doing things which do touch the lives of the people. If you buy laptops or phones for each other, how does that impact on people's lives?"

Mliswa-Chikoka took the opportunity to warn town clerks and secretaries, heads will roll at councils that fail to spur development in their respective areas.
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The global E-pharmacy market is anticipated to reach USD 128.76 billion by 2026, according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. Increment in predominance of unending conditions and illnesses over the globe is bringing about steady development popular for different medications and medicinal services items. High cost of treatment is demonstrating the need to decrease medicinal services cost. Comfort, reasonableness, and simplicity in accessibility of prescriptions are powering market development.

High growing needs for pharmaceutical products in developing economies is one of the key driving factors for the E-pharmacy market. Government activities, increment in ventures, evolving controls, and expanding entrance of web and broadband in urban and village areas are adding to its development. Numerous new players are entering into this market as the social media is putting forth immense potential to the online retailers who are consistently developing interest for medicinal services items and administrations.

Get Sample Copy : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/e-pharma-market/request-for-sample

Online drug stores are picking up pace attributable to lucrative offers, for example, value rebates that result in cost cutting funds. Additionally, increment in use of e-remedies in doctors facilities and other medicinal services clinics is additionally anticipated to support development.

The U.S. is the biggest market in North America inferable from the nearness of different key players and a huge well-informed population. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest developing section because of its rising economies such as China and India. North America held dominant part of the offer in 2019 because of increment in online buys, developing elderly population, and high appropriation of IT in social insurance.

Get Special Discount On this Research Report : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/e-pharma-market/request-for-discount-pricing
WAALRE, Netherlands, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IME Medical Electrospinning, a global leader in electrospun medical devices for tissue rebuilding and regenerative medicine as well as implants and drug delivery solutions, today announced that it has further strengthened its management team with the appointment of Sander de Vos as Chief Business Officer (CBO). He will be responsible for the worldwide roll-out of the company's medical electrospinning strategy, based on IME's ground-breaking MediSpinXL industrial production platform.

Judith Heikoop, CEO of IME Medical Electrospinning comments:

"We at IME are thrilled to welcome Sander to our fast-growing team of professionals. Sander clearly brings a wealth of well-needed life science experience into the company, that will certainly be of key value to the further development of our electrospun medical device franchises. Our aim is to become the first partner of choice worldwide for the development of a novel, groundbreaking class of medical devices and pharma products based on nanofibers. Our ever-growing portfolio of customers and partners includes the Medtech and Pharma industry, universities, hospitals and medical institutes."

Sander de Vos (46) is an accomplished executive with more than 15 years of leadership experience across healthcare and biotech commercial and business development positions. Prior to joining IME, Sander worked at Mimetas, an innovative Dutch start-up company providing novel human cell biology models for improved therapies, where he played a key role in expanding the collaborations with its pharma and biotech partners.

In previous roles, Sander led the commercial team of Isogen Life Science and acquired experience as an entrepreneur growing a private business. His commercial career started at Westburg Life Sciences and for more than 10 years he shaped and directed the sales strategy and commercial development of part of their life science business.

Sander has a background in molecular biology, co-developed a molecular diagnostic test for simultaneous detection of tick-borne pathogens and contributed to the development of a vaccine against ticks at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Utrecht University.

Sander de Vos, Chief Business Officer of IME Medical Electrospinning, said:

"With the potential of becoming the global leader in large-scale production of best-in-class nanofiber based medical devices and drug delivery solutions, I'm proud, gratified and delighted to become a member of the IME management team. The company's technology enables faster and better recovery of tissues and body structures, and therefore IME is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients."

About Medical Electrospinning

Applying specific polymers, IME's advanced equipment creates fiber-based medical device solutions that mimic the natural human extracellular matrix in nanometer and micrometer format for implants and membranes in the human body. Human cells recognize these artificial matrices (scaffolds) as the body's own, facilitating the repair of the damaged tissue for heart valves, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, skin and bone etc. This is in contrast to implants and membranes of traditional structures, which are seen as foreign and therefore can lead to scar tissue or rejection phenomena. The MediSpinXL platform has been developed specifically for MedTech industrial manufacturing of medical devices and is now also suitable for pharmaceutical drug delivery applications and ensures firm control over the crucial parameters of the electrospinning process, leading to reproducible and consistent end-products.

About IME Medical Electrospinning

For over ten years, IME Medical Electrospinning has been a leading player in the field of developing and implementing electrospinning processes and equipment for the manufacturing of medical devices for (regenerative) medicine and drug delivery. Electrospinning is a flexible process for producing extremely thin fibers and structures that have excellent properties to help regenerate human tissue. IME Medical Electrospinning has developed a unique set of innovations in electrospinning technology for reproducible and scalable production of electrospun material under tightly controlled conditions required for the MedTech and Pharma market. Customers and scientific partners include the MedTech and Pharma industry, scientists and health institutions.

More info is available at www.ime-electrospinning.com

For further inquiries:

IME Medical Electrospinning| Waalre, The Netherlands (HQ) | Leiden, The Netherlands

Judith Heikoop M.Sc. Ph.D.

T: +31 40 28 27 956

E: j.heikoop@ime-electrospinning.com

For media:

LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication |Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Leon Melens

T: +31 6 538 16 427

E: lmelens@lifelspring.nl

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1478688/IME_Medical_Electrospinning_Sander_de_Vos.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248580/IME_Medical_Electrospinning_Logo.jpg
Huawei Technologies' quarterly revenue shrank for the first time on record, reflecting the devastating impact of US sanctions that forced China's largest technology company out of smartphones and into other technology arenas.

The disappointing results underscore the depth of the damage Washington has wrought on a company that once vied with Apple and Samsung to lead the global smartphone market.

It reported revenue fell 11pc to 220.1bn yuan (28.5bn) in 2020's final quarter. That's down from 3.7pc growth in the September quarter and 23pc in the second quarter, according to Bloomberg calculations based off previously reported figures.

Full-year sales and profit rose 3.8pc and 3.2pc, respectively, in line with the "marginal growth" previously projected, according to financial statements audited by KPMG. Huawei had credited record 5G base station orders and strong mobile sales in the first half for offsetting the final six months.

Huawei is emerging from its toughest year on record, when Trump-administration sanctions smothered its once leading smartphone business and stymied advances into chipmaking and fifth-generation networking.

The Biden White House has shown few signs of letting up, prompting billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei to direct Huawei toward new growth areas such as smart agriculture, healthcare and electric cars. It hopes for a seat at the table with tech giants vying to define the rapidly evolving fields of connected vehicles, homes and workplaces.

"The global supply chain Huawei heavily relies on has been disrupted," said chairman Ken Hu, one of three executives who take turns filling the top role. "I don't know who will benefit from it but definitely not the industry."

The global semiconductor supply chain needs to be overhauled in order to resolve the current shortages, he added.

Cash flow weakened last year as the company built up inventories ahead of US sanctions that effectively cut off its access to American technologies last September and it has enough stockpiles for its enterprise business, Mr Hu told reporters.

Huawei had previously purchased $10bn (8.5bn) to $20bn of components each year from American. suppliers and other customers won't be able to fully make up for the lost business.

Huawei's consumer electronics unit  which still accounts for more than half of total revenue  missed sales targets, he added.

Huawei's smartphone shipments tumbled 42pc during the final three months of last year to lag behind Apple, Samsung and domestic rivals Xiaomi and Oppo, according to research firm International Data Corp.

The firm intends to keep launching flagship phones as planned, while it builds up other consumer electronics, like wearables, which grew by 65pc last year, Mr Hu said.

Huawei is the subject of persistent speculation it wants to join tech giants from Apple to Xiaomi in exploring automotive tech or designing and assembling entire cars.

The firm has denied it plans to launch an own-brand car but has tested its autonomous driving and driver-car interaction technologies.
She recently got back from a Santa Barbara retreat with her purported new love interest.

And on Thursday Sofia Richie, 22, leaned into her sultry side as she posed topless in a shadowy new shoot.

The model daughter of Lionel Richie has been spending time with Elliot Grainge, 24  the son of Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge  after debuting him on social media last week.

Sultry shoot: Sofia Richie, 22, goes topless for a sultry new photo series and protects her modesty with her hands after stepping out with a new love interest

The blonde beauty was seen wearing a pair of simple black pants and going barefoot for the backyard style photo shoot.

She leaned into her natural good looks, appearing with little to no makeup on her face as she protected her modesty with her hands.

In another photo she showed off her sun kissed back, the shadows from the trees behind her lightly covering her body for a stylized look.

Sofia flashed bedroom eyes, leaving her mouth slightly ajar as she looked into the camera.

Natural: The blonde beauty was seen wearing a pair of simple black pants and going barefoot for the backyard style photo shoot

After getting out of a heavily publicized relationship with Keeping Up With The Kardashians vet Scott Disick, 37, Sofia has been dating around.

Despite a string of men on her arm including Cha Cha Matcha founder Matthew Morton and Israeli shipping heir Gil Ofer since she and the reality star split over the summer, she seems to have her sights set on someone new.

Sofia debuted what internet sleuths were able to identify as Elliot last week  the pair both having musical ties by way of their famous fathers.

They had been seen dining out on numerous occasions, before dipping upstate to celeb-favorite haunt Rosewood Miramar for a beachside retreat.

New man: Sofia debuted what internet sleuths were able to identify as Elliot Grainge last week, the pair both having musical ties by way of their famous fathers, and they recently retreated to Santa Barbara; pictured March 26

And this week they stepped out again for a hike after returning to Los Angeles, continuing to spend quality time together.

In a recent episode of the Kardashian-centric hit E! show, Disick was seen talking to former partner Kourtney Kardashian, 41, about he and Sofia's relationship.

He alleged that the model gave him an ultimatum after nearly three years of dating, asking him to choose between her, and Kourtney and their three kids.

Confessing that the Poosh founder would always be a priority in his life, the unconventional relationship caused friction between him and Sofia, ultimately leading to a break before they called it quits.

Former flame: Disick alleged that the model gave him an ultimatum after nearly three years of dating, asking him to choose between her and Kourtney and the kids which led to their split; 2018

Though it was understandably hard to kiss their serious relationship goodbye, afterwards she posted rather-cryptic poems alluding to having outgrown each other.

She dipped her toes into the dating pool  having a number of suitors vying her heart  and Disick stepped out with much younger model Amelia Gray Hamlin, 19, around the same time.

That relationship has grown increasingly serious, the pair going Instagram official ahead of Valentine's Day with reports they are slated to temporarily move to Miami together.
This is an update of a story posted at 10:34 a.m. Thursday

HOLYOKE - The office of Hamden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni has confirmed that an unidentified person was stuck and killed by an Amtrak train late Wednesday night.

Amtrak acknowledged that someone was struck along Route 5 just before 10:30 p.m., and as a result the Valley Flyer train from New Haven to Greenfield was delayed by two hours. Amtrak officials had no information on the status of the person who was hit.

The DAs office confirmed that there is a fatality, but was awaiting specific information about the deceaseds age, gender and residence.

The death is being investigated by the DAs office and the Massachusetts State Police detectives. It is not considered to be foul play.
FORMER justice and foreign affairs minister Charlie Flanagan has called for the mandatory hotel quarantine to be discontinued in the wake of controversial plans to expand it.

Mr Flanagan was strongly opposed to the hotel quarantine when he was justice minister in the last Government and told Independent.ie on Thursday that issues which have emerged in recent days have proven it to be flawed and unworkable.

The Attorney General Paul Gallagher has raised concerns over Health Minister Stephen Donnellys proposal to add 43 countries, including France, Germany, Italy and the US, to the list, which already includes 33 countries, following advice from the Travel Expert Advisory Group.

Mr Gallagher has raised concerns about EU citizens right to free movement throughout member states, while the proposal is also being met with resistance from Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney over the diplomatic fallout from such a move.

Mr Flanagan raised strong objections at Cabinet in May 2020 when the idea of hotel quarantine was first mooted by public health officials, questioning who would police the hotels.

Speaking to Independent.ie, he highlighted issues faced by unvaccinated gardai last week when three people absconded from the hotel and officers were given only basic information about the individuals.

"The issues that have arisen in recent days show that the system is flawed and therefore unworkable, therefore it should be discontinued, rather than developed and expanded, Mr Flanagan said.

The Fine Gael TD said he had concerns about a government minister being able to add and subtract a list of countries from the hotel quarantine list and said he was concerned that the Government had set it up in reaction to Opposition outrage.

I was against mandatory hotel quarantine last year and I remain so. There are serious legal and operational issues that need to be fully addressed before expanding it and developing it can be contemplated, he said.

I am very concerned about the proposal to add a list of EU neighbours without due regard to our obligations under the single market.

The comparisons with New Zealand were always wide of the mark and simplistic. We are an island with strong business and people-to-people links with Europe and the world.

"I am pleased to see the Attorney General is now centre stage, I haven't seen his advice but I expect that it points to the dangers of arbitrary justice. I accept of course that we're in an emergency but that notwithstanding, due and careful process is essential.

"If this thing was easy, it would have been done long ago and the reason it wasn't done is because of the complex nature of the issues involved."

Mr Flanagan said the alternative to hotel quarantine was to focus all efforts on the vaccination programme as it is key to any semblance of normality.
(CNN)  Massive crowds of Hindus began arriving in the northern Indian city of Haridwar on Thursday for the largest religious pilgrimage on Earth, even as experts warned it could cause a surge in Covid-19 cases as the country grapples with a second wave.

The months-long Kumbh Mela festival, one of the most important Hindu celebrations, typically takes place every 12 years and draws tens of millions of pilgrims to four rotating sites.

This year, it takes place in Haridwar, in the foothills of the outer Himalayas in Uttarakhand state, where devotees attend prayers, and wash their sins away in the sacred waters of the Ganges River. According to some myths associated with the festival, the river water turns into "amrita," or the nectar of immortality, on particular days.

But this year, Covid-19 measures have seen the festival postponed and then scaled back. The traditional start date, called Makar Sankranti, was in January, but people were not authorized to take holy baths in the river until the government's formal launch in April.

Although authorities moved the start date, and shortened the pilgrimage from three and a half months to just one month, many people have chosen to disregard the official guidelines, said Oommen Kurian, senior fellow and head of health initiative at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been flocking to Haridwar since Makar Sankranti in January anyway -- congregating in close quarters for hours a day, sharing public facilities and having meals together. Photos show people washing their faces and taking full body dips into the sacred waters, then attending evening prayers by the banks of the river, lighting candles and making religious offerings.

Thursday saw the first ceremonies and holy baths take place by the banks of the Ganges, with holy men carrying out prayer rituals, said festival officer Harbeer Singh. Religious flags were hoisted ahead of their arrival, marking the formal start of the celebrations. The city's district magistrate and police officials prayed to the Ganges river for a successful Kumbh Mela.

"This is a festival which people wait years for," said Pradeep Jha, president of Ganga Sabha, a Hindu organization that provides services like organizing festivals along the Ganges. "Those who have problems at home, in work, in their families, they all come to pray here to mother Ganga and she blesses them."

Jha had attended the morning Kumbh Mela ceremony, he added.

"Kumbh Mela is not only a religious pilgrimage, but also perhaps the largest mass gathering at one place," said the federal government's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in late January, in an advisory laying out Covid-19 measures for the festival.

The ministry said it expects to see a million people on "a regular day" during the festival. But on "auspicious days," attendees may swell to 5 million, and there could be a "large surge of crowds congregating ... to take holy baths."

Experts fear the massive gathering could spell trouble for India's Covid-19 situation, which has deteriorated markedly in recent weeks.

India saw its cases drop by nearly 90% from a high in September 2020 to February this year, with many heralding the country's apparent success in controlling infections. But March saw cases rise rapidly, raising alarm of a second wave.

India recorded 72,330 new cases of the virus on Thursday and 459 new related deaths. That's the highest single-day increase in cases since last October, and the biggest rise in deaths since December, according to a CNN tally of data from the Indian Ministry of Health.

The country has now recorded more than 12 million cases and 162,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University.

"The situation is becoming from bad to worse and is a serious cause for concern, said V K Paul, a member of Indian government think tank Niti Aayog, on Tuesday.

The surge in cases is due to several possible factors, said Kurian. There is the rise in new variants, which health authorities are still investigating with genome sequencing. People are going out more, and taking fewer precautions. The public may be experiencing Covid fatigue, or simply letting their guard down due to the winter success.

"Kumbh Mela districts have been lucky in the last two months," said Kurian -- but "given the acceleration in the number of cases, and the flow of people expected in the next few weeks, there can be a certain surge in cases, even if (safety measures) are implemented strictly."

Authorities have introduced a range of health and safety requirements to try to minimize the risk. At least 7,000 police personnel and 1,000 festival officers have been deployed to carry out Covid surveillance and maintain security during the festival, Singh said.

Visitors must register online and provide a medical certificate confirming their health status, according to directives from the state and federal government. Attendees must observe social distancing and wear face masks, and hand washing stations will be set up in public areas.

All visitors coming from states with surging infections -- 12 in total -- must provide negative Covid-19 test results starting April 1, according to the official guidelines. Checkpoints at railway stations, airports and other large hubs will carry out random testing on people passing through. Attendees may also be checked for their negative test results at several entry points.

"The current (guidelines) are relatively strict, and anything even stricter may not be implementable," said Kurian. But the risks still run high with so many congregating in such a small space, sharing the same river water. Photos from the Ganges show packed crowds, people pressed together with no space for social distancing. Dozens, if not hundreds, of holy men dip into the water together, with no protective masks in sight.

Jha, the Ganga Sabha president, acknowledged the pandemic was a "huge catastrophe" that "we should all be vigilant of."

"But our health is our own," he said. "We all need to take adequate precautions to protect ourselves from Covid. As much as we are religious, we are also practical, so I appeal to everyone to keep safe distance."

"That being said, this year is incredibly auspicious and a lot of people are also going through a hard time, so seeking the blessings of mother Ganga has become all the more meaningful to them this year," Jha added. "It is an incredible feeling to witness this."

Vulnerable groups like the elderly and those with comorbidities have been urged to travel only in emergency or unavoidable circumstances, said the Uttarakhand government on Tuesday. Health care workers and those on the front lines during the Kumbh Mela will be vaccinated.

India began its vaccination rollout in January, with the goal to administer 600 million shots (that's 300 million people, since the vaccines require two doses) by August.

India is administering two vaccines: one developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca, known as Covishield in the country; and Covaxin, India's first homegrown coronavirus vaccine, developed jointly by Bharat Biotech and the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research.

So far, the country has administered more than 61 million shots, with about 8.9 million people fully vaccinated. That's still less than 1% of the country's 1.3 billion population, according to Johns Hopkins University.

There is also still some vaccine hesitancy in the country, which could be hampering the vaccination effort and exacerbating the current surge, said Kurian.

"India needs to ensure that the high risk population is vaccinated as soon as possible, possibly running campaigns in high burden districts," said Kurian.

"I think at the national level, judging from the momentum, we will soon see the September 2020 peak level of cases," he added. "Daily deaths reaching four digits again will be a huge tragedy for the country, and needs to be avoided at any cost."

This story was first published on CNN.com "Mass religious festival goes ahead in India, despite Covid fears as country enters second wave".
As most South Carolina residents become eligible, coronavirus vaccinations for one of the state's most vulnerable populations are starting to ramp up.

People incarcerated in South Carolina's prisons and jails began receiving the vaccine in March and, with eligibility and vaccine allocations expanding, administrators are gearing up to fully vaccinate their populations.

The S.C. Department of Corrections has 21 facilities across the state and on March 29, 15,548 people were incarcerated in those institutions.

SCDC prisoners began receiving their first doses of the vaccine in early March. By the last week of March, 729 inmates aged 65 and older or those with pre-existing conditions were receiving the second shot of the Moderna vaccine.

Shirene Hansotia, criminal justice policy and legal counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, said it's welcome to hear vaccinations are starting for incarcerated people.

Those held in jails and prisons aren't typically able to socially distance, and many have preexisting conditions, greatly increasing the likelihood and danger of a COVID-19 infection.

Corrections spokeswoman Chrysti Shain said the prison system plans to vaccinate all inmates pending further allocations by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Starting March 31, anyone 16 and older became eligible to receive the vaccine in South Carolina.

So far, vaccinations have posed several logistical challenges, Shain said. Institutions are spread out across the state, but vaccines are delivered to the Columbia office. Staff members then have to estimate how many vials they need per day and must drive them out to each facility.

The process can be time-consuming, including paperwork for each incarcerated person who chooses to receive the vaccine. Once a dose is taken out of the vial, the remaining doses are only good for six hours, Shain said.

"Because you sometimes get extra doses in a vial or have doses left over, we have to quickly identify someone else to vaccinate. We dont want any doses to go to waste," she said.

With more than 14,000 inmates yet to be vaccinated, SCDC needs a lot of additional staff to continue the process, according to Shain. They've requested help from the S.C. Emergency Management Division.

"We will be offering shots to about the same number of people in some of our larger institutions as Prisma Health offers daily at Gamecock Park in Columbia. That site has between 80 and 100 volunteers staffing it each day," Shain said.

Security concerns are also a factor, since only a certain number of inmates can be outside their dorms at the same time.

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Shain said she hopes the next allocation will be the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine. "That will cut down the work by half," she said.

At the Charleston County jail, vaccinations began at the end of March.

Spokesman Capt. Roger Antonio said the Al Cannon Detention Center received 500 initial doses of the Moderna vaccine, and its medical provider had vaccinated 166 inmates as of March 31.

On April 1, the detention center's website listed the inmate population at 795 individuals.

"Today was one of the best days in my nursing career," Wellpath nurse KellyAnne Lee said in a release from the Sheriff's Office. Lee said she's been working to get vaccines at the jail since October.

"I was grateful to be able to help others so we all get back to a sense of normalcy," Lee said.

For those who may be released before it's time for a second dose, instructions were given on how to find one in the community at large.

"We recognize the importance of providing vaccinations to our detention centers residents, many of whom may not normally have access to this opportunity. This will, in turn, reduce the number of COVID cases in our community," Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano said in the news release.

According to the SCDC's website, 3,236 inmates have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 and 40 have died. Two staff members also died out of 1,086 confirmed cases.

"Ideally, we would have liked to see incarcerated people prioritized early in this process," the ACLU's Hansotia said. "It's not just dangerous to people inside, it's dangerous to staff that come in and out and then bring the virus back to their communities. It's a public safety issue."

But it's better late than never, Hansotia said. She hopes that vaccinations will lessen the danger for incarcerated populations who have little ability to avoid the virus.
Chandigarh, April 1 : The Punjab government said on Thursday that it has created a record with zero pendency in the state treasury during the 2020-21 fiscal after a gap of almost 15 years.

An official spokesperson said the Treasuries and Accounts of Finance Department has cleared Rs 3,556 crore related to payments to various departments during the last two days of the previous fiscal.

The spokesperson pointed out that 10,295 bills were cleared on March 30 with an amount of Rs 1417.6 crore credited to 45,176 payees, while 12,484 bills were cleared on the last day of the financial year, i.e., March 31, with Rs 2138.5 paid to 301,356 payees.

Notably, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has directed all the departments to conduct a review of the status of their pending bills at regular intervals to ensure zero pendency at the culmination of every fiscal.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1)  The Department of Interior and Local Government on Thursday instructed the police to investigate possible delays and complaints in the upcoming distribution of cash or in-kind assistance in areas under enhanced community quarantine.

The DILG said a memorandum circular has been given to local chief executives in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna on how they should distribute assistance worth P22.9 billion to low-income residents affected by the one-week lockdown due to the ongoing COVID-19 surge.

All local government units must issue an executive order after they identify the most effective and efficient way of releasing the assistance. After receiving the budget from the national government, they must distribute the cash aid of P1,000 within 15 days or within 30 days if they opt to give out goods. They also need to post a list of those who are set to receive assistance before the actual distribution.

The department is also creating a Joint Monitoring and Inspection Team (JMIT) in each LGU to address complaints regarding the distribution. It said the Philippine National Police will immediately investigate and conduct case build-up on reported cases of anomalies, irregularities, or graft and corruption.

The JMIT will address grievances "in case of undue delay or systemic anomalies in the distribution, and cause the filing of administrative or criminal cases against public officials or individuals involved in irregular or unlawful practices relative to said financial aid," it said in a statement.

Eighty-nine barangay captains were suspended for six months in 2020 over alleged irregularities in the distribution of cash aid under the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act. Nearly 18 million poor households affected by the strict lockdown received 5,000 to 8,000 cash subsidy under the social amelioration program.
Charged by the government for organising a demonstration, Jimmy Lai, Martin Lee, Margaret Ng, Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan still believe that the fight for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong will continue. Beijings repression is a betrayal of the promises made to the people of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  If we give up on the fight for freedom and justice, we also surrender our dignity as humans, wrote Jimmy Lai five years ago.

His newspaper, the Apple Daily, reprinted the same words this morning after the West Kowloon District Court convicted the pro-democracy media mogul, who is already in jail for violating national security, and other pro-democracy activists for organising and participating in a large anti-government demonstration held on 18 August 2019.

According to organisers, 1.7 million people took part in that protest, in defiance of an official ban, in order to denounce police brutality and call for the withdrawal of a proposed extradition bill.

In the courtroom, as usual, Lai greeted family and friends. According to his newspaper, the hard months of detention have not affected his composure. Even with chains, every time he appears in court, he exchanges glances and smiles with his family.

The 73-year-old billionaire has repeatedly said that his Catholic faith gives him the strength to face coming challenges. In addition to its owners story, the Apple Daily also cited four other defendants.

Its selective prosecution, said Martin Lee. For the father of Hong Kongs democracy and founder of Hong Kongs Democratic Party, the goal remains the same, i.e. the establishment of democracy in Hong Kong, a cause shared by all generations.

In mainland China, Lee, also a Catholic, is seen as a traitor, but he has also been criticised by young pro-democracy activists for his gradualist approach centred on dialogue with those in power.

The veteran politician and activist took part in drafting Hong Kongs constitution, the Basic Law. Initially, he was a supporter of the one country, two systems principle, which is the formal basis of Hong Kongs autonomy vis-a-vis the central government. However, he admits that this principle now exists only on paper.

Lee readily admits that he might not live long enough to see a democratic China, but this wont stop him from fighting. It does not matter if I cant see it. My son may. And if he doesnt, my grandson may, he said.

The National Security Act of June 2020 dealt a severe blow to Hong Kong's autonomy, this according to former lawmaker and Christian lawyer Margaret Ng. The law is a very unjust kind of law and a breach of all the promises made to Hong Kong people, including the most fundamental principle of one country, two systems, she says.

Albert Ho, another experienced pro-democracy fighter, is adamant that The authorities can arrest us all, but our flame will live on regardless. In his view, the Chinese Communist Party's crackdown will end in failure, as the international community will lose confidence in Hong Kong. Once a magnet for people, the territory is now losing people fleeing the repression, proof of the authorities failure.

Imprisonment is also a form of resistance to oppression. It will not wear down ones will, said Lee Cheuk-yan, president of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which traditionally organises a rally on 4 June each year to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre of 4 June 1989. Once he is behind bars, Lee is confident that others will continue his work to remember those who died 32 years ago.
Call for global tech ventures to submit business ideas to solve industry-specific challenges to investors and corporate buyers at dedicated matching event

HONG KONG, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) today announced that it will be hosting the Global Matching 2021 from 26 May to 2 June 2021. Harnessing its resources as Hong Kong's innovation hub, HKSTP will be powering the Corporate Innovation Summit, as well as workshops for corporate buyers to drive innovation adoption at speed and scale.

The 6-day programme offers startups and technology ventures a platform to expand their business network and connect with potential corporate buyers and investors. Local and international technology ventures are invited to submit their online proposals in one of nine designated industry verticals, namely Consumer and Services, Education, Manufacturing and Logistics, Travel and Hospitality, Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Healthcare, Construction and Real Estate, and Government and Smart City.

Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP, said, "Entrepreneurs need the right environment to unlock ideas and sustainably bring them into fruition. Pooling our resources of knowledge, network and R&D expertise together, HKSTP is honoured to provide the support for these innovators to be productive and to succeed."

"This event is a two-way learning ground for entrepreneurs and investors. Our corporate partners get to discover emerging solutions that could potentially fill a need in their industry. Technology creators, on the other hand, gain a swift introduction to regional investors, along with market-entry insights and funding from interested partners. Ultimately, we are able to accelerate the production of solutions that could revitalise and move industries forward with innovation and technology," added Wong.

Around 300 technology ventures from across the globe are expected to participate in the programme for an opportunity to get matched with potential new corporate customers and partners during the Global Matching sessions.

The event builds upon the success of last year's virtual Global matching event, which saw over 320 one-on-one matching meetings between 160 global tech ventures and over 200 industry corporates and regional investors. This year's matchmaking sessions will combine online and onsite business-and-investment matching activities, followed by two-minute pitches to be delivered by shortlisted technology ventures over an online platform.

The pitches will be publicly livestreamed and then made available via video-on-demand, extending the exposure for entrepreneurs to potential investors.

The Global Matching 2021 is now accepting applications from global technology ventures on or before 16 April 2021.

For further event updates and the latest list of corporate buyers and regional investors, please visit our event website.

Event Website: https://stp.hk/gm2021

Registration: https://stp.hk/gm2021solreg

About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

Comprising Science Park, InnoCentre and Industrial Estates, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is a statutory body dedicated to building a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem to connect stakeholders, nurture technology talents, facilitate collaboration, and catalyse innovations to deliver social and economic benefits to Hong Kong and the region.

Established in May 2001, HKSTP has been driving the development of Hong Kong into a regional hub for innovation and growth in several focused clusters including Electronics, Information & Communications Technology, Green Technology, Biomedical Technology, Materials and Precision Engineering. We enable science and technology companies to nurture ideas, innovate and grow, supported by our R&D facilities, infrastructure, and market-led laboratories and technical centres with professional support services. We also offer value added services and comprehensive incubation programmes for technology start-ups to accelerate their growth.

Technology businesses benefit from our specialised services and infrastructure at Science Park for applied research and product development; enterprises can find creative design support at InnoCentre; while skill-intensive businesses are served by our three industrial estates at Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long. More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479427/HKSTP_Logo.jpg
The Kremlin warned on Thursday that travel to Georgia was dangerous for Russian citizens after angry crowds took to the streets to protest against the arrival of prominent Russian television presenter Vladimir Pozner.

Asked about the incident, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it condemned what it called aggressive actions by "extremist-minded nationalists."

"Georgia is dangerous for Russian citizens. t is dangerous to go there and Russians must clearly understand this," Peskov said.

He thanked the Georgian police for ensuring Pozners security and the authorities for condemning the incident.

Pozner had come to Tbilisi with a group of friends to celebrate his 87th birthday on April 1. But Pozners group, composed of other Russian celebrities, was met with hostility by Georgians, who demonstrated outside his hotel on Wednesday evening and pelted it with eggs over comments the journalist had made about the countrys breakaway regions.

Georgian political activists said they opposed Pozners visit to the country because he had said the small south Caucasus country would not regain control over its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"I didnt come here to talk about politics but to celebrate my birthday," Pozner said upon his arrival on Wednesday.

The protests forced Pozners group to cut celebrations short and return to Russia, according to Georgian media. Pozners group was also fined for violating restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, RIA Novosti cited the Georgian Interior Ministry as saying.
Rachel Brougham: When lifes simple pleasures hit in a new way
Ted Slowik wrote a column presenting the Democrat talking points on voter repression in Georgia as opposed to the congressional Democrats bill for federal election law which could be called the anything goes bill to promote potential massive election fraud on a variety of levels without any checks. In Illinois, electioneering is not allowed within 100 feet of the polling place. Could Georgians who might have to stand in line bring their own water, maybe eat before they come if they need food? Voting lines are not disaster relief lines. Laws that cannot be followed by reasonable people should be changed. That is not Georgias recently approved election laws.
The Missouri University of Science and Technology in Clinton County, Mo., to establish an RF-over-Fiber deployment for last-mile wireless technologies in rural areas.

The Westchester County Association in Yonkers, N.Y., to create a digital opportunity zone to expand youth involvement and digital equity.

Allied Media Projects in Detroit, Mich., to deploy a combination of fiber and wireless infrastructure.

Libraries Without Borders in Loiza, Puerto Rico, to deploy a network among three community centers which offers digital skills training and health literacy information to low-income residents in underserved neighborhoods.

Seven communities have been selected as testbeds to grow broadband access expansion. The initiative is part of Project OVERCOME , led by a partnership among US Ignite, the National Science Foundation and Schmidt Futures.The projects range from serving low-income urban communities to hard-to-reach rural areas, with the goal of developing scalable solutions to help close the digital divide in the United States which has left some 17 million people unconnected.We specifically sought to identify a set of communities which was reflective of the density, demographics, geography and housing types throughout our country. And we also sought to pursue a range of technical approaches, said Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the National Science Foundation, during a Tuesday webinar to announce the projects.The projects include those like the one being led by the University at Buffalo in New York to bring Internet service to a historically under-served community near the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus."The pandemic has also showed the national and systematic under-investment in broadband in our country, especially in communities that need it most. Those of color, those that are on tribal lands, those that are in remote areas, said Eric Schmidt co-founder of Schmidt Futures.Another project will bring a wireless link to rural McKenzie Valley in Oregon with a new fiber network and incentives to help grow private investment.Internet connections in 2021 arent a gee, that would be nice to have. They are a must have, Sen. Ron Wyden (D) Oregon, said of the project in his state.Another project in Cleveland, Ohio, will help to end Clevelands rank as the absolute worst connected large city in America, said Dorothy Baunach, CEO of DigitalC , which helps to grow connectivity as well as provide devices and digital literacy training.The project will open pathways to improve our neighbors education, health and economic well-being, Baunach added.Other projects include:US Ignite will oversee the project deployments as well as monitor and measure their impact, and to help to determine what strategies are effective and can be replicated in other communities across the country, said Mari Silbey, director of partnerships and outreach at US Ignite.The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the importance of broadband connectivity, and its critical role in providing access to opportunity, she added. As such, and as we explore new technology and partnership models, its important to test these models in rural and urban environments, across varied demographic groups, and in different geographic regions across the country.
Road freight companies say the impact of the new regime will depend on the number and location of testing sites

European haulage companies are seeking further information as they assess the likely impact on freight businesses of the new mandatory COVID-19 testing regime from this month for lorry drivers arriving in England from outside the British Isles.

The measure is set to be introduced from 6 April onwards in a bid to curb the number of infections of potentially vaccine-resistant variations of the virus. It will oblige drivers to take a first test within the first two days of their stay in England, then further tests every three days  although there is expected to be a two-week grace period prior to its full enforcement.

Robert Kleppers, commercial director of Jan de Rijk Logistics, whose trucks make more than 20,000 crossings to and from the UK annually, said that the majority of EU-UK traffic on the short straits Chennel crossing was headed for the London area, meaning drivers normally spend less than two days in England.

For drivers going to other destinations, it will depend on the number of testing sites and where they are located in the country, he told Lloyds Loading List. As long as these are situated away from the ports, the risk of significant volumes of truck traffic building up, creating backlogs, is reduced

Jason Breakwell, commercial director of Wallenborn Transports, told Lloyds Loading List: Were waiting for the Department for Transport to verify what two days means. Is it two calendar days or 48 hours? Or as Eurotunnel announced, the day of arrival plus two calendar days. Therefore, a driver arriving on Monday and staying in the UK after Wednesday would need to be tested before midnight on Wednesday. Hopefully, it is the latter (Eurotunnels calculation) as most of our drivers spend less than 48 hours in the UK during each trip.

The Eurotunnel Freight website notes: Drivers on a return trip from the EU will not require proof of a negative COVID-19 test to cross the border. The proof for the date and time of travel is the Eurotunnel Transport Ticket.

Wallenborns Breakwell estimates that COVID testing of lorry drivers will extend transit times by at least an hour  longer if drivers have to deviate from their route to a testing facility or if they are queues.

It would be easier if testing was available on the French side as very few inbound facilities have been set up so far in the UK. For example, there are none between Dover/Folkestone and London and the facility at Clacket Lane (on the M25 in Kent) is on the eastbound carriageway.

He added: Some drivers prefer to be tested before arriving in the UK to avoid the risk of testing positive and quarantining in the UK for ten days. The evidence from the last three months of testing in the UK is that very few truck drivers are COVID positive, probably because they are isolated in their cabs and follow hygiene measures.

The UK government is also making it a legal requirement for all hauliers arriving in England to self-isolate in their cabs while they are in the country, unless they have to leave it for one of several specified reasons, such as the need to buy food.

Subdued UK-EU road freight volumes

The UKs Office for National Statistics last month published official figures highlighting the extent that UK-EU trade collapsed in January, including a more than 40% drop in UK exports to the EU and a 29% fall in imports from the EU as traders and their freight and logistics providers adjusted to new post-Brexit trading arrangements and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Various freight industry sources have highlighted that although UK-EU road freight vehicle numbers may have recovered towards their pre-Brexit levels, the numbers of trucks travelling empty from the UK to the EU had risen sharply. For example, last month the Road Haulage Association estimated that trucks were going back to the continent about 40% empty, compared to around 20% empty pre-Brexit.

UK road freight vehicle movements to and from mainland Europe via the key short-straits Dover-Calais and Eurotunnel crossings in March remained down by an estimated 20% below their levels last year, as companies continue to adjust to the new post-Brexit trade arrangements and changes related to the pandemic.

Although the volume of short-straits Dover-Calais and Eurotunnel crossings may still be down by as much as 20% below their levels last year, the experience has been different for companies in different sectors of the market, with some picking up business from others that have withdrawn from the market.

Gained new traffic

Commenting on the state of the cross-Channel road freight market almost three months since the new UK-EU trading regime took effect, Kleppers said: We see a recovery in volumes which are back to or above pre-Brexit volumes. I dont know if this is representative of the market as a whole. Jan de Rijk Logistics has gained a lot of new traffic as some companies no longer operate on cross-Channel routes or are struggling with customs clearance paperwork.

He said while he couldnt quantify how many firms fell into these categories, Jan de Rijk was getting daily requests from new parties seeking a solution for cross-border transport.

A common refrain from shippers is that their previous supplier was having trouble with the paperwork, lacked the infrastructure, or was not willing to invest time and effort to set this up properly. Over the past weeks we serviced a couple of dozen new customers and are adding new ones daily.

Breakwell said that other than a few big names temporarily suspending services in January, (notably European logistics giant DB Schenker) he was not aware of hauliers abandoning the UK market.

A lot of Irish trade is now avoiding the UK, and ferry operators have added more direct capacity from/to France and Ireland. This has reduced demand for cross-Channel capacity, he noted.

Overall volumes from UK via the Channel ports appear to be lower than normal, but our volumes this month are approximately 5% higher than in March 2020.

Two-week grace period

As reported today, fines on hauliers whose drivers fail to take a COVID test when entering England from outside the UK and Ireland will not be imposed until 19 April under plans to offer a two-week grace period, The Times reports.

UK Border Force staff have been told not to enforce fines for the first fortnight of the new testing regime, the newspaper reports, quoting a source that said: Therell be a two-week grace period  so it comes in on 6 April but for the following two weeks, if a haulier does not get tested, they will just get ticked off. Only after that theyll get fined.

It is understood that the delay in imposing fines, which will be up to 2,000, is to prevent penalising foreign lorry drivers that may need more time to adapt to the new testing requirements  which was only announced a few days ago  for example, because of language barriers, the newspaper noted.

Image: Alamy
Hyderabad, April 1 : A person who fled the accident spot without informing either police or ambulance though his friend was severely injured and later succumbed, in a drunken driving case, has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days, the city's Cyberabad traffic police officials said Thursday.

A case was registered against M Indrajith Varma on March 26, for instigation of drunken driving and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Police said that in a fatal road accident that occurred on March 26 under Madhapur Police Station limits, the accused, Indrajith Varma, had instigated his friend, the deceased B Viswa Teja, aged 26 years, to drive a car in drunken state.

The car rammed into the road divider, sign board and turned turtle. As a result of which, the driver of the car, succumbed to injuries. The accused who was sitting beside the deceased fled the spot without intimation to either police or ambulance though his friend was severely injured.

The accused has been charged with allowing the the deceased to drive having clear knowledge that driving the car under the influence of alcohol can cause serious accidents. "Both had consumed alcohol together and then started to drive the car. This amounts to abetment to culpable homicide not amounting to murder." a police official said.

A case has been registered under various sections of IPC, and the Motor Vehicles Act and investigation is going on.

--IANS pvn/ash

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold separate meetings on the sidelines of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS countries with his counterparts from Azerbaijan and Armenia, Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said.

Zakharova made the remark at the briefing, Trend reports on April 1.

'During these meetings, it is planned to discuss the issues of bilateral relations, the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the implementation of the agreements reached in November 2020 and January 2021 among the presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and the prime minister of Armenia, as well as regional and international issues,' the spokesperson said.
Fairfield, MT (59436)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then becoming windy and mostly sunny during the afternoon hours. High 88F. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 54F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.
New research, led by scientists at the University of Nottingham, suggests that the environment in which men live may affect their reproductive health.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, looked at the effects of geographical location on polluting chemicals found in dog testes, some of which are known to affect reproductive health. The unique research focused on dogs because, as a popular pet, they share the same environment as people and are effectively exposed to the same household chemicals as their owners.

The team also looked for signs of abnormalities in the testes. The findings showed that both the chemicals present and the extent of abnormalities in the testes were different depending on where the dog's had been living.

The researchers analysed the testes of dogs, which had been removed for routine clinical reasons, to see what polluting chemicals were present in the tissue. Samples were taken from across the UK, in the East and West Midlands, and the South East, as well as from Denmark and Finland.

Dr Rebecca Sumner, from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University, and lead author of the study, said: "For the first time, we have shown that the profile of chemical pollutants found in dog testes depends on where they are from. We have also shown that the same cohorts of dog testes also show geographic differences in testicular pathology and evidence of an imbalance in cells that are important for sperm production."

Dr Richard Lea, lead of the team, said: "Although this study suggests that there are fewer pathologies in dog testes from Finland compared to other locations, relating this to the chemicals detected is difficult, particularly as many other pollutants may also be present.

"We believe, that this study is of pivotal importance since our strategy to use the dog as a sentinel species for the human has allowed us to focus directly on the testis, where detected chemicals are likely to influence male reproductive function." Professor Gary England, Dean of School of Veterinary Medicine & Science, said "This work is significant since collectively, these findings indicate that environmental exposures are determined by location and this may underpin regional differences in male reproductive health."

###
Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a lecturer at Central University, has admonished Members of Parliament over their conduct in the Legislative House.



Following a letter written by Member of Parliament(MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that he has resigned from Parliament's Appointments Committee, there are talks on what could have occasioned such a decision from an honorable member of the Committee.



Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa says his decision comes ''after days of careful reflection and thoughtful considerations. I shall like to state that the reasons for this difficult decision is both personal and on principle''.



Discussing the issue on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Dr. Otchere-Ankrah bemoaned the Parliamentarians' behaviour in the House, finding the actions of some of them very unfortunate.



He called on them to be serious with their Parliamentary work because their election into the Legislative House isn't a joke.



"The things that have gone on in Parliament are cumbersome. Parliamentary work is not a joke. Someone had been in Parliament but didn't say one word through the four years. So, they have to sit up and do the work well."





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Scholars and experts are working hard to save documents, images and memories related to groundbreaking murals painted in 1979 at Beijing Capital International Airport, in order to create an informative book and preserve their legacy, as well as celebrate Tsinghua University's 110th anniversary.

"The airport's murals are like the 20th-century continuation of those at the ancient Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in Gansu province, continuing the legacy of Chinese murals," said Zhou Aimin, associate professor at the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University (AADTHU).

Special history

Beijing Capital International Airport opened in 1958, and construction of its first international terminal building began in 1974. Four years later, the Ministry of Culture and the Civil Aviation Administration of China invited teachers and students from the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts (now the AADTHU) to create art deco murals for the new building.

Zhang Ding, then-president of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, headed the creative team behind what was the first large-scale national-level mural project since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The faculty and students worked with 52 artists from 17 provinces and municipalities across China to create more than 50 artworks, including murals and oil paintings. Completed in 1979, these artworks were placed at various sites around the terminal, from waiting rooms to restaurants.

At the 4th Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) in 1979, fellow artists praised the airport murals for blazing a new path for the art form in China. "The creators emancipated their minds, bravely innovated, and integrated China's traditional mural crafts and modern techniques," said Zhou Yang, then-president of CFLAC.

Tang Wei, now a professor of AADTHU, took part in the project as a college student in 1979. "At first I felt a little bit clueless, but when I started working, I was very excited and energized in that special atmosphere, inspired by such renowned artists and fellow participants, who were also excited to look at the blank concrete terminal walls with their own visions."

Tang was tasked with helping artist Yuan Yunfu finish the mural "Mountains and Rivers of Sichuan." When she looked back on the murals, she called them "creations with long artistic accumulation," while she described the artists as "constantly striving for perfection."

For example, Zhang Ding was both directing the team to create their works, while himself creating a mural titled "Nezha Stirs Up the Sea." Tang recalled: "He insisted on using traditional Chinese techniques to create the contemporary murals, repeatedly testing various paints and pigments to find the best solutions."
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BEIJING, Apr 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Apr, 2021 ) :China and Pakistan should strengthen cooperation in minerals mining and trade as it has great potential for cooperation for both countries, said Prof. Ding Lin, Fellow of CAS, Director of Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research.

"The production of minerals is large in Pakistan. I think China and Pakistan should strengthen cooperation in this area, especially exploration work in the early stage. There will be a great potential for both sides," he told China Economic Net.

On the China-Pakistan High-Level Webinar on Earth Sciences Cooperation, Prof. Ding Lin said that gem mines are widely distributed and produced in northern Pakistan, and Pakistan's jewelry are very popular in Central Asia and China.

However, the jewelry trade and transaction needs a standard. Now mainly personal behavior for exporting to China is perhaps due to its small size and easy carrying.

As we know, Pakistan is rich in mineral resources. But unfortunately the technical force seems still relatively weak. Prof. Ding Lin said that the mining such as copper, lead-zinc and chromites in China has a very long history, especially management of these large mines has very good experience.

Therefore China and Pakistan should strengthen cooperation of the extraction of mineral resources, as well as selection, transportation, etc. It has great potential for cooperation for two sides and will create a win-win situation.
The group is made up of three to four male teens between the ages of 13 and 17, police said. They were driving a blue Honda CRV with Illinois registration. That vehicle has been reported as stolen out of Chicago, police said.
Infobip PaaS Now Included on Microsoft Azure Marketplace

By Luke Bellos , Editor, Business VoIP

Cloud communications provider Infobip has announced that the companys Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) is now available on Microsoft Azure.

The company has recently been working closely with Microsoft through its Consultancy and Technology Partnership arm to bring omnichannel capabilities to B2B and enterprise business operations. The latest addition will provide customers with a full range of solutions for marketing, security, authentication, and customer support.

Microsoft offers a path to connect directly with customers, share leads with Microsoft and other partner sellers, and differentiate their expertise to drive positive customer outcomes and mutual revenue. said Chris Weber, Corporate VP, Small, Medium and Corporate Business at Microsoft

Infobips latest features on Azure include omnichannel customer support, an automated customer engagement program called Moments, as well as an AI powered chatbot for support services. The partnership between Microsoft and Infobip hopes to increase demand for these solutions, and provide businesses with new opportunities to expand and increase productivity.

This collaboration is more than about creating a wider reseller network or reach a bigger client base or simply bigger clients  of course it does help with these goals rather its also about providing a more open and integrated arena to power digital customer experience as we enter the hyper-connected era of 5G. added Infobip CEO Silvio Kutic.

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Edited by Maurice Nagle
A mayor who sparked fury with a joke warning about Chinese people eating cats has doubled down on his comments, claiming he's 'the least racist person around' because he's half Asian.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate veered off-script at a press conference in Townsville on Monday while discussing disaster management lessons in the wake of devastating floods that swept across the region in late March.

The 62-year-old was telling victims of the natural disaster that they could bring their pets to temporary accommodation, before he said: 'You wouldn't want to put a Chinese next to someone who's got a cat, you know. She might be breakfast.'

While Mr Tate apologised for the bizarre comment on Monday, he backtracked on the Today show on Thursday morning.

Pictured: Gold Coast Mayor Tim Tate (right) speaks with Today hosts Karl Stefanovic and Leila McKinnon (left)

'You directed a racist comment towards the Chinese population. Do you regret what you said?' host Karl Stefanovic asked.

'What I said was ... if you bring your cats, you know, potentially you don't know who is going to be there and it could be food,' Mr Tate, who has a Thai mother, reiterated.

'But mate, racist? I'm probably the least racist person around. Everyone knows that. I'm half Asian,' he said.

When the host asked whether Mr Tate was sorry for the comment, he said he would not make that particular comment again, before slamming 'woke' Australians for failing to see the humour.

While Mr Tate (pictured) apologised for the bizarre comment on Monday, he backtracked while speaking with Karl Stefanovik and Allison Langdon

'The ones that are offended are not the ones that are offended are not the Chinese or the Chinese friends that have been texting me thinking it's funny,' he said.

'It's all the woke ones going, "Oh, how dare you say that". But look, if you're offended by that comment, well, I will choose my words more carefully next time and I'm sorry.

A baffled-looking Stefanovic promptly changed the topic back to their initial conversation about whether the Gold Coast would enter lockdown ahead of the Easter break, as coronavirus fears remain in southern Queensland.

Mr Tate asked holidaymakers to 'take a punt' and travel to the Gold Coast to inject money into the economy over the long-weekend amid just one new locally-acquired case in the state on Thursday morning.

Mr Tate (pictured) asked holidaymakers to 'take a punt' and travel to the Gold Coast to inject money into the economy over the long-weekend

'I believe there will be no lockdown on the Gold Coast,' he said.

'Life is a variable. My attitude is that you have a look at the situation and if you believe that it's worth taking a risk, have a crack in life.'

While Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk said restrictions, including venue capacity limits and mask-wearing, will remain across Queensland for the next two weeks, Brisbane's three-day lockdown will end at 12pm on Thursday.

In the press conference last week, Mr Tate was discussing how to make natural disaster victims comfortable in temporary accommodation.

'Bring your pets with you, too. I don't mind that,' he said. 'Everyone's not the same. You try to give them comfort.

'You wouldn't want to put a Chinese next to someone who's got a cat, you know. She might be breakfast.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate (pictured) was born in Laos to a Thai mother. He had been talking to media in Townsville when he veered off script

'You've got to work those things out.'

Mr Tate issued a statement on Monday afternoon, apologising for his 'clumsy' sense of humour.

'There was no intention to cause offence. Having thought through what was a poor joke, I sincerely apologise.'

More than 17,000 Gold Coast residents, or about 3.1 per cent of the citys population, listed their ancestry at Chinese in the 2016 Census.

Social media users were quick to express outrage.

'He has to GO,' one enraged woman wrote.

'What a disaster,' another said.

According to the Humane Society International, about four million cats and ten million dogs are believed to be killed for meat each year in China, although accurate figures are difficult to obtain.
UTICA, N.Y.  Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful launched its 2021 Clean & Green campaign Wednesday, kicking off the 20th annual effort to clean parks and public spaces throughout the region.

To participate, groups can register in quaran-teams and work together to pick up litter in their local parks and neighborhoods.

The official kick-off event will be held at Hanna Park in Utica on Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Quaran-teams can pick up materials during the event.

Participants should also wear personal protective equipment like face coverings and gloves while out picking up litter.

Stephen Smith, executive director of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, says volunteers typically pick up more cigarette butts than any other kind of litter.

"Our biggest form of litter is cigarette butts. That is the biggest form of litter we're trying to take care off, he said. But, people just need to take a look at their surroundings, take a look at their little area of the world, their neighborhoods and see the litter. After the snow melts, you really see the litter pop up.

To register to participate in the regional Clean & Green, click here.
Amaravati, April 1 : Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the principal opposition party in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday lambasted a local English daily for publishing a report which falsely claimed that the party is merging with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after Nara Chandrababu Naidu allegedly finalised a deal.

Varla Ramaiah, TDP national general secretary and politburo member alleged that the story headlined 'TDP merges with BJP, Naidu finalises deal' is a fake story.

"The timing makes it abundantly clear that the author has allowed his personal interest to influence his professional duties in violation of IFWJ's call for code of conduct (2016)," said Ramaiah.

The report did create a flutter, attracting reactions from rivals and went on to claim that the three-term Chief Minister Naidu has allegedly decided the merger because TDP 'lost its verve and there is little hope of reinvigorating the party'.

The report claimed that TDP lost people's support and was allegedly deserted by leaders and cadres across all the districts and regions of the state.

It went on to claim that TDP put a precondition to reward Naidu with a plum post but that demand was allegedly put down while no promise was made about the political future of Nara Lokesh and other damaging claims.

The daily however mentioned at the end of the report that it is a spoof. A political analyst said, "Readers must carefully look at today's date. They would realise the right conclusion to come to is April Fool's Day." However, Ramaiah said the report is a manufactured hoax and sinks journalistic ethics to a new low, eroding public faith in journalism.

The TDP leader said the report questions the professional integrity of the daily and the reporter.

"He has further set a dangerous precedent by using news as a medium to demonstrate that fiction can be indistinguishable from fact. The TDP condemns and urges the editors' guild of India to take a stern action," he noted.

Ramaiah called on the guild to not just issue a passive condemnation but act against the mischievous elements in journalism that call the integrity of the profession into question with dishonest acts.

"Press freedom does not mean freedom to spread lies," he added.

Nara Lokesh, Naidu's son and almost second in command of the regional party alleged that Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is using the media to propagate false news.

"Until Reddy came to power he used his blue media as a weapon to propagate false news which he is using even after coming to power. They are trying to propagate the same false and venomous propaganda but are falling flat down," he claimed.

He also slammed the reporter and challenged him to write reports on the alleged unpaid salaries of the media house he belongs to.

BJP's national secretary and Andhra Pradesh co-incharge Sunil Deodhar shared the report and called it an 'April Fool?'.

Meanwhile, ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and Rajya Sabha member V. Vijayasai Reddy questioned that even before the garland used to for TDP founder Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao's statue on the foundation day wilted, why they are allegedly merging TDP with BJP.

Reddy claimed that he did not think Naidu would become such a big fool on April Fools day.

AP got rid of the high command and Delhi lordship business of a national political party calling the shots with subservient junior leaders located locally in the 2014 elections after wiping out Congress from the political landscape of the southern state.

It is not yet clear if the Telugu people are again yearning for another overlordship on them in the form of the BJP as only the general elections after three years can tell.
The Cumberland County Commissioners on Wednesday announced that Stacy Marie Snyder has been promoted to the position of chief clerk/chief operating officer for the county.

Snyder takes over after the death of Sandy Moyle in December, a press release said.

Snyder has been serving as deputy chief clerk for one year and acting chief clerk for the past seven months. As chief clerk, Snyder will manage the countys day-to-day operations within the guidelines set forth by the Pennsylvania County Code and the board of commissioners.

Previous to Snyders position with the county, she served as deputy court administrator of York County. She also was a systems trainer for the administrative office of Pennsylvania Courts, in Mechanicsburg, for 12 years, according to the release. In that role, Snyder managed the day-to-day operations for Family Court and worked on protocols and procedures for the district court administrator and board of judges.

Snyder, also a high school teacher, taught U.S. and world history. Her passion for history extended to working as a docent for James Madisons Montpelier, Virginia, where she created a teacher outreach program for continuing education credit, the release said. Having spent 25 years researching her family history. she has found that much of her familys history is intertwined with the history of Cumberland County.

I am proud to live and work in Cumberland County, where many of my ancestors spent their years growing the county, Snyder said. As chief clerk, I will continue to work with my talented colleagues and manage the daily operations for our county.

Snyder holds a masters degree in secondary education from the University of Alabama, where she also earned her bachelors degree.
BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua)  China will continue to guarantee the right to compulsory education of children of migrant workers, promoting equal access to schooling, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said Wednesday.

The number of children migrating to urban areas with their parents amid their nine-year compulsory education period reached 14.3 million in 2020, a surge of 626,000 from 2015, Lyu Yugang, head of the MOE's basic education department, told a press conference.

The year 2020 saw 85.8 percent of these children studying in either public schools or private schools with the expense subsidized by the government. The figure stands just shy of the national public school enrollment rate of 89.2 percent, said Lyu.

The ministry will further improve policies regarding the admission of migrant workers' children, especially in megacities and key regions with mass population inflow, so as to ensure that all school-age children have access to compulsory education, Lyu said.

Lyu added that educational resources in urban areas will be further boosted to meet the needs of the ever-growing resident population.

Calling for more care for children of migrant workers, Lyu said efforts will also be made to help them adapt to school life and promote their all-round growth.

(Source: Xinhua)
document

We are pleased to announce that the United States received the $335 million provided by Sudan to compensate victims of the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the USS Cole in 2000 as well as the 2008 killing of USAID employee John Granville.

Achieving compensation for these victims has been a top priority for the Department of State. We hope this aids them in finding some resolution for the terrible tragedies that occurred. Last week, the Department transmitted to Congress the Secretary's certification restoring Sudan's sovereign immunities pursuant to the Sudan Claims Resolution Act enacted last December. We appreciate Sudan's constructive efforts over the past two years to work with us to resolve these long-outstanding claims. With this challenging process behind us, U.S.-Sudan relations can start a new chapter. We look forward to expanding our bilateral relationship and to continuing our support for the efforts of the civilian-led transitional government to deliver freedom, peace, and justice to the Sudanese people.
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois farmers this spring are planning to plant less corn and more soybeans.

According to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Illinois Prospective Plantings report released this week, the states corn growers intend to plant 10.9 million acres in 2021, down 4 percent from 11.3 million acres in 2020.
MANILA  When a Filipino immigrant was brutally attacked this week on a New York City sidewalk, the Philippine foreign secretary went on Twitter and advised his compatriots in the United States to fight back.

The answer to racism has to be police/military; not understanding, the foreign secretary, Teodoro Locsin, said in another Twitter post on the attack. Racists understand only force.

Mr. Locsins aggressive response, which echoed the bombastic populism of his boss, President Rodrigo Duterte, reflected how Philippine officials often see the welfare and interests of the countrys overseas labor migrants as a domestic issue. In the Philippines, many people view those migrants  whose remittances account for nearly a tenth of gross domestic product  as being part of their own community even if theyve made their home somewhere else.

Every Filipino family has an American relative, said Renato Cruz De Castro, a professor of international studies at De La Salle University in Manila, the Philippine capital. The assumption here is that the Filipina who was attacked in New York still has relatives here.
Since the election, Harris has worked to encourage people to get the vaccine and close the anticipated equity gap. When she got her first dose of the Moderna vaccine back in December, she did it before the news cameras, emphasizing that she trusted science and others should too. It came as polling showed some vaccination hesitancy in the Black community.
Fans will not be getting "Money Heist" season 5 this spring, but that wouldn't stop them from forming theories and finding clues before its release date in August.

Here are some of them.

'Money Heist' Season 5 Theory: Detective Alicia Sierra's Husband is Berlin's Son

Though the gang on "Money Heist" are considered the ultimate criminals, Alicia Sierra, played by Najwa Nimri, is regarded as the most ruthless villain on the show.

She has gone far and wide as a police inspector to capture and torture some of the Professor's accomplices, which later got her kicked out of the force.

In the final episode of "Money Heist" season four, the detective tracked the Professor down to his hideout and even pointed a gun to his head. With a lot of time to spare, fans concluded Sierra and the Professor are connected - Sierra's late husband and the Professor's brother are son and father.

The Professor's brother in Berlin, played by Pedro Alonso, was a former gang member and died in the second season and Berlin's son is possibly Sierra's husband.

'Money Heist' Season 5 Plot Theory: Will Manila Play A Role in Denver's Story?

Manila has only been introduced recently, but now fans are convinced she'll take on a significant role in the upcoming season.

She has connections with Denver, played by Jaime Lorente, and his dad Moscow, Paco Tous, as she is the godchild of one of Denver's childhood friends.

On Reddit, fans shared their thoughts on how she's a major player in Denver's character development.

"Denver's behavior is problematic and we know they have grown up together and Moscow was her godfather."

Since Moscow's death in season two, Denver hasn't been the same, and fans believe that Manila will change that.

"So she will be the only one who can tell him how Moscow would be disappointed about the man he has become or something like that."

READ ALSO: Tyra Banks Will Return On 'Dancing WIth the Stars' Season 30: Why Fans Are Not Happy With the News

'Money Heist' Season 5 Major Clue: Tokyo and Rio's Relationship

Tokyo, played by Ursula Corbero, fell for Rio, played by Miguel Herran, since the first season of "Money Heist." But their relationship has become a hindrance during their first heist as they kept making impulsive decisions to protect each other.

However, after Rio was taken by the Spanish authorities and tortured, he told Tokyo they couldn't be together again since he would be focusing on recovering from PTSD.

Fans were excited to see them reunite in the upcoming season, but Ursula Cobrero dropped a major clue that it would not happen.

In an interview with Identity mag, she discussed how Tokyo's toxicity could affect her relationship with Rio.

"With Rio's vulnerability and Tokyo being very protective of him, we can see that from the very beginning. But perhaps it's a bit toxic because of Tokyo's personality."

'Money Heist' Season 5 Possible Spoiler: Will Rio Die?

In Mid-March, Anibal Cortes posted an Instagram Story during the production of "Money Heist" season 5.

Fans immediately became worried things will not end well for the beloved character after the attached song on the post was titled "The End" by The Doors, which raised some eyebrows among fans.

In the picture, Rio was in a dressing room half-dressed in their iconic red jumpsuit.

He captioned the photo, "Rio..."

READ MORE: 'Lucifer' Season 5B Spoilers, Netflix Release Date Finally Unveiled

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
From 24th to 26th March, Huawei held its online Industrial Digital Transformation Conference, themed  New Value Together . Customers and partners from more than 10 countries and regions shared their industrial practices and jointly explored the new value of digital transformation in the post-pandemic era.

Huawei is committed to working with customers and partners to integrate core business scenarios with ICT technologies, and accelerate industrial digitalization and upgrade through scenario-specific, innovative solutions. This is also the key to the digitalization of the industry.

In the finance sector, through joint innovation with partners, Huawei has provided NCBA Bank Kenya, the largest commercial bank in the East African sub region, with a new digital core system. The system provides inclusive financial services for more than 18 million users in Kenya and neighboring countries, empowering the real economy and promoting sustainable social development. Eric Muriuki Njagi, Director of NCBA Digital Services, said:  Our cooperation with Huawei aims to solve current problems as well as grasp new opportunities brought by future services. 

In the education sector, Soochow University partnered with Huawei to jointly build a  Cloud-based Soochow University  that is digital and intelligent. With this project, all people, environments, objects, as well as academic and cultural activities in the campus are digitalized and mirrored on the cloud, allowing for digital integrations in teaching, scientific research, and management.

In the energy industry, Gao Kunlun, CIGRE Study Committee D2 Regular Member, and Vice President of the Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute, pointed out that in recent years, AI is gradually being applied in many fields, such as equipment maintenance, power grid operation, and customer service. Whilst this effectively improves the efficiency and benefits of the power grid it also reveals technical limitations. With the development of AI theories and technologies, AI-powered electric power systems are now capable of knowledge learning and independent decision-making optimization in complex environments, playing a crucial part in key services such as autonomous power generation and autonomous scheduling of power grids.

HUAWEI CLOUD integrates AI into traditional enterprise support systems and, more importantly, main service processes, while also serving as the core for governments and enterprises intelligent upgrades through solutions such as the Multi-Cloud Container Platform (MCP), FusionInsight, and the one-stop AI development platform ModelArts. This simplifies and automates both development and management using AI throughout the application lifecycle, helping partners and developers quickly develop intelligent applications.

From March 24 to 26, Huawei hosted the Industrial Digital Transformation Conference 2021 online, exploring the power of the resilient and innovative digital world from three perspectives: business, technology, and ecosystems. Huawei shared insights on digital transformation, and introduce business strategies, talent programs, and ecosystems that support it.

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Archegos fallout wipes over $9 billion from market value of Credit Suisse, Nomura FILE PHOTO: Logo of Nomura Holdings is pictured in Tokyo

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors on Wednesday tallied the fallout from Archegos Capitals dramatic meltdown, with Nomura and Credit Suisse shares losing a collective $9 billion while heightened scrutiny of the hedge fund industry loomed.

The downfall of Archegos, a family office run by former Tiger Asia manager Bill Hwang, has rocked a handful of stocks that have been linked to the fund's massive margin call while weighing on shares of banks that did business with the New York-based fund.

Investors said it could also increase scrutiny of family offices while making money managers more wary of holding stocks that have experienced large, unexplained moves like many of the shares linked with Archegos' margin call did.

"For the time being it appears as though this was an isolated instance of using too much leverage," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at National Securities in New York.

"We're gonna be hyper vigilant to make sure that there's not a plethora of other cases with family offices using too much leverage," he added.

Credit Suisse and Nomura were slower than rivals to cut their exposure to the fund. Global lenders that acted as brokers for Archegos may have to write down more $6 billion after the fund defaulted on payments, Reuters has reported.

Credit Suisse shares fell 4% on Wednesday, bringing this week's decline to nearly 20%. Already under pressure from its exposure to failed supply chain finance firm Greensill, Credit Suisse's plans to buy back shares and pay dividends this year could now be at risk, analysts said.

The bank's market capitalisation has shrunk by five billion Swiss francs since Friday to 25.57 billion Swiss francs ($27.12 billion). Sources estimated Credit Suisse's losses may total $5 billion, but the bank declined to comment.

UBS analysts said "a lot of unanswered questions" remained, referring to Credit Suisse's involvement first in Greensill and now the U.S.-based hedge fund.

Story continues

The four largest Credit Suisse bonds outstanding have in the last two days hit their lowest price since the summer.

Meanwhile, Nomura which has warned of a $2 billion hit from Archegos, fell a further 2.9% following a 0.8% fall on Japanese stock markets on Wednesday. Its market capitalization has dropped from 2.3 trillion yen ($20.81 billion) to 1.88 trillion yen since Friday, Refinitiv data showed.

DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS?

The episode could lead to regulatory changes that treat family offices like hedge funds and oblige them to report their holdings, Hogan said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced on Wednesday that she is reviving a regulatory working group to study risks that hedge funds pose to the financial system.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has started a preliminary investigation into Hwang citing a person familiar with the matter.

Ratings agencies added to the pressure as Moody's slashed its outlook on Nomura to "negative," citing potential deficiencies in its risk management process.

Fitch placed Nomura's viability ratings on "negative watch," citing the potential for material losses and questions over the adequacy of Nomura's controls.

Shares of ViacomCBS, one of the stocks linked to Archegos' massive margin call last week, were down around 3.2% at $45. Discovery shares were around flat. Shares in the two companies hit record highs of highs of $101.97 and $78.14, respectively, earlier this month.

Some investors said the wild ride in those stocks as well as others linked to the fund would make them take a closer look at their own holdings.

"The street is going to be paying attention to some of the names that have rocketed higher in a very short amount of time," said Robert Pavlik, chief investment strategist and senior portfolio manager at SlateStone Wealth LLC in New York.

"I'm certainly revisiting some of the names that I hold," he said.

Archegos had assets of around $10 billion but held positions worth more than $50 billion, Reuters reported.

(Reporting by Oliver Hirt in Zurich, John O'Donnell in Frankfurt, Devik Jain in Bengaluru, Karin Strohecker and Sujata Rao in London, Susan Mathew, Herbert Lash, Kate Duguid, Matt Scuffham, Ira Ioseabashvili and Megan Davies in New York; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Cynthia Osterman)
And this time, it could be bad news for many more users, not only those living in Hong Kong.Heres the thing. Officially, Android Auto has never been supported in Hong Kong , but of course, there are several ways to install the app and get it running even in this region. Most people turn to the stand-alone APK installer that allows us to deploy and update Android Auto manually. In theory, pretty much anyone out there could use the app in their car if a compatible head unit exists.But Hong Kong users discovered that the app just stopped working in January, and some of them believed Google banned them. Or at least, thats what local carmakers allegedly told them.According to someone who reached out to Google, however, AA no longer running has nothing to do with a ban, and it all comes down to a bug. And unfortunately, this bug could completely kill Android Auto in countries that arent officially supported.The team has found an error code that are [sic] found when the Android Auto application is run in an unsupported country. Features wont work if you use Android Auto outside of the supported countries, the reply sent by Google reads Does this mean Android Auto no longer runs in all unsupported countries out there? Not really. I just checked with various users across the world where Android Auto isnt officially launched and the app is still running, so I believe this problem only impacts some of them.The worse thing is that Googles response doesnt mention anything about a potential fix. So yes, Google is aware of a bug in Android Auto that kills the app in unsupported regions. But does the company plan to patch it? Nobody knows.
Mayfield Woman Struck by Van; Sent to TN Hospital

By West Kentucky Star Staff

ina Wilson, of Mayfield, had stopped her van at the intersection, preparing to make a right hand turn from Broadway onto North 6th Street. Police said Wilson did not see 68-year-old Christina Thompson, of Mayfield, beginning to cross eastbound in the crosswalk.

Thompson was struck by the front of Wilson's van and fell to the ground, striking

her head. She was originally transported by ambulance to Mercy Health-Lourdes Hospital in Paducah for treatment of her injuries. She was later transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

MAYFIELD - A woman was injured in Mayfield Monday when she was struck by a vehicle.The Mayfield Police Department said the incident happened at 11:15 am at the intersection of Broadway and North 6th Street. Officers said 60-year-old T
WARWICK, R.I. (AP)  A handful of coins unearthed from a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in rural Rhode Island and other random corners of New England may help solve one of the planets oldest cold cases.

The villain in this tale: a murderous English pirate who became the worlds most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim pilgrims home to India from Mecca, then eluded capture by posing as a slave trader.

Its a new history of a nearly perfect crime, said Jim Bailey, an amateur historian and metal detectorist who found the first intact 17th-century Arabian coin in a meadow in Middletown.

That ancient pocket change  the oldest ever found in North America  could explain how pirate Capt. Henry Every vanished into the wind.

On Sept. 7, 1695, the pirate ship Fancy, commanded by Every, ambushed and captured the Ganj-i-Sawai, a royal vessel owned by Indian emperor Aurangzeb, then one of the worlds most powerful men. Aboard were not only the worshipers returning from their pilgrimage, but tens of millions of dollars worth of gold and silver.

What followed was one of the most lucrative and heinous robberies of all time.

A 17th century Arabian silver coin that research shows was struck in 1693 in Yemen, rests in a 17th century brass spoon on a table, in Warwick, R.I., Thursday, March 11, 2021. The coin was found at a farm, in Middletown, R.I., in 2014 by metal detectorist Jim Bailey, who contends it was plundered in 1695 by English pirate Henry Every from Muslim pilgrims sailing home to India after a pilgrimage to Mecca. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)AP

Historical accounts say his band tortured and killed the men aboard the Indian ship and raped the women before escaping to the Bahamas, a haven for pirates. But word quickly spread of their crimes, and English King William III  under enormous pressure from a scandalized India and the East India Company trading giant  put a large bounty on their heads.

If you Google first worldwide manhunt, it comes up as Every, Bailey said. Everybody was looking for these guys.

Until now, historians only knew that Every eventually sailed to Ireland in 1696, where the trail went cold. But Bailey says the coins he and others have found are evidence the notorious pirate first made his way to the American colonies, where he and his crew used the plunder for day-to-day expenses while on the run.

The first complete coin surfaced in 2014 at Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown, a spot that had piqued Baileys curiosity two years earlier after he found old colonial coins, an 18th-century shoe buckle and some musket balls.

Waving a metal detector over the soil, he got a signal, dug down and hit literal paydirt: a darkened, dime-sized silver coin he initially assumed was either Spanish or money minted by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Peering closer, the Arabic text on the coin got his pulse racing. I thought, Oh my God, he said.

Metal detectorist Jim Bailey scans dirt for Colonial-era artifacts in a field, Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Warwick, R.I. Bailey, who holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Rhode Island, found a 17th-century Arabian silver coin in 2014 at a farm, in Middletown, R.I., that he contends was plundered in 1695 by English pirate Henry Every from Muslim pilgrims sailing home to India after a pilgrimage to Mecca. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)AP

Research confirmed the exotic coin was minted in 1693 in Yemen. That immediately raised questions, Bailey said, since theres no evidence that American colonists struggling to eke out a living in the New World traveled to anywhere in the Middle East to trade until decades later.

Since then, other detectorists have unearthed 15 additional Arabian coins from the same era  10 in Massachusetts, three in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut. Another was found in North Carolina, where records show some of Everys men first came ashore.

It seems like some of his crew were able to settle in New England and integrate, said Sarah Sportman, state archaeologist for Connecticut, where one of the coins was found in 2018 at the ongoing excavation of a 17th-century farm site.

It was almost like a money laundering scheme, she said.

A 17th century Arabian silver coin that research shows was struck in 1693 in Yemen, rests against a piece of 17th century broken pottery featuring a likeness of Queen Mary, on a table in Warwick, R.I., Thursday, March 11, 2021. The coin was found at a farm, in Middletown, R.I., in 2014 by metal detectorist Jim Bailey, who contends it was plundered by English pirate Henry Every in 1695 from Muslim pilgrims sailing home to India after a pilgrimage to Mecca. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)AP

Although it sounds unthinkable now, Every was able to hide in plain sight by posing as a slave trader  an emerging profession in 1690s New England. On his way to the Bahamas, he even stopped at the French island of Reunion to get some Black captives so hed look the part, Bailey said.

Obscure records show a ship called the Sea Flower, used by the pirates after they ditched the Fancy, sailed along the Eastern seaboard. It arrived with nearly four dozen slaves in 1696 in Newport, Rhode Island, which became a major hub of the North American slave trade in the 18th century.

Theres extensive primary source documentation to show the American colonies were bases of operation for pirates, said Bailey, 53, who holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Rhode Island and worked as an archaeological assistant on explorations of the Wydah Gally pirate ship wreck off Cape Cod in the late 1980s.

Bailey, whose day job is analyzing security at the states prison complex, has published his findings in a research journal of the American Numismatic Society, an organization devoted to the study of coins and medals.

Archaeologists and historians familiar with but not involved in Baileys work say theyre intrigued, and believe its shedding new light on one of the worlds most enduring criminal mysteries.

Jims research is impeccable, said Kevin McBride, a professor of archaeology at the University of Connecticut. Its cool stuff. Its really a pretty interesting story.

Mark Hanna, an associate professor of history at the University of California-San Diego and an expert in piracy in early America, said that when he first saw photos of Baileys coin, I lost my mind.

Amateur historian Jim Bailey uses a metal detector to scan for Colonial-era artifacts in a field, Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Warwick, R.I. In 2014, Bailey, who holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Rhode Island, found a 17th-century Arabian silver coin at a farm in Middletown, R.I., that he contends was plundered in 1695 by English pirate Henry Every from Muslim pilgrims sailing home to India after a pilgrimage to Mecca. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)AP

Finding those coins, for me, was a huge thing, said Hanna, author of the 2015 book, Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire. The story of Capt. Every is one of global significance. This material object  this little thing  can help me explain that.

Everys exploits have inspired a 2020 book by Steven Johnson, Enemy of All Mankind; PlayStations popular Uncharted series of video games; and a Sony Pictures movie version of Uncharted starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas thats slated for release early in 2022.

Bailey, who keeps his most valuable finds not at his home but in a safe deposit box, says hell keep digging.

For me, its always been about the thrill of the hunt, not about the money, he said. The only thing better than finding these objects is the long-lost stories behind them.
Russian citizen Yury Mel, whose seven-year sentence in the 1991 riots case was extended to 10 years by a Lithuanian court of appeals, told Sputnik that he considers the prosecution to be politically-motivated

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) Russian citizen Yury Mel, whose seven-year sentence in the 1991 riots case was extended to 10 years by a Lithuanian court of appeals, told Sputnik that he considers the prosecution to be politically-motivated.

On Wednesday, the appeals court decided to change Mel's sentence from seven years in prison to 10 as his original term was coming to an end. The former Russian army officer was arrested in Lithuania in 2014 on charges of involvement in the 1991 riots in the country. In response, Mel's defense team condemned the ruling as unfair and announced plans to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court.

"This is a political case. But I have no information about what is happening in our relations [between countries]. These are 'phantom pains,' because no one attacks or threatens Lithuania," Mel said why asked why Lithuanian authorities are "clinging" to the events that happened 30 years ago.

He noted that he expected the decision to prolong his sentence from the Lithuanian court.

"When the court first extended the term for 20 days, I already knew what would happen next. I tried to be mentally prepared," he said.

Mel also confirmed his intentions to use all available mechanisms to appeal the verdict and demand compensations from Lithuania, including through the European Court of Human Rights.

In March 2019, Mel together with over 60 other Russian citizens were found guilty of killings during the clashes that rocked Vilnius in January 1991 in the wake of the country's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Mel was sentenced to seven years in prison. As the former officer was first detained in 2014, he was expected to be freed this year. However, the Lithuanian prosecutor general's office demanded extending his prison term.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Majestic Gold Corp. ("Majestic" or the "Company") (TSX.V:MJS)(FSE:A0BK1D) is pleased to announce that its operating subsidiary, Yantai Zhongjia Mining Co. Ltd. ("Zhongjia"), has secured the renewal of its Songjiagou North Underground mining license until February of 2031.

The mining license covers essentially the same area of almost 0.414 square kilometers and from +142 down to minus 270 meters above sea level.

The Company would also like to provide an update on its March 1, 2021 news release announcing the mandated closure by the Shangdong Provincial Government of all non-coal operations in the province pending governmental cautionary safety inspections. The Company is pleased to report the safety inspections have commenced at Songjiagou Gold Mine with inspectors arriving onsite on March 31, 2021. The Company anticipates the onsite safety inspection process will take several weeks which will then be followed by an application process approving Zhongjia to resume its full operations. The Company is optimistic that Songjiagou Gold Mine will be back to normal operations by early June.

Majestic has operated the Songjiagou open pit and underground gold mine accident-free since commencing production. The Company also confirms that its safety permits for its open pit and underground mines are both in good standing.

About Majestic Gold

Currently focused solely in China, Majestic Gold Corp. is a British Columbia based company engaged in commercial gold production at the Songjiagou Gold Mine in eastern Shandong Province, China. Additional information on the Company and its projects is available at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.majesticgold.com.

For further information, please contact:

Stephen Kenwood, P.Geo., President and CEO

Telephone: (604) 560-9060

Email: info@majesticgold.com

Website: www.majesticgold.com

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of the word, "will" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to the anticipated date for filing the annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and related management's discussion and analysis.

Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. The Company cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws, or as otherwise may be disclosed in this news release. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. securities laws.

SOURCE: Majestic Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638673/Songjiagou-North-Underground-Mining-License-Renewed-and-Update-on-Cautionary-Safety-Inspections
"In the first quarter cap rates in the single tenant net lease sector reached historic lows for the retail and industrial sectors"

The Boulder Group announced the release of its 1st Quarter Net Lease Research Report today. In the first quarter cap rates in the single tenant net lease sector reached historic lows for the retail and industrial sectors. Single tenant retail cap rates compressed by 9 basis points to 5.91%, while industrial compressed by 4 basis points to 6.71%. Office cap rates increased by 5 basis points to 6.95%

Cap rate compression for retail and industrial assets can be best attributed to investor demand for secure cash flow streams says Randy Blankstein, President, The Boulder Group. Office cap rates increased due to general concerns regarding office utilization following the pandemic.

Despite a 9% percent increase in property supply in the first quarter of 2021, there remains a lack of high-quality assets with long term leases in the net lease market. Accordingly, owners of lower quality assets brought properties to the market in attempt to take advantage of the compressed cap rate environment.

The limited supply of high quality assets, created increased competition amongst investors, adds Jimmy Goodman, Partner, The Boulder Group. This competition has created significant pressure on cap rates despite the recent uptick in the 10 year treasury yield.

As the effects of Covid-19 continues to surround the net lease landscape, many passive investors shifted their focus to essential business related tenants

Some of the essential business tenants commanded the most attention from investors and warranted the lowest cap rates in the sector, John Feeney, Senior Vice President, The Boulder Group adds. In the first quarter of 2021, 7-Eleven, CVS and McDonalds cap rates were 4.90%, 5.00% and 4.00% respectively for assets that were recently constructed.

Transaction volume in the net lease sector should remain active, especially as optimism increases following the economys recovery from Covid-19. 1031 and private capital investors will continue to seek assets with long term leases, strong tenants and top metro locations, causing cap rates for these assets to remain low.

Certain segments including fitness and second tier casual dining should become more investable at pre-pandemic pricing again, according to Blankstein. Investors will be carefully monitoring the economy as it looks to recover from the pandemic combined with the impact of multiple rounds of stimulus.

To view the full report: https://bouldergroup.com/media/pdf/2021-Q1-Net-Lease-Research-Report.pdf

About The Boulder Group

The Boulder Group is a boutique, Chicago-based investment real estate services firm specializing in transaction and advisory services for single tenant net lease properties. Founded in 1997, the firm has closed over $6 billion of net lease property transactions. The firm provides a full range of brokerage, research, advisory, and financing services nationwide. The level of annual, single-tenant transaction volume consistently ranks the firm in the top 10 companies nationally, according to industry benchmarks determined by CoStar and Real Capital Analytics.
Rockport Terminals is strategically located within 28 miles of the fast growing Port of Corpus Christi, but outside of the Port's tariff zone. With more than 250 acres of industrial land, Rockport Terminals boasts access to the Intracoastal Waterway, nearby railways, and many major highways. Today, the terminal specializes in bulk liquids storage, bulk and break bulk, and bulk liquids product handling.

The acquisition is the third in two years for Jones Capital, a growing provider of private capital to lower middle market businesses in the transportation and logistics, technology, industrial, and business services markets.

Concurrent with the acquisition of Rockport Terminals, Jones also announced that Ross Stevenson has been named Rockport Terminals President and CEO. Stevenson has nearly 15 years of experience in executive management, business development, and project management, most recently with Phillips 66. Stevenson will continue to work closely with the existing Rockport Terminals management team, all of whom are remaining with the business.

"I could not be more excited to launch this new partnership with Jones to further develop and commercialize Rockport Terminals," said Stevenson. "Rockport is a unique asset along the high growth Texas Gulf Coast, and we are excited to have the support of a capital partner that has the vision, timeline, and resources to make this venture a success." Stevenson added further, "With Jones' support, we have kicked off a multiple-year capital improvement plan that we are very excited about, including two new liquids and break bulk docks, additional lay down yard and logistical improvements, and we have approval from UP, our rail partner, for a loop track design that will be able to accommodate unit trains."

"With Jones' history of success in transportation and logistics, we feel equipped to help launch Rockport into a new era of growth," said Tom Caughlin, President and Chief Investment Officer of Jones Capital. "Rockport has been doing everything right to prepare the way for offering intermodal services to offset congestion in other nearby ports. We believe it is now well-positioned for realizing its potential, and look forward to working with the Rockport team to make it happen."

About Rockport Terminals

Rockport Terminals is the only private multimodal port in the area between Brownsville and Houston, TX. Rockport specializes in providing bulk, break bulk, and bulk liquid handling with access to the Intracoastal Waterway, nearby railways, many major highways, and pipelines. For more information, visit RockportTerminals.com

About Jones Capital

Headquartered in Houston, TX, Jones is a provider of private capital to a diverse group of middle-market businesses that share its common core values and its vision for long-term, sustainable growth. Jones creates enduring partnerships with entrepreneurs and management teams by providing a stable yet flexible capital base, ensuring stakeholder alignment, creating active, value-added engagement between Jones and its portfolio companies, and by living, and being accountable to, its Core Values. Jones Capital continues to carry on the original mission of Jones by creating partnerships built on strong, values-based foundations and a focus on all stakeholders. To learn more about who we are, visit Jones.com.

CONTACT

Amber L. Whitaker

Director of Marketing

[email protected]

SOURCE Jones Capital, LLC

Related Links

https://jones.com


The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled in favor of a journalist from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service who has battled against the handover of her smartphone data to authorities in what the court agreed is an essential defense of a free press and privacy in democratic society.

Natalia Sedletska, who hosts the award-winning investigative TV program Schemes, has been locked in a three-year effort to protect her phone data from seizure by Ukrainian prosecutors investigating a leak of state secrets nearly four years ago.

Subscribe To RFE/RL's Watchdog Report Watchdog is our curated digest of human rights, media freedom, and democracy developments from RFE/RL's vast broadcast region. In your in-box every Thursday. Subscribe here.

The ECHR concluded that Sedletska should be protected from the data search under Article 10 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and stressed the importance of protection of sources for a functioning free press.

"[T]he court is not convinced that the data access authorization given by the domestic courts was justified by an 'overriding requirement in the public interest' and, therefore, necessary in a democratic society," the decision read.

Sedletska turned to the European rights court after a Ukrainian court ruling in 2018 gave authorities unlimited access to 17 months of her smartphone data.

Schemes had reported on several investigations involving senior Ukrainian officials, including Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko, during the period in question.

Sedletska has argued that the Ukrainian ruling contravened domestic law and Kyiv's commitments to a free press.

Her application to the ECHR sought protection from the seizure of her communications data as such judicial action was not "necessary in a democratic society," and was grossly disproportionate and not justified by any "overriding requirement in the public interest."

The ECHR agreed and stressed that "the protection of journalistic sources is one of the cornerstones of freedom of the press."

"RFE/RL applauds this ruling, which protects the confidentiality of journalistic communications and sets limits for executive power, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in connection with the April 1 decision. "The work of investigative journalists, by its nature, is hard and often dangerous.

"Credible investigative journalism cannot be done in an atmosphere of official impunity, and without the certainty that exchanges between source and journalist will remain private."

The prosecutors pressed for access to Sedletska's phone data in connection with a criminal investigation into the alleged disclosure of state secrets to journalists in 2017 by Artem Sytnyk, director of the country's National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

On August 2018, Kyiv's Pechersk district court approved a request by the Ukrainian Prosecutor-Generals Office to allow investigators to review all of Sedletska's mobile-phone data from a 17-month period.

The European Parliament in 2018 passed a resolution expressing "concern" at the Ukrainian ruling and stressing the importance of media freedom and the protection of journalists' sources.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the watchdog groups Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders have also backed Sedletska's arguments.

Schemes is a corruption-focused TV program produced by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Ukrainian Public Television. It had a combined audience across its two channels of more than 10 million last year.
OTTAWA, ON, March 31, 2021 /CNW/ -

Summary

Products: Multiple unauthorized health products (including eye drops, an eyewash and an acne gel) from Tokyo Beauty & Health Care in Richmond, B.C.

Multiple unauthorized health products (including eye drops, an eyewash and an acne gel) from Tokyo Beauty & Health Care in Issue: Products are unauthorized and labelled to contain prescription drugs, which may pose serious health risks.

Products are unauthorized and labelled to contain prescription drugs, which may pose serious health risks. What to do: Stop using these products. Consult your health care professional if you have used any of these products and have health concerns.

Issue

Health Canada has seized several health productsincluding eye drops, an eyewash and an acne gelfrom Tokyo Beauty & Health Care in Richmond, British Columbia (#120, 8191 Westminster Highway), because they are unauthorized and may pose serious health risks.

According to the product labels, the products contain prescription drugs (see table below for details). Prescription drugs should be taken only under the advice and supervision of a health care professional because of the risk of interactions with other medications and side effects. Prescription drugs can only be legally sold via a prescription.

Unauthorized health products have not been approved by Health Canada, which means that they have not been assessed for safety, effectiveness and quality and may pose serious health risks. They may contain ingredients, additives or contaminated ingredients not listed on the label. In addition, they may lack the active ingredients Canadians would expect them to contain to help maintain and improve their health or they may contain ingredients that could interact with other medications and foods. For all of these reasons, unauthorized health products could cause serious health effects. Selling unauthorized health products in Canada is illegal.

Some of the unauthorized health products are packaged and labelled in Japanese characters. As a result, information about ingredients, usage, dosage and side effects may not be understood by all consumers.

Health Canada has previously seized unauthorized products being sold by this retailer and will continue to take action to address this illegal activity and update Canadians as needed.

Affected products

Product Risk Dalacin T Gel 1%

Anti-bacterial gel for acne Labelled (in Japanese) to contain clindamycin Kobayashi Aibon/Eyebon Eyewash ALd

(dark green)

Eyewash Labelled (in Japanese) to contain aminocaproic

acid Kobayashi Aibon/Eyebon Eyewash Medicala

(black) Eyewash Labelled (in Japanese) to contain aminocaproic

acid Kobayashi Aibon/Eyebon Eyewash Mild

(light green)

Eyewash Labelled (in Japanese) to contain aminocaproic acid Santen Sante Beauteye Contact Eye drops Labelled (in Japanese) to contain neostigmine

methylsulfate Santen Sante FX Neo (silver package) Eye drops Labelled (in English) to contain neostigmine

methylsulfate and aminocaproic acid Santen Sante FX Neo (blue package) Eye drops Labelled (in Japanese) to contain neostigmine

methylsulfate and aminocaproic acid Santen Sante FX Vplus (gold package) Eye drops Labelled (in English) to contain neostigmine

methylsulfate and aminocaproic acid Santen Sante FX Vplus (red package) Eye drops Labelled (in Japanese) to contain neostigmine

methylsulfate and aminocaproic acid Santen Sante PC Eye drops Labelled (in Japanese) to contain neostigmine

methylsulfate

What you should do

Stop using these products. Consult your health care professional if you have used any of these products and have health concerns.

Read product labels to verify that health products have been authorized for sale by Health Canada. Authorized health products have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Drug Number (DIN-HM). You can also check whether products have been authorized for sale by searching Health Canada's Drug Product Database and Licensed Natural Health Product Database.

Report any health product adverse events or complaints to Health Canada.

Background

Aminocaproic acid: This is a prescription drug ingredient used to decrease bleeding in various clinical situations. Exposure to aminocaproic acid in the eye may affect the eye itself, and the acid may be absorbed through the tear ducts into the blood. Side effects may include watery eyes, vision changes, headache, dizziness, nausea, muscle weakness and skin rash.

Clindamycin: In topical format (i.e., applied to the skin), this is a prescription antibiotic approved in Canada to treat bacterial infections, including those associated with acne. The product should not be used in individuals with a history of ulcerative colitis (inflamed bowel) or a history of inflamed bowel associated with antibiotic use (antibiotic-associated colitis). Side effects may include dry or scaly skin, peeling skin, a stinging or burning feeling on the skin, eye pain, itching, hives, redness and gastrointestinal symptoms (such as indigestion and gas). Safety and effectiveness in children under the age of 12 has not been established.

Neostigmine methylsulfate: There are no approved eye drops containing neostigmine methylsulfate on the Canadian market. In the past, drugs similar to neostigmine were used to treat glaucoma. These medications are no longer widely used because of the significant number of potential eye-related side effects, including blurred distance vision, frontal headaches, twitching lids, red eyes, cataracts, allergic reactions, iris cysts, retinal detachment and the potential for causing a specific type of glaucoma attack. In addition, absorption into the nose via the tear duct may cause serious cardiac and respiratory side effects.

Images:

For photos of these products, please visit the online safety alert.



Egalement disponible en francais

SOURCE Health Canada

For further information: Media Enquiries: Health Canada, (613) 957-2983, [email protected]; Public Enquiries: (613) 957-2991, 1-866 225-0709, [email protected]
U.S. Rep. John Katko is teaming up with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to reauthorize a 1984 law that supports domestic violence survivors and their children.

A bill co-sponsored by Katko, R-Camillus, would renew the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The law is the main funding source for emergency shelters and other programs that assist domestic violence survivors.

The legislation would increase funding of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to $253 million and expand access to culturally specific programs. It would also update the National Domestic Violence Hotline and services for underrepresented populations, such as Native Americans and people with hearing loss.

A new grant program would be created to fund programs for underserved domestic violence survivors, including people with disabilities and residents living in rural communities. Some provisions of the law would be updated to "ensure common understanding across different federal programs," according to a news release.

Katko said the law plays an important role in assisting domestic violence survivors and their children.
Customers browse among the decking supplies aisle in a Home Depot store in Toronto

By David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's economy expanded for a ninth consecutive month in January and most likely grew in February, Statistics Canada said on Wednesday, further evidence that a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic was stronger than expected.

Despite the 0.7% gain in January, overall economic activity that month was still 3% lower than it had been in February 2020, before the pandemic started.

January growth jumped on wholesale trade, manufacturing and oil and gas extraction. Retail trade dipped but should recover in February, when restrictions on businesses were lifted, contributing to a likely 0.5% monthly increase, Statscan said.

Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted that gross domestic product would grow 0.5% from December.

"The resiliency of the economy suggests that first quarter growth will look hotter than our last published forecast," said Royce Mendes, senior economist at CIBC Capital Markets. The firm is now predicting annualized growth in the quarter of 5%, up from 3%.

The Canadian dollar strengthened to 1.2595 against the U.S. dollar, or 0.7940 U.S. cents, after the data release.

The Bank of Canada, which forecast in January that the economy would shrink in the first quarter on an annualized basis, now says it expects positive growth. It is due to release updated forecasts on April 21.

Stephen Brown, senior Canadian economist at Capital Economics, said first-quarter annualized growth could be close to 5% and predicted it would prompt the Bank of Canada to cut the pace of its asset purchases.

The central bank said last week it was looking at how it could adjust its quantitative easing (QE) program. It is currently buying C$4 billion of bonds per week to support the economy.

In another sign of strength, Canadian producer prices grew 2.6% in February on higher prices for energy and petroleum products, the largest monthly increase since January 1980.

(Additional reporting by Dale Smith in Ottawa and Fergal Smith in Toronto; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette Baum)
Sexual Assault Awareness Month

The Fannin County Commissioners Court is joining the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault in recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

A proclamation signed by County Judge Randy Moore states: Sexual assault is a heinous crime affecting people in all walks of life. In addition to the physical brutality of these acts, sexually violent crimes can leave survivors with long-term emotional scars. These crimes have a destructive effect on the lives of victims, their families and their friends

As a caring society, we embrace the right of all citizens to live in safety. With that goal in mind, committed professionals and volunteers across Texas and Fannin County work in crisis intervention, community prevention and victim support.

The Commissioners Court is encouraging all residents to increase their awareness about sexual violence, and ask they work to prevent the crime at home, in the community and in schools.

Klark Byrd
[April 01, 2021] Private Equity Partners Anthony Norris and Christopher Rile to Join Sidley in New York

Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Anthony Norris and Christopher Rile are joining the firm in New York as partners in its global M&A and Private Equity practice. They join from Ropes & Gray LLP, where they have been longtime partners in the firm's private equity transaction group. Mr. Norris and Mr. Rile represent leading private equity sponsors on mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, preferred equity investments, securities offerings, and other significant transactions. Mr. Norris focuses on industries such as healthcare, software, and technology. Mr. Rile will focus his practice on representing private equity sponsors and public and private businesses in a wide range of industries such as healthcare and life sciences, software and technology, consumer and distribution, financial services, industrials, business services, and professional sports. "Anthony and Chris will be great additions to our rapidl growing premium private equity practice," said Dan Clivner, co-leader of the firm's global M&A and Private Equity practice. "Their decades of experience and superior relationships will be valued by the firm and our clients as we continue the expansion of our private equity capabilities in New York and globally."



"The addition of Anthony and Chris is another major step forward for Sidley in achieving our strategic goal of building a market leading private equity practice in New York," said Sam Gandhi, managing partner of Sidley's New York office and member of its Executive Committee. "They share our vision of utilizing a team of world-class talent to provide innovative and pragmatic advice to PE sponsor clients and their portfolio companies." "I am excited to join Sidley and its expanding private equity practice in New York," said Mr. Norris. "Sidley's reputation as a leader in private equity, M&A, finance, regulatory, healthcare and life sciences, and so many other areas is a great fit for our sponsor clients and their portfolio companies."

With 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices around the globe, Sidley is a premier legal adviser for clients across the spectrum of industries. Follow Sidley on Twitter (News - Alert) @SidleyLaw. Attorney Advertising - Sidley Austin LLP, One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, +1 312 853 7000. Sidley and Sidley Austin refer to Sidley Austin LLP and affiliated partnerships as explained at www.sidley.com/disclaimer. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005809/en/

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- inCruises International, LLC, the world's only subscription based cruise travel membership club, has recently filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico against Dalas Review and Wismichu, who are two Spanish YouTube personalities. The real name of Dalas Review is Daniel Jose Santome Lemus and the real name of Wismichu is Ismael Prego Botana.

According to the lawsuit, in February 2020 Lemus published two separate defamatory YouTube videos about inCruises business that have caused monetary damages to inCruises for which it intends to recover in the lawsuit. Also according to the lawsuit, in May 2020 Botana published a defamatory YouTube video about inCruises business which has caused it monetary damages for which it intends to recover in the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that the videos published by Lemus and Botana falsely accuse inCruises of fraudulent and/or illegal conduct in its business practices and that inCruises has been monetarily damaged due to these false accusations.

The lawsuit further alleges that both Lemus and Botana actively discouraged people from joining inCruises and that as a result of the defamatory videos, a significant number of people decided to either leave inCruises or not join the company's cruise travel membership club. As a result, inCruises claims its' reputation has been damaged worldwide, but particularly in the Spanish speaking world.

Michael Hutchison, CEO of inCruises International, states "We place great value on our company's reputation and the business of our Partners, and we will take all legal action necessary to protect that reputation and support our Partners' business around the world." Bruce R. Murdock, General Counsel of inCruises International agrees, stating "We are disappointed in the unwarranted attacks on our business by these two YouTube personalities, but we are confident in the legal process and that it will provide us with appropriate relief in this case."

Copy of the lawsuit in English can be found HERE.

SOURCE inCruises International

Related Links

https://www.incruises.com


Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Germany has granted Tunisia 25 million euros as part of its contribution to the guarantee fund to support small and medium-sized enterprises
[April 01, 2021] KKR & Urban Renaissance Group Acquire 300 Pine Building in Downtown Seattle

Seattle-based commercial real estate firm Urban Renaissance Group LLC (www.urbanrengroup.com) (URG) and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the acquisition of the 300 Pine St building in downtown Seattle. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005945/en/ Seattle-based commercial real estate firm Urban Renaissance Group LLC (URG) and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the acquisition of the 300 Pine St building in downtown Seattle. Located on a full city block between 3rd Ave and 4th Ave in the heart of Seattle's retail core, the 770,000 sq. ft., eight-story mixed-use iconic building with its historic facade will feature 85,000 sq. ft. renovated ground-floor retail designed to accommodate retail flagship stores, along with a new stunning 4th Avenue entrance to access the 682,000 sq. ft. of commercial office space currently fully-leased to a single tenant. The office portion will feature 80,000 sq. ft. floorplates, seismic retrofitting, and over twenty skylights including two light wells providing additional light for the top two floors. (Photo: Business Wire) Located on a full city block between 3rd Ave and 4th Ave in the heart of Seattle's retail core, the 770,000 sq. ft., eight-story mixed-use iconic building with its historic facade will feature 85,000 sq. ft. renovated ground-floor retail designed to accommodate retail flagship stores, along with a new stunning 4th Avenue entrance to access the 682,000 sq. ft. of commercial office space currently fully-leased to a single tenant. The office portion will feature 80,000 sq. ft. floorplates, seismic retrofitting, and over twenty skylights including two light wells providing aditional light for the top two floors.



Originally home to Seattle's beloved Bon Marche department store, the art-deco style building was constructed in 1929 with four additional stories added in 1955. Between 2015 and 2017, then-owner Macy's sold the upper six levels for office space, and in 2020 the department store closed. The renovated landmark building will feature a timeless facade, a 20,000 sq. ft. rooftop deck, one-of-a-kind interiors, and 15-foot tall ceilings with ornate colonnades and dramatic architectural features that originate from the 1920's era department stores. The historic building elements will be reinvigorated with a contemporary plan that connects multiple program elements though a central common area. The new ground-level retail space, conveniently located above the underground Westlake Light Rail Station with bus stops at the west (3rd Ave) and east (4th Ave) entrances, will be named 'The Bon Marche Collective' in honor of the building's history. It will offer retail suites for lease ranging from approximately 3,000 sq. ft. to 16,600 sq. ft. with additional potential for a ground-floor grand food hall. Victrola Coffee currently occupies retail space on 3rd Ave and will remain at the building's southwest corner.

"Investing in this historic building marks our fourth investment in the Puget Sound Region," said Justin Pattner, KKR's Head of Real Estate Equity in the Americas. "This is an attractive market poised for long-term growth driven by its strong and growing workforce, attractive cost of living, and simply being a highly desirable place to live with a great quality of life. 300 Pine is an important part of Seattle's community and we are looking forward to bringing it to its full potential." Billy Butcher, Chief Operating Officer of KKR's Global Real Estate business, added: "We believe in the strong potential of unique and iconic buildings that serve large corporate users with long-term leases and we are very excited to invest in 300 Pine as part of our Prime Single Tenant strategy. We have acquired over ten million square feet of similarly situated buildings recently and the Puget Sound Region has quickly become a large part of that strategy, given our belief in the region's attractive fundamentals." "Originally constructed as a monument to Seattle's retail strength in the Pacific Northwest, this beautiful historic building remains a symbol of our city's strength and resilience," said Urban Renaissance Group CEO Patrick Callahan. "We're thrilled about this transaction with KKR and excited about the future of this building. This acquisition reflects our mutual confidence in the region and specifically in downtown Seattle, where we look forward to strengthening the heart of Seattle's retail core." KKR's Confidence in the Puget Sound Region 300 Pine marks KKR's fourth acquisition in the Puget Sound region. Since entering the Seattle real estate market less than a year-and-a-half ago, KKR has completed several major transactions with URG totaling more than two million sq. ft.: The Summit, a three building, 915,000 sq. ft. Class A office complex in Bellevue's central business district.

Tower 333, a 20-story, Class A office tower in Bellevue's central business district which is fully leased to a single tenant.

F5 Tower, a 43-story, Class A office tower in downtown Seattle which is fully leased. KKR is making the investment from one of its sponsored real estate investment vehicles focused on high-quality, stabilized, income-oriented assets. For current retail leasing inquiries within the Bon Marche Collective at 300 Pine, interested parties can contact Maria Royer at Real Retail (mroyer@real-retail.net). Eastdil Secured represented the Seller in the transaction and advised KKR and URG on the financing. About Urban Renaissance Group Urban Renaissance Group LLC is a Seattle-based full-service commercial real estate company, engaged in acquisitions, development, asset management, leasing, property management and ownership in Seattle, Bellevue, Denver and Portland. Founded in 2006, the strategic premise of Urban Renaissance Group (URG) is that the form of the American City is changing. URG acts as a catalyst that understands and ignites that change, thereby building community, generating appropriate returns for its investors and opportunities for its partners and employees. Learn more at www.urbanrengroup.com. About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter (News - Alert) @KKR_Co View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005945/en/

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil prices moved higher on Thursday, supported by news that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, including Russia and Kazakhstan, have agreed to incremental increases in crude production for three months starting May. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for May ended higher by $2.29 or about 3.9% at $61.45 a barrel. Brent crude futures were up $1.93 or 3.1% at $64.67 a barrel. Investors were also reacting to the EIA inventory data and the announcement of U.S. President Joe Biden's vast infrastructure plan that includes investments in roads, railways, broadband, clean energy and semiconductor manufacture. Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said in a press conference that OPEC+ will raise daily oil production by 350,000 barrels in May, 350,000 barrels in June and by 441,000 barrels in July. Traders were also weighing the data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration that said domestic supplies of natural gas rose by 14 billion cubic feet for the week ended March 26. That compares with an average increase of 19 billion cubic feet forecast by analysts polled by S&P Global Platts. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi mourned former Prime Minister Kamal el Ganzouri, who died earlier on Wednesday 31/3/2021 aged 88, saying he was a remarkable and virtuous statesman in the various political and economic spheres.

On the president's various official pages on social media, he said the country "has lost today a statesman of unique caliber, Dr Kamal el Ganzouri, former prime minister of Egypt."

He was an exemplary and patriotic man, and honest in every sphere of the political and economic life. He had a high academic status, he had a wise vision, he was successful and with special management skills, high ethics and genuine commitment which was all shown reflected during the decisive stages of the nation, the president said.

The president extended his condolences to his family.
Jalen Harvey, the man accused of killing New Orleans Realtor Joseph Vindel after the pair met up to complete the sale of a dirt bike that had been arranged over the internet, told authorities he opened fire in self-defense after Vindel pointed a gun at him.

While Vindel, 29, did have a pistol with him, Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office investigators say the evidence  specifically the injuries Vindel suffered  does not support Harveys account. Vindel had six entry and exit wounds from gunfire, including an injury to his left hand, the hand Harvey claimed Vindel used to point his gun, Det. Kurt Zeagler said Wednesday during a probable cause hearing for Harvey in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court.

One of the bullets entered between two fingers on Vindels left hand, traveled through the palm and exited the webbing between Vindels thumb and pointer finger, ultimately making it impossible for him to have been holding the gun, as (Vindels) gun evidenced no damage, Zeagler testified.

Harvey faces charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery and obstruction of justice in Vindels March 7 death. He appeared for the hearing via video conference from the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, represented by attorneys Anthony Angelette Jr. and Mario Sanchez.

The state has had its opportunity to present their evidence. But now its time for us to do our own, independent investigation, Sanchez said in a telephone interview later Wednesday.

+5 Suspect confesses to killing New Orleans man selling dirt bike on Facebook marketplace: JPSO A Harvey man shot and killed the owner of a dirt bike that had been listed for sale on Facebooks Marketplace after the two arranged to meet u

During the probable cause hearing, Zeaglers testimony revealed new details about the case, including investigators suspicion that Harvey used fake, movie prop money to pay Vindel for the bike.

Vindel had advertised his red Honda dirt bike for sale over the internet, using online apps such as Facebook Marketplace. Detectives learned that Harvey contacted Vindel about buying the bike through the app, OfferUp, Zeagler said. Vindel and Harvey communicated through the app and later used cell phone text messages to arrange a location for the sale.

Vindel left his Uptown home about 10 a.m. that Sunday, March 7, telling his girlfriend hed be back shortly, according to Zeagler. He had a brief text exchange with his father right after he left the house. After that, Vindel was never heard from again, Zeagler said.

Vindels family contacted the New Orleans Police Department to make a missing person report later that evening when he hadnt returned home, according to authorities. Vindels girlfriend used his computer to show police the text exchange negotiating the sale of the bike, Zeagler said.

State Police helped NOPD track the other phone number, but it turned out to be an internet number, Zeagler said. Internet numbers arent registered to an actual phone or device. However, State Police traced the number to an IP address being used at a residence in the St. Germaine Apartments, 2101 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey.

After Joseph Vindel killing, JPSO creates safe zones for online sales and purchases Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputies designated parking spaces at two of their stations to serve as "safe exchange zones" in response to the ki

An NOPD detective and Sheriffs Office deputy visited the apartment linked to the IP address, later revealed to be Harveys apartment, according to Zeagler. When they arrived at the complex, they spotted Vindels dirt bike on the back patio of Harveys first-floor apartment, Zeagler said.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

He indicated that he may have been involved in the disappearance of Mr. Vindel, Zeagler said of the officers conversation with Harvey.

During questioning, Harvey explained that hed negotiated a $2,800 price for the bike and asked Vindel to meet him at an Arbys restaurant near his apartment, according to authorities. The location changed at least once more before Harvey allegedly directed Vindel to his Manhattan Boulevard apartment.

Once Vindel arrived in his sport utility vehicle, the bike towed behind it, Harvey approached, and the two began to talk through the passenger-side window, Zeagler said. Harvey told investigators he handed $2,800 in cash to Vindel, who grabbed the money with his right hand. Harvey said Vindel then handed over the keys to his SUV for Harvey to hold while he counted the money, according to Zeagler.

Recounting Harvey's story, Zeagler testified, For no apparent reason, while still holding the cash in his right hand, Mr. Vindel drew a pistol from his lap with his left hand and pointed it directly at (Harvey), which prompted Harvey to draw his own gun from his sweatshirt and shot and killed Mr. Vindel.

+3 'Safe zones' coming to New Orleans police stations, NOPD chief says after shooting death of Joseph Vindel The New Orleans Police Department will create safe exchange zones for internet purchases after a New Orleans man was killed last month as he

Zeagler later noted that Harvey had made no effort to call authorities to report that hed been involved in a shooting after his life was threatened, revealing it only after police showed up at his door.

Harvey told detectives he fired all five rounds in his .380-caliber Taurus handgun, Zeagler said. Investigators later recovered that pistol, linked to the murder through ballistic testing, as well as Vindels 9mm pistol during a search of Harveys apartment, Zeagler said.

Zeagler told the court there was no evidence that Vindel was holding a gun or had pointed or fired the weapon during his encounter with Harvey.

After the shooting, Harvey told detectives he drove Vindels SUV to a nearby bank where he moved the mans body to the back seat, according to Zeagler. He then drove the SUV to the 2300 block of Coliseum Street in New Orleans where he left the vehicle and Vindels body behind an apartment building, according to authorities.

During the drive, Harvey told investigators he threw Vindels wallet, cell phone and the $2,800 hed allegedly handed over for the bike into a canal, Zeagler said. Harvey tossed the cell phone because he said he didnt want authorities to see the text messages between himself and Vindel.

He said he threw away the cash because it had blood on it, Zeagler testified.

But detectives suspect the money Harvey gave Vindel was phony. During the searches of Harveys apartment, they came across 117 bills of movie prop money that looked like genuine currency, Zeagler said. Investigators who searched Vindels SUV found a torn corner of a movie prop $100 bill that was similar to the fake cash recovered in Harveys apartment, the detective said.

Harvey rode Vindels dirt bike back to his apartment, authorities said. Though investigators searched at least two drainage canals, they did not find Vindels property.

Magistrate Commissioner Paul Schneider ruled there was probable cause to continue holding Harvey. He was being held without bond on the first-degree murder charge. Bond was set on the other charges at $275,000.
EDWARDSVILLE  For the third year running, Metro-East Lutheran High Schools orchestra took first place in the Illinois High School Associations 2021 solo and ensemble competition.

MELHS has now earned the No. 1 ranking for its division every year since the school launched its orchestra program in 2018.

We are blessed to have really talented musicians among our student body, and Im so glad they still had opportunities to use their talents and make music during this unusual year, said Karen Shimkus, music teacher at MELHS.

Shimkus launched the orchestra program at MELHS when she joined the school three years ago to lead the music department, which includes band, strings, choir and guitar classes. Previously, Shimkus worked to start strings programs at many of the Lutheran elementary schools in the region, including at Holy Cross Lutheran School in Collinsville and Trinity Lutheran School in Edwardsville.

One of the first items on her agenda at MELHS was to create a school orchestra, and many of the students she worked with at the local elementary schools are now her students at the high school.

In this area, being right next door to the Suzuki strings program at SIUE, it just is a perfect environment in which to encourage these high school musicians, Shimkus said, adding that shes looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the MELHS orchestra program. We have a very young group, which I think is just tremendously exciting. We have one beginner who took up strings just because she couldnt fit band into her schedule, and now shes learning the violin. Thats not something you would be able to do in a bigger school.

The IHSA orchestra competition judges high-school musicians individually, both on the difficulty of their pieces and their overall performance. MELHS orchestra students, who competed in cello, violin and viola, earned a combined score higher than any other high school in their division.

Everyone here works really hard on what they are doing, and its a really fun group to be part of, said Erin VanMiddendorp, a sophomore who plays the violin and viola, as well as the flute.

VanMiddendorp started learning the violin at age 4, but the schools she attended prior to MELHS didnt have orchestra programs. I just enjoy playing music, and its so much more fun to play with other people. You can do so much more.

MaryAnn Rainey, a MELHS junior who plays the violin and the clarinet, said she has learned valuable lessons from being involved in the music program at the high school. You learn to listen to other people because you have to pay attention to what they are doing and not just what youre doing, Rainey said. You cant be self absorbed. Everyone has to learn to work together.

This has been a school year of successes for the MELHS music program overall. In December, MELHS students Katie Schwarz and Lars Gindler were selected for the Illinois Music Education Associations All-State Honors Chorus, and Justin Wright, a senior who plays the cello, was selected for All-State Orchestra. In November, Gindler, a junior at MELHS, was named top chair for the Bass 2 section of the senior chorus division of the ILMEA.

The MELHS music department will host an outdoor concert at the high schools campus on Center Grove Road on May 2. It will be the departments first in-person event of the school year and will feature music focused on the theme of water, to go along with the schools theme verse for this challenging year: Isaiah 43:2. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.

Musical selections will include everything from Handels Water Music to pieces from SpongeBob SquarePants and The Little Mermaid.

Since this whole year has been so unusual, were doing some unusual music, Shimkus said.

Shimkus said she has been pleased to see the number of students at MELHS getting involved in the music program.

Being involved in music teaches self discipline. It teaches poise. It teaches teamwork. It expands your brain, Shimkus said. And its a way to praise God. Well be singing in heaven, so music is a little piece of heaven on earth.

Metro-East Lutheran High School (MELHS) has been providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment for more than 40 years. For more information about Metro-East Lutheran High School go to www.melhs.org.
[April 01, 2021] GrafTech Announces First Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast

GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) will hold its First Quarter 2021 Conference Call and Webcast on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The call will be hosted by senior management to discuss financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 and current business initiatives. These financial results will be released on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 before market open and will be available on our investor relations website at http://ir.graftech.com. To participate in the conference call, please dial +1 (866) 521-4909 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or for overseas calls please dial +1 (647) 427-2311, conference ID: 3248097. Please plan to dial in approximately fifteen minutes early. Live audio of the conference call will be available via webcast on our website or can be accessed at:





https://onlinexperiences.com/Launch/QReg/ShowUUID=190364E4-33E0-47AF-8D34-5A655078EE80 A replay of the Conference Call will be available until August 5, 2021 by dialing +1 (800) 585-8367 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or +1 (416) 621-4642 for overseas calls, conference ID: 3248097. A replay of the webcast will be available on our investor relations website until August 5, 2021.

About GrafTech GrafTech International Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of high-quality graphite electrode products essential to the production of electric arc furnace steel and other ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The Company has a competitive portfolio of low cost graphite electrode manufacturing facilities, including three of the highest capacity facilities in the world. We are the only large-scale graphite electrode producer that is substantially vertically integrated into petroleum needle coke, a key raw material for graphite electrode manufacturing. This unique position provides competitive advantages in product quality and cost. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005732/en/

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The war of words in the Manitoba Hydro labour dispute heated up Wednesday.

Striking workers accused the Pallister government of hypocrisy for receiving a pay hike set by an arbitrator while insisting that employees at the publicly owned utility accept a government-mandated wage freeze.

MLAs pay, which is set by an independent commissioner, includes a cost-of-living increase on April 1 of each year. (The PC caucus says its MLAs return their pay increases, and the NDP says its MLAs donate theirs to charity.)

"All were asking for is a fair deal for our members who are there for Manitobans every day," said Mike Espenell, business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2034.

Espenell said MLA salaries are set by an independent arbitrator, much like the type of arbitration that IBEW 2034 members have requested to resolve their contract negotiations with Manitoba Hydro.

Manitoba Hydro has refused to agree to binding arbitration with the union.

The Pallister government has issued a directive that public-sector workers receive no pay increase for the first two years of a new contract, followed by increases of no more than 0.75 per cent and one per cent in years 3 and 4.

Local 2034 is part of the coalition of public-sector unions that took the province to court over Bill 28, its wage-freeze bill, which was struck down as unconstitutional. "Even though the court told Pallister to back off, hes still refusing to let Manitoba Hydro negotiate a fair deal with IBEW 2034", said Espenell. The province is appealing the Court of Queens Bench ruling.

Meanwhile, the Crown power corporation said it continues to respond to outages following a storm that blew into Manitoba Monday, despite the IBEW strike. Its been able to get the power back on with the assistance of contingency workers, supervisory staff and contractors, "as part of its robust plan for maintaining service during a strike," a Manitoba Hydro news release said.

It said IBEW had been providing two hours notice of where its rotating strikes would occur, but recently has offered less than an hours notice or no notice, which has affected hydro response times.

The utility met with the IBEW on Monday to discuss collective bargaining and issues related to the strike. It said the union offered to sign an essential services agreement with Manitoba Hydro, but only on the condition the corporation agree to binding arbitration. Hydro declined.

"The provincial government has prevented Manitoba Hydro from doing so," IBEW spokesman Mike Velie said Wednesday. Local 2034 has proposed an essential services agreement since the workers contract expired more than two years ago, he said.

"As we have said since the beginning of this legal strike action, if the corporation needs our help, we encourage them to reach out to us. Hydro can always tell us what it requires and our members will always be there for Manitobans in moments of need," Velie said.

"We have no choice but to continue our scheduled rotation of strike action as a result of the Pallister governments interference in the negotiation process. Our members have been on legal strike for over two weeks now, and there is no requirement for us to issue a strike notice to Manitoba Hydro, but we have been giving advance notice as a courtesy to them."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A 42-year-old man who staged a 5K run, promising runners they would get a margarita at the finish, entered a plea Wednesday for violating liquor licensing rules.

Aaron Quincy Scott, of California, enter a no contest plea to alcohol-furnishing a place for consideration. The charge carries a potential one-year jail term.

Police say Scott organized the Margarita Madness run at Riverside Park on Aug. 24, 2019.

The only problem, police said, is that the state Liquor Control Commission had denied a license to the event.

Grand Rapids police were aware of the denial and sent plainclothes officers to look around. They called in uniformed officers after alcohol was being served and no one checked identification.

During Wednesdays plea, a Kent County assistant prosecutor read from a police report that said officers witnessed Scott going in and out of the back of a rental truck.

Related: Woman gets fine for role in police-raided Margarita Madness run

When officers approached, they could smell a strong odor of liquor from the rear of the truck. They also found full and empty liquor bottles in the truck.

Scott was charged with the furnishing charge, as well as selling, delivering or importing spirits in violation of the Michigan Liquor Control Act.

Scott, who appeared via a Zoom video call Wednesday, is to be sentenced June 15.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cautioned potential capital market investors against putting their monies in fraud schemes that promise unwarranted high returns.

Tunde Kamali, the Head, Investor Education of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), gave the advice at a webinar meeting with title `The ABC of Savings and Investment in Abuja.

Mr Kamali expressed regrets that fraudsters usually attracted their investors through offers of commissions, pressure tactics, and fictitious track records, among others.

He called on investors to always ask, check and confirm with the commission before investing in those companies.

Our duty at SEC is to protect investors by ensuring only fit and proper professionals are allowed to provide financial services, he said.

Most times, because of the ways and strategies of the fraudsters, many people do not have enough time to consider before we part with our money.

Bayo Rotimi, the Chief Executive Officer of Greenwich Merchant Bank Limited, called on investors to always seek professional advice to enhance their knowledge before any asset class.

Mr Rotimi, who said the country currently had about 164 companies whose equities were actively traded on the floor of Nigerian Stock Exchange, called for more companies for better investments.

Speaking on Protection of Savings, Ademilola Aluko, Stanbic IBTC Investor Services Relationship Officer, advised citizens to reduce debt, loans and ensure that their expenses were in line with their earnings.

Mr Aluko called on citizens to set up personal emergency funds that would be aimed at meeting their unexpected needs.

Omagbitse Barrow, the Chief Executive Officer, Learning Impact Nigeria, advised citizens to avoid compulsive spending and engage in long-term savings.

According to him, short-term savings limits the ability of financial institutions to provide long-term investments.

The Market Development Manager of AFEX Commodities Exchange, Funto Olasemo, said that building wealth required consistency and patience.

She called on citizens to invest in equities/stocks, mutual funds, FGN savings fund, pension schemes, and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).

The meeting was organised by SEC in collaboration with the Financial Literacy Technical Committee (FLTC).

(NAN)
Gandhinagar April 1 : Sparks flew in the Gujarat Assembly on the concluding day of the Budget session on Thursday with Congress legislator Imran Khedawala tearing a copy of the Bill proposed to amend the 'Dharma Swatantrya' (Freedom of Religion) Act, 2003 aimed to combat forceful religious conversions, better known as 'Love Jihad', that was tabled in the House by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

While speaking on the provisions of the amendment Bill, Khedawala said, "Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja has only mentioned that the daughters of the Hindu community are targeted by men from a specific community. Daughters, be it from any religious community, will always be our daughters. I too have over hundred testimonies of Muslim girls marrying into other religion. I am deeply hurt by the words of the minister." On hearing this, the Speaker of the House, Rajendra Trivedi, interrupted the Congress legislator but Khedawala stuck to his words.

"Nobody can force anybody to marry into a specific religion and in no religion it is written to forcibly convert anyone to accept that. In this Bill, only one community is specifically targeted with words like 'Jihadi'. I opposite this Bill and I'm tearing down its copy," Khedawala said as tore the copy of the Bill which he had in his hand.

The gesture was followed by an uproar from the BJP members in the House.

The proposed amendment seeks to prohibit and punish religious conversions promising better lifestyle, divine blessings and impersonation.
KBS 2TV gears up for the upcoming debut of "Youth of May" starring the "Sweet Home" star Lee Do Hyun.

The broadcasting network teased fans with their first stills featuring the 25-year-old actor as he transformed into a top-notch medical student, Hwang Hee Tae.

In the recently unveiled still cuts, the "18 Again" star exudes the character's cheerfulness with his playful expression despite unexpected events in his life.

"Youth of May" Cast Members and Premiere

Back in December, KBS 2TV confirmed that Lee Do Hyun would lead the forthcoming retro-romance drama, set in the 1980s.

Aside from the actor, the network announced the list of the main cast, including Lee Sang Yi, Geum Sae Rok, and his fellow "Sweet Home" co-star Go Min Si.

"Youth of May is helmed by Song Min Yeop, who also directed the 2019 drama "Doctor Prisoner," and is slated to premiere this coming May.

The romance drama is set under the tumultuous times of the Gwangju Uprising. It follows the story of Hwang Hee Tae, an easygoing medical student who grew up in the countryside of Gwangju.

With his wit and intelligence, he tries to break away from the stereotype of his upbringing by entering the prestigious Seoul National University College of Medicine, where he is considered as the top of his class.

There, he met a third-year nursing student Kim Myung Hee, played by Go Min Si.

Just like Hwang Hee Tae, Myung Hee has also endured a lot of life's hardship but refuses to stumble and continues to fight for her dream.

Aside from the duo, Geum Sae Rok and Lee Sang Yi will portray siblings Lee Soo-Ryeon and Lee Soo Chan, who have opposite personalities.

Lee Soo Chan is the eldest and carries the responsibility of their family business; on the other hand, his brother Lee Soo Ryeon is a happy-go-lucky law school student.

"Youth of May" Cast Attends First Script Reading

KBS 2TV released the official photos during the first script reading of "Youth of May" attended by the whole team, including lead stars Lee Do Hyun, Lee Sang Yi, Go Min Si, Geum Sae Rok, Uhm Hyo Seop, Oh Man Seok, Kim Won Hae, Hwang Young Hee, and Shim Yi Young.

Aside from the cast members, director Song Min Yeob and screenwriter Lee Kang were also seen at the table read.

At the time, the "Doctor Prisoner" director revealed that the upcoming melodrama would "capture the love and youth stories" that the genre is trying to represent.

In addition, he also wished to wrap up the series successfully as well as the safety of everyone.

"More than anything else, I hope that we can end the shoot safely without anyone getting hurt," he said.

As for writer Lee Kang, he shared that there's undeniable chemistry between the actors, which gave justice to every character.

Moreover, he also mentioned how he came up with the storyline saying, "Whenever I write a script, I sit down with the mindset of writing a letter. I feel like I've gotten the reply to those letters now."

ALSO CHECK: Song Kang Said that he Wants to Work Again with Lee Do Hyun in Another Project

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Flores
On the season finale of Design Star: Next Gen, it's down to just three designers: Chris Goddard, Carmeon Hamilton, and Eli Hariton. So far, the challenges have been close, but now it's time to decide who will win the grand prize of $50,000 and their own TV show.

In this dramatic final episode, "A Design Star Is Born," the three finalists are asked to create a bedroom. Then later, the top two are challenged to create their dream spaces, the ultimate home that shows the judges who they are.

To help choose the winner, judge Jonathan Adler is joined by guest judge Jonathan Scott. This "Property Brother" star has seen it all, so the contestants will need to work hard to impress the judges!

Read on to find out who wins this season of Design Star: Next Gen," and learn some of the top decor moves you might want to try in your own abode.

Pair busy wallpaper with solid walls of paint

Carmeon Hamilton's wallpaper is bold and beautiful. Discovery+

With the competition down to the final three, Hamilton wants to go bold with her bohemian bedroom design. She chooses some bold patterned wallpaper for her headboard wall, and since the wallpaper is so busy, she decides to pair it with walls that are all one color: black.

Right away, the judges are impressed with the dark colors and risky choice.

"Bohemian can go a little, 'Oh, Ive seen that before,' but youve elevated it," Adler says. "And I think what really did that is this wallpaper in the back. Its the right amount of pattern in a room where everything else is solid.

Both the wallpaper and the dark walls are bold, but Hamilton nails the look.

"Props to you for showing how rules should be broken, Adler says.

Don't forget to dress up the bed

This bedroom is great, but the judges say the bedding is a little drab. Discovery+

Hariton creates a stunning bedroom with lots of glam accessories and a midcentury vibe. The judges love the space, but Adler is worried that the focal point in this bedroom, the bed, is a little boring.

"You have just plain white bedding," Adler points out, "but the danger is, that can just make the bed kind of just look [like] this big marshmallow in the middle of the room."

Hariton could have fixed this by dressing up the bed a little with a blanket or some colorful pillows, but at least it's a good lesson in decorating. Sometimes some classic decor and cozy textures make all the difference.

Be careful not to overdecorate

Chris Goddard's room has a lot going on. Discovery+

Goddard has been a favorite throughout this competition, but he goes overboard with his bedroom design. He uses bold wallpaper and tons of bright colors, which overwhelm the space.

The judges like the look but decide that it's a little too wild.

"Its just that you gilded the lily," Adler says. "And I think that you just let these big, bold gestures be themselves.

So while Hariton doesn't do enough decor, it seems Goddard does too much. Unfortunately, this mistake gets Goddard sent home, leaving Hariton and Hamilton to do the final design challenge.

Be careful when it comes to using playful colors

Hariton's loft makes the space extra functional. Discovery+

So Hariton makes it to the final two, but he doesn't have long to celebrate. The final challenge is to create a "dream space" that shows off the designers' personalities. Plus, the space needs to use different levels.

Hariton creates a Brooklyn-inspired apartment with a cool loft, cozy sitting space, and efficient kitchen. While Hariton's structure is clever, his color choices are pretty risky.

I'm loud, so Ive got loud colors," Hariton says. "I got big gestures, 'cause thats my personality, this is who i am, Hariton says. The look is very unique and, surprisingly, it causes some disagreements between the judges.

This salmon wall over the blue couch gives off some '80s vibes. Discovery+

Adler thinks these colors look a bit dated.

Theres something about the color story with the salmonand this blue and this gray that is very moored in the 1980s and not necessarily in the best way, Adler says.

However, Scott thinks the colors actually work: It balances out with the other colors that you have in here.

The judges may have different opinions, but its not clear if thats a good thing.

Don't forget to insert personality into every space

This living space has two levels, both of which are stunning. Discovery+

While Hariton is experimenting with color, Hamilton tries to focus on scale. She decides to create her dream home in Ghana, Africa, where she and her family hope to live one day, and takes a risk by building a large living room with a raised platform in the middle.

Its a fun idea, but she soon realizes it can be difficult working with scale in a room that has two levels.

If you miss out on scale, it wont function properly," Hamilton says. "You totally missed the mark on a successful design."

The judges feel this space isn't as impressive as the rest of the room. Discovery+

Scott also sees an issue when comparing the different levels of this living space.

Because this is so impressive down here," Scott says, gesturing to the lower level, "when you look at the living room, the seating area just doesnt seem as impressive.

Of course, Scott is right. The sitting area on the platform is easily forgotten when looking at the much grander living room below. In fact, this setup makes one wonder why there are two levels at all.

'Design Star: Next Gen': Who wins?

In the end, the judges decide that Hamilton's space, despite its scale problems, is still unforgettable. The judges name her this season's Design Star, so you should keep an eye out for her as host of her own design show soon enough!

The post A Property Brother Dubs the Next 'Design Star'Can You Guess Who It Is? appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland 19 News Reporter Syeda Abbas is passionate about journalism.

Everyone has a unique story that needs to be told, she says.

But the Philadelphia native is passionate about food, too. Growing up, food was a celebration in her South Asian household, she says. Since arriving in Northeast Ohio in January 2020, shes been getting up to speed on the citys dining scene, posting photos of her favorite meals at her go-to Cleveland restaurants on her social media pages.

During quarantine, Abbas, who you can watch on Cleveland 19 News on weekend mornings and in the evenings during the early part of the week, has found another passion: learning how to cook.

We asked her about some of her favorite dining choices in Cleveland.

1. What is your favorite Cleveland restaurant?

Marble Room. Its not just the food but the history of the building. Its an old bank. I love their Curry Coco Shrimp Roll and their sauteed mushrooms are so good!

2. What is your favorite dish to order from anywhere?

Margherita Pizza. I just really like pizza in general. Add some red crushed peppers on top and it tastes even better.

3. What is your favorite dish to make at home?

On a rainy Cleveland day, its spinach lentil dal and rice. When I feel like I want to go all out, Ill bake either tilapia or salmon with my favorite seasoning and vegetables on the side. I can also make a really good Pilau with some chutney for when Im on-the-go.

4. What is your favorite takeout spot?

Taste of Kerala in Beachwood. Its authentic South Indian food but tastes similar to the Chicken Briyani and Gulab Jamun my parents made for me growing up. Thats where I go for takeout whenever I feel homesick.

5. What is your favorite brunch or breakfast spot?

Lunas Bakery & Cafe and First Watch. Theres so much to choose from, you wont be disappointed.
BEIJING, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the COVID-19 vaccine being rolled out, many local and national governments are assessing how to safely reopen their economies while curtailing the number of positive cases. Professor of Economics, Zhong Ling, at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) has developed a model framework which takes into account multiple epicenters that allows policymakers to simulate outcomes and guide reopening strategies. The model could offer policymakers the tools to quantitatively assess reopening policies prior to implementation. Dr. Zhong's research paper, "A Dynamic Pandemic Model Evaluating Reopening Strategies amid COVID-19," was published in The Public Library of Science ONE (PLOS ONE).

Zhong expands on previous research to build a mathematical model for a realistic scenario in today's context, in which an area with low domestic epidemic risk wants to reopen its border amid risks of importing cases from multiple areas. In the model setting, the spread of the virus in each area depends on the nature of the virus, the area's internal and external policies, and the characteristics of inbound travelers. The model features time-varying policies in an area with relatively lower pandemic risk. The policies include social distancing that affects infection rate, contact tracing, and self-isolation of susceptible people, as well as the area's testing accuracy, travel restrictions, and the quarantine and testing policy on travelers.

The model setup highlights the impact of government initiatives in the low risk area which answers a set of very timely questions asked by academic researchers and policymakers: what are the quantitative effects of various reopening strategies? How do specific reopening policies interact? Does the public health objective counter with the economic objective? The paper bridges epidemiology and public policy to evaluate proposed government interventions and provides quantitative insights for policy design. It also contributes to the reopening strategy amid the COVID-19 pandemic by demonstrating the functionality of the theoretical model in a real-world context.

Using the model, policymakers are able to test a combination of scenarios for reopening. For example, extending the quarantine period can partially compensate for the lack of testing and in most cases, local infection rates dropped by about 80%. This comparison shows that testing and quarantine can help with reducing the number of cases, especially when the infection rates in the traveler's departure area are significantly worse than the destination. Considering these two parameters are complementary to each other, the negative impact of less testing can be offset by extending quarantine.

SOURCE Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB)
Kathmandu, April 1

Nepals telecommunications regulator has decided to allow international airlines to use the Nepali sky for providing internet service to their passengers.

A meeting of the board of directors of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority made the decision on March 22. As per the decision, a company willing to provide the service to the passengers can use the frequencies above 10,000 feet from the surface.

Using the internet below the 10,000 feet, however, might affect the frequencies being used on the surface, fears the authority.

However, the airlines are also required to obtain approval from the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Recently, three foreign airline companies had asked Nepal for such permission.
New Delhi, April 1: The Transport Connectivity Master Plan of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which aims to create seamless connectivity between and across countries in the Bay of Bengal through air, sea, and land linkages, will soon become a reality, further strengthening India's resolve to revive the global maritime trade and make the region a hub of commercial and cultural exchange.

BIMSTEC is a regional organisation comprising seven member states around the Bay of Bengal region. It constitutes a unique link between South and South-East Asia with five members from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka) and two from South-East Asia (Myanmar and Thailand). The BIMSTEC region brings together more than 1.67 billion people and a combined GDP of around $2.88 trillion.

Image Source: IANS News

With its 'Act East' and 'Neighbourhood First' policy as the main driving force, India continues to make giant strides in integrating countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal by leading the efforts to restore the historical connectivity through enhanced transport and trade linkages - not just in Bay of Bengal, but also the other wider areas of the Indo-Pacific Region.

At the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) of BIMSTEC on Wednesday, held a day ahead of the 17th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting to be chaired by Colombo today, foreign ministry officials of all the seven member states once again pledged to continue prioritizing sustained physical connectivity and high-quality infrastructure, to help facilitate greater regional flows of goods, services, and people.

It is expected that the Master Plan will be approved by the foreign ministers of member states today and would subsequently be adopted by the 5th BIMSTEC Summit. It was prepared as a strategic document to guide actions and promote synergies among various connectivity frameworks and has identified 267 projects of construction, expansion and modernization of transport infrastructure. Among these, 137 'flagship' projects have been identified to enhance connectivity in the Bay of Bengal region.

Image Source: IANS News

India continues to take lead in the priority sectors of cooperation like counter-terrorism and transnational crime, transport and communication, tourism, environment and disaster management and connectivity which was included as one of the priority areas of BIMSTEC cooperation with the objective to promote trade and investment, tourism, people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges to contribute to the sustainable development of the region.

Some examples of such connectivity projects include the Kaladan transport project, the Trilateral Highway Project, an East-West corridor connecting India's Northeast with Myanmar and Thailand, the Rhi-Tiddim road in Myanmar, construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline and dredging of inland waterways in Bangladesh, the Biratnagar integrated checkpost with Nepal, reconstruction of railway tracks in Sri Lanka, road projects and power transmission lines in Nepal, etc.

The importance given to connectivity in the Indo-Pacific by India can be gauged from the fact that Prime Minster Modi, while elaborating India's Vision of the Indo-Pacific at Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018, had stated that connectivity is vital since it does more than just enhancing trade and prosperity and unites the region. "It doesn't focuses just on building infrastructure but also on building trust," PM Modi had emphasized.

BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement and the BIMSTEC Motor Vehicle Agreement will ensure seamless multi-modal transportation linkages and smooth, synchronized and simplified transit facilities through the development, expansion and modernization of highways, railways, waterways, sea routes, airways in the region.

"On multilateral/regional front as member of mechanisms such as the ASEAN, BIMSTEC, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, India is also undertaking various regional connectivity initiatives. We are currently discussing a Coastal Shipping Agreement and Motor Vehicle Agreement in the BIMSTEC format and also in the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) group. We are also working on extending India's National Knowledge Network to BIMSTEC partners. Cooperation under BBIN is also being discussed in the areas of power and water resources management," said Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs, recently.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar too has explained in detail at various platforms how India has taken the lead in improving connectivity in the region through a mix of instruments, including grant execution of projects, lines of credit, etc.

"Connectivity today does not mean only roads and railway lines, but also digital connectivity. We have to move towards further integrating our digital networks to provide greater access, more affordable and high-speed internet and mobile communications to our peoples. We will be happy to share knowledge and best practices based on India's traditional strengths in the field of IT/ITES," Jaishankar said during a webinar titled 'Revisiting Economic Cooperation in BIMSTEC in Post-Covid 19 Era' organised by Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), last year.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/

-- Syndicated from IANS
State corrections officials have been "deliberately indifferent" to the medical needs of Louisiana State Penitentiary inmates for decades, a federal judge has ruled, noting that diagnosing one prisoner's cancer took so long that he died before chemotherapy could begin.

In her 124-page ruling Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Shelley Dick found that inmate access to health care is unconstitutionally inadequate in the areas of clinical care, specialty care, infirmary care and emergency care. Diagnoses and treatments are so bad they violate constitutional prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishments, she said.

"Plaintiffs have satisfied their burden of proving the Defendants have been deliberately indifferent to the inmates' serious medical needs in the means and manner of the delivery of health care, in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution," she wrote.

As an example, Dick said, an X-ray revealed a potential malignancy in a 58-year-old prisoner, but he was not referred for a CT scan for another three months, and when it was performed it revealed a suspicious lesion. He was referred to a pulmonologist, but didn't see one until four months later.

The pulmonologist recommended a biopsy, but seven months later, in August 2013, the doctor noted in the inmate's chart, "the biopsy didn't occur, what gives?" He again recommended a biopsy, which still didn't occur, and requested another one again the next month.

"Eventually, having never undergone a biopsy, this patient underwent a lobectomy to remove a `portion of the lung that was infected with cancer,'" Dick stated.

The inmate returned to Angola in October 2013 and was referred for chemotherapy to begin Nov. 19, 2013, but the chemo was delayed until January 2014. On Nov. 21, 2013, he complained of tongue and mouth swelling and vomiting. An emergency medical technician treated him with coal tablets and cough syrup.

Before his chemotherapy could begin, he died, the judge said.

+3 Angola prison's 'abysmal' medical care on trial in Baton Rouge federal court A paraplegic inmate testified in federal court Tuesday that conditions were so foul in one of the infirmaries at Louisiana State Penitentiary 

Dick concluded generally that the prison lacks the infrastructure necessary to provide a constitutionally adequate health care system for patients with serious medical needs. The prison lacks adequate organizational structure, credentialing and peer review processes, health care policies and procedures, clinic space, and a quality control program, she noted.

"The Court further finds that overwhelming deficiencies in the medical leadership and administration of health care at LSP contributes to these constitutional violations," the judge added.

Dick said the state and prison defendants "have been aware of these deficiencies in the delivery of medical care at LSP for decades."

The judge referred to a 1992 class-action lawsuit against the Angola prison that claimed medical care provided at the maximum security prison was constitutionally deficient. A settlement agreement six years later required that specific improvements be made to the prison's medical care system, she said.

"Given the fact that many of the complaints in this lawsuit  and the deficiencies proven at trial  are the same as those `settled' in 1998, the Court finds that Defendants have been aware of these deficiencies in the delivery of medical care at LSP for decades," Dick wrote Wednesday.

The judge's ruling comes after several weeks of testimony at a 2018 trial, months of post-trial briefs filed by both sides, and a visit by Dick to the prison in February 2020.

Dick announced that same month that she was poised to rule that medical care at the prison is unconstitutional "in some respects." Her decision Wednesday in the class-action lawsuit filed by inmates specifically addressed where she found deficiencies.

Parts of Angola prison medical care are unconstitutional, federal judge plans to rule Medical care at the Louisiana State Penitentiary is unconstitutional "in some respects," says a federal judge who is poised to rule in a 5-yea

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The lawsuit alleged that Angola inmates have suffered unnecessary pain and suffering, exacerbation of existing conditions, permanent disability, disfigurement and even death as a result of "grossly deficient" medical care.

The state contended the inmates receive quality medical care. The lawsuit's defendants are the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Corrections Secretary James LeBlanc and Angola's wardens.

DPSC spokesman Ken Pastorick said Thursday the department was reviewing Dick's ruling and "reserves comment at this time."

Up next will be the remedy phase of the case, Dick wrote.

"Going forward, prison officials will have to start fulfilling their constitutional obligation to provide adequate medical care and disability accommodations to everyone incarcerated there, no matter how young or old, healthy or sick," said Mercedes Montagnes, executive director of the New Orleans-based Promise of Justice Initiative and co-lead counsel for the inmate plaintiffs.

Bruce Hamilton, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Louisiana, which also represents the inmates, described the level of medical care provided at Angola as "horrific" and said "we have been stunned at the amount of human suffering that's allowed to go on there."

"While we're pleased with the Court's decision to strike down these cruel and degrading conditions as unconstitutional, we know there is still more work to do in order to guarantee quality care to all of Angola's population, which cannot be delayed any longer," he said.

Dick also ruled that prison officials failed to accommodate disabilities.

+3 'Blind man denied ... a cane': Louisiana State Penitentiary medical care lawsuit heads to trial The medical care provided to more than 6,000 inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary will be under the microscope for the next few weeks i

Jeffrey Dubner, also co-lead counsel for the inmates, called the judge's decision "an enormous win for everyone."

"Providing people who are incarcerated with adequate health care not only affirms our basic dignity as human beings, but it reduces future costs to taxpayers and facilitates successful re-entry into society," he said.

Dick noted in her ruling that "sick call" is the main process by which patients access the medical system at Angola, and it is conducted cell side by emergency medical technicians. EMT's do not commonly consult doctors during sick call visits, she said.

In terms of clinical care, Dick stated that Angola physicians routinely fail to identify patient diseases and are focused on episodic complaints rather than the underlying state of disease. Physicians also routinely fail to adequately obtain information regarding a patient's medical history when evaluating the patient, she said.

As referenced by Dick, Angola has been no stranger to federal oversight.

The late U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola, after he became a federal district court judge in 1980, continued to enforce the federal oversight of the prison that started in the mid-1970s and supervised a consent decree at Angola tied to lawsuits about prison conditions from 1983 until 1998.

The long-running legal battle began in 1971 when inmates at Angola sued over conditions there. The suit eventually led to the 1983 federal consent decree, in which Polozola ordered limits on prison populations.
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According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research the worldwide anti-drone market is anticipated to reach over USD 3,064 million by 2026. In 2017, the defense and military segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period.

The rising incidences of misuse of drones and growing terrorist activities primarily drive the growth of this market. Smugglers and traffickers are increasingly using drones for malicious and criminal activities, thereby increasing the demand of anti-drones. Other driving factors include technological advancement, and increasing investment in R&D.

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There has been an emerging threat from drones to critical infrastructure. A high number of cases of drone overflights at nuclear and power stations have been registered. In 2014, after several cases of overflights of reactors, French authorities invested $ 1.1 million for detection, identification, and neutralization of small aerial drones.

There has been a significant increase in spoofing and cyber-attacks. Spoofing is taking control of a drone by hacking the radio signal and sending commands to the aircraft from another control station. Valuable data can be stolen or deleted through cyber-attacks. Complaints registered against misuse of drones also include snooping, burglary, smuggling contraband into prisons, and mid-air near misses among others. Terrorists have started using drones to gather valuable intelligence on their enemies. All these factors have increased the adoption of anti-drone systems.

North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The driving factors for anti-drone market in North America include increasing number of security breach incidents by unidentified drones and increasing terrorist activities. Recent incidences of riots & civil unrest have increased the demand for anti-drones in this region. North America spends high budgets for military expenditure and for research & development programs, which augment market growth.

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The various end-users of anti-drones include defense and military, government, commercial, and others. In 2017, the defense and military sector accounted for the largest share in the global market, and is expected to maintain its lead during the forecast period. The demand for anti-drones in the military sector has increased owing to growing cases of smuggling, trespassing, and spying. Increasing need for border security, and threats from neighboring countries support the adoption of anti-drones.

The well-known companies profiled in the report include Saab AB, Thales Group, Raytheon Co., Lockheed Martin Corp., Dedrone Inc, Droneshield Ltd., Northrop Grumman Corp., Theiss UAV Solutions, LLC, Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd., Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.

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Ever wondered what happened to that restaurant you once loved and have memories of dining at with your family and friends? We did! There is an amazing website called Lost Tables, dedicated to celebrating the restaurants of our past. We are partnering with the sites creator Harley Hammerman and celebrating these wonderful stories. Hammerman and his wife Marlene are members of Shaare Emeth, and she is past president of the National Council of Jewish Women of St. Louis. Visit Lost Tables on Facebook

Max Pratzel and his younger brother Nathan were born in Mieroszow, Poland towards the end of the nineteenth century. Maxs gravestone at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City lists his birth year as 1887; Nathans is listed as 1891. However, Maxs draft registration cards list his birth date as September 1, 1885. Nathan lists his birth year as 1889 on his WWI card and his birth date as December 17, 1888 on his WWII card. Its probably safe to say that neither brother brought along a birth certificate when they immigrated to the United States.

In 1913 (or 1914) Max Pratzel, who had been a baker in Poland, entered this fray, opening a bakery on High Street (possibly 1102), at Carr.

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In the early 1900s there was a Jewish quarter in north St. Louis, bounded by Sixth and Eighteenth Streets. There were some sixteen Yiddish bakeries in the district, including Adam Knebel, at 1400 Biddle, H. Goldberg, at Fifteenth and OFallon, J. Komens, at Fourteenth and Biddle, Harry Senturia, at 1014 North Eleventh, David Senturia, at 819 Carr, Paul Brehm, at 2417 North Fifteenth, Henry Cohen, at 814 Biddle, William Ellerbrock, at 1444 North Thirteenth, and Moritz Lewis, at 1102 High.

In 1908, there was a bread war in the district; bread of all kinds was selling at less than cost. Sixteen-cent loaves of bread were selling for eight cents, 10-cent loaves for four-cents, five-cent loaves at two for five cents, and Vienna rolls and pumpernickel were passing over the counter at half price and less.

As the Jewish population migrated westward, so did the Pratzels. By 1916, Max Pratzel and his brother Nathan had opened Pratzel Brothers Bakery at 2839 Dickson.

In 1914, Max Pratzel married 17-year-old Sarah Hilch, who had immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1905. By 1919, the couple had three children  Loretta (Yetta), Alvin and Nathan (Nate)  and they all lived above the bakery at 2839 Dickson. Nathan Pratzel also lived above the bakery, first by himself and then with his wife Tillie, who he married in 1919. As Nathan and Tillies family grew, they eventually moved to a home of their own at 5818 Roosevelt Place.

Pratzels Bakery moved westward to 5615 Easton Avenue in 1928, and then westward again in 1931, to 611 Eastgate Avenue in University City. Max and Sarah Pratzel, and their three children, lived in an apartment over the bakery, at 609a Eastgate. This would be Max Pratzels final home.
Leaders hope that ASEAN members work closely together in order to mitigate US-China tensions. Photo: Shutterstock

Experts and business representatives from both the United States and China at a major forum in Alaska on March 20 said they expected a better dialogue mechanism on bilateral trade  a sector where the worlds largest two economies share mutual interests despite their disputes on political issues. However, the tense nature of the event showed that hope does not yet exist.

Although the US and China previously agreed on a ceasefire in their tit-for-tat through last years phase one agreement, both sides remain agitated and see the other as a key economic rival  a rivalry that was on full display at the forum.

I had low expectations for Alaska and those expectations have been met, said attorney Clete Willems, who served as a trade advisor to former president Donald Trump.

The exchange is likely an early taste of the tough battles ahead for President Joe Biden and his trade team  and at stake is one of the globes most valuable trading relationships.

China is currently the US third-largest goods trading partner with $558.1 billion in total (two-way) trade in 2019, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative. That massive trading volume supported over 910,000 US jobs as of 2015, with 600,000 stemming from goods exports and over 300,000 from services exports.

I think the Chinese misread the situation with Bidens team, and they thought these guys would come in and roll back all the Trump measures, Willems added. I think theyre finding out that that isnt going to be the case.

Yao Yang, dean of the National School of Development at Peking University said, If the two countries really want to move forward, I think the next step is to negotiate, to get rid of those tariffs.

He suggested that the US and China should negotiate some new rules that are unlike the current World Trade Organization rules.

A further breakdown in bilateral trade is deemed unaffordable. A recent report by the US Chamber of Commerce warned if tariffs were expanded to all trade, the GDP of the States could see a $190 billion loss each year by 2025 and as much as $1 trillion in the coming decade.

Hu Qimu, chief researcher at the Sinosteel Economic Research Institute, told the Global Times that with China attempting to further opening its market access, it is now time for foreign companies everywhere to reap the benefits from the huge and lucrative market.

In the bilateral economic and trade relationship, China is not only a source of intermediate inputs for many mid- and high-end industries in the US, but also an important source of consumer goods for end-users in general. China is also a huge market for industrial goods and technology, said Qimu.

The trade talks with China carry commercial importance, but also represent a chance to protect US national security interests and improve access to vital tech.

The Biden administration has signalled that trade at all costs is not their position and that they will not curtail their views in order to have a good trade relationship, said Dewardric McNeal, an Obama-era policy analyst at the US Defense Department.

The previous US administration had made a habit of imposing punitive tariffs and sanctions to address complaints about Chinas lack of intellectual property protection, required tech transfers, and other business practices.

It was reported on last week by Bloomberg that China is also well behind on the two-year targets set in its trade deal with the US, having purchased only about a third of the goods it said it would buy so far.

There was widespread scepticism that China would ever meet the promised targets, even before the pandemic broke out, damaging both the demand and the US ability to supply goods. However, it remains unknown if China will face any consequences if it does not meet its goals.

Although Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said trade was discussed by officials during recent talks between the two nations in Alaska, there was no specific mention of the trade deal or what both sides would do with the tariffs imposed during their dispute.

China has been raising imports of US farm goods since late last year, as it seeks to feed its recovering pig herd and make up for shortages of commodities.

Deal derailments

The US is not the only major economic power that China has to contend with. The EU last week announced the revival of the US-EU China Dialogue during a Brussels meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell.

The move, reported by the Financial Times, represents a further step towards the Biden administrations goal of creating a joint response to Chinas rise.

A united position on Chinese policy looked unlikely at the end of 2020, when Brussels and Beijing agreed the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment  a deal designed to level the playing field for large European corporations by granting greater access to the Chinese market. At the time of the agreement, European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called it an important landmark in our relationship with China.

That status of the agreement is now uncertain after the EU imposed rare sanctions early last week on Chinese officials in Xinjiang. China retaliated strongly, targeting sanctions against several members of the European parliament. Those sanctions now risk derailing the investment deal, as the EU body has yet to ratify it.

The US, the EU, the United Kingdom, and Canada had all placed the sanctions on the Chinese officials on March 22, the first such joint Western action against China under the new US president.

The Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the second-largest group in the EU parliament, made clear the following day that China would have to lift sanctions on European lawmakers before it would consider any discussions on an investment deal. Europe needs to trade with China, but our values and standards go first, said Inmaculada Rodriguez-Pinero, the S&Ds lead member of parliament.

If the deal collapses, it could be more of blow to Europes manufacturers than China. My feeling is that China doesnt care if things take place or not  its just ticking a box, Philippe Le Corre, a China expert at the Harvard Kennedy School, told Politico.

A united Southeast Asia

Despite the controversies and the prickly nature of the US-China diplomatic meeting in Alaska, leaders elsewhere insisted the renewed dialogue was a positive step.

Heng Swee Keat, Singaporean Minister of Finance, who is also tipped to be the next prime minister, called on both competitors to chart a constructive way forward following the talks.

Despite the tough rhetoric, it is a step in the right direction, Keat said at the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference. The meeting showed recognition from both sides on the need for cooperation.

Singapore has looked to navigate American efforts to counter Chinas influence in Southeast Asia and is encouraging dialogue on common challenges such as the pandemic and climate change.

It is important that they persevere, maintain open channels of communication, find a way forward to deal with their differences, and manage their tensions and frictions, Keat said.

He added that Southeast Asia must continue to work with all parties, not just the US and China. Describing the principle of ASEAN centrality, Keat said the region must work as one to advance its collective interest.

Should US-China tensions escalate, our region must firmly remain anchored on ASEANs own interest, and to keep ourselves open and relevant through practical steps, he explained, saying the steps involve speeding up ratification of trade agreements and opening up further for economic transformation.

The economies of Southeast Asia must seek to draw in more investments, as companies reconfigure their production bases and supply chains for greater resilience, Keat added.

Given the increasing need for investment capital in the region and the expertise that investors bring, it is not possible or smart to rely on one source of investment. We must therefore continue to welcome countries and companies from around the world to grow their presence here, the minister said.

Kavi Chongkittavorn, writing for the Bangkok Post, also alluded to a type of isolation for Southeast Asia as a result of the disputes between the major economic powers.

As Washington is still formulating its China policy, it is still too early to predict the future trajectory and whether the US frustrations with China on a wide range of issues could be replicated by Southeast Asian countries, Chongkittavorn said.

He further noted that the future trade direction will hinge on resolution (or lack thereof) of a wide range of complex issues, from the US reaching a middle ground with Southeast Asia, helping to secure the future of the Mekong region, and its reaction to unrest in markets such as Myanmar and Hong Kong, among other factors.

In just over 60 days of the Biden presidency, Washington has moved quickly to forge closer relations with allies and friends in the region, but it must not be a pushover, Chongkittavorn explained. One caveat is in order: the new US administration must not sow the seeds of discontent in the region using its bilateral problems with China.
Vietnamese seafood exporters have bene struggling with mounting shipping expenses

In addition to the dizzily increasing production costs at the beginning of this year, shipping expenses have been an issue of concern for Vietnamese seafood exporters. At the moment, little cargo space is available for frozen goods as most seagoing vessels are giving priority to dry items that come with more favourable freight rates.

A local catfish exporter in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho complained about difficulties in finding a ship to the United States. "We are lucky to get a trip even without knowing how much it will cost because shipping companies usually send price quotations late, said the exporters representative.

Even if the vessel cannot go out on schedule for some reason, the price is up to $1,500 per container, he added.

MSC, the leading global container shipping company, most recently revealed that it will stop shipping frozen goods to the US from April 2021. The move will mean more freight to other ships  but most of the suitable vessels have already been overloaded for months. Many shipping companies do not allow reservations either, which makes it difficult for producers who then need to hold their stocks while they find free cargo space  in a market where warehouse space is also short, according to VASEP.

Previously, in January this year, many seafood, plastic, and timber exporters said that they have been shouldering mounting container rental costs, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $8,000 per 40-feet container, and even hitting $10,000 for those travelling to the UK.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Last year Grand Rapids and area businesses temporarily employed 350 young people as part of a new summer jobs program.

The initiative is back this year, and officials are aiming to double the number of employed youth.

Called GRow1000, the initiative was launched in 2020 in response to the pandemic and ongoing racial and economic disparities, city officials previously said.

Grand Rapids residents who are between the ages of 15 and 24 as of June 14 can apply for the jobs program by filling out the application at this link. Applicants also must be eligible to work in the U.S.

The deadline to apply is April 19.

City Manager Mark Washington said the initiative is about investing in the communitys future.

We appreciate the communitys support in making this program possible, Washington said. Providing meaningful work is important in helping our youth stay productive and build skills during the summer. There are more than 9,000 youth in Grand Rapids between the ages of 15 and 21. Nearly three quarters (73%) are under the age of 18 and are persons of color.

Those employed in the program will work a total 120 hours between June 14 and July 23, with 20 hours worked each week. Those 18 and older will be paid $13 an hour, and those under 18 will be paid $10 an hour.

The city will process the applications and then match applicants with available positions.

Paid training for the program begins May 18. The city will provide bus passes as needed.

Businesses and organizations can support the initiative by providing paid job or internship experiences or by giving financial contributions. Individuals are also welcome to donate to the program.

The city is financing the program with about $120,000 in federal COVID-19 grant dollars, with business contributions covering further program costs and wages.

More information on how to donate or provide employment can be found at this webpage.

More than 40 businesses and organizations, including Amway Corporation, Meijer, Davenport University, Progressive AE and more, have committed to helping the initiative.

Great cities have strong summer youth programs, said Fred Keller, founder and chair of Cascade Engineering and one of the business leaders of the GRow1000 program. This is an important moment for business to partner with our city to show our youth the future opportunities and experiences they may have right here in our community.

Last year, the first year of the program, officials aimed to provide jobs to 1,000 young people.

In all, 354 youth were employed at more than 60 different job sites, ranging from area businesses, nonprofit work and healthcare to higher education and government.

This time around, the age range was expanded to include people ages 22 to 24. Wages were also increased by $3 for those 18 and older.

Read more:

Spring break travel out of Grand Rapids airport expected near pre-pandemic level

Whitmer invokes defense bill clause to force stricter PFAS cleanup

West Michigan has opportunity to catapult forward economically from COVID-19 pandemic
[April 01, 2021] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, a Leading Securities Fraud Law Firm, Announces Investigation of Atos SE (AEXAY) on Behalf of Investors

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM"), a leading national shareholder rights law firm, today announced that it has commenced an investigation on behalf of Atos SE ("Atos" or the "Company") (OTC: AEXAY) investors concerning the Company's possible violations of the federal securities laws. If you suffered a loss on your Atos investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information at https://www.glancylaw.com/cases/atos-se/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at shareholders@glancylaw.com to learn more about your rights. On April 1, 2021, Atos issued a press release revealing that its auditors issued a "qualified opinion . . . as to two US legal entities representing 11% of 2020 consolidated revenue that require additional diligences." Specifically, the auditors identified "internal weaknesses over financial reporting process and revenue recognition in accordance with IFRS 15 leading to several accountin errors, as well as risk of override of controls in this respect." The Company stated that it had hired external firms to conduct an investigation and that, due to those procedures, the auditors had not been able to obtain sufficient evidence that the Company's financial statements were free of material misstatements within the necessary timeframe.



On this news, the Company's share price fell as much as 10% during intraday trading. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

Whistleblower Notice: Persons with non-public information regarding Atos should consider their options to aid the investigation or take advantage of the SEC (News - Alert) Whistleblower Program. Under the program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Charles H. Linehan at 310-201-9150 or 888-773-9224 or email shareholders@glancylaw.com. About GPM Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP is a premier law firm representing investors and consumers in securities litigation and other complex class action litigation. ISS Securities Class Action Services has consistently ranked GPM in its annual SCAS Top 50 Report. In 2018, GPM was ranked a top five law firm in number of securities class action settlements, and a top six law firm for total dollar size of settlements. With four offices across the country, GPM's nearly 40 attorneys have won groundbreaking rulings and recovered billions of dollars for investors and consumers in securities, antitrust, consumer, and employment class actions. GPM's lawyers have handled cases covering a wide spectrum of corporate misconduct including cases involving financial restatements, internal control weaknesses, earnings management, fraudulent earnings guidance and forward looking statements, auditor misconduct, insider trading, violations of FDA regulations, actions resulting in FDA and DOJ investigations, and many other forms of corporate misconduct. GPM's attorneys have worked on securities cases relating to nearly all industries and sectors in the financial markets, including, energy, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, real estate and REITs, financial, insurance, information technology, health care, biotech, cryptocurrency, medical devices, and many more. GPM's past successes have been widely covered by leading news and industry publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Reuters (News - Alert), the Associated Press, Barron's, Investor's Business Daily, Forbes, and Money. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005845/en/

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Burma Myanmars Shadow Government Vows a New Constitution and End to Dictatorship

People in Yangon set copies of the military-drafted 2008 Constitution alight on Thursday in support of the CRPH's abolishment of the charter.

The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) has announced plans to set up a national unity government in the first week of April to work on eliminating the dictatorship and drafting a new Constitution.

The CRPHformed by elected lawmakers from the National league for Democracy (NLD) who were prevented from taking seats in the Union Parliament by the Feb. 1 coup said in a statement that an interim national unity government will be formed based on an agreed Federal Democracy Charter. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw is Myanmars Union Parliament.

According to the 20-page Federal Democracy Charter, which was made to the public on Wednesday night, the unity government will be composed of a president, state counselor, two vice presidents, a prime minister, ministers and deputies.

It will work to overthrow the junta by using all means: politically, economically, socially, via foreign affairs, through diplomacy, defense and security, according to the Charter.

The Charter outlined initial agreements on establishing a federal democratic union and interim constitutional arrangement before the country adopts a new Constitution that can guarantee equality and autonomy through a national referendum.

The members of the Charter include the elected lawmakers who were prevented from taking parliamentary seats by the Feb. 1 coup, pro-democracy political parties, general strike leaders and civil society groups as well as ethnic armed groups, the CRPH stated.

Following the release of the Federal Democracy Charter to the public, the CRPH also announced the repeal of 2008 Constitution, saying it was designed to prolong military rule and prevent the emergence of a democratic federal union.

The military takeover on Feb. 1 violated the Constitution and as a result nullified it, the CRPH stated.

Drafted by the then-military regime, the 2008 Constitution automatically granted the military a quarter of parliamentary seats and three ministerial portfolios together with other special powers, privileges and immunity from prosecution for human rights violations.

The military declared a one-year state of emergency on Feb. 1 after detaining President U Win Myin, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and other government officials.

As of Wednesday, it has arrested more than 2,700 individuals including elected leaders, lawmakers, political activists, student protesters, protesting workers against the coup. The regimes forces have killed at least 536 people, including more than 40 children, in two months.

Welcoming the CRPHs announcements of the Federal Democracy Charter and the abolishing of the 2008 Constitution, residents in Yangon fired fireworks and applauded at midnight despite the regimes forces nighttime patrols.

People in several cities started Thursday with setting afire copies of the military-drafted 2008 Constitution.

The military regime has declared the CRPH as unlawful association and warranted its members under the incitement charges.

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The law enforcement leaders see some positives in the law. Those with health problems who don't qualify for medical marijuana will be helped, Schenck said, while Butler pointed to the revenue that sales will generate for local governments. Still, the chief would have preferred to see the state work with municipalities to prepare to implement the law, which he felt has been inevitable since Cuomo's attempt to pass it in 2019. Instead, Butler believes, the law was passed with only that revenue in mind. As a result, the city of Auburn is already fielding questions about legal marijuana, adding to its workload. Butler expects that will continue until the city decides whether to opt out of allowing retail dispensaries or on-site consumption licenses. Municipalities have until the end of 2021 to do so.
Authorities say a Massachusetts State Police trooper was injured Tuesday after a dirt bike driver crashed into a cruiser while being chased by law enforcement.

Troopers were helping officers in Lowell respond to reports of reckless and dangerous dirt bike and ATV drivers at the time of the collision, according to a statement from state police.

Police were following one dirt biker accused of driving erratically. Authorities say a trooper signaled him to stop, but the driver refused, tried to speed away and struck a cruiser and another vehicle.

The dirt biker, identified only as a 21-year-old Lowell man, is accused of trying to flee again from the second crash but was apprehended by police. He was taken to Lowell General Hospital for potential injuries, according to state police.

The trooper suffered minor injuries to his upper and lower body in the crash, state police said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Staten Islanders had mixed reaction to legislation legalizing adult-use recreational marijuana that Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed Wednesday.

The state expects the new industry to generate up to $350 million in tax revenue annually and create as many as 60,000 jobs, according to a media release from the governors office.

This is a historic day in New York - one that rights the wrongs of the past by putting an end to harsh prison sentences, embraces an industry that will grow the Empire States economy, and prioritizes marginalized communities so those that have suffered the most will be the first to reap the benefits, Cuomo said.

State Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Charles Fall (D-North Shore) co-sponsored the bill in their respective chambers before its passage Tuesday night. Assemblyman Mike Cusick (D-Mid-Island) broke with his party and voted against the bill.

Savino gave remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday in support of the legislation addressing concerns raised like road safety, and said it shows the states progress on how it deals with drug use.

Keeping it illegal will not address a single issue that was raised here today, but what it will do is continue to criminalize people unnecessarily for something that just doesnt make any sense, she said. For a state that has grappled with addiction and the opioid crisis over the past few years, I would hope we all learned something.

State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore), the Islands only other Senator, raised a litany of concerns about legalization in New York ranging from its effects on traffic safety to correctly pointing out that state residents would still be in violation of federal law if using marijuana.

He described himself as having a libertarian streak that limited his concerns about adults using marijuana, but that he worried about how legalization will affect young people. The legislation applies to people 21 and over.

After all this, Im going to go back home to my children and talk about whether they should listen to politicians, he said. I truly believe that as a result of this law the health, safety and well-being of our children is going to be severely affected.

Assemblymen Mike Reilly (R-South Shore) and Assemblyman Mike Tannousis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn) proposed additional language to the bill that would aid the prosecution of motorists driving while impaired.

The legislation that passed Tuesday removes marijuana from the list of controlled substances in the states public health law. That law is referenced in sections of the states vehicle and traffic law dealing with impaired driving.

Tuesdays legislation adds to the vehicle and traffic law to include a cannabis definition that the legislation created in a new section of the states penal law.

Reilly, a former NYPD lieutenant, contends that the addition to the penal law limits what prosecutors can use against those accused of marijuana-impaired driving, and officers investigating such incidence during traffic stops.

A section of the law excludes things like the odor of cannabis and possession of quantities allowed in the law from being the sole evidence used in prosecution.

The next section of the law specifies that those exclusions dont apply when a law enforcement officer is investigating whether a person is operating a motor vehicle, vessel or snowmobile while impaired by drugs, but the odor of marijuana cannot be used as the sole cause to continue an investigation during a traffic stop.

Reilly and Tannousis, a former prosecutor in the Bronx and Staten Island, are pushing to add the phrase any substance or combination of substances that impair, to any extent, physical or mental abilities, to the definition of driving impairment.

Do not be quick to dismiss this as a minor amendment, Reilly said. This small change has the potential to save thousands of lives by deterring individuals from operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana.

The duo is also pushing to add the phrase to a section of state law regulating people under 21 drinking and driving. Anyone under 21 found in violation, by having a blood alcohol level between .02 and the legal .08 limit, has the incident referred to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Under Reillys and Tannousis proposal, situations where those under 21 are found to be impaired by cannabis or any other substance would have the incident referred to the DMV.

Our proposal is commonsense and even those who supported legalization should be able to get on board with what we are trying to do, Tannousis said. This legislation will close numerous loopholes that might be exploited by individuals trying to get away with driving under the influence of marijuana and will help our law enforcement maintain safe roadways.

Richmond County District Attorney echoed the Republican legislators point regarding traffic safety, and also raised quality of life concerns about legalized smoking in public. However, McMahon noted the disproportionate effect marijuana laws have had on African Americans.

He said in an emailed statement that he was disappointed the Legislature did not take his suggestions into full consideration.

As I have stated previously, any attempt to legalize marijuana should have been done in a much more comprehensive way to allow all voices to be heard on this complicated issue, Instead, this bill was seemingly rushed through, leaving the people of New York with a flawed piece of legislation.

Luke Nasta, the CEO of Camelot of Staten Island  an organization that works with those suffering from substance abuse  said he was saddened by the news, and brought up the gateway drug concept.

Just because a person smokes pot, it doesnt mean theyre going to become an opioid addict, but I have never met  in my over a half century of experience  an opioid addict that didnt smoke pot first, he said. It lowers your natural inhibitions to try the next risky behavior.

Diane Arneth, the executive director of Community Health Action of Staten Island, had a different opinion saying the benefits of legalization outweigh the negatives.

Ive seen the harm that has been done to communities because of the criminalization of marijuana and particularly the over-criminalization of marijuana in black and brown communities, she said. Its an opportunity to right some of the wrongs...of the result of that kind of behavior.
Three insurance relationship tales from todays newswire.

Woman Sues Insurtech Over Broken Heart

Thrice-divorced Natalie Galumpkin says she knows a bad experience when she has one and her experience buying home insurance through the HipHome app was one of the worst.

She is suing the insurtech that promised she would be thrilled with the new kind of experience she could have with a home insurance provider if she dropped her old agent for HipHome.

Its time you loved your home insurer and your home insurer loved you back, says the insurers marketing brochure with a shirtless model model beckoning.

I have always wanted a closer and more meaningful relationship with my insurance provider, she said. I dreamed about it for decades. I thought my prayers had finally been answered.

One spring night while lying in bed, Galumpkin downloaded the app to buy home insurance for her bungalow in San Bernadino. She clicked it open, answered one question, and then in less time than it takes to light a cigarette, it was over.

All she got was a singing text confirming the premium had been charged to her credit card. Since then, nothing.

You call that a relationship? she blurted. Ive had more meaningful relationships with my dry cleaner.

She said the whole experience reminded her of former husbands. Husband 1 was an insurance agent she only saw once a year. Husband 2 was a software engineer who worked all night with three other guys and stayed in the basement.

What happened later reminded her of husband number 3.

After her house was robbed, she downloaded the app again (she couldnt remember where she put the original) to file a claim. The app asked for a photo of the tv and other appliances that had been stolen.

Who takes photos of their appliances? she asked, recalling the photos husband number 3 posted on Instagram without her permission.

Old Insurance Agents Diss Millennials

Baby Boomer insurance agents love their jobs but arent always comfortable around their younger peers. The elder agents say they have trouble relating to younger agents who they complain are too boastful of their tech savvy, too earnest about wanting to do social good and too willing to put life ahead of work.

Old agents also complain that young agents too often jam the office refrigerator with quinoa and smoothies and put pumpkin spice in the coffeemaker.

Oh, and too many of the youngsters have tattoos!

Thats all according to Insurance Journals 2021 Old Insurance Agents Survey, which asked 250 old agents  Baby Boomers 65 years or older  around the country for their opinions on their fellow young (under age 40) Millennial agents. The median age of the respondents was 70. The survey is a complement to Insurance Journals annual Young Agents Survey.

Despite the aggravation of dealing with the Millennials, most surveyed older agents  72% consider their job to be a permanent career choice and arent considering starting anew. A majority of Boomers 64% would recommend the job to other Boomers looking for a career.

Old insurance professionals appreciate the opportunities their career has provided. High on their list of favorites are renewal business, weekend claims calls, competing on price, continuing education requirements, E&O claims, commission cuts and carriers changing appetites.

Ill never forget the hurricane forecasted for Monday that showed up on Saturday. So much for chaperoning the kids prom that weekend, a long-time Louisiana agent recalled.

I have a client  a local bookstorethat I got my first day in the business. There have been no claims, no complaints; in fact, there has been no contact since that first sale, replied an agent from Minneapolis.

They also like the many perks that come with being an agent including the trade show swag bags, local bowling team naming rights, and, of course, field reps who pay for lunch.

My wife and I have been to Las Vegas for trade shows 22 times and have never tired of it, says a Long Island Baby Boomer. We have collected more than 50 stress relief balls.

While Boomer agents are happy overall, the crankiest among them would like to change a few things in relation to their younger associates.

Among the old agents, 60% think the young are too quick to embrace change. Too often, we hear the young producers say, We need to change and they are talking about something we have been doing the same way for 99 years. Why change now? Whats the rush? asked a professional from Sacramento.

At the same time, the young are slow to embrace the old. Id love to see the kids reach out to those of us over 65 to see what our pain points are and just accept our vision, one survey respondent from Orlando wrote.

The survey also found that 62% of Boomers would like to see more people like themselves in the industry and in leadership roles. Id like to see more bald guys running things, wrote one Boston senior who was surveyed.

Millennials believe technology is important; old agents arent so enamored of it.

A bare majority (51%) of Boomers maintain that dollars spent on technology would better be spent on bigger company cars. An even greater number (62%) say they are more than willing to spend to upgrade the fax machine and copier.

The industry must respond to changes in the world, one senior from Maine said. But, she added, there is no need to ride every technology wave. I did nothing about Y2K and I was right, she said.

Despite their discomfort at times, Boomer agents like having Millennials around.

They can handle most of the busy work behind the scenes, and I can do most of the talking, a Portland agent said of his younger partners. It works out nicely for developing my book.

Its nice when younger employees offer to get us coffee without being asked, a Seattle owner commented.

While Boomers may not agree with Millennials on everything, the two camps see eye-to-eye on two things.

First, they agree that the Progressive Insurance television ads with Dr. Rick are funny.

Second, they agree that a key to success in insurance is not believing articles on April Fools Day.

Insurtech Targets People Who Own Nothing

Joe Smith no longer owns anything except for the clothes on his back, his beloved surfboard and a watercolor his mother painted for him when he was in high school. For everything else, including his apartment, car, motorhome, bicycle, tools, and yes, even his pet  he turns to sharing sites.

He has apps for Airbnb, Outdoorsy, Uber, BlueBike, K9rental, ToolFinder, his local library and other sites that he uses regularly to get what he wants, when he wants it.

Smith is the perfect customer for Just-a-Minute Insurance, the latest embedded insurance app for those wishing to buy insurance for only when they want it.

Some insurers let you buy insurance in just 15 minutes; we let you buy it for just 15 minutes, says Tai Wun Ohn, the entrepreneur and behavioral scientist behind the latest insurtech to attract venture capital.

Ohn says her offering turns an experience most insurance customers do not think of as one worth remembering into just thatan experience they will quickly forget.

We are taking the romance out of insurance buying. Its real quick, just a click and people who have not made any property commitments can get the insurance they need for all of their non-possessions, says the insurance technology firm CEO.

The Minute app is still in beta. Ohn said she doesnt know how long it will take to release it but that it will probably come down to the last minute. We were aiming for today but were afraid too many people would think it was a joke if we launched on April Fools Day, she told Insurance Journal.

Topics Numbers
New Delhi: In a heart-breaking revelation, Chandigarh BJP president Arun Sood disclosed that veteran actress-politician Kirron Kher suffers from blood cancer. He revealed this in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Arun Sood said, "Kirron Kher had suffered a broken left arm at her Chandigarh house on November 11 last year. After her medical tests at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The disease had spread to her left arm and right shoulder. For treatment, she had to go to Mumbai on December 4."

"Even though she is recovering after her four-month treatment and no longer admitted at Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai, she has to visit the hospital regularly for treatment", he revealed.

Kirron Kher left behind Congress candidate Pawan Bansal in 2014 and was elected to power for the first time. Later in 2019, she again defeated him and retained her seat in Chandigarh.

However, there has no statement or official word about Kirron Kher's health made either by the actress or by her husband Anupam Kher so far.
[April 01, 2021] Qwake Technologies Awarded Air Force Contract to Adapt AR Solution for Smokejumpers and Special Operations

SAN FRANCISCO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - The US Air Force has tapped Qwake Technologies to adapt its augmented reality technology, C-THRUTM, to enhance navigation, communication, and coordination capabilities of airborne and ground-based personnel during mission critical tasks. C-THRU VISUAL COMMUNICATION ADAPTED FOR AIR FORCE MISSIONS Qwake Technologies has partnered with the Washington, DC-based start up company Rhea Space Activity (RSA) to adapt Qwake's innovative ?re?ghting C-THRU Visual Communications Platform to provide enhanced situational awareness and communications capabilities to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the Air National Guard, U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Smokejumpers, and Air Force Civil Engineer Center Readiness Directorate (CXF) Structural Fire?ghters through the ingestion of commercial geospatial information. Qwake and RSA will develop a CXF/AFSOC/Smokejumper-targeted, helmet-mounted solution (dubbed C-THRU FREEFALL), to provide situational awareness during free-fall, canopy piloting, landing, and ground-based ?re?ghting activities. Together, they will analyze commercial satellite imagery to produce geospatial metrics that will be integrated into the augmented reality (AR) visual communication device worn by Fire?ghters, AFSOC parachutists, and Smokejumpers. The C-THRU FREEFALL concept, based on the existing C-THRU Visual Communication solution that is currently being introduced to US structural ?re?ghters, provides aid in navigating ?re hazard zones by combining AR, thermal imaging cameras (TICs), cellular and wireless network technologies, camera tracking, GPS localization, and data collection. Mike Ralston, a former ?re?ghter, NASA scientist, and Co-founder of Qwake, believes "leveraging our innovative computer vision-based AR solution, and incorporating potentially additive real-time information such as geopatial satellite intel and evolving incident maps, can allow C-THRU FREEFALL to bridge the situational awareness gap between mission launch and mission completion."



Shawn Usman, astrophysicist and Founder of RSA, said that "adaptation of the C-THRU ?re?ghting technology for smokejumping could be used in a variety of national security missions." "Air Force military operators routinely perform high-altitude low-opening (HALO) and high-altitude high-opening (HAHO) jumps, some at night, to support special operations missions," Usman said. The U.S. Forest service routinely uses Smokejumpers to support U.S. ?re?ghting activities. The ingestion of near real-time geospatial data would help in maintaining situational awareness and thereby aids in the insertion of both AFSOC and smokejumpers into austere operating environments.

COMMUNICATION - NAVIGATION - COORDINATION

A lack of intuitive communication and rapid navigation through complex environments costs thousands of lives and billions of dollars each year. Advancements in AR and cloud computing have ushered in a new age of connected, data-driven tools for ?rst responders and critical workers. Leveraging AR, AI, intelligent sensors, and a proprietary visual cue-based connected interface, Qwake Technologies has pioneered a new intuitive interaction paradigm called C-THRU Visual Communication. The C-THRU Visual Communication platform is designed to simplify visual understanding while providing intuitive navigation and coordination support in high stress situations, greatly increasing the speed and ability to perform mission critical tasks safely. C-THRU FREEFALL will adapt Qwake's industry-?rst wearable, IoT-based visual communication solution, C-THRU NAVIGATOR, and bring improved personal navigation, intuitive communication, and team coordination to critical operations globally. ABOUT QWAKE TECHNOLOGIES

San Francisco based startup, Qwake Technologies, with expertise in computer vision, ?re?ghting, extreme environments, and cognitive neuroscience develops technology to improve individual performance and team coordination in high stress, time-critical environments. Leveraging augmented reality, intelligent sensors, and a proprietary visual cue-based connected interface, Qwake Technologies has pioneered a new intuitive interaction paradigm called C-THRU Visual Communication, which fundamentally improves decision making and survivability in public safety and other life critical industries. For more information, please visit www.qwake.tech ABOUT RSA

Rhea Space Activity (RSA) is an astrophysics start-up company in the science and technology industry. Speci?cally, RSA ideates and creates high-risk/high-reward R&D concepts to support U.S. national security objectives. RSA has developed various technologies in the ?elds of infrared satellites, directed energy, arti?cial intelligence, light detection and ranging (LIDAR), astro-particle physics, small satellites, cislunar operations, intelligence collection, autonomous underwater vehicles and for the F-35 Lightning II. For more information, please visit www.rheaspaceactivity.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qwake-technologies-awarded-air-force-contract-to-adapt-ar-solution-for-smokejumpers-and-special-operations-301260333.html SOURCE Qwake Technologies

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In an article published on March 30, The Diplomat said that Vietnam, as an emergent and rising power in international affairs, is potentially well positioned to help rebuild the global governance system that has been paralysed by increasing superpower tensions and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is imperative that Vietnam play a stronger role in global governance in the years to come, for several reasons, it stated.

Engaging in global governance activities dovetails with Vietnams avowed foreign policy goals, it said, noting that the political report presented at the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in January asserts that Vietnam will remain a responsible and proactive member of the international community as well as a trustworthy partner for other countries.

According to the article, Vietnam stands to gain from being more proactive in global governance.

The existing global governance system has deteriorated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing strategic tension between China and the US, and this offers Vietnam a chance to contribute to the reform of the international system.

The article said that, thanks to its impressive response to the pandemic, Vietnam ranked second among 98 countries in terms of performance in managing COVID-19. More importantly, the country has also been witnessing a relatively high growth rate compared to its neighbours, and is forecast to recover quickly from the pandemic. To this extent, Vietnam has become the role model in terms of governance.

These achievements have laid a solid foundation for Vietnam to contribute more to the governance of the post-pandemic world, and, if the country takes this chance, it will be able to both enhance its international image and play a more active role in world affairs, the article said.

Being proactive in global governance will also help Vietnam soften the impact of key global challenges, including human security, water security, climate change, and future pandemics.

On December 27 last year, Vietnam proposed an International Day of Epidemic Preparedness during its non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council. This is a good example of how the country can gradually contribute to the revival of global governance, thus becoming a responsible member of the international community, as it desires.

Vietnams proliferation of free-trade agreements (FTAs) that the country has signed in recent years testifies to its desire to integrate itself further into the global economy. To fully reap the benefits from these FTAs, it is crucial for Vietnam to be more proactive regarding governance issues, both domestic and global, the article said.

It noted that in recent years, Vietnam has performed well in a number of international and regional organisations, especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UN, thus consolidating its international position. The countrys active engagement with the UN, especially in the realm of peacekeeping, is also evident for Vietnams emergence.

If Vietnam can foster its recent successes it will become more institutionally capable, paving the way for the country to contribute more substantively to global governance.

Given what its government has achieved so far, Vietnam has the potential to become a more confident and respected actor on the world stage, the article stressed.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/01/2021 -- Latest released the research study on Global Women Intimate Care Product Market, offers a detailed overview of the factors influencing the global business scope. Women Intimate Care Product Market research report shows the latest market insights, current situation analysis with upcoming trends and breakdown of the products and services. The report provides key statistics on the market status, size, share, growth factors of the Women Intimate Care Product. The study covers emerging player's data, including: competitive landscape, sales, revenue and global market share of top manufacturers are Procter & Gamble Co. (United States), Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. (United States), Unicharm Corporation (Japan), Kimberly-Clark Corporation & Co. KG (United States), Edgewell Personal Care (United States), Elif Cosmetics Ltd. (United States), Nolken Hygiene Products Gmbh (Germany), Zeta Farmaceutici S.p.A. (Italy), Emilia Personal Care (United States) and Ciaga Pvt. Ltd. (India).



Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/126619-global-women-intimate-care-product-market



Definition:

The global demand for women's intimate care products is expected to expand rapidly. Sales of intimate care items are expected to increase as women's knowledge of health and hygiene increases. Many women in developing and underdeveloped countries are unable to obtain basic intimate hygiene products. Government programmes and local non-governmental organisations, on the other hand, are assisting in the education and awareness of women about feminine hygiene products. To raise awareness about intimate wash products, health and hygiene campaigns are held in classrooms, workplaces, and universities around the world. Women's changing lifestyles and fast-paced schedules leave little time for hygiene. As a result, it is important to use a variety of items in order to maintain a balanced lifestyle.



Analyst at AMA have conducted special survey and have connected with opinion leaders and Industry experts from various region to minutely understand impact on growth as well as local reforms to fight the situation. A special chapter in the study presents Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Global Women Intimate Care Product Market along with tables and graphs related to various country and segments showcasing impact on growth trends.



Market Drivers

- Growing Awareness among Women about Health and Hygiene

- Increased per Capita Health Care Spending on Personal Hygiene Products



Market Trend

- Increasing Demand for Organic Intimate Products



Restraints

- Unaffordability of Intimate Care Products



Opportunities

- Increase in Marketing Programs for Intimate Care Products

- Growing Government Initiatives to Promote Personal Hygiene among Women



Challenges

- Low Awareness about Women Intimate Care Products in Underdeveloped and Developing Countries



The Global Women Intimate Care Product Market segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below:

by Type (Intimate Washes, Wipes, Liners, Gels, Oils, Foams, Masks, Exfoliants, Moisturizers & Creams, Shaving Products, Powder, Hair Removal Wax, Others (Mists, Sprays, etc.)), Distribution Channel (Online Stores, Retail Outlets, Specialty Stores, Supermarkets and Hypermarkets, E-Commerce Platform, Other), End User (Individual, Commercial)



Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/126619-global-women-intimate-care-product-market



Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa

Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc.



What benefits does AMA research study is going to provide?

- Latest industry influencing trends and development scenario

- Open up New Markets

- To Seize powerful market opportunities

- Key decision in planning and to further expand market share

- Identify Key Business Segments, Market proposition & Gap Analysis

- Assisting in allocating marketing investments



Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Women Intimate Care Product Market:

Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Women Intimate Care Product market

Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary  the basic information of the Women Intimate Care Product Market.

Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Women Intimate Care Product

Chapter 4: Presenting the Women Intimate Care Product Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis.

Chapter 5: Displaying market size by Type, End User and Region 2015-2020

Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Women Intimate Care Product market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile

Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries (2021-2026).

Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source



Finally, Women Intimate Care Product Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies in decision framework.



For Early Buyers | Get Up to 10-25% Discount on This Premium Report: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/126619-global-women-intimate-care-product-market



Key questions answered

- Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Global Women Intimate Care Product market?

- What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Global Women Intimate Care Product market?

- What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Global Women Intimate Care Product market?

- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?



Definitively, this report will give you an unmistakable perspective on every single reality of the market without a need to allude to some other research report or an information source. Our report will give all of you the realities about the past, present, and eventual fate of the concerned Market.



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
The World Energy Council has welcomed the recently announced Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives as a valuable contribution to tackling the worldwide energy transition and a boost to its Humanising Energy vision.

The multi-pronged initiatives cover a spectrum of climate and energy related plans aimed at addressing both development and environment and illustrate the need to take a "whole systems" approach in tackling societal and environmental issues.

Unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the initiatives include a number of ambitious projects designed to reduce carbon emissions in the region by 60%. This will be achieved mainly through the use of clean hydrocarbon technologies and the planting of 50 billion trees, including 10 billion in the kingdom. The Saudi Green Initiative alone aims to reduce emissions by generating half of the kingdom's energy from renewables by 2030.

Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General and CEO of the World Energy Council said: "The Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives demonstrate that there is more than one pathway to achieve "net zero" and that a "whole systems" approach is required to enable and deliver meaningful change. Importantly, the initiatives point to the need to work on more than one front at a time, and to work with all walks of life and society, to find, and then, deliver on-the-ground solutions. Looking ahead, the world will require more energy whilst safeguarding climate neutrality and this will require massive changes in human behaviour.

"Whilst a focus in the worldwide energy transition debate has been on the "hard" aspects such as technology, real change will only come through a similar focus on the so called "soft" elements including behavioural change, equity and affordability and diversity in skills. These initiatives reinforce the need for partnerships and collaboration from energy suppliers through to end-users, and actively engaging multiple stakeholder groups in-between, including civil society.

"Our World Energy Council members across the Middle East and in the kingdom are already actively working on "how to" projects in support of these "Green" initiatives, and we look forward to deepening these ties. A great example is the nexus between water and energy, a topic that will be of vital importance in converting these announcements into practise, especially those linked do biodiversity. Energy literacy is also a major part of the challenge to securing a clean and green energy future and we stand ready to support the kingdom and region through our worldwide community and deep energy expertise."

In addition, the initiatives aim to preserve marine and coastal environments, increase the proportion of natural reserves and protected land, improve the regulation of oil production, accelerate the transition to clean energy and boost the amount of energy generated by renewables.

Dr Wilkinson continued: "Whilst perhaps historically best known for its oil and gas production, Saudi Arabia is starting to make progress on green hydrogen, the water-energy nexus, renewables, clean cooking and other components of the circular economy. The world energy community will be following these bold and ambitious plans with interest, and we look forward to updates at World Energy Congress in St Petersburg in 2022, as well as other leading energy fora. Nowadays, we live in a "Show and Tell" world so it is critical that these announcements are swiftly followed up with on-the-ground activities and progress." -- Tradearabia News Service
No10 today leapt to the defence of Test and Trace after another study poked holes in the flawed 37billion system.

Apprenticeships and Skills minister Gillian Keegan admitted the programme was 'not perfect' and relied on people 'doing the right thing'.

But she dismissed criticisms of the contact-tracing regime, arguing it was 'certainly a very effective system' because it has reached almost 10million people since it began in England last May.

Her comments came after a study revealed fewer than one in five people with Covid symptoms ask for a test.

Public Health England and King's College London researchers also found only half of people could identify the main coronavirus symptoms, which include a cough, high temperature and loss of taste or smell.

No10's former chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, said the bungled Test and Trace operation had 'failed the country'.

Sir David  who had Sir Patrick Vallance's role from 2000 to 2008  accused the Government of wasting 'hundreds of billions of pounds' on the scheme by giving lucrative contracts to private companies with no healthcare experience.

Test and Trace has faced huge criticism since it was launched, with MPs last month claiming there was no evidence the scheme had made a dent in Covid transmission.

Skills minister Gillian Keegan (left) said the Government's 37billion NHS Test and Trace is 'not perfect' after a study by Public Health England and Kings College London revealed just one in five people with symptoms ask for a test. The Government's former chief scientific advisor Sir David King (right) said Test and Trace has 'failed the country'

The former permanent secretary to the Treasury Sir Nicholas Macpherson also said the scheme  which was set up with the budget of 22billion and allocated another 15bilion this year  was 'the most wasteful public spending of all time'.

Asked about the programme on Sky News this morning, Ms Keegan said Test and Trace is effective but not perfect because it 'relies on people obviously isolating if they are positive'.

She said: '9.6million people have actually been traced. We're doing millions and millions of tests a day.

'We're collecting a lot of data from those tests as well, 6.4million people have been contact-traced as well.

'Is the system perfect? No, it's not, because it relies, obviously, on people doing the right thing.

'It relies on people getting a test and it relies on people obviously isolating if they are positive. So, it's not a perfect system, but it's certainly a very effective system.

'And there are a lot of people now who have taken tests now and continue to take tests every day, including school children and those going to college.'

The Department of Health told MailOnline 'it is vital that people continue to do their bit by isolating'.

But Sir David said the scheme is beset with problems other than people failing to do as they are told.

He told Sky News: 'The Government has thrown hundreds of billions of pounds into the private sector companies with no healthcare experience to run their test, trace and isolate system.

'It is just beggar's belief. Throwing public money into those companies, with their profits going up, to manage a system that has failed the country.'

Only 52 per cent could identify the main coronavirus symptoms of a cough, fever and loss of taste or smell

Nearly 15% of Covid patients in England are NOT following self-isolation rules, official study finds Almost 15 per cent of people who test positive for coronavirus in England do not follow self-isolation rules, official figures suggest. The Office for National Statistics said just 86 per cent of infected patients stayed at home and did not see other people during their 10-day quarantine. More than a fifth of those who flouted the rules said they had at least one visitor to their home who was not there for emergency reasons. But the most common excuse was leaving the house to go shopping, dropping children off at school or going to work. Thirteen per cent of isolators said they were not paid during their self-quarantine period. The ONS analysed responses from 2,500 adults who had tested positive for Covid in February and who were at the end of their isolation period. On the back of the concerning results, the Government today announced it will give an extra 13million a month to local councils to support people isolating. The money will go towards food and medicine deliveries and helping with caring responsibilities. People who test positive for Covid or are a close contact of someone who is infected are legally required to self isolate for 10 days. Those caught flouting the rules can be fined 1,000  rising to 10,000 for repeat offenders and 'the most egregious breaches'. Britons on low incomes who cannot work from home receive a 500 lump sum if they forced to self-isolate. Advertisement

Last night PHE and Kings College London academics revealed 80 per cent of people do not come forward for tests

Scientists found 18 per cent of those with symptoms said they had requested a test, while only 43 per cent had followed full self-isolation guidelines.

The findings from published in the BMJ, were based on 74,697 responses to online surveys from March 2 last year to January 27 this year.

While 79 per cent said they would share details of close contacts with NHS Test and Trace, there was hesitancy around whether the system was reliable and accurate.

The experts said: 'With such low rates for symptom recognition, testing, and full self-isolation, the effectiveness of the current form of the UK's test, trace, and isolate system is limited.'

Men, younger people and those with young children were less likely to self-isolate, as were those from more working-class backgrounds, people experiencing greater financial hardship, and those working in key sectors.

Common reasons for not fully self-isolating included to go to the shops or work, for a medical need other than Covid, to care for a vulnerable person, to exercise or meet others, or because symptoms were only mild or got better.

The team concluded: 'Levels of adherence to test, trace, and isolate are low, although some improvement has occurred over time.

'Practical support and financial reimbursement are likely to improve adherence.

'Targeting messaging and policies to men, younger age groups, and key workers might also be necessary.'

Testing in England has ramped up dramatically over the past month with the return of schoolchildren.

In March, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee said the impact of NHS Test and Trace was still unclear.

Its report criticised an over-reliance on consultants, with some paid more than 6,600 a day.

It also questioned a failure to be ready for a surge in demand for tests last September, and NHS Test and Trace not meeting its target to turn around face-to-face tests within 24 hours.

A study from the National Audit Office (NAO) in December also criticised the scheme, saying it had not yet achieved its objectives.

The NAO said it was 'very important that testing and tracing is able to make a bigger contribution to suppressing the infection than it has to date'.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Since last May, NHS Test and Trace has contacted 3.2 million people who tested positive, and another 6.4 million of their contacts.

'Behind these numbers are countless lives saved and the latest ONS statistics show that when people are asked to self-isolate, the overwhelming majority do so.

'It is vital that people continue to do their bit by isolating when they are asked to.

'As the prevalence of coronavirus falls, our testing and tracing system becomes more important in identifying and suppressing local outbreaks while also responding rapidly to the threat of new variants.'
Chinese telecommunications equipment vendor Huawei technologies has again managed to record an annual profit despite the US sanctions it faces, with the company announcing a 64.6 billion yuan (A$12.98 billion) profit for 2020, an increase of 3.2% year-on-year. Revenue was 891.4 billion yuan, an increase of 3.8% on the previous year.

The company's performance was largely shored up by its sales in China, with an increase of 15.4% in revenue up to 584.9 billion yuan.

In all major regions, Huawei saw a downward trend in revenue: for the Asia-Pacific (apart from China) revenue was down 8.7% to 64.4 billion yuan, in the Americas the fall was steeper at 24.5% to 39.6 billion yuan and the EMEA region saw revenue of 180.8 billion yuan, a drop of 12.2%.

In terms of its business units, Huawei reported its enterprise business had increased revenue by 23.0% to 110.3 billion yuan, the consumer business had also gone up, by 3.3%, to 482.9 billion yuan, while its carrier business was more or less flat, showing 0.2% growth and revenue of 302.6 billion yuan.

Over the last two years, the company has been fighting to stave off the effects of the crippling US sanctions which have hit both its flagship smartphones  due to its inability to obtain top-end chips  and its carrier business due to the US bulldozing many countries to avoid buying its 5G gear.

During the year, Huawei sold its budget smartphone business, Honor, and there were rumours, immediately shot down, that it would also sell off its high-end phone business.

The company's smartphone business has been affected by the fact that it is unable to source the proprietary Google apps  the PlayStore, Maps, YouTube and Drive, among others  that are part of the Android mobile operating system.

To cover for this, Huawei has developed its own mobile operating system named HarmonyOS based on the free version of Android, and also built an ecosystem for downloading apps known as Huawei Mobile Services.

"Over the past year we've held strong in the face of adversity," said Huawei's rotating chairman Ken Hu. "We've kept innovating to create value for our customers, to help fight the pandemic, and to support both economic recovery and social progress around the world.

"We also took this opportunity to further enhance our operations, leading to a performance that was largely in line with forecast.

"We will continue to work closely with our customers and partners to support social progress, economic growth, and sustainable development."

Huawei board chairman Liang Hua commented: "While greater challenges might still lie ahead, Huawei is committed to open collaboration and global operations, and will continue to work with our global partners to cultivate open industry ecosystems.

"Together we will drive advancements in technology, promote industry development and create greater value for our customers and the global community."
[April 01, 2021] AirFuel Alliance Announces Launch of Resonant Testing System and Certification Program

BEAVERTON, Ore., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AirFuel Alliance , the authority on next-generation wireless power technology and standards, has announced the launch of an automated test system and a certification program to support the AirFuel Resonant standard. Marking completion of a multi-year internal initiative by AirFuel Alliance members, as well as the cooperation of testing system hardware and software partners Comarch , VPI Technology , and Gearwurx , the development of a start-to-finish Resonant testing and certification program is essential for deployment of a global Interoperable ecosystem for next generation wireless power - and ultimately achieving the Alliance's vision of a world without wires. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chairman and President of the AirFuel Alliance, shared, "I congratulate our committed members of the AirFuel community on this monumental achievement, which paves the way for broad adoption and rapid deployment of AirFuel Resonant certified products. Making product development, standards compliance, and certification flow smoothly is crucial to the successful launch and adoption of more wireless charging products in-market." The new test systems are the final piece of a project driven by the AirFuel Alliance and its members to move the AirFuel Resonant standard to use a common set of magnetic field parameters to define interoperability between power transmit units (PTUs) and power receiver units (PRUs). For PTU developers, this means resonant coil designs can be analyzed early in the design process to confirm that they will be interoperable with all PRUs. PRU developers also benefit from a common set of magnetic field parameters to which they can easily design. These updates increase the ease of interoperabilit, eliminating the need for proprietary reference devices, and radically reducing the complexity and time required for testing and certification.



Core components of the AirFuel Resonant testing and certification system include an Automated Testing System (ATS) developed by Comarch, a magnetic field scanner built by Gearwurx, and testing software developed by VPI Technology that runs the scanner and analyzes magnetic field parameters. The H-Field Scanner is an important tool in AirFuel's process, facilitating fast, scalable, and robust interoperability design and validation. The scanner independently tests a PTU resonant coil's magnetic field and automatically determines parameters to ensure that it is in compliance with AirFuel Resonant standards and will be compatible with all PRUs. Testing labs TTA and Gyeongbuk Technopark have partnered with AirFuel and are fully equipped to validate product performance and provide interoperability certifications. To accelerate product development, the custom H-Field Scanner is also available to AirFuel developers for purchase directly from Gearwurx.

Dr. GiBum Lee, Chief of WPTC at Gyeongbuk Technopark in Korea, shared, "Our Wireless Power Transfer Center (WPTC) is ready to partner with manufacturers of AirFuel Resonant products. The testing and certification process is seamless, highly automated, and offers manufacturers rapid, reliable results so they can obtain certification and take products to market quickly." Director of the ICT Convergence Department at TTA, Dongho Kim, commented, "As a global leader in standardization, testing and certification, TTA is pleased to announce that our laboratory in Korea is ready to begin receiving AirFuel Resonant enabled products for testing and certification immediately." To review a Case Study on the AirFuel Resonant Automated Test System (ATS) by Comarch, click HERE . Interested parties can contact Gearwurx, TTA and Gyeongbuk Technopark by visiting the AirFuel website . Visitors can also learn more about the Alliance and their wireless power standards, access developer tools , and explore becoming an AirFuel Certified Engineer (ACE) . About AirFuel Alliance AirFuel Alliance is a global coalition of innovative companies who are committed to a world where we can power up without plugging in. The Alliance develops universal standards for leading edge wireless power technologies and accelerates their adoption by building a global, interoperable wireless power ecosystem supported by eco-friendly infrastructure through approved specifications and testing protocols. AirFuel Resonant and AirFuel RF technologies enable rapid charging of multiple devices simultaneously and free of cords. For more information visit www.airfuel.org . Media Contact:

Trish Thomas

Global Head of Marketing, AirFuel Alliance

mobile: +1 720-224-4923

email: 306490@email4pr.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/airfuel-alliance-announces-launch-of-resonant-testing-system-and-certification-program-301260644.html SOURCE AirFuel Alliance

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(Natural News) An Arizona State University academic wrote a book explaining why grading students work based on quality is white supremacy.

(Article by Ben Zeisloft republished from CampusReform.org)

Asao Inoue  who teaches first-year writing courses and serves as associate dean for Academic Affairs, Equity, and Inclusion  wrote Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity and Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom, in which he advocates for a system of grading that circumvents merit.

Inoue  whose research focuses on antiracist and social justice theory  explains that his book discusses grading literacy performances more broadly  namely, by judging final course grades purely by the labor students complete, not by any judgments of the quality of their writing.

While the qualities of student writing is still at the center of the classroom and feedback, it has no bearing on the course grade, he explains. Why take our judgments of quality out of the tabulation of course grades and progress in a course? Because all grading and assessment exist within systems that uphold singular, dominant standards that are racist, and White supremacist when used uniformly.

Grading, because it requires a single, dominant standard, is a racist and White supremacist practice, he adds.

Inoue describes his labor-based system as a tool to enact his social justice agenda in his classrooms antiracist writing assessment ecologies.

Inoues book contains 358 pages.

In more terse language, Inoue has recently made calls to destroy grading.

While responding to a question about curricular changes needed to help our Black students develop positive racial identity, Inoue said gotta destroy grading, destroy the White habits of language that make all standards of language in classrooms, not to ignore them but to stop thinking they are THE keys to success and good communication, critical thinking, etc.

Gotta destroy grading, destroy the White habits of language that make all standards of language in classrooms, not to ignore them but to stop thinking they are THE keys to success and good communication, critical thinking, etc. They are one way, of many #carechatedu https://t.co/1ZbThWfnju  Asao B. Inoue  (@AsaoBInoue) June 4, 2020

In the past, Inoue has also critiqued the notion of meritocracy a myth.

MLK makes a beautiful critique of the "bootless" Black Americans and the myth of meritocracy. Wonderful. And yet, many folks today still cannot see the truth in this critique. https://t.co/43FTNSeMgs  Asao B. Inoue  (@AsaoBInoue) April 5, 2018

Inoue confirmed to Campus Reform that he currently uses labor-based grading in his courses.

Read more at: CampusReform.org
A Filipina who was sacked as a domestic worker in Hong Kong after being diagnosed with cancer -- a case that exposed the vulnerability of low-paid foreign workers -- has passed away, a friend confirmed Wednesday.

Baby Jane Allas, 40, was told she had stage three cervical cancer two years ago and was promptly fired by her employer, who cited the illness as the reason for termination.

The single mother of five instantly lost the right to healthcare and had to regularly apply for visa extensions as she navigated Hong Kong's legal and immigration systems while battling cancer.

Supporters crowd-funded her treatment and Allas had successfully overcome her cancer.

But she died on Saturday from complications related to a kidney infection.

"Baby Jane passed away suddenly last weekend at her home in the Philippines," Jessica Cutrera, an American national in Hong Kong who led the crowdfunding campaign and took Allas in, told AFP.

"We are all devastated by this, especially given her successful battle with cancer. She lived with us for nearly a year during her fight and treatment and we are heartbroken by the news," she added.

Allas was awarded HK$30,000 (US$ 3,860) damages from her former employer -- who hailed from a wealthy Hong Kong family of Pakistani origin -- for sickness allowance, medical fees and wages in lieu of notice.

She returned to the Philippines last year but had hoped to return to Hong Kong for work.

Hong Kong's Equal Opportunities Commission also took up her plight earlier this year, launching a separate discrimination case against her former employer.

Cutrera, who also employs Allas' sister, said the family hoped to continue pursuing the discrimination case "on behalf of her estate".

"Her sister flew back today to be with the family and we are now focusing on figuring out what is needed for the surviving children," she said.

"We had funds left over that we were saving for future care needs, and have been able to use those to pay for her funeral and cover the family for the next few months."

Story continues

Nearly 370,000 domestic helpers work in Hong Kong.

Most are poor women from the Philippines and Indonesia working for low wages, often living in grim conditions and sending much of their wages back home to support their families.

City authorities say the system is fair and that abuses are rare.

But rights campaigners say domestic helpers are routinely exploited, with laws providing them little protection.

Experts say steep agency fees, a requirement for maids to live with their employers, a minimum monthly wage of just HK$4,630 (US$595) and rules that require fired domestic workers to quickly depart the city leave maids acutely vulnerable to abusive or unscrupulous employers.

The US State Department placed Hong Kong on par with Cambodia, Pakistan and Nigeria in its annual human trafficking rankings, partly because of the lack of protections offered to domestic helpers.

jta/am/jfx
Actors Kim Kang-woo, right, and Seo Yea-ji pose during a press conference for "Recalled" in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of iFilm Corporation, CJ CGV





By Kwak Yeon-soo







"Recalled," featuring Seo Yea-ji and Kim Kang-woo, is a mysterious, suspense-filled thriller that centers on the heroine's journey to find herself when her life is suddenly thrown into one filled with doubt and uncertainty.







The film revolves around Su-jin (Seo), a woman suffering from post-traumatic memory loss, who conversely gains the ability to see into the future. With no extended family around to support her, Su-jin relies heavily on her apparently caring husband, Ji-hoon (Kim), until she detects his lies and deceitful, odd behavior.







Her suspicions grow when a police detective starts to investigate a murder case and finds surveillance footage of Ji-hoon at the crime scene.







Director Seo Yoo-min, whose screenwriting credits include "April Snow" (2005), "Happiness" (2007) and "The Last Princess" (2016), is making her feature directing debut with "Recalled." She is also set to helm the Korean remake of the Taiwanese film, "Secret," starring Doh Kyung-soo, or D.O. of K-pop band EXO.







Explaining the theme of the film as a cynical account of marriage, Seo said she wanted to address fundamental human fears about how much relationships are out of our control.







"I think we all have moments when everything feels unfamiliar all of a sudden. I think our greatest fear lies in the realization that a person close to you may be different from what you thought. You feel so distant from him/her and ask yourself, 'Is this the same person I knew?' Such curiosity fueled me to write this story," she said during an online press conference for the film, Thursday.







Actress Seo Yea-ji in a scene from "Recalled" / Courtesy of iFilm Corporation, CJ CGV





The writer-director said she wanted actress Seo for the role of Su-jin from the very beginning. "I've been eyeing her and thought that there is no other actress who could play the role of Su-jin better than Seo. I loved the fact that she looks weak on the outside, but has a powerful gaze and strong gestures," she said.







Actress Seo, who shot to stardom in tvN's hit drama series, "It's Okay to Not Be Okay," said she chose to star in the psychological thriller because she wanted to see a different side of things.







"I tried to act differently, but I'm not sure if I completely transformed myself into my film character," she said humbly. In the film, Su-jin tries to bring back lost memories, untangle the mystery around her and sort things out in her mind.







Apart from starring in rom-coms, Seo has starred in horror and thriller films, such as "Warning: Do Not Play" and "By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture" back in 2019.







Actor Kim, who has proven himself capable of playing villain in "The Vanished" (2018), is returning as a husband with a dual personality.







"Because it is a thriller, there were many difficult scenes  physically and psychologically. I had to imply the character's duality so that the audience would keep guessing until the end of the film," Kim said.







"Recalled" will hit local theaters, April 21.






SAN ANTONIO, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ecoark Holdings, Inc. ("Ecoark" or the Company) (OTC: ZEST) announces that it expects to begin beta testing an environmentally conscious cryptocurrency mining approach in May 2021 as a part of the Companys environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy.



Ecoark established a strategic initiatives team in February 2021 to focus on and analyze innovative and valuable ways to deploy capital. This team is led by Brad Hoagland, Chief Financial Officer of Ecoark, and includes senior leaders from across the Company. As its first initiative, the team focused on opportunities related to ESG technologies for hydrocarbon emissions and reductions in energy waste. The Company formulated an approach to pursue regionally constrained energy that is otherwise lost due to a lack of commercial infrastructure to economically process and/or transport the natural gas to market.

This approach is expected to drive significant molecule value through the energy intensive process of cryptocurrency mining. Ecoarks strategy is anticipated to incubate green energy project development and growth by balancing regional power grid demands during times of heightened use, including during the recent Texas winter storm that left millions without power. We expect that Ecoarks modularized infrastructure approach will allow the Company to become an industry first, Spot Midstream company, allowing for the creation of a mobile natural gas market hub anywhere in the world, within weeks of deployment.

By redirecting power back to the grid when green sources of energy production are unable to supply the required load, we alleviate grid pressure and help fill gaps that currently hinder the growth of green energy technologies, said Brad Hoagland, CFA, the Companys CFO.

We are extremely excited to be launching our first strategic project focused on improving our sustainability and ESG profile, while enhancing our returns and deploying capital in a highly efficient manner, continued Mr. Hoagland. We plan to mine a diversified basket of higher margin, established cryptocurrencies. Our strategy entails reselling cryptocurrency back into the market, as permitted by applicable laws, and redeploying the capital raised towards accretive growth projects within this sector.

Ecoark is currently in discussions with several public midstream companies to relieve pipeline capacity constraints and allow additional third-party molecules to be transported, thereby creating additional revenue synergies. The Companys approach is unique as it is not targeting individual well head flare gas due to the unpredictability of gas production uptime, personnel requirements to service non-centrally located assets, lack of oversite and control, surface use issues, and gas quality issues.

About Ecoark Holdings, Inc.

Founded in 2011, Ecoark is a diversified holding company. The company has three wholly owned subsidiaries: Zest Labs, Inc. (Zest Labs), Banner Midstream Corp (Banner Midstream) and Trend Discovery Holdings (Trend Discovery). Zest Labs, offers the Zest Fresh solution, a breakthrough approach to quality management of fresh food, is specifically designed to help substantially reduce the amount of food loss the U.S. experiences each year. Banner Midstream is engaged in oil and gas exploration, production, and drilling operations on over 30,000 cumulative acres of active mineral leases in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Banner Midstream also provides transportation and logistics services and procures and finances equipment to oilfield transportation services contractors. Trend Discovery invests in a select number of early-stage startups each year as part of the funds Venture Capital strategy; we are open-minded investors with a founder-first mentality. Trend Discovery LP has an audited track record of uncorrelated outperformance of the S&P 500 since inception.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Companys plans to begin beta testing of the new environmentally conscious cryptocurrency mining approach, the expected benefits of using this approach, including increased future returns and future green energy project development and growth, the Companys expected future role as an industry first, Spot Midstream company, the Companys plans with respect to cryptocurrency mining, future sales of cryptocurrency and expected use of proceeds from such sales. The words believe, may, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, should, plan, could, target, potential, is likely, will, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on managements current expectations and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other important factors, many of which are outside managements control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the results of beta testing, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our Company and the national and global economy, changes in applicable laws, regulations, or executive and administrative orders, certain cryptocurrencies being deemed securities for regulatory purposes, volatility in cryptocurrency markets, fluctuations in natural gas prices, and the possibility of adverse economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Ecoarks filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, as updated and supplemented by the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2020, as amended, the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2020, and the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2020, and the registration statement on Form S-3 filed on October 16, 2020, as amended by Amendment No. 1 filed on December 22, 2020, and Amendment No. 2 filed on December 28, 2020. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Additional factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

ZEST FRESH and Zest Labs are trademarks of Zest Labs, Inc.

Contact:

Investor Relations:

John Mills

ICR

646-277-1254

John.Mills@icrinc.com
FRANKLIN, Tenn., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HawsGoodwin Wealth, a Nashville area financial planning and investment management firm, announced today the hiring of their newest team member, David Hardenbergh, as an Associate Wealth Advisor.

Finding talented individuals is important to us as we build our firm to best serve clients, and I believe we have done just that by hiring David. He truly excels at understanding and communicating individuals' needs and aspirations while guiding them through the financial planning process." Art Haws, CPWA, CFP, CEO HawsGoodwin

David Hardenbergh Joins Nashville Wealth Management Firm

Hardenbergh works directly with clients, addressing their financial and investment planning needs. He also oversees client relationships and develops customized financial solutions. Prior to joining HawsGoodwin, Hardenbergh was a financial advisor in Birmingham, AL, after graduating from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Finance, 2019. He is currently pursuing a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification, which requires meeting rigorous education, training and ethical standards.

"Finding talented individuals is important to us as we build our firm to best serve clients, and I believe we have done just that by hiring David. He truly excels at understanding and communicating individuals' needs and aspirations while guiding them through the financial planning process," said Art Haws, CPWA, CFP, CEO of HawsGoodwin.

"I value the emphasis HawsGoodwin places on our fiduciary responsibility and long-term relationship with clients," said Hardenbergh. "I look forward to learning and growing with this dedicated team."

ABOUT HAWSGOODWIN WEALTH

HawsGoodwin Wealth, LLC is an independently owned and operated, SEC Registered Investment Advisory firm based in Franklin, TN. Founded in 2008 by Art Haws and Cam Goodwin, the firm serves as a fiduciary to individuals, families and businesses, helping them achieve their financial goals, protect and grow their assets, and live their best life. HawsGoodwin was recently named to the 2020 INC 5000 list, as well as the 2020 edition of the Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers which recognizes top independent firms from across the United States (this is the seventh annual FT 300 list and HawsGoodwin has earned a spot on the list for two consecutive years). The firm has more than $500 million in client assets under management. For more information, visit www.HawsGoodwin.com.

Media Contact:

Karen Embry

Impact Communications, Inc.

913-649-5009

[email protected]

DISCLOSURE

The Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers is an independent listing produced annually by the Financial Times (July 2020). The FT 300 is based on data gathered from RIA firms, regulatory disclosures, and the FT's research. The listing reflected each practice's performance in six primary areas: assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, years in existence, credentials and online accessibility. This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and is not indicative of the practice's future performance. Neither the RIA firms nor their employees pay a fee to The Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 300.

The CFP certification is a voluntary certification; no federal or state law or regulation requires financial planners to hold CFP certification. It is recognized in the United States and a number of other countries for its (1) high standard of professional education; (2) stringent code of conduct and standards of practice; and (3) ethical requirements that govern professional engagements with clients. The CFP certification is granted by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board). For more information, please visit https://www.cfp.net/. The CPWA is a voluntary designation that signifies that an individual has met initial and on-going experience, ethical, education, and examination requirements for the professional designation, which is centered on management topics and strategies for high-net-worth clients. The designation is administered through Investments and Wealth Institute (IWI). These titles do not imply any level of skill or training.

HawsGoodwin Wealth, LLC (HawsGoodwin) is an independent investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about HawsGoodwin, including our investment strategies, fees and objectives, can be found in our Form ADV Part 2, which is available upon request.

Related Images

hawsgoodwin-wealth-hires-newest.jpg

HawsGoodwin Wealth Hires Newest Advisor

David Hardenbergh Joins Nashville Wealth Management Firm

SOURCE HawsGoodwin Wealth
New Delhi :

Chinese internet regulators have reportedly banned "Islamophobic" terms which were otherwise used to shame and disgrace the community, the Chinese state media confirmed.

China, majorly a Buddhist nation has a little over 21 million Muslims called Uyghurs in Xinijang and the Hui community, spread across Ningxia province.

A massive crackdown operation is on against the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in the volatileXinjiang province. In recent times there has been sttlements of the majority Han community in that region.

The ban has resulted in deletion of search keywords like, 'green religion' and 'peaceful religion', from microblogging site Weibo. These words were previously used by netizens to refer to Islam.

China holds ETIM responsible for carrying out several terrorist attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China. There are reports that youth from these region are also fighting alongside the ISIS in Syria. Posts containing the phrases cannot be posted for "violations of Weibo's complaints related rules." Insultsagainst Islam are also blocked in Weibo's search engine, it said.

The total number of internet users in China have surpassed 700 million. It is evident that the Chinese government will take down any digital content that is not in the inteest of the government.

International social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook as well as Google are blocked by the firewalls. "Discontent and fears of Muslims have been on the rise onChina's Internet in recent years. Complainers target Chineseauthorities' affirmative discrimination policies toward ethnic minorities, especially Muslim groups," the report said.

"It's necessary to timely remove radical phrases that discriminate against Islam and are biased against Muslims toprevent worsening online hatred towards the group.

Those phrases severely undermine religious harmony and ethnic unity," said Xiong Kunxin, a professor at Beijing's Minzu University of China in Beijing. "Blocking such phrases is not an infringement of people's freedom of speech as freedom should abide under China'srelated regulations and law," Xiong told the daily.

(With inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
As paucity of flights persists nationwide as the Easter season begins, Air Peace has deployed one of its wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft to service the Enugu route.

The airline said the development would ensure sufficient flights to meet the travel needs of Nigerians during the Easter season.

This is as the airline has also increased flight frequencies to Owerri and Asaba.

Spokesperson of the airline, Stanley Olisa, who disclosed this in a statement said the jumbo, extra-comfy aircraft has been specifically deployed to operate the Lagos-Enugu-Lagos and Abuja-Enugu-Abuja routes.

He added that customers will have international flight experience on domestic routes while flying the state-of-the-art B777 aircraft with enhanced comfort, style and luxury.

He urged the flying public to keep choosing Air Peace as the airline's commitment to providing peaceful and best-in-class connectivity is unwavering.
Solutions 30 announces the arrival of Robert Ziegler as Chief Transformation Officer, member of the Management Board. His appointment, with immediate effect, was approved by the Supervisory Board of Solutions 30. Robert Ziegler will be tasked with accelerating the transformation and the structuring of the organization in line with its growth ambition.

Robert Ziegler spent 18 years at AT Kearney. During this period, he was involved in several large-scale infrastructure projects in the transport and logistics sector, before becoming Partner and Managing Director in charge of the European infrastructure and transport portfolio. He also founded AT Kearney's Middle East office in Dubai, where he spent five years building a very successful business and contributing to the development of infrastructure in the GCC Region. He then joined DHL International in 2015 as Chief Operating Officer of the Freight division, responsible for 4.5 billion in revenue, with over 40 million shipments per year in more than 40 countries. He was the driving force behind several initiatives that led to a sustainable improvement in operational performance and built new businesses, such as the China Rail, part of the Silk Road to Europe. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer for the UK and Benelux to turn around these businesses. He completely transformed the UK unit in six months and increased the group's profitability in Benelux. In 2019, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Warberer's International, a major player in land transport in Europe. Robert Ziegler is a German national and a graduate of the ESCP business school. He is fluent in German, English, French, and Italian.

The arrival of Robert Ziegler reflects the Group's desire to adopt best market practices to strengthen its fundamentals and continue to capture sustained growth in its markets. This announcement comes as the company approaches the symbolic milestone of 1 billion in revenue and business remains particularly dynamic since the start of this year.

The Management Board of Solutions 30 is now composed of six members:

Gianbeppi Fortis, Chairman of the Management Board, Chief Executive Officer

Amaury Boilot, Chief Financial Officer

Luc Brusselaers, Chief Revenue Officer

Franck D'Aloia, Chief Operations Officer in charge of Integrations

Joao Martinho, Chief Operations Officer in charge of Performance

Robert Ziegler, Chief Transformation Officer

Robert Ziegler will lead the Group Executive Committee, which includes members of the Management Board, and which is responsible for the operational functioning of the company.

High-resolution photo available on request

About Solutions 30 SE

The Solutions 30 group is the European leader in solutions for new technologies. Its mission is to make the technological developments that are transforming our daily lives accessible to everyone, individuals and businesses alike. Yesterday, it was computers and the Internet. Today, it's digital technology. Tomorrow, it will be technologies that make the world even more interconnected in real time. With more than 30 million call-outs carried out since it was founded and a network of more than 15,000 local technicians, Solutions 30 currently covers all of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Iberian Peninsula, the United Kingdom, and Poland. The share capital of Solutions 30 SE consists of 107,127,984 shares, equal to the number of theoretical votes that can be exercised.

Solutions 30 SE is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange



Contact

Analysts/Investors Nathalie Boumendil | Tel: +33 6 85 82 41 95 | nathalie.boumendil@solutions30.com



Press - Image 7: Leslie Jung | Tel: +44 7818 641803 | ljung@image7.fr

Flore Larger | Tel: +33 6 33 13 41 50 | flarger@image7.fr

Charlotte Le Barbier | Tel: +33 6 78 37 27 60 | clebarbier@image7.fr

Attachment
1 April 2021

Quetzal Capital Plc

("Quetzal Capital" or the "Company")

TOTAL VOTING RIGHTS

The Company announces that in accordance with the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules (the "Disclosure and Transparency Rules"), the total number of ordinary shares of GBP0.001 each in the capital of the Company in issue as at the date of this notice is 96,187,401 with each share carrying the right to one vote.

The Company does not hold any shares in Treasury.

The above figure of 96,187,401 ordinary shares may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in the Company, under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

The directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

Enquiries:

Quetzal Capital Plc

Simon Grant-Rennick: +44 7973 253 124

AQSE Growth Market Corporate Adviser

Peterhouse Capital Limited

Guy Miller / Allie Feuerlein

Tel: +44 (0) 207 469 0930
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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday reported 129 new COVID-19 infections in 13 states across the country.

The new figure raised the total infection tally to 162,891.

The health agency disclosed this in an update on Wednesday night on its social media accounts.

According to the update, one COVID-19-related death was also recorded, bringing the number of lives lost to the disease to 2,057.

About 116 patients were successfully treated and discharged from various isolation centres on Wednesday, while a total of 151,648 people have recovered from the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Nigeria currently has 9,186 active cases of the ailment.

Specifics

The 129 new cases were reported from 13 states  Lagos (46), Ondo (19), Nasarawa (14), Kaduna (11), Borno (9), Bauchi (8), Akwa Ibom (5), FCT (5), Jigawa (4), Plateau (3), Bayelsa (2), Osun (2) and Rivers (1).

Since the pandemic broke out in Nigeria in February last year, the country has carried out over 1.7 million tests.

More than 700,000 Nigerians have received their first shots of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
Lady Colin Campbell today accused Meghan Markle of 'playing the race card to get a free pass to behave badly' and claimed Prince Harry 'would never have married her if she was white' in a fiery tirade on Australian TV.

The Jamaican-born British socialite, 71, appeared on the Today show on Good Friday, hours after dropping bombshell allegations that Princess Anne was the senior royal who made comments about Archie's skin colour.

The Sussexes claimed a relative of Harry's said there were concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when hes born.

But the couple refused to name the alleged culprit in an interview watched by more than 50 million people worldwide, saying it would be too damaging to the person they were accusing of racism. Lady C claims it was Princess Anne.

In a morning show interview on Friday, she claimed Princess Anne 'wasn't alluding to the colour of this child' but rather Meghan's 'unsuitable' character' and alleged 'constant use of the race card'.

Meghan accused the Royal Family of having 'concerns' about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be before he was born because she is mixed-race and Harry is white in explosive interview Oprah Winfrey (pictured)

'Meghan weaponises colour with everything,' Lady Campbell told the Today programme.

'You see, as long as she plays the colour card, she gets a free pass to behave as badly and as freely as she would like.

'She has no boundaries and as long as she plays the colour card, it is open season.'

Lady Campbell said that Meghan's colour 'was the one thing that she had going in her favour'.

'Had Meghan been white, there is no way that marriage would have proceeded, because Meghan's past was rather too chequered, and Meghan's personality was very abrasive,' she said.

'The one thing that Meghan had going in her favour was that she was mixed race.'

Today host Leila McKinnon then asked Lady Campbell if she believed Meghan had a hard time with the press.

'She was absolutely attacked,' McKinnon said.

Lady Campbell replied: 'Meghan was attacked the way everybody else is attacked who is in the public eye in Britain.'

'Meghan had a very easy ride of it, but Meghan is a born complainer, and a drama queen.'

McKinnon said it appeared Lady Campbell had a 'case of the Piers Morgans here',

She was refering to the long-time critic of Meghan who last month quit Good Morning Britain after an argument over whether her claims in the Oprah interview should be believed.

'Is your intense dislike for any reason? Have you met Meghan?' McKinnon questioned.

Lady Colin Campbell (right), 71, appeared on the show on Good Friday, after dropping bombshell allegations that Princess Anne was the senior royal who made comments about Archie's skin colour

Lady Campbell replied: 'I've not met Meghan and I don't want to meet Meghan,' she said.

'If you are a proper biographer, you don't have to meet the subject of your biography.'

McKinnon disagreed, replying: 'Well, my dear, maybe if you haven't met Meghan, you perhaps don't know exactly what she is like and you are just hearing what you are hearing from sources with their own agendas?'

The Today hosts also asked Lady Campbell whether Princess Anne had spoken to the couple.

She replied: 'My understanding is that nobody in the Royal Family is very pleased with the fact that any time they say anything to Harry, it ends up on American television via one of Oprah's friends.

'So, you know, put your self in the shoes of the Royal Family.

'Any family does not want its dirty linen washed in public. Nor do they want to be unfairly accused of prejudices that they do not have because an ambitious girl has married into the family.'

Lady Colin Campbell claimed that Princess Anne is the royal Meghan and Harry accused of racism in their bombshell interview with Oprah

Lady Campbell earlier claimed that Princess Anne was the royal accused of racism - but insisted the Queen's daughter was completely misunderstood by the Sussexes.

She said: 'Harry decided that on the slimmest of hints about culture - that it referred to colour.

She [Anne] had concerns about the disastrous effects of allowing somebody of that ilk, character wise, into the family, would not only cause trouble for all of them but also for any child born of the union'.

Lady C added: 'Harry ran to Meghan with the objections, Meghan weaponised them on the grounds of colour. We are looking at people who are very eager to spot a slight where doubtless none exist'.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the claims. MailOnline also approached the Sussexes for comment.

Archbishop of Canterbury destroys Harry and Meghan's wedding story: He says legal wedding WAS on the Saturday The Archbishop of Canterbury has rejected the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's claim that he married them at a secret ceremony before their Windsor Castle wedding. Breaking his silence on what the couple told Oprah Winfrey three weeks ago, Justin Welby said he signed Harry and Meghan's wedding certificate on the day millions watched them marry. The legal wedding was on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at St George's Chapel, he said. In her interview, Meghan raised eyebrows when she told Miss Winfrey that she and Harry were married 'just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury'. But the 65-year-old told an Italian newspaper yesterday: 'The legal wedding was on the Saturday.' He was asked 'what happened with Meghan and Harry? Did you really marry them three days before the official wedding?' But then he added: 'I had a number of private and pastoral meetings with the duke and duchess before the wedding. 'The legal wedding was on the Saturday. I signed the wedding certificate, which is a legal document, and I would have committed a serious criminal offence if I signed it knowing it was false. 'So you can make what you like about it. But the legal wedding was on the Saturday. But I won't say what happened at any other meetings.' Advertisement

The Sussexes also suggested that they tried to deprive Archie of a title and security because he was of mixed race.

But on Thursday, Lady Colin has told her own podcast, 'Chatting with Lady C', that they were pointing the finger at Princess Anne, unfairly, and it was a misunderstanding in a discussion about the cultural differences between Brits and American.

Citing a royal insider, she said: 'There were no concerns about Meghans colour. Princess Anne was rightly concerned that if the marriage proceeded and there were children there would be huge problems, not because of Meghans colour, but because of Meghans inability and determination to remain unable to appreciate the cultural differences'.

She added that Anne was concerned that Meghan may not 'actually have respect for the institution in to which she was marrying, and the family in which she was marrying'.

'Meghan and Harry have used that genuine concern of a loving aunt, knowing that because she is down to earth, experienced, modest, intelligent and sensible, and that you cannot make a sow's ear into a silk purse.

'Nobody is the guilty party in terms of racism. But Princess Anne was the champion in terms of 'don't marry that girl, she is unsuitable. She is wrong for the country, wrong for the job. Well, it's turned out to be true.

'I think it's important that it is out there before it is weaponised by some anti-establishment, anti-monarchist organisation, who will spin things destructively to further their agenda.

'I think there is a time to get in the first blow. I've met Princess Anne a few times, but we're not friends'.

Previously the Queen responded to the Sussexes interview with a deeply personal message saying that while some recollections vary, the issues raised, particularly that of race, were concerning and would be taken seriously.

Significantly, however, she emphasised that from now on their difficulties should be addressed by the family privately.

The couple made several explosive claims of racism within the Royal Family during the interview.

Oprah Winfrey asked whether there were concerns her child would be too brown and that would be a problem. Meghan replied: If that is the assumption you are making, that is a pretty safe one.

Harry complained none of his relatives spoke out in support of Meghan after stories he claimed had colonial undertones were published.

No-one from my family ever said anything over those three years. That hurts, he said.

The Duke added of the Press: Unfortunately, if the source of information is inherently corrupt or racist or biased then that filters out to the rest of society.

In an extra clip that did not make the final two-hour cut, Oprah asks Harry if they left the UK because of racism to which he replied: It was a large part of it.

How Harry and Meghan faced 'misinformation' claims of their own after Oprah interview - and CBS was blasted over doctoring headlines Harry and Meghan were repeatedly accused of spreading misinformation during their Oprah interview. Some of their claims were found about the Royal Family were found to be untrue, others have been contested. The Duke of Sussexhas joined a panel he claims will fight an 'avalanche of misinformation' online in the US. Here are some of the couple's claims to Oprah that have been dismissed over the past fortnight. Harry and Meghan were actually secretly wed three days before the Windsor ceremony by the Archbishop of Canterbury MailOnline has obtained the document which blows holes in the Sussexes' claims they were wed in a private hearing at Kensington Palace Meghan told Oprah: 'You know, three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that... We called the Archbishop and we just said, 'Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world but we want our union between us.' Fact check: False Reality: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding certificate proves they did not get married three days before their Windsor Castle ceremony. Church of England marriages require at least two witnesses and the public must also have unrestricted access to the building during any marriage ceremony to allow for valid objections against the marriage. A couple who are already lawfully married cannot choose to re-marry each other, unless there is some doubt as to the validity of the earlier marriage. The Archbishop of Canterbury has since confirmed that this was the case. Archie has a birthright to be a prince Meghan told Oprah the 'idea of the first member of colour in this family, not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be... It's not their right to take it away' Fact check: False Reality: Archie did not have a birthright to be a prince, but could potentially become one when Charles accedes to the throne. Archie wouldn't get 24/7 security because he wasn't a prince Meghan told Oprah: 'In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, so we (had) the conversation of he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title.' Fact check: False Reality: Being a prince or princess does not automatically mean royals have police protection. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's security is no longer paid for by the taxpayer. Harry was financially cut off from the royals Harry told Oprah: 'My family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us' Fact check: They wanted to be financially independent Reality: When Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step back from being senior royals, they said they wanted to be 'financially independent'. Before cutting ties, 95 per cent of their money came from Prince Charles's income from the Duchy of Cornwall, and 5 per cent from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant. William and Harry received most of a 13million fortune left by their mother Princess Diana. Harry is also thought to have had millions left to him by the Queen mother. .... And Oprah's team was accused of doctoring headlines to smear the UK press as racist ITV was last night forced to edit part of Oprah Winfrey's explosive interview with the Sussexes after it was revealed that it included misleading and distorted headlines which portrayed British press coverage of the couple as racist. Pictured: Analysis of the headlines Headlines that were flashed on the screen during the controversial interview with the US chat show host were cynically manipulated to back up the couple's assertion that they were the victims of bigoted coverage Lawyers for Associated Newspapers, owner of the Daily Mail and MailOnline, have written to Viacom CBS calling for a seriously inaccurate and misleading montage of British newspapers to be removed from the Oprah interview programme. The company has criticised the CBS show for deliberate distortion and doctoring of newspaper headlines to support its claims about racist UK press coverage. ITV later edited their version of the show when it was broadcast in the UK due to the misleading headlines. Advertisement

In more additional footage, Meghan said her treatment in the Press had been worse than Kates, saying: If a member of his family would comfortably say weve all had to deal with things that are rude, rude and racist are not the same.

Royal warfare erupted after Harry and Meghan revealed deeply private and confidential conversations with the royal family to a US journalist friend after they appeared on Oprah, despite claiming it would be their 'final word' on their rift with the royals.

The couple told breakfast show host Gayle King the prince had finally spoken to his father and brother - and she went on a major TV network to disclose that the talks were not productive.

Miss King also suggested that Meghan was unhappy that no-one in the Royal Family had picked up the phone to her yet following their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.

And in a thinly-veiled threat, the broadcaster said Meghan had made clear she has documents to back up everything she said on Oprahs interview.

The fact that the couple chose to discuss such sensitive discussions between senior members of the royal family with a TV journalist, who broadcast them blow-by-blow within hours, met with an icy response from Buckingham Palace.

Prince William has insisted that the Royal Family were not racists after Meghan claimed one of them had raised concerns about how dark her babys skin would be, and suggested that they tried to deprive Archie of a title and security because he was of mixed race.

She also claimed she had been given so little support by the palace that she suffered suicidal thoughts.

For his part, Harry said he felt really let down by his father, accused him of cutting him off financially and refusing to take his calls, while revealing there was a gulf between himself and William.

In recent days there have been a handful of stories published in the UK reporting that Charles and William felt hurt by what Harry had said, but with very little detail on what was taking place behind the scenes.

That was turned on its head when Miss King, who attended Meghans lavish baby shower in New York in 2019 and is Miss Winfreys closest friend, decided to speak out on her prime time morning show on CBS, the same channel that broadcast the Sussexes interview.

Harry was accused of embarrassing hypocrisy this week for speaking to CBS, which caused outrage in 2004 by showing a photograph of his mother dying in a 1997 car crash in Paris.

Miss King told viewers she had called Harry and Meghan at their 10 million California home over the weekend to discuss the fall-out from the interview and revealed that they had told her details of their intimate conversations.

She said: Well Im not trying to break news, but I did actually call them to see how they were feeling, and its true, Harry has talked to his brother and he has talked to his father too.

The word I was given was that those conversations were not productive. But they are glad that they have at least started a conversation.

Miss King also claimed that the couple were unhappy that the palace had apparently been leaking what they believed were untrue stories to the media, adding: And I think what is still upsetting to them is the palace keep saying they want to work it out privately, but yet, they believe these false stories are coming out that are very disparaging against Meghan, still.

She made clear that the Duchess was unhappy that no-one in the family had called her, despite her making a string of highly inflammatory allegations against several of them in her interview and revealing details of what had been a private conversation between her husband and a family member in which it was alleged an offensive comment had been made.

No one in the Royal Family has talked to Meghan yet, at this particular time, she said.

The Sussexes effectively accused the Royal Family and Buckingham Palace of institutional racism in their interview with Miss Winfrey.

But Miss King claimed they felt frustrated that much of the coverage had focused on this - when they had apparently only wanted to provoke the monarchy into taking action against the media, which they believe has a racist agenda against Meghan.

I think its frustrating for them to see that its a racial conversation about the Royal Family when all they wanted all along was for the royals to intervene and tell the Press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant, Miss King said.

And until you can acknowledge that, I think its going to be hard to move forward. But they both want to move forward with this and they both want healing in this family. At the end of the day, that is Harrys family.

The broadcaster also raised the investigation launched earlier this month by Buckingham Palace into how claims of bullying against Meghan lodged by a senior member of palace staff were handled.

Her former communications secretary, Jason Knauf, complained in 2018 that she had driven out two PAs with her behaviour and was targeting other female members of staff, but nothing was apparently ever done in response to his allegations.

Miss King says: The bullying thing was raised in 2018 and now theres an ongoing investigation about bullying from Meghan Markle, when anyone who has worked with her will tell you exactly who she is. You know, shes really a very sweet, caring person.

She added: And as I say, Meghan has documents to back up everything that she said on Oprahs interview. Everything.

In a further discussion about the ongoing family strife and how to resolve it, Miss King seemed to suggest that Harry and Meghan were not satisfied by Buckingham Palaces response to their bombshell interview and the claims in it.

She said: The family has to acknowledge that there are issues. And right now, no-one has acknowledged, Houston, we have a problem here. Thats really all they want. They want a conversation. They both want a conversation.

There was no immediate reaction from the Sussexess team of PR people - either in London or California - about whether Miss King was speaking at their request.

But as one of their closest friends and media allies in the US, it is unthinkable, say insiders, that they would not have at least been aware that she may choose to brief it.

Royals aides appeared to be genuinely horrified that either the duke or duchess would personally choose to tell anyone, let alone a television journalist, about intimate and highly confidential conversations that Harry was having with his closest family.

They fail to see how it will go any way towards repairing their damaged relationships or rebuilding the familys shattered trust - on either side.

One said: The only positive we can take out of this is that at least they are talking. It would be better from now on, however, if that could be done in private space.
Media industry players yesterday formed a new body called "Uganda Media Sector Working Group (UMSWG)", a private sector-led platform that seeks among other things to promote a bottom-up approach to media development in the country.

The new body which was launched by ICT and National Guidance Minister Judith Nabakooba seeks to promote dialogue and coordinated measures needed to create and monitor the frameworks and mechanisms for effective regulation, reform, and development of the media industry.

The sector group comprises media houses, professional media and industry associations/organisations, policy and regulatory agencies, media development and support organisations and interest groups, civil society, academic institutions and security agencies.

A communique from the sector group indicated that the ultimate aim of the working sector group is to enhance citizens' rights and the media's effective role in the development of Uganda.

"The media is critically important as an enabler of citizens' freedom of expression and the right to information as well as a facilitator for the realisation of other rights," the communique reads in part.

"The UMSWG will initiate new and support long-standing efforts to build a media industry that is more professional, accountable, and trusted by the public. This will in turn invite constructive government interventions and will result in the media more effectively discharging its role in the democratisation and development of Uganda."

Ms Nabakooba applauded the private sector for coming up with the media sector working group and reiterated that "the body will offer the needed platform to work with," adding that earlier attempts to create such platforms were met by resistance because media players did not trust government.

"When the National Institute of Journalists Uganda (NIJU) was created, it was not welcome because people thought it was a government institution. I am now happy that all the private sector have sat down and formed the media sector working group," the minister said.

Minister Nabakooba said the media plays a critical role in the development of the nation and that they must be properly organized if they are to play their duties.

Nabakooba however, challenged the sector working group to provide leadership to the media houses and pledged government commitment in working together with the sector.

"This new platform should provide solutions and leadership to the media. My ministry is committed to working with the group to support media development in the country," she said.

Sticky issues

Much of the discussions yesterday alternated around the continued low pay and poor working journalist, harsh legal regimes and a number of other issues that affect the operations of the media in the country.

Nabakooba tasked the media sector working group to make proposals and recommendations to the media owners to improve the welfare of journalists across the country.

"This group should write and come up with communication to the media owners on the welfare of the journalists because they are lowly paid," she said.

On the issue of regulating the media, Nabakooba said the ministry will always play it role of regulating the sector to ensure that professionalism prevails. She said government has made commitment to ensure press freedom and it will stand by its commitment.

Julius Mucunguzi, Advisor and head of communications at the Office of Prime Minister said the issue of media should not be looked in isolation, but from a bigger point of view. He said different las targeting media operations are looked at in isolation instead of addressing the bigger issues.

"We have not been realistic in looking at the media landscape, but look at issues in small strands," he said.

He defended the harsh media laws and said they are enacted to protect both the media practitioners and the recipients of the information.

"The regulations we put in place is actually to the best interests of those who impart information and those who receive it," he said.

A number of participants took issues with the regulatory bodies for acting harshly towards journalists, when they seem to be on the wrong. They particularly took issues with UCC and MCU for summoning journalists with biased minds when ordered to appear before them.

Mr Robert Ssempala, the Executive Director of Human Rights Network for Journalists said government has deliberately failed to come up media tribunal to address the issues where media practitioners have complaints. He said both UCC and MCU are more on harassing journalists than actually helping media industry to develop.

Ofwono Opondo, the executive director of the government owned Uganda media centre said however much media practitioners complain, they will not escape from regulations. He said it is the responsibility of government to regulate operations of all sectors across the country.

"I don't think you can successfully run away from state regulations. If we are going to be professional, we must accept state regulations to reach there," Ofwono said.

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Abudu-Sallam Waiswa, the head of legal service at Uganda Communications Commission said while the commission has done a commendable job in regulating the sector, it is always bashed by different people if it acts tough on journalists who have committed offences.

He said a number of civil society organisations are always busy looking for faults with the commission with intention to sue.

"There are so many NGOs that always look for what the commission does. When UCC does something good, they keep quiet, but when it calls on errant journalists to order, it becomes the biggest news," he said.

Waiswa said a number of them have lost cases against the commission, which he said should act as a warning that the commission will continue with its mandate.

Vincent Bagiire, the permanent secretary of ministry of ICT and the national guidance said government will closely work with the sector to develop the media industry.

"If we are to have a vibrant media, we must understand each other. Government interest in media is not for controlling but for regulation. As a ministry, we are committed to support the council and I urge you not to be skeptical but embrace this group for betterment of our media," he said.
The Army Corp of Engineers is looking into the option of removing a low head dam on its property in York County after an 11-year-old boy drowned there last week, an official told PennLive.

There were no warning signs posted at the dam on private property on Cordorus Creek at Hershey Road in Jackson Township. Payton Gonzalez walked there with a friend March 25 to swim, but got caught in a strong current and pulled over the dam.
Jennifer Lopez posed up with her 13-year-old twins Max and Emme at her swank rental in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.

The 51-year-old pop star was also joined by her producing partner Elaine Goldsmith Thomas and photographer pal Ana Carballosa.

In her caption Jennifer expressed her gratitude to the Villa Tres Amarras 'for the incredible stay while we were filming #ShotgunWedding !!!'

Swank: Jennifer Lopez posed up with her twins Max and Emme and her friends Elaine Goldsmith Thomas and Ana Carballosa at her rental in the Dominican Republic Wednesday

The photo was part of an album that also showed a dazzling sunset over the infinity pool as well as the ocean view behind it.

Her latest post comes five days after her fiance Alex Rodriguez posted a smoldering shirtless snap of himself at the same swimming pool at the Villa Tres Amarras.

The palatial nine-bedroom beachfront rental property has boasted a celebrity clientele including Mark Wahlberg and Michael Jordan according to its website.

It can host up to 24 people and in addition to its infinity pool it comes with such luxuries as a movie theater, a gym, a bar and a full staff including a gourmet chef.

Fab: The photo was part of an album that also showed a dazzling sunset over the infinity pool as well as the ocean view behind it

The thrill of it all: In her caption Jennifer expressed her gratitude to the Villa Tres Amarras 'for the incredible stay while we were filming #ShotgunWedding !!!'

Jennifer's latest post comes just weeks after she and Alex denied a string of breakup rumors but acknowledged: 'We are working through some things.'

There was conjecture in Page Six that the tension in the relationship was connected to claims made by Southern Charm star Madison LeCroy.

Last month on the Southern Charm reunion Madison admitted that she chatted with Alex online but insisted that 'we DMed, but other than that there was nothing.' She told Page Six later: 'Hes never physically cheated on his fiancee with me.'

A source in Alex' camp told the New York Post: 'He doesnt know this woman. Look, does this mean he didn't DM her and liked a photo or two? I guess not, but he doesnt know her - and he definitely didn't hook up with her.'

Heartthrob: Her latest post comes five days after her fiance Alex Rodriguez posted a smoldering shirtless snap of himself at the same swimming pool at the Villa Tres Amarras

Alex had been in the Dominican Republic with Jennifer during part of the Shotgun Wedding shoot but earlier this month he returned to Miami.

However one week ago a People insider said that he had traveled back to the Dominican Republic in order to be with his fiancee.

'He flew back to spend a few more days with Jennifer. He is making a big effort, and he wants Jennifer to be happy,' the source spilled.

Letting it out: Jennifer's latest post comes just weeks after she and Alex denied a string of breakup rumors but acknowledged: 'We are working through some things'

The insider shared that the couple who have been engaged for two years are 'doing everything they can to prioritize their relationship.'

Jennifer is now on her fifth engagement after her three husbands Ojani Noa, Cris Judd and Marc Anthony as well as Ben Affleck whom she never wound up marrying.

She shares her children with Marc while A-Rod himself has two daughters - Natasha, 16, and Ella, 12 - with his ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis.
Offshore oil and gas drilling is set for a rebound this year following a major 2020 pullback when exploration and production companies deferred many activities due to the pandemic and the collapse in oil prices. Lower lifting and breakeven costs at the most prolific offshore oil regions off Brazil and Guyana are setting the stage for a rebound in offshore drilling in South America, which will be one of the main growth drivers of global offshore activity this year, analysts say.

Drilling and well services spending in Latin America is forecast to grow strongly, thanks to continued offshore activity in Brazil as Brazils state oil giant Petrobras focuses on the deepwater pre-salt basin. The promising Guyana basin will also see new wells drilled and discoveries developed, according to the latest World Drilling & Well Services Market Forecast 2021-2025 Q1 by Westwood Global Energy.

Global Offshore Spending To Grow From 2020 Lows

Although operators around the world remain cautious about capex, this years expenditure on drilling & well services (DWS)both offshore and onshoreis set to grow to US$156 billion, slightly up from last year. The higher spending will be the result of higher oil prices and forecasts of recovery in demand, Westwood Global Energy said.

The United States, China, and Russia will lead onshore drilling activities, while Brazil and Guyana will be the key drivers of offshore spending, the analysts said.

Rystad Energy also sees South AmericaBrazil and Guyana in particularas the main contributor to offshore drilling growth. Offshore activity is set for annual increases of around 10 percent in each of 2021 and 2022, the energy research firm said last week.

In contrast to previous years, when the North American shale sector led production growth, we expect the onshore and offshore shelf in the Middle East and the deepwater market in South America to be the main drivers of growth going forward, said Daniel Holmedal, energy research analyst at Rystad Energy.

Related: U.S. Oil Rig Count Posts Double-Digit Gains As Oil Prices Rise

Offshore investment is set for a rapid rebound this year, driven by deferred projects from 2020 and a resurgent Petrobras, Thom Payne, Head of Offshore at Westwood Global Energy, wrote in an analysis in February.

Low breakeven costs make Brazils pre-salt and Guyanas basin very attractive drilling opportunities, even if oil prices were at $40 per barrel.

Projects in Brazils pre-salt region have breakeven oil prices as low as $35 per barrel, Effuah Alleyne, Senior Analyst at GlobalData, said at the end of last year.

Guyanas ultra-deepwater projects in the frontier Guyana-Suriname Basin have breakeven oil prices as low as $23/bbl, with short-term production expected to grow 10-fold by 2024 from projects such as Liza Phase 2, Alleyne noted.

Guyana  A Top Priority For Exxon

Exxons continued exploration and development on the Stabroek block offshore Guyana is set to drive offshore drilling in the country in the coming years.

Guyana is one of the top priorities in the U.S. supermajors strategy to focus on high-return and cash-generating projects that would allow it to grow its dividend through 2025.

90 percent of our upstream investments in resource additions, including in Guyana, Brazil and the U.S. Permian Basin, generate a 10 percent return at $35 per barrel or less, Exxons chairman and CEO Darren Woods said on the investor day last month.

Despite disappointing early 2021 drilling results, exploration activity in Guyana is on track to set an annual record of 16 wells, including on the Stabroek block, according to Rystad Energy.

Related: Recent SEC Decision Could Spark Investment In Big Oil



Exxon is also currently developing the Liza Phase 2 Project, designed to pump up to 220,000 bpd with a floating, production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO), with start-up expected in the middle of next year. Exxon has also recently made the final investment decision on the Payara oilfield offshore Guyana, expecting the project to yield up to 220,000 bpd of crude when commercial production begins in 2024.

Brazils Petrobras Focuses On The Prolific Pre-salt Basin

Petrobras is heavily divesting non-core assets onshore and offshore, as well as refinery operations, as it continues to cut its massive debt and bets big on boosting production and development in the very prolific and low-cost pre-salt basin.

Over the past five years, the share of the pre-salt region in the companys oil and gas production has jumped to 66 percent in 2020 from just 24 percent in 2015, Petrobras said earlier this year when it announced that its 2020 annual oil and gas production hit a record high. Production in the pre-salt basin totaled 1.86 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) in 2020 out of Petrobras total 2.84 million boed output last year.

Despite the crash in oil prices, Petrobras continued its strong cash flow generation, with free cash flow at US$10.4 billion for the first nine months of 2020, Fitch Ratings said in February, affirming its ratings on Petrobras.

The strong cash flow generation, even with collapsing oil prices the primary result of cost and capex reductions. Petrobras reported a material decline in lifting costs in 2020 to around US$5.10 per barrel of oil equivalent (boe) from approximately US$9.6/boe in 2019, Fitch said. The significant decrease in lifting costs was the result of cost reductions and the growing share of Petrobras pre-salt production, which has a lower lifting cost than legacy production, the rating agency noted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Health Minster Stephen Donnelly has been accused of incompetence during heated exchanges on the vaccine rollout in the Dail.

Mr Donnelly was criticised for a lack of transparency by the Opposition after appearing to give conflicting figures for vaccine deliveries.

Responding to a question from Sinn Fein health spokesman David Cullinane, the minister said the Government expects an average of one million vaccine doses a month to arrive in April, May and June.

Minister Donnelly said the figure may be slightly less in April.

What the hell is going on here? You're responsible to Dail Eireann and you're responsible to the people of Ireland Alan Kelly, Labour

He added: Im reluctant to give specific forecast figures that we all know are going to change  giving very specific amounts that we all know are going to change has caused a lot of anxiety.

Mr Cullinane raised reports from the Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting that the Taoiseach had said 860,000 doses would arrive in April.

Read More

He added: Youre now saying its going to be a million and this is what confuses people. Then youre saying well, we cant be 100% accurate.

People need to know exactly what the figure is, or at least what the estimated figure is. If it changes, it changes. If its down to pharma companies, its down to pharma companies, but the people have a right to know.

Labour leader Alan Kelly followed up on the vaccine figures, asking What the hell is going on here?

He said: You say the one million doses for April may be slightly less than that coming forward. Slightly less than that is 140,000 vaccines, which would probably do the whole of my county of Limerick. Its not just a minor reduction.

Mr Kelly said he had been provided with the figures in a note from the Taoiseach but that Minister Donnelly would not provide them to the Dail.

He added: What the hell is going on here? Youre responsible to Dail Eireann and youre responsible to the people of Ireland.

Expand Close Labour leader Alan Kelly accused the Health Minister of incompetence (Brian Lawless/PA) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Labour leader Alan Kelly accused the Health Minister of incompetence (Brian Lawless/PA)

You refuse to give out the estimated figures for vaccines for the next three months, which the whole country is dependent on. Its not acceptable.

This isnt about having confidence in you, this is about incompetence.

This is not fair, this is not right. The people of Ireland have been let down. This is incompetent.

It goes beyond politics. You have to be accountable to this house and when youre asked questions in relation to figures, you give them as you know them at this moment in time.

I will not blame you if the figures change, we all know at this stage that the figures change.

I brought in most detailed figures I can give you but you haven't left me any time to give them to you Health Minister Stephen Donnelly

The Minister replied: Thank you Deputy, youve asked some very important questions, and youve made some accusations, which obviously are your right to make.

But youve left me 10 seconds to respond. I can respond to all of these and, in fact, Deputy I have here, I thought you might be looking for the figures.

I brought in most detailed figures I can give you but you havent left me any time to give them to you.

I brought the figures in to give you, but you havent left me any time to actually give them to you, so I will revert to you on that.

Mr Donnelly did not provide the exact figures to the Dail.




New GSA Bulletin articles published ahead of print in March

Boulder, Colo., USA: The Geological Society of America regularly publishes articles online ahead of print. For March, GSA Bulletin topics include multiple articles about the dynamics of China and Tibet; the ups and downs of the Missouri River; the Los Rastros Formation, Argentina; the Olympic Mountains of Washington State; methane seep deposits; meandering rivers; and the northwest Hawaiian Ridge. You can find these articles at https://bulletin.geoscienceworld.org/content/early/recent .

Transition from a passive to active continental margin setting for the NE Asian continental margin during the Mesozoic: Insights from the sedimentary formations and paleogeography of the eastern Jiamusi Massif, NE China

Yini Wang; Wenliang Xu; Feng Wang

Abstract: The Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the NE Asian continental margin has received much attention in recent years. However, previous studies focused mainly on the petrogenesis of igneous rocks and their relationship with Mesozoic tectonics, and there have been few studies of the Mesozoic sedimentary formations of the NE Asian continental margin. We combined zircon U-Pb ages with Hf isotopic and biostratigraphic data to reconstruct the Mesozoic paleogeography of the NE Asian continental margin. The results indicate that Mesozoic strata of the eastern Jiamusi Massif, NE China, include the Upper Triassic Nanshuangyashan Formation (Norian), Lower Jurassic volcanic rocks, and Lower Cretaceous Longzhaogou Group. The Upper Triassic Nanshuangyashan Formation consists of a suite of alternating marine and terrestrial sedimentary rocks with abundant fossils that formed in a passive continental margin setting. The Lower Jurassic strata comprise a suite of calc-alkaline volcanic rocks that include basaltic andesites, andesites, and rhyolites that formed in an active continental margin setting related to initial subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath Eurasia. The Lower Cretaceous Longzhaogou Group belong to alternating marine and terrestrial sedimentary formations that formed in an active continental margin setting related to subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. Here, we integrate these data to reconstruct the Mesozoic tectonic history of the NE Asian continental margin, which comprises a Late Triassic passive continental margin, the initiation of subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate in the Early Jurassic, and westward subduction and rollback of the Paleo-Pacific Plate in the Early Cretaceous.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35850.1/595823/Transition-from-a-passive-to-active-continental

Low-18O A-type granites in SW China: Evidence for the interaction between the subducted Paleotethyan slab and the Emeishan mantle plume

Jian Xu; Xiao-Ping Xia; Qiang Wang; Christopher J. Spencer; Bin He ...

Abstract: The mechanisms and processes by which subducted slab interacted with mantle plume remain controversial, as direct observation of such interaction is difficult to impossible. Compositional heterogeneity of large igneous provinces (LIPs) additionally makes plume-slab interaction hard to detect. Oxygen isotopes are sensitive enough to trace the source of magmas. Here we provide evidence for plume-slab interaction mainly based on in situ zircon Hf-O isotope analyses, as well as whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope analyses, on the Late Permian and Early Triassic A-type granites on the margin of the Emeishan LIP in SW China. These granites show typical A-type geochemical characters, such as high total alkali (7.939.68 wt%) and field strength element (HFSE, e.g., Zr and Nb) contents, and high FeOT /(FeOT+MgO) (0.870.98) and Ga/Al (3.675.06) values. The Late Permian (ca. 259 Ma) and Early Triassic (ca. 248 Ma) granites show high Nb/Th (>3.0) and low Y/Nb ((t) (0.83 to 0.13 and 0.15 to +0.16, respectively) and depleted Hf (t) (+2.71 to +3.39 and +2.62 to +3.55, respectively). In situ zircon O-Hf analyses yielded anomalously low 18O (0.22.0 and 3.24.8, respectively) and positive Hf (t) (1.67.0 and 3.98.8, respectively), suggesting varying proportions of hydrothermally altered oceanic crust in their source region. Our results imply that significant amounts of altered Paleotethyan oceanic crust have been subducted in the upper mantle beneath the western South China Block. The nearby rising Emeishan mantle plume may have rapidly entrained and incorporated these oceanic crustal materials to the shallow mantle so that their low- 18O isotope feature was preserved. Subsequent decompression-related partial melting of this hybrid source formed parental rocks of the low-18O A-type granites. Our findings also suggest that LIPs could obtain their compositional (especially oxygen isotope) diversity through the interaction between the subducting slab and rising mantle plume.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35929.1/595807/Low-18O-A-type-granites-in-SW-China-Evidence-for

The ups and downs of the Missouri River from Pleistocene to present: Impact of climatic change and forebulge migration on river profiles, river course, and valley fill complexity

Justin Anderson; John Holbrook; Ronald J. Goble

Abstract: The Missouri River is a continent-scale river that has thus far escaped a rigorous reporting of valley fill trends within its trunk system. This study summarizes evolution of the lower Missouri River profile from the time of outwash in the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) until establishment of the modern dominantly precipitation-fed river. This work relies on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, water-well data, and a collection of surficial geological maps of the valley compiled from U.S. Geological Survey EDMAP and National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergrads projects. Mapping reveals five traceable surfaces within valley fill between Yankton, South Dakota, USA, and Columbia, Missouri, USA, that record two cycles of incision and aggradation between ca. 23 ka and ca. 8 ka. The river aggraded during the LGM to form the Malta Bend surface by ca. 26 ka. The Malta Bend surface is buried and fragmented but presumed to record a braided outwash plain. The Malta Bend surface was incised up to 18 m between ca. 23 ka and ca. 16 ka to form the Carrolton surface (ca. 16 ka to ca. 14 ka). The Carrollton surface ghosts a braided outwash morphology locally through overlying mud. Aggradation followed (ca. 14 ka to ca. 13.5 ka) to within 4 m of the modern floodplain surface and generated the Salix surface (ca. 13.5 to ca. 12 ka). By Salix time, the Missouri River was no longer an outwash river and formed a single-thread meandering pattern. Reincision at ca. 12 ka followed Salix deposition to form the short-lived Vermillion surface at approximately the grade of the earlier Carrolton surface. Rapid aggradation from ca. 10 ka to ca. 8 ka followed and formed the modern Omaha surface (ca. 8 ka to Present). The higher Malta Bend and Omaha profiles are at roughly the same grade, as are the lower Carrolton and Vermillion surfaces. The Salix surface is in between. All surfaces converge downstream as they enter the narrow and shallow bedrock valley just before reaching Columbia, Missouri. The maximum departure of the profiles is 18 m near Sioux City, Iowa, USA, at 100 km downstream from the James Lobe glacial input near Yankton, South Dakota. Incision and aggradation appear to be driven by relative changes in input of sediment and water related to glacial advance and retreat and then later by climatic changes near the Holocene transition. The incision from the Malta Bend to the Carrolton surface records the initial breakdown of the cryosphere at the end of the LGM, and this same incisional event is found in both the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. This incisional event records a "big wash" that resulted in the evacuation of sediment from each of the major outwash rivers of North America. The direction and magnitude of incision from the LGM to the modern does not fit with modeled glacioisostatic adjustment trends for the Missouri Valley. Glaciotectonics likely influenced the magnitude of incision and aggradation secondarily but does not appear to have controlled the overall timing or magnitude of either. Glaciotectonic valley tilting during the Holocene, however, did likely cause the Holocene channel to consistently migrate away from the glacial front, which argues for a forebulge axis south of the Missouri Valley during the Holocene and, by inference, earlier. This is at least 200 km south of where models predict the Holocene forebulge axis. The Missouri Valley thus appears to reside in the tectonic low between the ice front and the forebulge crest. The buffer valley component of incision caused by profile variation could explain as much as 25 m of the total 40 m of valley incision at Sioux City, Iowa. The Missouri Valley also hosted a glacial lobe as far south as Sioux City, Iowa, in pre-Wisconsinan time, which is also a factor in valley excavation.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35909.1/595763/The-ups-and-downs-of-the-Missouri-River-from

Segmentation of the Wassuk Range normal fault system, Nevada (USA): Implications for earthquake rupture and Walker Lane dynamics

Ben Surpless; Sarah Thorne

Abstract: Normal faults are commonly segmented along strike, with segments that localize strain and influence propagation of slip during earthquakes. Although the geometry of segments can be constrained by fault mapping, it is challenging to determine seismically relevant segments along a fault zone. Because slip histories, geometries, and strengths of linkages between normal fault segments fundamentally control the propagation of rupture during earthquakes, and differences in segment slip rates result in differential uplift of adjacent footwalls, we used along-strike changes in footwall morphology to detect fault segments and the relative strength of the mechanical links between them. We applied a new geomorphic analysis protocol to the Wassuk Range fault, Nevada, within the actively deforming Walker Lane. The protocol examines characteristics of footwall morphology, including range-crest continuity, bedrock-channel long profiles, catchment area variability, and footwall relief, to detect changes in strike-parallel footwall characteristics. Results revealed six domains with significant differences in morphology that we used to identify seismically relevant fault segments and segment boundaries. We integrated our results with previous studies to determine relative strength of links between the six segments, informing seismic hazard assessment. When combined with recent geodetic studies, our results have implications for the future evolution of the Walker Lane, suggesting changes in the accommodation of strain across the region. Our analysis demonstrates the power of this method to efficiently detect along-strike changes in footwall morphology related to fault behavior, permitting future researchers to perform reconnaissance assessment of normal fault segmentation worldwide.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35756.1/595764/Segmentation-of-the-Wassuk-Range-normal-fault

Widespread hydrothermal vents and associated volcanism record prolonged Cenozoic magmatism in the South China Sea

Fang Zhao; Christian Berndt; Tiago M. Alves; Shaohong Xia; Lin Li ...

Abstract: The continental margin of the northern South China Sea is considered to be a magma-poor rifted margin. This work uses new seismic, bathymetric, gravity, and magnetic data to reveal how extensively magmatic processes have reshaped the latter continental margin. Widespread hydrothermal vent complexes and magmatic edifices such as volcanoes, igneous sills, lava flows, and associated domes are confirmed in the broader area of the northern South China Sea. Newly identified hydrothermal vents have crater- and mound-shaped surface expressions, and occur chiefly above igneous sills and volcanic edifices. Detailed stratigraphic analyses of volcanoes and hydrothermal vents suggest that magmatic activity took place in discrete phases between the early Miocene and the Quaternary. Importantly, the occurrence of hydrothermal vents close to the present seafloor, when accompanied by shallow igneous sills, suggest that fluid seepage is still active, well after main phases of volcanism previously documented in the literature. After combining geophysical and geochemical data, this study postulates that the extensive post-rift magmatism in the northern South China Sea is linked to the effect of a mantle plume over a long time interval. We propose that prolonged magmatism resulted in contact metamorphism in carbon-rich sediments, producing large amounts of hydrothermal fluid along the northern South China Sea. Similar processes are expected in parts of magma-poor margins in association with CO 2 /CH 4 and heat flow release into sea water and underlying strata.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35897.1/595765/Widespread-hydrothermal-vents-and-associated

Tectonically conditioned record of continental interior paleoclimate during the Carnian Pluvial Episode: The Upper Triassic Los Rastros Formation, Argentina

C.A. Benavente; A.C. Mancuso; R.B. Irmis; K.M. Bohacs; S. Matheos

Abstract: Discerning paleoclimate parameters in depositional systems of the continental interior is challenging because the system response and stratigraphic record of climate are controlled by tectonic processes and are mediated through landscape and hydrological evolution of fluvial lacustrine systems. Climate and tectonic signals cannot be deconvolved from stratigraphic patterns alone but require additional information or data sets that directly record climate or tectonic influence. The Carnian Los Rastros Formation in northwest Argentina provides an excellent case study that integrates an appropriate range of information in a system with strong climate and tectonic signals, being deposited in part during the Carnian Pluvial Episode and spanning the active rift phase of the IschigualastoVilla Union Basin. We examined the stratigraphic and spatial patterns of carbon (C) and oxygen (O) stable isotopes in lacustrine carbonates from the Los Rastros Formation in multiple parts of the basin to constrain paleohydrological conditions and paleotemperatures. Practically all C and O isotope values are characterized by negative values:  18O carb 11.6 and 15.7 ( average 13.1; 1 = 1.6) and 13C carb 2.6 to 8.0 ( average 5.1; 1 = 2.1), reflecting the latitude, altitude, and continentality of the lake system and its vegetated and humid catchment area. Stratigraphic patterns of stable isotope data from two different localities (Cerro Bola North and Cerro Bola South) show a change from short water-residence time to long residence time and back to short residence time. This contrasts with sedimentologic, organic geochemical, and small-scale stratigraphic patterns that indicate an overfilled lake basin, which is expected to contain a completely open-hydrology isotopic signature. Paleotemperatures calculated from marginal lacustrine carbonates show a warm and quite variable paleothermal range consonant with their continental interior position and with Global Climate Model estimates for high paleolatitudes. Warmer paleotemperatures (linked to aridity, probably smaller lake size, and less thermal mass) precede the Carnian Pluvial Episode, whereas relatively cooler paleotemperatures coincide with the Carnian Pluvial Episode (linked to humidity, probably larger lake size, and more thermal mass). Carbon and oxygen stable isotope signatures integrated with sedimentologic and physiographic information allow us to propose that tectonics, specifically, half-graben tilting during the active synrift phase, dominated over climate effects as the cause of hydrological fluctuations of this system, even during the Carnian Pluvial Episode. Without appropriate stratigraphic-tectonic context, single-proxy reconstructions of continental-interior paleoclimate can be misleading. A robust interpretation of climate effects requires characterization of tectonic effects, geomorphology, paleohydrology, and sedimentary system responses.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35847.1/595766/Tectonically-conditioned-record-of-continental

An intracontinental orogen exhumed by basement-slice imbrication in the Longmenshan Thrust Belt of the Eastern Tibetan Plateau

Zhenhua Xue; Wei Lin; Yang Chu; Michel Faure; Yan Chen ...

Abstract: The Longmenshan Thrust Belt in Eastern Tibet resulted from a Mesozoic orogeny and Cenozoic reworking. It is generally believed that the Cenozoic tectonics along the Longmenshan Thrust Belt are mostly inherited from the Mesozoic. Reconstructing the Mesozoic tectonics of the Longmenshan Thrust Belt is therefore important for understanding its evolutionary history. On the basis of detailed structural analysis, we recognized a Main Central Boundary that divides the Longmenshan Thrust Belt into a Southeastern Zone and a Northwestern Zone. Both zones underwent a main D 1 event characterized by D 1E top-to-the-SE thrusting in the Southeastern Zone and D 1W top-to-the-NW/N thrusting in the Northwestern Zone. In the Southeastern Zone, a D 2 top-to-the-NW/N normal faulting that cuts the D 1E structures is developed along the NW boundary of the basement complexes. Newly obtained and previous geochronological data indicate that the D 1E and D 1W events occurred synchronously at ca. 224219 Ma, and the D 2 top-to-the-NW/N normal faulting was episodically activated at ca. 166160 Ma, 141120 Ma, 8147 Ma, and 2725 Ma. Episodic and synchronously activated top-to-the-NW normal faulting and top-to-the-SE thrusting along the northwestern and southeastern boundaries of the basement complexes, respectively, leads us to propose that the basement slices were episodically imbricated to the SE during the Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous and Late Cretaceousearliest Paleocene. The D 1 amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks above the basement complexes recorded fast exhumation during the Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous. We propose that the early Mesozoic northwestward basement underthrusting along a crustal "weak zone" was responsible for the D 1 double-vergent thrusting and amphibolite facies metamorphism. Subsequent basement-slice imbrications reworked the Longmenshan Thrust Belt and exhumed the amphibolite facies rocks. Our results highlight the importance of basement underthrusting and imbrication in the formation and reworking of the intracontinental Longmenshan Thrust Belt in Eastern Tibet.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35826.1/595732/An-intracontinental-orogen-exhumed-by-basement

Mo isotope records from Lower Cambrian black shales, northwestern Tarim Basin (China): Implications for the early Cambrian ocean

Guangyou Zhu; Tingting Li; Kun Zhao; Chao Li; Meng Cheng ...

Abstract: The widely developed black shales deposited during the early Cambrian recorded paleoenvironmental information about coeval seawater. Numerous studies have been conducted on these shales to reconstruct the paleomarine environment during this time period. However, most research has been conducted on stratigraphic sections in South China, and equivalent studies of sections from other cratons are relatively rare. Here, we report Mo isotopic compositions as well as redox-sensitive trace-element and iron (Fe) speciation data for black shales of the Lower Cambrian Yuertusi Formation from the Tarim block (i.e., a small craton). The Fe speciation data show high Fe HR /Fe T and Fe py /Fe HR ratios, indicating roughly sustained euxinic bottom-water conditions during their deposition. Based on Mo isotopic compositions ( 98/95Mo), we further classified the euxinic black shales into two intervals: a lower interval (021.3 m) and an upper interval (21.332.3 m). The lower interval is characterized by variable Mo isotopic compositions (2.12 to +0.57, mean = 0.52  0.72), with an obvious negative excursion in its middle portion. The overlying upper interval has relatively heavy 98/95Mo values up to +1.42 (mean = +0.62  0.37). We ascribe 98/95Mo differences in the lower and upper intervals to inadequate aqueous H 2 S concentrations for quantitative thiomolybdate formation under euxinic conditions. The most negative Mo isotope excursion may have been caused by upwelling hydrothermal inputs during a transgression, consistent with significantly elevated total organic carbon (TOC) contents, Mo and U enrichments, and Fe supply. Relatively positive 98/95Mo values in the upper interval have roughly similar variations with other coeval sections, indicating such variations were common for early Cambrian euxinic deposits, and they were most likely caused by local differences in [H 2 S] aq . Compilation of Mo isotope data from the early Cambrian and earlier times further indicates relatively oxygenated seawater, especially the deep-marine areas during the early Cambrian before reaching a state like modern seawater.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35726.1/595658/Mo-isotope-records-from-Lower-Cambrian-black

Quantitative analysis of the sedimentary architecture of eolian successions developed under icehouse and greenhouse climatic conditions

Grace I.E. Cosgrove; Luca Colombera; Nigel P. Mountney

Abstract: The continental terrestrial record preserves an archive of how ancient sedimentary systems respond to and record changes in global climate. A database-driven quantitative assessment reveals differences in the preserved sedimentary architectures of siliciclastic eolian systems with broad geographic and stratigraphic distribution that developed under icehouse versus greenhouse climatic conditions. Over 5600 geological entities, including architectural elements, facies, sediment textures, and bounding surfaces, have been analyzed from 34 eolian systems of Paleoproterozoic to Cenozoic ages. Statistical analyses have been performed on the abundance, composition, preserved thickness, and arrangement of different eolian lithofacies, architectural elements, and bounding surfaces. Results demonstrate that preserved sedimentary architectures of icehouse and greenhouse systems differ markedly. Eolian dune, sand sheet, and interdune architectural elements that accumulated under icehouse conditions are significantly thinner relative to their greenhouse counterparts; this is observed across all basin settings, supercontinents, geological ages, and dune field physiographic settings. However, this difference between icehouse and greenhouse eolian systems is exclusively observed for paleolatitudes View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35918.1/595649/Quantitative-analysis-of-the-sedimentary

Late Eocene post-collisional magmatic rocks from the southern Qiangtang terrane record the melting of pre-collisional enriched lithospheric mantle

Yue Qi; Qiang Wang; Gang-jian Wei; Xiu-Zheng Zhang; Wei Dan ...

Abstract: Diverse rock types and contrasting geochemical compositions of post-collisional mafic rocks across the Tibetan Plateau indicate that the underlying enriched lithospheric mantle is heterogeneous; however, how these enriched mantle sources were formed is still debated. The accreted terranes within the Tibetan Plateau experienced multiple stages of evolution. To track the geochemical characteristics of their associated lithospheric mantle through time, we can use mantle-derived magmas to constrain the mechanism of mantle enrichment. We report zircon U-Pb ages, major and trace element contents, and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions for Early Cretaceous and late Eocene mafic rocks in the southern Qiangtang terrane. The Early Cretaceous Baishagang basalts (107.3 Ma) are characterized by low K 2 O/Na 2 O (87Sr/ 86Sr) i = 0.70670.7073,  Nd (t) = 0.4 to 0.2]. We suggest that the Baishagang basalts were derived from partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle that was metasomatized by subducted BangongNujiang oceanic material. We establish the geochemistry of the pre-collisional enriched lithospheric mantle under the southern Qiangtang terrane by combining our data with those from other Early Cretaceous mafic rocks in the region. The late Eocene (ca. 35 Ma) post-collisional rocks in the southern Qiangtang terrane have low K 2 O/Na 2 O (87Sr/86Sr) i = 0.70420.7072,  Nd (t) = 4.5 to +1.5] are similar to those of the Early Cretaceous mafic rocks. Based on the distribution, melting depths, and whole-rock geochemical compositions of the Early Cretaceous and late Eocene mafic rocks, we argue that the primitive late Eocene post-collisional rocks were derived from pre-collisional enriched lithospheric mantle, and the evolved samples were produced by assimilation and fractional crystallization of primary basaltic magma. Asthenosphere upwelling in response to the removal of lithospheric mantle induced the partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle at ca. 35 Ma.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35864.1/595453/Late-Eocene-post-collisional-magmatic-rocks-from

Reappraisal of the Mesozoic tectonic transition from the Paleo-Tethyan to Paleo-Pacific domains in South China

Chengshi Gan; Yuzhi Zhang; Yuejun Wang; Xin Qian; Yang Wang

Abstract: The southeastern (SE) South China Block was mainly influenced by the Paleo-Tethyan and Paleo-Pacific dynamic domains during the Mesozoic. The initial timing of the tectonic transition between these two domains in the SE South China Block still remains debated. The transition would affect the nature of the lithosphere and material provenance of sediments, and, therefore, igneous and sedimentary rocks in the area could record such dynamic processes. In this study, published geochronological and geochemical data of the Triassic and Jurassic igneous rocks and detrital zircon data of contemporaneous sedimentary rocks in the SE South China Block were compiled, aiming to provide constraints on the tectonic transition via tracing the spatial-temporal variations in the nature of the lithosphere and sedimentary provenance signals. The compiled results suggest that the magmatic intensity and volume decreased significantly from the Late Triassic to EarlyMiddle Jurassic, with an obvious magmatic quiescence between them, and increased from the EarlyMiddle Jurassic to Late Jurassic. The Nd ( t ) and zircon Hf ( t ) values of mafic rocks, granitoids, and shoshonitic rocks remarkably increased from the Late Triassic to EarlyMiddle Jurassic, indicative of variations in the lithospheric mantle and continental crust. Such variations suggest that the initial tectonic transition occurred at the earliest Early Jurassic. Based on the southward paleocurrents from Early Jurassic sandstone, E-Wtrending extension of EarlyMiddle Jurassic mafic and shoshonitic rocks, and similar sedimentary provenances of Late Triassic and EarlyMiddle Jurassic sedimentary rocks, these features imply that the SE South China Block was not immediately influenced by the Paleo-Pacific domain during the EarlyMiddle Jurassic. However, from the EarlyMiddle Jurassic to Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, the spatial distribution, geochemical signatures, magmatic intensity, and magmatic volume of igneous rocks and provenance of sedimentary rocks exhibit obvious variations, and the regional fold hinge direction changed from E-Wtrending to NE-trending, suggesting significant effects from Paleo-Pacific subduction on the SE South China Block. Thus, the Mesozoic tectonic transition from the Paleo-Tethyan to the Paleo-Pacific dynamic domain in the SE South China Block likely occurred during the EarlyMiddle Jurassic.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35755.1/595454/Reappraisal-of-the-Mesozoic-tectonic-transition

Two key switches in regional stress field during multi-stage deformation in the CarboniferousTriassic southernmost Altaids (Beishan, NW China): Response to orocline-related roll-back processes

Zhonghua Tian; Wenjiao Xiao; Brian F. Windley; Peng Huang; Ji'en Zhang ...

Abstract: The orogenic architecture of the Altaids of Central Asia was created by multiple large-scale slab roll-back and oroclinal bending. However, no regional structural deformation related to roll-back processes has been described. In this paper, we report a structural study of the Beishan orogenic collage in the southernmost Altaids, which is located in the southern wing of the Tuva-Mongol Orocline. Our new field mapping and structural analysis integrated with an electron backscatter diffraction study, paleontology, U-Pb dating, 39Ar-40Ar dating, together with published isotopic ages enables us to construct a detailed deformation-time sequence: During D 1 times many thrusts were propagated northwards. In D 2 there was ductile sinistral shearing at 336326 Ma. In D 3 times there was top-to-W/WNW ductile thrusting at 303289 Ma. Two phases of folding were defined as D 4 and D 5 . Three stages of extensional events (E 1 E 3 ) separately occurred during D 1 D 5 . Two switches of the regional stress field were identified in the Carboniferous to Early Permian (D 1 -E 1 -D 2 -D 3 -E 2 ) and Late Permian to Early Triassic (D 4 -E 3 -D 5 ). These two switches in the stress field were associated with formation of bimodal volcanic rocks, and an extensional interarc basin with deposition of Permian-Triassic sediments, which can be related to two stages of roll-back of the subduction zone on the Paleo-Asian oceanic margin. We demonstrate for the first time that two key stress field switches were responses to the formation of the Tuva-Mongol Orocline.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35898.1/595455/Two-key-switches-in-regional-stress-field-during

Structural styles, deformation, and uplift of the Olympic Mountains, Washington: Implications for accretionary wedge deformation

M. James Aldrich

Abstract: The Olympic subduction complex is the exposed subaerial Cascadia accretionary wedge in the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. Uplift of the mountains has been attributed to two competing models: margin-normal deformation from frontal accretion and underplating, and margin-parallel deformation from the clockwise rotation and northward movement of the Oregon Coast Range block compressing the Olympic Mountains block against the Canadian Coast Range. East-northeastoriented folds and Quaternary thrust faults and paleostress analysis of faults in the Coastal Olympic subduction complex, west of the subduction complex massif, provide new evidence for north-south shortening in the Coastal Olympic subduction complex that fills a large spatial gap in the north-south shortening documented in prior studies, substantially strengthening the block rotation model. These new data, together with previous studies that document north-south shortening in the subduction complex and at numerous locations in the Coast Range terrane peripheral to the complex, indicate that margin-parallel deformation of the Cascadia forearc has contributed significantly to uplift of the Olympic Mountains. Coastal Olympic subduction complex shallow-level fold structural style and deformation mechanisms provide a template for analyzing folding processes in other accretionary wedges. Similar-shaped folds in shallow-level Miocene turbidite sediments of the Coastal Olympic subduction complex formed in two shortening phases not previously recognized in accretionary wedges. Folds began forming by bed-parallel flow of sediment into developing hinges. When the strata could no longer accommodate shortening by flexural flow, further shortening was taken up by flexural slip. Similar-shaped folds in the deeper accretionary wedge rocks of the subduction complex massif have a well-developed axial-surface cleavage that facilitated shear folding with sediment moving parallel to the axial surface into the hinges, a structural style that is common to accretionary wedges. The pressure-temperature conditions and depth at which the formation of similar folds transitions from bed-parallel to axial-surfaceparallel deformation are bracketed.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35729.1/595422/Structural-styles-deformation-and-uplift-of-the

Late Paleogene paleotopographic evolution of the northern Cordilleran orogenic front: Implications for demise of the orogen

Majie Fan; Kurt N. Constenius; Rachel F. Phillips; David L. Dettman

Abstract: The paleotopographic history of the North American Cordilleran orogen holds the key to understanding mechanisms of orogenesis and subsequent orogenic collapse. It has been suggested that the orogenic front in western Montana (USA) and Alberta (Canada) was more than 4 km high during Late Cretaceousearly Eocene contractional deformation and during the initial phase of extension in the middle Eocene; however, the late EoceneOligocene topographic evolution during continued extensional collapse remains poorly constrained. Here we extend the paleotopographic record in the Kishenehn Basin in northwestern Montana and southeastern British Columbia (Canada) to the late Oligocene by studying 18O values of fossil mollusks and cement and paleosol carbonates. The molluscan taxa changed from three sympatric groups with preferred habitats ranging from tropical wet, semi-arid subtropical, and temperate during the middle and late Eocene, to mainly a single group associated with temperate environment during the Oligocene, reflecting a decline in molluscan biodiversity induced by climate cooling across the EoceneOligocene transition. Reconstructed  18O values of alpine snowmelt and basinal precipitation decreased by 1.4 and 3.8, respectively, from the middle to late Eocene, reflecting climate cooling and 1 km surface uplift of the basin floor. The reconstructed alpine snowmelt 18O values then increased by 2.9 in the Oligocene suggesting a 0.5 km drop in elevation of the orogenic front. Collectively, the results of our new and previously published  18O data chronicle the paleotopographic response to the change from flat-slab subduction to slab rollback over a 45 m.y. period. These data suggest that the orogenic front was characterized by high elevation (>4 km) in the ancestral Lewis-Clark-Livingston ranges during latest Cretaceousearly Eocene (ca. 7552 Ma) contraction. The initial phase of extension related to the Kishenehn Basin created a lowland basin with a surface elevation of only 1.5 km during the early middle Eocene (ca. 4644 Ma) whereas the ranges remained >4 km high. The high range elevations were sustained for at least 12 m.y. in the middle to late Eocene concurrent with extension, while the basin floor elevation was uplifted to 2.5 km by the latest Eocene (ca. 3634 Ma). Basin aggradation can explain at most half of the 1 km basin floor uplift. The remaining amount (at least 0.5 km) and sustained high range elevation suggest that range denudation and crustal extension was compensated by the isostatic and thermal effects of slab rollback and/or passage of a slab window and infusion of hot asthenosphere beneath the continent. The range elevation in the orogenic front decreased 0.5 km by the late Oligocene (ca. 28 Ma), associated with a decrease in rock uplift rate associated with extension. A post-Oligocene elevation drop of 1 km resulted in both the ranges and basin floor reaching modern topography in the Kishenehn Basin drainage, likely due to the regional effect of Neogene Basin and Range extension. This study, along with the previous investigation of the Kishenehn Basin by Fan et al. (2017), are the first studies that systematically investigate paleorelief of the orogenic belt by reconstructing paleoelevations of the mountains and the basin at the same time. The results highlight that the Cordilleran orogenic front of northern Montana and southern British Columbia sustained its high elevation edifice for at least 12 m.y. after the start of extension. We suggest that initial crustal extension did not result in orogenic demise because of concurrent thermal and isostatic uplift.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35919.1/595423/Late-Paleogene-paleotopographic-evolution-of-the

The role of slab geometry in the exhumation of cordilleran-type orogens and their forelands: Insights from northern Patagonia

Marie C. Genge; Massimiliano Zattin; Elisa Savignano; Marta Franchini; Cecile Gautheron ...

Abstract: In cordilleran-type orogens, subduction geometry exerts a fundamental control on the tectonic behavior of the overriding plate. An integrated low-temperature, large thermochronological data set is used in this study to investigate the burial and exhumation history of the overriding plate in northern Patagonia (4045S). Thermal inverse modeling allowed us to establish that a 2.54-km-thick section originally overlaid the JurassicLower Cretaceous successions deposited in half-graben systems that are presently exposed in the foreland. Removal of the sedimentary cover started in the late Early Cretaceous. This was coeval with an increase of the convergence rate and a switch to a westward absolute motion of the South American Plate that was accompanied by shallowing of the subducting slab. Unroofing was probably further enhanced by Late Cretaceous to early Paleogene opening of a slab window beneath the overriding plate. Following a tectonically quiescent period, renewed exhumation occurred in the orogen during relatively fast Neogene plate convergence. However, even the highly sensitive apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronometer does not record any coeval cooling in the foreland. The comparison between Late Cretaceous and Neogene exhumation patterns provides clear evidence of the fundamental role played by inter-plate coupling associated with shallow slab configurations in controlling plate-scale deformation. Our results, besides highlighting for the first time how the whole northern Patagonia foreland was affected by an exhumation of several kilometers since the Late Cretaceous, provide unrivalled evidence of the link between deep geodynamic processes affecting the slab and the modes and timing of unroofing of different sectors of the overriding plate.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35767.1/595424/The-role-of-slab-geometry-in-the-exhumation-of

Flow of Devonian anatectic crust in the accretionary Altai Orogenic Belt, central Asia: Insights into horizontal and vertical magma transfer

Sheng Wang; Yingde Jiang; Roberto Weinberg; Karel Schulmann; Jian Zhang ...

Abstract: Flow of partially molten crust is a key contributor to mass and heat redistribution within orogenic systems, however, this process has not yet been fully understood in accretionary orogens. This issue is addressed in a Devonian migmatite-granite complex from the Chinese Altai through structural, petrological, and geochronological investigations presented in this study. The migmatite-granite complex records a gradual evolution from metatexite, diatexite to granite and preserves a record of two main Devonian phases of deformation designated D1 and D2. The D1 phase was subdivided into an early crustal thickening episode (D1 B ) and a later extensional episode (D1 M ) followed by D2 upright folding. The D1 M episode is associated with anatexis in the deep crust. Vertical shortening, associated with D1 M , gave rise to the segregation of melt and formation of a sub-horizontal layering of stromatic metatexite. This fabric was reworked by the D2 deformation associated with the migration of anatectic magma in the cores of F2 antiforms. Geochronological investigations combined with petro-structural analysis reveal that: (1) D1 M partial melting started probably at 420410 Ma and formed sub-horizontal stromatic metatexites at 30 km depth; (2) The anatectic magma accumulated and migrated when a drainage network developed, as attested by the pervasive formation of massive diatexite migmatites, at 410400 Ma; (3) Soon after, massive flow of the partially molten crust from orogenic lower to orogenic upper crustal levels, assisted by the interplay between D2 upright folding and magma diapirism, led to migmatite-granite emplacement in the cores of regional F2 antiforms that lasted until at least 390 Ma; (4) a terminal stage was manifested by the emplacement of 370360 Ma granite dykes into the surrounding metamorphic envelope. We propose that Devonian anatexis assisted by deformation governed first the horizontal and then the vertical flow of partially molten orogenic lower crust, which drove crustal flow, mass redistribution, and crustal differentiation in the accretionary system of the Chinese Altai.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35645.1/595395/Flow-of-Devonian-anatectic-crust-in-the

Three stages of arc migration in the Carboniferous-Triassic in northern Qiangtang, central Tibet, China: Ridge subduction and asynchronous slab rollback of the Jinsha Paleotethys

Yin Liu; Wenjiao Xiao; Brian F. Windley; Kefa Zhou; Rongshe Li ...

Abstract: Carboniferous-Triassic magmatism in northern Qiangtang, central Tibet, China, played a key role in the evolution of the Tibetan Plateau yet remains a subject of intense debate. New geochronological and geochemical data from adakitic, Nb-enriched, and normal arc magmatic rocks, integrated with results from previous studies, enable us to determine the Carboniferous-Triassic (312205 Ma), arc-related, plutonic-volcanic rocks in northern Qiangtang. Spatial-temporal relationships reveal three periods of younging including southward (312252 Ma), rapid northward (249237 Ma), and normal northward (234205 Ma) migrations that correspond to distinct slab geodynamic processes including continentward slab shallowing, rapid trenchward slab rollback, and normal trenchward rollback of the Jinsha Paleotethys rather than the Longmuco-Shuanghu Paleotethys, respectively. Moreover, varying degrees of coexistence of adakites/High-Mg andesites (HMAs)/Nb-enriched basalt-andesites (NEBs) and intraplate basalts in the above-mentioned stages is consistent with the magmatic effects of slab window triggered by ridge subduction, which probably started since the Late Carboniferous and continued into the Late Triassic. The Carboniferous-Triassic multiple magmatic migrations and ridge-subduction scenarios provide new insight into the geodynamic processes of the Jinsha Paleotethys and the growth mechanism of the Tibetan Plateau.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35906.1/595412/Three-stages-of-arc-migration-in-the-Carboniferous

Magnetostratigraphic study of a Late CretaceousPaleogene succession in the eastern Xining basin, NE Tibet: Constraint on the timing of major tectonic events in response to the India-Eurasia collision

Chi-Cheng He; Yue-Qiao Zhang; Shao-Kai Li; Kai Wang; Jian-Qing Ji

Abstract: Cretaceous-Cenozoic basins developed in the NE Tibetan Plateau contain key archives to unravel the growth history of the plateau in response to the India-Eurasia collision. Here we present magnetostratigraphic results of a Late Cretaceous to Paleogene succession of the Zhongba section outcropping at the southern margin of the eastern Xining basin. This succession consists of three lithological units punctuated by two stratigraphic unconformities, which best recorded the deformation history of this foreland basin. Detailed magnetostratigraphic investigation show that the lower terrestrial sedimentary rock unit, the Minhe Group, was deposited in latest Cretaceous in the time span of ca. 74.569.2 Ma; the middle unit was deposited in Paleogene in the time span of ca. 49.322 Ma; and the upper conglomeratic unit, not dated, possibly was deposited in early Miocene. Accordingly, the CretaceousPaleogene unconformity, widely observed in the foreland basins of NE Tibet, represents a sedimentary hiatus duration of 19.9 m.y., from ca. 69.2 Ma to ca. 49.3 Ma, which possibly recorded the far-field response to the tectonic transition from Neo-Tethys oceanic plate subduction to the India-Eurasia collision in southern Tibet. Changes in provenance, sedimentary accumulation rate, and mean susceptibility value at ca. 3330 Ma, and the total prolate anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) ellipsoids and provenance shifting since ca. 2319 Ma, point to the pulsed growth of West Qinling, and rapid uplift of Laji Shan, respectively, indicating an enhanced effect of the India-Eurasia collision in Oligocene and early Miocene. AMS results show a clockwise rotation of the shortening direction from NEN-SWS in latest Cretaceous to NE-SW in Paleogene.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35874.1/595413/Magnetostratigraphic-study-of-a-Late-Cretaceous

Temperatures of Late Cretaceous (Campanian) methane-derived authigenic carbonates from the Western Interior Seaway, South Dakota, USA, using clumped isotopes

Yang Gao; Gregory A. Henkes; J. Kirk Cochran; Neil H. Landman

Abstract: Methane seep deposits, comprising large, carbonate-rich mounds formed from hydrocarbon seepage, were widely distributed in the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (WIS) of North America. Well-preserved, methane-derived authigenic carbonates (MDACs) from these deposits have been shown to retain petrological, paleontological, and geochemical imprints of their ancient depositional setting, all of which are important for understanding the dynamics and evolution of the shallow, epeiric WIS. To better characterize the environmental conditions of WIS seeps, we applied clumped isotope paleothermometry to magnesium calcite MDAC samples from five seep localities in the upper Campanian Pierre Shale, South Dakota, USA. We measured 21 subsamples, including 18 micritic carbonates and demonstrated apparent clumped isotope equilibrium between MDACs and WIS bottom waters. Extreme 13C depletion in most samples (13C ranging to 45.44) indicates they were precipitated with oxidized methane as a major source of dissolved inorganic carbon, which itself implies a close association with ancient methanotrophic metabolism. The average clumped isotope paleotemperature from the micritic carbonates is 23  7 C (1 standard deviation), which agrees with bottom water paleotemperatures inferred from 18O measurements of MDACs and well-preserved mollusk shells at similar localities in the WIS. The calculated average  18O w value for these samples is 0.5  1.7 (1 SD), which is indistinguishable from previously reported calculation on Campanian seawater 18O w from fossil mollusk shells, but elevated above younger fossils collected from other locations in the WIS. Our conclusions are inconsistent with previously hypothesized disequilibrium for WIS MDAC clumped isotope and therefore we propose that fossil MDAC deposits may be used as paleotemperature archives.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35846.1/595396/Temperatures-of-Late-Cretaceous-Campanian-methane

Autogenic translation and counter point bar deposition in meandering rivers

Z. Sylvester; P.R. Durkin; S.M. Hubbard; D. Mohrig

Abstract: Although it has long been recognized that deposition along meandering rivers is not restricted to convex banks (i.e., point bars), the consensus is that sediment deposition on concave banks of channel bends mostly occurs when meander bends translate downstream because erosion-resistant barriers inhibit their lateral migration. Using a kinematic model of channel meandering and time lapse satellite imagery from the Mamore River in Bolivia, we show that downstream translation and associated concave bank deposition are essential, autogenic parts of the meandering process, and resulting counter point bars are expected to be present whenever perturbations such as bend cutoffs and channel reoccupations create short bends with high curvatures. The implication is that zones of concave bank deposition with lower topography, finer-grained sediment, slack water, and riparian vegetation that differs from point bars are more common than previously considered.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35829.1/595343/Autogenic-translation-and-counter-point-bar

Stratigraphy, age, and provenance of the Eocene Chumstick basin, Washington Cascades; implications for paleogeography, regional tectonics, and development of strike-slip basins

Erin E. Donaghy; Paul J. Umhoefer; Michael P. Eddy; Robert B. Miller; Taylor LaCasse

Abstract: Strike-slip faults form in a wide variety of tectonic settings and are a first-order control on the geometry and sediment accumulation patterns in adjacent sedimentary basins. Although the structural and depositional architecture of strike-slip basins is well documented, few studies of strike-slip basins have integrated depositional age, lithofacies, and provenance control within this context. The Chumstick basin formed in central Washington during a regional phase of dextral, strike-slip faulting and episodic magmatism associated with Paleogene ridge-trench interaction along the North America margin. The basin is bounded and subdivided by major strike-slip faults that were active during deposition of the intra-basinal, non-marine Chumstick Formation. We build on the existing stratigraphy and present new, detailed lithofacies mapping, conglomerate clast counts (N = 16; n = 1429), and sandstone detrital zircon analyses (N = 16; n = 1360) from the Chumstick Formation to document changes in sediment provenance, routing, and deposition. These data allow us to reconstruct regional Eocene paleo-drainage systems of Washington and Oregon and suggest that drainage within the Chumstick basin fed a regional river system that flowed to a forearc or marginal basin on the newly accreted Siletzia terrane. More generally, excellent age control from five interbedded tuffs and high sediment accumulation rates allow us to track the evolving sedimentary system over the Formation's ca. 45 m.y. depositional history. This is the first time lithofacies and provenance variations can be constrained at high temporal resolution (0.51.5 m.y. scale) for an ancient strike-slip basin and permits a detailed reconstruction of sediment routing pathways and depositional environments. As a result, we can assess how varying sediment supply and accommodation space affects the depositional architecture during strike-slip basin evolution.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35738.1/595282/Stratigraphy-age-and-provenance-of-the-Eocene

Progressive spatial and temporal evolution of tectonic triggers and metasomatized mantle lithosphere sources for orogenic gold mineralization in a Triassic convergent margin: Kunlun-Qinling Orogen, central China

Hesen Zhao; Qingfei Wang; David I. Groves; Jun Deng

Abstract: Whether orogenic gold deposits formed from crustal or subcrustal sources is debated, and their link to orogenic processes is ambiguous. Gold mineralization in the Triassic East KunlunWest Qinling Orogen, China, displays a spatial zonation in terms of its ages and stable isotope compositions. In the West Qinling segment, most gold deposits formed in a back-arc setting at 220210 Ma during a collisional episode within late slab rollback. These deposits have dominant 34S of 515 and  18O fluid of 1014, whereas those formed in the suture zone at 210170 Ma, during a post-collisional episode after slab break-off, have lower 34S of 5+5 and 18O fluid of 610. In the East Kunlun segment, those deposits that formed in a continental-arc setting and its related suture zone at 240200 Ma, in collisional to post-collisional episodes associated with slab break-off, have 34S and 18O fluid values that are essentially similar to those in the West Qinling suture.  34S values of ore sulfide separates and rims of zoned pyrites that have mantle-like signatures, in contrast with crustal signatures of host rocks, are indicative of subcrustal ore-fluid sources. The combined chronological and stable isotope shifts are consistent with a model in which ore fluids for gold mineralization in a back-arc setting were sourced from mantle lithosphere that was metasomatized by subducted oceanic sediment; whereas those in a continental-arc setting--including its suture zone--were sourced from fluid derived from altered oceanic crust. This study thus provides new insights into the complexity of orogenic gold systems in evolving orogens.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35754.1/595219/Progressive-spatial-and-temporal-evolution-of

Late MesozoicCenozoic cooling history of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and its foreland derived from low-temperature thermochronology

Chen Wu; Andrew V. Zuza; Jie Li; Peter J. Haproff; An Yin ...

Abstract: The growth history and formation mechanisms of the Cenozoic Tibetan Plateau are the subject of an intense debate with important implications for understanding the kinematics and dynamics of large-scale intracontinental deformation. Better constraints on the uplift and deformation history across the northern plateau are necessary to address how the Tibetan Plateau was constructed. To this end, we present updated field observations coupled with low-temperature thermochronology from the Qaidam basin in the south to the Qilian Shan foreland in the north. Our results show that the region experienced a late Mesozoic cooling event that is interpreted as a result of tectonic deformation prior to the India-Asia collision. Our results also reveal the onset of renewed cooling in the Eocene in the Qilian Shan region along the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, which we interpret to indicate the timing of initial thrusting and plateau formation along the plateau margin. The interpreted Eocene thrusting in the Qilian Shan predates Cenozoic thrust belts to the south (e.g., the Eastern Kunlun Range), which supports out-of-sequence rather than northward-migrating thrust belt development. The early Cenozoic deformation exploited the south-dipping early Paleozoic Qilian suture zone as indicated by our field mapping and the existing geophysical data. In the Miocene, strike-slip faulting was initiated along segments of the older Paleozoic suture zones in northern Tibet, which led to the development of the Kunlun and Haiyuan left-slip transpressional systems. Late Miocene deformation and uplift of the Hexi corridor and Longshou Shan directly north of the Qilian Shan thrust belt represent the most recent phase of outward plateau growth.

View article: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35879.1/595220/Late-Mesozoic-Cenozoic-cooling-history-of-the

Distinct responses of late Miocene eolian and lacustrine systems to astronomical forcing in NE Tibet

Zhixiang Wang; Chunju Huang; David B. Kemp; Ze Zhang; Yu Sui

Abstract: East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and winter monsoon (EAWM) variability on

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
"The airport's murals are like the 20th-century continuation of those at the ancient Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in Gansu province, continuing the legacy of Chinese murals," said Zhou Aimin, associate professor at the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University (AADTHU).

Special history

Beijing Capital International Airport opened in 1958, and construction of its first international terminal building began in 1974. Four years later, the Ministry of Culture and the Civil Aviation Administration of China invited teachers and students from the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts (now the AADTHU) to create art deco murals for the new building.

Zhang Ding, then-president of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, headed the creative team behind what was the first large-scale national-level mural project since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The faculty and students worked with 52 artists from 17 provinces and municipalities across China to create more than 50 artworks, including murals and oil paintings. Completed in 1979, these artworks were placed at various sites around the terminal, from waiting rooms to restaurants.

At the 4th Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) in 1979, fellow artists praised the airport murals for blazing a new path for the artform in China. "The creators emancipated their minds, bravely innovated, and integrated China's traditional mural crafts and modern techniques," said Zhou Yang, then-president of CFLAC.

Tang Wei, now a professor of AADTHU, took part in the project as a college student in 1979. "At first I felt a little bit clueless, but when I started working, I was very excited and energized in that special atmosphere, inspired by such renowned artists and fellow participants, who were also excited to look at the blank concrete terminal walls with their own visions."

Tang was tasked with helping artist Yuan Yunfu finish the mural "Mountains and Rivers of Sichuan." When she looked back on the murals, she called them "creations with long artistic accumulation," while she described the artists as "constantly striving for perfection."

For example, Zhang Ding was both directing the team to create their works, while himself creating a mural titled "Nezha Stirs Up the Sea." Tang recalled: "He insisted on using traditional Chinese techniques to create the contemporary murals, repeatedly testing various paints and pigments to find the best solutions."

Cultural impact

Du Dakai, another prominent professor at AADTHU, also participated in the airport project, assisting artist Zhu Danian. "When the murals were all finished, I could feel the shockwaves," he said, noting that many people made the trip out to view the artworks, despite the airport's remote location. A detail from the mural "Song of the Forest," created by Zhu, was later featured on the cover of an art textbook for China's high school.

Du remembered a visit to the airport by Kuwabara Sumio, a renowned Japanese art critic and scholar: "He said, 'This is the spring of China; a new era has come.'"

The artworks at Beijing Capital International Airport have influenced generations of Chinese artists, as well as serving as an aesthetic education for domestic and foreign travelers, acting as symbols of Chinese culture, and representing China's reform and opening-up.

Artist Yuan Yunsheng painted female nudes in a mural portraying the Dai ethnic minority's Water-Sprinkling Festival  a remarkable feat at a time when Chinese society was relatively conservative.

Henry Fok Ying-tung, the late Hong Kong-based tycoon, once recalled: "At that time, when investing in the mainland, we always feared policy changes. Every time I went to Beijing, I had to see if the mural was still there. If it was, my heart would be more secure."

Preserving memories

As many of the artists and participants of the project have grown old or passed away, historians, scholars and experts were determined to ensure the artworks will live on forever.

Back in 2019, the AADTHU held an exhibition marking the project's 40th anniversary. Nearly 30 former participants of the project were interviewed to record their memories, and documents, manuscripts and photos related to the project were also collected.

In addition, since April 2019, the AADTHU has been compiling a book on the Beijing airport murals based on two years of research. This year, the book will be published as part of celebrations to mark the 110th anniversary of Tsinghua University.

"An international airport is the gateway to a country. Machines or equipment may become obsolete over time, but the value of art will never go out of fashion. If an artwork was created based on ancient traditions but has new innovations, it is a valuable creation," said the late Ikuo Hirayama, one of the most celebrated contemporary Japanese artists, when commenting on Beijing's airport murals.

Modern-day 'Mogao Grottoes' hidden in Beijing airport

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2021-04/01/content_77367015.htm

SOURCE China.org.cn
CHICO, Calif., March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A lawsuit was filed in Butte County Superior Court by Jane Doe against Chico Unified School District alleging years of childhood sexual assault and abuse by her former teacher at Bidwell Junior High School, Jennifer Lynn Smith.

According to the complaint filed by attorney Mary Alexander, Jane Doe (a name used to protect the survivor's identity) was sexually assaulted, molested, and abused beginning around 2009, when Jane Doe, age 13, was an eighth-grade student in Smith's Spanish class at Bidwell Junior High School. After Jane Doe confided in a school counselor and in Smith about the difficulties of her home life, Smith pretended to take an interest in her situation. Smith began "grooming" Jane Doe with the intent to manipulate Jane Doe's emotions so that she could ultimately sexually abuse her. Smith even used Jane Doe's difficult upbringing to her advantage by calling Jane Doe her "adopted daughter." As Jane Doe's teacher, Smith used her position of trust and authority to take advantage of her young student.

Smith invited Jane Doe, her eighth-grade student, to spend the night at her home, also occupied by her husband and children, where Smith regularly forced Jane Doe to drink alcohol while Smith molested her.

Jane Doe continued to be sexually abused by Smith throughout middle school and high school. When Jane Doe was about 16 years old, Smith caused her to move in with Smith and Smith's family, and she was sexually assaulted repeatedly over years while at Smith's home. Smith controlled, harassed, and manipulated Jane Doe emotionally to the point Jane Doe felt trapped.

On March 24, 2021, Smith was sentenced to five years in state prison for the sexual abuse of Jane Doe.

Students, such as Jane Doe, are entrusted in the care of their schools and its teachers every day. As alleged in the complaint, Chico Unified School District had a duty to protect Jane Doe, who was under their care and supervision, from the foreseeable risk of harm posed by its teachers or school employees, like Smith, and chose not to do so.

"This teacher completely violated the trust of a young teenage girl who was vulnerable and in need of real help in her life," said attorney Mary Alexander. "How could the District employ a teacher who took a student home to live with her so she could have total power to abuse, assault and manipulate her at all times? It is reprehensible."

The case is Jane Doe v. Chico Unified School District, Butte County Superior Court, Case No. 21CV00762. To read the complaint, click here.

About Mary Alexander & Associates, P.C.

At the law firm of Mary Alexander & Associates, we are proud of our record and tradition of excellence. Preparing thoroughly for trial is the trademark of our firm, and we build innovative courtroom exhibits and technology to help juries understand even the most complex legal matters. Our innovations, creativity and preparation have allowed us to achieve an outstanding record of success. We are justifiably proud of the verdicts and settlements we have obtained for our deserving clients.

CONTACT: Joe Marchelewski, [email protected]

SOURCE Mary Alexander & Associates
Rebranding

1 April 2021

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced the continued expansion of the JdV by Hyatt brand with The Walper Hotel joining the brand later this year.

The 92-room Walper Hotel, located in the heart of Kitchener, one of Ontario's oldest neighborhoods and a hub of vibrant growth in the burgeoning Waterloo-Toronto Tech Corridor, is expected to join the JdV by Hyatt brand later this year. With enhancements currently underway on the existing hotel, The Walper Hotel will feature the JdV by Hyatt brand's inclusive spirit and heartfelt service.
The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option.
Pipeline

1 April 2021

Virgin Hotels, the lifestyle hotel brand by Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson, announces plans to open and operate a new hotel in Glasgow, Scotland. Expected to open in 2022, Virgin Hotels Glasgow will be the brand's second Scottish hotel to be signed and will be managed by Virgin Hotels.

The property will be located at 236-246 Clyde Street, which is in a prime City Centre position overlooking the River Clyde in the heart of Glasgow's shopping area, making it an ideal base to explore the city. The hotel will showcase panoramic river views and feature 242 Chambers and Grand Chamber Suites; meeting and event space; and multiple dining and drinking outlets, including the brand's signature culinary experience Commons Club, a restaurant, bar and modern social club and Funny Library Coffee Shop, a communal work space that will house an assortment of whimsical and funny books and games.
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The Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, has been decorated as Special Marshall of Operation Amotekun in Ogun State.

Mr Soyinka, a Professor of Comparative Literature and Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1986, was honoured during the inauguration of the local security outfit on Thursday.

Governor Dapo Abiodun shared the pictures of the event on his official Twitter handle.

I had the honour of inaugurating the indigenous security outfit, AMOTEKUN Corps in Ogun State earlier today. We also commissioned patrol vans and motorcycles.

I had the honour of inaugurating the indigenous security outfit, AMOTEKUN Corps in Ogun State earlier today. We also commissioned patrol vans and motorcycles. pic.twitter.com/ucdpwPBP8W  Prince Dr. Dapo Abiodun  MFR (@dabiodunMFR) April 1, 2021

Led by Rtd CP David Akinremi, the Corps has as Special Marshall, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka who was kind enough to grace the event. #BuildingOurFutureTogether #ISEYA #OgunState

Led by Rtd CP David Akinremi, the Corps has as Special Marshall, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka who was kind enough to grace the event. #BuildingOurFutureTogether #ISEYA #OgunState pic.twitter.com/0Zr6masHX5  Prince Dr. Dapo Abiodun  MFR (@dabiodunMFR) April 1, 2021

Six southwest governors, on January 9, launched a security outfit, code-named Operation Amotekun to defend the region against rising insecurity marked by indiscriminate killings, kidnappings, banditry and destruction of farmlands.

Although, the launch initiative triggered a controversy across the country as the Nigerian government through Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation, described the initiative as illegal.

The governors and the Minister later agreed to give legal backing to the initiative but said it wont be a regional outfit as earlier conceived, but state-based.

They also agreed that the new initiative will be done in partnership with the police to deal with crime-related challenges.

PREMIUM TIMES in a recently published analysis examined the activities of the security outfits in the last one year as kidnappings and killings remain rampant in the region.
[April 01, 2021] 3 Expert ServiceNow Solutions: Unlock Potential with your Premier Partner

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MavenNext announces their new, and promoted, tiered status as your Premier ServiceNow Partner. Leveraging their expertise in ServiceNow solutions; ITOM, ITAM and Integrated Risk Management (IRM), the accomplishment brings the MavenNext team one step closer to achieving top tier status within the partner program. With a combined 20 years of experience, the founders created a proven framework, became a trusted advisor and one of the fastest growing ServiceNow partners in the ecosystem. "Our mission is to help clients succeed on the ServiceNow platform, such that their team can return focus on increasing revenue and growth. We do this while providing premier customer care, and expert offerings. We know we're the best in ITOM, ITAM and IRM, but we're so excited, and honored, that ServiceNow recognizes our dedication through this new designation" Owner and founder Arnold De La Fuente. De La Fuente and his business partner, John Manner, know all too well the ups and downs of the tech industry when they decided to start MavenNext in 2018. With dual headquarters in San Francisco and Columbus, OH the two were quickly tossed into C-level roles and set out to put their dream in action. Fast-forward to today, and we still find the two working to achieve the best qality for their clients.



The business grew from a startup to a recognizable brand with their success originating from providing the best work for their clients. Crafting each project with precision and quality, MavenNext is growing fast because of the entire team's dedication and perseverance. Their motto is, "Treat your clients like friends and employees like family," With this philosophy, they have kept clients from day one, employees who love solving problems, and are sure to improve your ServiceNow platform with their 3 expert solutions:

IRM : Eight-million dollars --that's the price of the average data breach in the United States , without including the cost of lost opportunities and damaging effects to the company's brand. The number of attacks are increasing at an average rate of 2% a year, it's more critical now than ever to install digital security to protect one's business.



Every successful CEO has the same goal: to effectively run and grow their business. This task is impossible when faced with a data breach that can take half a year to identify and months to repair. The installation of cyber security allows the executive leaders to focus their time, energy, and money on increasing revenue and decreasing operating costs.





: --that's the price of the average data breach in , without including the cost of lost opportunities and damaging effects to the company's brand. The number of attacks are increasing at an average rate of 2% a year, it's more critical now than ever to install digital security to protect one's business. Every successful CEO has the same goal: to effectively run and grow their business. This task is impossible when faced with a data breach that can take half a year to identify and months to repair. The installation of cyber security allows the executive leaders to focus their time, energy, and money on increasing revenue and decreasing operating costs. ITOM : Automate workflow. Every company wants to save money, but ITOM does just this. It can help any team automate service deployment, utilize workflow design, integrate manual services, track development processes/deliverables with SDLC, and control cost and performance.





: Automate workflow. Every company wants to save money, but ITOM does just this. It can help any team automate service deployment, utilize workflow design, integrate manual services, track development processes/deliverables with SDLC, and control cost and performance. ITAM: Everyone remembers the headlines that flooded the internet when companies audits went south. Improve the risk of compliance due to software audits. By being proactive, C-Level managers can have peace of mind that their information is secure and audits go smoothly. For more information, contact us at customersuccess@mavennext.com ; http://www.mavennext.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/3-expert-servicenow-solutions-unlock-potential-with-your-premier-partner-301260870.html SOURCE MavenNext

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"A lot of small businesses, who have been very agile and been able to make those shifts, I think are going to be well positioned in this new hybrid world that we're going to be in, where people will be coming back into the city center into the offices while there also may be a lot more remote work, John C. Williams, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said during a March 30 webinar to present the results of the research and promote AARP's Small Business Resource Center.

The resource center is just one of the programs AARP provides to help older adults who may be considering becoming entrepreneurs.

"The reality is four out of five small business owners are 45-plus, and they are among the most successful in the entrepreneurial space, Nancy LeaMond, AARP's executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, said during the webinar. They come to it after years of experience, they have many contacts, and they've had the benefit of failure and resilience. And they want to bring those skills [to their own businesses], including some of the softer skills."

Entrepreneurs rise to the challenges

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been opportunities to become a business owner, Williams said.

"We've seen an enormous number of new small businesses being started, so there is an entrepreneurial spirit, he said. There are people out there who are looking for the next stage in life or next challenge, and we're seeing them taking those opportunities. I think combined with a better economic outlook, there are some pretty positive trends, [and] the willingness and ability of people to take risks in starting new businesses is clearly as alive today as it ever was."

Some of the small business owners who were panelists for the webinar agreed that the economic difficulties of past year could be overcome.

"The pandemic, it crushed us, but it did not crush the entrepreneurial spirit that makes America great, said Towanda Livingston, chief business strategist at Livingston Worx, a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm. We did rally around what was important, and that is to save our communities, to save our nation and save jobs, and we did that collectively together."

Another small business executive urged entrepreneurs to be aggressive as they look for resources to help them stay afloat in uncertain economic times. Jan-Le Low, managing partner of the Satay Thai Bistro & Bar in Las Vegas, compared the challenges small businesses faced at the start of the pandemic to the shortages that many Americans encountered looking for household necessities.

"If one PPP lender is not giving you that loan, guess what? Go to another bank, go to another resource, she said. Just like toilet paper, we can't just sit there and wait for them to restock the next week, right? So we've got to take our own entrepreneurship spirit and go find the resources, go get the help. Because there are a lot of resources out there."

For some older adults, the decision to start a new business may be driven by the loss of their previous employment as a result of the pandemic.

"We know that if you're older and you lose your job, it typically takes a lot longer for you to get a job than someone else, LeaMond said. We know there are a lot of older folks who've been out of the labor market for awhile already. They are probably thinking about what to do if they can't get back into their industry or their job. And [entrepreneurship] is going to be a real opportunity for them."

Kenneth Terrell covers employment, age discrimination, work and jobs, careers, and Congress for AARP. He previously worked for the Education Writers Association and U.S. News & World Report, where he reported on government and politics, business, education, science and technology, and lifestyle news.
On March 16, 2021, a 21-year-old white male named Robert Aaron Long went on a shooting rampage at three separate massage parlors, leaving eight women dead. The Marxist rabble-rousers  a term synonymous with the Democrat party  quickly retreated into their Marxist libraries and thumbed through Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals to find out how to "stir up dissatisfaction and discontent."

We know that Robert Aaron Long went to rehab twice for sex addiction. Anyone with a rational brain  which exempts all Democrats  understands that Long was a sick and depraved individual whose motivation was not race-based, but induced by his self-loathing and contempt for those women to whom he turned. The killer admitted that there was no racial motivation for the killings. Long killed the women not because they were Asian  two were white  but because they worked at massage parlors, the types of places Long frequented to feed his loathsome addiction.

But the Marxists in the media and in the Democrat party  one and the same  intentionally told a different narrative. A Washington Post headline declared, "Eight killed, including 6 Asian women." Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that Asians "are being targeted unfairly." Georgia state rep. Bee Nguyen told CNN's Erin Burnett, "in this particular case, where the victims were Asian women, we see the intersections of racism, xenophobia and gender-based violence." Interestingly, neither Mayor Bottoms nor Rep. Nguyen, nor the Washington Post headline, mentioned the two white women murdered. Why? Because Saul Alinsky instructs them to "create the issues or problems."

You see, the Democrat party and the Democrat media are Marxists whose goal is to bring about revolution. Their organization is "born out of the issues and the issues are born out of the organization," according to Alinsky. They intentionally ignored the two whites because such an acknowledgment would undermine their effort to "agitate, create disenchantment, and discontent." White lives don't matter, but white votes still do.

The left in this country is engaged in an all-out assault on white, middle-class America. Don't take my word for it. Saul Alinsky, the official Marxist Democrat party tactician, wrote in Rules for Radicals that "organization for action will now and in the decade ahead center upon America's white middle class. That is where the power is. When more than three-fourths of our people from both the point of view of economics and self-identification are middle class, it is obvious that their action or inaction will determine the direction of change. Large parts of the middle class, the 'silent majority,' must be activated."

The Marxist Democrats are professional agitators and community organizers. They are arsonists, setting fire to the world. Their lies are intentional and strategic. Alinsky writes, "The organizer's job is to inseminate an invitation for himself, to agitate, introduce ideas, get people pregnant with hope and a desire for change and to identify you as the person most qualified for this purpose."

This is why the media largely ignored a slew of other recent violent crimes. Contrast the Democrat narrative and reporting on the Atlanta shootings with the most recent murder of a Pakistani Uber driver in Washington, D.C. CNN reports, "Two teenage girls have been charged in the carjacking death of an Uber Eats driver this week in Washington, DC, police say." There is no mention of the "black" ethnicity of the teenagers in the article, nor any suggestion of it being an anti-immigrant hate crime.

Or how about the reporting following the recent murder of ten white people by a Syrian, Muslim immigrant in Boulder, Colorado? In fact, CNN went out of the way to report that "high school bullies made fun of Alissa's name and for being Muslim." The subtext is that the killer was a victim. There is no suggestion that this was an anti-white hate crime, even thought all ten victims were white.

Americans are pawns in the Democrats' scheme to wrest power from "we the people" and secure it in perpetuity for themselves. White middle-class Americans remain the greatest impediment to the left's totalitarian ambitions. Alinksy wrote in 1971, "We are belatedly beginning to understand this, to know that even if all the low-income parts of our population were organized  all the blacks, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Appalachian poor white  if through some genius of organization they were all united in a coalition, it would not be powerful enough to get significant, basic, needed change."

The Atlanta spa shootings were attractive to the community organizers on the left. They salivated over their keyboards because they saw it as a rare opportunity to set multiple fires. This too is textbook Marxism. Alinksy instructs, "[A] single issue drastically limits your appeal, where multiple issues would draw in the many potential members essential to the building of a broad, mass-based organization[.] ... [M]any issues means many members."

This is why Rep. Nguyen attached the murders to multiple issues  "racism, xenophobia, and gender based violence." The Democrats are diabolical. Revolution is their goal. They are communists.

For too long, Americans have watched with frustration, anger, and helplessness as the Marxists have moved the ball down the field. But we have their playbook. If we hope to avert a dark totalitarian future, we must study their plays and expose them.

Drew Allen is a Texas-bred, California-based conservative author and speaker, who writes a weekly blog promoting conservative ideals at drewthomasallen.com. Fluent in Italian, Drew has lived and worked in Italy in the fashion industry and in New York City and Los Angeles as an actor, screenwriter, and independent film producer.

Image: stevepb via Pixabay, Pixabay license.
The founder of electronic bush doof festival Earthcore was in a drug-induced psychosis and told triple zero operators he was getting attacked and was about to get killed before his death at a Melbourne bar, an inquest has heard.

Spiros Boursinos, who also went by Spiro Boursine, was celebrating at Antique Bar in Elsternwick on the evening of October 20, 2018 after he had just secured a new site for his long-running but troubled festival in Anglesea.

Antique Bar in Elsternwick where Spiro Boursinos (inset) died. Credit:David Estcourt/Facebook

A friend said he seemed the happiest he had been in a long time when he arrived at the bar at 6.30pm, and they discussed upcoming arrangements for the festival.

Several hours later, the 45-year-old died after he was restrained by several bar staff and arrested by police following a 13-minute drug-induced psychotic episode in which he smashed a glass bottle against the venues front window.
Mumbai, April 1 : At least 20 persons from Mumbai have joined thousands more from all over India in the unique Dandi-Delhi "Mitti Satyagraha" initiative, intended to express solidarity with the farmers agitating outside Delhi since the past nearly four months, activists said here on Thursday.

The 'Soil Satyagraha' is an enactment of the historic 'Dandi Yatra' launched from Ahmedabad to Dandi, 390 km away, by Mahatma Gandhi, culminating in the 'Salt Satyagraha' 91 years ago (March 12-April 5, 1930).

"At that time, the Satyagraha was against the oppression of the British rule. This time, it is to highlight the insensitivity of the present Central government to the cause of the farmers, workers and common masses," Feroze Mithiborwala, one of the participants from Mumbai, told IANS.

Making it special, the processionists on the Dandi-Delhi route and other parts of India, collect the local soil from all villages, districts, regions and states, as the march traverses from around two dozen states and Union Territories, he said.

"The soil symbolises Mother Earth, who provides us food through the toiling farming community, whose existence and livelihood are now being threatened by the crony capitalists and mega-corporates. We shall present this soil to the farmers protesting on all the points outside Delhi," another participant, Dr Sunilam, said.

The soil will be mixed as a sign of national integration and later a 'Shaheed Smarak' (Martyrs' Memorial) will be constructed with it outside Delhi, as a mark of respect to the 350-odd farmers who lost their lives in the past four months, the activists added.

"On April 6 morning, like Gandhiji breaking the unjust Salt Act of the British by picking up a fistful of salt, we will take a pledge with the soil in our hands and challenge the anti-farmer and anti-labour laws of the government," said participant, Guddi S.L.

Supported by Samyukta Kisan Morcha constituents, Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Gandhiji, other prominent participants include crusaders like Medha Patkar, Odisha environmentalist Prafulla Samantra, Anhad's Shabnam Hashmi, and many more from different parts of India.

Mithiborwala said that this is also the centennial of Mahatma Gandhi's launched epochal 'Non Cooperation Movement' (1920-1922) challenging the might of the British Empire which resulted in India's Freedom after barely 27 years.

Just as a century ago, the country's streets, towns and villages had reverberated with Gandhiji' peaceful challenges to the tyranny of the British rulers, there is a similar wave now all over India, with the historic farmers' agitation outside Delhi - at Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur and Shahjahanpur, he said.

The 'Mitti Satyagraha' was launched in two phases, first from March 12-28 as a decentralised movement of farmers-workers protesting the privatisation policy of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre.

In the second phase from March 30-April 6, the satyagrahis from all over India are carrying urns containing the soil collected from the remotest parts of the country to Delhi's outskirts.

"An average of 50 satyagrahis are coming to Delhi from all states/UTs by April 5 evening. The next morning (April 6), emulating Gandhiji, we shall take a united pledge with India's soil in our hands and defy the anti-farmers and anti-labour laws being implemented," said Mithiborwala.

The organisers, along with the SKM leaders, plan to construct the Shaheed Smarak memorial outside Delhi before the agitating farmers leave the spot to return to their fields "after their inevitable victory".

"The soil ingrains in us the feeling of self-reliance, self-respect, its represents our existence and identity... The farmers movement is poised to repeat the history of our glorious freedom struggle," he pointed out.

En route, the organisers said people give enthusiastic welcome to the Satyagrahis, voluntarily bring fistfuls of the local soil, and many pledge their support in the form of signing a white sheet which the processionists are carrying.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in)
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A new study by the company, titled 'Medical Foods Market: Global Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2026' , has listed out the key points being considered by companies and governing bodies involved in the medical foods market to stay sustainably profitable in the long run.

The North America medical foods market is a prominent market on a global level, with the adoption of medical foods comparatively high in the. Health practitioners present here prescribe medical foods over other routine foods to overcome diseases at a much faster pace.

Planning Forward? Access Sample Of Medical Foods Market Report! https://www.persistencemarketresearch.co/samples/26854

Company Profiles Abbott Laboratories

Alfasigma USA, Inc.

Cerecin Inc.

Danone S.A.

Targeted Medical Pharma Inc.

Primus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Fresenius Kabi AG

Metagenetics, Inc

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc.

Nestle S.A.

Others.

The market in Asia Pacific, which includes China, is expected to grow over the forecast period for medical foods, as most of the suited healthcare facilities for medical foods are operating in this region by setting up manufacturing units.

This step provides quality products with affordable working labor that cuts operating expenses. With a rise in the population in Asia Pacific, it becomes a sure-shot opportunity space. However, increasing price and other therapeutic alternatives present in such developing regions are countering the growth of the medical foods market in this region.

This report finds that, the medical foods market is not just for global manufacturers. There are minor companies present who focus on the improvement of medical foods, such as Targeted Medical Pharma.

Companies like them show clear light for other interested players to get involved in the medical foods market, though it is a highly consolidated market with bigger companies occupying a majority of the share. A diverse product range and a progressive marketing technique can help in establishing a mark in the medical foods industry.

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The U.S. is a frontrunner in the medical foods industry, since people in this region understand the entirety of medical foods. In most developing countries, the main barrier for medical foods is the lack of understanding such a concept, which leads to less adoption of medical foods.

The growing medical foods industry is most certainly taken as an 'emerging' market, where growth is because of new medical food manufacturers getting involved in the market. In most parts of the world, it is still a concept everyone is just trailing around.

This industrys aspects are not well positioned in most parts of the world, due to socio-economic differences. For example - ORS is available in most parts of the world with provided schemes from world health bodies such as WHO. But this is not the case with other medical food categories due to many reasons that are better classified by manufacturers and government officials.

The medical foods industry comprises de?ned food products that are manufactured to act for a particular disease indication. They meet the nutritional de?ciencies observed after a speci?c disease. This report helps in studying the market requirements designed for medical foods, and other dynamics going forward in the industry.

For medical foods, nutritionally complete products are stated as complete formulation products, which consist of sufficient amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals in their composition with suitable pharmaceutical compounds.

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This segment is more dominant than nutritionally incomplete formula and oral rehydration products. The adoption rate for complete formulation products as medical foods is more evident than other options. A number of medical foods present are also more nutritionally complete products, and this count will only grow.

Metabolic disorder was the prime application of medical foods, which has changed over a period, with recent products also suitable for different health indications such as cancer, depression, and Alzheimer's disease. Though the number of medical foods available for metabolic disorder is still high in number. This is more because patients with such disorders only depend on medical foods for complete nutritional benefits.

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Ive always had a deep respect for Fernanda, said Fakhouri, who grew up in Chicago and northwest suburban Roselle. Her independence was something that attracted me to her from the beginning, so I think, keeping that in mind, youll see what else happens on the show will be consistent with me encouraging her to remain independent. And I dont mean in love. I mean in terms of her business and desires to be successful in this country as a native immigrant.
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And then, on Easter Sunday, the rain came. And came. And came. In biblical volumes it came. Before, at least, we were dry and outside. Now we were damp and confined to two tents. That night when we were tucked in my dad made his nightly trek to the homestead, an umbrella in one hand, bottle of wine in the other. My younger brothers Josh and Jordan were asleep in the big tent and next door, in the A-frame, David and I lay by lantern light talking about music. I think I was espousing the staying power of Fairground Attraction when Dave interrupted  Do you hear something? No, I replied. Hear what? It sounded like someone screaming.

I sat up. Are you sure? I think its just the rain. We paused. Listened hard over the downpour. Someone was screaming. David tore up the zip of the tent and bolted out. I grabbed the light and followed, ready to dash into the big tent next door. But the second I got outside I stopped dead in my tracks. There was no tent to run into. No walls, no door. Only a mass of misshapen canvas on the ground and tent poles sticking out at odd angles. My brother Joshs voice again came, crying for help. We fumbled with the heavy material until at last we found a zipper, managed to get it open and Josh came crawling out.

Wheres Jordan?! David yelled. He didnt know. The soaked tent canvas was too heavy for us to lift. We didnt even know which bump was Jordan and which were suitcases or Eskys. If one of us crawled in would we get trapped? David made a split second decision. He turned and sprinted to the homestead. Barefoot through the gauntlet of a million bindis. Josh and I stood huddled in the rain calling the name of our youngest brother as loudly as our voices could manage. But nothing stirred in the fallen tent. Within moments the two men arrived and began heaving up the walls of the tent with the strength of an army, my dad ripping his way inside and appearing seconds later with my little brother in his arms. Hed slept through the whole thing. That night we all slept in the homestead. The next day the sun was out again but the river had broken its banks and we were flooded in. The pilot flew us one by one off the property to safety, the excitement of being in a helicopter for the first time slightly dimmed by the exhaustion of wanting the whole holiday to be over. But as I looked out the window down on the sweeping national park and the wonder of Carnarvon Gorge below I thought, This is where weve been camping? My dad was right. It was absolutely beautiful.

To My Country by Ben Lawson is published by Allen and Unwin. Catch Ben Lawson in Firefly Lane, now streaming on Netflix. Kirsty Everett pictured skydiving in Cairns at 16 years old. Kirsty Everett, author of Honey Blood The smell of sunscreen, the gritty feel of granules of sand between my toes and the relentless symphonies of cicadas; all the evocative signs of summer. Its 1997. Im 16 years old and Im in Cairns with Dad. We slurp on Frosty Fruit ice-blocks, and sporadic flutters of adrenaline have forced a grin on my face. Its so hot that sweat soaks my armpits, my lower back, my upper lip and my eyebrows. I crunch on the last chunk of ice and lick the wooden stick.

We walk into Pauls Parachuting and a man with brown hair grown into a mullet smiles at us. Mullet-man pushes his sunglasses off his face, sitting them on his head. Hes sunburned around the shape of his sunglasses on his face. My names Mark. Ill be taking Kirsty up today. Mullet-Mark winks at me. Not only was this a place for parachuting it was also a museum dedicated to haircuts from the 1980s. Do you wanna come with us? Mark asked Dad. No, said Dad, This is a sort of present just for Kirsty. ***

Our two bodies are an inelegant mess as we fall from the small plane 10,000 feet from the ground in the tandem skydive. Mullet-Mark and I are an eight-limbed creature tumbling through the clouds. We spin around and around and around. The wind roars, blasting mercilessly against my eardrums, deafening me in the seconds of unfolding free-fall. My heart pounds and soars triumphantly. I have no control over my strong, short legs; Im at the mercy of the wind propelling us, pressuring us to wheel and twirl. Were a tangled muddle of arms and legsand then, were not. They call this part free-fall, but strangely, I dont feel the sensation of plummeting to the ground and the land does not appear to be coming closer. Im now pointing, tummy first, in the direction of the ground and Marks abdomen is squished against my clammy back. The skin on my face is like a blown bubble of gum: chubby jowls stretched up towards my ears.

They call this part free-fall, but strangely, I dont feel the sensation of plummeting to the ground and the land does not appear to be coming closer. Suddenly, were thrust upwards by a force so strong it manages to pull my Bonds underpants right up inside my butt. The parachute is open. Nobody warned me that it would feel like being given the worlds strongest wedgie. Now, the eight-limbed critter thats me and Mullet-Mark begin to float. We glide towards the ground. Sunlight warmly caresses my face. My heart gallops with excitement. For a moment I remember why were here  I almost died eight years ago and this is my present from Dad for being alive. What I see as I descend looks like a childs miniature model of green paddocks and tiny red farmhouse. Theres even a toy-sized coastline with white sand and an aqua-coloured ocean. Pop! Pop! Pop! My ears overflow with bursting pressure.

The grass and trees make the ground look like a quilt stitched together with various shades of green. Loading I shift my attention from the ground to the sky around me. My body is a marionette, and gravity and air are the masters of my strings. I try to catch clouds. Mark laughs at me. I dont care. I grab again and again at the white fairy-floss. Who wouldnt want to touch the clouds? The sky is a kaleidoscope of colours. The sun, a yellow orb of light, is surrounded by shafts of white that splay themselves out in all directions. Mother Nature has drawn shades of orange, pink, purple and yellow on the fluffy clouds. Carefully, shes merged one colour into the next so you cant tell where the pink shades end and the purple shades begin. My eyes devour the visual candy smeared across the sky. What do you reckon? asks Mark.

Amazing, I utter, but the word isnt good enough; words so often arent. As we get closer to the ground, I can feel the power of the strings of gravity that are pulling us towards Earth. Were being dragged towards dark green grass on a huge empty paddock. I can see Dad waiting for me, his hand shielding his eyes from the glaring sun. I lift my legs straight up in front of me for the landing. Marks feet touch the ground for both of us. He unclips me and Dad hugs me. Ecstasy surges through my veins. My heart gallops with excitement. For a moment I remember why were here  I almost died eight years ago and this is my present from Dad for being alive. For a moment melancholy threatens to steal the joy from my soul, then, I realise; I really need to retrieve my underpants from inside my bum. Honey Blood by Kirsty Everett is published by HarperCollinsPublishers. Turia Pitt with husband Michael and their son Hakavai. Credit:Turia Pitt / Instagram

Turia Pitt, author of Happy and Good Selfie It was my second ever Mothers Day. Id just come home from a surf to find Michael and Hakavai in the driveway, in the car, with the engine revving. Michael was wearing his aviator sunglasses that made him look like a 70s pornstar. Cmon darl, jump in, were going camping! When? I asked, somewhat apprehensively.

Right now darl, lets get going! Did I want to go camping right at that point? No. Not terribly. I wanted a shower and a hot cup of tea. Maybe a little nap. But I didnt want to dampen Michaels enthusiasm, so I replied: Wow! OK! Youre being spontaneous, this will be great! Um, should we pack? Nah darl, Ive packed up some of the gear in the garage, he said. Right.

We engaged in a somewhat heated discussion about what he had and hadnt packed (pot and pan set, yes, Hakavais bed roll, no). We stopped off quickly at the shops to get some essentials (biscuits for Dad, yoghurt for Son, wine for Mum) and continued our hour-long journey south along the highway. Hakavai was asleep in the back, sunlight stippled across his pudgy cheeks and I began to feel nostalgic for the days he was a little baby, despite still being a baby. Soon, we arrived at our camping destination. Since it was a Sunday, most people were going home which was excellent because it meant we had the campsite all to ourselves. I like people, but I find small talk awkward. Wandering down to the shoreline, we frolicked in rock pools, marvelled at the shells the size of Hakavais fingernails, and the way the foam latticed up the gritty sand. We ferried our stuff down to the campsite. Then walked back up to get more stuff. Then ferried the stuff down to the campsite. Then walked back up then did more ferrying until all our stuff was out of the car.

As Michael set up our campsite, Hakavai and I got out of the way and went down to the beach. There, we instantly smelt the salt in the air. Wandering down to the shoreline, we frolicked in rock pools, marvelled at the shells the size of Hakavais fingernails, and the way the foam latticed up the gritty sand. Loading All of a sudden, I felt immensely grateful to be there on Yuin country  on the NSW South Coast  in the dusky afternoon, and for the Elders and caretakers of this land, past present and emerging. Our campsite was excellent (I mean, Michael had done an OK job). We blanched some warrigal greens in the pot, then reserved the boiling water to make couscous, and served it with grilled campfire fish. Delicious. As the sun sleepily went to bed, the stars and moon came out in full force and Hakavai and I ran around the campsite to look at them.

Covered in salt and sand and couscous, Hakavai was fully exhausted and ready to sleep. We lay in the tent with him as he pottered around for a bit, and then had his bottle and was knocked out. Michael and I were right behind, out like a light within about two minutes. And we stayed like that, all snug in our sleeping bags until about 5am, when Hakavai sat up in bed and started woofing. Like a dog. We ate breakfast, swam, and then ferried the three loads of gear back to the car for the drive home, not 24 hours after wed arrived. Thats what I love about camping on Yuin country. The way time slows down. But thats what I love about camping on Yuin country.
South Africa: Political Party Funding Act effective from today

As the Political Party Funding Act comes into effect today, the Electoral Commission says it is all systems go.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a Proclamation on the Commencement of the Political Party Funding Act, 2018 (Act no. 6 of 2018), which regulates public and private funding of political parties.

The Act establishes funds to provide political parties represented in Parliament and legislatures with funding to undertake their work. It also requires that donations be disclosed by parties and donors to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

The Act prohibits donations to parties by foreign governments or agencies, foreign persons or entities, organs of state or state-owned enterprises.

The implementation of the Act introduces a new era of transparency within South Africas electoral democracy, mandating all political parties to disclose donations above R100 000 to the Electoral Commission.

The Act also sets restrictions on sources of funding for political parties including outlawing donations by government departments, state-owned entities and foreign governments and agencies, the Electorial Commission said in a statement.

Over the last two months, the Electoral Commission has embarked on a comprehensive programme of stakeholder engagement which included training all political parties represented in the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures on the workings of the Act and use of a new Online Party Funding System (OPFS).

Training was also extended to all political parties registered with the Commission, including those that are currently not represented in any of the legislative Houses.

From today, all registered political parties are urged to sign-up to the Online Party Funding System (OPFS) available for free at www.elections.org.za.

The system, which has been piloted by parties over the past two months, allows parties and their donors to make electronic disclosures to the Electoral Commission via the internet.

The Commission also reminds all registered political parties that their first quarterly disclosure of direct donations above R100 000 is due at the end of the first quarter.

In terms of the Act, donations include cash, in kind (such as transport, posters, vehicles etc) or both and the R100 000 threshold is cumulative (disclosure is required once smaller donations by a single donor exceed R100 000 in a financial year).

Funds provided to the represented political parties by the National Assembly and provincial legislatures, respectively, in terms of sections 57(2) and 116(2)(c) of the Constitution are not required to be disclosed quarterly by the political parties.

Instead, these will be disclosed by the Accounting Officer of the respective legislative Houses annually.

As part of the system of checks and balances to help ensure transparency, donors who make direct donations above R100 000 to political parties must also declare these to the Electoral Commission on the OPFS within 30 days.

The regulations require that upon receipt of the political party disclosures, the Electoral Commission make them publicly available quarterly on its website.

In the first year of implementation, the Electoral Commission is given a period of up to six months to make such disclosures publicly available.

The Electoral Commission estimates that there will be at least one disclosure published ahead of the Local Government Elections.

The Electoral Commission has also been engaging potential funders to support the Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF) as part of its fund-raising drive to encourage donations to the Fund.

The Fund presents a perfect opportunity for corporates, individuals and foundations to support multi-party democracy on a non-partisan basis.

Within the parameters of applicable prescripts, contributors to the Fund can request to do so anonymously should they prefer.

As part of the implementation of the Act, the Electoral Commission will today launch a series of educational messages on radio, television, digital channels and selected publications to promote awareness of the Act.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
President Joe Biden's American Rescue plan, or the COVID relief law, is facing a lawsuit that calls it unconstitutional.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall led a 13-state lawsuit against the Biden administration. He says there's a provision in the plan that bans states from cutting taxes for years.

This federal tax mandate is an unprecedented and unconstitutional assault on state sovereignty by the federal government."

Similar lawsuits have also been filed in Arizona, Missouri, and Ohio.

Marshall says he and 20 other state attorneys general sent a letter to the US Treasury Secretary. They got an ambiguous response that contradicted what the principal proponent of the federal tax mandate expected the provision to be.
by Sumon Corraya

On Holy Thursday, the Church in Bangladesh also celebrates the day of priests with the faithful paying tribute to them. Father Emanuel Gomes is the first priest from Bangladesh to join the Third Secular Order. He lives a happy life serving the people of God. But priests can only live their mission to the full with prayers and support of the laity.

Dinajpur (AsiaNews)  In churches around the world, including in Bangladesh, Holy Thursday is the day dedicated to the priesthood, a day in which the faithful pay tribute their priests with floral gifts during Mass.

Father Emanuel Gomes, a member of the Third Regular Order of St Francis of Assisi, spoke to AsiaNews about his experiences as a priest

Today, as a Catholic priest, I am very happy, he said. On this day, Jesus established the Holy Eucharist. For this reason, it is considered the day of priests. And As a priest I offer the Eucharist with joy and I can serve Jesus Christ and the people of God.

Fr Gomes is 77 years old and lives at the seminary in North Gobindopur, Dinajpur, in the northern part of the country.

He was the first friar from Bangladesh to become a priest in his order and was also the first priest from the Mariabad Borni parish in Natore, the community where he was born.

His ordination took place on 14 November 1972 in India and his family will soon celebrate the golden jubilee of his priesthood. For almost 50 years, he enjoyed a priestly life, a joyful journey accompanied by Jesus' blessing and love.

As a priest, I have always liked religious life, he explains. Through my ministry I can transform the faithful, taking spiritual care of them. I have received so much love and respect from the faithful and this gives me so much joy and satisfaction.

Speaking about the way he discovered his vocation, Fr Gomes said: I was studying at St. Phillip School in Dinajpur in the 1960s. I saw the life of the priests and nuns closely. Their holy lifestyle and behaviour touched me. Later I felt like I too should be a priest.

After meeting Franciscan friars, he entered the seminary in India; at that time, the congregation was not present in Bangladesh (then called East Pakistan). He made his first vows in India in 1965. He returned to Bangladesh in 1976 and began serving and preaching.

Bangladesh currently has eight Franciscan friars who are priests, a deacon and five seminarians. At present, the friars of the Third Regular Order operate in northern Bangladesh and Dhaka, explained Fr Gomes, a pioneer of the order in the country.

On this day of priests, he also noted the responsibility that the laity have towards their priests. Today the laity should pray for their spiritual mentors. Priests work for lay people. Without their support and prayers, priests cannot carry out their mission properly. The faithful must also fulfil their mission by living as Christians and bearing witness to Jesus.


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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 09:45:17|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A total of 138 illegal migrants were rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard off the country's western coast, the Libyan Navy said Thursday.

The migrants are of different African nationalities, the Libyan Navy said in a statement, adding that they were handed over to the anti-illegal immigration department upon disembarkation at the capital Tripoli Naval Base.

Hundreds of illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya over the past few days, the Libyan navy said.

Libya has become a preferred point of departure for thousands of immigrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores, especially since the fall of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, after which the country fell into the state of insecurity and chaos.

In 2020, a total of 11,891 illegal migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, the International Organization for Migration estimates, adding that 381 migrants died and 597 went missing on the Central Mediterranean route during the same period.

The rescued migrants usually end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers. Enditem
Apple CEO Tim Cook, an Alabama native with a lifelong interest in civil rights, joins condemnations of Georgia's new voting law, in a statement provided first to Axios.

What he's saying: "The right to vote is fundamental in a democracy. American history is the story of expanding the right to vote to all citizens, and Black people, in particular, have had to march, struggle and even give their lives for more than a century to defend that right."

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

"Apple believes that, thanks in part to the power of technology, it ought to be easier than ever for every eligible citizen to exercise their right to vote," Cook continues.

"We support efforts to ensure that our democracys future is more hopeful and inclusive than its past."

The big picture: The floodgates are open, as Axios' Courtenay Brown wrote on Wednesday. Almost a week after a bill that curbs voting access in Georgia became law  and nearly one month after it passed the state's House  a slew of corporations have come out against voter suppression.

Why it matters: In an era where businesses are more outspoken (and being pressured to be that way), their silence on this issue had been deafening.

Go deeper: Track all the CEO statements on voting rights here

Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
Participant of illegal Moscow rally gets one year in colony for assault on policeman

 Moscow's Presnensky District Court

10:37 01/04/2021

MOSCOW, April 1 (RAPSI)  Moscows Tverskoy District Court on Thursday sentenced a participant of the unauthorized rally held in Moscow on January 23 Alexey Milyayev to one year in penal colony for assault on a police officer, RAPSI was told in the court.

The man was found guilty of using force against a representative of authority. He pled guilty.

Earlier, the Investigative Committee published videorecords showing the defendant beating a law enforcement officer during the January 23 rally and trying to strip a helmet from him.

Unauthorized rallies in support of Navalny were held in Moscow and other Russian cities in late January and early February.




Museum of the Bible releases first in-house film production, special exhibits to celebrate Easter

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The Museum of the Bible unveiled its Holy Week celebration, which includes its first in-house film production, special exhibits and performances to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

The Christian faith hinges on the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the museum, which opened in the nation's capital in 2017, seeks to display the hope and history of Easter this season.

Charlotte Clay, the Museum of the Bibles media relations manager, told The Christian Post in a Tuesday interview how the museums new documentary, The History of Easter, shows the significance of Easters impact worldwide.

For Christians, of course, nothing is more impactful than the resurrection of Jesus, but Easter is such a significant event that it caused much of the world to rearrange their calendar (A.D. and B.C.) , Clay said. The event led more than a third of the world to call themselves Christian. So we take a look at the timeline, how Easter is tied to the lunar cycle and is connected with  the emergence from winter to spring, darkness to light, and how it corresponds with Passover and the Spring Equinox.

Filmed in Israel, Italy and at the museum, the documentary explores the history, traditions, origins and global impact of Easter. It also includes a reenactment of the original Easter through Jesus passion week leading up to His death and resurrection.

The film dives into Easter traditions  such as painting eggs and the Easter Bunny  to understand where they originated and how people celebrate around the world.

For those belonging to Christian, Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the resurrection of Jesus defines history and human life, Museum of the Bible CEO Harry Hargrave said in a statement. This documentary will engage viewers with a compelling exploration of the history of Easter. Through delving into the Bible and the Resurrection, not only Easter but the human condition may be better understood.

Despite the loss suffered in the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Clay said the film also seeks to share a message of hope to everyone through the Easter story, especially during the second Easter of the pandemic.

The documentary is our way of sharing about Easter with anyone anywhere in the world, especially during this time, Clay said.

She said she hopes people will come away from the film with a renewed perspective in knowing theres always hope and spring out of winter despite difficult times.

While we face another Easter amidst the pandemic, we hold onto the hope of better times to come, CEO of Museum of the Bible Harry Hargrave said in a statement. For many, Easter provides the greatest hope to humanity across time and place. We wish to share this sense of hopefulness with our guests.

The History of Easter, the documentary hosted by award-winning Christian musician and actor Matthew West, will air on Trinity Broadcasting Network Thursday at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., as well as Saturday at 2 p.m.

It will also be available to view on YouTube and the Museum of the Bibles website.

The film marks the museums first in-house production and is just one aspect of the Museum of the Bibles Easter week events.

Musician John Sweet will perform in the museums Grand Hall on Easter Sunday. Interactive storytelling of Easters history will take place in the afternoon from Friday to Sunday of Easter weekend.

Museum guests can walk through Jesus final steps on the Via Dolorosa before crucifixion through the 14 stations of Gib Singletons Stations of the Cross exhibit. The museum also offers a new interactive Education Station where families can create a stained-glass window.

A virtual "Lunch and Learn" with Director of Scholars Initiative Daniel Stevens was held on Wednesday to discuss the development of the Easter holiday.

The museum includes over 4,000 years of history to display the Bibles ongoing and transformative impact in the world.

Admission is free for National Guard members through Easter Sunday.
But in a world where many pass on doing the right thing, a world where the safety of others is too quickly overlooked, Rosengren, in that split second between seeing his kids in trouble and running across the sand, made a choice we should emulate. Whether it was bravery or parental instinct doesnt matter. He placed others above himself. He made a choice. He did the right thing.
Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices.

Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation on pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPIs to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

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Insights into buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers:

Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for the Polyvinyl Alcohol market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Polyvinyl Alcohol pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfill their category objectives.

For more insights on buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers, Click here.

Key Drivers and Trends Fueling Market Growth:

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the low bargaining power of suppliers.

Price forecasts are beneficial in purchase planning, especially when supplemented by the constant monitoring of price influencing factors. During the forecast period, the market expects a change of 2.00%-5.00%.

Identify favorable opportunities in Polyvinyl Alcohol TCO (total cost of ownership).

Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes.

Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities.

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This Polyvinyl Alcohol procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

China Petrochemical Corp. (SINOPEC)

DuPont de Nemours Inc.

Eastman Chemical Co.

SEKISUI CHEMICAL Co. Ltd.

KURARAY Co. Ltd.

Denka Company Ltd.

OCI COMPANY Ltd.

Mitsubishi Corp.

Yibin Tinyuan Group Co. Ltd.

Anhui Wanwei Group Co. Ltd.

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Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

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The United States has been a laggard, among developed nations with long coast lines, to harness the consistent energy of offshore winds to produce large amounts of electricity. The United Kingdom, for example, has 40 offshore wind farms with nearly 3,000 wind turbines, whereas the United States has a single offshore wind farm near Block Island, Rhode Island, with just five turbines.

President Joe Biden plans to change that. He announced an ambitious plan to develop wind power along the East Coast. The project is part of the administrations effort to wean the country from fossil fuels to help fight climate change. But it also would be a major economic development project for East Coast ports that would stage wind farm construction and host maintenance operations.

The plan would designate a swath of ocean between Long Island and the New Jersey coast for wind farms that would generate 30 gigawatts of electricity per year and eliminate 78 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Bidens plan also would have the federal government expedite permit applications, create a $3 billion loan program for projects through the Department of Energy, and commit more than $230 million to upgrade related ports.

Although offshore wind projects have been controversial in some locations, they also have broad support. The state governments of Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Virginia already have commitments to buy at least 25,000 megawatts of offshore electricity by 2035, according to the American Clean Power Association.

And Orsted, a Danish wind-power developer that is heavily invested in the United States, has agreements with U.S. unions for work on offshore projects.

The offshore wind power project creates the prospect for massive clean power generation, job creation and economic development. It should have broad governmental and public support.
For the past 12 months the nations medical community correctly and understandably focused nearly all its attention on the COVID-19 pandemic. Now with millions being vaccinated, we are hopefully about to turn the corner and can begin returning our focus to a different health crisis that never went away and actually got worse during COVID.

That crisis is the drug overdose crisis, the epidemic inside the pandemic.

Research shows that more than 13 percent of American adults started or increased substance use to cope with stress related to COVID-19. Unfortunately, many of the socially isolating steps that were necessary to combat COVID-19 are the same conditions where substance abuse flourishes.

In Alabama, Jefferson County alone saw drug overdose deaths increase by 25 percent in 2020 to their highest level ever. This mirrors national data, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reporting the highest number of fatal overdoses ever recorded in the U.S. in a single year in the 12-month period ending in May 2020. Its likely the U.S. will surpass 100,000 drug overdose deaths this year for the first time ever.

Fortunately, Alabama is working with the CDC and other states to take statistics like these and turn them into action that ultimately reduces overdose deaths.

Through the Overdose Data to Action program, Alabama is improving its collection of comprehensive and timely information on non-fatal and fatal overdoses. This helps the state to monitor and understand emerging trends, then drive effective prevention and response solutions tailored to the needs of individuals and communities.

For example, before becoming part of the Overdose Data to Action initiative, Jefferson County received data on overdoses only once a year. Now it has access to that important information within 24 hours. With that data in hand, the Jefferson County Department of Health identifies overdose hotspots and mobilizes rapid response teams with physicians, addiction specialists and peer counselors to target recovery and prevention resources to those neighborhoods being hit hardest by drug overdoses. Plans to replicate this model for other Alabama counties are being developed.

Timely, evidence-based information and collaboration are essential for success in preventing overdose deaths. First responders, mental health providers, community organizations, public health leaders, medical personnel and others all bring resources and expertise to this effort.

Physicians in Alabama and across America are certainly part of this effort. Weve fought to pass legislation to reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion. Thousands have accessed continuing medical education and other intensive courses on substance use disorders. In fact, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama was one of first in the nation to offer an opioid prescribing education course. Since 2009, we have reached more than 5,000 prescribers with information on the safe prescribing of opioids. Since 2018, the number of times health care professionals in Alabama have accessed the states Prescription Drug Monitoring Program has increased by more than 20 percent, and Alabama physicians have reduced their prescriptions of opioids by more than 34 percent since 2014.

All these collaborative efforts and more are needed as our nations drug overdose crisis evolves into an even more complicated and dangerous epidemic, due primarily to the pervasiveness of fentanyl.

Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids have steadily declined, but overdose deaths related to illicitly manufactured fentanyl and related fentanyl analogs increased nationwide by more than 500 percent between 2015 and 2019, according to the CDC.

Fentanyl, a painkiller that is 100 times more powerful than morphine, is the number one cause of overdose deaths in the United States today. So powerful and lethal is fentanyl that if you were to swallow, inhale or absorb just two milligrams of it through your skin, you would die. To appreciate just how small two milligrams is, consider that the packet of sweetener youll find on most restaurant tables is about 1,000 milligrams.

When police in Brookwood recently seized two pounds of fentanyl during a traffic stop, the former U.S. attorney who said it was enough to kill nearly every resident of Jefferson County was not exaggerating.

For years, fentanyl has been mixed with illegal drugs like heroin. Today, however, we are seeing more instances where fentanyl is pressed into counterfeit pills to resemble prescription opioids. Such was the case in Muscle Shoals last year where police found pills that were being sold by a drug dealer as Oxycodone but were actually pure fentanyl. This takes the drug overdose crisis to a new and more dangerous level. Everyone who obtains any drug from an illicit source should know they are at tremendous risk of a fatal fentanyl overdose.

With the number of new COVID cases and deaths finally heading in the right direction, we must renew our attention and focus on Americas other health emergency, the overdose epidemic. Significant efforts by health professionals, advocates, law enforcement and government are being made to address this crisis. With even more attention, collaboration and resources, countless lives can be saved.

Dr. Meigs has practiced family medicine in Bibb County for more than 30 years and serves as president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama.
[April 01, 2021] Keysight, MediaTek Join Forces to Establish 5G Connectivity Based on 3GPP Release 16 Specifications

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced that MediaTek (News - Alert) , a leading chipset maker headquartered in Taiwan, has used Keysight's 5G platform to establish 5G connectivity based on 3GPP release 16 (Rel-16) specifications and verified features of 3GPP technical enhancements and improvements including frequency range 1 and range 2 carrier aggregation, (FR1+FR2 NR- CA (News - Alert) ), new radio-new radio dual connectivity and others. Shortly after the global standards organization 3GPP finalized the Rel-16 specifications, the two companies worked together to achieve physical player interoperability development testing (IODT). MediaTek used their latest M80 5G modem and Keysight's 5G Protocol R&D Toolset to establish the link based on Rel-16, which offers enhancements including increased coverage, capacity, mobility and reliability, as well as lower latency and improved power efficiency to 5G new radio (NR) deployments. "We are pleased to continue working with MediaTek on advancing the maturity of 3GPP Release 16, which is the latest 5G NR standard," said Cao Peng, vice president and general manager for Keysight's wireless test group. "Joining forces with a global fabless semiconductor company with leading 5G technology, enables Keysight to support an expanding ecosystem with 5G test solutions for verifying complianceto specifications mandated by 3GPP and mobile operators."



MediaTek used Keysight's integrated 5G test solutions to validate the chipset maker's latest M80 5G modem, which combines mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G technologies into a single chip to support ultra-fast data speeds. 3GPP Rel-16 brings enhancements to existing Rel-15 features such as dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS), multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and carrier aggregation (CA), improving coverage, capacity, latency, power consumption, mobility and reliability. Rel-16 also leverages unlicensed spectrum, satellite communications, downlink-based positioning and integrated access, as well as backhaul (IAB), helps drive the industry towards realizing the vision of smart city, industrial internet of things (IIoT) and autonomous vehicles.

MediaTek also used Keysight's 5G Protocol Conformance Toolset to validate the protocol signaling performance of the company's M80 5G modem. The toolset offers the industry's most comprehensive support for 5G protocol test cases validated by either GCF or PTCRB (News - Alert) , a certification forum led by representatives from leading U.S. mobile operators. About Keysight Technologies Keysight delivers advanced design and validation solutions that help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight's dedication to speed and precision extends to software-driven insights and analytics that bring tomorrow's technology products to market faster across the development lifecycle, in design simulation, prototype validation, automated software testing, manufacturing analysis, and network performance optimization and visibility in enterprise, service provider and cloud environments. Our customers span the worldwide communications and industrial ecosystems, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics. Keysight generated revenues of $4.2B in fiscal year 2020. For more information about Keysight Technologies (NYSE: KEYS), visit us at www.keysight.com Additional information about Keysight Technologies is available in the newsroom at https://www.keysight.com/go/news and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005564/en/

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I've been a reporter and editor at Missouri community newspapers for 35 years and joined the Columbia Missourian in 2003. My emphasis at the Missourian is on local government and elections. You can reach me at swaffords@missouri.edu or at 573-884-5366.

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To achieve our strategy and ensure future financial sustainability and capacity for reinvestment, the university is targeting a 15 per cent cash margin on its underlying operations by 2025, he said in the report. This includes sustainably growing and diversifying underlying revenue by $80 million per annum and addressing an underlying structural deficit of $70 million per annum. During last year, the university increased its debt borrowings by $56 million. Overall, the university (excluding subsidiaries) recognised a $22 million reduction in international student revenue and commercial income as a direct result of COVID-19 and incurred additional one-time costs in response to the pandemic of $5 million, Professor Chakma reported. UWA has the highest employment of academics to students ratio, with the same amount of academics as Curtin, at just over 1300, but with only a third of Curtins students at 18,717.

UWA has more than $2 billion in equity, while Curtin has $1.4 billion. Loading Curtin maintains international student numbers despite COVID-19 Despite the pandemic, Curtin managed to increase its total student enrolments to a five-year high of 59,222, up from 57,788 last year, with very little drop in international student numbers both inside and outside Australia. Yet Curtin sank $1 million into debt  a plunge of $83 million from last year  mainly due to a $67 million drop in investment revenue.

Professor Harlene Hayne, from the University of Otago in New Zealand, is expected to take up her role as Curtin vice-chancellor this month and deliver on the Square Kilometre Array, which will begin construction in 2021; a new alliance agreement with BHP to develop projects focusing on mining modernisation, automation and sustainability; as well as government-funded projects researching the impacts of COVID-19. Curtin was particularly conscious of the states forthcoming Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) amendments, which will impact its liability for students and visitors; especially in light of the Lendlease workplace death during the construction of their new School of Design and the Built Environment building in October last year. Murdoch to ploughs on with austerity measures Of WAs four public universities, Murdoch fell into the worst debt; reporting a $6.3 million deficit (or -1.6 per cent net operating margin) down from $24.3 million profit last year. Yet it only saw slight drops in research income, to $32 million, and total revenue, to $392 million. Even student numbers barely changed, with 17,335 full-timers.

Loading While Murdoch chancellor Gary Smith acknowledged that the universitys strategy of permanently phasing out of face-to-face lectures and radically changing its degree offerings was challenged on many fronts, he continued to throw support to outgoing vice-chancellor Eeva Leinonen and the senior executive group responsible. Professor Leinonen said the university found $30 million in operational savings to limit our deficit to $6.285 million but a further $25 million in jobs had to slashed, resulting in 168 expressions of interest in voluntary redundancy of which 98 were approved. This process will continue into 2021, she reported in the universitys annual budget. Murdoch maintains $875 million in equity.

More researchers for ECU Unlike the others, ECU did not slash jobs but invested $16 million into new strategic research centres that would employ more researchers over the next five years. ECU made $23.38 million, only slightly down on last year, but suffered a $67 million consolidated loss due to a more than $100 million drop on the re-evaluation of its properties. In November we announced plans for a $695 million world-class creative industries, business and technology campus: the centrepiece of the Perth City Deal, said ECU vice-chancellor Steve Chapman. The ECU City Campus will bring the energy and activity of more than 9000 students and staff to Perths CBD by 2025 and ... will be a transformational project for the University and will support Western Australias economic recovery.
Clothes shops will be allowed to reopen their changing rooms for the first time in more than a year when restrictions on non-essential stores are lifted on April 12.

It is seen as a significant boost for high street retailers battling to regain market share lost to online competitors during repeated lockdowns.

Shops were ordered to keep changing rooms shut wherever possible when they reopened last year.

Changing rooms opening is seen as a significant boost for high street retailers battling to regain market share lost to online competitors during repeated lockdowns (file image)

But new guidance from the Business Department yesterday allows for them to be reopened provided shops introduce measures to halt transmission of the virus.

Store managers are advised to deploy a staff member to control entry to changing rooms and only one person at a time will be allowed to use a cubicle  ruling out family members entering too .

Managers are advised to leave a gap of several minutes between customers and cubicles should be cleaned regularly, but stores will not have to quarantine clothes that have been tried on but not bought.

Ministers hope the change will encourage shoppers back to the high street.

New guidance from the Business Department yesterday allows changing rooms to be reopened provided shops introduce measures to halt transmission of the virus. Pictured, Oxford Street in London

In another change to the guidance, betting shops will have to collect contact details of customers in the same way as pubs and restaurants. The data will help track contacts of those who develop Covid.

The relaxation of the rules around changing rooms follows a campaign by retailers, who argued that the facility to try on clothes was an essential service for high street stores.

John Lewis and Marks & Spencer are among those who have been waiting for new guidance in the hope they can reopen their changing rooms.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, said: Why would a customer go into a shop, buy numerous items, carry them all home, because there is no changing room, and then potentially return them, meaning another trip into town, when they could order online and have them delivered? We want people to come back shopping and back to the high street.

In another change to the guidance, betting shops will have to collect contact details of customers in the same way as pubs and restaurants. The data will help track contacts of those who develop Covid. Pictured Westfield in Stratford, London

In a further boost, the government announced last week that shops will be allowed to stay open until 10pm, six days a week to help limit overcrowding.

Non-essential shops were ordered to close in December in many parts of the country following the introduction of Tier Four restrictions. The rest had to close their doors in January when a national lockdown was introduced.

Thousands of stores will remain closed, with famous names such as Topshop, Debenhams and Laura Ashley among those to go under during the last year.
Tourism authorities in Uganda are targeting about Ush12.2 billion ($3.3m) as return on investments from this year's Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) slated for between April 23 and 25.

The 6th edition of the annual expo was earlier scheduled for February but could not take off due to measures put in place by the government to contain spread of Covid-19.

The POATE brings together domestic, regional and international tour operators, travel agents, destination agencies and various players in the tourism trade to network and facilitate tourism business.

With the sector being one of the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic brought about travel restrictions world over, Uganda is dedicating this year's expo to devise ways of bouncing the sector back to its feet. It is themed; "Restarting Tourism for Regional Economic Development."

According to the Uganda Tourism Board, the industry had lost an estimated 1 million foreign tourists by December 2020, translating into up to Ush3.91 trillion ($1.06 billion) in foreign exchange earnings.

"Well aware that different players in the sector were affected variously, the key focus of POATE 2021, will be on 4 major sub-topics i.e. Recovery, Rebuilding; Reconnecting and rebooting the sector," Ms Lilly Ajarova, the Uganda Tourism Board chief executive told The EastAfrican.

This year's POATE will be virtual in order to observe restrictions on large gatherings in the country and international.

One-on-one meetings and other sessions will be held on virtual meeting platform that will also facilitate live conference sessions for domestic, regional and international tourism players.

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The platform's interface will have directory listings, options for meetings, choice content sessions where participants will have a variety of live sessions to choose from and will also have debates and forums from industry experts to choose from.

According to Ajarova, the meetings will mostly be centred around destination awareness enabling visitors and exhibitors to showcase and obtain information on the country's available tourism products.

"Building on the successes of POATE 2020 where we registered a 138 percent growth in exhibitors, from 63 exhibitors in 2018 to 150 exhibitors in 2020, and leveraging the power of the internet, this time we expect to attract more than 200 exhibitors," Ajarova said.

But some tour operators and service providers are sceptical about this number increasing since being a virtual event and would instead prefer a physical one with more days than the two already earmarked.

"Whereas there is no way we can operate but virtually given the circumstances, I am of the view that this year's expo will not really attract so many exhibitors because they, especially the tours operators and investors would love a face to face physical interaction than meeting potential clients and partners virtually," John Birigwa of silverback safaris said.

Birigwa added that the authorities should then rollout trainings for all exhibitors on the use of the virtual interface in time. At the past expos, the country hosed a range of tourism business enthusiasts and investors, foreign reporters and travel writers, influencers and tour operators with the aim of showing them what the country has to offer.
Belfast City Council has agreed motions calling for a moratorium on closures of Bank of Ireland, support for a strategy on violence against women and girls, and others.

During the monthly meeting of the council on Thursday night, the first motion to be discussed called on the council writing to the Irish Government seeking for a working group to present to Dublin's Shared Island Unit. It passed by a majority vote.

Next on the agenda, representatives agreed to write to the head of the Bank of Ireland calling for a moratorium on the proposed closures of branches until the end of next year.

Councillors also backed a motion relating to Justice Minister Naomi Long's violence against women and girls strategy, and the promotion of wider campaign to address violent acts perpetrated against women.

Other successful motions included a call to tackle the third party sale of pups and an agreement to prepare legal action against the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and operators of the Mullaghglass landfill site in west Belfast over the odour that has been plaguing residents.

Check out our blog below to see how the meeting unfolded:
Cebu (CNN Philippines, April 1)  Despite proposals to change its name, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport will retain the one it has always been known by.

Three House Bills earlier wanted to change the name of MCIA into Lapu-Lapu International Airport, all of which were thumbed down by Cebu 3rd District Rep. Pablo John Garcia.

Garcia said he opposed the bills because it would be detrimental to the facility as "Mactan-Cebu" has already been known as a brand among international destinations.

"It disregarded not only decades of history but also the millions of pesos of marketing expenses to sell the airport as Mactan-Cebu International Airport," Garcia explained.

However, Congress approved on March 25 House Bill 8986 proposing that the airport's Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 buildings be renamed the Lapu-Lapu Domestic Terminal and Lapu-Lapu International Terminal, respectively, in honor of the victory of the national hero against the Spaniards in 1521.

Garcia said HB 8986 was "a good compromise."

The bill has already been transmitted to the Senate for its approval before President Rodrigo Duterte signs it into law.
Gardai have promised to maintain high visibility checkpoints this weekend to ensure adherence to Covid-19 regulations.

More than 3,000 fines have been issued to date to people attending or organising house parties, Gardai have confirmed, as they renewed their appeal for people to stay home this weekend.

18,125 fines have been issued for breaches of Covid-19 legislation to date, according to latest Gardai figures.

This comes as Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn and Northern Irelands CMO Dr Michael Kilbride issued a joint plea for people to observe public health guidelines over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend.

Most people are making a huge sacrifice and missing time with loved ones in order for us to stay on course with the public health guidance.

We must ask that, once again, we work together to prevent a further wave of infection by celebrating this Easter safely. Please continue to stick with the public health advice. Do not give this virus the opportunities it is seeking to spread, the CMOs said in a joint statement.

Read More

Gardai said they will continue to respond to reports of gatherings or parties this weekend, as well as maintaining high visibility patrols at public amenities, parks and beauty spots across the country.

Of the 18,125 fines issued to date:

- 13,036 were for non-essential travel

- 686 500 fines for organising a house party and 2,383 150 fines for attending a house party were issued

- 976 500 fines for non-essential journeys to airports/ports

- 315 fines of 80 each for not wearing a face covering

- 339 fines of 100 for non-essential travel by persons not ordinarily resident in the State

"An Garda Siochana acknowledges the impact Covid-19 restrictions are having on people, but the restrictions are keeping people safe and reducing the spread of Covid-19 in the community.

Despite constant public health advice, people are still attending house parties and other social gatherings. Going to such gatherings puts you, your loved ones, and everyone else you come into contact with subsequently, at risk of exposure to Covid-19.

The best way of keeping safe this Easter weekend is to stay home, Deputy Commissioner Anne Marie McMahon said.

An Garda Siochana has reiterated that travel restrictions do not apply to anyone subject to domestic violence or to people who must escape a risk of harm.




Dhaka, April 1 : Bangladesh has imposed a temporary ban on travellers from Europe and 12 other countries after reporting a surge in coronavirus infections.

The two-week ban will come into effect on Saturday and last until April 18, dpa news agency reported on Friday citing a statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) as saying.

CAAB said air passengers from the UK, where infection rates are generally lower than on mainland Europe, would still be allowed to enter the country.

Along with European nations, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey, and Uruguay are also among the banned nations.

Airlines operating scheduled passenger flights from all those countries will be allowed to carry only transit passengers.

Passengers from other countries must still adhere to a 14-day home quarantine.

Bangladesh has so far reported 611,295 coronavirus cases, with 9,046 deaths since the South Asian country registered the first cases in March 2020.

With many flouting the current health guidelines, the government on Tuesday issued a new set of rules, including the mandatory use of face masks and limiting passengers on local transport.

The country reported a single-day record number of infections, 5,358, on Wednesday.
There are a record number of candidates running to be the next Mayor of London, it emerged today.

Some 20 candidates have thrown their hats into the ring in a bid to take over from current Mayor, Sadiq Khan.

This year's race features a number of colourful characters including the scion of an acting dynasty, a former public schoolboy YouTuber who printed his CV on top of a car to get a job at the BBC and an 'independent space warrior' named Count Binface.

Londoners will head to the polls on 6 May to elect their next mayor, after last year's election was postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Sadiq Khan faces competition in his bid for re-election from Tory candidate Shaun Bailey and actor Laurence Fox, who this week launched a drive-by heckle as he boarded a 'Free London' branded battle bus before riding to a campaign event the Mayor was holding nearby.

Also in the running is Piers Corbyn, the conspiracy theorist brother of former Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Some 20 candidates have thrown their hats into the ring in a bid to take over from current Mayor, Sadiq Khan

Shaun Bailey, the Conservative candidate running for Mayor of London

Actor Laurence Fox, who this week launched a drive-by heckle as he boarded a 'Free London' branded battle bus

Independent candidate Farah London, who decribes herself as a 'visionary entrepreneur, with over 22 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience'

Max Fosh (pictured), 25, who boasts 375,000 subscribers on YouTube, has revealed he is running in the Mayor of London elections 'just to get more votes than Laurence Fox'

Left, Piers Corbyn and right, Count Binface - Count Binface for Mayor of London

Who are 2021 London Mayoral candidates - and what are their odds of claiming City Hall? Sadiq Khan, Labour - 1/25 Shaun Bailey, Conservatives - 25/1 Brian Rose (London Real) - 16/1 Sian Berry, Green Party - 200/1 Luisa Porritt, Liberal Democrats - 200/1 Laurence Fox, Reclaim - 200/1 Peter Gammons, UKIP - 500/1 Mandu Reid, Women's Equality Party - 500/1 Kam Balayev, Renew 500/1 Piers Corbyn, Let London Live - 500/1 Valerie Brown, Burning Pink - 500/1 Count Binface (Count Binface for Mayor of London) - 500/1 Max Fosh (independent) - 500/1 Richard Hewison (Rejoin EU) - 500/1 Vanessa Hudson (Animal Welfare) - 500/1 Steve Kelleher (Social Democratic) - 500/1 David Kurten (Heritage) - 500/1 Farah London (independent) - 500/1 Valerie Brown (Burning Pink) - 500/1 Nims Obunge (independent) - 500/1 Niko Omilana (independent) - 500/1 *Odds by Ladbrokes on April 1, 2021* Advertisement

An Opinium/Evening Standard poll last week showed Mr Khan had 53 per cent of the vote, and a 25-point lead over Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey.

This puts the mayor on track to produce the largest ever landslide victory for a London mayor election.

Lib-Dem candidate Luisa Porritt and the Green's Sian Berry each received 7 per cent, ahead of UKIP's Peter Gammons on 2 per cent and Women's Equality Party candidate Mandu Reid on 1 per cent.

Speaking at a campaign event in Westminster this week, Mr Khan said his focus would be on 'jobs, jobs, jobs' if he was re-elected for a second term in the delayed elections on May 6.

He set out plans for a 32 million fund to establish four new skills academies to train Londoners for work in growth areas in the creative, digital, low carbon and health and social care sectors.

Meanwhile the actor Laurence Fox launched his bid to become the capital's mayor as leader of the new Reclaim Party with an attack on 'authoritarian' politicians who had turned the city into a 'ghost town'.

He said that Mr Khan was 'indistinguishable' from his Conservative rival Shaun Bailey.

And ex-public schoolboy YouTuber Max Fosh, 25, who boasts 375,000 subscribers on YouTube, revealed he was running in the Mayoral elections 'just to get more votes than Laurence Fox'.

In a YouTube clip posted earlier this month, Mr Fosh held a bundle of documents and a cheque as he explained his name would be on the ballot alongside current mayor Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, Mr Fox and 18 others.

In December, Mr Fosh parked outside the BBC building with his car emblazoned with his CV and a QR code linking to a video pitch.

After sharing the stunt on Twitter, many praised his 'initiative', but some users slammed the former Harrow student for the stunt for using his 'privilege' to try and get his dream job quickly.

Comedian Jon Harvey is standing as 'Count Binface', with manifestos including, 'Speaker phones on public transport to be banned. Offenders to be forced to watch the movie version of Cats every day for a year.'

Mr Harvey won 249 votes when he stood against Theresa May in 2017 as Lord Buckethead, a character from the 1984 film Gremloids, and he also took on Boris Johnson in the 2019 election.

His other manifestos include, 'All government ministers pay to be tied to that of nurses for the next 100 years', and, 'On one day every year, escalators on the Underground to be reversed, encouraging travellers to go up the down escalators and down the up ones, as a free gym and Gladiators simulator all in one.'

Meanwhile Laurence Fox has already been warned by police about 'breaking Covid rules' while campaigning to become the next Mayor of London.

The 42-year-old is standing as a candidate for the Reclaim Party that he set up last year to fight the 'culture wars' taking place in Britain.

Vanessa Hudson, Animal Welfare Party and Kam Balayev of Renew

Laurence Fox told a crowd in Westminster that he wanted to 'reclaim your freedom' and promised to 'unlock London now' if elected London mayor

Left, Steve Kelleher Social Democratic candidate and right, Richard Hewison (Rejoin EU)

The former actor's shift to politics came after his 22-year acting career ended with his Question Time appearance last January.

Following the show, he was 'cancelled' by many of his acting colleagues for challenging claims that a racist British Press was targeting Meghan Markle.

Launching his campaign to a crowd in Westminster two days ago, Mr Fox said that Mayor Khan 'Khan't' be trusted to lead the capital, and that he was 'ashamed to be British'.

He then boarded a 'Free London' branded battle bus before riding to a campaign event the Mayor was holding nearby.

In a high-pitched voice, Mr Fox shouts: 'Alright Sadiqi-wiqi! I'm nicking your house, mate!' as he passes the incumbent mayor.

Mr Fox this week attacked London's 'cathedral of wokery' as he pledged to erect hundreds more statues of military heroes across London in response to protests to remove the likes of Winston Churchill's bust last summer.

He also said that he will refuse to take a Covid vaccine until 2023 when monitoring for some of the jabs will be completed.

His campaign for the May elections will be completely funded by a donation from ex-Tory political donor and financier Jeremy Hosking, who is worth 375million.

Mr Fox has promised to 'unlock London' in May if elected, and said he would help people to 'reclaim their freedom'.

Arriving at his campaign launch on a bus daubed with the slogan 'Free London', Mr Fox said: 'I am not a politician. I never wanted to be a politician,' before quipping that he 'used' to be an actor.

'We are here to reclaim your freedom and we need to unlock London.

'Someone needs to unlock London now, and I can tell you one thing: Sadiq Khant. And Sadiq Won't. Sadiq Khan is ashamed to be British.'

An ardent opponent to the national lockdown, he will stand against Sadiq Khan in the mayoral elections to be held on May 6.

He added: 'Freedom of speech is under threat in the cathedral of wokery that is London.'

Despite polling somewhat behind Mr Khan's closest rival Shaun Bailey, Mr Fox said he is 'in it to win it, you don't get a medal for coming second... you do at school egg and spoon races.'

Mr Fox's policies have centred mainly around fighting the 'culture wars' he says are taking place across the country.

Following attempts to topple several statues in the capital, as well as a debate over Lord Nelson's place in Trafalgar Square, Mr Fox came out ardently in favour of protecting statues and has since said he would to erect hundreds more.

He added that each hero would get a state in a Park of London Heroes next to Horseguards' Parade.

Mr Fox has also been a strong opponent to the lockdown and has been criticised for skepticism of vaccines.

Earlier this week, he confirmed that he will refuse the vaccine until after 2023, when he claims clinical trials will be concluded.

Fox is standing as a candidate for the Reclaim Party that he set up last year to fight the 'culture wars' taking place in Britain
Assisted living communities can improve the quality of life for residents with dementia by approaching them as individuals and attempting to include all residents in activities, according to a study led by a Georgia State University gerontology researcher.

The typical "activity programming" at many assisted living residences can leave people with dementia on the sidelines, according to the study, "Meaningful Engagement Among Assisted Living Residents With Dementia: Successful Approaches," published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

The study found that the keys to improving quality of life for residents with dementia are getting to know them as individuals, meeting people "where they are," being in the moment with people and viewing all interactions with residents as opportunities to connect.

The study, based on interviews and observational visits conducted in 2019, offers initial findings as part of a five-year project being funded by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health.

COVID-19 highlights the importance of meaningful engagement for everyone, especially for persons living with dementia. Doing things that are enjoyable and being engaged to the extent possible and desirable are significant for quality of life and quality of care." Candace Kemp, Professor, Georgia State University's Gerontology Institute and Study's Principle Investigator

Researchers conducted interviews and observations involving 33 assisted living residents with varying types of dementia and levels of functional ability. They represent a diversity of gender, age, race and ethnicity and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The researchers found that actively "listening and observing verbal and non-verbal cues were keys to connecting and meeting residents on their own terms." The researchers urged caregivers to try to include all residents in activities and not to assume that people with dementia can't benefit from activities simply because they may not be able to respond in the same way as other residents.

The research has implications in the COVID-19 era, which has limited visits by family and friends at many assisted living facilities and restricted group activities and gathering for meals. A greater focus on meaningful engagement with residents "holds promise for offsetting the negative effects of social distancing for residents and for reducing care partner strain," the researchers wrote.

Co-authors include researchers from Georgia State's Gerontology Institute and Emory University.

The ongoing project, "Meaningful Engagement and Quality of Life among Assisted Living Residents with Dementia," includes researchers from Georgia State and Emory University working with residents and their care partners in assisted-living communities and personal-care homes in and around Atlanta.

The project supports the National Alzheimer's Plan to improve care quality and support for persons living with dementia and their care partners.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar warned Wednesday that the country faces the possibility of civil war at an unprecedented scale and urged the U.N. Security Council to consider potentially significant action to reverse the Feb. 1 military coup and restore democracy.

Christine Schraner Burgener didnt specify what action she considered significant, but she painted a dire picture of the military crackdown and told the council in a closed briefing that Myanmar is on the verge of spiraling into a failed state.

This could happen under our watch, she said in a virtual presentation obtained by The Associated Press, and failure to prevent further escalation of atrocities will cost the world so much more in the longer term than investing now in prevention, especially by Myanmars neighbours and the wider region.

Schraner Burgener urged the council to consider all available tools to take collective action and do what the people of Myanmar deserve  prevent a multidimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia.

A proposed press statement from the council was not issued after the meeting because China, a close neighbour of Myanmar, asked for additional time to consider its contents, likely until Thursday, several council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun warned the council in remarks distributed by Chinas U.N. Mission that one-sided pressure and calling for sanctions or other coercive measures will only aggravate tension and confrontation and further complicate the situation, which is by no means constructive.

He urged all parties to find a solution through dialogue that de-escalates the situation and continues to advance the democratic transition in Myanmar, warning that if the country slides into protracted turbulence, it will be a disaster for Myanmar and the region as a whole.

The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades had languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Aung San Suu Kyis rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country.

In the virtual meeting, Schraner Burgener denounced the killing and arrest of unarmed protesters seeking to restore democracy. She cited figures from Myanmars Assistance Association for Political Prisoners that as of Wednesday, some 2,729 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced since the coup and an estimated 536 have been killed.

The Security Council adopted a presidential statement -- one step below a resolution -- on March 10 calling for a reversal of the coup, strongly condemning the violence against peaceful protesters and calling for utmost restraint by the military. It stressed the need to uphold democratic institutions and processes and called for the immediate release of detained government leaders including Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.

The statement is weaker than the initial draft circulated by the United Kingdom, which would have condemned the coup and threatened possible measures under the U.N. Charter -- U.N. language for sanctions -- should the situation deteriorate further.

Stressing the urgency of action, Schraner Burgener told council members she fears that serious international crimes and violations of international law by the military will become bloodier as the commander-in-chief seems determined to solidify his unlawful grip on power by force.

Mediation requires dialogue, but Myanmars military has shut its doors to most of the world, she said at the virtual meeting. It appears the military would only engage when it feels they are able to contain the situation through repression and terror.

If we wait only for when they are ready to talk, Schraner Burgener warned that a bloodbath is imminent.

The U.N. envoy called on those with access to the military, known as the Tatmadaw, to let them know the damage to Myanmars reputation and the threat it poses not only to its citizens but to the security of neighbouring countries.

A robust international response requires a unified regional position, especially with neighbouring countries leveraging their influence towards stability in Myanmar, Schraner Burgener said, adding that she plans to visit the region, hopefully next week.

Schraner Burgener said intensification of fighting in Kayin State has sent thousands fleeing to neighbouring Thailand and Conflict in Kachin State with the Kachin Independence Army near the Chinese border intensified to its highest point this year.

Armed ethnic groups on Myanmars eastern and western borders are also increasingly speaking out against the brutality of the military, she said.

The opposition of ethnic armed groups to the militarys cruelty ... (is) increasing the possibility of civil war at an unprecedented scale, Schraner Burgener warned.

Already vulnerable groups requiring humanitarian assistance including ethnic minorities and the Rohingya people will suffer most, she said, but inevitably, the whole country is on the verge of spiraling into a failed state.

Democratically elected representatives to Myanmars National Assembly who formed a committee known by its initials CRPH sent a letter to Guterres and to Britains U.N. ambassador Wednesday urging the Security Council to impose robust, targeted sanctions that freeze the assets of not only military leaders but also military enterprises and the juntas major sources of revenue, such as the oil and gas sector.

CRPH also urged the council to impose an arms embargo against the military, facilitate humanitarian assistance including cross-border aid, refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes committed by the military, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and consider whether there is a need to protect Myanmars people from such crimes.

British Ambassador Barbara Woodward, who called for the council meeting, said afterward that we will continue to discuss next steps with other council members" to prevent the military from perpetuating this crisis."

We want to consider all measures that are at our disposal," she said, which include sanctions.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters before the council meeting that if the military dont go back to their barracks and continue to attack civilians we cant just step back and allow this to happen.

Then, we have to look at how we might do more, she said.

Russias deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, told reporters Tuesday that all council members want the violence to stop and a restoration of dialogue and national unity. But he accused some countries and media outlets of inciting the protesters to continue their protests, which amounts to interfering in Myanmars internal affairs.

Russia is not a big fan of sanctions and punitive measures, Polyansky said, We shouldnt overstep this very thin line between trying to help and interfering into the internal affairs of sovereignty.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal says the time to invest in rail has never been better  and that investment should include tracks connecting the eastern and western ends of Massachusetts.

The question remains: will Gov. Charlie Baker buy in?

I think the governor is coming around. Ive been pretty careful (in talking with Baker) to say we need to improve service, said Neal, the chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and a champion of east-west rail.

Neals remarks at Springfields Union Station Thursday came one day after President Joseph Bidens rollout of a $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is advocating passage by July 4.

The bill covers not just the nations aging infrastructure, but other categories Neal said are essential to rebooting the economy. Included are billions for child care, housing, research and development  which Neal said would be a boost to the University of Massachusetts Amherst  increased broadband access and many more.

Its the issues not directly channeled toward fixing roads, highways and bridges that figure to face stiff Republican opposition. Neal spoke hopefully of hammering out a passable bill through the legislative process, and said direct infrastructure improvements have a much better chance of bipartisan support.

Thats because, he says, almost everybody agrees that Americas infrastructure is crumbling. The bill includes money for roads, highways, bridges and safe drinking water. Neal said the deterioration of some water systems is an example of an issue the United States should never encounter or accept.

Congressman Richard Neal speaks at a press conference at Union Station in Springfield to discuss the proposed infrastructure bill, April 1, 2021. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

As for east-west rail in Massachusetts, the Springfield Democrat sounded more optimistic than at any time in the years-long debate over the project.

If this bill passes, its a great opportunity to get this done. I cant think of a better time in my lifetime to invest in rail. This would get cars off the highways and address the issue of carbon, he said.

But even if the bills passage supplies funding for east-west rail, it will not guarantee the project. Federal money goes to the states, where a new round of negotiation and prioritization would occur.

The governor and the (state) Department of Transportation would have a say in this. The governors input is critical, said Neal.

While never formally ruling out east-west rail, Bakers past interest has been lukewarm at best. Advocates hope major federal funding, which has always been considered necessary to realize the project, could tip the scales.

State government priorities will also affect money for other projects. The presidents bill would fund upgrades for 10,000 decaying bridges in the country, and some of those are in Western and Central Massachusetts.

Thats why Im in favor of earmarks to ensure regional equity, so the attention doesnt become Boston-centric, Neal said.

He pledged to seek bipartisan support for Bidens bill, which figures to face GOP opposition for aspects related to what the president called a caring economy. Neal defended expanding the bill past traditional road, highway and bridge repair.

One thing we can all agree on is the crumbling nature of our infrastructure, (but) its not just fixing the roads to get us to work, but providing for child care to keep us at work, he said.

As legislative negotiations get underway, even a bill with bipartisan appeal faces pushback  not just on some quality-of-life categories, but on how it will be paid. Biden supports a corporate tax increase but says hes open to other ideas, a meaningful signal to Republicans who are expected to oppose higher taxes.

Under one proposal to fund Bidens plan, the corporate tax rate would increase to 28%, from the 21% rate set in 2017 under President Donald J. Trumps tax overhaul. A 21% global minimum tax would be set to keep companies from shifting profits overseas.

Neal was noncommittal on how the bill would be funded, saying only that it would be reviewed and debated during hearings and negotiations. He predicted that suggestions from Congress would impact the final plan.

The presidents bill also includes $18 billion to modernize facilities and hospitals for veterans. Neal alluded the COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home, which left dozens of veterans dead, as proof of the need.

We have 1.5 million new veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. We still have veterans from Korea and World War II, and hundreds of thousands from Vietnam. I dont need to remind you what happened down the road from here, in Holyoke, Neal said.

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The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, has warned Ghanaians, particularly residents in the Region, not to step a foot at the beach during the Easter holidays.



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Henry Quartey advised Ghanaians and owners of facilities along the beaches to obey the directives of the President against the spread of the Coronavirus.



He revealed he has charged the Police to crack the whip on any person who decides to be stubborn.



He said persons who will be found at the various beaches will be punished by the Police.



To the disobedient Ghanaians, Henry Quartey stressed, "Those who will be too recalcitrant, we will have to allow the law to deal with them . . . It's (the beach) a no-go area and nobody should call me . . . When we catch you at the beach, you want to come to the beach, so we will give you the opportunity to enjoy what is at the beach".



To the owners of the beach facilities, the Minister said; ''If they fail to adhere these simple instructions and directives from the President, I will instruct the Tourism Ministry to close them down and I say this without any reservations at all".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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[April 01, 2021] AArete Named One Of "America's Best Management Consulting Firms 2021" By Forbes

CHICAGO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AArete, a global consulting firm specializing in data-informed performance improvement, is pleased to announce it has been named to Forbes list of "America's Best Management Consulting Firms" for 2021. AArete, a global consulting firm, has been named to Forbes list of "America's Best Management Consulting Firms". "Being recognized as a reputable firm by Forbes list is a great honor, especially alongside our esteemed colleagues," said Loren Trimble, CEO of AArete. "Our dedication to our clients while delivering impactful results through data-informed decisions is what qualified AArete for this award." Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to select the annual ranking of America's best management consulting firms. The list is vetted by surveying more than 7,500 partners and executives of management consultancies, as well as 1,000-plus senior executives who worked with such firms over the last four years.



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A body matching the description of missing Briton Philip Mawer has been found in Mozambique, according to his employers.

In a statement on behalf of Philip's family, RA International today said: 'It appears that Philip died while trying to escape from the siege by ISIS-linked insurgents of the Amarula Hotel.'

Mawer, a contractor from Somerset, had not been seen or heard from since gunmen ambushed a convoy of vehicles fleeing a hotel on Friday.

His family described him as a 'much-loved son, brother, uncle and friend' while RA international called him 'an ebullient, outgoing character'.

The 50-year-old was working for RA International, a Dubai-based firm that provides living quarters and other logistics for expatriate workers.

Mercenary pilots recovered the body from the wreckage of a car destroyed in the attack, according to The Times.

The mercenaries, from the Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) handed over the body to the SAS soldiers after recovering it from a 4x4 which had been spotted on Monday.

A decision was made in London for the SAS soldiers not to search the destroyed vehicle themselves, so the mercenary pilots conducted the search.

A body matching the description of missing Briton Philip Mawer has been found in Mozambique following an attack which ISIS has claimed responsibility for

Briton Philip Mawer (left) has not been heard from since attempting to flee Palma. Also pictured: Nick Alexander (right) who was rescued on Sunday having spent two nights crawling through the bush

His family said in a statement: 'It was the nature of his chosen line of work to be in the more dangerous corners of the world and Philip's career had previously taken him to Somalia, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Afghanistan and Yemen.

'His ability to get things done in the most hostile of environments made him a valued colleague.

'Earlier in his life, Philip overcame a period of compulsive gambling and went on to write the book Overcoming Problem Gambling: A Guide For Problem And Compulsive Gamblers, using his personal experience to help others to overcome this destructive addiction.

'He would often receive letters of thanks from people helped by the book.'

It comes after three members of the Special Air Service (SAS) joined the search for Mawer on Monday.

The soldiers arrived in Pemba on Monday and slipped into Mozambique without the use of weapons or military vehicles.

The officers were deployed to the country to help search for Briton Philip Mawer, who had not been heard from since attempting to flee the town of Palma last week.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement issued by its Amaq news agency on Monday alongside a photo of militants from the group celebrating the capture of the town of Palma.

The SAS officers were deployed from a base for bush warfare training in Nairobi, The Times reported.

His friend Peter Zweemer told The Sun that the French oil giant Total, whose employees Mawer was reportedly helping to build a camp for, left its workers to be 'slaughtered'.

'As far as I know and from eye witness accounts, unfortunately, we have to assume Phil got killed Friday.

Al-Shabab, an ISIS-affiliated jihadi group, has made gains in Cabo Delgado, the northeast of Mozambique, and seized the strategic port of Mocimboa da Praia in August before the latest attack in Palma

'There is still no access into Palma to recoup bodies or asses damages and missing people do appear under the most amazing circumstances but I'm afraid the news about Phil is not encouraging.

'It's a shambles and they allowed these contractors to be slaughtered.'

It comes after it emerged that a flotilla of small boats launched a Dunkirk-like rescue of thousands of survivors of the attack.

The boats transported people from Palma, which was stormed by hundreds of gunmen last week, to the town of Pemba, 150 miles further down the Mozambican coast.

Brendon Bekker, the Zimbabwean director of KEA projects, a construction firm working locally, was among those who were evacuated on the boats. He told how one of his colleagues was fatally shot from the shore after boarding one of the vessels.

'When the insurgents first attacked Palma, they came in from about three different directions,' he told the Daily Telegraph, adding that 'there was people all over the different beaches.'

Meanwhile efforts were ongoing to locate the thousands of people still remaining in the town, with reports that militants were still in control despite claims from Mozambican security forces that it had been retaken.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday and announced they had seized the coastal town after days of fighting, the terrorist group said in a statement on its Telegram channels.

An ex-police officer managed to escape the ISIS massacre in Mozambique.

The Sea Star 1 has evacuated around 1,400 people, mostly workers from the French energy giant Total, after armed insurgents attacked the city of Palma

Nick Alexander, a dual British-South African citizen, was rescued on Sunday having spent two nights crawling through the bush after his convoy fleeing a hotel in Palma was ambushed.

Seven people, including a British contractor, were killed as they fled the Amarula Lodge hotel compound on Friday after two days of gunfire near the site of a 14billion major gas project.

Amarula Lodge was considered an oasis of safety by the expatriate workers who were staying in the region, with a well-guarded compound that was deemed secure from attack, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Thousands of survivors were evacuated by boat or plane on Sunday, with witnesses forced to wait on beaches strewn with headless bodies after the decapitations by the militants.

Battles are continuing between the insurgents and government forces after the terrorists arrived in Palma on Wednesday, Omar Saranga, a spokesman for Mozambique's defence ministry, said in a statement.

Palma is six miles away from Africa's biggest gas project which is run by French energy giant Total.

The rise of ISIS in Mozambique Mozambique is a majority Christian country, with Muslims comprising around a fifth of its population. A religious movement, Ansar al-Sunna, first appeared in 2015 in the north of the country, formed by followers of radical Kenyan cleric Aboud Rogo Mohammed who has been linked to the 1998 US embassy bombings. The group attracted disaffected young men who resented a lack of opportunities in an area of rich natural resources. It started building mosques and religious schools, becoming more and more popular with locals. But in 2017, the group starting launching attacks and became known locally as al-Shabab, although they do not have any known connection to Somalia's jihadist rebels of that name. Militants started posting photos on the encrypted messaging service Telegram posing in front of the ISIS flag and praising its then leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Islamic State then confirmed that jihadis in Mozambique had joined its Central Africa Province division (ISCAP), along with militants in the Democratic Republic of Congo. ISIS have since claimed responsibility for many of the attacks carried out in Mozambique, including brutal beheadings and massacres, often posting photos of the victims online. In an official ISIS news bulletin in June last year, leaders taunted the West and African nations for failing to stop the insurgency in Mozambique, and said its interest there is financial with the country's huge coal and gas reserves. The militants still refer to themselves as al-Shabab but they are now strongly considered to be an arm of ISIS, which was confirmed by US officials in December. Coordinator for counter-terrorism Nathan Sales said: 'What we're seeing today is a committed ISIS affiliate that embraces the ISIS ideology, that embraces the ISIS tactics and procedures, and embraces the ISIS vision of a caliphate with territorial control.' As part of ISCAP, al-Shabab is part of ISIS's formal structure and the jihadi group in the Congo allegedly helps fund its Mozambican counterparts. Attacks have become increasingly sophisticated, using new and advanced weapons which indicate the group's involvement in the militant network. The rebels are mainly active in Cabo Delgado province and their attacks became much more frequent and deadly in the past year as they look to hold strategic towns. In August, they captured the port town of Mocimboa da Praia and nearby villages, one of the first territory gains by ISIS in months. The terrorist group then declared Mocimboa da Praia the capital of ISCAP. The insurgents are fighting against Western and Christian values as they seek to install a radical form of Islam and Sharia law in the country, targeting civilians as security forces struggle to quell their uprising. Their attacks have left an estimated 2,600 dead and caused 670,000 to flee their homes, creating a humanitarian crisis. US special forces arrived in Mozambique this month to train marines in counterinsurgency. Advertisement

Mr Alexander is one of hundreds of expats working as a contractor on the natural gas site where he builds camps for the staff.

After spending two days hiding out, he found safety on Sunday and made contact with his daughter Jayde, 29, in Johannesburg.

She told The Times: 'He saw the commotion with the ambush ahead and got out.

'He and two others from the car then ran to hide into the bushes... They were literally crawling through the bush until they were rescued.'

Philip Mawer, believed to be in his 50s, is understood to have been with around 200 other expatriates at Palma's Amarula Lodge hotel, from where a convoy of vehicles fled on Friday and ran into militant ambushes, the newspaper reported.

Mawer works for RA International, a Dubai-based firm that provided living quarters and other logistics for expatriate workers.

A statement from the firm said: 'Our last communication with him was on Friday afternoon after which he was part of a convoy of vehicles that left the Amarula Lodge later that day.'

It later added: 'Philip was an ebullient, outgoing character who had something of the lovable rogue about him.

'He had a wonderful sense of humour and could be relied on to find a humorous take on the most difficult of situations.

'The family is devastated by the loss and he will be sadly missed. We would like to acknowledge the support we have received from friends, family and Philip's colleagues in a period of tremendous anguish.'

Evacuees included foreign gas workers, the BBC reported.

A South African woman, Meryl Knox, said that her son Adrian Nel died in the attack.

Her husband and another son hid with his body in the bush until the following morning, when they were able to make it to safety in Pemba, she told Reuters.

'He died on a very violent and unnecessary day,' Meryl told AFP.

Nel, his younger brother and father had only been in the coastal town since January, leaving Meryl to run a hotel business in the southeastern Kwa-Zulu Natal province of South Africa.

He had been contracted to build workers' accommodation camps in the town, a gas hub in the province of Cabo Delgado.

On Wednesday, an unknown number of gun-wielding terrorists set upon the town, shooting indiscriminately and forcing nearly 200 workers, including expatriates, to seek refuge at the Amarula Hotel.

The family was holed up in the hotel for two days as the sound of heavy artillery echoed outside the walls.

With communications cut, Nel's father got hold of a satellite phone and told Meryl of plans to evacuate them from the besieged hotel where food was beginning to run low.

A convoy of cars was ready to take them to safety.

'As they were leaving, they were ambushed. They shot my son,' Meryl said.

'There's no way to possibly describe what you feel when you get news like that.

'It's just devastating, body numbing, mind numbing.'

Six other people were killed during the ambush.

Only seven of the 17-car convoy that had planned to make a dash from the hotel made it to safety.

Some had to turn back, witnesses said.

Meryl has no details of the exact nature of the attack that claimed her son's life

Her youngest son will return to South Africa on the available first flight while her husband will wait to complete formalities to bring the remains of their son home.

Nel's body is at a morgue in Pemba, the provincial capital where many survivors have been evacuated to.

Speaking to Sky News, Knox said of her son's death: 'When they were driving out unfortunately the insurgents ambushed them and my son was shot,' she told the news outlet.

'I learnt on Friday night that people had been killed as they tried to leave the hotel. We didn't hear who had been killed.

'It was only on Saturday morning that I got news that unfortunately it was Adrian.'

Thousands of survivors evacuated by boat or plane on Sunday, with witnesses forced to wait on beaches strewn with headless bodies

Battles are continuing between the insurgents linked to Islamic State and government forces

Hundreds of people fleeing the attack are arriving by boat in the port city of Pemba, a diplomat and an aid worker said.

Militants struck Palma, a logistics hub for international gas projects, on Wednesday. The government has yet to re-establish control, the diplomat and a security source directly involved in the operations to secure Palma said.

Reuters could not independently verify the accounts, as most communications with Palma were cut on Wednesday.

Calls to officials at the foreign ministry and provincial government went unanswered or did not go through on Sunday.

The government has said it is working to restore order in Palma.

Adrian Nel, 40, pictured above, from South Africa was shot dead in a vehicle he was trying to escape in with his father and younger brother

Locals gathered at the port on Sunday for news of family members after the savage attacks

The boats arriving in Pemba on Sunday carried both locals and foreigners, including employees from the gas projects, the aid official and diplomat said. One boat was carrying around 1,300 people, said the diplomat.

French energy group Total said on Saturday it was calling off a planned resumption of construction at its development following the attack and would reduce its workforce to a 'strict minimum'.

The company pulled out the majority of its workforce in January due to insecurity in Cabo Delgado province, which has been the target of an insurgency linked to Islamic State since 2017.

Government-contracted helicopters were searching for more survivors. Lionel Dyck, who runs a private security firm working with the government, said his helicopters had rescued at least 17 people on Sunday.

The number of people injured and killed in the five-day assault on Palma, or still unaccounted for, remained unclear. The town had previously been a refuge for people fleeing violence elsewhere in the province.


Security Engineer, Apple Cloud Services Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Software and Services Summary

Posted: Mar 29, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200233951 Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, new insights have a way of becoming phenomenal products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. We're a diverse collection of problem solvers and doers, continually reimagining our products, systems, and practices to help people do what they love in new ways. This is a deeply reciprocal place, where everything we build is the result of people in different roles and teams working together to make each other's ideas stronger. That same real passion for innovation that goes into our products also applies to our practices, strengthening our dedication to leave the world better than we found it. Apple Cloud Services (ACS), the team behind iCloud services and the infrastructure that powers it, is looking for security engineers to partner with engineering teams working on new products and features. You will collaborate with developers, site reliability engineers, and security teams to protect ACS services and design a secure foundation for services at Apple. Your work will include full end-to-end security assurance activities including security architecture, threat modeling, some security testing, and risk management. You will be working with partner teams in security engineering, privacy, and offensive security to keep Apple's services secure for our users. If you love diving into different sophisticated technical systems, sharing security improvements, and staying organized enough to ride the chaos to security victory, we want to talk to you! Key Qualifications 5 or more years conducting security reviews, threat modeling, tracking findings, and communicating risk to engineering and leadership teams

Extensive experience with threat modeling frameworks and techniques, particularly as applied to agile development

Knowledgeable about distributed systems' design patterns and security implications, as well as common infrastructure components including: network architecture, server fleet provisioning and configuration, OOB management, storage, load balancing, virtualization, Kubernetes

Conversant in at least one programming language such as Python, Java, Go, or Ruby Description In this role, you will be the primary security team point of contact for several large engineering efforts. You will work with the engineering teams throughout their development lifecycle. You will conduct security reviews and develop threat models and use the insights from these engagements to create standard methodologies. You will help define, automate and advocate for platform-wide security improvements. You will partner with your colleagues to raise the security bar for all engineering teams at Apple. YOU WILL BE: A technical specialist responsible for the security of Apple's internet-facing services and backend infrastructure Innately curious, listening for nuances and digging into details to understand systems and their weaknesses Able to identify areas that are ripe for improvement and establishes appropriate security goals Experienced and comfortable building relationships with teams to drive security improvements Current on new security technologies, vulnerabilities, and methodologies An excellent verbal and written communicator Able to develop proof of concept systems to automate security recommendations, vulnerability discovery, and process workflows Able to use data to drive security review efficiency and prioritize high-value security team engagement Responsible for security decisions impacting millions of users Education & Experience Bachelors degree in Computer Science / Engineering or a related, with emphasis in security related fields or equivalent experience. Bonus points for community contributions like public CVEs, bug bounty recognition, open source tools, blogs, talks etc. Additional Requirements Apple is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We also take affirmative action to offer employment and advancement opportunities to all applicants, including minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities. Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants.

Apple will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. If you are applying for a position in San Francisco, please click here.

Apple participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more.

Apple's committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Learn more.

Apple is a drug-free workplace. Learn more.






WASHINGTON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inflectra - the global tech company with a portfolio in software test management, application lifecycle management, and enterprise-level agile program management announced its initial plans for the expansion of its data hosting facilities to potential future human colonies. "We expanded our network of cloud-hosting options in 2021 to fulfill our mission of giving customers choice on where they want to have their data hosted," says Director of Platforms, Harold Saxon. "Having completed the rollout of our Spira SaaS platform to the eastern hemisphere, we are looking to anticipate future needs and we believe it is prudent to initiate plans for hosting of data beyond our terrestrial boundaries, and these plans will require Mastery of many challenges, not least network latency, redundancy, and resilience."

Building on its existing network of regional cloud-hosting hubs in the USA, Canada, European Union, Australia, India, Singapore, and emboldened by an unprecedented acceleration of the adoption of the company's SaaS platforms - SpiraTeam and SpiraPlan, especially in the regulated industries, Inflectra believes the time is right to start planning for the future potential needs for private cloud-hosting infrastructure in support of planned human outposts on both the lunar surface and nearest planetary neighbor. Since the release of data from the recent Guinevere One space exploration mission, the timeframe for human settlement on Mars is looking increasingly likely.

As has been seen in Europe, data privacy and data residency rights have become increasingly important, with many terrestrial jurisdictions requiring different classifications of data to be stored and processed within their legal boundaries. In the same way that Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has set the standard for much of the rest of the world, the GDPR is likely to form the backbone of the privacy legislation in future human settlements on other planets.

Dr. Adelaide Brooke, Head of Innovation for Inflectra elaborates "Although the timeframe for planned human settlement on other planets such as Mars is relatively far away, we believe that having a competitive advantage in cloud services in preparation for the planned Bowie Base One in 2050 will be imperative for Inflectra to ensure that its platforms are ready to support the IT systems of the future. In addition, the legal frameworks for data transfers and data protections for future Martian citizens are at present unclear, and we believe that our plans for private, yet federated data-hosting between Earth, Mars, and other planets will be a foundation for future endeavors, and will set the standard for our industry. In fact, Inflectra's mission statement is to bring Harmony to software development, and we anticipate these industry trends leading to a united federation of planets when it comes to data hosting."

About Inflectra

Founded in 2006, Inflectra is a market leader, developing turn-key solutions that address many challenges in software testing and QA, test automation, and product lifecycle management. Its methodology agnostic software tools are used in regulated industries where portfolio management, requirements traceability, release planning, resource management, document workflow, baselining, and enterprise risk analysis are required.

Media Contact

Adam Sandman, Inflectra

[email protected]

202-558-6885

SOURCE Inflectra
Charleston, WV (25301)

Today

A shower or two around the area early, then partly cloudy during the afternoon. High 83F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable.
In the Hulu series, The Dropout, British Indian actor Naveen Andrews (left), seen above at the screening and Q&A for Instinct on day 3 of the SCAD aTVfest 2018 on Feb. 3, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia, will play the role of Indian American Ramesh Sunny Balwani (right), who served as Theranos president and chief operating officer before he quit in 2016. (Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 2018; Kimberly White/Getty Images)
Its a business masquerading as a religion, said Mike Rinder, an Australian who rose to become one of Scientologys most senior international executives and an official spokesman. He is now a prominent US-based critic. They measure their success by how much money they have in the bank or [is] held in assets such as property. Church of Scientology International spokeswoman Karin Pouw denied this, saying Scientology is in the midst of an explosive expansion in Australia, ongoing since 2007, with new facilities in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. She did not answer a question on whether she agreed with the 2016 census data which reported Scientology had fewer than 1700 followers. Ms Pouw said the loans and grants from the US were to purchase church property and it had also been able to expand through the generous donations of Scientology parishioners who use these facilities. There is no accumulation of profits as you suggest, she said. All of the churchs funds are dedicated to furthering its religious and charitable mission.

The build-up of wealth is helped by Australias generous regulatory treatment of Scientology, its tax-free status and its protections as a religion after a landmark High Court decision in 1983. In much of the world, Scientology is not afforded that tax status or classed as a religion. Scientology has built up enormous wealth in a relatively short time. An analysis by The Age and the Herald shows Scientologys assets in Australia are worth $102,535 per adherent. By comparison, a 2018 Age investigation estimated all the entities related to the Catholic Church in Australia had wealth of about $30 billion, equating to an average $5600 per Catholic in Australia. The Church of Scientology headquarters in Chatswood, Sydney. Figures for Australia show Scientologys assets rose from $60.1 million in 2013 to $172.4 million in 2019, which included the building of its Ideal Advanced Organisation centre for the Asia-Pacific region in Chatswood, Sydney. Figures for the UK, where it has about 2400 adherents, also show increasing wealth, with nearly $150 million in assets, a near tripling since 2013 as more than $50 million in loans was injected from the US-based church. The UK finances, including the ownership of assets, are reported through an Adelaide-based entity set up in 1977 and are also lodged with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.

In total, $326 million of Scientology assets are now owned through Australia. However, in Britain, where the church is liable for UK corporation tax, the profits are far lower and are offset by large debts to US and offshore entities of Scientology. Using internal debts to related offshore companies to reduce taxable income is a common tactic of multinational corporations. Ms Pouw rejected this. The UK church is engaged in its own building and renovations program, which accounts for the debt you refer to. Former executives and adherents say Scientology makes money in two main ways. It uses aggressive sales techniques and can charge followers tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to progress through its courses and move through religious levels. It is also heavily reliant on large donations from extremely wealthy backers.

Scientology has attracted celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Elisabeth Moss and John Travolta. In Australia, there is Kate Ceberano and a slew of extremely wealthy backers. Billionaire James Packer was for a time a Scientologist, after being introduced to it by Cruise. One backer, US businessman Robert Duggan, has donated more than $US360 million ($475 million). Australias tax and regulatory regimes are favourable to religions, but it is one of the few jurisdictions to require Scientology to report some financial data through its charity regulator. In the US, Scientology does not do so and the scale of its total wealth is hidden. Melbourne Law School professor Ann OConnell, an expert in the taxing of charities and not-for-profits, said that being established as a religion was an easy threshold to cross in Australia based on the 1983 High Court case. If charities file their annual reports [with the ACNC] and dont have a protest in the middle of the CBD and just rumble on and get their tax concession, its a good system for them.

Professor OConnell questioned whether religions that did not provide charitable services  for example, hospitals or shelters for the homeless  should be eligible for tax concessions. Something like Scientology just doesnt seem to do that. Charities, including religions, in Australia have to pass a public benefit test but it is automatically presumed that religion is for the public benefit. To lose that status, a case would have to be made to the ACNC Commissioner, Professor OConnell said. Thats a weaker regime than in the UK, which has no presumption about public benefit for religion. In the UK, Scientology has not passed the public benefit test and is not a charity. Mr Rinder, who was executive director of Scientologys office of special affairs, said the organisation was wary of regulatory crackdowns, particularly from the Internal Revenue Service in the US. He said this would probably explain some of the shifting of cash from the US, where they generate so much revenue to Australia and elsewhere. Scientologys Ms Pouw said that claim is as ill-founded as it is incongruous.

Long-term Scientology researcher Tony Ortega, a former editor of The Village Voice newspaper in New York, said the business model of ploughing money into offshore property, including in Australia, served another purpose for Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige. He knows hes not going to get a lot of young Scientologists [to join] but hes got these wealthy older people that have to be convinced that Scientology is on the right track, he said. Scientologys church in Ascot Vale, Melbourne. Credit:Justin McManus The way he does that is the constant opening of new facilities around the world. Mr Ortega said the churchs business model had led to this massive accumulation of wealth and that no expense was spared on spying on ex-Scientologists or litigation.
Washington has put steady pressure on Baghdad since 2018 to reduce its dependency on Iranian power imports, but the Kadhimi government has carefully manipulated US policy to win concessions while signing new deals with US adversaries including Iran, but also Russia and China.

The US has extended Baghdads sanctions waiver by 120 days, allowing Iraq to buy electricity from Iran to meet its short-term energy needs while it takes steps to reduce its dependence on Iranian energy imports, a State Department spokesperson told reporters on Wednesday. It has given Iraq such waivers since economic sanctions were reimposed on Tehran in 2018.

The waiver is the first such given by the administration of US President Joe Biden, who took office in January. His predecessor, Donald Trump, had shortened the waiver lengths in 2020 of as little as 30 days in an effort to increase pressure on Iraq to dissociate itself from Iranian trade, which Trump sought to totally strangle as part of his maximum pressure campaign. However, Iraqs trade with Iran is extensive and necessary to Iraqi stability, particularly its shaky power grid, and with thousands of US troops based in Iraq, Washington can ill afford to totally alienate Baghdad.

A 2015 deal Iran signed with the US and six other powers saw Tehran give up its nuclear program in exchange for the lowering of strangling economic sanctions. However, in 2018, the Trump administration claimed Iran had been violating the deal and the US reimposed its sanctions. Although no other nation agreed with Trumps claims, they still bowed to US demands to cut off trade, so Iran began slowly reducing its commitments to deal, such as refining more uranium and at higher purities. After Biden took office, it looked like the US would return to the deal, but now Washington insists Tehran must make the first move.

The US relationship with the Iraqi government also became increasingly precarious under Trump. After the US assassinated Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani with a drone strike outside Baghdad airport without first notifying the Iraqi government, the countrys parliament voted to demand that the 5,300 US troops stationed there should leave. In response, Trump threatened to freeze nearly $35 billion in Iraqi oil revenues stored in its New York Federal Reserve account.

Last month, airstrikes ordered by Biden against Shiite militias that had attacked a US-Iraqi base in Erbil were at carefully chosen sites just across the Syrian border to avoid diplomatic blowback to the Iraqi government, the New York Times put it at the time.

Power Diversification Deals

Iraq imports both electricity and gas to burn for electricity in huge quantities: the 38 million cubic meters of gas Iraq imports from Iran are responsible for as much as 45% of its 14,000-megawatt daily electrical consumption, and Iraq buys between 1,200 and 1,500 megawatts of electricity, according to Pars Today.

In June 2020, Iraq signed a two-year deal with Iran to buy electricity worth an estimated $400 million. However, Baghdad has its own plans for energy diversification. While sitting on some of the worlds largest petroleum reserves, Iraqs production of oil and the associated natural gas are limited by production caps put in place by the OPEC oil consortium.

On Monday, Baghdad announced a major deal with French oil company Total to build complexes for treating associated gas - that is, natural gas bound up with crude oil pockets - which Iraq typically flares off as waste. According to S&P Global, their combined output will yield 16.9 million cubic meters of gas for electrical production, or about 40% of what Iraq buys from Iran. The deal will also see the construction of a 1,000-megawatt solar farm.

Iraqi President Mustafa al-Kadhimi traveled on Tuesday to Riyadh, where the two nations signed a slew of economic deals establishing a $3 billion joint fund for the "benefit of the Saudi and Iraqi economies, with the participation of the private sector from both sides," the Saudi Press Agency reported.

In addition, Baghdad has also signed a massive deal in November with Chinas Zhenhua Oil Co. for a $2 billion, five-year oil prepayment scheme. OilPrice.com recently reported on how Kadhimi has deftly played the US to get what he wants via threats to pen deals with Iran, China or Russia, which is why Baghdad froze progress on the prepayment plan last month. At the time, Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar told the BBC that the change of plans was due to an unexpected rise in oil prices.

(SPUTNIK)
As a way of saving the country from its rising unemployment and poverty rates, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has said that it is set to train over seven million Nigerians in the areas of agriculture, construction and facility maintenance, information and communication technology, manufacturing and services between 2021 and 2031.

Disclosing this in Jos during an interactive session with the journalists, the Director General of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari noted that, "skill acquisition remains the most sustainable solution to increasing poverty and unemployment, and the catalyst to economic growth and development."

According to him, the ITF was among the few agencies requested by the federal government to forward submissions on lifting of 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

"If our proposal, which is currently receiving attention of the authorities, is assented to, the ITF will train over seven million Nigerians in the Agriculture, construction and facility maintenance, information and communication technology, manufacturing and services sector between 2021 and 2031."

He said that the Fund has implemented several skills intervention programmes, including the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), Special Skills Development Programme (SSDP), Federal Government Skills Empowerment Programme (FEGOSEP), Info-Tech Skills Empowerment Programme (ISEP), and Agric-preneurship Training Programme (ATP) with which it has trained thousands of Nigerians that were empowered with start-up packs to set up on their own.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Construction Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

He added, "This year, which we have declared as the year of " skills Escalation for Prosperity", we have commenced processes for the implementation of more skills intervention programmes namely: the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), the Skills Training and Empowerment Programme for the Physical Challenged (STEPP-C), the Construction Skills Empowerment Programme (CONSEP), the Passion to Profession Programme ( P2PP), and the Agri- preneurship Training Programme (ATP).

He added that the programmes would train about 12,000 Nigerians between three and six months in web design and programming, advance computer networking, mobile app development, iron bending, masonry, crop production, aquaculture, air-conditioning and refrigeration, plumbing, GSM repairs and ladies wig cap making.

Ari added that, in appreciation of their efforts to equip Nigerians with requisite skills and contributions to the development of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector in Nigeria, ITF was named as a member of the steering committee of the federal government to drive the implementation of the various support schemes for MSMEs in the country as part of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Government's social investment programmes under Economic Sustainability Plan.

He reassured that the Fund will continue to be responsive to the needs of all its stakeholders in order for them to be productive and grow the national economy.

"This year, we are poised to do more in this regard as most of our stakeholders are still struggling to overcome the ripple effects of the pandemic and will be expecting us to provide quick fix capacity solutions for their businesses."
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SpaceX workers are continuing to recover fragments of Tuesday's doomed rocket from a nature reserve as conservationists blasted Elon Musk for the danger it posed to wildlife.

The Starship prototype rocket SN11 took off from the company's base in the tiny hamlet of Boca Chica before crashing landing on its launch pad minutes later, raining debris into a neighbouring wildlife refuge.

Photos showed a beach opposite the facility littered with huge shards of metal and other remnants of the unmanned rocket.

The beach is part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Nature Wildlife Refuge, which is home to ocelots as well as many birds and insects, including an extremely rare beetle and a little-known ant species.

There are no reports of wildlife dying or being injured in the crash but conservationists criticised the launch site's impact on the local environment.

SpaceX workers are continuing to recover fragments of Tuesday's doomed rocket from a nature reserve as conservationists blasted Elon Musk for the danger it posed to wildlife

The Starship prototype rocket SN11 took off from the company's Boca Chica facility before crashing landing on its launch pad minutes later, sending debris into a neighbouring wildlife refuge

Photos showed a beach opposite the facility littered with huge shards of metal and other remnants of the unmanned rocket

Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, a conservation group, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that Musk's company's 'fail-first, fix-fast approach' was dangerous.

Boca Chica Flea Beetle The sand dunes of Boca Chica are the only known habitat of the Boca Chica Flea Beetle. The small golden brown beetle has distinctive indents along its back, making it appear almost spotted. Its larvae are known to be subterranean, feeding on the underground portions of their host plants. The beetle is classes as a 'Species of Greatest Conservation Need' by the state of Texas. Advertisement

'The result of this strategy is a series of explosions that rain down debris on the habitat.

Most recently the explosion resulted in a large debris field on USFWS-managed state land,' the post said.

One Twitter user said the area is also the only known home of the extremely rare Boca Chica flea beetle.

The tiny hamlet is also one of just three known habitats of a little-known ant species.

'The area around SpaceX's launchpad is some of the last of its kind in the world, much of it previously lost to agriculture,' Steven Wang wrote.

'Center of the continent & gateway to the tropics, it is one of the biologically richest areas in the US with a crazy mixmash of species found nowhere else.'

The Boca Chica flea beetle is small and golden brown in color.

It lives immediately west of the beach-side dunes east of Brownsville, Texas, according to bugguide.net.

Wang, a Cornell University undergrad, also shared an image of an ant that is so new to researchers that it is yet to be named.

The 'undescribed Temnothorax species' is native to the area of Boca Chica where the debris fell.

'It looks like nothing else we know on this continent,' Wang wrote alongside the image of the shiny brown ant.

Heavy machinery has been brought in to remove the wreckage, which will be examined to try and uncover the cause of the crash.

SN11 launched from the SpaceX testing facility in Boca Chica, Texas around 9:15am ET on Tuesday.

But minutes into its first high altitude test the livestream froze.

A SpaceX engineer John Insprucker, who hosted the livestream, said: 'Starship 11 is not coming back, don't wait for the landing.'

'We do appear to have lost all the data from the vehicle.'

At the time of the announcement, SN11 was still soaring through the sky, but it came crashing down moments later.

The launch site is surrounded by three separate wildlife conservation areas which are home to a number of endangered species including the piping plover shorebird and the Kemp's ridley sea turtle which lays its nests less than a quarter of a mile from the SpaceX facility

There are no reports of wildlife dying or being injured in the crash but many remain concerned about the launch site's impact on the local environment

Musk released a statement on Twitter shortly after the incident saying 'engine 2 had issues on ascent & didn't reach operating chamber pressure during landing burn, but, in theory, it wasn't needed.

Temnothorax Twitter/Steven Wang An 'undescribed temnothorax' is known to live in the area surrounding the SpaceX Boca Chica site. The ant is shiny and brown in colour, with lighter legs and antanea. Little is known about the insect, which has also been sighted in Goliad, Texas and Nicaragua. Temnothorax is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It contains more than 350 species. Advertisement

'Something significant happened shortly after landing burn start. Should know what it was once we can examine the bits later today.'

NASASpaceFlight captured the event from cameras sitting near the launch pad.

They saw Starship SN11 'come down hard' and debris 'came flying past the camera near the pad.'

Sources at the site say the rocket appeared to have been rotating on its axis more than previous flights.

This could suggest SN11 may have struggled during the belly flop manoeuvre and exploded in mid-air.

One bystander found a piece of the charred rocket about five miles outside the Boca Chica facility.

'Found this... tank insulation? #SN11 It came from the sky, is warm, and smells like fuel of some sort,' a post shared to Twitter with a photo of the person holding part of the fallen rocket read.

SpaceX had planned to launch SN11 Monday, March 29, but was forced to pull the plug because a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector was not available to monitor the flight during the five-hour launch window.

The FAA released a statement after the launch on Tuesday, saying it will lead the investigation into what caused SN11 to explode.

The company's Boca Chica site has long been a cause of concern for environmentalists.

They who say the tests carried out there are causing untold damage to endangered wildlife and the eco-sensitive Gulf of Mexico border region.

The site is surrounded by three separate wildlife conservation areas which are home to a number of endangered species.

These include the piping plover shorebird and the Kemp's ridley sea turtle which lays its nests less than a quarter of a mile from the SpaceX facility.

SN11 launched from the SpaceX testing facility in Boca Chica, Texas around 9:15am ET on Tuesday, but minutes into its first high altitude test the livestream froze and a SpaceX engineer John Insprucker, who hosted the livestream, said: 'Starship 11 is not coming back, don't wait for the landing'

Sources at the site say the rocket appeared to have been rotating on its axis more than previous flights, suggesting SN11 may have struggled during the belly flop manoeuvre and exploded in mid-air

One bystander found a piece of the charred rocket about five miles outside the Boca Chica facility

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a statement after the launch on Tuesday, saying it will lead the investigation into what caused SN11 to explode

Heavy machinery has been brought in to remove the wreckage, which will be examined to try and uncover the cause of the crash

The company looks set to expand its activities in the area, with founder Musk urging engineers to move there to work for SpaceX.

On Tuesday, Musk announced he will donate $20million to schools in Cameron County and $10million to help with the 'downtown revitalisation' the city of Brownsville, Texas and South Padre.

The city of Brownsville expressed its gratitude in a tweet: 'On the border, by the sea and BEYOND! Grateful for your support in making #Brownsville a launching pad to Mars'

'We look forward to continuing to work with @elonmusk and @SpaceX!'

Musk made the donation announcement alongside a tweet where he called for talent including engineers and technicians to move to the area to work for SpaceX.

The billionaire entrepreneur has had a rocky relationship with locals since he started buying up land in the area back in 2015.

Musk began buying up homes and land in the Boca Chica area in 2015 to expand his SpaceX empire and build a test site for the Starship program in a takeover that has repeatedly drawn the ire of the local community.

The SN11 is pictured on March 23 prior to taking off and crash landing during its launch on Tuesday

Musk has had a rocky relationship with Boca Chica locals since he started buying up land in the area back in 2015. Before SpaceX moved in, Boca Chica was a quiet hamlet of just 35 houses and was known to be something of an isolated paradise teeming with wildlife

Before SpaceX moved in, Boca Chica was a quiet hamlet of just 35 houses and a tiny chapel and was known to be something of an isolated paradise teeming with wildlife such as blue buntings and coyotes.

Now, SpaceX has bought up more than half of the homes and turned many of them into workshops, storage sites, and delivery centers.

Last June, residents told DailyMail.com the company was bullying them to leave their homes using threats and aggressive tactics while some likened the noise of rocket launches to living 'in a war zone'.

SpaceX did not respond to a MailOnline request for comment at the time of this article's publication.
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TUCSON, Ariz.  A Canadian-based mining company said it has found significant copper deposits on the western part of the Santa Rita Mountains, potentially warranting open pit mining near residents south of Tucson.

Hudbay Minerals Inc. said Wednesday that drilling at its Copper World deposits found higher copper grades closer to the surface than were found at its adjacent Rosemont Mine east of the southern Arizona mountain range, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

Copper World has the potential to host at least four economic deposits separate from or an enhancement to the $2 billion project at the Rosemont Mine, said Cashel Meagher, company senior vice president.

The four deposits are on private land owned by the company and obtained from the federal government through patented mining claims. If more copper mines are discovered, business leaders and outside investors expect the mines to bring more high-paying jobs to the region.

But residents near the mountain range in Green Valley, Quail Creek and Sahuarita have expressed concerns about the potential project, the visibility of mining operations and already declining groundwater supplies.

Andre Lauzon, Hudbays Arizona business unit vice president, told the Green Valley News that it is likely that some parts of the mine and its operations would be visible from Green Valley and Sahuarita.

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What and how much will be visible depends on the future mine plan and the scale of a new project, Lauzon said.

Environmental engineer Charles Stack, who is a resident of Quail Creek, said people paid a lot of money to move into upscale suburbs and are not going to be happy with the view. He also noted that no modern infrastructure exists in the area to support copper mining.

Mining on the western flank of the Santa Ritas would require substantial upgrades to regional transportation and utilities, and it is doubtful that sufficient recoverable copper in these claims could support mining activity, Stack said.

Sahuarita Mayor Tom Murphy congratulated the company on its discovery, saying he has supported the Rosemont Mine since it was proposed more than a decade ago.

Hudbay must now conduct additional drilling and completion of a feasibility study before it can file mining proposals with government agencies. The company has not yet announced a timetable.
A Gold Coast man has been charged with arson after a house was significantly damaged by fire at Ashmore on Thursday.

A 30-year-old Surfers Paradise man was charged by police after they were called to a disturbance at a property on Walabah Drive about 11am.

Shortly after, the house was fully engulfed in fire, causing significant damage.

Firefighters were able to quickly put out the blaze and no one was injured during the incident.

The man was charged with one count of arson, and one count of fraud in an unrelated matter.

He is due to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on April 3.
Efforts by both parties involved in a lawsuit over the sale of an unfinished Alabama nuclear plant have failed and the 2 -year-old case appears headed for trial.

Nuclear Development LLC and TVA both filed motions for summary judgment, asking U.S. District Judge Liles Burke to ruling in their favor in resolving the suit before it went to trial. Nuclear Development sued TVA in November 2018 after the federal utility declined to complete the agreed-upon sale of Bellefonte Nuclear Plant near Scottsboro.

The judge denied both parties motions in a lengthy order issued Wednesday.

Related: Resolution over Bellefonte Nuclear Plant lawsuit draws near

No trial date has been set.

TVA has said it opted not to complete the sale of the company created by Tennessee developer Franklin Haney because Nuclear Development had not secured the appropriate licenses to take ownership from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Nuclear Development has said the licenses should not be an obstacle to the sale and filed a breach of contract suit against TVA the day the deal was supposed to have been completed.

Because there remain genuine disputes of material fact, the issues of the lawsuit could not be decided as a matter of law, Burke wrote in concluding his order.

The sides presented oral arguments before Burke in February.

Burke wrote in his order that there was evidence of concerns over potential litigation for months leading up to the November 2020 closing date based on emails exchanged between TVA and Nuclear Development.

TVA has declared the plant and its property as surplus and Nuclear Development, which won the rights to purchase the plant with an auction bid of $111 million in 2016. The issue over the licenses, however, gave TVA pause on completing the sale, which Burke wrote in his order was a legitimate concern.
The Prime Minister says that Corpus Christi, also known as the "Day of Wreaths", is set aside on the Christian calendar to honour the Holy Eucharist which was observed at the last supper before Christ was crucified.
Public health officials are still cautious as vaccinations continue to expand, but beer distributors are betting on a busy year of public gatherings based on their growing schedules.

Regional beer distributors like Del Papa Distributing and Giglio Distributing are ramping up for the apparent comeback of festival season in Southeast Texas and across their markets after adapting to a year of virtual events and canceled celebrations.

But, although brand representatives seem primed to greet festivalgoers as soon as April, most distributors were worried they were in for another grim year just a few weeks ago.

Jeff Wheeler, director of marketing with Del Papa, said his team was starting to wonder if they were going to have to go back to the drawing board again this year after multiple Mardi Gras celebrations and the South Texas State Fair were canceled or postponed at the beginning of the year.

We were starting to think, Well, here we go again, he said. I think we adapted well last year and we still had plenty of chances to try new things with virtual events, but its hard to beat actually getting the product in someones hand.

Del Papa sponsored or partnered with organizations across the region for 47 events in 2019, providing drinks for thirsty festivalgoers and introducing the newest products coming to their markets.

Following the news of gradually decreasing new cases and reduced restrictions in Texas, Wheeler said organizers started signing on in droves, growing this years list to 43 events.

Big draws like the South Texas State Fair have even been rescheduled, moving to May 20-30.

Giglio is also gearing up for the long-awaited marketing season, which could begin as soon as April with the coming Neches River Festival in Beaumont and the Port Neches RiverFest.

Billy Beaver, director of brand development with Giglio, said it appeared organizers had already been preplanning while waiting for a sign to proceed, which seemed to come when Gov. Greg Abbott rolled back certain restrictions at the beginning of March.

The calls started pouring in, and we are getting new ones every day, Beaver said. We are still optimistic based on the current COVID cases and the fact that many of our events are outside.

So far, Giglio is planning on being at several local events this year, including the RiverFest, the Mauriceville Crawfish Festival and the Texas Rice Festival in Winnie.

One of the local festivals on Del Papas list of sponsored events, Beaumonts Neches River Festival, is just around the corner thanks to months of planning and flexibility.

Last year, the pandemic reduced the weeklong event celebrating the citys heritage to just a small coronation of the river queen and king.

Shanna Briggs, publicity chair with the festival, said the planning committee got to work soon after, creating contingencies and backups depending on what the festival faced next year, but the typical in-person festival didnt seem possible until the beginning of March.

We decided to follow the lead of the city (of Beaumont) whenever they made the decision to start opening some of the downtown facilities to people, Briggs said.

Just a month before, organizers canceled a scheduled 5K run that was supposed to be in conjunction with Mardi Gras Southeast Texas and raise funds for the River Festival.

Now, Briggs said vendor and event participation has seemingly taken off as the festivals April 7 launch approaches, and organizers are ready to host the annual river day for high school kids, along with a street party and coronation ball.

While distributors missed key opportunities like festivals to boost the visibility of new products in 2020, brewers still saw plenty of sales during the pandemic.

Gross revenues in the national spirits market grew by 7.7% in 2020, according to the Distilled Spirits Council, setting the largest increase on record.

Beer saw about 44% of those increased sales, despite dealing with issues including grain delays and aluminum can shortages because of the spike in demand for canned drinks.

Some of those hurdles are still impacting certain brands and varieties. For example, Wheeler said it would be rare to see an 18-pack of cans and certain package styles for imported beers while the aluminum issue is still being addressed by manufacturers.

Neither distributor expects any of the problems created by the pandemic to prevent local eventgoers from enjoying their favorite cold ones at least in the near future.

I would say Southeast Texas, for the most part, has been pretty steady with the demand at bars and restaurants, which are the same product types we would be using at festivals, Beaver said. The issues might come when the rest of the country that hasnt been as open comes back online and starts ordering stuff they havent been in the last year.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
CHICAGO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Powering Chicago , the labor-management partnership between the Electrical Contractors' Association of Chicago and IBEW Local 134, has released a new eBook for restaurant owners and general managers with solutions to help businesses thrive while staying healthy and safe during COVID-19.

Written with the unique needs of the restaurant business during a pandemic in mind, Back to Business: A Guide to Safely Reopening Chicagoland Restaurants with Increased Capacity , helps restaurants decide what kind of outdoor structures are best for their needs. Additionally, the guide empowers owners to think of all the details that go into making patrons comfortable in possibly cold weather, and healthy during a pandemic.

"We know the restaurant industry is ready to get back to business," said Elbert Walters III, Director of Powering Chicago. "As a business partner to Chicago restaurants, we can help a restaurant find an electrician who has extensive experience in the hospitality industry and understands their unique needs. Our electrical contractors can provide turnkey solutions to help increase capacity and help restaurants get back to business with safety in mind."

According to the guide, considerations that restaurants need to make for outdoor dining include:

Whether to utilize individual heat huts or larger outdoor tents;

Making sure they have the ability to provide electric heating to patrons outdoors as well as adequate lighting; and

Installing technologies like air filtration systems and UV lighting for indoor dining, to keep everyone healthy, while also enticing nervous diners to visit.

Powering Chicago's electrical and technical expertise can help restaurants determine the best indoor or outdoor structures to provide a safe environment for employees and customers.

To learn more about how to offer outdoor and indoor dining options that keep your business thriving and your staff and patrons healthy, download the eBook by visiting the Powering Chicago website .

About Powering Chicago

Powering Chicago is an electrical industry labor-management partnership between the Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago and IBEW Local 134. Together they employ the latest technology to elevate industry performance with a deep commitment to safety, reliability, and continuing education. Powering Chicago also invests in the future of their industry through innovative apprenticeship programs and community outreach to prepare the next generation of electricians. For more information, visit Powering Chicago's About Page on their website.

Contact:

Steve Doty

[email protected]

630-770-6769

SOURCE Powering Chicago

Related Links

https://poweringchicago.com


Federal prosecutors told a judge Thursday they have offered a plea deal to two Brooklyn attorneys charged with firebombing an empty police vehicle last year amid demonstrations in New York City following the death of George Floyd.

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan set a 90-day deadline for Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman to accept the government's offer or proceed to trial on charges including arson conspiracy.

The attorneys face at least 45 years in federal prison if convicted as charged.

The U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn and defense attorneys for both lawyers declined to comment on the plea negotiations, which have been ongoing for several weeks.

The seven-count indictment has been criticized by several former prosecutors as disproportionate, in large part because no one was injured in the attack.

Mattis, a corporate attorney, and Rahman, a human rights lawyer, are accused of torching an empty New York City Police Department vehicle on May 29 of last year.

The alleged event occurred during a Black Lives Matter protest four days after the death of George Floyd.

Mattis and Rahman are due back in court on July 1.

Two Brooklyn lawyers, Urooj Rahman, 31, left and Colinford Mattis, 32, have been given 90 days o accept a plea deal or proceed to trial after being charged with throwing a Molotov cocktail at an NYPD vehicle last May

On May 29, Urooj Rahman and Colinford Mattis were pictured at a protest in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. She threw a Molotov cocktail at an empty NYPD van and the pair were later charged with seven counts, including felonies

Mattis and Rahman have both pleaded not guilty, because they don't believe the charges against them are called for.

They pair say all they did was destroy property and that they are being made an example of by the very police they were protesting against.

In a media interview last year, Rahma declared: 'What I saw was targeting a property. No property is above a human life. Destruction of property is nothing compared to the murder of a human life.

'This is the way people show their anger and frustration. Nothing else works,' she added.

On May 29, 2020, surveillance cameras purportedly recorded Rahman hurling what prosecutors described as a Molotov cocktail while she was sitting in the passenger seat of a minivan.

The Molotov cocktail hit an NYPD cruiser, parked near the 99th Precinct in Fort Greene. The pair quickly tried to escape the scene in the minivan - driven by Mattis.

Officers subsequently gave chase and arrested the lawyers.

The cops claimed they found a lighter, a beer bottle filled with toilet paper, and a gasoline tank in the back of the vehicle.

Rahman is a graduate of Fordham Law School. Mattis, meanwhile, graduated from from Princeton before studying at New York University Law School

Rahman and Mattis were held in the Metropolitan Detention Center for almost a month before they were released to home confinement.

At the time of the alleged acts NYPD Commissioner Dermot F. Shea spoke out about the accusations made against the pair.

'Violence, like that alleged here, not only endangers our NYPD officers but threatens the constitutional right of people to peacefully protest.

'These indictments by our federal partners reflect our joint condemnation of the kind of isolated acts a just society can never tolerate,' stated Shea.

The remains of a scorched police vehicle lie vandalized during riots in the Fort Greene neighborhood in the Brooklyn on May 29. This is a separate vehicle to the one allegedly targeted by Rahman and Mattis

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said the defendants allegedly threw the homemade explosives at NYPD vehicles 'without regard for the potentially deadly consequences.'

'Such criminal acts should never be confused with legitimate protest.

'Those who carry out attacks on NYPD Officers or vehicles are not protesters, they are criminals, and they will be treated as such.'

Rahman is a graduate of Fordham Lae School.

Mattis, meanwhile, graduated from from Princeton before studying at New York University Law School.
THE DATE 17 MARCH 2020 will perhaps be remembered by many business owners as their darkest day yet.

On this day president Hage Geingob declared a state of emergency in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic, and in doing so, brought into effect measures that would have profound effects on most private enterprises and those who worked for them.

The extreme measures taken to save lives had a profound effect on the livelihoods of both businesses and their employees, as many had to implement equally drastic measures to protect their enterprises.

Even though the hard lockdown period during the first few weeks of the pandemic had a significant effect on most businesses deemed non-essential, the true impact of the pandemic is yet to be determined as we enter its second year.

According to surveys conducted in the months following the hard lockdown, nearly all businesses felt that the pandemic has had a serious impact on their financial well-being.

Most businesses listed inadequate cash flow (liquidity) and lower demand as the most serious problems faced by their companies. Both these problems got more serious over time, suggesting time is a crucial variable for businesses looking to survive the pandemic.

By the end of the third quarter of last year, 64% of businesses reported a revenue loss of over 50%. Hardest hit was the manufacturing sector, transport, tourism (including restaurants and hotels) and the construction sector.

The surveys also highlight the strategies adopted to help businesses cope and survive.

Back in May/June 2020, 47% of businesses either had or were planning to implement wage reductions or reduce working hours to reduce operational costs. Three out of every four (75%) businesses that implemented wage reductions applied such measures to more than 40% of their workforce.

It is likely that these wage cuts will remain in place for as long as businesses are affected by the pandemic, and that employees will have to get by with less income for much longer than initially thought.

This suggests that many households will remain under severe financial pressure for quite some time to come.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, 12 000 workers were retrenched in 2020 from 896 companies.

Only about a sixth of these (2 842) lost their jobs due to Covid-19, while the rest of the retrenchments were caused by other economic factors.

The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated many of the existing economic problems that persisted over the past five years, and for many businesses it was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Those businesses that were in less than tip-top shape when the pandemic struck are most likely the ones that did not survive.

Not surprisingly, the hard-hit sectors shed most jobs.

But this may not be the whole story.

The official numbers, for example, do not reflect jobs lost in the informal sector, and it does not account for freelance or gig workers.

These represent a significant part of the jobs in the tourism and hospitality sectors, for example, but would not require a formal retrenchment process.

The precarious state of the economy going into the pandemic contributed to the problem and so does the precarious fiscal position of the government.

Very few businesses received direct assistance from the government's stimulus programme.

Under the National Employment and Salary Protection Scheme, 230 employers received just more than N$27,8 million, which amounts to approximately N$120 870 per employer.

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In addition, 21 359 employees received an additional N$78, 8 million.

This amounts to an average of N$3 690 per affected employee.

In addition to the benefits afforded through the stimulus programme, businesses had to rely on commercial banks, landlords and own resources to help their struggling enterprises.

In many respects this means that the can has been kicked down the road. In the not-too-distant future these measures will be revoked, and the payment holidays will come to an end.

That will no doubt bring new challenges to our already struggling businesses.

The next four to six months will be crucial for many of the medium and small enterprises that provide most of our employment.

For many it will be do or die.
Prime Minister Dr Mostafa Madbouli on Wednesday31/3/2021 said the new national project for integrated agricultural development, of "the New Delta", aims basically to achieve food security and confront the increasing demand for foodstuffs given the constant increase in population.

During a cabinet meeting that covered a number of key issues, the premier said the timetable of the project that was launched by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi needs to be tightened in order to start establishing new agricultural and urban communities applied through the latest administrative systems.

The prime minister praised the great efforts exerted by the Suez Canal staff to refloat the Evergreen vessel and noted the very important messages included in President Sisi's statements on Tuesday during the press conference held at the Suez Canal.
Soldiers wearing full PPE in the form of face shields, gloves, face masks and bibs wait to assist CCP virus testing at a rapid testing centre in the Liverpool exhibition centre in Liverpool, England, on Nov. 11, 2020. (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Study Finds Low Adherence to COVID-19 Self-Isolation Rules

A major study has found that adherence to COVID-19 self-isolation rules is low in the UK, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the governments test-and-trace system.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, was based on 37 nationally representative surveys involving 53,880 participants in the UK, conducted between March 2, 2020, to Jan. 27, 2021.

It found that only 51.5 percent of the respondents could identify the main symptoms of COVID-19, which is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Just 18 percent of those with the symptoms said they had requested a test, while 42.5 percent with symptoms in the previous seven days adhered to full self-isolation.

With such low rates for symptom recognition, testing, and full self-isolation, the effectiveness of the current form of the UKs test, trace, and isolate system is limited, wrote the authors of the report, who are scholars from Kings College London and University College London, one of whom is affiliated with the Behavioural Science Team of Public Health England.

But they acknowledged that some improvement has occurred over time.

Factors contributing to non-adherence were being male, younger age, having a dependent child in the household, lower socioeconomic grade, greater financial hardship during the pandemic, and working in a key sector, the study found.

The government cast doubt on the findings, citing statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Since last May, NHS Test and Trace has contacted 3.2 million people who tested positive, and another 6.4 million of their contacts. Behind these numbers are countless lives saved and the latest ONS statistics show that when people are asked to self-isolate, the overwhelming majority do so, a spokesperson for the Department for Health and Social Care said in an emailed statement.

Survey data published by the ONS last week reported that 86 percent of people testing positive for the CCP virus are fully complying with self-isolation guidance for their full isolation period.

It is vital that people continue to do their bit by isolating when they are asked to. As the prevalence of coronavirus falls, our testing and tracing system becomes more important in identifying and suppressing local outbreaks while also responding rapidly to the threat of new variants, the spokesperson said.

The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons said last month that there was no clear evidence that Englands test-and-trace system had been effective in tackling the pandemic.

But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the service had done an amazing job and he was incredibly grateful to them.

Baroness Dido Harding, who has been leading NHS Test and Trace, said the service is essential in our fight against COVID-19.
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The current trend of growing the hair at the back of the head and/or closely cropping the sides of the head to accentuate the mullet style are untidy, non-conventional and not acceptable at Trinity College," the institution, reportedly wrote in a recent newsletter. As is the trend of long hair and fringes.

Holding true to the ancient belief that should be well styled, brushed, neat and clean, Trinity College is neither the first local school to ban mullets, which have apparently been growing in popularity in Australia, nor are mullets the only hairstyle to be banned at the institution. Rat tails, top knots, mohawks, extra-long fringes, or ay other non-conventional style are all not permitted at the school, according to the news outlet.

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Although Trinity says hairstyles should be of a conservative nature," making the mullet ban all the more ironic, offenders caught wearing the Billy Ray Cyrus staple will be subjected to the harshest of punishments  a phone call home. "the student will be provided a fair and reasonable timeframe to rectify the issue and contact with parents will be made..." the school reportedly said. Yikes.

So kids, remember, life is all about balance, and what better balance than a hairstyle that combines professionalism and a good 'ol party. Oh, and if you need a protest song, Hannah Montana has got you covered.

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram at @HuntressThompson_, on Twitch.tv @HuntressThompson_ and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.
One Offaly county councillor has said there is "deep upset" among lifelong turf savers amid a letter on licencing from Bord na Mona.

Fine Gael councillor Noel Cribbin has been contacted by several local residents and former Bord na Mona staff who all received letters last week from Bord na Mona to say that they are not allowed to cut turf on what Bord na Mona claims as their bogs.

Cllr Cribbin said: "Some of those affected are up to 80 years saving their turf for the family home and are now being told that they are out.

"The people involved are very disappointed with this high handed decision by the Bord and certainly no transition time here. The least the Bord should offer is a reasonable time frame for these 60 families to transition away from burning turf and to change to other forms of home heating.

"I have arranged to organise a Covid compliant meeting with all those who received letters next Wednesday evening, April 7, to discuss the serious issue.

"I will be updating my colleague Charlie Flanagan TD, with the intention of calling a meeting with Bord na Mona to ask them to behave reasonably with the turf cutters involved and not to guillotine a lifelong tradition of turf saving in one fell swoop," Cllr Cribbin concluded.

In the letter to turf cutters, Bord na Mona stated that it owns "approximately 7% of Irish peatlands" and acknowledged that these bogs have been used for milling peat for many years.

The letter added that in 2019, the High Court ruled that peat extraction operations, on bogs over 30 hectares, requires planning permission, adding, "we can confirm that the situation regarding turf cutting will remain the same as it has been since 2019 when we last allowed contractors and licenced operators to cut turf on our land."

It continued: "We are writing to you now, as we are aware that, prior to the 2019 ruling, you were previously granted a licence to extract peat on Bord na Mona lands. The purpose of this letter is to notify you that the company will not be able to grant you any further licence for the purposes of peat extraction on any Bord na Mona land."

Contact information was given to each recipient to discuss the matter further.
Christians today observe Maundy Thursday, which commemorates the Last Supper and Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.

Here are five important things to know about Maundy Thursday:

What does Maundy mean?

The Thursday before Easter is known as either Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday. Maundy is derived from the Latin word for "command," and refers to Jesus' commandment to the disciples to "Love one another as I have loved you."

What does it commemorate?

Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which Christians consider the institution of Holy Eucharist, also known as the Lord's supper or communion. It is described in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22. At the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus breaks bread, saying, "This is my body," and pours wine, saying, "This is my blood." He then asks the disciples to "Do this in remembrance of me."

What holiday was Jesus observing?

The Last Supper is derived from Jesus' Jewish heritage and his observance of a Jewish holiday. The Last Supper was a Passover Seder, the feast of unleavened bread. Jesus and the disciples are eating unleavened bread. Passover is the Jewish festival commemorating the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, when they left so quickly there was no time for the bread to rise.

Why foot-washing?

Maundy Thursday is also associated with foot-washing. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, an act described in the Gospel of John, chapter 13, as Jesus teaching them to be servants. Its the ultimate act of servant leadership. Jesus instructs his followers to love and to serve. Most Catholic churches will have a Mass tonight, with a Eucharistic celebration that includes the washing of feet.

Maundy Thursday has a dark side

Jesus foretells his death, saying he will eat no more until the kingdom of God is fulfilled. It also marks an act of betrayal. One of you will betray me, Jesus says. Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus 12 disciples, is pointed out by Jesus as the one who will betray him.
Website Promotion is an immense need of online for businesses, to flourish and grow. Instead of Service Organizations, what if a Training Institute that has trained over 5000 Students in various Computer Courses starts rendering Computer Services to Clients? This is what is offered now by Digital Edge Institute, Delhi for online businesses. The announcement made today by Digital Edge Institute is happy to invite Online Businesses, to avail of this 
Russia is taking measures to ensure the security of its borders amid the increased NATO activity, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) Russia is taking measures to ensure the security of its borders amid the increased NATO activity, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

"Russia is taking necessary measures to ensure the security of its borders. You know that along the perimeter of Russia's borders there is an increased activity of the armed forces of NATO countries, other associations, individual countries, and so on and so forth. This all obliges us to be on alert," Peskov told reporters when asked about the reason for the buildup of the military presence on the borders with Ukraine and the transfer of troops to Crimea.

The spokesman also said that Russia moves its military on its territory as it wishes and does not threaten anyone.

"Russia is moving the military within its territory however it decides. This should not bother anyone, it poses no threat to anyone. Russia is taking the necessary measures to ensure the security of its borders," Peskov said.
The infected blood inquiry has heard that patients in Belfast disputed claims they were properly warned about the risks of contamination.

Questions were also raised about exactly when clinicians in Northern Ireland should have been aware of the danger.

Examining what has been called the worst scandal in the history of the NHS, the probe is investigating how thousands of haemophiliacs in the UK were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C when they received contaminated blood transfusions.

Earlier this week, the inquiry heard that 16 out of 99 people infected here contracted HIV.

Yesterday, the inquiry continued to examine the written evidence of Dr Elizabeth Mayne, a former director of the Northern Ireland Haemophilia Centre. Dr Mayne had previously explained how a new treatment in the 1970s (Factor VIII concentrate) allowed some patients with blood disorders to be treated at home.

Her policy at the Belfast centre had been to treat at home patients with Factor VIII supplied by one company (Kryobulin) and inpatients by another company (Hemofil). She chose to treat children with a pre-existing treatment (cryoprecipitate), due to her apprehension about making them regularly inject themselves intravenously.

On occasion she said this was not strictly enforced depending on individual patient needs.

Out of 110 patients treated annually at the time, 43 were treated at home. Of these 43, 15 contracted HIV, as well as a spouse of one of the infected patients but no inpatients or children became infected.

In her evidence, Dr Mayne said it had not been the practice to obtain written informed consent on blood transfusions.

"Patients, to put it mildly, were overjoyed at receiving concentrate treatment," she said.

This even led to some severely affected patients feeling left out and requesting home treatment.

"Everyone was told of the risk of viral infections associated with all blood and blood products," she said.

Lead counsel Jenni Richards QC said this didn't make clear what information was actually provided to patients about the risk. She said Dr Mayne's claim that patients were informed about the risk was not backed up by any statements relating to patients treated at the Belfast Haemophilia centre.

"What Dr Mayne says here does not accord with any of the evidence the inquiry has received from patients or their family members."

Dr Mayne's evidence added that all risks were conveyed to patients before they started home treatment, including that concentrate came from a much wider pool of donors.

She said the sheer convenience of the new home treatment, however, meant no patients ever expressed any reservations to her or any of her staff.

The inquiry also read a 1993 letter from Dr Mayne to the Lancet medical journal, expressing concern about a doctor who was imprisoned over the scandal.

She wrote: "The evolvement of the HIV problem within the haemophilia population has caused immeasurable distress to patients and all physicians treating them. The doctors concerned were guilty of one fault, namely that of ignorance."
The celebrated author is the first Booker Prize nominee for a work originally written in an indigenous African language.

Kenyan writer and academic, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, has been nominated for the 2021 International Booker Prize.

A historic feat, the celebrated author has become the first writer to be nominated for the International Booker Prize for authoring and translating the same book, "The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gikuyu and Mumbi" He is also the first nominee for a work originally written in an indigenous African language.

The Booker Prize aims to encourage more publishing and reading of quality works of imagination from all over the world and to give greater recognition to the role of translators. Both novels and short-story collections are eligible.

The contribution of both author and translator is given equal recognition, with the 50,000 prize split evenly between them. Each shortlisted author and translator also receives 1,000, bringing the total value of the prize to 62,000. This year the judges considered 125 books.

The longlist was selected by a judging panel consisting of cultural historian and novelist, Lucy Hughes-Hallett (chair); journalist and writer, Aida Edemariam; Man Booker-shortlisted novelist, Neel Mukherjee; Professor of the History of Slavery, Olivette Otele; and poet, translator, and biographer, George Szirtes.

The final shortlist for the prize will be announced on 22 April 2021, and the winner announced on 2 June 2021 in a virtual celebration from Coventry, City of Culture 2021.

Background

Blending folklore, mythology, and allegory, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's book chronicles the adventures of Gikuyu and Mumbi, and how their brave daughters became the matriarchs of the Gikuyu clans.

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Gikuyu and Mumbi settled on the peaceful and bounteous foot of Mount Kenya after fleeing war and hunger. When 99 suitors arrive on their land, seeking to marry their famously beautiful daughters, called The Perfect Nine, the parents ask their daughters to choose for themselves but to choose wisely.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o is one of the world's leading writers and scholars. His celebrated works include Petals of Blood', for which he was imprisoned by the Kenyan government in 1977.

Others are: 'A Grain of Wheat and Wizard of the Crow; the memoirs', 'Dreams in a Time of War', 'In the House of the Interpreter', and 'Birth of a Dream Weaver; and the essays', 'Decolonizing the Mind', 'Something Torn and New and Globalectics'.

Currently a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine, he is a recipient of many honours including ten honorary doctorates.

Three Nigerian authors, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Chigozie Obioma and Bernardine Evaristo, made the longlist for the 2019 International Booker Prize.
"We are proud to introduce the VINTERA collection  it offers a fresh and unique farmhouse perspective with a streamlined design," says BLANCO's Director of Brand & Communications for North America, Edyta Drutis. "This collection is perfect for today's demanding kitchens and will satisfy homeowners and designers who are looking for a modern version of the popular farmhouse style. This is another example of outstanding design and commitment to product excellence from BLANCO."

The new farmhouse sink family includes two models, the VINTERA 30" Super Single and the VINTERA 33" Equal Double. Although the VINTERA has a slim 6-12" apron, it features a generous 9" bowl depth, making the sink both spacious and sleek. VINTERA has all the material advantages of SILGRANIT, BLANCO's patented granite composite material that is stronger and more durable than other sink surfaces. Non-porous and food-safe, SILGRANIT's Hygienic Plus surface formula acts as a protective shield against dirt and bacteria and reduces bacteria growth by up to 98%.

Available color options include Anthracite, Biscuit, Cafe, Cinder, Coal Black, Concrete Gray, Metallic Gray, Truffle and White. Additional accessories include a floating grid and custom-fitted cutting board that provides an extra level within the sink and cultivates a more ergonomic experience.

About BLANCO

BLANCO is all about residential kitchen water hub systems that are meticulously designed down to the finest detail. The brand has won over consumers worldwide with its modern design, ergonomic handling and reliable product quality. All components, from the kitchen faucet to the sink and accessories, are perfectly integrated with one another. BLANCO systems make a significant contribution towards sustainably upgrading kitchens around the globe with everyday convenience when it comes to preparing food, drinking and cleaning.

Founded over 95 years ago, the company is now a leading manufacturer worldwide. With subsidiaries in Europe, North America and Asia, plus its trading partners, BLANCO has a presence in approximately 100 countries and offers its customers a portfolio that is tailored to consumer needs. The company headquarters and key production sites in support of North American demand are in Southwest Germany and Canada.

Established in 1925 by Heinrich Blanc, BLANCO is part of Blanc & Fischer Family Holding.

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A result was that from August to September, the share of Americans who told Gallup they were willing to take a vaccine fell to 50 percent from 62 percent, and among Democrats it fell even further, to 53 percent from 79 percent. Further polling showed that fears of a rushed, unsafe vaccine were driving the drop. It took months, and a series of stringent process announcements by the F.D.A. making clear that it would not be bullied into an early authorization by Trump, for confidence to recover. This, for Carpenter, is what the F.D.A.s critics dont understand. Therapeutic credibility is the entire ballgame here, he said.

Lets grant that Trump put the F.D.A. in an impossible position and hurt the vaccine rollout. The more reckless and politicized he publicly urged it to be, the more careful and conservative it had to be to maintain credibility. But Trumps behavior doesnt explain the morass the F.D.A. created over testing.

Testing has been a problem throughout the pandemic, Eric Topol, the founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told me. We had no tests for six weeks, maybe two months. Thats what led to the wide spread of the virus in February and March. That was an F.D.A. failure, he says, perhaps its most consequential. When I spoke with him on Monday, the F.D.A.s sluggishness on testing was still a problem. Not one damn cheap, at-home, 15-minute test has been approved in a year! Topol said, his voice rising.

The good news is that the F.D.A. has changed its mind. On Wednesday night, the agency authorized a number of cheap, rapid, at-home tests. This follows the news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is starting an at-home-testing pilot program in Tennessee and North Carolina. But all of this could, and should, have happened months ago. Mina, who has led the charge on at-home testing, told me that the F.D.A. has demanded too much certainty, given the scale of the crisis, and it has been too loath to permit reasonable experiments.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was When youre making a tough decision, remember decisions are temporary, he said. We can try it. If we see data that suggests its not working, we can retreat and try something new. Our policymakers make decisions as if they have to stick with them. Thats one of the most destructive dynamics in this pandemic.

The same tensions have held up efforts to alter vaccine dosing in ways that would increase supply. Theres good evidence that the first doses of Pfizer and Moderna provide significant protection, and so delaying second doses  as Britain is doing  could allow us to vaccinate more of the population and get to herd immunity faster. Theres also research suggesting that half-doses, or some other fraction, might be plenty to trigger an immune response.

Biden said he will follow the science, but that often means following the existing evidence, which is not the same thing. Its wrong to assume that the dosing protocols that pharmaceutical companies proposed in their rush for authorization are optimal for societys goals. They wanted to get this going as soon as possible, so they didnt explore other doses, and its very likely they overdosed the vaccine, Topol said. There is, of course, a risk in attempting a dosing protocol that didnt go through Phase 3 trials; perhaps immunity will fade faster, for instance. But holding to the current dosing schedules means a slower vaccination program and more deaths.
PARIS - In the end, after a year, France has been forced to re-close its schools.



With the threshold of 5,000 Covid patients in intensive care surpassed, French President Emmanuel Macron had to give in, and in a televised speech to the nation broadcast live, he imposed new anti-Covid restrictions.



Children will remain at home for three weeks - two of which were already planned for holidays, and one to take place in distance learning - while all of France will become a red zone, just like Paris is currently.



It isn't a lockdown, because people will be allowed to leave their homes throughout the day without any self-certification forms, as long as they avoid gatherings.



However, a nationwide curfew will be in place from 7 pm to 6 am, and non-essential businesses will remain closed just like bars and restaurants have been since 29 October.



People will be allowed to leave their homes but will be limited to travel no further than 10 km except for on Easter weekend, when everyone will be allowed to move between regions if they want to bring children to grandparents' homes and leave them there for a month.



"The infection rate rises faster among children and adolescents than among the population in general," said French Prime Minister Jean Castex, explaining on Thursday morning in parliament the restrictions announced by Macron on Wednesday evening.



"That's why schools will be closed for three weeks, optimising the holiday period so the consequences on students are the least penalising as possible," he said.



"Employees who are forced to keep their children at home will be entitled to work part-time, as long as they report it to their employers," he said.



Castex said that the new health restrictions will also "ban alcohol consumption outdoors" and he condemned "some recent episodes, such as Carnival parades, that took place despite recommendations".



"We have to foresee and punish" these violations, he said.



"I have asked the interior minister to increase the number of police officers and gendarmes with this task," he said.



Some MPs criticised Castex in parliament for not imposing a new lockdown.



The prime minister also restated the vaccination schedule that Macron announced on Wednesday evening (vaccines for those age 60 and over starting on 16 April, for those over age 50 starting in mid-May and for those under 50 starting in mid-June) and said he is satisfied by the pace that has been respected thus far. He said the pace is "higher compared to our neighbours", citing Germany in particular.

France, aid to businesses costs 11 bn per month

PARIS - The extension of the closure of businesses in France to the entire country will increase the number of closed businesses from 90,000 to 150,000, while the total cost of aid and compensation rises to 11 billion euros a month, said the French Economy Ministry.

This sum includes the total cost of the solidarity fund, partial unemployment and the extension of social contributions, including for businesses that remain open but are strongly impacted by the crisis.
Officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) thwarted a man's attempt to smuggle 27 live finches into John F. Kennedy International Airport concealed inside hair rollers.

The unidentified man, 26, had been going through secondary baggage examination at the airport when officers discovered the birds inside his bags, according to the CBP.

The man had arrived on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana.

CBP agriculture specialists consulted with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors when seizing the birds.

The unidentified man, 26, had been going through secondary baggage examination at the airport when officers discovered the birds inside his bags

'The smuggling of these birds in hair curlers shows the horror of wildlife trafficking,' said Ryan Noel, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement.

While the man was not criminally charged, he was hit with a $300 civil penalty, according to the release.

In addition to the penalty, the man - who was headed to an address in New Jersey - was also placed on a Guyana-bound flight Monday.

CBP agriculture specialists consulted with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors when seizing the birds

The man had arrived on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana, with the birds stored

The finches were quarantined and turned over to the United States Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services.

'Customs and Border Protection officers and agriculture specialists face a very complex and challenging task and that is to protect our nation, our citizens, our agricultural resources and our economic security, and they meet that challenge with extraordinary commitment and vigilance,' Marty C. Raybon, Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP's New York Field Office, said in the release.

According to the CBP, agriculture specialist seized 3,091 prohibited plants, meat, animal byproducts, and soil, and intercepted 250 insect pests at U.S. ports of entry on any given day.
India has long been known for its love affair with sugar. Sweets play a major role in festivals and family celebrations and delicacies such as gulab jamun  fried dough balls soaked in syrup and barfi made with condensed milk  are popular gifts. Not only is India the worlds biggest consumer of sugar, its also one of the top producers.

That penchant for sweet confections together with a massive, youthful and increasingly affluent population has chocolate-makers around the world sitting up and taking notice. Indians currently eat only about a 10th as much chocolate confectionery as the global average and the International Cocoa Organization recently described the country as the No. 1 potential market of the future.

Chocolate as well as ice cream, cakes and milk shakes  is starting to displace traditional treats among the middle classes. No longer just something to be given at special occasions such as weddings or the Diwali festival, its becoming an everyday snack for many Indians. The countrys chocolate market was estimated to be worth 172 billion rupees ($2.3 billion) in 2019 and will grow by 6.7 per cent a year from 2020 to 2024, according to Mintel.

The rise of India as a chocolate consumer comes at a welcome time for a global industry struggling with stagnating sales as people seek out healthier snacks. Lockdowns are also posing a challenge in the shorter term, with cocoa prices in New York posting their biggest quarterly drop in a year.

As the global outlook dimmed, Barry Callebaut was building its presence in India. From just a single employee in 2007, the chocolate titan now has 200 staff and has just opened its third factory.

The changing face of Indias retail landscape is one of the key drivers of consumption, according to the Swiss company. While small neighborhood stores and traditional grocers remain the most popular places to buy chocolate, particularly in lower-tier cities and rural areas, the rise of supermarkets and modern retail in places like Mumbai is boosting the availability of chocolate, said Dhruva Sanyal, Barry Callebauts managing director in India. More consumers are choosing to shop at modern retail stores such as hypermarkets and supermarkets on a weekly or monthly basis, he said. This is encouraging modern retailers to expand their product range, and food such as chocolate is now prominently available.

E-commerce and the internet are also boosting sales as Instagram-savvy manufacturers harness the power of social media to appeal to millennials. What many pastry chefs and foodies have done with their social media is providing tremendous access to the chocolate culture in India, Sanyal said.

Theres also a growing interest in premium products such as Les Recettes de lAtelier, Nestle SAs luxurious collection of chocolate tablets, and ITCs Fabelle Trinity range. High-quality chocolates are expected to grow to 80 per cent of the total market in a decade from 20 per cent now, the International Cocoa Organization said. This would represent a complete flip of the current split with the lower-quality category of chocolate thats produced from vegetable oil.

A growing health-consciousness and the fact that India has a rising number of vegans is also shaping the evolution of the industry in the country. Another key challenge for will be how to overcome the price-sensitive nature of the market and the plethora of cheap alternatives. Theyll also be hoping there wont be any more scandals like the one in 2003 when customers found worms in Mondelezs Cadbury Dairy Milk bars.

Swagatika Priyadarsani, a sales manager at an insurance company, said she prefers darker chocolate because of the taste and the lower sugar content. The 20-something, who lives in Bhubaneswar, said she felt better about giving dark chocolate rather than sugary local treats to younger relatives and the children of friends.

Amul, Indias biggest dairy firm, is tapping this preference and is offering more bitter varieties with a higher cocoa content. It is currently doubling its chocolate production capacity.

One expects cocoa consumption to increase but not the sugar addition in that, said R.S. Sodhi, managing director of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which owns the Amul brand. Our dark chocolate business has been growing at more than 100 per cent in the last two years.



Niche varieties of chocolate could also prove popular in India due to the high numbers of vegetarian, vegan and lactose-intolerant people.

Gurugram-based start-up Piperleaf India is marketing mylk chocolates with a rich cocoa and creamy hazelnut paste as an alternative to dairy. Its also planning to introduce sugar-free bars and chocolate gift boxes by August to coincide with Raksha Bandhan, a festival at which gifting sweets is an essential part of the occasion.

We are seeing a shift in consumer preferences, with people getting attracted toward vegan products and becoming health conscious, said Anshul Agarwal, Piperleafs founder. The Indian chocolate market is bound to grow at a fast pace as per-capita consumption is still low, incomes are rising and people are looking for quality alternatives.




Featuring stache style "Silver Lining", available on website. The Doe Staches name is rooted in the companys commitment to taking comfort a step further by recognizing the increasing need of ensuring everyone feels welcomed by promoting inclusivity.

Its a major step forward for Doe and a unique opportunity for us to expand our business into new markets. Now you can enjoy the most comfortable lashes with your significant other, no matter where it is placed - Jason Wong, Founder

Doe Lashes, a brand of silk lashes designed in California and handcrafted to feel like clouds on your eyes, has completed an extensive rebranding effort to attract a broader and more inclusive modern audience. At the heart of this rebranding is a change of the company name to Doe Staches in order to pivot away from being primarily a lash brand. Under the new name it has expanded the companys product offerings to include subtle staches and stylish, glamorous staches to capture a new audience.

Doe Lashes has seen an explosive year as one of the top trending makeup brands with a +981% Year-over-Year (YoY) growth according to the recent State of the Beauty Industry report, cementing its status as an up and coming brand to watch in 2021. Amid the growth, the company has signaled its ambition to evolve and embark on a new path.

Doe has always focused on the details that make us stand out to be comfortable and feel confident in our own skin. The Doe Staches name is rooted in the companys commitment to taking comfort a step further by recognizing the increasing need of ensuring everyone feels welcomed by promoting inclusivity.

Its a major milestone for the company, we have always gone the nontraditional route. Im excited to watch us grow out of trying to fit in with other lash brands, like I hate wasted potential- that crushes your spirit, it really does it, it crushes your soul. - Fran Loo, General Manager

Although the companys name has changed, the dedication to product quality and exceptional customer service has not. Doe Staches invites you to Find Your Perfect Stache Style on its newly revamped site.

This release is an April Fools release and should be taken as such by readers and the media.
American culture is a grand mix of the old and the not so old, as we all know. As is true in other cultures, including the island culture here Read more
Amid allegations from Ukraine that Russia has been massing troops at their shared border, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that any attempts at a "new war" in eastern Ukraine would end up destroying that country.



The threat lands as Moscow and Kyiv trade blame over a recent spike in violence in the yearslong conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists.



Kyiv claims the separatists are "systematically violating a cease-fire agreed in July and blames Russia for a purported build-up of Russian military forces near their shared border -- an accusation rejected by the Kremlin.



Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on April 1 that he had spoken with Helga Schmid, the secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Russias systemic aggravation of security situation in the east or Ukraine & in Crimea."

He also welcomed this weeks extension for another year of the OSCEs Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, saying the pan-European organization should closely follow Russian moves.

In an interview aired on Channel One later in the day, Lavrov quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying "not so long ago, and the statement remains topical today, too, [that] those who attempt to start a new war in Donbas will ruin Ukraine."



Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was "moving troops within its own territory at its own discretion, and this shouldn't concern anyone."



"We need to stay on guard" in the face of "intense activity" of NATO troops "on the perimeter of Russian borders," he told reporters.

Following Lavrov and Peskov's statements, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price warned Moscow against "intimidating" Ukraine.



"We're absolutely concerned by recent escalations of Russian aggressive and provocative actions in eastern Ukraine," Ned Price told reporters.



"What we would object to are aggressive actions that have an intent of intimidating, of threatening, our partner Ukraine."

Russia, which forcibly annexed Crimea in 2014 after long denying the presence of its troops there, has consistently denied involvement in the fighting in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions despite significant evidence to the contrary.

The OSCEs Ukraine mission has reported hundreds of cease-fire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk in recent days in a simmering conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives since April 2014.

Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 after sending in troops and staging a referendum denounced as illegitimate by at least 100 countries after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted amid a wave of public protests.

In an address to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on March 31, U.S. charge daffaires Courtney Austrian welcomed the extension of the OSCE mission's mandate, and reaffirmed Washingtons unwavering commitment to Ukraines "sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial waters."



Austrian called "on Ukraine, Russia, and the forces Russia arms, trains, leads, and fights alongside, to ensure that the SMM has unfettered movement throughout the entire territory of Ukraine," including Crimea, and to "guarantee the safety and security" of international monitors while they carry out their duties.



"Attacks, threats, and intimidation of any kind against SMM monitors," as well as "attempts to interfere" with their operations are "unacceptable, inconsistent with [the missions] mandate, and must end."



Also on March 31,, U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with General Valery Gerasimov, the Russian Armed Forces chief of staff, and General Ruslan Khomchak, chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Pentagon said.

Defense Department spokesman John Kirby later said that "Russia's destabilizing actions undermine the de-escalation intentions that had been achieved through an OSCE-brokered [cease-fire] agreement back in July of last year."

"We are discussing our concerns about this increase in tensions and cease-fire violations and regional tensions with NATO allies," Kirby told a briefing.

The Ukrainian military said on March 26 that four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and two others wounded in shelling in Donetsk, bringing the total number of Ukrainian servicemen reported killed since December to 19, according to AFP.

Khomchak on March 30 accused Moscow of building up its military presence near the Ukraine-Russia border under the guise of preparing for strategic exercises.

The buildup is in addition to thousands of troops in combat brigades, regiments, and supply units deployed in Donetsk and Luhansk with the support of Russian regular troops, the Ukrainian Army chief said in an interview with Voice of America.

We are preparing for all possible provocations and reactions to the actions of the enemy, Khomchak said.

Khomchak first made the accusations of a Russian military buildup in a speech to Ukraine's parliament on March 30.

The comments drew a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin during a March 30 videoconference call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Kremlin said.

Putin placed the blame for tensions on Ukraine and urged Kyiv to enter into direct dialogue with local separatist forces.

A statement from the French presidency indicated that during the videoconference call Macron and Merkel urged Putin to take steps to de-escalate.

"The need for Russia to make a determined commitment to stabilize the cease-fire in Ukraine and work out a way out of the crisis while respecting the Minsk Agreements was underlined," the Elysee Palace said.

Germany, Russia, France, and Ukraine are part of the so-called Normandy Format set up to try to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

With reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and TASS
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has documented 43 cases of enforced disappearances in Crimea since the Russian occupation of the peninsula started in 2014.

Since the beginning of the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, in 2014, OHCHR has documented 43 cases of enforced disappearances in Crimea, reads the report published by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine on March 31.

As noted, the enforced disappearances mostly took the form of abductions and kidnappings and the victims consisted of 39 men and 4 women.

The first documented enforced disappearance took place on 3 March 2014 and the most recent on 23 May 2018.

The report notes that out of the 43 victims of enforced disappearances, 11 persons (all men) remain missing and one man remains in detention.

Alleged perpetrators comprised militia groups, such as the Crimean self-defense and Cossack groups; agents of the Russian Federal Security Service; and other law enforcement authorities, including the Crimean police, the documents authors emphasize.

According to the Mission, the perpetrators have used torture and ill-treatment to force victims to self-incriminate or testify against others, as well as retaliation for their political affiliation or position.

No individual has been prosecuted in relation to any of the enforced disappearances, as well as torture and ill-treatment, documented by OHCHR, the report says.

Russia started the armed aggression against Ukraine on February 20, 2014, by seizing part of Ukraine's territory  the Crimean Peninsula.

On March 16, 2014, the so-called referendum on the status of Crimea was held on the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol. In two days, on March 18, 2014, the so-called agreement on the accession of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation was signed at the Kremlin.

Most UN member states and other international organizations declared the Crimean referendum illegitimate.

ol
Government targets wealthy foreigners

THAILAND: The government has set a proactive economic plan aimed at drawing at least 1 million high-income foreign tourists and foreign investors in the new S-Curve industries as part of efforts to free the country from the middle income trap.

economicsimmigrationpropertytourism

By Bangkok Post

Thursday 1 April 2021, 08:02AM

Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow. Photo: Bangkok Post.

Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said that a meeting of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, approved last Friday (Mar 26) in principle a plan to promote investment and tourism for a post-pandemic economic recovery. Concerned agencies have been given one month to present details of the plan before the next meeting of the CESA, he said.

When the meeting endorses the details, state agencies will step up efforts to attract a first investor by June, with an aim of promoting investment, tourism and stimulate domestic consumption, he said, adding the government has set the target of achieving 4% economic growth for this year and next year.

In terms of tourism, a proposal will be put forward to amend regulations governing foreign property owners to allow them to buy houses in Thailand more easily. This is intended to draw high-income retirees from Europe, Scandinavia, Japan and South Korea to live in Thailand, said ML Chayotid Kridakon, adviser to Mr Supattanapong.

Under a short-term plan, the government will attract foreign tourists with high incomes from around the world, particularly retirees, to visit and settle in Thailand. There are about 200 million of them around the world and we have set a target of drawing one million to Thailand each year, said ML Chayotid, a former managing director for JP Morgan Thailand.

These people earn about B300,000-400,000 a month. If one million of them are here in Thailand and spend about B100,000 a month each, Thailand will get about B1.2 trillion a year from them.

Mr Supattanapong said the plan aims to achieve continuous economic growth by 4-5%, and a study by the Bank of Thailand shows that if such growth continues for six to seven years, Thailand will be able to free itself from the middle income trap. Plans are to improve regulations on immigration and applications for visas and work permits for foreign experts to work in Thailand, such as improving the requirements for foreign expats to report their whereabouts every 90 days to authorities, he said.

Tax structures will also be tweaked to attract foreign investors to set up their regional offices in Thailand such as reducing corporate income tax for them, as well as improving privileges and benefits for regional hubs, retirees, self-employed people and start-ups, he said.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith insisted yesterday the government would not consider raising the 7% value-added tax (VAT) at least for the next couple of years. The government now looks set to keep the 7% VAT intact for another year from Sept 30 when the extended period of maintaining the same 7% VAT expires.

As the ministry is in the process of revising the countrys tax rates, one important requirement is the new tax rates will have to support the governments development of the new S-curve industries, he said. Asked how badly the government will miss its tax revenue target this year, he said the outcome of tax collections by end-June will tell.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Permex Petroleum Corporation (CSE: OIL) (OTCQB: OILCF) ("Permex" or the "Company") today announced the official launch of its new investor relations website dedicated to providing timely company information to current and prospective investors. To access the new site, visit Permex's Website at www.permexpetroleum.com, and click on the "Investor Relations" tab directly located at the top right of the homepage.

"The recent pandemic that we have all gone through has certainly changed the way investors and company management communicate with each other," said Mehran Ehsan, President and CEO for Permex Petroleum. " Permex's business is evolving rapidly, and this new platform enables us to provide our investors with both timely updates and historical perspective at a click of a mouse."

This new service provides investors with greatly enhanced online access to the company's annual reports, filings and analyst presentations, as well as detailed financial and operating data. Investors can also review historical stock price and dividend information, and sign up to be notified of new postings on the site. In addition , a direct link to the Company's transfer agent is provided

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT:

Neither Canadian Securities Exchange, OTCMarkets nor their Regulation Services Providers (as that term is defined in their respective policies) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made as of the date of this document and the Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. Although Management believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither CSE, OTC Markets nor their Regulation Services Providers (as that term is defined in the policies of either exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Mehran Ehsan

President, Chief Executive Officer & Director

(778)-373-5421

Scott Kelly

CFO, Corporate Secretary & Director

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Nationally-agreed reforms to Australias defamation laws will commence in NSW, Victoria and South Australia on July 1 but the uniformity of the regime is at risk as the remaining states and territories have failed to guarantee they will introduce the changes on the same date.

The countrys defamation laws were last updated in 2005, when the states and territories agreed to pass mirror legislation to replace an unworkable system of eight different laws across the country.

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman led the defamation reform process. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman led a national process to reform and modernise the outdated laws, and in July last year attorneys-general from across the country agreed to implement the changes.

The model provisions have now been passed in three states  NSW, Victoria and South Australia  but those jurisdictions had been waiting for other states and territories to catch up before choosing a commencement date.
PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has tasked the new Vice-President, Dr Philip Mpango to resolve challenges facing the Union, particularly financial matters.

Financial related matters remain the only burning Union issue after almost all other challenges were resolved, President Samia said on Wednesday.

The Head of State said a number of Union challenges were resolved in the previous committees, which she chaired when serving as the vice-president.

"This matter was under the Minister for Finance who was Dr Mpango, he was sitting on it, therefore, appointing him to the vice-president position means he will be able to resolve it easily since it is still under his custodian," President Samia said shortly after Dr Mpango took oath of office at the State House in Dodoma.

She told Dr Mpango to mobilize his people responsible for addressing Union matters to address the financial challenge immediately.

Giving their remarks following the swearing-in of Dr Mpango as new vice-president, various leaders lauded the former Finance and Planning Minister, describing him as a perfect fit for the post.

Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi expressed confidence that Dr Mpango will continue a good job regarding Union matters as it was effectively performed by his predecessor, President, Ms Samia.

"President Samia did this work with great efficiency, many challenges have been addressed and only few remained... so it is our hopes that the new Vice President will work on the remaining few challenges," he said.

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Dr Mwinyi promised full cooperation to Dr Mpango saying resolving Union challenges is what wananchi from both sides of the union wish to see for the mutual development of the country.

"When I was the Minister for Defence and National Service, he was the Minister for Finance and Planning, he is a hardworking person and honest," he remarked.

On his part, National Assembly Speaker Job Ndugai, while congratulating the new VP, prayed to the president to fill his void to enable smooth deliberation of the ongoing budget session.

In response, the Head of State announced a mini cabinet reshuffle with Dr Mwigulu Nchemba named the new Finance and Planning Minister.

Through joint sittings between the Union and Zanzibar governments chaired by the Vice President about 25 issues have traditionally been on the table, out of which 10 are still in various stages of decision.

Last year, at least five contentions issues were removed from the list of union challenges.

The issues included the United Republic of Tanzania (URT) and Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGZ) Joint Committee meeting procedures on union issues and agreement on oil and gas exploration and exploitation.

Others are agreements of costs to import cargo from Zanzibar at the Dar es Salaam Port; RGZ's participation in the East African Community (EAC) and the RGZ's involvement in international and regional issues.

The issues were removed from the list after signing the agreement between the two sides of the union.

It was established that the signing of the documents justified the true intention of the two governments to maintain and strengthen the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on Thursday, quashed the N2.1billion money laundering charges filed against the founder of DAAR Communications Plc, the parent company of Ray Power Radio and African Independent Television (AIT), Raymond Dokpesi.

Mr Dokpesi, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, was said to have fraudulently received the N2 billion as part of arms funds allegedly diverted by then National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, ahead of the 2015 presidential election.

The Court of Appeal, in a unanimous judgment of its three-man panel, on Thursday, upheld the no-case submission filed by Mr Dokpesi and DAAR Communications against the seven counts of money laundering preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Delivering judgment on the separate appeals filed on behalf of the appellants by their lawyer, Kanu Agabi, the Court of Appeal held that the EFCC failed woefully to establish a prima facie case against them at the trial court.

The charges

EFCC had in the seven counts of money laundering and procurement fraud it instituted against Mr Dokpesi and his firm accused them of fraudulently receiving N2.1 billion from the Office of the NSA between January and March 2015.

After the anti-graft agency closed its case before the Federal High Court in Abuja with 14 prosecution witnesses, the defendants, through their lead counsel, Mr Agabi, filed a no-case submission, urging the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that the essential ingredients of the alleged offences were not proved.

But the trial judge, John Tsoho, who is the current Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, dismissed the no-case submission in his ruling delivered on November 21, 2018.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the defendants, through their lawyer, Mr Agabi, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), filed separate appeals on behalf of the two clients against the decision.

Judgment

Delivering the lead judgment of the Court of Appeal on Thursday, Elfreda Williams-Dawodu held that EFCC failed to prove the ingredients of the charges preferred against the defendants as expected under the law.

The court agreed with Mr Agabi that the money laundering charges were not proved as the prosecution failed to establish the alleged breach of trust committed by the defendants in relation to the N2.1 billion deal.

Mrs William-Dowodu held that there was nothing in the evidence of the 14 witnesses called by the prosecution to persuade the court to compel the appellant to enter their defence when the ingredients of the offences were not provided.

She ruled, No case was made against the appellant in counts 1, 2, 3 and 4 to warrant his being called upon to open his defence.

There is no possibility that the appellant can be convicted because the evidence is manifestly unreliable.

I am of the view that irrespective of the ingredients stated earlier, and those by the appellant and first respondent respectively, prior proof or establishment of the primary offences in count 1,2,3 and 4 of the amended charge is sine qua non to the proof of the offences of money laundering specified in the said counts.

In totality, this appeal has merit, it is allowed and the ruling of the Federal High Court is hereby set aside and the appellant is discharged.

Mr Dokpesi is the second PDPs top figure, since December 2020, to be freed by the Court of Appeal in Abuja regarding the charges of alleged diversion of arm funds by then NSA, Sambo Dasuki.

Earlier in December 2016, the same court freed a former PDPs spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, who was earlier convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja for the N400 million he allegedly received fraudulently from the NSA office ahead of the 2015 presidential elections.

(NAN)

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Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, spearheaded mental health support funding for COVID front-line workers in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law March 11 by President Joe Biden. The Indian American congressman also led the effort to include $350 billion in funding to state and local governments. (Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)
Collaborative teams that include Southwest Research Institute staff received two of six recently awarded San Antonio Medical Foundation (SAMF) bioscience grants. SwRI, in collaboration with UT Health San Antonio and University Health System, received a nearly $200,000 grant to develop machine learning algorithms for cancer detection. A team from SwRI, UT Health San Antonio, The University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas Biomedical Research Institute also received a grant of nearly $200,000 for its work to identify drug molecules that interfere with the entry of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, into human cells.

The team developing cancer detection algorithms is using artificial intelligence to improve the speed and accuracy of cancer diagnosis and treatment, leading to better outcomes for patients. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the training of computers to recognize patterns and make predictions.

Researchers will focus on follicular lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms, malignancies caused by mutated bone marrow stem cells. They are training an algorithm to quantify immune cells and proteins expressed by these cancer cells, eliminating the guesswork for pathologists and providing information about tumor characteristics to guide treatment.

"AI can improve diagnosis and prognosis by analyzing patterns that may be overlooked or not easily visible to the pathologist," said Hakima Ibaroudene, an engineer and program manager in SwRI's Intelligent Systems Division and a member of the three-person research team. "It allows a deeper analysis of statistics across sets of images and more precisely quantifies cells and their attributes. The ultimate goal is to give the patient the best chance for successful treatment."

Dr. Jonathan Bohmann, a staff scientist in SwRI's Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division, jointly leads a team identifying drug compounds that thwart SARS-CoV-2. The highly infectious virus spreads by entering host cells.

Their research aims to prevent the virus from breaching human cells. The team is identifying drug molecules that interrupt the binding action between a virus protein and host cells. They are using SwRI's Rhodium virtual screening software to survey 2 million drug compounds to pinpoint effective therapies to prevent infection.

I am eager to be a part of this critical collaboration to identify drug molecules that interrupt the virus' attack on human cells. The goal of this research is to develop sets of candidate drug compounds that stop the virus' entry process. The SAMF funding allows us to focus on this piece of the puzzle and gather vital data, which will move us into safety testing, the next phase of study. Through this work, we envision developing an effective, safe COVID-19 treatment." Dr. Jonathan Bohmann, Staff Scientist, SwRI's Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division

The nonprofit San Antonio Medical Foundation awarded six grants in its latest round of funding, totaling more than $1 million. The winners were chosen from a pool of 44 applicants. Grant proposals were selected based on collaborative effort, how well the projects leverage the strengths of each institution and whether the work will raise the national and international research profile of the San Antonio bioscience community.

"The primary purpose of our grants is to promote collaboration among health care and bioscience research institutions," said Jim Reed, president of the foundation. "These applications not only met that criteria, but each project will further scientific discovery in urgent areas of medical research."
Lady Colin Campbell on March 31 claimed that the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Princess Anne is royal that Prince Harry and Meghan accused of racism in the bombshell interview with American presenter Oprah Winfrey. However, the Jamaican-born British writer and socialite stressed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who exited the royal family completely this year misunderstood Princess Anne.

Campbell said that Queens daughter has concerns about former Suits actors suitability with the royal family and concerns if Meghan would have respect for all members. However, the 71-year-old Jamaican-born British noted that Princess Annes concerns had nothing to do with Meghan being mixed race.

Earlier, in the explosive television interview that aired for the first time on CBS News, Meghan said that her husband relayed to her that there were concerns and conversations about the couples baby, Archies skin colour. Campbell, popularly known ad Lady C claimed that it was Princess Anne. However, in the interview which was reportedly watched by more than 50 million people across the globe, Prince Harry and Meghan refused to reveal the name of the person that they jointly accused of racism.

Lady C in a YouTube video released on March 30 said, There were no concerns about Meghans colour. Princess Anne was rightly concerned that if the marriage proceeded and there were children there would be huge problems, not because of Meghans colour, but because of Meghans inability and determination to remain unable to appreciate the cultural differences.

Harry decided that on the slimmest of hints about culture - that it referred to colour. She [Anne] had concerns about the disastrous effects of allowing somebody of that ilk, character-wise, into the family, would not only cause trouble for all of them but also for any child born of the union...Harry ran to Meghan with the objections, Meghan weaponised them on the grounds of colour. We are looking at people who are very eager to spot a slight where doubtless none exist, she added.

New Episode! Watch On The Lady Colin Campbell YouTube Channel https://t.co/ZNg4YlEnHG  Lady C (@LadyColinCampb) March 30, 2021



Palace calls allegations of racism concerning

Buckingham Palace has broken its silence on the bombshell interview of Prince Harry and Meghan, who are now completely out of the royal family. In a damming allegation against the Royal insulation, Prince Harry and Meghan told Winfrey that there were concerns and conversations in the palace about the skin colour of their son Archie before his birth. She said that Harry told her there had been conversations about how dark her babys skin might be and what that would mean or look like. However, in a statement, the palace called the remarks concerning.

"The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. 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. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members," the statement said.

(Image Credit: AP)
Former Episcopal bishop punished for not allowing gay marriages in diocese leaves denomination

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A bishop of The Episcopal Church who was punished for refusing to allow the blessing of same-sex marriages in his diocese has decided to leave the mainline Protestant denomination.

William H. Love, former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, was disciplined last year for refusing to enforce a church resolution mandating the blessing of gay marriages in every diocese, including those previously opposed to the practice.

In a statement released Wednesday, Love explained that he was leaving the Episcopal Church effective April 2 and planning to join the Anglican Church in North America, a more theologically conservative denomination.

As a cradle Episcopalian (with nearly 30 years of ordained ministry as a deacon, priest and bishop), that was not an easy decision, but given all that has transpired these past couple of years and the constraints placed upon me as a theologically conservative and orthodox bishop within TEC, I believe it is the right decision, wrote Love.

It is my hope and plan to be received into the Anglican Church in North America in the very near future, at which time all the details of what I will be doing and where I will be serving will be shared in a separate announcement.

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, leader of the denomination, released a statement in response to the announcement, explaining that he had granted Love's request.

Without specifically mentioning the issue of same-sex marriage, Curry went on to argue that his belief was that as a church we are called, as Jesus once said, to be a house of prayer for all people, where, as my slave ancestors used to sing, there is plenty good room for all of Gods children.

That conviction is not based on a social theory or capitulation to the ways of the culture. Rather, it is born of my belief that the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross are the ultimate sign of the very love of God reaching out to embrace and welcome us all, stated Curry.

To believe that is to commit to Gods work of creating what some have called the beloved community. It is to pray not only with our lips but with our lives, as Jesus taught when he said, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

In July 2018, the Episcopal Church General Convention passed Resolution B012, which mandated that all dioceses must bless same-sex unions  despite being in conflict with the biblical standard of marriage  even ones where leadership objects.

While the resolution allowed clergy to refuse to perform same-sex weddings, it also required bishops who oppose gay marriage rites to let another bishop provide pastoral support for the same-sex couple as well as clergy for the ceremony.

In addition to the Diocese of Albany, the resolution impacted the dioceses of Dallas, Texas, North Dakota, Springfield, Illinois, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Diocese of Florida, and the Diocese of Central Florida.

That November, Love released an open letter stating that he was not going to enforce the resolution in his diocese, stating that he believed Jesus Christ is calling the Church to have the courage to speak His Truth in love about homosexual behavior  even though it isn't politically correct.

Sexual relations between two men or two women was never part of God's plan and is a distortion of His design in creation and as such is to be avoided, stated Love in the 2018 letter.

To engage in sexual intimacy outside of marriage between a man and women, is against God's will and therefore sinful and needs to be repented of, NOT encouraged or told it is ok.

In January 2019, Presiding Bishop Curry officially restricted Loves ministry and last October, a disciplinary panel concluded that Love had violated canon law by opposing the resolution.

The Title IV Hearing Panel, created to focus on issues of ecclesiastical discipline when a member of clergy is accused of misconduct, released a unanimous opinion at the time finding Love guilty.

Loves actions in issuing a Pastoral Direction to his clergy that they refrain from performing same-sex marriages violated the Discipline and Worship of the Church as Bishop Love promised in his ordinal vows. His actions, therefore, constitute a breach of Canon IV.3.2(a), ruled the panel last October.

The panel added that Resolution B012 allowed for bishops and clergy who oppose same-sex marriage to be exempted from blessing such unions, as long as a replacement could be found.

Importantly, an accommodation is offered to diocesan bishops who oppose same-sex marriage to invite another bishop into the diocese to provide pastoral support for same-sex couples who seek to be able to utilize the rites in their local congregation or worshipping community, continued the panel.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 22:32:48|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China will continue its efforts to free up state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from performing social functions to make them more competitive. So announced a teleconference held Thursday.

Historically, an SOE in China was a social unit, providing not only life-long employment to employees but also nearly all necessary social services to its workers and their families. These included housing, health care, child care, education, and grocery provision.

Transforming SOEs into market-oriented firms entails taking these burdens off their shoulders.

Premier Li Keqiang, in an instruction issued to the teleconference, said China made decisive achievements in freeing SOEs from performing social functions. He called for efforts to consolidate gains, make SOEs more competitive, and perfect social security systems and public services.

He said solving the issues left over by history while pressing ahead with SOE reforms requires adopting measures suiting local conditions and designs according to enterprises' needs.

State Councilor Wang Yong, while attending the teleconference, stressed the role of oversight and inspections to make sure that reform goals are met. Enditem
We are continually working to ensure the citys communities are receiving the support and resources they need as we work to bolster safety across the city, especially in the most vulnerable neighborhoods, the Police Department said in a statement released by a spokesman. This will build on enhanced community engagement, like the Neighborhood Policing Initiative (NPI), within our Districts. Programs like NPI provide officers with resources to build trust within the communities they serve by directly interacting with residents to solve persistent quality-of-life problems. We will also be working with outreach and violence prevention organizations throughout Chicago as part of this effort.
Microsofts Cortana apps for Android and iOS have officially reached their defunction on March 31 2021. Microsofts voice assistant alternative to Google Assistant and Siri will continue to function on Windows 10.

As explained in Microsofts Cortana support page, the mobile app is no longer supported as of Wednesday this week. Lists and reminders will no longer be available through Cortana apps on mobile. These reminders and lists can still be accessed through Cortana on Windows 10 and Microsofts To Do apps, available for both Android and iOS.

The shutdown was originally announced back in July of 2020 (with evidence as early as November 2019) as the company confirmed that it would shift Cortanas focus into an AI-powered assistant for Microsoft 356 apps.

Source  Via
(CNN) -- A London jury has convicted a British police officer of being a member of a banned neo-Nazi group.

Benjamin Hannam was found guilty on all five charges by the jury on Thursday, a representative of London's Central Criminal Court told CNN.

These charges include membership of the banned National Action group, making a false application to join the police force by not disclosing his membership of said group and the possession of indecent photographs of a child.

The 22-year-old was serving as a probationary officer in London's Metropolitan Police force and is the first police officer to be convicted of belonging to a far right terror group, according to the UK's PA Media news agency.

"The public expect police officers to carry out their duties with the very highest levels of honesty and integrity," said Commander Richard Smith of the Met's counterterrorism unit in a press release Thursday.

"Sadly, PC Hannam showed none of these qualities, firstly by joining and engaging with a far-right proscribed organisation, and then when he lied about his past links to this group when applying to become a police officer."

Hannam came to the attention of counterterrorism detectives in February last year during investigations into far-right groups, said the force in the press release, before he was arrested the following month.

Police said they found documents on a USB memory stick and other digital devices which linked Hannam to far-right groups. A folder on the memory stick was named "NA" and contained files related to National Action.

He also took his involvement offline, attending a meeting of the banned group in a pub in London in March 2016 and various other events until summer 2017, police said.

National Action became the first far-right group to be banned under Britain's terror laws in December 2016. It is a criminal offense in the UK to be a member of the organization, which has been described by the country's Home Office as "virulently racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic."

Judge Anthony Leonard is set to hand down sentencing later this month.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "British police officer convicted of membership of neo-Nazi organization"
FLINT  The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has granted $1 million to the YMCA of Greater Flint to help the organization maintain its services in the community as it deals with significant financial loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two-year grant -- with $500,000 distributed in 2021 and $500,000 in 2022 -- will allow the YMCA to continue to serve residents through its downtown Flint and Pierson Road facilities, as well as Camp Copneconic in Mundy Township, while planning for long-term sustainability.

The YMCA has been a key part of the Flint community for more than a century, providing residents with access to recreational opportunities and essential services, said Ridgway White, president and CEO of the Mott Foundation, in a news release.

During the pandemic, these services are more important than ever. We hope this grant will not only allow the YMCA to continue serving the community during a time of crisis, but also provide a little more breathing room for the organization to chart its path forward.

Like many other organizations, the YMCA was profoundly impacted by the early stages of the pandemic, as Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered gyms and recreational facilities to close for a large portion of 2020, to protect public health.

Even when they were permitted to reopen, facilities were still subject to reduced capacity limits to ensure social distancing.

Short-term Mott support will allow the YMCAs board of directors to keep the facilities open and available to the Flint community during the pandemic.

We are incredibly grateful for this grant because it will let us continue to help Flint and Genesee County survive the pandemic, said Shelly Hilton, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Flint. We can help to heal the mind, body and spirit of our residents.

Despite the decrease in funding, YMCA staff worked to meet families needs throughout the pandemic, serving over 135,000 meals and snacks to the community since the stay-at-home order was issued last March.

The YMCAs traditional summer and school-based programs at Camp Copneconic were canceled throughout 2020. All of these factors decreased revenue for the organization.

Operated by the YMCA, Camp Copneconic has become a site for School Year Day Camp, which aims to help Flint area students participating in virtual learning.

The YMCA also provided resources to 390 youths who participated in virtual summer program in 2020.

Since 1961, the headquarters building in downtown Flint has provided essential services for physical and mental health and wellness, while also serving as an important gathering place for the community. The facility provides health and fitness opportunities for individuals, families, school groups and aquatics teams, as well as afterschool programs for area youth.

The YMCA Pierson Road facility in Mt. Morris Township opened in 1984 and provides similar services for residents of the greater Flint area.

As a part of its pandemic response, the YMCA also provides free meals daily at three locations in the city of Flint.

Learn more at flintymca.com/feeding. To learn more about all other programs, visit flintymca.com.

Read more on MLive:

Mott Foundation grant provides meals for volunteers at COVID-19 vaccine sites

C.S. Mott Foundation donated $106M to help Flint recover from the water crisis

Ruth Mott Foundation extends north Flint strategic plan through 2025
Q-Free has won a major new contract to install 269 traffic signal controllers throughout the US state of Indiana.

The deployment includes a combination of Q-Frees new Intelight XN-1 and XN-2 Advanced Transportation Controllers (ATC) to be installed throughout the state beginning in the second quarter of 2021.

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The XN-series controllers represent a marked upgrade over competing models and offer the industrys only OLED monitor screens with crisp readability even in direct sunlight and built-in GPS for corridor networking, coordinated operations, and real-time signal timing.

While the XN-1 and XN-2 will operate with any NTCIP-compliant traffic signal software, Indiana DOT will pair them with Q-Frees award-winning Intelight MAXTIME ic software. We are thrilled that right after Indiana approved our controllers, well be bringing our latest technology to the state, says Tom Stiles, Q-Free executive vice president of ATMS solutions. We believe the XN 1 and 2 are the modern workhorses of ATC controllers, and were excited that the Hoosier state will be among the first to see their benefits.

In keeping with Q-Frees commitment to open standards, Intelight XN Controllers feature an open architecture platform that organizes and improves traffic signal operations. They are completely scalable and operate on a Linux-based operating system that meets and exceeds current ATC, NEMA, and NTCIP standards.

The XN controllers are also smaller and lightweight compared to competing devices, reducing the amount of equipment necessary and the space required in traffic cabinets. They also come with an unrestricted management information bases (MIBs) license, uncommon in the industry and allowing for complete interoperability with other traffic management devices including those from competing manufacturers. Q-Free was the first controller manufacturer to open its MIBs and is a founding member of the #FREEtheMIBS campaign.

Q-Free partner and distributor Traffic Control Products (TCP) secured the bid. The Intelight XN controller will be key to tapping into new markets according to TCP Vice President Terry Stanoch. The XN controller is the most advanced and competitive NEMA controller on the market. We look forward to working with Indiana to upgrade their local traffic signal operations in the coming months, Stanoch said.
Louth county libraries are encouraging families to 'Spring into Storytime' this April.

Public libraries annual Spring Into Storytime programme launched on April 1st and promises to bring the magic of storytime to homes across Louth and the rest of the country.

This year, Spring Into Storytime is moving online and Louth County Libraries will organise virtual events and activities, all based around reading and listening to stories, which families can enjoy at home.

The programme provides an ideal opportunity for children to take time to enjoy a variety of stories through online storytimes by library staff and authors and experience reading as an activity which is fun, entertaining and allows families to share this happy time together.

Louth County Libraries will be organising the following events:

Facebook Friday 2nd of April 11:00am Sensory Craft & Storytime: A sneaky snake craft  followed by The Gruffalo Storytime

Facebook Friday 2nd April 3pm A Nature themed sensory gel bag craft session.

Facebook Storytime every Tuesday and Saturday @ 6:30pm

Parent and Toddler Zoom Sessions 1st/8th/15th/22st of April (Register via Instagram, link in bio)

Wednesday 7th April 3pm Creative writing easter workshop Maeve Devoy Zoom (Workshop is full)

Facebook Friday 9th April 11am Nursery rhyme time Puppet Show

Louth Libraries Blog Shelf Life will have feature posts on book recommendations for ages 0-4.

To take part in Spring into Storytime, visit our social media channels:

Instagram & Facebook: Louth County Libraries

Twitter: Please follow the #louthlibraries

You can also visit www.librariesireland.ie where online storytimes from library staff all over Ireland will be uploaded.
Chad Walker, a highway patrol trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety, has died after he was shot multiple times while on duty Friday. He was 38.

Our DPS family is absolutely heartbroken at the loss of one of our brothers in uniform who was killed in the line of duty, DPS Director Steven McCraw said Wednesday night.

Walker was ambushed around 7:45 p.m. Friday near Mexia, in Limestone County east of Waco.

Walker pulled over to assist an apparently disabled vehicle on FM 2838. A gunman later identified as DeArthur Pinson, 37, got out and opened fire, hitting the trooper in the head and torso, DPS officials said.

Walker was taken to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Hillcrest in Waco. DPS announced his death in a statement Wednesday night.

Pinson grabbed a backpack and fled on foot, DPS officials said. He later committed suicide. Pinson had served 10 years in prison for aggravated robbery, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported.

Walker, an 18-year law enforcement veteran, had worked for various police departments and sheriffs offices since 2003. He joined DPS in 2015 and had been stationed in Groesbeck.

Efforts are underway to raise money for Walkers family, including his wife, 15-year-old son, 7-year-old twin daughters and newborn daughter, the Tribune-Herald reported.

Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Chad Walker was committed to protecting the people of Texas, McGraw said. His sacrifice will never be forgotten, and we ask that you keep his family, friends and colleagues in your prayers during the difficult days ahead.

DPS said that in his final lifesaving act, Trooper Walkers organs were donated to save others.

Funeral services are pending.

andy.picon@hearst.com | Twitter: @andpicon
Eamonn Holmes says he has gone to hospital after having pain like Ive never experienced in my life.

The television presenter, 61, shared the message alongside an image of him in hospital wearing a mask.

He said he does not know the cause of the pain.

At Hospital ..... pain like I've never experienced in my life . Need to find out what's causing this  Wish me well  pic.twitter.com/dSpChuQ3Lz  Eamonn Holmes (@EamonnHolmes) April 1, 2021

He tweeted: At Hospital .. pain like Ive never experienced in my life.

Need to find out whats causing this.

Read More

Wish me well.

On Tuesday Holmes said in a tweet that he had chronic pain, adding he just cant get it to go away.

Starting the day by tackling the pain from the night before ..... On the Physio table. Chronic pain . Just can't get it to go away 

Sadly so many of you know the feeling. Thanks for sharing your stories.

I'm determined to beat this ...however much it hurts. pic.twitter.com/j3fRf1Mozi  Eamonn Holmes (@EamonnHolmes) March 30, 2021

Sadly so many of you know the feeling, he added.

Thanks for sharing your stories. Im determined to beat this however much it hurts.
Engineer element conducts breaching training

China Military Online) 16:31, April 01, 2021

A group of engineering vehicles attached to an engineer element under the PLA 72nd Group Army march forward in hilly area during the breaching training on March 22, 2021. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Li Bin)

A group of engineering vehicles attached to an engineer element under the PLA 72nd Group Army march forward in hilly area during the breaching training on March 22, 2021. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Li Bin)

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Bianji)
When her grandfather refused, the soldier shot him in the leg and locked him into the kitchen. Then he pinned Ms. Mona to a sofa and tried to rape her. She fought back, kicking the man in the crotch and briefly grabbing his gun, she said.

But he quickly overpowered her and, after shooting her in the hand and firing warning shots into the floor, issued another ultimatum. He said he would count to three and if I did not take off my clothes he would kill me, she said.

The soldier fired a volley of bullets that cut through Ms. Monas right arm and right leg. By the time she got transportation to the Mekelle General Hospital a day later, doctors were forced to amputate the arm.

She is still in the hospital, the bones in one leg still shattered. An uncle at her bedside corroborated her account of the assault on Dec. 4. Ms. Mona, who consented to be identified, called it a calculated act of war.

My case is not unique, she said. I fought the soldier off. But there are so many women all over this region who were actually raped.

After months of increasingly desperate pleas for international action on Ethiopia, led by senior United Nations and European Union officials, the pressure appears to be producing results. President Biden recently sent an envoy, Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, to Ethiopia for talks with Ethiopias prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, that lasted five hours.

On Tuesday, addressing Ethiopias Parliament, Mr. Abiy publicly acknowledged that sexual assault had become an integral part of a war that he once promised would be swift and bloodless.
Longford County Council is among 30 county and city councils that will light up public sites in green to highlight the message that #LifeIsAGift to support the Irish Kidney Association led Organ Donor Awareness Week initiative.

Green is not just the national colour for Ireland, it is also the official international colour of organ and tissue donation, symbolising the hope organ donors provide to patients-in-need and their families.

Green is also the colour of nature, associated with sustainability and renewal. When days are dark and the future is uncertain, the green colour provides confidence and optimism.

Chief Executive of Longford County Council Paddy Mahon said, We are delighted to be playing our part in Longford to highlight organ donation. We hope the campaign will generate lots of awareness and important conversations about peoples wishes.

Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council Paul Ross also welcomed the initiative. This campaign is a great opportunity to generate awareness about the importance of carrying an organ donor card which could ultimately save a life.

While ensuring compliance with Covid-19 public health guidelines , the Irish Kidney Association is encouraging those within their own 5k to snap a photo of themselves outside their nearest green building or landmark in Longford and share it on social media using the hashtag #LifeIsAGift and tagging @LongfordCoCo.

Tag three or more of your friends to do the same to spread the word about organ donation. Here is a suggested post to make things easy:

Life Is A Gift, Pass It On! I'm saying yes to Organ Donation, and I'm asking @friend1 @friend2 & @friend3 to do the same! Freetext DONOR to 50050 to get your Organ Donor Card. #LifeIsAGift

By tagging the Irish Kidney Association, your social media post will be entered into a raffle to win one of 100 quality face masks. #LifeIsAGift, #Donorweek21, @irishkidneyAs on Twitter @irishkidneyA on Instagram and @Irishkidneyassociation on Facebook.

Individuals who wish to support organ donation are encouraged to keep the reminders of their decision available by carrying the organ donor card, permitting Code 115 to be included on their drivers licence and having the digital organ donor card APP on their smartphone. Organ Donor Cards can be obtained by phoning the Irish Kidney Association on 01 6205306 or Free text the word DONOR to 50050. Also visit the website www.ika.ie/get-a-donor-card or download a free digital organ donor card APP to your phone.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices rallied on Thursday amid expectations that OPEC+ will agree to extend production curbs at a meeting later in the day. Brent crude for June delivery climbed a little over 2 percent to $64.02 per barrel, after having fallen 2.2 percent on Wednesday. U.S. oil futures were up 2.3 percent at $60.51, after having dropped 2.3 percent in the previous session. In the face of resurgent Covid-19 infections in some regions and renewed lockdowns, ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia and Kazakhstan, a group called OPEC+, are expected to keep production curbs in place when they meet later today. Amid rising Covid-19 cases, French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered France into its third national lockdown. Schools would close for three weeks to cope with a third wave of infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals. OPEC+ will debate options from May and beyond, including a rollover of existing cuts and a gradual increase of production, media reports said, citing sources. Investors were also reacting to the EIA inventory data and the announcement of U.S. President Joe Biden's vast infrastructure plan that includes investments in roads, railways, broadband, clean energy and semiconductor manufacture. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
A mum who has celebrated her baby's first birthday in another lockdown says she just wants to be able to buy her little girl her first pair of shoes and show her the world.

Emily Watson (34) had to give birth alone last year because of Covid-19 hospital restrictions and had to FaceTime her partner Tommy so he could meet his new daughter.

"A year ago, I gave birth in Mullingar Hospital with the support of only the midwives as Tommy wasn't allowed at the birth.

"As soon as I was able, I FaceTimed him to show him his daughter," she says.

"When we got home, my dad who had flown from the UK a few weeks beforehand had to meet Charlotte through a window. It was a scary time.

"Now one year on and Charlotte had her first birthday in another level 5 lockdown.

"My eldest daughter gave Charlotte her middle name, Hope, because we were hoping to see the end of the virus - and we are still hoping all those months later."

"We haven't brought her to see her great-grandparents in Navan in case it would put them at risk and she hasn't seen my grandparents, who are in the UK, yet."

Read More

Adorable Charlotte Hope was all smiles as she celebrated the milestone birthday with her family on Wednesday.

And mum of four Emily is hoping to buy her youngest daughter a very special present after Taoiseach Micheal Martin confirmed shoe shops will be allowed to sell children's shoes "by appointment only".

"I just want to do what other mums do and bring her for her first pair of shoes," she tells.

"She has started walking and first shoes are so important but I can't even get her measured as the shoe shops are closed.

"My four year old Jacob has flat feet and wears insoles and I can't even get him fitted properly either.

"I have never brought her shopping so apart from regular walks around a scenic spot in Trim, she hasn't been anywhere.

"I just want to bring her to the zoo or go swimming with her. All those things that I took for granted with my other babies.

"Charlotte doesn't know any difference but I do and that's the horrible part.

"Someday soon, I just want to show her the world."
GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Attempts Advances Again as Aussie Lacks Strength

Despite slowing demand for the Pound in recent weeks, the British Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate continues to attempt advance this week. Investors are hesitant to buy the relatively risk and trade-correlated Australian Dollar due to market concerns that the coronavirus pandemic could see a third wave in many major economies soon. For now, investors are awaiting key manufacturing PMI and Australian retail sales results due tomorrow.

Jittery market sentiment has kept GBP/AUD highly volatile in recent weeks.

Last week saw Sterling capitalise on Australian Dollar weakness and surge from 1.7920 to 1.8070 throughout the week. GBP/AUD even touched on a high of 1.8131 before markets closed for the week, and this was the best level for the pair all year so far.

This weeks movement has seen continued volatility and mixed movement. After a dip in the first half of the week, GBP/AUD is trending above the weeks opening levels in the region of 1.8100 at the time of writing.

Investors are hesitant to keep pouring into the Pound this week, after weeks of strong performance. The British currency has been surging on bets that the UK economy will be one of the first major economies to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

While much of this optimism has been priced into the Pound already, Sterling is finding some fresh support in the form of stronger than expected UK ecostats.

Today saw the publication of Britains Q4 2020 growth rate report. The data showed that Britains economy was more resilient than expected at the end of last year.

According to the report, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS):

Our revised quarterly figures show the economy shrank a little more than previously estimated in the initial stages of the pandemic, before recovering slightly more strongly in the second half of last year,

Still, it was a gloomy report overall, confirming that Britain was one of the major economies hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. As a result, the datas impact on the Pounds movement was limited.

Australian Dollar (AUD) Exchange Rates Lack Drive on Coronavirus Uncertainties

The Australian Dollar has fallen more easily against the Pound over the past few sessions, as markets have been avoiding currencies more associated with risk and trade sentiment.

The risk-correlated Aussie has been weaker as investors become more anxious about the coronavirus pandemic again, amid rising fears that there could be a third wave of infections.

Australia has recently mixed its coronavirus vaccination targets, and there are some worsening clusters of infections in some parts of the nation, including Brisbane.

Recent Australian data has continued to be stronger than expected though, indicating that Australia is seeing economic resilience amid the pandemic this year.

Todays Australian building permits and private sector credit stats were both better than forecast.

Some analysts have also recently been speculating that Australias budget deficit could be smaller than initially thought. According to the governments Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM):

If the AOFM sticks with issuance of A$230 billion there will be a significant pre-funding of next year's deficit, which is on track to be much smaller than expected.

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Forecast: Weeks Biggest Australian Data Due Tomorrow

The Pound to Australian Dollar exchange rates movement could solidify a little before the end of the week, if tomorrows key data causes a shift in direction.

Thursdays Australian data will be some of the most influential figures of the week. Not only will Australian manufacturing PMIs be published, but so will trade balance and retail sales results from February.

As trade and retail are key to Australias economic performance, surprising figures here could cause a considerable shift in Australian Dollar strength.

If Australias retail sector is in better shape than expected, GBP/AUD could be pushed back from recent highs.

Tomorrow will also see the publication of Britains own March manufacturing PMI, from Markit.

A combination of forecast-beating UK ecostats could help the Pound to strengthen instead, and may even make it easier for the Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate to near its highs again.
A Pakistani youth holds a banner of a U.S. drone during a protest in Lahore, Pakistan, on July 5, 2013. (Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Intelligence Analyst Pleads Guilty to Sharing Classified Information

A former intelligence analyst and former member of the U.S. military has pleaded guilty to illegally disclosing classified information to a reporter.

Daniel Everette Hale, 31, of Nashville, Tennessee, admitted to obtaining classified national defense information while working at the National Security Agency (NSA) and as a defense contractor at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and sharing it with the journalist.

Hale has now admitted what the evidence at trial would have conclusively shown: that he took classified documents from his work at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), documents he had no right to retain, and that he sent them to a reporter, knowing all along that what he was doing was against the law, Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in a March 31 statement.

Raj Parekh, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, added: As an analyst for the Intelligence Community, Daniel Hale knowingly took highly classified documents and disclosed them without authorization, thereby violating his solemn obligations to our country. We are firmly committed to seeking equal justice under the law and holding accountable those who betray their oath to safeguard national security information.

According to court records, starting in April 2013, Hale, while enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and assigned to the NSA, began communicating with the reporter; the pair had met at a book tour event at a bookstore.

Hale would use his top secret NSA computer to search for classified information concerning individuals and issues about which the reporter wrote, the documents state.

At one point, Hale texted a friend and said the reporter wants me to tell my story about working with drones at the opening screening of his documentary about the war and the use of drones.

Hale later sat next to the reporter at a public event and dined out with the reporter. They began using Jabber, an encrypted messaging platform, to communicate.

Once he started working at the NGA, Hale would print out top secret documents. Those documents were later published by the reporters news outlet.

The reporter wasnt identified in the Justice Department statement but information included in the charging document appears to point to Jeremy Scahill of online news outlet The Intercept.

Scahill published a series of articles about the Obama administrations use of drones to kill people in the Middle East; he said the documents were provided by a whistleblower. A website attempting to drum up support for Hale also described him as a whistleblower and an outspoken opponent of the U.S. targeted killings program.

Scahill wrote after President Joe Biden took office that the new commander-in-chief should stop the prosecution of whistleblowers.

In a statement when Hale was charged, Intercept editor-in-chief Betsy Reed said the publication doesnt comment on matters relating to the identity of anonymous sources.

She said the documents the publication reported on detailed a secret, unaccountable process for targeting and killing people around the world, including U.S. citizens, through drone strikes.

They are of vital public importance, and activity related to their disclosure is protected by the First Amendment. The alleged whistleblower faces up to 50 years in prison. No one has ever been held accountable for killing civilians in drone strikes, she said.

Hale, who was arrested and charged in 2019, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison; he will be sentenced on July 13.
Youve gotta make up your mind, Guv.

You can either stop badgering us about how we have to get rid of our fossil-fueled vehicles by 2050.

Or you can keep that rail yard for those loud and dirty diesel trains thats in a wetlands around the block from my house.

Its your choice. But if youre sticking with your fleet of diesel trains then Im sticking with my fleet of gas-powered cars.

Despite what Gov. Phil Murphy touts as an ambitious energy agenda, his administration has announced no plans for getting rid of the diesels running on several NJ Transit lines  even though the technology to electrify trains was invented way back in the 1890s.

One of them terminates in my town, Bay Head. A local citizens group has been handing out printed out lawn signs that read No No No NJ Transit substation in reference to plans by the Murphy administration to build a $24 million substation there to serve diesel locomotives.

But if Gov. Phil Murphy plans to end the use of fossil fuels then he will have to start phasing out those dirty diesels. But when?

I asked the administration that question last week. I still havent gotten an answer.

When I dont get answers I keep asking questions. And the more questions I ask, the fishier this looks.

I use that term advisedly. The rail yard in question is just a few hundred feet from a lake that connects to Barnegat Bay. The ocean is just 400 yards away  or at least it was until Hurricane Sandy, when it flooded the yard.

This could qualify as the worst spot on the Jersey Coast to locate a diesel rail yard. An environmental group called Save Barnegat Bay states on its site that The Bay Head railyard has historically been a site of neglect. For over one hundred years, railcar-related oil and chemical spills have contaminated the soil and groundwater of the site.

But while the governor boasts about buying electric buses in the cities, his administration is going ahead with plans to build a facility to service those diesels at the Shore.

Murphy makes much of his commitment to environmental justice. But to me this looks like a commitment to getting re-elected.

Ocean is the most reliable Republican county in New Jersey. Meanwhile the cities to which Murphy is handing out those electrified buses represent vast reservoirs of Democratic votes.

But if the state is serious about phasing out fossil fuels in a mere 29 years, then diesel trains should be the first to go, not just on the Coast Line but other heavily used lines such as Raritan Valley.

Actually the diesels on the Coast Line should have been replaced back in the 1970s according to John DAmico of Little Silver.

Hes a former Monmouth County freeholder and Superior Court judge who has one more credential thats even more important for train passengers. He was once the co-chairman of the Irate Shore Commuters group.

DAmico told me the commuters pushed for the full electrification of the Coast Line as far back as the 1960s. They thought theyd won in 1968 when voters approved a $27.5 million bond issue dedicated for that purpose.

Some of that $27.5 million, which is equal to about $215 million in todays dollars, was used to push the electrification as far south as Long Branch. But progress stopped there.

Way back in the 1970s, we tried to trace what happened to the money that was dedicated for trains, said John DAmico. Our guess was the money was diverted for buses.

Now theres a coincidence.

But DAmico argues that the state is still under a mandate to extend the Coast Line.

If the Biden Administration makes significant federal mass transit funds available to New Jersey, electrification of the NJCL to Bay Head will be mandatory, he said.

That remains to be seen. There are few votes to be had in employing traditional technologies like rail electrification. Politicians seek out sleek and shiny new tech like that embodied in electric buses.

That permits them to pat themselves on the back, as Murphy does in his administrations Energy Master Plan.

Governor Murphys ambitious energy and climate leadership comes at a time when the global energy system is facing substantial disruptors to traditional business models, it states.

I can think of one traditional business model that could use some disrupting.

And its located right at the head of the Barnegat Bay.
(Adds spokeswoman confirmation in 2nd paragraph, details from 5th)

TOKYO, April 1 (Reuters) - Japan's first doses of AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine are coming from plants in the United States, not Europe as initially expected, the company told the Asahi Newspaper.

The company had intended to import the undiluted vaccine from Europe until export controls were tightened there at the end of January, AstraZeneca's head of vaccines in Japan, Tomoo Tanaka, said in an interview published on Thursday.

An AstraZeneca spokeswoman confirmed the details when contacted by Reuters.

Supplies of the vaccine will gradually shift to those made domestically by Japanese companies once regulatory approval is granted, expected in May, Tanaka said. He did not give details on the current inventory of doses.

Daiichi Sankyo Co said last month it had begun production of AstraZeneca's vaccine in Japan.

The Japanese government has arranged to buy 120 million doses, enough for 60 million people. About 90 million will be produced domestically by Daiichi Sankyo, JCR Pharmaceuticals Co and other local partners.

The European Union has sought to limit exports of vaccines made within the bloc to preserve local supplies.

While AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine is yet to be approved in the United States, the U.S. government is holding on to some of the doses being produced there so they can be given to Americans quickly upon approval. (Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
The susceptibility of any business to state-backed cyber attacks comes down to the value of the organization to the attackers for political or financial benefit.

Messaging Architects, an eMazzanti Technologies Company and cybersecurity expert explores state-backed cyber attacks in a new article. The informative article first names the SolarWinds and Microsoft Exchange hacks as examples of state-backed attacks on business.

The author then reviews the players and goals of the countries involved in cyber attacks. Claiming that no business is immune from state-backed cyber attacks, he concludes by sharing five tips to counter such attacks.

The susceptibility of any business to state-backed cyber attacks comes down to the value of the organization to the attackers for political or financial benefit, stated Greg Smith, Vice President of Services Delivery at Messaging Architects.

Below are a few excerpts from the article, State-backed Cyber Attacks Pose Dangerous Threat to Business.

Lawless Frontier Invites Multiple Players

In recent years, countries have increasingly turned to the cyber arena to conduct espionage and warfare. Unlike traditional warfare, very few international laws exist to govern cyber warfare. And, while Russia and China currently dominate the stage, smaller countries can also make a big impact with a relatively small investment.

No Business Immune from State-backed Cyber Attacks

While movies make attacking government agencies look relatively easy, these agencies generally employ extremely robust security. In the business arena, however, executives too often prefer to deflect funds away from cybersecurity to areas that directly affect revenue. Consequently, businesses make attractive targets to achieve key goals.

Protecting Business

In many respects, state-backed hackers use the same tactics as other common cyber attacks. Phishing schemes, denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and man-in-the-middle operations are especially popular, for example. However, these attacks generally present an unusually high degree of sophistication, run by well-educated and well-equipped engineers.

Security Partners Offer Peace of Mind

When facing a dangerous enemy, business leaders need powerful allies on their side who deliver multiple layers of protection to minimize organization risk. Partnering with proven security experts takes the guesswork out of creating an effective cyber security strategy.

The security specialists at Messaging Architects make it their business to stay abreast of both current threats and the cyber security strategies needed to effectively counter them. They conduct comprehensive risk assessments and work to tailor security plans to customers needs and budget.

Have you read?

7 Work from Home Security Tips to Include in Your Cybersecurity Checkup

5 Ways the Paperless Office Boosts Productivity

About Messaging Architects

Messaging Architects specializes in effectively managing and securing an organizations most precious asset, its information. With over 20 years of information management and technology consulting experience, the Messaging Architects team has provided corporations, educational intuitions, health care facilities and nonprofits with methodologies, procedures, and technology to keep their data organized, compliant and secure.

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzantis team of trained, certified IT experts rapidly deliver increased revenue growth, data security and productivity for clients ranging from law firms to high-end global retailers, expertly providing advanced retail and payment technology, digital marketing services, cloud and mobile solutions, multi-site implementations, 247 outsourced network management, remote monitoring and support.

eMazzanti has made the Inc. 5000 list 9X, is a 4X Microsoft Partner of the Year, the #1 ranked NYC area MSP, NJ Business of the Year and 5X WatchGuard Partner of the Year! Contact: 1-866-362-9926, info@emazzanti.net or http://www.emazzanti.net Twitter: @emazzanti Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies.


Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - GoviEx Uranium Inc. (TSXV: GXU) (OTCQB: GVXXF) ("GoviEx" or "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has engaged Mr. Christopher Mark Lewis to head the Company's Uranium Marketing efforts.

"Chris brings considerable experience in uranium marketing to the GoviEx Team. Having recently updated our pre-feasibility study for the Madaouela Uranium Project(1) and given our positive outlook for the uranium market, we are focused on putting in place the key areas necessary to support the future development of Madaouela - including technical capabilities to advance our efforts around, the completion of the future feasibility study, and financial and marketing expertise to enhance our access to future project financing and uranium offtake and contracting arrangements. Expanding our team to include a seasoned professional like Chris will bolster our access to global nuclear utilities at a time when utility attention is beginning to turn to uranium development projects positioned to support nuclear as part of the clean energy transition movement," stated Daniel Major, Chief Executive Officer.

About Christopher Mark Lewis

Mr. Lewis has over 28 years' experience managing the sale and marketing of uranium and nuclear fuel conversion services to nuclear fuel buyers in Europe, Asia and the Americas. He began in the uranium industry in 1992 managing Olympic Dam uranium sales to Asia until 2010, when he left BHP Billiton. From 2010 to 2015 he worked for Cameco at its Manager, Marketing, Asia. In late 2015, he joined Uranium One where he held the position of Director Marketing until the end of December 2020.

Mr. Lewis holds a BA and a MBA from the University of Adelaide and is an Associate of the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants.

Note:

(1) See Company's news release dated February 18, 2021

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About GoviEx Uranium

GoviEx is a mineral resource company focused on the exploration and development of uranium properties in Africa. GoviEx's principal objective is to become a significant uranium producer through the continued exploration and development of its flagship mine-permitted Madaouela Project in Niger, its mine-permitted Mutanga Project in Zambia, and its multi-element Falea Project in Mali.

Contact Information

Govind Friedland, Executive Chairman

Daniel Major, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +1-604-681-5529

Email: info@goviex.com

Web: www.goviex.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All information and statements other than statements of current or historical facts contained in this news release are forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in GoviEx's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "could", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "potential", "should," and similar expressions, are forward- looking statements. Information provided in this document is necessarily summarized and may not contain all available material information.

Forward-looking statements include those in relation to, (i) the method and timing of any exploration, development (including but not limited to completion of the feasibility study, project financing and uranium offtake for the Madaouela Uranium Project) or mining operations at any of the Company's projects; and (ii) that Mr. Lewis' experience, knowledge and access to the key utilities is going to be a major asset.

Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurances that its expectations will be achieved. Such assumptions, which may prove incorrect, include the following: (i) that the updated pre-feasibility study ("Updated PFS") and future feasibility study will advance the Madaouela Uranium Project towards project financing and development; (ii) that the current uranium upcycle will continue and expand; (iii) that the integration of nuclear power into power grids world-wide will continue as a clean energy alternative and increase as dirty carbon baseload is taken off-line; and (iv) that the price of uranium will remain sufficiently high and the costs of advancing the Company's mining projects will remain sufficiently low so as to permit GoviEx to implement its business plans in a profitable manner.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include (i) that the market will not respond as anticipated to the Updated PFS or feasibility study on the Madaouela Uranium Project; (ii) a regression in the uranium market price; (iii) inability or unwillingness of include or increase nuclear power generation by major markets; (iv) potential delays due to COVID-19 restrictions; (v) the failure of the Company's projects, for technical, logistical, labour-relations, or other reasons; (vi) a decrease in the price of uranium below what is necessary to sustain the Company's operations; (vii) an increase in the Company's operating costs above what is necessary to sustain its operations; (viii) accidents, labour disputes, or the materialization of similar risks; (ix) a deterioration in capital market conditions that prevents the Company from raising the funds it requires on a timely basis; and (x) generally, the Company's inability to develop and implement a successful business plan for any reason.

In addition, the factors described or referred to in the section entitled "Financial Risks and Management Objectives" in the MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2019, of GoviEx, which is available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com, should be reviewed in conjunction with the information found in this news release.

Although GoviEx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance, or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances, or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information in this news release will transpire or occur, or, if any of them do so, what benefits that GoviEx will derive therefrom. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and GoviEx disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79143
Gov. Kemp Calls Out CEO Criticism of Georgia Elections Law, Urges Debate About the Merits

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp took aim at pushback from corporate leaders to the Peach States new election integrity bill that he signed into law last week, saying that he welcomes the criticism as an opportunity to debate the merits of the measure.

Im glad to deal with it, Kemp told CNBC when asked about backlash from business leaders opposing SB 202, or the Election Integrity Act of 2021 (pdf), which some have praised for making elections more secure while others have denounced as voter suppression.

If they want to have a debate about the merits and the facts of the bill, then we should do that, Kemp told the outlet.

We have 159 counties in Georgia. One hundred and thirty-four of those counties under this legislation will be offering more hours of early voting, not less, so I would encourage these CEOs to look at these other states theyre doing business in, and compare what the real facts are to Georgia, and I think their focus will probably need to be in other places and not here, he told CNBC.

SB 202 cleared both Georgia state legislative chambers with no Democratic backing, and was signed into law by Kemp on March 25, drawing both praise and condemnation, including lawsuits and statements from business leaders.

Republicans have argued that the election reform measures are necessary improvements to shore up integrity and build confidence in the states elections. The reforms include requiring photo or state-approved identification to vote absentee by mail. They also mandate that secure drop boxes be placed inside early voting locations, with constant surveillance, and the law expands early voting across the state to address a key Democrat concern. The bill also shortens the election cycle for runoffs from nine weeks to four and requires a minimum of one week of early voting before Election Day.

After Kemp signed the bill into law last week, Delta issued a statement promoting parts of the law such as expanded weekend voting, but said we understand concerns remain over other provisions  and there continues to be work ahead in this important effort.

Later, Delta chief executive Ed Bastian was more critical of the law in a memo sent Wednesday to employees.

The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections. This is simply not true, Bastian wrote, alluding to former President Donald Trumps claims of voter fraud. Unfortunately, that excuse is being used in states across the nation that are attempting to pass similar legislation to restrict voting rights.

Speaking later on CNBC, Coca-Cola chief executive James Quincey called the legislation a step backward.

It does not promote principles we have stood for in Georgia around broad access to voting, around voter convenience, about ensuring election integrity, he said. This legislation is wrong and needs to be remedied.

Other business leaders joined the fray on Wednesday, with dozens of black business executives from around the country, including Merck chief executive Kenneth Frazier and former American Express chief executive Kenneth Chenault, releasing a joint letter in The New York Times urging corporate America to stand up forcefully to oppose laws that they allege amount to voter suppression.

There is no middle ground here, Chenault said, according to the New York Times. You either are for more people voting, or you want to suppress the vote.

Kemp insisted the law was being misrepresented and accused businesses of ignoring their role in its development.

Throughout the legislative process, we spoke directly with Delta representatives numerous times, the governor said in a statement. Todays statement  stands in stark contrast to our conversations with the company, ignores the content of the new law, and unfortunately continues to spread the same false attacks being repeated by partisan activists, Kemp added.

A lawsuit filed on March 28 accused the Georgia election law of racial discrimination and described it as a Republican voter suppression measure meant as a bulwark against demographic changes that favor Democratic candidates.

President Joe Biden has also weighed in, criticizing SB 202 as a blatant attack on the Constitution and good conscience, adding, What Im worried about is how un-American this whole initiative is. Its sick, its sick.

Kemp rejected Bidens characterization of the law, arguing that it seeks to improve the integrity of elections in the Peach State.

It is obvious that neither President Biden nor his handlers have actually read SB 202, which I signed into law yesterday, Kemp said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times. This bill expands voting access, streamlines vote-counting procedures, and ensures election integrity.

Republicans insist the changes are needed to restore voters confidence.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has responded to the criticism over the new law, saying, Theres no rational argument against requiring state IDprovided for free to those who dont have a drivers licensefor absentee ballots.

Raffensperger dismissed voter suppression arguments, saying he implemented a version of the identification requirement during the November 2020 election, and that all absentee ballot requests that came through the state website were cross-referenced with a drivers license database or another record.

The left said that photo ID for in-person voting would suppress votes. It didnt. Registration and turnout soared, hitting new records with each election cycle. Their cataclysmic predictions about the effects of this law are simply baseless. The next election will prove that, but I wont hold my breath waiting for the left and the media to admit they were wrong, he said.

Besides filing several lawsuits seeking to overturn the Georgia law, advocates of less stringent voter laws have turned their focus to Washington, where Democrats are pushing a comprehensive federal overhaul of election law that could effectively override many changes being enacted in Georgia and considered elsewhere.

That legislative initiative, known as the For the People Act of 2021, or H.R. 1, passed the Democrat-controlled House on March 3 on a largely party-line vote of 220210, with all Republicans voting against it as well as Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

Critics, chiefly conservatives and Republicans, oppose the bill on various grounds, including that it transfers authority over how elections are administered from states to the federal government and reduces measures meant to make elections more secure, such as eliminating the need to provide photo ID to obtain an absentee ballot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CHARLOTTE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Can investors hold Bitcoin in a Self-Directed IRA? Recent headlines have seen volatile price swings for the cryptocurrency. For many, seeing Bitcoin eclipse $30,000 per coin and even $40,000 and above has changed the landscape. It is introduced the concept of cryptocurrency to a larger audience, which justifiably has many retirement investors wondering whether it is possible to use a tax-advantaged account like an IRA for investing in cryptocurrencies.

The most recent post at the American IRA blog goes into greater detail. First, the post highlights how the IRS prohibits certain types of assets from being held within an IRA. For example, a life insurance policy cannot be held within an IRA, nor can collectibles like art or fine wines. But because the IRS prohibits specific types of assets from use within a retirement account, it also leaves the door open for investing in many alternative asset classes.

The post quotes a Forbes article in which it is stressed that the question is not whether it is legal for an IRA to own bitcoin, but rather whether or not the IRS strictly prohibits it. But in 2014, the IRS laid out how Bitcoin would be treated for tax purposes: it would be treated as private property. This means that investors who make a profit on the sale of Bitcoin, for example, would owe taxes on it. Of course, owning property within an IRA is a different idea entirely.

The post goes into greater detail about the issue, specifying how Self-Directed IRAs work. "This post is important because it talks about what many people believe is the next great alternative asset class," says Jim Hitt, CEO of American IRA.

In the post, American IRA also details what is precisely meant by a "Bitcoin IRA," which is a term often thrown about as investors look for new ways to invest. As the post mentions, there is no type of IRA known as a "Bitcoin IRA," but it is more of a marketing term.

For more information, visit the post at www.AmericanIRA.com or call American IRA at 866-7500-IRA.

About:

American IRA, LLC was established in 2004 by Jim Hitt, CEO in Asheville, NC.

The mission of American IRA is to provide the highest level of customer service in the self-directed retirement industry. Jim Hitt and his team have grown the company to over $500 million in assets under administration by educating the public that their Self-Directed IRA account can invest in a variety of assets such as real estate, private lending, limited liability companies, precious metals and much more.

As a Self-Directed IRA administrator, they are a neutral third party. They do not make any recommendations to any person or entity associated with investments of any type (including financial representatives, investment promoters or companies, or employees, agents or representatives associated with these firms). They are not responsible for and are not bound by any statements, representations, warranties, or agreements made by any such person or entity and do not provide any recommendation on the quality profitability or reputability of any investment, individual or company. The term "they" refers to American IRA, located in Asheville and Charlotte, NC.

SOURCE: American IRA, LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/636440/American-IRA-Discusses-Is-it-Possible-to-Own-Bitcoin-in-a-Self-Directed-IRA
-President Weah imposes curfew, as protesters burn Speaker's residence in Pleebo

Angry protesters in Pleebo City, Maryland County, including commercial motorcyclists have set ablaze the residence of Speaker Bhofal Chambers' and a prison compound, demanding speedy investigation into the gruesome murder of a cyclist.

Speaker Chambers is a lawmaker, who represents Pleebo, Solokan District in Maryland County.

Angry motorcyclists threw stones and erected road blocks, demanding re-arrest and speedy investigation of a suspect, who is reportedly on the run.

The gruesome murder of the late Modicious Nyemah, who was a motorcyclist and student of the Pleebo High School occurred on Thursday, March 25, 2021 at about 10 A.M.

According to sources, suspect Moses Mlarmah, who escaped the Harper Prison after angry crowd broke into the prison, is a friend of the victim and resided with him in Pleebo prior to the incident.

The sources narrated that on Thursday, March 25, suspect Mlarmah asked the late Nyemah to take him to a nearby town called Besseken, around the Maryland Oil Palm Plantation (MOPP) for oil.

They explained that after reaching an isolated area near Besseken, the late Nyemah decided to tie up the load had gone for on his bike, at which time suspect Moses Mlarmah allegedly attacked him with a cutlass, gruesomely butchering his friend to death.

Sources added that after the attack, suspect Mlarmah left and went to a nearby town to buy alcohol to drink, where he reportedly met a woman, who served him, but while drinking the alcohol, the woman noticed bloodstain on his feet.

When the lady in the shop asked why the bloodstain, the suspect said he had just killed a goat, so the woman decided to further investigate because unknown persons have been killing cattle in the town.

She then invited other residents of the town to come join her in interrogating Suspect Mlarmah where he killed the goat.

Sources said while on the way to identify the spot, the suspect confessed he had killed a human being, rather than a goat, asking villagers to keep the act as a secret, but the town people refused and brought him to town for further questioning before subsquently turning him over to the Liberia National Police in Pleebo.

Following Police preliminary investigation, he was charged with murder, which is in violation of Section 14.1 of the Penal Law of the Republic of Liberia and detained at the Harper prison, awaiting court trial.

But since his imprisonment, protestors, including women, elders, youths, traditional council and motorcyclists in Pleebo and Harper have been restless in calling on the Police and the Ministry of Justice to ensure speedy justice.

On Tuesday, March 30, 2021 angry citizens, including motorcyclists broke into the Harper prison, demanding ther living body of suspect Moses Mlarmah, which led to the escape of 91 inmates, including the suspect.

The protestors allegedly damaged a police patrol vehicle, looted several properties at both Harper and Pleebo police stations and wounded a deputy police commander only identified as Massaley.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, March 31, tension flared further when the protesters set ablaze the Speaker's residence in the district.

Although several gruesome murders had happened in the county, but the death of Modicioue Nyemah has drawn the attention of many citizens, including traditional woman and elders.

In January, 2019 a motorcyclist was gruesomely murdered by unknown individuals, and a pregnant woman was killed and her body found along the Atlantic Ocean in Harper, while another motorcyclist was killed along the Karluway highway, among others.

Perpetrators were not identified or brought to book.

The protestors insist that as long as the government can't bring to end the repeated killings of innocent citizens, their protests won't stop.

Police spokesman Moses Carter confirmed the incident in an interview with this paper Wednesday evening, explaining that "the police got overwhelmed yesterday in the evening."

He says the Speaker's house burnt totally and two vehicles were also burnt. But Carter notes that police have not received any major casualty yet, except for damage of infrastructure.

However, he adds that one police officer received injury, which according to him, was not grave, saying the officer is seeking medication.

He says one of the police pickups got vandalized in the process. Mr Carter notes that it takes time to get police officers from the Regional Hub to Maryland County to back up the team on ground.

He discloses that another team has been sent from Monrovia to be able to put things under control. According to him, even the officers sent from the Regional Hub got overwhelmed on Wednesday because over 20,000 demonstrators got into the street in Maryland.

Carter says Police are yet to establish the connection of Speaker Bhofal Chambers to the situation, adding, he is making some follow ups to establish on what grounds the Speaker's house was attacked.

Meanwhile, President George Manneh Weah has declared cerfew in the entire county as of today, April 1, 2021.

In a statement here, the President expressed concern about recent developments in the county, saying that he has been informed of the gruesome killing of a young man there recently.

President Weah notes that although a suspect was apprehended by the police and incarcerated pending subsequent investigation in accordance with due process of law, residents of Harper City, as well as Pleebo City, have taken to the streets to protest the killing, adding, "Some of them have engaged in wanton acts of destruction against private property and public facilities, including the burning down of police stations and other Government buildings."

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"I would like to assure the people of Maryland County that this killing has claimed the urgent attention of the Government, and will be thoroughly, promptly and fully investigated. The perpetrators will face the full weight of the law", President Weah assures.

He admonishes residents of Maryland County not to take the law into their own hands, but to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding, so that the criminal justice system can take its course, adding that "Any grievances should and must be channeled through the legal process, as Government will not condone lawlessness and violence at any time and from anyone."

In order to keep the peace, and to ensure that law and order prevails, President Weah has immediately imposed a curfew throughout Maryland County, starting today, April 1, 2021, from 6:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. until otherwise ordered. "This curfew will be strictly enforced by the police, who will be supported by the Joint Security Forces. All residents of Maryland County are advised to take heed and govern themselves accordingly", the President's statement concludes.

(Additionally information by Winston Parley and editing by Jonathan Browne)
Kathmandu, April 1

This weekend, the United States President Joe Biden invited 40 leaders from across the world to attend a Leaders Summit on Climate scheduled for April 22-23.

Whereas three leaders of South AsiaPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh), Prime Minister Lotay Tshering (Bhutan), Prime Minister Narendra Modi (India)and President Xi Jinping (China) have made it to the list, Nepal has not been invited.

Onlinekhabar has talked to Anna Richey-Allen, the spokesperson of the US Embassy in Kathmandu about the issue.

In response, she said only major economies were invited to the summit.

Richey-Allen said, The summit is only one of several major climate-related events in the run-up to COP-26, which will be a global event. Its primary objective is to encourage the worlds major economies to enhance ambition to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. 

The official maintained, We stand ready to partner with Nepal on climate issues, including our attendance at the Sagarmatha Sambaad when it is organised.

Meanwhile, the official claimed the United States would announce an ambitious new climate target during the summit, calling on other countries not invited to the summit also to issue their public statements in support of the summits objective of enhancing global ambition on climate change are welcome.
An interview with Diane Rehm The presentation includes a range of stunning visuals, including informational graphics, images, and photos transmitted from the Perseverance Rover.

Oasis Everywhere, a virtual learning platform for older adults, is pleased to announce two outstanding opportunities to learn from and interact with fascinating presenters in a virtual setting. These once-in-a-lifetime classes are just some of the offerings of Oasis Everywhere, which makes high-quality opportunities for lifelong learning available to seniors across the United States. Sign up to participate on the web store at https://www.oasiseverywhere.org/.

When My Time Comes: Interview with Diane Rehm on her Book and Upcoming Documentary

Sign Up

$10.00

Class Date(s): 04-06-2021 to 04-06-2021

Day(s) of the week: Tuesday

Time: 03:00 PM-04:00 PM - Central Time

Instructor: Diane Rehm

Term: 2020-2

Location: Zoom - The Oasis Institute

Description

Join Peabody-award-winning journalist and NPR radio talk show host, Diane Rehm as she is interviewed by Oasis about her book, and upcoming documentary When My Time Comes: Conversations About Whether Those Who Are Dying Should Have the Right to Determine When Life Should End. Diane became a champion of the growing right-to-die movement after her first husband, ravaged by Parkinsons disease, begged doctors in vain for help ending his life. In a series of interviews in her book, Diane discusses the pros and cons with people who have seen the effects at close range: patients, relatives, physicians, clergy, hospice administrators, and others. The documentary, premiering on PBS April 13, 2021, follows Rehm across the country to take an in-depth look at medical aid in dying. She speaks to people on all sides of the issue, uncovering the pros and cons, the facts and the misinformation surrounding this controversial practice that is now legal in nine states and the District of Columbia. The result is both moving and informative  an eye-opening documentary that is sure to provoke strong reactions and thoughtful conversations among viewers of all ages and backgrounds. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

Receive a 20% discount when purchasing Dianes book online when you register for this class. Coupon code to purchase the book online from Left Bank Books will be included in your receipt.

Searching for Life on Mars: Live Session with NASA Perseverance Rover Scientist

Sign Up

$10.00

Class Date(s): 04-09-2021 to 04-09-2021

Day(s) of the week: Friday

Time: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM - Central Time

Instructor: Pablo Sobron, PHD

Term: 2020-2

Location: Zoom - The Oasis Institute

Description

You wont want to miss this exciting and exclusive opportunity to listen to and chat with a scientist involved with history in the making! St. Louis-based research scientist, Dr. Pablo Sobron, will take us along on his journey to discover life on the Red Planet. Learn about his role as a member of NASAs Mars 2020/Perseverance Rover Science Team and their mission to seek signs of ancient life on Mars while collecting samples for return to Earth. A research scientist at the SETI Institute, and expert in robotic exploration of Earth and planets, Dr. Sobron, leads scientific expeditions worldwide, looking for life in the extreme. In 2016 he founded Impossible Sensing, where his team is developing the next generation of tools NASA uses to search for life in deep space. Together with their partners at NASA, they are world leaders in technology R&D for Earth and planetary exploration. The presentation includes a range of stunning visuals, including informational graphics, images, and photos transmitted from the Perseverance Rover. The chat messenger will be open for questions throughout the session, making for an interactive Q&A experience with Dr. Sobron. Sign up nowthis class will fill fast!
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul torches National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci's post-vaccination mask mandates stating "there's no science behind it" during a senate hearing held this week.

A March 21 video of the senate hearing covered by Fox News showed Paul hitting on Fauci's requirement for those who have been vaccinated to continue wearing masks, as well as, for stating earlier of the need to even wear two masks for better safety as nothing but "theater." Meanwhile, Paul tweeted a similar video but from C-SPAN.

"Well, let me just state for the record that masks are not theater. Masks are protective," Fauci responded calmly during the hearing.

"If you have immunity, they're theater. If you already have immunity you're wearing a mask to give comfort to others," Paul retorted.

To which Fauci responded, "I totally disagree with you."

In its news report, Fox News said Paul mocked Fauci's advocacy and went on to Twitter on Wednesday to continue proving where he is coming from, citing a study published at the National Library of Medicine website.

"Dr. Fauci, great news! T cell immunity after natural infection shown to include variants. Do we still need to wear multiple masks after we've recovered or been vaccinated?" he said sarcastically.

The study, entitled "CD8+ T cell responses in COVID-19 convalescent individuals target conserved epitopes from multiple prominent SARS-CoV-2 circulating variants," said that "virtually all anti-SARS-CoV-2 CD8+ T-cell responses should recognize these newly described variants."

Fox News said that Paul was able to cite scientific researches due to his medical background as an eye doctor. The senator, as such, has been constantly contradicting Fauci's directives for Americans to wear masks, which the latter suggested since scientists are still studying the COVID-19 variants and its effect on immunity.

As per Fox News, the study Paul cited from the National Library of Medicine is still pending peer review and that its findings were only based on a limited sample size as indicated by its authors.

Paul tweeted on the day of the senate hearing regarding claims of "fearmongers" on the vaccines.

"Sorry Dr Fauci and other fearmongers, new study shows vaccines and naturally acquired immunity DO effectively neutralize COVID variants. Good news for everyone but bureaucrats and petty tyrants! Neutralizing Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants," he announced.

The tweet contained a link to a study published by JAMA Network on March 19 entitled, "Neutralizing Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants After Infection and Vaccination", that was conducted by Mehul S. Suthar, PhD of Georgia's Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University.

The study found the "neutralizing activity of infection- and vaccine-elicited antibodies against 4 SARS-CoV-2 variants, including B.1, B.1.1.7, and N501Y" but is limited to the sample size during the study along with the possible selection bias, lack of clinical outcomes, and how neutralization titers correlate with protection".

"Because neutralization studies measure the ability of antibodies to block virus infection, these results suggest that infection- and vaccine-induced immunity may be retained against the B.1.1.7 variant. As additional variants emerge, neutralizing-antibody responses after infection and vaccination should be monitored," it said.
The Horton Group

The Horton Group in Chicago has hired Casey Warnecke as chief growth officer. Warnecke will be responsible for maximizing efforts around new business growth and the retention of existing clients, recruiting top talent, and implementing a strong sales infrastructure across multiple office locations. He plays a key leadership role on the executive team, building a bridge between the sales and operations teams and navigating the competitive landscape to help Horton pursue new markets. Warnecke previously served as chief growth officer at Lockton.

Ohio Mutual

Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, based in Bucyrus, Ohio, has promoted Todd Boyer to vice president of Corporate Communications. Boyer joined Ohio Mutuals senior management team as AVP of Marketing in 2011 and since 2009 has led the Corporate Communications team, which is responsible for the companys internal and external communications, along with public and community relations. Previously, Boyer worked in communications roles in the public and non-profit sectors, including more than a decade in roles with the Ohio Senate, Ohio Attorney General, and Ohio Department of Insurance. Ohio Mutual partners with more than 400 independent agencies to distribute quality property and casualty insurance products throughout Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

MJ Insurance

MJ Insurance has added Michael Parent, surety consultant; Adam Adler, risk management client executive and Michelle North, personal insurance account manager, in its Indianapolis headquarters.

Parent previously served as vice president of Business at Huntington National Bank. As a surety consultant, Parent will consult with existing and prospective clients to understand their business needs. His expertise will help expand and enhance MJs surety bonds practice.

Adler comes to MJ from a global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm. He holds designations as a certified insurance counselor (CIC) and certified school risk manager (CSRM).

North previously worked at EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, where she served as the liaison between client, provider and agency. She is a licensed property and casualty insurance writer.

Lockton

Sarah Downey, a directors and officers, and executive risk claims and coverage expert, has joined Kansas City-based Lockton to lead executive risk claims. An industry pioneer in creating risk transfer solutions for clients, Downey will also bolster the firms expertise in the blockchain risk advisory space. Downey most recently served as managing director, U.S. D&O Product Leader and Digital Asset Risk Transfer (DART) Leader for Marshs FINPRO Practice, based in New York. She also served as a senior claims advocate for complex claims at Marsh. Before joining Marsh in 2014, Downey spent nearly a decade as an associate in the D&O Insurance practice groups of prominent coverage firms, including White & Williams LLP and Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge LLP.

Topics Ohio Lockton
Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. Hot. High 99F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

Some passing clouds. Low 57F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny along with a few clouds. Hot. High 94F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
President El-Sisi receives Croatia's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received today the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia Dr. Gordan Grlic Radman in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Sameh Shoukry and Croatia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Cairo Mr. Tomislav Bosnjak.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency stated that President El-Sisi stressed the historical and friendly relations between Egypt and Croatia and Egypt's aspiration to strengthen the mechanisms of bilateral cooperation at various levels.

His Excellency affirmed Egypt's keenness to enhance trade exchange and develop economic cooperation to be in line with the distinguished political relations between the two friendly countries.

These efforts are to be made in light of the major development projects being implemented in Egypt that provide huge investment and industrial opportunities.

For his part, Dr. Grlic Radman expressed his honor to meet with His Excellency, asserting the keenness to continue coordination and consultation between the two friendly countries in various fields.

He further expressed his aspiration to develop and strengthen the relations Croatia has with Egypt.

He stressed Egypt's ancient civilization and history and pivotal role under the President's able leadership who seeks to maintain stability and security in the Middle East and Africa.

In the same vein, Dr. Grlic Radman praised Egypt's successful efforts aimed to stop the threat of illegal immigration to Croatia and Europe.

The Spokesman stated that the meeting discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations, particularly at the economic, investment, and trade levels.

Several regional issues of mutual interests were also touched on in the meeting, foremost of which is the Libyan issue.

The importance of concerted efforts to support the current political path was emphasized.

It was added that the political path aims to safeguard the nationhood and the country's national institutions and thence hold elections at the end of this year.

Views were exchanged on the issue of illegal immigration.

In this context, the President asserted Egypt's keenness to combat this phenomenon, highlighting the Egyptian successful efforts to address the issue of the flow of refugees across the Mediterranean.

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As part of its responsibility toward its citizens and the security of its partners, Egypt attaches importance to this issue, the President added.

Hence, His Excellency underscored the significance of dealing with the migration issue within a framework of shared responsibility and not only focusing on security solutions, but also addressing the roots of the economic and development problem in the source countries.

Egypt, as indicated by the President, hosts about 6 million refugees of different nationalities, including Arabs and Africans, who enjoy all basic rights and have jobs.

Croatia's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs expressed his country's appreciation for the Egyptian efforts to achieve security and stability in its region.

He further asserted his keenness to continue cooperation with Egypt at various levels to address the challenges facing the two shores of the Mediterranean.

In this context, Dr. Grlic Radman praised Egypt's efforts to promote dialogue between African, Arab, and the European Union countries.

He noted that Croatia is keen to support Egypt's position and have it adopted in the European Union, in light of the direct relationship between the security of Europe and the situation in the Middle East and North Africa.
5 days Massacre: Top militants out of reach-because they weren't on spot'-IGP Benazir. Image Source: IANS News

5 days Massacre: Top militants out of reach-because they weren't on spot'-IGP Benazir. Image Source: IANS News

5 days Massacre: Top militants out of reach-because they weren't on spot'-IGP Benazir. Image Source: IANS News

5 days Massacre: Top militants out of reach-because they weren't on spot'-IGP Benazir. Image Source: IANS News

5 days Massacre: Top militants out of reach-because they weren't on spot'-IGP Benazir. Image Source: IANS News

Dhaka, April 1 : Around 14,000 people have been accused in numerous cases filed over the violent protests in Bangladesh organised by the Hefazat-e-Islam militant group since March 26 against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka.

A total of 14 people, 10 in Brahmanbaria and four in Chittagong, were killed in the ensuing violence when the militants staged attacks on police, government and law enforcement personnel officials.

For the carnage in Brahmanbaria, over 8,000 people have been accused in seven cases and 14 suspects were arrested so far, the police confirmed on Wednesday.

At least 3,000 unnamed Hefazat members were accused for their involvement in the pre-planned vandalism, arson attacks and massacre in Chittagong and Munshiganj.

On March 26, when Modi arrived in Dhaka, a group of Hefazat militants attacked devotees outside the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the capital city.

The same day, the militant outfit called for a day-long strike across the country on March 28 and announced a country-wide protest on March 27 for the deaths of its members during clashes in different districts.

In the pre-planned massacre, there was also significant damage and looting at the Anandamoyi Kali temple, the biggest temple of Asia.

Besides, private property, vehicles of police and fire service, cultural establishments and government properties and all the documents of land office of Hathajari and Brahmmanbaria were set ablaze.

No policemen or Fire Service officials was present for 3 days in Brahmmanbaria.

Regarding the fact that none of the top members of Hefazat and Jamaat-e-Islami, another banned group, were included in the cases filed, IGP Benazir Ahmed, said: "But if they are found involved after the investigation, legal action will be taken against them for sure, action will be taken against the instigators. The attacks stained the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's Independence." Abdul Hamid, known as "Madhupur Pir" of Heazat's central committee who attacked the police on March 28 in Munshiganj district's Sirajdikhan upazila, was not made named as an accused.

He is also the superintendent of Madhupur Qowmi Madrasa, deemed as a "breeding ground" of militants.

Mohammad Mahfuz Afzal, Additional Superintendent of Police (administration and crime), said" "Police did not make Madhupur Pir an accused as he was not involved in the attack on police during the strike." Mohammad Kamruzzaman, inspector (investigation) of Sirajdikhan police station, said eight persons were arrested in connection with the case.

"Among the 15 accused, Mohammad Obaidullah Kashemi, 40, president of Hefazat, Sirahdikhan unit and Abdullah, 35, were made accused," he mentioned.

SM Rashidul Haque, superintendent of Chittagong District Police told IANS that, they filed four cases with Hathazari Police Station over the attacks on policemen, vandalism at stations, and other charges.

Officials of the Assistant Commissioner (AC Land) office in Hathazari upazila also filed two cases over vandalism at their office and setting one a vehicle on fire.

Rezaul Karim, officer-in-charge of Patiya Police Station, said they filed a case accusing at least 700 unidentified people under the Anti-Terrorism Act with the police station.
Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo appears to be on a fast track for homecoming after being definitively acquitted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of war crimes charges.

The ruling on Wednesday ends a legal saga that had enmeshed Gbagbo, 75, for nearly a decade, opening the door to what his supporters say will be a triumphant return.

A deeply divisive figure, Gbagbo was hauled off to the ICC after being forced out of power in April 2011 following a brief civil war, sparked when he refused to concede electoral defeat.

Gbagbos supporters, who have long clamoured his innocence, have been campaigning for his early return, arguing that it will heal the countrys wounds.

I am very moved, I am very proud, its all over, said Victorine Tiebesson, a member of Gbagbos Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), who joined several dozen fellow supporters on Wednesday to celebrate after the verdict was announced in The Hague.

Hes soon going to be coming back to us  its the missing link in reconciliation in Ivory Coast.

Armand Ouegnin, a lawmaker who heads a pro-Gbagbo coalition of which the FPI is the main component, said, President Laurent Gbagbo has never been a criminal.

He will come back to help national reconciliation, he said. He will make a triumphant return.

A similarly positive tone was sounded by Henri Konan Bedie, who heads the opposition PDCI party.

Once a rival to Gbagbo but now an ally, Bedie declared the acquittal of Gbagbo and his former youth leader Charles Ble Goude would contribute to an easing of tensions in Ivory Coasts troubled politics.

 Time for a comeback? 

Gbagbo was forced out after 10 years in power by the current president, Alassane Ouattara, following a months-long conflict that claimed several thousand lives and split the country along north-south lines.

But he retained strong support at home despite spending years behind bars in The Hague, as well as time in Brussels, where he awaited the outcome of an appeal against his 2019 acquittal.

It was last year that Gbagbo positioned himself for a potential comeback.

Casting himself as a conciliatory figure, he warned of the risk of catastrophe as storm clouds brewed ahead of presidential elections.

Scores died in unrest after Ouattara announced his bid for a third term  a plan that critics said scorned constitutional limits on presidential tenure.

In the grim aftermath of a vote almost universally boycotted by the opposition, Ouattara tendered an olive branch to his former rival.

He said Gbagbo had a role to play in reconciliation and provided him with two passports, one of them a diplomatic pass.

As the mood brightened, Gbagbos FPI took part in legislative elections this month, breaking a decade-long boycott.

 Victims anger 

Ouattaras RHDP had still to officially react on Thursday to Gbagbos acquittal.

But deep-seated distrust persists toward Gbagbo among Ivorians who say he plunged his country into chaos.

The acquittal is a decision that enshrines impunity  the victims believe that they have been taken for judicial ride, said Issiaka Diaby, who heads a victims campaign group called CVCI.

The ICCs ruling definitively clears Gbagbo of four charges of crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution and rape committed during the conflict.

He is not totally out of the legal woods, however.

Technically he could be jailed on his return, having been sentenced in absentia to a 20-year term for looting the local branch of the Central Bank of the West African States at the time.

But this scenario seems unlikely.

To arrest Laurent Gbagbo and send him to Maca (Abidjans main prison) is hard to imagine, said analyst Sylvain NGuessan.

It would create problems, whereas the mood right now is to dial down political tension.
Salma Hayek has been seen for the first time on the set of new film House Of Gucci.

The actress, 54, is set to play the role of Pina Auriemma, who was a clairvoyant friend of 'black widow' Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) and was sentenced to 25 years in prison after Maurizio Gucci's murder trial in 1998.

While shooting the hotly-anticipated movie in Rome on Thursday, Salma donned in a statement brown Gucci tracksuit and sunglasses.

Here she is: Salma Hayek donned a brown Gucci tracksuit as she was seen for the first time on the set of new film House Of Gucci on Thursday

Salma seemed relaxed as she strolled around the set in her eye-catching ensemble, which boasted sparkling stripes and zips on the inner legs.

The star paired her two-piece with some black boots and a simple black T-shirt as well as a long necklace.

After stepping out of her trailer holding a brown paper bag, Salma was seen inside a car and chatting on the phone.

Role: The actress, 54, (left) is set to play the role of Pina Auriemma (right at the 1998 trial), who was a clairvoyant friend of 'black widow' Patrizia Reggiani and jailed for 25 years

She ensured to follow all coronavirus guidelines and donned a face mask for the journey.

Elsewhere on the shoot, Salma slipped into a smart leather midi-skirt and baggy top paired with some bright green heels.

Salma wore her brunette locks pinned back into a chic bun or twisted style throughout the day.

Salma is playing Pina Auriemma, who was Patrizia Gucci's clairvoyant friend.

Quick break: Salma stepped out of her trailer holding onto a brown paper bag on Thursday

Chilled: She seemed relaxed as she strolled around the set in her eye-catching ensemble, which boasted sparkling stripes and zips on the inner legs

Costume? The star was also seen sporting a leather midi-skirt and loose-fitting top

Pina was sentenced to 25 years for allegedly organising the killing for a fee of around 250,000. Her sentence was reduced to 19 years on appeal, reports the Daily Beast.

According to the Daily Mail, Pina had been struggling with debts herself and claimed that 'in a moment of weakness' she gave in to her friend's requests to find a hitman.

Patrizia, who showed up at the trial in 1998 dressed head-to-toe in Gucci clothing and accessories, claimed Pina hired the hitman without her authorisation and had then blackmailed her after the murder had taken place.

Pina, who now has anything to do with her old friend, previously told The Sun: 'I have great remorse, even if I did not actively participate in the organisation of the murder.'

Italy24News reports that Pina was released from jail in 2010, after serving around 13 years of her sentence.

Movie House of Gucci documents Patrizia Reggiani Gucci's (Lady Gaga) plot to murder her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), with Reggiani found guilty of paying a hit man 240,000 to murder him in 1995.

Busy: Salma spoke on the phone while inside a car during the shoot day

Staying safe: She ensured to put on her mask while on the move

Smart: Salma's hair was pulled back into a low bun

Splash of colour: The star added some metallic green heels to her second look of the day

Heading out: A driver took the wheel while the actress sat in the passenger seat

Reggiani put a hit out on her estranged husband after Gucci left her for another woman 10 years previously, telling her he was going on a short business trip from which he never returned.

Reggiani was also said to fear her daughters' -Alessandra and Allegra- $170million inheritance was at risk if he remarried before ordering the hit.

She also wanted more than the $650,000 she had been offered in a divorce settlement, the court heard.

Reggiani eventually hired hitman Benedetto Ceraulo, a debt-ridden pizzeria owner who shot Gucci dead on the steps of his office in Milan as he arrived for work. Ceraulo was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Running lines? She seemed engrossed in her notepad while waiting around on set

Involved: Salma is playing Pina Auriemma, who was Patrizia Gucci's clairvoyant friend

That's the spirit: She donned a full Gucci tracksuit and black T-shirt

Animated: Salma seemed very involved in her conversation as she threw her arms up while on the phone in the car

Multitasking: The star continued chatting as she negotiated her mask

Ready for court? Salma's character Pina was sentenced to 25 years for allegedly having organised the killing for a fee of around 250,000

During the murder trial, which transfixed Italy, Reggiani arrived each day wearing head-to-toe Gucci clothes and accessories.

Reggiani was initially sentenced to 29 years in 1998, which was reduced to 26 on appeal. She served 18 before being released in October 2014.

As well as Patrizia, Pina and Benedetto's sentences, the getaway driver and a night porter also involved in the murder were sentenced to 29 and 26 years in prison respectively.

Patrizia spent her time in Milan's San Vittore Prison sleeping 'a lot' and taking care of her plants. She was also allowed to care for her pet ferret Bambi.

In 2011, Patrizia turned down the chance of being moved to an open prison where inmates were expected to work, saying: 'I've never worked in my life and I'm certainly not going to start now.'

What a tale: According to the Daily Mail, Pina had been struggling with debts herself and claimed that 'in a moment of weakness' she gave in to her friend's requests to find a hitman

Getting into character: The actress was a pal of Patrizia's before the murder plot was revealed years after Gucci's death (Salma is pictured on set on Thursday)

Flowing: Salma's tight skirt was styled with a floaty shirt over a long-sleeved black top

All together: Several members of crew could be seen milling around on set

Well-known for her luxury lifestyle, Reggiani once said: 'I'd rather cry in a Rolls than be happy on a bicycle'.

In 2017 a court ruled Reggiani was entitled to receive 900,000 a year from her ex-husband's fortune.

Maurizio Gucci was the grandson of Guccio Gucci, founder of the fashion company made famous with its double G logo. In the early 1990s it was hit by problems and he sold the label for $120 million, just two years before his death.

The film is based on the bestselling novel The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by author Sara Gay Forden.

It is scheduled to go on general release from November 24th 2021.

Resentment: Patrizia Reggiani, nicknamed the Black Widow, was found guilty of paying a hit man 300,000 (240,000) to murder Maurizio Gucci, 46, an heir to the fashion empire
Stellantis NV, world's fourth largest automaker, will offer a new range of cargo vans that will run on a combination of both hydrogen and battery power with a promise of emitting only water vapor and shorter refueling time.

The car maker's medium-size commercial vehicles that will go on sale toward the end of the year operate with fuel cells as well as batteries while providing a driving range of more than 400 kilometers (249 miles). It is claimed to be filled up in nearly three minutes. "Its the best of both energies," Carla Gohin, senior vice president of research and innovation was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

Formed by a merger between PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler, Stellantis is joining the bandwagon of manufacturers who are creasing out plans to make their commercial vehicle offerings to run on hydrogen. Though the technology has been around for decades, it has been held due to prohibitive costs and the lack of infrastructure. The high cost of hydrogen technology is clearly one of the challenges" that could be resolved through large production volumes, Gohin added.

(Also read | Stellantis to add Peugeot 308, Opel Astra to electrified range this year)

Governments in Germany and France are encouraging the development of more hydrogen refueling stations as part of their programs to limit carbon emissions. They have also increased sales of purely electric vans amid rising demand for online shopping deliveries. While Germany currently has about 90 hydrogen refueling stations, France has 25.

Various other carmakers have been betting big on the hydrogen momentum. Established rivals like Toyota and Hyundai have also started hydrogen projects while European rivals Volvo Group and Daimler AG joined forces last year. Renault also recently formed a joint venture with Plug Power to build hydrogen-fueled delivery vans in Europe. They together plan to start offering both vehicles and hydrogen-fueling stations by early 2022.
Below is a recap of all the witnesses who testified at Derek Chauvin's trial through April 16, in order of appearance.

PROSECUTION

911 dispatcher Jenna Scurry

The prosecution's first witness on March 29 was Jenna Scurry, a 911 dispatcher who watched live video of police kneeling on Floyd and testified that she called the officers' supervisor with concerns about their use of force.

It was Scurry who sent officers to the Cup Foods at 38th and Chicago Avenue on May 25, 2020, after receiving a call about a man using a counterfeit bill.

Scurry told how she had seen surveillance footage of the incident from one of the city's pole mounted cameras and been struck by a 'gut instinct' that 'something wasn't right'.

The video, which had not previously been released publicly, showed Chauvin and fellow officers Lane and Kueng perched atop Floyd next to a squad car while officer Thao looked on.

Scurry noted that she wasn't watching the stream the entire time because she was fielding other calls. But she said that as she glanced away and back again, she was struck that the officers hadn't moved and asked a colleague if the screen had frozen.

'I first asked if the screens had frozen because it hadn't changed. I thought something might be wrong,' she said.

She said that she hadn't wanted to be a 'snitch' but she recognized what appeared to be use of force and stated: 'I took that instinct and I called the sergeant.'

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank played audio from the call, in which Scurry said: 'I don't know if they had to use force or not. They got something out of the back of the squad and all of them sat on this man. So I don't know if they needed to or not but they haven't said anything to me yet.'

'You can call me a snitch if you want to,' she added.

She said she made the call to 'voice my concerns' and noted that she had never made one like it to a police sergeant before.

Cross examining Scurry, Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson was at pains to underscore gaps in what she saw and the facts that she had no police training, little knowledge of what the calls to which she sent officers actually looked like and pointed out that her attention was not trained on the screen at all times.

Bystander Alisha Oyler

Alisha Oyler, a cashier at the Speedway gas station opposite Cup Foods who recorded video of Floyd's arrest was the state's second witness.

'Trying not to cuss' and frequently failing to recall events Oyler explained that she had first noticed police 'messing with someone' outside the Dragon Wok restaurant opposite Cup Foods.

She said she had watched officers handcuff Floyd and take him across to the now infamous site of squad car 320 in front of the store's entrance and continued to record events on her cell phone as she stepped out to have a cigarette.

She said she had done so because the police were 'always messing with people and it's not right'.

MMA fighter and bystander Donald Williams

Donald Winn Williams II, a mixed martial arts fighter and the prosecution's third witness who had yelled at Chauvin to check for a pulse and accused him of placing Floyd in what he called a 'kill choke', testified first on March 29 before continuing on March 30.

Williams became emotional as he spoke about how he called 911 after Floyd was placed in an ambulance because: 'I believed I had just witnessed a murder. I felt the need to call the police on the police.'

He began to cry as jurors were played audio of the call, in which he named officer 987 and said: 'He just pretty much killed this guy. He wasn't resisting arrest. He had his knee on his neck. He wasn't resisting arrest or nothing, he was handcuffed.'

Williams said he witnessed Chauvin 'shimmying', or adjusting his position on Floyd's neck, in a recognized martial art maneuver designed to double-down on and tighten a choke hold.

He told how he watched Chauvin squeeze the life out of Floyd, who he said was in 'tremendous pain' and 'faded away like a fish in a bag'.

He said that when he called Chauvin out for using a blood choke the officer looked him straight in the eye and did not stop.

Williams also told how Officer Tou Thao put his hands on his chest and pushed him back to the curb when he tried to intervene.

At the end of his 911 call Williams was heard shouting at Thao: 'Y'all murderers man, y'all murderers.'

On cross-examination, Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson attempted to undercut William's presentation of himself as a controlled and professional observer of events who remained schooled by his training and experience in sports and security.

Nelson appeared to be trying to provoke Williams into a display of anger as he repeatedly tried to discredit his claims to having remained calm.

'You started calling [Chauvin] names didn't you?' Nelson asked. 'You called him, 'a tough guy.' You called him 'such a man,' 'bogus.' You called him a 'bum' 13 times. You called him a 'bitch.''

But while Williams agreed to all of these assertions he would not be persuaded to agree to Nelson's characterization of him as 'angry' or threatening.

Asked if he had told Officer Tou Thao that he hoped he would shoot himself he said: 'No..I said you will shoot yourself in two years because of what you did.'

Bystander Darnella Frazier, 18

Darnella Frazier, who was 17 years old when she recorded the most famous viral video of Floyd's arrest last spring, took the stand on March 30 and told how she felt helpless as she watched him lose consciousness.

'There's been nights I've stayed up apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting, not saving his life,' Darnella, now 18, said. 'But it's not what I should have done - it's what [Chauvin] should have done.'

Darnella - who was not shown on camera in court because of her age - asserted that Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck even harder as the growing crowd begged him to stop - and that he didn't remove his knee even when paramedics were searching for a pulse.

'I heard George Floyd saying: "I can't breathe, please get off of me." He cried for his mom and he was in pain,' Darnella said. 'It seemed like he knew it was over for him. He was terrified, he was suffering. This was a cry for help.'

When an ambulance arrived, Darnella said paramedics had to tell Chauvin to remove his knee from Floyd's neck.

Darnella said that she felt 'threatened' by both Chauvin and Thao who she said 'were quick to put their hands on their mace' when a woman who identified herself as a firefighter asked Chauvin to check for a pulse and she and Darnella made to move towards Floyd where he lay.

Asked if, at any point, Chauvin had 'got up or let up' she said: 'If anything he actually was kneeling harder. It looked like he was shoving his knee in his neck.'

At the close of her testimony Darnella broke down as she told jurors how witnessing and filming Floyd's death affected her life.

'When I look at George Floyd I look at my dad, I look my brothers, I look at my cousins, my uncles because they are all black,' she said. 'I have a black father, black brother, black friends and I look at that and I think how that could have been them.'

Bystander Judeah, nine

Nine-year-old witness Judeah, took the witness stand on March 29 and described how she and her cousin Darnella, who testified earlier, had gone to Cup Foods for snacks on May 25 when they found Floyd pinned to the ground by Chauvin and two other police officers.

The girl, who was not shown on camera due to her age, gave gut-wrenching testimony about how Chauvin refused to remove his knee from Floyd's neck even after paramedics arrived and 'asked him nicely to get off of him'.

'He [Chauvin] still stayed on him [Floyd],' Judeah said. She said the medics eventually 'just had to put him off, get him off of him.'

'I was sad and kind of mad. If felt like he was stopping his breathing and kind of hurting him,' Judeah said of Floyd.

Judeah is pictured second from the right in a green shirt in video from Floyd's fatal confrontation with police that was shown in court

Bystander Alyssa, 18

The prosecution's fourth witness on March 30 was an 18-year-old named Alyssa, who told how she had walked towards the incident and started recording on her friend's cell phone because she felt 'something was wrong'.

Alyssa broke down in tears as she described what of Floyd, saying: 'It's difficult [to talk about] because I felt like there wasn't anything I could doand I felt like I was failing him, failing to do anything.'

Alyssa said that Chauvin did not move his knee even on the arrival of paramedics and in fact she saw him put more weight on Floyd's neck as the minutes ticked by.

'He [Chauvin] didn't really take his eyes off him [Floyd] for the most part. At one point I saw him put more and more weight onto him. I saw his back foot lift off the ground and his hands go in his pocket.'

'I saw him move his knee down more, make little movements,' she added.

The prosecution played the video recorded by Alyssa, in which she could be heard shouting: 'He's not moving. Check his pulse. Tell me his pulse right now. It's been over a minute [since he moved].'

She told the jury: 'I knew that time was running out. He was going to die.'

Finally she said, there came a point when 'I kind of knew that he was dead and not breathing, no longer fighting, no longer resisting.'

Bystander Kaylynn, 17

Alyssa's friend, 17-year-old Kaylynn, was the last minor to testify on March 30.

She said that it was the police officers who were 'hostile' not the crowd recalling how Chauvin was 'digging his knee into George Floyd's neck' and 'grabbed his mace and started shaking it at us' when onlookers shouted at him to check for a pulse.

'I was scared because I didn't know what was going to happen,' she said. Asked directly what she was scared of, she replied: 'I was scared of Chauvin.'

Off-duty firefighter Genevieve Hansen

Off-duty Minneapolis firefighter and paramedic Genevieve Hansen, 27, caused a stir in the courtroom on March 30 when she was admonished by Judge Cahill for repeatedly interrupting and talking back to Chauvin's attorney Nelson during cross examination.

Hansen had wiped away tears as she recalled how she had identified herself as a first responder and begged to help Floyd when she believed he was dying outside the Cup Foods store on May 25, 2020.

But soon after her demeanor changed as she was questioned by Nelson, who asked if she would describe bystanders at the scene of Floyd's arrest as upset or angry.

Hansen replied: 'I don't know if you've seen anybody be killed, but it's upsetting.'

At this point Judge Cahill stepped in and cautioned Hansen for being argumentative, telling her to 'just answer his questions'.

Minutes later Cahill sent the jury out for the day before turning to an increasingly combative Hansen and telling her in no uncertain terms: 'You will not argue with the court, you will not argue with counsel.'

Under direct examination, Hansen explained how her desperate pleas to be allowed to provide Floyd with life-saving medical assistance were ignored by the officers who pinned him down and blocked by officer Thao.

'I tried calm and reasoning, I pleaded and was desperate. I was desperate to help,' Hansen said.

Her calls fell on deaf ears as Chauvin remained unmoved and Officer Thao told her to remain on the curb, at one point saying: 'If you really are a Minneapolis firefighter you would know better than to get involved.'

In court Hansen said: 'That's exactly what I should have done. There was no medical assistance on the scene and I could have given [it].'

'The officers were leaning over his body with what appeared to be the majority of their weight on him,' she said. 'He wasn't moving, he was cuffed and three grown men putting all their weight on somebody  that's too much.

'Chauvin seemed very comfortable with the majority of his weight balanced on top of Mr Floyd's neck. In my memory he had his hand in his pocket. He wasn't distributing the weight on the car, on the pavement.'

Hansen said that she had assessed that Floyd had a 'altered level of consciousness,' that concerned her greatly.

She said that his face was 'smooshed' into the pavement and said: 'I was really concerned. I thought his face looked puffy and swollen which would happen if you were putting a grown man's weight [on him].

'I noticed some fluid coming from what looked like George Floyd's body and a lot of time we see a patient release their bladder when they die - that's where my mind went. He was restrained but he wasn't moving.'

Hansen said she recognized that Floyd was unconscious because he was not responding to the 'painful stimulae' of Chauvin's knee on his neck.

'What I needed to know was whether or not he had a pulse anymore,' she said. But she said she was not permitted access to the scene and the officers ignored her offers to talk them through CPR.

She said she felt 'helpless.' 'There's a man being killed,' she said, 'and had I had access I would have [helped]. This human was denied that right.'

Before she took the stand jury saw video she had recorded on the scene and heard audio of the 911 call she placed immediately after.

Her voice trembling with shock and emotion she could be heard telling the operator: 'I literally just watched police officers not take a pulse and not to do anything to save a man and I am a first responder myself and I literally have it on video.'

In an uncomfortable cross-examination, Hansen refused to be drawn into an admission that she would be distracted from her job if a threatening crowd were gathered telling her she was 'doing it wrong'.

Time after time Nelson attempted to get an admission out of her until she said: 'I think a burning structure where there are buildings and homes and people living on either side is much more concerning than 20 people.

'I'll repeat myself, I know my job, I'm confident in doing my job and there's nothing anybody can do to disturb me.'

When he asked if she had grown angry, she said she had been 'desperate' before admitting: 'I got quite angry after Mr Floyd was loaded into the ambulance and there was no point in trying to reason with them anymore because they had just killed somebody.'

Cup Foods employee Christopher Martin

Cup Foods clerk Christopher Martin testified on March 31 about how his coworker called the cops on Floyd because he believed he used a counterfeit $20 bill on May 25.

Looking back, Martin said he wished he'd never raised alarm about the bill because he believes Floyd might still be alive if he hadn't, telling the court: 'This could have been avoided.'

Martin told the court that he became suspicious of the bill because it had an unusual 'blue pigment so I assumed it was fake'.

'The policy was if you took a counterfeit bill you had to pay for it out of your pay-check,' Martin explained. 'I took it anyways and was planning to just put it on my tab - until I second guessed myself and eventually told my manager.'

The manager then instructed Martin to go outside and bring Floyd back, he said. When Floyd refused, a co-worker called police. One of the responding officers was Chauvin.

Martin said that the two things he noticed about Floyd were his 'size' and he appeared to be 'high'.

However he said that he did not find Floyd's demeanor to be threatening, saying: 'He seemed very friendly, approachable, talkative, he seemed just to be having an average Memorial Day living his life. But he did seem high.'

Martin said he went back to manning the cash register when police arrived but soon after noticed a commotion at the front of Cup Foods and went outside, where he saw Floyd pinned to the ground.

'I saw people yelling and screaming I saw Derek [Chauvin] with his knee on George's neck on the ground,' he said.

'George was motionless, limp and Chauvin seemed veryhe was in a resting state, meaning like he just rested his knee on his neck.'

Martin, who lived above the store, said: 'I pulled my phone out first and called my mom and told her not to come downstairs. Then I started recording.

'Later on that night I deleted it because when they picked George up off the ground the ambulance went straight down 38th and the quickest way to get to the hospital is straight down Chicago Avenue.'

Martin said he assumed from this that Floyd was already dead and deleted his recording as he didn't want to have to show it to anybody or answer questions about it in the aftermath.

Asked how he had felt as he absorbed what he had just witnessed, Martin said 'disbelief and guilt'.

Martin, who had earlier told jurors that he had almost not reported the fake bill and only done so after second-guessing himself, said: 'If I would have just not taken the bill this could have been avoided.'

Asked if he still worked at Cup Foods, Martin's voice cracked as he said: 'No. I didn't feel safe.'

Bystander Christopher Belfrey, 45

Christopher Belfrey testified on March 31 about video he recorded when he drove past Cup Foods and say officers Lane and Kueng approaching Floyd in his car.

Belfrey, 45, said he started recording when parked directly behind Floyd's SUV because he was 'startled' to see Lane draw his handgun.

He explained that he pulled to the other side of the street, not wanting to 'get in the middle' of whatever was occurring and continued recording.

The court watched the footage in which Floyd can be seen, apparently cuffed and compliant, seated against a wall having been removed from his vehicle. According to Belfrey, Lane and Kueng then walked Floyd across to their squad car and put him in it.

Belfrey said that he had simply gone home at that point because 'I thought he was detained. I thought it was over.'

Bystander Charles McMillian, 61

Charles McMillian, who was the first person to confront police about their treatment of Floyd on the day of his fatal arrest, broke down in tears as the prosecution played footage of cops wrestling with the handcuffed black man.

McMillian, 61, said he was driving by the Cup Foods convenience store when he noticed officers struggling with Floyd and pulled over simply because he was 'being nosy'.

In footage from Lane's body camera McMillian was heard calling out as cops grappled with Floyd in their squad car.

McMillian said he 'tried to make the situation easy,' by telling Floyd: 'You can't win.'

Floyd could be heard telling McMillian: 'I'm not trying to win. Don't do me like that, I'm claustrophobic.'

As he described how Floyd began to cry out for his mother minutes later while pinned to the ground by the officers, McMillian wept as he revealed that he understood how Floyd felt after losing his own mom.

'I couldn't help but feel helpless. I don't have a mama either, but I understand him. My mom died June 25th,' the witness said through tears.

He revealed that he had experience of being handcuffed himself and as Floyd became more agitated, having been apparently calm as he was walked towards officers Lane and Kueng's squad car, McMillian said he tried to help.

The court played footage of the events as McMillian described them. One clip of McMillian on the sidewalk was spliced with body camera footage of Floyd in the squad car.

'I'm watching, you know, Mr Floyd,' McMillian said. 'He collapsed onto the back seat and I'm trying to get him to understand when you make a mistake, once they get you in cuffs you got to wait there. Once they get you in cuffs you can't win.'

McMillian then described how he continued to try to help Floyd after officers Lane, Kueng and Chauvin had pinned him to the ground.

'[Floyd] kept saying: 'I can't breathe. Mama they're killing me, they're killing me.' He started saying: 'My body's shutting down.''

As more of the video was played McMillian's voice could be heard urging Floyd: 'Get up and get into the car. Get up and get into the car man.'

Floyd responded: 'I can't.'

Later McMillian could be heard telling Chauvin: 'Your knee on his neck, that's wrong man.'

Of his own part in the scene, McMillian said: 'I was trying to help him. He appeared to be in and out [of consciousness], with foam around his mouth. I said: 'Man he said he can't breathe,' and they said: 'Well if he keeps talking he can breathe.''

The jury was shown body-cam footage in which McMillian told Chauvin: 'I don't respect what you did.' The officer replied: 'Well that's one person's opinion. We got to control this guy because he's a sizeable guy and looks like he's probably on something.'

Minneapolis Police Lt Jeff Rugel

Lt Jeff Rugel, who runs the Minneapolis Police Department's Business Technology Unit, testified on March 31 to authenticate officers' body camera footage and other video evidence from the scene.

Brief footage from Chauvin's camera was played, revealing his perspective as he approached Floyd for the first time.

Chauvin was seen with his hands around Floyd's neck as he and Officer Thomas Lane struggled with to get him into a squad car.

After a chaotic, blurred portion of footage, Chauvin's camera fell to the tarmac and there was no more footage from his perspective.

In footage recorded by Lane's body camera, Chauvin's camera could be seen lying beneath the squad car. It's unclear exactly how the camera came to be on the ground during the confrontation.

Rugel told the jury how that Minneapolis police policy demands that officers wear their cameras at all times and to activate them during any activity or public interaction.

Asked if Chauvin wore a body camera and if that was 'the box on the floor [beneath squad car 320]', Rugel said: 'Yes.'

George Floyd's girlfriend Courteney Ross

Courteney Ross broke down in tears within minutes of taking the stand on Thursday as she described how she and Floyd first met in 2017 at the Salvation Army's Harbor Light Center, a shelter where he was working as a security guard and she was visiting her son's father.

The married mother-of-two said she was touched when Floyd asked to pray with her because she was going through a hard time in her own life - and they kissed in the lobby that same day.

Ross - who wore a gold necklace with her late boyfriend's name - began crying even harder when Frank pulled up a photo of Floyd.

Then she laughed as she called the photo a 'dad selfie', before telling how hard it was for Floyd to be so far away from his two daughters, who lived in Texas.

She described the man who had called out for his mother in his dying moments as 'a mama's boy' who was 'devastated' and 'broken' by her death in May 2018.

'He seemed like a shell of himself like he was broken, he seemed so sad,' she said. 'He didn't have the same kind of bounce that he had.'

Ross was then asked to tackle head on the issue of drug abuse with which, she admitted, both she and Floyd struggled.

She said that they were both addicted to opioids having been prescribed them for chronic pain - including oxycodone, which he took in pill form, obtaining it through other people's prescriptions to make sure the pills were safe.

'Both Floyd and I, our story  it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. We both suffered from chronic pain. Mine was in my neck and his was in his back.

'We both have prescriptions. But after prescriptions that were filled, and we got addicted, and tried really hard to break that addiction many times.'

Though he tried to get clean, she said it was something that he struggled with 'every day'.

In March 2020, she said, she noticed 'behavioral changes' that made her suspect that Floyd was using again, or more, and that she too fell into heavier use at that time.

On cross examination by Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson, Ross revealed that that she and Floyd both purchased opioids from Morries Lester Hall, a friend who was in the passenger seat of Floyd's car on the day he died.

Jurors heard that Hall sold controlled substances to both her and Floyd and that she 'did not like Morries at all'.

Ross told the court how, in March 2020, just two months before Floyd's death, he purchased pills that she did not recognize as the opioids to which both she and Floyd were addicted.

She said the pills, which she believes landed Floyd in the hospital due to an accidental overdose, appeared 'thick' and were not uniform, and that when she took them they did not have the same effect as opioids.

'The pill seemed like it was a really strong stimulant. I couldn't sleep all night. I felt very jittery,' Hall said.

Ross also revealed that Floyd had been hospitalized twice in March  on one occasion due to a drug overdose that saw him hospitalized for five days.

Paramedics Seth Bravinder and Derek Smith

Paramedics Seth Bravinder and Derek Smith testified on Thursday as the jury was shown shocking new images of EMTs loading Floyd into an ambulance and attempting to resuscitate him.

Bravinder and Smith were asked by the prosecution to explain what was happening in graphic video and stills of Floyd being placed on a stretcher and treated in the ambulance.

Some of the images came from video recorded by witnesses on the scene, while others came from the body camera of officer Thomas Lane, who rode with Floyd to the hospital.

Asked to describe Floyd's condition, Smith said: 'In lay terms, I thought he was dead,' as the prosecution showed a screengrab of him checking for Floyd's pulse.

Video showed Smith gesturing to Chauvin to remove his knee from Floyd's neck so they could put his limp body on a stretcher.

In images shown during Smith's testimony, Floyd was seen slumped, and with his mouth bloodied as Smith said he did not have an obvious physical injury that would explain his dire condition.

Smith told the court that Floyd's pupils were 'large and dilated'.

Bravinder was asked during his testimony what a medic would expect to see in the eyes of a patient who had suffered an opioid overdose. 'We look to see if their pupils are really small, constricted, pinpoint,' he said.

But when Nelson countered, asking what methamphetamine  one of the substances found in Floyd's blood - does to the pupils, Bravinder said: 'It dilates them.'

Smith told the court that he detected a flicker of electrical activity in Floyd's heart as they sped to the Hennepin County Medical Center and administered a shock in hopes of restarting a pulse. But, he said, Floyd remained 'in his dead state'.

Both Bravinder and Smith testified that they wanted to get Floyd into the ambulance quickly because he was in cardiac arrest.

Bravinder added: 'On top of that there was also a crowd of people who were yelling and in my mind we had to get away from that because running a cardiac arrest takes lot of mental power, can be taxing and we want to do that in the optimum environment to be in a controlled space.'

Bravinder said he stopped the ambulance en route to the hospital and went into the back to assist his partner when Floyd's cardiac monitor was showing 'asystole' - the medical term for 'flat-lined'.

'It's not a good sign,' Bravinder said. 'Basically just because your heart isn't doing anything at that moment. There's not  it's not pumping blood. So it's not  it's not a good sign for a good outcome.'

Asked if it was important to start resuscitation efforts as soon as a pulse was lost, Bravinder said: 'Yes, as soon as possible.'

'The longer a patient goes without receiving resuscitation the less likely it is that resuscitation will be successful.'

Cross-examined by Nelson, Bravinder confirmed he had personally been called out to emergencies involving drug overdoses and that police were called to such cases as a matter of course.

Nelson asked: 'Is that because sometimes when people are treated for an overdose and they come round they become aggressive and violent?'

Bravinder responded: 'Yes.'

Minneapolis Fire Department Captain Jeremy Norton

Minneapolis Fire Department Captain Jeremy Norton testified on April 1 about the initial confusion that saw their fire rig arrive at Cup Foods to assist paramedics only to find that the ambulance had pulled off the scene and was treating Floyd a few blocks away.

He explained that they had received very little information beyond receiving a call out to Cup Foods which was elevated from code 2 (non-emergent), to code 3, (lights and sirens en route).

According to Norton the only information he had was that the patient had sustained 'a mouth injury'.

On arrival at the store Norton found 'people upset' and searched for a patient.

Norton said: 'I was looking for a patient. The call was confusing because I didn't have a lot of information so was essentially looking on the floor for someone.'

The fire rig ultimately joined the ambulance crew at 36th and Park Avenue, two blocks away.

By the time he saw Floyd he was, he said: 'Face up on the stretcher. He had an advance airway in an he had the Lucas compression device in place and working.'

Norton cleared Lane out of the ambulance and took over attempts to resuscitate Floyd who was, he said, 'to all intents and purposes dead'.

Minneapolis Police Department Sergeant David Pleoger

David Pleoger, who recently retired as a sergeant with the Minneapolis Police Department and was Chauvin's supervisor, testified on April 1.

The jury heard new audio of Chauvin speaking with Pleoger moments after Floyd's death, saying: 'I was just going to call you come out to our scene we had to hold a guy down he was going crazy, wouldn't go in the back of the squad.'

Pleoger said that Chauvin did not tell him that he had applied his knee to Floyd's neck or that he had held him down for any length of time.

'I believe he told me he'd become combative he mentioned he'd injured either his nose of his mouth and eventually having struggled with him,' Pleoger recalled. 'He said he'd suffered a medical emergency and an ambulance was called.'

As supervising shift sergeant, Pleoger was tasked with investigating any use of force incidents that occurred during his shift  3pm to 1am.

Describing the call he'd received from 911 dispatcher Jenna Scurry, Pleoger said: 'She called to say she didn't want to be a snitch but she had seen something while viewing a camera that she thought was concerning.'

Pleoger had not received a call from Chauvin at that time and initially told Scurry that what she saw 'might not count'.

According to Minneapolis Police Department policy officers are required to report use of force incidents under certain circumstances but not if it is a 'take down', which Pleoger  who had not been called by any of the officers on the scene - initially assumed was the case.

The jury was shown footage from Pleoger's body camera in which officers Chauvin, Thao, Kueng and Lane could be standing near the site of where they took down Floyd.

Pleoger instructed Chauvin to identify and speak with witnesses, to which the officer replied: 'We can try but they're pretty hostile.'

Additional video showed Pleoger arriving at the hospital where Floyd was pronounced dead, in which Chauvin appeared to be wringing his hands.

Asked if he had an opinion as to when Chauvin's restraint should have ended, Pleoger responded: 'Yes [it should have ended] when Mr Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance.'

MPD Sergeant Jon Edwards

Sgt. Jon Edwards, who was called to secure the scene in the aftermath, testified that two of the officers involved were still at the site when he arrived and that he was ordered to remove the crime scene tape just hours after his death was confirmed.

Edwards said he encountered Lane and Kueng at the scene when he arrived and he instructed them to turn on their body cameras.

Edwards said: 'I asked them to chill out because I knew from Sergeant Pleoger that he had a couple of escort sergeants coming down to transport them to interview room 100.'

Edwards told jurors that at approximately 10.13pm news came through that Floyd had died and the situation was confirmed as a critical incident. By then homicide was on the scene and Lane and Kueng were transported to City Hall to be interviewed.

Edwards testified that he was then ordered to remove the crime scene tape he had earlier put up at about 3.30am.

MPD Lt Richard Zimmerman

Richard Zimmerman, the head of the Minneapolis Police Department's homicide division, told jurors that Chauvin's use of force in arresting Floyd was 'totally unnecessary' because a handcuffed person doesn't pose a threat and kneeling on someone's neck can 'kill them'.

Zimmerman, who responded to the crime scene after Floyd's deadly arrest, testified that he had watched multiple videos showing the moment the officer knelt on the black man's neck after handcuffing him.

Having watched the videos, Zimmerman was clear: 'Pulling him down to the ground face down and putting your knee on his neck for that amount of time is just uncalled for.'

He added that once Floyd was handcuffed, he saw 'no reason why the officers felt they were in danger and that's what they would have to feel to use that level of force.'

Zimmerman told jurors that kneeling on the neck of someone who is handcuffed and in the prone position is 'top-tier, deadly' force and should not be used. 'If your knee is on a person's neck, that can kill him,' he said.

Asked by prosecutors whether a handcuffed person was a reduced threat, Zimmerman said: 'Once a person is cuffed, the threat level goes down all the way. They are cuffed, how can they really hurt you.

'You getting injured is way down. You could have some guy try to kick you or something, but you can move out of the way. That person is handcuffed, you know, so the threat level is just not there.'

Zimmerman, who is trained every year in the use of force, told jurors he had never been trained to 'kneel on the neck of somebody who's cuffed and in the prone position'.

'Once you secure or handcuff a person you need to get them out of the prone position as soon as possible because it restricts their breathing,' he said, adding that having your hands cuffed behind your back 'stretches the muscles back through your chest and makes it more difficult to breathe'.

Dr Bradford Langenfeld

Dr Bradford Langenfeld, the medic at the Hennepin County Medical Center who pronounced Floyd dead, told jurors on April 5 that he believed the cause of death last May 25 was asphyxia.

He told the court, 'Any amount of time that a patient spends in cardiac arrest without CPR markedly decreases the chances of survival' before explaining that those chances dropped by 10 to 15 percent with each passing minute.

There was nothing in the paramedics' reports, he said, to suggest that they were concerned that Floyd had either suffered a heart attack or drug overdose.

Dr Langenfeld also told how paramedics had fought to revive Floyd for 30 minutes by the time he arrived in his ward but that despite their efforts he was in cardiac arrest and save for occasional Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA)  activity in the heart not strong enough to establish a pulse  he flat-lined.

The medic could not recall whether or not Floyd was still cuffed on arrival but he did remember seeing indentations from the handcuffs on his wrists.

Dr Langenfeld said he had considered a host of possible causes for Floyd's cardiac arrest and concluded that hypoxia  oxygen deficiency or asphyxia was most likely, he said 'based on the information that I had.'

He declared Floyd dead after 30 minutes in the hospital, by which time he had been without a pulse for close to an hour.

Speaking softly and soberly he recalled, 'In the absence of any apparent reversable cause, [I felt that] the likelihood of any meaningful outcome was far below 1 percent and we would not be able to resuscitate Mr Floyd, so I then pronounced him dead.'

The court also heard from Dr. Bradford Langenfeld Monday, pictured, the medic at the Hennepin County Medical Center who pronounced Floyd dead

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo told jurors that Chauvin 'absolutely did not' follow police policy on de-escalation or use of force when he pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.

In explosive testimony on April 5, Arradondo said Chauvin's use of force 'absolutely' violated the department's policy and belief in 'the sanctity of life,' and that the pressure he used was contrary to all departmental teachings.

He said: 'Once Mr Floyd had stopped resisting and certainly once he was in distress and trying to verbalize that, that should have stopped.

'Once there was no longer any resistance and clearly when Mr Floyd was no longer responsive and even motionless to continue to apply that level of force to a person proned out, handcuffed behind their back that in no way shape or form is by policy, part of our training, certainly not part of our ethics or values.'

Shown a still image taken from the bystander video Arradondo said: 'When I look at the facial expression of Mr Floyd that does not appear in any way shape or form that that is ight to moderate pressure [as per policy].

'That action is not de-escalation and when we talk about the framework of our sanctity of life and principals and values that we have that action goes contrary.'

Arradondo, Minneapolis's first black police chief, also told the court that he agreed the Chauvin had violated policy by failing to provide any medical aid to the clearly suffering Floyd. He fired Chauvin and three other officers the day after Mr Floyd's death on May 25 last year and in June called it 'murder'.

As well as his clear condemnation of the actions he described as violating policy, Arradondo told the court that Floyd's alleged crime - passing a fake $20 bill at Cup Foods store - did not rise to the level of violent crime that demanded use of force or a custodial arrest.

Inspector Katie Blackwell

Inspector Katie Blackwell, former commander of the Minneapolis police department's training division, took the stand on April 5.

She said that she has known Chauvin for close to twenty years having first served as a community officer with him. And she herself appointed Chauvin, who was by far the most senior officer on the scene May 25, to the role of Field Training Officer, responsible for training and mentoring new recruits.

But when shown an image of Chauvin, with his knee on Floyd's neck, Blackwell was damning. She said, 'I don't know what kind of improvised position that is.'

According to Blackwell officers are taught to use one or two arms, not knees, for neck restraints and to constantly reassess the situation.

She also said that 'positional asphyxia' was a concept known to her for as long as she had been an officer  roughly the same period of time that Chauvin has served.

She echoed testimony already heard by the jury regarding the dangers of keeping a person in the prone position  one in which they are not able to adequately breath.

For that reason, she said, officers are taught to put suspects on their side, in the side-recovery position or sitting upright 'as soon as is possible.'

MPD Inspector Katie Blackwell also gave evidence Monday. She told jurors about the training officers recieve

Ker Wang, Crisis Training Coordinator

On April 6 the court heard from Sergeant Ker Wang, 49, Crisis Training Coordinator with the MPD and the man who wrote significant portions of that training.

He said that he recognized Chauvin's name, not because he knew him personally, but from training.

The court heard that Chauvin took part in a 40-hour crisis training course in 2018  though this was not a course in which Wang had personally instructed him.

Wang described a 'crisis' as anything that took an individual 'beyond their coping mechanisms' and said that the primary goal of any intervention was to 'de-escalate' and restore the situation to a pre-crisis level.

Steve Schleicher asked Wang to talk the jury through the Critical Decision Making Model  a graphic of five spheres around a central sphere.

Wang, who introduced the model to MPD training in 2018, explained how the outer spheres which contained the topic headings: Information Gathering, Threat/Risk Assessment, Authority to Act, Goals and Actions, Review & Re-Assess linked to the 'key pillars of procedural justice' expressed in the centre 'Voice Neutrality Respect Trust.'

The model could be read and enacted in any direction, as officers respond to crisis in a state of flux and constant reassessment.

He said that every officer could apply this model, 'like memory' and in doing so 'can slow down time,' in a crisis situation.

He said, 'I believe in this model because it works.'

When Nelson cross-examined the witness he sought to widen the focus from Chauvin's assessment of and actions towards Floyd to take in the context of the crowd  the part that they played in events and the extent to which their understanding of them was limited.

He pointed out that an officer had to consider 'the totality of the circumstances,' which 'is more than just how you react to the person being arrested.'

Wang agreed with Nelson's statement that this included, 'citizen bystanders, what to do when a citizen bystander starts filming you, how to identify when a citizen constitutes a risk.'

The model was, Nelson asserted, 'a very dynamic, ever-changing thing based on the information that comes to the officers in real time.'

Much of that may be invisible to the onlookers, he said  such as tactical thinking, knowing that medical help is on the way, considering officer safety.

Nelson then steered toward a presentation of Chauvin's conduct and appearance as textbook.

Referencing training he said, 'An officer should appear confident, they should be able to try to stay calm, they should try speak slowly and softly, they should avoid staring or eye-contact' Wang agreed.

They should, he said, in all respects attempt to 'create time and distance.,' acting only when it was 'safe and feasible' to do so.

Lieutenant Johnny Mercil

Minneapolis Police Department's use of force expert and the man in charge of officer training told jurors on April 6 that Chauvin's knee on Floyd's neck is not, and never has been, an MPD trained neck restraint.

Asked by prosecutor Steve Schleicher if such a level of restraint would be authorized when a subject is handcuffed Lieutenant Johnny Mercil replied, 'I would say no.'

Mercil also told the court that officers were taught to use the minimum amount of force needed to detain someone.

Asked about leg neck restraints Mercil explained that, while not taught to officers, they were something that might be shown to young cadets. But they would not look like the restraint carried out by Chauvin on May 25.

As Schleicher walked him through the training and concepts in MPD's Use of Force Mercil told the court that officers are not taught to use leg neck restraints and never have been.

Mercil was responding to a picture of Chauvin with his knee pressed into Floyd's neck shown to him in court.

According to Mercil officers are taught how to deliver conscious and unconscious neck restraints with their arms and only under very limited circumstances when the level of resistance and threat would make such a measure proportional.

MPD medical support coordinator Nicole MacKenzie

Nicole MacKenzie, Minneapolis police medical support coordinator, testified that it is 'very difficult to focus on a patient if you don't feel safe', arguing a noisy crowd could have made it hard for officers to hear Floyd struggling to breathe.

She told jurors on April 6 that treating a person under the eyes of a noisy crowd was 'incredibly difficult.'

MacKenzie said: 'It might sound wrong but bystanders do sometimes attack EMS crews so sometimes just getting out of the situation is the best way to diffuse it.'

'It's incredibly difficult [to treat under those circumstances] because you're trying to be heads down on a patient [but] it's very difficult to focus on the patient if you don't feel safe around you.'

MacKenzie also said Floyd could have displayed 'super-human strength' due do 'Excited Delirium' brought on by the consumption of the illicit drug speedball.

Explaining this potential side-effect of taking the illicit drug MacKenzie said, 'The person might be experiencing elevated body temperature, the heart rate might be extremely elevated and insensitive to pain. Because you don't really have that pain/compliance edge that would normally control somebody's behavior.

'Somebody experiencing this might have what we would call super-human strength, lifting things they wouldn't normally be able to lift, breaking things.'

One of other officers at the scene, Thomas Lane, said he was 'worried about excited delirium' and suggesting rolling Floyd on his side.

The prosecution established that Chauvin had undergone training in CPR and AED as well as other first aid before MacKenzie told the jury that trained officers must provide medical aid when necessary.

It was not enough, she said, for an officer to simply call for an ambulance and wait when in a 'critical situation'.

She talked the jury through the basic steps in which officers are trained to establish responsiveness and  if no response is forthcoming  to check for breathing and a pulse before commencing chest compressions.

Asked if it was true to say that if a person can talk they can breathe, MacKenzie said, 'No sir, somebody can be in respiratory distress and still be able to verbalize it.'

But under cross-examination MacKenzie agreed that the policies on rendering emergency medical aid were 'somewhat qualified or contingent on what was going on at the scene at the time.'

Put simply the scene had to be safe, she accepted, before an officer should turn their attentions to first aid or CPR.

Nelson focused again on the scene. Painting the picture of a busy road and volatile, vocal crowd he asked if it would be possible for an officer to confuse the gasps of 'agonal' ineffective 'breathing' with effective breathing and if this mistake would be more likely, 'when there's a lot of noise and commotion.'

MacKenzie agreed on both points.

Use-of-force expert Jody Stiger

Derek Chauvin's use of force was 'excessive', according to Jody Stiger, a Los Angeles police sergeant who gave testimony as the state's use-of-force expert on April 6.

Stiger told the court that he has served in some of the most dangerous places and some of the most dangerous beats  Skid Row, gangs, narcotics  both in uniform and undercover and on LAPD's Use of Force Board, as a peer reviewer of high profile uses of force.

Stiger was also a tactics instructor of six years and has travelled nationally in his capacity as an aid to the Inspector General  an independent oversight entity in LAPD  consulting with police forces across the country to establish consistent standards and training nationwide.

He has conducted 2500 use of force reviews including use of deadly force.

Stiger told the jury that he had reviewed all of the state's materials body-worn cameras, cell and pole-camera video footage, reports and MPD manuals and training materials. He told the court that he also took into consideration legal standards, the level of the offense and the person's actions.

Asked about Floyd's crime  attempting to pass a fake $20 bill  he said, 'Typically you wouldn't even expect to use any force.'

He said officers were initially justified in their use of force because Floyd was 'actively resisting' but said 'once he was placed in the prone position on the ground he slowly ceased his resistance and at that point the ex-officers should have slowed down or backed off their force as well.'

Instead, he noted, 'They continued the force that they were utilizing from the time when they put him on the ground.'

Stiger told the court that the officers could have continued trying to talk to Floyd and noted that Kueng had already established some sort of rapport.

But despite this he said that they had not behaved unreasonably in their efforts to get a struggling Floyd into the back of the squad car.

He recalled, 'Mr Floyd was actively resisting moving around clearly, trying to get out. He didn't want to be there and the officers were initially trying to place him in the back seat, grabbing the seat belt and things of that nature and eventually the decision was made to remove him from the vehicle.'

He said, 'They were pulling him from the driver side, passenger door  the street side  pulling on his legs and his arms and once they got him out he kind of went on his knees.

'He was saying he couldn't breathe, saying he was claustrophobic. Numerous times he stated he was afraid, he had had covid and couldn't breathe and he had anxiety and was claustrophobic.'

Jody Stiger, 50, who gave testimony as the state's Use of Force expert, said Chauvin's use of force was 'excessive'

Senior Special Agent James Reyerson, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension officer

James Reyerson, the lead investigator in Derek Chauvin's murder case on April 7 reversed his testimony regarding George Floyd's declaration, 'I ate too many drugs', later clarifying he heard: 'I ain't doing no drugs'.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson had played the clip to the court from one of the officer's body-worn cameras at the scene last May 25.

Asked if he recalled hearing that Reyerson said no he did not.

After the segment was played in court, when asked again if he had heard it he said, 'Yes I did.'

But in a stunning about face, when recalled by the prosecution and played a longer portion of the bodycam footage, Reyerson said that he now believed Floyd to be saying, 'I ain't doing no drugs.'

Reyerson told the jury both the patrol car Floyd was pulled out of and the car he was in were processed on May 27, two days after Floyd's death, then again in December 2020 when the prosecution requested a search of the Blue Mercedes SUV before the defense asked to see squad 320 in January.

It was at that time a half- chewed speedball pill was found bearing Floyd's DNA and saliva.

BCA forensic scientist and Lead Crime Scene Investigator McKenzie Anderson

BCA forensic scientist and Lead Crime Scene Investigator McKenzie Anderson told the jury on April 7 how she had found a crumpled and open packet of Suboxone  a medication given to adults with an opioid addiction  in the driver's seat footwell of the Mercedes Floyd had arrived in, as well as an unopened packet on the seat.

She also told them about two round white pills found in the center console of the car. Jurors were shown pictures of all of these findings.

Anderson and her colleagues had not found the pills or containers on an initial search of the Mercedes on May 27 when she photographed the interior and searched with little sense of what she might be looking for.

The car was searched again on the request of the Attorney General's office December 9 when the pills and $20 bills stuffed between the passenger seat and center consol.

Anderson told jurors that she 'didn't give any forensic significance' to the small white pill clearly visible on the floor on the passenger side of the vehicle's back seat in the first set of pictures.

She explained that she had been looking for blood or something to do with fake bills.

The potential significance was immediately spotted by the defense who requested a second search of the car having seen the half-chewed pill in pictures.

On a second search Anderson found the white pill as well as several other small irregular shaped white objects that could, she said, have been parts of a pill.

There were no visible markings on either the pill or the fragments, all of which, she said had a rough texture and irregular shape.

There was one fragment, stuck to the back seat and reddish-brown in color, that, she said, seemed 'consistent with the other pieces,' except for the color difference.

Forensic testing found Floyd's DNA in saliva left on the half-chewed pill which was found to be a 'speedball' or compound of methamphetamine and fentanyl when sent to drug chemistry division.

Forensic scientist Breahna Giles

BCA's Breahna Giles was the forensic scientist tasked with analyzing the glass pipe and pills found in the Mercedes.

On April 7 she testified that she found traces of THC  the psychoactive component found in marijuana  in residue scraped from the pipe and determined the pills, which had pharmaceutical markings, to be a compound of Oxycodone and Acetaminophen.

She also tested the tablet and fragments found in the back of squad 320 and found the partial white pill to be methamphetamine as well as identifying methamphetamine in the fragments found.

Under cross-examination Giles said that there was the presence of other substances but not enough to make a positive determination of its nature.

Asked by Nelson, 'But that was fentanyl?' she said she could neither confirm nor deny its presence. Eleven nanograms of Fentanyl was found in Floyd's bloodstream.

BCA's Breahna Giles was the forensic scientist tasked with analyzing the glass pipe and pills found in the Mercedes. She found traces of THC  the psychoactive component found in marijuana  in residue scraped from the pipe and determined the pills, which had pharmaceutical markings, to be a compound of Oxycodone and Acetamenophin

Forensic chemist Susan Neith

Forensic chemist Susan Neith was the last witness on April 7. She also tested the pills from both vehicles and told the jury that she found trace levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the pills taken from the back of the squad car.

She put the levels of fentanyl at less than 1 percent the amount she said she would expect to find in street fentanyl. But put the levels of methamphetamine at between 1 and 2.9percent which she said was much lower in her experience than that found in street drugs which she would expect to come in at 80 to 90 percent.

Forensic chemist Susan Neith was the last witness of the day. She also tested the pills from both vehicles and told the jury that she found trace levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the pills taken from the back of the squad car

Pulmonology expert Dr Martin Tobin

Dr Martin Tobin, a specialist at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital and Loyola University's medical school in Chicago, testified he believed Floyd's cause of death was due to a lack of oxygen that damaged his brain and caused his heart to stop.

During his hours-long testimony on April 8, he said there were several factors that he said made it difficult for Floyd to breathe, beyond Chauvin's knee on his neck: Officers lifting up on his handcuffs, the hard street, lying face down, his turned head and a knee on his back.

'A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died as a result of what he was subjected to,' Dr Tobin said.

Tobin, analyzing a graphic presentation of the three officers holding down Floyd for what prosecutors say was almost 9 1/2 minutes, testified that Chauvin's knee was 'virtually on the neck' for more than 90% of the time by his estimate.

Chauvin also kept his knee on Floyd's neck for 3.02 minutes after Floyd had 'reached the point where there was not one ounce of oxygen left in the body,' Tobin said.

When asked if Dr Tobin, based on his medical expertise, had determined a cause of death for Floyd after viewing videos from the scene, he said: 'Mr Floyd died from a low level of oxygen... The cause of low level of oxygen was shallow breathing. Small breaths that weren't able to carry the air through his lungs.

'He was being squashed between the two sides,' Dr Tobin said as he described the position Floyd was in lying face down on the ground with the officers pinning him down.

Dr Tobin told the court that the impact of the pressure of the officers and handcuffs rendered movement so impossible that Floyd's left lung was greatly affected.

'When you breathe you use your diaphragm, next thing you recruit is the big muscles in the neck, when those are wasted up then you're relying on these kinds of muscles to get air into the right side.'

Elsewhere in his testimony, Dr Tobin said he'd calculated that Floyd's lung capacity was reduced by 43 percent when Chauvin was pinning him down.

Forensic toxicologist Dr Daniel Isenschmid

Dr Daniel Isenschmid took the stand on April 8 and told how he found traces of fentanyl and methamphetamine when he tested blood drawn from Floyd at the hospital and urine from his autopsy.



He told the court that even though there was a high level of fentanyl in Floyd's bloodstream  11ng ml where a 3ng ml could be lethal  individual tolerance had to be taken into account.

The toxicology expert suggested Floyd's tolerance have been high as a regular user.

He also pointed to the presence of norfentanyl  a metabolic of fentanyl.

Isenschmid said that he wouldn't expect to see this in a case where death had occurred as a result of fentanyl overdose because the body wouldn't have had a chance to metabolize the drug.

He described the level of meth in Floyd's bloodstream  19ng ml - as no more than he would expect to find in the blood of a patient who had consumed a single legally prescribed dose and his amphetamine was below reportable levels.

Forensic expert Dr William Smock

Dr William Smock took the stand on April 8 and testified that Floyd died from positional asphyxia, which he said was 'a fancy way of saying he died because he had no oxygen left in his body'.

'When the body is deprived of oxygen, in this case from pressure on this chest and back, he gradually succumbed to lower and lower levels of oxygen until he succumbed and he died,' he said.

Smock said that he had considered and dismissed other causes including the defense's causes of choice  fentanyl overdose and excited delirium.

One by one he explained the symptoms of excited delirium  including excessive sweat, being unaffected by pain and super-human strength  and dismissed them pointing out that Floyd was cold to the touch, complaining of pain from the moment he was on the ground and unable to throw the police officers from his back.

Asked by prosecutors how many of the 10 recognized symptoms he observed, Smock answered: 'Zip.'

He discarded fentanyl overdose as a possible cause of death because he said, Floyd was not falling into a coma, snoring, or slowing down in breathing.

He was, instead, fighting for his life and demonstrating 'air hunger' as he struggled to breathe. He pointed to Floyd's weakening voice as evidence that the life was draining from him and recognized Floyd's dying moments in his altering facial expressions and anoxic seizure  when his legs kicked out straight behind him.

Smock explained that since Floyd was a chronic drug users the levels of narcotics and their metabolites found in his blood stream really meant very little. 'You don't rely on the level, you look at the patient,' he said.

The defense has pointed to the fact that there was no bruising on Floyd's neck and throat post mortem as proof that Chauvin's knee did not dig into him until the life was squeezed out of him.

But Smock, who is also a specialist in strangulation, said: 'You can be fatally strangled and died of asphyxia and have no bruising.'

Dr William Smock, a forensic medicine expert, told the jury in Derek Chauvin's murder trial on Thursday April 8 that when George Floyd cried out 'I can't breathe' he was exhibiting the desperation of 'air hunger'

Forensic pathologist Dr Lindsey Thomas

Forensic pathologist Dr Lindsey Thomas, who works as a medical examiner in Reno and Salt Lake City, testified on April 9 that Floyd died as as result of 'low oxygen' or 'asphyxia.'

Thomas said that in this case the autopsy itself did not tell her the cause of death in her investigation but the 'unique' amount of documentation in terms of videos and records was vital in establishing 'mechanism' of death.

She agreed with Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr Andrew Baker's finding that the cause of death was 'cardiopulmonary arrest, complicating law enforcement subdual restraint and neck compression'.

Thomas told the court that there are no physical findings in autopsy that show low oxygen but there are sometimes findings consistent with a cause of death that may result in low oxygen. She gave as an example a partial hanging in which a person may have petechiae, tiny burst blood vessels in the eye.

She said that she had found such supporting signs in Floyd's autopsy. According to Thomas, 'Mr Floyd had superficial injuries on his face, shoulders and wrists. What that does is it supports what I saw in the videos which is that he's being forcibly restrained and subdued and trying to move into a position by rubbing his face against the ground, pulling against his handcuffs and by pushing with his shoulder.

'And he also had some scrapes on his knuckles on his right hand and again that was from him pushing trying to get into a position where he could breathe.'

She explained: 'There are really two parts; cardiopulmonary arrest which doesn't really provide much additional information because essentially we all die when our heart and lungs stop, but as a forensic pathologist I would use it to differentiate from cardiac arrest. This is not a sudden cardiac arrest.

'This is a death where both the heart and lungs stopped working and the point is that it is due to subdual restraint and compression.'

Thomas concluded: 'The activities of the law enforcement officers led to Mr Floyd's death.'

And by that she meant placing him in the prone position, handcuffing him and kneeling on his back and, specifically, neck.

Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr Andrew Baker

Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr Andrew Baker, who performed Floyd's autopsy, took the stand on April 9 and said that he did not find the cause of death to be asphyxia or low oxygen levels and that he did not believe that Chauvin's knee was on Floyd's neck for 'the majority' of the time.

In a massive departure from the prosecution's contention, Baker said: 'In my impression from the video it would appear that Mr Chauvin's knee was primarily on the back, on the side or the area in between Mr Floyd's neck (and back).'

Under cross examination, Baker told the court that asphyxia was 'a very common cause' of the deaths that he had seen across 2,900 to 3,000 autopsies but it was not the conclusion that he came to before, or after, having seen the videos of the incident on May 25, 2020.

In a startlingly brief direct questioning by Jerry Blackwell, Baker told the court that Floyd died because being pinned down on the ground with his neck compressed was, 'just more than he could take,' given his severe underlying heart disease.

Asked if, in his opinion, the positioning of Chauvin's knee would cut off Floyd's oxygen supply, Baker said: 'In my opinion it would not.'

In his view, he said: 'It was the stress of that interaction that tipped him over the edge given his underlying heart disease and his toxicological status.'

The doctor told the court that he had deliberately avoided all video footage until after he conducted the autopsy because he did not want to introduce any 'bias' that might, 'lead [his] examination down any particular path'.

In his conclusion Floyd's death occurred 'in the context' of law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression but he did not give the cause of death as set out by others.

Cardiologist Dr Jonathan Rich

Dr Jonathan Rich, a cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, took the stand on April 12 and said Floyd would still be alive if it weren't for Chauvin's restraint as he asserted that the black man did not have heart disease and his tolerance for fentanyl was so high that the drug played no role in his death.

'In this case Mr George Floyd died from a cardiopulmonary arrest,' Rich told the jury. 'It was caused by low oxygen and those low oxygen levels were produced by the prone restraint and positional asphyxia that he was subjected to.'

Rich refuted key arguments from the defense when he said he had considered and discounted Floyd's cause of death as having originated from the heart itself or being the result of an overdose.

'After reviewing all of the facts I can state with a high degree of medical certainty that George Floyd did not die from a primary cardiac event and he did not die from a drug overdose,' he said.

Instead, he said Floyd 'was just unable using all of his muscles, his accessory muscles, he was unable [to breathe] because of the position he was subjected to'.

'The heart thus didn't have enough oxygen either which means the entire body didn't have enough oxygen,' he said.

Asked whether he thought Floyd would be alive today were it not for 'Mr Chauvins subdual and restraint of nine minutes and 29 seconds on the ground', Rich said: 'To a high degree of medical certainty, he would have lived.'

Rich told the court that, in his view: 'Mr George Floyd's death was absolutely preventable.'

He said the first thing that could've been done to prevent Floyd's death would have been to simply not place him in the prone position at all.

After that happened, Rich said Floyd should have been moved into the side recovery position when his complaints of not being able to breathe became audibly weaker.

While Floyd had high blood pressure which could, Rich said, become a problem over time if not treated, he told the jury: 'Every indicator is that Mr Floyd had an exceptionally strong heart because he could generate pressures at some points upwards of 200.'

Rich explained that a problem with some of the patients he sees who are suffering heart failure is that they cannot generate pressures of even 80 as a top number. Normal blood pressure is around 120/80.

As doctors Martin Tobin, William Smock and Lindsey Thomas had before him, Rich asserted that the deterioration he observed in Floyd was not the sudden loss of consciousness of a primary cardiac event, but the slow seeping way of one deprived of oxygen for a prolonged period of time.

'In the course of the restraint I was looking to see if his deterioration occurred rapidly,' Rich said. 'A primary cardiac event, the most common arrhythmia is ventricular fibrillation, when that happens the individual will look relatively okay and then they will immediately become unconscious.

'On the other hand if the cause is from something else  for example low oxygen levels  you will typically see that happening more gradually and slowly.

'I could see his speech starting to become less forceful, his muscle movements becoming weaker until eventually his speech and muscle movements were absent. And then of course he was in a PEA (Pulseless Electrical Activity) cardiopulmonary arrest.'

Turning to the autopsy report, Rich said that he had found no evidence of the sort of tell-tale damage to the heart that a heart attack would have left behind.

And while he called Floyd's arterial disease 'notable', he said it was not something that surprised him because it is so common. What was most significant, he said, was that Floyd's arteries were only partially blocked, not completely occluded  a sign of that a heart attack had occurred.

Rich discounted a fentanyl or methamphetamine overdose saying that he felt the latter 'played no substantive role at all'.

He said from what he had seen, Floyd's behavior  his talkativeness, alertness, ability to walk  was the opposite of what a person would witness in an opiate overdose.

On cross examination, Nelson tried to take the sting out of Rich's testimony that Floyd would be alive today were it not for Chauvins actions.

Flipping the outcome back on Floyd, Nelson asked: 'If Mr Floyd had just got into the seat of the squad car do you think he would have survived?'

Rich tip-toed into his answer, denying Nelson the straight yes or no that he sought.

'Had he not been restrained in the way in which he was, I think he would have survived that day. I think he would have gone home had he not been subjected to the prone position that he was,' he said.

'So in other words,' Nelson summed up for the court. 'If he had just gotten into the squad car.'

Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's younger brother

Floyd's younger brother Philonise Floyd broke down in tears at trial on April 12 as the court was shown pictures of his slain sibling - as a young boy, sleeping in his smiling mothers arms, as a teenager studying, pen in hand and as a young athlete who got a basketball scholarship to South Florida before transferring to Gainesville, Texas, where he played football, and smiling with his seven-year-old daughter Gianna in his arms.

Philonise, 39, recalled his oldest brother as a 'leader,' who organized his younger siblings and made sure they had their school uniform each morning and a snack before school. He said that people in their community would go to church just because they saw that Floyd was there.

He said that his older brother always wanted to be taller and to be the best, measuring himself as he grew and throwing hundreds of hoops in a bid to be the 'best' at basketball.

Philonise recalled playing video games and catch with Floyd growing up before telling the court with a smile that his brother 'couldn't boil water' but would make the best 'banana and mayonnaise and syrup sandwiches'.

Toward the end of his brief testimony, he told how broken Floyd was by his mother's death, saying that at the funeral, 'George just sat there at the casket saying: "Mamma" over and over again.

'He was just kissing her. He didn't want to leave the casket.'

George Floyd's brother Philonise Floyd testified at Derek Chauvin's murder trial on Monday afternoon (pictured)

Use-of-force expert Seth Stoughton

The prosecution's final witness, use-of-force expert Seth Stoughton, testified on April 12 that Floyd did not pose a threat during his fatal arrest and said officers should have relented after the handcuffed black man pleaded: 'I can't breathe' 27 times.

Stoughton, a former cop turned law professor, was asked to provide his analysis of body camera video of Floyd pinned to the ground by Chauvin and two other officers on May 25 in Minneapolis.

In a damning sequence prosecutor Steve Schleicher asked: 'Did Mr Floyd present any threat of escape? Did he present any threat to physical property? Did he present any threat to the physical safety of officers or anyone else?'

Again and again Stoughton answered: 'No he did not.'

Asked: 'Did he present any sort of threat at all?' Stoughton again said: 'No he did not.'

Stoughton concluded: 'No reasonable officers would have believed that was an appropriate, acceptable or reasonable use of force.'

Stoughton said it was 'never' necessary or reasonable to place Floyd in a prone position, adding: 'It's clear from the number of officers the fact that he's handcuffed and has been searched he doesn't present any threat of harm, his actions don't suggest he's any threat of escape.'

'Given the range of alternatives available to officers its just not appropriate to prone someone when theyre already compliant,' Stoughton said.

Stoughton went on to draw a distinction between 'threat' and 'risk'.

He explained: 'Threat is not some abstract notion. It's specific; threat "of" something. Threat exists when the individual has the physical ability, the opportunity and apparent intention to cause whatever harm we're envisaging.

'That's how we identify threat. Risk you can think of as a potential threat. Risk is something officers can use tactics and communications to address. The goal is to prevent risk becoming threat and that threat to turn into whatever the apparent harm intended is.'

He added: 'While threat can justify use of force, risk can't.'

Stoughton said that he considered a use of force review as 'kind of a balancing of harms. The idea is an officer cannot use more force than the situation justifies.

'The foreseeable effects can't be disproportionate to the perceived threat.'

That is exactly what he concluded they had been on May 25, 2020.

Stoughton told the court: 'Before he fell silent Mr Floyd said: "I can't breathe" by my count at least 27 times. If somebody is describing that they're in distress then officers have to take that into account.'

'The officers are maintaining Mr Floyd in that prone position but there are some indicators that the foreseeable effects are occurring and that hes experiencing positional asphyxia.

'Not only does he indicate it with the words he's using but [as the restraint continues] his voice is slower and thicker.'

According to Stoughton a 'reasonable officer' would 'absolutely' have been aware of Floyd's complaints and in fact Chauvin can be heard acknowledging both them and, later, Officer J Alexander Kueng telling him that he could not find a pulse.

Returning to his threat assessment as a vital part of establishing the reasonableness of force used Stoughton said: 'Somebody who does not have a pulse does not present a threat in any way.'

Stoughton also dismissed the notion that the crowd posed any credible threat or could be perceived as such by a 'reasonable officer'.

He pointed out that the first negative comment from the crowd came more than three minutes into the restraint and he noted Officer Tou Thao's flippant comment: 'This is why you don't do drugs, kids' as an indication that the officers were not truly afraid of trouble.

'That's relevant because if you are concerned about a crowd you don't say things that are likely to exacerbate that situation,' he explained. 'A comment like: "This is why you don't do drugs, kids," is not rapport building.'

After Floyd had been removed by paramedics Chauvin returned to his squad car and could be heard in a interaction with a bystander.

Paraphrasing what he could recall, Stoughton said that Chauvin attempted to justify his actions by saying, 'something akin to describing Mr Floyd as a pretty big guy, possibly intoxicated possibly on drugs and that officers needed to keep control over him'.

According to Stoughton: 'All of those individual statements are true; Mr Floyd was a larger individual and there was ample reason to think he may have been impaired by alcohol or drugs.

'But a reasonable officer in this situation would have perceived that they could have maintained control over him without putting a knee on his neck or keeping him in that position.

'The sanctity of human life is the absolute priority in policing.

On cross examination, Nelson pressed Stoughton: 'Does the reasonable officer decide whether they should be put in the squad car or does the suspect decide whether they should be put in the squad car...the suspect does not get to dictate I get to sit on the ground or in the front of the squad car?'

Stoughton agreed they did not.

Nelson re-iterated Stoughton's view that the use of the prone position was never reasonable suggesting that 'reasonable minds' can disagree.

'On this particular point? No,' Stoughton countered.

Stoughton agreed that the use of force is often not very pretty but that that did not necessarily mean that it was unlawful.

But he added: 'I don't think that's the case here.'

DEFENSE

Retired Minneapolis police officer Scott Creighton

Retired Minneapolis police officer Scott Creighton was the first witness to take the stand for the defense on Tuesday April 13 as the court watched body-camera footage of Floyd's arrest on May 6, 2019.

In a remarkably brief direct examination Nelson asked Creighton what he had observed of Floyd as he approached his vehicle. Creighton told the jury that Floyd was not responsive and that he had to 'physically reach in [to the car] because I wanted to see his hands.'

In the video Floyd can be heard saying: 'I don't want to be shot' before Creighton pulled him out of the car.

Under cross examination by Erin Eldridge, Creighton observed that the situation had 'escalated really quick' once Floyd refused to show his hands and that he was compelled to pull his gun.

He described Floyd as 'incoherent' but able to walk and talk.

Nelson had hoped to show the jury that, under similar circumstances, when approached in a car by an officer with his gun drawn, Floyd rapidly ingested drugs and pretended to have a medical emergency.

On re-direct Nelson asked if Creighton had heard his partner instructing Floyd to 'spit it out'. Creighton said, he may have done.

Retired Minneapolis Police Officer Scott Creighton (pictured) testified about what he witnessed of Floyd during an arrest on May 6, 2019

Retired paramedic Michelle Moseng

Retired paramedic Michelle Moseng was the prosecution's second witness on Tuesday April 13 as Nelson drew out the parallels between May 6, 2019 and what he contests took place on May 25, 2020.

Moseng was called to Floyd's arrest during which he had required medical care.

According to Moseng, Floyd was agitated and upset and told her that he had been taking seven to nine opioids  oxy and Percocet  every twenty minutes throughout the day and another just before the officer had approached the car.

When asked for details of her physical assessment of Floyd she revealed that she recorded a blood pressure of 216 over 160  so high that she recommended he be taken immediately to hospital.

Floyd told her, she said, that he had not been taking his blood pressure medication, 'for months'.

In an aggressive cross-examination, Eldridge peppered the witness with questions demanding her acknowledgement that Floyds blood oxygen, pulse, respiration, heart rhythm and EKG were all normal.

'And you took him to the hospital and he was monitored for two hours and he was released,' Eldridge said, to which Moseng answered: 'Yes.'

Michelle Moseng (pictured) was the paramedic called to administer medical aid during Floyd's arrest on May 6, 2019

George Floyd's friend Shawanda Hill

The third witness called by the defense was Shawanda Hill, the woman who was in the car with Floyd and his friend Morries Hall, on May 25, 2020, after having bumped into Floyd in Cup Foods where he offered to give her a ride home.

At times hard to hear and irritable, Hill told Nelson that Floyd was 'happy, normal' and 'alert' when she spoke to him in the store.

But back in the car  after she had been on a call with her daughter  Hill said she saw that Floyd had suddenly fallen asleep before Cup Foods clerks came out to confront him about using a counterfeit $20 bill.

By then, she said: 'He was already sleeping. When they came to the car and when they came try to wake him up, I tried to wake him up over and over, he kept, he'd wake up, then say something, then nodded back off. He did that a couple of times.'

Hill went onto relate how she had struggled to get Floyd to focus when the police arrived, telling him: 'Baby that's the police, open the door, roll down the window.'

Hill said Floyd was 'startled' when Officer Thomas Lane pulled his gun, prompting him to grab at the steering wheel and plead: 'Please don't shoot me, please don't shoot me.'

Judge Cahill spoke to Hill, who had been named in earlier testimony as a heroin dealer, ahead of the jury being seated after a brief morning break.

He explained to her that the attorneys might ask her whether or not she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and that, though he did not think the questions would incriminate her and he had instructed the limit of their scope, she had the right to consult and attorney regarding invoking her Fifth Amendment right.

She said she did not need one and that she was 'ready to go'.

In his brief cross-examination Assistant Attorney General Frank Matthew established that, despite his sleepiness, Floyd was not short of breath or complaining of chest pains at any point.

Minneapolis Park Police Officer Peter Chang

The fourth witness for the defense was Minneapolis Park Police Officer Peter Chang, who arrived at Cup Foods after officers Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng had already confronted Floyd.

The jury was shown video from Chang's body-camera, which revealed Floyd's friends reactions to his arrest for the first time.

Chang described a relatively calm scene on his arrival at Cup Foods where he saw Kueng next to Floyd who was seated on the ground, handcuffed and leaning against the wall outside Dragon Wok restaurant.

Chang told the court that he had been 'concerned for the officers' safety' due to the 'very aggressive crowd' that gathered outside Cup Foods on 38th and Chicago as police struggled with and subdued Floyd.

As the scene in front of Cup Foods clearly becomes more heated, Chang can be seen pacing to and fro - movement he explained to Nelson as due to checking on his fellow officers safety - and repeatedly telling Hill and Hall to stay put as they agitate to see whats going on.

He informs them: 'Right now they're grabbing an ambulance for your buddy. He might have heart himself.'

Cautioning both to stay away from the car and the scene, he tells Hill: 'Shawanda you're not helping.'

In a very brief cross-examination Frank established that there had never been a 'code 3' or emergent call out to the scene at Cup Foods and undercut Changs concern for his fellow officers by pointing out that he knew there were four officers on scene and that none ever radioed for help.

MPD Medical Support Coordinator Nicole MacKenzie

Minneapolis Police Department Medical Support Coordinator Nicole MacKenzie made her second appearance on the stand directly before the court broke for lunch on Tuesday.

When appearing as a state witness last week, MacKenzie gave her opinion that treating a person under the eyes of a crowd, hostile or otherwise, 'is incredibly difficult'. She also told the court about 'excited delirium', saying that it could give a person, 'super-human' strength.

Today Nelson focused on the symptoms of the condition and recent training materials that, he established, of which Chauvin as a veteran would not have had knowledge.

In contrast, rookie Lane did and in body-worn camera footage he can be heard expressing concern that Floyd may be suffering from excited delirium.

MacKenzie explained that Lane would have received training that included the acronym NOTACRIME of signs and actions cadets were trained to note and take.

She talked the jury through each letter. She said that a person may be Naked, exhibit violence towards Objects, by Tough and unstoppable. The onset could be Acute, the person Confused and Resistant as well as Incoherent, the condition could be due to Mental health issues and always required an EMS to be called early as it could lead to a sudden cardiac arrest.

In another brief cross Frank established from MacKenzie that as a medical support coordinator it was not her job to diagnose conditions. She agreed she would always defer to a paramedic.

Minneapolis Police Department Medical Support Coordinator Nicole MacKenzie made her second appearance on the stand directly before the court broke for lunch on Tuesday

Use-of-force expert Barry Brodd

Barry Brodd, a former cop and use-of-force expert who specializes in police and civilian defense cases, testified for Chauvin's defense on Tuesday April 13 and said the defendant did not use deadly force against Floyd.

In fact, Brodd argued that Chauvin's placing the handcuffed black man in the prone position and kneeling on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds did not constitute use of force at all.

'It's a control technique. It doesn't hurt,' Brodd said. 'It's safe for the officer, safe for the suspect and you're using minimal effort to keep them on the ground.'

During direct examination by Nelson, Brodd said Chauvin was 'justified' and acting 'with objective reasonableness' in his interactions with Floyd.

He told the jury that police officers 'don't have to fight fair', explaining that they can use a level of force that is 'one up' from the level of any resistance. He noted that when dealing with suspects who are under the influence of drugs, officers can 'find themselves in a fight for their life in a heartbeat'.

Brodd also leaned in to the defense narrative that Chauvin and his fellow officers felt 'threatened' by the gathering crowd.

Brodd's confident testimony took a turn when prosecutor Steve Schleicher stepped up to cross examine him, wasting no time in tackling the assertion that keeping Floyd in the prone position did not constitute a use of force and did not hurt.

He asked Brodd if he truly believed that it is unlikely that 'orienting yourself on top of a person on the pavement with both legs [on top of them] is unlikely to produce pain?' Brodd conceded that it could.

Schleicher countered that if that position could produce pain, by Brodd's logic, it could also constitute a use of force.

Looking at the all-too-familiar image of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck, Brodd was forced to concede: 'Shown in this picture, that could be use of force' - but argued that Floyd had grown increasingly non-compliant.

Schleicher then showed a screengrab of Floyd pinned to the ground and asked: 'What part of this is not compliant?'

Refusing to deviate from his narrative Brodd insisted: 'I see his arm position. A compliant person would have both their hands in the small of their back and be resting comfortably.'

The disbelief clear in his voice, Schleicher asked: 'Did you say resting comfortably?'

'At this time when he's attempting to breathe by shoving his shoulder into the pavement,' Brodd replied.

Pathologist Dr David Fowler

Dr David Fowler, the former chief medical examiner of Maryland, took the stand on April 14 to share his conclusion that Floyd's death should have never been ruled a homicide because there were too many competing potential causes of death.

One of the potential causes Fowler presented was Floyd's exposure to exhaust from the squad car he was pinned next to, which the witness said could have caused some degree of carbon monoxide poisoning.

But on cross examination by trial attorney Jerry Blackwell, Fowler was forced to admit that he had no concrete evidence to support the carbon monoxide poisoning theory.

Blackwell seized on the fact that Fowler had never set eyes on the squad car or attempted to simulate the conditions to sample possible levels of carbon monoxide in Floyd's vicinity.

The prosecutor bluntly challenged: 'For that matter cutting even more to the chase how do you even know the car was on?'

Fowler said that it was a question he had specifically asked and that he had observed water dripping from what appears to be a tail pipe.

Blackwell pressed: 'You just assumed based on observing something dripping from a tail pipe that the car was on?'

'It's not an assumption,' Fowler bit back. 'It's an evaluation based on an indicator that the car was running.'

The carbon monoxide point was one of many on which Fowler contradicted the opinions of medical experts who testified before him.

Blackwell drilled down on those contradictions while attempting to chip away at Fowler's credibility, at one point telling him: 'You're not a toxicologist..a pulmonologist.. a cardiologist, a physiologistYou don't treat patients.'

Fowler's earliest contradiction across more than five hours of testimony came when he shared his conclusion that Floyd died from a 'sudden cardiac arrhythmia' due to his underlying heart disease during his restraint by police. That conclusion was refuted by Dr Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County chief medical examiner who performed Floyd's autopsy.

Among the 'significant contributing conditions' that he listed was the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine, paraganglioma - the adrenalin secreting-tumor that Floyd had - and his exposure to the squad car exhaust.

Fowler also said that Floyd had an enlarged heart, which meant he needed more oxygen to function, and that methamphetamine use heightened his risk of cardiac arrhythmia.

Later in his lengthy and technical testimony, Fowler cited multiple studies which challenged the notion that the prone position - in which Floyd was held for nine minutes and 29 seconds - is inherently dangerous.

He also referenced studies which concluded that it doesn't matter how much a person weighs if they are applying a single knee to another person - and a double knee restraint makes only a modest difference.

According to those studies a person transfers just 23 percent of their bodyweight during a double knee restraint. So, Dr Fowler said, Chauvin  who he viewed as applying a single knee restraint for most of the restraint  would have been applying less than 30 to 35 pounds of weight to Floyd.

Asked if any of that weight compromised Floyd's neck structures, Fowler said: 'None of the vital structures.'

'There was absolutely no evidence of any injury to the skin or deeper structures of the back or neck,' he said, citing photos from Floyd's autopsy.

In fact, he said the pressure applied to Floyd was less than the amount necessary to even bruise him.

PROSECUTION - REBUTTAL

Pulmonology expert Dr Martin Tobin

The state recalled its star medical witness, pulmonologist Dr Martin Tobin, to the stand for its rebuttal on April 15.

Tobin told the jury that the defense expert who testified at length yesterday, Dr David Fowler, was 'simply wrong' in his conclusions that carbon monoxide played any role in Floyd's death.

Addressing Fowler's claim that the levels of carbon monoxide in Floyd's blood could have been between 10 and 18 percent, Tobin said: 'I believe it is not reliable.'

Tobin started to tell jurors that his view was based on arterial blood gas obtained from Floyd in Hennepin County Medical Center when Nelson objected.

Before the witness stepped up, Judge Cahill warned the state that he would declare a mistrial if Tobin sought to introduce any new evidence during his rebuttal to Fowler's testimony.

Instead Tobin walked the fine line and explained: '[Floyd] had an arterial blood gas obtained, so that's sticking a needle into the artery and you measure a number of different items like the pressure of oxygen, carbon dioxide, acid, and the oxygen saturation and that is how much of the hemoglobin the protein in the blood that carries the oxygen.'

Asked for Floyd's oxygen saturation levels, Tobin told the court: 'It was 98 percent saturated with oxygen when they measured it at Hennepin County Medical Center and that was 9.16pm.'

As for what, if anything, that tells about Floyd's carbon monoxide levels, Tobin said: 'If hemoglobin is saturated at 98 percent, all there was for everything else was two percent.

'The maximum amount [of carbon monoxide] was two percent, it could be something else but two percent is within the normal range.'

Pressing that point he told the jury: 'You and I have somewhere between zero and three.'

He said Fowler's statement that Floyd's carbon monoxide could have increased to between ten and 18 percent was 'simply wrong'.

Tobin also cast doubt on Fowler's testimony with respect to the hypopharynx  the area of the throat that, he said, would not have been narrowed by Chauvin's knee on his neck.

Fowler said he could find no research to support the notion that it would have.

Today Tobin said: 'There's at least a dozen maybe 20 studies that show the relationship between how if you lower the size of the lungs you must get a decrease in the hypopharynx.'

But he said there was no specific research into how pressure on the neck narrows it because 'we try to do research and studies that might be puzzling'.

Tobin explained: 'If you think about sticking your fingers into your neck you know it's going to narrow the hypopharynx. It's common sense.'

In a brief cross-examination, Nelson pointed out that Tobin had not produced for the courts review any of the dozens of articles which he cited.
The Madison County Board of Health announced Thursday that it has agreed to lift the countys mask-wearing mandate at 5 p.m. April 9.

This is the same day and time the Alabama mask-wearing order ends.

Both were put in place last year to fight the spread of coronavirus. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said last week that he expected the order to be lifted in Madison County.

But, just like their state counterparts, the Madison board says people should keep wearing masks.

We must be careful and remember that many are still vulnerable. This pandemic is NOT over, and we must not let our guard down, the board says in the announcement.

This part was put in bold type: The physicians on the Madison County Board of Health recommend that schools, businesses, health care facilities, nursing homes, and crowded places continue to require face coverings.

The announcement, signed by board chair Dr. Sherrie Squyres and county Health Officer Dr. Karen Landers, also says the order will be re-instated if needed to protect citizens.

See the entire release below:
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met today with Presidential Adviser for Financial Affairs Major General Mohamed Amin.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency stated that the meeting discussed the activities of "Tahya Misr" (Long Live Egypt) Fund and the current and future plans of its projects in the field of supporting social protection programs for the neediest groups.

In this context, the President directed that the activities and programs of "Tahya Misr" Fund be promoted in order to support the most vulnerable families.

This is to be done in cooperation and integration with the concerned state agencies and civil society institutions, especially within the framework of Haya Karima (Decent Life) Initiative and the various underlying programs in all fields.

Moreover, the President directed that the Fund's activities be increased to provide suitable quantities of basic food commodities for the most needy and make them available in various governorates, particularly as the holy month of Ramadan is approaching.

Maj. Gen. Mohamed Amin addressed the overall activity and pivotal role of "Tahya Misr" Fund.

This would help state agencies provide support for social protection programs and active participation in development projects, especially through "Haya Karima" (Decent Life) initiative.
ROME, APR 1 - The interior ministry on Thursday told Italy's prefects to intensify checks on the respect of COVID-19 restrictions over Easter. The whole nation will be a red zone from Saturday to Easter Monday in order to prevent social interaction fuelling contagion. This means shops selling non-essential items must close, bars and restaurants can only do takeaways and home deliveries and people need a good reason to be outside the home. It will be possible, however, for up to two adults and their children under 14 to visit the home of another person, with no more than one visit a day, and to attend religious services. Police have been told to focus checks on people who are travelling and to pay special attention areas likely to attract groups of people, such as parks and beaches. (ANSA).
After exceeding the coronavirus cumulative incidence rate of 150 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days, Spain returned to the Covid-19 high-risk zone this Wednesday (31 March) something that has not happened since 4 March.

Specifically, the incidence rate stood at 152.25, five points more than on Tuesday.

The autonomous cities Melilla (475) and Ceuta (294) continue to set the national highs, but there are already two regions - Navarra (294) and Madrid (264) - which are classed at extreme risk being above 250 cases.

At the other end of the scale is the Valencian Community, with a rate of 28 cases and the only region that meets the Government's objective of being below 50.

The Ministry of Health reported, this Wednesday, spikes in both the number of new infections and deaths. The department, headed by Carolina Darias, registered 8,534 new cases, almost double that of Tuesday and the highest daily number since 25 February. According to official data from the Ministry, 3,284,353 people have been infected with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

The department also registered 154 deaths in the last 24 hours, a figure above the 106 on Tuesday. The total number of deaths with a Covid-19 positive test since March of last year stands at 75,459.

Coronavirus patients currently occupy 6.5 per cent of hospital beds in Spain, while in intensive care units the figure is 18.44 per cent. There are 8,083 Covid patients in hospital, of which 1,831 are in an intensive care unit.
A new study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry finds that patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as well as other psychiatric comorbidities, such as autism spectrum or tic disorders, may respond well to Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS).

DBS is a minimally invasive neurosurgical procedure that uses coordinates to target certain areas of the brain, implanting electrodes that can help regulate abnormal brain activity. DBS procedures are rare for OCD in the United States; only a couple hundred patients have received this treatment for OCD management since its FDA approval in 2009 via a Humanitarian Device Exemption. The effectiveness of DBS for OCD has been well-documented in literature, but the interplay with comorbid disorders has not been as thoroughly explored.

This study helps us understand more about real-world use of DBS for OCD. Most patients seeking treatment don't only have OCD, comorbidities are more the rule than the exception. So it's important to understand how this life-changing procedure can benefit our more typical patients." Rachel Davis, MD, Associate Professor, CU Department of Psychiatry and Study Principal Investigator

Davis and clinicians at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus retrospectively examined five patients seeking DBS for OCD between 2015 and 2019. Patients exhibited comorbidities including substance use disorder, eating disorder, autism spectrum disorder, major depression, ADHD, and tic disorder.

Three patients were awake during DBS surgery, allowing clinicians to check for response to stimulation (improved mood, increased energy, and reduction in anxiety), an additional way to confirm correct electrode placement. After surgery, Davis assessed response and determined the correct settings by asking patients about changes in mood, energy, and anxiety. Improvement in these areas tend to be associated with reduction in OCD symptoms later on. Change over time was monitored with a variety of IRB-approved questionnaires, gauging changes in mood, anxiety, depression and other quality of life elements affected by OCD.

Overall, these patients experienced significant improvement in OCD and mood symptoms. A standard scale for assessing symptom severity and treatment response in OCD, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), measures degree of distress and impairment caused by obsessions and compulsions. A good clinical response is considered to be greater than a 35% reduction. In this study, patients averaged a 44% reduction on this scale; four out of five experienced full response with the fifth having a partial response, with approximately 25% reduction in OCD symptoms. Patients also reported an average of 53% reduction in depression symptoms.

"For these treatment-refractory OCD patients, our Psychiatric DBS program, led by Dr. Davis, is finally providing relief," says John Thompson, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and one of the co-authors on this manuscript. "While DBS for OCD is rare, this study is a glimpse at its potential. There is much yet to be learned about the complex interplay between circuit modulation and co-morbid symptom management in OCD patients treated with DBS."
CHICAGO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Livingstone is pleased to announce the firm's healthcare team has advised Ocean State Healthcare and its affiliated practices (collectively "Ocean State" or the "Company"), a portfolio company of New Harbor Capital ("New Harbor"), on its sale to VillageMD. Livingstone acted as exclusive financial advisor to Ocean State and New Harbor.

Ocean State is a premier provider of comprehensive primary care services with 15 locations strategically located in the New England market. The Company provides a broad scope of care and a robust suite of services through its full-service network of clinics, including:

Primary care and family medicine services including comprehensive family care, chronic condition management, wellness exams, vaccinations, and immunizations;

Urgent care services such as minor to complex injury care and illness treatment, workers' compensation, and occupational medicine; and

Specialty care services including advanced allergy and asthma treatment.

With approximately 70 providers serving over 200,000 annual patient visits, Ocean State is the largest independent primary care physician practice and urgent care operator in the state of Rhode Island.

VillageMD, through its subsidiary Village Medical, is a leading provider of value-based primary care services. VillageMD partners with physicians to provide the tools, technology, operations, staffing support, and industry relationships to deliver high-quality clinical care and better patient outcomes while reducing the total cost of care. The Village Medical brand provides primary care for patients at traditional free-standing clinics, Village Medical at Walgreens clinics, at home, and via virtual visits. VillageMD and Village Medical have grown to 12 markets, are responsible for more than 600,000 lives, and manage $4 billion in total medical spend in value-based contracts.

"The Ocean State transaction illustrates Livingstone's ability to find the right strategic partner, who valued our client's leadership position and density within the Rhode Island market," commented Jim Moskal, Partner at Livingstone. "As we continue to move toward value-based care and at-risk models, we expect on-going consolidation as providers build the scale required to successfully execute their growth strategies."

"Livingstone did an exceptional job managing the entire process, particularly during a unique time for physician practices and urgent care operators as a result of the on-going pandemic," commented John Pircon, Partner at New Harbor.

Mark Carl, Director at Livingstone, added, "We remain very active advising physician practices and provider-based businesses, achieving full value for clients despite the lingering effects of the pandemic. We expect deal volume momentum, robust valuations, and strong buyer interest to continue throughout 2021."

Livingstone has extensive experience providing financial and advisory services to physician practice management and provider-based businesses across a variety of specialties. Ocean State follows successful transactions in 2020, including the sale of Research Triangle Dental to Heartland Dental, a portfolio company of KKR , and the sale of Progressive Behavioral Science to Cultivate Behavioral Health & Education, a portfolio company of Imperial Capital .

McDermott Will & Emery provided legal counsel to the Company.

CONTACT:

Olga Jewusiak

773-505-8315

[email protected]

SOURCE Livingstone Partners
Wavestone has been informed by FIH, a family holding company controlled by Pascal Imbert, CEO, of movements in the voting rights it holds within the firm.

On March 29 and April 1, 2021, FIH acquired double voting rights linked to the 4,847,158 Wavestone shares it holds.

FIH also granted, on April 1, 2021, a proxy for 2,865,000 voting rights attached to the share it holds, to Maitre Thomas Prud'homoz, a notary in Paris.

This proxy has been granted until December 9, 2021 inclusive, on an irrevocable basis and without any voting instructions. FIH and Maitre Thomas Prud'homoz have declared that they are not acting as a joint ownership structure and confirm, as is necessary, that the proxy given does not constitute a new joint ownership structure.

The purpose of this proxy is to maintain the balance within the joint ownership structure which controls Wavestone represented by Pascal Imbert, FIH, Michel Dancoisne, FDCH (family holding company controlled by Michel Dancoisne) and Delphine Chavelas, the daughter of Michel Dancoisne. The proxy will expire on December 10, 2021, the date on which FDCH is to acquire double voting rights relating to the 2,827,509 shares it holds.

As of April 1, 2020, following these variations, FIH holds 6,829,316 voting rights, representing 23.43% of the company's total voting rights.

For the record, on the same date, the joint ownership structure represented by Pascal Imbert, FIH, Michel Dancoisne, FDCH and Delphine Chavelas, holds 54.66% of Wavestone's capital and 53.79% of the firm's voting rights (compared with 56.36% previously).

About Wavestone

In a world where knowing how to drive transformation is the key to success, Wavestone's mission is to inform and guide large companies and organizations in their most critical transformations, with the ambition of a positive outcome for all stakeholders. That's what we call "The Positive Way."

Wavestone draws on some 3,000 employees across 8 countries. It is a leading independent player in the European consulting market.

Wavestone is listed on Euronext Paris.

Wavestone

Pascal IMBERT

Chief Executive Officer

Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00

Benjamin CLEMENT

Financial communication

Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00 Actus

Financial news

Mathieu OMNES

Analyst & investor relations

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92

Nicolas BOUCHEZ

Press relations

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 74

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German carmaker Volkswagen says a widely publicized announcement that it was changing its name to Voltswagen was meant as a joke.

A volt is a measurement of force in an electrical current.

The German company admitted it had put out a false news release Tuesday announcing that the name of its U.S. branch was being changed to Voltswagen of America. It said the release was created to publicize a new vehicle in a fun way. The announcement said Volkswagen was launching its all-electric ID.4 sport utility vehicle (SUV).

In a tweet published Tuesday, the company said: We know, 66 is an unusual age to change your name, but weve always been young at heart. Introducing Voltswagen. Similar to Volkswagen, but with a renewed focus on electric driving.

Many major news organizations, including The Associated Press, Reuters, USA Today, CNBC and The Washington Post, reported the press release as real news. Some, including the AP, said they had been promised by Volkswagen that the news release was not a joke.

The companys actions led to widespread criticism from media companies and social media users.

The Associated Press was repeatedly assured by Volkswagen that its U.S. (branch) planned a name change, and reported that information, which we now know to be false," AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said.

The news service corrected its earlier story and published a new one based on the companys admission. Easton added that any purposeful release of false information hurts accurate journalism and the public good.

Other news organizations were also forced to publish new stories with corrected information after Volkswagens admission.

A spokeswoman for USA Today, Chrissy Terrell, said its reporter asked if the companys news release was a joke and was told no. She said the false announcement was used as a way to manipulate respected reporters from trusted news organizations.

The USA Today business reporter himself, Nathan Bomey, wrote on Twitter: Dear Volkswagen: You lied to me. You lied to AP, CNBC, Reuters and various trade pubs. This was not a joke. It was deception. He added that the U.S. already has a problem with misinformation and told the company: Now youre part of it. Why should anyone trust you again?

Early Tuesday, Volkswagen supported the story and re-released the news. But by late Tuesday, the company had removed the news from its website.

Volkswagen of America will not be changing its name to Voltswagen. The renaming was designed to be an announcement in the spirit of April Fools Day, the statement said. April Fools Day, observed by people in some countries on April 1, is a day to play tricks on others or attempt to fool them.

A spokesman for Volkswagen in Germany told The Wall Street Journal that we didnt mean to mislead anyone. The whole thing is just a marketing action to get people talking about the new ID.4 SUV.

Some critics spoke about Volkswagens industry scandal that greatly hurt it in the past. The company was forced to admit in 2015 that some of its cars were equipped with devices that cheated on diesel emissions tests.

Dawn Kopecki, a senior editor for CNBC.com, noted the scandal on Twitter. She tweeted, Apparently no one in the approval process at @VW said, hey maybe we shouldnt lie to the press given the whole, you know, emissions lying thing.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sport utility vehicle (SUV)  n. usually a large vehicle that can drive on simple roads and is meant to be used for recreational purposes as well as general ones

focus  n. the subject on which people place their attention; a main point of interest

assure  v. to tell someone in a very clear way that something will happen or is true

accurate  adj. free from mistakes or errors

manipulate  v. to deal with something in a clever and usually unfair or selfish way

deception  n. to make someone believe something that is not true

scandal  n. an incident that shocks or makes people upset because it is morally or legally wrong

emissions  n. things (usually gasses) that are released from a process
HOUSTON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The case arises out of the 2019 shooting that took the lives of 23 people and injured 23 others. The lawsuit alleges that Walmart owed a duty to the victims of the shooting to provide security to patrol and monitor the entrances and common areas.

The families contend that Walmart's national business practices create what one judge called a "violent crime magnet" at Walmart, which became worse when Walmart slashed the security presence at its El Paso stores, spending more to prevent petty theft than to protect customers' lives.

The families sought documentation from Walmart regarding a prior hostage incident at Walmart, store security budgets for El Paso and San Antonio, Black Friday and Tax-Free-Weekend security information and transaction counts for the Cielo Vista Walmart, employee incentive programs for employees with authority over store security, and Cielo Vista Walmart corporate minutes.

Walmart resisted producing these documents, arguing that the documents were not relevant to determining whether a landowner owes a duty to guard against the criminal acts of third parties. The trial court disagreed and ordered Walmart to provide these documents.

Walmart then hired a former Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Wallace Jefferson, to represent the retail Goliath on appeal. Jefferson and Walmart sought to overturn the trial Judge's ruling so that Walmart could avoid disclosure of the evidence.

The Eighth District Court of Appeals in El Paso, Texas determined that the trial court did not abuse its discretion as to the prior hostage incident, the store security budgets, the Black Friday and Tax-Free-Weekend security information, employee incentive program information, and the Cielo Vista Walmart corporate minutes. With respect to the crime-driven policy changes and the third-party safety assessments, the Court of Appeals directed the trial court to simply limit the order as to time and scope.

"Adam did a great job. It's not easy to go up against the former Chief Judge of the Supreme Court. But this is truly a David vs. Goliath type of case and Adam had right on his side," said Rob Ammons.

Adam was selected for the 2015-2021 Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, including the "Up and Coming 100" list of the 100 top-ranked "Rising Stars" of the 2021 ratings. He has defeated some of the largest companies in Texas, securing justice for his clients. Adam practices with the Ammons Law Firm and he handles catastrophic injury and death cases throughout the United States.

SOURCE The Ammons Law Firm LLP
Vietnams economy is returning to solid export-fueled growth that is likely to continue thanks to the U.S. fiscal stimulus, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Tan Cang - Cai Mep International Terminal in the southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. Photo by Shutterstock/Hien Phung Thu.

Its GDP grew at 4.48 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.

Vietnams exports in the first two months of 2021 jumped 23.7 percent year-on-year to $48.74 billion, of which 28.4 percent went to the U.S.

The U.S. newspaper said: "The American share of Vietnams overseas sales has risen considerably." The U.S.s share of Vietnams exports has indeed increased by around 9 percentage points in the last two years.

The U.S.s economic growth of 6.5 percent this year projected by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development will keep demand strong, benefiting Vietnamese exports.

Vietnam has emerged a big winner in the China-U.S. trade war with supply chains moving to it from China and the country also becoming a transshipment station to avoid American tariffs.

The newspaper also said Vietnams control of the Covid-19 pandemic is among the most impressive in the world, especially given the countrys income bracket.

Other countries in the region would likely have to wait far longer to fully recover the economic losses incurred during the pandemic, it added.

Vietnam was one of the few economies in the world to achieve growth last year, with its GDP expanding by 2.9 percent.

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have forecast growth of 6.6 percent and 6.1 percent for the country this year.
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Fiore Cannabis Ltd. (CSE: FIOR) (OTCQX: FIORF) ("Fiore" or the "Company"), a licensed multi-state cannabis cultivator, producer and retailer, today announced a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 4,000,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.15 per Unit for gross proceeds of $600,000. The private placement is expected to close on or about April 9, 2021.

Each Unit in the private placement is comprised of one common share and one share purchase warrant. Each warrant is exercisable into one common share at an exercise price of $0.22 for a period of eighteen (18) months from the date of issuance. The warrants are subject to an accelerated expiry date if the trading price of the Company's common shares closes at or above $0.50 per share for a period of ten (10) consecutive trading days.

The Units will be offered and sold by private placement in Canada to "accredited investors" within the meaning of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions and other exempt purchasers in each province of Canada, and may be sold outside of Canada on a basis which does not require the qualification or registration of any of the common shares or the warrants comprising the Units in the subscriber's jurisdiction. The securities issued in the private placement will be subject to applicable hold periods imposed under applicable securities legislation, including a hold period of four (4) months and one day from the date of issuance.

The Company intends to use the proceeds from the private placement to fund expansion projects immediately in the Company's Nevada and California operations and for general working capital purposes.

"All of us at Fiore are excited about the future of our company. We continue to receive strong investor support for the company's refreshed business strategy. We have many milestones to achieve this year that will shape our company for years to come. This financing will enable us to move forward on several fronts right away to further sharpen the focus on our U.S. operations. We wish to thank all shareholders and other stakeholders for their ongoing support of the Fiore team," said Erik Anderson, President and CEO of Fiore Cannabis.

About Fiore Cannabis

Fiore Cannabis (CSE: FIOR) (OTCQX: FIORF) is a publicly traded company that has been investing in the development of medical and recreational cannabis products since 2014. Fiore has expanded its operating portfolio to include cultivation, production and retail offerings in our key North American legal jurisdictions of Nevada and California. For more information, please visit www.fiorecannabis.com.

For Further Information

Erik Anderson, President and CEO

1-877-438-5448 Ext. 713

eanderson@fiorecannabis.com

This press release is not an offer of securities of the Company for sale in the United States. The common shares and warrants of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the common shares and warrants may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an applicable exemption from such registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States.

Cannabis Industry Involvement

The Company owns marijuana licenses in California and Nevada. Marijuana is legal in each state; however, marijuana remains illegal under United States federal law and the approach to enforcement of U.S. federal law against marijuana is subject to change. Shareholders and investors need to be aware that federal enforcement actions could adversely affect their investments and that the Company's ability to support continuing U.S.-based operations and its access private and public capital could be materially adversely affected.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements or information that relate to our current expectations and views of future events, including in respect the attributes of the securities to be offered and sold by the Company, the size, terms and completion of the private placement and the use of proceeds of the private placement. Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, outlook, expectations or intentions regarding the future including words or phrases such as "anticipate", "objective", "may", "will", "might", "should", "could", "can", "intend", "expect", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "plan", "is designed to", "project", "continue", or similar expressions suggest future outcomes or the negative thereof or similar variations. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current projections and expectations about future events and financial trends that management believes might affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, and on certain assumptions and analysis made by the Company in light of the experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors management believes are appropriate.

Forward-looking information and statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information and statements herein. Such factors include, among others: the risks and uncertainties identified in the Company's reports and filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulators, risks and uncertainties related to completing the private placement on terms acceptable to the Company or at all, risks and uncertainties related to the closing of the private placement, receipt of the proceeds thereof, and regulatory and other impediments to closing. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking information and statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such information and statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking information and statements. Any forward-looking information and statements herein are made as of the date hereof, and except as required by applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking information and statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward-looking information and statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, FAILURE TO

COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF UNITED STATES SECURITIES LAW

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79144
A fitness trainer has been branded 'arrogant' and 'judgmental' after shaming other people her age for eating fast food, watching Netflix and 'living day by day' - while gloating that she has started her own business and goes to the gym daily.

Mackenzie Smith, 23, from Phoenix, Arizona, claims to be able to teach people how to live happy lives through her fitness regimes.

On Sunday, she shared a damning assessment of 'most' of her peers to her 18,000 Twitter followers .

She bragged that she was 'not the same' as others her age, as she was running her own business and developing a growth mindset while they simply 'partied every weekend'.

A fitness trainer has been branded 'arrogant' after shaming others her age for eating fast food and watching Netflix - while gloating that she has her own business and goes to the gym daily

Mackenzie Smith, 23, from Phoenix, Arizona, claims to be able to teach people how to live happy lives through her fitness regimes

On Sunday, she shared a damning assessment of 'most' of her peers to her 18,000 Twitter followers . She bragged that she was 'not the same' as others her age, as she was running her own business and developing a growth mindset while they simply 'partied every weekend'

However the fitness fan was soon slammed for her 'egotistical' attitude as the tweet went viral and attracted thousands of responses - many claiming her methods as 'bullying' to others.

Social media users suggested she was 'knocking others down to build herself up' and pointed out there were accomplishments other than being in the gym.

Unrepentant despite the backlash, Mackenzie claimed she was used to taking 'heat' for her posts but insisted she only shared the post to 'inspire and help others'.

'I've taken heat for my tweets before so this is nothing new to me,' she said.

'I specifically word tweets like this one to be polarizing. It grabs people's attention and helps connect me with others who think the same way.

'Ultimately, I'm secure in what I'm doing because I know my intent.

Fitness fan was soon slammed for her 'egotistical' attitude as the tweet went viral and attracted thousands of responses - many claiming her methods as 'bullying' to others. Social media users suggested she was 'knocking others down to build herself up' and pointed out there were accomplishments other than being in the gym

Unrepentant despite the backlash, Mackenzie claimed she was used to taking 'heat' for her posts but insisted she only shared the post to 'inspire and help others'

'The only reason I'm posting content is to provide value, inspire, and help others. That's the end goal.

'People will always interpret content to fit their own perspective on the world.

'If they choose to be offended and lash out, so be it. That just means my content wasn't intended for them.'

The tweet quickly went viral and racked up more than 7,500 retweets, likes and replies.

Mackenzie's original tweet read: 'Most 23 year olds: partying every weekend, eating fast food, binge watching Netflix, living day by day.

Unbothered: Mackenzie said that she was use to taking heat and wanted to be polarizing

Mackenzie, pictured taking a selfie in the gym, said that she works out everyday and can't understand why others her age don't

'Me: starting my own business, optimizing my health, learning new skills, developing a growth mindset, at the gym everyday.

'We are not the same.'

Thousands of people responded to the tweet with their own thoughts, most of which appearing to take offence at her choice of words.

One Twitter user wrote: 'Knocking others down to build yourself up? Perhaps work a little on that growth mindset.'

'See you've also developed your mindset to being a cow,' added another.

'Imagine being 23, the age when you're probably most free in terms of lack of responsibility combined with disposable income, and not enjoying yourself,' said a third.

Thousands of people responded to the tweet with their own thoughts, most of which appearing to take offence at her choice of words.

A fourth penned: 'It's not some great achievement to be grinding 24/7 at a time when it's totally acceptable to relax and enjoy yourself.'

Mackenzie's reference to partying did not go unnoticed, either, with one writing: 'Babe we're over a year into a global pandemic. Who the f**k is partying every weekend at this point.'

Another user tweeted: 'I swear the only people that talk like this is pyramid scheme idiots.'

One respondent added: 'I can't wait for these tragic people to hit 60 and be in the same jobs as the rest of us and realize they wasted their 20s.

'So egotistical, so judgement, so arrogant.'
President Biden's remarks will be delivered via taped video message during the opening plenary period beginning at 10:15 a.m. EDT and streamed through the company's VRTX platform. This is the third time a sitting U.S. president will address the conference during their term. Former presidential speakers have included Donald J. Trump in 2019 and Barack Obama in 2016. Former President Bill Clinton addressed attendees in 2018.

"President Biden's participation in the Summit signals that the addiction crisis is a top priority for the administration and underscores its gravity," said Doug Edwards, vice president, HMP Global, who directs the company's Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network. "Our country is facing many simultaneous crises and the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the addiction crisis. Treatment, rehabilitation, and public health programs across the country were disrupted by the pandemic, deepening the dangerous isolation faced by many Americans who suffer with substance use disorders. We are very grateful that the President will address the stakeholders working every day to find solutions that end this public health emergency."

In addition to President Biden, the Summit's presenter lineup features sixteen members of Congress, two governors, and other leading confirmed or acting agency officials, including:

Hal Rogers , U.S. Congressman, Kentucky's 5th Congressional District, who launched Operation UNITE, the original organizer of and now educational advisor for the Summit

, U.S. Congressman, 5th Congressional District, who launched Operation UNITE, the original organizer of and now educational advisor for the Summit Marsha Blackburn , United States Senator, State of Tennessee

, Senator, Roy Blunt , United States Senator, State of Missouri

, Senator, Joe Manchin , United States Senator, State of West Virginia

, Senator, Shelley Moore Capito , United States Senator, State of West Virginia

, Senator, Bill Cassidy , United States Senator, State of Louisiana

, Senator, Ed Markey , United States Senator, State of Massachusetts

, Senator, Mitch McConnell , United States Senator, State of Kentucky

, Senator, Michael C. Burgess , U.S. Congressman, Texas' 26th Congressional District

, U.S. Congressman, 26th Congressional District Larry Bucshon , U.S. Congressman, Indiana's 8th Congressional District

, U.S. Congressman, 8th Congressional District Buddy Carter , U.S. Congressman, Georgia's 1st Congressional District

, U.S. Congressman, 1st Congressional District Tom Cole , U.S. Congressman, Oklahoma's 4th Congressional District

, U.S. Congressman, 4th Congressional District Betty McCollum , U.S. Congresswoman, Minnesota's 4th Congressional District

, U.S. Congresswoman, 4th Congressional District Markwayne Mullin , U.S. Congressman, Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District

, U.S. Congressman, 2nd Congressional District Lori Trahan , U.S. Congresswoman, Massachusetts , 3rd Congressional District

, U.S. Congresswoman, , 3rd Congressional District David Trone , U.S. Congressman, Maryland's 6th Congressional District

, U.S. Congressman, 6th Congressional District Andy Beshear , Governor of Kentucky

, Governor of Bill Lee , Governor of Tennessee

, Governor of Regina LaBelle , Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

, Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Francis S. Collins , MD, PhD, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

, MD, PhD, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Nora Volkow , MD, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

, MD, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Admiral Charles W. Ray , Vice Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard

, Vice Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard Rochelle P. Walensky , MD, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

, MD, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) D. Christopher Evans , Acting Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

, Acting Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Janet Woodcock , MD, Acting Commissioner, Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

The soaring death rate from drug overdoses hit a grim new record in 2020. The latest provisional data from the CDC show there were 88,000 opioid overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in August 2020, a 26.8% increase, year-over-year, and the highest number ever recorded in a 12-month period. More than 220 Americans are dying every day from overdoses. In parts of the country in 2020, drug-related fatalities were on track to outpace deaths from COVID-19. Deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have also surged and appear to be the primary driver of the death increases. In 2020, ten western states reported a more than 98 percent increase in synthetic opioid-involved deaths.

These deaths do not reflect the full public health impact of substance use disorders. Individuals who misuse drugs or alcohol are more likely to develop chronic health conditions, experience poorer health outcomes, and have contact with the criminal justice system. The costs are high: The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that substance use disorders account for more than $400 billion annually related to healthcare, lost work productivity, and crime. Effective care, including access to programs that provide medication-assisted treatment, remain a challenge for most to access, particularly when public health and healthcare programs that focused on addiction were forced to pivot to the COVID-19 response and could also face future budget cuts.

"Everyone and every community need to see this for what it isnot only a public health crisis, but a personal one. Those who are lost or who are suffering are our friends, family members, and neighborsno one is immune to the effects of this horrific epidemic," said Nancy Hale, President & CEO, Operation UNITE. "Our priority is to do everything we can to equip people to save lives in their communities. We are grateful to President Biden for his participation and his voice. Tackling this crisis will take time, action, innovative approaches, and everyone working together. Even with the significant challenges we face in this uphill battle, we must not lose sight of one thing  hope."

To register and learn more about the meeting, visit rx-summit.com. For Press access, please visit rx-summit.com/press-center or contact the Rx Summit Press Office at [email protected].

ABOUT HMP GLOBAL

HMP Global is the force behind Healthcare Made Practicaland is a multichannel leader in healthcare events and education, with a mission to improve patient care. The company produces accredited medical education events  in person and online via its VRTX virtual platform  and clinically relevant, evidence-based content for the global healthcare community across a range of therapeutic areas. Its brands include Consultant360, the year-round, award-winning platform relied upon by primary care providers and other specialists; Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S.; EMS World Expo, North America's largest EMT and paramedic event; and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. For more information, visit hmpglobal.com.

SOURCE HMP Global

Related Links

http://hmpglobal.com


Amid a chaotic situation across during the second phase of the state Assembly polls, the voter turnout here reached 60.97 per cent till 3

Bankura registered the highest voter turnout among all districts with 64.73 per cent, while Prathampratima beat other constituencies to register a voter turnout of 75.15 per cent.

Voting for the second phase of the Assembly election began at 7 am on Thursday.

A chaotic situation unraveled in the state as all major political parties blamed each other for booth capturing, while sporadic incidents of violence were reported in several constituencies, especially Nandigram.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to Nandigram during her high-stakes battle against her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari created an intense scene and hundreds of people gathered there and sloganeered loudly.

Meanwhile, a media personnel vehicle was vandalised in Nandigram by unidentified miscreants, for which Adhikari blamed Pakistanis.

In phase-II, a total of 30 Assembly constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur are heading in to vote.

Out of the 171 candidates in the fray, 152 are men and the remaining are women. It means only 11 per cent of the candidates are women.

Among these candidates, two are undoubtedly the most prominent figures, that is, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year.

Nandigram is experiencing the most high-profile contest with Banerjee and Adhikari taking on each other. Adhikari had earlier pledged that he would quit politics if he does not defeat Mamata Banerjee by 50,000 votes in Nandigram.

(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.)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have held a telephone conversation to discuss the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Kremlin press service said in a statement on Thursday.

"The parties discussed the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and were pleased to note that the situation is generally stable and there are no violations of the ceasefire," the statement reads.

According to the Kremlin press service, Putin and Aliyev took into account Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuks Baku talks when considering efforts to boost economic and transport ties in the South Caucasus based on the statement that the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia had made on November 9, 2020.

"In this regard, the parties welcomed the activities of the Working Group co-chaired by the three countries deputy prime ministers," TASS cited the statement as saying.
Six months ahead of a planned presidential election and with physical attacks on government critics mounting, Uzbekistan has criminalized "insult and slander" of the president in digital and online form.

The Uzbek Justice Ministry announced the immediate implementation of the defamation clauses via Telegram on March 31 and said offenders could face up to five years in prison.

It cited amendments to that post-Soviet Central Asian republic's Criminal Code and legislation signed the previous day by President Shavkat Mirziyoev, who took over in a disputed handover after the death of his long-serving predecessor in 2016.

The changes also threaten up to five years in prison for public calls for mass disorder and violence and up to 10 years in prison for doing so in groups using media, telecommunication networks, or the Internet.

Mirziyoev's first term expires later this year, but he is expected to run for a second term.

He took over as head of the Central Asia's most populous state, with 32 million citizens, after authoritarian leader Islam Karimov's death was announced in September 2016.

Mirziyoev has since positioned himself as a reformer, releasing political prisoners and opening his country to its neighbors and the outside world, although many activists say the changes have not gone nearly far enough.

Although Mirziyoev has said he is not against having opposition political groups in Uzbekistan, it has been nearly impossible for genuine opposition parties to get registered since the country gained independence in late 1991.

As if to underscore the problem as the new clampdown on defamation came into effect, unknown assailants attacked activists for a freshly created opposition group called Truth And Development on April 1 while supporters were gathering signatures in support of registration by the Justice Ministry.

The attackers beat activists and destroyed tables and chairs set up outside the new party's offices.

Meanwhile, international watchdog group Human Rights Watch (HRW) on March 31 urged Uzbek authorities to find and punish those responsible for a "vicious attack" this week on a blogger and popular critic of the government, Miraziz Bazarov.

Bazarov had recently spoken out for LGBT rights before he was attacked by a group of men outside his home in Tashkent on March 28.

The police should thoroughly and impartially investigate this violent assault on Miraziz Bazarov, examining all possible motivations, HRW Europe and Central Asia Director Hugh Williamson said, adding, "At a time when homophobia is on the rise in Uzbekistan, its critical for the authorities to bring those responsible to justice."

The next presidential election in Uzbekistan will be held on October 24.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
Protesters on Wednesday laid siege to the restaurant in Tbilisi that hosted a Russian birthday party and pelted it with eggs - Davit Kachkachishvili/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The Kremlin has warned Russians not to travel to Georgia after protesters pelted eggs at the holiday party of a Russian news anchor on his birthday.

An angry mob on Wednesday night laid siege to an upscale hotel in central Tbilisi where Vladimir Pozner, a prominent Russian TV host, was having dinner the night before his birthday.

Protests were spurred by several Georgian politicians who insisted that the 87-year-old journalist was not welcome in Georgia after he said in 2010 that people of the breakaway region of Abkhazia do not seem to want to be part of Georgia.

The Kremlin on Thursday condemned the attack, raising concerns about the safety of Russian tourists. The neighbouring country is a popular getaway destination for Russians.

Georgia is dangerous for Russian citizens, and Russians should be fully aware of it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, thanking Georgian police for providing security for the TV host.

Russia and Georgia have been at loggerheads since 2008 when they fought a brief war which ended in the declaration of independence by two breakaway republics, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, not recognised by the United Nations. Russia propped up both but stopped short of formally annexing them.

Georgian protesters camped out by Pozners hotel on Wednesday night, making noise and chanting insults against Russian President Vladimir Putin, local media reported.

Later that evening, Pozner, who hosts a talk show on a state-owned TV channel, was having dinner with his guests at another hotel when the angry activists showed up, switched off the light in the entire building and pelted it with eggs in front of the police that stood by.

Pozner and his guests, who were reportedly planning to stay for the weekend, left for the airport with a police escort in the early hours on Thursday as the TV host turned 87.

Georgian authorities insisted that Pozner was free to travel to Georgia but they ended up fining him and several members of his holiday party for dining at the restaurant well after the coronavirus curfew.

Story continues

Pozner, who was filmed on Wednesday evening accosted by Georgian reporters, on Thursday refuted reports that he was fined for breaking Covid-19 regulations.

Wednesdays protests against the Russian TV host reflect a deep resentment of large swathes of Georgia over what they see as the Russian occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Relations between Russia and Georgia have improved in recent years as the Georgian government, which is criticised by some as pro-Moscow, has been eager to expand its tourist sector thanks to nearly two million Russian tourists who visit every year.

Anxious to shore up its economy battered by coronavirus lockdowns, Georgia earlier this year said it would welcome Russian tourists this spring and would not force them to quarantine on arrival as long as they test negative for Covid-19.

The Georgian government was quick to distance itself from the incident, blaming it on former President Mikhail Saakashvili, the bete noire of Georgian politics.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday accused Mr Saakashvili and his party of acts of sabotage and causing the maximum damage to Georgia.

The actions of extremists were perpetrated at the time when our country was opening up for tourists, Mr Garibashvili said.

The attack is reminiscent of the 2019 protests in Tbilisi when opposition activists were endangered by the appearance of a Russian lawmaker at the countrys parliament. The protests soon turned into clashes, causing a diplomatic scandal and a temporary suspension of flights between Russia and Georgia.
Kabul, April 1 : About 60 people lost their lives and many others wounded in targeted attacks across Afghanistan in March, according to official figures released on Thursday.

On a single day on Wednesday, seven people were killed in separate targeted killings across the country, according to the figures published by Xinhua news agency.

The increased targeted attacks in recent months have caused concern among the ordinary people, particularly government employees and members of security forces.

On Tuesday, three female health workers were shot dead as gunmen opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province.

On March 21, Zubair Lalandari, a senior official of office of the Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, and four of his family members were killed in a bomb attack on the outskirts of Kabul.

No groups or individuals have claimed responsibility for nearly all of the recent targeted attacks.

However, Afghan officials accuse the Taliban militant group for the attacks.

On March 17, the personnel of National Directorate of Security (NDS), the country's national intelligence agency, arrested a 12-member terrorist group in Lashkar Gah, who were involved in a string of targeted killings and bomb attacks in Helmand.

About 60 people were killed and many others wounded in targeted killings across the insurgency-hit country in February.
Los Angeles County could be on track to achieving herd immunity by the end of June, the county's Public Health Director said on Wednesday.

Dr. Barbara Ferrer said that, based on numbers from the federal government, L.A. County will reach 80 per cent vaccine coverage among residents over 16 years old in the next 12 weeks.

That would put the county within the overall 70-85 per cent immunity through both vaccinations and infections which Dr Anthony Fauci has said is required for herd immunity.

'If L.A. County receives 500,000 doses a week, 80 per cent vaccination of 16 and over can happen in just 12 more weeks,' Ferrer said during a presentation.

In a press release on Wednesday, L.A. County Public Health said that more than 4,000,000 vaccines had been administered in the county, with 1,323,686 people having received their second dose.

Los Angeles County could be on track to achieving herd immunity by the end of June. The county's Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said on Wednesday that, based on numbers from the federal government, L.A. County will reach 80 per cent vaccine coverage among residents over 16 years old in the next 12 weeks [File photo]

The county has given 4,434,120 vaccines to its population of about 10million people - more than any other county in California.

L.A. County has recorded 1.22million cases of coronavirus and 23,143 deaths from Covid-19 since the pandemic began last year.

Ferrer said that between 30 and 40 per cent of county residents had already been infected with coronavirus, contributing to the county's overall immunity.

This week, Fauci referred to a study that suggested 45 per cent of people in Los Angeles have Covid-19 antibodies.

Deadline reports that if the majority of that 45 per cent had not been vaccinated, the number of L.A. residents under 16 with immunity from having been exposed to the virus could be about 10 per cent of the county's total population.

Ferrer said that 80 per cent of the remaining population over 16 should be vaccinated by late June.

Deadline estimated that that would cover 64 per cent of all residents, which added to the 10 per cent under 16 makes 74 per cent of the county's population - within Fauci's 70-85 per cent guideline for herd immunity.

L.A. County has recorded 1.22million cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began last year

At least 23,143 people have died from Covid-19 in L.A. County since the pandemic began last year

Ferrer's projection is based on the county receiving an average of 576,000 doses each week until the end of June.

Projections from the federal government indicated that the county would receive 500,000 doses this week and for the following two weeks, and then rising to 600,000 and 700,000.

'We got the most vaccines this week being administered than we ever have before,' she said, adding that the county was well set up to vaccinate large numbers of people at all times.

'We have capacity here. We're never going to be a situation here where we get additional doses and we can't immediately get them in people's arms,' she said.

While the county received more doses than ever this week, according to Ferrer, its infrastructure has been adapted to cope with delivering doses at 630,000 appointments a week.

In a press release on Wednesday, L.A. County Public Health said that more than 4,000,000 vaccines had been administered in the county, with 1,323,686 people having received their second dose. Pictured: A woman received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Los Angeles on March 25 [File photo]

Variants of the coronavirus have been detected in L.A. County and it is unclear whether immunity to the original strain will also protect people from these new forms.

On Wednesday, Ferrer also announced that L.A. County was moving down from the red tier to the orange tier, with some easing of restrictions from Monday.

Under the orange tier there will be more capacity at stores, movie theaters, restaurants and other attractions.

Bars that don't serve food will also be able to open for outdoor service.

California has maintained strict lockdown restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus.
The industry as a whole has changed dramatically in the five years or six years since we started, said Steve Weisman, 34, a Grassroots partner and CEO of Windy City. We didnt have an exit plan when we began, but it would have been hard to predict that this is how we would have ended up.
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SANTA FE  A private Christian camp in northern New Mexico wont be hosting immigrant children from the U.S.-Mexico border for the foreseeable future, camp officials said Thursday.

At this point were not moving forward as an (Emergency Intake Site) location, Chief Financial Officer Patrick Price told The Associated Press.

Earlier this week, a page on the Glorieta Camps website had stated that the organization was asked by the White House and U.S. Health and Human Services Department to house and feed potentially 2,400 unaccompanied children at its property near Santa Fe.

Glorieta Camps officials had said Wednesday that the organization was prepared to take children this week but only for around 60 days to avoid curtailing its summer programs.

Camp employees and other groups had been calling on the public to help provide supplies and were seeking volunteers to help care for the kids. Social media posts and emails were requesting toiletries, bath towels, water bottles and clothes for 13- to 17-year-old boys.

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Camp officials said Thursday they were encouraged by the response of supporters over recent days and that all donations and supplies received so far will be held until they get confirmation of if or when the camp may become a host site in the future. If that does not happen, the supplies will be sent to another site.

The White House is under increasing pressure to reduce crowding at immigration detention facilities, particularly those housing children. The Biden administration has scrambled to set up temporary shelters everywhere from military bases to convention centers and a converted camp for oil field workers.

The New Mexico camp is run by a Christian faith-based nonprofit called Glorieta 2.0. The sprawling property borders national forest land that includes hiking trails and vistas where visitors can commune with nature.
Dear Mr. Metaxas,

Your support of unfounded COVID-19 anti-vaccine claims is dangerous.

Not quite a year ago we warned President Trumps actions encouraging churches to reopen without proper guidance during the pandemic was dangerous, especially for the Evangelical church. Now, we are writing you out of similar concern for the way youve been spreading misinformation and discouraging COVID-19 vaccines.

Our team at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, the countrys first Evangelical disaster research center, launched our COVID-19 response weeks ahead of the WHO pandemic declaration. More than a year later, our team continues to walk alongside Evangelical churches, equipping leaders with tools, resources, and trainings. Out of this experience weve seen the dangers of COVID-19 misinformation first-hand.

Several of our research studies have shown that the pandemic not only negatively impacts peoples physical health, but also their spiritual and emotional health. Moreover, a recent study shows that white Evangelicals are less likely to get vaccinated against the pandemic than Black protestants.

Your continued spreading of this sort of misinformation is damaging the Evangelical churchs witness to Christand youre not the only oneother white Evangelicals are also buying into anti-vaccine untruths.

Several years ago in your bestselling book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, you wrote: Things do exist that are worth standing up for without compromise. To me it seems that peace and social justice are such things, as is Christ himself. But instead of standing up for such ideals, your words have sown division and injustice, from spreading unfounded voter fraud claims in the last presidential election to COVID-19 vaccine falsehoods.

Considering the surge in Christian nationalism and COVID-19 cases in the United States, its imperative that Evangelical leaders speak out against mistruths that threaten the mind, body, and soul of our countryand the Evangelical Christian church.

Micah 6:8 is one of the Scripture verses weve found helpful for addressing dangerous retric like these recent falsehoods aimed at white Evangelicals: He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? This Scripture verse reminds us that Christians testify through our words and actions. Who and what we supportor stay silent aboutis a form of testifying.

When you and others not only promote false information about vaccines, but actually encourage others to pass it on, this undermines the testimony of people whose purpose is to testify to the one who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Among other things, these words and actions disparages the image of God in which each of us was created.

This leads us to our final point: what we say is important, and so is how we say it. Jesus emptied himself...he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of deatheven death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). This relates of course to Micah 6:8 saying one of the most important things about living is to walk humbly with God. The hubris and lack of humility by some white Evangelicals on display as they espouse conspiracy ideology only compounds the damage being done onto others.

Supporting, or staying silent about lies circulating about COVID-19 vaccines is not a sign of living a humble life. In a controlled laboratory study, we paired together people who fundamentally disagreed about a contentious religious issue to engage on the topic. Even in a setting specifically designed to create tense interactions because of varying beliefs, participants reported feeling higher levels of closeness and trust toward discussion partners who exhibited higher perceived levels of humility.

Downplaying the threat of COVID-19 is dismissive of the suffering so many have experienced at the hands of this disease is the opposite of loving kindness. For Evangelicals who follow Jesus, this is unacceptable. God has gifted us with an incredible capacity to love our neighbors, including through science and modern advances in medicine like COVID-19 vaccines--pass it on.
document

The annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices  the Human Rights Reports  cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements. The U.S. Department of State submits reports on all countries receiving assistance and all United Nations member states to the U.S. Congress in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trade Act of 1974.

Later this year, the Department of State will release an addendum to each 2020 country report that expands the subsection on women in Section 6, entitled Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons, to include a broader range of issues related to reproductive rights. The addendum will cover maternal health issues such as maternal mortality, government policy adversely affecting access to contraception, access to skilled healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth, access to emergency healthcare, and discrimination against women in accessing sexual and reproductive health care, including for sexually transmitted infections. These topics were included in previous Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, and they will be included again in future years.

I am honored to release the 45th annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and to reaffirm the United States commitment to placing human rights at the center of our foreign policy. The cause of human rights, freedom, and dignity is close to the American heart. As President Biden emphasized, We must start with diplomacy rooted in Americas most cherished democratic values: defending freedom, championing opportunity, upholding universal rights, respecting the rule of law, and treating every person with dignity. Transparency and accountability are integral to this process. By documenting the status of human rights around the world each year, the U.S. Department of State provides objective and comprehensive information to Congress, civil society, academics, activists, and people everywhere  all of whom have roles to play in promoting human rights and accountability for rights abuses and violations.

The 2020 report reflects the unique challenges that nations had to confront as the COVID-19 virus spread throughout the world. The pandemic impacted not only individuals health, but their abilities to safely enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms. Some governments used the crisis as a pretext to restrict rights and consolidate authoritarian rule. Other governments relied on democratic values and processes, including a free press, transparency, and accountability, to inform and protect their citizens. Women and children faced heightened risk as the prevalence of gender-based and domestic violence increased due to lockdowns and the loss of traditional social protections. Other marginalized populations, including older persons, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ persons, experienced particular vulnerability.

Human rights are interdependent, and the deprivation of one right can cause the broader fabric of a society to fray. Despite potential risks to their health or threats of arrest or other repercussions, people around the world demanded that governments respect their human rights and inherent dignity. From Hong Kong to Belarus, from Nigeria to Venezuela, people assembled in the streets. They called for governmental protection of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, safeguards for free and fair elections, and an end to discrimination.

Too many people continued to suffer under brutal conditions in 2020. In China, government authorities committed genocide against Uyghurs, who are predominantly Muslim, and crimes against humanity including imprisonment, torture, enforced sterilization, and persecution against Uyghurs and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups. Assads atrocities against the people of Syria continued unabated, and this year marks ten years of their struggles to live in dignity and freedom. The war in Yemen has driven millions to extreme humanitarian need, preventing them from exercising many of their basic rights. The Russian government has targeted political dissidents and peaceful protestors, while official corruption remained rampant. The corruption of Nicolas Maduro increased the dire humanitarian crisis of the Venezuelan people.

In Nicaragua, the corrupt Ortega regime passed increasingly repressive laws that limit severely the ability of opposition political groups, civil society, and independent media to operate. Meanwhile in Cuba, government restrictions continued to suppress the freedoms of expression, association, religion or belief, and movement. State-sanctioned violence in Zimbabwe against civil society activists, labor leaders, and opposition members continued a culture of impunity, and LGBTQI+ persons continued to be vulnerable to violence, discrimination, and harassment due to criminalization and stigma associated with same-sex sexual conduct. In Turkmenistan, citizens criticizing the government faced possible arrest for treason, and the whereabouts of more than 100 political prisoners remain unknown.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Africa Governance External Relations By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

These and other ongoing rights abuses cause untold damage well beyond the borders of any single country; unchecked human rights abuses anywhere can contribute to a sense of impunity everywhere. That is precisely why this Administration has placed human rights front and center in its foreign policy. Recognizing that there is work to be done at home, we are also striving to live up to our highest ideals and principles and are committed to working toward a fairer and more just society in the United States. We all have work to do, and we must use every tool available to foster a more peaceful and just world.

- Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

For more, click here.
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The European Union has approached India in a bid to buy 10million doses of the AstraZeneca jab from its Serum Institute, as the bloc desperately scrambles to procure more vaccine supplies.

Britain has already blamed India's export ban for delaying the shipment of five million doses to the UK and restricting the country's vaccine drive to mainly administering second doses to the over-50s in April.

Brussels looks unlikely to fare any better, however an India Government official revealed the EU's ambassador in Delhi made the advance around two weeks ago to accelerate the rollout across the bloc, which is lagging behind international allies.

'The EU ambassador wrote a letter, saying, please give us (export) approvals,' said a government source told Reuters.

Europe's vaccination programme has been beset with supply and take-up issues that has left leaders in Brussels thrashing out at the UK and big pharma.

A senior EU official has threatened to block all AstraZeneca supplies from entering Britain until the drugmaker ups its deliveries to the bloc.

Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe.

The bloc last week backed down from a vaccine export ban to the UK, and the government has insisted it is 'confident' in its supply. Britain's AstraZeneca doses are currently all produced domestically, and Pfizer jabs are imported from the EU.

But Mr Breton's words shot down hopes that Brussels and London could split doses made at one of the firm's major factories in the Netherlands, saying 'there is nothing to negotiate' between the two parties.

EU chiefs are furious that AstraZeneca has missed its delivery targets by tens of millions of doses, accusing the Anglo-Swedish firm of breaching its contract, while a third wave of coronavirus surges surge across Europe with a third lockdown beginning in France at the weekend and similar calls being made in Germany.

Downing Street claims its deal with the drug giant for 100million doses means the UK gets first access to supplies from the Halix plant, but has suggested sharing them as part of a peace offering to the EU.

Mr Breton told the FT EU-made doses must be reserved for the bloc to make up for the shortfall, adding: 'If [AstraZeneca] does more, we don't have any issue, but as long as it doesn't deliver its commitment to us, the doses stay in Europe  except for Covax.'

UK Government sources described his comments as 'disappointing' and accused him of 'not respecting lawful contracts'. They claimed the only way to get through the pandemic was to find a 'win-win'.

In an attempt to calm cross-Channel tensions, the EU's former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier urged his colleagues to end the vaccine war last night. In his last speech representing the European Commission, Mr Barnier said the fight against Covid was 'more than speed of vaccination'.

Tory MP Craig Mackinlay told MailOnline it was 'bizarre' that major EU member states had banned the AstraZeneca vaccines over small blood clot risks, yet were 'up in arms that they haven't got enough of it'.

Meanwhile, Pfizer has slammed the extended powers allowing the EU to block exports of its vaccines and claims the move has 'caused a significant administrative burden' to the rollout of the vaccine. The drug company's vice-president for global supply, Danny Hendrikse, described how export controls introduced in February had affected the production of its vaccine and created 'some uncertainty' on the free movement of its goods.

Where Britain's vaccine doses are made: AstraZeneca doses (yellow) are mainly produced domestically while Pfizer's are imported from Europe. Moderna's will start to be shipped from n Switzerland, which is not an EU member and so not under the EU's jurisdiction, as well as in Spain

This chart shows how Britain is still racing ahead of the EU in vaccinating its population against Covid-19, more than three months after the continent started its jab programme

The UK has vaccinated more than 30million people with their first dose of Covid vaccine and fully immunised 4m

Thierry Breton (left), the EU's internal market commissioner, said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe. In a last ditch attempt to calm cross-Channel tensions, the EU's former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (right) last nigth urged his colleagues to end the vaccine war

Downing Street claims its deal with the drug giant for 100million doses means the UK gets first access to supplies from the Seneffe (left) and Halix (right) plants, but has suggested sharing them as part of a peace offering with the EU

Europe's vaccine roll-out is 'unacceptably slow and prolonging the pandemic', WHO warns Europe's vaccine roll-out has been condemned for being 'unacceptably slow' and blamed for 'prolonging the pandemic' by the World Health Organisation. 'Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic ... However, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow' and is 'prolonging the pandemic', WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge said today. He added that Europe's outbreak was 'more worrying than we have seen in several months.' The EU is facing soaring infections - France yesterday imposed its third national lockdown and there are similar calls in Germany - as countries face a lack of vaccine doses which are being centrally allocated by Brussels. The Bloc failed to order enough doses or grant vaccines swift approval and is now facing a crisis of confidence in the AstraZeneca jab - which leaders like Emmanuel Macron helped fuel during the EU's bitter row with Britain over supplies. Europe's medicines regulator yesterday slapped down fresh doubts raised in Germany after hospitals in Berlin and Munich banned the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over sporadic cases of deadly blood clots. But as Germany joined other states like France in banning use of AstraZeneca, EU officials today continued their rancorous threats to block exports of the vaccine to Britain until they get the doses they believe they are owed. Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the Continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe. He shot down hopes that Brussels and London could split doses made at the firm's two major factories in Belgium and the Netherlands, saying 'there is nothing to negotiate' between the two parties. Advertisement

The US firm, which supplies more than 70 countries with the injections including the UK, must now seek approval from the European Commission before exporting its jabs and must notify the Belgian government in advance about every parcel.

It comes as one of the UK Government's top vaccine advisers said the benefits of taking the AstraZeneca vaccine are 'massively greater than the risks', amid fears over a tiny number of vaccinated people who suffered brain blood clots. Professor Adam Finn, who sits on No10's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said all vaccines and medicines come with some risk, but added they were 'very, very small risks'.

On Tuesday night, Germany became the latest EU nation to suspend AstraZeneca's coronavirus jab for people under 60 after a small number of vaccinated people developed deadly brain clots. France, Norway and Spain have also restricted its use in certain age groups.

The EU's medical watchdog once again threw its support behind the Oxford University-developed vaccine, saying there was still no proof it had caused the clots and that the patients might have suffered them regardless of the jab.

There were fears that the bans across Europe would fuel vaccine hesitancy in the UK, but it emerged today that more than 99 per cent of Britons have turned up to their second jab appointments so far, with the majority getting the AZ jab.

The increasing uncertainty surrounding the movement of the vaccines comes after Boris Johnson last week warned Brussels that companies could pull investment in the EU if it follows through on threats of an 'arbitrary' blockade on vaccine exports to the UK.

The PM said businesses would 'draw conclusions' about the bloc's commitment to the law and free trade after Brussels unveiled draconian new rules seemingly targeting Britain's rollout.

Mr Hendrikse told The Times: 'It has caused a significant administrative burden and some uncertainty. Ultimately what we would like our colleagues to do is to focus on making and distributing the vaccine.'

Meanwhile, the Sun reported today that 99.25 per cent of Brits have turned up for their second Covid jab, with yesterday marking the first time more top-ups were administered than first doses since the rollout began.

Latest official figures show 270,526 vulnerable Brits got their second injection on Tuesday  meaning the total number of fully vaccinated Brits stands at 4.1million.

April is expected to the be a month of second doses because millions are due their second jab as the 12 week deadline approaches.

It comes despite several major EU countries banning AstraZeneca's vaccine after a small number of people suffered blood clots. It was feared the bans would fuel jab hesitancy in the UK and lead to more people turning down their second appointments.

How badly would the UK's vaccine drive suffer if the EU blocked exports? If the European Union blocked all exports of coronavirus vaccines made on its turf, Britain could remain self-sufficient and still get jabs to the entire population. However, it could come under pressure on second dose supply because it relies on importing Pfizer's jab from Belgium. WHICH VACCINES ARE MADE IN THE EU? The Pfizer/BioNTech jab is currently the only vaccine used in the UK but manufactured in the EU, at the company's plant in Puurs, Belgium and BioNTech factories in Germany. AstraZeneca's jab is made at home in England and Wales. Moderna's  which will become available next week  is produced in Switzerland, which is not an EU member and so not under the EU's jurisdiction. CAN WE RELY ON ASTRAZENECA? The good news is that the UK has ordered so many doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab  100million  that in a worst-case scenario it could immunise the entire adult population (around 50million people) using that one alone. And the majority of these can be made in England and Wales, although ministers had hoped to boost it with imports from the Netherlands and India, which are now facing problems. WHAT ABOUT PFIZER SECOND DOSES? The bad news is that around 11million people have already had at least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and the majority of them are still waiting for a second jab, which are likely only to come from within the EU. The UK has already stopped giving out the Pfizer vaccine to first-time patients so it can prioritise all the supplies - which are now in danger of grinding to a halt - for existing patients' second doses. Pfizer and the UK Government have both refused to comment on the supply chain but deliveries were already expected to be smaller in April. Pfizer declined to comment on its supply chain but said: 'In the UK, we are continuing to liaise closely with the Government to deliver the 40million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that we have committed to supply before the end of the year and can confirm that overall projected supply remains the same for quarter one (January to March).' Advertisement

Europe's medical watchdog yesterday slapped down Germany for suspending AstraZeneca's coronavirus jab for people under 60.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said there was 'no evidence' to support Berlin halting the jab for people under 60, adding that the benefits of protecting against Covid outweigh the risk of extremely rare brain clots.

Analysis by the regulator found just 62 out of 9.1million people vaccinated with the jab worldwide had developed the brain clot, known as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis  a rate of about five per million. Forty-four of them were in Europe.

Emer Cooke, the EMA's executive director, told a press conference yesterday afternoon there was no proof the vaccine had caused CSVT in any of the cases and admitted those people might have developed the condition regardless.

The EMA's ruling puts the watchdog at odds with many other major EU member states which have also restricted the jab's rollout in certain age groups, including France, Spain and Norway.

Asked about the potential risk for blood clots with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the JCVI's Professor Finn said today: 'I think one thing we can say at this moment is that the benefits (of the vaccine) outweigh the risk.

'As things stand, the risks of Covid, and of blood clots indeed caused by Covid, are massively greater than the risks that may conceivably exist as a result of receiving this vaccine.

'We are in a state of uncertainty at this point about all of this. We don't know for sure about the causal relationship. And we don't really know, critically, what the mechanism is and so what implication that might have even for other vaccines.'

Many vaccines currently in use 'do have very rare, unexpected serious side effects but we still use them because the balance of risk and benefit is greatly in favour of using them,' he added.

'It could turn out that that's the case for either one or even more than one of the vaccines we've developed against Covid. So, it is always in the end a matter of balancing risk and benefit.

'Just as we all get up in the morning and go to work and take a mortal risk  we find that acceptable because we might die in a car accident or be knocked down by a bus. We have to get used to the idea that using vaccines and drugs and medicines is not without risk, but they're very, very small risks, and the risks of not using them is obviously much greater.'

Reports of CSVT have been most common in Germany, where 31 out of 2.7million vaccinated people suffered the deadly brain clot  a rate of one in 90,000. The cases, which were almost entirely in younger women, led to the nation banning the vaccine in under-60s.

Ms Cooke said the rate of the blood clots could be one in 100,000 for people under 60 and that this did appear higher than the normal population risk, although there was still no solid link to the jab, only a 'possible' one.

While the reasons for the higher prevalence in Germany aren't at all clear, the EMA revealed twice as many women had received AstraZeneca's jab in Europe than men, before adding that the people normally most at risk of CSVT are females aged 35 to 45.

Until recently Germany had suspended the AZ jab for over-60s due to initial fears about blood clots. It raises the possibility that the rates of CSVT among vaccinated people Germany can be explained by more women who are susceptible to the condition being targeted by the rollout.

Ms Cooke said: 'At present, the experts have advised us that they have not been able to identify specific risk factors, including age, gender or previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events.

'And, as I mentioned previously, a causal link of the vaccine has not yet been proven but it is possible, and further analysis is still ongoing. According to the current scientific knowledge, there is no evidence to support restricting the use of this vaccine in any population.'

Germany has reported significantly more cases of cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) than other major European countries and the reasons for it are unclear. The UK has vaccinated five times as many people but seen just one sixth as many CSVT cases, while France, Italy and Spain used the AstraZeneca jab on similar age groups but also had much lower rates of CSVT. There is still no evidence the vaccine is causing the condition, experts say

Emer Cooke, the EMA's executive director, told a press conference there was no proof the vaccine had caused CSVT in any of the cases and admitted those people might have developed the condition anyway

Several member states have paused rollouts of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a tiny number of inoculated people, predominantly women under 55, suffered deadly brain clots

GP surgeries, hospitals and supermarkets are set to be exempt from Covid vaccine passports as Boris Johnson prepares to announce more details of scheme on Monday

Hospitals, GP surgeries and supermarkets could be excluded from any Covid vaccine passport scheme, according to reports, as Boris Johnson prepares to announce more details of on Monday.

Ministers could create a list of 'essential' public buildings which could be banned from excluding members of the public who have not had a jab, according to the Times.

It comes as the Government is said to be looking at the idea of Covid status certificates 'increasingly seriously'.

The certificates will show if a person has been vaccinated, has recently tested negative, or has shown anti-bodies.

Pubs, bars and restaurants have previously been earmarked as businesses which may have to implement a Covid passport system.

That's despite objections from industry chiefs, as well as GP groups, who warn such a system could be 'discriminatory'.

Previous reports have suggested NHS workers could also be forced to have Covid jabs under plans being discussed by ministers.

Hospitals, GP surgeries and supermarkets could be excluded from any Covid vaccine passport scheme, according to reports, as Boris Johnson prepares to announce more details of on Monday

It comes as it was revealed yesterday that Britain's coronavirus infection rate is now significantly lower than 25 of the EU's 27 countries - as the UK's daily Covid cases plunge by 28 per cent in a week.

The vaccine passport system review is being led by Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and is not expected until Mid-June.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to provide a 'high level direction of travel' on any potential scheme as of Monday.

Ahead of the review Martin Marshall, head of the Royal College of GPs, has warned the system could 'widen existing inequalities' and heap extra work on GPs who are already struggling due the pandemic.

He told the Times: 'The college is not necessarily opposed to the introduction of some sort of opt-in proof of vaccination document to allow for international travel.

'Our concern about introducing certification for domestic use is that this risks negatively impacting on some patient groups more than others and by doing so widening existing inequalities, including health inequalities, in society.'

He also warned that any system must have an alternative to smart-phones for those who are less tech-savy.

It comes following earlier reports that suggest ministers are mulling a 'Covid clear' system for people to prove they have tested negative or had a vaccine help open up pubs and sporting events.

The idea is understood to be under consideration as part of the government's drive to get the country up and running again.

Mr Johnson previously cast doubt on the idea of 'vaccine passports' saying it could be 'discriminatory' against people who 'genuinely' refuse jabs or cannot have them for valid reasons.

His comments were echoed by vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, who repeatedly denied that there were plans to introduce them, saying they were 'discriminatory'.

And it has previously been suggested the passports were only to be used to unlock trip abroad after lockdown had finished.

But the PM has ordered Mr Gove to carry out a review of whether a wider system of Covid certification can be used to help reopen the UK.

One option understood to be on the table would involve businesses able to check test results on the NHS app. Individuals would be able to show that they have either had a jab or tested negative - maintaining their choice about vaccination.

Government sources stressed that no decisions have been taken and work is at an early stage.

But supporters say such a concept could help theatres, cinemas, sporting venues and workplaces get back towards normality more quickly.

On a visit to a school in South London this morning Mr Johnson said there were 'deep and complex issues' involved in taking the 'novel' step of asking people to prove things about their health to access businesses or services.

'We can't be discriminatory against people who for whatever reason people can't have the vaccine, there might be medical reasons why people can't have a vaccine,' he said.

'Or some people may genuinely refuse to have one. I think that's a mistake, I think everybody should have a vaccine, but we need to thrash all this out.'

Meanwhile, Sir Jonathan Montgomery, who has led an evidence review into vaccine passports, said the idea would come too late to save summer because people would need two jabs to qualify and most young people won't have both until the autumn.

The University College London professor of healthcare law told BBC Radio 4's Today programme last month that there were three problems his research team had identified.

He said: 'The first is the scientific one - does it work, and that all depends on this information about risk of transmission. The second is a timing issue.

'We need to reopen the economy as quickly as it's safe to do so, and vaccine passports are not going to be useful until people have had their second vaccine.

'So it's not something that's going to solve the problem for summer 2021, because even on the fantastic achievements that we've had, the population that is going to use nightclubs is not going to have had its two vaccinations until at least the autumn, and we need everything open before then if we can.

'And then the third question is who gets excluded by this  so if you haven't been able to get the vaccine, you get excluded; if you for whatever reason are not appropriate to have the vaccine, or you have objections to using the vaccine, you get excluded; and those things are likely not to be evenly distributed across society.'

Sir Jonathan added that there were also 'knock-on effects', saying: 'Now if this was the only way of getting the clubs open, then we might trade off the intrusions into privacy, but if there are other ways of doing it, then we probably wouldn't want to have private information shared unnecessarily.'

In March month it was revealed that NHS workers could be forced to have Covid jabs under plans being discussed by ministers.

The review of vaccine passports will consider whether health staff who decline an injection could be legally obliged to have one.

The review is also expected to look at whether compulsion should apply to care home staff, most of whom are not employed by the state.

It comes as it was today revealed Britain's coronavirus infection rate is now significantly lower than 25 of the EU's 27 countries - as the UK's daily Covid cases plunge by 28 per cent in a week.

The UK's successful vaccine rollout means it is now in the best position of all major European nations, despite being the worst hit in January.

The weekly infection rate in France - where intensive care units are overwhelmed - is around eight times higher than in the UK.

But President Emmanuel Macron blamed the so-called 'British variant' for the country's surge in cases, saying it created 'a pandemic inside a pandemic' as France heads into its third national lockdown from Saturday.

He yesterday announced that all of mainland France will be under a 7pm curfew, working from home will be expected from those that can, gatherings will be limited, non-essential shops will be closed, and travel restrictions will be imposed.

In Germany, which recorded 23,681 cases on March 30, the infection rate is nearly three times higher.

Over the past week, the UK has recorded an average of 73 cases per one million people every day. This is a lower rate than all 27 EU nations apart from Denmark and Portugal, which have both adopted strict lockdowns.

Hungary, the worst affected EU nation, has a daily rate of 882 cases per one million.

In France it is 571, while the rate in the Netherlands is 449 and in Italy it is 334. As Europe battles a third wave, UK cases, deaths and hospitalisations have fallen to a six-month low.

On Wednesday, another 43 deaths and 4,052 cases were recorded. Deaths are now averaging 50 a day, down from a peak of 1,284 deaths on January 19. It also marked a 56 per cent week-on-week drop in deaths on last Wednesday.

The contrasting fortunes of Britain and mainland Europe are largely down to our successful vaccination programme. Nearly six in ten adults in the UK have now received at least one dose.

But across the EU, just 11 per cent of the population have been vaccinated.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens is urging all over-50s and younger people with health conditions yet to be vaccinated to book an appointment now.

Brazil sees 66,500 Covid deaths in one month - double the previous record - as it hits a new daily high toll of 3,869 fatalities

Brazil's coronavirus death toll spiralled out of control in March with more than 66,500 fatalities, doubling the country's previous monthly record, officials said.

In a sign of the devastation the virus is still causing in Brazil, daily deaths rose to a staggering 3,869 fatalities - the highest figure since the pandemic began.

Health experts say the explosion of coronavirus infections is partly driven by a local variant called P1, which can re-infect people who have had the original strain and is believed to be more contagious.

The country reported 66,573 people died of Covid-19 in March, which is more than twice as many fatalities as Brazil's second-deadliest month of the pandemic in July last year.

In a sign of the devastation the virus is still causing in Brazil, daily deaths rose to a staggering 3,869 fatalities - the highest figure since the pandemic began

Brazil's coronavirus death toll spiralled out of control in March with more than 66,500 fatalities, doubling the country's previous monthly record. Pictured: Cemetery workers lower the coffin of a Covid-19 victim in Sao Paulo, Brazil last night

Cemetery workers lower a coffin in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday night as the country is ravaged by coronavirus

'Never in Brazilian history have we seen a single event kill so many people [in one month],' said doctor Miguel Nicolelis, former pandemic response coordinator for Brazil's impoverished northeast.

With the southern hemisphere winter approaching and the virus spreading fast, Brazil is facing 'a perfect storm,' Dr Nicolelis said.

'That's a threat not just for Brazil but for the entire world.'

The P1 variant has spread to more than two dozen countries, including the US, UK and Japan.

As long as the pandemic continues to rage unchecked in Brazil, there is a risk that more variants could emerge in the country, researchers say.

The surge in Brazil has overwhelmed hospitals and forced doctors to make agonizing decisions over whom to give life-saving care - prioritizing those most likely to survive.

'We're at the worst moment of the pandemic, and indications are that April will be very bad, too,' said epidemiologist Ethel Maciel of Espirito Santo Federal University.

'The worst is yet to come,' she said.

Covid-19 beds in intensive care units are more than 90 per cent full in 18 of Brazil's 27 states, and another seven states are approaching that level.

At least 230 patients with suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 died waiting for a bed in intensive care in Sao Paulo this month, according to TV Globo.

Several states have begun implementing protocols to decide which patients get ICU care, prioritizing those most likely to survive.

'We're in a very tragic situation,' said Maciel.

The surge in Brazil has overwhelmed hospitals and forced doctors to make agonizing decisions over whom to give life-saving care - prioritizing those most likely to survive. Pictured: A man in hospital in Baaru, Sao Paulo

Earlier this month, Piaui state chief Wellington Dias described hospitals where infected patients could not even get a bed, let alone the intensive care they required.

'We have reached the limit across Brazil; rare are the exceptions,' Dias, who leads the governors' Covid forum, said. 'The chance of dying without assistance is real.'

Full hospitals are known to have worse survival rates because people can't get the same level of attention and medical care that they would if there were fewer other patients.

The country has ranked among those with the worst Covid outbreaks in the world  it has recorded 12.7million cases and 322,000 deaths, second only to the US on both counts.

Wednesday saw more than 90,600 new coronavirus cases being recorded in the country.

President Jair Bolsonaro has been constantly dismissive of the virus and allowed it to run rampant, comparing Covid to flu and publicly spreading anti-vaccine myths, hampering the country's pandemic response.

President Jair Bolsonaro has been constantly dismissive of the virus and allowed it to run rampant

Under pressure from allies in Congress and the business world, Bolsonaro installed his fourth health minister of the pandemic last week, replacing Eduardo Pazuello - an army general with no medical experience - with cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga.

The president sought to show he was taking the pandemic seriously, launching a crisis committee.

However, he reverted to his anti-lockdown message at the committee's first meeting Wednesday.

'We're not going to solve the problem by staying at home,' he said - contradicting his new health minister, who had just urged Brazilians to 'respect social distancing.'

Bolsonaro argues the economic damage of lockdowns is worse than the virus itself, a stance that has left state and local governments to implement a messy patchwork of pandemic policies.

Brazil is meanwhile struggling to secure enough vaccine doses, and is far off pace to meet the health ministry's target of immunizing the entire adult population by the end of the year.

Brazil is currently using two vaccines, Oxford/AstraZeneca's and Chinese-developed CoronaVac, both of which require two doses.

About 8% of the population has received a first dose and 2.3% a second.

Health regulators granted emergency approval Wednesday for Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine, but the 38 million doses Brazil has purchased will only start arriving in August.
.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

Writing The Attache, Eli Ben-David used the process as therapy.

The series was, after all, semi-autobiographical.

If somebody asks you to do it, dont, he says with a laugh. This was an intense yet amazing project to be part of.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

The Attache airs on Acorn TV.

The series tells the story of Avshalom, played by Ben-David, who goes from living close to the sun, sea and his friends in Tel Aviv to being an anonymous immigrant in a foreign land.

Avshalom is a successful musician and Israeli Jewish man of Moroccan descent.

As if all this werent enough, his arrival in Paris falls on the same days as the largest terror attack in French history.

It seems to Avshalom that Paris itself, or maybe all of Europe, is experiencing a transition along with him.

Unlike Avshalom, his wife, Annabelle, played by Heloise Godet, blooms in Paris. Before his perplexed eyes, she becomes a busy Paris career woman  wittier than ever before, busier than ever before, speaking a language he does not understand. His wife works as an attache to the Israeli Embassy.

Despite the geographical distance that separates Avshalom from his country, friends, family and career, what he fears most is the growing distance between himself and Annabelle, his wife, his love.

Ben-David says the story is about a man who is a fish out of water in Paris while experiencing a change in identity and a midlife crisis  while in love.

Avshalom feels lost and is envious of her direction in life, he says. The action of the series surrounds events of 2015: my Israeli roots, security, and the Paris attacks  all which brought me back home emotionally.

Because he stars in and wrote the series, Ben-David says, the project was difficult at times. Some moments stand out in his mind.

In fact, he says, in the first episode, Avshalom is running from the police during the terror attacks in Paris in 2015.

While filming the chase, I recalled a terrorist attack that took place when I was a teenager in Israel around 30 years ago, he says. It took place on a bus, which was transporting workers, and my father was one of them. There were rumors about whether there were survivors. I snuck out of school and remember running to my house in Israel in the intense summer heat, without even knowing whether my dad was lying dead or in a hospital. When I got home, I was hugely relieved that my father was there making himself eggs, in post-traumatic shock. I know its not in the series, but for me, this was on my mind as we shot the chase sequence.

He took inspiration from his own life for the series. Hes been married for almost 20 years, and his wife was born in France and raised in Belgium.

She found out about an open cultural attache position in Paris. I didnt take it that seriously, but seemingly the next day, she said, All right, were off  its time for me to go back home,  he says. My parents taught me not to mess around with peoples dreams  I felt this was a huge dream for her, a great challenge that she needed to take on. Though I was busy director/filmmaker in Israel, we moved to Paris in 2015, which was when Europe had changed a lot. When we landed, security was very, very fragile. I saw Paris transformation right before my eyes, and my experiences during that time inspired this series. It was like hell in the beginning  I didnt understand the language. I remember I wrote the series the same time as living those experiences  you know when youre writing a series, most of the time youre having at least 1, 2, 3 years of perspective? I was writing it live.

Although the series is filmed overseas, Acorn TV is giving American audiences a chance to view the show.

Ben-David says there are a lot of takeaways from the show, the biggest being that we have all felt like a fish out of water.

Its about crisis and identity, he says. Theres a lot of inspiration in this, because Im an Israeli Jew with Arab roots. I feel it will always be in Jews DNA to feel like a fish out of water because of our language, our roots, the history of our people and our tragedies.

Ben-David says the third episode addresses that. In a scene at his sons school, Avshalom asked the principal in broken French whether the school had any Jewish students other than Uri. In response, the principal took Avshalom around the corner and showed him a commemorative plaque for the Jewish children who attended the school but had died in the Holocaust.

He was in shock. Hes in Paris with his son, and he doesnt know the language. It was already so difficult and complicated, and then he noticed the plaque and its meaning really hit him hard, he says. I started to write that scene that day. Also, this is a universal love story. I married a strong woman, and our family became uprooted because of her job opportunity  its about women power, about change. Historically families have relocated because of a husbands new job and now its her turn. I feel many Americans can connect with that.

Now streaming

The Attache, starring Eli Ben-David, is available to stream on Acorn TV.
The King Ogunremi Foundation, a non-profit Organisation is set to unveil plans for its commencement of the 'KOF Medical Centre' which will provide subsidised healthcare for widows, pregnant women and children.

According to KOF Project Coordinator, Umendu Onyekachi, the idea was born following a recent research carried out by the NGO to assess the conditions of the available basic health facility in Itire community, Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The foundation also conducted an impact assessment of the existing infrastructure and discovered that there is a need for improved health care delivery as provided by the G

government, and essentially with support/partnership from the private sector.

"In doing so, this will reduce the current spate of maternal mortality rate in the community, and improve access to quality health care by residents.

"We are focused on three thematic areas as end result of the project which are; access to Comprehensive Quality Primary Healthcare Services; Preventing and Managing Disease

Reducing Unnecessary Disability and Premature Death of Women and Children."

In this light, KOF will on Saturday, May 29, 2021 flag-off the Initiative during its Annual Widow Assist Programme, one of the three major events of the organisation.

Stakeholders slated for the event are; Mushin Local Government Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Bamigboye; Itire Royal Family; Ward Councillor; Representatives of the Christian and Muslim communities; Designated Senior Healthcare Workers; Chairman, Community Development Committee; Chairman, Landlord Associations, Market Women amongst others.

KOF comprises highly-skilled and purpose-driven individuals whose aim is to develop systems that will aid the growth and development in every segment of the society.
New Delhi: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit New Delhi from April 5-6, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday (April 1)."

On April 5-6, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay a working visit to New Delhi, during which he will hold talks with his counterpart (External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar)," the spokesperson said at a briefing, as reported by Sputnik.

"The heads of the foreign affairs agencies will discuss the current state of bilateral relations, the preparation of the upcoming high-level meeting this year, including cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, will consider key topics on the regional, global agenda, assess approaches to the interaction between Russia and India on the international arena, including at the UN, BRICS," Zakharova added.

After India, Lavrov will visit Pakistan from April 6-7, as reported by Sputnik. The foreign minister's visit to India comes as Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited the country in February this year where he met minister Lavrov and discussed wide-ranging Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries and ways to further strengthen it.

Shringla said they discussed some regional and international issues of interest including cooperation in the UN and UNSC where India is a non-permanent member now."We also spoke about issues like Afghanistan, which both countries have a direct interest," he said.

Live TV
An elderly citizen receives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Dongjak District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



Korea is lagging behind some other countries in COVID-19 vaccinations apparently due to its failure to preemptively secure vaccines, in addition to the comparatively low competitiveness of domestic pharmaceutical companies in new medicine development.



According to the latest data collated by the University of Oxford-based Our World in Data, the government has administered vaccines to 1.66 percent of the Korean population as of March 30, a little over a month after the country's vaccination program began Feb. 26.



This ranked Korea 111th in the world with regard to the share of people having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.





Israel, which began vaccinations Dec. 19, with its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receiving the Pfizer vaccine and becoming the first Israeli citizen to be inoculated, has a rate of 60.5 percent.



The vaccination rate in the United Kingdom, which was the first in the world to begin COVID-19 vaccinations Dec. 8, stood at 45.19 percent, while that of the United States was tallied at 28.72 percent.



Korea's rate was lower than those of many other Asian countries, such as Singapore with 16.12 percent and India with 3.91 percent.



The global average inoculation rate stood at 7.24 percent.



The government was originally planning to administer vaccines to 11.5 million people during the April-June period in a bid to speed up the program, but the prospects for this don't seem very hopeful, due to intensifying competition between countries to secure the vaccines amid supply shortages.



India, a major supplier of the AstraZeneca vaccine, has placed a temporary hold on all exports of the vaccine to meet domestic demand amid increasing infections there. This is posing setbacks to many other nations' programs, according to foreign news reports.






Young minors lie inside a pod at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility, the main detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley run by the US Customs and Border Protection, ( CBP), in Donna, Texas on March 30, 2021. (Dario Lopez-Mills/AP Photo)

Pentagon Reviewing HHS Request for Another Military Base to House Unaccompanied Children

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asked the Department of Defense (DOD) to house more unaccompanied children who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in the midst of an influx in illegal immigration, said a spokesperson for the Pentagon.

We have received a request for assistance from HHS for the potential use of Camp Roberts in California to house unaccompanied minors, press secretary John Kirby told reporters on Thursday. We are moving forward with analyzing that request for assistance right now.

Camp Roberts is a California Army National Guard base in northern San Luis Obispo County.

Kirby did not say how many children would be potentially housed on the base.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Shiroma, for the Guard, told the Sacramento Bee newspaper that HHS wants to use an area of land on the base that would temporarily house unaccompanied migrant children. Its not clear if a new facility will be constructed on the base for the children.

The Epoch Times has contacted the California National Guard for comment.

An uptick in the number of people crossing the border, especially children traveling alone and families, has filled up federal holding facilities. The U.S. has been releasing families with children 6 and under and expelling families with older children under pandemic-related powers that deny an opportunity to seek asylum.

A file photo shows the entrance to Californias Camp Roberts (Google Maps)

Currently, there are thousands of unaccompanied children being held by the federal government after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in recent weeks. Last month, Border Patrol apprehended more than 150,000 illegal border crossers, which is 50,000 more than Februarys figures, according to former CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan.

Morgan, who said he received the numbers from internal sources in the midst of a media blackout, said that another 30,000 illegal immigrants evaded capture.

The issue has turned into a political flashpoint for the Biden administration, with Republicans and former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials saying the surge of illegal immigration was triggered by what they described as lax White House immigration policies. President Joe Biden in January took executive action to rescind several asylum and immigration rules issued by former President Donald Trump and told reporters last week that Trumps policies were inhumane and described the current surge as seasonal.

Republicans, however, said that Bidens executive orders caused it. Some Democrats in Congress have also called on Biden to re-implement some of Trumps policies. Among them, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) has been especially vocal and has released leaked photos from inside an overflow facility in Donna, Texas.

The Pentagon last week said it agreed to temporarily house unaccompanied children at Joint Base San Antonio in Lackland, Texas, and in Fort Bliss, Texas.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is moving another 500 unaccompanied children to an emergency holding facility as part of efforts to reduce overcrowding.

The children are scheduled to arrive at the National Association of Christian Churches site in Houston, Texas, which has been transformed into an Emergency Intake Site used by HHS.

Janita Kan and AP contributed to this report.
It is with great honor that SGF Richmond physicians, Drs. Erika Johnston-MacAnanny and Anish A. Shah, are recognized as 2021 Top Doctors for Infertility by Richmond Magazine. Richmond is not short of highly-esteemed medical care, so being featured among exceptional physicians on Richmond Magazines Top Docs list is a great honor.

Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) is proud to announce that Erika Johnston-MacAnanny, M.D., and Anish A. Shah, M.D., M.H.S., have been named Richmond Magazines 2021 Top Docs for Infertility. As leaders in reproductive medicine, SGF Richmond physicians are committed to providing exceptional fertility care at a practice that remains at the forefront of cutting-edge reproductive technology.

The 2021 Top Docs list is compiled by best-in-care nominations in 92 health specialty categories and voted on by 1,302 doctors and nurse practitioners.

Get to Know Dr. Erika Johnston-MacAnanny

Dr. Johnston joined SGF in 2018, and now serves as Medical Director of SGF Richmond. She currently sees patients at both SGF Richmond locations, Richmond - Stony Point and Henrico Doctors - Forest, where she specializes in IVF, surgical procedures to help treat infertility, and endometriosis to name a few.

Richmond is not short of highly-esteemed medical care, so being featured among exceptional physicians on Richmond Magazines Top Docs list is a great honor, reflects Dr. Johnston. Fertility treatment can be stressful and overwhelming, but Im here to celebrate all successes, big or small, as we work toward fulfilling an individual or couples dreams of parenthood.

A patient of Dr. Johnstons shared, "Dr. Johnston is the best. She is not only knowledgeable but also a warm, caring person with good communication skills. We enjoyed and trusted her so much after the birth of our first son that we decided that even after moving to the west coast it was worth flying across the country to be cared for by her again. We are now pregnant with our second baby. There was just no provider that we could imagine trusting more."

Get to Know Dr. Anish Shah

Since joining SGF Richmond in 2013, Dr. Shah has been honored as a Richmond Magazine Top Doc for Infertility every year since. Dr. Shah currently sees patients at Richmond - Stony Point and Henrico Doctors - Forest, where he specializes in IVF, reproductive genetic care, and advanced operative hysteroscopy.

The entire team at SGF has a shared focus: helping people achieve their dream of parenthood in an emotionally, clinically, and financially accessible way, shares Dr. Shah. Nothing in life can be done well unless a team is behind you. SGF is that team.

"Dr. Shah and the SGF staff became a very special part of my life, expressed a recent patient. They were there for me through every step of my journey...My dream finally came true (X2) with the help of Dr. Shah and his staff. The happiness I now feel far surpasses any pain or struggle I had to endure...Know that you are in the best hands and hearts possible to help you make your dreams come true.

Receive Fertility Treatment and Care with SGF Richmond

SGF Richmond, the largest fertility center in the Richmond metro area, provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment options to help individuals and couples achieve their family-building goals, including:



fertility testing for males and females,

low-tech fertility treatment options,

in vitro fertilization (IVF),

donor egg, sperm, and embryo treatment,

genetic screening and testing,

IVF to lower risk for inherited genetic disease,

gestational carrier,

egg freezing,

fertility preservation for patients with cancer, and

LGBTQ family building.

SGF Richmond offers innovative financial programs, including the Shared Risk 100% Refund Program. This exclusive program provides patients with the opportunity to pay a fixed amount for up to six fresh IVF or donor egg cycles and any subsequent frozen embryo transfers (FETs). Of the total Shared Risk 100% Refund Program participants, 82 percent take home a baby, and the rest receive a full refund to use for other family building options.

Other popular programs that make treatment at SGF Richmond more affordable include:



Shared Help Discount Program: an income-based program that offers a discount on most treatments and procedures provided by SGF Richmond.

Military Discount Program: offers active U.S. military and reservists a discount off qualifying self-pay rates.

Shared Donor Egg Program: patients enrolled in this program have the option to reduce the cost, while not reducing the likelihood of success, of donor egg treatment.

For people struggling to conceive, it may be time to consult a fertility specialist. Contact the SGF New Patient Center at 1-888-761-1967 or complete a brief online request form to schedule a virtual consult with an SGF physician. A virtual consult is the first step toward pursuing a pregnancy with the help of SGF.

About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)

SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 85,000 babies born and 5,000+ 5-star patient reviews. With 37 locations throughout FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C., and Santiago, Chile, SGF offers patients virtual physician consults, deliver individualized care, accept most insurance plans, and make treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including 100% refund guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. SGF is among the founding partner practices of US Fertility, the largest physician-owned, physician-led partnership of top-tier fertility practices in the U.S. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
A major Bay Area school district announced Wednesday it will not bring students and teachers back to classrooms for in-person learning before the end of the school year.

Fremont Unified School District Superintendent C.J. Cammack said a statement that it hasn't been able to reach a successful agreement for a return to school with the teachers' union (FUDTA).

The district has 43 schools serving 35,000 students mainly in grades kindergarten through 12th.

"Despite a good-faith effort at the negotiations table from FUSD, including fair and focused proposals, air filters placed in every classroom, safety protocols beyond current state and local guidance, and ready access to vaccines, our negotiations have not yielded a timely agreement aligned with the Districts intention to provide in-person instruction to the maximum extent possible for all students," Cammack wrote. "FUSD and FUDTA have not been able to reach an agreement on some key issues related to offering all students the chance to return to campus including staffing, the scope of grade levels eligible for a full return, and additional compensation for employees to return under a hybrid instructional model."

The superintendent said the district is preparing for a full return to the classroom in the fall with remote-learning opportunities for those who prefer to stay home.

By not bringing students back to the classroom, the superintendent said the district would miss out on $9 million in state funding. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the legislature reached an agreement at the start of the month that made up to $6.6 billion in funds available to districts if select groups of students resumed in-person learning by March 31.

The state initiative has led many districts to bring some students back to the classroom this month. Oakland Unified School District welcomed some students back on campus on March 30.
Texas Rangers save 6-m-o baby smugglers threw into Rio Grande after breaking mom's leg

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Texas Rangers saved a 6-month-old baby girl from drowning in the Rio Grande River after illegal smugglers threw her out of a raft along the Texas-Mexico border.

The highly-trained special operations tactical team assisted U.S. Border Control agents with the rescue mission to save the baby on March 16 in Roma as part of Operation Lone Star, the Texas Department of Public Safety of the South Texas Region announced in a Facebook post Tuesday.

The Texas Rangers often conduct missions along the southern border region in remote areas where conventional law enforcement cannot operate. They are instrumental in disrupting criminal activity usually associated with drug cartels.

The smugglers who threw out the child assaulted the childs mother in Mexico, which resulted in a broken leg, the department reported.

Due to the recent surge of immigrants at the southern border, border agents are overwhelmed in securing the border and monitoring illegal operations.

Texas launched Operation Lone Star on March 6 to combat drug smuggling and human trafficking into Texas in the wake of the surge. The operation combines the efforts of DPS and the Texas National Guard to hinder cartels from moving drugs and people across the border.

The crisis at our southern border continues to escalate because of Biden Administration policies that refuse to secure the border and invite illegal immigration, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement at the time.

During a news conference after a helicopter tour of the Rio Grande, Abbott said President Bidens border approach invites illegal immigration and creates a humanitarian crisis.

"There is a crisis on the Texas border right now with the overwhelming number of people who are coming across the border," Abbott said, according to the Caller Times. "This crisis is a result of President Biden's open-border policies.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported over 100,441 southwest border enforcement encounters in February 2021 and 78,442 encounters in January. This is compared to 36,687 from February 2020 and 36,585 encounters from January 2020.

The border is wide open  its not secure. Drugs are pouring in, and criminal aliens are pouring in right now, former CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan, who served under President Donald Trump, said during a March 30 press conference along the Rio Grande, according to The Epoch Times.

Morgan said CBP apprehended more than 150,000 individuals illegally crossing the border in March alone. Nationwide drug seizures also increased 50% in February compared to January 2021.

This includes a drastic increase in fentanyl seizures, which is more than 360% higher than this time last year.

The U.S. is set to receive more migrants at the border than any time in the past two decades, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a March 16 statement.

Republican senators visited the border in Texas last week to examine the crisis as well as the accelerating threat of drugs and criminals able to move across the border undetected due to the overwhelmed and overcrowded shelter facilities.

There are around 17,000 unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. custody as the Department of Health and Human Services rushes to open emergency facilities, CBS News reported.

A CBP facility in Texas Rio Grande Valley, the largest facility for unaccompanied children, holds over 4,100 migrants, 3,400 of whom are children, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. Under social distancing guidelines, the facility is meant to hold 250 people.

Over 500 migrant children were crammed into rooms designed for 32 people.

In another Texas migrant shelter, a lawyer reported that children have to take turns sleeping on the floor due to a lack of space.

With the high volume of immigration, CBP agents are forced to detain unaccompanied minors, which they were not intended to do.

Biden halted the Trump administrations southern border wall construction on his first day in office in a frenzy of executive orders to reverse many Trump-era policies. He appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to spearhead the effort to address border and immigration challenges last week.

Harris chief spokesperson Symone Sanders told reporters on Friday that the vice president is not doing the border but will instead deal with the root cause of migration through diplomatic efforts with Central American countries.

Sanders said Harris plans to visit the border but has no trip planned.

When a reporter asked Harris on March 22 if she had plans to visit the border, she laughed and said, Not today.

"I have before, and I'm sure I will again, she said.

The Biden administration recently allowed reporters some access into border facilities after being pushed by Republicans and Democrats for greater transparency.
Vaccine side effect for pharmacies: It's a boon for business.

Why it matters: Pharmacies are at the forefront of the biggest countrywide undertaking of our lifetime, the vaccination rollout.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

Then: The onset of the pandemic crushed sales as in-store customers and prescriptions slowed to a crawl.

Now: Shots bring people into pharmacies, where they have to hang out during the 15-minute observation period  creating a big opportunity for sales.

Driving the news: The Biden administration this week expanded the number of pharmacies eligible for vaccine supply from the government. (States can allocate doses, too.)

Later this month, 40,000 of the nation's 57,000 pharmacies will be able to administer shots  up from 17,000.

The backdrop: Pharmacies had been under pressure as competitors (like Amazon and other big-box retailers) strengthened their foothold.

Walgreens expects to "increase traffic" as shots are administered in their stores, then "personalize" what they learn about those customers coming into the store, CEO Rosalind Brewer told analysts Wednesday.

The company has upped expectations for how much money it will rake in this year, thanks in part to a more aggressive vaccination timeline  and higher government reimbursements for each shot (now $40 apiece, up from $28 for the first dose and $16 for the second dose  though it's not guaranteed).

By the numbers: Pharmacies have more capacity for shots, if they get supply.

CVS said today it has given more than 10 million vaccine doses across 44 states. The chain says it could administer up to 25 million shots per month.

Walgreens has administered 8 million vaccines at stores, nursing homes and vaccination sites  with half in March alone.

Rite Aid has given more than 1 million vaccines since the beginning of last month.

Go deeper: Demand for vaccines is already waning in some parts of the country

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New Delhi : Emergency meeting of CM tomorrow to see the increasing cases of Corona in Delhi. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Emergency meeting of CM tomorrow to see the increasing cases of Corona in Delhi. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, April 1 : Amid the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called for an emergency meeting at his residence at 4 p.m. on Friday to review the situation.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain along with other officials of the health department will attend the meeting.

Action plan to control the Covid-19 surge, current state of the vaccination drive in the national capital, containment zones, availability of beds in the hospitals, mapping of Covid cases through sero-survey etc. will be discussed in the meeting.

Worried about the resurgence of Covid-19 in Delhi, Kejriwal had directed the health officials to ensure that the people of the national capital don't face any problems related to the pandemic.

According to the Delhi government, the number of beds in 33 big hospitals of Delhi have been increased by 25 per cent, from 1,705 to 2,547.

The number of ICU beds have also been increased by 230. Till March 30, there were 608 ICU beds which have now been increased to 838.

More than 80,000 tests are been carried out everyday in the national capital, according to the health department of the Delhi government.

Kejriwal has also asked the authorities to take strict action against people flouting the Covid-19 guidelines, especially against those not wearing masks in public places.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
A new scheme delivered in partnership between Failte Ireland and Longford County Council will help tourism and hospitality businesses in Longford to develop and increase their outdoor seating capacity.

Funding allocated under the scheme will also enable Local Authorities to develop permanent outdoor public dining spaces in towns and urban centres across the country, similar to those that exist in various European cities.

Longford Senator Micheal Carrigy said: Earlier this week, government launched a new policy entitled Our Rural Future, the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in decades.

Developing outdoor dining and socialising spaces will help to improve the vibrancy of our towns across Longford and bring them more in line with the European model. This is a key commitment in our new policy.

Todays announcement regarding the new Outdoor Dining Scheme has two aims. It will enable individual tourism and hospitality businesses to increase their dining and seating capacity in the short-term and will also create a long-term strategy for our local authority to develop appropriate, permanent, weatherproofed outdoor dining infrastructure in Longford.

This will support jobs and businesses and transform appropriate outdoor spaces across Longford as welcoming, vibrant places that will help support economic recovery.

Meanwhile, Longford/Westmeath TD Joe Flaherty has asked Longford Co Council to target a county wide application under the 200,000 Outdoor Dining Enhancement Scheme. The Council will also be asked to administer a further 200,000 in individual grants to hospitality businesses looking to expand their outdoor capacity.

The scheme allows the Council develop outdoor seating in two locations but Deputy Flaherty is hopeful that smaller counties such as Longford will be allowed to tweak this to include additional locations.

The Longford TD believes that the 400k in funding is an excellent opportunity to help the beleaguered sector back on its feet and he said: There is an opportunity for the Council to develop on street seating and dining areas across the five main towns at the expense of on street parking. If it is co-ordinated by the Council, there is a uniformity of design and it will be easier to control and manage.

This is a great chance to enable individual tourism and hospitality businesses increase their dining and seating capacity in the short-term and secondly to enable the Co Council to develop an appropriate permanent weatherproofed outdoor dining infrastructure county wide.

Businesses applying for the individual grant will be able to recoup any expenditure on outdoor infra-structure since April 2020. This can include seating, heating and making out an outdoor dining area or alternatively proposed works. Applications for the 4k can be made through the Council website after April 12.

Flaherty said that the business community will need a series of supports and measures to get them back up on running and this is latest in a suite of measures to help this recalibration. He urged any businesses keen for more information on the scheme to contact him on 086 8201261 or joe.flaherty@oireachtas.ie.

Read also: New scheme to increase outdoor dining capacity in Longford
Holly Willoughby celebrated her This Morning co-host Phillip Schofields 59th birthday with a cake made by her three children.

The TV star delivered the present, baked by Harry, 11, Belle, nine, and six-year-old Chester, to Schofields dressing room on Thursday morning.

The treat featured three blue candles and was served on a wooden board engraved with the words Hollys Jolly.

Sharing a photo of the cake on Instagram, the 40-year-old wrote: Happy birthday to this gorgeous human love you to bits @schofe forever my partner in laughter

Schofield posted a video of himself blowing out the candles and thanked Willoughbys children for their gift.

On arrival at the This Morning studio, the presenter was greeted by banners and found his dressing room filled with colourful balloons, before celebrating further with bucks fizz cocktails and a fried breakfast.

As their live broadcast began, Stevie Wonders Happy Birthday played out in the studio and Willoughby presented Schofield with another cake.

She then revealed that his birthday surprise was a trip to a British Airways first class cabin installed in the studio, where he sampled an in-flight meal you can cook at home.

Schofield was served a glass of champagne and a series of courses delivered by a production assistant.

Other TV stars including Alison Hammond and Vicki Michelle sent messages of congratulations on social media.

Actress Michelle, best known as Yvette Carte-Blanche in Allo Allo!, wrote: Happy Birthday Fabulous Phillip Schofield. Always fun to see and work with a lovely man, and a great presenter. Have a brilliant day.

The TV star, who has been married to wife Steph for 28 years, revealed in February 2020 that he has been coming to terms with the fact that I am gay.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given Community First Credit Union of Florida ($2.0B, Jacksonville, FL) license to reimagine its branch experience. Through the aid of its process improvement team, the credit union has reconsidered the utility of its brick-and-mortar offerings, rethinking transactions and traffic entirely.

In the wake of the pandemic, the Florida credit union adopted an appointment-only model in its branches to safely accommodate those who needed the in-person experience  need being the operative word. The credit union aimed to reroute as many transactions as it could to its digital channels, leaving universal tellers in the branch to process more complicated fare.

We want everyone to have a better experience, says Jimmy Lovelace, the credit unions senior vice president of member experience.

According to Lovelace, the appointment-only branch strategy only works when members understand, and follow, the appointment system. For Community First, moving to and maintaining an appointment-only experience presented more than a few challenges, and Lovelace has identified several best practices from the past year post-switch. Here, the executive pinpoints six that credit unions should consider when implementing appointment systems of their own.
Pensioners protesting in the Basque city of San Sebastian in January 2020. Javier Etxezarreta / EFE

The largest-ever study of almost 2,000 DNA samples carried out by researchers at Pompeu Fabra university (UPF) in Barcelona has confirmed the genetic singularity of the Basques in Europe. The investigation, however, found that this difference only began to emerge 2,500 years ago in the Iron Age. Our analyses confirm that Basques were influenced by the major migration waves in Europe until the Iron Age, in a similar pattern as their surrounding populations, the authors explain in the study published in the journal Current Biology.

The origin of the Basques has fascinated the scientific community since the 19th century. The French anthropologist Paul Broca snuck into a Basque cemetery one night in 1862 to steal skulls he wanted to study for their supposed genetic differences. Juan Jose Ibarretxe, premier of the Basque regional government until 2009, proclaimed that the Basque people have existed for 7,000 years to promote his vision of an independent Basque state. And the then-president of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier Arzalluz, claimed in 2000 that the Basques were the oldest inhabitants of Europe, with their own roots since prehistoric times.

Representation of the genetic structure in the historic Basque territory, where green represents Basque ancestry, and blue and red, the mix with neighboring communities. Andre Flores-Bello

Although Basque genetic differences are noticeable, the study shows this is the result of centuries of isolation and inbreeding potentially caused by unique Basque dialects that have no crossover with other European languages, or indeed any other living language today.

Their language limited their interaction with other communities, who couldnt understand them. Our analyses support the notion that the genetic uniqueness of Basques cannot be attributed to a different origin relative to other Iberian populations but instead to a reduced and irregular external gene flow since the Iron Age, the study says. This means that the Basques are not Martians, jokes David Comas, lead author of the study and professor of Biological Anthropology at the UPF Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (DCEXS).

Some 7,000 years ago, groups that were genetically very similar to the Neolithic farmers and herders of Anatolia arrived in the Iberian peninsula. Their mixing with the native populations left groups with ancestry that was 80% Neolithic and 20% local Mesolithic, according to Basque geneticist Inigo Olalde, whose team at Harvard University reconstructed the genomic history of the Iberian peninsula in 2019.

Subsequently, about 4,500 years ago, nomads who left the steppes of present-day Russia began to arrive in the Iberian peninsula, remixing the genes of the population into a balance of 40% foreign ancestry and 60% of what was already there. This is the common genetic substratum of all the peoples of the Iberian peninsula, including the Basques.

Researcher David Comas. UPF

Olalde affirms that Basques are genetically different from the rest of the Iberian Peninsula  but not that different. Decades ago it was said that the Basques were the continuation of the hunter-gatherers and then it was seen that this was a total lie. Then it was said that they were a continuation of the Neolithic people who came later and that has also been shown to be false, he explains.

This may be down to the peculiarity of the Basque language, Euskara, which has no roots in any other living language anywhere in the world. Comas group analyzed the DNA of 190 people whose four grandparents were born in the same area. The results show that even within the Basque Country itself, DNA pools are concentrated in small regions that coincide with the historical distribution of the various dialects of Basque. The hypothesis of Comas team is that the language was also an internal obstacle due to the existence of dialects that were not mutually intelligible. The current standardized Basque language, called Batua, was only developed and codified in the 1960s.

Our results are compatible with Euskara as one of the main factors preventing major gene flow after the Iron Age and shaping the genetic panorama of the Basque region, the study states.

The history of Basque genetics is littered with contradictory results. One of the co-authors of the new study, Jaume Bertranpetit, already led research in 2010 that came to the opposite conclusion: that Basques did not present a genetic uniqueness. Undoubtedly, our previous work was not correct, admits Bertranpetit. His group had used genetic analysis techniques that have now been overtaken by new technology.

Biologists and geneticists studying Basques are very reluctant to be drawn into political debates that make use of their work. I am interested in historically isolated populations because, due to inbreeding, they have unique variants of diseases, says Ana M. Aransay of Basque bioresearch center CIC bioGUNE. There is a type of Parkinsons disease that, in fact, has a name in Basque: dardarin [from the Basque word dardara which means trembling]. I have zero interest in politics, she adds.

Mexican biologist Cristina Valdiosera of the University of Burgos had already shown by 2015 that the Basques are not as ancient as previously thought, marking their genetic divergence as starting around 5,000 years ago. Inigo Olaldes team at Harvard shortened it even further in 2019, and this was confirmed by the new study at around 2,000-2,500 years ago. The rest of the Iberian populations begin to differentiate themselves from the Basque populations from the Iron Age onwards because they began to receive genetic influences from other populations, such as Muslims or the Romans. It is the Basques who are frozen in time, says Valdiosera.

Comas, who has been researching Basque genetics for more than two decades, says the latest study can be interpreted in different ways. The differences we observe can be magnified or minimized. The headline could be that Basques have a genetic singularity, that the Basques are different, or it could highlight the fact that the genetic substratum is the same as the rest of the Iberian peninsula, that the Basques are the same, he jokes.
Covering an area of 30,000 km2, the Gulf of Finland is the easternmost extension of the Baltic Sea located in Northern Europe. It is bordered by Finland in the north, Russia in the east and Estonia in the south. The Gulf of Finland's southern coast was designated a Ramsar Wetland on September 13, 1994.

Geography

Map of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland.

The Gulf of Finland extends for about 400 km from Saint Petersburg in the east to the Hanko Peninsula in the west. It has a maximum width of 130 km at its widest point. The gulf is relatively shallow with a maximum depth of 115 m and an estimated average depth of 38 m. It has been observed that the western part of the gulf is much deeper, while its eastern part is shallower. Numerous large and small rivers drain into the Gulf of Finland including the Jagala, Kymi, Keila, Kovashi, Kunda, Luga, Neva, Narva, Pirita, Porvoo, Sestra, Sista, and Vanta. The gulf is also connected to the Saimaa Lake via the Saimaa Canal. The huge amount of freshwater inflow from these rivers accounts for the extremely low salinity of the Gulf of Finland.

The highly curved northern coastline of the gulf consists of many rocky islets and small and large bays like Vyborg Bay and the Porkkalanniemi and Hanko Peninsulas. The southern coastline of the gulf is comparatively smooth and shallow. It also features the Baltic Klint, a 1,200 km-long limestone escarpment that stretches along the entire southern coastline of the gulf.

According to the Koppen climate classification, the Gulf of Finland region faces a humid continental climate with hot summers and relatively harsh winters. The average water temperature ranges from 0 C in the winter to 17 C in summer. The gulf freezes during the winter season from December to late April. Strong western winds are quite frequent in this region and cause floods, higher waves, and water surges.

Islands

Islands near Helsinki, Gulf of Finland.

The Gulf of Finland contains several islands including the Beryozovye Islands, Bolshoy Tyuters, Gogland, Kotlin Island, Kimitoon, Kokar, Lisiy, Moshtchny, Maly Vysotsky Island, Naissaar, Pakri Islands, Seskar, and Sommers Island. The Pakri Island group comprises the two Estonian islands of Vaike-Pakri and Suur-Pakri and are administered under the Harju County of Estonia. There are about 15 islands in the Beryozovye Island group among which the Bolshoy Beryozovy is the largest. All the islands of the Beryozovye Island group are protected as sanctuaries for seabirds.

About 19 artificial islands with forts have been constructed by the Russians in the Gulf of Finland. Some of these forts include Fort Alexander, Ino, Krasnaya Gorka, Kronshlot, and Totleben.

Wildlife

Seagulls, Gulf of Finland.

Hundreds of species of higher vascular plants are found in the coastal areas of the Gulf of Finland. The shallow waters of the gulf contain many aquatic plants like the spiny naiad and the ditch grass. The eastern part of the gulf features areas of wetland vegetation (marshes) that mainly consist of common reeds, bulrush, and several aquatic plants like acute sedge, and yellow and white water lilies. The forest vegetation of the coast and islands of the gulf are dominated by a mixture of pine and spruce forests as well as deciduous forests of birch, willow, aspen, black and grey alder, etc.

Several important species of fish including the Atlantic salmon, European chub, European smelt, common minnow, crucian carp, brown trout, stickleback, perch, lamprey, Atlantic cod, European eel, and Baltic herring are found in the Gulf of Finland. Grey seals are also found here.

Brief History

Fort Alexander, Gulf of Finland.

Humans first inhabited the areas surrounding the gulf after the complete melting of ice-age glaciers. Archaeologists have discovered several ancient sites that are more than 9,000 years old and some Neolithic settlements have also been found in the Sestra River region of Russias Leningrad Oblast. The indigenous tribal groups of Finno-Ugric, Eesti, Votes, Izhorians, and Korela tribes inhabited several areas along the gulf coasts. In the 8th and 9th centuries, the Gulf of Finland and the bank of the Neva River was occupied by the East Slavs, particularly the llmen and Krivichs Slavs. For many years beginning in the Middle Ages, the islands and the coastal areas of the gulf were a part of the Kingdom of Sweden.

After the Russo-Swedish War, the areas along the Gulf of Finland and the Neva River were handed over to Russia by Sweden. Many shipwrecks have been discovered in the Gulf of Finland, due to which the gulfs bottom is regarded as one of the largest ship cemeteries in the world.

The Gulf of Finland functions as an important shipping corridor for Russia, Finland, and Estonia. Some of the major ports in the gulf include the Russian ports of St. Petersburg and Kronshtadt; the Finnish ports of Helsinki, Porkkala, and Kotka; and the Estonian port of Tallinn. The Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant is located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. Fishing is also a major economic activity in the gulf region. However, the Gulf of Finland has been severely affected by pollution due to the contamination of the gulf waters by copper, mercury, phenols, organochlorine pesticides, petroleum products, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The current US lithium stock is almost entirely imported, with only 1% of US lithium supply being sourced domestically. Furthermore, traditional sources of lithium are environmentally destructive. This combination of rapidly expanding global demand and lack of a safe, domestic supply has created an urgency to develop a safe, domestic, cost-competitive source of lithium to ensure American leadership in the transition to a carbon-free economy and a robust domestic supply chain.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the American-Made Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize. The prize was launched during NextGen Geo, a live virtual event uniting geothermal industry professionals, geosciences students, and clean energy entrepreneurs for a series of panel discussions on hot topics related to geothermal and renewable energy.

The American-Made Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize seeks to drive forward the development of economic direct lithium extraction (DLE) from geothermal brines found at the Salton Sea by partnering novel geothermal and non-geothermal expertise with experienced DLE industry experts to overcome challenges of geothermal lithium extraction by:

Developing electrochemical/electrolysis processes for the direct conversion of a lithium-bearing geothermal brine to a lithium hydroxide product without the intermediate creation of lithium carbonate.

Developing new absorbents, precipitants, catalysts, or new processing conditions that can efficiently and selectively extract lithium directly from geothermal brines.

Advancements that improve the yield and achievable product purity.

Advancements that reduce energy and water consumption rates.

Advancements that minimize and/or monetize waste products.

Competitors must be affiliated with a US academic institution and will participate in three escalating challenges for an opportunity to win a portion of a $4 million cash prize pool.





Phase 1 is currently open, with submissions due by Friday, 2 July 2021. In the coming weeks, DOEs Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) will post recorded interviews to the prize website that will feature Industry Advisory Panel members discussing various extraction challenges in the Salton Sea.

The prize is one of several DOE competitions helping to bolster workforce development within the American geothermal industry. Workforce development is a key component of achieving the potential for a 26-fold increase in US geothermal electricity generation by 2050, as outlined in the Departments 2019 GeoVision study.

As part of NextGen Geo, DOE also announced ten semifinalists for the American-Made Geothermal Manufacturing Prize, a competition designed to spur innovation and address manufacturing challenges fundamental to operating in harsh geothermal environments.

The Geothermal Manufacturing Prize, launched in 2020, supports the American geothermal industry in reaching the GeoVision target of 60 gigawatts-electric (GWe) of geothermal capacity by 2050 through technical advances and workforce development.
NEW YORK (AP)  Francisco Lindor and the New York Mets have agreed to a $341 million, 10-year deal, keeping the All-Star shortstop in Queens for the long haul after acquiring him from Cleveland in the offseason, according to a person familiar with the agreement.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday night on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn't been announced.

Lindor was eligible for free agency after this season and said this spring he wouldn't negotiate with the Mets on a long-term contract after opening day. Less than 24 hours before New York starts its season Thursday night in Washington, an agreement was reached.

The 27-year-old Lindor has two Gold Gloves and made four All-Star teams in six seasons with the Indians, hitting .285 with an average of 29 homers, 86 RBIs and 21 stolen bases per 162 games.

He was the prized pickup in new owner Steve Cohen's first offseason, acquired from Cleveland along with right-hander Carlos Carrasco for infielders Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez and two minor leaguers. New York added Lindor knowing he could walk after the 2021 season, but the team said it would try to negotiate a long-term pact.

MLB Network was first to report on the agreement.

Lindor will retain his $22.3 million salary for 2021 before the contract kicks in for 2022.

The deal will be the largest ever for a shortstop, passing Fernando Tatis Jr.'s $340 million, 14-year contract with San Diego signed in February. Only Mike Trout's $426.5 million, 12-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels and Mookie Betts' $365 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers are worth more. Betts' deal includes $115 million in deferred payments through 2044.

Lindor's deal is also by far the largest payout ever from the Mets, surpassing contracts for third baseman David Wright ($138 million), pitchers Jacob deGrom ($137.5 million) and Johan Santana ($137.5 million).

Cohen tweeted Tuesday that Lindor was a heckuva player and a great guy" and said he hoped to strike a deal. He confirmed the pair had dinner together over the weekend.

Story continues

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SEATTLE  The owner of an old house at 7812 Lake City Way N.E., now used as offices, has filed an early plan to redevelop with a new office building.

Freeman Architects filed the five-story proposal, which would include structured parking. The plan hasn't yet entered design review.





. . .
A high-profile member of the far-right Proud Boys who yelled 'Nancy come out and play' during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol building has called the riots 'nothing more than a glorified tour'.

Gabriel Garcia, 40, was formally charged with two federal felonies and four misdemeanors this week relating to disorderly conduct and trespassing from the US Capitol attacks.

Former US Army captain Garcia has pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying he couldn't have been trespassing because no-one tried to stop him entering the building, and he didn't wander outside of the 'red velvet lines'.

Garcia, who once lost a bid for the Florida House of Representatives, said the riots which saw five people killed including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick were just a 'glorified tour'.

'It's most the expensive tour of my life I can tell you that, but yes, a glorified tour,' Garcia told the Miami Herald.

'Believe it or not, wherever there was red velvet lines or any of that, I stayed there. I didn't wander off. My intentions were never to go into anyone's office, destroy anything.'

Gabriel Garcia is seen in a campaign photo when unsuccessfully ran for Republican House District 116 in 2020. Gabriel Garcia, a prominent Miami member of the far right group Proud Boys, is charged with storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 along with hundreds of other

During the chaos, which he streamed live on Facebook, saying it was 'about to get ugly,' yelling 'traitors' and 'Nancy come out and play'

Garcia told the Herald he had arrived late to the riots, and had not been involved in any of the violence. He says police did nothing to stop people from entering the building, and the doors were open.

In a series of Facebook videos from January 6, streamed live online, Garcia shows himself entering the the Capitol along with others in the mob.

'We just went ahead and stormed the Capitol. It's about to get ugly,' he says in one of the videos.

The livestream captured Garcia roaming the Capitol building, yelling 'f***ing traitors' and 'USA, storm this s***'.

During the assault on the capitol, rioters went door-to-door looking for Members of Congress they felt had betrayed Donald Trump by refusing to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

The crowd had earlier chanted 'Hang Mike Pence' and erected a gallows outside the capitol building, and targeted prominent Democrats including the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Garcia insisted that when he yelled for Nancy to 'come out and play', he hadn't intended to hurt Pelosi, and has not been charged in connection to the comments.

He suggested he may not have been referring to Pelosi.

'Here's the thing. Which Nancy am I talking about?' he told the Herald.

'I never said speaker of the house. Nancy Lopez? Maybe Nancy Reagan?'

Garcia, circled bottom right, told the Miami Herald he stayed within the 'red velvet lines'

Trump supporters storm the Capitol Building following the 'Stop The Steal' rally where they assembled to protest the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021 in Washington DC

More than 300 people involved in the riot have been charged with criminal offences, including 19 members of the Proud Boys

Garcia was also captured yelling 'Free Enrique,' a reference to the Miami leader of the Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio, who was arrested a few days before the insurrection in Washington, DC, according to a complaint filed in January.

At least 19 members of the Proud Boys have been charged in federal court with offenses related to the January 6 riot. More than 300 people have been charged in total.

The Proud Boys were formed by Gavin McInnes in 2016, and quickly gained a reputation for violence.

Members are reportedly sworn in by chanting: 'I am a Proud Boy. I am a western chauvinist. And I refuse to apologize for creating a modern world.'

In 2018, the FBI designated the Proud Boys an extremist group.

Last week, two Capitol Police officers are suing Donald Trump for inciting the January 6 riots that left dozens of their fellow officers injured and one dead.

James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby said they suffered 'physical and emotional injuries' in the violent 'Stop The Steal' insurrection which they said was spurred on by the former president.

Their suit, filed in federal court in Washington on Tuesday, said: 'The insurrectionists were spurred on by Trump's conduct over many months in getting his followers to believe his false allegation that he was about to be forced out of the White House because of massive election fraud.
Oil prices settled up more than $2 Thursday despite news that OPEC+ reached a deal to gradually ease production cuts from May.



Brent crude settled up $2.12, or 3.4%, to $64.86 a barrel. US oil settled up $2.29, or 3.9%, at $61.45 a barrel.



OPEC+, which comprises the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other allied producers, agreed to ease production curbs by 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May, another 350,000 bpd in June and further 400,000 bpd or so in July.



"Ironically, the market has bought the OPEC+ story that demand will increase and the barrels will be needed, despite multiple calls by OPEC for caution in the days leading up to the meeting," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho.



Under Thursday's deal, cuts implemented by OPEC+ would be just above 6.5 million bpd from May. OPEC+ had cut output by nearly 7 million bpd, and Saudi Arabia made an extra 1 million bpd voluntary output cut.



"OPEC+ is apparently placing much emphasis on major vaccine progress in key consuming regions such as the US and parts of Asia," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Illinois.



Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in the meeting that he expected global oil demand to grow by 5-5.5 million barrels per day (bpd) this year.



"The cartel appears to be banking on stronger than normal seasonal improvement in demand," Ritterbusch said.



Novak said he hoped global oil inventories, a key parameter for the oil industry, would return to their normal level in two to three months.



However, Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the market's recovery was "far from complete." The Saudi state news agency reported that he and his US counterpart Jennifer Granholm spoke on the phone and agreed to work to enforce cooperation in the energy field.



OPEC+ has trimmed its oil demand growth forecast for this year by 300,000 bpd because of renewed lockdowns.



France entered its third national lockdown and schools closed for three weeks to try to contain a third wave of COVID-19 infections.



Still, European have recovered most of their pandemic-driven losses on strong manufacturing activity.



March data showed euro zone factory activity growth galloped at its fastest pace in the history of the survey.



Oil found some support after US President Joe Biden outlined a $2.3 trillion spending plan to invest in traditional projects, such as roads and bridges, alongside tackling climate change.



Oil prices were pressured by an unexpected rise in US claims for unemployment benefits. But prices drew support from a US Energy Information Administration report that domestic crude stocks fell unexpectedly last week.

"The inventory data ... showed that the situation is continuing to normalise on the US oil market," Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg said.


The Charger Blog

As a first-generation international student, I am grateful for the many wonderful opportunities I had as a graduate student at the University of New Haven and through its Connecticut Institute of Technology. I am now excited to begin my career at Dartmouth College. By Ebere Onwubuariri 21 M.S.

There have been a few moments in my life when I have wanted to share my best experiences. It is with excitement and a nostalgic feeling that I write this piece. First, I want to pay tribute to my father who passed away only a few weeks ago. He was a caring dad who always had been a strong pillar of support of my dreams and aspirations. Also, I am grateful to my mother who shaped my life and encouraged me to be focused and purpose-driven.

Ebere Onwubuariri 21 M.S. is a recent graduate of the Universitys graduate program in cybersecurity and networks.

I am an international student from Nigeria who, in January, was awarded a masters degree in cybersecurity and networks from the University of New Haven. Growing up in a patriarchal society, it was unusual for girls to enter certain career paths that were thought to be reserved for men. I dared to be different, and so I began my journey to the United States of America, intending to garner more experience and widen my knowledge horizon.

Coming to the United States to study in 2019 was a big deal for my family and me as I was a first-generation student aspiring to earn a masters degree. I have always been passionate about education and learning in general, and I had high hopes this was going to be a stepping-stone on the pathway to achieving greatness.

Suffice it to say, my experience at the University of New Haven was an exciting journey. The friendly faculty, students, and the University community created a welcoming atmosphere and sense of community, which made my stay worth it. The weekly labs, assignments, and projects were structured to evoke innovative ideas as they allowed me to apply the lessons I learned in the classroom to solve real-life problems.

I am extremely confident

Most of my classes were practical, and what I learned helped me during my job search, since when I was asked questions about a variety of topics, they were concepts I was familiar with. My experience working as a learning assistant in the Universitys Accessibility Resources Center, an orientation leader, and participating in various volunteering positions helped improve my social and administrative skills.

The University of New Haven has equipped me with the required readiness to progress with the next phase of my life and career. Participating in various Capture the Flag (CTF) events via the Universitys hacking club and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) chapter enabled me to sharpen my skills in cybersecurity and networking.

I have accepted a job offer from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College as a user support and system analyst (USSA). I am overwhelmingly joyous about this offer as I begin the next phase in my career. I am extremely confident, and I cannot wait to use the many skills I have gained during my education at the University of New Haven.

I want to especially thank all my professors, particularly Dr. Ibrahim (Abe) Baggili for his attention to detail and dexterity in mentorship; Dr. Amir Esmailpour for his continuous support and encouragement; Dr. David Eggert for pushing me to do more in his classes; and Linda Copney-Okeke from whom I learned resourcefulness and administrative skills.

I am looking forward to continuing to make everybody proud.

Ebere Onwubuariri 21 M.S. is a recent graduate of the University of New Havens graduate program in cybersecurity and networks. She accepted her degree during the Universitys Virtual Winter Commencement in January.
By Kari Lindberg

China finalised a sweeping plan to ensure leaders in Beijing control the outcome of Hong Kongs elections, a move that could deepen already-fraught relations with Western nations.

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday signed orders to amend Hong Kongs Basic Law, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, after revisions were passed by the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee. The move provides more details on changes approved by Chinas legislature on March 12 that called for a review committee to vet qualifications of election candidates to ensure they are all patriots loyal to the Communist Party in Beijing.

Chinese lawmakers plan to put fewer than 10 people  all chosen by national security officials  on a committee to vet any candidates for top elected positions in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported. Other changes include expanding the number of Legislative Council seats to 90 from 70, reducing the number of directly elected seats in the chamber to 20 from 35, and granting the citys newly enlarged Election Committee the ability to appoint 40 of the citys lawmakers, the SCMP reported.

It will effectively prevent those people who disrupt Hong Kong from entering the Election Committee and Legislative Council through elections, Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kongs sole representative to the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee, told the SCMP. It will guarantee we elect people who genuinely defend the one country, two systems principle, and are capable of serving the society and citizens, not those who stir up troubles.

Read | An alliance of autocracies? China wants to lead a new world order

The moves are the latest in Chinas efforts to ensure that pro-democracy voices dont have a path to obtain power in Hong Kong following historic and sometimes-violent protests in 2019. Xis call for patriots to run the former British colony has neutered the countrys democratic institutions while local authorities prosecute activists who have voiced opposition to the Communist Party.

The US, UK, Japan and the European Union have all condemned Chinas moves, with the Biden administration this month tightening sanctions imposed last year by Donald Trump. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called the recent overhaul of the citys electoral system a direct attack on the autonomy China promised to Hong Kong, while UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the radical changes constitute another breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that paved the way for the handover to China in 1997.

China has dismissed Western criticism and stepped up opposition to any organization deemed to be interfering in its internal matters. The Communist Party last week backed calls to boycott retailers such as Swedens Hennes & Mauritz AB for expressing concern about reports of forced labor in the far west region of Xinjiang.

The Legislative Councils entire pro-democracy bloc resigned en masse last year in protest against efforts to curb dissent, and dozens of former lawmakers and top protest leaders have been jailed on national security charges.

Patriotic Candidates

At a regular briefing on Tuesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam defended the changes without adding details, saying that opposition candidates can still run as long as they are patriotic.

People who hold different political beliefs, who are more inclined towards democracy or who are more conservative, who belong to the left or belong to the right, as long as they meet this very fundamental and basic requirement, I dont see why they could not run for election, Lam said.

The changes approved by Beijing also expanded the Election Committee that chooses the chief executive to 1,500 people from 1,200 previously, while eliminating the 117 seats on the body previously alloted to district councilors, the SCMP said. Pro-democracy politicians had gained control of those local bodies following a landslide local election win in late 2019 that wouldve given the opposition influence over the selection of the citys leader.

Once the details of Hong Kongs electoral changes are made clear, the local government will have to enact more than 20 pieces of legislation to adopt them, according to Lam. That should be completed by the end of May, Tam told local media in mid-March.

Hong Kongs government will focus on economic development and address housing issues once the overhaul is completed, according to Zhang Xiaoming, a senior official for Hong Kong affairs in Beijing.
United Nations, April 1 : The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia's conflict-ridden Tigray state remains extremely dire, a UN spokesman said.

Access in parts of southern and southeastern Tigray has been curtailed for a month and the road from Alamata to Mekelle, the regional capital, remains closed, blocking humanitarian response in the area, Xinhua news agency quoted Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as saying on Wednesday.

An estimated 2.5 million people in rural areas have not had access to essential services for the last four months, he said.

"We continue to receive concerning reports of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including the looting and vandalization of health centres, schools, as well as several cases of sexual and gender-based violence. All of which are unacceptable," he told a daily press briefing.

The conflict continues to drive massive displacement across the region, with tens of thousands of people arriving in the towns of Shire, Axum and Adwa over the last weeks, he said.

The UN, along with its humanitarian partners on the ground, is scaling up the response and has assisted more than 1 million people with food baskets.

More than 146,000 displaced people have received emergency shelter and vital relief items and distribution is ongoing for nearly 60,000 people.

Over 630,000 people have received clean water, said the spokesman.

To date, two-thirds of the targeted districts have been accessed through 50 mobile health teams compared to 25 per cent last month.

The response is, however, still inadequate to reach an estimated 4.5 million people who need life-saving assistance, he said.

"We urgently need more funding to make sure we can urgently assist affected people." Ethiopia launched a military offensive in November 2020 to diminish the power of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules the region and has been critical of the central government.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Macrotech Developers Ltd, earlier known as Lodha Developers plans to launch its Rs 2,500 crore initial public offering (IPO) on April 7. The three-day share sale will end on April 9. Shares of the IPO are likely to be allotted on April 16, 2021 and the stock is expected to make its market debut on April 22.

Lot size of the IPO will be 30 shares for which one will have to spend Rs 14,580.

A maximum of 13 lots comprising 390 shares can be bought for Rs 1,89,540. Promoters of the firm hold 100% stake in the firm and aims to sell 10% stake through the issue. They will issue 51,440,328 equity shares of Rs 10 during the IPO.

Price band of the IPO is Rs 483 to Rs 486 per equity share.

Delhivery's two co-founders exit logistics unicorn ahead of IPO

The real estate firm plans to raise money for the following purposes;

a. To reduce aggregate outstanding borrowings of the company on consolidated basis.

b.To acquire land or land development rights.

c. To meet general corporate purposes.

In February this year, the firm filed draft papers with the capital market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). This is Lodha's third attempt to go public. The firm made attempts to launch an IPO in 2009 and 2018, but dropped plans citing challenging times for the realty sector.

Disinvestment target of FY22 achievable; LIC IPO to bring Rs 1 lakh crore: CEA Subramanian

Earlier in April 2018, the privately held Lodha Group, which was founded in 1995 by Mangal Prabhat Lodha, had approached SEBI to raise about Rs 5,500 crore through IPO and had received the markets regulator's clearance to launch the public issue but did not go ahead with the plans then.

The company made first attempt to list its shares on the stock exchanges in 2009 and had filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) to raise about Rs 2,800 crore. It had received SEBI's nod in January 2010, but later shelved the plan due to unfavourable market conditions post the global financial crisis.

Founded in 1995, Lodha Group is one of India's largest real estate players by sales bookings, that develops real estate across the residential and commercial sectors in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (the "MMR"), Pune and London.
H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media

DANBURY  A city man has been accused of impersonating a cop while using hate speech and threatening a local business owner with severe physical injury, police said.

Austin Merritt Nolan, of Kenosia Avenue, was charged with second-degree breach of peace, second-degree intimidation based on bigotry or bias, impersonation of a police officer, second-degree harassment and second-degree threatening.
Head of Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov left for Moscow to participate in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) member countries, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva wrote on Twitter.

According to her, within the framework of the visit, Bayramov also plans to hold bilateral meetings.

The meeting of the Council of CIS Foreign Ministers will be held on April 2 in Moscow. On the sidelines of the meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will talk to his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts.
New Delhi, April 1 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said that it has filed a charge sheet against Aijaz Hussain Khawaja, who was in touch with Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Muktiar Ahmed Bhatt alias Ahmed, in connection with the 2006 terror funding case.

An ED official said that Khwaja, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, was involved in illegal activities related to terror funding in the erstwhile state, and from such illegal activities, had generated proceeds of lakhs of rupees.

During that period, Khwaja was in touch with Bhatt alias Ahmed to undertake financial dealings for various separatists and terrorist activities, the official added.

In 2006, he was apprehended with a bag containing 2.05 kg RDX and Rs 49 lakh in cash by the Delhi Police's Special Cell.

Earlier, the ED has attached Khwaja's flat in Delhi's Jangpura area and balance in the bank account held by his wife.
The WCO Strategic Trade Control Enforcement (STCE) Programme delivered a virtual national training for the Customs Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic between 23 and 26 March 2021, with the aim of strengthening its capacity in combating illicit trade of Weapons of Mass Destruction and their delivery systems.

The national training was opened by some encouraging remarks by Mr. Matt Siuda, representing the STCE donor, the US EXBS Programme. He highlighted the importance of capacity building in the field of strategic goods in the Central Asian region and expressed his gratitude towards the WCO for its strong commitment in providing all its members with the necessary skills and knowledge.

The STCE team was supported in the delivery by two pre-accredited Expert trainers in the field, from the Customs Administrations of Georgia and Azerbaijan. They have successfully co-facilitated the course, by walking participants through the training curriculum, from the International Legal Framework to the Post Clearance Audit. The Kyrgyz officers who attended the event demonstrated interest in the subject by asking several questions and participating in the activities and quizzes proposed by the trainers.

At the end of the training, the WCO asked participants to provide their feedback and received a very positive evaluation, as testified by this comment from one officer: The seminar was fruitful, we received the necessary tools for our work and improved our knowledge.

The STCE Team hopes to follow-up with an in person training once travelling restrictions will be lifted. In the meantime, it continues organizing virtual capacity building events, as for example the first STCE training for Lusophone countries which will be delivered from 27 to 30 April 2021. For more information on the Programme and its activities, please contact WCOSecurityProgramme@wcoomd.org.
The City of London police attended the demonstration and five activists arrested

Five eco-activists were arrested yesterday after protesters sprayed fake oil over the front of the Bank of England.

Members of the campaign group Extinction Rebellion  known as XR  staged the 'elaborate April Fool's prank' to object against the role they say banks play in the climate crisis.

Demonstrators covered the outside of the Bank in a substance made of a mixture of black pond dye and guar gum  a thickening agent.

Members of the campaign group Extinction Rebellion  known as XR  sprayed fake oil over the front of the Bank of England

Others held a black and green banner saying 'No More Fossil Fools'.

City of London police attended the demonstration on Threadneedle Street, central London, at about 11.30am and dispersed the activists.

Officers said one person had been arrested for criminal trespass.

Three others face a count of criminal damage and a further arrest was made for going equipped to commit criminal damage. All five remain in police custody.

Five eco-activists were arrested after demonstrators covered the outside of the Bank in a substance made of a mixture of black pond dye and guar gum  a thickening agent

Activists staged the 'elaborate April Fool's prank' to object against the role they say banks play in the climate crisis

XR said its actions were aimed at those who are 'recklessly endangering our future for profit'.

In 2019, eight people were arrested after XR activists tried to spray fake blood at the Treasury building in Westminster.

That year the group also caused widespread disruption by blockading areas of the capital for days.
Two fishermen have been captured casting out their lines while sharks thrash next to them in the shallows.

The footage was captured by Philomena Nona on Murray Island in the Torres Strait, an isle off Papua New Guinea south-west of Port Moresby, also known as Mer Island.

Tawny nurse sharks are seen taking advantage of a large school of fish that swum near the shore.

Fisherman have been captured on video pulling in fish alongside tawny nurse sharks

About a dozen excited sharks are seen wiggling in the water and hunting for fish next to the fishermen.

The tawny nurse sharks are known for wading into the shallows of the remote island, and a previous video has shown them digging up pipi shells, which locals called the 'pipi shuffle'.

Fishermen leave the sharks on Mer Island alone.

'We've always respected them and they clean up rubbish such as dead fish,' local William Bero told Tropic Now.

'We have respect for everything around us, it's all there for our appreciation and not to destroy or over-fish or do any harm.

'It's our job as custodians to look after our environment and all the animals.'

A dozen excited sharks are seen wiggling in the water for fish alongside the gentle fishermen

Tawny nurses are hardy carpet sharks found in shallow waters across the Indo-pacific and due to their docile nature are often seen in aquariums.

The friendly sharks are nocturnal and will huddle together in small groups during the day, piled on top of each other.

They feed on small fish and bottom-dwelling creatures, and are known among scuba divers for being gentle and friendly.

The shark's natural habitat is often frequented by fishers, and hunting and netting reef habitat destruction are some of their main threats.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- El Camino Health and LinkedIn have joined forces to increase the capacity for COVID-19 vaccinations in Santa Clara County. The two partners have opened a community vaccination center to meet the critical need of making vaccinations available to as many people as possible. The clinic, which is housed in an easily accessible, unoccupied LinkedIn building in Sunnyvale, has provided vaccines on a limited basis since March 15, due to a constrained vaccine supply.

"It's vitally important that we get the COVID-19 vaccine into as many arms as possible and as quickly as we can," said Dan Woods, chief executive officer of El Camino Health. "As additional vaccine supply becomes available, having locations like this one ready to go will speed up immunizations; this is our quickest path to resuming life as we knew it before the pandemic."

The El Camino Healthcare District recently approved $1 million to support district vaccinations and engaged El Camino Health to manage the effort. With the new site, El Camino Health will welcome all individuals meeting current government vaccine eligibility as directed by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department and the California Department of Public Health. The building, which is leased from Synopsys, could support up to 3,000 vaccinations a day as sufficient vaccine supply becomes available.

"We're more than happy to support our partner, El Camino Health, in their efforts to equitably distribute the vaccine to the community's most vulnerable and underserved populations," said Katie Ferrick, senior director of community development and workplace programs at LinkedIn. "Offering this unused facility with the support of Microsoft, our landlord Synopsys, and the City of Sunnyvale is just one way we're committing to using our resources and platform to help address this urgent and critical public health need."

The LinkedIn site has easy vehicle access off state Route 237 and bus access via VTA (Valley Transportation Authority) Route 21. The City of Sunnyvale coordinated the permitting process to enable an expeditious opening of the vaccine clinic.

"Partnerships like this are essential to getting our community vaccinated as quickly as possible," said Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein. "We are excited about this opportunity and encourage our residents to take advantage of this new option."

Appointments for vaccinations may be scheduled online or, for those unable to schedule online, call 408-871-7460. The number of available appointments may vary and is dependent on supply decisions made by the state, the county and Blue Shield of California, the third-party administrator managing distribution of vaccines on behalf of the state.

For more information about vaccines and testing, visit El Camino Health's COVID-19 resource center.

About El Camino Health

El Camino Health provides a personalized healthcare experience at two non-profit acute care hospitals in Los Gatos and Mountain View and at primary care, multi-specialty care, and urgent care locations across Santa Clara County. For nearly sixty years, the organization has grown to meet the needs of individuals and communities it serves. Bringing together the best in new technology and advanced medicine, the network of nationally recognized physicians and care teams deliver high-quality, compassionate care. Key medical specialties include heart and vascular, cancer and lifestyle medicine. The hospitals have earned numerous awards for clinical excellence, such as a 5-Star Overall Hospital Quality Rating from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and nursing care, including four consecutive American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognitions for Nursing Care. Visit elcaminohealth.org to learn more.

Media Contact

Christopher Brown, director of strategic communications, El Camino Health

[email protected]

650-694-3891

SOURCE El Camino Health
Even pre-pandemic, the demand for state park campsites outstripped supply. But this year, with travel still being actively discouraged by Californias Department of Public Health and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the search for reservations in the most sought-after parks is more challenging than ever.

A recent search for sites in one of my favorite campgrounds, New Brighton State Beach near Capitola, south of Santa Cruz, returned almost no two-day reservations between now and September. Even planning six months ahead wasn't enough to secure a site.

It made me wonder if my favorite campgrounds are particularly in-demand and, if so, whether there might be lesser-known, less-crowded alternatives that Id enjoy just as much. So I reached out to the California State Parks with a request. I wanted to know which campgrounds were the most booked and which had the greatest availability for the last full week of available data, starting March 21.

Because its still early in the camping season, with warm spring weather at lower elevations but snow and cold in the mountains, its not surprising that most of the heavily booked campgrounds would be closer to the coast. Still, it was striking that all of the hardest-to-get campsites were oceanside spots between San Diego and Santa Cruz.

Heather Broccard-Bell/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The ten most popular campgrounds (for early spring):

Two are along a largely undeveloped stretch of Southern California coastline between the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton and Dana Point, the 33,000-person city that marks the unofficial beginning of Orange Countys suburban sprawl. They are San Onofre State Beach, which sits high on a headland overlooking a particularly photogenic beach dotted with baby blue lifeguard shacks, and San Clemente State Beach, which offers both RV and tent camping and has easy access to the towns pedestrian-only beach trail.

The list of most popular parks for springtime camping include three more  Leo Carrillo Campground, Point Mugus Sycamore Canyon and Thornhill Broome campgrounds, and Malibu Creek Campground  in and around ultra posh Malibu, where a generic-looking two-star hotel can cost upwards of $200 per night.

Heading up the coast, the remaining heavily booked state park campgrounds are all just south of Santa Barbara, at Carpinteria State Beach, and in San Luis Obispo County.

Courtesy of California State Parks, 2019

In SLO, there are a whopping four additional, wildly popular Central Coast campgrounds: Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, a sand dune complex that allows off-roading and is popular with dune buggies, the neighboring Pismo State Beach, Morro Bay State Park and, of course, Hearst San Simeon. The latter is usually the go-to campground for visitors to Hearst Castle, but the castle, which is also operated by the state parks system, remains closed due to the pandemic.

That leaves New Brighton as the only Northern California state park campground among the 108 in the system (though not all are currently open and accepting reservations) in the top 10 most booked. This week, with temperatures reaching into the 80s in the region, that means Bay Areans have a wealth of options both close to home and further afield.

The state park campgrounds with greatest availability

There is, for example, Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, which is named for the former slave and highest ranking Black officer of his time who established an African American town in Tulare County in 1908.

Courtesy of California State Parks, 2019

If youre eager to be by the water, both Lake Oroville and Folsom Lake are surrounded by wildflowers this time of year and have plenty of sites open.

For beach-lovers who cant find a spot at any of the Central Coasts campgrounds, El Capitan State Beach, just north of Santa Barbara, has been operating on a first-come, first-served walk-up basis in recent months but is opening its reservations today, April 1, on ReserveCalifornia.com. Be warned: To get one of these sites, youll want to hurry.

Redwood lovers have plenty of options to camp beneath the tall trees, but the surest bet is also the most remote: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is a World Heritage Site with 10,000 acres of old growth redwood and Californias last major free flowing river, the Smith River.

Courtesy of California State Parks, 2019

Wildflower enthusiasts and lazy campers, meanwhile, may want to consider making the trip to Cuyamaca Ranchos Paso Picacho Campground and cabins, northeast of San Diego, where there are colorful meadows and eight-person cabins for rent for $75.

As we get deeper into Californias camping season, some campgrounds  those around Lake Tahoe, which are currently closed until May and June, in particular  will become virtually impossible to reserve. Desert campgrounds in places like Anza-Borrego, meanwhile, are likely to be significantly easier to snag due to scorching summertime temperatures.

But by checking often and having a bit of flexibility in your timing, even the most popular campsites can sometimes be booked at the last minute. With so many people booking camping trips months in advance, some are likely to cancel. At the time of reporting, a quick search of several of the most popular campgrounds in the state, including beachside beauties like New Brighton and Pismo Beach, had reservable sites available for just a few days from now. They go fast, but with about 13,000 state park campsites in the state, persistence  and a willingness to give lesser-known parks a shot  pays.

And, if all else fails, you can always try your luck with a walk-up.




Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as phase-2 of assembly elections are underway in Bengal. While addressing the rally in Uluberia, PM Modi praised the people of Nandigram, the constituency which has been the highlight of the entire West Bengal elections since the heavyweights Suvendu Adhikari of BJP and chief minister Mamata Banerjee have contested from Nandigram.

PM Modi said, "People of Nandigram have done their work today. They can't wait anymore".

Earlier in the day while the polling was underway, Mamata Banerjee reported filed an FIR alleging poll rigging and she also dialled governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to complain about the alleged poll rigging and "breakdown of law and order". Moreover, the TMC has also lodged a complaint to the Election Commission alleging that the CRPF which has been deployed to provide security, is colluding with the BJP against the TMC in the assembly elections.

People of Bengal have decided -- Didi must go. People of Nandigram have fulfilled this dream today. People can't wait any longer to save their future & identity. They are not just participating in polling, they are paving the way for renaissance in Bengal: PM Modi in Uluberia pic.twitter.com/nKV3hwszxh  ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021

WB CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that the EC has not acted on 63 poll-related complaints filed by TMC since morning. For a long time, she was holed up in the Gokul Nagar booth complaining that the local people are not being allowed to vote. Apprising the Governor of the situation, the chief minister claimed that the Central forces are protecting people from Bihar and UP who are raising slogans. On the other hand, Dhankhar assured that her concerns have been conveyed to the concerned authorities.

On the other hand, BJP's Nandigram candidate Suvendu Adhikari, whose convoy was allegedly attacked by TMC goons has lashed out at the ruling party saying, "TMC goons are pelting stones. This is jungle-raaj. This is the work of Pakistanis, 'Jay Bangla' is a slogan from Bangladesh. There are voters from a particular community at that booth who are doing this."

Suvendu Adhikari while addressing the media contended that Mamata Banerjee's political ground is slipping away, while claiming that she stopped polling for 2 hours & did drama, violating the Model Code of Conduct. Speaking of the incidents in Nandigram and the chief minister grappling to take control of the situation, PM Modi said, "Whatever happened in Nandigram a few hours back, it shows that BJP is going to win."

Report card of Mamata government?

PM Modi also asked the people of Bengal whether the chief minister should give a report card of the work done by her. "Shouldn't Didi give a report card of her government? Why isn't she coming and giving the report of the work done by her? If didi is not answering then at least her nephew should answer. People want to know where is the relief fund of Cyclone Amphan. After the first phase, now didi also knows who will win. People of Bengal are voting didi out," PM Modi said while exuding confidence that people have voted in favour of BJP in the initial phases of the elections.

PM Modi accused the TMC government of not allowing the central schemes to reach the people of Bengal. "10 years of Mamata shows that she does not have a vision. They have no vision for farmers. Their main intention and vision of Didi is to stop all the Centre's policies. Howrah was once called the hub of engineers. There were several factories but due to lack of proper governance, such businesses have been shut and ruined everything. Whatever the ancestors of Bengal earned, all the governments wasted their earnings. Didi's government is identified as the government of syndicate, atrocities and cut money", PM Modi said.

Taking a swipe at TMC and the chief minister, PM Modi in his address asked if Mamata Banerjee is filing a nomination from another constituency while predicting a loss at Nandigram. However, defending the chief minister TMC's Saugata Roy has criticised the Election Commission while claiming that the election body has not taken any action.

Speaking with Republic TV, Roy said, "Mamata Banerjee has already said she submitted 63 complaints to EC (Election Commission) regarding voting. It's unfortunate that EC didn't take any action."

With two phases done, there are six phases to go for West Bengal assembly polls. The remaining phases of the eight-phase election are scheduled on April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26, and April 29 with results to be announced on May 2. The state has witnessed increasing political violence with attacks and killings of political workers from both parties - BJP and TMC. While the ruling party has been launching complaints after complaints with the governor and election commission, the BJP is exuding confidence of winning the assembly polls.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 23:14:47|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A London Metropolitan Police officer has been found guilty after acting as a recruiter for a banned neo-Nazi terrorist group, local media reported Thursday.

Benjamin Hannam, 22, is the first police officer in Britain to be convicted of involvement in far-right terrorism.

Hannam was arrested in March last year before being found guilty by the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London, known as the Old Bailey, for being a member of National Action, a proscribed terrorist organization, along with two counts of possessing documents useful for terrorism and for fraud.

He was released on conditional bail ahead of sentencing on April 23.

"Obviously there will be some concern that somebody who was a member of a group like National Action was able to become a member of Metropolitan Police Service but once we had identified that fact we acted very swiftly," Commander Richard Smith, head of the Counter-Terrorism Command of the Scotland Yard (metonym for the headquarters of the Met Police), told Sky News.

"Clearly having a mindset of that type is completely incompatible with being a police officer," Smith said. "We are highly concerned that we have a serving police officer who has previously been a member of a proscribed organisation such as National Action and we have followed every line of inquiry as you would expect us to do so."

After Hannam's arrest, police found an image on his iPhone showing him in police uniform, with a Hitler-style mustache superimposed on his face and a Nazi badge on his lapel.

He was also found to have downloaded a copy of the "manifesto" of the right-wing extremist Anders Breivik, who murdered more than 70 people, mostly children, in bomb and gun attacks in Norway in 2011.

The document included bomb-making instructions and "exhaustive justifications for his mass-casualty attacks", according to prosecutors.

Hannam joined the Metropolitan Police, the police service for the Greater London area, in March 2018. Enditem
Another pandemic-era holiday is around the corner and Martha Stewart knows the tricks of the trade to make a safe and small gathering feel extra special.

The lifestyle guru exclusively sat down with DailyMailTV senior correspondent Alicia Quarles to dole out her sweet tips for creative treats for the kids and the secret to creating show-stopping dyed Easter eggs.

Plus, Martha reveals the unusual destination she's most looking forward to visiting once the pandemic is over.

Easter Treats: Martha Stewart exclusively sat down with DailyMailTV senior correspondent Alicia Quarles to dole out her sweet tips for creative treats for the kids and the secret to creating show-stopping dyed Easter eggs

For small Easter Sunday soirees this year, Martha has concocted a brilliant and fun twist on tradition by transforming hollow chocolate bunnies into something totally new.

'This is a chocolate Easter bunny,' Martha explained to Alicia. 'And I want to turn that into a little special treat for the kids who still drink milk.'

To turn the bunny - which must be one of the hollow ones - into a drinking vessel, Martha uses gentle heat and a metal straw.

'So, take a metal straw, heat the end ... not too long,' she instructs. 'This will pierce right into the top. And, see how it went down? Now I have a perfect hole into which I can pour milk.'

'This is a chocolate Easter bunny,' Martha explained to Alicia. 'And I want to turn that into a little special treat for the kids who still drink milk.'

'So, take a metal straw, heat the end ... not too long,' she instructs. 'This will pierce right into the top. And, see how it went down? Now I have a perfect hole into which I can pour milk.'

'Then, put in a nice straw - this is a little pink straw - and you can just enjoy a milkshake,' Stewart said. 'And then, eat your bunny too. It's so cute!'

These special sippy cups are perfect for children (or adults with a sweet tooth) and since they're all individual, they can be enjoyed socially distanced.

The April issue of Martha Stewart Living is dedicated to the domestic goddess' advice for all things Easter from springtime activities to delectable seasonal food to DIY crafts.

This year, Martha crossed continents - figuratively speaking - to find inspiration for Easter's most beloved piece de resistance, decorated eggs, with a technique called shibori.

Inspiration! The April issue of Martha Stewart Living is dedicated to the domestic goddess' advice for all things Easter from springtime activities to delectable seasonal food to DIY crafts

'Well, this is a Japanese technique,' she explained, 'and this is on hard boiled eggs using tape or stickers. And, it's just sort of unusual and easy to do.'

For people going the more traditional route of dipping hard boiled eggs into an assortment of colorful dyes, the queen of crafting suggests using a simple household pantry ingredient to enhance vibrancy.

'I put a little bit of white-distilled vinegar into the water. That helps the color be more smooth on the egg,' she said while demonstrating. 'Look, you have a beautiful stripe around your egg. So simple!'

To ensure those dyed eggs and chocolate bunnies are displayed artfully, Martha turns to her own Martha Stewart Collection (available at Macys). Stewart took some time to show off some of her favorite items to DailyMailTV and provided some spring tablescape inspiration.

'Well, this is a Japanese technique,' she explained, 'and this is on hard boiled eggs using tape or stickers. And, it's just sort of unusual and easy to do.'

'I put a little bit of white-distilled vinegar into the water. That helps the color be more smooth on the egg,' she said while demonstrating. 'Look, you have a beautiful stripe around your egg. So simple!'

'Look at these gorgeous plates,' Martha admired. 'I want a set of these myself, I have not yet gotten it. I have to remember to do it before they run out of these. We also have gorgeous flatware. All of this is affordable too, because that's what we always try to do - beauty and practical at a good price.'

For Martha personally, this year her Easter celebration will be small and intimate. After a year in lockdown, working harder than ever from her stunning Bedford estate, Martha has recently been spending time with her grandchildren now that she is vaccinated.

Her granddaughter Jude, 10, seems to be following in the crafting footsteps of her mogul grandmom.

Spring into style: For the holidays, Martha turns to her own Martha Stewart Collection (available at Macys) and Stewart took some time to show off some of her favorite items to DailyMailTV

'Look at these gorgeous bracelets that Jude makes,' gushed Martha showing off homemade jewelry. 'She sells these at a local coffee shop. She and her friend Jade.'

In the coming months, Martha said she is looking forward to the pandemic restrictions lifting so she and the grandbabies can travel again.

'I want to go to Antarctica with the kids,' she revealed. 'That will be their seventh continent that they have visited in their short lives - and to my beloved Maine, I can't wait to get back to Seal Harbor.

The Martha Stewart Collection is available at Macys. Part two of DailyMailTV's interview with Martha Stewart airs April 2.

Do it like Martha! The Martha Stewart Collection is available at Macys; Part two of DailyMailTV's interview with Martha Stewart airs April 2
View Photos

The Museum of the Bible unveiled its Holy Week celebration, which includes its first in-house film production, special exhibits and performances to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

The Christian faith hinges on the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the museum, which opened in the nation's capital in 2017, seeks to display the hope and history of Easter this season.

Charlotte Clay, the Museum of the Bibles media relations manager, told The Christian Post in a Tuesday interview how the museums new documentary, The History of Easter, shows the significance of Easters impact worldwide.

For Christians, of course, nothing is more impactful than the resurrection of Jesus, but Easter is such a significant event that it caused much of the world to rearrange their calendar (A.D. and B.C.) , Clay said. The event led more than a third of the world to call themselves Christian. So we take a look at the timeline, how Easter is tied to the lunar cycle and is connected with  the emergence from winter to spring, darkness to light, and how it corresponds with Passover and the Spring Equinox.

Source:The Christian Post
BLACKSBURG, Va., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Positive Alternative Radio is partnering with JPL Books to publish the second book written by its Executive Vice President, Brian Sanders. The new book, Be Like Dad: 50 Stories For Life & Leadership, features lessons Sanders learned from his father, Marion "Jack" Sanders while growing up in rural Louisiana.

Pre-orders for a limited edition, signed copy of the book are being accepted now at www.briansandersauthor.com, and the book releases and ships starting April 5th, when it will also be available through Amazon, PAR has announced.

A unique book coming to Amazon and many local bookstores.

"Fathers can impact the lives of their children like no one else," Sanders said. "My dad certainly shaped who I am and there are many valuable lessons from my time with him that have inspired me. So, it made sense to share them with others.

He noted that Be Like Dad: 50 Stories For Leadership & Life will be printed in a format suitable for gift giving and ideal for Father's Day, graduation and all other occasions.

Sanders' first book, Leadership Endurance, became an Amazon #1 Best Seller in the Christian Leadership category soon after its launch in June 2019. Since then, Sanders has engaged thousands of his readers through social media and his website, BrianSandersauthor.com. He also has been featured by local and national media, spoken at the National Religious Broadcasters convention and a variety of other live venues, as well as video conference appearances during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sanders, who graduated from Northwestern State University in Louisiana with degrees in both History and English, first worked at a radio station while still in high school. During college, he became a pastor and attended seminary, where he became involved with its Christian radio station. After spending 14 years with that station, he joined PAR, whose home base is in Blacksburg, Va. He and his wife, Kayla live in the New River Valley of Virginia.

INTERVIEW Brian Sanders:

Sanders is currently available for speaking engagements and media interviews. For more information, please call PAR at (800) 627-9747 or email [email protected].

About Positive Alternative Radio (PAR)

PAR is a non-profit ministry founded in 1985 by Edward Baker's father, the late Dr. Vernon H. Baker and his mother, Virginia. Today, PAR owns and operates stations and networks in key markets in Virginia, eastern Tennessee, West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina. They include WCQR, broadcasting from Johnson City, Tenn.; Walk FM, Ashland, Ky.; Spirit FM, Lynchburg, Va.; Joy FM, Winston-Salem, N.C. and Your 'PER, Fredericksburg, Va. The stations provide adult contemporary and Gospel music, as well as Christian content available across a variety of digital platforms. PAR is a certified Best Christian Workplaces recipient.

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Be Like Dad: 50 Stories for Life & Leadership

A unique book coming to Amazon and many local bookstores.

SOURCE Positive Alternative Radio
[March 31, 2021] SOS LIMITED ALERT: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Announces That a Class Action Lawsuit Has Been Filed Against SOS Limited and Encourages Investors to Contact the Firm

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on behalf of investors that purchased SOS (News - Alert) Limited (NYSE: SOS) American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") between July 22, 2020 and February 25, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Investors have until June 1, 2021 to apply to the Court to be appointed as lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. Click here to participate in the action. When the Company went public in April 2017, it was known as "China Rapid Finance Limited" and claimed to focus on a peer-to-peer, micro-lending business. The Company later changed its name to "SOS Limited" in July 2020 and sold its peer-to-peer, micro-lending business in August 2020, rebranding itself into an emergency services business. In January 2021, the Company again shifted its business focus, this time to cryptocurrency mining. Critical to SOS's purportedly successful transition into a cryptocurrency mining business were the Company's claims to have entered into an agreement with HY International Group New York Inc. ("HY"), which calls itself the "world's largest mining machine matchmaker," to acquire 15,645 mining rigs-i.e., personal computing machines built specifically for cryptocurrency mining-for $20 million, and the Company's plans to purchase FXK Technology Corporation ("FXK"), a purported Canadian cryptocurrency technology firm. On February 26, 2021, Hindenburg Research ("Hindenburg") and Culper Research ("Culper") released commentary on SOS, claiming that th Company was an intricate "pump and dump" scheme that used fake addresses and doctored photos of crypto mining rigs to create an illusion of success. The analysts noted, for example, that SOS's SEC (News - Alert) filings listed a hotel room as the Company's headquarters. The analysts also questioned whether SOS had actually purchased mining rigs that it claimed to own, as the entity from which SOS purportedly bought the mining rigs appeared to be a fake shell company. The analysts further alleged that the photos SOS had published of their purported "mining rigs" were phony. Culper noted that photographs of SOS's "miners" did not depict the A10 Pro machines that the Company claimed to own and instead appeared to show different devices altogether. Hindenburg, for its part, found that the original images from SOS's website actually belonged to another company.



On this news, SOS's American depositary share price fell $1.27 per share, or 21.03%, to close at $4.77 per ADS on February 26, 2021. The complaint, filed on March 30, 2021, alleges that, throughout the Class Period defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) SOS had misrepresented the true nature, location, and/or existence of at least one of the principal executive offices listed in its SEC filings; (ii) HY and FXK were either undisclosed related parties and/or entities fabricated by the Company; (iii) the Company had misrepresented the type and/or existence of the mining rigs that it claimed to have purchased; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

If you purchased SOS ADSs during the Class Period and suffered a loss, have information, would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Brandon Walker, Melissa Fortunato, or Marion Passmore by email at investigations@bespc.com, telephone at (212) 355-4648, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you. About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York, California, and South Carolina. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331005827/en/

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Hong Kong: Govt objects to US report

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today expressed strong opposition to the remarks contained in the so-called Hong Kong Policy Act Report issued by US State Department.

In a statement issued this evening, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the so-called Hong Kong Policy Act and sanctions imposed by the US Government are clearly an interference in the internal affairs of the People's Republic of China, on the pretext of human rights, democracy and autonomy.

The Hong Kong SAR Government strongly objects to the comments in the report smearing the National Security Law, reiterating that national security is a matter within the purview of the central authorities. Enacting laws on national security with extraterritorial effect is also squarely in line with international practice.

It pointed out that smearing the National Security Law out of political motivation is clear hypocrisy in adopting double standards.

It also emphasised that no one has any privilege to break the law without facing legal consequences. The National Security Law, like any law in the Hong Kong SAR, applies equally to every person in the city and no one is above the law.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said it is appalled by remarks in the report that seemed to suggest that people with a certain political background should be immune to legal sanctions.

As for the comments on the postponement of the Legislative Council General Election, the statement reiterated that such a move is entirely based on public health grounds.

It also noted that the decision made by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on the qualification of LegCo members is a constitutional, lawful and reasonable arrangement. It is necessary and complies with the relevant stipulations of the Basic Law.

The report also expressed concerns on Hong Kongs judicial independence. The statement made it clear that the constitutional duty of judges, in the exercise of their judicial power, is to apply the law and nothing else. Such duty does not change when judges decide cases arising from or involving political controversies.

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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This is the second half of a two-part interview conducted by Nolan Quinn, a research associate for the Council on Foreign Relations' Africa Program, and reviewed by Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow John Campbell. The interview was held on March 19, 2021--the day after Tanzania President John Magufuli's death was announced. The first half of the interview, on the need for constitutional reform in Tanzania, can be found here. Mr. Lissu has confirmed as accurate the quotes attributed to him in this post.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, a Zanzibar native who was sworn in following former President John Magufuli's death, is Tanzania's sixth--and first female--president. Mama Samia, as she is affectionately known, is uniquely qualified to bring constitutional reforms--advocated for by opposition leader Tundu Lissu--to bear, having achieved national prominence in 2014 as the vice-chairperson of the Constituent Assembly created to draft a new constitution.

Lissu called on the new president to "finish the job she began in 2014." Many Tanzanians seem to agree: Privatus Karugendo, a Tanzanian political analyst, told The Continent that popular sentiment now favors a new constitution and an independent electoral commission, in addition to moves to facilitate national reconciliation in the post-Magufuli era.

Much has been made of Samia's lack of her own political constituency--an evaluation which Lissu did not refute.

"She is weak in that she does not have a political power base. She is a Zanzibari at a time when the Union is under pressure. For a Zanzibari president to preside over non-Union matters will raise many of the same questions that were asked at the end of Mwinyi's presidency," Lissu said, referring to Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who became Tanzania's second president (1985-1995) after serving nearly two years as president of Zanzibar and was accused of favoring Muslim and Zanzibari interests while in office.

But, even in Zanzibar, the new president does not have a strong following.

"She is from Unguja South," a reference to one of Zanzibar's five regions, "which is more pro-Union than most of the rest of Zanzibar. She has worked on the mainland. She has a Unionist background." For this reason--and the general distrust of Zanzibaris in national office--Lissu, when asked whether President Hassan's rise will make a serious revisiting of the 'Zanzibar question' more or less politically feasible, he opted for the latter.

He nonetheless argues that "quite a lot" can be expected of the new president.

"There will be a quite substantial building of new coalitions," Lissu projected, dismissing the idea that either the Kikwete or Magufuli camps within the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) will be able to seriously undermine the president's authority.

"Kikwete's CCM is what brought Magufuli to power, but Magufuli quickly dispersed of Kikwete's CCM. The CCM of present is of his making."

With Magufuli now gone, however, he does not see the former president's backers posing a serious threat to President Hassan.

"They are in positions of power solely because of Magufuli. They do not have any credibility themselves nor do they have a base to draw on," Lissu said, before going on to say that Magufuli's empowerment of his Sukuma ethnic group weakened their position within CCM moving forward. While considered the country's largest ethnic group, the Sukuma comprise only about 16 percent of the population; Lissu noted that they are "not big enough," nor is tribalism "deeply rooted enough" in Tanzania's politics, for Magufuli's allies to push back significantly against their waning influence.

"I think they will be purged quickly--they have been disdainful towards everyone outside their small group, even within CCM. They made no effort to branch out."

Magufuli, having "damaged the CCM brand," has now left President Hassan with an opportunity to reshape the party.

"She will need to move slowly," Lissu stated, before harkening back to the earlier discussion of the imperial presidency--which he believes should be reformed--to explain why he ultimately sees her being able to control the party.

"The imperial presidency gives powers like the monarchies in 17th and 18th century Europe. She controls the state. People will need to come to her." Besides, he added, "CCM has no tradition of opposing the president."

As for the immediate future, Lissu expects an approach that starkly contrasts with that of her predecessor and thinks that allowing opposition parties to operate more freely "could strengthen her hand."

"Pursuing Magufulism without Magufuli is a dead end. Denying COVID-19 is a deadly dead end. The opposition survived Magufuli. Trying to fight the opposition would only erode her credibility faster."

The Mild West

While the push for democratic progress--or even a stoppage of backsliding--will need to come primarily from within Tanzania, Lissu believes that "the international community has a major role to play." But, in his eyes, mainstream foreign policy prescriptions about Africa coming from the West have often been unproductive.

"Trump's Africa policy was more progressive than Barack Obama's. Trump did not care about Africa," Lissu observed. But rather than viewing this negatively, he celebrated the fact that under the most recent Republican president, "America's Africa policy was made by the people working on African issues in the State Department." He singled out for praise U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Donald J. Wright, a political appointee whose nomination to the job was "criticized at first, but he has been one of the strongest voices in Tanzania" in terms of calling out rights abuses and electoral malfeasance, as opposed to the European Union, which has been "very quiet."

Lissu also touched on Western governments' seeming obsession with countering Chinese influence in Africa and rubbished the current approach to doing so.

"You cannot beat China at their own game because they do not care about human rights. They do not care about freedom. They care about making money. But where did Magufuli get most of his money? He got it from Standard Chartered, a British bank. He got it from the World Bank."

Rather than focus on beating China in business, Lissu said the United States needs to "walk the talk" when it comes to calling out standing up for democracy and human rights. He recommended U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken follow in the path of his predecessor, Secretary Michael Pompeo, who imposed sanctions against "Tanzanian officials responsible for or complicit in undermining" the conduct of free and fair general elections last year.

Lissu also advocated for a reframing of the development relationship between Western countries and Tanzania--the United States has been "supporting Tanzania's budget since Nyerere was growing socialism from the rooftops"--to better represent a partnership, rather than a donor-recipient setup. "If the United States gives us money, they deserve a say in how it is spent," Lissu said, before rejecting the false dichotomy evoked by leaders such as Magufuli, whereby "if foreign government give money, they are a development partner, but when they ask what is done with it, they are imperialists." By using aid to encourage good-governance reforms--and calling out leaders when they fail to fulfill their promises--Lissu believes Tanzania's "foreign friends" can help nudge the country back onto its upward democratic trajectory.

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Biding His Time

While in Belgium, Lissu has remained involved in discussions of Tanzanian politics, offering his time for interviews and hosting a Cyber Lounge on most Fridays to promote discourse on matters of importance in Tanzania.

When asked if he would run for president again, Lissu said he would be "among the contenders" for his party's primary, but "that is four years away," and "it is ultimately up to the party to decide" who will be their candidate. On the subject of when he would return to Tanzania, Lissu was unsure: "it is not as simple as packing up my bags and going."

Amid the uncertainties of his own situation and that of Tanzania's politics, however, Lissu is unwavering in his focus on achieving his ultimate goal.

"My most important goal is the restoration of democracy in Tanzania."

This publication is part of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy. Blog posts represent the views of CFR fellows and staff and not those of CFR, which takes no institutional positions.
PALO ALTO, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the fitness industry officially completes one year of virtual fitness, TeamUp is celebrating with the launch of its brand new On Demand library for its customers.

When the pandemic forced gyms and studios to shut their doors in March 2020, TeamUp was the first fitness software to integrate with Zoom, making it possible for their 2500+ clients worldwide to keep their businesses open online.

TeamUp's On Demand library

Using the On Demand library, TeamUp clients now have the ability to provide their own customers with video content that runs side by side with their live in-person and online fitness classes. But as traditional fitness makes its long-awaited comeback and gyms and studios re-open, why launch this feature now?

"All of our features and tools are tested and surveyed by our customers and the ability to share on-demand content and include it in their offering is something that our clients are very excited about," says TeamUp's Head of Marketing and Partnerships, Tim Green. "We have seen how positive and powerful online classes are, and even though people will return to the gym and studio soon, having that additional content to access, is something that allows our customers to improve their services and elevate their businesses. It will make them more valuable than ever to their own customers."

TeamUp's new library currently requires that their customers use a hosting platform or Zoom recordings to list their content. So to further add to the seamlessness of the feature, the fitness software has partnered with Vimeo as their recommended hosting platform. TeamUp customers will receive an additional 10% off their Vimeo pro, business, and premium plans.

"There has never been a better opportunity or time for fitness business to upgrade their offering and deliver a product that their clients can both enjoy and depend on." As the fitness industry moves closer to a post-pandemic world, fitness clients can now determine on their own terms how they want to take advantage of the fitness services they are offered, without having to choose all or nothing. Fitness businesses can now rest easy knowing that they can provide their clients with a safe, secure, and reliable service with software they can count on.

TeamUp's On Demand library is officially live and available for all of their clients to use alongside their many other tools and features for running live in-person and online fitness classes. To take a free 30-day trial of the software and create your own On Demand library visit TeamUp or contact [email protected].

Media contact:

Tim Green

[email protected]

+441473 378252

SOURCE TeamUp
The U.S. military's European Command has raised its combat readiness to the maximum possible level amid the deployment of Russian troops to the border with Ukraine, according to The New York Times.

"In the past week, the U.S. military's European Command raised its watch level from possible crisis to potential imminent crisis  the highest level  in response to the deployment of the additional Russian troops," the article reads.

European monitors have spotted new weaponry on the Russian-backed side in recent weeks, the report said.

According to an American official, Moscow has sent roughly 4,000 troops to the Ukrainian border.

Frederick B. Hodges, a retired lieutenant general and a former top U.S. Army commander in Europe, said Russia wants to test President Joe Biden's administration.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak said at an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on March 30 that Russia deployed 28 battalion tactical groups to the border with Ukraine.

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During the event, the 'Moral Courage in Medicine' award will be presented to Dr. Anthony Fauci

TEL AVIV, Israel, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 7th, the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Jewish calendar, International March of the Living, together with the Maimonides Institute for Ethics and the Holocaust, the Miller Center at Rutgers University, the USC Shoah Foundation and Teva Pharmaceuticals, will hold a special symposium on "Medicine and Morality: Lessons from the Holocaust and COVID-19".

The program will include testimony from survivors who were both persecuted by Nazi doctors as well as saved by medical professionals during the Holocaust. It will also feature world renowned medical professionals and researchers who will discuss medical resistance during the Holocaust, the legacy of Nazi medicine and what the Holocaust can teach us about the ethics of care.

During the symposium, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the U.S. President, will receive the"Moral Courage in Medicine" award for his work in combatting COVID-19, his long history of leading the battle against infectious diseases, and his dedication to the health and wellbeing of humankind.

The event will also include a moving performance of 'Schindler's List' by Grammy Award winner and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador of Music, Miri Ben-Ari. A renowned violinist, producer and humanitarian, Ben-Ari is also the descendant of Holocaust survivors.

Participating organizations include the World Medical Association, Department of Education of the UNESCO Chair of Bioethics, Israeli Medical Association, Canadian Medical Association, Indian Medical Association, South African Medical Association and many others. The program has been approved for 1.5 ACCME credits for participating physicians and nurses.

Vice-Chair of the International March of the Living, Prof. David Machlis, and Founding Director of the Maimonides Institute for Ethics and the Holocaust, Dr. Stacy Gallin, noted that this year in particular, it is appropriate to honor the activities and heroism of the medical community during the Holocaust, by inviting practicing medical professionals to participate in all of the March's events. "We believe that hundreds of medical staff and medical students will tune in to watch a program that will be both informative and poignant," said Prof. Machlis.

Dr. Eran Harary, VP, TA Head, Neurology and Psychiatry, Global Specialty R&D:"The Nazis and their collaborators worked systematically to exterminate our people, conducting monstrous experiments. We are now a world leader when it comes to science and medicine, developing drugs and bringing improved health to the lives of patients across the world. From a nation that was condemned to death and destruction during the Holocaust, we are a people engaged in preserving life".

International March of the Living is the largest annual international Holocaust education program which, until the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020, has taken place in Poland and Israel without interruption, since its inception in 1988. To date, close to 300,000 International March of the Living participants have marched en masse along the 3.2-kilometer path from Auschwitz to Birkenau, against prejudice, intolerance and hate and in tribute to the greatest loss in the history of the Jewish people.

The event will be broadcast online on Wednesday April 7 at 19.00 ET. Visit the following link to register: https://www.motl.org/medicine/

Promo video: https://youtu.be/G5l-dGf04Ok

Video: https://youtu.be/G5l-dGf04Ok

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479819/International_March.jpg
Social Commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has waded into discussions regarding some Members of Parliament's (MPs) motions requesting Parliament to investigate electoral violence in the country.



Four Majority MPs in the persons of the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, MP for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta-Akyea and Akuapim South MP, Osei Bonsu Amoah and six Minority MPs led by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu have filed motions urging Parliament to investigate circumstances leading to some violence and subsequent deaths during the 2020 general elections.



The MPs further asked for a probe into all recruitments made by the security agencies since President Akufo-Addo assumed office in 2017.



With the four Majority MPs, their motion is for Parliament to probe all election-related violence since the inception of the Fourth Republic, dating back to 1993.



Reacting to the issue on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Allotey Jacobs sounded proverbially as he blamed the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the violence and deaths that happened during last year's Presidential elections.



Like to quote the Akan proverb that ''he who brought sugarcane home brought the flies'', he argued that if the NDC leadership had not made a call for their supporters to invade collation centers, there wouldn't have been any violence.



"The 2020 election was historical . . . Our 1992 political dispensation, it has come of age that there should be an end to all political violence. So, 2020, you would realize that there would have been no violence if people have not been ordered to go to collation centers. There would have been no violence. It's so unfortunate that we have discredited the 2020 elections but let us soldier on," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi.



He also charged the security agencies to be on top of their job ensuring no election violence in the country again.



"Our security services can do a lot for this country if they're firm in their conviction that, every election that comes, they will make sure there's no violence anywhere. There will be no snatching of ballot boxes . . . When it comes to Ghana, for the sake of our security, they should be neutral.''







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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NEW YORK - The collapse of a billionaire's family investment firm that has some asking whether Wall Street learned its lesson from past financial crises has sparked a different debate among some evangelical leaders over ethical investing.

Archegos Capital Management, which does not function like a regular hedge fund, is a family office, which typically manages the money of a few wealthy families.

Archegos managed $10 billion of Bill Hwang's family fortune, according to Reuters. The firm used borrowed money to buy substantial stakes in media and Internet companies, including ViacomCBS. That position went south this week after Viacom's share price dropped, prompting Wall Street firms that had invested in Archegos to demand it make up some of those losses. When Archegos could not, two banks that financed Archegos' stock purchases warned its own investors of potential losses of billions of dollars, according to several media accounts.

While being overleveraged isn't necessarily illegal, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened a preliminary investigation into the firm's meltdown, Bloomberg News reported; such inquiries are routine and may not lead to charges.

Using Archegos's same Manhattan address across from Carnegie Hall, Hwang also co-foundedone of the nation's largest Christian charitable foundations, the Grace and Mercy Foundation, with nearly $500 million in assets. Recent tax documents from his foundation show it is funded mainly by Hwang; he and his wife are directors. Tax records also show his charity has donated amounts ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars to more than 60 institutions, mostly evangelical ones, including giving $1.2 million to the Museum of the Bible in Washington.

Hwang, 57, was also once close to the late evangelical leader Ravi Zacharias, who was recently in the news over accusations of sexual misconduct, and they spoke together at a conference in 2019. Hwang's foundation gave Zacharias's ministry $255,000 in 2018.

"I cannot think of another foundation or individual that has given significant donations to as many Christian organizations as he has," said Warren Cole Smith, who leads a group called MinistryWatch that monitors Christian ministries' finances.

A spokesman for Hwang did not respond to a request for comment. The president of the Grace and Mercy Foundation, Sumi Kim, did not respond to a request for comment.

Smith said Hwang may not be legally guilty of wrongdoing, but his actions should still give Christians pause because they lead to losses for investors well beyond Hwang's family.

"That kind of risky behavior, especially with other people's money, does have moral and ethical consequences, even if it's not illegal," Smith said.

Hwang is the son of a Korean pastor who immigrated to the United States as a child. He later became one of billionaire Julian Robertson's proteges, and started the Tiger Asia hedge fund. In 2012, the SEC charged Hwang with committing insider trading at Tiger Asia. He agreed to pay $44 million to settle the charges, and he was also barred from trading or giving investment advice for at least five years starting in 2013.

According to interviews with several people who know Hwang and his foundation, Hwang has shared this story as a "come to Jesus" moment, where he would say that he had a sort of spiritual awakening after being caught by the SEC. Since then, he has been given several platforms on Christian conference stages to talk about his business mind-set.

Tony Carnes, who runs a site called A Journey through NYC religions, said he turned down a potential funding call with the foundation because he felt uncomfortable after hearing speculation that Hwang was using his foundation to make a comeback. He said while it's okay for churches and ministries to receive money from people who might not have stellar backgrounds, he was concerned that Hwang was being heralded for his great business and ethics approach.

Carnes believes there are bigger questions Christians must ask over whether it's ethical to take such major risks with other people's money.

"Is capitalism only a Wild West game?" Carnes said. "It's a shootout and see who survives? Or is it more cooperative and you make sure you look for casualties and help them? You recognize you have some limits. The limits might not legally be there, but ethically, [they are] if you care for people."

According to tax documents, Hwang gave $5.5 million to the Fuller Foundation, a family foundation, as well as $2 million to the Fuller Theological Seminary, where he is on the board of trustees, considered to be a list of who's who among influential evangelical leaders.

Rich Mouw, a former president of Fuller Theological Seminary and an evangelical leader, said he remembers bringing Hwang on the board of Fuller after Hwang's investments did so well for the Fuller Foundation. Together, they traveled as friends to Japan and South Korea, and Mouw spoke at Hwang's mother's funeral.

"I have talked a lot with Bill about ethical and spiritual challenges in his work," Mouw said. "I've always found him to be very eager to think in Christian ways."

In a 2018 interview with Fuller, Hwang spoke about using capitalism to help society advance in investing in companies that do good for society, citing LinkedIn as an example.

The Grace and Mercy Foundation has donated to major evangelical ministries across the country, including the International Justice Mission, Cru (formerly Campus Crusade), Prison Fellowship, Young Life and the Navigators. It also has helped to finance several Christian organizations in Manhattan, including Redeemer Presbyterian's Hope for New York and the King's College.

In total, the foundation gave out more than $16 million in grants in 2018, with many donations being likely to make up a significant portion of smaller ministries' revenue.

One evangelical leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared it could jeopardize his relationship with Hwang, said Hwang spoke to him about his financial influence overseas. He said Hwang would talk about how he would consider his investments in a country like Cambodia and then also decide to support an orphanage or congregation as a way to support something for the "kingdom," a reference to God's work on Earth.

Whether Archegos's meltdown could affect the Grace and Mercy Foundation is unclear.Tax returns from 2018 suggest Hwang's foundation purchased shares of several private offshore entities. The foundation also received a donation of a $30 million share in Amazon that was purchased for about $10 million. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) If Hwang made the donations to his foundation, he was probably able to deduct gifts and avoid capital gains taxes, according to David Bea, a Chicago-based attorney who has worked with several religious institutions on their IRS status.

Bea said the foundation, assuming its transactions were properly separated from Archegos, should be safe from Hwang's Wall Street dealings because Hwang and his wife are listed as directors, not owners.

The foundation gave about 3.2 percent of the foundation to mostly Christian, Korean and Asian American nonprofit organizations in 2018, while most foundations in the United States are expected to meet a minimum percentage of 5 percent, according to Bea.

In 2014, Hwang also brought on board Andy Mills, a leader in evangelical institutions such as Focus on the Family and the King's College. Mills has been executive chairman and co-chief executive officer at Archegos, as well as vice chairperson of Hwang's foundation. Mills did not respond to calls requesting comment.

Hwang is among several wealthy Christian philanthropists in the United States who carry financial influence through foundations such as the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, the H.E. Butt Foundation and the Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation. But what's unusual about Hwang is that he has flown largely under the radar even though his finances have touched so many evangelical institutions nationwide.

Hwang is passionate about having the Bible read out loud for people to listen to publicly. Each week, his foundation would host a live session in Manhattan where ministry leaders around the city would gather to hear the Bible read.

Doug Birdsall, honorary co-chair of Lausanne Movement, an international network of evangelicals that has been a recipient of Hwang's generosity, said that when Birdsall lived in New York in 2013, they worshiped together at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, founded by pastor Tim Keller. Hwang gave Lausanne $75,000 in 2018, according to tax records. Birdsall said he admires Hwang for his attitude toward money, pointing to an interview posted on YouTube in 2018 in which Hwang said, "I do it because I like God more than I like money."

Birdsall still has a lot of admiration for Hwang, as well as sympathy for what happened on Wall Street.

"Bill obviously has a high tolerance for risk," Birdsall said. "They say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. He's had setbacks but they've been compensated by his success. I haven't heard anything about illegal or foolish activity. It's a matter of, it was a risk ... and he lost."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites and Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.
You wouldnt know it by looking now, but there was a time when Congress functioned and could actually get things done. Lawmakers from both parties would come together and find solutions to some of our biggest policy challenges, rather than go on cable news and snipe at one another.

Can we rediscover the fundamentals of good governing? Since taking office, President Joe Biden has struck the right tone, calling for unity and collaboration. But now we need to put those words into practice.

A recent report from the group FixUS included thoughts from several former lawmakers and appointed officials about how to repair our governing institutions. A clear takeaway is that Congress needs to play a leading role in promoting good governance and restoring voters faith in our democracy.

You actually dont have to look too far back to know this is possible. During her political career representing New York, one of this articles co-authors, Susan Molinari, served as a proud Republican and in several leadership positions. But she also met regularly with the rest of the states delegation, discussing constituent issues through a lens of what mattered for New Yorkers, not political parties. She was also a member of other bipartisan groups, such as the womens caucus, which would meet on issues like sexual harassment in the military and breast cancer research.

The other authors can share similar experiences from their time representing Texas, North Dakota and Kansas. We know from firsthand experience that people with different opinions and backgrounds can work together, be civil with each other and find solutions that help all Americans.

Regular, in-person meetings and working on causes that cross party lines can restore the personal connections that seem to have been lost. Policymaking is nearly impossible if members of Congress dont take the time to relate to one another and find commonalities that arent easily noticeable on Twitter or partisan news outlets.

Congress needs to do more than just rediscover civil discourse. It also needs to reclaim its primary role as the maker of laws. To do that, congressional committees and subcommittees have to be given the chance to do their work.

Normally, when a bill gets introduced, its assigned to the appropriate committee for public hearings and amendments, and  if approved by the committee  sent to the full House or Senate for a vote. At least, thats how the process should work. But this process of regular order has become much less common in recent years.

Too often, legislative gridlock has left the president to make policy through executive actions. When legislation is actually passed, its often based on behind-the-scenes negotiations between leadership, with rank-and-file members only consulted for vote counts.

Just following regular order and taking the time to talk with members of the other party as people  not adversaries  could go a long way to restoring Congress role as an equal and functional branch of government. If lawmakers spend more time together working on the issues that are really important to Americans, they can rediscover the importance of open communication, compromise and good governing.

Susan Molinari is a former Republican representative from New York. Heidi Heitkamp is a former Democratic senator from North Dakota. Steve Bartlett is a former Republican representative from Dallas and a former Dallas mayor. Dan Glickman is a former Democratic representative from Kansas.
has announced not to participate in-person in the (MWC) 2021, after several tech giants like Nokia, Ericsson, Sony and Oracle decided not to attend the flagship event meant for the global smartphone industry.

said that following current COVID-19 travel restrictions and protocols, it "has made the decision to not exhibit at this year".

"We will continue to collaborate closely with GSMA and support our partners through virtual opportunities. We look forward to this year's activities and seeing you in Barcelona in 2022," the company said in a statement to The Verge on Wednesday.

In February, the GSMA that runs MWC said it would go ahead with the in-person event in June year with proper Covid-19 precautions.

However, with Covid cases rising again globally, more and more tech giants have announced not to take the risk.

MWC Barcelona is an annual trade show organised by GSMA, dedicated primarily to the mobile communications industry.

Its annual attendance was generally around 100,000 people, while mobile phone manufacturers often use the conference to unveil upcoming devices.

GSMA has extended the MWC brand to two other trade shows in Shanghai, China (MWC Shanghai) and Los Angeles, United States (MWC Los Angeles, formerly MWC Americas), but the brand remains most synonymous with the Barcelona event.

--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.)
GLENDALE, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Front Porch and Covia announced their affiliation today, completing a process that brings two successful California non-profit organizations together under a single management team and governance, as Front Porch. The new organization supports 54 communities, 3,000 employees, 7,500 residents, and more than 6,000 participants in programs and services nationwide.

"This affiliation combines outstanding people and resources from across California and beyond. Our expanded scale, flexibility, and resources further improve our stability, particularly during periods of volatility," said John Woodward, CEO of Front Porch since 2015. "Our combined expertise will better meet the needs of current and future residents as we stay ahead of trends and anticipate changing market conditions."

As its first action, the newly organized Front Porch board of directors, drawn from both Covia and Front Porch, approved updated mission, vision and core values for the unified organization. "Covia and Front Porch decided to affiliate with the belief that we are better together," said board member Vince Forte. "We look forward to fulfilling our vision to empower individuals to live connected and fulfilled lives through community and innovation."

Headquartered in Glendale, California, Front Porch has 51 communities throughout the state, stretching from Santa Rosa to San Diego, and one each in Florida, Louisiana, and Arizona. The organization also serves people throughout the United States through community services and other programs.

Board members who have been working towards this affiliation see tremendous potential in the new organization. Prior to beginning affiliation discussions in late 2019, Front Porch and Covia already had a strong working relationship, as Covia's Resident Service Coordinators provide support for Front Porch's CARING Housing Ministries.

"With this affiliation Front Porch will be stronger in an evolving marketplace and will increase our ability to support service and community growth," said board member Oliver Wesson. "The affiliation increases access to financial capital to support timely modernization of communities and services as well as investments in technology, innovation and growth."

About Front Porch:

Front Porch is an innovative not-for-profit family of companies and communities, dedicated to doing everything Humanly Possible to meet the dynamic interests and changing needs of the many people we serve. Our mission is to inspire and build community, cultivating meaningful relationships and experiences that respond creatively to changing needs. Learn more at frontporch.net.

SOURCE Front Porch
(Newser)  Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein didn't have to put up with this, an attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell has told a court. "Wealthy men charged with similar or more serious offenses, many of whom have foreign ties, are routinely granted bail so that they can effectively prepare for trial," David Oscar Markus wrote in the Thursday filing. "Ms. Maxwell is entitled to the same opportunity as male defendants to prepare her defense." The former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein is jailed pending her trial, scheduled for July, on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. She's pleaded not guilty. The brief said rich men facing other sorts of charges also were allowed out until their trial, Yahoo News reports, mentioning Bernie Madoff and John Gotti. Prosecutors added charges this week, which Markus said could require postponing the trial.

story continues below

Maxwell's lawyer also complained about the conditions at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, which he said are "fitting for Hannibal Lecter." Maxwell is on suicide watch and "continues to lose weight, her hair, and her ability to concentrate," the brief says, per the New York Post, asking that she be released on bail before she reaches the point where she's not capable of helping with her defense. The filing says guards wake Maxwell up every 15 minutes by shining lights into her cell and conduct intrusive searches"including having hands forced into her mouth in a squalid facility where COVID has run rampant." Her lawyers criticized the charges as merely "old, anonymous accusations that have never been tested." The court did not immediately rule on the bail request. "All we are asking for is a chance to defend the case," the brief says. (Read more Ghislaine Maxwell stories.)
4. Celebrity impostor scams

Real celebs like Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber grabbed headlines during the pandemic with social media money giveaways. Fans posted their cash-transfer app identifier (or $Cashtag, in Cash App) for a chance at free money. Right away, scammers posing as celebrities started offering fake giveaways as a way to get people's private information.

The scheme: You get a note via social media, email or text message, claiming you won! You just need to verify your account info and send a small deposit up front.

How to avoid: If you really win, you won't be asked to send money first, says Satnam Narang of Tenable, a cybersecurity firm. The easiest way to defeat this scam is to block incoming requests on your cash-transfer app. Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

5. Online romance scams

They're not just lurking on dating sites. Romance scammers are getting close to unsuspecting women and men in online prayer groups and book groups, through online games like Words With Friends and other groups people are turning to during pandemic isolation, Nofziger says.

The scheme: Scammers typically lure their romance marks off of sites that may be monitored and onto Google Hangouts, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, where no one's watching. Eventually they hit you up for money.

How to avoid: Rule number one: Never send money to someone you've never met in person. And say no to requests for suggestive selfies and videos that a scammer can later use to blackmail you. It's flattering to be told you are attractive, Nofziger says, but it will be used against you.

6. Medicare card scams

Scammers are emailing, calling and even knocking on doors, claiming to be from Medicare and offering all sorts of pandemic-related services if you verify your Medicare ID number.

The scheme: The offers include new cards they claim contain microchips. Some posers are asking for payment to move beneficiaries up in line for the COVID-19 vaccine.

How to avoid: Hang up the phone, shut the door, delete the email. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare will never contact you without permission for your Medicare number or other personal information. And it will never call to sell you anything. Guard your Medicare number and never pay for a COVID vaccine. It's free.

7. Peer-to-peer (P2P) payment scams

The rise of smartphone tools like CashApp, Venmo, Zelle and PayPal, which let you transfer money directly to another person, has led to a range of frauds.

The scheme: One of the more pervasive is the so-called accidental transfer of funds scam, Narang says. A scammer sends hundreds of dollars, then sends a follow-up message requesting the money back, claiming it was an accident.  But the original transfer was made with a stolen debit card; those funds will eventually be removed from your account. And you're out the money.

How to avoid: Scrutinize money requests before hitting accept. To be extra diligent, disable [or block] incoming requests altogether on your app and only use it for sending money, Narang suggests. Enable it when someone you trust is about to send you cash. And ignore a notice to return an accidental deposit. Report the incident to the app's support team to resolve the dispute.

8. Social Security scam calls

Scammers are using spoofed phone numbers that look like they're coming from Washington, D.C., to appear credible.

The scheme: You get a scary phone call saying your Social Security number was used in a crime  and you'll be arrested soon if you don't send money to fix it. They may say your number was used to rent a car where drugs were found and that the Drug Enforcement Agency is on their way to your house, Nofziger says. The caller may refer you to a local law-enforcement website where you can see the person's picture. You think you've checked it out, call them back and send money.

How to avoid: Don't pick up the phone unless you absolutely know who's calling, Nofziger says. If it's important, they'll leave a voicemail.

9. Account takeover scam texts

Scammers are sending fake text messages alleging there's big trouble with your internet account, a credit card, bank account or shopping order on Amazon. They want you to click on links and provide personal info.

The scheme The urgent-sounding text message may have a real-looking logo. People don't expect scammers to use text messages, so they're more likely to click, Moore says.

How to avoid: Remember, don't click on links in emails and texts that you haven't asked for. Call your bank or credit card company to check for a problem. Installing security software on your computer and keeping it updated is also crucial, says cybersecurity expert Brian Payne, of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
House GOPers Seek Missing Nursing Home Deaths Data, Suspect Coverup in Five States

Republican House Ways and Means Committee member Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania believes he and four GOP colleagues arent getting copies of monthly nursing home data because state and federal officials have something to hide.

I dont know how many times you have to send letters and make requests for data and get no response at all, Kelly told The Epoch Times in a March 31 interview. Usually, when you ask a question and they dont give you an answer, its because they dont want to give you an answer.

And the reason probably they dont want to give you an answer is it may be harmful to them, but that doesnt help us making decisions going forward.

Kelly said hes especially concerned about his home state because of revelations and subsequent investigations concerning New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his aides allegedly covering up data showing more than twice as many people died in nursing homes that Cuomo ordered to accept CCP virus patients.

Cuomos policy came early in the national pandemic that began in March 2020 and required New York nursing homes to accept as residents stabilized patients suffering from the virus. The goal was to free up hospital beds for an expected crush of incoming patients.

The FBI is now investigating whether Cuomo failed to report accurately how many nursing home deaths were attributable to the virus. Critics in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California have pointed to similarities to Cuomos approach among those states, all of which have Democratic governors.

In Pennsylvania, and only because of Gov. [Andrew] Cuomos many problems, Gov. [Tom] Wolfs gets overlooked. Its the same policy, New York and Pennsylvania are almost identical in their policies, Kelly said.

The only problem is we cant look at the data, we cant get the data, and because of that, we have real concerns that something is going on that should not be going on.

Kelly was referring to monthly data reported by nursing homes to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from May 2020 to the present concerning deaths of residents due to the CCP virus.

In a March 24, 2021, letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra, Kelly and four other GOP members of the Ways and Means panel requested copies of all the reports from the five states, which pursued similar policies regarding CCP virus patients and nursing homes.

We continue to be concerned about policy decisions in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding nursing homes and about whether certain states, including New York and Pennsylvania among others, may have intentionally misled the public and perhaps the federal government regarding COVID-19 related deaths in those facilities, the signers told Becerra.

In addition to Kelly, the signers include Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the top Republican on the panel, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the ranking GOP member of the panels health subcommittee, and panel members Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.).

Kelly, Brady, Nunes, and Smucker also wrote to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, in a March 24 letter concerning the data for that state and the lack of response to their request from then-Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine.

You are likely aware of recent public reports about the state of New Yorks effort to intentionally hide accurate data from the public and potentially from the federal government, the four signers told Shapiro.

Given that context and the missing Pennsylvania data, we are concerned that there may be a concerted effort in the state to conceal the true scope of COVID-19 related nursing home deaths. Perhaps something else explains the missing data, but we have yet to receive satisfactory answers for why the data remains missing.

Levine was nominated as assistant HHS secretary by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate. During Levines confirmation hearing, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked her about the missing data.

There is a lag-time from the time a tragic death would occur to the time it hits the electronic reporting system, Levine told Collins during the Feb. 25, 2021, hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

The Pennsylvania controversy has generated local media coverage, with 11 News television reporter Angie Moreschi reminding viewers on March 19 that she had previously reported on issues with missing and incomplete COVID data in Pennsylvania nursing homes throughout the pandemic.

Frequent checks of the states data on long term care facilities showed dozens of facilities reporting no data all the way back to May of last year, when the state first started posting the information. In the most recent report, 138 out of the states 693 facilities reported no data, Moreschi said.

Kelly told The Epoch Times, When you dont receive data that youve requested in a timely fashion, its no longer relevant. And if you dont have any data moving forward to compare and looking backward as to what your policy should be and what changes should be made, it makes it impossible to develop policy, you just cant do it.

He said his real question for Pennsylvania all along has been how long are you going to accept the fact, or maybe just not disclose the fact that you never had any data to begin with, but you chose to use a different way of delivering a message, not based on the data you had in your hand but the message you wanted to put out that you couldnt back up with data.

Congressional correspondent Mark Tapscott may be contacted at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc
A BUS driver charged with murdering his student girlfriend in Windhoek four years ago has been found guilty.

Judge Eileen Rakow convicted Victor Elia (40) on counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and obstructing the course of justice in a judgement delivered in the Windhoek High Court on Wednesday.

The judge found that the circumstantial evidence on which the prosecution relied in Elia's trial led to only one inference, which is that Elia was responsible for the killing of his girlfriend, International University of Management student Iyaloo Hainghumbi (25), on 16 or 17 January 2017.

She also found that Elia robbed Hainghumbi by taking her handbag, cellphone, jacket and a pair of shoes, and that he tried to destroy evidence of the killing and hinder a police investigation by removing blood from the bus he was driving, dumping Hainghumbi's body next to the Western Bypass in Windhoek and burning or getting rid of the items he had taken from Hainghumbi.

Hainghumbi's body was found next to the highway on the morning of 17 January 2017. She had been killed through a blow to the head.

Elia denied guilt on the three charges.

The prosecution's evidence included cellphone records which indicated the phones of Elia and Hainghumbi had been in the same areas of Windhoek during the afternoon and evening of 16 January 2017, DNA test results which showed that DNA matching that of Hainghumbi was found in bloodstains in the bus which Elia was driving, and testimony that after his arrest Elia had asked his brother to buy paraffin and burn some items.

The court also heard during the trial that Hainghumbi had spent the weekend preceding her death at Swakopmund with a new boyfriend, and that she had informed Elia she was involved in a new romantic relationship and did not want to have contact with him any more.

The case has been postponed to 20 April for a presentence hearing.

Elia remains in custody.
A growing number of major corporations are speaking out against a new Georgia law that imposes sweeping new restrictions on voting, setting up a political battle between big business and the Republican Party that may have electoral consequences across the country.

The bill, which was passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, makes it a criminal offence to provide food or water to voters waiting in line, reduces the number of ballot drop off boxes, introduces new identification requirements and gives the lawmakers more power over how elections are handled.

The new law was fuelled by a widespread campaign of falsehoods promoted by Donald Trump and his Republican supporters in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

It has provoked an unprecedented corporate backlash, with rebukes from the CEOs of Georgia-based companies such as Coca-Cola, Delta and UPS. They are among more than a dozen companies to have spoken out.

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta, which is headquartered in Atlanta, said in a message to employees that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Deltas values.

Read more:

Its evident that the bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives. That is wrong, he added.

Coca-Cola executive Alfredo Rivera said in a statement the company, which is also headquartered in Georgia, opposed any measures that would seek to diminish or restrict voter access.

Anything that inhibits these principles can lead to voter suppression. We took these steps because they align to our purpose and the conscience we follow, he said.

Other companies issuing criticism included UPS, Microsoft, Apple, Home Depot, Facebook, Bank of America and Mercedes Benz, to name a few.

But while voting rights advocates have welcomed the outpouring of condemnation from the corporate world, some have wondered aloud why it was not forthcoming until after the bill was passed. Activists had pushed for weeks for them to speak out, only for them to reserve their strongest condemnation until after the bill was signed into law.

I think its somewhat irresponsible of them to come out after a law has passed, said Aunna Dennis, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, a voting rights group.

Theres still opportunity for some things to change. We are obviously going to court. We filed a case with our coalition partners and other legal teams to really combat this. So we still need that added pressure from corporations in Georgia to take this stand against these suppressive tactics.

The new legislation is likely to disproportionately impact people of colour, who have historically been the target of voter suppression efforts in Georgia. Following a year in which many companies took a forceful stand on issues of racial injustice, many activists called on corporations to back their words with action.

The new and appalling Jim Crow laws in Georgia are overtly racist, un-American and unconstitutional, Jonah Bryson, NAACP spokesperson, told The Independent.

Corporations have a responsibility to stand up in moments like these when the sacred right to vote is under attack. We expect all corporations to stand up against racism and defend our democracy, he added.

The willingness of large companies to speak out against anti-democratic laws has increased significantly since the attack on the US Capitol by pro-Trump protesters in January this year. More than 60 corporations announced their intention to stop donations to lawmakers who objected to certifying the results of the 2020 election  a move that was seen as a precursor to the violence that followed.

The new law in Georgia is part of a nationwide effort by Republican state legislators to restrict voting in the wake of Mr Trumps campaign to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen.

The intervention by corporations in Georgia is significant, but it did not come easily. Both Coca-Cola and Delta initially issued more neutral statements about the bill, before succumbing to public pressure.

Delta issued a statement following its passage into law saying the bill had improved considerably during the legislative process. That statement was met with ire from activists and customers, and the hashtag #BoycottDelta was trending soon after. Less than a week later the company issued the follow up statement calling the law unacceptable.

Coca-Cola issued a similarly middle of the road statement initially, saying that it would continue to identify opportunities for engagement and strive for improvements aimed at promoting and protecting the right to vote in our home state and elsewhere. That too prompted a backlash and calls for a boycott of the company, which prompted the newer, tougher statement.

Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat who founded an organisation to fight voter suppression following her gubernatorial loss in 2018, called the initial response to the law mealy-mouthed.

The companies that stood silently by or gave mealy-mouthed responses during the debate were wrong, she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. What people want to know now is where they stand on this fundamental issue of voting rights.

Hopefully, well build such a hue and cry that the Legislature will have to correct what theyve done. But these companies sell their products across the country, and across the country there are Black and brown voters who need to know theyre not being left behind, she added.

Nonetheless, the quick turnaround by both companies shows the extent to which companies are increasingly willing to listen to customers and staff on political issues.

Most large corporations donate large sums to both political parties in order to influence legislation that may affect their business. But an increased focus on democracy rights has created something of a lopsided penalty for Republicans, who are pushing laws similar to Georgias nationwide.

Republican legislators have introduced a total of 361 bills with restrictive provisions in 47 states, according to the Brennan Center , a democracy advocacy group. Five of those bills have already been signed into law, and another 55 are currently underway.

Republicans have shown no sign of backing down, however. Georgia Republicans voted to strip Delta of a jet fuel tax break worth tens of millions of dollars following the companys statement condemning the law.

Republican Georgia governor Brian Kemp hit out at Deltas CEO in a statement on Wednesday, accusing him of continuing to spread the same false attacks being repeated by partisan activists.

Mr Bastian should compare voting laws in Georgia  which include no-excuse absentee balloting, online voter registration, 17 days of early voting with an additional two optional Sundays, and automatic voter registration when obtaining a drivers license  with other states Delta Airlines operates in, he added.

As the fight to repeal the law and in the legislature begins, voting rights advocates are urging the same companies to do more. Ms Dennis, of Common Cause Georgia, called on corporations to implement a two-hour voting leave with pay to make it easier for their employees to vote.

Thats something that was necessary ... even before these changes happened. It should be a right, and it should be a given that folks should have dedicated time for them to go vote. This law takes away some of the flexibility that voters had to be able to go to early voting, she said.

If they want to continue to be responsible and accountable to their employees, to their customers, I think they should do voting leave with pay.
[April 01, 2021] Tauriga Sciences, Inc. Successfully Registers on BidNet Direct and is Actively Bidding on U.S. Government Contract(s)

The Company is a Verified Federal Government Vendor (CAGE CODE # 8QXV4) NEW YORK, NY, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: TAUG) (Tauriga or the Company), a revenue generating, diversified life sciences company, with a proprietary line of CBD & CBG infused Supplement chewing gums (Flavors: Pomegranate, Blood Orange, Peach-Lemon, Pear Bellini, Mint, Black Currant), additional product offerings, as well as an ongoing Pharmaceutical Development initiative, today announced that it has successfully registered on BidNet Direct (BidNet) and is actively bidding on U.S. Government contract(s). On October 6, 2020, the Company announced that it had been officially approved to operate as a U.S. Government Vendor. Since then, the Company has strategically broadened and diversified its product offerings and is excited about this potential revenue stream. BidNet is the most trusted name in government bidding, providing vendors with government opportunities specifically targeted by industry and geographic area. BidNet is now working directly with over 1,100 local government agencies as a bid and vendor management solution. BidNet Direct is comprised of multiple purchasing groups throughout the country. Through these purchasing groups, government agencies utilize the network to publish, distribute and award contracts. Vendors receive exclusive bid opportunities, directly from the buying agency. The Following Credentials were Issued to Tauriga Sciences, Inc. by the United States Government: Commercial & Government Entity (CAGE) Code#: 8QXV4 Purpose of Registration: ALL AWARDS Expiration Date: 10/01/2021 ABOUT TAURIGA SCIENCES, INC. Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (TAUG) is a revenue generating, diversified life sciences company, engaged in several major business activities and initiatives. The company manufactures and distributes several proprietary retail products and product lines, mainly focused on the Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG) Edibles market segment. The main product line, branded as Tauri-Gum, consists of a proprietary supplement chewing gum that is Kosher certified, Halal certified, and Vegan Formulated (CBD Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Mint, Blood Orange, Pomegranate), (CBG Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Peach-Lemon, Black Currant), (Vitamin C + Zinc Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Par Bellini), (Caffeine Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Cherry Lime Rickey), & (Vitamin D3 Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Golden Raspberry). The Companys commercialization strategy consists of a broad array of retail customers, distributors, and a fast-growing E-Commerce business segment (E-Commerce website: www.taurigum.com). Please visit our corporate website, for additional information, as well as inquiries, at http://www.tauriga.com



Complementary to the Companys retail business, is its ongoing Pharmaceutical Development initiative. This relates to the development of a proposed Pharmaceutical grade version of Tauri-Gum, for nausea regulation (specifically designed for the following indication: Patients Subjected to Ongoing Chemotherapy Treatment). On March 22, 2021, the Company announced that it had Converted its U.S. Provisional Patent Application (filed on March 17, 2020) into a U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application. The Patent, filed with the U.S.P.T.O. is Titled MEDICATED CBD COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MANUFACTURING, AND METHODS OF TREATMENT. On December 18, 2020 the Company disclosed that it had entered into a Master Services Agreement with CSTI to lead the Company's clinical development efforts. The Company is headquartered in Wappingers Falls, New York. In addition, the Company operates two full time E-Commerce fulfillment centers: one located in Montgomery, Texas and the other in Brooklyn, New York.

DISCLAIMER -- Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which represent managements beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are often indicated by using words such as may, will, expects, anticipates, believes, hopes, believes, or plans, and may include statements regarding corporate objectives as well as the attainment of certain corporate goals and milestones. Forward-looking statements are based on present circumstances and on managements present beliefs with respect to events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences or timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements due to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, such as are not guarantees of general economic and business conditions, the ability to successfully develop and market products, consumer and business consumption habits, the ability to consummate successful acquisition and licensing transactions, fluctuations in exchange rates, and other factors over which Tauriga has little or no control. Many of these risks and uncertainties are discussed in greater detail in the Risk Factors section of Taurigas Form 10-K and other periodic filings made from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release, and Tauriga assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the Company will generate any future revenue, from bidding on U.S. Government contract(s). Contact: Tauriga Sciences, Inc.

4 Nancy Court, Suite 4

Wappingers Falls, NY 12590

Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Seth M. Shaw

Email: sshaw@tauriga.com

Cell # (917) 796 9926

Company Instagram: @taurigum

Personal Instagram: @sethsms47

Twitter: @SethMShaw

Corp. Website: www.tauriga.com E-Commerce Website: www.taurigum.com Attachment Caffeine and Vitamin D3 Infused Tauri-Gum Versions



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In Lisburn, 20p gets a motorist 15 minutes of parking in the city centre with two hours costing 1.60 (PA)

A call has been made for on-street pay and display charges to be scrapped in Lisburn City Centre.

Deputy Mayor Jenny Palmer called for the move in an attempt to help retailers and customers as Northern Ireland eases out of lockdown.

The UUP councillor said that willy-nilly controlled parking zones were only implemented in Lisburn, Newry and Belfast, adding that it was unfair that other areas in Northern Ireland did not incur the tariffs.

On-street parking charges and parking and bus lane enforcement were suspended on March 24 last year due to Covid-19 before resuming at the end of June.

In Lisburn, 20p gets a motorist 15 minutes of parking in the city centre with two hours costing 1.60.

Councillor Palmer said it was long overdue that free parking for a maximum of two hours was implemented by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI).

The intention behind this is to remove the costs of on-street parking to all of our shopping fraternity that want to come into our city and embrace a couple of our retailers without having to worrying about these charges, the Deputy Mayor said.

Why is it that I can come into Hillsborough Village and park for one to two hours and not have to worry about charges? Its the same in Moira, Ballymena, Londonderry, and yet in Lisburn we have a regime here that makes people pay.

If people spend 20p then that gives them 15 minutes. Thats hardly allows for someone to go and collect a prescription and make it back to their car.

Its about time that we make it more affordable for people to come and park in the city, Cllr Palmer added. We need to remove the charges and there is the regulation across Northern Ireland that allows for allows for a maximum stay of up to two hours.

That allows for a good turnaround of people and gives people the opportunity to nip into our shops and other retailers, the same that is afforded to the rest of Northern Ireland, bar Lisburn, Newry or Belfast.

We want to help our retailers as we come out of this pandemic and what we want to do is get rid of the red coats and if theres no meters then theres no need.

Councillor Alan Ewart took issue with the proposal when Deputy Mayor Palmer said moving traffic wardens into Hillsborough and Moira would help tackle congestion in the villages.

Cllr Ewart said: The Deputy Mayor is proposing that we move the red coats out of Lisburn and put them in Hillsborough and Moira. Does that mean that the tickets issued in Lisburn will be issued in those villages, driving the people away?

I know Cllr Palmer is shaking her head but thats what would happen. If we send the enforcers out to these villages then we will have the traders there coming back at us and saying that weve chased them out of Lisburn and weve given them a bigger headache.

I would be very supportive of this proposal except for the wording surrounding Hillsborough and Moira.

Meanwhile, Lisburn Chamber of Commerce said they had been in discussions with DfI since August 2020 about removing the on-street parking charges.

A spokesperson said: Lisburn is currently being disadvantaged by

this policy. DfI have told us that the primary purpose for on-street

parking charges in Lisburn is to obtain turnover of spaces'.

However, this is easily achieved in our other urban centres by

restricting free parking to one or two hours, after which the driver

must move.

We are delighted to have the full support of our MP, all Lisburn MLAs,

as well as Retail NI and Lisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council.

We have recently held a meeting with senior officials from DfI and look

forward to common sense prevailing.

Ulster Unionist Councillor Jim Dillion also backed the proposal, saying traffic wardens were a nuisance to motorists.

He added: I do not want to see red coats issuing tickets to people in Hillsborough and Moira or any other villages in Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.

Weve got to be very careful what were asking for here. The red coats control the car parks but at this moment of time theyre controlling our streets and quite honestly theyre a nuisance and weve got to get this into perspective.

Councillor Alex Swan expressed concerns that the proposed new system would be abused, however.

He said: If you make the parking free then when the shops open again and the staff return then you will find that people will park from 8am in the morning to 5pm at night.

Free parking is great, but if you can nip in and out quickly and pay 50p then thats not bad either so you there has to be a balanced approach.

Meanwhile, Green Party councillor Simon Lee said he also didnt see the benefit from the proposal.

We will need various plans for recovery for the city when we come out of lockdown but this could be counter-productive because what is going to stop someone from parking in the city centre all day, added Cllr Lee.

We need to be careful that we are simply not taking away the meters because that could create problems and we need to be careful what we are asking for here.

Do we have any evidence that taking away meters will have a significant impact on cars coming in and what is that based on? I think we need to do more research.

If someone cannot afford 20p in Lisburn then what money are they going to be spending in Lisburn.

Meanwhile, Retail NI CEO Glyn Roberts backed the move to scrap the current model and called for it to be replaced by a one-hour free system.

He added: One hour on street car parking is the normal policy in our main town and cities and we want to see Newry and Lisburn given the same opportunity.

Retail NI is working with our members and local Chambers of Commerce in those cities to achieve this objective as part of a wider support package for post-pandemic high streets.

We call upon the Infrastructure Minister to listen to the concerns of local traders and act immediately.

In the end, all councillors except for Simon Lee approved the proposal and a letter was written to the Department of Infrastructure on March 31.

A Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said: We can confirm LCCC has written to the Department last night seeking a review of the legislation associated with on street car parking and that the request for a review will be considered.
A brave fisherman has celebrated his 21st birthday by reeling in a massive great white shark.

Josh Lonergan was fishing in the Bay of Plenty near Bowentown, New Zealand, on Monday night when he noticed the four-metre beast eyeing up his dinner.

The shark locked on to a school of fish and chased them just three meters away from the boat.

A brave fisherman reels in shark before it suddenly burst from the waters and violently chomped on the bait in New Zealand

Mr Longergan was reeling in trevally to smoke up for his birthday party when he suddenly felt a powerful tug at the end of the line.

'At first I wasn't sure if it was a bronze whaler or a white, so I quickly brought in my lines,' he told NZ Stuff.

He teased the ocean predator with a kahawai head when the shark suddenly burst from the waters, violently chomping on the bait.

'I've never had a great white jump above the boat like that. It was huge,' Mr Longergan said.

Josh Lonergan caught a four metre great white shark while fishing for trevalley for his 21st birthday

'I've caught a few sharks when I've gone game fishing - hammer heads and mako - but nothing like that.'

Mr Lonergan, who has been fishing near the bay since he was young, said great white shark numbers have increased in the area.

Another 'pretty scary' incident saw a shark circle his father's and his own boat in the harbour.

The Bowentown area has been a hotspot for shark attacks after a 19-year-old woman died on the beach in January.

She was pulled from the water alive but paramedics could not revive her.
Dwane McFerrin of SMS Dwane has earned a respected place in the industry and at SMS. Its great to see him recognized for years of generously sharing his time, expertise and talent.

The Omaha Association of Health Underwriters (OAHU) has selected Dwane McFerrin, Senior Vice President, Medicare Solutions at Senior Market Sales (SMS), as the recipient of its Underwriter of the Year Award recognizing distinguished service to the association and the industry.

McFerrin received the 2019-2020 award March 31, 2021, at the OAHUs Annual Recognition and Continuing Education Event at the Champions Run Country Club in Omaha, Nebraska. (The 2020 event was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Wendi Peterson-Stott, OAHUs President, said the award is given to individuals who contribute time and talent to further the health insurance industry, who exhibit the type of character representing the finest type of individual and who display a positive attitude and promote Omaha AHU accordingly. The OAHU is the Omaha chapter of The National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), which represents more than 100,000 professional health insurance agents and brokers who provide insurance for millions of Americans.

McFerrin served as Chair for seven years on NAHUs Medicare Working Group, served a two-year term on the Omaha AHU Board of Directors and currently serves on NAHUs mental health task force and prescription drug task force. He helps facilitate SMS sponsorship of the Nebraska delegation dinner at the NAHU Cap Conference. Through his association with NAHU, he has helped the association advocate with important reforms that benefit agents and consumers, including reinstating the Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP), the creation of Special Election Periods (SEPs) after natural disasters and fighting off attempts to reduce compensation for agents.

He has more than 30 years of experience in executive-level positions in the insurance industry. In his role at SMS, he is responsible for the strategic direction of the Medicare product line, carrier relationships and a team of marketing consultants who support sales in excess of 540,000 new enrollments into Medicare-related products annually. McFerrin, who has earned a number of designations including CLU, CFP, RHU, CLTC and LLIF certifications, has helped position SMS as a market leader selling Medicare Advantage and Part D in addition to Medicare Supplement.

McFerrin also is a frequent contributor to insurance industry publications and serves on carrier advisory boards.

SMS takes pride in giving back to the industry, McFerrin said. Agents play a vital role in the economy, and SMS wants to make sure that the interests of agents and their clients are well represented. NAHU and OAHU are great partners to help us accomplish that goal.

Jim Summers, Executive Vice President, Managing Director and President of SMS, said the award is well-deserved.

Dwane has earned a respected place in the industry and at SMS, Summers said. Its great to see him recognized for years of generously sharing his time, expertise and talent.

About Senior Market Sales

Senior Market Sales (SMS) is a full-service insurance marketing organization (IMO) dedicated to helping independent insurance agents leverage time, make more money and put their business in a position of distinction. Founded in 1982, SMS has grown into one of the industrys foremost IMOs with more than 320 employees and 65,000 independent agents under contract. With products and agents in all 50 states, SMS offers the industrys most complete IMO experience, supporting every facet of an agents business, from its comprehensive senior product portfolio to technology, services and marketing programs. In 2020, SMS joined the Alliant Insurance Services, Inc., family of companies.
Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, Group Medical Director, Max Healthcare, joined the Analjit Singh-promoted hospital chain in January 2001 as a founder member. "I have seen the growth of Max, which started as a small ambulatory care centre at Panchsheel Park in New Delhi," says Budhiraja. The veteran doctor now works under a new Chairman and Managing Director, 46-year-old Abhay Soi, formerly a turnaround and restructuring specialist with firms, including Arthur Anderson, EY and KPMG. "We are now the most profitable and fastest-growing healthcare company in India and the second largest in terms of revenue," says Soi.

Veteran healthcare professional Dilip Jose was advising TPG Capital for close to two years, before taking over as Managing Director and CEO of Manipal Health Enterprises (MHEL) in early 2018. Prior to that, he was Group CEO at Hyderabad-based Care Hospitals. Now his former employer Care Hospitals has a new owner, Dubai-based private equity investor Abraaj Group. Within three years of joining Manipal from TPG, Jose executed a major acquisition - in November, the Ranjan Pai-led Manipal Health Enterprise bought out US-based Columbia Asia Hospital Group's Indian assets for around Rs 2,100 crore.

Indian healthcare is going through an unprecedented consolidation phase. Abhay Soi and Dilip Jose represent a new breed of professionals taking over the organised private healthcare sector in India, which was reeling under financial stress for the last three years, aggravated by Covid-19 in the last one year.

In the past, mainly doctor-turned entrepreneurs, including Dr Prathap Reddy of Apollo Hospitals, were building private healthcare chains, though mostly greenfield hub and spoke facilities funded with high-cost loans from banks. If Apollo showed the way with pan-India presence, former Ranbaxy Promoters Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh created a similar chain, giving competition to the pioneer. Regional chains, including Manipal, Max, Global and Care, were also competing with fast addition of new hospitals and beds in tertiary and super-specialty segments. They were supported by private equity investors, who saw the market and attractive scalable opportunities. They were taking minority investments, besides advising doctor-promoters on how to professionally manage and expand their businesses.

But in a new trend in the past few years, professional investors are running the show in the organised private healthcare sector. Besides, established overseas chains such as Malaysia's IHH Healthcare, Middle East's Aster DM Healthcare and VPS are aggressively ramping up their Indian businesses to create a new pecking order. A look at the current ownership of top-ranking domestic hospital chains (in terms of number of hospitals and bed strength) that emerged in India since the mid-1990s show most have changed hands in the past few years, except market leader Apollo and a few other renowned ones. If Apollo's prime spot still remains unchallenged, Max, IHH, Manipal and Aster are new names in the pecking order of the organised private healthcare sector.

"Consolidation would continue to be there, particularly post-Covid, since many good standalone hospitals have been hit by cash flows. Many people are willing to concede control, may be get out of the business in that sense. Covid will accelerate the consolidation," says Dilip Jose, Managing Director and CEO, Manipal Health Enterprises.

Stress And The Pandemic

The value of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals across hospitals jumped by a record 155 per cent to Rs 7,615 crore ($1.09 billion) in FY19. The trend continued in 2020 as well. In FY19, revenues of rating agency ICRA's sample set of leading hospital chains grew by only 10 per cent to Rs 15,891 crore, compared to Rs 14,475 crore in FY18. The aggregate number of operational beds increased by 2 per cent from 21,902 as on March 31, 2018 to 22,324 as on March 31, 2019. Operating margins fell from 14 per cent to 9 per cent during the period, despite a 15-20 per cent reduction in expenses.

Post lockdown, occupanies of most hospital chains are yet to recover above 60 per cent. Occupancy plunged across hospitals due to the lockdown, restrictions on movement of people, suspension of international flights, cautious approach adapted by patients regarding hospital visits due to fear of contracting infection, sharp drop in OPD footfalls, and postponement of elective surgeries. The average occupancy in ICRA's sample set dropped from 59 per cent to 37 per cent (year-on-year), average revenue per occupied bed (ARPOB) fell 1 per cent, revenues declined 39 per cent and EBITDA loss was at Rs 231 crore (against Rs 620 crore YoY) in Q1 FY21.

"There has been a significant sequential improvement in occupancy every month after the sharp fall in April," says Kapil Banga, Assistant Vice president, ICRA. A recent ICRA update says occupancy of most hospital chains is expected to bounce back to 60 per cent only in FY22, from the projected 52 per cent in FY21. Revenue growth is estimated to rise to 20 per cent in FY22, against an expected contraction of 19 per cent in FY21.

But even before Covid-19, the hospital sector was under stress for the past three-four years. Inability to mobilise funds, strain on balance sheets and operational mismanagement have compelled many established chains that sprang up in the past two decades to take the exit route.

A new facility of around 250 beds of super-specialty requires Rs 200-250 crore of investment and normally takes seven-eight years to break-even. Credit was not available cheap and chains were dependent on 'mature hospitals' that gave returns to sustain cash flows. While returns were taking longer than usual and cash flows were an issue, managements struggled to run the show and expand their businesses. "If a greenfield facility gets delayed for two years, your financial plans go for a toss as well. Return on investment (RoI) should be a prime factor," says Soi.

"Private equity minority investors, who look at maximum returns to exit over a short period, pressurised most managements. Most of them are reputed doctor/doctor groups, but are not business and financial management experts," according to an industry observer.

Manipal's Jose, however, disagrees. "Look at Manipal - 60 per cent is owned by Ranjan and roughly 20 per cent each by TPG and Temasek. Even if Temasek and TPG were not there, Ranjan is also an investor. Therefore, the return expectation, whether it is foreign money or PE money, or an Indian entrepreneur, is fairly the same," he says, adding, if the PE has got only a five-year window, it may have to 'accelerate some outcome'. That is the balance that the Board and the operating team have to play, he adds.

"I don't think there is something wrong with the fundamentals of healthcare. It is all about selecting the right asset, entering at the right time and unlocking maximum value," says Soi.

"Healthcare is a very capex-heavy business. Capex cost required to build infrastructure like a hospital building, equipment is very high. That is one of the reasons why existing healthcare providers focus more on hospitals that are fully operational and profitable before they think of setting up another unit," says Dr Azad Moopen, one of the richest NRIs in the Middle East, and Chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, which runs 13 hospitals, 106 clinics and 224 pharmacies in the region. With several debt-laden new chains and standalone hospitals ready to sell out, cash-rich and private equity supported chains have stopped looking at developing greenfield facilities. "I am not a real estate player and will not look at greenfield expansions for the next few years, but will go for brownfield expansion of two hospitals in Delhi and Mumbai," says Soi.

Earlier, tough days were triggered primarily by several regulatory measures, including the cap on prices of stents and knee implants by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), adverse impact of the rollout of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on profitability, and strict regulatory actions taken by multiple states, including restrictions on procedure rates, penalties and operational limits on erring hospitals, rating agency ICRA recently said in an analysis. There are also complex regulations and policies in setting up facilities and operationalising them, which vary from state to state. Limited availability of talented doctors, attrition of nurses and medical professionals are other issues plaguing the sector, says Dr Moopen. "The best medical talent is available only in Tier-1 cities and one cannot expect star doctors to go and work in small cities," adds Soi.

The New Owners

In 2010, Soi got an opportunity to acquire an under-construction BLK super-specialty hospital in Delhi. "I had neither money nor domain knowledge, but only functional expertise on how to run a business," he says. In 2014, his Radiant Life Care collaborated with Nanavati Hospital Trust to take over Mumbai's 350-bedded Nanavati Hospital. Three years later, US private equity KKR picked up 49 per cent stake in Radiant for $200 million. In June 2019, Radiant catapulted to the top tier of Indian healthcare when it acquired a 49.7 per cent stake in Max Healthcare for Rs 2,136 crore. Radiant and the listed Max merged together to become Max Health Institute Ltd (MHIL) and Soi now sits as the Promoter, Chairman and Managing Director. MHIL has 17 hospitals with 3,500 beds in North India and Mumbai, 2,000 clinicians and 24,000 staff (including 10,000 nurses), and revenues exceeding Rs 4,000 crore.

Another mega merger in the sector was Manipal Health Enterprise's acquisition of Columbia Asia Hospital Group's Indian assets in November. The combined entity will have 27 hospitals across 15 cities with more than 7,200 beds and 4,000 doctors, and claims to be the second-largest hospital chain after the completion of the deal. According to sources, private equity TPG and Temasek-funded Manipal were trying for a major acquisition in India for the past seven years, including an aborted attempt to buy Naresh Trehan's Medanta-The Medicity and losing out to Malaysia's IHH Healthcare Berhad (IHH) for acquiring Fortis Healthcare. "Last year, we grew about 15 per cent organically. We had about Rs 1,800 crore of revenue in FY19 and Rs 2,153 crore last year (FY20)," says Jose. Revenues in the first half of the current fiscal were down by 26 per cent, he adds.

Another major deal last year was US-based private equity fund CVC Capital's acquisition of cancer-care chain Healthcare Global Enterprises (HGE) for over Rs 1,000 crore. The chain, with over 2,000 beds and 300-plus oncologists, was promoted since 2005 by B.S. Ajai Kumar, an oncologist-turned-entrepreneur, with minority investments from Temasek Holdings and Indgrowth Capital and other promoters. In 2019, it had revenues of over Rs 900 crore, but was posting continuous losses quarter on quarter. By December, the losses had mounted to over Rs 700 crore.

For Malaysia's IHH Healthcare Bhd, one of Asia's largest hospital operators, India is the fourth home market together with Malaysia, Singapore and Turkey. IHH entered India directly by buying Hyderabad-based super-specialty Global Hospitals in 2015 for Rs 1,280 crore (by picking up a 73.4 per cent stake). Global, promoted by healthcare veteran Dr Ravindranath, then had over 1,100 specialty beds spread across Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai. In the same year, IHH also acquired Hyderabad's Continental Hospitals, now a 250-bedded facility, founded by doctor-turned-entrepreneur Guru N. Reddy in 2013. IHH is now planning bigger operations in India, by acquiring Fortis Healthcare. In July 2018, it won the bid to acquire cash-strapped Fortis Healthcare, which was then operating 34 hospitals with more than 4,600 beds, by paying about Rs 4,000 crore for a 31.1 per cent stake and become the largest shareholder. A mandatory open offer to acquire another 26 per cent of Fortis shares from the market has not proceeded due to legal issues since the transaction is pending before the Supreme Court. Now, between Fortis, Global and Continental Hospitals, the group is a leading private healthcare operator in India with a network of more than 30 hospitals.

"Already, we have seen progress from our turnaround plan for Fortis Healthcare, which continues despite the impact of Covid-19. We are also embarking on rebranding Fortis to 'Parkway' to leverage our internationally renowned reputation, subject to the approval from the Supreme Court," Dr Kelvin Loh, Managing Director and CEO, IHH Healthcare, told Business Today.

Middle East investors are also putting in money in the Indian healthcare sector. Hyderabad-based Care Hospitals, founded in 1997 by a team of cardiologists, now has around 14 hospitals across six cities with over 2,000 beds. Private equity firm Advent International took a controlling stake in the chain in 2012 for Rs 610 crore and four years later, sold it to Abraaj Group. Middle East-based healthcare barons are also investing heavily in India. Dubai-based Aster DM Healthcare, which has so far invested over Rs 2,000 crore in the country to own 13 hospitals spread across five states and is now foraying into diagnostics, got listed on the Indian stock exchanges two years ago. It is already among the top five hospital chains in India in terms of bed capacity.

Similarly, Abu Dhabi-based VPS Healthcare led by Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, which runs 24 hospitals and over 125 health centres as the largest healthcare provider in the UAE, owns the Lakeshore super-specialty hospital in Kochi and Rockland hospitals in Manesar, Qutub and Dwarka, all acquired within the past four-five years. Middle East-based B.R. Shetty, now in a debt trap and in trouble for business malpractices, also owns a chain of hospitals in South India with over 1,500 beds.

Why The Demand?

Despite the odds, India offers huge potential. The domestic healthcare industry is estimated to reach $193.83 billion by 2020 and $372 billion by 2022, according to a report by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF). It notes that the hospital industry alone is forecast to increase to Rs 8.6 lakh crore ($132.84 billion) by FY22, from Rs 4 lakh crore ($ 61.79 billion) in FY17, growing at a CAGR of 16-17 per cent. The private hospital sector in India was valued at Rs 7.56 lakh crore in 2019, and is estimated to reach Rs 18.32 lakh crore by 2025, expanding at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.18 per cent during 2020-2025. The country will require about 7 lakh additional beds over the next five-six years, indicative of an investment opportunity of $25-30 billion.

A Ficci-PwC analysis notes that India houses 16 per cent of the world's population and 21 per cent of the world's disease burden. At the same time, we have one of the weakest health infrastructures at around 1.3 beds per 1,000 people, while total health spend has only been around 4.7 per cent of GDP in recent past and out of pocket expenditure (direct payments made by individuals to healthcare providers at the time of service use) at 62 per cent of the total health spend. It is very high compared to other countries such as China (32 per cent), Brazil (25 per cent), USA (11 per cent), the UK (9 per cent) and South Africa (6 per cent).

"India's private healthcare sector is one of the world's fastest-growing markets and like our biggest shareholder Mitsui, we see significant opportunities for growth here and are committed to supporting the country's growing demand for quality private healthcare," says Dr Loh of IHH Healthcare.

"The Indian healthcare industry has tremendous potential with significant demand-supply gap. The country has the capability to offer good quality healthcare at reasonable pricing, but affordability is an issue," says Dr Moopen. Overall spends in the healthcare sector stands at only less than 3 per cent with government spend at 1.3 per cent of GDP, which is very low compared to most countries that spend 5-10 per cent, he adds.

Government initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) have the potential to fill this gap - it is a major opportunity since the plan is to cover nearly 40-50 per cent of the population which is more than 500 million, says Dr Moopen. Medical tourism is also an attraction, with India offering healthcare at even one-tenth of the cost in many advanced countries. "Actually, medical tourism has grown at 25 per cent in the past five-seven years, but is still way behind its potential. Instead of branding India as a cheap destination, focus should be to brand India globally as a high-quality healthcare destination at lesser costs," says Soi.

The Centre plans to increase public health spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2025, from the current 1.6 per cent. As of July 2019, around 125.7-million families have been added as beneficiaries under the PMJAY, which had by then enrolled 16,085 hospitals, including 8,059 private and 7,980 public ones. The budget outlay for Health and Wellbeing in 2021-22 was a record Rs 2,23,846 crore, against this year's budget estimate of Rs 94,452 crore, an increase of 137 per cent. It is about 1.6 per cent of India's projected GDP for the year, at Rs 134.4 lakh crore.

"The contribution margin from treatment of Covid-19 patients has been positive and has cushioned the pressure on profitability during these challenging times due to a sharp drop in electives and medical tourism," says ICRA's Banga. The aggregate bed capacity of hospital chains was flat, at 24,600 beds compared to a CAGR bed addition of 5 per cent (addition of 4,600 beds) over the last four-year period. The aggregate net debt of companies in the sample set reduced from Rs 9,362 crore as on March 31, 2019 to Rs 9,130 crore as on March 31, 2020. Even in Q1 FY21, despite cash losses, net debt reduced marginally to Rs 9,110 crore as on June 30, 2020, due to healthy collections from institutional clients and payable managements.

The trend of slow capex is likely to continue as players have adequate capacity for growth over the medium term and the focus is on conserving cash while improving utilisation of existing facilities. Telemedicine and digital health are going to change India's healthcare scene forever. "Earlier, we used to do 1,000-2,000 teleconsultations even from far-flung areas in a day. But during Covid-19, we crossed 10,000-15,000 teleconsultations and I think this behaviour is something which will stay," Sangita Reddy, joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals had said at the 'BT Mindrush event' in January.

Over the medium-to-long run, the demand is expected to rise steadily, given the underlying fundamentals, including a growing population, increasing life expectancy, rising incidence of non-communicable lifestyle diseases, growing per capita spend, increasing penetration of health insurance and double-digit rise in medical tourism (excluding impact of Covid-19), according to ICRA.

After surviving the Covid-19 storm, India's healthcare is expected to grow by leaps and bounds, and the trend of consolidation is likely to continue.

@pb_pbjayan; @joemathew
ROME, APRIL 1 : Italian authorities have granted the rescue vessel, Open Arms, permission to bring more than 200 rescued migrants to Sicily, the non-profit organization announced on Thursday.

The migrants had been rescued in several operations from small boats in the Mediterranean, DPA news agency reported. Italian authorities already took some of them in for medical reasons, Open Arms said.

Now the remaining 209 people are to be taken to Pozzallo, near the city of Ragusa. Private organizations regularly rescue migrants from distress in the Mediterranean Sea, as they try to reach Europe with small boats, usually departing from Libya. The crossing is considered dangerous. The rescue operations are however viewed critically in some countries.

Vaccination at Italy: Meanwhile, about 10 million Italians have received at least the first dose of one of the three approved vaccines, while the number of fully-vaccinated individuals -- those who have received two doses totalled 3.1 million, or around 5.1 per cent of the country's population.

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi and his wife Maria Serenella Cappello, both 73, received his first dose of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine last day. the same product that his government had decided to temporarily halt the use of earlier this month.

The AstraZeneca is one of the three approved vaccines for use in Italy, together with those produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. Of the three, AstraZeneca's has been the most controversial after reports of it causing blood clots that resulted in two deaths in Italy. After the second death, the use of the vaccine was suspended for four days ending March 19.

Portugal upgrades mandatory use of masks in public spaces until June 13

US private companies add 5.17 Lakh employments in March

The first 'travel bubble' of Asia opens between Taiwan and Palau
Wall Street kicked April off with a milestone on Thursday (US time), as a tech company rally helped drive the S&P 500 past the 4000 mark for the first time.

The benchmark index finished 1.2 per cent higher a day after closing out the first three months of the year with its fourth straight quarterly gain. Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and Googles parent company were among the winners, along with smaller companies, which stand to benefit from a quickly growing economy. Health care, household goods stocks and utilities were the only laggards.

The S&P 500 broke through 4000 for the first time on Thursday. Credit:AP

Technology stocks benefited from another drop in bond yields, which have been the driving force for the market for several weeks. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note fell to 1.69 per cent from 1.73 per cent the day before. Higher bond yields make stocks seem more expensive by comparison, and tech stocks are among the most expensive after their significant rise last year. Microsoft rose 2.8 per cent, Facebook gained 1.4 per cent, Amazon.com added 2.2 per cent and Google parent Alphabet closed 3.3 per cent higher.

What a great way to start the second quarter, said JJ Kinahan, chief strategist with TD Ameritrade. Theres money out there looking to be put to work, and with the quarter ending it looks like people are finding new ways in a new quarter to find opportunities.
Zimbabwe still faces difficulties selling its carbon credits, earned through a global scheme aimed at reducing the amount of greenhouse gases, because of the cumbersome process and unwillingness by major polluting nations in the industrialised north to buy.

As a result communities investing time and labour into earning credits, largely by preserving forests and planting trees, are not getting value for their efforts.

The credits are supposed to be bought by those who are pumping out greenhouse gases, in effect matching carbon sinks with carbon emitters.

Environmental and climate change expert Veronica Jakarasi told participants at a virtual forum of a multi-stakeholder coalition pushing for low carbon development in Zimbabwe that the country still needed more support to help local communities to earn carbon credits.

"Zimbabwe is still struggling to access carbon credits," she said.

"It's a complicated process although the country has made significant strides through the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) project which began in 2011.

"The process is a bit cumbersome and quite lengthy and Zimbabwe still needs to get more support on that front."

The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) organised the virtual forum to help explore ways and strategies to promote the growth of the use of renewable energy in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe, has over the past five years managed to produce about 850 000 carbon credits earning local communities in the northern part of the country -- Binga, Nyaminyami and Hurungwe under a project dubbed "Kariba REDD+ Project" about US$255 000.

The amount was earned by the local communities through investing in low-carbon intensive technologies, switching to renewable energy and protecting forests.
A police chief says recent criticism of officers has taken its toll on their mental health and left them feeling like 'society's punch bag'.

Officers have been in the firing line after violent scenes erupted at the vigil for murdered Sarah Everard, while hundreds took part in Kill The Bill protests in Bristol, which resulted in several policemen being injured and vehicles set alight.

Calls for the resignation of Met Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick swiftly followed the clashes in Clapham Common, where Sarah, 33, went missing earlier this year, while the scale of demonstrations against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill show growing concern over increased police powers.

Now Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoe Wakefield has warned of the impact of the criticism on the welfare of serving officers.

Officers have been in the firing line after violent scenes erupted at the vigil for murdered Sarah Everard

Hundreds took part in Kill The Bill protests in Bristol, which resulted in several policemen being injured and vehicles set alight

'It's definitely been a tough time, and I think the first few days, particularly after the protest at Clapham Common, officers were feeling really low, just feeling like they're constantly getting a kicking from the media,' she said.

'Then when you've got MPs joining in, it does feel like we're damned if we do, damned if we don't.

'The feeling is we're society's punch bag and not to have the support from MPs is really hurtful, particularly when they're making judgements on a short video clip that's been put on social media before the full facts are known.

'As the days went on following Clapham Common, more came out about what actually happened, and there was a bit of a change.

'We did then see some positive comments from MPs and then obviously following the Bristol protests the Home Secretary talked about 'thuggery'.

Now Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoe Wakefield has warned of the impact of the criticism on the welfare of serving officers

'So that's more positive, but it shouldn't have to got to the extent where I think it's up to 40 officers that are now injured, and police vans being set on fire, for MPs to realise this isn't acceptable.

'When they are making judgements on social media with tens of thousands of followers, the majority of the public will listen to MPs, they will listen to their views, so it has a huge ripple effect.

'The vigil should only ever have been about Sarah. What will people remember from all this now?

'Unfortunately, it's unlikely to be Sarah.'

Dame Cressida defended her officers for what many called heavy-handed tactics at the vigil, and said they had faced 'extreme provocation'.

In total, 29 people have now been arrested in connection with the riot - which followed on from a peaceful protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

The policing watchdog cleared her officers of wrongdoing this week, as the commissioner described the policing of the event as 'extremely professional and calm', adding: 'People should learn that police have a very difficult job'.

Dame Cressida also hit out at politicians who criticised the Met's tactics that night 'without knowing the facts', hours after the watchdog's report rebuked the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan over his criticism of the arrests.

It came after a peaceful demonstration against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill - which would give police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests - descended into anarchy on March 21.

Police vans were set on fire and the city's Bridewell Police Station was put under siege in ugly scenes which resulted in a number of arrests and injuries.

It came after riots erupted off the back of a peaceful protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill last month - which crowds took part in amid concerns over increased authority for officers.

The proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance, with those convicted liable to fines or jail terms.

The latest arrest comes as officers continue to investigate assaults on 40 officers and one member of the media at the riot.

During the ugly scenes, police officers were injured, force vehicles were set on fire and the windows of a police station smashed.

An officer later described first hearing on the radio how colleagues were being injured outside the Bridewell police station.

Since the first demonstration there have been three other protests in the city against the Government's proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Protests on March 23 and 26 ended in clashes between the police and protesters.

A further demonstration on March 30 passed off peacefully.
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Georgia state Rep. Park Cannon, who was arrested last week after attempting to gain access to the office where Gov. Brian Kemp was signing a controversial voting restriction bill into law, said Thursday that her actions were justified.

I felt as if time was moving in slow motion, Cannon said, fighting back tears as she described the details of the incident. My experience was painful, both physically and emotionally, but today I stand before you to say as horrible as that experience was ... I believe the governor signing into law the most comprehensive voter suppression bill in the country is a far more serious crime.

It was the first time Cannon has spoken publicly about the incident since her arrest. Video of her knocking on the door to Kemps office before being forcibly removed by police went viral on social media, drawing further attention to the new restrictions on voting.

Georgia state Rep. Park Cannon is placed in handcuffs by state troopers on March 25 after being asked to stop knocking on a door to Gov. Brian Kemp's office. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Flanked by a handful of supporters and fellow Democratic lawmakers at the base of a mural of civil rights icon John Lewis in Atlanta, Cannon described the law as a voter suppression bill and said that with one stroke of a pen Kemp erased decades of sacrifices, incalculable hours of work, marches, prayers, tears and ... minimized the deaths of thousands who have paid the ultimate price to vote.

The Election Integrity Act of 2021, or Senate Bill 202, imposes new voter ID requirements for absentee ballots, limits the number of drop boxes across the state and gives state-level officials the power to take over county election boards, possibly allowing GOP officials to decide the ballot count in Democratic strongholds.

The bill, which Kemp signed into law just over an hour after it was passed in the General Assembly, also criminalizes passing out food or drinks to voters waiting in line.

Republicans say the laws stricter requirements will ensure that future Georgia elections will be more secure, but Democrats contend it was designed to suppress the elderly and Black vote, and was written in direct response to GOP losses in the 2020 presidential election in the state as well as two runoff contests that handed Democrats control of the U.S. Senate. A record 5 million Georgians voted in the last election cycle.

Story continues

Fortune 500 companies based in Georgia and others headquartered nationally, including Delta, Home Depot and Coca-Cola, have condemned the new election law.

In a Wednesday memo to Delta employees, CEO Ed Bastian said it was evident that the bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives. That is wrong.

Cannon is now facing two felony charges from last weeks arrest  obstruction and preventing or disrupting a General Assembly session, according to the Fulton County Department of Public Safety website.

She told reporters Thursday that she is facing eight years in prison for those charges, which she called unfounded. Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr did not respond to a request from Yahoo News for comment for this story.

Parks attorneys say the Democratic legislator is now raising money for her legal defense on a GoFundMe page titled I Stand With Park.

The funds initial goal is set at $1 million, and the page says that any remaining funds will be used to protect Voting Rights.

Cover thumbnail photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Ben Gray/AP Photo

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
All pupils in both primary and post-primary schools are to return to school after the Easter holiday, the Education Minister Peter Weir announced on Thursday.

It comes as the Executive published their ratified list of relaxations on Thursday night.

The move follows a review during Thursday's Executive meeting when it was agreed that the remaining students in years 8 to 11 could resume face-to-face teaching from 12 April.

Education Minister Peter Weir said: A major milestone has been reached today with the Executive agreeing to move ahead as planned to allow pupils in year 8 to 11 to return to school after Easter.

All of our pupils will now be back in school, engaging with teachers and socialising with their friends. We must all keep playing our part in ensuring our schools are safe and remain open.

It is important that staff and students ensure they follow the Departments guidance including social distancing, good hand hygiene and wearing face coverings where required.

The message remains that parents and guardians should wear a mask when they are picking up or dropping off their child and not congregate around the school gates.

The Education Department confirmed they will write to schools with any updates or clarifications to the guidance.

Concluding the Minister said that he would continue to support education settings to help them manage the impact of the pandemic.

He added: It is important that schools, students and parents are confident that our schools are safe. The introduction of testing, which will continue to be rolled out for pupils over the coming months, will help provide significant reassurance.

I will also continue to invest in resources to help pupils who have faced disruption to their learning.

In a statement, the Executive also detailed further changes that will come into effect from 12 April.

Expand Close New changes to come into force on April 12 / Facebook

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Whatsapp New changes to come into force on April 12

Among these are an increase the number who can meet outdoors in a garden, from six to 10 (including children) from two households.

The stay at home provision in the legislation is also being removed, with a stay local and work from home message replacing it.

Contactless click and collect services will be introduced for all non-essential retail.

Outdoor sports training will resume for sports clubs affiliated with recognised sports Governing Bodies, in small groups of up to 15 people but with all indoor spaces closed except essential toilet facilities.

They added that potential marriage and civil partnership customers will be able to view the facilities of venues used for marriages and civil partnerships, such as hotels and other venues - restricted to a maximum of four customers per visit.

Outdoor retail which will be permitted to open includes: New & Used Car Retailers; Retailers of Light Motor Vehicles, Lorries & Trailers; Retailers of Caravans or Motorhomes; Retailers of Agricultural or Other Large Machinery; Garden Centres, Plant Nurseries; and Car Washes.

There will also be an extension in the provision for up to 15 people (including coaches), as previously agreed, to also include structured outdoor sports training organised by clubs/individuals affiliated to recognised sports governing bodies or representative organisations for sport and physical activity.

Finally, they ratified an increase the number permitted to attend marriages, civil partnerships and funerals, informed by a risk assessment for the venue. The statement did not specify any numbers however.

The next review date under the Pathway out of Restrictions document for the Executive is 15 April 2021.
Drilling Under Recently Discovered Outcrop Returns Wide Intercept

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Brigadier Gold Limited (the "Company" or "Brigadier") (TSX.V:BRG)(FRA:B7LM)(OTC PINK:BGADF) continues to drill its Picachos gold-silver project, Sinaloa, Mexico (the "Picachos Project", "Picachos" or the "Property"). To date 4538 metres of the planned 5000-meter phase-1 diamond drill program has been completed in 43 holes (Figure 1) with assays for 15 holes pending.

Currently, the drill is testing Punto Cinco, a recently discovered outcrop of the Cocolmeca Vein located about 1.2 kilometres northeast of San Antonio (Figure 3).

"I don't think I've ever seen this much textural complexity of quartz in one drill hole before", commented Geologist and Qualified Person, Michelle Robinson. DH-BRG-043 from Punto Cinco is definitely part of a significant mineral chute, and I look forward to interpreting the assay data when it is ready."

The principal target of the phase-1 campaign was the ENE trending Colcomeca Vein system that trends for more than 7 kilometres along the diagonal of the Property. This structure was tested in the winter of 2020 near the San Agustin Mine portal, and under the historic San Antonio Mine 2.6 kilometres northeast of San Agustin. In the spring of 2021, Brigadier tested under the historic Guayabo Mine, located 180 metres southwest of San Antonio (Figure 2).

Mineralization at Guayabo is hosted near the faulted contact of andesitic volcanics of probable Jurassic age that are intruded by megacrystic gabbro of probable Early Cretaceous age with intermediate ignimbrites that are correlated to the Socavon member of the Late Cretaceous Tarahumara Volcanic arc. Several stages of mineralization are apparent from inspection of the drill core: (i) pervasive silicification with disseminated sulfide that is oxidized to hematite, (ii) crustiform quartz veining with sulfides, and (iii) cockade breccias in the central part of the structure. These breccias consist of angular rock fragments that are altered to a soft black mica on fragment margins. These altered rock fragments are surrounded by mamillary quartz interbanded with sulfide that is oxidized to hematite and oxidized copper minerals such as chrysocolla.

At Punto Cinco, the Socavon member is faulted against rhyolitic volcanics and ignimbrite that probably correlate to the Paleocene-Eocene Productive Volcanics mapped at other locations in the western Sierra Madre such as the Tayoltita gold-silver mine in Durango. At Punto Cinco, rocks altered by pervasive silicification and deposition of disseminated sulfide were brecciated to aggregate breccia (a breccia formed of quartz fragments) prior to mineralization by crustiform quartz. Like Guayabo, the central part of the structure is marked by cockade breccia, angular rock fragments with crustiform mammillary bands. At Punto Cinco, these bands include delicate encrustations of zonal rose quartz interbanded with oxidized copper minerals and hematite.

Cross-Section of DH-BRG-033 looking east-northeast under the historic Guayabo Mine. La Cocolmeca Vein is located near the faulted contact of gabbro of probable Early Cretaceous age against ignimbrite correlated to the Socavon member of the Tarahumara volcanic arc. Colorin Vein is a northwesterly trending vein that will be introduced in a later press-release. Data from MTA-19712 are historic.

Cross-Section of DH-BRG-043 looking east-northeast under trench BRG-121605. This section is located 1.4 kilometres northeast of DH-BRG-033. La Cocolmeca Vein is located near the faulted contact of ignimbrite of Campanian age against ignimbrite correlated to the Productive member (volcanics of Paleocene to Eocene age) of the Tarahumara volcanic arc.

New Director, President and CEO

Brigadier also announces, subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"), that Mr. Robert Birmingham has been appointed as a director, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Birmingham has over 15 years of public markets experience, with a focus on management, investor relations and capital raising. He is currently CEO and Director of New Destiny Mining Corp. (TSX.V: NED), and Director of BIGG Digital assets (CSE: BIGG). He has been on the board of multiple TSX.V and CSE listed companies. Mr. Birmingham holds of Bachelor of Business Administration from Capilano University.

Mr. Birmingham succeeds Mr. Ranjeet Sundher as President and Chief Executive Officer and Ms. Bev Funston as a director. Mr. Sundher remains a director of the Company. Brigadier would like to thank Ms. Funston for her service to the Company and wishes her the best in her future endeavours.

Mr. Birmingham comments, "I am thrilled to join the Brigadier team alongside top tiered Geologist Michelle Robinson, whose passion and plan to execute an aggressive drill program on Brigadier's Picachos Project made this opportunity particularly motivating. I plan to utilize my management and investor relations experience to give the Company more visibility as we anticipate a very active and exciting 2021."

In connection with Mr. Birmingham's appointment, subject to approval by the Exchange, Mr. Birmingham is entitled to receive, in addition to his salary, a grant of 500,000 restricted share units ("RSUs"). The RSUs vest 6 months from the date of grant and expire on April 1, 2024. Vested RSUs may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at any time prior to expiry for common shares in the capital of the Company, the cash equivalent, or any combination thereof, at the discretion of the Board of Directors of the Company.

National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

The technical information in this press release has been reviewed by Michelle Robinson, MASc., P.Eng., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Drilling is completed using PQ and HQ tooling. Core and sample handling procedures are documented in the Company's press release dated October 22, 2020. Standard pulps, field duplicates, pulp duplicates and blanks are inserted into the sample stream. The samples were analyzed by SGS Laboratories in Durango using fire-assay methods for gold, and ICP methods with a 4-acid digestion for silver and base metals. SGS is an accredited laboratory. It is the Qualified Person's opinion that the technical information disclosed in this press release is reliable.

About Brigadier Gold Limited

Brigadier was formed to leverage the next major bull market in the natural resource sector, particularly precious metals. Our mandate is to acquire undervalued and overlooked projects with demonstrable potential for advancement. Led by a management team with decades of experience in mineral exploration and capital markets development, we are focused on advanced exploration opportunities in politically stable jurisdictions. Please visit our website to learn more about Brigadier Gold.

CONTACT:

Brigadier Gold Limited

www.brigadiergold.ca

Ranjeet Sundher, Chief Executive Officer

corporate@brigadiergold.ca

Leah Hodges, Corporate Secretary

(604) 377-0403

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Brigadier Gold Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638054/Brigadier-Continues-Phase-1-Exploration-at-Picachos-High-Grade-Gold-Silver-Property-and-Announces-Appointment-of-new-Director-President-and-CEO
Turkey: poll, 52% reject withdrawal from Istanbul Convention Only 26% back Erdogan choice, criticism even from conservatives

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, 01 APR - According to a poll by a poll by the MetroPoll research institute, among the most accredited in Turkey, the majority of Turkish people do not approve Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to withdraw the country from the Istanbul Convention against violence against women.



In the poll, 52.3% of those interviewed do not approve the choice, while only 26.7% back the initiative by the head of state, which was made by a decree 10 days ago.



The rest of those interviewed said they have no clear opinion on the matter or are not informed on the topic.



The research also showed that there is no absolute majority supporting the withdrawal among those who declare themselves voters with Erdogan's AKP party or among his nationalist allies with the MHP, with 47.4% and 44.4% in favour of the decision, respectively.



Surprisingly, the decision was also rejected by eight out of 10 voters with the conservative Islamist party Saadet, which in the past was in the opposition but has recently been courted by Erdogan, who also visited the home of one of its leaders.



(ANSAmed).




Hitting out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for sending out a letter to the opposition leaders, highlighting the recent steps taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party which she referred to as an 'assault' on the Constitution and demanding support, President Jagat Prakash Nadda asserted that the step was an indication that her 'boat is sinking'.

While making it clear that every party has the right to choose its allies in the battle of power, he said, "Gathering all the parties against BJP is an indication that Mamata Banerjee's boat is sinking, and this is an attempt made by her side to save the sinking boat."

#WATCH| Everyone has right to unite with like-minded people, but gathering everyone against BJP is an indication that your ship is sinking.There's a saying in English,'Save our souls or Save our ship'. Mamata Ji has accepted her ship is sinking,it's an effort to save it:BJP chief pic.twitter.com/RF1fVSTMOI  ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2021

Mamata Banerjee seeks support

Earlier on Wednesday, Banerjee wrote to leaders of the opposition, such as Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, MK Stalin, Tejashwi Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray, Arvind Kejriwal, Naveen Patnaik expressing concern over a series of 'assaults' on the Constitution and Federal Democracy in India by the BJP government at the Centre.

Outlining that the government has been creating trouble for states run by non-BJP parties, Banerjee in the letter, highlighted the ongoing trend of passing laws like the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and 'brazenly misusing CBI, ED and other institutions' against leaders. She also threw light upon the Government's 'reckless and wholesale privatization' of the nation's assets and went on to call all of it an 'attack on the democracy'.

Having made her point, she asserted, "the time has come for a united & effective struggle against BJP's attacks on democracy and Constitution".

Mamata Banerjee writes to leaders incl Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, MK Stalin, Tejashwi Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray, Arvind Kejriwal, Naveen Patnaik stating, "I strongly believe that the time has come for a united & effective struggle against BJP's attacks on democracy & Constitution" pic.twitter.com/OLp7tDm9pU  ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2021

NCP guarantees 'full support'

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is the first one to respond to her letter, and promise her 'full support'. Touching upon the party chief Sharad Pawar's promise of campaigning for Banerjee and the party from April 1, NCP leader Nawab Malik outlined that Pawar is not keeping well owing to which his trip at the moment stands cancelled. "If he recovers, he may campaign in the last phase," he added.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has asked for Opposition parties' support. We support her fully. Sharad Pawar was supposed to campaign from April 1-3 in WB, but his tour has been cancelled due to illness. If he recovers, he may campaign in the last phase: NCP leader Nawab Malik pic.twitter.com/ryM22aun8P  ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2021

(Credits-PTI)
SABA:---The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute KNMI will be installing new monitoring equipment on Sabas remote Northern part. On the request of local authorities, Dutch Defense in the Caribbean will provide assistance with the logistics. The small KNMI team will arrive on Friday, April 2. The military personnel stationed in St. Maarten will be on Saba from April 5 to 14.

The Public Entity Saba requested the support of Defense to the transport of 1,600kg material which is needed to construct KNMIs new Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)/seismic monitoring station on the North Coast to measure possible seismic or volcano-related activity.

The installation on the North Coast, unlike the other GNSS/seismic equipment that has already been installed on Saba, will be completely stand-alone. Satellite communication will be used to send data to the KNMI and solar panels/batteries will be used to power the site in this uninhabited area.

The material for the monitoring station can only be transported on foot over the North Coast Trail to the remote, uninhabited Northern side of the island. Defense has agreed to provide military personnel to transport the material.

On April 5, military personnel will be transported from St. Maarten to Saba on a FRISC (Fast Raiding Interception and Special Forces Craft), after which Defense will carry the material up to the construction location of the new monitoring station. The operation on Saba is a form of military assistance. Supporting civil authorities is one of the constitutional tasks of Defense.

COVID

To enable the Marines to immediately start their work on Saba, they have been declared essential workers by local authorities. The military unit will only be allowed to be outside their assigned quarantining location to carry out their work. They will not mingle with the local population, nor will they visit public areas, and they will adhere to all COVID-19 safety measures.

The same COVID-19 regulations will apply to the small KNMI team from the Netherlands. The KNMI team will install the new monitoring station on the North Coast and will also collect data, and inspect, and where necessary repair, the other monitoring equipment on the island.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-21 11:05:19|Editor: huaxia

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Staff members of the Chinese-funded New Tonkolili Iron Ore Project and Sierra Leonean officials pose for group photos at the site of the project in Freetown, Sierra Leone, March 20, 2021. The Chinese-funded New Tonkolili Iron Ore Project in Sierra Leone on Saturday announced the commencement of its full-scale operation. (Xinhua)

FREETOWN, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-funded iron ore project in Sierra Leone on Saturday announced the commencement of its full-scale operation.

The New Tonkolili Iron Ore Project, which is invested and operated by Kingho Investment Company Limited (Kingho), a Chinese-owned private company, started operation in September last year.

The Chinese company's Chief Executive Officer Zhao Ting said the project covers an area of 408 square kilometers (40,800 hectares) with a resource capacity of 13.7 billion tons, and is also equipped with a complete railway and port logistics transportation system.

The project will boost the iron and steel industries both in Sierra Leone and China, said Zhao.

On Jan. 29, the first shipment of iron ore from the project set sail for China.
HARTFORD (AP)  Federal officials are not honoring an agreement to accept the validity of Connecticut pardons and continue trying to deport people pardoned by a state board because of their crimes, according to state Attorney General William Tongs office.

Tongs office sued several federal agencies including the U.S. departments of Homeland Security, Justice and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in October 2019. The lawsuit said federal authorities were refusing to honor the states pardon system in the cases of immigrants facing deportation because of criminal convictions, but who had been pardoned by the states Board of Pardons and Paroles.

At the time, the federal agencies argued a pardon must come from the president or a state governor in order to avert deportation proceedings. State officials responded that other states have pardons boards and the federal government was singling out Connecticut after having recognized its pardons as valid from 1952 to 2017.

The lawsuit appeared to be settled in September, with federal officials agreeing to recognize the states pardons.

But in new documents filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut last week, Tongs office said the Department of Homeland Security did not grant final approval to the settlement and continues to resist honoring the states pardons. State officials said Homeland Security has not ended deportation cases against several people who were pardoned by the state.

Homeland Security issued a statement on March 23 saying it would honor Connecticut pardons, but also said the states pardons still may not be valid.

DHS has shown no facts to suggest that it has actually abandoned its illegal policy and adopted a legal one, the new court filings by Connecticut say. The danger that Defendants will resume their unlawful conduct is particularly acute where, as here, Defendants explicitly decline to recognize that their prior conduct was wrong.

Messages seeking comment were left with the Department of Homeland Security and a Justice Department attorney defending the federal government from the lawsuit.

Joshua Perry, special counsel for civil rights for the Connecticut attorney generals office, wrote in a new court filing that the Homeland Security Department is still not honoring state pardons granted to three Connecticut residents  Georgios Nikiforides, Hongnakhorn Luangpraseuth and Kimanie Graham.

Nikiforides, 50, of Norwalk, had assault convictions from 2002 and 2012 and was pardoned by the state board last year. He has lived in the U.S. since he was 2 years old. Court documents did not disclose his country of origin.

Luangpraseuth, 42, of South Windsor, was convicted of crimes as a teenager and was pardoned in 2019. The son of a Laotian refugee, he came to the U.S. when he was an infant, court documents said.

Graham, of Bridgeport, was convicted of drug charges and pardoned last year. But federal officials have not stopped trying to deport Graham to his native Jamaica, the states court documents say.

In 2019, the Board of Immigration Appeals terminated deportation proceedings for another pardoned Connecticut resident, Wayzaro Walton, after ruling her pardon was valid. The Hartford resident, who came to the U.S. from England when she was 4, was detained for nearly eight months as federal officials tried to deport her. She had been a legal U.S. citizen for 25 years until she lost her legal status in 2012 over larceny charges.
A host of top actors have been spotted around North Kildare as filming for the period rom com, Mr Malcolm's List took place at Castletown House in Celbridge this week.

Starring Theo James of Divergent as Henry, Zawe Ashton as Julia, and Ashley Park playing the role of Gertie, the film also features BAFTA nominee and Executive Producer, Freida Pinto (Selina), BAFTA Rising Star nominee Sope Dirisu (Mr Malcolm) and The Invisable Mans Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Lord Cassidy).

Directed by Emma Holly Jones, locals got a behind the scenes glimpse of all the action as filming took place at one of Kildare's landmark buildings.

Mr Malcolms List is based on the novel of the same name written by Suzanne Allain, who also wrote the script.

"Julia is a society lady jilted by Londons most eligible bachelor Mr. Malcolm, when she fails to meet one of the items on his list of requirements for a bride. Feeling shunned and humiliated, she enlists her friend Selina to help her take revenge on Mr. Malcolm by tricking him into thinking he has found his perfect match," according to the Irish Film and Television Network.

"The plan appears to be working when Henry threatens Julias scheme by courting Selina as well. After the bumbling Lord Cassidy begins meddling in the foursomes affairs, the course of true love, which never does run smooth, becomes rocky, indeed. Mr. Malcolm wonders whether hes found the perfect woman or the perfect hoax."

Check out the instagram post below of local fans getting a glimpse of Theo James.
Polling booths are being installed at Seoul Station, Thursday, a day ahead of early voting for the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, which will run through Saturday, before the April 7 election day. About 8.4 million eligible voters in Seoul will elect a new mayor, while 2.9 million will cast ballots in the southern port city of Busan. Yonhap
The number of COVID-19 cases



in breached the 10 lakh mark on Thursday, with reporting 4,234 cases and 18 more deaths, taking the death toll to 12,585, the Health department said.

The day also saw 1,599 patients getting discharged after recovery.

Bengaluru Urban alone reported 2,906 cases today.

A total of over 2,15,26,958 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,15,732 were tested on Thursday alone.

As of April 1 evening, cumulatively 10,01,238 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 12,585 deaths and 9,57,769 discharges, a department bulletin said.

It said, out of 30,865 active cases, 30,600 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and stable, while 265 are in ICU.

Among 18 deaths reported today, 11 are from Bengaluru Urban, Dharwad 2, and one each from Kalaburagi, Mandya, Mysuru, Tumakuru and Bidar.

Bidar accounted for 218 new cases, Kalaburagi 144, Mysuru 109, Tumakuru 102, Hassan and Mandya 67, followed by others.

Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 4,37,733, followed by Mysuru 55,919 and Ballari 39,856.

Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban tops the list with 4,11,313, followed by Mysuru 54,077 and Ballari 38,897.

(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.)
She painted her dying mother, the psych ward where she recovered from a nervous breakdown brought on by her baby daughters death, her failing marriage and two suicide attempts. She portrayed contemporaries in various spheres, whether labor leaders like the union organizer Pat Whalen or the civil rights leader James Farmer, Jackie Curtis of Andy Warhols Factory, or Warhol himself stripped to the waist showing the road map of surgical scars from Valerie Solanass attempt on his life. In 1967, she also painted a portrait another member of the Warhol circle, Henry Geldzahler, the Mets curator of 20th-century art, with whom she had a testy relationship. She asked Geldzahler for a place in his New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940-1970, an enormous exhibition that would open in Oct. 1969 with one woman  Helen Frankenthaler  among its 43 artists and only a few Pop Art deviations from abstraction. His reply: Oh, so you want to be a professional?

And lets not forget the dazzling reality of Neels paintings as objects, the insistence of her color, light and flattened compositions, the undisguised preliminaries, drawn in blue, and her surface textures. Thick strokes of paint alternate with loosely brushed backgrounds, outlines and patches of empty canvas  all possibly absorbed from Abstract Expressionism. Somewhat like their loquacious maker, Neels paintings refuse to shut up and part of their power is their ability to remain abstract. I dont think there is any great painting that doesnt have good abstract qualities she announced late in life. And yet in their depictions of individual beings, Neels images go beyond painting in her figures psychic honesty, they press out at us, like an unusually tactile version of photography. They have, as one writer put it, an overkill of likeness, reminiscent of visceral avidity of the photographs of Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks advanced on Thursday, with a US$2 trillion American Jobs Plan for infrastructure and encouraging manufacturing data helping underpin investor sentiment ahead of Easter holidays. The benchmark DAX rose 89 points, or 0.6 percent, to hover near a record high at 15,097. Infineon Technologies gained 1.5 percent and Dialog Semiconductor rose 0.6 percent after U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology Inc forecast third-quarter revenue above analysts' forecasts. Delivery Hero shares jumped 3.3 percent after Dutch tech investment company Prosus NV raised its stake in the online food ordering company. Telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom was marginally higher after confirming its outlook for 2020. Henkel was moving lower. The chemicals and consumer goods group said it expects organic sales growth in the first quarter 2021 of around 7 percent, which is significantly above the current market expectation of around 3.5 percent. Aareal Bank gained 1.5 percent after Petrus Advisers increased its shareholding in the company. In economic news, German retail sales grew for the first time in three months in February but the pace of expansion was slower than economists' expected, data from Destatis revealed. Retail sales rose 1.2 percent month-on-month in February, reversing a 6.5 percent fall in January. Economists had forecast sales to grow at a faster pace of 2 percent. This was the first increase in three months. On a yearly basis, retail sales decreased 9 percent after easing 9.3 percent in the previous month. Economists had forecast a 6.3 percent drop. German factory activity grew at the fastest pace on record in March, a survey showed. IHS Markit's Final Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for manufacturing reached 66.6, matching the record flash reading. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
A 43-year-old man from Shrewsbury, who owns auto body shops in Worcester and Everett, was sentenced to eight months in prison on Wednesday in connection with a payroll tax scheme.

Adam Haddad orchestrated a scheme that resulted in a tax loss of more than $290,000 for the agency.

In September of 2020, Haddad pleaded guilty to three counts of aiding the preparation of false tax returns in U.S. District Court in Boston.

In addition to eight months in federal prison, Haddad also received one year of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $292,231, authorities said.

Beginning in March 2015 through June 2017, Haddad, who owned Accurate Collision Inc., paid a significant portion of the wages to employees under the table. In doing so, Haddad caused Accurate Collision, Inc. to file false returns with the IRS which underreported the actual wages of his employees as well as the employment taxes due to the IRS, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

In total, Haddad caused a loss to the IRS of at least $292,231.
The verdict was announced on January 24, 2020, following a nine-day jury trial before Judge Leonard P. Stark in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Jurors awarded Densify $236 million in damages, finding that VMware willfully infringed two Densify patents that cover virtualization technology that enables multiple computer systems to run on a single server. RJLF's Courtland Reichman was recognized as The American Lawyer "Litigator of the Week" following his success as lead trial counsel for Densify.

The firm was also recently honored with a 2020 "Turnaround Award" from The M&A Advisor following its successful representation of Reynolds Metals Company (an affiliate of Alcoa Corporation), in reaching a favorable settlement with Gregory Powers Partners in connection with a dispute involving an energy services agreement.

RJLF's roster of lawyers has grown by 50% over the last year, reflecting significant client demand following its recent courtroom victories.

"Silicon Valley is a competitive legal market," said Courtland Reichman. "There's obviously no shortage of legal talent in the region, so it's a great honor for our firm to be recognized as the 'Silicon Valley Firm of the Year' for the second year in a row. Our attorneys could not be more committed to our clients, and this award is a direct reflection of their efforts."

For more information, please contact Jennifer Estremera at (650) 623-1407 or [email protected].

Benchmark Litigation is the definitive guide to America's leading litigation law firms and lawyers. It is the only publication on the market to focus exclusively on litigation in the United States. Research is conducted through extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists, and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms.

Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg LLP (RJLF) is an elite national trial firm that handles high-stakes commercial litigation, intellectual property, and white collar disputes. The firm is majority women-owned and rejects the billable hour in favor of fee arrangements that align client interests. RJLF's attorneys are diverse, exceptionally credentialed, and passionate about trial advocacy. From offices in Silicon Valley, New York, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, the firm tries cases and argues appeals throughout the country. For more information, visit www.reichmanjorgensen.com .

SOURCE Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg LLP

Related Links

https://reichmanjorgensen.com


Dear reader,

Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan. This week, we are publishing a day earlier than usual because of local holidays.

If youre new to the newsletter or havent subscribed yet, you can do so here.

Pakistans Afghan Dilemma

Pakistan takes great pride in having facilitated the Talibans deal with the United States, but Islamabad has a contentious track record of attempting to shape the Afghan state and its maneuvering could backfire.

Its essentially an economically impoverished country seeking to project its powers beyond borders through nonstate actors under the umbrella of nuclear capability, former Pakistani lawmaker Farhatullah Babar told me of Islamabads reliance on the Afghan Taliban.

For Pakistanis, the aftershocks of their countrys involvement in Afghanistan can still be felt. Residents of Jani Khel ended an angry eight-day protest after the government promised action against rival Taliban factions that have plagued the area for two decades. The protest followed the discovery of the bullet-riddled corpses of four teenagers.

Such complications loom over U.S. efforts to accelerate peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban ahead of the May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani revealed the details of his peace plan that the Taliban rejected. He said Kabul would agree to an interim government if the Taliban would honor a cease-fire and fast-track elections.

Preserving Afghan Tatar identity

Frud Bezhan wrote about the quest of Afghanistans small Tatar community to reclaim its cultural roots by relearning its native language and reconnecting with Tatars in Russia and the global diaspora.

Ethnic Tatars in Afghanistan have long been classed as Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras, or Pashtuns, but the government has finally recognized the minority as a separate ethnolinguistic group.

"We Afghan Tatars have forgotten our language because of geography and environmental influences, Zabihullah Tatar, an activist, told us.

Afghanistans vanishing religious minorities

With reporting by the Afghan service, I write about the plight of Afghanistan's declining non-Muslim minorities. Afghan Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and other religious communities now risk complete annihilation from their homeland if the hard-line Taliban returns to power.

Afghanistans once-thriving Jewish community consists of a sole member, but he, too, plans to leave. Zablon Simintov says hes decided to pack up and move amid the specter of increased intolerance and hostility in a country that cannot find peace.

After our important festivals [Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in September], I will leave Afghanistan, Simintov told us.

Afghanistans humanitarian crisis

Several Afghan and international watchdogs have called this week for a probe into civilian killings in Afghanistan, where three female polio workers, a policewoman , and several other women and children were killed in targeted attacks and fighting between the Taliban and government forces.

A controversial Afghan intelligence raid in Khost that allegedly resulted in the killing of women and children prompted the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission to investigate after the Taliban said such attacks prevented them from agreeing to the reduction in violence sought by the government.

But Human Rights Watch accused the Taliban of engaging in a pattern of threats, intimidation, and violence against journalists in Afghanistan who have been targeted in attacks that have killed nearly a dozen media workers since November.

In a dire warning of a looming humanitarian catastrophe, Amnesty International called on the Afghan government and the international community to accelerate assistance to Afghanistans 4 million internally displaced persons, who are extremely vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks newsletter, and I encourage you to forward it to colleagues who might find it useful.



If you havent subscribed yet, you can do so here. Until next week, I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Yours,

Abubakar Siddique

Twitter: @sid_abu



P.S.: You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org.
New Delhi, April 1: The terrorist killings of two councillors of the Sopore Municipal Council and a Special Police Officer (SPO) in Sopore on Monday has made it clear that the chain of political killings is continuing in Kashmir.

The Resistance Front (TRF), which according to the Police and security forces, is a front for the Pakistan-based jihadi outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Sopore strike is the first terror strike after the recent agreement over the truce on the LoC and the International Border between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and a thaw in relations between the two countries.

The police and security forces had not made any security arrangement to protect the vulnerable councillors at Sopore who have contested elections in defiance of the terrorist diktats and strengthened the Indian democratic system and polity in Jammu and Kashmir.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Rasool Kar's daughter, Massarat, who is a protected councillor, had written a letter to Executive Officer Sameer Ahmad on March 26, seeking necessary security arrangements for the meeting venue on March 29. The Police and the security forces did not perceive any threat to the councillors, mainly because of the exchange of positive notes between New Delhi and Islamabad since February 29.

The meeting started as usual in the meeting hall of Sopore Municipal Council on the first floor of a commercial complex belonging to the slain Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone's family near Sub District Hospital on Sopore-Kupwara Road. The complex is highly vulnerable to a terrorist attack. It has a large number of shops, private business offices, pharmacies and clinics on its three floors.

According to the Executive Officer, one unidentified gunman was spotted firing on the councillors when 18 of them were in the 21st minute of the meeting. Independent councillors Riyaz Ahmad Peer and his father-in-law/maternal uncle Shamsuddin Peer were fatally hit. One died on the spot and another on Tuesday at the hospital. With this, a lady councillor lost her husband as well as her father.

One PSO of Massarat Kar rushed upstairs but he too was gunned down before the attackers made good their escape.

TRF referred to the slain councillors as "RSS henchmen masquerading as councillors" to justify its attack on non-combatant civilians and the peoples' elected representatives. Neither of them though had joined the BJP or RSS.

"The Resistance Front today carried out an operation in Sopore against RSS henchmen masquerading as councillors. These collaborators who have sold their soul to RSS were busy slaving (sic.) to implement the Grand Schemes of their RSS Masters when their evil designs were brought to an abrupt end. Despite the fact that people from all over Kashmir are constantly asking us to take a much harsher approach towards these moles and collaborators, The Resistance Front is giving all chances to these misguided and brain dead who have sold their soul to the devil for a paltry sum and that is why our attack was very calibrated and designed for minimum casualties," said a statement purportedly issued on TRF's letter head.

Significantly, however, none of the members or chairpersons of ULBs, BDCs or District Development Councils (DDCs) has resigned immediately out of fear as witnessed after many such terror strikes in the past.

Even as the cult of the funeral processions, gun salutes to the slain militants, intense stone pelting and mob attacks on the police and security forces during the cordon-and-search operations have subsided after August 2019, armed attacks on the grass-root public representatives and mainstream political activists have increased.

There were a spate of such political killings between June and October 2020.

Meanwhile, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar on Tuesday held a meeting of Kashmir's DIGs and SPs through video conferencing and issued necessary instructions to put in place all preventive and surveillance equipment including drones. He ordered fresh Standard Operating Procedures in such attacks according to new emerging threat perceptions.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
MicroAge, The Digital Transformation Experts, is celebrating expansive growth across an impressive portfolio of sectors. Since 2020, the company has seen 100% year-over-year growth in cloud services with an astounding 300% increase in overall services and new MSP clients. This acceleration comes on the heels of its acquisition of Semaphore Co, a full lifecycle services firm, in the push to expand cloud, connected workplace, security and modern data center technology services.

Since the October 2020 acquisition, MicroAge has developed and launched a variety of new service offerings. Organizations can now gain more control and work with deeper visibility thanks to MicroAges intelligent monitoring service, designed to mitigate potential risks before they arise. Its new help desk service streamlines workflows, drives efficiency and supports a more productive and agile workforce. This flexible support solution scales with changing business needs, including organizational and seasonal-based shifts in demand.

Were incredibly proud of this growth, and our strong reputation in the marketplace for being a trusted advisor for our clients, said MicroAge Vice President of Technology and Marketing Larry Fulop. These advancements are due in large part to our associates, who are dedicated to gaining and maintaining the technical certifications and expertise that make them so invaluable to our clients.

The company also celebrates several recent industry award wins. Last week, CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, honored MicroAge on its 2021 Tech Elite 250 list. This annual list features IT solution providers of all sizes in North America that have earned cutting-edge technical certifications from leading technology suppliers. These companies have separated themselves from the pack as top solutions providers, earning multiple, premier IT certifications, specializations, and partner program designations from industry-leading technology providers.

MicroAge was also included on CRNs 2021 Managed Service Provider 500 list in the Elite 150 category earlier this year. Released annually, this list recognizes the leading North American solution providers that have demonstrated innovative and forward-thinking approaches to managed services.

As we begin to emerge from the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear: organizations need to prioritize sustainable, innovative solutions to promote collaboration and maintain the integrity and security of their systems, said Kyle Yencer, vice president of services and connected workplace at MicroAge. Were energized by our recent momentum and new offerings, and we look forward to continued growth throughout 2021.

To learn more about MicroAge, visit http://www.MicroAge.com.

About MicroAge

MicroAge combines a powerful mix of technology services, backed by vendor-certified engineers, and an acclaimed panel of experts to deliver the competitive edge technology leaders need to lead in a disruptive, digital environment. MicroAge is recognized annually by the Computer Reseller News (CRN) in the Tech Elite 250, Solution Provider 500, and MSP 500 lists of top-performing technology integrators, strategic service providers, and IT consultants.

Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, MicroAge has a rapidly expanding national salesforce to support growing demand. To learn more, visit http://www.microage.com.
Jon Conrad was done with sitting on the sidelines.

The Evanston resident had been engaged at the state level for decades. Conrad had served under former Govs. Matt Mead and Dave Freudenthal, as chair of the Wyoming Workforce Development Council and as vice chair of the Wyoming Board of Parole. For the last two years, hes worked as the governmental affairs officer for his company, Tata Chemicals.

He had been civic-minded at home as well, closely involved in economic development activities across Uinta County.

On paper, Conrad looked like the model of the citizen-politician that Wyoming has so long prided itself on.

But for years, Conrad stayed out of the fray of local Republican politics, preferring to apply his skills elsewhere. Then, two years ago, he decided to become more involved, making his first trip to lobby at the Wyoming Legislature.

At that time, Uinta County GOP membership was scarce and its leadership aligned closely with the more conservative ends of the party, including the state partys chairman and its executive leadership team. Numerous precinct seats were unfilled and Conrad saw an opportunity to get more voices from the community involved in conversations about the partys future, he said.

It became apparent that the credibility and reputability of the Uinta County GOP was in trouble, he said in an interview. I started recruiting a bunch of folks that had the same ideological view as I did, people who saw the party not in exclusive terms, but inclusive: including people and having a collaborative approach.

Over time, Conrad found 22 candidates to run for 36 open precinct seat positions in last summers Republican primary elections. All of Conrads candidates won, while many incumbent precinct representatives in the county party  including sitting Chairman Lyle Williams, State Committeeman Karl Allred and State Committeewoman Jana Lee Williams  lost their seats. Observers labeled the outcome a significant power shift in the Uinta County GOP.

Conrad, who was fairly confident he had the votes he needed to win, entered the race for the chairmanship of the Uinta County Republican Party earlier this month.

Then state party leadership intervened.

According to Conrad and a complaint filed jointly with the Wyoming Secretary of State and the Wyoming Attorney Generals Office, the recently ousted county party leadership  backed by the Wyoming Republican Party  illegally allowed four members of the executive committee who had lost their precinct seats last August, including Allred and both Williams, to vote in the countys elections, giving the ousted incumbents an advantage against Conrads insurgent regime. Simply put: Conrad alleged that four people who were no longer eligible to vote served as the swing votes in their own re-election.

Conrad lost, and the previous establishment  including Williams daughter, Biffy Jackson  were re-seated in leadership positions in what Conrad and his allies claim was a violation of Wyoming law. Unlike the primaries, they argue, in which all registered members of a party are eligible to vote, state statutes hold that only precinct committee members can vote in leadership elections, and those members must have been duly elected to their precinct positions earlier that year.

The four votes that put his opponents over the top, Conrad said, had neither qualification, and were therefore ineligible.

I am writing you with an eminent request that the Office of Secretary of State determine that the elections of County Chairman, State Committee Man and State Committee Woman were conducted in blatant violation of Wyoming law, a copy of the complaint obtained by WyoFile reads. This is blatant vote padding and allowing fraudulent votes to sway an election. Elections have meaning and laws have meaning. Wyoming must hold itself up to a higher standard.

Neither Frank Eathorne, the chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party, nor Kathy Russell, the executive director of the party, responded to a list of questions for this story, including a request for a copy of the legal opinion by the partys attorney, Brian Shuck, that was used to justify allowing former officers to vote.

Conrad said the move was an effort by the current party establishment to quash a big tent approach to the partys politics.

At least from my perspective, the Republican Party is in disarray in some areas, Conrad said. There are factions that want to drive the party off the charts to the right, who somehow dont want to come back to some sort of Reagan reality we see as a collaborative approach, one that allows people with different views to be heard and not be ostracized. In Uinta County, theres been many people whove just given up and quit wanting to be a part of the party because of this radical faction.

Intra-party conflict is nothing new in the Wyoming GOP. Observers describe the latest iteration, in the simplest terms, as a power struggle between the older-school, more moderate so-called big tent Republicans and the current establishment that demands strict adherence to a party platform primarily determined by centralized leadership.

The infighting was seen during last summers Wyoming Republican Party convention, when two competing factions backed different slates of candidates for national committeeman and -woman. It was also apparent in the 2020 primary elections, in which so-called Republicans in Name Only  officeholders not aligned with party leadership  were challenged by candidates to their right, attracting thousands of dollars on both sides from some of the biggest names in Wyoming politics. Longtime members of the party like former House Speaker Doug Chamberlain, who served as the partys treasurer for decades, left leadership positions, citing numerous personal grievances.

Party disunity has persisted into the new year. On March 19, Wyoming Republican Party Comptroller Scott Dickerson announced he would be stepping down, saying some in the party didnt believe he was Republican enough, according to a copy of his resignation letter obtained by WyoFile.

After winning re-election as Johnson Countys state committeeman in January, Bill Novotny  who voted against censuring Liz Cheney for her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump  was informed that the state party, due to a procedural quirk, would not seat their delegation until a new election was held. Novotny, under pressure from his right flank at home, chose not to run again, clearing the way for former State Rep. Richard Tass to take his place. Novotny told WyoFile that Tass had run on his close allegiance to state Republican leadership.

Earlier in the month, the Lincoln County Republican Party censured one of its state representatives  Evan Simpson  for not voting conservatively enough, according to Simpson and members of Lincoln County Republican leadership, though Simpson told WyoFile he was never informed of any formal reason for his censure. That censure was later rescinded for procedural reasons.

There were people in our party who werent happy with his record, Lincoln County Republican Party State Committeeman Mike Lungren told WyoFile. They tried to call him and talk to him about it, that they would like him to vote more in line with the party platform. [The censure] was a way of saying we dont like what youre doing right now.

The disputes have even played out online: After a member of the Campbell County-based group, Frontier Republicans, wrote an op-ed in Cowboy State Daily calling on the party to embrace the big tent approach championed by President Ronald Reagan, Lincoln County GOP chairwoman and former State Rep. Marti Halverson answered with an op-ed of her own, definitively declaring there is no big tent.

I read comments in the press that we are united but I dont see it that way, Dickerson wrote in his letter. When I first became involved in the state party four years ago, I looked forward to the [state central committee] meetings. That is no longer the case. The dialogue is no longer about issues and good for the whole, but about persons and agendas. Those fully on board are praised, those who may question even the smallest detail are despised and mocked. The ends justify the means.

As a result, he wrote, he had become angry and bitter. I was raised better and my feelings would be a disappointment to my parents. The saying that bitterness corrodes the container its housed in applies. I need to dispose of that container, he wrote.

Dickerson did not respond to a request for comment.

Efforts by more moderate members of the party to regain a foothold have not been universally successful. After an extensive public engagement campaign in Sheridan County, for example, the party ultimately rallied behind incumbent chairman Bryan Miller  a close ally of state party leadership  over former State Sen. Bruce Burns by a 39-30 vote in one of the most hotly debated elections in recent memory.

I dont think there was any drama [in that vote], said Sen. Bo Biteman (R-Ranchester), a member of the Sheridan County GOP.  I mean, it was tense, but just because we have that ongoing, conservative versus moderate kind of push within the party.

Similar competitions have played out differently in different counties. In its elections last week, the Natrona County Republican Party resoundingly re-elected former chair Joe McGinley and State Committeewoman JoAnn True to leadership positions, despite their separate censures by the Wyoming Republican Party in 2020.

In Laramie County  where members have also sparred with the state party  sitting leadership won their re-election bids in convincing fashion. Some, like State Committeeman-elect Ben Sherman, noted his opponent had supported ceding that countys power to state leadership at the most recent convention, and called instead for his colleagues to maintain their independence from the doctrines of state leadership.

The biggest surprise, however, may have been in Campbell County, where moderate groups like the Frontier Republicans have grown up alongside more conservative factions like the John Patriot Republicans and the Republicans of Campbell County, which count several sitting lawmakers as members. After an extensive recruiting push there, traditional conservatives seized power to elect big tent Republicans like local businesswoman Heather Herr to leadership in what some longtime party members say is a true reflection of the communitys politics, not just the state partys.

Everybody from every point of view went out or recruited candidates to run, Tom Lubnau, a Frontier Republican and former Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives, said. There were contested elections and what we eventually got on our central committee was a reflection of the communitys values, electing people from every neighborhood or every precinct.

Its that big tent approach people like Herr  and the people who supported her  believe should define the party moving forward.

I truly want to be an unbiased welcoming voice. I really want everybody to feel welcome, Herr said in an interview. I know sometimes the outward appearances are that we are split within our party. But I think if you get out and talk to people, I think maybe theres just a few voices that are really loud who have been guiding things for a while.

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
Dublin woman Gemma Greene who is charged with dangerous driving following an alleged chase involving Garda vehicles has brought a High Court action over bail conditions imposed on her by the District Court.

In judicial review proceedings against the Director of Public Prosecutions Ms Greene is challenging bail conditions that were imposed on her earlier this week by District Court Judge Treasa Kelly.

Those conditions include that Ms Greene stay away from Ballymun, be under curfew from 11pm to 6am, sign on daily with the Gardai and that she remains of sober habits.

The variations were granted following an application to the District Court by the Gardai.

Ms Greene claims the District Court lacks the jurisdiction to make the variations, and seeks an order quashing the changes to her bail conditions imposed by the District Court on March 29th last.

She also seeks declarations including that the District Court does not have the jurisdiction to vary the bail conditions, and that the additional conditions are not lawful, proportionate nor necessary.

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Her counsel Giollaiosa O'Lideadha SC, appearing with Karl Monahan Bl, told the High Court court on Thursday that the District Court heard that the variations were being sought because Ms Greene had holidayed in Spain following her arrest and charge, and had given media interviews stating that she intended to leave the jurisdiction.

Following her arrest by Gardai earlier this month Ms Greene of Bunratty Road, Coolock, Dublin 17, was remained on Station bail, where she was required to attend court and be of good behaviour, which she has fully complied with.

Counsel said no reason were given before the District Court to justify the variations, which he claims are unnecessary.

Ms Greene's solicitor had argued before the district court that it did not have the power to vary the station bail, counsel said.

However, Judge Kelly said she had a common law power and an inherent jurisdiction to make the variations to Ms Greene's bail, counsel said.

Counsel said that there is an arguable case that the judge does not have such a power where the original release was on station bail, and that the decision to impose the particular conditions was irrational and should be set aside.

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There was a lot in the background of this case counsel said, and it was accepted that his client is facing serious charges, arising out of matters that have garnered some media attention.

The judicial review proceedings were only in relation as to what happened at the District Court bail hearing earlier this week counsel added.

Ms Greene is charged with two counts of dangerous driving, on the M50 at Junctions 4 and 9 northbound last March 1. She has not yet entered a plea.

It is alleged that Gardai chased a car on the M50 until it stopped at the Hampton Wood Drive area of Ballymun.

Ms Greene's application for permission to bring her challenge, which was made ex-parte where one side was present in court, came before Ms Justice Niamh Hyland.

The judge said she was prepared to grant Ms Greene permission to bring her action.

The judge said she was also prepared to put a stay on the bail conditions imposed by the District court.

The stay was being granted on the condition that Ms Greene surrender her passport to the Gardai, and undertake not to apply for any further travel documents, the Judge said.

The matter was adjourned to a date next week.

The DPP's lawyers can seek to oppose the stay, if they so choose, when the case is next before the court the judge added.





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New Delhi, April 1 : Delhi Zoo reopened for the public on Thursday after remaining closed for almost a year due to the Covid lockdown. Excitement was palpable among the visitors but faced issues in getting online tickets while social distancing norms went for a toss at the entry gate.

A limited number of visitors were allowed to enter while the tickets were being sold online only. However, some visitors faced several problems as few didn't get the OTP to validate the payment, while payments of others failed. The server also crashed for some time, leaving waiting people high and dry.

Sunny, who came from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to visit the zoo, told IANS: "The server of the zoo was down. We made several tries to book the tickets but failed every time." Some tourists said that when they tried to make the payment, they were directed back to the zoo website's home page.

Delhi Zoo Director Ramesh Kumar Pandey said: "The tourists as well as the staff were excited about opening of the zoo. We had done preparations regarding the same but there were some issues in regards to the online payments. We are trying to address it and soon it will be sorted." "The numbers of card readers will be increase while we are working on providing every payment option on the website also. We are also trying to ensure that social distancing is maintained at the entry gate of the zoo," he added.

There was no marking at the entrance so that visitors waiting to enter could maintain social distancing, however, thermal screening was being done, hand sanitiser was dispensed and everyone was wearing masks.

Visitors said that arrangements in the zoo were fine but not all Covid related SOPs were been followed.

Nevertheless, young visitors were glad of chance to see their favourite animals and birds again.

Class 3 student Nayra Sikka said that she had come to see an ostrich but when told that as of now, there is no ostrich in the zoo yet, she said that she will then see the elephants.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
MSCHF Lil Nas X and his Satan Shoes

Lil Nas X's limited-edition (unofficial) Nike Air Max 97s, designed in collaboration with New York-based art collective MSCHF, are officially off the market.

After Nike filed a trademark lawsuit and a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against MSCHF earlier this week, a federal judge granted the request on Thursday morning to stop the controversial sneakers from being sold, Billboard reports.

The unofficial black-and-red Nikes  dubbed "Satan Shoes," tied to the release of Lil Nas X's new song "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" and corresponding music video  feature a pentagon charm, text reading "LUKE 10:18" and a stamp showing the shoe's number in the collection (e.g., 17/666). They even contain a drop of real human blood, which a spokesperson for MSCHF told CNN was donated by members of their team.

Lil Nas X/Instagram Lil Nas X and his Satan Shoes

In a lawsuit filed Monday, Nike alleged that the shoes  which went on sale Monday and sold out in minutes  were made without the company's "approval or authorization," Rolling Stone reported.

The shoe design is "likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF's products and Nike," and has already resulted in "significant harm to [Nike's] goodwill, including among consumers who believe that Nike is endorsing satanism," the lawsuit read, according to Rolling Stone.

MSCHF's attorneys explained in a letter to the judge on Wednesday that the shoes are "not typical sneakers, but rather individually-numbered works of art that were sold to collectors for $1,018 each."

"There's no statements that Nike is affiliated," MSCHF's lawyer said during the hearing on Thursday, according to Billboard.

Nike's attorney argued, "We have submitted numerous evidence that some consumers are saying they will never buy Nike shoes ever again," adding that the Nike swoosh should be awarded protection, as it's "one of the most famous marks of all time."

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The shoes, as well as the music video which features the musician taking a stripper pole to Hell, drew strong backlash online.

Nike referenced the criticism in its lawsuit, asking the court to force MSCHF to halt production on the shoes and award Nike monetary damages, according to CBS News.

The outlet also reported that a majority of MSCHF's shoes, over 600 pairs, have already been shipped to individual consumers, which the brand's lawyer said rendered Nike's claims irrelevant. Nike argued shipping the shoes still presents "post-sale confusion and delusion" for customers.

RELATED: Lil Nas X Responds to Backlash Over 'Twerking on a CGI Satan' in 'Montero' Music Video

This is not the first time MSCHF has redesigned Nike shoes. In 2019, the Brooklyn-based company released "Jesus Shoes," a pair of Air Max 97s injected with water from the Jordan River. The shoes also had a crucifix attached to the laces and frankincense-scented insoles.

RELATED: Lil Nas X Takes a Stripper Pole to Hell in New 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)' Music Video

Nike did not file any lawsuit over the "Jesus Shoes," according to Rolling Stone.

Representatives for Nike did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

On Thursday evening, MSCHF shared an official statement regarding the court case with Nike. In the lengthy post, the brand compared the release of its Jesus sneaker versus Satan sneaker, explaining the Jesus version was made to "conflate celebrity collab culture and brand worship with religious worship into a limited edition line of art objects."

"Last week's release of the Satan Shoes, in collaboration with Lil Nas X, was no different. Satan Shoes started a conversation, while also living natively in its space. It is art created for people to observe, speculate on, purchase, and own," the statement continued. "Heresy only exists in relation to doctrine: who is Nike to censor one but not the other? Satan is as much part of the art historical canon as Jesus, from Renaissance Hellmouths to Milton. Satan exists as the challenger to the ultimate authority. We were delighted to work with Lil Nas X on Satan Shoes and continue this dialogue."

The post clarified that it is not affiliated with Nike and was "honestly surprised by the action Nike has taken." It stated that MSCHF reached out "immediately after Nike's counsel sent us notice" but received no response. They "look forward" to working with Nike and the court "to resolve this case in the most expeditious manner." As for the Lil Nas X's Twitter giveaway of the Satan Shoes Edition 666, that has been "prohibited" due to Nike's legal action.

"MSCHF strongly believes in the freedom of expression, and nothing is more important than our ability, and the ability of other artists like us, to continue with our work over the coming years," it read, before concluding: "Better To Reign In Hell Than Serve In Heaven."

Rich Fury/Getty Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X, born Montero Hill, is reportedly not listed as a defendant on the lawsuit, though he did address it on Twitter Monday, sharing a clip of Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants begging for money with the caption "me after the nike lawsuit."

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The rapper previously responded to his online critics, and he didn't mince words when it came to defending himself, writing, "Y'all saying a gay n twerking on a cgi satan is the end of times like slavery and the holocaust didn't happen."

The "Old Town Road" artist also clapped back at someone who accused him of "destroying society," writing, "There is a mass shooting every week that our government does nothing to stop. me sliding down a cgi pole isn't what's destroying society."

Lil Nas X also wrote in a quote tweet, "There was no system involved. I made the decision to create the music video. I am an adult. I am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. that is your job."
An aggressive pledge to partially inoculate every Oregonian 16 and older against COVID-19 before summer fell into jeopardy Wednesday amid revelations that a manufacturer ruined up to 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Gov. Kate Brown and state health officials set lofty expectations two weeks ago when they said they expected enough doses for every Oregonian who wants a vaccine to have the opportunity for at least a first dose by the first week of June.

That timeline was predicated on Oregon receiving a growing supply of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. But with millions of those doses now wiped from the national supply, state officials said Wednesday the goalposts may need to shift.

Its hard for me to say, No, it wont affect the timeline, said David Baden, who oversees vaccine forecasts for the Oregon Health Authority.

Well see now, he added. Its frustrating.

Oregons bad-news acknowledgement was juxtaposed Wednesday by Washingtons decision to make all of its residents 16 and older eligible for a vaccine April 15, about two weeks ahead of Oregons May 1 timeline.

Eligibility, of course, does not ensure access to a shot  and thats why Oregons initial assertion that everyone could get a shot by the first week of June was so significant.

State officials made clear that hitting the timeline would be conditional on increasing daily inoculations using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. But the schedule seemed optimistic if not impractical, requiring first doses for nearly 3.5 million Oregonians when fewer than 1.2 million had received them as of Wednesday.

The schedule assumed 33,000 first-dose inoculations a day using either the two-shot Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson product. But Oregon has topped 33,000 daily doses administered just seven times to date  and that includes both first and second doses.

Baden, the health authoritys chief financial officer, stood by the veracity of that initial timeline Wednesday. He said state officials were hoping to see 200,000 to 250,000 first doses administered per week, the equivalent of about 28,500 to 35,700 a day.

But with uncertainty about Johnson & Johnson, he said, actual first-dose vaccinations going forward potentially could be half that.

Oregon is still expecting to receive a large quantity of Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week, Baden said, which could total around 100,000 doses between the states allocation and vaccine sent directly to pharmacies.

But beyond next week is questionable, he said.

Thats because workers at a Baltimore manufacturing plant made the Johnson & Johnson vaccine with incorrect ingredients, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

While the mistake doesnt affect existing doses already being delivered, it ruined up to 15 million doses and halted future shipments until quality control measures are evaluated.

Federal officials still expect to have enough doses from Johnson & Johnson and other vaccine makers to meet President Bidens commitment to provide enough vaccine by the end of May to immunize every adult, the Times reported.

But state officials are skeptical.

All that now obviously changes with this, Baden said of Oregons similar timeline.

Baden said he did not expect a dearth of Johnson & Johnson vaccines to cause substantial problems for the next wave of Oregonians who become eligible for shots April 5, which includes people age 16 to 44 with qualifying medical conditions and many frontline workers.

But he said it could take longer to find an appointment.

Less vaccine means less appointments for people to be vaccinated, he said.

Meanwhile, Baden said he does not currently see a scenario where Oregon moves up its overarching vaccine eligibility timeline for the general population ahead of May 1, although he deferred to Brown.

Asked about Washingtons decision to make residents eligible April 15, and whether Oregon would accelerate its schedule, a spokesperson for the governor would not directly answer.

Oregons vaccination schedule is driven by the availability of supplies from the federal government, Charles Boyle said in a statement, and we have expanded eligibility as quickly as possible as more supplies have become available.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski (R) meets with the visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe (L) in Skopje on March 30, 2021. (Photo by Li Xiaowei)|



SKOPJE, Mar.30 -- President Stevo Pendarovski and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Republic of North Macedonia met respectively with the visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe in Skopje on March 30.

Pendarovski said during the meeting that North Macedonia and China share mutual trust and enjoy friendly bilateral relations, North Macedonia firmly supports the one-China policy and has full confidence in joining efforts to build the Belt and Road Initiative with China.

Pendarovski added that North Macedonia appreciates China's great achievements in the fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic and thanks China for its anti-pandemic assistance to North Macedonia.

He looks forward the two countries will carry out more frequent and in-depth exchanges and cooperation after the recovery of the world from the pandemic.

Zaev said that since independence, North Macedonia has received great support and assistance from China, for which it is deeply grateful. The two countries enjoy huge potential for cooperation, Northern Macedonia hopes to strengthen cooperation with China in the fields of economy, trade, investment, infrastructure, defense and security and push forward the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.

During the meetings, Wei briefed the North Macedonian side of China's pandemic prevention and control situation, economic and social development and China-US relations, and expounded Chinas principled positions on Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

He said that China appreciates North Macedonia's firm adherence to the one-China policy and hopes that North Macedonia will continue to provide support to China on issues concerning China's core interests.

China is ready to work with North Macedonia to make full use of the Belt and Road Initiative and the "17+1 Cooperation" Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countriesto deepen practical cooperation and achieve mutual benefit and common development, Wei added.

He stressed that the Chinese military attaches great importance to developing relations with the North Macedonian military, and is committed to deepening exchanges and cooperation to promote in-depth and solid military-to-military relations between the two countries.

Wei held talks with his North Macedonian counterpart Radmila Sekerinska on the same day, the two sides had in-depth exchange of views on bilateral and military-to-military relations as well as international and regional security situation.
(Natural News) The Chinese Communist Party has been enlisting the help of surveillance corporations to create standards for mass facial recognition systems. These systems allow the government in Beijing to track certain characteristics, such as ethnicity. Activists are warning that the goal is to keep an eye over ethnic minorities in China, including the Uyghurs.

This is according to Pennsylvania-based tech and surveillance watchdog IPVM, who published technical standards specifying how data captured by the countrys hundreds of millions of facial recognition cameras should be categorized. These categories would allow Chinese law enforcement agencies and other government entities to search surveillance footage, mugshots and suspect databases via segmented personal attributes.

Some of these personal attributes include eyebrow size, skin color and ethnicity. In fact, IPVMs report states that surveillance systems used for public security in certain areas in China are set to be updated in May 2021. The update will create catalogs to segment people by five different skin colors: white, black, brown, yellow and others.

Its the first time weve ever seen public security camera networks that are tracking people by these sensitive categories explicitly at this scale, said Charles Rollet, a member of IPVM and the author of the groups report. Its ripe for abuse.

Rollets report stated that these surveillance categorization standards were first drawn up by government agencies in Beijing in conjunction with some of Chinas largest surveillance corporations. Some of the companies mentioned in IPVMs report include security camera manufacturers Uniview, Hikvision and Dahua.

The United States blacklisted Hikvision and Dahua in 2019 for their alleged role in the high-technology surveillance against Chinas minority populations. (Related: Intel, Nvidia questioned by lawmakers about their microchips being used to suppress human rights in Xinjiang.)

Dahua denied helping the CCP create the standards for differentiating people from different ethnic groups. Hikvision said it was committed to upholding the highest standards and respect for human rights.

As a manufacturer that does not oversee the operation of our products, we do ensure our cameras are designed to protect communities and property, said a Hikvision spokesman.

New surveillance system created to specifically target Uyghur dissidents

IPVMs report indicated that the ethnicity category was specifically created to target Chinas Uyghur and Tibetan ethnic minorities. These two groups, who are a majority in their respective autonomous regions in China, have a long history of resisting the rule of the CCP. This report was released as China continues to be heavily scrutinized for its treatment of Uyghur dissidents in Xinjiang.

Were not talking about a standard for how long pencils should be. This is not a neutral technology, said Maya Wang, senior China researcher working for Human Rights Watch.

Wang said the facial recognition standards are new evidence that corporations are aiding the Chinese government to suppress Xinjiangs Uyghurs.

They are working together on mass surveillance, the mass tracking of people. Theres no way its compatible with basic human rights standards, said Wang.

Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union, said that if the United States attempted to create video surveillance standards that included special categories for tracking people by skin color and ethnicity, it would cause an enormous uproar.

In a statement, Stanley said the new surveillance standards fit with what many activists and watchdog groups have seen China do in the past. According to Stanley, this has already occurred in Chinas banking and travel sectors, where Beijing requires companies to collect information about customers on its behalf.

As security cameras continue to proliferate and video analytics gets better, its not a huge leap to imagine authorities pressuring private camera operators to collect and store identifying details in the same way, just in case its needed. We should never let that happen again.

Liz OSullivan, a surveillance activist, said that the creation of a way to organize data might pave the way for more powerful facial recognition systems in the future.

Its horrifying to imagine an increasingly precise biometric detection and collection system that captures so much detailed information, and could be turned on minorities, said OSullivan.

While there is no doubt that China is expanding its mass surveillance and facial recognition systems capabilities, it is not entirely clear to what extent these systems are fully operational in China. But estimates show that the number of active surveillance cameras in the country may hit one billion by the end of 2021.

Learn more about the expansion of Chinas massive surveillance state by reading the latest articles at PrivacyWatch.news.

Sources include:

News.Trust.org

TheDiplomat.com

IPVM.com

WSJ.com
Last week a federal judge in Washington, D.C., struck down the nations last numerical cap on how many people can attend worship services. The government lost for what has become a common reason: It could offer no evidence that it needed to impose harsh limits on worship that do not apply at restaurants, train stations, or office buildings.

The past year of COVID has brought us many things we had never seen before, including widespread government orders forbidding attendance at houses of worship. Although most churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship voluntarily closed early in the pandemic, eventually many had to fight in court for their First Amendment right to resume worship activities.

The arc of those cases teaches an important lesson about the role of courts in protecting constitutional rights, even in emergencies. When courts simply defer to governments about the need to restrict liberty, governments will restrict more liberty. Worse, they will favor the interests they think are important, and restrict rights that they think are not so important. But when courts scrutinize government claims  when they ask questions and require support before allowing governments to restrict liberty  then constitutional rights are far more secure.

The COVID religious liberty cases demonstrate this lesson playing out over the past year. Early in the pandemic, courts were quite deferential to governors and mayors who said they needed to outlaw in-person religious worship. The issue reached the Supreme Court for the first time last May in a case called South Bay Pentecostal Church v. Newsom. There, Chief Justice Roberts explained that COVID restrictions were subject to reasonable disagreement and that governments should get especially broad latitude, not to be second-guessed by judges. As a result of this deferential approach, governments won virtually all the early cases about closing houses of worship.

In response to these rulings, some governments felt emboldened to play favorites and engage in targeting. Most famously, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo targeted his COVID orders very specifically at Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods  even while leaving other neighborhoods with higher COVID levels out. Many governments allowed large-scale protests over the death of George Floyd  while still outlawing smaller outdoor gatherings for religious purposes. And governments began loosening COVID restrictions in order to allow what they viewed as important industries (think casinos in Nevada and movie production in California) to reopen while still restricting the return to worship.

For a while, governments got away with it, trusting that deferential courts would allow them to restrict rights selectively, without facing any serious judicial scrutiny. But eventually the courts caught up. The key turning point was a pair of Supreme Court rulings at Thanksgiving in favor of synagogues and churches challenging Cuomos restrictions. The rulings, known as Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, marked a significant change: The court wanted to see some proof from the government that it actually needed to restrict worship. And because the government had not presented such evidence  in fact, there was no evidence that the churches and synagogues at issue had contributed at all to the spread of COVID  the court found it hard to believe that the prohibited religious worship would create a more serious health risk than the many other activities that the State allows.

What happened next should not be forgotten: Once the courts began requiring some proof from the government for its restrictions, those restrictions  and the public health claims on which they had been based  fell apart. Nevadas preferential treatment of casinos? Rejected by a court as unjustified in light of the states treatment of restaurants and casinos. Californias? Rejected by the Supreme Court, with Roberts noting that deference has its limits, particularly because the Constitution entrusts the protection of the peoples rights to the Judiciary. Most of the country has now stopped discriminating against religious worship  either losing in court or voluntarily changing the law  because there wasnt evidence that worship was more dangerous than many other allowed activities.

How strong was this trend? Cuomo actually went back to the lower courts and asked them to enter orders against his restrictions so he did not have to defend them with evidence at all. This was unsurprising, given recent revelations that many of New Yorks public health authorities had recently resigned, in part because Cuomo had been asking them to make the science match his political announcements. Indeed, Cuomos own data suggested that attending houses of worship was much safer than other activities. So much for following the science  it turns out the science had been asked to follow the politics instead.

The lesson here is important, and it is not limited to COVID or religious liberty. When governments want to restrict our rights, courts must insist on some evidence about the alleged harm. Without real judicial scrutiny, governments will be tempted to ignore rights and play favorites. Holding the governments feet to the fire  and making it justify restrictions it wants to impose  is the best way to protect freedom.

A year of COVID has taught us many hard lessons. Lets hope the lesson about how to protect freedom is one we wont soon forget.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 04:38:13|Editor: huaxia

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LA PAZ, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia will temporarily close its border with Brazil starting Friday, to prevent the spread of a more contagious COVID-19 variant first detected in Brazil, Bolivian President Luis Arce announced on Thursday.

"As part of the measures to protect the population, we are instructing the temporary closure of borders with Brazil for seven days," Arce said via Twitter.

In addition, a presidential decree extended until the end of the month "the application of biosafety and epidemiological surveillance measures and actions ... aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19," said Arce.

The decree gives local governments the power to "regulate opening hours of shopping centers, social, sporting and cultural events, bars and nightclubs."

Minister of Health Jeyson Auza told local radio Thursday there will be leeway for some cross-border trade during the border closure.

"It is not possible to take measures that suffocate the economy. Therefore, while this border closure lasts, it is provided that there be daily border traffic for a period of three hours," he said.

Bolivia has reported 272,411 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 12,257 deaths from the disease. Enditem
PINE GROVE  The Washington Township Board of Supervisors have adopted a resolution declaring the township a Second Amendment sanctuary.

Township Manager Dawn Koch explained that unlike an ordinance, the resolution simply states the townships stance on any future restrictions or laws regarding firearms.

An ordinance is local law and we dont have a police department to uphold that law, she said. The resolution is simply stating the townships position.

The resolution adopted March 15 says the supervisors will not allocate taxpayer money in enforcing restrictions on gun laws.

The Washington Township Board of Supervisors hereby expresses its intent that public funds of the township not to be used to restrict the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of Washington Township, Schuylkill County, or to aid federal or state agencies in the restriction of said rights, the resolution reads.

Koch said the matter was brought before the board after it became a topic at Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors meetings.

I brought it up to the board and they agreed, she said.

As far as future federal or state restrictions dealing with firearms, Koch said the township stands by the rights given to people under the Second Amendment.

This township will uphold the Constitutions gun laws, she said.

Although the township cannot legally fight changes to laws governing firearms, the resolution means the township may or may not agree with any changes in law affecting the Second Amendment.

The resolution was approved by supervisors Chairman Leon Lutz, Vice Chairman Wendell Gainer Jr. and Supervisor Lynn Brown.

This is Washington Townships way of showing their stance on changes to the Constitution, Koch said.

The ordinance, citing the Second Amendment, reads a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

The Washington Township Board of Supervisors wishes to express opposition to any law that would unconstitutionally restrict the rights of the citizens of Washington Township, Schuylkill County, to keep and bear arms, the resolution states.

Koch said that neighboring Wayne Township passed a similar resolution on March 17. An attempt to reach Wayne Township supervisors Chairman Stanley Fidler for comment Wednesday was unsuccessful.

State police Sgt. Michael Sadusky, commander of the Schuylkill Haven station, said troopers and other state law enforcement officers are required to enforce gun laws currently in place.

If theres a firearms violation, we will enforce it, he said.

Although the Washington Township supervisors have gone on record saying they do not agree with firearms restrictions, some governing bodies have gone as far as passing resolutions saying that they will refuse to enforce or dedicate resources funded by taxpayers to implement state gun safety measures.

Since 2018, more than 400 counties, cities and municipalities throughout the United States have passed resolutions declaring themselves as Second Amendment Sanctuaries with the numbers continuing to increase.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has been critical of Second Amendment sanctuaries, saying they are built entirely upon a tightly held and inaccurate belief that common-sense gun safety laws are unconstitutional and as a clear backlash orchestrated by the gun lobby in response to recent wins in gun reform.

Common-sense gun safety laws do not interfere with the rights of gun owners, according to the organization, named for President Ronald Reagans press secretary, James Brady, who was injured by a gunman in his attempted assassination of Reagan in 1981. But they do keep guns out of the hands of those who cannot or should not possess them.
Senator Claudiu Tarziu, president of the Committee for Romanians Everywhere and co-chair of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), laid a wreath at the bell-tower monument erected in the forest of (northern Bukovina) Fantana Alba (White Fountain) "in tribute to the Romanians killed on April 1, 1941".

"We are in a place of sacrifice. Fantana Alba is a real Romanian Katyn. Here there was one of our national history's darkest episodes. The 3,000 Romanians killed here by Soviet border guards 80 years ago were guilty for nothing more than being Romanians and wanting to repatriate beyond the border dictated by Hitler and Stalin. They were massacred because they confessed their national creed, identity and love for their mother country. They are heroes and martyrs alike. Martyrs of the Church and heroes of the Nation. Remembering them today and every time does not mean that we do them any honor, but we seek a source of power in their example of courage, in their dignity, in their backbone. They were not afraid, they stood in front of bullets," Tarziu was quoted as saying by AUR in a press release.

"The Fantana Alba massacre took place on April 1, 1941, when more than 3,000 Romanians from 16 villages in the Siretului Valley tried to take refuge inside Romania in the northern part of Bukovina, occupied by the USSR and incorporated into Ukraine," the cited source says.

April 1 is the national day of honoring the memory of Romanians - "victims of the massacres at Fantana Alba and other areas, of deportations, famine and other forms of repression organized by the Soviet totalitarian regime in Hertsa, northern Bukovina and all of Bessarabia," the AUR press release further specifies.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSXV:YGT)(FRA:TX0)(OTCQX:YGTFF) ("Gold Terra" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed a technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") supporting the mineral resource estimate on its Yellowknife City Gold project (the "YCG Project") as reported in the Company's news release dated March 16, 2021.

The technical report, titled "Technical Report on the 2021 Updated Mineral Resource Estimates, Northbelt Property, Yellowknife City Gold Project, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada" with an effective date of March 8 2021, can be found on the Company's website at https://www.goldterracorp.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. This updated mineral resource estimate includes the Sam Otto, Crestaurum, Barney and Mispickel gold deposits previously reported in the initial November 2019 mineral resource and includes assay results from the 2020 drill program on the Sam Otto and Crestaurum deposits.

The 2021 mineral resource estimate highlights:

Significant increases to the in situ mineral inventory from the 2019 mineral resource estimate was achieved by the 2020 drilling at Sam Otto (9,622 metres) and Crestaurum (7,648 metres), which increased the strike and dip of both these deposits.

The 1,207,000 ounce inferred mineral resource consists of an:

Open pit constrained inferred mineral resource of 21.8 million tonnes averaging 1.25 g/t for 876,000 ounces of contained gold.

Underground inferred mineral resource of 2.55 million tonnes averaging 4.04 g/t for 331,000 ounces of contained gold.

The potential to increase mineral resources on specific targets include:

The untested depth extension on both the Sam Otto Main and the Sam Otto South deposits.

Gold Terra believes that selective closer spaced drilling at the Crestaurum deposit can potentially increase mineral resources below the 300-metre depth.

The 2020 drilling on the Crestaurum deposit revealed an untested three-kilometre strike length of this gold bearing structure to the south of the current mineral resource.

A review of the structural controls on the Mispickel and Barney deposits during the 2021 mineral resource estimation revealed potential for increasing these higher grade zones both along the plunge of the known high-grade zones, and for discovery of new high-grade lodes over a potential three-kilometre mineralized structure at Mispickel.

Qualified Persons

The mineral resource estimate was prepared by Dr. Allan Armitage, P.Geo., from SGS Geological Services. The information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Joe Campbell, P. Geo., Chief Operating Officer for Gold Terra and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.

Option Agreement

The Company is pleased to announce it has entered into an option agreement (the "Option Agreement") with Walter J. Humphries and David Smith (together, the "Optionors"), pursuant to which it has the right to acquire a 100% interest in certain mineral claims (the "Claims") located in the Northbelt area of the YCG Project (the "Option"). The strategic addition of the Claims ties together a key section of Gold Terra's property for future exploration. The terms of the Option Agreement require Gold Terra to pay the Optionors a total of $15,000 in cash and to issue a total of 40,000 common shares of Gold Terra to the Optionors. The Option is exerciseable over a period of three years. To exercise the Option, Gold Terra must pay the Optionors an additional $15,000 in cash and issue an additional 60,000 common shares of Gold Terra, over the next three years. The Claims will be subject to a 2% net smelter returns royalty.

The Option Agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") acceptance. All shares issued pursuant to the Option Agreement will be subject to resale restrictions under applicable securities legislation and the rules of the TSXV.

About Gold Terra's Yellowknife City Gold Project

The YCG Project encompasses 800 sq. km of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, Gold Terra controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 kilometres of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople.

The YCG Project lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering nearly 70 kilometres of strike length along the main mineralized shear system that host the former-producing high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The Company's exploration programs have successfully identified significant zones of gold mineralization and multiple targets that remain to be tested which reinforces the Company's objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

Visit our website at www.goldterracorp.com.

For more information, please contact:

David Suda, President and CEO

Phone: 604-928-3101 | Toll-Free: 1-855-737-2684

dsuda@goldterracorp.com

Mara Strazdins, Manager of Investor Relations

Phone: 1-778-897-1590 | 604-689-1749 ext 102

Strazdins@goldterracorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements made and information contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation ("forward-looking information"). Generally, this forward-looking information can, but not always, be identified by use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events, conditions or results "will", "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotations thereof.

All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information regarding the future plans for drilling and exploration at the YCG Project; current drilling at the YCG Project; the ability of the Company to expand the mineralized system at the YCG Project; future development at specific targets; statements with respect to mineral resource estimates (including proposals for the potential growth, extension, update and/or upgrade thereof, the anticipated timing thereof and any future economic benefits which may be derived therefrom; statements related to increasing the higher grade zones and discovering new high-grade lodes; statements related to exercising the Option and the related payments and share issuances, and the 2% net smelter returns royalty to which the Claims will be subject; and the Company's objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as the Company's actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section in the Company's most recent MD&A and annual information form available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Except as required under applicable securities legislation and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information.

CAUTIONARY NOTE TO UNITED STATES INVESTORS CONCERNING ESTIMATES OF MEASURED, INDICATED AND INFERRED RESOURCES [NTD: Cassels has not reviewed the US cautionary language.]

The Company prepares its disclosure in accordance with the requirements of securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Terms relating to Mineral Resources in this news release are defined in accordance with NI 43-101 under the guidelines set out in CIM Standards.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") has adopted amendments effective February 25, 2019 (the "SEC Modernization Rules") to its disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for issuers whose securities are registered with the SEC under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The SEC Modernization Rules have replaced SEC Industry Guide 7, which will be rescinded following a transition period and after the required compliance date of the SEC Modernization Rules.

As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC will now recognize estimates of "Measured Mineral Resources", "Indicated Mineral Resources" and "Inferred Mineral Resources", which are defined in substantially similar terms to the corresponding CIM Standards. In addition, the SEC has amended its definitions of "Proven Mineral Reserves" and "Probable Mineral Reserves" to be substantially similar to the corresponding CIM Standards.

United States investors are cautioned that while the foregoing terms are "substantially similar" to corresponding definitions under the CIM Standards, there are differences in the definitions under the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any Mineral Resources that the Company may report as "Measured Mineral Resources", "Indicated Mineral Resources" and "Inferred Mineral Resources" under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules.

United States investors are also cautioned that while the SEC will now recognize "Measured Mineral Resources", "Indicated Mineral Resources" and "Inferred Mineral Resources", investors should not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories would ever be converted into a higher category of Mineral Resources or into Mineral Reserves. Mineralization described by these terms has a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to assume that any "Measured Mineral Resources", "Indicated Mineral Resources", or "Inferred Mineral Resources" that the Company reports are or will be economically or legally mineable.

Further, "Inferred Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined legally or economically. Therefore, United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of the Inferred Resources exist. In accordance with Canadian securities laws, estimates of "Inferred Mineral Resources" cannot form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies, except in limited circumstances where permitted under NI 43-101.

In addition, disclosure of "contained ounces" is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC has historically only permitted issuers to report mineralization as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.

SOURCE: Gold Terra Resource Corp

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638566/Gold-Terra-Announces-Filing-of-Technical-Report-for-64-Increase-to-Mineral-Resource-Estimate-at-Yellowknife-City-Gold-Project
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  A former band director at a Louisiana university has been ordered to repay nearly $80,000 and sentenced to 13 months in prison for submitting fraudulent expenses. Acting U.S. Attorney Ellison C. Travis said in a news release Wednesday that Nathan Haymer of Houston must pay $78,690 to Southern University and a money judgment for the same amount. The Advocate reports that's in addition to more than $30,000 which Haymer paid when he pleaded guilty in October. He admitted submitting phony expenses between November 2016 and March 2018. Southern's band is nicknamed the Human Jukebox. It travels around the country for parades and other events.
Buyenlarge/Getty Images

Another group of San Francisco tourists endured a car break-in Monday, this time at the famed Moraga Steps  the tiled tourist destination in the Inner Sunset.

And, similar to the tourist who successfully fought back against a robber in February, the group from Puerto Rico chased downhill after the burglars, who sped away in a getaway car parked by the scene of the crime.
COLUMBIA  Only health care workers in South Carolina could be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 under a bill advancing in the state Senate that otherwise bars employers from issuing ultimatums.

The bill that advanced March 31 to the Senate floor prohibits employers from firing, suspending or demoting workers who won't get a shot unless their job involves caring for or treating seniors or others with underlying medical problems.

"If they work around a vulnerable population, you can require vaccination," Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, said in explaining the compromise he helped craft.

"But if it's just an average employer that has no health-related business, you cant terminate somebody for not taking a vaccine," he added.

As initially proposed by Sen. Tom Corbin, R-Travelers Rest, the legislation stated no one "may be compelled" to get a COVID-19 vaccination, and no employer could punish a worker in any way for opting not to get one.

"Weve really tried to narrow it down from where it was," Hutto said, adding that the original version potentially had far-reaching consequences.

"If the seniors' Sunday school class wants to the take the church bus to Golden Corral and they say, 'Only people with vaccines can ride the bus,' that ought to be a decision they can make," he said.

The few voting "no" included Sen. Marlon Kimpson, who said he worried about the message it sends since passage could be seen as validating people's hesitation or refusal to get vaccinated.

"Let's not make a public policy statement that is inconsistent with the body of medical data we have concerning COVID," the Charleston Democrat said. "If we pass this legislation, it has the effect of doing more harm to the progress we've made as a state and nation."

Kimpson questioned whether it's even a problem.

While there is no state mandate, legislators have heard from workers who were told "'we want you to get the vaccine, and if you don't, we'll pursue adverse actions, whether suspension or demotion,'" Hutto said, adding he couldn't name specific companies. "It is a real potential threat to some people's jobs."

Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Manning, said he worried businesses could be put in a tough spot with customers.

They "may have customers who say, 'If your employees aren't vaccinated, I won't do business with you,' " he said. "People are in business to make money, and if they can't require their employees to be vaccinated, employers are put between a rock and a hard place."

While that's impossible to address, Hutto said, the amended bill does make clear businesses are free to encourage their employees to get a shot and offer incentives to do so, such as time off on the day of their appointment.

The changes resulted in the state Chamber of Commerce removing its opposition to the measure.

Business advocates feared earlier language barring discrimination of workers who don't get shots could have inadvertently outlawed incentives to workers who do.

While the "vast majority of businesses in our state" are not considering a mandate, many could offer perks for getting a COVID-19 vaccine shot, including paid time off, said Swati Patel, interim chief executive of the state Chamber of Commerce.

"We know that the more our citizens get vaccinated, the quicker our economy will fully recover," she said.

The S.C. Hospital Association is not aware of any hospital requiring its employees to get vaccinated but applauds the compromise allowing it, said spokesman Schipp Ames.

"Hospitals have an important responsibility to create the safest possible environment for the patients and communities they serve," he said, adding that the amendment gives "hospitals the flexibility they need to protect patients and employees from COVID-19."

The vote comes a week after the House rejected proposals to ban public employers  including schools, colleges, agencies and local governments  from crafting any policy making COVID-19 vaccination a condition of employment or services.

Those proposals attempted unsuccessfully to insert the bans into the House's $10 billion state budget plan.

House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, helped defeat the idea, arguing the budget is no place for a ban that could ultimately endanger lives in health care facilities.

The vote by the Senate Medical Affairs Committee also came on the day eligibility for vaccines opened to everyone 16 and older in South Carolina.

Younger children can't get a shot yet because the vaccines weren't tested on them in the trials leading to their federal authorization. Of the three vaccines authorized so far, only the two-shot Pfizer brand can be given to 16- and 17-year-olds.

So far, about 17 percent of all eligible South Carolinians have completed the vaccination process, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. Health officials have said a full return to normalcy will require at least 70 percent of adults getting vaccinated.

While supply remains limited, "soon in a matter of weeks we believe anyone and everyone who wants their shot will be able to get one" without waiting long, if at all, for an appointment, said Nick Davidson, DHEC's deputy public health director.

"We need to get many, many more people vaccinated," he told reporters March 31. "Please, please, please get yourself vaccinated."
Tesla's new Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, its second US auto factory, has put out vacancies for around 10,000 people through 2022. And one doesn't even need a college degree to apply for the positions. Yes, positions are open for people straight out of high school.

Tesla has established relationships with local colleges in Austin including the Austin Community College, the Huston Tillotson University, the University of Texas and the Del Valle Independent School District to recruit students for various job posts. One of the company's recruiting managers Chris Reilly explains in a release that the electric vehicle maker is planning to work on a program with these colleges for "recruiting students who can graduate high school and start a career at Tesla while continuing their education".

(Also read | Tesla truck's production may get further impacted. Elon Musk reveals why)

The company has released a pretty long list of positions open at the Texas Gigafactory including posts in manufacturing, design, architecture, construction and facilities, among others. "We have opportunities for entry-level roles, for individuals that are coming from outside manufacturing... that have that passion, have that drive, and want to make a difference," Reilly added.

Listing down the advantages of the location of the Texas Gigafactory and encouraging people to apply and move to the locality, CEO Elon Musk tweeted, "Over 10,000 people are needed for Giga Texas just through 2022! 5 mins from airport, 15 mins from downtown, Right on Colorado river."

The Texas Gigafactory is going to span 4 to 5 million-square-foot and will become Teslas fourth facility for vehicle assembly. The first phase of the Gigafcatory is expected to be completed by May this year and production will start post that. The company will also build its Cybertruck, Semi and Roadster, all of which are still in development, at its second US factory. The factory will also make the Model Y crossover for East Coast customers.
Fans walk outside Wrigley Field before the Chicago Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates during opening day festivities on April 1, 2021. Last month, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced more than 8,000 fans, 20% of capacity, will be allowed into the stands to watch the Cubs home opener. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  A Southern New Mexico tortilla company is expanding, with the help of $50,000 in state funding.

The New Mexico Economic Development Department announced Thursday that La Primera Tortilla Factory, a 37-year-old family company that specializes in flour and corn tortillas, will receive $50,000 in grant funding through the Local Economic Development Act.

The assistance will help La Primera expand its existing facility, at 102 Palomas Place in Sunland Park, according to a news release from EDD.

La Primera plans to invest $2.7 million in equipment and add 14 employees over the next three years.

The company is the third New Mexico food-processing business to announce expansions using LEDA funding in 2021, after Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm and Bueno Foods received funds earlier this year, according to the release.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



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A demonstration of technology reducing the health risks of air travel during COVID-19 took place in New Jersey Tweet this

IAI will present its "Grenada" disinfection technology based on ultraviolet light to disinfect equipment and surfaces and "Tamar," a physiological monitoring system that rapidly measures a person's respiratory rate, heart rate and body temperature from a safe and unobtrusive distance of 6 feet.

Governor Murphy's office opened the door to attract technology and research opportunities to New Jersey through the New Jersey-Israel Commission and its Executive Director, Andrew Gross. Gross in turn introduced IAI to the Atlantic County Economic Alliance (ACEA) following the Choose New Jersey business delegation to Israel in 2020.

"I am extremely proud to see IAI taking advantage of Atlantic County's outstanding aerospace assets, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Atlantic City International Airport and the National Aviation Research and Technology Park that anchor the New Jersey Aviation Innovation Hub," said Gross.

The ACEA has targeted aviation and aeronautics as one of several industries that can help bring new jobs to the area. The National Research and Technology Park has already attracted 300 new positions.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with IAI to highlight the benefits of locating in the Aviation Innovation Hub with proximity to the FAA labs, research, testing and development," stated ACEA President Lauren H. Moore, Jr.

IAI considered other locations, including Mississippi and Indiana, before choosing New Jersey for its demonstrations.

"We were impressed with the commitment of state officials who operate the airport as well as the enthusiasm and support of the ACEA to help facilitate this effort," said Ted Bowlds, CEO of IAI, North America.

"This is a wonderful example of a successful government and industry collaboration that promotes the type of positive business climate we are eager to foster in Atlantic County," stated Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson. "We welcome IAI to Atlantic County and look forward to showing other companies the benefits of doing business here."

For access to additional information and videos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vn78uii6r8m4sxr/AADzUpiNtIhmhdWvWuh5qCcOa?dl=0

www.aceanj.com

@ACEANJ

609.245.0019

SOURCE Atlantic County Economic Alliance
By Juliet Nalwooga

Police in Arua District have arrested 3 night security guards who were guarding Arua Regional Referral hospital over allegation of theft of the hospital ambulance.

It is alleged that the said ambulance, a motor vehicle, land cruiser number UG 6812M went missing from the hospital parking yard in the night of 27th/03/2021 and a case was reported to police on Monday 29th/03/2021 by a one Avaga Johnstone Norman, 35years, the head of security at Arua Regional Referral hospital.

3 night security guards who were on duty the night the ambulance was stolen were arrested to assist police with investigations and their identity has been withheld not to jeopardize investigations.

Angucia Josephine, the West Nile region police spokesperson says the trio is still detained at Arua Central Police Station as inquiries continue.

The stolen Ambulance is one of the two new ambulances that the Government recently gave Arua Regional Referral hospital to assist in Covid-19 emergencies.
Chennai, April 1 : The Chennai Financial Market and Accountability (CFMA), an investor protection group, said on Thursday that the Madras High Court has proposed a probe by the Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund (FTMF) scam.

The investigation would be in addition to the EOW and SEBI probe into the matter, the CFMA said in a statement.

Notably, the FTMF had abruptly shut six debt schemes in April last year involving over Rs 26,000 crore, leaving three lakh unit-holders in the lurch by using Covid-19 as an excuse for the mismanagement of the schemes and to escape from its criminality.

While hearing a petition raising concern over whether the officers of the Economics Offences Wing (EOW) in Tamil Nadu are sufficiently trained to investigate the FTMF scam, the Madras High Court observed that even though the SFIO is doing some excellent work, it is also subject to the orders of political masters.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy of the Madras High Court orally observed on March 29 that it will monitor the probe into the Franklin Templeton case and check whether SEBI, EOW or ED are inquiring the matter.

In its order, the court said, "The investigation into the role of those in control of the six funds be conducted and, at the same time, the Economic Offences Wing in the state police is beefed up, so to say, with appropriate personnel. For the moment, the Securities Exchange Board of India is added as a party to the present proceedings. The Enforcement Directorate is also added as party to the present proceedings as the market regulator and the said investigating agency may be best equipped to delve into the transactions pertaining to the six mutual funds to unearth anything remiss therein." The Madras High Court observed that the EOW-Tamil Nadu should comprise officers with knowledge in financial matters such as accounting, audits, data analysis and market conditions. The court added both the ED and SEBI as parties to the case and directed the ED and EOW not to do a parallel investigation. It will take up the matter next in four weeks.

The Madras High Court directed the Chief Secretary or the Home Secretary of Tamil Nadu to suggest steps "to introduce a degree of specialisation in the Economics Offences Wing of the state police, particularly in the manner of recruitment or even engagement as consultants or the like".

"(Despite) earlier orders of this court to ensure that the Economic Offences Wing is manned by trained personnel who have experience in or knowledge of accounting, auditing and market conditions, no attempt has been made to either train the personnel or even engage experts as consultants," the court said in its six-page order.

In a petition filed in connection with the six shut debt schemes of FTMF, according to the CFMA, the petitioner raised concerns regarding the state EOW's ability and technical expertise to conduct investigation into the matter.

The petitioner further stated that complaints in this case ought to be investigated by investigative agencies that have the wherewithal and domain knowledge to undertake such tasks. The petitioner said that though an EOW has been created in the state police, no degree of specialisation has been attempted.

The CFMA pointed out that the petitioner is seeking to unearth the flight of capital of Rs 2,000 crore through related party transactions three months before the winding up of the six schemes and a 5,000 per cent increase in related party redemptions hinting at a "classic case of insider trading".
This investment marks SOFs first investment in the Indian healthcare sector and will support Manipal Hospitals journey of growth to become one of Indias largest hospital chains

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) has announced an investment of Rs 2,100 crore in Manipal Hospitals through its NIIF Strategic Opportunities Fund (SOF), the direct private equity fund of NIIF.

This investment marks SOFs first investment in the Indian healthcare sector and will support Manipal Hospitals journey of growth to become one of Indias largest hospital chains. The transaction has been signed by both parties and the closing of the transaction is subject to receipt of certain approvals.

Manipal Hospitals, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, has a major presence across India with 15 hospitals and a key focus on tertiary and quaternary care.

The recent announcement of their acquisition of Columbia Asia Hospitals, a leading chain of hospitals, will augment their growth aspirations to become a healthcare provider of choice with high-quality multi-specialty offerings and a country-wide presence.

Sujoy Bose, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, NIIF, said, Through this investment, NIIF looks forward to playing a role in serving the healthcare needs of India. The strong governance, processes and track record of Manipal Hospitals resonate well with NIIFs investment philosophy. It is exciting to partner with a highly capable management team that has created one of the most efficient healthcare delivery platforms in the country.

Dr Ranjan Pai, Chairman, Manipal Education and Medical Group, said, We are very pleased to join hands with NIIF as Manipal Hospitals continues on its path to reach many more geographies and under-served communities to provide both access and superlative clinical outcomes. Investing in the healthcare sector requires a long-term outlook as well as a sensitivity to social responsibilities, and I am glad that in NIIF we have a partner who shares these perspectives.
Press Release

April 1, 2021 De Lima says women are backbone of recovery for communities Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has commended women around the world for their resiliency and ability to stand as the backbone of recovery for every community amid the current COVID-19 pandemic that put people's life on a grinding halt. While the pandemic has disproportionally affected women around the world, De Lima said that women continue to serve as a sterling example who inspire the public to innovate their way through challenging times. "Ang pagbulusok ng ating ekonomiya dala ng pandemya ay higit na nagpapahirap sa ating mga kababaihan na makamit ang mga batayang pangangailangan katulad ng sapat na pagkain, disenteng trabaho, at nakabubuhay na sahod. Sa gitna ng pandemya, lalo tayong nagiging bulnerable sa mga pang-aabuso sa ating mga tahanan at pagawaan," she said. "But even amidst it all, the resilience of women always shined through. We rose to the occasion. Even as we bear the brunt of the pandemic, women are also the backbone of recovery for our communities," she added. De Lima's message was delivered during the recent online event dubbed as "Women Shining Through the Storm Blossoming Amidst Adversity" organized by the Commission on Human Rights. Citing effects of past outbreaks, De Lima said that the social and economic impacts of pandemics fall harder on women who bear the brunt of the added responsibility of remaining the light of the home even amidst family members falling susceptible to illnesses, and loss of income and livelihood, among others. "News reports contained realities that humanity was forced, without warning nor an ample period to adapt, to endure and survive. What the narrative has inadequately reflected, as it most often fails to do, is how the pandemic has disproportionally affected women around the world," she said. "They continue to keep the home intact even when their own sanity is challenged by school closures, livelihood and employment changes and the added protocols that life in the new normal entailed," she added. De Lima likewise expressed her appreciation for the "new normal heroes" women who sacrifice to allow people around them to continue to live their lives even with just as semblance of normalcy. "We salute your bravery, and express our deepest gratitude for all your sacrifices. Women healthcare workers who continuously showed up garbed in sweat-soaked PPEs manning tents and facilities even when the risks to themselves continued to mount, women frontline service providers who continued to clock in so that life could somehow keep going for all of us," she said. "Mga kababaihan mula sa mga maralitang komunidad na nangunguna sa mga relief operations at information drive sa kabila ng mga sarili nilang pasanin sa buhay. Pambihirang sakripisyo at pagka-bayani ang ipinamalas ninyo sa kabila ng inyo ring sariling mga pangamba. Kulang ang pagsaludo at pasasalamat namin sa inyo sa lahat ng ginagawa ninyo para sabayan," she added. The lady Senator from Bicol said the sacrifices women have endured to support the people around them will never go unappreciated. "Taliwas sa pahayag ng iba na "maliit na bagay" lamang ang ating pinagdaraanan, kailanma'y hindi namin mamaliitin ang lahat ng serbisyong patuloy ninyong inaalay. The things you have already done and still continue to do for the nation is a sterling example that inspire us," she said. As a staunch human rights and women's rights champion, De Lima has filed several bills seeking to improve the plight of women, such as Senate Bill (SB) No. 378 protecting women in state custody, SB No. 622 increasing the age of consent to 18 to protect minors against rape and other forms of sexual exploitation, and SB No. 1926 to protect women and their newborns in detention and prison facilities, among others, this 18th Congress.
While the report calls for more research into the rehabilitation of perpetrators, Mr Wallace suggests a public register because of the stories told to the committee about women who would have acted differently had they known more about their partners. Loading I think we need to be looking at some sort of public accessible database of domestic violence offenders, Mr Wallace said. Now, I know that some people will be uncomfortable about that. But if we keep doing what weve always been doing, and we dont start looking at some more ideas, then Im concerned were just going to keep repeating history. While Mr Wallace said the committee acknowledged the overwhelming problem of violence against women by men, the report says policies had to change to reflect violence against men, older Australians, LGBTQI people and people living with a disability.

It suggests the next national agreement be called the national plan to reduce family, domestic and sexual violence. The deputy chair of the committee, Labor MP Sharon Claydon, backed the 88 bipartisan recommendations but rebuked the government for failing to do enough on previous reports that made similar findings. Labor MP Sharon Claydon said theres a sense of urgency to implement the recommendations. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Theres a sense of urgency right now to start getting on with some of those recommendations immediately  and not enabling the government kick the can down the road and wait another 12 months, Ms Claydon said. The Morrison government pledged $328 million to a fourth national plan on family violence in March 2019 but this funding runs out at the end of this year, leading to negotiations with the states on a new funding agreement.

Social Services Minister Anne Ruston, whose title was broadened to include womens safety in Mondays reshuffle, will meet her state counterparts on Wednesday to discuss a draft agreement and a summit of experts to be held within months. While previous plans did not set targets for reducing violence, the bipartisan report says the coming agreement must be specific about measurable change. It cites figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare that one in six women and one in 16 men had experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a current or previous cohabiting partner. The committee calls for standard definitions across federal and state governments to help measure family violence, while nominating benchmarks such as a reduction in the number of deaths from and incidents of family, domestic and sexual violence. It also asks for future policies to include benchmarks on the availability of support services for victims and survivors and programs that change the behaviour of perpetrators.

The 471-page report offers a rare consensus from across the Parliament with members including Liberals Bridget Archer, Fiona Martin, Rowan Ramsey and Julian Simmonds, Nationals member Anne Webster and Labor members Peta Murphy, Kate Thwaites and Tim Watts. Loading The committee also included Liberal MP Andrew Laming, who is the subject of a complaint to the police over a photograph he took of a woman bending over, but Mr Wallace said Mr Laming did not have a significant part in the report and rarely attended meetings. The Australian Human Rights Commission drew on analysis from consulting company KPMG to tell the committee the cost of violence against women and children in Australia was about $22 billion in 2015, given the impact on workers and their employers. The committee does call for more funding for certainly community-based services, Mr Wallace said.
AUSTIN, Texas, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rimini Street today took its deceptive business practices described in Oracle's litigation against Rimini Street to new heights, proclaiming that its unequivocal loss in US District Court was actually somehow a victory. Its recent statement is nothing more than a convoluted attempt at public relations damage control.

For the record, the District Court District of Nevada ruled decisively  in its own words  that "by clear and convincing evidence, that Rimini Street is violating the permanent injunction" issued on August 14, 2018. More humiliating yet, the court also ordered Rimini Street to explain why it should not be held in contempt for plainly violating the injunction in connection with its PeopleSoft support offerings.

Yet by Rimini Street's reasoning, losing is winning, up is down, and ignorance is strength. Its statement is indeed another attempt at bamboozling its customers into believing its services are a viable, ethical business model.

Trying to paint this resounding defeat as victory is the same approach to business and transparency that got them in legal trouble in the first place.

About Oracle

Oracle offers suites of integrated applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

SOURCE Oracle

Related Links

www.oracle.com


Sharon Stone has revealed that she got an abortion after falling pregnant by 'her first serious boyfriend' at the age of 18.

The actress, 63, recalls the incident in the pages of her recently released memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, blaming her 'extreme country background' and 'sexual inexperience' for her teen pregnancy.

Stone was driven by her then-boyfriend to Ohio because she was 'too young' to get an abortion in her home state of Pennsylvania, as per an excerpt published by The Sun on Wednesday.

Opening up: Sharon Stone has revealed that she got an abortion after falling pregnant by 'her first serious boyfriend' at the age of 18; Stone pictured in 2017

After the procedure, Sharon 'stayed in [her] room and bled for days' because she was 'too afraid to tell anyone.'

'When she finally came out, she burned her bloody sheets and clothes before going straight back to school,' the outlet summarized of the traumatic incident.

The Basic Instinct star's candid memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, which hit shelves on Tuesday, is riddled with bombshells about the star's colorful life.

Sharon, before making the big move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in show business, grew up in 'near poverty in Pennsylvania's Amish country' and was subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of her late father, whom she has since forgiven.

'I was dragged through the kitchen to the basement to get the crap strapped out of me with a belt,' she writes in her memoir. 'I wised up to that pretty quick and started bathing and putting on my nightgown and pink fuzzy robe very early, as I could put a big, soft paperback book in my underpants and not get found out.'

Memoir: The actress, 63, recalls the incident in the pages of her recently released memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, blaming her 'extreme country background' and 'sexual inexperience' for her teen pregnancy; Sharon pictured in 1980

The Beauty Of Living Twice: The Basic Instinct star's candid memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, which hit shelves on Tuesday, is riddled with bombshells about the star's colorful life

At the age of eight, Sharon also witnessed her 'maternal grandfather sexually abuse her five-year-old sister Kelly, while their grandmother stood.'

Stone, who worked at McDonalds and as a waitress as a teenager, always had her sights set on Hollywood, while her parents saw acting as a 'frivolous profession.'

It was not until her older brother Mike's dealings with drugs landed him in jail that her parents felt it would be beneficial to get Sharon out of Pennsylvania.

'With the incredible violence with which Mike was arrested and his business partners and their spouses were arrested, beaten, killed, and so forth, my parents began to believe that they should get me out of town.

'I of course agreed, for those reasons and my own,' she wrote.

Upbringing: Sharon, before making the big move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in show business, grew up in 'near poverty in Pennsylvania's Amish country'; Sharon pictured in 1985

Stone recalled her mother taking her to NYC to meet Ford Models' Eileen Ford, after looking her up in the Yellow Pages.

'For two hicks it was rather amazing that we even found the place and saw Eileen. She told me she would like to throw me down the flight of stairs I had just come up and bounce the fat off of my a**. But that she would take me,' writes the actress.

From there, Sharon landed a role in Wood Allen's 1980 film Stardust Memories, which ended up being the catalyst that would convince her to move to Los Angeles and to narrow in on an acting career.

In her memoir, Stone details appearing in a 'bunch of crap movies and so-so television', as well as landing a role in the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led Total Recall in 1990, that led up to her star-making role in Basic Instinct, which hit theaters in 1992.

Winner: She would go onto earn a Golden Globe, after starring in Martin Scorsese's Casino with fellow Hollywood veteran Robert de Niro; Sharon pictured in Casino

Sharon famously starred opposite Michael Douglas in the sexually-charged thriller, whom she admitted 'did not want her to even screen test' for the film.

'Hey, I was a nobody compared to him, and this was such a risky movie,' she wrote of Douglas' early dismissal. Sharon would go on to land the role after '12 other actresses' turned it down.

She would go onto earn a Golden Globe, after starring in Martin Scorsese's Casino with fellow Hollywood veteran Robert de Niro.

Diving into her health struggles over the past several decades, Sharon recalled unexpectedly tearing one her arteries in 2001, which caused a 'stroke with bleeding in her brain and spine.'

Health: Diving into her health struggles over the past several decades, Sharon recalled unexpectedly tearing one her arteries in 2001, which caused a 'stroke with bleeding in her brain and spine'; Sharon pictured in 2007

Custody battle: She also delves into her marriages to producer Michael Greenburg, 69, and journalist Phil Bronstein, 70, whom she lost custody of their adopted three-year-old son Roan to when they divorced in 2004; Sharon pictured in 2015

Stone, who had 'a one per cent chance of survival and underwent a mammoth nine-hour brain operation,' had to endure a lengthy recovery period.

The traumatic injury affected her hearing, short term memory, as well as her ability to get around, speak without stuttering, and her vision.

'I sometimes wonder if I had my own stroke because I let myself get too far off of my natural path, too far away from my true journey in life. I wonder if the body cries out when we are not following our natural truth,' she wrote.

She also delves into her marriages to producer Michael Greenburg, 69, and journalist Phil Bronstein, 70, whom she lost custody of their adopted three-year-old son Roan to when they divorced in 2004.

#MeToo: In her memoir, Sharon also devoted an entire chapter about the #MeToo movement in Hollywood and her own experiences with sexism, which she spoke about briefly in an interview with L'Officiel

'I couldn't function,' wrote Sharon of losing primary custody of her son, which she believes caused her to have a prolapsed valve that led her developing anorexia.

After a 'very long, very difficult game of custody chess' - 13 years to be exact - a now 20-year-old Roan lives with his mother, as well as his adopted siblings Laird, 15, and Quinn, 14.

In her memoir, Sharon also devoted an entire chapter about the #MeToo movement in Hollywood and her own experiences with sexism, which she spoke about briefly in an interview with L'Officiel.

'Sex has long been expected in my craft,' the mother-of-three told the outlet on Wednesday, which was translated from Italian.

'I certainly didn't sleep [with anyone] to get into the business. But that didn't stop me from being sexually-abused all my life by people I knew and who I did not know.'

The 63-year-old mother-of-three told L'Officiel on Wednesday: 'Sex has long been expected in my craft. I certainly didn't sleep [with anyone] to get into the business. But that didn't stop me from being sexually-abused all my life by people I knew and who I did not know'

One such unnamed filmmaker reportedly expected Sharon to sit on his lap while taking direction.

'For me, it's called show business, not show take advantage of everyone. I don't get taken advantage of either. Yes, I have been asked or told to do things that are wildly inappropriate, but I use my big-girl voice and say no,' wrote the star in her memoir.

Stone's tell-all tome detailed how her late maternal grandfather Clarence not only abused his wife, but he sexually-abused herself and her sister Kelly as children.

The abuse trickled down to the Pennsylvania-born blonde's strained relationship with her 87-year-old mother Dorothy 'Dot' Marie, who now shares her West Hollywood home.

'I read [Dot] the first draft, I recorded her thoughts in the book, and I dedicated it to her,' Sharon noted.

Tell-all: One such unnamed filmmaker reportedly expected Sharon to sit on his lap while taking direction

'I dedicated it to her': The abuse trickled down to the Pennsylvania-born blonde's strained relationship with her 87-year-old mother Dorothy 'Dot' Marie (pictured March 9), who now shares her West Hollywood home

Stone - whose IQ is reportedly 154 - likened her literary debut to a 'unique and lonely journey' that's 'hard for everyone else to grasp.'

The Never Before songwriter said: 'When you reveal yourself to the rest of the world, you feel like a vampire who has been stuck in a box for 200 years, coming out saying 'Sunshine!''

Sharon - who serves as amfAR's global campaign chair - compared how the US government has dealt with the coronavirus versus the AIDS epidemic.

'It was like seeing the AIDS crisis at high speed. There was the same disinterest, denial, and lies. AIDS wasn't just a gay disease. It became the number one killer of women in their reproductive years,' Stone said.

'If COVID wasn't a warning to people to get their heads right, the planet itself will straighten it out. Nature itself is a great teacher.'

The Ratched actress will next bring her four-date virtual book tour to New York's Barnes & Noble where she'll chat with Jess Cagle on Wednesday night at 7pm EST.

'You feel like a vampire who has been stuck in a box for 200 years, coming out saying 'Sunshine!'' Stone - whose IQ is reportedly 154 - likened her literary debut to a 'unique and lonely journey' that's 'hard for everyone else to grasp' (pic posted Tuesday)
Swaziland (eSwatini) might get 900 additional teachers to help schools as they reopen after the coronavirus lockdown.

Minster of Education and Training Lady Howard Mabuza said she expected the Swazi Government to approve the hiring of teachers immediately.

In an interview with the Times of eSwatini she said the teachers would replace those who had retired, died or left the profession. She added they were also renewing contracts for teachers who were employed on a temporary basis.

She could not say how many of the 900 teachers would be permanent.

Schools began to reopen on Monday (29 March 2021) and the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) argued that for safety reasons the number of pupils per class should be limited to a maximum of 20.

The Times reported, 'The hiring of the teachers comes at a time when many schools were failing to function due to the lack of educators. In some schools, pupils were left unattended as teachers had to run around trying to settle in other learners. The lack of teachers in schools was one element which had resulted in a huge disorder on the first day of reopening of schools on Monday.'

SNAT Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini said the need was not only for the renewal of contracts for teachers employed on a temporary basis, but also for new teachers who would be appointed for the first time.

Dlamini estimated 5,000 additional teachers were needed. He said there were about 335,000 learners at school in Swaziland.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 14:09:03|Editor: huaxia

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SUVA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Fijians have been urged to register for COVID-19 vaccines as the second phase of the AstraZeneca vaccination will roll out from next Tuesday.

According to a statement by Fiji's Health Ministry on Thursday, about 50,000 people in Fiji will be eligible to receive the two-dose vaccine after the Pacific island national received on Monday the second batch of 100,000 doses AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

So far only 25,000 people have been registered for vaccination.

The Health Ministry said that this group includes the rest of the frontline staff at the borders, all healthcare workers including those in private healthcare, police and military officers, tourism and hotel workers, and civil servants.

Also eligible to receive the vaccine will be those over the age of 60, and people with medical conditions that increase the risk of severe disease if they get infected with COVID-19.

People will fall into this category if they are currently attending a Special Outpatients Department (SOPD) clinic with the Health Ministry, or similar with a private healthcare provider. This includes people with diabetes, asthma, and heart conditions.

The ministry urged all Fijians over the age of 18, and especially people eligible for this second phase, to register for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Fiji, an island nation with a population of around 900,000, is targeting to get 1.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

On March 6, Fiji received its first batch of 12,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility. Currently, a total of 6,278 individuals in the island nation have received the first jab of the Astrazeneca vaccine.

Fiji will receive another shipment of 90,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks.

Since its first case of COVID-19 was reported on March 19 last year, Fiji now has 67 cases, with one active case, 64 recoveries and two deaths.

A total of 37,804 COVID-19 laboratory tests have been conducted in Fiji while a total of 1,002 people who arrived recently from overseas have been undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine in the island nation.

Fiji still maintains a strict travel restriction to date for foreign visitors alongside a nationwide curfew effective from March 30 last year. Enditem
SALT LAKE CITY, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Curza Global, LLC (Curza) announced today that The Institute for Therapeutic Innovation (ITI) at the University of Florida has been awarded a $75M contract from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in partnership with Curza. This program is aimed at the development of Curza's CZ-02 platform of antibiotics for the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections. The CZ-02 platform represents a novel class of antibacterial agents with a unique mode of action.

Antibiotic-resistant superbugs represent a global health crisis. "The COVID-19 virus pandemic has also heightened awareness of the deficiencies in our current arsenal of antibacterial drugs", commented John W. Kozarich, CEO of Curza. "We are pleased to expand our collaboration with ITI to advance our platform, not only for treatments of community and hospital-associated pathogens, but also to now include those with significant biothreat potential. If successful, these unique molecules will represent the first new class of antibiotics discovered in the last 60 years with activity against these pathogens."

The contract provides Curza with funding to advance novel CZ-02s into clinical development. Chad Testa, Ph.D., Vice President of Research at Curza will serve as Principal Investigator (PI) for Curza. Henry Heine, Ph.D. of ITI will be the PI for the full contract.

For more information, please contact:

John Kozarich, CEO

Curza Global, LLC

(801) 935-4860

[email protected]

www.Curza.com

SOURCE Curza Global, LLC
Mary Astor is best remembered for her role as the treacherous Brigid OShaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon, the classic detective movie brimming with intrigue and twists and turns.

But the late actress own life was far more fascinating than most Hollywood scripts.

Astors film career began as a teenager in the silent era of the 1920s, but a scandal nearly derailed it in 1936. She was able to regain footing and take on a number of memorable parts, winning an Academy Award five years later for The Great Lie.

The first full biography of her life, The Great Lie: The Creation of Mary Astor by Kathleen Spaltro, was recently published.

Spaltro has written biographical articles about such notables as Preston Sturges, Orson Welles and Frank Capra, as well as more than 40 biographical profiles in Royals of England: A Guide for Readers, Travelers, and Genealogists.

She recently discussed her research into Astors life with The Republican.

What sparked your interest in Astor?

As a film buff, I of course felt impressed by her in The Maltese Falcon. I wondered why I did not see her act in more leading roles in 40s and 50s films. I was surprised to learn she was one of the biggest female stars of the silent era.

I had heard sad accounts of her 1936 sex scandal, alcoholism, and suicide attempts. I learned more from her two memoirs, My Story and A Life on Film, of financial exploitation and emotional abuse. This created a picture of self-destructiveness. After I gradually realized that this was only part of the story  and not the most interesting part, I decided to write about her.

You discovered some of Astors personal papers in her hometown library in Quincy, Illinois. What materials did you find there and elsewhere?

The Quincy Public Librarys Marian Kesler Collection contains Astors letters to her lifelong friend, as well as the digitization of the three daily newspapers published in Quincy while Astor and her parents lived there. The daily papers of the time focused on minute details of social life, and her family members often appeared in news articles.

In addition, the Boston University Library Mary Astor archive, to which she donated her papers, and also the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and other resources were invaluable.

Mary Astor and Humphrey Bogart in a scene from "The Maltese Falcon." (Warner Bros. Pictures)

What would say were Astors greatest film roles?

Astor was an unwilling movie star and was very critical about her output. If anything, she undervalued her achievement as a film actress. She preferred acting in radio shows, live theater and live TV. From chronic boredom, she graduated to a sense of professionalism as her self-concept changed from movie star to film actress. She also chose to relinquish being a leading lady to become a character actress/featured player.

Her best performances were: Dodsworth, The Maltese Falcon, The Great Lie, The Palm Beach Story, Desert Fury, Act of Violence, Meet Me in St. Louis and Hush, Hush ... Sweet Charlotte.

Astor won an Oscar for her portrayal of concert pianist Sandra Kovak in The Great Lie. But your books title is more than just a play on an old movie title. What was the great lie about Astor?

Many lies have been told about Mary Astor. She never abandoned her parents to poverty. Her face was their fortune rather than her own. Nor did she rate on a private scorecard the sexual prowess of Hollywood leading men.

But two more dangerous and persistent lies have distorted the understanding of her life. One lie defines Astor as the survivor of sex scandals and suicide attempts who ended up living on charity in a retirement home for film folk. There is much more to her story than that miserable scenario. In fact, with grit and determination, she rebounded from middle-aged decline to invest her energies in a new career as an excellent memoirist and novelist.

The other most important lie  indeed, the great lie  robbed her of her core identity as Lucile Langhanke and imposed on her a movie stardom that she never wanted. This book tells how Mary Astor recovered who she really was and really wanted to be.

Her upbringing, as well as her becoming, at others insistence, a commodity, created what she bitterly called the product called Mary Astor. The betrayal of her true self is at the core of both her personal troubles and her ambivalent relationship with stardom. The imposition upon her of her identity and her acting vocation was her tragedy. The identity Mary Astor trapped her in a gilded cage of unhappiness and self-loathing. Some of her self-destructiveness came out of having to disavow who she really was to placate others. Eventually, she rescued herself from this predicament.

A highly intelligent, creative, and gifted person, Astor overcame longstanding abuse and exploitation and turned away from self-destruction. Grasping a new self-concept in later life, she then pursued a career that reflected her true self.

What can you say about Astor as a writer and how it relates to her life and career?

From 1959 to 1971, she published five novels and two memoirs. She had always wanted to be a writer and was a writer forced into acting rather than an actress who developed a later-life writing hobby. By forsaking acting for writing, she found and expressed herself; she had the courage both to reinvent herself and to risk failure.

A writer by both nature and fate who had worked as an actress, rather than an actress whose late-life hobby was writing, Astor left her papers to an university archive but preserved in that archive nothing of her film career that did not relate to her primary interest, writing memoirs and novels.

What would you like readers to come away with after finishing The Great Lie?

I would like them to understand how dehumanizing stardom often has been and to respect this woman who fought to reclaim her true identity and control of her life after many years as a star.

(The Great Lie: The Creation of Mary Astor is available on Kindle, paperback and hardcover from Amazon.)
Tirukovilur, Apr 1 (UNI) Tearing into DMK MP A Raja's vulgar

remarks against Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his

deceased mother, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday

appealed to the mothers and sisters of Tamil Nadu to teach

the anti-women DMK a lesson in the April six Assembly polls.

Addressing an election rally here he said, 'I saw the statement

by DMK leader A Raja. The kind of statement he had made against

a deceased woman, it showed they (the DMK) have no regard for

women'.

Lambasting the DMK and its ally the Congress for corruption and

dynastic politics, Mr Amit Shah said they wanted to win the elections

by 'hook or crook'.

'The "mothers and sisters" of the State should teach a 'lesson' to the

DMK in the elections', he added.

'In the past, the DMK had made such bad remarks against late Chief

Minister J Jayalalithaa ji. I appeal to the mothers and sisters of Tamil

Nadu to teach a lesson to the anti-women DMK in the polls," he added.

Accusing the DMK and Congress of not bothered about the people

of the State, Mr Amit Shah said this election was a battle between

the NDA, which was moving on the path of development and the

UPA which was into corruption and dynasty politics.

He said while Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi was "worried"

about her son Rahul, DMK President MK Stalin was "worried" about

his son Udhayanidhi.

Exuding confidence of a big win for the AIADMK-BJP front,

Mr Shah said the unprecedented support for NDA can clearly

be seen all over in Tamil Nadu.

UNI GV 1607
I thought I would be so happy. And I just feel such grief because of the year of time I have lost and I will never get back.

KATHY JAMES, who was finally allowed to visit her mother face to face inside a nursing home near Chicago after a year apart. Ms. James was startled at how frail her mother looked.
LG Electronics' Yeouido headquarter building displays "G6" in lit-up windows to celebrate the release of the company's G6 smartphone in this March 31, 2017 photo. Courtesy of LG Electronics



By Baek Byung-yeul



LG Electronics appears to have decided to pull out of its money-losing smartphone business and entered into a transition process to relocate its mobile communications employees to other business units.



After suffering operating losses since 2015, LG attempted recently to sell its mobile communications unit, which oversees the smartphone business. The company has reportedly been in negotiations with various interested buyers, including Vietnam's Vingroup, but failed to reach an agreement with any of them.



LG Electronics has considered selling parts of its operations or pulling out of the smartphone business altogether. But it decided recently to pull out of the smartphone business altogether.



"LG has considered various options such as a sale, split sales or pulling out of the smartphone business, but decided recently to pull out of the business," according to industry sources, Thursday, adding that the company will make an official announcement at its board meeting on April 5.



When asked to address such prospects, an LG Electronics official said, "There's nothing to comment on."



"All we can say is that every possibility is open. Although we cannot confirm that right now, we will announce the specific direction of our mobile communications business," the official said.



The possibility of LG pulling out of the smartphone business surfaced in January when LG Electronics CEO Kwon Bong-seok acknowledged that the company was reviewing the direction of its mobile communications business with all possibilities open.



Industry watchers expected an official comment from the company at its shareholders' meeting on March 24, but its Chief Financial Officer Bae Doo-yong only reiterated the company's aforementioned position that "all possibilities remain open."



While the company has struggled with the smartphone business, LG's stock value has been reevaluated with soaring demand for its cutting-edge home appliances and TVs, as consumers have spent an increasing amount of time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



Furthermore, LG has been expanding its presence gradually in emerging sectors such as electric vehicles (EVs) and vehicle components. Last December, the company announced the establishment of a joint venture with automotive parts maker Magna International to manufacture electric motors, inverters and onboard chargers used in EVs.



Magna had been involved in Apple's EV-manufacturing business under Project Titan. The announcement drove LG Electronics shares to their 30 percent daily limit on the day the news broke as investors hoped the joint venture could potentially join Apple's EV business. The iPhone maker announced recently that it plans to roll out its first EVs in 2024 or later.



Although LG has not made any comments regarding the joint venture's participation in the manufacture of Apple's EVs, Magna International CEO Swamy Kotagiri said at a recent automotive association event that the company is ready to produce vehicles for Apple or any other carmaker. The CEO added that Magna is willing to expand its manufacturing plant if necessary to manufacture Apple-designed cars.


TANZANIA is on course to double its handling capacity of petroleum products and begin supplying of the product to Zanzibar and neighbouring countries when expansion work at Tanga port is completed. Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) which is handling the port is undertaking a number of projects in the country's ports, as part of its efforts to improve service delivery and increase government revenues.

TPA Director General, Deusdedith Kakoko (suspended) told former Vice-President Samia Suluhu Hassan, in Tanga recently that Tanzania is supplying six million tonnes of fuel and that the ongoing strategies will double the capacity as a result of winning the market in Zambia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ms Hassan is now the President of the United Republic of Tanzania after the death of former president, John Magufuli. Eng Kakoko said Tanga Port was also scheduled to be supplying fuel to Zanzibar, against the current arrangement where the Isles get petroleum products from the Dar es Salaam Port.

"Zanzibar is so close to Tanga, therefore the new arrangement will save cost and time of delivering the consignment to the isles," said the TPA boss.

He said Tanzania was currently supplying petroleum products to DR Congo through a railway line to Kigoma that guarantees the consignment of the petroleum product would arrive in the destination within two days ready to be shipped to Kalemie Port.

"But by using vehicles, the consignment has to pass through Burundi before entering Congo, as a result of the delay," he explained to the former vice-president while at the GBP Oil Jet at the Port of Tanga.

For his part, the Minister for Works and Transport Eng Leonard Chamuriho said improvement of the Tanga Port has reduced the cost of operation and attracted investors. According to the minister, the depth at the Port of Tanga has been deepened to 15 metres from 3.5-4 metres.

As a result of enabling large ships to dock in the facility as a result of improving proactivity and service delivery from the harbour to the northern zone port.

"With the expansion, now the Tanga Port can receive ships of between 35,000 to 65,000 tonnes. Recently the port received a ship that has 55,000 tonnes, this is a milestone achievement that we should be proud of," he said.

"Right now, we are in a process of procuring more equipment that would make the Tanga Port a country's main harbour in the northern zone that is capable of serving all northern regions and neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)," Eng Chamuriho added.

According to Minister Chamuriho, the government has invested in flow metres, which are used to measure the volume of fuel to be dispatched to clients, which have helped timely delivery of fuel, as well as addressing scarcity of fuel as it was the case in the past.

The Tanga port, which strategically located to serve the northern Regions of Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Manyara, the lake zone and neighbouring countries of Rwanda, Burundi and northern part of Uganda, now offers lucrative opportunities for suppliers of petroleum products to neighbouring countries due to its strategic location, he said.

Optimal use of the port would also ease congestion in the Dar es Salaam based facility, he added. Briefing the former vice-president, the GBP Managing Director Mr Badar Seif Sood said the facility is capable of preserving the petroleum product for the Northern zone and other parts of the country. He also appreciated the government's improvement of the investment climate.

"We thank the government for installing flow metres here, apart from ensuring timely delivery service, they will protect us from incurring loss as well as enable the government to get its actual revenue from our business," he said.

Speaking on the role played by GBP at the Tanga Port, Mama Samia said the private sector is playing a crucial role in the country's development, assuring the government's continued support for better service delivery.

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She said both the government and private sector depended on each other, and called for continued hard working from all government officials and investors in the sector. She asked TPA employees to work hard for the growth of the business they are working for, to enable investors to be able to pay government tax that would be used to implement a number of development projects.

"You are doing a good job and the government will continue providing all the needed support. Moreover you have to work hard for the interest of the economic growth of our country and individual level," said Mama Samia.

Tanga Regional Commissioner, Martine Shigella said the decision to make the Port of Tanga a main hub for consignment to the Northern zone should be maintained to attract more business.
Union Home Minister on Thursday appealed to the people of West Bengal and Assam to vote in large numbers in the second phase of polling for the Assembly

In separate tweets, Shah said people's participation in the election process will ensure peace and prosperity in the two states.

"As the voting for the 2nd phase begins in West Bengal, I appeal to everyone to vote in large numbers. Your one vote can bring decisive change. So, come out and vote for a safer and prosperous Bengal," he said.

In another tweet, Shah said, "Today is the second phase of polling in Assam and I appeal to everyone to cast their vote without fail. A special appeal to our young voters to exercise their franchise for a peaceful and self-reliant Assam".

More than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 191 candidates in 30 constituencies in West Bengal.

Among the candidates include West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her lieutenant-turned-rival and BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari, who are contesting from Nandigram.

The TMC and the BJP are contesting in all 30 seats, while the CPI(M) is in the fray in 15 constituencies and its alliance partners Congress and ISF are fighting in 13 and two seats, respectively.

The for the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal are being held in eight phases. The votes will be counted on May 2.

In Assam, the fate of 345 candidates, including 26 women, will be decided by over 73.44 lakh voters in 39 constituencies in this phase.

Among those contesting the in this phase are five ministers and the deputy speaker of the outgoing House. The ruling BJP is contesting 34 seats, while its allies AGP is fighting in six constituencies and the UPPL in three.

The BJP is engaged in friendly fights with the AGP and UPPL in two seats each.

In the 'Mahajot' (Grand Alliance), the Congress is contesting in 28, the AIUDF in seven and the BPF in four. The newly-floated Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) is contesting in 19 seats.

The three-phase elections to the 126-member Assam assembly began on March 27 for 47 constituencies.

The third and final phase of the elections to the 40 seats will be held on April 6. The votes will be counted 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.)
The Queen has been given the go-ahead to install a lift at a property she and Prince Philip stay at on their Balmoral estate.

The monarch had sought permission for the elevator at Craig Gowan House on the 50,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire.

The C-listed property, which has three separate staircases, is said to be used by the Royal Family on shorter visits to their Scottish retreat to avoid opening up Balmoral Castle.

The Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh also stay there for the first few days of their 12-week summer holiday at Balmoral while the castle is still open to the public.

Plans submitted to Aberdeenshire Council show 99-year-old Prince Philip has a study at the two-storey property.

The Queen has been given the go-ahead to install a lift at Craig Gowan House on the Balmoral estate. The monarch and Prince Philip use the house while on shorter stays in Scotland to avoid opening up the main castle

The 'through floor lift' will take users from the ground floor pantry to a first floor bathroom at the seven bedroom house.

Council planning officers have granted permission for the lift after no objections were received.

In a written report, they said: 'In this instance, listed building consent is sought for the installation of a "Lifton" lift within the rear wing of the property in order to solve the problem for disabled users in terms of gaining access up the existing staircase from ground floor to first floor, and vice versa.

'There will invariably be impact on the fabric of the building. However, there is a strong justification for the need for the facility, the location is discreet, and the application demonstrates that the openings will be neatly detailed to reinstate finishes as far as possible.

'While a contemporary inclusion, the design of the lift structure is functional, and its chosen location minimises the intrusion onto the historic fabric, and could be fully reversible should the lift ever become redundant.'

The house is believed to have been built in 1870 by Scottish architect William Smith, and was heavily modified later on in the 19th century. It is around a one mile walk away from Balmoral Castle (pictured)

The planning application, submitted by Balmoral Estate, stated the installation of the lift will require the 'removal of sanitary ware and non load bearing walls'.

It did not say who the intended users of the lift are but said they do not require wheelchairs.

The report granting approval said the council felt it was not 'considered necessary' to meet the applicant 'to verify their physical condition' or to have a letter provided by their doctor.

A listing for Craig Gowan House on Historic Environment Scotland's website reads: 'Often used on shorter visits by the Royal Family to avoid opening up the castle. Craig Gowan is used as the residence of the Queen's private secretary when on duty during the summer months.'

The house is believed to have been built in 1870 by Scottish architect William Smith, and was heavily modified later on in the 19th century. It is around a one mile walk away from Balmoral Castle.
Abuja, Abakaliki  The Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. David Umahi, has declared a dusk-to- dawn curfew in Effium community as part of the measures to restore peace in the area.

The declaration was contained in a press statement that was issued by the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Kelechi Igwe, in Abakaliki.

The governor gave the order shortly after his visit to the community and announced that military and police have been fully deployed to man all exit and entry points, including forest and bushes.

The statement reads in part: "The Governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency, Mr. David Nweze Umahi, has ordered dusk to dawn curfew in Effium with immediate effect as part of efforts to restore peace to the area.

"Therefore, miscreants and hoodlums including machineries who are hiding in the forest and bushes are advised to vacate the community immediately in their own interest as security agents have been directed to route them out.

"Also, those who are in the habit of raising false alarm to distract and divert attention of security agents are by this announcement advised to desist from doing that as such person(s) will be tracked, arrested and prosecuted as one of those promoting the crisis."

He assured the people of Effium community, both home and in diaspora, that normalcy would soon be restored to the area.

Meanwhile, the indigenes of Ezza Effium communities in Effium Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have petitioned the federal government over the raging unrest in the community.

The petition, which was filed through their Solicitor, Mr. Sampson Ekigbo and signed by Hon. Chinedu Awo, urged the government to take decisive actions to restore peace and normalcy in the troubled area.

The petition that was dated March 31, 2021, was addressed to the Inspector -General of Police (IG), the Chief of Defence Staff, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Amnesty International, the Chief of Army Staff, the Director of Department of State Services (DSS), and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).

In the petition, the community urged President Muhammad Buhari to deploy professional security agents to forestall further genocide against members of the community.

According sources, the crisis was caused by a leadership tussle between warring parties at branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

The petition reads in part: "The crisis has remained unabated due to the various salient reasons including estrangement, political, marginalisation, and denial of other social-cultural rights/entitlements against Ezza people by the Ufiom people largely because their son, Hon. Clement Omekannaya Odah, emerged the executive chairman of Ohaukwu council.

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"This is not withstanding that the Ezzas are not less than 80 per cent of Effium autonomous community in Ohaukwu LGA, Ebonyi State. Over five hundred Effium indigenes of Ezza extraction has been killed and their properties worth billions of naira looted/destroyed by the ufiom people. For avoidance of doubt, in the present unexpected crisis, we the Ezzas have remained under attack by various combined groups."

In another development, the Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in the Diaspora (AESID) has decried the recent killings of over 15 persons and burning of over 200 houses in Effium community, a suburb in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state, due to the communal clash between the people of Korri and Ezza.

The group in a statement that was issued yesterday by the President of AESID, Mr. Pascal Oluchukwu, called on the federal government to immediately intervene in order to put a stop to the ongoing killings of defenseless citizens in the community.

It stated: "About 500 natives of the once-sleepy and peaceful community have lost their lives with properties worth several millions of Naira destroyed in the man-made war ostensibly provoked by the Korri natives of the community to wipe out Ezza indigenes.

"A few surviving eyewitnesses recounted from their various hideouts that hired militants had stormed an Ezza enclave- Nwekendiagu village in Effium on Thursday last week, killing over 15 persons and burning over 200 houses, including a fuel station located in the area.
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A teenager has died in hospital after a car crashed into a lamppost after it failed to stop for police.

The 19-year-old woman, who died on Tuesday, was one of five women in a Vauxhall Astra which overturned in Streatham, south London, in the early hours of Sunday.

Two other women sustained serious injuries, while the other two suffered minor wounds, as the car crashed into a lamppost in Greyhound Lane at around 4.30am.

A teenager has died after the car she was in crashed during a police chase after failing to stop. The Vauxhall Astra hit a lamp post in Greyhound Lane, Streatham, early on Sunday morning

An investigation has been launched by the police watchdog which will look at whether officers 'were actively pursuing the vehicle', the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said: 'Our thoughts are with the family of this woman and all those affected by this tragic incident.

'We have made contact with the family of the woman who has died and those of the two seriously injured women, to explain our role and how our investigation will progress.

'We need to understand what happened and we are appealing for anyone who witnessed events last Sunday morning to contact us to help with our independent investigation.

'There is a mandatory requirement for forces to refer to us incidents like this which result in death or serious injury.

'Our investigation will thoroughly examine the circumstances and whether appropriate policies and procedures were followed. We will seek to establish, among other things, whether or not the police were actively pursuing the vehicle.'

The watchdog said initial accounts have been given by the Metropolitan Police officers involved, while police radio transmissions, body worn video footage and CCTV are being gathered.

Shocking CCTV footage captured the moment when the car crashed.

Two other women who were in the car crash suffered serious injuries. Pictured: the scene

Officers from Met's Serious Collision Investigation Unit investigating incident alongside IOPC

At 4.25am on Sunday, March 28, the police asked a car to stop in south west London but the vehicle failed to stop and a police pursuit ensued.

The car can be heard screeching before it loses control and smashes into the post in a loud bang.

A few moments later, the police sirens die down and harrowing screams can be heard.

London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade attended the scene and five people from the car were taken to hospital for treatment.

The four surviving women were initially arrested by police on Monday.

A spokesman for the Met said: 'Two women remain in hospital in a stable condition. They have been de-arrested in connection with the incident.

'The remaining two women  initially taken to hospital and later discharged  have been released under investigation after being arrested on suspicion of failing to stop for police and dangerous driving.

'One of them was additionally arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive through drink/drugs.'

Anyone with information or mobile phone or dashcam footage is urged to contact investigators on 0300 3035736 or GreyhoundLane@policeconduct.gov.uk.
Buildings are responsible for 40 percent of primary energy consumption and 36 percent of total CO2 emissions. And, as we know, CO2 emissions trigger global warming, sea level rise, and profound changes in ocean ecosystems. Substituting the inefficient glazing areas of buildings with energy efficient smart glazing windows has great potential to decrease energy consumption for lighting and temperature control.

Harmut Hillmer et al. of the University of Kassel in Germany demonstrate that potential in "MOEMS micromirror arrays in smart windows for daylight steering," a paper published recently in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Optical Microsystems.

"Our smart glazing is based on millions of micromirrors, invisible to the bare eye, and reflects incoming sunlight according to user actions, sun positions, daytime, and seasons, providing a personalized light steering inside the building," Hillmer said.

The micromirror array is invulnerable to wind, window cleaning, or any weather conditions because it is located in the space between the windowpanes filled with noble gas such as argon or krypton. The glazing provides free solar heat in winter and overheating prevention in summer, and it enables healthy natural daylight, huge energy savings (up to 35 percent), massive CO2 reduction (up to 30 percent), and a reduction of 10 percent steel and concrete in high-rise buildings.

Apart from the energy problem, artificial lighting also has consequences for health and well-being. Various studies have linked artificial lighting to lack of concentration, high susceptibility to illness, disturbed biorhythms, and sleeplessness. Smart glass can reduce reliance on artificial lighting by optimizing natural daylight in a room.

Current state-of-the-art smart glazings are currently optimized either for winter or for summer-and not able to ensure energy-saving performance year-round. There has been a need for a smart and automatic technology that can react to local climate (daytime, season), uses available sunlight, regulates light and temperature, and saves substantial energy.

The researchers' MEMS micromirror arrays are integrated inside insulation glazing and are operated by an electronic control system. The orientation of mirrors is controlled by the voltage between respective electrodes. Motion sensors in the room detect the number, position, and movement of users in the room.

The results include much higher actuation speed in the sub-ms range, 40-times lower power consumption than electrochromic or liquid crystal concepts, reflection instead of absorption, and color neutrality. Rapid aging tests of the micromirror structure were performed to study reliability and revealed sustainability, robustness, and long lifetimes of the micromirror arrays.

And with positive results like that, the benefits of this smart glass are crystal clear.

###

Read the open access research article: Harmut Hillmer, Mustaqim Siddi Que Iskhandar, Muhammad Kamrul Hasan, Sapida Akhundzada, Basim Al-Qargholi, Andreas Tatzel, "MOEMS micromirror arrays in smart windows for daylight steering," J. Optical Microsyst. 1(1), 014502 (2021). DOI: 10.1117/1.JOM.1.1.014502
Tripoli, Libya (PANA)  The Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity and Minister of Defence, Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, has underlined the need for a loyal Armed Forces committed to serve the people and government
According to health authorities, some 3.66 million people are eligible for vaccination and will get vaccines from Pfizer at 49 locations nationwide.

The first shipment of the vaccines, which can inoculate up to 250,000 people, arrived in Korea in late March and another shipment for 250,000 people arrived here on Wednesday, amounting to a supply sufficient to vaccinate up to 500,000 people.


Ethiopia Cruises through 10-Year of Zigzags, Loopholes in Building GERD.

Ethiopians of all walks of life are currently marking the 10th Anniversary of GERD with various programs which among other things included Bond Sales Week and organizing a National Symposium related to the timeline of the progress in the construction and development of GERD.

Perched under the foot of Guba Mountain and majestically positioned 20 kilometers to the border with Sudan, the biggest dam in Africa and ranking 7th in the world, GERD has now reached a point of no return with almost 79 percent of its entire construction completed.

The people and government of Ethiopia possess all the reasons to mark the 10th anniversary of ground breaking and cornerstone placing, boldly and proudly by the late Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi.

Originally GERD was planned to be completed in a period of five years but it has taken 10 years to witness the first filling of the dam. What are the reasons behind such a delay?

As the country faced a considerable amount of opposition from Egypt in soliciting fund from international financial magnets, Ethiopia decided to build the dam from its own resources through massive public mobilization and sensitization to raise fund at national level which understandably took a longer period of time to collect enough finance from free financial donations and sales of treasury bonds. Besides, a number of adjustments were made on the blue print of the dam over time to ensure effective output of hydroelectric power.

The original projected budget for the dam was 78.3 billion birr but so far close to 112 billion birr has already been expended. It is estimated that the construction of GERD upon completion will cost 160 billion birr.

Undoubtedly, Ethiopia is at the threshold of lighting up Ethiopia and Africa with high tech electrical power changing the old rules of colonial conspiracy of controlling the sources of the Nile by generating 6.45GW of hydroelectric power. It is worthwhile to probe into the timelines of the preceding events that led to the construction of GERD.

The Anglo Egyptian treaty of 1929 which was the brain child of the British version of the Scramble for Africa barred all its colonies in East Africa from utilizing the Nile without consent from Egypt. Emboldened by this treaty and with no consultations with upper Nile riparian countries, Egypt and Sudan entered into a treaty that prevented all Nile riparian countries from utilizing the Nile.

In the most egoistic manner Egypt secured 55 billion cubic meters of water from the Nile annually while Sudan was left with 18.5 billion cubic meters of water per year. With all intents and purposes and with utter disregard to Ethiopia which contributes 86 percent of the Nile waters, both countries claimed a hydro veto power in gross miscarriage of justice on Ethiopia and other riparian countries.

In 1995, Ethiopia entered into an amicable agreement with the ousted President Hosni Mubarak to resolve any dispute on the Blue Nile in accordance to the cardinal principles of international law governing the utilization of Trans Boundary Rivers.

On February 22, 1999, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) composed of DR. Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, The Sudan, Egypt, Tanzania and Uganda was instituted in which Eretria assumed a status of observer.

Following the initiative, a Cooperative Framework Agreement was drafted in 2010 and as the result of their disagreement with Article 14, b of the agreement which stated ... not to significantly affect the internal security of any other Nile Basin State which all countries except for Egypt and Sudan agreed to ratify, Egypt came up with her own version of the article which stated not to adversely affect the water security and current uses and rights of any other Nile Basin State.

In 2015, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt signed the Declaration of Principle (DoP) and in 2018, a Joint Research Group was formed but could not agree on the general framework of the research program.

With a lobby from Egypt, the Donald Trump Administration and the World Bank attempted to participate in the Tripartite Negotiations as observers but shifted themselves to the level of arbitrators in which the US Treasury Department issued an agreement document which was not in its mandate and tried to force Ethiopia to sign the document which the country categorically rejected. President Trump openly threatened that Egypt can bombard the dam at any time contrary to international diplomatic ethics giving himself the right to directly interfere into the internal affairs of Ethiopia.

On the 19th of June, Egypt requested the UNSC to interfere into the negotiation process but the UNSC referred the case to the AU. On June 25 and 26, the three countries agreed to accept the negotiating role of the AU.

However, Sudan and Egypt were repeatedly withdrawing and rejoining the negotiations and were busy with looking for a means to pressurize Ethiopia to sign a binding document which stresses drought mitigation measures that Ethiopia should take. Ethiopia continued to stress that the DoP itself is enough to come to final agreement.

Responding to questions raised by the MPs recently regarding the current status of GERD, Prime Minister Abiy said that Ethiopia has no intention to harm the neighboring brotherly countries but will definitely keep the promise made to the peoples of Ethiopia by filling GERD on the second round. I call upon the countries to cooperate with Ethiopia in helping to develop the waters of the Nile for their mutual benefits.

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As the nation celebrates the 10th Anniversary of GERD, the second round of filling the dam will no doubt take place in July and the government is completing all the technical requirements needed to process up the preparations for the inevitable filling of Ethiopia's flagship dam project. Indeed, Egypt has built the Aswan Dam on the Nile and Sudan has also built Merowe and employing any means to obstruct the second round of filling GERD is not only against the law but also a triple jeopardy hurdled on Ethiopia.

Even then, Ethiopia will continue to work on the remaining issues related to the finalization of agreements on GERD in good faith and in a spirit of mutually beneficial approach on the equitable utilization of the waters of the Nile but the country will not accept any attempt on arm twisting the nation to sign binding documents that are not in line with the national interest of its peoples.

By December 2023, Ethiopia is to complete the entire construction of GERD and will start to generate electric power from the largest dam in Africa contributing to the fulfillment of not only local needs of the country but also to share power with African countries near and afar.
Sentencing to be set on April 16. Found guilty of organizing and taking part in an unauthorized demonstration. The group includes Jimmy Lai, Martin Lee and Margaret Ng. Lee Cheuk-yan: One day we will win. Cyd Ho: Continue to fight for freedom.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The West Kowloon District Court today ruled that seven leading democracy figures are guilty of organizing and taking part in a large anti-government demonstration on August 18, 2019.

According to organizers the march drew 1.7 million protesters to challenge the authorities' ban, demand the withdrawal of the extradition law and to denounce the brutal behavior of the police.

The defendants face up to five years in prison. Judge Amanda Woodcock will rule on the sentence on April 16, after the defense attorneys have submitted requests for the sentence to be mitigated.

Those condemned include tycoon Jimmy Lai and the "father of democracy" Martin Lee, one of the founders of the Democratic Party. Lai is in prison and awaiting trial for threatening national security; Lee was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize: both are faithful Catholics.

The others brought before the judge are former parliamentarian and Christian lawyer Margaret Ng and other leading figures in the democratic field: Albert Ho, Cyd Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan and "long hair" Leung Kwok-hung.

The seven Democrats reject the charges. Previously, trade unionist Leung Yiu-chung and former Democratic Party Member Au Nok-hin pleaded guilty to the same charges.

Judge Woodcock found the defendants guilty of having directed the demonstrators towards the Central district, away from Victoria Park, the area authorized by the police for the demonstration. The court did not believe the line of defense, according to which the seven activists were present only to disperse the crowd, and that the police are responsible for the incident, guilty of not being able to manage the demonstration.

Apart from Lai, the other six condemned were granted bail: the condition is that they hand over their passport and not leave the city.

Speaking to the press ahead of the hearing, Lee Cheuk-yan said the offending demonstration showed the world the determination of the people of Hong Kong to fight for democracy: "One day we will win". Cyd Ho instead expressed the hope that citizens have "the dream and the courage" to continue fighting for freedom.

The democratic front has suffered a severe blow since the passing of the security law in June and the new electoral law in recent days. Due to the repression carried out by local and central authorities, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that Hong Kong has now lost its autonomy from Beijing: this will force Washington to withdraw the special status on trade from the former British colony.
In addition to providing thousands of people a promising career, for every new hire in the month of April, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK will donate five books to educators serving children in need through the non-profit, First Book . Overall, the company plans to donate 5,000 books to deserving organizations nationwide.

"Through Career Move Month, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK promotes opportunities to potential hires and encourages them to join a company focused as heavily on the satisfaction of its customers as it is on its team members' success," said Sara Bennett, the brand's chief talent officer. "We don't just offer employees a job. We pride ourselves on providing a supportive environment for our employees, one where everyone can experience camaraderie, help people move forward in their own lives and grow their careers ."

As the brand continues to weave together providing opportunity, giving back to the community, and investing in diversity and inclusion at a local level, for April's Career Move Month, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK locations across the country will donate copies of the children's book "When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree" for every employee hired in April.

"First Book believes education is the best path out of poverty for kids in need and providing meaningful books is one step to support these kids," said Bennett. "'When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree' illustrates many important life lessons, including using creativity, patience and hard work to turn an unwanted gift into a blessing for many. This message aligns beautifully with our company's core purpose, to move people forward."

How TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is Moving People Forward in Their Careers

Bennett believes deeply in promoting from within and providing employees with a career path because she too started with the company in an entry level position, as an administrator. She's not the only member of the brand's leadership team who rose up through the ranks. Randy Shacka , the brand's president, began his career as an intern.

Overall, the brand's commitment to promoting from within has led to 75% of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK location managers coming from frontline positions and one third of the brand's franchisees having started out on the frontline.

During the worst of the pandemic, after being deemed as essential workers, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK teams did not go on furlough and were able to continue delivering service and earning pay checks. In fact, last summer saw a boom in moving jobs, and the brand's multiple streams of revenue from additional services including junk removal and storage, provide franchisees plenty of ways to keep employees clocked in.

"A big factor in our brand's continued success and consistent growth is our commitment to developing staff at all levels, giving them the tools to succeed and develop a career within our brand," said Bennett. "We're eager to add thousands of talented new employees to our team, and I can't wait to hear the success stories of people hired during this year's Career Move Month."

ABOUT TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Headquartered in Michigan, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is the largest franchised moving company in North America with each franchise being independently owned and operated. Currently, there are more than 380 locations and 3,000 trucks operating in 45 U.S. states in addition to Canada, Ireland, and the UK. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has performed more than 8 million moves since its inception in 1985 and has seen consistent growth dating back to December 2009. In 2021, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked TWO MEN AND A TRUCK as one of the top 500 franchises in the U.S. for the 26th consecutive year in addition to being on its list of Top Low Cost Franchises in 2020. Franchise Business Review also named TWO MEN AND A TRUCK a top franchise in 2020, and in 2019, the brand was voted a Top 50 franchise in the Franchisee Satisfaction Awards by Franchise Business Review for the 13th time. For franchising opportunities, visit franchise.twomenandatruck.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Lauren Turner

No Limit Agency

312.526.3996

[email protected]

SOURCE TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Related Links

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A BBC news journalist whose coverage exposed the truth about Chinas policy in the Xinjiang region has left the country amid concerns of safety.

The BBC released a statement on Wednesday saying John Sudworth had been relocated to Taiwan but will continue as the corporations China correspondent.

Johns work has exposed truth the Chinese authorities did not want the world to know, BBC News said. The BBC is proud of Johns award-winning reporting during his time in Beijing and he remains our China correspondent.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the BBC journalists departure abnormal while state media pushed back saying he is in hiding because of fears of action over biased coverage.

China has a history of clamping down on journalists and activists whose coverage is not in line with government policies. It expelled 18 foreign reporters last year after criticism mounted over the origin of the coronavirus.

Read more:

Mr Sudworth was the BBCs China correspondent for the last nine years and had been extensively covering reports on alleged abuse of Uighur Muslims and the spread of coronavirus. He won a George Polk Award last year for his reporting on internment camps in the Xinjiang region.

China banned the BBC from broadcasting in the country in February citing relentless fabrication of lies of the century in reporting. Chinas ban was in retaliation to the UKs revocation of the Chinese state-backed broadcaster CGTNs license.

The Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) issued a statement, saying Mr Sudworth left on short notice amid concerns for his safety and that of his family and his abuse is part of the larger issue of harassment and intimidation of journalists.

Sudworth left after months of personal attacks and disinformation targeting him and his BBC colleagues, disseminated by both Chinese state media and Chinese government officials, the FCCC said.

Abuse of Sudworth and his colleagues at the BBC form part of a larger pattern of harassment and intimidation that obstructs the work of foreign correspondents in China and exposes their Chinese news assistants to growing pressure, it added.

In 2020 alone, China expelled foreign journalists from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, according to a report by the FCCC.

The Communist Party-backed Global Times published an article on Wednesday that blamed Mr Sudworth for running a smear campaign over coronavirus and Xinjiang policy. It claimed he left for Taiwan in an attempt to escape prosecution over fake news.

However, no matter where he flees to and in what capacity he reports on China, as long as he continues to adhere to ideological bias and continues to churn out false news to attack and smear China, he will not be able to escape righteous condemnation, the report said citing unnamed observers.

Taiwan foreign ministry said it welcomes all reporters from media outlets while they enjoy freedom of the press and speech, reported Reuters.


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PITTSFIELD  He loved to munch on dandelions and bananas, liked to frolic on the front lawn of the Berkshire Museum, and even let staffers wax his shell.

His name was Chuck, an elderly red-legged tortoise who arrived at the Berkshire Museum 35 years ago and never left. A fixture at childrens birthday parties since 1986, popular with generations of patrons, Chuck brought joy to many. But there was only grief at the museum Wednesday because Chuck has passed away.

Remembering 'Chuck' Plans call for Chuck, the Berkshire Museum's tortoise, to be cremated and his ashes returned to the museum. The museum is collecting stories and photos of Chuck which will be used to create a small memorial at his aquarium enclosure. To share their stories and photos, members of the community are encouraged to email info@berkshiremuseum.org or visit berkshiremuseum.org/remembering-chuck.

Theres universal sadness, said the Berkshire Museums executive director, Jeff Rodgers. Theres been lots of talk among the staff about their memories of Chuck, how theyre sad for the community because there wont be a Chuck anymore.

Rodgers said Thom Smith, the local naturalist who brought Chuck to the Berkshire Museum in 1986, believed he was either over or close to 80 years old, which is 30 years longer than red-legged tortoises normally live. According to Reptiles Magazine, most indications are that red-footed tortoises can live for more than 50 years, and will have longer life spans if kept in ideal conditions that mimic their natural habitat without the threat of predators present. Smith could not be reach comment Wednesday.

Chuck was found deceased in his enclosure when the museums aquarium staff reported for work Monday.

Its a terrible way to start your day, Rodgers said. He had not been well for a few days, so we recognized that his health may have been failing. We had been in touch with the vet. He was scheduled for a visit this morning, I think.

CHUCK PHOTO CLASS VISIT Chuck participates in a virtual class visit led by Berkshire Museum Education Specialist Mariah Baca in 2020. Chuck has long been a fixture of

Chuck  Rodgers said he didnt know how the tortoise received that name  had grown up in captivity and lived in an apartment in New York City before Smith brought him to Pittsfield. My understanding is that someone had a collection of reptiles, he said, and that someone needed to find a home for them. I dont know how the Berkshire Museum got into the loop on that.

Rodgers described Chuck as a charismatic animal.

CHUCK PHOTO SNACKING Chuck, the Berkshire Museums elderly red-footed turtle, hovering over dandelions, his favorite snack. Chuck, who delighted museum patrons for

He was raised for the first half of his life in an apartment setting. I think he was very much a pet and was used to being around humans, Rodgers said. He would respond to things. When you would go see him first thing in the morning he would walk towards you. Tortoises dont smile, but I could swear he had a smile on his face.

Chucks longevity made him popular with museum patrons.

When youre in a place for 35 years, generations grow up with you, Rodgers said. A grandparent bringing a grandchild and being able to tell the story of when they first saw Chuck. It becomes one of those shared experiences. You want to go back and see this remarkably long-lived tortoise and share your stores of when you first interacted with him. Weve had kids have entire birthday parties themed around being in the aquarium and having Chuck be a part of that because they gravitated towards him.

CHUCK PHOTO...ATTENTION Guests feel the texture of Chucks shell during an educational birthday party hosted in the Berkshire Museum Aquarium in 2013. Chuck was a spe

When asked what children liked about Chuck, Rodgers said, I think there are as many answers as there are kids out there.

Staffers often brought Chuck outside on the lawn.

Chuck often came out do so some free range work, Rodgers said. They would diaper him because he could be messy. Hed be in his glory munching on bananas and dandelions.

We would take him out on the front lawn in the nice weather, said John Brancazzu, manager of the Berkshire Museums aquarium. He loved dandelions. He would always save one dandelion. It would be hanging out of his mouth like a cowboy and hed hold on to it for hours.

We had shell wax and every once in a while he would tolerate it, said Brancazzu, an 11-year employee of the museum. Chuck was more than an animal to him.

I started here as a young 20-year-old, and kind of grew up into an adult here and Chuck was here all along, Brancazzu said. I know its part of the job that you lose animals, but Chuck saw me grow into the person that I am. Its a sad loss.
An updated report on workers compensation claims in Texas related to COVID-19 shows that as of Feb, 14, 2021, insurance carriers reported more than 44,000 COVID-19 claims and 200 fatalities to the states workers compensation division.

The report, COVID-19 in the Texas Workers Compensation System, was released in March by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers Compensation. A previous report, released in late 2020, showed workers comp insurers had reported more than 25,000 virus claims as of June 30, 2020. The reports are based on data calls issued to workers comp carriers by the DWC.

The DWC report shows that the number of COVID-19 claims began to increase starting in March 2020. Claims began to decline in mid-April as Texas began reopening efforts, started surging in June, and continued to increase until mid-July. Claims began to decline again in mid-July through September then started to increase again in October and continued through December. Claims started declining again in January 2021.

Nearly half of the reported COVID-19 claims and fatalities involve first responders and correctional officers.

Highlights of the report include:

The majority (58%) of claims involved injured employees who tested positive or were diagnosed with COVID-19.

Data call results show insurance carriers accepted almost half (49%) of COVID-19 positive test claims.

Despite more than 10,000 denials of COVID-19 claims with positive tests or diagnoses, there were only 45 disputes filed with DWC as of Feb. 14, 2021.

For COVID-19 claims, most of the benefits paid were indemnity benefits (particularly employer salary continuation), compared to medical benefits.

The majority (60%) of the states COVID-19 cases were concentrated in 10 counties as of Feb. 14, 2021. Likewise, the majority (56%) of the states COVID-19 workers compensation claims were concentrated in these same 10 counties.

Nearly half (46%) of the COVID-19 claims involved first responders and correctional officers and slightly more than half (54%) of claims were processed by the State of Texas and its political subdivisions acting as insurance carriers.

As of Feb. 14, 2021, insurance carriers reported 200 COVID-19 fatal claims to DWC. Nearly half (47%) of fatal workers compensation claims were concentrated in the same 10 counties where the most COVID-19 cases and claims were reported. Nearly half (47%) of the COVID-19 fatal claims involved first responders and correctional officers and half (50%) of fatal claims were processed by the State of Texas and its political subdivisions.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of the fatal claims involved injured employees who were 50 or more years of age, and three-quarters (76%) of the fatal claims involved males.

Source: Texas DWC

Related:

Topics COVID-19 Carriers Texas Claims Workers' Compensation
A Winnipeg teen, who was convicted in the unprovoked beating death of a 73-year-old stranger, has lost a bid to overturn his life sentence.

A Winnipeg teen, who was convicted in the unprovoked beating death of a 73-year-old stranger, has lost a bid to overturn his life sentence.

Jarrell Emery Tyran Meeches, who is now 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the September 2018 killing of James Barrington Olson, but opposed a Crown motion  later endorsed by a judge  that he be sentenced as an adult to life in prison with no chance of parole for six years.

The mandatory youth sentence for second-degree murder is seven years, a portion of which is served under community supervision.

Meeches argued the sentencing judge didnt properly consider issues particular to him as an Indigenous offender, and the degree to which his cognitive deficits reduced his responsibility for the crime.

"We are not persuaded that the sentencing judge erred in her assessment of the evidence or in the application of the law," wrote Manitoba Court of Appeal Justice Janice leMaistre on behalf of the court in a decision released last week.

Olson was walking on Redwood Avenue around 2 a.m. when Meeches, then 15, ran across the street toward Olson and within seconds began punching and kicking him. Meeches continued to kick and stomp on Olsons head and chest for 15 minutes as he lay motionless on the ground before police interrupted the attack and arrested him.

Olson was taken to Health Sciences Centre, and later died.

"The unprovoked and random nature of this assault is shocking," provincial court Judge Heather Pullan wrote in a March 2020 decision sentencing Meeches as an adult. "The appearance is that (the youth) was dedicated to seriously harming anyone he saw who had the misfortune to cross his path."

In June 2018, Meeches was sentenced to 105 days served and 18 months of supervised probation for assaulting a girlfriend, carrying a concealed weapon (a machete) and robbery. Two months later  and a month before the murder  he was involved in a violent home invasion for which he was later sentenced to three years in custody and community supervision.

The teens upbringing was marked by "poverty, exposure to substance abuse, violence and hunger," court was told at a 2019 sentencing hearing, while psychological reports submitted to court pointed to a "provisional diagnosis" of cognitive impairment and "emotional disturbance."

Meeches lawyer argued he should be sentenced as a youth under an intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision (IRCS) order. The IRCS program allows participants access to one-on-one counselling, occupational therapy, tutoring and other specialized services at a cost of $100,000 a year.

"The plan as indicated is fulsome and rich," Pullan said. "The unknown feature is the degree to which (Meeches) is prepared to deliver on his commitments He says he is. His pattern is to the contrary. What is at stake is public safety."

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
New Delhi, [India], April 1 (ANI/NewsVoir): After consistently achieving records of excellence month after month in FY'21, Sonalika Tractors has added yet another feather of superlative achievement to the hat of its glorious journey.

Sonalika has recorded its highest-ever annual sales of 1,39,526 tractors in FY'21 and among the leading market share gainers in the industry. The company has registered a phenomenal domestic growth rate of 41.6 per cent over FY'20 volumes, which is the highest in industry and beaten industry growth (est.26.7 per cent) by a significant margin. Alongside, Sonalika has recorded its highest-ever annual rotavator sales of 50,000 units in FY'21, recording double the volumes registered in FY'20. Overall, Sonalika Tractors has sold 13,093 tractors in March'21, registering a whopping 135 per cent growth over March'20.

Commenting on the superior performance in export markets, Dr. Deepak Mittal, Managing Director, Sonalika Group, said, "I am very pleased to see the extraordinary outcome this year. Our strong foundation has served as a unique platform for the company to continue recording extraordinary results even in the most challenging year and we have become the first Indian tractor company to cross 22,000 tractors exports in a single year. This success is credited to the committed team along with our distributors, dealers, financiers, and loyal customers who stayed connected and performed in the markets under adverse conditions without much travel or physical connect. We are proud of our market leadership in 6 countries and close second in another 5."

Upbeat about the company's performance, Raman Mittal, Executive Director, Sonalika Group, said, "Achieving a significant landmark of phenomenal domestic growth of 41.6 per cent in FY'21, which is highest in industry and surpassing industry growth (est. 26.7 per cent) by a significant margin amidst the most challenging year is a testimony that we have laid a strong foundation to remain closely knitted with our farmers and the society at large, which has only strengthened with time."

"Our plans were not deterred by the external unforeseen situations as we have always remained consistent with our approach to grow and serve our customers. Our innate ability to re-engineer our approach across all business functions powered us to come out as a clear winner month after month, throughout the year."

He added, "Our pace of transformation during the year has been faster than ever before across various verticals."

Manufacturing - We were among the first ones to start production within all the prescribed safety protocols and attained full capacity operations within 2 months.

Sales - We have widened our channel network at a pace faster than ever before (145+ new channel partners added), thereby strengthening our national presence.

R & D and Product Innovation - Introduced the highest number of products during the year (6 new models), including the much talked out Tiger Electric model, and our regional technology introductions Mahabali and Chhatrapati, while constantly upgrading products with the latest technology features like 4 wheel drive technology, multi-speed transmission and precision 5G hydraulics.

Customer Care - Rolled out the 3X2 service to reach consumers closer to their farms and extended warranty of all tractors during the COVID-19 period.

Marketing - Pivoted our farmer-centric marketing programs on digital as well as other media platforms with high responsiveness.

Finance - We re-strategized our financial discipline to control unnecessary cost escalations arising due to unforeseen situations.

HR - We ensured 100 per cent wages to the labour and also rolled out employee welfare initiatives as support to households whose families were impacted by the pandemic.

CSR - A host of new initiatives were rolled out viz. dedicated 2 isolation centers (Delhi and hoshiarpur), Corona mobile testing van, PPE kits, sanitisation drives across states, developed ventilator system and many more.

Every single parameter of our business functions worked cohesively towards setting up new benchmarks of performance. We remain committed to bring technologically advanced products for our farmers and lead them to farm prosperity. "

Sonalika Tractors, one of India's leading tractor manufacturers and the No. 1 Exports brand from India, has established its robust presence in the domestic as well as in over 130 countries with 11 lakh+ customers. Sonalika manufactures the widest heavy-duty tractor range in 20-120 HP and 70+ implements at its Hoshiarpur facility in Punjab that caters to the varied needs of customers across the globe. Being a farmer-centric brand, the Govt. of India has chosen Sonalika as the only tractor brand to contribute to the Niti-Aayog for its inspirational project of doubling the farmer's income in the country.

No. 1 Heavy Duty Customised Crop Solutions

Sonalika tractor portfolio is customised as per the needs is equipped with efficient engines which give higher power output and remain affordable with low maintenance for a better total cost of ownership and experience. Sonalika is the leading brand in more than 50 HP tractor segments and is strengthening its presence in more than 40HP segments to achieve the leadership position.

As the farm mechanisation expert, Sonalika Agro Solutions offers a wide range of implements to address various stages of the crop cycle ranging from land preparation to post-harvesting operations including residue management. Sonalika has also forayed into Custom Hiring Centres, a platform that offers small and marginal farmers access to advanced Agri machinery on rent, thereby aims to increase farm output in a cost effective way. The company has introduced the 'Agro Solutions' app for easy access of requisite machinery to farmers, thereby promoting farm mechanization in the country.

No. 1 Exports Brand from India

Sonalika is the No. 1 Exports brand from India and is proudly associated with 1.25 lakh customers in markets outside India, a true sign of acceptability of an Indian company across 130 countries. Having a 100 per cent presence across all European countries, our tractors are successfully operated by more than 20,000 satisfied customers in diversified European conditions. Sonalika has also set up a spare parts centre in Germany that caters to the regional requirements with an aim to provide better service and customer satisfaction.

The Hoshiarpur plant of Sonalika is the World's No. 1 vertically integrated tractor manufacturing plant that is designed to manufacture customised farm machinery as per the farmer's crop-specific applications. The facility is fully equipped to manufacture almost every element in-house which goes in the making of a tractor and is powered by robotic as well as automation.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia's Akademik Cherskiy vessel has arrived at the construction site to lay pipes for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, Nord Stream 2 AG, project operator company said.

"We inform you that the Akademik Cherskiy vessel arrived at the point of construction," the company noted.

The ship was stationed in the Baltic Sea in Russias Kaliningrad Region where it was going through maintenance. In the afternoon on March 30, the vessel headed to the northwest of the Kaliningrad Region shores. Nord Stream 2 AG then reported that the Akademik Cherskiy is sailing into Danish waters where it will get ready to continue laying pipes for Nord Stream 2, TASS reported.

Another Russian vessel, Fortuna, is currently engaged in the gas pipeline construction in the Danish territorial waters. In December 2020, the Fortuna built 2.6 kilometers of Nord Stream 2 in the German exclusive economic zone.

The Nord Stream 2 project includes construction of two pipelines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. The work was suspended in December 2019 after Swiss Allseas abandoned pipe-laying due to possible US sanctions. However, construction resumed in 2020 after a year-long pause.
As local business relief initiatives come to a close, many small and medium enterprises continue to struggle with an unfortunate number of businesses' liquidity eroded by the Covid-19 pandemic and various lockdowns - especially those that operate in the hospitality and tourism industry.

The Covid-19 crisis has forced business owners to restructure and re-invent in the scramble to save their business and retain their staff. Financiers have also developed programmes to ensure that clients have the resources they need to successfully navigate the new Covid-19 world.

We've recently surpassed the once-year mark of the pandemic. What's the current state of the SME sector?

Relief funds are slowly drying up. What should SMEs do going forward?

A review of the current financial position of the business together with a detailed forecast looking ahead for the next 12 months is critical. Based on the detailed forecasts, ensure that sufficient and adequate levels of liquidity is in place.





Conduct in-depth research to ensure you increase the probability of success in raising additional finance, if required, by approaching funders who closest match your funding needs and time expectations. When approaching funders, ensure your financial and compliance information is up to date.





Your business must also identify and cut unnecessary costs.





You need to identify areas of efficiency improvements, which may improve margins and ultimately cash flow. Assess the relevance of the current operating models and product offering and make the necessary changes where required.





Revisit creditor terms and keep creditors informed where challenges exist to pay accounts timeously.

What can we do to help get local businesses back on track?

Working capital is so essential right now. Do you have any tips for small businesses?

Business financiers, both in private and public sectors, need to modify their offerings. What adjustments need to be made?

As small businesses continue to face challenges. What advice do you have for small businesses?

Planning from an operational and financial perspective is key.





Make the necessary adjustments to ensure the business remains relevant and agile to adapt to the changes in the economic and social environment.





Dont throw in the towel too quickly. Part of the characteristics of being an entrepreneur is to find solutions for challenges faced.





Do not stop looking for opportunities. Even through all the challenges that Covid has presented, it has given rise to many opportunities as well.

To help these businesses get back on track, financial institutions have to be creative and innovative in their approach by offering products that are quicker to access with simpler processes driven by technology.According to Jeremy Lang, general manager of Business Partners Limited, a financier for small and medium businesses, the easing of some lockdown restrictions and opening of many sectors has provided some relief, in order to weather the ongoing storm and stay afloat, and many SMEs require working capital to restart their businesses and replenish reserves used to cover fixed overheads.Most Covid-19 relief programmes were designed to assist businesses to cover fixed overheads. We have found that there is also a growing need amongst our clients to replenish eroded working capital. As a result, we have launched the Restart Capital Fund, designed to assist our existing SME clients to speed up post lockdown recovery and get them back to pre-Covid levels of trading.Jeremy Lang shares insights into the current state of the SME sectors, as well as ways to weather the storm.The SME sector remains under tremendous pressure with many SMEs still trying to keep their heads above water. There are some industries that have recovered better than others, but what is of particular concern is the tourism, hospitality and education industries. Turnover recovery is slow but progressive.Liquidity, as a result of low levels of turnover, having to cover fixed overheads and slow paying debtors has resulted in large cash flow shortages in SMEs. Although relief funding has assisted SMEs to cover some of their fixed overheads during the lockdown period, the need now is for the replenishment of working capital and reserves used during the lockdown to restore SMEs turnover levels back to pre-Covid levelsPlanning is key!Where possible, we need to support SME businesses. I encourage government departments and corporates to ensure payments to SMEs are made on time. Delays in payment can cause serious liquidity problems for SMEs.Conduct an in-depth analysis and quantify what your working capital need is. Then assess whether you have adequate liquidity in place to support your working capital need. If there is a shortfall, put plans in place to raise the required level of capital to plug the shortfall. This may, amongst others, include revisiting debtors and/or creditors terms, selling off non-core assets, restructuring some of the debt facilities currently in place or raising further capital.I would also advise to review operational processes to identify any solutions to shorten lead times which will result in cash flowing into the business quicker.Improving access to finance and ease of application submissions through speedier processing of applications including better use of technology is of importance.The structure of the funding provided needs to provide some element of patience in terms of repayment to allow the funding to have its impact in the business. Also, the terms of the funding, where possible, could be more concessionary of nature.Although previous relief programs targeted unlocking capital to service overheads, the need now is for replenishment working capital to act as a catalyst in assisting businesses to recover to pre-Covid turnover levels.
Kevin, Sam Sorbo say media lies played 'pivotal role' in getting abortion legalized nationwide

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ORLANDO, Fla.  Actors Kevin and Sam Sorbo say the media played a "pivotal role" in helping to get abortion legalized nationwide in 1973 and encouraged Christians to use new media to combat the lies and censorship of today's mainstream press and big tech.

Together, the Sorbos attended the movie premiere of Roe v. Wade that was held at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 26, where they shared their stance against abortion, the media and big tech, following Facebook's decision to ban Kevin Sorbo from its platform.

"I'm a pro-life person, just as my wife is. I've done a lot of pro-life speaking through the years as well. I'm here to support a movie that I wish I could have been in. I love what they did, Sorbo told CP of why they wanted to attend the premiere.

"What's amazing to me and sad to me is that so many people think it's OK to murder unborn babies. They are babies, they are life; there's a heartbeat at 22 days, he emphasized. We're at the point now where some of these governors are even talking about killing babies the minute they're born. I find it so horrific and evil what's happening in America.

In 2019 Virginia's Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam faced backlash after he voiced his support for late-term abortion and seemed to suggest he was also in favor of infanticide.

[Third-trimester abortions are] done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus thats nonviable. So in this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen, Northam, a pediatric neurosurgeon, told Washington radio station WTOP. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if thats what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.

Roe v. Wade is based on the events that led to one of the nation's most contentious U.S. Supreme Court rulings, which legalized abortion nationwide.

The film, which hits theaters on April 2, depicts the history of "what happened from 1966 through 1973" that led to the court's decision declaring existing state laws banning abortion unconstitutional.

"You can't be against slavery and for choice, Sam Sorbo emphatically told CP of those who claim to be pro-choice.

A major aspect of the film is the role the media played throughout the abortion debate, both before and after Roe v. Wade was decided.

"Media tells the story and stories are compelling and they're convicting. But they're also very convincing, Sam Sorbo said. You'll see in the movie, the media played the pivotal role in this whole saga, telling a lie, a story about a young woman that was an outright lie. Then perpetuating this myth that it's not a human being, that it's a clump of cells, that the young woman will never have to think about it again. All of these other stories that they tell, and none of which are true.

"I think it's incumbent upon new media to retell the story with truth and with facts, she added.

The movie is told from the perspective of Dr. Bernard Nathanson, once considered the abortion king for reportedly performing over 70,000 abortions. He would eventually realize the human value of the unborn and walk away from performing abortions. Later on, he exposed all of the deceptions which helped Jane Roe's case win at the high court.

In his 1983 book, The Abortion Papers: Inside the Abortion Mentality, Nathanson wrote that he and his team fed deceptive data to the media.

Knowing that if a true poll were taken we would be soundly defeated, we simply fabricated the results of fictional polls, he detailed. In one instance, he claimed that 60% of Americans favored abortion.

Nathanson and Lawrence Lader often traveled to the Caribbean island of St. Croix to devise their plans. The pair also lied about the number of illegal abortions that were being performed annually in the U.S. at that time. The actual figure was about 98,000, Nathanson shared in his book.

The figure we gave to the media repeatedly (and the figure in Laders book) was one million, he wrote.

A fact check resource on the Roe v. Wade movie website revealed that they also lied about the number of women who died each year from illegal abortions. According to Nathanson, the actual number of women who died was 250, but the number they fed to the media was up to 10,000. The false narrative was spread by willing news media companies that never questioned the data they were being given.

In February, Kevin Sorbo said he was targeted by Facebook, which removed his page from its platform.

The social media site told Fox News that the 62-year-olds account was removed from the platform because of his posts about the novel coronavirus and vaccines.

We removed Kevin Sorbos page for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines, Facebook stated. However, Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has himself made statements opposing the COVID-19 vaccine. In a leaked video, Zuckerberg is seen warning Facebook employees against the vaccines, " ... we just don't know the long-term side effects of basically modifying people's DNA and RNA."

Sam Sorbo defended her husband, telling CP, Facebook just took him down without ceremony, just digital assassination and then buried the body.

Kevin Sorbo added that he believes censorship in this manner is something people should stand up against.

We got to fight back, Sorbo declared. Apathy is a big killer and I think a lot of people on the right just say, 'Oh, what can we do? We can't do anything; media owns everything.'

"I think we just got to raise our voice and be a little more strong, the openly conservative actor concluded. We have to have the same passion that the left has, on the right, without the hate and anger and divisiveness. We just have to have the same strong passion.

As previously reported by CP, Roe v. Wade, a Nick Loeb-directed film, also encountered several obstacles, including Facebook banning their ads as well as losing cast members who opposed the film's mission.

The featured film tells "the untold story of how people lied, how the media lied, and how the courts were manipulated" to legalize abortion nationwide, which has led to the killing of more than 60 million Americans, Loeb previously said in an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

It features a star-studded cast, including Hollywood actors Jon Voight, Robert Davi, Corbin Bernsen, John Schneider, Stacey Dash and Loeb.

Despite many setbacks, the film will be in theaters nationwide on April 2. For more information, visit "Roe v. Wade" movie.com.
-ANC Cummings critiques gov't

Former Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) Chairman Mr. Alexander B. Cummings says every objective measurable indicator has gone back in the last three years, claiming that under the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) - led government, Liberians are worse off today than they were three years ago.

"Unemployment is higher than it was few years ago; prices are higher, the Liberian dollars has [devalued]; the healthcare system is worse than it was [several] years ago; companies have either cut back or have not, since three years ago, the list goes on and on ... ," Mr. Cummings said Wednesday, 31 March during a live joint interview with multiple local talk show hosts in Paynesville.

The political leader of the opposition Alternation National Congress (ANC), a CPP constituent party, claims that "the change that has been delivered is the fact that Liberians are worse off today than they were three years ago."

"These are facts. This is not my judgment or my politics. The fact is every objective measurable indicator has gone back in the last three years since this government has come to power," he continues.

Mr. Cummings warns that whoever is elected in 2023 as president of Liberia would have a lot of work to do "just to restore the country to where it was in 2018" when the Coalition for Democratic Change - led government took over.

In his critique of the government's performance, Cummings notes that civil servants today are making less than they made three years ago and they are not being paid regularly. He indicates further that the quality of education here is worse off, insisting that "this country is worse off today than it was three years ago."

Cummings therefore cautions Liberians that they "should be electing individuals and people that can show a record of accomplishments, of achievement." He notes that Liberians have to pick people who really have passion to change this country in the coming elections.

"We can't keep electing people because they are popular; we can't keep electing people because we are sympathetic to them - it is their time, right," Cummings adds.

"Look at the background, look at the history, look at the delivery; look at the integrity; you look at their achievements. And when you look at those things, you will make the right call in terms of who should lead our country," Mr. Cummings argues.

Regarding his recent letter to the Senate President Pro - tempore Albert T. Chie for the Senate to pause its approval of a request to a new family of local currencies, Mr. Cummings narrates that the current government in its first year reported that there was too much local currency in circulation.

On the basis of that observation, he says the government then asked for US$25 million to "mop up" the excess currency.

However, the CPP executive laments that today Liberians don't have the full explanation of exactly how that US$25 million was spent and how much money was taken out of circulation. Beyond that, he argues, the government printed another L$4 billion in addition to the first L$16 billion that had prompted protests here.

"They also printed four billion Liberian dollars, there was a recent $16 billion, all of those monies, where are those monies?" Cummings wonders.

He states that the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) had suggested that Liberia needs to digitize the economy and start using more mobile money, credit cards, debit cards and using the banking system more.

The opposition leader ponders why would Liberia need all of that cash as requested by the CBL when it has already suggested the need to digitize the economy.

Cummings believes that unless some of the systemic issues are fixed, the government will not restore confidence in the banking system.

According to him, his point is not that he is objecting to the new currency, but wants the issues to be solved and confidence restored in the system.

On Tuesday this week Senators from the Collaborating Political Parties resolved not to sign the resolution to print L$48 billion new family of bank notes until certain demands are settled.

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The opposition senators' demands led to the postponement of the passage of a resolution to print the Liberian dollars requested by the Central Bank of Liberia (CB).

They have demanded having a report in 24 hours before a debate is held surrounding the printing of the money, and also want to see policies on internal controls to restore confidence in the banking sector.

The request by the Central Bank of Liberia to print about $48 billion new Liberian banknotes at the cost of approximately US$45.522 million has been causing stir here.

This request to print L$48 billion comes as controversies over the L$16 billion that have prompted mass protests here and the subsequent printing of additional L$4 billion just before the 8 December 2020 mid-term election remain fresh in the minds of Liberians.

The request, if approved, would see the CBL maintaining some of the old denominations of L$5, L$10, L$20, L$50, L$100 and L$500 while a new denomination of L$1,000 is expected to be added.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 01:44:46|Editor: huaxia

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Yiannis Moralis (3rd L), mayor of Piraeus, Kostas Katsafados (3rd R), Greek deputy minister of maritime affairs and insular policy, and Piraeus Port Authority S.A. Chairman Yu Zenggang (2nd R) pose for a photo after a meeting at the Mayor's Office in Piraeus, Greece, on March 31, 2021. Greece-based Piraeus Port Authority S.A. (PPA), a member of China's COSCO Shipping group, announced on Wednesday the donation of a modern park to the local community. The new recreation area of about 8,000 square meters will be constructed close to the cruise terminal and will include a model playground, a bike path and a parking lot, said a press release issued jointly by PPA and the City of Piraeus. (Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)

ATHENS, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Greece-based Piraeus Port Authority S.A. (PPA), a member of China's COSCO Shipping group, announced on Wednesday the donation of a modern park to the local community.

The new recreation area of about 8,000 square meters will be constructed close to the cruise terminal and will include a model playground, a bike path and a parking lot, said a press release issued jointly by PPA and the City of Piraeus.

PPA managers presented the plans of the project to Yiannis Moralis, mayor of Piraeus, and Kostas Katsafados, deputy minister of maritime affairs and insular policy.

The park will be open to all citizens. Construction will cost around 1.5 million euros (1.76 million U.S. dollars) and will be covered entirely by the Chinese investors.

Greek officials warmly welcomed the announcement and said that all necessary permits will be issued swiftly so that the project can be delivered as soon as possible to the City of Piraeus.

"It is a day of joy for Piraeus, a beautiful day," Moralis said. "This is another step that shows what we can achieve when we have good cooperation. I am optimistic that we will have more such actions and collaborations with the port's administration."

"I sincerely hope the park will be finished as early as possible and the citizens of Piraeus can enjoy a healthier and happier life with the park," PPA S.A. Chairman Yu Zenggang said. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars)

China's COSCO Shipping acquired a majority stake in PPA in 2016 after an international tender. The group's subsidiary, Piraeus Container Terminal S.A. (PCT), manages the port's container terminal since 2009.

The image of Greece's largest port has changed in recent years through upgrades and expansion work. Piraeus is now the largest port in the Mediterranean in terms of container traffic, benefiting the local economy and people. Enditem
(Newser)  In the face of GOP threats to go after at-risk Democrats in races around the country, Rita Hart has withdrawn a challenge of her six-vote loss last November to Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. A recount of the almost 400,000 ballots had confirmed Miller-Meeks' victory, the closest US race since 1974. A bipartisan state panel then unanimously certified the 2nd Congressional District results before Hart asked for a review by the US House, the Des Moines Register reports. A lawyer for Miller-Meeks said Hart should have followed precedent by taking the matter to Iowa's courts first. Hart's campaign maintained that 22 ballots were cast legally but not counted.

story continues below

"Despite our best efforts to have every vote counted, the reality is that the toxic campaign of political disinformation to attack this constitutional review of the closest congressional contest in 100 years has effectively silenced the voices of Iowans," Hart said in a statement Wednesday, per KCRG. Republicans had publicly called her challenge an attempt to steal the election and begun running commercials this week tying Rep. Cindy Axne, the state's only Democrat in Congress, to the issue. House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy went to Iowa on Wednesday to back Miller-Meeks and criticize Hart. (Read more Election 2020 stories.)
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu says he was still fully in charge of the minority caucus.

He said despite the suggestions that the Minority in Parliament was in a crisis, he was still fulling in charge.



This follows the resignation of the Member of Parliament (MP) from North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa from the Appointments Committee of Parliament and the breaking of ranks by the Bolgatanga Central MP, Isaac Adongo who disagrees with the approval of Mr Ken Ofori-Atta as Minister of Finance by the minority caucus.



At a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Iddrisu said is caucus will sail through the "storm."



"The parliament organ [minority] led by me currently will do what is needful to work in tandem with the party to hold the Nana Akufo-Addo government accountable and to lead the party into victory into 2024.



Whatever storm it is, we will weather it. I'm fully in charge, I'm Minority Leader this morning [and] I've just engaged with the party leadership and council of elders, no further comment on someone resigning or not."



Following the Parliamentary approval of all 46 ministerial nominees by President Akufo-Addo in his second term, the Minority in Parliament has come under a public verbal attack by some members of the NDC.



The Minority has been accused of not scrutinizing the nominees enough and rejecting their nominations contrary to what they had publicly declared about the said nominees.



This has resulted in a number of reactions including the resignation of the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa from the Appointments Committee of Parliament.



Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021

Mr Ablakwa in his resignation letter dated March 30, 2021 and addressed to the Speaker of Parliament said he would want to discontinue his membership of the Appointments Committee after days of careful reflection and thoughtful considerations.



A copy of the letter seen by Graphic Online reads: This is to formally convey my decision to discontinue my membership of the Appointments Committee after days of careful reflection and thoughtful consideration, he stated. In the letter, Mr Ablakwa explained that the reasons for the decision to step down had been a difficult one, stopping short to shed light on what might have informed his decision. I shall like to state that the reasons for this is difficult and that the decision is both personal and on principle.



Respectfully, ... my resignation is with immediate effect and therefore I shall not be available for the vetting of the nominees for deputy ministerial positions, the letter read.







Source: graphiconline.com









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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 11:12:58|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian (L) and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh attend the handover ceremony of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, March 31, 2021. A special plane carrying a new batch of China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the capital of Cambodia Wednesday night, giving the country bigger possibility to inoculate its citizens against COVID-19. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A special plane carrying a new batch of China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the capital of Cambodia Wednesday night, giving the country bigger possibility to inoculate its citizens against COVID-19.

Present at the Phnom Penh International Airport for the handover of the vaccine were Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh, Health Minister Mam Bunheng and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian.

Speaking at the event, Gen. Banh expressed his profound gratitude to China for providing the vaccine to Cambodia, saying it was crucial to combating the COVID-19 pandemic and protecting the lives of Cambodian people.

He said it was the second batch of the Sinopharm vaccine that China had donated to Cambodia after the first batch which arrived in the kingdom on Feb. 7.

"This is a new testament to the iron friendship and close cooperation between the two governments and peoples, and it will undoubtedly contribute to building a Cambodia-China community with shared future," he said.

The government and people of Cambodia are so grateful to the government and people of China for generously providing the second batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to Cambodia in this difficult time, he added.

Ambassador Wang said the donation truly reflected China's unwavering commitment to making its COVID-19 vaccines a "global public good".

"I sincerely hope that Chinese vaccines will be able to build a healthy firewall for the Cambodian people against the COVID-19 and can play a positive role in helping Cambodia to prevail over the pandemic," he said.

Cambodia launched an inoculation drive on Feb. 10. As of Wednesday, more than 407,000 people in the priority groups had been vaccinated against the disease, according to a government report.

Cambodia's Ministry of Health secretary of state Or Vandine has said that the Sinopharm vaccine is safe and effective and that the country has not received any reports of serious side effects after inoculations.

The Southeast Asian country is targeting to inoculate at least 10 million out of its 16-million population.

On March 26, a batch of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine Cambodia purchased from China's pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech also arrived in the kingdom.

Cambodia has registered a total of 2,440 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 14 deaths and 1,191 recoveries. Enditem
Pfizer's Covid vaccine still works against the South African and Brazilian variants of the virus and protection lasts for at least six months, studies suggested today.

The jab prevented 100 per cent of infections in a study run by Pfizer in South Africa and UK lab tests on the P1 Brazilian strain of the virus found it worked against that.

Scientists had been worried that new variants of the virus would make vaccines less effective because they change its shape and make it harder for the immune system to recognise.

Recent lab studies showed that levels of useful virus-fighting antibodies drop when vaccinated people are exposed to new variants, but scientists now say this doesn't seem to affect real-world immunity.

One researcher said their study of elderly people saw that antibody levels were 'off the scale' after two doses and that everyone developed signs of protection.

And Pfizer reported that results from its clinical trials showed 'high vaccine efficacy against the variant prevalent in South Africa'.

The findings are good news for long-term trust in the jab and suggest that boosters may not be as vital as the first two doses. It also raises the prospect that international travel won't be too dangerous because the threat of variants is smaller.

Pfizer's vaccine has been given to around 11million people in the UK and is a staple of the rollout, balanced with AstraZeneca jabs (Pictured: A man receives the vaccine in Derby)

Updated clinical trial results published today by Pfizer reveal the vaccine appears to be 91 per cent effective against Covid overall, according to findings from around 46,000 people.

It is between 95 and 100 per cent at preventing severe Covid and death, and was 100 per cent effective at preventing cases in South Africa in a group of 800 people.

The vaccine continues to work for longer than six months, the study found.

Pfizer found 850 cases of Covid in a group given a fake vaccine, compared to 77 in a group of vaccinated people  with approximately 20,000 people in each group.

In a South African sub-trial of 800 people there were nine cases of Covid in the non-vaccine group and none among the vaccinated people. Six of the cases were confirmed to be the South African variant.

RESULTS SUGGEST LOWER ANTIBODY LEVELS DON'T EQUAL LESS PROTECTION Lab studies done when the South African and Brazilian coronavirus variants were discovered found that people with immunity had lower levels of virus-fighting antibodies than they did against the Wuhan strain of the virus. The discovery worried some researchers because fewer antibodies could mean weaker immunity and a higher risk of re-infection or of a vaccine failing. The levels dropped because antibodies are super-specific. Ones made to target the Wuhan variant were less good at recognising the new, mutated strains. For example, a University of Birmingham study today revealed that people vaccinated with Pfizer's jab had 14 times fewer antibodies against the Brazil P1 variant than against the Wuhan variant. And other results from tests on Pfizer's and AstraZeneca's vaccines have suggested antibody responses are weaker. But trial results published today by Pfizer said it saw 100 per cent protection against the South African variant despite fewer useful antibodies. The company said: 'Although lower than to the wild-type strain, it does not appear to affect the high observed efficacy against this variant.' This could be because antibody levels are astronomically high to begin with, so even a large reduction is not enough to bring them below the threshold needed to destroy the virus. Birmingham's Professor Paul Moss, speaking about sending blood samples of Pfizer vaccine recipients to Public Health England's lab for antibody testing, said today: 'When we sent these samples to Porton Down they said "we cant give you the results right now because weve got to dilute them because theyre so high theyre off the scale". 'The antibody levels were so high that theyd gone above the threshold [of blood tests] so we had to dilute them.' Advertisement

If the vaccine couldn't protect against that variant, scientists would have expected to see about the same amount in the vaccinated group  but they didn't see any.

Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech which developed the jab with Pfizer, said: 'This is an important step to further confirm the strong efficacy and good safety data we have seen so far, especially in a longer-term follow-up.

'These data also provide the first clinical results that a vaccine can effectively protect against currently circulating variants, a critical factor to reach herd immunity and end this pandemic for the global population.'

A separate study by the University of Birmingham looked at how well the jab worked in over-80s.

It found that all of the one hundred 80 to 96-year-olds in the study developed antibodies after vaccination and that 98 of them had 'strong' immune responses.

The scientists behind the research said the numbers of antibodies  virus-destroying proteins made by the immune system  were 'off the scale' in their study and that they were 'delighted' with how well the vaccine appeared to work.

Vaccines haven't been widely trialled on the elderly because early studies tend to focus on low-risk patients and elderly people's immune systems are generally worse.

As well as extra proof the jab will protect old people, the most at risk from Covid, the study also found that it should work against the P1 Brazilian variant of the virus.

Immune responses to P1 were weaker but still high enough to prevent serious illness, the study found.

It didn't look at the South African variant, which is more widespread in England with 412 cases compared to 27, but admitted it was 'possibly of more concern'. The variants are extremely similar.

The study measured people's immune responses using blood samples taken just before the second dose and then two weeks afterwards.

The study started before the UK changed its policy to a 12-week gap between doses, so everyone enrolled got their second jab after three weeks, but Dr Helen Parry said: 'I would expect similar end results once those vaccines have been given.'

All of the people in the trial had Covid antibodies in their blood two weeks after the second dose, and two thirds had them after a single dose.

The presence of antibodies in the blood suggests the body is ready to fight off the virus and that someone is immune to Covid, at least to disease if not completely.

And Dr Parry and her colleague Professor Paul Moss, both from the University of Birmingham, said they were surprised by how many antibodies people had.

'When we sent these samples to Porton Down they said "we cant give you the results right now because weve got to dilute them because theyre so high theyre off the scale",' Professor Moss said.

'The antibody levels were so high that theyd gone above the threshold [of blood tests] so we had to dilute them.'

Dr Parry added: 'It was very exciting. And even the response to the first vaccine, we were absolutely delighted at.'

The University of Birmingham research found that people still had antibodies capable of destroying the Brazilian variant (green)  they were lower than against the Wuhan strain but still enough to stop disease, the researchers said

For people who had already caught coronavirus before getting the Pfizer vaccine, antibody levels peaked at the first dose (blue lines). For people who had never had the virus, protection started after the first dose and was boosted by the second (red lines)

Around one in 10 people in the Birmingham study had already had Covid before the vaccine (blue) and these were the people who developed the most antibodies, illustrated by the bar graph

It was not clear how well vaccines would work on very elderly people because the immune system gets weaker with age and doesn't respond as well to jabs.

Although everyone had strong antibody responses, only 63 per cent of people had measurable levels of T-cell white blood cells after their jab.

These are cells capable of destroying virus-infected cells and controlling the long-term production of antibodies, and are thought to be important for lasting protection.

Dr Parry said researchers had seen an 'excellent cellular response' in younger people which 'probably does suggest that this is an effect of ageing'.

But in more positive news the study suggested that the vaccine would protect people against the Brazilian P1 variant.

P1 is evolved in a way that appears to make immunity designed for the Wuhan variant of the virus less effective against it, in the same way that the South African strain is.

This research found that effective antibody levels were 14 times lower against P1 but that they were still high enough to protect against illness with Covid.

Dr Parry said: 'Our research provides further evidence that the mRNA vaccine platform delivers a strong immune antibody response in people up to 96 years of age and retains broad efficacy against the P1 variant, which is a variant of concern.'
New Delhi, April 1 : Confident of winning the Nandigram assembly seat, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari appealed to the people to vote in large numbers.

Adhikari is taking on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a high-stake political contest.

After casting his vote at the Nandanayak Bar Primary School, Adhikari appealed to people to come out in large numbers to cast their vote."The whole country is looking at Nandigram to see if development or politics of appeasement will win here," Adhikari said.

Adhikari further stated that he has a very old relationship with the people of the area. "I have a personal relationship with every person in Nandigram. I am pretty confident to win the election," he said.

Earlier in the morning, Adhikari had claimed that voting is peaceful but later there were reports that stones had been pelted at his car.

The Nandigram Assembly seat is one of the 30 constituencies in West Bengal where polling is being held on Thursday in the second phase of Assembly elections.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Media personality Shaffie Weru has taken the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine whose use and distribution the government has cautioned against.

The radio presenter, who currently is embroiled in a legal battle with his former employer, on Wednesday released photos of himself getting vaccinated by a health worker.

He then joked that he needed to remain healthy 'ahead of chaos'.

"Feeling like a Russian... after taking my first dose of #SputnikV I need to be healthy ahead of my chaos... ." he tweeted.

The Russian-made vaccine was approved by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) for emergency use but is yet to get approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Sputnik V which has an efficacy level of about 92 percent, is the first such private consignment in Kenya that is being administered through a private pharmacy.

For maximum protection, it requires two doses sold at Sh5, 500 a dose which will be administered 21 days apart.

Shaffie has hit the headlines in the past few days following his dismissal from Homeboyz radio for reported making controversial comments while on air.

He responded by threatening to sue his former employer for Sh21 million in damages for unfair and unlawful termination of his employment.

But Radio Africa Group has retaliated and threatened to sue him for Sh150 million for breach of contract and negligence.

This was after the former Homeboyz Radio presenter threatened to sue Radio Africa for unfair and unlawful termination of his employment and demanded Sh21 million in damages.
Empty maternal care hallway at Asokoro district hospital as a result of the health workers strike in 2018.

The doctors threatened to commence an 'indefinite strike' on Thursday if the Nigerian government fails to meet their demands.

The Nigerian government on Wednesday moved to avert a strike by doctors which was set to commence on Thursday.

The government also appealed to the doctors, members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), to consider the plight of millions of Nigerians that will be adversely affected and shelve the planned strike.

The NARD threatened to commence an 'indefinite strike' on Thursday if the Nigerian government fails to meet its demands.

The president of the association, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, confirmed the development in a communique issued at the end of the NARD's extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Saturday.

He said the ultimatum given to the federal government to meet the association's earlier demands will expire on March 31, with no significant achievement.

At a reconciliatory meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, labour minister Chris Ngige, who led the government delegation, appealed to the aggrieved doctors to consider the damage their withdrawal of services would cause on the country's health system already besieged by the coronavirus.

Mr Ngige, before the meeting went into a closed session, said the majority of the welfare issues under contention were almost resolved even before the letter of complaint and notification of planned strike action was delivered to the ministry.

According to him, the government had started discussions on hazard allowance for health workers in the country.

He noted that as a conciliator, he has communicated the complaints of the doctors to the relevant ministries.

The minister added that several meetings have been held and proposals have been drawn to address the situation before it degenerates into a strike.

"We are here because we have started solving your issues. We put up proposals with given timelines on how to deal with them. We will look at those proposals with you, fix adequate timelines so that the people on the government side will be implementing and marking them as they execute them.

"I have held informal meetings with the finance ministry and they told me they have started solving some of the problems, the two committees in the National Assembly have also tried to get you and your employers on same page. We have to intervene to ensure industrial peace in the health industry.

"We are in a very bad period health-wise; the world over and Nigeria is not an exception. So, we have to think about the generality of Nigerians because right now, 80 per cent of Nigerians are outpatients because of the COVID-19 pandemic so we have to look at the issues that way and see how we can get the best out of this situation."

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The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Abdullahi Mashi, who represented the health minister, appealed to the doctors to reconsider embarking on strike, given that most of their concerns were almost resolved.

"Most of the issues are almost solved. The only thing remaining is to get the commitment of NARD to suspend the strike action. All efforts are being put in place," the permanent secretary said.

The President of NARD, Mr Okhuaihesuyi, who spoke on behalf of the doctors, said they were looking forward to resolving all issues and grievances during the closed-door meeting.

The closed-door meeting was still ongoing at the conference room of the labour minister's office in Abuja at the time of this report.

Resident doctors, who are undergoing training to become consultants, make up a large percentage of doctors in Nigeria's tertiary hospitals.
YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will soon start vaccinations against COVID-19 using the AstraZeneca vaccine, Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan said on April 1.

Avanesyan said the health ministrys board of experts is closely following the developments around the vaccine.

Citing the American FDA, EUs drug registration agency and WHO conclusions, Avanesyan added that the health experts will convene a meeting on Friday to discuss the recent AstraZeneca guidelines change in Germany where the drug will be limited only to people over 60.

Avanesyan said the AstraZeneca doses are yet to pass customs and pass several other processes. It is expected that the vaccine will be available in Yerevan and in the provinces on April 5. Until then, health authorities are conducting trainings with polyclinic doctors.

24,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was supplied to Armenia through COVAC FACILITY.

Vaccinations are optional, but Avanesyan advised everyone to get the shot in order to return to normal life.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
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Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel
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WARWICK, R.I.  A handful of coins unearthed from a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in rural Rhode Island and other random corners of New England may help solve one of the planets oldest cold cases.

The villain in this tale: a murderous English pirate who became the worlds most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim pilgrims home to India from Mecca, then eluded capture by posing as a slave trader.

Its a new history of a nearly perfect crime, said Jim Bailey, an amateur historian and metal detectorist who found the first intact 17th-century Arabian coin in a meadow in Middletown.

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That ancient pocket change  among the oldest ever found in North America  could explain how pirate Capt. Henry Every vanished into the wind.

On Sept. 7, 1695, the pirate ship Fancy, commanded by Every, ambushed and captured the Ganj-i-Sawai, a royal vessel owned by Indian emperor Aurangzeb, then one of the worlds most powerful men. Aboard were not only the worshipers returning from their pilgrimage, but tens of millions of dollars worth of gold and silver.

What followed was one of the most lucrative and heinous robberies of all time.

Historical accounts say his band tortured and killed the men aboard the Indian ship and raped the women before escaping to the Bahamas, a haven for pirates. But word quickly spread of their crimes, and English King William III  under enormous pressure from a scandalized India and the East India Company trading giant  put a large bounty on their heads.

If you Google first worldwide manhunt, it comes up as Every, Bailey said. Everybody was looking for these guys.

Until now, historians only knew that Every eventually sailed to Ireland in 1696, where the trail went cold. But Bailey says the coins he and others have found are evidence the notorious pirate first made his way to the American colonies, where he and his crew used the plunder for day-to-day expenses while on the run.

The first complete coin surfaced in 2014 at Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown, a spot that had piqued Baileys curiosity two years earlier after he found old colonial coins, an 18th-century shoe buckle and some musket balls.

Waving a metal detector over the soil, he got a signal, dug down and hit literal paydirt: a darkened, dime-sized silver coin he initially assumed was either Spanish or money minted by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Peering closer, the Arabic text on the coin got his pulse racing. I thought, Oh my God,' he said.

Research confirmed the exotic coin was minted in 1693 in Yemen. That immediately raised questions, Bailey said, since theres no evidence that American colonists struggling to eke out a living in the New World traveled to anywhere in the Middle East to trade until decades later.

Since then, other detectorists have unearthed 15 additional Arabian coins from the same era  10 in Massachusetts, three in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut. Another was found in North Carolina, where records show some of Everys men first came ashore.

It seems like some of his crew were able to settle in New England and integrate, said Sarah Sportman, state archaeologist for Connecticut, where one of the coins was found in 2018 at the ongoing excavation of a 17th-century farm site.

It was almost like a money laundering scheme, she said.

Although it sounds unthinkable now, Every was able to hide in plain sight by posing as a slave trader  an emerging profession in 1690s New England. On his way to the Bahamas, he even stopped at the French island of Reunion to get some Black captives so hed look the part, Bailey said.

Obscure records show a ship called the Sea Flower, used by the pirates after they ditched the Fancy, sailed along the Eastern seaboard. It arrived with nearly four dozen slaves in 1696 in Newport, Rhode Island, which became a major hub of the North American slave trade in the 18th century.

Theres extensive primary source documentation to show the American colonies were bases of operation for pirates, said Bailey, 53, who holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Rhode Island and worked as an archaeological assistant on explorations of the Wydah Gally pirate ship wreck off Cape Cod in the late 1980s.

Bailey, whose day job is analyzing security at the states prison complex, has published his findings in a research journal of the American Numismatic Society, an organization devoted to the study of coins and medals.

Archaeologists and historians familiar with but not involved in Baileys work say theyre intrigued, and believe its shedding new light on one of the worlds most enduring criminal mysteries.

Jims research is impeccable, said Kevin McBride, a professor of archaeology at the University of Connecticut. Its cool stuff. Its really a pretty interesting story.

Mark Hanna, an associate professor of history at the University of California-San Diego and an expert in piracy in early America, said that when he first saw photos of Baileys coin, I lost my mind.

Finding those coins, for me, was a huge thing, said Hanna, author of the 2015 book, Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire. The story of Capt. Every is one of global significance. This material object  this little thing  can help me explain that.

Everys exploits have inspired a 2020 book by Steven Johnson, Enemy of All Mankind; PlayStations popular Uncharted series of video games; and a Sony Pictures movie version of Uncharted starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas thats slated for release early in 2022.

Bailey, who keeps his most valuable finds not at his home but in a safe deposit box, says hell keep digging.

For me, its always been about the thrill of the hunt, not about the money, he said. The only thing better than finding these objects is the long-lost stories behind them.

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This story has been corrected to show that the Arabian coins are among the oldest found in North America, not the oldest.
Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, and its ring system appear to mainly produce X-ray emission by scattering solar X-rays, but some may also come from aurorae.

X-ray emissions have been detected from comets, Venus, Earth, Mars, Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter, and several of Jupiters moons, said Dr. William Dunn, an astrophysicist in the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London, and his colleagues.

For Mercury, which is too close to the Sun to be observed by the Earth-orbiting X-ray observatories, in-situ X-ray instruments have provided detailed maps of the planets X-ray emissions.

Of the planets in the Solar System, only the ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, still remain to be detected in the X-ray waveband.

In this study, we will focus on the closer of these two bodies: Uranus, they said.

In the study, they used data collected by NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory in 2002 and 2017.

They saw a clear detection of X-rays from the first observation, just analyzed recently, and a possible flare of X-rays in those obtained 15 years later.

What could cause Uranus to emit X-rays? The answer: mainly the Sun, they noted.

While the team initially expected that most of the X-rays detected would be from scattering of solar emission, there are tantalizing hints that at least one other source is present.

One possibility is that the rings of Uranus are producing X-rays themselves, which is the case for Saturns rings, the astronomers said.

Uranus is surrounded by charged particles such as electrons and protons in its nearby space environment.

If these energetic particles collide with the rings, they could cause the rings to glow in X-rays.

Another possibility is that at least some of the X-rays come from aurorae on Uranus, a phenomenon that has previously been observed on this planet at other wavelengths, they added.

X-rays are emitted in Earths aurorae, produced by energetic electrons after they travel down the planets magnetic field lines to its poles and are slowed down by the atmosphere.

Jupiter has aurorae, too. The X-rays from Jovian aurorae come from two sources: electrons traveling down magnetic field lines, as on Earth, and positively charged atoms and molecules raining down at Jupiters polar regions.

However, were less certain about what causes auroras on Uranus. Chandras observations may help figure out this mystery.

The findings were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

_____

W.R. Dunn et al. 2021. A low signal detection of X-rays from Uranus. Journal of Geophysical Research 126 (4); doi: 10.1029/2020JA028739
Mombasa, Kenya (PANA) - The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said on Thursday it did not expect negative impact on operations at the Port of Mombasa as a result of the Suez Canal blockade caused by the stalling of the Ever Given container ship
The shootings in Boulder, Colorado, and the Atlanta-area last month that left 18 people dead has reignited the political exchange around gun control.

But that discussion shouldn't overshadow the stark contrast in the political response to the two attacks or in the news media coverage.

After the shooting in Boulder on March 22, in which an assault rifle was used, President Joe Biden called on Congress to take action to ban them and close background check loopholes. Lawmakers jumped in with official statements and media appearances denouncing gun violence.

The week before, however, after the shootings in the Atlanta area on March 16, where six of the eight victims were Asian women, there were critical discussions on hate crimes, racism and misogyny  and almost none on guns and gun control.

Gun control advocates point out that the racial disparities in the two shootings  all of the Boulder victims were white  likely played a role in the difference in reaction.

What we're seeing now is no different from, frankly, what we see every day, Greg Jackson Jr., national advocacy director of the Community Justice Action Fund said. When minorities are being impacted by gun violence, its purely looked at as a crime challenge, a hate challenge, but not necessarily as the public health crisis that it is and the response thats required to address this as a crisis and not an individual impact or individual incident.

Addressing the overlap in both gun violence and targeted hatred toward specific groups is the Community Justice Action Funds mission. It was founded by Amber Goodwin, a political organizer formerly with Gabby Giffords gun control group, in the aftermath of the mass shooting at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. Goodwin said she made a point to build a gun control organization that intersected the issues of gun policy with issues of gender-based violence and racism.

Story continues

The work in the gun control movement cant just be focused on the Second Amendment, she said. Giving the identities of the victims in the Atlanta shootings, the conversation cannot just be about gun violence, or just about sexism and racism, she said.

It has been a consistent struggle to make sure that we're not just talking about these buckets of violence that don't include thinking about this from a gender justice issue as well, Goodwin said.

The lack of conversation on guns after the Atlanta shootings came as a surprise to David Inoue, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League.

Why is there this lack of coverage about the fact that this was a mass shooting? And whenever there's a mass shooting that's always one of the first thing that's talked about, he said.

That the suspect bought the handgun used in the shooting hours before the attacks adds to the question of why gun reform wasnt an immediate part of the conversation. Actions like imposing a one-week waiting period, Inoue says, may have helped prevent the shootings.

When you hear the police give the narrative that this guy had a bad day, maybe if he had to wait a week that bad day would have not turned out the way that it did," Inoue said. "He would have had to wait a week, he would have cooled off. And this is a perfect example of where common-sense gun control might have actually made a difference."

But Goodwin says the response to the Atlanta shootings, specifically the lack of policy response, is typical for when communities of color are targeted by gun violence.

When there is a mass tragedy, there is always a policy response. When there's violence that happens in our communities, the response is, What did those people do, why were they there? Like last week, people initially said, Why were those women there? It doesn't matter why they were there, it doesnt matter what the occupation was, Goodwin said.

Why is the response when it comes to communities of color always a response about putting it back on the people who were impacted to figure out the problem?" she said. "Why are we not humanized?

Goodwin also said that the pattern of media and officials humanizing white victims, and the subsequent immediate policy action, are inherently tied to the bias of white victims being considered by the media as more "relatable."

That bias goes beyond just gun violence; scholars have also pointed to the disparities in how the media covers missing persons cases when the victims are white women versus women of color.

In a 2014 article in the Journal of Black Studies, Wanda Parham-Payne wrote about how the media has framed shootings where the victims are white versus people of color. She wrote that shootings in which the victims are white, like the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Connecticut that left 26 people dead, including 20 children, are often followed by calls to action, but gun violence in Black communities, which statistically affect Black children far more often, are not given the same attention.

The same occurs, she wrote, for gun-related crimes against people who are low income and who are from racial and ethnic minority groups. They are framed by the media as a convergence of cultural, environmental and individual shortcomings and immorality, she writes, which then affects the policy response and political discourse.

Asian American advocates say they are further frustrated by the fact that gun control is an issue widely supported and cared about in the community. It was an added concern to not hear the topic discussed after the community has been specifically targeted with hate incidents and physical violence during the pandemic.

According to a 2016 survey from AAPI Data, 77 percent of Asian Americans believe there needs to be stricter gun laws in the country, a far higher number than the national average. Among registered voters in that same survey, 74 percent said gun control was an extremely important or very important issue to them in the 2016 election.

Asian Americans are part of the community. We are equally afraid of the lack of gun control," Liz OuYang, a civil rights attorney and educator at Columbia University and New York University, said. "It is important that we are part of that discussion."

There are many issues that impact mainstream America that impact Asian Americans as well, because we are part of America, too."
In August of 2018, I argued in defense of social media companies' right to regulate content presented on their sites. I made an argument that because Big Tech giants are private businesses, they have the right to refuse service to any customer they consider reprehensible, as any other business does. The situation has changed dramatically since then, because in the last two years, social media companies went from limiting access to or deleting individual posts and users to almost a full ban on conservative viewpoints.

There is a large group of people who are no longer allowed to express an opinion on social media platforms. That's not "regulating content" any more than my supermarket not allowing Christians to shop. The right to refuse service does not apply to groups of people you don't like. The right to refuse service applies to single cases when a business-owner refuses to serve a particular customer because his behavior hurts the business. A hairdresser does not have to serve a person who comes in without his shirt on. A hairdresser cannot refuse service to all people who do not come in wearing a $50 blouse.

The latest victim to fall to the social media totalitarianism is a conservative news and comedy host, Steve Crowder, who was forbidden to post YouTube for a week. That suspension comes on the heels on Steve's recent Twitter ban.

Apparently, the cause for the YouTube suspension was Crowder's episode investigating individual cases of voter fraud in Nevada. Steve's crew went to dozens of addresses in Nevada, showing that addresses were nonexistent or that people who voted from those addresses did not live there. For each voter fraud case, Steve's episode provided a detailed explanation on how the vote that came from a particular address was invalid. There were no "harmful or dangerous acts," "hateful and derogatory content," or "violence" in the video. Everything contained in the video was verified, so there was no false information, either. Steve went farther to explain that YouTube had cleared the episode, because no assertion of "widespread voter fraud affecting the outcome of the election" was made in the video.

However, now YouTube has gagged Steve's channel because of that exact video that YouTube said did not violate its guidelines two weeks ago. The Verge reported that YouTube didn't specify exactly which guidelines Steve Crowder had violated but pointed the publication to "controversial issues" and "sensitive events and harmful and dangerous acts."

Let's take a look at what YouTube considers "controversial issues."

According to these guidelines, anything that may be considered "controversial" or "unsettling to YouTube users" can be removed. Obviously, seeing the proof that people voted illegally in 2020 elections  something that mainstream media told us never happened  can be "unsettling" to many users. It is pretty unsettling to me; I won't lie to you. But what is even more unsettling to me are Joe Biden's press conferences, because a president of the United States blatantly lying to the American people is outrageous. So because I find Biden's lies unsettling, will Joe Biden's press conferences be removed from YouTube?

In 1947, Voice of America began broadcasting in the Soviet Union. Many people in the Soviet Union, including my own family, relied on Voice of America as our only source of true information. Soviet people were forbidden to listen to Western radio stations. Special jamming stations were built around the country to block the frequencies on which the "enemy voices" were broadcasting. By the early 1960s, the number of Soviet jamming stations had reached 1,400. Voice of America broadcasts were severely tampered with and hard to hear.

Social media giants are the jamming stations that silence conservative viewpoints  just as the Soviet government did in the '60s and '70s to voices coming from the West. Because Silicon Valley puppets are essentially doing the bidding of the U.S. government, there is no difference between the government-imposed propaganda in the Soviet Union and the propaganda being enforced on the American people by tech giants. There is an active campaign to completely ban conservative voices from being heard on any media outlet. Conservative hosts like Steve Crowder, Ben Shapiro, Mark Levin, and Tucker Carlson are becoming the true Voice of America  in America.

Tanya Berlaga is a contributor to Right Wire Report.

Image: StevenCrowder via YouTube.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has insinuated that the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu is lik...

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has insinuated that the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu is likely to support his bid to emerge as Nigerias next president.

The Kogi State Governor said this while speaking to BBC





Yahaya Bello has been hosting different groups and individuals in Abuja and Lokoja, the capital of his state in the bid to gain support for his ambition to emerge as successor to President Muhammadu Buhari.





Tinubu has not officially declared interest in running for the president, but it is generally believed that he is a front runner for the presidential ticket of APC.





Also, some groups have been taking Tinubu for 2023 presidency campaign across the country.

The less than 50-year-old Yahaya Bello has anchored his aspiration for the presidency on his age.





He told the BBC that young Nigerians are the ones pushing his 2023 presidential ambition.





He added that as a smart leader who is willing to be part of emergence of youthful president capable of driving the country to success, Tinubu will support his ambition.





Our National Leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a revered and well-respected leader and mentor who is well respected by all, including me.

And I know reasons will prevail on him. He will be part of those who will make a youthful government in this country. I believe in his judgment. He is a nice man, said Yahaya Bello.

Bello described Tinubu, as a revered, well-respected leader and smart mentor and a wonderful kingmaker who has mentored a lot of leaders in this country.
[March 31, 2021] Infinity BiologiX (IBX) Announces Collaboration With Ginkgo Bioworks to Scale COVID Response Through Pooled Testing in K-12 Schools

Today, Infinity BiologiX LLC ("IBX"), the innovative central laboratory, announced its collaboration with Concentric (News - Alert) by Ginkgo to provide a scalable and simple testing modality - pooled testing - to serve schools operating in-person or hybrid learning environments. Concentric by Ginkgo is the public health and biosecurity effort at Ginkgo Bioworks ("Ginkgo"), the organism company, and serves hundreds of schools across the country. This partnership will enable school systems in New Jersey (including Newark Public Schools) and other states to receive end-to-end COVID testing services. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006041/en/ IBX DNA/RNA Extraction Lab (Photo: Business Wire) Concentric by Ginkgo's goal is to provide easy, affordable pooled testing to every school in America. Pooled classroom testing, which combines swabs from all consenting individuals in a classroom and runs them as a single test, can significantly increase testing capacity and lower the cost of testing programs. As more and more schools work to support in-person learning environments, communities across the country have turned to COVID-9 testing to monitor the virus. Even as teachers and guardians become eligible for vaccines, clinical vaccine trials for individuals under 16 are just beginning, and efforts to track and mitigate viral spread remain critical.



"We are proud to support this initiative which addresses the sensitivity, specificity and capacity challenges associated with a large pooled sample strategy for COVID testing, and opens up the possibility of truly comprehensive community testing," said Robin Grimwood, CEO of IBX. IBX, building on its proven track record as a leading innovative central laboratory, was the first to receive FDA Emergency Use Authorization for the use of saliva testing to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and at-home saliva sample collection for COVID-19 testing. To date, IBX has performed over 6 million qPCR diagnostic tests for COVID-19.

"Pooled testing - every student, every week - is a key tool that schools can leverage to give students, teachers and their families peace of mind as they return to in-person learning," said Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks. "Pooling is a testing protocol that's truly scalable, and it's our collaboration with proven and innovative labs like IBX that make that scale possible." Announcing the Newark Public Schools testing program in March of this year, Superintendent Roger Leon said, "We are extremely excited to participate in Ginkgo Bioworks' pooled COVID-19 testing for students because it will provide an added level of confidence to parents, students, staff and the community as we return to in-person instruction." To learn more about Concentric by Ginkgo or to get your school district involved, head over to concentricbyginkgo.com. About Infinity BiologiX Infinity BiologiX (IBX) is a market-disrupting central laboratory supporting academia, government, and industry. IBX provides global sample collection, processing, storage, and analytical services integrated with scientific and technical support in both the research and clinical arenas. As a leader in biomaterials, IBX provides support to the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and research in the genomics, precision, and regenerative medicine arenas. IBX previously operated as RUCDR Infinite (News - Alert) Biologics before spinning out from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in August 2020. For more information, visit www.ibx.bio. About Ginkgo Bioworks Headquartered in Boston, Ginkgo Bioworks uses the most advanced technology on the planet-biology-to grow better products. The company's cell programming platform is enabling the growth of biotechnology across diverse markets, from food to fragrance to pharmaceuticals. Ginkgo is also actively supporting a number of COVID-19 response efforts, including community testing, epidemiological tracing, vaccine development and therapeutics discovery. For more information, visit www.ginkgobioworks.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006041/en/

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[April 01, 2021] Vacasa Finalizes Acquisition of TurnKey Vacation Rentals

Vacasa, the leading vacation rental management platform in North America, announced it has closed the transaction under which it agreed to acquire TurnKey Vacation Rentals, a technology-enabled vacation rental property manager for premium homes in more than 80 destinations across the U.S. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005250/en/ The deal brings Vacasa's full-service vacation rental management to new destinations, including Napa, California. (Photo: Vineyard Estate w/Hot Tub & Pool) "This is a significant milestone for both companies, as we'll utilize our collective strengths to do something that has never been done-create a premium standard for vaation rentals," said Matt Roberts, CEO of Vacasa. "We'll do this by leveraging decades of industry expertise and our technology built to optimize the vacation rental experience, bringing more innovative solutions to our owners and guests."



Vacasa signed a definitive agreement to purchase TurnKey in early March. When fully integrated, Vacasa will manage approximately 30,000 vacation homes throughout North America, Belize and Costa Rica. Vacasa's field team consists of nearly 5,000 employees, who will join forces with TurnKey's local teams to provide an increased level of home care for homeowners and hospitality for guests. The addition of TurnKey's 6,000 vacation rentals to Vacasa's portfolio will increase market density in regions where Vacasa has existing operations. It will also bring Vacasa's full-service vacation rental management to several top vacation rental destinations, including: Los Angeles and Napa, California; Asheville, Black Mountain, and Holden Beach, North Carolina; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Guests will have more professionally managed inventory to choose from when planning their next vacation, backed by the strength of the company's combined operations.

According to a recent Skift survey of vacation rental users commissioned by Vacasa, 52% of respondents said they plan to stay in a vacation rental more often in a post-pandemic environment. "The continued demand we are seeing for vacation rentals is staggering, and we don't see this changing anytime soon," said John Banczak, co-founder and CEO of TurnKey. "As we see positive signs for the full return of all types of travel, whether business, family or leisure, we are confident that vacation rentals will increasingly become the preferred choice for travelers seeking a better way to experience their destination." Once the integration is complete, Vacasa will employ 6,500 across the markets it serves, as well as its central support offices located in Portland, Oregon; Boise, Idaho; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; and Austin, Texas. About Vacasa Whether travelers are looking to book a weekend getaway or the trip of a lifetime, Vacasa is the trusted partner for all things vacation rental. Vacasa homeowners enjoy industry-leading financial returns on their vacation homes, delivered by the company's unmatched technology platform that adjusts rates in real time and ensures revenue is always maximized. Guests can relax comfortably in one of Vacasa's professionally managed homes across North America, knowing that 24/7 customer care is just a phone call away. In the past 11 years, Vacasa and its licensed subsidiaries have grown to become North America's leading vacation rental management platform and employs approximately 6,500 people who are passionate about providing best-in-class service to homeowners, guests, real estate investors and partners. For more information, visit https://www.vacasa.com/press. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005250/en/

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Pour a slug of brut champagne into a flute. Add a splash of bitters, some Grand Marnier, a tablespoon of mango juice. Next a strawberry for garnish. Or sprig of mint if you like, since nobody in the cottage can remember the finer details.

The cottage belonged to Macquarie University, with campus plumbers occupying one half and lexicographers the other. The year was 1981, the cocktail toasting a decade of wordy slog, a marathon bent on establishing the authority that would be the Macquarie Dictionary.

Longtime Macquarie Dictionary editor Susan Butler. Credit:Anthony Johnson

Imperfect authority, it should be said. Since an elk is no close relation of a mouse, as one entry stated. The typo was a transcript error, where moose mutated to mouse between index card and rudimentary computer. Ditto for the bufflehead, the duck an alleged owner of white underpants  instead of underparts.

The slips are a glimpse of the Macquaries 40 years in the limelight. Pat Manser, one of the houses original research editors, has written More Than Words (Pan Macmillan, 2020) to celebrate the anniversary. Pat was there in 1973, the initial office a Ryde home-unit, with at least one newborn dozing in the bathtub.
Prosecution on Wednesday, March 31, revealed in detail to court how Paul Rusesabagina financed terrorism activities during his reign as president of MRCD.

Just like during the previous two hearings, Rusesabagina did not attend Wednesday's trial following his pronouncement before court on March 12 that he would no longer attend hearings.

His decision followed a court ruling that rejected his request to push trial for six months.

He is among 21 individuals being tried at the High Court Special Chamber for International and Cross-border Crimes over accusations linked to terrorism committed by MRCD-FLN.

His co-accused attended the hearing that is presided over by high court judge Antoine Muhima.

Rusesabagina faces nine charges including formation of an irregular armed group, membership of a terrorist group, financing terrorism, murder as an act of terrorism, and abduction as an act of terrorism.

Other counts are armed robbery as an act of terrorism, arson as an act of terrorism, attempted murder as an act of terrorism, and assault and battery as an act of terrorism.

According to prosecution, on the charge of financing terrorism, Rusesabagina on several occasions personally sent money to 'General' Wilson Irategeka, who was the leader of FLN, to run terror activities of the militia group based in D.R. Congo.

Irategeka was eventually killed in a military offensive by DR Congo military against armed groups operating in the country.

During Wednesday's hearing, Claudine Dushimimana, a National Prosecutor, mentioned that during interrogations, Rusesabagina admitted sending a total of $20,000 to FLN, adding that, there were also other sums of money that would be collected through fundraisings organized by MRCD and contributions by members of the coalition.

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Besides Rusesabagina's admission, prosecutors said they have material evidence attesting to this.

Prosecution informed court that some of the money would be transferred to FLN through one Eric Munyemana, the treasurer of MRCD, who would then send it to Irategeka.

According to findings of Belgian police, said prosecution, Munyemana admitted sending the money.

"All the transfers were sanctioned by MRCD-FLN leadership that was chaired by Paul Rusesabagina, and the top leadership would receive reports of how the money was used," added prosecutor Dushimimana.

Court heard the recipients of the money were mainly based in DR Congo. Others were based in Madagascar, Comoros, and Rwanda.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, prosecution also pinned Rusesabagina on charges of forming an irregular armed group and being a member of a terrorist group.

Rusesabagina, together with Wilson Irategeka, Callixte Nsabimana alias Sankara came together to form MRCD as a coalition, and later its military wing FLN.

Through media outlets, MRCD-FLN claimed responsibility for attacks that claimed at least nine lives and destroyed properties in Rwanda between 2018 and 2019.

In the ongoing substantive trial, the court has not yet heard defense of the accused.

The trial is expected to resume on Thursday, April 1 at 8:30 a.m.
Today

Humid with clouds, some breaks of hazy sun, and a few showers or t-storms.

Tonight

Partly cloudy with a lingering shower or t-storm early in the evening.

Tomorrow

Partly sunny and warm but with a bit less humidity. A stray t-storm possible in the Poconos.
A transgender woman has been sent to a male prison after she stabbed two men in a jealous drink-and-drug-fuelled rage.

Susan Cuthbert, 51, became violent when she discovered her current boyfriend 'being intimate' with her ex-lover at a house in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire.

She attacked them both with a knife and left one victim with stab wounds to his abdomen, causing injuries to his bowel.

He spent 22 days in hospital but has still to fully recover from the injuries he suffered last September, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The other victim suffered a deep laceration.

Cuthbert, of Brotton, east Cleveland, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

She was sentenced to five years and four months in custody at a male prison.

Susan Cuthbert, 51, (pictured) became violent when she discovered her current boyfriend 'being intimate' with her ex-lover at a house in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said Cuthbert had been in a brief sexual relationship with a man, who goes by the name of 'Gemma', but it fell apart on New Year's Eve 2019.

She then introduced 'Gemma' to her next door neighbour who she was having a sexual relationship with.

Trouble flared when her two lovers then got together in one of their homes on Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

Mr Dodds said a violent confrontation erupted in the kitchen before Cuthbert followed them into the living room and stabbed them both with a kitchen knife.

The court heard how the defendant called another friend via social media to tell her what she had done and showed her the weapon she had used.

The neighbour sustained stab wounds to his abdomen, causing injuries to his bowel, and the other victim suffering a deep laceration.

Mr Dodds said police were called to the address and discharged a Taser to enable her arrest.

One victim spent 22 days in hospital but has still to fully recover from the injuries he suffered last September, Teesside Crown Court (pictured) heard

In police interview, Cuthbert said she had 'caught them at it' but had little recollection of what had actually happened.

Cuthbert, of Brotton, east Cleveland, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Stephen Constantine, in mitigation, said his client accepted fully responsibility for the incident despite her limited recollection of events due to her drug and alcohol intake.

He said: 'She describes her own actions as appalling, she appeared to be remorseful and ashamed and was described as being upset that should could have committed such a serious crime.'

Judge Howard Crowson sentenced her to five years and four months in custody at a male prison.

'You introduced both men and they, it seems, became close. Naturally there became some tension,' he said.

'Whatever had taken place had made you angry, the argument it seems became more than an argument, it became violent.'

The judge said one of the victims was still struggling to recover from the attack.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) Paraguayan presidential special envoy Federico Gonzalez Franco told Sputnik that he would be meeting with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to discuss deliveries of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to the Latin American country.

"Tomorrow I will have meetings with the management of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and we will consider more precisely the timing so that vaccines can be delivered to Paraguay as soon as possible," Franco said.

Earlier in the day, the special envoy met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov to discuss vaccine supplies.

In February, Paraguayan Health Minister Julio Mazzoleni said that the country would get one million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

The Latin American country is also expecting to receive COVID-19 vaccines via the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility.
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The authorities of University of Benin, Edo State, on Wednesday, announced the suspension of members of the three arms of the Students Union Government in the institution.

The university spokesperson, Benedicta Ehanire, in a statement issued in Benin, said a caretaker committee would be put in place to manage the affairs of the union.

Ms Ehanire said the institutions Senate took the decision to forestall breakdown of law and order, following the planned protest by the students union body against the shift in the schools academic calendar.

The union had persistently engaged in subversive activities, including incitement of other students to disobey lawful instructions by the school authorities.

This is in spite of concerted efforts by management, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lilian Salami, to provide their basic needs, such as water and electricity as well as other facilities necessary for learning.

Consequently, the bank account of the union has been suspended and their secretariat sealed.

All members of the erstwhile executives are to hand over their students union identification cards to the Chief Security Officer of the university immediately.

They are also to vacate the privileged hostel accommodations accorded them with immediate effect, she said.

Ms Ehanire said the university Senate, however, commended the students for resisting attempts by the students union executives to drag them into unwarranted agitations.

The Senate wishes the students the best in their ongoing examinations and a restful break from April 1 until their return to campus for the second semester on April 18, she said.

The president of the suspended union, Benjamin Egwu, did not respond to calls seeking his comment.

Meanwhile, in another statement, the university Senate announced a review of the 2019/2020 academic calendar.

Ms Ehanire quoted the Senate, presided by the vice-chancellor, as affirming that first semester examinations would end on Thursday, as earlier scheduled.

(NAN)
Armed troops are seen on a road in Yangon, Myanmar, March 31. EPA



Myanmar activists held protests across the country overnight two months after the military seized power, as a United Nations special envoy warned that "a bloodbath is imminent" because of the intensified crackdown on anti-coup demonstrations.



The envoy's warning follows a flare-up in fighting between the army and ethnic minority insurgents in frontier regions.



At least 20 soldiers were killed and four military trucks destroyed in clashes with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of Myanmar's most powerful rebel groups, DVB news reported.



A KIA soldier cited by Kachin Liberation Media said the attack happened on Wednesday afternoon.



Reuters could not immediately verify the reports and a junta spokesman did not answers calls seeking comment.



Myanmar military aircraft have started bombing positions of another group, the Karen National Union (KNU), for the first time in more than 20 years and thousands of villagers have fled from their homes, many into Thailand.



Myanmar has been rocked by almost daily protests since the army overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government on Feb. 1 citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud in a November election. Suu Kyi and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) are being held in detention



In cities across Myanmar there were further candle-lit protests overnight including in Myitnge in the Mandalay region, according to media and photographs on social media.





This handout from the Karen Information Center taken and released to AFP on March 31 shows ethnic Karen people taking part in an anti-military coup demonstration in Hlaingbwe township in eastern Myanmar's Karen state. AFP



Suu Kyi due in court



The junta has accused Suu Kyi of several minor crimes but could soon charge her with treason which can be punishable by death, Khit Thit Media reported on Wednesday.



Reuters could not confirm this, but the next hearing in her case is due later on Thursday.






The United Kingdom has expressed her readiness to work with Nigeria towards ending the nation's insecurity nightmares.

The UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, who visited Nigeria between March 28 and 29, said:

"Nigeria is an important and valued defence partner for the UK. Our two countries face many shared threats, from violent extremists like Boko Haram, to serious organised crime and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

"The UK is committed to working with our Nigerian friends to tackle these threats and enhance security and stability across West Africa."

According to a statement on Wednesday by the British High Commission in Nigeria, the minister's visit demonstrates the importance of the UK-Nigeria partnership across a range of foreign policy and defence objectives.

It said: "The UK's recently launched Integrated Review - our most significant review of foreign, defence, development and security policy since the end of the Cold War - clearly identifies Nigeria as a priority partner for the UK.

"The UK has a long history of defence engagement in the West Africa region, and an enduring partnership with the Armed Forces of Nigeria and those deployed with the Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram. Programmes within this engagement seek to explore ways to strengthen our relationship and to identify areas where the UK can support the Armed Forces of Nigeria and regional partners in their efforts to bring stability to the region."

It revealed that during the visit, the UK Minister for the Armed Forces met the Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Defence Minister, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd); Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admital Awwal Zubairu Gambo; Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; and the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum.

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The statement further revealed that during his discussions, the UK Minister for the Armed Forces said the UK would continue to work closely with Nigeria to address the current security situation; and discussed future Nigeria-UK opportunities to strengthen cooperation, including further UK Ministry of Defence assistance for Nigeria.

He also stressed the importance placed on human rights in the UK engagement.

The statement said Heappey outlined how the UK is committed to working with Nigeria and other regional allies in West Africa to tackle violence in the Lake Chad Basin, while emphasising the importance to the UK and Nigeria of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, stressing that UK remains keen to explore opportunities to do more work with Nigeria on these issues.

The minister added that the UK looks forward to joining Senegal in co-chairing the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FOGG) this year, while also emphasizing how the UK is committed to supporting Nigeria with reforming national and regional structures and processes.
New Delhi, April 1 : Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat on Thursday stressed that all future wars will be conducted by the three services of the armed forces in an integrated manner, and will need sound logistics for success, as he operationalised the third Joint Logistics Node in Mumbai.

"To enable our armed forces to conduct successful operations, it is essential that they be provided with sound logistics support during all stages of the war," he said, operationalising and dedicating to the services the Joint Logistics Node, via video conferencing from New Delhi.

The joint logistics node, the third after Port Blair and Guwahati, will provide integrated logistics cover to the armed forces for their small arms ammunition, rations, fuel, general stores, civil hired transport, aviation clothing, spares and also engineering support in an effort to synergise their operational efforts.

In his remarks, Gen Rawat said: "Establishment and operationalisation of Joint Logistics Nodes is a very important first step in the direction of logistics integration of our three services. Acceptance of each other's limitations and learning from each other's strengths and best practices is essential to help improve the functioning and efficacy of these nodes." This initiative would accrue advantages in terms of saving of manpower, economise utilisation of resources, besides leading to financial savings.

Gen Rawat also complimented the 'Tri-Yodhas' who put in their heart and soul to make this node operational, saying: "I call upon everyone to continue to strive for excellence in our endeavour to become a fully integrated, modern and self-sufficient future-ready force." Successful functioning of these three Joint Logistics Nodes would prove to be important stepping stones for opening of more Joint Logistics Nodes in different parts of the country, he added.

The Joint Logistics Node would enhance joint inter-operability between the services and go a long way in improving the logistics processes of the armed forces in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directions to enhance the jointness among the three services.

This important milestone is a harbinger of further strengthening of integrated logistics in the armed forces and will enable them to operate in all areas and across all spectrum of warfares seamlessly.

The CDS also emphasised on the need to work towards greater logistics integration with national logistics, which has been provided renewed impetus in the recent past, saying it would help the armed forces to take benefit from the infrastructural and logistics improvements taking place at the national level.

"Through this, we will bring to bear the actual 'Whole of the Nation' effort on our adversaries," he added. He also urged the services to put in concerted efforts to achieve cost cutting as well as modernisation.

The Joint Operations Division (JOD) under the aegis of Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff actively pursued and enabled establishment of the Joint Logistics Nodes as the first concrete step towards logistics integration of the three services.

The government sanction for establishment of Joint Logistics Nodes in Mumbai, Guwahati and Port Blair was signed on October 12, 2020, and the latter two were operationalised on January 1, 2021.

The Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) of the Joint Logistics Nodes was also e-released by General Rawat on the occasion.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Cuban cement exports fall 40% in 2020

ICR Newsroom By 01 April 2021

Despite domestic shortages, Cuba exported 21,235t of cement at a value of US$1.04m in 2020, representing a 39.7 per cent drop YoY, according to Periodico Cubano. In 2019 the country exported 35,224t of cement with a value of US$1.885m  most of the product was shipped to Colombia.



In terms of export prices to Colombia, prices have been declining from US$53.50/t in 2019 to US$49/t. The Cuban national statistics office (ONEI) reported that the unit value of cement exports was US$38.70/t in 2019. This compares with offers of Vietnamese export product of US$53-54/t.



Due to a drop in output from domestic plants, exports have fallen from more than 1.2Mt in 2002, added the news service.

Published under
A map showing the South Sudan region where road travellers are being attacked.

Juba , South Sudan  A string of deadly road attacks in South Sudan, including one on a governor's convoy returning from the scene of an earlier attack, have left nearly 30 people dead.

Officials in Eastern Equatoria state say gunmen killed a bodyguard of Governor Louis Lobong Lojore and a woman on Monday, a day after armed youths allegedly from the town of Kapoeta attacked an area called "Camp 15" where members of the ethnic Buya community reside.

Governor Lojore said the motive behind Sunday's incident was believed to be retaliation for an attack in 2020 on the SPLM-In Opposition cantonment site in the town of Lowuareng.

"There was an incident in Lowuareng where a small cantonment site which was there was turned into a small market and it was attacked by people suspected to be youth from Buya community killing five people, so it was based on that," Lojore told VOA's South Sudan in Focus.

Lojore traveled to Camp 15 on Monday to calm tensions following Sunday's attack on the trading center. A short time after the governor's convoy left the camp to return to the state capital Torit Monday evening, gunmen attacked the convoy, killing two people and injuring three others, said state information minister Patrick Oting.

"They fell in an ambush and were attacked by the same Buya youths in Camp 15," Oting told South Sudan in Focus. The governor was uninjured.

Oting said Lojore's convoy returned to Camp 15 after the attack.

"They withdrew from that place, the governor and all the dignitaries that were with him on the convoy including the commander of army in Torit, General Robert Okimo, back to the barracks in Camp 15 after the ambush," said Oting.

With the presence of soldiers on the ground, Othing said the governor and his peace delegates hoped to continue their peace mission to the three communities of Buya, Didinga and Toposa in Eastern Equatoria.

In Central Equatoria state, gunmen killed another 10 people in two separate incidents on the same road. Four commuters including three drivers were killed Sunday while traveling on the Juba-Yei Road and six more travelers were killed by unknown gunmen on Monday.

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At a Juba news conference Monday, Central Equatoria state officials accused National Salvation Front (NAS) rebels led by Thomas Cirillo of carrying out the attacks.

State information minister Paulino Lukudu said NAS forces also launched attacks in Lasu and Lata of Yei River County last week.

On Tuesday, NAS spokesperson Suba Samuel denied his group is responsible for the recent deadly attacks.

"We are not aware of these road attacks or road ambushes whatsoever. What we know is our forces are engaging [South Sudan army forces] south of Juba, in Otogo, in Mugo and yesterday it was in Mukaya," Samuel told South Sudan in Focus.

Lukudu said he hopes Cirilo will actively engage in peace talks between the government and holdout groups under a coalition called the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance in Naivasha, Kenya.
Joseph Biggs, front left, and Ethan Nordean, second from left with the megaphone, walk with other Proud Boys toward the Capitol on Jan. 6. Prosecutors are seeking to detain the two men, who have been indicted in the Capitol assault. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

The Justice Department is asking a federal judge to revoke the pretrial release of two members of the far-right Proud Boys charged in the U.S. Capitol attack, citing new evidence that alleges the men pose a threat to the public.

The move is the most aggressive yet by federal prosecutors seeking to keep members of the Proud Boys and other extremist groups behind bars pending trial. Federal prosecutors have argued, at times unsuccessfully, that members of such groups are too dangerous to remain free.

Of about 400 people charged in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, the Justice Department alleges about three dozen were members or leaders of the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers, most of whom have been released pending trial.

Three accused members of the Oath Keepers were released last week by a judge who turned aside objections of prosecutors citing the threat they posed to the community. After losing those arguments, prosecutors Monday dropped efforts to detain a fourth.

Among the Proud Boys who have been released are Ethan Nordean and Joseph Biggs, whom prosecutors will seek to return to custody at a hearing Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly in Washington. Legal experts say prosecutors will have a tough time convincing Kelly to detain the men.

Nordean, 30, and Biggs, 37, were freed from detention shortly after their arrests in January. Since then, the men have been indicted on conspiracy charges, and prosecutors say federal agents have uncovered messages from an encrypted chat group that show the men are too dangerous to remain confined at home. Both men, who have pleaded not guilty, are accused of conspiring to organize, finance and launch the attack on the Capitol. Prosecutors said Nordean and Biggs led the Proud Boys' charge into the building.

Allowing [Biggs] to stay on pretrial release, even in home confinement, would leave a man who has the wherewithal to help plan and lead a large group of men in a violent attack to take similar actions in the future in furtherance of his goals. And there is every reason to believe he, like his co-defendants, poses the same risk of danger to others and [to] the community that he posed leading up to and on January 6, prosecutors wrote, using similar language in court documents to describe the threat posed by Nordean.

Story continues

Prosecutors added that the men need to be jailed pending trial because they should not have access to the kinds of communications devices over which they organized the assault. The danger, prosecutors argued, has only increased because their stature and influence in the Proud Boys has grown since the riot. Nordean, prosecutors wrote, has also shown no remorse and remains committed to his cause.

"There appear to be no conditions that will ensure that [Nordean] will not plan, organize, and finance further attacks on the government or others  simply out of a misguided belief that he is saving the republic," prosecutors wrote. "The government is gravely concerned that, while [Nordean] is on release, even on strict conditions, his communications cannot be monitored in such a way that would guard against future attacks by his followers."

The Justice Department has focused intense attention on the role right-wing groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers played in instigating the riot, which sought to disrupt Congress' counting of electoral college votes that cemented Joe Biden's presidential victory.

In court documents last week, prosecutors alleged that a leader of the Oath Keepers, described by federal authorities as a large and loosely organized anti-government militia, coordinated his group's Jan. 6 activities with the Proud Boys and another far-right organization. Prosecutors argue that the groups led the charge to breach the Capitol, allowing the large pro-Trump mob to swarm the building. Five people died in the melee.

The Proud Boys are considered to be a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Anti-Defamation League calls the group representative of "an unconventional strain of American right-wing extremism that "can be described as violent, nationalistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and misogynistic."

The group, whose members have been known to engage in violence, describes itself as a pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, with members representing a range of ethnic backgrounds. Its leaders vehemently protest any allegations of racism.

Lawyers for Nordean and Biggs said the men should remain free because they do not pose any threat. They have no criminal histories, the lawyers said, and have not violated any terms of their home confinement. Two judges have already ruled they were not dangerous enough to confine in jail, the lawyers noted.

Nordean has flawlessly complied with the conditions of release to date, belying the governments claim of risk to the community, David B. Smith, an attorney for the Washington state resident, wrote in court papers.

Prosecutors may have a tough time convincing a judge to detain the men because they are already free and have not violated any judicial orders, legal experts said.

"Once someone has been released  unless they commit a new offense or violate terms and conditions of release  its going to be difficult to get those terms changed or revoked," said Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor. "What this does show is that the Justice Department is taking a very aggressive stance on these cases."

Federal prosecutors obtained an indictment March 10 alleging that Nordean, Biggs and two alleged Proud Boys encouraged members of their group to attend President Trumps Stop the Steal rally Jan. 6, helped plan their groups role in the attack on the Capitol, led the storming of the building and breached barricades.

In seeking to confine the men, prosecutors cited social media posts in which Nordean and Biggs called into question the election results and urged their members to take action. Prosecutors also disclosed newly discovered messages from an encrypted chat room that they argued demonstrated both men played leading roles in the conspiracy.

On Jan. 5, prosecutors wrote, Biggs posted that the Proud Boys in Washington were trying to avoid getting into any stonight. Tomorrow is the day.

Another co-conspirator, Charles Donohoe, wrote that Nordean was supposed to be leading the group, the indictment alleged. Prosecutors are seeking the continued detention of Donohoe, 33, of North Carolina. Donohoe, who has been held since his arrest March 17, has a detention hearing set for April 6.

Nordean "is in charge, cops are the primary threat, dont get caught by them or [Black Lives Matter protesters], an unnamed co-conspirator wrote that night, according to the indictment.

After the Trump rally, Nordean and Biggs led other Proud Boys to the Capitol, where they broke barriers and surged past police, prosecutors said.

"As a leader of the Proud Boys members who stormed the Capitol on January 6, [Biggs] presents a danger not only based on his own potential violence, but violence by others who undoubtedly still support him," prosecutors wrote in their detention filing.

Defense lawyers argued that prosecutors have been selectively quoting from among 1,500 pages of chat messages that can be read different ways. Prosecutors arguments are pinioned on a handful of speculative, somewhat dramatic interpretations of certain new evidence of instructions Biggs gave on, before and after January 6. They are subject to several interpretations, wrote John Daniel Hull, Biggs attorney.

Hull added that Biggs is also not a threat because he has what the lawyer described as a good relationship with the FBI. In planning Proud Boys counter-protests and rallies in Portland, Ore., in 2019 and last year, Hull wrote, Biggs spoke extensively with FBI agents and local police about his groups activities.

These talks were intended to both to inform law enforcement about Proud Boys activities in Portland on a courtesy basis but also to ask for advice on planned marches or demonstrations, i.e., what march routes to take on Portland streets, where to go, where not to go, Hull wrote.

The Department of Justice declined to comment regarding Hull's characterization of his client's relationship with the FBI.

Despite the department's efforts to focus on the men's alleged efforts to coordinate activities an. 6, former federal prosecutors said the new evidence didn't strike them as substantial enough to return Biggs and Nordean to jail.

"None of this will be surprising to the judge or was surprising to the judge who released them," said Steven Levin, a former federal prosecutor. "Of course they communicated. How else did they know where to go?"

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay a visit to the Iranian capital of Tehran on April 13 for talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said.

"On April 13, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay a working visit to Tehran, at the invitation of the Iranian foreign minister," Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

According to Zakharova, the foreign ministers will discuss implementation of joint energy and transport projects, prospects of strengthening cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and further partnership in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

"They plan to continue exchanging opinions on a range of pressing international issues, including the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and, of course, the situations in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and the Persian Gulf area," Zakharova continued.
Hong Kong, April 1 : Four men involved in the 2019 rioting and illegal assembly at the Hong Kong International Airport were sentenced to imprisonment for 13 to 45 months by a local court.

Two of the men, who were earlier convicted of illegal assembly, were sentenced on Wednesday to 13 months in prison, Xinhua news agency reported.

The other two men, who had earlier pleaded guilty to rioting, were sentenced to 45 months in prison.

The judge said that the defendants' behaviour seriously affected the operation of the airport, the reputation of Hong Kong and the willingness of tourists to visit Hong Kong.

On August 13, 2019, a group of demonstrators illegally gathered at the Hong Kong International Airport, during which some blocked the road outside the departure hall of Terminal 1, seriously disrupting the normal operation of the airport.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Like many companies, the pandemic compelled One Call, a leader in workers' compensation and ancillary services for Medicare and Medicaid, to take a hard look at its business. One Call took a proactive approach, recognizing early that the disruption would permanently change the way people work, identifying where efficiencies could be realized, and mobilizing quickly to support the American workforce. Now, One Call is enhancing processes and creating solutions to move people through their care journeys better than before.

One Call today announced a brand refresh, introducing an enhanced visual identity, mission, vision, and tagline that boldly reflect where the company is today and where it is headed. The refreshed One Call logo has evolved to be visually similar to the infinity symbol, illustrating connectivity, continuity of care, and the unlimited flexibility of solutions the company provides. The new typeface and color palette reflect One Call's approach to their work: intelligent, innovative, and creative.

"We are excited about what this business transformation means for our care coordinators, our clients, our providers, and those we care for," said Thomas Warsop, CEO of One Call. "With this brand refresh, we are affirming our commitment to getting people the care they need, when they need it, and championing our commitment to closely examining the entire process, from the time someone is injured at work to their return, to identify ways to improve outcomes for all stakeholders involved."

One Call has taken several steps to improve experiences for all stakeholders:

Automated Manual Tasks. One Call is implementing new technology and enhanced workflows to automate manual tasks and reduce the administrative burden on care coordinators and adjusters. One Call collaborated with key providers to build an integrated scheduling platform that enables patients to view available time slots and book appointments directly from their devices, saving time and increasing convenience for patients and providers alike. One Call has already seen significant improvements through this automated system, including a roughly 70 percent decrease in the amount of time and effort it takes to schedule an appointment.

One Call is implementing new technology and enhanced workflows to automate manual tasks and reduce the administrative burden on care coordinators and adjusters. collaborated with key providers to build an integrated scheduling platform that enables patients to view available time slots and book appointments directly from their devices, saving time and increasing convenience for patients and providers alike. has already seen significant improvements through this automated system, including a roughly 70 percent decrease in the amount of time and effort it takes to schedule an appointment. Added Notifications and Self-Service Options. One Call is also introducing notifications and updates that include a single view of a claim, inclusive of all the services coordinated, as well as functionality for intelligent self-service options, such as text messages to confirm, change, or cancel appointments.

One Call is also introducing notifications and updates that include a single view of a claim, inclusive of all the services coordinated, as well as functionality for intelligent self-service options, such as text messages to confirm, change, or cancel appointments. Developed Return-to-Work Strategies. Through the pandemic, One Call was able to identify which solutions needed to be expanded or introduced. With employee safety becoming a paramount concern as companies developed return-to-work and work-from-home strategies, One Call quickly introduced its Workforce Wellbeing solutions, including health assessment technologies and virtual home workstation ergonomics assessments.

Through the pandemic, was able to identify which solutions needed to be expanded or introduced. With employee safety becoming a paramount concern as companies developed return-to-work and work-from-home strategies, quickly introduced its Workforce Wellbeing solutions, including health assessment technologies and virtual home workstation ergonomics assessments. Increased Access to Care. One Call also expanded its non-emergency medical transportation services to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, reducing barriers to care for a broad population.

One Call continues to value flexibility, adaptability, and innovation. Workplace safety and delivery of care have been permanently changed by this crisis, and One Call remains ready to adapt quickly to shifting needs and lead the way in care coordination.

Learn more about One Call's brand refresh.

About One Call

As a leader in the workers' compensation industry and ancillary services for Medicare and Medicaid, One Call has an unwavering commitment to getting people the care they need, when they need it. Leveraging over 30 years of industry experience and innovative solutions, we are moving people through their care journeys better than ever before, providing exceptional, predictive, and responsive care coordination. For more information and the latest news, visit us at onecallcm.com, LinkedIn (One Call), Facebook (@onecallcm), and Twitter (@onecallcm).

Media Contact:

Jessica Taft

One Call, Vice President, Marketing and Branding

[email protected]

SOURCE One Call

Related Links

www.onecallcm.com


Of course there are always opportunities for members of the community to enlist or commission into the 104th Fighter Wing, but did you also know that we typically offer an annual base tour program and that we have a college internship program?

We have a growing internship program available to Western Massachusetts college students each fall and spring semester. How many internships let you watch F-15C Eagles take off from the flight line? Not only do our interns get up close to the jets, they also get to learn about the Massachusetts Air National Guard first hand while they hone skills in their field of study working side by side with airmen.

The public affairs office currently has two interns who are both communications majors from Westfield State University. Their intern schedule is worked around their school schedule to make sure they have time for both, get at least the minimum hours they need to get the amount of credits they want for school, and to ensure they experience as wide an array of tasks and events as possible.

I have gained so much in the last couple of months being at the 104th Fighter Wing, says intern Kaytlyn Laferriere. This opportunity has allowed me to build on my skills while working on a variety of projects for the wings social platforms, which has given me valuable, real-world experience that I would not have gotten just in a classroom. I have been able to create graphics, take pictures, write a story, interview someone on base, teach my entire office different social media programs, cover and observe different events on base, and help the public affairs team in showing what this wing is all about.

Each intern in the public affairs office is asked to prepare and teach a lesson to the entire office that can add to our capabilities. Interns in the public affairs office work on the full array of tasks and responsibilities within the office and help with all base events that occur during their internship. Since they are working on events they get a front-row seat to ceremonies, airman and family readiness events, and distinguished visitor meetings and tours that they would not otherwise have access to.

Everyone on base is super friendly and will go above and beyond for you, says intern Casey Becker. Being a civilian I have been able to get a better understanding of daily operations in the military and form a new appreciation for everything they do. So far being an intern at the 104th Fighter Wing has been exciting every day, there is always something going on for you to work on.

While there are mundane day-to-day tasks that interns help with as in any office, our goal is to provide our interns a fulfilling and exciting internship that forges them into leaders prepared to take on their career field. The bonus is that they also gain a better understanding of the Air National Guard here in their backyard and the mission of the 104th Fighter Wing to support domestic operations at the request of the governor and to protect the nation from enemies here and abroad and deploy our assets at a moments notice by order of our nations president.

I have gained real-world experience that I would not have gotten sitting in a college classroom, says Becker. This internship has helped prepare me to enter the workforce once I graduate.

In addition to the internship program the 104th also offers a base tour program most years from April through October to groups like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, youth aviation groups, high school Junior Reserve Officers Training, college Reserve Officers Training and area employers. Interns typically help organize, lead, and document these tours.

We are looking forward to being able to host tours again as soon as it is practical and safe to do so with COVID-19 protocols. These groups of 15 to 50 kids, teens, and adults get to meet a pilot, try on flight equipment, talk to a crew chief, get up close to one of our F-15 C Eagles and weather and mission permitting they get to watch multiple F-15Cs take off! They also get to take pictures of their day, and we take a group photo in front of an F-15C for each group too.

The internship program started with one intern in one office and has consistently proven to add value to the office and the mission. Moving forward we plan to see the program continue to grow and internships offered in a variety of career fields on base.

I recommend an internship at the 104th Fighter Wing to anyone who has a passion to gain new experiences and wants to learn a variety of skills or build upon what they have gained through school, says Laferriere. Plus being on the flight line to see the F-15s take off is one of the coolest perks of coming here!

For information about the internship program email me at lindsey.watson.1@us.af.mil.

Lindsey S. Watson is a master sergeant and public affairs manager for the Air National Guards 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield. Her column will appear monthly.
By Fabian Cambero

SANTIAGO (Reuters) -Chilean state copper giant Codelco clinched a deal with workers at its Radomiro Tomic mine after they accepted a new contract offer on Wednesday, defusing worries about a potential strike with global prices of the red metal at decade highs.

The worker union said that the contract proposal was approved in a statement sent to Reuters. It added that there had been a strong vote in favor of a strike, but it had fallen short of the absolute majority needed.

The union vote saw 263 in favor of strike action, while 258 favored the offer. The rest of the total 670 votes were not cast, meaning support for a strike fell short of the 50% plus one vote that would have been needed.

"Given that the absolute majority was not met to make the strike effective, which implied 336 votes, the latest offer from the employer is accepted," the union said in a statement.

Codelco, the world's largest producer of copper, said in a statement that it had reached a collective agreement with the mine's worker union, which included a bonus payment of around 4.16 million Chilean pesos ($5,776) but no salary adjustment.

The new contract will be effective for 36 months and will take effect from April 1, 2021, the state miner added.

Chile is the world's no. 1 producer of the red metal and mining firms in the country regularly face off against worker unions over salary and bonus payments, which can spark disruptive strike action.

Radomiro Tomic produced 261,000 tonnes of copper last year, though is smaller than Codelco's huge El Teniente miner and the Chuquicamata mine.

Lindor Quiroga, the mine's general manager, heralded the agreement, but cautioned the business would face "deterioration in its mining variables" over the next five years, which would demand "improving processes, being austere and innovative".

($1 = 720.2000 Chilean pesos)

(Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Writing by Adam Jourdan)
Apple CEO Tim Cook, a native of Robertsdale and graduate of Auburn University, is speaking out against Georgias election law.

In a statement to Axios, Cook says that due to advances in technology, voting should be easier than ever.

The right to vote is fundamental in a democracy. American history is the story of expanding the right to vote to all citizens, and Black people, in particular, have had to march, struggle and even give their lives for more than a century to defend that right, Cook said. We support efforts to ensure that our democracys future is more hopeful and inclusive than its past.

In the wake of Georgias new election laws, some large corporations have faced pressure to speak out against the measures.

The chief executives of Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola, both based in Georgia, called the law unacceptable, opening an unusual rift with Republican leaders who championed the legislation and typically enjoy a cozy relationship with the states business community, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

Those companies along with other Georgia-based companies, like Home Depot and UPS, have faced the threat of boycotts over the law.

The new law adds a photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail, cuts the amount of time people have to request an absentee ballot and limits where drop boxes can be placed and when they can be accessed.

It also bans people from handing out food or water to voters waiting in line and allows the Republican-controlled State Election Board to remove and replace county election officials while curtailing the power of the secretary of state as Georgias chief elections officer.

Republicans insist the changes are needed to restore voters confidence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A new tourist organization- Pepper Adventure has been established in Liberia. Speaking in an interview with reporters in Monrovia on Wednesday, Pepper Adventure Country Representative in Liberia Mr. Ambrose N. Wiagbe said the organization will provide services as assistance and information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, religious and historical sites, including museums, and various tourist sites in Liberia.

He noted that Pepper Adventure is prepared to point out the way and lead others on a trip or tour. Generally, a tourist guide and will l work at a specific location, city or province. In some cases, guides qualify to guide throughout an entire country.

Mr. Wiagbe said Liberia is a country in West Africa that shares borders with Sierra Leone in the west, Guinea in the north and Cote d'Ivoire in the east and in the south with the Atlantic Ocean, noting the capital, Monrovia is home to the Liberia National Museum, which has exhibits of national culture and history.

Around Monrovia are palm-lined beaches like Silver and CeCe, and along the coast are beach towns includng the port of Buchanan, in Grand Bassa Counrty and the laid-back Robertsport in Grand Cape Mount County.

He indicated that Tourism forms a small part of the national economy of Liberia, and recalled that in the past, many tourists visited Liberia, mostly from the United States of America.He noted that Liberia's economy, including the tourist industry, was badly damaged by civil war in the country, and has only just started picking up with the launch of a Tourism Association here.

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"Traveling to Liberia under the auspices of Pepper Adventure gives one an unique opportunity to experience the adventures of one of Africa's last tropical rainforests. Pepper Adventure's trips are for those who are curious to enjoy challenges and like to experience new cultures and ways of life." He explained.

The former tourism staff of the Ministrry of Information stressed that Liberia is an amazing country with a fascinating history which is a sublime destination that leaves no one unaffected, adding that anyone who is already in Liberia, should not hesitate to contact the new tourist organization because they will be happy to help them with arrangements to make their visit here memorable.

According to him, Pepper Adventure with well qualified staff can arrange trips in Liberia and from abroad as well as a trip from Sweden to Liberia starts in Stockholm, Sweden with return 10-15 days later.

"We can also give a unique experience to those traveling with us and therefore, we have a limited number of seats allocated to each trip. In our trips from Sweden to Liberia; flight, accommodation, breakfast, transportation, driver, guide and fees to activities are included in the price."
Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Alameda), nominated as California's attorney general, faces a full plate of challenges in his new role. (Alexis Cuarezma / For The Times)

Few statewide leaders have inherited as many unfinished tasks from their predecessors as incoming California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, whose to-do list includes an ongoing probe of pandemic unemployment fraud, reducing a backlog of guns held by people with felony convictions and resolving a dispute over how to pay for new investigations of fatal police shootings.

The tasks could make it more difficult for Bonta, a Democratic assemblyman from Alameda who was nominated for the job last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom, to pursue his own ambitious criminal justice reform agenda in the coming months  he supports eliminating cash bail, reducing incarcerations and increasing police accountability.

Bonta is expected to be confirmed as attorney general by the Legislature within 90 days, succeeding Xavier Becerra, who left the post to become the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services. In his new post, Bonta faces a long list of business left behind by Becerra that includes defending the states toughest-in-the nation gun laws against a barrage of more than half a dozen pending lawsuits by groups including the National Rifle Assn.

In an interview with The Times, Bonta said he is preparing for the confirmation process in which he will be questioned about his views during committee hearings on issues within the purview of the attorney general.

First things first, I need to get confirmed, Bonta said when asked about what he will do on matters he will take on as the states top attorney. Should I have that honor and privilege, Im going to dig in and wrap my arms and head around those issues.

Former state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said that while Bonta may have a lot of problems on his plate as attorney general, he is certain he'll be able to work through them.

There are many different challenges and they are never easy, but they are always solvable, he said.

One early test involves implementing a new state law supported by Bonta, AB 1506, that requires the state attorney generals office to investigate all police shootings that result in the death of an unarmed civilian.

Story continues

Newsoms proposed budget provides $13 million for the fiscal year starting July 1 to provide about 67 staffers for three teams assigned to probe shootings in different parts of the state.

But officials from the state Department of Justice said in recent weeks that they will need twice as much, $26 million, to properly investigate the 40 deadly police shootings that the state averages each year.

The current budget proposal has not enough resources to stand up professional teams to perform these new investigative and prosecutorial duties," the agency said in a letter to lawmakers.

The Newsom administration defends the budget.

We believe the funding provided in the budget allows the Department of Justice to establish this program, collect data and actual workload, and submit a request in the future for any additional resources that are needed, said H.D. Palmer, an administration spokesman.

At the news conference where Newsom announced his appointment, Bonta said properly implementing the new law is a priority for him.

The attorney generals office needs to be able to have enough resources to fund the new responsibilities that the Legislature wants to give it, Bonta told reporters. Thats an important part of a successful implementation of AB 1506. Weve got to be able to get on the ground quickly in any part of the state to begin an investigation and collect the evidence at the drop of a hat.

Another immediate challenge for Bonta will be the ongoing investigation of fraudulent unemployment claims that state officials estimate total at least $11 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The attorney generals office is part of a task force set up by the governor in November to coordinate the many investigations by local, state and federal authorities into bogus claims, including thousands submitted in the names of state prison inmates.

The state Department of Justice has yet to announce any significant charges as a result of investigations, although federal agencies have brought several.

"To protect its integrity, we are unable to comment on a potential or ongoing investigation," the state DOJ said in a statement last week.

Lawmakers including state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Red Bluff) are calling on Bonta to prioritize catching and prosecuting those who have stolen unemployment benefits from the state Employment Development Department through fraud, including large crime rings.

The EDD is completely a failure, top to bottom, and the attorney generals office is likewise a failure, Nielsen said. Billions of dollars of fraud and they are not doing a thing about it. I hope Rob makes that a very high priority.

Bonta said in the interview that he is alarmed by reports of significant fraud.

I think the A.G. could have a role in helping make sure there is integrity in that process and that criminal activity and fraudulent activity is rooted out, Bonta said.We should use the tools that we have to prevent that and hold those accountable and if possible be able to reclaim those funds.

After a spate of recent mass shootings, gun issues are also once again front and center for the attorney general.

One challenge facing Bonta was highlighted Thursday when the state Department of Justice released its annual report identifying problems in a program to seize guns from people convicted of felonies and those struggling with mental illness who are disqualified from owning firearms.

California's Armed and Prohibited Persons System, or APPS, matches gun sales data against court records to create a list of people who buy firearms but are later convicted of a crime or found to have serious mental illness.

The DOJ report released Thursday said that as of the start of this year, 23,598 Californians had guns despite being barred from owning them, up more than 1,000 from the year before and higher than the tally has been in more than a decade.

Lawmakers have criticized the attorney general's office for years for failing to significantly reduce the backlog to make sure guns are not in the hands of those who should not have them.

That did not get done, Nielsen said. There is no dang reason why it couldnt get done. They have just not made it important.

In explaining why the state was unable to reduce the backlog, the agency report released Thursday cited factors including COVID-19 and new laws creating more disqualifying crimes.

Because APPS work requires extensive interaction with the public, the Bureau was forced to scale back its efforts, the report said.

The DOJ said the program could be made more effective if the state better funded county efforts to enforce the law and provided higher pay for investigators to beef up staffing.

The agency is also facing criticism for recently proposing rules that lawmakers say would limit the ability of researchers to access DOJ data on people subject to gun violence restraining orders, hindering state-funded research by the University of California Firearm Violence Research Center on the effectiveness of gun laws.

Eleven legislators led by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) wrote a letter to Becerra on March 9 objecting to a proposal that would limit a researchers ability to access personal identifying information involving restraining orders.

If the proposed regulations are adopted, it will be impossible for the Center to update its work on the effectiveness" of restraining orders, the lawmakers wrote.

The attorney generals office said in a statement that it values data-driven research but that it also takes seriously our duty to protect Californians sensitive personally identifying information."

Ting said he hopes Bonta will change the DOJs position on the release of gun data.

Once confirmed, my hope is hell grant researchers access to state firearms records, allowing their work to continue," Ting said.

California has pioneered some of the toughest gun laws in the country, and many are currently being challenged in court by groups such as the NRA.

As the states lawyer, the attorney general has been defending those laws in court, but many cases are expected to come to a head after Bonta takes the reins. For example, a federal appeals court in February said it will reconsider a ruling that threw out Californias ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Other gun laws challenged in court include the states assault weapons ban and a prohibition on the sale of semiautomatic rifles equipped with so-called bullet buttons.

Bonta signaled that he is prepared to defend California's gun laws.

The work Ive done in the past represents those values, including making sure that Californians are safe from gun violence, Bonta said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
First a successful pillow business, then a law firm, next  a store? Is Craig Conover from Southern Charm punking his fans?

Conover says its no joke  hes opening his first Sewing Down South location in a prime spot on King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. The store will be a Southern living Disneyland as it will be crammed with all of Conovers signature brands, including the Thomasville collection, but also thrilling new additions.

Craig Conover with Sewing Down South pillows | Photo courtesy of Sewing Down South

Sewing Down South is expanding its offerings  candles!

The Sewing Down South Store will offer a curated experience of patterns and colors pulled from the inspiration of living in Charleston, and frequenting the Bahamas, according to a release from Sewing Down South.

Pillow fans will be treated to a more immersive experience because Conover is expanding his line. The launch of the new Sewing Down South by Craig Conover Candle Collection will also be carried first in the store and feature scents crafted by Craig that include: Southern Summer, Cobblestone Romance, A Walk on the Battery, etc. Additional home and soft goods will be offered in the Flagship Location, according to the release.

Craig Conover with Sewing Down South pillows | Photo courtesy of Sewing Down South

RELATED: Southern Charm: Craig Conover Still Paints 1 Fingernail, This Is Why

The grand opening is scheduled for early May 2020 and Conover recently teased that he is doing work on the space. Hopefully this time he wont use a butter knife to break through a wall.

This is the next step in our journey that Ive always dreamt about. It feels like another way to share Sewing Down South with everyone that has supported us from the start, Conover shared.

Pillow parties are coming back too

Conover is thrilled with the reception hes received for Sewing Down South. The company, Sewing Down South is going wild, which is really fun and cool, Conover told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. He added that he is especially excited about the candle launch. Its something Ive been wanting to do for a while, he said.

We have kitchen oils that are coming out that we just created, he dished. So Sewing Down South is just growing as basically like an entire line for your home.

Conover also plans to hit the road when vaccination rates are high enough for hugs. As soon as it is socially acceptable, were gonna hit the road, he remarked. So, for pillow parties, its something we 100% plan on doing again as soon as vaccination rates are at a good level.

RELATED: Southern Charm: Craig Conover Gets the Last Laugh With Sewing Down South

Parties are likely to be a Southern Charm affair and Conover teased that Austen Kroll may attend along with his signature Trop Hop beer. The twosome also have a podcast, Pillows and Beer. I mean, its really, really cool to step out for people who only know you from the show and actually connect with you on another level, he said about the podcast. Austen and I have seen some pretty incredible and positive things from the podcast. So thats been really fun.

More news to come about Sewing Down Souths flagship stores grand opening on 493 King St. in Charleston.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (in black face mask) and other leaders visit Aspen Pharmacare manufacturing facility in Gqeberha on March 29, 2021. The visit focused on progress in vaccine production as part of the partnership between government and the private sector in the national Coivd-19 vaccination programme.

Johannesburg  The coronavirus vaccine is coming, with South Africa expecting to conclude negotiations in upcoming weeks to vaccinate 41 million people, and the next stage of vaccinations to begin in May, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced late Tuesday.

In addition to 31 million doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, President Ramaphosa said the nation is finalizing an agreement for 20 million doses of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine. He did not say precisely when that vaccine would arrive.

South Africa is the continent's COVID-19 epicenter. In the last year, the nation has seen 1.5 million known cases, and more than 52,000 deaths. But the nation appears to be holding firm in the face of a possible third wave, with a "stable" level of about 1,200 new cases per day and declining hospitalizations and deaths.

And, Ramaphosa said, more vaccine -- from China and Russia -- may also be on the way.

"We are also in various stages of negotiations with the manufacturers of other vaccines such as Sinovac, Sinopharm and Sputnik V," he said. "Some of these manufacturers are in the final stages of the approval process for use of their vaccines in South Africa. In addition to vaccine doses we will receive directly through our agreements with manufacturers, we will also receive an allocation of vaccine doses through the African Union initiative that we established when we held the chair[man]ship of the African Union."

The welcome news comes with a bit of a sting. This year's Easter holiday, usually a season for gatherings and celebration in this majority-Christian nation, will be a little ... drier this year.

"Given the role of alcohol in fueling reckless behavior, we will put in place some restrictions over the Easter weekend," he said, adding that bars and restaurants could continue to sell alcohol on those days. "To this end, the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption will be prohibited this coming Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Just those four days."

But, Ramaphosa soberly reminded his people, the religious holidays -- for Christians, Jews and Muslims -- are really a time for hope, rebirth and renewal.

And in these difficult times, he added, caution.
Algiers, April 01, 2021 (SPS)- Ambassador of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Algiers, Abdelkader Taleb Omar, said Tuesday that Morocco imposes "prohibitive conditions" to hinder the settlement of the Sahrawi cause, calling on the United Nations (UN) to assume its responsibilities and compel Morocco to comply with international legality.

"The Moroccan occupation exaggerates in hindering the settlement of the Sahrawi cause by imposing prohibitive conditions, especially regarding the appointment of a new personal envoy of the UN

Taleb Omar told APS on the sidelines of an award ceremony held at the headquarters of the SADR embassy in Algiers in favor of associations participating in a caravan of aid and solidarity that will go to the Sahrawi refugee camps before the month of Ramadhan.

The Sahrawi diplomat denounced, in this sense, the silence of the UN in the face of the practices of the Moroccan occupier.

The Sahrawi diplomat called on the United Nations to "assume its responsibilities and to put points on the letters concerning the parties that procrastinate in the implementation of UN decisions," adding that "the silence of the international community must stop, and the UN must announce who is the party that obstructs.

He also called on Spain to assume its "historical and legal responsibility" regarding the Saharan issue and to "move from words and positions in favor of a solution within the framework of the United Nations to a genuine attempt to settle the issue in accordance with international legality, emphasizing the need for "MINURSO to fulfill its mission and to put an end to Morocco's manipulation to obstruct the organization of the referendum of self-determination. SPS

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A drug dealer has vowed to hire female delivery drivers to make women feel 'a little bit safer' buying cocaine, ecstasy, or cannabis from him.

The dealer, from Leeds, said 'no one should feel on edge' when purchasing from him in a bizarre message shared to Snapchat earlier this month.

It appears to be in response to a conversation about sexual harassment against women which emerged following the death of marketing executive Sarah Everard.

The post read: 'Attention female customers! We have noticed a lot of females looking on edge when picking up or coming out with a friend for safety, which is totally understandable.

The dealer, from Leeds, said 'no one should feel on edge' when purchasing from him in a bizarre message shared to Snapchat (above) earlier this month

'So we have decided to recruit female drivers for all female customers to make you feel that little bit safer!

'No one should feel on edge no matter where they are!'

The dealer allegedly sells a cacophony of drugs ranging from class A to C, including cocaine, ketamine, 2CB, MDMA, pills, LSD, marijuana and 'balloons - so-called 'hippy crack' inhaled through a balloon for a short high.

His post was shared to Twitter, with social media users joking that drug dealers in West Yorkshire are 'doing more than cops' to make women feel safe.

His post was shared to Twitter, with social media users joking that drug dealers in West Yorkshire are 'doing more than cops' to make women feel safe

One man said: 'That's the level of customer service we should expect across the industry.'

Another added: 'A true advocate for women.'

A third said: 'Nothing says "I respect females" more than sending them to do your dirty work and be your runner.'

Others questioned the decision, saying: 'I'm all for making women safe, but wouldn't this make the drivers a bigger target for getting jacked?'
After a record increase, petrol, diesel and domestic cooking gas (LPG) prices are likely to fall for a while as international oil prices have softened. and were cut thrice in a week; may too see a reduction.

and on Tuesday were slashed for the third time within a week on the back of softening international oil prices. price was cut by 22 paise per litre and diesel by 23 paise per litre, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

Petrol now costs Rs 90.56 per litre in Delhi and a litre of diesel comes for Rs 80.87. Rates have been reduced across the country and vary from state to state depending on the local incidence of taxation (VAT).

Petrol price was cut to Rs 96.98 a litre in Mumbai on Tuesday from Rs 97.19, while diesel rates were reduced to Rs 87.96 from Rs 88.20, the price notification showed. were reduced for the first time in six months on March 24, and thereafter on March 25 as well after international oil prices fell on prospect of speedy recovery in consumption getting clouded by the second wave of Covid-19 cases.

Petrol and touched an all-time high last month while prices too had been increased by Rs 125 per cylinder in recent weeks.

But since the end of February, petrol and diesel prices have remained static because of international prices being range-bound. They have been cut by 60-61 paise a litre in three reductions in one week after global prices softened.

While petrol and diesel prices are revised daily based on a 15-day rolling average of benchmark fuel in the international market, rates are decided on the 1st of every month.

A 14.2-kg LPG cylinder -- both for subsidised and market price users -- will cost Rs 809 from April 1 as against Rs 819 currently, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) said in a statement.

The price cut, which traditionally is announced on the day the change is effective -- four times the rates went up in a span of one month -- was announced a day ahead of the second phase of voting in West Bengal. The politically-crucial Nandigram constituency from where state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is taking on her once-trusted aide Suvendu Adhikari, who is contesting on BJP ticket, is also going for polls on Thursday.

"Prices of crude oil and petroleum products in the international market have been on a constant uptrend since November 2020. As India is largely import-dependent on crude oil and the prices are market-linked, the increase in international prices resulted in an increase in the domestic price of petroleum products," IOC said.
New Delhi, April 1 : To give a push to the Congress-led 'Mahajot' alliance in Assam ahead of the third phase of Assembly elections, party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will once again visit the poll-bound state on Friday and address three public meetings.

A Congress leader said that Priyanka will be visiting Assam on Friday and address three public meetings at Golpara East, Golakganj and Sarukhetri areas.

This will be Priyanka's third visit to the poll-bound Assam since March 1.

Voting for the second phase of Assembly elections in the BJP-ruled state for 39 of the 126 Assembly constituencies is currently on.

On March 27, nearly 80 per cent of 81,09,815 voters cast their votes in the first phase conducted in 47 Assembly constituencies.

The third and final phase would be held in 40 seats on April 6. Results will be declared on May 2.

In the month-long hectic election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan campaigned for the party candidates.

Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, party spokesman Gourav Vallabh and General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala were among the central leaders who campaigned for their party candidates.

In the elections, the BJP is highlighting the "perfect NRC (National Register of Citizens)" while the main opposition Congress has given top priority to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, even as both the national parties have common issues of empowerment of women, jobs to youth and protecting the Assamese culture.

To take on the BJP, the Congress, which governed Assam for 15 consecutive years (2001-2016), formed a 10-party 'Mahajot' (grand alliance), comprising three Left parties -- the CPI-M, the CPI and the CPI-ML, along with the AIUDF, the Anchalik Gana Morcha, the BPF, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and two community-based parties -- the Jimochayan (Deori) People's Party and Adivasi National Party.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
President Macron: We could have done better, we made mistakes.

People enjoy the warm weather at Parc de Belleville in Paris, France, yesterday. However, such a sight will not be witnessed again over the coming weeks after the country was sent into lockdown last night. Photo: Rafael Yaghobzadeh/Getty Images

French president Emmanuel Macron last night announced strict new month-long measures, including closing schools for three weeks. In doing so, he abandoned his efforts to keep France out of a third coronavirus lockdown.

Mr Macron had ignored the pleas of his scientific advisers to close the country in January, but the spread of the virus forced him into an about-turn.

We will lose control if we do not move now, he said in a televised address.

Non-essential shops will be closed and travel more than 10km from home is forbidden unless there is a good reason. Travel between French regions is banned from April 5. People must work from home if they can and a 7pm curfew will stay in place, as Mr Macron extended measures in some regions to the whole country.

The president had hoped to pursue a third way of fighting coronavirus without ordering people to stay at home, and keeping the economy as open as possible.

In February it appeared that Mr Macrons gamble had paid off, with cases flatlining under a curfew but with shops and schools open.

However, he was forced to act after daily coronavirus cases doubled to about 40,000 and hospitals in infection hotspots like Paris were swamped. He said 44pc of people in intensive care with Covid were under 65.

Read More

Last night, in a primetime television address, Mr Macron defended his decision to keep France out of lockdown. He insisted that every day the country was open was a day gained in the fightback for economic recovery.

Unlike Germany or Italy, which were in their fourth lockdowns, he said, France had enjoyed precious days of freedom.

We have opted since the beginning of 2021 for a response that aimed to curb the epidemic without locking down, Mr Macron said.

We have won precious days of freedom, weeks of education for our children, without ever losing control of the epidemic. I think it was the right thing to do.

Frances slow vaccination campaign and Mr Macrons refusal to lock down earlier have put him under pressure.

We could have done better, we have made some mistakes, he admitted.

The president, a vocal supporter of the EUs discredited vaccine procurement strategy, faces elections next year and the far-Right leader Marine Le Pen is rising in the polls.

Despite the setback, the avidly pro-EU Mr Macron, who falsely claimed the Oxford University jab was quasi-ineffective in the over-65s in January, is still expected to beat Ms Le Pen in elections.

France has administered about 10.7 million jabs, far fewer than the UKs 30.9 million doses. Mr Macron said it would step up its vaccinations, and reassured people that all the jabs, including AstraZeneca, were safe and effective. He said vets would be drafted in to join the mass vaccination campaign.

Thanks to vaccination, the end of the crisis is finally within reach, he said.

He last imposed tougher restrictions on March 20, reluctantly closing non-essential shops and introducing travel restrictions in Paris and other regions. The rules, which allowed people to meet outside and schools to stay open, affected about a third of the population.

The French lockdown was announced as Britain introduces new rules from April 6 aimed at preventing new variants entering the UK. Lorry drivers, cabin crew and seasonal workers entering England will have to take a Covid test within 48 hours of arrival.

Mr Macron is among the toughest of EU leaders in the continuing row over vaccine supplies with Britain.

He supported Ursula von der Leyens calls for tough vaccine export rules aimed at the UK and vowed that Brussels would block any export of AstraZeneca until the company made up shortfalls of millions of doses to the bloc.

Read More





Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
VICE-PRESIDENT Dr Philip Mpango has pledged a diligent performance in ensuring the government implements all the pledges listed in the CCM election manifesto for 2020-2025.

Dr Mpango made the remarks in Dodoma on Wednesday after being sworn in as the vice-president, a position that was declared vacant after the then Vice-President Ms Samia Suluhu Hassan, ascended to the president post, replacing the departed Dr John Magufuli.

An economist by profession, Dr Mpango pledged to become a loyal and obedient assistant to the sixth President of Tanzania, Ms Samia but also a patriot to his country and its people.

"I would like to assure you that I will be a trustful and loyal assistant, but also a true patriotic for my country," pledged Dr Mpango.

"This week Christians are celebrating Good Friday, but especially tomorrow it is a day Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, Your Excellency Madame President I won't be like Judas. I will perform my duties under you leadership and guidance.

I am ready to work hard, send me to duties day and night, especially the implementation of the CCM election manifesto for 2020/25 but also the vision you have for our country's development and the prosperity of the citizens, I will make sure that they are implemented diligently," he added.

He further said in carrying out his responsibilities, he will certainly cooperate with other leaders accordingly from both sides of the union and all pillars of the government to push the country's development agenda.

"I had never dreamt of this moment... I did not expect to serve the nation at this high post, thank you President Samia for appointing me. I would also like to thank the CCM Central Committee for approving my name unanimously and the parliament for approving me by a majority of votes," he noted.

The former Buhigwe Member of Parliament and Minister for Finance and Planning expressed his gratitude to the people in his former constituency for allowing him to serve them.

While recalling his humble beginning, the new VP vowed to be pro-poor and implored Tanzanians to continue praying for the government to meet their needs and expectations accordingly.

Addressing the MPs on Tuesday after they unanimously approved his name, Dr Mpango said he will not tolerate corruption and impunity in the government.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Tanzania Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"I am not soft as you have said and might think, I will be tough on evil deeds, especially theft and embezzlement of public resources and corruption," he added.

Dr Mpango further said the government is responsible to make sure it realizes the dreams of Tanzanians as championed by the late President Magufuli by completing all the on-going projects.

"Tanzanians want to see these projects completed including the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), Nyerere Hydropower Project (NHPP)... They also want to have good roads, especially in rural areas, improved health and water services and guaranteed security, so that they freely conduct their businesses," he added.

Dr Mpango has served as Minister for Finance and Planning since November 2015, previously held positions as the Acting Commissioner General of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), the Executive Secretary in the President's Office (Planning Commission), the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance & Economic Affairs.

He also worked as the Personal Assistant to the President (Economic Affairs), the Head of the President's Economic Advisory Unit, Senior Economist for the World Bank as well as visiting Lecturer in Public Economics, Collaborative Master's programme for Anglo-phone Africa, AERC, Nairobi-Kenya, and Lecturer, Economics Department University of Dar es Salaam.

Some of Dr Mpango's notable publications include Macro-micro Linkages in the Fight Against Poverty: Missing Links and Enabling Bridges (2004); Some Reflections on Semi-privatization of Customs Administration in Tanzania (1996), and a chapter on Spatial Dimensions of Economic Growth published in Tanzania Sustaining and Sharing Growth.

Dr Mpango was also the Principal Supervisor for the preparation of The National Five Year Development Plan 2011/12 - 2015/16.
By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Several U.S. states on Thursday announced broad expansions of their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts, with California opening immunizations to all adults aged 50 and older starting April 1 and Florida making anyone 40 and up eligible from Monday.

California, the most populous state, said it would further widen vaccine eligibility to all individuals at least 16 years of age beginning April 15, while Florida, ranking third in U.S. population, said it would lower its age threshold to 18 and up on April 5.

North Carolina said it was accelerating its timeline for vaccination eligibility to begin making shots available to all adults on April 7.

The three states join a growing list moving well ahead of the Biden administration's goal of expanding coronavirus immunizations to U.S. adults of all ages by May 1.

Georgia officially opened inoculations to all adults on Thursday, with Texas set to do the same on Monday, followed by Indiana two days later. Those three states announced their universal expansions on Tuesday, the same day New York state dropped its eligibility age from 60 to 50.

In announcing its widening campaign, California, a major flashpoint of the U.S. pandemic during the COVID-19 surge at the end of last year, cited nationwide progress in vaccine distributions as supplies continue to grow.

"With vaccine supply increasing and by expanding eligibility to more Californians, the light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter," said California Governor Gavin Newsom, who began relaxing tough restrictions on social and economic life as coronavirus caseloads waned in recent weeks.

Vaccine eligibility in California is currently restricted to adults 65 and older and individuals of all ages in various high-priority classifications, including medical personnel, first-responders, nursing home residents, food and grocery workers, teachers and people with underlying chronic health conditions.

Story continues

Florida, home to large concentrations of elderly residents especially vulnerable to the virus, has already vaccinated more than 70% of its roughly 4.4 million seniors, aged 65 and up, Governor Ron DeSantis said.

He said that tally appeared to account for a sharp drop in case rates and hospitalizations among elderly residents in the state, which lowered its vaccine age threshold to 50 on Monday.

Alaska was the first state to lower statewide eligibility to age 16, the youngest age allowed to be immunized with any of the three vaccines that have so far received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

It also has the highest rate of vaccination in the United States, with 31.5% of its residents having received at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In the United States as a whole, 26% of the population has received at least one vaccine dose, with about 2.4 million shots being given each day during the past week, according to tracking data compiled by Reuters.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

This week, we have seen perhaps the closest thing to a real-world specimen of a phenomenon that has heretofore been confined to theoretical (albeit extensive) speculation: a Republican Party schism with corporate America. The cause of the split is a Georgia law designed to make voting more cumbersome in the hopes of winnowing minorities and young people from the electorate.

After the CEO of Atlanta-based Delta Airlines denounced the vote-suppression measure, Republicans in the states lower chamber retaliated by voting to repeal a tax break the airline enjoyed. The state senate failed to pass it, leaving the vote as a warning that House Speaker David Ralston made explicit: You dont bite the hand that feeds you.

Republicans have been yearning for something like this since Donald Trump appeared on the political scene. It is no longer just the self-styled populists and Trump personality-cult devotees who are plumping for open conflict with corporate America. The Wall Street Journal editorial page has joined the ranks of conservatives denouncing woke capital. A House Republican strategy memo urges members to use corporations preference for the Democrat [sic] Party to drive individual donations.

What this little tiff lacks, however, is any coherent policy content. A populist argument would be that airlines should pay a higher tax rate and that their favorable treatment is the result of undue influence on the system. Georgia Republicans arent saying that. Theyre not making any substantive case against the airline tax break at all, in fact. Instead, theyre explicitly using the issue as a club to force corporations to stay loyal, or at least neutral, on issues Republicans care about.

During the George W. Bush administration, Republicans in Congress launched something they called the K Street Project. Its explicit goal was to pressure lobbying firms to fire former Democrats and withhold donations and cooperation from the Democratic Party.

A lot of businesses resented these heavy-handed tactics. But their angst wasnt over the GOP going populist; in fact, this split occurred during the partys most intensely plutocratic incarnation. The point was to intimidate corporations into staying loyal to their team with the explicit payoff being that they would continue to benefit from Republican policy.

The Georgia airline tax break is in the same mold. The end point isnt to get rid of the tax break; its to force corporations to withhold criticism of their agenda.

Its revealing that the supposed Republican schism with corporate America is occurring against the backdrop of a debate over raising taxes on corporations. If Republicans want to engage in actual political conflict with big business, here is their golden opportunity.

But of course, nobody in the Republican coalition  not the House leaders urging big splashy fights with corporations, not aspirational pseudo-hayseed Josh Hawley, not the angry Trumpists at American Greatness and The Federalist  support this policy. The Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have long wished for upgraded infrastructure spending, but both groups oppose Joe Bidens infrastructure bill because of its tax hike on big business.

Perhaps the most incoherent version of the Republican position was articulated, naturally, by Trump, who asserted, This tax hike is a classic globalist betrayal by Joe Biden and his friends: The lobbyists will win, the special interests will win. Lobbyists and special interests win by  raising taxes on themselves?

It is true that big business, especially public-facing business, has increasingly faced pressure to position itself as socially liberal. It is also true, as Marco Rubio notes, that this posture is heavily inflected with hypocrisy born of commercial calculation. Businesses will denounce Jim Crow Lite in Georgia while ignoring Chinese Communist Party political repression on a scale Republicans can only dream of.

But none of this is happening because the Republican program threatens corporate profits. Just the opposite. Republicans want to continue feeding corporations out of their hands and wish their devotion were met in kind. The pretense of righteous anger masks the anguish of unrequited love.
analysis

The indigenous San communities of southern Africa were originally hunting and gathering peoples. One of the greatest testaments to San history is the rock art found throughout the subcontinent.

The oldest rock art in southern Africa is around 30,000 years old and is found on painted stone slabs from the Apollo 11 rock shelter in Namibia. Where our study took place - the Maloti-Drakensberg mountain massif of South Africa and Lesotho - rock paintings were made from about 3,000 years ago right into the 1800s.

For decades, people thought that one guess about the art's meaning was as good as another. However, this ignored the San themselves.

We can deepen our understanding if we try to view rock art in terms of San shamanistic beliefs and experiences. Advances in ethnography (literature produced by anthropologists who work with San people) help convey San worldview to rock art researchers.

By locating new sites - thousands are still to be found - and revisiting known ones in the light of developing insights, we can go much further than guessing.

New insights from old images

We re-investigated such a site in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg mountains. It was first described in the 1950s and is recorded as RSA CHI1. At first glance, the ceiling panel seems a confusing collection of paintings of antelopes and human figures, some of which are painted on top of others, in shades of earthy reds, yellow ochres and white.

In 2009 and working under challenging circumstances, South African artist and author Stephen Townley Bassett produced a documentary copy of the ceiling panel. It shows the art's beauty and mystery.

When we looked at his copy, we found that the significance of some images on the site's ceiling panel had been missed by other researchers. This allowed us to examine the meaning of these images more closely.

Importantly, our realisation was not a technological or methodological advance. Instead, it was a conceptual development that occurred by turning our attention to a well-known site and viewing it again in the light of everything we have learned so far about San rock art.

Our re-investigation allowed us to arrive at a new understanding of specific elements of San belief.

Deeply religious art

Two sources of San ethnography are especially important in rock art research and our understanding of the ceiling panel. In the 1870s, the German linguist Wilhelm Bleek and his co-worker and sister-in-law Lucy Lloyd interviewed a series of |Xam San people, some of whom had been brought from the Northern Cape to Cape Town as convicts.

Remarkably, Bleek and Lloyd recorded over 12,000 pages of texts in the |Xam language, which is no longer spoken, and transliterated most of it line-by-line into English. Much of this material remains relevant to our understanding of the art.

More recently, in the twentieth century, a number of anthropologists worked with San groups in Namibia and Botswana with a focus on a range of topics from hunting and gathering to folklore and childcare. The Kalahari ethnography compliments the Bleek and Lloyd archive.

We know from the ethnography that the San believe in a universe with spiritual realms above and below the level on which people live. Decades of research has shown that the rock art is deeply religious and situated conceptually in the same multilevel universe.

Re-reading the ceiling

In San rock art, the eland is a connecting element. It is the most commonly depicted antelope in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg paintings. It features in several San rituals and was believed to be the creature with the most !gi: - the |Xam word for the invisible essence that lies at the heart of San belief and ritual.

At RSA CHI1, there are many depictions of eland, but we focused on the one with its head sharply raised.

Depictions of this posture, though not common, recur in other sites. The eland's raised head suggests that it is smelling something, most probably rain. Both smell and rain are supernaturally powerful in San thought.

The unique feature in this paintings is, however, the way in which a line runs up from an area of rough rock, breaking at the eland's front legs, and then on to another area of rough rock. The painter, or painters, must have depicted the eland first and then added the line to develop the significance of its raised head. We argue that both the raised head and the line emphasise contact with the spirit realm, though in different ways.

The way in which the painted line emerges from and continues into areas of rough rock is comparable to the way in which numerous San images were painted to give the impression that they are entering and leaving the rock face via cracks, steps and other inequalities. But what lay behind the rock face?

Behind the rock face

We have noted already that the San universe is divided into different realms. Contact between these often interacting realms is sometimes depicted in the art by long lines that link images or sometimes appear to pass through the rock face. San shamans or medicine people (called !gi:ten in |Xam) move along or climb these 'threads of light' as they journey between realms to heal the sick, make rain and perform other tasks. The |Xam called these out-of-body journeys |xau. They obtained the power needed to accomplish them by summoning potency from strong things, such as the eland.

The inter-realm nature of the line is further evidenced by the three creatures depicted moving along it. The two moving upward are quadrupeds or four-legged animals: one is non-specifc and one has a tail and human arms. These images may depict the sort of bodily changes that !gi:ten say they experience during out-of-body journeys.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Entertainment Science By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The faint white creature moving down the line was for us the climax of our work. It is clearly birdlike (!gi:ten often speak of flying). But closer inspection revealed that, though faint, it has a rhebok antelope head with two straight black horns, a black nose and mouth.

It also has two 'wings' emanating from its shoulders. In short, it is a hybrid form - part bird and part buck. In addition, it has two white lines coming out of the back of its neck. It was from this spot that !gi:ten expelled the sickness that they drew out of the bodies of sick people.

For many people, the detail and the complexity of the images at this site come as a surprise. Yet they are typical. San rock art ranks among the best in the world if we consider its beauty, its intricacy and the rich sources of explanation on which we can draw.

David M. Witelson, PhD candidate, University of the Witwatersrand; David Lewis-Williams, Emeritus professor, University of the Witwatersrand; David Pearce, Associate professor, University of the Witwatersrand, and Sam Challis, Senior research scientist, University of the Witwatersrand
Kenmare Resources plc (Kenmare or the Company)

1 April 2021

Publication of 2020 Annual Report

Kenmare Resources plc (LSE:KMR, ISE:KMR) today announces the publication and filing of its Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2020 and advises that the Annual Report is available on the Company's website at www.kenmareresources.com.

The Annual Report is also available to view directly via the Regulatory News Service and by clicking on the link at the bottom of this announcement, or here.

A copy of the Annual Report has been submitted to Euronext Dublin and the UK National Storage Mechanism, and will shortly be available for inspection at the following locations:

https://direct.euronext.com/Announcements/View-Announcements/OAM-Filing/

and

https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

For further information, please contact:

Kenmare Resources plc

Jeremy Dibb

Corporate Development & Investor Relations

Tel: +353 1 671 0411

Mob: +353 87 943 0367

Murray (PR advisor)

Joe Heron

Tel: +353 1 498 0300

Mob: +353 87 690 9735

About Kenmare Resources

Kenmare Resources plc is one of the worlds largest producers of mineral sands products. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Euronext Dublin, Kenmare operates the Moma Titanium Minerals Mine in Mozambique. Momas production accounts for approximately 7% of global titanium feedstocks and the Company supplies to customers operating in more than 15 countries. Kenmare produces raw materials that are ultimately consumed in everyday quality-of life items such as paints, plastics and ceramic tiles.

Attachment
Singapore: China has opposed sanctions or other coercive measures to stop the bloodshed in Myanmar following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council but the South-east Asian nations closest ally said it hoped for peace and a democratic transition following two months of killings.

Chinas ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun, released a statement after Christine Schraner Burgener, the UNs special envoy on Myanmar, implored the 15-member council to consider action to prevent a multi-dimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia.

The news followed the announcement of a one-month ceasefire by Myanmars military regime offered to the countrys ethnic armed organisations, after air strikes in the borderlands forced villagers across the border to Thailand. It insisted, however, it would continue to clamp down on actions that disrupt government security and administration, giving itself licence for more violence and savagery against pro-democracy protesters.

Anti-coup protesters run to avoid military forces during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, on Wednesday. Credit:AP

At least 536 victims including 43 children have been killed since the February 1 coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has been tracking deaths and detentions.
Highlights Poco X3 Pro was launched in India this week.

New Poco smartphone borrows features from Poco X3.

The smartphone packs Snapdragon 860 SoC.

Poco has launched the much-hyped Poco X3 Pro in India this week, days after the smartphone was launched globally. The smartphone succeeds last year's Poco X3 and comes with a more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 processor. It is the first smartphone to pack this Qualcomm chipset but, borrows some of its features from the Poco X3. The Poco X3 Pro is also priced under Rs 20,000 for the base variant but the smartphone maker has also reduced the cost of Poco X3 by Rs 2000.

This leaves the interested buyers to make a difficult decision whether to buy Poco X3 Pro for a better processor or stick to the Poco X3 that is lighter on pocket. While we are yet to get our hands on the Poco X3 Pro and bring a detailed review later, here is a quick comparison of the two smartphones to understand everything that has changed and all that remains the same.

Poco X3 Pro vs Poco X3: Display

Both the smartphones have the same display with similar features. The Poco X3 Pro continues to have a 6.67-inch FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling. The only difference is that the new smartphone is protected by Gorilla Glass 6, instead of Gorilla Glass 5 used on Poco X3.

Poco X3 Pro vs Poco X3: Design

Both the smartphones look very similar, at least in images. They have similar rear panel with plastic back, dual-tone finish and a large circular module up top. Both Poco X3 and Poco X3 Pro have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Both the phones have the same stereo speaker setup as well.

Poco X3 Pro vs Poco X3: Performance

Performance is what differentiates the two smartphones. The Poco X3 Pro packs a more powerful 7nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 chipset which may not offer 5G support but is great for gaming or other demanding tasks. The Poco X3 had a Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G a mid-range chip, recently used by Xiaomi on the Redmi Note 10 series. The difference in two Chipset is significant and should be enough to spend extra money for.

Poco X3 Pro vs Poco X3: Camera

While you get an improved processor, the camera department has witnessed few cuts. The Poco X3 Pro features a 48-megapixel main sensor, coupled with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and two 2-megapixel depth and macro sensors. The Poco X3 comes with a 64-megapixel main sensor and 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens while the other two sensors remain the same. Both the smartphones feature a 20-megapixel camera on the front.

Poco X3 Pro vs Poco X3: Battery and charging

Another department that sees cuts is the battery. The Poco X3 Pro features a smaller 5,160mAh battery against the 6000mAh battery on the Poco X3 Pro. Both the phones have support for 33W fast charging.

So clearly, Poco has equipped the X3 Pro with a faster processor but has compromised on other departments like battery and camera. The Poco X3 Pro price starts at Rs 18,999 while the Poco X3 now costs Rs 14,999. But, the X3 Pro still makes for an excellent device with Snapdragon 8-series chipset under Rs 20,000. Stay tuned for our full review.
TIRUPATI: Explosives placed near a hostel on Sri Venkateswara University campus here claimed the lives of a stray dog and wild boar when the animals chewed on them. The explosion took place around midnight near SVU Hostel-I block, police said.

According to circle inspector N Ravindra, it appeared the explosives were placed to hunt wild boars and pigs. The explosives were kept at two locations. On being informed by the varsity, the SVU campus police reached the spot with a dog squad. A search by the dog squad led the police to two more bombs in this vicinity. A case has been registered.

In the meanwhile, the police are learnt to have nabbed two persons, suspecting their role in the incident. As per sources, the persons were found to be local poachers, who are allegedly involved in the clandestine sale of wild animals meat.

In the past, a canine was killed in a similar way when it chewed a country bomb at the maternity hospital premises close to the university campus.

Other than one country-made bomb, which exploded after being bit by the stray dog, the urban police reportedly recovered about 7-8 country-made bombs at the spot.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 22:38:29|Editor: huaxia

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HARARE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Players in Zimbabwe's tourism and hospitality sector are pinning hopes on the country's ongoing vaccination program to revive the sector that has been hardest hit by the pandemic.

Following the successful launch of the country's second phase of the vaccination program in the resort city of Victoria Falls last week, players in the sector recently told the state-run Herald newspaper that the move will mark the resumption of tourism activities.

"We applaud the Government's commitment to bringing back livelihoods that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by creating the environment that will boost the resumption of safe international, regional and domestic tourism for the country," said Farai Chimba, Vice President of the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ).

While Zimbabwe's inoculation program is being carried out in a phased approach, all 33,000 residents of the resort city of Victoria Falls can get their vaccines, a move that is expected to make the city the first COVID-19-free tourism hotspot in the world.

The city of Victoria Falls is home to the mighty Victoria Falls, the world's largest sheet of falling water.

"Victoria Falls as a premium destination and our hub of tourism has been severely impacted by the restrictions in travel caused by the pandemic hence this is a positive initiative to vaccinate the whole city," said Chimba.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) welcomed the resumption of tourism activities and urged people to be vaccinated.

"It shows the seriousness of Government in making our tourism sector safe, and we are happy they have prioritized Victoria Falls safe to ensure the safety of people. The resumption of tourism activities will advance President Mnangagwa's vision of creating a 5 billion U.S. dollar tourism economy by 2025," said ZimParks Spokesperson Tinashe Farawo.

The tourism sector, which is one of the major employers in Zimbabwe, has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Zimbabwe launched the first phase of its vaccination drive on Feb. 18 with Sinopharm vaccines donated by the Chinese government.

On Tuesday, the country received a consignment of 1,056,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses purchased from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac.

To date, more than 70,000 people have already received their first shots of either Sinopharm or Sinovac doses from China.

The southern African country is targeting to inoculate at least 60 percent of its population to achieve herd immunity. Enditem
An igloo village is bringing its frosty magic back to the Land Down Under this winter after drawing record crowds in recent years.

For the third year running, the Winter Village will transform five locations across Australia into icy wonderlands, where guests can eat, drink and skate on glistening ice rinks from a soon-to-be-announced date in May until the end of September.

Inspired by the winter markets that spring up in European cities such as Berlin and Prague each year, the attraction will feature a cosy igloo village, an enormous 'mega igloo' where it snows on the hour as well as a cocktail bar, food stalls and a DJ booth.

One of the sites is likely to be the Skyline Terrace at Melbourne's Federation Square, where the event was held in 2019 when it was slated as the city's 'landmark winter destination'.

Scroll down for video

An 'enchanted' igloo village is bringing its frosty glory back to the Land Down Under this winter after drawing record crowds in recent years (pictured, the 2019 event)

Inspired by the winter markets that spring up in European cities each year, the attraction will feature a cosy igloo village and an enormous 'mega igloo' where it snows on the hour

For the third year running, the Winter Village will transform five locations across Australia into icy wonderlands

The 2019 event overflowed with festive decadence, from wine fountains spouting Shiraz and Rose to pop-up restaurants serving grazing platters and fried cheese sandwiches.

A Facebook page for the village has already been liked by 85,880 users, which means tickets are almost certain to be in high demand when they go on sale.

A post teasing the 2021 launch, which has racked up almost 900 likes since it was posted on Wednesday, has drawn delighted responses.

'We loved our experience here a few years ago,' one woman replied.

Australians who have yet to visit the village marvelled at photos from previous events (one pictured)

The 2019 event overflowed with festive decadence, from wine fountains spouting Shiraz and Rose to pop-up restaurants serving grazing platters and fried cheese on sticks

One of the sites is likely to be the Skyline Terrace at Melbourne's Federation Square, where the event was held in 2019 when it was slated as the city's 'landmark winter destination'

'Oh yay can't wait for this! Those igloos are amazing,' said another.

Others who have yet to visit the village marvelled at photos from previous events.

'This looks incredible,' one person wrote, while a second added: 'Oh my gosh, I need this right now.'

Some tagged their friends, suggesting a trip to the village for a girls' night out.

For information on ticket prices, locations and the official launch date, keep an eye on the Winter Village's Instagram or official website.
As airline bookings soar and guests return to hotels, its becoming increasingly evident that hotels must adapt as travelers expect a new way to stay, placing emphasis on health and safety. Mark Zisek, Director of Commercial Operations, Front Desk Supply

Front Desk Supply, a leading hospitality supplier based in San Diego, CA, is seeing skyrocketing demand - increased 65% from 2020 - for some of the foundational products of the hospitality industry, indicating what appears to be a step forward from the grinding halt to travel brought on by COVID-19. As domestic travel comes back into action, Front Desk Supply is offering discounts on magnetic key cards and custom key sleeves at http://www.FrontDeskSupply.com/April2021/ to help the healing hospitality industry.

An increase in travel for both the spring and summer seasons is no longer just a hope; it is becoming a reality, said Mark Zisek, Director of Commercial Operations, Front Desk Supply. As airline bookings soar and guests return to hotels, its becoming increasingly evident that hotels must adapt as travelers expect a new way to stay, placing emphasis on health and safety. We are proud to provide hotels with the individual and low-touch supplies that are necessary to welcoming their guests back, as well as the COVID-19 supplies we have been offering throughout the pandemic, Zisek added.

Front Desk Supply is an industry leader in hospitality supplies, offering millions of diverse hotel items, including key cards, key card holders, do not disturb signs, notepads, pens, valet tags, concierge tags, parking permits, and luggage tags. As the industrys needs surrounding sanitization and safety grew in the wake of COVID-19, the company introduced new additions of personal protective equipment such as face masks, sneeze guards, signage, tamper-tape, and more.

For the month of April, Front Desk Supply announced two specials to help hotels prepare for the return of normal travel - $75 off magnetic key card orders of 5,000 or more key cards and $75 off custom key sleeve orders of 5,000 or more sleeves. The special pricing can be found at http://www.FrontDeskSupply.com/April2021/.

From property to property and city to city, we understand that the needs are unique and shifting, said Zisek. Were passionate about providing boutique hotels with high-quality hospitality supplies that exceed the expectations of their returning guests from check-in to check-out. We work hard to provide all items needed for the new way to stay, Zisek added.

Hotel supply purchasers can take advantage of the April specials by visiting the Front Desk Supply website at http://www.FrontDeskSupply.com/April2021.

About Front Desk Supply

Front Desk Supply has over 50 years of Sales, Marketing and Advertising, and Operations experience, along with the wealth of knowledge that comes from producing millions of products for thousands of hotels in the hospitality industry.

Their focus on building customer relationships is ingrained in all employees. Putting the customer first and offering a unique perspective to any situation is a hallmark of Front Desk Supply. Front Desk Supply excels in providing multiple complementary products  it makes for a one-stop shopping experience for customers and ensures messaging flows consistently across products. They expertly offer recommendations that make good business sense.

Front Desk Supply: Making hotels more profitable and their guests stays more memorable.

Contact:

Mark Zisek

Front Desk Supply

mzisek@access-mktg.com

Phone: 858-699-4701 / Fax: 501-665-6489
[April 01, 2021] GLOBAL TECH INDUSTRIES GROUP, INC. AND BRONX FAMILY EYE CARE, INC. SIGN DEFINITIVE STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

New York, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ( GTII : OTCQB) Global Tech Industries Group, Inc. ( GTII  or the Company), www.gtii-us.com, a Nevada Corporation, and Bronx Family Eye Care, Inc., a New York corporation engaged in the business of full scope optometry, signed a definitive stock purchase agreement, and negotiated the requisite employment agreements within the thirty (30) day timeframe that the two companies had set for themselves on March 21st, 2021, when they signed the binding Letter of Intent. Bronx Family Eye Care, Inc. operates four locations, three of which are in the Bronx, and one of which is in Manhattan, New York. Bronx Family Eye Care, Inc.s certified optometrists use cutting-edge equipment to provide diagnosis and treatment for diseases of the eye, as well as corrective eyewear, to residents of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. GTII now intends to actively seek and acquire other eye care companies that operate in similar manner to Bronx Family Eye Care, Inc. in order to capitalize on its aggressive growth plan more fully.

GTIIs President, Kathy Griffin, stated, We decided early on to move this acquisition target into the plus column for GTII as quickly as possible. Bronx Family Eye Care, Inc. is a great ft for our company, as it has been successfully operating on its own, has realized revenue and profits on its own, and is looking to GTII primarily for the entre and assistance in the public marketplace that we can afford them. This tremendous positive for our balance sheet kick starts us as we move into the second quarter of 2021, already having made significant inroads towards the execution of our business plan. 



About Global Tech Industries Group, Inc.: GTII is a publicly traded company incorporated in the state of Nevada, specializing in the pursuit of acquiring new and innovative technologies. Please follow our company at: www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GTII

Safe Harbor Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release may contain forward looking statements that are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks as well as uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected, including statements related to the amount and timing of expected revenues related to our financial performance, expected income, distributions, and future growth for upcoming quarterly and annual periods. These risks and uncertainties are further defined in filings and reports by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC. Among other matters, the Company may not be able to sustain growth or achieve profitability based upon many factors including but not limited to the risk that we will not be able to find and acquire businesses and assets that will enable us to become profitable. Reference is hereby made to cautionary statements set forth in the Company's most recent SEC filings. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses in our development stage, noting that there is no assurance that we will generate enough revenues to offset those costs in both the near and long term. New lines of business may expose us to additional legal and regulatory costs and unknown exposure(s), the impact of which cannot be predicted at this time. Blaine Riley  br@intlmonetary.com

International Monetary

620 Newport Center Drive, #1100

Newport Beach, CA 92660

949.200.4601 www.gtii-us.com

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These dollars are going to be welcomed in terms of repairing a lot of our infrastructure, said Mr. Dyer, a Republican. He said he was concerned about the effects of higher taxes on businesses but added that he hoped the issue would be worked out in Washington.

Theres no question the need is there, he said.

Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Ariz., called the presidents proposal a very good thing for his city. With the money, Mesa could upgrade a 1970s-era airport tower, widen roads, extend broadband and expand a regional light rail network. He said he was disappointed by the Republican opposition in Congress.

It was only a few months ago that we all agreed that infrastructure was a bipartisan issue, Mr. Giles said. That attitude shouldnt shift just because theres a new administration in the White House.

But Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, another Republican who has called for a vast infusion of spending on infrastructure, accused Mr. Biden of using the legislation to advance $1.4 trillion in liberal programs.

It still has a lot of good things, but it also has a lot of things that have absolutely nothing to do with infrastructure, Mr. Hogan said. Theyre like, No, we just want to jam through all of our priorities.

Mr. Biden and those closest to him understand that passage of the legislation will take place in Washington, not in Fresno or Mesa or Maryland. In announcing his plan, the president sought to cast congressional Republicans as longtime champions of infrastructure, both inviting them to negotiate and daring them to oppose his proposal.
New Delhi, April 1 : The coronavirus pandemic has deepened the inequities in accessing and benefiting from education, especially for the underprivileged students in India, who are more likely than others to be engaged in remote schooling.

According to the World Economic Forum, nearly 320 million learners in India were adversely affected by the pandemic, and have transitioned to the e-learning industry.

The virtual learning system has its own vulnerabilities, as it increases the risk that instructions would not be close to classroom contact atmosphere, which could widen the achievement gap.

Another challenge for the e-learning platforms, given that more than 20 languages are used across the education system in the country, was how to align with various dialects, varied contexts and different social experiences. Also, continued closure of schools could potentially have a negative impact on the most vulnerable students.

However, the Central Square Foundation (CSF), a Delhi-based non-profit, believes that leveraging Education Technology (EdTech) solutions is the need of the hour, as it can help ensure continued learning at home.

In partnership with Google, the CSF had created TicTacLearn in April last year, which is a repository of 12,000 learning videos for mathematics and science subjects in six languages - Hindi, English, Telugu, Odia, Gujarati and Marathi.

Speaking to IANS, Bikkrama Daulet Singh, co-managing director, CSF, said: "Never before did we witness disruption in teaching-learning at this scale. To rise to the challenge, we accelerated the production of videos under TicTacLearn. We wanted to deliver high-quality content in vernacular languages to ensure that children, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, benefit from it during school closures." This repository of learning videos solves three critical aspects of online learning: Quality content, engagement and access. The TicTacLearn channel on YouTube is an open source, which has garnered in excess of 52 million views and 110k plus subscribers so far.

According to Atul Bhargava, senior project lead (government projects) at CSF, with more than 20 languages used across the education system, equitable access to quality distance learning resources is more vital than ever.

The content is story-based (especially for grades I-V), pedagogically sound and byte sized (4-5 min), which generates interest in the students, keeps them engaged and helps them learn at the same time.

"The landscape of Indian educational content availability in 2018 depicted lack of content in vernacular language. Majority of available content was owned by for-profit players - not affordable by 85-90 per cent of Indian students enrolled in government and government-aided schools," said Bhargava.

The maths topics are broken into hook & knowledge, illustrative examples and misconception. The environmental science (EVS) and science videos follow the storytelling approach. There are 12,000 plus videos and 1,050 plus hours of content for maths (grade I-X); and EVS and science (grade III-X), which has 2,000 videos and 175 hours of content for each language.

These videos are also available on the DIKSHA app, the Ministry of Human Resource Development's (MHRD) primary initiative to make e-content available to school children. The videos can also be accessed on the app using the QR codes in the textbooks.

Last year, nearly 500 million textbooks were distributed with QR codes on each chapter, which allow students to scan the code and get a video explaining the concept. For example, if a student is willing to learn about photosynthesis, he/she can scan the code and get a video. As mmany as 9,000 TicTacLearn content pieces have been linked to 50k plus QR codes and 20 states are using TicTacLearn content via DIKSHA and there are already in excess of 5 million views on it.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have started linking the TicTacLearn content to the QR codes in the textbooks.

Would this e-learning methodology succeed in a post-pandemic scenario? "Going forward, schools are likely to adopt a blended learning approach since it will be a while before they resume operations at full strength. These videos will continue to complement classroom learning," Singh said.

(Sumit saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in )
Princess Diana's bridesmaid and Prince Charles's goddaughter India Hicks has shared the Aussie product she swears by for glowing youthful skin at the age of 53.

The model and interior designer, who was just 13 when she acted as bridesmaid at the 1981 Royal wedding, discovered the natural Australian brand Eco Tan's Face Tan Water when she wanted to find something that could help her look 'sun-kissed' without having to go out in the harmful sun.

Now, India can't live without the $39.95 beauty buy before big events.

Scroll down for video

Princess Diana's bridesmaid and Prince Charles's goddaughter India Hicks (pictured) has shared the Aussie product she swears by for glowing youthful skin at the age of 53

The model and interior designer was just 13 when she acted as bridesmaid at the 1981 Royal wedding (pictured back row on the left)

India (pictured) discovered natural Australian brand Eco Tan's Face Tan Water when she wanted to find something to help her look 'sun-kissed' without having to go out in the sun

'I'm beginning to develop those annoying sun marks on my face and yet, I still want to have a sun-kissed glow,' India said in a video shared on her Instagram Stories.

'So, I found a brand, called Eco Tan, that is anti-ageing (thank God), vegan, certified organic and natural.'

She added: 'There is nothing artificial in this brand, and I even read the founder's book. As an Aussie, she knows a thing or two about sun and skin.'

India likes to use the Eco Tan 'three-step skincare kit' ($94.85) daily, which comprises a citrus cleanser, fruit toner and 'super fruit hydrator'.

She then applies the tanning Face Tan Water 24 hours before a big event or party when she wants to look her best.

India (pictured) demonstrated how she uses Face Tan Water to give her glowing skin, after using the three-step routine by the same brand

Face Tan Water is a gradual liquid self-tanning toner; it has anti-acne ingredients to help fight breakouts (pictured)

India (pictured) said: 'There is nothing artificial in this brand, and I even read the founder's book. As an Aussie, she knows a thing or two about sun and skin'

What makes Eco Tan's Face Tan Water so special? * Face Tan Water is a gradual liquid self-tanning toner. It has anti-acne ingredients to help fight breakouts. The product (pictured) is soothing with aloe and brimming with antioxidants to even out your skin tone * The product is non-comedogenic, so it will lock in moisture on your face without clogging your pores making it the go-to for teen skin. * It's soothing with aloe and brimming with antioxidants to even out your skin tone. * It's so easy to apply and with no synthetic dyes or artificial ingredients it won't stain your hands. * Its lightweight moisturising properties leave your skin feeling soft and hydrated, never greasy. * The product also uses natural hyaluronic acid, which works wonders for the skin. * Its calming, hydrating, and antioxidant properties are great for all skin types, even for rosacea, eczema and acne-effected skin. Source: Eco Tan Advertisement

The product, which has been described as 'a real life organic filter' by some, boasts more than 700 five-star reviews online (pictured before and after use)

What's in Face Tan Water? * Orange peel oil: Nourishes dry, irritated and acne-prone skin * Rose oil: Hydrates skin and reduces redness, scarring and signs of ageing * Hyaluronic acid: Reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles and accelerates the healing of spots * Aloe Vera: Calms inflammation and soothes irritated skin Advertisement

The 53-year-old model isn't the only fan of Eco Tan's Face Tan Water.

The product, which has been described as 'a real life organic filter' by some, boasts more than 700 five-star reviews online.

It has also made waves in beauty groups on social media, with many claiming they haven't worn foundation since discovering the Face Tan Water.

Some women said the product leaves their skin 'glowing' for days after applying, and it is a 'miracle buy'.

'I love all Eco Tan products but this one is the show-stopper,' one woman posted.

'I go from sallow Sal to glowing gal overnight.'

Another added: 'I love this product.

'Gives a natural glow, no hideous tan lines or any evidence you've used a tanning product at all!

'It's simply the best.'

Face Tan Water has also made waves in beauty groups on social media, with many claiming they haven't worn foundation since discovering it (pictured after use)

Eco Tan was born in 2010 when Gold Coast founder Sonya Driver set out to make a product that allowed people to tan without exposing themselves to chemicals or harmful ultra-violet rays.

Shunning all manner of chemicals typically used in self-tanners, Ms Driver experimented with samples of cacao, flower essence, chamomile and all things natural, mixing batches in the kitchen of her Currumbin home.

The result is what is now one of Australia's most popular natural skincare brands, and it has won over 50 coveted awards for its clever organic formulations.

Eco Tan made history in 2011 when it became the first and only tanning manufacturer to be certified organic by the Australian government's Organic Food Chain.

Eight years later in 2019, the brand's Eye Compost - a $49 all-natural eye cream - hit headlines after women on social media raved about its ability to lighten dark circles and banish fine lines after just one week of use.

Eco Tan was born in 2010 when Gold Coast founder Sonya Driver set out to make a product that allowed people to tan without exposing themselves to chemicals or harmful ultra-violet rays (pictured before and after use)

The cream promises to leave the eye area 'bright and smooth' with a blend of powerful ingredients like vitamin C, spirulina and Kakadu Plum, a fruit grown in Australia's Northern Territory.

Described as 'supercharged luxe eye cream', the piercing blue formula proved wildly popular with hundreds reporting noticeable improvements after one application.

'These ingredients brighten, plump and help reduce the appearance of dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles,' the product description reads.

'Kakadu Plum with Vitamin C improves skin luminosity and helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

'Pure hyaluronic naturally boosts the moisture in your skin for instant visibly smoother healthier looking skin and Spirulina brightens to help reduce the appearance of dark circles.'

The cream is laced with aloe vera, known to calm inflammation and soothe irritated skin, and comes with a jade stone applicator which claims to 'tighten and tone' pores.

Online, customers confirmed the benefits in a string of gushing reviews.

'Eye cream that actually works! I have used and tried so many products on the market, and lately been trying to go as natural with my skincare as possible and find that without real technology behind the skincare, they do nothing,' one woman wrote.

Another said: 'This little blue pot of magic did brighten my under eyes, reduced wrinkles and just make my under eye so much more moisturised! So in love!'

Others agreed, with one skincare enthusiast declaring she noticed a difference seconds after applying the cream.

'It instantly de-puffed my eyes and decreased dark circles and lines,' she said.

'I love using the jade roller to glide over the eyes as you use the product, this has a great cooling effect. I had another product I considered a great eye cream, but this is now my holy grail.'
This past Friday, students were able to experience the uplifting and encouraging atmosphere that characterizes the Whitely Womens Leadership Symposium. As attendees were offered networking opportunities and tips regarding personal wellness, the conference fostered a sense of confidence and positivity. Held by the Butler Center for Service and Leadership and channeled through the digital conferencing platform Remo.co, the new virtual format of the event served as no barrier to the impactful, reflective experience it gave students.

The symposium is here to help students appreciate their passions, strengths, and achievements within the community. As students, they are leaders as well, said Collette Mighty, the Assistant Director of the Butler Center who oversees the symposium.

Since its inception in 2012, the Womens Leadership Symposium has promoted personal growth in all fields of life. Renamed in 2016 in honor of Patricia A. Whitely, current Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, the symposium serves as a celebration of women in leadership positions and an inspiration to its audience. The conference facilitates social interaction while also presenting networking opportunities as it garners a plethora of inspiring women from the University and within the community of Miami. This conference, despite the pandemic, was no different.

This years theme, She S.O.A.R.S.  standing for Saw, Overcame, Achieved, Reflected, and Servedaims to inspire its audience to not only serve oneself, but to serve the community around them. Prioritizing self-care tactics and peer-driven support, the acronym relays the importance of community in success.

We want students to know you have to be the best version of yourself before serving those around you, added Mighty.

The symposium, planned and executed through the major contributions of its student committee, ensured that its themes and guest speakers were carefully crafted to best serve the students in attendance. Making up the panel of various positions, Anastassia Caffati, Angella Nakasagga, Leila Metelus, and Jarelis Cabrera each dedicated weeks to overseeing the intricacies of the event.

We worked really hard coordinating everythingreaching out to a diverse panel of professionals, choosing workshop themes, and ensuring everyone could use the new platform we were presenting, said Jarelis Cabrera, a senior here at the University and the networking and PR chair of the student committee.

Via the interactive platform Remo.co, students sat in virtual tables among various professionals as a part of several rounds of networking. As they explored the online conference floor, students gained insight into the careers of diverse leaders at the University.

After networking, attendees were offered a choice between two workshops, each focusing on well-being and optimizing ones ability. Introducing themes like imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and other self-sabotaging behaviors, students were able to relate to shortcomings of successful leaders while also being urged to adopt healthy, confidence-building aspects in their lives.

The event concluded with the keynote speaker, Canisha Cierra Turnerowner and CEO of Executive Reign, a public speaking and talent company based in North Carolina but serves multiple states. Turner offered encouraging advice to those still exploring their professional life and reinstated the conferences theme of SOARING to higher heights.

The symposium has always been a very impactful experience, especially considering the networking opportunities it allows for. Hearing from women of color specifically made me feel represented and seen, and I related to a lot of the experiences of the speakers, added Cabrera.
Uganda needs to tap into renewable energy as a backup to hydro power, the Commissioner Vocational Training Safina Musenero has said.

Speaking at the launch of the Solar Renewable Energy Skills and Environmental Education Programme at Don Bosco Vocational Institute in Kamuli District, Dr Musenero said government needs to put a coordinated and responsive system that can tap into the renewable energy since the pace of hydro power penetration has been a little slow. Solar energy, she added, because of its stability, will be a good backup for hydro energy, especially in rural setups, where power stability has been a problem.

"We need to tap into renewable energy as back up since only 29 per cent of Ugandans are accessing hydro power energy," she said, noting that the rural electrification project has been slow due to the cost involved.

The Solar Renewable Energy Skills and Environmental Education Programme, which has so far passed out 62 solar energy electricians in the districts of Kamuli, Luweero (Bombo) and Lamwo, is part of the larger plan that seek to promote solar energy as an alternative energy resource.

The programme which is run under a partnership between Don Bosco Kamuli Vocational Institute, Sendea Academy and support from Austrian Development Cooperation, will seek before the end of the year to at least pass out 200 solar experts.

Dr Musenero also noted that government will work closely with solar related training institutions as a way of standardising operations of solar energy as well as creating a buffer for other energy sources.

Ms Loy Florence Kyozaire, the Sendea Academy chief executive officer, challenged government to support solar related initiatives as well as establishing supportive policy instruments to enhance harvesting of solar energy, which can be an alternative source of energy, especially in rural areas.

Uganda has a renewable energy production potential of about 5,300 Megawatts.
AMPs new chief executive Alexis George will draw on her experience selling ANZs superannuation business to drive the companys new strategy as primarily a domestic wealth and banking business.

AMP announced on Thursday that chief executive Francesco De Ferrari would resign, one week after speculation over the wealth managers leadership that sent the group into a trading halt.

Ms George will take over as early as July and Mr De Ferrari will remain at the company in an advisory role, working with the board to oversee strategic initiatives, including negotiations with US investment firm Ares.

The executive shake-up caused AMPs share price to jump by 4.7 per cent over the day to close at $1.32 per share.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 14:00:49|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally rose to 12,221,665 on Thursday as 72,330 new cases were reported from across the country, according to the latest figures released by federal health ministry.

Besides, 459 deaths since Wednesday morning took the death toll to 162,927.

Both the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths in 24 hours in India are the maximum this year so far.

- - - -

BEIJING -- China's vaccination plan against COVID-19 is forecast by Oxford Economics to pave the way for the country's economic growth rate to reach 9.3 percent this year, according to media.

China aims to vaccinate 40 percent of its 1.4-billion population against the coronavirus by the end of this June, said Zhong Nanshan, a leading expert in China's respiratory disease research, in a forum in March.

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Thursday that the country will adopt a so-called "vaccine passport" this month to verify people's COVID-19 vaccination status via smartphone application.

Chung told an interagency meeting for the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic that people who get vaccinated will be able to feel a sense of return to normality only when the "vaccine passport or green card" systems are introduced.

- - - -

KATHMANDU -- The Nepali government has decided to inoculate the COVID-19 vaccine donated by China among people aged 40-59 years, a senior official of Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population said.

A batch of Chinese vaccines arrived in Nepal on March 29 in a major boost to the Himalayan country's vaccination drive against the pandemic. Enditem
CHICAGO, IL, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- CannaTrac Technology, Inc. (CannaTrac or the Company), announced today that its wholly-owned merchant processing subsidiary CTI Processing, Inc. (CTI Processing), has expanded its operations and is now offering its merchant processing solution to companies operating in Europe.



When we launched CTI Processing about a year ago, we saw a huge market in helping businesses struggling to find reliable merchant processing with reasonable rates, said CannaTrac Vice Chairman and CEO Thomas Gavin IV. Since then, we have seen an influx of businesses interested in our solutions and have built strong relationships with many customers.

CTI Processing is challenging the high rates commonly associated with merchant processing by providing end-to-end payment processing and merchant solutions at lower rates. This also gives businesses a chance to keep more of their hard-earned revenue as they recover from COVID-19 pandemic-related shut-downs. As a result of this expansion, CTI Processing is now offering these benefits to companies operating in Europe.

In addition to lower-than-market-average merchant processing rates, CTI Processing provides its customers with the most up-to-date equipment and state-of-the-art technology for a streamlined payment process. The Company also announced earlier this month that new businesses can now be onboarded with customized solutions into their system within just 36 hours of receiving completed paperwork.

For more information about CTI Processing, visit https://ctiprocessing.com/.

About CTI Processing

CTI Processing, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CannaTrac Technology, Inc. CTI Processing serves low-to high-risk industries, including, but not limited to accounting/tax preparation, nutraceuticals, CBD/hemp, credit repair, debt consolidation, electronics, non-profit organizations and property management.

CTI Processing, Inc. is an ISO and not a money transmitter. They provide the service to facilitate the purchase of goods or services or the payment of bills for goods or services. The Company neither accepts nor transmits funds on behalf of the merchants. The company operates through clearance and settlement systems that admit only BSA-regulated financial institutions. The Company provides the service pursuant to a formal agreement and the agreement is at a minimum with the seller or creditor that provided the goods or services and receives the funds.

To learn more about CTI Processing, Inc. or inquire as a merchant, please visit: https://ctiprocessing.com/.

ABOUT CANNATRAC

CannaTrac is dedicated to bringing safety to the cannabis and hemp industries by serving as the industrys leading cashless mobile payment system solution. CannaTrac created the CannaCard to provide consumers and retailers with a convenient way to benefit from increased safety and convenience through cashless purchases within the legal cannabis industry. Shop.Pay.Earn Rewards with the CannaCard. To learn more about CannaCard or register as a merchant, please visit https://cannatrac.com/.

PR Contact

Mary Borstelmann

CMW Media

mary@cmwmedia.com

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Laura Whitmore has welcomed her first child, a baby girl, with her husband Iain Stirling.

The couple looked every inch the doting parents as they headed out with their newborn daughter for some much needed coffee in London on Wednesday.

Laura, 35, and Iain, 33, who have yet to announce their little one's arrival on social media, beamed with joy during the outing.

Congratulations: Laura Whitmore has welcomed her first child, a baby girl, with her husband Iain Stirling. The happy parents were seen heading out with their newborn daughter on Wednesday

While it is not known exactly when Laura gave birth, Stacey Dooley stepped in to host the presenter's BBC Radio 5 show on Sunday.

And the Irish beauty certainly looked like she is settling into motherhood as she and Iain made the most of the sunshine with their newborn baby.

Laura cut a stylish figure in a denim jacket, black joggers and white trainers as she fuelled up on caffeine.

Baby joy! The couple looked every inch the doting parents as they headed out with their newborn daughter for some much needed coffee in London

She's a natural! Laura was pictured interacting with her daughter while waiting for Iain to get her out of the car. The comedian later looked every inch the proud dad as he carefully took their baby girl out of the car and carried her in her car seat

Conversational: The couple chatted to one another after getting out of the car as they made the most of the heatwave

Lovebirds: The couple have been together since 2017 and moved in a year after dating. They tied the knot last year and later confirmed they were expecting their first child together

She teamed the look with a multi-coloured scarf and shielded her eyes from the sun's rays with a pair of oversized sunglasses.

Iain, meanwhile, was every inch the proud dad as he carefully took their daughter out of the car and carried her in her car seat.

MailOnline has contacted Laura and Iain's representatives for comment.

Sweet: The Love Island narrator draped a little blanket over his baby daughter as he carried her out the car. The ITV2 star cut a casual figure in a leather jacket and jeans

Happy days: The Irish beauty certainly looked like she is settling into motherhood as she and Iain made the most of the sunshine with their newborn baby

Coffee run: Laura cut a stylish figure in a denim jacket, black joggers and white trainers as she fuelled up on caffeine

The couple confirmed they were expecting in mid-December, sharing their happy news on Instagram, a day after it was revealed they had secretly married during a Humanist ceremony at Dublin's City Hall in November.

Laura revealed she was having a daughter in her self-help book, No One Can Change Your Life Except for You.

She said: 'As I finish this book, it doesn't end at chapter nine, there's a new chapter coming into my life - in the form of a baby girl currently growing inside me and that scares the s**t out of me.

'I once swallowed a bug and freaked out there was a live bug inside me. A live human is a whole new level of freaking out but I am excited because there's a lot of good in the world, there's a lot of potential.'

Baby girl: Laura revealed she was having a daughter in her self-help book, No One Can Change Your Life Except for You/ She said: 'As I finish this book, it doesn't end at chapter nine, there's a new chapter coming into my life - in the form of a baby girl'

Reflecting on impending motherhood, Laura said: 'I want to bring up my child knowing that she has her own story to write.'

'She will be supported and loved. But she is the heroine of her own life, no-one else.'

Lorraine Kelly had originally let slip that Laura was set to welcome a daughter, noting that the mother-to-be will likely want to pass advice on to her 'baby girl'.

To which Laura, slightly taken aback, replied: 'Well, my baby... yes.'

The Celebrity Juice star is hoping to be back at work this summer for the next series of Love Island which was pulled off air last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Laura admitted she struggled to keep her pregnancy secret during 'times when I've had to run out of live radio to get sick in a bin or my penchant for a bowl of mashed potato in the morning'.

Taking to social media, Laura shared a photo of a Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine baby onesie and wrote: 'So I've always tried to be protective over the personal side of my life.

'A lot of things are just for me and my loved ones and we've chosen not to share publicly.

'However I want to now share good news as it's our news to share - and I'm gonna be honest it's starting to look like my lock down beer belly is out of control.

Tricky: Iain got to grips with getting the car seat out of their fancy Range Rover. Their newborn daughter looked adorable in a tiny white hat

Wedding bells: Late last year, it was revealed Laura and Iain had secretly tied the knot in a Humanist ceremony at Dublin's City Hall on November 11

Private: Laura admitted she struggled to keep her pregnancy secret during 'times when I've had to run out of live radio to get sick in a bin or my penchant for a bowl of mashed potato in the morning'

'Iain and I are expecting a baby early 2021. It's been hard to keep such happy news quiet.

'Especially the times when I've had to run out of live radio to get sick in a bin or my penchant for a bowl of mashed potato in the morning.

She continued: 'I wasn't hungover like everyone thought. In fact I was completely sober filming the entire series of Celeb Juice, which is quite the accolade!

'We'd appreciate our privacy respected but just wanted to spread some love and a reminder of the beauty of life.'

Iain added his own tongue-in-cheek announcement on Instagram, sharing a photo of his games consoles adorned with a post-it note reading 'I will miss you xxx'.

Pregnancy: Laura shared this snap of her blossoming baby bump last week as she filmed Celebrity Juice

He wrote alongside the snap: 'Sorry to my old babies but there is a new baby coming early 2021.'

Laura recently discussed her road to motherhood and her pregnancy journey in an interview with Hunger magazine.

Speaking in December 2020, she said: 'As a timing thing, it probably wasn't something that we thought about, it was a nice surprise. So I'm due at the beginning of next year and I think things just fall into place.'

The star also revealed the couple had found out the sex of their baby very early on via a Harmony blood test, with Laura saying the check had given her peace of mind that her baby was healthy after suffering a tragic miscarriage in 2018.

Happy news: The couple confirmed they were expecting in mid-December, sharing their news on Instagram

Baby on the way: Laura admitted she struggled to keep her pregnancy secret during 'times when I've had to run out of live radio to get sick in a bin

She said: 'For me it wasn't about the sex, it was just about whether the baby was OK. You constantly have that fear. I think there are a lot of things that are important to keep to yourself.'

Laura admitted in an interview last August that it took her a year to be able to speak about her miscarriage.

Explaining she hadn't initially planned for her first pregnancy, the Irish star confessed she didn't know whether she was meant to 'cry or be emotional' following the heartbreaking news, which came in September 2018.

Laura told The Times: 'It took me a year to talk about my miscarriage. I'd heard about people having miscarriages when they were trying for babies, but my situation was very different.

'What happens if you weren't trying for a baby? I had that guilt of, 'I wasn't expecting this,' so then you change your life. But then suddenly you have to change your head again after the miscarriage.'

Laura previously spoke about her miscarriage in an article she wrote herself for Hot Press last year.

She penned: 'In the room I could see the outline of what looked like a jelly baby  just like in the movies. Then silence,' she stated, before admitting the doctor told her: 'I'm sorry there's no heart-beat.'

New baby in the house: Iain added his own tongue-in-cheek announcement on Instagram, sharing a photo of his games consoles adorned with a post it reading 'I will miss you xxx'

Late last year, it was revealed Laura and Iain had secretly tied the knot in a Humanist ceremony at Dublin's City Hall on November 11.

Taking to Instagram to celebrate the start of 2021, Laura finally confirmed the nuptials while sharing a beautiful snap from the pair's big day.

The location of Dublin was no doubt sentimental to Laura who was grew up in the city, while Iain was raised in Scotland.

The couple opted to keep the news private after returning to the UK, but eagle-eyed fans spotted Iain wearing a wedding ring when he appeared on the special Loose Men episode of ITV's Loose Women to mark International Men's Day in November.

Ring: Eagle-eyed fans spotted Iain wearing a wedding ring when he appeared on the special Loose Men episode of ITV's Loose Women in November

Pictured: Laura showed off her flashy diamond engagement back in April 2020, but Iain is thought to have proposed earlier in the year

Laura showed off her flashy diamond engagement back in April, but Iain is thought to have proposed earlier in the year.

According to The Sun, Iain got down on one knee in South Africa after they filmed the 2020 series of Love Island.

A family friend said: 'They couldn't be happier. We're thrilled for them. He'd obviously thought about it for a while, as he designed the ring and yellow's her favourite colour.'

The insider added that the couple's wedding plans were on hold for the time being due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.

They said: 'Their wedding plans are on hold due to the lockdown but it's lovely to have a wedding to come.'

However, it appears the pair had a change of heart and decided to tie the knot on November 11.

Laura and Iain met in 2016 but it wasn't until the following summer that things turned romantic between them.

Appearing on the Chris Ramsey show, Iain said of their relationship: 'I've got someone who's like me, but much, much better.

'And Laura's got someone who's like her, but much worse. I've done well out of it, but I'm dead happy because she's lovely and stuff.'

The couple then moved in together after a year of dating.

In 2020, Laura and Iain also started working together, after Laura took over the role of Love Island host from her late friend Caroline Flack, who stepped down after her arrest following a row with boyfriend Lewis at her home.

Prior to dating Iain, Laura was linked to Paolo Nutini and Sunset Sons rocker Rory Williams, while she has been close to One Direction's Niall Horan for years.

She split from Game of Thrones star Richard Madden back in 2016 after a short romance, and was also briefly linked to Leonardo DiCaprio after the 2016 BAFTA awards.
POPULAR Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani says the government should stop discrediting the World Bank's classification of Namibia as an upper middle-income country, and step up to develop the economy to fit this ranking.

Venaani said this when he challenged president Hage Geigob's long-held position that the country does not qualify to be classified as an upper middle-income economy.

The president has over the years decried this ranking, saying it has prevented the country from accessing much-needed "soft loans" and grants to address its developmental challenges.

Geingob has specifically discredited the credibility of this ranking due to the fact that Namibia has one of the most unequal societies in the world.

However, during his contribution to the debate on the national budget in the National Assembly yesterday, Venaani said Geingob and the government's position on this ranking is wrong and ill-thought-out.

The PDM leader said he and his party support this ranking because he does not want the country to depend on other countries for development aid.

"We disagree with the government's position [on this]. African countries for too long have consistently become nations that live from the crumbs of other nations. The notion that Namibia should not be categorised as an upper middle-income country as a conduit for us to be recipients of cheap money from across the globe is wrong," Venaani said.

According to him, Namibia should rather "create the necessary economic interventions to become a country that is free from an aid recipient" tag.

He added that the government should also focus on creating competitiveness at home across the economy and broaden the scope of the economy by "adding value to our commodities".

UNINSPIRING BUDGET

Venaani yesterday also criticised the government on its inability to prioritise activities that could grow the economy in the current budget.

Overall, the PDM leader believes that this year's budget is "uninspiring, as it sought to maintain the status quo rather than to get the economy out of the predicament it finds itself" in.

For example, Venaani said the allocation of N$125 million to the president's office "to look for investment" was not well-thought out.

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He said this allocation was made despite the government having hosted two failed international investment conferences over the past three years.

For Venaani, the government should have accounted for the money spent on those conferences before another commitment is made for this cause.

"The conferences were epic failures and that's why we are giving another N$125 million. What are the results that we have accrued from those investment conferences? We have given you time and you have not delivered on what you have promised. The investment conference has not brought anything to the country," he said.

The PDM leader further stressed that the continued neglect of the agriculture industry through the budget shows that the government has no other plan but to maintain the status quo.

"What are we doing to accelerate the grapes in the European markets? Your budget does not propel a thriving private sector. It does not incentivise the private sector...," Venaani said.

Venaani's fellow PDM member, Nico Smit, said the current budget does not solve any of the government's recurrent problems "despite numerous promises since 2016".

"The same problems that we faced after the spending honeymoon of 2012 to 2015 are all still there, unresolved and without any tangible solutions," he said.
Its safe to say that Titanic is one of the most epic films ever to be released. It won an oscar in 1997 for Best Picture, and its still one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

Still, regardless of its success, there are a handful of errors in Titanic that are sure to take you out of the film.

Most of the movie mistakes have to do with historical inaccuracies that certainly could have been prevented.

Kate Winslet offers her hand to Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from the film Titanic | 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images

Titanic still lives on for Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet

Despite the historical inaccuracies sprinkled throughout the film, DiCaprio and Winslet are still massive fans of the movie. Not only was Titanic their first big film, but it was also the movie that launched their 25-year friendship.

Now, DiCaprio and Winslet are practically family, and they still quote Titanic with each other!

Winslet said, Were very, very close. And sometimes, we do quote the odd Titanic line back and forth to each other because only we can, and we find it really funny.

What are some of the historical inaccuracies in Titanic?

To the woman who sailed away with our hearts pic.twitter.com/2r86TBFrnZ  Paramount Pictures (@ParamountPics) January 14, 2021

Several historical inaccuracies can be found in the epic film, directed by James Cameron. While the Titanic ship famously sunk in 1912, many of the props seen in the movie werent invented until much later.

For instance, at the end of the movie, the lifeboat officers are seen waving their flashlights around while trying to find any remaining survivors. Unfortunately, flashlights werent invented yet in 1912.

Another prop that hadnt been invented yet was the cigarettes that Jack Dawson smokes throughout the film. The filtered cigarettes he smokes hadnt been invented until the 1950s.

Meanwhile, during the film, Rose quotes Sigmund Freud while using a theory that hadnt been invented yet. Rose says, Do you know of Dr. Freud? His ideas with male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you, Mr. Ismay. And while its a funny line, history buffs still cringe at this moment due to its inaccuracy.

Furthermore, when Jack first introduces himself to Rose, he says he is from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. He talks about his experiences ice fishing on Lake Wissota, yet this lake wasnt created until five years later. This caused a bit of an uproar from Chippewa Falls residents.

It couldnt have happened because the lake wasnt filled until 1917, said a Chippewa Falls historian (via the Chicago Tribune.)

The most controversial historical inaccuracy

Yet one of the most significant historical inaccuracies in Titanic caused James Cameron to intervene.

The inaccuracy involves the portrayal of Officer William McMaster Murdoch. In the movie, the character takes a passengers life on the ship and then takes his own life out of guilt.

But in reality, Murdoch died a hero by helping save over 10 lives on the ship.

In the case of First Officer William McMaster Murdoch, I took the liberty of showing him shoot somebody and then shoot himself, Cameron says (via USA Today.)

Though 'Titanic' wasn't a instant sensation when it premiered 20 years ago, @davidlsims writes that many fans kept coming back to see the epic disaster-romance film for one reason: the happy ending. https://t.co/MJgNjvFWzn pic.twitter.com/9ldY69rOh6  The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) December 19, 2017

Hes a named character; he wasnt a generic officer. We dont know that he did that, but you know the storyteller in me says, Oh. I start connecting the dots: he was on duty, hes carrying all this burden with him, made him an interesting character.

But I was being a screenwriter, Cameron continues. I wasnt thinking about being a historian, and I think I wasnt as sensitive about the fact that his family, his survivors, might feel offended by that, and they were.
Former corporate titan Ronald Brierley faces being stripped of his knighthood after he pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material, including photographs of children as young as two years old.

Brierley, 83, made his name as a corporate raider in New Zealand and Australia in the 1980s, was knighted in 1988, and also served on the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust board.

However, the millionaire businessmans life was brought undone when he was arrested and charged in December 2019 after being stopped at Sydney International Airport.

Ronald Alfred Brierley leaves Downing Centre Court today. Credit:Georgina Mitchell

His carry-on luggage was searched, police said at the time, with police officers discovering large amounts of child abuse material.
Hopes are high that the Covid Vaccination Programme will take off this month with around a million vaccine doses a week arriving in Spain, according to the Ministry of Health.

300,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be included in the vaccination programme, which will continue throughout the Easter holidays with those over 80 years of age getting their second jabs on Thursday and Friday.

The arrival of more vaccine doses means more people will be immunised, to stem infection and avert a fourth wave of coronavirus, which has already hit several European countries.

By the end of the week, 22,570 doses of Moderna, 25,000 of Astrazeneca and 24,000 of Pfizer will arrive in the Balearic Islands and the vaccination process will be stepped up.

People whove already had their first dose of Astrazeneca will get their second jab in 10-12 weeks.

The Government says that by the beginning of autumn more than 30 million people have been given at least one Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The Ministry of Health also insists that the vaccination programme will be stepped up yet again with the arrival of 1,300,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Spain in May and another 3,900,000 in June.
TORONTO and OXFORD, United Kingdom, March 16, 2021  Alphawave IP, a leader in multi-standard connectivity IP solutions, today announced it has entered into a partnership agreement with EnSilica, a leading provider of custom ASIC design and supply services, to expand both companies capabilities in the United Kingdom and Europe. Under the agreement, the companies will work together to leverage Alphawaves advanced connectivity solutions together with the broad capabilities of the EnSilica ASIC team, to service the needs of high-end customers in the United Kingdom and Europe.

EnSilica is a market leading ASIC design house and we are excited to be working with them as a partner, said Tony Pialis, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Alphawave. This is an important step for Alphawave as we expand our presence into the United Kingdom and Europe. This partnership will allow us to support a wider range of customers that need our high-end connectivity solutions and a trustworthy and recognized ASIC partner like EnSilica to deliver turnkey ASICs.

Alphawave has some of the best connectivity IP in the world which features in the most advanced technologies, said Ian Lankshear, Managing Director of EnSilica. We see tremendous opportunities to work with this compelling technology to service the needs of our high-end customer base. The real winners will be our mutual customers.

The announcement comes after an exciting 2020 for Alphawave, which was a record breaking year for the company in bookings, revenue, gross margin, and EBITDA. This is just the beginning of our commitment to the UK and to Europe in 2021, added Pialis, Its our privilege to work with a great British company like EnSilica in 2021 and beyond.

About Alphawave IP

Faced with the exponential growth of data, Alphawaves technology services a critical need: enabling data to travel faster, more reliably and with higher performance at lower power. Alphawave is a global leader in high-speed connectivity for the worlds technology infrastructure. Our IP solutions therefore meet the needs of global tier-one customers in data centers, compute, networking, AI, 5G, autonomous vehicles, and storage. Founded in Toronto, Canada in 2017, by an expert technical team with a proven track record in licensing semiconductor IP, our mission is to focus on the hardest-to-solve connectivity challenges.

About EnSilica

EnSilica is a leading fabless design house focused on custom ASIC design and supply for OEMs and system houses, and IC design services for companies with their own design teams. The company has world-class expertise in supplying custom analog, mixed signal and digital ICs to its international customers in the automotive, industrial, healthcare and consumer markets. More information is available at www.ensilica.com .






ST. LOUIS, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hicuity Health, the nation's leading provider of high-acuity telemedicine services, has announced the extension of its longstanding relationship with Appalachian Regional Healthcare with the launch of its comprehensive tele-ICU care services at Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center (Prestonsburg, KY). The facility is the 13th facility in the Appalachian Regional Healthcare system to implement Hicuity Health's technology-enabled care services to support the hospital's bedside team with 24 x 7 x 365 intensivist-led critical care and ensure system-wide consistency of care.

"Appalachian Regional Healthcare is excited to extend its Hicuity Health tele-ICU partnership to Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center. One of our system's goals in undertaking tele-ICU care two years ago was to ensure consistent delivery of critical care across the system. With this implementation, our newest hospital will now enjoy those benefits," said Maria Braman, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, Appalachian Regional Healthcare. "Working alongside Hicuity Health and leveraging their extensive clinical expertise has enabled our hospitals to consistently reduce mortality rates and improve clinical outcomes for our acutely ill patients."

Hicuity Health and Appalachian Regional Healthcare initially partnered in 2019 on a system-wide implementation of tele-ICU across 12 ARH facilities. When Highlands merged with ARH following this implementation, plans were initiated to build on ARH's trusted relationship with Hicuity Health. Leveraging the advanced critical care capabilities afforded by a tele-ICU services model, the hospital's care teams will now be supported with around-the-clock Hicuity Health critical care support to improve patient outcomes.

"Hicuity Health is honored to further expand our partnership with Appalachian Regional Healthcare to arm the bedside care team at Highland ARH Regional Medical Center with clinical support on a 24 x 7 basis," said Lou Silverman, CEO, Hicuity Health. "Our system-wide collaboration with Appalachian Regional Healthcare is a prime illustration of how our scalable and customized tele-ICU programs can help healthcare systems achieve their system-wide critical care goals."

Hicuity Health is currently contracted to serve more than 100 hospitals in 27 states. In 2020, Hicuity Health's team of U.S. board-certified providers and other clinicians conducted 1.2 million patient interactions while caring for more than 110,000 patients.

About Appalachian Regional Healthcare

Appalachian Regional Healthcare is a not-for-profit health system operating 13 hospitals in Barbourville, Hazard, Harlan, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg and South Williamson in Kentucky and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, as well as multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores and retail pharmacies. ARH employs around 6,000 people with an annual payroll and benefits of $330 million generated into our local economies. ARH also has a network of more than 600 active and courtesy medical staff members. ARH is the largest provider of care and single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky and the third largest private employer in southern West Virginia, and is consistently recognized for its medical excellence. To learn more about us, visit: www.arh.org

About Hicuity Health

For more than 15 years, Hicuity Health (the new name for Advanced ICU Care) has pioneered telemedicine innovations. Serving a diverse range of clients and care venues  including health systems, hospitals, and post-acute care facilities  with an expanding line of services that includes tele-ICU, remote inpatient cardiac telemetry, and wearable smart device monitoring, the company is the leader in delivering expert care on a 24 x 7 x 365 basis to high-acuity patients in high-acuity environments. Our innovation is highlighted by our proprietary HUB workflow management technology platform, which enables seamless care delivery and informs patient management across our 9 clinical care centers that serve our more than 100 hospital partners located in 27 states nationwide. Hicuity Health cares for more than 100,000 patients per year, delivering enhanced patient outcomes, tangible ROI, and expert clinical support for the bedside teams at our partner hospitals. To learn more about us, visit: www.HicuityHealth.com.

SOURCE Hicuity Health

Related Links

http://www.HicuityHealth.com


By Ritah Kemigisa

Parliament has passed the National Health Insurance Scheme Bill 2019 with amendments at third reading.

The long-awaited bill seeks to provide universal health coverage to all Ugandans.

Parliament moved to pass the bill after it rejected a request by the health minister in charge of general duties Robinah Nabbanja to withdraw it citing some inaccuracies that need to be corrected.

However, Kadaga blocked her attempts saying the bill has been shelved for too long further challenging her to defend why the government introduced the bill in the first place.

The Parliament health committee chairperson Michael Bukenya then went ahead to read the bill for the second time revealing how they had agreed as a committee that membership to the scheme should be compulsory to all, while contributions and premium should be dependent on actuarial studies which will form the basis of determining the premium for purposes of affordability and fairness.

The scheme seeks to pool resources, where the rich will subsidize the treatment of the poor and the healthy will subsidize the treatment of the sick, young and elderly.

Currently, most of the required services are not available in the Government health facilities and when Ugandans resort to private health facilities, services are expensive and yet health insurance cover stands at 1% to 2%.

The bill now awaits assent from the president to be made a law.
Former Bachelorette star Jamie Doran announced to his Instagram followers on Thursday that he was joining the cast of SAS: Australia season two.

The 40-year-old shared a photo of himself wearing an SAS-branded hat and a black hoodie with the number 11 on the front.

He wrote in the caption: 'I'm excited to announce that I will be appearing on @sasaustralia S2 as contestant #11 later this year.'

Nice try, Jamie! Former Bachelorette star Jamie Doran announced to his Instagram followers on Thursday that he was joining the cast of SAS: Australia season two

'The hard training has commenced, but I feel nothing is going to be able to prepare me for what I'm about to endure,' Jamie added.

'Wish me luck,' he concluded.

Jamie received congratulatory messages from fellow reality stars, including Bachelorette 2020 runner-up Joe Woodbury, who wrote: 'Yessssssssss.'

Big news! The 40-year-old shared this photo of himself wearing an SAS-branded hat and a black hoodie with the number 11 on the front

They took the bait! Jamie received congratulatory messages from fellow reality stars, including Bachelorette 2020 runner-up Joe Woodbury, who wrote: 'Yessssssssss'

Clued up: The only person who took Jamie's announcement with a grain of salt was Bachelor in Paradise alum Jess Brody, who wrote: 'Omg the comments'

Former Bachelorette Elly Miles added: 'Shiiiiiii Jamie!!! Congrats mate, good luck.' Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan commented: 'I have faith in you.'

The only person who took Jamie's announcement with a grain of salt was Bachelor in Paradise alum Jess Brody, who wrote: 'Omg the comments.'

Indeed, Jamie's 'announcement' was nothing more than an April Fool's Day prank.

Publicity stunt: Jamie's 'announcement' was nothing more than an April Fool's Day prank, with a Channel Seven spokesperson confirming he's not involved in SAS Australia

A Channel Seven spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Jamie was not involved in SAS Australia, describing his post as 'fake news'.

Jamie rose to fame on Angie Kent's series of The Bachelorette in 2019, and went on to star in Bachelor in Paradise season three the following year.

In July last year, he announced he was suing production company Warner Bros. for his negative portrayal on both dating programs.

TV portrayal: Jamie rose to fame on Angie Kent's (right) series of The Bachelorette in 2019, and went on to star in Bachelor in Paradise the following year. In July, he announced he was suing production company Warner Bros. for his negative portrayal on both dating programs

In September, he officially lodged legal claims against Warner Bros. International, the company that produces The Bachelor for Channel 10.

'I feel they lacked a duty of care with a lot of things. There's 22 different things we're looking at,' he told The Daily Telegraph earlier this year.

The lawsuit is only against Warner Bros. and Jamie is not suing Channel 10.
Daniel Ford, a retired judge,

is the chairman of the Independent Task Force on the Response to Sexual Abuse within the Diocese

of Springfield.
A security guard assaulted by the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, in Abuja on Monday, has narrated his ordeal to PREMIUM TIMES.

The victim, Clement Sargwak, tracked down by our reporter on Wednesday, is a 22-year-old employee of Jul Reliable Guards Services Limited, posted as a security guard to Banex Plaza, in Wuse, Abuja, where he was attacked by Mr Umar on Monday.

Mr Umar was caught in a viral video clip slapping and kicking the security guard following an altercation between them over the space where the CCT chairman parked his car on the premises of the plaza.

The CCT, in a statement, on Tuesday, denied the assault allegation, insisting that it was Mr Umar that was assaulted by some miscreants who gathered at the scene of the incident.

In what appears a bid to justify Mr Umars attack on the security guard, the statement stated that Mr Sargwak was rude in ordering the CCT chairman to remove his car from the parking space for no reason.

Mr Umars conduct has been widely condemned with many Nigerians calling for his prosecution.

Sargwaks ordeal

But narrating his ordeal, Mr Sargwak, who had a bruised lip, said in pidgin English that he was assaulted after informing Mr Umar that his car was wrongly parked.

He said, I work as a security man stationed at the car park section at the old Banex Plaza. I was on duty when a man (Mr Umar) arrived in his car at the plaza and I noticed he parked his vehicle wrongly.

Then I approached him to inform him about his wrong parking, because he had parked by the roadside obstructing other visitors arriving at the plaza.

After I informed him about his wrong parking, he came out and slapped me, when he slapped me the driver also came down and slapped me and they tore my uniform and they stepped over me severally.

Responding to the allegation that he threatened Mr Umar, Mr Sargwak said, It was even the Oga by himself (Mr Umar) that went to his car to pick up an iron rod in an attempt to hit me on my head.

A tenant at the plaza quickly held his hand and pleaded with him on my behalf not to hit me with the metal.

I later ran to meet my supervisor to come to my aid. I was unable to find my supervisor. But I later got my head guard to report my situation. On getting there, my head guard called the Banex police.

I was slapped and kicked again by Mr Umar, policeman.

Mr Sargwak said Mr Umar called the policemen and State Security Service (SSS) operatives attached to him as security details from home and waited for them to arrive.

He said on the arrival of the security details, a policeman among them also slapped him on the order of Mr Umar.

When the police from Banex arrived at the scene, they tried calming the situation after speaking with him without success. The Oga called the police and SSS stationed at his residence and ordered the driver to go pick the security officers while he waited for them.

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When the man arrived with the security men, the Oga slapped me again in front of the police and ordered a police officer to also slap me which he did and thereafter ordered me to kneel down and I obeyed. As I went on my knees, the Oga also kicked me in my face and hit my mouth. I fell and my head guard then took me to my M.Ds office. That was when the Maitama Police Division came and took us to their station, Mr Sargwark said.

Two witnesses, who declined to give their names for fear of possible victimisation, told PREMIUM TIMES how Mr Umar assaulted Mr Sargwak in defiance of pleas from people around.

Bailed by plazas lawyer

He said after spending some time at the Maitama police division, the Banex plazas lawyer arrived to free him.

When we got there with the man (Mr Umar) he was at the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) office but he later left. I was later approached by the police to call my manager from the plaza so we can be released. My manager came along with the Banex plazas lawyer and I was later bailed from the Maitama Police Station, Mr Sargwak said.

Asked if he spent the night at the cell? he said, No I did not spend the night there. I was not even put inside the cell.

He added, As we returned to the Banex Plaza in the evening at about 7p.m. I saw him (Mr Umar) with my two eyes open. They came to arrest a man, Peter Onyiuke, who had helped him pick up his phone and immediately returned; because his phone had dropped on the floor when he was beating me.

He arrived with two Hilux vehicles filled with operatives of the SSS. He dropped them and left. SSS operatives fired some shots in the air and they took him away.

Sargwaks lawyer speaks

While on a visit to the plaza on Wednesday, our reporter observed that about three police officers in mufti said to be from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command and the Maitama Police Division were interrogating Mr Sargwak behind closed doors.

Samuel Ihensekhien, a lawyer to the owners of the plaza who also represents Mr Sargwak, told PREMIUM TIMES that the Police FCT Police Command had taken over the case.

He said, It was brought to my attention that on March 29, Mr Sargwak was assaulted and harmed and was on the verge of almost being killed by Mr Danlandi Umar. And he was subsequently taken to the Maitama Police Station.

I was informed that Mr Danladi Umar went to lay a complaint there and they (the police) have taken his (Mr Sargwaks) statement. I met with the DPO and I brought out the video recordings of what actually happened.

They (the police) were very surprised, and the DPO saw the footage and immediately ordered he (Sargwak) be released on bail forthwith. He was then handed to the Banex manager and from there he was taken for medication.

Mr Ihenskhien, who was displeased with the treatment Mr Sargwak got from the police, insisted that his client, being the assault victim, should be treated like the nominal complainant.

He said, We do not have a problem with the police invite, but with the way the matter has progressed, he has the status as a nominal complainant, because he was the one that was assaulted.

They (police) came this morning and about three of them in mulfti from the FCT Command and Maitama Police station with two police officers who were escorts. They took his statement again, and his photograph. I am not comfortable with that. If they want anything from him, they should invite his lawyers, not him.
Travelers forced to quarantine in hotels upon arrival in Canada claim they have been sexually assaulted in their bedrooms, underfed and badly treated in conditions likened to jail.

Justin Trudeau announced draconian Covid restrictions requiring people entering the country to isolate in a government-mandated hotel for three nights at their own expense while awaiting a negative test result, at a cost of at least $2,000 per person.

The quarantined travelers have to pay for their accommodation, food, and safety measures at the hotels which are linked to the country's four international airports in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

A traveler looks out of the window of her quarantine hotel in Toronto after guests complained of terrible service

But guests have complained about their treatment inside the hotels where they are forced to stay inside their rooms and are delivered food that has been described as 'slop', while others said some meals never arrived.

Footage taken by one traveler shows a group of around 30 frustrated guests gathering in the lobby of Sheraton Toronto to protest their treatment after they were left hungry and without water for hours.

One exchange saw a woman tell one of the hotel staff: 'We are guests, not animals!'

Guests have complained about their food inside the hotels which has often arrived late at huge costs

Others were forced to wait together in a crowded room full of people during check-in, defeating the purpose of the mandatory quarantine and putting people at risk of catching the virus.

Sarah Weinrauch told CBC: 'I feel like I've been extorted and falsely imprisoned under the guise of public safety and public health.'

She added she would rather take a hefty fine than be forced to stay in such conditions again.

In one horrifying incident, a woman who stayed in a Montreal quarantine hotel without a lock on her room alleged a man walked in and started to undress before sexually assaulting her.

She said she felt 'helpless' at the hotel and criticized the response of security, who took 20 minutes to come to her room, gave her a bottle of water she'd asked for four hours previously, told her to lock her door and then left.

Police and an ambulance eventually arrived and took her to hospital. A man was subsequently charged with sexual assault.

The woman told CTV News Montreal she blames the government for not keeping her safe even when she was obeying their rules.

In a separate incident, a security guard hired by Canada's federal public health agency was accused of sexual assault while carrying out a quarantine check.

The man, identified only as Hemant, carried out a compliance check in Ontario where he demanded money for a fake fine and then assaulted the woman who refused to pay, police said.

He has been arrested and charged with extortion and sexual assault.

Meanwhile a woman who went to Portugal to attend her father's funeral blasted the quarantine system after she was forced to spend $3,458 for a one-night stay.

Cristina Teixeira told CTV News Toronto: 'As a Canadian citizen, I can tell you this is wrong on so many levels. We've never experienced something like this.'

She traveled with her brother and daughter and claims she was unable to book the hotel until she arrived back in Canada.

The quarantined travelers have to pay for their accommodation, food, and safety measures which the prime minister estimated would cost more than $2,000 each

Travelers have also complained about the booking system, often waiting hours on the phone to secure a place in the rooms they are ordered to stay in

Canada's harsh travel restrictions While most foreign travelers are banned from entering Canada, people with Canadian citizenship are allowed to cross the border. Anyone entering the country has to quarantine for 14 days, which includes a mandatory three night pre-paid booking at a government-authorized hotel for people who fly in. Travelers are expected to make their own plans and those without prearranged quarantine arrangements could be placed in a facility for 14 days or face a $3,000 for failing to book a hotel. After the three days in a hotel, travelers must spend the remainder of quarantine in isolation with no visits from friends or family. People must then enter daily symptom self-assessments online and government officials may make unannounced visits to check you are observing the rules. The government has issued a list of hotels by international airports and guests have to cover costs of 'food, room, security, transportation and infection prevention and control measures.' Advertisement

Ms Teixeira was initially told over the phone the rate at the Toronto Crowne Plaza would be $369 per night for a minimum of three nights but upon arrival, the rate suddenly jumped to $769 as well as tax.

They reluctantly agreed as it was 1.30am and were then told to stay in their rooms and wait for food to be delivered at their door.

Their breakfast arrived the next morning which she said looked like 'slop' and shortly afterwards they all received their negative test results, meaning they could return home.

But the hotel refused to refund her for the extra two nights, leaving her with a massive bill for a one-night stay and a poor breakfast.

Mitch Beaulieu arrived in Calgary after a business trip to Florida and said he was immediately put in a black van and driven away without being told where he was being taken.

He said: 'I get out there and there was plastic all over, people walking around in... hazmat suits it was like jail pretty much.'

He said he was eventually told he was forced into quarantine because he didn't take the right kind of Covid test.

Mr Beaulieu only learned where he was when he saw the building when he left.

Another dissatisfied guest said her room was filthy and unsanitized with hairs on the bedsheets, empty alcohol bottles and a dirty coffee machine.

She was also made to go down to lobby to pick up her food, defeating the whole purpose of the quarantine.

One guest who stayed in Toronto saw a crowd of guests descend on the hotel lobby to demand better service and food.

Raymond Truesdale said the exhausted travelers were waiting for hours to receive water or a hot meal.

He said: 'It was a boondoggle. Pandemonium. You could see people really frustrated and I don't blame them.'

People gathered together in an elevator and in the hotel lobby in cramped conditions despite the quarantine period.

Mr Truesdale also balked at having to pay $47.23 for a bowl of chili, rice, salad, and a Diet Pepsi, branding the meal 'criminal'.

Arunthia Urmi, who stayed at a Holiday Inn in Toronto, said her meal arrived late at night and came without any utensils.

Travelers have also complained about the booking system, often waiting hours on the phone to secure a place in the rooms they are ordered to stay in.

Guests have also complained that they can't eat the food being delivered because of allergies but are not given an alternative and cannot leave their room

Others, such as Eileen MacKinnon said they did not receive the food they paid for and she was made to order in takeaway.

She was told at check-in that $125 of her daily rate would go towards food, only to be told later the hotel was out of meals and drinks. She said she didn't receive a refund.

Guests have also complained that they can't eat the food being delivered because of allergies but are not given an alternative and cannot leave their room.

Canada's House of Common's Federal Public Safety Committee said it would carry out a study into the safety and security of the quarantine hotels.

The harsh measures come amid fears of a third wave of Covid in Canada after a recent uptick in infections.

On Wednesday, Alberta saw its highest number of new cases in 11 weeks while Quebec forced a number of cities into lockdown.

Across the country there have been 37,370 recorded cases in the past seven days with 221 deaths.

A representative from Health Canada and Public Agency of Canada Media Relations said: 'Canada's hotel community is actively supporting the Government of Canada's mandatory quarantine requirements and the Public Health Agency of Canada is in daily contact with hotels to support their needs.'

The Hotel Association of Canada told CTV News every hotel is managed individually, adding: 'The health and safety of guests and staff is our top priority. We will continue to implement the advice of public health experts including the best practices provided by PHAC for those specific hotels.

'The cost of each stay will vary between hotels, with additional fees for meals, augmented security, supervised movement to outdoor areas, designated transportation, and additional infection control measures.'
Ardshinbank has completely modernized its branches in Hrazdan and Dilijan. Starting from March 31, the residents of Hrazdan and Dilijan towns are being served in the renovated, modern branches of Ardshinbank. The most important thing in the branches is not the renovation, but the new comfortable conditions of customer service, the 24/7 section for self-service and the Bank's approach to make all banking services available to the residents and business entities of the regions, even to the most remote regions. The opening ceremony was attended by the bank executives, officials and customers.

In his welcoming speech, Tavush Governor Hayk Chobanyan particularly mentioned that Tavush region has great opportunities for business development, which is impossible without available financial tools. "We have the opportunity and the potential for huge investment projects and in this sense cooperation between business entities and the bank is very important. We consider Ardshinbank's investment and reopening of the renovated branch not only as an improvement in the quality of services, but also as introduction of new content for regional development, especially for businesses.

The renovated branches will operate in Hrazdan at 5/1, Spandaryan Street on Monday - Friday from 09:15 to 16:45; in Dilijan, at 60, Myasnikyan Street on Monday - Friday from 09:15 to 16: 45.

Arsen Tamazyan, Ardshinbank Deputy Retail Business Director- Head of the Executive Board, thanked the customers of Hrazdan and Dilijan branches for their cooperation, trust and loyalty, noting: "We try to do our best so that every customer, no matter where they are in the region, get fast quality services. We are already reopening the 54th and 55th branches out of 60 within the framework of a large-scale branch network modernization program.

Ardshinbank branch network is one of the largest in Armenia. Today the bank has 60 operating branches in Yerevan and all regions of Armenia.

Ardshinbank is regulated by the Central Bank of RA.
THE Corruption and Economic Crime Division of High Court yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment businessman, Abdul Nsembo and his wife, Shamimu Mwasha, for trafficking in 275.40 grams of Heroin Hydrochloride, which are narcotic drugs.

Judge Elinaza Luvanda imposed the sentence after convicting the couple of two economic related offences they were facing after considering the evidence tendered by witnesses from both parties-- the prosecution and defence.

During the trial, the prosecution called eight witnesses and tendered six exhibits in court, to prove the allegations, while the accused persons made their own defence supported by testimony from an independent witness in an attempt to cement their innocence.

In his judgment, however, the judge ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt as required in a criminal case, thus, finding the two accused persons guilty of the drug trafficking offences.

Judge Luvanda further ordered the destruction of narcotic drugs tendered as part of exhibits in court, which were seized from the convicts and that a Land Rover Discovery vehicle produced in evidence during the trial, having been linked with the illegal business, should be confiscated into government property.

Other exhibits produced to support the prosecution's case include cautioned statements for the couple, arrest warrant, government laboratory inspection report, laboratory sample submission form, vehicle registration information from Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and prescription envelopes of drugs.

In his deliberations, Judge Luvanda noted that there was no dispute that all the convicts lived in the same house and that the Land Rover Discovery vehicle, which was tendered in evidence, belonged to Nsembo and that the vehicle and the house were involved in the search.

He went on explaining that the evidence indicates four cans with drugs were found during the search in the rooms and later in the car white cloth bag wrapped in bright nylon with powder was found in the motor vehicle.

The judge said that in his testimony, Nsembo stated that the search was not organised as there was to and fro movements by the police officers during the search operation, meaning that the exhibits may have been planted into the house.

However, Judge Luvanda dismissed his line of defence as the convicts could not specify who was entering and leaving the house as claimed.

During the trial, the prosecution was represented by a team comprising Senior State Attorneys Veronica Matikila and State Attorney Constantine Kakula, while the accused persons were defended by Advocates Juma Nassoro, Josephat Mabula and Hajra Mungula.

After being convicted, the prosecution asked the court to impose stiff sentences to the accused persons in accordance with the law because the offense committed had serious consequences for the community including youths becoming drug dependent as well as causing poor mental health.

The defence appealed to the court for mercy on the grounds that the convicts are a couple and parents to three children, who all need their parental care, and the court should provide a lenient sentence considering that the convicts are first offenders.

Delivering the sentence, Judge Luvanda said he was bound to give a sentence in accordance with the requirements of the law, and the law would not provide an opportunity for the court to render a verdict on sympathy.

"It is true that the accused are first offenders, but the law provided the punishment for the offences charged and since the law does not provide any room for the court to do otherwise, I hereby sentence each to life imprisonment for the first count and life imprisonment for the second count," he declared.

The prosecution had told the court that Nsembo and his wife, Shamim were found trafficking in 275.40 grams of Heroin Hydrochloride, which are narcotic drugs, on May 1, 2019 at Mbezi Beach area within Kinondoni District in Dar es Salaam Region.

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According to the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA), Nsembo is claimed to be a lord in the drug trade network and is allegedly known in various countries including Brazil and the United States.

Nsembo was arrested by DCEA in May, 2019 at midnight while hiding on the ceiling at his home in Mbezi Beach, Dar es Salaam. He was arrested alongside his wife Shamim for allegedly possessing a substantial amount of heroin, found after a six-hour search at their house.

DCEA's Operations Commissioner, Lieutenant-Colonel Fredrick Milanzi had claimed that Nsembo was among the major drug dealers who they had been investigating and chasing for a long time.

"You see Nsembo as a young person; Nsembo is not a minor in the drug trade network. He has a big network, if you ask them they will tell you he is so tricky and has been doing this business for some time now," he is quoted as saying.
Six in 10 New Jerseyans supported President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus law but more than half said it should have been larger, according to a poll released Wednesday.

In the Stockton University Poll, the new law was backed by 60% of adults in the state, including 25% of Republicans.

In addition, 51% said the measure wasnt large enough, with 29% saying it was the right amount and only 12% backing Republican arguments that it was too big. About half of Democrats and Republicans both said they wanted a bigger law, according to John Froonjian, executive director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.

Asked what additional aid they wanted to see, a plurality, 22%, said more stimulus payments. The current law sent $1,400 checks to most Americans. The only other item that drew double-digit support was aid to small businesses, with 12%.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Froonjian said that while Republicans may have supported their party in opposing the overall bill, their views changed when it came to how they personally would benefit.

There was bipartisan agreement that they wanted bigger payments and both parties wanted more small business relief, Froonjian said. It was the one area where there was a fair amount of bipartisan agreement. And I mean one area.

On the big particulars of the issue, theyre kind of parroting the party line, but whether they supported the bill or not, most of them are getting the checks.

For the most part, however, while Bidens efforts were broadly popular with New Jerseyans overall, they were not among Republicans.

For example, 56% were confident Biden could unify the country, but only 19% of Republicans were; 77% were confident Biden could reduce the pandemics impact compared with 47% of Republicans; 62% were confident the president could improve the economy but only 17% of Republicans felt that way, and 68% said he could improve access to health care but only 37% of Republicans were confident.

Dont miss the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic. Add your email here:



The poll was released on the same day that Biden traveled to Pittsburgh to announce an infrastructure spending proposal of more than $2 trillion. Like the stimulus measure, the new proposal was designed to help the country recover from a coronavirus pandemic-induced economic downturn.

Froonjian said such efforts, if they succeed, could help Biden achieve his goal of unifying the country. After all, he said, many supporters of former President Donald Trump would be helped by Bidens policies.

Theres a strong desire to get back to normal, Froonjian said. If he is able to get control of the pandemic and as a result the economy improves, we may see a little more unity.

The survey of 647 New Jersey adults was conducted March 11-22 with margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

Sign up here to get the latest stories on COVID in New Jersey, straight to your inbox.
Police officers and agents stand outside an office building where multiple people were killed in a shooting in Orange, Calif., on March 31, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Four Killed in Shooting at Office Building in Orange

ORANGE, Calif.Four people, including one child, were killed and a fifth wounded in a shooting at an office building in Orange March 31, and the suspected shooter was taken into custody.

Orange Police Department Lt. Jennifer Amat told The Epoch Times that the surviving victim was a female, who has been taken to the hospital and is currently in critical condition.

The suspect was shot by police and also taken to a hospital, Amat said. The suspect is also in critical condition.

Amat said police were called to the scene on Lincoln Avenue around 5:30 p.m. When they arrived, they were met with gunfire.

Tonight at approximately 5:30 p.m. our officers were dispatched to 202 W. Lincoln Ave. in the city of Orange. The original call was shots being fired. When officers did arrive on scene, they did encounter live gunfire. The officers engaged, and an officer-involved shooting ensued, Amat said.

The officers located four deceased victims on the scene, including one child. There was an additional victim that was transported to the hospital. She is in critical condition.

Officers have located one firearm on the scene, and the investigation is currently in progress. It will take several hours, days, and weeks to truly understand any relationship between the shooter and the victims, as well as any motive. At this point, its all under investigation.

Amat said the incident was the citys worst mass shooting in over two decades.

Orange is a very safe city, so we dont have incidents like this that happen very often. We have not had anything like this happen since the 1997 Caltrans shooting, so this is very unusual, Amat said.

Five people were killed and two others wounded in that 1997 shooting after former a state employee, Arturo Reyes Torres, 41, of Huntington Beach, opened fire at the Caltrans facility near Batavia Street and Taft Avenue. Torres was shot and killed by police a short distance away from the maintenance yard.

Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to those victims, their families. Our community really is impacted, as well as our department, so itll be a long process to get through this for many people, Amat said.

The shooting took place on the buildings second floor. The incident drew a heavy law enforcement presence with more than a dozen police cars and a SWAT vehicle at the building, including fire engines from multiple fire departments.

Julio, who lives in the Georgian Apartments across the street from the office building, told The Epoch Times he returned home from work around 8 p.m., after receiving messages about the shooting.

I was at work the whole time it happened. I had a little time to check my phone at work, and I had a whole bunch of messages saying theres a shooting, Julio said. I thought it was crazy, cause you see it all over the news and  it happened literally right here.

The shooting was the third since March 16 where at least four people were killed after it had been a year since a shooting of that scale, according to The Violence Project, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based research center known for its mass shooter database.

A gunman shot and killed eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, at three spas in the Atlanta area March 16. A man shot and killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, on March 22.

The organization defines a mass shooting as one where four or more victims are killed with firearmsnot including the offender or offendersin a public location, such as a workplace, school, or restaurant, when the perpetrator or perpetrators selects the victims somewhat indiscriminately.

The definition excludes domestic shootings, gang-, drug- and organized-crime-related shootings.

The story will be updated as more details become available.

City News Service contributed to this report.
The Chinese Embassy in Ireland responded to reports of an Irish journalist fleeing China with her family for safety with a bizarre thread of tweets.

RTE journalist Yvonne Murray spoke yesterday of how she had to flee China with her children over sinister threats to her husband.

The couple moved to Taiwan after what was described as constant surveillance of Mr Sudworth by Chinese police, threats of legal action, official obstruction and increasing levels of intimidation.

Mr Sudworth has won numerous awards for his coverage of controversial issues in China, including the treatment of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang and cotton produced by forced labour.

His coverage sparked a major backlash by the Chinese authorities. China also hit out at major western firms, including Nike and H&M, over the cotton issue.

Speaking on RTE Radio Ones News at One yesterday, Ms Murray said; We left in a hurry last week and it was really because the pressure and threats from the Chinese government became too much.

Responding to the story last night on Twitter, the Chinese Embassy of Ireland said nobody forced Ms Murray to leave.

They added; Sensationalist presentation sells paper but won't for too long.

The thread, on the official embassy account, read; "She "took the decision to leave", according to her own words. Leave or come back?----it's up to her. Nobody has forced or will force her. Sensationalist presentation sells paper but won't for too long.

"Her husband, a BBC correspondent in China, has been strongly criticized by a lot of Chinese for his unfair, unobjective and biased reporting on China and some people and entities in Xinjiang, China are considering suing him for the serious harm his reporting has caused on them.

Journalists may feel that they should have the right to say whatever they like. After all......"

They posted a link to a webpage on Lawyer.ie which detailed the Defamation Act 2009 and wrote; [This] may help to understand why BBC's reporting on China has been under strong criticism.

They also quoted the Irish Constitution, writing; Article 40.6.1.i of the Irish Constitution says that the State guarantees the right of citizens to express freely their convictions and opinions. But the right of freedom of expression in Ireland is not absolute.

"Article 10 (2) subjects this freedom to such restrictions as are necessary....in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety,

The embassy also posted an image of Aesops Fables, writing; Who is the wolf?

Some people accused China for so-called "wolf warrior diplomacy". In his well-known fable, Aesop described how the Wolf accused the Lamb of committing offences.

The wolf is the wolf, not the lamb. BTW, China is not a lamb.

Ms Murray and her husband Mr Sudworth are now in Taiwan.

Ms Murray said; On the morning of our departure there were actually plainclothes police outside our home watching us and our children load our suitcases into a taxi.

Then we were followed all the way to the airport, watched by the secret police in the check-in area  this was very frightening for the children and it definitely confirmed to us we were making the right decision.

She continued; We are now in Taipei, holed up in a quarantine hotel for 14 days.Then we plan to continue to report on China and the wider region from here.

There are already some foreign correspondents based in Taipei now, following a round of expulsions from mainland China last year  mainly US journalists.

But there are others who left China during the pandemic and are trying to get back in, but China has cancelled the journalists visas and they cannot get back in and are staying in Taipei.

Our experience here speaks to the wider situation in China for foreign journalists  conditions have deteriorated rapidly in recent years. The space for reporting in the country is ever shrinking, as is the pool of foreign correspondents there.

There are very few US journalists left and no Australian journalists. Now, because I have gone, there are no Irish journalists left.

It has been very tough to leave. Two of our three children were born in China and they all speak fluent Chinese.

For them it is home, and it was particularly distressing for them facing the reality that they might never be able to go back to the place where they were born so long as the Chinese state is so determined to target and punish journalists for simply doing their job.

The Chinese Government tells us that our reporting suggests that we hate China - that is not the case. We would not have stayed so long if we did not like China - it is an extraordinarily colourful, vibrant and culturally rich country.

In terms of the memories and the friendships we forged with Chinese people over the years, they cannot be taken from us. As the secret police followed us as we left, it is a sad memory but it cannot erase all the other happy memories we have from China.

The BBC insisted it was very proud of Mr Sudworth and his reporting and confirmed he remains its China correspondent.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the authorities had not been given prior notice.

Only in recent days when we were faced with the task of renewing Sudworths press card did we learn that Sudworth left without saying goodbye. After he left the country, he didnt by any means inform the relevant departments nor provide any reason why, Hua Chunying told a news conference in Beijing.

The BBC said: Johns reporting has exposed truths the Chinese authorities did not want the world to know.Last year China expelled correspondents for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, among others.And in September 2020, the last two reporters working in China for Australian media flew home after a five-day diplomatic standoff.

The Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) of China says foreign journalists are being caught up in diplomatic rows out of their control.

Abuse of Sudworth and his colleagues at the BBC forms part of a larger pattern of harassment and intimidation that obstructs the work of foreign correspondents in China and exposes their Chinese news assistants to growing pressure, the FCC warned on Twitter.
[April 01, 2021] Todos Medical Completes Automation Equipment Installation and Training for Meadowlands Diagnostics

 Minority-owned lab now well positioned to attract and expand institutional contracts with skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, schools & first responders

 Automation solution increases processing capacity to 6,000 PCR tests per day, expandable to 12,000 daily tests with minor upgrades  Todos expects to see a progressive increase in sales to this client in the second half of 2021 through exclusive PCR supply agreement NEW YORK, NY, and REHOVAT, ISRAEL, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Todos Medical, Ltd. (OTCQB: TOMDF), an in vitro diagnostics company focused on distributing comprehensive solutions for COVID-19 screening, diagnosis and immune support, as well as developing blood tests for early detection of cancer and Alzheimers disease, today announced the successful installation of automated lab equipment and completion of training for Wood-Ridge, NJ-based lab client Meadowlands Diagnostics (Meadowlands Diagnostics). With the completion of automation at Meadowlands Diagnostics, we have brought two new client labs online in March and now have three fully automated laboratory clients in operation, with a fourth on the way, said Gerald E. Commissiong, President & CEO of Todos Medical. We have received their initial sales orders for stocking COVID testing supplies in February and expect to see sales orders from these new labs progressively increase in the second half of 2021 as they ramp up operations. Furthermore, we believe our growing family of lab clients will provide Todos with a more diversified revenue base and greater future sales potential. As the Todos solution continues to gain traction in the space, we are confident that our future growth in this business will be fueled by adding additional laboratories seeking a cost-effective way to meet the needs of COVID testing customers in the markets they service. We are excited to welcome the team at Meadowlands Diagnostics to the Todos family and look forward to helping them build their business as a trusted partner for years to come. The Todos automation solution is expected to be instrumental in helping Meadowlands Diagnostics with new contracts entered into with skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, local schools and first responders. As the provider of PCR testing supplies to Meadowlands Diagnostics, Todos expects to see a progressive increase in sales to this client in the second half of 2021 and into 2022 as the lab seeks to grow its PCR testing business. By implementing the Todos automation solution, Meadowlands Diagnostics now has a capacity of 6,000 PCR tests per day, with the potential to quickly expand to up to 12,000 PCR tests per day. Additionally, the lab could potentially increase processing capacity to in excess of 40,000 PCR tests per day through the future implementation of pooling at a 4:1 ratio. A video of Todos automated PCR solutions is available here: https://vimeo.com/529139115/9d3166bcc0



When we opened Meadowlands Diagnostics at the beginning of the pandemic, we quickly realized that we were unable to meet the needs of the community, said Reginald Samuels, President & CEO of Meadowlands Diagnostics. Now that weve partnered with Todos Medical, we have the capacity we need to be able to serve the needs of our community. For information related to Todos Medicals COVID-19 testing capabilities, please visit www.todoscovid19.com.

For testing and PPE inquiries, please email sales@todosmedical.com. About Todos Medical Ltd. Founded in Rehovot, Israel with offices in New York City, Todos Medical Ltd. (OTCQB: TOMDF), engineers life-saving diagnostic solutions for the early detection of a variety of cancers. The Company's state-of-the-art and patented Todos Biochemical Infrared Analyses (TBIA) is a proprietary cancer-screening technology using peripheral blood analysis that deploys deep examination into cancer's influence on the immune system, looking for biochemical changes in blood mononuclear cells and plasma. Todos' two internally-developed cancer-screening tests, TMB-1 and TMB-2, have received a CE mark in Europe. Todos recently entered into an exclusive option agreement to acquire U.S.-based medical diagnostics company Provista Diagnostics, Inc. to gain rights to its Alpharetta, Georgia-based CLIA/CAP certified lab currently performing PCR COVID testing and Provista's proprietary commercial-stage Videssa breast cancer blood test. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020. Todos is also developing blood tests for the early detection of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. The Lymphocyte Proliferation Test (LymPro Test) is a diagnostic blood test that determines the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and monocytes to withstand an exogenous mitogenic stimulation that induces them to enter the cell cycle. It is believed that certain diseases, most notably Alzheimer's disease, are the result of compromised cellular machinery that leads to aberrant cell cycle re-entry by neurons, which then leads to apoptosis. LymPro is unique in the use of peripheral blood lymphocytes as a surrogate for neuronal cell function, suggesting a common relationship between PBLs and neurons in the brain. Todos has entered into distribution agreements with companies to distribute certain novel coronavirus (COVID-19) test kits. The agreements cover multiple international suppliers of PCR testing kits and related materials and supplies, as well as antibody testing kits from multiple manufacturers after completing validation of said testing kits and supplies in its partner CLIA/CAP certified laboratory in the United States. Todos has formed a strategic partnership with Integrated Health LLC to deploy mobile COVID-19 testing in the United States. Additionally, Todos has entered into a joint venture with NLC Pharma to pursue the development of diagnostic tests targeting the 3CL protease, as well as 3CL protease inhibitors that target the reproductive mechanism of coronaviruses. For more information, please visit https://www.todosmedical.com/ . Forward-looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. For example, forward-looking statements are used when discussing our expected clinical development programs and clinical trials. These forward-looking statements are based only on current expectations of management, and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, including the risks and uncertainties related to the progress, timing, cost, and results of clinical trials and product development programs; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approval or patent protection for product candidates; competition from other biotechnology companies; and our ability to obtain additional funding required to conduct our research, development and commercialization activities. In addition, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: changes in technology and market requirements; delays or obstacles in launching our clinical trials; changes in legislation; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; lack of validation of our technology as we progress further and lack of acceptance of our methods by the scientific community; inability to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of our products; unforeseen scientific difficulties that may develop with our process; greater cost of final product than anticipated; loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition; and laboratory results that do not translate to equally good results in real settings, all of which could cause the actual results or performance to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, Todos Medical does not undertake any obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Todos Medical, please refer to its reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Todos Investor Contact: Richard Galterio Ascendant Partners LLC Managing Partner 732-642-7770 rich@ascendantpartnersllc.com Todos Corporate Contact: Priyanka Misra Todos Medical (917) 983-4229 ext. 103 priyanka@todosmedical.com



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SPRINGFIELD  COVID-19 hospitalizations and case positivity rates continued to trend upward Monday, leaving entry into a recently-announced bridge phase of reopening uncertain even as the percentage of seniors vaccinated continued to increase.

The COVID-19 case positivity rate was 3.3 percent Monday, having risen for the fourth straight day. It marked a 50 percent increase since March 14.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,761 new cases Monday out of 49,449 test results reported over the previous 24 hours. Another five COVID-19 positive individuals were reported to have died Monday as well.

As of Sunday night, COVID-19 patients occupied 1,352 hospital beds, the highest point since Feb. 26. The 280 intensive care unit beds in use by COVID-19 patients marked a high since March 1, while 128 COVID-19 patients were on ventilators Sunday.

On a weekly average basis, there were 269 ICU beds occupied on average from Monday, March 22 to Sunday, March 28. That was an increase of 28, or 11.5 percent, from the week prior. Hospital beds increased by 153, or 13.3 percent, from the week prior, rising to 1,301 beds in use on average over the seven-day period.

The 119 ventilators in use on average daily over the past week represented an increase of 15, or 14.7 percent, from the week prior.

All of the hospitalization metrics had been decreasing steadily for at least 15 weeks before beginning the uptrend over the previous two weeks.

Meanwhile, 68.9 percent of seniors have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but even if that number reaches 70 percent, a bridge phase to expanded capacity limits at restaurants, other businesses and social gatherings is on hold until the hospitalization metrics and number of new cases reported stop climbing.

Last week, the state authorized counties to expand vaccine eligibility to all Illinoisans age 16 and over ahead of the April 12 date on which the expansion is scheduled to go live statewide. Gov. JB Pritzker said allowing county-level expansions was an effort to get more people vaccinated in counties with low demand for those in the categories currently eligible for the vaccine.

Vaccination appointment and location information can be found at coronavirus.illinois.gov or by calling 833-621-1284.

The state also activated mobile vaccination teams in an effort to slow disease spread in problem areas. The mobile teams provide single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine and are active in Carroll, Ogle, Boone, Lee and Whiteside counties, with appointments coordinated by local health departments.

Over the past seven days the state has administered 103,769 vaccine doses on average, and more than 5.5 million doses have been administered since the vaccination effort began. More than 2 million Illinoisans, or 16.3 percent of the states population, are fully vaccinated.

The number of vaccines distributed by the federal government is increasing, according to Pritzker, and the state announced four new mass vaccination sites Monday, including new sites in Kane, Lake and Will counties and the expansion of a site in Grundy County.

Over 3.6 million Illinoisans have already received their first dose of vaccine. Were projected to get nearly 1 million doses this week, and IDPH and our 97 local health departments working hard to administer these shots, Pritzker said in a statement. However, this battle is far from over, and with new cases and hospitalizations on the rise, I encourage every resident to buckle down, wear your mask, and do your part so we can all power through to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pritzker also announced Monday he was activating additional members of the Illinois National Guard to assist with vaccination efforts in McHenry County. There are more than 1,460 National Guard troops assigned to COVID-19 operations at 40 locations, according to the governors office.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
An agreement signed by Mayor Pete Rust March 17 will bring more than $100,000 to the citys police department.

The agreement continues a long-standing partnership between the Green River Police Department and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. The agreement brings $100,610 to the departments efforts in combatting narcotics trafficking in the community.

The funds are part of a larger grant awarded to DCI through the Department of Justices High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative.

Funds awarded to GRPD are used to pay the salary, overtime and benefits for a task force officer working on the DCI Southwest Drug Enforcement Team. According to a press release from the city, costs for this position are minimal. Those costs could include a small percentage of benefits if the cost is above that allowable under the grant, as well as some training and equipment needs.

Tom Jarvie GRPD chief, said this and similar grants are an integral part of the departments narcotics enforcement efforts. Illicit drug investigations are complex and often span multiple jurisdictions.

If we did not have the ability to devote a full-time investigator working in conjunction with other agencies to this effort, we would not be effective investigating those bringing large quantities of narcotics into our community, Jarvie said in a press release.

Jarvie said participation in the DCI Southwest Drug Enforcement Team enables the GRPD and other team agencies to share equipment and expertise while reducing the likelihood of duplicate investigations on the same drug trafficking groups.

Our agency has particularly benefitted over the past few years by leveraging the expertise of our Task Force Officer in training newer patrol officers on conducting street level narcotics investigations and this enables our line officers to better recognize investigative opportunities and know when and how to involve the Southwest Drug Enforcement Team in their case, he said.

He says it is important to note that while the program is funded through the US Department of Justice, it does not make our officers federal agents. The task force officer remains an employee of the GRPD and is under GRPD supervision.

Jarvie said Task Force Officers from our agency are chosen by us, in consultation with the DCI Southwest Drug Enforcement Team Leader.

He said this partnership has worked very well for the city throughout the multiple decades it has been in place.
Fewer than 50% of Americans have formal church membership for first time in 80 years: Gallup

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While America remains a highly religious nation with seven in 10 claiming affiliation with some kind of organized religion, for the first time in nearly 80 years, fewer than half of them now say they have formal membership in a specific house of worship, according to a new Gallup analysis.

In 1937, says Gallup, when they first measured formal membership in houses of worship, some 70% of Americans had formal church membership and that measure remained steady for the next 60 years until it began a steady decline in 1998. In 2020, formal membership in houses of worship stood at 49%.

The Washington, D.C.-based analytics and advisory company was able to highlight several factors for the decline through responses from more than 6,000 U.S. adults each time across three-year aggregates from 1998 to 2000, 2008 to 2010, and 2018 to 2020 when formal membership in houses of worship first dipped below 50%.

One of the biggest factors Gallup found strongly correlates with church membership is age. Some 66% of traditionalists  U.S. adults born before 1946  have formal membership in a church, compared with 58% of Baby Boomers, 50% of those in Generation X and 36% of millennials. Current but limited data on members of Gen Zers who've already reached adulthood suggest their church membership rate is similar to millennials.

The analysis also pointed to the growing number of Americans who express no religious preference. In the last 20 years, the share of Americans who do not identify with any religion has grown from 8% in 1998 to 2000 to 21% in the last three years. Only 4% of people from this group said they held formal membership in a church, synagogue or mosque. Between 1998 and 2000 that figure was 10%.

While it is possible that part of the decline seen in 2020 was temporary and related to the coronavirus pandemic, continued decline in future decades seems inevitable, given the much lower levels of religiosity and church membership among younger versus older generations of adults, wrote Gallup Senior Editor Jeffrey M. Jones.

Churches are only as strong as their membership and are dependent on their members for financial support and service to keep operating. Because it is unlikely that people who do not have a religious preference will become church members, the challenge for church leaders is to encourage those who do affiliate with a specific faith to become formal, and active, church members, he added.

Among religious groups, Catholics suffered the steepest decline over the periods measured dropping from 76% to 58%. Protestants fell 9% from 73% to 64%.

The data also showed that declining church membership in the last two decades was greater among Eastern residents and Democrats.

Political conservatives, Republicans, married adults and college graduates experienced lower declines and tended to have higher rates of church membership, along with Southern residents and non-Hispanic black adults, Gallup said.

In his analysis of data from the General Social Survey of five-year windows in which individuals were born spanning from 1965 to 1984 and published by the Barna Group in 2019, Ryan Burge, an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and pastor of First Baptist Church of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, showed that younger generations raised in the church werent typically returning to church when compared with members of the Baby boomer generation born between 1945 and 1964.

For anyone concerned with church growth, Burge says, this should sound an alarm.

Many pastors are standing at the pulpit on Sunday morning and seeing fewer and fewer of their former youth group members returning to the pews when they move into their late-20s and early-30s. No church should assume that this crucial part of the population is going to return to active membership as their parents once did, he explained.

The data is speaking a clear message: the assumptions that undergirded church growth from two decades ago no longer apply. If churches are sitting back and just waiting for all their young people to flood back in as they move into their 30s, they are likely in for a rude awakening. Inaction now could be creating a church that does not have a strong future, he added.
Harsh winters are always bad news for energy consumers. But they are good news for those that produce the energy that consumers use. This winter has been no exception: harsh weather across Europe has emptied the continents gas storage, and now exporters from around the world are preparing to respond to the rising demand. Bloomberg reports that Europes natural gas inventories are about 25 billion cubic meters below the levels from this time last year. This amount, according to the report, is equal to about a third of Germanys annual consumption. Because Germany is the biggest consumer of natural gas in Europe, its quite an impressive amount.

Luckily, there is a lot of supply around. From Qatar and Russia to Australia and the United States, LNG producers are preparing to increase shipments to Europe. And Gazprom is preparing to finish the Nord Stream 2 pipeline despite sanction pressure from the United States.

Norways Equinor, the other major gas exporter to Europe after Gazprom, said it expected European natural gas demand to rise by 2 percent this year after dipping by 4 percent last year, Reuters reported recently. The company cited the mild winter of 2019/2020 and the pandemic as reasons for the decline. But this winter has more than made up for last years.

Europe will need to stock up some 65-70 billion cubic meters of natural gas this summer, Bloomberg reports, quoting a Russian energy analyst. If the cold weather continues, however, this will need to increase, Sergei Kapitonov from the Skolkovo Energy Center told the news agency. Thats about 60 percent more than what Europe needed last year to keep its gas storage facilities filled.

Related: ExxonMobil Set To Outperform As Oil And Gas Prices Climb



Our 2021 forecast builds on a return to average heating demand through the winter season and a gradual recovery of industrial and commercial activity, Equinor told Reuters, adding that demand would take until 2022 to return to pre-pandemic levels.

Yet any recovery would be welcome news for gas exporters, especially if the uncomfortable storage situation makes Europeans a bit less picky about the emissions footprint of their gas. This pickiness has had the gas industry worried recently, especially after French Engie canceled a long-term U.S. LNG supply deal because of the emissions associated with the production process.

There are also Europes long-term plans, which do not seem to involve any fossil fuels at all, at least according to the official at the helm of the EUs Green New Deal, Frans Timmermans. Last week, Timmermans said that fossil fuels have no viable future in Europe as it strives for net-zero emissions.

But thats over the long term, and even Timmermans admitted Europe will need fossil fuels for a while longer. Over the short term, it does not just need them; it needs them urgently. And it might have to pay more for them because of Asia.

Shell, in its latest LNG Outlook forecast, said that as much as 75 percent of future gas demand will come from Asia. This means that prices for the commodity will be no longer set in Europe even though it will still continue to be a substantial consumer of both LNG and pipeline gas.

Related: The Future Of U.S. LNG Hangs In The Balance



And this is not just a long-term forecast. Bernstein analysts warned as recently as this week that demand for LNG remains strong in Asia. This could push international prices higher, Energy Voice reported Monday, adding that Bernstein forecast a 6-percent increase in global LNG demand, again driven by Asian economies.

Speaking of LNG, one analyst believes that liquefied gas could come in handy this summer in Europe because of gas production facilities maintenance in Norway: U.S. LNG could become the baseload for summer in Europe, Eneco senior gas trader Ahmed Hommodan told Bloomberg. There is a question mark on how Asian LNG demand will respond, but LNG supplies could increase in Europe during summer, more than compensating for the stronger demand.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
FOR Deo Persad, who knew nothing but family, work, and church, life was complete.

That was evident in the trademark grin on his resting face, hence his nickname Smiley Boboy.

Then one day, his heart-warming and comforting smile, even when he was angry, was lost, and the man who never took a vacation day in his life walked out of his familys home on August 6, 2020, leaving confusion, hurt and grief at their doorstep.

On Deos 53rd birthday on December 14 last year there was nothing but hope that he would walk back into their lives.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday let the ban on foreign workers visa, in particular H-1B, lapse as the notification issued by his predecessor Donald Trump expired, a move which is likely to benefit thousands of Indian

Amidst a lockdown and the COVID-19 crisis, Trump in June last year issued a proclamation that suspended entry to the US of applicants for several temporary or non-immigrant visa categories, including H-1B, arguing that these visas presented a risk to the US labour market during the economic recovery.

On December 31, Trump extended the order to March 31, 2021, noting that an extension was warranted as the pandemic continued to disrupt American's lives, and high levels of unemployment and job loss were still presenting serious economic challenges to workers across the US.

Biden did not issue a fresh proclamation for the ban on H-1B visas to continue after March 31.

He had promised to lift the suspension on H-1B visas, saying Trump's immigration policies were cruel.

The is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

The expiry of the Trump's proclamation would now result in the issuing of H-1B visas by American diplomatic missions overseas that would result in US companies bringing in talented technology professionals inside the country.

No new proclamation was issued by Biden till Wednesday mid-night, resulting in the automatic end to the ban on issuing of fresh H-1B visas.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House will not renew a ban on H-1B and other work-based visas imposed last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that is set to expire on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a Republican Senator from Missouri on Wednesday urged Biden to issue a fresh proclamation to continue with the ban.

I write today to urge you to extend the freeze on temporary foreign worker entries into the United States that, without intervention, will expire today, Senator Josh Hawley wrote in a letter to Biden.

The presidential proclamation suspending entry of certain temporary workers into the US has protected Americans suffering from the pandemic-induced economic crisis. With millions of struggling Americans out of work and millions more desperate to make ends meet now is not the time to open the floodgates to thousands of foreign workers competing with American workers for scarce jobs and resources, he wrote.

In his letter, Hawley wrote that the unemployment rate remains at 6.2 per cent with nearly 10 million Americans out of work and looking for a job. The pandemic has been especially devastating for low-income and working class Americans, many of whom have borne the brunt of the crisis and stand to lose the most from misguided policy decisions, he said.

In periods of high unemployment, it makes no sense to allow a struggling labour market to be flooded with a wave of foreign competition, he said.

What makes even less sense is to willingly introduce further competition for the US workers at the same time that a disastrous illegal immigration crisis grows on our southern border. As at the border, failure to take meaningful action is, in itself, a policy decision with detrimental impacts for American workers.

I urge you to extend the temporary foreign worker entry suspension until the unemployment rate has meaningfully declined, and until your administration has conducted a thorough review of non-immigrant visa programmes to ensure that American workers are fully and effectively protected from harm, Hawley added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ralph S. Opacic, Ed.D, OCSA Founder and Executive Director Thanks to my extraordinary colleagues and so many generous community supporters who stood beside me over the years, OCSA has made countless dreams come true, mine included.

After more than three decades shaping the landscape of arts education in Southern California and across the country, Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) Founder Ralph S. Opacic, Ed.D, announced his retirement from his full-time position as the schools executive director, effective at the conclusion of this school year. OCSAs Board of Trustees voted unanimously yesterday evening to appoint Teren Shaffer, the OCSA Foundations executive vice president, as the schools second president & CEO beginning July 1.

About Ralph Opacic

Opacic leaves an impressive 34-year legacy, which began as a young mans dream. His love of performing propelled him to California in pursuit of a professional music career. However, he soon discovered that his real passion was to inspire the next generation of young artists through arts education. Armed with a bachelors degree in music, he became the choir director at Los Alamitos High School, where he transformed a choir program with 30 students into a thriving program of 300 students. In 1987, Opacic secured a state grant to support his vision of creating a world-class arts school taught by professional working artists that offers a pathway to college and a career in the arts. OCSA started as an after-school program with just four conservatories. Quickly outgrowing the location in Los Alamitos, Opacic began the search for a new home. Mayor Miguel Pulido invited Opacic to relocate OCSA to Santa Ana. Recognizing a unique opportunity to grow the school and join the revitalization of midtown Santa Ana, Opacic crafted a business plan that, with the support of the community, resulted in OCSA opening its doors in 2000 as a stand-alone charter school.

Under Opacics leadership, OCSA is recognized as one of the premier arts schools in the nation, offering a rigorous college-preparatory academic program and pre-professional arts training in 16 conservatories. OCSA now serves a student body of nearly 2,300 students from over 100 cities throughout Southern California. The 350,000 square foot urban campus is spread across 10 commercial and historic buildings. OCSA graduates are recruited by the nations top universities. One of the cornerstones of Opacics plans for OCSA was also to provide a rich outreach program which offered accessible art activities and classes to the local community. Opacics leadership has enabled OCSA to raise more than $100 million over the past 34 years, as an investment in the hopes and dreams of the schools passionate and talented students. Continuing his vision to share OCSAs successful and innovative curriculum models with other communities in Southern California, California School of the Arts  San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV), the first regional campus, opened in 2017 to serve nearly 1,200 students. In addition to his extraordinary work with OCSA and CSArts-SGV, he has brought his deep experience and strategic thinking to arts schools across the country through his national leadership positions with Arts Schools Network and his nonprofit consulting services. Throughout his illustrious career, the creativity, passion, tenacity and vision of Opacic has impacted the lives of tens of thousands of students with the pioneering education programs and dynamic learning environment he designed and implemented.

A visionary leader and dreamer, Dr. Opacic has continuously brought OCSA to new heights, devoting his career to creating opportunities for students, said Gary Humphreys, Chair of the OCSA Board of Trustees. Over the past three decades, he has expanded OCSAs instructional space tenfold, developed 16 arts conservatory programs, created a student sponsorship program that enables all students to receive the same experience regardless of their familys financial capacity, and so much more. The Board of Trustees, as well as OCSA faculty, staff, and administrators are grateful for his legacy and promise to uphold the schools commitment to excellence for many years to come.

Leading this organization has truly been the greatest honor and privilege of my professional career, Opacic said. Thanks to my extraordinary colleagues and so many generous community supporters who stood beside me over the years, OCSA has made countless dreams come true, mine included. I am confident that our mission will thrive as I hand the torch to Mr. Teren Shaffer. His passion for and dedication to our school is immeasurable, and I can think of no one better suited to step into this role.

About Teren Shaffer

The schools mission will be carried on by Teren Shaffer, who has been working alongside Opacic for the past four years as executive vice president of the OCSA Foundation and CSArts Foundation. Shaffer began his tenure at OCSA in 2011 as music director and conductor of the acclaimed Frederick Fennell Wind Ensemble. He was quickly recognized for his leadership, being promoted to director of the Instrumental Music Conservatory and then to dean of arts. In his current position as executive vice president, he plays a key role in strategic planning for the organization and has expanded educational opportunities for students, including the celebrated Master Artist Series, the Creators & Innovators Series, a two-day college fair, and more, in addition to leading the development, public relations, marketing, graphic design, and special events departments at OCSA and the sister campus, CSArts-SGV.

Shaffer is a highly lauded arts manager, music educator and conductor, winning many prestigious awards including The Kennedy Centers Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award, the Arts Schools Network Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton Emerging Leader Award, Stanford Universitys Exceptional Teaching Award and Orange County Department of Educations Outstanding Arts Educator Award. He led the Frederick Fennell Wind Ensemble to become a finalist in The American Prize for Wind Ensemble Performance and to present a concert at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival. In 2014, the ensemble was the first high school band from Southern California to perform at the Midwest Clinic. This is the largest annual music conference of its kind, hosting nearly 20,000 educators and performers from more than 30 countries.

Shaffer serves as vice president on the national board of directors for Arts Schools Network and hosted the national conference at OCSA in 2018. Previously, he was on faculty at Chapman University and also served as general manager for the Orange County Youth Symphony. Shaffer earned a masters degree in orchestral conducting from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and bachelors degrees in instrumental conducting, music performance and music education from Chapman University.

I have known Mr. Shaffer for several years while my two daughters attended OCSA, said Chair of the Foundation Board of Directors Vince Foley. Mr. Shaffer is incredibly well prepared to lead OCSA into its next chapter. He is a creative, dedicated and passionate educator and administrator who has an array of experience that makes him exceptionally qualified to further develop and implement the schools mission.

As a musician, the mission of OCSA is close to my heart, said Shaffer. From my first day as a teacher, I was captivated by the commitment and passion of OCSAs students, and inspired by the creativity and innovation of our faculty and staff. OCSA truly provides a fundamentally different educational experience for students. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Opacic for his visionary leadership and for being a pivotal mentor in my life. I have learned so much from him during my 10 years at OCSA, and I look forward to his continued support as a strategic consultant following his retirement. As we move forward into OCSAs 35th anniversary, I am honored and thrilled to lead our distinguished school into the future as president & CEO.

About Orange County School of the Arts

Established in 1987, the nationally recognized Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) provides an unparalleled arts and academic education in a creative, challenging and nurturing environment to a diverse student body passionate about the arts, preparing them to reach their highest potential. As a tuition-free, donation-dependent public charter school, OCSA serves more than 2,200 students in grades seven through 12, providing college-preparatory academics and pre-professional arts training through 16 different conservatory programs.

OCSA has been recognized as the No. 1 Charter High School in California by Niche. The U.S. Department of Education and National Endowment for the Arts have recognized OCSA as a model arts education program. OCSA has received the distinction of Exceptional Charter School in Special Education by the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) for 2017, 2018 and 2019. OCSAs counseling program is the first 7th-12th grade program in California to be named as a nationally Recognized American School Counselor Association Model Program (RAMP).

OCSA has been named as one of Californias Gold Ribbon Schools for 2017 and is an Arts Schools Network 2017-2022 Exemplary School. OCSA is consistently named one of Americas Best High Schools by U.S. News & World Report and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). For additional information, visit http://www.ocsarts.net.
[April 01, 2021] MetLife Investment Management Announces Partnership With Girls Who Invest

MetLife Investment Management (MIM), the institutional asset management business of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), today announced a partnership with Girls Who Invest (GWI), which will provide development opportunities for young women seeking a career in the asset management industry. Through the GWI partnership, several GWI Scholars will join MIM's intern program over the summer, focusing on portfolio management, research analysis, and trading through placement with the Public Fixed Income, Private Capital, and Real Estate investment teams. While providing an immersive six-week experience for each scholar, the program will also enable MIM to tap into a deeper talent pool through access to the GWI career database, participation in speaking engagements, and mentoring young women through the GWI program. GWI's mission is to create a diverse pipeline of talented and motivated young women who are well-prepared to succeed in leadership and portfolio management roles within the asset management industry. "At MetLife Investment Management, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture through diversity of talent and thought, underscoring our commitment to creating a more sustainable company," said Steven J. Goulart, president of MetLife Investment Management and chief investment officer of MetLife, Inc. "Partnering with Girls Who Invest will deepen this commitment by supporting the growth and development of women at all stages of their careers in the asset management industry." Since its founding in 2015, more than 800 scholars have participated in the GWI Summer ad Online Intensive Programs, providing them with development, education and professional community building opportunities.



The flagship Summer Intensive Program is taught by leading academics and industry professionals, including faculty from the Wharton School and UCLA Anderson School of Management. Scholars then complete six-week paid internships in frontline investing at one of GWI's more than 100 partner firms. This partnership was made possible through the support of MIM's Women's Investment Network and MetLife Foundation, as well as MIM's Institutional Client Group, Public Fixed Income, Private Capital, and Real Estate groups.

Goulart concluded: "Many different groups at MIM came together to get this program off the ground, and we could not be more excited to see it formally launch this year. Through this partnership we have an opportunity to guide and mentor a diverse group of women who bring passion and talent to the industry today and in the future." About MetLife Investment Management MetLife Investment Management, the institutional asset management business of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is a global public fixed income, private capital and real estate investment manager providing tailored investment solutions to institutional investors worldwide. MetLife Investment Management provides public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments, funds and other institutional clients with a range of bespoke investment and financing solutions that seek to meet a range of long-term investment objectives and risk-adjusted returns over time. MetLife Investment Management has over 150 years of investment experience and as of December 31, 2020, had $659.6 billion in total assets under management.1 About MetLife MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("MetLife"), is one of the world's leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com. Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements in this news release, such as "will," "committed," "supporting," and "opportunity," are based on assumptions and expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, including the "Risk Factors" MetLife, Inc. describes in its U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings. MetLife's future results could differ, and it has no obligation to correct or update any of these statements. Endnotes 1 Total assets under management is comprised of all MetLife general account and separate account assets and unaffiliated/third party assets, at estimated fair value, managed by MIM. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005832/en/

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This is the text Matt Gaetz's father Don says he received from Bob Kent, an Air Force intelligence officer, on March 16, detailing an extortion plot that would involve the Gaetz family giving up $25million

New texts and documents released by Rep. Matt Gaetz seem to support his claim that he was being extorted over a Department of Justice sex trafficking investigation, and suggest that the 'plot' was part of a ploy to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson in Iran.

The complex saga began earlier this week when The New York Times published a report citing three anonymous sources that Gaetz was under investigation for his relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

He hit back denying that he'd had sex with the underage girl or trafficked her across state lines, as the Times story claimed, and instead claimed he was being targeted by extortionists.

He said that a former DoJ official - David McGee - was trying to get $25million out of his family and was using the sex trafficking probe as leverage. McGee has denied it.

Gaetz's father Don, a former Senator, has even backed up his claim and said that the pair were both working with the FBI on a simultaneous investigation into the alleged extortion attempt.

On Wednesday, Gaetz produced text message screenshots and emails to The Washington Examiner to support his case.

They shed more light on the allegations. According to the documents, Gaetz had been seen in compromising photos having sex with underage prostitutes.

McGee and another man, Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent, claimed in the messages to have knowledge of the investigation.

They said that he was about to be indicted but that they could stop it if the Gaetz family put up $25million which would help secure Levinson's release.

Levinson worked for the FBI for 22 years then vanished in 2007 while in Iran. Nothing was known as to whether he was alive or dead until 2011 when Levinson's family shared images and a video of him being held captive and pleading for help.

Levinson's family said in March 2020 that they had been informed by US officials that he had died in Iranian custody, while being held in Iran as the longest-held hostage in American history.

But Kent claimed he was very much alive and that if Gaetz provided the money to release him, he would be given public credit for the operation and the 'team' would tell President Biden to give him a pardon in the sex trafficking case.

McGee used to work for the Department of Justice but now works in private practice and is the Levinson family's lawyer. Kent has claimed in the past that he has worked on plans to secure Levinson's release.

This document was given to Gaetz's father Don on March 17, allegedly by Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent. The plan involved the Gaetz family putting up $25million to secure Levinson's release but it doesn't say how the money would secure that

Another document that Gaetz has produced is an email from the Assistant US Attorney for the Northern District of Florida which confirms that the family was working with the FBI

Rep. Matt Gaetz (pictured) was allegedly being extorted over the investigation into 'compromising pictures' showing him in a sex orgy with underage prostitutes to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran, according to newly-obtained documents

Bombshell texts, an email and a printout with the heading 'Project Homecoming' detail the alleged scheme involving former DOJ official David McGee (left) and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent to free US hostage Robert Levinson (right)

The texts are purportedly from him to Gaetz's father, former Senator Don Gaetz. They were sent on March 16 and 17.

TIMELINE OF THE GAETZ SAGA MARCH 30: The New York Times reports that Gaetz is under investigation for a sexual relationship with an underage girl. Details are sparse but the relationship is said to have happened two years ago. Gaetz went on Tucker Carlson's FOX News show that night to deny the allegations and claim he was the victim of an extortion plot. He names David McGee as a DoJ official who is extorting him. McGee denies it. MARCH 31: Gaetz's father Don tells Politico that the extortion plot is real and that he was working with his son and the FBI to expose it APRIL 1: Texts emerge to support Gaetz's claim that he was being extorted and they introduce a new element to the saga - that the extortion plot was part of a ruse to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran. WHO'S WHO Rep Matt Gaetz Gaetz, 38, is the representative for Florida's 1st congressional district. He is a Trump ally who has ties to Roger Stone and he's been known to fan the flames of controversy in the past. He has DUI convictions, has been accused of inciting violence on Twitter and claimed that facial recognition technology proved some of the January 6 Capitol rioters were not Trump fans, but 'antifa' masquerading as them. Don Gaetz Gaetz's father who was a well-liked Senator. He sold his company with his partners for $406million in 2004. They had founded VITAS Healthcare in the 1980s. He was a senator for ten years from 2006 until 2016. David McGee McGee was a prosecutor with the Department of Justice but he is now a private practice attorney. According to his bio on his law firm's website, he spent six years as the First Assistant at the United States Attorneys Office and for seven years as the Lead Attorney for a United States Department of Justice Organized Crime Task Force. Bob Kent Kent is an Air Force intelligence officer whose involvement in the alleged plot was only revealed on Wednesday night through the texts. Robert Levinson Levinson spent 22 years working for the FBI before he vanished in Iran in 2007. The government claimed they knew nothing about it but later admitted he had been working there for the CIA. The last time he was seen alive was in 2011, when he appeared in proof of life photos. His family say that this month, they were given reason to believe he was dead. Advertisement

'Mr Gaetz, I would like to talk with you immediately about the current federal investigation and the indictment that is about to be filed against your son. I have a plan that can make his future legal and political problems go away,' the first text, sent on March 16 purportedly from Kent, says.

Kent goes on: 'Last summer, we located Robert Levinson in Iran and took two proof of life videos but the US government foiled our rescue attempt. We have one more opportunity to rescue Levinson. If you and Matt are willing to help us privately and clandestinely obtain the release of Robert Levinson, I will ensure...'

There is no screenshot of the next part of the text.

On March 17, Gaetz's father met with Kent and Kent gave him a document titled 'Project Homecoming', he says.

It detailed plans for the Gaetz family to give them $25million. They said they would use the money to free Levinson and that in exchange, 'the team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.

On March 17, the day after the text was sent purportedly by Kent to Gaetz's father, Don claims he met with Kent and Stephen M. Alford, a man convicted of fraud who McGee has represented in the past, and was given the three-page 'Project Homecoming' document.

The document begins with details of the alleged probe into Rep. Gaetz over 'various public corruption and public integrity issues.'

It outlines some of the most damning allegations to surface against Gaetz to date, claiming the FBI has 'compromising pictures' depicting Gaetz and an unidentified election official in a 'sexual orgy with underage prostitutes' in Maitland, Florida.

The photos came to light during an unrelated probe into political corruption and public integrity in another criminal case, it reads.

Sources previously told the New York Times the probe was part of a wider investigation into Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, who was charged with sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17 last year.

The document says the discovery of the photos and 'subsequent information' has led to Gaetz being the 'target' of a 'widening investigation into serious underage sex trafficking, political corruption, public integrity, and other criminal allegations.'

On Tuesday, Gaetz insisted he had been told he was the 'subject' and not the 'target' of a probe.

The document claims that a Grand Jury has been impaneled to determine is charges should be brought against Gaetz and others.

It says that a number of people have testified to the Grand Jury about Gaetz including one underage girl who claims she was paid by Gaetz for sex and 'other individuals, whom are facing serious criminal allegations themselves'.

'At least one underage female has testified to the Grand Jury that Congressman Gaetz has paid her to engage in sexual activities,' it reads.

The probe is being handled by the Public Integrity Division of the DOJ and is being managed out of the DC field office, with the US Attorney from the Middle District of Florida overseeing the case.

The document goes on to describe a 'strategy' to 'mitigate Gaetz's 'legal and political troubles' by arranging for $25 million in funds needed to apparently release Levinson from Iranian captivity.

The money would be deposited into the trust account of Beggs & Land law firm, where McGee works, no later than March 19, the Examiner reported.

It describes a setup wherein Gaetz could take the credit for Levinson's release and present the captive's return to the US, and would be put forward for a presidential pardon and for all investigations to be dropped.

'In exchange for funds being arranged, and upon the release of Robert Levinson, Congressman Gaetz shall be given credit for facilitating the release of Mr. Levinson. Congressman Gaetz shall also be on the plane that returns Mr. Levinson to freedom, and shall be the person to 'reunited' Mr. Levinson with his family and bring Mr. Levinson back to the United States,' the document reads.

Gaetz and his father Don Gaetz. Don served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016

'The team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President of The United States shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.'

The three-page document also suggested at least some White House knowledge of the plan claiming: 'The team has been assured by the President that he will strongly consider such matters because he considers the release of Robert Levinson a matter of National Urgency.'

BILL BARR CANCELED AN APPEARANCE TO APPEAR WITH GAETZ BECAUSE OF PROBE Bill Barr was aware of the ongoing sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz and took no objection to it when he was the Attorney General. Instead, he made sure he was never seen with him in public. According to Politico, Barr canceled an event where he was due to appear with Gaetz in the summer of 2020. He had been scheduled to appear at a meet-and-greet with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee but when he saw that Gaetz was also attending, he pulled out of it. Barr has not commented on the investigation into sex trafficking that Gaetz is said to be a target of. Advertisement

DailyMail.com has reached out to the White House for comment.

The Examiner also obtained an email chain allegedly between Don's attorney Jeffrey Neiman and federal prosecutors that appears to confirm the FBI is looking into an alleged extortion.

Assistant US Attorney David Goldberg wrote to Neiman that he could 'confirm that your client is working with my office as well as the FBI at the government's request in order to determine if a federal crime has been committed'.

The FBI declined to comment and directed to DailyMail.com to the DOJ. The DOJ did not return a request for comment.

The release of the documents came after Gaetz's father backed up his extortion claims and said he wore a wire to try help his son expose it.

'The FBI asked me to try and get that information for Matt and an indication we would transfer money to Mr. David McGee,' he told Politico Wednesday.

DailyMail.com has reached out to McGee following the latest claims about the alleged extortion plot.

The attorney denied any involvement Tuesday telling The Washington Post Tuesday he was not part of a plan to extort Gaetz nor was he connected to the DOJ's sex trafficking probe.

But McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, said: 'It is completely false. It's a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that he's under investigation for sex trafficking of minors.

'I have no connection with that case at all, other than, one of a thousand people who have heard the rumors.'

The attorney said Gaetz's father had 'called me and asked to talk to me' and said he would welcome a tape of their conversation being made public. He did not detail what the conversation was about but insisted it was nothing 'untoward' but simply 'a pleasant conversation of a dad concerned about his son and the trouble his son was in'.

He added: 'If there is a tape, play the tape. There is nothing on that tape that is untoward.'

Gaetz had on Tuesday claimed he is the victim of a $25 million extortion plot after it was revealed he is under investigation for sex trafficking over allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl, 17, and paid to have her travel with him.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump accused McGee live on Tucker Carlson of trying to extort millions of dollars out of him and his family in exchange for 'making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away.'

Gaetz claimed he had been working with the FBI and his father Don Gaetz had been wearing a wire to expose the alleged scheme after learning of it earlier this month.

Florida lawmaker Gaetz made the bombshell allegation hours after the New York Times revealed the DOJ had launched a probe to investigate whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws.

Three sources told the Times an investigation was launched into his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl during Trump's final months in office under then-Attorney General Bill Barr.

The inquiry is said to be part of a wider probe into Florida official Joel Greenberg, who was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17. No charges have been filed against Gaetz.

On Wednesday, Politico reported that not only was the sex trafficking investigation underway, but that Bill Barr, the AG at the time, knew about it and had no objection to it.

Gaetz claimed Tuesday night the sex trafficking allegations against him were 'verifiably false' but said he and his family were victims of an extortion effort by McGee to make the allegations and the DOJ investigation 'go away.'

A separate probe was launched by the FBI into the extortion plot, he said. Gaetz claimed the Times report had then foiled a plan to transfer a bribe of $4.5 million to McGee Wednesday which would have then exposed the alleged plot.

However Times' reporter Katie Benner told MSNBC it is the congressman who has in fact 'blown up' the alleged extortion investigation in an effort to divert attention away from the fact the sex trafficking concerns were serious enough for the Trump administration to launch an investigation - even though Gaetz is a close ally of the president. Gaetz, 38, is close to Trump and got engaged to food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, at his Mar-a-Lago club in late December.

Gaetz accused David McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, of trying to extort millions from him and his family in exchange for making sex trafficking allegations 'go away' on Fox News Tuesday

The FBI declined to comment Tuesday night while the DOJ did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Reports of the two investigations came just hours after it was revealed Gaetz is considering retiring from Congress and taking a job at right-wing news outlet Newsmax.

Tucker Carlson says Gaetz interview was his 'weirdest ever' Fox News' Tucker Carlson was stunned by Rep Matt Gaetz's appearance on his show Tuesday night, calling it one of the 'weirdest interviews' ever. Gaetz claimed he is the victim of a $25million extortion plot after the New York Times revealed he is under investigation for sex trafficking over allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl, 17, and paid to have her travel with him. During the interview Gaetz denied all of the allegations against him. 'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson. 'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.' Fox News' Tucker Carlson was stunned by Rep Matt Gaetz's appearance on his show Tuesday night When asked about the alleged sexual relationship with the teen, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'. However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme'. 'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said. 'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.' In response to that claim, Carlson says: 'I don't remember the women you're speaking of or the context at all honestly.' Following the segment, Carlson told his viewers: 'You just saw our Matt Gaetz interview. That was one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.' 'That story just appeared in the news a couple of hours ago, and on the certainty that there's always more than you read in the newspaper, we immediately called Matt Gaetz and asked him to come on and tell us more. Which, as you saw, he did. I don't think that clarified much, but it certainly showed this is a deeply interesting story and we'll be following it,' Carlson added. Advertisement

Gaetz's alleged encounters with the 17-year-old girl took place around two years ago with the DOJ investigation focusing on whether the lawmaker paid for her to cross state lines, the Times reported.

Under federal law, it is a crime to transport someone under the age of 18 across state lines, or coerce them to travel across state lines, to engage in sex in exchange for money.

It is not clear when or how Gaetz allegedly met the teenager.

Gaetz, who was the only member of Congress to vote against a largely bipartisan human trafficking bill back in 2017, insisted the allegations are false.

'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson.

'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.'

When asked about his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'.

'The person doesn't exist. I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false,' he said.

However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme.'

'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said.

'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.'

Instead, Gaetz claimed he and his family have fallen foul to a plot to extort money.

The congressman told Carlson the alleged scheme came to light on March 16 when he claims his father got a text message 'demanding a meeting wherein a person demanded $25 million in exchange for making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away'.

Gaetz's father is Don Gaetz, former member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 and Senate President from 2012 to 2014. Don has not publicly commented on the apparent extortion plot.

Gaetz claimed his family were told about 'pictures of me with child prostitutes' which he insisted are 'obviously false'.

Gaetz named McGee on air on the Fox News show, accusing the lawyer of being behind the extortion plot.

'His name is David Mcgee. He was a top official in the leadership in the northern district of Florida as a prosecutor,' he said. 'He currently works at the Beggs & Lane law firm.'

He claimed: 'There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators.'

Gaetz said he contacted the FBI and the DOJ and has been working with them to expose the plot.

'Our family was so troubled by that, we went to the local FBI and the FBI and the Department of Justice were so concerned about this attempted extortion of a member of Congress that they asked my dad to wear a wire, which he did with the former department of justice official,' he claimed.

Gaetz claimed that, prior to the Times' report of the sex trafficking inquiry, his family and federal authorities had made a plan to send $4.5 million as a down payment to McGee.

He claimed this plan 'would have shown even more evidence of David McGee's work in this extortion scheme' but that it was 'foiled' by the Times' report.

'What was supposed to happen was the transfer of this money that would have implicated the former colleague of these current DOJ officials.

'But that's obviously not going to happen tomorrow because the New York Times story was leaked in order to quell that investigative effort,' he claimed.

Gaetz called on the FBI to release the tapes of his family's alleged encounters with the extorter in order to prove his 'innocence.'

'If the FBI and department of justice will release the tapes that they are in possession of, the American people will see what is really going on,' he said.

New York Times' Justice Department Reporter Katie Benner hit back at Gaetz's claims telling MSNBC that McGee is not involved in the DOJ's sex trafficking probe as he works in private practice.

'No that person is not involved in the investigations. That person is currently in private practice and does not work at the Justice Department,' she said.

Benner questioned Gaetz's motive for speaking out about the alleged extortion plot in a move that she said has 'destroyed and blown up' the FBI investigation into it.

Gaetz was first to publicly expose the FBI probe into the alleged extortion plot, with no mention made in the Times' initial report.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump fired out a series of tweets Tuesday claiming a former Justice Department employee had been trying to extort $25 million from him and his family while 'threatening to smear my name'

Benner said she believes Gaetz was speaking out to deflect from the fact that the sex trafficking probe was 'serious enough' to be launched by Trump's DOJ.

'Keep in mind this is an investigation that if you look at the timeline was very serious and was taken seriously by Trump administration officials in the Justice Department,' she said.

'I think that one of the reasons why he has talked publicly about this extortion plot, one of the reasons why he has publicly said that the FBI has asked his own father to wear a wire is in order to try to get people to not pay attention to the fact that it was in fact the Trump admin that felt it was worthy to investigation him.'

She hit back at his claim that the Times' report had 'foiled' the FBI plot.

'In publicly talking about the extortion plot that he has described and publicly saying that his father wore a wire he has basically destroyed and blown up an FBI investigation which is in itself something you would think would be against his own interests,' she said.

'You would think he wold be wanting to work with the FBI and would think he would be wanting to keep this quiet... in doing this and basically blowing up an FBI investigation into people trying to extort his family he has both complicated that investigation and also cast aspersions on something that was serious enough that Attorney General Bill Barr proved it.'

Gaetz went on the defense as soon as the Times story broke Tuesday evening, going on a tweet storm describing the alleged extortion plot and slamming the allegations as 'lies'.

'Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name,' he tweeted.

The congressman said he and his family had been working with the FBI on the plot to extort money from his family.

'We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI's direction to catch these criminals.

'The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation.'

Gaetz denied the accusations against him after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that the DOJ had launched a probe to investigate whether he had violated federal sex trafficking laws. Pictured Trump and Gaetz

Gaetz called on the Justice Department to release tapes he said shows the alleged scheme by an ex-DOJ employee.

'I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations,' he tweeted.

Gaetz went into damage control mode after news of the inquiry surfaced.

He told the Times his attorneys had been told by the DOJ that he was the subject and not the target of the probe.

The inquiry is said to be part of a wider probe into Florida official Joel Greenberg (pictured) who was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking of a minor between the age of 14 and 17

'I only know that it has to do with women,' he said. 'I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.'

The congressman confirmed the DOJ probe in an interview with Axios and doubled down that the allegations are 'false' and 'unclear' as he blamed the apparent extortion plot.

'The allegations of sexual misconduct against me are false,' he said. 'They are rooted in an extortion effort against my family for $25 million in exchange for making this case go away.'

Axios reported that it had seen screenshots of text messages, emails and documents from Gaetz purporting to show the alleged scheme.

'I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy,' he said.

The 38-year-old said while he often 'provided for' women he was dating when he was single, such as paying for flights and hotel rooms, he was 'absolutely' confident none of the women were underage.

'I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I've dated. You know, I've paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I've been, you know, generous as a partner,' he said.

'I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.'

Sources told the Times that senior Justice Department officials, including some Trump appointees, were aware of the investigation due to its nature and the congressman's profile.

Gaetz shared this image on Facebook in July 2017 of himself with Greenberg and Roger Stone

They said it is part of a larger probe into Greenberg, a former tax collector of Seminole County, Orlando, accused of paying for sex with an underage girl and illegally using Florida's DMV database to look up information on her and other women with whom he was engaged in 'sugar daddy' relationships with.

Greenberg was indicted last summer on 14 felony charges including child sex trafficking, fraud, identity theft and stalking a former political rival.

The sex trafficking charge involves alleged encounters with a girl aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017.

He was also accused of violating the Driver's Privacy Protection Act by using his access as an elected official to illegally look up information about the minor in The Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID).

He reportedly looked up the girl's photo, driver identification number, in addition to other information.

Prosecutors say he also used the database to look up other people, with whom he was embroiled in 'sugar daddy relationships' with.

Greenberg had first been indicted by a federal grand jury in June on charges that he stalked political opponent Brian Beute in the Republican primary for the Tax Collector's race and for identity theft.

Greenberg resigned the following day and the additional charges were added in August.

Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December. Pictured the couple when they got engaged

He was arrested earlier this month for violating the terms of his bond after he allegedly traveled to Jupiter and was involved in some type of police incident there.

The extent of Gaetz's relationship with Greenberg is unclear but the ex-tax collector shared a photo on Twitter of the two men together at the White House in 2019.

The year before, Gaetz backed Greenberg's successful bid for local office.

And back in July 2017, Gaetz shared a photo on his Facebook of himself with Greenberg and Roger Stone - Trump's aide who was convicted of lying to Congress before being pardoned by the former president.

News of the sex-trafficking inquiry came the same day reports surfaced that Gaetz is mulling quitting politics altogether for a career as a media personality.

Gaetz has told friends he is considering not seeking re-election in 2022 and may even leave Congress before the end of his term for a job at conservative outlet Newsmax, according to Axios.

The congressman lost much of his personal power in DC when Trump, a close ally, lost the White House and Republicans failed to take back control of the House of Representatives.

Newsmax, meanwhile, has become a favored outlet for conservatives after Trump started criticizing Fox News, leaving an opening for it and competitor One American News.

Gaetz is already a frequent guest on the network, which recently hired former White House staffer Andrew Guiliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani, and former Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators

Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and defended the former president during both impeachment trials.

He also pushed the false claims that the MAGA mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a riot that left five dead were from Antifa. Investigations have proven they were not.

Gaetz also made a name for himself when he became the only House lawmaker to vote against a bill to provide greater funds to fight human trafficking.

The legislation - the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act - gave the federal government more money to tackle human trafficking.

It was backed by both Republicans and Democrats and sailed through the House and Senate.

'Unless there is an overwhelming, compelling reason that our existing agencies in the federal government can't handle that problem, I vote no because voters in Northwest Florida did not send me to Washington to go and create more federal government,' he said at the time.

He also hit headlines for wearing a gas mask on the House floor during the COVID pandemic and criticizing Democrats for banning guns in Congress.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators.

Outside of DC, Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December.

The couple met at an event at the club sometime earlier in 2020.

Luckey works for a company called Apeel, that says it 'works with nature to reduce food waste and create abundance for all.'
A highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant was unknowingly spreading for months in the United States by October 2020, according to a new study from researchers with The University of Texas at Austin COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. Scientists first discovered it in early December in the United Kingdom, where the highly contagious and more lethal variant is thought to have originated. The journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, which has published an early-release version of the study, provides evidence that the coronavirus variant B117 (501Y) had spread across the globe undetected for months when scientists discovered it.

"By the time we learned about the U.K. variant in December, it was already silently spreading across the globe," said Lauren Ancel Meyers, the director of the COVID-19 Modeling Consortium at The University of Texas at Austin and a professor of integrative biology. "We estimate that the B117 variant probably arrived in the U.S. by October of 2020, two months before we knew it existed."

Analyzing data from 15 countries, researchers estimated the chance that travelers from the U.K. introduced the variant into 15 countries between Sept. 22 and Dec. 7, 2020. They found that the virus variant had almost certainly arrived in all 15 countries by mid-November. In the U.S., the variant probably had arrived by mid-October.

"This study highlights the importance of laboratory surveillance," Meyers said. "Rapid and extensive sequencing of virus samples is critical for early detection and tracking of new variants of concern."

In conjunction with the paper's publication, consortium members developed a new tool that decision-makers anywhere in the United States can use in planning for genetic sequencing that helps to detect the presence of variants. To help the U.S. expand national surveillance of variants, the new online calculator indicates the number of virus samples that must be sequenced in order to detect new variants when they first emerge. For example, if the goal is to detect an emerging variant by the time it is causing 1 out of every 1,000 new COVID-19 infections, approximately 3,000 SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens per week need to be sequenced.

"Health officials are looking for better ways to manage the unpredictability of this virus and future variants," said Spencer Woody, a postdoctoral fellow at the UT COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. "Our new calculator determines how many positive SARS-CoV-2 specimens must be sequenced to ensure that new threats are identified as soon as they start spreading."

He explained that the calculator has a second feature. "It also helps labs figure out how quickly they will detect new variants, given their current sequencing capacity."

"We created this tool to support federal, state and local health officials in building credible early warning systems for this and future pandemic threats," Meyers said.

###

More detailed information on the calculator is here.

In addition to Meyers, authors of the Emerging Infectious Disease paper are Zhanwei Du, Bingyi Yang, Sheikh Taslim Ali, Tim K. Tsang, Songwei Shan, Peng Wu, Eric H.Y. Lau and Benjamin J. Cowling of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control in Hong Kong and Lin Wang of the University of Cambridge.

The research was funded by Hong Kong's Health and Medical Research Fund, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meyers holds the Denton A. Cooley Centennial Professorship at The University of Texas at Austin.
A 4-year-old Honduran child is pictured after being rescued by agents of the National Migration Institute and members of the National Guard near the Rio Bravo, in the border city of Reynosa, Mexico, on March 30, 2021. (Mexico's National Migration Institute/Handout via Reuters)

Honduran Migrant Boy, 4, Found Traveling Alone by US-Mexico Border

MEXICO CITYA 4-year-old Honduran boy was found traveling alone near the Rio Grande River that separates Mexico from the United States with no one to claim him, the Mexican government said on Wednesday.

Mexicos National Migration Institute (INM) said the boy was found unaccompanied among trees and thickets as he walked toward the border. He was close to Reynosa, a Mexican city long troubled by violence, that sits across from McAllen, Texas.

A group of three mothers and six children were located in the same area, but none of the adults took responsibility for the boy or acknowledged him as a relative, the INM said.

The migrants, all Hondurans, were detained when a flyover of the area spotted a group of women and children running and ducking for cover in grasslands and trees, the institute said.

The boy, who was not named, is one of the thousands of children to have arrived at the border during a surge in arrivals since U.S. President Joe Biden took office and revoked numerous Trump-era immigration policies.

Consular authorities and Mexicos national human rights commission were informed of the boys situation, the INM said.

The ten migrants were taken into the custody of a local branch of a Mexican authority dedicated to family welfare.

Mexican authorities said that human smugglers recommend migrants bring children with them on their journey from Central America so that they can more easily cross the border into the United States.

By Dave Graham and Diego Ore

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report
Mumbai, April 1 : The Hollywood sci-fi thriller "Voyagers" will release in Indian theatres on April 16. The film directed by Neil Burger stars Colin Farrell, Lily Rose Depp, Tye Sheridan and Isaac Hempstead Wright.

"Voyagers" is set in the near future and showcases the adventure of 30 young men and women who are sent deep into space on a multi-generational mission in search of a new home.

Originally scheduled to be released internationally in November 2020, the film had to be postponed owing to the ongoing pandemic.

The film will be released in India by PVR Pictures.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
UGAHacks, formally known as University Hackathons, hosts an annual programming event and competition, UGA Hackathon. Run by UGA students, they hope to host this event every semester starting in the fall of 2021. (Courtesy/UGAHacks)
Civil rights campaigner and former MP Bernadette Devlin McAliskey has said Rev Ian Paisley was the winner in the political battle between himself and republicans in Northern Ireland.

She made her comments in a wide-ranging interview with veteran broadcaster Eamonn Mallie in his series for Eamonn Mallie: Face to Face with..., to be broadcast on UTV on Thursday night.

As a 21-year-old, the then-Bernadette Devlin was elected MP for Mid-Ulster in 1969, the youngest MP at the time.

The tough street campaigner rejected the abstentionism tactic to take her Westminster seat after fighting under the slogan: I will take my seat and fight for your rights.

Mrs McAliskey, who witnessed the Bloody Sunday shootings by the Parachute Regiment in the Bogside in 1972, told the programme: The provisional republican movement fought a war to end British rule in Ireland. The Rev Ian Paisley fought a war in a different context but both of those were reactions to the violence with which the United Kingdom government governed the North of Ireland.

It ended up with the Stormont Assembly back in all its glory."

Speaking expansively too about what she calls the false oath she swore on entering Parliament, Mrs McAliskey said: Gerry Fitt told me, Cross my fingers and spit when I got out... I swore a false oath. It didnt cost me a thought.

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I knew when I was doing it, 'I dont care about your Queen'.

The Coalisland woman was later shot and wounded along with her husband Michael in a UDA murder bid at their home on the shores of Lough Neagh in 1981.

Speaking about their survival, Mrs McAliskey said: They left us for dead. I should have died. They left our house without a shot unfired.

But away from the cameras a remarkable bond developed between herself and the former DUP leader and First Minister.

When the then Miss Devlin became active in civil rights protests during her tenure in Queens University, she unilaterally decided to visit Paisley's home in East Belfast to establish why he habitually blocked marches by the students from the university into the city centre.

She said: I did it because it made sense. It seemed like a sensible, ordinary, normal thing a person would do. And so, I knocked on his door and Mrs Paisley came out and she brought me in and made tea.

Following a discussion without agreement Miss Devlin departed, but that first meeting and familiarisation was not lost on Mr Paisley, who died in September 2014.

The conversation that started in the Paisley household in Bernadette Devlins student days triggered an ongoing connectedness at Westminster where the Mid Ulster MP and the North Antrim MP regularly had tea together.

Paisley not only rallied later to Miss Devlins side when the press outside Downing Street urged him to comment on her personal life, he also dramatically turned the tables on the media, leaving them red faced.

Eamonn Mallie: Face to Face is on UTV on Thursday at 10.45pm
A 17th-century Arabian silver coin, top, that research shows was struck in 1693 in Yemen, rests near an Oak Tree Shilling minted in 1652 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, below, and a Spanish half real coin from 1727, right, on a table, in Warwick, Rhode Island (Steven Senne/AP)

A handful of coins unearthed from a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in rural Rhode Island and other random corners of New England in the US may help solve one of the planets oldest cold cases.

The villain in the tale is a murderous English pirate who became the worlds most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim pilgrims home to India from Mecca, then eluded capture by posing as a slave trader.

Its a new history of a nearly perfect crime, said Jim Bailey, an amateur historian and metal detectorist who found the first intact 17th-century Arabian coin in a meadow in Middletown.

That ancient pocket change  among the oldest ever found in North America  could explain how pirate Captain Henry Every vanished into the wind.

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On September 7 1695, the pirate ship Fancy, commanded by Every, ambushed and captured the Ganj-i-Sawai, a royal vessel owned by Indian emperor Aurangzeb, then one of the worlds most powerful men.

Aboard were not only the worshippers returning from their pilgrimage, but tens of millions of dollars worth of gold and silver.

What followed was one of the most lucrative and heinous robberies of all time.

Historical accounts say his band tortured and killed the men aboard the Indian ship and raped the women before escaping to the Bahamas, a haven for pirates.

But word quickly spread of their crimes, and English King William III  under enormous pressure from a scandalised India and the East India Company trading giant  put a large bounty on their heads.

If you google first worldwide manhunt, it comes up as Every, Mr Bailey said.

Everybody was looking for these guys.

Until now, historians only knew that Every eventually sailed to Ireland in 1696, where the trail went cold.

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But Mr Bailey says the coins he and others have found are evidence the notorious pirate first made his way to the American colonies, where he and his crew used the plunder for day-to-day expenses while on the run.

The first complete coin surfaced in 2014 at Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown, a spot that had piqued Mr Baileys curiosity two years earlier after he found old colonial coins, an 18th-century shoe buckle and some musket balls.

Waving a metal detector over the soil, he got a signal, dug down and hit literal paydirt: a darkened silver coin he initially assumed was either Spanish or money minted by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Peering closer, the Arabic text on the coin got his pulse racing.

I thought, Oh my God, he said.

Research confirmed the exotic coin was minted in 1693 in Yemen.

That immediately raised questions, Mr Bailey said, since there is no evidence that American colonists struggling to eke out a living in the New World travelled to anywhere in the Middle East to trade until decades later.

Since then, other detectorists have unearthed 15 additional Arabian coins from the same era  10 in Massachusetts, three in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut.

Expand Close A 17th-century Arabian silver coin rests in a 17th-century brass spoon (Steven Senne/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Another was found in North Carolina, where records show some of Everys men first came ashore.

It seems like some of his crew were able to settle in New England and integrate, said Sarah Sportman, state archaeologist for Connecticut, where one of the coins was found in 2018 at the ongoing excavation of a 17th-century farm site.

It was almost like a money laundering scheme, she said.

Although it sounds unthinkable now, Every was able to hide in plain sight by posing as a slave trader  an emerging profession in 1690s New England.

On his way to the Bahamas, he even stopped at the French island of Reunion to get some black captives so he would look the part, Mr Bailey said.

Obscure records show that a ship called the Sea Flower, used by the pirates after they ditched the Fancy, sailed along the Eastern seaboard.

It arrived with nearly four dozen slaves in 1696 in Newport, Rhode Island, which became a major hub of the North American slave trade in the 18th century.

Theres extensive primary source documentation to show the American colonies were bases of operation for pirates, said Mr Bailey, 53, who holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Rhode Island and worked as an archaeological assistant on explorations of the Whydah Gally pirate ship wreck off Cape Cod in the late 1980s.

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Mr Bailey, whose day job is analysing security at the states prison complex, has published his findings in a research journal of the American Numismatic Society, an organisation devoted to the study of coins and medals.

Archaeologists and historians familiar with but not involved in Mr Baileys work say they are intrigued, and believe it is shedding new light on one of the worlds most enduring criminal mysteries.

Jims research is impeccable, said Kevin McBride, a professor of archaeology at the University of Connecticut.

Its cool stuff. Its really a pretty interesting story.

Mark Hanna, an associate professor of history at the University of California-San Diego and an expert in piracy in early America, said that when he first saw photos of Mr Baileys coin, I lost my mind.

Finding those coins, for me, was a huge thing, said Mr Hanna, author of the 2015 book Pirate Nests And The Rise Of The British Empire.

The story of Captain Every is one of global significance. This material object  this little thing  can help me explain that.

Everys exploits have inspired a 2020 book by Steven Johnson, Enemy Of All Mankind; PlayStations popular Uncharted series of video games; and a Sony Pictures film version of Uncharted starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas that is slated for release early in 2022.

Expand Close A 17th-century Arabian silver coin, top, rests near an Oak Tree Shilling minted in 1652 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, below, and a Spanish half real coin from 1727, right (Steven Senne/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp A 17th-century Arabian silver coin, top, rests near an Oak Tree Shilling minted in 1652 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, below, and a Spanish half real coin from 1727, right (Steven Senne/AP)

Mr Bailey, who keeps his most valuable finds not at his home but in a safe deposit box, says he will keep digging.

For me, its always been about the thrill of the hunt, not about the money, he said.

The only thing better than finding these objects is the long-lost stories behind them.
The cherry trees have come into bloom earlier than ever before this year, and thousands of people are visiting famous cherry blossom spots despite pleas by the government to stay at home.

But Wednesday's temperatures were a balmy 20 degrees, perfect for a day out. The entrance of Deoksu Palace in downtown Seoul was teeming with people from nearby offices who had come to look at the cherry blossoms after a quick lunch.

One 34-year-old office worker who was busy taking selfies with colleagues said, "I feel it was the right decision to come out because I've been stuck inside lately and the weather is so nice and the flowers are beautiful."

Many people took their masks off to take selfies.
LONG BEACH, Calif., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global talent acquisition strategy expert, Tara Noonan Amaral has joined Riviera Advisors as its newest principal consultant. With more than two decades of talent acquisition and human resource strategy leadership experience, Amaral is an award-winning innovator in the talent acquisition field.

Tara Noonan Amaral

Amaral will focus her practice on talent acquisition process and organizational optimization; recruiting tools, technologies, and integrating automation; working on the continued importance of a strong talent acquisition and retention ecosystem; the future of work(ers); Diversity & Inclusion solutions, and cross-cultural and multi-generational talent strategies. Amaral's has broad experience across the financial, insurance, business services, hospitality, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and consulting industries.

"With the addition of Tara to Riviera Advisors, our team is well positioned at the senior-leadership level to help global organizations innovate the way they attract and hire diverse talent," says Jeremy Eskenazi, Riviera Advisors managing principal. "Tara will bring industry- leading expertise that is uniquely qualified to help organizations navigate the turbulent changes going on in the world of work."

Most recently, Amaral served as head of global head of Talent Acquisition for Marsh McLennan, a global leader in risk, strategy and people with more than 75,000 employees. Previously, she held talent leadership roles at Fidelity Investments, New York Life, ADP and AON/Hewitt. Prior to her recruiting career, Tara held banking and financial services leadership positions at JPMorgan Chase.

"While there are major economic and demographic changes happening in the world of work, organizations that recognize their strategic need to build a quality talent pipeline will flourish," said Amaral. "I'm pleased to build upon Riviera Advisors' tremendous reputation for helping organizations implement recruiting successes and get higher value from their talent acquisition function."

Amaral is based in Charleston, South Carolina and will serve a global client base. She frequently speaks to audiences regarding the value of an optimized talent acquisition function, diversity/ inclusion, and talent technology. Tara has been a frequent industry speaker, well-travelled industry advocate and has participated in leadership roles with the Association of Talent Acquisition Professional (ATAP), the Conference Board Global Labor Advisory Council, and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). Tara is a proud alumna of Brown University, holding a Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Behavior.

About Riviera Advisors

Riviera Advisors is a premier global consulting firm that specializes in helping companies develop stronger internal recruiting and talent acquisition capabilities. Working with start-up companies focused on scaling through talent as well as large global organizations in a variety of industries, Riviera Advisor's services range from recruiting training to talent acquisition strategy consulting leveraging solution-based assessments of a company's recruitment function and process. With a combined 100-plus years of experience leading and managing internal corporate talent functions, Riviera Advisors principals are uniquely qualified to offer proven, real-world recommendations for their clients. For more information visit www.RivieraAdvisors.com

Contact:

Jeremy Eskenazi

Riviera Advisors, Inc.

(562) 856-5787

[email protected]

SOURCE Riviera Advisors, Inc.
KERRVILLE, Texas, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- James Avery Artisan Jewelry, a family-owned jewelry retailer based in Texas, announces the upcoming opening of their newest store on Wednesday, April 7 in Westwood Village at 33020 FM 2978 Rd, Ste 531, Magnolia, Texas 77354.

"We're excited to bring a new store to Magnolia," says James Avery Director of Customer Service and Marketing Communications Lindsey Avery Tognietti. "As we expand in the Houston market, our goal is to bring the James Avery customer experience and jewelry close to home for our new and loyal customers."

The James Avery customer experience has been transformed to ensure stores are safe and inviting while creating a memorable shopping experience. Tognietti says customer and associate safety is their number one priority, and the Westwood Village store will open following recommended health protocols and guidelines implemented in all James Avery stores. There are hand sanitizing stations in store for customers and associates as well as regular cleaning and sanitizing throughout the store. The company requests customers honor social distancing guidelines and wear face coverings while in store. James Avery associates undergo daily health screenings and wear facemasks.

The store hours will be Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 12 to 6 p.m. and are subject to change. Westwood Village customers are welcome to shop in the new store or use the Contactless, Curbside Pickup or Buy Online, Pickup in Store options at JamesAvery.com.

About James Avery Artisan Jewelry James Avery is a vertically integrated, family-owned company located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. We offer finely crafted jewelry designs for men and women in sterling silver, 14K and 18K gold, bronze and gemstones. James Avery jewelry is designed and crafted by our own skilled artisans in Kerrville, Comfort and Hondo, TX using the finest materials sourced worldwide. We are a multi-channel retailer with over 100 James Avery stores in four states. Our jewelry is also available at www.JamesAvery.com, more than 200 Dillard's locations and Dillards.com. You can also find our designs at airport stores in Austin and Houston and at the AAFES locations in Fort Hood and Fort Belvoir. For more information, visit JamesAvery.com or facebook.com/JamesAvery

SOURCE James Avery Artisan Jewelry

Related Links

http://www.JamesAvery.com


Understood to persist between men and women in the workforce, Boston College team finds the gender gap in negotiation takes root during childhood

Chestnut Hill, MA (4/1/2021) - A gender gap in negotiation emerges as early as age eight, a finding that sheds new light on the wage gap women face in the workforce, according to new research from Boston College's Cooperation Lab, lead by Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Katherine McAuliffe.

The study of 240 boys and girls between ages four and nine, published recently in the journal Psychological Science, found the gap appears when girls who participated in the study were asked to negotiate with a male evaluator, a finding that mirrors the dynamics of the negotiation gap that persists between men and women in the workforce.

The researchers say this study is the first to identify a gender gap in negotiation among children.

"We found that--consistent with adult work--girls asked for less than boys when negotiating with a man," said McAuliffe. "We did not see this gender gap when children were negotiating with a woman. There is still much more work to be done, but one thing this tells us is that we should be teaching young girls to advocate for themselves in the context of negotiation from as early elementary school."

The results point to a disparity that takes root in childhood which may help explain the well-documented gender gap in pay that separates women and men, said McAuliffe, who co-authored the study with New York University graduate student Sophie Arnold, who spent two summers working in McAuliffe's Cooperation Lab, which studies how attributes like fairness develop in children.

McAuliffe and Arnold say the findings reveal a need to determine if cultural signals sent to girls are to blame and whether there should be interventions in childhood to ensure that both girls and boys feel comfortable advocating for themselves, regardless of the gender of the person they are talking with.

"Boys and girls performed equally between the ages of four and seven," said Arnold, whose work on the project became her undergraduate honors thesis at the University of Chicago. "But by age eight, we see girls are requesting less than boys when they are negotiating with a man. It's not that girls are negotiating less overall - it's only when children are negotiating with a man that we see these gender differences emerge."

Prior studies of adults have found gender differences in negotiation, but could not explain their origins, said the authors. The researchers tested 240 children between the ages of 4 and 9 to determine whether girls in the age range would negotiate differently than boys and whether girls, like women, would ask for less from a man than a woman.

"Although adult research supports the existence of gender differences in negotiation, it cannot reveal their origins. Learning when these gender differences emerge is imperative for understanding what individual and societal factors lead to these gender differences in adulthood," write Arnold and McAuliffe.

The experiments were modeled on real-world scenarios, the authors said. In phase one, children completed a task and then were allowed to ask for as many stickers as they liked as a reward. Unbeknownst to them, the evaluator would always accept requests for two stickers or less, and always reject requests above that threshold. If a request was rejected, negotiations would progress to the next phase.

In the second phase, the evaluator explained the rules of negotiation to the children and spelled out how their next sticker requests could be handled in a way that highlighted the risk and reward inherent to negotiations.

The results revealed a significant interaction between age, participant gender, and evaluator gender. For girls, the number of stickers initially requested decreased with age when the evaluator was a male. When the evaluator was female, girls requested more stickers with age.

Boys, on the other hand, made requests that did not change with age or the gender of the evaluator.

In measuring persistence, a proxy for negotiation length, the study found that girls' persistence decreased with age when the evaluator was male, but remained the same with age when the evaluator was female. For boys, persistence did not change with age or depending on the gender of the evaluator.

"Our study is the first to show that gender differences in negotiation emerge in childhood," the co-authors write. "Older girls in our paradigm differed from boys in how much they were willing to ask for from a male evaluator, showing a striking resemblance to findings in adults. Girls are not asking for less from both evaluators but instead are negotiating less only with the male evaluator."

"Our findings add negotiation to the list of early-developing gendered behaviors that may lead to and magnify the wage gap in adulthood," the researchers report.

McAuliffe said the next steps in this area of study include trying to determine why these differences emerge.

She and Arnold highlighted two potential avenues for future research: status and gender stereotypes. It could be the case that the gender differences observed in this study are not unique to gender but reflect a more general dynamic due to perceived status of social groups. Namely, that individuals perceived to be a part of a lower status group (in the US, with respect to gender, this would be girls or women) request less from individuals who are perceived to be part of a higher status group (men).

With respect to gender stereotypes, it could be the case that girls are adopting gender stereotypes about communality or modesty that in turn shape their behavior with men. More research is needed to understand how these avenues contribute to the development of gender differences in negotiation.

The challenge of the next steps in this research are clarifying exactly what explains the development of this behavior and trying to develop interventions that could help remedy the imbalance, said McAuliffe.

###
Scientists in Argentina recently have discovered the well-preserved skull of a large meat-eating dinosaur named one who causes fear in the local Mapuche language. According to the study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, the horned Llukalkan aliocranianus was around 5 metres long and roamed South America 85 million years ago. Researchers discovered the remains nearby of another carnivorous dinosaur, something they said was highly unusual.

As per the study, similar to T-rex, the Llukalkan dinosaur was also two-legged with very short arms but was medium-sized compared to the giant T-rex. The dinosaur had short horns and tiny fingers. It was estimated to weigh between one and five tonnes, which is slightly lighter than an adult African elephant.

Species similar to Viavenator

The researchers said that the dinosaur was probably a fearsome predator, with a large skull and a strong bite. The findings suggest that it had better hearing than other dinosaurs in the abelisaurids family which likely made it a better hunter. The fossilised remains of the beast were found at a famous fossil site near La Invernada in Argentina.

Lead author Dr Federico Gianechini, from the National University of San Luis, said, This is a particularly important discovery because it suggests that the diversity and abundance of abelisaurids were remarkable, not only across Patagonia but also in more local areas during the dinosaurs' twilight period.

"This discovery also suggests that there are likely more abelisaurid out there that we just haven't found yet, so we will be looking for other new species and a better understanding of the relationship among furilesaurs," says Dr Gianechini.

Gianechini further informed that abelisauridae were a family of theropod dinosaurs averaging five to nine meters long that prowled mainly in Patagonia and other areas of the ancient southern subcontinent Gondwana, which today has split into Africa, India, Antarctica, Australia, and South America. Co-author Dr Ariel Mendez from the Patagonian Institute of Geology and Palaeontology said that these dinosaurs were still trying out new evolutionary pathways and rapidly diversifying right before they died out completely. The fossilised remains of Llukalkan include a superbly preserved and uncrushed braincase and this new species is also similar in many respects to Viavenator, except that it is smaller, the holes in the skull through which the veins pass are larger and more widely separated from the supraoccipital crest, among other differences.

(Image: Twitter)




The African Union on Thursday called for urgent and coordinated international action after a militant attack that killed dozens and uprooted thousands on the northern Mozambican coastal town of Palma

Addis Ababa (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Apr, 2021 ) :The African Union on Thursday called for urgent and coordinated international action after a militant attack that killed dozens and uprooted thousands on the northern Mozambican coastal town of Palma.

The militants captured Palma on March 24, ransacking buildings and beheading residents and forcing thousands to seek safety in surrounding forest.

Dozens have been killed, more than 8,000 displaced and many more are still missing following the coordinated attack seen as the biggest escalation of an insurgency that has battered Cabo Delgado province since 2017.

In a statement, AU chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said he "condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks".

Expressing "utmost concern" at the presence of international extremist groups in southern Africa, he called for an "urgent and coordinated regional and international action".

Regional bloc the Southern African Development Community held emergency talks in Harare to discuss the violence.

Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi vowed regional help, but gave no details.

He said SADC would "respond in a helpful manner that we assure the integrity and sovereignty of one of our own, never to be assaulted by dissident, rebellious and non-state actor forces that undermine the democratic credentials and peace in the region." But Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday downplayed the latest attack as "not the biggest", despite its unprecedented proximity to Africa's single biggest investment project.

Palma is around 10 kilometres away from a multi-billion-dollar liquified natural gas project (LNG) led by France's Total and involving other international companies.

Total had already suspended operations and evacuated some staff in late December after militants launched a series of raids near its compound.

Mozambique has sent troops to Palma to try and recapture the city.
Attorney General Dana Nessel said recent comments by the Michigan Republican Party chairman are the latest example of hostile rhetoric that emboldens violent threats against public officials.

At a meeting of the North Oakland Republican Club, Michigan GOP Chairman Ron Weiser was recorded calling Nessel, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson witches who will be burning at the stake in 2022 elections. Nessel joked about the comment on Twitter last week, but in an interview with MLive on Thursday, she said Weisers words have stuck with her.

The longer I thought about it, the longer I thought: Does he have any idea of the damage that hes doing by making these remarks? Nessel said.

Weiser, who took over as chairman of the MIGOP in February, also appeared to joke about assassination when a member of the crowd asked how Republicans should oppose witches in our own party.

Nessel said Weisers remarks about killing public officials come as her office is experiencing a surge in threats against lawmakers. She said a polarized and toxic political environment is largely to blame.

The Attorney Generals office is prosecuting eight men involved in a plot to kidnap Whitmer. Nessel recently announced charges against five people who threatened Whitmer and officials in separate incidents. She estimated there are several dozen more investigations that havent been publicized.

Weisers comments attracted intense criticism from Democrats and his colleagues on the University of Michigan Board of Regents, who called a special meeting Friday to consider censuring him. Weiser issued an apology stating he never advocated for violence.

In an increasingly vitriolic political environment, we should all do better to treat each other with respect, myself included. I fell short of that the other night, Weiser said in a statement.

Nessel equated Weisers words with propaganda meant to dehumanize the GOPs political opponents. This helps justify feelings of intense outrage that could lead to violence, she said.

You have a party leader who was disseminating this information, Nessel said. You might say oh, well this is hyperbole, but the fact is there are those that pay attention, and there are those that are going to act on that because they feel like theyve been granted permission by higher-ups to do so.

Michigan Republican Party Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock called Nessel, Whitmer and Benson, the evil trio on Twitter last week. Last December, she asked God to protect us from the evil leftists that seek to kill and destroy this America that we love and cherish in a tweet.

Critics of Michigans top elected Democrats have used similar rhetoric in public. At a protest against the arrest of a Holland restaurant owner who defied COVID-19 restrictions, Make Michigan Great Again founder Mark Gurley called Nessel, Whitmer and Benson the trinity of evil.

By demonizing and dehumanizing your political opponents, what youre doing is providing a rational basis for someone to so they feel at ease to take up arms against that individual, Nessel said. When this happens, I can tell you firsthand; the number of threats rise immediately.

Nessel said threats against public officials are on the rise. Republicans have also been targeted, she said.

Nessel testified before the House Intelligence and Counterterrorism Subcommittee last week, where she argued for more federal funding to hire investigators, analysts and prosecutors.

Her department estimated it would need $650,000 to hire three additional special agents and one more assistant attorney general to address the uptick in threats.

In the meantime, faculty members in Ferris State Universitys Center for Cybersecurity and Data Science are providing volunteer consulting services to Nessels office.

Meanwhile, Nessel doubted the sincerity of Weisers apology. She expects her political opponents often speak this way behind closed doors.

That was only one tape, Nessel said. I dont know if every place Ron Weiser goes, he makes remarks like that. I will bet you he does.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Fact check: Michigans COVID health orders carry the weight of law, have not been proven unconstitutional

Michigans COVID-19 surge is the worst in the nation. Whitmer is focused on vaccines, not restrictions

State lawmakers are latest to call on Ron Weiser to resign from University of Michigan Board of Regents

Michigan communities anxiously await rules for spending billions in stimulus funds
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit India from April 5 to 6 with an aim to prepare ground for the annual India- summit as well as to discuss bilateral cooperation.

The visit was announced by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in Moscow on Thursday.

On April 5 and 6, Lavrov will visit New Delhi to hold talks with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, Zakharova said.

The Russian foreign ministry tweeted that Lavrov will visit Pakistan on April 6 to 7 during which he will hold talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

"The Ministers will discuss bilateral ties, including economic cooperation and counterterrorism #RussiaPakistan," it said.

The India and annual summit was postponed last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both the countries have a mechanism under which India's prime minister and the Russian president hold a summit meeting annually to review the entire gamut of ties.

So far 20 annual summit meetings have taken place alternately in India and

Russia has been a time-tested partner for India and the country has been a key pillar of New Delhi's foreign policy.

(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.)




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Attack and vandalism against an annex of the OAVCT

On Monday on the sidelines of the anti-government demonstration on respect for the Constitution, unidentified individuals attacked the annex of the Third Party Vehicle Insurance Office (OAVCT) located on Charles Sumner Avenue. Several windows were broken, particularly in the reception area and the observation service, and vehicles parked in the courtyard were vandalized.



Denial of the PNH

The Haitian National Police deny allegations that there is a group or unit called "All Black" operating within the police institution. The deputy spokesperson of the PNH Marie Michelle Verrier took the opportunity to appeal for serenity by emphasizing the steps of the high command in order to recover the corpses of the police officers fallen as heroes in the neighborhood of Village de Dieu .



PNH - USA meeting

Recently, a working meeting was held between Leon Charles, the Director General a.i. of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) and the United States Defense Attache at the American Embassy in Port-au-Prince. Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between the United States Government and the PNH as well as establishing the steps to be taken to continue the process of professionalization of the Coast Guard and the PNH.



Watch the short film "Ti Toya"

Watch the short film "Ti Toya" (Haiti) from the website of the French Institute of Japan : https://www.institutfrancais.jp/fr/blog/2021/03/01/mois-de-la-francophonie-2021/ Take the opportunity to take a look at the program for the "Mois de la Francophonie 2021 - Japon".



Congratulations to Dr Pape

Following the appointment of Dr. Jean William Pape, to the Scientific Council of the World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33366-haiti-news-zapping.html the reactions of contentment fuse:



President Jovenel Moise

"I extend my warmest congratulations to Dr Jean William Pape for his appointment to the WHO Scientific Council, composed of 15 members including 2 Nobel Prize winners. It is an honor for Haiti to see one of his sons join this prestigious international organization."



Premier Joseph Jouthe

"Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe, congratulates Dr Jean William Pape, on his appointment to the Scientific Council of the WHO. He welcomes the integration of this luminary, which is valuable to him thanks to his research and his immense contribution to health in our country."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Mumbai, April 1 : Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has shared that she is off to Udaipur to meet her "most special person".

The actress posted a couple of pictures on Instagram dressed in an ivory and gold saree, seated in a chartered flight.

"Enroute Udaipur... to my most special person," she wrote.

While fans are naturally curious, Kangana did not share who her "most special person" was.

The actress was recently in Jaisalmer for an outdoor schedule of her upcoming film "Tejas", which is directed by debutant Sarvesh Mewara.

Portions of the film were shot in Delhi before the unit moved to Rajasthan. The actress has been keeping fans updated with pictures of the shoot on Instagram.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
[April 01, 2021] Notice Regarding Acquisition of Shares in PTC SYSTEM (S) PTE LTD (as a New Subsidiary)

TOKYO, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJ, TSE1: 3774) announced that IIJ acquired all the shares of PTC SYSTEM (S) PTE LTD (PTC), which mainly operates systems integration business in Singapore, on April 1, 2021. Although this case does not fall under the criteria for timely disclosure, it is judged as useful information and is disclosed voluntarily. 1. Reasons for acquisition of shares

IIJ Group has been exploring its global business with various IT services and systems integration in 11 major cities in 8 countries around the world to meet IT systems demands of Japanese companies heading overseas to seek business opportunities as well as local companies. As Singapore is considered as a leader in the ASEAN region in the IT field, IIJ Group has been planning to strengthen its Singapore business as the core of ASEAN business.



PTC has strong relationships with blue-chip customers and leading IT partners and provides high quality solutions such as storage and server-related systems integration in Singapore, under strong leadership of PTCs management.



By acquiring all the shares of PTC to be a wholly owned subsidiary, IIJ Group expects to significantly expand its business and strengthen its capabilities in providing services and solutions in the ASEAN region. In addition, PTCs management has agreed to continue to serve as they have before. Under their strong leadership, PTC shall continue to grow its business and contribute to increase the corporate value of IIJ Group. 2. Profile of the subsidiary subject to the change (As of March 31, 2021) (1) Name PTC SYSTEM (S) PTE LTD (2) Address Jackson Design Hub 29 Tai Seng Street #04-01, Singapore (3) Name of representative and title Lim See Seng, Managing Director (4) MainBusiness Systems integration (5) Capital stock SGD2 million (Singapore dollar: SGD) (6) Date of establishment June 18, 1991 (7) Relationship of the relevant companies Capital, Personnel and Business relationship: Not applicable (8) Business performance in the most recent preceding fiscal year







Sales: SGD100.4 million, Profit before tax: SGD5.1 million

(For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, preliminary and unaudited)

3. Outline of the transferors

The description about the transferors of the shares in this acquisition is omitted because they are individuals. IIJ has not had any major capital, personnel or business relationship with these individual shareholders before this transaction. In addition, these individual shareholders are not the related parties of IIJ. 4. Number of shares to be acquired, status of shares held before and after the acquisition and acquisition price

(1) Number of shares held before the change 0 shares (Number of voting rights: 0, Shareholding ratio: 0%) (2) Number of shares to be acquired 2,000,000 shares (Number of voting rights: 2,000,000) (3) Number of shares held after the change 2,000,000 shares (Number of voting rights: 2,000,000, Shareholding ratio: 100%) (Note) The acquisition price is SGD44 million, which is calculated and decided based on due diligence conducted and third-party valuation report, etc. 5. Schedule (1) Date of board of directors meeting resolution : March 23, 2021 (2) Date of concluding the contract : March 23, 2021 (3) Date of share acquisition : April 1, 2021 6. Business forecasts

PTC became a consolidated subsidiary of IIJ on April 1, 2021, therefore, it will be included in IIJs consolidated financial statements from the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. About Internet Initiative Japan Inc.

Founded in 1992, IIJ is one of Japan's leading Internet-access and comprehensive network solutions providers. IIJ and its group companies provide total network solutions that mainly cater to high-end corporate customers. IIJ's services include high-quality Internet connectivity services, mobile services, security services, cloud computing services, and systems integration. Moreover, IIJ operates one of the largest Internet backbone networks in Japan that is connected to the United States, the United Kingdom and Asia. IIJ listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2006. For inquiries, contact:

IIJ Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-5205-6500 E-mail: ir@iij.ad.jp URL: https://www.iij.ad.jp/en/ir



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Brazil approved Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use Wednesday, the fourth vaccine to get regulatory approval in the hard-hit country.

Federal health regulator Anvisa said its board had unanimously approved the vaccine for use on priority groups such as health providers and the elderly.

Brazil signed a deal with the US pharmaceutical giant two weeks ago for 38 million doses of the vaccine, but they will only start arriving in August.

The South American country is struggling to secure enough vaccine doses to immunize its 212 million people, even as an explosion of COVID-19 pushes hospitals to the breaking point.

Brazil also has a deal with Pfizer for 100 million vaccine doses, due to start arriving between April and May.

Brazil is currently applying two vaccines, Oxford/AstraZeneca's and Chinese-developed CoronaVac, both of which require two doses.

With just eight percent of the population having received a first dose and 2.3 percent a second, the country is far off pace to meet the health ministry's goal of immunizing all adults by the end of the year.

That has fueled criticism of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the coronavirus threat, refused to purchase various vaccines and said he does not plan to be vaccinated himself.

COVID-19 has claimed more than 321,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States, and only shows signs of intensifying until enough vaccines arrive.

Brazil's average daily death toll has more than quadrupled since the start of the year, to 2,976 this week, the highest by far worldwide.

March was Brazil's deadliest month in the pandemic yet by a long shot, with 66,573 people killed by COVID-19, according to health ministry figures.

That was more than double its previous record of 32,881 deaths in July 2020.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
WELLINGTON, New Zealand  Australia announced Wednesday it would begin building its own guided missiles in close collaboration with the U.S. as it seeks to boost its defense capabilities.

The news comes amid growing unease in the Pacific region about China's increasing assertiveness and military abilities.

Citing the "changing global environment, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it would partner with a weapons manufacturer to build the missiles in a plan that would create thousands of jobs as well as export opportunities.

Morrison said it would initially spend 1 billion Australian dollars ($761 million) on the plan as part of a huge 10-year investment in defense and the defense industry.

Creating our own sovereign capability on Australian soil is essential to keep Australians safe, Morrison said.

It has been decades since Australia last manufactured advanced missiles, and it currently relies on importing them from allies including the U.S. Australia does currently build a decoy rocket aimed at disrupting incoming missiles.

Michael Shoebridge, the director of defense, strategy and national security at the independent think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the announcement was welcome news and filled a strategic gap.

Its being driven by the two Cs, China and COVID, Shoebridge said.

He said China's increasing aggression was a big concern for Australia, as was the vulnerability of global supply chains that had been exposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

He said Australia's most pressing need was for long-range anti-ship missiles that could be fired from warships or aircraft. He said that new army fighting vehicles also needed missile capabilities.

Shoebridge said it would make sense for Australia to build a new generation of hypersonic missiles in collaboration with the U.S. He said potential commercial partners included large U.S. weapons manufacturers like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, although other manufacturers might be involved in developing specific systems, for instance propulsion.

Australia is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, along with the U.S., Canada, Britain and New Zealand.

We will work closely with the United States on this important initiative to ensure that we understand how our enterprise can best support both Australias needs and the growing needs of our most important military partner," Defense Minister Peter Dutton said.

He said building weapons in Australia would not only enhance its capabilities but would also ensure the nation had sufficient supply for combat operations if there was any disruption to global supply chains.

Before the announcement, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute had estimated that Australia would need to spend AU$100 billion over the next 20 years on buying missiles and guided weapons.

Shoebridge said the home-built missiles would help provide a military deterrent during the current decade while Australia waited for a series of new frigates and attack-class submarines to be built.

He said that in the event of a conflict, Australia would need a lot of missiles quickly and couldn't rely on importing them on time. He said such a scenario was possible, for instance if Beijing decided the time was right to take control of Taiwan by force.

He said the announcement also fitted with the U.S. strategy of dispersing its forces and capabilities so it wasn't vulnerable in any key locations.

This article was written by NICK PERRY from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
The man arrested in the "hate crime assault" on a 65-year-old Asian woman in New York City was out on parole for killing his mother, police told CNN.

Brandon Elliot was arrested early Wednesday. The NYPD has recommended charges of two counts of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime and other charges.

The NYPD said Elliot is the man in the photos and videos released Tuesday by the department in their request to identify the individual near the scene Monday.

CNN is attempting to contact a lawyer for Elliot and has reached out to the Manhattan District Attorney's office for more information on whether they will pursue the charges.

Police previously said the woman was punched and kicked in midtown Manhattan by an attacker who allegedly made anti-Asian statements toward her. The brazen attack was captured on video and released by authorities.

The incident comes at a time when New York City and cities across the US have seen an increase in reports of attacks against Asian people.

Elliot served 17 years in state prison for stabbing his mother to death, the NYPD told CNN. He was released on lifetime parole in November 2019.

The NYPD Hate Crimes unit thanked its detectives and the public for assistance in the investigation in a social media post early Wednesday.

Police said the attack happened in front of 360 West 43rd St., which is the address of an apartment complex owned by the Brodsky Organization.

The company that owns the apartment complex adjacent to where the 65-year-old woman was attacked released a statement Wednesday saying in part they have been working with union representation to investigate the response of two lobby staffers who witnessed the attack. The staffers remain suspended pending the outcome.

The video, which seems to be from the vantage point of a camera inside the apartment complex, appears to show onlookers not reacting to the attack as the woman is kicked repeatedly in broad daylight.

The company said it's "committed to strengthening internal training and working with our community to ensure the safety of our residents and neighbors."

"We are extremely distraught by the horrific attack that occurred outside our building, and our hearts go out to the victim," the company said Wednesday. "Our company stands with the AAPI community in condemning racism and violence against Asian-Americans."
KFC Gaming published a post on Twitter stating it would follow back anyone who said I love you to the brand on the social media platform before noon.

Turns out it was nothing more than an April Fools prank, although that didnt stop thousands of people falling for it.

Following back anyone who replies to this tweet saying "I love you KFC Gaming" before noon  KFC Gaming (@kfcgaming) April 1, 2021

However, the prank wasnt entirely pulling on peoples heartstrings; in a follow-up tweet, KFC Gaming confessed that, while they Twitter page had no intent of following anyone, people were still getting a bit of a treat.

Sike, April Fools, says the tweet. Weve got some free chicken for some of you instead, though.

Sike, April Fool's...



We've got some free chicken for some of you instead though   KFC Gaming (@kfcgaming) April 1, 2021

While people really have no trouble expressing their love for KFC on a regular basis, many are still perplexed over what in tarnation KFC Gaming actually is.

True, based on its name alone it would appear its a brand that combines the famous fried chicken chain with the past time of video games. This theory is made even more concrete after the brand released its own console back in December that comes complete with a compartment which keeps fried chicken warm (no, seriouslythis is true, not another April Fools prank).

KFC also released an online dating simulator called, I Love you, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin Good Dating Simulator, (again, this is for real, not a joke), which allows partners to pursue an anime Colonel Sanders as not only a business partner, but a romantic one as well.

And yet, despite both these ventures, it remains unclear as to whether KFC Gaming is a serious business or one of the biggest, most complex troll accounts in the history of the Internet.

Still, free chicken sounds like a pretty sweet deal, though.
AWD

They decided to set up a late-winter battle of successful three-row SUVs to decide which of them has the greatest all-wheel-drive system. And, as always, a few disclaimers are in order. For starters, this is an eclectic group of SUVs from different model years, going back in time as far as 2008.Additionally, theyre not on the same page in terms of powertrains, and they naturally come with different tire setups, some even wearing aftermarket studded ones. But thats certainly not going to detract from the fun of watching nine SUVs showcase their (sometimes surprising) strengths and weaknesses as they strive to conquer a couple of treacherous obstacles Now lets meet the contestants, which have been arranged in a particular manner. First up on the slippery paths are the ones with the lowest power rating, and then at the rear line up the SUVs that have the best tire equipment.So, in order of their appearance on the obstacle courses are the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2014 Chevrolet Captiva, 2019 Kia Sorento V6, 2008 Honda Pilot, 2008 Subaru Tribeca, 2014 Toyota Highlander V6, 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander V6, 2018 Skoda Kodiaq, and a 2013 Ford Explorer.As always, the channel has neatly arranged all the time markers so anyone can easily track of where and whats happening with each model. That means we can go ahead and highlight some of our own impressions. First of all, we can easily say that Subarus Tribeca was a big disappointment both from a design perspective and a technology standpoint.We werent surprised by the great performance of the Outlander, though, as much as we were by the performance exhibited by the Hyundai and Kia pair. Basically, the testers were so impressed that they even called out the Santa Fe for another run of the first obstacle course to make sure it wasnt luck the first time. And that says a lot, so kudos to the South Korean automaker for having such greatexpertise.
The core values here drive results better than anywhere else Ive been. I couldnt wait to be a part of the winning team here

Altaworx welcomes Keith Singler as Vice President of Finance to their company. Singler Brings 15 Years of Finance and IT Management Experience to Altaworx. He has an extensive background in accounting, treasury and technology management with a deep understanding of business process improvement and automation.

Keith studied Business Administration at both Virginia Tech and Dixie State. He has worked for businesses in the manufacturing, services and software industries. Singler says, The culture here at Altaworx is the biggest reason why I decided to take this opportunity. Its rare to find an organization that hold their customers and employees in such high regard. The core values here drive results better than anywhere else Ive been. I couldnt wait to be a part of the winning team here.

We are very excited to have Keith join the Altaworx leadership team. Keith brings a broad finance experience to our team and will help Altaworx accelerate growth and profits. Forrest Derr, President, Altaworx.

Altaworx, LLC located in Fairhope, AL, was founded in 2003 by Rickie Richey, with hopes of addressing the emerging demand for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business telephone systems. His vision was to build a company that not only provided leading-edge technology, but truly focused on helping customers drive revenue, control expenses, increase their productivity, and operate more efficiently. In 2011, Altaworx continued to focus on customer impact through emerging technologies becoming an internet telephony service provider (ITSP). The company began selling Altaworx branded SIP trunks and Hosted PBX to business customers in the 22 state AT&T footprint. Today, the company operates its cloud-based solutions from two AT&T data centers located in Dallas, TX, Atlanta, GA, and Los Angeles, CA. With a focus on empowering resellers to build equity value in their business, Altaworx continues to grow and now has a presence in 46 states.
Who?d want to date a lawyer? Everyone  within a week singles from Sydney to Lisbon to Toronto to Los Angeles signed up

LONDON ? RollOnFriday (RoF), the world?s leading legal community website, has created Lawyr, a dating app for people in the legal community and those who want to meet them. It is a world first and since launching in March 2021 has already achieved a global following from London, Sydney, Houston to Minsk.

RollOnFriday was founded more than 20 years ago and achieved success after noting that despite cultural differences, lawyers around the globe have much in common, face similar pressures and enjoy the same sense of humour. Most dating apps are built by tech companies. Everyone who works at RoF is a lawyer and understands its community. With its reputation and following RoF is uniquely placed to launch such a dating app.

Matthew Rhodes OBE, founding Director of RoF comments: ?It?s often easier to date someone with whom you have a lot in common. Even if you?re not both lawyers, working in the same sector really helps. It also means that your date will be sympathetic when you cancel half an hour before you?re due to meet because the side letter hasn?t signed. This dating app can do the heavy lifting while you?re stuck in a meeting room getting flogged by clients to complete a deal or pitch by dawn.?

Lawyers should date other lawyers, according to Jamie Hamilton, co-developer of Lawyr and RoF news editor: ?Lawyers are a great catch. After all, ?Lawyer? is a shorthand for brains, security, and a devotion to justice  all superb qualities in a partner. And they can deal with the insurer if your luggage gets lost.?

James Dennison, co-developer of Lawyr and RoF journalist, explains how it works: ?The app?s main rule is that users must either work in the legal profession or want to meet someone who does. So, legal types can match with other legal folk, or with people outside the sector. The only restriction is that one half of the match has to be in the legal profession, so non-lawyers can?t search for other non-lawyers.?

Lawyr is available on iOS and Android. Users can download Lawyr on the Apple App store or the Google Play Store. Or they can sign-up online: app.lawyr.me

Dennison explains the app is not just for lawyers: ?The app is for the entire legal community ? from students, paralegals, business services to partners. We know people in the legal profession want to date others in the community, but we also know going out with colleagues can create toxic issues. Lawyr solves the problem by letting legal professionals dodge the liabilities while still inking the deal.?
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Wednesday marks the first day that any Hoosier 16 years and older can get a COVID-19 vaccine. 5.4 million Hoosiers can now sign up for a vaccine. Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box says nearly 100,000 Hoosiers made appointments on Wednesday before noon. She did mention a couple of things that you should know as eligibility has expanded so greatly.

Dr. Box says age is the only eligibility requirement to get a vaccine. The state has removed the requirement of having proof of residency to get a vaccine. She says this will accommodate students at universities or employees around the state who are not from Indiana, however, spend a significant amount of time in Indiana. She says the state wants to remove any barrier in the way of getting people vaccinated.

Additionally, if you are 16 or 17 years old you can only receive the Pfizer vaccine. The state asks you to bring a parent or guardian to your appointment if possible. If you cannot, Dr. Box says most locations will accept written consent or verbal consent by phone.

Dr. Box says Wednesday was a day that Indiana has long been waiting for, but it isnt time to let up.

COVID is still very much present in our state and I encourage everyone who is eligible to sign up for a vaccine as soon as possible and to continue to wear a mask and take precautions, Dr. Box said.

Chief Medical Officer at the Indiana State Health Department Dr. Lindsay Weaver says the state expects 405,000 first and second doses of vaccine to come in this week. She spoke about the states ongoing process to get vaccines to large businesses and universities quickly.

Dr. Weaver says the state first is focused on businesses with 1,000 or more employees. About a dozen businesses across Indiana are launching their own vaccine clinics. The state has allocated 24,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to distribute to those businesses.

Additionally, six college campuses across the state will begin vaccinations next week for students and staff. Dr. Weaver says the goal is to provide at least the first dose of vaccine to students before they leave campus. The state is allocating 60,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for this purpose.

While we might not be able to provide both doses to students before they leave campus, every student who receives a vaccination will get their card so that they can then use it in their home community or state to get the vaccine. Dr. Weaver explained.

Lastly, Dr. Weaver shared news regarding the Pfizer vaccine for younger Hoosiers. Clinical trials of 12 to 15-year-olds have found the vaccine to be 100% effective in preventing COVID-19.

Pfizer reported that it expects to seek emergency use authorization from the FDA for these populations soon, Dr. Weaver said, Our hope is that we will have yet another age group that will be eligible to be vaccinated by this summer.

Dr. Weaver says currently 80% of the states population is within a five-mile radius of a vaccine clinic. That will increase as more mass vaccination sites and mobile vaccine units continue to be set.
SAGINAW, MI - New visitor restrictions have been put in place for visitors of patients at a Saginaw hospitals campuses amid a rise in COVID-19 cases across the state.

Covenant HealthCare announced that it is reinstating visitor restrictions at its facilities and that all routine visitation is being suspended effective Thursday, April 1 until the transmission of COVID-19 is no longer a threat to its patients, staff and the community.

Our patient care philosophy depends greatly on engaging families to be part of the healing process. The decision to restrict visitors is difficult and was made only after careful consideration of our infection control practices and recommendations from health experts, Covenant said in the announcement.

The following exceptions to the visitor restrictions are being allowed by Covenant:

Adult patients in the Emergency Care Center may be accompanied by one support person. Two healthy parents or guardians at a time are permitted for pediatric patients as space allows.

Obstetric patients may have one birth support person accompany them.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): Both parents/guardians may accompany the patient, however, only one parent/guardian will be allowed in the NICU at a time. Additional details will be provided by the unit.

Pediatric patients may have both parents/guardians accompany them, however, only one may spend the night.

Critical Care: Patients in the critical care units may have one visitor who must remain in the room during the visit.

Patients who are at the end-of-life may have a very limited number of visitors who must remain in the room during the visit.

Patients with disruptive behavior, where a family member is key to their care, may have one visitor who must remain in the room during the visit.

Patients who have altered mental status or developmental delays (where caregiver provides safety) may have one visitor who must stay in the room during the visit.

Patients requiring a home caregiver to be trained must stay in the room during the visit.

Adult patients undergoing surgery, or a procedure may have one visitor who must leave the medical center as soon as possible once the procedure/surgery begins. Contact information will be obtained from the support person and that person will be contacted to return to their loved one as recovery begins. Pediatric surgical patients may have two parents/guardians.

Patients who have an appointment at Covenant HealthCares hospital-based clinics, laboratories, radiology departments or are visiting the Emergency Care Center may have one support person if the patient has specific assistance requirements.

Exceptions to the policy will only apply if a visitor screens negative for symptoms of COVID-19, Covenant said. Covenant also is not allowing anyone under the age of 16 to visit the hospital except for extraordinary circumstances.

Necessary visitors will be asked to stay in the patient room, limit the visitation duration and follow necessary mask and social distancing requirements, according to Covenant.

According to Covenant, no visitors will be allowed in the transitional care unit due to current state requirements and no visitors will be allowed in the rooms of patients with pending or positive COVID-19 tests unless their support is medically necessary.

Ascension Michigan health system also announced that it is restricting visits in mid-Michigan during the uptick of COVID-19 cases throughout the state. Ascension St. Marys in Saginaw, Ascension St. Joseph in Tawas City and Ascension Standish Hospital are all now currently under a no visitors policy as well.

More from MLive

Ascension St. Marys in Saginaw, other mid-Michigan sites under no visitor policy

United Kingdom variant of COVID-19 virus found in Bay County

Please get a vaccine when it is offered to you, urges health department as Saginaw County COVID-19 cases rise

Bay County sees an increase in COVID-19 cases among young adults
New York City - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today released Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Impact Standards for Bond Issuers (Version 1.0), following two rounds of public consultation. The SDG Impact Standards set us on a path to achieve the SDGs by 2030 and put impact at the heart of every consumption, employment, business, and investment decision.

Simultaneously, UNDP has kicked off the final public consultation for finalizing the SDG Impact Standards for Enterprises from 31 March through May 2021, with an anticipated Version 1.0 release of the Standards by 30 June 2021. Feedback is sought from all interested stakeholders, including enterprises, investors, civil society, analysts, intermediaries, assurance providers and policy makers.

SDG Impact Standards are already being piloted in the market with New Development Banks (NDB) SDG bond issuance in China Interbank Bond Market last month.

We are delighted that the responses overwhelmingly saw the important contribution that these Standards can make, in shifting the capital to fund the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are proud to see Issuers already piloting the standards, including NDB who last week announced a RMB 5 billion SDG Bond, utilizing the Standards and the SDG Finance Taxonomy (China) developed by UNDP, said Marcos Neto, Director of UNDP Finance Sector Hub.

Enterprises and investors increasingly recognize that sustainable development is at the core of long-term value creation but are not yet systematically integrating sustainability and impact considerations in their decision-making. SDG Impact aims to help make this process easier through SDG Impact Standards.

COVID-19 and long-term trends such as climate change and biodiversity reinforce how interconnected our future social, environmental and economic outcomes are. This makes impact management and advancing sustainable development in line with the SDGs even more important and urgent, said Fabienne Michaux, Director of UNDPs SDG Impact.

A number of complementary SDG Impact tools are under development, including guidance, a glossary, assurance protocols, training for different actors across the capital and investment spectrum. To aid private sector partners deploying public capital, UNDP also collaborated with the OECD in the development of Impact Standards for Financing Sustainable Development (IS-FSD).

For more information on SDG Impact, visit the SDG Impact website and/or email sdgimpact.standards@undp.org.

About SDG Impact

A key part of this role is to engage actively with governments, enterprises and investors and help them fully integrate the SDGs into their business and investment decision-making and drive capital to where it is needed most. SDG Impact is a ground-breaking UNDP initiative, catalyzing investment to achieve the SDGs by 2030 through three pillars of interrelated work:

 SDG Impact Management: comprising Standards for Private Equity Fund, Bond Issuers and Enterprises, an assurance framework and SDG Impact Seal and impact management education,

 SDG Impact Intelligence: comprising SDG investor maps of investable opportunity areas and business models via a searchable desktop platform, and

 SDG Impact Facilitation: focusing on investor and policy dialogues drawing on UNDPs presence in over 170 countries, deep sustainable development expertise and relationships with governments and other influencers).

On the ground in over 170 countries, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assists the UN Resident Coordinator and UN Country Teams to accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs.

About UNDP

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP.
Bottom line: A recent analysis highlights the extent of the telemetry data collected by Google and Apple from phone users and paints an awful picture about Android data collection. However, both companies disagree with the findings, noting that they only reveal what's necessary to keep phones running smoothly.

By now, it's no secret that companies like Google and Apple collect telemetry information from mobile devices and software that you use. Still, there is a difference in terms of the amount and types of data collected. Even when you're not using your Android or iOS device, or just as soon as you've turned them on for the first time, there is some data that gets sent to Google and Apple's servers. Timestamps for inserting a SIM card into your phone or whenever you change a hardware setting or open an app are a couple of examples.

Research conducted by Douglas Leith from Trinity College in Ireland suggests Google collects more than twenty times more data from a typical Android handset than Apple does from an iPhone. That finding stays true even after a user has explicitly opted out of such telemetry collection. On average, both Android and iOS handsets share data with Google and Apple servers every 4.5 minutes, and there's little you can do as a user to prevent that from happening.

Researchers noted that devices on default privacy settings share information related to the IMEI, SIM serial number, phone number, hardware serial number, location, cookies, local IP address, nearby Wi-Fi MAC addresses, and advertising ID. When a user has not yet logged in, Android phones don't send location, IP address, and nearby Wi-Fi MAC addresses, while iPhones don't send their own Wi-Fi MAC address.

Factoring in the estimated 113 million iPhone users and 129 million Android users in the US and the volume and frequency of data collection on both platforms, Apple collects somewhere to the tune of 5.8 GB of data every 12 hours. In contrast, Google collects a whopping 1.3 TB in that same timeframe.

Leith believes the extent of the data collection concerning since it can be used to link your personal information to a particular device, which can then be used for targeted advertising or other purposes. The researcher sent his findings to both companies. Google offered some clarifications and expressed its intention to publish documentation on the telemetry data collection soon.

Image: TechCrunch

"This research outlines how smartphones workGoogle said. "Modern cars regularly send basic data about vehicle components, their safety status and service schedules to car manufacturers, and mobile phones work in very similar ways. This report details those communications, which help ensure that iOS or Android software is up to date, services are working as intended, and that the phone is secure and running efficiently."

Apple has a similar view on the findings and noted that the report gets many things wrong. For instance, the company says that personal data sent to Apple is protected, and the company doesn't collect data that can be associated with a person without their knowledge or consent.

Additionally, Google calls into question Leith's methods in determining the telemetry volume on Android and iOS. It claims the study didn't capture UDP/QUIC traffic, nor did it look at whether the data was compressed or not, which could skew the results. That said, Apple doesn't disclose non-app data collection, and Google has yet to detail the types of telemetry data it collects, so the jury's still out on the paper's findings.
Tunis/Tunisia  (TAP/Interview by Khemaies Ben Brik) - The World Bank Board of Executive Directors, on Wednesday evening, approved a loan of 300 million dollars (840 million dinars) to Tunisia to finance the social protection programme and urgently meet the needs of poor and low-income families that have been affected by the repercussions of the coronavirus. The loan aims to reduce poverty and social vulnerability and provide decent living conditions for disadvantaged groups.

This urgent support will provide circumstantial financial transfers to between 900 thousand and one million poor Tunisian families benefiting from permanent grants and white or yellow treatment cards, who have been hardly affected by the repercussions of the coronavirus, World Bank Country Manager for Tunisia Tony Verheijen said in an exclusive interview with TAP news agency.

Interview:

World Bank Group Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, Ferid Belhaj announced a support for Tunisia's efforts to combat poverty within the social safety programme. What is this support? Who are the beneficiaries of it?

Years ago, the World Bank began providing support to the government to establish a social protection programme by creating a database on beneficiaries of social assistance, as well as supporting the Ministry of Social Affairs to create a legislative and institutional framework related to the social protection system and the reduction of social vulnerability including a wider segment of needy groups.

What happened recently is that we reached an agreement with the Tunisian government thanks to an initiative by the Vice President of the World Bank Group for the Middle East and North Africa and the Tunisian Ministry of Finance to embody the social safety programme and transfer temporary financial aid to poor and low-income families during these difficult circumstances.

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, Tunisia redirected resources it obtained from the World Bank, the IMF and the European Union to make urgent transfers to poor families affected by the pandemic. Given that the health situation has not yet recovered since that time, we thought it would be important to continue transferring aid to these poor families this year.

Therefore, the support that we will provide to the government will make available additional resources to assist families in need and affected by the coronavirus crisis, since it has not included funds in the 2021 budget under "circumstantial assistance" to poor families affected by the pandemic.

It will support the state's efforts to improve the living conditions of the disadvantaged and poor.

The World Bank, on Wednesday, agreed to provide support to Tunisia in the amount of 300 million dollars to finance the social protection programme and transfer circumstantial assistance to between 900 thousand and one million poor and families affected by the coronavirus pandemic, within the scope of the National Social Safety Programme approved by the Tunisian government in 2019.

This support is based on several main axes, including expanding social protection to include occasional assistance for the largest possible number of poor and needy families that were identified in the data base, besides allocating grants to protect human capital for poor families with children from 0-5 years in order to improve their access to health, educational and other services. This is not to mention the support allocated for the creation of the National Agency for Integration and Social Development.

Have you determined the practical arrangements for implementing this programme? What are the mechanisms that will enable poor families to receive financial aid?

One of the most prominent achievements of Tunisia in the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 is the use of digital mechanisms to accelerate the transfer of aid to those who need it and avoid the risk of crowding in front of post offices. The current idea is to renew last years' experience and transfer that aid to those who deserve it, by using digital mechanisms without queuing up.

The database prepared by the Ministry of Social Affairs on the poor and low-income groups will enable channeling of circumstantial assistance to the actual beneficiaries, and the World Bank will pump funds for the government to further provide aid to families who objected to not having received and have proven that they live in fragility and poverty.

How do you assess unemployment rates, poverty and gender inequality in Tunisia 10 years after the revolution?

The poverty rate in Tunisia, as previously indicated by the Vice President of the World Bank Group for the Middle East Region, has reached more than 20 percent, which is unprecedented and has not been seen in Tunisia before.

This is partly due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, but in another aspect, it also resulted from the failure to implement the reforms needed to revive the Tunisian economy.

Consequently, this situation must be corrected as soon as possible by taking circumstantial and urgent measures to strengthen the social safety system to limit the effects of the pandemic on poor families, but also by creating more investment opportunities for entrepreneurs and initiating reforms to improve the business and investment climate.

How will the World Bank continue its support for Tunisia despite the absence of a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund?

We always stand by Tunisia, whatever the circumstances, but the absence of a bilateral agreement with the International Monetary Fund will impose some restrictions regarding some types of support that can be directed to Tunisia. For example, we cannot support the Tunisian state budget in the absence of a programme between Tunisia and the IMF, but this does not mean that we do anything.

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Indeed, we can always continue implementing other programmes to provide funds to the government, including financing government spending at the level of the social protection programme. However, we cannot support the budget dedicated to covering expenses and salaries, for example.

Can you give us an idea of the various current allocations of the World Bank to address the coronavirus?

Besides the $ 300 million support, last Friday we allocated $ 100 million in support to help Tunisia obtain vaccines against the coronavirus, speed up the vaccination campaign and strengthen the health system.

Throughout the year 2020 we have taken numerous actions to reduce the repercussions of the coronavirus by using some financial resources that were allocated to several programmes to finance the primary education programme, youth integration or irrigation in order to channel them towards helping Tunisians cope with the impact of the coronavirus and financing emergency purchases of medical equipment and tests.

Last year, we provided funds worth $20 million in addition to allocating resources worth $75 million in government budget support to intervene urgently to strengthen the health system and address the coronavirus.
West Bengal Chief Minister



decided to stay at her war room in the Reyapara area during the polls on Thursday in the assembly constituency where she is locked in a fierce prestige battle with confidante-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

She is monitoring the situation in the high-profile constituency where polling began at 7 am as local TMC leaders complained of their election agents not being allowed to enter several booths, according to the party sources.

There have been no reports of violence or clashes among political activists in the constituency, barring an incident in the Bhimkata area in where the BJP candidate faced an agitation by a group of TMC workers who shouted slogans against him, an Election Commission official said.

Around 17 per cent of electors exercised their franchise in the first two hours of the polling in the agrarian constituency in Purba Medinipur district, he said.

According to the TMC sources, Banerjee, who had earlier decided to leave the area for campaigning in North Bengal after the polling ended at 6:30 PM on Thursday, changed her plans this morning.

"She has decided to stay back and leave tomorrow. Banerjee will monitor the situation in the area, and if needed, she will go to spots," a senior TMC leader accompanying her said.

Banerjee, who has camped in since March 27, had on Wednesday alleged that goons from other states have come to Nandigram to foment trouble and intimidate the voters.

Meanwhile, the TMC alleged that its polling agents have been threatened by the BJP in various booths in Nandigram Block 2.

"Our agents were not allowed to enter several polling booths in Nandigram Block -2. Voters have also been stopped from exercising their franchise in some areas. We will lodge complaints with the EC," a TMC leader said.

The BJP, however, denied these allegations.

Adhikari cast his vote soon after polling began on Thursday morning and exuded confidence of winning the seat by a record margin.

"I am confident about my victory and not here to make any personal attack like my opponent. You have seen how people were coming out in the area as I went there to cast my vote," he added.

Meanwhile, a BJP worker, identified as Uday Dubey, was found hanging near the Reyapara area in Nandigram Block-1.

The BJP claimed that Dubey had suspectedly ended his life, as he was being constantly threatened by the TMC goons.

The ruling party in West Bengal termed the allegation as "baseless".

A team of police personnel has been deployed there to avoid any untoward incident.

(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.)
MONZA, APR 1 - A painting by 17th-century French Baroque master Nicolas Poussin has been returned from Italy to its rightful owners after being stolen by the Nazis in occupied France in 1944. The painting, 'Lot With His Two Daughters Serving Him Drink', was found by Carabinieri art cops in the home of a Milanese antiques dealer in Padua. The work, taken from its Jewish owners in Poitiers in mid-1944, has been given to their heirs, a 98-year-old Swiss woman and a 68-year-old American man. (ANSA).
The celebrated actor says feminism is alien to the African culture and blacks in general.

Veteran Nigerian actor, Pete Edochie, has said that feminism should be blamed for the prevalence of domestic violence in marriage.

In an interview with BBC Igbo on Tuesday, the celebrated actor said feminism was alien to the African culture and blacks in general.

"Women who can't cook aren't supposed to call themselves women. And feminism is what causes women to be beaten up in marriages. You complain to a woman and she retorts.

"It becomes unbearable, so you stretch your arm and deal her a slap. Domestic violence starts. I don't like seeing women crying because it hurts me deeply. But it is the fault of the woman herself a lot of times" he said.

The actor, who recently explained why Nigerian women are no longer submissive to their husbands, also reiterated that when a woman leaves her parents to meet her husband and takes his surname, she is to be submissive to him.

"If she wasn't married, she can do whatever she wants. Our women now plunge into feminism nowadays. They can't even keep their husbands anymore. Is that a good thing? These women are schooled but a lot of wives now can't even cook -- one thing that a woman should be good in so as to be able to keep her husband.

"My mother was not educated but she would cook all sorts of soups. My father would always get back home hurriedly to eat what his wife had cooked. Today, our wives can't even cook anymore."

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The actor, who said he isn't a misogynist despite associating with a lot of misogynists at work , maintained that blacks don't worship women as the whites do.

"I'm a strong adherent of culture. Until my dad died at 96, he never knelt to propose.'It's just like kneeling down on entering a church because there's a higher being to whom you're paying respect. Men climb trees to tap palm wine. How does it look if women do the same? Today women dictate to men.

"It wasn't like that in our days. How women talk to men nowadays isn't how we were raised. My mother was never beaten. My wife and I have been married for 52 years. I never beat her. My five married sons don't beat their wives.

A year ago, the respected movie star also stirred a controversy about marriage and relationships when he kicked against the idea of Nigerian men getting down on their knees to propose to women.

In a video that went viral in February 2020, the 'Lion Heart' star said, "any young man who gets on his knees to propose to a girl, is not just an idiot, he's a bloody fool, a compound buffoon."
Guwahati, April 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed several election rallies in West Bengal and Assam, on Thursday urged voters of the two poll-bound states to cast their votes in record numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy.

Modi tweeted: "Urging the people of West Bengal in whose seats there is polling taking place today to vote in record numbers.

"Second phase of the Assam polls takes place today. Requesting all eligible voters of this phase to strengthen the festival of democracy by exercising their franchise," the Prime Minister said in another tweet.

In Thursday's second phase, voting for 30 seats in West Bengal and 39 constituencies in Assam began at 7 a.m. amid tight security.

In the first phase, 30 of the total of 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal and 47 of the 126 Assembly seats in Assam balloting were held on Saturday.

Among the Assembly polls in five states, West Bengal has the maximum number of seats and the highest phases staggered into eight, while polling is being held in Assam in three phases.

Along with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, results would be declared in five states on May 2.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A former government soldier told the Finnish war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi, the former Revolutionary United Front commander, harrowing stories Wednesday of Massaquoi massacring women and children in Lofa County and roasting them.

Gibril Massaquoi killed women and children and opened up the bodies and roasted them just like roasted meat, said the soldier codenamed Soldier 1 by the court to conceal his identity.

Soldier 1 told the court his brother, a child, was among the victims.

He also killed my brother in Popolahun, when I was on the front line in Bellehfasama and someone told me but when I got there Massaquoi had already left the area.

The former soldier said Massaquois brutality was well known. He said his commander, also a witness in the trial and so the court has ordered his identity be concealed, had sent him to order Massaquoi to stop killing as the massacre at Waterside in Monrovia became known. Many previous witnesses have detailed what they said was Massaquois murder and rape of civilians at Waterside.

My commander sent me to Waterside to put a stop to Gibril Massaquoi, but he refused to listen to me, because I was lower in rank. When I told him what my boss had said, he took a gun from one of his soldiers and started shooting and killing the soldiers and civilians, he said. I saw Massaquoi himself killing 12 soldiers and many civilians. Just because Massaquoi had the power, so whenever he saw group of people standing, he would start shooting and killing them.

He told the four-judge panel that after 2001 he never saw Massaquoi again even though he was looking for him to kill him in revenge for killing his brother.

Another witness, codenamed Soldier 07, was also an officer of the Special Security Service, (SSS) under President Charles Taylor invited by both prosecution and defence teams.

He also spoke about the Waterside killings and said Gibril Massaquoi controlled the Waterside area in 2001. He said Massaquoi killed soldiers and civilians in the store in Waterside. The witness said Massaquoi also killed his bodyguard, a man known as Bulldog. After that the two nearly exchanged gunfire.

When I went to collect Bulldogs body, I saw Massaquoi executing some soldiers and civilians, he said. I started appealing with him to allow the civilians to go and kill the soldiers but he refused and said it was the civilians who had caused the soldiers to loot. While we were arguing, he took his gun and started shooting soldiers and civilians. I was so angry that we almost got into a battle, but Yeaten (his commander known by his call sign 50) told me to forget about it, so we took my bodyguards body and left.

Soldier 1 had echoed many previous witnesses in telling the four-judge panel that Massaquoi ordered the bodies of those killed in Waterside to be thrown into the river. But Soldier 7 said he and others buried those who were killed in the massacre at the store at Waterside.

Contradiction

Soldier 7 was the latest to contradict his own testimony in an earlier interview with police investigators, a fact that Massaquois defence has made much of.

Soldier 7 told the police that one of his men, who had gone ahead of him, called him to come quick because some execution was about to take place by Massaquoi.

He said that when he arrived he asked Massaquoi why he was killing the people. In response, Massaquoi killed three civilians and five soldiers in front of him, seemingly to show Soldier 7 that he did not care what he said.

Dates have been a key issue for the defence as it tries to show that the witnesss testimony is unreliable. Witnesses have given various dates between 2001 and 2003. The prosecution must prove Massaquois guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The defence hopes that the disputes over dates will undermine the judges confidence in the witnesss memories of the events.

Aaron Weah, a former officer with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission currently undertaking a PHD in the United Kingdom, has been sitting in on the trial.

He stressed that it was should not have been possible for Massaquoi to have been in Liberia in 2002 and 2003 because he was in witness protection in Sierra Leone as part of the proceedings for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, where he was a key informant.

There are two accounts, some combatants who are witnesses are saying after 2001, Massaquoi disappeared but yet some are saying Massaquoi was present in 2003, said Mr Weah. So to account for his physical presence in Liberia at the time he was actively monitored under witness protection in Sierra Leone is conflicting.

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Mr Weah is expecting the court to explore the arrangements of Massaquoi role in Sierra Leone when the court moves there in late April, to see whether he was monitored and whether it was possible he could have come in and out of Liberia.

So this trial has to cross check in Sierra Leone about Massaquois whereabouts during 2002 and 2003, when he was said to have been in witness protection, to see if there was a weak witness protection programme that allowed Massaquoi to keep crossing into Liberia, Weah said. If we are looking at a weak witness protection, then that may have been possible, but unless that can be established, it cannot be proven if Massaquoi was here in 2003 or not.

A third witness codenamed Soldier 04, called by the prosecution, said he was with the government forces. He also spoke about the Waterside killings.

I met Angel Gabriel on the frontline and used to see him in Waterside where he was controlling, Soldier 4 said. I can remember one day while we were going on another mission it was around 99 Stairs (an area) in Waterside. We saw some people on their knees, who looked like civilians and when we stopped the car and asked what was going on, the men assigned to Massaquoi said Angel Gabriel had ordered them to kill the people, because they were enemies. We were going on another mission so I do not know if the people were killed but I believe they were killed because the soldiers could not disobey Angel Gabriel.

He said after his assignment was changed and he went back to Lofa, he never saw Massaquoi again.

This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project.
U.S. State Dept Points at Rights Abuse in Nigeria, Zimbabwe

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken - who called for an international investigation into alleged human rights abuses in Ethiopia's Tigray region - has slammed state-sanctioned violence against civil society activists, labour leaders, and opposition members in Zimbabwe, naming the southern African nation among countries that include China, Russian, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua that are abusing their citizens' rights.



This comes after the release of the U.S. State Department's 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices which assesses countries' human rights and worker rights performance. Nigeria has also been named in the report with the U.S. accusing the nation of unlawful and arbitrary killings by both government and non-state actors; forced disappearances by the government, terrorists, and criminal groups; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government and terrorist groups; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions.
Press Release

1 April 2021

In a landmark development for Asia's hospitality sector, Cross Hotels & Resorts is pleased to announce it has expanded its regional footprint with entry into the Japanese market in a master franchise agreement with AB Accommo Company Limited. The company anticipates a rewarding future initially with seven properties with a total of 844 keys within four years stretching across Okinawa in the far south to Hokkaido.

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The inaugural property, located on Kouri Island, will be called Away Okinawa Kouri Island Resort and seamlessly matches the Away brand's "Escape Everyday Life" philosophy. Kouri is a tranquil island connected to the main Okinawa island by a two-kilometre sea bridge and is recognized as the gateway between mainland Japan and the tropics. Away Okinawa Kouri Island Resort is a boutique beachfront paradise that will offer guests jaw-dropping views over the East China Sea and is sure to become an Instagram-favourite with social media influencers and those seeking to get away from the urban sprawl when it opens in July 2021.

"Taking our business and brands into the prized Japanese hospitality marketplace is a watershed moment for Cross Hotels & Resorts. This agreement to franchise our brands into the Japanese market speaks volumes for the work we have done to define our branding and distribution value proposition and the manner in which our partners have embraced it. This partnership has been made possible by our ability to curate a product for our partners specific needs. I have a deep respect for our colleagues in the enterprise and I see a long and prosperous future with AB Accommo," said Kent Davidson, Managing Director, Cross Hotels & Resorts.

Commenting on the new partnership, Yuji Abe, Chief Executive Officer of AB Accommo, said, "Franchising with Cross Hotels & Resorts gives us the opportunity to have our products sold under the best brands and distribution channel in the region. While this agreement opens up a world of opportunities for us, it also opens up Kouri Island and the other 150 islands that form the Okinawa archipelago to the Cross Hotels & Resorts family of global travellers."

"With the signing of Away Okinawa Kouri Island Resort we have brought to fruition our stated aspiration to grow our brands in the best markets in the Asia region. I would like to congratulate my colleagues here and in Japan for their hard work in making this a reality. The Away brand emphasizes the strength of our capabilities, our growth and our commitment to help our owners identify their product position in the marketplace," said Harry Thaliwal, CEO of Cross Hotels & Resorts.

"Japan is another milestone in our international expansion. Japan has one of the largest increases in international tourist arrivals in addition to very strong domestic travel. AB Accommo brings not only a strong operating platform with an existing 26 hotels but also a proven track record of cooperation with some of the leading investors and developers in Japan. Away Okinawa Kouri Island Resort is owned by Nikken Housing Co., Ltd. We are extremely excited to introduce our brands to Japan and about this strategic partnership with AB Accommo," said Jens O. Reichert, Chief Development Officer, Cross Hotels & Resorts

Cross Hotels & Resorts currently operates 21 hotels across three distinct brands - Cross, Cross Vibe and Away - in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. More detailed information on each hotel and resort can be found at crosshotelsandresorts.com.
Saigon Hi-tech Park (SHTP) in District 9

According to Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, more foreign businesses are developing projects at Saigon Hi-tech Park (SHTP) in District 9 to become suppliers for Samsung Electronics CE Complex (SEHC) in the city.

As of February, four local companies and nine foreign-invested enterprises have been providing materials, spare parts, and accessories to SEHC.

Among them, Vija Technology JSC specialises in manufacturing automation equipment, industrial robots, precision mechanical details, and molds. Meanwhile, Daeyoung Electronics Vina Company manufactures and trades in electronic components and LED displays for household goods like refrigerators, washing machines, and air-conditioners.

Another supplier, New-Hanam Co., Ltd., makes motor and plastic injection molding for washing machines, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, and other home appliances. The company is supplying motor products to Samsung, and received an investment certificate in 2016 following the development of SEHC.

At the beginning of the year, Dong Nai Peoples Committee granted investment certificates to two suppliers for Samsung. South Koreas Hansol Electronics Vietnam Co., Ltd., is investing $100 million in the Hansol Electronics Ho Nai project in the locality. Covering an area of over five hectares, the project specialises in manufacturing, processing, and assembling liquid crystal displays as well as printed board assembly for electronic circuit boards.

Another South Korean investor, Platel Vina, also got the nod to develop a factory in Amata Industrial Park in the southern province of Dong Nai with the registered investment capital of $30 million. The factory will manufacture electronic equipment covers as well as electronic components from plastic materials with a capacity of 400 tonnes of products per year.

Platel Vina is a member of Intops Group, which has been a Samsung supplier for 30 years  and Intops has already developed two factories in Vietnam.

Since the beginning of 2021, many southern localities like Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, and Binh Duong have witnessed a surge in foreign investment capital into local supporting industries.

Mai Ba Truoc, director of Binh Duong Department of Planning and Investment, said that the province has attracted $300 million in foreign capital in the first two months of this year. Among them, there are a large number of supporting industry projects.

New MOTION Industry Co., Ltd. from Singapore will inject $185 million to build a manufacturing factory for radio screen and display products. Meanwhile, GIGA Electronic Vietnam Co., Ltd. will manufacture and assemble electronic components, power adapters and converters for mobile phones, and power tools as well as other LED-based products.

The growing presence of foreign suppliers is in line with the wave of manufacturing relocation to Vietnam. However, this trend is in contrast to the fact that local supporting industries are not adequately developed to fulfil the requirements of foreign manufacturers.

According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the total number of enterprises currently involved in Vietnams supporting industries is more than 600.

However, the number of domestic players involved in the global supply chain of foreign investors is low due to the internal constraints of the local suppliers and also the limitation of understanding between the two sides.

This issue has been one of the main obstacles for foreign investors to scale up their presence in Vietnam. Surveys by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) reveal that the low localisation rate has been one of the main concerns for Japanese investors to expand presence in Vietnam.

Hirai Shinji, chief representative of JETRO in Ho Chi Minh City, cited a recent survey showing that the localisation rate has increased slowly since 2010. However, Japanese companies are considering re-establishing some supply chains affected by the COVID-19 outbreak by changing purchasing units. Thus, just under one-fifth of surveyed respondents will choose Vietnamese suppliers in the coming time, which is the highest rate across 20 countries in Asia.

In addition, the Japanese government has provided subsidies for 30 companies to increase production in Vietnam, in the first two rounds of a multi-billion dollar programme to diversify supply chains. A large number of Japanese manufacturers are supplying spare parts and materials such as Mabuchi Motor, Yokoi Mould, Pronics, and Meiko Electronics.

The new investment projects are expected to give a new boost to Vietnams supporting industries. In June last year, Vingroup unveiled its plan to inject VND3.4 trillion ($147.3 million) to build a manufacturing complex for automobile spare parts, which will support the Make in Vietnam automobiles plan from VinFast.

Meanwhile, global cordless power equipment and floor care company Techtronic Industries Co., Ltd. (TTI) aims to scout around 180-200 local suppliers to increase the localisation rate up to 80 per cent at its Vietnamese manufacturing facilities next year.

TTI has received an investment certificate for the establishment of a cordless power equipment plant at SHTP with the registered investment capital of $180 million which it expects to raise to $650 million within the next five years.

Meanwhile, the company is developing a high-rise factory in an industrial park in Ho Chi Minh City, which would facilitate more Vietnamese companies to join its global supply chains. It is hoped the new project will be greenlit in the near future.
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute, USA, have described a potential target for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. Dubbed as CC40.8 bnAb, it exhibited broad reactivity with human beta coronaviruses.

The study, which appeared on the pre-print server bioRxiv*, demonstrates that CC40.8 bnAb from a COVID-19 donor targets the conserved S2 stem-helix region of the coronavirus spike fusion machinery.

Study background

Coronaviruses take their name from the crown-like spike proteins that line their surfaces. While coronaviruses only cause common cold-like symptoms, some may cause severe or critical illness.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, is a novel virus that belongs to the coronaviridae family, of which previously six members have crossed into humans and established widespread infections.

In 2002, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged in China, causing an epidemic. In 2012, another novel coronavirus emerged in Saudi Arabia, called the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. To date, it has caused over 129 million cases globally. Of these, 2.81 million people have lost their lives.

These also include four endemic human coronaviruses, such as HCoV-229E, HCoV-HKU1, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-NL63, which are responsible for non-severe seasonal infections.

All human coronaviruses possess a surface envelope spike glycoprotein that mediates interaction with host cell receptors, allowing virus fusion. The SARS-CoV-2 uses the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike  made up of the S1 and S2 subunits  to bind with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2) on host cells for entry and invasion.

The usual target of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) is the viral spike glycoprotein. On the spike, the RBD is highly immunogenic and can be recognized by most nAbs.

Current efforts in vaccination focus have predominantly targeted the spike glycoprotein. However, due to sequence diversity, there is limited cross-reactivity to the RBD region. Further, the emergence of new variants  resulting in mutations at the RBD  may pose problems in currently used vaccines.

The study

In the study, the researchers found a crystal structure of CC40.8 Fab with a SARS-CoV-2 S2 stem-peptide. The discovered peptide takes in a helical structure. Also, the CC40.8 demonstrates in vivo protective efficacy against SARS-C0V-2 in animal models.

To arrive at the study findings, the team isolated a SARS-CoV-2 cross-neutralizing antibody from a COVID-19 donor. The antibody has shown broad cross-reactivity with human beta coronaviruses.

Crystal structure of CC40.8 antibody in complex with the SARS-CoV-2 stem peptide. A. Overall view of the CC40.8-peptide complex structure. Heavy and light chains of CC40.8 are shown in orange and yellow semi-transparent surfaces, respectively, where paratope regions are shown as cartoon. The SARS-CoV-2 stem-helix peptide is shown in green. B. Surface area of the SARS-CoV-2 stem peptide. Solvent exposed and buried areas were calculated with Proteins, Interfaces, Structures and Assemblies (PISA) (68). C. The SARS-CoV-2 stem peptide inserts into a hydrophobic groove formed by the heavy and light chains of CC40.8. Surfaces of CC40.8 are color-coded by hydrophobicity [calculated by Color h ( A. Overall view of the CC40.8-peptide complex structure. Heavy and light chains of CC40.8 are shown in orange and yellow semi-transparent surfaces, respectively, where paratope regions are shown as cartoon. The SARS-CoV-2 stem-helix peptide is shown in green. B. Surface area of the SARS-CoV-2 stem peptide. Solvent exposed and buried areas were calculated with Proteins, Interfaces, Structures and Assemblies (PISA) (68). C. The SARS-CoV-2 stem peptide inserts into a hydrophobic groove formed by the heavy and light chains of CC40.8. Surfaces of CC40.8 are color-coded by hydrophobicity [calculated by Color h ( https://pymolwiki.org/index.php/Color_h )]. D. Electrostatic surface potential of the CC40.8 paratope. Electrostatic potential is calculated by APBS and PDB2PQR (69, 70).

The CC40.8 is the first human coronavirus S2-stem directed neutralizing antibody isolated from natural infection. It can help in developing antibody-based therapies and vaccines. It can also facilitate the development of a pan-coronavirus vaccine, which can protect against all types of coronaviruses.

The development of effective pan-coronavirus vaccine strategies that can mitigate future outbreaks from new emerging coronaviruses is important, the team noted.

The discovery and identification of the new coronavirus spike conserved epitope may help develop bnAb epitope-based vaccine strategies. It can also facilitate antibody-based interventions against human coronaviruses, including future ones with pandemic potential.

*Important Notice

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Monrovia  Seven civil society organisations (CSOs) in Liberia received twelve brand new Lenovo laptops on Thursday March 25, 2021 from the Executive Director of NAYMOTE - Partners for Democratic Development, Eddie Jarwolo.

"This is intended to enhance their [CSOs] capabilities to effectively and efficiently deliver quality services", Jarwolo shared during the handing over ceremony which took place in Monrovia, capital of Liberia.

"This is [a] good step for civil society organisations after a shock of the emergence of COVID-19 which is affecting every sector of the world most especially on the African Continent", remarked Mathew S. Karley, Senior Programme Manager of Youth Coalition for Education in Liberia (YOCEL) after receiving a brand-new Lenovo laptop on behalf of his organisation.

The twelve laptops were donated by WACSI and Techsoup under the Techsoup laptop donation programme for CSOs. The twelve laptops are among 102 laptops that will be handed to 40 CSOs in seven West African countries: Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Sierra leone, The Gambia and Liberia.

The decision to offer laptops to 102 CSOs was informed by findings from an empirical research conducted by WACSI in 2020 with support from Wilde Ganzen. The research sought to understand the extent to which COVID-19 affected CSOs in six of the seven countries, excluding Benin.

Through a survey, desk research and focus group discussions, it was realised that, at the onset of the pandemic, CSOs in Liberia were not prepared to have their staff work remotely.

"In fact, many of the CSOs stated that they lacked the means and technology needed to have their staff work remotely and still be effective", the researcher, Aaron Weah-Weah reiterated.

As a result, a key recommendation from the research holds that CSOs need "to acquire responsive technological facilities, build their staff capacity through training in IT and digital technologies to prepare for work under hazardous conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic".
Stephanie Miller, head of accession policy at the Pentagon (C) and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby (R) speak during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on March 31, 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Pentagon Releases Policy Updates for Transgender People in US Military

Revisions to align with Biden executive orders

The Pentagon has announced policy updates regarding transgender people serving in the U.S. military, to align with President Joe Bidens executive orders issued earlier this year.

The updated policies prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, including a persons self-identification as transgender; allow people to serve in the military in their self-identified gender, as long as certain standards are met; and allow service members to access gender transition medical procedures, which would be funded by the military, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on March 31.

The number of service members who self-identify as transgender could range from 1,000 to 8,000, which includes those who may not seek a partial or full medical transition, according to Stephanie Miller, the Pentagons military accession policy director, who cited previous studies.

She said that there are about 2,200 service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria and are seeking gender transition medical procedures. The Pentagon would fund and facilitate the procedures for each individual, on a case-by-case basis.

Stephanie Miller, head of accession policy at the Pentagon, speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on March 31, 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Thats individual for each case and its certainly determined with their medical provider. And so, it really runs the gamut in terms of individuals who may only seek cross-sex hormone therapy versus those may pursue a surgical intervention, she said.

I think its important to emphasize that all medically necessary care, to include gender transition surgery, will available under these new policies.

Costs associated with the latest changes and policies would be a handful of a million dollars per year, which would be covered within the defense health budget of several billion dollars, Miller said.

There are more than 1.3 million active-duty troops and close to 800,000 in the National Guard and Reserves. According to the Pentagon, the department spent about $8 million on gender transition procedures from 2016 to 2019.

Of the policy updates, one is specific to standards required to access the medical services.

Transgender applicants will certainly need to meet all other medical standards, to include those standards that may be associated specifically with cross-sex hormone therapy, a previous diagnosis of gender dysphoria, or any form of surgical intervention, Miller said. So there are specific standards associated with those medical conditions or medical/surgical interventions. But certainly, individuals would have to meet all other qualifying standards in that instruction.

Policy Revisions

The latest updates are revisions to two Pentagon instructions regarding military service for transgender people, titled Medical Standards for Military Service: Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction (pdf) and In-Service Transition for Transgender Service Members (pdf).

The policy revisions were made in response to two Biden executive orders issued in January: EO 13988, Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation, and EO 14004, Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform.

The updates will restore Pentagon policies enacted in 2016 over the matter and will be effective by April 30, Kirby said. This allows time for the military branches to update their service-level policies as well as brief the commanders, service members, medical professionals, and other communities of practice, he said.

During this period, the departments interim guidance, issued on Jan. 29 of this year, remains in effect, he said, referring to guidance the Pentagon issued in response to the Biden executive orders. It suspended any actions that took place under department policies under the Trump administration.

Shortly after the Biden executive orders, the Pentagon directed a review of records to identify any military members who were involuntarily separated, discharged, or denied reenlistment based on gender identity.

That review is ongoing, Kirby said.

U.S. Army servicemen attend the opening of the Rapid Trident 2020 international military exercises in Lviv Region, Ukraine, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

Obama, Trump Policies

Prior to 2016, service members who were openly transgender were generally banned from the military. Then-President Barack Obama lifted the ban in 2016 and implemented a policy that allowed already-serving transgender service members in the military to serve openly in their self-identified gender. The Obama policy allowed transgender people to enlist from July 1, 2017, provided they met physical, medical, and other standards.

The military was also ordered to pay for the medical costs incurred for gender transition medical procedures, which included hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery.

After taking office, former President Donald Trump issued a memorandum in August 2017 that delayed the date that transgender people could enlist, and called for additional study into the changes made by Obama. The memorandum also directed the military to return to the longstanding policy and practice on military service by transgender individuals that was in place prior to the Obama changes in June 2016.

Trump announced on Twitter in late July 2017, Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. He said that the government wouldnt allow transgender people to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.

After studying the issue, the Trump administration revoked the August 2017 memo and revised its policy to generally prevent transgender individuals from serving unless they serve in their biological sex and dont seek to undergo gender transition procedures.

Trumps March 2018 memorandum stated, Transgender persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoriaindividuals who the policies state may require substantial medical treatment, including medications and surgeryare disqualified from military service except under certain limited circumstances.

The Pentagon in March 2019 adopted a policy (pdf) in line with Trumps memo, to take effect in April 2019.

Under the Trump policy, transgender troops who had relied on the Obama-era rules to begin the process of changing their gender, and had signed an enlistment contract before the policy effective date, were allowed to remain in service, and could continue with plans for hormone treatments and gender transition if they had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

The military said in 2018 that more than 900 men and women had started the process of changing their gender.

But after the effective date, no one with gender dysphoria who was taking hormones or had transitioned to another gender was allowed to enlist. Also, troops that were already serving and were diagnosed with gender dysphoria were required to serve in the gender assigned at birth and were barred from commencing any gender transition procedures.

Janita Kan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
BEIJING, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WeTrade Group Inc. ("Wetrade" or the "Company") (US: WETG), an emerging growth company engaged in the business of providing software-as-a-services (SAAS) and cloud intelligent systems for micro-businesses, today reports its financial results for fiscal year 2020 ended December 31, 2020.

Mr. Pijun Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Wetrade, commented, "The changes in the current economic environment have also given us a great opportunity for development. The financial performance in 2020 exceeds our expectation, which once again demonstrates our strategic business direction. At present, the concept of micro-business has been greatly developed and enriched, including large-scale brand owners, self-employed, e-commerce platforms, etc. All merchants that conduct sales and marketing activities based on social ecological platforms can be called micro-businesses. They have built the current micro-business market all together, and these will also be our potential customers."

Mr. Liu continued, "Up to now, we have applied the YCloud intelligent system to micro business industry, tourism industry, hospitality industry, livestreaming and short video industry, aesthetic medical industry and traditional retail industry and other fields, providing them with a complete set of cloud intelligent solutions to help the industry development and transformation in the digital technology era. In 2021, we will continue to explore micro-business and provide a complete technical service system under the background of comprehensively advancing the digital reform and cloud-based micro-business. We are positioned to become the best partner for the digital transformation of the micro-business industry."

Mr. Kean Tat Che, Chief Financial Officer of Wetrade, commented, "We are pleased to see that the Company has maintained a rapid development trend. In 2020, our revenue mainly comes from the continuous improvement of technology and service system, which enables the Company to quickly expand customer base and establish a closed loop of private domain traffic monetization for consumer groups."

Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Results





For the Year Ended December 31, ($ millions, except per share data)

2020

2019

% Change Revenue

6.27

-

NM Gross Profit

5.66

-

NM Gross Margin

90.2%

-%

NM Operations Profit/(Loss)

3.75

(0.42)

NM Net Income/(Loss)

2.68

(0.42)

NM Earnings/(Loss) Per Share

0.01

(0.00)

NM

*Notes: pp represents percentage points

Revenue

Total revenue was $6.27 million for fiscal year 2020, compared with nil for the same period of last year. The increase was mainly from the service revenue generated from auto-billing management system from customers.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue was $0.62 million for fiscal year 2020, compared with nil for the same period of last year. The increase was mainly due to more staffs were recruited and was in line with the increase in revenue during the period.

Gross profit and gross margin

Gross profit was $5.66 million for fiscal year 2020, compared with nil for the same period of last year.

Gross margin was 90.2% for fiscal year 2020, compared with nil for the same period of last year.

Operations Profit/(Loss)

General and administrative expenses increased by $1.48 million, or 355.5%, to $1.90 million for fiscal year 2020 from $0.42 million for the same period of last year. The increase was mainly due to increase in the payroll expenses as a result of 89 new staffs were recruited during the period.

Operations profit was $3.75 million for fiscal year 2020, compared with operations loss of $0.42 million for the same period of last year.

Net Income/(Loss)

Net income was $2.68 million for fiscal year 2020, compared with net loss of $0.42 million for the same period of last year. Basic and diluted earnings per share was $0.01 for fiscal year 2020, compared with nil for the same period of last year.

Financial Condition

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had cash and cash equivalents for $4.64 million, compared to $6.59 million as of December 31, 2019.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.16 million for fiscal year 2020, compared to net cash used in operating activities of $0.13 million for the same period of last year.

Net cash used in financing activities was $3.68 million for fiscal year 2020, compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $6.72 million for the same period of last year.

About WeTrade Group Inc.

WeTrade Group Inc. is believed the world's first technical service provider of Cloud Intelligent System and SAAS for micro-businesses. It is the first internationalized system in the global micro-business cloud intelligence field and also the leader, innovator and promoter of the world's cloud intelligent system for micro-businesses. WeTrade Group independently developed the cloud intelligent system for micro-businesses (Abbreviation: YCloud). YCloud can strengthen users' marketing relationship and CPS commission profit management through leading technology and big data analysis. It also can help increase the payment scenarios, revenue and group leader management to increase customers' revenue by multi-channel data statistics, AI fission and management as well as improved supply chain system. Up to now, YCloud's business has successfully landed in mainland China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and other countries, covering the micro business industry, tourism industry, hospitality industry, livestreaming and short video industry, aesthetic medical industry and traditional retail industry. For more information, please visit https://ir.wetg.group.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains information about the Company's view of its future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from historical results or those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with its ability to raise additional funding, its ability to maintain and grow its business, variability of operating results, its ability to maintain and enhance its brand, its development and introduction of new products and services, the successful integration of acquired companies, technologies and assets into its portfolio of products and services, marketing and other business development initiatives, competition in the industry, general government regulation, economic conditions, dependence on key personnel, the ability to attract, hire and retain personnel who possess the technical skills and experience necessary to meet the requirements of its clients, and its ability to protect its intellectual property. The Company's encourages you to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company's annual reports and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

WETRADE GROUP INC CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS As of December 31

(All amounts shown in U.S. Dollars)

December

31, 2020

December

31, 2019













ASSETS









Current Assets:









Cash and Cash Equivalents

$ 4,640,603

$ 6,591,128

Accounts receivables



2,609,520



-

Note receivable



3,097,981







Other receivables



270,681



-

Prepayments



61,707



-

Total Current Assets



10,680,492



6,591,128

















Right of use assets



2,813,186



-

Intangible asset, net



49,029



-

















Total Assets:

$ 13,542,707

$ 6,591,128

















LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY













Current Liabilities:













Account Payables

$ 8,176

$ -

Accrued expenses



263,355



32,000

Tax payables



828,695



-

Amount due to related parties



416,501



1,754,515

Lease liabilities, current



569,865



-

Other payables



90,632



-

Total Current Liabilities



2,177,224



1,786,515

















Lease liabilities, non- current



2,471,598



-

Total Liabilities



4,648,822



1,786,515

















Stockholders' Equity:













Common Stock; $0.00 per share par value; 305,451,498 issued and outstanding at December 31,

2020 and 300,222,000 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019*



-



-

Additional Paid in Capital



6,057,520



222,020

Share to be issued



-



5,000,000

Accumulated other comprehensive income



578,735



-

Retained Earnings/ (Accumulated Deficit)



2,257,630



(417,407)

Total Stockholders' Equity



8,893,885



4,804,613

















Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

$ 13,542,707

$ 6,591,128



*Share and per share amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the increased number of shares resulting from a 1:3 stock split.

WETRADE GROUP INC Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)



For the year

ended December

31, 2020

From the

period March 28, 2019 (Inception)

to December 31, 2019

Revenue:







Service revenue, non-related party $ 3,440,312

$ -

Service revenue, related party

2,831,252



-





6,271,564



-

Cost of Revenue

(615,595)



-

Gross Profit

5,655,969







Operating Expenses:











General and Administrative

(1,901,336)



(417,407)

Operations Profit/ (Loss)

3,754,633



(417,407)

Other income

82,960



-

Net Income/ (Loss) before income tax

3,837,593



(417,407)

Income tax expense

(1,162,556)



-

Net Income/ (loss) $ 2,675,037

$ (417,407)

Other Comprehensive Income











Foreign currency translation adjustment

578,735



-

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

3,253,772



(417,407)















Net income (loss) per share - basic and diluted $ 0.01

$ (0.00)

Weighted average number of shares outstanding*; Basic and Diluted

304,166,073



300,222,000



*Share and per share amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the increased number of shares resulting from a 1:3 stock split.

WETRADE GROUP INC STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS Year Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019















From the

period March 28,

2019



For the year December 31, 2020

(Inception)

to December 31, 2019











Cash Flows from Operating Activities:

















Net Income/ (Loss) $ 2,675,037

$ (417,407)

Adjustment to reconcile net income to cash flows from operating activities:











Amortization of intangible assets

11,696



-

Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities:











Trade Receivables

(2,489,993)



-

Intangible asset

(58,480)







Other receivables

(258,282)



-

Prepaid expenses

(41,141)



-

Trade payable

7,802



-

Amount due to related parties

-



254,515

Accrued expenses

220,658



32,000

Tax payables

828,695



-

Other payable

48,524



-

Right of use assets

(2,684,330)



-

Lease liabilities

2,902,151



-

Net Cash Flows provided by/ (used in) Operating Activities:

1,162,337



(130,892)















Cash flow from financing activities:











Proceeds from issuance of common stock

835,500



222,020

Share to be issued

-



5,000,000

Note receivable

(2,957,622)



-

Related party loan

(1,560,020)



1,500,000

Net cash (used in)/ provided by financing activities:

(3,682,142)



6,722,020















Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

569,280



-















Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents:

(1,950,525)



6,591,128















Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Period

6,591,128



-















Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of Period $ 4,640,603

$ 6,591,128















Supplemental Cash Flow Information:











Cash paid for interest $ -

$ -

Cash paid for taxes $ 1,162,556

$ -



SOURCE WeTrade Group Inc.

Related Links

https://ir.wetg.group


Nigeria commenced COVID-19 vaccination in early March, having received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

About 26 days after Nigeria commenced vaccination of its citizens against the COVID-19 virus, over 700,000 people have received the first dose of the vaccine.

As of Wednesday evening, 718,412 eligible Nigerians have been vaccinated, according to an update by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

Nigeria commenced COVID-19 vaccination in early March, having received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility.

The vaccination started with healthcare workers who are often at the risk of exposure to infections being the first responders to patients.

The country recently received another 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from telecom giant, MTN, as part of the latter's contribution to Africa.

COVID-19 vaccination has since commenced in all states across the country except for Kogi which is yet to receive doses for the vaccines.

Kogi, which has reported only five cases since the onset of the pandemic, was not supplied with doses of the vaccines.

"This is because their cold store is still under repairs following vandalisation during the EndSARS protest," the NPHCDA head Faisal Shuaib, said at a briefing.

The agency in a tweet on Monday said Mr Shuaib met with Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to resolve issues around vaccine storage and provision of security at the Cold Store.

According to the Wednesday update, Lagos, the epicentre of the disease in Nigeria, has vaccinated 136,356 people; making it the highest in the country.

This is followed by Ogun with 50,870, Kaduna- 46,474, Katsina- 37,819, Bauchi- 33,368 and Kano- 33,258.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Coronavirus Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The states with the lowest number of vaccinated people are Abia- 697 and Taraba with 1,568 people vaccinated so far

COVID-19 vaccination

The Nigerian government had announced its plan to vaccinate 109 million people against the COVID-19 virus over a period of two years.

Health authorities said only eligible population from 18 years and above will be vaccinated.

To achieve this, "the vaccine roll-out will be in four phases, starting with health workers, frontline workers, COVID-19 rapid response team, laboratory network, policemen, petrol station workers and strategic leaders," Mr Shuaib said at a recent briefing.

"Phase 2 - Older adults aged 50 years and above. Those with co-morbidities aged 18 - 49 years of age

"Phase 3 - Those in states/LGAs with high disease burden and who missed phases 1 and 2.

"Phase 4 - Other eligible population as vaccines become available."

Although there has been controversy over the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines which prompted some countries to suspend its use, Nigeria has chosen to continue the rollout of the vaccines, saying it is safe for use.

The World Health Organisation and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have also declared the vaccine safe.

The Nigerian government also said it has yet to record any serious side effect from taking the vaccine.

As of Tuesday night, Nigeria has recorded 162,726 COVID-19 cases and 2,056 deaths, according to an update by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  In a stunning reversal, a state appellate court has tossed out the double-murder conviction in the slaying of two men inside a Dongan Hills business four years ago, saying the trial judge erred in handling a jury note regarding a jail phone call.

A four-member panel of The Appellate Division, Second Department, unanimously overturned Ricky Dennis two first-degree murder convictions and ordered a new trial.

The appellate court said the trial judge failed to inform Mario F. Gallucci, Dennis lawyer, of the full contents of the jurys note, sent out during deliberations, pertaining to one of Dennis jail phone calls. Prosecutors had played a recording of the call during the trial.

As a result, the defense was deprived of a chance to frame intelligent suggestions for the courts response to the note, the panel ruled.

District Attorney Michael E. McMahon vowed to contest the ruling.

My office remains committed to ensuring justice is served is this tragic case, said McMahon. We believe the Appellate Division erred, and we intend to ask the Court of Appeals to review and reverse that courts ruling. Should it become necessary, of course, we will retry the case.

2018 CONVICTION

In March 2018, a jury in state Supreme Court, St. George, convicted Dennis of coldly gunning down Michael Genovese, 57, and Carl Clark, 52, inside Universal Merchant Funding on Buel Avenue on Jan. 24, 2017.

Michael Genovese, seen in this undated photo, was slain inside Universal Merchant Funding on Buel Avenue on Jan. 24, 2017.

In her closing argument, Assistant District Attorney Lisa Davis said greed and jealously sparked Dennis murderous rage. The defendant previously worked for the firm.

Dennis, 36, is serving a life sentence. He did not testify at trial.

In appealing the verdict, Dennis contended Gallucci had been ineffective for failing to controvert a warrant to search his car or to seek to suppress the evidence obtained from it.

However, the appellate court denied him on that count, saying the lawyer had provided meaningful representation.

The key issue was the jail phone call.

Besides playing the recording, prosecutors gave jurors a purported transcript of the call.

The jury was told the transcript was merely an aid and not in evidence, and it should not control should there be any discrepancy between the transcript and the recording.

Later, during deliberations, jurors sent out a note.

On the record, Justice William E. Garnett stated the panel was asking for (the defendants) phone call from jail. However, he omitted the word transcript, which was included at the end of the note in parenthesis, said the ruling.

The judge then told the jury he would play the call again but wouldnt provide them a copy of the transcript.

That was a mistake, the appellate court said. The note could have been interpreted as seeking the transcript rather than the call itself.

Notably, there was a discrepancy between the transcript and the phone call, and to the extent that the jurys request implied that the transcript left an impression on the jury, despite the courts instructions, counsel for the defendant should have been made aware of the verbatim contents of the request, said the ruling.

Failing to do so, denied defense counsel the opportunity to analyze the jurys deliberations given the notes ambiguous meaning and suggest how to respond to the note, the appellate court said.

As such, the Supreme Court committed a mode of proceedings error when it failed to provide counsel with meaningful notice of the precise contents of the substantive juror inquiry, said the ruling.

No date has been set for a new trial.

Michael Genovese and Carl Clark were slain inside Universal Merchant Funding on Buel Avenue on Jan. 24, 2017.

In a statement, Gallucci, the defense lawyer, called Garnett one of the most fair and intelligent jurists we have in New York.

Gallucci said some notes from a jury, such as an evidence request, are considered ministerial, and the evidence would be sent directly into the jury room without need for counsel.

I believe that this may have been one of those times, Gallucci said. I do remember playing the tape for the jury. The transcript was not in evidence. It was to be used as a guide to assist the jury in hearing the tape of the conversation. Judge Garnett, prior to the jury receiving the transcript, instructed the jury that it was a guide and not evidence, further clarifying for the jury that the actual tape was evidence.

The lawyer added he is happy the appellate court found his defense of Dennis was effective.

Dennis appellate lawyer did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment on the ruling.

A Brooklyn resident, Dennis had been on federal probation for less than five months when the victims were slain.

He had served 10 years of a 12-year sentence stemming from the assault of a Pennsylvania gun shop owner and the subsequent sale of firearms taken from the business, federal officials said.
Ash Barty's grip on the world number one ranking remains for now after winning in three sets against seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka in the Miami Open quarter-finals on Tuesday.

The 2019 Miami Open champion defeated Sabalenka 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 in humid conditions in South Florida to reach the last four, where the Australian will face fifth seed Elina Svitolina.

Svitolina won in the later match on Tuesday over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-2.

Barty, the 2019 French Open champion, did not drop her serve once against the Belarusian, saving seven break points throughout the match as she bids to retain her top ranking.

Barty is under threat from 2021 Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka for the number one ranking, with the Japanese also into the quarters.

The Australian will retain the top ranking by reaching the decider, regardless of second seed Osaka's results.

Barty vs Svitolina

"Aryna really made me bring out my best stuff today. She's an exceptional competitor."

Barty has now won 10 consecutive matches in Miami, dating back to her 2019 title with 2020's event cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ukraine's Svitolina, ranked fifth in the world, reached the Miami Open semi-finals for the first time with her win over the unseeded Sevastova.

"I've always wanted to play well here in Miami," said Svitolina, who made last year's French Open quarter-finals.

"It's one of the biggest tournaments and playing here is always amazing, so I'm really pleased with the performance tonight."
In a court filing this past Monday against revoking pretrial detention on charges stemming from the January 6 attack on Congress, John Hull, attorney for indicted Florida Proud Boy lead organizer Joe Biggs, made a revealing declaration. He claimed his client has been feeding information on alleged antifa networks to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since at least July 2020 and that Biggs began communicating with FBI agents and local police in 2018.

Proud Boy Joe Biggs

The revelation, if true, is the latest example of the FBI abetting and aiding the white supremacists and far-right militia members who spearheaded the effort to storm the Capitol, halt the certification of Joe Bidens election, and install the defeated president, Donald Trump, as an unelected dictator. At the same time, it demonstrates the federal domestic intelligence agency focusing resources and attention on the fictitious threat posed by antifa.

While FBI Director Christopher Wray was forced to admit in congressional testimony in March that there was no evidence that antifa or disguised leftists attacked the Capitol on January 6, there was no doubt that fascist militias, such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and III Percenters urged on by Trump, spearheaded the assault on the Capitol in an attempt to take hostages and prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election.

Along with Proud Boys leaders Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, Charles Donohoe, Dominic Pezzola and William Pepe, Biggs is among the nearly 30 members of the fascist militia facing serious charges, including conspiracy and obstruction of Congress, for their actions on January 6.

A reporter for the fascistic Alex Jones Infowars program, Biggs was described by his attorney in his filing as an organizer, event planner and thought leader in the Proud Boys. In seeking to keep Biggs out of jail, Hull alleged that he did not pose a threat to the community because of his extensive military service record, which includes deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, along with his close connections to local and federal law enforcement.

Previous documents filed by the prosecution have demonstrated that months of advanced planning went into the assault on the Capitol. Prosecutors alleged that Nordean, Biggs, Rehl and Donohoe, all presidents of their local Proud Boys chapters, used online crowdfunding sites to raise money to purchase military and communications equipment which were then used during the siege.

In his motion seeking a release for his client, Hull admitted that Biggs personally planned two major events: rallies in Portland, Oregon in both 2019 and 2020 designed as counter demonstrations against Antifa. As part of the process in planning the fascist rallies, Hull stated Biggs would regularly speak with by phone and in person to both local and federal law enforcement personnel stationed in Portland, including the FBIs Portland Field Office.

These talks, according to Hull, were intended both to inform law enforcement about Proud Boy activities in Portland on a courtesy basis but also to ask for advice on planned marches or demonstrations.

The August 2019 pro-Trump rally in Portland, dubbed the end domestic terrorism protest, drew approximately 500 fascists, including members of the Proud Boys, III Percenters and the American Guard. The latter has been described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a group of hardcore nationalists with former racist skinheadsand at least one Klansmanamong its members.

Trump, in a tweet lending his support to the fascist rally, wrote: Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ORGANIZATION OF TERROR. Portland is being watched very closely.

The intimate connections between the Portland Police Department and fascists have been previously established. In February 2019 it was reported that Portland Police Lt. Jeff Niiya kept in regular contact with fascist Patriot Prayer leader, Joey Gibson. Niiya and Gibson exchanged over 11,500 texts, which included passing along information about upcoming leftist protests and how Gibson could avoid being arrested.

In a prelude to the January 6, 2021 assault, armed Patriot Prayer members, led by Gibson and Chandler Pappas, forced their way into the Oregon state capitol in Salem on December 21, 2020 in an attempt to disrupt a special legislative session. Despite being armed with assault rifles and mace, the far-right militia members were allowed to occupy the capitol grounds for hours even after Oregon State Police declared it an unlawful assembly.

Demonstrating the close relationship between the violent fascist organization and the government, Hull alleged that similar conversations were held regularly with local police and FBI personnel for less major events in other cities. The chummy relationship between police and the Proud Boys, Hull alleged included, cautionary calls Biggs began receiving from the FBI agents in Daytona Beach and Jacksonville in late 2018, to discuss what Biggs meant by something politically or culturally provocative.

By July 2020, Biggs attorney alleged his client was in regular contact with an FBI special agent from Daytona Beach. During a meeting at a restaurant in July 2020, Biggs and the agent discussed whether Biggs could share information about Antifa networks operating in Florida and elsewhere. They wanted to know what Biggs was seeing on the ground.

Hull wrote that Biggs agreed to share the information and answered follow-up questions in a series of several phone calls over the next few weeks. They spoke often.

The FBI has yet to confirm or deny a relationship with Biggsow. However, it would not be the first instance of the FBI working with the Proud Boys. In January, Reuters revealed through court documents that Proud Boys Chairman Henry Enrique Tarrio had been a  prolific  federal informant for years, working undercover with federal authorities and local police beginning in 2012.

If it turns out, as it appears, that Biggs had a working relationship with the FBI, it would further demolish claims made by FBI Director Wray and District of Columbia (D.C.) and Capitol police chiefs that there was no intelligence that the Proud Boys were planning an attack on Congress. Given that multiple leaders in the group were in regular contact with the FBI, the question becomes how much influence government agents had in planning and orchestrating the assault on the Congress.

Proud Boy Arthur Jackman from inside the Senate Chamber on January 6 (US Government)

In a separate case, the 30-year-old former vice president of the Central Florida Proud Boys, Arthur Jackman, was arrested on Tuesday on federal charges, including obstruction, for his role in the Capitol attack. Jackman, whose wife is Orange County sheriffs deputy Sarah Jackman, photographed himself inside the Senate chamber flashing a white power hand gesture during the siege. He was also photographed inside the Capitol alongside Biggs.

Arriving for a court appearance on Tuesday, Jackman wore a shirt that read, Proud Boys Did Nothing Wrong. He was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond. Jackmans position in the Proud Boys organization was reported by Jacob Engles, an assistant to Trump political crony Roger Stone, who himself has been tied to various fascist militias.

Screenshot from New Yorker video of Arthur Jackman inside the Captiol (US Government)

The FBI alleges that during an interview with Jackman on January 19, 2021, Jackman admitted that he was a member of the Proud Boys. He said that he joined the organization to support Donald Trump and that he went to D.C. to be a visual representation, to support President Trump and to stop the steal.
Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic of , March 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

A newly updated private adventure safari has been launched in Tanzania, with optional extensions to Zanzibar, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, and Victoria Falls. They offer day trips to Kilimanjaro National Park as an add on following a longer safari.

For more information please visit the website here: https://aaafrica.net/safaris/day-trips

The newly updated safari package is part of the companys commitment to excellent customer experience. They take pride in offering occasions that are cherished long after theyre completed.

Augustines Adventure Africa has developed a reputation for exciting day trips and tours to see picturesque settings and memorable animals.

As a locally owned operator, Augustines Adventure Africa has a range of activities that are suitable for all budgets. Each tour can be customized to suit the needs and wishes of the client, whether they want to see Victoria Falls or Mount Kilimanjaro.

Customers are able to design bespoke tours based on their interests and what they want to achieve as part of their traveling. Depending on how many days they want to be on safari, the team provides flexible tour solutions.

Unlike other tour providers where the schedule is set and cant be changed, this private tour operator gives clients the chance to adapt their visit based on a number of factors. This can lead to a more memorable occasion and ensures the event aligns with their interests and aims.

Interested parties will find that most safaris are led by professional naturalist guides who are on hand to provide educational lectures during the trips.

Particularly memorable sightings include witnessing the great wildebeest migration, where 1.5 million wildebeest migrate alongside 600 thousand zebras and 400 thousand gazelles.

Additional details are provided at: https://youtu.be/ip4_ovKNGD0

The team highlights that around one quarter of the surface area in Tanzania has been set aside for conservation purposes. Sightseeing options include the world-renowned Serengeti National Park, and the Selous Game Reserve.

A spokesperson for the tour company states: Our company specializes in offering private and customized adventure safaris to Tanzania game parks as well as beach holidays in the historical and spice island of Zanzibar. Safari groups are tailor-made for individual groups such as specialty groups, friends and relatives.

In response to the latest WHO and Government of Tanzania pandemic mitigation recommendations, AA Africa has implemented all Standard Operating Procedures required for the safety of its staff and clients.

For optimal accommodation choice, the agency recommends that safaris be booked one year in advance. Bookings are also possible up to one month in advance, but will depend on accommodation availability.

Those wishing to find out more can visit: https://aaafrica.net

Contact Info:

Name: Augustine Minja

Email: Send Email

Organization: Augustine's Adventure Africa (AA Africa)

Address: P O BOX 11726 , Arusha, Arusha Region 00000, Tanzania, United Republic of

Phone: +255-787-447-144

Website: https://aaafrica.net
ATLANTA, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, with the support of the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP), announced expanded and accelerated measures to reduce violent crime and improve public safety in the City of Atlanta.

The three-pronged approach integrates crime fighting measures such as recruiting more officers with police training to ensure the city's men and women in blue are responsive to and prepared for the needs of Atlanta's diverse neighborhoods.

The ACP support builds on Mayor Bottoms' recently announced initiative, "One Atlanta: One APD Immediate Action Plan." That foundational plan has a dual focus on decreasing gang and gun violence, street racing, auto crimes and nuisance properties while also improving APD recruitment and retention, continuing police training and reform, expanding the city's security camera network and supporting neighborhood safety planning.

"Keeping all Atlantans safe is the top priority of my administration and we welcome the support and resources of our city's corporate, civic and academic leaders," Mayor Bottoms said. "The ACP support will strengthen our One Atlanta initiatives in three critical areas by adding more police officers and cameras and laying the foundation for a world-class training academy to ensure our police force has the best tools and resources available to protect our neighborhoods citywide."

Mayor Bottoms, with the support of the ACP, chaired by Cox Enterprises President and Chief Executive Office Alex Taylor, developed the following action items that can immediately bolster the plan put in place by the Mayor in January:

1. Hire 250 Additional Atlanta Police Officers

Continue building a strong applicant pool and increase the number of sworn Atlanta police officers by 250 in FY 2022 to help enhance overall safety for all and beef up patrols in public places that have seen spikes in crime. This is tied to ongoing work to decrease attrition, offer incentives and improve morale in the police department. The ACP members pledged to support the Mayor by helping the department with recruiting and retention tactics.

2. Build the Atlanta Public Safety Training Academy

Design and build a new, state-of-the-art public safety training academy through a public/private partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation and the city's philanthropic community. Mayor Bottoms has asked Taylor to lead a capital campaign to seed the initial private funding for the project, and he has accepted. As envisioned, the project would require three funding streams: City of Atlanta bonds, new market tax credits and private/philanthropic support. Mayor Bottoms is committed to ensuring APD officers have the resources they need and are trained in the most up-to-date methods of community policing, including de-escalation tactics and cultural awareness.

3. Expand the Operation Shield Network By 250 Cameras

Increase the city's security camera network by 250 to fill in citywide gaps in a fair and equitable manner. The City of Atlanta has more than 1,500 security cameras, as well as license plate readers, currently in operation that feed into its central Video Integration Center. These cameras serve as a deterrent to criminal acts and help investigators solve crimes that have occurred by identifying suspects. In addition, the security camera network helps police monitor large crowds, parades and other events, and can aid in situational awareness that prevents potentially deadly incidents before they happen. The ACP will help with funding to ensure the network meets the needs of the city.

"We are committed to working together for the common good to ensure we continue Atlanta's long track record of growth and innovation," Taylor said. "These actions help our city move faster in fighting crime while also ensuring our police officers have the additional training and skills required to serve and respond appropriately to the needs of all Atlantans."

The ACP is a long-standing partnership between the Mayor of Atlanta and the city's top business, civic and academic leaders to develop time-based, efficient solutions to issues that impact economic development and investment. The goal of the business roundtable is to accelerate Atlanta's competitiveness for attracting residents, businesses and investment, with a high priority on public safety, while expanding economic opportunity for all.

To read more about the "One Atlanta: One APD Immediate Action Plan," please visit https://justicereform.atlantaga.gov/

About the ACP

Founded in 2003, the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP), is a public-private partnership, that has played a leading role in supporting major initiatives and policies, such as the launch of the Center for Workforce Innovation at Atlanta Technical College, the purchase of the papers of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the creation of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, and the enactment of City of Atlanta pension reform. The ACP is chaired by Alex Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Cox Enterprises and includes more than 40 highly engaged chief executive officers, university presidents and civic leaders who offer their expertise in service to Atlanta and its future development.

SOURCE Atlanta Committee for Progress; Cox Enterprises
A shooting incident at a business complex in Orange County, California on Wednesday night resulted in the death of four people, including a child, local authorities said.

According to Los Angeles Times, the spokeswoman for the Orange Police Department, Lt. Jennifer Amat, said the officers received a call at around 5:30 p.m. regarding shots fired at 202 W. Lincoln Avenue, near Glassell Street.

The address pointed to a beige, two-story complex building that contains several small businesses. When officers arrived on the scene, Amat said the suspect started shooting, prompting the police to return fire that wounded the suspect. Amat said the shooter was taken to a hospital in an unknown condition.

At the scene, police located multiple victims, including four who had died from their injuries and two other people who were hurt and rushed to a hospital for treatment. The identities of the victims or the potential motive for the shooting were not immediately disclosed.

READ NEXT: Smugglers Drop Migrant Children From Atop 14-Foot U.S.-Mexico Border Barrier

Since the shooter was already in the custody of the Orange Police Department and the scene has been stabilized as the law enforcement was able to clear the two-story office complex, Amat said there was no longer a threat to the public, Fox News reported.

In a Twitter post, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the shooting "horrifying and heartbreaking."

"Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight," Newsom added.

In a statement, Representative Katie Porter said she is deeply saddened by the reports of a mass shooting in Orange County.

Porter noted that she would continue to keep the victims and their loved ones in her thoughts as authorities continue investigating the case. She added that she would continue to monitor the situation "closely."

NBC Los Angeles reported that authorities are still determining why the child was at the scene. No officers were injured.

READ MORE: Murder Suspect Recaptured After Mistaken Release From L.A. Jail

WATCH: LIVE UPDATE TO MASS SHOOTING IN ORANGE - From 714_NEWS LLN
The family of a beloved Instagram star who documented her vanlife travels have revealed she was relentlessly cyberbullied and battled depression before tragically taking her own life.

Canadian Lee Macmillan became an online sensation after globetrotting in a van across the world and Australia, but on Friday lost her mental health battle.

Despite amassing a loyal following of more than 70,000, Ms Macmillan's father Wil told Daily Mail Australia the 27-year-old had been the victim of cruel internet trolls.

'Unfortunately, Lee was subjected to significant trolling and it impacted her deeply... our collective help simply wasn't enough to overcome the negativity that Trolls inflict,' he said.

The Macmillan family hope her death can bring to light the devastating impacts cyberbullying can have on mental health.

'We need and must raise awareness that mental health is as real as any other serious illness. In addition, and as important, we want to highlight the best way to fight against cyber bullying and bullying in general,' Mr Macmillan said.

Ms Macmillan's boyfriend Jordan Chiu wrote a heartbreaking tribute to his partner, describing her as 'the brightest light' and a 'magnetic force of nature' who was loved by many

They purchased a 2006 Dodge Sprinter van for about $12,300, which they gutted and renovated for their road trips

The Macmillan family hopes the globetrotter's death can bring to light the devastating impacts cyberbullying can have on mental health

'Online bullying is out of control worldwide and must be stopped. Those that engage in trolling must understand that there are real life consequences to their actions and we need to figure out a way to hold them and the platforms that allow it to be held accountable.'

Ms Macmillan's boyfriend Jordan Chiu wrote a heartbreaking tribute to his partner, describing her as 'the brightest light' and a 'magnetic force of nature' who was loved by many.

'You were a dream beyond my wildest dreams. You filled my heart up full to bursting and stretched it further than what I ever imagined was possible,' he said.

'You were my person, my partner, my best friend. Every day with you was an adventure and I hope wherever you are you've found peace and snuggles. Rest easy puppy. I love you more than you will ever know.'

Mr Chiu said his partner lived an 'extraordinary life' and said he will miss her with 'every fibre' of his heart.

'If we can do one thing for Lee now, in the midst of this soul-crushing loss, it's to spread the message that mental health is just as real as physical health, and that illness can strike anyone, no matter how unlikely they may seem.

'It's ok to not be ok, it's ok to ask for help, it's absolutely necessary to ask for help. Lee was an advocate for mental health. She was candid and open about her own struggles.'

Despite amassing a loyal following of more than 70,000, Ms Macmillan's father Wil said the 27-year-old had been the victim of cruel internet trolls

Mr Chiu said his partner lived an 'extraordinary life' and said he will miss her with 'every fibre' of his heart

Mr Chiu has since started the '#speakupforlee' hashtag, to raise awareness for mental illness and the importance of checking in on your friends

The Macmillan family hopes the globetrotter's death can bring to light the devastating impacts cyberbullying can have on mental health

Mr Chiu said Ms Macmillan had been receiving help from professionals, family and friends for her depression.

'She had support around her. She was not alone, she was not trying to fight this alone. And yet she still succumbed to this terrible illness. It is more nuanced than we can, or do, appreciate or understand,' he said.

Mr Chiu has since started the '#speakupforlee' hashtag, to raise awareness for mental illness and the importance of checking in on your friends.

'Let's spread the awareness of this issue, for Lee and every one else who needs to hear this. And hold your loved ones tight. Tell them you love them. Because life can change in an instant,' he wrote.

'Life is more complex than a single social media post. Things are complicated. Don't believe what you see online. Get out into the world and talk to your loved ones.

'Check in. Ask them genuinely how they're doing. Be available to help. To listen. To offer help. Remove the stigma of asking for help.'

The pair's @maxandlee_ Instagram page, which has garnered more than 67,000 devoted followers, revealed the devastating news on Wednesday

Mr Chiu said Ms Macmillan had been receiving help from professionals, family and friends for her depression

Ms Macmillan amassed an Instagram following of more than 70,000 by documenting her travels with then-boyfriend Max Bidstrup and their Australian Shepherd Occy on their joint Instagram @maxandlee_

Ms Macmillan amassed an Instagram following of more than 70,000 by documenting her travels with then-boyfriend Max Bidstrup and their Australian Shepherd Occy on their joint Instagram @maxandlee_.

Ms Macmillan met Mr Bidstrup while he was on a working holiday in Canada in 2016 and they decided to travel across the world with each other.

They spent two years travelling across 16 countries, before eventually shocking fans by breaking up in January last year.

The couple - who broke up in late 2019 -shared the highs and lows of travelling around Canada, South East Asia, South America and North America - including the time Occy was attacked on a beach in Costa Rica.

They also shared the moment they surprised Mr Bidstrup's brother who had just had a baby by returning to Australia from Canada after more than two years away.

The couple spent their time travelling to untouched areas, away from the crowds of tourists.

The couple met while Mr Bidstrup was on a working holiday in Canada in 2016 and they decided to travel across the world with each other and their Australian Shepherd Occy in a van they renovated

Pictured: A map showing the many countries and territories the couple travelled to together

They drove 80,000 kms to travel across the Lagunas route, which took them up to an elevation of 16,400ft as they crossed the 400km of barren landscape through the Andes mountains from Bolivia to Chile.

Before buying the van and renovating it, the couple spent time travelling around South Australia where they went cave diving with great white sharks before bathing elephants in Thailand.

Ms Macmillan and Mr Bidstrup - a paramedic from Wangaratta in Victoria - met while he was on a working holiday in Canada in 2016.

The loved up couple then spent five weeks travelling around southeast Asia together before returning to Canada.

They purchased a 2006 Dodge Sprinter van for about $12,300, which they gutted and renovated for their road trips.

The pair spent the next few months exploring North America and eventually made their way through to Hawaii and South America where they visited countries such as Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Colombia.

During their time in the US, they spent time visiting the Havasu Canyon in Arizona before travelling to San Diego where they stopped for a week to recover from travelling over 15,000km in their van in the first three months.

Ms Macmillan and Mr Bidstrup also spent almost six months in Mexico where they took Spanish lessons together and spent Christmas on a beach.

They also worked with a local charity to help sea turtles reach the ocean to give them a chance of survival.

The couple launched their Youtube channel while in Oaxaca, Mexico and garnered a huge following.

They then went on to travel to Guatemala - and they were there at the time the Fuego Volcano erupted in June 2018. The couple had been pictured on the volcano four days before the eruption - but told worried followers they were safe.

Mr Bidstrup went to visit the villages which were close to the eruption and the couple donated medical supplies and money to those affected.

Ms Macmallan spent three months back in Canada with her family but joined her partner in Costa Rica.

Whilst she was away Mr Bidstrup had visited Guatemala. The couple, once reunited, posted on Instagram that they felt 'finally complete again'.

The couple moved on to visit Panama before organising for their van to be shipped to Colombia.

The couple - who broke up in late 2019 -shared the highs and lows of travelling around Canada, South East Asia, South America and North America - including the time Occy was attacked on a beach in Costa Rica

Ms Macmillan and Mr Bidstrup - a paramedic from Wangaratta in Victoria - met while he was on a working holiday in Canada

On their first day in the South American country, they hiked the giant rock monolith del Penol and ended up sleeping next to Pablo Escobar's abandoned mansion in Guatape, Colombia.

For Christmas 2018, the couple decided to travel back to Canada to spend time with friends and family before going on to Australia to surprise Mr Bidstrup's family after more than two years away.

The couple went back to their van life in Colombia before travelling to Ecuador where they surfed in crystal clear waters and volunteered at an organic farm.

Ms Macmillan was pictured laying next to a group of sea lions after the couple travelled for a five-day cruise to the Galapagos Islands where they explored the diverse landscape.

The couple moved on to Peru and explored the Peruvian desert with an outdoor truck - and even their dog Occy joined in by wearing large goggles to keep the dust away from his eyes.

They began the 65km Salkantay Trek to Machu Pichu and posted on Instagram saying that it was one of those 'experiences in life you will just never forget'.

Whilst in Bolivia, the pair travelled on bikes on the famous Death Road in La Paz with Occy right behind them in a biker's van and hiked up Mount Huayna Potosi.

They also made it to the stunning Patagonia in Chile where they were surrounded by glacial lakes and snow capped jagged peaks.

Whilst in Bolivia, the pair travelled on bikes on the famous Death Road in La Paz with Occy right behind them in a biker's van and hiked up Mount Huayna Potosi

It was here that Ms Macmillan posted about her mental health and said in an Instagram post: 'I have been struggling with my own insecurities and uncertainties and it has been causing my feelings of anxiety and depression.'

She added: 'The reason why I want to be open with you on this platform is because there has been so many times where I have compared myself online asking why everyone else's life looks so easy and or 'perfect' and I am here struggling.'

Whilst in Chile, the couple announced they would be ending their travels after two years to be closer to family and friends - and to have basic comforts they were living without.

In January last year, the couple announced their split to their joint Instagram account, shocking their hordes of loyal followers and fans.

'Sadly though, despite going through so much together, and trying so damn hard, some things don't always work out, no matter how much you want them to,' they wrote alongside a photo of them.

'We are very sorry to announce that the next chapter of our lives will not be one experienced together, as we will be going our separate ways from here.

'The last month has been one of the most trying of our lives as we come to terms with this new reality. We both want what is best for each other and will continue to support each other now and in to the future.'

Lifeline: 13 11 14

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Kay Burley denies she is about to leave Sky News despite deleting all mentions of the broadcaster from her social media account.

In response to speculation whether her time at Sky was coming to an end, the presenter tweeted 'No'.

Ms Burley, who was suspended for six months over a lockdown-breaking 60th birthday party, had been expected to return to present her breakfast news show in early June.

Previously her Twitter bio read: 'The longest serving anchor on Sky.'

But this recently changed to: 'More live TV than anyone else, yes, really. Animal lover. Mountain climber. Impossibly proud mum' - with no reference to Sky.

This afternoon, Ms Burley brushed off speculation by branding a news article on her reportedly stepping back from Sky an 'April fool'.

MailOnline has contacted Ms Burley, Sky and GB News for comment.

Kay Burley recently changed her Twitter biography to read, 'More live TV than anyone else, yes, really. Animal lover. Mountain climber. Impossibly proud mum' - with no reference to Sky

A series of high-profile broadcasters have recently announced they are leaving their current roles to join new channel GB News, including Andrew Neil, with whom Ms Burley founded Sky News 32 years ago.

Mr Neil was asked about Burley joining him on GB News by Amol Rajan on the Media Show earlier in March.

He said: 'You launched Sky News with Kay Burley, she is currently off air, have you spoken to her about coming to join you?'

'No,' Mr Neil replied.

Ms Burley's now-infamous 60th birthday party in London on the night of December 5 saw her visit a restaurant with nine other diners then use a different restaurant's bathroom after the 11pm curfew.

Miss Burley then continued the party at her Knightsbridge home with three others. She was taken off air for six months following an internal investigation by Sky.

Sky's political editor Beth Rigby and reporter Inzamam Rashid were both taken off air for three months after they attended the meal at Century Club in Soho.

Ms Burley was later told that she would have to go into quarantine after returning to Britain from South Africa just last weekend.

MailOnline has contacted Ms Burley and Sky for comment but received no response

Last month, BBC broadcaster Simon McCoy - best known as Britain's most sarcastic and hilariously indiscreet news presenter - became the last news heavyweight to announce he was joining GB News after 18 years at the corporation, it was revealed today.

The 59-year-old, famed for his dry sense of humour on live TV especially when it comes to delivering news about the Royal Family, had to confirm his departure after his floor manager wished him luck on his last day.

Mr McCoy, who joined the BBC in 2004, presented the News at One for the last time this afternoon and has been showered with praise by colleagues and viewers on social media, who shared clips of his funniest moments.

He signed off with a smile, telling BBC 1 viewers: 'From me, it's good afternoon - and goodbye', and later on the BBC News channel he made colleagues laugh as he clutched some A4 in a homage to the famous moment he started a live report clutching a packet of photocopying paper he thought was his iPad in 2011.

Pictured: The route Kay Burley and three colleagues took across central London as she celebrated her birthday on Saturday, December 5

He is arguably the biggest name to join the new broadcaster along with Sky News stalwart Colin Brazier and new MailOnline columnist Dan Wootton, formerly of The Sun and talkRADIO.

The channel will launch in freeview later this year amid claims they are trying to woo Piers Morgan after he left ITV.

John McAndrew, director of news and programmes at GB News, said: 'Simon's journalistic integrity, warmth and personality is a perfect fit for what we're doing.

'He's a brilliant journalist with an exceptional ability to relate to people in an upbeat way so we're keen to get him out from behind a desk and talking to people from all parts of the United Kingdom.'
Dr Charles Dwamena, the former Deputy Ambassador to China, has advised KNUST students to ensure that they are physically fit as the physical status of their bodies determines the level of physical energy available for productivity.



Speaking on the subject Time and Energy Management at the second leadership summit at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the Medical Doctor cum Politician informed the gathering that it is important to balance time with the right amount of energy as the latter unlike the former is renewable.



Dr China, as he is popularly called indicated that it is important to maintain a physically fit body, a positive emotional state, a strong mind and a good spirit in order to optimize productivity. He suggested that eating healthy meals, taking intermittent breaks and exercising regularly are some of the ways to keep the body fit for positive energy levels. He also stressed that controlling anger, showing appreciation to others and doing away with prejudices are important in ensuring positive emotional state.



He further advised that a strong mind devoid of negative thoughts will always ensure that there is good energy level for increased productivity. Dr China again advised the gathering that it is always important for people to meditate in whatever forms they believe in, be it as a Christian, a Muslim, a Bhudist, an ancestoral worshipper, etc so as to refocus the body, soul and mind.



He concluded by tasking all participants to undertake frequent energy audits of themselves to see their status whether or not they are heading for an energy crisis.



Other panelists were Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu, MP for Madina Constituency, Dr. Rashid Kwesi Etuaful, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Ajumako Constituency and Lawyer Nicholas Lenin Anane Agyei.

Source: Emmanuel Akorli/Parliamentary Correspondent/Peace FM









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 policeman was injured when militants fired upon the residence of a leader in Nowgam area of the city here on Thursday, police said.

leader Anwar Ahmad is safe, a police official said



The official said the militants fired upon the guard post of Ahmad's residence at Arigam Nowgam in the outskirts of the city here this morning.

In the firing, Constable Rameez Raja was injured.

(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: US President Joe Biden on Thursday (April 1) let the ban on foreign workers visa, in particular H-1B, lapse as the notification issued by his predecessor Donald Trump expired, a move which is likely to benefit thousands of Indian IT professionals.

Amidst a national lockdown and the COVID-19 crisis, Trump in June last year issued a proclamation that suspended entry to the US of applicants for several temporary or non-immigrant visa categories, including H-1B, arguing that these visas presented a risk to the US labour market during the economic recovery.

On December 31, Trump extended the order to March 31, 2021, noting that an extension was warranted as the pandemic continued to disrupt American's lives, and high levels of unemployment and job loss were still presenting serious economic challenges to workers across the US.

Biden did not issue a fresh proclamation for the ban on H-1B visas to continue after March 31. He had promised to lift the suspension on H-1B visas, saying Trump's immigration policies were cruel.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

The expiry of Trump's proclamation would now result in the issuing of H-1B visas by American diplomatic missions overseas that would result in US companies bringing in talented technology professionals inside the country. No new proclamation was issued by Biden till Wednesday (March 31) midnight, resulting in the automatic end to the ban on issuing fresh H-1B visas.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House will not renew a ban on H-1B and other work-based visas imposed last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that is set to expire on Wednesday (March 31).

Meanwhile, a Republican Senator from Missouri on Wednesday urged Joe Biden to issue a fresh proclamation to continue with the H-1B visa ban.

I write today to urge you to extend the freeze on temporary foreign worker entries into the United States that, without intervention, will expire today, Senator Josh Hawley wrote in a letter to Biden.

The presidential proclamation suspending the entry of certain temporary workers into the US has protected Americans suffering from the pandemic-induced economic crisis. With millions of struggling Americans out of work and millions more desperate to make ends meet now is not the time to open the floodgates to thousands of foreign workers competing with American workers for scarce jobs and resources, he wrote.

In his letter, Hawley wrote that the unemployment rate remains at 6.2 percent with nearly 10 million Americans out of work and looking for a job. The pandemic has been especially devastating for low-income and working-class Americans, many of whom have borne the brunt of the crisis and stand to lose the most from misguided policy decisions, he said.

In periods of high unemployment, it makes no sense to allow a struggling labour market to be flooded with a wave of foreign competition, he said.

What makes even less sense is to willingly introduce further competition for the US workers at the same time that a disastrous illegal immigration crisis grows on our southern border. As at the border, failure to take meaningful action is, in itself, a policy decision with detrimental impacts for American workers.

I urge you to extend the temporary foreign worker entry suspension until the national unemployment rate has meaningfully declined, and until your administration has conducted a thorough review of non-immigrant visa programmes to ensure that American workers are fully and effectively protected from harm, Hawley added.

Watch this video
Michael Wyke/Contributor

The personal information of Memorial Hermann patients may have been compromised in a data breach last year, according to a Wednesday announcement from Med-Data, the company that handles such information for the hospital.

An in-depth review of the breach found that the compromised information includes: physical address, date of birth, diagnosis, condition, claim information, date of service, subscriber and guarantor ID (subscriber and guarantor IDs may be Social Security numbers), provider name, and health insurance policy number.
Prosecutors disclosed late Wednesday that LaHood, 75, of Peoria, who was Transportation secretary from 2009 to 2013, denied to FBI agents that he had received the loan until he was shown a copy of the $50,000 check. He also did not tell agents that he knew Chagoury was the ultimate source of the loan.
After being snubbed by Donald Trump for refusing to back him in election fraud charges, Mike Pence allegedly set the groundwork for a presidential run in 2024.

Mike Pence lays groundworks for Presidential bid in 2024

The reports came after Trump announced Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz as potential Republican Party leaders. Former Vice President Mike Pence has been gradually reentering public life by endorsing political groups, publishing op-eds, giving interviews, and releasing a "video podcast" for an activist group to promote the Trump administration's achievements.

GOP strategists believe Pence's activities after leaving office, such as his constant existence in Washington, D.C., indicate he could run for public office again, perhaps even for President. After Trump made insubstantial allegations of voter manipulation during the November 2020 election, Pence severed ties with him.

Joe Biden's Dog Bites Another White House Personnel, Results to Medical Attention

Trump said that Democrats 'stole' the election from him, an accusation that Pence eventually refuted, The Sun reported. When Pence was on Capitol Hill on January 6 to oversee the confirmation of the Electoral College results, a pro-Trump crowd chanted, "Hang Mike Pence."

Since then, the two former leaders are said to have been at odds. Insiders believe Trump's failure to mention Pence while debating prospective 2024 presidential candidates earlier this month signals Pence's challenge if he decides to run.

Pence, who developed a reputation as one of Trump's most dedicated allies, is still viewed with suspicion by many Republicans for abiding by his constitutional duty in January to promote a peaceful transition of power to the Biden administration, a move that still enrages Trump.

Eric Trump Claims His Father 'Fixed' Undocumented Immigration Problem Prior to Biden's Election

Trump claims there is 'hope' for 2024 Presidential run

Former President Donald Trump said his supporters should have "hope" that he will run for President again in 2024, as per Newsweek. However, Trump has yet to declare his candidacy officially. In an 18-minute interview for her podcast 'The Right View,' the Former President spoke with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Tuesday. He repeated his claim that he should have won the 2020 presidential election and chastised President Joe Biden.

Lara Trump, Eric Trump's wife, inquired about a potential third presidential run. According to recent polls, Trump has a strong lead among Republicans in the race for the party's nomination in 2024.

Donald Trump compared his stance to the Biden administration's policies by citing his alliance with China and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Meanwhile, Lara Trump has raised the possibility of a new presidential race. "We may see a Trump re-election attempt in 2024. Ladies and gentlemen, stay tuned," she said.

Any presidential campaign in 2024 will almost certainly include the massive rallies that have characterized Trump's previous movements. The former President gave no other information about upcoming activities.

A Politico-Morning Consult poll published last month showed Republicans favored Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination, with 54 percent of GOP supporters saying they would vote for him in their party's primary. A higher percentage, 59 percent, said Trump should play a leading role in the party.

Donald Trump Says He Wrote a Letter to Joe Biden 'From the Heart'

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The U.S. government says it cannot confirm the accurate figure of casualties from last October's Lekki tollgate shooting in Lagos during a protest against police brutality.

The U.S. Department of States said this in its 45th annual human rights report.

The report said "accurate information on the fatalities" from the shooting remain fuzzy because apart from "Amnesty International which reported 10 persons died during the event, no other organization was able to verify the claim."

"One body from the toll gate showed signs of blunt force trauma. A second body from another location in Lagos State had bullet wounds. The government acknowledged that soldiers armed with live ammunition were present at the Lekki Toll Gate. At year's end the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution continued to hear testimony and investigate the shooting at Lekki Toll Gate," the report noted.

The U.S. report, now in its 45th edition, examines the human rights standing of 198 countries with a focus on seven sections, including press freedom, corruption and transparency.

U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced the publication of the report Tuesday, saying that his country acknowledges the "work ahead and expects all nations to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms."

Honored to release the 45th annual Human Rights Report. It demonstrates that human rights, transparency and accountability are at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. We acknowledge the work ahead and expect all nations to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. #HRR2020 pic.twitter.com/G7BO475AoG

- Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 30, 2021

Controversy

Despite media reports and investigations, the Nigerian government had strongly pushed back at the claims that the shooting led to massive death tolls.

An investigation by this newspaper, which involved on the ground reporting and interviews with eyewitnesses and residents at adjoining communities at the site of the event, detailed how authorities tried to cover their trails including dumping bodies inside a nearby lagoon.

Other media investigations also told stories of protesters who went into hiding after they received strange calls and death threats if they spoke. The report went further to identify 20 victims and their families, including those who died as a result of the event.

The protests, tagged #EndSARS, which preceded the shooting, had sparked unprecedented agitation across Nigeria as young citizens hit the street due to years of arbitrary abuse in the hands of the notorious police unit, SARS, which was later scrapped during the protest.

The agitation ushered in five-point demands from the protesters, one of which included setting up judicial panels across states to investigate past cases of right abuses.

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While some panels are yet to conclude their sittings, some have ordered the payment of damages to some victims.

Abuses

The report said there were instances where the Nigerian government and its agents committed arbitrary, unlawful, or extrajudicial killings.

"At times authorities sought to investigate, and when found culpable, held police, military, or other security force personnel accountable for the use of excessive or deadly force or for the deaths of persons in custody, but impunity in such cases remained a significant problem. State and federal panels of inquiry investigating suspicious deaths did not always make their findings public," the report read.

"The national police, army, and other security services sometimes used force to disperse protesters and apprehend criminals and suspects. Police forces engaging in crowd-control operations generally attempted to disperse crowds using nonlethal tactics, such as firing tear gas, before escalating their use of force," it added.
Joe Biden was elected as a moderate-left Democrat, but he is not governing as one. He pledged repeatedly to work across party lines, but he is ramming through the biggest, most expensive progressive agenda in American history without any Republican votes. He is almost certain to try it again with his next two spending proposals, the largest since Lyndon Johnsons Great Society programs. As the White House pushes these mammoth bills with only Democratic votes, Americans are realizing they got a very different president from the one they bargained for, the one they were promised during the campaign. Whats unclear is whether they will recoil from this new reality.

Throughout the summer and fall, Biden ran as a unifier who could work across party lines. He wanted to do so, he said, and he reiterated that comforting message as late as his inaugural address. It was probably his most important policy message, and Americans believed it. They remembered his years in the Senate and his primary victory over socialist Bernie Sanders.

The reality has been very different from the promises. Bidens pledge of bipartisanship and unity turned out to be a cynical sleight-of-hand, raw partisanship masquerading as comity. In the general election, it worked well enough to defeat a divisive incumbent, whose impulsiveness, rancor, and personal attacks repulsed many Americans. Now that the election is over, so is the message. Despite razor-thin Democratic majorities on Capitol Hill, Biden is determined to pass an ambitious agenda with no support from Republicans.

The clearest indication of Bidens bait and switch came with the stimulus bill. Before signaling his final position, the president reached out to Republicans, who proposed a $600 billion package, focused on immediate needs plus some fiscal stimulus.

The bipartisan meeting was all for show. Biden quickly rejected the Republicans proposal, made no effort to meet with them again or negotiate any compromise, and chose instead to push for a bill three times as large, much of it to be spent long after the COVID crisis has passed. The extra $1.3 trillion did not include the infrastructure and other programs he now considers essential. Those are coming in additional bills with huge price tags and associated tax hikes.

President Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer knew their mammoth COVID bill would face unified Republican resistance. No matter. They pushed it through anyway, using the Senates arcane rule for budget reconciliation. They went big and unilateral, even though Republicans were eager to sign off on a large relief bill that would have commanded a Senate supermajority. This week, we learned Schumer has quietly asked the Senate parliamentarian if he can use the same 50-vote procedure for Bidens latest spending bills, hoping to avoid any Republican filibuster.

Will this 'ram-it-through' mentality characterize the remainder of Bidens first two years? You dont have to visit the Oracle at Delphi for an answer. The clearest indication is that the president, who ran for the Oval Office as a man of the Senate, now wants to smash long-standing Senate rules so he can pass the rest of his legislative agenda without Republican votes.

The filibuster rules, Biden says, are nothing more than relics of the Jim Crow era. Hes relying on the distant memory that, more than half a century ago, Southern senators used the filibuster to oppose desegregation. Yet the huge civil rights and voting rights bills of the mid-1960s still passed. Whats more, they passed with enough debate and votes to buttress the statutes with a national political consensus.

Since then, both parties have used the filibuster to oppose all sorts of bills, most of them far removed from race. The Democrats used the technique repeatedly last year, when they were in the minority. They used it, for instance, to stop a police reform bill proposed by Tim Scott, an African American representing the state that fired the first shots in the Civil War. But thats only one example among many. When Joe Biden and Barack Obama served in the Senate, they not only used the filibuster, they explicitly defended it. So did Chuck Schumer. Were they defending Jim Crow? No. They were defending the historic role of the Senate, which grants some power to the minority party.

Now, the same Democrats want to overturn those rules, and they are cynically deploying the sensitive issue of race to do it. But race is not the real issue here. It is whether the Senate wants to afford significant rights to the minority party, as it has for over two centuries, forcing either compromise solutions or stalemate. Put differently, do senators really want to turn their chamber into something like the House, where the minority is powerless and debate is meaningless? Once they do that, they can never turn back.

Behind Bidens choice to go big, progressive, and unilateral lie three basic calculations. The first is that, if history is any guide, Democrats are likely to lose the House in 2022. The incumbent presidents party almost always suffers losses, often big ones, and the Democrats dont have any seats to spare. That means Biden has only two years to pass his aggressive agenda. Second is his judgment that voters really like big government spending. Recent polling suggests they do, for now. The question is whether that support will last and whether it will outweigh voters concerns about tax hikes to pay for those programs. Third, Biden is betting that voters in 2022 and 2024 will care a lot more about todays practical results than about yesterdays broken campaign promises. Thats probably true. The White House also knows it can blame Republicans for any resistance to its agenda. It has a bully pulpit and a compliant media to help.

The result is a president determined to pass everything on the Democrats all-you-can-eat menu, even if he has to do it with strict party-line votes. As a candidate, Joe Biden promised voters a center-left agenda and bipartisanship. As a president, he is giving them neither. Bidens deception is based on the oldest marketing technique in the book: bait and switch.
Srinagar, April 1 : The police security guard of a mid-rung BJP leader was killed in a militant attack on Thursday in the outskirts of Srinagar city.

Police sources said that militants attacked the residence of Anwar Khan in Aribagh area of Nowgam.

"The BJP leader was not present at his residence when the militants struck. Ramiz Raja, the police constable guarding Khan's residence was injured in the attack.

"He was shifted to a city hospital where he succumbed to critical injuries.

"Militants decamped with the service rifle of the injured police guard," sources said.

Police has registered an FIR and investigations are underway to identify the militants involved in the attack.
US House Oversight Committee will markup bill to make Washington DC the 51st US state in a meeting on April 14th (NBC 4)

EPA Administrator Michael Reagan (appointed by Pres. Biden) to fire all experts hired under the Trump administration, a move he says will restore science and trust in the agency -WaPo

Pfizer/BioNTech says clinical trials show COVID vaccine 100% effective, safe for youths 12 to 15

A Belgian court has ruled that all Covid-19 restrictions need to be lifted within 30 days or the state will be excessively fined. The court found that the government did not have the legal standing to put the restrictions in place.

Washington state reports 'vaccine breakthrough,' hundreds get COVID weeks after being vaccinated

A 'vaccine breakthrough' occurs when some who are fully vaccinated still contract the virus, which has happened to over 100 people in Washington state.

Epidemiologists report evidence of 102 breakthrough cases in 18 Washington counties, among millions of vaccinated residents. Two patients who received the vaccination died after becoming infected with the virus.

"DOH is investigating two potential vaccine breakthrough cases where the patients died. Both patients were more than 80 years old and suffered underlying health issues," officials said in a news release. The health department also said the majority of those vaccinated who tested positive experienced mild symptoms, but at least eight have been hospitalized.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 21:51:45|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Thursday launched a three-year personnel training program aimed at ending malaria, one of the southern African nation's leading causes of illness and deaths.

Supported by three cooperating agencies, the 6 million U.S. dollars project aims to save lives by empowering community health workers to test, diagnose and treat malaria.

The three organizations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will each contribute 2 million dollars for the Malaria-Free Zambia program which will target about 1.3 million people in 10 of the most highly affected districts of Central and Muchinga provinces.

The three-year project will train and add 2,500 community health workers to the national health system through capacity-building programs.

Minister of Health Jonas Chanda said during the launch that the government was happy that the three organizations have joined forces to help Zambia fight malaria one of the country's major health challenges.

He said it was not possible for the government alone to eliminate malaria hence the importance of getting support from cooperating partners.

According to him, the government has been implementing various programs aimed at fighting the disease such as spraying of residential areas, provision of mosquito nets as well as sensitization programs.

He hoped that the launch of the project will boost the government's fight against the disease. Enditem
He recently received rave reviews for his leading role in the 2020 drama film Minari.

And on Thursday, Deadline reported that Steven Yeun is currently in talks to take a leading role in Jordan Peele's upcoming third directorial effort.

Although no plot details about the forthcoming feature have been released, the media outlet reported that it had been scheduled for a July 22, 2022 release date.

Making moves: Steven Yeun is in talks to join Jordan Peele's upcoming and untitled third directorial effort; the actor is pictured in March

Also currently involved in the project is Keke Palmer, who was tapped to take a leading role in the director's project earlier this year.

The publication also reported that Daniel Kaluuya was also in negotiations to star alongside the 37-year-old Walking Dead fan favorite.

If the actor signs on to the project, it will mark his second collaboration with the 42-year-old director. Kaluuya starred in Peele's 2017 smash horror hit and directorial debut, Get Out.

Peele is set to direct, write and produce the upcoming feature, which Universal will distribute as part of their five-year deal with his Monkeypaw Productions company.

Coming soon: Although details about Peele's project are being kept under wraps, the film currently has a release date of July 22, 2022, according to Deadline; he is seen at the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Already there: Last month, it was announced that Keke Palmer had joined the cast of the Get Out director's third film; she is spotted in 2019

Although Yeun's participation in the upcoming film has not been confirmed yet, he is still involved in several other projects that will make their respective debuts in the near future.

The actor recently joined the cast of the forthcoming Netflix dramedy series Beef, where he will costar with Ali Wong.

The show will follow a pair of people involved in a road rage incident that slowly becomes the focus of their lives.

He is also set to portray Richard in Stephen Karam's directorial debut, The Humans, which is currently in post-production.

The feature is based on the director's 2015 play of the same name and will follow a Manhattan-based family that gathers for a Thanksgiving dinner that quickly goes awry as the evening progresses.

One more time: Daniel Kaluuya, who starred in Peele's directorial debut Get Out, has also been in talks to join the project; he is seen at the 2020 EE British Academy Film Awards

He also recently voiced the titular character in the animated show Invincible, which premiered late last month on Amazon Prime Video.

Yeun leads an ensemble cast for the comic book-based series, which also includes J.K Simmons, Seth Rogen and Sandra Oh, among numerous others.

Several of the actor's Walking Dead castmates, including Lauren Cohan and Michael Cudlitz, have signed on to appear in the show.

Yeun's voice acting efforts will be showcased in the upcoming second season of Tuca & Bertie, where he is set to star alongside both Wong and Tiffany Haddish.

Netflix initially canceled the show after its first season, but it was eventually picked up by Adult Swim, who ordered a second set of episodes, which are expected to arrive later this year.

Known for it: Yeun was showered with widespread critical praise for his role in the drama film Minari, which was released last year
Jacinda Ardern has fulfilled her election promises by raising New Zealand's minimum wage to $20 an hour and increasing tax on the nation's richest to 39 per cent.

The changes came into effect on Thursday and will impact up to 175,000 of the nation's lowest earning workers.

The Ardern Government said those working a 40-hour week on minimum wage will pocket an extra NZ$44 per week.

Jacinda Ardern has fulfilled her election promises by raising New Zealand's minimum wage to $20 an hour and increasing tax on the rich to 39 per cent

The Ardern Government said those working a 40-hour week on minimum wage will pocket an extra NZ$44 per week

Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff said it's important Ms Ardern's election vow of a $20 minimum wage has finally become a reality.

'Over 170,000 Kiwis will have a pay rise, and for those who were on the previous minimum wage of $18.90, working a 40 hour week, they will have an increase of $44 a week (before tax),' he said.

'We know that thousands of working people do not earn enough to provide for a comfortable life for them and their whanau [extended family]. They are the working poor; struggling to meet the costs of basics like food and housing.

'Covid showed us all just how crucial many jobs are to the functioning of our society, jobs in health, cleaning, on our border or supermarkets. Many of these crucial roles are poorly paid.'

The changes also impact Kiwis who earn more than NZ$180,000 a year, which makes up around two per cent of the population.

The tax increase to 39 per cent will bring in an extra NZ$550m in revenue in 2021.

Prime Minister Ardern said it represents 'real and long overdue improvements to the support we provide our most vulnerable'.

'There is still much more to do, including building more homes, improving our health system, investing in education, training and job opportunities,' she said.

After winning the election late last year, Mr Ardern vowed to not take New Zealanders' support for granted.

'And I can promise you we will be a party that governs for every New Zealander,' she said in October.
NASA urged to respect China's sovereignty, territorial integrity

Xinhua) 08:29, April 01, 2021

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese government spokesperson on Wednesday called on NASA to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and urged the United States to uphold the one-China principle and abide by the three China-U.S. joint communiques.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks at a press conference in response to NASA listing Taiwan as a separate country on its official website.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Zhu said, adding that China expects NASA, as an agency of the U.S. federal government, to correct its relevant mistakes soon.

Zhu urged the United States to properly handle issues related to the Taiwan question.

China firmly opposes any official contact between the United States and Taiwan in any form, Zhu stressed. "Any attempt by the Democratic Progressive Party authority to obstinately count on the United States to seek 'Taiwan independence' is doomed to fail."

The United States keeps sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, and aiding and abetting their separatist activities, which has heavily burdened the Taiwan people and made them suffer, Zhu noted.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
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Smile Telecoms Holdings Ltd., a Pan-African telecommunications group with operations in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, announced Wednesday, that its debt restructuring plan has been approved and agreed with the lenders.

The debt restructuring plan sees an injection in fresh money funding from Smiles majority shareholder, the Al Nahla, and rescheduling on debt repayment until post-March 2022.

The company said the fresh injection of $51 million in funding for operations will further enhance Smiles position in its respective markets and energize Smiles operations and support efforts towards achieving better performance.

Founded in 2007, with its head office in England, Smile Telecoms also operates in South Africa. The company has one of the largest sub-1 GHz 4G LTE commercial networks in Africa, operating in the future proof low band, 800 MHz band, and mid-band.

Smile was the first to launch VoLTE on its network and continued its innovation, introducing SmileVoice, a free mobile app. SmileVoice enables customers with any Android or Apple iPhone device (including those which are not VoLTE-enabled) to make SuperClear voice calls over Smiles 4G LTE network.
Cardiothoracic surgeon Charles R. Hatcher Jr., former Emory vice president for health affairs and director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, died March 27. He was the founding chair and CEO of the Emory University System of Healthcare.

Charles Ross Hatcher Jr., MD, former vice president for health affairs at Emory University and director of Emorys Woodruff Health Sciences Center, passed away peacefully at Emory University Hospital on March 27, 2021, at the age of 90.

He was preceded in death by his parents Charles Ross Hatcher Sr. and Vivian Miller Hatcher. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Gregory Hatcher; daughter, Marian Hatcher Thorpe (George); son Charles Ross Hatcher III (Leslie); and grandchildren Charles Ross Hatcher IV, Caroline Hatcher and Catherine Hatcher. He was Extra Dad to Andrea Phyllis Slappey, Thomas Henry Slappey (Kari), Holly Pompe van Meerdervoort (Hjalmar), grandchildren Michael and Ella Slappey, and Amalia and Olivia Pompe van Meerdervoort.

Hatcher was born June 28, 1930, in Bainbridge, Georgia, and grew up in nearby Attapulgus, a small shade-tobacco town five miles above the Georgia-Florida line. An only child, for whom perfect grades came easily, he set a course for a career in medicine at an early age.

After graduating in 1954 from the University of Georgia School of Medicine, later renamed the Medical College of Georgia, he chose a career in surgery and accepted an internship and residency at Johns Hopkins. Two years into his residency, during which he served as the Halsted Chief Resident in Cardiac Surgery, he was drafted into the Army and served as a captain in the Medical Corps at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

Upon completion of his tour of duty and his residency, he was offered a surgical position on the faculty of Johns Hopkins, but declined the offer. He told his mentor that as an only child, he needed to be near his parents as they grew older, and he wanted to stay in Georgia or a nearby state. Then you should be at Emory was his mentors sage advice.

Hatcher joined Emory in 1962 as an instructor in surgery in the Emory University School of Medicine and a surgeon in the Emory Clinic. During his residency at Hopkins and then the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, he trained under the two most talented surgeons of the era  Dr. Alfred Blalock at Hopkins and Dr. Francis Moore at Brigham.

Hatcher brought all he had learned and more back to Georgia. On his second day on the job at Emory he performed Georgias first successful blue baby operation, ushering in a new era of open-heart surgery for Georgia. He performed the states first double-, then triple-valve replacements and, in 1970, the states first coronary bypass, all at Emory University Hospital.

By 1971, Hatcher, then 41 years old, was named chief of cardiothoracic surgery. Emory quickly became one of the countrys largest centers for open heart surgery. In 1976, The Emory Clinic members unanimously elected him director and chief executive officer.

Atlantas first health czar

As chief of cardiothoracic surgery, Hatcher had been the driving force behind Emorys rise in prominence as one of the nations largest and most respected heart surgery programs. In 1984, after a year as interim director, he took the reins as leader of Emorys Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, named for the legendary leader of The Coca-Cola Company.

At the time, the center consisted of three schools  Medicine, Dentistry (since closed) and Nursing  a primate research center, and two hospitals. He would quickly transform the center and its components, setting it on the path to become a leading research institution with the states largest, most comprehensive health care system designed to meet the needs of the state and region.

Often referred to as Atlantas first health czar, in 1994, Hatcher was the founding chairman and CEO of the Emory University System of Healthcare.

Among his most impactful achievements, of which he declared himself most proud, were the creation of the Rollins School of Public Health, Georgias first; the expansion of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center; establishment of a 30-year contract between Emorys School of Medicine and Grady Memorial Hospital; assistance in the formation and accreditation of the Morehouse School of Medicine; establishment of the Carlyle Fraser Heart Center at Emory University Hospital Midtown; and the establishment of Emory Healthcare, of which he would be CEO.

Activities and honors

Hatchers storied career as a cardiac surgeon also includes an impressive roster of activity within his chosen field. He served as president of the Georgia Heart Association, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and for seven years as finance committee chair for the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

He received countless honors during his life, including the Robert W. Woodruff Medal, establishment of the Charles Ross Hatcher Jr. Distinguished Professorship of Surgery, and the Charles Hatcher Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Health, presented annually by the Rollins School of Public Health to a faculty member in recognition of a lifetime of achievement in public health.

He also received the Distinguished Service Award from Emory University School of Medicine, the Distinguished Service Award of the Emory University School of Dentistry, and the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Morehouse School of Medicine.

In June 1996, on his 66th birthday, Hatcher stepped down as vice president for health affairs, director of the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, and CEO of Emory Healthcare. He remained for many years at Emory as director emeritus of the WHSC and senior adviser to the university president and board of trustees, who would not give up access to his wit and astute judgment.

Ronnie Jowers, former vice president under Hatcher, called him a true Renaissance man who could do it all. A visionary who knew how to lead, he understood, respected and valued everyone, business leaders and staff alike." And, Jowers added, "his Methodist upbringing, southern-gentleman charm, and his ability to tell a great story was always present.

A few months before his passing, Hatcher told long-time WHSC vice president Gary Teal that he would simply like to be remembered as someone who loved Emory University, the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and his home state of Georgia.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Hatchers honor to Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305, or to the Emory University Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Office, 1440 Clifton Road, NE, Suite 410, Atlanta, GA 30322, ATTN: Gary Teal.

A memorial services will be held in Atlanta at a future date.
The hosts are a young, aristocratic couple (unless they are siblings): Nikolai (Frederic Schulz-Richard) and Olga (Marina Palii). They speak French to their guests and German to their servants, who speak Hungarian to one another. Malmkrog may refer to the movies setting, but this too is ambiguous. With short breaks to tend to an older relative in a back room, to listen to Christmas carols or to step outside to look at the snow, Olga and Nikolai convene a daylong seminar with Ingrida (Diana Sakalauskaite), Edouard (Ugo Broussot) and Madeleine (Agathe Bosch), slightly older friends of varied backgrounds, all possessing strong and complicated opinions.

To summarize their respective views on metaphysics, ethics and world history would be a spoiler, and would require more space than this newspaper could possibly provide. And while some of them  Edouard, in particular  can drone on a bit, the charisma and skill of the actors and the exquisiteness of Puius eye prevent the proceedings from collapsing into absolute tedium.

The rooms and costumes are beautiful, the people are interesting to look at, and the camera observes everything with a discreetly sensual gaze. At times it stands at a distance, pivoting slightly from side to side like a watchful butler. Occasionally it moves closer, studying faces and hands like an attentive guest.

The images and the words, in whatever language, possess an alluring clarity. The filmmakers intentions are more opaque. Puiu  whose second feature, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005), is a touchstone of contemporary Romanian cinema  has moved from that films rigorous naturalism into more esoteric realms. Not that the concerns of Malmkrog are obscure, exactly. It seems like a faithful representation of what people like Olga and Nikolai, and their friends, might have thought in the 1890s, and it doesnt condescend to them or flaunt the easy ironies of hindsight. Nor, however, does it make an especially compelling case for why we should listen now.

Malmkrog

Not rated. In French, Russian, German, Hungarian, English and Romanian, with subtitles. Running time: 3 hours 21 minutes. Watch on Mubi.
April 01 : Veteran actor Anupam Kher today confirmed the news that his wife and BJP leader Kirron Kher has been diagnosed with blood cancer. While updating fans and well-wishers about her health status, Anupam Kher said that the actress is undergoing treatment and is on her way to recovery.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Anupam Kher wrote that his wife will come out of the disease emerging stronger than before as she is a fighter and takes things head on. The long note read as, Just so that rumours don't get the better of a situation Sikandar and I would like to inform everyone that Kirron has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. She is currently undergoing treatment and we are sure she will come out of this stronger than before. We are very blessed that she is being looked after by a phenomenal set of doctors.

The veteran actor further wrote, She's always been a fighter and takes things head on. She's all heart and that's why she has so many people that love her. So keep sending your love to her in your prayers and in your heart. She is well on her way to recovery and we thank everyone for their support and love. Anupam and Sikandar.

After being questioned about her absence from important political events, Kirron Khers fellow party member and Chandigarhs BJP president, Arun Sood also said at a press conference on Wednesday that the politician is fighting blood cancer and being treated by a team of medical experts.

Arun soon said that after Kirron Kher suffered a broken left arm at her Chandigarh house on November 11 last year, she had some tests at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, when she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The disease had spread to her left arm and right shoulder, for which she had to go to Mumbai on December 4 for treatment. After four-month long treatment, the veteran actress is recovering but has to visit Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai, regularly for the treatment.
China refutes joint statement from 14 countries on WHO report

Xinhua) 15:52, April 01, 2021

Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia)

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday refuted a joint statement made by the United States and 13 other countries expressing "concerns" over the World Health Organization (WHO) report on the origins of COVID-19, and said this was evidence of certain countries' disrespect for science and political manipulation of the origin-tracing issue, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a daily news briefing when answering a relevant question. She said China had repeatedly emphasized that origin-tracing is a matter of science, which should be jointly conducted by scientists all over the world and should not be politicized.

Hua said politicizing the origin-tracing issue was immoral and unpopular and will only hinder global cooperation in the study of the origins of COVID-19, jeopardize anti-pandemic cooperation, and cost more lives, which runs counter to the wishes of the international community.

"These countries should engage in some self-reflection and ask themselves, how has their own anti-epidemic work gone? What have they done for international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic?" Hua said.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Gage is pleased to announce that the Company's subordinate voting shares (the "Shares") will commence trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "GAGE" on Tuesday, April 6th, 2021 (the "Listing Date").

"We are humbled by all the support we have received from our shareholders, customers, strategic partners, and those that have cheered us on from the sidelines in anticipation of our public listing," said Fabian Monaco, CEO of Gage. "As a publicly traded entity, this milestone will increase our visibility, allow us to attract new investors, increase our brand awareness, and open doors to exciting new business opportunities."

As part of the Company's disclosure obligations as a reporting issuer, ongoing financial and disclosure documents can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile.

Operational Update

Gage is pleased to provide the following operational update:

1. Michigan Market

The Michigan market is one of the fastest growing cannabis markets and has a robust history of being a strong market due to its medical program which has been online for over a decade. In December 2019 , the first month of legal adult-use sales were $7M vs. $67.4M more recently (864% increase over 14 months). In 2020, the MI market posted almost $1B in total sales (250% increase YoY) and coming into 2021, the MI market posted $108M in January 2021 which is $1.3B annualized.

market is one of the fastest growing cannabis markets and has a robust history of being a strong market due to its medical program which has been online for over a decade. In , the first month of legal adult-use sales were vs. more recently (864% increase over 14 months). In 2020, the MI market posted almost in total sales (250% increase YoY) and coming into 2021, the MI market posted in which is annualized. Given the continued growth trajectory, we believe Michigan can be a top five cannabis market in the US in 2021.

2. Exponential Cultivation Ramp

One of the Company's main constraints to growth historically has been its cultivation capacity as our in-house grown products often sell out within a week, sometimes within 48-72 hours of the product launch. In response, Gage is expanding its own facilities while arranging with other growers to supply Gage/Cookies strains on a contract basis (50%+ gross margins is the arrangement).

Gage expects its cultivation capacity to increase substantially, from 400lbs in November 2020 to 1,250lbs in March 2021 to 3,000lbs in June 2021 to 5,000lbs/month by year end. These numbers are de-risked, as they are spread across 7 different cultivation facilities currently in production, moving to 9 facilities at the end of Q2 2021, and 13 cultivation facilities by year end.

3. Cookies Exclusive

Gage is the exclusive partner for Cookies in Michigan . This means Gage has the exclusive rights to cultivate, process, and retail all Cookies branded products in addition to operating Cookies branded dispensaries in Michigan .

. This means Gage has the exclusive rights to cultivate, process, and retail all Cookies branded products in addition to operating Cookies branded dispensaries in . Gage currently operates two Cookies-branded provisioning centers (dispensaries). The Detroit (8 Mile) Cookies location and the Cookies dispensary in Kalamazoo , as the state's first Cookies adult-use location and first in the Midwest, with plans to open two more adult-use Cookies stores in Q2/Q3 2021.

4. Quick Retail Expansion

Gage currently operates 7 dispensaries with a plan to open an average of one store per month this year. With 12 licenses in the portfolio, in addition to acquisition opportunities in the pipeline, Gage aims to open 20 dispensaries by year end.

5. Industry Leading Retail Metrics

Gage boasts some of the highest dispensary metrics in the industry. The company's average basket size in 2020 was $164 compared to the estimated state average basket size of $85 . Average basket size calculations are based on dividing the total retail sales by the total number of transactions.

compared to the estimated state average basket size of . Average basket size calculations are based on dividing the total retail sales by the total number of transactions. Additionally, Gage is targeting $1M average in sales per month for each dispensary it operates. Currently, Gage's recent average monthly sales per dispensary is in excess of $1M .

6. Completion of Oversubscribed Reg A+ Financing

This past January, Gage announced the closing of its Regulation A, Tier 2, equity financing for gross proceeds of US$50 million .

. The oversubscribed offering included demand from both institutional and retail investors, and significantly expanded the Company's ownership base through the addition of over 1,000 new shareholders.

As part of this offering, funds controlled by Jason Wild and JW Asset Management invested more than US$40 million , comprising 80%+ of the financing.

Lock-up Agreements

In conjunction with the listing of the Shares, the Company's founders, insiders, directors, and officers (the "Locked-up Holders") have entered into a voluntary lock-up agreement (each a "Lock-up Agreement"), effective March 30, 2021. Parties that have entered into this Lock-up Agreement represent approximately 67% and 72% of the voting rights of the Company on a basic and fully diluted basis, respectively.

The voluntary Lock-up Agreements stipulate that the Locked-up Holders will not offer to sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of any of their currently owned securities of the Company (the "Locked-up Securities"), or enter into any transaction to such effect, directly or indirectly, in addition to other restrictions. Subject to the provisions of the Lock-up Agreement, the Locked-up Securities will be released and not be subject to the Lock-Up Agreements as follows: (a) 10% of the Locked-up Securities shall be released on the Listing Date; (b) 15% of the Locked-up Securities shall be released on the date that is three (3) months following the Listing Date; and (c) 75% of the Locked-up Securities shall be released on the date that is six (6) months following the Listing Date.

About Gage

Gage Growth Corp. is innovating and curating the highest quality cannabis experiences possible for cannabis consumers in the state of Michigan and bringing internationally renowned brands to market. Through years of progressive industry experience, the firm's founding partners have successfully built and grown operations with federal and state licenses, including cultivation, processing and retail locations. Gage's portfolio includes city and state approvals for 19 "Class C" cultivation licenses, three processing licenses and 12 provisioning centers (dispensaries).

For more information about Gage Growth Corp., visit www.gagecannabis.com

Instagram: @gagecannabis

Facebook: @gageusa

Twitter: @gagecannabisco

Gage Contact:

1-(833)-455-GAGE (4243)

[email protected]

Sources: Gage Growth Corp., Detroit Metro Times, Marijuana Regulatory Agency.

Explanatory Note Regarding the Company's Operations

References in this news release to the Company and its operations and assets are inclusive of the operations and assets of certain licensed cannabis operators that operate under the Gage brand pursuant to contractual arrangements with the Company. For additional information, please refer to the Company's long form prospectus dated March 26, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com .

Caution Regarding Cannabis Operations in the United States

Investors should note that there are significant legal restrictions and regulations that govern the cannabis industry in the United States. While legal in certain states, cannabis remains a Schedule I drug under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, making it illegal under federal law in the United States to, among other things, cultivate, distribute or possess cannabis. Financial transactions involving proceeds generated by, or intended to promote, cannabis-related business activities in the United States may form the basis for prosecution under applicable U.S. federal money laundering legislation. Investors should carefully read the risk factors and disclosures contained in the Company's long form prospectus dated March 26, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Gage's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Gage's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, statements about the trading of the Shares on the CSE, Gage's prospects in Michigan and Gage's proposed retail and cultivation expansions.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Gage is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Gage believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Among others, the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: unexpected costs or delays in the completion of the Company's proposed dispensaries and other operations; negative results experienced by the Company as a result of general economic conditions or the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; delays in the ability of the Company to obtain certain regulatory approvals; unforeseen delays or costs in the completion of the Company's construction projects; adverse changes to demand for cannabis products; ongoing projects by competitors that may impact the relative size of the Company's operations; adverse changes in applicable laws; adverse changes in the application or enforcement of current laws, including those related to taxation; increasing costs of compliance with extensive government regulation; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and the other risks disclosed in the Company's long form prospectus dated March 26, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Gage does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Third Party Information

This press release includes market and industry data that has been obtained from third party sources, including industry publications. The Company believes that the industry data is accurate and that its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of this data. Third party sources generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of included information. Although the data is believed to be reliable, the Company has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this press release or ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon by such sources.

SOURCE Gage Cannabis Co.

Related Links

https://gageusa.com


The Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK) on Tuesday cautioned the public against what it termed as unauthorised marketing of covid-19 vaccines to the public on social media.

PSK said it was aware that some influential personalities in the country were engaging in what amounted to popularisation of certain vaccine brands, arguing that this is dangerous.

"Our attention has been drawn to personalities marketing brands of the Covid-19 vaccine to the public through their social media pages," said PSK President Louis Machogu.

He termed it unethical and disallowed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board regulations.

"The said marketing could also inadvertently lead to increase in proliferation of fake medicines in the country," Dr Machogu said.

The PSK boss further cautioned Kenyans on cases of global trade in fake Covid-19 vaccines that target popularised brands.

Even though the body did not mention anyone, the statement appears to be a response to a move by prominent lawyers Ahmednasir Abdullahi alias Grand Mullah and Donald Kipkorir to publicise their vaccinations on Tuesday.

"We do not want to see the public exploited, times are hard and trying enough as it is already," he added.

Unauthorised Marketing of COVID-19 Vaccine and Rise of Fake COVID-19 Vaccine pic.twitter.com/gC9QYLLyaX

- Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK) (@PSofKenya) March 30, 2021

In their official Twitter handles, the two lawyers posted their images while receiving the Ruasian Sputnik V vaccine.

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On Tuesday, the Russian Embassy in Nairobi announced a private entity imported Sputnik V to Kenya on a commercial basis but did not reveal the identity of the said private entity.

Last week, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) granted Emergency Use Approval to a private pharmacy, making Sputnik V the first private vaccine consignment in the country.

But on Tuesday, acting Director-General of Health Dr Patrick Amoth told MPs that the Russian vaccine was yet to be approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Dr Amoth said the jab was yet to be pre-qualified by WHO, meaning it may take longer to be approved for emergency use in Kenya as it had not met the required standards.

He, however, stated that it was possible for a vaccine to be used without the approval of WHO provided it had passed other stringent tests.

According to the importers, Kenyans will part with up to Sh11,000 to get the requisite two shots of the vaccine, administered 21 days apart.
Lamin L.K. Mboge, the lawyer for the People's Progressive Party (PPP) on Monday explained to the media the logic behind the High Court judgment on the party's 2018 congress that led to Papa Njie's leadership.

Speaking to the media at his office along Kairaba Avenue, Lawyer Mboge stated that he understood that there was a lot of misconception and misunderstanding about the High Court judgment that was delivered on 1 March 2021, by Justice Bakary.

He, however, noted that in order to make a proper analysis and understanding of the judgment, people should know the genesis of the case leading to the judgment.

"The judge in particular from the beginning has been advising the plaintiffs to find a way of settling the issue from his experience, telling them that political cases take time and may drag on until after the elections."

PPP lawyer added that they had been going up and down until they realised that Alagie Yaya Ceesay was hospitalised, Alagie M.M. Taal lost interest in the case and had not been going to court. On the other hand, Papa Njie announced that he wants to be an independent candidate.

He indicated that no one supported the case with the lawyer having no choice but to go in for settlement.

"I could have said no and the result would be striking out the case which is different from consent but will be waste of time and resources" he said.

He added that counsel Ms Drammeh got news of the congress when we were in court and she was the one to inform the court about the party's planned congress on the 27 February.

Mboge further explained that the first condition they agreed on was to organise a congress where all eligible parties were free to contest for any position they might be interested in, which he said had been done.

He concluded by saying the 2018 congress was the one challenged in court and plaintiffs Alagie Yaya Ceesay and others had tried their level best to cancel that election because Papa Njie was appointed Ambassador; B.B. Darboe, whom they all were struggling for, said the election was not fair so he went on to register his own political party.
Authorities in Houston on Thursday warned that they have tested ecstasy pills that contained fentanyl, a powerful opioid blamed for a wave of overdoses and deaths elsewhere in the United States in recent years.

While analysts from the Houston Forensic Science Center have previously said they had found the drug in fake pharmaceuticals and powders, Thursdays announcement marked the first time theyve discovered it in pills marketed as ecstasy or other similar illicit drugs.

The news comes as some 80,000 people across the country died from drug overdoses last year, said HFSC President Dr. Peter Stout.

Texas and Houston have traditionally over the last decades have had less of an opioid issue than other parts of the country, Stout said. I think there is a casualness about the concern, because we don't really have an opioid issue. And people don't think opioids, when they think of drug abuse problems in Texas, but this stuff here, it's killing people here.  This isn't off in Ohio Valley, this isn't something that's happened in Pennsylvania.

Hate and violence behind bars: Inside ATF's effort to take down the Aryan Circle

In greater Houston, about 960 people died from overdose-related deaths in 2020, said Assistant Police Chief James Jones  some 135 more in 2019. Authorities said fentanyl has also played a greater role in those deaths. In 2019, for example, authorities tracked 104 fentanyl-related deaths. That number rose to 286 in 2020. In response, the Houston Police Department has tasked several officers with investigating overdoses and deaths, he said.

The squad, a four-person unit in the narcotics division, responds to non-fatal overdoses to attempt to direct victims to treatment, and investigate fatal overdoses to pursue cases against drug suppliers. So far this year, officers have filed charges in six cases and identified 30 other dealers they are pursuing cases against, he said.

We are making a difference, Jones said, acknowledging that the initial charges are a drop in the bucket.

But it's our attempt to actually address this problem.

At the news conference, DEA Houston Associate Special Agent-in-Charge Erik Smith said Houston-based agents have seized growing amounts of fentanyl in recent years. In 2019, for example, federal agents seized about 50 kilograms of fentanyl. Last year, that number had grown to 323 kilograms, and so far this year, agents have seized more than 200 kilograms of the stuff.

Smith blamed the rise in fentanyl seizures on a flood of drugs from Mexico, synthesized from chemicals imported to Mexico from China.

They see this as purely market share, he said. If you think about what that means, earlier, they're getting rich, off of death.

FIREARMS TRAFFICKING: A shootout in Mexico left 23 dead and led ATF agents to Houston

As authorities warned of a potential crisis, scientific experts said it mirrored past warnings about other drugs that overdramatized problems associated with them.

When fentanyl first emerged on the national landscape, for example, many authorities reported claims about negative side effects or overdoses from accidental skin contact with a minuscule portion of the drug  something that experts say is virtually impossible.

Leo Beletsky, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston who studies the health impact of laws and policing, said that much of the use of illicit fentanyl today can be traced back to 2008 and 2009, when the federal government brought pressure to bear on opioid producers of drugs like oxycontin or hydrocodone. That pushed users toward heroin  and later, to fentanyl.

We need to recenter science in how we approach problematic substance use, he said.
Federal minister Alan Tudge has successfully appealed against a Federal Court finding he engaged in unlawful conduct for leaving an asylum seeker in immigration detention after he was granted a protection visa.

Justice Geoffrey Flick blasted the then-acting immigration minister in a decision in September that found he had unlawfully deprived a person of his liberty and his conduct exposes him to both civil and potentially criminal sanctions, not limited to a proceeding for contempt.

Federal Minister Alan Tudge welcomed the finding, saying it affirms I had no role in this matter and that Justice Flicks criticisms of me were unjustified. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

In the absence of explanation, the minister has engaged in conduct which can only be described as criminal, Justice Flick said in the judgment.

But the Full Court of the Federal Court unanimously overturned this decision on Thursday, finding Mr Tudge had no relevant knowledge at all of the circumstances which gave rise to both the justified and unjustified criticism.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.  For the first time in more than a year, most students in the Klamath County School District will be back in the classroom full-time beginning next week. The change is made possible by Oregon's updated guidance for required spacing in classrooms.

Previous spacing requirements, prompted by the original recommendations from the CDC, necessitated that most Oregon students stay on a hybrid schedule. Spacing limitations simply did not allow for all students in a given class to be in the same room at the same time.

Since the Oregon Department of Education released its new guidance, southern Oregon districts have been developing how they will make the return to full-time classroom learning.

"We are not making this move lightly," KCSD said. "CDC data indicates that the virus has not been spreading in schools even with a 3-foot space-per-student distance in classrooms. Many of our students are struggling with distance learning, and earlier this year, we told parents we would work to bring as many students as possible, as soon as possible, into our classrooms while following all state and public health requirements."

The District said that, even though many of its schools have been open four days a week already, public health officials have yet to link any COVID-19 cases to school exposure.

"Teaming with public health to quickly quarantine cohorts has been working. To continue this trend, we need your commitment," KCSD said.

Administrators urged families to keep wearing masks, washing hands, and staying home when sick.

On Wednesday, KCSD rolled out its comprehensive schedule for each school in the district. School officials remarked that details differ by school because of the district's "diverse schools and scheduling needs."

Monday, April 5

Students at the following schools will start full-time, five-day a week schedules. All school start and end times remain the same as they are now.

Bonanza Elementary

Chiloquin Elementary

Chiloquin Junior/Senior High

Ferguson Elementary

Gearhart Elementary

Henley Elementary

Keno Elementary

Klamath County Transition Program

Lost River Junior/Senior High

Malin Elementary

Merrill Elementary

Peterson Elementary

Shasta Elementary (including Special Programs)

Stearns Elementary (including Special Programs)

Monday, April 12

Students at the following schools will start full-time, five-day a week schedules. All school start and end times remain the same as they are now.

Bonanza Junior/Senior High

Brixner Junior/Senior High (including Special Programs)

Gilchrist Elementary

Gilchrist Junior/Senior High

Henley Middle

Henley High

Exceptions:

Mazama High School: All students will continue on their current hybrid schedules, including students in Special Programs. Starting the week of April 12, all 9th- and 10th-graders will add a full-day of in-person instruction on Fridays; 11th and 12th graders will continue with asynchronous learning on Fridays. The reason: To maximize safety and educational options for students, Mazama created two master schedules that cannot be changed mid-semester without impacting credits and course completion. Keeping the current hybrid schedule and adding a day for freshmen and sophomores has been determined the best move for students academically.

Falcon Heights: Students will remain on their current AM/PM schedules but will begin attending five days a week starting the week of Monday, April 12.

Note: Online and homeschool options will remain available for families

Food service and meals

Breakfast: Some schools will send grab-and-go breakfasts home at the end of each day for students to eat before coming to school the next day. These schools would otherwise need to serve breakfast in shifts to accommodate the 6-foot distance while eating requirement, causing a late start to the instruction day.

Lunch: Students must maintain 6-feet of physical distance while eating. To accommodate this, some schools may provide grab-and-go lunches so students are able to eat in various locations on campus.

Grab-and-Go Meals: KCSD Online and Great Basin Homeschool students may continue to pickup meals from specific school sites. See the link for details: Grab-and-Go Meals.

Transportation and busing

Riding the bus: If you are currently transporting your student to school, please continue to do so if possible. Our ability to transport students by bus on a full-time schedule is based on the number of students currently using bus transportation. There are limited spaces on some routes. If you need to change your transportation plan, please contact the KCSD Transportation Department at 541- 883-5013.

Routes: Some schools will need to make changes to their bus routes. Updated route information is on our website. Click here for a direct link: Bus routes.

Cohorts and quarantining
While starring in Harry Potter, Emma Watson admits that she had a massive crush on her mortal nemesis in the series, Draco Malfoy (played by Tom Felton.) According to Watson, she was instantly drawn to his bad-boy persona.

But what about Felton? Did he ever return Watsons feelings of affection? Keep reading to find out.

Emma Watson attends The Bling Ring premiere | Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Emma Watson says that Tom Felton was her first crush

Get ready to swoon Dramione shippers.

Although Hermione Granger loathes Draco Malfoy, Watsons feelings for the Slytherin boy were quite different behind the scenes. In fact, Watson is able to admit that she was crazy about Felton during the first two movies and that he was her very first crush.

Actors Emma Watson and Tom Felton with the award for Best dvd  Harry Potter  Chamber of Secrets during the Disney Channel Kids awards | Andy Butterton/Getty Images

She told Seventeen Magazine, For the first two movies, I had a huge crush on Tom Felton. He was my first crush. He totally knows. We talked about it  we still laugh about it. We are really good friends now, and thats cool.

And although they are incredibly close nowadays, Watson used to be heartbroken over Felton, who used to keep her deep in the depths of the friend-zone.

Tom Felton said he saw Emma Watson as a sister rather than a romantic interest

Even Goyle has a right hand man #berniesanders pic.twitter.com/nnpTjVVEcy  Tom Felton (@TomFelton) January 23, 2021

During Watsons appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, Watson was asked if she ever developed a crush on either Rupert Grint or Daniel Radcliffe. Watson was quick to say that they were more like brothers than romantic interests and that they never had any secret love affairs behind the scenes.

The whole 10-year period, I never so much as pecked either one of them (Rupert Grint or Daniel Radcliffe) on the cheek. It was pure friendship.

But when asked about Malfoy, Watson couldnt help but blush.

Between the ages of 10 and 12, I had a really terrible crush on Tom Felton, she confessed to Ross. We love a bad guy, and he was a few years older, and he had a skateboard, and that just did it, really. He used to do tricks on it. He was so cool. He totally knew [I had a crush]. And the thing is, hed turn and go, Oh, I see her in a younger sisterly way. And it just broke my heart, still does.

Emma Watson and Tom Felton from the Harry Potter film series at the London premiere of Scooby-Doo | Dave Benett/Getty Images

And in a more recent interview, when Felton was asked whether his crush on Watson was mutual, he broke all our Dramione shipping hearts by saying No.

Still, the two seem to hang out more than any of the other Harry Potter castmates. In a recent social media post, the two are seen vacationing together in South Africa.

MAGICAL REUNION!  Emma Watson and Tom Felton giving us all the feels!  pic.twitter.com/nTeUBvSaT4  boohoo (@boohoo) August 21, 2019

Hmm what sort of platonic friends go vacationing together? Even Rupert Grint believes theres something romantic about the two of them.

Rupert Grint thinks that there is something going on between Tom Felton and Emma Watson

Emma Watson and Tom Felton Reunited and My Heart Is So Full https://t.co/0OesI4maeO pic.twitter.com/FXyhGmaO8l  Teen Vogue (@TeenVogue) November 10, 2018

As it turns out, Ron Weasley wasnt too upset when his Slytherin nemesis tried to steal his girl. According to Grint, he thinks there were always sparks between the two actors.

There was always something [between them], he said. There was a little bit of a spark.

He then added that it was more apparent during their childhood.

We were kids, he said. It was like any kind of playground romance.
Reporter

Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
Luanda  The Chief of General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (CEMGFAA), Egidio de Sousa Santos, Wednesday in Luanda, said it was imperative to preserve peace and national unity, in order to encourage private investment in the country.

For the Army General, who was speaking at the opening of the patriotic journey allusive to the 4th of April, Peace and National Reconciliation Day, to encourage and stimulate investment is an added value for the promotion of employment, especially for the youth.

He affirmed that the attainment of peace, in 2002, allowed, among others, the development of agriculture and cattle breeding, as well as the emerging of new industries, allowing greater satisfaction of the primary needs of Angolans.

However, the high-ranking military official admitted that the gains of peace have been affected by the global economic and financial crisis, which began in 2014 with the fall in the price of oil on the international market, and by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We need to continue to redouble our efforts, because the solution to the constraints we are going through depends on us. In this regard, I urge society to look at life's challenges, not as an insurmountable obstacle, but as a test for a better life," he emphasised.

For the Army General, who was speaking at the opening of the patriotic journey allusive to the 4th of April, Peace and National Reconciliation Day, to encourage and stimulate investment is an added value for the promotion of employment, especially for the youth.

He affirmed that the attainment of peace, in 2002, allowed, among others, the development of agriculture and cattle breeding, as well as the emerging of new industries, allowing greater satisfaction of the primary needs of Angolans.

However, the high-ranking military official admitted that the gains of peace have been affected by the global economic and financial crisis, which began in 2014 with the fall in the price of oil on the international market, and by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We need to continue to redouble our efforts, because the solution to the constraints we are going through depends on us. In this regard, I urge society to look at life's challenges, not as an insurmountable obstacle, but as a test for a better life," he emphasised.
A six-year-old boy who went missing while playing in the mud outside his home in northern NSW has been found dead.

Braxton Plant went missing on Wednesday. Credit:NSW Police

Braxton Plant was last seen at his home on Wallangra Road, Wallangra, about 4pm on Wednesday.

Emergency services were alerted about 7pm. He had last been seen by family members and had not been wearing clothes.

His family and officers held serious concerns for the boys welfare because he had Down syndrome, was non-communicative and the surrounding area, about 150 kilometres west of the town of Tenterfield near the Queensland border, included dams and dense bushland.
Pakistani authorities have reinstated access to the Chinese-owned video app TikTok, three weeks after it was banned in the conservative Muslim country over indecent content.

A court in the northwestern city of Peshawar lifted the ban on April 1, and directed the media regulatory agency to ensure that "immoral content" is not uploaded to the platform.

"The app has assured us it will filter and moderate content," said Jahanzeb Mehsud, a lawyer for the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny as its popularity surged across the world, including among Pakistani youth.

The app has been downloaded almost 39 million times in the South Asian country.

The court in Peshawar had issued the ban on March 11 in response to a private petition requesting the video-sharing platform be blocked until it complies with instructions and guidelines the PTA gave last year.

In October, the regulatory agency banned the app but then lifted restrictions after 10 days after TikTok pledged to block all accounts involved in spreading "obscenity and immorality."

Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry on April 1 cautioned against "taking decisions that may affect the economic future of Pakistan," a close ally of China.

"We need a framework to encourage international companies to make Pakistan their investment hub," Chaudhry tweeted.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Dawn
A Massachusetts attorney who served on Winthrops Town Council and School Committee won a special election Tuesday to fill the seat left vacant by the departure of former Democratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo.

Democrat Jeffrey Turco, who voted for Donald Trump in 2016, won the low-turnout special election, according to unofficial results posted by the city of Revere. The district spans parts of Revere and Winthrop.

Turco told the Boston Herald that hed use his time on Beacon Hill to try to fill the gap in vocational education and put more resources toward helping those suffering from substance abuse and mental illness.

DeLeo, a Democrat from Winthrop, was first elected in 1991. He had been speaker for 12 years, taking over after the January 2009 resignation of former Democratic Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, who was later convicted of federal corruption charges including conspiracy, extortion and theft of honest services by fraud.

DeLeos 12 years as speaker was the longest in state history.

His longtime deputy, Ronald Mariano, succeeded him as speaker.
(Newser)  Esophageal cancer may be rare, but it's a particularly brutal form of the disease. It's common for patients to undergo chemo, radiation, and surgery, only to have the cancer return quickly, notes the New York Times. A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine, however, is raising hopes of staving off such recurrences. An immunotherapy drug called called nivolumab doubled the time that patients lived cancer-free after surgery from 11 to 22 months and reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 31%, reports the Dallas Morning News. The study, out of Baylor University and funded by Bristol Myers Squibb, involved 794 patients in 29 countries. Two-thirds of participants got the drug, aka Opdivo, and the rest received a placebo. All had previously been diagnosed with stage 2 or 3 esophageal cancer.

story continues below

"This trial really is a game changer," says Dr. David Ilson of New Yorks Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, per HealthDay News. "It's the first real advance in the field in several decades," adds Ilson, who wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal and wasn't involved with the study. Lead author Dr. Ronan Kelly of Baylor calls it a "major step forward for these patients," per the Morning News. The drug already is in use for late-stage, inoperable cancers, including esophageal cancer, and the study raises the possibility that it can be used earlier in treatment. This type of cancer is hard to root out in surgery because cancerous cells can elude detection in lymph nodes and elsewhere, notes the Times. (Esophageal cancer claimed the life of renowned author Christopher Hitchens.)
Probe Into Prison Deaths Ends Up Uncovering $8 Billion in Untracked State Money

What started out as an investigation into inmate deaths in some of Californias county jails led to an audit that uncovered severe overcrowding, a lack of mental health resources and $8 billion in State funds for which three county Sherriff offices cannot properly account.

Whats happening right now in these counties is not only unjust, but a disservice to our communities, said Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles).

Its more than just about housing people. The sheriffs departments have a duty to provide care and to rehabilitate those individuals who walk through their doors. That simply is not happening, while billions of dollars are being left on the table, she said.

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In an attempt to curtail Californias prison overcrowding problem, in 2011 the state Supreme Court ordered a sweeping reduction of the prison population. This led to the California Public Safety Realignment Initiative signed into law by former Gov. Jerry Brown. The program planned and arranged the transfer of thousands of incarcerated people from state prisons to county jails. It also provided billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to the counties across the state to house and provide services to the inmates. The law also set up the Community Corrections Partnerships (CCPs) in each county to oversee and manage the state funds.

Then, last March, following a spike in inmate deaths, Kamlager requested an audit of county jail systems focused on Alamada, Fresno and Los Angeles counties.

About a year later, last week, California State Auditor Elaine M. Howle released the findings of her investigation.

In a letter to the Legislature, Howle shared her findings. She wrote, our assessment focused on public safety realignment, and we determined that these three counties and the Corrections Board have not done enough to mitigate the effects of realignment or effectively overseen related spending and services.

Howle told lawmakers, since 2011, Alameda, Fresno and Los Angeles counties all have run overcrowded prisons, violating the states jail capacity rules.

The counties jails often lack adequate outdoor and educational facilities to provide certain vocational and rehabilitative programs for inmates who serve terms longer than three years, she wrote.

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Howle also told the legislators Alameda and Fresno counties did not provide adequate information about inmates health to the jail staff.

Responding to the audit, Fresno County corrections board executive director Kathleen Howard said the state audit makes little sense.

There is, however, a fundamental disconnect between the overall position of the State Auditor on the structure of 2011 Public Safety Realignment funding and the role of the CCPs in handling these funds and the consistent interpretation given the statutory and constitutional framework by the BSCC and all the counties in California over the past 10 years, Howard wrote.

Los Angeles and Alameda counties have also responded to the auditors report with their own explanations, clarifications and recommendations. Since then, the Auditors office has said it stands by its report and followed up with a point-by-point reply to each county.

In California, African Americans account for about 6 % of the states population but make up a disproportionate 28.3 % of incarcerated people. In contrast, Whites make up about 36 % of the states population but 21 % of prisoners.

Concerns of prison overcrowding in California came to a head when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to greatly reduce Californias prison population with the assertion that the massive number of inmates hindered the states ability to provide proper physical and mental health services, therefore violating their Eighth Amendment rights to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.

However, this newly released report, focused on Almeda, Fresno and Los Angeles County jails, suggests that Realignment actually contributed to the overcrowding issue and the lack of oversight at the county level, and has negatively impacted the well-being of the inmates the initiative was designed to help.

Kamlager says that the lack of planning involved with the initiative coupled with the lack of transparency over the last decade are contributing factors to the auditors conclusions.

These findings show a clear need for a major increase in oversight and transparency in this process to ensure public safety, Kamlager said. They also show that the Board of State and Community Corrections is not up to the task of overseeing this process, or a similar program of this magnitude and weight.

Kamlager continued by suggesting that this audit, shocking as it may be, could be a step in the right direction.

While dismayed by the delay and appalled by the findings, I hope the audit will give the boards of supervisors for these counties the tools they need to exact real change. Advocates have been fighting for this information for a while, Kamlager said.

Advocates like Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB), a grassroots organization intent on improving state policy on a number of hot button issues agrees.

We incarcerate too many people for too long, already. Tax dollars that were used a generation ago to pay for schools and public housing have been diverted to pay for more law enforcement and incarceration, CURB said in a statement.

CURBs concerns are shared by Vonya Quarles, an attorney and co-founder and executive director of of Starting Over Inc., a Corona-based organization that focuses on protecting the rights of the currently and formerly incarcerated.

We dont have a justice system, we have an injustice system, Quarles said, calling out Californias prison system. We have an addiction to cheap labor, an addiction to slavery.
POTTSVILLE  Michael J. Liptok will spend more time behind state prison bars after admitting Wednesday to a Schuylkill County judge that he violated his Megans Law reporting requirements and burgled a city housing development.

Liptok, 33, of Pottsville, formerly of Coal Township and Herndon, must serve one to two years in a state correctional institution, President Judge William E. Baldwin decided. Baldwin made the sentence consecutive to one Liptok already is serving.

Liptok pleaded guilty to failure to register with the Pennsylvania State Police in one case and criminal trespass in another.

Pottsville police filed the charges in each case. They alleged he failed to conform with the Megans Law reporting requirements on Nov. 19, 2020, and then broke into 546 Laurel Terrace on Nov. 22, 2020.

The building is owned by the Pottsville Housing Authority, police said.

Liptok became subject to lifetime Megans Law registration requirements after Baldwin sentenced him on June 23, 2016, to serve one to two years in a state correctional institution.

He had pleaded guilty on Feb. 17, 2016, to indecent assault, with prosecutors withdrawing charges of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Pottsville police had charged him with assaulting a teenage girl on Aug. 2, 2014, in a wooded area of the city.

According to Liptok, he needs rehabilitation and counseling

Im trying my best to stay out of trouble in this jail, he said. Ive got drug issues.

Baldwin also sentenced the defendant to pay costs and $100 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.

Liptok already is an inmate at the county prison, and Baldwin conducted Wednesdays hearing by videoconference.
Russias industry official arrested in Moscow on abuse of office allegations

 flickr.com/ Jobs For Felons Hub

15:49 01/04/2021

MOSCOW, April 1 (RAPSI)  The director of Russias Ministry of Industry and Trades Metallurgy and Building Materials Department Pavel Servatinsky has been arrested in Moscow on suspicion of abuse of office, according to statement published on the Ministrys website.

He has been apprehended by the officers of Moscows Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee, the statement reads.

Currently, investigative activities are conducted. The case details have not been disclosed yet.




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.
It has been a long year since Disneyland closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the March 2020 closure, the park has reopened small portions like the Downtown Disney shopping district, and it is currently hosting A Touch of Disney food festival inside Disney California Adventure, a food event that lets people in the park but not onto the rides. And bowing down to the realities of the pandemic, its parking lots have served as a mass vaccination site.

Now, as the theme park prepares for its reopening on April 30, anticipation is growing every day  and information is changing as the park releases more details on how the reopening will actually work. Because Orange County is now in the orange tier in California's coronavirus reopening plan, even more will be available at the theme park than originally expected. Here's what we know so far:

There's a new, tiered ticketing system

When Disneyland announced that tickets will go on sale on April 15, the company also released guidelines for the tiered ticketing system which debuted in February 2020, just before the pandemic closed the parks. Single-day tickets range from Tier 1 to Tier 5, with Tier 1 tickets being the least expensive ($104 for an adult ticket to one park) but having the most blocked out dates, when they can't be used for admission. Currently, no dates are offered for new sales of Tier 1 tickets, but some dates in May 2021 are open for Tier 2 tickets, which cost $114 for an adult ticket to one park. Tier 5 tickets cost $154 for adult single-day single park admission, and are valid for any park day, including opening day.

Capacity will be reduced and restricted to California residents

Courtesy of Disneyland

When Disneyland reopens on April 30, it will do so with reduced crowds  25% capacity per the orange tier guidelines  but without fast passes or single rider lines. Expect shorter lines in the very beginning that will increase as park capacity increases. And there's one critical factor for out-of-state visitors who are thinking of going: Only California residents will be able to purchase tickets for now.

Reservations will be required

Tickets alone wont be enough for entry. Disneyland will implement the same park reservation system that Walt Disney World is using, opened on April 12. Ticketholders will be required to have a park reservation for the same day to be able to enter the park. Park hopping  the ability to go between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure  is still allowed, but only starting in the afternoon.

New attractions will open soon

On opening day, Disneyland will debut an entirely new ride, Snow White's Enchanted Wish. This ride replaces Snow White's Scary Adventures in Fantasyland, a dark retelling of the 1937 Disney film, and features scenes more in line with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

Disneyland also recently announced changes to Haunted Mansion, the 1969 ride in New Orleans Square in Disneyland Park. While the ride will largely remain the same, Imagineers have reintroduced the "April to December" portrait of a woman who ages before your eyes into the pre-show area, and have refurbished scenes on the ride.

At Disney California Adventure, the big news is about Avengers Campus, the Marvel-inspired new land that replaced A Bug's Land. In a virtual press conference, Disney parks, experiences and products Chairman Josh D'Amaro announced that the land will open June 4.

Not all rides will be open

Disneyland recently announced that many of its rides and attractions won't be offered at the beginning of its reopening. The Matterhorn and Jungle Cruise are currently closed for refurbishment, as is Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. Many of the attractions with small spaces, like Main Street Cinema and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, will be closed as well.

Check back for frequent updates about all the details of Disneylands reopening, from how to get tickets to what rides and restaurants will be available inside the parks.
Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Viktor Medvedchuk and Taras Kozak are two Ukrainian politicians who take pro-Russian positions. Both also own a huge stake worth tens of millions of dollars in a Russian oil refinery. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project uncovered a blockbuster new detail about their deal: They bought the oil stake for the pitiful sum of just over $40,000.

Russia has a long-standing pattern of making secret arrangements like this one with sympathetic foreign politicians. In the United States, Donald Trump became a subject of suspicion in 2016 because his relationship to Russia bore many of the obvious hallmarks of these other illicit ties. Here was a right-wing nationalist politician awash in secret financial deals with people linked to Moscow, surrounded by men tied to Russia, and regularly espousing what are, by the standards of American political discourse, shockingly Russophilic sentiments.

Everybody knows Trumps links to Russia set off an FBI investigation and became the subject of compulsive speculation as well as an inquiry by Robert Mueller that failed to deliver the expected goods. This sequence of events was hardened in Republican minds as a witch hunt, which Trumps supporters have used to justify a series of subsequent crimes, including his Ukraine shakedown and efforts to cancel the 2020 election results.

It is true that Mueller failed to establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russia  a difficult crime to prove, if true, made all the more difficult by the refusal of Paul Manafort and Roger Stone to roll on the man who could and did give them criminal pardons. But in the most important way, the investigation did confirm the suspicions about Trump: Russia turned out to have dangled a lucrative business deal to him during the 2016 campaign that worked almost exactly like the payoffs it has secretly offered other foreign politicians.

One reason even some Americans who have no sympathy for Trump looked skeptically at the charge of covert Russian influence is that they were looking at the issue through the lens of American political history. Theres no precedent for anything like the illicit corruption of a major-party presidential candidate. It seems too strange, too wild, to be true.

But if you look at it from the international perspective, its completely normal. Russia has spent years shoveling cash under the table to populist, nationalist right-wing politicians in other countries. Over the past decade, Russia has been proved or credibly alleged to have financed nationalist parties in France, Italy, Austria, Greece, Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Sweden. And given the incentives for the secrecy of all involved parties, this list is probably not exhaustive.

If we look at Trumps relations with Russia from this standpoint, its not at all difficult to believe his unusual affinity for Moscow and its president had a seedy backstory. It would be strange if it didnt. Why would Russia pay off so many other nationalist right-wing politicians but not Trump?

The attempted bribe of Trump is a matter of public record: In 2018, Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier reported for BuzzFeed that Trump was negotiating for a lucrative deal to build an apartment tower in Moscow, reporting that Mueller confirmed. According to the Mueller report, the Trump Organization stood to earn substantial sums  in a footnote, it specified that as hundreds of millions of dollars in fees  over the lifetime of the project, without assuming significant liabilities or financing commitments.

Its pretty unusual in the business world to find an investment opportunity that promises massive profits at absolutely no risk. Typically, if they want the chance to make a lot of money, investors need to risk something.

But this attractive no-lose structure turns out to be quite common for business deals made between Russia and its overseas political allies. The deals usually involve an investment in some kind of state-controlled commodity. As a German Marshall Fund report on Russian overseas influence explains, Energy and other commodities are particularly well-suited for malign Russian activity because they are often either difficult to trace or uniquely controlled by the Russian government through state-owned enterprises and loyal organized-crime groups.

In Italy, BuzzFeed obtained a recording of a conversation between Russian officials and Italian pro-Russian rightists that found them planning a deal by which they would acquire fuel at a discounted rate, giving them an easy $65 million profit. The new Ukraine revelation operated along the same lines as the scheme uncovered in Italy. The pro-Russian pols got the chance to buy into an oil deal at a cheap rate and clear huge returns. Normally, when you sell a business, its done very straightforwardly: You have a seller and a buyer, and the buyer buys the shares for the value of the company, explained Graham Barrow, a U.K.-based financial-crimes consultant who reviewed the documents for OCCRP. That doesnt look like a sensible way of disposing of an asset. Its a bit like giving your bank balance away for nothing.

Not all of these deals involve state-controlled commodities. In Sweden, a nativist politician made a deal with a Russian figure that allowed him to buy a house and sell it quickly thereafter for twice what he had paid. Trumps proposed no-risk investment was a natural fit given his real-estate background. And while the deal was ultimately never consummated, it did give Russia two forms of powerful leverage during the campaign: Trump needed to stay in Putins good graces lest he blow his lucrative payoff, and he needed Putin to stay secret given his public claims that he had no dealings with Russia.

Trump and his allies have never stopped complaining about the media coverage of the Russia scandal, but that coverage was ultimately framed in a way that benefited him. It focused on the conspiracy that Mueller couldnt prove and largely ignored the devastating corruption that he did.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Thursday she is introducing two bills related to the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of stripping Dr. Anthony Fauci of his government salary and banning so-called vaccine passports.

In a press release Greene tweeted, the controversial Georgia Republican said her 'Fire Fauci Act' would decrease 'Dr. Always Wrong's' pay to $0 and the 'We Will Not Comply Act' will 'prevent discrimination against the unvaccinated.'

Later Thursday, she tweeted a video of herself weight-lifting sans mask. 'This is my Covid protection,' she wrote, along with '#MakeAmericaHealthyAgain' and 'Its time to #FireFauci.' Greene previously owned a CrossFit gym.

Greene said her goal was to have the 80-year-old Fauci remain unpaid until the Senate can confirm a new director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - except Fauci isn't a political appointee, he's a career civil servant - and so the bill, as she's pitching it, wouldn't work.

Dr. Anthony Fauci (left) is being targeted by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (right). The QAnon congresswoman said she was introducing legislation that zeroes out Fauci's salary

In a press release, Greene outlined her plans for both bills. The Fauci bill wouldn't actually have the power to remove Fauci from his role

In another tweet Thursday, Greene shared video of herself lifting weights and doing CrossFit maneuvers. 'This is my Covid protection,' the Georgia Republican said

High-level presidential political appointees need Senate confirmation.

But in Fauci's case, he's a career civil servant who's held his job since the Reagan administration, advising presidents of both parties.

When former President Donald Trump suggested to a Miami campaign rally crowd in November that he might fire Fauci after the election, experts pointed to federal laws that would prevent him from directly making the move.

'There are civil service protections for career federal employees that prevent them from being removed or demoted for political reasons,' Max Stier, president and CEO of Partnership for Public Service, told CNN in July, when tensions between Fauci and Trump were already apparent.

Trump could have pressured Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, a political appointee, to get rid of Fauci - but there's a process Fauci could pursue to stay in his job.

Greene was correct in noting that Fauci is the highest paid government official, currently making $434,312, according to her office.

Salary data from 2019 said Fauci was making $417,608.

The second piece of legislation Greene said she is pursuing would prevent businesses engaged in interstate commerce from discriminating against people based on their vaccination status.

It would also cut off federal funding to enforce vaccine mandates.

It would allow individuals who have been discriminated against due to their anti-vax status to sue.

Greene's legislation would also allow anti-maskers to sue.

It would also prevent the U.S. government from requiring a vaccine to acquire a passport.

And prevent airlines and colleges from denying a person access due to vaccine status.

With the Democrats in majority and only a handful of Republicans leaning into the GOP's emerging anti-vaxxer base, the bill will go nowhere.

On Twitter, users pointed out that both bills could be April Fools' jokes.

Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu tweeted, 'Below is an example of why Members of Congress need good staff. Helps prevent us from introducing stupid, nonsensical bills like the one below from [Greene].'

Lieu had shared a tweet from a reporter who pointed out Fauci's job wasn't subject to Senate confirmation.

Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu responded to Greene's plan to fire Fauci through legislation by sharing a reporter's tweet that noted his position wasn't subject to Senate confirmation

Greene has time on her hands to create headlines.

In early February, the freshman lawmaker was stripped of her committee assignments by the House Democratic majority due to controversial statements she made on social media and ideas she's expressed.

Greene indicated support on Facebook for assassinating House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She also has prescribed to the QAnon conspiracy theory - and expressed doubt on the legitimacy of school shootings and the 9/11 terror attacks.

Since February, Greene has kept busy by making motions to adjourn prior to votes on bills she disapproves of.

This has delayed the process sometimes by several hours.

On Tuesday she visited Mar-a-Lago to meet with former President Donald Trump, where they expressed mutual affection for each other.

While Trump ridiculed mask-wearing, he's touted and taken credit for the swift developments of the three COVID-19 vaccines.

However, he also quietly got the vaccine before leaving office - instead of taking the shot publicly as part of the other ex-presidents' broader campaign to thwart vaccine hesitancy.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Wednesday said that an Israeli national pleaded guilty for his role as an "administrator" of a portal called DeepDotWeb (DDW), a "news" website that "served as a gateway to numerous dark web marketplaces."

According to the unsealed court documents, Tal Prihar, 37, an Israeli citizen residing in Brazil, operated DDW alongside Michael Phan, 34, of Israel, starting October 2013, in return for which they received kickbacks from the operators of the marketplaces in the form of virtual currency amounting to 8,155 bitcoins (worth $8.4 million at the time of the transactions).

In an attempt to conceal the illicit payments, Prihar is said to have transferred the money to other bitcoin accounts and to bank accounts under his control in the name of shell companies.

"Tal Prihar served as a broker for illegal Darknet marketplaces  helping such marketplaces find customers for fentanyl, firearms, and other dangerous contraband  and profited from the illegal business that ensued," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the DoJ's Criminal Division.

"This prosecution, seizure of the broker website, and forfeiture send a clear message that we are not only prosecuting the administrators of Darknet marketplaces offering illegal goods and services, but we will also bring to justice those that aim to facilitate and profit from them."

DDW was seized by federal authorities in April 2019 as part of a joint law enforcement operation involving Europol's European Cybercrime Centre, France, Germany, Brazil, Israel, the Netherlands, U.K., and the U.S., with the website rendered inaccessible beyond a domain seizure notice.

The referral links included listings for underground marketplaces such as AlphaBay, Agora, Abraxas, Dream, and Valhalla, which traded in illegal firearms, malware and hacking tools, stolen financial data, heroin and fentanyl, and other contraband.

In addition to pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, Prihar has also agreed to forfeit the entire proceeds amassed from each purchase of illegal goods made on a dark web marketplace linked to the DDW site. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
New observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) indicate that the rogue comet 2I/Borisov, which is only the second and most recently detected interstellar visitor to our Solar System, is one of the most pristine ever observed.

Astronomers suspect that the comet most likely never passed close to a star, making it an undisturbed relic of the cloud of gas and dust it formed from.

2I/Borisov was discovered by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov in August 2019 and was confirmed to have come from beyond the Solar System a few weeks later. "2I/Borisov could represent the first truly pristine comet ever observed," says Stefano Bagnulo of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Northern Ireland, UK, who led the new study published today in Nature Communications. The team believes that the comet had never passed close to any star before it flew by the Sun in 2019.

Bagnulo and his colleagues used the FORS2 instrument on ESO's VLT, located in northern Chile, to study 2I/Borisov in detail using a technique called polarimetry [1]. Since this technique is regularly used to study comets and other small bodies of our Solar System, this allowed the team to compare the interstellar visitor with our local comets.

The team found that 2I/Borisov has polarimetric properties distinct from those of Solar System comets, with the exception of Hale-Bopp. Comet Hale-Bopp received much public interest in the late 1990s as a result of being easily visible to the naked eye, and also because it was one of the most pristine comets astronomers had ever seen. Prior to its most recent passage, Hale-Bopp is thought to have passed by our Sun only once and had therefore barely been affected by solar wind and radiation. This means it was pristine, having a composition very similar to that of the cloud of gas and dust it -- and the rest of the Solar System -- formed from some 4.5 billion years ago.

By analysing the polarisation together with the colour of the comet to gather clues on its composition, the team concluded that 2I/Borisov is in fact even more pristine than Hale-Bopp. This means it carries untarnished signatures of the cloud of gas and dust it formed from.

"The fact that the two comets are remarkably similar suggests that the environment in which 2I/Borisov originated is not so different in composition from the environment in the early Solar System," says Alberto Cellino, a co-author of the study, from the Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Italy.

Olivier Hainaut, an astronomer at ESO in Germany who studies comets and other near-Earth objects but was not involved in this new study, agrees. "The main result -- that 2I/Borisov is not like any other comet except Hale-Bopp -- is very strong," he says, adding that "it is very plausible they formed in very similar conditions."

"The arrival of 2I/Borisov from interstellar space represented the first opportunity to study the composition of a comet from another planetary system and check if the material that comes from this comet is somehow different from our native variety," explains Ludmilla Kolokolova, of the University of Maryland in the US, who was involved in the Nature Communications research.

Bagnulo hopes astronomers will have another, even better, opportunity to study a rogue comet in detail before the end of the decade. "ESA is planning to launch Comet Interceptor in 2029, which will have the capability of reaching another visiting interstellar object, if one on a suitable trajectory is discovered," he says, referring to an upcoming mission by the European Space Agency.

An origin story hidden in the dust

Even without a space mission, astronomers can use Earth's many telescopes to gain insight into the different properties of rogue comets like 2I/Borisov. "Imagine how lucky we were that a comet from a system light-years away simply took a trip to our doorstep by chance," says Bin Yang, an astronomer at ESO in Chile, who also took advantage of 2I/Borisov's passage through our Solar System to study this mysterious comet. Her team's results are published in Nature Astronomy.

Yang and her team used data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, as well as from ESO's VLT, to study 2I/Borisov's dust grains to gather clues about the comet's birth and conditions in its home system.

They discovered that 2I/Borisov's coma -- an envelope of dust surrounding the main body of the comet -- contains compact pebbles, grains about one millimetre in size or larger. In addition, they found that the relative amounts of carbon monoxide and water in the comet changed drastically as it neared the Sun. The team, which also includes Olivier Hainaut, says this indicates that the comet is made up of materials that formed in different places in its planetary system.

The observations by Yang and her team suggest that matter in 2I/Borisov's planetary home was mixed from near its star to further out, perhaps because of the existence of giant planets, whose strong gravity stirs material in the system. Astronomers believe that a similar process occurred early in the life of our Solar System.

While 2I/Borisov was the first rogue comet to pass by the Sun, it was not the first interstellar visitor. The first interstellar object to have been observed passing by our Solar System was Oumuamua, another object studied with ESO's VLT back in 2017. Originally classified as a comet, Oumuamua was later reclassified as an asteroid as it lacked a coma.

Notes

[1] Polarimetry is a technique to measure the polarisation of light. Light becomes polarised, for example, when it goes through certain filters, like the lenses of polarised sunglasses or cometary material. By studying the properties of sunlight polarised by a comet's dust, researchers can gain insights into the physics and chemistry of comets.

More information

This research highlighted in the first part of this release was presented in the paper "Unusual polarimetric properties for interstellar comet 2I/Borisov" to appear in Nature Communications (doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22000-x). The second part of the release highlights the study "Compact pebbles and the evolution of volatiles in the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov" to appear in Nature Astronomy (doi: 10.1038/s41550-021-01336-w).

The team who conducted the first study is composed of S. Bagnulo (Armagh Observatory & Planetarium, UK [Armagh]), A. Cellino (INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Italy), L. Kolokolova (Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, US), R. Nezic (Armagh; Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, UK; Centre for Planetary Science, University College London/Birkbeck, UK), T. Santana-Ros (Departamento de Fisica, Ingenieria de Sistemas y Teoria de la Senal, Universidad de Alicante, Spain; Institut de Ciencies del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain), G. Borisov (Armagh; Institute of Astronomy and National Astronomical Observatory, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria), A. A. Christou (Armagh), Ph. Bendjoya (Universite Cote d'Azur, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Nice, France), and M. Devogele (Arecibo Observatory, University of Central Florida, US).

The team who conducted the second study is composed of Bin Yang (European Southern Observatory, Santiago, Chile [ESO Chile]), Aigen Li (Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA), Martin A. Cordiner (Astrochemistry Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre, USA and Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA), Chin-Shin Chang (Joint ALMA Observatory, Santiago, Chile [JAO]), Olivier R. Hainaut (European Southern Observatory, Garching, Germany), Jonathan P. Williams (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, USA [IfA Hawai'i]), Karen J. Meech (IfA Hawai'i), Jacqueline V. Keane (IfA Hawai'i), and Eric Villard (JAO and ESO Chile).

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world's largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of ESO, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA.

Astrochemistry

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Officials in Orange County, California, identified the suspect in the mass shooting on Wednesday night that left four people, including a child, dead. (City of Orange County)

Police ID Suspect in California Mass Shooting as Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez

Officials in Orange County, California, identified the suspect in the mass shooting at a business complex on Wednesday night that left four people, including a child, dead.

The preliminary motive is believed to be related to a business and personal relationship which existed between the suspect and all of the victims, Orange Police spokesperson Lt. Jennifer Amat said in a press conference Thursday. This was not a random act of violence, she said, according to local news outlets.

The victims names were not disclosed, but among those who died were a 9-year-old boy, two women, and a man. The suspect was identified as 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez.

Gonzalez remains hospitalized in critical condition, the official said. He was apparently wounded in a shootout with police, but officials did not rule out whether it was self-inflicted.

I can tell you that we havent had an incident like this in the city of Orange since 1997, Amat said, reported CNN. Its just such a tragedy for the victims, their families, our community, and our police department.

Amat did not elaborate on a possible motive.

It appears a little boy died in his mothers arms as she was trying to save him during this horrific massacre, Orange County District Attorney Public Administrator Todd Spitzer said Thursday. He noted that Gonzalez might be eligible for the death penalty if hes convicted.

Amat said that police officers had a difficult time entering the business park where the shootings occurred because both gates were locked from inside, reported CBS Los Angeles.

Paul Tovar told KCBS near the scene that he has not heard from his brother or niece, who both work inside the building.

Im just trying to find out his well-being, Tovar said. Hes not answering his phone, neither is my niece. Im pretty scared and worried. I wish I knew more.

Horrifying and heartbreaking. Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight, California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted. Im deeply saddened by reports of a mass shooting in Orange County, and Im continuing to keep victims and their loved ones in my thoughts as we continue to learn more, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) also wrote on social media.

Orange is about 30 miles from Los Angeles and home to about 140,000 people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
After months of hand-wringing and vigorous disagreement between elected officials and city health leaders, San Antonio will become the last major Texas city to establish a sign-up portal for scheduling COVID-19 vaccinations.

Not everyone will be able to use it at first  despite the fact that every adult in Texas is now eligible to receive the vaccine. For now, only seniors will be eligible to sign up for appointments through the new portal.

The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to set up a system, widely referred to as a registry or waiting list, that will allow residents to sign up and be notified when a vaccination appointment becomes available  a capability other Texas cities such as Austin, Houston and Dallas have had for months.

Frustrated San Antonio residents have had to try to break through jammed phone lines or navigate websites that often crashed in trying to schedule appointments since vaccines became available in December  often without success.

A registry, proponents have said, will give people some certainty that they will secure a vaccination slot, even if its days or weeks in the future. At the very least, supporters say, a registry could save people hours of trying in vain to secure an appointment.

I think its going to make a significant difference, said District 9 Councilman John Courage, the councils main proponent of a registry. That difference is going to be in the frustration and the disappointment of millions of calls that have been made over the last few months.

But some council members were skeptical the system will work even as they voted in favor of it. For months, the citys top health officials have resisted the idea of a citywide registry on the grounds it would do little to ease peoples anxiety about obtaining an appointment, given the limited supply of vaccine.

Those concerns lingered Thursday.

Unless we experience a dramatic increase in vaccine supply, which to this point we have not, residents are going to continue to be frustrated with the process and inability to secure a vaccine as soon as possible, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.

District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval, who heads the councils Community Health and Equity committee, echoed that.

Its not a silver bullet, Sandoval said. It will not bring us more vaccines.

Others were less doubtful. A registry can help the Metropolitan Health District pinpoint who in the city isnt receiving vaccinations, such as those who live in poorer parts of town, said District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino.

It is not a panacea but a tool that can help us ensure that most vulnerable residents have access to the vaccine, Trevino said.

The registry the council approved Wednesday has limits. For one, the system will take at least three weeks to set up and open to the public, city officials said.

When it goes live, the registry will be open only to residents 65 and older. Seniors or someone working on their behalf will be able to enter their information into the online portal or call 311 to provide the information by phone.

Health leaders have worried that because eligibility to be vaccinated was opened to all adults Monday, vulnerable residents such as the elderly and those with chronic health conditions who still have not received their doses are now having to duke it out for appointments with younger, healthier people.

Local vaccine providers have seen an uptick in demand since vaccine eligibility expanded this week.

Before Monday, the number of phone calls to WellMeds vaccine hotline had fallen from tens of thousands a day to merely thousands on some days, said Jimmie Keenan, a senior vice president at WellMed Medical Management.

On Monday, when all Texas adults became eligible, the hotline received more than 64,000 calls, Keenan told council members.

Some 86,000 Bexar County residents older than 65 have not yet been vaccinated, said Assistant City Manager Colleen Bridger, the citys coronavirus czar. But not all of those people will want to get a vaccine, she noted.

Its a fairly manageable number that well be able to get through relatively quickly, Bridger said.

The registry could be expanded to include all adults if the system proves effective. But its not clear how officials will be able to tell whether the registry is working.

Perhaps the measure of success would be seeing greater numbers of seniors receiving the vaccine, Bridger said. Or simply the rate at which people move off the list might show its working, suggested Robert Leverence, chief medical officer of UT Health San Antonio.

District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez worried that without a firm idea of how well the registry is working, the list might have only a placebo effect.

If this doesnt work, then what weve gotten is sort of a list that is like a mullet haircut, which is all business up front and hot mess in the back, Pelaez said.

The system wont include every vaccine provider in town, something that Metro Health leaders and some council members viewed as a nearly impossible feat.

Instead, it will cover the citys four mass vaccination sites  the Alamodome, Wonderland of the Americas mall and two locations run by WellMed Medical Management. But council members expressed hope that private providers such as pharmacies, grocery stores and clinics will ask to use the list when appointments become available.

Council members initially shot down the idea of a registry when it came before them in February. But a trio of council members  Courage, Sandoval and District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran  forced another vote on the matter by calling Wednesdays rare special meeting.

Its not clear how much the portal will cost to set up. The city is working with Healthcare Access San Antonio, a nonprofit health information organization, to set up the registry.

That made District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry uncomfortable.

Were talking about a blank check here, Perry said.

Pressed for a number, the citys chief information officer, Craig Hopkins, pegged the potential cost at between $100,000 and $200,000.

jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFReports
Nowadays, worsening air pollution has been proven to be a silent killer, causing millions of deaths worldwide every year. And while many think COVID-19 is a pressing threat, experts claim that air pollution is a 'pandemic in slow motion,' which can cause disastrous consequences when ignored.

Research has shown that the risk of premature death is higher for people who were exposed to unhealthy air for a prolonged period. According to Medical News Today, air pollution remains one of the leading causes of death in several countries.

Millions of deaths worldwide due to air pollution

A recent study about the effects of outdoor air pollution bore alarming findings. Most developing countries are plagued with this pressing problem.

In China, over a million deaths were linked to air pollution last year. It remains the top country that leads the world in air pollution-related deaths. This is followed by India, with over half a million, Europe, with almost 200,000, and the United States, with over 50,000 death tolls.

Read More: Countryside Areas of India Suffer from Heavy Air Pollution, Particularly PM2.5

Delhi writer and activist Jyoti Pande Lavakare compared Delhi to a 'gas chamber.' In an interview with National Geographic, Lavakare gave a glimpse of India's worsening pollution, which takes a toll on people's quality of life.

"I get a dull pollution headache. My daughter gets a headache too; she feels a little nauseous sometimes. Your eyes will water. With COVID-19, deaths happen right away. With air pollution, it just adds on over time. It's a pandemic in slow motion."

Effects of long-term exposure to unhealthy air

The quality of the air you breathe dramatically affects your physical and mental health. Breathing unhealthy air can have adverse effects on your body. With prolonged exposure to air pollution, all of the body's essential systems can be affected.

According to World Health Organization, people exposed to unhealthy air can develop complications in their respiratory system and are more susceptible to getting pneumonia, asthma, or lung cancer. It can also target the nervous system, causing Parkinson's disease and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Air pollution is also linked to chronic kidney disease, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, blood clots, premature births, mood disorders, low fertility, and more.

What are some viable solutions to air pollution?

Surprisingly, high population density is not the main contributor to air pollution. Many densely-packed cities and countries have proven that fighting air pollution is attainable, despite having a high population. These include Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic, as reported by Eureka Alert.

Yevgen Nazarenko, a Research Associate at McGill University, recently conducted a study to combat this problem. The study, published in WHO, reveals that government should strictly impose standards regarding air quality.

"Our findings show that more than half of the world urgently needs protection in the form of adequate PM2.5 ambient air quality standards. Putting these standards in place everywhere will save countless lives. And where standards are already in place, they should be harmonized globally," added Nazarenko.

Reducing emissions from energy, transport, housing, and industrial sectors is one of the most effective ways to reduce pollution.

Related Article: Study Finds That Air Pollution Increases Power Consumption and Electricity Demand in Homes
Allschwil, Switzerland - April 1, 2021



Idorsia Ltd (SIX: IDIA) today issued the formal Notice to the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Shareholders on behalf of the Board of Directors. The meeting to approve the Business Report of the year ending December 31, 2020 will be held on Wednesday May 12, 2021.

The meeting will be held in accordance with the requirements of the COVID 19 Ordinance 2, issued by the Swiss Federal Council. As a result, attendance in person will not be possible and voting will take place by independent proxy only.

Mathieu Simon, Chairman of the Board of Directors commented:

"Once again, we must prioritize the health of our shareholders and the Idorsia team, so we are unable to host our shareholders at an in-person meeting. I trust that our engaged shareholder base will make their voice heard none-the-less through the proxy vote. Among the usual governance topics, we continue to ensure the Board benefits from fresh perspectives by proposing Srishti Gupta and Peter Kellogg, two excellent new candidates to the Board. At the same time Viviane Monges and Michel de Rosen have decided not to stand for re-election this year. We thank both Viviane and Michel for their contribution to the Board during these critical years of Idorsia's foundation."

Notes to Shareholders

The Notice, which includes the biographies of proposed Board candidates, will be published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (Schweizerisches Handelsamtsblatt) in the coming days and distributed to Shareholders by post on April 16, 2021. It is also available, together with the Company's Annual Report and Compensation Report, on www.idorsia.com/agm (http://www.idorsia.com/agm).

Shares only qualify for voting through the independent proxy if registered in the company's shareholder register by May 3, 2021 at the latest. Registered shareholders will receive a form to appoint the Independent Proxy. Forms must be received by May 7, 2021, please allow appropriate time for delivery given the strain on public resources.

Notes to the editor

Letter from the Chairman

Dear Shareholder,

Once again, the details of this year's Annual General Meeting of Idorsia's shareholders comes to you amid the continued COVID-19 pandemic. In this context we will be holding the event in accordance with the requirements of the COVID-19 Ordinance 2, issued by the Swiss Federal Council. This means that attendance in person is not possible and voting will take place by independent proxy. Again, we must prioritize the health of our shareholders and the Idorsia team.

Let me therefore take this opportunity to provide you with some context and background information on the Board's proposals, which you are invited to vote on either by postal vote or via the electronic voting platform.

To begin with, you will find a full description of last year's activities in our Annual Report 2020 at: www.idorsia.com/annual-report (http://www.idorsia.com/annual-report).

In the report you will read about the excellent progress the company has made, despite the upheaval that the global pandemic has caused. The workforce was able to hunker down and deliver the read out of vital results from the global Phase 3 program with daridorexant, our investigational therapy for insomnia and the Japanese study of clazosentan for cerebral vasospasm as a consequence of an aneurysmal hemorrhage. Both these positive programs have been analyzed and are already filed with health authorities for review. In order to not miss a beat, the company also made great progress with establishing our global commercial capabilities, building out our infrastructure, support network and most importantly a stellar team.

Obviously, these huge achievements take the limelight, but the company also advanced other projects in the drug discovery and clinical development pipeline. The lab-based colleagues continued to show-up and make a difference, while the clinical development team took steps to ensure patients could safely participate in the ongoing studies. An outstanding effort all round.

During 2020, we went to the capital market to access funding which will take us a long way towards our goal to become a sustainable, leading biopharmaceutical company. With our first stream of revenue on the horizon from the revenue sharing agreement for ponesimod, and our own potential product launches getting closer with each day, we are assessing all options to bring the company to break even. However, we must maintain financial and strategic flexibility. To this end, we are asking you to approve an increase to authorized capital until the AGM in 2023.

In addition, we are asking you to approve an increase in the budget for the aggregate maximum amount of compensation for the Idorsia Executive Committee. This would give the Board more flexibility to increase the potential variable pay, should we consider this appropriate to incentivize and reward the successful launch of the company's first products and other milestones planned for 2022, all of which are key to Idorsia's future success and sustainability.

Continuing our efforts to ensure the Board benefits from fresh perspectives, we are proposing two new candidates to the Board. Srishti Gupta and Peter Kellogg both bring rich experiences to the company as we embark upon our first product launches. You can read more about our proposed candidates in their biographies in the Appendix to this invitation. At the same time Viviane Monges and Michel de Rosen have decided not to stand for re-election this year. We thank both Viviane and Michel for their contribution to the Board during these critical years of Idorsia's foundation.

The other items on the agenda are relatively straightforward, and explanations are given with the proposal or in the Appendix.

I am very disappointed to not be able to meet with you in person at my first AGM as Chairman but I am sure that the excellent response from the pharmaceutical industry that has resulted in vaccines will mean we can return to some semblance of normality during this year.

I send you my best wishes for health in 2021, and I hope that you will exercise your voting rights through the proxy vote.

Best regards,

Mathieu Simon

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Agenda for the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders 2021

1. Annual Report 2020, Consolidated Financial Statements 2020, Statutory Financial Statements 2020 and Compensation Report 2020

1.1. Approval of Annual Report 2020, Consolidated Financial Statements 2020 and Statutory Financial Statements 2020

1.2. Consultative vote on the Compensation Report 2020

2. Appropriation of available earnings

3. Discharge of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee

4. Increase and extension of existing authorized share capital

5. Board elections

5.1. Re-election of members of the Board of Directors

5.2. Election of new Directors

5.3. Election of the Chair of the Board of Directors

5.4. Election of the Compensation Committee

6. Approval of Board compensation and Executive Committee compensation

6.1. Approval of Board compensation (Non-Executive Directors) for the 2021-2022 term of office

6.2. Approval of Executive Committee compensation 2022

7. Election of the Independent Proxy

8. Election of the statutory auditors

About Idorsia

Idorsia Ltd is reaching out for more - We have more ideas, we see more opportunities and we want to help more patients. In order to achieve this, we will develop Idorsia into a leading biopharmaceutical company, with a strong scientific core.

Headquartered near Basel, Switzerland - a European biotech-hub - Idorsia is specialized in the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecules to transform the horizon of therapeutic options. Idorsia has a broad portfolio of innovative drugs in the pipeline, an experienced team of professionals covering all disciplines from bench to bedside, state-of-the-art facilities, and a strong balance sheet - the ideal constellation to translate R&D efforts into business success.

Idorsia was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: IDIA) in June 2017 and has over 900 highly qualified specialists dedicated to realizing our ambitious targets.

For further information, please contact

Andrew C. Weiss

Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hegenheimermattweg 91, CH-4123 Allschwil

+41 58 844 10 10

investor.relations@idorsia.com (mailto:investor.relations@idorsia.com)

media.relations@idorsia.com (mailto:media.relations@idorsia.com)

www.idorsia.com (http://www.idorsia.com)

The above information contains certain "forward-looking statements", relating to the company's business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "estimates", "believes", "expects", "may", "are expected to", "will", "will continue", "should", "would be", "seeks", "pending" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such statements include descriptions of the company's investment and research and development programs and anticipated expenditures in connection therewith, descriptions of new products expected to be introduced by the company and anticipated customer demand for such products and products in the company's existing portfolio. Such statements reflect the current views of the company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

Attachment
China improving Hong Kong's electoral system conducive to local prosperity -- overseas Chinese

Xinhua) 15:56, April 01, 2021

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Tuesday adopted a package of legislative changes to improve Hong Kong's electoral system, a move that has garnered widespread support among overseas Chinese.

Two amended annexes to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), which concern the method for the selection of the HKSAR chief executive and the method for the formation of the HKSAR Legislative Council and its voting procedures, respectively, were unanimously passed at a session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

Such amendments plugged the loopholes and repaired the defects of Hong Kong's electoral system, provided institutional guarantees for the full and accurate implementation of "one country, two systems," and the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," and helped ensure peace and stability of Hong Kong, said Liu Yang, president of the Belarusian Overseas Chinese Association.

Measures adopted by China's top legislature are suitable for the current situation in Hong Kong and protective for the legitimate rights of Hong Kong residents, said Boonyong Yongcharoenrat, vice president of the Thai Chinese Chamber of Commerce, adding that the legislative changes are of great importance to Hong Kong's lasting prosperity and stability, and to China's national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Yao Bin, president of the Lao Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, said the new amendments to the HKSAR Basic Law are in line with the interests of the vast majority of Hong Kong people, meet the expectations of Hong Kong's business community, and will further promote the development of the region.

Improving Hong Kong's electoral system from the national level helps ensure the practice of "one country, two systems" in the right direction, and is also a milestone event in the practice of "one country, two systems," said Wang Jiaqing, head of the Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China in France.

Zhu Hai'an, head of the Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China in Belgium, said that improving the electoral system will help implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," which is not only conducive to Hong Kong's stability, but also beneficial to Hong Kong's rapid economic recovery.

This is the will of the people and the irresistable trend of times. It is also another milestone in the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy in Hong Kong, said Zhu.

"Patriots administering Hong Kong" is a basic political principle that is unarguably justified, said Han Jun, president of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Africa, noting that the overseas Chinese fully support the amendments.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Get those walking shoes on. Its time.

According to nationaldaycalendar.com, National Walking Day is always the first Wednesday in April. This year, thats April 7.

If its a way to get people moving, the health experts at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County are all for it, MHSC Marketing Director Deb Sutton said.

Taking a few minutes out of your day to take a walk offers a wide range of health benefits.

Boost mental health

Walking just 10 minutes a day boosts the chemicals in your brain that help to improve mood and combat depression, James Cummings, MHSC social worker sai...
Optimism: musician and Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof was full of praise for Belfast as he addressed a virtual audience yesterday

A major summit of young people is set to give Belfast's economy a much needed post-pandemic boost.

The city has been announced as the host for the One Young World Summit in May 2023.

More than 2,000 young people from over 190 countries are set to descend on Belfast for the four-day event, which aims to bring together world leaders of the future.

The young people will be joined by influential political, business and humanitarian leaders who take part as One Young World Counsellors.

Previous counsellors have included the Duchess of Sussex, Live Aid legend Sir Bob Geldof, Irish President Mary Robinson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

While there has been no confirmation on who will attend the 2023 event, previous events have attracted a wide range of guests from different sectors, all famous within their own fields.

Belfast was one of eight candidate cities from across five continents for the 13th annual summit including Dubai, Delhi and Sao Paolo.

The event has previously been held in cities such as Dublin, London, Zurich, Bogota and Bangkok.

This year's event will be held in Munich, the 2022 event in Tokyo and the 2024 event in Montreal.

One Young World managing director Ella Robertson noted that the event coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

She detailed why Belfast was chosen as host.

"It would be hard pressed to find a reason not to choose Belfast, beyond the incredible event and hospitality infrastructure, the fabulous convention centre, the hotels, the restaurants, which are of course an incredibly important part of an international summit like this," Ms Robertson said.

"We were really impressed with the young people in Belfast. The story of Northern Ireland is one which, wherever we go in the world, whether it's Colombia, Rwanda or South Africa, Northern Ireland always comes up as a beacon of hope, of how a modern peace process can work and unite people.

"It really demonstrates the tremendous resilience of the people of Northern Ireland who were the biggest reason we felt we had to bring One Young World to Belfast."

Mrs Robertson said the event would be an opportunity for businesses to showcase "how fantastic the events conference infrastructure is in the city, which can draw more events and have a tremendous impact on the local economy".

First Minister Arlene Foster said the event would be "transformative" and "young people from across the world will see Northern Ireland as it actually is rather than how they perceive it to be".

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said that "when there's a real commitment to work together we can actually change things".

One Young World Counsellor Sir Bob Geldof said he was delighted the event was in Belfast "because there's so much that people in this city can talk about to these younger people, about processes that made two completely different cultures and societies function together, about discovering there is another way of doing things; that there is a future and that talking through subjects actually works".
Ethiopia annually imports 17 million quintal wheat from abroad and for the nation which suffers from scarcity of hard currency, such procurement is not acceptable.

It is also noted that, as agriculture is a main stay of the economy, importing agricultural products is a paradox.

Cognizant of these, to make the nation food self- sufficient the government is dedicating its time and energy to produce wheat in vast areas of the country both in low and high land parts through irrigation.

Daniel Muleta (PhD) is working in the Ministry of Agriculture as the Head of Wheat Irrigation Farm Promoting Department. While speaking to The Ethiopian Herald, he said that last year, it was possible to grow wheat in 20 thousand hectares of land.

This year in Oromia region alone, 300 000 farmers engaged in growing wheat on 16,0000 hectares of irrigation farm land and in the Amhara region in the Koga irrigation project, wheat is cultivated on 5,950 hectares of land.

This year in the first round of harvest it was planned to produce 5 million 75 thousand quintals of wheat and the gathering is undergoing since October 2020. From the Jima zone in Oromia State and Gode areas in Somali State, harvesting wheat is undergone.

In the second round it is planned to harvest 3.5 million quintals of wheat by cultivating 100 thousand hectares of land. In addition to this, it is planned to harvest 2.5 million quintals of wheat by growing on 245 thousand hectares land.

As mentioned above, Ethiopia annually imports 17 million quintals of wheat and based on this year's plan, if 8.5 million quintals of wheat is harvested from the intended 245 thousand hectare, substituting half of the imported wheat will be attainable.

As to Daniel, in the 2021 budget year it was planned to cultivate wheat on 300 thousand hectares of land and to harvest 10.5 million quintals but later it was revised. Therefore, according to the revised plan, 8.5 million quintals of wheat will be harvested.

However, it must be noticed that, there were various upside downs among others, the occurrence of flood in the Afar region along with the frequent invasion of desert locust left the crop demolished. The outbrake of COVID 19 also brought its own impact on transporting agricultural inputs to the areas.

Aragaw Kasu is a farmer in Amhara region and as to him, in Koga irrigation project; he and his fellow farmers have cultivated wheat on 3,500 hectares of land through combining their small plots of land.

He further said that the government supported them by supplying inputs such as selective seeds and pesticides.

There are also projects which boost wheat cultivation in the Oromia State. The Ada woreda Agricultural Bureau Head Kebede Ararsa said that last year farmers could produce 50 quintals of wheat per hectare. As to him, farmers could better perform during the winter than the rainy season.

According to experts, farmers in Amhara State have been engaged in wheat growing for the last 11 years but this year they cultivate in a new way to make a difference and to that end they utilized better inputs and increased their farm areas.

According to the Ada woreda Agricultural Bureau head of Oromia State, the irrigation farm enables farmers to obtain more products than their usual farming. Irrigation projects help farmers to utilize water economically because the flow of water is controlled. During rainy season excess water showers on crops which in turn spoil the harvest and dwindled the amount of products. But through irrigation, water is regulated and no damage occurs on crop.

As to Agegnehu Teshager, president of Amhara State, this year, it was planned to cultivate wheat on 300 thousand hectares of land through irrigation in the region. But it failed to hit the target due to various shortcomings. It was possible to cultivate only 18 thousand hectares of land and out of this, only 13 thousand hectares of land could be covered by wheat. The farm is located in Agewawi zone of Amhara State in Western Gojam.

In the Awi zone of the same State, 5 thousand hectares of land is covered by wheat and also 3500 hectares of land is covered by wheat in the nearby areas by using Koga irrigation project. In addition, there is 1000 hectares of land covered by wheat in other areas. Most farmers in the State are inspired by the outcome of winter irrigation project and showed their resolute to devote their time for the increment of wheat production.

On the other hand, in Eastern Gojam, Southern Wollo, Central and Southern Gonder zones of Amhara State, many irrigation activities which created job opportunities for thousands are underway. As to the State's president, the State has planned to produce 30 million quintals of wheat in the coming 5 years.

According to the Ethiopian Metrological Agency report in Ethiopia, a variety of climate extreme events are increasingly common, particularly droughts and floods. Changes in weather and climate, especially in the context of the dynamic Sahel monsoon, form a potential threat to agricultural production and food security throughout the region.

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Recent evidence suggests that the incidence of droughts and floods in Ethiopia has increased in the last ten years when compared to the decade before 2013. Drought events alone are estimated to reduce Ethiopia's GDP by up to 1 percent in a typical year 2021GC. This will likely be confounded by additional loss of agricultural productivity due to changes in climate.

According to Daniel, the nation has a potential not only for domestic food self-sufficiency but also in exporting wheat to the foreign market.

Formerly, the experiment to cultivate wheat in the arid areas of Gode through irrigation was not fruitful. Looking the practice as bad experience some have been hesitating weather this year's wheat production in all parts of the country to substitute half of the nation's wheat imports as per expected and next year, with better production, substituting 100 percent of imported wheat will be possible. But though the effort is continued there are also some upside downs which can be taken as constraint factors including natural disasters.
Many sugar mills have had to shut down because they cannot compete with imports.

After ATIGA (ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement) took effect, the tariff on sugar imports to Vietnam was slashed from 85 percent to 5 percent. As a result, while domestic output was in excess, Vietnam still had a trade deficit of 884,285 tons of sugar a year.

In the 2019-2020 crop, the sugarcane growing area decreased by another 15-20 percent, which raised concern about material shortages for sugar mills.

Only 29 out of 40 sugar mills are still operational. The total sugarcane output is 5.29 million tons, or 530,000 tons of sugar.

.

Nguyen Cam Trang, deputy director of the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), said at a workshop on the opportunities and challenges for the sugar industry on March 23 that Vietnam is one of the biggest sugar producers and consumers. It can put out 1-1.3 million tons a year, while demand for direct consumption and food processing is 2 million tons.

According to the General Department of Customs (GDC) in 2017-2019, Vietnam imported 200,000-400,000 tons of sugar. However, the tariff removal to implement ATIGA has had a big impact on domestic production and import.

The imports soared in 2020 to 1.5 million tons, which affected domestic production. Less than 900,000 tons of sugar were produced in the 2019-2020 crop, much lower than the average level of 1.2 million tons.

Le Van Tam, chair of Lam Son Sugar JSC, said that Vietnams sugar industry has been facing difficulties in recent years, especially after ATIGA took effect. Vietcombank Securities also pointed out that the domestic sugar industry faced a number of challenges in the long term

As Thailand subsidizes its sugar industry, Thai sugar imports have low prices with which Vietnam-made sugar mills cannot compete, including the mills which buy sugarcane at low prices from farmers.

The low sugarcane prices led to a sharp fall in sugarcane growing area, from 300,000 hectares to below 160,000, and in number of sugar mills, from 41 to 29. The mills are operating at a moderate level because the material supply just can meet 50 percent of demand.

As a result, the domestic output fell from 2 million tons to below 1 million tons a year.

MOIT gives lifebuoy

On February 9, 2021, MOIT released a decision on applying temporary anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties on sugar imports from Thailand, 48.88 percent on refined sugar and 33.88 percent on raw sugar.

The low sugarcane prices led to a sharp fall in sugarcane growing area, from 300,000 hectares to below 160,000, and in number of sugar mills, from 41 to 29. The mills are operating at a moderate level because the material supply just can meet 50 percent of demand.

The move, according to Nguyen Van Loc, acting secretary of the Vietnam Sugar and Sugar Cane Association, is in line with the rules of the WTO (World Trade Organization) and Vietnamese laws.

The investigations found subsidization and dumping, causing serious damage to Vietnams sugar industry with 50 percent of sugarcane growing households unable to continue production and one-third of sugar mills having to shut down.

The anti-dumping duty imposition has made a timely intervention which is like a lifebuoy appearing when the sugar industry is having a close brush with death, Loc said.

With an appropriate anti-dumping duty, domestic sugar prices will be equal to that in the region, helping farmers and sugar mills to develop in a fair and transparent environment.

However, as the industry has suffered heavily, it will take a lot of time to recover.

But he said that Vietnams enterprises can compete fairly with rivals.

The move will help to recover the material growing area. When the sugar price is higher for sugar mills, they will buy sugarcane at a higher price. If so, farmers will feel secure and try to improve yield and quality.

Some sugar mills have begun increasing the sugarcane purchasing prices in the 2020-2021 crop. Lam Son, for example, pays VND1 million per ton, or VND150,000 per ton higher than the previous crop.

In the long term, the sugar industry will not only make sugar but other products as well to optimize profits.

However, sugar producers still have worries. Tam said smuggled sugar is the biggest threat to domestic production. Smugglers may use more sophisticated tricks, thereby killing Vietnams industry.

Dinh Duy Vuot, a National Assembly Deputy from Gia Lai, said the sugar price surged by VND100,000-200,000 per ton, which allowed farmers to make a profit of VND30-50 million per hectare.

The sugar price has increased by nearly 50 percent, or VND4,000 per kilogram over 2020. In previous crops, farmers incurred losses, broke even or made modest profits.

However, he said in order to help the sugar industry develop in a sustainable way and compete fairly with Thailand, it is necessary to apply comprehensive measures, especially state support for farmers. It is also necessary to stop trade fraud to prevent smuggled sugar products from entering Vietnam.

Meanwhile, sugar companies need to modernize sugar mills and improve competitiveness.

Tam An

When sugarcanes lose commercial cane sugar Mekong Delta provinces are entering a bitter sugarcane crop when the selling prices of sugarcane are equal to the cost prices. After more than eight months of cultivation, farmers earn almost nothing on their land.
White supremacy propaganda is on the rise in Michigan, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League.

There were 5,125 cases of racist, antisemitic and other hateful incidents reported by ADL in 2020. This is the highest level of cases ever reported, according to the league. ADL reported an average of about 14 incidents reported per day and nearly double the 2,713 cases reported in 2019.

The league is an anti-hate organization founded in 1913 to combat antisemitism and bigotry. It tracks the distribution of racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ fliers, stickers, posters and banners by various members of far right and white supremacist groups.

ADL recorded 57 incidents of white supremacy propaganda in Michigan, a 36% increase from 2019.

There were five groups responsible for the propaganda efforts in Michigan are Patriot Front, Folksfront, Nationalist Social Club, New Order, and the Loyal White Knights, a Ku Klux Klan group. Patriot Front was responsible for 47 out of 57 white supremacy propaganda incidents in Michigan, according to an ADL news release.

Patriot Front is an active nationwide white supremacist group. It was formed after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 that resulted in the deaths of one civilian and two state police troopers.

Emily Snider, associate regional director for the ADL in Michigan, recommends reporting any instances of white supremacist propaganda through the leagues website.

In some cases, it can also be reported to local law enforcement, like if its vandalism or in a place where fliers arent allowed, Snider told the News Advocate.

ADL records incidents through an interactive HEAT map. HEAT stands for hate, extremism, antisemitism and terrorism.

Many of the reported incidents centered around the Flint area, with five incidents reported there, as well as one in Davison, one in Clio and one in Birch Run in 2020.

There have been no incidents reported in Huron, Tuscola or Sanilac counties since the ADL began collecting data in 2002.

Snider said this could be because incidents havent been reported or simply that the population is more sparse than in other areas of Michigan.

The ADL runs several educational programs, including the Glass Leadership Institute, a 10-month program for young professionals in Michigan. The league is actively looking for members of its regional leadership board from across the state. More details can be found at michigan.adl.org.
TORRINGTON  Kelly Considine is still in pain.

Considine, now in her 30s, was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome as a young woman after a sports-related injury. Over time, the pain has increased, and she has lost much of her ability to stand and walk. She is just over six feet tall, and her weight has dwindled to about 100 pounds.

But her determination is strong, shes looking forward to joining others this summer and is organizing a fundraising walk to raise money for research and improve public awareness of the debilitating disease that attacks a persons nervous system.

Considines team, Kellys Crusaders, joined in-person walks in Long Island in 2018 and 2019, and held their own in Torrington in 2020 using the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway.

The second annual Virtual CRPS Awareness Walk is set for June 26 on the greenway, and Kellys Crusaders are ready to go. Considine, a city resident, will be there with her service dog, Gunner, along with supportive friends and family members. This year, her team is already leading with donations. Were hoping for another successful year, she said.

Last year our team raised over $6,800, and this year Ive been asked to be the chairperson of the walk, she said. Im very excited to be more involved because I love spreading awareness in the hopes that one day soon, we an find a cure for this horrendous condition.

Teams of people affected by CRPS around the state and across the country participated in last years awareness walk, sending photos of themselves from Seymour and West Hartford, as well as from Oregon, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Nebraska.

It was so great to see all these people doing it on their own, Considine said.

According to the Mayo Clinic, CRPS usually affects an arm or leg, and typically develops after a injury, a surgery, a stroke or heart attack. The pain, the clinic says on its website, is out of proportion to the severity of the injury.

I went to a surgery center in my freshman year of college, and a surgeon there cut one of the nerves in my ankle, Considine said. He told me Id be off crutches by the end of the day, Considine said. Ever since then, the pain has spread beyond my leg. Its affecting my blood pressure, my heart rate and my GI system, so eating is difficult, and I have to be very careful. The condition has just increased.

The pandemic prompted groups to hold their own fundraisers. My friends said, instead of canceling it, they wanted to have a virtual option, she said. Everyone came together and showed that even with the COVID-19 challenges, we were able to do this. Last year there were 33 teams, and we had participants from 40 states and three other countries.

The money is donated for to the Milford-based nonprofit Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association. Considine found a support group on Facebook that participates in awareness-raising activities.

What our groups been doing is holding a Facebook Live series of talks for people living with the syndrome, Considine said. They also held a virtual conference with physicians, researchers and people with CRPS. Because its so rare, sometimes its hard to find other people who have it. But when you do you dont feel like youre all alone.

The walk begins at 10 a.m. June 26 on the Winsted end of the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway. To make a donation, go to https://secure.qgiv.com/event/rsdsawalk2021/team/874942-KellysCrusaders.

To learn more about the walk or sponsorship opportunities, email Considine at kelly.crpsawareness@gmail.com. To join her team, go to http://bit.ly/Kellys_Crusaders_2021.
Pandemic support package dates challenged as First Minister denies goalposts have been moved

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Apr 1st, 2021

The First Minister Mark Drakeford has denied the goalposts have been moved on business support, despite official websites still saying support now allocated to cover through April was to cover up to yesterday.

A package of support for non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses that continue to be impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had been announced by Welsh Government with subsequent top ups.

The funding was allocated via the non-domestic rates, or business rates, system to ensure quick payments to businesses  who had various levels of support depending on what rateable value they have.

Supply chain businesses to the sectors have also been supported, along with a discretionary fund also accessible.





The tranche of funding has become regular for the sectors, with lockdowns and extensions usually triggering extra payments to help with costs due to the enforced closures. One such announcement at the end of January noted It brings this latest phase of Welsh Government support to 650 million and will help businesses with operational costs through to the end of March , and an announcement on March 12th referred to an extra payment to such businesses, with some references to that helping businesses with their costs up to 31 March 2021 .

At todays briefing the First Minister was questioned on the issue, with many in the sectors surprised to now hear that the most recent funding is intended to cover through April and into May as well.

BBC Wales said: In terms of the hospitality sector you have now given them indicative dates for reopening but they are still some time away from viable trading, and they think that you have moved the goalposts on them in terms of financial support to tide them over during that period.

They were under the impression that the support already announced would only be expected to last until the end of March and that there will be a further tranche of funding, Welsh Government says now that they expect it to last beyond the election, do you accept at the very least, theres been a failure of communication here?

The First Minister replied: Let me put it right if there has been. Just being clear with businesses, we announced a further 180 million of funding towards the second half of March, to make sure the businesses in Wales would have the help they need to see them through March, and through April as well.

Businesses will see no interruption in the flow of financial support to them over that period. Many businesses have already received the help thats available to them, and for others who are still in the process of applying, cash grants will continue to be paid during April as those applications are confirmed.

Alongside the money that we announced and is already reaching businesses, weve also put 200 million aside in the Welsh Governments budget for the next financial year.

Election rules preclude us from making decisions during the pre-election period. I have asked officials of the Welsh Government to make sure that whoever is in government after the sixth of May, there is advice available immediately as to how that 200 million can also be deployed to help welsh businesses. So as soon as the election is over, there will be more help on its way.

At the time of writing the Restrictions Business Fund information dated the 29th of January is still live on the BusinessWales.gov.uk site and states:

The Restrictions Business Fund Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) and Discretionary based grants for non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism (NERHLT) sectors has been extended to provide a single top up payment to cover the period between the 25 January and end of March 2021 for businesses affected by national restrictions. Businesses not eligible for non-domestic rates will be able to continue to apply to local authorities for a Discretionary Grant.

The announcement on the 12th of March is still live, and notes:

A further 150 million has been made available to support Welsh businesses in dealing with the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The additional support will help businesses in the hospitality, tourism, leisure and non-essential retail sectors that pay non-domestic rates and will operate as a top up to the Restrictions Business Fund. This will see an eligible business with a rateable value of under 12,000 receive an extra 4,000 grant payment. Firms with a rateable value of between 12,001 and 500,000 will receive 5,000. The funding, which will help businesses with their costs up to 31 March 2021, will be available to firms regardless of the number of employees and ensures micro businesses benefit from the support.

At todays briefing we made reference to that release, and that reading between the lines of his earlier answer the solution is that support could be backdated by whoever is in power after the election.

We pointed out that hospitality being closed from today onwards is not a surprise, the elections taking place is not a surprise, and the pre-election period is pretty standard stuff.

We asked how had this support been missed in the reasonably predictable scenario?

We also asked if this was a failure of the cross party group who examined how an election can take place during a pandemic if such an electoral process impacts businesses ?

The First Minister replied: Well I dont think that account is a fair or accurate. So let me try and explain it one more time.

We announced 180 million pounds worth of support for businesses in the middle of March.

That money will continue to be paid out to people through the month of April. Many businesses have already had that money which well see them not just through the end of March, but through April as well.

So its not a matter of it being backdated, but money is already there to help businesses through from now until the election is over and a new government is formed.

The fact that we cannot make detailed allocations of money during an election period is just the standard rules of an election. I just ask you to imagine for a moment what the reaction would be from other parties if I was standing here today announcing lots of allocations for this sort of business and that sort of business, while an election is on.

The rule is there for a good reason to stop the governing party having an unfair advantage. What I do want to see is whoever is in government after the election, that the advice will be ready for that incoming governments so that 200 million, which we have earmarked in the financial year that is about to begin, that those allocations can be made rapidly by that new government.

There will be no interruption in the flow of financial support to businesses here in Wales.

All remaining non-essential retail and close contact services will be allowed to reopen from Monday 12 April, while the rules will also be changed to allow travel into and out of Wales from the rest of the United Kingdom and Common Travel Area.

The Welsh Government is also signalling further changes it aims to confirm at the 22 April review, subject to public health conditions and final confirmation by Ministers, which would see outdoor attractions and outdoor hospitality reopen, including at cafes, pubs and restaurants on Monday 26 April.

By early May, plans include allowing organised outdoor activities for up to 30 people to take place, and for gyms, leisure centres and fitness facilities to reopen for individual or one-to-one training but not exercise classes.

After 17 May, the Welsh Government will consider enabling indoor hospitality and remaining visitor accommodation to reopen in advance of the Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May.

Changes remain subject to public health conditions continuing to remain favourable.

Our earlier reports on the expected dates and changes to regulations can be found here.
Sinovac rollout to reach all provinces

THAILAND: The government yesterday (Mar 31) confirmed plans to distribute the Chinese-manufactured COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac this month across the country.

ChineseCoronavirusCOVID-19healthVaccineSafety

By Bangkok Post

Thursday 1 April 2021, 09:45AM

A total 800,000 Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine doses would be allocated to all provinces nationwide starting today (Apr 1). Photo: AFP.

Permanent secretary for Public Health Kiattiphum Wongrajit said 800,000 Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine doses would be allocated to all provinces nationwide starting today. Some 350,000 doses will be given to six at-risk provinces, 240,000 doses to eight tourist provinces and 50,000 doses to eight border provinces.

He said 160,000 doses will be allocated to the remaining provinces. Those with a population of less than one million will receive 800 doses, while large provinces with a population of 1-1.5 million will get 1,000 doses and larger provinces will get 1,200 doses, said Dr Kiattiphum. Public health and frontline workers will receive the vaccine first. 1,000 doses will be given to each province to inoculate village health volunteers, he said.

In a related story, assistant spokeswoman of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) Apisamai Srirangson said three immigration officers and employees who worked at immigration detention centres tested positive for COVID-19. The detention centres earlier reported a cluster of 395 cases.

The CCSA reported 24 new cases in three provinces yesterday. Eleven of the cases were found in Samut Sakhon, 10 in Bangkok and three in Samut Prakan.

One of the cases in Samut Prakan is a 28-year-old employee who worked in the kitchen of a quarantine facility.

The CCSA assistant spokeswoman said she did not wear gloves nor wash her hands while working. There were five people who were in close contact with her.

One of them, her co-worker, later tested positive. This person spread the virus to her infant and nanny.

Yesterday in Lamphun, a group of vendors at Nong Dok Klang Market protested against the provincial communicable disease committees order to limit the markets entrances in light of clusters at markets in Bangkok.

Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday the parent company of AstraZeneca commended Thailand for its ability to manufacture vaccines that meet their requirements.
A shipment of 500,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Italy late Wednesday at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci airport and was immediately transferred to the national vaccine hub at a Pratica di Mare Air Force hangar where the distribution to the local regions began Thursday morning.

According to the Press Office of the Commission for the COVID-19 Emergency, this is the biggest single shipment of the Moderna vaccine Italy has received so far, bringing the total for the first trimester of 2021 to 830,000 doses, far below the Pfizer doses, with over 7 million and the AstraZeneca with over 2 million.

Italy has struggled with a slow vaccine rollout and only just recently passed 10 million inoculations nationwide for at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The number of coronavirus cases at Ohio nursing homes leveled off this week, with the Ohio Department of Health reporting Wednesday night 528 current cases involving patients and 429 involving staff.

This is compares with 531 patient cases and 395 for staff at the long-term care facilities a week ago.

Current cases are defined as those active during the seven-day period ending Tuesday. They had been dropping sharply for weeks. Total patient cases stood at 5,155 in mid-December, dropping to 2,711 by mid-January and 992 by mid-February.

Separately, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living said in a report released Wednesday that this year there has been a rapid decline in COVID-19 cases in the facilities nationally, thanks to initial vaccine allocations prioritized for nursing homes.

The report said cases were down 96% from more than 30,000 new resident cases in mid-December, and deaths were down 91%. In comparison, the case rate among the general population had dropped 72% during the same time period, Dec. 20 through March 7.

The state of Ohio began tracking nursing home cases by facility on April 15. There have been 48,909 patient cases and 34,893 staff cases reported since then.

The health department each week releases updates on deaths by county and cases by facility for the long-term care centers. No information is released regarding the number of deaths by facility.

However, death counts became unreliable as a tracking measure earlier this month when Gov. Mike DeWines health department switched to a more delayed reporting system, which involves awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control before a death is included.

The state this week reported 7,119 patient deaths to date, up from 7,055, 6,903 and 6,790 the previous three weeks. However, before the switch in reporting procedures, the state had been reporting 7,462 patient deaths. Most of those likely will be added back in later.

Facility-by-facility case details can be found below. If you are having trouble viewing the list, use this link instead.

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Obamacare now cheaper for millions because of big health insurance changes in stimulus - Thats Rich!

How to claim your unemployment tax break under new stimulus; other coronavirus-related tax matters - Thats Rich!

Heres whats in the latest COVID-19 relief bill, including $5,600 in stimulus payments for a family of 4 - Thats Rich!
We saw the pandemic accelerate the digital transition process of businesses last year. A year later, the implications of this transition have been significant and wide-ranging  from creating consumer experiences & engagements, to e-commerce, online education, e-payments, online medical consultations  almost all off-line activity is now done in the digital space.

Digital spends have gone up manifold, and brand strategies now incorporate reaching out to consumers in the online space. With this, there has also been the need for upskilling the workforce to tackle the business operational requirements in the new normal.

In the run-up to DIGIXX MEDIA SUMMIT 2021, Adgully will be bringing a series of interactions with Indias leading Digital evangelists as part of our series on DIGITAL DIALOGUE.

Keeping a sharp eye on all the Digital developments and disruptions is Adgullys industry leading premier property  DIGIXX. Like in the previous years, DIGIXX MEDIA SUMMIT 2021 is all geared to discuss, analyse, crystal-gaze and explore the world of Digital trends in a day-long event comprising Panel Discussions, Master Classes, Keynote Addresses and Fireside Chats.

Merge Infinity is an independent parent firm focused on growth consulting and digital transformation for businesses with futuristic tools that leverage the expertise to advise on strategy, build projects, work on execution and convert ideas into revenue growth.

Merge Infinity houses a multifaceted creative agency, Chimp&z Inc, a fully integrated production house called Griffin Pictures Worldwide, a performance marketing firm called Saber Tooth, an ROI driven digital agency called Yellophant Digital, an AI & Machine Learning driven SEO analysis tool called Search Munky; all a part of its global network.

In conversation with Adgully, Angad Singh Manchanda, Co-founder & CEO, Merge Infinity, speaks about how Digital is helping businesses scale up their operations, why brands need to focus on human assets to plan, strategise and lead initiatives rather than investing their valuable time in monotonous processes, and more.

With the accelerated transition to digital due to the pandemic crisis, how has this helped businesses scale up their operations? How do you see this shift to digital panning out over the next 5 years?

Digital has always been around; the process of transitioning into a digital-first business process has been gradually developing in the last 10 years. During the pandemic, the first movers just had to move their current modules to the already existing digital-first module. It was the late adopters who had to take swift action to ensure that they dont miss the digital train. In the next 5 years, new technologies like AI, ML, Blockchain, and Audio technologies will be the right avenues for businesses to invest in. In the times to come, as the consumer is going to drive the change on digital, more and more businesses will need to change their practices by keeping the digital consumer in the center of the business plan. Business-first digital and digital-first business is the present and the near future.

Digital and performance go hand in hand. How are brands evaluating and measuring their performance on digital as a medium?

Performance today exists because of the influx of digital. Only the top brands in every category are invested in analytical tools and technologies at the moment, in order for brands to create accurate target groups and bifurcation of their performance budgets, all brands  whether large or mid-size  will need to base their marketing budgets on hardcore days driven insights. Brands will need to focus their attention on stickiness rather than a one-time purchase of their products and services and brand loyalty, because of the influx of multiple emerging brands will be difficult. Hence, the focus should be on data collection and using consumer data responsibly and ensuring the consumers and users are gratified from time to time for their loyalty.

Talent has always been a challenge when something new disrupts the media world. How are digital companies scaling their knowledge and imparting training to people?

Thanks to the vast population of India, theres a lot of talent in the Digital eco-system. This talent needs to be groomed on a day-to-day basis and updated with trends from global and national avenues. Training structures in digital agencies need to evolve as swiftly as the current marketing trends are evolving. Reactive changes to training and development program is a must along with a lot of predictive trend analysis. A brilliant opportunity that digital agencies here have today is that they can create trends if they can convince their clients to invest in newer technologies and avenues, hence having the first movers advantage and also making it easier for the agencies to train and develop their teams. Lastly, keeping yourselves up to date and ensuring your teams stay hungry is a cultural change that agencies need to make rather than a training change.

What kind of investments digital companies need to plan to face the future challenges, both in terms of skill and technology?

Technology today has evolved multiple folds and can literally manage half the work that teams do today on a day-to-day basis. The idea here is to ensure that human assets are used to plan, strategise and lead initiatives rather than invest their valuable time in monotonous processes. Using human EQ and IQ to create processes using the flawless nature of technology and code to automate outdated processes to have more time in hand for thinking teams is going to be the biggest challenge that companies face. Also, ensuring that new talent from newer industries is invested on expanding their current offerings. Lastly, hiring younger talent who represent the newer generations and their ideologies, which are very different from the target groups that companies have been serving for ages.
It is late March, and the noon sun is beating down on the beach in Palma, on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Seven German tourists have hung a dark red hammock between the wooden posts of the lifeguard tower. Dressed in shorts, their skin has already turned a bright pink as they drink beer and listen to music on a cellphone.

Sasha, 35, explains through his cloth face mask that they have arrived here from different parts of Germany: Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg. Some of them met at the Mallorca hotel where they are all staying. Im healthy, Ive brought my negative [PCR] test, he says.

In Germany, everything is closed right now, but over here we can hang out at the beach, at a sidewalk cafe, and when everything shuts down we can go back to the hotel, play music and stay there, adds his friend Anton.

Mallorca has become a magnet for Germans fleeing the tough coronavirus restrictions introduced by their government to curb worsening infection data. On March 14, Germany took the Balearic Islands out of its risk zone map, in a move that reactivated flights to Mallorca.

Even though German authorities have asked citizens not to leave the country on non-essential travel, hundreds of them have been coming to the Mediterranean island during the last week of March.

German tourists at a beachfront bar in Palma de Mallorca. Roque Martinez

There are between 3,000 and 4,000 available hotel beds in Mallorca, which is also subjected to coronavirus restrictions even though the Balearic Islands have the second-lowest 14-day incidence rate in Spain at 50.5 cases per 100,000 people.

In Mallorca, where the incidence rate is 53.2, indoor restaurant dining is not possible and outdoor seating areas must close by 5pm. Non-essential stores have an 8pm closing time, and there is a 10pm curfew in place. This has changed the nature of tourism on an island that has long made headlines for the alcohol-fueled excesses of foreign visitors in places like Magaluf.

For us, the best part is that weve rented a car to explore the island and see the north, which we didnt know. We were surprised by the quiet, by this other side to Mallorca, explains Johan, while his friend Allan nods in agreement.

There is a row of closed establishments on the seafront promenade, but a restaurant named Zur Krone soon appears on the horizon, like an oasis in the desert. This place is famous among German tourists, and its outdoor seating area is full of people drinking beer and sangria, and having either late breakfast or early lunch.

In Germany, everything is closed right now, but over here we can hang out at the beach, at a sidewalk cafe German tourist Anton

Right now I feel safer here than I do in Germany. People who came here had to take a test and there were tough controls, says Timo, 28, who is a resident of Grimmen in northeastern Germany, as he sips on a glass of sangria. He came to Mallorca by himself to spend six days, and doesnt mind the restrictions. Its a good measure to prevent infections, he says about the 5pm closing times for bars. I spend the rest of the day doing exercise, relaxing on the hotel balcony or reading.

The owner of Zur Krone, Christian Lafourcade, remains hopeful despite the sight of the deserted beach that greets his eyes. Business has been picking up since Monday of last week, when two hotels reopened in the area and the German tourists began to show up again.

Around here, tourism drives 90% of business, he explains. Im very optimistic because there are signs that the summer will be better. This week my business volume has grown 20%. But there have been times this year when he has only sold takeaway food and revenues have just barely covered expenses. God willing, well be able to have a normal season.

But right now, only 11% of hotels near Palma beach are open, and a walk down the promenade shows a succession of shuttered businesses and piled-up chairs inside empty premises. The odd clothing store, as well as a few car and bicycle rentals, are still open on an avenue that is hard to recognize because of the unusually quiet atmosphere.

532 flights from Germany

Flights between Germany and Mallorca for Easter are half of what they were in 2019, the year before the pandemic. There are 532 programmed flights between Palma and several German cities for the period between March 26 and April 5, representing a 51% drop from Easter 2019.

Over at the Bikini Beach restaurant on the seafront promenade, Heidi and her husband have just sat down at an outdoor table and ordered a couple of beers. Were taking this opportunity to relax, jog, read and go for walks, she explains. The couple is working on their tan as they sit in short sleeves under the sun, and they hope to look even more suntanned by the time their six-day vacation is over and they have to return to Dusseldorf.

Heidi says that there are far fewer restrictions on Mallorca than in Germany. I think its normal that we have to wear a mask and that places are closing early; I understand, she adds. The whole world has stopped being normal.

English version by Susana Urra.
Holly Young named ESG senior analyst reporting to Kathleen Bochman, director of ESG

Justine Gearin, alumna of the Loomis Sayles UWIN program, joins the firm as ESG project associate

Justin Dutcher named ESG marketing manager, a dedicated resource within the Strategic Marketing group

Loomis, Sayles & Company, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers, announced today the addition of three new dedicated resources to the firms Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331005050/en/

At Loomis Sayles, we take a strategic approach to ESG, ensuring that fundamental ESG research is integrated throughout the firm and embedded in each teams unique investment process, said Kathleen Bochman, director of ESG. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) has become a critical factor that global clients consider as they select asset managers. Holly Young, Justine Gearin and Justin Dutcher have all demonstrated a passion for and expertise in ESG. These new roles empower them to focus on further embedding ESG into the firms investment culture.

Holly Young has been named ESG senior analyst. In this new role, Holly will work closely with investment teams to ensure their individual data needs are being met, address client reporting needs and provide overall ESG data expertise. Previously, Holly led the design effort for the internal Loomis Sayles ESG Center and developed a number of ESG primers to help educate employees on a variety of topics including carbon footprinting, vendor methodologies and climate scenario analysis. Holly joined Loomis Sayles in 2012 from Essex Investment Management Company, where she was an investment associate. Holly has previous experience at Independence Investments, Scudder Kemper Investments and Brown Brothers Harriman. She earned a BA from Gordon College. Holly will report to Kathleen Bochman.

Justine Gearin joins Loomis Sayles as ESG project associate. Justine is a recent magna cum laude graduate of Bentley University and former intern in the Loomis Sayles Undergraduate Womens Investment Network (UWIN). As a UWIN participant, she spent time as an ESG intern and as a member of the Loomis Sayles ESG Working Committee. She also completed rotations with the Credit Research and Relative Return teams. Justine will report to Holly Young.

Justin Dutcher has been named ESG marketing manager. In this new role, Justin will focus on the development and articulation of the firms ESG approach to the global marketplace including clients, consultants and prospects. He will collaborate with investment teams to communicate their unique ESG philosophies and expertise, and will also support market positioning for Loomis Sayles ESG products. Justin joined Loomis Sayles in 2015 from John Hancock Investments, where he was a senior marketing manager. He has previous experience at Wellington Management. Justin earned a BS from SUNY Maritime College and an MBA from Northeastern University. He will continue to report to Shephali Sardinha, director of strategic marketing.

ABOUT LOOMIS SAYLES

Since 1926, Loomis, Sayles & Company has helped fulfill the investment needs of institutional and mutual fund clients worldwide. The firms performance-driven investors integrate deep proprietary research and integrated risk analysis to make informed, judicious decisions. Teams of portfolio managers, strategists, research analysts and traders collaborate to assess market sectors and identify investment opportunities wherever they may lie, within traditional asset classes or among a range of alternative investments. Loomis Sayles has the resources, foresight and the flexibility to look far and wide for value in broad and narrow markets in its commitment to deliver attractive sustainable returns for clients. This rich tradition has earned Loomis Sayles the trust and respect of clients worldwide, for whom it manages $347.8 billion* in assets (as of December 31, 2020).

Loomis Sayles Investments Limited ("LSIL") is a subsidiary of Loomis, Sayles & Company L.P., and it is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

*Includes the assets of Loomis, Sayles & Co., LP, and Loomis Sayles Trust Company, LLC. Loomis Sayles Trust Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Loomis, Sayles & Company, LP.

ABOUT NATIXIS INVESTMENT MANAGERS

Natixis Investment Managers serves financial professionals with more insightful ways to construct portfolios. Powered by the expertise of more than 20 specialized investment managers globally, we apply Active Thinking to deliver proactive solutions that help clients pursue better outcomes in all markets. Natixis Investment Managers ranks among the worlds largest asset management firms1 with nearly $1.4 trillion assets under management2 (1,135.5 billion).

Headquartered in Paris and Boston, Natixis Investment Managers is a subsidiary of Natixis. Listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, Natixis is a subsidiary of BPCE, the second-largest banking group in France. Natixis Investment Managers affiliated investment management firms include AEW; Alliance Entreprendre; AlphaSimplex Group; DNCA Investments;3 Dorval Asset Management; Flexstone Partners; Gateway Investment Advisers; H2O Asset Management; Harris Associates; Investors Mutual Limited; Loomis, Sayles & Company; Mirova; MV Credit; Naxicap Partners; Ossiam; Ostrum Asset Management; Seeyond; Seventure Partners; Thematics Asset Management; Vauban Infrastructure Partners;Vaughan Nelson Investment Management; Vega Investment Managers;4 and WCM Investment Management. Additionally, investment solutions are offered through Natixis Investment Managers Solutions, and Natixis Advisors offers other investment services through its AIA and MPA division. Not all offerings available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit Natixis Investment Managers website at im.natixis.com | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/natixis-investment-managers.

Natixis Investment Managers distribution and service groups include Natixis Distribution, L.P., a limited purpose broker-dealer and the distributor of various U.S. registered investment companies for which advisory services are provided by affiliated firms of Natixis Investment Managers, Natixis Investment Managers S.A. (Luxembourg), Natixis Investment Managers International (France), and their affiliated distribution and service entities in Europe and Asia.

1 Cerulli Quantitative Update: Global Markets 2020 ranked Natixis Investment Managers as the 17th largest asset manager in the world based on assets under management as of December 31, 2019.

2 Assets under management (AUM) as of December 31, 2020 is $1,389.7 billion. AUM, as reported, may include notional assets, assets serviced, gross assets, assets of minority-owned affiliated entities and other types of non-regulatory AUM managed or serviced by firms affiliated with Natixis Investment Managers.

3 A brand of DNCA Finance.

4 A wholly-owned subsidiary of Natixis Wealth Management.

MALR026946

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331005050/en/
It is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. New research has found that previous ice loss events could have caused sea-level rise at rates of around 3.6 metres per century, offering vital clues as to what lies ahead should climate change continue unabated.

A team of scientists, led by researchers from Durham University, used geological records of past sea levels to shed light on the ice sheets responsible for a rapid pulse of sea-level rise in Earth's recent past.

Geological records tell us that, at the end of the last ice age around 14,600 years ago, sea levels rose at ten times the current rate due to Meltwater Pulse 1A (MWP-1A); a 500 year, ~18 metre sea-level rise event.

Until now, the scientific community has not been able to agree about which ice sheet was responsible for this rapid rise, with the massive Antarctic Ice Sheet being a likely suspect, but some evidence pointing towards ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere.

The new study uses detailed geological sea-level data and state-of-the-art modelling techniques to reveal the sources of MWP-1A. Interestingly, most of the meltwater appears to have originated from the former North American and Eurasian ice sheets, with minimal contribution from Antarctica, reconciling formerly disparate views.

In addition to flooding vast areas of low-lying land, this unparalleled discharge of freshwater into the ocean - comparable to melting an ice sheet twice the size of Greenland in only 500 years - will have disrupted ocean circulation, with knock-on effects for global climate. Knowing the source of the meltwater will improve the accuracy of climate models that are used to replicate the past and predict changes in the future.

The results are important for our understanding of ice-ocean-climate interactions which play a significant role in shaping terrestrial weather patterns. The findings are particularly timely with the Greenland ice sheet rapidly melting, contributing to a rise in sea levels and changes to global ocean circulation.

Of the findings, lead author Yucheng Lin, in the Department of Geography at Durham University notes: "Despite being identified over 30 years ago, it has been surprisingly challenging to determine which ice sheet was the major contributor to this dramatic rise in sea levels.

"Previously, scientists tried to work out the source of the sea-level rise based on sea-level data from the tropics, but the majority of those studies disagreed with geological records of ice sheet change.

Our study includes novel information from lakes around the coast of Scotland that were isolated from the ocean due to land uplift following the retreat of the British Ice Sheet, allowing us to confidently identify the meltwater sources."

Co-author Dr. Pippa Whitehouse, in the Department of Geography at Durham University said "The technique we have used allows us to really dig into the error bars on the data and explore which ice-melt scenarios were most likely.

"We found that most of the rapid sea-level rise was due to ice sheet melt across North America and Scandinavia, with a surprisingly small contribution from Antarctica.

"The next big question is to work out what triggered the ice melt, and what impact the massive influx of meltwater had on ocean currents in the North Atlantic. This is very much on our minds today - any disruption to the Gulf Stream, for example due to melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet, will have significant consequences for the UK climate."

Rising sea levels due to warming climate pose a great risk to society, improving our understand of why and how fast change could happen will help us plan for the impacts.

###

Yucheng Lin is funded by a Durham University - China Scholarship Council joint scholarship.

The Scotland data was collected and analysed by Durham University researchers, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.

MEDIA INFORMATION

Interviews

Yucheng Lin in Durham University's Department of Geography is available for interview on Wednesday 31 March 2021 from 3:00pm to 5pm and can be reached at yucheng.lin@durham.ac.uk

Dr Pippa Whitehouse in Durham University's Department of Geography is available for interview on Wednesday 31 March 2021 from 12:30pm to 5pm and can be reached at pippa.whitehouse@durham.ac.uk

Alternatively, please contact Durham University Marketing and Communications Office on communications.team@durham.ac.uk

Source information

A reconciled solution of Meltwater Pulse 1A sources using sea-level fingerprinting :

https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1038/ s41467-021-21990-y

Pictures available

The following images are available via this Dropbox link:

https:/ / www. dropbox. com/ sh/ nt0jpqx6u0abi71/ AAAWlxM2m1KzKrY9-jNCbbala?dl= 0

Picture 1.jpg and Picture 2.jpg

Caption

An isolation lake in north-west Scotland. Sediment analysed from the bottom of this low-lying lake tells us that it was once connected to the ocean.

Credit

Professor Ian Shennan, Department of Geography, Durham University.

Useful web links

Yucheng Lin's profile:

https:/ / www. dur. ac. uk/ directory/ profile/ ?id= 18973

Dr. Pippa Whitehouse's profile:

https:/ / www. dur. ac. uk/ directory/ profile/ ?id= 1553

Department of Geography, Durham University:

https:/ / www. durham. ac. uk/ departments/ academic/ geography/

About Durham University

Durham University is a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research based in historic Durham City in the UK.

We are a collegiate university committed to inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham and in the world.

We conduct boundary-breaking research that improves lives globally and we are ranked as a world top 100 university with an international reputation in research and education (QS World University Rankings 2021).

We are a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive UK universities and we are consistently ranked as a top 10 university in national league tables (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, Guardian University Guide and The Complete University Guide).

For more information about Durham University visit:

http://www. durham. ac. uk/ about/
Unclear if firing will impact on case in which Caruso is suing six South Africans for defamation

The Australian mining company with interests in Lutzville and Xolobeni has fired Mark Caruso as its CEO.

Caruso is currently suing South African environmental lawyers, community activists and a social worker for defamation.

Caruso has been convicted of drunken driving this week and also faces unrelated charges for common assault.

Australian venture capitalist Mark Caruso, who is suing six South Africans for alleged defamation relating to his mining interests in the country, has been fired as chief executive officer by the board of his mining company.

Last year, Caruso stepped down as executive chairperson of Mineral Commodities Ltd (MRC), after being arrested on charges of aggravated home burglary and assault, but he retained his position of chief executive.

Caruso's firing was announced in a short statement by MRC on 25 March.

On 1 April he was convicted on a drunk-driving charge and has had his licence suspended.

Caruso and MRC, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, are two of three plaintiffs in a R14.25 million defamation case being brought in the Western Cape High Court against three environmental lawyers, two community activists and a social worker. The litigation relates to MRC's mining activities near Lutzville on the West Coast and at Xolobeni on the Transkei Wild Coast. The third plaintiff is one of the company's South African black empowerment partners.

MRC said the decision to fire Caruso was "a result of a breakdown in the relationship between the Board and Mr Caruso, following commencement of enquiries into a potential related party matter", but it gave no further details.

"Those enquiries are ongoing and the Company is unable to provide further detail at this time. However, the Board's relationship with, and the provision of CEO services by, Mr Caruso became untenable," the statement read.

The Board would start an immediate search for a replacement CEO, it continued. "The situation is regrettable given the substantial contribution made by Mr Caruso to the development of the Company and its assets. However, the Board has resolved that it is in the best interests of the Company, and in line with its legal and governance obligations to proceed in this way."

Caruso is also the "key principal" of another Australian company, Zurich Bay Holdings Pty Ltd. According to MRC's 2019 annual report, Zurich Bay Holdings holds 18% of MRC's shareholding and is the second largest "substantial shareholder" after Au Mining Ltd's 27%.

Caruso, MRC and the third plaintiff are appealing a February decision by Western Cape Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath that their defamation action against the six South Africans amounts to a SLAPP suit that constitutes an abuse of legal privilege and of the court process to achieve an improper end: ensuring the defendants' future silence.

SLAPP is an acronym for Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation, and is a frequently used bullying tactic by big corporations to silence and intimidate small opponents like environmentalists, civil society advocates, human rights defenders, journalists, academics and people or organisations acting in the public interest.

Deputy Judge President Goliath's decision means that the six defendants can use SLAPP as a defence when the main defamation hearing is argued in court.

There is no clarity yet as to whether Caruso's firing will impact on this defamation case. Neither Caruso nor MRC have yet responded to GroundUp's request for comment.

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In February, Caruso was arrested and charged with drunk driving. The case was heard in Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Jamie Freestone, media manager for courts in Western Australia, confirmed that Caruso was fined A$500 (about R5,600) plus A$248.70 (about R2,800) on the charge, and his driver's licence was disqualified for six months.

He said Caruso had not been required to be present in court for the hearing.

The other charges against Caruso follow an incident in his home state in Australia in May last year, when he was reportedly assisting a friend with a property seizure. The burglary charge was subsequently dropped but Caruso is due in court in June to defend the two common assault charges.
Two Middlesex County residents were arrested Tuesday and charged with participating in an identity theft ring that netted more than $250,000 from at least 50 victims, authorities said.

Shemar Rogers, 22 and Tariah Darby, also 22, both of New Brunswick, face theft, money laundering and other charges, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.

A court-ordered search of the suspects apartment turned up cash, jewelry, a 2020 luxury car and merchandise purchased with other peoples money, the prosecutor said.

Investigators also seized a handgun loaded with 12 bullets, 1 loose hollow-point bullet, checks listed in the names of others, a New York drivers license and a money counter, Ciccone said.

Rogers has been charged with first-degree promoting organized street crime, second-degree theft by deception, conspiracy to commit theft by deception, money laundering, identity theft, and trafficking in personal identity information.

Darby has been charged with second-degree conspiracy to commit theft by deception and third-degree money laundering.

Investigators from several jurisdictions were involved in the arrests. In February, five others were charged with being involved in the same scheme, Ciccone said.

The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Ryan Tighe of the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office at 732-745-4335.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com.
ZANZIBAR Electoral Commission (ZEC) has declared Prof Omar Faki Hamad a winner for the House of Representatives for Pandani Constituency in Pemba on the ticket of ACT-Wazalendo following a by-election held on Sunday.

Prof Hamad was ACT-Wazalendo's union presidential running mate in the 2020 general election before the party pulled out to vie for the top seat independently to support Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo's presidential candidate Tundu Lissu.

According to the ZEC's Pandani by-election returning officer Suluhu Ali Rashid, the ACT-Wazalendo's candidate emerged victorious with 2,361 votes beating nine other contestants. The ruling CCM candidate Mr Mohamed Juma Ali won second place with 1,934 votes.

Speaking immediately after the announcement of the results, Prof Hamad said the election was fair and free.

Prof Hamad fills the seat left vacant following the death of Abubakar Khamis Bakar. He died shortly after election in October. The elections were followed by political reconciliation led by the late First Vice President Seif Sharif Hamad and the incumbent Zanzibar president Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi.

In another by-election for a councillor's seat for Kinuni ward, Unguja Urban West Region, Chama Cha Mapinduzi candidate Ms Salama Rajab Masinga emerged victorious with 2,376 votes. She pledged to maintain unity among the people of Zanzibar regardless the political affiliations.
Deutsche Bank (XETRA: DBKGn.DB NYSE: DB) today successfully closed its offering of 750 million US dollars of its senior non-preferred callable four-year (4nc3) Fixed-to-Floating rate bonds. For the first time, 11 additional underwriters owned and led by management teams from minority, woman and service-disabled veteran backgrounds joined Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to underwrite this bond offering.

Each Joint Lead Manager will retain 8% of the fees. The full group of minority, woman and service-disabled veteran owned firms will collectively receive around 60% of the fees associated with this transaction.

"This is an impactful statement to the financial community," said David R. Jones, President CEO, CastleOak Securities, L.P. "Diversity and inclusion have increasingly become a topic of discussion, but it's great to be recognized for our capabilities and execution prowess rather than as a participant merely to check a box."

"Having Loop Capital Markets participate as an active joint bookrunner with books, allows us to fully leverage our distribution capabilities and amplifies our discussions with investors," said Sidney Dillard, Partner, Head of Corporate Investment Banking at Loop Capital.

"Two of the most exciting developments in the diversity and inclusion (D&I) space over the past year have been the broadening of corporate engagement with D&I broker dealers and the elevation of roles being offered," said Annie Seelaus, CEO, R Seelaus Co. "Deutsche Bank's initiative to elevate their D&I partners to active book-running roles goes far beyond bestowing a credential. Allowing us to participate in every aspect of the new issue process creates the kind of institutional knowledge that can only be earned one way with experience and repetition."

"This deal will lead directly to more veteran hires here as we continue to execute on our commitment to mentor, hire, and train veterans," said Chance Mims, Founder CEO Academy Securities.

"This brand of a much higher level of engagement leads to greater profitability, introduces a more diverse network of high quality investors to an issuer's portfolio while promoting better business outcomes for all stakeholders, including clients. Issuers take note you will achieve all that and more by deepening your partnerships with firms owned by minorities, women and disabled veterans," said Ronald M. Quigley, Head of Fixed Income Syndicate at Mischler Financial Group, Inc.

"While Diversity and Inclusion initiatives have been in place for decades, our invitation to join Deutsche Bank as an active joint bookrunner on this offering is a reflection of their confidence in our ability to add value as a partner and creates a foundation for us to continue to build our presence as an underwriter. Our role on this mandate demonstrates a deliberate step forward in diversity and inclusion initiatives and we are pleased with the successful execution of the transaction," said Christopher J. Williams, Chairman, Siebert Williams Shank Co., LLC

The offering reflects Deutsche Bank's commitment to diversity and inclusion, both among its employees and in the wider community. As part of this commitment, the bank seeks to expand community partnerships and work with diverse suppliers, vendors and other partners. Today's announcement reflects Deutsche Bank's strong partnerships, developed over many years, with these and similar firms on Wall Street.

The group of underwriters were selected to represent diverse missions including Service-Disabled Veteran Owned, African American Owned and Women Owned firms.

The full list is as follows:

Joint Lead Managers Academy Securities Inc. Service-Disabled Veteran Owned CastleOak Securities, L.P. African American Owned Loop Capital Markets LLC African American Owned Mischler Financial Group, Inc Service-Disabled Veteran Owned R Seelaus Co., Inc. Women Owned Siebert Williams Shank Co., LLC Woman African American Owned Co-Managers AmeriVet Securities, Inc. Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Bancroft Capital LLC Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Capital Institutional Services, Inc. Women Owned Multi-Bank Securities, Inc. Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Roberts Ryan Investments, Inc. Service-Disabled Veteran Owned

The Broker Dealers demonstrated their ability to execute a benchmark deal to Deutsche Bank's investor client base, who seek to support diversity and inclusion with respect to underwriters. The transaction is an important element of Deutsche Bank's wider commitment to diversity and inclusion, and the bank hopes to deliver at least one transaction with a similar underwriting group annually in the years ahead, working with a wide range of minority-owned Broker Dealers.

This offering enabled Deutsche Bank's to share its capital markets experience, legal knowledge, and partnership and mentoring expertise with a highly diverse Syndicate group. This helps each firm gain further transaction experience and expand its opportunities to work with new investors.

"We have offered these Joint Lead Managers the opportunity to play a full role in the deal execution by being involved in a real-time book build and interacting closely with the issuer," said Jeanmarie Genirs, Head of US IG Syndicate at Deutsche Bank. "The process was seamless, and what's most gratifying is that the syndicate proved their capabilities to a wider client and investor base," she added.

The offering attracted total demand from investors of $1.8 billion US dollars, with final demand approaching $1.1 billion dollars, pricing at 112.5 basis points over the .25% US Treasury maturing 3/15/25.

"We were pleased to leverage Deutsche Bank's strong relationships with US investors to work with partners from diverse communities," said Dixit Joshi, Group Treasurer. "Promoting greater diversity and inclusion in the finance industry reflects our wider commitment to sustainable finance."

Today's announcement builds on existing efforts by Deutsche Bank in the United States to address racial inequities. Last year, Paul Trussell, senior Research Analyst and co-chair of Deutsche Bank's Black Leadership Forum, joined the Americas Executive Committee as the bank's Diversity Champion. In the summer of 2020, Deutsche Bank Americas committed to seven actions in seven months to advance the principles of diversity, equality and inclusiveness, which were completed ahead of schedule in December 2020.

This bond is Deutsche Bank's fifth issuance of 2021, across three currencies. The bank has already completed a significant portion of its 2021 issuance plan and was recently named "2020 Financial Issuer of the Year" by International Financing Review.

About Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank provides retail and private banking, corporate and transaction banking, lending, asset and wealth management products and services as well as focused investment banking to private individuals, small and medium-sized companies, corporations, governments and institutional investors. Deutsche Bank is the leading bank in Germany with strong European roots and a global network.

This release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they include statements about our beliefs and expectations and the assumptions underlying them. These statements are based on plans, estimates and projections as they are currently available to the management of Deutsche Bank. Forward-looking statements therefore speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly any of them in light of new information or future events.

By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could therefore cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Such factors include the conditions in the financial markets in Germany, in Europe, in the United States and elsewhere from which we derive a substantial portion of our revenues and in which we hold a substantial portion of our assets, the development of asset prices and market volatility, potential defaults of borrowers or trading counterparties, the implementation of our strategic initiatives, the reliability of our risk management policies, procedures and methods, and other risks referenced in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Such factors are described in detail in our SEC Form 20-F of 12 March 2021 under the heading "Risk Factors". Copies of this document are readily available upon request or can be downloaded from www.db.com/ir.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005886/en/

Contacts:

Deutsche Bank AG

Media Relations

Jon Laycock

Email: jon.laycock@db.com

Phone: +447919103884

Investor Relations

+49 800 910-8000

db.ir@db.com
A patient at a mental hospital has been arrested for running a drug ring inside the institution in Hanoi.

Police officers under the municipal Department of Public Security confirmed on Wednesday they had broken up an illegal drug racket run by Nguyen Xuan Quy, 39, from Thanh Tri District.

According to officers, many of those implicated in the discovery of the drug ring had complicated criminal records.

Quy had a history of mental illness and was admitted to National Mental Hospital 1 in November 2018.

In early January, Quy was arrested for illegal possession of narcotics but was allowed to continue receiving treatment for his mental condition at the hospital.

He escaped from the hospital on January 7 before being captured by police officers shortly after.

The man established a good relationship with administrators at the hospital and was given more privileges than other patients.

Quy upgraded his room with soundproofing and equipped it with loudspeakers and laser lights, using the space to use drugs and party with friends, some hospital staff members, and prostitutes.

He later began operating a drug ring on the premises of the infirmary.

The entrance of National Mental Hospital 1 in Hanoi. Photo: Giang Long / Tuoi Tre

Buyers only needed to pretend to be patents family members or caretakers to enter the hospital before receiving the products from Quys subordinates.

Quy also hired two men to pose as cab and motorbike taxi drivers to keep watch at the entrance of the hospital.

They were in charge of delivering the drugs to other locations as well.

Aside from Quy, police arrested Nguyen Van Ngoc and Nguyen Trung Nguyen.

The three were charged for trading and storing narcotics, as well as organizing drug use.

Nguyen Anh Vu, a technician at National Mental Hospital 1, was taken into custody for failure to report a crime.

Vu tested positive for narcotics at the time of his arrest.

Officers have searched the suspects houses and confiscated 6.1 kilograms of synthetic drugs.

The Ministry of Health ordered a prompt investigation into the case and required the infirmary to make a report.

In a report submitted on Thursday morning, National Mental Hospital 1 stated it had ordered relevant units to verify the responsibility of the staff members involved in the scandal, as well as coordinating closely with police officers to assist in their investigation.

All departments have been directed to tighten their patient management protocols.

The hospitals report did not explain why Quy was allowed to modify his room and operate his drug ring.

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Documents Outline Alleged Scheme to Extort Rep. Gaetzs Family

Newly published documents appear to back up Rep. Matt Gaetzs (R-Fla.) claim that he and his family were victims of an extortion scheme.

In an email obtained and published by the Washington Examiner, a lawyer for Gaetzs father Don, a former Florida state senator, asked the Department of Justice for confirmation that both the department and the FBI were seeking Dons assistance.

My client, Don Gaetz, was approached by two individuals to make a sizable payment in what I would call a scheme to defraud, Jeffrey Neiman wrote. The FBI is not asking Don to voluntarily and proactively assist in their investigation, which Don is willing to do. Please confirm that your Office and the FBI would like Dons assistance in this matter and that he will be working at the Governments request.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Goldberg replied, saying: I can confirm that your client is working with my office as well as the FBI at the governments request in order to determine if a federal crime has been committed. This has been discussed with, and approved by, the FBI as well as the leadership of my office and components of Main Justice.

A source confirmed the authenticity of the message with The Epoch Times.

The FBI referred The Epoch Times to the Department of Justice, which didnt return an inquiry. Aides to Rep. Gaetz didnt respond to requests for comment. Neiman declined to comment.

Other documents made public by the Examiner allegedly outlined the supposed extortion scheme. One text, reportedly sent on March 16 from Florida lawyer Don McGee to Don Gaetz, proposed a plan that could make his sons future legal and political problems go away. The plan involved aiding an attempt to secretly arrange the release of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who vanished in Iran in 2007.

An FBI poster showing a composite image of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, right, of how he would look like now, left, (taken from the video released by his captors) in Washington during a news conference on March 6, 2012. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

Don Gaetz the next day met with another man allegedly involved in the scheme, former Air Force officer Bob Kent, according to the Examiner. During the meeting, Don Gaetz was presented with a three-page document dubbed Project Homecoming that sought a $25 million loan for the purpose of rescuing Levinson.

Levinsons family said last year that U.S. officials believe Levinson died while in Iranian custody.

An inquiry to McGee went unreturned. Kent could not be reached.

McGee told the Daily Beast that any reports of extortion involving him were completely, totally false.

The documents were published after a fraught several days for Rep. Gaetz, a rising star in the GOP. The situation started when the New York Times, citing anonymous sources, claimed he was under investigation for having a relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

Gaetz, 38, went on Fox Newss Tucker Carlson Tonight on Tuesday and denied the claims.

The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case. What is happening is an extortion of me and my family involving a former Department of Justice official, he said, referring to McGee.

Gaetz asked the Department of Justice and the FBI to release audio recordings he said were obtained through his father, who wore a wire as part of the investigation into the alleged extortion scheme.

I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me. Providing for flights and hotel rooms for people that youre dating who are of legal age is not a crime, Gaetz added. And Im just troubled that the lack of any sort of legitimate investigation into me would then permute, would then convert into this extortion attempt.
PHILADELPHIA, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vida Longevity Fund investors represented by the investor rights lawyers at the Goldman Scarlato & Penny law firm and their co-counsels have filed a class action complaint against Vida Longevity Fund ("VLF" or "Vida"), Vida Management I, Vida Capital Management, Vida Capital Inc, Vida Capital LLC, and VLF's former chief executive officer, seeking compensation in connection with their recent Vida investment losses.

The Vida investors' complaint alleges that Vida investors experienced losses due to deficiencies in the processes and procedures used by Vida for evaluating and pricing its assets. The complaint further alleges that the securities offering documents distributed to the Vida investors contained misrepresentations and failed to disclose important information related to the lack of implementation of adequate underwriting procedures, Vida's failure to update the life expectancies on its Longevity Contingent Assets, Vida's failure to properly assess the risk of the Longevity-Contingent Assets, Vida's lack of adequate personnel, and Vida's inadequate algorithmic process which allegedly underpinned VLF's pricing and evaluation. No judgment has been entered as to the recently-filed allegations and there has not been a finding of liability as to any entities referenced in this release.

Alleged Failure to Disclose Conflicts

In addition to the above-mentioned allegations, the complaint alleges that Vida Longevity Fund's private placement memorandum did not disclose an important conflict of interest involving a company controlled by Vida's then chief executive officer, which company was also investing in life settlements and thus was a competitor of Vida. Crucially, the Vida investors' complaint alleges, that other company invested forty million dollars in Vida but, unbeknownst to Vida investors, it withdrew its investment in 2018 while Vida was in process of raising money from investors.

The Vida investors' complaint alleges that Vida's offering documents failed to disclose the following material facts:

because both Vida and the other company controlled by Vida's then-chief executive officer used the same life settlement policy originator, Vida's chief executive officer, who was a principal of all those entities, had to decide which company gets the best deal;

both Vida and the other company raised funds simultaneously, and shared some investors;

both companies used some of the same broker-dealers; and

Vida and the other company shared the same office space in Austin, Texas .

Allegations of Fraudulent Sales, Control Person Liability and Materially Aiding Violations of Texas Securities Act

The plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit filed against Vida entities and Vida's then-CEO further allege that Vida Longevity Fund offered and sold securities to investors through the use of untrue statements and/or omissions of material facts. The class plaintiffs also allege that Vida Management I and Vida's then-CEO directed and controlled the alleged misconduct and were aware or should have known about the alleged misconduct. In addition, in their capacity as advisors, partners and managers of Vida Longevity Fund, Vida Capital Management, Vida Capital Inc, and Vida Capital LLC participated in Vida Longevity Fund's alleged scheme while being aware of the materially false and misleading statements used in the Vida Longevity Fund's offering documents.

Investors in Vida Longevity May Contact the Goldman Scarlato & Penny Attorneys

Investors who are concerned about their Vida investments may contact the Goldman Scarlato & Penny securities attorneys Alan Rosca and Paul Scarlato with any questions regarding this matter and their investments, or to offer useful information, toll free at 888-998-0530, via email at [email protected] or [email protected], or by leaving a message through the contact form on the Vida Longevity Investor Center page.

Copyright Goldman Scarlato & Penny PC ("GSP") 2021. This release contains attorney advertising. Visit investorlawyers.org for important disclosures and the GSP attorneys' respective admissions to practice law.

SOURCE Goldman Scarlato & Penny
BRIDGEPORT  A summer camp and mentoring program that help children and teen survivors of domestic and sexual violence will get a $1.5 million boost from the Elizabeth M. Pfriem Foundation.

The Bridgeport-based Center for Family Justice, which provides shelter and other services to domestic and sexual abuse survivors, announced that it had received a five-year grant from the Pfriem foundation which will allow the center to expand its Camp HOPE-America-Bridgeport program and its related Pathways to HOPE mentoring program.

Since its inception in summer 2017, the camp has provided local children with a therapeutic summer camp and year-long mentoring program focused on helping them overcome their trauma and develop resiliency in the aftermath of abuse.

The foundation, endowed by the late Bridgeport philanthropist Elizabeth Pfriem, recently announced the donation. In light of the gift, the programs will now be known as The Elizabeth M. Pfriem Camp HOPE America-Bridgeport and the Elizabeth M. Pfriem Pathways to HOPE mentoring program.

The money will allow for the addition of several new educational elements to the camps year-long mentoring component, as well as the services of a full-time staff clinician to support campers emotional health throughout the year, officials said.

This incredible gift will be a true game changer for this inspiring program and our future efforts to support the youngest, most vulnerable survivors of abuse, said Debra A. Greenwood, President and CEO of The Center for Family Justice in a news release.

We are grateful to the Elizabeth M. Pfriem Foundation for believing, as we do, that Camp HOPE has the capacity to change and save young lives, while breaking the generational cycles of abuse. We know the impact of this gift will be realized for many years to come, she said.

Elizabeth Pfriem, who died in 2017, was the daughter of a Polish immigrant coal mining family and moved to Bridgeport from Scranton, Penn., after World War II. She was the publisher of the former Bridgeport Post (now the Connecticut Post). She became the first female Ringmaster of Bridgeports Barnum Festival in 1986.

Camp HOPE is a free, confidential program open to children ages 7 to 17. Qualified campers include center clients, the children of its clients or young people referred by one of the nonprofits many community partners.

Each summer, Camp HOPE campers spend a week on site at YMCA Camp Hi-Rock in the Massachusetts Berkshires where they engage in a traditional summer camp experience, along with a therapeutic curriculum. After the camp session ends, campers continue to work with CFJs staff as part of its Pathways to HOPE mentoring program.

To learn more about the Elizabeth M. Pfriem Camp HOPE America-Bridgeport visit CenterforFamilyJustice.org or contact CFJs Camp HOPE coordinator Sasha Collins at SCollins@CenterforFamilyJustice.org
The Finnish government withdrew its anti-Covid restriction plan after Parliament's reservations about its constitutionality.

"Now we will evaluate if it is possible to present a new legislative project and how long it will take," Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters last night after a government meeting.

Finland has so far managed to contain the spread of the virus without ad hoc laws, thanks to the low population density (5.5 million inhabitants throughout the country) and the spontaneous adherence to the general rules of conduct against the virus, widespread so far. through recommendations. With just over 4,000 cases and 17 deaths in the last seven days, according to the WHO, it remains among the European countries where the epidemic has been contained, but the curve is uphill and worries the authorities.

Last week the government presented a plan that included a lockdown in Helsinki and Turku, in the southwest, where the inhabitants could leave their homes only for strict needs: school, work or shopping. However, yesterday a constitutional commission made up of parliamentarians warned that the bill is contrary to the Finnish constitution, in particular due to measures deemed disproportionate to fundamental freedoms, suggesting more targeted measures.

The executive immediately announced the withdrawal of the project and immediately convened a council of ministers to decide what to do.

(Unioneonline / F)
Parliament has declined to support a proposal by the Ministry of Finance to withdraw the National Health Insurance Scheme Bill 2019 which is before the house for processing.

The bill was before the house for the first and second reading and a presentation of a report from the Committee of Health but the Ministry of Health had cited some inaccuracies and petitions from some stakeholders who wanted it withdrawn.

Health State Minister for General Duties Robinah Nabbanja had indicated that inaccuracies in chapter five of the bill on the contributions, was one of several items that needed revisiting.

However MPs Elijah Okupa, Mukitale Stephen and Sarah Opendi protested the withdrawal saying there was still room for consultations at other levels of processing the bill which would help the ministry rectify the anomalies.

This prompted the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to put a question to the house and the legislators all supported the stay of the bill prompting the Minister of state for health Robinah Nabbanja to concede. Health Committee Chairman Dr Micheal Bukenya went ahead to present the abridged version of the National Insurance Health Scheme report in support of the Bill.

Parliament moved ahead to consider the National Health Insurance Scheme Bill 2019 at the 2nd reading.
SWEET HOME, Ore. -- Marine Patrol and search and rescue teams are continuing their search for a 28-year-old Sweet Home man a week after he was reported missing.

Jacob Riggs, better known as Jake, was last seen on March 23 near the Gedney Creek Boat Ramp at Foster Lake.

According to Linn County Sheriff's Office, teams have been coming out every day since last Thursday looking for him.

RELATED: LINN COUNTY DEPUTIES SEARCH FOR MISSING SWEET HOME MAN

Captain Michelle Duncan said teams have been searching in the lake based on the information so far.

"There is obviously some concern that he may be in the lake with his clothes found near the shoreline," said Duncan.

Duncan said that along with his clothes, his cell phone and wallet were also found near the edge of the lake.

Park Ranger Dale Stone said he ran into some of Riggs' family members who looked worried.

"I was here last week and I saw a couple of ladies who looked very distressed," Stone said. "I like to help people so I asked what the problem was and they said they were looking for their nephew."

KEZI 9 News did reach out to family members but they wish for privacy at this time.

Stay with KEZI for the latest.
A bishop has called for proper consultation on public worship as churches remain closed for Easter.

In a statement, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford and Lismore said worshippers patience was fraying.

Under current Covid restrictions religious services cannot take place, although ten people can attend a funeral. This will be raised to 25 later in April under the roadmap unveiled this week although worship is still banned.

One Catholic priest in Cavan has repeatedly held services and has already been 500 for breaches.

Read More

"I must speak out to represent the voices of a very large cohort of people who are growing increasingly weary of being unable to attend Mass and whose spiritual and mental wellbeing is being eroded, Bishop Cullinan said.

"Their patience is wearing thin. They are frustrated and feel unrepresented and discriminated against.

He added that when he celebrates Mass each Sunday in the Cathedral he does so behind closed doors.

I am very conscious of those faithful barred from attending and yet within a few steps of our Cathedral, people can go to shops for essential things - to their pharmacy to get medicine, to their supermarket to get food and even to a cafe for an out-door coffee, Bishop Cullinan said.

"Yet they cannot receive Holy Communion in their church which is spacious and can accommodate dozens of people safely.

It is very difficult to explain to people why they are banned from public worship bearing in mind also that Ireland is one of the tiny few countries in Europe where public worship is not allowed.

"Across the country, priests and parish volunteers have been very diligent in ensuring that our churches are sanitized and safe. I do not believe that it is an either/or situation. It is not that we must stop public worship to safeguard physical health. We can do both. We must safeguard peoples health AND support their spiritual wellbeing.

The bishop said he felt the spiritual well-being of people has not been given any serious attention by the authorities.

"To say that services go online is very hard to take and feels dismissive, he said.

I sympathise with the governmental authorities at this very difficult time, but appeal to them to take into consideration the spiritual care of hundreds of thousands of Catholics and many people of other faiths who wish to exercise their rights as guaranteed by our constitution.
Mosman recently confirmed that the Falcon-1 well in East Texas, USA, has reported a recent increase in water production alongside a fall in pressure at Falcon-1, we have To manage this, the well head choke size has now been reduced. These developments have resulted in significantly lower reported oil and gas production rates at Falcon-1.

Oil & Gas Daily Flow

Non-Independent Research; Marketing & Sales Commentary - MiFID II exempt information  see disclaimer below

Click for PDF

Market Update: Thursday 1 April 2021

Victoria Oil & Gas (AIM:VOG): Comprehensive operational update, watercut issues at well La-108, Cameroon

Mosman Oil & Gas* (AIM:MSMN): Forecast update and TP change

Energy Prices

Brent Oil US$63.6/bbl vs US$64.5/bbl yesterday

WTI Oil US$60.1/bbl vs US$60.8/bbl yesterday

Natural Gas US$2.61/mmbtu vs US$2.63/mmbtu yesterday

Oil Price News

Oil prices have dipped slightly ahead of todays OPEC+ meeting on reports that a large increase in Iranian oil production pushed overall OPEC oil output higher in March compared to February, suggesting that higher supply from members exempt from the OPEC+ cuts could spoil the cartels efforts to rebalance the market

OPECs crude oil production increased by 180,000bopd from February to stand at 25.07MMbopd in March

The biggest contributor to the higher OPEC production this month was Iran, whose supply increased by 210,000bopd to 2.3MMbopd, offsetting cuts from other OPEC members

Irans production rise was also the single-largest jump in production among OPEC members

The second-biggest increase came from OPECs second-biggest producer, Iraq, which boosted production by 40,000bopd

Libya and Venezuela, the other two OPEC members exempted from the OPEC+ cuts along with Iran, also saw small rises in their respective production

Last month, total OPEC oil production averaged 24.85MMbopd, a drop of 650,000bopd compared to January, thanks to the extra cut from top producer and de facto leader Saudi Arabia, according to the cartels Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) for March

In February, all three OPEC members exempted from the OPEC+ cuts had also increased their oil production

In March, the Saudis achieved the 1MMbopd additional cut, the Reuters survey found

In recent months, Iran is estimated to have started to increase its oil production and significantly raise its oil exports to China, the worlds top oil importer

Currently, Iran is masking the crude it sells to China as originating from other countries to avoid US sanctions

It is also undermining the efforts of its fellow OPEC members to keep prices stronger

Gas Price News

Natural gas prices moved lower yesterday ahead of todays inventory report from the Department of Energy

Expectations are for stockpiles to climb by 4Bcf, according to survey provider Estimize

This reading comes a week ahead of the unofficial injection season

The weather is expected to be warmer than normal over the next two weeks, which is likely to reduce heating demand

Natural gas in storage was 1,746Bcf as of Friday 19 March, according to the EIA. This represents a net decrease of 36Bcf from the previous week

Expectations were for a 10Bcf draw according to survey provider Estimize

Stocks were 263Bcf less than last year at this time and 78Bcf below the five-year average of 1,824Bcf

At 1,746Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range

According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the weather is expected to be warmer than normal in the US and Europe over the next 8-14 days which should boost demand

Company News

Victoria Oil & Gas (AIM:VOG): Comprehensive operational update, watercut issues at well La-108, Cameroon

Share Price: 4.5p, Market Cap: 12.9m

VOGs latest operations update outlines that weekday production has been between 5.5-6.0MMscf/d gross, but with the usual daily and weekly fluctuations, with one customer returning having paid off aged debt, and one customer increasing its consumption for both power and thermal.

Well La-108 was brought online on 15 February, initially producing on its own and more recently in combination with another well to ensure that operations could be managed given contrasting wellhead pressures.

However, management has confirmed that the well started producing significantly more water than the other wells, and above what might be expected as water of condensation.

Analysis of this water suggests it is significantly fresher than formation water and thus likely composed of drilling and completions fluid lost from the drilling (which started in 2016), through to the attempted remediation in 2019 and then successful remediation in 2020.

The water-gas-ratio stabilised at around 50bbls/MMscf and has fallen below this in the last week.

This level of water production (up to 200bbl/d) is being managed by the operations team.

At West Med, VOG signed a non-binding term sheet with a potential buyer of the Companys wholly owned subsidiary, ZAO SeverGas-Invest (SGI), which owns the West Medvezhye (West Med) licence.

This buyer has instructed recognised third-party specialist advisors to conduct what we hope will be final, confirmatory due diligence on the asset.

This potential buyer has a period of exclusivity which runs to 31 May 2021.

The asset was fully impaired in VOGs accounts in 2014.

At the end of December 2020, VOG notified the Republic of Kazakhstan of its intention, failing an amicable settlement with the Government, to commence an investment arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty.

VOG has retained counsel and the arbitration is fully funded by specialist disputes funder Therium.

The dispute arises out of a series of actions and omissions by the Government and its courts which ultimately deprived VOG of the value of its investment in the Kemerkol oil field located in Atyrau Oblast.

After investing over US$35m into the Kemerkol Field, Kazakhstan invalidated VOG's rights to the Kemerkol Field, seized assets on site, and VOG was forced to suspend oil production in June 2008.

In the event the Parties are unable to make concrete progress towards resolving their dispute amicably by the end of May 2021, VOG will commence proceedings.

Kemerkol was fully impaired in VOGs accounts in 2009.

At Matanda, well planning, procurement of long lead items and rig selection are underway, and the farmout process has been started with several parties registering interest.

The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) has been delivered for the Ministrys consideration.

Follow up meetings have been held with the Ministry of Environment to plan the second phase of public hearings which form part of the ESIA process.

Elsewhere, the Letter of Intent with New Age, which was originally announced on 5 February 2020, expired on 31 March 2021.

In consultation with SNH, GDC and New Age agreed to let the LoI lapse and expedite discussions with SNH on the way forward on the project in line with the Gas Code of Cameroon and the Countrys Gas Master Plan.

As part of the process, GDC has offered to offtake up to 25MMscf/d from Etinde, subject to a number of conditions.

The whole project still remains conditional upon securing FID on the upstream project and award of an Independent Power Producer licence.

Recent public statements suggest that the Etinde partners are now likely to secure FID in 2022, before which they will need to renew their Exclusive Exploitation Agreement (EEA) and seek approval for a revised development plan.

An ICC Arbitration panel will hear the substantive matters raised by RSM (GDCs joint venture partner in the Logbaba field), and GDCs counterclaims, in the third week of April (rescheduled from January).

The UNCITRAL arbitration will be heard in London under Cameroon Law and is scheduled for hearing at the end of September 2021.

Arbitrations under ICC and UNCITRAL rules are confidential processes and the Company is not permitted to provide detailed comments on them, beyond saying that the amounts of claims and counterclaims are material to the Company and that it continues to vigorously defend the claims raised by RSM.

Our take: Whilst there appears to be a number of legal issues the Company is working through on a corporate level, VOG continues to make operational progress in Cameroon. The company now has a well stock of four wells at Logbaba, albeit with very different production characteristics, but shareholder will view the increased watercut as a concern. In the Matanda license, VOG continues to progress the ranking of prospects and the start of the well planning phase ahead of a potential farm-out of the licence.

Mosman Oil & Gas* (AIM:MSMN): Forecast update and TP change

Share Price: 0.15p, Market Cap: 5.6m

TP: U/R

Mosman recently confirmed that the Falcon-1 well in East Texas, USA, has reported a recent increase in water production alongside a fall in pressure at Falcon-1, we have

To manage this, the well head choke size has now been reduced.

These developments have resulted in significantly lower reported oil and gas production rates at Falcon-1.

The Operator is assessing the situation and has indicated that it intends to run downhole logs to gather more information in order to recommend an appropriate course of action.

Mosman has a 50% working interest in the well and will provide further updates as appropriate.

In light of these developments, we have suspended our financial forecasts ahead of an update on production levels from this well.

Our take: Whilst the latest developments at the Falcon-1 well will come as a disappointment to shareholders, Mosman and the Operator have historically proven to be technically adept in overcoming technical challenges and there are many options at their disposal to reduce water cut. The Company continues the implementation of its successful production led growth strategy against the backdrop of a commodity price recovery in the US. Mosman will embark on an aggressive drilling programme in 2021, with an ambitious target of drilling one well per quarter. This is likely to include further wells on the Champion and Challenger leases in the US. Our model ascribes 0.07p/share to the Falcon-1 well of the previous total of 0.42p/share target price (c.16%). On this basis, we reiterate our BUY rating but place our target price Under Review.

*SP Angel acts as Nominated Advisor and Broker to Mosman Oil & Gas

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The UN special envoy for Myanmar has warned the country faces the possibility of civil war at an unprecedented scale and urged the UN Security Council to consider potentially significant action to reverse the February 1 military coup and restore democracy.

Christine Schraner Burgener did not specify what action she considered significant, but she painted a dire picture of the military crackdown and told the council in a virtual briefing that Myanmar is on the verge of spiralling into a failed state.

This could happen under our watch, she said in a presentation obtained by The Associated Press, and failure to prevent further escalation of atrocities will cost the world so much more in the longer term than investing now in prevention, especially by Myanmars neighbours and the wider region.

Ms Schraner Burgener urged the council to consider all available tools to take collective action and do what the people of Myanmar deserve  prevent a multidimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia.

Expand Close Anti-coup protesters run to avoid military forces in Yangon on Wednesday (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Anti-coup protesters run to avoid military forces in Yangon on Wednesday (AP)

A proposed press statement from the council was not issued after the meeting because China, a close neighbour of Myanmar, asked for additional time to consider its contents, likely until Thursday, several council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun warned the council in remarks distributed by Chinas UN Mission that one-sided pressure and calling for sanctions or other coercive measures will only aggravate tension and confrontation and further complicate the situation, which is by no means constructive.

He urged all parties to find a solution through dialogue that de-escalates the situation and continues to advance the democratic transition in Myanmar, warning that if the country slides into protracted turbulence, it will be a disaster for Myanmar and the region as a whole.

The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades had languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Aung San Suu Kyis rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country.

Mediation requires dialogue, but Myanmars military has shut its doors to most of the world Christine Schraner Burgener

In the virtual meeting, Ms Schraner Burgener denounced the killing and arrest of unarmed protesters seeking to restore democracy. She cited figures from Myanmars Assistance Association for Political Prisoners that as of Wednesday, some 2,729 people had been arrested, charged or sentenced since the coup and an estimated 536 have been killed.

The Security Council adopted a presidential statement  one step below a resolution  on March 10 calling for a reversal of the coup, strongly condemning the violence against peaceful protesters and calling for utmost restraint by the military. It stressed the need to uphold democratic institutions and processes and called for the immediate release of detained government leaders including Ms Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.

The statement is weaker than the initial draft circulated by the UK, which would have condemned the coup and threatened possible measures under the UN Charter  UN language for sanctions  should the situation deteriorate further.

Expand Close Anti-coup protesters hold slogans during a demonstration in Yangon on Wednesday (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Stressing the urgency of action, Ms Schraner Burgener told council members she feared serious international crimes and violations of international law by the military will become bloodier as the commander-in-chief seems determined to solidify his unlawful grip on power by force.

Mediation requires dialogue, but Myanmars military has shut its doors to most of the world, she said at the virtual meeting. It appears the military would only engage when it feels they are able to contain the situation through repression and terror.

Schraner Burgener warned that if we wait only for when they are ready to talk a bloodbath is imminent.

The UN envoy called on those with access to the military, known as the Tatmadaw, to let them know the damage to Myanmars reputation and the threat it poses not only to its citizens but to the security of neighbouring countries.

Expand Close Anti-coup protesters stand beside a burning tire as they fortify their position against the military during a demonstration in Yangon on Tuesday (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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A robust international response requires a unified regional position, especially with neighbouring countries leveraging their influence towards stability in Myanmar, Ms Schraner Burgener said, adding she plans to visit the region, hopefully next week.

Ms Schraner Burgener said intensification of fighting in Kayin state had sent thousands fleeing to neighbouring Thailand and that conflict in Kachin state with the Kachin Independence Army near the Chinese border intensified to its highest point this year.

Armed ethnic groups on Myanmars eastern and western borders are also increasingly speaking out against the brutality of the military, she said.

British Ambassador Barbara Woodward, who called for the council meeting, said afterwards that we will continue to discuss next steps with other council members to prevent the military from perpetuating this crisis.

We want to consider all measures that are at our disposal, she said, which include sanctions.
Prince William's rift with Prince Harry is comparable to the loss he experienced after the tragic death of their mother Princess Diana, a royal expert has claimed.

Duncan Larcombe, a journalist and author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, explained the tension between the royal brothers is increasingly painful for Prince William.

He told OK! magazine that the 38-year-old, feels like he's suffered a loss, saying: 'Theres no doubt this is one of the hardest things that William has gone through, the hardest since his mother died.

'He feels he has lost his brother and his best friend.'

Duncan Larcombe has claimed Prince William's rift with Prince Harry is 'one of the hardest things' he's had to go through. Pictured: Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with the Prince of Wales during the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in 2020

Rumours of a rift between the brothers emerged in 2019 when the brothers divided their households following a series of disagreements about Harry's role.

It also emerged that Harry was upset when William advised him not to rush into marriage with 'this girl', which the younger brother took as a slight against Meghan.

The Duke of Cambridge's rift with his brother is said to have soured even further in early 2020 when the Sussexes 'blindsided' Her Majesty by announcing they would be stepping down from their roles as senior royals and moving to the US.

After the infamous Sandringham summit  when the Megxit deal was hammered out  William and Harry went for a walk to clear the air. However they did not part shores as friends, it was reported.

Duncan claims Prince William feels like he's lost a brother and best friend. Pictured: Prince William and Prince Harry with their late mother Diana in 1995

William was said to have been particularly aggrieved by the couples surprise launch of their Sussex Royal website before the summit last January.

Later, when the Queen decreed they could no longer use royal in their future ventures, Meghan and Harry hit back with a bold statement saying they did not intend to use Sussex Royal or Royal even though there was not any jurisdiction over its use overseas.

The issue was said to still be on Williams mind at the Commonwealth Day service last year  the Sussexes final engagement as working royals  when tensions between the brothers were palpable.

Then came the bombshell interview with Oprah in which Prince Harry admitted that he and his brother are on 'different paths' and have good and bad days in their relationship.

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. Pictured: Harry and Meghan talking to Oprah

Harry added that he felt sorry for his brother and his father Prince Charles because they are trapped in their royal roles.

The allegations have said to have soured the rift between Princes William and Harry further.

The Sunday Times reported that Prince William was left reeling by the admissions, with friends insisting that they were way off the mark.

Gayle King, 66, who is a close friend of Oprah, has revealed Harry and William spoke after the bombshell interview aired, but their conversations were 'not productive'.

She told CBS This Morning: 'Well I'm not trying to break news, but I did actually call them to see how they were feeling, and it's true, Harry has talked to his brother and he has talked to his father too.

Gayle King claims Princes Harry and William have spoken since the Oprah interview, however the discussion was unproductive. Pictured: Duchess and Duke of Cambridge with Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2019

'The word I was given was that those conversations were not productive. But they are glad that they have at least started a conversation.

'And I think what is still upsetting to them is the palace keep saying they want to work it out privately, but yet, they believe these false stories are coming out that are very disparaging against Meghan, still.

'No one in the Royal Family has talked to Meghan yet, at this particular time.

'And I think it's frustrating for them to see that it's a racial conversation about the Royal Family when all they wanted all along was for the royals to intervene and tell the Press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant.

'And until you can acknowledge that, I think it's going to be hard to move forward. But they both want to move forward with this and they both want healing in this family. At the end of the day, that is Harry's family.'
LANSING, MI  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is attempting to use national defense policy legislation passed two years ago to force the U.S. Department of Defense into compliance with tough state pollution cleanup laws in Michigan.

In a March 31 letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Whitmer invoked a section of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that could force the Pentagon to meet the states new low PFAS standards while conducting cleanup at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda and other military contamination sites.

The provision, added to the bill by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., allows a state governor to request a new or amended cooperative agreement that would govern remediation at Department of Defense sites and require the military to comply with state pollution laws if those are more stringent.

The U.S. Air Force has long refused to comply with strict Michigan laws governing PFAS cleanup at Wurtsmith, which has touched off regulatory disputes and angered local activists.

The latest example occurred last week, when the Air Force said it plans to ignore state PFAS discharge rules while expanding a groundwater treatment system in Oscoda.

In the letter, Whitmer asked for the militarys upfront commitment to adhere to Michigan laws severely restricting how much PFAS contamination is allowed to remain in groundwater or treatment discharge and bake those thresholds into cleanup decision documents.

I am also asking that the finalized cooperative agreement require these activities meet or exceed the most stringent standards for PFAS in any environmental media which, in this case, would be the enforceable State of Michigan standards, Whitmer wrote.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) released the letter Wednesday. Activists have been pushing Whitmer to invoke the provision for more than a year, arguing that accountability language giving Congress oversight of the cooperative agreement provides necessary leverage over the Department of Defense.

According to Section 332 of the bill, if an agreement isnt reached within a year, the Secretary of Defense must explain why to Congress and offer a timeline for reaching one.

The provision was originally introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in 2018 as standalone legislation and later folded into the NDAA, an annual must-pass bill that sets spending and policy priorities for the military. It has been used as a vehicle to advance PFAS-related legislation unable to otherwise surmount Senate opposition in recent years.

Tony Spaniola, a metro Detroit attorney and PFAS activist who owns a home near Wurtsmith base in Oscoda, was happy to see the provision invoked but said the fight isnt over.

I thank the governor for intervening with the Department of Defense on behalf of the citizens of Oscoda, Spaniola said. I hope that shell continue to be personally engaged because theres still a fight ahead and we need her help.

The National Wildlife Federation also praised the move.

The communities around Oscoda, that have been knowingly exposed to toxic PFAS from the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base for over a decade, deserve assurance that clean-up will meet the highest standards and the Governor invoking this authority is a critical step in that process. said Mike Shriberg, NWF regional director. This added layer of accountability for the Air Force is a critical step in helping to restore trust and transparency in the clean-up process and ensure that people, wildlife, our land and water are the priority.

The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Whitmers letter.

The Air Force is seeking public comment until April 17 on plans to expand a groundwater treatment system near Clarks Marsh in Oscoda, a wetland south of the former base where some of the most highly PFAS contaminated fish, deer and other wildlife in Michigan are found.

The system expansion is one of several interim cleanup actions the Air Force agreed to undertake last year under heavy pressure from activists, state regulators and members of Congress  which gave the military $13.5 million in supplemental funding specifically for new stopgap cleaning measures at the former base in late 2019.

In a meeting last week, Air Force site managers said they werent designing the new treatment system to comply with state rules limiting PFOS discharge to 16 parts-per-trillion (ppt) and PFOA discharge to 8-ppt  levels formalized in December that mirror new state drinking water standards enacted last year. Air Force attorneys said federal law lets them ignore state rules until later stages in a slow-moving cleanup process thats already eclipsed a decade.

State regulators discovered PFAS at Wurtsmith in 2010. The base is one of 16 sites in Michigan where such contamination is linked to toxic firefighting foam used by the military.

Total cleanup at Wurtsmith has been estimated to exceed $250 million and would require numerous groundwater treatment systems around the base. The chemicals are also widespread at various off-base sites around Oscoda that the Air Force refuses to accept responsibility for, although local officials say the contamination is linked to military foam.

The local NOW (Need Our Water) activist group is holding a webinar about the contamination on this evening at 7 p.m. The state of Michigan is holding a community meeting on April 20 and theres an Air Force Community Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting on April 21.

Related stories:

Air Force says it wont comply with state law on cleanup

Plan to stop toxic lake foam a step in the right direction

Kildee: Pentagon needs culture change on pollution

Michigan PFAS site list surges past 100

With trepidation, Michigan settles Air Force dispute

Michigan veterans face uphill battle proving toxic exposure

Quit horsing around, Oscoda residents tell Air Force
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A private Christian camp in northern New Mexico is looking for volunteers and donations as it prepares for the potential arrival of immigrant children from the U.S.-Mexico border as federal holding facilities become more crowded.

A page on the Glorieta Camps website states that the organization was asked by the White House and U.S. Health and Human Services Department to house and feed potentially 2,400 unaccompanied children at its property near Santa Fe.

Glorieta Camps executive assistant Josh Nelson said Wednesday that the organization has been talking with federal officials for the last two days and he was unsure when a contract would be finalized. He said the camp is prepared to take children as soon as Thursday but that it could only do so for 60 days to avoid having to cancel its own summer programs.

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President Joe Biden is under pressure to address immigration concerns as thousands of children and families have been arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, packing holding facilities. On Tuesday evening, U.S. Border Patrol agents reported that two young girls from Ecuador were abandoned after being dropped by a smuggler over a 14-foot-high border barrier in New Mexico, just west of El Paso, Texas. The 3- and 5-year-old sisters were unhurt and are now at a holding facility, but authorities called the latest incident appalling.

Convention centers in San Diego and Dallas and even a camp for oil field workers in West Texas have been converted into a temporary housing as the administration scrambles to find more space. In Arizona, advocacy groups have been busing families and single adults to temporary shelters in Tucson and Phoenix where they can wait until being placed with family members in the U.S. or other sponsors.

The Border Patrol is apprehending more children daily than Health and Human Services is placing with sponsors, leading to a severe backlog. The Border Patrol generally is not supposed to detain children for more than three days, but Health and Human Services lacks space.

For the first time Tuesday, the Biden administration allowed journalists from The Associated Press and a crew from CBS inside its main border detention facility for migrant children in Texas. The tour revealed a severely overcrowded tent structure where more than 4,000 people, including children and families, were crammed into a space intended for 250.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams office said Wednesday that it was aware only that the Biden administration was seeking temporary sites for unaccompanied children but didnt have any details or information about where or what facilities were being considered.

Brian Sayler with the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management told The Associated Press last week that the state was in regular communication with U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as federal emergency management and homeland security officials.

New Mexico is requesting that these federal agencies stand up a coordinated response to address any increase in border activity, he said at the time, adding that the state also has been talking with local emergency managers and nongovernment groups.

Aaron Morales, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, New Mexicos senior senator, said it was the offices understanding that the Health and Human Services Department doesnt have plans to open a shelter in New Mexico at this time.

Glorieta Camps, operated by a Christian faith-based nonprofit called Glorieta 2.0, sits on a 2,400-acre property that is ordinarily wide open for people to communion with nature. Facilities include more than 100 buildings for sleeping, eating and meeting, but there are questions as to what kind of changes would be needed to ensure security of its no-frills conference halls and bunk-bed dorms.

Camp employees and other groups were calling on the public to help provide supplies and were seeking volunteers to help care for the kids. Social media posts and emails were requesting toiletries, bath towels, water bottles and clothes for 13- to 17-year-old boys.

___

Associated Press writers Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Nomaan Merchant in Houston contributed to this report.
(CNN)  Moments after George Floyd was taken away in an ambulance last May, former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was confronted by a witness who took issue with Chauvin's kneeling on Floyd's neck.

"That's one person's opinion," Chauvin responded as he got into his squad car. "We had to control this guy because he's a sizable guy. It looks like he's probably on something."

The short clip from Chauvin's own body camera, played in his criminal trial Wednesday, represents the first time the public has heard the ex-officer's perspective in the 10 months since Floyd died under his knee, launching a worldwide protest movement.

Charles McMillian, the 61-year-old witness, testified that he observed Floyd's arrest on May 25, 2020, and that he encouraged Floyd to comply with police, repeatedly saying, "you can't win." As Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck and Floyd cried out for help, McMillian can be heard on video telling police to "get your knee off his neck."

After Floyd's limp body was taken away, McMillian had a short conversation with Chauvin because "what I watched was wrong," he said.

The third day of Chauvin's trial featured testimony from several bystanders who interacted with Floyd as well as graphic excerpts of police body camera footage showing his arrest and final moments. In the videos, Floyd gasps that he's claustrophobic, repeatedly says he can't breathe and calls for his mother.

Much of the searing body camera video has previously been released to the public, but its raw power for those in the court remained apparent. After a clip was played for McMillian, he broke down in tears on the stand, leading to a short break.

"I feel helpless," he said. "I don't have a mama either. I understand him."

In the afternoon, with Minneapolis Police Lt. James Jeffrey Rugel on the stand, prosecutors played previously unseen footage from Chauvin's body camera. His body camera fell underneath the squad car as Floyd went to the ground during the arrest, so the video does not show Chauvin on Floyd's neck.

Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Prosecutors have called several bystanders to describe their horror and fear at watching Floyd die last May. Their testimony furthers the prosecution's opening statement that asked jurors to focus on video of the 9 minutes and 29 seconds that Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck.

"You can believe your eyes that it's a homicide," prosecuting attorney Jerry Blackwell said Monday. "You can believe your eyes."

Defense attorney Eric Nelson has argued that the case is more complicated than just the video. He said Chauvin was following his police use of force training and argued Floyd's cause of death was a combination of drug use and preexisting health issues.

Store employee says he feels guilt

A number of witnesses have expressed survivor's guilt about what they did and didn't do leading up to Floyd's death.

An employee at the Minneapolis corner store who suspected Floyd gave him a counterfeit $20 bill last May testified in court Wednesday that he felt "disbelief and guilt" knowing that their interaction led to Floyd's death under Chauvin's knee.

"If I would have just not taken the bill, this could have been avoided," Christopher Martin, a 19-year-old cashier at Cup Foods, testified in court Wednesday. He stopped working there soon after because he said he didn't feel safe.

Similarly, on Tuesday, a high schooler who recorded and shared video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd said she had lost sleep thinking of what else she could have done.

"It's been nights I've stayed up apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life," she said. "But it's not what I should have done, it's what he should have done."

Martin testified that Floyd responded slowly and appeared to be high when he came into the store on May 25, 2020. Surveillance video played in court shows Floyd fiddling with items in his pockets and casually interacting with other customers and employees.

Floyd then bought a pack of cigarettes with a $20 bill that Martin believed to be fake because of its blue color and texture. After examining the bill closely, Martin told his manager, who twice told Martin and other employees to go out to Floyd's vehicle and bring him back into the store to resolve the issue.

When Floyd did not do so, the manager told an employee to call police -- a fateful call that ultimately ended with Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck.

Martin filmed Floyd under Chauvin's knee but deleted the video from his phone that night. "I just didn't want to have to show it to anyone or be questioned about it," he said.

Christopher Belfrey, who came to Cup Foods to pick up food, testified that he saw officers walk up to Floyd's vehicle and point a gun into the window. From inside his car, he filmed police handcuffing Floyd and later bringing him to a sidewalk.

"I didn't know exactly what was going on. I didn't want to be in the middle of so much commotion," Belfrey testified. He said for that reason he moved his vehicle.

Off-duty firefighter said police blocked her from helping Floyd

Wednesday's testimony began with a short cross-examination of Genevieve Hansen, an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter. She testified a day earlier that she was out for a walk on her day off last May and came upon Floyd struggling to breathe and appearing unconscious under Chauvin's knee.

She tried to help Floyd and repeatedly asked police to check for a pulse, but they refused, leaving her feeling desperate and helpless.

"I tried calm reasoning, I tried to be assertive, I pled and was desperate," she testified. "I was desperate to give help."

Hansen became combative with Nelson, the defense attorney, during Tuesday's cross-examination, repeatedly taking issue with his questioning and responding with snark. "I don't know if you've ever seen someone die in front of you, but it's very upsetting," she said at one point.

After dismissing the jury for the day, Judge Peter Cahill admonished Hansen, telling her to answer questions and stop arguing. Upon her return to the stand on Wednesday morning, Nelson asked just one question to confirm that she did not show the officers on the scene her ID.

Nelson argued in opening statements that the bystanders morphed into a threatening crowd, which distracted the officers from doing their job. In cross-examinations of Hansen and MMA fighter Donald Williams II on Tuesday, he tried to get them to admit that they and the crowd were angry as Floyd slowly died. They insisted they were increasingly desperate, helpless and concerned.

"I grew professional. I stayed in my body," Williams said. "You can't paint me out to be angry."

This story was first published on CNN.com 'Derek Chauvin's body camera video shows his reaction just after George Floyd left in an ambulance'
A Bamboo Airways flight bound for Con Dao Islands off the southern province of Ba Ria  Vung Tau from northern Hai Phong City had to make an emergency landing in Hanoi after hitting a bird in the air on Wednesday.

Flight QH 1055, operated by the Vietnamese hybrid airline using the Embraer 195 jet, made a request to the command station at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi to prioritize its landing at 1:04 pm on the same day as the captain believed that the plane had hit a bird.

The Embraer 195 jet safely touched down at Noi Bai at 2:05 pm and passengers deplaned on the same afternoon.

After that, mechanics examined and noted a dent and a trace of bird blood on the planes engine No. 1.

The Noi Bai flight zone operation center coordinated with relevant units to track the route from the runway where the plane touched down to its parking position, but did not detect any dead bird or an unusual foreign object.

According to a source, in addition to the indentation in the engine cover, the fan blades in the engine of the Embraer 195 aircraft were also bent.

The mechanics continued to carefully check the engine to fix it on Thursday.

Previously, flight VN 1441, operated by Vietnam Airlines from central Da Nang City to the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, had also hit a bird on the runway at Da Nang International Airport at 10:59 am on March 24.

The Da Nang flight zone operation center later detected a swallows body on the 35R/17L runway and removed it to ensure flight operations.

Meanwhile, the plane that performed flight VN 1441 continued normal operations.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
En espanol | They lie, cheat and steal  like all scammers  but devout victims no doubt believe there's a special place in Hades for this rogue's gallery. To pull off their misdeeds, they pose as pastors, preachers and priests. Rabbis and rectors. Even bishops. These impostors cajole unsuspecting congregants into spending hundreds of dollars on gift cards, supposedly for people in need, then abscond with the loot.

Believed to be a growing problem, clergy scams occur across faith groups and across the U.S. They've besieged Christians and Jews, Catholics and Protestants, Buddhists and Muslims.

Talking about the scourge, Daniel Aronson, a 56-year-old rabbi, says, There is no word other than sacrilegious. Since he joined Congregation Ahavas Achim in Keene, New Hampshire, in August, his identity has been hijacked in scam attempts maybe five or six times  I've kind of lost count. Every time it happens, the synagogue sends out a warning to members. Aronson was told that one congregant reportedly lost about $600 in a gift-card scam, but says the victim refuses to come forward.
RENO, Nev., March 31, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nevada Exploration Inc. (NGE or the Company) (TSX-V:NGE; OTCQB:NVDEF) is pleased provide the first monthly update from its 2021 core drilling program at South Grass Valley. The initial hole of the program, SGVC012, is currently at a depth of 710 metres, and proceeding well within characteristic Carlin-type lower-plate host rocks. NGE is also pleased to announce that it has completed the commissioning of its newly upgraded core logging facility, which has included the addition of some of the latest exploration technologies to provide critical and timely information to guide the Companys ongoing drilling.



With respect to the current drilling, NGE reports that:

SGVC012 encountered 559 metres of alluvium followed by 32 metres of the distinctive Nine Hill Tuff, before entering what appears to be a lower plate bedrock unit at 590 metres;





Preliminary observations indicate that this first lower-plate unit is consistent with Roberts Mountains formation, which sits higher in the stratigraphy than the units encountered to the west in earlier drilling; and





Preliminary observations show that this unit is oxidized and exhibits numerous broken zones associated with the effects of decarbonatization and argillic alteration, which together are consistent with the drill hole approaching the projected Water Canyon Structural Corridor.



In preparation for supporting its current drilling program, the Company has now completed a major upgrade to its logging and storage facility in Sparks, Nevada. The Company has partnered with a number of industry leaders to maximize the information it can extract from each of its drill holes, reduce the timelines for integrating this new data into its exploration model, and improve its core handling infrastructure to accommodate the expected volume of core from its planned deeper drill holes.

NGEs upgraded facility now includes:

A palletized core storage and retrieval system, with associated forklift and racks, to provide easy access to all current and historical drill samples;





A higher-capacity core saw and core washing station to improve throughput at what is regularly a bottleneck in the early stages of logging;





Expanded logging tables capable of accommodating up to 500 metres of core to support reviewing geological features across long intervals and multiple drill holes;





An enclosed, dual-purpose Imago (www.imago.live) core photography workstation that in addition to acquiring high-resolution traditional white-light imagery also collects short-wave ultraviolet imagery, which provides important and otherwise-invisible information for mapping hydrothermal fluid pathways and alteration features;





A REFLEX XRF Geochemical Analyzer Workstation with an Olympus VMR instrument, supplied by IMDEX (www.imdexlimited.com), to provide rapid geochemistry data from core samples;





A new geoscientific information management system built on a cloud-hosted acQuire platform (www.acquire.com.au) to provide form-based logging, assay management, and other sample management tools to standardize the entire core logging and sample handling procedures, to automate much of the integration of new assay results, as well as to provide improved connectivity between each of the major geochemistry and geologic modeling software programs used by NGEs team.



Commenting on the commissioning of the Companys upgraded logging facility and the start of the 2021 South Grass Valley drilling program, NGE President, James Buskard:

Drilling is by far the most expensive thing we do. With this current program we are using deep holes to test a very large target, and it is our job to extract as much information as possible from every new batch of core samples. The faster we can incorporate this new information into our geologic model, the better decisions we can make at the drill rig.

Since closing our financing at the end of 2020, our team has worked tirelessly to upgrade our core logging facility to be able to collect additional information from our drill samples, and to improve our physical and digital infrastructure associated with all aspects of processing and managing the samples and the resulting information they provide.

One of the biggest investments weve made is adding an XRF workstation into our logging workflow to provide early geochemistry data. To integrate this XRF data into our exploration decision making, weve completed an orientation program using samples from our earlier drilling programs. The results have given us confidence in the data across useful concentrations for our primary Carlin-type pathfinders, as well as for other important elements used to characterize and identify different stratigraphic units as were drilling.

Our current hole, SGVC012 is in good shape and progressing smoothly. We are retrieving core approximately weekly to bring back to our logging facility, and have just received the first load since entering the lower plate. Angled at about 70 degrees, towards the west, as the hole proceeds deeper were looking forward to sampling more of the Water Canyon Structural Corridor on our way down to the stratigraphic Clm Unit that defines our primary East Golden Gorge target. With our new core logging facility pieces in place to review each new batch of samples, were equipped to leverage the latest tools to make the most informed drilling decisions we can.

As the 2021 South Grass Valley drilling program continues, NGE encourages its stakeholders to sign up to its email list to receive its monthly updates, as well as to subscribe to one or more of its social medial channels to follow along as its team shares photos from the field and its logging facility.

Email sign up: www.nevadaexploration.com/investors/signup

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NV_Exploration

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nevadaexploration

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NevadaExplorationInc

For more detailed information about NGEs work to date and next-staged plans at South Grass Valley, readers are encouraged to watch the Companys July 2020 technical video available on its website at https://www.nevadaexploration.com/investors/media/ (24 minutes).

Incentive Stock Options

NGE also announces that it has granted incentive stock options to officers, directors, and insiders under its Stock Option Plan entitling them to purchase an aggregate of up to 3,110,500 common shares of the Company. The stock options are exercisable on or before March 31st, 2031, at a price of $0.18 per share, subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance.

About Nevada Exploration Inc.

With mature, exposed search spaces seeing falling discovery rates, NGE believes the future of exploration is under cover. Nevadas exposed terrains have produced more than 200 million ounces of gold, and experts agree there is likely another 200 million ounces waiting to be discovered in the than half of Nevada where the bedrock is hidden beneath post-mineral cover. NGE has spent more than 15 years developing and integrating new hydrogeochemistry (groundwater chemistry) and low-cost drilling technology to build an industry-leading, geochemistry-focused toolkit specifically to explore for new gold deposits under cover, and the Company is now advancing a portfolio of projects totalling more than 170 square kilometres.

NGEs most advanced project is South Grass Valley, located approximately 50 kilometres south-southwest of the Cortez complex, operated by Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick Gold Corp. and Newmont Mining Corp. joint venture), within the specific region of north-central Nevada that hosts Nevadas largest Carlin-type gold deposits (CTGDs). Since acquiring the Project, NGE has completed: an infill borehole groundwater sampling program, detailed air magnetic and gravity geophysics surveys, a soil geochemistry sampling program, an initial diamond core drilling program consisting of 10 stratigraphic orientation holes, and most recently (2020), a follow-up reverse-circulation drilling program consisting of 17 holes to increase the density of its bedrock sampling.

As outlined in the video listed above and described in the Companys news release dated July 13, 2020 (https://www.nevadaexploration.com/news/2020/nevada-exploration-presents-plans-to-advance-east-golden-gorge-at-south-grass-valley), based on the results of its combined exploration datasets, NGE believes it has discovered a mineral system at South Grass Valley with the architecture and scale to potentially support multiple CTGDs. As the Company continues to advance the project, per NI 43-101, 2.3(2), the Company must remind its stakeholders that the project remains an exploration target for which the potential quantity and grade of any mineral resource is still conceptual in nature, and that it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.

For further information, please contact:

Nevada Exploration Inc.

Email: info@nevadaexploration.com

Telephone: +1 (604) 601 2006

Website: www.nevadaexploration.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Wade A. Hodges, CEO & Director, Nevada Exploration Inc., is the Qualified Person, as defined in National Instrument 43-101, and has prepared the technical and scientific information contained in this News Release.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information:

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, without limitation, expectations, beliefs, plans, and objectives regarding projects, potential transactions, and ventures discussed in this release.

In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made numerous assumptions, regarding, among other things, the assumption the Company will continue as a going concern and will continue to be able to access the capital required to advance its projects and continue operations. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies.

In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are the risks inherent in mineral exploration, the need to obtain additional financing, environmental permits, the availability of needed personnel and equipment for exploration and development, fluctuations in the price of minerals, and general economic conditions.

A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company is disclosed in the Companys continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.

A video accompanying this release is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3c025b1a-4bd9-4205-a641-ee3a73a7a498
Legislators elected three new Vice Chairpersons of the National Assembly (NA) by secret ballots on April 1, as part of the ongoing 11th sitting.

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NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (second from right) presents flowers to the new NA Vice Chairmen.

After the votings result was announced, the NA adopted a resolution with a 94.79 percent approval rate (455 out of 456 deputies present) on the election of the new vice chairmen.

Under the resolution, Tran Thanh Man, Politburo member and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee; Nguyen Duc Hai, member of the Party Central Committee and head of the NAs Finance and Budget Committee; and Nguyen Khac Dinh, member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Party Committee of central Khanh Hoa province, have become new Vice Chairmen of the NA.

On March 31, the NA elected Vuong Dinh Hue, Politburo member and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, as Chairman of the National Assembly and the National Election Council (NEC).







VNA
By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged priests to be humble like Jesus as he began three busy days leading to Easter - all scaled down because of the coronavius pandemic - with a Holy Thursday Mass.

Holy Thursday is the day Christians commemorate the day Jesus instituted the priesthood.

The pope, leader of the 1.3 billion Roman Catholic Church, said the Mass of the Chrism in a secondary part of St. Peter's Basilica for about 200 people instead of the nearly 10,000 in the past.

It is the second consecutive Easter season under COVID-19 restrictions. The Vatican follows guidelines from Italy, which has seen a resurgence in infections and deaths.

Francis, 84, blessed oils for Church sacraments and led cardinals, bishops and about 75 priests in renewing their vows.

In his homily, Francis asked priests to be humble, reminding them that Jesus went about caring for sinners and outcasts disregarding the "scorn in the self-righteous" of the critics of his times.

Francis has delegated a cardinal to lead the second Holy Thursday event in the evening.

Traditionally on this occasion the celebrant washes and kisses the feet of 12 people to commemorate Jesus' gesture of humility towards his apostles, but this year coronavirus restrictions have omitted that part of the ritual.

It was not clear why the pope, who in the past has held the service in prisons or homes for elderly people, had delegated the evening Mass. Some have speculated that he wants to rest ahead of three busier days. He suffers from sciatica, which causes pain when it flares up.

Francis is due to preside at two services on Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate the crucifixion and two on Holy Saturday. On Easter Sunday, the most important day in the Christian liturgical calendar, he delivers his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Frances Kerry)
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks rose on Thursday after U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled a sweeping $2.3 trillion spending plan that includes investments in roads, railways, broadband, clean energy and semiconductor manufacture. Encouraging manufacturing data also boosted hopes for a swift economic recovery. IHS Markit's closely-watched purchasing managers' index (PMI) scored 58.9 in March - a 121-month high and ahead of forecasts. The benchmark FTSE 100 climbed 45 points, or 0.7 percent, to 6,758 after closing 0.9 percent lower on Wednesday. Clothing company Next Plc jumped 2.2 percent after upgrading its full-year guidance. Food delivery firm Deliveroo's shares were down 2 percent after plunging by as much as 30 percent on market debut the previous day. 3i Infrastructure edged up slightly. The investment company has agreed to invest about 182 million to acquire a 60 percent stake in DNS:NET and to provide additional funding for the future growth of the business. John Laing Group gained 0.7 percent after it completed the sale of its Irish wind farm, Glencarbry, to Greencoat Renewables for a total consideration of 31.2 million euros. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Barbados Attorney General Dale Marshall as he presented his governments plan to make ex-gratia payments to some ex-employees of LIAT.

Ex-employees of the fraught-filled regional airline LIAT, who are resident in Barbados, whether Barbadian or otherwise, can now look forward to receiving some cash in their hands.





Barbados Attorney General Dale Marshall, speaking during that countrys Estimates Debate to the countrys Parliament last week Tuesday, announced that even though Barbados "was not legally obligated to pay those workers severance, it was out of a sense of humanity and care that the Mia Mottley administration will be ready with the details of the payout within days, Barbados Today reported.





Marshalled explained that there were two sets of Barbadian LIAT workers who were terminated by the Antigua-based airline: those employed by LIAT in Barbados, primarily Barbadians; and those residing in Barbados but who chose to be employed in Antigua rather than Barbados.





The first category paid contributions into the Barbados National Insurance Scheme (NIS) here and LIAT also paid contributions into the NIS here on their behalf.





Marshall made known, according to Barbados Today, that, "There is a legal obligation on the part of the National Insurance Scheme through the Severance Payments Fund to make payments to those individuals.





He went on to say, perhaps for the first time for public consumption: "What is little known though, is that the management of LIAT under administration has refused to cooperate with those employeesthe Barbados-based employees, who paid inso money came out of their pay cheques every month and they are entitled to get it back. The LIAT administrator refused to cooperate, to stop them from getting back their money.





Those ex-LIAT workers who chose to be employed by Antigua but who will now benefit from Barbados assistance, are said to be primarily pilots and some flight attendants.





The Attorney general was hopeful that his government would be in a position within the next few days, to say what ex-gratia (voluntary) assistance will be forthcoming to the non-Barbadians resident in Barbados, and who paid their dues to the Antigua government.





"We are working out what we can and will give to them on an ex-gratia basis, Marshall told the Barbados Parliament. (Source: Barbados Today)




Retired Western New England University School of Law professor Amy B. Cohen has long been fascinated with the past, but she never really inquired about her own family history.

But when her first grandchild was born in 2010, she realized that he might someday want to know about his great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents, so she began asking questions and doing research. Genealogy became a passion for me, she said. It provides a combination of all the things I love: history, research, reading, problem solving and writing. As a family historian, you are part detective, part historian and part storyteller.

Her new book, Santa Fe Love Song, grew out of her genealogy and family history research.

It is the story of a young man who arrives from Germany in 1857 and adapts to life in the United States, eventually becoming a pioneer on the Santa Fe Trail and a successful businessman and politician in Santa Fe. But then he meets and falls in love with a woman back East. Will he be able to tear her away from her family and her sophisticated city life to return with him to Santa Fe?

The book was inspired by her great-great-grandparents, Bernard Seligman and Frances Nusbaum. I was able to find a lot of information about them because Bernard was a business and political leader in Santa Fe in the late 19th century, she said.

But the specific details of his early life  from when he immigrated to the United States in 1857 until 1870 when he permanently settled in Santa Fe with Frances  were harder to research. How did he meet Frances? How did he convince her to move to Santa Fe? What was it like for him on the Santa Fe Trail? How did he adjust to life on the frontier without all the traditions he had grown up with in Germany?

Cohen, of East Longmeadow, couldnt find answers to those questions. So I filled in the gaps with general research about the history of Philadelphia, Santa Fe and the U.S. in general and with my imagination as to how a young German Jewish immigrant would have reacted to what he saw and experienced in those places and times, she said.

She sees the story as both particular and universal  particular to her family and to the places and times. But it is also universal. It tells the story of so many of our families, she said. How does a young person from a foreign land adapt to a new country? How do we become Americans? And even more universally  what makes us fall in love  with a person, with a place? How do we reconcile our loves when they conflict with each other? In the end this is really a love story  about falling in love with America and with another human being. What could be more universal than a love story?

This is her second book; her first, Pacific Street, was published in 2016.

Cohen was born in the Bronx, New York, and lived there until she was 5 years old when the family moved to the suburbs of New York City. After high school in White Plains, New York, she attended Connecticut College and then to Harvard Law School. After practicing law for a few years, she joined the faculty of Western New England University School of Law where she taught Contracts, Copyright, Trademark and Antitrust for 32 years.

She is married to Harvey Shrage, a professor at WNEU College of Business and a labor arbitrator. They have two daughters and two grandsons.

In addition to genealogy, Cohen enjoys yoga, learning German, reading, writing, Cape Cod, biking, walking and cats.

Since 2012, she has been engaged in genealogy and family history research. I started doing genealogy research in 2012 and learned so much more about many of my ancestors than simply dates and names, she said. I wanted to preserve these stories in a way that would bring my ancestors to life. I obviously needed to go beyond the mere facts and figures and place myself inside their heads and their hearts to try and imagine them as real people.

She decided to create fictional stories built around those facts and figures, hoping to stay as close to what she could find through research but adding a human element and perspective through fiction.

She has a blog at brotman

blog.com where she publishes reports on her genealogy research twice a week.

Cohen writes because she is driven to tell the stories she wants others to enjoy and remember. And because I love writing. I always have. Reading and writing and playing with words have always fascinated me, she said.

Santa Fe Love Song has been published trough Amazons platform. It has 189 pages and retails for $15 for paperback and $10 for eBook through Amazon.
Despite meeting with a federal government delegation to resolve pending issues, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) commenced an indefinite strike on Thursday.

We commence strike 8 a.m. today while we are still trying to evaluate the federal governments offer, the president of the association, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, told PREMIUM TIMES Thursday morning.

The NARD had threatened to commence an indefinite strike on Thursday if the Nigerian government fails to meet its demands including non-payment of allowances.

Mr Okhuaihesuyi said the resolution was reached after NARDs extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Saturday.

He said the ultimatum given to the federal government to meet the associations earlier demands will expire on March 31, with no significant achievement.

Resident doctors, who are undergoing training to become consultants, make up a large percentage of doctors in Nigerias tertiary hospitals.

The doctors are demanding, amongst other things, payment of all salaries arrears, review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers, and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 allowance especially in state-owned tertiary Institutions.

Immediate payment of all salary arrears including March salaries for our members in all Federal and State Tertiary Health Institutions across the country especially ASUTH, IMSUTH and UNIMEDTH, the president said.

Upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance especially in State owned-tertiary Institutions.

Payment of death in service insurance for all health workers who died as a result of COVID-19 infection or other infectious diseases in the country.

The doctors are also demanding the implementation of September 2017 Memorandum of Terms of Settlement between NARD and the government in order to bring lasting peace to the health sector and curb the ongoing ugly trend of brain drain from the health sector.

Despite risks associated with their profession, there have been numerous complaints of poor remuneration and welfare of health workers in Nigeria.

The doctors had downed tools in June and September 2020 over these same issues.

Averting strike

On Wednesday, a government delegation led by labour minister Chris Ngige met with the doctors as part of efforts to avert the strike.

Speaking before the meeting went into a closed session, Mr Ngige appealed to the aggrieved doctors to consider the damage their withdrawal of services would cause the countrys health system already stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the majority of the welfare issues under contention were almost resolved even before the letter of complaint and notification of planned strike action was delivered to the ministry.

According to him, the government had started discussions on hazard allowance for health workers in the country.

He noted that as a conciliator, he has communicated the complaints of the doctors to the relevant ministries.

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Not true

But Mr Okhuaihesuyi told PREMIUM TIMES that the federal government is yet to fulfil majority of the associations demands.

He said none of his associations members has benefited from the life insurance scheme put in place by the federal government after considering the danger health workers are exposed to during the pandemic.

The life insurance promised, none of our members have received it yet and we have lost seven resident doctors so far and human lives should not be taken as insignificant, Mr Okhuaihesuyi said.

According to the NARD president, majority of the doctors have not been paid in months.

Government Hopeful Of Averting Strike

Meanwhile, Mr Ngige in a statement released early Thursday morning, said a Memorandum of Action (MOA) has been signed with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).

He said this is geared towards averting the planned nationwide strike of the resident doctors.

Everybody will be working, so hopefully by tomorrow, you will experience the payment as agreed here for the second category of doctors (an overflow of the MDCN quota), Mr Ngige said.

So, by the time the chairman of the CMDs comes up with his final list and harmonise it with MDCN, we wont have issue anymore over this payment or whether some doctors have not been paid.

He explained that timelines have been put on other issues raised by the doctors.

And with this MOA, we hope you get to your members to let them understand better that government has moved proactively to address most of the issues ahead of your coming, he said.
The on Thursday constituted a six-member committee comprising school principals, teachers and IT officials to study the best global practices in virtual schooling and submit a blueprint for the national capital's virtual school, officials said.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia presided over a meeting to outline the scope of the Delhi Model Virtual School, a first-of-its-kind school that would strive to provide to students remotely through personalised teaching-learning, effective assessments and the use of cutting edge technology, they said.

The had proposed to establish the virtual school in its 2021-22 Budget.

According to the officials, existing models of virtual schools in the US and New Zealand were discussed in the meeting.

Sisodia constituted a six-member committee comprising school principals, teachers, and IT officials that will study the best global practices in virtual schooling and submit a blueprint for Delhi's virtual school within a week, they said.

"Delhi's virtual school will be like any other regular school. It will have a school ID and dedicated staff. Students will get admitted and will be given unique IDs. This school will have students, teachers, regular teaching-learning activities, assessments and all other education-related facilities. The school will operate with the principle of 'anywhere living, anytime learning, anytime testing'," Sisodia said at the meeting.

"The school will cater to a wide cross-section of students, including students interested in studying from home, sportspersons and artists who need to devote adequate time towards honing their skills, school dropouts and other youths who would want to complete their education," he said.

The deputy chief minister added that extensive work on remote learning carried out by Delhi teachers during the coronavirus pandemic has developed the system's capacity in handling online effectively.

"Our teachers have learned to use technology effectively for teaching-learning purposes. This online teaching-learning during the pandemic has created a fertile ground for the establishment of the country's first virtual school in Delhi," Sisodia 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.)
WILLIAMSPORT  A Bradford County woman has admitted she and her husband laundered nearly $1.9 million they obtained by making false pleas about the need for money on social media.

Christine Bradley Okpako, 53, and her husband Jabin, 55, of Sayre, acted as agents in the United States for co-conspirators in Ghana and Nigeria, Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel said.

Christine Okpako pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. Middle District Court to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Her plea is valid only if her husband also pleads guilty. Jury selection for his trial currently is scheduled for May.

The Okpakos preyed on women throughout the country ages 55 to 85 who visited online game, relationship and dating websites including Instagram, Facebook, Words with Friends and Whats App, Rocktashel said.

The couple cultivated online relationships through texts, instant messaging and the exchange of pictures and then induced them to send or transmit money for fictitious reasons, he said.

The reasons included assisting a worker in Alaska who fell from a tower, helping the United Nations, repairing equipment on an oil drilling rig, paying for medicine, recovering $6 million inheritance and investing in gold, he said.

The scheme involved the use of names including Harry Robinson, Shaun Casey Roberts, Gilbert Thompson, Shawn Davids, Gen. John Francis Campbell, Wayne Christopher, Todd Godson, Craig Henry and Dennis Smith, he said.

The victims were instructed to send, wire and transfer funds electronically to the Okpakos home, multiple bank and credit union accounts, Rocktashel said.

The Okpakos received and deposited $1,898,046 between January 2016 and June 2019, he said.

ALSO READ: Settlements reached with 25 of 42 defendants in suit over 2017 Piazza hazing death at Penn State

Two packages, one containing $5,000 in cash and the other with a cashiers check for $4,000, were delivered May 2, 2019, while the FBI was executing a search warrant at their home, Rocktashel said. Another $28,000 was found in the house, he said.

The prosecutor detailed how the couple used banks and ATMs in four Pennsylvania counties, New York City and several other states to conceal their activity.

Evidence Rocktashel cited against Christine Okpako included her receiving $434,435 between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2018, and depositing it in her account at 10 different TD Bank branches in New York and Florida.

She also wire-transferred money to Ghana and Nigeria numerous times, he said.

The FBI in February 2019 warned her she was breaking banking laws but the activity continued, he said.

Banks would close the couples accounts due to suspicious activity and they would open new ones, Rocktashel said.

He would not say and the indictment does not state the amount of money the Okpakos realized from the scheme.

As part of the plea agreement, Christine Okpako agrees to forfeit any property derived from the illegal activity including the $1.89 million, funds deposited in various bank accounts and cash seized from the home.

The forfeiture clause would apply to her husband if he pleads or is found guilty.

ALSO READ: Pa. Supreme Court temporarily suspends law license of embattled Bradford County DA
I recently ordered a Queen's Beasts 1oz gold coin from a company based in Belgium for 1,760 and it was dispatched using UPS.

After a few false emails telling me it was going to be delivered, my wife waited in all day for it not to arrive.

Later that night, I received an email from the delivery giant - it said there was a 368.43 government charge I needed to pay, even though I was told there was no VAT or any tax at all on investment gold.

The sender of the coin confirmed I shouldn't have to pay anything.

UPS said it wouldn't hand over a pricey coin to its owner unless it paid Government taxes

The first time UPS tried to deliver no one was in but the second time, the driver wouldn't hand it over without the fee being paid.

Do I refuse to pay and hope UPS come round or do I pay to secure my gold coin and attempt to claim the money back later? M.S., via email

Grace Gausden, consumer expert at This is Money, replies: You paid 3,300 for two collectable gold coins plus 32 postage to a firm in Belgium.

However, it was unable to supply one of the coins, which it gave you a refund for, leaving you paying a total of 1,760.91 plus the postage fee for one of them.

When the coin reached Britain, you say you received several emails from UPS saying it was going to be delivered but it took a few days before a driver actually turned up with the parcel.

Grace on the Case Our weekly column sees This is Money consumer expert Grace Gausden tackles reader problems and shines the light on companies doing both good and bad. Want her to investigate a problem, or do you want to praise a firm for going that extra mile? Get in touch: grace.gausden@thisismoney.co.uk

Within these emails, it also added there was 368.43 in taxes to be paid.

It did not state what these government charges referred to.

This, understandably, caused you much concern and confusion as you were not aware of any outstanding fees.

You contacted the firm you bought the coin from and it said there were no extra fees to pay, including tax or government fees.

The first time UPS tried to deliver the coin, you were out.

It tried to deliver again and the second time, fortunately, your wife was in to receive the package.

However, the driver refused to hand over the item without the 368.43 in government charges being paid.

Understandably, your wife was shocked at being asked to pay on her own doorstep and refused.

Therefore UPS changed your status to 'refused delivery', advising you only had one delivery attempt left yet before it would be returned.

Coin carnage: UPS eventually told the consumer he would only have one delivery attempt left

Despite dozens of calls and emails to UPS about the matter you say it was impossible to get through to the right person and you found yourself waiting on the phone for over 40 minutes at a time.

However, you were correct in knowing you don't have to pay charges as there should be no VAT on investment gold and no Capital Gains Tax on on any British Legal Tender coins, gold or silver.

Investment gold is classed as any bar, wafer or round of at least 99.5 per cent purity accepted by the bullion markets or any coin, minted after 1800, that was originally legal tender in its country of origin and is at least 90 per cent pure gold.

Your coin fits this description, as you were aware, yet UPS couldn't explain why the charges had been added.

The charge could have related to import duties, something that has increased dramatically in some circumstances since Brexit, but you were advised by the retailer this was paid for via postage.

You suggested paying and claiming the money back but I could imagine this would be a long and difficult process - with no guarantee of a refund.

Therefore, I contacted UPS to ask why you were struggling to get your coin delivered and why it had added on these charges with no explanation.

A UPS spokesperson said: 'Customer satisfaction is important to us and we make every effort to deliver what matters.

'This situation has now been rectified and we apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.'

It admitted it incorrectly applied charges to your parcel and has now removed them. Hopefully this is just a one-off and others haven't fallen in the same boat - with any delivery firm - and simply paid the extra money requested.

You have now confirmed you have safely received your coin and are relieved you can finally stop chasing UPS.

While it ended in a good result, this showed a far from sterling service by the delivery firm.

If you have found yourself in a similar situation in terms of extra charges for items coming from overseas that you weren't expecting, contact me: grace.gausden@thisismoney.co.uk

We have saved readers over 51k After 18 weeks of Grace on the Case, we have calculated just how much we have helped readers so far - with savings reaching a huge 51,961.13. This has included 7,375 for a Bang and Olufsen TV that wasn't delivered as promised and 8,623 for a stolen car - that turned out to be a stolen vehicle already. If you have a consumer issue that you need help with, contact Grace on the Case at grace.gausden@thisismoney.co.uk.

One Thames Water customer had several accounts wrongly opened in her name multiple times

Hit and miss: This week's naughty and nice list

Each week, I look at some of the companies that have fallen short of expected standards as well as those that have gone that extra mile for customers.

Miss: This week, reader Jayne revealed that Thames Water opened at least seven accounts in her name for properties she does not own.

Since moving to a new basement flat in December 2019, several letters were sent to her by Thames Water with her name but the address for the ground floor flat.

After contacting the water firm, it said it would fix the issue but then several weeks later another bill and another account was opened in her name.

She said: 'At this point the person in the other flat was moving out and accounts were still getting opened in my name.

'I contacted Thames Water who apologised and then promptly closed the erroneous account, and immediately opened another erroneous account.'

This happened at least seven times with Jayne worried the errors would have a negative effect on her credit history.

I contacted Thames Water to ask why this kept happening over and over again and why it seemed impossible to rectify.

It told me it was taking up the issue with the credit agency which provides it with data on who the likely occupants of properties are as the information it received had Jayne down as living at each of the flats.

Thames Water confirmed there is only one account open in Jayne's name now and has credited her account with 50 as a gesture of goodwill.

You were in hot water for a short while but thankfully have stopped receiving dodgy bills. It's just a shame we had to step in rather than Thames Water stopping the problem.

Hit: In happier news, reader Granville, had positive news about sunglass firm, Bloc.

He said: 'I purchased some Bloc sunglasses from the Duty Free Shop in our local airport just prior to lockdown in February 2020.

'I've worn them quite a bit over the last 12 months and unfortunately one of the legs broke making them unwearable.

'Not being able to visit the airport duty free, I emailed Bloc to see if they could help. I received a reply within 10 minutes and a replacement part the same week.

'Well done Bloc. Fantastic customer service from a great British company.' No shade needed for Bloc here  sunny service all round.
American space agency NASA seems to have upset the Communist Party of China (CPC) by including Taiwan in the list of 'countries', while Beijing has called on NASA to rectify its mistake and correct it as soon as possible. China has been claiming for a long time that it views Taiwan as its territory, however, the government in Taipei (Taiwan's capital) has repeatedly rejected China's claims and has insisted that Taiwan is a de-facto sovereign nation.

NASA named Taiwan as a country on its 'Send my name to MARS' portal

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a portal by the name "Send my name to MARS" which allows users to sign up and fill in their details to send their names to the red planet, on a future flight. Taiwan appears as one of the countries listed in the drop-down menu on NASA's portal. While it is yet to be ascertained that how long has Taiwan been on this list, over 18 million people have already registered and submitted their names, for Taiwan.



'NASA's step severely violated One-China principle



Zhu Fengilan, the spokeswoman for the Beijing office was quoted by the US media as saying "We hold the clear and firm attitude that the island of Taiwan is part of China. NASA's step to list Taiwan as a country has severely violated the One-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communique. It is not only against the international consensus on the principle but also hurts the feelings of Chinese people," Zhu claimed.



'Taiwan a country that can contribute to the world'



Recently, the US Secretary of state, Antony Blinken also referred to Taiwan as a "country", the term that is by far avoided by the US since 2018 when China mounted pressure on the US airlines to stop referring to Taiwan as a country. Blinken was addressing a matter on Taiwan's inclusion in the upcoming Democracy Summit where he had observed "I share your view that Taiwan is s strong democracy, a very strong technological power, and a country that can contribute to the world, not just its own people. COVID is a very good example of that," Blinken had told Young Kim, who is the Republican Representative for California.



Meanwhile, a commentary published on a website run by the CPC called NASA's step to list Taiwan as a country as "unforgivable", while Zhu reiterated that "the space agency needs to correct its mistake as soon as possible."
Amelia Gray Hamlin has been living in a state of bliss for the past several months as her romance with 37-year-old Scott Disick rages on.

And the model, 19, sported a noticeable glow in an array of bikini-clad snaps that she uploaded to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon.

Hamlin, who has since deleted the sizzling shots, posed on the beach against a towering palm tree.

Glowing: Amelia Gray Hamlin sported a noticeable glow in an array of bikini-clad snapshots that she uploaded to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon

Amelia, who is the youngest daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, put her refined curves on display in a black halter bikini top and a pair of matching high-legged bottoms.

Her lengthy brunette tresses were styled into an effortless half up half down hairdo, which showcased her natural waves.

Accessorizing her seaside get-up, Hamlin layered a slew of gold chains from Arms of Eve around her neck and slipped on a few rings and bracelets.

Back in black: Amelia, who is the youngest daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, put her refined curves on display in a black halter bikini top and a pair of matching high-legged bottoms

Mermaid style: Her lengthy brunette tresses were styled into an effortless half up half down hairdo, which showcased her natural waves

Grasping onto the trunk of the palm tree from behind, Amelia flashed a smoldering stare at the camera and bared her taut tummy.

Another shot showed her posing with her hands in her hair and her legs crossed, while displaying her pert posterior in a follow-up photo.

Getting closer to the water, Hamlin concluded her photo series with a shot of herself laying on her side in the sand as the waves rolled in behind her.

Using the environment: Hamlin, who has since deleted the sizzling shots, posed on the beach against a towering palm tree, modeling several Arms of Eve necklaces

Seaside snap: Getting closer to the water, Hamlin concluded her photo series with a shot of herself laying on her side in the sand as the waves rolled in behind her

Although the bikini-clad selfies were removed from her Instagram, Amelia is no stranger to treating her 821,000 followers with scintillating content.

And the brunette beauty ensured all eyes were on her on Tuesday as she slipped into a blue tie-dye print bikini while taking a dip in a pool.

Commanding attention, Hamlin highlighted her figure in the two-piece, which featured a classic triangle-style top and matching bottoms.

Endless: Although the bikini-clad selfies were removed from her Instagram, Amelia is no stranger to treating her 821,000 followers with scintillating content

Bikini babe: And the brunette beauty ensured all eyes were on her on Tuesday as she slipped into a blue tie-dye print bikini while taking a dip in a pool

She upped the style ante by accessorizing with a sheer mini-skirt and a selection of gold jewelry.

The snaps came amid rumors that she is 'planning on moving in' with her beau Scott Disick at his temporary home in Miami.

'Scott's planning to move to Miami temporarily for a change of scenery [and] pace and he will split his time between there and LA so he can see his kids and the rest of the family,' a source recently told ET.

Disick shares three children, sons Mason, 11, and Reign, six, and daughter Penelope, eight, with ex Kourtney Kardashian, whom he spit from in 2015. Kourtney is currently dating Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.

Next step? Amelia is 'planning on moving in' with her beau Scott Disick at his temporary home in Miami; Amelia and Scott pictured in February

The source continued: 'Amelia is planning on moving in with him. Scott was lonely when he and Sofia [Richie] broke up, which is one of the reasons he and Amelia got together so quickly.

'They've been getting a bit more serious for now. Scott has been having a good time with Amelia.'

The budding couple rang in the New Year in Mexico and have also spent time in Santa Barbara, where he grew close to her sister Delilah's Love Island boyfriend Eyal Booker.

Media personality Scott, 37, split from supermodel Sofia, 22, in August 2020 following a three-year relationship.
THE YOUTH Partnership Countrywide (YPC) has applauded the government for continuing to improve the existing youth policy, especially on smoothing the term for access to credit.

Speaking to reporters at a youth forum in Dodoma, YPC Youth Institute Executive Director Israel Irunde said the youth policy now allows lending to a group consisting five to ten young people as never before.

"Since last year, we have talked a lot about helping young people.

Why should young people be given loans when they are not acquainted or related to each other? Why people with disabilities are forced to cluster in a group of ten people when it is difficult to bring even two," he said.

He added that recently, Minister of State in the President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Government, Selemani Jafo announced a new regulation on loans for special groups, including youths.

Under the new regulations, youths can get loans even if they are less than five in a group, while people with disabilities can get government loans at individual level.

In addition, Irunde urged the government to continue supporting the youth, as well as improvements of the existing labour relations laws.

"Too often we have fought to ensure that young people have a conducive working environment. Young people should not be used as a scapegoat; they should feel that they have a better future," he insisted.

For her part, the Representative from the Prime Minister's Office - Labour, Youths, Employment and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Amina Sanga called on youths to continue taking advantage of the various opportunities offered by the government, including volunteer training to build their capacity.

"Young people need to wake up; the challenge for the youth is that when someone invites them in a capacity building session, their first question is whether they will be provided with an allowance. They don't care about the content of the session," she said.
[April 01, 2021] Techstars, MCIT Announce The Riyadh Techstars Accelerator

Techstars, the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today announced a partnership to launch The Riyadh Techstars Accelerator. The accelerator joins Saudi Arabia's budding startup ecosystem to work with startups and entrepreneurs building and growing their businesses in the Middle East and North Africa, underscoring Techstars' mission of making innovation and entrepreneurship more accessible and inclusive to more entrepreneurs. The Riyadh Techstars Accelerator will focus on attracting startups to MENA and paving the way for future innovation in the region's digital economy. While the accelerator will be Techstars' first in Saudi Arabia, the organization has been active in the region for years through more than 700 Techstars Startup Weekend events, the Techstars Dubai Accelerator and the Techstars Hub71 Accelerator in Abu Dhabi. The accelerator is an extension of earlier cooperation between the Ministry and Techstars last July through the Techstars Startup Weekend COVID-19 KSA, where more than 550 Saudi entrepreneurs, of which two thirds were female, attended virtual panels, workshops and networking events to address challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. "With entrepreneurship on the rise in Saudi Arabia, and the unwavering community commitment to developing a strong startup ecosystem in the region, putting down roots in Riyadh is something we've been looking forward to," said Gagan Bhatia, Techstars General Manager. "We're excited to work with MCIT to drive innovation in the Kingdom, supporting entrepreneurs and helping them advance their ideas and businesses in the region. At Techstars, webelieve that great ideas can come from anywhere. We look forward to making entrepreneurship more accessible and bringing more opportunities to more entrepreneurs in MENA through this partnership."



The Riyadh Techstars Accelerator will begin accepting applications May 10, 2021, for a 13-week program that will take place from November 2021 through February 2022. A Techstars Managing Director will lead the accelerator with support from a Techstars program manager, along with leadership and mentors from MCIT. Participants in the three-month program will receive funding, hands-on mentorship from the Techstars and MCIT networks, access to curated workshops and resources, and access to the Techstars global network for life. "Technology and innovation-based entrepreneurship is a key enabler to driving the achievement of Vision 2030, our nation's blueprint for social transformation and economic diversification. We have a young population, 70% of whom are youth. These are our digital natives and we want to leverage their energy and curiosity to leapfrog with innovation," said Dr. Ahmed Altheneyan, Deputy Minister for Future Skills and Digital Entrepreneurship. "The ministry and Techstars will come together to scale the impact of their combined resources and capabilities to truly accelerate digital entrepreneurship, across the Kingdom, where we are already witnessing the growth of a vibrant venture capital investment community, rapid technology adoption, and how digital transformation is allowing companies to re-imagine themselves to become more competitive."

Startups interested in the accelerator are encouraged to learn more by visiting The Riyadh Techstars Accelerator page or by expressing interest here. Corporations interested in learning more about Techstars Accelerators and Techstars' dedication to corporate innovation can learn more at techstars.com/corporate-innovation-partnerships. About Techstars

The Techstars worldwide network helps entrepreneurs succeed. Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple ideas-entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Now we are on a mission to enable every person on the planet to contribute to, and benefit from the success of entrepreneurs. In addition to operating accelerator programs and venture capital funds, we do this by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to help build thriving startup communities. Techstars has invested in more than 2,400 companies with a combined market cap of more than $204B. www.techstars.com About MCIT

MCIT is responsible for building a robust and cutting-edge digital architecture so that digital transformation accelerates and thus supports the orientations of the Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to promote the information and communication technology sector's role in order to build a digital society, a digital government, a thriving digital economy, and an innovative future for the Kingdom. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006021/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Finally a bit of good news coming out of Meth Town this morning.

Read more about the aftermath of a deadly gunfight to the East . . .
The Queen has personally thanked community stalwarts for their work to 'enrich the life' of their neighbours in a letter honouring Maundy money recipients.

Every year on the day before Good Friday, Her Majesty presents elderly members of the Church of England with special 'Maundy' coins.

These specially minted pieces are almost always handed out to worshippers over 70, nominated by local dioceses for their contributions to the church and the community.

For the second year running, the monarch was forced to break with centuries of tradition by sending her Maundy money to the elderly by post after the annual Royal Maundy service was cancelled for the second year running due to coronavirus restrictions.

The Queen - pictured yesterday at the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial in Runnymede, Surrey, to mark the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force, her first official royal engagement in five months - has personally thanked community stalwarts for their work to 'enrich the life' of their neighbours in a letter honouring Maundy money recipients

Among those who received Maundy money was one of the country's oldest skiers, 101-year-old George Stewart, who has been a permanent fixture at his local Perthshire church in Scotland for almost 30 years, and was due to attend the cancelled service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday

In a letter to those she would have presented with symbolic coins, the Queen wrote: 'I am delighted to send you the Maundy gift which I hope you will accept as an expression of my personal thanks to you for all that you have done to enrich the life of your community.

'Each year, at the Royal Maundy Service, we have an opportunity to recognise, and give thanks for, work done by countless people for the wellbeing of their neighbours; work that has often been taken for granted or hidden.'

Among those who received Maundy money was one of the country's oldest skiers, 101-year-old George Stewart, who has been a permanent fixture at his local Perthshire church in Scotland for almost 30 years, and was due to attend the cancelled service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.

Mr Stewart, a widower and retired forester from the town of Scone, said: 'I'm very honoured to be given this money as part of a very venerable and ancient occasion. I think it's a great thing and I'm very honoured to receive the letter the Queen sent with it.'

Malcolm Cloutt, left, a veteran Second World War RAF pilot who served in Europe and Burma and turned 100 last year, is among this year's recipients of Maundy money, along with Neville Pogue from County Armagh, right

Retired pensioners who have supported the church and their local communities, are recommended by clergy of all denominations to receive Maundy money.

The 101-year-old, who has eight great grandchildren, added: 'I have a close association with my local church which is Scone and St Martins Parish Church, and it plays a notable part in the activities of the community.'

He joked: 'I'm 101 so there's a limited amount I can do but I support the church's activities as best I can.

'I learnt to ski after the war in Italy where I was stationed, and I've skied virtually every year since then, both in Scotland and the Alps.'

Also recognised was Sue Ward from Portsmouth, who is a church warden at the city's cathedral and supports a number of organisations including Christian Aid through fundraising and awareness raising events.

Also recognised was Sue Ward from Portsmouth, who is a church warden at the city's cathedral and supports a number of organisations including Christian Aid through fundraising and awareness raising events

Carole Braggins, left, from Llandaff, with her gift of Maundy money, along with Alistair Macfarlane, from Coventry, right

She said: 'I'm astonished and delighted to receive Maundy money from the Queen. I don't really feel as though I deserve it, but it is an honour and I'm very grateful.

'I've found being a churchwarden a joy, and a wonderful introduction to the whole of diocesan life, not just the local community. In a cathedral, you are very much a logistics person, making sure that everyone is being looked after.'

Malcolm Cloutt, from Princes Risborough, a former Second World War RAF pilot who served in Europe and Burma and turned 100 last year, has given out 1,000 Bibles during his lifetime, listing each recipient by name and praying for them regularly.

The retired accountant said: 'It's a great honour of course, but I didn't really think anything of my work.'

Sidney Adams, from Exeter, who was also a recipient of Maundy money from the Queen this year

Agnes Slocombe, who served as the first black Mayor of Barnet, described receiving the Maundy coins as 'wonderful'.

She has been an active member of St John's Church in West Hendon, London for many decades, since she first came to the UK from Barbados as a young woman.

'It's wonderful to receive such an honour from the Queen. Even though we are not able to have the service this year, it's appreciated as it shows we are still thought of,' she said.

During the service, the Queen would have distributed Maundy money to 95 men and 95 women - as she will be 95 this year, celebrating her birthday on April 21.

But the money was sent via Royal Mail instead, due to the Covid-19 lockdown and social distancing instructions, with recipients receiving two purses, one red and one white.

During the service, the Queen would have distributed Maundy money to 95 men and 95 women - as she will be 95 this year, celebrating her birthday on April 21. But the money was sent via Royal Mail instead, due to the Covid-19 lockdown and social distancing instructions, with recipients receiving two purses, one red and one white

Historically, this sum of 5.50 in the red purse is made up of 3 for clothing, 1.50 in lieu of provisions and 1 which represents a piece of the sovereign's gown which, before Tudor times, used to be divided between the recipients

The white purse is filled with uniquely minted Maundy money - silver one, two, three and four penny pieces - to the value of 95 pence.

In the red pouch is a 5 coin, this year commemorating the Queen's 95th birthday, and a 50p which portrays the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day in 1971.

Historically, this sum of 5.50 in the red purse is made up of 3 for clothing, 1.50 in lieu of provisions and 1 which represents a piece of the sovereign's gown which, before Tudor times, used to be divided between the recipients.

The Royal Maundy is an ancient ceremony which originated in the commandment Christ gave after washing the feet of his disciples the day before Good Friday.

Queen Elizabeth II with Princess Eugenie leaving St George's Chapel in Windsor after the annual Royal Maundy Service in 2019

Yesterday the Queen entertained service personnel as she quipped about Typhoon jets being 'sent off to chase the Russians'

The Queen is currently isolating at Windsor Castle with Prince Philip, but visited the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial in Runnymede, Surrey, in person yesterday to mark the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force - her first official royal engagement in five months.

She entertained service personnel as she quipped about Typhoon jets being 'sent off to chase the Russians'.

While she has been seen in video calls this year, it was the first time the Monarch has been seen in public since December, when she welcomed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge back to Windsor after their whistle-stop tour of Britain.
Anti-coup protesters run to avoid military forces during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, on Wednesday. AP-Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



Shinhan Bank decided Thursday to temporarily shut down its office in Myanmar's largest city of Yangon after one of its employees was left in a critical condition after being shot by the country's military.



The decision is based on the highest of the lender's three-level emergency response manual. All employees there have started working from home following the incident, and the lender is considering ordering Korean employees there to return home under the heightened crisis manual.



"We have decided to increase the alert level for the safety of our staff there," a Shinhan spokesman said. "Shinhan's Korean headquarters will support work for customers in Yangon."



The 33-year-old Burmese official hired by Shinhan's Yangon office was shot on Wednesday afternoon while in a corporate vehicle on her way home from work. The employee is known to be in critical condition.



Eleven Korean banks are operating Myanmar branches or offices as of the end of September, according to the Financial Supervisory Service. The growing social and political unrest in the Southeast Asian country leaves the Korean financial firms in a dilemma over whether to withdraw their businesses there.



Most of the lenders have upped their level of vigilance there following the Shinhan incident, and said they would tighten their monitoring of the turmoil for the sake of the safety of their employees.



Woori Bank's Myanmar branch, Woori Finance Myanmar, said it would keep a closer watch on the deepening conflict between the country's military coup and protesters. Woori employs more than 500 Myanmarese staff there.






Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 20:06:29|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on June 18, 2020 shows Honduran migrant Tania, with her son Erick in her arms, wandering around the border wall between Mexico and the United States in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (Photo by David Peinado/Xinhua)

Immigration over the U.S. southern border has long been a point of contention between Democrats and Republicans, as well as liberals and conservatives in the United States.



by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A large increase in migrants pouring over the U.S. southern border has sparked yet another political fight in Washington between Republicans and Democrats.

In February, over 100,000 migrants entered the country from the Mexican border, an increase of 28 percent from January, according to U.S. government figures.

Republicans are seizing the chance to pounce on U.S. President Joe Biden, labeling him soft on illegal immigration and naive about what the GOP says is a crisis of Biden's own creation.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a former candidate for president, has blasted the administration in recent days, and on Wednesday told "Fox and Friends" that he and other GOP lawmakers witnessed a "humanitarian disaster" on a recent trip to the border.

"Its capacity with COVID constraints is 250 people. There are over 4,000 people crammed into Donna. They are not six feet apart or three feet apart, they're not even six inches apart," Cruz said, describing a facility housing migrants in Donna, in the state of Texas.

"You had children side-by-side lying on the floor, no beds, cots, lying on the floor ... Ten percent of the population there is testing positive for COVID. Joe Biden caused this with political decisions made in the opening weeks of this administration," Cruz said, reflecting the criticisms of other GOP lawmakers.

Vice President Kamala Harris recently told CBS This Morning that the issue at the border is a "big problem" but fell short of calling it a full-on crisis, amid criticisms that she has not yet held a press conference on the problem.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that Republicans are "slamming Biden for opening the borders ... The GOP wants to make hay in terms of how the administration is handling border issues," but added that the United States is running ads in Central America asking people not to come.

"The border is a challenge for Biden because immigration is controversial within the United States. Republicans are taking pot shots at the president and liberal Democrats worry about young, unaccompanied children who are coming across the border. It likely will take awhile before the issue gets resolved," West said.

Photo taken on March 3, 2021 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Immigration over the U.S. southern border has long been a point of contention between Democrats and Republicans, as well as liberals and conservatives in the United States.

Conservatives take a law and order approach, and argue, among other things, that migrants illegally crossing into the United States push wages down in certain industries. Democrats also espouse a number of arguments, such as that migrants are needed to keep certain industries humming.

A press pool was allowed into the temporary facility center in Donna, after U.S. media have complained for weeks of a news blackout.

CNN's Pamela Brown recently blasted the Biden administration, saying "as the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border gets worse, the media is being kept from it."

Republican strategist and TV news personality Ford O'Connell told Xinhua that the media blackout is "appalling."

"There hasn't been a president since Clinton that didn't allow media in," he said, referring to former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who left office in 2001.

Jessica Bolter, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told Xinhua the rise in border crossings is caused by multiple factors, including the perception of the new administration's policies, violence, and natural disasters, among other factors.

Biden has made some changes to policies at the U.S.-Mexico border, such as permitting unaccompanied children and some families to ask for asylum, that smugglers are eager to promote and exaggerate to try to convince people to migrate, Bolter said.

But this is not the only reason that people are deciding to migrate. Conditions on the ground in the main countries of origin of these migrants have deteriorated over the past year, Bolter said.

Two hurricanes ruined people's crops and displaced them from their homes in Guatemala and Honduras in November 2020. And the economic effects of COVID-19 have included spiking unemployment and economic contraction in the region, Bolter said.

Additionally, there are long-standing push and pull factors that have not gone away. The push factors include violence and insecurity. The pull factors include the inefficiencies in the U.S. asylum system, Bolter said. 
Dr Maria Milosavljevic, chair of the ACS Cyber Security Committee, has moved into the role of Chief Information Security Officer at Services Australia.

Previously, Dr Milosavljevic was the inaugural Chief Data Officer of the organisation, a position she held for just over two years,

Im very excited to say that on Monday I will be assuming the role of CISO for Services Australia, Dr Milosavljevic wrote on LinkedIn.

I will once again combine my passions for security, intelligence, risk and data.

ACS President Dr Ian Oppermann congratulated Dr Milosavljevic on her appointment.

Being offered the role as Chief Information and Security Officer is a ringing endorsement of Marias experience and capability, as well as the significant work she has done as Chief Data Officer for the Department.

I am also proud to say that Maria has chaired the ACSs Technical Committee on Cyber Security since its inception in 2018, bringing her wealth of knowledge experience to the activities of the Committee.

In addition to her work at Services Australia, Dr Milosavljevic is an Honorary Professor in Artificial Intelligence at the Australian National University, the Chair of the Data Champions Executive in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and is a member of the AI Advisory Committee in the NSW Department of Customer Service.

Dr Milosavljevic established the Data and Analytics Division at Service Australia and now leaves it in the hands of Garrett McDonald.

Services Australia is responsible for delivering Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support services.
TWO more bodies have been found at the site of a horrific bus accident on Tuesday evening, which involved a Machame Investment Bus that was en-route to Arusha from Dodoma.

It brings to eight the number of people who died in the accident that occurred at Kiongozi area in Babati District, Manyara Region.

Six people died on the spot, including four males and two females, where two more bodies were discovered later in the evening at the wreck as the remains of the bus were being moved, which brought the number to eight, including the bus driver.

Manyara Regional Police Commander (RPC) Paul Kasabago confirmed the accident, adding that the remains of the deceased were preserved at Babati District Hospital in the region.

"Heavy rains pounded the area, and we suspect the accident was caused by slipperiness of the road which caused the bus to lose control and overturn into a trench," RPC Kasabago pointed out.

The Acting Chief Physician of the hospital, Dr Aretus Laurent confirmed that they received the two bodies later that evening.

He further revealed that the number of casualties received at the hospital reached 53, including 34 men and 19 are women, adding that four of the injured were referred to another hospital.

Manyara Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Joseph Mkirikiti said that the bus was carrying students from various universities which were closed recently for Easter holidays and were heading home.

"Investigations are still in progress as we are trying to find out which universities the students are from," asserted RC Mkirikiti as he sympathized with the families of the deceased.
Hop Shoots, a vegetable grown by a farmer in Bihar is cooking up a storm after an IAS officer tweeted a collage of two photos and wrote: ''One kilogram of this vegetable costs a little less than  1 lakh! World's costliest vegetable, 'hop-shoots' is being cultivated by Amresh Singh an enterprising farmer from Bihar, the first one in India. Can be a game changer for Indian farmers.''

ANI

How did he start?

The 38-year-old farmer who hails from the Karamdih village, has been growing the world's costliest crop in his farmland in Bihar's Aurangabad, after having invested Rs 2.5 lakhs in the production process, according to a New Indian Express report. The crop is called hop-shoots, a plant that is available in the international vegetable market and sells for a whopping Rs 85,000 a kilogram.



"I am happy to say that more than 60 percent of its cultivation has happened successfully," Singh was quoted as saying by New Indian Express.



Soon after the 'hop shoots' started a buzz on social media with many people tweeting about the green conical vegetable.

One kilogram of this vegetable costs about Rs 1 lakh ! World's costliest vegetable,'hop-shoots' is being cultivated by Amresh Singh an enterprising farmer from Bihar, the first one in India. Can be a game changer for Indian farmers https://t.co/7pKEYLn2Wa @PMOIndia #hopshoots pic.twitter.com/4FCvVCdG1m  Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) March 31, 2021

Hop flowers are used in making beer and are cheap, hop shoots are not used to make beer, they are cooked and eaten as regular food. Hop shoots are left over after harvesting the plant for hop flowers.  Buddha (@amasaesle) March 31, 2021

Used in antibiotics especially in medicines for TB  Prateek som (@Prateeksom2) March 31, 2021





What are hop shoots?

The hop - called humulus lupulus - is a perennial plant. A native of North America and Europe, hop shoots were believed to be a weed until its properties were known. According to the website agrifarming.in, hop shoots have ''antibacterial effects'' and are used for ''bittering'', ''flavouring'' and as ''stability agent in beer''. Amresh Singh is not the first to start hop-shoots cultivation on 5 kathas of his land. As of now, it is only being done on a trial basis.

ANI

Why is it so expensive?

The crop is mostly seen in international markets and is only seen in Indian markets when someone places a special order. The vegetable reportedly sold for 1000 (Rs 1.01 lakh) pounds a kg even six years ago in international markets. According to various reports, hop-shoots are helpful in creating antibodies that help fight diseases like TB. Its acids are known to help kill cancer cells and block leukemia cells. But Singh isn't the first person to cultivate the crop in India. It was once grown in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul but didn't take off due to lack of marketing.
SEOUL, South Korea, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CyberLogitec today announced Mr. Young Kyu Song's appointment as CEO of CyberLogitec. An industry veteran, Mr. Song brings many years of global leadership experience within the maritime, port, and logistics industry. The official announcement has been made at the Annual Shareholders AGM on 30 March 2021, and he assumes the role with immediate effect.

Founded in 2000 as an offshoot from Hanjin Shipping, CyberLogitec has steadily built its independent reputation and brand but still looks to its roots for inspiration. Mr. Song joined Hanjin Shipping in 1988 and has since held multiple senior management positions within the Hanjin Group in Korea, Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany during his 28-year tenor with the company prior to joining EUSU Holdings in 2015. Since 2016, Mr. Song has held the position of CEO at EUSU Holdings, CyberLogitec's parent company, and EUSU Logistics, an International Logistics provider, and will continue to hold these positions into the future.

On his new appointment, Mr. Song shares,' I am deeply humbled by this appointment and am excited to working more closely with our great colleagues in CyberLogitec. As CEO of both CyberLogitec and EUSU Holdings, I look forward to developing synergies across the Group's various business units to enhance our innovations and create a more agile environment for our Group to grow. As for many businesses, 2020 was an exceptional year for CyberLogitec, but as we enter 2021, I am confident that our company is transforming for the better and we will be better equipped in providing our customers with industry leading and future proof solutions.'

Mr. Song's priority for CyberLogitec is to extract learnings and synergies from the wider Group and apply those to CyberLogitec. This will mean furthering the Group's advanced technologies and embracing the company's pursuit of new technologies such as AI, Blockchain, Machine Leaning and digitalization. The culmination of Mr. Song's strong leadership and business acumen, along with his track record of technical expertise, will enhance CyberLogitec's momentum and reputation as the preferred partner in enabling digital transformation for the industry at large.

For more information, visit www.cyberlogitec.com

Media contact:Benjamin Hadfield, Head of Marketing, CyberLogitec Global

Contact email:benjamin.hadfield@cyberlogitec.com

About CyberLogitec

CyberLogitec empowers the world's supply chain with advanced technologies that solve operational challenges and meet our industry's exacting demands. Our integrated solutions help your business respond swiftly to changing operational needs from maritime shipping operations, port and terminal operating systems to logistics forwarding and warehouse management. Our technology's advanced algorithms digitize and automate data exchanges to improve efficiency, competitiveness, productivity, and service, no matter which part of the global supply you operate within.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479283/Mr_Song.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1396233/CyberLogitec_Logo_Logo.jpg
UPDATE: How did Pa. State Police finally ID Beth Doe and what led them to her long-ago boyfriend?

Investigators say they have solved a 44-year-old cold case homicide in Pennsylvanias Pocono Mountains, and charged a New York City man in the death.

Female remains discovered in 1976 along the Lehigh River have been identified 44 years later as those of 15-year-old Evelyn Colon, of Jersey City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania State Police announced Wednesday.

Police said they have charged 63-year-old Luis Sierra, of Ozone Park in Queens, with homicide in Evelyns death.

Sierra is in custody and awaiting extradition to Carbon County, police said.

State police were called Dec. 20, 1976, to investigate human remains found on the riverbank in East Side Borough, Carbon County. The investigation revealed two separate human remains, one being female and the other being a nearly full-term fetus, according to police.

The remains were found in three suitcases beneath an Interstate 80 overpass.

Evelyns death has long been ruled a homicide, and investigators for years have been asking for the publics help in identifying the remains.

Until the remains were identified 44 years later, the female victim was referred to as Beth Doe.

Numerous interviews and investigational processes were conducted following her identification which led to the development of a suspect, state police said in a news release on the case labeled Criminal Homicide -- N03-27244.

State police, in consultation with the Carbon County District Attorneys Office, said additional information would be released in the near future.

District Attorney Michael S. Greek declined additional comment Wednesday.

The district court in Weatherly, Pennsylvania, where the charges against Sierra are filed, said no further information would be released until the arrest warrant is served.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
Myanmars ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and detained President Win Myint appeared in good health, but it was unclear if they were aware of the current situation in the country, their lawyer Min Min Soe told reporters on April 1. Soe, who represents both the deposed leaders, said that she was not able to inform Suu Kyi and Win Myint about what was happening outside. She also informed that she is not allowed to meet the ousted leaders in person.

However, Soe told reporters that Suu Kyi and Win Myints hearing was adjourned until April 12. Suu Kyi, who has been under detention since the February 1 coup, had a brief meeting with a member of her legal team on March 31, ahead of a court hearing on Thursday. After the meeting, Suu Kyis lawyer informed that the 75-year-old Nobel laureate looked in good health during the video conference.

Suu Kyi and her political aides were arrested on February 1 after the military overthrew the democratically elected government in the country. The ousted State Counsellor has not appeared in the public ever since and concerns around her health had started to surface. On Wednesday, the military, however, allowed Suu Kyis lawyer to meet her on a video call in the presence of police, while she was constantly being monitored by a guard. Suu Kyi is facing charges of corruption over allegations that she took bribes while in office.

Aftermath of Myanmar coup

Meanwhile, after February 1 coup, tens of thousands of people have been protesting against the military, demanding the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. Security forces have failed to bring the widespread demonstrations under control and the junta has ordered the use of force against peaceful protesters, killing more than five hundred people since February and arresting thousands of others. The killings of civilians have drawn international condemnation, with multiple diplomatic missions to Myanmar releasing statements and calling out the army in Burma to follow international standards of military professionalism.

Myanmar activists, on the other hand, have launched a garbage strike to oppose the military coup. According to CNN, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group (AAPP) said that amidst crackdowns in Kyauk Myaung, Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, people banged pots and pans in protest. At that time, the junta forces told people they will arson neighbourhoods if people continue, AAPP said. Additionally, the reported influx of people fleeing into neighbouring Thailand also marks a new phase in the deepening crisis for Myanmar.

(Image: AP)
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - Not too long ago, Mississippi State University (MSU) announced it was offering free vaccines to all employees. Now, the university extended its offer to its students as well.

MSU emergency manager Brent Crocker said the university currently has 1,170 Pfizer vaccines and 300 Johnson and Johnson shots available for students and employees.

We understand that students sometimes feel like if they do get it, theyre not going to be very sick," he said. "But we need them to also understand that they could pass it on to someone else.

No one understands that concept better than State junior, Olivia Snell.

With a 96-year-old great-grandmother, she decided to get the vaccine to regain the ability to visit her without worrying about getting her sick.

Snell is awaiting her second dose appointment. She feels that it could only help her fellow classmates to receive the vaccine too.

A normal college life is really important," she explained. "A lot of us arent getting a lot out of online classes and I know like for sporting events, we all want to get back in there and cheer on the Bulldogs. So, I think if everyone really just did their part to get back to normal, it would make a big difference.

The university will begin offering the vaccine on Thursday at the Humphrey Coliseum starting at 9 A.M. and go until noon.

Crocker believes by giving students easy access to the vaccine, it will bring great advancements to the university as a whole.

We are a community. Were a very close community," said Crocker. "We come in contact with each other regularly, even when we try to distance. So, we want the entire community to do their best to prevent further spread of COVID-19 and the vaccine is one of those great steps.

The emergency manager said the university will continue to give vaccines out for as long as possible, however, the university is on a tight deadline as students leave for summer vacation next month.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 12:34:15|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The UN Support Mission in Libya on Wednesday welcomed the release of more than 100 prisoners who were fighting for the eastern-based army during the war in and around the capital Tripoli.

The prisoners were detained in the city of Zawiya, located some 45 km west of Tripoli, by forces allied with the former UN-backed government of national accord.

The UN mission said it "welcomes the efforts undertaken by Government of National Unity on national reconciliation, launched today with the release of 107 detainees by the city of Zawiya."

It called for the release of all detainees before the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, which will begin in about two weeks.

President of the Libyan Presidency Council Mohammad Menfi also welcomed the release of the prisoners, calling for "consolidating the values of forgiveness and tolerance and prioritizing the national interest of Libya."

The eastern-based army had launched a military offensive against the former UN-backed government, which lasted for more than a year and ended in June 2020 with the withdrawal of the eastern-based army. Enditem
Patna, April 1 : After six persons died in Bihar's Nawada district on Wednesday due to the consumption of spurious liquor, three more persons lost their lives on Thursday owing to the same reason.

Three more died in Bihar<sng-qts>s Nawada district.

Patna, April 1 (IANS) After six persons died in Bihar's Nawada district on Wednesday due to the consumption of spurious liquor, three more persons lost their lives on Thursday owing to the same reason.

Six persons were killed in Nawada while two died in Begusarai on Wednesday after reportedly consuming spurious liquor on the day of Holi on Monday.

The three persons who died in Nawada on Thursday have been identified as Dharmendra Yadav, Bhushon Rajvanshi and Shiv Shankar Yadav. Dharmendra was admitted to the Nawada Sadar hospital where the doctors have reportedly cited alcoholic substance as the cause of his death.

Rahul Yadav, a relative of Shiv Shankar Yadav, said that the latter had consumed liquor on Holi. "He started vomitting on Tuesday following which we admitted him to a private hospital where he breathed his last on Thursday morning," Rahul said.

Sources, however, said that a total of 14 persons lost their lives in Nawada and Begusarai districts in the last two days, while three persons lost their eyesight due to the consumption of spurious liquor.

The administrative officials in both the districts though are ruling out poisonous liquor as the cause of the deaths.

BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha member R.K. Sinha said: "Liquor is banned in Bihar and laws pertaining to this are strictly implemented. Due to this, liquor mafias are making hooch in Bihar which the people of the state are consuming, leading to loss of lives. I appeal to the people to avoid coming in contact with liquor mafias. Life is precious." Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav tweeted tagging Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, "Over 14 persons died after consuming poisonous liquor and some others lost their eyesights, do you (Nitish Kumar) still believe liquor is banned in Bihar? Would you express condolence to the victims's family members or you are just working on the line of saving alleged top officials responsible for their murders? Reply expected from you." --IANS

ajk/arm

</sng-qts>
Press Release

April 1, 2021 Dispatch from Crame No. 1,051:

Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Herbert Colangco's video rant The video rant of convicted murderer Herbert Colangco of RCBC Massacre infamy, now being disseminated by DDS social media sites, is his way of telling Duterte not to kill him yet because he still has a purpose to serve. It is not surprising that Colangco made the video rant right after the death of convicted Calauan Mayor Sanchez (and earlier, Raymond Dominguez and an aide of Jaybee Sebastian) inside Bilibid, again under mysterious circumstances just like Sebastian and a dozen other high-profile Bilibid convicts. The talk among Bilibid inmates, as revealed by another Bilibid witness, Noel Martinez, in his testimony, is that some were the victims of "nacovid-covid", or the Bilibid term for being killed under the pretext of getting infected with the Corona virus and immediately cremated to dispose of any evidence of the actual cause of death. Indeed, an incinerated cadaver will no longer leave traces of cyanide, or any other evidence of foul play. All of this is not to mention how Colangco seems to be living in better quarters since he lied in his testimony against me before the House Justice Committee in 2016, probably more luxurious than his Bilibid kubol I ordered to be dismantled during the Bilibid raid of December 2014. What is more evident is his cavalier demonstration of the perks he is enjoying now as a DOJ witness, including cellphones and apparently, access to the internet. These privileges are given to the killer of RCBC employees in exchange for his perjured testimony against me. What is most appalling is that Duterte is still more interested in this diabolical scheme against me rather than in solving the COVID crisis as we now approach another prolonged lockdown that will definitely and finally destroy what is left of our businesses and our economy. The mismanagement and incompetence is almost incomprehensible, definitely inexcusable, criminal, and a national scandal of epic proportions. Yet what is Duterte doing? Groping his household help with his lechon-oily hands on his birthday, a most cursed day in our history as a proud nation. Only a real pig can exhibit such sociopathy while a nation he supposedly leads suffers and continues down the path to destruction. EJKs, Red-tagging, COVID crisis mismanagement and incompetence, Economic Lockdown, Unemployment, Corruption. How many ways will it take the Duterte government to kill Filipinos before we realize it is too late? My own travails under Duterte are just a small matter compared to what the whole country is undergoing just because Duterte will not accept that he is no longer able to manage the COVID crisis. Yet, Colangco's scripted rants and my trial are now also being used as just another sideshow to distract Filipinos from the doom that awaits them, as Duterte continues to bungle the COVID crisis and destroy our economy. Tama na. Sobra sobra na ang Kalbaryong dinaanan at krus na pinasan natin sa ilalim ni Duterte. Isalba na po natin ang ating sarili at ang ating mga mahal sa buhay. Panahon nang paalisin ang buang at inutil na Pangulo sa Malacanang. (Access the handwritten copy of Dispatch from Crame No. 1051 here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatchno1051)
New Delhi, April 1 : The base effect pushed India's merchandise exports to its highest-ever monthly year-on-year growth rate of 58.23 per cent to reach $34 billion in March 2021, preliminary data showed on Thursday.

The country's merchandise exports during the month under review increased to $34 billion as compared to $21.49 billion in March 2020.

"In March 2021, the value of non-petroleum exports was USD30.79 billion as compared to USD18.97 billion in March 2020, registering a positive growth of 62.3 per cent," a Ministry of Commerce and Industry statement said on the basis of preliminary data.

"The value of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports in March 2021 was USD 27.25 billion, as compared to USD 16.95 billion in March 2020, registering a positive growth of 60.72 per cent." Similarly, India's imports increased, rising by 52.89 per cent to $48.12 billion as compared to $31.47 billion reported for March 2020.

"In March 2021, Oil imports were USD10.17 billion, as compared to USD10.05 billion in March 2020, a growth of 1.22 per cent." "Non-oil imports in March 2021 are estimated at USD37.95 billion, as compared to USD21.42 billion in March 2020, showing an increase of 77.12 per cent."
Space Force just welcomed its first female Native American intelligence officer.

Capt. Haida StarEagle, a 17-year-veteran of the Air Force, transferred into the fledgling service earlier this month, according to a news release. She hails from the 36th Intelligence Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, where she served as a flight commander of training. She will remain with the 36th until her new duty title and station are approved, the release states.

"Her commitment to her airmen is at a level I've never seen before," Master Sgt. Ryan Ritchey, the 36th's chief of training, said in the release. "While we are losing an amazing Captain, the Space Force is gaining one and we're just so proud of her."

Read Next: Army Awards $50 Million Contract for New Special Operations Sniper Rifle

StarEagle is from the Matinecock Tribe, an Algonquian people who call the north shore of Long Island, New York, home.

Her father, Chief Samuel Little Fox, the shaman of all 13 Long Island tribes, pinned the new occupational badge on StarEagle during her March 12 Space Force induction ceremony at Langley-Eustis.

"When I was born, during my naming ceremony, the shaman came back from his vision quest and told my father that I was destined for the stars," StarEagle, a Brooklyn native, said in the release. "My entire life has been focused toward the stars, and joining the Space Force puts me one step closer to following that dream."

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Smith presents a certificate of promotion to Capt. Haida StarEagle during her induction to the United States Space Force at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, March 12, 2021 (U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Chandler Baker)

The 36th is part of the 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group at the base. The group oversees kinetic and non-kinetic precision targeting; "weaponeering, collateral damage, and battle damage assessment training, tools and tactics;" and special operations ISR, according to an Air Combat Command factsheet. ACC is headquartered at Langley-Eustis.

The base wing public affairs office didn't immediately provide details into StarEagle's prior service when asked for comment.

"Captain StarEagle has the impressive combination of capability, superior intellect, drive and passion for serving," Lt. Col. Michael Hollingsworth, joint collection training division lead at U.S. Special Operations Command, added in the release. "Some people just have that 'it' factor, and I can tell you that the Space Force is gaining an absolutely phenomenal leader."

The Space Force said last fall that 2,400 members in "organic" space careers -- such as space operations and space systems operations -- were slated for transfer from the Air Force. StarEagle was chosen in December to change branches -- one of 3,600 additional members selected for transfer in common specialties, or jobs that fit both the Air Force and Space Force, including those in intelligence, cyber, acquisition and engineering.

The Space Force hopes to nearly triple in size by the end of 2021 to 6,400 members, top officials have said.

StarEagle said she's been motivated to represent the Matinecock tribe because the New York National Congressional Library keeps a record of its members.

"My father told me when I was younger that I must find my own way and figure out how to leave a legacy for our tribe," she said. "Joining the Space Force and continuing to serve is the best way to leave my mark within my tribe, create a legacy for my people, and make my father proud."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.

Related: These Are the Official Space Force Ranks
Exclusive Partnership Supports BT's Drive for Service Leadership Across the U.K.

LONDON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Enjoy Technology Inc. ("Enjoy"), a technology-powered platform reinventing "Commerce at Home," announced today that BT Group, the company's exclusive U.K. partner through the BT and EE brands, has extended their partnership through 2025. BT has also made an investment in Enjoy, strengthening the partnership and demonstrating BT's continued commitment to providing the most personal and local service in the industry.

Enjoy is a technology company that is reinventing "Commerce at Home" by partnering with the world's premium consumer brands to provide a personalised, high-touch retail experience in the comfort of home. Co-founded by Apple retail strategist, Ron Johnson, Enjoy has pioneered a new retail experience that brings EE's in-store experience and trusted support through Enjoy's full-time, trained Experts directly to a customer's home.

Enjoy's partnership with BT Group began in 2018 and today covers nearly 80% of the U.K. population. Enjoy employs more than 600 people in the U.K. with facilities in more than 20 cities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

"Our work with BT Group has been instrumental in bringing Enjoy's 'Commerce at Home' experience through the door and into the homes of more customers across the U.K.," said Ron Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder of Enjoy. "BT continues to be an amazing partner and together we reach nearly 80% of the U.K. population. We are pleased to extend our exclusive partnership as we provide a world-class experience for customers and their new BT and EE products and services."

Marc Allera, CEO, BT's Consumer division, said, "The value of our partnership with Enjoy is clearer than ever. Over the past year, we've been able to continue to offer the most personal and local service in the U.K. despite the closure of our stores during lockdown. We're showing our commitment to providing the best multi-channel service in the industry by extending our partnership for a further four years and investing to be a part of this mobile retail technology offer."

BT has created the best and widest customer service network in the U.K., with expert teams providing support in local contact centres, on the high street in over more than 600 stores across the U.K., and in customers' homes through its partnership with Enjoy. BT customers can also get expert, easy to access help 24/7 through the My BT App.

To learn more about Enjoy visit www.enjoy.com and to learn more about BT visit www.bt.com .

About Enjoy:

Enjoy is a technology-powered platform reinventing "Commerce at Home" by providing a personalised, high-touch retail experience in the comfort of home. Enjoy partners with some of the world's premium consumer brands to deliver the products their customers love, when and where they want them. Co-founded by Apple retail strategist, Ron Johnson, Enjoy has pioneered a new retail experience that can do everything a traditional retail experience offers through its Mobile Store. Enjoy has served millions of customers, changing how they have experienced purchasing new products and currently operates in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA Enjoy has raised more than $350 million, and has become the leader in the re-emergence of "Commerce at Home." To learn more about Enjoy, please visit: www.enjoy.com.

About BT Group:

BT Group is the UK's leading telecommunications and network provider and a leading provider of global communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities in the UK include the provision of fixed voice, mobile, broadband and TV (including Sport) and a range of products and services over converged fixed and mobile networks to consumer, business and public sector customers. For its global customers, BT provides managed services, security and network and IT infrastructure services to support their operations all over the world. BT consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer, Enterprise, Global and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Openreach, which provides access network services to over 650 communications provider customers who sell phone, broadband and Ethernet services to homes and businesses across the UK. For the year ended 31 March 2020, BT Group's reported revenue was 22,905m with reported profit before taxation of 2,353m. British Telecommunications plc is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.bt.com/about .

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Ecochlor  new US VIDA regulation for discharges

The US is planning a new set of regulations for discharges from tankers (and other vessels), including from ballast water and scrubber wash water, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act. Steve Candito, CEO of Ecochlor, explained the implications.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a new set of regulations covering discharge of ballast water and scrubber wash water (among a list of 20 different types of discharge), under the new Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA). Online comments are accepted up to November 25. One interesting change relevant to tankers is that currently, companies operating US flagged crude oil tankers going from one US port to another, such as Alaska to a West Coast refinery, are exempted from the need to have ballast water systems. This exemption will be removed, so systems will need to be installed. The regulations will also describe more specifically what can go overboard  how clean the water needs to be before it can be discharged, and operational requirements such as how often different systems should be inspected. Tanker operators will probably pay most attention to the rules about discharge from ballast tanks, but the rules also cover discharge from bilges, boilers, cathodic protection, chain lockers, decks, desalination and purification systems, elevator pits, exhaust gas cleaning (scrubbers), fire protection equipment, gas turbines, grey water systems, hulls and niche areas, inert gas systems, motor gasoline and compensation systems, non-oily machinery, pools and spas, refrigeration and air conditioning, seawater piping, and sonar domes.

Dead or non-viable VIDA resolves a longstanding issue with a differentiation between US ballast water regulations, which currently say organisms have to be dead, and IMO regulations, which say they need to be non-viable, or unable to reproduce. With VIDA, the US will align with the IMO D2 Discharge regulations, but the non-viable standard is still an open issue. There is some controversy, with the US Coast Guard saying that there is no acceptable testing procedure for non-viable, while there is an approved testing procedure for dead. For example, a system where organisms which are alive will drink a dye which will then show up in their bodies. The Coast Guard has said they are not going to use the non-viable standard unless they see a testing protocol they are comfortable with, Mr Candito says. But, theres all kinds of test standards out there, a lot of information that various parties have provided to the USCG to [demonstrate] how these non-viable testing protocols can work. Water exchange Another requirement in the new rules (but not the old ones), is that for vessels going to the North American Great Lakes, ballast water must be both exchanged mid ocean, and treated before it is discharged. This is confusing, with people reasonably asking why they need to exchange water if they are also going to treat it. Ballast water exchange regulations were developed as an interim measure before type approved ballast water management systems (BWMS) were available. The idea was that by exchanging ballast water from the port it was loaded, with ballast water mid ocean, you would be less likely to transport invasive species to the discharge port. There have been safety concerns, with the ships stability being affected during the time ballast water is being exchanged. Exchange was viewed as a temporary measure until we had systems onboard, he says. Mr Candito believes that the regulation could be the result of a compromise between EPA and environmental groups, who had been pushing for more stringent standards than the international (IMO) standard. The shipping industry will welcome the fact that VIDA and IMO standards are aligned. The Great Lakes are a very sensitive environmental area, with fresh water. When you introduce organisms from outside it is really a problem, Mr. Candito says. But tanker operators may wish to consider sharing their views on this regulation with EPA, to say that there would be no additional benefit to ballast water exchange if ballast water is treated properly. And they can say there could be safety implications from doing the exchange. (Note, this needs to be done before Nov 25). Another special regulation applies to vessels discharging ballast in the US West Coast  California, Oregon and Washington. If the ballast water has been loaded in a freshwater lake, or sea with low salt content (the cut off is 0.018 salt concentration), the water must be exchanged mid ocean. Another clause says that this ballast water exchange is not required if vessels have a system which can treat water to 100 times the current standard. But there are no systems available today approved to achieve this standard. IMO testing changes Meanwhile at the IMO, there are moves toward requirements for full testing upon installation of a system, Mr. Candito says. Currently, shipowners do not need to test the specific system upon installation on their ship, they can rely on the fact that the system itself has been through a type approved test. When the system went through its type approved testing, you had some experts operating the system, the independent labs people, he says. Once you installed the system, you have the vessels crew operating the system during the testing. The system may work if properly operated, but the system may not work if not properly operated by the crew. Sometimes BWMS are being tested, failing the test, and the shipowner is blaming the system, rather than understanding that the people operating it may not be familiar with the system and properly trained on it.

Complexity Mr. Candito is fairly unique in having a background both at sea (serving as a marine engineer onboard Exxon USAs tanker fleet) and in law (working as a maritime attorney with Haight Garner Poor & Havens), before spending 20 years at an environmental services firm. He recognizes that the legal burden on tanker operators is becoming very cumbersome. How is a shipowner supposed to understand all these ballast water details? They [also] have to worry about scrubber discharge, grey water discharges, black water discharges, they really need to be experts on everything, it is really difficult. Im an expert on ballast water, but not necessarily all of the requirements under VIDA. Being a lawyer helps me decipher some of these things.




Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 19:43:13|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Namibia on Thursday welcomed the move by African Union to seal a vaccine supply agreement with Johnson & Johnson which will be manufactured in South Africa and distributed to all 54 member countries.

Namibian Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula described the AU vaccine initiative as coming at the nick of time.

"We are very thankful and welcoming to the AU vaccine initiative that will see the manufacturing and supply of 400 million doses to all countries in the continent. This will greatly assist our push to achieve head immunity," he said.

He said the AU vaccine initiative will supplement the donations from China and India to Namibia as well the country's expected delivery of the vaccine form the COVAX facility.

"We are eagerly awaiting on the arrival of these vaccines and efforts are being made to have these in the country so we vaccinate between 60 to 80 percent of the population to achieve herd immunity," Shangula said.

The Namibian minister said AU, China, India and the World Health Organization have proven that coordination is the best way of dealing with the pandemic.

He also condemned vaccine nationalism. Enditem
Dutch opposition parties presented a no-confidence motion in caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday and accused him of lying in public about what he had privately discussed during talks to form a Cabinet, presenting the biggest challenge to his leadership in a decade.

Rutte was the clear winner of March 17 parliamentary elections that were seen as a referendum on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Losing a vote of confidence would force Rutte to tender his resignation to King Willem-Alexander, constitutional law professor Joop van den Berg told the Financieele Dagblad newspaper.

It would also throw negotiations on forming a coalition into disarray.

It was not clear whether centrist parties in Rutte's previous coalition, which are likely to participate in any new coalition, would support him. A debate over the situation appeared likely to last into the early hours of Friday.

The crisis arose on Thursday after Rutte acknowledged having privately discussed what job should go to a prominent member of parliament who had been critical of his previous Cabinet. Rutte had previously said he did not do so.

"The only thing I can do here is say from the bottom of my heart, my toes, say what happened, what went well, what went wrong, that I never lied," Rutte said in parliament on Thursday.

Rutte, a 54-year-old conservative who has been in office for more than 10 years, pointed to his record and said he hoped to continue leading the country.

Talks on forming a new government were abruptly put on hold on March 25 when one of the chief negotiators unwittingly revealed a sensitive document to a news photographer as she rushed out of parliament after learning that she had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The document showed that negotiators were discussing a position "elsewhere" for popular MP Pieter Omtzigt, a prominent critic of Rutte's previous Cabinet, though Omtzigt's Christian Democrats were part of the ruling coalition. The cryptic remark has been interpreted as implying outside parliament or outside the Netherlands.

Rutte told reporters on March 25 he had not been the one to mention Omtzigt's position.

'LIED TO THE WHOLE COUNTRY'

In Parliament on Thursday, Rutte told sceptical lawmakers that he had forgotten mentioning a Cabinet post for Omtzigt in a private conversation. He said he had not hinted at a position "elsewhere" during talks about the Cabinet, which he said meant he had technically not said anything untrue.

Opposition lawmaker Geert Wilders, who filed the no-confidence motion, said Rutte had "lied to the whole country". "Seek a job elsewhere yourself," Wilders said. "We cannot go further with this PM."

Omtzigt, who was sworn in as a member of parliament on Wednesday, said the implication he should be removed was "an affront to the Dutch voter".

He demanded full transparency about how his name had come to be on the document.

Rutte's conservative VVD party convincingly won last month's national elections, even though his government resigned in January over a scandal in which thousands of families where wrongfully accused of child care benefit fraud for years, often on the basis of ethnicity.

Omtzigt had persistently asked questions about the matter until it became fully public.

In his defence on Thursday Rutte appealed to his track record.

"I led the country through an economic crisis, an immigration crisis, and through a very serious health crisis, a pandemic, and I am very much looking forward to working on the recovery of this country," he said.

The Omtzigt affair was not the first time that Rutte has blamed a poor memory for making false statements in public.

Saying he did not have "an active memory" of crucial details, he survived a string of heated debates in recent years, on issues ranging from Iraqi civilians killed in Dutch bombardments to a corporate lobby to scrap a dividend tax.
A shocking video has emerged which appears to show former Inter Milan star Fredy Guarin covered in blood and being arrested following a domestic disturbance at his parents' home in Colombia.

The 34-year-old was allegedly confronted by police after he was accused of assaulting his own father and other family members on Thursday, according to Colombian newspaper El Pais.

A video released by BluRadio Colombia appears to show Guarin being dragged away from his parents' garage by police, while his clothes are covered in blood.

Ex-Inter Milan midfielder Fredy Guarin (left) has allegedly been arrested in Colombia after being accused of assaulting his parents at their home in Medellin

The video appears to show Guarin being removed from his parents' home by police

It is not yet clear if the blood is his own or is someone else's.

The shocking clip appears to show Guarin yelling at a policeman while his red shirt looks to have been ripped during the alleged incident.

A second video emerged shortly after on YouTube of what appears to be Guarin again being confronted and restrained by police to a gurney outside of a Medellin hospital, while reports claim the midfielder aggressively demands not to be filmed.

According to Colombian news outlet Semana, police confirmed that Guarin had been arrested and was 'under influence of substances' after the authorities received a call for domestic violence.

The shocking clip initially show Guarin being forcibly removed by Colombian authorities

'He physically attacked his parents, who asked for him be taken away by the police,' general Jorge Vargas is reported as saying.

The alleged incident comes days after Guarin asked his team Millonarios for some time off due to 'personal issues', according to Marca.

Colombian journalist Guillermo Arango has reported that Millonarios will stand by the player and provide him with any help he needs.

Guarin joined Inter Milan in 2012 after stints at Porto, Saint-Etienne and Boca Juniors in the years prior.

A second video appears to show Guarin being restrained by police outside a Medellin hospital

Guarin joined Inter in 2012 and would make 141 appearances in his four years at the San Siro

The midfielder would go on to make 141 appearances in his four years at the San Siro before being sold to Shanghai Shenhua in 2016.

He would spend three years in China before returning to South America to sign for Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama two years ago.

However, his stint in Brazil ended after just a year which saw him return to his home country of Colombia to sign for Millonarios in January.
ANTHROPOLOGY

THE HANDSHAKE

by Ella Al-Shamahi (Profile 10.99, 176pp)

David Attenborough once found himself in a potentially hairy situation in New Guinea when a remote tribe charged at him with spears. Ever the gentleman, Attenborough calmly extended his hand and said, Good afternoon. The tribe members pumped his hand up and down.

Granted, this was in 1957 but even so, says paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi, the author of this entertaining biography of the handshake, the tribe showed more social skill than some of her neighbours in North London.

Remember when we too used to shake hands? Thanks to Covid-19 it seems an almost alien concept and some, including Anthony Fauci, medical adviser to the U.S. president, have argued that it should become a thing of the past.

So, are we witnessing the death of the handshake? No, says Al-Shamahi, who argues that shaking hands is not a learned cultural behaviour but part of our DNA. She comes to this conclusion by examining our closest living relative: the chimp. Just like humans, chimps shake hands, or more specifically fingers, in a range of scenarios, including after a fight to say, Lets make up.

Thanks to Covid-19 shaking someone's hand seems an almost alien concept but Ella Al-Shamahi says that we are not seeing the death of the handshake (file photo)

If both chimps and humans use the handshake, Al-Shamahi reasons, its likely the gesture began before the species diverged, a whopping seven million years ago. Why, then, are there some places, such as Japan and Thailand  where handshakes arent an integral part of the culture?

She attributes this to ancient epidemic events where touch became taboo and stayed that way. But this in turn begs the question: why wont the same thing happen after Covid-19?

Unlikely, says Al-Shamahi  unless we experience a century of pandemics, which she thankfully sees little evidence for.

After all, the handshake has survived epidemics before: in 1918, due to the spread of Spanish Flu, it became illegal in Prescott, Arizona, to shake hands but, when the outbreak was over, people quickly resumed.

Only the immediate fear of death or serious illness is enough to suppress our need to shake hands, she concludes.

If both chimps and humans use the handshake, Al-Shamahi reasons, its likely the gesture began before the species diverged, a whopping seven million years ago

The handshakes strength lies in its versatility. Its appropriate for everything from social events to sport to politics. Former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt holds the Guinness World Record for the most handshakes by a head of state  8,513 in a single day  while Lyndon B. Johnson shook so many hands that his own were often black and blue.

But it was the 25th U.S. president William McKinley who suffered most for the handshake, as in 1901 he was assassinated by Leon Czolgosz when he proffered his hand.

THE HANDSHAKE by Ella Al-Shamahi (Profile 10.99, 176pp)

On the whole, however, handshakes denote greeting, agreement and, in the case of Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bake Off, approval. They can even shift the attitude of the world, as Princess Diana did in 1987 by shaking an Aids patients hand.

Al-Shamahi claims that there is no room for anything other than positivity in the handshake. William McKinley might disagree. But, for her, the handshake is primarily a means of connection.

The movement of the skin releases oxytocin, a social bonding hormone, which triggers trust and protective instincts but is also linked to increased suspicion of outsiders. Essentially, it helps us get the measure of someone. Our fingers and palms also have a high number of touch receptors which is why elbow or fist bumps just dont compare.

Al-Shamahi knows from personal experience the impact of not shaking hands, having lived the first 26 years of her life (most of them in Birmingham) according to strict Muslim law which generally forbids physical contact between men and women.

She used various duck and dive tactics to avoid the ever-present shake, including the empathetic hand on heart, wearing gloves and even complete avoidance.

She describes these efforts as often hit-and-miss  well, more hit-and-run.

But when she stepped away from her religion, for reasons she doesnt go into in this book, Al-Shamahi started shaking hands and realised how important physical contact is for human connection.

She makes a convincing argument that in the not-so-distant future we will once again be clasping the clammy, germ-ridden paws of near-strangers. I cant wait.
Lusaka  President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi met his Zambia counterpart, Mr Edgar Lungu during the former's working visit to Zambia on Wednesday. President Masisi expressed appreciation for the mutually beneficial relations that the two countries enjoyed since the days of Sir Seretse Khama and Dr Kenneth Kaunda. The Presidents agreed to elevate the two countries' diplomatic relations to Bi-National Commission. They committed to expediting the conclusion of all issues necessary for the operationalisation of the Kazungula bridge and establishment of the Kazungula Bridge Authority. President Masisi also introduced Botswana's candidate for the SADC executive secretary position, Mr Elias Magosi. President Masisi who was accompanied by Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, Dr Lemogang Kwape and senior government officials also visited Zimbabwe.

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
Akure  A mass burial has been given to 30 cows that died mysteriously in Akungba, Akoko in Akoko South West council area of Ondo State.

This is coming barely 24 hours after the cows died at the camp of the owner on AUD raid in Akungba community.

Although tongues are wagging over the cause of the death of the cows owned by one Alhaji lbrahim Saliu, the cows reportedly died one after the other after they returned from the grazing field that ill fated day.

Recall that the traditional ruler of Akungba, Oba Sunday Ajimo, had warned butchers not to sell the dead cows to the residents for fear that they were poisioned.

Oba Ajimo said consuming the meat "could be inimical to their health as the animals died of suspected food poisoning while grazing.

The traditional ruler threatened that any meat merchant caught selling parts of the cows would be prosecuted.

Oba Ajimo who described the incident as a huge loss to the owner said each of the cow was estimated at N300,000 each.

Vanguard gathered that health officials from the Akoko South West council area have flooded the market in a bid to ensure that the meats of the dead cows are not sold to the people in the community

In an interview, the Environmental Director of the council, Mrs Adenike Olugboyega, confirmed that the dead cows had been given mass burial at the council's dump.

Olugboyega said that "The burial was supervised by environmental experts according to laid down rules and regulations in order to ensure that contaminated and poisonous cow meat don't find its way into the markets for public consumption."

Speaking on the development, the Seriki Musulumi of Akungba Akoko, Chief Saliu Awesu, commended the proactive steps of the local government health workers.

Awesu said that the timely evacuation of the dead cows for burial had prevented health crisis in the community

He assured that that the community would continue to monitor the situation.

Vanguard News Nigeria
When: Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Where: Online,

Book now

The International State Crime Initiative (ISCI) is delighted to welcome Professor Kristian Lasslett (University of Ulster) for the talk Looting the North, Looting the South: Investigating Transnational Corruption. The online event will be chaired by Dr. Thomas MacManus (Queen Mary School of Law).

The world of global elites and wealth management is largely hidden from public inspection. The forces which undermine democracy - lack of transparency, opaque circles of influence, informal decision making, monetisation of politics, polarisation of power - are also a boon to all manner of corrupt transactions that game government and markets to engorge the power and wealth enjoyed by practitioners. Working with civil society and journalists, Professor Kristian Lasslett has been investigating bribery, racketeering, fraud, misappropriation, and market manipulation in Uzbekistan and Papua New Guinea, prosecuted by international coalitions of state-corporate actors, employing the financial and corporate machinery available in the UK, Switzerland, Singapore, the US and Australia. In this seminar, Professor Lasslett will discuss the methods used to interrogate the transnational coalition of actors working together across multiple jurisdictions to steal resources, manipulate markets, and launder the proceeds of crime, and some of the key findings from this investigative work.

Professor Kristian Lasslett is Head of the School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences at the University of Ulster and sits on the Executive Board of the International State Crime Initiative. He is joint Editor-in-Chief of State Crime and Editor of The State Testimony Project. Professor Lassletts research focuses on criminogenic intersections of state-corporate power, and the communities of resistance that emerge in opposition. This focus has been operationalised through fieldwork on the extractive industries  with a landmark study on the Bougainville conflict  in addition to corruption, land-grabbing and forced evictions. Kristian has published on a range of subjects in leading international journals and edited collections, including scientific method, state theory, action research methodologies, state-corporate crime, state terrorism, and forced eviction. His first book State Crime on the Margins of Empire was published by Pluto Press in August 2014. His second book, Uncovering the Crimes of Urbanisation: Researching Corruption, Violence and Urban Conflict was published by Routledge in 2018.

**Please note this is an online event and all registrants will be sent joining instructions on the day of the event.
It's a new dawn for cancer patients in Kwale County.

After decades of despair due to the lack of a treatment facility, hope is finally on the way for those battling the illness.

In what will transform the diagnosis and treatment of the disease in South Coast, the county government is putting up a Sh65 million cancer treatment centre, which will be ready in August.

Governor Salim Mvurya said the oncology centre would ensure early detection and save many lives.

"We want to enable early detection through screening. This disease has claimed many lives. Having the facility in our county will also reduce the burden of expenses, which come with treatment," he said.

The centre will provide chemotherapy treatment as well as surgical and laboratory services in the first phase that will cost Sh35 million.

In the second phase, it will have a full-fledged oncology department capable of handling all types of cancers and a treatment centre with a capacity of 40 patients.

The county chief health officer, Dr Salim Mbete, said at least two cases of cervical cancer are reported daily.

Unfortunately, most patients come for screening when the symptoms are at an advanced stage, making treatment a huge challenge.

The county will hire 18 specialised medical workers at the centre. "We have sponsored some of the students who are studying nursing, oncology and pathology," said Dr Mbete.

It has been a nightmare for Kwale residents living with cancer. Some have been seeking treatment in Mombasa, which is quite expensive, considering the high poverty levels in the region.

The oncology centre will ease the pain for patients, such as Abigail Kinyua, who has been shuttling between the two counties for the past 15 years, since cancer first struck in 2006.

"This is good news. The proximity of the centre will have more people with cancer being attended to. I also believe the county would offer financial support or waive bills for some of its residents," she told nation.africa.

A mother of two and a resident of Ukunda, Ms Kinyua thought she had beaten the monster, until recently, when she felt a lump on her breast and rushed to the Aga Khan University Hospital for a checkup.

"I was breastfeeding my daughter and that is when I felt the lump. I immediately sought treatment in different hospitals only to get the service at Aga Khan University Hospital, where I was diagnosed with breast cancer," she said.

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Ms Kinyua would then be put on chemotherapy, where she underwent six sessions and one surgery. The doctor also advised her to join a cancer support group. After treatment, the lump disappeared, but the doctor advised her to go for regular checkups.

Last year, as the country was dealing with a deadly pandemic, Ms Kinyua was battling cancer - again.

She had gone for a checkup, only to learn of local recurrence, with a new lump on the other breast. She is now back to the cycle of hospital visits, fundraisings and chemotherapy sessions.

"I have already done 11 cycles of chemotherapy and I have nine to go. I have exhausted my NHIF insurance cover. Friends are also avoiding me because I need money for treatment. A chemo session costs about Sh105,000, which I cannot raise," said Ms Kinyua.

Cancer patients across the country face challenges of access to specialised care. Not long ago, hundreds of patients used to flock to the Kenyatta National Hospital, which was the only public facility that provided treatment.

With the devolved government, more services are getting to the people, and the news that Kwale would soon have its oncology centre elated Ms Kinyua. Other than the huge hospital bills, she would spend at least Sh500 on transport to Mombasa for her daily sessions.

"It has been hectic. Sometimes because of the chemotherapy sessions, I was too weak to go alone so I would cater for transport for two.

I would also take a 'tuktuk' once I alight at Likoni and cross the ferry while inside it because I cannot climb the steep hills on the channel," she offered.

In the region, those seeking radiology services and cannot afford the private hospitals have to queue at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Director of Animal Care Dianne Cameron said she was thrilled to see the park fully reopen.

Now that we have the rides coming back, we feel whole again, said Cameron. Its like the first step to normalcy. Theres such a sense of relief.

Cameron, who lives in Napa, has worked at Six Flags for about 13 years. The best part of my job is building relationships with animals and being able to share them with our guests, she said. Its the best job ever.

So what was it like being closed to guests for so long?

Challenging, Cameron admitted. And not just for the humans. For the animals too. The animals like to socialize, she said. Just like humans, they also need enrichment so they dont feel isolated.

Before the Marine World Experience opened, Cameron and staff were hosting Facebook live, TikTok and Zoom events, to bridge that gap while we were closed.

Could the animals tell the park was shut down?

Absolutely, said Cameron. Animals like routine and constancy, she said. When its missing, they notice it.
Guwahati, April 1 : Around 15 per cent voters have cast their ballots during the first three hours in the second phase of the Assam Assembly polls on Thursday, conducted in 39 constituencies amid tight security, election officials said.

Men, women and first time voters in large numbers queued up in front of the polling stations well before the voting started at 7 a.m. in 13 districts.

Polling will continue till 6 p.m as the Election Commission extended the time by an hour in view of the Covid-19 induced situations.

Assam Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade said that 73,44,631 voters, including 36,09,959 women, are eligible to cast their votes across 10,592 polling stations.

There are a total of 556 women manned polling stations.

Around 31,000 Central Armed Police Force personnel, along with thousands of state security force personnel, have been deployed to maintain law and order during this phase in which 42,368 polling personnel are engaged.

In Thursday's balloting, the electoral fate of 345 candidates, including 26 women aspirants, will be decided.

In the second phase, the fate of several ministers including Fisheries, Excise, Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Piyush Hazarika, state Irrigation Minister Bhabesh Kalita and Deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar will be decided.

Suklabaidya is contesting from the Dholai seat for the seventh time on a BJP ticket, Hazarika from Jagiroad and Kalita from Rangia.

Former Congress Minister Gautam Roy is contesting from Katigorah on a BJP ticket, while former Deputy Speaker Dilip Kumar Paul, who resigned from the party after he was denied ticket and was subsequently expelled, is contesting as an Independent from the Silchar constituency.

Covid-19 protocols for the voters including social distancing and thermal screening are being maintained.

Of the three-phased 126-member Assam assembly election, the third and final phase would be held in 40 seats on April 6.

Results will be declared on May 2.

Nearly 80 per cent of 8,109,815 voters cast their votes on March 27 in the first phase conducted in 47 constituencies.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
With polling getting underway for the second phase of assembly in West Bengal and Assam on Thursday morning, Prime Minister urged the voters of both states to exercise their franchise in record numbers.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said: "Second phase of the Assam polls takes place today. Requesting all eligible voters of this phase to strengthen the festival of democracy by exercising their franchise."

"Urging the people of West Bengal in whose seats there is polling taking place today to vote in record numbers," he said in another tweet.

Voters were seen in large numbers, standing in queues at different polling stations in both the states.

In West Bengal, a total of 30 assembly constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur are heading in to vote. Out of the 171 candidates in the fray, 152 are men and the remaining are women.

Among these candidates, two are undoubtedly the most prominent figures, that is, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year. Nandigram is all set to witness the most high-profile contest with Mamata and Adhikari taking on each other.

In Assam, the fate of 345 candidates in 39 constituencies across 13 districts will be decided in this phase. The election in the second phase includes 15 assembly seats in the Barak Valley.

The campaigning for the second phase saw the debate over Citizenship Amendment Act. While the BJP leaders said that they will implement the CAA, Congress has promised to "nullify it".

Voting in Assam will be held till 6 pm while in West Bengal, polling will take place till 6:30 pm.

(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.)
Long-awaited development at Fort George has moved a step closer after approval was granted for a new city-side health hub next to the River Foyle.

The health hub would occupy half of the remaining land with the original masterplan being revised to determine what will be built on the other half.

Yesterdays news follows the recent Department of Health (DoH) first stage business case approval for 5.4m of a potential 70m investment at the prime riverfront site in Derry.

Both decisions will allow the Trust to purchase the necessary parcel of land at Fort George.

Its understood that it will be a number of years before it reaches the construction stage.

The Western Trust plans to complete detailed design and tender preparation within 28 months.

Once the second stage approval has been granted, it is anticipated that tendering, award of contract and on-site construction and commissioning will be completed in 36-40 months.

A Western Trust spokesperson said: "Progression to tender and award of the construction contract will however be dependent upon a 2nd stage approval being granted by the Department of Health and affordability at that time."

He added: The above timelines are subject to the necessary Departmental and statutory approvals including planning.

Health Minister Robin Swann described it as an important step towards ensuring the delivery of high quality integrated primary and community care services within the city and also towards improving the health service infrastructure within Northern Ireland.

I recognise the efforts of all concerned in securing the site for this new facility and my Department will continue to support this project as it moves to the next stage, he added.

In the meantime an ongoing issue delaying any development at the site will have to be resolved, that of a perceived flood risk posed by Creggan Reservoir.

The local council has submitted a funding proposal to central Government for remediation costs needed to carry out this work at Creggan Reservoir as well as future inspection and maintenance costs.

Fort George owner, the Department for Communities (DfC), revealed that work is underway to analyse the technical costs and discussions are still ongoing.

On completion the development would see the relocation of approximately 450 existing posts and add 250 new jobs.

The positions would include nursing, social work, allied health professional and administrative roles as well as the relocation of a number of GP surgeries.

The new centre would also enable both Trust and GP Medical Practices to expand and enhance local medical and social care service needs currently delivered from existing constricted and widely dispersed accommodation throughout the City.

Speaking after the announcement Dr Anne Kilgallen Chief Executive of the Western Trust said it is an important first step which will create new permanent health posts and temporary construction jobs during the building of the facility.

The announcement received a mixed response from political representatives in the city.

Sinn Fein MLA Karen Mullan welcomed the progress it will open up a prime development site in the city to help it reach its full potential.

While SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said it would be foolish not to see the merit in a health hub at this time but believes Fort George is not the most suitable location and could be deemed a reduction in terms of ambition.

SITE HISTORY

Fort George is a 15-acre site, a former army base and naval yard which had been in use since World War II.

The British Army was stationed there from 1971 to 2000.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) vacated the site almost 20 years ago in 2001.

It was then acquired by the now dissolved Department for Social Development in 2004.

The MoD spent over 3m decontaminating the site which was polluted with heavy oils and diesels, as well as small amounts of heavy metals.

In 2007 Japanese knotweed, which can undermine foundations, was identified.

Remediation work to treat and manage the invasive weed commenced in 2012.

Follow-up treatment was deemed necessary again in 2016 and continued until 2018.

Significant sums of money have been spent carrying out that work.

TIMELINE OF PROPOSALS

Urban regeneration company, Ilex, was set-up in 2003 with the objective of developing Fort George and Ebrington.

Planning permission was sought for a mixed-use development including office blocks, residential space, as well as bars and restaurants in July 2012.

During the 2013 City of Culture year in Derry the site was used as a car park.

In June 2013 permission was granted for a four-storey office development for science and IT based businesses which would be named the North West Science Park.

The science park opened in September 2014 and remains the only building on the site.

An announcement was made in September 2015 that the mixed-use development project had been given the go-ahead but it never came to fruition.

In October 2015 it emerged that Ilex was to be wound up after an independent review found that it failed to secure private investment.

At the time, the late Martin McGuinness wanted the local council to assume responsibility for Ebrington but it remains under the control of The Executive Office (TEO) formerly The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM).

An application was submitted for the second phase of the NW Science Park in November 2016 which will be almost identical to the current building in size and shape.

Its understood those plans have been held up because of strict planning legislation which takes into account a flood risk posed by Creggan Reservoirs.

Approval will not be granted until remedial works are carried out at the reservoirs.

Site owner, the Department for Communities (DfC), sought expressions of interest from private investors in September 2018.

The Trust and DfC entered into a joint Memorandum of Understanding allowing the Trust to progress the business case and secure the necessary approvals.

In November 2019 local businessman Garvan ODoherty proposed a major tourism project in the form of an international Maritime and Emigration Museum for the site.

In March 2020, the health hub business case was submitted for departmental consideration.

Yesterday, DfC confirmed that it has agreed to take plans for a health hub forward.
DEYANG, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2021 / The term "AI CITY" has attracted a lot of attention since Terminus Group attended The Economist Technology for Change event. In the speech of Victor Ai, founder and CEO of Terminus Group, AI CITY was introduced to the audience as a fresh new concept unfolding the next phase of the development of smart cities.

What is "AI CITY"? It can be understood as a city area managed by the digital ecosystem including intelligent spatial solutions and innovations, empowered by digital layers, sensors, embedded devices, large data sets, and a real-time autonomous operation center. While the traditional smart city is more relevant to development aspects and upgrading the city infrastructure, Terminus AI CITY focuses more on operations and integration of AI-powered technologies. In the AI CITY, Terminus' engineers design every digital layer and device to fit into the integrated data-driven system - the city, therefore achieving an autonomously running digital urban ecosystem.

Night view of Terminus AI CITY. /Terminus Group

"We are not only a smart service/solution provider but an AI ecosystem builder," said Victor Ai during talks with The Economist community. "It is vital to create the whole system from fundamental digital devices to central operation management to make the AI-driven city come true. Terminus AI CITY would be nothing like traditional smart cities - it is the advancement featuring an organic data-driven ecosystem that provides customized services to the residents of the city. We are eyeing a great change called 'City as a Service," he added.

Terminus AI CITY is built based on the new technology infrastructure. The digital economy is being developed through new ICT technologies such as 5G, AI, IoT, and so forth. A wide range of urban innovations therefore sprung up thanks to the ICT technologies, including faster and more reliable connectivity, supercomputing, cloud, and intelligent solutions. AI CITY, as a more refined version of the smart city, involves a data-driven digital system focused on autonomously solving particular urban management issues.

Digital layers in AI CITY. /Terminus Group

Terminus AI CITY will create a world in which the integral ecosystem encapsulates every single service and device. For example, the buildings will no longer simply be concrete structures, but "digital containers" capable of adjusting the brightness of lights, the layout of desks, the temperature of ACs, and so forth, based on real-time orders sent by "the city brain". More importantly, those lights, desks, ACs, locks, computers, and meeting rooms will be adjusted and managed autonomously only when their users need it, as AI CITY will be equipped with tailor-made data-driven solution satisfying every single participant of the ecosystem. While the scenarios are digitalized and customized, the whole city naturally becomes a synergetic digital ecosystem.

This way, the city could become a capable manager with the means to check and fix all the issues by itself. Terminus "Operation as a Service" city model coordinates six major divisions - security, environment, infrastructure, traffic, management, and services to address specific requirements from the perspective of the user-friendly city environment. The "Operation as a Service" concept can also make "bespoke urban services" come true, while the ecosystem can be evolving by itself through deep learning and data analytics. By more than enhancing the city's effectiveness and efficiency with the help of the hardware, AI CITY thoroughly redefines the concept of "the city".

The city will be equipped with an advanced data center, supercomputer center, cloud center, IoT sensors, and robotic services. /Terminus Group

Terminus AI CITY operation relies on TACOS (Terminus AI CITY Operating System) to merge and connect the whole city. TACOS, in a fashion similar to a smart phone operation system, enables various vertical solutions and industry chains to work together to solve urban issues. Meanwhile, the OTA-backed software enables each city layer in the AI CITY to capture personalized requests flexibly and instantly, tailoring complete systematic solutions. As for the hardware, the whole city will be equipped with an advanced data center, supercomputer center, cloud center, IoT sensors, and robotic services all over the place. Terminus robots, being the key part of its smart solutions, act as terminals connected to the robot management platform to reflect the real-time situation.

Aiming to achieve such a digital ecosystem, Terminus Group has partnered with over 100 tech companies and institutes from China and abroad to bring the most leading-edge innovations and digital technologies to the space. The tech alliance consists of digital system providers, AI labs, producers of consumer goods, live-streaming platforms, and manufacturers of tech devices.

In the future, such an intelligent operation system will bring economic and social benefits not only to the tech community but also to the stakeholders, businesses, researchers, policymakers, and citizen groups. From the global perspective, cities and urban environments are becoming more potent in upgrading the infrastructure and establishing an efficient, effective, and sustainable process of digitalization to meet the demands of their citizens. Following the trend, we will eventually enter the stage where the fusion of software, hardware, and ecosystem defines the future city.

Kratos Fan

001-626-4568311

fan.lvwei@tslsmart.com

www.terminusgroup.com

SOURCE: Terminus Group

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638588/Terminus-Group-Why-does-an-ecosystem-matter-in-AI-CITY
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga is among the three hopefuls seeking the party's presidential ticket in the 2022 polls.

Mr Odinga also sought to end growing doubts about a referendum and quell concerns that his deal with President Kenyatta is on the rocks in a statement released after a meeting of the party's top organ yesterday.

The Nation established that the meeting of the Central Management Committee (CMC) was informed that Mr Odinga and his two deputies -- Governors Ali Hassan Joho of Mombasa and Kakamega's Wycliffe Oparanya -- met yesterday's deadline for submitting applications for ODM's presidential ticket.

A source said a decision to make public names of those who applied for the presidential race ticket was shelved because the deadline was midnight yesterday.

The announcement by the ODM National Elections Board (NEB), which extended the initial deadline of February 26 to March 31, is expected today.

This would end months of speculation about Mr Odinga's fifth stab at the presidency.

That is assuming he beats his two deputies in party primaries or they withdraw from the contest.

"Kindly wait for the official communication tomorrow. I don't want to pre-empt anything but we have three hopefuls," an ODM insider told the Nation.

Growing uncertainty

"The candidates are obvious," another source said without giving details.

However, an official who attended yesterday's meeting said Mr Odinga is among those who submitted an application.

"I indeed submitted my application as per the requirements of the NEB. I met their deadline," Mr Oparanya told the Nation yesterday.

Governor Joho had earlier confirmed his application.

Mr Odinga also sought to address growing uncertainty about the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) referendum, following suggestions by some quarters that the draft bill does not necessarily require a plebiscite and lately a call by some of his allies, including Mr Oparanya, that it is no longer a priority because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Odinga said Kenyans must have a say in the implementation of the BBI through a vote.

"BBI must be subjected to a referendum because it entails a fundamental reorganisation of the Executive," Mr Odinga said in the statement after the meeting at his home in Karen.

The ODM chief asked Parliament, which is on recess, to speed up the decision on the document - with eyes on the vote before the end of the year.

Committed to handshake

"In the spirit of the (March 9, 2018) Handshake and the wider goals of the BBI Amendment Bill, we agreed on the need for Parliament to fast track the process and release the document to the public to enable Kenyans have a final say on the envisaged changes to the Constitution," Mr Odinga said.

He added that ODM is committed to the handshake between him and President Uhuru Kenyatta.

"The meeting reaffirmed ODM's commitment to the spirit of the Handshake... that has created an environment of peace and stability required to address the pressing issues facing the country," the statement added.

Mr Odinga's talk on the referendum comes amid reports of a plot by some leaders who support the President to sidestep the initiative.

Among the reasons being advanced for rejecting the referendum are the ban on political rallies to stop the spread of coronavirus, the economic state of the country and some ODM members developing cold feet about the campaign following claims that Mr Odinga is being undermined by the President's followers.

Mr Oparanya on Tuesday suggested that the referendum be postponed.

"There's no need of a referendum this year if the National Treasury does not have money. We should plan to hold the referendum next year when the country's economy has stabilised and the Covid-19 pandemic has been contained," the Kakamega county boss said.

ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna had denied knowledge of money set aside for BBI, saying, should there be anything, the funds should be used to cushion Kenyans against the effects of the pandemic.

BBI draft Bill

"There's no money to be spent on BBI. If there is a single shilling going into BBI, we can use it to buy vaccines," Mr Sifuna said.

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Among those who have said a referendum is not a must for the BBI draft Bill to pass is Mr Kamotho Waiganjo, an Advocate of the High Court.

"The Bill would need a referendum if rejected by more than half of the members of the National Assembly and Senate. This is a near impossibility," Mr Kamotho said.

"Secondly, the Bill would be required to go to a referendum if it contains any of the 10 protected provisions set out in Article 255 of the Constitution."

He added that he is not convinced it expressly contains any of the protected issues.

But BBI Joint Secretary chairman Paul Mwangi disagreed.

He cited Article 257 (10) of the Constitution, which states: "If either House of Parliament fails to pass the bill, or the bill relates to a matter mentioned in 255 (1), the proposed amendment shall be submitted to the people in a referendum."

The creation of the office of Prime Minister, appointment of MPs as ministers and the inclusion of technocrat ministers as ex-officio lawmakers are some of the aspects Kenyans will be required to vote for or against in the plebiscite.
The former Fort George army base will be transformed into a vast medical hub set to revolutionise GP services in Londonderry.

On completion the development will see the relocation of around 450 existing medical posts, with the creation of a further 250 new positions when the project is completed, marking a total investment by the Western Trust of around 70m.

Trust chief executive Dr Anne Kilgallen said the plan is to complete detailed design for the Cityside Health and Care Centre within 28 months.

Progression to tender and award of the construction contract will however be dependent upon a second stage approval being granted by the Department of Health and affordability at that time, she added.

Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said that while there was merit in the creation of the new health hub, he expressed reservations about its location.

He said: While it would be foolish not to see the merit in a new health hub, Fort George is perhaps not the most suitable location. People will no doubt see this announcement as falling short of earlier proposals, promises and plans. In short, it could be deemed a reduction in terms of ambition. I am of the opinion that this strategically important development site would be better utilised for something that adds real value economically to the city and beyond.

However, that being said, I am acutely aware of the challenges facing our health service pre-pandemic.

A system already at breaking point has struggled under the weight of the past year. This state-of-the-art facility will, I hope, take pressure off that system and ensure the effective delivery of integrated health services for the surrounding areas.

The creation of 250 permanent jobs is also good news, particularly in conjunction with the transfer of Health Sciences to Magee University, which I hope will encourage more students to train and remain.

Sinn Fein MLA Karen Mullan said the creation of the new medical hub would bring better health care for the people of Derry while the Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Brian Tierney, said the project would further open up the riverfront.

Mr Tierney said: This ties in with our 250m City Deal which will see a regeneration of the riverfront and which has a large focus on healthcare and innovation in this city and region.
SEGUIN, Texas, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alamo Group Inc. (NYSE: ALG) today announced that Jeffery A. Leonard will succeed Ronald A. Robinson as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective May 31, 2021. Mr. Leonard has been with Alamo Group since September, 2011 and is currently serving as the Executive Vice-President of the Company's Industrial Division. Mr. Robinson will continue as an employee of the Company to assist in the transition until August 1, 2021, and thereafter will remain as a member of the Company's Board of Directors.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Roderick R. Baty, Alamo Group's Chairman, said, "Jeff Leonard's promotion to President and CEO is the culmination of the Board's careful CEO succession planning process. Jeff is a talented executive and a strong leader who has been very successful in leading the Company's Industrial Division since he joined Alamo Group in 2011. With his mix of experience and strategic vision, we are confident that Jeff is the right person to lead the Company in its next phase of growth and development. We look forward to working with Jeff and the rest of the management team to ensure a seamless transition."

Mr. Robinson added, "Jeff and I have worked together for 10 years. He is ready to take on this leadership assignment and I am confident in his ability to guide the Company going forward."

"I am honored to succeed Ron and I look forward to leading Alamo Group and its dedicated team of employees during such an important time for the Company," said Mr. Leonard. "I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Ron for his leadership during his tenure as CEO and for his valuable advice to me over the past several years. I see a very bright future ahead for Alamo Group and I am excited about the prospect of our global Alamo Group team creating an even stronger company while delivering long-term sustainable growth and profitability for our stockholders."

About Alamo Group

Alamo Group is a leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and service of high quality equipment for infrastructure maintenance, agriculture and other applications. Our products include truck and tractor mounted mowing and other vegetation maintenance equipment, street sweepers, snow removal equipment, excavators, vacuum trucks, other industrial equipment, agricultural implements, forestry equipment and related after-market parts and services. The Company, founded in 1969, has approximately 3,990 employees and operates 27 plants in North America, Europe, Australia and Brazil as of December 31, 2020. The corporate offices of Alamo Group Inc. are located in Seguin, Texas.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: overall market demand, continuing impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic including ongoing and new supply chain disruptions, further reductions in customer demand, sales and profitability declines, operational disruptions, full or partial facility closures, and other similar impacts, competition, weather, seasonality, currency-related issues, and other risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein, which speaks only as of this date.

SOURCE Alamo Group Inc.
BOSTON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boston Business Journal has named BioPoint Inc. to its exclusive 2021 Fast 50 list, which represent the 50 fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts.

The Fast 50 companies are selected and ranked based on a formula that counts revenue growth from 2017 to 2020.

"Every year it is exciting to make the list and this year's recognition in particular holds a very special achievement for everyone at BioPoint as we all came together to navigate the logistical challenges presented by the pandemic. It was so rewarding supporting our pharmaceutical industry partners as they were leading the race for a vaccine during the pandemic," says Taylor Tagliente, a Pharmaceutical Recruiter from the Wakefield, MA home office.

The numbers were crunched and analyzed by the Business Journal's research department.

"The economic shutdown sent a lot of companies' strategies and financials into uncharted territory in 2020, but as the Fast 50 illustrates, Greater Boston's fastest-growth companies pivoted and prospered despite it all," Carolyn M. Jones, market president and publisher of the Boston Business Journal.

BioPoint's flexible Functional Service Provider model provides specialized resource teams for well-defined business services to allow multiple benefits to their clients including cost efficiency, simplification, time savings, and increased opportunity for Pharmaceutical companies to focus on core competencies. Areas of expertise include Drug Safety & Pharmacovigilance, Regulatory Affairs, HEOR Market Access, and Quality Assurance.

"Treating our clients like true partners and our employees like family during these uncertain times has played a substantial contribution to this year's recognition in the Fast 50s list," says Krista Rymer, a Business Development Manager from BioPoint's West Coast location. "It's humbling and an honor to be working on such critical Drug Safety programs that have had such an impact on the health and safety of so many people across the world."

For more information on how BioPoint can benefit your Pharmaceutical organization through their FSP model, visit www.biopointinc.com.

CONTACT:

Sarah McArthur

[email protected]

781.218.3780

SOURCE BioPoint Inc.

Related Links

http://www.biopointinc.com


If the Australian property market were a party, its at that point where the drinks should be put away, the guests kicked out and the bed turned down for a good nights sleep.

Unless the Reserve Bank, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and federal and state governments step in soon, the country is going to wake up with a hangover that will last for years.

Capital city house prices have climbed at their fastest rate since 1988, on the back of record low interest rates and government programs. Credit:Peter Rae

CoreLogic data showing the biggest monthly increase in capital city property values since Kylie Minogues insufferable I Should Be So Lucky spent six weeks at the top of the Australian charts in 1988 is a sign of something very much amiss in the property market.

Sydneys median house value jumped $50,000 in March, or $1600 a day. Since the start of the year, it has climbed $100,000, which, if it doesnt slow, could see the median house price value reach $1.4 million by years end.
Russia is once more conducting military exercises near its border with eastern Ukraine and the Ukrainian territory it has occupied since 2014. This time the training exercises are more threatening because they involve the equivalent of six combat brigades, accompanied by additional artillery (gun and rocket) units moving to the border as well as a buildup of combat aircraft and warships in the Crimean Peninsula, the one Ukrainian province Russia was able take in 2014 and annex. Russia then sought to take two provinces in eastern Ukraine, which comprise the economically important Donbas (Don River Basin) region. Surprisingly, for the Russians, Ukrainian forces quickly responded to the 2014 Donbas seizure effort and after months of intense combat there was a stalemate, with Russian holding half the territory it sought. The equivalent of half a dozen Ukrainian combat brigades now hold the line against a slightly smaller force of ethnic Russian residents of Donbas, plus volunteers (mercenaries) from Russia and thousands of Russian soldiers pretending to be volunteers. What has worried the Ukrainians is the Russian buildup of forces stationed near the Ukraine border. This force now consists of about seven combat brigades. This time Russia also brought warships to the Donbas Black Sea coast and in position to attack the two main port cities there. The air force buildup in Crimea and increased EW (Electronic Warfare) equipment along the border is either another training exercise or Russia seeking to take Donbas, and maybe more, by force and then declare peace. This would increase the costs of occupying Donbas and incur additional sanctions. This is already costing Russia several billion dollars a year.

Another complication is the fact that the Russian army has, since the 1990s, been smaller than the American army. Thats a first. The Russian army is also much smaller than the better equipped Chinese army, something Russia does not wish to dwell on with foreigners. Currently the Russian Army has about 20 combat brigades that are combat ready, plus a smaller number that are not. The current concentration of brigades on the Ukrainian border is the majority of such brigades the Russians possess. The Ukrainian ground forces have 170,000 active-duty troops versus 350,000 for Russia (and over 500,000 in the U.S.). Since 2014 Ukraine has reorganized and upgraded its ground forces and currently has as many combat ready brigades as Russia. Ukraine also has more reserve troops, who are better trained and dedicated than their Russian equivalents. In other words, Ukraine is not exactly helpless against a Russian invasion but most of the fighting would take place in Ukraine and civilian casualties would mostly be Ukrainian, as would the property damage. If the Russians did not sense a quick victory, they would probably propose peace and Ukraine would accept. As much as Ukrainians would like to humiliate their ancient Russian oppressors militarily, practical considerations take precedence.

Other Costs

Since 2015 the relative peace on the Donbas front has been an expensive irritant for Russia. The 2014 crises started because of a popular revolution in Ukraine against a blatant Russian effort to bribe Ukrainian politicians to block popular efforts to establish more economic and other links with the West, often at the expense of Russia. Officially the Crimean and Donbas Russians were responsible for spontaneous local uprisings. That was not the case. Russia sought to use special operations troops and subversion techniques that had worked in the past and that was the case in Crimea, but not in Donbas because the Ukrainians saw through the Russian tactics and responded with more patriotic fervor that the Russians thought possible.

Since 2015 Russia has gone through the motions of an actual invasion several times, but always backed off because of apparent Ukrainians resolve and an increase in Western hostility and threats of more sanctions. America has a new government since January 2021 and that always provides an opportunity to test the resolve of the new team. Despite that Ukraine is a situation where Russia loses no matter what they do. Ukraine and the West (including the post-1991 East European members of NATO) come out ahead it they oppose an actual Russian invasion with more military assistance and more sanctions on Russia.

The economic sanctions have cost Russia hundreds of billion dollars in losses so far. Even expatriate Russians who send money to kin still in Russia are less active. Before the 2014 sanctions expats sent nearly $20 billion a year back to Russia. Those amounts have since declined by half and continues to shrink.

The sanctions have made existing economic problems worse. For example, during 2020 Russian disposable income fell 3.5 percent. The covid19 lockdowns were largely responsible for this high (compared to other European countries) fall in disposable income. For Russia this decline is part of an eight-year trend because the Russian consumer is still suffering from the economic impact of post-2014 sanctions and permanently lower oil prices. Since 2013 disposable income has declined over ten percent. While the government issues press releases about how well Russia is dealing with the economic problems, the reality is different. Most Russians personally experience the decline each year in their incomes and standard of living. Russian GDP is down over 30 percent since 2013.

March 30, 2021: The French Rafale jet fighter is being offered as a candidate for the new fighter Ukraine is seeking as replacements for its elderly MiG-29s and Su-27s. Previous to the French announcement, the main contenders were the latest versions of the American F-16 and F-18. All three aircraft are competitive with each other and the latest Russian designs. The French are more willing to make concessions, like allowing some of the manufacturing to take place in the purchasing nation. This would be easy and very beneficial for Ukraine which still has a modern military aircraft industry. Since the 1990s the Ukrainian aviation firms have concentrated on maintenance services and upgrades and are ready to deal with Rafale manufacturing and assembly. In the last few years Rafale finally achieved the export sales it had long sought. Rafale has considerable combat experience and has been regularly updated.

March 28, 2021: The Russian parliament approved a law that allows Vladimir Putin, who has ruled Russia for two decades as president or prime minister, to run for reelection again in 2024. The Russian constitution still stipulates that no one can serve more than two terms as president. Putin always maintained control of parliament, which enabled him to implement legal loopholes in the law that enabled to stay in power.

March 27, 2021: In Southeast Asia Myanmar (Burma) the new military government welcomed a visit by a Russian Deputy Defense minister. Since February 1st Burma is once again controlled by a military government. China promptly used their veto powers in the UN to block UN actions against the new military rulers of Burma. Within two weeks Russia also proclaimed support for the military government. The response of the military was not unexpected, because the civilian government knew that the Burmese generals maintained their connections in China and was the main reason China has sold $1.4 billion worth of military equipment to Burma since 2010. Russia sold $800 million worth. Together China and Russia accounted for over 90 percent Burmese spending on imports of military gear. Russia was one of the six nations that accepted the invitation to attend the Burmese Armed Forces Day parade today.

The coup has not worked out as planned because the country is now sliding towards economic crisis and civil war. Anti-government demonstrations continue despite troops and police being ordered to open fire. Hundreds have been killed and many more wounded while thousands have been arrested so far. The Burmese military is comfortable with the cozy relationship with China and Russia but most Burmese are not. The alliance of separatist northern tribes, which reached a peace agree with the elected government in 2016 refused to recognize or cooperate with the military government. Burmese military leaders were surprised at the extent and duration of mass protests during the last two months. By popular agreement the economy is shut down and the generals have to worry about the morale and loyalty of their troops because of the weeks of popular protests and being ordered to open fire on fellow Burmese. The military still has income because during their decades of rule (from 1962 to 2010) they came to control many businesses and some of those were joint ventures with China. A lot of Chinese firms pay the Burmese military directly for joint ventures. This provides the military with at least a billion dollars a year, assuming the Chinese operations can keep functioning. Burmese army officers made a lot of money allowing China to do business in the tribal north, often at the expense of local civilians, most of them tribal people. After the return of democracy in 2011, China no longer had as much freedom in the north. Russia is of little help economically bit is one of the few nations supporting the military government.

March 26, 2021: In eastern Ukraine (Donbas) the Russian-backed rebels broke the July 2020 ceasefire agreement big time and fired machine-guns, automatic grenade launchers and mortars at Ukrainian troops. This was done numerous times today, killing four Ukrainian troops and wounding two. So far in 2021 incidents like this have left 16 Ukrainian soldiers dead and many more wounded. Since 2014 over 13,000 soldiers, rebels and civilians have died in the Donbas.

March 19, 2021: Algeria has ordered 300 Russian BMPT-72 Terminator 2 fire support armored vehicles. This is a customized BMP IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) optimized for urban warfare. Since 2007 Algeria has become the second largest (after India) customer for Russian arms exports. In 2006 forgave the $5.6 billion Algeria still owed for weapons bought from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. During that period Russian weapons were often sold on very attractive terms with low or no down payments and extended repayment schedules that amounted to giving away the weapons to gain diplomatic support. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, many of those countries owing billions for weapons delivered, refused to pay. Eventually Russia decided it was better to forgive debt in order to seek new orders on stricter terms. This worked with Algeria which has, since 2006 ordered nearly twice the value of the forgiven debt in new orders. Algeria pays on time and gets good tech support from Russia, at least better than what the Soviets often did not supply.

March 17, 2021: Russia is recalling its ambassador to the United States for unspecified reason. Russia and China are united in calling the new (since January) American government weak and vulnerable. Both are demanding that the U.S. lift its sanctions and treat Russia and China with more respect.

March 15, 2021 : NATOs secretary-general once again expressed concern over Turkeys purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense missile system. The NATO alliance is also prepared to help Greece and Turkey peacefully resolve their maritime territorial disputes in the eastern Mediterranean. In late 2020 NATO created a de-confliction mechanism (communication regimen) designed to help Greece and Turkey avoid military clashes and ship collisions in the eastern Mediterranean

March 14, 2021: In Syria, this month marks the 66th month Russian forces have been Syria. Russian intervention, added to the earlier Iranian assistance, enabled the Assad government to survive what at first appeared to be almost certain defeat. In those 66 months Russia also negotiated treaters with the Assad government to obtain Russia use of a major airbase and part of one of Syrias Mediterranean ports. Russia pays modest rent for these bases, because the Assads want Russian forces present in the long term to keep the Assads in power. Russia is also assisting the Assads in persuading the Turks, Iranians and Americans to pull their forces out of Syria and for a long-term peace deal with Israel. That last bit depends on getting the Iranians to leave. Once, and if, that happens it becomes a lot easier to negotiate the departure of Turks and Americans, leaving the Russians as the only legal foreign troops in Syria. Until then the civil war is not really over and currently Russia carries out lots of airstrikes on the remaining ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and al Qaeda forces in the country and operates joint patrols with Turkish, American and Syrian forces, especially in eastern Syria where ISIL is still active.

Russian forces are also active in Libya, Armenia and, as military contractors, in Africa. The Armenian deployment proved effective recently when it played a role is halting the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan and working out a peace deal acceptable to both combatants.

March 13, 2021: In eastern Syria (Raqqa province) Russian troops forced Iran-backed militias out of two small oil/natural gas fields. These two fields have been largely shut down since 2011 and are being brought back into production. Together the two locations produce about 6,000 barrels of oil a day and similar amounts of natural gas. The Kurds control most of the active oil/natural gas fields in eastern Syria. The Kurds depend on the U.S. to supply air support and other assistance to hold on to their oil/natural gas resources.

March 11, 2021: Ukraine has decided to end Chinese majority ownership of Motor Sich, a major and profitable Ukrainian defense manufacturer. The government will, in effect, nationalize Motor Sich. While this will annoy China, it will also please the United States, a major ally and supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders. The Americans had recently sanctioned the Chinese firms that were buying a majority interest in Motor Sich. The Americans fear that control of Motor Sich would enable China to solve its problems with developing and manufacturing high-performance jet engines. Back in 2019 China went forward with its efforts to buy this majority stake. Many Ukrainians felt China would take advantage of the corrupt government and industry officials associated with firms like Motor Sich to get better deals. These were often at the expense of Ukraine but very lucrative for the corrupt Ukrainians involved. Many Ukrainians, and Americans, realized how China operated in deals like this. If China obtained a major, or majority, stake in Motor Sich they could, and probably would, steal all the technology and manufacturing secrets and eventually move Motor Sich production to China. Initially they would hire some Ukrainian tech experts to help the Chinese manufacturing operation to get up to speed, but eventually Motor Sich in Ukraine would become a branch of the main operation in China. Eventually the Ukrainian branch of the renamed to something Chinese and Motor Sich would disappear. Most Ukrainians want to keep Motor Sich Ukrainian and not plundered of all its tech by the Chinese.

March 10, 2021: There was some good news about the Russian military in 2020; incidents of Dedovshchina (conscripts with more time in the military abusing new ones) were down over 15 percent since 2019. This continues a decade long trend as the military tries to eliminate the Cold War era custom of first-year conscripts being abused, and often beaten and killed, by conscripts that had been in the army longer, even if by only a year or six months. Until very recently Russia inducted new recruits twice a year, rather than continually as in the West. That, plus the fact that the communists eliminated veteran NCOs from the military before World War II. NCO duties were carried out, if at all, by junior officers, often men new to the military themselves. The appearance of Dedovshchina was understandable because no one was maintaining order in the barracks. While Dedovshchina is fading away, the corruption is getting worse, with 30 percent more cases of it in 2020. Crime (both Dedovshchina and corruption) in the armed forces has been tracked since the late 1990s and it keeps getting worse, but in different ways. While much of the crime involves illegal sale of government property for private gain, the most common source of corruption is among officers responsible for inducting conscripts. Parents are eager to pay bribes to keep their kids out of the military. That has kept a lot of needed young men out of the military, which has, unofficially, been unable to maintain authorized strength (about a million personnel) for over a decade.

March 9, 2021: A Turkish national court sentenced five individuals to life in prison for the 2016 assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey. The court determined that a police officer, Mevlut Mert Altintas, shot and killed Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara on December 19, 2016. Alintas was later killed by Turkish security personnel. A police investigation revealed that Altintas had been angered by the 2015 arrival of Russian military forces in neighboring Syria to support the Assad government. The Assads were also backed by Iran which, like Russia, are traditional enemies of Turkey.

March 5, 2021: In eastern Syria (desert areas between Hama, Homs and Raqqah), Russian warplanes returned to the air after a three day pause and carried out sixty air strikes against ISIL targets. This campaign against ISIL in eastern Syria has been going on for two years and killed over a thousand ISIL fighters. This reduced the number of areas where ISIL is able to base themselves and plan attacks.

March 3, 2021: In northern Syria (Aleppo province) Russian and Assad forces fired four missiles at an improvised oil refinery in Turkish control territory, causing a massive fire that killed four and wounded over twenty. Nearly 200 fuel tanker trucks were destroyed or damaged by the large fire. This is the third such attack on these refineries in 2021 and no one will take credit. To do so would force Turkey to respond to protect its Syrian mercenary groups that operate the refineries to earn money. Syria considers such activity illegal and harmful to Syrian interests. The oil comes from Kurdish controlled Syrian oil fields.

February 28, 2021: In early 2021, when Russia announced its planned warship deliveries, there was one delivery considered doubtful. This involved actually putting a second Lada class diesel-electric boat into service by the end of 2021. The first one was finally accepted by the navy in 2020, but only as a test vessel for experiments with new equipment. Russia has been sending mixed signals about the Lada Class boats for two decades and the second Lada was to be the first production model fit for active service in the navy.

In early 2019 Russia stated that the second Lada class submarine would be completed and ready for sea trials by the end of 2019. That turned out to be just another overly-optimistic announcement. The first Lada was accepted by the navy in 2010 but the second two were canceled in 2011. That was because the Navy had conducted years of sea trials after the first Lada was completed in 2005 and those extensive trials demonstrated that the performance of this design did not meet Navy requirements. The problems were so severe that the navy demanded that work be halted on the second and third ones.

All this was surprising because the second Lada was nearly ready for launch. Because of that the unfinished Lada was not scrapped and the sub was preserved in case some solution to all the problems could be found and it would be possible to resume work quickly. That eventually happened and the second Lada was launched in September 2018. Construction of the third Lada in 2015 but was also halted before it was ready for launch.

There were many problems with the Lada design but the main one appears to be the failure of the long promised Russian AIP (air independent propulsion) system. This was supposed to be a key feature of the new sub. That AIP and several other upgrades later added to new Kilo class models were supposed to justify calling the Ladas a new class of sub, not just another improved Kilo.

Desperate form a solution to all the design and construction problems, at one point Russia turned to an Italian ship builder to jointly develop and build the Lada export models, called Amur class subs, which would use Western AIP tech. Russia was never able to obtain any export sales for Amur and the project was canceled in 2013. Amur would have been dead soon anyway because of the sanctions imposed on Russia because of the 2014 invasion of Ukraine.

Lada was developed in the 1990s as the successor to the Kilo class, but the promised improvements that made Lada unique, especially the AIP, were never ready so there was not enough difference between the Lada and the improved Kilos being built to justify continuing work on the Kilo successor.

The 2,700-ton Lada is 72 meters (236 feet) long, and carries a crew of 35. Each crew member has their own cabin. Although individual quarters were very small for the junior crew, this feature was a big morale boost. When submerged the submarine moved at up to 39 kilometers an hour but only half that on the surface. Maximum depth is about 400 meters (984 feet). The Lada can stay at sea for as long as 45 days and can travel submerged indefinitely using its diesel engine while at periscope depth, via the snorkel device that brings in fresh air and vent the diesel exhaust. Submerged at any depth, using battery power alone, Lada can travel about 450 kilometers. There is also an electronic periscope, which goes to the surface via a cable, that includes a night vision capability and a laser range finder. From the beginning Lada was designed to accept an AIP system.

Lada was designed for anti-surface and anti-submarine operations as well as reconnaissance. It has six 533mm (21 inch) torpedo tubes, with 18 torpedoes and/or missiles carried. As many as 44 mines can be carried instead of torpedoes and missiles and deployed via the torpedo tubes. Ladas were described as eight times quieter than the Kilos. This was accomplished by using anechoic (sound absorbing) tile coatings on the exterior and a very quiet (skewed) propeller. All interior machinery was designed with silence in mind. The sensors include active and passive sonars, including towed passive sonar. Russian submarine designers apparently believe they can install most of these quieting features into improved Kilos, along with many other Lada features. But the main distinction between Lada and late-model Kilos is the AIP and the first two Ladas do not have it. The 2019 announcement confirmed this. The current plan is to see if the accumulated Kilo upgrades applied to the Lada work, and then install the AIP in the third Lada.

February 26, 2021: In Syria Iran suspects Russia of working with Israel to broker a peace deal between the Assads and Israel. These suspicions increased in mid-February when Russia brokered a deal with Syria to participate in an exchange with Israel that saw the return of two Syrians and one Israeli civilian who had crossed the border. Iran was not consulted and Russia refused to reveal details. The Assads deny there were any hidden objectives. Iran did note that the deal also involved Israel reducing the prison sentence for a pro-Syrian Arab. And there were rumors that Israel would also help Syria obtain covid19 vaccine and so on. Rumors are rumors but the strains in Iran-Syria relations is real.

To make matters worse for Iran, Turkey and Israel are negotiating a deal to improve diplomatic and economic relations. The Turks have been increasingly hostile to Iran lately and that includes ignoring Iranian requests during the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Turkey sent advisors, armed UAVs and Syrian mercenaries to help the Azeris score their first victory over Armenia in a three-decade long territorial feud. Iran was also unhappy with the fact that the Azeris gave credit to the many Israeli weapons that had purchased over the last decade. This included the Israeli Barak 8 anti-aircraft system which intercepted a number of Russia made ballistic missiles fired at Azerbaijan by the Armenians. One of those ballistic missiles was an Iskander, a recent Russian design that was supposed to more difficult to detect and intercept. In short, Iran has reasons to be displeased at how its campaign in Syria is proceeding and how unhelpful, or even hostile, their allies have been.

This is not a new development. As far back as 2018 there were signs that Iranian allies in Syria were something of an unnatural act. Israel had made it clear that they would fight if Iran tried to establish a military presence in Syria. That was complicated by the fact that Iran had allies in Syria; Russia and Turkey, who were traditional enemies. In contrast Israel and the Gulf Arabs are not. What to do? Israel and Russia began trying to negotiate a deal to prevent a war between Iran and Israel over Iranian plans, already announced and underway, to establish bases in Syria and organize direct attacks on Israel. For Israel any long-term Iranian presence in Syria was intolerable. Russia believed it could work out such a deal but many Israelis were skeptical and Iran declared that such a deal was not possible. When it comes to opposing Iran, Israel always had some very public backing from Russia despite the fact that this put Russia at odds with their two other allies in Syria. The Russians see the Israelis as a more powerful and reliable ally than the Turks or Iranians. Russia is also backing the Kurds in Syria and that is causing problems with Turkey. Recently Turkey had come to agree with Russia and is seeking to improve relations with Israel, even that is at the expense of Iran.
If you receive VA disability pay, Social Security or SSI and you haven't received your third stimulus check, your wait is almost over. The IRS just announced that payments to those receiving VA disability could be made in mid-April, while most payments for people who receive other federal benefits and aren't required to file a tax return will be made Wednesday, April 7.

The April 7 payment date applies to those who get benefits from Social Security retirement and disability, Supplemental Security Income and the Railroad Retirement System. A payment date for those who get VA benefits hasn't yet been announced.

Why Are VA Disability and Social Security Recipients Still Waiting?

If you file a tax return and receive benefits, chances are good that you're among the 127 million Americans who have already gotten their $1,400 stimulus checks. But about 30 million recipients of Social Security and other benefits are still waiting on stimulus money.

That's because the IRS is processing stimulus payments using 2019 and 2020 tax returns. But just as with the first two rounds of payments, the IRS didn't require recipients of Social Security and other benefits to file a tax return if they weren't otherwise required to. Instead, the IRS got the information it needed from the appropriate agency.

This time around, the IRS was waiting on Social Security and other agencies to provide updated direct deposit information and addresses for recipients. On March 25, after the House Ways and Means Committee issued a 24-hour ultimatum, the Social Security Administration provided the updated information. The VA and Railroad Retirement System provided the information earlier last week.

For recipients of VA benefits, the IRS news release announcing payment dates says: "The IRS continues to review data received for Veterans Affairs (VA) benefit recipients and expects to determine a payment date and provide more details soon. Currently, the IRS estimates that Economic Impact Payments for VA beneficiaries who do not regularly file tax returns could be disbursed by mid-April."

Do I Have to Do Anything to Get My Check?

Probably not. If you received the first two checks, you're probably in line to get this one, too. The only thing you can do right now is wait.

One exception: If you have dependents, you may need to file a tax return, because the IRS may not get dependent information directly from Social Security or another agency. This time around, you'll get $1,400 for each dependent, regardless of their age. If you have dependent children, submitting a return could also help you get a child tax credit of $3,600 for children younger than 6 or $3,000 for children 17 and younger.

You may not receive money on behalf of your dependent with your check. If you don't get it with your check, the IRS will send you the extra money once it processes your return.

You can expect to receive your third stimulus check however you get your federal benefits, either through direct deposit or a Direct Express Debit Mastercard. If you've closed the bank account the IRS has on file, your bank will reject the deposit and you'll get your payment in the mail.

Can I Track My Stimulus Check Yet?

If you receive federal benefits and don't file a tax return, not yet. The IRS Get My Payment tool will be updated the weekend of April 3-4 for benefit recipients who are getting paid on April 7.

The information is updated once a day. Avoid multiple log-ins, as you may get locked out for 24 hours.

This article was originally published by The Penny Hoarder.
Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP) has successfully set in place more than 120 km off the Romanian Black Sea shores the first fixed offshore oil platform in the gas field, according to a press statement released by the company on Thursday.

The moment is significant in the history of hydrocarbon exploration on the Black Sea continental shelf, as it marks more than three decades since the first oil rig in the Black Sea became operational in May 1987. After 34 years, the Romanian company GSP, in partnership with the Black Sea Oil and Gas developer, is installing the first fixed platform that will extract gas from the continental shelf of the Black Sea.

"This is a key moment for the Romanian industry, and also for the national energy sector. It took 34 years for Romania to find its courage, resources and allies to develop new exploration projects on the continental shelf of the Black Sea. Today's stage of the Midia Gas Development project sends at least two messages. First of all, the Romanian industry has, again, the capacity to build big projects. The gas exploration projects on the Romanian Black Sea shelf are sustainable," Grup Servicii Petroliere CEO of Gabriel Comanescu is quoted as saying in the statement.

The jacket for the Ana fixed platform was manufactured at the GSP shipyard in Agigea. The 1,300-tonne structure is 101 metres high, of which 69 metres are below sea level. The jacket will support the topside which is already completed at the GSP operational base in Agigea and is to be shipped and installed shortly.

Grup Servicii Petroliere is the main builder of the first development project for the extraction of new hydrocarbons in the Romanian Black Sea area. All stages, from design, manufacturing, shipping to the actual installation of the platform are performed in an integrated system by GSP.

The 1,300-tonne metal structure was shipped to the Ana field installation site by GSP Bigfoot 2. The operation was highly complex, employing a large part of the GSP fleet: the largest floating crane in the Black Sea, GSP Neptune, the GSP Bigfoot 1 multifunctional barge with a crew of 160, and several multi-purpose support vessels.

AGERPRES .
"It is such a rewarding feeling to see a new life arriving."

These were the words of Hilma Shikwambi as she spoke about her profession delivering babies.

Midwives like Shikwambi are mostly confined to the delivery room. They not only care for expectant mothers, but also provide information on sexual and reproductive health, family planning and antenatal care for newborn babies.

Good antenatal care plays a crucial role in health education among expectant mothers.

Shikwambi, who is the chairperson of the Independent Midwives Association of Namibia (Imana), urges expectant mothers to start antenatal care visits as early as at 16 weeks of pregnancy.

Midwives care for women during pregnancy and delivery, and also ensure that mothers receive respectful and well-resourced maternity care beyond childbirth. Shikwambi explained that midwifery and nursing are closely related and intertwined.

She says most mothers show up late for antenatal care.

"This is due to cultural or other beliefs, when the pregnancy is visible, or when facing pressure at home," she says.

She says inadequate care during the nine months of pregnancy and non-adherence to instructions given to expectant mothers can be detrimental to the pregnancy.

Shikwambi, who has been a clinical midwife since 2003, says a mother's trust in a midwife is the best medicine for a successful delivery.

One of the worst fears for midwives is receiving babies that may not survive, she says.

"I personally witnessed a maternal death, of which the direct cause one couldn't tell," she says.

Shikwambi further says midwives' skills do not only support and care for pregnant women, but educates, empower, and assist them to exercise their rights to sexual and reproductive health.

She says amid the Covid-19 pandemic, midwives risk their own lives to save pregnant women and newborns to ensure safe and healthy pregnancies.

She says a midwife is required to be well educated on Covid-19 as well.

She says midwives leave it up to expectant mothers to choose in which position to give birth, and who would be accompanying them. She also urges men to accompany their pregnant partners for their regular screening and check-ups in order to form a bond with their unborn baby.

Popyeni Shiwedha, a midwifery lecturer, told The Namibian about her experience in the delivery room.

"I remember I had a situation where the mother was not cooperating during the process of delivery. It always comes to mind that a mother would like to deliver a live baby, so it is always very challenging when the mother is not cooperating. This causes anxiety. In the end, midwives are blamed by the community [if something goes wrong]," she says.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Namibia Women Pregnancy and Childbirth By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

International Midwife Day is celebrated every year on 5 May to highlight the important role midwives play in the health of mothers, children, and their families.

Expectant mothers are advised to always monitor the movement of their foetus.

If there is no movement, urgent medical attention is needed.

The midwives association was established in 2014.

In 2017 Namibia's infant mortality rate was 39 deaths per 1 000 births, while there were 358 maternal deaths per 100 000 births, according to figures from the Namibia Statstics Agency.

Some of the contributors to maternal infant mortality are the long distances to health facilities, prolonged labour complications and a lack of skills.
Manitoba's vaccine task force has promised to do better after a week of glitches and setbacks.

Manitoba's vaccine task force has promised to do better after a week of glitches and setbacks.

The Manitoba government has said all eligible Manitobans who want the COVID-19 vaccine will get a single dose by the end of June  or as early as May 21 if there is a robust supply  as shipments from the federal government are set to increase substantially over the next 90 days.

Province taps WRHA employee to serve as new director of COVID-19 immunization clinics Click to Expand Two months after being hired as the provincial director of COVID-19 immunization clinics, Kurt Janzen is no longer overseeing clinic operations. Janzen, a long time employee of Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, was hired for the job in late January for a six to nine month term. The role primarily involved overseeing the workforce hired for the immunization campaign, scheduling, payroll management and co-ordinating services, a government spokesman previously told the Free Press. Premier Brian Pallister was asked about Janzen's status with the COVID-19 immunization campaign at a press conference on Wednesday but declined to comment, saying it was a human resources issue. "We can confirm that no one was removed from any role," a government spokesman said in a statement to the Free Press. Following Janzen's departure, the director position was immediately backfilled temporarily, and an employee with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has since been seconded to the role full-time, the spokesman said. The provincial director of COVID-19 immunization clinics reports to the operations lead for the COVID-19 vaccine implementation task force.

This week, Manitoba will receive 95,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including the largest single shipment to date: 54,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the United States.

Despite persistent delays at the mass vaccination clinic at the convention centre over the past week, Johanu Botha, co-lead for the task force, said everyone who went to the site and put up with lengthy lineups, received a shot on the day of their appointment.

"Its a complex machine and we will make it hum, but Id like to note that the RBC site is a part of a much larger system," Botha said. "We had supersites across this province administering doses, pop-ups reaching more remote Manitobans and focused immunization teams deploying to vulnerable Manitobans in congregate living facilities."

"While issues may arise in one part of our system, and well keep monitoring for them and address them, more and more Manitobans are being immunized every day," he said.

As of Wednesday, 199,322 doses had been given to people in Manitoba (including on First Nations), which accounts for about 80 per cent of the supply received from Ottawa. Over the next month, the provinces immunization network will have days where as many as 10,000 doses are administered, Botha said.

However, due to data entry backlogs at the Winnipeg vaccination clinic, the number of administered doses reported each day will be delayed 48 to 72 hours. Botha said his team is working to eliminate the backlog by adding data entry clerks.

The next shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine will again be administered at pharmacies and physicians' offices. This time around, 400 to 500 locations will receive doses.

Provincial officials did not specify Wednesday whether any doses would be allocated to homecare providers or prioritized for people who cannot easily leave their home.

"We are ramping up and planning to preposition all of the necessary supplies with our partners like we did last time, so we can hit the ground running," Botha said.

In the wake of safety concerns related to the AstraZeneca vaccine, following reports of a rare vaccine-induced blood clotting condition in Europe, the provinces medical lead for the COVID-19 task force again encouraged people who can receive the vaccine based on provincial eligibility criteria, to sign up for the shot.

"These vaccines are safe and effective and that particularly for people who are over 55, the risk of COVID, even the risk of blood clots due to COVID, is much greater than the risk of this very rare of blood clot with low platelets is from the AstraZeneca vaccine," Dr. Joss Reimer said.

"We wouldnt be offering this vaccine if we didnt believe that we were actually providing them with more benefit than we were risk," Reimer said.

Reimer said the current eligibility criteria for AstraZeneca which prioritized people under 65 years old with select medical conditions, but stops at anyone younger than 55 years old, in accordance with federal recommendations, ensures that those at highest risk of severe outcomes can access a vaccine.

"We dont expect to see this rare side-effect in Manitoba. But we certainly have already seen severe long lasting outcomes, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID and we want to provide people with a way to protect themselves as quickly as possible," Reimer said.

She said the province is taking a second look at its AstraZeneca eligibility criteria before releasing more doses to doctors and pharmacists, but will not offer the shot to people younger than 55.

Meanwhile, Botha said the task force is preparing for delays in receiving Moderna vaccines from the federal government.

A confirmed shipment of 28,000 doses of Moderna set to arrive next week has been delayed to at least April 12. Botha said the shipment could arrive as late as April 16. The province may be forced to reschedule pop-up clinics in rural and remote areas.

The province also intends to open a new mass vaccination clinic in each of the five health regions between mid-April and end of May, Botha said. The next supersite will be located in Winnipeg.

"The supply that we have confirmed coming in across Pfizer and Moderna is 40,000 a week," Botha said. "But its not enough to fill the capacity of our existing supersites so we have a bit of time to get the other ones up."

Planning is also underway to stage vaccination clinics in Winnipeg on a smaller, community level, over the next three months, he said.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  More than 100 firefighters battled a fire in a three-story Midland Beach house for two hours Wednesday night and one suffered serious injuries, a spokesman for the FDNY said.

The firefighters injuries were non-life threatening, the spokesman said, and one civilian suffered minor injuries but refused medical attention.

Firefighters responded to the call at 7:28 p.m. for the blaze at 1150 Mason Ave., the FDNY said.

Firefighters respond to a fire on Mason Avenue on Wednesday, March 31. (Staten Island Advance/Irene Spezzamonte)

The two-alarm fire was under control at 9:39 p.m., according to officials.

Twenty-five units and 106 firefighters responded, the FDNY said.
Travis Scott, the superstar rapper and Missouri City native, announced his new line of agave-spiked seltzer called CACTI in December 2020.

CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS: Travis Scott signs creative deal with Playstation

Now, I initially stated that the spiked drink sounded good, but if history is any indicator, I'm not sure why I allowed myself to believe that. After accepting defeat with the Travis Scott meal at McDonald's, I held out a little more hope for this.

Scott  along with Anheuser-Busch  debuted his new drink CACTI back in March. The drink comes in three flavors, and the brand prides itself on using "100% premium blue agave from Mexico."

Here's why you should steer clear of this failure at ranch water.

The fanfare behind the new popular drink is that it's flying off the shelves off the strength that Travis Scott's name is attached to it, not because the drink is actually tasty. Like most of his creative output, music or otherwise, its given monumental hype by fans, but actually has very little substance.

This also brings me to my next point: Another issue in getting a taste of this drink was actually being able to get my hands on it. Getting something with Travis Scott's name attached to it in the city of Houston was an adventure in itself.

GIVING BACK: Travis Scott gives back to Houston with winter relief drive

When I finally got my hands on the latest Travis Scott collaboration, I first cracked open a can of the lime-flavored drink, and I was immediately met with the smell of alcohol. It's important to note that while all spiked seltzers are bound to have a smell, the 7% ABV was definitely going to make an appearance.

After getting past the overbearing smell of alcohol, I was then met with a hard-to-place-my-finger-on aftertaste. What I struggled with most in trying to enjoy the drink was the "100% premium blue agave from Mexico," which attempts to make the drink sweeter but is drowned out by the alcohol.

I thought the forthcoming buzz from the drink's higher alcohol content might help me get over the aftertaste, but the buzz never came. I began to question myself: is it just me?

The other flavors  strawberry and pineapple proved to be a little tastier than the lime, but the drink itself was very underwhelming. To have such a high profile name attached, I would've expected some out-of-this-world, astronomical flavor. Alas, it was very basic.

Once you separate the big name from the drink, you'll realize that CACTI is very ordinary.
SINGAPORE, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The security and stability of the PlatON Giskard Consensus Protocol has been verified by Runtime Academic Level.

Runtime Verification has verified the security of PlatON Giskard Consensus Protocol through COQ certification assistant verification. According to the technical report released by Runtime Verification, the Giskard Consensus Protocol has demonstrated extremely high security and stability during the verification, laying a strong foundation for the good operation of the PlatON system.

Two parties, according to the requirements of extremely fine particle size, carried out "high pressure" verification to the Giskard consensus. The Giskard Consensus is the foundation and core of PlatON's global privacy computing network and distributed economy infrastructure. As the center of PlatON block chain ecological distributed network infrastructure, this consensus is mainly used to verify the transaction and operation in the PlatON network.

Given the complexity of the distributed system and the existence of bad network nodes, the traditional way to guarantee the security of consensus protocol by a single test is not enough to meet the current needs. Runtime Verification set up the Giskard model in COQ to demonstrate the coding and formal validation of several key security attributes of the protocol.

According to the evidence of machine verification, the key security attributes of the Giskard Consensus Protocol can support the implementation of the PlatON protocol stably even if there are bad nodes. At the same time, the results clearly illustrate the basic assumption of the Giskard consensus and demonstrate the reliability of the Giskard Consensus Protocol as the core component of the PlatON network infrastructure.

Gregory Russell, Chief Executive of Runtime Verification and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said: "We are honored to work with the PlatON team to model and formalize the Giskard protocol through COQ. Now we have confidence in the stable operation and implementation of this protocol, and also prove that the security of this protocol has reached the expected standard."

PlatON has been committed to the pursuit of technological progress and is convinced of the power of community intelligence. The project invites members of the community to study the formal verification report provided by Runtime Verification to delve into all aspects of the protocol and continue to help the Giskard protocol run safely and stably.

SOURCE PlatON
(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, APR 1 - Some 57.14% of the Italian population will have been vaccinated by the end of June, according to forecasts circulated at an EU ambassadors meeting Thursday, published by Bloomberg and confirmed by diplomatic sources.

The countries who will have vaccinated the most by the end of the second quarter will be Malta (93.10%) and Denmark (79.88%).

The countries who will have vaccinated the least will be the Czech Republic (44.33%) and Bulgaria (45.01%).

France will be on 58.16% and Germany on 61.04%.

The European Commission aims to vaccinate 70% of European adults by the end of August, and the data say this is achievable.

(ANSA).


[March 31, 2021] Starlight Hybrid Global Real Assets Trust (NEO: SCHG.UN) Reports Q4 & Year End 2020 Results

Starlight Investments Capital LP ("Starlight Capital"), on behalf of Starlight Hybrid Global Real Assets Trust (the "Trust"), announced today the Trust's financial results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2020. Q4 2020 & 2020 HIGHLIGHTS Portfolio Investments As at December 31, 2020, the Trust had an investment of $25,209,036 (December 31, 2019 - $32,617,601) in the Public Portfolio LP and $16,624,602 in three investments in the Private Portfolio (December 31, 2019 - $10,464,403 in two investments). The Public Portfolio LP had 57 investments (December 31, 2019 - 41 investments) with a market value of $23,907,534 (December 31, 2019 - $29,842,900) in publicly traded global real estate and infrastructure securities. The Public Portfolio LP's investment portfolio remains liquid and the Trust does not anticipate any issues in being able to meet the liquidity needs of the Public Portfolio LP or the Trust. Distributions On January 14, 2020, Starlight Capital announced the 2020 monthly distributions to unitholders of record for the Trust of $0.0433 per unit for a total gross distribution of $0.52 per unit per annum (2019 - $0.50 per unit per annum) representing a 4% increase from 2019. As at December 31, 2020, the Trust declared twelve distributions of $0.0433 per series A and C unit and six distributions of $0.0433 per series B and F unit for a total distribution of $0.5196 per unit and $0.2598 per unit for each series of units, respectively. In addition, the distributions declared included a component funded by the Trust's distribution reinvestment plan. Annual Redemption On June 29, 2020, 43,020 series A units, 10,483 series C units and 4,117 series F units were redeemed in accordance with the amended and restated declaration of trust ("DOT") at net asset value ("NAV"). Series A, series C and series F unitholders received redemption proceeds of $410,501, $104,791 and $40,772, respectively for total proceeds of $556,064 at a NAV per unit of $9.5498, $10.0075 and $9.9014, respectively. Q4 Redesignation of Units Series A units were redesignated as series C units and series C units were redesignated as series A units, at the option of the holder, in accordance with the DOT at NAV. On September 30, 2020, 330,823 series A units were redesignated as series C units with a NAV of $3,219,930. Series A unitholders received 315,828 series C units with a NAV per unit of $10.20 in exchange for 330,823 series A units with a NAV per unit of $9.73. In addition, 6,399 series C units were redesignated as series A units with a NAV of $65,231. Series C unitholders received 6,702 series A units with a NAV per unit of $9.73 in exchange for 6,399 series A units with a NAV per unit of $10.20. On December 31, 2020, 69,529 series A units were redesignated as series C units with a NAV of $694,195. Series A unitholders received 66,540 series C units with a NAV per unit of $10.43 in exchange for 69,529 series A units with a NAV per unit of $9.98. On January 14, 2021 the Trust announced that given the current number of outstanding series A units and series C units, redesignation requests of series A units into series C units are not currently being accepted by the Trust. The series A units are listed on the Exchange under the ticker SCHG.UN. Series C units are unlisted. Update on the Impact of COVID-19 On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 was a global pandemic. Governments around the world enacted a series of public health measures to combat the spread of the virus. These measures significantly curtailed economic output and business activity globally. Since the latter part of February 2020, financial markets have experienced significant volatility in response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in increased risks related to the portfolio issuers and fluctuations in NAV and NAV for each series of unit of the Trust. The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in increased infrastructure risk and real estate risk for the Trust. Further, public health crisis, including the ongoing health crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic, or relating to any other virus, flu, epidemic, pandemic or any other similar disease or illness could increase the Trust's risks related to the portfolio issuers, fluctuations in NAV and NAV or each series of unit of the Trust, infrastructure risk and real estate risk. In Q1 2020, the progressive shutdown of large global economies resulted in significant broad market selloffs of global equity markets causing declines in the public portfolio investment valuations and the Trust's NAV. Equity markets have experienced elevated volatility in the face of rising unemployment and sharply declining economic output. The public portfolio has also experienced elevated volatility as equity investors have sought liquidity and safety in the face of uncertainty. In addition to impacting the Trust's NAV, this may create difficulty in raising capital in equity markets, which could in turn adversely impact the Trust's strategy. Liquidity of the public portfolio has remained high and has not been materially impacted by COVID-19. As a result of COVID-19, trading volumes in the public portfolio have increased as the investment manager looks to take advantage of investment opportunities brought about by the elevated level of market volatility. While the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in unprecedented market volatility, the investment manager believes that the Trust's portfolio is well positioned to navigate through this challenging time. The Trust has not experienced any material distribution or dividend cuts from investments in the public portfolio or the private portfolio. As the public portfolio remains liquid, and although not expected, any distribution cuts made by portfolio investments resulting from COVID-19 or otherwise are not expected to have an impact on the Trust's ability to pay its monthly distributions given the liquid nature of the public portfolio and the Trust's ability to adjust its portfolio accordingly. The private portfolio has not experienced a significant impact from COVID-19 and no material changes to valuations have been required as a result of COVID-19. The public portfolio is currently positioned in sectors and geographies believed to be the most resilient during and after the COVID-19 outbreak and to realize significant upside potential upon an economic recovery. The investment manager continues to review the investment portfolio on a daily basis and remains committed to owning high-quality businesses with long term growth potential. Starlight Capital has implemented appropriate cautionary measures to ensure it is conducting business in a safe and effective manner (including, without limitation, limiting visits to their corporate office to essential personnel and ensuring proper protocols around sanitation and social distancing), and continues to diligently work with its service providers to remain operational through the pandemic. There can be no assurance that any actions taken will prevent the impact of COVID-19 on the Trust or Starlight Capital's employees or service providers. In response to the global pandemic, governments and central banks have reacted with significant monetary and fiscal stimulus programs designed to stabilize economic conditions. Governments have also declared emergencies requiring various restrictions such as stay at home orders, mandatory closures of certain types of businesses and reduced limits on social gatherings impacting businesses and economies. At this time the duration and magnitude of the COVID-19 outbreak is still unknown, as is the efficacy of the government and central bank interventions. While the initial distribution of vaccines has begun globally with the U.S. administering over 115 million doses and with over 12% of the U.S. population now vaccinated many governments continue to have emergency orders in place. It is impossible to forecast the duration and full scope of the economic impact of COVID-19 and other consequential changes it will have on the Trust's business, both in the short term and in the long term and will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of and the actions required to contain the COVID-19 pandemic or remedy its impact, among others. The investment portfolio could experience further volatility and market value declines, which could materially adversely impact the performance of the Trust, its NAV and its ability to raise capital. While the situation continues to evolve, the Trust is confident the tactical measures implemented to date will allow it to provide long-term value creation to unitholders. FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS







As at

December 31, 2020 As at

December 31, 2019 Current assets $41,885,611 $43,360,853 Current liabilities 307,282 397,109 Net assets attributable to holders of redeemable units per series Series A 10,249,932 15,216,599 Series B - 376,527 Series C 31,328,397 21,682,443 Series F - 5,688,175 $41,578,329 $42,963,744

ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE The Trust's financial performance and results of operations for the three months and the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are summarized below: Three months ended

December 31, 2020 Three months ended

December 31, 2019 Investment gain (loss) $1,713,435 $1,217,575 Expenses (129,453) (199,443) Net Investment income (loss) 1,583,982 1,018,132 Increase/(decrease) in net assets attributable to holders of redeemable units $1,583,982 $1,018,132 Year ended

December 31, 2020 Year ended

December 31, 2019 Investment gain (loss) $1,956,216 $4,651,234 Expenses (676,502) (565,327) Net Investment income (loss) 1,279,714 4,085,907 Increase/(decrease) in net assets attributable to holders of redeemable units $1,279,714 $4,085,907 Financial Information The Trust's audited annual financial statements, the notes thereto, and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three month period (Q4 2020) and the year ended December 31, 2020, can be found on Starlight Capital's website at www.starlightcapital.com or www.sedar.com. Certain statements in this document are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements ("FLS") are statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," or "estimate," or other similar expressions. Statements that look forward in time or include anything other than historical information are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results, actions or events could differ materially from those set forth in the FLS. FLS are not guarantees of future performance and are by their nature based on numerous assumptions. Although the FLS contained herein are based upon what Starlight Capital believe to be reasonable assumptions, Starlight Capital cannot be sure that actual results will be consistent with these FLS. The reader is cautioned to consider the FLS carefully and not to place undue reliance on FLS. Unless required by applicable law, it is not undertaken, and specifically disclaimed that there is any intention or obligation to update or revise FLS, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Starlight Hybrid Global Real Assets Trust The Trust's investment objective is to provide unitholders with stable monthly cash distributions and long-term capital appreciation through exposure to institutional quality real assets in the global real estate and global infrastructure sectors. About Starlight Capital and Starlight Investments Starlight Capital is an independent asset management firm offering mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, offering memorandum funds and structured products. Our goal is to deliver superior risk adjusted returns to investors through a disciplined investment approach, Focused Business Investing. Starlight Capital is a wholly owned subsidiary of Starlight Investments. Starlight Investments is a privately held, full service, real estate investment and asset management company. The firm manages over $20.0 billion of assets on behalf of institutional joint ventures as well as publicly listed REITs, closed-end funds and investment funds and is driven by an experienced team of over 300 professionals. Please visit us at www.starlightcapital.com and connect with us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006038/en/

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Last years Good Friday and Easter were not celebrated because of the lockdown. (Representational image/DC file photo)

Hyderabad: Christians across the state are disappointed as they would be spending the Good Friday and Easter services this weekend at their homes, instead of at churches, following strict instructions from the government against congregations at places of worship.

The curbs are in force due to the fresh rise in Covid-19 cases in the state.

For Christians, the Holy-week follows the 40 days of Lent that ends with Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. This is the day when the devout have the Lords Supper. The next day is Good Friday, the day when Chirst was crucified, which is followed by Easter on Sunday marking the day of Chirsts resurrection.

However, the decision against congregations at places of worship, as per GO issued on March 27, came as Covid-19 cases in the country rose over the past few weeks. The GO sid public celebrations of festivals should not be allowed till April 30.

Many Christians are deeply upset over the decision and are questioning the government as to why so when cinema halls are permitted to exhibit movies with full strength audiences, commercial malls are allowed to conduct business as usual, and no restrictions are in place for pubs and bars.

Why cant they allow the churches have congregations during this holy times? Churches are maintaining all the Covid-19 safety protocols. Good-Friday holds more prominence for all Christians. There has been a Christian leaders representation to the chief secretary of Telangana, seeking a waiver.

According to Church representatives, the government is looking into the matter.

Sis Joy Cherian of the United Fellowship Church said: The congregation is disappointed by the decision taken by the state government. We have been fasting and praying during the 40-day Lent. On Good Friday, special prayers take place. The government should reconsider its decision, as churches have been following all the safety protocols so far.

Kusumalatha, a member of John Wesley church, Goutam Nagar Malkajgiri, said Its very saddening as Maundy Thursday and good Friday are important for Christians. The government should have allowed churches to function normally at least on these days.

Peter Jadalula, a senior manager at a private firm, said Last years Good Friday and Easter were not celebrated because of the lockdown. Now, all the commercial establishments are allowed to function normally. Why cant the government allow the festival with minimum presence?

Robert Surya Prakash, general secretary for United Christmas celebration committee, said, We, along with a few Christian heads, approached the chief secretary, requested him to reconsider the government decision and allow the Good Friday service. We also explained to the CS how churches have been scrupulously following all the Covid-19 precautions ever since the lockdown was eased.
Indian actress Priyanka Chopra attends the THR Power Business Managers Breakfast on Oct. 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, Calif. The photo on the right was among the photos that Chopra posted of her new Indian restaurant in New York City called Sona, helmed by Indian American chef Hari Nayak. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for THR; Priyanka Chopra/Twitter photo)
A study finds almost 60% of adult patients who needed to be hospitalized for injuries eventually go back to work. Yet they're more likely to be physically disabled and financially strained.

Close to 60% of working adults who were hospitalized as a result of an injury had returned to their jobs after being discharged, according to a recent study in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.

However, more than half of the patients in the study's sample were in medical debt, and close to a quarter forwent additional care to save money. Compared to those who were not injured, patients were also more likely to experience food insecurity, physical disability, and difficulty affording and accessing health care.

The research team, which included several Michigan Medicine physicians, analyzed data from the 2008-2017 National Health Interview Surveys to investigate the long-term effects of injury.

Trauma patients had filled out these surveys an average of about seven weeks after they were discharged.

Whether patients have begun to work again after hospitalization can be an important indicator that they're healthy enough to resume their typical, pre-injury lifestyles. Yet, until the researchers conducted this study, no one had illustrated return-to-work rates on a national scale.

"This metric equips us to understand a patient's lived experience beyond us treating them in the hospital," says Pooja U. Neiman, M.D., M.P.A., a research fellow at the University of Michigan's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and a general surgery resident at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Today, the overwhelming majority of trauma patients survive to be discharged, which allows us to think bigger and say, 'Hey, this is a patient's life I'm trying to save. It's not just their beating heart.'"

Neiman noted that more research needs to be done to explain this paper's results.

For instance, the relatively high return-to-work rate could indicate that people are receiving enough quality follow-up care to recover quickly -- or it could mean they're starting to work before they're medically ready, out of financial concerns.

"We see this paper as an initial spotlight on the issue," Neiman says. "But unanswered questions remain. More studies are needed to inform the end policy that best gets people back to work and financially whole after their injury."

Further investigation is needed to discern racial and ethnic risk factors as well. Initially, the study found that non-Hispanic Black patients returned to work after hospitalization at a far lower rate than their white counterparts. When the researchers adjusted their model for factors such as income, education, and health insurance, however, the racial link vanished -- suggesting that issues of structural racism could be the source of the disparity. Neiman is involved in a follow-up study that will try to tease apart those racial differences by examining environmental influences, such as housing, on return-to-work rates.

###
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 04:32:44|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkey set a new record of daily spike in COVID-19 cases with 40,806 new infections confirmed on Thursday. Meanwhile, Yemen reported a sudden spike in its COVID-19 cases.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey surged to 3,357,988 on Thursday, while its death toll climbed by 176 to 31,713, according to Turkish Health Ministry.

The tally of recoveries from the infectious disease rose by 20,817 to 3,035,043 in Turkey, the ministry said.

Health authorities in Yemen on Thursday reported a sudden surge in the daily confirmed coronavirus cases in the war-torn country.

Around 174 new infections were reported during the last 24 hours in the provinces controlled by the government, raising the caseload to 4,531, Yemeni Health Ministry said.

The ministry also reported 18 new deaths from the coronavirus, raising the COVID-19 death toll in Yemen to 906, while the total recoveries remained at 1,682.

On Wednesday, Yemen received its first shipment of 360,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shipped through the COVAX. This is part of 1.9 million doses of vaccines that Yemen will receive in 2021.

Iran reported 11,750 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, raising its nationwide caseload to 1,897,314.

The pandemic has so far claimed 62,759 lives in Iran, up by 94 in the past 24 hours, while a total of 1,626,144 people have recovered from the disease and 3,989 remained in intensive care units.

The Iranian health authorities on Thursday warned against any mass gatherings outdoors on Iran's Nature Day, which falls on Friday.

Iraq's Ministry of Health reported 6,015 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total nationwide infections to 856,939. It also reported 37 new deaths, raising the COVID-19 death toll in Iraq to 14,360, while the total recoveries climbed by 4,536 to 764,096.

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 367 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed tally in the country to 833,407. The death toll from the virus rose by 15 to 6,218, while the total recoveries in Israel soared by 1,080 to 820,644.

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel has surpassed 5.25 million, or 56.5 percent of its total population, since the vaccination campaign began on Dec. 20, 2020.

Jordan announced 6,482 new COVID-19 cases and 82 more deaths from the disease, bringing its tally of infections to 618,059 and its death toll to 6,940. The total number of recoveries in Jordan surged by 7,354 to 520,498.

Morocco registered 579 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total cases in the North African country to 496,676, the health ministry said.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 483,711 after 348 new ones were added, while the death toll rose by seven to 8,825.

Lebanon recorded 3,562 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total number of infections to 471,962, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.

The number of deaths from the virus increased by 52 to 6,286 in Lebanon, which announced a 3-day total lockdown for the Easter holiday starting Saturday to prevent further increase in COVID-19 infections.

Algeria reported 112 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed number in the North African country to 117,304. The death toll from the virus rose by three to 3,096 in Algeria, while the tally of recoveries increased by 94 to 81,632.

Kuwaiti Health Ministry reported 1,418 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 233,521. It also confirmed six more fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,319, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,293 to 217,873.

The Qatari health ministry announced 840 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total confirmed number in the Gulf state to 180,804. It also reported four more deaths from the disease, taking its death toll to 295, while the total recoveries climbed by 423 to 164,544.

In Oman, the health ministry reported 800 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed cases in the sultanate to 160,018. It also registered three more deaths, taking its death toll to 1,681, while its total recoveries from the virus climbed by 673 to 144,639. Enditem
She is always up-to-date with the latest fashion trends.

And Ashley Roberts stood out from the crowd in a 375 lime green jumper and hot pink trousers on Thursday as she arrived at Global Radio Studios in London.

The former Pussycat Dolls star, 39, provided a pop of colour with her vibrant ensemble as she strutted inside the Leicester Square building ahead of her Heart FM show.

Electrifying: Ashley Roberts stood out from the crowd in a 375 lime green jumper and hot pink trousers on Thursday as she arrived at Global Radio Studios in London

Contrasting against the dreary British weather, Ashley teamed her vinyl Fiorucci trousers with neon green stilettos.

Her long-sleeve sweatshirt from Markus Lupfer featured a cherry graphic and complemented her pointed shoes.

The radio host styled her signature blonde locks in trendy pigtails while rocking full coverage make-up.

She framed her visage with futuristic shades as she effortlessly smiled and clutched her mobile phone.

Striking: The former Pussycat Dolls star, 39, provided a pop of colour with her vibrant ensemble as she strutted inside the Leicester Square building ahead of her Heart FM show

Boost her petite frame: Contrasting against the dreary British weather, Ashley teamed her vinyl Fiorucci trousers with neon green stilettos

Ashley made sure to capture her eye-catching look to social media. Adding a heart background filter, the singing sensation pranced around the Heart FM studio space.

She also uploaded a snap from Amanda Holden's Instagram account, as her co-host, 50, wowed in a rainbow printed dress complete with a plunging neckline. The post was captioned: 'Easter vibes'.

The Don't Cha hitmaker recently spoke out about The Pussycat Dolls' future plans after they returned with React - their first song in a decade - in 2020.

Ashley revealed they will release more tracks before their tour, which is currently set for May after being postponed due to the pandemic.

The former Strictly star told the Heart Showbiz Hub podcast: 'We'll definitely do new music. We've got to get in the studio and make that happen.'

Whale of a time: Ashley made sure to capture her eye-catching look to social media. Adding a heart background filter, the singing sensation pranced around the Heart FM studio space

'Easter vibes': She also uploaded a snap from Amanda Holden's Instagram account, as her co-host, 50, wowed in a rainbow printed dress complete with a plunging neckline

She also touched on the coronavirus pandemic, telling listeners that it meant now was the perfect time for her and her bandmates to start working on new singles.

The media personality added: 'Especially now with having Miss Rona (coronavirus) step in, we've got time.

'We want to get people ramped up and excited again before we go out on tour, which, who knows when that will be.'

The Pussycat Dolls - consisting of Ashley, Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberly Wyatt, Carmit Bachar and Jessica Sutta - announced their music comeback back in 2019.

The band have had to reschedule their reunion tour twice amid the coronavirus pandemic.
[April 01, 2021] Peter Drucker Society Europe Appoints Sunil Prashara of Project Management Institute to International Advisory Board

Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Peter Drucker Society Europe today announced the launch of a strategic partnership in which PMI President and CEO Sunil Prashara will join the Drucker Society International Advisory Board. The Peter Drucker Society Europe is a non-profit organization that seeks to advance a critical, international dialogue between management practitioners, academics, and other stakeholders. Their mission is to give a new voice to management in all sectors of society, thus contributing to the continuous improvement of the practice of management. This partnership will complement PMI's role as the world's leading association for project professionals and changemakers. "Both organizations are non-profit entities with the shared objective of improving the practice of management in every area of society, from government and public sector to private and not-for-profit bodies," said Richard Straub, founder and president of the Global Peter Drucker Forum, the annual conference organized by the Drucker Society Europe. "We are enabling millions of project leaders and changemakers to make important contributions to the world," Prashara said. "PMI's mission-to enable individuals to make ideas reality-aligns perfectly with Peter Drucker's legacy of rigorous thought leadership around management as a systematic discipline entailing research, teaching, and practice. I see the Drucker Forum as a key platform and partner for raising awareness of the fundamental importance of management in building functioning modern societies." In support of their mission, the Peter Drucker Society Europe has designated the Global Peter Drucker Forum as a strategic initiative. The forum is an international management conference held annually in Peter Drucker's home city of Vienna, Austria, and is often hailed as the "Davos of Management," as it has become one of the leading management conferences in Europe. The Global Peter Drucker Forum 2021 is centered on the theme of "The Human Imperative: Navigating Uncertainty in the Digital Age." Forum stakeholders will take part in a range of discussion on ways to resolve tensions between technocratic and humanistic approaches to crisis, to arrive t a synthesis of "change and continuity."



### About Project Management Institute

Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world's leading professional association for a growing global community of millions of project professionals and changemakers worldwide. As the world's leading authority on project management, PMI empowers people to make ideas a reality. Through global advocacy, networking, collaboration, research, and education. PMI prepares organizations and individuals at every stage of their career journey to work smarter so they can drive success in a world of change. Building on a proud legacy dating to 1969, PMI is a "for-purpose" organization working in nearly every country around the world to advance careers, strengthen organizational success, and enable changemakers with new skills and ways of working to maximize their impact. PMI offerings include globally recognized standards, certifications, online courses, thought leadership, tools, digital publications, and communities. Visit us at https://www.pmi.org/, www.projectmanagement.com , https://www.linkedin.com/company/pminstitute , www.facebook.com/PMInstitute , and on Twitter. About Peter Drucker Society Europe Initiative The Peter Drucker Society Europe is a practitioner-led, multi-stakeholder group that builds on Peter Drucker's fundamental ideas and ideals with the aim of contributing to the evolution of management as a vital piece of a functioning modern society. Each year, the Drucker Society Europe hosts the Global Peter Drucker Forum, a crystallizing event where decision makers convene to discuss the future of management in a pragmatic and solution-oriented manner. To fulfil its mission, the Peter Drucker Society Europe has established legally and financially independent nonprofit Drucker Society chapters in Austria, London, Barcelona and Mannheim. Please note that The Drucker 1996 Literary Works Trust is the owner of the service marks "Peter Drucker", "Peter F. Drucker" and "Drucker". Learn more at www.druckerforum.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005059/en/

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EXCLUSIVE: Perfect news for an April Fool's!

Three Mischief shows will be embarking on UK tours from July 2021, it has been revealed.

Magic Goes Wrong, created by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields with Las Vegas magicians Penn and Teller and directed by Adam Meggido, will open at Curve, Leicester on 16 July before visiting The Lowry in Salford, Eastbourne Congress Theatre, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Leeds Grand, Southampton Mayflower and Bath Theatre Royal.

Mischief's original award-winning hit The Play That Goes Wrong will return for its fourth UK tour, opening at Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury on 13 July. It will then visit Cheltenham Everyman, Bath Theatre Royal, The Lowry in Salford, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Eastbourne Congress Theatre and Edinburgh Kings. The touring production is directed by Sean Turner.

Completing the triple, their West End comedy Groan Ups will open at Theatre Royal Bath on 12 August. From there, it will visit the Lowry in Salford, Chester Storyhouse, Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud, Edinburgh's King's, Cheltenham Everyman, Cardiff New Theatre, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Wolverhampton Grand, Norwich Theatre Royal, Southampton Mayflower and Aylesbury Waterside. Written by Lewis, Sayer and Shields, the show is directed by Kirsty Patrick Ward.

Casting, full creative teams and further dates into 2022 for all shows will be unveiled at a later date.

Producer Kenny Wax said: "Our priority over the past year has been to help kick start the industry in any way we can and we're delighted to be mounting three Mischief shows on tour, working together with the regional venues to welcome audiences back into theatres nationwide. We hope to provide much needed work to the many actors, stage managers, technicians and creatives."

The Play That Goes Wrong will recommence its West End season later this summer, while Magic Goes Wrong is set to return to the West End in October.

All three shows will set after the current restrictions are set to end. TIckets are on sale now via the Mischief Comedy website
Unique Financing Model for Peak Innovation Park Aims to Spur Job Growth and Economic Development for Region

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- D.A. Davidson & Co. has sold approximately $45 million of limited tax general obligation senior and subordinate bonds for the continued development of Peak Innovation Park located in Colorado Springs, Colo. The financings will fund critical infrastructure for the project, and bring significant technological and aeronautic innovation, employment and economic growth to the City of Colorado Springs.

At full build-out, the Peak Innovation Park will encompass more than 900 acres with more than 12 million square-feet of customized commercial space including a new state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) facility for Aerospace Corporation (COS-2), Amazon fulfillment and distribution centers, offices with a focus on aerospace, defense, cybersecurity and technology tenants, hotels and industrial uses.

This is a significant project for Colorado Springs business communities and surrounding regions, with Peak Innovation Park representing the largest speculative office complex built in this city since 2001, said Brooke Hutchens, managing director at D.A. Davidson. Thanks to our financing model and ability to create strong partnerships involving the City, Peak Metropolitan District and Urban Frontier, D.A. Davidson has turned this vision into a reality. We are honored to be involved in this project and look forward to the positive impact that Peak Innovation Park will bring to its communities.

Urban Frontier is the developer of the project. The developer entered into a Master Developer Agreement with the City of Colorado Springs by and through its enterprise, the Colorado Springs Airport providing a unique model for partnership between the airport and the Metropolitan District to fund public infrastructure on site. The Metropolitan District contains 485 acres within Peak Innovation Park, a commercial development located directly south of Colorado Springs Airport.

Peak Innovation Park is situated within a federal opportunity zone, a state enterprise zone and a local commercial aeronautical zone that include certain tax breaks and incentives tied to employment levels. Within these zones, investors can defer capital gains taxes on the sale of stocks, business assets or property by investing in certain qualified investment funds called Opportunity Funds.

"Colorado Springs is a reputable hub for industries across aerospace, defense, information technology, cybersecurity, healthcare, and more, with hundreds of manufacturers in the region. The continued development of Peak Innovation Park will likely attract additional Fortune 500 companies, national business operations and a highly educated workforce, said Garrett Baum, managing partner at Urban Frontier. Given its close proximity to the Colorado Springs Airport, business centers and access to nearby interstates and city centers, the Peak Innovation Park is primed for strong economic activity and continued connection among industries nationwide. We appreciate the financial models in place and our partnership with D.A. Davidson, both of which have made this project possible.

Representing the first of a two-phased development timeline on the larger 900-acre site the property, upon completion, the development property plans to include the following projects, several of which are already under construction:

Aerospace Corporation will deliver a second state-of-the-art, close to 90,000 square-foot research and development facility.

An approximately 278,000 square-feet facility.

Two office properties leased to a Denver-based commercial developer, the first phase consisting of nearly 215,000 square-feet, intended for aviation and space-related uses by design, and the second phase consisting of approximately 240,000 square-feet, intended for traditional office uses.

Several small pad retail sites intended for a mix of restaurant and retail uses.

Approximately 550,000 square-feet of speculative industrial space for warehouse, storage and related usage.

Two hotel properties to accommodate residents, visitors and the local workforce.

These early-stage bond transactions were managed by the Special District Group at D.A. Davidson, comprised of 15 individuals exclusively dedicated to financing public infrastructure across the country. The group has extensive transaction experience, with more than 100 transactions and more than $2 billion of par amount issued in the past year.

D.A. Davidson & Co.s Fixed Income Capital Markets group is a national leader in raising capital through fixed income banking, distribution and depository strategy. With 33 locations in 19 states, the group is consistently ranked among the top firms in the country. The fixed income team serves new issue clients in public finance and taxable debt issuance, and maintains a diverse sales and trading group interacting with taxable and tax-exempt investors including banks, credit unions, insurance companies, bond funds, money managers and trust companies.

About D.A. Davidson Companies

D.A. Davidson Companies is an employee-owned financial services firm offering a range of financial services and advice to individuals, corporations, institutions and municipalities nationwide. Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Montana, with corporate offices in Denver, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle, the company has approximately 1,400 employees and offices in 27 states.

Subsidiaries include: D.A. Davidson & Co., the largest full-service investment firm headquartered in the Northwest, providing wealth management, investment banking, equity and fixed income capital markets services, and advice; Davidson Investment Advisors, a professional asset management firm; D.A. Davidson Trust Company, a trust and wealth management company; and Davidson Fixed Income Management, a registered investment adviser providing fixed income portfolio and advisory services.

For more information, visit dadavidson.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331005154/en/

Media Contact

Julia Bulotti

dovetail solutions for D.A. Davidson

(916) 605-6883

jbulotti@dovetailsolutions.com

Source: D.A. Davidson & Co.
SITA has launched WorldTracer Lost and Found Property, an artificial intelligence-enabled solution that solves a million-dollar headache for the air transport industry: how to quickly return items left behind on aircraft or in airports to their owners.

Every year passengers leave millions of items  including phones, wallets and bags  on planes and in airports, costing the industry millions of dollars in repatriation costs. It can cost up to $95 to manage and repatriate a lost item, including registration, handling inquiries and customer calls, storage and postage.

Leveraging SITAs WorldTracer solution, which is used in 2,200 airports by the majority of the worlds airlines, Lost and Found Property cuts the cost of repatriating lost items by 90 per cent. Airline employees can register a found item, create a missing item report, and validate a match in under two minutes. The solution also dramatically speeds up the time taken to find and return found items, with 60 per cent of these items returned within the first 48 hours.

The process of handling lost property today is also still largely manual. Multiple stakeholders are involved, and very often the airline lacks control or visibility of the entire chain of events. Further complicating this manual process is the protracted time taken to match an item to a missing report. Passengers can now register a claim using their mobile device in a matter of seconds to report, pay for and organise repatriation as well as track their item at every step.

Using cutting-edge technology such as computer vision, machine learning and natural language processing, WorldTracer Lost and Found Property searches a global database of images and descriptions to match the found item to a missing item report. The solution uses image recognition to identify details such as brand, material and color of the missing item. It is also recognises similar words in the description to make a definitive match.

The airline can then immediately notify the owner and have the item returned to them. The passenger and the airline have full visibility of the process through the WorldTracer portal no matter where in the world the item was lost, a feature that is expected to significantly improve passenger satisfaction.

David Lavorel, CEO SITA AT AIRPORTS & BORDERS, said: WorldTracer is a great example of how SITA continues to evolve its portfolio to meet the changing demands of the industry. For almost three decades WorldTracer has helped to successfully trace mishandled bags. Now, using new technology, we are adding further value by helping the industry be more efficient and reduce costs around lost items at a time when it is most needed. - TradeArabia News Service
Electric car battery maker Britishvolt could go public in the US in another blow to the London Stock Market.

The company, which is building the UKs first giant battery factory in Northumberland, is weighing up whether to list on Wall Street through a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) deal.

This means it would be taken over by a type of investment vehicle known as a Spac, which would allow the company to skip the usual hurdles in a traditional float.

Gigaplant: An artist's impression of the British Volt factory in Blyth, Northumberland which is currently under construction

Britishvolt is keen to raise money through the stock market to help fund its 2.6billion Gigafactory that will employ around 3,000 people.

But bypassing London would represent a major loss for British investors who are keen to back one of the flagship projects in the UKs green industrial revolution.

Britishvolt is a central part of Prime Minister Boris Johnsons eco plans and will help the country stay at the forefront of the electric car market  as well as lessening the reliance on foreign battery makers.

Britishvolt is planning to start producing batteries in 2023. The company has hired bankers, Barclays and Guggenheim Capital, to investigate a Spac merger and the deal could happen by the end of June.

Britishvolt is aiming to raise as much as 100million this month in a funding round, which Barclays is advising on.

Although it has not signed up any car makers as customers yet, its services will be in high demand because the UK has banned sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

Ministers have set aside 1billion to help build battery factories and Britishvolt has applied for some of that cash and is waiting to hear back.

Brtishvolt co-founder and chief executive Orral Nadjari said the company has had fruitful conversations with the Government and added that state funding is critical for large industrial investment such as Britishvolt.

A surge in Spac mergers has led to the biggest boom in deal-making since 1980. Takeovers and tie-ups worth 1 trillion were agreed during the first three months of the year, according to data from Refinitiv.

Spacs are similar to cash shell companies  they are listed groups that have cash available with the express intention to buy firms.

This is a quicker process for private companies to go public and means they can avoid scrutiny, such as opening up their books, that would come with a float.

More than a quarter of the deals in the US so far this year have been Spacs, notably online broker Etoro, and in the past companies such as Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic have used them to join the market.

Britishvolts former boss, Lars Carlstrom, quit in December after it emerged he was convicted of tax fraud in Sweden more than 20 years ago.
All amounts expressed in US dollars

TORONTO, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Despite the challenges posed by the global Covid-19 pandemic, Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) (Barrick) has emerged even stronger and made significant progress towards becoming the worlds most valued gold company since its transformational merger with Randgold Resources only two years ago, says Executive Chairman John Thornton in the companys 2021 Information Circular published today and available now at www.barrick.com/agm and also filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and EDGAR (www.sec.gov).



Led by President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Bristow, the Barrick team built on 2019s excellent performance by capitalizing fully on the higher gold price, delivering on the companys production guidance, and ending 2020 with one of the industrys strongest balance sheets. Barrick increased the quarterly dividend three-fold since the announcement of the merger in September 2018 and proposes to return $750 million in surplus funds to shareholders through a return of capital over the course of 2021, as described in the Information Circular.

Bristow said a company that was burdened by net debt of more than $13 billion as recently as 2013 now had zero net debt, no significant maturities for the next 10 years and a robust balance sheet, with strong liquidity consisting of $5.2 billion in cash and an undrawn $3 billion credit facility.

Efficient operations and effective management enabled us to capitalize fully on the higher gold and copper prices and to pass the rewards on to our investors as well as our community stakeholders. These achievements were produced on the foundation of a solid 10-year plan built on a great asset base, a fit-for-purpose structure and management teams that more than lived up to our best people mantra, he said.

In the Information Circular, Lead Independent Director Brett Harvey emphasized that the Board believes good corporate governance is foundational to Barricks long-term success and that the Boards work is guided by three core principles: stakeholder engagement, feedback from fellow owners, and applying rigorous oversight to each aspect of the business including pandemic-related risks. The Board was closely involved with Barricks response to the Covid-19 pandemic and effectively managed and mitigated the impact of the pandemic on Barricks people, business, and communities. Operating responsibly, however, is not something new for Barrick. Barrick has set the sustainability standard for the industry as the first mining company to publish a Sustainability Scorecard as part of its annual sustainability report last April.

The Information Circular also highlights Board renewal and an increase in diversity including gender diversity since the merger. During these two years Barrick has added two new Directors to the Board of ten. They are highly qualified women who were identified through a rigorous search and selection process overseen by the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee: Ms Loreto Silva, who has significant expertise in large-scale infrastructure projects and wide-ranging experience in legal and government affairs with a specific focus on South America; and Ms Anne Kabagambe, whose perspective on doing business internationally is informed by her experience in engaging with governments, the private sector and civil society as well as her knowledge of the global resource, banking, and education sectors through her previous role as an Executive Director of the World Bank representing the interests of 22 Sub-Saharan African countries. In addition, the Board has approved amendments to Barricks Diversity Policy to include an aspirational target for women to represent at least 30% of directors by the end of 2022. The Information Circular notes that the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee is currently searching for an additional compelling and qualified female candidate to appoint to the Board.

The Information Circular also highlights Barricks executive compensation policies and programs, noting that they are designed to reward sustained, industry-leading performance delivery and to drive accountability through share ownership: as meaningful shareholders, the executive team is focused on and invested in Barricks long-term value creation. Barricks cornerstone Performance Granted Share Unit (PGSU) Plan was updated to accelerate employee share ownership through a phased vesting schedule and to provide access to awards, subject to the achievement of market-leading performance requirements. To reinforce Barricks commitment to maintaining market-leading share ownership requirements, Barricks partners are now required to hold at least 50% of their minimum share ownership requirement in actual Barrick shares. In addition, 25% of all PGSU awards have been linked to Barricks sustainability performance, as assessed by its industry-leading Sustainability Scorecard, and 10% to the evolution of the companys human capital strategy.

Due to the ongoing unprecedented public health concerns related to the global pandemic and to mitigate health risks to all stakeholders, Barrick will again hold its 2021 Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders entirely online. The company will monitor the situation closely and provide a physical location if conditions allow. The Information Circular details how to attend, participate, and vote at the virtual meeting.

Barricks 2021 Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders will be held on May 4, 2021 at

10:00 am (Toronto time) at web.lumiagm.com/492500406. A live webcast of the meeting will also be available at www.barrick.com/agm.

Enquiries:

Mark Bristow

President and CEO

+1 647 205 7694

+ 44 788 071 1386

Graham Shuttleworth

Senior EVP and CFO

+1 647 262 2095

+44 779 771 1338

Kathy du Plessis

Investor and Media Relations

+44 20 7557 7738

Email: barrick@dpapr.com

Website: www.barrick.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

Certain information contained or incorporated by reference in this press release, including any information as to our strategy, projects, plans or future financial or operating performance, constitutes forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words continue, propose, project, opportunity, growth, believe, expect, will, can, could, would and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, with respect to: Barricks vision to be the worlds most valued gold company; forward-looking production guidance including with respect to Barricks 10-year gold production profile and balance sheet; the proposed return of capital distribution, including the timing and amount of the distribution; the anticipated benefits of Barricks sustainability strategy, Board diversity initiatives, and approach to executive compensation; Barricks long-term growth opportunities and potential value to be realized from those opportunities; and the Companys intention to make a physical location available on May 4, 2021 for the Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders if circumstances related to Covid-19 allow.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions including material estimates and assumptions related to the factors set forth below that, while considered reasonable by the Company as at the date of this press release in light of managements experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, copper or certain other commodities (such as silver, diesel fuel, natural gas and electricity); the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; changes in mineral production performance, exploitation and exploration successes; risks associated with projects in the early stages of evaluation and for which additional engineering and other analysis is required; disruption of supply routes which may cause delays in construction and mining activities at Barricks more remote properties; diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; increased costs, delays, suspensions and technical challenges associated with the construction of capital projects; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities, including geotechnical challenges and disruptions in the maintenance or provision of required infrastructure and information technology systems; failure to comply with environmental and health and safety laws and regulations; non-renewal of key licences by governmental authorities, including non-renewal of Porgeras Special Mining Lease; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls or regulations and/or changes in the administration of laws, policies and practices; expropriation or nationalization of property and political or economic developments in Canada, the United States and other jurisdictions in which the Company or its affiliates do or may carry on business in the future; timing of receipt of, or failure to comply with, necessary permits and approvals; uncertainty whether some or targeted investments and projects will meet the Companys capital allocation objectives and internal hurdle rate; lack of certainty with respect to foreign legal systems, corruption and other factors that are inconsistent with the rule of law; risks associated with illegal and artisanal mining; risks associated with new diseases, epidemics and pandemics, including the effects and potential effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic; damage to the Companys reputation due to the actual or perceived occurrence of any number of events, including negative publicity with respect to the Companys handling of environmental matters or dealings with community groups, whether true or not; the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Companys expectations; risk of loss due to acts of war, terrorism, sabotage and civil disturbances; litigation; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties, or over access to water, power and other required infrastructure; our ability to successfully integrate acquisitions or complete divestitures; risks associated with working with partners in jointly controlled assets; employee relations including loss of key employees; increased costs and physical risks, including extreme weather events and resource shortages, related to climate change; and availability and increased costs associated with mining inputs and labor. Barrick also cautions that its 2021 guidance may be impacted by the unprecedented business and social disruption caused by the spread of Covid-19. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and gold bullion, copper cathode or gold or copper concentrate losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks).

Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can affect our actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Specific reference is made to the most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the SEC and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities for a more detailed discussion of some of the factors underlying forward-looking statements and the risks that may affect the companys ability to achieve the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
People fill out their ballots at a polling center on Election Day in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, on Nov. 3, 2020. (Bryan Woolston/TPX Images of the Day/Reuters)

Kentucky Lawmakers Pass Easy to Vote, Hard to Cheat Election Reform Bill

Kentucky lawmakers passed an election reform bill on Monday night with wide 91-3 bipartisan support to expand voting access and strengthen election security protections.

My campaign slogan was make it easy to vote and hard to cheat, and this bill does both, Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams told Courier-Journal.

The bill has been delivered to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and awaits his signature to become law.

Running clean elections should not be a partisan issue, Adams said in a statement. I hope Governor Beshear will tune out the extremists in his party and sign this commonsense legislation.

The bill, HB 574 (pdf), allows three days of in-person early votingincluding a Saturdaybefore Election Day. It allows people to cure or fix any rejected absentee ballots.

Republican lawmakers had turned down proposals for weeks of early in-person voting, eventually accepting three days of in-person early voting as a compromise with Democrats.

The bill would also allow counties to establish vote centers, where any voter in the county can vote regardless of the precinct in which they are registered. It would maintain an online portal for voters to request a mail-in ballot.

As to election security, the bill requires counties to gradually phase out electronic-only voting systems and switch to equipment that can process paper ballots. The bill also instructs state election officials to remove nonresident voters from voter rolls, and expressly prohibits and penalizes ballot harvesting.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kentucky had prohibitions for early voting by mail or in-person, with some stringent exceptions.

During the general election last year, multiple weeks of early in-person voting were allowed to prevent a crush of Election Day voting.

Former President Trump won Kentucky in the general election last year.

Voting stations are set up in the South Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center for voters to cast their ballot in the Kentucky primary in Louisville, Ky., on June 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

The end result makes our commonwealth a great example of what can be done to improve election integrity while still allowing appropriate access to Kentucky voters, Republican House Speaker David Osborne said, praising efforts of bill sponsors to reach out to interest groups and lawmakers for finding common ground.

The state House first passed the bill on Feb. 26. The state Senate passed the bill on March 16 with some amendments. The House passed these amendments on Monday with wide support in a 91-3 vote. Republicans lead both chambers of the Commonwealth legislature and have the supermajority to override the governors veto.

Democratic Gov. Beshear didnt announce if he would sign the bill. His office didnt respond immediately to a request from The Epoch Times for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath pictured in his office in Merrion St. Photo: Frank McGrath

The Minister for Public Expenditure has urged EU critics to lay off Irelands corporate tax strategy, putting their negativity down to envy.

If were to be honest, Ireland is viewed with a degree of envy across the European Union because of the remarkable success we continue to have in foreign direct investment, Michael McGrath told video conference yesterday.

The 12.5pc corporate tax rate here to stay, it is the bedrock of our foreign direct investment strategy.

He said Ireland has implemented so many reforms in recent years that are not acknowledged by other countries.

Critics continue to focus on issues that have been addressed and that belong to the past, he told a webinar organised by the Institute of International and European Affairs.

I would ask people to acknowledge the reforms that we have undertaken as a country in relation to our corporation tax code, and the positive role that we continue to play at OECD [Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development] and EU level in addressing tax challenges that arise from digitalisation and indeed from globalisation.

Earlier this year MEPs named Ireland in a list of international tax havens.

Last year the government finally ended the infamous double Irish tax loophole that allowed multinationals to shift intellectual property assets to tax havens. It did so under EU pressure.

However, the government has opposed multiple corporate tax proposals at EU level, including a draft law that would make public the amount of tax paid by multinationals in each EU country.

The government is also nervous about an impending EU digital levy, which it fears could undermine work being done by the OECD.

The US recently unblocked the OECD negotiations, where experts are drawing up guidelines on taxable profits for tech firms and minimum tax levels for all multinationals.

It is our strong preference that it would be done through the OECD, and I think the renewed commitment of the US administration now, under President Biden, to that process, is particularly welcome, Mr McGrath said.

The government has estimated Irelands tax revenues could take a 2bn hit from the OECD measures.

It will represent a challenge for Ireland, Mr McGrath said, but nonetheless it is still in Irelands interests that an agreement would emerge from that process.
The Libyan Coast Guard rescued 138 migrants on Wednesday after the boat they were travelling in capsized off the Libyan coast.

Among them were nine women and two children, who were transported to the naval base in Tripoli, where they received the necessary first aid, officials said.

The rescue came a day after two women and three children drowned when another boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants capsized off Libya

The accident occurred late on Tuesday, and a fishing boat and the Libyan Coast Guard had managed to rescue some 77 migrants and bring them back to shore.

In total, nearly 400 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya late Tuesday, and according to the International Organization for Migration at least 480 other migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya on Sunday.

Tuesdays deadly shipwreck was the latest along the Central Mediterranean migration route. More than 55 migrants were reported dead last month off Libya.

Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
On Wednesday, March 31 at 10:30 a.m., approximately 20 blind and low-vision campers from Nevada Blind Childrens Foundation (NBCF), ages pre-kindergarten through grade 12, will ride the rail bikes at Rail Explorers in Boulder City Nevada.

Following their rail-bike ride, the campers will take part in special, adapted tour of the historic trains of the Nevada State Railroad Museum, courtesy of the Friends of the Nevada Southern Railway.

For many of the children, this visit will mark the first time they have been up close to or ridden a real train, and no one in our group has previously ridden on a rail bike, said Emily Smith, Chief Executive Officer, NBCF.

Were all really excited about the outing!

All rides start at the Nevada State Railroad Museum and continue downhill to Railroad Pass. Each tour also includes a nostalgic ride back to the top of the hill in one of the museums historic trains, along with free museum entry.

Wednesday, March 31

10 a.m. Arrival 10:30 a.m. Rail Explorers tour begins

11:30 a.m. Nevada State Railroad Museum tour

Nevada State Railroad Museum

601 Yucca St.

Boulder City, Nevada 89005

Located in historic Boulder City, Nevadajust minutes from the Las Vegas Strip en route to Hoover DamRail Explorers offers exhilarating, guided excursions in two- or four-seat rail bikes along the same tracks used during construction of the dam.

Rail Explorers Las Vegas tours include three memorable options, including the Southwest Ramble, a four-mile downhill pedal-powered daytime ride.

The Sunset Tour, a picturesque downhill ride in the evening as the sun sets behind the River Mountains; and the Evening Lantern Ride, a one-of-a-kind experience illuminated by the glow from the moon and stars.

All rides start at the Nevada State Railroad Museum and continue downhill to Railroad Pass. Each tour also includes a nostalgic ride back to the top of the hill in one of the museums historic trains, along with free museum entry.

Knowledgeable guides lead every Rail Explorers tour, ensuring guests enjoy not only the majestic desert scenery, but also learn fascinating insights along the way.

Rail bikes provide a truly distinctive way to explore this extraordinarily scenic and historic area. For more information, visit www.railexplorers.net or follow on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter .

For more locals coverage, stay on vegasnews.com.
By Tom Bergin

LONDON (Reuters) - Credit Suisse told investors the debt in its $7.3 billion finance fund was low risk because it was insured but the bank failed to ensure the policies would pay out, two sources told Reuters.

When Japan's Tokio Marine, the company insuring the debt, declined to renew its coverage with Greensill Capital last month, Credit Suisse was forced to liquidate the fund and said this may have a material impact on its results and reputation.

The bank's shares have fallen by almost a quarter in the past month as it deals with the fallout from Greensill and the impact of losses at its prime brokerage division caused by the stricken U.S. fund Archegos.

The debt Credit Suisse bought was issued by Greensill and backed by loans the supply chain finance firm made to companies. To manage its risk, Greensill took out credit insurance with a subsidiary of Insurance Australia Group (IAG). Tokio Marine took on the policies in 2019 when it bought the unit.

Supply chain finance is a form of financing in which suppliers can receive early payment of their invoices.

Credit Suisse assured clients in marketing documents that the debt in the supply chain fund was "low risk". In one factsheet, it also said: "The underlying credit risk of the notes is fully insured by highly rated insurance companies."

The sources told Reuters, however, that the bank did not communicate directly with Tokio Marine to confirm the insurer had no concerns about the validity of the policy or that the debt it bought from Greensill was the type the policies covered.

Instead, the Swiss bank relied on emailed updates about the policies from Marsh & McLennan, the broker that arranged them for Greensill, and did not hold regular discussions with Marsh to check whether the insurer was still intending to honour the contracts, the sources said.

Reuters could not determine what gave Credit Suisse comfort that its clients were covered by Greensill's insurance and why the bank may not have engaged in due diligence beyond its limited checks with Marsh.

Story continues

Two Credit Suisse sources told Reuters in May 2020 and again in January 2021, just two months before Greensill and the fund collapsed, that Credit Suisse had confirmed with Marsh that insurance cover was in place.

Credit Suisse declined to answer questions about what information it had sought about the insurance from Tokio Marine, Marsh, Greensill or others.

Greensill, Marsh and Tokio Marine all declined to answer questions about the coverage.

DUE DILIGENCE

Tokio Marine told Greensill in August 2020 that it was investigating whether some policies had been issued validly as an employee had exceeded his underwriting authority and it would not accept that the policies were binding pending the outcome of its inquiry, according to court filings in Australia.

According to emails between Marsh and Tokio Marine submitted in evidence in the Australian case, the employee, Greg Brereton, breached a number of internal procedures. Brereton did not respond to requests for comment.

The two people familiar with the matter said Credit Suisse was not informed about these concerns at the time.

Tokio Marine, Greensill and Credit Suisse declined to comment.

Three insurance experts interviewed by Reuters said Tokio Marine and Marsh were not under any obligation to tell Credit Suisse because even though the fund was beneficiary of the insurance, it was not a policy holder.

Neither Marsh nor Tokio Marine could have told Credit Suisse whether the debt it had bought from Greensill met the policy conditions because the bank did not provide a list of the specific bonds and ask for checks, three sources said.

The three insurance experts said Credit Suisse had dropped the ball if it did not make its own regular checks with Tokio Marine, given the crucial nature of the insurance to the value of the Greensill bonds it bought for its clients.

"Clearly they didn't do their due diligence," said Scott Levy, chief executive of Bedford Row Capital, which arranges bond issues. "If Credit Suisse was doing its job properly there is no way that they could not have identified these problems."

INVOICED TRANSACTIONS

The head of Credit Suisse's European asset management division and two other employees who worked on the finance funds have temporarily stepped aside, according to an internal bank memo, which did not state the reason for the changes.

Reuters has been unable to reach the managers for comment.

Credit Suisse has warned investors there was "considerable uncertainty" about how much money they would get back and said in its annual report that some clients had threatened to sue over the collapse of the fund.

Four sources told Reuters that Credit Suisse was considering compensating investors in the fund as there was concern the debacle could lead to wealthy customers turning their back on the bank.

When it ceased its cover in March, Tokio Marine said in a statement that Greensill was only covered for money it lent to companies backed by receivables - invoices they had received for goods and services delivered. Policies seen by Reuters say the debts should be backed by receivables.

However, Credit Suisse had also been buying Greensill bonds that lacked such collateral, according to corporate and legal filings. The bank declined to comment.

Reuters analysed the assets in Credit Suisse's supply chain finance fund in 2019 and found it included some Greensill bonds not backed by receivables.

Reuters told the bank's public relations department in July 2019 and in May 2020 this was the case. Credit Suisse declined to comment on the Reuters analysis on both occasions and again when contacted for this story.

Two Credit Suisse sources told Reuters in May 2020 and in January 2021, just two months before Greensill and the fund collapsed, that Credit Suisse had independently confirmed insurance cover was in place.

Credit Suisse's fund managers did have occasional communication with Greensill's broker Marsh, beyond its regular emails to the bank detailing the names of borrowers and exposure limits in the policy, the two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The bank said in a June 2020 investor update that it had made insurance claims following the collapse of a healthcare provider whose debts the fund had bought via Greensill.

One of the sources said Marsh was involved in conversations with Credit Suisse about the claims. Reuters could not determine which insurer was involved or if the policy paid out.

(Additional reporting by Carolyn Cohn in London; Editing by David Clarke)
Ousted San Francisco School Board Vice President Alison Collins has filed a lawsuit seeking $87 million in damages after her colleagues voted to strip her of her leadership title over anti-Asian tweets she penned in 2016.

The Board voted 5-2 last Thursday to pass a No Confidence Resolution against Collins following the unearthing of her racist tweets. They also voted to remove her from all committees 'for the duration of her term and effective immediately.'

Collins has refused to resign from the Board, and filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking $72 million in general damages from the school district. She is also demanding an additional $3 million in punitive damages from each of the five board members who voted to pass a No Confidence resolution against her.

Collins held a press conference Wednesday, claiming that the school district and its members violated her First Amendment rights by voting remove her from the VP post over the tweets - which were penned before she joined the board.

On December 4, 2016, Collins posted a series of tweets in which she referred to Asian Americans as 'house n***ers' and said they used 'white supremacist thinking' to get ahead.

At her press conference, Collins - who is black - claimed she was not a racist, and has spent her entire life trying to stamp out prejudice.

'So much of who I am and how I am in this world has gotten lost due to this targeted smear campaign to label me as a racist to slow the stop of equity that I have engaged in over the years,' she stated, as a small band of supporters gathered to cheer her on.

Ousted San Francisco School Board Vice President Alison Collins has filed a lawsuit seeking $87 million in damages after her colleagues voted to strip her of her leadership title over anti-Asian tweets she penned in 2016

Several of the controversial tweets penned by Collins in December 2016 are pictured

Collins penned the tweets the month after Donald Trump won the 2016 election.

She claims her tweets were prompted by the fact that her daughter had witnessed Asian American students at her middle school bullying a Latino student.

'Where are the vocal Asians speaking up against Trump?' Collins asked in her Twitter thread.

'Don't Asian Americans know they are on his list as well? Do they think they won't be deported? profiled? beaten? Being a house n****r is still being a n****r. You're still considered 'the help''.

The tweets were recently unearthed amid a surge in Asian-American hate crimes and they prompted fierce backlash.

Collins apologized but refused to stand down from her position, despite the fact she was blasted by parents and students alike.

Late last month, hundreds dialed in to a school board meeting to express their upset at Collins' tweets.

More than 35 percent of students in San Francisco public schools are Asian.

'I was disgusted and pained at your rhetoric,' one Asian student told Collins on the call.

Another San Francisco resident stated: 'Regardless of whether you choose to do the right thing and resign or not, you will pay the ultimate price and that's the loss of your dignity and your reputation. For the rest of your life you will be haunted by your actions, wherever you go people will see you for what you really are - a racist'.

Collins apologized but refused to stand down from her position, despite the fact she was blasted by parents and students alike

Late last month, hundreds dialed in to a school board meeting to express their upset at Collins' tweets. Collins is pictured middle row far right during the school board Zoom call

Less than a week later, the school board voted to pass the No Confidence Resolution against Collins 5-2.

The Resolution stated that Collins' tweets 'perpetuate gross and harmful stereotypes and leave no room for nuance or potential misunderstanding'.

School Board Commissioners Faauuga Moliga and Jenny Lam both called for Collins to resign on the call - which she did not.

'I am not alone when I say I do not have confidence in Collins' ability to fairly govern a school district that is almost half AAPI with no bias,' Lam stated.

Moliga and Lam led the No Confidence Resolution against Collins. They are now each being sued for $3 million.

Collins is pictured in her official San Francisco School Board head shot

Faauuga Moliga and Jenny Lam led the No Confidence Resolution against Collins at a meeting last week. They are now each being sued for $3 million

Meanwhile, San Francisco's school board has been slammed recently for voting to rename 44 of the city's schools that were alleged to have insensitive names.

The person in charge of the renaming effort admitted he researched the topic on Wikipedia and didn't consult historians.

In January, the board voted 6-1 to strip the schools of their current monikers because they honor 'racist' figures from American history. Schools named after politicians including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln are now set to be rebranded in the coming months.

Meanwhile, a gay white father of a bi-racial child was denied a spot on the San Francisco Board of Education's volunteer parent committee in February because his race doesn't bring enough diversity to the group.

And the district of 52,000 students has been in a bitter dispute with unions over re-opening of the schools, which have been closed since the height of the coronavirus. Some schools will open April 12, but it's not clear how many.
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April 1, 2021 Bong Go tells Filipinos to maintain discipline, remain vigilant amid rise in new COVID-19 cases; stresses 'prevention is better than cure' Senator Christopher "Bong" Go once again reminded Filipinos to maintain discipline, remain vigilant, and cooperate with the government in the face of rising new cases of COVID-19 infections. "Ang disiplina, pag-iingat, at kooperasyon ng lahat ay malaking tulong upang mapagaan ang pinapasan ng ating health workers at para hindi umapaw ang bilang ng mga kailangang magpa-ospital. Huwag sana tayong maging kampante dahil andyan pa ang banta ng COVID-19," Go told the public. He urged Filipinos to strictly comply with health protocols, such as wearing masks and face shields in public, observing social distancing, washing hands, and staying at home, which have been proven to be at least 90% effective in preventing disease transmission when practiced in combination according to experts. "Kung gagawin natin ito, mahigit 90 percent ang tyansa na maiiwasan nating mahawaan ng sakit ayon sa mga eksperto," said Go. Meanwhile, the Senator also urged concerned government agencies to double down on their efforts to mitigate the burden on the public health system amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases. "We need to double our efforts to reduce further the waiting time for patients needing urgent treatment or admission, provide faster medical transport and patient pick-up, and facilitate much-improved use of critical care services in our health facilities," he suggested. The Senator, who is also chair of the Senate Committee on Health, called on all agencies involved in the 'One Hospital Command' to strengthen further all interventions and maximize all resources for a more effective and efficient health facility referral system in Metro Manila and other critical areas in the country. He also asked the national government and local government units to expand and improve further the available quarantine and isolation facilities in order to help unburden hospitals. "While we exert efforts to improve the capacity and capabilities of our healthcare services, we also need to reiterate to our people that prevention is better than cure," said Go. Despite the low case fatality rate of COVID-19 in the country and most of the cases belonging to the mild or asymptomatic classification, Go asked Filipinos to remain vigilant and not to be complacent as the threats of COVID-19 still exist. "Bagama't 1.8 percent lang ang fatality rate ng COVID-19 sa bansa at 98.2 percent ng lahat ng kaso ay mild at asymptomatic, ayon sa datos ng DOH kahapon, hindi ibig sabihin na magkukumpyansa na tayo," he reminded. "Dagdagan natin ang pag-iingat para hindi madagdagan ang kailangang gamutin," advised Go. He also assured the public that the government is working hard to hasten the inoculation of medical frontliners so they can perform their duties in a safe manner. "Binibilisan din natin ang vaccination, lalo na ng medical frontliners dahil kailangan nila ng proteksyon ng bakuna para mas magampanan ang kanilang tungkulin," he said. "Lahat ng tulong na maibibigay natin sa health workers ay ibigay natin bilang pagkilala at pasasalamat sa kanilang sakripisyo at serbisyo sa bayan," he concluded.
Tidewater Capital, a San Francisco based real estate investment and development company, today announced the completion of Oaklands first Moxy Hotel, a young-at-heart brand by Marriott International. In partnership with co-developer Graves Hospitality, Tidewater is introducing Moxy Oakland Downtown as the first modularly constructed Moxy in the U.S., applying this sustainable construction method to generate less waste and increase the buildings energy efficiency. The development of the 172-room Moxy Oakland Downtown is also the result of Tidewater utilizing the opportunity zone investment program.

The boutique hotel, which represents one of the first new hotel developments in downtown Oakland in nearly a decade, signifies a response to the increased appeal of Oaklands energetic urban environment. With a focus on investing in the local community to foster long-term prosperity, Tidewaters decision to partner with Marriott, Graves Hospitality and multiple local non-profit organizations underscores the breadth of impact possible for the hotel. Further, the approach utilizing modular construction will help educate local architects, contractors and investors on the modular build process. Throughout its construction, The Moxy Oakland Downtown brought 100 jobs to the community and upon its March 31 opening is expected to bring new permanent jobs to the downtown Oakland area, furthering Tidewaters mission to support this dynamic, growing city.

Were pleased to open the doors of the Moxy and deliver a new placemaking component to Oaklands vibrant culture and community, said Kyle Winkler, Director of Construction at Tidewater. We recognized a unique opportunity with Moxys modular-friendly design that allowed for efficient and sustainable development within the city. This opening is an important milestone for our company as we look forward to continuing to foster long-term positive economic and social impact in the Bay Area.

Constructing the first modular Moxy Hotel in the U.S. enabled Tidewater to reduce construction time by 25 percent, compared to an average construction timeline for a hotel of the same size. The hotel consists of five levels of factory-built wood-frame rooms over two levels of a site-built concrete-frame. In a continued effort for Moxy Oakland to reflect the values and vibrancy of the local community, Tidewater partnered with Creative Growth, a local non-profit that serves artists with developmental, intellectual, and physical disabilities, to feature an array of eclectic, urban artwork throughout the hotel. The hotel is also partnered with Chapter 510 and the Department of Make Believe, a local writing and publishing workshop for Oakland youth and will feature the work of young Oakland writers throughout the hotel.

Boasting an expansive street-level amenity space utilized for programming such as weekly events and exhibits featuring local artists, musicians, performers and neighborhood businesses, the property also includes a number of stylish Plug and Meet'' gathering areas that provide modern ergonomic seating, large writing walls, and 56-inch televisions for presentation projection. Moxy Oakland offers cozy but thoughtful rooms and a unique bar check-in experience where guests not only receive their room key, but a craft cocktail on the house. Additional hotel amenities include healthy continental breakfast and an evening bar featuring wines by the glass and local brews. The hotel will also feature the on-site restaurant, La Palabra, from the chef behind Oaklands popular Cuban parlor and cafe, Cana. La Palabra is slated to open at Moxy Oakland Downtown in Summer 2021.

The buildings facade showcases Oaklands vibrant art scene with a six-story art installation titled, Shapeshift Oakland. Created by world-renowned, Oakland-based artist Thom Faulders and installed by 100-year-old sign company YESCO, this 12,000-pound dramatic aluminum structure offers an entrancing visual labyrinth of a city known for its continuous change. Creative brickwork patterns echo the neighborhoods vitality and character while the second-floor exterior terrace embraces the urban energy with vistas of the cityscape.

Moxy Hotels is Marriott International's bold, new brand that debuted in September 2014 with the opening of the Moxy Milan. A boutique-hotel concept for the modern-day traveler, Moxy is a fresh and innovative brand combining dynamic design and adept service at an approachable price point. With tech-enabled rooms, vibrant lobby spaces and warm, spirited service, Moxy aims to surprise both leisure and business travelers with a thoughtful, memorable and fun guest experience.

Moxy Oakland features smartly designed guest rooms and a unique bar check-in experience where guests not only receive their room key, but also a craft cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage on the house.

Additional hotel amenities include healthy continental breakfast and a cocktail bar, featuring wines by the glass and local brews.

For more information on Moxy Oakland Downtown, visit: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/oakox-moxy-oakland-downtown/.

ABOUT TIDEWATER:

Tidewater is a fully integrated real estate company that invests in and develops properties with an eye towards promoting shared prosperity within the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 2013 with a focus on progress, Tidewater strives to improve properties with untapped potential into dynamic spaces that help strengthen communities, promote economic opportunity, and contribute to collective well-being. Operating across a variety of product types including office, residential, retail, hotel and industrial, Tidewater aims to foster long-term positive impact for the benefit of its partners and the communities in which it operates. Tidewater has significant experience and a strong track record managing all aspects of design, development, acquisitions, marketing, asset management, finance, and sustainability. Tidewater employs a value investment philosophy while promoting all of its stakeholders to rise together. For additional information, please visit tidewatercap.com.

ABOUT GRAVES HOSPITALITY

Graves Hospitality turns ideas into action and Real Estate into enterprise. GH offers a comprehensive range of development and management services adeptly tailored to answer the unique needs of independent and branded hotels, resorts and restaurants as well as residential and commercial projects. The company's development skills and management services, including sales, marketing, distribution, human resources and accounting, are honed by over 40 years of continued success. Consistently recognized as an industry leader, GH has developed and managed more than 100 hotels and restaurants, as well as residential and commercial developments. GH is passionate about providing owners, guests and associates with an unparalleled level of service and expertise. Partnering with smart, creative and sincerely enjoyable people and then fiercely maintaining those relationships, results in a positive synergy that naturally fosters success. GH takes great pride in being able to identify, develop, build and manage projects that create great profits for our investors. To learn more information about GH visit http://www.graveshospitality.com

Media Contacts:

Emily Warner

tidewatercapitalpr@murphyobrien.com

310-453-2539
Prince Andrew was pictured today riding a horse in Windsor as he was dragged into the US court battle engulfing Ghislaine Maxwell after she was charged with new offences linked to Jeffrey Epstein at a time when the paedophile was socialising with the royal.

The Duke of York, 61, who lives at the Royal Lodge just three miles away from Windsor Castle, was joined by a female groom and looked relaxed as he rode through the countryside.

Putting his troubles aside, the father-of-two, wrapped up warm for the spring day sporting a blue riding jacket and helmet.

The appearance comes as court documents revealed Prince Andrew's sex accuser could testify about him at Maxwell's trial.

Prince Andrew was pictured today riding a horse in Windsor as he was dragged into the US court battle engulfing Ghislaine Maxwell after she was charged with new offences linked to Jeffrey Epstein at a time when the paedophile was socialising with the royal

The Duke of York, 61, who lives at the Royal Lodge just three miles away from Windsor Castle donned a white face mask as he drove through the grounds

The Queen's second son stepped back from royal duty in 2019, following questions surrounding his friendship with billionaire paedophile Jerffery Epstein.

The Duke has been accused of failing to help US prosecutors in their investigation into Epstein and the financier Maxwell.

Maxwell, who was Epsteins longtime associate and former girlfriend, faces new charges of sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor in the eight-count indictment, as well as earlier charges that include perjury.

An amended indictment against Maxwell earlier this week now covers alleged crimes stretching from 1994 to 2004 in New York and Florida, including accusations that she paid the girl, known as Minor Victim-4, hundreds of dollars for each sexual act with Epstein. The girl was 14 when the grooming began, the indictment said.

Putting his troubles aside, the father-of-two, wrapped up warm for the spring day sporting a blue riding jacket and helmet

She had previously pleaded not guilty to helping Epstein recruit and groom three teenage girls for sex between 1994 and 1997 in New York. Maxwell, 59, has been held in a jail in Brooklyn since her arrest last July.

The time frame of the new allegations has expanded to between 1994 and 'at least' 2004, which covers the period where Epstein was associating with powerful men like Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton.

During this period Prince Andrew became friends with Epstein and allegedly had sex three times with one of his victims, Virginia Roberts, allegations the Duke denies.

Prince Andrew's sex accuser could testify about him at the trial, because the original photograph showing the Duke of York with his arm around Virginia Giuffre's waist at Maxwell's home in 2001 has been requested.

The royal drove past walkers and passersby into Windsor Castle in order to go riding earlier this morning

Ms Giuffre's lawyer Sigrid McCawley revealed in court documents that Maxwell's team want access to original copies of various photographs, reported The Sun.

It is thought Ms Giuffre, 37, who currently lives in Australia with her husband and three children, could give evidence alongside victims Maria and Annie Farmer.

Ms McCawley said: 'There's simply no reason why if the Farmers and Ms Giuffre ultimately testify and these items prove to be relevant and admissable these items cannot be provided for inspection at trial.'

Earlier, this month Prince Andrew's accuser Ms Giuffre said Buckingham Palace should 'all hang their heads in shame' in the wake of the Harry and Meghan interview.

Ghislaine Maxwell faces new charges during a time when Prince Andrew became friends with Epstein and allegedly had sex three times with one of his victims, Virginia Roberts, allegations the Duke denies. Andrew is pictured with Virginia Roberts, aged 17, and Maxwell in 2001

Giuffre, who alleges she was used for sex by Prince Andrew after being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein when she was just 17, spoke out on Twitter in support of the Sussexes following their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.

She compared the couple's treatment to that of the Duke of York, who vehemently denies Giuffre's claims.

She said: 'Well at the very least we know who #meganandharry are talking about when they say that #BuckinghamPalace & #TheFirm protected other royals but wouldn't protect them & their newborn baby #Archie.

Ghislaine Maxwell was charged with two new counts of sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor

According to a new indictment, Maxwell paid the girl hundreds of dollars to give Jeffrey Epstein sexual massages and even sent her lingerie

It is thought Ms Giuffre (pictured), 37, who currently lives in Australia with her husband and three children, could give evidence alongside victims Maria and Annie Farmer

'They should all hang their heads in shame.'

Giuffre claims she was a victim of Epstein and has alleged she had sex with Prince Andrew at the age of 17 while being trafficked by the late financier.

Prince Andrew has strenuously denied the claims.

Prince Andrew's relationship with Epstein has been called into question and he was forced to step back as a working member of the Royal Family following a car crash BBC interview in 2019.
3 1 of 3 Theo Wargo /Getty Images for iHeart Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Screenshot from Twitter and Instagram Show More Show Less 3 of 3





If you missed your chance to catch Diplo  and maybe test our their COVID-19  at Cowboys Dancehall this past weekend, do not fret. The DJ has plans to play in our neck of the woods again soon.

Diplo is set to play The Marc in San Marcos on Friday, May 14 in honor of the venues eighth anniversary. No other acts have been announced for the date at this time, though it seems The Marc may have shelled out the big bucks to secure Diplo for the celebration.
Maputo  Mozambican Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario on Wednesday challenged the National Tourism Institute (INATUR) to be increasingly creative, in order to meet that challenges facing the tourism area.

He was speaking at the ceremony in Maputo where he swore into office the new General Director of INATUR, Marco Vaz dos Anjos.

Rosario recognised that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a damaging impact on Mozambican tourism, but hoped that the current vaccination drive against the disease will contribute to a gradual recovery in tourism activity.

The Prime Minister called for team work, and permanent communication and dialogue. He also wanted to see careful and transparent management of material and financial resources and measures to prevent and combat corruption.

At the same ceremony, Rosario swore into office the Permanent Secretary of the State Secretariat for Technical and Professional Education, Acissa Abdul Carimo Nazordine, and the Assistant General Inspector of the Ministry of Labour, Leonilde Fruquia.

All these officials, Rosario said, must know how to use their knowledge and energy to consolidate their institutions, and to seek out solutions for the country's development.

Addressing Nazordine in particular, he said that one of the government's priorities is to develop human capital, focusing on professional education, in order to endow young Mozambicans with skills and know-how.

"In banking on technical and professional training, we want young people to be able to respond to the needs and demands of the labour market, and to generate more job opportunities and income for their fellow citizens", he said.

As for the Labour Inspectorate, Rosario said it must defend the basic values of human dignity at the workplace, and ensure that the fundamental rights of workers are respected.
ST. LOUIS, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Little Bit Foundation announced today that Rosemary Hanley will retire as Chief Executive Officer, effective December 31, 2021. The Little Bit Board is conducting a comprehensive search for a successor and requests that interested candidates email [email protected]. Hanley co-founded the organization in 2001 and has served as Executive Director/CEO since 2012.

"Rose has created something extraordinary in The Little Bit Foundation," says Board President Michael Amann. "She has been a champion of St. Louis children for 20 years and persevered  through setbacks and successes alike  to ensure they have what they need to reach their full potential in the classroom and beyond. Little Bit has been working toward educational equity well before the term was widely used, and the Board is resolved to finding a new CEO that will carry forward this longstanding commitment."

"It has been an honor to serve the St. Louis community and our amazing students in this role, but the timing is right to start a new chapter and hand the reins to our next leader," says Hanley. "I have treasured working alongside an incredible team of professionals, and so many dedicated volunteers, educators, mission partners and people from all walks of life striving for a world in which every child is afforded the opportunity to realize their dreams. There is still much work to be done, and I have confidence in this great organization to continue to adapt and grow, while standing firm on its promise to break down barriers to learning."

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Hanley says The Little Bit Foundation has impacted the lives of more than 40,000 St. Louis students. In her final year, she is focused on ensuring a smooth transition in leadership, as well as closing out the organization's $8.4 million Impact (capital) Campaign  now at 84% of goal  which funds Little Bit's Project Graduation initiative and necessary renovations to its headquarters in Brentwood.

"This is about establishing best practices for the future, as we believe Project Graduation can be a model for other school communities working towards educational equity," she says. "I would be beyond grateful to secure final funding for this campaign before departing." More information on the Little Bit Impact Campaign can be found here.

About The Little Bit Foundation

Founded in 2001, The Little Bit Foundation ( www.thelittlebitfoundation.org ) works to eliminate barriers to learning by addressing the basic needs of under-resourced students across every grade level in the St. Louis region. In area schools, Little Bit works one-on-one with students and brings partnerships and programs that provide for the needs of the whole child, enrich the learning environment and empower students to realize their goals for the future. Follow The Little Bit Foundation online at www.thelittlebitfoundation.org , on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and Twitter .

Media Contact:

Stacy Lupo

[email protected]

SOURCE The Little Bit Foundation

Related Links

https://www.thelittlebitfoundation.org


One week after the vicious attack in the town of Palma in northern Mozambique, some families are finally finding some comfort in the arms of their loved ones, while others continue to despair without any news.

There were scenes of happiness and desperation outside Pemba port on Thursday, as another ship with one thousand displaced arrived in the capital of Cabo Delgado province.

About 200 rebels armed with automatic rifles, machine guns, and mortars are still in control of the part of Palma where government offices and banks are located, according to local media reports.

Thousands of residents already have fled to nearby Tanzania and south to the provincial capital of Pemba, according to international aid agencies.

More than 900,000 people in Mozambique now require food aid because of the crisis in the northern part of the country, according to the U.N. World Food Program.

Palma's streets are deserted except for sporadic gunfire from the rebels, said Lionel Dyck, director of the Dyck Advisory Group, whose helicopter gunships are helping the Mozambican police battle the insurgents.

The insurgents, who are allied to the Islamic State group, also attacked a site on the Indian Ocean coast near Macomia last week, showing their reach across Cabo Delgado province, according to local media reports.

The three-year insurgency of the rebels, who are primarily disaffected young Muslim men, has taken more than 2,600 lives and displaced an estimated 670,000 people, according to the U.N.

The rebels are known locally as al-Shabab (the youth in Arabic) but have no known affiliation with the jihadist rebels of the same name in Somalia. The United States last week declared Mozambique's rebels to be a terrorist organization and announced that 12 military trainers had been deployed to help the southern African country's marines.

Portugal, Mozambique's former colonial power, announced Tuesday that is stepping up its military cooperation by sending 60 soldiers to help train Mozambican special forces.

The European Union is also preparing "to increase security cooperation (with Mozambique), possibly via support with equipment or training," Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said in a statement.

The France-based oil and gas company has pulled out of its operations on the outskirts of Palma, a multi-billion-dollar investment to pump liquefied natural gas from offshore oilfields in the Indian Ocean.

Earlier this year the company had said it requires an area covering a 25-kilometer (15-mile) radius to be secure from rebel violence. Palma is within that area, making it uncertain when the oil giant will resume its investment.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
LAFAYETTE - Things seem to be positivley progressing for the state of Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards has recently announced that he will be loosening the Coronavirus restrictions for establishments like Wurst Biergarten & Food Park.

The owner of Wurst Biergarten & Food Park says the news about capacity limits and alcohol curfew being lifted is bittersweet.

"When I heard the news, it's definitley a good thing, a bit anticlimactic for me." said Guercio

Robert Guercio says his business doesn't serve hard liquor so he should'nt have been classified as a bar in the first place.

"The problem we had is we're open air and open air is safe and yet we were lumped in with all the brick and mortars and that made it extra frustrating." said Guercio

The alcohol curfew started during the food park's busiest hours of operation setting sales back by a whopping 55% compared to sales in 2019. Guercio says he just wasn't ready.

"I had just gone through a buyout of two business partners two weeks prior to covid hitting so it came as a bit of a shock. We made sure to tell all of our employees to file for unemployment due to reduced hours of work." said Guercio

Now with the loosened restrictions Guercio see's an influx of financial stability on the way.

"The word is definitley out that the wurst biergarten is all open air." said Guercio

Guercio says he's thankful for the recent changes by the Governor but says if it were'nt for local leadership from Lafayette Consolidated Government and Lafayette City Council more businesses would've gone under.

Guercio adds that LCG added three new alcohol permits in late February of 2020. That permit allowed owners with board of health approved kitchens to apply for temporary restaurant conditional permits like himself.
VIENNA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 01st Apr, 2021) The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has signed a US$10 million public sector loan agreement with Kyrgyzstan to co-finance the Reconstruction of Issyk-Kul Road at a Section of Korumdu-Balbay Project, to enhance connectivity, which is essential for increased economic opportunities, particularly in tourism, and to improve living conditions.

Lake IssykKul is the worlds second-largest saline lake, and has been designated a biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

It attracts about 1 million tourists annually, 70 percent of the countrys annual tourist visits, and is a major economic driver in the region. The project will upgrade and widen an 80km section 2N of the Balykchy-Karakol-Balykchy Ring Road, which serves 17 urban and semi-urban settlements populated by some 700,000 people.

Other works include the construction of 12 bridges and 212 culverts, which will help divert mountain run-off for use in crop irrigation and raising livestock.

OPEC Fund Director-General Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said, "This project aligns with Kyrgyzstans development strategy and will provide its population with reliable and less expensive road transport. The improved stretch will help increase connectivity, improve safety in the mountainous IssykKul region, and foster national and regional connectivity. The OPEC Fund is pleased to grow its commitment to Kyrgyzstan and we look forward to partnering on future projects."

OFID was established in January 1976 by the then 13 member countries of OPEC; including the United Arab Emirates. It is the development finance institution established as a channel of aid to developing countries.
SALEM, Ore.-- The Oregon Supreme Court has floated a plan that would give state lawmakers an extension on a deadline to redraw electoral boundaries because of pandemic-related delays in U.S. Census data.

In March, House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney asked the state's high court to extend the Legislature's redistricting deadline to July 1, but Secretary of State Shemia Fagan says the new electoral map can be drawn without the delay.

Under the court's tentative plan, lawmakers would have until Oct. 15 to redraw legislative districts. The updated Census data is expected Sept. 30 from the federal government.
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President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed Dr Mwigulu Nchemba as the Minister of Finance and Planning to replace Dr Philip Mpango who is now the Vice President in a minor cabinet reshuffle announced in Dodoma Wednesday.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Vice President Mpango, President Samia has also appointed three Members of Parliament.

The post of Chief Secretary of State is now vacant after the President appointed Ambassador Dr Bashiru Ally as Member of Parliament. Her Excellence has promised to fill the vacuum immediately.

Ummy Mwalimu has been shifted to the President's Office responsible for Regional Administration and Local Government Authority to replace Selemani Jafo who has been transferred to Vice President's Office to deal with Union and Environment issues.

Capt (Ret) George Mkuchika who was the Minister of State in the President's Office responsible for Good Governance is now the minister with no portfolio.

President Samia has also appointed Ambassador Liberata Mulamula as MP as well as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation to replace Prof Palamagamba Kabudi who has been shifted to the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

The Investment docket under the President's Office has been placed under the Prime Minister's Office while its Minister Prof Kitila Mkumbo has been shifted to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to replace Minister Geoffrey Mwambe.

Mwambe has been shifted to the Prime Minister's Office responsible for Investment.
On Tuesday, a judge granted Vergara a Permanent Injunction preventing her ex from creating 'a child without the explicit written permission of the other person,' per court documents obtained by People

Sofia Vergara's ex Nick Loeb lost his final appeal in Los Angeles to gain custody of two embryos that were frozen seven years ago when the couple was still engaged.

On Tuesday, a judge granted Vergara a Permanent Injunction preventing the 45-year-old businessman from using the embryos to create 'a child without the explicit written permission,' per court documents obtained by People.

For years, Loeb has continued to file multiple lawsuits in California and Louisiana to be able to take control of their embryos and implant them in a surrogate.

Years-long court battle: Sofia Vergara's ex Nick Loeb lost his final appeal in Los Angeles to gain custody of two embryos that were frozen seven years ago when the couple was still engaged; seen in 2014

'The judge was clearly influenced by Hollywood, which is a pattern I expose in my upcoming film Roe v. Wade on April 2nd,' Loeb said in a statement, obtained by the outlet. 'It's sad that Sofia, a devout Catholic, would intentionally create babies just to kill them.'

Last month, Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted a permanent injunction stating that Loeb could not use the embryos without her consent.

In a ruling dated January 27, the appeals court ruled that Loeb's lawsuit, which it declared as 'abhorrent', should be thrown out because it made a 'mockery' of Louisiana's legal system.

The appeals court also ruled that all documents related to the case should be unsealed.

A relief: On Monday, a judge ruled that the 45-year-old businessman cannot use the embryos or sue on behalf of them without Vergara's consent, according to a filing obtained by Fox News (seen in 2021)

The legal saga dates back to 2015 when Loeb first filed a lawsuit against Vergara in a bid to bring to term two female embryos that they had created and planned to use with a surrogate.

The pair had signed a contract at the ART Reproductive Center in Beverly Hills when they created the embryos in 2013 that stated neither could use them without each other's consent.

Legal proceedings initially began in California, but were later dismissed.

Loeb later moved the case to Louisiana because officials there consider embryos to be human beings. In California, which is where the embryos were frozen, they are referred to as products.

Winning her case: Last month, Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted a permanent injunction stating that Loeb could not use the embryos without her consent; pictured this week

As part of the Louisiana lawsuit, Vergara was sued by her two frozen embryos. In the unusual lawsuit, the embryos were given the names Emma and Isabella and listed as plaintiffs.

'Emma and Isabella seek that they be entrusted to their natural father Loeb, who is willing and desirous that they be born,' the lawsuit said.

In throwing out the case last week, the appeals court ruled that Loeb did not in fact live in Louisiana and accused him and his legal team of making a 'mockery' of the state's legal system.

The court found that Loeb 'is not domiciled in, does not maintain a residence in, and does not have the intent to be domiciled or a resident of any parish in the State of Louisiana.'

The ruling also accused Loeb's legal team of 'blatantly engaging in forum shopping' to find a court they hoped would be sympathetic to their case.

Happier: Vergara, who has an adult son, Manolo, from a previous relationship, has been married to Joe Manganiello since in November 2015

'Their behavior brings disrepute to and makes a mockery of the Louisiana legal system and the bar and is abhorrent,' the ruling stated.

The former couple called off their engagement in 2014, after dating for four years.

Vergara, who has an adult son, Manolo, from a previous relationship, has been happily married to Joe Manganiello for the past six years.
Alphabet Inc's Google has reached licensing deals with over 600 news outlets around the world and is seeing a "huge increase" in users requesting more content from specific publications as part of a new program, it said on Wednesday.

The update comes as big internet service providers including Facebook Inc have been locked in bitter disputes over fair compensation to publishers.

Google is continuing to negotiate with additional publishers, including in the Unites States, to spend $1 billion for what it calls News Showcase.

The program through 2023 is Google's biggest effort to invest in an industry that blames tech giants for siphoning its advertising revenue. Combined, Facebook and Google control over half of the digital advertising market.

Google is exercising little oversight over publishers' use of the money.

"The intention of our payment is to help make it easier for publishers to be able to participate in the program," Brad Bender, a vice president at Google overseeing News Showcase, told Reuters. "But ultimately it's in service of creating this more sustainable future for news."

But Google's hesitance to hold publishers accountable for generating business results with the funds leaves questions about whether the media industry will at last turn a corner after several attempts by tech companies to provide support and improve its outlook.

"It's not up to us to tell a news publisher how to run their business," Google said.

Bender expressed optimism, though, about News Showcase steering publishers toward a brighter future and said the company would support the program beyond the initial $1 billion.

"We're committed to being part of the solution," he said.

Publishers from a dozen countries have agreed to license content, Google plans to say in a blog post on Wednesday. Users can see the content in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Germany and Britain, with Italy joining Wednesday.

In February, Google said "well over" 500 publishers had signed deals.

Google's lone requirement for funding recipients is that they provide a specified amount of content per day, Bender said. The funding helps publishers staff journalists to arrange the content, known as panels, which are then featured in Google's News and Discover apps, Bender said.

Users can "follow" publishers to get more panels from them. Publishers including The Financial Times and The Canberra Times collectively are generating 7,000 panels per day and users have registered 200,000 follows, Google plans to announce.

The option to select more content from some publishers had existed in Google's News tool earlier, but follows from News Showcase panels in the countries where they are available now represent a double-digit percentage of all follows, Google said.

Over time, Google hopes publishers can turn followers into paying subscribers or get a sales boost from increased viewership of ad-supported content.

Reuters has reported fees for individual publishers in France range from as large as $1.3 million for newspaper Le Monde to $13,741 for local publisher La Voix de la Haute Marne.

Google declined to comment on commercial terms in France or elsewhere.

Bender acknowledged Google in designing the new program had not consulted with unions and other organisations representing journalists, many of which in the United States have criticised private equity funds for buying media companies, slashing costs and weakening content.

Ensuring that Google's funding grows newsrooms and not owners' pocketbooks is a conversation journalists' groups should have with publishers, Google said.

Google, like with other news-related features, said it has no plans to generate revenue from News Showcase.
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Photographer Charlie Waite, founder of the prestigious UK Landscape Photographer of the Year competition

'Photoshop? You are messing with God's light the moment you start changing stuff.'

Charlie Waite, world-renowned landscape photographer and the founder of the prestigious UK Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, is talking on Zoom to MailOnline Travel about the secrets of his art. And he has some strong opinions about edit-suite tweaking.

His advice? Deploy with extreme care.

He continues: 'Photoshop is a wonderful thing. It's an extension of your artistic interpretation [but] it has to be used with strength and integrity.

'If you're really good at it, that's fine if you can live with the fact that it never took place and is completely fabricated. That's OK if that's your thing, as it is a creative process. But what you can't afford is for the viewer to disbelieve it. The viewer has to have trust in what you have produced.

'Your manipulation of the image in post, as they call it on the computer, has to be as faithful to the original experience as possible - just minor refinements.

'But some people, and I understand this I really do, choose to put on a whole new sky. They think "yeah that's a lousy sky, it's not a great sky, I did one in California a while ago and I'll put that on".

'And in goes the sky and the viewer says "wow that's an interesting sky from Middlesex or Glasgow". So it has to be done with restraint and integrity.'

So what's the secret to taking a great landscape image, one that may need only the most minor of tweaks in 'post'?

First of all, 'get to know your camera like learning how to drive a car', says Charlie. And look at your subject using a little rectangle, or create one with your fingers, as cinematographers do.

'When you do that, what you are doing is omitting the redundant bits and you can then really unravel what you are looking at,' Charlie explains.

The stunning winner of the 2020 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, 'Woolland Woods', by Chris Frost. He said of his gold-medal effort: 'Taken in spring of 2018 in a wooded area close to Milborne St. Andrew in Dorset, this was the third visit to the area in a matter of days. On the previous days, both devoid of morning mists, the light had been harsh and unappealing, but the third day delivered stunning conditions with mist swirling through the trees. The low shooting position allowed more emphasis to be placed on the wild garlic and pathway'

And the photographer, to produce something memorable, should totally immerse themselves in the environment.

Charlie has an expression for this  'attend and intend'.

The Englishman says: 'You should be able to be put in the witness box and describe in very considerable detail what it is that you've been looking at.

'A good landscape photographer is somebody who can notice everything at 360 degrees, wonder at everything, be amazed by everything and can completely immerse themselves into everything. You cannot just think "I'll just give it a go and hopefully it will look alright".

'It's about recognising if the landscape in front of you has the merit to be made into an image.'

This image, taken in Buckinghamshire and called Mirkwood, was an entry in the Your View adult class category in the 2020 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. Photographer Will Milner said: 'A lovely little scene, reminiscent of the fictional Mirkwood in J R R Tolkiens Lord of the Rings series of novels. The interplay between sunlight, foliage and mist stopped me in my tracks'

And will a pricey camera help?

Charlie says: 'You can have a 10,000 camera and you can point it at a beautiful scene and you can end up with a technically good image, but one that doesn't have any passion or any emotion.

'It doesn't leave the viewer feeling they were standing next to you when you made the image. And that's the point, you need to transport them to that place.

'Second-hand cameras are really good. Don't necessarily think that the more expensive the better. Always ask yourself what you are going to do with the end result.'

As with (almost) everything, practising is the key.

Charlie says: 'Don't put the camera away for a week without using it. Photograph still life in your house if it's raining - maybe a nice bowl of fruit.

'You can take pictures 100 yards from your road where you live. It could be a little cameo detail - you know the veins on the back of a leaf or the bark on a tree. Look at nature.

This jaw-dropping picture of Scotland's Glenfinnan Viaduct was highly commended in the Classic View adult class category in the 2020 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. It's called Majestic Winter Highland and was taken using a drone by Chris Gorman

This shot, by photographer John White, was a long time in the making. He called it The Kraken and explained: 'After three years of trying, finally I found myself in the right place as the tentacles of the kraken reached down from above to reclaim the old West Pier, Brighton.' He entered it into the Classic View adult class category in the 2020 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition

'And only go out to take pictures with someone you have auditioned first. You don't want to go with somebody who says "we've been here two hours already can we go now?"

'So you're best to go on your own or with somebody who loves you - and will do anything for you. Really you want to go with a kindred spirit.'

He adds: 'I think the common misconception is to think that somewhere you perceive to be beautiful will automatically deliver back to you the equivalent amount of beauty that you perceived when you were there.

'The still image has got to work unbelievably hard. It really has to awaken something in somebody and for people to gasp - that's what you really want them to do.

'The great joy for a landscape photographer is to see a result that really does evoke the experience and isn't just a pretty photograph. It's much more than decorative.

'The great Ansel Adams, the American landscape photographer, said 12 a year and you're doing well.

'And they really were the ones that met his stratospherically high standards.'

Entrants have until April 14 to submit photographs for the 2021 Landscape Photographer of the Year Award. The competition is open to everyone, with a special class for those younger than 18. There is a prize fund worth 20,000, including 10,000 for the overall winner and additional special awards.

As in previous years, an exhibition of shortlisted and winning entries will premiere in the late autumn. Previous locations for the annual showcase have included the National Theatre, London Waterloo Station and London Bridge Station. Shortlisted entrants will also be published in a stunning coffee-table book, Landscape Photographer of the Year: Collection 14, published by Octopus Publishing.
Over the past decades, the socioeconomic importance of tourism and itsimpact on the livelihood of local peopleis getting more popularity and acceptance globally. Particularly owing to its potential in creating massive job opportunities for citizens, reducing the level of poverty and contributing to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the national economy,the sector plays a vital role in the economic development of a country.

However, to benefit more from the sector and advancing it, developing a growth strategy that broadens product diversification and establishing new marketing strategy and linkages is of critical importance to attract wider a range of tourists.

Ethiopia is also working to explore, develop and diversify its tourism potential to support its economy.By renewing and expanding its tourist destinations such asnatural and historical places, museums, parks, art galleries and adding more tourist attractions, as well as promoting local tourism,it is working industriously to meet the expectations of visitors, increase the number of tourists thereby gain considerable income from the sector.

As part of this effort, recently, the country has announced a plan to digitally showcase 3,000 extraordinary tourism photoswith a view to promote tourist destinations in the country. The plan was introduced by Ministries of Innovation and Technology and Culture and Tourism. The two have signed Memorandum of understanding (MoU)to act accordingly.

As to the bilateral MoU, the photos to be displayed through the devised digital platform are properties owned by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The new digital platform is also said crucial to help tourism photographers sell their pictures through online mechanism, and enable tourists to order photos online at their disposal as well.

Ministry of Innovation and Technology underlined that this e-commerce platform has also an important role to get more foreign currency. The plan is part of Ethiopia's digital transformation grand strategy.

Many of Ethiopia's photographs, that were taken almost a quarter of a century ago,were once the most appreciated works and that can able to captivate the hearts and minds of spectators.Almost all the posters portray the social, cultural,historic and religious values of the society,the beauty of various ethnic groups withtheir cultural costumes as well as the landscape of the country.

The photos of BeniAmer Boy, Wubit Ethiopia, theiconic picture of the Battle of Adwa, historic places such as the Obelisks of Axum, the Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela, the Castle of Fasilides, the Sof Omar Cave among others have contributed a lot in promoting Ethiopia andits tourism potential across the globe.

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As many people stated, the posters have had great impact on promoting the tourism sector and grabbing tourists into the country. The fascinating photos of Mursi women's with lip plates, Hammer boys, the mountain Nyala and Semen Fox,the assorted types of bird species coupled withthe breathtaking images that depicted the celebration of The Finding of the True Cross and Epiphany, among others have had the power to appeal more tourists to come to the country. The image of the young Senbete girl, captured by photographer Claude Legeretat one of the market days, was also the other important ones in this regard.Besides, the posters were one of the best and most effective ways to attract visitors. Even the incomes generated by selling those posters for local people werehuge.

Though many years have passed,the posters are stillremembered in many of citizens' minds and hearts for a number of the reasons.

Digitalizing these photos could open opportunities in bringing back the old days, narrating the past and telling history, apart from generating substantial earnings.
It's time for farmers to say, 'Enough is enough'
Europes rollout of vaccinations against COVID-19 is unacceptably slow, the World Health Organizations European head said on Thursday, raising concern that delays in giving shots could prolong the pandemic as cases of variants spread.

Only 10% of the regions population have received one vaccine dose, and 4% have completed a full course, Hans Kluge said.

The rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow, he said in a statement.  We must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now.

Europe was slower than Britain and the United States, not only to order vaccines last year from companies but also in approving them. Even once they were approved by the bloc, rates of vaccinations there have largely trailed behind British and U.S. efforts.

Kluge said new infections in Europe were rising in every age group except those aged over 80, a sign that the vaccinations that have gone to older groups are working but that the stuttering rollout was leaving younger people vulnerable.

As variants of concern continue to spread and strain on hospitals grows, religious holidays are leading to increased mobility, the WHO said in its statement.

Speeding up vaccination rollout is crucial.

In addition to tight supplies, squabbles over exports and delays by some vaccine manufacturers, and concerns over the safety of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine after rare clotting events emerged have also curbed vaccination momentum.

Some countries are still not giving the British-Swedish companys shots and others, including Germany, are restricting them to people over 60 years old.

Regulators and the WHO have declared that the shots benefits outweigh risks and continue to study the clotting incidents.

SOURCE: REUTERS
President Biden is unlikely to propose reinstating state and local tax deductions in his second tax-and-spending package despite pressure from several fellow Democrats, according to people with direct knowledge of the planning.

Why it matters: That stance could complicate his goals of passing a multitrillion-dollar infrastructure proposal.

The SALT deduction is a top priority for a number of Democrats representing blue states. Its supporters include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and  during the Democratic primary  Biden himself.

The president is now signaling he won't fight to lift the caps that former President Trump imposed as part of a 2017 tax package that lowered corporate rates.

The White House omitted lifting the SALT caps from Biden's first infrastructure and tax package, which the president unveiled Wednesday. But some Democrats held out hope that SALT would be addressed in a second package to be announced in the coming weeks.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday that eliminating SALT "is not a revenue raiser ... it would cost more money," but if Democrats "want to propose a way to pay for it, and they want to put that forward, we are happy to hear their ideas.

Final decisions are still being made on the second package, so any speculation is premature, said a person familiar with the deliberations.

Behind the scenes: A commonly held view at the senior level of the Biden administration is that capping SALT  which Trump did to save money and punish his blue-state enemies  was actually good policy.

Senior Biden officials have soured on SALT deductions for two main reasons: It would undercut their working-class message and would cost them a fortune.

Reinstating SALT would reduce revenues by an estimated $70 billion to $80 billion a year, roughly half the annual amount that Biden has proposed to raise by hiking corporate rates.

But some Democrats insist that some tax relief under SALT could counter Republican arguments that Democrats only want to raise taxes.

"To not get rid of the SALT limits and then increase taxes could be a potential nail in the Democrats' coffin in the mid-terms" given their narrow majority in the House, said Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster.

Between the lines: Biden is not rejecting a SALT repeal outright, so much as signaling that the lawmakers who want it will have to add it into the legislation themselves during negotiations in Congress.

He could easily sign a massive infrastructure tax-and-spend package if lawmakers force the SALT deduction back in.

Flashback: SALT exemptions were one of the six original deductions in the Revenue Act of 1913.

Its origins date back to the Civil War, and the Revenue Act of 1862, which was ultimately ruled unconstitutional according to the Tax Foundation.

Before former President Trump signed into law his 2017 tax cuts bill, residents could deduct against their federal income taxes the taxes they paid to state and local governments. Trump's tax bill capped the deduction at $10,000 a year  a move that hit wealthy residents of high-tax Democrat-controlled states.

Several powerful members of Congress, including the leader of the House Democrats' moderate wing, Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, have told the White House that the state and local deduction is essential to constituents and must be restored. Gottheimer said Trump's decision to do away with SALT cost his state dearly, driving out many taxpaying residents.

Gottheimer and New York Rep. Tom Suozzi went as far as to tell Axios that they would not vote for any infrastructure tax-and-spend package the Biden administration proposes unless it brings back SALT. "No SALT, no dice," Gottheimer said. That got the White House's attention.

The big picture: Pelosi can only afford to lose three Democratic votes if Republicans stay unified in opposition to their massive next package of infrastructure, climate initiatives, social welfare spending and tax hikes.

It's hard to fathom Republicans voting for anything resembling the proposals the Biden administration has teased out so far.

The bottom line: Gottheimer and others still have a good chance to force their SALT upon a reluctant White House.
The following list includes houses within a half-days drive of Chicago that have functional kitchens and bathrooms with hot water showers within the house, not on the ground. Most of these treehouses are equipped with Wi-Fi, but if that is essential, confirm before booking. Some treehouses have grills on their balconies. Given that each treehouse is custom-designed around its host trees, there is no standard layout or design.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia has cooperated with local authorities to send 12 Vietnamese citizens, including six COVID-19 recoveries, back home.

The handover of the 12 Vietnamese citizens took place on Wednesday at Moc Bai International Border Gate in Tay Ninh Province with the attendance of representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia, as well as Cambodian law enforcement and migration officials.

The repatriated group of twelve hails from various provinces of southern Vietnam, including Long An, Dong Thap, Binh Thuan, Ben Tre, Bac Lieu, and Ho Chi Minh City, with six having recovered from COVID-19 at hospitals in Cambodia after contracting the disease in the country.

In light of the upredictable development of COVID-19, the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia prioritizes the safeguard of Vietnamese citizens," said Nguyen Hai Trung, counselor of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia.

"We work to keep tabs on the individuals' safety status, as well as providing support for citizens who were infected with COVID-19.

The Vietnamese community in Cambodia recorded 45 coronavirus infection cases during the third wave of transmission in the country, which transpired in late February.

Several patients were housed in the consular district of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia, with 17 recovering from the disease while others are seeing a positive recovery.

The patients health is closely monitored by officials of the embassy, who also helped their repatriation by providing legal support and outreach to Cambodian authorities.

During the handover, the repatriated Vietnamese citizens expressed their gratitude to the embassy officers for their diligent aid, as well as Cambodian authorities and medical practitioners who pulled them out of danger.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia anticipates repatriating more recovered COVID-19 patients to Vietnam in the next weeks in due process.

After the handover, the 12 Vietnamese were subject to medical screening and sent to quarantine, as per Vietnams guidelines for COVID-19 prevention.

Vietnam has registered 2,603 cases of COVID-19, with 2,359 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths as of Thursday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Healths data.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Drilling will test for depth extensions to the gold shoot beneath the current mineral resource pit shell as well as infill drilling targeting the upper portions of the gold shoot.

A new drilling program at Kouri is expected to be completed in two months with first assay results expected later this month.

( ) has started diamond drilling on the Kouri Gold Project in Burkina Faso with a 2,000-metre, 10-hole, program at the high-grade Diabatou Gold Shoot.

The first three holes will test for depth extensions to the gold shoot beneath the current mineral resource pit shell and the deepest existing drill hole which returned 7 metres at 4.6 g/t gold from 191 metres, including 3 metres at 10.2 g/t gold.

The company expects to receive the first results from the Diabatou diamond drilling this month.

Kouri mineral resource

In October 2020, Golden Rim announced an updated global indicated and inferred mineral resource of 50 million tonnes at 1.3 g/t gold for 2 million ounces of contained gold at a 0.5 g/t gold lower cut-off for the Central, East and West lodes at Kouri.

The high-grade Diabatou Gold Shoot mineralisation lies within the East Lode inferred mineral resource which comprises 48,000 ounces at 3.2 g/t gold and is 7 kilometres from the Central Lodes - which comprise the bulk of the global resource.

Infill drilling is also targeting the upper portions of the gold shoot to enable the company to upgrade the mineral resource in this area to the indicated category.

Comparison of the Diabatou Gold Shoot to the extent of other gold shoots in Burkina Faso.

Regional relevance

The discovery of the Diabatou Gold Shoot at Kouri is significant as elsewhere in Burkina Faso, steeply plunging, high-grade gold shoots discovered in granite contact areas are known to host more than 1 million ounces of gold.

While the strike extent of these shoots can be limited, they can extend vertically for more than 1 kilometre, for example:

(TSX:ROXG) (OTCMKTS:ROGFF) (FRA:WF8B) outlined a mineral resource of 1.1 million ounces at 13.9 g/t gold in the Zone 55 Shoot at the Yaramoko Gold Mine in a granite-basalt contact zone; and

( ) (OTCMKTS:WFRSF) (FRA:W25) outlined a mineral resource of 1 million ounces at 14.1 g/t gold in the M1 South Shoot in a granodiorite-meta-sediment contact zone.

Diabatou Gold Shoots current dimensions are similar to the upper portion of high-grade M1 South Shoot being mined by West African Resources at Sanbrado, around 100 kilometres southwest of Kouri.
AUSTIN, Texas, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rastegar Property Company, a vertically-integrated private real estate investment firm focused on multifamily, office, retail, and industrial asset classes throughout the United States Sun Belt region, today announced Neal Golden as the organizations President. Golden joins Rastegar to focus on the companys real estate platforms and develop its vertical investment strategy across all business lines. Goldens extensive experience expanding into and working within the Sun Belt will be crucial to Rastegar.



Golden joins Rastegar with three decades of experience building global and domestic real estate businesses at some of the most prominent firms in the U.S. Throughout his career, Golden has lived and worked in various Sun Belt cities, including Atlanta, Miami, Houston and Dallas, enabling him to bring a nuanced level of market and industry expertise to Rastegar.

Joining Rastegaran emerging industry player gaining national prominenceis a great opportunity and I look forward to further enhancing Rastegars domestic strategy, said Golden. Thanks to the foundation built by Ari and his team, Rastegar has experienced tremendous growth over the past five years, especially in property acquisitions. We will continue to target vintage assets that can be brought to market.

Golden, a Dallas native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, will be working from Rastegars Austin headquarters. In his role as President, Golden will work with Rastegars Founder and CEO, Ari Rastegar, to manage day-to-day operations and implement strategies to achieve and sustain growth as the firm continues to develop and bring to market next-generation properties.

Rastegar has hit an inflection point, so the timing is ideal to bring in Neal, a close friend and brilliant man of integrity who Ive been friends with for almost a decade, said Rastegar. Neal has a proven track-record of building multi-billion dollar real estate brands. He has been successful in Austin and has worked throughout the Sun Belt, making him a perfect fit as we continue to innovate, evolve and scale the firm.

Professionally, Golden is a twelve-time Deal of the Year award winner from various publications for transactions across the United States and has built and invested in over three thousand multifamily housing units across the southeast and mid-Atlantic. He has contributed industry expertise to publications such as GlobeSt. (Real Estate Forum), Grid Magazine and Commercial Property Executive. Golden is a featured speaker and guest lecturer for organizations around the country, including National Real Estate Investor, ALA, Lex Mundi, Group of Ten and the U.S. Law Firm Group.

About Rastegar Property Company

Rastegar Property Company is a technology-enabled private real estate investment firm focused on value-add and development in all asset classes throughout Austin and the southwest United States. Rastegar and its affiliates have co-invested in or directly own and operate over 13.8 million square feet of real estate across projects in 13 states and 35 cities. The firm specializes in acquiring complex or undervalued assets with opportunities to create value through repositioning, redevelopment, and/or improved operational efficiencies. To learn more, visit https://rastegarproperty.com/.

Media Contact

Rob Kreis

FischTank PR

rastegar@fischtankpr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/83cae5c1-dcdc-435d-9b16-4fa787f57112
Schools in all four counties of Western Massachusetts will receive about $1 million in additional funding through a rural school aid grant program.

State Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, on Monday presented Gateway Regional High School in Huntington with $223, 213 and Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Shelburne Falls with $192,644 in funding as part of $3 million allocated to the Rural School Aid grant program in the fiscal 2020 state budget.

Zip-codes should not determine the quality of a childs education, Hinds said. Our rural schools deserve the funding that is critical to their ongoing success and the necessary attention from state leaders.

Hinds represents 52 communities in Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden Counties, most of them rural.

The Rural School Aid grant program, administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, helps school districts with low population densities and lower-than-average incomes address fiscal challenges. This is a funding source separate from Chapter 70 state aid.

Sen. Adam Hinds presents funding to Gateway Regional High School staff as part of the Rural School Aid grant fund on March 30, 2021.

The grant program is an important part of our district and the continued success of meeting student needs in our small and rural regional school, said Gateway Regional School District Superintendent David Hopson.

Hinds is also calling for appointments to the Rural Schools Commission, established by the Student Opportunity Act, to move forward. To date only 4 out of 19 Commissioners have been appointed, he said. Hinds chairs the panel.

Mohawk Trail/Hawlemont Regional School Districts Superintendent Sheryl Stanton said Hinds is familiar with the needs of rural districts, having been a student at the school.

As a Mohawk Trail Regional School alum, Sen. Hinds deeply understands the struggles that our rural schools and towns face, she said. Each year our taxpayers take on more of the heavy lift in supporting our schools; and while we still have a long way to go with leveling the playing field for rural schools, this additional funding is a step in the right direction.

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Following series of attacks occasioned by protracted boundary conflict, indigenes of Ini Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State are now openly parading their communities and farms with weapons, the Chairman of Ini LGA, Mr. Isreal Idaisin, has alleged.

Worried by the development, he has cried out to the federal and state governments to intervene in the protracted Nkari boundary crisis.

Idaisin lamented the age-long attack on the people of Nkari community by the neighbouring Usaka Uko community in Ikwuano LGA of Abia State.

He maintained that the crisis has over the years conditioned the minds of the indigenes to resort to self-protection.

Idaisin in an interview yesterday noted that even women and children from Nkari community now go to farm with either short or long riffles.

He warned that the situation, if not nipped in the bud, would breed a future generation of bandits who may become thorns in the flesh of the government.

"The daily crisis we have in Ini LGA is the Nkari crisis. The people there, including women and children, now go about with weapons to protect themselves.

"Everyone there is either with a long or short riffle to protect themselves from the Ikwanno people.

"The people of Ikwanno in Abia State usually stay in the bush, using gorilla warfare's approach to ambush, shoot and kill our people.

"That is why we are appealing to the federal government to take over the disputed land or do proper demarcation to forestall further loss of lives. Thousands of people have over the years lost their lives to this same crisis," he lamented.
VANCOUVER, BC, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- USA News Group - Back in the first quarter of 2020, China imposed economic lockdowns to combat the spread of coronavirusan action that initially hit global prices of iron ore. But since reopening, China's economy has significantly bounced back into growth, causing a major swing in demand for steel production, and a record breaking August for iron imports.

Global steel production recovered in response, pushing steel and iron producers such as Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF), ArcelorMittal (NYSE:MT), Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) and Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO) to respond to rising demand, while also pushing further demand for materials such as fluorite from producers like Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (TSXV:ARS) (OTCQX:ARSMF).

A key ingredient in the making of steel, the issue of the fluorite (or "fluorspar") supply is integral to steel's resurgence. Earlier this year, price increases in China suggested a coronavirus supply disruption. Domestically, the only currently producing fluorspar mine is the Lost Sheep mine in Utah, owned and operated by Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (TSXV:ARS) (OTCQX:ARSMF).

The firm has begun investing in the upgrade of the Lost Sheep mine's facility, with expanded mine designs, and a new high capacity plant to significantly increase production capacity, make Ares the only domestic supplier of products such as acidspar and metspar. Ares projects that the equipment to upgrade operations will only cost roughly US$3 million to acquire and install.

Bolstering their ambitions, Ares also recently announced a new fluorspar discovery on Lost Sheep's permitted mining area, with very promising results. The newly discovered zone connects two known mining sites on the property and expands the preliminary mining plan scope. All 5 drill holes within the new zone intersected fluorspar mineralization, with boundaries still remining open.

"The high grade results from the last drill program gave us a great insight into the geology and layout of the subsurface fluorspar mineralization, and directed the Company towards locations where high-grade fluorspar was likely located," said James Walker, President and CEO of the Ares Strategic Mining. "The first drill holes have confirmed that Ares' geological assessment were correct Ares can now consider expanding its proposed production capacity and processing facilities at its mine and anticipates secondary and tertiary mining operations at other sites alongside its Giant Little Pit operation."

The news of the discovery further encouraged Ares' management and shareholders, as Walker added: "The Company and its staff are excited at the tangible near-term and long-term prospects, and are looking forward to commencing operations and being the only domestic supplier of metspar and acidspar to the U.S."

STEEL DEMANDS REBALANCING THE FLUORSPAR VALUE CHAIN

Prior to China's v-shaped recovery, predictions were being made regarding a rebalance of fluorspar's value chain.

Known also in the industrial space as fluorite, fluorspar is used to produce and trade globally two primary commercial grades: metallurgical and acid-grade.

Acid-grade product normally sells at a premium, and is used in making hydrofluoric acid and aluminum, while metallurgical (aka "met-spar") is primarily used in steel production.

Using a flotation method, Ares can upgrade its product easily from the natural occurring metspar to the premium acidspar, which comes with a nearly $200/tonne increase in price.

From an environmental standpoint, Ares's Lost Sheep product contains no sulphides or arsenic, unlike currently imported fluorspar from other parts of the world.

Steel mills require roughly 15-20lbs of fluorspar per ton of steel, while aluminum producers require 50-60lbs of high-grade fluorspar per ton of aluminum.

Ares has already established a customer base that exceeds US$10 million, and is in discussions with four major offtake partners. The mine is currently supplying small shipments of metgrade fluorspare to steel producers, however, Ares states that all of their metspar customers have also requested acidspar products.

In the US steel space, iron ore miner Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF) shocked the market in September, with their plans to become a steel giant through the acquisition of ArcelorMittal USA from ArcelorMittal (NYSE:MT).

The unexpected transaction set Cleveland-Cliffs stocks ablaze, as shares went up 13.4% in midday trading, while ArcelorMittal shares soared more than 10%.

As the largest US producer of iron ore pellets, Cleveland-Cliffs announced a $1.4 billion purchase of ArcelorMittal's US assets, while recognizing that steel production in the US is recovering as auto plants resume operations.

"We have been through a very profitable quarter and very strong in terms of the recovery of demand particularly in automotive," said Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves.

Following the deal, Cleveland-Cliffs will now be the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America, with approximately 17 million net tons in 2019 of combined shipmentswhich could require between 255-340 million pounds of fluorspar to produce.

Internationally, the scramble for steel production continues to cause effects on the market as a whole. Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO) is in the midst of a significant decision on whether or not they'll engage on a costly but coveted African project that "represents a major threat to long-term iron-ore prices." Ahead of that decision, the metal giant is set to develop bonded area operations for blending iron ore at China's port of Dalian.

While Rio Tinto is looking to increase its iron production and retain the distinction of the world's largest iron ore producer, the previous world leader, Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) is embroiled in a case from federal prosecutors in Brazil to cancel an agreement between the company and the Brazilian government following a tailings dam collapse in Brumadinho.

However, some of the mines linked to the dams in the case are vital to Vale's plans to recover lost iron ore production and grow capacity to 400 million tonnes per year. At this level, Vale would regain its status as the world's largest producer of the steel-making raw material.

Looking ahead, the resurgence of demand from China, has Vale exploring new options to prioritize exports from Brazil to China in the future, including a new deep water port, much like Rio Tinto's ambitions. Ultimately, China remains in the driver's seat of the global steel market.

For More Information, please visit: https://energymetalnews.com/2021/03/05/this-company-is-bringing-essential-mining-back-to-the-u-s-fueled-by-government-action/

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Rep. Matt Gaetz's father made millions by selling his hospice company in 2004 and used the money to launch his own political career, years before they were 'extorted' over allegations the younger Gaetz slept with an underage girl.

The bizarre and complex chain of events was set off on Tuesday when The New York Times reported that Gaetz, 38, was under investigation for allegedly sleeping with a 17-year-old girl two years ago and trafficking her across state lines.

He hit back angrily saying it was not true and that his family was being extorted for $25million. His father Don, a former Florida Senator from 2006 until 2016, is backing him up and says he even wore a wire to a meeting with one of the extortionists to try to help expose the plot.

On Thursday, Gaetz claimed in documents he handed to The Washington Examiner that the plot had another element - the people involved were claiming to extort him to free American hostage Robert Levinson, who was captured in Iran in 2002 while working for the CIA.

He said the extortionists told his family they needed $25milliont to free Levinson - whose family say is dead - and that in exchange, the team that rescued Levinson would ask President Joe Biden to pardon Gaetz from any sex trafficking charges.

The amount the extortionists apparently asked for is the same amount that Don Gaetz's net worth was reported as when he launched his first Senatorial campaign in 2006.

He and his partners had sold Vitas, a hospice company, two years earlier for $406million. It's unclear how many partners there were, but when Don was campaigning, his net worth was well reported.

The family comes from Niceville, Florida, a conservative, Christian town on the panhandle.

Rep Matt Gaetz and his father Don Gaetz. Don served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 but two years earlier, he made at least $25million through the sale of a hospice care company that he founded in the 1970s and sold with his partners for $406million

Don Gaetz is shown, left, on the Florida Senate floor. He is shown right, with his wife Vicki, who became partially paralyzed during her pregnancy with her daughter. Her decision to go through with the pregnancy despite the complications is one of the reasons Matt Gaetz is so opposed to abortion

Don's own father, Jerry, was the mayor of a small town in North Dakota. Don was referred to as 'baby Gaetz' early on in his career.

He and his partners founded Vitas in the 1970s and turned it into the largest hospice care provider in the country, after lobbying Congress to have their care paid for under Medicaid and Medicare.

They sold the company in 2004 but were later sued for Medicaid fraud. The lawsuit did not name Don specifically, and he denied wrongdoing.

Don was well-liked in the Senate because he was considered 'old fashioned' and 'decent'. His views, while Republican, are less extreme than his son's.

'Don Gaetz was very much more of an old-school Republican. He would tell you that Matt is much more tea party Republican than he is,' Ben Wilcox told Mother Jones for a profile on the pair in 2019.

Matt launched his political career in Florida in 2010.

He has since made a name for himself supporting Trump, at times mimicking his combustive and combative style.

He is engaged to Ginger Luckey, who he met at a Trump fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago in March 2020 and proposed to her there in December.

She has not commented on the current controversy.

He has spoken in the past about how his mother became partially paralyzed due to complications she suffered while pregnant with his sister, and how her devotion to the pregnancy and baby has enforced his anti-abortion views.

Rep. Matt Gaetz with Donald and Melania Trump. He styled much of his political career on Trump, taking a similarly combative tone in interviews and on Twitter

On Wednesday, Gaetz produced text message screenshots and emails to The Washington Examiner to support his case.

They shed more light on the allegations. According to the documents, Gaetz had been seen in compromising photos having sex with underage prostitutes.

McGee and another man, Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent, claimed in the messages to have knowledge of the investigation.

Gaetz proposed to Ginger Hickey in December last year eight months after meeting her

They said that he was about to be indicted but that they could stop it if the Gaetz family put up $25million which would help secure Levinson's release.

Levinson worked for the FBI for 22 years then vanished in 2007 while in Iran. Nothing was known as to whether he was alive or dead until 2011 when Levinson's family shared images and a video of him being held captive and pleading for help.

Levinson's family said in March 2020 that they had been informed by US officials that he had died in Iranian custody, while being held in Iran as the longest-held hostage in American history.

But Kent claimed he was very much alive and that if Gaetz provided the money to release him, he would be given public credit for the operation and the 'team' would tell President Biden to give him a pardon in the sex trafficking case.

McGee used to work for the Department of Justice but now works in private practice and is the Levinson family's lawyer.

Kent has claimed in the past that he has worked on plans to secure Levinson's release.

The texts are purportedly from him to Gaetz's father, former Senator Don Gaetz. They were sent on March 16 and 17.

'Mr Gaetz, I would like to talk with you immediately about the current federal investigation and the indictment that is about to be filed against your son. I have a plan that can make his future legal and political problems go away,' the first text, sent on March 16 purportedly from Kent, says.

Kent goes on: 'Last summer, we located Robert Levinson in Iran and took two proof of life videos but the US government foiled our rescue attempt. We have one more opportunity to rescue Levinson. If you and Matt are willing to help us privately and clandestinely obtain the release of Robert Levinson, I will ensure...'

There is no screenshot of the next part of the text.

On March 17, Gaetz's father met with Kent and Kent gave him a document titled 'Project Homecoming', he says.

It detailed plans for the Gaetz family to give them $25million.

They said they would use the money to free Levinson and that in exchange, 'the team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.

On March 17, the day after the text was sent purportedly by Kent to Gaetz's father, Don claims he met with Kent and Stephen M. Alford, a man convicted of fraud who McGee has represented in the past, and was given the three-page 'Project Homecoming' document.

The document begins with details of the alleged probe into Rep. Gaetz over 'various public corruption and public integrity issues.'

It outlines some of the most damning allegations to surface against Gaetz to date, claiming the FBI has 'compromising pictures' depicting Gaetz and an unidentified election official in a 'sexual orgy with underage prostitutes' in Maitland, Florida.

The photos came to light during an unrelated probe into political corruption and public integrity in another criminal case, it reads.

This document was given to Gaetz's father Don on March 17, allegedly by Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent. The plan involved the Gaetz family putting up $25million to secure Levinson's release but it doesn't say how the money would secure that

Another document that Gaetz has produced is an email from the Assistant US Attorney for the Northern District of Florida which confirms that the family was working with the FBI

Rep. Matt Gaetz (pictured) was allegedly being extorted over the investigation into 'compromising pictures' showing him in a sex orgy with underage prostitutes to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran, according to newly-obtained documents

Bombshell texts, an email and a printout with the heading 'Project Homecoming' detail the alleged scheme involving former DOJ official David McGee (left) and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent to free US hostage Robert Levinson (right)

Sources previously told the New York Times the probe was part of a wider investigation into Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, who was charged with sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17 last year.

The document says the discovery of the photos and 'subsequent information' has led to Gaetz being the 'target' of a 'widening investigation into serious underage sex trafficking, political corruption, public integrity, and other criminal allegations.'

On Tuesday, Gaetz insisted he had been told he was the 'subject' and not the 'target' of a probe.

The document claims that a Grand Jury has been impaneled to determine is charges should be brought against Gaetz and others.

It says that a number of people have testified to the Grand Jury about Gaetz including one underage girl who claims she was paid by Gaetz for sex and 'other individuals, whom are facing serious criminal allegations themselves'.

'At least one underage female has testified to the Grand Jury that Congressman Gaetz has paid her to engage in sexual activities,' it reads.

The probe is being handled by the Public Integrity Division of the DOJ and is being managed out of the DC field office, with the US Attorney from the Middle District of Florida overseeing the case.

The document goes on to describe a 'strategy' to 'mitigate Gaetz's 'legal and political troubles' by arranging for $25 million in funds needed to apparently release Levinson from Iranian captivity.

The money would be deposited into the trust account of Beggs & Land law firm, where McGee works, no later than March 19, the Examiner reported.

It describes a setup wherein Gaetz could take the credit for Levinson's release and present the captive's return to the US, and would be put forward for a presidential pardon and for all investigations to be dropped.

'In exchange for funds being arranged, and upon the release of Robert Levinson, Congressman Gaetz shall be given credit for facilitating the release of Mr. Levinson. Congressman Gaetz shall also be on the plane that returns Mr. Levinson to freedom, and shall be the person to 'reunited' Mr. Levinson with his family and bring Mr. Levinson back to the United States,' the document reads.

'The team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President of The United States shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.'

The three-page document also suggested at least some White House knowledge of the plan claiming: 'The team has been assured by the President that he will strongly consider such matters because he considers the release of Robert Levinson a matter of National Urgency.'

BILL BARR CANCELED AN APPEARANCE TO APPEAR WITH GAETZ BECAUSE OF PROBE Bill Barr was aware of the ongoing sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz and took no objection to it when he was the Attorney General. Instead, he made sure he was never seen with him in public. According to Politico, Barr canceled an event where he was due to appear with Gaetz in the summer of 2020. He had been scheduled to appear at a meet-and-greet with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee but when he saw that Gaetz was also attending, he pulled out of it. Barr has not commented on the investigation into sex trafficking that Gaetz is said to be a target of. Advertisement

DailyMail.com has reached out to the White House for comment.

The Examiner also obtained an email chain allegedly between Don's attorney Jeffrey Neiman and federal prosecutors that appears to confirm the FBI is looking into an alleged extortion.

Assistant US Attorney David Goldberg wrote to Neiman that he could 'confirm that your client is working with my office as well as the FBI at the government's request in order to determine if a federal crime has been committed'.

The FBI declined to comment and directed to DailyMail.com to the DOJ. The DOJ did not return a request for comment.

The release of the documents came after Gaetz's father backed up his extortion claims and said he wore a wire to try help his son expose it.

'The FBI asked me to try and get that information for Matt and an indication we would transfer money to Mr. David McGee,' he told Politico Wednesday.

DailyMail.com has reached out to McGee following the latest claims about the alleged extortion plot.

The attorney denied any involvement Tuesday telling The Washington Post Tuesday he was not part of a plan to extort Gaetz nor was he connected to the DOJ's sex trafficking probe.

But McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, said: 'It is completely false. It's a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that he's under investigation for sex trafficking of minors.

'I have no connection with that case at all, other than, one of a thousand people who have heard the rumors.'

The attorney said Gaetz's father had 'called me and asked to talk to me' and said he would welcome a tape of their conversation being made public. He did not detail what the conversation was about but insisted it was nothing 'untoward' but simply 'a pleasant conversation of a dad concerned about his son and the trouble his son was in'.

He added: 'If there is a tape, play the tape. There is nothing on that tape that is untoward.'

Gaetz had on Tuesday claimed he is the victim of a $25 million extortion plot after it was revealed he is under investigation for sex trafficking over allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl, 17, and paid to have her travel with him.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump accused McGee live on Tucker Carlson of trying to extort millions of dollars out of him and his family in exchange for 'making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away.'

Gaetz claimed he had been working with the FBI and his father Don Gaetz had been wearing a wire to expose the alleged scheme after learning of it earlier this month.

Florida lawmaker Gaetz made the bombshell allegation hours after the New York Times revealed the DOJ had launched a probe to investigate whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws.

Three sources told the Times an investigation was launched into his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl during Trump's final months in office under then-Attorney General Bill Barr.

The inquiry is said to be part of a wider probe into Florida official Joel Greenberg, who was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17. No charges have been filed against Gaetz.

On Wednesday, Politico reported that not only was the sex trafficking investigation underway, but that Bill Barr, the AG at the time, knew about it and had no objection to it.

Gaetz claimed Tuesday night the sex trafficking allegations against him were 'verifiably false' but said he and his family were victims of an extortion effort by McGee to make the allegations and the DOJ investigation 'go away.'

A separate probe was launched by the FBI into the extortion plot, he said. Gaetz claimed the Times report had then foiled a plan to transfer a bribe of $4.5 million to McGee Wednesday which would have then exposed the alleged plot.

However Times' reporter Katie Benner told MSNBC it is the congressman who has in fact 'blown up' the alleged extortion investigation in an effort to divert attention away from the fact the sex trafficking concerns were serious enough for the Trump administration to launch an investigation - even though Gaetz is a close ally of the president. Gaetz, 38, is close to Trump and got engaged to food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, at his Mar-a-Lago club in late December.

Gaetz accused David McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, of trying to extort millions from him and his family in exchange for making sex trafficking allegations 'go away' on Fox News Tuesday

The FBI declined to comment Tuesday night while the DOJ did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Reports of the two investigations came just hours after it was revealed Gaetz is considering retiring from Congress and taking a job at right-wing news outlet Newsmax.

Tucker Carlson says Gaetz interview was his 'weirdest ever' Fox News' Tucker Carlson was stunned by Rep Matt Gaetz's appearance on his show Tuesday night, calling it one of the 'weirdest interviews' ever. Gaetz claimed he is the victim of a $25million extortion plot after the New York Times revealed he is under investigation for sex trafficking over allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl, 17, and paid to have her travel with him. During the interview Gaetz denied all of the allegations against him. 'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson. 'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.' Fox News' Tucker Carlson was stunned by Rep Matt Gaetz's appearance on his show Tuesday night When asked about the alleged sexual relationship with the teen, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'. However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme'. 'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said. 'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.' In response to that claim, Carlson says: 'I don't remember the women you're speaking of or the context at all honestly.' Following the segment, Carlson told his viewers: 'You just saw our Matt Gaetz interview. That was one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.' 'That story just appeared in the news a couple of hours ago, and on the certainty that there's always more than you read in the newspaper, we immediately called Matt Gaetz and asked him to come on and tell us more. Which, as you saw, he did. I don't think that clarified much, but it certainly showed this is a deeply interesting story and we'll be following it,' Carlson added. Advertisement

Gaetz's alleged encounters with the 17-year-old girl took place around two years ago with the DOJ investigation focusing on whether the lawmaker paid for her to cross state lines, the Times reported.

Under federal law, it is a crime to transport someone under the age of 18 across state lines, or coerce them to travel across state lines, to engage in sex in exchange for money.

It is not clear when or how Gaetz allegedly met the teenager.

Gaetz, who was the only member of Congress to vote against a largely bipartisan human trafficking bill back in 2017, insisted the allegations are false.

'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson.

'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.'

When asked about his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'.

'The person doesn't exist. I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false,' he said.

However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme.'

'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said.

'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.'

Instead, Gaetz claimed he and his family have fallen foul to a plot to extort money.

The congressman told Carlson the alleged scheme came to light on March 16 when he claims his father got a text message 'demanding a meeting wherein a person demanded $25 million in exchange for making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away'.

Gaetz's father is Don Gaetz, former member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 and Senate President from 2012 to 2014. Don has not publicly commented on the apparent extortion plot.

Gaetz claimed his family were told about 'pictures of me with child prostitutes' which he insisted are 'obviously false'.

Gaetz named McGee on air on the Fox News show, accusing the lawyer of being behind the extortion plot.

'His name is David Mcgee. He was a top official in the leadership in the northern district of Florida as a prosecutor,' he said. 'He currently works at the Beggs & Lane law firm.'

He claimed: 'There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators.'

Gaetz said he contacted the FBI and the DOJ and has been working with them to expose the plot.

'Our family was so troubled by that, we went to the local FBI and the FBI and the Department of Justice were so concerned about this attempted extortion of a member of Congress that they asked my dad to wear a wire, which he did with the former department of justice official,' he claimed.

Gaetz claimed that, prior to the Times' report of the sex trafficking inquiry, his family and federal authorities had made a plan to send $4.5 million as a down payment to McGee.

He claimed this plan 'would have shown even more evidence of David McGee's work in this extortion scheme' but that it was 'foiled' by the Times' report.

'What was supposed to happen was the transfer of this money that would have implicated the former colleague of these current DOJ officials.

'But that's obviously not going to happen tomorrow because the New York Times story was leaked in order to quell that investigative effort,' he claimed.

Gaetz called on the FBI to release the tapes of his family's alleged encounters with the extorter in order to prove his 'innocence.'

'If the FBI and department of justice will release the tapes that they are in possession of, the American people will see what is really going on,' he said.

New York Times' Justice Department Reporter Katie Benner hit back at Gaetz's claims telling MSNBC that McGee is not involved in the DOJ's sex trafficking probe as he works in private practice.

'No that person is not involved in the investigations. That person is currently in private practice and does not work at the Justice Department,' she said.

Benner questioned Gaetz's motive for speaking out about the alleged extortion plot in a move that she said has 'destroyed and blown up' the FBI investigation into it.

Gaetz was first to publicly expose the FBI probe into the alleged extortion plot, with no mention made in the Times' initial report.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump fired out a series of tweets Tuesday claiming a former Justice Department employee had been trying to extort $25 million from him and his family while 'threatening to smear my name'

Benner said she believes Gaetz was speaking out to deflect from the fact that the sex trafficking probe was 'serious enough' to be launched by Trump's DOJ.

'Keep in mind this is an investigation that if you look at the timeline was very serious and was taken seriously by Trump administration officials in the Justice Department,' she said.

'I think that one of the reasons why he has talked publicly about this extortion plot, one of the reasons why he has publicly said that the FBI has asked his own father to wear a wire is in order to try to get people to not pay attention to the fact that it was in fact the Trump admin that felt it was worthy to investigation him.'

She hit back at his claim that the Times' report had 'foiled' the FBI plot.

'In publicly talking about the extortion plot that he has described and publicly saying that his father wore a wire he has basically destroyed and blown up an FBI investigation which is in itself something you would think would be against his own interests,' she said.

'You would think he wold be wanting to work with the FBI and would think he would be wanting to keep this quiet... in doing this and basically blowing up an FBI investigation into people trying to extort his family he has both complicated that investigation and also cast aspersions on something that was serious enough that Attorney General Bill Barr proved it.'

Gaetz went on the defense as soon as the Times story broke Tuesday evening, going on a tweet storm describing the alleged extortion plot and slamming the allegations as 'lies'.

'Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name,' he tweeted.

The congressman said he and his family had been working with the FBI on the plot to extort money from his family.

'We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI's direction to catch these criminals.

'The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation.'

Gaetz denied the accusations against him after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that the DOJ had launched a probe to investigate whether he had violated federal sex trafficking laws. Pictured Trump and Gaetz

Gaetz called on the Justice Department to release tapes he said shows the alleged scheme by an ex-DOJ employee.

'I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations,' he tweeted.

Gaetz went into damage control mode after news of the inquiry surfaced.

He told the Times his attorneys had been told by the DOJ that he was the subject and not the target of the probe.

The inquiry is said to be part of a wider probe into Florida official Joel Greenberg (pictured) who was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking of a minor between the age of 14 and 17

'I only know that it has to do with women,' he said. 'I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.'

The congressman confirmed the DOJ probe in an interview with Axios and doubled down that the allegations are 'false' and 'unclear' as he blamed the apparent extortion plot.

'The allegations of sexual misconduct against me are false,' he said. 'They are rooted in an extortion effort against my family for $25 million in exchange for making this case go away.'

Axios reported that it had seen screenshots of text messages, emails and documents from Gaetz purporting to show the alleged scheme.

'I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy,' he said.

The 38-year-old said while he often 'provided for' women he was dating when he was single, such as paying for flights and hotel rooms, he was 'absolutely' confident none of the women were underage.

'I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I've dated. You know, I've paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I've been, you know, generous as a partner,' he said.

'I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.'

Sources told the Times that senior Justice Department officials, including some Trump appointees, were aware of the investigation due to its nature and the congressman's profile.

Gaetz shared this image on Facebook in July 2017 of himself with Greenberg and Roger Stone

They said it is part of a larger probe into Greenberg, a former tax collector of Seminole County, Orlando, accused of paying for sex with an underage girl and illegally using Florida's DMV database to look up information on her and other women with whom he was engaged in 'sugar daddy' relationships with.

Greenberg was indicted last summer on 14 felony charges including child sex trafficking, fraud, identity theft and stalking a former political rival.

The sex trafficking charge involves alleged encounters with a girl aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017.

He was also accused of violating the Driver's Privacy Protection Act by using his access as an elected official to illegally look up information about the minor in The Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID).

He reportedly looked up the girl's photo, driver identification number, in addition to other information.

Prosecutors say he also used the database to look up other people, with whom he was embroiled in 'sugar daddy relationships' with.

Greenberg had first been indicted by a federal grand jury in June on charges that he stalked political opponent Brian Beute in the Republican primary for the Tax Collector's race and for identity theft.

Greenberg resigned the following day and the additional charges were added in August.

Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December. Pictured the couple when they got engaged

He was arrested earlier this month for violating the terms of his bond after he allegedly traveled to Jupiter and was involved in some type of police incident there.

The extent of Gaetz's relationship with Greenberg is unclear but the ex-tax collector shared a photo on Twitter of the two men together at the White House in 2019.

The year before, Gaetz backed Greenberg's successful bid for local office.

And back in July 2017, Gaetz shared a photo on his Facebook of himself with Greenberg and Roger Stone - Trump's aide who was convicted of lying to Congress before being pardoned by the former president.

News of the sex-trafficking inquiry came the same day reports surfaced that Gaetz is mulling quitting politics altogether for a career as a media personality.

Gaetz has told friends he is considering not seeking re-election in 2022 and may even leave Congress before the end of his term for a job at conservative outlet Newsmax, according to Axios.

The congressman lost much of his personal power in DC when Trump, a close ally, lost the White House and Republicans failed to take back control of the House of Representatives.

Newsmax, meanwhile, has become a favored outlet for conservatives after Trump started criticizing Fox News, leaving an opening for it and competitor One American News.

Gaetz is already a frequent guest on the network, which recently hired former White House staffer Andrew Guiliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani, and former Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators

Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and defended the former president during both impeachment trials.

He also pushed the false claims that the MAGA mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a riot that left five dead were from Antifa. Investigations have proven they were not.

Gaetz also made a name for himself when he became the only House lawmaker to vote against a bill to provide greater funds to fight human trafficking.

The legislation - the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act - gave the federal government more money to tackle human trafficking.

It was backed by both Republicans and Democrats and sailed through the House and Senate.

'Unless there is an overwhelming, compelling reason that our existing agencies in the federal government can't handle that problem, I vote no because voters in Northwest Florida did not send me to Washington to go and create more federal government,' he said at the time.

He also hit headlines for wearing a gas mask on the House floor during the COVID pandemic and criticizing Democrats for banning guns in Congress.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators.

Outside of DC, Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December.

The couple met at an event at the club sometime earlier in 2020.

Luckey works for a company called Apeel, that says it 'works with nature to reduce food waste and create abundance for all.'
Rishi Sunak last night confirmed he helped block calls for a circuit breaker lockdown last autumn.

Ministers faced criticism after rejecting advice from the Sage advisory group for a temporary lockdown.

Mr Sunak insisted that there wasnt a clear-cut case for shutting down the economy.

He told ITV News: These are difficult decisions to make and its why we weigh up all those factors.

Sage papers revealed that government scientists believed that a two-three week lockdown could reverse a surge in cases that was threatening to run out of control.

Ministers faced criticism after rejecting advice from the Sage advisory group for a temporary lockdown. Pictured, Rishi Sunak

However, scientists acknowledged at the time that 'multiple circuit breaks' might have been needed to keep the virus at bay all winter.

Matt Hancock and Michael Gove are believed to have backed the idea of a circuit breaker. But Mr Sunak helped persuade Boris Johnson to reject it.

The Chancellor said the decision to ignore the advice from Sage was 'ultimately' taken by Mr Johnson, but said he had been against another lockdown.

He added: Just remember what my job is. Everyone's job in the Cabinet is to provide the Prime Minister with the best advice that they can in their area of expertise.

'In the same way that you'd expect the Education Secretary to feed in about this on the impact on children's education and learning.

'And you'd expect me in my job to talk about the impact on people's jobs and livelihoods and ultimately things that are bad for the economy are bad for our long-term health as well and our ability to fund things like the NHS. And those things have to go into the decision.

Mr Sunak pointed out that the Welsh government did impose a so-called 'circuit breaker' lockdown at around the same time, which failed to prevent a major second wave of the virus.

Matt Hancock (pictured) and Michael Gove are believed to have backed the idea of a circuit breaker. But Mr Sunak helped persuade Boris Johnson to reject it

He insisted he did not regret his stance last year. But Whitehall sources say the Chancellor has not been agitating for abn earlier lifting of the current lockdown in the way he did with the original restrictions last year.

The Chancellor also predicted that the economy would bounce back rapidly as the lockdown is eased.

He said the vaccine rollout meant people could now 'look forward, confidently and optimistically to the safe reopening of our economy and our country. And slowly getting our lives back to normal.

'And I know as we do that, businesses are raring to go.' Labour described the Chancellor's opposition to the scientific advice as 'astonishing'.

Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said Mr Sunak had been 'wrong at every turn', adding: 'We have it in black and white: he rejected scientific advice on the need for a circuit-breaker to control the virus and save lives - and he's trying to pin the blame on the Prime Minister.'
The Bobby Storey funeral dominated discussions in Stormont and the policing board on Thursday, as the Department of Health reported another 107 cases of coronavirus in Northern Ireland.

It came as the Executive confirmed that pupils in all primary and post-primary schools will return to school after the Easter holidays. Changes to some outdoor non-essential retail were also agreed, with the likes of garden centres and motor home dealers able to reopen from 12 April.

MLAs returned to the chamber on Thursday as part of an SDLP motion to censure Sinn Fein, following the decision by the PPS not to bring charges to those who attended the Bobby Storey funeral.

During proceedings, the First Minister Arlene Foster launched a scathing attack on Sinn Fein.

"Once again the message from Sinn Fein was clear - ourselves alone, ourselves first regardless of the cost of undermining the public health messaging, said Mrs Foster.

The wake, the funeral procession of thousands and the political rally, were clear and premeditated breaches of the Covid regulations.

The prioritisation of Roselawn over other grieving families was hurtful, ignorant and callous in the extreme. Acts of arrogance, acts of self entitlement, acts of privilege.

Sinn Fein calls for equality, respect and integrity but actually demonstrates the opposite.

Speaking after, the deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill gave a further apology to those who had lost loved ones.

My attendance at the funeral of Bobby Storey was to support a family that was in grief as he was laid to rest, she said.

Over the past nine months I have worked tirelessly to rebuild trust and confidence with the public as a result of undermining the public health message and I will continue to work everyday with ministerial colleagues and I will continue to work across the five parties to take us through what is a global health pandemic to save lives and to protect livelihoods.

Following the Assembly motion, which passed unanimously on an oral vote but with no binding consequences - attention turned to the Policing Board.

PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne was quizzed on his officers' actions in relation to the Bobby Storey funeral. Thursday's Policing Board meeting was held in public, after the organisation had initially said the session would be private.

During the meeting, Mr Bryne confirmed Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary would review the actions of the PSNI.

"Many people have endured the pain of not burying loved ones in the way they would like," he said.

"I recognise the events surrounding the policing of this funeral have caused outrage. I am confident my officers have acted with good intent and integrity in managing what was always going to be a sensitive policing operation.

"I really welcome the engagement of Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary...as an independent body to come in and help us get an objective understanding of just what went on."

Expand Close Health Minister Robin Swann (Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye/PA) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Health Minister Robin Swann (Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye/PA)

Meanwhile, the Department of Health has reported another 107 cases of coronavirus in Northern Ireland on Thursday as the Chief Medical officer Michael McBride urged people to follow "public health advice" over Easter.

In a joint statement alongside Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Ireland Dr Ronan Glynn, the pair said: "Easter is a time when, traditionally, many of us spend time with our families and loved ones. Unfortunately, this Easter, we still have a very dangerous, very transmissible virus, circulating in our communities that continues to spread and cause serious illness and, sadly, death.

"We must ask that, once again, we work together to prevent a further wave of infection by celebrating this Easter safely. Please continue to stick with the public heath advice and avoid visiting other homes at this time. Do not give this virus the opportunities it is seeking to spread.

"If we can stick with these measures, we can avoid another wave and all of us, together, will be able to look back as a society, and reflect proudly on how we came together to protect each other and save lives.

Meanwhile the death toll in Northern Ireland remains at 2,115.

In the past seven days there have been 915 confirmed cases, the previous week was 1,060.

Read More

In total there have been 6,239 cases in Northern Ireland since testing began. Almost 886,504 people have been tested.

Hospital occupancy is at 98% across Northern Ireland with 112 suffering Covid and another 17 in intensive care. Five care homes are dealing with an outbreak.

Read More

How the day unfolded:
Joe Biden's promise to pay for his $2 trillion infrastructure plan with a raise on corporation tax has been called into question by financial experts, who say that the figures do not add up.

Biden on Wednesday unveiled his proposals in Philadelphia, urging Congress to approve what he said were essential upgrades to roads, trains, water systems, airports, internet access and bike lanes.

He said that the cost will be covered via an increase in taxes on businesses, including taking corporation tax from its current level of 21 per cent to 28 per cent.

It had been at 35 per cent, until Donald Trump lowered it.

Biden on Wednesday detailed infrastructure spending at Carpenters Pittsburgh Training Center

The $2.3 trillion bill will be paid for by tax hikes, but the cost will take a while to recoup

It would also ensure companies pay at least some taxes by imposing a 15 per cent minimum tax on income and taxing some foreign income of large global corporations to discourage them from moving operations overseas to tax havens.

Yet analysts pointed out that the tax hike would take a long time to cover the cost.

The $2.3 trillion in spending would take place over the next eight years, yet it would take until 2036  15 years  for Biden's proposed tax hikes to generate that much revenue.

The proposed tax hikes generate only about $1.5 trillion over a decade, The Washington Post reported, meaning this plan would add close to $1 trillion to the U.S. debt.

The federal deficit is already at its highest level since World War II.

Some experts said that upgrades to elderly care centers and education facilities should not be included in the bill, in a bid to reduce the cost.

'We're at a point about where our debt is about to reach unprecedented levels, and that comes with a lot of risks,' said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan group that advocates for fiscal restraint.

She told the paper: 'We should put out a bill that is investment in infrastructure and doesn't fall to the trick of calling everything you want infrastructure.'

Biden's infrastructure bill will see $115 billion on modernizing bridges, highways, and roads

The White House released a 25-page report on the package on Tuesday morning that would amount to one of the biggest government investments since the space race in the 1960s - if it's passed by Congress.

The funding will come from tax hikes - including a 7 per cent rise in Capital Gains Tax from 21 percent to 28.

'They have a giant definition of infrastructure,' said R. Richard Geddes, an infrastructure economist who advised President George W. Bush. 'These social issues are very important, but they aren't nuts and bolts. We need to focus like a laser beam.'

Yet supporters say it is essential, pointing out that it will create jobs and boost the economy in addition to improving vital functions.

They point out that if the corporate taxes remain in place, the plan would actually be a revenue generator after 2036.

'It's not a permanent spending increase, but the revenues are permanent,' said Joel Friedman, vice president for federal fiscal policy at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

'If you go 15 years, then it doesn't add to the debt.'

Biden himself said on Wednesday it was long overdue.

'It's going to create the strongest, most resilient, innovative economy in the world. It's not a plan that tinkers around the edges,' Biden said.

'It's a once-in-a-generation investment in America unlike anything we've seen or done since we built the interstate highway system.'

President Joe Biden 's $2 trillion infrastructure plan includes proposals to spend $174 billion on electric vehicles and infrastructure and inject huge funds into projects that prevent community violence, improve bike and pedestrian safety, and create a 'Civilian Climate Corps'

Below are the proposals Biden will be putting forward:

Electric vehicles: $174 billion to boost the markets for electric vehicles. Rebates and tax incentives to buy American-made EVs.

Included in the plan provided by the White House are grants for governments and private groups to build 500,000 electric vehicle chargers and replace 50,000 diesel transit vehicles.

School buses: Replace 50,000 diesel transit vehicles and electrify at least 20 percent of yellow school bus fleet. The package touts an Energy Department program called Clean Buses for Kids. It would 'set us on a path to 100 percent clean buses,' according to the White House.

Public Transit: Biden calls on Congress to invest $165 billion in public transit. This includes modernizing existing transit and expanding those systems. It would double federal funding for an area that is a top part of state and local budgets. According to the White House it would 'bring bus, bus rapid transit, and rail service to communities and neighborhoods across the country' without specifying which ones, and claims it would 'ultimately reduce traffic congestion for everyone.'

Lead pipes: After a campaign where the Flint drinking water fiasco became a top issue for Democrats, the proposal includes $45 billion for a plan to eliminate all lead pipes used in water distribution. The funds would be administered through EPA's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and in Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act grants to localities.

'Made in America': 'Made in America' provisions on manufacturing and shipping. According to the White House, it will 'require that goods and materials are made in America and shipped on U.S.-flag, U.S.-crewed vessels.' Similar 'made in America' provisions are common on legislation. The White says its plan 'will ensure that Americans who have endured systemic discrimination and exclusion for generations finally have a fair shot at obtaining good paying jobs and being part of a union.'

Bridge and highway modernization: $115 billion to modernize the bridges, highways, roads, and main streets in 'critical need'. The White House cites statistics saying 173,000 total miles of highways are in poor condition, along with 45,000 bridges. The plan also calls for funds to repair 10,000 'smaller bridges' that provide 'critical connections to rural and tribal communities'.

Protect cyclists and pedestrians: Bikes, too, would get a share of the billions. The package includes $20 billion for safety - including funds to 'reduce crashes and fatalities, especially for cyclists and pedestrians'.

Biden will announce a $174 billion to boost the markets for electric vehicles. Rebates and tax incentives to buy American-made EVs

Transit: Biden is calling for $85 billion to modernize existing transit. A Transportation Department figure cites a maintenance backlog of $105 billion, which includes 24,000 buses, 5,000 rail cars, 200 stations, plus track and other systems. The infusion, if enacted, would double the current federal funding.

Amtrak: Biden, a lifetime rail enthusiast who used to commute by train between Wilmington and Washington, would shower $80 billion on Amtrak to modernize the system and improve the Northeast Corridor, which links D.C. to New York and points North. The money would go to fund repairs, boost safety and electrification, and connect new pairs of cities. Grants would 'support passenger and freight rail safety, efficiency, and electrification.'

Airports: The plan calls for $25 billion for airports, with funds going to the existing Airport Improvement Program. It also calls for upgrades to Federal Aviation Administration assets that 'ensure safe and efficient air travel,' with a new program for terminal renovations and connections.

Waterways: The plan calls for $17 billion for inland waterways, coastal ports, land ports of entry, and ferries.

Neighborhoods cut off by roads: President Biden wants $20 billion to reconnect neighborhoods cut off by highways and historic investments, plus research on 'advanced pavements'. A section on redressing 'historic inequities' mentions highways that plowed through communities in New Orleans and Syracuse.

Water restoration: Unspecified investment for 'the protection and restoration of major land and water resources like Florida's Everglades and the Great Lakes'.

Broadband: Push for '100 percent high-speed broadband coverage' in the nation. Work with Congress to lower internet prices. The plan says Biden 'recognizes that individual subsidies to cover internet costs may be needed in the short term,' but thinks continually providing subsidies 'is not the right long-term solution.'

The 25 page plan includes 20 references to broadband technology  a modern facet that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also has been touting.

The plan says Biden 'recognizes that individual subsidies to cover internet costs may be needed in the short term,' but thinks continually providing subsidies 'is not the right long-term solution.'

Power grid: Build more resilient power system. Targeted investment tax credit to help build out 20 gigawatts of high-voltage capacity power lines.

Plug oil wells: Years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the plan calls for spending $16 billion to plug much smaller 'orphan' oil and gas wells that continue to affect the environment.

Brownfields: Like many infrastructure plans of past years, Biden's includes funds to restore 'brownfields' in urban areas as well as to clean up Superfund cites. It calls for $5 billion in investments for the projects.

Workforce development to help distressed communities: Language on targeting workforce development programs in 'underserved communities' isn't as precise as the brick and mortar programs, in a plan that came out as the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd was underway.

'Structural racism and persistent economic inequities have undermined opportunity for millions of workers. All of the investments in workforce training will prioritize underserved communities and communities hit hard by a transforming economy,' according to the White House.

It calls for $12 billion to garget workers 'facing some of the greatest challenges' and '$5 billion over eight years in support of evidence-based community violence prevention programs.'

Industrial clean energy: 15 decarbonized hydrogen demonstration projects to get industry to use clean technology.

Civilian Climate Corps: $10 billion for new Civilian Climate Corps. It's unclear what this new unit will entail.

Affordable housing: $213 billion to 'produce, preserve, and retrofit more than two million affordable and sustainable places to live.' Includes 'project-based rental assistance.' $40 billion for public housing infrastructure.

Home energy: $27 billion Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator for home energy upgrades.

Schools: $100 billion to upgrade and build new public schools, half through grants and half through bonds.

Community colleges: $12 billion to invest in community college infrastructure.

Child care: $25 billion to upgrade child care facilities.

Veterans: $18 billion for VA hospitals.

Back to school: The plan calls for electrifying one-fifth of the national school bus fleet

A new Civilian Climate Corps takes inspiration from FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps

Shovel ready: The proposal contains traditional spending on roads and bridges, plus research on 'advanced pavements that recycle carbon dioxide'

Home care: $400 billion toward 'expanding access to quality, affordable home- or community-based care for aging relatives and people with disabilities'.

R&D: $35 billion in R&D investments. Includes $5 billion for climate research

HBCUs: $10 billion for R&D investment at historically black colleges and universities

Pandemics: $30 billion in pandemic counter measures. Includes investments in medical stockpile, testing, and research.

Power sources: $46 billion for charging ports, advanced nuclear reactors and fuel, electric heat pumps for buildings.

Dislocated workers: $40 building for dislocated workers.

Workforce training: Workforce training amid 'persistent economic inequalities': $12 billion for workforce development in 'underserved communities.' $5 billion for community violence prevention.

Apprenticeships: $48 billion in 'American workforce development' including 2 million new apprenticeships.

Enforcement: $10 billion to ensure fair and equal pay, workplace safety, and job sites 'free from racial, gender, and other forms of discrimination and harassment'.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Demotech, Inc.'s President and Co-founder, Joseph L. Petrelli, ACAS, ASA, MAAA (MBA), has been interviewed by Arleen and ted Taveras, founders of Insurance Licensing Services of America, Inc. and Spot on Insurance.

Petrelli joined Arleen and Ted to share how Demotech became the first to review and rate independent, regional and specialty insurers through its issuance of Financial Stability Ratings (FSRs). According to Petrelli, "As the first to review and rate independent, regional and specialty insurers, FSRs are applicable to any size insurance company. Demotech's Company Classifications System recognizes that business models are more important than size. Although we review and rate more than 400 insurers countrywide; we are known for our revival and sustenance of Florida's residential property insurance market, an effort we undertook in 1996."

On working with Arleen and Ted Taveras, Petrelli said "it was effortless to share information with them. They are masters at leading you to share your knowledge through storytelling." The interview is at https://www.spotoninsurance.com/podcast/top-notch-actuarial-resources/.

About Demotech, Inc.

Demotech, Inc. was the first firm to review independent, regional and specialty insurers. Since 1985, Demotech has served the industry by assigning accurate, reliable, and proven Financial Stability Ratings to Property & Casualty insurers and Title underwriters. FSRs provide an objective baseline of the solvency of an insurer. Demotech's philosophy is to review and evaluate insurers based on their area of focus and execution of their business model rather than solely on financial size. Demotech was the first to review and rate independent regional and specialty insurers. Demotech's increasing accreditations and acceptances has resulted in its review of more than 400 insurers operating in the US. Visit www.demotech.com for additional information.

About Spot on Insurance

SOI is a one-of-a-kind educational platform created for insurance professionals by insurance professionals. Here you'll find podcasts, webinars and more. The podcasts help you master the skills and knowledge you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business. Podcasts also explore technology, and regulatory trends revolutionizing our industry. Visit Spot On Insurance | Podcast for the Insurance Professionals.

Insurance Licensing Services of America, Inc.

The purpose of ILSA is to shift the burden of compliance from you and your team to them. Visit ILSA | Insurance Licensing Services of America, Inc. (ilsainc.com).

SOURCE Demotech, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.demotech.com


The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines has awarded a record number of National Scholarships for the 2019/2020 academic year.





Fifty-eight (58) graduates of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College have received full or partial scholarships, which will fund their university studies in a wide range of academic disciplines.





The 2019/2020 total represents an increase of eleven (11) over the previous years total number of scholarships and awards.





Among the 58 awards, a total of seventeen (17) National Scholarships, tenable for five (5) years, have been awarded, while twelve (12) persons are recipients of three-year Exhibition Awards and another three (3) individuals are recipients of Special Awards.





In addition, twenty (26) Bursaries/Partial Scholarships have been awarded, each with a value of twenty thousand dollars annually for a period of three (3) years.





Three (3) graduate of the Division of Teacher Education have also been granted a three-year Developmental/Special Award in the area of Education for their commendable performance in the Associate Degree in Teaching  Primary Education. Based solely on the age limit of twenty-one (21) years applied to the National and Exhibition Awards, they could not qualify under the aforementioned categories.




Statues depicting former U.S. President Donald Trump in a Buddhist meditative pose, by Chinese designer Hong Jinshi, are seen at a workshop in Dehua, Fujian province, China.

Two US police officers who battled the mob of Donald Trump supporters that stormed the Capitol Building in Washington DC on January 6 are suing the former president for the physical and emotional injuries they say they suffered in the attacks.

In a federal suit filed in DC, Officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby allege that Trump rallied the insurrectionists with baseless election fraud claims that eventually culminated in the breach of the Capitol that left five dead  including a Capitol Police officer.

About 140 police officers were injured, and two officers who had been on duty at the Capitol that day later died by suicide.

Both United States Capitol Police Officers reported for duty on January 6, 2021, without any suspicion that they would soon become the targets of Trumps followers, according to the suit.

The lawsuit is the first brought by Capitol Police officers against Trump.

Blassingame, a 17-year veteran, and Hemby, who has been on the force 11 years, allege that Trump was directly responsible for inciting a mob of supporters gathered at his Stop the Steal rally outside the White House.

Encouraged by Trumps orders to march to the Capitol, the lawsuit says, the mob attacked officers and destroyed federal property as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden as president.

The officers are each seeking compensatory damages of at least $75,000 and an undisclosed amount in punitive damages from Trump.

Jason Miller, a spokesman for Trump, did not immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post late Tuesday.

On the morning on January 6, Blassingame reported to work at 5:30am, the suit states. By 7 a.m., he noticed a large crowd massing at the plaza and told a colleague, This isnt going to be what they think its going to be.

Hemby was told to stand in front of the Rotunda steps on the east front of the Capitol.

As both officers remained at their posts, thousands of protesters gathered south of the White House for the Stop the Steal rally.

Read More

Around noon Trump took the stage and for a little over an hour, the suit states, repeated his false claims that the election was rigged and stolen before urging his supporters to fight like hell and telling them were going to the Capitol.

Blassingame and Hemby watched as the crowd grew by the hour. Hemby remained at his post blocking the Capitol steps until a wave of people dressed in Trump and Make America Great Again gear and carrying large Trump flags breached barriers around 2pm.

The crowd, which was aggressive and outnumbered the officers, then chased Hemby and his colleagues to the top of the stairs and forced them against the door, the suit states. Hemby attempted to hold the insurrectionists back but they crushed him against the door, he said.

Officer Hemby was attacked relentlessly, the suit states. He was bleeding from a cut located less than an inch from his eye. He had cuts and abrasions on his face and hands and his body was pinned against a large metal door, fending off attacks.

The mob  which yelled fight for Trump and stop the steal  struck him with their fists and whatever they had at hand. They also threw objects at him and sprayed him with chemicals that irritated his eyes, skin and throat.

Eventually, the mob managed to break into the Capitol through the east doors  but Hemby stayed put at the top of the steps and stood his ground.

Meanwhile, Blassingame, who had been ordered to move from his original post and was already inside the Capitol, was corralled on the first floor by enraged and inflamed insurrectionists who chanted Its our right! and Our house!.

The mob threw items at Blassingame and the other officers and struck them with their fists and weapons, including flagpoles and stanchions.

The threats and attacks on Officer Blassingame seemed endless, the suit states.

Then, a surge of insurrectionists pushed forward and slammed Blassingame against a stone column, he said. He struck his spine and the back of his head and was unable to move.

Blassingame  who is black  said he lost count of how many times the crowd yelled the n-word in his face.

He eventually managed to free himself from the column and headed to the office of Republican senator Steve Scalise to help lawmakers evacuate, and then remained in lockdown with members of Congress until about 7:30pm.

It was not clear to him on January 6 that he would survive to make it home, the suit states.

Blassingame eventually made it home at midnight, he said. He suffered injuries to his head and back after he was repeatedly struck by insurrectionists on what felt like every part of his body.

The next months were marked by depression and a sense of guilt for not being able to help his other colleagues, and for surviving an attack that other officers did not, he said.

Read More

 Washington Post
The Ukrainian side continues negotiations on the establishment of a truce in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) zone in Donbas, said President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

"The process of peace negotiations is not easy. But no one expected it to be easy. It always hurts when we lose our people. Each message of death is given with pain to families, relatives, all Ukrainians and me as president. That is why we do not stop and agree on truce as about the fastest tactical step. Our strategy is necessarily peace and the return of our people and territories," Zelensky wrote on the Telegram channel on Thursday.

The President recalled that the escalation in Donbas has been observed since the beginning of 2021 - during this period, 20 servicemen were killed and 57 were injured. In addition, he noted that Russia is increasing the presence of troops on the border with Ukraine.

"Muscle flexing in the format of military exercises and possible provocations along the border is a traditional thing for Russia. Thus, it is trying to create an atmosphere of threat and, at the same time, pressure during negotiations on a ceasefire and on peace as our value," the head of state emphasized.

At the same time, Zelensky said, Ukraine is ready for any provocations.

"The sanctions against Viktor Medvedchuk, our strong and firm position on Ukraine's independence and progress towards peace and unconditional support from our Western partners annoy the enemy who invaded Donbas and occupied Crimea. This is understandable. It is also clear that we would like to return to the conditions when the ceasefire regime operated more efficiently - as from July 27, 2020, when during the months we had dozens of times fewer injured and killed people. And we are working on this," the president emphasized.
U.S. ITC says SK Innovation didn't infringe LG Energy Solution patents FILE PHOTO: The logo of LG Chem is seen at its office building in Seoul

By Heekyong Yang

SEOUL (Reuters) - The U.S. trade watchdog cleared South Korean battery company SK Innovation Co Ltd of violating rival LG Energy Solution's patents in a preliminary ruling, sending SK shares surging 15% on Thursday.

The initial determination by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) marks the first time LG Energy Solution has received a negative determination from the trade panel for one of its several legal disputes with SK in the United States.

"The ITC's decision is regrettable, but we respect its decision," the wholly-owned battery division of LG Chem said in a statement. The company, whose clients include Tesla Inc, General Motors Co and Hyundai Motor Co, had filed a claim citing four patent infringements to the ITC in 2019.

SK Innovation said it "fully expected" the ITC's preliminary ruling, adding it had spent years developing its lithium-ion battery technology.

SK shares jumped 10.7% while LG Chem stock rose 1.7% in morning trade, against a 0.7% rise on the broader market KOSPI.

The patents decision could have some bearing on a separate ITC dispute between the pair ITC over claims SK misappropriated trade secrets from LG related to electric vehicle battery technology.

In a February ruling on that issue, the ITC sided with LG, issuing a limited 10-year exclusion order prohibiting imports into the United States of SK's lithium-ion batteries.

SK, which supplies electric car batteries to Volkswagen, Ford Motor and Hyundai Motor among others, has exercised its right to request a presidential review of that decision.

SK warned on Tuesday it was considering all options, including pulling its battery business out of the United States, if President Joe Biden does not overturn the decision by the review deadline of April 11.

The threat to exit has concerned bipartisan lawmakers in Georgia, where SK plans to build a $2.6 billion factory that will employ nearly 2,600 people, marking the largest foreign investment in the state's history.

Story continues

LG, which plans to invest more than $4.5 billion in U.S. battery production over the next four years, has said it can handle the auto industry's battery needs if SK abandons its Georgia plant.

The two companies can also invalidate the ITC ruling in the trade secrets case by agreeing to a settlement. Han Sang-won, an analyst at Daishin Securities, said the ITC's decision on patents would affect LG's leverage at the negotiating table.

Han said SK needed to carefully consider the "various complications" of pulling out of the United States, including its relationship with clients given orders have already been placed for batteries from U.S. production.

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang; editing by Jane Wardell)
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Members of the Extinction Rebellion environmental movement sprayed on Thursday the front of the Bank of England in the City of London with biodegradable fake oil, as part of a global protest to expose the role of banks in the climate and ecological crisis

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) Members of the Extinction Rebellion environmental movement sprayed on Thursday the front of the Bank of England in the City of London with biodegradable fake oil, as part of a global protest to expose the role of banks in the climate and ecological crisis.

In what the group said was "an elaborate April Fools prank," activists also held a banner outside the building that read "No More Fossil Fools," and attached images depicting windows to the wall.

According to XR, the "Money Rebellion" was designed to expose the role of banks in the climate and ecological crisis, arguing that the worlds 60 largest banks have funded the fossil fuel industry with $3.8 trillion since 2016.

"The Bank of England has failed utterly in its duty to regulate giant funders of fossil fuels like Barclays and HSBC. The climate crisis will never be averted if big banks, whose only concern is profit, are left to their own devices. The Bank of England needs to make it impossible for UK banks to keep funding the fossil fuel industry and nature destruction," Robert Wheeldon, XR political strategist, was quoted as saying in a press release.

According to the statement, similar protests are being held on Thursday in front of private banks in several UK cities like Glasgow, Brighton, Cambridge and Cornwall, as well as in Paris, Brussels and Melbourne.

The City of London Police said that five people have been arrested in relation to the Bank of England protest, one for criminal trespass, three for criminal damage and one for going equipped to commit criminal damage.

Founded in 2018 in the UK, Extinction Rebellion describes itself as a politically non-partisan international movement that uses non-violent direct action to persuade governments to act justly on the climate and ecological emergency.

In 2019, its members brought central London and other main UK cities to a standstill with widespread demonstrations, but the movement has been out of the streets since the first COVID-19 lockdown measures were imposed in March, 2020, except in September, when they gathered for several days in front of Parliament to request the passage of a Climate and Emergency Bill.

XR is demanding that the government declare a climate and ecological emergency, act to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, and allow the creation of Citizens' Assembly to make decisions on climate and ecological justice.
Myanmars junta on Thursday says it is implementing a unilateral one-month ceasefire but is making an exception for actions that disrupt the governments security and administrative operations  an apparent reference to the mass movement that has held daily protests against its seizure of power in February. The ceasefire appeared to refer to actions taken against ethnic armed groups, where fighting has increased since the junta's seizure of power in a coup on February 1.

The statement called on ethnic armed groups to "keep the peace" and said the military would "suspend its operations unilaterally from April 1 to April 30." Excluded from the peace, however, are those who "disrupt" government security.
* CEO says rift with China should not hamper U.S. trade

* Believes subsidy dispute with Europe can be resolved

* Says Boeing carried out sweeping changes after crashes

* (Adds quotes, background)

By Tim Hepher and David Shepardson

March 31 (Reuters) - Boeing Co urged the United States on Wednesday to keep human rights and other disputes separate from trade relations with Beijing, and warned European rival Airbus would gain if the U.S. planemaker were locked out of China.

Chief Executive Dave Calhoun told an online business forum he believed a major aircraft subsidy dispute with Europe could be resolved after 16 years of wrangling at the World Trade Organization, but contrasted this with the outlook on China.

"I think politically (China) is more difficult for this administration and it was for the last administration. But we still have to trade with our largest partner in the world: China," he told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Aviation Summit.

Noting multiple disputes, he added: "I am hoping we can sort of separate intellectual property, human rights and other things from trade and continue to encourage a free trade environment between these two economic juggernauts. ... We cannot afford to be locked out of that market. Our competitor will jump right in."

Boeing and Airbus each sell about a quarter of their jetliners to China, which has edged past the United States as the world's largest domestic travel market.

China typically makes block purchases for imported jets, often coinciding with U.S. or European diplomatic visits.

Boeing began to face questions over its share of the Chinese market as the United States and China waged an 18-month trade war under then-U.S. President Donald Trump, though China's jet purchases have slowed across the board in recent years.

Beijing increasingly also faces tensions with the West over its treatment of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang, and has warned foreign companies not to step into politics.

Story continues

China rejects U.S. charges it has committed genocide against Uighur and other Muslims in the remote western region, where activists say more than 1 million people are held in internment camps.

The White House and U.S. Trade Representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Calhoun's remarks.

CHINA REVIEWING 737 MAX

President Joe Biden last month warned China would face "repercussions" for human rights abuses and said the United States would reassert its global role in speaking up on such issues.

Boeing's most pressing concerns in China, analysts say, include the fate of its 737 MAX passenger jet, which was grounded worldwide for almost two years after two fatal crashes.

U.S. regulators approved the jet to fly again in November, followed by Europe and major markets apart from China, whose regulator continues to voice major safety concerns.

China has promised a "step-by-step" approach toward approving the plane, but Western industry sources say concerns are growing that the technical process could become mired in the growing diplomatic standoff between Beijing and Washington.

Calhoun said Boeing had carried out a "top-to-bottom" overhaul and "turned the place upside down" as it learns lessons internally from the crashes, which killed a combined 346 people.

The comments appeared designed to allay concerns from lawmakers and industry leaders, including the head of Dubai's Emirates airline, who told Reuters in January that Boeing should recognize "top-down culpability and accountability" over the MAX.

Airline president Tim Clark said he was confident the redesigned jet was safe, however.

Boeing last week urged the dismissal of an investor lawsuit which claims Boeings board, where Calhoun served for a decade before becoming CEO in 2020, failed to monitor safety. It denied negligence and said the complaint ignored corporate controls.

Boeing has separately told employees that safety and quality metrics will be added to a general incentive compensation plan, according to a memo seen by Reuters. (Reporting by Tim Hepher, David Shepardson, Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Chris Reese, Alex Richardson and Jonathan Oatis)
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, arrived on Wednesday in Bamako, while a UN report implicates the French army in an air strike in Bounti, which left many people dead
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Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were embroiled in another heated Twitter exchange on Thursday.

The two politicians have been wrapped in a list of Twitter encounters in recent months which intensified after the Capitol insurrection. This week, the two argued over immigration.

AOC mentioned language liked "surge" used in discussing conditions at the border.

RELATED: AOC slams Ted Cruz after he agrees with her on Robinhood stance

"A politician's strength isn't based on a trip. It's based on their policy and voting RECORD. And the fact is a LOT of Ted Cruz types who are now going down to meet refugee children in boats outfitted w/ machine guns are the ones who helped create this problem in the first place," she tweeted.

Cruz caught wind of the mention and fired back.

"@AOC explains the real Dem position: abolish ICE," he responded. "Full open borders. Which would make the #BidenBorderCrisis even worse. She says nothing else works. Really? Last year, we had the lowest illegal immigration IN 45 YEARS. This year, we have the highest in 20 years."

READ MORE FROM MADALYN: Sen. Ted Cruz makes Cancun joke during conservative convention

The Twitter debate continued with AOC bringing up Cruz's controversial trip to Cancun in February as Texans froze in their homes without basic utilities during the winter storm.

"Ted, this is pretty rich coming from someone who fled their own home (and responsibilities) during an environmental crisis to cross the border and seek refuge in Mexico. Also you funded cages, expanded cages, and yet youre complaining about cages. You have no policy, just puff," she tweeted.

She continued, "Maybe Mexico shouldnt let YOU in the next time you try to run away from your job to sip umbrella drinks in Cancun."

The congresswoman called on Cruz to resign again.

A reminder that your resignation is 84 days past due. At least," she said.
In many ways, doing more with less is the mantra of city government, and in the modern smart city, more cities are trying to pull more analytic power and utility out of existing systems. One solution is the evolving and broadening role of the chief data officer. In Philadelphia, CDO and Geographical Information Officer Henry (Hank) Garie demonstrates a path toward doing more within existing structures and systems.Philadelphias comprehensive approach is even reflected in Garies unique title. A member of the Civic Analytics Network , a group of city CDOs we facilitate at the Harvard Kennedy School, he is the only one who occupies the dual position of CDO and geographical information officer. Garies joint appointment elevates a new model of structuring organizations to accelerate the use and adoption of analytics.For years, many cities buried the GIS functions down below management levels, tucked inside other agencies. Typically, a GIS technician would respond to a request (generally from an official) asking them to map some city service. Of course, it wasnt until six years ago that the CDO job widely existed. The huge amounts of data hidden away in city digital file cabinets were generally viewed as transactional  a software system designed to help fill a pothole or clean out a sewer. Increasingly, however, cities are recognizing that data is an asset, and that the analysis of that data will help the city operate more effectively. Its time for the same maturation and development of the GIS role.Together with Philadelphia CIO Mark Wheeler, Garie deepens the citys use of data. Even the consolidation of functions into a single position like Garies demonstrates a commitment to pulling more capacity out of the existing software and data.Many of us who have worked in city hall are familiar with the constant consideration of what functions should be housed in the agencies and which capacities should be in the CIOs office. Philadelphias answer is both. GIS talent in the IT department supports the agency, but individuals familiar with applying GIS also exist in other departments. Garie established the GeXchange, a geo-exchange governance structure that meets monthly so that GIS managers and data leads can come together across departments and share success stories and challenges. Just a few years ago, there were fewer than 10 attendees; by 2020, there were consistently 65 attendees each month. This hybrid model facilitates not only talent sharing but also availability and responsiveness to agency needs.Given the unique model, managing up as well as down is part of the Philadelphia story. A major component of the citys data success is the role that Wheeler plays by staying involved at the mayoral level and consistently demonstrating how analytics can support policymaking. This provides Garie with an avenue to directly demonstrate the power of spatial analysis and show how GIS can integrate with programmatic tabular data to help solve real problems.All too often, custom and habit thwart imagination. Understanding the power of analytics  especially as it relates to new approaches and business process re-engineering  is often triggered by an experience in another area. For example, by demonstrating how GIS could aid licenses and inspections by improving customer service, Wheeler built relationships with those departments and showed the power of analytics to senior officials.This creativity extends to the current pandemic as well. Wheeler explained that the GIS component of the COVID-19 economic recovery task force was developed by cross-agency brainstorming. It was just a great example of opening the eyes of a whole new group of agency officials about the ways we can help them, he said.Philadelphia is constantly mentoring and making sure that individuals with data responsibility that are spread around the departments feel connected, have a professional growth pattern and see the central vision. This powerful work is a model for other cities that want to do more  for marginalized communities, for residents during economic recoveries and for fellow city employees.
press release

The United States is gravely concerned by reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. We strongly condemn the killings, forced removals and displacements, sexual assaults, and other extremely serious human rights violations and abuses by several parties that multiple organizations have reported in Tigray. We are also deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian crisis. The United States has repeatedly engaged the Ethiopian government on the importance of ending the violence, ensuring unhindered humanitarian access to Tigray, and allowing a full, independent, international investigation into all reports of human rights violations, abuses, and atrocities. Those responsible for them must be held accountable.

The United States acknowledges the February 26 statements from the Ethiopian Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promising unhindered humanitarian access, welcoming international support for investigations into human rights violations and abuses, and committing to full accountability. The international community needs to work collectively to ensure that these commitments are realized.

The immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces and Amhara regional forces from Tigray are essential first steps. They should be accompanied by unilateral declarations of cessation of hostilities by all parties to the conflict and a commitment to permit unhindered delivery of assistance to those in Tigray. The United States is committed to working with the international community to achieve these goals. To that end, USAID will deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team to Ethiopia to continue delivering life-saving assistance.

We ask international partners, especially the African Union and regional partners, to work with us to address the crisis in Tigray, including through action at the UN and other relevant bodies.

The United States remains committed to building an enduring partnership with the Ethiopian people.
Rep. Barbara Lee Reminds Biden That Clinton, Obama, Harris and Buttigieg Tried Weed, Too

Evidently, the Joe Biden administration has a zero-tolerance policy for the use of marijuana and for employees who may have experimented with it in their past.

Several White House staffers were reportedly suspended, put on probation, or asked to resign after honestly disclosing past cannabis use. Responding to the White House in a letter, a faction of lawmakers, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), asked the administration to rectify instances or clarify its employment suitability policies regarding marijuana.

Those in the upper ranks of your administration wont face consequences for their cannabis use, and nor should they, but the same standard should be applied across the administration, the letter read. Repercussions for cannabis use have always been unequal and those with the most power have always faced the fewest consequences. We ask that you dont allow that pattern to continue within your administration.

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Led by the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, Lee and 29 other members of Congress signed on to the letter, including Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon), Don Beyer (D-Virginia), Mondaire Jones (D-New York), and Jared Huffman (D-California).

A total of six members of Californias congressional delegation are among the letters signees.

They firmly asked the White House to remove cannabis use as a potential disqualifier for staffers and apply its security clearance policies with consistency and fairness. The letter was written in earnest and alluded to the fact that former Presidents Clinton and Obama admitted to trying cannabis. So did Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Vice President Kamala Harris is also on the record revealing that she too once smoked marijuana.

Harris made the admission during a segment on the Breakfast Club radio show when she was on the campaign trail as a presidential candidate.

I have (smoked marijuana). And I inhaled. I did inhale, Harris said on the radio program hosted by The Drug Policy Alliance, and Charlamagne tha God. I think it gives a lot of people joy. And we need more joy in the world.

Harris also said that she supported legalizing marijuana at the federal level in 2019.

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The White House has confirmed that five staffers have been dismissed for past marijuana use.

Under federal laws, cannabis is illegal.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the dismissal on March 19 through her Twitter account. She also reported that the White House updated its plan of action.

We announced a few weeks ago that the White House had worked with the Secret Service to update the policies to ensure that past marijuana use wouldnt automatically disqualify staff from serving in the White House, Psaki stated. As a result, more people will serve who would not have in the past with the same level of recent drug use. The bottom line is this: of the hundreds of people hired, only five people who had started working at the White House are no longer employed as a result of this policy.

In their letter to President Biden dated March 26, the lawmakers noted that cannabis is legal for either medical or adult use in 36 states. In addition, the letter stated that more than 50% of the adult population have used cannabis during their lifetimes.

That includes former presidents and current senior officials, the letter said.

Since it started polling marijuana issues and policies in 1969, a Gallup poll showed 68 %of Americans support legalization. The Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit organization that actively promotes drug policy reform legislation, wants Biden to remove cannabis from the schedule of controlled substances. The Congressional Cannabis Caucus is making the request, too.

While we work to deschedule cannabis legislatively, your administration should act within its power to stop legitimizing unfair cannabis laws, the lawmakers wrote to President Biden. You have previously expressed your commitment to decriminalizing cannabis in acknowledgment that a cannabis conviction or even the stigma of cannabis use can ruin lives and prevent people from voting, gaining employment, and contributing to society. You can meet this moment and help end our failed punitive policy of cannabis prohibition.
AGRICULTURAL Non State Actors Forum (ANSAF) has called on the need to slash fees and charges in the agricultural sector that have been impeding its growth and contribution to economic development.

A representative from ANSAF, Audax Lukonge said in Dar es Salaam recently that the fees and charges have been hindering efforts to attract new investment in the sector.

He made the remarks during a virtual meeting with organizations, various institutions and media stakeholders.

Mr Lukonge pointed out that to attain this, there is a need to formalise and work on all the plans set and agreed by the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) member states.

"We call for the need to implement the policy that require governments in the region to set aside 10 per cent of the budget for agriculture that would increase productivity," he said.

Over 70 per cent of Tanzania's population lives in rural areas and works in the agriculture sector which is estimated to contribute approximately 30 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade representative, Mr Abdul Chacha said Tanzania is committed to increasing cooperation in the region by looking at trade sectors and emphasizing on the achievements of SADC member states.

The conference organized by Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) in collaboration with the South African Trustees Association (SAT) and the German International Cooperation (GIZ), focused on various opportunities available in SADC strategic plans and vision.

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He said through the Agricultural Sector Development Plan (ASDP II), they will be able to achieve the SADC plan by involving various stakeholders, including farmers.

The ongoing ASDP II, launched in June 2018, overtly calls for smallholder commercialisation.

The programme prioritises maize, cassava, rice and pulses as central commodity value chains, accounting for 53 per cent of the caloric intake for Tanzanians.

Before, presenting the topic, Eng Caroline Valerian from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said the government is committed to creating an enabling environment by increasing productivity in terms of food production.

Comments by the participants, including a representative from the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI), Frank Dafa, thanked the government for continuing to improve infrastructure to facilitate trade, and added that it was time for the government to have participatory environment for doing business.

ESAFF Coordinator, Joe Mzinga, on his part said the meeting brought together stakeholders to build their capacity to know the vision of SADC 2050 and a strategic plan to see how to put together a strong force to achieve it.

Mzinga said in the run-up to the implementation, they have focused more on the basics of SADC's vision by 2050 and the region's development strategy for 2020 to 2030.




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Kolkata, April 1 : Voting for 30 seats in West Bengal's second phase Assembly elections began on Thursday amid tight security, with all eyes on Nandigram where Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is locked in a fierce battle with confidante-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

Electorates, including men, women and the first-time voters, reached polling stations well before voting began at 7 a.m.

A total of 171 candidates, -- 152 male, 19 female -- are in the fray in these elections which have been organised across the four districts of South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Bankura.

Polling will continue till 6 p.m.

Hours before voting began, a Trinamool Congress worker, Uttam Golui, was hacked to death in Keshpur, West Midnapore outside a party office.

The TMC has accused the BJP of murdering Golui.

The Election Commission said that 75,94,549 voters -- 38,80,955 men and 37,13,508 women -- are eligible to cast their votes across 10,620 polling stations.

Nearly 700 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies have been almost deployed in all the districts to ensure a completely peaceful and fearless environment for polling.

All eyes are set on the high-profile Nandigram constituency, where the Chief Minister is pitted against Adhikari, her one-time loyalist-turned-rival).

Banerjee is seeking a third term in office from Nandigram Assembly constituency of Purbo Midnipur district.

For her, and the BJP, the battle for Nandigram is a prestige fight because it was the 2007 agitation against land acquisition in the region which catapulted the Chief Minister to the centre stage of politics in the state, paving the way for the Trinamool's victory in the 2011 Assembly polls that ended 34 years of Left Front rule.

In the high stakes poll battle this time, a victory is a must for Banerjee so that she can lead the government and keep together her party, which is faced with exodus.

For Adhikari it is a battle for political survival as a defeat would be a devastating blow and might also put a question mark on his political graph in his new party the BJP.

A victory would not only establish him as one of the tallest leaders in Bengal but would also push him few miles ahead of others in the Chief Ministerial race in case the BJP is voted to power.

Covid-19 protocols for the voters including social distancing and thermal screening are being maintained.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Foreign partners who were extremely instrumental in supporting The Gambia during both its transitional period as well as after the departure of former dictator Yahya Jammeh have commended the "transparent and diligent work" of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC). However, they are extremely cautious over "sinister efforts to undermine the core process of the Commission."

Further emphasising such fears, in a message seen by this correspondent, human rights advocates in Europe equally expressed similar "mistrust of the former dictator's return." They acknowledged that Essa Faal and his team are doing an excellent job and following the revelations at the TRRC, many are "shocked and traumatised over what happened in The Gambia".

Thus, relying on international jurisprudence, they intend to sue the former dictator and his cohorts as a "deterrent against gross human rights violation" rather than encouraging an "irrational comeback."

A senior European official who was among those who pursued financial and political support for Banjul widely covered by The Point said: "We are aware of the alleged tactics and destabilising plans of the former Gambian dictator to return through secret and clandestine negotiations... it would be disastrous."

Further expressing disapproval over such moves, the official added: "Those taking part in the mischievous arrangement for his comeback will shun the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Right also known as the Banjul Charter... there is no doubt that they will let-down the nation, future generation as well as partners and allies."

The Banjul Charter is an international human rights instrument that is intended to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms in the African continent and thus legally binding by the signatories.

The French media also suggested that even President Alpha Conde of Guinea, a personal friend of Jammeh who "protected his pal until the last minute of his departure" now has a second thought,

83-year-old Conde had earlier claimed that the Gambian dictator deserved his support because he was a "former President of an African country but changed his mind following gruesome revelations."

Interestingly, Conde made a U-turn (turn-about) insisting that "Africa is no longer a Trade Union of Head of States protecting each other anyhow... "

Notwithstanding, the official who supported the country on high level cooperation also said that he and many others are "extremely disappointed that some people should even envisage taking part in such a backroom deal... while people are still grieving the unbelievable extent of human rights violations against Gambians and non Gambians."

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However, the official could not confirm if further action is considered for those reportedly involved in the arrangement in favour of the former dictator, but emphasised that the current Gambian government is "legally obliged to protect the rights and freedoms of its citizens."

Thus, he stressed further: "We trust that chaos, lawlessness and division will not be allowed to recur in The Gambia... Our concerns will be communicated accordingly".

The Point was also able to uncover that Yahya Jammeh's return was "vigorously opposed" by the UN, AU and ECOWAS and that two un-named ECOWAS countries who are also active in its current peace keeping mission recently protested against any deal.

Leaders of the two countries reportedly objected that "for the sake of sub regional stability, insecurity and brutality cannot be brushed under the carpet in the name of national reconciliation... ".
With the latest arrival of a new batch of 418 Nigerians from Saudi Arabia, the figure of those returning to Nigeria from the Arab country in the last three days has risen to 1,071.

While leading the inter-governmental agencies to receive the returnees, the Director, Consular and Legal Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bolaji Akinremi, disclosed that 255 and 398 returnees arrived in Nigeria last Monday and Tuesday respectively.

Akinremi said the reintegration exercise was made possible through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, to create a smooth rehabilitation process for the returnees.

He commended all other agencies like NAPTIP, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), NIMC, FCT Pilgrims Board and Public Health for their 'wonderful' coordination alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to him, the rapid testing method for COVID-19 detection was carried out while the returnees were profiled into states and gender.

He said against previous arrangement where each of them would stay in the camp for seven to 14 days, the maximum number of days to stay at the camp is now three days before they would be released to meet their family members.

Akinremi assured the returnees that the accommodation at the camp has the basic amenities which include a 24-hour medical service to look into the welfare of the returnees before they are rejoined with their families.

He said a token amount of N20,000 was given to each of the returnees for their transportation while free meals and toiletries were supplied to all of them.

Representing the Chairman of NIDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Head of Media and Publicity of the commission, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, welcomed the returnees, and promised that everything would be done to make them comfortable in their country.

Speaking in the same vein, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Mrs. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, appreciated the efforts of the Saudi Arabia Government to liaise with its counterparts in Nigeria to enable a thorough operation of bringing the Nigerians in Saudi Arabia back home.

She said the agency was equally profiling all the returnees and counselling them as part of the rehabilitation process.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA has become the latest foreign space organization to have rattled China by referring to Taiwan as a sovereign state. China's mouthpiece Global Times has already been set on a reporting campaign against NASA.

China has been rattled by NASA for referring to Taiwan as a country. China claims Taiwan to be a part of its territory and keeps demanding other entities to do so as well.

Apparently, people can register on NASAS website to have their names sent to Mars on the next spaceflight and one of the countries available to choose from the drop-down list is Taiwan. This ruffled Chinas feathers and it is now demanding NASA to stop recognising Taiwan as a sovereign state.

The origins of the Taiwan-China issue lie in the Communist Revolution in China. The Communist Party defeated the Republican Party, which fled in exile to the island of Taiwan and established a democratic country. Since then, China has attempted several invasions of the island but since Taiwan was the defending party every time, the naval landing craft filled with troops would get shot down before they could make landfall on the shores every time. Taiwan has remained a thorn in Chinas side since the Communist Party came to power.

Also read: West Bengal, Assam assembly elections phase 2 polling begins: 37.42% and 33.24% voter turnout recorded till 1pm

Also read: Big boost to semiconductor Startup Incubation: IIT-H launches incubation and acceleration programme

The Chinese spokesperson for incidents concerning Taiwan said that NASA needs to correct its mistake as soon as possible while state-run media Global Times has been set on a reporting campaign against NASA.

Also read: Bharat Biotech, Biovet, Sapigen Biologix Signs Collaborative Research Agreemente with CSIR-IICT
A three-year-old boy who was lost in the woods in Canada for three days has been found 'alive and well' about a half mile from a property owned by his family.

According to Global News, Jude Leyton was found safe around 3.20pm Wednesday afternoon in South Frontenac, Ontario.

He had been missing since around noon on Sunday, officers from the Ontario Provincial Police said.

Rescue crews found the little boy sleeping near a 'beaver pond', located more than half a mile from where he was last seen.

Three-year-old, Jude Leyton (pictured being carried by rescue crews) who got lost in the woods in Canada has been found 'alive and well' after he went missing for three days

'Four of our ERT members, part of the search and rescue (team), they were on another tasking to check another area. While they're on that tasking, they found Jude. It was a great finale to some very, very difficult days,' Const Curtis Dick told Global News.

Dick explained that Jude is believed to have wandered away from The Bing Retreat, a property owned by his family.

Authorities said the pond where Jude was found is attached to the property.

Rescue crews found the little boy (pictured) sleeping near a 'beaver pond', located more than half a mile from where he was last seen

'So it was across that body of water. So a significant distance for sure,' Dick said.

Paramedics checked Jude out for any injuries but he was said to be in good condition.

As an extra precaution, Jude was taken to the Kingston General Hospital Wednesday evening for further examination.

Frontenac Paramedics tweeted a video of them arriving at the hospital with the youngster who had been reunited with his worried parents.

Dick told Global News that the boy was 'dressed for the weather,' which likely aided in his survival over 72 hours.

He had a winter jacket with a heavy wool sweater and boots.

Dick said it's unclear how the child managed to evade their search efforts, which included 100 officers and volunteers on the ground in addition to helicopters and canine units.

Authorities said they will eventually interview Jude to try and understand what exactly happened.

Dick said the OPP would interview Jude in the hospital to try to understand what happened.
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Khaled Salem, the U.S. Senate candidate in New York, issued messages to several Middle Eastern governments regarding peace and human rights. Khaled, who is the CEO Of American Human Rights Organization, is concerned about conflict in Ethiopia and the Middle East, international sanctions and terrorism sponsored by Hamas and Hezbollah. He also shared his views on Iranian human rights offenses and violations of immigrant rights in Arab Gulf States.

Khaled Salem, U.S. Senate Candidate and CEO Of American Human Rights Organization Khaled Salem, U.S. Senate Candidate and CEO Of American Human Rights Organization

"I strongly suggest that Egyptian authorities engage in diplomacy as a first step before courting disaster with precipitous military action against the nation of Ethiopia," said Salem. "By working through the standard diplomatic process with the USA, Israel and other Middle Eastern regimes, it will be possible to avoid any overt, offensive measures. It is in everyone's best interest to proceed slowly and cautiously in these matters." Khaled also encouraged Israel, Egypt and other Middle Eastern authorities to embark on a serious discussion about Suez Canal maritime navigation issues and risk management to avoid future accidents and remediation.

Khaled is running to beat incumbent Chuck Schumer in 2022. His policy initiatives include plans to present legislation to Congress to end continued terrorism sponsored by Hamas and Hezbollah. He wishes to provide a guarantee for security of the State of Israel by supporting normalized relationships with neighboring Middle East countries.

Khaled added, "I also believe that when we consider this part of the world, Iranian citizens must choose between the corrupt Iranian government and a lifetime of freedom. Iranians must take a stand and bring an end to their corrupt government. I also consider human rights in the entire Arab Gulf region a priority as excessive racism is used against the immigrant work force."

His other key policy positions include:

Free university education for American students.

Tourist visas to the US must require travel medical insurance for entry.

Laws and procedures to reduce domestic violence nationwide.

A reduction in U.S. military activity and presence in the Middle East .

. A policy that requires these regions pay for American military services.

The establishment of a home loan program for middle class single parents.

The general election is scheduled for November 8, 2022. Thirty-four of the Senate's 100 seats are being contested in these elections.

For more information, visit https://www.khaled2022forcongress.com/

https://www.americanhumanrights.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBldfu_ma0

facebook.com/Khaledforcongress

twitter.com/KhaledYork

Media contact:

Khaled Salem, U.S. Senate Candidate

[email protected]

1518 348 6868

SOURCE Khaled Salem, U.S. Senate Candidate
Federal authorities charged a man Tuesday with coordinating the effort to smuggle dozens of people into the US that ended in a California crash earlier this month that killed 13 people after an overloaded SUV collided with a semitruck near the US-Mexico border.

Jose Cruz Noguez, 47, a legal resident of the US who lived in Mexicali, Mexico, was taken into custody Monday night as he attempted to cross the Calexico Port of Entry, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California said in a press release.

Cruz is accused of helping organize the smuggling effort in which 44 individuals were crammed into two vehicles, a Ford Expedition and a GMC Yukon, to illegally cross into the US, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.

US Customs and Border Protection agents determined the vehicles crossed through a 10-foot breach in the border fence on March 2 but the Expedition, with 25 people on board, crashed into a semitruck soon afterward, killing 13 people, according to the complaint.

Twelve individuals, including the suspected driver, died at the scene while one other passenger died while being transported to the hospital, the complaint said. Many of the passengers who survived had serious injuries, it said.

At Cruz's first appearance in federal court Tuesday, he was charged with conspiracy to bring Mexican and Guatemalan nationals to the US outside of a port of entry, causing bodily injury or putting a life in jeopardy. He was also charged with bringing undocumented individuals into the country for financial gain.

"These smuggling networks seek maximum profit by moving as many people as possible across the border with zero regard for their safety and well-being," said acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman in the press release. "Cramming dozens of people into eight-passenger vehicles and driving recklessly to avoid detection shows an utter disregard for human life."

An inspection of the Ford Expedition after the crash found that all the seats but the driver and front passenger seats had been removed to fit more people, the criminal complaint said.

Cruz was identified by law enforcement officials after another suspected trafficker was arrested in a separate smuggling incident and alleged he had been working for Cruz, according to the complaint.

The associate told authorities Cruz recruited him to be the driver of one of the vehicles and offered him $1,000 per passenger, but he said he declined.

Cruz will be arraigned on April 27. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison. According to the press release, the court appointed federal defenders as counsel for Cruz. CNN has reached out to them for comment, but has not heard back.
Cover Story

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A woman who was jailed for two months after pleading guilty to opening a 1.50 packet of Pringles after she was ordered out of a Tesco store is back in prison after she stole 392 worth of false eyelashes.

Kathleen McDonagh, now 27, of Inchera Close in Mahon, Cork was jailed in November 2018 after she pleaded guilty at Cork District Court to causing criminal damage to a Pringles box at the Tesco shopping centre near her home on December 27th, 2016.

She had tied the knot just weeks before she was jailed with her story making international headlines even gracing the pages of Time magazine. At the time of the offence she was barred from the Tesco branch but she proceeded in to the store.

Ms McDonagh was asked to leave but she picked up a packet of Pringles and went to the self service station.

Ms McDonagh, who at that time had 31 convictions, then removed the foil tin off the can saying that as she had opened the Pringles staff would have to allow her to pay for them.

Jailed for two months Judge Brian O'Shea said it was "smart Alec" behaviour."

Ms McDonagh has now been jailed for six months for stealing false eyelashes from a pharmacy.

She pleaded guilty to stealing 392 worth of false eyelashes from Boots in Merchant's Quay, Cork on September 28th, 2020.

At a sitting of Cork District Court Judge Olann Kelleher said he accepted that Ms McDonagh had experienced a lot of difficulties in her personal life.

However, he stated that "the thieving is not stopping" and that he had heard representations about her problems on about four occasions.

He jailed Ms McDonagh for three months in relation to the theft of the eyelashes. He also activated a three month suspended sentence for a previous offence. Ms McDonagh now has 35 convictions.

She is appealing her sentence and has lodged 400 for that purpose. A relative of Ms McDonagh also came forward to provide an independent surety for the same amount.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-12 11:14:14|Editor: huaxia

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BUCHAREST, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The Romanian health authorities decided late Thursday to temporarily quarantine over 4,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, coming from the same batch suspended in Italy, but to continue the vaccination with the serum from the other batches.

The batch involved is ABV 2856, announced the National Coordinating Committee for COVID-19 Vaccination Activities (CNCAV) in a statement, adding that Romania received 81,600 doses of the batch on Feb. 7, and more than 77,000 doses have been used so far.

The suspension decision was made at a meeting late in the day, which was attended by the representatives of CNCAV, the National Institute of Public Health, the Health Ministry, as well as the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices.

The remaining 4,317 doses of the vaccines in question will be sealed until the European Medicines Agency completes its evaluation, said the official statement, adding that "the vaccination will continue with all other batches of AstraZeneca vaccines currently in Romania ... so that the immunization process is not affected."

The decision to quarantine the batch was made as "an extreme precautionary measure," solely on the basis of the event reported in Italy, the statement said.

According to international reports, the Italian Medicines Agency on Thursday banned the use of the ABV 2856 batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to "serious adverse events" after inoculation.

The statement also said that Romania was not among the 17 EU countries that received the doses of the ABV 5300 batch, suspended over blood clot fears by several other member states of the European Union.

Romania added 5,236 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest daily infection count since Jan. 6 this year, bringing the country's total caseload to 845,352.

The authorities hope to alleviate the pandemic by stepping up its vaccination campaign that started on Dec. 27, 2020.

So far, 2,019,757 doses have been administered to 1,336,827 people, among whom 653,897 people have received the first dose and 682,930 others have got the second dose as well. Enditem
Jumeirah Group, a global luxury hospitality company, has announced the appointment of Ermanno Zanini to the role of Regional Vice President and General Manager of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, its flagship hotel in the UAE.

In his new role, Zanini will oversee all aspects of the global icons operations, building on his rich background to further cement the exceptional service that Burj Al Arab Jumeirah is renowned for. He will lead and support the team in its unwavering dedication to create unforgettable guest experiences, while maintaining oversight for Italy and Spain.

Zanini joined the Jumeirah family in 2019 when the renowned Capri Palace in Italy was added to the Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts portfolio. Zanini continued in his role as General Manager for this Mediterranean gem in Anacapri  a position which he has held since 2002  while taking on additional responsibilities for Jumeirah Group as Regional Vice President for Italy and Spain. A native of Naples, Zanini is a true globetrotter, with a strong passion for culinary excellence, having launched several Michelin starred restaurants including the renowned Il Riccio restaurant and beach club as well as the two-starred LOlivo restaurant, both located in Capri Palace Jumeirah. He is also an art and photography connoisseur who enjoys discovering new talent, and championed Contemporary Art installations throughout the hotel to create an exceptional setting. During his time at Capri Palace Jumeirah, Zanini also created a unique wellness destination within the property, with the patented vascular therapy The Leg School, conceptualised by Professor Francesco Canonaco, the Medical Director of Capri Beauty Farm.

As part of his role as Regional Vice President for Italy and Spain, Zanini was instrumental in the successful seasonal re-opening of the Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa in Mallorca, set within a Unesco World Heritage site. Zanini appointed Gianluca Priori as General Manager of the clifftop retreat, which boasts panoramic views of the mountains and sea. There too, the award-winning Talise Spa treatments have gained widespread recognition for the ultimate relaxation experience.

Fergus Stewart, Acting Chief Operating Officer of Jumeirah Group, said: We are delighted to welcome Ermanno Zanini in his newest role as Regional Vice President and General Manager of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. In his new position, he will deliver the ethos of exceptional luxury at the iconic all-suite hotel where anything is possible together with his expert team, while ensuring successful operations for Italy and Spain.

Ermannos true passion for hospitality and gastronomy, and extensive expertise in the industry, will further elevate the guest experience at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah across dining service and wellness. We are extremely excited to embark on this new journey with him, he added.

Commenting on his new role, Zanini said: Luxury to the sophisticated travellers  and to me  means living a transformational and intimate experience and being able to enrich ourselves and learn from it, which is exactly what Burj Al Arab Jumeirah offers. From the moment guests walk into the hotel, they are transported to a world of unparalleled luxury where memorable connections are made and anything is possible; I couldnt be happier to be a part of Burj Al Arab Jumeirahs family, and to embark on this enriching and exciting journey.

Zaninis diverse career in hospitality began in 1993 with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, seeing him take on roles in F&B including Food & Beverage Manager at the Four Seasons Hotel Milan in 2002. In addition to holding the title of General Manager at Capri Palace, he also led the operations as Chief Commercial Officer from 2015 to 2017 for Mytha Hotel Anthology (Capri Palaces managing entity at the time) for its collection of seven unique hotels located across Italy, Turkey, Croatia, and Spain. - TradeArabia News Service
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Even as damages to underground utility lines across the nation rise, Piedmont Natural Gas is reporting an 8% decrease in the Carolinas and Tennessee. The company credits new damage prevention initiatives and increased public awareness campaigns.

Piedmont reported approximately 200 fewer damages to its underground lines in 2020 than in 2019. This success coincides with Piedmont's adoption of the Gold Shovel Standard, a non-profit organization that promotes safe digging practices using standardized performance metrics. Piedmont requires all its contractors to be Gold Shovel Certified and remain in good standing with the program.

"We've made it a simple choice for contractors who want to partner with Piedmont; we give preference to contractors who have adopted the Gold Shovel Standard and are committed to safe digging practices," said Brian Weisker, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Piedmont Natural Gas. "The results so far have been phenomenal, and we are so proud to work with a group of contractors who have joined us in preventing unnecessary, potentially dangerous situations in our communities."

Calling 811 is a free nationwide service. Contractors, homeowners, businessowners and anyone preparing for a digging project of any kind should call 811 at least three business days before digging begins. The local utilities will then send a crew to mark underground lines in the area (electric, natural gas, water, sewer, phone, cable TV and others) with stakes, flags or paint.

"Underground natural gas lines are perfectly safe, and they operate best when left alone to do their jobs undisturbed," Weisker continued. "The Gold Shovel Standard, combined with other damage prevention initiatives including advertising and social media, are making a real difference for Piedmont."

Additionally, for the month of April 2021, Piedmont is testing geofencing  a technology that targets contractors by texting them an 811 safe digging reminder message as soon as they enter specific businesses that sell construction materials.

Piedmont reported 2,527 cuts to its underground natural gas lines in the Carolinas and Tennessee in 2019. In 2020, this number fell by 205 (about 8%) to 2,322 damages. In its most recent report, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) said there were 532,000 damages to underground facilities nationwide in 2019, compared to 509,000 in 2018. The CGA is a national organization that unifies all 50 states in a shared effort to prevent damage to underground utilities.

For a video that shows how to use 811, click here. For additional information about 811, visit Call 811 Before You Dig or see our story on illumination: Call 811 before you start digging. To get in touch with the 811 center in your state, dial 811 or visit call811.com.

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, is an energy services company whose principal business is the distribution of natural gas to more than 1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The company also supplies natural gas to power plants. Piedmont is routinely recognized by J.D. Power for excellent customer satisfaction and has been named by Cogent Reports as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.

Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Jennifer Sharpe

Phone: 877.348.3612

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas

Related Links

http://www.duke-energy.com


RTHK: China to join urgent Iran nuclear talks

Officials from Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain will meet virtually on Friday to discuss a possible return of the United States to the 2015 nuclear deal, the European Union said in a statement on Thursday.

The Biden administration has been seeking to engage Iran in talks about both sides resuming compliance with the deal, under which US and other economic sanctions on Tehran were removed in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme to make it harder to develop a nuclear weapon  an ambition Tehran denies.

US President Joe Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed US sanctions, prompting Iran, after waiting more than a year, to violate some of the pact's nuclear restrictions in retaliation.

The United States and Iran have yet to agree even to meet about reviving the deal and are communicating indirectly via European nations, Western officials have said.

"Participants will discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides," the EU said.

Two diplomatic sources said Britain, France and Germany had already held talks with Iran on Monday and one said there had been talks about an Iranian proposal. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity.

France's foreign ministry spokeswoman told reporters in a daily briefing that the European powers were working closely with Russia and China  the other remaining parties to the deal  to find a solution to the deadlock and had been talking with both Tehran and Washington.

"These exchanges are more than necessary because Iran has not accepted to take part in direct contacts between the other participants of the JCPOA and the United States ... which would have eased discussions," spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said.

Without elaborating, she said that they were now looking at alternative formats to enable talks. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The United States is concerned about Russian invaders' violation of the ceasefire in the Donbas and the increased presence of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, Defense Department Spokesperson John Kirby has said.

"We are concerned about recent escalations of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, including violation of the July 2020 ceasefire," he said at a briefing on Wednesday, March 31.

He recalled that this had led to the death of four Ukrainian servicemen on March 26. He directly accused Russia of intensifying its aggression, pointing out that "Russia's destabilizing actions undermine the de-escalation in tensions that had been achieved through an OSCE-brokered agreement back in July of last year."

In addition, Kirby said that the U.S. side was aware of Ukrainian military reports concerning Russian troop movements on Ukraine's borders. He said that the Pentagon was discussing these concerns with NATO allies.

Kirby also said that these issues were discussed on March 31 with the leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry.

According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Russia moved 28 battalion tactical groups to its border with Ukraine. Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak said this at an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on March 30.

op
Ambassador Heidi Grau, Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), said that during the talks of the contact group at the level of heads of delegations, the parties stressed the importance of fully observing the "Measures to strengthen the ceasefire" agreed by the TCG on July 22, 2020.

The increase in the number of violations of the ceasefire regime in recent years, the effectiveness of measures to strengthen it, as well as the general security situation in the conflict zone have become the subject of extensive discussions in the working group on security and the TCG. At the same time, the parties stressed the importance of fully observing the

"Measures to strengthen the ceasefire regime", agreed by the TCG on July 22, 2020. This is especially important for eliminating the existing violations of the ceasefire regime, the press release of the OSCE special envoy to the TCG Grau says.

At the same time, the OSCE says, according to the assessments of the Special Monitoring Mission, the average number of violations of the ceasefire continues to remain well below the level recorded before the entry into force of measures to strengthen it in July 2020.

Reportedly, the focus of the humanitarian working group was the simultaneous opening of new checkpoints near the settlements of Zolote and Shchastia in Luhansk region, which has long been awaited by the civilian population on both sides of the contact line.

During the discussion, issues of mutual release and exchange of persons held in connection with the conflict were also discussed. The members of the political working group discussed certain aspects of the Action Plan in full compliance with the Minsk Agreements, which is being developed on behalf of the TCG.

The participants of the economic working group considered the issues of pensions and social payments to citizens living in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO) of Ukraine.

In addition, topical issues of water supply across the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, environmental issues and mobile communications in ORDLO were discussed.

As reported, during the regular talks of the TCG on March 31, representatives of the Russian delegation did not support the proposal of the representatives of the Ukrainian delegation and the OSCE on the commitment and the need to observe the full and comprehensive preservation of the ceasefire in Donbas from midnight on April 1.
(Natural News) Bill Gates number one goal is to reduce the population of planet Earth by a few billion people, and he said he could accomplish this if he does a really good job with vaccines and healthcare, meaning dirty vaccines and Planned Parenthood abortion factories in every metropolitan city (mainly for Black baby genocide). And just how do you think vaccines can reduce the population of humans, when theyre supposed to protect people from disease?

Heres how: Pfizer is already running experimental trials with their Covid-19 vaccine on children, claiming 100 percent efficacy, except most children dont catch Covid in the first place, and nary a child dies from it, so why all the fuss and trial research? Plus, whos verifying that these crooked, corrupt pharma companies that manufacture the vaccines even have valid tests and reported data? Nobody, thats who.

Never forget the Merck fraud regarding efficacy of mumps vaccines when they spiked testing with animal antibodies to obtain 95% accuracy lie

Yes, Big Pharma lies, all the time, about their vaccines safety and efficacy. These hucksters and snake oil salesmen run their own fake tests and fake research and then fake the results to obtain whatever data the CDC requires for high-end profits made off naive, brainwashed, and now terrified, Americans. Take Merck for example. Former employees blew the whistle on a massive scheme they concocted to mislead and defraud Government health authorities.

Merck vaccine scientists used animal antibodies to spike blood samples, and then rip off governments worldwide by claiming a 95 percent efficacy rate for the mumps component of the MMR vaccine. In other words, Mercks corrupt scientists spiked the blood test with animal antibodies to artificially inflate the appearance of immune system antibodies.

Their adulterated research got exposed when two Merck scientists filed a False Claims Act complaint a decade ago. The vaccine, as it turned out, actually promoted mumps and measles outbreaks. All of this fraud, the scientists said, has been going on since the 1990s. Go figure.

Remembering the tetanus vaccines pushed on millions of teenage girls in Kenya that contained sterilization chemicals and causes miscarriages

Now, Pfizer wants to vaccinate every young American female who is about to enter or just entered their child-bearing years, with a vaccine thats already killed over 1750 Americans, and has no proof whatsoever of safety or efficacy.

Could mRNA be a secret anti-fertility biological weapon that causes miscarriages, spontaneous abortions, and infertility? It wouldnt be the first time Bill Gates pushed for vaccinations that contain sterility chemicals.

Remember the spiked tetanus vaccines given to millions of young women in Kenya? Yes, independent laboratories confirmed that the tetanus vaccines contained a sterilization chemical that causes miscarriages. That was heavily promoted by Bill Gates, UNICEF and the WHO, so that upwards of 3 million young girls would be violated by chemical violence via dirty vaccines. The vaccine literally caused the womens body to destroy the fetus.

Now, Pfizer suddenly claims they have a Covid-19 vaccine with 100 percent efficacy that would be perfect for shooting up girls entering their childbearing years. How convenient, when kids arent even catching or spreading Covid. And whom, besides Pfizer, has verified these findings? Maybe Merck scientists helped them achieve their amazing efficacy rate with some animal antibodies. Lets investigate.

We share the urgency to expand the authorization of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15. Oh really? Why that age range?

Pfizer clowns also claimed the vaccine elicited a robust antibody response in children, and that herd immunity might be hard to achieve without children being vaccinated. So what about masks, social distancing, and quarantining the healthy people, even after vaccination, is helping with herd immunity, someone please explain.

Make no mistake, vaccines are manufactured for depopulating earth, not populating it. Thats why the industry shells out $4 billion every 20 years for injuries, autism and death caused by inoculation side effects.

Tune your internet frequency to Vaccines.news for updates on the Depopulation Vaccine mRNA and the death toll thats skyrocketing as you read this.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com

LifesiteNews.com
Former President Donald Trump is bringing in GOP campaign veteran Susie Wiles to help run his political operation ahead of his potential 2024 run - amid reports there is infighting among his advisors stationed at Mar-a-Lago.

Business Insider first reported the promotion of Wiles, who helped Trump secure Florida's Electoral College votes in both 2020 and 2016. She also is a veteran of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Sen. Rick Scott's campaigns.

Wiles' elevation, reported Insider, stoked speculation that Trump was preparing to dump his 2020 national campaign manager Bill Stepien and deputy Justin Clark, who have remained working for Trump as he's lorded over Republican Party politics from Mar-a-Lago.

Former President Donald Trump (left) put Republican campaign veteran Susan Wiles (right) in charge of his political operation amid speculation that he might be pushing former campaign manager Bill Stepien out

Former President Donald Trump (left) poses for a photo with Susan Wiles (right). 'The president tells everyone around Mar-a-Lago that Susie is now in charge,' Politico's Playbook reported Thursday

Wiles was brought in last week to help structure Trump's efforts to continue being the leader of the Republican Party and to assist him with a 2024 White House bid if that plan goes forward, Insider said.

'The president tells everyone around Mar-a-Lago that Susie is now in charge,' Politico's Playbook additionally reported.

In an interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump - which promptly got pulled from social media on Wednesday - the ex-president indicated the door was very much open for a 2024 White House run.

'You do have hope, that I can tell you, you do have hope,' Trump said when Lara Trump asked if his supporters could remain hopeful that he'll run for president again. 'We love our country, this country, we all owe a lot to our country, but now we have to help our country,' Trump added.

Playbook also reported that Trump has grown suspicious as a number of aides around him have added political clients - using his name and their connections to the ex-president to grow their business.

'There was a lot of smoke around, "If I'm your consultant then I can get the president to endorse him,"' one Trump adviser told Politico. 'Making money off [him] or using [him] is the thing he hates the most.'

Another Politico story released Thursday detailed just that, as a prominent Trump donor received an unsolicited call from a Republican running for office, which signaled that someone in Trumpworld had accessed the campaign's donor list for their own political clients.

This prompted Jones Day, the law firm that represented Trump's campaign committee, to send out a warning to former staff telling them to destroy any information they may have taken from the Trump campaign's Rolodex.

The letter threatened former staffers with prosecution.

'These are people who didn't like each other four months ago and now they all have a common interest: how to get some coin out of the Trump post-presidency,' a senior administration official told Politico of the dynamic.

Politico also reported on a scene at a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser for an incumbent Republican in which one Trump aide, in front of another, bragged about being instrumental in setting the event up.

'I don't begrude anyone for wanting to make money ... but don't be so brazen about it,' said the aide who had overheard the boast.

The jockeying for access and influence by aides surrounding Trump at Mar-a-Lago was described to Politico by one 2016 campaign aide as the 'Wild West.'

Another source told the publication that, 'Right now, it's like daycare if you took the adults away.'

'There's virtually nobody with organizational skills left,' the source said.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller was quoted by both Insider and Politico knocking down reports of discord.

In a Thursday morning tweet, Trump spokesman Jason Miller accused Politico of using the ex-president's name to attract eyeballs. 'The clickbait is sooo thirsty today!!!' he told DailyMail.com

'Having been around Trump World for five years now, I would argue that here's the least amount of ally competition or conflict at this point than I've ever seen,' Miller said. 'The people who the president has kept in his orbit are all true believers who understand that he makes his own decisions, and we have very specific roles supporting him.'

In a Thursday morning tweet, Miller accused Politico of using Trump's name to attract eyeballs.

'Very disappointed with three (!) misleading write-ups in Politico and Playbook this morning that all have a common denominator: using the Trump name as clickbait,' Miller wrote.

He was referring to Playbook's write-up of Wiles' promotion, the longer piece on 'Lord of the Flies' factionalism at Mar-a-Lago and another report on a Government Accountability Office report that said the U.S. Agency for International Development was not rigorously tracking the money spent on women's programs - tying it to Ivanka Trump because it was her signature initiative.

Miller called Ivanka Trump's work in that area a 'tremendous success.'

'The clickbait is sooo thirsty today!!!' he told DailyMail.com.
Byron Bay has joined tourism operators in calling for more wage subsidies and direct financial support, warning half-price flights will not be enough for their businesses to stay afloat.

More than 100,000 people cashed in on cheap Qantas and Jetstar flights within hours of the taxpayer-backed tickets going on sale on Thursday.

Interstate return tickets to hotspots including Cairns, Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart, Maroochydore and the Gold Coast will be subsidised by the federal government under its $1.2billion plan until July 31.

But Byron Shire mayor Simon Richardson called for JobKeeper payments to be reinstated for specific areas, after a coronavirus outbreak forced the cancellation of the Bluesfest music festival.

The Byron Shire mayor is calling for more government support to help businesses in the region hit hard by Covid restrictions. Pictured, a staff member wearing a mask at a Byron Bay cafe this week as required by new government restrictions

The Bluesfest music festival, which was to be held in Byron Bay from April 1 to 5, was cancelled after Covid cases in the northern NSW town, severely impacting the local economy

Mr Richardson said the cancellation would blow a $100million hole in the local economy.

'I'd love if the federal government could look to see if they could do an area-specific exemption of winding back JobKeeper, or just continue it a little while, to allow a whole sector and a whole region to get back on its feet.'

Simon Westaway from the Australian Tourism Industry Council said bankrolled airfares were a good start in helping to revive the industry but that it is just one stepping stone needed to help the sector back onto its feet.

The industry lost about $90 billion last year, with hospitality and accommodation workers plunged into a free-fall of job losses.

Mr Westaway said international borders would still be closed for some time, and there were bound to be difficulties around coronavirus flare-ups, such as current outbreaks in Brisbane and Byron Bay.

Tourism operators have no control over lockdowns and domestic border arrangements.

The Farm at Byron Bay was temporarily closed after individuals who tested positive for Covid visited the site

Australians are able to purchase half-price flight tickets to a variety of holiday spots around the country from Thursday as part of a government scheme to support tourist destinations (pictured Elyse Knowles in the Whitsundays)

'Our industry is right in the eye of the storm here,' Mr Westaway told the ABC.

He is calling for targeted support for the tourism sector, through one-off payments or payroll support.

'It doesn't necessarily need to be JobKeeper, but certainly, a type of wage subsidy arrangement is certainly a really clean way of doing it.'

The tickets are for trips booked between April 1 and September 30 with around 46,000 discounted airfares on offer each week.

The government initially expected around 800,000 discounted tickets to be bought, but there will be no limits on the number of seats passengers can buy.

The tickets are for trips booked between April 1 and September 30 with about 46,000 discounted airfares on offer each week (pictured Broome in WA)

Half-priced tickets will go on sale each week until July 31 (pictured Kangaroo Island SA, a destination included in the package)

The half priced fares mean a one-way flight currently going from Sydney to Hamilton Island could be as little as $75.

The same deal from Melbourne to Kangaroo Island in South Australia could be available at $130, while a single flight from Sydney to Broome could be discounted to $396.

The areas involved have been chosen because they rely on tourism for their wealth and are particularly dependent on aviation for their visitor numbers.

The scheme is part of a huge bail-out package for the tourism sector which employs 611,000 Australians and has been crippled by the Covid-induced international border shutdown.
Online Comm Academy 2021 is set for April 11  12

The ARRL report the 2021 Comm Academy is 2 days of training, talks, and information on emergency communications and amateur radio. This year's theme is Disasters Here, There, and Everywhere  Are We Ready?

Registration is free and required to gain access to the complete schedule and academy materials. The Academy is entirely virtual and hosted online.

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Comm Academy is attended and supported by organizations including the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES); Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES); Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS); EOC Support Teams; Civil Air Patrol; Coast Guard Auxiliary; REACT, and CERT, among others.

All interested in emergency and amateur radio communications are welcome to network and share experiences.

The event focuses on education for communications leaders, volunteers, and professionals.

ARRL
Tongues have been wagging Yaounde following the re-election of some ailing octogenarians to the helm of Cameroon's two houses of parliament last month.

Recent footage from the Upper House of Parliament showed 86-year-old Senator Marcel Niat Njifenji teetering to the podium on Thursday March 18. He was going to assume office following his re-election as president of the Senate, which he has headed since it went operational in 2013.

Earlier same day, 81-year-old Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril retained his position as Speaker of the Lower of Parliament, the National Assembly; a post he has held since 1992.

Hon Nafissatou Alim, the 30-year-old Member of Parliament of Mayo Louti constituency in the North region and her colleague, Hon Dague Aicha Blanche Jacqueline of Mayo Kani South constituency in the Far North region of the country, were both just a year old when Hon Djibril was first elected Speaker.

The two youngest MPs of the current (10th) legislative period in Cameroon assisted the eldest member and head of the provisional bureau of the Lower House of Parliament, Hon Laurentine Nkoa Mfegue, CPDM MP for the Mefou and Afamba in the Centre region in the election of the Speaker which Hon Djibril contested unopposed.

Africa's oldest leader

Both Senator Niat and Hon Djibril, all members of the ruling CPDM party, were earlier approved for the jobs by party leader and Cameroon president, 88-year-old Paul Biya, who is also Africa's oldest and second longest-serving leader.

In their inaugural speeches, delivered in very faint voices, the duo thanked Biya for appointing them to the positions.

Some had expected that Biya, who in February this year said "2021 is beginning on a positive note for our youth", would propose younger people for the posts.

Though a lone candidate, Hon Djibril garnered 147 of the 162 valid votes cast, with 15 void ballots to retain his post as Speaker of the 180-member legislative institution, making him the longest-serving House Speaker in the country.

President Biya, Mr Njifenji and Mr Djibril are in order of state protocol, the first, second and third public personalities of the country. According to the Constitution, if President Biya is incapacitated, resigns or dies, the President of the Senate will take over power.

The re-election of the octogenarian men, however, did not come as a surprise some MPs. Hon Koupit Adamou, a member of the opposition Cameroon Democratic Union (CDU), said he was not surprised with their re-election.

Old guards in power

"Looking at how our parliament functions since independence, you realise that those who are elected at the beginning of a legislative period like this one are re-elected each year till the end of the mandate. So, anyone who thought anything will change is naive," he said.

Another member of the lower house of parliament who did not take part in the election said if he was present, he would have still voted for Hon Cavaye because he was the party's candidate for the post.

"I was absent but if I were present, I would have voted him [Hon Cavaye]. Party discipline is not only in Cameroon. It is all over the world," the MP said, explaining he was on the field doing an assignment for the ruling party when the election took place.

However, the heads of the two houses of parliament are not the only old guards in power in the Central African country.

The police boss, Martin Mbarga Nguele is 89, head of National Hydrocarbons Company, Adolphe Mudiki is 82, Justice Minister 78, Secretary General of ruling party, 77 and Environment Minister 75 among others.

In Cameroon though, the World Bank says, the median age is 18.7 years and six in every ten people you meet is aged below 35 years, the line that defines youth. Yet the country's most powerful positions are held by frail, elderly men.

Ruled by 'club of friends'

According to Prof Willibroad Dze-Ngwa, a Historian and Political Scientist at the University of Yaounde, the country is ruled by "a club of friends who have been together for more than 50 years and just share power amongst themselves."

Mr Dze-Ngwa reckons none of the old guards wants to leave the scene before the other, except if nature intervenes. That should be the logic of these sit-tight politicians in the country.

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"You can see that such is reflected not only in the National Assembly and the Senate but at every level of public administration. Let me say that I have no particular bias against these so-called old people because they have been placed there by the young people," he said.

The young people, Mr Dze-Nwa says, have not been doing enough politics or using their numbers and youthfulness to take over leadership of the country.

"Of course, when there is such vacuum, the octogenarians as you call them take advantage and play politics. Remember politics is coining policies to gain power and govern. So if the octogenarians have been able to dominate politics, then they are succeeding in their game and staying on," he says.

"That is why we are taking too much time to advance in democracy, that is why the old laws in the national assembly and the senate cannot be changed, that is why the electoral laws in Cameroon have remained virtually the same because we have the same people who have gained so much power and want to sustain that power," Dze-Ngwa adds.
Albany

For the first time in history, an openly gay judge was confirmed to the state's highest court in June.

The state Senate approved Paul Feinman's nomination, sealing a landmark moment that arrived 11 years after the state Court of Appeals issued a controversial ruling finding that New York's constitution did not guarantee the right of same-sex marriage. In nominating Feinman, Gov. Andrew Cuomo followed through on the request of the five openly gay members of the state Legislature who penned a letter, organized by State Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, urging the appointment of a jurist from the LGBT community.

The 57-year-old's confirmation continued to diversify a court that has been totally remade by Cuomo and includes no members of the 2006 court that upheld the state's same-sex marriage ban in Hernandez v. Robles. And it represented a marker of progress for the state's LGBT community.

But who is the history-making University of Minnesota law school alum who has spent the last two decades as a judge in the state court system?

To Justice Rolando Acosta, he's an old friend. Feinman, from Long Island, might have had little obviously in common with Acosta, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, when the two men met as undergraduates at Columbia University.

But Acosta said the two quickly became friends as neighbors in John Jay Hall, talking into the night about issues of justice over Bigelow Lemon Lift tea.

"Paul was just a kid from the city," Acosta said, "but surprisingly with a deep sense of empathy and a deep sense of right and wrong that I think, frankly, separated him."

The two young men both knew they wanted to be public interest lawyers, Acosta said. Their careers tended to move in parallel, and eventually led both men to become judges. Acosta in May was named the presiding justice of the state Supreme Court Appellate Division's First Department, where both he and Feinman have served for the past several years.

One of the things that stayed the same, Acosta said, was how Feinman's thoughtfulness  "nerdiness" even, he laughed  and ability to offer sharp, complete analysis of any topic shone through.

"You engage in a discussion with him, and he makes you better," said Acosta.

To Hoylman, Feinman is someone who will offer inspiration as well as a forward-looking approach to the court. Hoylman said he has known Feinman since the 1990s, when the judge first ran for civil court, and described him as "approachable and humble."

Hoylman said he hopes Feinman will "be ahead of the curve in recognizing and protecting the rights not just of LGBT people, but of a lot of groups who are threatened in today's political environment: immigrants, people of color, religious and ethnic minorities, women in their right to reproductive health care."

And to Vincent Bonventre, an Albany Law School professor, Feinman is someone who brings to the court a sterling reputation as a jurist.

Bonventre said that Feinman's judicial opinions are strong, and that he is known for his collegiality. "People think he is terrific," Bonventre said.

The longtime court-watcher thinks the court would have reached a different ruling in Hernandez had Feinman been on the bench.

Former Court of Appeals Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, now of counsel at Latham & Watkins, echoed the sentiment, characterizing Feinman's reputation as "great" and noting that he is known for his collaborative approach.

Justice Angela Mazzarelli, whom Feinman worked for as a court lawyer for seven and a half years, lauded Feinman's listening ability and preparation. Mazzarelli, another First Department appellate justice, performed Feinman's marriage to Robert Ostergaard in 2013. (The state legislature legalized same-sex marriage in 2011.)

Throughout his career, Feinman has stayed active in his support of LGBT rights. From 2008 to 2011, he served as the president of the International Association of LGBT Judges.

The spot he fills on the court formerly belonged to another history-making appointee: Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the first African-American woman to serve on the bench of the Court of Appeals, who died in April in what the authorities recently ruled a suicide.

Through a court spokesman, Feinman declined to be interviewed for this story, and has not done any public interviews since his confirmation.

Lippman said another trait will serve Feinman particularly well on the New York's highest court.

"Paul ... knows how to see the humor in things, and knows how to laugh and appreciates the ironies of life," he said.
York, Maine, March 31, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Award-winning specialty food producer Stonewall Kitchen announced today its acquisition of Vermont Coffee Company based in Middlebury, Vermont. Vermont Coffee Company is the best-selling brand of bagged organic coffee in grocery stores across the Northeast. The company sources and blends high quality, certified organic arabica coffee from all of the leading coffee regions around the world, slow-roasting them in small batches to make coffees with big bold flavor. Vermont Coffee Company is a brand with a purpose, and its distinctive brown paper bag packaging connotes values of freshness, and sustainability. Blends are available in both whole bean and most recently in pre-ground form.

Founder Paul Ralston began roasting coffee in 1979 after purchasing an antique Royal No. 4 slotted-drum roaster which he set up in the window of his bakery in Bristol, Vermont. Twenty years later, the Vermont Coffee Company was born, and today offers over 25 blends from its 40,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in Middlebury. In 2018, the company became the first roaster in the nation to roast coffee using 100% renewable biogas, demonstrating its commitment to the environment and planet.

Were extremely excited to welcome Vermont Coffee Company to our growing family of specialty brands, said John Stiker, Chief Executive Officer of Stonewall Kitchen. Both of our companies are committed to craft manufacturing high quality products and creating meaningful experiences for people. The Vermont Coffee Company products are sustainably sourced, 100% organic, and -- most importantly  make a delicious cup of coffee! We believe these deeply rooted values and commitment to quality make Vermont Coffee Company the perfect addition to our family.

Added founder Paul Ralston, I began my love affair with coffee by learning to roast through trial and error, and sharing those batches with friends. Forty years later, our mission remains roasting coffee for friends  which means being friends to our farmers, our customers, our community, and our planet. As a purpose-driven company, finding the right home for our brand and the friends Ive made was of the utmost importance to me. I am extremely happy that Stonewall Kitchen will be the new home of Vermont Coffee Company and will continue roasting with our entire team here in Middlebury. Im also thrilled to announce that as part of their commitment to the community, Stonewall Kitchen is planning to open a new Vermont Coffee Company cafe in downtown Middlebury, with a target opening date of this fall.

Concluded Stiker, Were elated to have Vermont Coffee join the other great brands in our family made here in New England, from our flagship Stonewall Kitchen products made here in York, Maine, to the Village Candle brand made up the road in Wells, to the Vermont Village brand of apple cider vinegar products made in Vermont. Combined with our other acquisitions from around the country, including the most recent acquisition of Urban Accents just last month, Vermont Coffee Company expands even further what we are able to offer our customers and guests. With our expertise in brand building, product development, and omni-channel distribution, were looking forward to having the team at Vermont Coffee Company join us in offering a wide range of unique, high quality and premium coffee products.

Vermont Coffee Company marks Stonewall Kitchens second acquisition of 2021 and sixth acquisition overall. It acquired the Urban Accents brand of spice mixes, seasonings, sauces, and gifts in early March.

About Stonewall Kitchen

Stonewall Kitchen is a leading specialty food and home goods producer headquartered in York, Maine. Founded in 1991 by partners Jonathan King and Jim Stott, the two established the Stonewall Kitchen brand by selling jams and jellies at local farmers markets with a flavorful line of distinctive and high quality products. Over time, they expanded the brand to include sauces, condiments, crackers and baking mixes, always focusing on innovative product development, beautiful packaging, and exceptional guest service. Today, Stonewall Kitchen is the premier specialty food and home goods platform in North America, home to a family of premium quality brands including the flagship Stonewall Kitchen brand; the Vermont Coffee Company brand of high quality, non-GMO, certified organic coffee; the Urban Accents brand of globally-inspired spice mixes, seasonings, and sauces; the Village Candle brand of fragranced candles, gifts and accessories; the Tillen Farms brand of pickled vegetables and cocktail cherries; the Napa Valley Naturals brand of olive oils, culinary oils, balsamic vinegars and wine vinegars; the Montebello brand of artisan organic pasta imported from Italy; the Vermont Village brand of organic apple sauce and apple cider vinegars; and the Legal Sea Foods brand of restaurant-quality seafood sauces and condiments. The company boasts more than 8,500 wholesale accounts nationwide and internationally; a thriving catalog and online division; a cooking school and cafe in York, Maine; and eleven retail Company Stores throughout New England. As winners of 30 prestigious awards from the Specialty Food Association and the recipient of the coveted Outstanding Product Line Honors three times, Stonewall Kitchen is proud to be one of the most awarded specialty food companies in the country.

For more information about Stonewall Kitchen, please visit: www.stonewallkitchen.com

For more information about Vermont Coffee Company, please visit: www.vermontcoffeecompany.com

###

Attachments
Rabat  The procrastination of French authorities regarding the opening of a consulate in the city of Dakhla can be explained by the fact that Paris has not yet developed a final position in step with the post-American recognition era of Morocco's full sovereignty over its Sahara, stressed political scientist Mustapha Tossa.

The Moroccan expert, quoted by the news site "Hespress", believes that two factors are behind this procrastination policy. The first relates to Paris' determination to maintain balanced relations with Maghreb countries and to the lack of willingness to break with the Algerian regime.

France is trying to initiate a historical reconciliation with Algeria and to support politically the transitional phase. Also, Paris is fully aware that once it recognizes the full sovereignty of Morocco over its Sahara, the Algerian regime will mobilize all its capacities to harm France's interests, he said.

According to the political scientist, the second factor is related to the development of a more effective and credible common European position towards Maghreb countries having disputes with each other.

Europe has not yet managed to develop this common position due to the conflict of interest and agenda between Germany, France and Spain, he said.

The expert stressed that French diplomacy supports at international fora the Moroccan autonomy plan for the southern provinces, which is the only solution today to resolve this conflict.

For France, this autonomy initiative must be approved by the United Nations as Paris sees that this UN step must precede its recognition of Morocco's full sovereignty over its Sahara and the opening of a consulate in Dakhla.
STATEN ISLAND N.Y.  New York is gearing up to join 15 other states in fully legalizing the use of recreational marijuana.

Although Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill legalizing adult-use marijuana in New York State on Wednesday, it could still take up to 18 months to put the laws into action.

Some Staten Islanders are excited about the legalization of marijuana however, some residents dont agree with the governors decision.

Eve Blasberg of Mariners Harbor explained that the laws arent going to affect the everyday person like herself.

Eve Blasberg of Mariners Harbor talks about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to legalize adult-use of marijuana in New York State on April 1, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri)

I think they need to find a way to make it profitable and safer, said Blasberg. But even If they regulate it and tax it the street dealers are still going to be out there. People will always look for the right price, she added.

Huguenot resident Deanna Zangi compared smoking marijuana to drinking alcohol and is unphased by the legislation.

Deanna Zangi of Huguenot talks about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to legalize adult-use of marijuana in New York State on April 1, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri)

Paula Velez of Mariners Harbor had a similar opinion but believes that Cuomo is using it for personal gain.

Paula Velez of Mariners Harbor talks about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to legalize adult-use of marijuana in New York State on April 1, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri)

People have been smoking marijuana for many many years, so legal or not legal they are still going to smoke, said Velez. Hes [Gov. Cuomo] doing it to get people to like him, especially the people who smoke, said Velez who is unhappy with the governors political agenda.

For some, the decision will open up new opportunities.

Christina Rivera, owner of Head Stash, an old-fashioned smoke shop that sells CBD oils and other hemp-related products, in Dongan Hills, thinks the legalization of recreational marijuana is long overdue.

Christina Rivera, owner of Head Stash, an old-fashioned smoke shop that sells CBD oils and other hemp-related products, in Dongan Hills, talks about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to legalize adult-use of marijuana in New York State on April 1, 2021. (Courtesy of Christina Rivera)

I hope this means great things. Ive traveled to many places that have legalized marijuana and it is working out just fine especially with people who use it for mental and physical health, said Rivera.

I think there are many good things that come along with it, she added.

Brian Owens, also a Mariners Harbor native says that marijuana has always been criticized politically and is ready to see some change.

Brian Owens of Mariners Harbor talks about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to legalize adult-use of marijuana in New York State on April 1, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri)

If people get used to it, its less harsh than liquor, ya know it doesnt impair you as much liquor and thats been legal, said Owens. Some people use it like a cigarette, like a way to calm yourself, he added.

Annadale resident Anthony Surace is unhappy with the bill.

Anthony Surace of Annadale talks about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to legalize adult-use of marijuana in New York State on April 1, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri)

Steven DelPriore of New Dorp explains that the governors decision doesnt affect him personally but he does have some concerns.

Steven DelPriore of New Dorp talks about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to legalize adult-use of marijuana in New York State on April 1, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri)

I guess its good if they use it in a medical sense, I would be worried about people smoking it while they are driving and stuff like that, said DelPriore

For more about the legalization and regulation of marijuana in New York state click here.
Acclaimed spy writer John Le Carre died an Irishman after gaining citizenship from the country where his grandmother was born because he was unhappy that the UK had voted for Brexit.

Le Carre, whose real name was David Cornwell, died in December aged 89 after a short battle with pneumonia. His publisher confirmed he did not have Covid-19.

In a career that spanned nearly 50 years, he would become famed for works such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, both of which would become successful film adaptations and contain his renowned character, George Smiley.

In a new documentary in memory of the former British diplomat and MI5 spy, Le Carre's son, Nicholas Cornwell has revealed the author embraced the country of his maternal grandmother following the Brexit vote and became an Irish citizen before his death.

Speaking in 2019, Le Carre said: 'I am a European and I would like the passport of a European.'

Mr Cornwell, who goes by the pen name Nick Harkaway said: 'On his last birthday, I gave him an Irish flag, and so one of the last photographs I have of him is him sitting wrapped in an Irish flag, grinning his head off. He died an Irishman.'

Author and former British spy John Le Carre, whose real name is David Cornwell, became an Irish citizen before his death in December 2020, aged 89

A Writer and His Country - John Le Carre Across Six Decades, which is due to air on Saturday, reveals the author had researched family roots in Inchinattin, County Cork and even visited the village.

He applied for an Irish passport, which he was entitled to through his maternal grandmother, Olive Wolfe.

According to the Irish Times, his son said 'the Irish connection was very real and it mattered to him very much'.

Writing for The Times, his friend Phillippe Sands revealed a conversation he had with Le Carre's son.

Mr Sands revealed an archivist in Inchinattin embraced Le Carre during a visit, telling him 'welcome home'.

The lawyer revealed the visit 'catalysed an emotional shift,' in Le Carre.

Le Carre, who was born in Poole and educated at Sherborne School, worked for both MI5 and MI6 in the 1950s and 1960s.

Le Carre's son, Nicholas Cornwell said: 'On his last birthday, I gave him an Irish flag, and so one of the last photographs I have of him is him sitting wrapped in an Irish flag, grinning his head off. He died an Irishman'

After joining the Intelligence Corps of the British Army in 1950, he later worked covertly for MI5, spying on left-wing groups at Lincoln College, Oxford, to detect any potential Soviet agents.

His career as a spy came to an end when it was revealed Kim Philby, one of the infamous Cambridge Five, had shared his true identity with Soviet Russia.

Le Carre's own upbringing is said to have played a key part in his interests in subterfuge.

His father was described as a 'five-star conman' and his mother deserted the family home when he was just five-years-old.

The author said his childhood turned him into someone who 'had to protect myself from discovery', the Daily Mail wrote in December.

As a British spy, David Cornwell worked for both MI5 and MI6, even carrying out interrogations and tapping phone lines as a means of surveillance

Laws in Ireland allow for 'citizenship through descent' Anyone born to a parent who has Irish citizen can themselves claim to have citizenship. However, in cases such as David Cornwell's, better known as John Le Carre, people can apply through Irish citizenship through their grandparents. According to Ireland's Citizens Information website: 'If one of your grandparents was born in Ireland, but neither of your parents was born in Ireland, you may become an Irish citizen. You will need to have your birth registered in the Foreign Births Register.' Ireland allows for dual citizenship, meaning applicants can be an Irish and British citizen at the same time. Advertisement

As a teenager, he would be sent to extract money from his father's creditors. On a visit to Paris, he was entertained by Panama's ambassador, who was involved in a whisky-smuggling ring.

Later, he was despatched to see the concierge at the George V hotel, with orders to 'slip him a tenner' to recover a set of golf clubs.

The brothers were sent away by the manager, who hissed: 'No golf clubs until your father's bill is paid.'

His father, Ronnie, fleeced widows of their pensions and served time in the prisons of Hong Kong, Singapore and Jakarta.

In one unsparing account, Le Carre revealed that his father would think nothing of sporting a top hat in the owners' enclosure at Ascot on the same day he appeared on a wanted list for fraud.

He described him as 'bent from the day he shook his first rattle', adding: 'Killing him was an early preoccupation of mine, and it has endured on and off even after his death.'

Le Carre recalled how in 1948 his father had entertained the Australian touring cricket team, including the great Don Bradman (who was knighted the following year). But other guests were distinctly shady.

'One or two were frightened senior civil servants who'd been drawn in because my father always wanted things like concessions to build runways at airports.

Huge dinner parties had to be laid on and compromising relationships encouraged.'

Years later, the author recalled being shown a picture of his father in a family photo album owned by the gangster Charlie Kray.

Le Carre says his mother never hugged him, and, after she walked out on her abusive husband when the author was a child, he managed to track her down when he was 21.

He said he had no idea what his mother was like, except that she was 'thin and bony and very tall' and her voice sounded like 'Mrs Thatcher halfway through her elocution course'.

Though Le Carre's mother walked out on his family when he was just five-years-old, his links to his maternal grandmother later allowed for him to become an Irish citizen

He later wrote to his brother about the effect of their mother's desertion, saying: 'We were frozen children, and will always remain so.'

It was his links to his maternal grandmother that allowed for him to become an Irish citizen.

The works of Le Carre were often praised for stripping away the glamorous life of a spy often depicted in James Bond novel and instead focusing on the grittier, darker aspects of the job.

MI6 chief Richard Moore was among a host of names to pay tribute to the acclaimed author.

Le Carre used to work at MI6 himself and its previous boss had once claimed his thrilling books had given the group a 'bad name'.

But Mr Moore had nothing but praise for the author, saying in December: 'Very sad to hear the news about John Le Carre.

In 2019 Le Carre revealed he had been left 'enchanted' after visiting the village of Inchinattin in Cork, where his grandmother once lived. Pictured: The standing stone in Inchinattin

'A giant of literature who left his mark on #MI6 through his evocative and brilliant novels.

'My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans. Condolences from all at the #RiverHouse. #RIP #DavidCornwell.'

Speaking at the time, Le Carre's literary agent Jonny Geller said: 'His like will never be seen again.'

In a 2019 interview, with RTE Radio, he revealed he was applying for an Irish passport as he was disappointed over Brexit and wanted to remain an EU citizen.

He said: 'I am a European and I would like the passport of a European.

Le Carre's third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, was made into an acclaimed film starring Richard Burton. The actor and author are pictured together on set above

'Secondly, I have much to learn. I was completely enchanted by my journey to Ireland, where I visited my grandmother's birthplace in Inchinattin, near Rosscarbery in Co Cork, and that was where she grew up. And at the age of 16, from there, she went to England as a lady's maid. That was in 1911 and a couple of years later all hell broke out in that region and there was a terrible religious war and carnage.

'And she escaped that, so I went and found this tiny little spot, Inchinattin near Rosscarbery.'

A Writer and His Country - John le Carre Across Six Decades will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 this Saturday at 8pm.
Pivot Cycles and Pinkbike announce 2021 partnership.

Tom Bradshaw putting in some test laps on the original Donut. Are reverse offset forks the future?

The first Grim Donut was built by Genio, one of Pivots frame suppliers in Taiwan. Throughout that process, [Pivot CEO] Chris Cocalis was super helpful and open about their process, so it was a natural progression to have them do V2 directly in their Phoenix, AZ facility.  Brian Park, Pinkbike Head of Editorial

Im excited to see where this crazy progressive leap in technology will take us. Ive never had a drink bottle holder on my Enduro bike before but now I have 3! These new unlocked levels of hydration will no doubt boost the team's performances throughout the year.  Matt Walker, Pivot Factory Racing

Genuinely excited about putting my own sprinkles on the Donut V2. For some reason all I want to do is see how big of a flat drop it can handle. Stay tuned!  Ed Masters, Pivot Factory Racing

The original High Pivot Virtual suspension design had all the things: dual-links, an idler pulley, and a pivot higher than Snoop in the mid-90s. Plus room for three bottles, a feature that's being revisited in V2. Drawing by Waki Designs.

At Pivot weve always emphasized steady, sensible product development. But after seeing the Grim Donut V1, were curious to see where a leap forward could take us. Our understanding of suspension kinematics and ability to produce high quality frames in-house will take this project to the next level.  Chris Cocalis, Pivot Cycles CEO

Climbs like a homemade eMTB and descends like a 2005 VP-Free.  Mike Levy, Professional Teenager

The outlook for the competition is grim.

SQUAMISH, BC / PHOENIX, AZLast year, the mountain bike world was turned on its head when Pinkbike produced a bike from the future called the Grim Donut [ Part 1 Part 2 ]. A tongue-in-cheek lampooning of the industrys incremental advancements, the Grim Donut used geometry from the past 10 years of bike development to extrapolate what the future could look like.A joke taken too far, everyone was surprised that the bike was actually rideable, let alone fast. But after being piloted by Yoann Barelli to some very fast test laps , it turns out that there might be something to that assumption of linear progress.We're excited to announce that Pivot will be producing V2 of the Grim Donut. Details on the bike are still scarce, but we can release the following information:Pivot has also committed to bringing the Grim Donut V2s leapfrog approach to the race circuit, using their EWS race team to test and validate the bikes blistering speed. Ed Masters, Matt Walker, Bernard Kerr, Morgane Charre, and Emilie Siegenthaler will all take the start-line on the new bike throughout the year.There will be a very limited number of production Grim Donut bikes made available for the public to purchase. Stay tuned for more information on that launch later in 2021.
How was I treated in the church as a scientist? Man, thats a trigger question for me. The simple answer is, not very well. Sadly, our long history of often experiencing rejection or simply being ignored is disillusioning for me.

I have encountered more hostility as a scientist in a world of Christians, than I have as a Christian in a world of scientists.

Two scientists, two replies to how they are received in our churches, and neither reflects well on the Body of Christ. It is no wonder that many scientists keep their heads down and dont draw attention to their day jobs. But that does not mean they are absent in our churches.

Pew estimates that nearly 13% of the American workforce is found in one of 74 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professions. Sociologists Elaine Howard Ecklund and Christopher Scheitle have found that about 12.4% of evangelicals and 11.9% of mainline Protestants claim that their occupation is science-related.

The number of STEM professionals in the church could grow, significantly. Barna found that over 50% of youth group teens aspire to science-related careers.

The question, then, is how do we treat the scientists, both current and aspiring, in our pews? And why do so many report hostility or rejection?

The Priesthood of all Scientists

Martin Luther laid the foundation for how many Protestant churches understand ministry. It is the entire body of Christnot just the work of the professional clergythat composes the priesthood of all believers. This includes the farmer and barber as well as the teacher, engineer, and the neuroscientist. They all do ministry, but that may not always be obvious. It might take a little imagination to understand the priestly work of the STEM professionals within our churches.

A good number of them seek to read the book of nature, the other book that God the Creator has written for us. They stand in the lineage of Christians in the sciences who have sought to understand God through both Scripture and the natural world. They study Gods handiwork in biochemical processes and in how stars form and in the laws govern the smallest imaginable particles. They seek to understand how life works and how nature interacts with nurture. In a paraphrase of 17th century astronomer, Johannes Kepler, they think Gods thoughts after him.

Another portion of these STEM professionals teach what those investigations into the book of nature have revealed. They inspire our children (and us) with the magnificence of the created order, nurture our curiosity, and make space for inquisitive minds to learn more about the God who created and continues to create. Their images and narratives can inspire us to worship.

Probably the largest number of them seek to glorify God by applying science to address real needs. They play major roles in the effort to heal the sick, provide food for the hungry, build shelter for the stranger, and fix broken things. They create the technologies, energy solutions, materials, and medicines that have helped improve the quality of life for the Earths 7.8 billion people. They also help identify where technological progress is misaligned with human well-being.

So we see here that the ministry of the scientist is in discovery and teaching about the glories of Gods handiwork and in the ways they use their God given talents to contribute to human flourishing.

And yet in spite of this priestly ministry, many encounter hostility or feel ignored within the body of Christ.

Scientists for the Church

My father is one such scientist, a traffic engineer whose job it is to make sure you can get in and out of the parking lots of shopping malls. My mother recounts the storyI was quite young at the timeof his offering of time and talent. Our church was renovating their parking lot. Dad was not particularly active in the church at the time, but he willingly offered to help. His offer was met with silence. No matter the intent, the silence communicated that his vocation, his offer of ministry, did not matter to the church.

As those opening quotes tell us, this kind of experience is far too common in our churches. It may have changed for some in our churches. As frontline workers, medical professionals (and to a lesser extent teachers) have certainly had a higher profile since the pandemic began. Many offered to help joining task forces and coordinating committees have helped to guide our congregations over the past year. While this work has leveraged their scientific training to the benefit of the church, they may also have experienced increased hostility by those who have disagreed with their recommendations especially if they limited in-person worship.

But I dont think the pandemic has changed much for how our churches engage all of the others who read the book of nature and try to apply that knowledge to every aspect of Gods majestic creation. If anything, the pandemic has occupied so much of our attention, they have simply been ignored.

Which is a shame because these STEM professionals among us bring a plethora of knowledge and skills and kingdom-oriented intent to church. They seek to be good Samaritans with their God-given abilities. How can we undo the past hostility and rejection? How do we flip the script and tell them they matter to the church?

The congregation of my early childhood did not convey to my father that his engineering talents mattered. And in my lifetime, he has never been active in church. I cant help but wonder how different it could have been if they had asked him to help with that parking lot.

Drew Rick-Miller is Co-Director of Science for the Church, a ministry that seeks to strengthen the church by engaging science. Previously, he spent over a decade as a grants officer at the John Templeton Foundation. Drew studied literature and physics at Northwestern University before attending Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.) where he met his wife, a Presbyterian pastor.

Science for the Church will present a virtual workshop with Made to Flourish starting on April 20, 2021 focusing on science as Christian vocation and how churches can minister for and with scientists. Sign up here.
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Cazombo Airport, Cazombo, Angola [ CAV / FNCZ ]

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Cazombo Airport IATA Code: CAV Cazombo Airport ICAO Code: FNCZ Latitude : -11.8931 Longitude : 22.9164 City : Cazombo Country : Angola World Area Code : 502 Airport Type : Small Timezone : Africa/Luanda Cazombo Airport Timezone : GMT +01:00 hours Current time and date at Cazombo Airport is 11:21:57 AM (WAT) on Friday, Jun 4, 2021

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Nearest Airports to Cazombo Airport Closest airports to Cazombo, Angola are listed below. These are major airports close to the city of Cazombo and other airports closest to Cazombo Airport. Nearest airport to Cazombo Airport and Cazombo is Luau Airport - (150.78 Km / 93.69 Miles) Following are the nearest airports to Cazombo and Cazombo Airport. Distance between the two airports is given in bracket. Lumbala Airport - (293.4 Km / 182.31 Miles)

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UPDATE: Family stunned to learn Beth Doe was long-lost New Jersey teen

While the dismembered body Beth Doe and that of her near full-term fetus -- which were found in December 1976 in three suitcases near the Lehigh River and an Interstate 80 overpass in the Carbon County borough of East Side -- were exhumed in 2007 to extract DNA, its placement in a missing persons database didnt result in any hits, Pennsylvania State Police report.

Her family never reported her missing, having received a letter in January 1977 stating she had moved to Connecticut with her boyfriend, had the baby and would contact them if she needed anything, police said in court papers.

A county coroner would rule it a homicide, declaring the pregnant teenager died from strangling but also was shot in the neck. But the case would go cold.

But in 2020, a piece of the femur from whom authorities would later learn was 15-year-old Evelyn Colon, of Jersey City, was submitted to a business in Texas to create a new DNA profile, police said in paperwork that charges Luis A. Sierra, 63, of Ozone Park in Queens, New York, with the killing.

That profile was submitted to public DNA databases in a process know as genetic genealogy in search of living relatives who may have uploaded their DNA to the same databases in a popular effort to learn more about their own history, police said.

Luis Colon Jr. was flagged as a likely nephew of Evelyn Colon, who had gone by the moniker of Beth Doe over the many years as investigators labored to identify her, police said. He knew his aunt went missing in the 1970s and suggested troopers talk to his father, also named Luis. The elder Colon provided a description of his sister, including a mole on her cheek and a scar on her leg, police said. He confirmed she was about 15 years old and eight to nine months pregnant, police said.

That Luis Colon also told investigators that Luis Sierra was his sisters boyfriend and the father of the child, police said. Sierra, who went by the name Wiso, was a junior in 1976 at James Ferres High School and was described as being about 5 feet 7 inches tall and having a mole on his lip, police said. For a time, Sierra lived next door to the Colons, police learned.

Luis Colons sister Migdalla told troopers that her sister and Sierra moved into an apartment in 1976 in Jersey City and in mid-December Evelyn wasnt feeling well and had asked their mother for soup, police said. But when they went to deliver it, the apartment was empty, police said. Migdalla described Sierra as abusive and jealous and said he would keep Evelyn locked in the apartment, police said. Evelyn Colon told her sister she feared Sierra and if anything happened to her, he was likely involved, police said.

But the January 1977 letter written in Spanish with a postmark out of Stamford, saying a 9-pound boy named Luis Sierra Jr. had been born and that if she needed anything, she would reach out, apparently kept her family from reporting her missing, police said. Based on Evelyns lack of capability as a writer, its believed she didnt compose the letter, police said.

Using Sierras name, a physical description provided by Colons family, his date of birth and the geographic data provided by the family, police turned up Sierras New York drivers license, court papers say. The Colon siblings identified him from that photo as their sisters boyfriend, police said.

On Wednesday, troopers interviewed Sierra in his home in Queens and he initially denied knowing Evelyn Colon, police said. But then he admitted he not only knew her but they dated, lived together and she was having his baby, police said.

He told troopers that he last saw her when he left the apartment in Jersey City and that when he came home, she was gone, court papers say. He said he moved out soon after and returned to his fathers home, police said. She had threatened to leave him and he figured shed gone home to her mother, police said. He had told her not to go and checked a few times at her mothers house but no one answered, he said.

He couldnt explain why he tried so little to make contact with Evelyn Colon and their child, police said.

As for Connecticut, he said they took a day trip there to look at apartments and admitted to sending the letter saying they were living there, court papers say.

He could not explain why they would have sent the letter prior to moving there because they had come back to Jersey City, police said. As for the childs name in the letter, he said he would have named his son Luis Sierra Jr., but didnt recall writing that, although it was possible, police said.

When told the letter was sent and received after Evelyn Colons death, he couldnt provide an explanation, police said.

Sierra was arrested and has been charged in Carbon County with homicide, records show. A person with his name and age shows up in the custody of the New York City Department of Corrections, records show.

He will go through the extradition process to be returned to Pennsylvania where he will be held without bail due to the nature of the charge.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a subscription.

Tony Rhodin can be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain will join the International Community in celebrating the World Autism Awareness Day, observed worldwide every April 2 since 2008.

The occasion is an opportunity for the kingdom to confirm its keenness, as an effective partner, to develop and implement plans and programmes to raise awareness on autism cases, through strengthening community partnership and supporting the national efforts aimed at making the Bahraini society more capable of meeting the needs of autistic children and integrating them in public life.

On the occasion, Labour and Social Development Minister said that in line with the efforts of the governments efforts, the Labour and Social Development Ministry carries on its efforts to provide advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services for this social category.

These include the qualitative services that the Autism Rehabilitation Cente at the Comprehensive Disability Complex will deliver upon its opening for about 100 beneficiaries, noting that 891 persons with autism are currently benefiting from the services provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development.

Humaidan reiterated the Labour Ministrys keenness to support the national efforts to raise awareness on the concept of Autism Spectrum Disorder, through improving the rehabilitation and educational services provided at 12 centres related to people with special needs, as well as paying their annual expenses.

Among these facilities, there are six centres specialised in rehabilitating autistic people, including Alia for Early Intervention, Tafaol Centre for special education, Al-Wafa Centre for Autism, Al-Rashad Centre for Autism, Al-Amal Centre for Early Care and Al-Amal Institute for Special Education, noting that the Labour Ministry has licensed 25 centres for people with autism.

The minister indicated that thanks to directives of the Government Executive Committee, and based on the recommendations of the National Medical Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus, the rehabilitation services resumed at rehabilitation centres since June 2020.
In the larger context of what Elon Musk is hoping to achieve with SpaceX, this is just a silly little side-note, of course. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has made no secret of his hopes to pave the way for the colonization of Mars by making space flights more accessible, more frequent, and less costly with the Starship rocket.Currently, Starship prototypes are being tested at Boca Chica in Texas in the hope they will be able to land, do a flip maneuver, and then land vertically. SN11 launched the other day, and unlike predecessor SN10, it exploded right before or during the landing.When Starship does take off for Mars, Grimes will be there with the first colonizers . In fact, she is ready to die with the red dirt of Mars beneath my feet, she writes in a caption to an impromptu photoshoot at Starbase in Texas, where SN11 took off a short while later.To anyone following the musician, her admission would hardly come as a surprise. She spoke about it in a recent Q&A posted to her social media, saying she was looking forward to relocating to the Red Planet once she was 50. Grimes is 38 now, for the record. Manual labor until death most likely, but hopefully that can change, she added with a laugh.As talk of space tourism intensifies, not everyone is thrilled at the prospect, though. Greta Thunberg , for one, would like to draw attention to the fact that only a small percentage of the worlds population will be able to relocate to another planet (at some hypothetical moment in time). That means the rest will be left on Earth to die or deal with the disastrous consequences of climate change.
Gurugram, April 1 : With the arrest of a wanted criminal and his aide, the police here claimed to have solved the murder case of a 25-year-old youth Manish, who was allegedly gunned down in broad daylight on February 22.

The prime accused among those arrested was identified as Sanjay Panchal (31) of Gandhi Nagar in Gurugram, the police said on Wednesday. The Haryana Police had fixed a bounty of Rs 5,000 on his head. Panchal's accomplice was Yogender alias Yogi of Bhiwani, also a resident of Gurugram.

The duo were nabbed by the crime branch team after a tip-off.

During questioning, the culprits disclosed that the victim was an auto union president.

"The culprits had asked the victim to run an auto rickshaw on the same stretch but the victim refused to run the auto rickshaws there. Following this enmity, the culprits had given contract of his killing to their accomplices and on their directions they eliminated the victim," said Preet Pal Sangwan, ACP (crime).

Sangwan said the culprits were produced before a local court on Wednesday.

On February 22, the entire incident was captured in a CCTV camera installed at the incident spot.

The CCTV visuals showed two unidentified armed assailants, who were wearing face masks, executing the crime. The armed assailants had fired several bullets into the deceased and on the SUV in which the victim was seated, before escaping on foot.

A case of murder had been registered on the complaint of the deceased's father against an unknown person at New Colony police station.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich., on March 2, 2021. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP)

Michigan Reports First Case of CCP Virus Variant First Identified in Brazil

Michigan on Thursday reported the states first confirmed case of a CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus variant first identified in Brazil, which is believed to be more contagious than other strains.

The variant, named P.1, was found in a resident in Bay County, where local health officials were investigating the persons exposure history.

Local health officials said the infected person, as well as everyone who has been in close contact with him, is required to undergo a full 14-day quarantine.

Michigan previously reported finding variants of the CCP viruswhich causes the disease COVID-19first identified in Britain and South Africa.

The state also saw the nations highest 7-day average of CCP virus cases in the past week, with numbers surging 52 percent.

U.S. Epidemiologist and Health Economist Eric Feigl-Ding said officials believe the rapid rise in cases party attributed to the variant first identified in Britain, named #B117, which is reported to be already widespread in 51 Michigan counties.

GUT PUNCHMichigan & North Dakota #COVID19 cases surged 52% in 1 week. It is absolutely alarming, Emily Toth Martin, an epidemiologist. Felt like a gut punch. Were going to have to go through hard work again to get the numbers down. @juliebosman ???? https://t.co/WeV58nOQSK pic.twitter.com/w8IdiZNB7C  Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) April 1, 2021

State Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel expressed concern about the additional variant.

Hertel says she believes people have to wear more masks, stay socially distanced, avoid crowds, wash their hands, and get a vaccine while doing what works to slow the spread of the virus.

Mask mandates are already in effect in the state and vaccines are available to everyone starting on April 5.

The Brazilian P.1 variant carries several mutations that are seen in other variants of concern that are predicted to change the behaviour of the virus, said Nick Loman, professor of microbial genomics and bioinformatics at the University of Birmingham in the UK.

These include E484K, which is predicted to make existing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 less effective, as well as N501Y, which is potentially linked to increase transmissibility, he said.

Scientists are concerned that the P.1 variant can re-infect patients with the CCP virus more easily.

In a March 30 report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there have been 172 P.1 cases reported nationwide in 22 different U.S. states.

Alexander Zhang contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Taioseach Micheal Martin has called for a reset of the relationship between the UK and the EU to resolve issues stemming from the Northern Ireland Protocol (Julien Behal Photography/PA)

Irish premier Micheal Martin has called for a reset of the relationship between the UK and the EU to resolve issues stemming from the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Taoiseach lamented the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the bloc and the UK following rows over Brexit and the supply of Covid-19 vaccines.

The Northern Ireland Protocol, designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland post-Brexit, has caused unrest among both unionists and loyalists, who have called for it to be scrapped.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Martin said he has told the EU the blocs relationship must be constructive.

Thats our aim and our objective as a Government - to maintain a constructive relationship with Britain Taoiseach Micheal Martin

He said: I think we need to reset the relationship.

Ive made it very clear to our European Union partners that the British-Irish relationship is a unique one, historically rooted.

Were both joint custodians of the (Good Friday) Agreement and nothing can come between us in respect of making sure that we work constructively together.

Thats our aim and our objective as a Government  to maintain a constructive relationship with Britain.

The Taoiseach said he has argued that the only future has to be a constructive UK-EU relationship.

The relationship, already damaged by Brexit, deteriorated further due to the EUs brief suspension of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a row over vaccines.

The UK also suspended elements of the protocol unilaterally, by suspending customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and Northern Ireland, a move dubbed silly by Mr Martin.

The premier said the EU has already done a lot to facilitate the uniqueness of the protocol, but acknowledged there is work to be done to see what we can fine-tune.

He called for the use of special committees to tackle difficulties arising from the protocol, which have been provided for under the Withdrawal Agreement.

He said: Weve got to try to work those committees to see, can we deal with those issues and make life as easy as possible for businesses.

Expand Close Graffiti reading No Irish Sea border in Belfast, in protest at the effects of the Northern Ireland Protocol (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Graffiti reading No Irish Sea border in Belfast, in protest at the effects of the Northern Ireland Protocol (Brian Lawless/PA)

Despite these setbacks, Mr Martin believes the relationship can get back on track.

I think it makes sense for Britain that it really works on its relationship with the EU. The EU is ready to engage, he said.

He told the paper that UK officials have been more constructive in recent weeks.

The move towards a win-win deal on the supply of Covid-19 vaccines across Europe and the UK is a very important sign, he added.
Tlokweng  Kgosi Puso Gaborone of Batlokwa also Ntlo Ya Dikgosi chairperson has exhorted his tribe to embrace government's effort of controlling COVID-19 through vaccination.

He made the exhortation Tuesday when together with his wife, Mohumagadi Thandiwe Gaborone, his deputy Kgosi Spokes Gaborone and other selected community leaders were vaccinated to mark commencement of the vaccination exercise and the launch of the ARM READY FOR LEMAO campaign in Tlokweng.

Kgosi Puso cautioned against vaccination resistance saying the ongoing campaign was meant to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Allaying fears, he said the vaccine was approved and used internationally therefore there was no need to doubt its effectiveness.

The Batlokwa chief said the royal couple resolved to take the vaccination to set an example.

"I have given you an example as your community leader and chief," he said.

Kgosi Puso also called on other community leaders who have been vaccinated to speak for the vaccine.

Those vaccinated should champion the vaccination campaign and attest to their wellbeing publicly, he said.

Kgosi Puso stressed that vaccination did not replace the COVID-19 health protocols of frequent washing or sanitizing hands, wearing of face mask and social distancing.

Greater Gaborone District Health Management Team member Dr Mothusi Mogatle reiterated the need to observe the protocols even after vaccination.

He said vaccination had always been part of the community explaining the only difference was that this time it was adults being vaccinated.

Vaccination would help the recipient's body produce antibodies to fight the virus, he explained adding that a second jab would be administered in 12 weeks to help recipients build a more resilient defence system.

Other dignitaries who received the jab include former MPs Mr Olebile Gaborone and Ms Shirley Segokgo-Molosiwa as well as women's rights activist Ms Emelda Molokomme.

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
Its been 13 years or so since Travis Tritt released a studio album, and country fans will find this one worth the wait.

Tritt made new LP Set in Stone with Nashville producer of the moment Dave Cobb, known for helming notable Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell discs.

Its an inspired pairing. Tritts empathetic Southern vocals sound right at home amid Cobbs naturalistic production. Musical arrangements walk the border between outlaw-country and truck-rock.

The tunes are there too. Tritt cowrote eight of the albums 11 songs. Key writing collaborators include rising country talents Brent Cobb and Ashley Monroe. Tracks like the single Smoke in a Bar point back to the storytelling in now-vintage 90s country, an era of which Tritt is a cornerstone. Album opener Stand Your Ground and the stirring title track sound classic right about of the box.

During his career, Tritts scored seven platinum albums, five number-one hits (Foolish Pride, Anymore, Best of Intentions, Help Me Hold On and Can I Trust You with My Heart) and won two Grammys. Judging by Set In Stone, he may need to clear off shelf space for more accolades soon. The album releases May 7. More info at travistritt.com.

On a recent morning, Tritt checked in with AL.com from his Georgia home (hes a lifelong resident of the state) for a phone interview. Edited excerpts are below.

Travis, the lyrics for the title track on Set in Stone are poignant. What makes that song special for you? And was it an easy decision to name this album after that particular song?

One of the things that was really exciting about this project was the fact that Dave Cobb, who produced the record, he set me up with a lot of his favorite writers that hes used over the years for a bunch of different artists that he records and worked with.

And as I was meeting with these writers, for the first time, I was really taken aback by the fact that so many of them told me stories about how they grew up listening to my music, and what kind of an influence my music had had on them personally.

And one of the first people that I wrote with for this album was Dave Cobbs cousin, Brent Cobb. And the first time we got together, he said, On my way over for this writing session, I was thinking about all the memories that I have grown up listening to your music. Running around with my dad, my grandpa and listening to your music in our pickup truck. Later on, I got a chance to go see you live and in concert, and it was just a great experience. And he said, As I see it, your legacy, you dont have anything left to prove. Musically, your legacy is pretty much set in stone.

I was thinking about that, from a writing a song standpoint, and he said, I love that title. I love Set In Stone. But you can also apply that to anybody that has created anything and is proud of it. Whether it be somebody that built a business or family farm or just raised a family, provided for their family over the years. Thats something that you can look back on, and you realize that thats my legacy. When Im no longer here, thats what Im going to leave behind.

He had a couple of lines for the first verse already written and a couple of lines for the chorus already written. And as soon as I heard that, and I thought about that perspective of looking back over your life and the things that youve done with your life. That sentiment, it really resonates with a lot of different people. That song is one of the first songs that we wrote for this album, and I just fell in love with it right off the bat.

And so when it came time to title, the album, I thought of that conversation and with all of the songs that we had on this album, I think that song, Set In Stone, captures my sentiments, how I feel right now at this point in my career. To be basically not recording new music, focusing on just the live performance for the past 10 or 12 years, and to come back now and release new music and find out how many people are really excited about hearing that new music. Its humbling and its gratifying, all that the same time. So it became a natural title for the album.

In addition to releasing a new album, youre going to be hitting the road to do some concerts. Were all grateful for live music coming back. When youre putting a show together, whats one of the first things you put in place? Is it the song youre going to open with? Is it the production?

Our biggest challenge every year is coming up with a setlist where we take some things out that weve been doing the previous year and put new things in. And in a lot of ways Ive been extremely fortunate in my career because Ive had enough hits that I can play a 90-minute or two-hour show or longer and itd be nothing but hits from one end to the other. And songs that people recognize.

I think the biggest thing is trying to figure out, what songs have I not done in a while that people might like to hear. There are certain ones that are staples that you just cant get rid of. Youve got to do. I dont think theyd let me leave the building if I didnt do Heres a Quarter, A Great Day To Be Alive or Im Gonna Be Somebody. Those songs are just staples. And they have to be in every setlist.

But when it comes to the other ones, its always kind of a tricky thing, for me anyway, to try to figure out. Because you dont want to do too many ballads at one time  You try to take the audience for a ride, and you want to take them up, then you want to bring them back down and then you want to take them back up again.

And I learned that recipe for putting those setlist together is just from playing for all those years - even going back to the early days before I was really discovered and having hits on the radio. Just trying to learn how to get peoples attention and hold it the whole time that youre on stage. And that takes some knowledge of your audience, what you have to work with and realizing what they will and will not accept from you.

And then the added element in when you are releasing a new album with new songs on it, you want to try to slip in at least one or two of the new songs as well, to give people a taste of what those songs feel like and sound like live.

Some of the new tracks I think would have a shot of getting in the setlist are Stand Your Ground and Ghost Town Nation, which have a clear Southern rock influence.

Yeah.

Over the years, youve collaborated with Gary Rossington from Lynyrd Skynyrd and you were on their farewell tour with Skynyrd too. Theres a lot of great Southern rock guitarists. But what makes Gary special?

He and I developed a friendship very early on in my career, And of course I was always a huge Skynyrd fan, still am. They were one of the biggest influences. And thats always what Ive tried to do on every album, show all of the different influences.

People asked me when they found out that I was doing a new album this year, Whats the album gonna be like? Are you going to lean more toward the straight-ahead country, the traditional country? Are you going to go more Southern rock? Are you going to go more blues? The best way I know to answer that question is just to say that its going to be a Travis Tritt album. And its going to include all of those different elements that I was influenced by when I was growing up.

And obviously, Gary Rossington, I found out very early on, I always admired his, his guitar playing. One of the things I admired was the fact that Gary is extremely great at coming up with licks that are signature licks that are that are very recognizable.

If he starts playing at the beginning of a song, nine times out of 10 youll recognize that song even before the vocals ever start. Just based off of some of the licks that he plays. Thats one of the things I think helps to make great songs, is having something that sets it apart from everything else thats out there.

And Gary was great. Every time that I ever worked with him or ever wrote with him, he was great about coming up with licks like that, that were very strong and very signature, recognizable licks. And I think hes just one of the one of the best in the business. I loved working with him.

Your cover of Take It Easy (for 1994 tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles) and the music video, with Glenn Frey and Don Henley and all, led to some big things for the Eagles. Whats your go-to Eagles song these days?

Man, you know, I would have to say probably Hotel California is still my favorite of all time. I mean, they had so many. The Eagles did so many great songs that literally were the soundtrack of my life - they were more than just songs I listened to.

The first time that I ever drove my dads car by myself, there was an Eagles song playing in the background. First time I ever went on a date, there was Eagles song playing in the background. First time I ever kissed a girl, there was an Eagles song playing in the background.

So I was just thrilled that I had that opportunity. I dont take a whole lot of credit for bringing the Eagles back together. I just wanted to do a really cool video for that for that single that was on the Common Thread album, Take It Easy.

I had a wonderful chance to not only get the Eagles to work with me on that particular video, but also, I got to be an Eagle for a day. The first time they played together in 14 years, I was right there in the middle of all of them. So it was just a great experience. Theres nobody on this planet that has more respect for those guys than I do.

A classic track of yours, Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde, was written by a couple of cats here in Alabama, from Muscle Shoals: Walt Aldridge and James LeBlanc. What drew you to that song?

Early, when we were getting ready to put that particular album out, I had a chance to sit down and write with those guys. They played me that song, and I just fell in love with it right off the bat.

It was one of those songs that just sums up everything that I love. It tells a great story. Plus, it has that that groove and that feel. Its kind of a little bit on the, Southern rock, country rock side of things. Take those two things together a great story and a great melody and that for me, man, Im hooked.

Travis Tritt and his band will perform live April 24 at Huntsvilles Von Braun Center Propst Arena, address 700 Monroe St. Tickets are $45 - $98, not including fees, via ticketmaster.com and the VBC Box Office. Support act is Frank Foster. Showtime is listed as 7:30 p.m. Tritt also has solo acoustic shows scheduled for 7:30 p.m. June 10 at Mobiles Saenger Theatre, 6 S. Joachim St., ($37 - $72 plus fees, mobilesaenger.com) and 7:00 p.m. June 11 at Dothan Civic Center, 126 N. St. Andrews St., ($39 - $79 plus fees, dothanciviccenter.org). Please check with each respective venue for their current COVID-19 safety protocols.)
There were over 500 no shows at a Dublin vaccination centre yesterday after appointments for healthcare workers were duplicated, the HSE has confirmed.

Out of 1329 healthcare workers scheduled for vaccinations at the Citywest vaccination facility, only 757 attended.

In response to queries, the HSE said the centre has found that the status of the registered person may change to vaccinated if contacted by another vaccination centre and this has resulted in people not attending for appointment.

A spokesperson said no vaccine was wasted, but did not provide details on who received the leftover vaccines.

Read More

Citywest Vaccination Centre is working closely working with the HSE National ICT team who are working on the scheduling component of the national system, added the spokesperson. This will improve the operational management of the centre and customer experience.

Two weeks ago, the HSE apologised after healthcare workers received duplicate vaccine appointments for separate venues in the capital.

The error saw healthcare workers (HCWs) being offered two appointments to be vaccinated, one at the Aviva stadium and one at the Beacon Hospital.

The HSE said the issues arose because of the work underway across separate teams to finish the residue of Cohort 2 applicants. Work has now been undertaken to ensure that this does not reoccur.

HCWs who received the duplicate appointments said they had the same text reply number so they could not cancel one without cancelling the other.

A HSE spokesperson said that where enquires were received people were told to accept the most convenient one. No vaccine was wasted as a result of this small number of double appointments. The HSE apologies for any inconvenience caused.

It comes as the HSE revealed it cannot put a figure on how many non-patient facing healthcare staff have jumped ahead of sequence in the vaccine rollout.

In recent weeks, it has emerged that non-frontline care workers including those who work in payroll and pensions, currently based at home, have been vaccinated in cohort two. It is understood that staff were able to access appointments via the HSE portal by signing up under sequence 2g.  All other healthcare workers without direct patient care but working in a healthcare facility with the potential to meet patients/service users.

There have been reports that large numbers of workers who fall under cohort 6, which includes those who providing essential health services, for example, management and administration, have in fact been vaccinated in cohort 2.

The HSE told the Irish Independent that it would be hard to quantify how many had been vaccinated ahead of schedule as it would require a person by person analysis of 2g including those from private and other settings to ascertain if people had incorrectly registered.

Last week, after it came to light that finance staff in Offaly, as well as staff working in pension and payroll departments in other parts of the country were vaccinated earlier this month, the HSE closed off the portal for frontline workers. The Irish Independent reported that HSE administrative staff, including a number working in payroll and pensions divisions, were vaccinated earlier this month despite working in non-patient facing roles.

Back-office staff in Cork, Galway and Limerick received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with the HSE stating that it is currently vaccinating staff in category 2g of the sequencing framework.

Meanwhile, members of the Irish Kidney Association and Irish Wheelchair Association were also double-booked for vaccinations last week.

Frontline staff from these organisations who received the vaccine at the James Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown later received text messages about an appointment in Beaumont Hospital.

This resulted in a number of no-shows for scheduled appointments.

A spokesperson for Beaumont Hospital told the Irish Independent: Frontline workers not employed by Beaumont Hospital are offered a vaccination appointment date generally 2 to 3 days in advance of the appointment. The offer from the hospital requires the individual to confirm that they will attend / do not want to attend / require an alternative date.

Non-confirmation, non-attendance or confirmation that they are already vaccinated means the hospital continues with other staff identified for vaccination - thereby there is no wastage of the vaccine. To date there has been no wastage.

Read More




State

March 22 incident: Sumi legislators appeal for peace

DIMAPUR, APR 1 (NPN) | Publish Date: 4/1/2021 12:49:14 PM IST

Sumi legislators Thursday said they have taken serious note of the March 22 incident at Kiyevi-Lamhai and condemned the barbaric act committed by some unidentified persons wherein three precious lives were lost and properties were damaged.

In a joint statement, legislators have appealed to the two communitiesZeliang and Sumi-- for peace and unity in these times. They also urged our brothers to remain calm and extend support to the Government to bring this issue to an end. Further, the Sumi legislators appealed to all the well-wishers and sympathizers to refrain from further escalating the issue by enraging the sentiments of the two communities but to uphold the spirit of brotherhood and support the two communities towards peaceful co-existence and a positive settlement to the issue.

Meanwhile, the Sumi legislators have conveyed their deepest condolences to the bereaved families. The Sumi legislators included Ministers-- G. Kaito Aye, Jacob Zhimomi; advisors-- Phukayi Sumi, Tovihoto Ayemi, KT Sukhalu, Khehovi Yepthomi, Kazheto Kinimi, Er. Picto Shohe; MLAs-- Azheto Zhimomi, Y. Vikheho Swu and Lok Sabha MP Tokheho Yepthomi.
Burma Chinese Troops Gather on Myanmars Border to Protect Pipelines

The towns of Muse, Myanmar (foreground) and Ruili, China (background), as seen from Muse in Shan State. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Several sources on the Chinese border reported that troops were gathering in Jiegao, opposite the Shan State border town of Muse.

Many Chinese soldiers and military trucks have arrived at the border in previous days.

Sources from ethnic armed groups said China was sending a warning signal to Myanmar.

TVBS News in Taiwan reported that Chinese troops are there to protect the natural gas pipeline without suggesting how.

In early March, the Chinese asked Myanmars military regime to protect the oil and gas pipelines following the emergence of anti-Chinese sentiment and protesters threatening to blow up the pipelines.

The 800-km twin pipeline project runs from Kyaukphyu in Rakhine State on the Bay of Bengal through Magwe and Mandalay regions and northern Shan State to China.

China has repeatedly insisted that the armed forces seizure of power from the democratically elected government is an internal affair, including at the United Nations Security Council and UN Human Rights Council.

In February, the Chinese Embassy in Yangon faced daily protests, demanding Beijing stops support for Myanmars military. Moreover, anti-Chinese sentiment has emerged in Myanmar, including boycotts of Chinese products.

On Monday, the tripartite Brotherhood Alliance of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Taang National Liberation Army and Arakan Army (AA) condemned the military junta after the civilian death toll rose to over 500.

The three groups warned the military that they would collaborate with other ethnic armed organizations and pro-democracy supporters to defend civilians from the regimes brutal crackdowns. All three armies are based along the Chinese border and the AA also has substantial forces in northern Rakhine State, bordering Bangladesh. They can all challenge Myanmars military and have close relations with China.

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Texas college students harassed for hosting Bible verse Easter egg hunt on campus

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A politically conservative student group at the University of North Texas said they were harassed by other students for distributing Easter eggs on campus filled with Bible verses.

On Sunday night, members of the Young Conservatives of Texas UNT chapter placed 250 colorful Easter eggs with Bible verses hidden inside them around campus and posted an announcement on social media about the egg hunt beforehand.

Kelly Neidert, a senior and chairman of YCT's UNT chapter, told The Christian Post in an interview Wednesday that they hid the eggs in part to celebrate Easter and as something fun for students to enjoy since the campus is under lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19.

My group decided we wanted to do this event because our school has really strict COVID guidelines right now, and we just thought that putting some Easter eggs out with some Bible verses would be kind of fun for everybody and a good way to celebrate Easter without breaking our COVID guidelines, Neidert said.

Neidert told The College Fix in an interview earlier this week that half of the verses were about Easter and Christ, while others were uplifting Bible verses unrelated to Easter.

Due to the religious nature of the Easter eggs, members of YCT were attacked on social media, including on a UNT Facebook group used by some 9,000 students, parents and UNT alumni, The College Fix reported.

Neidert said the group is often attacked for its conservative beliefs, but the faith-aspect of the event seemed to provoke students even more.

Theyre obsessed with harassing us just because thats what they like to do, Neidert told CP. They dont like that were conservative, but I think that this probably was a little more inflammatory in their minds because of the religious aspect. And they dont feel included somehow ... [since] its a Christian holiday. I think that was a lot of the problem they're having with this.

Neidert retweeted screenshots of some of the students slamming the Easter eggs hunt. Some students accused them of littering, while others called for the student body to stomp on or trash the eggs. In reference to the Bible verses inside the eggs, one student wrote on Twitter: "Awesome! I was low on toilet paper."

Some eggs were found around campus with the Bible verse removed and condoms left inside.

In the past, UNT students vandalized YCTs abortion memorial in memory of victims of abortion. Neidert said she should have known students would have the same response to the Easter eggs.

Neidert showed CP screenshots of some of the social media posts from the students mocking the Easter eggs.

Once the eggs were out, we got a lot more backlash from more students, Neidert said. They were trying to go stomp them. They said they would go throw them away, and they just sent some nasty messages to me and about the event.

Some parents of UNT students also joined in the criticism, saying the Bible-verse Easter egg hunt wasn't appropriate since not everyone on campus is Christian, and suggested the students should have filled the eggs with candy instead.

Neidert said many students in YCT were disappointed with how the event turned out. But despite the backlash, she noted that some students seemed to enjoy the Easter eggs.

It looks like a lot of students did pick them up and just appreciate them, but I know some students were also throwing them away, Neidert added.

YCT is frequently attacked on college campuses throughout the state. At UNT last year, a petition to remove the club for so-called hateful actions  racism, transphobia and homophobia  received over 2,700 signatures.

In response to demands from left-leaning activists to remove the conservative club from campus, Neidert released a statement on behalf of the YCT chapter last July.

We are not a perfect organization, but it is clear that some people want us disbanded because we are conservative. , Neidert wrote. Everyone on campus, including us, has First Amendment rights. We will stand unapologetic in our beliefs.
THE East African Business Council (EABC) has hailed President Samia Suluhu Hassan for ascending to power as Tanzania Head of State, saying her leadership will further see the East African Community (EAC) prospering a lot.

In congratulating President Samia, EABC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Peter Mathuki said her great determination to promote the private sector forms the engine for socio-economic growth in the region.

The incoming EAC Secretary General Mathuki said the Chairman, Board of Directors, Management and members of the EABC, the apex body of the private sector in the EAC have a lot of trust in the leader and will cooperate with her to move forward after the demise of President John Magufuli.

"The East African Business Community acknowledges with gratitude the commitment and impetus of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania in spearheading the East African Community (EAC) regional integration agenda and President Samia Suluhu Hassan's determination to promote the role of the private sector as the engine for socio-economic growth in region," said Dr Mathuki, in his congratulatory message.

EABC acknowledged with gratitude the commitment and impetus of the government of Tanzania in spearheading the EAC regional integration agenda.

Dr Mathuki noted that the EABC is deeply committed to partner with Tanzania to boost intra-EAC trade, industrialization, investments and job creation, under President Samia's great leadership.

The East African business community is devoted to President Samia's vision and aspirations of realizing prosperity for all East African citizens through trade.
UConn researcher Paulo Verardi, associate professor of pathobiology and veterinary science in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, has demonstrated the success of a vaccine against Zika virus and recently published his findings in Scientific Reports, a Nature Research publication. He has also filed provisional patent for the novel vaccine platform technology used to generate the vaccine, as well as genetic modifications made to the vaccine that significantly enhance expression of the vaccine antigen.

Verardi, a Brazilian native, was in Brazil visiting family in the summer of 2015 when the Zika outbreak first began to make waves and soon reached epidemic status.

Back in the United States, Verardi kept tabs on the Zika epidemic and its emerging connection to microcephaly, a serious birth defect that causes babies to be born with small heads and underdeveloped brains.

In October of that year, Verardi called then-Ph.D.-student Brittany Jasperse (CAHNR '19) into his office and told her he wanted to apply their newly developed vaccine platform and start developing a vaccine for Zika virus.

Verardi and Jasperse were among the first researchers in the US to receive NIH funding to generate a vaccine against Zika virus, thanks to Verardi recognizing the significance of Zika virus early.

Modern advancements in genomic technology have expediated the vaccine development process. In the past, researchers needed to have access to the actual virus. Now just obtaining the genetic sequence of the virus can be sufficient to develop a vaccine, as was the case for the Zika vaccine Verardi and Jasperse developed, and the COVID-19 vaccines currently approved for emergency use in the United States and abroad.

Using the genetic sequence of Zika virus, Verardi and Jasperse developed and tested multiple vaccine candidates that would create virus-like particles (VLPs). VLPs are an appealing vaccine approach because they resemble native virus particles to the immune system and therefore trigger the immune system to mount a defense comparable to a natural infection. Critically, VLPs lack genetic material and are unable to replicate.

The vaccine Verardi and Jasperse developed is based on a viral vector, vaccinia virus, which they modified to express a portion of Zika virus' genetic sequence to produce Zika VLPs. Their vaccine has an added safety feature that it is replication-defective when given as a vaccine but replicates normally in cell culture in the lab.

"Essentially, we have included an on/off switch," Jasperse says. "We can turn the viral vector on in the lab when we're producing it by simply adding a chemical inducer, and we can turn it off when it's being delivered as a vaccine to enhance safety."

The team developed five vaccine candidates in the lab with different mutations in a genetic sequence that acts as a signal to secrete proteins. They evaluated how these mutations affected the expression and formation of Zika VLPs and then selected the vaccine candidate that had the highest expression of VLPs to test in a mouse model of Zika virus pathogenesis. This model was developed by Helen Lazear of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, whose lab Jasperse now works in as a postdoctoral research associate.

Verardi and Jasperse found that mice who received just a single dose of the vaccine mounted a strong immune response and were completely protected from Zika virus infection. They did not find any evidence of Zika virus in the blood of challenged mice who were exposed to the virus after vaccination.

Zika virus is part of a group of viruses known as flaviviruses which include dengue virus, yellow fever virus, and West Nile virus. Verardi and Jasperse's findings, particularly the mutations they identified that enhanced expression of Zika VLPs, could be useful for improving production of vaccines against diseases caused by other related flaviviruses.

Ongoing work in the Verardi lab incorporates these novel mutations into vaccine candidates against other viruses, including Powassan virus, a tick-borne flavivirus that can cause fatal encephalitis.

Verardi emphasizes that developing vaccines for viruses, in this case Zika, help the world be better prepared for outbreaks of novel and emerging viruses by having vaccine development frameworks in place.

"Emerging viruses are not going to stop popping up any time soon, so we need to be prepared," Verardi says. "Part of being prepared is to continue the development of these platforms."

###
The Federal Government has explained reasons why there is a delay in the submission of supplementary budget for procurement of security equipment and COVID-19 vaccines to the National Assembly.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the federal executive council meeting presided over by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the presidential Villa.

The minister attributed the delay to the non submission of the military hardware estimates by the defence ministry.

According to her, government has put on hold its plan to build additional primary healthcare centres across the country.

She said her Ministry has met with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor and the three service chiefs on the urgent need to have the estimates for the military hardwares to be procured so as to include it in the proposed supplementary budget.

She said, "For the military hardware, we have met with the Service Chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff. They are supposed to aggregate their request for review amongst themselves and then pass it to Mr. President, then it will be sent to us. So we are waiting for the information of the aggregate requirements."

She further explained that the supplementary budgetary estimate for COVID-19 vaccines prepared by her Ministry and that of health is ready .

She, however added that the amount initially voted for the building of primary healthcare centres has been kept on hold for now.

Ahmed said, "Sometime in January, the President based on the request by the Ministry of Health gave an approval in principle for the Ministry of Health to work with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to prepare and take to the National Assembly a supplementary budget for COVID-19 vaccination.

"The submission that was made to Mr. President at that time was in the sum of N399 billion, but included in this N399 billion was a N103 billion for building of primary healthcare centres. So we've worked with and met several times with the ministry, we've agreed to back out from this building of primary health care centres, that can wait till later. So there's still a provision of 396 billion for COVID-19 vaccinations for 2021 and 2022."

The minister also disclosed that Nigeria was expecting not less than 43 million COVID-19 doses from donors.

She said health ministry officials have been mandated to come up with the total number of vaccine donation being expected to guide government in its plans to buy more vaccines for the citizenry.

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"There has been some delays because we expected the ministry to confirm the vaccines donation that Nigeria is expecting. We are expecting a total of not less than 43 million doses of vaccines. So they are supposed to find out when those ones will come. Because, if we are going to get the back the donated vaccines, and at the speed of the current rollout, we have slow down on what we're buying ourselves.

"So the ministry is working with partners that are donating this vaccines. So we see the timelines of the donations and see the gap that the government needs to fill in 2021.

"But we have already provided to the ministry funds to enable them roll out the 4 million vaccines that have been brought already into the country, and the vaccination process is ongoing.

"So for us is still work in progress. We hope in the next couple of days, we'll have clarity on the schedule of vaccines expected from donors, and then we will now be able to firm up what government has to provide for in 2021. And therefore the 2022 component we will provide it during the 2022 appropriations," she stated.
After more rejections than she could count, Brianna Lopez finally got a job as a server in October, ending months of unemployment. But the celebration didnt last long.

Three days later, the mother of three, who lives in southwest Houston, was forced to quit to care for her children, whose school was shut down by a confirmed COVID-19 case. Five more closures over the next few months made it near impossible to find a steady job.

You just become unreliable, she said.

Lopez is among the millions of women who lost jobs when the pandemic broke out last spring and have struggled to return to work as they contend with child care, home schooling and few openings in the hard-hit service industries where many work. Even as vaccines bring COVID-19 under control and the economy picks up, women may not re-enter the labor force as child care remains a challenge and employers look askance at long bouts of unemployment and gaps in resumes, economists said.

The result: a slower recovery.

In December of 2019, women were half of all employees in the U.S., so, were not the minority workforce. We are half of workers, said Kathryn Anne Edwards, an economist for RAND Corp., a California-based think tank. If 2 million women leave the labor force, and they dont come back, that clips economic growth for everybody.

The pandemic-induced recession has taken on an unusual female character, prompting analysts and economists to call it a she-cession. When businesses shut down last spring, some 2 million more women lost jobs than men, according to the Labor Department. And in September, when schools reopened and resumed remote learning, employment among women fell by more than 180,000, even as it rose by 450,000 among men.

On HoustonChronicle.com: A tale of two economies: How the pandemic fuels inequality

Those trends represent a break with typical recessions, said Pia Orrenius, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Men, who dominate cyclical industries such as manufacturing and construction, have historically borne the brunt of downturns.

Women are typically in stable occupations like teachers and service industries that are not impacted by the business cycle, Orrenius said. Usually the service sector is stable in a recession, but this time were seeing the reverse.

Limited access

More than 3 million women have dropped out of the labor force during the pandemic, which economists attribute in part to limited access to child care. Half of mothers forced by the pandemic to quit jobs cited the closing of schools or day cares as one of the reasons, according to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit research and policy group in San Francisco.

Shronda Williams, 47, who lives in north Houston, left her job as a medical assistant in March 2020 after her daughters school switched to virtual learning. Even after in-person instruction resumed, she kept her daughter home in January because cases were rising and her daughter has asthma, putting her at risk of serious complications from COVID-19.

Williams has burned through her savings, juggling bills and getting some financial help from her brother. She wants to get back to work, but shes worried the schools may close again as she hears news that more strains of the virus are spreading through Houston.

I knew once they sent the kids home from school, that was going to send me home, Williams said. Because if I go back to work, whats going to happen to my kid? Im a single parent.

Women with children have the lowest labor force participation rate, just 72.4 percent in January, down 2.3 percentage points from February 2020, according to the analytics and polling company Gallup. In contrast, men with children had a labor force participation rate of 92.7 percent, down less than a percentage point from last year.

Even women without children may struggle to re-enter the labor market, economists said. Women tend to work in public-facing jobs, such as health care, leisure and hospitality. But for those women, who have sat out of the workforce for six months or longer, it could be harder to get back in.

Employers tend to see such a large gap in work history as a red flag, even if the person was unemployed through no fault of their own, said Ofer Sharone, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, whose research focuses on long-term unemployment.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas loses jobs for first time in 10 months

Long-term unemployment was a particular problem as the U.S. economy recovered from the Great Recession more than a decade ago, peaking in 2010 when 6.8 million Americans were out of work for more than six months. In February, more than 4 million Americans were unemployed long term, quadruple the number of a year earlier.

At the height of the (Great) Recession, employers were forgiving, but as soon as the recession was over, and overall unemployment was back down, there was a lot more stigmatizing of anyone who was still unemployed, Sharone said. If you were just unlucky enough to not get hired right away in the first wave, and it took you longer, then you could really be stuck.

More to do

This is something that weighs on Veronica McClendon, who has been out of work since March. McClendon, who lives in northwest Houston, worked in child development licensing foster homes for the state, making sure the homes met safety standards, and investigated cases of abuse and neglect, which also required home visits.

She was laid off about two weeks before the pandemic-related closures started.

McClendon, 54, said she applies for at least six jobs every month, seeking positions in day cares and elementary schools, but nothing has panned out. Despite having a degree in child development from Texas Southern University and experience, she worries that a yearlong gap on her resume and her age might give employers pause.

This is the first time Ive had to look for a job over 50, McClendon said. I know they say it doesnt matter, but it does, and being a Black woman over 50, it wont be as easy as it was when I was 23 or 24.

The recently approved $1.9 trillion in stimulus spending is aimed in large part at avoiding the slow, painful recovery that followed the Great Recession and revving up the economy so unemployed Americans such as McClendon can get back to work fast. The spending package also includes $39 billion for child care relief with the aim of helping women return to work.

This funding is a good first step, said Edwards of RAND Corp., but there is still work to be done.

The problem is we dont expect this to be a light switch from no care or no schooling to (access to) care, Edwards said. We still dont have universal access to affordable child care, universal pre-K programs and paid family leave.

10 steps back

Lopez, 29, struggled to pay for day care while she looked for work. She applied for federally funded child care assistance available to qualified Texas residents, but the waiting list is months long.

Ultimately, she and her husband decided that day care was too costly at $270 a week and that it would be easier for one of them to stay home with the children, ages 2, 7 and 10. They agreed it made more sense for her to stay home because her husband was working in demolition and had an easier time finding jobs.

As of now, Lopez is looking for a nightshift serving or bartending job, so she can watch her children during the day until her husband comes home. But she worries abrupt school closures could still happen.

Before COVID, Lopez said, it wasnt difficult to find a decent-paying job as a server and balance that with taking care of her children. But the pandemic threw off that balance, creating obstacles to work and access to child care that she had never faced.

You know, we (women) were moving up in the chain, Lopez said, And COVID hit and its just like, we took 10 steps back.

becca.carballo@chron.com

twitter.com/becca_carballo
Emmanuel Macron has been accused of behaving like a 'monarch' while presiding over 'a disaster the like of which we've never seen' after he imposed a third national lockdown.

The French president last night blamed the 'British variant' for creating 'a pandemic within a pandemic' as he finally bowed to weeks of pressure from medics and epidemiologists to impose four weeks of new restrictions.

In a televised address, the 43-year-old conceded somberly that 'the epidemic is accelerating, and we are likely to lose control,' as he ordered people to remain inside their homes and children to stop going to school.

But Macron was savaged in parliament today by opposition MPs across the house who accused him of Napoleonic arrogance and acting too slowly amid the worst infection rate in Europe.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, of the left-wing Unbowed France party, condemned his tenure as a 'disgrace' as the house boycotted a vote on the measures.

'It really is April 1 today,' he told MPs. 'Everything has already been decided and we are invited to come and acclaimthe presidential monarch, the best virologist in France apparently, and modesty's best friend. We will boycott this vote.'

France will enter a third national lockdown for four weeks, French president Emmanuel Macron announced in an address to the nation on Wednesday night, expanding current measures in 19 territories to the whole country. Pictured: Macron seen on TV on Wednesday night

Right-wing National Rally leader Marine Le Pen was among MPs sticking the boot into Macron today in Paris

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, left, during the parliamentary debate on the lockdown rules and French PM Jean Castex, right. Melenchon said: 'Everything has already been decided and we are invited to come and acclaimthe presidential monarch, the best virologist in France apparently, and modesty's best friend. We will boycott this vote.'

The French press savaged Macron this morning, Le Monde went for, 'Macron bets on a final lockdown', while Liberation headlined it, 'In April on a wire, in May...'. Many of the papers expressed doubts about the president's promise that France would be back to normality by mid-May

Le Figaro said, 'Lockdown, continues... the end?,' while La Depeche said: 'Macron reconfines France'

'You are responsible before history of a health disaster the likes of which this country has never seen. You let the wave rise by aggravating everything.'

France has recorded an average of 38,000 new Covid cases each day over the last week - the highest figure on the Continent.

Its infection rate is at 70 per cent of where it was at the peak of cases it saw in November.

Damien Abad, of the right-wing Republicans Party, told parliament Macron's health crisis was a 'berezina' - a French term which refers to a humiliating defeat suffered by Napoleon during his failed invasion of Russia.

Abad said Macron's administration was always 'one move, one vision, one decision too late.'

National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said: 'In a situation that is turning into health and economic chaos, the country needs to be led more than ingeniously reassured.'

Macron awoke to front pages which did not share his optimism that France would be returning to normality by the middle of May.

'Lockdown, the sequel... and the end?' Le Figaro's headline said.

Le Parisien called Macron's tactic 'slowing without shutting down' despite the fact the outbreak 'has never been so dangerous or complicated.'

Le Monde's Solenne de Royer wrote that Macron's announcement was an obvious attempt to 'mask the government's powerlessness against an out-of-control epidemic and cumulative delays since last summer over vaccination and intensive care beds.'

That same paper earlier this week ran damaging leaks from inside the Elysee Palace that Macron believed himself more of an epidemiologist than his advisors.

'The president has become an epidemiologist,' colleagues told the paper.

Last night, Macron claimed the 'British variant' had changed the outlook because it was more dangerous and 'more deadly.'

'We are faced with a new situation,' he said. 'We are involved in a race. Propagation of a new variant that was identified by our British neighbours must be dealt with.'

Current efforts to limit the virus 'were too limited at a time when the epidemic is accelerating'.

'With regards to schools, we've all got to be aware of our responsibilities as far as our youth are concerned,' said Mr Macron. 'We've kept them open since September 2020, but this will now change.'

The president said non-essential shops would remain shut, along with businesses such as cafes, bars, and restaurants.

Under the restrictions, people are allowed to go outside for leisure, but only within a 6 miles radius from their homes - and without gathering.

The French finance ministry said the new lockdown would see 150,000 businesses close nationwide, at an estimated cost of more than 9 billion for every month their doors are shut.

In a call for unity, Macron added: 'If we stay united in the coming weeks ... then we will see light at the end of the tunnel.'

Striking a more optimistic tone for the medium term, he said some cultural venues and cafe terraces would reopen in mid-May 'under strict rules' and a calendar drawn up for a progressive reopening of other facilities.

'Thanks to the vaccine, the way out of the crisis is emerging,' he said.

France's infection rate has soared in recent weeks in a resurgence blamed on the British variant of Covid-19, which has now resulted in a third national lockdown

Death rates are also climbing and the total is nearing the tally of 100,000 which has already been reached by the UK and Italy

He also announced that the vaccine drive would be open to all those over 60 from April 16 and those over 50 from May 15.

The lockdown represents an embarrassing U-turn for Mr Macron, who ignored a call from his scientific advisers to introduce a tougher lockdown at the end of January.

But the French president took a gamble on curfews and local restrictions in the hope of giving the economy a chance to recover from a deep slump.

His options have narrowed in recent weeks as the feared British variant sweeps across France and Europe, and with presidential elections scheduled for 2022, Mr Macron is having to weigh both political and health considerations.

Acknowledging criticism from opponents, Macron struck a more humble tone than last week when he said that he had no reason to apologise for his handling of the pandemic.

'At every stage of this epidemic, we could say to ourselves that we could have done better, that we made mistakes. That's all true,' he said.

'But I know one thing: we have stood firm, we've learned and at every stage we've improved.'

At the end of January, the president bucked the European trend and went against the recommendation of his scientific advisers by deciding that France would not enter a third lockdown.

For a month, the bet looked to have paid off as new cases flatlined at around 20,000 a day in February, with France in a state of semi-openness - under a night-time curfew, but with shops and schools open.

But with daily cases having doubled to around 40,000 and hospitals in infection hotspots like Paris overflowing, the tide looks to have turned as medics pleaded for tighter restrictions.

The new measures stop short of a full national lockdown observed in France during the first wave of the pandemic in March and April 2020, when people were only allowed out for essential business or for exercise once a day.

'We have adopted a strategy since the beginning of the year that aims to contain the epidemic without shutting ourselves in,' he said.

A survey Wednesday by the Elabe polling group for BFM news channel showed that 70 percent of French people supported a strict lockdown in the most affected areas and 81 percent expected it to be announced.

Macron again defended not locking down in January.

Not locking down in January meant 'we gained precious weeks of liberty, weeks of learning for our children, we allowed hundreds of thousands of workers to keep their head above water, without losing control of the epidemic,' he argued.

'Many of our neighbours decided to lock down, like our German neighbours who have been locked down for four months. Our Italian friends are on their fourth lockdown.

'With our collective choices we gained precious weeks of liberty, weeks of learning for our children, we allowed hundreds of thousands of workers to keep their head above water, without losing control of the epidemic,' he argued.

The question in the coming days will be whether the new measures are enough to reverse the sharp rise in infections which have been running at more than 40,000 a day, double their level at the beginning of the month.

More than 53,000 new cases were announced late Wednesday, but that number covered two days after no numbers were made public on Tuesday.

The country also recorded 304 new deaths, bring its total toll to 95,667.

Exhausted intensive care doctors and hospital directors have pleaded for a strict lockdown to stem the influx of new patients.

With warm weather and sunshine on Wednesday, groups of young people could be seen congregating in public spaces around Paris, ignoring rules barring the consumption of alcohol outside.

The French Hospitals Federation (FHF) urged Macron to order 'a strict lockdown immediately' on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Mr Macron refused to apologise for his country's Coronavirus strategy, saying: 'I can tell you that I have no mea culpa to offer, no remorse, no acknowledgement of failure.'

But the French president has been running out of options to stop the spread of the virus. All of France's restaurants, bars, gyms, cinemas and museums have been closed since October.

The new lockdown is a departure from the government's policy in recent months, which has focused on regionalized restrictions. School closures in particular had been seen as a very last resort.

A debate is scheduled in parliament Thursday that will address the virus situation and the new measures.

'The key factor in our decision-making remains the situation in hospitals,' government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday after Macron hosted his weekly coronavirus strategy meeting and a Cabinet meeting.

After Paris hospital officials warned they would have to start refusing needy patients for lack of space, he said, 'One thing is clear: France will not refuse care for any sick patients. Choosing patients is not an option.'

Earlier this month, Mr Macron refused to apologise for his country's Coronavirus strategy, saying: 'I can tell you that I have no mea culpa to offer, no remorse, no acknowledgement of failure.'

The limited lockdown was imposed in 19 departments two weeks ago, including the greater Paris region, where some patients are being evacuated out of the capital city because of a lack of beds.

France is well behind countries such as Britain in its vaccine roll out, especially after a series of U-turns by Mr Macron over the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.

He at first said it was not suitable for those over 65, before announcing that it should not be given to those under 55.

People gather on the Saone river banks in Lyon on March 31, 2021, before the start of the daily curfew aimed at curbing the spread of the Covid-19

Macron was holding a weekly defence council meeting on the pandemic on Wednesday morning ahead of his address.

A government source said options included a strict lockdown in hard-hit parts of France, school closures, and a massive operation to transfer patients from overloaded hospitals to lesser-hit regions.

France's National Council of the Order of Doctors had demanded another full shutdown, telling Macron in an open letter that 'we must lock down'.

'Until we are massively vaccinated, wherever the situation is serious, we must confine ourselves,' the letter said.

Professor Philippe Juvin from Paris's Georges Pompidou hospital said last week that a strict lockdown may be the only way to prevent a major healthcare crisis.

Juvin told French TV that hospitals risked being overwhelmed to the point where they could neither treat Covid-19 patients nor others.

'The situation is critical,' added Juvin, who is also the mayor of La Garenne-Colombes in the Paris region.

Pictured: People in Nice enjoy the sunshine on Wednesday ahead of Macron's announcement

France added more than 30,000 new infections on Tuesday, taking the daily average to 38,902 - a figure which has jumped by more than 50 per cent in a fortnight.

Meanwhile the death toll is nearing 100,000 and daily fatalities have climbed to nearly 350 per day.

Ten days ago, the government closed non-essential stores and limited people's movements in Paris and other regions ravaged by the virus.

Mobility data analysed by Reuters showed those measures were having markedly less impact than prior lockdowns.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo meawhile told BFM TV that schools should be closed, after ministers pointed to continued teaching as an improvement on the first lockdown.

France also used medical evacuations to ease the load on hospitals during the first two waves, but there has been more resistance from families in recent weeks.

Still, a government source said the evacuations under discussion would not require family consent.

France's tightening of measures come just as Britain slowly emerges from the lockdown imposed by Boris Johnson in early January.

Macron had hoped France's vaccine campaign would reduce the numbers falling gravely ill, but the vaccine rollout is still only now finding its stride.

Only 12 per cent of the population has received a first dose, leaving the vast majority of French citizens still vulnerable to the disease.

Macron has openly blamed the British variant for the resurgence, after scientists at the Institut Pasteur warned vaccines were coming too slowly to rein it in.

A Covid-19 patient is evacuated from the Paris area to Biarritz airport as authorities look to ease the pressure on overwhelmed hospitals

Pictured: President of the French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) and MP Marine Le Pen attends a session of questions to the government at the National Assembly in Paris on March 30, 2021

At stake in France's current crisis is above all the health of nearly 70 million people and the fate of the eurozone's second-biggest economy, but also Macron's political future one year from presidential elections.

His handling of the twin health and economic crises caused by the pandemic will be foremost in voters' minds next April and May, analysts say.

Acknowledging criticism from opponents, Macron said: 'At every stage of this epidemic, we could say to ourselves that we could have done better, that we made mistakes. That's all true.'

Stephane Zumsteeg, head of public opinion surveys at the Ipsos pollster in France, said voters would ultimately judge Macron's performance based on a comparison of France with its EU neighbours.

And he underlined that polls still show the pro-business centrist as the frontrunner.

'Of course lots of things can happen in the next year but at this point the main favourite for next year's election is Emmanuel Macron, not because he's the best or the most loved but because there's no credible alternative other than Marine Le Pen.'

Britain's Covid infection rate plunges below those in 25 EU nations thanks to the jab rollout success  as our cases fall by 28% in week to 4,052 and deaths halve to 43

The UK's successful vaccine rollout means it is now in the best position of all major European nations

Weekly infection rate in France, where intensive care units are overwhelmed, is around 8x higher than in UK

In Germany, which recorded 23,681 cases on March 30, the infection rate is nearly three times higher

Over the past week, the UK has recorded an average of 73 cases per one million people every day

Yesterday another 43 deaths and 4,052 cases were recorded. Deaths are now averaging 50 a day in Britain

Britain's coronavirus infection rate is now significantly lower than 25 of the EU's 27 countries - as the country's daily Covid cases plunge by 28 per cent in a week, official figures revealed.

The UK's successful vaccine rollout means it is now in the best position of all major European nations, despite being the worst hit in January.

The weekly infection rate in France, where intensive care units are overwhelmed, is around eight times higher than in the UK.

In Germany, which recorded 23,681 cases on March 30, the infection rate is nearly three times higher.

Over the past week, the UK has recorded an average of 73 cases per one million people every day. This is a lower rate than all 27 EU nations apart from Denmark and Portugal, which have both adopted strict lockdowns.

Hungary, the worst affected EU nation, has a daily rate of 882 cases per one million.

In France it is 571, while the rate in the Netherlands is 449 and in Italy it is 334. As Europe battles a third wave, UK cases, deaths and hospitalisations have fallen to a six-month low.

On Wednesday, another 43 deaths and 4,052 cases were recorded. Deaths are now averaging 50 a day, down from a peak of 1,284 deaths on January 19. It also marked a 56 per cent week-on-week drop in deaths on last Wednesday.

EU REGULATOR SAYS THERE'S 'NO EVIDENCE' TO BACK GERMAN ASTRAZENECA BAN FOR UNDER-60s Europe's medical watchdog slapped down Germany for suspending AstraZeneca's coronavirus jab after a small number of vaccinated people developed deadly brain clots. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said there was 'no evidence' to support halting the jab for people under 60, adding that the benefits of protecting against Covid far outweighed the risk of the extremely rare condition. Analysis by the regulator found just 62 out of 9.1million people vaccinated with the British-made jab worldwide had developed the brain clot, known as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis  a rate of about five per million. Emer Cooke, the EMA's executive director, told a press conference this afternoon there was no proof the vaccine had caused CSVT in any of the cases and admitted those people might have developed the condition regardless. The EMA's ruling puts the watchdog at odds with many other major EU member states which have also restricted the jab's rollout in certain age groups, including France, Spain and Norway. Cases of CSVT have been most common in Germany, where 31 out of 2.7million vaccinated people suffered the deadly brain clot - a rate of one in 90,000. It led to the nation banning the vaccine in under-60s last night. The EMA revealed twice as many women had received AstraZenca's vaccine in Europe than men, before adding that the people normally most at risk of CSVT are females aged 35 to 45, possibly explaining the higher rates. Until recently Germany had banned the AZ jab for over-60s due to initial fears about blood clots, meaning its rollout had for weeks targeted those most susceptible to CSVT. Ms Cooke said: 'At present, the experts have advised us that they have not been able to identify specific risk factors, including age, gender or previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events. 'And, as I mentioned previously, a causal link of the vaccine has not yet been proven but it is possible, and further analysis is still ongoing. According to the current scientific knowledge, there is no evidence to support restricting the use of this vaccine in any population.' Advertisement

The contrasting fortunes of Britain and mainland Europe are largely down to our successful vaccination programme. Nearly six in ten adults in the UK have now received at least one dose.

But across the EU, just 11 per cent of the population have been vaccinated.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens is urging all over-50s and younger people with health conditions yet to be vaccinated to book an appointment now.

During April the NHS will focus on second doses but appointments for all over-50s not yet protected will also be available.

Yesterday, the number of second doses of Covid-19 vaccine outnumbered first doses for the first time.

A total of 270,526 second doses were registered on March 30, compared with 224,590 first doses, according to government figures. Previously the number of first jabs per day had always exceeded second jabs.

A total of 4.1million people in the UK are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, around one in 13 adults.

Sir Simon said: 'We're well on track to meet our April 15 goal of offering NHS Covid vaccination to everyone aged 50 and over, as well as other high risk groups.

'In just the past two weeks we've now jabbed nearly 85 per cent of people aged 50-54, and over three million of the highest risk people have also now had their top up second dose.'

But last night Dr Yvonne Doyle, of Public Health England, warned: 'As restrictions lift and the weather improves, we cannot drop our guard. We're not out of the woods quite yet.'

She said: 'There are still as many people in hospital now as there were at the start of the second wave, and tens of thousands of us are getting infected every week and may become seriously ill.

'As restrictions lift and the weather improves, we cannot drop our guard. We're not out of the woods quite yet.'

She urged Britons to continue washing their hands, wearing facemasks and social distancing to stop coronavirus spreading, adding: '[Covid] case numbers are still high in certain places and looking forward they are certainly not predictable, so your actions are still saving lives.'

It came as police seized beer from revellers and poured it on the grass on Wednesday as Brits once again flocked to parks and beaches to enjoy 75F (24C) temperatures.

Hundreds of young people gathered at the Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham this afternoon with bottles of alcohol, despite officers saying yesterday that this would be seized from anyone entering parks in the city.

And the officers stuck to their word as officials clamped down on anti-social behaviour in the city after large crowds broke the rules at Nottingham's Arboretum on Monday, brawling and leaving huge amounts of litter.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick urged people to make the most the latest easing of restrictions in England in a 'sensible, cautious' manner, enjoying the sunshine but also being careful and sticking to the rules.

Police officers confiscate alcohol at the Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham this afternoon

Germany has reported significantly more cases of cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) than other major European countries and the reasons for it are unclear. The UK has vaccinated five times as many people but seen just one sixth as many CSVT cases, while France, Italy and Spain used the AstraZeneca jab on similar age groups but also had much lower rates of CSVT. There is still no evidence the vaccine is causing the condition, experts say

Several member states have paused rollouts of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a tiny number of inoculated people, predominantly women under 55, suffered deadly brain clots

It comes after EU regulators slapped down Germany for suspending AstraZeneca's coronavirus jab after a small number of vaccinated people developed deadly brain clots.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said there was 'no evidence' to support halting the jab for people under 60, adding that the benefits of protecting against Covid far outweighed the risk of the extremely rare condition.

Analysis by the regulator found just 62 out of 9.1million people vaccinated with the British-made jab worldwide had developed the brain clot, known as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis  a rate of about five per million.

Emer Cooke, the EMA's executive director, told a press conference this afternoon there was no proof the vaccine had caused CSVT in any of the cases and admitted those people might have developed the condition regardless.

Tourism bosses have also said that the UK's successful jabs roll-out means it is safer for Britons to take summer holidays to more than 130 countries across the world.

A study commissioned by Manchester Airports Group says that most of Europe, the Caribbean, north Africa and the United States should be on the destination list.


KELOWNA, BC, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - The Valens Company Inc. (TSX: VLNS) (OTCQX: VLNCF) (the "Company," "The Valens Company" or "Valens"), a leading manufacturer of cannabis products, is pleased to announce it will issue its first quarter 2021 financial results for the period ended February 28, 2021, on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, after markets close.

CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS

The Company will host a conference call the following day, Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 11:00 am Eastern Time / 8:00 am Pacific Time to discuss the financial results and business outlook.

Participant Dial-In Numbers:

Toll-Free: 1-877-407-0792

Toll / International: 1-201-689-8263

*Participants should request The Valens Company Earnings Call or provide confirmation code 13717926.

The call will be available via webcast on the Valens investor page of the Company website at https://thevalenscompany.com/investors/ or at this link. Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download, and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the call will be available on the Valens investor page approximately two hours after the conference call has ended.

Tyler Robson, Chief Executive Officer, Chris Buysen, Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Fallows, President, and Everett Knight, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Capital Markets, will be conducting a question-and-answer session following the prepared remarks.

About The Valens Company

The Valens Company is a leading manufacturer of cannabis products with a mission to bring the benefits of cannabis to the world. The Company provides proprietary cannabis processing services across five core technologies, in addition to best-in-class product development, formulation and manufacturing of cannabis consumer packaged goods. The Valens Company's high-quality products are exclusively formulated for the medical, therapeutic, health and wellness, and recreational consumer segments, and are offered across numerous product formats, including oils, vapes, concentrates, edibles and topicals, as well as pre-rolls, with a focus on next-generation product development and innovation. Its breakthrough patented emulsification technology, SoRSE by Valens, converts cannabis oil into water-soluble emulsions for seamless integration into a variety of product formats, allowing for near-perfect dosing, stability, and taste. In partnership with brand houses, consumer packaged goods companies and licensed cannabis producers around the globe, the Company continues to grow its diverse product portfolio in alignment with evolving cannabis consumer preferences in key markets. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Valens Labs Ltd., the Company is setting the standard in cannabis testing and research and development with Canada's only ISO17025 accredited analytical services lab, named The Centre of Excellence in Plant-Based Science by partner and scientific world leader Thermo Fisher Scientific. Discover more on The Valens Company and its subsidiaries at http://www.thevalenscompany.com.



Notice regarding Forward Looking Statements

All information included in this press release, including any information as to the future financial or operating performance and other statements of The Valens Company that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date hereof. Forward-looking statements are included for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Wherever possible, words such as "plans", "expects", "scheduled", "trends", "indications", "potential", "estimates", "predicts", "anticipate", "to establish", "believe", "intend", "ability to", or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will", or are "likely" to be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of these words or other variations thereof, have been used to identify such forward-looking information. Specific forward-looking statements include, without limitation, all disclosure regarding future results of operations, economic conditions and anticipated courses of action.

The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements include, among others, regulatory risk, United States border crossing and travel bans, reliance on licenses, expansion of facilities, competition, dependence on supply of cannabis and reliance on other key inputs, dependence on senior management and key personnel, general business risk and liability, regulation of the cannabis industry, change in laws, regulations and guidelines, compliance with laws, reliance on a single facility, limited operating history, vulnerability to rising energy costs, unfavourable publicity or consumer perception, product liability, risks related to intellectual property, product recalls, difficulties with forecasts, management of growth and litigation, many of which are beyond the control of The Valens Company. For a more comprehensive discussion of the risks faced by The Valens Company, and which may cause the actual financial results, performance or achievements of The Valens Company to be materially different from estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, please refer to The Valens Company's latest Annual Information Form filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com or on The Valens Company's website at www.thevalenscompany.com. The risks described in such Annual Information Form are hereby incorporated by reference herein. Although the forward-looking statements contained herein reflect management's current beliefs and reasonable assumptions based upon information available to management as of the date hereof, The Valens Company cannot be certain that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information. The Valens Company cautions you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. The Valens Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Nothing herein should be construed as either an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy or sell securities of The Valens Company.

SOURCE The Valens Company Inc.

Related Links

https://thevalenscompany.com/


Arwady said the growth in cases in Chicago is being driven primarily by young people. She said that as the numbers have increased here officials have been watching whats happening in Michigan. Over the past 14 days, that state has experienced a 56% increase in deaths and a 125% increase in hospitalizations. By comparison, the 14-day change in Illinois is a 9% decrease in deaths and a 21% increase in hospitalizations.
Ukraine-related topic to be discussed at NATO-Russia Council, as it is primary reason for state of NATO-Russia relations  NATO

NATO does not agree with the statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Ukraine should not be discussed at a meeting of the RF-NATO Council, as they are convinced that the conflict in Ukraine is the primary reason for the current state of NATO-Russia relations.

The headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance commented to Interfax-Ukraine regarding the relevant statement of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"As the NATO Secretary General has repeatedly made clear, the conflict in Ukraine continues to have a profound impact on the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic region, and it is the primary reason for the current state of NATO-Russia relations. That is why it remains an important topic for the NATO-Russia Council," NATO said.

As previously reported, on March 31, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Russia does not refuse to participate in the Russia-NATO Council, but does not intend to discuss the topic of Ukraine. "Our colleague, Mr. Stoltenberg, says that Russia refuses to work in the Russia-NATO Council. We do not refuse to work, we refuse to sit and listen about Ukraine. NATO has nothing to do with Ukraine, and they always, proposing to convene the Russia-NATO Council, insist that Ukraine should be the first issue," he said.
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A moving truck was pictured outside the president's guest house Thursday as Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to move into her official residence following reports of her being 'frustrated' with the slow renovation process.

Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff have been living in Blair House across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House since inauguration on January 20.

They will finally move into the Vice President's Residence at the Naval Observatory next week, a spokesperson for Harris said Thursday.

'The Vice President and Second Gentleman will move in to the Vice President's residence at the Naval Observatory residence next week,' Harris' spokesperson Symone Sanders tweeted. 'The move was initially delayed to allow for repairs to the home that are more easily conducted with the home unoccupied.'

Upon becoming vice president, Harris and Emhoff moved into the president's luxurious guest house as renovations and updates were completed on the mansion at One Observatory Circle in northwest Washington, D.C.

Reports emerged over the weekend that Harris was becoming 'frustrated' with living out of suitcases and not yet moving into her official residence.

A moving truck was pictured outside Blair House Thursday, where Vice President Kamala Harris and first gentleman Doug Emhoff live there temporarily as the official residence undergoes renovations

Harris and her husband will move next week after reports emerged she was becoming 'frustrated' living out of suitcases in the guest house for more than two months

The Vice President's Residence at the Naval Observatory in North West Washington, D.C. is undergoing renovations that are more easily conducted when vacant, like updating the HVAC system and all seven working chimneys

Repairs and maintenance were more easily conducted with a vacant home, included on the HVAC system, replacing the liners in all seven working chimneys and refurbishing of some of the hardwood floors.

Harris may have potentially further pushed out the timeline by requesting work be done on the kitchen. The vice president admittedly loves to cook.

'She is getting frustrated,' an administration official told CNN on Saturday of the continuing construction, noting that every day the vice president's desire to move into her designated house grows more intense.

The vice president's official residence is a stately mansion situated two-and-a-half miles from the White House at the Naval Observatory.

Usually in the change over of residents, there are a few weeks where Naval staff who operate the home can refresh and prepare it for the incoming vice president.

The second couple, however, has been unable to move into their private residence for more than two months after inauguration as renovations and construction continues.

The official residence for the vice president, built in 1893, receives regular updates and renovations.

An administration official said the delay in construction has left Harris increasingly testy.

Repairs and maintenance were more easily conducted with a vacant home, included on the HVAC system, replacing the liners in all seven working chimneys and refurbishing of some of the hardwood floors

The Naval Observatory in DC has sprawling gardens and a swimming pool. It was first built in the 19th century and has been designated a National Historic Landmark

Harris and Emhoff have been living temporarily at the president's guest house

The Blair House is known for its luxury and museum-quality piece of American history

There are more than 100 rooms, which is used to house official guests of the president, like visiting foreign dignitaries

Harris has a more informal style than that of Blair House. The guest room pictured is known as Mrs. Truman's Bedroom

Sources claim Harris and First Gentleman Doug Emhoff are still living out of suitcases

Recently, Harris has been spotted checking out the 9,000 square-foot mansion  even stopping by for an hour-long visit three weeks ago, according to CNN.

Harris knew at the time of inauguration that she wouldn't immediately be moving into her residence since repairs were required that are easier conducted with an unoccupied home.

While Blair House is comfortable and luxurious, Harris has a tendency to prefer more informal, modern and sleek accommodations. In January, Harris moved out of her minimalist condo in D.C. to Blair House.

The more than 100 rooms of Blair House include a gym, private hair salon and thousands of antiques and museum-quality pieces.

The Blair House has been called 'the world's most exclusive hotel' as it primarily is used as a guest house for visiting foreign leaders, dignitaries and other guests of the president.

Harris moved from her sleek, minimalist D.C. condo to Blair House upon inauguration

Her condo was light and airy and modern, cohesive with her more informal style  unlike the formal and antique nature of Blair House

Biden spoke fondly of his time living at One Observatory Circle, particularly lauding the heated pool, which was installed by former Vice President Dan Quayle.

'You're on 80 acres, overlooking the rest of the city,' Biden said. 'You can walk out, and there's a swimming pool.'

'You can ride a bicycle around and never leave the property, and work out  but the White House is very different,' he lauded.

The vice president's residence (VPR) is situated on 13 acres of gated land, not 80.

The entire Naval Observatory compound, however, is 72 acres, which includes several buildings and offices.
[April 01, 2021] TUV Rheinland Becomes Bahrain Notified Body for Energy Efficiency Labelling

HONG KONG, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As one of the first organizations worldwide, TUV Rheinland Hong Kong has been designated as a Notified Body by the Testing and Metrology Directorate (BTMD) in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (MOICT) of the Kingdom of Bahrain, providing conformity assessment and registration services for manufacturers and importers under the national Energy Efficiency Labelling program for air-conditioners. Bahrain's energy label for air conditioners has been mandatory since 2016. Previousy all registrations could only be submitted by the local vendor or importer in Bahrain to the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA). Starting April 1st, 2021 all applications must be submitted exclusively to the designated third-party Notified Bodies. From now on, overseas manufacturers can directly apply to a Notified Body. As TUV Rheinland we can provide manufacturers and importers with one-stop energy efficiency testing, evaluation and registration services in accordance with the requirements of Bahrain's energy efficiency technical regulations and standards.



The scope of the regulations covers air conditioners of window-type or split-type, ducted or non-ducted, up to cooling capacities of 70,000 BTU/h (equivalent to 20 kW). As part of the energy efficiency registration, a valid G-mark certificate must be provided, and the destination country on the certificate must include Bahrain. After the technical assessment and registration process is completed, an energy efficiency label and certificate will be issued with a validity period of 3 years. TUV Rheinland has already obtained Notified Body recognition for the GSO G-mark (GCTS), Oman Energy Efficiency, UAE ECAS & EQM, Saudi Arabia SALEEM, and Kuwait KUCAS. TUV Rheinland can support you with complete Market Access Solutions for the Gulf Region markets of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iraq.

SOURCE TUV Rheinland Greater China

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Cybersecurity

Krebs cautions on push for national cyber director

Chris Krebs, the federal government's former top cybersecurity official, on Thursday pushed back on statements from lawmakers urging the White House to rapidly nominate a national cyber director.

The former CISA chief said the establishment of a national cyber director within the White House is one of the few areas he disagreed with the recommendations of the congressional Cyberspace Solarium Commission, arguing instead the government should be "clarifying and strengthening existing agencies."

"There is a role for an NCD, but I believe the appointment of Anne Neuberger as Deputy NatSec Advisor to @POTUS addressed many of the concerns that prompted the creation of the NCD," Krebs tweeted.

Krebs' tweets were in response to a statement from Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who chair the congressional commission, addressing a Politico story reporting Russian hackers managed to breach the email inboxes of State Department officials last year.

"The problems we face in cyberspace, in federal networks or otherwise, are too complex and expansive for a small team at the NSC to handle. The Biden Administration must nominate a National Cyber Director in short order and begin constructing his or her office," King and Gallagher said.

The statement also said it is not clear whether the breach at the State Department is connected to the hacking campaign against SolarWinds.

Since Politico's story was published, the hack report has not come up during two subsequent daily press conferences with State Department spokesman Ned Price.

Lawmakers have been growing increasingly impatient with the White House as it continues to confront multiple cybersecurity incidents without a national cyber director nominee or a permanent director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Separately, the White House is expected to soon unveil an executive order focused on cybersecurity that will mandate software companies notify the federal government when their networks are breached. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday announced his agency would begin a series of 60-day sprints focused on ransomware, workforce, critical infrastructure and other areas.
TORONTO - The latest COVID-19 modelling in Ontario shows a stay-at-home order is necessary to control the third wave of the pandemic, which is being driven by the more deadly and contagious variants of concern.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford answers questions from the media at a COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic in Toronto, Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Ontario is expected to announce new public health restrictions to address surging COVID-19 case rates. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO - The latest COVID-19 modelling in Ontario shows a stay-at-home order is necessary to control the third wave of the pandemic, which is being driven by the more deadly and contagious variants of concern.

Without those measures, the Ontario Science Advisory Table said Thursday, the province could see up to 6,000 new infection cases by mid-April.

The projections were released just hours before Premier Doug Ford was expected to announce a four-week provincewide "shutdown."

It wasn't immediately clear if the shutdown would include a stay-at home order. But last week, the government gave the province's top doctor the power to use the "emergency brake" to shut down regions and enforce restrictions that would see most retail stores shut down and essential services remain open with capacity limits.

The science advisory table also suggested Thursday that limiting inter-provincial movement - similar to the one that was imposed in January and expired starting in mid-February - would help brings the number of new cases down.

Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the group, said short-term case projections will depend entirely on the public health measures implemented by the government and vaccination rates.

"I think if you're unable to get that level of impact, you're not going to see the same reduction in cases, you're not going to see the same control over ICU admissions," Brown said.

Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said the key to controlling spread of the virus will be to limit mobility, especially between regions.

"People moving around from areas of high levels of community transmission, to lower levels .... they also spread variants of concern," he said. "Our big concern with our recommendations (is) ... how do you decrease and limit that kind of mobility so that people will stay home, stay locally?"

Brown said the province's vaccine rollout is not reaching the highest risk communities, hampering its impact as an effective strategy to fight the pandemic.

He also said that 40 per cent of Ontario residents aged 75-79 and 72 per cent of those aged 70-74 still have not received their first dose of the vaccine.

"We are expanding first dose coverage, but it remains incomplete," Brown said.

The spread of variants threatens the province's health system's ability to deal with regular intensive care admissions and care for all patients, he said.

The group said that COVID-19 hospitalizations are up by over 40 per cent over the past two weeks.

Brown said variants of concern are now the dominate strain of the virus in the province.

"Younger Ontarians are ending up in hospital and risk of ICU admission is two times higher and the risk of death is one and a half times higher for patients," he said.

When asked about the upcoming announcement of the new restrictions, Ford said Thursday morning that it was a "tough decision."

Well make the tough decision but its the right decision. One thousand per cent, its the right decision."

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said Thursday that schools will remain open, as they are critical to student's mental health and learning.

Meanwhile, more than 150 intensive care unit doctors signed an open letter to the government on Thursday, calling for new, stricter, measures.

"The current measures and framework are not working to contain the spread of this virus," reads the letter in part. "Even if we had unlimited ICU capacity, allowing these (variants of concern) to spread exponentially is unethical."

The letter says doctors are seeing younger patients on ventilators and many are parents of school-aged children. It notes people being admitted to intensive care have contracted COVID-19 at work or have followed all the rules and only gone out for groceries.

The Ford government has faced criticism over its failure to offer supports for essential workers, especially in the COVID-19 hot spots, including paid sick days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A child was among four people killed Wednesday in a shooting at a Southern California office building that left a fifth victim and the gunman critically wounded, police said.

The violence in the city of Orange southeast of Los Angeles was the nations third mass shooting in just over two weeks.

When police arrived at the two-story structure around 5:30 p.m. shots were being fired, Orange Police Lt. Jennifer Amat said. Officers opened fire and the suspect was taken to a hospital, Amat said.

Its unclear if the suspect suffered a self-inflicted wound or was shot by police. Police provided no details on the victims other than to say one was a child and a woman was critically wounded.

In a tweet, Gov. Gavin Newsom called the killings horrifying and heartbreaking.

Horrifying and heartbreaking. Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight. https://t.co/nw3On2RJH2  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 1, 2021

Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight, he wrote.

U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, a California Democrat whose district includes the city of Orange, said on Twitter that she was deeply saddened.

Im deeply saddened by reports of a mass shooting in Orange County, and Im continuing to keep victims and their loved ones in my thoughts as we continue to learn more. My team and I will continue to monitor the situation closely. https://t.co/e736MgqCQe  Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) April 1, 2021

Amat had no information about what may have prompted the attack. She said the shooting occurred on both levels of the building. Signs outside indicated a handful of businesses were located there, including an insurance office, a financial consulting firm, a legal services business and a phone repair store.

People gathered outside the building after the shooting hoping to get word about loved ones.

Paul Tovar told KTLA-TV that his brother owns a business there, Unified Homes, a mobile home broker. Hes not answering his phone, neithers my niece, Tovar said. Im pretty scared and worried ... right now Im just praying really hard.

Charlie Espinoza also was outside the building and told The Orange County Register that he couldnt reach his fiance, who works for a medical billing company.

Cody Lev, who lives across the street from the office building, told the newspaper he heard three loud pops that were spaced out, then three more. There was silence, then he heard numerous shots, followed by sirens and then more shots.

A Facebook livestream posted by a resident who lives near the office appeared to show officers carrying a motionless person from the building and officers providing aid to another person.

The killings follow a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, last week that left 10 dead. A week before that six Asian women were among eight people killed in three Atlanta-area spas.

The city of Orange is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Los Angeles and home to about 140,000 people. Amat said the shooting was the worst in the city since December 1997, when a gunman armed with an assault rifle attacked a California Department of Transportation maintenance yard.

Arturo Reyes Torres, 41, an equipment operator who had been fired six weeks earlier, killed four people and wounded others, including a police officer, before police killed him.

By Stefanie Dazio and Robert Jablon
KYODO NEWS - Apr 1, 2021 - 21:54 | World, All

Anti-coup protesters returned to the streets across Myanmar on Thursday, with some burning copies of the 2008 Constitution that guarantees the military's role in politics, a day after pro-democracy forces announced a provisional charter in its place.

The opposition group called the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, or CRPH, which consists mostly of members of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and fashions itself as a provisional government, also announced the rescinding of the 2008 Constitution.

Sasa, international envoy of the CRPH, said on Twitter that the charter drafted by "brutal generals," which guarantees the military one-quarter of the seats in the parliament, is now "dead."

"Today is the beginning of a new era," he said.

The group's provisional constitution, called the Federal Democracy Charter, envisages a federal democratic union based on equal rights and justice for all people in the country.

It also favors greater autonomy for local governments, seen as a move to seek support from ethnic minority groups that have waged insurgencies over the decades.

The military has recently conducted airstrikes on parts of southeastern Kayin State controlled by the Karen National Union, an ethnic armed group that has clashed with the military and whose members are said to have joined forces with anti-coup protesters.

Social media posts showed protesters in the country's largest city Yangon and the second-largest Mandalay torching the copies of the 2008 Constitution and showing their support for the parallel civilian government.

The 2008 Constitution gives the military an effective veto over constitutional amendments. It also bars Suu Kyi, whose NLD party won the last two general elections, from becoming president.

Over 500 people have been killed in Myanmar since the military seized power in the Feb. 1 coup, ousting Suu Kyi's elected government, with security forces increasingly resorting to the use of deadly force to quell a wave of protests.
The Alabama Legislature gave final approval today to a bill to limit the power of the governor and state and local agencies to close businesses and churches during a state of emergency caused by a pandemic.

The Senate passed it today after the Republican majority voted to end a filibuster by Democrats. The House had passed it last month. Votes in both chambers were mostly along party lines, with Republicans supporting the bill and Democrats opposed.

The legislation, by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, says businesses and churches can stay open during a pandemic if they follow all the safety guidelines issued by the governor or a state agency that allow other entities to stay open.

Kiel said the bill was intended to prevent circumstances that occurred early in the pandemic, when Gov. Kay Iveys emergency orders closed certain businesses but not others and closed in-house worship in churches.

Ivey later said it was a mistake to close some businesses but not others.

The bill now goes to Ivey, who could sign it into law.

As with any piece of legislation that reaches the governors desk, we will thoroughly review it, Ivey Press Secretary Gina Maiola said.

Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, made the same argument as Kiel on the Senate floor today.

Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, opposed the bill, saying the Legislature should leave the specifics of health orders to the governors office and health experts. He noted that some church gatherings turned out to be super-spreaders last year.

Were just setting people up to die, Singleton said.

We need to let the people who understand these pandemics do their jobs, Singleton said, and noted that more than 10,000 people in Alabama have died from COVID-19. We should have learned something from this pandemic.

Gudger said the bill would protect businesses and the families who depend on the income they generate. He said it was wrong for some businesses to be allowed to stay open while others had to close.

This has been an extremely difficult year for people across our state.  But one of the most disappointing aspects of this entire crisis has been the countless small businesses being forced to close their doors to their customers, and churches and religious institutions being told they cannot meet and worship in person, while businesses ranging from Walmart to liquor stores were given free rein to continue to operate and carry out business as usual Gudger said in a statement. This bill ensures this will never happen again in Alabama.

Singleton delayed a vote on the bill by using Senate rules that allow lawmakers to speak at length. But the Republican majority approved a cloture petition by a vote of 25-7 to cut off the debate and force a vote.

Singleton proposed the amendment that requires the State House to stay open while the Legislature is in session even if there is a health emergency. Public access to the State House has been limited since last year because of COVID-19. The Senate approved Singletons amendment, then passed the bill by a vote of 26-6.

The House accepted Singletons amendment, sending the bill to the governor.

Rosemary Elebash, Alabama State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business, praised the legislation.

This is great news for Alabamas small businesses. HB 103 is going to help employers get through another crisis without shutting down and without cutting jobs, Elebash said. You should be allowed to open if you follow the governments guidelines for keeping customers and employees safe.

When the government decides which businesses are essential and which ones arent, its really picking winners and losers, and thats not right, Elebash said. A clothing store has the same right as a big discount store to remain open even if it doesnt also happen to sell bread and milk.
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Police have begged parents to control their children over the four-day Easter break after officers cleared thousands of boozy revellers from city centres across England last night.

Large crowds gathered in Manchester, London, Nottingham and Leeds on the last day of the UK's searing 75F mini-heatwave, just days after national Covid-19 restrictions were eased.

Officers were seen clearing drinkers from Castlefield Bowl in Manchester city centre after hundreds gathered for a rave with a live DJ set, while police took similar action in London's Hyde Park.

In Leeds, fights broke out in Hyde Park while police in Nottingham seized bottles of alcohol from sunseekers and poured it on the grass after 'appalling scenes' in the city's arboretum earlier in the week.

While police in Leicestershire begged parents to control their children, Harborough councillor Phil Knowles accused revellers of 'setting up another Covid-19 timebomb all set to explode'.

However, Chief Constable James Vaughan of Dorset Police has suggested the chaos witnessed yesterday - including a live DJ set and brawls - has been caused by 'slightly vague' messaging not backed by law.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson dropped the Stay at Home diktat in England on Monday, instead swapping it for a Stay Local message to try to encourage people to be cautious as lockdown eases.

Mr Vaughan said: ''Like the travel guidance throughout the pandemic, it is slightly vague. The message from the Government whilst in this phase of the lockdown, it is still to say broadly local. It is very difficult to enforce because there are no regulations behind it. I am not sure the stay local message is going to be very strong.'

Paddy Tipping, Nottinghamshire's police and crime commissioner, said that police believe they can control the crowds if they can 'get on top of control over alcohol confiscation, and make the people holding it pour it away'.

The hot weather which baked much of the UK this week is set to give way to a chilly Easter weekend, with Good Friday expected to be fine before developing into rain on Easter Sunday and possibly sleet or snow in Scotland.

The tougher approach to enforcing the rule of six comes amid warnings from experts that throwing out all social distancing could lead to a large spike in infections, even after millions have received vaccines.

Other police chiefs warned ministers that the 'rule of six' is virtually unenforceable because of the two household concession, which puts no limit on numbers. Across the country yesterday:

MANCHESTER: Police cleared drinkers from Castlefield Bowl after revellers gathered for a live DJ set;

NOTTINGHAM: Officers seized bottles of alcohol from sunseekers and poured it onto the grass;

LEICESTER: Police begged parents to control their children, admitting they 'could not sort this alone';

HARBOROUGH: Councillor accused revellers they risk exploding 'deadly Covid-19 timebomb' after parties;

LEEDS: Police threatened to disperse further big crowds after fights broke out at Hyde Park in Leeds.

Police officers standing in the Castlefield Bowl area in Manchester City Centre last night after a massive rave

Girls were seen dancing in Hyde Park in Leeds as outdoor celebrations continued into the evening yesterday

Hundreds of revelers attended a massive illegal rave last night in the Castlefield Bowl, Manchester City Centre

Police officers are seen arriving at the Castlefield Bowl in Manchester City Centre last night as hundreds partied

Hundreds of revelers attended a massive illegal rave last night in the Castlefield Bowl, Manchester City Centre

Fighting in Hyde Park, Leeds, as passions boiled over yesterday after a day of drinking following the easing of lockdown rules

Following months of Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns the warm weather has seen thousands of people enjoying the outdoors

Police community support officers patrolled Hyde Park in Leeds yesterday, where thousands of drinkers had gathered

Police speaking to drinkers in Hyde Park in Leeds, which like other city centre parks was left strewn with rubbish this morning

Friends speaking to a man in Hyde Park in Leeds as police watch on. Many stayed in the park drinking all day yesterday

Officers were seen clearing drinkers from Castlefield Bowl in Manchester after hundreds gathered for a rave with a live DJ set

Metropolitan Police officers on horseback today as people descend onto Hyde Park in London amid glorious sunshine

Metropolitan Police officers on horseback today as people descend onto Hyde Park in London amid glorious sunshine

People sitting on benches in Hyde Park, central London, speaking with friends, reading, and using their phones

People walking through Hyde Park in London as the UK's mini-heatwave comes to an end today

People walking through Hyde Park in London as the UK's mini-heatwave comes to an end today

Two people are seen sitting on the grass in Hyde Park, central London today as the mini-heatwave comes to an end

Metropolitan Police officers on horseback today as people descend onto Hyde Park in London amid glorious sunshine

People are seen riding on skateboards in Hyde Park, central London as Britons bask in glorious sunshine

The biggest crowds yesterday appeared to be at Woodhouse Moor in Leeds, where hundreds of people gathered - and West Yorkshire Police warned they would 'disperse groups of over six, using fines where appropriate to do so'.

Elsewhere in the region a 14-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty at a waterfall. He was spotted struggling in a pool at about 6pm yesterday below the Goit Stock Waterfall beauty spot at Cullingworth near Bradford.

Officers from the Harborough and Lutterworth unit who have been patrolling parks as sunseekers were out enjoying the warm weather after asking for public help.

Police went between parks yesterday to 'keep everything under control' when another drunk child was escorted home and asked parents to consider where their children were and what they were doing.

But last night, during the second night of park patrols, the team begged for help on Twitter, saying they 'could not sort this alone'. Harborough and Lutterworth team Tweeted: 'As predicted we are busy between parks and busy with normal demand. We are having to take another child home who is drunk from a park.

'We have dedicated officers who are going from park to park to try and keep everything under control. We cannot sort this alone, we need your help.'

Cllr Knowles, who leads the Liberal Democrat group on Harborough council, accused revellers of 'setting up another Covid-19 timebomb all set to explode'.

Police officers standing in the Castlefield Bowl area in Manchester City Centre last night after a massive rave

The rave at Castlefield Bowl in Manchester before it was cleared by police last night. Hundreds of people had gathered at the city centre location

Rowdy scenes in Leeds' Hyde Park. Police have said it is getting increasingly difficult to ensure people stick to the rule of six

'The last thing we want to do is to spark off a new wave of infections in Harborough and go straight back to square one,' he told the Harborough Mail. 'Can you imagine more people dying, more people struck down - and all of us going back into lockdown? It would be catastrophic.'

He added: 'This behaviour is so wrong on so many levels. What has got into these people? ... None of them were wearing masks or keeping their social distance. How can they think this is right?'

Police forces across the UK are urging revellers to show some restraint. Chief Superintendent Matt Nicholls, from Hertfordshire Constabulary, said: 'We're all well aware what is permitted as we ease out of lockdown under the roadmap and I'm grateful to see the vast majority of people complying with the new rules.

'Our officers will be carrying out additional patrols across the county over the long weekend, engaging, explaining and encouraging everyone to do the right thing. Enforcement action remains our last resort.'

Yorkshire police urged people not to flock to the area over the weekend, while Northumberland police said they were bracing themselves for a surge in visitors to beauty spots.

Crowds in a park in Nottingham (left) and Manchester (right), where revellers lit a fire and danced around it amid balmy temperatures

Crowds were persuaded to leave Hyde Park in London last night after police moved in and told crowds to disperse and go home

A man jogs past the litter strewn over the ground at Potters Field Park next to Tower Bridge in central London this morning

Potters Field Park is a popular meeting point, especially when the weather is good and even more so as Britain emerges from lockdown

The clear up the morning after people were drinking and partying on the steps of the Senedd (the Welsh parliament)

Northumbria Police's Northern Communities Chief Inspector Ron Charlton said: 'Anticipating that beauty spots around the area will be popular places for people to meet, we have brought forward a number of initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour.

'This includes extra patrols in parks, the countryside and along the coastline. We want to be clear anti-social behaviour is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

West Midlands Police told the i they would continue to engage with the community, but that flagrant rule breakers would not go unpunished. A spokesperson said: 'Our officers and PCSOs will positively and politely engage in conversation and through explanation or encouragement seek to resolve the breach.

'If we are faced with significant and blatant breaches with clearly identifiable large gatherings, people can expect to receive enforcement action.'

Warwickshire Police said 'additional high visibility patrols' would be deployed over the weekend. ACC Alex Franklin Smith said: 'We have seen an increase in parties and gatherings in recent weeks, and this is not sensible.'

The hot weather which baked much of the UK this week is set to give way to a chilly Easter weekend. Parts of the UK saw temperatures hit almost 24C (75.2F) on Wednesday, with Weybourne, north Norfolk leading the way at a peak of 23.9C (75F).

The figure fell just shy of the nation's hottest ever March temperature of 25.6C (78F), which was recorded in 1968 at Mepal in Cambridgeshire. But the warm weather will not extend into the Easter weekend, with temperatures forecast to drop to the low teens in the east of England from Thursday.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said a 'cold front' will start moving down from the north, bringing with it colder, windier conditions in stark contrast to the previous 'warm southerly winds'.

Police were out in force at the Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham yesterday. Lockdown rules were partially relaxed this week

Crowds gathered at the Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham in the warm weather yesterday. Police were seen ensuring people were following social distancing rules

Police were seen in Primrose Hill yesterday as Britons rushed to the great outdoors. The weather has been unseasonably sunny this week

Rowdy revellers in Hyde Park in Leeds burst into a heat-fuelled fist fight as they gathered on the grass in the sun yesterday, as the mercury hit 75F (24C) in parts

Good Friday is expected to be fine and sunny for much of the UK before developing into rain on Easter Sunday, with the chance of sleet or snow in Scotland and the far north of England.

Temperatures are expected to bottom-out on Easter Monday, with the mercury likely to hover around 0C (32F) in much of Scotland and north east England.

The hottest place in Britain by 2pm yesterday was Weybourne in Norfolk which hit 74.5F (23.6C). This was 36.4F (20.2C) warmer than the coldest place in the UK at the same time, Dalwhinnie in the Highlands, with 38.1F (3.4C).

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick urged people to make the most the latest easing of lockdown restrictions in England in a 'sensible, cautious' manner, enjoying the sunshine but also being careful and sticking to the rules.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'We've all waited a long time to meet family and friends outdoors with these very limited freedoms we have now. We just need to exercise caution and be sensible and pragmatic.

'I think the vast majority of people will do that. They will enjoy the sunshine this week and over the Easter weekend, but they will do that in a sensible and cautious way.'

Mr Jenrick added that people should try 'to be careful, sticking to the rules', while Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted last night: 'Let's enjoy the sun but let's do it safely. We have come so far, don't blow it now.'

Their comments come after the Prime Minister said he hoped people would take advantage of the 'beautiful weather' to play sport or exercise, while also emphasising the country should still 'proceed with caution'.
On Friday at 8:30 AM ET, the BLS will release the employment report for March. The consensus is for 565 thousand jobs added, and for the unemployment rate to decrease to 6.0%.



Some analysts think this will be a very strong report with maybe 1 million jobs added. For example, from Merrill Lynch economists:

Something to watch in the employment report will be "Permanent job losers". While there has been a strong bounce back in total employment, from the shutdown in March and April, permanent job losers had been flat over the last several months.This graph shows permanent job losers as a percent of the pre-recession peak in employment through the December report.This data is only available back to 1994, so there is only data for three recessions. In February, the number of permanent job losers was mostly unchanged at 3.497 million from 3.503 million in January.Most of the indicators suggest a strong report in March. My guess is the report will be above the consensus.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 17:32:48|Editor: huaxia

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LAGOS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian air force on Thursday confirmed that one of its Alpha-Jets has lost contact with radar in the restive northeast state of Borno, while on an interdiction mission in support of ground troops.

Edward Gabkwet, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), who made this known in a statement, said the jet's loss of radar contact occurred at about 5:08 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

He said details of the whereabouts of the aircraft or likely cause of contact loss were still sketchy but would be relayed to the public as soon as they became clear.

The mission, he said, is part of the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the restive northeast.

Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, he added. Enditem
After more than one year of distance learning, the Los Angeles Unified School District will reopen its educational facilities the week of April 12, for the systems 600,000+ students.

In preparation for the huge task, Superintendent Austin Beutner joined with African American and Jewish faith leaders to host two town halls outlining the actions that the district has taken to ensure the health and safety of pupils, staff and visitors to its campuses.

The forums, held virtually on March 21 and March 28, aimed to reassure families that the highest COVID safety standards have been implemented to prevent the spread of the virus at schools. Also, the sessions detailed L.A. Unifieds in-person and online instruction options for students from kindergarten to 12th grade.

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Representing the faith community were Pastor J. Edgar Boyd of First AME Church, Pastor Mary S. Minor of Brookins-Kirkland Community AME Church, Rabbi Sarah Hronsky of Temple Beth Hillel, Youth Pastor Brandon Towns of City of Refuge Church, FAME Youth Pastor David Price, and Dr. Oscar Owens, Christian Education director, and John Wilson, Education and Enrichment director, of West Angeles Church of God in Christ. Also, Second Baptist Church, Ward AME Church and the Faith Coalition gave their support. LAUSD staff included Deputy Supt. Megan Reilly, Local District Supt. Mike Romero, Patricia Chambers, Dean Tagawa, Pia Sadaqatmal, Maribel Luna and Dr. Robert Whitman.

During welcoming remarks, Pastor Boyd noted that nearly 600 people tuned in for the town hall. We want to make certain that parents feel as comfortable as you can feel about having your children reenter public spaces, he said. Thats the reason the faith community and LAUSD staff have been working together to put this program together to answer your questions so parents will know their children are going to a good, safe location.

Beutner stressed the safety aspect even further by sharing that $1.8 billion had been invested to help all students reach their full potential by keeping schools clean and safe, adding teachers and counselors, and offering more tutoring and small group instruction. Also, he said the funding facilitated purchase of the latest technology and allowed for increased support for children with special needs.

A team of scientists and researchers from UCLA, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Cedar Sinai, Anthem Blue Cross and Health Net have been advising us on the appropriate steps since last summer, said Beutner. Weve upgraded the air-filtration systems, so the air in every classroom is filtered 24-hours-a-day through the equivalent of an N-95 mask. We have doubled the custodial staff to clean every room, top to bottom, and well provide weekly COVID testing at school for every student and safety member.

In addition, Beutner said that the district hopes to make the COVID vaccine available at schools, free of charge, to families in the school community. Our first one will open at Washington Prep High School on April 5, and we hope to see you there, he added.

The town halls were interactive, enabling viewers to ask questions and make comments in the chat box. Also, students from various public schools reported on what they liked the most about distance learning and what they expect upon returning to school.

While practically every student stated that they missed their friends and looked forward to seeing them in the flesh, they also disclosed that they adapted quickly to the Zoom classes and enjoyed the flexibility that the app offered. Cody Holmes, a 9th grader at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts High School, said, I like being able to log on for school from anywhere.

Desiree Bell, a 6th grade student at Western Avenue Tech Magnet School, agreed that using technology was an asset, especially when it came to turning in assignments. I dont like paper homework because theres so much that can go wrong like you can lose it or ruin it, she said. But with technology, you dont really have an excuse not to turn it (homework) in.

Other students who gave testimonials about distance learning and resuming in-person classes included London Grant, a 4th grader at Melrose Magnet; Dione Bell, a 6th grader at Western Avenue Tech Magnet School (and the twin of Desiree Bell); Evian Crosby, an 8th grader at Bethune Middle School and Natalie Larios, an 11th grader at Fremont High School Medical Science Academy.

LAUSD staff also provided an overview on the reopening of the schools. The information covered the online posting of a Daily Pass Health Check for all students, the requirement of face masks and temperature checks for every person entering the campuses, and the completion of a Health and Safety Readiness Report Card, which contains a series of actions that every school must achieve before it is approved to reopen.

Parents and guardians were urged to register their children online via the districts Parent Portal that is linked to each students I.D. number. After registration, parents can obtain daily passes for their child, schedule COVID-19 tests or sign up for other school activities.

Also, parents were encouraged to complete the LAUSD Program Selection Form that was distributed via email and U.S. Mail. The form lets parents designate if their childs schedule will be hybrid (online and in-person) or online only, if on-site supervised care is desired, whether school bus transportation is needed and if the student is interested in attending summer school.

Our children are a blessing from God and our most precious resource, Pastor Minor said. The faith community is charged to train them in a safe environment. We will safeguard their minds, bodies and souls. Therefore, we are committed to partnering with Los Angeles Unified and the families of the students who attend these schools to ensure a safe reopening and return to the classroom.

Complete information about the schools reopening is available at reopening.lausd.net or call the LAUSD hotline at (213) 443-1300.



Pastor Brandon Towns and Cody Holmes, LAUSD student (Zoom screenshot)
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According to IMARC Groups report, titled Luxury Yacht Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026, the global luxury yacht market exhibited moderate growth during 2015-2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 9% during 2021-2026.

A luxury yacht is a crewed sailing watercraft, primarily used for recreational activities and sports. It is operated through wind sailing or by a propulsion system, including internal combustion engine and gas turbine. Luxury yachts are manufactured using various materials, such as steel, aluminum, fiberglass, wood, carbon fiber, treated wood, etc. They are generally charted or rented by private entities and accommodated with sophisticated, luxurious, and personalized facilities, such as a jacuzzi spa, gymnasium, sauna, and sun pads. Luxury yachts are also equipped with technologically advanced components to enhance the overall performance of the yacht.

Get a PDF sample of this report for detailed market insights: https://www.imarcgroup.com/luxury-yacht-market/requestsample

Rapid urbanization, coupled with significant growth in the recreational tourism sector, is primarily driving the luxury yacht market growth. Furthermore, luxury yachts are provided on lease by yacht fleet operators for organizing business meetings, recreational activities and events, thereby propelling the global market. Additionally, the wide utilization of innovative construction materials, along with the growing adoption of customized solutions to fulfill the specific needs of the customer, is also augmenting the market growth. The rising environmental concerns are catalyzing the demand for fuel-efficient and lightweight product variants, which are further expected to drive the market for luxury yachts in the coming years.

Luxury Yacht Market 2021-2026 Competitive Analysis and Segmentation:

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the luxury yacht market has been studied in the report with the detailed profiles of the key players operating in the market.

Some of these key players include:

Horizon Yacht USA

Christensen Shipyards LLC

Sanlorenzo S.p.A.

Feadship Holland B.V.

Viking Yacht Company

Alexander Marine International

Heesen Yachts Sales B.V

Brunswick Corporation

Princess Yachts Limited

Damen Shipyards Group N.V.

Fincantieri S.p.A. (CDP Industria S.p.A.)

Sunseeker International (Wanda Group)

The report has segmented the global luxury yacht market on the basis of type, size, material, application and region.

Breakup by Type:

Sailing Luxury Yacht

Motorized Luxury Yacht

Others

Breakup by Size:

75-120 Feet

121-250 Feet

Above 250 Feet

Breakup by Material:

FRP/ Composites

Metal/ Alloys

Others

Breakup by Application:

Commercial

Private

Breakup by Region:

North America

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America

Middle East and Africa

Explore report description with table of contents: https://www.imarcgroup.com/luxury-yacht-market

Key highlights of the report:

Market Performance (2015-2020)

Market Outlook (2021-2026)

Market Drivers and Success Factors

Market Trends

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Market

Value Chain Analysis

Structure of the Global Market

Comprehensive mapping of the competitive landscape

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Beacon Hospital CEO Michael Cullen was warned to stick to strict vaccination guidance just weeks before it distributed jabs to teachers at his childrens private school.

The vaccine steering group wrote to all hospital CEOs in the wake of the previous Coombe vaccination controversy.

The aim was to identify if there had been any deviation from this guidance and outline the number of staff involved and circumstance around rationale for same.

However, despite this warning, the Beacon became ensnared in controversy just weeks later when teachers and creche workers were offered the vaccine.

Now the embattled CEO at the hospital is facing an uncertain future after the board of the hospital announced a review into the controversy, amid calls for him to resign.

Read More

A memo seen by the Irish Independent, dated January 19, asked Mr Cullen for assurances that the Beacon was in compliance with strict HSE vaccine sequencing rules.

The memo drew attention to the rules and guidelines set out in the Sequencing of Covid-19 Vaccination of Frontline Healthcare Workers.

Trevor OCallaghan, CEO of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, writing on behalf of the Covid-19 Vaccination Steering Group, asked all hospital CEOs to account for any deviation from vaccination protocol.

If there has been any deviation from this guidance can you advise re number of staff involved and circumstance around rationale for same, he said.

The incident at the Beacon, first highlighted by the Irish Daily Mail, follows a similar incident at the Coombe Hospital in January, when surplus vaccines were given to the Masters immediate family.

Mr Cullen said the situation at the Beacon arose because there were more than 200 no-shows for a jab clinic.

This happened because of double-booking with the Aviva stadium, and his facility was under time pressure to administer the doses.

The non-executive members of the board of the Beacon Hospital said they will consider the findings of an independent review into how Covid-19 vaccines were given to teachers in the private school and take any necessary actions required.

The board, which met on Monday, unreservedly

apologised.

But there was angry criticism of the whole affair in the Dail yesterday, with Mr Cullen accused of stealing vaccines and being caught red handed.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said in the chamber: The CEO of the Beacon Private Hospital has been caught red-handed. And he must go.

He used his position of power to steal at least 20 Covid vaccines, and use them as if they were his own public personal property.

If it was a cleaner who went in and robbed 20 vaccines, hed be arrested for theft.



Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald raised what she called the Beacon shenanigans. The guidelines issued by the HSE were set to one side and an individual arbitrarily chose those who might be vaccinated, she said.

This highlights, above all else, apart from the elites and the insiders and all of that, the lack of oversight and surveillance that is in play.

We heard about the Beacon because of good journalism and someone stepping forward, not because we have adequate oversight.

I want to know what is going to be done to remedy that deficiency.

Read More




Sky Vacations Increases Global Experiences



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - March 31st, 2021 - Sky Vacations, recognized as one of the leading U.S. based tour operators, specializing in custom crafted itineraries for individual and group travelers, announced today the expansion of its global product portfolio.

New programs include active vacations to India and Japan that feature hiking, camping and rafting, self drive itineraries in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, wine tasting in Andalucia, Spain, Israel, Naples, Italy, Austria and Vienna/Prague and Budapest plus exploring Incan Civilization in Peru and Bolivia. Also new is a collection of carefully chosen Villa & Boutique Hotels around the world.

"Travel experiences are not static, they aren't fixed one way or another. Instead, they should be curated to the interests of each traveler which is what our team does better than anyone" said Richard Krieger, Director of Sky Vacations. "We speak with our clients, professional travel agents and ask them what they need from us and their feedback is always the foundation for new product." He continues "We get excited when we bring new programs to the market, programs that inspire travel advisors and in turn, their clients. It's a team effort right from the start. And it's worth noting we're always thoughtful to make sure the experiences we offer allow travelers to make a personal connection to a place and its people."

These new programs compliment the existing portfolio which includes product throughout Asia, Central/South America, the Middle East and Europe.

To view these and all of the Sky Vacations portfolio, visit: www.skyvacations.net

For reservations: 1.877.666.3113

Sky Vacations is a member of the Sky Bird Group which includes Sky Bird Travel & Tours, the leading airline consolidator in North America.

###
All 25 inmates of the Senior Correctional Centre (SCC) presented for the 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), have successfully passed.



The Senior Correctional Centre (formally known as the Borstal Institute) is the only juvenile male facility in Ghana under the management of the Ghana Prisons Service.



Consequently, 21 of them have secured placement in various Senior High/Technical schools across the country, with four pending placement.



Out of the number, fourteen are still in custody while the remaining eleven have gone on discharge.



In a related development, all three inmates of the Nsawam Medium Security Prison who sat for the NOV/DEC 2020 BECE have also passed with aggregates ranging from 10 to 14.



One of them has since gone on discharge while the other two who are still in custody have been enrolled into the Senior High School programme of the Nsawam Prison Senior High School.



The Ghana Prisons Service, in its quest to deliver on its reformation mandate in line with international best practices on prisoner education, introduced formal education in 2007, starting with the Senior Correction Centre on a pilot basis.



The brilliant performance of the first batch of this pilot led to the extension of the programme to other prison facilities, culminating in governments decision to construct a school block in the Nsawam Medium Security Prison through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).



The facility currently serves as a school complex where Junior High School, Senior High School and tertiary education programme are run for inmates.



It would be recalled that the University of Cape Coast in January, 2020, matriculated 59 inmates of the Nsawam Medium Security Prison into various diploma programmes offered by its College of Distance Education. The initiative was the fruit of a collaboration between the Prisons Administration and the University with support from Plan Volta Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.



The Prisons Administration, since the inception of formal education programme for inmates in 2007, had been exploring the possibility of tertiary education for inmates since a good number of them complete the Senior High School programme with very good grades but remain in custody as they have not finished their prison sentences.



This, long cherished dream, however, became a reality in 2020 when Plan Volta Foundation and the University of Cape Coast came on board.



It is believed that, given the necessary support, the initiative would continue to churn out every year from the prisons, persons who can no longer be simply described as ex-convicts but rather graduates who can be productive, law abiding and can contribute their quota to national development.

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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Nexus Venture Partners-backed healthcare startup Onsurity has raised an undisclosed amount of funds from a consortium of customers who have turned investors. This round transpired as customers such as Creds Kunal Shah, Jitendra Gupta of Jupiter Money and Amit Lakhotia of Park+ invested in the company based on their customer experience.

This round of fund raise also saw participation from Gaurav Munjal, co-founder of Unacademy; Aakrit Vaish, Miten Sampat, Harsh Shah of Fynd; Clevertap cofounders Sunil Thomas, Anand Jain and Suresh Kondamudi; and AdvantEdge Founders Managing Partner Kunal Khattar.





The healthtech platform has onboarded SuperAngels that include Kunal Shah (Cred), Jitendra Gupta (Jupiter Money), Amit Lakhotia (Park+), Revant Bhate and Dhyanesh Shah (Mosaic Wellness). This round of fund raise also saw participation from Gaurav Munjal (Co-founder Unacademy), Aakrit Vaish, Miten Sampat, Harsh Shah (Fynd), Gourav Bhattacharya (ex- Matrix Partners), Kunal Khattar (Managing Partner, AdvantEdge Founders) and all the 3 founders of Clevertap  Sunil Thomas, Anand Jain and Suresh Kondamudi.

Angel investors in the startup ecosystem coming in for mentoring and building a business is the norm. But in Onsuritys case, our customers have turned investors. This is a unique situation as it is a validation of our vision and the problem statement we are solving, said Kulin Shah, co-founder, Onsurity.



The startup which began its journey in february last year has on boarded 700 SMEs as healthcare partners with 70,000 users. They have built a digital native employee healthcare platform aligned with making Indian SMEs self-sufficient and giving them access to affordable healthcare. The companys vision is to democratise healthcare for small businesses and startups. It allows customers to buy on-demand, easy to understand and necessary Employee Benefits and healthcare services for their teams and families. It is Indias first digital platform to provide a monthly Employee Benefit Subscription program called TeamSure, catering to new-age startups and SMEs.

The participation of angels will help our team get easy access to building a great customer experience and enhance our tech stack. We look forward to deeply engaging with these industry stalwarts to innovate and further scale and provide every SME the opportunity to provide healthcare their employees deserve, said Yogesh Agarwal, co-founder, Onsurity.

The company had raised their Seed capital in March last year, where they saw funds like Nexus Partners, AngelList, Whiteboard Capital and others participate in the round.
Some of the 220 Chinese vessels are seen moored at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea on March 7, 2021. (Philippine Coast Guard/National Task Force-West Philippine Sea via AP)

Philippines Demands China Remove Militia Vessels at Disputed Reefs

On March 31, the Philippine Government said a swarm of Chinese vessels at reefs and islands in the disputed South China Sea has increased to more than 250, and it amplified its demand for the Chinese regime to remove them immediately.

Over 10 days earlier, the Philippine military detected about 200 vessels displaying the Chinese flag anchored at the disputed Whitsun Reefwithout doing any fishing. The Philippine government believes they are the Chinese regimes Peoples Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM).

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called on his Chinese counterparts to withdraw the vessels from the Philippines exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters.

The United States also expressed concern over the situation. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called out Chinas militarization at the South China Sea, saying it violates international laws at the NATO meeting on March 23. On March 28 he tweeted in support of the Philippines.

The United States stands with our ally, the Philippines, in the face of the PRCs maritime militia amassing at WhitsunReef. We will always stand by our allies and stand up for the rules-based international order.  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 28, 2021

The Chinese regime denies the vessels are maritime militia ships, claiming they are fishing boats. Its spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press conference on March 22, Chinese fishing boats have been fishing in the waters near the reef all along. Recently, due to maritime situation, some fishing boats have been taking shelter from the wind near [Whitsun Reef], which is quite normal.

However, two experts pointed out, Both in February and March this year, identified PAFMM vessels transmitting automatic identification system (AIS) signals were present in Whitsuns lagoon.

On March 31, the Philippine government said that the Chinese militia vessels did not leave but increased to more than 250 and spread to 6 disputed islands and reefs of the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea.

An aerial view of an uninhabited island of the Spratlys in the disputed South China Sea, on April 21, 2017. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said it expresses deep concern over the continuing unlawful presence of the Chinese Maritime Militia, which did not pull out and have remained in Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef and are now in other areas of the Kalayaan Island Group in the Municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan, in its statement.

The Task Force reiterates the demand in a statement, The Philippines calls on China to immediately withdraw these vessels flying its flag.  Neither the Philippines nor the international community will ever accept Chinas assertion of its so-called indisputable integrated sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea.

The Task Force said military patrols also located four Chinese naval ships at Mischief Reef, one of several submerged natural features in Spratly, which China has reclaimed and transformed into a military base.

An aerial photo taken through a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged ongoing land reclamation by China on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, on May 11, 2015. (Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool/Reuters)

The Philippines claims the resource-rich Spratly is its territory, citing the island chain is within its EEZ. China, Taiwan (officially known as the Republic of China), Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei also claim sovereignty over it.

In 2016, the Hagues Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling on the South China Sea was in favor of the Philippines EEZ claim over Chinas historical claim. However, China rejected the ruling and has been building artificial islands in the disputed waters and military facilities on disputed islands it occupied.
MUSKEGON, MI -- A particularly bumpy section of pavement in front of Coles Quality Foods Bakery in Muskegon will be reconstructed, requiring a detour between Western Avenue and Lakeshore Drive.

The road project that begins next week involves about a half mile of Michigan Avenue from Lakeshore to Hudson Street and Franklin Street from Michigan to Western Avenue.

Traffic will be detoured on Washington Avenue and Division Street during construction.

Work on Michigan and Franklin will include replacement of storm sewer and some water service, concrete sidewalks, curb, gutter and pavement.

Work is expected to begin Monday April 5, with completion in July.

Construction on Michigan Avenue and Franklin Street in Muskegon that begins April 5, 2021, will require a detour.

Also on MLive:

Lake Express ferry returning for full 2021 season from Muskegon to Milwaukee

Every Womans Place modifies annual fundraiser into month-long community crawl

Michigan raises daily vaccination goal to 100,000 shots after feds ramp up allocations
India on Thursday reported a net increase of 31,489 in active cases to take its count to 584,055. That is a little over 57 per cent of the September 18 peak of 1,017,754. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 2.63 per cent (one in 38). The country is 5th among the most affected countries by active cases. On Thursday, it added 72,330 cases, the most in a day since October 11, to take its total caseload to 12,221,665. And, with 459 new fatalities, the most in a day since December 6, its Covid-19 reached 162,927, or 1.33 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 2,063,543 more people getting Covid-19 vaccine shots on Wednesday, Indias total count of those inoculated reached 65,117,896. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 11,474,683  or 93.89 per cent of total caseload  with 40,382 new cured cases being reported on Thursday.
Modified On Apr 01, 2021 11:46 AM By Rohit for MG Hector

The Indonesia-spec Hectors newly launched RS variant gets ADAS tech that includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and traffic jam assistance

The MG Hector, known as the Wuling Almaz in Indonesia, just got a new range-topping RS variant.

MG offers the India-spec Hector with safety features such as brake assist, up to six airbags, electronic stability control, and traction control.

The India-spec Hector could be equipped with ADAS in the near future.

If introduced, expect MG Motor India to price the updated SUV at a slight premium over its existing prices (Rs 12.89 lakh to Rs 18.42 lakh ex-showroom).

Back in 2019, MG Motor entered the Indian market with the Hector . The SUV, known as the Wuling Almaz in the Indonesian market, recently got a new range-topping RS variant that boasts of additional features including ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) technology.

(Pictured: Indonesia-spec Wuling Almaz RS)

The ADAS-equipped RS variant gets safety features such as adaptive cruise control, cruise assistance, lane departure warning, collision mitigation system, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, and traffic jam assistance. MGs full-size Fortuner-rivalling SUV, the Gloster , is already offered with this technology in India.

MG offers the India-spec Hector with safety features such as brake assist, up to six airbags, front and rear parking sensors, electronic stability control, and traction control. It also comes with a tyre pressure monitoring system, ISOFIX child seat anchors, hill-hold assist, and a 360-degree camera. MG could bring ADAS tech to the India-spec Hector since one of its prime rivals, the Mahindra XUV500, is set to feature it in its new-gen avatar in 2021.

The India-spec Hectors equipment list comprises ventilated front seats, ambient lighting, wireless charging, heated ORVMs (outside rearview mirrors), a panoramic sunroof, and rain-sensing wipers. It also packs a 6-way power-adjustable driver seat, cruise control, powered tailgate, connected car tech, and a 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The Hector comes with both petrol and diesel engines. The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol unit is rated at 143PS and 250Nm, mated to a standard 6-speed MT and an optional 6-speed DCT or the new 8-speed CVT gearbox. The carmaker also offers the turbo-petrol engine with the option of a 48V mild-hybrid system, with only a 6-speed MT gearbox. Its 2.0-litre diesel engine, coupled with a 6-speed manual gearbox, produces 170PS and 350Nm.

If MG does bring the ADAS tech to the Hector in India, it will certainly command a premium over the SUVs current pricing (Rs 12.89 lakh to Rs 18.42 lakh ex-showroom). The Hector takes on the likes of the Mahindra XUV500 , Tata Harrier , and Jeep Compass in India.

Read More on : Hector on road price
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'will both take some proper time off,' after the birth of their daughter in the summer, a source has claimed.

For the Duke of Sussex, 36, who is currently living in his $14 million mansion in California, this would mean taking time out from his first job in the corporate world where he recently took an executive position at a Silicon Valley start-up that claims to be worth $1.7billion.

The royal is 'chief impact officer' at mental health services business BetterUp, where he helps promote an app used by corporate giants including Hilton, Facebook and oil firm Chevron to improve the wellbeing of their staff.

The company's chief executive Alexi Robichaux has declined to say how much the royal is being paid, although similar roles at other California firms would command six or seven-figure salaries.

Prince Harry's paternity leave would also mean temporarily stepping back from his multi-million-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify - which he told Oprah Winfrey he was persuaded to sign when he was literally cut off financially from the Royal Family.

'It will be the summer and they want to make sure they both take their leave so they have some real quality time together once the baby arrives,' a source close to the couple told Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'will both take some proper time off,' after the birth of their daughter in the summer, a source has claimed. Pictured, with son Archie

The married couple revealed during their bombshell Oprah interview (pictured) that their second child is a girl and is due to be born this summer

During the bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview, the Duke of Sussex told how he stopped receiving income from Buckingham Palace shortly after he and Meghan announced their wish to step back as senior royals and spend time overseas.

Harry added that he would have been unable to pay for security to protect his family if it were not for money left to him by his mother Princess Diana in her will.

Silicon Valley start-up that has hired Prince Harry What is BetterUp? BetterUp describes itself as company that 'combines coaching with dynamic and personalized digital experiences to accelerate members' long-term professional development and drive personal growth'. In practice, they sell executive coaching and therapy services to individuals and large companies. It employs clinical therapists and 'executive coaches' on contract to provide those services. One blue chip company that recently employed their services was charged $2,000 for six months of unlimited coaching for each employee. Those who sign up for their app can receive one-to-one video therapy or coaching through the app. Who was it founded by? It was founded by two USC graduates Alexi Robichaux and Eduardo Medina. Robinchaux grew up in Dallas, Texas, and has described growing up with his father a biblical linguist who translates from Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew. His mother is an immigrant from Greece who was an executive assistant at Texas Instruments. In high school he started a non-profit called Youth Leadership for America. Medina is also a USC graduate who worked at management consultant companies Altamont Capital Partners and Bain & Company before starting BetterUp. How big is BetterUp? BetterUp says it has raised a total of $300m in venture capital, and claims to be valued at $1.7bn. It has not reported any corporate results or profits. Last year, Robinchaux told Inc that the company had 200 employees and more than a thousand therapists and executive coaches on contract. Its investors include snowboarder Sean White, NBA player Pau Gasol and a series of venture capital companies including frims called ICONIQ Growth, Lightspeed Venture and Mubadala Capital. Who has invested in BetterUp? The company lists 10 Silicon Valley venture capital companies among its investors, including the UAE sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Capital. It also names Olympic snowboarder Shaun White and NBA player Pau Gasol as individual investors. Advertisement

The couple raised eyebrows when they announced in September a deal worth an estimated 75million to make programmes for Netflix  despite citing lack of privacy as a reason for quitting the Royal Family.

In December, the couple announced a lucrative deal with audio streaming giant Spotify.

The deal, estimated to be worth around 18million, will see Harry and Meghan make podcasts for Spotifys 320million monthly users to help listeners connect to one another without distraction.

Asked about the money-spinning partnerships, Harry told Miss Winfrey they were never part of the plan but were suggested by a friend when they feared financial issues.

He insisted: My family literally cut me off financially and I had to afford security for us.

But Ive got what my mum left me and, without that, we would not have been able to do this. He added of the issues he has faced: I think she saw it coming.

Prince Harry's paternity leave was cut short when Archie was born on 6 May 2019, because just three days after the birth the royal flew to the Netherlands to launch next year's Invictus Games.

There, the royal was showered with presents meant for his infant son, donned a special 'I am daddy' jacket during a bike ride, and was given a baby grow by Princess Margriet, before being met with laughter from the crowd after modelling it against his own body.

Meanwhile, throughout her pregnancy and after the birth, Meghan, 39, was busy editing an issue of British Vogue and designing a capsule collection for Smart Works.

It comes after an insider claimed Meghan Markle is planning to give birth to her second child with Prince Harry in the comfort of their stunning $14.7m Santa Barbara property in Montecito, California.

Speaking about Meghan's home birthing plans, a source told Page Six: 'She has a beautiful home in California, it's a beautiful setting to give birth to her baby girl.'

If born in America, Meghan and Prince Harry's baby will be entitled to US citizenship as an automatic right, and will have dual UK citizenship through her father. She will also be able to run for US presidency if born on US soil.

The source also said that Meghan initially planned to have a home birth for Archie, now 22 months old, but was unable to do so because her son was a week overdue.

Instead of welcoming her first child with an all-female midwife team at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, the mother was taken to London's private Portland hospital, where she gave birth to Archie on May 6, 2019.

The source explained: 'Meghan's plan was to have a home birth with Archie, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans.'

MailOnline contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's representatives for comment.

The couple revealed during their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview earlier this month that their second child is a girl and is due to be born this summer.

The Duchess of Sussex is due to welcome her second child with the Duke of Sussex in the summer, and it is thought she hopes to have a home birth at their stunning $14.7m Santa Barbara property in Montecito, California (pictured)

Prince Harry joined his wife for the second half of the much-anticipated interview on CBS to reveal the news, excitedly telling the chat show host: 'It's a girl.'

He said his first thought was 'amazing' when he learned 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.'

While the couple made no hint of what their daughter's name would be, fans began speculating that they will call her Diana, after Harry's late mother.

Asked if they were 'done' with two children, Harry said 'done' and Meghan said: 'Two is it.'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released this picture on Valentine's Day as they announced that they are expecting a second child, saying they were 'overjoyed' at their pregnancy

Does a child born in America get automatic US citizenship? Any child born in the US gets automatic US citizenship under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. This states: 'All persons born or naturalised in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.' The only exception applies to the 'jurisdiction' element, which means children born to diplomats and other recognised government officials from foreign countries don't get US citizenship if born on American soil. Anyone born in the US gets citizenship for their life unless they make an action to give it up such as filing an oath. If born in the US, Meghan and Prince Harry's baby will be entitled to US citizenship as an automatic right. She will also be able to run for US presidency if born on US soil. The baby will also be entitled to a British passport through Harry. Advertisement

The girl will not be entitled, at this stage, to be an HRH nor a princess title due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by George V - but this is the same as what would have happened before they stepped back from senior duties.

The baby is entitled to be a Lady, but Harry and Meghan will again opt to style their second-born a plain Miss, with the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

Harry and Meghan first announced on Valentine's Day that they are expecting a second child, saying they were 'overjoyed' at the pregnancy.

Their news echoed Princess Diana's announcement of her own second child - Prince Harry - which was printed in newspapers on Valentine's Day in 1984.

A spokesman for the couple said at the time: 'We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.'

The announcement came soon after Meghan suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage last year.

After the pregnancy announcement, Bookies quickly started taking odds on what the name of Archie's sibling could be, with Diana coming in first position before Alexandra, Florence, Arabella and Elizabeth.

Bookmakers Ladbrokes said at the time that the chances of Harry and Meghan naming their girl Diana were four to one.

The new Sussex baby will become eighth in line to the throne, after Prince Charles, Prince William, William's three children George, Charlotte and Louis, Prince Harry and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

Prince Harry retained his place in the line of succession despite his decision to quit royal life.

Prince Harry, Meghan and Archie left Britain for Canada in November 2019 before moving to America, meaning Archie has not seen any of his British relatives since he was six months old.'
Four people were killed, one of them a child, in a shooting on Wednesday at an office building in suburban Los Angeles before the suspect, wounded in an exchange of gunfire with police, was taken into custody, police reported.

The bloodshed in Orange, California, marked the third deadly mass shooting in the United States in less than a month. Authorities offered no explanation as to a possible motive.

Orange Police Department Lieutenant Jennifer Amat said that police officers arrived on the scene at about 5:30 p.m. local time as shots were being fired and "engaged with the suspect."

She said three adults and one child were found shot dead, and two other people struck by gunfire, including the shooter, were transported to area hospitals, Reuters reported.

The police department said in a message posted to its Facebook page that the situation had since been "stabilized" with no further threat to the public.
RTHK: Beijing wants 'peace and stability' in Myanmar

China on Wednesday said it wanted a "democratic transition" in military-ruled Myanmar, but ruled out sanctions at a UN Security Council meeting.

"China hopes that Myanmar will restore peace, stability and constitutional order as early as possible and continue to steadily advance democratic transition," Ambassador Zhang Jun told the closed-door meeting, according to a statement.

"Maintaining peace and stability in Myanmar is in the common interest of the international community. Should Myanmar slide into protracted turbulence, it will be a disaster for Myanmar and the region as a whole," he said.

Myanmar's military, which overthrew the country's elected leadership on February 1 and has violently suppressed protests, counts on China as its main ally.

China nonetheless remained consistent in its opposition to economic pressure on Myanmar after the closed-door meeting in which Western powers spoke of further measures.

"One-sided pressure and calling for sanctions or other coercive measures will only aggravate tension and confrontation and further complicate the situation, which is by no means constructive," Zhang said.

He also called for the protection of foreign businesses -- a key concern for China which has seen dozens of its factories torched amid anger at Beijing.

"We hope that all parties in Myanmar can keep calm, exercise restraint and take actions with a constructive attitude to de-escalate and cool down the situation," he said.

"Lives and properties of the people of Myanmar and foreign nationals and businesses should be protected, and any attack on them is unacceptable."

The Chinese envoy also voiced appreciation for the efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose members have complicated and at times hostile relations with Beijing over maritime issues and other disputes.

China backs the bloc's idea of a special summit and its efforts "conducting mediation in the ASEAN way and playing a positive role in easing the situation in Myanmar." (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A 34-year-old man pleaded guilty to taking obscene photos of women at two Mountain Brook businesses.

James Phillip Huggins Jr., of Mountain Brook, on Thursday entered his guilty plea to the Class C felony charges before Jefferson County Circuit Judge Michael Streety. Huggins received a 10-year suspended sentence with a two-year probation. He must also register as a convicted sex offender.

Huggins was initially arrested by Mountain Brook police in October 2019 and indicted in March 2020. He was charged with four counts of first-degree voyeurism for crimes that happened at Publix on Montclair Road and Piggly Wiggly on Church Street.

Officers responded Sept. 22, 2019 to a report of voyeurism at Piggly Wiggly, Mountain Brook police Lt. Chuck Clark said at the time. The woman told police she had seen a white male taking pictures up her skirt.

Police identified Huggins as the suspect, and they obtained search warrants for his phone and other electronic devices. Forensic analysis of Huggins devices showed multiple other victims. Mountain Brook detectives identified at least four of the victims and sought and obtained the felony warrants against Huggins. Clark said the forensic analysis revealed the activity had been going on for some time.

Jay has accepted responsibility for his actions and offered a heartfelt apology to the victims of his flawed behavior for his inexcusable actions in open court today. He asked for forgiveness,' said his attorney, Tommy Spina.

While his behavior is unacceptable on any level, his actions , resulting in his guilty pleas, do not define the person that he is. He has been engaged in therapy since shortly after his arrest to address the underlying reasons for his actions,' he said. He does not do so in an effort to excuse his behavior but in an effort to understand and explain his behavior. He will continue in therapy to better himself and in an effort to insure those offended and society in general that he is not a risk to reoffend.

Spina said the images taken by Huggins were never disseminated.

We are grateful to all those involved that have allowed him the opportunity to establish and prove that he is worth saving and that he can and will be a productive member of society in the future,' Spina said, subject to the restrictions imposed upon him under Alabamas exceptionally stringent sex offender registration and notification act.

The states voyeurism law only took effect on Sept. 1, 2019. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the anti-voyeurism bill that year which outlawed upskirting  which is when a photo is taken up a womens skirt or blouse without her consent. The bill - sponsored by Republican state Sen. Clyde Chambliss - makes it a misdemeanor to take an image without a persons consent. It becomes a Class C felony if the image is taken and used for sexual gratification.
FSDH Merchant Bank Limited has appointed Mrs. Bukola Smith as its new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer.

She is to take over from Mrs. Hamda Ambah who will retire from the bank with effect from April 27th, 2021.

According to a statement from the Lagos-based financial institution, Ambah will be retiring after 28 years of service to FSDH, including four years and three months as the Managing Director.

"She joined FSDH very early in its discount house days and is now retiring a little over eight years after the company became a merchant bank in 2013.

"Succeeding her is Mrs. Bukola Smith, whom the Board of Directors of FSDH Group has appointed as the incoming MD/CEO of FSDH Merchant Bank," the statement added.

It revealed that the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria on the appointment has been secured.

Smith holds an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK, and a B.Sc. Economics from the University of Lagos.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, and an Associate Member, Certified Institute of Pensions (Nigeria).

She brings 28 years of progressive experience in the industry with a track record of strategic execution and leadership.

She was appointed Executive Director, Business Development at First City Monument Bank (FCMB) in 2017 and held several other leadership positions since she joined FCMB in 2006.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Company By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

In her most recent role, she was responsible for the bank's 200 branches across the country, as well as the public sector, business banking, agriculture and transaction banking divisions. "Under her, the bank's SME-focused team moved from fifth position in the industry to first position in 2019 (KPMG Customer Service Report 2020) within three years.

"In addition, she established the FCMB Women in Business Desk (branded SheVentures) which supports female entrepreneurs. She also set up FCMB Trustees and FCMB Custody, both of which broke even in the first year of operations and are building traction in the asset management field.

"The Board of FSDH Merchant Bank welcomes Mrs. Smith on board and is confident that she will take the bank to even greater heights," the statement added.
Another 4,052 people in have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 4,345,788, according to official figures released Wednesday.

The country also reported another 43 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in now stands at 126,713. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Nearly 31 million people have been given the first jab of the vaccine, according to the official figures.

The latest figures came amid warning by British health authorities that Britons should obey the restriction rules and remain cautious over as people gathered outdoors to enjoy the sunshine.

Thousands gathered in parks and beaches as temperature in soared this week, prompting concerns of possible breaches of COVID-19 restrictions.

(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.)
North Korea is likely to top the agenda Friday when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosts his South Korean and Japanese counterparts at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Karine Jean-Pierre, principle deputy press secretary, confirmed the meeting during the Air Force One flight from Washington to Pittsburgh,where President Joe Biden is due to make an infrastructure announcement.

"This meeting with Japan, Republic of Korea is the first national security adviser level multilateral dialogue of the Biden administration," Jean-Pierre told reporters. It reflects "the importance we place on broadening and deepening our cooperation," in the region.

Sullivan will meet National Security Secretariat Secretary General Shigeru Kitamura of Japan and National Security Adviser Suh Hoon of South Korea.

Last week, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea in a defiance of U.N. resolutions that ban such launches by North Korea.

Some experts say North Korea's missile launches, the first of their kind in a year, were aimed at applying pressure on the Biden administration.

Past short-range missile launches by North Korea have typically drawn U.N. Security Council condemnations, but not fresh sanctions.

North Korea was slapped with toughened U.N. sanctions in 2016-17 following its provocative run of missile and nuclear tests aimed at acquiring the capability of launching nuclear strikes on the U.S. mainland.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Pony.ai, a Chinese startup that builds full-stack autonomous driving solutions, claimed on March 31 it will expand the scale of its Robotaxi service and announced the brand name of its autonomous truck business PonyTron.

We have a very clear strategy, which is to simultaneously focus on passenger vehicles (PVs) and commercial vehicles (CVs), said Peng Jun, co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai.

In PV area, Pony.ai launched the autonomous ride-hailing program PonyPilot as early as 2018, and then deployed the Robotaxi service in Guangzhou and California.



Pony.ai's autonomous cars; photo credit: Pony.ai



The startup is about to expand the operations of Robotaxi service into more cities. Commuters in Beijing can have test rides with the autonomous cars equipped with Pony.ai's new-generation autonomous driving system PonyAlpha X in the near future, according to Zhang Ning, vice president of Pony.ai.

The company announced in Feb. 2021 that the first batch of mass-produced self-driving cars armed with its latest generation self-driving system officially rolled off the production line. Those cars have been put into public road tests in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and joined the startup's Robotaxi fleet for scale operation.



PonyTron autonomous truck; photo credit: Pony.ai



In the meantime, PonyTron, the brand name of Pony.ai's autonomous truck business, was announced by Li Hengyu, vice president and director of the truck business unit of Pony.ai.

Li said the development of excellent Virtual Drivers for trucks will greatly help improve safety, make up for shortage of labors, cope with uneconomical workforce management scale, and make the formation of large-scale fleet possible for logistics industry.

Pony.ai noted it will work with truck manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers, and jointly develop mass-producible highly intelligent autonomous driving solutions by leveraging each other's technical advantages, so as to achieve large-scale production of autonomous trucks and enhance the efficiency of overall logistics ecosystem.

Pony.ai began deploying autonomous truck business in 2018. Last year, it set up truck business unit to further explore the commercialization of autonomous CVs and obtained Guangdong's first license that allows autonomous truck road tests.
A Toms River man was charged Wednesday with painting a blue line on a township road when he was not permitted to do so, police said.

The move came days after Ocean County Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy pitched the painting of a blue line down Hooper Avenue near the Ocean County Justice Complex, which includes the Ocean County Courthouse, according to a report by the Asbury Park Press. Ocean County Director Gary Quinn told the publication that while there was support for the idea from the Ocean County Board of Commissioners, its professional staff had advised against the sheriffs proposal.

It would open us up to potential legal liability in the event of future accidents, Quinn said in the report, noting that hed back a proposal to fly flags in support of law enforcement along Hooper Avenue, instead.

Supporters of the thin blue line say that it represents a show of support for the police, but the the image is associated with the Blue Lives Matter movement formed as a counter response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Before any idea could come to fruition, David Giordano, 43, allegedly painted a four-inch wide blue line between the double yellow lines on Hooper Avenue and was issued a summons for criminal mischief, according to a release from the Toms River Police Department.

While we appreciate the overwhelming support for law enforcement, we can not condone the defacing of any property, the statement read.

The line allegedly painted by Giordano was later painted over by local road crews as the color blue is not legal on public roadways, Jersey Shore Online reported.

Giordano was already in the Ocean County Jail on an unrelated manner when he was charged with painting the blue line.

Surveillance footage captured Giordano taking a bucket truck he owned that had been impounded at Freedom Towing & Recovery on Route 9 after he entered the facility through a locked gate in the back of the property, police said. The vehicle had been impounded and was in the lot for 313 days due to unpaid invoices owed for its impound and storage, police said.

Police say they were called to the business on March 22 and used the footage to identify Giordano.

Later that morning, the truck was found parked illegally at Toms River Town Hall in Mayor Maurice Mo Hills parking space with its boom extended so other trucks could not get by, authorities said.

Giordiano was arrested on Tuesday and charged with theft of movable property, theft of services, burglary, and criminal mischief, police said.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
This month, I will give birth to my first child. When the contractions start, I will grab my go bag, jump in the car and head to the hospital. After what I hope is an easy labor, I will bring a beautiful new life into the world. But my fiance Isaac  father of my child and love of my life  wont be there to support me. Hell be thousands of miles away in Kenya, unable to see his child enter the world. All because of a broken immigration system that punishes everyone involved, even when you try to do things the right way.

Topics like DACA and family separations at the border have captured the hearts and pricked the consciousness of many Americans, and rightly so. But lost among the headlines are thousands of stories like mine  people stuck in an administrative and bureaucratic nightmare. These stories are quieter, but still painful for those involved: families who havent seen each other for years; well-educated and skilled spouses who are here legally but cant earn an income; people stuck in a decades-long green card backlog; employers in nearly every industry who cant secure the workers they need. The list goes on.

American immigration policy hasnt been widely updated since the Clinton era in the 1990s. But the last four years made an already troubled system worse. President Trump oversaw approximately 1,064 separate immigration-related changes, which dismantled crucial immigration infrastructure, forced many people with employment-based visas to leave the country and halted visa processing at U.S. posts worldwide. U.S. embassies and consulates fired or furloughed workers, and processing still hasnt recovered despite a phased reopening. Isaacs visa application has been sitting in a stack of papers in the National Visa Center in New Hampshire since being approved last October. No progress has been made since then.

But we are more than a casualty of the system. We are partners who simply want to raise our child and create a life together. I met Isaac in 2017, as a volunteer with the Africa Yoga Project, a nonprofit that empowers youths from the slums to become yoga teachers. Isaac had gone through the program himself. The practice gave him a newfound sense of belonging and community in the slums of Mathare where he taught primary school. We started dating the following year when Isaac came to the United States to teach with the Africa Yoga Project and study on a tourist visa. After a relationship forged despite the distance apart, we got engaged on Oct. 26, 2019.

Over a year ago, Isaac and I filed the documents required to support our fiance visa application. Proving the validity of our relationship meant compiling close to 100 pages of photocopied text messages, communication and photos of us together over the last three years. Every one of my family members wrote letters of support. We assumed it would be the estimated five to seven months (as stated on the USCIS website) before Isaac would be able to move to America to begin the next step of our relationship and immigration process. It is over a year later and we are still waiting.

I was visiting Isaac in Kenya last spring as the pandemic took hold. Suddenly, flights were canceled and I was unable to return home. Even though it was an unstable and scary time, we were blessed with seven months together on his familys farm, and in August 2020 I learned that I was pregnant. In September 2020, the Kenyan government issued a warning: tourists whose visas had been extended due to COVID-19 travel bans had to leave within two weeks or face fines or jail. With flights running again, I had no choice but to come home. Since then, the process to obtain Isaacs fiance visa hasnt moved forward, but the pregnancy has.

Ironically, were in this mess because we did things the right way and formally requested a fiance visa. In theory, Isaac could be here right now on his tourist visa, but our lawyer says that could be considered fraud, since weve already filed our intent to marry. The only other option is to abandon the $5,000-plus weve spent on legal and government fees over the past year, throwing away over 14 months of work on the visa application. But that would prevent us from applying for a fiance visa and path to citizenship again. Wed at least be together temporarily but wed be stuck in a logistical and legal purgatory: unable to get married or for him to move forward with legal status or rights in the US. Would that be worth it for Isaac to be here for the birth of our child?

Ive considered the alternative  moving to Kenya and trying to get citizenship there after the baby arrives. But that would mean raising our child in an unfamiliar and less reliable medical system, without potable water and intermittent electricity, and more importantly with far fewer employment options for both of us . If we stay here in the U.S., we hope to provide the best life for our baby and help support Isaacs family back in Kenya. Weve decided its the best option. For now, I have to accept that, barring a miracle, I will soon be a single mom, without Isaac by my side to help navigate those early months together or to help and support our baby. As a self-employed yoga teacher I dont have formal maternity leave, so will return to work full-time soon after having the baby. Fortunately I have the love and support of so many friends and my parents, with whom I am living at the moment. But I have no idea when Ill see Isaac again, when well be able to move forward with our lives together as a family. Theres no timeline.

Ive tried everything I can think of to unite our family, including calling elected officials and contacting the State Department. Nothing has sped up the process. Thats why Im sharing our story. Immigration reform isnt an abstract political thing. It would make a tangible difference in the lives of everyday people like me. It would allow our family to experience the birth of our baby as a joyful union, without the undertone of separation and grief that persists. While we wait for visa processing and interviews to resume, our familys life moves forward, yet apart.

The next time you head to the voting booth or consider calling your elected officials, I hope youll remember our story and the difference that a compassionate and pragmatic immigration system would make. Our familys immigration challenges are much less acute than others. But that doesnt make me feel much better as I lie awake staring at the empty space in bed beside me, feeling the kicks of someone who is growing quickly and ready to make their arrival, with or without Dad.

Sarah Hill is a yoga teacher in New Haven. She and her fiance, Isaac Mukwaya, are expecting their first child in April.
While many studies have explored how the Covid-19 pandemic is shifting the sourcing strategies of Western fashion brands and retailers, its impact on apparel exporting countries is mostly unknown  until now. Here, Victoria Langro and Sheng Lu from the University of Delaware take a detailed look at trade trends in the worlds three largest apparel exporters  China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

Since it first emerged in early 2020, Covid-19 has been the single biggest challenge facing the apparel industry, resulting in significant order cancellations, factory shutdowns and supply chain disruptions.

By leveraging the latest monthly trade statistics collected from UNComtrade and GlobalData, this article examines the export performance of China, Vietnam and Bangladesh in 2020. The findings shed a new light on the impact of Covid-19 from a suppliers perspective and will help fashion brands and retailers plan their apparel sourcing strategies in the years ahead.

Impact of Covid-19 on apparel production and exports

During the pandemic, three factors have had most impact on a countrys apparel export performance: government lockdown measures, textile raw material access, and comprehensive export competitiveness. On these three points, producers in China, Vietnam and Bangladesh have faced common but differentiated business challenges and opportunities.



CHINA

Lockdown measures: China was the first country hit by Covid-19. Factory shutdowns started in January 2020, resulting in significant disruption to textile and apparel production. In the first three months of 2020, Chinas garment production shrunk by as much as 20.3% from the year before. Thanks to relatively quick and effective Covid-19 containment, most Chinese textile and apparel factories started to reopen in April 2020. They resumed an overall 90%-95% operational capacity rate by July 2020. Chinas garment production totalled 22.3bn pieces in 2020, down 7.7% from a year earlier but slightly higher than the volume in 2018.

China was the first country hit by Covid-19. Factory shutdowns started in January 2020, resulting in significant disruption to textile and apparel production. In the first three months of 2020, Chinas garment production shrunk by as much as 20.3% from the year before. Thanks to relatively quick and effective Covid-19 containment, most Chinese textile and apparel factories started to reopen in April 2020. They resumed an overall 90%-95% operational capacity rate by July 2020. Chinas garment production totalled 22.3bn pieces in 2020, down 7.7% from a year earlier but slightly higher than the volume in 2018. Textile raw material access: China has one of the worlds most complete textile and apparel supply chains, allowing garment factories to access textile raw material and accessories locally. In recent years, China has also played an increasing role as a leading textile supplier for other apparel-producing countries in Asia. Being able to obtain textile raw material locally made garment factories in China less vulnerable to shipping disruptions during the pandemic.

China has one of the worlds most complete textile and apparel supply chains, allowing garment factories to access textile raw material and accessories locally. In recent years, China has also played an increasing role as a leading textile supplier for other apparel-producing countries in Asia. Being able to obtain textile raw material locally made garment factories in China less vulnerable to shipping disruptions during the pandemic. Export competitiveness: Compared with its competitors, Chinas garment producers enjoyed several unique advantages during the pandemic. For example, despite rising wages, apparel Made in China remains competitive in its total production cost thanks to factories higher productivity, more skilled labour, and better infrastructure. The vast production capacity also allows Chinas garment factories to meet importers growing demand for flexibility, such as adjusting the order quantity, product assortment or the shipping schedule in a short window. Compared with many of its competitors in Asia, China can also offer a relatively short lead time for Western fashion brands and retailers. However, the tariff war and escalating US-China trade tensions remain the top concerns for sourcing apparel from China.

VIETNAM

Lockdown measures: As a neighbouring country to China, Vietnam first experienced Covid-19 cases in late January 2020. According to industry sources, over 70% of garment factories in Vietnam were affected by lockdown measures from February to March 2020. However, these began to ease in late April 2020, and factories reported operating at around 90% capacity by July 2020. According to official statistics, Vietnams garment production in the first seven months of 2020 dropped by 4.6% from a year earlier.

As a neighbouring country to China, Vietnam first experienced Covid-19 cases in late January 2020. According to industry sources, over 70% of garment factories in Vietnam were affected by lockdown measures from February to March 2020. However, these began to ease in late April 2020, and factories reported operating at around 90% capacity by July 2020. According to official statistics, Vietnams garment production in the first seven months of 2020 dropped by 4.6% from a year earlier. Textile raw material access: Vietnam still relies heavily on imported textile material, making its garment factories vulnerable to potential supply chain disruptions during the pandemic. For example, when Chinas yarn and fabric supplies halted in early 2020 due to Covid lockdowns, many garment factories in Vietnam had to cut their production due to a shortage of raw materials.

Vietnam still relies heavily on imported textile material, making its garment factories vulnerable to potential supply chain disruptions during the pandemic. For example, when Chinas yarn and fabric supplies halted in early 2020 due to Covid lockdowns, many garment factories in Vietnam had to cut their production due to a shortage of raw materials. Export competitiveness: As a popular alternative to Made in China, Vietnam is one of the few sourcing destinations that can offer a relatively balanced sourcing solution against all the primary sourcing criteria, from sourcing cost, speed to market and flexibility to social and environmental compliance. By leveraging its membership in several mega free trade agreements, Vietnam is also one of the very few first-tier apparel suppliers that enjoys duty-free access to more than half of the worlds apparel import markets. This includes the EU (through the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement) and Japan (through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP). The duty-saving benefits offer Made in Vietnam apparel a unique competitive edge as fashion companies and consumers become more price-sensitive during the pandemic.

BANGLADESH

Lockdown measures: Industry sources indicate that most garment factories in Bangladesh were affected by Covid-related lockdown measures from March to May 2020. While these started to lift in June 2020, limited resources available to support reopening meant that as of August 2020, the countrys garment factories had still only recovered to around 60-80% of their full production capacity. The prolonged lockdown measures were estimated to have cost the Bangladeshi garment industry more than $4.9bn in lost revenue.

Industry sources indicate that most garment factories in Bangladesh were affected by Covid-related lockdown measures from March to May 2020. While these started to lift in June 2020, limited resources available to support reopening meant that as of August 2020, the countrys garment factories had still only recovered to around 60-80% of their full production capacity. The prolonged lockdown measures were estimated to have cost the Bangladeshi garment industry more than $4.9bn in lost revenue. Textile raw material access: Bangladesh is over 80% self-sufficient in accessories production, including thread, buttons and labels. However, its garment factories still rely heavily on imported yarns and fabrics, especially for woven apparel and man-made fibre items. Like Vietnam, more than 50% of textile raw materials come from China, which is why garment production suffered severe disruption in the first half of 2020 when Chinas textile supply was delayed.

Bangladesh is over 80% self-sufficient in accessories production, including thread, buttons and labels. However, its garment factories still rely heavily on imported yarns and fabrics, especially for woven apparel and man-made fibre items. Like Vietnam, more than 50% of textile raw materials come from China, which is why garment production suffered severe disruption in the first half of 2020 when Chinas textile supply was delayed. Export competitiveness: One notable advantage of Bangladesh as an apparel sourcing destination is its competitive production cost, with a wage level that remains one of the worlds lowest (less than $100 per month). To add to this, clothing exports from Bangladesh to the EU and Japan enjoy duty-free market access under the EU Everything But Arms (EBA) programme and Japans Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) scheme. However, garment producers struggled during the pandemic with a lack of resources (such as PPE for frontline garment workers) and under-developed infrastructure. On top of this, whereas Western fashion companies would have typically sourced large volume basic items from Bangladesh, they have shifted to smaller orders with a different product assortment to meet changed consumer demand. This explains why order cancellations seemed to disproportionately affect garment factories in Bangladesh.

Export performance

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Export volume

Monthly trade statistics collected from UNComtrade and GlobalData show that Covid-19 significantly impacted apparel exports from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh in 2020.

As Table 1 shows, all three countries suffered an unprecedented (nearly 30% year-over-year) drop in their apparel exports to the world in 2020 (Q1-Q3) due to Covid-19. This mirrored reduced import demand in major consumer markets, where the local economies were also hit hard by the pandemic, including the US (down 2.3%), the EU (down 4.3%), and Japan (down 4.8%).

Notably, Chinas total apparel exports in 2020 suffered a more significant drop than Vietnam and Bangladesh. Exports showed more variance in the US market  with Chinas apparel exports dropping by 31.6%, much steeper than Vietnam (down 6.9%) and Bangladesh (down 12.6%). It seems that even though Covid-19 may favour China as an apparel sourcing base, US fashion companies have given more weight to non-economic factors, such as the ongoing trade war, in their sourcing decisions involving China.

Seasonal export patterns

Note: A higher value of seasonal factor means more apparel exports took place in that particular quarter.

Apparel exports follow a seasonal pattern  that is, each month and quarter stably contribute a certain percentage of exports that year. However, Table 2 shows Covid-19 disrupted apparel exporters regular production and export schedules in 2020. For example, second quarter apparel exports from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh were all far below the average seasonable level. But exports in the third quarter were higher than usual.

Lockdown measures in each country had the most significant impact on seasonal export patterns. Specifically, as the first country hit by Covid-19, Chinas apparel exports were at their lowest from February to April 2020, but recovered quickly from May 2020 when factories resumed production. In comparison, apparel exports from Vietnam and Bangladesh were at their lowest level from April to May and May to June 2020, respectively, when their factories had to close.

Additionally, Bangladeshs apparel export seasonality saw a more dramatic change in 2020 than in China and Vietnam. A possible reason is the export product structure. As noted earlier, China and Vietnam export a more diverse range of products, whereas apparel exports from Bangladesh concentrate on basic fashion items. Industry sources indicate that between February 2020 and February 2021, US apparel imports from China and Vietnam saw a significant structural change  including more Covid-popular items such as sweaters, smock dresses and sweatpants, and fewer dresses, shirts and suits. However, over the same period, the product structure of US apparel imports from Bangladesh barely changed, but also included few of the Covid-popular categories mentioned above. In other words, despite order cancellations, garment factories in China and Vietnam seem more likely to receive new sourcing orders than their counterparts in Bangladesh due to their advantages in production flexibility and agility.

Diversification in export markets

Table 3 shows that China, Vietnam and Bangladesh all became less diversified in their apparel export markets during the pandemic. Notably, the US, EU and Japan have become more critical customers than ever, accounting for a combined 53.6% of Chinas total apparel exports in 2020 (up from 49% in 2019). Similar patterns are seen in Vietnam (up from 31.9% to 38.2%) and Bangladesh (up from 46% to 48.5%) over the same period.

This result suggests that compared with fashion companies efforts to diversify their sourcing, it has been more challenging for garment-producing countries to diversify their export markets during the pandemic. Expanding into new international markets typically requires many resources, which are not available when exporters are already struggling financially. Moreover, apparel imports plummeted globally due to Covid-19, leaving few growth opportunities out there to explore.

To sum up, Covid-19 has significantly affected apparel exports from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh, resulting in both expected and unexpected trade patterns. While optimistic that the volume of world apparel exports will enjoy positive growth in 2021, it is impossible to predict how soon it will return to pre-Covid levels as the pandemic continues to evolve. This means apparel producers and exporters in China, Vietnam and Bangladesh still need to prepare for possible supply chain disruptions in 2021, and new order cancellation or postponement this year are NOT unlikely either.

On the other hand, among all three countries, Vietnam seems to be in the best position to expand its apparel exports in 2021. Compared with China, sourcing from Vietnam involves fewer worries about non-economic factors, such as the tariff war and forced labour concerns. Fashion companies can also enjoy more product assortment choices and flexibility than in Bangladesh.

About the authors: Victoria Langro is a 2020 summer scholar at the University of Delaware; and Dr Sheng Lu is an associate professor in Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware.
(CNN) Under real world conditions, the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines provide highly effective protection, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At full vaccination, the vaccines were 90% effective at preventing infections, including infections that had no symptoms. At least 14 days after first dose but before second dose, they were 80% protective, according to the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published Monday. The CDC said it is the first of many planned COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness studies.

The study looked at how the vaccines protected nearly 4,000 health care workers and first responders. The volunteers in the study worked in eight locations around the country and had been observed from mid-December to mid-March.

The CDC tested volunteers routinely regardless of symptoms. The CDC also monitored the volunteers through text message, e-mail and direct medical reports. The volunteers also did a nasal swab once a week.

Most of the volunteers, more than 62%, had received both doses of either a Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. More than 12% had received just a single dose.

Among the 2,961 people vaccinated with one or more doses and the 989 unvaccinated participants, a total of 205 had a positive PCR test for COVID-19. One hundred sixty-one infections were identified when participants were unvaccinated; eight were identified among those partially immunized and three were identified among those fully immunized -- more than 14 days after their second dose of vaccine. Thirty-three identified cases were excluded because the person's immune status was not clear.

More than 87% of COVID-19 cases had symptoms. Nearly 23% of the cases sought help from a doctor. There were two hospitalizations, but no deaths.

The results of this study are similar to what scientists saw in clinical trials for the vaccines, but studies like this are important to show how effective the vaccines are, particularly in a population that, through their work, can encounters a large number of people who have COVID-19.

The results showing the level of protection from a single dose after two weeks are similar to findings from other recent studies in the UK and Israel.

"Reducing the risk for transmissible infection, which can occur among persons with asymptomatic infection or among persons several days before symptoms onset, is especially important among health care personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers given their potential to transmit the virus through frequent close contact with patients and the public," the report concluded.

"This study is tremendously encouraging," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday at the White House COVID-19 briefing. "These findings also underscore the importance of getting both of the recommended doses of the vaccine in order to get the greatest level of protection against COVID-19, especially as our concerns about variants escalate."

"Our national vaccination efforts are working," Walensky added.

The US has made a big push to get people vaccinated. As of Monday, nearly 29% of the US population -- more than 95 million people -- have received at least one dose, and nearly 16% of the population -- about 52.6 million people -- are fully vaccinated, CDC data shows. Among those 18 and older, more than 1 in 5 are fully vaccinated.

"Get vaccinated when you can," Walensky said. "So that all those people that we all love will still be here when this pandemic ends."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "CDC study finds Pfizer, Moderna vaccines are 90% effective after two doses in real-world conditions."
Moscow, April 1 : Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, has passed a bill enabling incumbent President Vladimir Putin to run for two more terms starting 2024.

The bill was approved by the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, a week ago. Putin is expected to sign it into law soon, Xinhua news agency reported.

The draft law on elections was made in pursuance of constitutional amendments adopted in a nationwide referendum in July 2020.

One of the 206 constitutional amendments stipulates that the limit of two presidential terms applies to the incumbent head of state, but without taking into account his previous terms.

In light of the amendment, the bill, cleared by the upper house on Wednesday, grants Putin the possibility of starting his presidency from scratch in 2024 and holding the office for two more terms until 2036.
The long-promised Russian software legislation favouring local companies came into force late this week. Smartphones, computers and other smart devices purchased in Russia must now come pre-installed with Russian software.

As we reported last December, the law was adopted by the State Duma, Russias lower house of parliament, on the 21st of November  after three revisions  and then signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.

This move aims to help Russian IT firms compete with foreign counterparts and to help the country as a whole to reduce its dependence on foreign companies and countries. The law apparently applies to smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, laptops and PCs produced after the first of April.

The apps on the list include internet browsers, search engines and maps and navigation providers, along with apps for using Russian payment system Mir.

However, this probably wont be the end of the matter. A second package of more than 60 support measures for the industry is apparently already being discussed by government. Reuters suggests that further proposals could include tax breaks for Russian IT companies and a required local presence for non-Russian businesses.

Russias cellphone market is dominated by foreign companies. With the introduction of the new law, one of the biggest players, Apple, has had to agree to offer a way for users to install Russian software during iPhone setups. However, it insists that apps from Russian developers will need to be reviewed to ensure they comply with Apples standards for privacy, security and content.
The quarterly figure was a 34% increase compared to the $10.6 million in the year-ago quarter, while the firms 2020 revenue total was up 64% from 2019 levels of $31.8 million

Delta 9 saw its retail sales increase by 109% in 2020 to $32.2 million

Delta 9 Cannabis Inc ( ) (OTCQX:DLNTF) posted strong quarterly and year-end results on Wednesday evening including a company-record 4Q revenue of $14.2 million and $52 million for the year.

The quarterly figure was a 34% increase compared to the $10.6 million in the year-ago quarter, while the firms 2020 revenue total was up 64% from 2019 levels of $31.8 million.

Winnipeg-based Delta 9 saw its retail sales increase by 109% in 2020 to $32.2 million, while its wholesale and B2B numbers also increased compared to 2019.

Sequentially, the firms net revenue increased by 9% quarter-over-quarter from the $13.1 million figure it delivered in 3Q.

The bulk of Delta 9s revenue was derived from its retail stores in Canada, which reported $10.2 million in sales for the three-month period ending December 31, 2020. The group processed more transactions and higher average transaction sizes compared to 3Q, while the total number of grams sold in stores also increased.

On the wholesale front, the firm produced around 2.1 million grams at a total cost per gram of $0.80, selling 1.2 million grams at an average price per gram of $3.57.

"We saw real strength in the fourth quarter in our wholesale numbers. Weve almost doubled from the second to third quarter and then almost doubled that in 4Q," CEO John Arbuthnot told Proactive.

"Over the next few quarters I think well be at a point where were selling every gram we can produce. Its a stark contrast to many of our larger competitors who are still struggling with shuttering capacity and trying to meter the supply and demand components of the market for their products."

The groups net loss came in at $3.2 million or $0.04 per share, but Adjusted EBITDA came in at $1.9 million compared to a loss of $474,000 in the previous quarter.

Accelerated revenue

"To be one of a select few cannabis companies thats produed a full year positive Adjusted EBITDA points to the quality of our operations over the last 12 months," Arbuthnot said. "Operating cash flow for the full 12 months was over $1.5 million, so not only Adjusted EBITDA but positive operating cash from the business  again, very unique in a cannabis context."

One of Canadas original cannabis companies, Delta 9 sells products through its wholesale and retail sales channels and markets its cannabis Grow Pods to other businesses.

The company announced the opening of its eleventh Delta 9 Cannabis retail store in March 2021.

Eyes on the US market

Looking ahead, Arbuthnot told Proactive that the company is continuing its pivot on the B2B business south of the border.

"Were expanding our sales force to include a US focus only. Obviously we cant touch the plant on the US side yet, but a lot of momentum behind legalization. If we have more near-term exposure through sales of our Grow Pods, then that will become a key focus for us on the B2B segment in continuing to see growth into the future."

--Updated with additional CEO comments and video--

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
BestCities Global Alliance has announced a host of new appointments to its board, effective May 1.

An international network of leading convention destinations around the world, BestCities Global Alliance has Berlin, Bogota, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Dublin, Houston, Madrid, Melbourne, Singapore, Tokyo, and Vancouver as its members.

BestCities said the new appointments bring a wealth of valuable experience and fresh global perspective to the board of the alliance  just in time as the industry steps into a new era of innovation and revitalization.

Kit Lykketoft, Director of Conventions at Wonderful Copenhagen, will take over as Alliance Chair, Dr Edward Koh, Executive Director at the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau, will be joining the board in a new role of Incoming Chair, which will be centred around Partnership development and future-proofing the Alliance.

Along with Kit and Edward, Julia Swanson, Chief Executive Officer at Melbourne Convention Bureau, completes the trio, stepping into the role of treasurer.

In her new role, Lykketoft will focus on legacies and added value of congresses and events within her role, and on proactively applying knowledge of the future to form the steps taken now.

Lykketoft takes over from Corne Koch who has completed her two-year term. In her new role, she will focus on legacies and added value of congresses and events within her role, and on proactively applying knowledge of the future to form the steps taken now.

She has been the Director of Copenhagen Convention Bureau since 2017, where she works to attract international association conferences, meetings, and events to Copenhagen. She has sustainability high on the agenda too - a long-standing position of strength in her home-city, Copenhagen.

As the newly appointed Chair of the Board of BestCities Global Alliance, Lykketoft said: "The uncertainties and challenges of the past year have underlined the importance of our cross-continental alliance. More than ever, we must stay focused and make sure that BestCities shows its worth and brings its core pillars to life; to keep BestCities top of mind, innovative thought leadership, and build global partnerships with associations and the rest of the global community."

"At this important time, I look forward to continue to grow our alliances reputation and to shape its global footprint even further through innovative partnerships and knowledge creation, and to do so along with the rest of our brilliant BestCities destinations and the BestCities team," she noted.

Previously, she had worked with government administration and international organizations that use design and user-focused processes to drive innovation and change, both nationally and internationally.

On his new role, Dr Koh said: "The Covid-19 pandemic has been described as the crisis of our generation. At the same time, it has given BestCities clarity of the opportunities ahead."

"Todays cities shaping tomorrows world is a clear articulation of our ambition, for a larger membership of forward-looking cities, guided by BestCities template for best practices in event safety, innovation, monetization, and expansion of membership base for our clients. We are behind Kit  our new Chair  and look forward to delivering results for our industry, members, and clients," he stated.

On her new treasury ole, Swanson said: "After 10 years involvement with BestCities Global Alliance, Im delighted to continue to serve on the board and on my appointment to the position of Treasurer to drive the strategic vision of the Alliance."

"The Alliance is an amazing network of leading cities that are at the forefront of business events. I deeply value the relationships and collaboration amongst our partner cities around the world. Its an exciting time for these global perspectives to come together and chart a way forward for our sector," she added.-TradeArabia News Service
In December, private security and facility management firm Tenon Group's founder Manjit Rajain was speaking to Microsoft's global head of security. Rajain figured out during the conversation that the biggest concern of large corporations was tracking health of employees outside office premises. "He said while he can secure people inside the complex, what happens when they go out? The employers are worried about how their employees are interacting outside office," says Rajain, who is now trying to devise a solution that can track people outside office - only for health reasons. "We have gone to officials at Aarogya Setu. We are asking them to share data of people who have come closer to people I have been tracking," he says.

Rajain is part of the economy that has, after hurting for some months after the pandemic, seen good growth of late - private security and facility management business. For instance, business research agency Freedonia has estimated that the private security industry is expected to grow at nearly 15 per cent CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) to touch Rs 1.6 lakh crore by 2024, doubling from Rs 80,000 crore in 2019. Facility management business is expected to grow from Rs 1.1 lakh crore to Rs 2.3 lakh crore during the period.

Experts say the private security industry felt the impact of the pandemic for the first two quarters. The growth rate picked up from third quarter onwards. It is likely to recover fully after March 2021. "The impact varies from one player to another. The unorganised segment has been hurt the most, and within the organised market, companies with large exposure to IT/ITeS sector, educational institutions, hotels, malls, etc, have been affected. Players with exposure to essential services such as manufacturing, healthcare and banking have been largely unaffected by the crisis. In general, security services were lesser impacted and were operating close to full capacity," says Snigdha Sharma, Senior VP (Investment Banking) at DAM Capital Advisors (erstwhile IDFC Securities).

E-commerce Equivalence

Rituraj Sinha, Managing Director of SIS Group, says the security industry has a low correlation with GDP. When economy grows at 5 per cent, the private security grows at 15 per cent, he says. That's because when new things are being built (highways, hotels, car dealerships, et al), demand for guards and cleaners goes up. "But when economy shrinks 5 per cent, we still grow at 3-5 per cent. It's a unique phenomenon that doesn't apply to many businesses. It's possible only in e-commerce - people buy goods online when they get more money in a good economy; but in recent lockdowns, too, demand for e-commerce didn't go down. . We have multiplier effect on the upside and protection on the downside," he says.

For instance, SIS reported consolidated revenues of Rs 4,324.59 crore in first half of FY21, 5.5 per cent higher than in the corresponding period last year. "Security services were notified as essential services right at the beginning (of the lockdown), and therefore, we were least impacted, and also the first to report V-shape recovery," he says.

Private security and facility management are broad terms that include a host of services. The number of activities under their ambit has been rising. Take facility management, which involves soft services such as housekeeping, cleaning, horticulture and also hard services like managing air-conditioning, heating, electricals and generators. Then there are outsourced manpower services like front desk, reception and help desk. On top of these, there are specialised services like pest control and catering.

For instance, Bengaluru-based Quess Corp is working with oil & gas, chemical, steel, engineering and telecom firms to design, procure, erect and commission their projects.

Tenon Group, on the other hand, operates assembly lines for making cars; it's even running paint shops for automotive companies.

"Earlier, anything not core to the business was being outsourced to us. Now, it's gone beyond non-core to cover even high-risk jobs. For example, running paint shops is a high-risk job as even one dust particle can affect production. We are doing this work for Renault Nissan and Mercedes in India, and BMW in the UK. We are also running fire stations in north and central England where, except firemen, all people belong to us," says Rajain.

What about recovery from the pandemic? DAM Capital Advisors' Sharma says the facility management segment is expected to take longer to recover. Not just that, large verticals within the security segment are never going back to normal. Take escort services. A rule mandates that companies must provide guards to women workers going home during night hours. Since a large number of IT/ITeS companies have asked employees to work from home, this business is going to suffer a lot. In hotels, restaurants and malls, as average footfalls have come down, guard strength has been reduced by 30-50 per cent.

"We have large exposure to IT and backend offices. The cabs that used to pick up female employees are out of business. The requirement for guards is also down. Though the business is stable, it could take one year for us to reach pre-Covid levels," says Rajeev Sharma, Managing Director, G4S India.

The Times are A-Changin'

Neither customers nor employees used to think highly of the private security industry. It was always considered a low-value job. The government also neglected the industry despite it being one of the biggest employment generators. For instance, India has 15 lakh police personnel and 50 lakh guards. But things have started changing.

When Covid-19 struck, the government classified them as an essential service, which gave them freedom to move around without restrictions. The government also announced a package for labour-intensive industries, besides launching the Rs 22,810-crore Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana, targeted towards such industries. Now, the industry is asking the government to classify guards as frontline workers so that they get the vaccine on priority.

When large swathes of the population migrated from cities to smaller towns, personnel covered by social security stood guard. An industry player says a large number of cash van drivers who left their jobs to drive for Ola and Uber have come back for guarding jobs. Why? Since people now prefer to travel in their own cars, cab drivers hardly make money despite working for 14-15 hours a day. Guarding job, on the other hand, fulfils three basic needs of employees: minimum wage, job stability and social security cover (through employee health scheme, provident fund and gratuity).

"They want social security and stability instead of a few extra bucks. The entire sector is covered by social security - both organised and unorganised segments. From telecom vendors to rentals, companies reduced rates across the board. Our customers didn't cut rates, and are, in fact, releasing payments on time. The pandemic has brought recognition to the industry," says SIS' Sinha.

The Tech Play

Experts say technology will define the future of private security and facility management. Security firms had started investing in tech even prior to Covid but demand from end-customers has spiked over the past few months. Tenon Group, for instance, has a three-year-old tech arm, Soteria, that can remotely monitor businesses anywhere in the world through data analytics and artificial intelligence. It has two command centres, in Gurgaon and Singapore. "We have seen over 100 per cent growth in this business in past six months. There has been a mindset change among customers. I am monitoring 1,40,000 people currently," says Rajain.

For instance, one of its tech solutions is installed at Mumbai's Nirlon Knowledge Park. Till March, this office cluster was hardly using technology and monitoring was being done physically. Tenon deployed cameras, motion sensors and a unique software whereby when a person enters a building, the camera at the reception checks body temperature. If it's above normal, the system blocks the person's access card.

"Nearly 20,000 people worked on that campus. Even now, some 12,000 come to work. If two people come within two metres of each other, their phones send alarms in the form of vibration. The cost for this entire solution is just Rs 3 per person per month. As my size grows, my costs will start coming down. Plus, I am collecting so much data that will become huge wealth," says Rajain.

SIS has launched a subscription-based software product, Virtual Covid Marshall, which uses existing CCTVs in offices to check body temperature, face mask compliance, crowding, frequency of cleaning and assures vehicle disinfection compliance. "We saw new streams of business after the lockdown. A lot of our clients reached out to us for sanitising their offices periodically. We have also given them tech solutions to monitor temperature through thermal cameras," says G4S India's Sharma.

What's Next?

Analysts say a blip in growth of security firms doesn't take away from the fact that the secular opportunity in the industry remains intact. Both the segments (private security and facility management) are highly fragmented and there are opportunities to formalise the industry through organic and inorganic routes. In future, two trends are likely: formalisation of the market with organised players gaining more share, and consolidation through acquisitions.

At the moment, organised players account for 35 per cent share of the security business. This is expected to jump to 40 per cent by 2024. In the facility management space, their share is even lower, 25 per cent, but could go up to 30 per cent in next three years.

"Organised players are more compliant with regulations. The smaller players are bleeding. It's a game of scale, and with low margins, existence of fringe players is under threat. Consolidation and formalisation will contribute to stronger growth when everything normalises post March 2021," says an analyst.

@manukaushik
WASHINGTON - A California man was arrested Wednesday and charged with attacking a D.C. police officer with an electroshock weapon during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Daniel Rodriguez, 38, of Fontana, Calif., is also accused of smashing a window of the Capitol and stealing an emergency escape hood designed to protect lawmakers against chemical munitions.

The charge of assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

While the documents use only the initials "M.F.," a spokeswoman for D.C. police confirmed that the injured officer was Michael Fanone.

Fanone, 40, told The Washington Post in January that after being dragged down the steps of the Capitol, he was shocked with a stun gun and drifted in and out of consciousness. He said he heard members of the mob urging others to kill him with his own gun. Terrified, the father of four girls told the violent mob that he was a father.

"I thought, maybe, I could appeal to somebody's humanity," he said.

Fanone later learned that he had suffered a mild heart attack.

"I was pulled into the crowd, and I remember hearing people yelling, you know, 'We got one!' " he recalled.

He was hit in the head from what "seemed like every angle."

Rodriguez is the second person charged with assaulting Fanone. Thomas F. Sibick, of Buffalo, N.Y., is accused of grabbing the officer's body-worn camera and badge.

An attorney for Rodriguez could not immediately be reached for comment.

- - -

The Washington Post's Peter Hermann contributed to this report.
GHOSTS OF NEW YORK

By Jim Lewis

Youve probably read this in a review or heard it said at a book club meeting: The city itself is a character in the novel. But what does that really mean? Nothing usually, beyond a writers prominent use of setting or familiar geographic detail: a scene that takes place at the Met, say, or in a famous restaurant, allowing the reader to fall back on a particular version of reality. Its a neat trick, and done right, provides context and intimacy, a shared language. Call it setting as set piece, which is all well and good, but set pieces are rigid, not malleable. Set pieces arent capable of growth. Cities cant be characters.

Or so I thought, before encountering Jim Lewiss extraordinary new novel, Ghosts of New York, a haunting collection of loosely linked vignettes that quickly exploded the tropes Id associated with writing about place. Lewis is the author of three previous novels (all published around the turn of the century) and a co-writer of the story that became Kids, Larry Clarks seminal film of downtown youth in extremis. For the last two decades, hes made his home in Austin, Texas, where he writes about the visual arts, though hes hardly lost his New York edge.

The pulsing metropolis at the heart of Ghosts of New York is so overwhelming in scope and impervious to circumstance its a wonder the citizens that populate it stand any chance of attaining happiness or fulfillment. And still they try. We meet a dealer in Indigenous artifacts whos lost his store and reputation for love of a woman; the Columbia-educated son of a powerful West African family, trapped in the shadows of his past; an East Village street kid with a voice so pure that fame seems preordained; a photographer arrived back in the city after a decade abroad, reckoning with the memory of her dead best friend. As the novel gains momentum these lives and others begin subtly intertwining  David Mitchell-like  until the gears behind Lewiss narrative reveal themselves, and a kind of ethos emerges from the urban cacophony: We are all connected in our disconnection, our solitude, our heartache, our longing. We are united by the city, which gives and takes indiscriminately, and in the end outlives us all.

Image

I dont mean to sound a down note; there are hardly any to sound. Ghosts of New York is a wondrous novel, with prose that sparkles like certain sidewalks after rain. Heres Stephanie, the photographer, revisiting after many years the block where she grew up: It came over her slowly: The streets were familiar, but the details had been redone. The trash cans were green instead of gray, there were no phone booths  no supers watching from basement railings. New York, busy being new and being New York: Alone among things it got younger instead of older.
After the race in Bahrain it was almost impossible not to hear Otmar Szafnauer complaining about the injustice done to his team. According to the Aston Martin F1 team boss the biggest culprit for the team's failure in the desert was the rule changes.

Pink Mercedes

As we all know, the concept of last year's Racing Point car was heavily based on the Mercedes concept. Not surprisingly, Lawrence Stroll's team was jokingly labelled 'the pink Mercedes'. In Drive to Survive, Lawrence Stroll recently called other teams who complained about the Racing Point concept "sore losers."

With the chassis rules frozen this year, as well as the token system, it meant that Aston Martin couldn't change very much about its car. Although the FIA did make a few aerodynamic changes, Szafnauer says this is seriously to the disadvantage of teams driving with a low rake. "I am not a conspiracy theorist, but last year we already indicated that the new regulations would affect us more than teams with a high rake," he said in conversation with Motorsport.com.

Never unanimous

He also rejects that there was a unanimous vote for this year's regulations. "There was never a real vote. There was only an indicative vote. In this vote there were three teams against. Those were the low rake teams [Mercedes and Racing Point], but there was also a high rake team that voted against! So it was far from unanimous. It should never have been decided like that, because there were three teams against, while you need eight out of ten votes to decide something unanimously."
A stable operational situation with no incidents has been maintained along the Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact of the Armenian state border overnight March 31-April 1, the Defense Ministry of Armenia told ARMENPRESS.

According to the information provided by the Armenian National Security Service, no border incidents were registered in Vorotan-Davit Bek section of the Goris-Kapan inter-state road which is under the responsibility of the NSS border troops.

The Armed Forces of Armenia and the NSS border troops confidently control the border situation along the entire borderline.
(Newser)  The 2020 season for Girl Scout Cookie sales was cut short, but the 2021 season was, in a word, "insane." That's according to Trish Bauer, whose 8-year-old daughter just smashed the national record for most boxes sold in a single season, per the San Jose Mercury News. Lilly Bumpus of San Bernardino, Calif., sold 32,484 boxes, some 6,000 more than the previous record of 26,086. They went out to locations in all 50 states, plus Canada, the UK, Spain, France, Italy, and Egypt. But 5,200 boxes stayed putLilly had encouraged buyers to donate boxes as well. Now, 1,000 each will go to homeless people, deployed troops, and three children's hospitals. There's a good reason for that: Lilly is a cancer survivor herself.

story continues below

Lilly, who also helps others through the Team Lilly Foundation, was born with Ewing's sarcoma but has been free of the disease since she was a toddler. "Lilly has always been blessed with the community of supporters she's had with her," says Bauer. "But for the first time, the world saw she had her own voice, her own mission, her own site that is bigger than cancer." Bauer says she warned her daughter that it could be difficult to sell cookies this year. But "she told me, 'Nothing is impossible.'" Lilly covered a lot of ground, as the largest order was for 100 boxes. Still, she was stunned by the final number. "It just meant so much to me to see that huge number," she tells KABC. "I thought, 'Wow, I never knew I could do that.'" (Read more uplifting news stories.)
The 4th batch of three IAF Rafales landed on Indian soil after a direct ferry from Istres Air Base France, informed the on Wednesday.

"The 4th batch of three IAF #Rafales landed on Indian soil after a direct ferry from #IstresAirBase France," the IAF tweeted.

"Rafales were refuelled in-flight by UAE Air Force tankers. This marks yet another milestone in the strong relationship between the two Air Forces. Thank You UAE AF," the air force tweeted.

Another batch of fighter jets have taken off on a non-stop flight to India with mid-air refuelling by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Indian Embassy in France said on Wednesday.

According to officials, three fighter aircraft which took off from France for India were scheduled to land at the Jamnagar airbase.

On Tuesday, Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India, had said that five extra jets will be ferried to India by the end of April. These would be other than the three Rafales which arrived on Wednesday.

The aircraft had started joining the IAF fleet in the July-August timeframe last year and were quickly operationalised by the Air Force in the shortest possible time. The aircraft had also been deployed for patrolling along the China front in eastern Ladakh and other fronts during the height of the China confrontation.

The planes equipped with the Hammer missiles have enhanced their capability to carry out air-to-ground strikes like the one in Balakot.

(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.)
Pope Francis has written to a former Presbyterian moderator thanking him for his thoughtful observations after the pontiff read his views in the Irish News newspaper.

It comes after Dr Norman Hamilton wrote about the Popes latest encyclical, or important church teaching document, in the papers faith matters section.

As reported in The Irish News on Thursday the pontiff wrote to Dr Hamilton to express his appreciation for the thoughtful observations.

Pope Francis said: I am writing to express my appreciation for the thoughtful observations you made in your article on my Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti in The Irish News.

It is my hope that, in the spirit of the Encyclical, all Christs disciples will be blessed with wisdom in discerning practical ways of caring for the weakest of our brothers and sisters in building up Gods Kingdom of fraternity, justice and peace.

The encyclical focuses on ideas of reconciliation and friendship, with a vision for building a better world for all people.

I am chuffed that what you write on your computer in Ballymena ends up getting thought of as worthwhile to get sent to a world religious leader, who then responds Dr Norman Hamilton

Dr Hamilton said he found it hard to find the words that encapsulate the surprise and delight at Pope Francis taking the time to write a personal response to his observations.

I am chuffed that what you write on your computer in Ballymena ends up getting thought of as worthwhile to get sent to a world religious leader, who then responds, he told the paper.

Expand Close Dr Norman Hamilton (PA) PA / Facebook

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Dr Hamilton added that his comments were aimed at helping the Church to find ways of reaching the Popes vision of a more peaceful and just world.

Pope Francis attention was drawn to the article by Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin.

The archbishop described the assessment of a papal document by a Presbyterian cleric as perhaps unprecedented in the context of Northern Ireland and its history.

Dr Martin said: I also think the Holy Father would be extremely pleased to know that a minister of the Presbyterian Church is open to giving his views on the Holy Fathers encyclical in a newspaper that is widely read by those of the Catholic faith.

From an ecumenical point of view, this initiative is to be welcomed and applauded.

Anything that brings the communities together here is commendable and truly in the spirit of Fratelli Tutti.

Dr Hamilton was Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland from 2010 to 2011.

He had played a prominent role in developing community relations.

He mediated in the Holy Cross dispute and has been committed in his ministry to reach beyond his own tradition, for example, to the GAA.
A study of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine offered some positive news this week, suggesting the immunization method is highly effective for at least six months and protects against a COVID-19 variant from South Africa that has been causing global concern.

The analysis detailed how the vaccine, called BNT162b2, is 91.3% effective in protecting against the virus. The study is part of the companies ongoing Phase 3 vaccine trial, which is following more than 44,000 vaccinated participants, according to a joint statement from Pfizer and BioNTech. The companies said they plan to share the results from the study with worldwide regulatory agencies soon.

BNT162b2 was fully effective in preventing severe disease as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 cases in South Africa as well, where the B.1.351 strain of the virus is is prevalent, the companies noted.

These data confirm the favorable efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine and position us to submit a Biologics License Application to the U.S. FDA, said Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer. The high vaccine efficacy observed through up to six months following a second dose and against the variant prevalent in South Africa provides further confidence in our vaccines overall effectiveness.

Results from the analysis of the 46,307 trial participants demonstrated strong protection against COVID-19 through the six months after individuals received their second doses of the two-shot vaccine, according to Pfizer.

Of the 927 confirmed symptomatic coronavirus cases in the trial, 850 were among participants given a placebo, while 77 were in the BNT162b2 group, leading to the vaccine efficacy rate of 91.3%, the companies noted.

The effectiveness of the vaccine was generally consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity as well as across participants with a variety of underlying conditions, according to the companies.

In South Africa, where 800 participants were enrolled, nine cases of COVID-19 were reported, all of which were in the placebo group, indicating a vaccine efficacy of 100%. In further analysis, the nine strains were sequenced, and six were confirmed to be the B.1.351 variant.

The results of the study come as fears continue to mount about how effective authorized vaccines are against spreading variants of the virus like B.1.351, B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom and P.1 from Brazil.

According to the latest data from the CDC, Massachusetts ranks fourth among states with confirmed cases of the strain from the U.K. The Bay State has identified nine total cases of the variant from South Africa and 37 of the one from Brazil.

The CDC considers all three strains to be variants of concern, as they show evidence of increased transmissibility, more severe disease and a significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies created by previous infection or vaccination.

The Pfizer-BioNTech analysis offers a first-of-its-kind look at how long BNT162b2 protects against the virus. No serious safety concerns were observed in participants up to six months after they received their second doses, the companies noted

It is an important step to further confirm the strong efficacy and good safety data we have seen so far, especially in a longer-term follow-up, said Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech. These data also provide the first clinical results that a vaccine can effectively protect against currently circulating variants, a critical factor to reach herd immunity and end this pandemic for the global population.

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New Delhi, Apr 1 (UNI) India on Thursday stressed the need for a "paradigm-shift" in the level of cooperation and regional integration among BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries and and pitched for increased connectivity and intra-regional tourism.

"Next year will be the silver jubilee of the establishment of the BIMSTEC. It is high time that we dwell upon how to make a paradigm-shift in raising the level of our cooperation and regional integration," said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Addressing the grouping's virtual ministerial meeting, the minister said India remained committed to further building the momentum of regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC framework and make the organization "stronger, vibrant, more effective and result-oriented."

"I am confident that BIMSTEC would scale new heights in the times to come with our collective efforts and spirit of cooperation."

He said the collaboration in intra-regional tourism has been badly hit by the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic adding that as the overall situation becomes normal, strong emphasis should be laid on developing the BIMSTECs brand of tourism and focus on developing modalities for using the initiatives tourism fund.

"Our collaboration in intra-regional tourism has been badly hit naturally by the COVID pandemic. As the situation normalizes, we should lay strong emphasis on promoting the BIMSTEC Brand of Tourism and develop modalities for utilization of BIMSTEC Tourism Fund," Jaishankar said.

"Subject to normalization of the situation, we plan to invite BIMSTEC countries as Guest of Honour Partners at the 'International Buddhist Conclave' later this year," he added.

The Dhaka headquartered BIMSTEC comprises seven countries, five of these -- India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Bangladesh-- are from South Asia while the Thailand and Myanmar are from Southeast Asia. The grouping has gained salience in the Narendra Modi government's foreign policy.

Jaishankar said robust connectivity is an essential pre-requisite for economic integration of the region with smooth cross-border movement of people and goods, and voiced India's happiness over the finalisation of the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity which is expected to be adopted at the fifth BIMSTEC Summit by the member-nations, which would be an important step towards better connectivity and integration.

"We also need to put in place legal framework for smooth connectivity in the region by finalizing the BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement and the Motor Vehicles Agreement at an early date.

Saying that the countries faced both traditional and non-traditional security challenges, he said the the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and illicit Drug Trafficking has come into force last month and BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters has been finalized for signing at the fifth BIMSTEC Summit will provide a robust legal basis to further strengthen cooperation in the sector.

He also highlighted disaster management as another important area of collaboration among the BIMSTEC countries having similar geo-climatic conditions.

UNI SRJ
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
The cashier who served George Floyd shortly before his death said the 46-year-old was friendly, but appeared to be high as he described the disbelief and guilt he felt over his fatal arrest.

Christopher Martin (19), told how his encounter with Mr Floyd in Minneapolis last May led to the unarmed black man being pinned to the ground by Derek Chauvin, the white former police officer charged with his murder.

Mr Martin was testifying on the third day of Mr Chauvins trial for second-degree murder and manslaughter and third-degree murder.

He is the latest witness to describe to the court his horror at watching Mr Chauvin kneeling on Mr Floyds neck for more than nine minutes, a scene that set off global protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

Yesterday the court heard a detailed account of the events leading up to Mr Floyds arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes.

Mr Martin told the court that Mr Floyd had been friendly and approachable as he served him in the Cup Foods store on May 25.

But it kind of took him a little long to get to what he was trying to say, so it would appear that he was high, he said.

CCTV footage of Mr Floyd in the shop showed him smiling and making cheerful conversation, at one point putting his arm around a female friend.

Mr Martin said he immediately recognised the $20 that Mr Floyd paid with as a forgery, but accepted it and initially planned to just put the bill on his tab.

But he changed his mind and told a manager, who sent him outside to ask Mr Floyd to return to the store. Mr Floyd refused and police were called.

Mr Martin said he immediately regretted the incident and watched the officers behaviour with disbelief and guilt.

The teenager, who is black, said: I was standing there on the kerb, and I was just like, theyre not going to help him. This is what we have to deal with.

Mr Martin said he witnessed another officer on the scene, Tou Thao, push another shop worker as he approached the spot where Mr Chauvin was kneeling on Mr Floyds neck. CCTV from the scene showed Mr Thao pushing the man twice.

Asked if Mr Martin saw his colleague touch Mr Thao at any point, he replied: No.

Mr Martin said he had filmed Mr Floyds arrest on his phone, but deleted it when he watched an ambulance take Mr Floyd away and concluded he was dead. I just didnt want to have to show it [the footage] to anyone, he said.

He said he quit his job after the incident because he did not feel safe.

Prosecutors have called a number of witnesses to testify in an attempt to undercut the defence argument that Mr Chauvin and the other officers were facing an angry mob which distracted them from Mr Floyds condition.

Mr Chauvins lawyer, Eric Nelson, has argued that the former officer was following police training and that Mr Floyds death was caused by a combination of drugs in his system and underlying heart problems.

Outside the court, protesters held an all-night demonstration to call attention to the urgent need for police reform.

Grace Busse, a 22-year-old student, said she was there to keep the focus on social justice reform as well as Mr Chauvins trial.

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Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
OPEC and its allies, including Russia, announced on Thursday they would gradually increase oil production over the next three months.

In agreeing to modest output increases, Saudi Arabia appears to have yielded to pressure from Russia and other producers who are eager to raise output. They want to take advantage of what they see as a likely growing global thirst for oil as economies slowly expand after pandemic lockdowns.

The group, known as OPEC Plus, has been withholding eight million barrels a day from the market.

On this occasion, the Saudis decided to go with the consensus of the members, said Helima Croft, a commodity strategist at RBC Capital Markets, an investment bank.

A call on Wednesday from the new U.S. secretary of energy, Jennifer Granholm, to Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Saudi oil minister, may also have had some impact, although the Saudi official denied that the oil markets had been discussed.
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
It was given by the Governor in a ceremony on March 25, 2021 in Douala.

The new Consul General of Chad to Douala, Idriss Youssouf Boy, on Thursday March 25, 2021 received his Exequatur from the hands of the Governor of the Littoral Region in a solemn ceremony at the banquet hall of the Governor's office. Speaking at the ceremony, the Governor of Littoral, Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, said the nature of the bilateral relations between Chad and Cameroon is so intense that Chad decided to open a consul in Douala in December 2019. He said diplomatic relations between Chad and Cameroon started since independence and characterized by a series of cooperation accords such as that of extending electricity, optical fibre as well as the railroad to Chad. He also mentioned the Chad-Cameroon mixed commission, the tripartite accord, the construction of the bridge over the Logone River as well as the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline.

The Governor said Chadians constitute one of the highest foreign communities in Douala and called on the Consul general to work to enhance the fruitful relations between the two countries especially in the fight against Boko Haram as well as the problems of transporters along the Douala-N'Djamena corridor. He however urged him not to intervene in Cameroon' internal affairs

Speaking to the press after receiving his Exequatur, the Pioneer Consul General of Chad to Douala, thanked President Paul Biya for speedily signing his Exequatur and Marechal Idriss Derby for his appointment. He promised to make use of his background as a customs controller to build a harmonious relationship between Cameroonian and Chadian custom officials as well as ease the transit of goods along the Douala-N'Djamena corridor. Prominent among those present, was the Chadian Ambassador to Cameroon, Djiddi Bichara Hassan, other Consuls General and the top administrative, military and political brass of the Littoral Region.
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The number of migrants risking their lives to cross the Channel in tiny boats in the first three months of 2021 has nearly tripled compared to the same period last year, shocking government figures reveal.

The total of 1,402, compared to 511 the year before, suggests this year's final figure will shatter the 2020 record of 8,420 crossings.

On Tuesday alone, some 148 people in six incidents tried to enter the UK as we experienced the hottest day of the year so far.

A further 81 people were then intercepted during another six incidents on Wednesday.

It comes as around 30 migrants, including young children and a man in a wheelchair, crossed the Channel earlier today despite worsening weather including 30mph winds.

Tiny boats are kept in a holding area at Dover Marina on the Kent coast, called 'The Graveyard', as the number of migrants risking their lives continue to rise

Figures reveal that the number of migrants risking their lives to cross the Channel in the first three months of 2021 has nearly tripled. Pictured: Boats are kept at the storage bay in Dover

The boats kept in the holding area are disinfected against Covid after they are seized

No crossings had been expected today as conditions deteriorated following this week's mini-heatwave - which saw people smugglers taking advantage of the warm weather to traffick dozens of asylum seekers across from France.

But Border Force vessel Vigilant was seen unloading around 30 migrants shortly after midday at Dover Marina, Kent. The landing was was extremely late for the first arrivals of the day - which usually happen before dawn.

It came as stark images showed the tiny crafts used by the migrants, now stored in an area on the Kent coast called 'The Graveyard'.

Some of the crudest vessels to have made it across were so unseaworthy they had visible holes in their hulls, adding extra dangers to those who pay thousands for the risky journey across the busiest shipping waters in the world in the hope of a better life.

The latest victory for people smugglers took place at Dover when a boat arrived carrying 12 people, including a heavily pregnant woman and children.

Each boat is disinfected against Covid when it has been seized before they are transported to private waters behind Dover Marina.

The flotilla of inflatable and hard-shell small craft, many powered by engines stolen from leisure boats based in the marinas around Calais, has been growing daily.

In a series of incidents more than 200 asylum seekers have made it to the Kent coast in recent days - in a bumper week for the people smugglers who prey on them.

On the other side of the Channel the French authorities prevented another seven attempted crossings this week involving 142 people, according to the Home Office.

The flotilla of inflatable and hard-shell small craft have been growing daily as more risk their lives to cross the Channel

Migrant boats are disinfected and then transported to private waters behind Dover Marina

On Tuesday alone, some 148 people tried to enter the UK and a further 81 people were then intercepted during another six incidents on Wednesday

Around 30 more migrants, including young children, crossed the Channel and arrived in Dover earlier today

Home Secretary Priti Patel recently set out plans to target criminal organised gangs running crossings and change rules for asylum seekers so that people who arrive in the UK without permission will no longer have the same entitlements.

Chris Philp, minister for immigration compliance and justice, said the government plans to 'break the business model of smuggling gangs and protect the lives of those they endanger'.

Yesterday 81 migrants including small children and a heavily pregnant woman arrived.

They were mostly led ashore at Dover but one group of a dozen landed on the beach along the coast at Dungeness after slipping past search boats.

Over 1,300 migrants have made the 21-mile journey so far this year, which is almost triple the 466 who arrived in the first three months of 2020. Last year saw an overall record of 8,400 arrivals.

One youngster was seen wearing a woolly hat shaped like a rabbit and another wore rainbow-coloured waterproof leggings as they stepped foot in the harbour.

Another toddler, who was too young to walk, had to be carried by an Immigration Enforcement officer.

And a disabled man was also seen needing a wheelchair to make his way up the gangway for processing.

All of the migrants were wearing red lifejackets and disposable face masks as they disembarked from a black Border Force vessel.

The Home Office is yet to confirm how many people have arrived on UK shores so far today but it is thought that there were around 30 on board.

Among the group was a disabled man who needed a wheelchair to make his way up the gangway for processing

Border Force vessel Vigilant was seen unloading migrants shortly after 12pm at Dover Marina, Kent, despite the 30mph winds

The Home Office is yet to confirm how many people have arrived on UK shores so far today but it is thought that there were around 30 on board

Immigration Enforcement officer having to help one man into a wheelchair after the boat arrived at Dover Marina, Kent, earlier today

The extremely risky crossing comes after 229 migrants made the trip across the busiest shipping route in the world in just two days as people smugglers took advantage of unseasonably warm weather in recent days.

It means 831 migrants made the dangerous journey in 42 vessels last month - more than four times the 187 who made the 21-mile trip in 13 boats in March last year.

The latest crossings come a week after Home Secretary Priti Patel announced a series of radical new policies for a 'firm but fair' immigration system.

The group who made the treacherous 21-mile journey were said to consist of mainly families including young children

All of the migrants were wearing red lifejackets and disposable face masks as they disembarked from a black Border Force vessel

No crossings had been expected as battering winds of up to 30mph replaced the mini-heatwave of the past few days

Minister for Immigration Compliance and Justice Chris Philp said on Wednesday: 'People should claim asylum in the first safe European country they have travelled through.

'Last week, we announced the most significant overhaul of our asylum system in decades - a new, comprehensive fair but firm long-term plan.

'Under these plans, we will break the business model of smuggling gangs and protect the lives of those they endanger.'

In 2020 a record 8,410 migrants arrived by small boat - dwarfing 2019's total of just 1,850.
Slovakia cannot be a closed island of the vaccinated. We need to view vaccination globally

People should not fear their residence status will be an issue at the vaccination centre, human rights lawyer says.

Human rights lawyer Zuzana Stevulova was involved in efforts to find out about the vaccination of foreigners in Slovakia when it turned out it wasn't a straightforward affair.

The Slovak Spectator spoke to Stevulova about the vaccination of foreigners in Slovakia, the concerns about possible vaccination tourism, and the ban on holidays abroad.

The Slovak Spectator (TSS): Covid-19 vaccination is still unavailable to people without public health insurance, including some groups of foreigners. The Health Ministry proposed changes but the law has been stuck in the parliament due to the recent coalition crisis. Why were these groups overlooked and their vaccination is on the table only three months into the vaccination roll-out in Slovakia?

Zuzana Stevulova (ZS): It's a huge mistake. The vaccination strategy should have been prepared and discussed in advance, to avoid these situations where we do not know who can be vaccinated. The vaccination strategy does not tell us much about who pays for the jabs, either.

Zuzana Stevulova Lawyer specialising on human rights. Former director of the non-governmental Human Rights League. Member of the non-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia party. Currently works at the Bratislava City Hall, where she recently spent much of her time registering social workers of the Bratislava municipality for vaccination. The opinions expressed in this interview are her own.

The government could have spent some time finding out whether all inhabitants, not only citizens, are covered. The virus does not choose people according to the citizenship or health insurance and if we want to reach the critical mass of vaccinated people to ensure herd immunity, we need to vaccinate all the people living in the area. Every non-vaccinated person poses a risk.

TSS: The original vaccination strategy had a special category for asylum seekers, homeless people and the marginalised Roma communities. This is no longer the case and the decisive factor is age now. What is your view of that?

ZS: I think putting age first is right, together with professions in healthcare or social services, the way we have it now. I am not happy to see younger people getting vaccinated before seniors. The higher the number of vaccinated people the better only applies up to the point when a critical portion of people older than 65 are vaccinated. If they aren't, the critical situation in hospitals may still continue.

I am not aware why asylum seekers, homeless people and others were left out of the vaccination strategy. The government never explained it. The main problem could have been about who should pay for their vaccination, since these people typically do not have health insurance. Another reason may be the difficulty of the process itself. The vaccines currently used in Slovakia require two doses. It may be problematic in the case of these people to set up a second vaccination appointment. This is particularly complicated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, when the gap between doses is ten weeks.

The Health Ministry indicated that when the first single-dose vaccine Janssen by Johnson & Johnson arrives to Slovakia, it will be used for people who need to be reached by a mobile vaccination team in their homes, or for homeless people. I assume that it could also be used for asylum seekers.

But this is a specific group, while there are 150,000 foreigners living in Slovakia. The people who prepared the vaccination strategy may not have known that these foreigners could have other than public health insurance.

TSS: One concern mentioned with regard to the vaccination of foreigners in Slovakia is vaccination tourism. People in Slovakia who are still waiting for their jab, could feel that people from other countries may be allowed to come and get their jab and push them back in the line. Are such fears justified? Can the state prevent this from happening?

1. Apr 2021 at 20:33 | Nina Hrabovska Francelova
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Travel insurance market: Growing tourism and business travels

The travel and tourism industry has witnessed substantial growth in recent years. The government of numerous countries has made it mandatory to attach travel insurance documents while applying for visas, which is also contributing to market growth. Major market vendors such as AXA and Allianz Group are incorporating digital tools to garner a larger customer base. Some insurers are offering insurance cover for COVID-19-related medical expenses for inbound travelers and extending the expiration period without adding extra charges in their policies. Government organizations of different countries are launching initiatives to boost international tourism, which will fuel the demand during the forecast period. Hence, the growth of the tourism industry will fuel gross premiums for the travel insurance market during the forecast period.

"The emerging technological developments and growing demand for travel insurance will further boost market growth during the forecast period", says a senior analyst at Technavio.

Key Questions Answered in the Report:

Which are the leading segments in the travel insurance market?

What are the major challenges inhibiting the growth of the travel insurance market?

What are the key trends and opportunities to be explored in the travel insurance market?

Who are the major vendors, and what are their key offerings in the travel insurance market?

Find more details on the travel insurance market: https://www.technavio.com/report/travel-insurance-market-industry-analysis

Leading Travel Insurance Market Participants

Allianz Group

Allianz Group offers travel insurance policies through various business segments such as Property Casualty, Life or Health, Asset Management, Corporate and Other segments.

American Express Co.

American Express Co. provides travel insurance policies through various business segments such as Global consumer services group, Global commercial services, and Global merchant and network services.

American International Group Inc.

American International Group Inc. operates and offers travel insurance policies through various business segments such as General Insurance, Life and Retirement, Legacy Portfolio Other Operations segments.

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Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Report Page: https://www.technavio.com/report/travel-insurance-market-industry-analysis

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - NEO Battery Materials Ltd. (TSXV: NBM) ("NEO" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it welcomes Dr. Sang Young Lee to the Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Sang Young Lee is a renowned researcher in the field of secondary cell or rechargeable batteries. Starting his career at LG Chem, Dr. Lee has served as a Principal Research Scientist for over 10 years. For the last decade, he has continued to develop next-generation batteries - flexible batteries, thin film batteries, and solid-state batteries - that can used in numerous commercial outputs such as electric vehicles (EV), wearables, and smart devices.

In recognition of his research achievements, Dr. Lee was selected as the recipient of the "Top 100 National R&D Achievements in Energy", presented by the National Research Foundation of Korea in 2017 and 2019, and was awarded the "Top 10 Nanotechnology of 2020" from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

During his tenure at LG Chem, Dr. Lee co-developed the world's first safety-reinforced separator (SRS) along with Dr. Park, Director and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. LG Chem stated the SRS was a crucial component in EV lithium-ion batteries for global carmakers such as Tesla, Volkswagen Group, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

Dr. Lee is currently a co-founder of a thin film battery company and a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Yonsei University. He has received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at KAIST in 1997. He is also serving as the Chairman of the Korean Electrochemical Association's Rechargeable Battery division and significantly contributes to the commercialization of academic results through close industrial-academic cooperation with several battery-related companies, including LG Chem.

About NEO Battery Materials Ltd.

NEO Battery Materials Ltd. is a Vancouver-based junior resource company focused on battery metals exploration in North America. The Company has staked new mining claims in Golden, BC, along a strike with a quartzite bed, targeting silica in the quartzites for a total of 467 hectares. The Company focuses on exploring and producing silicon, which, when added to anode materials in the production of lithium-ion batteries, provides improvements in capacity and efficiency over lithium-ion batteries using graphite in their anode materials. The Company intends to become an integrated silicon producer and anode materials supplier to the electric vehicle industry. For more information, please visit the Company's website at: https://www.neobatterymaterials.com/.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Spencer Huh

President and CEO

604-697-2408

shuh@neobatterymaterials.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79251
API Lays Out Initiatives, Including Partnerships with Communities of Color

The American Petroleum Institute (API) said it would support carbon pricing to help lower the countrys emissions and slow global warming.

What were advocating here is a market-based approach, and that could encompass many different ways to do this, API President and CEO Mike Sommers said during a news conference on Thursday, March 25.

Sommers stopped well short of endorsing President Joe Bidens goal of net-zero carbon emissions within 30 years.

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Theres no way it is feasible without technologies that arent currently in the marketplace today, Sommers offered. We think that the best way to do that is through a market-based carbon-pricing mechanism that isnt picking winners and losers.

Sommers noted that API supports the direct regulation of methane for new and existing sources.

We want to work with the Biden administration as they develop those new regulations, he remarked.

When asked what API is doing to involve minorities, Sommers noted that the 600-member organization has many partnerships in minority communities.

Weve worked with them over many, many years, and those partnerships are strong and growing larger, Sommers noted. The National Newspaper Publishers Association, the trade organization representing the 230-plus African American-owned newspapers and media companies in the United States, counts among those API partners.

In fact, API has had a program for over a decade, which brings a minority and underrepresented communities together to talk about, jobs and initiatives within the oil and gas sector, Sommers responded.

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Its an important priority of both the API board of directors and the API team in Washington. Well continue to grow those alliances over time because we know, based on the studies that we have done in this space, we expect that 50 percent of the jobs in oil and gas in the next 20 years are going to be filled by women and minorities.

Sommers added that those are good paying jobs.

Jobs that led a pathway to the middle class. And, we want to make sure that minorities and underrepresented populations are well-represented within our sector.

During the news conference, API released its policy framework of industry and government actions to address climate change risks.

At the same time, they aim to meet long-term energy needs globally.

Confronting the challenge of climate change and building a lower-carbon future will require a combination of government policies, industry initiatives, and continuous innovation, Sommers stated.

America has made significant progress in reducing emissions to generational lows, but theres more work to do, and theres nobody better equipped to drive further progress than the people who solve some of the worlds toughest energy problems every day.

As our industry accelerates efforts to advance groundbreaking technologies, reduce emissions and drive transparent and consistent climate reporting, we urge lawmakers to support market-based policies that foster innovation, including carbon pricing.

Sommers noted five areas in which API and its members support climate actions, including accelerating technology and innovation to reduce emissions while meeting growing energy needs and the further mitigation of emissions from operations to accelerate environmental progress.

He said API also endorses a carbon price policy to drive economy-wide, market-based solutions.

The organization also seeks to advance cleaner fuels to provide lower-carbon choices for consumers and drive climate reporting to furnish consistency and transparency.
A senior teacher at a former ballet school has been charged in connection with sexual offences.

Jonathan Barton, 38, pictured, who was vice-principal at Ballet West boarding school in Taynuilt, Argyll, was arrested yesterday.

He is expected to appear at Oban Sheriff Court at a later date.

An ITV investigation into the school last year found that more than 60 women had made allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

Jonathan Barton, 38, pictured, who was vice-principal at Ballet West boarding school in Taynuilt, Argyll, was arrested yesterday

Organisations such as the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Royal Academy of Dance cut ties with the school (pictured), which closed in August last year, saying it had been driven to the point of insolvency by the probe

Ballet West was awarded Best British Ballet School last year, but the accolade was rescinded after the investigation.

Organisations such as the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Royal Academy of Dance cut ties with the school, which closed in August last year, saying it had been driven to the point of insolvency by the probe.
[April 01, 2021] Carrus Acquires Archetype Innovations to Advance Next-Gen Healthcare Training

LEHI, Utah, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Carrus , one of the nation's most trusted online healthcare training and professional development providers, announced today it has completed the acquisition of Archetype Innovations (Archetype), adding the company's innovative EHR Go platform to its offerings. The addition complements Carrus' existing offerings with a web-based, comprehensive electronic health record training software and opens new channels to provide education across nursing, pharmacy, therapy, informatics, and other critical allied health professions "Today's healthcare learners need meaningful experiences that help them focus on patient needs and outcomes, and including Go's educational EHR with our training will help learners prepare through diverse, customizable, real-world scenarios," said Misty Frost, CEO of Carrus. "People come to us to help them improve their lives and advance their careers through exceptional healthcarelearning, and incorporating new EHR capabilities into our programs helps us deliver on that mission."



Archetype is the creator of EHR Go, an educational electronic health record (EHR) and learning platform designed to encourage students to see the holistic nature of healthcare while becoming proficient in its technology. The platform includes 600+ customizable patient cases and activities built around the diverse and realistic human stories healthcare professionals see every day. Used in all healthcare disciplines, EHR Go is fully interprofessional and can be used both within and between programs, in simulation, classroom, lab, practice, or for clinicals. "We founded the company in 2008 with the goal to create an affordable, educational tool that would bring a human-centered approach to the heart of the technology," said Kathleen Annala, CEO & President of Archetype Innovations. "Now, with 657 electronic health records, 428 assessments, thousands of learning resources, and nearly 244,000 learners, we are proud to join Carrus and continue to provide the best educational EHR experience possible."

Carrus offers programs designed to prepare learners for careers in healthcare, administration, or technology. Archetype created Go with years of healthcare experience and after listening to users and seeing what educators needed to make their students successful. The result is the most innovative educational EHR and learning platform available. Faculty use it in the classroom, assign it as homework, and most programs that use Go see their usage grow and expand every academic term. About Carrus

Carrus delivers quality, trusted healthcare learning content, continuing education, and certification management to new learners, healthcare professionals, and institutions through an integrated technology platform that provides the most seamless healthcare learning experience possible. In 25+ years, Carrus through its CareerStep and CareerCert divisions has trained over 140,000 learners for new careers, partnered with more than 150 colleges and universities nationwide, and trained over 100,000 healthcare professionals. More information can be found at carruslearn.com or 844-854-1160. Contact

Becky Frost

pr@carruslearn.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carrus-acquires-archetype-innovations-to-advance-next-gen-healthcare-training-301260347.html SOURCE Carrus

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HARARE, Zimbabwe, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. businessman Alexander Zingman was released Wednesday without any charges, along with Italian businessman Paolo Persico and Zingman's colleague Oleg Vodchits. The three businessmen had been detained in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the past 12 days. At a press conference held in neighbouring Zimbabwe after their release, Zingman made it clear they were the victims of misinformation.

"We were targeted by allegations made in the local media on the day of our arrival, claiming that we were 'arms dealers' coming to start a coup. The security agencies took us into custody upon our arrival to check our identities," Zingman told the international media.

54-year-old Zingman  who is also the Honorary Consul from Zimbabwe to Belarus and holds a diplomatic passport  owns AFTRADE, a company that distributes agricultural and mining equipment in Africa. He had business meetings planned with the Moisee Kapende Foundation in Lubumbashi, when they were detained on arrival, prompting concerns for their welfare from their families and colleagues.

"I wish to thank my family and friends for their support during this time, and for the professionalism of the security agencies of the Democratic Republic of Congo," he said.

According to Zingman and Persico, they were taken to a detention centre in Kinshasa, where they were questioned by four different security agencies. It was eventually established that they were indeed bona fide executives on a legitimate business visit.

During the past two weeks, their detention had triggered a rumour mill among local internet sites, which made allegations on the reasons for their visit to the DRC. These rumours have now all been laid to rest, according to Zingman.

"We were not visiting the DRC to meet any politicians or former presidents. We had a half-day visit planned to meet the Moisee Kapende Foundation and make a proposal to supply it with agricultural equipment. The head of the Foundation was there at the airport to receive us. He was also detained and taken to Kinshasa for questioning. He has now been released as well, as the security agencies have verified our business meetings," Zingman said.

He said the recent ordeal would not stop him from pursuing his business deals, and that he looked forward to returning to the DRC.

"Now that we have been vetted and cleared by no less than four security agencies of the DRC, they said we are welcome back anytime to complete the agricultural deals that we have planned," Zingman told the journalists.

AFTRADE has agricultural deals with several African countries to provide tractors and other farming machinery, as well as to provide training in modern farming techniques.

http://aftradedmcc.com

SOURCE AFTRADE